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Hasan Piker insists Abdul El-Sayed asked him to 'stump' for Michigan campaign amid backlash
Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said that Democratic Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed asked him to "stump" for his campaign during an interview Friday following the intense backlash the Democratic politician has faced for appearing with him.
Piker spoke to Semafor columnist David Weigel about the backlash he has received from Democrats since appearing on the campaign trail with El-Sayed, which he claimed was El-Sayed's idea, not his.
"He asked me to stump for him, and I had not considered that ever before," Piker said. "I'd never really delivered a speech like that before."
Piker added that he had previously decided to get more involved with politics through New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's campaign but did not face significant backlash for that effort compared to campaigning for El-Sayed. He explained that after campaigning for El-Sayed, establishment Democrats and think tanks like Third Way came out to attack him.
"I'll admit I didn't realize how much the media would think that this is different," he continued. "I had no idea that in the mindset of, you know, people in D.C., in the mindset of like, establishment media, doing a rally with a politician was apparently far more consequential than flying out to Dearborn and, like, working out with him, doing profiles, fundraising for him. I didn't realize that it was a very different thing," Piker said.
He continued, "I did not realize that people would get so mad about it because, from my perspective, who cares if I'm doing a rally with a politician? I'm like, I've already had the guy on, like, a hundred times on the broadcast. You know, I've fundraised for him. I like him a lot. I have my disagreements with him, too, of course. But that was when the onslaught came in."
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Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed's campaign for comment.
El-Sayed has received intense scrutiny for campaigning with Piker despite the far-left Twitch streamer's history of controversial statements, such as claiming America "deserved" 9/11.
More recently, El-Sayed has attempted to distance himself from Piker after he suggested Jewish Americans were "making antisemitism worse" by voicing their support of Israel. El-Sayed has since repeatedly referred to Piker as "a streamer from California" with no relevancy to the race.
"I am not interested in a conversation about a social media person in California. And to folks who want to make this about a social media person in California, let’s not forget what actually matters in our politics, what our politics are really about," El-Sayed told reporters during Saturday's state Democratic Party Nominating Convention.
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He added, "I don’t ever want my comments to hurt anybody’s feelings. It’s important to me that people understand that I take serious [sic] the pain of all communities in this state. But I don’t want to have a conversation about a Twitch streamer in California. This is not a serious conversation."
In a comment to Fox News Digital, El-Sayed also apologized for his past comments made in response to an attack on a Michigan synagogue in March, where he remarked, "Hurt people, hurt people."
"To anybody who feels like my comments may have been hurtful, I’m really sorry. That was not my intention. We condemned that terrorist attack. We condemned it outright," El-Sayed told Fox News Digital. "What I was trying to do was offer context for why it happened, but it wasn’t the time for context and you don’t ever want to trample somebody’s pain."
Nicolás Maduro flashes peace signs in first prison photos since US capture in Caracas
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared in photos posted to his social media accounts Sunday, offering the first known glimpse of him inside a New York prison since his capture by U.S. forces in January.
Maduro, who was flown to the U.S. following a major military operation in Caracas, has been in custody for eight months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while facing drug trafficking charges.
In the photos, shared to Maduro’s X account, the former dictator wore a matching gray sweatsuit with white sneakers and appeared noticeably thinner as he stood against a plain wall.
Maduro said he shared the images as a small gift of hope to his family and supporters, assuring them that "we will remain strong, serene, and confident" and that "Venezuela will be reborn."
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"I send these photos as a small gift to all my grandsons and granddaughters, to the boys and girls, and to all the noble people who love us," Maduro said.
"I want you to know that we stand firm, with our hearts full of your love, that love that reaches us transformed into prayer, into constant action, into solidarity and true support. Infinite thanks for every word, for every gesture, for every blessing."
"Enjoy this small gift with joy and hope. Cilia and I embrace you forever, with our souls devoted to you and with our faith in God intact," he added, referring to his wife, who was also flown to New York on related drug trafficking charges.
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While Maduro made the post Sunday morning, timestamps on the two photos indicate they were taken June 25, just one day after two major earthquakes killed more than 6,500 people in northern Venezuela near Caracas, according to The Associated Press.
The images were released just two days after President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough in U.S.-Venezuela relations, with Venezuela agreeing to give the U.S. majority control over 65 billion barrels of oil from the nation’s reserves.
The deal marks a major development for the American oil market as the ongoing war with Iran continues to push up prices at the pump.
Since being detained, Maduro has reportedly spent much of his time reading the Bible, according to his son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, who spoke with El País in May.
He added that the former leader has 510 minutes a month, or 8.5 hours, for conversations with people outside the prison, according to the report.
Maduro and his wife are expected to go on trial in New York in June 2027. Both have pleaded not guilty and face potential life sentences if a jury finds them guilty of conspiring to send cocaine into the U.S.
Alex Palou clinches fourth straight IndyCar title and fifth overall in doubleheader at Milwaukee Mile
Àlex Palou officially clinched the 2026 NTT IndyCar Series championship on a doubleheader weekend in Milwaukee that turned into an unusual partial doubleheader on Sunday.
The 29-year-old Spaniard qualified well for both races, but served an engine penalty in the first, which got underway on Saturday.
Rain, however, caused a red flag at the 90-lap mark, and the rest of the race was postponed to Sunday morning.
Come Sunday morning, the track was still too wet, which led to an unusual schedule for the day: Race 2 would get underway at noon local time, finish, and then Race 1 would resume in the late afternoon.
Palou started on pole for Race 2 — which was now kind of Race 1.5 — and came home in fifth, with Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward winning the race.
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No biggie, because Palou just needed to have a championship lead of more than 54 points when the checkered flag fell on Race 1 (which, again, ended after Race 2; weird, I know), to clinch the title with one race left on the schedule.
Palou played it safe for the remaining 160 laps, keeping his nose clean and getting his yellow No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda back in one piece.
He did it, coming home tenth in a race that Pato O'Ward won, meaning he pulled off the rare feat of winning two races in one day.
But the big story was that Palou had built a big enough points buffer to claim his fifth career title in six years, and his fourth straight.
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It's an unbelievable run of form for Palou, who is now third on the all-time list for career championships behind AJ Foyt with seven, and his CGR teammate for one more weekend, Scott Dixon, with six.
Don't think for a second that Palou will take it easy in the season finale now that he has the title locked up. The season ends at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, one of his best tracks.
That race will get underway Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Billions in US aid to Ukraine under microscope as corruption rocks Zelenskyy’s inner circle
Washington is relying on extensive safeguards and dozens of oversight agencies to scrutinize and protect billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Ukraine amid the country’s continuing struggle with corruption, a regional security expert said Sunday.
The oversight comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s inner circle faces renewed political pressure from widening investigations, with several senior officials and aides resigning, being dismissed or facing investigations since 2025.
Zelenskyy dismissed Iryna Mudra, a deputy head of the presidential office, on Aug. 19 as anti-corruption investigators pursued a money-laundering case involving another deputy head of the office.
Investigators have not named Mudra as a suspect, The Associated Press reported.
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"Of course, in all of the former Soviet Union countries, there is significant corruption," former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Carrie Filipetti, now executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition, told Fox News Digital.
"A lot more work needs to be done. But we know, at least on the U.S. side, as we're providing support for their military, we have a lot of mechanisms," she said before explaining how dozens of agencies are working on oversight of U.S. aid to Ukraine.
The U.S. committed $67.8 billion in defense articles and services to Ukraine from February 2022 through March 2026 through the Presidential Drawdown Authority, the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and Foreign Military Financing, congressional reports show.
That support is part of a broader U.S. response to the war.
About $195 billion has been appropriated for Operation Atlantic Resolve, including funds to replenish U.S. weapons stocks, support U.S. military operations in Europe and provide economic, development and humanitarian assistance, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
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"Over 24 federal agencies are involved in oversight," Filipetti said. "To make certain that there are no consequences to the U.S. taxpayer, to our equipment in terms of the corruption issue, U.S. contributions are very much protected."
In recent months, however, senior Ukrainian officials have resigned, been dismissed or faced scrutiny by the country’s independent anti-corruption bodies, including NABU.
Those developments include Andriy Yermak’s Nov. 28, 2025, resignation after investigators searched his premises and Mudra’s Aug. 19 dismissal during a money-laundering probe.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna was dismissed by Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. on Aug. 3, two days before a suspicion notice was served against her, according to the Kyiv Post.
He also fired Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on July 15 in a broader reshuffle over internal wartime disagreements which sparked protests across the nation.
ZELENSKYY PRESSURES US AND EUROPE FOR MORE 'AIR DEFENSE' ASSISTANCE AMID ONGOING WAR WITH RUSSIA
In interviews after he left government, Fedorov also complained about what he described as ingrained corruption and patronage networks, Reuters reported.
"We've seen that Zelenskyy is taking really seriously the criticisms of corruption, and every time there is an allegation, he moves very swiftly to remove those individuals from the government," Filipetti said.
"And the fact that there are these independent bodies is, I think, really important. They're listening to them. They're making sure that they're trying to root it out as much as humanly possible."
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Zelenskyy has pushed back on suggestions that the investigations implicate him personally.
"The heads of anti-corruption agencies have zero questions for me," Zelenskyy said in remarks published Aug. 23 regarding the investigations. "They understand perfectly well that I am not involved in anything like that."
A February 2024 USAID inspector general review also found that the agency did not independently verify some Ukrainian health workers’ salary claims before reimbursement, though Filipetti said U.S. economic aid is now reimbursed only after verification.
"A lot of what the United States has been providing, we're making sure that everything is through a reimbursement mechanism," Filipetti said.
She said U.S. aid has not been tied to the money-laundering allegations and remains protected as Ukraine works to combat corruption.
The scrutiny also comes as Kyiv faces shortages of Patriot interceptors amid intensified Russian strikes and a need for air defense interceptors.
Zelenskyy said he wants to secure 300 additional interceptors for the coming winter, while Ukraine’s air force has requested 360.
"One of the most urgent needs that the Ukrainians have right now is interceptor missiles," Filipetti said. "This is why this idea of sending Patriot capabilities and allowing them to produce them on the ground in Ukraine has become so important to Zelenskyy."
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President Donald Trump has expressed reluctance to further deplete U.S. missile inventories, saying the United States also needs the weapons, while pressing European allies to shoulder more of Ukraine’s defense burden.
"We want missiles too," Trump said Aug. 6 when asked about Zelenskyy’s requests for long-range missiles and Patriot systems. "Biden gave him so much, Biden gave $300 billion worth of ammunition."
Filipetti also said Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts remain an important consideration for its NATO aspirations.
"I think every country has been really adamant that the Ukrainians move forward in their anti-corruption mechanisms," Filipetti said.
"Obviously, if Ukraine ever wants to be a formal member of NATO, that's something that they will need to prove and demonstrate."
Abbey Gate survivor describes chaos before attack, says pullout was botched from the start
Abbey Gate bombing survivor retired Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews said Saturday on "The Big Weekend Show" that U.S. Marines were forced to improvise their way through the chaotic evacuation of Afghanistan after inadequate preparation and support left them facing overwhelming crowds in the days leading up to the deadly attack.
Vargas-Andrews, who lost his right arm and left leg in the Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombing, said Marines at Hamid Karzai International Airport were left to adapt on the ground despite warnings from leadership about how dire the evacuation could become.
Vargas-Andrews told Fox News that the failures leading to the attack began well before the first explosion and renewed his call for accountability.
"Everything we were doing while we were there was like figuring it out on the go," he said, even as he acknowledged that Marines are trained to "adapt, improvise and overcome."
"We were lacking in the support. We were giving [the refugees] our food. We were giving them our water. There was no tent set up to process refugees," Vargas-Andrews said.
He recounted that day, comparing it to something out of the movie "World War Z," saying, "It was just hundreds of thousands of people. And if I filled up the whole room with sand, that's how many people it felt like [were] there."
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"We were just put in a very, very precarious situation that could have been better prepared for over the weeks and months prior leading up to that," Vargas-Andrews recalled. "And that decision was never made."
Vargas-Andrews said troops had received intelligence warning of a threat, but maintained that nothing was done proactively to prevent it. He did not place responsibility on any single person or group, instead pointing to multiple administrations, the State Department and other organizations and citing "decades of action and inaction and just poor decision-making."
Vargas-Andrews welcomed the recent recognition by the Department of War of Marines who served during the evacuation, but said he did not want these awards to overshadow the fact that there has still been no accountability.
"It's a good step in the right direction, is what I will say. I think that the real important things still haven't happened, but we hope it does and we pray that it does.," Vargas-Andrews said.
San Diego Padres swept by Rays after outfielder drops fly ball over the fence for a home run: WATCH
With the calendar set to turn to September, the San Diego Padres are fighting for their playoff lives.
Entering a tough weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego had a 16-8 record in August, including an impressive sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. Their slumping offense had finally come alive in recent weeks, with Fernando Tatis Jr. breaking out of a power drought, Jackson Merrill turning around his year, and Ty France continuing to be a surprising offensive force.
Their typically aggressive front office improved the pitching staff by bolstering the starting rotation with trades for Casey Mize and Robbie Ray. Mason Miller looked like an unstoppable force on the mound, encountering easily movable objects in the opposing batters box.
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Despite the Arizona Diamondbacks hanging around, the final wild card spot in the National League looked like the Padres' to lose. Fast forward to Sunday evening, and the Padres are suddenly on the outside looking in after a sweep in Tampa. That's frustrating enough, but what's worse for the team and their fans is how it happened. Particularly Sunday's 5-4 loss.
Entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Padres had the Rays right where they wanted them, a 3-1 lead with Miller on the mound.
Junior Caminero led off the inning with a 78mph single to center, before Miller rebounded to strike out Liam Hicks and get Chandler Simpson to line out. Then, with two outs, Miller got outfielder Jonny DeLuca to hit a fly ball to left field. Samad Taylor had a beat on it, tracked it down into the corner, caught the ball as he ran into the fence and just...dropped it. Game-ending out turns into game-tying homer.
Even more infuriating for Padres fans? DeLuca's fly ball had no business being a home run. With an exit velocity of just 90.7mph, the ball traveled 319 feet, with Taylor's help. That's a home run in literally one out of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, good for just an .010 expected batting average. Hits with those exact characteristics are outs 99% of the time, and the one percent turns into a game-tying home run.
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It wasn't the last mistake San Diego would make.
In the 11th inning, the Padres took a 4-3 lead on a Ty France fly ball, and reliever David Morgan got superstar Junior Caminero to strike out to start the bottom of the inning. Liam Hicks poked a bloop single to center, and San Diego walked Chandler Simpson to set up a double play after Hicks stole second.
Then DeLuca, again DeLuca, tapped a weakly hit grounder to shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts had an easy out at home to get the second out and keep the game 4-3 and flubbed it, tying the score and putting the winning run at third with one out.
Jorge Mateo immediately laced a walk-off single to left for the sweep, ending a brutal game and weekend for San Diego.
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The loss dropped the Padres to 72-65, and if the season ended today, they'd miss the postseason after two straight appearances.
It's hard to pin the outcome on Miller; he got DeLuca to hit what amounts to a routine fly ball to left to end the game, but the unique dimensions at Tropicana Field and a fluky misplay by Taylor led to the ball going over the fence. Bogaerts is typically sure-handed, but couldn't come up with a play he makes 99% of the time. That's what makes baseball so impossible to predict, and so exciting to watch. The margins between teams, games, and playoff appearances is often razor thin.
While the team's fans will be lamenting a missed opportunity, for neutral baseball fans, the race for the final NL wild card spot is set to provide incredible drama. The Diamondbacks and Padres are separated by just half a game, they're tied in the all-important loss column, and the two finish the regular season by playing a three-game series against each other in San Diego.
Even better, the season series between the two is tied at five apiece, meaning that final series will determine the tiebreaker. And thanks to the left-field fence in Tampa, it might be the most exciting three-games of the year.
Curacao wins second Little League World Series in country's history, first since 2004
A dream 22 years in the making has become a reality, as Curaçao has captured its first Little League World Series title since 2004.
The tiny island nation of less than 200,000 citizens rode a dominant pitching performance and an offensive onslaught to an 11-2 victory over Nevada in the championship game.
It was the second championship in the country's history, coming on the heels of their shutout victory over Japan in the International final.
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Nevada was looking for its first world championship after winning the U.S. title, and even took an early two-run lead in the second before Curacao would prove to be too much for The Silver State.
Curaçao would immediately tie things up in the third before breaking the game wide open and scoring a combined nine runs in the subsequent three innings.
The game wasn't without its drama, though, as Nevada had the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning with a loud out to straightaway center field that carried to the warning track.
If that ball flies a little further, perhaps the Curaçao players start to sweat a bit more, but even then, a five-run gap would likely have been too large a gulf to overcome for the American team.
Long viewed as a Little League World Series powerhouse, Curaçao legitimized those claims by running roughshod through the entire tournament, and, in the process, becoming only the second team in LLBWS history to win a title with the country’s name on its uniform, joining Japan.
Japan would claim a prize of their own in this tournament, taking Ohio down by a score of 4-2 to claim a victory in the consolation game.
Curaçao has been on a historic run with regard to international sports, as their soccer team also made it to the FIFA World Cup for the first time in program history and even recorded a point in the group stage.
Congratulations to these young men for seeing their hard work come to fruition.
Airport chaos erupts after driver suddenly smashes through fence, hits plane and tractor: police
A New Hampshire airport was allegedly breached Saturday after a teenager fleeing police crashed through a perimeter fence, striking a parked plane and nearby tractor, authorities said.
The incident unfolded at Portsmouth International Airport shortly after 8 p.m., New Hampshire State Police (NHSP) said Sunday.
The suspect was identified as Wyatt Seely, 17, of Rochester, who officials said was found intoxicated following the crash.
According to authorities, the pursuit began when officials were searching for "a vehicle related to reported crimes in other local jurisdictions."
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A trooper attempted to stop a black 2008 Ford Mustang on Durham Street in Portsmouth. The driver then allegedly fled the scene, NHSP reported.
"The Mustang, which did not have its lights on at the time, then crashed through a perimeter fence of the nearby Portsmouth International Airport and traveled across an aircraft parking apron," officials said in a release.
The vehicle then struck a Kubota tractor and a small, unoccupied, stationary plane before coming to a stop, NHSP said in a post on X.
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Seely was taken into custody by state troopers and transported to an area hospital for evaluation, police said.
No one else was injured.
The teen was charged with misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated (DWI), aggravated driving while intoxicated, disobeying a police officer and conduct after an accident. He was also charged with a violation-level offense of reckless driving.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Portsmouth District Court on Sept. 9, 2026.
The Portsmouth Police and Fire departments, the Newington Police Department, and Pease Fire and Emergency Services assisted during the incident.
Fox News Digital reached out to Portsmouth International Airport for more information.
Evan Kung wins Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River in a tournament for the record books
What a finale to the 2026 Bassmaster Elite Series regular season.
Nine different anglers crossed the 100-pound mark this week at the Bassmaster Elite at St. Lawrence River — the most Century Belts ever awarded at a single smallmouth event in Bassmaster history.
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And shockingly, that historic number almost wasn't even the most exciting thing that happened.
Evan Kung made a furious final-day charge from behind to run down leader Trey McKinney and steal the tournament win right at the finish, capping a week in which he entered with his Elite Series career on the line.
Kung came into the St. Lawrence needing a strong finish just to keep his card in the Bassmaster Elite Series. Instead, he built a lead through four days of consistent fishing and closed it out with a Phoenix Boats Big Bass award (6 pounds, 13 ounces) on top of the tournament win.
"It was a crazy week," Kung said. "I knew every day going in what I needed to catch just to stay in the Elites. Once I had that locked up, I went out today wanting the Century Belt. Once I had that, I just went looking for big ones."
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He described a gutsy final-day gamble that paid off: "I went to the lake for three hours, didn't catch a fish, came back in the river and caught that big one in the last 20 minutes. It was a crazy week."
His pattern all week was simple and repeatable — about 95% drop shot, including several fish on a still-unreleased Great Lakes Finesse prototype bait.
"It's coming out soon," Kung said.
Kung entered the final day trailing McKinney's overnight lead of 83-5 by a pound and a half. He weighed in first among the two leaders and delivered a final-day bag of 27-12 — enough to vault him into the lead at 109-9 for the first time all week. That put the pressure squarely on McKinney, who needed 26-8 to answer and reclaim the win. He came up two pounds short, sealing the title for Kung in the tournament's final minutes.
"It was a tough year on me, so it's great to end it like this," Kung said after the win. "I couldn't have thought of a better ending. I'm kind of at a loss for words right now."
He thanked a support system that traveled with him all week — sponsors, friends, his mother, and his girlfriend's family.
"It's extra special to have them all here to see it," he said.
McKinney (2nd, 107-9) fell just short of the win but left Clayton with a much bigger prize waiting — Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year.
Tucker Smith (3rd, 107-1) and Cory Johnston (4th, 106-7) both joined the Century Club with two of the heaviest four-day totals of their careers, finishing within a pound of one another.
Cole Sands (5th, 105-10) delivered one of the week's best personal stories. The Tennessee pro spent a month and a half scouting the river ahead of the event and treated it almost like trout fishing.
"I wanted one of those Century Belts so bad for so long, and I finally got one," Sands said. "And to get it with smallmouth at the St. Lawrence — this might be my favorite bass fishery on earth."
On his approach: "I chose not to go to the lake — I saw in practice that the river had plenty of big smallmouth, and you just have to know how to read the current. It's almost like trout fishing, the way you have to drift your bait. I kept it real simple — a drop shot and a minnow bait — and it led to a great finish. No complaints."
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Rounding out the Century Club: Brandon Cobb (6th, 103-14), JT Thompkins (7th, 103-0), Bryant Smith (8th, 101-3) and Fisher Anaya (9th, 100-5), who claimed his own belt on the final cast of a week that carried much bigger stakes for him (see below). Only Easton Fothergill (10th, 99-8) narrowly missed joining the club.
Nine Century Belts in a single weigh-in is proof that the St. Lawrence River is one of the best bass fishing spots in the country. Between the goby-fed smallmouth population and a stacked Elite Series field pushing each other all four days, this event will likely be remembered as one of the heaviest, most competitive smallmouth tournaments Bassmaster has ever run.
Kung's name goes on the trophy. But on a leader board where 99 pounds wasn't even enough to crack the top nine, this was a win for the whole field — and for a river that delivered on every promise made about it heading into tournament week.
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Family sues after 6-year-old girl dies when badminton racket shaft pierces skull
The family of a 6-year-old New Jersey girl who died after a badminton racket came apart and pierced her skull during a Maine vacation is suing the Massachusetts-based maker of the sports equipment.
"This case represents a parent’s worst nightmare," Attorney Charles P. Hehmeyer, who is representing the family, said. "The Morgan family was enjoying an idyllic summer vacation here in Maine when they lost Lucy due to what we allege was a dangerous and defective piece of sports equipment."
The wrongful death and product-liability lawsuit alleges Franklin Sports sold a defective and unreasonably dangerous badminton racket that failed during normal use and turned its metal shaft into a projectile.
Lucy Morgan was vacationing with her parents and siblings in Limerick, Maine, on June 1, 2024, when the tragedy unfolded.
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Maine State Police said Lucy’s 10-year-old brother was playing outside when the aluminum shaft became dislodged from the wooden handle. The shaft struck Lucy in the head and pierced her skull, authorities said.
Lucy was taken to Southern Maine Health Care in Sanford before being airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she died June 5, 2024, police said.
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According to a copy of the complaint reviewed by WCVB 5, the Franklin badminton set had been supplied at the family’s rental cottage.
The lawsuit alleges the racket’s handle and metal shaft were not adequately secured, the adhesive joining the pieces was defective or insufficient, and the design lacked a secondary restraint that could have prevented the metal portion from flying free. The family also alleges Franklin Sports failed to warn consumers about the risk.
Hehmeyer told WCVB 5 that the case was not Franklin Sports’ first issue involving a racket separating. He said a child in New York lost an eye when a racket came apart, and alleged the company knew of that case but failed to make a fix.
"The company knew that but chose not to correct this with something as simple as a pin in the handle, which would cost pennies," Hehmeyer told the outlet.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, though it does not list a specific dollar figure. The family is seeking funeral expenses, emotional distress damages, loss of comfort, society and companionship, and other relief permitted under Maine law.
According to the complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Lucy’s three siblings witnessed the incident and suffered "severe emotional distress." Her parents heard her screaming and ran to her aid, the complaint alleges.
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Lucy’s father, Jesse Morgan, a pastor at Green Pond Bible Chapel in Rockaway, New Jersey, previously wrote that the family had been spending its final full day at a lake cottage when the children decided to play badminton in the front yard.
FLORIDA 3-YEAR-OLD DIES AFTER TRAGIC INCIDENT INVOLVING COMMON PLAY TOY AT BABYSITTER'S HOUSE
In the days following Lucy’s death, Jesse Morgan shared the faith that sustained his family through their grief. He told Fox News Digital that a friend returned Lucy’s backpack after the family came home from Maine, and inside was the prayer journal she had received about a month before she died. The journal contained drawings, Bible-themed notes and messages about her belief in God, her father said.
Jesse Morgan told Fox News Digital he had no doubt Lucy "loved Christ and loved God," and that God welcomed her into heaven. He described discovering the journal as one of the "most beautiful gifts" amid the family’s loss, adding that he believed his daughter had "the faith of a mustard seed."
Franklin Sports told Fox News Digital it "extends its deepest sympathies to Lucy Morgan’s family and all those affected by this tragic accident."
"Because litigation is pending, we cannot comment on the specific allegations in the lawsuit," the company said. Franklin Sports added that it takes product-safety concerns "very seriously," is committed to product quality and safety, and is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Fox News Digital reached out to attorneys for the Morgan family for comment.
Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.