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'Pro-life' vs 'socialism': GOP lawmakers divided over controversial guaranteed income programs
Although guaranteed income programs have faced partisan pushback nationwide since gaining national traction in 2018, a growing faction of conservatives is finding common ground with direct cash initiatives centered on mothers and newborns.
According to Tegan Lecheler, national program director for the Mother and Infant Cash Coalition (MICC), the "common-sense" nature of early childhood cash transfers has prompted conservative lawmakers and advocates to reach out to her organization in support.
"I think we're in a really polarized time politically right now," Lecheler told Fox News Digital. "We are not a political organization and want to work to improve families' outcomes. We believe an effective strategy for doing that is to build a big tent – a wide tent with a lot of people underneath it."
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Lecheler noted that early childhood support aligns with pro-family conservative principles.
"Some of the solutions that we're putting forward really resonate with have been folks who agree that people should be able to have families that look the way they want," Lecheler said. "There are certain factions that are excited by the idea of cash transfers specifically within the period surrounding the birth of a child because it enables families to have the number of kids that they want to have."
Founded in 2023, the Mother and Infant Cash Coalition grew out of a broader movement toward direct financial support for young families. Lecheler, who previously managed operations with The Bridge Project — an unrestricted cash transfer initiative launched in 2021 that operates across 14 red, blue, and purple states — noted that momentum for direct cash assistance built rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Advocates and researchers increasingly argue that flexible cash benefits offer a more cost-effective way to improve family stability than traditional, highly restricted in-kind welfare programs.
As direct cash initiatives expanded, organizations focused specifically on the perinatal period — from pregnancy through early infancy — began coordinating nationwide. That collaboration formed the Mother and Infant Cash Coalition, which aims to leverage early-childhood cash transfers to strengthen family stability and drive better maternal and child health outcomes. Member organizations include the Magnolia Mother’s Trust (MMT), launched in 2018, which provides selected mothers with $1,000 per month in unconditional cash for a full year.
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a coalition of over 150 mayors, bids to solve the affordability crisis with cash handouts. The coalition is responsible for over 100 pilot programs launched since 2018 and the establishment of the program in Cook County, Illinois, which was the first municipality to expand a guaranteed income program permanently.
Despite fierce national pushback against guaranteed basic income (GBI) programs — which opponents often criticize as "lottery socialism" — Lecheler stresses that conservative interest often stems from fiscal pragmatic arguments.
"There are other folks who are excited about it from sort of an efficiency angle, and think about this work because it is a lower administrative burden," Lecheler told Fox News Digital. "It is also more cost-effective to prevent poor birth outcomes like low birth weight or preterm birth than it is to respond to them after the fact."
MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP
The debate over early cash aid reached a flashpoint in Michigan over "Rx Kids," a citywide initiative providing expectant mothers with a lump-sum payment of $1,500 during pregnancy, followed by $500 per month for up to 12 months post-birth. While Rx Kids is not a member of the Mother and Infant Cash Coalition, it operates on a similar direct-cash model.
Michigan House Republicans launched a formal inquiry into the initiative, which has absorbed more than $300 million in combined public and private funding. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township, criticized the program's lack of oversight, arguing it functions as a "redistribution of wealth" that fails to solve systemic poverty without spending guardrails.
However, other Michigan Republicans view the policy through a pro-life lens. State Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, publicly broke with critics to endorse the initiative.
"Helping moms and babies truly fits into the call of Jesus," Damoose wrote in an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press. "I believe in the sanctity of life. I believe we need to be champions for the unborn. That means more than just calling ourselves ‘pro-life’ — it means doing everything we can to make it easier for expectant moms to choose life. It means being there for families from the very beginning — and offering them the resources they need to thrive."
Similar policy rifts are playing out nationwide as conservative lawmakers evaluate direct cash policies alongside conservative economic priorities.
"We have people from the right that have organically reached out to us to voice support," Lecheler noted, pointing to conservative support for policies like the Federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) and proposals to expand Child Care and Development Fund assistance.
"Cash assistance is widely supported across party lines, and we see that with the proliferation of cash proposals at the federal level, continued support for different versions of the CTC, as well as promising pilots like Rx Kids and the ASCEND program in New Mexico," Shafeka Hashash, Director of Cash Initiatives at Economic Security Project (ESP), told Fox News Digital. "Growing concerns about the cost-of-living crisis and how AI will impact the workforce are also driving bipartisan support for cash."
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Nevertheless, major state-level legal and legislative efforts to restrict or eliminate cash transfer programs continue in red states:
As of 2026, four red states — Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, and South Dakota — have enacted laws banning or restricting local guaranteed income and unconditional cash-aid programs. In addition, Kansas passed similar restrictive legislation when a bill became law without the governor's signature.
To date, Cook County remains the primary local municipality to enact a permanent guaranteed basic income program. For advocates like Lecheler, the policy push comes down to basic economic survival for young families.
"In the richest country in the world, I feel strongly that families shouldn't have to work three or four jobs just to keep food on the table," Lecheler said.
Olympic swimmer Réka György calls out Virginia Governor Spanberger for withdrawing female sports regulation
Hungarian Olympian Réka György, who lost a place in an NCAA swimming final after competing against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, criticized Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration for abandoning a proposed regulation intended to protect female sports and private spaces.
György was one of three female swimmers who petitioned the Virginia Board of Health to enact the regulation last year. The board unanimously approved the petition under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, but the regulatory action was withdrawn in July after Spanberger took office.
"It’s really sad for me because I had the petition filed a year ago, and Youngkin approved it and wanted to take the next step and protect female athletes and female spaces in Virginia," György told OutKick.
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"I don’t like to see that people are using their power, especially political power, to make decisions and hurt other people. And also, it’s coming from a female."
György added that she was "really disappointed" by the decision.
György filed the petition in April 2025 alongside former Roanoke College swimmers Lily Mullens and Carter Satterfield. It asked the Board of Health to adopt regulations preventing biological males from participating on female-only athletic teams or entering female-designated spaces where women and girls could be undressing.
After receiving more than 2,300 public comments, the board voted 14–0 in August 2025 to begin the regulatory process. The Youngkin administration subsequently approved a Notice of Intended Regulatory Action, which was published that November.
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However, the Spanberger administration withdrew the action on July 30, after an additional public-comment period had concluded. The withdrawal was not accompanied by an announcement from the governor’s office and was later published in the Virginia Register of Regulations.
The official notice said the State Board of Health would not proceed "upon review of statutory authority."
György questioned why the administration did not call greater public attention to the decision.
"I have a feeling that she’s afraid of the backlash of people, what they’re going to say or think," György said. "Other than that, I don’t know what her motivation is."
György’s advocacy stems from her experience at the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships. The Virginia Tech swimmer finished 17th in the preliminary round of the 500-yard freestyle, one place short of advancing to the consolation final.
Thomas, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, qualified for the championship final and went on to win the national title.
"Because the rule-makers let him compete in the women’s category, I got bumped out from the final," György said. "I got 17th, and I wasn’t allowed to swim in the finals. It ended up being me who got knocked out of the finals at night."
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György represented Hungary at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was a two-time ACC champion and two-time NCAA All-American during her career at Virginia Tech. She said she had devoted approximately 18 years to swimming before her final collegiate championship appearance.
"I put everything into swimming that I had," she said. "The 2022 NCAA Championships was my senior year in college, so I was ready to retire from swimming, but before I did that, give my best. I had everything that I was capable of putting into practices to prepare myself to give my best at that competition.
"And the chance to actually swim in the final was taken away."
György also recalled sharing a women’s locker room with Thomas during the championship meet.
"You were in just constant fear," she said. "You had no idea when he was going to enter the locker room."
György explained that putting on a high-level racing suit can take between 15 and 25 minutes, preventing swimmers from simply changing quickly and leaving.
"I was always looking behind my shoulder because I had no idea when my privacy was going to be robbed away," she said. "You try to cover yourself, which usually you don’t do because you are surrounded by other females and you don’t have that issue. But that competition was different."
The experience ultimately prompted György to become an outspoken advocate for sex-separated athletic competition and private spaces.
"I just had this feeling that I had to speak up because, obviously, the people who were in charge of that competition didn’t do anything to protect us females," she said. "One day, maybe I will have a daughter, and I don’t want my daughter to be in a situation where I had to share the locker room and compete against a male."
György, who continues to live in Virginia, joined the petition effort after being contacted about the controversy involving Mullens, Satterfield and the Roanoke College women’s swimming team.
In 2023, members of the team objected when a transgender student sought to join the women’s roster. Roanoke College later said the student had chosen not to compete.
György said she has not yet contacted Spanberger because she only recently learned the regulatory action had been withdrawn, but she plans to seek a conversation with the governor.
"I want to tell her that I hope she sees where I’m coming from," György said. "I hope she sees where other people are coming from when we are trying to protect little girls and females in sports and women-only spaces."
"Title IX was created for a reason," she added. "I really do hope that she is going to follow this rule, and she is going to stand up for women in Virginia."
7 best slow cookers for comfort food season, according to Amazon shoppers
A slow cooker cuts down on hands-on cooking time for hearty weeknight meals, letting soups, stews and other fall favorites simmer while you handle the rest of your day. We rounded up top-rated models from Crock-Pot, Hamilton Beach, Our Place and more, with options for everything from small kitchens to family gatherings and tailgates.
Best for feeding a crowd: Hamilton Beach Stay or Go extra large 10-quart slow cooker
Best-reviewed: Crock-Pot 7-quart manual slow cooker
Best programmable: Hamilton Beach portable 6-quart Set and Forget programmable slow cooker
Best mini slow cooker: Crock-Pot 2-quart manual slow cooker
Best multifunction: Our Place Dream Cooker
Best for easy cleanup: iCook 3.5-quart slow cooker with removable ceramic pot
Best for transporting: Crock-Pot Design Series 7-quart programmable slow cooker
Hamilton Beach's extra-large slow cooker offers a deep cooking pot that fits large cuts of meat and family-size meals without taking up excessive counter space. One reviewer said it easily fits ribs alongside potatoes and onions, adding, "I can be the queen of the family gathering. No mess on the drive, plenty of food for everyone and so easy."
Original price: $59.99
With more than 62,000 reviews, a 4.6-star rating and more than 9,000 bought on Amazon in the past month, this 7-quart Crock-Pot is a popular pick. Its roomy capacity handles everything from soups and stews to pot roasts and pulled chicken. "This has become one of the most-used appliances in my kitchen because it makes preparing delicious meals incredibly simple," one reviewer wrote, adding that meals come out "tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked."
Take the stress out of weeknight dinners with this programmable slow cooker. Three automatic cooking modes make it easy to prepare family-size meals with minimal hands-on effort. "Use the included thermometer probe to check if your meat — like chicken, turkey or pork — is cooked to your liking," one reviewer wrote. Once the meat reaches your programmed temperature, the slow cooker automatically switches to Warm.
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Original price: $23.99
This 2-quart mini slow cooker is a practical option for anyone short on counter space or cooking for one to three people. "It's simple to use, heats evenly and is great for soups, dips and shredded chicken," one reviewer said. "Cleanup is easy, and it doesn't take up much room."
Replace several countertop appliances with Our Place’s Dream Cooker, a 6-quart multi-cooker that pressure cooks, slow cooks, sautés and keeps food warm. Its ceramic nonstick pot also makes cleanup easier. "I bought it for its aesthetics, and I'm not shy about displaying it on my countertop," one reviewer wrote after using it for everything from fall-off-the-bone chicken to flavorful beans.
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Original price: $49.99
This 3.5-quart slow cooker is sized for three to four people and has a removable nonstick ceramic pot that goes straight into the dishwasher for easy cleanup. One Amazon reviewer called it a "kitchen gem," noting that it makes "tender pot roasts, creamy soups and fall-off-the-bone stews with zero babysitting." Cool-touch handles also make it easier to move from the kitchen to the table.
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Original price: $74.95
Bring this Crock-Pot to potluck dinners and tailgates thanks to its locking lid, which helps prevent spills in transit. One Amazon reviewer said they use it about three times a week for roast beef, turkey and pulled pork, noting that meats come out especially tender. They also use leftovers to stretch meals throughout the week, turning Sunday roasts and its juices into stew a few days later.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get these items sent to your door ASAP. You can join or start a 30-day free trial to start your shopping today.
Kyler Murray out with concussion so door opens for Carson Wentz as Vikings' new starter – perhaps for a while
The Minnesota Vikings and their quarterback hijinks are at it again, as Carson Wentz will start Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears because Kyler Murray remains in the concussion protocol and J.J. McCarthy remains at the back of the depth chart.
Coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters that Murray, who suffered a concussion in the regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers, is still working his way back to health.
So, it's Wentz time again.
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We say again because the Vikings had Wentz starting last season in Weeks 3 through 8 when then-starter McCarthy was out with an ankle injury.
Wentz went down in Week 8 and that, as much as McCarthy's recovery, thrust the Vikings 2024 first-round back into the starting lineup.
And here we are again. With Wentz surprisingly being promoted from the No. 3 quarterback during training camp, to No. 2 ahead of McCarthy prior to last week's opener, then to the starter on Sunday at Chicago.
And all the while, McCarthy remains on the bench despite having been involved in a competition for the starting job against Murray.
This all suggests things:
It shows the Vikings promoted Wentz because they thought he was more experienced than McCarthy, yes, but also better.
That becomes clear because, again, it is Wentz starting ahead of a healthy McCarthy this weekend.
It also suggests Wentz has an opportunity going forward.
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Wentz took over in the opener when Murray got knocked out of the game on the Vikings' third possession of the game. Murray was down for a time but eventually walked into the team's locker room for a concussion examination which came back positive.
The Vikings were trailing, 9-0, when Murray left and faced a 22-10 deficit with 2:08 left in the third quarter when Wentz threw a TD pass.
And then he threw another TD pass in the fourth quarter.
And the Vikings scored two other times as Wentz completed 12 of 19 passes for 133 yards with 3 TD passes and without a turnover.
So, Minny beat the rival Packers in dramatic comeback fashion.
O'Connell this week wasn't going to reward Wentz's role in that comeback win by benching him in favor of McCarthy.
But what if Wentz keeps playing well? What if he beats the Bears?
Would the coach bench the quarterback who helped his team get to 2-0 if Murray is ready to play in Week 3?
As ESPN noted, the starter change this week marks the 11th time the Vikings have flipped quarterbacks during a season in O'Connell's five-year tenure.
Yeah, not good.
A majority of those moves came in situations similar to what the team is facing now: An injury to a starter.
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Last year, J.J. McCarthy started the first two games but injured his ankle and missed the next five games while Wentz played.
Wentz was then injured in Week 8 and that's when McCarthy took his job back the following week. The Vikings had a 2-3 record with Wentz in the lineup.
If Wentz plays well and stays healthy and keeps winning, the question will loom: Does Murray get his job back even when he's healthy?
Margot Robbie turns heads in blue bikini on set of new 'Ocean's Eleven' prequel
Margot Robbie was spotted sporting a blue bikini while filming her latest project.
The 36-year-old actress was photographed in a 1960s-style blue bikini top and matching high-waisted bottoms while filming her new movie in Saint-Tropez, France, with Bradley Cooper.
Some of the photos feature the actress standing knee-deep in the ocean and walking along the shore, while others showcase behind-the-scenes moments in which she was hanging out with Cooper and reading the script.
Robbie and Cooper are currently filming the prequel to the 2001 comedy heist movie "Ocean's Eleven," starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
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The prequel follows the story of Danny Ocean’s parents, played by Robbie and Cooper, as they attempt to pull off a heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix.
"Before Danny Ocean ever stepped foot in Vegas, two masterminds taught him everything he knows — his parents," Robbie said at CinemaCon in July, per Variety. "You’ll see them in their prime, and in our new movie, pulling off an epic heist at the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix."
In addition to Cooper and Robbie, the film will feature Academy Award-nominated actor Wagner Moura, Josh Gad and Academy Award-nominated actress Monica Barbaro.
Cooper is also acting as a writer and director of the film, which is being produced by Robbie's production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, which she owns with her husband, Tom Ackerley.
The "Wuthering Heights" star got her start on the Australian TV show "Neighbors," but had her big breakthrough in the 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street," alongside Leonardo DiCaprio.
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She has worked steadily in Hollywood since, but explained to Variety for its January 2026 issue that things have changed for her the longer she has been in the industry.
"Earlier in my career, I’d speak more freely in interviews. I’ve just been burnt so many times, when people have taken what I’ve said out of context. And I read stuff all the time where people put me in quotation marks saying things I’ve never said."
Robbie recalled not being able to "get my head around it" the first time that happened to her, and said she "just had to accept that."
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After becoming a mother, however, Robbie explained there are certain things she will not tolerate anymore, noting, "I’m trying to keep that side of things private and protect him."
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"When you shift from your 20s to your 30s and beyond, you think, ‘I am going to do things differently. Here are my new boundaries,'" the actress said.
She and Ackerley welcomed their son in October 2024. The couple has chosen to keep details about their son private, and have not shared his name, public photos or any additional details.
Trump is 'unfettered' and more comfortable with power in his second term, journalists say
NEW YORK, N.Y. — President Donald Trump is more comfortable on the job in his second term, according to a panel of journalists tasked with covering his every move.
Atlantic reporters Jonathan Lemire, Ashley Parker, Missy Ryan and Michael Scherer discussed what it’s like to cover the White House and other powerful institutions Thursday on stage during the magazine’s annual festival at Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City.
"We’re seeing someone who completed, arguably, the greatest comeback in American political history. He trusts his instincts and very few others and is sort of an unfettered version of himself," Lemire said.
Lemire said Trump’s second administration is filled with "true believers" and "loyalists," while remnants of the "old Republican establishment" are long gone.
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"He also is just more comfortable with the job and how to use the levers of power," Lemire said. "That also includes the relationship with the press and how he dictated change in terms of that relationship."
Parker said the presence of chief of staff Susie Wiles has helped, while deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller spent the four years out of power "plotting and planning" how to run a "bigger, stronger, faster, better, more ruthless" White House the second time around.
Scherer agreed, noting that Trump came back with a much clearer idea about what he can accomplish and how it would impact his legacy.
"I was in Dallas last week when he did the midterm convention. His message was, ‘Vote for me one more time,’" Scherer said.
"There's sort of a different, almost nostalgic approach he's taking to things," he continued. "But it is really about, like, ‘This is my last chance to do what I can to get to make my mark.’"
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Ryan, who covers national security and foreign policy, isn’t thrilled that the Pentagon hasn’t held a formal press briefing for months, and staff writer Vivian Salama, who moderated the conversation, said it's harder for journalists to get scoops this time.
Scherer said the lack of leaks from inside the White House showed how it "operates as a unified body" under Wiles.
"The people under her are loyal to her. They're loyal to the president also, but it operates as a functioning organization," Scherer said.
"The first Trump term, there were three or four camps in that same space. They were often warring with each other and stabbing each other in the back and competing for the president," Scherer continued. "It's harder now. It's harder to get inside-the-room details than it was in the first term, but it can still be done."
While the second Trump administration has been tighter-lipped than the first administration, Scherer said the Obama and Biden administrations operated like bureaucratic law firms.
"We still have more access here, I think, than we had in recent Democratic administrations, just because they had so much discipline. They had a different ethos about them," Scherer said.
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Lane Kiffin's visit to Oxford isn't the first time a coach made an unwelcome return to his former school
By now, most of you are painfully aware of the game taking place in Oxford, Mississippi, this weekend between LSU and Ole Miss.
It's less of a game and more a national event, given the added stakes of Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin making his return to Vaught Hemingway Stadium for the first time since leaving the Rebels in the lurch to make his way to Baton Rouge.
There will be plenty of bad blood to go around for all parties involved, but this kind of "reunion" isn't entirely unprecedented.
Prominent head coaches will, occasionally, leave their teams on less than ideal terms, and when they make the return trip to the place they used to call home, it can get a little toxic.
With that in mind, I decided to take a look at a few other times head coaches made their way back to the schools that used to employ them and how those trips compared to Kiffin's welcome committee in Oxford.
Some of these went a little more amicably than others, but all were fairly noteworthy, so let's dive in.
Before he became the unquestioned GOAT in the annals of college football, Nick Saban was a wildly successful coach at LSU in the early to mid-2000s.
After a pair of SEC Championships and a national title during his five-year tenure with the Tigers, Saban departed for the NFL, leaving many folks on the bayou feeling embittered and betrayed.
Following an unremarkable pair of seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Saban decided it was time to return to the college ranks, opting to don the headset at LSU's biggest rival, Alabama, in 2007.
Tiger fans would only have to wait one year before their former head coach made his way back to Death Valley, as the top-ranked Crimson Tide made their way to Baton Rouge to play 15th-ranked LSU.
The atmosphere around the game was tense and filled with anger and resentment toward Saban, and it didn't help that the Tide escaped with a 27-21 overtime win to effectively knock the Bayou Bengals out of the SEC Championship hunt.
Saban was given a police escort out of the stadium, and years later, the six-time national champion would call leaving LSU the biggest mistake of his career.
Throughout the entirety of the 90s and into the early 2000s, Steve Spurrier and Florida football were synonymous with one another.
The Head Ball Coach won a Heisman Trophy in 1966 while quarterbacking the Gators, and when he returned to roam the sidelines in 1990, he fulfilled the prophecy of "awakening the sleeping giant" once uttered by Alabama legend Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Six SEC Championships and one national title later, and Spurrier figured he had accomplished all he needed to, leaving the friendly confines of The Swamp - the name he gave to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - for an NFL coaching gig with the Washington Redskins in 2002.
Much like Nick Saban, Spurrier wasn't long for the pros, returning to the SEC in 2005 as the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
This didn't sit well with a majority of Gator fans, seeing their visor-clad Messiah coaching an SEC East rival, and it made it even worse that he beat his old school in his first year on the job.
When Spurrier and the Gamecocks made their first trip to The Swamp together in 2006, a game with national championship implications for the home team had new stakes attached to it.
While the fans weren't openly hostile towards their former coach (most were even downright warm), it felt almost like watching a weird alternate reality simulation for those in attendance.
The game was an instant classic, with Gators defensive end Jarvis Moss blocking a potential game-winning field goal to preserve the 17-16 win for Florida, and keep their BCS title game hopes alive in the process.
Spurrier once said "only Gators get out alive" when referring to The Swamp, and that very phrase came back to bite him on that day in November 2006.
Hey, look! A familiar face!
Yes, Lane Kiffin is no stranger to making his way back to old stomping grounds, as he had to do something similar just a few years ago.
When Tennessee hired Kiffin in 2009, the then-33-year-old was fresh off of a failed stint as the Oakland Raiders' head coach, and was looking to make a splash in the SEC.
A "splash" is putting it mildly, as Kiffin immediately went into prison survival mode and tried to pick a fight with the biggest guy in the pen, that being Florida and head coach Urban Meyer.
Kiffin ruffled feathers, accusing Meyer of recruiting violations and promising to "sing Rocky Top all night long" after beating the Gators in The Swamp, but after a year of empty promises and a 7-6 campaign, the brash offensive genius left for sunny Southern California to coach the USC Trojans.
Vols fans revolted, burning couches and rioting on campus, while Kiffin left under cover of darkness.
Flash forward to 2021, and Tennessee fans finally got their chance to let their old head coach know how they really felt in person, as the Rebels made their way to Neyland Stadium.
Kiffin had bounced around as an offensive coordinator and head coach at a few different stops before settling into Oxford to coach the Ole Miss football team, and a night game in Knoxville presented an opportunity for some madness.
The game was crazy enough on its own, as the two teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and the Vols even had the ball trailing by only five with only a minute left in the fourth quarter.
A controversial review then led to a nearly 20 minute delay, as Volunteer fans chucked mustard bottles and golf balls onto the field, the latter of which allegedly hit Kiffin.
As he was being interviewed on the field following the win, Kiffin did his best George Costanza impression, presenting the very golf ball that struck him to a shocked ESPN audience watching at home.
The fact that this game took place nearly a dozen years after his departure did nothing to snuff out the anger Vols fans held toward their former head coach.
Here's one that a lot of people may have forgotten about, but it deserves mention all the same.
The first three instances on this list are comprised of coaches who decided to stay in conference and take jobs with rival SEC programs, but what happens when a coach who made an unceremonious exit just happens to be on the schedule by way of a cupcake matchup scheduled years before he even agreed to take the job?
For those who need a history lesson, Bobby Petrino coached the Arkansas Razorbacks in the late 2000s and early 2010s, even leading the team to a Sugar Bowl berth in 2010 and a top-five finish in 2011.
He was incredibly successful in the short time he called Fayetteville home until 2012, when he crashed his motorcycle with a former Arkansas volleyball player riding on the back.
This led to an investigation and, eventually, his termination from the university, ending a promising rise for the Razorbacks under Petrino.
A decade later, Petrino found his way back to Frank Broyles Field by way of coaching the Missouri State Bears, a lower-end FCS school.
Arkansas, conversely, was ranked in the top 10 and looked to improve upon their nine-win season in 2021 with third-year head coach Sam Pittman.
It appeared as though the Hogs were going to exact some revenge on their motorcycle-obsessed outcast, but, in a game that may have been a precursor to how the rest of the Pittman era would go, the Razorbacks needed to score 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to eke out a 38-27 victory.
Petrino would actually go on to be the offensive coordinator for Pittman just one year later, and would even be the interim head coach in 2025 when Pittman was given the axe.
They truly can't quit the one that got away in Fayetteville.
Hasan Piker calls Bin Laden a ‘spoiled brat,’ labels 9/11 ‘blowback’ in Axios interview
Hasan Piker, the internet streamer and YouTube personality known for his progressive commentary, called Osama bin Laden a "spoiled brat" for his reasoning in orchestrating the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, which he called "blowback" for U.S. actions in the Middle East in the preceding years.
Speaking with Axios, Piker discussed bin Laden's remarks about why he targeted the United States: U.S. support of Israel, American oil policies and U.S. bases in the Middle East. He noted that bin Laden was once a U.S. ally when the U.S. trained, funded and armed the mujahideen in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War.
"The action was so heinous and so violent that — and also … given his position as formerly an American ally — I think that he came across a little bit more as a spoiled brat that wasn't getting his way. With many backers in the Saudi kingdom as well and the royal family," Piker said.
The left-wing streamer said he wants fewer actors like bin Laden to "exist in general."
"The other path of least resistance is to not interfere in these affairs in general and not continue to dominate and create an environment where people are going to seek out revenge and put us in a position of danger," he said.
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Piker called the Sept. 11 attacks a "horrifying tragedy" and called them blowback for U.S. actions in the Middle East.
"Blowback is not a justification. Blowback is just what it is," he said. "A justification offers either a moral condemnation or a moral acceptance of the act. I do not accept the act of 9/11 morally".
Piker has faced backlash for remarks in the same interview where he compared the United States to al Qaeda "pound for pound."
"Pound for pound as far as the number of deaths, yes," Piker said. "We have caused tremendous terror all around the world."
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