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Pelosi institute launching at Berkeley after former speaker leaves Congress
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will lend her name to a new institute at the University of California, Berkeley after retiring from Congress, with the school announcing Monday it has already raised $35 million toward a $50 million goal for the center, which will focus on representative democracy and public leadership.
The Nancy Pelosi Institute for Representative Democracy, or NPI, opening in January 2027 when Pelosi is set to leave Congress, will serve as a hub for research, teaching and civic engagement, according to the university. The institute will also allow Pelosi, the first Californian elected speaker of the House, to co-teach a course on Congress.
According to UC Berkeley, a university known as a bastion of progressive activism, the institute will focus on four areas: strengthening American democracy, addressing major social, economic and environmental challenges, promoting human and civil rights, and "ensuring political leadership that represents the full spectrum of perspectives and backgrounds in California and the country."
DEMOCRATS’ MIDTERM PUSH CLOUDED BY INFIGHTING OVER PARTY KEEPING 2024 AUTOPSY UNDER WRAPS
The university said locating the institute at UC Berkeley will make its programs accessible to a diverse student body, including many first-generation and low-income students, while giving future public leaders opportunities typically associated with Ivy League schools.
"The work of democracy is never finished, and securing its future is our greatest calling," Pelosi said in a statement. "UC Berkeley has a long, proud history of challenging the status quo and producing leaders who run toward the greatest challenges of our time. I am honored to partner with this exceptional community of scholars and students so we can equip the next generation with the tools they need to strengthen our democratic institutions and forge a future that serves the public good."
In a statement, Rich Lyons, chancellor of UC Berkeley, said that the purpose of the institute "will be defined and strengthened by Berkeley’s ability to bring together world-class faculty and extraordinary students and by our commitment, as the country’s preeminent public university, to advancing the greater good."
"We intend to do more than simply study democracy; we are building this institute to strengthen it," he added.
Fox News Digital reached out to UC Berkeley for further comment.
Pelosi, 86, served two four-year stints as the first, and to date, only female Speaker of the House. Her first was from 2007 to 2011, spanning the end and beginning of the Bush and Obama administrations, and her second was from 2019 to 2023.
California state Sen. Scott Wiener and Pelosi-endorsed San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan, both Democrats, are now fighting to claim her deep-blue district. A video of Wiener being screamed at and chased out of a trans rights event by anti-Israel figures in San Francisco went viral over the weekend.
PELOSI DISTANCES HERSELF FROM ALLY SWALWELL AMID SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS
Alito blasts latest SCOTUS ballot ruling as invitation to ‘voter fraud’ risks
Justice Samuel Alito cautioned on Monday that the Supreme Court’s decision to allow ballots received after Election Day to be counted could lead large sections of the public to view elections as illegitimate.
While Alito had legal concerns with the majority’s ruling, arguing that they misinterpreted when the "electorate’s choice" occurs, he closed his dissent by issuing a practical warning. Allowing late-arriving ballots to determine the outcomes of elections long after Election Day will, according to Alito, severely damage the trust Americans place in their electoral system.
"Not only is today’s decision inconsistent with statutory text, legal context, historical practice, and precedent; it also threatens to produce lamentable consequences," he wrote. "The majority’s holding spawns a slurry of troubling election-law questions and risks further undermining Americans’ confidence in election integrity."
SUPREME COURT RULES ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS RECEIVED AFTER ELECTION DAY
Alito went on to describe a hypothetical scenario where the outcome of a presidential election hinges on a single state that allows late-arriving mail ballots to be counted. In the scenario described by the justice, one candidate leads by 15,000 votes on election night only for the opposing candidate to slowly gain votes and, a few days before electors are scheduled to vote, pull ahead by just under 100 votes.
"If the apparent winner the morning after the election ends up losing due to late arriving ballots, charges of a rigged election could explode," Justice Brett Kavanaugh also noted during the case’s oral arguments.
Alito didn’t simply claim that the ruling could affect how people view elections; he argued that it could open the door for fraud.
SUPREME COURT RULES ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS RECEIVED AFTER ELECTION DAY
"Today’s decision leaves open opportunities for voter fraud that may further undermine Americans’ faith in the integrity of this country’s elections. Diverse sources have recognized that mail-in ballots increase the potential for fraud," Alito continued. "In 2005, a committee chaired by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker found that absentee voting was ‘the largest source of potential voter fraud’ in American elections."
While instances of voter fraud carried out using mail-in ballots have been recorded, there is no evidence that widespread fraud occurred in the 2020 or 2024 presidential elections.
Democrats, meanwhile, argue that allowing states to process ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive afterward, is essential to ensuring that all eligible voters have a say in who governs them.
SUPREME COURT RULES ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS RECEIVED AFTER ELECTION DAY
"I’m relieved the Supreme Court is not interfering with Washington’s mail-in ballot system," Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., wrote on X. "If you work a shift job, have young kids, or live out in the woods, you can’t just knock off for the day to go stand in line at a polling place. For decades, Washington’s secure vote by mail system has made it easy for these folks to participate in democracy and make their voice heard."
The majority, however, did not address whether allowing late ballots to be counted was good policy, stating that such a consideration is outside the scope of what the court has authority to rule on.
"Finally, plaintiffs assert that requiring ballots to be received by Election Day protects election integrity and increases voter confidence in election results," Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote. "As we have said time and again, however, policy arguments are properly directed to legislatures, not courts."
Trump says he will 'continue the fight' after Supreme Court declines to review Carroll abuse verdict
President Donald Trump appeared surprised after the U.S. Supreme Court said it would not hear his appeal of a $5 million verdict that found he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll and later defamed her.
The high court declined to take up the case, leaving the $5 million judgment in place. In 2023, a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in 1996 inside a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room, awarding her $5 million. In 2024, another jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in a separate defamation case over Trump’s denials and attacks after she accused him.
The justices did not provide an explanation for Monday's decision.
"Surprisingly, the Supreme Court declined to ‘review’ a Fake Case brought against me by a woman I never met (Decades old celebrity photo line, standing with her husband, does not count!)," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength."
"This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for," he added, "and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be!"
Trump’s attorneys argued that the trial judge violated federal evidence rules by admitting the infamous Access Hollywood tape — in which Trump is heard bragging about grabbing women by their genitals — and by allowing the jury to hear from two other women who accused Trump of sexual assault, allegations he denies.
Carroll's lawyers countered that the women’s testimony was relevant because the allegations were highly similar, and they noted that Judge Lewis Kaplan’s evidentiary decisions aligned with legal precedents across the country.
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS $83.3M E. JEAN CARROLL JUDGMENT AGAINST TRUMP
"Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms once and for all the jury’s unanimous verdict that President Donald J. Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll. His multiple efforts to appeal that verdict have all failed, and today’s ruling ends his quest to avoid accountability for his actions," said Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney.
In a separate statement, Trump's legal team stated: "The American People stand with President Trump as they demand an immediate end to all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded travesty of the Carroll Hoaxes. President Trump will keep winning against Liberal Lawfare, as he continues to focus on his mission to Make America Great Again."
In his Truth Social post, Trump also accused New York state lawmakers of explicitly targeting him.
"New York State created a Law, for an instant speck of time, going back many decades, in order to wrongfully ‘nab’ me," he wrote. "It was tailor-made, and this Injustice cannot be allowed to stand!"
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Anthony Rizzo calls out Jazz Chisholm's 'immaturity' after ejection during Yankees' Fenway Park sweep
A former New York Yankees teammate of Jazz Chisholm Jr. doesn’t like how the star second baseman conducted himself in what led to an ejection in Sunday night’s loss to the Boston Red Sox.
The Yankees were swept out of Fenway Park in four games in a weekend to forget, and that frustration came to a head when Chisholm argued a third-strike call by home plate umpire Adam Hamari.
Chisholm, who tossed his helmet in the heated exchange, was thrown out of the game despite efforts from his manager, Aaron Boone, and first-base coach Dan Fiorito to diffuse the infielder’s rage.
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Anthony Rizzo, who used to play right next to Chisholm at first base in pinstripes, was on the NBC/Peacock broadcast on Sunday night, where he leaned into his behavior.
"You just have to be smarter there," Rizzo stated. "Jazz is such a big part of this offense and they need to get him going and to get ejected there. …it shows a little bit of immaturity there."
MLB SUSPENDS YANKEES' JAZZ CHISHOLM JR. ONE GAME FOR SOCIAL MEDIA OUTBURST AFTER EJECTION
The Yankees have now dropped seven of their last 10 ballgames, hitting a skid fans are used to midway through the season as summer begins. New York has had trouble staying consistent in the summer across recent seasons, and though they’re still very much in playoff contention, it’s a skid that Rizzo said players like Chisholm need to recognize.
"The team’s scuffling, they need him in the lineup, and now he puts [Anthony] Volpe in a tough position coming in completely cold," Rizzo added.
To make matters worse, Chishom didn’t stay in the clubhouse after the 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Red Sox, leaving before reporters could be allowed in. Instead of facing the music, the reporters will have to ask another time.
However, Chisholm hasn’t shied away from sharing his feelings no matter the topic since entering the league with the Miami Marlins. He was traded to the Yankees before the MLB deadline in 2024, where he’s been ever since.
But it’s a free agent year for the second baseman, who stated before the 2026 campaign that his goal was a 50-50 season like Shohei Ohtani accomplished. Ohtani, though, is the only player in MLB history to accomplish that feat. Chisholm, who set a career-high with 31 homers in 2025, has just 12 this year with 24 stolen bases.
Chisholm is slashing .223/.306/.399 with a .706 OPS, which would be his lowest mark of his career if the season ended today (excluding the 21 games he played with Miami in 2020).
The Yankees also remain without three-time AL MVP Aaron Judge, who continues to rehab a stress fracture in his rib. There is no timetable for his return.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Savannah Guthrie was 'surprised and dismayed' by doubts she would return to 'Today' after mom's disappearance
NBC’s "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie was reportedly upset by rumors that she wouldn't return to work after her mother's disappearance.
Nancy Guthrie went missing on Feb. 1, prompting a nationwide search that took Savannah Guthrie away from "Today" for more than two months amid a desperate search that has come up empty.
When her mother went missing, Guthrie reportedly "barely thought about work or how she might eventually handle her return" until she caught wind that some of her peers doubted whether she would return to NBC’s flagship morning show.
"When the media newsletter Status reported, just two weeks after Nancy’s likely kidnapping, that ‘a majority of TV veterans’ interviewed ‘expressed doubts’ that Guthrie would ever go back to Today, she was surprised and dismayed," New York Magazine’s Irin Carmon wrote for the publication’s Vulture entertainment vertical.
EMAILER IN NANCY GUTHRIE CASE CLAIMS TO POSSESS VIDEO OF 'MAIN GUY' WITH SAVANNAH GUTHRIE'S MOTHER
"As the case dragged on without resolution, the question became harder to avoid," Carmon continued. "According to the source close to her, Guthrie worried about her ability to hold it together on air and whether the dark cloud around the story could somehow harm the show."
Proving doubters wrong, Guthrie returned to air 64 days after the shocking disappearance. On her first day back, the "Today" anchor donned yellow in support of her mother while sitting next to Craig Melvin, who wore a yellow tie and ribbon pin to match.
Guthrie acknowledged prayers and letters from fans and declared it was "good to be home," but largely stuck to business as usual and never mentioned her mother by name during the show.
"It was ‘Savannah’s idea,’ a senior staffer told me, that they would all say as little as possible about her absence. A person close to the show said everyone acknowledged that ‘most viewers were not tuning in to have a séance about her missing mom,’" Carmon wrote.
"Melvin patted her hand and said, ‘It is good to have you back at home,’ but the anchors kept it brisk," he continued. She didn’t cry until about an hour and a half in, when she and other hosts greeted well-wishers on the plaza."
NBC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nancy Guthrie is believed to have been taken from her home against her will and was last seen when her son-in-law dropped her off at home around 10 p.m. the night before she went missing.
A masked man who appeared on Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera around the time authorities said she was taken is described as being of average height and build and carrying a black Ozark Trail backpack. He appeared to be armed with a handgun.
A person purporting to have direct knowledge of the abduction claims to have video evidence and that there were two kidnappers directly involved, according to TMZ founder Harvey Levin, who received the message.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE SAYS FAMILY IN 'AGONY' IN FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE MOTHER NANCY'S DISAPPEARANCE
Levin revealed the latest email in a series of messages he said he's received since the early days of the case, from someone claiming to know what happened to Nancy Guthrie.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed the legitimacy of the first two notes that have been deemed possibly authentic — or the TMZ emails, and sources close to the investigation appear split when it comes to the legitimacy.
Anyone with information on Guthrie's case is asked to dial 1-800-CALL-FBI. There is a combined reward of more than $1.2 million for information that cracks the case. Tips can be provided anonymously to Tucson's Crime Stoppers affiliate, 88-Crime, at 1-520-882-7463.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
Gabriel Martinelli's 96th-minute goal rescues Brazil from Japan upset in World Cup Round of 32
Soccer isn't played with the same strict clock as most other sports, but Brazil came about as close to a buzzer-beater as the sport allows.
After a beautiful passing display from the five-time World Cup champions, Gabriel Martinelli found the back of the net in the 96th minute to give Brazil a 2-1 victory over Japan.
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Brazil entered Monday's Round of 32 match against Japan as heavy favorites to advance, but it was the Japanese who struck first. Kaishu Sano scored for Japan, a team that finished second in Group F after drawing the Netherlands and Sweden and beating Tunisia 4-0, so this was hardly an overmatched opponent despite the massive difference in World Cup history.
CANADA SCORES IN 92ND MINUTE TO EARN FIRST WORLD CUP KNOCKOUT STAGE VICTORY OVER SOUTH AFRICA
The goal came from a Brazil mistake near midfield. Sano picked off a misplaced pass, carried the ball himself and ripped a right-footed shot from just outside the box past Alisson to give Japan a shocking lead in the 29th minute.
Brazil controlled the action in the second half and it felt like an equalizer was imminent. That turned out to be the case, as Casemiro tied the game on a header from inside the box just over ten minutes into the second half.
Casemiro nearly tied it two minutes earlier, but he didn’t waste his next chance. Gabriel Magalhães sent a ball into the box, and Casemiro put his header just out of the reach of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to finally break through.
Brazil nearly took the lead almost immediately. Vinícius Júnior, who has been one of the stars of the tournament for Brazil, got loose on the left side of the box in the 58th minute, but Suzuki got enough of the shot to send it off the far post.
Gabriel Martinelli, who came on in the second half, eventually delivered the moment Brazil spent almost the entire match chasing. He received the ball inside the left channel, took a touch and calmly sent a low shot off the far post.
Brazil continued to control play throughout the second half, but just couldn't get the go-ahead goal into the net. That changed at the very end, when Brazil got the goal it needed to advance to the Round of 16.
Brazil now awaits the winner of Ivory Coast-Norway for its Round of 16 opponent. Japan, meanwhile, still couldn’t find its first World Cup knockout-stage victory, but it made the five-time champions sweat until the final seconds.
Iowa Dem who touted 'strong work ethic' misses more than half of her House votes
Lindsay James, a state legislator and Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa, missed over half of her votes in the state’s House of Representatives this past year, records show.
In 2026, James missed 177 of 342 votes, according to the legislature’s records, accounting for 51.7% of the whole.
The absences clash with assurances James made about how her campaign might impact her legislative duties and has opened her up to Republican-led criticisms that she has prioritized her potential role instead of the one she has now.
"Lindsay James promised Iowans that campaigning wouldn’t distract her from the job she was elected to do. That didn’t last long," Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said.
DEM REP MIKIE SHERRILL SKIPS 145 HOUSE VOTES AS NJ GOVERNOR'S RACE HEATS UP
"James chose her own political ambitions over showing up for work, proving that when given the choice between serving constituents and serving herself, she puts herself first," Tuttle continued.
James’ campaign said that she has a track record of representing constituents well.
"Lindsay has always fought for Iowa families, taking on corporate greed and predatory landlords and writing the bill to cap the cost of insulin," Jackson Smith, a spokesperson for the campaign, said in a statement to Fox.
"While Lindsay listens to and works for the Iowans making impossible economic choices caused by Joe Mitchell and his Washington allies, Mitchell has been using his campaign cash to party with Washington insiders and will be a rubber stamp for the policies raising Iowa families’ costs," Smith said, referring to Joe Mitchell, a former state representative and a Republican candidate for the seat.
At the outset of her campaign, James told viewers in an interview that she would continue to prioritize her work in the House of Representatives despite intentions to campaign "full-time."
"Full-time campaigning and, of course, fulfilling my important work in the Iowa legislature," James said when asked whether she would also continue working as a minister.
"You know me, I have a pretty strong work ethic at the capitol, early, very late, providing for my constituents. That will never stop. That’s just who I am and how I’m wired," James said.
Even so, James, who first joined the Iowa House in 2019, has missed several key votes in the chamber.
Instead of voting on a bill to limit screen time for students in schools, she held a campaign event in Cedar Rapids on April 20, roughly two hours from Des Moines.
Just ten days later, James also missed a vote on whether to make animal torture a felony on April 30 to host a meet-and-greet at a brewery in Decorah, Iowa.
In a third case, she also skipped the chamber’s consideration of whether to lower property taxes in order to host another candidate activity in Dubuque — a three-hour drive from the capitol.
James recently won a Democratic primary earlier this month as she wages a campaign to fill the seat currently held by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa.
Hinson, who has represented the district since 2021, announced she would not seek reelection as she pursues a Senate seat to replace outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Adult actress Madison Ivy crashed a Lakers private dinner 'this might be the greatest moment of my whole life'
Madison Ivy says she and a friend of hers once found themselves at a Los Angeles Lakers private dinner in the backroom of a steakhouse in LA.
The 37-year-old adult actress, whose real name is Clorissa Briggs, told the story during a recent appearance on the Holly Randall Unfiltered podcast. The night out for the two friends started innocently enough.
Madison and her unnamed friend had dinner at BOA Steakhouse, sprinkled some "magical fungi" on dessert as they liked to do, and noticed a table of beautiful girls who were being escorted to the back by security two at a time.
MAGIC JOHNSON FACES RIDICULE FOR LOS ANGELES MAYORAL ENDORSEMENT
As the "magical fungi" kicks in, she decides it's time to find out what is going on in the back of this steakhouse. She convinces her friend to join her and the two of them head for the door in the back.
"I was confident as all hell... walk straight up to that door with those two security guards, look at both of them, and they just opened the door," Madison said.
That's when the two friends found out that the private room was occupied by the Kobe Bryant-era Lakers and the "lovely ladies" who had been taken back there by security.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
They try to lie low and sneak into the back of the room. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t work. One of the players was familiar with Madison's work and recognized her.
"If we just go stand in the background, no one is even going to notice us," she said. "One of the players, I won't name who out of respect, came right up to me and go, 'Madison Ivy, you look just like Jessica Rabbit tonight.'"
First a member of the Lakers is familiar with her work, then he's handing out Jessica Rabbit compliments. No wonder she's not naming any names out of respect. It was a moment she's never going to forget.
"I just almost hit the floor," Madison continued. "Because I was such a fan, and I was just like, 'this might be the greatest moment of my whole life.'"
Another of the Lakers ended up hanging out with her friend, and he called her for months after that. It was overall a great night for Madison Ivy, her friend, and probably Kobe and company.
Sophie Cunningham fires shots at scornful WNBA girls as jersey sales surge, Fenway proposal & Rockies Gianna!
Final Monday of June. We're here. We're in it. We've got less than 48 hours left, and then the 'ol calendar gets a big flip.
Feels like we were just talking about Memorial Day, and now we're a few days away from the big 2-5-0. The Fourth of July always feels like the last hurrah for the first part of the year, right? The rest of the month is quiet.
August is really quiet.
And then, the second half of the season cranks up the heat. Football. More football. Labor Day-Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas. Playoff baseball.
We go from 0 to 100 real quick. I've always said the second half of the year is when we thrive as a country. But I don't want to get ahead of ourselves.
This is a big week. July is a big month. This is a big birthday for this great country, even though I'm sure the Libs will try to ruin it.
Not on my watch! Let's roll.
Welcome to a Monday Nightcaps — the one where Sophie Cunningham shoots a message to the WNBA haters as the Fever take a week off. What a run for our girl. What a star.
What else? I've got the best #content you may have missed from a loaded weekend, an unfathomable Fenway Park proposal, and how about the GOLF this weekend?
Viktor Hovland beat Scottie in a playoff this morning, and it was electric. How did Scottie miss that putt?!
OK, grab you a waffle iron for National Waffle Iron Day, and settle in for a Monday 'Cap!
I'm not the biggest fan of waffles, but I will say, hotel waffles are elite. I don't know how they do it, but they somehow make them taste 100 times better than they actually are.
In the grand scheme of things, waffles are waaaaaaaaay down the list of breakfast foods. Frankly, they don't even crack the Mount Rushmore:
And that concludes the breakfast portion of our Monday class. You're welcome!
OK, let's get this thing moving with Sophie Cunningham giving the haters the finger(s) as the Fever take the week off:
For those who missed it over the weekend, Sophie went on her podcast and absolutely torched the rudderless WNBA. Just stuffed them into a locker. It was a bloodbath.
Some fun quotes:
Incredible. In case you're wondering, Sophie is currently climbing the charts in terms of popularity ... rapidly. A quick check of the WNBA's Fanatics website shows her jersey at the top with a "Most Popular" label slapped under it.
We don't have actual numbers because the WNBA doesn't provide those (neither does Fanatics), but her No. 8 jersey is currently No. 1 on the site. No idea if that's in chronological order or not, but regardless, she's on the move:
Look out, world. Sophie's coming. And for only a measly $100! Plus, "FREE Jersey Assurance," whatever that means.
The First Lady is making me buy a $700 sectional couch on Facebook Marketplace tomorrow, so I'll have to skip this one for now. And, perhaps, take out a second mortgage. Awesome.
OK, let's get to the best #content from a big weekend. First up? Ever swing and miss at a ball that drills you in the chest?
What a weekend. How about my Red Sox sweeping the Yankees? You wanna see an absolutely incredible stat?
Try this one for size:
The Yanks are now 1-18 in their last 19 June games at Fenway Park. How is that even possible? Can we somehow blame Pride Month?
This Red Sox team is so hilariously bad, which makes last night's walkoff — and this weekend's sweep — even funnier. This version of the Red Sox have no business sweeping anyone. Amazing.
Perhaps we should've known this was bound to happen when we saw THIS take place last night:
Lordy. Yankees fans getting engaged at Fenway? What's happening here? Could you IMAGINE if the tables were turned and Sox fans tried that at Yankee Stadium? No shot. None. Zero.
Treason.
OK, a couple quickies on the way out. First? We've gotten a couple emails this morning about our coverage of Caitlin Clark.
From Mike S:
I get that it’s June and it’s too early to start breaking down every game on the football schedule this September, but Jesus, we seem to do a lot of WNBA in this newsletter and for the life of me I can’t understand which of your readers are so enthralled with it that they pay that much attention to it? I literally scroll past everything that either has the words "WNBA" or the image of a female basketball player in it. Completely irrelevant to what I’m assuming is 90% or more of your base of readers. Am I wrong?
Yes, you are wrong. I see the numbers. I see the charts and the analytics and the fancy graphs. I see the engagement time. Joe is off this week, so I'll go ahead and echo what I'm sure he'd say ...
The Google algo drives the content, and you guys drive the content. If you aren't clicking on something, we're gonna stop writing about it. If people aren't searching for it, we're gonna stop writing about it.
Neither of those things are true when it comes to Caitlin Clark. Not the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark.
And yes, it's June. What in the world are we supposed to be covering right now? The World Cup? I've seen the numbers on that one, and, trust me, our readers are far more interested in Caitlin Clark getting mugged on a basketball court than they are with anything that happens on the pitch. I promise.
What else? You want meaningless summer baseball? Which NFL player got arrested today? NBA and NHL Draft talk? The cupboard ain't exactly full on June 29, yet we have to keep the lights on until football season. That's just the truth.
So, this is where we are. We've got 61 days till TCU and UNC face off in Ireland. Hang on just a bit longer. I promise, we're almost there.
OK, that's it for today. Good start to the week. I've got nothing really revolutionary to close us out on, so here's Rockies in-game host Gianna Girardi celebrating the halfway point of the MLB season.
See? Baseball!
See you Wednesday.
OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. (roughly, we’re not robots).
Are waffles overrated? Email me at Zach.Dean@OutKick.com.
Let's have an honest conversation about Caitlin Clark, racism, and media cowardice| Bobby Burack
Three years into her WNBA career, most people still can't have an honest conversation about Caitlin Clark. So we're going to have one right now.
Clark emerged as a phenomenon during her junior season at Iowa. Very few people had a negative word to say about her. That changed during the NCAA tournament when LSU forward Angel Reese taunted Clark with the "You can't see me" gesture, the celebration Clark had made famous throughout her college career.
Reese's taunt drew criticism online. Notably, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy called her a "classless piece of s---."
From that moment forward, a new narrative took hold, one that stated Reese received more backlash than Clark for the gesture because she is Black. At this point, Clark was no longer just the sport's biggest star. She became a symbol in a broader cultural argument about race.
The argument, of course, ignored an obvious distinction. The "You can't see me" taunt, popularized by John Cena, had become Clark's signature. Reese intentionally stole it and waved it directly in Clark's face. In wrestling, that would be viewed as classic heel behavior. Context mattered.
But as you will soon read, facts matter very little in the commentary surrounding Caitlin Clark, much of which is fueled by a loathsome combination of race idolatry, jealousy, and territorialism.
As Clark's popularity grew during her rookie season, critics increasingly attributed it to "whiteness" rather than talent, charisma, or style of play. Commentators such as Jemele Hill argued that Clark's appeal was inseparable from her being a straight White woman in a league made up primarily of Black and lesbian players.
"We would all be very naive if we didn't say race and her sexuality played a role in her popularity," Hill told the Los Angeles Times in 2024.
There is no clear evidence that Clark's popularity is tied to her race or sexual orientation. That argument would deserve more consideration if America consistently elevated White athletes above more accomplished Black athletes. However, that is not the case.
The biggest stars in American sports over the past three decades are Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Serena Williams, Patrick Mahomes and Floyd Mayweather. That is not exactly the profile of a sports culture searching for the next great White hope.
What these athletes have in common is greatness, personality and aura. Clark is no different from Jordan, Curry, Williams, or Mahomes in that regard.
"But A'ja Wilson is a better player," critics often respond.
Indeed. Nikola Jokić has also been the best basketball player in the world over the past decade, yet he isn't among the NBA's most popular players. Personality and aura are just as important to stardom as greatness.
Still, the narrative surrounding Clark spread through sports media and WNBA locker rooms, locker rooms made up mostly of Black women.
It's not difficult to understand where that leads. As society has proven, there are consequences for telling an entire demographic that the success of their white counterparts comes at their direct expense. The concept is inherently Marxian.
It's also an effective form of brainwashing. Unsurprisingly, Clark entered the WNBA as a target of various Black players.
Chennedy Carter delivered a blindside hip check, then later shared a social media post encouraging someone to "hurt" Clark next time.
DiJonai Carrington poked Clark in the eye during a playoff game and later posted online about Clark's supposed privilege.
Angel Reese committed several hard fouls against Clark and posted a TikTok mocking her as a "white girl afraid to catch the fade."
Even then, the WNBA media acted as if Clark was responsible for the animus.
New York Times reporters asked Clark twice whether she had an obligation to speak on behalf of black women in the league. ESPN commentator David Dennis Jr. argued Clark has a "moral obligation," as a White woman, to defend Black women, even if they were the ones hard-fouling her.
Eventually, Clark acknowledged her own "white privilege" in an interview with Time, presumably while wearing a black eye.
"I want to say I've earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege."
Think about how unusual that moment was. The league's biggest star felt compelled to acknowledge racial privilege while repeatedly on the receiving end of hard fouls from opponents of a different race.
CHINEY OGWUMIKE'S DEFENSE OF ALYSSA THOMAS REINFORCED EVERYTHING CRITICS SAY ABOUT THE WNBA MEDIA
During her second season, it wasn't clear whether that hostility remained. Clark played in just 13 games because of various injuries.
This season removed any doubt.
Last week, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas drove her fist into Clark's neck. Officials did not call a foul. Thomas was suspended one game afterward. The play was dangerous, unnecessary, and nowhere close to a legitimate basketball play.
Yet parts of the media immediately shifted toward minimizing what viewers had plainly watched.
In one of the more embarrassing segments in the history of sports talk, ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike defended Thomas Sunday evening, arguing that Thomas simply plays aggressively, Clark embellishes contact, and the play only appears egregious when slowed down frame by frame.
Ogwumike's credibility on this subject is already questionable. Last year, she amplified a false accusation that Clark fans directed "monkey noises" toward Angel Reese, an allegation the WNBA later said it could not substantiate.
OutKick requested comment from Ogwumike and Hannah Storm, who hosted the segment. Neither responded.
Elsewhere, Jemele Hill argued that the outrage over Thomas' hit reflected hostility toward Black women.
"So much of this Caitlin Clark discourse is absolutely rooted in hatred or dislike of Black women. The language is the tell. People suggesting Alyssa Thomas should be arrested, describing fouls against CC as 'assault' and 'abuse,' and even this absurd notion that she should just pack up and leave the WNBA to 'humble' them … all points back to this weird fixation people have with wanting to see Black women put in their place and punished," Hill posted on Threads.
Note: People use the word "assault" because driving a fist into someone's neck is, by definition, closer to assault than a basketball play. If the other players simply fouled Clark, no such words would be necessary.
Another note: Jemele Hill accused OutKick of making the story about race last week. She then immediately followed by making the story about race herself, claiming the discourse is "rooted in hatred or dislike of Black women."
Has anyone outside of Lisa Leslie in the WNBA TV media sphere defended Clark? Or at least discussed how that wasn’t a basketball play? Put any blame on Thomas at all? Just seems like everyone is finding ways to make that play seem normal or making Thomas a victim. Seems odd. Like we all see the video. We’ve all watched ball, former NFL player Geoff Schwartz observed.
Not odd. Calculated.
The narrative states that if you support Clark, you are doing so because she is White and the other players are Black. Thus, very few people are going to defend Clark at the risk of someone labeling them a "racist" or a "sellout."
But such fear tactics should never hinder the objective truth. And the truth is as follows:
• Caitlin Clark transcended women's basketball into the mainstream.
• Black players and commentators are convinced she has done so only because she is a straight White woman.
• Those players resent Clark because of that belief.
• The majority of the media is too afraid to say so.
To be clear, Clark is no angel. She complains too often. She flops more than a star player should, although Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might argue otherwise.
And all of that is fair to say. It's part of her story. However, the idea that she and her White fans are the problem is not factual.
The truth is that Black players and media are uncomfortable with Clark's stardom. They don't like it. They don't believe she fits the preferred culture of the WNBA.
Considering that Clark is also the first major White American sports star to emerge after 2020. This gives Black players and commentators a sense of freedom, and even encouragement, to discriminate against her on the grounds of racial justification.
The WNBA had an opportunity to establish itself as one of the major sports leagues in America. Behind Clark, the league could have showcased and grown other stars around her, including many black players.
Instead, the league as a whole crumbled under the spotlight, often omitting Clark from posters and promotional material simply to signal its virtue.
The last three seasons have demonstrated that the WNBA is not ready for the moment. The race idolatry among players, coaches, referees and much of the media runs too deep. They would rather remain niche, unprofitable and irrelevant than reach new heights on the back of a White girl from Iowa.
There are likely many things I have written in this piece that will bother people. That's fine. The truth is often uncomfortable and inconvenient. In the case of Caitlin Clark, that's why so few people are willing to state the truth.