Fox News Latest Headlines
Teen suspect in murder of two bank employees in Kentucky leads police on wild 130 mph chase
A masked suspect accused of gunning down two bank employees inside a Kentucky branch is now facing federal charges after a wild, high-speed chase that ended in a crash, according to court documents.
Brailen Weaver, 18, is accused of carrying out the April 30 attack at a U.S. Bank branch in Berea, where authorities say he shot and killed two employees shortly after entering the building.
According to an FBI affidavit, the suspect entered the bank around 1:57 p.m. and "immediately shot and killed a male victim" before fatally shooting a second employee, identified as a teller.
Kentucky State Police later identified the victims as 35-year-old Breanna Edwards and 42-year-old Brian Switzer during a news conference.
After the shooting, the suspect checked multiple drawers and fled on foot, authorities said.
The case is being investigated as armed bank robbery and gun-related homicide. Weaver faces federal charges, including armed bank robbery, using a firearm in a crime of violence and causing death through the use of a firearm.
Investigators linked Weaver to the crime through surveillance footage, social media activity and a vehicle believed to have been used in the escape.
3 KILLED IN SHOOTING OUTSIDE LOUISVILLE DRIVER'S LICENSE OFFICE
Authorities say surveillance video captured a suspect matching Weaver’s build wearing a mask, gloves, a light-colored hoodie, gray pants and white sneakers.
A silver BMW seen leaving the area was later tied to a Facebook account associated with Weaver, according to the affidavit.
Images from Weaver’s social media accounts also appeared to show him wearing clothing consistent with what the suspect wore during the robbery, investigators said.
Location data and surveillance later placed Weaver traveling on Interstate 75 the evening of the shooting, leading to a high-speed chase involving federal, state and local authorities.
According to investigators, Weaver reached speeds of more than 100 mph, at times hitting approximately 130 mph, before crashing the vehicle and fleeing on foot.
A gun was recovered from the vehicle, authorities said.
Kentucky State Police previously said a "person of interest believed to be involved" in the robbery had been apprehended after a coordinated search involving multiple agencies.
Switzer leaves behind his wife and three children, according to a GoFundMe created to support his family, which describes the shooting as a "senseless act of violence." The fundraiser says he was the sole provider and notes his wife now faces raising their children while navigating profound grief and "this kind of turmoil" after the tragedy.
U.S. Bank said in a statement to Fox News Digital it is "deeply saddened by the tragic event that took the lives of two of our employees."
"Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, our colleagues and the entire Berea community," the company said, adding it is working closely with law enforcement and supporting those affected.
The company added it does not have additional information to provide at this time as the investigation remains ongoing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky said it will hold a news conference to provide an update and additional information regarding the suspect’s arrest and federal charges.
Fox News Digital has also reached out to Kentucky State Police and Weaver’s attorney for additional comment.
The investigation remains ongoing.
MLB ump's blown strike call overturned by ABS leaves announcer stunned: 'Yikes'
This is why ABS exists and should be celebrated by baseball fans.
During Thursday's Tigers-Braves game, home-plate umpire Roberto Ortiz was completely exposed by the computer umpire, which caught one of the most egregious missed calls since the ABS system was implemented on opening day.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
How bad was the missed call? It left Tigers TV play-by-play guy Jason Benetti nearly speechless. "It is...yikes," Benetti said as the ABS system revealed that Ortiz missed a ball right down the heart of the plate.
"It is the reason for the challenge system," Benetti continued.
It turns out this isn't Ortiz's first rodeo with some rather bad missed calls. In September 2025, before ABS was instituted by Commissioner Rob Manfred and his MLB front office, Ortiz worked a Brewers-Padres game in which the Umpire Auditor account on X estimated he missed a whopping 25 calls.
Watch where these pitches ended up in the K-Zone squares:
It gets worse. In 2024, Ump Auditor reported that Ortiz missed 30 calls in a Pirates-Royals game and had a "correct call rate of only 82.5%." While we're at it, Ortiz worked a 2023 game where he called a pitch a strike when it was 5.27 inches off the plate, according to Ump Auditor.
Running out bad home-plate umpires might actually end up being a smart business decision by Major League Baseball. "What actually surprised me is how popular this is with fans," Manfred said of ABS. "When the challenge happens, everybody’s kind of glued to the Jumbotron. It’s amazing. … It’s a form of fan engagement."
To date, the ABS stats are telling:
Sheriff Grady Judd names Jan. 6 participant, MAGA influencer among 266 arrested in prostitution sting
Polk County, Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd put an illegal immigrant, a Jan. 6 Capitol participant and a social media influencer front and center after a sweeping undercover sting netted 266 arrests tied to prostitution, human trafficking and child predators.
Polk County Sheriff Judd delivered a blunt breakdown Friday of what he called some of the "more outrageous events" uncovered during the multi-agency operation, Polk Around and Find Out.
"We made 266 total arrests," Judd said, adding "about 247 of them were in the human trafficking operation," with suspects collectively racking up "1,028 previous charges" before deputies "added 439 more charges to the repertoire."
Deputies arrested people from 11 states and 18 different countries.
"People that think, ‘Oh, this is low-level and not violent’ — yeah, that’s wrong. It is violent, and it’s dangerous," Judd said.
Among those highlighted was Ryan Yates, of Odessa, Florida, who had previously been convicted in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and later pardoned, Judd said.
'AMERICA’S SHERIFF' GRADY JUDD ON TRUMP PRESIDENCY: 'THERE'S A NEW DAY AND A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN'
"He got away with it with a federal system. But not here," Judd said. "He came here to violate the law. We arrested him."
Judd also singled out Craig Long II, 41, a Tampa-area fitness business owner and a self-proclaimed "MAGA influencer."
On X, Long describes himself as "MAGA to the core."
"Well, I'm going to give him some content for his social media today. He was a previous felon who straightened up, really, what we want to see in life. Now he's an influencer," Judd said.
COCKY FUGITIVE'S SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE TO SHERIFF BACKFIRES IN SPECTACULAR FASHION
Another case involved Uno Garcia, an illegal immigrant from Cuba. Judd said Garcia brought his wife to engage in prostitution.
"So, it’s kind of a family affair," Judd said.
Shannon Brooks of Haines City, Florida, allegedly brought a 7-year-old into a room during a sexual encounter and left the child in a bathroom.
Judd said Brooks told the child, "Don’t answer the mf-ing phone. This is the kind of parenting that we want? Come on, man. What are you doing?"
In another case, Derek Partita, 37, left a 10-year-old child in a car while attempting to meet a prostitute.
"This is a very sad situation," Judd said.
Judd also pointed to J.R. Jackman, 27, who he said had a high-level military security clearance.
"Don’t you feel comfortable knowing a guy with top security clearance is coming to meet a prostitute?" Judd said.
Another suspect, Salvador Villarel, a county utilities employee, allegedly arrived in a government vehicle.
"He doesn’t have the county truck. He doesn’t have the county job. But he does have the county jail," Judd said.
Authorities said 247 of the arrests were for prostitution-related offenses, while 19 involved suspects accused of attempting to meet minors for sex. They added that 34 of those arrested were in the U.S. illegally.
The operation involved federal, state and local agencies and is part of ongoing efforts to target both buyers and facilitators in prostitution networks, officials said. Cases remain pending.
Newsom explodes on Joe Rogan in response to clip of podcaster calling governor 'f---ing con man'
Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., exploded on podcast host Joe Rogan in a post from his press office account, in response to a resurfaced clip in which the podcast host called Newsom an "f---ing con man."
"JOE 'LITTLE GUY' ROGAN IS TOO CHICKEN TO HAVE ME ON HIS FAILING PODCAST BECAUSE HE KNOW I'D CRUSH HIM, SO HE TAKES CHEAP SHOTS FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY AS HE GETS RELEGATED TO IRRELEVANCY. ALL TALK, NO ACTION. I'M READY WHEN YOU ARE, 'LITTLE GUY.' OR KEEP HIDING!!!! — Governor GCN," the Trump-style post read.
The governor's press team was responding to a clip of Rogan discussing the 2024 election with Patrick Bet-David in 2023.
DAVID SPADE WONDERS IF HOLLYWOOD CAN RECOVER ITS MOVIE INDUSTRY AS PEOPLE FLEE LOS ANGELES
"Nobody wants President Newsom either," Rogan said. "Nobody believes in that guy. That guy’s a f---ing con man. I mean, everything he did in California, from trying to mandate vaccines for kids when it was totally unnecessary to being caught out in public without a mask and lying about the fact that he was outdoors. All of it. It’s just, nobody believes in the guy. He’s just a politician, just a stone-cold, narrative-driven politician, you know, and nobody thinks he’s a real human," Rogan said during the 2023 discussion.
Rogan called out Newsom more recently during "The Joe Rogan Experience," after his press office account had mocked Nick Shirley’s daycare fraud investigation by posting what appeared to be a satirical, AI-generated photo of a man carrying several cameras at a daycare and asking a teacher, "Hey, can I see your kids?"
"Did you see what the governor posted, what Newsom’s press office posted?" Rogan asked his guest on a March episode of his show. "They posted a photo of Nick Shirley, like a fake Nick Shirley, like a meme — like Nick Shirley peeking into windows."
JOE ROGAN, MEL GIBSON BLAST GOV. NEWSOM AMID WILDFIRES: 'PERSONALLY RUINED' CALIFORNIA
Newsom posted from his own X account in October, accusing Rogan of being too chicken to have him on.
In the October 2025 clip Newsom responded to, Rogan said, "You can’t ruin a city and then go on to ruin a state and say, ‘Guys, that was just practice. Once I get in as president, I’m gonna fix it all,'" referring to Newsom.
Rogan continued, "Like, everybody’s LEAVING. You have the highest unemployment. You have the highest homelessness. Money’s missing. You killed Hollywood. Like, Hollywood doesn’t exist anymore. It’s literally gone. You mandated vaccines for kids that didn’t need them. He did horrible s---."
Sports media race-baiters are already taking Nikola Jokic criticism too far
Nikola Jokic deserves criticism for not playing better in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Timberwolves. Minnesota eliminated Denver in six games Thursday night, despite a series-ending injury to Anthony Edwards.
Jokic didn’t play poorly in the traditional sense, but 25.8 points per game on 44.6% shooting isn’t good enough for a player of his caliber.
That said, the coverage is already excessive.
Moments after the Nuggets’ loss, former ESPN broadcaster Mark Jones mocked Jokic and celebrated his loss.
NBA PLAYOFFS RATINGS ARE NOT ACTUALLY THE HIGHEST IN 33 YEARS, AS REPORTED
For background, Jones’ schtick revolves around rooting for every top NBA star, except for Jokic and Luka Doncic. Here's more about Jones' weird fixation on the skin colors of athletes.
Kendrick Perkins’ feelings toward Jokic are also well-documented. In 2023, Perkins admitted on ESPN that he and other black players believe Jokic is only an MVP candidate because of alleged favoritism from white voters. Note: The data says NBA MVP voters do not favor white players. Nonetheless, like Jones, Perkins has actively rooted against Jokic as a paid NBA analyst for ESPN.
He also celebrated Jokic’s shortcomings Friday morning:
"We’re not in Serbia, we’re in America and he got punked yesterday. We have to hold him accountable like we do every ‘all time great.’ I jumped the gun just like everybody else when it comes to disrespecting all time greats," Perkins said.
"We were so ready to put this man above all time greats because of certain numbers he was putting up in the regular season. He has one NBA championship. Matter of fact, I don’t think Jokic is going to win another NBA championship. He got exposed. Jokic has never sniffed an All-Defensive Team as a center. Rudy Gobert outplayed him."
For the record, Perkins failed to bring this level of energy when players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, and Jayson Tatum came up short in the postseason.
Elsewhere, other commentators played the "what if this were LeBron?" card to argue that Jokic is protected.
Paul Pierce was one of them:
"We’re not going to sugarcoat this one. Because if this was LeBron at the peak of his powers losing like this, this is what we’d say. We say today that Joker is the best player in the game, right? He might not win MVP, but he’s the best player," Pierce argued. "We’ve said this for the last three or four years, right? Let this have been LeBron at the peak of his powers. What would we have been saying? If you’re the best player in the league, you’re not supposed to lose in the first round."
Dan Patrick made the same case.
"If this was LeBron, a three-time MVP and one-time NBA champion, bowing out the way Joker did, we’d be crushing LeBron," Patrick said Friday.
Pierce and Patrick's remarks are not racially motivated. However, their comparisons to James are weak. They are misleading.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
LeBron James was criticized more for his shortcomings than Jokic because he was also praised more for his success. James is a daily topic on talk shows during the postseason. By comparison, Jokic is rarely mentioned, even amid his historic six-season run.
James is arguably the most famous American athlete of the past 20 years. Jokic, despite his greatness, isn’t even one of the five most famous NBA players today.
Further, James was at the center of a decade-long debate about whether he or Michael Jordan was the greatest of all time. No one has ever compared Jokic to Jordan. At most, there have been rumblings about Jokic cracking the top 15.
Complaining that Jokic doesn’t receive as much criticism as James is like pointing out that Patrick Mahomes faces more scrutiny for playoff losses than Jalen Hurts. The bigger the star, the fiercer the backlash.
So before someone says it, no, Jokic is not protected because he is White. As noted earlier, Jokic is far more Great White Villain than Great White Hope.
A normal conversation today would revolve around whether Jokic is still the best player in the NBA and whether the Nuggets have surrounded him with enough talent. The answer to the latter question is clearly no. Whether Jokic is still better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Victor Wembanyama is a real debate.
Instead, the gloating from the race idolaters and the forced LeBron comparisons have hijacked the conversation. But that says more about the state of sports media than it does about Jokic.
Mets brass stand by manager Carlos Mendoza despite having worst record in MLB
The New York Mets, despite having the worst record in Major League Baseball at 10-21, will not be making a managerial change.
New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said the team’s problems do not lie with Carlos Mendoza.
"We know our record is not what we want, and we know we are capable of more," Stearns told MLB.com. "We don’t view this as a manager problem, and we don’t intend to make a change."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
The Mets' 10-21 start is the third-worst in franchise history, and only the 1981 (8-22-1) and 1964 (9-22) Mets teams had worse starts through 31 games. The Mets have endured a 12-game losing streak and have lost their last five out of six games to the lowly Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals.
No team has ever lost 12 consecutive games and made the postseason.
Mets officials still believe in the roster assembled by Stearns but believe the roster and baseball operations also share blame for the team’s poor start, according to MLB.com.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Mendoza, 46, is in his third season managing the Mets. In 2024, the team started 24-35 but rallied and made a surprise run to the NLCS before losing to the eventual World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 2025, the Mets had the best record in the National League on June 4 at 39-23, but the team went into free fall after that and missed the postseason by one game, going 44-56 down the stretch.
With the team’s struggles from the second half of last season and the horrid start to this season, the noise around Mendoza’s job security has only increased. But the Mets don’t intend to make any changes just yet.
Mendoza has a 182-173 record in his three seasons at the helm.
The Mets will look to begin their journey out of MLB’s basement when they play the Los Angeles Angels (12-20) on Friday at 9:38 p.m. ET.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Where was ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ filmed? A look at the real locations in the film sequel
As "The Devil Wears Prada 2" hits theaters, fans are avidly turning their attention to the real-life New York City locations featured in the film.
The long-awaited film sequel revisits the fast-paced world of fashion and media, following Andy Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway, and her former boss Miranda Priestly, portrayed by Meryl Streep.
It also showcases some of Manhattan’s most recognizable backdrops, from corporate office towers to upscale residential streets and everyday transit hubs.
FANS SWARM JFK JR SITES IN MAJOR CITY AS HIT SERIES 'LOVE STORY' TRIGGERS TOURISM FRENZY
Much like the original 2006 film, the sequel leans on real-world locations to bring the story to life — a move that could once again drive tourism interest across the city.
Check out some of the key filming spots that are already drawing attention.
One of the most recognizable locations in the film is 1221 Avenue of the Americas, a 51-story tower in Midtown Manhattan that served as the exterior for the fictional Runway magazine headquarters in the original 2006 film.
STARBUCKS UNVEILS 'DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2' SECRET MENU AS FANS SLAM NEW CHAI AS 'PATHETIC'
Located between 48th and 49th Streets along Sixth Avenue, the building appears in key scenes where characters enter the office.
Filming for "The Devil Wears Prada 2" returned to the site in July 2025, drawing tourists and NYC residents, as scenes were shot outside the building and in its lobby.
Miranda Priestly’s upscale Manhattan apartment was a memorable setting in the original film, where Andy personally delivered the next Runway issue.
The location is on the Upper East Side — and continues to draw interest from fans exploring the city.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Another notable New York City location tied to the original film is the iconic Smith & Wollensky steakhouse on 49th Street and Third Avenue.
In the original, Andy Sachs is sent to pick up a lunch order from the Midtown restaurant for Miranda and is given 15 minutes to get the steak.
The trailer showcases scenes outside the 34th Street–Hudson Yards subway station, near the Vessel — a 150-foot tall honeycomb-shaped interactive structure and tourist attraction made of staircases — as well as inside and outside the office building at 50 Hudson Yards.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
During production last summer, fans gathered nearby, taking photos and videos as scenes were filmed.
A Runway magazine-themed pop-up at 20 Hudson Yards in April 2026 drew numerous fans — featuring a huge red stiletto display.
Known as one of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s go-to eateries, Bubby’s in Tribeca was also used as a filming location for "The Devil Wears Prada 2," where Hathaway was spotted on set as fans gathered to take photos and videos during production.
The restaurant was also featured in the series "Love Story" — further adding to its appeal for visitors.
Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Alysha Newman banned after missed drug tests
Team Canada is under the microscope again.
Canadian Olympic bronze medalist pole vaulter Alysha Newman has been banned from her sport for 20 months after missing drug tests, though track and field investigators accepted she had ended her career as a pole vaulter.
Newman won bronze for Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
She more recently competed at a pair of Diamond League meetings in May 2025 in Qatar and Morocco.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Newman is the latest Team Canada athlete involved in a controversy after incidents during and around the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Two controversies surrounding Canadian winter sports teams in early 2026 involve allegations of rule violations in curling and competition manipulation in skeleton.
Canadian curlers were accused of "double-touching" stones at the Milan Cortina Olympics, while the skeleton team was found to have manipulated a Lake Placid race to protect Olympic qualification points, causing a major uproar.
The Athletics Integrity Unit said Newman was unavailable for an unannounced doping control session in February 2025 and twice more in August. Three so-called "whereabouts" failures in a 12-month period can be prosecuted as an anti-doping rules violation.
After the third incident, the AIU said in its published verdict, the athlete told a sample collection official "she had to leave immediately to participate in the filming of a television game show."
FENCER REVEALS DIFFICULTIES AFTER TAKING STAND ON TRANS INCLUSION IN WOMEN'S SPORTS
The global anti-doping system requires athletes to specify a one-hour period each day when they will be available to give a sample for testing.
Newman’s suspension expires in August 2027 and was less than the standard two years for whereabouts cases because the AIU accepted that she had decided to end her career.
This, the AIU said, "is a sufficiently unique/exceptional factor that may be considered in assessing her level of fault in the matter."
Newman also competed in two world championship finals, was a gold and bronze medalist at the Commonwealth Games and took bronze at a Pan American Games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Nancy Guthrie trail, Bryan Kohberger team fractures, Luigi Mangione morals
LONE PREDATOR: Nancy Guthrie's front door blood evidence points to ‘single abductor’: former FBI profiler
TEAM FRACTURES: Kohberger defense team says it is 'appalled' by former expert's public comments about Idaho murders case
TOXIC RIPPLE: Luigi Mangione 'does not support violent actions,' attorney says as political attacks mount across the US
HOUSE OF HORRORS: Rising singer dismembered teen who threatened to expose him in kiddie pool with chainsaw: DA
NOWHERE TO HIDE: Cold case suspect nabbed overseas after DNA revived decades-old child abduction mystery
'SHE MATTERED': Father of slain student Sheridan Gorman calls death a 'failure' after illegal immigrant's not guilty plea
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
EVIL TO THE END: Accused 'Lovers’ Lane' killer dies in jail while another cold case comes knocking: authorities
VOWS UNDONE: High school sweethearts' marriage ends in gruesome murder-suicide less than 2 years after wedding: police
IDENTITY UNMASKED: DNA cracks 35-year cold case mystery as accused killer’s new name melts under cops’ heat
'INADMISSIBLE': Scott Peterson's defense loses bid to introduce witness testimony in long-running fight to overturn conviction
MILES OF MYSTERY: Teen’s roadside cold case death probed as homicide as police officer emerges as person of interest: report
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
PARISH PURSUIT: Cold case cracked after 40 years as teen's alleged killers are caught after podcast helps find new leads
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: Affidavit in suburban mother's alleged slaying of children reveals gruesome details
LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST
AI ADVICE: Murder suspect asked ChatGPT about dumping human remains days before killings: docs
VERDICT VAPORIZED: Son warns suspected killer may 'get away with murder' after conviction tossed in execution-style slaying of mother
LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
BLOOD IN THE CAR: Father recalls horror after son murdered his 5 grandchildren: ‘I knew he killed them’
INMATES UNCHAINED: Bills could abolish life without parole for serial killers and cop killers, critics warn
Axe-slingin' Sophie Lloyd melts faces, Starbucks isn't about coffee apparently, and the great 'back-in' debate
Congratulations, we’ve crossed the imaginary start-finish line into May, which means you have probably seen that Justin Timberlake/NSYNC meme several dozen times before you wandered your way into this edition of Nightcaps!
What a month May is, huh? The Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing, the NBA playoffs are also occurring (but less fun to watch), and the Kentucky Derby is coming along. Then we close out the month with the best day on the motorsports calendar when the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 take place (and the F1 Canadian Grand Prix, can’t forget that).
It’s also when people start using some vacation time, and that’s why I’m pinch-hitting for Zach and Amber on this glorious late spring Friday… before I also take some time off next week.
The wife and I are headed to a resort for a couple of days for what those of us in Central Florida call a "staycation."
It’s like a vacation, but I only have to drive 20 minutes from home.
Which some would argue defeats the purpose, but I think that’s what makes it great.
If you forget something you need, you don't need to pay top dollar in the gift shop, because you can just drive home and get it.
No need to deal with airports or even major highways, either.
But before I post up in a cabana next to a crystalline blue pool, we’ve got some stuff to talk about, so let’s get to it so I can zinc my sniffer (sun safety first) and throw on a pair of swim trunks…
Sophie Lloyd melts your face
How about some tunes to set the mood for this Friday's edition?
For that, we're going to turn our attention to Sophie Lloyd, one of the internet's favorite guitarists who typically plays with Machine Gun Kelly.
But she's not a one-trick pony who does... whatever it is that Machine Gun Kelly does. She has some serious classical chops, too.
Sure, it’s about a month old, but the algorithm gods dropped it in my feed today, so now you’re seeing it, and I doubt there will be much resistance, if any.
I dig it.
If you need more, go check out her performance at the Rugby World Cup.
You know what, I'll save you the time.
Here you go, pal:
Is this the greatest cigarette smoker of all time?
Now, we all know smoking is bad for your health, blah, blah, blah, but so is a lot of stuff.
Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, sit back and watch the greatest cigarette smoker of all time as he blind taste tests five cigarettes and nails it.
I’m not going to lie, I found this nothing short of incredible.
First of all, that man has clearly smoked more than Joe Camel in his career, which means I’m shocked he still has taste buds remaining. I thought they would’ve gotten singed off back when Bush 41 was in office.
But not only are his taste buds still there, but they’re refined enough to pick out the nuances of every lung dart. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could tell you where the tobacco came from.
Although I’m confident that even those of us whose smoking careers consisted of choking down a Pall Mall in high school thanks to peer pressure could pick a menthol out of that bunch.
He went the extra mile and nailed the brand
God bless that smooth Carolina tobacco sommelier and his black lungs.
It has been a rough week for Six Flags
I like hitting up theme parks in my free time, but I’ve never been to a Six Flags, and I hate to say it, the week they’ve had hasn’t made me want to change that.
Let’s start at Six Flags New England, where they had a bit of a problem with the Superman roller coaster in the worst possible place for anyone who's not fond of heights (*raises hand*).
Well, surely they couldn’t have two high-profile ride malfunctions in one week that left riders stranded high in the air, could they?
Could they?!
Those folks at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio were only dangling 200 feet above terra firma for ten minutes, but for this hombre, that’s ten minutes too many.
The great backup debate
Now, if you’re a regular OutKick reader, you may know (or not) that I do a weekly column called The Gripe Report, that some — mostly friends, family and well-wishers — call the greatest complaint-based column the Internet has ever seen.
Their words, not mine.
But this week, I hit on something shockingly controversial: backing into parking spots.
A reader named Tom wrote in to complain about people who insist on backing into parking spots even if there is a train of cars behind them, or end up having to sit there and wait while they finish their perfect parking masterpiece.
I actually agreed with that take — have some consideration for the very handsome writer who is just running to Publix to pick up the paper towels he forgot to buy despite his wife asking him several times — but, boy, were the backer-inners ever out in full force.
Rob (whose email was very long and in-depth) had this to say:
Tom's gripe gets no sympathy from me.
I got my license in '75, when most American cars were 20 feet long and 7 feet wide. It was taught in driving school and tested for when taking the road test (in Ontario). My road test was in our '73 Chev Bel Air wagon (the behemoth with the wrap-around rear windows) — we nicknamed it BattleCar Galactica. I had to back into a spot (no camera) and parallel park (among other things) to pass.
…
Chris says:
My BIL drives a company pickup as his daily, and his company’s policy is that they always have to back into a spot because the risk of running over someone is greater when you’re backing out of a spot. Given how dangerous and clueless the average Costco parking lot driver is, I’m not sure it’s the worst thing.
Besides, parking in the "close" lot is a sucker move anyway. I pull all the way past the entrance, taking care not to run over any of the clueless shoppers pushing a cart while looking at their phones (who frankly deserve it, but that’s another gripe) and park on the far side. It takes a minute or two more to get in the door, but given that Costco’s mission is to slow me down, it’s small change. Then I can leave in peace out the far exit and avoid the Brodozers and Momspeditions blocking the main exit.
…
Then came Mark, just going straight for the jugular:
The remarks below were one of the comments at the bottom of Tom's whining. Tell Tom to get back in his Prius and go search out a pull-through parking spot so he doesn’t spill his latte.
Anyone driving a full-size truck with a crew cab knows why we back in. It is so we can get out after cars fill in the space around us.
So you can wait a moment while we pull in, or wait much longer when we have to go back and forth trying to get out. Don’t like it- see your Dr and get the medication you need.
…
Good times over in Gripe Report country!
Kenny Albert is a hoarder in the best way possible
Kenny Albert is in a league of his own these days as the only announcer who pretty regularly calls all four major North American sports.
Of course, nationally, he's best known as the lead play-by-play man for TNT's NHL coverage and does NFL games for Fox.
But it turns out he's also, in his words, "an organized hoarder," and showed off some of his old game sheets to Florida Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk on his Wingmen podcast.
He even had one from April 1996 in which Keith Tkachuk scored in the final playoff series in Winnipeg before they moved off to the desert.
This makes me think we need to change the definition of hoarder. The new criteria is if what you hoard is something cool, like these game sheets, you're not a hoarder.
If you keep awesome career memorabilia or a ton of vintage guitars or cars, that's not hoarding, that just makes you cool.
But if you're collecting jars of your own excrement that are buried under a pile of old newspapers, laundry and dead cats, then call the dumpster company; we have a hoarder!
Starbucks CEO says it's not about $9 coffee, it's about the experience
You'd think that after the McDonald's CEO got shoved in a locker repeatedly for eating a burger, as he had only read about how to do it in a book, the head honchos of various chains would lay low or maybe think before they speak.
The Starbucks CEO did not do that.
It’s not that the coffee giant your wife loves is charging you $9 for a cup of coffee, but that you’re paying for the Starbucks experience.
He noted that it is a splurge, but a very reasonably priced "premium experience."
Wait...
Paying to drink an okay-at-best coffee, watch some douche write his screenplay and listen to someone else take a Zoom meeting without headphones?
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
I don't get it. I've never gone to Starbucks for the experience; I went because I had to.
It was only ever because I had to pee, I had to get coffee to keep me from falling asleep, or the internet at my house went out, so I had to go mooch off of the Starbucks.
I've always called Starbucks the "bank of coffee," and I think they should reposition themselves as that.
I go to Starbucks if I want coffee because they're usually open. It's more of a utility in my mind than anything. It's like if my Keurig were a building with a little pink-haired barista inside (thank God, that isn't the case for real though).
So, Starbucks, listen to me: you're not a premium experience. You're the coffee bank.
...
That's it for this Friday edition of Nightcaps!
Have a great weekend!