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WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sends trans inclusion memo after Enes Freedom, Royce White announcements
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a letter to teams on Friday addressing concerns over the inclusion of transgender athletes in the league as two former NBA players announced their intentions to declare for the next WNBA Draft.
"I know many of you have received questions in recent weeks regarding transgender athlete participation in women’s basketball, and I expect this topic will continue to receive significant attention," Engelbert wrote in the memo, per The Associated Press.
"I wanted to reach out to share how we are approaching these conversations at the league office and to thank those of you who have responded to questions from the media with thoughtfulness and professionalism."
THE WNBA HAS LIMITED OPTIONS AFTER TWO MEN DECLARED FOR THE DRAFT, AND THOSE OPTIONS AREN'T GREAT
Engelbert went on to call the debate "nuanced."
"We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead," Engelbert said in the memo. "We also plan to convene additional discussions and offer listening sessions for any team leaders who would like to participate. Your perspectives and feedback are invaluable, and I appreciate those who have already reached out to share their thoughts."
Engelbert's memo came on the same day that two former NBA pros, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, said they plan to declare for the 2027 WNBA Draft. The announcements became the top trending topic across social media, as sports fans across the world mocked the WNBA for its policy that doesn't clearly define who is allowed to play in the league based on genetic sex.
The WNBA players’ association also released a statement on social media Friday that emphasized diversity and inclusion while saying the group "will not be used as political pawns."
WNBPA ISSUES STATEMENT EMBRACING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AMID TRANS ATHLETE DEBATE IN WOMEN'S SPORTS
"We embrace justice equity, diversity, and inclusion," the statement read. "Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women’s sports while creating transformational change. Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns."
The entire WNBA has become the epicenter for the national debate on trans athletes in women's sports in recent weeks after Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham, a fan favorite teammate of Caitlin Clark, revealed her stance supporting the protection of women's sports in an ESPN interview in July.
Since then, four head coaches have gone on record with responses to questions about the issues, with two of them, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve and Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, appearing to support the inclusion of trans athletes in women's sports.
Now, Kanter and White's entrance into the conversation has amplified the discussion across the sports realm, and it appears that Engelbert now has to address the issues.
Everyone wants what one minor league baseball team put out as a hilarious tribute to the Carolina Hurricanes
I love minor league sports.
That's because, while at the top levels they're often worried about taking political stands to the point that the WNBA is like, "Meh, we're not going to slam the door on letting fellas play just yet," minor league teams have to focus on putting butts in seats. The best way to do that is with fun promotions.
So, that's what we're getting from one minor league ballclub's unintentionally — or, I think more likely, intentionally — hilarious tribute sweaters to the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers — the Single-A affiliate of the Houston Astros — don't play too far from Raleigh, home of the Hurricanes. So, it makes sense that they would want to bathe in the warm glow of a Stanley Cup win.
And the best way to do that? This phenomenal jersey!
I know what it says.
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Imagine wearing that jersey outside a 100-mile radius of Fayetteville. There's a good chance no one will have any clue why you own a hockey sweater that says "PECKERS" across the front.
And, frankly, I don't think it's anyone's business. You do you, pal.
I also get the feeling at least one kid will have to take a detour to the principal's office or flip their jersey inside-out in a couple of weeks when school gets underway. I promise you, some humorless school marm who only knows baseball from Ernest Lawrence Thayer's 1888 poem, "Casey at the Bat," won't get it (but will somehow still understand that "pecker" is a slang term for male genitalia).
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But the public response has been about as good as the organization could hope for.
You rarely do anything on the internet that garners universal acclaim — trust me; I know — but I think the Peckers sweater may have done it.
Unfortunately, unless the plans change, only the first 1,350 fans at the Woodpeckers' game on August 15 will be able to cop them.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to what the Senate did and didn’t do overnight
The Senate wrapped up its summer session at 4:57 a.m. ET.
Senators knocked two major items off their checklist. They confirmed Todd Blanche as the nation’s 88th Attorney General.
They also approved a bipartisan interim spending bill that likely goes a long way toward preventing a government shutdown in October.
But nearly as important as what senators accomplished is what didn’t get done.
The Senate did not stay in session and attempt to pass the SAVE America Act.
In fact, there was not even procedural stunting by the pro-SAVE America Act Republicans, who advocated blowing up the August recess.
TRUMP PUMPS BRAKES ON SENATE BUDGET PLAN, DELAYING GOP SAVE AMERICA PUSH
Moreover, the Senate did not take a vote on a budget framework which could enable them to eventually tack on some election integrity measures – and pass them at a later date in a bill not subject to a filibuster.
Expect some conservatives to rail against the Senate for not working this out.
The SAVE America Act continues to lack votes. However, advocates of the bill can use the decision by the Senate to leave town without passing it as an opportunity to apply pressure on its opponents.
That said, the Senate did take a test vote on a more narrow voter ID bill backed by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio. The Senate blocked that bill.
But the test vote got Democrats on the record for opposing it. And giving Husted a vote on his measure was a tactical move to boost his chances in a competitive race this fall against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
The Senate did not take a test vote on the bipartisan bill to regulate money for intercollegiate athletics – despite the endorsement by the Big 10 and SEC.
In fact, President Trump even implored the Senate to stay in session in August to pass the bill authored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the panel.
The legislation was beset by an internecine fight among Republicans about whether the legislation kept men from competing in women’s sports.
The President published a full-throated endorsement of the legislation Friday night, declaring that the measure did go far enough. "Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying," wrote the President on Truth Social.
In an overnight statement, Cruz said that the bill was still in play.
"The good news is that when the Senate returns in September, the Protect College Sports Act will be one of our first orders of business, having locked in a vote," said Cruz.
However, no vote is officially secured on the Senate docket.
But what about a test vote on a bill to regulate cryptocurrency?
It was thought that the Senate might pursue that bill in the closing days of the summer session. But the differences were just too wide to close.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up a procedural vote on cryptocurrency for September 15.
University of Michigan plans to shield 2027 freshman letter grades from transcripts in new mental health plan
Freshmen at the University of Michigan next year are set to get a semester-long break from having letter grades appear on their transcripts, as school officials look for new ways to combat the "mental health crisis" affecting higher education.
Starting in fall 2027, incoming first-year students enrolled in the public research university's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) will have their first-semester grades designated as pass or no credit on their transcripts in an attempt to "curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals," according to the university.
"Our goal is to help first-year students acclimate to the demands of college and allow intrinsic motivations to guide personally meaningful academic journeys — core elements of a liberal arts and sciences education," the statement continued.
The LSA, which is the largest of the university’s 19 colleges and serves approximately 19,700 undergraduate students, will provide students with their letter grades throughout the semester — but will not include the final average on their transcripts.
Transcripts will instead show a "P" for pass or "NC" for no credit.
The covered grades will not be factored into students' grade point averages, a move university officials say will give first-year students greater freedom to explore academically.
"For example, they can explore a subject that may not come easily to them or take a course in a new field without the fear that a low grade may have long-term consequences," the university added. " LSA is investing in students’ well-being and growth by fostering a culture of connection and collaboration — rather than competition."
Under the new policy, university officials will keep students' first-semester letter grades internally for administrative purposes, including academic advising, potential academic awards and scholarships, internship and other professional applications, athletic eligibility, compliance reporting, degree progress and financial aid determinations.
Additionally, the 2027 policy only applies to incoming freshmen enrolled in the LSA, with school officials adding there is no opt-out option.
"An opt-in structure would defeat the purpose of facilitating students’ transition to campus, supporting mental health and well-being, and bolstering intrinsic motivations for learning," the university said.
Michigan is now the latest in a small group of schools throughout the country that have chosen to enact similar policies, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Swarthmore College and the California Institute of Technology.
CALIFORNIA PROFESSOR ARGUES NEED FOR 'OBJECTIVE MEASURES' AFTER STATE DROPS ACT/SAT REQUIREMENT
While the program is aimed at supporting students’ mental health, psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert believes it runs the risk of doing more harm than good.
"We’re raising a generation of students to believe that discomfort is dangerous," Alpert, author of "Therapy Nation," told Fox News Digital. "It isn’t. A bad grade can be upsetting, embarrassing and stressful. That’s not a mental health emergency. That’s college."
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Alpert went on to add that while the policy was created to relieve students of the pressure and stress from the first semester of college, it could actually risk harming their preparedness for life outside of the learning environment.
"This is therapy culture invading the classroom. We’ve spent years turning normal human emotions into symptoms. Stress becomes a mental health issue," Alpert said, adding, "College should be one of the places where young people discover that they’re tougher than they think."
"A bad grade isn't psychological harm," Alpert continued. "Sometimes it's the wake-up call a student needs."
Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan for comment.
Tori Spelling poses in racy bikini top as she addresses Jennie Garth podcast departure
Tori Spelling is taking an "intermission" while navigating a new chapter in her life and career.
The 53-year-old actress shared a new photo of herself posing outdoors in a black halter-style bikini top and oversized denim shorts.
The "90210" alum accessorized with layered gold necklaces, oversized black sunglasses and green sandals as she stood on a sunlit wooden deck surrounded by trees and distant hills.
"Intermission," she captioned the post.
TORI SPELLING LIVING IN A 'BORDERLINE HOARDER' HOME AS LIVING CONDITIONS WORSEN
The brief message comes as Spelling steps away from one of the projects that kept her closely connected to her "Beverly Hills, 90210" past.
Spelling recently confirmed that she is no longer participating in "90210MG," the rewatch podcast she launched with former co-star Jennie Garth in 2020.
The "90210MG" podcast launched in November 2020, with Spelling and Garth revisiting "Beverly Hills, 90210" from the beginning and sharing memories from their years on the hit teen drama.
The rewatch has taken listeners back to West Beverly High, the Peach Pit and other memorable moments from the series while offering behind-the-scenes stories from the cast.
Nearly six years after its launch, the podcast is currently working its way through Season 8 of the show's 10-season run. Spelling's departure means she will not continue alongside Garth for the final stretch of the rewatch.
Spelling addressed her departure more directly during a recent episode of Brian Austin Green's "Hump Day Live," a weekly video series that streams on the Origami Network.
When Green suggested she needed "a little time" to gather her thoughts about the situation, Spelling agreed.
"I like the way you phrased that," she said. "Yeah. You want to really take the time, really assess, really reflect and then be able to speak your truth in a thoughtful way instead of a reactive way."
Green noted that he tries to avoid ruling anything out permanently, while Spelling did not directly say whether she could eventually return to the podcast.
Instead, she encouraged fans to continue supporting Garth and co-host Amy Sugarman.
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"Please, please, please keep watching," Spelling said. "Jennie and Amy [Sugarman] are doing it. They’re bringing on tons of fun hosts, so please keep watching it."
The exchange also highlighted Spelling’s enduring friendship with Green, who played her on-screen love interest David Silver opposite her Donna Martin on "Beverly Hills, 90210."
The two recently reunited for what Spelling called a "Play date," sharing photos together on Instagram and prompting nostalgic reactions from fans.
"David and Donna together again.💕 so awesome that you two have remained friends all these years," one commenter wrote.
Spelling has also been openly affectionate about her decades-long bond with Green.
For his birthday in July, she shared a tribute reflecting on how their friendship has evolved since their days working together on the hit series.
"He’s a little bit VINYL… I’m a little bit THREAD 🎵💃🏼. Happy Birthday @brianaustingreen," Spelling wrote.
"What a dream it’s been to grow with you. I’d choose you every lifetime. I love you with every ounce of my being. Don’t ever stop pushing me to be the best version of myself and I promise to never stop making you laugh! xo"
Spelling and Green's bond stretches back to their teenage years on "Beverly Hills, 90210," where they spent a decade playing fan-favorite couple Donna and David. Their relationship wasn't limited to the screen, with the co-stars becoming romantically involved early in the show's run.
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Their lives eventually moved in different directions, and the two went years without communicating after the series ended. They have since found their way back to a close friendship, with Green now among the people Spelling has turned to while navigating changes in her personal and professional life.
Spelling’s decision to leave "90210MG" came with two seasons remaining in the podcast’s effort to rewatch all 10 seasons of the original series.
Garth addressed Spelling’s departure during the July 31 episode of "90210MG," admitting she was disappointed they wouldn't complete the rewatch together.
"I’m sad that she’s not finishing this out with us. We started this together. I’m sad about that, if I’m honest," Garth said.
However, she also expressed support for her former co-star’s decision.
TORI SPELLING SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON 30 YEARS OF PLASTIC SURGERY RUMORS
"I’m really happy for her," Garth said. "I’m excited for her to choose herself."
Sugarman said Spelling’s departure was her own decision.
"This was 100 percent her decision," she said.
She added that the team could be disappointed by Spelling’s departure while still supporting whatever comes next.
"We can be really bummed, disappointed that she’s not going to do seasons 9 and 10 with us, with you, while still wanting her to be happy and to be excited for her about the things she is working on and does want to do," Sugarman said.
Spelling has not yet shared the full reason behind her exit, making clear that she wants time to process the decision before saying more.
Four criminally underrated guitarists from the 1980s that are guaranteed to melt your face off
This opinion might land me in some hot water with music purists everywhere, but I believe the greatest era of guitar wizardry came in the 1980s.
The decade featured some of the most revered and celebrated virtuosos to ever walk the planet, both critically and commercially.
But for every Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoads, there were plenty of other face-melters who existed in some form of relative obscurity compared to their more famous counterparts.
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That's not to say the bands these guitarists were in weren't successful in their own right, but if you were to ask a mainstream pop-listener from the era who these guys were, chances are you'd get looks of befuddlement.
Which is a shame, because these guys were just as talented (if not more talented) than some of the more popular axe-slingers of the 80s.
And hey, since I love you dear readers so much, I decided to include a bonus guest pick from my good buddy and fellow guitar junkie, Matt Reigle!
With that said, here are four (plus one) of the most criminally underrated guitarists from the Decade of Decadence.
Of all the late 80s hair metal groups who got unfairly characterized as a bunch of no-talent hacks, Winger might be the most egregious victim.
It's a fairly famous story by now, but some combination of Beavis and Butt-head roasting their nerdy friend for wearing a Winger shirt and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich throwing darts at a picture of the hair band's frontman Kip Winger effectively ruined any credibility the band had.
Which is a shame, because, with all due respect to the members of Metallica, whom I have a great deal of respect for, the members of Winger could play circles around them.
Chief among those talented members is guitarist Reb Beach, whose buttery smooth legato tapping runs and percussive riffs like the one from hit-single "Seventeen" made him an underground guitar god in his own right.
Unfortunately, Winger committed the mortal sins of having a pretty boy lead singer and painfully cheesy videos (even by 80s standards), so most people dismissed them and Beach as cheap imitators.
Though his time in the spotlight was brief, any of guitar-oriented hair metal knows Beach is one of the more technically accomplished shredders of his era, Mike Judge be damned.
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Their eponymous debut features some tasty licks and haunting solos and should be an immediate listen for any fans of the genre.
Metal acts from far off lands was nothing new even back in the mid-80s, as fellow Axis Power Germany showed us with groups like Accept and, more importantly, Scorpions, but Japan's Loudness filled the void of bands who melted face from the Land of the Rising Sun.
The group featured a singer who barely spoke a lick of English, so if you were looking for a hair metal act with poetic, introspective lyrics, you might want to search elsewhere (or pick a different genre entirely).
What they lacked in lyrical depth they made up for with crushing riffs and explosive solos courtesy of their fleet-fingered lead guitarist and founding member Akira Takasaki.
The first time I heard Loudness was on Satellite Radio driving back to college one weekend. The song in question was perhaps their most well-known, "Crazy Nights," off their 1985 glam metal masterpiece "Thunder in the East."
I was blown away by the balls on display from Takasaki's guitar tone and immediately went home and looked the band up only to be shocked to find out they hailed from Japan.
Takasaki's incendiary lead stylings and creative riffing likely inspired a million bedroom guitar players in Japan alone, and he has definitely influenced my tastes over the years as well.
The Sunset Strip is famous for producing hundreds of wildly talented shredders in the late 70s and early 80s, with the aforementioned Eddie Van Halen likely taking the crown as the king of Los Angeles-area guitarists from that era.
One six-stringed genius who came up right alongside Eddie was none other than George Lynch, lead guitarist extraordinaire from the hair metal band Dokken.
Dokken had everything you could want in a popular metal act in the early-to-mid 80s: a charismatic frontman, an untouchable lead guitar player, memorable songs, and catchy riffs.
The only problem is that the two principal members, Lynch and lead singer Don Dokken, absolutely despised each other, and that friction led to the band imploding right before their rocket went from "popular" to "superstars."
Despite this, Dokken released plenty of material beloved by both guitar tech-heads and leg warmer-wearing chicks of the 80s, and Lynch etched out a spot in metal history with his blistering solo runs and deceptively heavy hooks.
Mr. Scary himself is often seen as the third head in the Sunset Strip triumvirate of himself, Van Halen and Rhoads, and anyone worth their salt in the guitar community has absolutely counted him as an influence in their playing.
I know I've invoked his name quite a bit throughout this article, but Eddie Van Halen is my favorite guitarist of all-time.
He has been the most influential on my personal style of playing by far and his band is my number one by a country mile.
With all that being said, many people may be surprised to learn that my second-favorite axe-slinger is none other than Ratt's Warren DeMartini.
The guy had it all: rip-roaring solos, creative and catchy riffs, and a cool, calm, and collected demeanor that had many tabbing him as the 1980s' answer to Joe Perry.
DeMartini was a principal songwriter on two of Ratt's biggest hits, "Round and Round" and "Lay It Down," showing that he had a knack for crafting radio-friendly tunes just as much as he had a mastery of the fretboard.
Ratt had lasting popular appeal throughout the 80s, but it was always a case of the sum being more notorious than its parts, so DeMartini never got the acclaim he rightly deserved.
Their first three full-length albums, "Out of the Cellar," "Invasion of Your Privacy" and "Dancing Undercover," represent some of the finest pop-metal the era had to offer, and several students of the 80s guitar scene will often cite these as quasi-sacred texts from which they pull inspiration quite often.
There are plenty of guitar heroes in the Big 4 thrash metal bands like James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman and Scott Ian.
But while Ian gets most of the attention in Anthrax due to him being the band leader and a monster rhythm player, someone had to play the leads on the band’s biggest songs like "Caught in a Mosh," "Indians" and "Madhouse."
That was Dan Spitz.
Spitz played on every Anthrax album from their debut, "Fistful of Metal," to 1993’s "Sound of White Noise."
He briefly reunited with the band in the mid-aughts, but I think he gets overlooked because he wasn’t in the band for the re-appreciation of classic thrash that came about through the 2010s.
Spitz brought some unique flavor to Anthrax.
His leads and contributions to the band’s famous forays into rap metal are huge. He was responsible for the short acoustic piece, "A.D.I.," which serves as the intro to the song "Horror of it All."
It’s a real change-up on the album with some really solid, Middle Eastern-inspired playing.
But I think the high-water mark is his lead on the song "Only" from "Sound of White Noise."
It’s an absolute monster solo that can rip your face off through the first two-thirds, then shifts gears into a section with some of the most deliciously wah-soaked melodic phrasing you’ll ever hear.
It’s so, so good.
Antonio Banderas says he always knew Los Angeles wasn't where he belonged
Antonio Banderas is getting real about why he ditched Los Angeles to move back to his hometown in Spain.
During a recent interview with People, the 65-year-old explained he originally moved to Los Angeles to be with Melanie Griffith after the two fell in love. She had two young children at the time and couldn't relocate to Spain.
"Those were beautiful, exciting years. But I always had this sense of provisionality that it was not going to last my whole life," Banderas said. "I knew that Málaga was there, my hometown. I was not supposed to be in Malibu, but in Málaga."
Griffith and Banderas went on to marry in 1996, just one year after making a connection on set of the 1995 movie "Two Much." Not long after tying the knot, the two welcomed their daughter, Stella, in September 1996.
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The two were married for 18 years before Griffith filed for divorce in June 2014, citing irreconcilable differences. They went on to finalize their divorce a little over a year later, in December 2015.
"When we separated, we were always very sincere. And now she is, if not my best friend, one of my best friends," Banderas explained.
While married to Griffith, Banderas was stepfather to her two children, Alexander Bauer and actress Dakota Johnson.
When speaking to E! News in February 2025, Banderas admitted he "would love to work with Dakota someday," not only because she is his family, but "because she's a good actress."
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"She's a good actress in many different ways, because she's a great comedian, too," he said. "She developed now her career more in drama, but I remember when she did a TV show called Ben and Kate that I got a lot of fun [out of seeing] her on the screen, because she got the rhythm of comedy, too."
Banderas is currently starring in the Anthony Bourdain biopic "Tony," but got his big break in mainstream American films in the 1993 movie "Philadelphia."
He went on to star in "Interview with the Vampire," "Desperado," "The Mask of Zorro" and others, including "Pain and Glory" in 2020, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
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During an interview with The Times in March, Banderas reflected on the early days of his career, and recalled being told upon his arrival in Hollywood that he was there "like the Blacks and the Hispanics, to play the bad guys."
"The problem was, a few years later, I had a mask, hat, sword and cape and the bad guy was Captain Love, who was blond and had blue eyes," he said. "Even more important is 'Puss in Boots,' because it's for young kids. They see a cat that has a Spanish, even an Andalusian accent, and he's a good guy."
America’s best fast-food burger revealed — and it’s not available in every state
The best fast-food burger in America can’t be found in every state, but it’s been named a fan-favorite for the third year in a row.
The Double Char burger from Habit Burger & Grill earned first place in USA TODAY’s 2026 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, marking the third consecutive year the chain's burger earned top honors.
Habit was also voted the best fast-casual restaurant for the second year in a row.
"Charring burgers over an open flame since 1969, Habit Burger & Grill started in Santa Barbara, California, and has grown to include over 350 restaurants," USA TODAY reported. "Order the Double Char from the Habit’s California-inspired menu and get ready for two freshly chargrilled beef patties, caramelized onions, fresh lettuce, and tomato, pickles and mayo on a toasted bun. You can also add cheese."
About the restaurant itself, USA TODAY reported that Habit Burger & Grill has been offering "a diverse array of menu items spanning from chicken clubs to Caesar salads to ahi tuna filets, but the restaurant chain really shines when it comes to red meat," highlighting the Charburgers and the way they’re cooked individually over an open flame as their particular appeal.
The annual readers’ choice contest includes several travel and lifestyle categories nominated by a panel of experts and voted for by USA TODAY readers.
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In-N-Out’s Double-Double burger came in second place on the survey, due, according to USA TODAY, to the item's "freshly baked bun made with slow-rising sponge dough, two slices of American cheese, two patties of 100% American beef, onions, tomato, lettuce and a proprietary spread recipe unchanged since 1948."
Coming in at number three was Freddy's Original Double, which USA TODAY noted is a classic sandwich offering "two savory steakburger patties loaded with cheese, onion, pickles and a healthy dose of mustard."
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The Papa Burger from A&W, "with two 100% beef patties and two slices of melted American cheese, plus lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and A&W Papa Sauce on a lightly toasted bun," came in at number four.
Rounding out the top five was Culver’s double ButterBurger Cheese.
"This burger made Wisconsin a serious contender in the burger wars," USA TODAY reported. "It’s made with fresh, never-frozen beef seared to order and topped with real American cheese made in Wisconsin."
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Shake Shack’s SmokeShack cheeseburger, the cheeseburger from Five Guys, Burger King’s Whopper, Wendy’s Son of Baconator and Whataburger’s Double Meat Whataburger also made the top 10 list, in that order.
Habit Burger is owned by Yum! Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. According to the chain’s website, there are more than 380 Habit locations across 14 states and internationally.
Habit Burger locations include Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Maher blasts Rand Paul for releasing Fauci’s COVID diaries as PR expert suggests a new course for the Senator
Comedian Bill Maher is taking aim at Sen. Rand Paul for what the host says betrays Paul's own brand.
During Friday's episode of HBO's "Real Time," Maher accused Paul, R-Ky., of breaking with his libertarian views by releasing Fauci's pandemic-era diary and threatening to hold him in contempt of Congress. Meanwhile, a public relations expert told Fox News Digital that Paul should focus on why the diary matters rather than how he obtained it.
"Stop threatening to put everyone in jail who you just don’t like," Maher said more broadly about politics.
"Rand, babe, your entire brand is ‘Senator Right to Privacy,’" he added. "You’re the libertarian guy, the Fourth Amendment guy. It’s your family legacy."
BILL MAHER BREAKS WITH THE LEFT TO HAMMER ANTHONY FAUCI AFTER EXPLOSIVE SENATE HEARING
Maher’s comments come on the heels of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is led by Paul, voting 8-5 to refer Fauci for contempt after he repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment during a Senate hearing regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic last week.
Fauci, who received a preemptive pardon from then-President Joe Biden last year, exercised his right against self-incrimination a total of 111 times during the hearing while being questioned over his leadership as the White House chief medical adviser during the pandemic.
In the days before the hearing, Paul released more than 1000 pages of Fauci's private "COVID diaries" — medical notes and personal reflections Fauci wrote and stored on his government computer.
FAUCI'S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED
The move was blasted by Maher, who argued Paul's decision to publish the documents directly contradicted his longtime political platform of personal privacy and limited government intrusion.
"Your entire political career has been about warning us about government overreach," Maher said, speaking directly to Paul. "You printing someone's diary? It's like [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] wearing a gown that says, ‘Tax the poor.’"
Fauci's diaries were located and stored on government servers.
Jason Mudd, CEO of Axia Public Relations, told Fox News Digital that the criticism surrounding Paul's release of Fauci's private diary is unfounded, while adding he would advise Paul to change approach to explaining why the document is important.
"If Sen. Paul were my client, I’d tell him to stop defending how he got the diary and start defending why it matters," Mudd said. "A public official’s notes on a government computer aren’t a private citizen’s journal, and that distinction should have been his first sentence, not his fifth."
Maher’s comments come after he previously made headlines by suggesting that his "vote is in play" after voicing his discontent with the socialist direction the Democratic party is heading.
"Politically, Bill Maher carries resonance with a fairly non-tribal group of viewers. While that means he can often piss off both sides, it also means he can be seen as above the partisan back-and-forth, without a specific left or right agenda," media expert Kaivan Shroff told Fox News Digital.
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Shroff added that Maher's words carry more weight when he criticizes both sides of the political spectrum because of his willingness to call out his own party.
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"Maher can spend one week arguing that Democrats have lost the plot and the next saying Republicans have gone too far," Shroff said. "That gives moments like this outsized significance: when someone who has repeatedly criticized Fauci and the left still looks at what Rand Paul is doing and says it crosses a line, it gives permission to viewers who aren’t particularly sympathetic to Fauci to reach the same conclusion."
"In a polarized media environment, the messenger can matter as much as the message," Shroff added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Senator Paul and Dr. Fauci for comment.
Chris Sale and Gerrit Cole set up a pitching duel as Atlanta Braves host the New York Yankees
We hit another winner on the diamond yesterday with the Rays and Drew Rasmussen getting the victory over the Mariners. It was a very low-scoring game, but that didn't matter because we came out on the correct side of it. Unfortunately, I lost the full game bet on the Padres, so it was basically a wash. However, I hit on our Jose Altuve bet, so we did end up profitable for the day, and that's the ultimate goal. Let's get some profit here as the Braves take on the Yankees.
The Atlanta Braves are quietly having one of the best seasons of any team in baseball. They are the second team to reach 70 wins and are now 8.5 games ahead of the second-place Phillies. There is a lot to like about this team that just keeps winning. They have really strong hitters up and down the lineup. They can beat you with speed, contact hitting, power, and a fairly strong defense. Their pitching staff has had some concerns, but no team is perfect.
They do have one of the best pitchers in baseball on the roster, and he takes the pill tonight. Chris Sale has been as good as it gets since coming over to Atlanta. He had two phenomenal years with them already, and this might be his best. He is 12-6 with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He also has 143 strikeouts for the season. His wins, ERA, and WHIP are all in the top-10 in the Majors. He was very good in July, allowing just six runs over 27 innings. He had three starts where he didn't allow a run, although one was a short, three-inning outing. The Yankees don't have a ton of experience against him, and they are just 4-for-29.
The New York Yankees were going to catch some heat from their fans unless they added Tarik Skubal to the roster at the trade deadline. That didn't happen, but the team did do some work to try and address their needs. Their biggest need is filling the shoes of Aaron Judge, who has been out for months. You're not going to find that on the trade market. Instead, they got Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos. Neither of those players will make you overly excited, but this is still a team that has 65 wins and is in a comfortable position to make the postseason. Additionally, Judge is trying to return to action sooner rather than later.
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The team turns to Gerrit Cole this afternoon. Cole started the season on the injured list, but has now been back for two full months and is looking more and more like his old self. He has allowed three or fewer runs in each of his past six outings. Two of those were fewer than six innings of work, but he still hit the five-inning threshold in those. He hasn't been wildly different on the road or at home so far this season, but he has allowed more homers in Yankee Stadium than he has on the road. Braves hitters are not very successful against him, going just 6-for-52.
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Today might be a day to give off to Matt Olson, he is 0-for-21 against Cole with just two walks and 14 strikeouts. Ouch. I'll put a player prop on him to not have a hit today. That's a +122 payout. I'm also going to take the under here. I think Sale and Cole will battle each other out and post lost of scoreless innings. I expect this to be closer to a 2-1 game than a 7-5 score. Give me the under as well as the Olson prop.
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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024