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Georgia cop kills beloved pet donkey in his own pasture as heartbroken owner demands justice: 'We miss him'
A Georgia police officer shot and killed a family's beloved pet donkey after officers searched the animal’s pasture in search of a missing child who was later found at a nearby church.
Hannah Israel, 30, said officers entered her family’s property in Rockmart, Polk County without warning at about 12:45 a.m. on Sunday while looking for the missing child when they noticed the baby donkey named HeeHaw.
"They claimed he ran up to them braying and they thought they were in danger and shot and killed him after trying to Taze him," Israel wrote on Facebook. "HeeHaw was shot and killed in his OWN pasture for doing what donkeys do. Alerting to a stranger. There is no way this is legal!"
She vowed to take legal action as she demanded justice for HeeHaw.
POLICE DOG FOLLOWS HIS NOSE TO FIND MISSING AUTISTIC TEEN SCREAMING FOR HELP
"We are heart broken. He was my SON!!" she wrote.
"We miss him so much where is safe?? When my own baby was shot in his own home?" she added in another post.
A photo taken after the shooting showed Israel crying over her pet donkey, as the animal's eyes remained wide open as it lay lifeless on the ground.
"He would normally be standing right over there talking while I'm talking because he thought he could talk like a person could talk," Israel told 11Alive.
"Every time he saw somebody, he would run up and bray," Israel said. "And then do a really goofy sound, and because he loved people, and he thought he was a person. He slept in my bed for the first three months of his life," she added.
The Cedartown Police Department said the officer who shot the beloved baby donkey has been placed on paid administrative leave.
"The Cedartown Police Department has turned over the investigation of the animal shooting to the Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division for investigation and placed the officer involved on paid administrative leave while this investigation is ongoing," the department said in a statement.
Cedartown Police Chief Jamie Newsom said body camera footage exists and he has viewed it, according to 11Alive.
"That search took them to the incident location where this very unfortunate and heartbreaking event occurred," Newsom said, according to the outlet.
Newsom said he understands the heartbreak that the family and the community is facing after the donkey's death.
"They're members of the human family, and I am too, and heartbroken," he said.
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The Georgia Department of Agriculture's Law Enforcement Division was at Elsberry Farm on Monday investigating HeeHaw's death.
Israel created a GoFundMe to help cover legal costs related to HeeHaw’s death. She said any donations left over would go toward the farm, care of the animals and a future HeeHaw foundation. She has raised more than $113,000 as of Tuesday morning.
"My bottle baby donkey 'HeeHaw' was killed in his own pasture on Saturday night by trespassing cops," she wrote on the fundraiser. "He was a loved member of our family and did many petting zoos and made many people smile."
She said she hired a lawyer but stressed that donations left over after legal costs would not be used for personal needs.
Lindsay Clancy’s future could rest with ‘prosecution doctors’ as case echoes infamous Maine killings: expert
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
A retired Massachusetts Superior Court judge says that a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity wouldn't be an easy out for Lindsay Clancy, saying that "prosecution doctors" would be the ones deciding when she would be released, and are likely more inclined to keep her locked up.
Clancy, 36, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of her children — Cora, Dawson and Callan, all under age 6 — who were found strangled at the family's home in January 2023.
Retired Massachusetts Superior Judge Jack Lu told Fox News Digital that even if Clancy is found not guilty by reason of insanity, she would likely face a significant amount of time in a mental institution.
He said a group of mental health officials would be responsible for periodically reviewing her commitment at the facility, but noted these are people who overwhelmingly side with prosecutors and usually testify on their behalf.
"They're viewed as an arm of the prosecution," Lu said of the officials. "I'm going to be very frank, they kind of view this through the lens of if in doubt, lock them up...The people making release decisions have a prosecutorial mindset."
Lu said, if Clancy is committed to a mental hospital, "I imagine she'd be committed year after year after year for some period of time."
"If you are committed on a mental health basis because of a major criminal case in Massachusetts, it is hard to get out... It is very difficult," he said.
He said there is another way for Clancy to be released from a mental institution if found not guilty by reason of insanity, which would be through the courts.
"The other way she could get out is if the government kept moving to commit her and the doctors did not really decide that she should be released, and then it goes to court and then a judge would decide whether she is a danger to herself or others," Lu said. "It could be more of a contested hearing, and if she were to win that contested hearing, that is the second way that she gets out."
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Clancy's case has drawn parallels with Constance Fisher, a then-24-year-old Maine woman who drowned her three children in a bathtub in 1954, according to the New York Times.
LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST
She was committed to a mental hospital, and after several years, she returned home. She was accused of drowning three more children in 1967 and was sent back to the mental hospital, before she escaped and was found dead in the Kennebec River.
The jury in Clancy's case, consisting of nine women and three men, led by a female foreperson, concluded a third day of deliberations on Monday without coming to a verdict.
The jurors asked Judge William Sullivan around 4 p.m. to be dismissed for the day, and will return on Tuesday morning to continue deliberations.
Grand Canyon water pipeline damaged again as flooding complicates repairs
The one pipeline that supplies water for millions of visitors in Grand Canyon was badly damaged by flash flooding over the weekend, setting up a complicated repair scenario and disrupting a yearslong project to upgrade the aging line across rugged terrain where helicopters are often needed for even basic maintenance.
Park officials estimate after conducting flyovers that about 40% of the pipeline sustained damage. The 12.5-mile long Transcanyon Waterline has suffered dozens of breaks in recent years. A more than $200 million repair and replacement project was well underway when the floods began.
The long-term impacts on the park’s infrastructure, visitors and year-round residents were not immediately clear.
BELOVED TEXAS CHIROPRACTOR KILLED IN GRAND CANYON FLASH FLOOD, 2 FRIENDS STILL MISSING AFTER HIKE
"We anticipate miles of the pipeline being destroyed," Grand Canyon Deputy Superintendent Brian Drapeaux said.
A full survey of the devastation will not be completed until Tuesday at the earliest.
At least two people died in the floods, and one person remained missing as of Monday night after roughly 80 people were rescued over the weekend, according to officials.
The park stopped overnight accommodations, with officials saying significant water reductions are needed. This includes limiting shower time, turning off the tap while brushing teeth and flushing toilets selectively to protect the limited stored water on the South Rim, where most visitors frequent.
"They have got to keep law enforcement going, they have to keep rescue operations going, backcountry operations, park admin going, the clinic and the campground," longtime river runner and Grand Canyon hiker Tom Martin said, adding that the park has hauled water in tanker trucks in the past.
The pipeline, which was completed in the 1970s, has broken more than 85 times since 2010.
The pipeline moves water from one side of the canyon, down to its base, across a bridge and back up the other side of the rough landscape. Any attempt to fix a break from rock falls or flash floods is precarious and costly and can take time, so fixing the latest damage will be complicated.
The pipeline upgrade project, which began in 2023, took more than a decade to design and fund. The project involves installing helicopter pads, building water treatment facilities and replacing several miles of pipeline. It also seeks to move the water intake for the pipeline further down the canyon to Bright Angel Creek, which would put it closer to Phantom Ranch, a popular lodge at the base of the canyon.
A 2018 evaluation of the project said key infrastructure for the intake would be outside of areas likely to flood.
Officials said even basic decisions proved to be complicated.
For example, the original pipe was aluminum, which is lighter and easier to move into the steep canyon but is more susceptible to breaking. Engineers chose a flex-steel material to balance weight and durability.
Even routine pipeline breaks lead to water restrictions. A decade ago, a hotel on the canyon’s rim that offers luxury dining and highlights its history hosting presidents had to reduce dishwashing and use paper plates and plastic utensils.
In 1995, a nearly month long repair on the pipeline required officials to truck in water.
The park had water conservation initiatives in place even before the latest flooding and damage.
MISSING GRAND CANYON HIKER, 83, RESCUED AFTER GETTING SEPARATED FROM COMPANION
The flooding has forced parts of the park to close, and more flooding was possible on Monday, according to the National Park Service.
"Consider changing your plans if you were going to hike, boat, or paddleboard to a slot canyon or normally dry wash. If you do still decide to recreate, check in at a nearby visitor center or ranger station," the park website reads.
Officials previously said that the repair and replacement project would allow the park to meet its water supply needs for at least the next 50 years.
As the original pipeline was nearing completion in the 1960s, more than a foot of rain fell, which flooded the inner canyon and caused 40% of the project to be destroyed, according to officials.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Tyler Robinson hearing could decide death penalty fate, finally see plea in Charlie Kirk case
PROVO, Utah — Accused Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson returns to a Utah courtroom Tuesday for a hearing that could send his case to trial or dramatically reshape it, with a judge to weigh whether prosecutors have shown enough probable cause to support the aggravated murder charge that puts the death penalty on the table — and the suspect may finally be asked to enter a plea nearly a year after the slaying.
Robinson, a 23-year-old from Washington, Utah, is accused of firing a single shot that killed the 31-year-old father of two during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10, 2025.
While the defense has argued that prosecutors have not established enough probable cause to pursue aggravated murder, which carries the potential death penalty, experts tell Fox News Digital that they don't expect Judge Tony Graf Jr. to take it off the table just yet.
ACCUSED CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSIN TYLER ROBINSON ASKS JUDGE TO TAKE POTENTIAL DEATH PENALTY OFF TABLE
"We’re at a preliminary hearing stage, so we’re at a very low burden," said Skye Lazaro, a Salt Lake City-based defense attorney who is not connected to the case. "It’s probable cause, and everything is taken in a light most favorable to the state."
The court held a week-long hearing in early July, then gave both sides weeks to file briefs before Tuesday's expected decision from Judge Graf.
WATCH: Retired FBI sniper says Charlie Kirk shooting put many lives in danger
She said she expects the entire case to be bound over for trial, including the sole aggravating factor that makes the aggravated murder charge eligible for the potential death penalty — that Robinson allegedly put other people at great risk of death by shooting Kirk in a crowded place.
Greg Rogers, a former FBI agent and SWAT sniper who now teaches at Utah Valley University, said the alleged risk to the crowd should be enough to preserve the aggravating factor at this stage.
"Shooting into a crowd is always dangerous because you don’t know if someone moves, someone walks behind him," Rogers told Fox News Digital. "There are all sorts of things that could happen in the very instant you pull that trigger."
Rogers said even highly trained law-enforcement snipers would consider such a shot dangerous.
"When you have a rank amateur that is shooting, it’s clearly, clearly very dangerous," he said.
TYLER ROBINSON'S LAWYERS SEEK CAMERA BAN FOR SEPT. 1 HEARING, SAY CASE IS NOT A 'REALITY TV SHOW'
Separately, a court spokeswoman said last week that Graf may or may not hold an arraignment after deciding whether there's enough probable cause to bind the case over for trial.
If he does, it would be the first time that Robinson is asked to enter a plea.
TYLER ROBINSON HEARING ENDS WITHOUT RULING AS EVIDENCE DISMANTLES CHARLIE KIRK CONSPIRACY CLAIMS
"I would expect that they would enter not guilty pleas and move forward," Lazaro said.
Lazaro said a different plea would likely require an agreement taking the death penalty off the table.
"I think the state has been so assertive on their position about the death penalty in this case that I don’t see them doing that right now," Lazaro said.
To attack the aggravator, Robinson's defense argued that only a single shot was fired, from an elevated position. It traveled over the crowd, rather than through it, and it only struck Kirk.
Prosecutors countered that Robinson was a bad shot, one who "seldom hit the bullseye and sometimes misses the target completely" when practicing shooting with the suspected murder weapon.
Other evidence against Robinson includes the suspected murder weapon, a .30-06 Mauser rifle that prosecutors have said belonged to his grandfather and had his DNA on it. Robinson allegedly confessed to multiple people, including his roommate and lover, Lance Twiggs, according to court documents.
"This is likely as straightforward a bindover decision as this Court will ever see," prosecutors wrote. "After admitting to several friends, including his roommate and romantic partner, that he assassinated Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025, in front of approximately 3,000 eyewitnesses, Defendant surrendered to law enforcement for that crime."
Prosecutors also presented surveillance video, ballistic evidence, an alleged handwritten confession and witness statements.
In one message to Twiggs, Robinson allegedly wrote that, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I took it."
LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST
A source close to the Kirk family said last week that Kirk's widow Erika, and his parents, Rob and Kathy, all plan to attend the Sept. 1 hearing together as they did during the July hearing.
But even if the case moves forward, Lazaro said the pretrial sparring won't end any time soon.
"I do think we’re going to see a lot more litigation come down the road in terms of 1102 and expert-witness designations, forensic testimony on the ballistics and things like that," Lazaro said.
Get right out of town
The House of Representatives is back in town after not voting since July 23.
But the House is only back for less than a week. And the Senate doesn’t even return until Monday, September 14.
The first day of school, this is not.
House members descending on the Capitol this week – then abandoning Washington for Labor Day is kind of like the third and final preseason game in the NFL.
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Lots of fans show up for the first game of the NFL preseason. It’s usually a nice – if sweltering – August night. Not some bone-shivering chill in Cleveland with a foot of snow on the ground in mid-December. There’s anticipation. The first look at the new team. The first tailgate. First-string players and highly touted draft picks even play a series or two.
But by the third preseason game, few want to be there.
The die is cast for the roster spots. Players are cut. Even the most robust fans only show up for a quarter or two.
In the NFL, everyone is waiting for the regular season to begin in a few weeks.
That’s kind of where things are now in the House. Congress has tackled most of its business for the year. The highly-touted GOP "Reconciliation 3.0" likely falls by the wayside. Lawmakers even tucked into bed the usual autumn drama surrounding a possible government shutdown. The chances of a repeat following last year’s 43-day shutdown saga dissipated in early August when the Senate approved an interim, bipartisan bill which will fund the government through December 11. The House votes on that bill Tuesday.
Everyone on Capitol Hill is now waiting for the regular season to begin. That’s what awaits the body politic following the midterm elections in November.
And most members don’t even want to linger in Washington right now. As fast as they came to Washington, they wanted to skate out of town to campaign. That’s why attendance might be sparse over the next few days.
The House had 384 members present for one non-controversial measure Monday night. A second vote recorded 388 members present. Those attendance figures could slide if the House returns to Washington in mid-September – as the schedule dictates. Especially among those who either lost their primaries or are retiring. In fact, Fox is told that some members in both camps have even considered resigning early.
Imagine what that could do to the narrow Republican majority.
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So, will the House stick it out this week, go home and come back in a few weeks?
"Are we going to be here the entire period?" yours truly asked House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. "We’re going to be here this week and then we're going to come back in a couple weeks?"
"Well, it’s on the schedule," Johnson replied.
That’s a schedule which the House Republican leadership etched out last December – on the heels of that epic government shutdown.
Who could have anticipated that government funding could work out so easily this time around.
So what’s on the agenda?
Republicans plan a vote on a resolution to get Democrats on the record of either supporting socialism or democracy. In other words, the GOP wants Democrats to put their voting cards where their policies are.
"They want to abolish things like the U.S. Supreme Court. The United States Senate," said Rep. Jeff Crank R-Colo.
Republicans hope to compel Democrats to either accept or reject progressive, left-wing ideologies.
"We need to see where Democrats stand on this because the American people are rejecting it," said Rep. Tom Tiffany R-Wis., on Fox.
"They're going to try to distance themselves as much as they can," said Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla. "But the fact is that's where the Democratic Party is going. That's where the energy of the Democratic Party is going."
This is what’s described in Congress as a "gotcha" vote. Republicans will dare Democrats to vote no. And if they do, the GOP will deploy that vote against vulnerable Democrats in campaign ads this fall.
Some Democrats could vote to reject any relationship with socialism. In fact, the vote could give those Democrats a gift to say they’re opposed to socialists in the Democratic Party. But Republicans ensconced a measure in the resolution which could oblige Democrats to vote no.
The measure includes the SAVE America Act. That’s the hallmark of the GOP’s agenda. It requires proof of citizenship for voting. Most Democrats view the SAVE America Act as a poison pill. So Democrats could vote nay. And some Republicans will still say "gotcha" if they oppose it.
"The resolution elevates the so-called Save America Act, which is just the ‘suppress the vote act,’ said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries D-N.Y. "I'm not clear how many Democrats are actually going to support a resolution whose focus is on trying to rig the midterm election by elevating this voter suppression legislation that Donald Trump has been trying to jam down the throats of the American people for the last year."
The House could also wrestle with a resolution to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C. He admitted to inappropriate conduct around female aides and dropped his reelection bid. There could be an effort to expel Rep. Cory Mills R-Fla. He faces allegations of financial misconduct and alleged assault of a woman at his apartment last year. But Mills lost his primary.
Then there is Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio. The Ohio Republican faces allegations of spousal and child abuse. Republicans implored Miller to drop his reelection bid. But Miller doubled down, saying the allegations are false.
Johnson says he supports Miller’s "reelection." He contends the House shouldn’t take action until the Ethics Committee completes its inquiry.
"He has been a great Member of Congress," said Johnson of Miller. "He has some personal issues he’s still working through."
But it’s possible Democrats – and even some Republicans – could engineer a special resolution to expel or otherwise punish Miller. Johnson and the GOP leadership want nothing to do with that. So the solution? Get lawmakers off Capitol Hill and back into their districts. Fast.
Yes, it’s unclear what the Senate may address when it returns in a few weeks. But House Republicans are more concerned with clinging to their narrow majority in November. So recessing until after the election could prove to be the safest political tactic for Republicans.
Don’t be surprised if the House leaves Washington until November in the next few days.
Think it’s not possible? Get right out of town.
CBS News takes heat over report on Dem hopeful Abdul El-Sayed's now-deleted 9/11 posts
CBS News faced heat from the far-left Monday over a report about past comments Democratic Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed made about 9/11 ahead of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attack.
"As the nation prepares to mark 25 years since Sept. 11, 2001, Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan, may be facing the risk of renewed scrutiny and fresh political attack," CBS News wrote Monday.
The report cited El-Sayed's deleted social media posts, including some from 2020 comparing the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 to the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic. Another post from Sept. 11, 2021, first uncovered by The Washington Free Beacon, read, "Today, I mourn the 3K lives, 6K injuries, & infrastructural devastation in NYC, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my faith. Tomorrow, I'll mourn ~1M lives, millions of injuries, & infrastructural devastation in 3 countries, perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my country."
However, many of El-Sayed's supporters and other liberal critics expressed outrage linking El-Sayed to the forthcoming 9/11 anniversary.
"What an insane headline," far-left commentator Hasan Piker reacted on X. "This is why the [new Paramount owner David Ellison] bought CBS and put Bari Weiss in charge."
Bari Weiss was tapped by Ellison to become the network's editor-in-chief last fall as part of Paramount's multimillion-dollar acquisition of her outlet The Free Press.
"Hi @CBS @CBSNews @bariweiss do you think it's super offensive and disgusting and Islamophobic to do a tweet about the potential first ever Muslim Democratic senator which begins by referencing 9/11?" Zeteo founder and former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan asked.
"Despicable anti-Muslim woke right garbage from the house CBS account," The Bulwark podcast host and MS NOW analyst Tim Miller wrote.
SOCIALIST CANDIDATES CAN DELETE OLD POSTS, BUT THEY CAN'T ERASE THEIR RADICALISM
"What an insane, blatantly racist headline. Unreal," Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., posted.
"The current state of institutional media legit bums me out," Vox host and editorial director Astead Herndon said. "We’ve burned through so much credibility in recent years. And our information ecosystem is worse for it."
YOUTUBE STAR MS RACHEL GIVES FUNDS TO DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MICHIGAN SENATE HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED
A CBS News source familiar with the story shrugged off the criticism, telling Fox News Digital that reports about deleted social media posts from politicians are published "all the time."
El-Sayed was confronted about his deleted posts by a local CBS News reporter on the campaign trail.
"What happened on 9/11 is a disaster. It was a terrible attack on our country," El-Sayed said. "And our responsibility is also to think about, how do we build an America where we are protecting our servicemen and women from being asked to fight in wars we have no business fighting in?"
CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
WATCH: Maryland carjacking suspect plows toward cops as they open fire
Newly released body camera footage shows an alleged carjacking suspect driving toward Maryland police officers, striking an officer and multiple cars before officers opened fire as she attempted to flee.
Police in Anne Arundel County responded on May 7 at around 9 p.m. to the area of North Crain Highway and 11th Avenue in Glen Burnie for a report of a hit-and-run. When police arrived at the scene, they learned a woman had crashed her car into another vehicle before forcibly taking the vehicle belonging to a family member who had shown up to help her.
The woman, identified as Jasmin L. Cooper, 28, was later located inside the vehicle on the 8500 block of Severn.
WATCH: DEPUTIES HUNT WANTED MAN THROUGH CORNFIELD AFTER HIGH-SPEED CHASE CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Officers can be seen in the video pointing their guns at the woman inside the car, yelling at her to "turn the car off" and "get out of the car." At one point, she raises her hands from the wheel, but she does not exit the vehicle.
"So what, she stole her son's car?" one officer is heard saying in the footage.
A short time later, the woman pulled out of the parking space and sped away while officers hurried out of the way.
SUSPECT ACCUSED OF HURLING CHAINSAW AT DEPUTIES DURING CHAOTIC STOLEN CAR CHASE CAUGHT ON VIDEO
Police said Cooper drove toward the officers, striking an officer, two patrol cars and another vehicle, prompting officers to discharge their firearms, striking her..
Additional officers responding to the scene observed Cooper turn onto Reece Road. She crashed into another car in the area of Reece Road and Telegraph Road and attempted to break into another occupied vehicle before officers apprehended her.
The footage shows the woman lying on the ground in handcuffs. The video also shows officers bandaging the woman's wound after she was shot in the parking lot.
Cooper was charged with carjacking, attempted carjacking , multiple counts of reckless endangerment, first- and second-degree assault and related charges.
The suspect and the officer who was struck by her were both treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Chad Ochocinco warns Browns' Deshaun Watson has 'very short' leash, could lose starting job by Week 3
The Cleveland Browns made their quarterback decision entering the 2026 NFL season, but football fans are still trying to process why Deshaun Watson is getting the Week 1 start against the Jacksonville Jaguars over Shedeur Sanders.
The decision by first-year head coach Todd Monken may have answered the question on everyone’s mind for the Browns this preseason, but the debate still rages on throughout the football world considering Watson’s track record in Cleveland and how the $230 million man hasn’t lived up to his contract in the slightest.
In fact, fans booed Watson during their home preseason against the Buffalo Bills, to which he called them "disrespectful" and "personal" rather than a reaction to his performance on the field.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Either way, Watson heads into the new campaign – his first regular-season play since tearing his Achilles in 2024 – with an immense amount of pressure. However, one former NFL star believes the leash will be quite tight for the veteran signal caller.
Maybe to the point where he doesn’t start under center come Week 3 – the Browns’ home opener against the Carolina Panthers.
"If they start the season 0-2 – you open with the Jaguars. Then, you have Tampa Bay, then you come home. I’m not sure you play the third game, but you’d have to start that season off either 1-1 or 2-0. Either 1-1 or 2-0. One or the other. If you start off 0-2, they’re making a move. They’re making a move before the season gets too far away from them," Chad Ochocinco told OutKick in a recent interview while highlighting his partnership with DraftKings ahead of this NFL season.
DESHAUN WATSON SAYS 'EMOTIONS GOT THE BEST OF ME' AFTER RIPPING CLEVELAND BROWNS FANS FOR BOOING
Ochocinco has been very vocal about the Browns’ quarterback conundrum on his "Nightcap" podcast with Shannon Sharpe, where he’s noted on numerous occasions that there was never really a position battle between Watson, Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and anyone else on the quarterbacks' depth chart.
"It was never a quarterback competition. It never was. At no point in any game is the $46 million man competing for a job and would lose to the younger player based on salary," Ochocinco said. "As an owner and person writing the check, Deshaun Watson was always going to be the starting quarterback no matter what. Now, it’s his job to lose now going forward, and his leash is going to be very short."
From the fan perspective, Ochocinco also understands why the Browns faithful feel the way they do about Watson.
Since he came over in a now-infamous trade with the Houston Texans, Watson, who was given a whopping $230 million, fully guaranteed contract over five years, has started just 19 games across three seasons, with injuries and his lengthy 11-game NFL suspension coming in 2022. In those games, the Browns have gone 9-10, including the most recent in 2024 where he went 1-6. Watson has thrown 19 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions, competing 61.2% of his passes for 3,365 yards and a passer rating of 80.7.
For comparison there, in his four years with the Texans, where he earned three Pro Bowls and led the NFL with 4,823 yards in 2020, he had a passer rating of 104.5.
"The fans are upset, the fans are booing because they have nothing to cheer for," Ochocinco said. "You haven’t given them anything to cheer for in general. So, the bad taste that’s left in their mouths are the issues that came with you from Houston on top of coming here to Cleveland. You’ve given them nothing to cheer for, therefore that’s why they’re gonna feel the way they feel."
So, what do Watson and the Browns do if even their home crowd seems to be against the most important player on the field for them come Week 1? As the saying goes, the shortest way through a storm is straight.
Watson is going to have to face the music, and Ochocinco is hoping he can do it.
"But one thing can happen: performing and winning cures all," he said. "Listen, they come out the gate, somehow find a way to beat Jacksonville, find a way to beat Tampa, and you go into Cleveland the first home game 2-0. Man, they will cheer their a—off. You’re gonna hear cheering and eruptions of cheering for Deshaun that he’s never heard before. Honestly, I’m hoping he does.
"Winning cures all. It doesn’t matter what you did. You’re the quarterback of their team. If you start out the gate 1-1 at best – 2-0 best scenario – they’re going to love you in Cleveland despite what you’ve done. They’ll love you because you’re winning – something they haven’t had consistently for a very long time."
It will be a tough task for Watson and the Browns to get those wins against playoff hopefuls in Weeks 1 and 2. But Ochocinco sees no other way for Watson to hang on to his job even if it is just the start of a new campaign.
OCHO LOVES DRAFTKINGS GAMEDAY
College football is already underway, and the NFL is right around the corner, which has Ochocinco very excited about football being back. Also, he’s excited to impact the fan experience with DraftKings.
"DraftKings Gameday," which will take place on Sept. 2, was announced on Monday with quite the activation as it celebrates the first football season with DraftKings Sports & Casino available in all 50 states. As a way to fuel fans with the return of football, DraftKings will be offering free gas, while supplies last, to passenger vehicles at select gas stations in Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta and Detroit. Specific locations and event times will be announced separately.
"For me, I think it’s fun because who else would do something like this outside of DraftKings. This is a great touch for NFL fans to start the season," Ochocinco said. "We’re giving you free gas, so when your respective team plays, you’re fueled up to go. And word of mouth will be, ‘You won’t believe this? You know what DraftKings did? I was able to save money and get tickets to go to a game because they paid for my gas.’ That makes sense."
There will also be exclusive DraftKings Gameday promotions for customers, a customized in-app experience, in-person activations, a charitable donation through the DraftKings SERVES program, and a new campaign featuring Kevin Hart and Nick Jonas this season.
"It’s all about the fan experience, so some of the offers and luxuries throughout the season is what sets us apart from everybody else. I’m happy to be a part of them," Ochocinco said.
Gen Z Democratic lawmaker spars with Baby Boomers over whether American Dream is dead
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., engaged in a fiery debate with a group of Baby Boomers this week on the web series Surrounded, arguing that Generation Z faces economic hurdles their generation did not experience.
The 29-year-old congressman appeared in the viral debate on the Jubilee YouTube channel, where a single public figure faces an entire room of challengers.
In the debate, Frost argued that young Americans were raised with the expectation that going to college — even if it required taking on student debt — would lead to a good job, allow them to repay that debt and provide a pathway toward the American dream. He argued that this bargain, and the American dream prospect itself, no longer holds for many young Americans.
Frost cited his working-class family background and noted that he worked as an Uber driver to make ends meet while running for Congress.
"So that’s the American dream! You lived it!" his debate opponent, comedian Geno Bisconte, responded in a clip that went viral on Monday.
"The American dream isn't driving Uber to barely make ends meet," Frost replied. "The American dream is upward mobility and being able to have success."
"You went from driving an Uber to being a politician!" Bisconte shouted. "Is that upward!? What am I missing?"
"But it's not about one person. It's about the totality of a generation," Frost replied. "That's part of the reason that I have the claim that I have. The majority of my generation is struggling and having a hard time to just survive. Just to survive. The American dream isn't survival, my friend. Is the American dream survival or is it thriving? The American dream is thriving. The fact of the matter is the vast majority of young people feel like they're not able to put aside enough money to have mobility."
Another participant named William argued that many of Frost’s complaints can be attributed to population growth from mass immigration.
BIDEN'S ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION SURGE CAUSED HIGHER RENT AND HOME PRICES, FED STUDY FINDS
"When we started school, there was less than 157 million people in America today. Now there's 340," William responded. "More people needing homes means home prices go up. More people needing food means food prices go up. We can't correct that until we get rid of all the foreigners that have come in here. And your party is refusing to do that, even if they’re illegal!"
Frost pushed back, saying immigrants provide a net economic positive and share more in common with everyday Americans than billionaires do.
He added that entry-level wages haven't kept pace with living costs, making the prospect of buying a home on a retail or service job "a fantasy." Frost also pointed to competition in real estate, noting young buyers now face off against private equity firms.
Analysts and policy experts offered mixed takes on the generational exchange in comments to Fox News Digital.
Judge Glock, director of research and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, argued that in general young adults have a much higher net income than Baby Boomers did at the same age, but agreed that housing affordability is at its "worst it's been in decades." However, Glock disputed Frost’s contention that institutional investors or older generations are to blame, attributing price spikes to regulatory constraints that limit new housing construction alongside high mortgage rates.
"Frost is wrong that higher housing prices are due to competition from Baby Boomers or Wall Street," Glock said. "The fundamental reason housing prices have gone up is that we are building less than we used to. And we are building less than we used to because of ever-increasing regulations, from zoning to environmental mandates. When combined with high mortgage rates due to both inflation and high levels of government debt, homeownership is becoming increasingly out of reach."
Glock also noted that "This generation also has much higher student debt levels than earlier ones. Due to their high student debt, and lack of wealth in housing, older Millennials have a lower net worth than Gen Xers at the same age. That's not because of a lack of jobs, but because colleges have been handing out ever more low-quality degrees at an ever higher cost."
Elizabeth Pipko, a former Republican National Committee national spokesperson, agreed that Gen Z faces certain major challenges, but argued they should not overestimate the luxuries the Baby Boomer generation had.
"Nobody is arguing that young Americans have it easy. And it is true that housing prices in many parts of America have risen much faster than incomes, particularly in desirable cities and suburbs. But, with that being said, times have changed and the comparison to baby boomers is not exactly fair," she said. "Households back then consumed much less. Today’s family is purchasing a much higher material standard of living. What is considered 'normal' today would have been a dream to many a few decades ago. For example, the material things that improve our quality of life which were mere dreams are now not only attainable by most, but vastly cheaper. Think about computers, televisions, household technology, air travel, etc. Times have changed, yes, and with that comes difficulties, but also incredible advantages and benefits."
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Pipko added that immigration, artificial intelligence, and post-pandemic work shifts are compounding the tough entry-level job market for recent graduates. She cautioned against abusing H-1B visas for cheaper labor, warning that such practices put "American graduates in direct competition for the entry-level jobs that traditionally gave them their start."
Link Lauren, an influencer and former senior advisor to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also told Fox News Digital, "For years, I’ve recommended trade and technical schools. If you go to college and major in queer theater or LatinX literature, don’t be shocked when there aren’t tons of jobs waiting for you. Unless you really need that four-year degree to go on to medical school or law school, you really have to think twice about spending all that time and money on a college campus. The American dream is certainly attainable. But the landscape has shifted. This is something Charlie Kirk spoke about often."
Fox News Digital also reached out to Frost's campaign and did not receive an immediate reply.
Suspected DUI driver leads cops on wild chase before dramatic takedown on popular California beach
A man accused of driving recklessly led police on an erratic pursuit through San Diego before the chase spilled onto a popular beach Sunday morning, where stunned beachgoers watched officers move in and take him into custody.
The chaotic pursuit began just before 7:30 a.m. when the San Diego Police Department received multiple calls from witnesses reporting a man driving recklessly in the Pacific Beach neighborhood, police told Fox News Digital.
Witnesses described a man behind the wheel of a tan or gold Nissan Frontier doing donuts in parking lots, nearly hitting other vehicles and possibly striking curbs and a retaining wall, according to police.
Officers arrived in the area within minutes and spotted the truck heading west toward the ocean. An officer attempted a traffic stop, but police said the driver fled and a pursuit ensued.
HUNDREDS BLOCK FLORIDA INTERSTATE IN ALLEGED STREET TAKEOVER BEFORE 140 MPH POLICE CHASE
Officers eventually terminated the pursuit because of what police described as the driver's "increasing wanton disregard to public safety."
BODYCAM SHOWS POLICE K-9 LEAPING INTO ACTION AFTER SUSPECTED IMPAIRED DRIVER REFUSED TO SURRENDER
Police later located the truck again, but the driver allegedly failed to yield a second time, sparking another pursuit that officers also terminated.
By then, police said the Nissan was wanted in connection with felony evading, and officers saturated the area in an effort to locate it.
WATCH: DEPUTIES HUNT WANTED MAN THROUGH CORNFIELD AFTER HIGH-SPEED CHASE CAUGHT ON CAMERA
Officers eventually spotted the truck again driving slowly but held off on another attempted stop until the department's ABLE, or Airborne Law Enforcement, helicopter was overhead and able to track it.
The helicopter followed the Nissan as it drove onto the beach and headed toward the water, police said.
WATCH: FELONY SUSPECT'S OCEAN GETAWAY UNRAVELS AFTER 90-MINUTE STANDOFF WITH LIFEGUARDS
Video from the scene shows stunned beachgoers watching as officers converge on the pickup on the sand. The driver, identified by police as 25-year-old Griffin Charles Foy, is seen outside the truck with his hands raised as officers move in to detain him.
A police K-9 was also at the scene but was not deployed during Foy’s arrest, authorities said.
FLORIDA MAN IN BUNNY HELMET ALLEGEDLY LED POLICE ON 120 MPH CHASE BEFORE SURRENDERING TO TROOPERS
Police said officers conducted a high-risk vehicle stop because of the nature of the alleged violations and Foy's "disregard to public safety."
Foy was taken into custody without further incident.
He was booked into San Diego Central Jail on charges of felony evading a peace officer with wanton disregard for safety, obstructing or resisting a peace officer and driving under the influence of drugs, according to police.
Despite the chaotic pursuit, police said no one was injured.