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NBA legend Lenny Wilkens, rare Hall of Fame inductee as player and coach, dead at 88
Lenny Wilkens, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as both a player and coach, died Sunday at 88.
Wilkens, who played 15 years in the NBA — including four seasons as a player-coach — was one of just five men to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in both roles. The others were John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and Bill Russell.
"Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA — as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time."
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Wilkens made nine NBA All-Star teams during his playing career and twice led the league in assists. Standing just over six feet tall, he broke into the league after a standout career at Providence College, where he helped lead the Friars to their first NIT appearance in 1959 and an NIT finals berth in 1960.
A two-time All-American at Providence, Wilkens became the first player in school history to have his jersey retired, in 1996.
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Wilkens was selected by the then–St. Louis Hawks in the first round of the 1960 NBA Draft. He played only 20 games in his second season after serving in the military, but upon returning full time, he became a cornerstone for the Hawks.
St. Louis reached the playoffs six straight seasons with Wilkens, a Brooklyn native who didn’t play basketball in high school until his senior year. He made five All-Star teams during that span and averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds over 555 games in eight seasons with the Hawks.
The Hawks traded Wilkens to the expansion Seattle SuperSonics in 1968, where he flourished. He averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds in his first season, then led the league in assists (9.1) the following year.
Before the 1969-70 season, SuperSonics general manager Dick Vertlieb named Wilkens player-coach. He helped set the tone on and off the court, guiding Seattle to its first winning season in his third year in the dual role.
The smooth left-hander continued to rack up assists in Seattle, then spent two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and finished his career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974-75.
Wilkens ranks 17th on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 7,211 across 1,077 games.
He also served as a player-coach in Portland before moving full time into coaching. Wilkens later returned to Seattle for the 1977-78 season, leading the SuperSonics to the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Washington Bullets for the franchise’s first and only championship.
Wilkens went on to coach the Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, compiling a 1,332-1,155 record (.536) over 2,487 regular-season games. His playoff record stood at 80-98.
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NFL Week 10 scores: Dolphins shock Bills, Matthew Stafford leads Rams to win
There were several NFL teams that could have used a victory as the playoff races tightened in Week 10 of the 2025 season.
Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers and Green Bay Packers were among them. Among the teams that came out on top before Sunday night’s matchup between the Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers were the Ravens and Lions.
Baltimore picked up a win over the Minnesota Vikings as the team set its sights on the AFC North lead. Detroit rebounded and put together a masterful offensive performance in a win over the Washington Commanders.
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The Falcons fell to the Indianapolis Colts in overtime in Berlin, while the Jaguars gave up 26 fourth-quarter points and lost to the Houston Texans.
The Miami Dolphins pulled off the biggest upset of the day with a win over the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins snapped a five-game losing streak against Buffalo.
Read below for the rest of the NFL scoreboard.
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Transgender ex-lawmaker, first in state's history, pleads guilty to federal child sex abuse charges
Stacie-Marie Laughton, a former New Hampshire lawmaker who is believed to be the first elected openly transgender lawmaker in U.S. history, recently pleaded guilty to child sex abuse charges in federal court.
According to WMUR, the 41-year-old ex-politician recently entered her plea in a Boston federal courtroom. The charges included sexual exploitation of children involving child sexual abuse materials.
Laughton, who authorities identify using feminine pronouns, is accused of working with her ex-girlfriend Lindsay Groves to exploit children at a daycare center called Creative Minds in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts.
Groves, a former employee of the daycare center, took nude photographs of children and sent them to Laughton in 2022, while Laughton served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
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According to an affidavit filed that year, authorities said that Groves took four photos of children under the age of 5.
Per the filing, Laughton and Groves "exchanged thousands of text messages" around the time that the images were sent. In the messages, Laughton expressed interest in having sex with the children, according to investigators.
When Laughton was elected as a state representative in 2012, she was considered to be the first openly transgender person elected to a state legislature. She was also the first one in New Hampshire's history.
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However, Althea Garrison, a former Massachusetts state representative elected in 1992, was technically the first transgender elected lawmaker, though not openly. She did not come out until shortly after the 1992 election.
Laughton's political career was marked by complications and legal troubles. Shortly after Laughton was elected in 2012, she announced that she would not serve due to previous felony-level credit card fraud convictions.
She tried to run again in 2014, but the New Hampshire Ballot Law Commission denied her request on the basis of the suspended sentence. In 2020, Laughton ran to represent the New Hampshire House of Representatives for District 31 and won.
She represented Nashua's Ward 3 until 2022, when she resigned after being arrested over a stalking incident.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to what to expect tonight on the government shutdown
The Senate is moving toward a test vote tonight to break a filibuster on a new GOP spending plan. This test vote is not to be underestimated. If the Senate breaks a filibuster on the test vote tonight, it’s likely the government shutdown is just a few days from ending.
Here’s what we expect:
Sometime between 8 and 10 pm EST, the Senate will take the test vote to break the filibuster on the revised GOP spending package. The revamped bill re-opens the government through at least January 30. That buys lawmakers time to work on individual spending bills. However, the package includes full spending bills until next fall for the Department of Agriculture, veterans and military construction programs plus Congress.
It’s about the math. Sixty yeas are needed to break a filibuster Republicans believe they can get a group of Democrats to side with them to at least break the filibuster.
SENATE COULD TAKE TEST VOTE ON NEW SPENDING BILL AS EARLY AS SUNDAY AFTERNOON
FOX is told to keep an eye on these senators who caucus with the Democrats: Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Mark Warner, D-Va., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Angus King, I-Maine, and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. Also keep an eye on Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has expressed interest in opening the government.
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In addition, it is unclear if Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., could vote yes. Paul previously voted to block the old GOP funding plan. A potential yea or nay vote by Paul could determine how many Democrats are needed to break the filibuster. After all, it’s about the math.
Voting to break the filibuster does not necessarily mean that these senators would eventually vote for the underlying bill. However, Republicans can haul the freight on their own with a simple majority and won’t need any Democrats for final passage.
What happens if the Senate scores 60 yeas? By the book, it would take until NEXT weekend to get to a final vote on the bill. But that probably doesn’t happen.
There are two schools of thought:
One school says that Democrats are frustrated with one another and just want to get out of the Capitol. So it’s possible they could forge a time agreement and vote on final passage of the bill overnight tonight or maybe during the daylight hours on Monday.
The other school says Democrats are so mad over the health care capitulation that they require the Senate to burn significant time over the next few days and pass the bill mid-week.
Some Democrats are outraged that their colleagues may help out the GOP and re-open the government – without an ironclad agreement to re-up expiring Obamacare subsidies. This chasm will spark a Democratic civil war. House Democrats fumed at Senate Democrats for helping the GOP avoid a shutdown in March. This battle will only intensify between those who support the test vote tonight and those who were dug in on Obamacare.
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Moreover, it’s entirely possible that Democrats blocked government funding for 40 days – and their own party threw them under the bus without a solution to the Obamacare problem.
However, Democrats pushing for the Obamacare assistance may have lost the battle - but could yet win the war. They have successfully put the health care affordability issue on the radar and could force Republicans and President Trump to address it. If they don’t Democrats may have secured a crucial issue ahead of next year’s midterms.
Here’s another factor:
Some rank-and-file Democrats are fuming at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Liberals raged at Schumer when he sided with the GOP in the spring. Now some think Schumer overcorrected and went too far this time. This could have consequences for leadership elections down the road.
So what changed for some Democrats?
The pressure of the shutdown was beginning to mount. It was a toxic combination of aviation delays (with the holidays looming), air traffic controllers off their jobs, federal workers missing paychecks, no distribution of SNAP benefits, Capitol Police officers and Congressional aides working without pay… you name it. Plus, some Democrats scored spending priorities important to them in the appropriations bills tacked on to the package. That’s what makes this measure different from the one which Democrats have blocked since late September. And, a new funding deadline of January 30 gives lawmakers the chance to finish the other spending bills and get their big asks into those bills. So, it was a combination of things which altered the equation.
Iran's 'water bankruptcy' will weaken regime and nuclear program, UN expert warns
Iran is facing its worst drought in decades, raising fears of evacuations in Tehran while threatening the regime’s stability and nuclear ambitions, according to a leading environmental expert.
Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, said Iran’s worsening "water bankruptcy" would impact the country’s ability to function and weaken its position on the global stage.
"This water bankruptcy weakens Iran on the world stage," Madani told Fox News Digital.
"If they want to stick to their ideology and fight with the West, they must use their natural resources and burn them, so if there is no water, there is less resilience and less capacity to resist."
Madani, who has long warned of environmental mismanagement in Iran, said the current water crisis across the nation was predictable.
"The water bankruptcy situation was not created overnight," he said. "The house was already on fire, and people like myself had warned the government for years that this situation would emerge."
President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that without rainfall before winter, Tehran could face partial evacuation, according to The Associated Press.
NETANYAHU SENDS MESSAGE TO PEOPLE OF IRAN AS COUNTRY FACES WATER CRISIS
Of the five major dams supplying the capital, one has already run dry and another is operating below 8% capacity, according to AP.
Energy Minister Abbas Alibadi also announced that water supplies will be cut off on some evenings to refill reservoirs, urging citizens to reduce consumption by 20% to avoid rationing.
"The symptoms were already present, and now the flames are undeniable. We are discussing Day Zero, when the taps would run dry in Tehran and other cities once immune to shortages," Madani said.
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"Iran is in a state of water bankruptcy, the result of decades of mismanagement, worsened by prolonged drought and climate change," he added.
Madani also said that the collapse of basic infrastructure could spark wider unrest.
"When people are out of water and electricity, you face domestic and national security problems that even Iran’s enemies, not even President Trump or Prime Minister Netanyahu, could have wished for this to happen."
Madani warned that the crisis threatens not just its citizens but also Iran’s energy and nuclear infrastructure.
Despite U.S. claims that airstrikes destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilites, new intelligence reported by The New York Times suggested ongoing enrichment at a fortified site known as Pickaxe Mountain.
"If water and electricity shortages persist, any nuclear program would also be impacted," Madani claimed.
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"Lack of rain means less hydropower generation, leading to both water and power outages," he said.
The U.S. and its allies reimposed sweeping sanctions on Iran’s oil exports and banking sector and the end of the 2015 nuclear deal triggered penalties.
"Additionally, they face the issue of sanctions," said Madani, "There were already sanctions in place, imposed by the United States and there were also Security Council sanctions that, as you know, have been reintroduced."
"Iran is in resistance mode, and remaining in this mode means increased pressure on Iran's ecosystem, natural resources, and water, but it also means heightened concerns about food insecurity issues and dependence on food imports."
Evacuation of Tehran, however, remains improbable, Madani said. "People have jobs, children are in school, so it can’t happen overnight. The government hopes for rain, but people are already afraid."
"Iran is in resistance mode, and remaining in this mode means increased pressure on Iran's ecosystem of natural resources and water," Madani concluded.
Texans score 26 fourth-quarter points to complete dramatic comeback victory over Jaguars
A thrilling AFC South matchup between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars ended with a 26-point fourth quarter for Houston, leading to a crucial come-from-behind victory at home.
The 36-29 finish in favor of the Texans gave them a 4-5 record on the season, while the Jaguars fell to 5-4.
It was all Jaguars for the first three quarters, as Trevor Lawrence and company took a 29-10 lead into the fourth. But Davis Mills, starting in place of the injured C.J. Stroud, never backed down and came through in the clutch over the final 15 minutes.
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Mills and the Texans’ offense scored a touchdown on all three of their fourth-quarter drives, including the veteran quarterback capping a 14-play, 93-yard drive with a 14-yard run to complete the comeback and give Houston a 30-29 lead — its first of the game.
Mills found rookie receiver Jayden Higgins from 12 yards out for his first fourth-quarter score, and after a three-and-out by Jacksonville, he connected with tight end Dalton Schultz to get the NRG Stadium crowd roaring as Houston cut the deficit to five with plenty of time left on the clock.
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Lawrence and the Jaguars still had a chance for a miracle if they could reach field goal range for Cam Little, who rewrote the NFL record books in Week 9 with his 68-yard field goal — the longest in league history.
Lawrence made things interesting when he scrambled for 21 yards to reach midfield with 21 seconds to play. Then, Parker Washington, who had scored on both offense and a punt return earlier in the game, caught a 12-yard pass to move into Houston territory. However, an illegal use of hands penalty wiped out the play and spoiled the drive.
On the very next snap, Lawrence was strip-sacked by Will Anderson Jr., and veteran defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins recovered and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown as time expired to seal the victory.
Just a few weeks ago, the Denver Broncos shocked the New York Giants with a 33-point fourth quarter to win at home. While Houston’s rally wasn’t quite as explosive, the Texans pulled off what once seemed impossible.
Mills finished 27-of-45 for 292 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. On the other sideline, Lawrence went 13-for-23 for 158 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
For Houston, Nico Collins lived up to his No. 1 receiver status, hauling in seven of 15 targets for 136 yards to lead all players. For Jacksonville, Travis Etienne Jr. scored once while rushing for 58 yards on 16 carries, and Jakobi Meyers, making his Jaguars debut on his 29th birthday, caught three passes for 41 yards.
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Illegal immigrant dodges deportation for decade before allegedly killing man in DUI hit-and-run
A Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally for more than a decade after ignoring a federal deportation order was arrested in Orange County, California, on Friday after allegedly killing a 71-year-old man in a DUI hit-and-run crash, according to federal law enforcement sources.
Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, The Orange County Register reported.
They found 71-year-old Barry William Tutt of La Verne critically injured. Emergency crews transported Tutt to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
Witnesses said a silver Ford sedan fled the scene, and detectives later identified the driver as 57-year-old Humberto Munoz Gatica of Laguna Niguel, according to The Register.
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Gatica was tracked down, arrested on charges of DUI and related offenses, and booked into the Orange County Jail. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Federal law-enforcement sources told Fox News that Gatica was first arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2011 for being in the country illegally.
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He was released under the Obama administration with a notice to appear in court but never did, leading a federal immigration judge to order his deportation in absentia in 2012.
Gatica has remained an ICE fugitive since that ruling, officials said, living in California, which designates itself a sanctuary state.
Authorities said he was driving under the influence in Dana Point on Friday when he allegedly struck Tutt and fled.
Jail records show Gatica faces charges of DUI causing death or bodily injury and hit-and-run causing death or bodily injury.
Federal officials also told Fox News that Gatica was arrested in 2011 on a robbery charge in Orange County but later pleaded to grand theft as part of a plea deal.
Trump says Commanders 'have to get a touchdown' while in FOX booth; Washington's QB finds receiver for score
President Donald Trump stepped into the FOX booth in between legendary play-by-play man Kenny Albert and analyst Jonathan Vilma during the Washington Commanders’ game against the Detroit Lions.
Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota drove down the field to get Washington in the red zone.
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"I think this is a very important couple of plays," Trump said as Mariota took the snap on 2nd-and-7 from the Lions’ 9-yard line. "… They have to get a touchdown. Let’s put it differently. They just have to get a touchdown. Forget about the play."
Washington scored two plays later when Mariota threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel. The Commanders failed to make the 2-point conversion and were down 16 points to the Lions.
Trump was at Northwest Stadium for the NFL’s "Salute to Service" festivities. He read off names of enlistees into the U.S. military. He was the first sitting president to attend a regular-season game since President Jimmy Carter did it in 1978.
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Albert mentioned to Trump that Carter’s attendance came on the same day Bucky Dent etched his name into the annals of history between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
Trump has been at a few major sporting events since he was inaugurated for his second term, including the Super Bowl, Daytona 500, the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup.
"I just love it. It’s a microcosm of life," he said of sports. "It’s sort of like life. The good the bad and the ugly."
Air Force One flew over Northwest Stadium before landing at Joint Base Andrews. Trump arrived just before halftime of the game.
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Maryland Gov Wes Moore brushes off top state Democrat's warning on redistricting possibly backfiring
Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., dismissed concerns from Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a fellow Democrat, over his new push to redraw the state’s congressional map on Sunday.
In a letter last month, Ferguson urged his party to avoid pursuing mid-cycle redistricting measures to redraw Maryland's congressional lines, fearing that the process could backfire.
"I believe that mid-cycle redistricting in Maryland twists rules for potential short-term advantage while undermining trust in institutions and ultimately, democracy, but that is not the reason we should not pursue it," Ferguson wrote. "Simply put, it is too risky and jeopardizes Maryland’s ability to fight against the radical Trump Administration."
Moore told CBS' "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan that "fighting for democracy is never risky" and stood by his order to form a redistricting commission despite Ferguson's objections.
"My job is to make sure that I'm protecting the democratic process," Moore said. "The Senate President and I, we agree on the crisis that Donald Trump has put us in. He agrees on the fact that we have watched an administration that's using the Constitution like it's a suggestion box."
"Where we differ is the urgency that this moment requires, the fight that this moment requires," he continued. "And I personally am someone who is not going to allow Donald Trump to determine whether or not Maryland follows this idea of saying, are we going to do everything we can to make sure we're preserving our democracy."
Brennan pressed Moore over whether he considered redistricting efforts in Maryland to be "fair," noting that Maryland has only one Republican representative. Moore insisted that he would not be drawing the maps and only wants a bipartisan commission to balance out redistricting efforts in other states.
"I want this bipartisan commission to be able to actually speak with the people and to be able to go through their process and just simply say that if other states are going to go through this process, that we're not just going to sit on our hands because Donald Trump tells us to," Moore said. "That's not the way this process is going to work."
Fox News Digital reached out to Ferguson for comment.
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Moore is not the only blue state leader attempting to redraw congressional districts. On Tuesday, voters passed California Gov. Gavin Newsom's Proposition 50, which returns power to redraw congressional lines from a nonpartisan redistricting commission to the California legislature.
Newsom's ballot measure came after Texas Republicans successfully passed a new congressional map, which added five new Republican-leaning districts in the state.
Experts warn of security risks to America's kids as photos expose those up for adoption
Though we've made progress, "there's still a long way to go" when it comes to the adoption process, says a family expert — including protecting the safety of young people who are in foster care as they await permanent, loving families.
The Selfless Love Foundation’s National Think Tank is a collective force of change-makers aiming to improve the foster care adoption process in this country. The annual conference, which took place in October, brings together young people who have experienced foster care, as well as child welfare leaders and policymakers from over 30 states.
The National Think Tank is a strategic plan to influence federal policy and state-level action to transform the foster care adoption process to best serve children.
FACILITATING THE INTEGRATION OF ADOPTED CHILDREN INTO YOUR FAMILY
On the heels of the October 2025 Think Tank, lead researchers from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago will create a road map and actionable next steps for each state.
For National Adoption Month in November, I spoke with Ashley Brown, founder and CEO of Selfless Love. She and her husband started their nonprofit 10 years ago, in 2015 — and she has said her own adoption as an infant "changed the trajectory" of her life. She's been on "America's Newsroom" several times. Read on for her thoughtful answers to some important questions!
Ashley Brown: As a nation, we’ve made progress, but there’s still a long way to go. Many people would be surprised to learn that in most states, photos of children available for adoption are posted publicly online.
While that approach to adoption recruitment may have made sense before the internet's evolution — it can also put young people at risk.
In Florida, Selfless Love Foundation worked alongside youth to help pass a law that protects children’s images from public view. It also gives children aged 12 and up a say in the photos and information shared on adoption sites.
An entire day of the National Think Tank was dedicated to this specific issue. We also looked at adoption recruitment and post-adoption support for families, as the goal is not just child placement — but permanency.
Brown: One of the biggest obstacles to progress is the lack of a federal policy to protect children’s privacy and to give them a voice in how they’re represented.
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Each state is left to make its own decisions, and young people lack concrete rights and protections across the board. They are the experts — and they must be included in the decisions that affect them most.
Brown: What really stood out was how little protection there is for children in the adoption process. There is no federal law and very limited state laws that even acknowledge young people's right to choose how they’re represented in adoption recruitment.
That gap highlights how far we have to go and where we should start.
It also reminds us that rights, recruitment and post-adoption support are connected. We can’t fix one without strengthening the others.
Brown: The most immediate and achievable step is to support legislation that gives youth the right to choose how they’re represented in adoption recruitment, protecting their privacy, dignity and safety.
Researchers from Chapin Hall will prepare a report on the key findings from the National Think Tank, which will help state and federal leaders better understand the importance of youth rights in adoption.
Brown: One theme we heard over and over at the National Think Tank was the power of community. Kids in foster care and those who have aged out of the system need to know they have support and that people care.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Selfless Love Foundation is able to offer this National Think Tank at no cost, including scholarships to cover youth’s travel and accommodations.
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The best way people can help is by allowing more young people to attend events like this, where their voices are heard, their experiences are valued — and they are part of transforming the system.
With no national standard in place, we leave a vulnerable group of children without clear protections.
We already recognize a child’s right to choose adoption.
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Extending that principle to how they are portrayed is a matter of policy alignment and fairness. To help, and to learn more, anyone can visit selflesslovefoundation.org.