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Sophie Cunningham supporters rally in Indiana while displaying what makes America great
A large group of female activists, moms, and concerned citizens rallied again this week outside an Indiana Fever game in support of Sophie Cunningham and keeping women’s sports female. On Friday evening just outside of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they made their voices heard.
After traveling to Portland and Chicago, I witnessed firsthand how refreshingly normal Indiana Fever games felt both outside the arena and inside. The crowds were vocally supportive of the women, and the few men accompanying them. Many Fever fans gave the Cunningham rally crowd a thumbs up, some provided encouraging words, and others stopped to take photos with the almost life-size Sophie Cunningham poster.
It was a nice change of pace compared to the radical, profane, aggressive trans protesters they have had to face in other cities.
Shockingly to much of the WNBA and liberal media, this group isn’t just a bunch of conservatives, who completely align on all of their politics. It’s a diverse group of people that represent a beautiful mix of registered Democrats, conservatives and people from a wide range of backgrounds and communities.
It’s not some sort of MAGA coalition, which many love to claim. It’s a group that represents what America should, and used to like: Almost three dozen citizens agree that women’s sports and spaces should remain female, though disagreeing on a litany of other issues, while supporting the one female professional athlete courageously willing to stand up for what’s right.
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Kara Dansky, a registered Democrat who serves on the board for Democrats for an Informed Approach to Gender, told me, "The truth of the matter is, the clear majority of registered Democrats in this country are aligned on these topics."
She went on to diagnose the problem from the top down in Washington, D.C., and across the country, saying, "The problem is that our elected officials are selling out women and girls. They’re selling out children at the altar of a cult."
When asking Dansky what she’d say to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who put together a task force of general managers and team presidents to tackle the transgender issue the league faces, she didn’t hold back.
"There are girls watching today. There are girls that do not understand what Title IX meant in 1972 to women like you, who have benefited from Title IX. You owe these girls commitment to female only sports."
A group called LGB Courage Coalition also rallied outside the Fever vs. Wings game with a gigantic sign that said: "Chemical castration isn’t medicine. Save girls’ sports. Save boys’ bodies."
LGB Courage Coalition Executive Director Jamie Reid, who is a whistleblower from a pediatric gender center said, "I participated in medically transitioning kids… I [now] work to try to stop transitions and I think that it is incredibly tied up with the sports movement right now."
When asking Reid what she would tell the WNBA Commissioner and her task force from her unique perspective, she said: "At the bottom line, this is about medical evidence. There is no good medical evidence to support the medical transition of any minor. We know at that basis, we don’t have to be so wrapped up in the question of ‘What is a woman?’"
Reid reemphasized how this should not be addressed from a "WNBA values" perspective, like how the task force is said to be tackling this, but "If we address it from a medical evidence perspective… We don’t have to have these huge task forces. We just know medical transitions do not work."
Reid finished her thought with, "This is not a liberal or a right issue. This is also not a gay or straight issue. I’m a lesbian, my entire coalition is gay and lesbians… Most Americans know that [transitioning] kids is not right. This is a common sense American issue where Sophie Cunningham just said what we already knew in the Midwest."
Social media influencer Becky Weiss, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, told me: "I've been speaking out against the extreme LGBTQ ideology, especially targeted at children."
Weiss also had high praise for Cunningham. "I love what Sophie is doing, taking a stand for little girls, grown women in women’s sports, because they deserve to play on a fair playing field. Boys simply do not belong. It’s not controversial. It’s just literally common sense."
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When discussing what she’d tell the commissioner, Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams, Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, Weiss said, "There’s no such thing as a trans child. A kid only thinks they’re trans if someone grooms them, groomed them, or indoctrinated them to believe they are trans… Men don’t belong in women’s bathrooms, in women’s sports, in women’s locker rooms. And kids certainly don’t need to have any of this in their lives."
This group, which seems to grow every game they rally, is a great example on how to agree to disagree. They find common ground on a vital issue that is affecting women and girls, and yes, boys too as Jamie Reid and her team emphasized in our conversations.
Kara Dansky even believes in aspects of White privilege. I think it’s nonsense. But we shook hands and are happy to link arms in the fight to protect women’s sports and spaces. That’s how America should be.
Let’s hope as rally organizer Amy Sousa told me that she hopes the "pressure that we put on them (WNBA), will make them stand up and do the right thing." You don’t need weeks or months, WNBA. The league is for females only. Just state the common sense that the vast majority of America affirms.
In the meantime, these women, and a few men, will continue to organize across the country, showcasing a lost art of linking arms on an important issue, while not allowing petty politics to ruin the progress they’ve made.
Former Disney star David Henrie rejected 'secular' Hollywood lifestyle after life-changing monastery visit
Former Disney star David Henrie is opening up about how he rejected the "secular" Hollywood lifestyle after going on a life-changing monastery visit.
Earlier this week, the "Wizards of Waverly Place" star was a guest on Raymond Arroyo's "Arroyo Grande" podcast and discussed how his friendship with fellow actor Kevin James led to him discovering his faith.
"I started changing my whole perspective on life and faith. I so craved an objective belief system. I grew up in relativistic Hollywood and, you know, a partying lifestyle, secular life, worldliness, materialism, and it left me empty," Henrie said.
"I call it the bubblegum theory of pleasure. Every time you eat a piece of bubblegum, it loses its flavor. In a few moments, you pop another one in. At the end of the day, you've gone through the whole pack, and now you just feel worse than you did when you started. That was me before I met Kevin," he continued.
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Henrie detailed that he found God during this time, and James extended an invitation to him to visit St. Michael's Abbey in Orange County in 2012 and do his general confession.
"And I was like, 'What's that?' So, I learned about what it was, and I wrote a whole chapter book to bring to the priest there," Henrie said.
Henrie told Arroyo that he felt "so relieved" after his monastery visit with James.
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"It was the monastery that changed my life," he added.
The actor tied in his first monastery visit to his documentary series, "Seeking Beauty," where he explores the deeper meaning behind the art, architecture, food, music and culture of some of Italy’s most beautiful places.
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The first season debuted in January on EWTN+ and the second season is based in Spain and is in the works.
DAVID MARCUS: Karoline Leavitt’s lasting legacy is opening the White House to indie press
At the end of the month, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will end a tenure that many consider to be one of the best in the 97-year history of the office. Importantly, she will leave something behind — a vital legacy of opening the briefing room to independent media.
Leavitt handled her office with grace and dexterity, no mean feat for someone communicating for President Donald Trump, who talks more than a morning radio disc jockey. Somehow, she was never in front of his messaging, but also never far behind.
As a queen of cool, Leavitt could not be flustered. She always had an air of confidence and, dare I say, levity. Even when her occasional jocular barbs were tossed at reporters, they rarely turned into acrimony.
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Beyond serving as a model for future press secretaries, Leavitt’s strongest legacy will be her commitment to opening up the White House media ecosystem to small indie news outlets and even social media influencers.
Every press conference opens with a question from the "new media seat," a practice that was much maligned early on by fussy old legacy outlet reporters who rolled their eyes at these commoners gaining entry to their fancy club.
I recall a friend of mine, who was new to the briefing room, telling me of an old regular huffing and puffing and saying, "This is where I stand, you have to move!"
She did not move.
How gauche it was, having mere bloggers or TikTok personalities with this kind of access to the most powerful office in the world. But Leavitt understood that in today’s media, those voices now have as much purchase as major newspapers once did.
It was bumpy at times; the early rollout of binders with files of information on Jeffrey Epstein turned out to be more walk of shame than victory lap. But much more often, these newer outlets were bringing questions to the fore that the legacy media tend to ignore — not through negligence, but because they aren’t niche outlets.
Leavitt understands that the White House press briefing room is a two-way street. Its main function may be to get the president’s message to the people, but the press also brings the concerns of the people to the White House in the form of questions. Influencers, though merrily mocked, have a very direct relationship with their audiences.
Especially younger audiences.
I asked Andrew Kolvet, spokesperson for Turning Point USA — which has a firm focus on educating young voters — about Leavitt’s tenure, and he told me, "She has forced legacy news media to work harder to keep up while opening up multiple seats to new media voices who have had to raise their fact-checking and editorial games in a space that desperately needs it. She sparred with them all in viral exchanges that became must-watch news, even for college kids scrolling their phones."
Kolvet also couldn’t quite resist adding, "As a TPUSA alumni, she was a happy warrior just like Charlie [Kirk]."
Leavitt brought in voices such as Andy Ngo, who has been warning of the advance of Antifa activists for years, and we have seen more of these violent thugs put away — including a leader in Texas who received 100 years in prison for attacking an ICE facility.
Meanwhile, activist reporters like Nick Shirley have been given much attention from Leavitt’s comms shop. He and those like him have revealed potentially billions of dollars in fraud.
The reason that opening the White House press briefing room to independent news media and content creators is Leavitt’s greatest achievement is that, in all likelihood, it will survive not just her moving on, but long after the Trump administration is gone — no matter which party takes power.
This is because, even if a Democrat wins, it will be a tough sell to start kicking out these outlets that the country has been accustomed to hearing from. Even for the left, such a move would probably be too censorious to try.
Yes, Leavitt is a gifted communicator who can be spoken of in the same breath as great press secretaries such as Tony Snow and Ari Fleischer. But ultimately, her greatest contribution is opening the door for new media, and by extension, those this new media represents.
Leavitt will be missed, but her dedication to giving every voice in the media a fair shot at the White House will stay with us for a long time to come.
Lions betting outlook for 2025: why the NFC North division title is the best play at +170
Last season, it was fairly easy to make an argument that the best division in the NFL was the NFC North. All of the teams in that division were able to win nine games, but the Vikings and the Lions missed the postseason. Will the Lions find a way back into the playoffs this year, or will it be another down year?
I was pretty high on the Lions going into the season last year. I didn’t expect them to take a step back, and for the first portion of the season, I think I was correct. They lost Ben Johnson to the Bears, but I still thought the team would be good with all of their weapons and their defense. The Packers beat them to start the season, and their only other loss in the first seven weeks was to the Chiefs. After the bye week, the wheels kind of fell off as they went 4-6 over their final 10 games. Only one of the final six losses was by more than one score, so perhaps there can be some positive regression coming their way this year.
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As mentioned, with Johnson taking over the Bears, the Lions didn’t have quite as crisp an offense, but they did add Drew Petzing this season, and that should help the offense take a step forward. The team had some changes on the offensive line, but they also did put some moves in place to address it. One change that should be interesting is that they sent away David Montgomery to the Texans. They replaced him with Isiah Pacheco, who is not quite the bruiser that Montgomery was. Aside from that, they gave an extension to a couple of guys, but nothing major.
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I have to imagine that the team, looking at last year’s performance and those close games, thinks they can just make small adjustments in order to get back to the postseason. Without Montgomery, the ball should be in their star, Jahmyr Gibbs’ hands even more. Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the league, and Jared Goff has hooked up with him repeatedly. With a strong offensive line, the Lions offense could be very dynamic. On defense, it probably comes down to health. Aidan Hutchinson is a great defensive end, and they have some solid linebackers. I do have concerns about the secondary, but overall they should be fine.
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They have a win total of 10.5, and their schedule sets up fairly well to get those wins. I’m not sure I want to get too involved with it though. I probably would prefer to play them to win the division at +170. I think their schedule is easier than the Bears and Packers, which might mean they only need to beat out the Vikings, a team with a quarterback battle. Another interesting one is for them to have three wins after five games at +170. They faced the Saints, Bills, Jets, Panthers, and Cardinals. The Saints and Jets are at home, and I think both will be wins. I don’t know that they will beat the Bills and Panthers on the road, but they should beat Arizona. I also like St. Brown to be over 1249.5 receiving yards. He has hit that in three consecutive years.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
Carmen Electra reveals what she wants in a man after racy Playboy comeback
After making her Playboy comeback, Carmen Electra says she’s open to hopping back into the dating pool.
At 54, the "Baywatch" bombshell posed for the magazine three decades after her debut. The actress and model first appeared in the magazine in 1996 at age 24 and now graces the pages of its Summer 2026 issue, which is on sale now.
Posing in fishnets, Electra also answered readers' burning questions about love — but she isn't just dishing out dating advice. She's ready for a romance of her own.
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"I still like a guy that's a little bit edgy, but I wouldn't mind being with a dad type," the star told Fox News Digital. "I did actually date a dad. He had a daughter. I fell in love with the daughter. And I kind of thought that was going to be the relationship. Didn't work out, but I could be with someone who has a kid or not."
The actress and model has walked down the aisle twice before. She wed former NBA star Dennis Rodman in November 1998. Rodman filed for an annulment just nine days later, though the pair reconciled before Electra ultimately filed for divorce in April 1999.
Electra gave marriage another shot with Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, saying "I do" in 2003. The couple announced their separation in 2006, and their divorce was finalized in 2007.
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Today, Electra isn't putting any limits on love.
"They don't have to be a dad," she said. "They could be a little bit younger. I don't know. I don't really know who that guy is yet. I work really hard. I make money. I'm not looking for the man with money. That's not my goal. If he wants to buy me a few gifts, that's nice. But I can take care of myself. He just has to be a good person. That's very important. And we have to like the same things."
"It's also cool when opposites attract," she noted. "Because they say if two people are too similar, one person is unnecessary. So you don't want it to be too similar, but you do want to like certain things. You want to have some things in common. But you also want to learn from each other."
Electra has long worn her heart on her sleeve — and "love" on her skin. The pinup previously told Fox News Digital she has the word tattooed on her wrist.
"I've always been about love," Electra said at the time. "I've always come from a place of love. And if we could all do that, what a wonderful place we could be in. If you really mess with me, I don't know how much love you're going to get. But I truly believe in love."
Electra said she has felt plenty of love from her social media followers, who have cheered her on through the years.
"Look, sometimes I'm trying different things on my Instagram page," she said. "Not everyone's going to love those things, and you might not get as many likes. But you turn around and boom, my fans are there."
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After making a splash in Hollywood, Electra has discovered what makes her feel most confident, and it has nothing to do with looking glamorous or having a beau. For her, it's all about being booked and busy.
"I feel the most confident when I'm working, and I've been working a lot," she said. "When I'm working, I'm really happy. It's weird; you would think that by now I'd be over it. But I'm just not. I love it. And the more I work, the more confident I feel. When I'm in love, I feel confident. But I don't have someone in my life right now. But I'm still confident because I'm working."
After returning to Playboy, Electra has a message for women who think getting older means fading into the background: Don't buy it.
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"Don't let anyone tell you you're too old," she said. "That's a myth. You are living your own life. You're not living your life for other people. And honestly, if you're manifesting that, that's what it's going to be for you. You have to change your thought process. You have to start telling yourself every morning, 'I'm beautiful. I'm good enough. I look great. I'm pretty.' Whatever it is that you want to be, you can be that."
"At one time in my life, I was reading a lot of books about Buddhism," she reflected. "I remember one book talked about your inner child and never losing your inner child. And I've always been a bit childish. So I always thought, 'I'm not going to lose it.' I never want to lose that, and I'm not going to. And I think the people who are older than me, who are still in this business and who I think are beautiful, have a youthful spirit. And people will love you for being who you really, truly are."
Archaeologists uncover mysterious face hidden for centuries in Book of Revelation city
A rare, 2,500-year-old marble statue has emerged from the ruins of Sardis, an ancient city immortalized in the Book of Revelation.
The discovery, which dates to the fifth century B.C., was announced by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism earlier in August. Sardis is located in the Salihli district of Manisa, about 45 miles east of the major Turkish city of İzmir.
Pictures show excavators carefully uncovering the monumental statue, which still retained well-preserved facial features, at the archaeological site.
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The statue depicts a young man and measures around 7.2 feet tall.
In a translated social media post, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy described the find as an "extraordinary discovery."
He noted that the statue was repurposed as paving along a colonnaded street during the Roman period and was positioned face-down, helping protect its features for centuries.
"The unusual details of its clothing bear traces of Lydian culture," said Ersoy.
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"The statue, which appears to be holding a fruit in its hand, provides important evidence that will contribute to our understanding of life, religious beliefs and cultural interactions in Sardis during the period."
In a translated statement, officials described the statue as having "larger-than-life dimensions [that] make it a rare example from the period."
"The young man is depicted wearing a thick himation, a thin chiton, and beneath them a distinctive garment featuring horizontal lines," the translated statement said.
"This type of clothing is not seen on comparable statues from Anatolia and Greece, highlighting the work’s local characteristics and its connection to Lydian culture."
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Sardis was once the capital of the ancient Lydian Kingdom before later becoming an important center of the Persian Empire, the period to which the statue dates.
The city is named as one of the seven churches in Asia Minor addressed by Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 3:1–6 begins, "To the angel of the church in Sardis write..."
The other churches included Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, Smyrna, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
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Ancient marble statues were often painted, and researchers plan to examine the Sardis statue for any surviving traces of pigment.
The artifact is covered in a thick layer of hardened deposits, which conservators will remove with care while protecting any remaining paint.
Specialists will also examine the surrounding soil for traces of color.
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Once conservation and restoration are complete, the statue will be displayed at the Manisa Museum in western Turkey.
The discovery is the latest in a series of archaeological finds from ancient cities mentioned in the Book of Revelation.
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Earlier this summer, an ancient mosaic was uncovered in Smyrna, an archaeological site in modern-day İzmir, Turkey.
In Ephesus, archaeologists found a Roman-era marble bathtub and a fragment of a male statue that had been reused as a paving stone.
Jeff Arcuri reveals how 'Bachelorette' wife’s cancer fight transformed his comedy — and their marriage
Life can be uncomfortable. Jeff Arcuri has built a career on finding the joke in uncomfortable moments.
"I think you can make anything funny. You can make awkwardness funny if you’re just honest. People respond to the honesty," the comic told Fox News Digital.
That philosophy has been shaped by nearly two decades of stand-up, but the last few years have tested it in ways Arcuri could not have scripted. As his career surged toward his first special, "Jeff Arcuri: Nice to Meet You," now streaming on Netflix, his personal life grew more complicated when his wife, "Bachelorette" alumna Katie Thurston, was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer.
"The past two years with my wife kind of grew me up a little bit," Arcuri said. "So my comedy kind of matured, and that’s what the special is. The first half is the stuff that I found funny, and the second half is a lot of s--- that really happened to me."
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Rather than rely on material he had accumulated over years, Arcuri said he wanted the special to reflect the reality he was actually living.
"There’s no way I’m going to do a special not talking about what’s going on in my current life right now."
Long before Arcuri applied that philosophy to deeply personal material, it was central to the crowd work that helped him gain a following online.
He said he often prefers engaging with someone who appears reluctant to participate rather than the person eager to become part of the show.
"I want him, because now if he laughs, I win," Arcuri said. "He’s going to answer honestly, thinking it’s going to throw me off. But in reality, he’s probably going to only build it, because a truthful audience member is the most valuable, hilarious thing."
That belief in honesty created a challenge in "Nice to Meet You": telling jokes that were true to his experience without bumming out the crowd. He needed to make it safe for viewers to laugh when the subject matter became serious.
Arcuri recalled saying during the special that one of the hardest parts of his wife’s illness was getting her to laugh, "because that’s all I got."
The line was not necessarily intended as a joke, he said, and audiences at most of the tapings did not treat it like one. But one crowd laughed.
"I guess I’m that good," he jested, noting that small adjustments in delivery can make huge changes in the show. It didn't mean pretending the underlying experience was not serious.
That approach extended beyond the stage. Asked whether he was comfortable discussing his wife’s diagnosis, Arcuri responded plainly, "Yeah. I put it on Netflix."
He said he and Thurston have found value in talking openly about what they are experiencing rather than treating cancer as a forbidden subject. Thurston shares cancer updates on her Instagram account, which Arcuri said is followed by a lot of women going through their own experiences with illness. She tends to be very transparent about her diagnosis and treatment — perhaps too transparent.
Arcuri said he sometimes learns updates about his wife through her Instagram broadcast page. "Call me first!" he joked.
Poking fun at the situation is key to the couple's coping strategy. He recounted one of his wife's quips that made his father spit his food out.
"My wife gave me Lactaid at the dinner table because I forgot it in my hotel room ... I go 'Oh, thank you, my angel.' And she said, 'Don't call me that, I ain't dead yet!'"
Arcuri resisted describing that material as "dark comedy," since he didn't write it with that in mind. Rather, he simply wanted his act to be true to his life.
"If anything, I had to make light of something hard," he said.
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Arcuri’s current ease onstage came after years in which success was far less certain.
The comic got his start in comedy around 2009 or 2010, he said, after which he spent some time telling jokes in Michigan before moving to Chicago for more stage time and then to the Big Apple, where he got the opportunity to appear on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
"I did a s---ty job at that. I did a bad job."
What followed was what he described as "the most depressive comedy years of my entire life."
"I thought I was going to make it when I came here, and I just ate it for two years straight."
But booking shows on cruise ships and developing relationships with other New York comedians culminated in an audition for the famous Comedy Cellar, and performing there gave him the confidence to start posting his work online.
The past two years also forced Arcuri to recognize that humor could not carry every emotional burden.
While his career took him around the world, Thurston was navigating cancer treatment. Arcuri said therapy helped him manage what it meant to support someone through that experience while handling his own fear.
"I was her person and she was my person, but also there’s a lot you go through being adjacent to somebody that’s going through that," he said.
He found himself repeatedly reassuring his wife that things would be all right.
"I’m telling her that, ‘We’re going to be OK,’" he said. "But I’m telling her that — who’s telling me that?"
Eventually, he told Thurston something he had struggled to admit.
"I’m afraid about your health and it freaks me out. And sometimes I pretend to be stronger than I am."
Arcuri said he had worried that showing that fear would change how his wife saw him.
"I was so scared she wouldn’t see me as a man if I wasn’t like, ‘It’s going to be okay.’"
Instead, she thanked him for saying it.
For a comedian whose instinct is almost always to seize the funny moment, it was another kind of honesty.
For all the ways Arcuri says his comedy has matured, his instinct to find the joke has not gone anywhere. And Thurston helps him turn real life into new material.
He called her "my muse and my biggest inspiration and my biggest motivator with comedy."
Arcuri recalled walking out of the bathroom in a revealing robe when Thurston reacted by calling him "Flabio" instead of "Fabio."
"Your subconscious roasted me. You said 'Flab-io' and you didn't realize," Arcuri recalled saying to his wife.
"She was mortified. And then the next thing she said was, 'Write that down.'"
Even the title of his debut special was inspired by a real habit he hadn't planned. His manager pointed out that the comedian routinely said, "Nice to meet you," to people he called on in the crowd during his shows.
"I watched through it, and it’s like, ‘Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Jeff,’" over and over, he recalled.
"It’s also my debut special," he added. "So it’s those two things mixed in."
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After years of trying jokes, bombing, rebuilding and finally finding an audience, the title doubles as a fitting introduction to the next phase of his career.
And if Arcuri’s philosophy holds, whatever comes next — awkward, difficult or otherwise — will probably end up in the act.
NFL preseason picks: Rams over 16.5 points and Panthers with the points against Bills
Well, the first set of preseason games that I bet didn’t exactly go as planned. I had one win and two losses. The losses were interesting. I was WAY off about the Packers and Steelers game, with the Packers scoring only nine points in the contest. The Cardinals and Raiders put on a show, as expected, but I missed the best of the number and lost on the over. I had 41.5 and the total hit right at 41. Looks like I am in preseason form for NFL betting as well. Let’s try to get a little back here as there are some fun games to look forward to.
This would be a great game to watch if it were during the regular season. As it stands, we just have to deal with the preseason and enjoy whoever takes the field. There is very little chance that Matthew Stafford sees any work in this game, and probably doesn’t see it in almost any preseason game, with the exception of perhaps the third or fourth game. It is a bit shocking that Patrick Mahomes is even in a conversation for him to play again, but he won’t be out there either. So that leaves backups.
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Stetson Bennett and Ty Simpson will see the bulk of work, and with them battling for the backup position, I think they will both do well. Justin Fields is the new Chiefs backup, and he should be interesting with the Andy Reid offense. I’m not sure how long he will play, but I’d like to see him get a quarter of action. I’ll back the over 16.5 points for the Rams. I think they have more than enough weapons and very motivated quarterbacks.
Believe it or not, this actually could’ve been a Super Bowl matchup last year. Obviously things didn’t shake out that way, but both did make the postseason. Both also suffered heartbreaking losses in the playoffs. Now they get to battle in the preseason. The Panthers are playing their second game of the preseason, while the Bills are taking in their first. This will also be the first game played in their new stadium. That really doesn’t add much other than some potential extra motivation.
In their first game, the Panthers had Haynes King throw the ball 34 times. Kenny Pickett added another 11 tosses. They ran it 22 times total. If that continues, you can expect a bit higher of a score. I can’t imagine they will look to run the ball a ton, unless they are trying to protect King. I don’t know if there is an official word on whether Bryce Young will get some action, but if he has a drive or two, that also could contribute to points.
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The Bills have been a little more upfront with what is happening. Josh Allen will take a series or two, which is probably partially because of the new stadium. It isn’t exactly like he needs practice. Maybe they want to get him some game action with DJ Moore now that he is with the club. I don’t have much faith in Kyle Allen or Shane Buechele to lead the charge.
I’m going to take the Panthers with the points. I get that it would be a nice story for the Bills to win the game, but the reality is that the Panthers backups should be better, and more adjusted to game speed, than the Bills. Give me the Panthers with the points, and I’ll sprinkle that moneyline as well.
For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
Sean Payton takes vicious shot at Falcons home crowd after humiliating first half
It's only preseason — and that goes for everyone.
The players. The coaches. The fans. All of it. We're all in this together. We're all kicking off the rust and getting back into playing shape together.
It's a marathon, not a sprint.
That being said, things didn't go great for the Atlanta Falcons in Friday's opener against the Denver Broncos. For starters, new QB Tua Tagovailoa was pretty 'meh.' He completed a handful of short passes to Kyle Pitts, and fumbled the second snap of the game.
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That was Tua in midseason form, by the way. Nobody loves a good fumbled snap more than him. Trust me. I had to watch it for four seasons.
Anyway, Atlanta went into the locker room trailing, 24-0, and Denver coach Sean Payton made sure to kick the entire city while it was down:
"Yeah ... a lot of people dressed up as empty seats today, so, anyway ..."
Lordy. Brutal shot at the Atlanta faithful. Not great! A couple things ...
That being said, Sean Payton is very clearly in midseason form. He's ready to rock and roll this year. The Broncos were a healthy Bo Nix ankle away from going to the Super Bowl last season, and they've only reloaded for this year.
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Payton is coming out of the gates hot and setting the tone. Judging by last night's 27-7 throttling, it appears his team is following suit.
Welcome back, NFL. Let's get this preseason over with so we can get to the real thing.
New York Magazine severs ties with writer Ross Barkan, updates 67 columns following plagiarism probe
New York Magazine announced Friday it has severed ties with columnist Ross Barkan after launching an investigation into plagiarism allegations.
"After an independent editorial review, New York found that Ross Barkan did not adhere to our editorial standards, and we have updated 67 columns that did not include proper attribution of language, information, and/or sourcing," the publication said in a statement obtained by Semafor. "We have updated our archives to include proper attribution in all of the stories that our review found previously inadequate, noting that those updates were made, and are committed to addressing any other instances that come to light."
"Upon conclusion of the review, we have determined that we will no longer publish his column. We regret that this work did not live up to our editorial standards, and apologize to the writers whose work was not properly attributed," the magazine added.
NEW YORK MAGAZINE COLUMNIST ACCUSED OF PLAGIARISM BY FELLOW REPORTERS, TRIGGERS INTERNAL REVIEW
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Barkan wrote, "We've decided to end the column and I send all the best to New York Magazine. In the course of nearly 250 pieces, there were times I should have been more careful with citation. I'm sorry about these errors and will work to do better, more careful in the future."
Barkan also teased a new column he plans to launch in September.
Vox Media, New York Magazine's parent company, did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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The controversy began in May when Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell accused Barkan of lifting from his report about conservative commentator Ben Shapiro and his outlet The Daily Wire for one of his columns.
After Harwell highlighted the similarities between the two articles, New York Magazine updated its piece with an editor's note offering credit to the Washington Post, though Harwell explained he wasn't "entirely sure what happened."
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NPR correspondent Bobby Allyn found additional examples of what appeared to be Barkan lifting similar phrases and descriptions from The Intercept and Compact Magazine on other reports.
"The paragraphs in question are summarizing the historical background or context of the stories, with some instances containing the same 30 words in a row, or near identical passages with a word or phrase slightly tweaked," Allyn wrote.
Barkan was initially defiant in response to critics, telling Fox News Digital at the time he "did not plagiarize anyone" and "[a]ll of this is ridiculous."
Fox News' Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.