Steelers Respond After Players Join Trump at Rally: Live Updates
The Pittsburgh Steelers have responded to backlash from fans after several current and former players appeared alongside President Donald Trump at a Friday rally at the U.S. Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Quarterback Mason Rudolph, safety Miles Killebrew, and four-time Super Bowl champion Rocky Bleier joined Trump on stage and presented him with a custom No. 47 jersey, prompting a flurry of messages from fans who felt the appearance crossed a line.
08:25 AM EDT
Full list of Navy ships that could be renamed by Pete Hegseth
Main: Civil Service Mariners aboard Military Sealift Command's fleet replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk, Norfolk Virginia, Spetmeber 2024. Inset: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday,...
Main: Civil Service Mariners aboard Military Sealift Command's fleet replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk, Norfolk Virginia, Spetmeber 2024. Inset: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. More
Main: LaShawn Sykes, Inset Anupam Nath/Main: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, Inset: AP Photo
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is looking to rename several Navy ships which honor civil rights leaders, according to documents obtained by CBS.
These memos show Secretary Hegseth is changing the name of the USNS Harvey Milk at the beginning of Pride Month. The USNS Harvey Milk honors the memory of the gay rights campaigner who served in the Navy during the Korean War before being discharged for his sexuality.
The USNS Harvey Milk is not the only ship that the Secretary wants to rename. He is also looking to change the names of several other ships named after civil rights campaigners and leaders.
According to the memo this renaming is being done in "alignment with president" and "priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture."
Chief Pentagon Spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a statement to Newsweek: "Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos."
Read the full story by Sophie Clark on Newsweek.
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an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Pride Month ‘vibe shift' comes to Utah. Can Utahns find common ground this June?
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox broke with his party this week as the only Republican governor to make a statement in response to what some celebrate as Pride Month during the month of June. But he also broke from his own custom. Instead of officially declaring June 'Pride Month' — as he had his first three years in office — Cox released a simple message, similar to last year's declaration, about the importance of seeking unity and compassion. 'This June I'm reflecting on the values that bring us together here in Utah — service, respect, and love for our neighbor," Cox said in a post on X. 'To those celebrating Pride and to all Utahns: may we keep building bridges of understanding and strive always to see the humanity in one another.' As has become a common feature of the polarized discourse on social media, Cox's statement earned the ire of LGBTQ activists, for not officially recognizing Pride Month, and conservative influencers, for acknowledging the occasion at all. While it may have failed to please partisans on both sides of the spectrum, the governor's message might point to a better way to strengthen a pluralistic society, according to Paul Edwards, director of the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University. A focus on personal bridge-building can transcend the conflict between divisive diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that amplify identity politics, and a rigid affirmation of traditional values that ignores cultural differences, Edwards said. 'It's vital that we get this right because we do need to live together in some kind of peace,' Edwards said in an interview with the Deseret News. 'And that is possible, probably in more ways than we sometimes believe.' This year has seen a number of organizations — public and private — back away from their previously open endorsements of Pride Month celebrations. The Utah Transit Authority will not participate in this year's Pride parade for the first time since 2022 as part of a temporary hold to ensure 'consistency and responsible stewardship of public funds,' according to a UTA spokesperson. Likewise, the University of Utah has discontinued its official sponsorship of the downtown Salt Lake City Pride celebration, which it had supported for 'several years,' according to a university spokesperson. The university will still encourage students to join its entry in the parade and continues to hold a 'Pride Week' every spring while students are on campus, featuring a fundraising 'gayla' and 'Drag Bingo.' These changes in Pride participation follow a series of steps taken by state lawmakers to restrict some transgender treatments for minors, prevent exclusionary DEI practices at government entities and prohibit most flags in public schools. But they also come amid what some are proclaiming a 'vibe shift‚" or cultural realignment away from socially liberal stances. After years of touting their support of Pride, corporations like Comcast, Anheuser-Busch and Nissan have pulled funding from Pride festivals across the country; organizations like Target have swapped rainbow decorations for American flags; and the Trump administration has officially declared June 'Title IX Month.' 'There's a massive vibe shift,' anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck told the Deseret News. 'The public-facing things they used to do like Pride logos on their social media, or company-wide emails are no longer happening.' Policy changes like this can be attributed to a backlash among Americans, many of them parents, who believe 'symbols matter' when it comes to the places they will spend their money, according to Starbuck. But, he acknowledged, it is also the result of partisan activism, like his own, that verbally attacks, shames and boycotts organizations for taking a public position on an increasingly politicized issue. This year Starbuck has mobilized a group of supporters to film Pride parades around the country to document 'inappropriate behavior that occurs in view of children' and then to link the events to the companies sponsoring them. 'What you tolerate, in many ways, becomes who you are,' Starbuck said. 'However you bring about that change to bring something positive to the forefront, I don't think that really matters.' One state lawmaker, Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, has drafted a bill for next session that would wield state power to discourage private organizations from announcing support of messages like Pride Month if they receive public subsidies. Lee, the primary sponsor of the 2024 law banning political flags in classrooms and on government flagpoles, told the Deseret News the bill in its current form would make taxpayer dollars in public-private partnerships contingent on organizations remaining politically neutral. Lee teased the legislation during a social media spat over the weekend where he criticized Pride Month posts from the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth — both owned by Smith Entertainment Group which is set to receive nearly $1 billion in public funds to revitalize parts of downtown. 'This isn't necessarily about Pride,' Lee said. 'It's about political neutrality.' Marina Lowe, the policy director of one of Utah's largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations, Equality Utah, slammed Lee's proposal as 'unAmerican' and 'anti-conservative,' arguing that it violates the First Amendment by telling private businesses what speech they can use. From her point of view, Pride Month and the rainbow flag shouldn't be considered political in the first place; they represent 'a celebration of love, community, getting to be oneself authentically,' Lowe said. What the so-called 'vibe shift' really shows, whether it be in statements from public officials or support from corporations, is how intense polarization, which stirs outrage across the political spectrum, has chilled free expression, Lowe said. 'That is sort of the world that we're living in right now, that it's impossible to take positions on things without that being weaponized against one side or the other,' Lowe said. 'We do need to get to a better place of healthy pluralism, where we all can coexist and work together, despite the fact that we have differences and differences of opinions about topics.' On Friday, standing in front of the City and County Building, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall launched Pride Month by raising a Progress Pride Flag imprinted with the city's logo. A month earlier, the altered version of Salt Lake City's flag was officially adopted in a successful move to skirt the Legislature's new law prohibiting local governments from flying most flags. In her speech, Mendenhall said the 'new Sego Belonging Flag' celebrates 'the diversity of the LGBTQ community' and 'does not exclude others.' However, several conservative constituents took to social media to express anger that the city would continue to promote a message that many Utahns feel conflicts with their deeply held beliefs about family, identity and sexuality. One Utah leader, who understands both sides of the Pride Month debate, said there is a way for all Utahns, regardless of whether 'Pride' encourages or offends them, to be intentional about reaching out to others. The Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen is a gay pastor based in Ogden who directs a group called Parity, an international nonprofit that works to heal 'LGBT and faith divides,' and who played a significant role in shaping Utah's 2015 'Utah Compromise,' that balanced LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections with religious freedom rights. More recently, her organization completed a pilot program with students and faculty from Brigham Young University called 'Faith, Hope, and Love' that aims to help religious individuals 'stand strong in their faith and convictions while maintaining a posture of compassion and grace in relationship with LGBT individuals.' 'Often someone knows a person who is LGBT, either at their workplace or in their family or their neighborhood, it's a wonderful time to say, 'Thinking of you and your family,'' the Rev. Edmonds-Allen said. 'It doesn't need to mention Pride or LGBT, but just being friendly to someone.' In her experience, Utah has been 'a shining light' in demonstrating what the Rev. Edmonds-Allen calls 'covenantal pluralism,' the idea that people of faith can hold firm to their religious beliefs while still being able to interact with someone who believes differently. Far from being a softening of one's beliefs, the Rev. Edmonds-Allen views this intentional cultivation of pluralism as 'a fundamental principle of Christianity.' It is also one of the core 'responsibilities of citizenship,' according to BYU's Paul Edwards. As the excesses of DEI have elicited an equally 'dogmatic' response in the opposite direction, Edwards believes it is more important than ever for Americans 'to try to understand our fellow citizens.' 'There's just too many sharp elbows out there right now and hurtful words,' Edwards said. 'We all love this great state and this great country, and let's find ways to honor that and not be seeking for ways to be offended by a word or a flag.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aaron Rodgers to Steelers winners and losers, from Kirk Cousins and Mike Tomlin to Justin Jefferson
The Pittsburgh Steelers had been waiting for this domino to fall. And they were far from the only members of the NFL world keeping close eyes on Aaron Rodgers' next move. On Thursday, Rodgers' roughly three-month dalliance with free agency came to end. The four-time MVP quarterback and Steelers agreed to a one-year deal pending a physical, the team confirmed, with the expectation that Rodgers will report to Pittsburgh ahead of the Steelers' mandatory minicamp next week. Advertisement The ramifications of this budding marriage ripple broadly for players, coaches, league executives and more in the NFL. Who comes out ahead? Here are our Yahoo Sports winners and losers as Aaron Rodgers prepares to sign with the Steelers: Winners The NFL schedule makers NFL vice president of broadcasting and scheduling Mike North and his team faced a challenge when compiling the 2025 NFL schedule: Should they create a schedule with the expectation Rodgers signs with the Steelers and risk underwhelming prime-time games, or should they operate based on existing rosters and potentially bury prestige matchups? They did the former, and their bet pays off. Rodgers is now slated to play his first game in a Steelers uniform against the New York Jets team that discarded him this offseason. And Oct. 26 on Monday Night Football, the Steelers will host the only NFL club Rodgers hasn't yet played against: the Green Bay Packers he represented for 18 years. North has reason to toast. Advertisement Mike Tomlin, the coach Mike Tomlin's Super Bowl championship and two AFC titles will one day be headlines in his Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy. But expect the committee to discuss not only Tomlin's ceiling but also his floor. Tomlin has remarkably never coached a losing season in 18 years at the Pittsburgh helm. Rodgers should help extend that trend as a clear upgrade over OTAs leader Mason Rudolph. Even at 41 years old, Rodgers is coming off a 3,897-yard, 28-touchdown campaign with a spiraling Jets team. With a more solid foundation and talented roster, Rodgers joins a Steelers team that should again expect a high floor. The Steelers' offensive cohesion Many expected Rodgers to sign with Pittsburgh after mandatory minicamp, reducing chatter around his decision to participate in the last team activities before clubs break. Rodgers missed last year's Jets' mandatory minicamp to travel to Egypt – drawing disapproval from many, including then-head coach Robert Saleh who publicly confirmed Rodgers' absence was unexcused. Rodgers easily could have returned down that road and shown up for training camp in late July, his individual performance likely reaching the same caliber. But quarterbacks and their targets are two of the groups who benefit most from spring practices, as playmakers start learning their counterparts' timing, rhythm and preferred interpretation of routes even amid unrealistic freedom from physicality and live pass rush. Getting through introductions, creating goodwill before the break – expect the charismatic, charming Rodgers to do that easily – and beginning group discussions of the playbook will help the Steelers come September. Lovers of AFC North drama The producers of 'Hard Knocks' are probably disappointed they already featured the AFC North in last year's divisional series. Because the drama quotient keeps rising this offseason. Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow have long been two of the league's five or so best quarterbacks. The Steelers are now bringing in the most individually decorated active quarterback in the league. And the Cleveland Browns … may somehow still front the most intriguing group? Cleveland's quarterback depth chart pivoted quickly from an injured Deshaun Watson to the four-way battle between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The wide range of ages, experience levels and quite frankly Sanders' fame level will keep eyes on them even as all four pale in comparison to the MVP-caliber quarterbacks they'll face in six division games. T.J. Watt The Steelers' defense, anchored by four-time All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt, has ranked top 10 in scoring during six of Watt's eight seasons. Pittsburgh's offense, during that stretch, has managed just two top-10 marks – and none since 2018. Rodgers gives the Steelers a higher collective ceiling than they've had in the last decade, and he comes at a moment when fans are eager for a palate cleanser. Ben Roethlisberger's career fizzled toward the end, due to both injuries and decline in production. Then came the draft miss on Pickett, a revolving door of Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, and last year's two-man show. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields each had their moments on 2024 tryout contracts – but neither alleviated sufficient pressure from Pittsburgh's defense. With the arrival of Rodgers and receiver D.K. Metcalf, Watt and his defensive colleagues may not need to carry as heavy a load this year. Losers Kirk Cousins Atlanta Falcons veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins skipped (albeit nonmandatory) OTAs as he continues to hope the Falcons will deal him to a team that will let him start. Instead, Cousins remains firmly on Atlanta's roster – where 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. has supplanted the veteran on the depth chart, despite the Falcons guaranteeing Cousins $100 million just last spring. The Falcons already lost one seemingly natural trade partner when the Browns selected Gabriel and Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, the last team desperate for quarterback help is finalizing a resolution. Cousins' best bet at starting this season is a sidelining-caliber injury to a starter. The longer he's in Atlanta, the more likely his backup campaign becomes. Mike Tomlin, the leader Few in the league truly have lost faith in Rodgers' on-field ability. He was inconsistent last year but still played stretches at a high level while managing to be available 17 games the first season after suffering an Achilles tear. The bigger question around the league is how Rodgers will handle his relationships in the building, directly and indirectly. For a coach like Tomlin whose unfettered authority has extended further than arguably any of his counterparts in recent years – how will that work? Will Rodgers appearing weekly on the Pat McAfee Show sit well with the coach who has built a resumé more prolific than Rodgers' recent leaders? Will Rodgers be allowed the leeway to bring along coaches and players, as he did in New York? How will the Steelers' robust platform amplify distractions, miscommunications and veiled messages? Some executives across the league believe the Steelers were so desperate for a quarterback they couldn't afford to let team culture implications hinder this move. And perhaps Rodgers will be so delighted to play for a high-functioning organization that he'll get in line, or winning will mask all wounds. But if Rodgers' past history with coaches is any indication, let's not pretend Tomlin's authority won't face questions – during and after Rodgers' time in the building. Justin Jefferson By all accounts, the Minnesota Vikings were Aaron Rodgers' top-choice team this offseason. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and Rodgers had a conversation about a potential marriage, Rodgers even reportedly offering to play for $10 million if it meant the caliber of roster and play-caller that Minnesota provides. When the Vikings opted to stick with unproven 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, they confirmed star receiver Justin Jefferson would be teaming up with a rookie rather than a four-time NFL MVP. To Jefferson's credit, he's excelled with every quarterback the Vikings have played and should be expected to again this year. Jefferson has averaged 1,641 receiving yards and nine touchdowns per year in his first five NFL seasons. So will he be fine with McCarthy? Sure. But the Vikings will likely shift to a more run-heavy scheme to support McCarthy, reducing Jefferson's opportunities compared to if Rodgers came to town. Father Time First, Tom Brady played until he was 45 years old and won a Super Bowl at 43. Now, after playing all 17 games at 40 a year removed from tearing his Achilles, Rodgers is poised to join the Steelers at 41 years old. The only thing more damaging to Father Time would be if Rodgers integrates the realities of his aging into his game planning to further shield himself from retirement. What would that look like? One of Brady's great successes playing well into his 40s was his honesty assessing his strengths and weaknesses, and leaning into his strengths. Brady's secret weapon was never an elite arm nor rare athleticism; he thrived off untopped preparation and killer decision-making. Rodgers possesses that high-level, rapid-speed processing and hasn't lost his strong arm. But he's still coming to terms with the reduction of his mobility and athleticism. The quicker he adjusts accordingly, the greater his chance of playing more consistently than last season. The 'stick to sports' chorus Whether fans agree with Rodgers' opinions and beliefs or don't (he shares enough that it's easy to fall in both categories!), no one can argue Rodgers focuses on football and winning alone. He's immensely talented and also immensely in the public eye, from his McAfee appearances that go beyond the stage of his quarterback counterparts to his near-candidacy for presidency with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and beyond. Rodgers has generated headlines surrounding vaccinations, ayahuasca and more. What will be next? The Steelers will soon find out.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump Soured on Hegseth After Musk Pentagon Invite: ‘Crazy and Stupid'
President Donald Trump was livid after he learned that Pete Hegseth had invited Elon Musk for an exclusive briefing at the Pentagon, according to a new report in The Atlantic. The meeting made headlines in March when The New York Times reported that the defense secretary would brief Musk on plans for a potential war with China—where the world's richest man conducts significant business. Publicly, Musk, Hegseth, and Trump were united in their dismissal of the story. The president called it 'fake news' and claimed that China was never intended to be discussed in the briefing. Behind closed doors, however, Trump was upset that Hegseth extended the invitation at all. When he learned about the briefing the night before it was set to happen, the president called Hegseth, insiders told The Atlantic. Trump told him that the briefing was 'a bad look' for the administration. In an in-person conversation the following day, Trump reiterated his displeasure to Hegseth. 'This is crazy and stupid,' the president said, according to the insiders. 'Why would we even do this?' Trump acknowledged publicly at the time that Musk should not receive Pentagon intel on China, due to his interests in the region. 'I certainly wouldn't want, you know—Elon has businesses in China, and he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that,' he told reporters at the White House. 'But it was such a fake story.' The moment marked a turning point in Hegseth's tenure at the Pentagon—and in his relationship with Trump. That Hegseth had the briefing take place in the Tank, a storied Pentagon conference room where top officers meet with the president, only added to the insult, The Atlantic reported. 'Up until then, DOD had been the golden child,' a person close to Hegseth's office told The Atlantic. But afterwards, Hegseth began to spiral. Not long after, the defense secretary became wrapped up in the Signalgate scandal—when he shared operational attack details on a group chat that included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief. The Pentagon was also wracked by leaks, creating paranoia for Hegseth. He ended up firing three top staffers, whom he alleged were guilty of sharing information with the media. 'Things were heading in the right direction,' the Hegseth insider said. 'But then the leaks and Signalgate just really f---ed up Pete.' Reflecting on what went wrong, insiders pointed to Hegseth's tendency to 'flex' his office. He likes to impress people with his access and power, they said. 'He's got this $180,000 Ferrari. That's the Pentagon for him,' one insider told The Atlantic. 'And he likes to show it off.' Asked for comment on The Atlantic's report, the Pentagon directed the Daily Beast to an X post by top spokesperson Sean Parnell. 'While Secretary Hegseth is at NATO successfully convincing our allies to spend more on defense, The Atlantic is doing what they do best, writing fake news recycled gossip columns,' he wrote. 'Just total BS.' The White House did not immediately answer The Daily Beast's request for comment. However, an unnamed White House official told The Atlantic that Hegseth's job is '100 percent safe.' Meanwhile, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told the magazine that the entire administration is 'fully behind Secretary Hegseth's mission to prioritize our warfighters, eliminate terrorists, and restore common sense at the DOD.'
