Latest news with #Espn
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bill Maher says woke reality TV moment explains how Democratic Party will blow next election
HBO host Bill Maher used a woke moment from the finale of a hit reality TV series on Friday to illustrate how the Democratic Party could lose future elections. During his closing monologue from "Real Time with Bill Maher," the host highlighted "Love Is Blind" season eight star Sara Carlton walking away from her wedding to co-star Ben Mezzenga because he didn't have strong enough pro-Black Lives Matter views. Referencing a question he posed last week on the show to Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Maher wondered, "But how are the Democrats going to blow it this time? This is how: Posturing, purity tests, the politics of 'I unfriend you if you're not exactly with me 1000 percent,'" he said, comparing liberals' current political perspective to Carlton's dating standards. Espn's Stephen A Smith Uses Old Gaffe To Burn Netflix As Fans Wait For 'Love Is Blind' Reunion Special As Maher explained, the "Love Is Blind" season eight finale featured Carlton walking out on Mezzenga at the altar because they weren't on the same "wavelength." Elsewhere during the episode, Carlton told her relatives that Mezzenga's views on BLM were a dealbreaker. "I remember I asked him about Black Lives Matter, and I'm no expert, but when I asked him about it, he was like, 'I guess I never really thought too much about it," she said. Read On The Fox News App "And that's when Sara realized she would rather die alone," Maher quipped after playing a clip from the show. Trump Signs Executive Order To Slash Taxpayer Funds To Pbs, Npr: 'Radical, Woke Propaganda' He mentioned other areas where Mezzenga fell short on Carlton's deeply held views. "To be fair to Sara, it wasn't just Black Lives Matter. Ben also didn't have much to say on the vaccine," he said, adding a sarcastic tone. "And his position on trans was basically, 'I don't know I guess.' Sarah's sister is gay and when she told that to Ben, Ben said he had 'no discomfort around that community at all.'" "Not good enough, Ben!" Maher shouted. "I think what you meant to say is, 'F--- yeah! I f------ love it!'" The host lectured his fellow liberals: "Let me tell you folks, if the standards on the left are going to be this high and politics is going to be this much of a c--- block, we're never going to win elections or have any more babies." Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "This inclination from certain liberals to always and immediately excommunicate instead of communicate is what makes them so unlikable," Maher article source: Bill Maher says woke reality TV moment explains how Democratic Party will blow next election
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Love Is Blind' star Sara Carton rejects Ben Mezzenga at the altar over views on religion, Black Lives Matter
"Love is Blind" stars Sara Carton and Ben Mezzenga did not get married during the season finale of the show, as Carton had reservations about Mezzenga's religious and political viewpoints, including Black Lives Matter. "I asked him about Black Lives Matter," Carton told her family in the car, after rejecting Mezzenga. "And I'm no expert, but when I asked him about it, he's like, 'I guess I never really thought too much about it.' That affected me. Especially in our own city, like how could it not? How could it not make you think about something?" In Netflix's "Love is Blind," the men and women attempt to find their forever partner without ever seeing them. When the singles feel a strong connection, they propose and meet the other person for the first time face-to-face. Once a pair is engaged, they plan their wedding day while navigating the rocky waters of the outside world. At the altar, Carton said, "I love you so much, but I've always wanted a partner to be on the same wavelength." Espn's Stephen A Smith Uses Old Gaffe To Burn Netflix As Fans Wait For 'Love Is Blind' Reunion Special She lamented that there was "no curiosity coming from his side." Read On The Fox News App Carton explained that she also asked Mezzenga about his church and the church's views. "And he said he didn't know, and so then I watched a sermon online, about sexual identity, and it was traditional. I told that to Ben, and he didn't really have much to say about it," she said. "I want someone to think about that stuff." Earlier in the season, Mezzenga told Carton that he had "no discomfort around that community at all," after Carton revealed that her sister is gay and that she was no longer religious because of the Catholic Church's viewpoints on gay marriage, according to Today. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Carton revealed during her conversations with Mezzenga that she didn't become interested in politics until President Donald Trump came into office and the killing of George Floyd in 2020, according to reports. "I'm kind of ignorant towards that stuff. Like, I didn't vote in the last election. As long as I don't know, it's not gonna, you know, do much," Mezzenga reacted. "I've kind of just been staying out of it." Mezzenga and Carton were not the only couple that differed politically. Virginia Miller and Devin Buckley also had conversations about their politics, despite Buckley telling Miller that he wasn't "super big into politics," according to Today. Miller told Buckley that she was open to different political views, but said it would be alarming if Buckley was "way on the other side of the spectrum" on certain article source: 'Love Is Blind' star Sara Carton rejects Ben Mezzenga at the altar over views on religion, Black Lives Matter
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine female athlete 'grateful' for Trump's focus on trans competitors after local leaders 'failed' girls
A high school female track and field athlete is praising President Donald Trump for doing what she said state lawmakers won't: protect women from biological males competing against them in sports. Zoe, who competed in shot put at Maine's Class B state indoor championship meet on Monday, said she is "grateful" for the president's announcement that he will be cutting federal funding to Maine over its defiance of Trump's order to keep men out of women's sports, adding that leaders in the state "have failed our female athletes." "State leaders have failed our female athletes and there needs to be repercussions for their neglect," Zoe said. "We feel seen and heard because of this announcement and hope that steps will continue to be made to protect women's sports in Maine." Espn Star Stephen A Smith Makes Stance On Trans Inclusion In Women's Sports Clear During the state championship meet, Katie Spencer, who competed as a male named John Rydzewski in pole-vaulting as recently as June 2024, out-jumped every other female by half a foot. Spencer's winning pole vault was pivotal in helping Spencer's track and field team at Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine, win the Class B state championship meet by just a single point. Following news of what happened, Trump announced that Maine would lose public funding until "they clean that up." Read On The Fox News App Republican Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby began sounding the alarm after Spencer won the women's pole-vaulting state championship on Monday. In an interview with Fox News Digital, she reiterated Zoe's concern that without some sort of federal intervention nothing was going to change. Several years ago, the state amended its state Human Rights Act to include protections for gender-identity, and since Democrats control both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office, Libby said there is "a 0% chance" they will repeal it. Ca Lawmakers Introduce Bill Protecting Girls From Trans Athletes After State Refuses To Follow Trump's Order Following Trump's Feb. 5 executive order threatening to end public funding to schools that do not keep men out of women's sports, the Maine Principals' Association, the primary governing body for high school athletics in the state, said that the president's order conflicts with state law aimed at protecting human rights. As a result, the association said it will defer to the latter when it comes to determining athletic eligibility. Sarah Perry, a civil rights attorney who has extensive experience litigating Title IX issues, said that in addition to Trump's executive order, the association is also flouting directives from the Department of Education and previously established precedent from a slew of cases that challenged former President Joe Biden's Title IX regulations allowing athletic eligibility to be determined by one's preferred gender identity. Perry noted that besides the obvious risk of losing funding, these states also open themselves up to federal Title IX investigations, something she said could potentially force them to comply with Trump's demands. Fox News Digital reached out to the Maine Principals' Association for comment but did not receive a response by publication time. Ncaa Responds As Critics Call Out Potential Loopholes In Its New Trans-athlete Policy "It is absolutely reprehensible that people in a position of power would allow this against children who are trying to compete," Libby said. "There will not be enforcement from the state level, that is absolutely clear. So the only mechanism of enforcement that we have is for the administration to intervene." Libby noted that after posting about Spencer's state championship title on social media, a young female competitor at the meet commented that she and her teammates did not even know they would be competing against a biological male until they arrived at the state championship meet on Monday. "It was so disheartening to find out, because, you immediately know the result," Libby told Fox News Digital. Libby also pointed out that it was illustrative of a larger problem in Maine when it comes to protecting women's rights in athletics. Trans Athlete And 'Uncomfortable' Opponent Speak Out After Alleged Incident Prompts Civil Rights Complaint "This is not a first-time scenario here," she said. "There is another boy who has been running girls' cross-country for several fall seasons now. He was a mediocre athlete as a boy, but as a girl he is doing extremely well. This is increasing in Maine. And unless something is done at the federal level, I think we're just going to see more and more of it." Due to the win, Spencer has now automatically qualified for the multistate regional championships, taking the spot that would have been awarded to the female athlete who garnered second place had Spencer competed in the boys' division. Trump on Thursday said that Maine will not receive federal funding until it complies with his executive order requiring schools and athletic associations to ensure biological males do not compete on women's sports teams. "I heard men are still playing in Maine," the president said Friday during a speech at the annual National Governors Association conference in Washington, D.C. "I hate to tell you this, but we're not going to give any federal money. They are still saying, 'We want men to play in women's sports,' and I cannot believe they are doing that… so we're not going to give them any federal funding, none whatsoever, until they clean that up." 'Light It On Fire And Throw It In The Garbage': Former All-american Tennis Player Slams Ncaa's Transgender Policy Trump met with governors at the White House on Friday, including Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, amid the conference taking place in the nation's capital. For a brief moment, Trump and Mills got into a verbal skirmish over his move to slash the state's federal funding due to its defiance against Trump's executive order barring men from competing in women's sports. "You better do it because you're not going to get federal funding," Trump said to Mills, to which she responded: "We're going to follow the law, sir. We'll see you in court." "Enjoy your life after governor, because I don't think you'll be an elected official afterward," Trump shot back. In a statement to Fox News Digital, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "Partisan elected officials and judicial activists who seek to legally obstruct President Trump's agenda are defying the will of 77 million Americans who overwhelmingly re-elected President Trump," and added that "their efforts will fail." "All of President Trump's executive actions are lawful, constitutional and intended to deliver on the promises he made to the American people," Leavitt said. "The Trump Administration is prepared to fight these battles in court and will prevail."Original article source: Maine female athlete 'grateful' for Trump's focus on trans competitors after local leaders 'failed' girls
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith argues he can win presidential election after Democrats' ‘pathetic' 2024 run
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith is stirring speculation about a possible bid for the U.S. presidency in 2028. During a recent episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show," Smith hinted that he might consider entering the political arena. "The Democratic Party looks so pathetic after this election; I might entertain running. I just might change my mind one day. I doubt it, but I might. Because how much would it take to beat y'all? And Trump can't run again," he said. Espn's Stephen A. Smith Says He Feels Like A Fool For Voting For Kamala Harris However, during an interview on "Hannity," Smith clarified his stance, firmly stating that he has no plans to run. "My lifestyle is quite lovely," Smith said. "I would not want to ruin that by running for the presidency of the United States of America. I have no interest, but I was just trying to make a profound point." Read On The Fox News App He added that with the Democratic Party in its current divided state and without a clear frontrunner, a candidate with broad recognition like himself could be a contender. "I think the Democratic Party, in the state that they find themselves in, I think somebody like me could actually win," the "First Take" host argued Tuesday. A recent poll from McLaughlin & Associates in January shows former Vice President Kamala Harris as the distant frontrunner against other top Democrats. Harris led the pack among Democratic voters with 33%, followed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 9%, and California Governor Gavin Newsom at 7%. Trump's Federal Dei Purge Puts Hundreds On Leave, Nixes $420M In Contracts Smith's popularity led him to receive 2% in the poll, and he believes he could "certainly" win if he launched a campaign. In recent months, Smith has become more vocal on political issues, particularly when it comes to the debate over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In a video on his YouTube channel, he criticized former President Donald Trump's stance on DEI initiatives. Smith particularly objected to Trump's view that DEI policies were often used to justify hiring individuals who were unqualified due to their minority status. During his interview with Hannity, the Bronx, New York, native further explained his position. "My issue with the eradication of DEI… it was the explanation that the Trump administration and others were giving about it. I don't want to hear DEI automatically being about people who happen to be minorities that are unqualified," Smith said. Trump signed an executive order terminating many DEI initiatives and dismissed hundreds of government employees involved in DEI-related work. Trump also suggested that DEI standards at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) could have contributed to the recent Washington plane crash, which killed 67 people. "We must have only the highest standards for those who work in our aviation system," Trump remarked. "Only the highest aptitude — you have to be the highest intellect — and psychologically superior people, were allowed to qualify for air traffic controllers." "It's one thing to get rid of it all together," said Smith. "It's another thing entirely to articulate and verbalize the position that … everybody that was associated with DEI are unqualified individuals."Original article source: Stephen A. Smith argues he can win presidential election after Democrats' 'pathetic' 2024 run
