Aaron Judge continued his scalding start to the season during the New York Yankees' 9-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park Friday.
Judge, 32, marked his 1,000th game by hitting his sixth home run of the season in the seventh inning off relief pitcher Tim Mayza to make the score 9-1.
Judge’s seventh-inning blast was the 321st of his career, matching Babe Ruth's total in his first 1,000 games with the Yankees.
The Yankees captain has won the AL MVP two of the last three seasons and picked up right he left off to start the 2025 campaign. Last season, Judge hit .322 with 58 home runs and 144 RBIs.
Through seven games this season, Judge has a .379 batting average with six home runs and 17 RBIs.
Judge has hit more home runs than the Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins so far this season.
Judge wasn’t the only Yankees hitter who had a strong game against the Pirates. Third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera was 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Shortstop Anthony Volpe had three hits in the win.
Max Fried collected his first win of the season and his first win with the Yankees after pitching 5⅔ innings and giving up just one run on six hits while striking out six batters. Fried signed the most lucrative contract for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history with the Yankees in the offseason, an eight-year, $218 million deal.
Judge and the Yankees (5-2) take on the Pirates (2-6) in the second game of a three-game series Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET. Marcus Stroman will start for the Yankees, and Bailey Falter will take the mound for the Pirates.
FBI Director Kash Patel sat alongside the great Wayne Gretzky at Capital One Arena on Friday night where the pair, joined by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, witnessed a historic night in hockey history.
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored the 894th goal of his career in a 5-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks to tie Gretzky’s record. The goal came in the first few minutes of the third period on a Capitals’ power play.
Teammates poured onto the ice to surround Ovechkin.
"Congrats to The Great One Wayne Gretzky and huge props to #8 @ovi8," Patel said in a post on X. He shared a photo inside the locker room shaking Ovechkin’s hand. "The greatest game on earth, honored to be with them on this record tying night… 894 goals #Legends @NHL."
Ovechkin is one goal away from passing Gretzky – an opportunity he had Friday night, but refused to take.
"He wants to break the record with a goaltender in the crease, which I appreciate," head coach Spencer Carbery said. "He told me that on the bench, and I just wanted to confirm that he didn’t want to go out. And it’s hard for us as coaches, because I just wanted to make sure in that moment: hat trick, at home. And he didn’t want to go out and score on an empty net to break the record."
He added, "We have six games left, and he wants to break the record and have that moment where he’s shooting the puck past a goalie."
Ovechkin’s next opportunity will come Sunday against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.
"I’d like to thank my family through this whole process as my support system. With them, none of this could have been possible."
Jones was drafted with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Falcons out of Alabama. He played 10 seasons with the Falcons and was named to the Pro-Bowl seven times and was an All-Pro selection five times.
Jones spent one season each with the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles following his 10-year run with the Falcons. Jones last played in 2023 with the Eagles and didn’t play in 2024.
Jones caught 914 passes for 13,703 yards and 66 touchdowns across his NFL career.
"I’m making this announcement today because of the city of Atlanta," Jones said in his statement. "Thank you man, I appreciate y’all. It’s nothing but love. I’m doing this on 404 day — it was a hell of a ride. ... This was for the city, man, I appreciate you all."
"Also want to thank the other ball clubs out there as well, organizations. Tennessee, thank you for the opportunity. Tampa, thank you for the opportunity. Eagles, thank you for the opportunity."
Dean Wells, who played for nearly a decade in the NFL following a standout career at the University of Kentucky, died Thursday following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 54.
Wells spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks after he was selected in the fourth round of the 1993 draft. He signed with the Carolina Panthers in 1999, where he played for another three seasons before officially retiring in 2001.
The Panthers announced Wells’ passing on the team website Friday.
Wells first opened up about his cancer diagnosis in an interview with On3.com in April 2024. He said he had been diagnosed the previous year with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
"There’s mental toughness that comes into it. You have to have a positive attitude that you can beat it. I’ve done everything that I can with that. It’s like the chemo either works or it doesn’t. You just don’t have a lot of control over it. You wish you had more control," he said at the time.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which "the disease progresses rapidly and creates immature blood cells, rather than mature ones."
Wells finished his pro career with 529 tackles, 2.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and three interceptions. It followed a standout career at Kentucky where Wells still holds the records for most sacks in a game (5) and the single-season sack record (10).
"Condolences to family & friends of Dean Wells, who has passed away," the university said in a statement on social media.
"A 3-year starter, he set a UK single-game record with 5 sacks vs. Indiana and went on to a 9-year NFL career. After NFL retirement, he returned to hometown Louisville and was a staunch supporter of the Wildcats."
Wells is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their two sons.
Korn Ferry Tour veteran Ryan McCormick used an unconventional method to try and calm his temper during the second round of the Club Car Championship on Friday.
McCormick, who competed on the PGA Tour last year but was relegated back to the developmental this year, has admittedly had issues keeping his composure on the golf course. This week at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Georgia, he decided to test out some new anger management tools.
"Been having not-so-fun time this year on the golf course. Pretty angry and mad," he said in a video shared by the tour on social media. "I figured I've tried a lot of things, and I just figured I'd shut myself up. So, I put tape over my mouth."
"Just too angry on the golf course. I've run out of ideas, and I thought about the tape thing a couple of weeks ago," he added with a laugh. "So, just unfortunately, it came down to that today. I was hoping maybe it would help me. Can't say that it did or didn't."
McCormick said the idea stemmed from his desire to create a better environment for his playing partners, which he admitted was "not fair."
One major hurdle to his latest "solution" was how he would then communicate with his caddie. McCormick’s answer to that was the old fashion method: pen and paper.
"Mostly just writing down the numbers," he said. "I would just point and ask him for a read sometimes. It made things a lot simpler, I’ll tell you that."
While the jury might be out on how the tape helped his frustrations, it certainly didn’t impact his game positively.
McCormick shot a 72 and missed the cut by a few strokes. He entered the tournament at No. 126 on the points list and will likely drop further after Friday’s performance.
Patrick Mahomes' mother Randi Mahomes opened up on a period during her son's high school football career, when he almost quit the sport.
During an Instagram story Q&A on Friday, Randi Mahomes was asked how she kept her son motivated through "challenging times."
The mother answered by saying she hadn't had to do much, because the quarterback had been "so determined for himself," but she also recounted a time when he almost quit football in high school.
"There were times when he would get a little down, even a moment in high school when he wanted to quit football. Yes, he did," Randi Mahomes said. "And I encouraged him that sitting out a season of sports and watching the games, it was not going to be fun for him. And so, he stuck to it, fortunately."
The intervention by Randi Mahomes may have very well changed the course of sports history, and history at large.
Mahomes went on to be a two-year starter at quarterback at Whitehorse High School in East Texas, where he also met his wife, Brittany Mahomes.
In his senior year, he passed for 4,619 yards and 50 touchdowns, while also rushing for 948 yards and 15 touchdowns. That performance earned him the MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year.
Mahomes went on to be a three-star college recruit, and committed to Texas Tech. There, he won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as a junior after leading the FBS in passing yards and total touchdowns.
It was enough to convince the Kansas City Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid to execute a trade-up in the 2017 NFL Draft to select Mahomes to be the team's starting quarterback.
Since then, all Mahomes has done is turn the Chiefs into a dynasty and win two NFL MVP awards.
And it may have never even happen if his mom hadn't stopped him from quitting high school football.
Maine state representative Laurel Libby's lawsuit over her recent censure by the state legislature went to federal court on Friday for its first hearing in Rhode Island. U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose is presiding over the case and will issue a ruling in response to Libby's request for a preliminary injunction in the coming weeks.
Libby is suing Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau and House of Representatives clerk Robert Hunt after the Democrat majority voted to censure her over a February social media post that identified a trans athlete who won a state pole vault competition.
The premise of the censure was based on Libby's post identifying a minor by name and in a photo.
But Libby and her attorney, Patrick Strawbridge, claim that a censure against her violates her First Amendment rights and disenfranchises her more than 9,000 constituents. On Friday, they argued that the punishment was "extreme" and enters "unprecedented territory" by silencing an elected official.
Maine Assistant Attorneys General Jonathan Bolton and Kimberly Patwardhan, representing Fecteau and the state, defended the censure, arguing that decisions on voting, adopting rules, and punishing members are within the constitutional authority of the Maine House.
Libby told Fox News Digital that she feels "optimistic" coming out of the first hearing.
"I think that our case is strong, and whether it is resolved now or at any step in the future, I feel that in the end we will prevail. I'm optimistic, certainly after today, and hopeful that the court is going to see the damage that is being done to our constituents," Libby said.
"What was notable to me was the AAG's reliance on the legislature being above the law … they are almost entirely relying on legislative immunity."
Libby's initial social media post thrust Maine into an ongoing conflict with the federal government over the state's refusal to ban trans athletes from women's sports.
The state has refused to comply with President Donald Trump's February executive order to ban trans athletes from girls and women's sports, prompting immense federal pressure. Trump initially vowed to cut federal funding to the state if it refused to comply with the order during a Feb. 20 speech, days after Libby made her social media post.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday a pause and an ongoing review of federal funding to Maine after the state refused to provide equal opportunities to women and girls in educational programs.
The free speech group FIRE filed an amicus brief in support of Libby on Thursday the day before the first hearing.
"If political majorities can impose draconian sanctions on political minorities, then no viewpoint is safe. That’s no way to uphold America’s robust commitment to free and open political speech, and that’s why the First Amendment forbids officials from retaliating against dissenting views," FIRE supervising senior attorney JT Morris told Fox News Digital.
All of Maine's federal judges have recused themselves from the case.
The judges, John C. Nivison, John A. Woodcock, Lance E. Walker, Karen F. Wolf, Stacey D. Neumann and Nancy Torresen, signed recusal orders on Tuesday, shortly after the case was initially filed. No reason was provided for the judges' recusal. The case has since been referred to the District of Rhode Island.
On March 20, Libby was permitted to speak and present 10 amendments during a vote of the state's bi-annual budget. One of those amendments was not related to the budget, but was a proposal to keep trans athletes out of girls' sports.
However, when Libby did speak to present her amendments, multiple Democrats protested, instigating a debate with Republican representatives. Ultimately, Libby's amendments were not even considered, and Democrats moved to have the amendments indefinitely postponed.
Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins joined the ongoing discussion this week about the use of torpedo bats that has taken the big leagues by storm after the New York Yankees' strong outing over opening weekend.
During an appearance on OutKick’s "The Ricky Cobb Show," Jenkins, 82, discussed how torpedo bats have become the latest innovation in the sport and could favor hitters.
"Well, when you look back at the game when I played in the ‘60s, ’70s, '80s, the pitcher was pretty much dominant, and now we are like second-class citizens. Everything has been done for the hitter. Like, you say the clock, the bases are bigger, you have an over glove which gives you an extra 3–7 inches sliding into the bag ahead of the throw," Jenkins said.
In addition to the rule changes that favor hitters, Jenkins said the torpedo bats are just the latest thing in baseball that will help them.
"There is more of a hitting surface for the hitter, and I think it might increase the batting average a little bit, but you will get a better piece of wood on the ball and the ball will maybe travel a little further," he said.
"Who knows? A couple of extra base hits, and now one hitter sees one of his teammates use it. Now, he wants to use it. I can believe before the All-Star break every ball club is going to have a half-dozen hitters using that torpedo bat."
While the overall hitting surface is not increased with the torpedo bat, the barrel of the bat is moved to a different location. The goal of shifting the barrel is to move the thickest part of the bat to where the player makes the most contact.
Jenkins said players who use the torpedo bat could see an increase in their numbers.
"I think the batting average, you might see maybe an extra 20 points on each player’s batting average. Instead of them hitting .255, .260, it might be .280," Jenkins said.
While the bat has taken baseball by storm this season, New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton used a torpedo, including in the postseason, when he mashed seven home runs in 14 games.
Jenkins, who pitched from 1965-1983, did not have to deal with any of the new rules in his days. He pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies in his 19-year career.
Jenkins won the 1971 NL Cy Young with the Cubs and was named an All-Star three times.
In a tournament normally filled with upsets and Cinderellas, the bracket has gone chalk in many cases.
For just the second time since 2007, and the sixth time ever, no 13, 14, 15 or 16 seed posted an upset. And for the second time in tournament history, the Final Four features all No. 1 seeds.
Due to the lack of upsets, Johnny Avello, an oddsmaker at DraftKings, said the bettor has done will this year due to a popular trend.
"There were a lot of moneyline parlays. So the bettors have had a very good run," Avello said.
Another trend in recent years has been betting on every upset in the first round. Despite a low win-loss record, the return on investment would be high, thanks to teams like UMBC, Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Peter's.
But that trend did not pan out this year. The lowest seed to win a game was a No. 12 seed, and the spread favored 12th-seeded Colorado State against No. 5 Memphis.
"The favorites won 12 out of the 16 games straight up on Thursday and went 9-7 against the number. They were 13-3 on Friday straight up and 10-6 against the number. We did not see the trend that usually happens," said Avello.
Duke is now even money to win the title, and bettors have jumped all in on the Blue Devils, Avello added.
"They've been the team that's been bet all year long," he said, adding Duke would be, at minimum, a 4.5-point favorite no matter who it might face in the final. Duke is -5.5 against Houston.
Duke will take on Houston after the Florida-Auburn matchup Saturday. The first game tips off at 6:09 p.m. ET in San Antonio.
The Indiana Fever made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2016 in large part because of superstar rookie Caitlin Clark. This offseason, a new head coach and the addition of several key players have increased the odds of success in Indiana.
Sophie Cunningham, one of those additions, believes the Fever are prime for a run at the WNBA championship.
The 28-year-old guard was acquired by the Fever from the Phoenix Suns in February as part of a four-team trade that included the additions of Jaelyn Brown from the Dallas Wings and the No. 19 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
"I'm excited. I think this is a new era for myself," Cunningham told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "I got to learn a lot, learn how to become a pro. And now I get to go to Indiana to play with some of the best players around the world right now."
On the list is new teammate Caitlin Clark, who took her pro career by storm.
"We've talked quite a bit in the past couple of months since I've gotten traded and she's just a good human," Cunningham said of Clark. "I think she has humor to her, she has wit to her. Everyone that I've talked to said that she's a great teammate. She just wants to win, right?"
Cunningham told Fox News Digital that she believes Indiana’s "style of play" is something she thrives in. She said she believes that if the chemistry on the court is there, this team stands a good chance at winning a championship.
"I'm just excited for [Clark’s] competitiveness. I'm excited for everything she brings to the table. But again, I'm excited for everyone, right? You have Kelsey Mitchell, who's been a vet, too, who has been there for years, who is a heck of a player as well. And so for me, just to kind of be a part of something for the first time – a new team for the first time in six years – I just think it's a fresh wind. It's what I needed. It's re-motivated, it's refocused my energy. And again, like at the end of the day, I just want to win. I want championships and I think this is the right team for it."
Cunningham, 28, was drafted by Phoenix in the second round of the 2019 WNBA Draft and has become one of the league’s most popular players. She’s appeared in 182 games, averaging 7.7 points per game, 2.7 total rebounds and 1.4 assists.
Her best season was in 2022, when she averaged 12.6 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Cunningham spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of her partnership with Quest Nutrition during the women’s NCAA Tournament. The former University of Missouri star, who made second round appearances in each of her four seasons with the Tigers, praised the newfound attention the women’s tournament has received over the years.
"It's huge. And I think, you know, the talent and the feistiness, the competitiveness has always been there. Now it's just on TV where people are able to witness it and fall in love with our game and fall in love with the players," she said. "I was a part of the NCAA tournament for four years. Now I get to be a fan behind a bar supporting it with Quest."
Over the weekend, Cunningham hosted a watch party with fans in New York on behalf of Quest Nutrition.
"I really am excited. I just think their products are getting bigger, they're getting better – still high protein, low sugar – and so as an elite level athlete that's exactly what you want," she said of her partnership. "You still want to eat healthy but you also, for me, I have a sweet tooth and so why would I not want to indulge a little bit on a tasty treat because that's something that will always kind of stick with me so I'd much rather eat something that's good for me than you know something bad."
Wayne Gretzky began to follow Alex Ovechkin on Friday night amid his trek to surpassing The Great One as the NHL's all-time leading goalscorer – the trip was almost done in one day.
Needing three goals to surpass Gretzky, Ovechkin scored twice to tie, and tried his darnedest to get a hat trick.
Nonetheless, Gretzky had been the solo leader for over 31 years. But now he has company, and soon enough, he will be looking up for the first time in a while.
But Gretzky is more than at peace with his record being tied, and soon going down.
"That's OK… That's what the game's all about," Gretzky said to the Monumental Sports Network shortly after Ovechkin tied him.
"Alex has been great for the game, great for Washington, great for his home country. It's wonderful. I'm very proud of him, I'm proud of what I accomplished, and that's what makes our game so wonderful, is the great athletes we have, and more importantly, the good people that they are."
Gretzky became the NHL’s all-time goalscorer back on March 23, 1994, when he surpassed Gordie Howe with his 802nd career goal. He scored 92 more before hanging up the cleats in 1999 to bring his total to 894.
Ovechkin lit the lamp just four minutes into the game against the Chicago Blackhawks to inch as close as he could. Then, just over five minutes into the third period, the Capitals went on a power play, and Ovechkin took advantage, taking a pass and squeaking it past goalie Spencer Knight.
Ovechkin's next chance at the record will be on Sunday in New York against the Islanders, with the puck set to drop at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Ovechkin entered the game needing two to tie and three to become the new goals king – he lit the lamp just four minutes into the game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Just over five minutes into the third period, the Capitals went on the power play; an obvious on-ice scenario for Ovechkin, and he took advantage. He took a pass and squeaked it by Spencer Knight.
All the Capitals came onto the ice as Ovechkin got a loud, long ovation.
Gretzky was in the building to begin his trek of following Ovechkin along the way - but he won't be following for much longer. At the time of publishing, there were still over 13 minutes left in the game.
Ovechkin was drafted with the first overall pick to Washington in 2004, but because of the lockout, his debut was postponed a year.
Well, he’s made up for lost time. And this is not a sense of stat-compiling either, as Ovi looks to still be in his prime. In his 20th NHL season, the record-tying goal was Ovechkin’s 41st goal of the year, which ranks third in the NHL behind only Leon Draisaitl and William Nylander.
This is the 14th time Ovechkin has scored 40 goals in his career – had the league not locked out again in 2012-13, he’d probably have 15 such seasons (although, he did lead the league that year with 32 goals). He’s led the NHL in goals nine times.
What’s even more impressive is that Ovechkin missed nearly two months of this season with a broken leg.
Ovechkin looked to be slowing down just a tad last season, scoring "only" 31 goals in 79 games. But perhaps he got some juice, knowing he could break the record this season.
Oh, and while Ovechkin is breaking records, the Capitals are Stanley Cup contenders – their 105 points are the second-most in the NHL.
Even if you take away all of Gretzky's 894 goals, he still has the most points in NHL history.
Mookie Betts won his second World Series in October, but this weekend will mark his first time commemorating a World Series victory with President Donald Trump.
Betts won a title with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, the same year he was named American League MVP.
However, he opted to skip the team's celebration at the White House in 2019.
"This is not about me; I don’t want anything to be about me. This is about the Dodgers. Because these boys were there for me," Betts said, via the L.A. Times.
Betts said he regretted not making the trip in 2019, which manager Alex Cora and pitcher David Price also skipped, saying he felt he was a distraction.
"No matter what I say or what I do, people are gonna take it as political. But that’s definitely not what it is. This is about what the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year," he said.
Cora recently admitted he skipped out on meeting Trump because he wanted to prioritize his home country of Puerto Rico. When the Red Sox visited the White House in May 2019, Puerto Rico was still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Cora wasn't satisfied with the federal government's response.
Other Dodgers had been asked about their status for the trip, but Betts' decision was understandably top of mind.
"It is what it is. It comes with the territory, being Black in America in a situation like this. It’s a tough spot to be in," he said. "No matter what I choose, somebody is gonna be pissed. Somebody is gonna have their own opinion. But, again, this is not about me. This is not about politics. This is about the Dodgers. It’s about my loyalty to these boys, this clubhouse. And that’s all it is for me."
The Dodgers defeated Trump's hometown New York Yankees in five games last year.
The Philadelphia Eagles will visit the White House later this month, and the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers visited earlier this year.
New York Yankees fans were in unfamiliar territory when a superstar chose the crosstown rival Mets over their favorite team.
Juan Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million deal, the most lucrative in sports history, with the Mets this offseason after helping the Yankees to the World Series in his lone season with the club last year.
While some Yankees fans have favored Soto's departure because it allowed the team to bring on more players with the money it saved, plenty of fans are still upset about it.
During the Yankees' game Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, fans randomly began chanting, "F--- Juan Soto."
The Mets have long been called the Yankees' little brother, but Michael Kay, the Yanks' play-by-play announcer, said the roles were reversed with those chants.
"We hear this silly banter back and forth about big brother, little brother. You know what that was yesterday, everybody? I hate to say it, and you’re not gonna like it. That was little brother nonsense," Kay said on his radio show Friday afternoon, which is broadcast on the Mets' flagship radio station.
"Why are you chanting about Juan Soto? Your team is winning. And that’s what you’re coming up with? You kind of should be a little bit embarrassed.
"Shame on all of you. Really, shame on all of you. It’s such an awful tiny look. … You are still big brother. The Mets haven’t won anything. They won a bidding war for Juan Soto. They haven’t won a championship since 1986," Kay added. "It’s been 39 years since they won a title, and you’re chanting ‘bleep Juan Soto?’ I don’t get it.
"Color me confused. I don’t get it, and it’s a bad look. It’s a bad, bad look. … I think it’s an awful, awful look by all of you. All of you! And I would have addressed it yesterday if I actually heard it through my headphones."
Soto made his home debut with the Mets Friday and went 1-for-4 with an RBI double. It's been a bit of a slower start for the outfielder, who's hitting .240 in his first seven games.
It's not uncommon for Yankees fans to also chant similarly against Jose Altuve, who has been public enemy No. 1 since the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal in 2017.
Altuve beat Aaron Judge, then a rookie, for the AL MVP, while the Astros beat the Yankees in the ALCS in seven games that year. Two years later, Altuve hit a walk-off homer against the Yanks to again win the pennant, but his hesitance to have his shirt taken off has led to unproven speculation he was wearing some sort of device during the at-bat.
Soto will return to the Bronx for a game between the Mets and Yankees May 16.
A transgender athlete took home first place in a varsity high jump competition at an Oregon high school meet Wednesday, roughly two years after finishing last while competing against junior varsity boys, according to a report.
Lia Rose, who reportedly used to compete as Zachary, won the high jump at the Portland Interscholastic League Varsity Relays with a height of 4 feet, 8 inches, beating the second-place finisher by two inches.
According to athletic.net, while competing against JV boys May 3, 2023, Zachary Rose finished 11th out of 11 competitors with a jump of 4 feet, 6 inches.
The winning height in that meet was another foot higher.
According to online records, Zachary Rose competed in the boys category in 2023. The following year, Lia Rose also competed in the same category. But this year, Lia Rose was listed as competing in the girls category.
In 2024, Lia mostly competed against JV boys, with a top finish of second place and a personal record of 5 feet even.
Zachary competed as a sophomore in track with a top finish of second in a JV 3,000-meter race, but there were only two competitors. Zachary lost by over a minute.
A spokesperson from Portland Public Schools was unable to confirm or deny that Lia and Zachary are the same person, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act "to protect student privacy."
Lia's victory comes roughly two weeks after Ada Gallagher, a trans track athlete in the Portland area, blew out the competition.
Gallagher, a state champion last year, finished at 57.62 in the 400 meters, with Franklin High School's Kinnaly Souphanthong coming in second at 1:05.72. Gallagher's teammate, Quinnan Schaefer, was behind Souphanthong at 1:07.13.
In the 200-meter race, Gallagher finished in first place at 25.76, followed by teammate Addyson Skyles at 27.31.
Both times for Gallagher were season bests.
Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
Morant first made the gesture Monday against the Golden State Warriors, and reports said the NBA was investigating the incident, giving Morant and Buddy Hield a warning.
On Thursday night, Morant did it again, just five minutes into a game.
Considering Morant’s history with gun-related suspensions, the gesture blew up across the basketball world. He was suspended eight games in March 2023 after brandishing a handgun on social media at the strip club Shotgun Willie’s outside Denver.
Then Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season after he flashed a handgun again on a live social media video.
Ahead of the suspensions, Morant found himself in trouble on more than one occasion, including one incident in which he got into a fight with a 17-year-old during a pickup basketball game at Morant's home. A judge later ruled Morant acted in self-defense. Four days earlier, Morant allegedly "threatened" the head of security at a Memphis mall, and a member of Morant's group allegedly shoved the security official in the head.
Morant was also placed under the microscope after a January 2023 game in which an unidentified individual in the NBA star's vehicle was accused of shining a laser pointer at the Indiana Pacers' team bus. It happened after some members of Morant's entourage were involved in a confrontation with a group of people in the Pacers' traveling party.
Fox News' Scott Thompson and Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
Women's fencer Stephanie Turner spoke out against USA Fencing during an interview on Fox News Channel's "American Reports" on Thursday after a video of her kneeling to protest a trans opponent went viral.
"There's really no option to go around this when there are extremists who take on positions at the authoritative positions at [USA Fencing], so I have very little option but being forced to fence," Turner said.
Turner's decision to kneel and refuse to face trans competitor Redmond Sullivan at the Cherry Blossom Open last weekend resulted in Turner being dealt a black card – the most severe penalty, leading to expulsion from the tournament or event for serious rule infractions or unsportsmanlike behavior.
USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt has made multiple pro-trans statements, including a blog post in August 2023, where he argued on behalf of trans inclusion in fencing.
"There is a possibility that transgender women have a physical advantage over their cisgender opponents after transitioning," Lehfeldt wrote. "There is also a possibility they do not. In Fencing, there is no data to support either viewpoint. Giving athletes a sense of belonging and a will to live is more powerful than medals and competitive glory.
"Transgender women are women and gender is not sex," he insisted, adding, "Transgender fencers deserve the right to compete with the gender they identify with."
USA Fencing first enacted its current trans-inclusion policy in 2023. It allows transgender athletes to compete in the women's category at both the junior and senior level after completing one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment.
But the organization also employs a policy that gives preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that "harm members of LGBTQ communities."
In November 2023, the organization released a list of states that it intended to "avoid where possible" and the states that it flat out would not allow hosting of major events.
This past December, a nonprofit fencing organization, the Fair Fencing Organization, penned an open letter to USA Fencing Board Members urging the re-evaluation of its stance on several issues, including transgender inclusion.
Just days later, however, board members voted against several motions to approve an all-female task force to re-evaluate and revise the current transgender policy, in an 8-3 vote. Now, after siding against women fencers seeking protection from trans inclusion, USA Fencing finds itself plunged into a global controversy after Turner's viral protest.
On Thursday, the organization defended its current trans-inclusion policies in a public statement.
"USA Fencing remains committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful community for everyone in our sport. We believe in the principle of creating safe communities where all athletes, and community members, have a place," the statement read.
"While we understand there are a range of perspectives, USA Fencing will continue to engage in respectful, research-based dialogue and review as policy evolves in the Olympic and Paralympic movement as well as domestic law, hate speech of any kind is not acceptable—online or in person. Let's keep the conversation respectful and the strip welcoming to all."
The Dallas Cowboys have filled Cooper Rush’s vacancy this week with the addition of former New England Patriots quarterback Joe Milton III, but one Super Bowl champion believes Milton’s arrival in Dallas could spell trouble for Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys received Milton along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick in a trade with the Patriots on Wednesday. The move came after veteran backup Cooper Rush signed with the Baltimore Ravens in the offseason.
While Milton is expected to be a backup to Prescott, two-time Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy said Thursday that the 25-year-old quarterback could edge out Prescott, depending on how he performs next season.
"If Dak Prescott has a postseason like he’s always had going into that next year, right? Dak, find a realtor," McCoy said on FOX Sports’ "The Facility."
"Because Joe Milton got talent, he can play … I’ve seen other quarterbacks get paid a lot of money, and they move on from them."
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Milton spent his rookie season on New England's practice squad, playing behind rookie Drake Maye and backup Jacoby Brissett.
He made his pro debut with the Patriots in the final game of the season against the Buffalo Bills, where he had 241 passing yards and one touchdown, and rushed for another score on the ground to lead New England to victory.
The backup role has proven to be important in Dallas. Last season, Rush started eight games in place of an injured Prescott. He enters this season fresh off of signing a four-year, $240 million contract extension.
EXCLUSIVE: The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday the creation of a Title IX special investigations team in conjunction with the Department of Education. The new initiative aims at addressing an "increasing volume" of Title IX cases, amid a flury of controversial incidents involving trans athletes in girls' and women's sports in recent years.
The DOJ provided an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital citing previous policies under the Joe Biden administration that enabled trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports for the situation the new investigations team will look to address.
"Women across America have spent the last four years disenfranchised by the Biden administration that allowed men to compete in girls’ sports - jeopardizing their safety, stealing their scholarships and stripping them of hard-earned awards," the statement read.
"This Task Force was created with the sole mission of going after bad actors who continue to endanger young women with woke gender ideology. It will leverage every legal resource available to ensure states and organizations follow Title IX to protect women’s civil rights and competitive sports."
The Biden administration took steps starting on day one of the former president's term to enable trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports.
On Biden's inauguration day in January 2021, Biden signed an executive order on "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation."
The order included a section that said, "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports."
In March 2023, Democrats advocated for a transgender bill of rights, proposing a resolution "recognizing that it is the duty of the Federal Government to develop and implement a Transgender Bill of Rights." The resolution specifically called for federal law to ensure that biological men can "participate in sports on teams and in programs that best align with their gender identity; [and] use school facilities that best align with their gender identity."
In April 2023, Biden's Department of Education proposed a rule change that would have punished schools for preventing trans athletes from competing in women's sports.
The proposition was titled "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance: Sex-Related Eligibility Criteria for Male and Female Athletic Teams."
The rule would have outlawed individual states from banning participation in single-sex sports by gender identity rather than just sex. There are 23 states in the U.S. that have legislation in place to restrict trans athletes from competing as females in public school sports.
In April 2024, Biden issued a sweeping Title IX rewrite that issued a ban on "sex" discrimination in schools based on gender identity, sexual orientation and "pregnancy or related conditions." The rule took effect on Aug. 1, and for the first time, the law stated that discrimination based on sex includes conduct related to a person’s gender identity.
It led to more than two dozen attorneys general suing over the rule, arguing it would conflict with some of their state laws that block transgender students from participating in women’s sports.
The Supreme Court struck down an emergency request by Biden to enforce the rewrite in states that defied the rewrite in August.
When the election came around in Novemeber, Biden's record on the issue may have backfired on his party because it lost the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.
A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them.
Additionally, 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."
After President Donald Trump returned to office, he signed an executive order banning trans athletes in women's and girls sports on February 5. However, many Democrat-led states have refused to comply with the order despite most Democrats being opposed to trans inclusion.
A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found that the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said that biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports.
Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.
Now, the DOE and DOJ are taking initiative to ensure that Trump's agenda to protect girls' and women's athletes is carried out, and that those who oppose it face consequences.
President Donald Trump has taken initiative in the reunification of golf by facilitating talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and one of the sport's biggest stars thinks he’s the perfect guy for the job.
Two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau spoke with "Fox & Friends" on Friday morning ahead of the LIV Golf tournament at Trump National Doral to discuss the ongoing negotiations between the two rival circuits and his relationship with the president.
"He loves golf, by the way. I think he’s such a great ambassador for the game of golf and for diplomacy, in general," DeChambeau lauded. "It’s been fun to play some golf with him, get to know him a little bit better, and just recognize that he’s just a normal person."
DeChambeau played a round of golf with Trump for charity on his popular YouTube channel over the summer and was invited on stage by the president during his victory speech to celebrate the election at Trump Headquarters in West Palm Beach in November.
On Thursday night, Trump departed for Florida, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech at a dinner with LIV players and others before this weekend’s tournament at one of his clubs. The dinner came after Trump announced widespread tariffs, but DeChambeau said the conversation had been light.
"Man, we were with Kid Rock and [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis] and we just had a great dinner," he said of the evening. "We didn’t talk much about politics, we just enjoyed our time together. And we’re honestly really grateful that he's given us the golf course to play on, and super excited to be around him."
Trump hosted two meetings at the White House this year with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, to help broker a deal between LIV and the Tour.
The PGA Tour, PIF and the DP World Tour signed a framework agreement in June 2023 with hopes of mending the rift, but the parties involved failed to come to any agreement before that deal expired at the end of the year. Trump is now working to facilitate negotiations with the two circuits in the new commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.
"Personally for me, there’s been nothing but positivity from this league," DeChambeau said of LIV. "What we’ve been able to do across the globe is quite inspiring for the younger generation of golf."
DeChambeau did not say when a deal might be reached, but he said he’s hopeful one is on the horizon.
"We are pushing the boundaries, for sure. I think it showed the PGA what potentials there are, and hopefully something can get done at some point and time."
The PGA Tour reportedly rejected PIF’s latest bid to invest in PGA Tour Enterprises. ESPN reported Friday, citing sources, that the tour had rejected the $1.5 billion investment bid.
