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Dolly Parton refused to pick political sides for decades: ‘I’m not in politics, I’m an entertainer’
Dolly Parton spent decades singing about love, heartbreak, faith and working "9 to 5," but there was one arena the country music legend repeatedly resisted entering: partisan politics.
"I am not political, and I refuse to get caught up in political things," Parton told USA Today in a 2020 interview.
Parton, who died Tuesday at 80, maintained that position through the presidential elections, pointed questions about President Donald Trump, offers of the nation's highest civilian honor and controversies involving some of her fellow entertainers.
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"I don't like to get involved in politics, because first of all, I have as many Republican fans as I do Democrats," Parton told USA Today. "I don't want to offend anybody, I have a right to myself."
"Like God gave us free will, America gave us free speech, but you've got to be responsible for anything you say and do," she added.
Two years earlier, Parton was repeatedly pressed about Trump during an interview with ABC's David Wright, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
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"I have a lot of fans out there, and I don’t want to offend anybody," Parton said.
When Wright attempted to draw a parallel between Trump and the sexually abusive boss in Parton's 1980 film "9 to 5," she refused to bite.
"I’m not addressing that," Parton said. "I learned a long time ago, keep your damn mouth shut if you want to stay in show business. … I’m not in politics, I’m an entertainer."
When Wright pointed out that Parton was also a role model, she responded: "Yes I am. That’s why I don’t talk about people."
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Parton's determination to avoid partisan politics with one of America's highest honors.
She revealed in 2021 that the Trump administration had twice offered her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Parton said she declined the first offer because her husband, Carl Dean, was ill and the second because she would not travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the BBC.
By then, the Biden administration had also approached her about the award. "Now I feel like if I take it, it'll be doing politics, so I'm not so sure," Parton told NBC's "Today."
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Her aversion to political camps did not mean she kept quiet about everything she believed.
"I know whatever I say, people are going to listen, and they’re going to make more of it than maybe what I meant. So I have to be careful," Parton told People in 2021. "Of course I have my opinion, but I’m not an opinionated person as a rule. You’re allowed your own beliefs and your own faith, but you don’t have to use it like a weapon when it could be a tool."
Parton's political neutrality was something she could joke about.
"My daddy was a Republican, my mama was a Democrat, and I’m a hypocrite!" Parton famously quipped, pronouncing 'hypocrite' as 'hypo-crat' in her iconic Tennessee drawl.
Parton's philosophy was tested again when she recorded a duet with Kid Rock for her 2023 album, "Rockstar."
Parton defended working with the conservative musician after she was questioned about the collaboration, telling The Hollywood Reporter that she had recorded the song before a controversy involving Kid Rock but would likely have worked with him anyway, according to Rolling Stone.
"Hey, just because I love you don’t mean I don’t love Kid Rock. Just because I love Kid Rock don’t mean I don’t love you," Parton said. "I don’t condemn or criticize. I just accept and love."
Parton said she still would "probably" have recorded the duet because she considered Kid Rock talented and believed accepting someone did not require agreeing with everything they did.
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"I think that’s terrible," Parton said, according to Rolling Stone. "We all make mistakes. We don’t all get caught at it."
Parton tied that belief to her Christian faith, arguing that people deserved forgiveness and second chances.
"I ask God every day to let Him shine through me. He’s given me that gift to be able to talk to them, and I’m very careful with it. And people don’t really come to see me be me — they come to see me be them, the parts of me they can relate to," she told People in 2021.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Parton clarified that she had not endorsed Hillary Clinton after comments she made about the Democratic nominee were interpreted as an endorsement, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Asked later about the race between Clinton and Trump, Parton jokingly called the campaign "the greatest show on television," and described both candidates as "nuts."
Even running for president herself wasn't entertained by the iconic entertainer for a moment.
"No. I don’t think anybody could actually do a great job at that," Parton told Metro in 2023, according to People. "I think we’ve had enough ‘boobs’ in the White House."
Parton said she preferred trying to make a difference through music and the way she treated others.
"I’m not smart enough to be in politics, or maybe I’m too smart," she said. "Either way, I’m not qualified for that type of a job. But I’m pretty qualified to do what I do, which is to point people in the right direction, to write about it in songs or speak about things."
Parton died after a "brief battle with cancer," according to her representatives. At her request, a small, private service will be held for her immediate family, with the family asking for donations to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library rather than flowers.
College athletics' latest mess: Court orders say athletes can play, but SEC and Big Ten ready to fight
The college athletics world is reeling after the SEC and Big Ten created new guidelines governing the eligibility of athletes who planned to join teams this week following injunctions and temporary restraining orders granted by multiple judges.
On Tuesday, both conferences, who will soon be joined by the ACC and Big 12, voted to enact new rules that would prevent athletes who have participated in professional sports from reentering the college landscape.
The decision comes after players in several states were granted injunctions or temporary restraining orders allowing them to play this season.
Most of the lawsuits stem from the NCAA’s new eligibility guidelines, which give athletes five years to play five seasons of college athletics.
Under the new policies, any athlete who has signed with a professional team, declared for the NFL Draft or participated in any type of professional training camp will be ineligible for conference competition.
But, there was one difference from a public standpoint with the SEC and Big Ten.
On Tuesday evening, SEC presidents and chancellors held a vote on how to move forward with the new guidelines pertaining to these ongoing cases revolving around athletes who have participated at the professional level in some form or fashion.
In addition to the guidelines created by the SEC, the conference has also given Greg Sankey the power to enforce these rules, which include suspension of coaches and monetary fines to each school who violates them.
So, what does this mean for schools who are preparing to bring athletes onto campus for the upcoming college football or basketball season?
According to attorney Ryan Downton, who represents a number of players, the are currently "working on a legal strategy" on how to move forward against both the NCAA and participating conferences who have enacted these new guidelines.
"The SEC’s actions put the NCAA in contempt of multiple court orders," Downton told OutKick-Fox News on Tuesday night. "It is cartel-like conduct when NCAA conferences attempt to create their own spur of the moment rules in response to Courts enjoining those same rules at the NCAA level"
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Multiple sources told OutKick that the vote within the SEC was unanimous, though that does not mean there will not be legal action taken over the next few days.
"We are still working on a legal strategy," attorney Ryan Downton noted.
At the forefront of this fight, even though he was not the first coach or team to bring in a player who has in some way competed at the NFL level, is LSU coach Lane Kiffin.
Over the last few days, Kiffin has voiced his reasoning behind the recruitment of such athletes who have already gained NFL experience. Essentially, the Tigers coach mentioned that if he didn’t strike first, some other school would.
"So, you know, we have you know made a decision to recruit some kids around the country, and through these multiple injunctions around the country, which, this is not a first time in college sports, a group of players were granted a fifth year of eligibility, in multiple sports. And through them winning their injunction and entry into the portal, they’re available to recruit," Kiffin noted on Monday.
"So ourselves, like many places around the country, are recruiting them. At the end of the day, you know, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you or they’re going to play somewhere else around the country. So, we made a decision to recruit them, like probably most people are."
This includes former Ole Miss football players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who are both set to join the LSU roster thanks to a ruling from the 19th District Court of Louisiana that granted them an additional season of eligibility.
But, there have been plenty of others who have gone down this route, winning cases in state courts that allow them to return this season. Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson is another, who sued the NCAA in a Texas court for an additional season.
Attorney Darren Heitner, who represents Dae'Quan Wright, told OutKick that the SEC should abide by the order granted by the 19th District Court of Louisiana.
"He should be rostered by LSU and be a great contributor for the Tigers. The SEC should heed the court order recently issued by a Louisiana judge," Heitner said.
The question is whether LSU, and others, will move forward in bringing in athletes knowing that it would be in violation of conference rules, but also legal in the eyes of the courts who have granted them injunctions.
Buckle up, this could get interesting over the next few days.
Surrogate, California couple clash in court as newborn fights for life after heart surgery
The critically ill newborn at the center of a bitter surrogate custody fight was placed back on a breathing tube after his condition worsened following open-heart surgery, according to newly filed court documents.
The baby is in critical condition and being closely watched at the hospital, intended parents Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed said in filings obtained by TMZ.
The couple said the child suffered possible complications after a Norwood procedure, an operation used to treat his severe heart defect, and had to be re-intubated after his condition declined overnight.
In a Dallas courtroom Tuesday, Gilkar and Ahmed faced surrogate McKenna West as they fought over who should make medical decisions for the newborn. The clash has drawn national attention because West says she refused the California couple’s earlier request to terminate the pregnancy after the baby was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition.
Gilkar and Ahmed call the baby Rumi. West, an Alaska cardiac nurse, calls him Gabriel and is asking a Texas judge to give her sole conservatorship, which would put medical decision-making in her hands.
HHS WARNS TEXAS HOSPITALS AGAINST DENYING LIFE-SAVING CARE TO NEWBORN WITH DISABILITY
Gilkar told the court the couple has been at their son’s bedside as he fights through treatment. She said that since surgery, he has struggled to breathe, choked on tubes and needed a blood transfusion, according to court reporting by The Associated Press.
"He’s our child," Gilkar said, according to the AP.
She accused West of trying to take him away. "She’s trying to take him from us," Gilkar said.
Gilkar described the newborn as "the love of our lives" and said, "He’s suffering a lot."
The custody feud began after the baby was diagnosed at about 20 weeks with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS. West says Gilkar and Ahmed then asked her to terminate the pregnancy. She refused and later traveled to Texas to give birth, Fox News Digital previously reported.
HLHS leaves one side of the heart underdeveloped and disrupts normal blood flow. Without treatment, the condition can be fatal within days or weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
AMERICAN RED CROSS DECLARES NATIONAL BLOOD CRISIS AS TYPE O SUPPLY DROPS TO DANGEROUS LEVELS
Budner disputes key parts of West’s account and says the couple did agree to the baby’s treatment. He told Fox News Digital that doctors determined on Aug. 14 that the child was eligible for the Norwood procedure, the first of three open-heart surgeries generally used to treat HLHS.
Gilkar and Ahmed consented to the surgery, which was performed Aug. 17, he said. At the time, Budner described the baby’s condition as "critical and complex."
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West’s lawyers have argued that the court should make sure the baby continues to receive life-saving care. West told the judge she would abandon her custody request if the court determines the intended parents are committed to that care, according to the AP.
Gilkar and Ahmed have asked the court to delay a hearing over the temporary restraining order that gave them custody while the legal fight continues, TMZ reported.
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The custody battle is only one part of the couple’s broader legal fight with West.
Before the baby was born, Gilkar and Ahmed filed counterclaims seeking more than $100,000, alleging West breached their surrogacy agreement and caused them emotional distress. The counterclaims, obtained by TMZ, said the couple paid West $60,000 during the pregnancy under an agreement that addressed termination. West has denied wrongdoing and asked the court to dismiss the claims.
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The dispute has only grown more personal since the baby’s Aug. 12 birth. West said in a New York Post opinion piece last week that she had only about a minute with the newborn, while his umbilical cord was still attached, before he was taken away. A court order has since barred her from seeing or holding the baby.
On Tuesday, the judge left that order in place and did not immediately decide the larger question of custody or conservatorship, according to the AP.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured an emergency court order before the birth directing that medically necessary care not be delayed or obstructed, Fox News Digital previously reported. Paxton’s office also notified two Dallas medical centers of their obligations to provide life-saving treatment.
The Associated Press and Fox News Digital's Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Hochul remains defiant after sheriffs sue over law banning cooperation with ICE: 'Bring it on'
More than a dozen New York sheriffs are suing over a state law prohibiting law enforcement from entering into or maintaining certain agreements with ICE for civil immigration enforcement, as Gov. Kathy Hochul dared the agency heads to "bring it on."
A federal lawsuit led by Rensselaer County Sheriff Kyle Bourgault argues that the law is unconstitutional and unlawfully restricts elected sheriffs’ ability to enter into federally authorized immigration-enforcement agreements.
"Today, Kathy Hochul escalated her administration’s war on the police and she expanded polices to put criminals before the citizens of New York," Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin said on Tuesday.
The Local Cops, Local Crimes Act, which Hochul signed in May, took effect on Tuesday, barring local and state law enforcement agencies from entering into partnerships with federal authorities to assist on civil immigration matters. The law also bars new agreements to house civil immigration detainees; existing detention agreements must be terminated under their applicable termination provisions within three months of the law’s effective date.
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Police may still assist ICE in cases of violent or other forms of non-immigration crime, but officers may not divert local resources to help with civil immigration enforcement as part of an effort to advance President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda.
Hochul threatened to sue localities that refuse to end cooperation agreements with ICE, setting up a confrontation between herself and her Republican challenger, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, as his county is among those with agreements with ICE.
"No county executive should think that they are above the law in the state of New York," Hochul said at a press conference on Tuesday.
She said any police department or sheriff’s office that ignores the law and maintains an agreement with ICE will face legal action.
"And to those suing us, those trying to block the implementation of this law who’ve tried before and failed, our law has already been upheld by the courts, but if you try me again, I say, bring it on," the governor declared.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James also issued subpoenas to law enforcement agencies that either did not confirm plans to end their agreements or failed to provide what her office viewed as a satisfactory response. The subpoenas were sent to the sheriff's offices of Broome, Steuben, Nassau and Rensselaer counties, as well as the Nassau County Police Department.
If the agencies fail to comply, the attorney general is vowing to file a civil suit, a spokesperson for her office told CBS News.
Hochul has said law enforcement will assist ICE "only if a real crime has been committed" but officers cannot use resources to help on civil immigration matters.
"Because we need local cops hunting down criminals, not kindergartners. Breaking up drug rings, not breaking up families. Arresting gun runners, not grandmas," Hochul said.
Blakeman, who held a press conference at the same time as Hochul's, did not address whether he would comply with the state's orders, but he later told the New York Post he would "probably" join the sheriffs' lawsuit.
He has previously defended working with ICE to remove illegal immigrants, claiming at a recent event with Trump that about 2,000 of these individuals in his county have criminal records.
"Kathy Hochul, where do you want those guns? What neighborhood do you want to destroy? Where do you want those drugs? What community do you want to destroy? Where do you want those illegal immigrants with criminal records to live? You want it back in New York? We say no," Blakeman said at the time.
The Department of Homeland Security said Hochul "must stop putting politics above public safety."
"This type of insanity leads to more crimes and more innocent victims," a department spokesperson told the New York Post.
Attempted drone incursion at Virginia prison leads to $324K contraband haul with meth, 17 cellphones
Virginia prison officials intercepted a package containing an estimated $324,000 worth of contraband, including a pound of suspected methamphetamine and more than a dozen cellphones, following an attempted drone incursion at a state prison, authorities said.
The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) said corrections staff discovered the "suspicious package" at Sussex I State Prison at around 1:30 a.m. Monday.
Inside, officials said they found a one-pound bag of suspected methamphetamine, 17 cellphones with charging cables and 20 sheets of paper that appeared to be saturated with an unknown liquid.
The agency said it also seized multiple hex wrenches, three USB Wi-Fi adapters and two SIM cards.
Officials also discovered an unusual assortment of other items, including 30 disposable lighters, two cartons of cigarettes, one pound of loose-leaf tobacco, three packs of cigars, two bottles of professional-grade tattoo ink, two bottles of perfume and two bottles of glue.
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VADOC estimated the contraband had a combined value of roughly $324,000 inside the prison.
VADOC Director Joseph Walters said the seizure highlighted the sophisticated methods people may use in attempts to smuggle contraband into correctional facilities.
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"This investigation is an important reminder that some people will use sophisticated methods in an attempt to smuggle drugs and other dangerous contraband into Virginia Department of Corrections facilities," Walters said in a statement.
"I thank our institutional staff at Sussex I State Prison for their vigilance and focus on ensuring the safety and security of our facility," he continued. "Our dedicated correctional staff and OLES members stand ready to intercept any dangerous contraband that individuals may attempt to introduce into correctional settings to ensure the safety and security of our dedicated corrections team members, of incarcerated individuals in our custody, of probationers, and of people in communities all across the Commonwealth of Virginia."
The incident remains under investigation by VADOC's Office of Law Enforcement Services (OLES).
Anyone with information about attempted smuggling into a VADOC facility is asked to call OLES at 540-830-9280.
Falcons' starting QB post is Michael Penix Jr's to lose amid Tua Tagovailoa's struggles: report
Tua Tagovailoa’s next chapter in the NFL isn’t going well at all, so much so that the Atlanta Falcons may have to rush Michael Penix Jr. back faster than they hoped.
When Tagovailoa joined the Falcons after being released by the Miami Dolphins ahead of this season, the team reportedly hoped he would play well enough in new head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense that it would be comfortable starting the season with the veteran left-hander while Penix, coming off an ACL injury, had more time to recover.
However, ESPN/NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Falcons’ starting job is for Penix to lose at this point following Tagovailoa’s inconsistent play in training camp and the first preseason game.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
"It really seemed that the goal of the entire organization was to have Tua be the starting quarterback right away to start the season," Rapoport said. "Let Michael Penix come along slow. …Really you’d like him to be inactive for the first several games and really just take his time and make sure he’s fully healthy."
Tagovailoa has not set himself apart from the pack in terms of performance at camp, and he went 3-of-5 for 22 yards in the first preseason game against the Denver Broncos before Stefanski moved on to Jack Strand and Cooper Rush at quarterback for the rest of the contest.
"Tua’s play made that impossible, not just in the preseason game, which we’ve seen, but it sounds like practice as well. All of which is to say, this is Michael Penix’s job for the taking," Rapoport continued.
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In an ideal world, the Falcons hoped a fresh start for Tagovailoa would’ve been just what he needed for a heated training camp competition for the team’s starting job. Instead, with Penix getting back into the fold this week and splitting first-team reps, it appears they’re now hoping he can feel confident and, more importantly, be healthy enough to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1.
"Everything we do around this building is competing," Stefanski said. "I know it’s easy to say, ‘position battles,’ and those types of things, but we’re constantly competing. That’s not the focus for our guys. Our guys are pushing each other by showing up and putting in the work."
Then again, perhaps Tagovailoa’s play in the final preseason game against his former Dolphins squad can boost his confidence and chances at the starting job this Friday.
It’s not looking too good for him now, though, as Stefanski and his staff have an important decision to make before that Sept. 13 kickoff on the road in Pittsburgh.
Timberwolves’ LaMelo Ball hires driver following reckless driving incidents in Charlotte, brother Lonzo says
LaMelo Ball’s extensive car collection has drawn attention since his rise to basketball stardom. But the Minnesota Timberwolves guard has now decided to employ a personal driver to help him get around his new NBA home, according to his older brother, Lonzo Ball.
During a recent edition of the "Curious Mike" podcast, Lonzo Ball pointed to his younger brother while discussing which member of the Ball family spends the most money with Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.
"Who in your family out of y'all three spends the most [money]," Porter asked.
"The one who has the most, LaMelo," Lonzo replied.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
"[He's] got 10 cars," Lonzo continued. Having a driver could mean the 25-year-old spends less time behind the wheel and, in turn, has fewer opportunities to be involved in an accident.
Lonzo also suggested LaMelo could benefit from choosing vehicles outside the exotic-car category, rather than Lamborghinis and similar high-performance models he has owned in the past.
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"He'll buy a $1 million car and then just immediately f–k it up, I've never understood [that]," Lonzo added in reference to his sibling's habits when it comes to vehicles. "You just bought that? And then you ripped it up? You could've just got a beater," the former Los Angeles Lakers guard noted.
Lonzo then addressed the perception surrounding the frequency of LaMelo’s road incidents, saying his younger brother "doesn’t get into accidents, but he has a lot of situations on the road."
The Lakers selected Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He later played for the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025. The Cavaliers traded him to the Utah Jazz in February 2026, but the Jazz subsequently waived him before he appeared in a game for the team.
Lonzo's NBA career has been marked by injuries. After appearing in 35 games during the 2021-22 season, he spent more than two calendar years sidelined.
"It was like a 1,000 and something days," Ball said, reflecting on the length of his absence. He added that he has come to terms with the possibility that he may not return to the same level he once reached as an athlete.
"I came at peace with that when I got hurt the first time. Every time you get hurt it kind of sets you back," Ball told Porter.
The Hornets selected LaMelo with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Charlotte traded the two-time All-Star guard and his teammates Josh Green to the Timberwolves in June for Naz Reid and multiple draft picks.
Timberwolves’ LaMelo Ball hires driver following reckless driving incidents in Charlotte, brother Lonzo says
LaMelo Ball’s extensive car collection has drawn attention since his rise to basketball stardom. But the Minnesota Timberwolves guard has now decided to employ a personal driver to help him get around his new NBA home, according to his older brother, Lonzo Ball.
During a recent edition of the "Curious Mike" podcast, Lonzo Ball pointed to his younger brother while discussing which member of the Ball family spends the most money with Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr.
"Who in your family out of y'all three spends the most [money]," Porter asked.
"The one who has the most, LaMelo," Lonzo replied.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
"[He's] got 10 cars," Lonzo continued. Having a driver could mean the 25-year-old spends less time behind the wheel and, in turn, has fewer opportunities to be involved in an accident.
Lonzo also suggested LaMelo could benefit from choosing vehicles outside the exotic-car category, rather than Lamborghinis and similar high-performance models he has owned in the past.
LAMELO BALL'S CUSTOM HUMMER LOSES WHEEL IN CHARLOTTE CRASH DURING ALL-STAR BREAK
"He'll buy a $1 million car and then just immediately f–k it up, I've never understood [that]," Lonzo added in reference to his sibling's habits when it comes to vehicles. "You just bought that? And then you ripped it up? You could've just got a beater," the former Los Angeles Lakers guard noted.
Lonzo then addressed the perception surrounding the frequency of LaMelo’s road incidents, saying his younger brother "doesn’t get into accidents, but he has a lot of situations on the road."
The Lakers selected Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He later played for the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2025. The Cavaliers traded him to the Utah Jazz in February 2026, but the Jazz subsequently waived him before he appeared in a game for the team.
Lonzo's NBA career has been marked by injuries. After appearing in 35 games during the 2021-22 season, he spent more than two calendar years sidelined.
"It was like a 1,000 and something days," Ball said, reflecting on the length of his absence. He added that he has come to terms with the possibility that he may not return to the same level he once reached as an athlete.
"I came at peace with that when I got hurt the first time. Every time you get hurt it kind of sets you back," Ball told Porter.
The Hornets selected LaMelo with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Charlotte traded the two-time All-Star guard and his teammates Josh Green to the Timberwolves in June for Naz Reid and multiple draft picks.
Trump endorsement boosts sister of late Lindsey Graham to historic runoff victory
A powerful name and an endorsement from President Donald Trump proved more than enough to score an unlikely candidate a win in the latest runoff election in South Carolina.
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., toppled Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., in a whirlwind race to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, as the GOP nominee for the Senate after his sudden death in July.
Just a little over a month after his death at 71 years old, South Carolinians opted to stick with a familiar name in Graham, who despite having little political experience prior to her appointment to finish out the remainder of her brother’s term, scored Trump’s coveted endorsement.
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Though her appointment by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster was viewed as temporary, Trump pushed her to run beyond the five months left in her brother’s term.
"Darline is somebody I've known for a long time," Trump said during a rally for her in Myrtle Beach last week. "I asked her to do this. I said, ‘Darline, you got to do it,’ because everyone loves her. Everyone respects her."
"So I've known her through Lindsey — I've known her for so long," he continued. "I think Lindsey respected Darline more than any other person he knows, including me."
And Trump sent in last-minute financial reinforcements to help her, following a gaffe during her final debate with Norman when she admitted that she had little knowledge of the strategic importance of Taiwan.
Graham has styled herself as a much different politician than her brother, focused more on domestic issues than foreign.
Trump's mammoth, $400 million campaign war chest through MAGA Inc., which has largely been untapped this cycle despite a handful of Senate races shifting in power dynamics across the country, dumped over $800,000 into a phone campaign in support of Graham over the weekend, according to campaign finance records.
While Graham styled herself as a more home front than abroad focused candidate, she made one thing clear through debates and limited campaign time: a vote for her was a vote for the Trump agenda.
She targeted Norman for bucking House Republican leadership, and, at times, Trump, but noted, "We already have enough problem Democrats, we don’t need a problem Republican."
And though she’s only been in the Senate for a handful of weeks, Graham argued to voters that she’d done more than Norman had in his entire congressional career, touting the passage of the long-awaited bipartisan Russia sanctions package initially pushed by her brother, but at times slowed by the White House.
"I was in Washington for only two weeks before I passed the Russia and Iran Sanctions Act through the Senate," Graham said. "I then passed the deciding vote to confirm President Trump's attorney general, Todd Blanche."
"Simply put, I've done more in 20 days than Ralph Norman has done in 20 years."
Despite the bruising battle between Norman and Graham, Norman said he would be throwing his support behind her following his loss Tuesday, and planned to call Graham to say congratulations.
"As I said earlier, I'm going to support the Republican. I'm not supporting a Democrat. So, I will support her – Darline – as best I can," Norman said during his concession speech Tuesday evening.
Democratic newcomer scores runoff upset in Oklahoma, vows to impeach Trump if elected
A political newcomer just scored a victory in ruby-red Oklahoma, and, if elected, she would put all her energy into impeaching President Donald Trump.
N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a nurse who has never run for office before, bested Jim Priest, a lawyer and nonprofit executive, in the runoff race for the Democratic Senate nomination in Oklahoma. Thomas, though a new face, scored the highest percentage of votes in the June primary contest that featured five total candidates vying for the nomination.
It tees up a battle against history in Oklahoma, where voters haven’t sent a Democrat to the Senate in more than three decades.
And Thomas, who lists a host of policy proposals on her campaign website, including beefing up teacher pay, restoring Roe v. Wade, and expanding Obamacare, among other boilerplate Democratic proposals, also wants to accomplish one thing in the early days of her Senate career: impeaching Trump.
During an interview with NPR affiliate KOSU last month, Thomas was asked about the Republican nominee, Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., and his "fierce" backing of Trump, and how, if elected, she would approach a working relationship with the president.
"Like I said, I'm kind, not nice. So I will make sure that I work as diligently as I can to make sure that within my first 100 days that we impeach, remove and convict," Thomas said. "They will have to pry that pen out of my cold, dead hands before I go any further with allowing this administration to continue doing what they're doing."
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"So, I mean, hopefully that's a good answer," she continued. "But I am going to remove, impeach, remove and convict. That's it. Like that's all. That's the answer."
First, she’d have to survive Election Night in November against Hern, a tall task given that Trump won Oklahoma by nearly 35 points in 2024.
Though Thomas has pulled off two underdog performances, earning roughly 45% of the vote during her first go-round for the Democratic nomination and then defeating Priest with no political experience, Hern is a different matter.
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He’s amassed an impressive campaign war chest that at one point peaked at nearly $10 million so far this cycle. Thomas, however, has raised just shy of $60,000.
He also boasts the endorsement of Trump and has touted his desire to pass the president’s biggest policy priority, the SAVE America Act.
Hern noted in a statement to Fox News Digital that Oklahomans "love President Trump and the America First Agenda."
"Socialist Democrats like N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas are wildly out of touch with the values of Oklahomans and the direction they want our country moving toward," Hern said. "President Trump and Republicans are focused on delivering results. N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas and the radical left are focused on partisan politics against a president Oklahomans overwhelmingly elected."