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DHS shutdown leaves local emergency responders on their own amid extreme weather, expert warns
EXCLUSIVE: The partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security could have a critical impact on local disaster response without assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a public safety expert warned.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Jeffrey Halstead, the director of strategic accounts at Genasys, a communications hardware and software provider to help communities during disasters, said the DHS shutdown could impact emergency response and recovery efforts now that FEMA support has been restricted.
"Every time that the government enters into one of these shutdowns, there's a distinctive part of the federal government that is impacted, both reviewing the grant program or distributing funds from pre-awarded grant programs. This is exactly the area of DHS as well as FEMA that affects emergency managers, emergency response and recovering different cities, counties, and regions should they face a weather and/or disaster-related event," Halstead said.
Halstead, also a retired chief of police in Fort Worth, Texas, with more than 30 years in law enforcement, explained that government shutdowns delaying federal funds "drastically impacts" the local response to disasters.
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"I know personally, I was in Arizona for over 21 years, in Texas as chief of police for over seven, and then I was in Nevada for a long time, and I worked directly with a few states in the Western United States," he said.
"The last government shutdown pretty much ended their grant application process, meaning the grants would not be approved, not even be assigned and/or funds not released," he continued. "This drastically impacts their ability to plan and to coordinate a lot of their planned response events. In Arizona, the central UASI region or the Urban Area Security Initiative, they have none of their grants being reviewed, which replaces outdated equipment, vehicles and funds training so that every quarter they can meet the standards and then be ready should something happen."
This comes as the Trump administration ordered FEMA to suspend the deployment of hundreds of aid workers to disaster-torn areas across the country during the DHS shutdown.
More than 300 FEMA disaster responders were preparing for upcoming assignments, but were told to halt their travel plans. Grant systems are also not fully operational until lawmakers can reach a deal to fund the department.
"The biggest impact is funding, the grants being distributed and then getting all that equipment and training aligned so that they can actually have a very successful year getting ready for a disaster," Halstead said.
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"Should there be a traumatic weather event, critical incident or something that would require FEMA support, FEMA staff or FEMA resources, those may not be available," he added. "This drastically impacts the city, county, state and federal collaboration efforts that literally are immediately engaged, aligned and resources deployed, sometimes within 12 hours. So this greatly inhibits their ability to plan effectively should a critical event, disaster event, or weather-related event come their way. They won't have all these federal assets and resources that they have come to depend on, rely on, and work with in both their planning as well as training events or previous disasters where they responded and provided support."
As part of the move to end FEMA deployments, staffers currently working on major recovery efforts will remain on the sites and cannot return home unless their assignment ends, but no new personnel can join or relieve them without DHS approval.
Recovery efforts are still ongoing in places like North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene devastated the region in the fall of 2024.
As Halstead noted, the recovery effort is the "final piece for the emergency management cycle to get back to normalcy for that region."
"When that is dramatically impacted, you still see some areas of North Carolina a couple of years later still struggling in the recovery phase being completed," he said. "That is directly related to all of these stalls and delays in FEMA, FEMA funding and the financial support needed to get the recovery phase completed."
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Asked about the importance of federal funding given recent extreme weather across the U.S. such as snow on the East Coast, flooding in California and fire disasters in the High Plains that forced evacuations, Halstead said it is "extremely critical" and that the delay in funds can impact the safety of local residents.
"It's absolutely extremely critical for emergency managers, your fire departments as well as law enforcement, to utilize not just these partnerships and the resources, but the funding allocations so that they can plan effectively in responding, operational control of the disaster, and then getting into that recovery mode … Then sometimes that delay, it's going to impact the safety and the welfare of Americans," Halstead explained.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress have yet to reach a deal to end the partial shutdown, in large part due to Democrats' demand for stricter oversight and reforms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the fatal shootings last month of two U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis, which the GOP has thus far resisted.
President Donald Trump argued earlier this week that it is a "Democrat shutdown" and "has nothing to do with Republicans."
Halstead said he would like lawmakers on Capitol Hill to negotiate in good faith to end the shutdown so that first responders will have "effective means to do our jobs safely and very, very efficiently."
"I know a lot of people are really upset because they leverage a significant political issue over a common funding agreement that should have been approved very quickly," he said. "This has happened a lot in the last two to three years. We've seen shutdown after shutdown after shutdown. What a lot of citizens don't realize is that when the government is shut down, all of this work — grant reviews, proposals, funding, disbursements — those are all delayed. Then there is a significant lag time getting back to an open government."
"They're still negotiating all these extremely politically sensitive topics that are really divisive within not just Capitol Hill, but really our country," Halstead added. "Then all of that backlog is now taking even longer to get approved, funded and funds being dispersed. So it's a compounding effect on all of our emergency managers and our first responders to do their jobs effectively."
Halstead highlighted that a deal to reach the shutdown is unlikely before Trump's State of the Union address next week, in which the president affirmed he would give the speech regardless, and that the ongoing delays in FEMA funding could last weeks.
"It may be another two weeks at least until we can get this funded and get it back open," Halstead said. "But then we still have these significant backlogs. It will take a significant amount of time."
Detroit officers facing termination for allegedly contacting immigration authorities during traffic stops
Detroit’s police chief is moving to fire two officers who allegedly contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during routine traffic stops, which is a violation of department policy.
Police Chief Todd Bettison said the officers’ actions led to detentions and ran counter to longstanding department rules prohibiting involvement in federal immigration enforcement, FOX 2 in Detroit reported.
The two officers have not only been suspended, but Bettison has asked the city’s Board of Police Commissioners to approve their termination.
Bettison said the Detroit Police Department does not participate in immigration enforcement activities and stressed that maintaining community trust is critical to public safety efforts.
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The station reported that Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., expressed support for the officers’ dismissal.
"Chief Bettison and I agree that we need to make sure that our community and our residents trust the people who are trying to keep us safe," Tlaib said.
Detroit Councilwoman Mary Waters criticized the officers’ conduct, suggesting it amounted to biased policing.
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"The Detroit Police Department has nothing to do with ICE, immigration, none of that," Waters said. "That is not their job. So why would you do that? Just because someone had an accent, for real?"
"That is not what you do. That is biased policing," she added. "That’s exactly what’s happening, and we’re not going to tolerate that kind of behavior against our residents of the City of Detroit."
Retired Detroit Police Assistant Chief Steve Dolunt weighed in on the disciplinary move, telling the station that contacting CBP during routine stops clearly violates department policy, but he wasn't sure if termination was consistent with past discipline.
"To contact Border Patrol? No, that’s against policy," Dolunt said. "That being said, there have been a lot more egregious things that have occurred in the police department and people have not been terminated."
Mayor Mary Sheffield’s administration also reiterated the city’s position in a statement to the station.
"This administration will reinforce the longstanding policy that the Detroit Police Department does not, in any way, engage in federal immigration enforcement," said John Roach, the mayor’s media relations director, told the station.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Detroit Police Department and Sheffield’s office for additional comment.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani reverses course on homeless encampments after pausing clearings
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Wednesday that New York City will resume clearing homeless encampments after pausing the policy for a few weeks.
Mamdani paused the policy in January, arguing that it did not do enough to get people into housing. The Democrat said his new initiative will be led by the Department of Homeless Services rather than the police and will involve sustained outreach, which he said will lead to better results.
"We will meet them looking to connect them with shelter, looking to connect them with services, looking to connect them with a city that wants them to be sheltered and indoors and warm and safe. And that is something that I believe will yield far better results, because it hasn't even been the driving directive of these policies before," Mamdani said during an unrelated news conference.
Before taking office in December, Mamdani criticized how Mayor Eric Adams approached the city's homeless encampments, and he officially paused his predecessor's policy on Jan. 5.
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Mamdani reiterated on Wednesday that he believes Adams' policy was a "failure."
"I made a decision with my team to put a pause on that prior administration's policy as we started to develop our own policy that would generate far better outcomes for the city," he said.
Under the new approach, the city will first post a notice that a homeless encampment will be cleared and then send homeless department outreach workers there daily for a week to guide people into social services.
On the seventh day, sanitation workers will dismantle the encampment, with the expectation that individuals have vacated the area.
Mamdani said that relentless outreach would help connect with homeless New Yorkers whose "first reaction might be that of skepticism."
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"Their second reaction might be that of wariness, given their prior experiences within the shelter system," he said. "But their third, their fourth, their fifth or sixth reaction may be one of interest in the possibility of shelter services, programing support, supportive housing."
David Giffen, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless, said his organization was "blindsided" by Mamdani's announcement, calling it a "political response" that would do little to help the homeless population, according to the Associated Press.
Giffen said the new approach would hurt trust between the city’s outreach workers and unsheltered residents, and may potentially lead to more deaths during extreme weather events.
"When a city worker shows up and throws out all your belongings, you’re not going to trust that person the next time they show up offering you a place to sleep inside," Giffen said.
At least 19 people have died outside during a prolonged cold stretch in the city, raising concerns about the city’s response.
The mayor's office said there is no evidence that anyone who died was living in encampments, and it has encouraged homeless people to get to new shelters, heated buses and warming centers.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani's office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Socialist NYC Mayor Mamdani clashes with Hochul over tax hikes as some critics warn of catastrophe
Wall Street Journal editor-at-large Gerry Baker warned that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s push to raise taxes on the wealthy will be "catastrophic" as the Democratic socialist clashes with state leaders over securing approval for his tax plan.
"This is socialism in action, this is the Democratic Party in action and the rest of the country's watching," he told Fox News Wednesday
Baker’s remarks on "America Reports" came after Mamdani renewed his calls to increase taxes on high earners, a sentiment firmly opposed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"What we are hoping for, what we will spend every day looking towards, is working with Albany to increase taxes on the wealthiest and the most profitable corporations such that a fiscal crisis is not resolved on the backs of working and middle-class New Yorkers," Mamdani said.
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Baker noted the Democratic power struggle between Mamdani and Hochul will not work for the mayor if he wants his plans to go through, since his tax proposal requires her approval at the state level.
"He doesn't have the option to raise income taxes without approval from the governor," he said. "So, he's going to try and do it in other ways, raising property taxes."
Mamdani issued an ultimatum to Hochul Tuesday, vowing to raise property taxes by nearly 10% if she fails to comply with his income tax increase on the wealthy.
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Also Tuesday, Mamdani proposed the 2027 New York City budget, which is more than double the state budget of Pennsylvania, despite New York City having roughly half the population.
New York City has $127 billion for its population of 8.4 million, while the entire state of Pennsylvania with 13 million people has $53.2 billion.
"They will say, ‘New York City is more, it’s expensive. Everything costs more here, labor is significantly more, wages are higher. So, it's understandable that New York costs will be a little bit higher.’ But there's no justification for that," Baker said
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Baker argued that the socialist mayor’s tax plan will not protect the middle class it claims to be helping.
"The plan he has will hit, not just the rich as they keep claiming, but huge numbers of middle-class taxpayers," he said.
The WSJ editor also predicted a mass exodus from New York City as Mamdani’s increased taxes edge closer to becoming reality.
"The idea that that's going to be good for the city, that it's going be good to tax people even more than they are already, is madness," Baker said. "It means more people will leave the city than already have. There's been a steady outflow over many years."
Baker said that Hochul has her own left-leaning tendencies in her Democratic governance of New York but wondered whether Mamdani’s extremism will sing louder.
"We're gonna see on whether Kathy Hochul, who wants her own kind of form of sort of limited socialism… whether her limited form is able to trump Zohran Mamdani’s extremism," he said.
Sheriff's office at center of Nancy Guthrie case spotlighted in new 'Desert Law' TV series
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Pima County Sheriff’s Office is drawing even more attention with the rollout of a new TV series profiling the department as the search for Nancy Guthrie remains ongoing.
The new 10-episode limited series titled "Desert Law" premiered on A&E in early January and provides viewers with "elite access to one of the largest sheriff’s departments in America" by showcasing the daily life of deputies within the Arizona office.
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Filming for the show’s first and second series took place over the course of spring and summer of 2025 and follows patrol deputies, night detectives and the DUI unit as they respond to various incidents around the county.
Sheriff Chris Nanos does not appear in the show but worked closely with its producers to coordinate filming with his deputies, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The most recent episode, titled "Weapons Found," aired Wednesday, with filmmakers following deputies as they patrol with "some of the loosest gun laws in the country," according to the show’s description.
The episode reportedly includes video of deputies responding to an incident involving a pistol being drawn in a supermarket fight and a suspected armed home invasion.
The Pima County Sheriff's Office and A&E did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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The show’s rollout comes amid the sheriff’s office working in tandem with the FBI in the search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie.
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from her Tucson home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, with investigators treating the case as an apparent kidnapping.
In an emotional video posted to social media on Sunday, Savannah Guthrie pleaded with her mother’s suspected abductors, telling them "it is never too late to do the right thing."
"I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope, and we still believe. And I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is. It's never too late. And you're not lost or alone," Savannah Guthrie said. "We believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it's never too late."
Trump DOJ probes Michigan schools over gender curriculum, joins lawsuit against LA race-based program
The Trump Justice Department on Wednesday launched investigations into three Michigan public school districts over gender-related classroom instruction and sought to intervene in a federal lawsuit challenging a race-based admission and funding program in Los Angeles — intensifying the administration’s push into school policy disputes nationwide.
The Civil Rights Division said it is examining whether the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Godfrey-Lee Public Schools and the Lansing School District included "sexual orientation and gender ideology (SOGI) content in any class for grades pre-K-12."
If such instruction is provided, investigators will assess whether parents were notified of their right to opt their children out and whether the districts "limit access to single-sex intimate spaces, such as bathrooms and locker rooms, based on biological sex."
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the department is focused on enforcing parental rights and Title IX.
"This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to ending the growing trend of local school authorities embedding sexuality and gender ideology in every aspect of public education," Dhillon said.
She added that "Supreme Court precedent is clear: parents have the right to direct the religious upbringing of their children," including exempting them from instruction that conflicts with their beliefs.
Dhillon also said Title IX requires protecting "the safety, dignity, and innocence of our youngest citizens… by ensuring that they have unfettered access to bathrooms and locker rooms of their biological sex."
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The department noted the Michigan districts receive "hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer funding" and said investigators will evaluate compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Supreme Court’s 2025 decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor. Officials emphasized the Civil Rights Division "has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigations."
In a separate action, the Justice Department said it is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit 1776 Project Foundation challenging the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Predominately Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Other (PHBAO) Program.
According to the department’s proposed complaint, the program categorizes students by race and neighborhood demographics for funding and magnet school admissions, separating students into "Anglo," meaning White, and other racial categories. Neighborhoods with fewer than 30% White residents are designated as disadvantaged, and certain schools receive additional funding, a reduced student-teacher ratio by 5.5 students, and magnet admissions preferences.
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The complaint states LAUSD treats attending school with non-White students "as a disadvantage equal to attending an overcrowded school."
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the federal government is intervening to enforce equal protection guarantees.
"Treating Americans equally is not a suggestion — it is a core constitutional guarantee that educational institutions must follow," Bondi said.
Dhillon said students "should never be classified or treated differently because of their race," adding that "Racial discrimination is unlawful and un-American."
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said LAUSD’s desegregation program has "outlived its usefulness to the point of being unconstitutional."
The Michigan investigations remain ongoing, and the LAUSD case is pending in federal court.
Representatives for the Michigan districts did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
"Because this matter involves pending litigation, we are unable to comment on the specifics," LAUSD said in a statement. "However, Los Angeles Unified remains firmly committed to ensuring all students have meaningful access to services and enriching educational opportunities."
FCC chair Brendan Carr sets the record straight on Stephen Colbert censorship claims
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr set the record straight on Wednesday after late-night show host Stephen Colbert claimed censorship when he alleged CBS barred the show from airing an interview with a politician.
Colbert told viewers Monday that CBS said he could not host Democratic Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico on "The Late Show" due to concerns about potential FCC scrutiny under its equal-time rule.
"This was Democrat-on-Democrat violence," Carr told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. "CBS was very clear that Colbert could run the interview that he wanted with that political candidate. They just said, you may have to comply with equal time… But instead of doing that, they claimed that they were victims."
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The late-night host argued that the network’s alleged move was motivated by the president.
"Sir, you're the chairman of the FCC, so FCC you," Colbert said.
He added: "Let's just call this what it is — Donald Trump's administration wants to silence anyone who says anything bad about Trump on TV, because all Trump does is watch TV."
The rule requires broadcasters on public airwaves to provide equal opportunities to political candidates of opposing parties.
"The equal-time rule at its core is about stopping legacy media from picking winners and losers in elections," Carr told "The Ingraham Angle." "It's so that the American people can decide."
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Carr argued that the situation was a move to get more attention to Talarico, the outcome the equal-time rule is designed to prevent.
"This was all about a political candidate trying to get attention and clicks, and the news media ran with it like lemmings," the FCC chair said. "They just ate it up."
CBS responded to Colbert’s claim Tuesday, rebuking that the network barred Talarico’s interview from airing.
"The Late Show was not prohibited by CBS from broadcasting the interview with Rep. James Talarico," CBS said in a statement.
"The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett [D-Texas], and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled," the statement continued.
Carr vowed to continue administering the FCC in accordance with existing laws, including its equal-time rule.
"Perhaps Colbert and other establishment Democrats want to put the thumb on the scale in this Democrat primary for one candidate over the other — I don't know, you'll have to ask them — but we're going to enforce the law and hold broadcasters accountable," he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to "The Late Show" for comment.
LaMelo Ball's custom Hummer loses wheel in Charlotte crash during All-Star break
The NBA All-Star break did not end well for Charlotte Hornets star guard LaMelo Ball. He crashed his custom Hummer in the city Wednesday.
Video footage obtained by WSOC-TV captured the moment when Ball’s vehicle smashed into a gray sedan heading straight while he was attempting to make a left turn.
Ball’s Hummer, which was wrapped in a camouflage pattern, continued to roll slowly as the sedan remained in the video's frame. There was clear damage to both vehicles.
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The Hummer lost its driver’s front side wheel in the accident, and the Kia had considerable front-end damage.
Ball exited his vehicle with no apparent injuries, while the status of the sedan driver is unknown.
Ball stayed at the site of the crash while both vehicles were getting towed. WSOC-TV reported that he left when someone in a Lamborghini picked him up.
Ball’s custom Hummer isn’t going to be cheap to fix.
Dreamworks Motorsports worked hard on Ball’s 2022 Hummer EV Edition 1, adding large custom wheels with orange rims that said "1 of 1" on the inside.
The design replicated his signature Puma basketball shoe.
It’s been a vehicle Ball has used frequently in Charlotte since Dreamworks Motorsports finished it for him.
It will need to be back in the body shop for some work after the accident.
The Hornets return to play the second half of the NBA season Thursday, taking on the Houston Rockets at home.
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Team USA stars Brittany Bowe, Hilary Knight announce engagement at Milan Cortina Olympics
American speedskater Brittany Bowe will not leave the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with a medal, but she will return home with a new ring.
Team USA women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight proposed to Bowe at the 2026 Winter Games. The two first met while competing at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Knight proposed on the eve of the women’s hockey gold medal clash between the U.S. and Canada.
Knight shared the moment on social media, captioning a video of the two athletes in matching Team USA gear, "Olympics brought us together. This one made us forever."
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Bowe entered with two bronze medals, and Knight, a four-time Olympic medalist, will leave with a fifth — gold or silver — after Thursday's rematch with Canada.
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Knight reflected on connecting with Bowe during the 2022 Beijing Games under COVID-19 protocols.
"To have that human connection, even walking outside at a distance, it was really cool," Knight told Olympics.com last week.
Bowe said she has come to know a different side of Knight beyond her superstar persona.
"Knowing her as a hockey player, it’s like this big, strong, powerful female," Bowe said. "But then, when we got to know each other, she was soft, genuine, kind, almost shy. That really sparked my interest."
Romance has been part of the story at this year’s Games, particularly for Valentine’s Day. Last week, American skier Breezy Johnson’s boyfriend proposed at the finish of her super-G run in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Johnson captured her first career Olympic gold medal in the women's Alpine skiing downhill event.
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US Olympic hockey star Quinn Hughes calls America 'greatest country in the world' after game-winning shot
NHL star Quinn Hughes became an Olympic hero for Team USA when he hit an overtime goal to lift his country over Sweden in the men's hockey qualifying round.
His statements after the game may have made him a national hero among many Americans.
"It's special," Hughes told reporters of seeing American flags and hearing "U-S-A" chants in the arena.
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"I love the U.S., and it's the greatest country in the world. So, I'm happy to represent here with these guys, and it was very special."
Hughes' overtime goal delivered the U.S. a dramatic 2-1 victory as the team continues its quest for a gold medal.
The U.S. couldn't connect on its first five shots of overtime, but, on the sixth, Hughes rang one off the inside of the post that crossed the line to give the Americans the win.
The Americans will take on Slovakia, while Canada, which narrowly escaped being upset by the Czech Republic earlier Thursday, will go against Finland. Canada and Finland both rallied back from deficits to win in overtime.
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Hughes' postgame patriotism was a welcome sight for many American fans on social media.
"American Hero Quinn Hughes," one user wrote on X in response to the star's quotes.
One user wrote, "This is how every member of Team USA should talk to the cynical media.."
Another user wrote, "Folks mad in the comments cause he loves his country."
Hughes' expression of love for his country comes during a year when other American Olympians have been openly critical of the U.S. Team USA athletes Hunter Hess, Amber Glenn and Mikaela Shiffrin have all made statements criticizing the state of the U.S. while competing in Italy.
Hughes now joins hockey teammate Brady Tkachuk in openly praising the U.S. and expressing honor and gratitude for representing the country in Milan Cortina.
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