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Republicans push to renew Obamacare subsidies while rejecting Democrats’ shutdown tie-in

A group of House Republicans is calling on Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to deal with expiring Obamacare subsidies immediately after the government shutdown ends.

Thirteen House GOP lawmakers, led by Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Jen Kiggans, R-Va., are sending a letter to Johnson on Tuesday thanking him for his leadership during the shutdown but maintaining that Obamacare must also be dealt with before the end of the year.

Obamacare, formally called the Affordable Care Act (ACA), has emerged as one of the main flash points in the ongoing fiscal standoff between Republicans and Democrats.

‘Every day the shutdown continues to hurt the very people we were elected to serve, including the men and women of our Armed Forces, the federal law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe, the agents who defend our nation’s borders, and the public servants who provide essential services to veterans, seniors and families,’ the Republicans wrote.

‘We also firmly believe that the government funding debate is not the time or place to address healthcare issues. Using the shutdown as leverage to force that debate only prolongs the harm and distracts from the immediate task of reopening the government. Once the government is reopened, however, we should immediately turn our focus to the growing crisis of healthcare affordability and the looming expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits.’

Obamacare subsidies were enhanced under the Biden administration in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic in a bid to make healthcare more available to a wider swath of Americans. Democrats voted to extend those subsidies through 2025 in 2022 via the Inflation Reduction Act.

Democrats are now pushing to extend those subsidies now, using the ongoing government shutdown as leverage to force Republicans to deal with the issue.

Both House and Senate GOP leaders have signaled they are willing to discuss the expiring healthcare subsidies but rejected pairing them with their bill to fund the government — a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal spending levels called a continuing resolution (CR).

But extending the Obamacare subsidies is expected to generate its own debates among Republicans. Conservatives like the House Freedom Caucus and their allies are skeptical of the move, arguing the enhanced healthcare credits were responsible for sending medical prices skyrocketing.

But the 13 Republicans who signed the letter maintain, ‘Millions of Americans are facing drastic premium increases due to short-sighted Democratic policymaking. While we did not create this crisis, we now have both the responsibility and the opportunity to address it.’

‘Allowing these tax credits to lapse without a clear path forward would risk real harm to those we represent. Nevertheless, we must chart a conservative path that protects working families in our districts across the country who rely on these credits,’ they wrote.

The lawmakers agreed with GOP leaders that reforms are needed to the system ‘to make these credits more fiscally responsible and ensure they are going to the Americans who need them most,’ but added, ‘Our Conference and President Trump have been clear that we will not take healthcare away from families who depend on it. This is our opportunity to demonstrate that commitment through action.’

House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., ruled out accepting a straightforward extension of the Obamacare subsidies in comments to reporters on Monday.

‘You want a clean vote on a program that potentially is $400 billion, and you want to do it without any debate, any negotiation? That’s just insanity,’ Harris said.

Asked by Fox News Digital if he sees any pathway to compromise, he said, ‘It all depends on what the package is, how is it paid for, what other healthcare reforms are in it?’

‘But that’s stuff that you’re not going to negotiate in hours. It’s going to take weeks to negotiate,’ Harris said.

It’s also not immediately clear when the shutdown will end — while the House passed its CR on Sept. 19, Senate Democrats have sunk the bill in the upper chamber 11 times as of Monday.

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Blackburn says Trump support was ‘common thread’ among lawmakers reportedly targeted by Jack Smith

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., was one of nearly a dozen Senate Republicans allegedly probed by former Special Counsel Jack Smith, an investigation she wasn’t aware of until earlier this month.

She was one of several Senate Republicans that Smith allegedly surveilled as part of his investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. But it was only revealed earlier this month by the FBI — thanks to an oversight request by Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa — that Smith allegedly requested phone records on her and others.

Blackburn told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that until the documents from Smith’s ‘Arctic Frost’ investigation were revealed, she had no idea that her phone records were being surveilled.

She believed the ‘common thread’ behind the former special counsel’s probe, which was carried out in 2023, was because ‘the eight of us are all Republicans. We all support President Trump.’

Blackburn and Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Bill Hagerty, R-Wyo., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., were all reportedly part of Smith’s investigation.  

In response, Blackburn and many of the others that were allegedly surveilled by Smith want to see him disbarred.

‘This is about making certain we have one tier of justice, and that we stop this two tiers of justice,’ Blackburn said. ‘And if they can do this to eight sitting U.S. senators, what could they possibly — I mean, think about how, what they must be doing to conservatives in this country.’

Last week, she and Graham, Tuberville, Sullivan and Kelly sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding an investigation into Smith, and that he be referred to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Professional Responsibility.  

The end goal of the investigation is to see Smith disbarred from both New York and Tennessee, two states where he holds a license to practice law. Blackburn argued that Smith’s alleged spying on her and others was a ‘First Amendment and Fourth Amendment violation.’

Her latest push against the former special counsel came on the heels of another letter sent to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon demanding why the cellphone carriers allegedly allowed Smith and the FBI under the Biden administration to track their communications.

‘You would have thought that, because of the Stored Records Act and the First Amendment, the Fourth Amendment and the Speech and Debate Clause, that at least Verizon, who’s my wireless carrier, would have informed me that there was a request on my records,’ she said. 

‘But of course, there was nothing given to us, and it’s the reason that we sent the letter to Verizon and then followed it with a letter … to the DOJ on Jack Smith,’ she continued.

Smith is one of a handful of former officials that have been targeted by the DOJ under the Trump administration. He is currently under investigation by the Office of Special Counsel for alleged Hatch Act violations, which bars government employees from participating in political activities.

Then there are federal indictments against former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly making false statements and obstructing justice, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton for allegedly mishandling classified documents.

Blackburn was one of many Republicans that railed against so-called political witch hunts against President Donald Trump when he was out of office. When asked what the difference between the indictments against Trump and his allies compared to the latest crop of former officials, she said it was about accountability.

‘These need to be investigated so that this kind of stuff stops,’ Blackburn said. ‘And one of the differences, I think you see between Democrats and Republicans, is Democrats repeatedly circle the wagons, and they push things under the rug, and then they want two tiers of justice. And with Republicans, the focus is on accountability and transparency, and I think that is a major, major difference.’

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Exclusive: Blue Jays World Series hero can’t believe epic Game 7 HR

Joe Carter’s walk-off home run clinched the 1993 World Series in Toronto.
Blue Jays are back in the Fall Classic for first time since their last title.
Carter played 17 MLB seasons and won two championships with Toronto.

Joe Carter, the man who hit the biggest home run in Toronto Blue Jays history, sat in his home theater and watched history repeat itself more than three decades later.

It was like an out-of-body experience, watching a near replay of himself, circling the bases, jumping up and down after hitting the game-winning home run in the 1993 World Series that made him a Canadian national hero.

Now, nearly 32 years to the day, George Springer etched his name forever in Blue Jays folklore, hitting a dramatic three-run, seventh-inning home run to lift the Blue Jays into the World Series past the Seatle Mariners, 4-3.

The sellout crowd of 44,770 at the Rogers Centre screamed in euphoria.

Carter screamed in his house, startling his wife and daughter who were pacing upstairs, with his whole neighborhood in Leawood, Kansas hearing the jubilation.

“This is crazy, this is so crazy,’ Carter told USA TODAY Sports. “My heart was beating 10,000 beats a second, and I’m not even playing. It’s hard on a 65-year-old man.’

The moment Springer’s ball landed into the left field seats, Carter knew exactly what he’s going to say to Springer when he sees him before Game 1 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday.

“Welcome to the three-run home run club!

“You look at me. You look at Jose Bautista. You look at Edwin Encarnacion. And now, you look at George Springer.

“Unbelievable.’

Carter got emotional watching Springer’s reaction, jumping up and down, rounding the bases, thrusting his arms into the air.

It was the only the third go-ahead homer in the seventh inning or later in a Game 7 in postseason history, joining Pittsburgh Pirates’ Hal Smith in the 1960 World Series and Washington Nationals’ Howie Kendrick in the 2019 World Series. And Springer is the only one in history to achieve the feat with his team trailing by multiple runs.

It brought back the memories of that night in the same building, Oct. 22, 1993, when the Blue Jays trailed the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5, in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series. There were two runners on when Carter came to the plate, and he smacked a three-run homer off Phillies closer Mitch Williams into the left-field seats, winning the World Series championship.

It was only the second home run to end a World Series in baseball history, joining Bill Mazeroski with the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I told my wife, ‘Sweetheart, now know I know you felt when you were in the stands I was at the plate,” Carter said. “I was so nervous. My heart was beating so fast.

“And then he did it. He really did it. I couldn’t believe it.’

Carter was trading text messages with John Smoltz, the Hall of Fame pitcher and Fox analyst during the game, and just when the Blue Jays were about to open the bottom of the seventh, he sent one more text to Smoltz:

“Looking for a hero.’

The inning opened with a walk by Addison Barger and a single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, with No. 9 hitter Andres Gimenez laying down a sacrifice bunt. Springer, who suffered a badly bruised knee in Game 5 in Seattle, stepped up and drilled a 1-and-0, 96-mph fastball off Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo into the seats.

Carter found his hero.

Then, I held my breath the last two innings,’ Carter said. ‘I did not want to see Cal Raleigh come to the plate.’

Instead, Raleigh, who homered earlier in the game, was left standing on the on-deck circle as closer Jeff Hoffman struck out the side.

“Now, those guys don’t have to talk about ’93 anymore,’ Carter said. “I’m so glad. For them to go from worst to first, and now to the World Series.’

Carter was just in Toronto three weeks ago filming a team commercial with Springer designed to fire up the crowd, with Carter letting the fans know that since they did it in the past, they can sure do it now.

And now, Carter and Springer may be together for the next 20 years in autograph shows, hitting the two most famous homers in Blue Jays history.

“I was so happy for him,’ Carter said. “It was like poetic justice. The guy gets hit in the knee and the fans are booing him. You kidding me? Well, now those fans in Seattle will have a lot to boo George Springer about, he’ll be remembered in their history.’

Carter played 17 years in the big leagues for four different teams but Toronto has a special place in his heart. This is where he spent seven years, winning back-to-back World Series championships and a place he calls his second home – where he has had his celebrity golf tournament the past 15 years.

“This means so much to everyone in Toronto, really, all of Canada,’ Carter said. “I just remember how much joy we brought to everyone. But that was a long time ago. There are a lot of Blue Jays’ fans who weren’t alive when we won those championships.

“Now, they get to make their own memories, and wow, what a memory.’

Carter will be traveling to Toronto for the World Series where he’s expected to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at one of the games, saying, ‘They’ve saved me for the last 32 years, I’m due.”

And when he sees everyone, he’ll let them know that it’s not enough to just get to the World Series. As long as they’ve gone this far, they might as well win it.

“It’s fun getting there, but you just didn’t get there to get there, you got to win the whole thing,’ Carter said. “Don’t be happy just getting there, let’s win it. I know you’re the underdog. You’re going against the $1 billion payroll and the super-human guy in Shohei Ohtani. Those guys are a first-class organization with their arms and Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.’

The Dodgers are trying to go where only two teams have ever gone in the last 50 years, winning back-to-back World Series titles like the Blue Jays in 1992-1993.

Carter would love for the Blue Jays to stop the Dodgers from joining their elite company.

“The Dodgers are good, but the Blue Jays have that championship pedigree,’ Carter said. “It showed in their DNA when they lost the first two games at home, then went to Seattle where they had to win, and come back home where they had to win.

“I’m telling you, we can do it. The city of Toronto is going to be rocking. All of Canada is going to be so pumped up. And, I’m so pumped up.

“This is going to be a classic.’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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China accuses US of yearslong cyberattack on national time service

China’s spy agency accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of hacking its national time service, alleging a yearslong cyberespionage campaign that targeted the system keeping official Beijing Time — a backbone for China’s telecommunications, finance and defense sectors.

The Ministry of State Security claimed the NSA began the operation in 2022 by exploiting a text-messaging vulnerability to gain control of employee cell phones at the National Time Service Center, then used stolen credentials to access servers and implant covert tools. The alleged breach, if true, could have allowed attackers to tamper with national timekeeping — a move that experts say could disrupt communications, banking and satellite navigation across China.

The NSA said in a statement it ‘does not confirm nor deny allegations in the media regarding its operations. Our core focus is countering foreign malign activities persistently targeting American interests, and we will continue to defend against adversaries wishing to threaten us.’

Chinese Investigators allege the hackers deployed 42 ‘specialized cyberattack weapons’ to implant sabotage capabilities.

The attackers allegedly forged digital certificates, bypassed antivirus software and used strong encryption to erase traces to conceal activity. Tampering with the National Time Service could disrupt financial transactions, communications and satellite timing.

China’s national security agency said it countered the operation by cutting off the attack chain and upgrading defenses.

The Beijing statement claimed that in recent years, the U.S. has pursued ‘cyber hegemony,’ launching hacking operations against China and across the globe.

But for years, U.S. officials have said the nation needs to take a more offensive approach to cyber espionage, given China’s frequent intrusions into U.S. systems.

In a media statement, the U.S. embassy in Beijing said China ‘is the most active and persistent cyber threat to U.S. government, private-sector and critical infrastructure networks.’

The latest claim fits into years of mutual accusations of state-sponsored cyber activity between the world’s two largest powers. Beijing has frequently accused the U.S. of hacking Chinese systems, while American intelligence and private cybersecurity firms have repeatedly attributed massive data-theft campaigns – from the Microsoft Sharepoint breach to Operation Salt Typhoon – to Chinese state-linked groups.

In April, Chinese authorities accused the NSA of launching attacks against networks linked to the Asian Winter Games held in February.

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Five biggest threats to dethrone NBA champs

The Oklahoma City Thunder can be seen as the current gold standard for building a championship team. This new era began when Billy Donovan left to coach the Chicago Bulls, and Mark Daigneault took over. The Thunder won 22 games in Daigneault’s first season in 2020 and have increased their win total over the past four years, culminating in an NBA-high 68 wins and the team’s first championship. 

This was achieved by stockpiling draft picks, using those picks to select role players, and executing a franchise-changing trade to acquire Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers.

General manager Sam Presti, who won his first long-overdue Executive of the Year award last season, is making sure the championship core remains intact by signing league and Finals MVP Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren to long, big-money contract extensions, and barring injury and complacency, could sit atop the perch for the rest of the decade.

Oklahoma City is again the odds-on favorite to bring home another championship. Here are five teams that could throw a wrench in that coronation:

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland seems best equipped to stop the Thunder from becoming the first team to repeat since the 2018 Golden State Warriors. Last year, the Cavaliers started with a 15-game winning streak and had the best record in the East, but their postseason run ended with a disappointing five-game drubbing to the Indiana Pacers in the Conference Semifinals. Although they had the defensive player of the year, Evan Mobley, their defense let them down in the playoffs, and they finished 9th in defensive rating during the regular season. First-team All-NBA selection Donovan Mitchell provides consistent scoring and stability, while the additions of Lonzo Ball and Larry Nance Jr. are expected to strengthen their bench, so Cleveland will likely remain one of the league’s top teams. 

Denver Nuggets

Any team with the league’s dominant force is a contender every season. Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP, averaged a triple-double last year, and with new head coach David Adelman, don’t expect that production to decline. What has changed is that Michael Porter, Jr. is now in Brooklyn, and to compensate for his absence, Aaron Gordon, Jamal Murray, along with new additions Cameron Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jonas Valančiūnas, and Bruce Brown, should provide enough support for Jokic so Denver can improve on its No. 4 seed and the seven-game conference semifinals loss to the Thunder. Keep an eye on guard Christian Braun, a 15-point-a-game scorer and recipient of a new five-year, $125 million extension, who may be in the running for Most Improved Player.

New York Knicks

Is it now or never for the five-decade championship-starved Knicks after making their first conference finals appearance in 25 years? That loss to the Pacers led to Tom Thibodeau being fired and replaced by Mike Brown, who has promised a different style of basketball with a more up-tempo pace and almost a reliance on the three-point shot. That could lead to a heavy burden being lifted off Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson. Brunson could be planted out on the perimeter instead of being ball-dominant and distributing, even though he had a career-high in assists last season. With the Pacers and Boston Celtics having superstars nursing Achilles injuries, New York’s path to the Finals figures to be less complicated.

Houston Rockets

The conversation with the Rockets begins and ends with 37-year-old Kevin Durant, who is on his third team this decade. Durant, with his new two-year, $90 million extension, is expected to lift the Rockets into immediate championship contention, even without guard Fred VanVleet, who was lost for the year with a knee injury. Durant is expected to be scoring option 1, 2, and 3, something Houston lacked last year. The Rockets’ young core, especially All-Defensive First Team selection Amen Thompson, will be crucial in advancing past the first round, where their season ended. But this team’s identity should be on the defensive end, with four starters listed at 6-foot-10 or taller. And despite Durant being expected to wear a cape on most nights, any realistic title aspirations have to start with lockdown defense.

Minnesota Timberwolves

There is no other way to put it: the Timberwolves are loaded, and anything less than another appearance at least to the Western Conference finals would be a massive disappointment. Anthony Edwards is a bona fide superstar and should be in the MVP conversation. His teammates, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Julius Randle, provide more than enough punch to where they should waltz deep into the playoffs. One concern may be at the point guard position. Mike Conley is 38 years old, so if second-year player Rob Dillingham can take over those reins, the Timberwolves, who were rated in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency, can turn their balanced roster into champions.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Springer gets revenge on Mariners fans who booed injury

TORONTO — George Springer has heard almost everything from opposing fan bases throughout his career, the price every clutch postseason performer pays as their career goes on. It has been laid on even thicker in road games since the 2019 revelation of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme.

So when he was asked before Game 7 of the ALCS how he felt when Seattle Mariners fans booed him when he crumbled to the ground when a 95-mph pitch struck him on the right knee in Game 5, he demurred. Just concerned about his health, he said.

Yet that hit a little different for Springer’s father, George Jr., who had to watch his son berated by a sellout crowd at T-Mobile Park, with fans cursing the slugger as he writhed in pain.

Even when Springer and the Toronto Blue Jays got a significant measure of revenge when he hit a go-ahead three-run home run that sent the Blue Jays to the World Series and eliminated the Mariners, father was still stinging about son getting booed while he was suffering.

“I’ll be completely honest about that: That was the most despicable fan behavior I have ever witnessed. Anywhere,” Springer’s father told USA TODAY Sports. “I’ve been to soccer games and football games and obviously Major League Baseball games the past 12 years, in playoff environments, in tough places to play.

“I have never seen a fan base boo a player who was injured. Rejoice in their injury. Those fans will now have a very long offseason to reflect on their behavior.”

Springer’s 23rd career postseason home run came off Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo and flipped a two-run Blue Jays deficit into a 4-3 victory. The Mariners are still seeking their first trip to the World Series, left to wonder about next year, which came far sooner than they would have imagined.

The elder Springer hopes it allows ample time for soul-searching for the fans cursing his son right behind him at T-Mobile Park.

“I hope when they come back in the spring, and cheer on their team,” he says, “they’ll be better fans and better people.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Fantasy football 2025: Week 8 trade value chart

With more than 40% of the season behind us, there are only two ways to improve your rosters — waiver wire and trades.

Evaluating a fantasy trade can be a daunting task. Most managers value their players more than they’re actually worth. That’s where the Week 8 fantasy football trade value charts come in. You can also check out our Week 8 fantasy rankings to help with lineup and waiver decisions this week.

The charts can be used as your very own fantasy football trade analyzer in standard, half-PPR (point per reception) and full PPR leagues. Someone sends you an offer? Simply pull out a calculator (on your phone, you don’t need an actual calculator) and plug in the values for each player. Don’t worry, six-points-per-passing-touchdown and superflex leagues are covered as well.

Important note: If you’re offered an uneven trade (i.e., a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1), include the values for the players you’d be moving to the bench or dropping within your calculation. Example: If someone in your league offers you Breece Hall, Stefon Diggs, and Jakobi Meyers (combined value of 91) for Ja’Marr Chase (71), it might look like you’re getting the better end of it. However, if you’re bumping down, say, Kyle Monangai and Tez Johnson (combined value of 42) in the process, it’s a net negative deal for you.

The rankings are based on how players should be valued in 12-team leagues. Players are sorted in order of their half-PPR values.

Quarterback trade value chart

(Note: ‘6/TD’ is for leagues that award six points for passing touchdowns and ‘SFLEX’ stands for superflex.)

Running back trade value chart

Wide receiver trade value chart

Tight end trade value chart

Overall Week 8 fantasy football rest-of-season rankings

Note: These values are for 12-team, one-QB leagues with half-PPR scoring.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Who are the Lakers underrated players to watch this season?

The Los Angeles Lakers begin the 2025-26 season, hosting the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 21, with the expectation of being a true contender in a tough Western Conference.

Luka Dončić and LeBron James headline the Lakers’ roster, but it will be the depth the organization has put around the two superstars that will determine how deep the Lakers can make a run in the playoffs.

The Lakers managed to finish third in the Western Conference and made the playoffs last season after acquiring Dončić on Feb. 2, but finished out the postseason with three straight losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

While guard Austin Reaves, forward Rui Hachimura and center Deandre Ayton round out the starting lineup, here are some underrated players on the roster this season that could help make a difference this season.

Marcus Smart, Guard

Smart could prove to be a key contributor for the Lakers. He could give the Lakers a physical point-of-attack defender.

The guard is a three-time all-defensive player and won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2021-22 season. In the seasons that followed, he has struggled to stay healthy.

He’s dealt with a finger issue dating back to December of 2024 that carried over throughout the early part of 2025.

Smart spent the last season with both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards, starting in just seven of the 34 games he played together. With the small sample size, he averaged nine points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game in 20 minutes played.

Gabe Vincent, Guard

Vincent adds a level of versatility for the Lakers, showing the ability to play as a point guard and a shooting guard.

He will be in the starting lineup, replacing James, for the season opener when the Lakers host the Warriors on Tuesday.

The veteran guard showed why he’s a valuable asset for the Lakers’ depth, scoring 14 points in the preseason finale on 5-of-6 shooting from the field in 23 minutes of play. He was 4-of-5 from the three-point line. He also produced another double-digit scoring output, with 18 points in the first four minutes of play against the Dallas Mavericks after going 5-for-5 from three.

The UC Santa Barbara product scored 6.4 points, 1.4 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 72 games played last season for the Lakers.

Maxi Kleber, Center

Kleber arrived in Los Angeles as part of the Dončić trade with the Mavericks. Kleber was dealing with a foot fracture that sidelined him, and he didn’t see time on the court for the Lakers until the playoffs, where he played just one game.

Kleber is already questionable for the season opener against the Warriors because of an abdominal injury.

If he can stay healthy, he could serve as another backup big man who can stretch the floor for the Lakers.

Jaxson Hayes, Center/Forward

Hayes is no stranger to the fan base, having taken over as the starting center after Anthony Davis was traded to the Mavericks. 

Hayes can play as a forward and a center, but appeared to fall out of favor with coach JJ Redick during the postseason and saw limited action. He started four of the team’s five playoff games but averaged just 7.8 minutes.

Hayes could potentially thrive with the second unit, where he isn’t dealing with the expectation of filling Davis’ shoes.

He averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game. Hayes started 35 of the 56 games he played last season.

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Trump’s Operation Warp Speed sparks GOP call for Nobel Peace Prize after ceasefire snub

A pair of Senate Republicans plan to nominate President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in fast-tracking the production and distribution of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., plan to introduce a resolution that would formally nominate Trump for the prize for launching Operation Warp Speed at the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

The executive action saw a large-scale collaboration among multiple federal agencies and private companies to fast-track the research, development and distribution of vaccines during the pandemic, and was funded by billions from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. 

The lawmakers’ push comes after Trump expressed his desire to win the Peace Prize for his involvement in striking a deal between Israel and Hamas, and shortly after the prize committee passed over him. It’s also the most recent in a string of nomination pushes from congressional Republicans. 

Both Cassidy and Barrasso, who were doctors before becoming legislators, lauded the massive mobilization effort and credited Operation Warp Speed for saving millions of lives during the pandemic.

‘When Americans needed a vaccine in record time to stop a once-in-a-generation pandemic, President Trump delivered,’ Cassidy said. ‘The Nobel Prize has been given for a lot less. He should receive the next one!’

Barrasso contended that Operation Warp Speed would ‘not have been possible without President Trump’s bold leadership.’

‘He bent an infamously slow bureaucracy to his will to bring a vaccine to market in under a year. Operation Warp Speed saved millions of lives in the United States and millions more lives around the world. President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his life-saving achievement,’ he said.

Other congressional Republicans have sought to nominate Trump for the award for varying achievements this year, including his involvement in striking a deal to see the end of the Israel-Hamas War. 

And Dr. Mehmet Oz, who Trump tapped as administrator for the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, argued the president should win the prize for Operation Warp Speed, which he called a ‘a massive success for our country.’ 

But their push to nominate Trump for his role in vaccine development comes after both lawmakers sparred with Human Health and Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., during a Senate hearing last month following turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and questions over his stance on vaccines.

Cassidy pressed Kennedy during his appearance before the Senate Finance Committee in September, where the HHS Secretary agreed that Trump should win the prize for Operation Warp Speed.

‘Absolutely, senator,’ Kennedy said.

However, at the time, Cassidy questioned Kennedy’s actions against vaccines prior to his role as HHS Secretary — and while leading the agency — that appeared to counter his support for Operation Warp Speed.

Kennedy countered that he began litigating against former President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates and not against Trump’s push with Operation Warp Speed.

‘First of all, the reason that Operation Warp Speed was genius is it did something nobody ever [had] done — I don’t think any president but President Trump could do it — it got the vaccine to market that was perfectly matched to the virus at that time,’ Kennedy said. 

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GOP gubernatorial hopeful predicts shutdown fight will haunt Dems in critical elections

A House Republican exploring higher office is predicting the ongoing government shutdown will make the 2026 midterm field a more difficult one for Democrats.

‘Once all the dust settles, I think people will think, ‘Why did the Democrats shut it down? What was their reason? What did they get out of it?’’ Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital.

‘And I think once this all passes over the next two, three months, I think people will think, like, ‘Shame on all these partisan antics the government did and shame on [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.] for going down this path, having no idea of how to get it reopened.’

Feenstra is expected to announce a run for Iowa governor, having already started gathering endorsements and creating a ‘Feenstra for Governor’ website.

He’s also one of the vast majority of House Republicans who voted to pass the GOP’s government funding bill on Sept. 19.

It was a seven-week extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025 federal funding levels called a continuing resolution (CR), aimed at giving congressional negotiators more time to strike a longer-term deal on FY2026 spending.

But in the Senate, where at least several Democrats are needed to reach the 60-vote threshold to break a filibuster, progress has stalled.

Senate Democrats have tanked the bill in the upper chamber 11 times since the House passed it.

Three members of the Senate Democratic caucus have been voting with Republicans, but under the current tally, at least five more are needed to hold a final vote on the bill.

Democrats are demanding that any funding bill be paired with significant concessions on healthcare, specifically an extension of Obamacare subsidies that were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

‘I think it affects people up and down the ticket, because you have the Democrats … who say, ‘Schumer is right.’ You have these liberal progressives that no matter what happens, they just want to spend more money, and they want to make sure illegal immigrants get healthcare,’ Feenstra said.

‘It’s very concerning, I think once people understand that, I think it could have a really catastrophic effect on Democrats next election cycle,’ he said.

Democrats have called GOP accusations that they want to restore healthcare for illegal immigrants a lie. A counter-proposal for a CR introduced by Democrats last month would eliminate healthcare changes in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, some of which are aimed at keeping certain noncitizens from accessing government-funded healthcare.

Feenstra also criticized Democrats’ counter-proposal because it would eliminate a new $50 billion rural hospital fund established in Republicans’ policy bill.

‘Everybody’s really worried about our healthcare. There’s $50 billion in the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ [President Donald Trump’s] big, beautiful bill, to help critical access hospitals in the Midwest and in Iowa. That’s in jeopardy right now,’ Feenstra said.

‘So there’s a lot of concern right now in rural Iowa. And everybody understands that you’ve got to get the government open so that we can negotiate and figure this out.’

The Iowa Republican, whose district skews heavily rural, said he was also worried about critical programs for farmers that are endangered by the shutdown.

‘This is really affecting the farm community over in the Midwest,’ he said.

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