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Report: Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow mulls bid for DNC chairRutgers’ Greg Schiano explains why he took timeout in stunning last-second loss to Illinois - NJ.com
Bill Maher is flabbergasted by the people President-elect Donald Trump wants in his Cabinet. Trump has picked a flurry of controversial Republicans for key White House jobs in the weeks since he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris : Fox News host Pete Hegseth , World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon , independent candidate and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and firebrand former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) , to name a few. “Linda McMahon is in a lawsuit about enabling sexual shenanigans of some kind with the wrestling world,” Maher said on “Real Time” Friday in his opening monologue . “And then there’s Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth , and oh, RFK, who admitted to groping a nanny .” Hegseth, Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, according to a police report filed at the time. The Fox star was never charged, and has claimed the encounter was consensual. But Maher said the allegations raised another question: “Has anyone ever had sex with someone from Fox News and liked it?” The Democrat and comedian did applaud the other side of the aisle for pushing back against Gaetz, who faced a House ethics probe for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old and using illicit drugs, only to resign from Congress before the probe’s report could be released. The former congressman, who withdrew from consideration Thursday amid mounting objections from Democrats and Republicans alike , was replaced within hours by former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. “The Republicans said, ‘Yes, too despicable, even for us,’” Maher joked, “which I respect.” Maher visibly struggled to contain himself while setting up some of these bits, particularly in noting that a wrestling executive was nominated to be secretary of education, and asked rhetorically, “Do I really have to write jokes for this?” “I’m not saying this crew will not be good at their jobs, but they will be the first cabinet that’s asked to stay [outside] 500 feet of a school,” he joked later in the show. “You know that useless sexual harassment seminar that we all have to do at work? We finally found an office that needs it.” Related From Our Partner
If Trump imposes tariffs, what could Canada’s provinces stand to lose?The Future Of Entertainment: How Global Content Access Is EvolvingOn game day, the Allstate Championship Tailgate, taking place just outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Home Depot Backyard, will feature country acts on the Capital One Music Stage, including global superstar Kane Brown and iHeartCountry “On The Verge” artist Ashley Cooke. The concerts are just two of the festivities visiting fans can enjoy in the days leading up to the big game. The fan experience for both ticket holders and the general public has been a focus for event planners. All weekend long, an estimated 100,000 people from across the country are expected to attend fan events preceding kickoff. “It will be an opportunity for fans of all ages to come together to sample what college football is all about, and you don’t have to have a ticket to the game to be a part of it,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the CFP in a press release. “We’ve worked closely with the Atlanta Football Host Committee to develop fan-friendly events that thousands will enjoy come January.” On Saturday, Jan. 18, Playoff Fan Central will open at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta. The free, family-friendly experience will include games, clinics, pep rallies, special guest appearances, autograph signings and exhibits celebrating college football and its history. That day, fans can also attend Media Day, presented by Great Clips, which will feature one-hour sessions with student-athletes and coaches from each of the College Football Playoff national championship participating teams. ESPN and social media giants X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will be taping live broadcasts from the event. On Sunday, Jan. 19, the Trophy Trot, both a 5K and 10K race, will wind its way through the streets of downtown Atlanta. Each Trophy Trot participant will receive a T-shirt and finisher’s medal. Participants can register at atlantatrackclub.org . On Sunday evening, the Georgia Aquarium will host the Taste of the Championship dining event, which offers attendees the opportunity to indulge in food and drink prepared by local Atlanta chefs. This premium experience serves as an elevated exploration of local cuisine on the eve of the national championship. Tickets to the Taste of the Championship event are available on etix.com . Atlanta is the first city ever to repeat as host for the CFP national championship. The playoff was previously held in Atlanta in 2018. “We are honored to be the first city to repeat as host for the CFP national championship and look forward to welcoming college football fans from around the country in January,” said Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council and Atlanta Football Host Committee. “This event gives us another opportunity to showcase our incredible city.” The College Football Playoff is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games — the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. This year’s quarterfinals will take place on Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be Jan. 9-10, 2025. The CFP national championship will be Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com .
Strangers helped Svetlana Vold start a life she couldn’t have imagined. It was 2011 when Vold stuffed her belongings into two suitcases and moved to St. Paul. It was a chance for her family to start over after decades growing up in Belarus, where jobs for women are scarce. Vold “didn’t have anything” arriving to the U.S. Strangers heard of her struggle and pitched in, donating furniture, clothes and items her family needed to get by. So when war engulfed Ukraine more than two years ago, Vold, now a St. Paul firefighter, wanted to give back the way people had helped her. She’s mobilized people across Minnesota to collect and deliver essential supplies to first responders in Ukraine. Since then, fire departments in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Eagan and Coon Rapids have gathered scores of equipment that could make a world of difference to first responders risking their lives overseas. People who rescue people When Vold was growing up, she set aside her dreams to become a firefighter. Born in Belarus during Russian occupation , Vold’s father was a fire captain who lead many first responders into danger. But jobs for women were scarce at the time, and remain so today. Today, Vold said there are around 200 jobs Belarus bars women from taking, including many first responder positions. When her husband and daughter won a green card to the U.S. in 2011, she moved and witnessed the breadth of opportunities. “When I moved here I remember walking like, ‘Women cut the trees, women drive the trucks, women do [all these]’ and I’m like ‚’Oh my gosh, this is my world!’” she said. When Russia invade Ukraine in 2022, Vold scoured for ways to help people. She volunteered with local organizations, cooking for Ukrainian soldiers who lost arms, legs, and other body parts requiring prosthetics . As she learned those soldiers’ names and stories, Vold felt inspired to do her part as an aspiring emergency responder. She gathered medical supplies to deliver to Ukraine, bringing what she could to first responders as travel restrictions limited what people could transport. When the St. Paul Fire Department called to tell Vold they’d accepted her application and wanted to schedule an interview, she told them it would have to wait for three weeks. “I said to [Human Resources], ‘I’m actually in Ukraine right now,’” Vold said recalling that conversation, “and it was amazing because she said to me, ‘Great! What are you doing? We can work with this.’” St. Paul Fire Department Captain Keith Golden said Vold’s trips were an opportunity to help everyone. Golden is assigned to Fire Station 7 in the city’s East Side and helps to manage the department’s equipment. They discard equipment that reaches its shelf life according to U.S. standards, but Golden said those standards differ in Ukraine where emergency workers fight fires with little to no equipment. “Compassion fatigue starts to limit peoples’ response,” Golden said of aid to Ukraine, adding that some ambulances have been targeted there in the war and many vehicles and stations were bombed. “[When] you start feeling like the world’s abandoning you, it’s nice to get a little influx of support.” The equipment fire departments have collected includes: more than 60 sets of firefighter turnout clothing, which includes jackets, boots, and other protective clothing, thermal imagers, medical supplies and nearly two dozen respirators. Vold said many firefighters in Ukraine work without such gear, even as some are killed while responding to flames sparked by war. “I still have in my memory the picture of a firefighter who’s hold[ing] his dad, who’s a firefighter too, and was killed,” Vold said, adding that some first responders now wear bulletproof vests over their equipment. “We’re not talking about political views. It’s more about helping people, because firefighters [are] not soldiers. Look at it this way: firefighters are people who rescue people.” The need is there Mykola Sarazhynskyy with Stand with Ukraine MN can attest to Ukraine’s struggles. Sarazhynskyy helps organize shipments between Minnesota and Ukraine. The gear will take a months-long trek, flying to Poland where it will be loaded into trucks, driven across the border and brought to a Postal Service hub to be shipped to responders in need. “It’s very important because they risk their lives,” Sarazhynskyy said. In one case, Sarazhynskyy said a Ukrainian building was bombed, but firefighters were forced to wait for the flames to cool — even as people were trapped inside. “Once they get this equipment, they will be able to respond faster and help people right away,” he said. Vold documented emergency workers’ struggles in person, staying for three nights at a fire department 20 miles from the war zone. Some firefighters slept atop wood pallets. Others drove to fiery scenes in dated trucks with little equipment. You can feel the war from the station’s bunker, Vold said, bringing more value to any supplies they receive. “The need is there,” Minneapolis Fire Department Chief Bryan Tyner said. “People need help all over the place, especially in Ukraine, who as we know is at war right now, and may not have access to a lot of these materials.” Tyner said his department may partner with MATTER, the St. Louis Park-based organization helping to ship equipment, to make the supplies an annual initiative. MATTER hopes to send three shipping containers a month to Ukraine and other countries, and Tyner encouraged other Minnesota fire departments to help donate supplies when they can. Vold said she hopes other Minnesotans help too, emphasizing that even small donations go a long way. They went a long way for her family, so Vold knows they could do the same for many more people. “I’m glad that I’m part of this country now ... [but] you still care about your past and you still want the best things to happen in your home country,” she said. “That’s why you want to bring it to them and show them, ‘It could be a different life.’”