Republicans are swamping House and Senate races with an unprecedented flood of late ad spending as the party tests whether hundreds of millions of dollars can buy it some reprieve from the eroding political environment that’s threatening longtime Republican states and districts.
Since the start of September, Republicans have made more than $700 million worth of new advertising bookings in congressional races alone, according to an NBC News ******* ysis of data from AdImpact, a political ad-tracking firm. That’s new money on top of what had already been committed to those races in ad reservations made over the summer.
By comparison, Democrats booked more than $430 million in new ad reservations across those races last month.
The disparity is greatest in the battle for the Senate majority, where almost 7 of every 10 newly booked advertising dollars are coming from Republicans. That’s led by a massive, late investment in the Senate race in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico is threatening a longtime Republican seat and the GOP has poured in almost $150 million in new ad dollars to back up its nominee, Ken Paxton.
The gap is smaller in the House, where a bit less than 6 in 10 of those new ad dollars are coming from the GOP.

#senate #dollars #House #republican

Latino voters helped propel Donald Trump back to the White House. Now, they are turning on him, according to a new NBC News/Telemundo poll — a shift that gives Democrats a major opportunity to capitalize in a 2026 election that could hinge on states and districts with sizable Latino populations.
Like the broader electorate, Latino voters are racked by major concerns about high prices and Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement. The president’s approval rating sits at 27% among Latino voters. Two-thirds say his administration’s deportation policies have gone too far and three-quarters disapprove of how he has handled the economy and the cost of living.
There are clear signs his party is paying the price.
A greater share of Latino voters hold negative views of the Republican Party than at any time since 2016, and Democrats have leads on issues like dealing with the economy, immigration, the cost of living, corruption and healthcare. Two years ago, Latino voters gave Trump a 4-point edge over then-Vice President Kamala Harris on handling the economy. Today, they give Democrats a 21-point advantage on the same question.
Against that backdrop, Democrats have a 24-point lead on whom Latino voters want to see in control of Congress, 59%-35%.

#latino

Two districts get under way this week as the 2026 Texas high school football season enters its fourth week of play.
District 16-4A DII, which has seen Rockport-Fulton and Ingleside make early statements and District 16-2A DI, headlined by a surprisingly 1-2 Refugio squad start play this week.
Veterans Memorial takes on Gregory-Portland in another intriguing non-district battle between undefeated teams a week after G-P beat No. 2 Calallen.
Here is a look at the entire Week 4 slate in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend:
FRIDAY, SEPT. 18

#texas #ingleside #Veterans

We're getting the start of district play for a couple of Central Texas high school football Class 5A Division I districts as the 2026 season kicks off Week 3. Around the Austin area, this week's top matchups include another Westlake game - this week, the Chaparrals (2-0) take to the road for the first time at Class 6A power Prosper - and some intriguing pairings like Lake Travis at Cibolo Steele, Vandegrift at Liberty Hill, Cedar Park at Waco Midway, Converse Judson at Bowie and Dripping Springs at Round Rock.
Heck, it's even Thorndale vs. Thrall rivalry week at Bulldog Stadium.
Every school in our area top-five polls for Classes 6A, 5A and 4A/others are in action Friday night save for the Anderson Trojans, our No. 2 among area 5A teams who are off this week. We're monitoring two games tonight: Colby Gordon is checking out Vandegrift and Liberty Hill at Panther Stadium and Caleb Yum is providing live coverage out of Lake Travis at Cibolo Steele.
Follow this string throughout the night from those games and the more than 35 other games being played involving Austin-area teams:
MORE: Our staff picks for Westlake-Prosper, Vandegrift-Liberty Hill and other top Week 3 games

#vandegrift #we 're

By Andrew Chung
Sept 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to reinstate a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri ahead of November's midterm elections, dealing a setback to President ‌Donald Trump and the party's odds of maintaining its slim majority in the House of Representatives.
Conservative ‌Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied Missouri's emergency request to suspend a state Supreme Court ruling that blocked the map, a decision that preserves the Kansas City-based seat of longtime Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, whose district would have been dismantled under the redrawn boundaries.
Kavanaugh, who handles emergency matters from Missouri and several other states, did not refer the matter to the nine-member court before issuing the decision.
Missouri Republicans adopted the map as part of a broader effort backed by ‌Trump to redraw congressional districts in ways ⁠that could benefit Republican candidates.

#missouri #court #emergency

Sep. 4—WILSON CREEK — The Wilson Creek Devils are ready for another season of volleyball as they return a little younger, but still experienced. This year, the Devils are striving to become more unified and play together as one.
"I'm looking forward to watching this team come together and do something great," said Devils Head Coach Shawn Shahan. "See them combine and work together and become one team. That's our motto this year is 'One team, one goal.'"
Wilson Creek finished the season 6-14 last year and qualified for the district tournament after battling through the highly competitive Central Washington B League. The Devils made it into the first round of districts before ending their season against Easton.
Last year the Devils roster consisted of mostly younger players with the team being led by a group of juniors and no seniors. Although the team lost a few players in the offseason, Wilson Creek will be returning Cheyanne Dailey, Debi Horn, Lila Sackmann and Riley Larsen as seniors.
Shahan said she is confident in the girls who are returning this season to act as strong leaders for the team and has already seen them step up and work with their younger teammates.

#devils #year #younger

LOYAL — The Loyal School District announced Wednesday, Sept. 2 that due to a self-reported eligibility issue, the Loyal/Greenwood co-op football team will forfeit its 41-7 win over Neillsville/Granton from this past Friday and receive a one-year probation period.
The Marshfield-area school districts said they became aware of the issue following Friday's game, promptly addressed it and self-reported the matter to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic ****** ociation.
The WIAA then reviewed the situation and imposed the forfeiture and probation.
The districts did not disclose the nature of the eligibility issue or identify the player involved and described the mishap as "an honest mistake" and said they take responsibility for it.
Ostricki answers Stratford's call: Ostricki answers the call, embraces new defensive role for Stratford

#answers

Who's got the best high school football in the country? Texas, Florida and California have each long laid stake to that claim, but it's rare that we see good teams from those states play each other. But that's what's happening at Chaparral Stadium in Friday's much anticipated 2026 season opener between the Westlake Chaparrals and the Inglewood (Calif.) Sentinels.
Westlake is one of Texas' top programs. Inglewood is packed with FBS talent, including two defensive linemen committed to Texas A&M and Oklahoma and a defensive back who'll play at Cal. And Chaps quarterback Patton Jones is making his first start against a defense that had seven sacks in Inglewood's season opener last week.
Anderson receiver Kyler Sharp (15) makes a catch over Johnson defensive back Zavier Antoine (31) during the game at Hays High School on Thursday, August. 27, 2026 in Kyle, Texas. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
But that's not the only big game of note tonight. While the big Lake Travis vs. Dripping Springs opener was canceled, there are still a couple of high-profile matchups that we're watching, including Weiss at Round Rock, a matchup of two of the American-Statesman's top 10 preseason power poll teams; Cedar Park and A&M Consolidated as the Timberwolves make their Class 6A debut; and Vandegrift at San Antonio Brennan, a matchup of two teams expected to win their Class 6A districts.
We're at three games tonight. Colby Gordon is covering the Weiss-Round Rock game at Dragon Stadium, Caleb Yum is at Westlake vs. Inglewood, watching all those college prospects at Chaparral Stadium, and Cory Mull is at Wrangler Stadium in Liberty Hill, where he's watching the Legacy Ranch Wranglers - Central Texas' newest high school - play their first varsity game ever at home against Manor New Tech.

#texas #westlake #school #play

The high school football season kicks off this week with 16 coaches making their debuts in Greater San Antonio. About half are veteran coaches who landed at a new school. The others are getting a chance to lead a program for the first time.
Regardless of their experience, each job has its challenges. Here's a look at the challenges each coach faces at his new position:
Myles Duelm, Madison
Duelm is taking the reins of a program that lost one of the city's top football players to graduation. Wide receiver Jordan Clay is now at the University of Washington after spending all four years of his high school career at Madison. Although Duelm is a first-year head coach, he has plenty of familiarity with the region. He was previously Reagan's offensive coordinator and also worked at Brandeis.
Vernon Hughes, Judson
Hughes takes over a team that hasn't had a winning season since 2021, which is a shocker considering the Rockets' reputation as San Antonio's most decorated football program. Hughes takes over for Mark Soto, a Judson alum who played for and won a state championship under D.W. Rutledge in 1988 but was unable to restore the Rockets to state prominence from the sidelines. The Rockets are never short on talent. Hughes' task will be utilizing that talent to get the Rockets back on track in one of Region IV's toughest Class 6A districts.
Matt McKinney, Harlan
McKinney is tasked with leading one of the city's top 6A programs in his first season as a head coach. He will look to sustain the success the Hawks had under Eddie Salas, who led Harlan to the postseason in all eight of its varsity seasons. While McKinney is in a new role, he is no stranger to the program after serving as Harlan's offensive coordinator since the school opened.

#Football #coach

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms reached a settlement to resolve claims brought by states across the country that the company designed Instagram and Facebook to addict children, misled consumers about their safety, and improperly collected personal data of children who used its platforms, court ‌papers show.
The deal was reached during a California federal court trial over claims brought by 29 states, averting one of the highest-profile ‌tests yet of allegations that social media companies harmed young users. Just days before jury selection began on August 12, a federal appeals court declined to halt the trial.
The claims are part of a broader wave of litigation brought by states, local governments, school districts and individuals alleging Meta and other social media companies fueled a nationwide youth mental health crisis.
The federal trial covered claims from the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey that Meta violated their state laws protecting consumers.
The trial also covered claims from 29 states that Meta violated the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal data from users it knew were children without parental notification or consent, ‌and using the data to train machine learning and ⁠generative AI models.

#meta #brought #children

The American-Statesman takes a look at Class 6A districts around Central Texas as the high school football season gets underway.
1. Lake Travis (14-1 last year, DI state semifinalist): The Cavs graduated 18 starters, but there's never a lack of talent. DBs Luca Antoun and Jeremiah Strong and LB Owen Aird lead what should be one of the area's best defenses.
This video created with the ***** istance of AI.
2. Vandegrift (12-2, DII state semifinalist): New QB Gavin Koester paces an offense that should thrive running the ball, and the Vipers are deep with talent at all three levels on defense.
3. Westlake (7-4, DII area round): There are more question marks than in the past decade for the Chaps. But like Lake Travis, Westlake always has talent. Wylie Nichols is one of Central Texas' better defensive backs.

#texas

They're drones that are launched remotely, can break through windows, help clear classrooms and have an embedded speakerphone to communicate with teachers and police. All that before disorienting and incapacitating a potential school shooter in about a minute.
The tiny and quick drones are being deployed in an increasing number of school districts – part of a growing school security industry as parents and schools find new ways to protect students and staff from carnage.
Though it's hard to put an exact figure on the industry, it's estimated to be in the billions. Justin Marston, the co-founder and CEO of Campus Guardian Angel, says he estimates between $3 and $4 billion is spent annually on securing schools with tools such as his drones, school resource officers and metal detectors; the Urban Institute think tank estimated $2.62 billion was spent on school resource officers alone in 2023.
It's all aimed at preventing the unique and devastating reality in the United States of shootings in schools.
Parents who lost children in mass shootings are driving awareness and helping push for improved security measures in schools to try to reduce the threat, and they're part of the reason the school safety industry has grown to what it is today.

#school #parents #estimated

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President Donald Trump has been buying corporate and municipal bonds since returning to the White House in 2025 — and he hasn't exactly slowed down.
In March alone, Trump made 175 financial transactions and bought at least $51 million in bonds, according to financial disclosures filed with the Office of Government Ethics. Most were municipal bonds issued by states, counties, school districts and other public entities (1).
Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one
JPMorgan sees gold hitting $5,000/oz by Q4 — and savvy investors are protecting their wealth with a tax-advantaged Gold IRA. Get your free guide from Priority Gold

#bonds #president

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has allowed new U.S. House districts backed by President Donald Trump to be used in the November elections, rejecting a bid by to put the Republican-friendly districts to a statewide vote of the people.
The ruling Wednesday by Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green is a victory for Republicans seeking to hold onto their slim majority in the U.S. House. But the case is likely to end up in the state Supreme Court.
Missouri's new districts already were used in the August primaries. On that same day, Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected a petition with thousands of signatures seeking to force a November referendum on the map. Hoskins ******* erted that Missouri's Constitution doesn't allow a referendum on congressional redistricting.
The judge agreed with Hoskins and other Republicans, who joined in defense of the new map.
"The Missouri Constitution does not supply any statement — let alone a clear one — reallocating authority over congressional redistricting away from the General ******* embly to a referendum process," Green wrote in the ruling.

#hoskins #districts #House #republicans

NBC News Senior National Politics Reporter Jon Allen cruises down I-80 in his Drive to Decision Day series to talk to voters in several battleground congressional districts that could determine the control of Congress. On day 3 of his road trip, Jon Allen visits Ohio's 7th and 9th congressional districts.

#senior #national #Politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Civil rights advocates on Monday said they asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Texas law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments, teeing up a case that could set a new national standard for the limits of state-sponsored religious expression in classrooms.
Over two dozen Texas families represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups petitioned the nation's highest court to overturn a split decision in April by the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The New Orleans-based appeals court's 9-8 ruling upheld the Texas law, which requires public school classrooms to display a state-selected version of the Ten Commandments drawn from the King James Bible.
In their Supreme Court brief, the families' attorneys argue that the law violates basic First Amendment principles governing the separation of church and state.
"The question of whether a state may impose scripture on impressionable, captive-audience children — for nearly every hour of every school day, for up to (13) years — implicates the most fundamental guarantees of the First Amendment and our Nation's highest ideals," they wrote.
The 5th Circuit reversed a lower federal court ruling that had blocked approximately a dozen Texas school districts from putting up the posters. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law, which took effect last September.

#first

TAMARAC, Fla. (AP) — Sporting red-white-and-blue sneakers and a matching bedazzled manicure ahead of Florida's primaries on Tuesday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz smiles and tells voters she is "running for reelection to Congress."
That's true — with a caveat. Wasserman Schultz is seeking her 12th term by running in a new district after Republicans scrambled the state's congressional map earlier this year.
The fallout pushed Wasserman Schultz, a former national party chair with powerful ties in Washington, to cross district lines from her Fort Lauderdale exurb and be the only white candidate against four Black candidates in an area of Broward County that has helped send Black Democrats to Congress since 1992. That's yielded an uncomfortable fight following the U.S. Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act provisions undergirding minority voting strength and effectively cleared Old Confederacy states, including Florida, to reshape House districts.
"For her to come in like this is just another Broward seat, it's a complete erasure of our history, our fight for Black access," said former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, 47, who resigned from the seat in April while facing an ethics investigation but now wants it back.
Another candidate, 27-year-old progressive organizer and substitute teacher Elijah Manley, said Republicans' redistricting ploy is not Wasserman Schultz's fault. But she "had other options," Manley added, including running in her new home district, which was gerrymandered to include the more conservative Gulf Coast.

#republicans #broward

TAMARAC, Fla. (AP) — Greeting voters ahead of Tuesday's Florida primaries in red-white-and-blue sneakers, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz smiles and tells them she is "running for reelection to Congress."
That's true — with a caveat. Wasserman Schultz is seeking her 12th term by running in a new district after Republicans scrambled the state's congressional map earlier this year.
The fallout pushed Wasserman Schultz, a former national party chair with powerful ties in Washington, to cross district lines from her Fort Lauderdale exurb and be the only white candidate in an area of Broward County that has helped send Black Democrats to Congress since 1992. That's yielded an uncomfortable fight following the U.S. Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act provisions undergirding minority voting strength and effectively cleared Old Confederacy states, including Florida, to reshape House districts.
"For her to come in like this is just another Broward seat, it's a complete erasure of our history, our fight for Black access," said former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, 47, who resigned from the seat in April while facing an ethics investigation but now wants it back.
Another candidate, 27-year-old progressive organizer and substitute teacher Elijah Manley, said Republicans' redistricting ploy is not Wasserman Schultz's fault. But she "had other options," Manley added, including running in her new home district, which was gerrymandered to include the more conservative Gulf coast.

#schultz #Florida #republicans

EXCLUSIVE: A North Carolina father is suing his children's school district after he says officials would not answer whether biological males could be permitted to use the same restrooms as his fourth-grade daughter.
Brandon Matthews, whose daughter attends Mount Pleasant Elementary School, and whose son is entering his senior year at Mount Pleasant High School, asked both principals in May to notify him if a member of the opposite biological ******* was permitted to use bathrooms or locker rooms used by his children.
Matthews did not ask officials to identify any student, according to his federal lawsuit.
But Matthews still doesn't know the answer, his attorney says.
Trump Administration Opens Four ******* le Ix Investigations Into Michigan And North Carolina School Districts

#matthews #pleasant #answer

BEIJING, Aug 7 - Multiple districts in Beijing issued heavy rainfall warnings on Friday evening with authorities ‌warning residents of disasters including floods in the ‌city centre and also mudslides and landslides in agricultural and mountainous areas.
• The extreme rains come as China readies for Typhoon Dolphin, which is expected to make landfall along the country's eastern coast from Sunday to Monday.
• Beijing's Dongcheng, Xicheng, Haidian, Chaoyang, ‌Tongzhou and Pinggu ⁠districts all issued heavy rain warnings expecting hourly rainfall to exceed 50 millimeters.
• The highest ⁠rainfall occurred in Miyun district in northeast Beijing on Friday afternoon where precipitation reached 99.5 millimeters.
• Authorities said they have deployed more than 2,000 staff to help with the flooding around ‌Beijing.

#districts #issued #millimeters

TORONTO, Aug 8 (Reuters) - A state of emergency was declared by the district of Summerland, British Columbia, early Saturday as ‌a fast-moving wildfire swept through western Canada, forcing thousands ‌of residents to evacuate their homes.
The Bald Range wildfire was burning out of control and had grown to about 5,000 hectares as of early Saturday, after prompting evacuation orders in other regional districts this week. The fire originated about 15 kilometers (9 miles) west of Summerland, according to BC Wildfire ‌Service.
The district of Summerland, ⁠which is about 45 kilometers from Kelowna, said it lost power on Saturday due to the impact of ⁠the wildfire and issued a boil water notice for residents, saying untreated water had entered the system after the water treatment plant was bypassed due to the wildfire threat.
Summerland has a population of about 12,000, according ‌to a 2021 census.
Several regions in Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, have battled blazes this year as hot, dry weather fueled wildfires in dense forest areas. Canada has received **** istance from Mexico, Australia, France and New Zealand to help fight them.

#summerland #early #according

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's top election official has rejected a citizens' petition seeking a statewide referendum on new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump.
Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins ****** erted Tuesday that the petition is void because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums.
The number of petition signatures submitted doesn't matter, Hoskins said, because "challenging a congressional map is unconstitutional under Missouri law."
A group backing the referendum effort said it will contest Hoskins' decision in court.
"Secretary of State Hoskins is making a last desperate attempt to silence the people's voice in Missouri," Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, said in a statement, while ****** erting there are more than enough signatures to qualify the referendum for the ballot.

#petition #secretary

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian planes dropped eight powerful glide bombs in a span of 90 minutes on residential districts of the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing one person and wounding dozens of others, regional chief Ivan Fedorov said Monday.
Meanwhile, six people were killed by Ukrainian drone debris in Arkhipo-Osipovka, a small town on Russia's Black Sea coast in the Krasnodar region, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said, adding that 40 others were wounded.
Three other people were killed and two were wounded in Ukraine's overnight attack on the illegally annexed Crimea, said the peninsula's Russian-installed head, Sergei Aksyonov. He gave no details.
Neither side's claims could be independently verified.
Ukraine's innovative long-range drone technology developed during the war has enabled Kyiv to sign military cooperation agreements with nine countries, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.

#russian #killed #wounded

School has already started in some districts here in Arizona and that means the fall high school sports season is quickly approaching.
Flag football has seen explosive growth since being sanctioned by the AIA in 2023. There are four conferences, with a total of 159 schools participating heading into the 2026 season. The Arizona Republic is previewing players and teams ahead of the upcoming season. We will be asking for your vote on the top players at each position and the top teams (the poll appears after the list; print readers can find it with this story online at https://www.azcentral.com/...
Offense came first, starting with the quarterbacks. Then it was the wide receivers and centers. Now, it's the defense's turn. We begin with the rushers, whose primary job is to chase after quarterbacks.
1. Kayden Kisler, Gilbert Highland, So.
She will have to sit out the first half of the season after transferring from Hamilton, but she's going to make a huge impact right away once eligible. When it comes to pure speed, no player in the state at the position tops her.

#arizona #high

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Over the past several years, Missouri voters have amended the state constitution to create abortion rights, legalize marijuana and sports betting and expand Medicaid healthcare coverage for low-income adults.
None of those initiatives would have passed under a ballot measure getting decided by voters Tuesday.
Missouri's proposed Amendment 4 would make it significantly harder to amend the constitution by requiring citizen initiatives to pass in all eight of the state's diverse congressional districts instead of by a traditional, simple statewide majority. No other state has such a high standard — or has even asked voters to consider it.
"This is a first-of-its-kind," said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, a national group that backs progressive ballot initiatives like the ones Missouri's Republican lawmakers are hoping to quelch.
"It would be nearly impossible for citizens to participate meaningfully in any sort of direct democracy," said Hall, who believes other states could try to copy Missouri's proposal.

#voters #initiatives #constitution #medicaid

EXCLUSIVE - Far-left Democratic congressional candidate Oliver Larkin of Florida says he supports abolishing the U.S. Senate, agrees with socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested during his upcoming trip to the U.S., and refers to Israel's ruling coalition as a "religious supremacist regime."
Larkin, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz in next month's Florida primary, is one of just four congressional candidates endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
The 33-year-old Larkin, a veteran of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 Democratic presidential campaign, is also the only DSA-endorsed House candidate running in one of the roughly two dozen key swing districts that will determine if Republicans hold onto their razor-thin majority in the midterm elections.
Moskowitz, who is running for re-election in Florida's newly redrawn 25th Congressional District, a Broward County-anchored seat in the southeastern corner of the red-leaning state, is heavily supported by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). He currently holds a polling and fundraising lead over Larkin.
Midterm Battle For The House: Check Out The Fox News Power Rankings

#midterm

How does Las Vegas as a city and market now align with the vision you had when you guys first brought Summer League here? LeGarie: I'd love to take all the credit. Adam Silver saw it way, way ahead of everybody. He understood because (late former comissioner David Stern) just kept focusing on "It's the Strip. It's guys (who are) low lives. It's the things you see in the movies." But none of that is true. This was the fastest growing community. School districts. All these things going on. And Adam was keenly aware of that.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Warren LeGarie credits Adam Silver for pushing past David Stern's Las Vegas skepticism

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — High-ranking Senate Democrat Ron Wyden has alleged that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke the law with recent phone calls urging third-party candidates to drop out of two Iowa congressional races.
In a complaint to the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel filed Monday, Wyden requested an investigation into whether the June calls violated the Hatch Act, a 1939 law that restricts certain political activities by federal employees. The Oregon Democrat said Kennedy acted inappropriately by interfering with elections that Trump's Republican administration wants GOP candidates to win.
"Kennedy has spent sixteen months using his official position to undermine the health and well-being of his fellow Americans, and now he is using his official position to undermine the integrity of democratic elections too," reads a statement from Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which plays a role in overseeing the nation's health agencies.
The accusation comes as Trump has dispatched Kennedy to swing districts around the country as a key surrogate for the administration, promoting its widely popular efforts to encourage healthy eating and exercise. It takes issue with another task Kennedy reportedly did on behalf of the administration: calling Libertarian candidates to push them to drop out of two races where they could be spoilers for GOP candidates. At stake is control of Congress in a competitive midterm election year, where any win could be decisive in shaping the next two years of federal policy.
Spokespeople for Kennedy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Public universities and school districts have agreed to pay more than $2.7 million to educators disciplined over social media posts about slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, including a $1.9 million settlement approved last week, as lawsuits alleging First Amendment violations continue to mount.
NBC News reported Friday that public records show at least five educators have reached settlements with their employers over the past year totaling more than $2.7 million, with a newly approved agreement accounting for the largest share.
Former University of Tennessee professor Tamar Shirinian is set to receive $1.9 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the school of violating her constitutional rights after officials sought to discipline her over social media posts criticizing Kirk following his ***** assination.
Charlie Kirk's Parents, Widow To Attend Tyler Robinson's Preliminary Hearing Next Week
Knox News reported on June 29 that the University of Tennessee System Board of Trustees approved a $1.9 million settlement for Shirinian after she called Kirk, who was ***** assinated Sept. 10 during his "American Comeback Tour" at Utah Valley University, a "disgusting psychopath."

The 2025-2026 high school sports season is in the rearview mirror. However, as July and fall practices come into the picture, the San Angelo Standard-Times wants fans and community members to vote on which school they believe has the top fanbase in the West Texas, San Angelo area.
For this poll, the Standard-Times will only include the 41 school districts in its coverage area. The poll will be split across three weeks of voting. The first week will include all 40 schools, the second will have the top 20 and the final poll will be a showdown of who fans voted in the top 10.
The poll will run from Monday to 11 a.m. Thursday, and the top 10 will move on to the next round.
Ballinger
Bronte