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Sage Steele recalls how Stephen A Smith warned her against speaking out while still at ESPN
Former ESPN colleagues Sage Steele and Stephen A. Smith reunited on the former's podcast earlier this week, and they relived a memory when Steele made a major move that risked her tenure at the network, which was already in jeopardy.
Steele spoke about how she was not included in an ESPN special amid the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, and her former Black colleagues refused to be on it if she was, which was publicized in a Wall Street Journal article.
"That hid hard," Steele said on her show.
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"I said, ‘OK, if I’m preaching to everybody, including my children, to stand up for what is right, then I’m going to continue to stay silent for fear of many things that were real?' So the article came out, and I went on the air shaking knowing what was probably happening behind the scenes."
Steele said she got a text from a concerned Smith saying, "Why? How does this help you?"
"That's exactly what I texted you," Smith recalled.
"I’ll never forget it," Steele replied. "Because I knew, No. 1, I knew that you wouldn’t do it if you didn’t care about me as a human being, much less, forget broadcaster. And number two, for me, it is bigger than money, it is bigger than position. It’s about principle at some point."
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"But here was the problem, and here’s what I thought you missed," Smith answered. "You are a very, very happy woman right now — that wasn’t the case then. You had a lot going on, and it’s none of anybody’s business unless you want to tell it. And the fact of the matter is, I knew that."
Steele then revealed she was going through a divorce.
"I’m not saying that that had something to do with your opinion, I’m saying that had everything to do with your zest to express it. I was saying ‘why,’ in other words — you got a family, you got a lot of stuff to think about. It’s real easy for other people to sit by and let you do it … Nah, I’m thinking about the next five years of your life, next 10 years, your family, your children. They ain’t going to think about that because their sorry a--es, whoever those people may be that are rooting against you, they’re not thinking about you. They’re thinking about the moment you’re going to provide for them to have fodder to talk about you … That's what friends do."
Steele left the network in 2023 following a lawsuit stemming from being sidelined by ESPN in 2021 when she spoke out on a podcast about the company forcing her to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
After settling the suit, Steele said she left the company "so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely."
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Raiders agree to deal with Pro Bowler, while team is expected to draft QB with top pick
The Las Vegas Raiders have made a veteran addition to their quarterback room, even though they are widely expected to use the No. 1 overall pick in the draft to select Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
The Raiders agreed to a contract with Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins on Thursday, his agent announced. The terms of the contract are not yet known.
Cousins, 37, signed a four-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons two seasons ago that could have been worth up to $180 million, but was released two seasons after signing it.
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Cousins was benched in Week 15 in 2024, the first year of the deal, for rookie Michael Penix Jr. after the four-time Pro Bowler struggled down the stretch as he battled through injury. Cousins started eight games last season, including the final seven after Penix tore his ACL, and the team had a 5-3 record in his starts, including winning the last four.
In 10 games and eight starts last season, Cousins completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. The veteran quarterback has the 19th-most regular-season passing yards (44,700) and 15th-most passing touchdowns (298) in NFL history.
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Cousins also has familiarity with new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak. During Cousins’ time with the Minnesota Vikings, Kubiak was his quarterbacks coach for two seasons and his offensive coordinator for another.
The Raiders traded Geno Smith to the New York Jets after one dismal season and were expected to add another veteran quarterback despite having the top selection in the NFL Draft, which they are likely to use on Mendoza.
However, Raiders minority owner Tom Brady and general manager John Spytek have said numerous times that they believe in not playing a young quarterback right away, making it no sure thing that Mendoza would start Week 1.
The team brass, if they do indeed select Mendoza with the top pick, might prefer to start Cousins while Mendoza develops behind the scenes to begin the season.
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Ex-NYPD sergeant says jury 'absolutely missed the mark' after cop killer dodges murder charge
A former NYPD sergeant slammed a jury’s decision in the killing of officer Jonathan Diller, saying they "absolutely missed the mark" by rejecting a first-degree murder charge for the gunman, despite evidence he believes showed clear intent.
"When you intentionally bring an illegal firearm onto a street, you hold it in your hand, and you pull a trigger, you know the consequences…" Joseph Imperatrice told "Fox & Friends First" on Thursday.
"For this jury to turn around and not think for one second that that was murder, knowing these officers were identified, knowing there were several officers in uniform that were identifiable on the scene, that's intentional, and they absolutely missed the mark here," he added.
Diller, an NYPD detective, was shot and killed in March 2024 during a routine traffic stop in Queens.
Guy Rivera, the man accused of the fatal shooting, was convicted Wednesday of aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, attempted murder in the first degree for attempting to shoot an NYPD sergeant who also responded to the scene and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.
He was acquitted of murder in the first degree, however.
Fox News contributor and criminal defense attorney Josh Ritter said the verdict appears "inconsistent," pointing to a disconnect between the acquittal on the top murder charge and the conviction for attempted murder of a second officer at the scene.
"We're struggling with the idea of intent because the conviction on attempted murder for the other officer, that's a specific intent crime, meaning you had to have intended to kill that person in order to commit attempted murder," he said Thursday on "Fox & Friends."
"You attempted to kill the one officer, but then they struggled with intent on the first-degree charge against the officer that actually was killed… it does seem as though there was some misunderstanding as far as the law goes. It does appear to be inconsistent."
Imperatrice said the verdict reflects broader challenges law enforcement officers face with repeat offenders and the criminal justice system.
"It's bad enough that law enforcement has to go against the grain every day and fight the politicians and the nonsense laws," Imperatrice said.
"We shouldn't have to worry that a jury clear as day that sees a guy with a rap sheet a mile long that's been out already on previous gun charges pulls a trigger intentionally and kills one of our own. These officers shouldn't have to worry about that. This should have been life in prison at best, but in my personal opinion, [if] you kill a police officer, it should be death."
Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.
'Terminator' star Robert Patrick shuns Hollywood parties, says he prefers being home with his wife of 35 years
Robert Patrick prefers not to participate in Hollywood events and rather enjoys spending time with his wife, dogs and attending church.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Patrick, whose latest project, an indie-horror film called "Mermaid," is set to premiere on April 8, said his choice to stay out of the Hollywood mix has been working in his favor.
"I can't speak for Hollywood. I really can't," Patrick said when asked how he maintains a 30-year-plus marriage while being in the limelight.
"I'm where I'm at in Hollywood and there are a lot of things that I don't participate in, in Hollywood. I'm just grateful they offer me opportunities to work because I love acting. I love it, but I don't really feel like I'm a big part of it," he said.
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Patrick has starred in major movies like "Die Hard 2," "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Spy Kids," but his latest role is in "Mermaids" focuses on a drug-addicted Florida man finding a wounded mermaid at his lowest point.
Patrick told Fox News Digital he was drawn to the role because it was a fresh, unique approach to a classic story of a man falling in love with a mermaid.
"Everybody's saying that there's no new ideas coming out of Hollywood. You hear that a lot. And this is certainly a new idea that came out of Hollywood. It's so bizarre, so out there," he began. "It was also during the writer's strike, and it was during the actor's strike. So there was a very limited amount of work that you could do, but this was one of the ones that you could do because it was a lower budget independent movie."
The "Tulsa King" actor continued, "Such a fresh idea, unique idea on a classic story. A love story, a guy and his mermaid. The mermaid is so bizarre. You know, Florida is such a unique state and there's so many unique people that are down there in Florida. And I don't know, it just appealed to me on a lot of different levels."
"Mermaid," which also stars Johnny Pemberton, Avery Potemri and Kevin Dunn, will premiere in select theaters on April 8.
Patrick told Fox News Digital that he's a devout Episcopalian who attends church every Sunday.
"I sort of stick to my lane. I sort of do what I do. I'm not big on going out to Hollywood parties. I don't really like going to premieres. I don't like all that stuff," the actor said. "I just rather sit at home, be with my wife and my dogs. And maybe that's all working in my favor. I don't know. But there's nothing I'm really chasing. I'm pretty content and happy with what I've got and who I've got around me."
The "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" star told Fox News Digital that the key to a successful, three-decade marriage in Hollywood has been being best friends with his wife, Barbara Patrick.
"My wife is just great. She's the one for me and I love her dearly. I revere her, I respect the hell out of her. She's a great gal. She's been there with me when I had nothing," Patrick began.
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"And we got married actually while we were doing T2 ('Terminator 2') and that was planned well before I got that movie and we'd just been there for each other. We're best friends, we lean on each other, we totally trust each other, and it's just a great relationship," he continued.
Patrick said Barbara is without a doubt his soulmate — someone who he has no worries, anxieties or fears about.
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"It's just a great way to go through life, you know, share your life with somebody like that," Patrick said.
Barbara and Robert married in 1990 and share two kids.
Conservative group urges crackdown on hidden campus crime with gov't filing to expose the true scope
FIRST ON FOX: A conservative legal group is calling on the federal government to overhaul how crime data is reported on college campuses, arguing that parents and students are being left in the dark about safety risks.
America First Legal (AFL) filed a supplemental petition on Thursday with the U.S. Department of Education, urging officials to create a centralized, publicly accessible database of campus crime logs nationwide.
The reason, AFL argues, is gaps in the Clery Act where schools are already required to maintain daily crime logs documenting reported incidents, but that information is scattered, inconsistent and often hard to access.
"AFL’s petition today brings a new level of accountability to college campuses," Emily Percival, senior counsel at America First Legal, said in a press release.
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"Parents, students, and policymakers deserve the truth in real-time about the safety of college and university campuses. Today’s action is another step toward shining the light on the dangers that have festered at our academic institutions."
The petition also calls for a new "Political and Religious Violence Transparency Report," which would document incidents involving threats, assaults and harassment tied to political or religious beliefs, as well as the university’s response.
AFL is also pushing for penalties for schools that fail to comply, including fines of up to $71,545 per violation.
The proposal comes as colleges nationwide have faced a surge in high-profile incidents involving protests turning violent, clashes between rival groups and reports of intimidation targeting students over political and religious views.
From disruptive demonstrations that have led to arrests and property damage, to allegations of targeted harassment, campus shootings and assaults tied to ideological disputes, campus tensions have increasingly spilled into violence, prompting lawmakers and watchdog groups to question whether universities are fully disclosing the scope of the problem.
AFL argues current reporting rules under the Clery Act allow schools to obscure the true scope of campus disorder, particularly when it comes to protest-related violence.
The AFL has previously cited some examples of egregious behavior on college campuses, including the protest that broke out at the University of California at Berkeley during a Turning Point USA event, which led to multiple arrests as demonstrators attempted to breach police barricades.
The unrest that unfolded at UC Berkeley prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation.
Major schools like the University of Michigan and Columbia University dealt with hostile environments during protests that addressed the war in Gaza. Because of protests causing safety and discrimination concerns for Jewish students, the Trump administration put a freeze on federal funding at some of these schools.
Fox News Digital's Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
FLASHBACK: Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs hit one-year mark as economists split on fallout
A year ago today, President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new round of global tariffs, escalating trade tensions with key allies and adversaries alike, raising fresh concerns about the outlook for the U.S. and global economy.
The "Liberation Day" tariffs were introduced as a broad set of import taxes that Trump said would correct long-standing trade imbalances and reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods.
In the months that followed, markets experienced bouts of volatility as businesses and investors adjusted to the shifting trade landscape. Policymakers and economists, meanwhile, debated the longer-term impact on growth, inflation and global trade flows.
Many economists warned of potential consequences, including higher prices, slower growth and rising uncertainty for businesses and investors.
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But not everyone agreed.
"Trump proved 12 Nobel Prize economists wrong," economist Stephen Moore told Fox News Digital.
"Inflation didn't rise. Why? Because the tax cuts, deregulation and ‘drill, baby, drill’ policies lowered prices and offset the tariffs," added Moore, a former Trump adviser and co-founder of the free-market advocacy group Unleash Prosperity.
But Moore’s view was not widely shared. Here’s a look back at what other economists said at the time.
Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers called the ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs "masochistic," saying they were the worst levy the U.S. had imposed in decades.
"Never before has an hour of Presidential rhetoric cost so many people so much," Summers wrote on X. "The best estimate of the loss from tariff policy is now closer to $30 trillion or $300,000 per family of four."
Paul Krugman, a Nobel Prize–winning economist, said Trump had "gone full-on crazy" in the hours after the "Liberation Day" tariffs were announced.
"If you had any hopes that Trump would step back from the brink, this announcement, between the very high tariff rates and the complete falsehoods about what other countries do, should kill them," Krugman, a former MIT and Princeton University professor, wrote in his Substack newsletter.
Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, warned that the tariffs would be "negative the world over," in an interview with Ireland’s Newstalk.
She said Trump’s trade policy would weigh on global growth and carry broad consequences.
"It will not be good for the global economy, and it will not be good for those who impose the tariffs or those who retaliate," Lagarde said.
Economist Joseph Stiglitz said Trump’s tariff threats have made the U.S. "a scary place to invest" and could unleash stagflation. Stagflation refers to a combination of slow economic growth and rising prices. Stiglitz, a Columbia University professor and former World Bank economist, warned in an interview with The Guardian that he does not see a strong economic outlook ahead.
"I cannot see a really robust economy," said Joseph Stiglitz, former chair of President Bill Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers. "I see the global economy suffering greatly from the uncertainty that Trump poses."
He also said the inflation triggered by the tariffs is moving in the wrong direction and that the only thing the Trump administration will succeed in doing is "to crater the economy."
Jared Bernstein, the former White House chief economist under President Joe Biden, said the U.S. is a "large, dominant economy" that is relatively closed, meaning it relies less on trade than most countries.
"That means, as Trump has argued, we can hurt other countries more than they can hurt us," Bernstein said. "But he hasn’t offered a clear rationale for why we should start a trade war with traditionally reliable partners like Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe."
Bernstein said Trump may reverse course if mounting economic pressures—such as higher inflation, slower growth, falling stock prices and rising recession risks—intensify from the tariffs.
"So far, that may have been the approach in Trump’s first term; it doesn’t appear to be the approach this time around," he said.
Allianz chief economic adviser Mohamed El-Erian called for clarity from the White House. "If we get clarity on this, this is an economy that can adjust," he told FOX Business.
El-Erian, the former CEO of bond giant PIMCO, wrote on X that "the price action in global financial markets in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. tariff announcement points to major worries about global economic growth."
Bill Gross, the co-founder of Pacific Investment Management Co., known as Pimco, said the latest round of tariffs is "similar to going off the gold standard in 1971"—an "epic" shift that markets won’t quickly recover from.
"It’s not something where you can time a market bottom quickly," Gross told CNBC. "It’s something we’re going to have to live with as long as President Trump maintains this stance."
Gross, dubbed the "Bond King," added that he does not expect Trump to reverse course. "To be very blunt, President Trump is a macho male, and this macho male is not going to back down tomorrow simply because the Nasdaq is down 5%," he said.
Tim Tebow urges Supreme Court to make big tech 'protect kids over profit' in CSAM case
Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow called on the Supreme Court to address whether social media platforms can avoid responsibility when child sex abuse material (CSAM) is shared online, demanding that big tech companies "protect kids over profit."
"It's one of the worst evils in the world," Tebow said Tuesday on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" when asked why he became interested in fighting child exploitation on social media.
"And really what we're talking about is the replaying and memorializing of people's worst days."
He pointed to a case up for consideration by the Supreme Court that alleges X, formerly known as Twitter, refused to take down CSAM despite multiple requests notifying the company of the explicit content.
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"With Doe versus Twitter, it's a 13 and 14-year-old boy that were sextorted in some of the worst ways. And then years later, it's getting replayed on Twitter over and over and over again. Over 100,000 people watched it, and thousands shared it."
He said the family pleaded with X to take down the content, providing identification to prove they were who they said they were.
"And Twitter said, 'Sorry, there's nothing we can do about it. We're not going to take it down.' And the only reason it got taken down from Twitter is because HSI and the government got involved, and eventually they took it down, but now it's also being shared all over the internet."
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The case centers on Section 230 of the Communications Act, known as "protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material." The law states that online platforms are generally not treated as the "publisher or speaker" of information provided by another content provider and also gives protection for certain good-faith efforts to restrict access to objectionable material.
The legal battle asks whether that protection covers X in this case, after the company was allegedly contacted multiple times about the content in question.
Tebow called online child sexual exploitation an "epidemic."
The FBI received nearly 55,000 reports of crimes related to sextortion and extortion in 2024, and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC) CyberTipline received 20.5 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation the same year.
"It is actually all of our jobs to protect the next generation. And if we just feel like, as a society, it's okay to look the other way, then we are putting kids in harm's way, and their worst moments are being relived over and over and over again. And we can do better," said Tebow.
Fox News Digital reached out to X for comment but did not receive a response.
Expert flags ‘disappointing’ questions from justices in Trump birthright citizenship case
President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants appears to be in jeopardy following Supreme Court oral arguments on Wednesday.
Supreme Court justices pursued what Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, described as a "disappointing" line of questioning. Liberal and conservative Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical of Trump’s order, which the president has argued is necessary to end a "magnet" for illegal immigration and "birth tourism," in which foreign nationals travel to the U.S. to give birth so their children gain citizenship.
Lawyers for the Trump administration argued that the 14th Amendment’s stipulation that individuals must be subject to U.S. jurisdiction to be American citizens means children of illegal immigrants are excluded from automatic citizenship. The administration pointed to "striking" numbers of illegal immigrants abusing current law through a type of birth tourism. Meanwhile, opposing lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union argued that Supreme Court precedent, particularly the Wong Kim Ark case, supports a broader interpretation that all those born on U.S. soil are automatic citizens.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Swearer said that while the oral arguments went "a little bit better than anticipated" for the administration in some regards, the day was a mixed bag for the government.
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"Most people understood coming into this, and I suspect even the government understood coming into this, that this was probably going to be a bit of an uphill battle," Swearer said.
She said conservative and liberal justices seemed hesitant about how the government would apply Trump’s order.
Swearer said, "We did see a lot of those types of questions," adding, "I’m not sure they are actually that important to the overall doctrinal questions of, ‘What does the 14th Amendment citizenship clause actually mean?’"
Meanwhile, she said it was "a bit disappointing" not to see more pushback from the justices on the ACLU’s broad interpretation of the 14th Amendment.
While there was much discussion of the Wong Kim Ark case, which revolved around the citizenship of a child of legal Chinese immigrants, Swearer said she "was disappointed" not to see discussion of other legal precedent she believes is crucial.
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"The ACLU's argument is essentially no one up until Donald Trump ever thought that this was a viable way of framing birthright citizenship. And the reality is when you look at decisions by other presidents during the 19th century, you actually did have executive branch decisions saying, ‘No, we’re not going to issue passports to this person, even though they were born in the United States because they weren't born subject to our jurisdiction, because their parents weren't lawfully or permanently present in the United States.’ And I think that's important," she said.
"I think that was one of the missed opportunities to really push back on the ACLU's position, and it just didn't come up in the same way that Wong Kim Ark did," she added.
What does this mean for the future of Trump’s order? Swearer said that while the three liberal justices' stances are obvious, she admitted, "It's hard to know what to make of" the six other justices’ lack of questioning on what she believes are the more "foundational questions about the history and tradition" of the citizenship issue.
Despite this, Swearer said, "I do think there's a path forward" for a Trump victory, though it would likely be narrow and partial.
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"I would not quantify it, but I wouldn't be shocked to see some sort of plurality of opinions splitting the baby somewhere," she said.
Swearer speculated that possible routes the court could take include differentiating between illegal immigrants and temporary visa holders, delivering a partial victory for the administration, or deciding the question based on existing statute rather than attempting to interpret the language of the 14th Amendment, which would cut against Trump’s order.
"Maybe they split the baby that way," she said, adding, "I think at the end of the day, there are just so many options for what this could look like."
Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke arrested on drug trafficking, speeding charges in Arkansas
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was arrested on Wednesday in Arkansas on charges that include speeding and possession of a controlled substance.
"I’m aware of the report, but don’t have any comments," Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo told reporters before the Grizzlies’ game against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, per ESPN.
Clarke was booked into Cross County Jail on charges of improper passing, possession of a controlled substance, fleeing and exceeding the speed limit, and trafficking a controlled substance.
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Clarke, a seventh-year player out of Gonzaga, was ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA season after playing just two games.
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He initially was out due to surgery needed on his right knee, but he also suffered a right calf strain that has forced him to miss most games this season.
The Grizzles announced late last month that Clarke was still rehabbing his injury, but recent tests showed that he needed more time to heal. He is expected to return next season.
Clarke was the 21st overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was traded to the Grizzlies, where he’s been ever since.
He made the 2019-20 All-Rookie team after averaging 12.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game, playing in a bench role for Memphis that year.
Clarke has primarily been a depth player for the Grizzlies throughout his career, earning 50 starts out of his 309 games played.
Throughout his seven seasons, Clarke has tallied 10.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
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Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel admits Democrats 'lost the plot' as a party on cultural issues
Former Democratic Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel explained why he thinks the Democratic Party has lost touch with voters during a podcast interview Saturday.
Emanuel, who is considered a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, has called out his party in recent years for alienating voters by talking down to them and fixating on niche identity politics issues.
"We lost the plot," he said in a snippet shown on social media from the "Fifth Column" podcast. "We as Democrats nationally, from ‘Latinx,’ to defunding the police, to ‘Police organizations are all racist,’ to bringing a set of cultural wars to our schools. We are on the losing side of those cultural wars. Full stop."
"You are worried about bathroom access and locker room access, why don't you focus on classroom excellence?" he rhetorically asked. "You have 50% of our kids not reading at grade level."
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"Well, they can just say, ‘We can do both,’" one co-host of the podcast said.
"You've proven you can't, because you've permitted a 30-year-low in reading and math scores and nobody seems to be calling the whistle on this," Emanuel said.
"We've lost the plot," Emanuel repeated. "Because the party got un-anchored."
He went on to argue that past successful Democratic presidents "anchored" themselves to middle-class values that reached a wide variety of voters. The Democratic Party, he said, "went from acceptance to advocacy," and noted there is a huge difference between the two ideas.
"And I'll just take one on that I shouldn't. So, here goes," he said. "I remember fighting for Title IX. The reason we are champions in women's sports in the Olympics in soccer, hockey, is Title IX. Why would you undercut the premise of Title IX with the ability of trans men playing in women sports?"
"To me, it's insane," he continued. "You're undermining one of the great accomplishments we as a country, but also spearheaded by the Democratic Party, Title IX! And we're undercutting it!"
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Emanuel argued there were multiple peak moments in the first 25 years since the millennium, such as the Iraq War, which he said was waged on a lie, the 2008 financial crisis where banks were bailed out, and the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which had one key result.
In all those events, he said, the wealthy were able to stay afloat while others paid the price as their world dramatically changed. He said that, while many people simply wish to point the finger at President Donald Trump for bringing more rage to American politics, Trump merely rode the anger that was already there.