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Colts owner Jim Irsay dies at age 65

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has died. The team confirmed his death in a statement Wednesday evening. He was 65.

“We are devastated to announce our beloved Owner & CEO, Jim Irsay, passed away peacefully in his sleep this afternoon,’ Pete Ward, the team’s chief operating officer, revealed.

‘Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed. Our deepest sympathies go to his daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, Kalen Jackson, and his entire family as we grieve with them.’

Irsay dedicated most of his adult life to the Colts.

After spending years around the team – his father, Robert Irsay, acquired the then-Baltimore Colts in 1972 – Jim Irsay worked in various capacities for the club, including as a ball boy, scout and in the personnel department. He became the organization’s youngest general manager in 1984, the same year of his father’s controversial relocation of the franchise from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Jim Irsay became the Colts’ controlling owner following Robert Irsay’s death in 1997.

‘Some of Jim’s fondest memories came from his youth working training camps in Baltimore and growing relationships with players, coaches, and staff whom he considered his extended family,’ according to the team’s statement.

‘Jim’s love and appreciation for the NFL in addition to its history, tradition, and principles influenced him to become a steward of the game throughout his 50-plus years in the League.’

Beloved for decades in Baltimore, the Colts didn’t win much initially after landing in Indianapolis. Irsay made a momentous trade with the Los Angeles Rams for legendary running back Eric Dickerson during the 1987 season, but the Indianapolis Colts didn’t win their first playoff game until 1995.

But the franchise became a powerhouse at the turn of the century. Quarterback Peyton Manning won a record five league MVP awards after the Colts picked him atop the 1998 NFL draft. Manning benefited greatly from the staff Irsay put around him, including general manager Bill Polian and head coach Tony Dungy. The Colts also selected a host of other future Hall of Famers, including wideout Marvin Harrison, running back Edgerrin James and defensive end Dwight Freeney.

After years of coming up short to the dynastic New England Patriots, Manning and Co. finally broke through to win Super Bowl 41 following the 2006 season. Indianapolis played again on Super Sunday three years later but lost to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl 44. With Manning on the field, the Colts captured eight division titles and only missed the playoffs twice.

However, the organization has largely struggled since, despite Irsay’s aggressive attempts to restore ‘The Shoe’ to glory. He made the decision to part with injured Manning in 2012 and drafted Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck No. 1 overall that year. Manning went on to lead the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowls, including a victory in Super Bowl 50 (his final game), while Luck’s once-promising career was short-circuited by injuries that led to his surprise retirement shortly before the 2019 season. The Colts have not won a postseason game since.

‘We were deeply saddened to learn of Jim Irsay’s passing today,’ NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. ‘Jim was a friend, and a man deeply committed to his family, the game, the Colts, and the Indianapolis community.

‘Within the League, Jim was an active Chairman of the Legislative Committee and member of the Finance Committee. He led with integrity, passion and care for the Colts’ players, coaches and staff, and his courageous work in support of mental health will be a lasting legacy. Outside of football, he was a talented musician and built an extraordinary collection of historical and musical artifacts that he shared with people across the country. On behalf of the entire NFL, I extend my heartfelt condolences to Jim’s daughters and their families, and to his many friends throughout the NFL.’

Despite the Colts’ up-and-down fortunes under Irsay, he had other notable successes during his tenure. After playing in the RCA Dome for years, the club moved into beautiful Lucas Oil Stadium in 2008. Indianapolis staged Super Bowl 46 in 2012 and was widely acclaimed as the host city. Irsay also earned praise for his willingness to speak out against controversial Washington owner Daniel Snyder in 2022, sparking momentum that eventually led to Snyder’s departure.

Irsay was a colorful character off the field, too. He embraced power lifting as a young man. Later in life, he collected guitars, among other musical memorabilia, and fronted his own band – singing at events around Indianapolis.

Irsay battled substance abuse during his lifetime. He was arrested in 2014 amid suspicion of driving under the influence and drug possession. He eventually pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanors and was consequently suspended by the NFL for six games and fined $500,000.

In recent years, he was the face of the team’s ‘Kick the Stigma’ campaign in a bid to help people suffering from mental health issues.

‘Jim’s generosity can be felt all over Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the country,’ read Ward’s statement. ‘He made philanthropy a daily endeavor. He never hesitated to help countless organizations and individuals live better lives. Music was one of Jim’s passions and the ability to share his band and collection with millions of people across the world brought him tremendous joy. Simply put, he wanted to make the world a better place and that philosophy never wavered all the way up to his passing. Jim will be deeply missed by his family, the Colts organization, and fans everywhere, but we remain inspired by his caring and unique spirit.”

Irsay spent recent years grooming his daughters to take the Colts’ reins. Irsay-Gordon ran the team during her father’s absence in 2014 and is expected to assume his role moving forward. However no formal succession plan has yet been revealed.

This story has been updated with new information.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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House GOP leadership takes victory lap after passing Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’

House Republicans took a victory lap Thursday morning after passing President Donald Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill.’ 

‘It’s finally morning in America again,’ House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed 215 to 214. All Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted against the bill. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., voted ‘present.’

‘Today, the House has passed generational, truly nation-shaping legislation to reduce spending and permanently lower taxes for families and job creators, secure the border, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength and make government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans,’ Johnson added. 

The bill is a victory for Trump and House Republicans, who overcame policy disagreements to deliver on Trump’s key campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts and no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security. 

‘We look forward to the Senate’s timely consideration of this once-in-a-generation legislation. We stand ready to continue our work together to deliver on the one big, beautiful bill, as President Trump named it himself. We’re going to send that to his desk. We’re going to get there by Independence Day, on July 4th, and we are going to celebrate a new golden age in America,’ Johnson said. 

House leaders took turns Thursday thanking Republicans for rallying together to pass the bill. 

‘Democrats made it very clear they didn’t want to have any part in helping get America back on track again, but we were never fettered when this bill could have failed 10 times over. We said we were going to get this done, and failure is not an option. And we meant it,’ said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.

Trump celebrated his victory on Thursday in a Truth Social post. 

‘Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! There is no time to waste,’ Trump wrote. 

The multi-trillion-dollar bill includes provisions to advance Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda by lowering taxes, securing the border, increasing national defense, reforming Medicaid and slashing Biden-era energy policies. 

The bill aims to make a dent in the federal government’s spending trajectory by cutting roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending elsewhere. The U.S. government is still more than $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department.

‘Take this as a lesson. Don’t bet against the House Republicans. We’ve shown, time and time again, that we deliver for the American people, especially when it matters most. By taking hold of this historic opportunity, I truly believe we’ve unlocked the opportunities for generations to come,’ House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said. 

Republicans on Thursday slammed their House Democratic colleagues for delaying the bill’s passage – down to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ 30-minute ‘magic minute’ before House votes. 

‘Democrats voted to put Americans last, and it’s a shame. But thank God for House Republicans, and thank God for our president, Donald J. Trump,’ said GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich.

But the ‘big, beautiful bill’ still has a big hurdle ahead. The Senate is tasked with passing its own version of the bill, and Republican leaders are hoping to send the bill to Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July. 

Senate Republicans have already signaled they expect to make changes to the bill when it reaches the upper chamber, despite House GOP leaders publicly urging them to amend as little as possible.

A significant number of senators have voiced concern over the extent of Medicaid and SNAP cuts proposed by the House. Meanwhile, raising the SALT deduction cap could face resistance in the Senate, where no Republicans represent blue states—unlike in the House, where districts in New York and California are key to the GOP majority.

And Senate Democrats are already piling on the criticism of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’

‘This is not one big, beautiful bill. It’s ugly. There’s nothing beautiful about stripping away people’s healthcare, forcing kids to go hungry, denying communities the resources they need, and increasing poverty,’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Thursday. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Republicans look to stop China’s ‘backdoor’ tariff dodging scheme

Republicans are targeting China’s efforts to sidestep U.S. tariffs through foreign production, with new legislation introduced Thursday by House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas.

The Axing Nonmarket Tariff Evasion (ANTE) Act aims to stop subsidized and state-owned entities from setting up production in other countries to avoid tariffs.

‘For far too long, adversaries like China have engaged in unfair trade practices, cheated the American economy, and cost the U.S. millions of jobs,’ Arrington said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

On April 2, which the White House dubbed ‘Liberation Day,’ President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs with the intention of ending trade imbalances. Some of the harshest of the tariffs were imposed on China, which was initially hit with a 145% tariff that was later lowered to 30%. 

While tariffs seem to be discouraging Chinese manufacturers from exporting to the U.S., as evidenced by a recent Commerce Department report showing import levels at their lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic, imports have not stopped entirely.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has found ways to evade the tariffs, such as setting up production in third-party countries or by shipping goods to another country and re-labeling them before sending them to the U.S. By labeling the goods as originating from another country, manufacturers dodge the high tariffs on China and instead get hit with much lower tariffs that are imposed on other nations. This is something that Arrington hopes to stop with his legislation.

‘The ANTE Act will stop highly-subsidized, state-owned businesses from using third countries as backdoors to evade President Trump’s tariffs and help ensure a level playing field for American producers and manufacturers,’ Arrington told Fox News Digital.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who is introducing companion legislation in the Senate, is also confident the bill will stop the CCP from falsifying the origins of imports.

‘Communist China shouldn’t be able to dodge U.S. tariffs by slapping a ‘Made in Mexico’ label on their products,’ Banks said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘My bill closes loopholes and stops the CCP from cheating American workers and manufacturers.’ 

The phenomenon of ‘place-of-origin washing’ is not limited to large businesses. Chinese social media platforms are filled with ads offering services to help sellers avoid tariffs, the Financial Times reported. The outlet also noted that South Korea’s customs agency has seen an uptick in cases involving sellers using their country to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Under U.S. law, goods must undergo ‘substantial transformation’ in a country to qualify as originating from there. The transformation must significantly add to the value of the good, according to the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) website. 

As an example, the ITA writes that if ingredients are taken from several countries and turned into baked goods, the country of origin can be listed as where the items were baked, as this constitutes a ‘substantial transformation.’ However, if produce from multiple countries is frozen and mixed in another nation, then the origin of each ingredient must be listed.

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Armenian organized crime rings charged with stealing $83 million in Amazon cargo

Department of Justice officials on Tuesday charged members or associates of an Armenian organized crime ring with stealing more than $83 million worth of cargo from Amazon by posing as legitimate truck drivers and siphoning off goods destined for the company’s warehouses.

Since at least 2021, at least four people linked to the crime ring carried out a scheme across California to steal truckloads of merchandise, ranging from smart TVs and GE icemakers to SharkNinja vacuums and air fryers, the DOJ alleged.

“At present, Amazon is plagued by recurring thefts of its shipments, which is commonly referred to as ‘cargo theft,’” the complaint says.

Amazon has ramped up its efforts to track and shut down fraudulent, deceptive and illegal activities on its sprawling online store. Eliminating stolen goods is particularly challenging. CNBC reported in 2023 that Amazon suspended dozens of third-party merchants it alleged were selling stolen goods, though many of those sellers claimed they were unknowingly caught in the scheme, putting their businesses at risk of survival.

Amazon isn’t the only retailer afflicted by cargo theft. Experts told CNBC cargo theft-related losses are estimated at close to $1 billion or more a year.

In its complaint, the DOJ said the alleged fraudsters operated four transport carriers — AK Transportation, NBA Holdings, Belman Transport and Markos Transportation — that would obtain contracted freight routes from Amazon Relay, an application used by truckers to obtain work, also referred to as loads.

Each trucker is assigned a load for pickup from a manufacturer’s warehouse to be dropped off at an Amazon facility. Instead, the groups would divert from their designated routes, take a portion of the goods off the trucks and resell them or gift them to associates, prosecutors allege.

In some cases, the “self-styled carriers” would complete their deliveries at an Amazon warehouse several days after they were expected to show up, according to the complaint.

DOJ officials seized the alleged fraudsters’ iPhones and found photos and videos of warehouses lined with boxes of crockpots, Keurig coffee machines, keratin shampoo, Weber grills and other goods.

Amazon teams cooperated with DOJ officials in their investigation, including sharing information about the stolen goods, and details of the alleged fraudsters’ accounts on its online marketplace.

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that the company has “zero tolerance” for cargo theft and other forms of organized retail crime. Amazon relies on a mix of internal teams and technologies to prevent ORC schemes. The company has also referred “thousands” of ORC bad actors to law enforcement officials.

“These referrals have resulted in arrests, product seizures and recoveries, and the dismantling of ORC networks in the U.S. and around the world,” they said in a statement.

DOJ officials linked the defendants to a litany of other alleged crimes, including attempted murder, kidnapping, illegal firearm possession and health-care fraud. Several of the 13 defendants are expected to appear in a Los Angeles district court on Tuesday and Wednesday, while one of the defendants appeared in a court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday and was detained.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Burger King targets families through movie partnerships in latest stage of turnaround

As Burger King enters the next phase of its turnaround efforts, the fast-food chain is trying to lure families back to its restaurants with colored Whopper buns and kid-friendly movie partnerships.

Starting Tuesday, the Restaurant Brands International chain will sell new menu items inspired by the “live action” remake of “How to Train Your Dragon.” The collaboration is more than just a one-time partnership — it’s part of Burger King’s broader strategy to lift U.S. sales.

“Where we’re really starting to lean in now that we’ve made some progress in both operations and in our restaurants is on a family-first marketing strategy,” Burger King U.S. and Canada President Tom Curtis told CNBC.

Burger King’s U.S. business has been in turnaround mode for more than 2½ years. After falling behind burger rivals McDonald’s and Wendy’s, the company announced plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in a comeback strategy to renovate its restaurants, improve its operations and spend on advertising. The chain even bought its largest U.S. franchisee with the goal of accelerating its restaurant remodels.

“We’re finding that there will be chapters to this as we go through time, and right now is this family strategy chapter, where we’ve done enough work and transformed our restaurant operations to the extent that we’re proud of,” Curtis said. “We’re inviting families back in, and we’re finding that we’re getting better retention when they do come back in.”

Curtis said focusing on families gives Burger King the opportunity to attract customers across age cohorts, from millennials to Generation Alpha, which is roughly defined as people born between 2010 and 2025. Plus, parents’ avid use of social media means that word spreads quickly, giving the approach a leg up compared with targeting a single demographic that isn’t as enthusiastic online.

The limited-time themed menu items include the Dragon Flame-Grilled Whopper, with a red and orange marbled bun; Fiery Dragon Mozzarella Fries, made with Calabrian chili pepper breading; Soaring Strawberry Lemonade; and the Viking’s Chocolate Sundae, with Hershey’s syrup and black and green cookie crumbles.

Movie collaborations aren’t anything new for fast food — or Burger King. It was one of the first fast-food chains to lean into movie tie-ins. In 1977, the chain sold “Star Wars” drinking glasses ahead of the film’s release.

McDonald’s wasn’t far behind, following with a Star Trek-themed Happy Meal two years later, kicking off decades of movie, TV and toy tie-ins aimed at kids. More recently, the Golden Arches’ collaboration with “A Minecraft Movie” across more than 100 markets sold out within two weeks in the U.S., about half the time earmarked for the promotion.

In Burger King’s more recent past, under Curtis’ leadership, the chain has had two major partnerships: one with “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” two years ago and another with the Addams Family franchise, timed for Halloween last year.

Both of those menus featured Whoppers with thematic, colored buns, dyed using natural colorants, like beet juice or ube.

“Not having artificial dyes and colors is something that’s been important to us for a while,” Curtis said.

Burger King use of natural dyes comes as artificial food dyes have come under fire from health-concerned parents. Following a push from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Food and Drug Administration recently announced plans to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in food and drinks.

The two previous collaborations also were Burger King’s top-selling Whopper innovations, based on the number sold, according to Curtis.

“What we found in the Addams Family promotion specifically was, as we dug into the property, traffic was fairly flat, but sales were up,” he said, attributing the sales growth to families, which have a higher average check than a solo diner or a couple.

The expected sales lift from the “How to Train Your Dragon” menu comes at a crucial time for Burger King.

In its most recent quarter, the company’s comeback stumbled. The chain’s U.S. same-store sales slid 1.1%, mirroring an industrywide slump as fears about the economy and bad weather kept diners at home.

But Curtis is confident that Burger King is on the right track, pointing to the chain’s relative outperformance compared with its two biggest competitors: McDonald’s and Wendy’s.

“I know that they’re scrambling, and sometimes, frankly, copying some of the things that we do, which, you know, plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery,” he said. “When we see them doing that, it gives us more conviction to stay on course.”

When the live-action version of “How to Train Your Dragon” hits theaters on June 13, it’s expected to be one of the summer’s big blockbusters. After all, the animated trilogy has grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide.

Burger King has similar expectations for its menu tie-in.

The past success of the Spider-Verse and Addams Family menu items pushed Burger King to “dramatically” up its forecast for the “How to Train Your Dragon” menu, according to Curtis. And Burger King is also planning on changing its advertising strategy, which could drastically increase demand for the Dragon Flamed-Grilled Whoppers.

“In the past, we would just kind of associate ourselves with the movie property, but we wouldn’t necessarily advertise the association — you’d just see it and hear about it in social media,” Curtis said.

The promotion is supposed to run through early July, but in case Burger King burns through its supply in just three weeks, the chain is prepared to monitor what locations have run out of the menu items. That’s a lesson it learned during its Spider-Verse promotion, when it had to launch a tracker on its website to help customers find the coveted Whopper.

As it learns from every experience, Burger King is planning to dive deeper into franchise partnerships, betting that the extra effort will drive long-term loyalty for the brand.

“We’re doing a couple more of them than we have in the past,” Curtis said. “We’ve got one toward the end of the year that we’re very, very excited about … and we’re getting some lined up for next year as well. In every one of those, we’ll go all in.”

Disclosure: Comcast owns CNBC and Universal Studios, the producer and distributor of “How to Train Your Dragon.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Kentucky Derby trainer whose 2024 journey inspired many, dies at 75

  • A Bahamas native, Larry Demeritte moved to the United States in 1976 to chase his dream of reaching the Kentucky Derby. He finally realized it in 2024 when West Saratoga reached the Run for the Roses.
  • West Saratoga, who finished 12th in Kentucky Derby 150, was an $11,000 purchase, leading Demeritte to famously quip, “I have champagne tastes with a beer budget.”
  • Demeritte became the first Black trainer in the Kentucky Derby since 1989, when Hank Allen finished sixth with Northern Wolf.
  • In 1996, Demeritte was diagnosed with bone cancer and told by doctors he had five years to live. In 2018, doctors told Demeritte he had six months remaining.

Thoroughbred trainer Larry Demeritte, whose underdog story inspired horse racing fans across the world prior to the 2024 Kentucky Derby, died Monday evening in Louisville. He was 75.

Inga Demeritte, Larry’s wife, said her husband suffered cardiac arrest after a long battle with cancer.

“He had chest pains, and they rushed him to the ER,” Inga Demeritte said. “Cardiac arrest, and that was it. He never came to.”

A Bahamas native, Larry Demeritte moved to the United States in 1976 to chase his dream of reaching the Kentucky Derby.

He finally realized it in 2024 when West Saratoga reached the Run for the Roses and finished 12th.

“That was his ultimate goal to get to the Kentucky Derby,” Inga Demeritte said. “It meant so much to him. He just wanted to get there. … He’d always ask people in the industry, ‘Are you coming to the Kentucky Derby?’ They’d be like, ‘Oh, no, I’m not going to the Derby.’ He’d be like, ‘Why are you in the sport then?’”

West Saratoga, a gray son of Exaggerator, won the Grade 3 Iroquois at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old and then was the runner-up in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks to earn his way into the Kentucky Derby.

West Saratoga was an $11,000 purchase, leading Demeritte to famously quip, “I have champagne tastes with a beer budget.”

Demeritte became the first Black trainer in the Kentucky Derby since 1989, when Hank Allen finished sixth with Northern Wolf.

In 1996, Demeritte was diagnosed with bone cancer and told by doctors he had five years to live. In 2018, doctors told Demeritte he had six months remaining.

“I’m still here,” Demeritte said before the 2024 Kentucky Derby. “God had a better plan for me than what man has. … I never felt defeated. I always say, ‘I’ll do the chemo, but I think the doctor’s wrong.’”

Demeritte went out on his own as a trainer in 1981 and won 184 races in 2,138 career starts with purse earnings of more than $5.3 million.

According to Equibase.com, Demeritte’s last race came on May 13 when Mendello finished fourth in a claiming race at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

A statement from Kentucky’s Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association said Demeritte ‘epitomized the best in horse racing with his horsemanship and love and passion for the game and its equine athletes.’

‘We’re all so glad and proud that Larry achieved his dream of being in the Kentucky Derby with West Saratoga. It showed yet again that the little guy, with some luck and a lot of skill, can compete with stables with far greater numbers and bankroll. Larry, with his backstory, engaging personality and wide smile, was a terrific ambassador for horse racing, and the industry lost one of its bright lights with his passing. Our heart goes out to Inga. We hope she takes comfort knowing how many people loved Larry and will continue to get inspiration from him.”

Inga Demeritte said her husband was looking forward to getting back to the Kentucky Derby at some point.

“He was like, ‘Once you get your foot in, you always want to back,’” she said. “Everyone wanted to take pictures with him. He was like a celebrity. He inspired so many people.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Converse, OKC celebrate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s NBA MVP

The Oklahoma City Thunder continue their journey in the NBA playoffs with the 2025 NBA MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the shoe brand Converse celebrated the star in a unique style.

Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named MVP on Wednesday, has left his mark not just on the court but also on the streets of downtown Oklahoma City and at his former high school, Sir Allan MacNab Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario. Several murals, a collaborative effort between SGA and Converse, have been updated to celebrate his MVP win, adding a unique touch to the city’s landscape and connecting the fans to the celebration.

Converse was not the only one celebrating Gilgeous-Alexander; the SGA logo was featured on the Devon Tower in downtown Oklahoma City. The tallest building in the city displayed ‘SGA’ followed by ‘MVP’ throughout the day after the announcement.

In his first game as the MVP in the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to debut his latest shoe color, named ‘Hail Clay.’ This unique color, inspired by his wife Hailey Summers’ eye color, is a heartfelt tribute to her as his ‘Most Valuable Person,’ adding a personal touch to the celebration.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoe

Here is a look at how Converse celebrated Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP:

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Breaking down MLB’s early disappointments

Approaching Memorial Day, it’s becoming increasingly less ‘early’ in the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

Three managers have already been fired, the Colorado Rockies are on pace for the worst in record in history and the kind of discourse normally reserved for New York sports talk radio broke containment, making Juan Soto’s daily stats a topic of national conversation.

Here’s a look at two of the biggest disappointing storylines from the first two months of the season:

Baltimore Orioles

Manager Brandon Hyde was fired, paying the price for the 2023 AL East champions’ inexplicable winter inactivity, falling further out of the division race just about every single day, bottoming out at 15-32. The team’s 5.45 ERA is the worst mark in the AL and the offense hasn’t been much better, ranking near the bottom of baseball in OPS.

Everybody is still (relatively) young, but after tailing off down the stretch in 2024, does this group need a shakeup?

‘You go back to last June, we were on top of the sport in almost every facet of the sport, including majors and minors,’ GM Mike Elias told reporters three days after Hyde was fired, his first time facing the media after the move. ‘Now we find ourselves where we find ourselves. This has been hitting us all very hard, but it’s unusual for that to be so sudden.’

Charlie Morton, 41, is 0-7 with a 7.68 ERA in 41 innings and was demoted to the bullpen. Kyle Gibson was released after giving up 23 earned runs in four starts, good for a 16.78 ERA.

‘I think I’ve been pretty clear that our pitching staff, our starting pitching staff, has been a huge problem,’ Elias said. ‘I put that on myself and the front office in terms of roster construction.’

There’s also concern over catcher Adley Rutschman, the All-Star and former No. 1 overall pick who is hitting .221 with a .646 OPS over his last 150 games dating back to last year.

‘The position player group, again, we haven’t had perfect health, but this is a universally lauded group and (has) had a lot of success,’ Elias said. ‘There’s underperformance happening there, and that’s something we need to address via player development, via coaching.’

Juan Soto

To be clear, Soto has played well. The $765 million man has an adjusted OPS that’s 34% better than the league average and the Mets are battling for first place.

‘He’s human,’ Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. ‘He’s gonna be fine. He’s Juan Soto.’

But Soto is yet to really get going, currently with career-low marks in OBP (.374) and slugging (.429) through his first 49 games with the Mets. And his hustle – or lack thereof – has already been called into question after a pair of perceived lapses in recent days.

Even with about 14 ⅔ seasons left on Soto’s deal, there’s no reason for anybody to panic. The 26-year-old will find his footing in Queens and be every bit the hitter that earned himself the largest deal in sports history. And Soto’s early-season struggles have personal precedent, with March/April historically the worst months of his career (.258 average, .848 OPS in 156 games).

‘When you sign that type of contract, there’s going to be more eyes on you and he knows that and he embraces that,’ Mendoza said.

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Chasing Olympic flag football gold might test a Super Bowl dream

Introducing … the NFL on the Olympic stage.

That is so inviting if you’re Roger Goodell, Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill and among many others, organizers bent on making the L.A. Summer Games in 2028 even more of an event to remember. Sponsors also can undoubtedly envision a field day. Nothing sells like the flag. Wrap that around the USA’s most popular sports league and it is, well, solid gold.

Listen to Jefferson, the Minnesota Vikings’ star receiver, endorse the idea of repping the USA in the world of flag football: “Just to think about the chance of playing in the Olympics and getting a gold medal is a dream.”

So, here comes an NFL version of the “Dream Team” to not only prove to the world that football, American football, is ours to dominate … but to also sell to the rest of Earth.

And hey, maybe nothing will boost the NFL’s fine product to the international market like the flag, as in flag football. The NFL has been all-in on flag football for quite a while, as it provides an entry point for growing fans. Yet aligning with the Olympics is like a Magic-to-MJ slam dunk (can’t help the flashback to the original ‘Dream Team”) for Roger & Co.

As team owners unanimously passed the resolution this week to allow NFL players to compete in the Olympics, it was no coincidence that Goodell, the revenue-driving NFL commissioner, voiced the expectation that within five years the NFL will play 17 games abroad.

This season, the league will stage a record seven international games, three shy of the number in a season already covered in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the players. To get to 17 abroad, the NFL will have it on its checklist, along with the 18-game season, when it negotiates the next CBA with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).

As it stands now, the NFLPA whole-heartedly endorses the league’s flag football vision, pending some details, such as the mesh with the NFL calendar, standards for playing surfaces and equipment, and insuring the contracts for the real jobs. And why not? NFL growth flowing from flag football – the dots connect to expanding the consumer base with greater appeal to women and the younger generation, at home and abroad – translates to fatter wallets for players.

In my opinion, Team USA probably could still dominate if it filled its roster with 10 recently retired players. Yet apparently there is no shortage of active NFL players – and definitely a robust number of wide receivers, I’m told – who want this. After all, on top of the gold, it would be so cool to represent the country.

Hill, the electric Miami Dolphins receiver, has made no secret of his desire to be a part of Team USA. Shoot, he might even be prone to celebrate with a backflip on the medal stand. Just what you’d expect from a home-run threat who carries the moniker, “The Cheetah.”

Then there’s Travis Hunter, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner seeking to go both ways as a receiver and cornerback with the Jacksonville Jaguars like he did for Coach Prime at Colorado. I’m not sure if Hunter wants in, but I’m guessing that any guy who is wired to play more than 100 snaps every game would be, well, golden for another layer of multi-tasking.

Still, is chasing the gold worth the risk?

You know the risk. Blowing out a knee on a cutback move. Tearing up an ankle on a spin move. Snapping a hamstring on a sprint to pay dirt. Think of the non-contact injuries that occasionally pop up on a football field. There are no guarantees they can’t happen on an Olympic stage.

USA! USA! US Ouch!

“I’d love it if we kept the NFL players out of it,” Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, alluding to the injury risk, told team beat writers during the league meetings in March.

If you’re aiming to win a Super Bowl, it might be a bit nerve-wracking to consider your hopes could be derailed by some freak injury. Typically, NFL players are contractually prevented from engaging in ventures that involve extra risk (think skydiving, for example), but for flag football there’s a pass.

“I’m afraid I have a quarterback that’d probably be pretty good at it,” Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters during the league meetings in March. “So, no, I’m not excited about that in all honesty. I believe in America. I want gold medals, but…”

Maybe Harbaugh can rest easy on this matter. While Lamar Jackson would be at the top of the list for Team USA attractions – and growing up, he played flag football at the Boys and Girls Club – he seemingly has no interest.

Asked about the prospect last summer on “The Lounge” podcast, Jackson said: “I doubt it. I’m a professional NFL player. So, I’m just going to stay over here and let those guys have fun.”

When reached by USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday, Harbaugh was not exactly sweating in hypotheticals. Asked what his comfort level would be if Jackson wanted to play in the ’28 Olympics, Harbaugh replied in a text, “Hmmm. The reality is that’s a football lifetime from now.”

You might expect that NFL teams, interested in protecting their most valuable assets, would be hesitant. But no, this is bigger than that in another context, considering the chance for the league to put down a major international footprint.

Remember, the resolution passed with a 32-0 vote.

“I absolutely think it’s a great opportunity for the league and it’ll be a great opportunity for some of the players who participate,” Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II told USA TODAY Sports.

I asked Rooney if he would have any hesitation if one of Pittsburgh’s key players, say, star receiver DK Metcalf, wound up on Team USA. He pointed out that the resolution limited teams from losing more than one player to any single Olympic squad, although theoretically a team could lose up to three players if one played for Team USA and one or two played for other countries.

“That’s part of what the proposal is all about,” Rooney said. “To kind of limit the exposure that one team might have, having more than one of their star players get injured in something like this.

“Look, I think the risk of injury in flag football is low. I’m overall comfortable with it. But I think this proposal is just an effort to manage, to make sure that no one team bears too heavy of a burden of having more than one or two players participate.”

In the eyes of the NFL, the reward is far greater than the risk.

Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Politics

New book exposes how top Biden comms staffer was ‘tip of the spear’ covering up Biden’s cognitive decline

A new book sheds light on former White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates’ role in defending President Joe Biden’s mental acuity, which the book alleges was done without the White House staff having the full picture of the president’s actual condition. 

‘Some of Bates’s colleagues believed that Biden’s inner circle took advantage of his loyalty and told him to deny things they knew were true,’ Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson wrote in their new book ‘Original Sin,’ detailing the inner workings of the Biden White House and attempts to downplay concerns about the president’s mental and physical fitness.

‘He, along with most of the press team, rarely met with the president and didn’t have firsthand knowledge of the president’s wherewithal,’ the book continued. ‘They relied on senior staff for answers. Still, risking his own credibility, Bates willingly became the White House’s tip of the spear when it came to fighting off any reporting on Biden’s acuity.’

Outside of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Bates was perhaps the most prominent face of the public-facing defense of Biden during his administration, often handling requests for comment from reporters and is mentioned about half a dozen times in the book.

The book goes into detail about an alleged ‘modus operandi’ from the Biden campaign and the White House for ‘attacking any journalist who covered any questions about the president’s age’ with the goal to ‘shame journalists and create a disincentive structure for those curious about the president’s condition.’

‘To answer the question on everyone’s minds: No, Joe Biden does not have a doctorate in foreign affairs. He’s just that f—ing good,’ Bates posted on X following a Biden press conference two weeks after the debate performance that many believe was the beginning of the end of his campaign. 

The book looked back on that remark and stated that it ‘reflected the views of the Politburo but among professional Democrats, it became an instant legend for its sycophancy and tone-deafness.’

Bates dismissed the book’s narrative about him, telling Fox News Digital it ‘is distorted, stretching select facts while excluding others.’

A former Biden White House staffer also came to Bates’ defense, telling Fox News Digital, ‘This gets important facts wrong.’

‘Bates served as a senior spokesperson who met with and traveled with the President, including in the Oval and on Air Force One, staffing him around the country and on Capitol Hill. That’s public information. He served as a point person in the press office on major legislative and political issues,’ the former White House staffer continued. ‘He was known for being respectful and considerate if a colleague didn’t want to do an interview for a challenging story, whether it was about policy or anything else.’

The book details one specific instance of the White House successfully killing a story when ‘weeks’ before the explosive Wall Street Journal story detailing concern about Biden’s decline came out in June, Steve Ricchetti, former White House deputy chief of staff, strongly denied claims that the president was slipping to another journalist.

‘[A] reporter with a different national news outlet had been hearing from White House aides that behind the scenes the president was having serious and disturbing moments, forgetting names and facts, sometimes seeming seriously confused at meetings,’ the book read.

‘The reporter reached out to members of the White House press office, which not only aggressively—and angrily—disputed her reporting but also took the unusual step of having Steve Ricchetti call her,’ the book said. ‘He talked to her off the record, so she couldn’t use any of what he said or even attribute it to ‘a White House source.’ But he told her that everything the others were saying was false, and that he was at the meetings as a counselor to the president.’

According to Tapper and Thompson, the Biden White House was going all out trying to control the perception of his health.

‘The message from the White House was clear, this reporter believed: If she went forward with the story from anonymous aides, the White House would aggressively dispute it, on the record, and portray her as a liar,’ the book reads. ‘The tacit threat worked.’

The book has sparked intense reactions from both sides of the aisle, leading many to slam the media’s coverage of Biden’s mental acuity and blame the media and Biden’s team for covering up the facts of the situation. 

Fox News Digital has written extensively dating back to the 2020 presidential campaign about Biden’s cognitive decline and his inner circle’s role in covering it up.

Others have pushed back against the framing of the book, including Naomi Biden, Joe Biden’s granddaughter, who delivered a scathing rebuke to the new book, calling it ‘silly’ and ‘political fairy smut.’

CNN, Tapper’s network, has also faced pushback for its promotion of the book, including from ‘The View’ and Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who took issue with the network promoting the book under the backdrop of Biden’s recent cancer diagnosis.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Biden spokesperson said, ‘There is nothing in this book that shows Joe Biden failed to do his job, as the authors have alleged, nor did they prove their allegation that there was a cover up or conspiracy.’

‘Nowhere do they show that our national security was threatened or where the President wasn’t otherwise engaged in the important matters of the Presidency. In fact, Joe Biden was an effective President who led our country with empathy and skill.’

Fox News Digital’s Hanna Panreck and Rachel del Guidice contributed to this report

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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