Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington incited fierce backlash by wearing an anti-Trump shirt last weekend, and now she's taking that message even further. 

During a press conference before an "Unrivaled" league game Thursday, Carrington declared it's time for WNBA players to "take action" in response to President Donald Trump's policies.

"We see that some of the policies are already going into action, and, of course, that means that as the WNBA and being at the forefront of a lot of these movements, it's time for us to also take action," Carrington said. 

"It definitely needs to happen as women, women's rights being taken away, like, now, LGBTQ rights being taken away now. They haven't happened yet, but definitely in the works."

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Carrington wore a shirt that said, "The F--- Donald Trump Tour" Friday while walking into Wayfair Arena in Miami, Florida.

The player is most known for her interactions with women's basketball phenom Caitlin Clark during Clark's rookie WNBA season in 2024. 

Carrington gave Clark a black eye after poking her during a game between Clark's Indiana Fever and Carrington's Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs in September. Carrington laughed with Fever teammate Marina Mabrey after the incident.

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Carrington has said she didn't intentionally poke Clark in the eye and that she wasn't laughing about the incident. However, she made light of the controversy over Clark's black eye in an Instagram Live video in October. 

In the video, Carrington and her girlfriend, NaLyssa Smith, who plays on the Indiana Fever with Clark, were in their kitchen when Smith poked Carrington in the eye.

"Ow, you poked me in the eye," Carrington said. Smith apologized, and the two laughed.

"Did you do it on purpose?" Carrington asked.

Carrington provoked Clark fans prior to the eye-poking incident with multiple statements berating Clark and her fan base. 

During a game in June, Carrington fouled Clark after Clark received an inbound pass from teammate Kristy Wallace. Clark caught the pass and started toward the basket. Carrington was late getting to Clark due to a screen by Aliyah Boston, and she bumped into Clark.

Later that month, Carrington posted on X, saying Clark should do more to speak out about people using her name for "racism" and other forms of prejudice. She also called the Fever fans the "nastiest" in the league.

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Ford's no stranger to the NASCAR life. Ford driver Joey Logano was the 2024 Cup Series Champion in one of the company's Mustang-bodied machines. He's currently leading the 2025 series, too. However, the Blue Oval and its Ford Performance division are going into uncharted territory with its new prototype, an all-electric Mach-E built atop elements of NASCAR's current Next Gen chassis.

The machine uses three motors to make a total of 1,341 hp (1,000 kW). Yes, three motors, one for each rear wheel plus the odd one out up front, giving the thing all-wheel drive. That's a seeming necessity, given the car has two times the power that any NASCAR racer is allowed to deploy on the non-restrictor plate races.

But that extra driven axle isn't just for acceleration. "If you're rear-wheel drive only, you're only getting rear regen," Mark Rushbrook said. He's the global director of Ford Performance. Since braking forces are higher at the front axle, an extra motor there means more regen to recharge the battery.

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Punk rock legend Patti Smith has updated fans on her health following reports that she collapsed on stage in Brazil.

“This is letting everyone know that I am fine,” she wrote via Instagram on Thursday, January 30. “A grossly exaggerated account is being spread by the press and social media.”

Smith, 78, was beginning a headlining set with experimental music group Soundwalk Collective at the Teatro Cultura Artística in São Paulo, Brazil on Wednesday, January 29, when she collapsed on stage, according to TMZ.

The singer was reportedly reading a spoken-word statement about climate change when she experienced a health emergency and was soon ushered off stage.

According to local reports, Smith eventually returned to the stage in a wheelchair to tell fans she felt “very badly” and would not be cleared by her doctor to perform a full show. Instead, Smith sang two acapella tracks before ending the event early.

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Smith later explained on Instagram that “post migraine dizziness” led to “a small incident” that had been blown out of proportion in the media.

“I was checked out by an excellent Doctor and was absolutely fine,” she wrote. “Please do not accept any other story. With all the strife in the world, this explainable incident does not merit so much attention. Thank you everyone for your concern. Trust me I am fine.”

Patti Smith, 78, depois de um tombo pra trás e ficar desacordada. Volta ao palco do Cultura Artística e encanta a todos pic.twitter.com/H4QAAajvM9

— Raul Juste Lores (@rauljustelores) January 30, 2025

Her collaborators Soundwalk Collective posted a statement signed by Smith via their Instagram Story to confirm that she would be back on stage for a second scheduled performance at the Cultura Artística Theater on Thursday.

“Patti has suffered from an intense migraine the past couple days and had some dizziness on stage but she still wanted to be there for all of us and you and perform today,” the statement read. “She is now being cared for by the best doctors in the most loving way and will be back on stage [on Thursday].”

Soundwalk Collective thanked those in attendance for their “beautiful energy and [their] supportive presence” in light of events.

Bruce Springsteen Gives Update on Wife Patti's ‘Tough’ Cancer Battle

“Patti says she is tremendously grateful for your patience and forgiveness and she sends her love to all who attended,” the group added.

The rock legend is set to be honored at the Music Of Patti Smith concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 26 to benefit music education for underserved youth.

Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, The National’s Matt Berninger and Sharon Van Etten are among more than 20 artists who will perform Smith’s influential music at this tribute show.​​

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee will then appear at a free Poet’s Voice event at the Greenwich Library in Connecticut on April 12 where she will reflect on her work as a poet, singer, songwriter and fine artist over the past 50 years.

The four-time Grammy nominee’s groundbreaking 1975 album Horses was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021. She was previously given the prestigious Polar Music Prize in 2011 for her contributions to both poetry and rock music.

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Last year, Smith thanked Taylor Swift for referencing her alongside acclaimed poet Dylan Thomas in The Tortured Poets Department’s title track.

“This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas,” she wrote on Instagram. “Thank you, Taylor.”

New Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has been privately indicating she's prepared to intervene in contested primaries.

Why it matters: Senate Democrats want to avoid the GOP's Obama-era pain of watching preferred candidates lose primaries to unelectable newcomers.

• Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) know their ability to claw their way back to the majority starts with candidates who are built for the general election.
• The top target: Getting the right candidates in three of the most competitive races of the 2026 cycle — Maine, North Carolina and now Michigan.

Zoom in: At a private DSCC fundraiser on Wednesday night, Gillibrand told donors that Roy Cooper, the former North Carolina governor, would be a "formidable candidate," according to people familiar with the matter.

• Cooper has yet to decide whether to run, but he's clearly indicated he's considering it and used his farewell address to say, "I am not done."
• A big announcement from Cooper would help offset fears of losing other seats — especially if Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) decides to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).

Democrats were stunned by Sen. Gary Peters' (D-Mich.) surprise announcement he won't seek a third term, opening a primary they thought would be closed.

• Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) are both mulling primary bids. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the current Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist are also taking a look.

The bottom line: In these MAGA times, the NRSC is typically left with whatever candidate President Trump endorses.

• Schumer and Gillibrand don't have that kind of power, but they clearly want to avoid intra-party fights and save their resources for the general election.
• "As always, the DSCC evaluates every primary on a case-by-case basis and doesn't take any options off the table," a DSCC aide said.

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders appointing a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) deputy administrator and ordering an immediate assessment of aviation safety.

The orders came after an American Airlines plane carrying 64 people and an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers crashed in midair at about 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The aircraft plummeted into the frigid Potomac River near Reagan National Airport, leaving 67 people presumed dead.

In the Oval Office Thursday, Trump signed an order appointing Chris Rocheleau acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

Rocheleau most recently served as National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) CEO and held multiple leadership roles at the FAA during his more than 20-year tenure, including director of the office of emergency operations and investigations.

The NBAA wrote in a statement it "welcomed" the announcement.

"Chris is an outstanding leader who will be good for the FAA, good for aviation and good for the country, especially at this challenging time," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "He has demonstrated excellence at every level in the government, military and aviation industry."

DC PLANE CRASH TIMELINE: MIDAIR COLLISION INVOLVES 67 PASSENGERS, CREW MEMBERS, SOLDIERS

Trump called Rocheleau a "very capable guy" while signing the order.

A second executive order ordered an immediate assessment of aviation safety and an elevation of "competence" over diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

While signing the order, he said former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama's DEI policies were "just crazy."

The memorandum says the Obama administration introduced a biographical questionnaire at the FAA to shift the hiring focus away from objective aptitude, and the Biden administration later encouraged the recruitment of people with "severe intellectual disabilities."

"During my first term, my Administration raised standards to achieve the highest standards of safety and excellence," Trump wrote in the memo. "The Biden Administration egregiously rejected merit-based hiring, requiring all executive departments and agencies to implement dangerous ‘diversity equity and inclusion’ tactics, and specifically recruiting individuals with ‘severe intellectual’ disabilities in the FAA."

While Trump ordered an immediate return to merit-based recruitment, hiring and promotion on his second day in office, he noted the recent plane crash "underscores the need to elevate safety and competence as the priority of the FAA."

Trump said Thursday the collision was a "confluence of bad decisions that were made, and you have people that lost their lives, violently lost their lives."

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this story.

• A jet operated by American Airlines collided with a Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, DC.
• Investigators on Thursday said they recovered the black boxes from the passenger jet.
• Black boxes can provide key data from moments before the impact.

Investigators recovered the recording devices, or black boxes, from one of the aircraft involved in Wednesday night's midair crash near the Reagan Washington National Airport.

A spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board, which is overseeing the probe into the crash, told Business Insider in an email that the "cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder" from the Bombardier CRJ700 airplane operated by American Airlines was recovered.

"The recorders are at the NTSB labs for evaluation," the spokesperson said.

Blackboxes provide key pieces of data that can help investigators determine what happened before the moment of impact.

The cockpit voice recorder "records radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit, such as the pilot's voices and engine noises," according to the NTSB. "The other, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), monitors parameters such as altitude, airspeed and heading."

The collision between a passenger jet and a military helicopter occurred in one of the most congested airspaces in the US, BI reported.

Sixty-seven people — including four crew members and 60 passengers aboard the CRJ700 and three Black Hawk crew members — were presumed dead.

For years, aviation experts have warned of the risks of midair collisions amid air traffic controller staffing shortages and an increasingly congested airspace.

This is a developing story, check back for more information.

• I moved closer to my daughter, anticipating the arrival of my grandson.
• When he was 4 months old, I received a call that my daughter had unexpectedly died.
• I put my life on hold to help take care of my grandson.

Anticipating retirement as a single mother, I made a major move to be closer to family. Two kids out of college, both married, with the prospect of grandchildren and the ocean close — a side benefit — I could now indulge in personal pursuits, writing fiction.

After two gut-wrenching days of labor, my daughter Kendra gave us Ewan. Beautiful and healthy, his eyes sparkled with knowing wisdom that defied explanation. Savoring the joy after years of uncertainty, I was ecstatic to learn that my son Erik and my daughter-in-law Laura were expecting their first child six months later.

Then, my daughter died

Living minutes away, Kendra and I were in frequent contact as she adjusted to motherhood with the end of her maternity leave in sight. Surprising me one day with a visit, she held this plump-cheeked, 4-month-old delight, and I noted his flirting.

"I've never seen him do that," she replied.

"Here, I'll hold him so that you can see." Her glow was immediate as he delivered that coy smile, his head slightly tilted, with his thick lashes and watery blue eyes.

The next day, I received a call at work. Driving the highway at 95 miles an hour, screaming, "Hold on, I'll be there," I was too late — by hours. My daughter had died suddenly. The rest is too painful to recount.

I took care of my grandson

Temporarily suspending my job, I focused on Ewan — as I shared the air with my son-in-law Steve, my family, his from Ireland, and their friends, young parents themselves.

Watching my 40-year-old daughter's world being eviscerated, I inhaled the insensitivity. At times an invisible entity, and in shock, I recalled her heartfelt anguish the day before — that I was the only one she trusted to care for Ewan.

Having firsthand knowledge of Ewan's world, I temporarily moved in with Steve to share in his 24x7 care. Shutting out the heartless advice to leave this neophyte young father alone, to get over my grief and move on, I would not abandon my daughter's child.

As a veteran, I also understood the visceral impact of trauma and what Kendra wanted for her child.

Like all sleep-deprived new mothers, I managed the daily routine so that Steve could return to work. Following sprints to day care, diaper bag in tow, I'd head to my job with spit-up on my shoulder, then rejoin the commuting tangle to make the 4:30 p.m. pickup. Our evenings were spent together until Ewan fell asleep, and I would return home alone to a space now outfitted with the requisite baby paraphernalia.

A bright spark ignited our landscape when my granddaughter Matilda and her brother William were born, uplifting our spirits with their precocious charm. From this growing family, new traditions emerged with the weekly Burger Night as we guided Steve back to living.

As reluctant partners, taking our cues from the parents' poorly crafted playbook, we, over time, adjusted to Ewan's growing demands, from newborn challenges to toddler exploration. The criticism is still in play, with retirement a necessity.

I went back to writing

Following my son's suggestion, I returned to my writing. Lost in my characters' despair and the elation of hard-won victory over injustice, I embedded the life I had wished for myself in their narrative.

With Steve's remarriage and two energetic babies, my care of Ewan gradually shifted to weekends and daily day care runs. While balancing grandkid sleepovers, picky eaters, cooking lessons, new holiday traditions, and special Grammy days with Matilda and William. Despite the imbalance, with time and maturity, they understood that my relationship with Ewan would need to be different.

After a recent local move, I am pleased that Ewan, now a thriving 13-year-old, still comes every weekend by choice. His future is secure, and his cousins are his best pals. He has blossomed with the loving support of family.

As I sit on the cusp of new dreams — postponed for 13 years — I know that life's trajectory is not ours to control, despite all we crave, as impermanent as icicles.

While nothing can erase the pain of a child's passing, my future now includes the warm touch of unconditional love and a new definition of retirement — come what may.