Day: April 14, 2026
‘Horrific choice’: Utah Valley University nailed with backlash for choosing Charlie Kirk critic as commencement speaker
The university where Charlie Kirk was shot and killed is facing intense scrutiny for a tone-deaf choice for commencement speaker.
Just hours after his death, educator Sharon McMahon accused Kirk of harming minorities, but she will be given the honor of addressing graduates at Utah Valley University.
‘To many Americans, especially if you are Black, LGBTQ or Muslim, Charlie Kirk was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses.’
“Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done,” McMahon wrote about Kirk soon after his death. “To many Americans, especially if you are Black, LGBTQ or Muslim, Charlie Kirk was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses.”
Turning Point USA chapter president at Utah Valley University Caleb Chilcutt lashed out at UVU while speaking on “Fox & Friends” Monday.
“They could have brought any other speaker. If they liked Charlie, didn’t like Charlie — I honestly don’t really care. But the fact they brought someone who was so critical, literally days after his assassination, on my campus is just shameful for me,” Chilcutt said.
Former Republican Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz called McMahon a “liberal hack” that was a “horrific choice” for commencement speaker.
“Look, there’s still time to correct this. This hasn’t happened. And if the university is gonna step up and do the right thing, they’re gonna cancel her and put in somebody like an astronaut or an athlete or somebody, anybody,” Chaffetz said on Fox News.
RELATED: Unhinged student who flipped Turning Point USA table gets arrested and faces 5 charges
“But this person, this partisan hack, she should not be addressing the students, not at the commencement,” he added.
TPUSA students weighed in on social media.
“After Charlie Kirk’s murder, Sharon McMahon chose to explain the hate, not condemn it,” TPUSA’s statement reads. “A commencement speaker is more than a guest, they’re a reflection of what a university stands for.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Zach Laidlaw
400tmax/Getty Images WNBA commissioner accuses reporter of sexist question — and no one is buying it
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert managed to steal the focus away from her league on draft night.
The WNBA received premium treatment by airing on ESPN’s flagship channel in prime time on Monday night, but it was actually the pre-draft press conference that has made a lasting impression with viewers online.
‘As women, we get asked different questions than men do.’
With just one simple question from New York Post reporter Madeline Kenney, Engelbert went viral for her odd response.
“How much longer do you anticipate to be in this role?” Kenney asked.
Engelbert immediately attacked the premise:
“I do crack up how everybody’s focused on me,” the commissioner began. “And you should be focused on the hundreds of amazing women and thousands of women who run this league outside of myself … my whole team of, you know, diverse women and men who are working hard every day to get the 30th season tipped off by May 8,” she went on.
Bizarrely, Engelbert then asked if the reporter would dare question a male commissioner the same way.
“I wonder whether you would ask that of a man, by the way. But I realize, as women, we get asked different questions than men do.”
“I would,” the reporter quickly affirmed.
However, those siding with Engelbert were few and far between online, with fans and reporters alike pointing out how often major sports commissioners do receive questions about their tenure and even face calls for resignation.
RELATED: Angel Reese TRADED — but Chicago Sky isn’t being honest about why, Jason Whitlock says
– YouTube
“Its [sic] always asked of men. Like, all the time,” one fan responded on X.
“Has she not seen people calling for the heads of every commissioner of every sport?” a Brooklyn Nets fan wrote.
A New York Yankees fan replied, “There is literally nothing wrong with asking that. Give me a break.”
Sports journalists did not offer much solace for the commissioner either. Even Jemele Hill, a reporter from the Athletic known for her frequent political commentary from the left, chimed in:
“If a man had her track record, absolutely” he would be asked, Hill wrote.
There was really no shortage of sports reporters who disagreed with the WNBA boss, including female reporters.
“This would be asked of a man and has,” wrote Front Row Sports’ Annie Costabile. “Her response was a failed attempt at diverting from the discussions about her job security.”
As well, NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach noted that “male pro sports commissioners get asked questions about their future all the time.” Auerbach called it a “totally valid question” that garnered a “fascinating, super-defensive response.”
Greg Wyshynski, senior NHL writer at ESPN, wrote on X that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman “gets asked this question so often that he’s taken to preemptively answering it before it’s asked.”
Less than a month ago, Bettman was asked directly whether he had plans to step down.
“Absolutely not,” Bettman said, per Sports Illustrated. “You keep trying to get rid of me. No such luck.”
In February, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver faced calls to be fired, while NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is routinely asked if he will step down, typically following an embarrassing incident in his league.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
‘Mutually assured destruction’: Another disgraced lawmaker to resign from Congress over sex scandal
A Republican is following in California Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell’s footsteps by resigning from Congress after sex scandals imploded their respective political ambitions.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) announced his imminent resignation Monday, shortly following Swalwell’s statement after several lawmakers led a bipartisan effort to expel the two lawmakers from the House of Representatives. Rather than wait to be expelled, Gonzales vowed to resign from Congress, weeks after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who took her own life by self-immolating.
‘Everybody knows where one another’s bodies are buried.’
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” Gonzales said in an X post on Monday. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”
Swalwell’s resignation came just days after new bombshell reports revealed that several ex-staffers have accused the Democrat of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior, prompting him to drop out of the California governor’s race and out of political life altogether.
RELATED: Democrats dump Eric Swalwell after sexual assault allegations implode his career
Win McNamee/Getty Images
“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell said in a statement. “I will fight the serious, false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make. I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion vote against me and other members.”
“Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong,” Swalwell added. “But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress.”
Both scandals were considered open secrets, and the timing of Gonzales’ and Swalwell’s statements suggests their resignations may have been part of a backroom deal. The next pair of scandal-ridden lawmakers rumored to be on the chopping block are both from Florida: Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who has a flurry of allegations against him ranging from stolen valor to blackmail, and Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who was federally indicted for allegedly stealing millions in FEMA funds tied to COVID.
“It’s mutually assured destruction,” Len Foxwell, a Maryland-based Democrat strategist, told Blaze News. “Eric Swalwell is just the latest guy who got caught. Tony Gonzales was the latest guy who got caught across the aisle.”
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty Images
Although lawmakers were quick to throw Swalwell under the bus, Democrat strategist and pollster Dheeraj Chand suggested that the only reason they did so was because their open secret became a PR problem.
“I think it shows a seriousness on this side that we decided Swalwell could not continue,” Chand told Blaze News. “It shows we do take it seriously when it becomes unavoidable. They do try to protect people sometimes, but very rarely.”
“For every person who gets caught, there are, in all likelihood, a few dozen more who are engaged in inappropriate behavior with their subordinates,” Foxwell told Blaze News. “Everybody knows where one another’s bodies are buried.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
PhilSA, NIA to use space data to enhance irrigation systems
The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) have formalized a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to utilize space-based technologies to strengthen irrigation infrastructure and improve water resource management throughout the Philippines.
