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To endorse, or not to endorse, that is the question for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) as New York City and the nation wait to see if this top Democrat will throw his backing behind socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

According to Zany Zohran’s backers, this should be a no-brainer. After all, Mamdani won the primary fair and square, but given his far-left proposals like city-owned grocery stores, free buses, and replacing cops with social workers. Jeffries is rightfully wary.

This week, would-be Mayor Mamdani ran away to Uganda to let the heat die down over a guy who once said the state should control the means of production potentially governing Wall Street.

This Africa adventure gives Jeffries a little more time to decide whether to endorse, but not much. The moment is still coming.

What makes this choice so hard for Jeffries is that he knows better than anyone just how dangerous these Democratic Socialists can be. In fact, it’s the whole reason he is now in line for the speakership should Democrats retake the House.

In 2019 Jeffries replaced another New Yorker named Joe Crowley as chair of the Democratic Caucus in the House. The coveted spot in leadership was available because Crowley had suffered a shocking primary defeat at the hands of whom? A bartender named Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In spite of the fact that AOC opened the door to power for Jeffries, he is actually much more of a Crowley than a Cortez. He might be the poster child for the old-school Democrat machine politician.

Jeffries was born and raised in Brooklyn, state college undergrad, masters in public policy from Georgetown, law degree from NYU, clerked with a federal judge, a decade of private practice, two years in the state assembly and now, Congress. That is how it used to be done.

Now, Hakeem Jeffries’ party is being overrun with theater kids who skirt through college and whose political training comes almost exclusively from far-left activist organizations and Marxist tracts, and they want him to sign off on it.

The political reality for Jeffries is that if he endorses Zohran, then this 33-year-old, who can be credibly called a communist, will be hung like a millstone around the neck of every Democrat running for the House.

Even moderate House Democrats who try to distance themselves from Mamdani and his parade of pathetic and stale socialist programs will be sharply and publicly reminded that the guy they want to make Speaker of the House endorsed a communist.

Nowhere is this more true than close to home in the suburban New York districts that Republicans swept in 2024 to keep their slim House majority. There is no path back to power that doesn’t flow through Long Island and Westchester.

Republican House candidates like incumbents Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota will absolutely make Mamdani a focal point of their campaigns, no matter who their actual opponents are.

There is no easy way out of this predicament for Jeffries. Either he refuses to endorse Mamdani, and sets off an angry civil war in his party, or he does endorse him, and watches Democrats’ chances to win the House and make him speaker diminish greatly.

For any party leader, herding the cats is a great challenge. It was for Nancy Pelosi, and it is for Jeffries. But the Mamdani question is bigger than managing normal ideological differences. Jeffries has to decide if he will, for the first time, usher actual communists into the Democrats’ tent.

Most of us were born at a time when Democrats still proudly called themselves the party of Jefferson and Jackson. Today, it is starting to look more like the party of Marx and Guevara. Can Hakeem Jeffries hit the brakes? Don’t count on it.

My sources in Gotham, in both parties, the ones I trust the most, all think Jeffries will eventually, as quietly as possible, give his support to Mamdani. I’m not completely convinced, but it is the path of least resistance, which is a siren call for most politicians.

When and if Jeffries makes this cowardly choice, Republicans must be prepared to explain, quite clearly, to Americans that one of their major political parties, its oldest, in fact, has come to embrace communism.

For Hakeem Jeffries this is an existential choice, not just for his political future, but the future of his political party, and of our nation itself.

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The Supreme Court has temporarily allowed President Donald Trump to fire numerous Democrat-appointed members of independent agencies, but one case still moving through the legal system carries the greatest implications yet for a president’s authority to do that.

In Slaughter v. Trump, a Biden-appointed member of the Federal Trade Commission has vowed to fight what she calls her ‘illegal firing,’ setting up a possible scenario in which the case lands before the Supreme Court.

The case would pose the most direct question yet to the justices about where they stand on Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, the nearly century-old decision regarding a president’s power over independent regulatory agencies.

John Shu, a constitutional law expert who served in both Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital he thinks the high court is likely to side with the president if and when the case arrives there.

‘I think it’s unlikely that Humphrey’s Executor survives the Supreme Court, at least in its current form,’ Shu said, adding he anticipates the landmark decision will be overturned or ‘severely narrowed.’

What is Humphrey’s Executor?

Humphrey’s Executor centered on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decision to fire an FTC commissioner with whom he disagreed politically. The case marked the first instance of the Supreme Court limiting a president’s removal power by ruling that Roosevelt overstepped his authority. The court found that presidents could not dismiss FTC commissioners without a reason, such as malfeasance, before their seven-year terms ended, as outlined by Congress in the FTC Act.

However, the FTC’s functions, which largely center on combating anticompetitive business practices, have expanded in the 90 years since Humphrey’s Executor.

‘The Federal Trade Commission of 1935 is a lot different than the Federal Trade Commission today,’ Shu said.

He noted that today’s FTC can open investigations, issue subpoenas, bring lawsuits, impose financial penalties and more. The FTC now has executive, quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial functions, Shu said.

SCOTUS greenlights other firings

If the Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily allow two labor board members’ firings is any indication, the high court stands ready to make the FTC less independent and more accountable to Trump.

In a 6-3 order, the Supreme Court cited the ‘considerable executive power’ that the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board have, saying a president ‘may remove without cause executive officers who exercise that power on his behalf.’

The order did not mention Humphrey’s Executor, but that and other moves indicate the Supreme Court has been chipping away at the 90-year-old ruling and is open to reversing it.

The case of Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya gets closest to the heart of Humphrey’s Executor.

Where does Slaughter’s case stand?

Slaughter enjoyed a short-lived victory when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., found that Trump violated the Constitution and ruled in her favor on July 17.

She was able to return to the FTC for a few days, but the Trump administration appealed the decision and, on July 21, the appellate court paused the lower court judge’s ruling.

Judge Loren AliKhan had said in her summary judgment that Slaughter’s case was almost identical to William Humphrey’s.

‘It is not the role of this court to decide the correctness, prudence, or wisdom of the Supreme Court’s decisions—even one from ninety years ago,’ AliKhan, a Biden appointee, wrote. ‘Whatever the Humphrey’s Executor Court may have thought at the time of that decision, this court will not second-guess it now.’

The lawsuit arose from Trump firing Slaughter and Bedoya, the two Democratic-appointed members of the five-member commission. They alleged that Trump defied Humphrey’s Executor by firing them in March without cause in a letter that ‘nearly word-for-word’ mirrored the one Roosevelt sent a century ago.

Bedoya has since resigned, but Slaughter is not backing down from a legal fight in which Trump appears to have the upper hand.

‘Like dozens of other federal agencies, the Federal Trade Commission has been protected from presidential politics for nearly a century,’ Slaughter said in a statement after she was re-fired. ‘I’ll continue to fight my illegal firing and see this case through, because part of why Congress created independent agencies is to ensure transparency and accountability.’

Now a three-judge panel comprising two Obama appointees and one Trump appointee is considering a longer-term pause and asked for court filings to be submitted by July 29, meaning the judges could issue their decision soon thereafter.

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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified a slew of documents this month, revealing that Obama administration officials ‘manufactured’ intelligence to push the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.

Here’s a look at the newly declassified records:

Declassified Presidential Daily Brief

Documents revealed that in the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the intelligence community consistently assessed that Russia was ‘probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means.’

One instance was on Dec. 7, 2016, weeks after the election. Then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s talking points stated, ‘Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.’

Fox News Digital obtained a declassified copy of the Presidential Daily Brief, which was prepared by the Department of Homeland Security, with reporting from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security, State Department and open sources, for Obama, dated Dec. 8, 2016.

‘We assess that Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent U.S. election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure,’ the Presidential Daily Brief stated. ‘Russian Government-affiliated actors most likely compromised an Illinois voter registration database and unsuccessfully attempted the same in other states.’

But the brief stated that it was ‘highly unlikely’ the effort ‘would have resulted in altering any state’s official vote result.’

‘Criminal activity also failed to reach the scale and sophistication necessary to change election outcomes,’ it stated. 

The brief noted that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence assessed that any Russian activities ‘probably were intended to cause psychological effects, such as undermining the credibility of the election process and candidates.’

The brief stated that cyber criminals ‘tried to steal data and to interrupt election processes by targeting election infrastructure, but these actions did not achieve a notable disruptive effect.’

Fox News Digital obtained declassified, but redacted, communications from the FBI in the Presidential Daily Brief, stating that it ‘should not go forward until the FBI’ had shared its ‘concerns.’

Those communications revealed that the FBI drafted a ‘dissent’ to the original Presidential Daily Brief. 

The communications revealed that the brief was expected to be published Dec. 9, 2016, the following day, but later communications revealed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ‘based on some new guidance,’ decided to ‘push back publication’ of the Presidential Daily Brief. 

‘It will not run tomorrow and is not likely to run until next week,’ wrote the deputy director of the Presidential Daily Brief at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whose name is redacted. 

The following day, Dec. 9, 2016, a meeting convened in the White House Situation Room, with the subject line starting: ‘Summary of Conclusions for PC Meeting on a Sensitive Topic (REDACTED.)’

The meeting included top officials in the National Security Council, Clapper, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice, then-Secretary of State John Kerry, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch, then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, among others, to discuss Russia.

The declassified meeting record, obtained by Fox News Digital, revealed that principals ‘agreed to recommend sanctioning of certain members of the Russian military intelligence and foreign intelligence chains of command responsible for cyber operations as a response to cyber activity that attempted to influence or interfere with U.S. elections, if such activity meets the requirements’ from an executive order that demanded the blocking of property belonging to people engaged in cyber activities.

After the meeting, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Clapper’s executive assistant emailed intelligence community leaders tasking them to create a new intelligence community assessment ‘per the president’s request’ that detailed the ‘tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.’

‘ODNI will lead this effort with participation from CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS,’ the record states.

Later, Obama officials ‘leaked false statements to media outlets’ claiming that ‘Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election.’

By Jan. 6, 2017, a new Intelligence Community Assessment was released that, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ‘directly contradicted the IC assessments that were made throughout the previous six months.’ 

Intelligence officials told Fox News Digital that the ICA was ‘politicized’ because it ‘suppressed intelligence from before and after the election showing Russia lacked intent and capability to hack the 2016 election.’ 

Officials also said it deceived the American public ‘by claiming the IC made no assessment on the ‘impact’ of Russian activities,’ when the intelligence community ‘did, in fact, assess for impact.’ 

‘The unpublished December PDB stated clearly that Russia ‘did not impact’ the election through cyber hacks on the election,’ an official told Fox News Digital.

The official also said the ICA had assessed that ‘Russia was responsible for leaking data from the DNC and DCCC,’ while ‘failing to mention that FBI and NSA previously expressed low confidence in this attribution.’ 

Officials said the intelligence was ‘politicized’ and then ‘used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more.’

Declassified House Intelligence Committee Report

A report prepared by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2020 said the intelligence community did not have any direct information that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help elect Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but, at the ‘unusual’ direction of then-President Barack Obama, published ‘potentially biased’ or ‘implausible’ intelligence suggesting otherwise.

The report, based on an investigation launched by former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., was dated Sept. 18, 2020. At the time of the publication of the report, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was the chairman of the committee.

The report has never before been released to the public and instead has remained highly classified within the intelligence community.

Fox News Digital obtained the ‘fully-sourced limited-access investigation report that was drafted and stored in a limited-access vault at CIA Headquarters.’ The report includes some redactions.

The committee focused on the creation of the Intelligence Community Assessment of 2017, in which then-CIA Director John Brennan pushed for the inclusion of the now-discredited anti-Trump dossier despite knowing it was based largely on ‘internet rumor,’ as Fox News Digital previously reported.

According to the report, the ICA was a ‘high-profile product ordered by the President, directed by senior IC agency heads, and created by just five CIA analysts, using one principal drafter.’

‘Production of the ICA was subject to unusual directives from the President and senior political appointees, and particularly DCIA,’ the report states. ‘The draft was not properly coordinated within CIA or the IC, ensuring it would be published without significant challenges to its conclusions.’

The committee found that the five CIA analysts and drafter ‘rushed’ the ICA’s production ‘in order to publish two weeks before President-elect Trump was sworn-in.’

‘Hurried coordination and limited access to the draft reduced opportunities for the IC to discover misquoting of sources and other tradecraft concerns,’ the report states.

The report states that Brennan ‘ordered the post-election publication of 15 reports containing previously collected but unpublished intelligence, three of which were substandard — containing information that was unclear, of uncertain origin, potentially biased, or implausible — and those became foundational sources for the ICA judgements that Putin preferred Trump over Clinton.’

‘The ICA misrepresented these reports as reliable, without mentioning their significant underlying flaws,’ the committee found.

‘One scant, unclear, and unverifiable fragment of a sentence from one of the substandard reports constitutes the only classified information cited to suggest Putin ‘aspired’ to help Trump win,’ the report states, adding that the ICA ‘ignored or selectively quoted reliable intelligence reports that challenged — and in some cases undermined — judgments that Putin sought to elect Trump.’

The report also states that the ICA ‘failed to consider plausible alternative explanations of Putin’s intentions indicated by reliable intelligence and observed Russian actions.’

The committee also found that two senior CIA officers warned Brennan that ‘we don’t have direct information that Putin wanted to get Trump elected.’

Despite those warnings, the Obama administration moved to publish the ICA.

The ICA ‘did not cite any report where Putin directly indicated helping Trump win was the objective.’

The ICA, according to the report, excluded ‘significant intelligence’ and ‘ignored or selectively quoted’ reliable intelligence in an effort to push the Russia narrative.

The report also includes intelligence from a longtime Putin confidant who explained to investigators that ‘Putin told him he did not care who won the election,’ and that Putin ‘had often outlined the weaknesses of both major candidates.’

The report also states that the ICA omitted context showing that the claim that Putin preferred Trump was ‘implausible —if not ridiculous.’

The committee also found that the ICA suppressed intelligence that showed that Russia was actually planning for a Hillary Clinton victory because ‘they knew where (she) stood’ and believed Russia ‘could work with her.’

The committee also noted that the ICA ‘did not address why Putin chose not to leak more discrediting material on Clinton, even as polls tightened in the final weeks of the election.’

The committee also found that the ICA suppressed intelligence showing that Putin was ‘not only demonstrating a clear lack of concern for Trump’s election fate,’ but also indicated ‘that he preferred to see Secretary Clinton elected, knowing she would be a more vulnerable President.’

Declassified Hillary Clinton section of House Intelligence Committee Report

One section of the declassified House Intelligence Committee report states that the material in Putin’s possession included Russian intelligence on Democratic National Committee information allegedly showing that senior Democratic leaders found Clinton’s health to be ‘extraordinarily alarming.’ 

‘As of September 2016, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service had DNC information that President Obama and Party leaders found the state of Secretary Clinton’s health to be ‘extraordinarily alarming,’ and felt it could have ‘serious negative impact’ on her election prospects,’ the report states. ‘Her health information was being kept in ‘strictest secrecy’ and even close advisors were not being fully informed.’ 

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service also allegedly had DNC communications that showed that ‘Clinton was suffering from ‘intensified psycho-emotional problems, including uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness.” 

‘Clinton was placed on a daily regimen of ‘heavy tranquilizers’ and while afraid of losing, she remained ‘obsessed with a thirst for power,’’ the report states.

The Russians also allegedly had information that Clinton ‘suffered from ‘Type 2 diabetes, Ischemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.’’

The Russians also allegedly possessed a ‘campaign email discussing a plan approved by Secretary Clinton to link Putin and Russian hackers to candidate Trump in order to ‘distract the American public’ from the Clinton email server scandal.’ 

Gabbard, during the White House press briefing Wednesday, said there were ‘high-level DNC emails that detailed evidence of Hillary’s, quote, psycho-emotional problems, uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression and cheerfulness, and that then-Secretary Clinton was allegedly on a daily regimen of heavy tranquilizers.’ 

A tranquilizer is a drug used to reduce mental disturbance, such as anxiety and tension. Tranquilizers are typically prescribed to individuals suffering from anxiety, sleep disturbances and related conditions affecting their mental and physical health. 

A Clinton aide dismissed the claims as ‘ridiculous.’ 

Neither Clinton nor Obama responded to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. 

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Kyle Schwarber recorded his 1,000th career hit in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 12-5 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.

Schwarber’s milestone hit was a two-run home run that tied the game 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning. It was his 35th home run of the season.

A Phillies fan, who was attending the game with his friends, caught Schwarber’s 1,000th hit and the group was seen hugging after the catch.

‘You show up to the field every single day trying to get a win at the end of the day. I think our fans kind of latch onto that,’ Schwarber said. ‘It’s been fantastic these last three-and-a-half, four years now, the support that we get from our fans. It means a lot to me that they attach themselves onto our team, myself, whatever it is. We can feel that support, and yeah, I always appreciate it.”

It was the first of two two-run home runs in the game for Schwarber. The second one came in the top of the eighth inning and helped put the game out of reach for the Yankees. Schwarber brought Trea Turner in to score both times.

Kyle Schwarber gets milestone ball back from fans

Schwarber met with the fan who got the ball and their friends after the game. The fan returned the ball and Schwarber signed two baseballs for them.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber, Schwarber had asked if the fans wanted him to sign a third ball, but all the fans asked for in return was for him to re-sign with the team. Schwarber shared a laugh with the trio of fans before getting ahold of a third ball to sign.

He’s in the last year of his contract and will become a free agent after the season.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba were “extremely upset” upon hearing they will not be available to play in Inter Miami’s next match after skipping the MLS All-Star Game in Austin, Texas earlier this week, co-owner Jorge Mas said after the league’s announcement on Friday, July 25.  

Any player who does not participate in the All-Star Game without prior approval from the league is ineligible to compete in their club’s next match, per MLS rules.  

Inter Miami will play a highly-anticipated match against first-place FC Cincinnati on Saturday, July 26 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, without Messi and Alba, despite both returning to practice on Friday for the first time this week with expectations they would be able to play.  

“He’s very upset, extremely upset today, as expected. I’m hopeful it doesn’t have an impact long term,” Mas said of Messi during a Zoom press conference with media, regarding ongoing contract negotiations to extend the Argentine World Champion’s contract beyond this season.

MLS commissioner Don Garber told USA TODAY Sports this was a “complicated” decision based on Messi’s workload. 

Messi has played every minute in 22 of 23 matches since April 2, with his lone absence in a 4-3 loss at home to FC Dallas on April 27.

“I know Leo Messi loves this league. I don’t think there’s been a player, or frankly just about anyone, who has done more for MLS than Leo Messi has,” Garber told USA TODAY Sports. “But we have a long-standing policy that is related to participation for all players. And unfortunately, I had to enforce the policy. It was a difficult decision to make.” 

Mas said the club decided for Messi and Alba not to travel, considering they just completed a stretch of nine games in 35 days with an upcoming stint of 10 games in 34 days.

Mas added he had communication with the league on Monday and Tuesday, but admitted talks between both sides “wasn’t handled ideally.” MLS did not announce Messi and Alba would miss the All-Star Game until roughly eight hours before the Wednesday, July 23 exhibition.  

“Obviously, Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi. He is different. He has completely changed the economics of this league for every single club, every team, every sponsor, the league, media, etc. He’s important. But at the end of the day, Lionel Messi wants to play in competitive matches,” Mas said. 

“If he would have gone Wednesday, would have played maybe 15-30 minutes – great. But at the end of the day, league corporate sponsors are already taking advantage of Lionel Messi’s presence in the league.”

Mas believes the rule that will sideline his former FC Barcelona stars is “frankly draconian,” and the All-Star Game puts the players in an “untenable situation” to choose between participating in the exhibition and getting some much needed rest during the regular season. The All-Stars who started the exhibition were substituted after 30 minutes because most returned to regular-season play Friday.

“It’s not just for what he’s done off the field, growing the overall popularity and awareness of the league. It’s really what he’s done on the field. His games are special moments. Every one of them is a must-see match, and it’s that commitment what he does on the field that makes this decision so complicated,” Garber said of Messi.

“He’s played more games than any one player this year. He’s so committed to his club that the timing of the All-Star Game, the timing of the Club World Cup and their schedule, has him wanting to take a break. And I respect that. It was based on his commitment to his club, and I understand and respect his decision.” 

Garber reiterated to Mas that he will “take a hard look at the rule moving forward to make sure it reflects the evolving realities of our league and its players.”  

“I think the rule, it is going to change, but that’s neither here nor there,” Mas added. “Their reaction was as I expected, and they were extremely upset – both of them.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Legendary Crimson Tide pitcher Montana Fouts returns to Rhoads Stadium at the University of Alabama this weekend for the 2025 Athletes Unlimited Softball League championship series, but this time she’ll be representing the Talons.

Fouts and the Talons will face off against Lexi Kilfoyl and the Bandits in Game 1 of the AUSL’s inaugural best-of-three championship series on Saturday, July 26. Game 2 is set for Sunday, July 27, followed by Game 3, if necessary, on Monday, July 28.

The Talons and Bandits are sending their aces to the circle for Game 1. The Talons will start Georgina Corrick, and Kilfoyl will take the mound for the Bandits. Corrick has the lowest ERA in the league (2.04), while Kilfoyl (2.35) has the second-lowest. Fouts, who has the third-lowest ERA (2.71), and Taylor McQuillin will get the starts for Game 2 on Sunday.

Both teams are very familiar with each other. The Talons and Bandits have faced each other eight times during the inaugural season of the AUSL, most recently on July 13 in the Talon’s 6-3 comeback win in Omaha, Nebraska. The regular season head-to-head is tied 4-4, but the Bandits outscored (45-31) and outhit (70-59) the Talons in the eight matchups.

Here’s everything you need to know about the AUSL championship series, from the full schedule, to team rosters and players to watch in the championship series:

When does the AUSL championship series start?

Game 1 of the AUSL championship series gets underway on Saturday, July 26 at 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local) at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

How to watch Bandits vs. Talons: TV, stream for Game 1

Time: 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. CT)
Location: Rhoads Stadium (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
TV Channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+

Stream the AUSL championship series on ESPN+

Full AUSL championship series schedule

All times Eastern. * If necessary

The Talons secured home field advantage with the best record in the league:

Game 1 – Saturday, July 26: Bandits vs. Talons (3 p.m., ESPN)
Game 2 Sunday, July 27: Talons vs. Bandits (2 p.m., ESPN)
*Game 3 Monday, July 28: Bandits vs. Talons (7 p.m., ESPN2)

Talons full roster

Head coach: Howard Dobson
General Manager: Lisa Fernandez

Catcher Sharlize Palacios (UCLA)
Infielder Bri Ellis (Arkansas)
Infielder Tori Vidales (Texas A&M)
Infielder Sydney Romero (Oklahoma)
Infielder Hannah Flippen (Utah)
Infielder Ali Aguilar (Washington)
Outfielder Sierra Sacco (Mississippi State)
Outfielder Caroline Jacobsen (Clemson)
Outfielder Jadelyn Allchin (UCLA)
Outfielder Victoria Hayward (Washington)
Utility Sahvanna Jaquish (LSU)
Utility Maya Brady (UCLA)
Pitcher Megan Faraimo (RHP, UCLA)
Pitcher Raelin Chaffin (RHP, Mississippi State)
Pitcher Montana Fouts (RHP, Alabama)
Pitcher Georgina Corrick (RHP, USF)
Pitcher Mariah Lopez (LHP, Utah)

Player to Watch: Will Georgina Corrick continue her domination in the championship series? Corrick was named the Pitcher of the Year after going a perfect 6-0 this season. She recorded 27 strikeouts in 34.1 innings pitched and threw the only two shutouts of the entire season, including the league’s first-ever complete game shutout over the Volts on June 21. Corrick has the lowest opponent batting average (.202) in the entire league. Maya Brady enters the championship series red hot. She made her professional debut for the Talons on July 16 after a Grade 2 hamstring strain sidelined her the beginning of the season. She has a league-leading .647 batting average through six games.

Bandits full roster

Head coach: Stacey Nuveman Deniz
General Manager:  Jenny Dalton-Hill

Catcher Jordan Roberts (Florida)
Catcher Mia Davidson (Mississippi) *Temporary Inactive List
Catcher Mary Iakopo (Texas)
Infielder Danielle Gibson Whorton (Arkansas)
Infielder Sydney McKinney (Wichita State)
Infielder Delanie Wisz (UCLA)
Infielder Erin Coffel (Kentucky)
Infielder Skylar Wallace (Florida)
Utility player Cori McMillan (Virginia Tech)
Outfielder Morgan Zerkle (Marshall)
Outfielder Bubba Nickles-Camarena (UCLA)
Outfielder Bella Dayton (Texas)
Utility Cori McMillan (Virginia Tech)
Pitcher Taylor McQuillin (LHP, Arizona)
Pitcher Emiley Kennedy (LHP, Texas A&M)
Pitcher Odicci Alexander (RHP, James Madison)
Pitcher Sarah Willis (RHP, UCF)
Pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl (RHP, Oklahoma State)

Player to Watch: The Talons must keep Skylar Wallace off the bases because she’s likely to score. Wallace recorded a league-high 26 runs this season, with 10 of them coming against the Talons. Outfielder Morgan Zerkle has also had success against the Talons. She has a .419 batting average (fourth-best in the league) and registered 12 hits against the Talons.

2025 AUSL standings

The AUSL’s inaugural season features four teams  Talons, Bandits, Blaze and Volts  playing a 24-game season across 10 metro areas, including Chicago, Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City. The top two teams punched their tickets to the AUSL championship series. Here’s how the regular season shook out:

Talons: 18-6
Bandits: 15-9
Volts: 8-16
Blaze: 7-17

2025 AUSL end of season awards

AUSL Hitter of the Year: Erin Coffel (Bandits)
Pitcher of the Year: Georgina Corrick (Talons)
Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Flippen (Talons)
Rookie of the Year: Ana Gold (Blaze)
2025 Athletes Unlimited Softball League All-Defensive Team (in Alphabetical Order)

Jadelyn Allchin (Talons) – Outfield
Erin Coffel (Bandits) – Middle Infield
Georgina Corrick (Talons) – Pitcher
Hannah Flippen (Talons) – Middle Infield
Ana Gold (Blaze) – Corner Infield
Baylee Klingler (Blaze) – Utility
Korbe Otis (Blaze) – Outfield
Sharlize Palacios (Talons) – Catcher
Sierra Sacco (Talons) – Outfield
Jessi Warren (Volts) – Corner Infield

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President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland late Friday for a working trip where he is expected to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and the U.K., as well as visit several of his properties there. 

‘We’re meeting with the prime minister tonight,’ Trump told reporters Friday before departing for Scotland. ‘We’re going to be talking about the trade deal that we made, and maybe even improve it.’

‘We want to talk about certain aspects, which is going to be good for both countries,’ Trump said. ‘More fine-tuning. Also, we’re going to do a little celebrating together, because, you know, we got along very well. U.K.’s been trying to make a deal with us for like, 12 years, and haven’t been able to do it. We got it done, and he’s doing a very good job, this prime minister. Good guy.’

In May, the U.S. and the U.K. announced the two countries had agreed to a major trade deal, which marked the first historic trade negotiation signed following Liberation Day, when Trump announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries April 2 at a range of rates.

Trump, who is slated to remain in Scotland until Tuesday, is also scheduled to visit his golf courses in Turnberry and Aberdeen while abroad. 

Here’s also what happened this week:

Federal Reserve visit 

Trump visited the Federal Reserve headquarters Thursday, as he has ramped up digs at Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. 

Trump accompanied other administration officials for a tour of the headquarters, following $2.5 billion in renovations to the building. The massive project has attracted scrutiny from lawmakers and members of the Trump administration, including the president, who suggested the huge renovation could amount to a fireable offense. 

‘I think he’s terrible … I didn’t see him as a guy that needed a palace to live in,’ Trump said July 16. ‘But the one thing I would have never guessed is that he would be spending two and a half billion dollars to build a little extension onto the Fed.’

On Thursday, the two briefly sparred over the cost of the renovation, but Trump told reporters afterward that the two had a ‘good meeting’ and that there was ‘no tension.’ Trump also shut down speculation he might oust Powell, claiming such a move would be unnecessary. 

The Federal Reserve, the United States central bank, oversees the nation’s monetary policy and regulates financial institutions. 

Trump historically has railed against Powell, calling him names like ‘numskull’ and ‘too late.’ Likewise, Trump has expressed ire toward Powell for ignoring requests to lower interest rates. 

‘Well, I’d love him to lower interest rates, but other than that, what can I tell you?’ Trump said Thursday. 

Trump signed into law Thursday his roughly $9 billion rescissions package to claw back already approved federal funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting. 

The rescissions measure revoked nearly $8 billion in funding Congress already approved for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a formerly independent agency that provided impoverished countries aid and offered development assistance.

The rescissions package also rescinds more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides federal funding for NPR and PBS.

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Donald Trump did better with American young people last fall than any Republican candidate in decades. He won men under 30, won men of college age, and even won the youth vote in the swing state of Michigan. American young people were widely assumed to be uniformly liberal, and expected to remain so forever and ever. But the reality was anything but. I saw this trend playing out in real time as I toured the country speaking on college campuses to crowds of three, four, and even five thousand strong.  Young Americans were not happy with Joe Biden’s America or Kamala Harris’ vows to continue it, and they were ready to return to the president they associated with a more prosperous pre-COVID time.

It was a big win. But it was also impermanent. It could be a one-off. It could easily be explained by the aftermath of COVID or the incredible political charisma of Donald Trump himself. The youth vote of 2024 wasn’t so much a win as it was an opportunity: A clear demonstration that conservatives actually can compete to win the votes of American young people, rather than writing them off. 

The challenge for Republicans now is seizing this Gen Z opportunity. Because Gen Z won’t become lifelong conservatives thanks to a good campaign or slick online memes. They’ll only become lifelong supporters if we’re able to deliver for them on the big issues that matter.

Experts expend a lot of effort and ink explaining what Gen Z ‘wants.’ But between my campus visits and my work running Turning Point USA, I talk to as many Gen Z’ers as anyone in the country. They want basic economic success and security like the generations before them. They want a home, they want a family, they want to feel like they are building something and that they are a part of something. 

And right now, on that front, Gen Z has a lot of problems. Economically, things are dire. In 1984, the median American home cost about three and a half times the median income in America. Today, the median house costs almost six times the median income. Rent isn’t much better, and has risen more than 50% in real terms since the 1970s. 

In 1980, tuition at the average public college was about $2,800 in today’s dollars. Today it’s around $10,000, and, unsurprisingly, that means the average college student leaves school with a debt burden that previously could have bought them a car, provided the down payment on a house, or helped them start a family. 

Financially, young people aren’t just facing more expensive necessities, but also a more predatory economic reality. Millions of Gen Zers are buying everything from concert tickets to groceries to Chipotle burritos through buy now, pay later (BNPL) setups from companies like Klarna and Affirm. Some polls indicate Gen Z prefers BNPL to traditional credit cards. Taking on debt for purchases may make sense when buying a house or a car, but once a person is paying for their groceries with 4 monthly payments at 10% interest, something has gone awry. 

Of course, America hasn’t become a poor nation. In fact, we’re as spectacularly wealthy as ever. Yet this wealth doesn’t reach young Americans (unless it’s by way of inheritance). Instead, over and over, policy decisions have ensured that elderly Americans grow wealthier and wealthier. Never in American history has so much wealth been concentrated in those who are already retired from the labor force. This reality became even more pronounced during COVID and the rampant inflation that followed. Older Americans with equities and assets in their portfolio saw their net worth skyrocket, while younger Americans just saw those assets become even more unaffordable.

It wasn’t always like this. When the baby boomers of today were growing up, government policy routinely favored young people. Jobs were easier to get, with far fewer credentialing hurdles. Houses were built far faster. Wages were higher instead of being suppressed through sky-high legal and illegal immigration. Today, though, America is a country built for those who are already owners, and those too young to buy are finding themselves stuck becoming borrowers and renters. The median age of first-time home buyers is now pushing 40, about a decade higher than the 1980s when the average age was just 29!

This isn’t because Gen Z is lazy — a common retort I hear — it’s because they are contending with structural disadvantages older Americans didn’t experience. If this continues, something will break, and young people will lead the way in breaking it. 

Zohran Mamdani has become a celebrity for Gen Z with his slick promises of a New York City rent freeze, state-owned grocery stores, and free daycare as stepping stones to eventually seizing the means of production. Mamdani’s political surge is not a passing fad or pure TV news fodder. 

It should be a giant flashing red alarm. There are millions of Americans who feel cut off from any meaningful economic progress or stability. Eventually, if they can’t obtain prosperity the old-fashioned way, they will simply try to vote themselves prosperity, and there will be plenty of demagogues promising this can be done easily by simply expropriating those with more than them.

Most of Gen Z is ideologically fluid. They’re happy to give Republicans a shot, then turn around and elect a Marxist two years later.

America will have a reordering of its economy. The only question is what that reordering will look like. There are two paths before us. We will either have stabilizing reforms like those of Theodore Roosevelt a century ago and those espoused by nationalist, populist conservatives, or we will have revolutionary, destructive ‘reforms’ like those that have already ruined once-prosperous countries like Cuba or Venezuela. If we succeed in the next three years, or if we fail, will determine which.

 

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Saniyah Hall, the top female high school basketball recruit in the class of 2026, according to ESPN’s rankings, has committed to play for USC after receiving offers from nearly 30 schools, including UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, North Carolina and LSU. The 16-year-old made the announcement on ESPN’s ‘NBA Today’ on Friday, saying, USC ‘felt like home.’

‘It’s such a blessing to be in this position, but I think I truly found my home, and I’m ready to tell the world where I’m going,’ she said before revealing a Trojans shirt underneath her jacket. ‘I am headed to the University of Southern California. Go Trojans! Fight on.’

Hall’s announcement comes on the heels of her gold medal win with Team USA at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup. She was named MVP after averaging 19.9 points and 6.4 rebounds, shooting 52.6% from the field and 39.3% on 3-pointers. She scored 25 points vs. Australia in the gold-medal game. Her 19.9 points per game may have set a USA U19 record, but Hall said she’s proudest of her defense: ‘I had a lot of steals that game and a lot of blocks.’

She’ll join a Trojans squad that is assembling elite talent under coach Lindsay Gottlieb. McDonald’s All-American Jazzy Davidson, the third overall recruit in the 2025 class, who competed alongside Hall on the USA U19 team, also committed to play for USC. The Trojans were 31-4 last season and lost to UConn in an Elite Eight game after superstar Juju Watkins went down with an ACL injury during the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Hall said Gottlieb and her teammates led to her choice to commit to USC. On Friday, she said, ‘I love all my teammates. The girls there are so fun to be around definitely Lindsay (Gottlieb)… she’s definitely there to support me and I’ve built a relationship with her. She’s a great coach.’

The Ohio native will finish her senior season of high school basketball at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Last season, she played for Montverde (Florida) Academy and averaged 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks.

Hall signed an NIL deal with Jordan brand earlier this month. During her announcement, Hall said, ‘I don’t have anything to prove. I just go out, play basketball. I let my game do the talking. Actions speak for themselves.’

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SmackDown was a night of remembrance for WWE.

The July 25 edition of WWE’s weekly show was the first one to take place since the death of Hulk Hogan, arguably the biggest star in company history. WWE typically holds tributes during shows after former stars have died, but given Hogan’s status and impact on the industry, it was a night full of remembrance for the creator of ‘Hulkamania’ with major names paying respect to the WWE Hall of Famer.

Even though the night was mostly dedicated to Hogan, it was still a WWE show with matches and more buildup to SummerSlam on Aug. 2-3. USA TODAY Sports provided the highlights and more from SmackDown:

Watch: Hulk Hogan tribute video

A tribute video narrated by Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque encapsulates Hogan’s career, from the beginning to his top moments in the ring — from WrestleMania main event matches to the New World Order to ‘Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan. It also touches on his career outside of the ring, from movies to becoming a worldwide celebrity.

Ten-bell salute for Hulk Hogan

WWE does an honorary ten-bell salute as people in the crowd hold up signs for Hogan. Jimmy Hart was seen wiping tears away.

WWE roster pays tribute to Hulk Hogan

The SmackDown roster joins WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque on stage for a tribute. Other WWE icons like Jimmy Hart and Sgt. Slaughter are in the crowd. Levesque also speaks.

‘He captivated millions of people and inspired them around the globe,’ Levesque said. ‘We would not be standing here right now − all of us together − if it was not for him.’

Remembering Hulk Hogan vs. The Iron Sheik

WWE shows footage from Madison Square Garden in 1984, when Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik to win his first WWE title.

Hogan was a six-time WWE Champion, and one of those reigns lasted 1,474 days, the third longest run in company history.

Cody Rhodes thanks Hulk Hogan

Before he talks about his SummerSlam matchup, ‘The American Nightmare’ thanks Hogan for his contributions to wrestling.

‘I know emotions and feelings regarding it are complicated,’ Rhodes said. ‘But what is not complicated is his accomplishments and his contributions to WWE, to sports entertainment, to pro wrestling, to entertainment as a whole, they are staggering and they are indisputable.

‘As someone who gets to stand here and say that I’m a WWE superstar, he was the original, and I just want to take a moment to say thank you Hulk Hogan.’

Remembering Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant

Arguably Hogan’s most memorable match, Hogan faced Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3. In the battle of giants, Hogan famously picked up his opponent and executed his signature running leg drop to defeat him.

It was just one of the eight times Hogan was in the main event of WrestleMania.

Other SmackDown results

Randy Orton and Jelly Roll face off with Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre

Cleveland-native Paul entices the crowd to make fun of Jelly Roll, who then emerges and trades words with Paul. McIntyre comes out for backup and Orton appears before a fight breaks out.

After taking some shots, Jelly Roll impresses with some jabs and a slam to Paul.

Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez

Perez def. Bliss.

Jade Cargill vs. Chelsea Green

Cargill def. Green.

The Secret Hervice attacks Cargill after the match but Tiffany Stratton comes to Cargill’s aid.

The Miz returns

After more than two months away, Ohio-native The Miz returns to an ovation from the crowd. He challenges Jacob Fatu to a match.

The Miz vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu def. The Miz.

MFT comes in and immediately beats down Fatu. Jimmy Uso comes to help but Talla Tonga is too much and the attack continues. Fatu catches his breath and tries to hit Solo Sikoa with a chair, but Tonga again thwarts the attempt.

WWE Tag Team Championship match: The Wyatt Sicks (c) vs. Andrade and Rey Fenix

Andrade and Rey Fenix def. The Wyatt Sicks by disqualification. Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis retain titles.

Fraxiom, Motor City Machine Guns and the Street Profits come out and an all-out brawl breaks out. #DIY emerge with general manager Nick Aldis, and he announces all six teams will face off in a tables, ladders and chairs match. The fight continues.

When is WWE Friday Night SmackDown?

WWE SmackDown takes place on Friday, July 25 at 8 p.m. ET.

How to watch WWE Friday Night SmackDown

SmackDown airs on USA Network. It can be streamed via Fubo.

How long is WWE SmackDown?

SmackDown is a two-hour event.

WWE to pay tribute to Hulk Hogan

WWE said it will remember the legacy of Hogan on SmackDown. It has not been announced what tributes will be made.

When did Hulk Hogan die?

Hogan died on July 24 at the age of 71.

Hulk Hogan cause of death

Hogan died after suffering cardiac arrest. The Clearwater (Florida) Police Department said fire and police personnel responded to a medical call on July 24 at 9:51 a.m. ET in Clearwater Beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida, near Tampa.

Authorities said ‘the nature of the call was for a cardiac arrest’ and Hogan was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m. ET.

WWE SmackDown match card, schedule

WWE pays tribute to Hulk Hogan
Cody Rhodes addresses street fight against John Cena at SummerSlam
Randy Orton and Jelly Roll face off with Logan Paul and Drew McIntyre
WWE Tag Team Championship match: The Wyatt Sicks (c) vs. Andrade and Rey Fenix
Alexa Bliss vs. Roxanne Perez

WWE stars, icons remember Hulk Hogan

Several major WWE stars past and present have given tributes to Hogan since his death, including company founder Vince McMahon, Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Ric Flair.

Jimmy Hart, Jerry Lawler react to Hulk Hogan death

Two people who were close to Hogan — Jimmy Hart and Jerry Lawler — spoke to USA TODAY Sports after Hogan’s death, and were emotional trying to process the news.

‘It’s just a sad situation,’ Lawler said.

– Read more here.

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