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A federal judge on Friday granted a preliminary injunction over parts of the Trump administration’s executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).The injunction largely blocks the sections of President Donald Trump’s orders that seek to end federal support for programs deemed to be DEI-related, and prevents the Trump administration from canceling contracts that they believe promote diversity, equity or inclusion. U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore, a Biden nominee, ruled that parts of the executive orders likely violate the Constitution and free speech.”The harm arises from the issuance of it as a public, vague, threatening executive order,” Abelson said in a hearing this week, adding that it would discourage businesses working with the government from openly supporting DEI. FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY STOPS TRUMP ADMIN FROM FIRING 11 INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO DEI PROGRAMSThe ruling comes after the city of Baltimore, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors and the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United – which represents restaurant workers – sued the Trump administration over the executive orders, calling them presidential overreach and anti-free speech. “Ordinary citizens bear the brunt,” attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in the complaint. “Plaintiffs and their members receive federal funds to support educators, academics, students, workers, and communities across the country. As federal agencies make arbitrary decisions about whether grants are ‘equity-related,’ Plaintiffs are left in limbo.”They argued that Trump was encroaching on Congress’ powers in order to champion his personal beliefs. “But the President simply does not wield that power,” they wrote in the complaint. “And contrary to his suggestions otherwise, his power is not limitless.”TRUMP SCORES BIG LEGAL WIN AGAINST PULITZER PRIZE BOARD MEMBERS AS LAWSUIT MOVES TO DISCOVERYTrump signed an order on his first day in office directing federal agencies to terminate all “equity-related” grants or contracts. He signed a follow-up order requiring federal contractors to certify that they don’t promote DEI. The Trump administration argued in a Wednesday hearing that the president was only banning DEI programs that violate federal civil rights laws. “What’s happening is an overcorrection and pulling back on DEI statements,” attorney Aleshadye Getachew said in a hearing. A second federal lawsuit was also filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday targeting Trump’s DEI executive orders. The new complaint was filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Lambda Legal on behalf of nonprofit advocacy organizations. The lawsuit is aimed at Trump’s executive orders: “Ending Radical and Wasteful DEI Programs and Preferencing,” “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said both lawsuits represented “nothing more than an extension of the left’s resistance,” adding in a statement to the New York Times that the administration was “ready to face them in court.”CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP”Radical leftists can either choose to swim against the tide and reject the overwhelming will of the people, or they can get on board and work with President Trump to advance his wildly popular agenda,” Fields said.Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 



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Publish date : 2025-02-22 02:59:27

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President Donald Trump on Friday said his administration is “pretty close” to striking a deal with Ukraine for rights to access its natural resources in exchange for the United States’ billions of dollars in support for the country against Russia. “You know, I think they want it, and they feel good about it,” Trump told reporters on Friday in the Oval Office after the swearing-in ceremony of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “And it’s significant. It’s a big deal. But they want it, and it keeps us in that country. And they’re very happy about it.”We get our money back. They should have been signed long before we went in. They should have been signed by Biden. But Biden didn’t know too much about what he was doing. The war should have never happened, No. 1. When it did happen, it could have been settled. “The first week or two weeks after that, it got bad. It got really bad, but it should have been, it should have never happened. And it should have been settled, and it could have been settled very easily at the beginning. Now it’s tougher, but we’ll get it settled.”TRUMP CALLS UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY A ‘DICTATOR WITHOUT ELECTIONS’ AS RIFT WIDENS During his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Trump’s National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, said, “Here’s the bottom line: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term.” Waltz also told “Fox & Friends” this week that Ukraine should “tone down” its criticism of Trump and “come back to the table” to work out an economic deal with the U.S.The deal for U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals is part of broader negotiations to end the war in Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in 2022. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News Wednesday Trump is creating a “win-win” partnership between the United States and Ukraine with the deal days after meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv.”Part of my trip was to go and tell the Ukrainian people that we wanted an economic partnership with them,” Bessent told Bret Baier on “Special Report.” “So, President Trump’s vision is [to] bring the Ukrainian people and the American people closer together economically, show the Ukrainian people that we support them, show the American people that the money that is going into Ukraine, that there is going to be a return, that there’s going to be a long-term partnership.”REPUBLICAN SENATORS BACK TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR UKRAINE ELECTIONS, BUT WON’T CALL ZELENSKYY ‘DICTATOR’ The Trump administration is seeking to recoup the cost of aid sent to the war-torn country by gaining access to rare earth minerals like titanium, iron and uranium.The delay also comes amid rising tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy as the U.S. works with Russian officials to broker a peace deal in the ongoing war. Trump argued on Fox News Zelenskyy has “no cards” to negotiate leverage for a deal as the pair have publicly hurled insults at one another in recent days. “I’ve been watching this man for years now as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as his soldiers get decimated,” Trump told Fox News co-host Brian Kilmeade.”I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it,” he added. “You just get sick of it, and I’ve had it.”Trump argued Zelenskyy is a poor negotiator, noting Bessent traveled to Ukraine last week to broker a mineral agreement, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, but said the pair “couldn’t even come close” to a deal.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe president said the trip was dangerous for Bessent and a waste of time. The deal would have helped U.S. investment in the war-torn nation and also provided “the best security guarantee they could ever hope for,” according to Waltz.Fox News’ Bailee Hill contributed to this report.



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Publish date : 2025-02-22 02:30:37

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The New York Yankees announced Friday that their players no longer must be clean-shaven.Owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement that players would be able to keep “well-groomed” beards after discussing the matter with current and former players over “several” years.The rule, which said players could not have facial hair below the lower lip, was established by Hal’s father, George Steinbrenner, in 1976.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMYankee broadcaster Michael Kay, who hosts a radio show during the week, was calling the team’s first spring training game of the season and of the franchise’s new hair era Friday.”I don’t think it’s hyperbole. [It] kind of stunned the baseball world,” he said.One of the main reasons the team lifted the rule was because it could discourage a player from choosing the Yanks as a future destination. “If I ever found out that a player we wanted to acquire to make us better, to get us a championship, did not want to be here, and if he had the ability, would not come here, because of that policy … that would be very, very concerning,” Steinbrenner told reporters Friday.Manager Aaron Boone told reporters he had heard rumblings about the policy change. It should be noted Vladimir Guerrero Jr., MLB’s next big free agent, has had a beard a majority of his career.That sentiment, Kay said, was his biggest takeaway.”I think the most telling thing that [Steinbrenner] said is, ‘We don’t want to ever be in a position where we lose a player that we think can help us win because he didn’t want to come here because of this rule.’ And I think what the Yankees did. They got ahead of things,” Kay added. “And I’ve always wondered, ‘If you’re going to change the rule, you almost have to change the rule before somebody fights back on it. Because if you did lose a player who said, ‘I’m not going to go there because I don’t want to shave,’ that would look really bad.”Yankees Hall of Famers CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter have both grown beards since retiring. Players often grow facial hair when leaving the Yankees or during the offseason.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



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Publish date : 2025-02-22 01:38:33

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A federal judge on Friday granted an injunction requested by 19 attorneys general to prevent the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from having access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system.The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas extends the pause by issuing a preliminary injunction, a legal step that blocks access to the records while the case is litigated on the merits.In her 64-page decision, Vargas noted she was granting the preliminary injunction preventing DOGE from accessing the payment records because of the possible disclosure of the states’ bank records. However, she also said the plaintiffs “have not demonstrated that they are entitled to the broad and sweeping relief they seek, which would far exceed the scope of the present TRO (Temporary restraining order).”TRUMP ISSUES WARNING ABOUT WASTEFUL SPENDING, ORDERS ‘RADICAL TRANSPARENCY’ AMID DOGE PROBES, REVELATIONSVargas is giving Trump administration attorneys the chance to fix any defects so that the sensitive information will be protected.  A report is due March 24. Last week, a federal judge extended a temporary order to block DOGE from accessing Treasury payment systems. A lawsuit filed by the 19 AGs claims DOGE illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. The payment systems have information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits; tax refund information; and much more. Lawyers for the administration argued that the temporary restraining order “causes ongoing constitutional harm to the Treasury Department’s ability to make management decisions within its lawful discretion.”  TREASURY ‘MISTAKENLY’ GAVE MUSK DOGE WORKER ABILITY TO CHANGE PAYMENTS SYSTEM: COURT DOCSDefense attorneys argued that there is nothing unlawful about the Treasury Department’s actions. Treasury officials have denied violating privacy laws, saying only two members of the DOGE team had been given “read-only” access to information in the payment systems. The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a vocal Trump critic. It includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. “We just won a court order stopping DOGE and unauthorized, unelected, and unvetted individuals like Elon Musk from accessing people’s private data and blocking federal funds,” James wrote Friday on X. “We will keep fighting to protect all Americans from this administration’s destruction.”The AGs argue that granting DOGE access to the payment system puts Americans’ sensitive, personal information, such as bank account details and Social Security numbers, at risk.Fox News’ William Mears and Maria Paronich contributed to this report. 



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Publish date : 2025-02-22 00:58:13

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Peter Jason, an actor whose Hollywood career spanned five decades, has died at the age of 80.Jason, who appeared in “Karate Kid” and “Deadwood,” was “truly loved” by his colleagues, his representative, Tom Harrison, said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital Friday.”We [are] all saddened by the loss of Peter Jason. … Peter was loved by family, professionals in the business and anyone who knew him or came into contact with him,” Harrison said. “Peter had more spirit and love of life than anyone individual I have ever come in contact with. One of the greatest character actors around who was truly loved by his fellow actors and all.”On Feb. 20, actor Billy Zane took to Instagram to mourn his “dear, dear friend,” Jason. RALPH MACCHIO DISMISSES ‘TOO WHITE’ CRITICISM OF 1984’S ‘KARATE KID’: ‘AHEAD OF ITS TIME’APP USERS CLICK HERE FOR INSTAGRAM POST”My dear, dear friend, the brightest light, most generous soul and gregarious of men, the supremely talented and kind Peter Jason has left the set. Survived by his lovely wife Eileen and his children, the vacuum felt by his passing gut punched me as I saw it coming. It had me spending the last two hours deciding between pieces of music to underscore this tribute that would either confuse, tickle or bore 1/2 of the viewers,” Zane wrote.Horror filmmaker John Carpenter took to X to honor Jason.LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS”Peter Jason, one of the great character actors in cinema, has died. His first movie was Howard Hawks’ RIO LOBO. He was a dear friend and I’ll miss him terribly,” Carpenter wrote Feb. 20.According to IMDb, Jason appeared in 267 projects over the course of his career. His career began in 1967 with “A Bell For Adano,” and his final credit was reprising his “Deadwood” role as Con Stapleton in “Deadwood: The Movie” in 2019.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Other notable films Jason appeared in included “The Hunt For Red October” in 1990, “Mortal Kombat” in 1995 and “Adaptation” in 2002. He also appeared in a video game as the voice actor for Gears of War.



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Publish date : 2025-02-22 00:04:20

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Nearly 200 Venezuelan illegal immigrants detained at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, were shipped back home this week in multiple flights after the South American nation expressed its willingness to accept its citizens. The 177 Venezuelans were aboard a U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement flight that had a stopover in Honduras before landing in Caracas.Images show a group of men wearing gray sweatsuit outfits lined up on a tarmac waiting to board a plane. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEARLast week, two Venezuelan flights carried 190 illegal immigrants from the United States to Venezuela.In January, President Donald Trump said he wanted to expand immigrant detention centers at Guantánamo to hold as many as 30,000 people. The military base is best known for detaining terrorism suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. “Some of them are so bad that we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back, so we’re going to send ‘em out to Guantánamo,” Trump said at the time. The acceptance by Venezuela could signal the country’s willingness to regularly take back its citizens who enter the U.S. illegally.TRUMP ADMIN ENDS DEPORTATION PROTECTIONS FOR MASSIVE NUMBER OF VENEZUELANS AMID ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN”Venezuela had historically resisted accepting repatriation of its citizens but has recently begun accepting removals following high-level political discussions and an investment of significant resources,” federal immigration and military officials wrote in a court document filed Thursday. The U.S. government has alleged that Venezuelan immigrants transferred to the naval base are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Trump has turned the gang into the face of the alleged threat posed by immigrants living in the country illegally.He formally designated the gang a “foreign terrorist organization” this week.On Thursday, the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the country “will always fight terrorism and criminal organizations of any kind, while denouncing the manipulation of these elements for political ends and rejecting any attempt to criminalize the nation and its citizens.”The Associated Press contributed to this report. 



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 23:14:54

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President Donald Trump has helped a GOP lawmaker and national union leader finally squash their feud after making headlines in 2023 for their verbal spat on the Senate floor, telling each other to “stand” their “butt(s) up,” during an argument.  Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien made headlines in November 2023 for their heated argument after the representative confronted the union boss on his critical tweets. Now, the two men say President Trump has brought them together after a phone call. “Even after President Trump and Sean O’Brien sat down and talked, one of the first phone calls he made was to me and said, ‘Hey Markwayne, I think you guys will get along. You guys need to talk because I think we got a place for the unions to come in and it starts with Sean. Why don’t you guys just sit down and break bread together?’ Sean and I broke bread together for the first time, and we have truly built a friendship ever since then,” Rep. Markwayne Mullin told “Hannity” on Thursday. The pair is now joining together to endorse Trump nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer.  “We are working very hard, both of us, to do what’s right for the American worker,” Teamsters president Sean O’Brien told Fox News. “Now, we can agree to disagree on right to work. We can agree to disagree on the Pro Act, but the task at hand right now is getting Lori Chavez-DeRemer confirmed, and we’re going to work together. Look, we did have a fight. We did have an argument, but it is what it is. It’s in the past.” GOP LAWMAKER REVEALS BACKSTORY OF NEARLY COMING TO BLOWS WITH UNION BOSS AT SENATE HEARING “You tweeted at me one, two, three, four, five times,” video shows Mullin addressing the leader during their viral confrontation. “Let me read what the last one said. It said, ‘Greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self-made.’ Sorry, I wish he was in the truck with me when I was building my plumbing company myself. … ‘Quit the tough guy act in these Senate hearings. You know where to find me any place, any time, cowboy.’ Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth. We can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here.” O’Brien responded he was fine with that, and Mullin said, “Well, stand your butt up, then.” “You stand your butt up,” O’Brien responded, causing chaos on the floor with interruptions from onlookers to stop. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mullin reflected that his new “friendship” with O’Brien represents unity under the commander-in-chief. “What Sean and I’s friendship represents is President Trump reaching outside the norm of the political boundaries that the Republican Party had put on ourselves and brought a coalition together, like with Tulsi Gabbard, with Bobby.” 



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 22:12:38

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A “tourist tax” on hotels beginning next year will be implemened in Edinburgh, Scotland — a first in the United Kingdom. In late January, The City of Edinburgh Council decided to move forward with a 5% per night fee on overnight accommodations within the city. The tax goes into effect on July 24, 2026.The new tax is “is a 5% payment on the cost of the paid, overnight accommodation. The levy will be charged before VAT and will not be charged on extras like parking, meals, drinks or transport,” said the website for the City of Edinburgh Council. POPULAR TRAVEL DESTINATION DOUBLES CONTROVERSIAL DAY-TRIPPER TAX, SPARKS REACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIAThis fee will not only apply to hotels, said the website. It will also be levied on “self-catering apartments, aparthotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses, hostels, student [rentals] – only when [rented] to visitors and non-Edinburgh students, vehicles or boats (vessels), which mostly stay in one place, holiday/short term [rentals], and caravan/camp sites,” said the city’s website. The tax will be capped after the first five consecutive nights, said the city’s website. While it is referred to as a “tourist tax,” anyone who is paying for accomodation in Edinburgh, for any reason, will have to pay. “Anyone who is staying in paid, overnight accommodation in Edinburgh need[s] to pay the levy,” said the council’s website.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER”This includes tourists, people staying for work or visiting the city for other reasons. This includes U.K. and Scottish residents.” The City of Edinburgh Council believes that the new tax will raise about £50 million (about $63 million in U.S. dollars) a year. Councillor Jane Meagher, leader of the city’s council, called the new tax a “historic moment for Edinburgh.” She continued, “Introducing this ground-breaking visitor levy means realizing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest tens of millions of pounds towards enhancing and sustaining the things that make our city such a great place to visit – and live in — all year round.”For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyleMeagher praised the tax and said it has a “huge amount of backing, not least from local residents.” Not everyone, however, is excited about the changes.Leon Thompson, UKHospitality Scotland executive director, voiced his disapproval of the new tax, saying it will make the city less competitive as a tourist destination.”Our fundamental concern has always been that this levy will only serve to make visitors’ trips to Edinburgh more expensive, ultimately reducing their spending in the wider visitor economy and deterring future visits,” he said in a statement. “It’s now the job of the council to use these funds wisely to improve the capital’s attractiveness as a visitor destination and mitigate the impact of the levy on businesses.”



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 21:30:45

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Blake Lively’s legal team proposed a stronger protective order in her case involving “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni.Lively and others who have spoken out in support of the actress have received “violent” messages, leading the “Gossip Girl” star to request “heightened” protections, according to a letter filed in court and obtained by Fox News Digital.”As detailed in Ms. Lively’s Amended Complaint, Ms. Lively, her family, other members of the cast, various fact witnesses, and individuals that have spoken out publicly in support of Ms. Lively have received violent, profane, sexist, and threatening communications,” the court docs read.NEW ACCUSERS IN BLAKE LIVELY, JUSTIN BALDONI LEGAL DRAMA ‘CAN MAKE OR BREAK THE CASE’: EXPERT”For example, in the days after January 31, 2025 – when the Wayfarer Plaintiffs filed their Amended Complaint, including a 100-plus page exhibit with text threads – one fact witness known to publicly support Ms. Lively and whose texts the Wayfarer Parties excerpted (ostensibly without his permission) received a written threat indicating that the witness’s family would be sexually assaulted and killed unless the witness agreed to ‘make a statement and give the truth,’” the letter continued.Lively’s team claimed that releasing certain discovery in the battle between the “A Simple Favor” star and Baldoni “will create a ‘defined, specific and serious injury’ to parties and non-parties, such as by violating their privacy, exposing them to threats, and creating a climate of possible witness intimidation.”Baldoni has until March 11 to file his own version of a protective order for the judge to review before choosing a final version.Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Lively for comment.BLAKE LIVELY VS. JUSTIN BALDONI: EVERYTHING TO KNOWLIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSBaldoni’s team emphasized that they “do not condone dangerous rhetoric targeted toward anyone” involved in the legal back-and-forth between the actor and Lively.”Anyone receiving violent messages by anonymous parties is abhorrent,” Baldoni’s team said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “When private parties were wrongfully accused by Lively and her paid team of wrongdoing, they received continuous death threats and visits to private homes where young children reside after their addresses were leaked on her initial complaints.””No one should have to face that, especially private parties who do not have means for security detail,” the statement continued. “We do not condone dangerous rhetoric targeted toward anyone no matter the situation.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERIn December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court.Baldoni, in his own lawsuit filed in January, insisted that Lively had “falsely” accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation following the fallout of the movie’s press tour after the actress took control of the film. Baldoni’s legal team claimed that Lively had no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and had instead worked to repair her reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment.Lively filed her amended complaint on Feb. 18, claiming that two female cast members were willing to testify to the “unwelcome behavior” Baldoni exhibited on set. However, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, slammed the new version of the lawsuit as “unsubstantial hearsay.”



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 20:24:34

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Charles Barkley isn’t prepared to call San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama the “face of the league” just yet. In fact, the NBA Hall of Famer believes titles such as that need to be earned. And according to Barkley, it hasn’t been earned yet. Barkley raised the topic during TNT’s “Tip-Off” show on Thursday night, saying he’s been “annoyed” by those calling the young French basketball player the “face of league.”  CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM”I saw some guys on another network the other day talking about the ‘face of the league.’ And I was so annoyed,” he began. “First of all you don’t give anybody ‘the face of the league.’ Am I right, Shaq,” Barkley said to his co-host and fellow Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal. “Shaq took being [face of the league]. When [Magic Johnson] and Larry Bird came in, they’re like, ‘We’re the new sheriffs in town.’ Shaq took it, Kobe [Bryant] took it, LeBron [James] took it, Steph [Curry] took it.”SPURS STAR VICTOR WEMBANYAMA TO MISS THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON OVER BLOOD CLOT”You don’t give anybody ‘the face of the game,’ you take it,” Barkley continued. Wembanyama, the reigning Rookie of the Year, was largely considered the frontrunner for defensive player of the year until the team announced on Thursday that he will likely miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder. He was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists and is the first NBA player to have taken 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots in a season – something he accomplished before the All-Star break. Wembanyama essentially became ineligible for most end-of-season awards because of the league’s 65-game rule, which is in its second season of policy. He has only played in 46 games. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 19:51:26

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President Donald Trump sparred with Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills over transgender women in sports, telling her at the White House that she must follow his executive order or “you’re not going to get federal funding,” to which she replied, “we’ll see you in court.” The blue state is one of several defying Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order preventing trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Trump threatened Thursday to cut off federal funding to Maine before clashing with Mills at a bipartisan meeting of governors. “You better do it because you’re not going to get federal funding,” Trump told her.  “We’re going to follow the law sir. We’ll see you in court,” she responded. TRUMP VOWS TO CUT OFF FEDERAL FUNDING TO MAINE OVER REFUSAL TO COMPLY WITH ‘NO MEN IN WOMEN’S SPORTS’ ORDER “Enjoy your life after governor because I don’t think you’ll be an elected official afterwards,” Trump then said. Mills released a statement on Friday, saying that “The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats.” “If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides,” she added. Trump told a gathering of Republican governors in Washington, D.C., on Thursday that “I heard men are still playing in Maine.” “I hate to tell you this, but we’re not going to give them any federal money, they are still saying ‘we want men to play in women’s sports’ and I cannot believe that they’re doing that… So we’re not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up,” he aded. WISCONSIN BANS TRANS ATHLETES FROM GIRLS’ SPORTS, FOLLOWING TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER Trump’s executive order, which was signed on Feb. 5, instructed all federal agencies to review grants, programs and policies that fail to comply with the administration’s efforts to end “male competitive participation in women’s sports… as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.” The order also instructed strict Title IX enforcement against any educational institutions or athletic associations that do not comply and demands federal assistance be taken away in such cases. Shortly after the order was signed, multiple states, including Maine, California, Minnesota and others run primarily by Democrats, indicated that they would not comply with Trump.  The executive director of the primary governing body for high school sports in the state of Maine said athletic teams will continue to determine eligibility based on a student’s stated gender identity, despite the president’s executive order seeking to keep “men out of women’s sports.” Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report. 



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 18:43:24

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A lawyer in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking case requested to step down from the legal battle Friday.Anthony Ricco and Combs’ legal team submitted a motion for the attorney to be removed from the rapper’s counsel less than three months before the trial is set to take place.”Although I have provided Sean Combs with the high level of legal representation expected by the court, under no circumstances can I continue to effectively serve as counsel for Sean Combs, consistent with the ABA Standards for Criminal Justice,” Ricco wrote in the motion obtained by Fox News Digital.The attorney noted there were “sufficient reasons” for the “brevity” of his withdrawal that are related to “protections afforded by the attorney/client privilege.”JAY-Z, SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS SEXUAL ASSAULT ACCUSER DROPS LAWSUITRicco’s departure from the case does not impact Combs’ legal team, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital. The team remains “intact and fully engaged.””This motion for withdrawal of counsel, if granted, will not result in a delay of the present schedule for the commencement of jury selection and trial, or the present schedules for briefing of pre-trial legal issues,” Ricco added in the legal document. “As a result, there will be no lapse in representation, as Sean Combs will continue to be represented by five other attorneys of record.”The request must be approved by Judge Arun Subramanian.Combs’ trial is set to begin May 5.LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSThe prosecution expects the government’s case to take three weeks to lay out, while Combs’ legal team estimated needing one week to argue the rapper’s defense.A superseding indictment has been filed against Combs, which prosecutors previously said could lengthen the trial.Prosecutors filed the superseding indictment on Jan. 30, adding new details to the public record but no new charges. The new indictment, obtained by Fox News Digital, claimed the racketeering conspiracy actually began in 2004 and ran until 2024. Two additional victims were also added, although they remain anonymous as “Victim-1,” “Victim-2” and “Victim-3.”CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERCombs was originally charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in an indictment unsealed on Sept. 17. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.Authorities alleged Combs ran a criminal enterprise through his businesses, including Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Enterprises and Combs Global, among others. He used “firearms, threats of violence, coercion, and verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse” to fulfill his sexual desires, according to the unsealed indictment obtained by Fox News Digital.WATCH: SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS DEFENSE TEAM’S ONLY HOPE IS TO MAKE SEX ACTS APPEAR CONSENSUAL, FORMER PROSECUTOR SAYSCombs and his employees would “intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims into the rapper’s orbit, often under the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs allegedly then used force, threats of force, and coercion, to cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs referred to as, among other things, ‘Freak Offs.'”Lawyers for Combs denied the allegations and have maintained the rapper is innocent.



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 18:02:34

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A Cuban migrant brought a “white powdery substance” to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Florida on Thursday, leading to a security guard becoming ill and sparking an evacuation of the premises.The early morning scare took place at ICE’s Miami field office in Miramar at 7:15 a.m. when the migrant was being screened, an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital.Hazmat teams descended on the 145th Avenue scene and were seen dressed in splash protection suits with masks and carrying spray guns. After coming back out of the facility, they hosed each other down while sniffer dogs were also deployed.FLORIDA SHERIFF SAYS ICE PARTNERSHIP ONLY THE BEGINNING IN ILLEGAL MIGRANT CRACKDOWN”Authorities were immediately notified, which led to a hazardous material response by Miramar Fire Rescue and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue,” an ICE statement reads, in part. “The building was evacuated and individuals were quarantined until the powder was identified.”The uniformed security guard, who reportedly started feeling ill after coming in contact with the powder, was rolled out of the building on a stretcher holding his neck. It’s unclear if the guard touched the powder or fell ill due to being in proximity to it.Both the Cuban migrant and the guard were transported to a local hospital as a precaution, where they were both treated and released, ICE said. The Cuban migrant was arrested by ICE and has criminal charges pending in relation to the incident, which comes amid an ICE crackdown on illegal immigration under the new Trump administration. ICE has been aggressively targeting and deporting criminal illegal migrants.FLORIDA SHERIFF ASKS TRUMP’S ICE TO REMOVE BIDEN-ERA ‘SHACKLES’Two other people were hospitalized with injuries that were not life-threatening, WSVN reported. Officials said one was for diabetes and the other one was for anxiety and asthma.One eyewitness said he saw an employee get dizzy and faint just before officials responded to the scene, according to WSVN. Footage shows people due to use the facility congregating across the road in a long line.  “The all clear was given at 9:45 a.m. and ICE resumed regular operations,” ICE said. “We are not identifying the alien or the substance at this time.”ICE Homeland Security Investigations also responded and is investigating. The incident is now being investigated by Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI, WSVN reported. Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI for further information pertaining to the incident. 



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 17:01:42

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Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. CQ Brown is visiting the U.S.-Mexico border to assess the military’s progress in fortifying sections of the wall, the Associated Press reported on Friday.The Defense Department deployed 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border just two days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. More servicemembers were sent to the border earlier this month.There are approximately 9,200 U.S. troops on the border, 4,200 of whom were deployed under federal orders, according to the Associated Press. The other 5,000 are National Guard troops.TRUMP STATE DEPARTMENT DECLARES TREN DE ARAGUA, MS-13, MEXICAN DRUG CARTELS AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONSThe Trump administration on Wednesday designated eight gangs and cartels, including Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel and MS-13, as foreign terrorist organizations. This move expands the U.S. government’s ability to crack down on criminal organizations operating in its territory.In a public notice on the matter, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that there was a “sufficient factual basis” under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to issue the designations.On Wednesday, U.S. NORTHCOM Commander Gen. Gregory M. Guillot and Mexican Secretary of National Defense Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo spoke about coordinating along the border and signed a mutual agreement on cooperative activities, the Defense Department announced. NOEM MAKES AGGRESSIVE NEW MOVE TO RAMP UP ARRESTS, DEPORTATIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTSThe agreement allegedly calls for an increase in information sharing and improved communications methods, as well as a call for Mexico and the U.S. to respect each other’s sovereignty.Troop deployments and wall fortifications are parts of Trump’s crackdown on the southern border. Earlier this month, the Trump administration began sending flights of illegal immigrants to the Guantánamo Bay detention facilities in Cuba. Around 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens” could be held in the base that once housed hundreds of prisoners, only 15 of whom were left before Trump began sending migrants there. 



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 16:21:37

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Threat actors, some likely based in China and Iran, are formulating new ways to hijack and utilize American artificial intelligence (AI) models for malicious intent, including covert influence operations, according to a new report from OpenAI.The February report includes two disruptions involving threat actors that appear to have originated from China. According to the report, these actors have used, or at least attempted to use, models built by OpenAI and Meta.In one example, OpenAI banned a ChatGPT account that generated comments critical of Chinese dissident Cai Xia. The comments were posted on social media by accounts that claimed to be people based in India and the U.S. However, these posts did not appear to attract substantial online engagement.That same actor also used the ChatGPT service to generate long-form Spanish news articles that “denigrated” the U.S. and were subsequently published by mainstream news outlets in Latin America. The bylines of these stories were attributed to an individual and, in some cases, a Chinese company.CHINA, IRAN AND RUSSIA CONDEMNED BY DISSIDENTS AT UN WATCHDOG’S GENEVA SUMMITDuring a recent press briefing that included Fox News Digital, Ben Nimmo, Principal Investigator on OpenAI’s Intelligence and Investigations team, said that a translation was listed as sponsored content on at least one occasion, suggesting that someone had paid for it.OpenAI says this is the first instance in which a Chinese actor successfully planted long-form articles in mainstream media to target Latin American audiences with anti-U.S. narratives.”Without a view of that use of AI, we would not have been able to make the connection between the tweets and the web articles,” Nimmo said.

He added that threat actors sometimes give OpenAI a glimpse of what they’re doing in other parts of the internet because of how they use their models.”This is a pretty troubling glimpse into the way one non-democratic actor tried to use democratic or U.S.-based AI for non-democratic purposes, according to the materials they were generating themselves,” he continued.WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?The company also banned a ChatGPT account that generated tweets and articles that were then posted on third-party assets publicly linked to known Iranian IOs (input/output). IO is the process of moving data between a computer and the outside world, including the movement of audio, video, software, and text.  These two operations have been reported as separate efforts.”The discovery of a potential overlap between these operations – albeit small and isolated – raises a question about whether there is a nexus of cooperation amongst these Iranian IOs, where one operator may work on behalf of what appear to be distinct networks,” the threat report states.In another example, OpenAI banned a set of ChatGPT accounts that were using OpenAI models to translate and generate comments for a romance baiting network, also known as “pig butchering,” across platforms like X, Facebook and Instagram. After reporting these findings, Meta indicated that the activity appeared to originate from a “newly stood up scam compound in Cambodia.WHAT IS CHINESE AI STARTUP DEEPSEEK?Last year, OpenAI became the first AI research lab to publish reports on efforts to prevent abuse by adversaries and other malicious actors by supporting the U.S., allied governments, industry partners, and stakeholders.OpenAI says it has greatly expanded its investigative capabilities and understanding of new types of abuse since its first report was published and has disrupted a wide range of malicious uses.The company believes, among other disruption techniques, that AI companies can glean substantial insights on threat actors if the information is shared with upstream providers, such as hosting and software providers, as well as downstream distribution platforms (social media companies and open-source researchers).OpenAI stresses that their investigations also benefit greatly from the work shared by peers.”We know that threat actors will keep testing our defenses. We’re determined to keep identifying, preventing, disrupting and exposing attempts to abuse our models for harmful ends,” OpenAI stated in the report. 



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Publish date : 2025-02-21 15:25:16

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