Stephen A. Smith is arguably the most-well known sports commentator in the country. But the outspoken ESPN commentator’s perspective outside the sports arena has landed him in a firestorm.
The furor is due to his pointed comments defending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman driving away from him.
Just hours after the shooting on Wednesday, Smith said on his SiriusXM “Straight Shooter” talk show that although the killing of Renee Nicole Good was “completely unnecessary,” he added that the agent “from a lawful perspective” was “completely justified” in firing his gun at her.
He also noted, “From a humanitarian perspective, however, why did he have to do that?”
Smith’s comments about the agent being in harm’s way echoed the views of Deputy of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Good engaged in an “act of domestic terrorism” by attacking officers and attempting to run them over with her vehicle.
However, videos showing the incident from different angles indicate that the agent was not standing directly in front of Good’s vehicle when he opened fire on her. Local officials contend that Good posed no danger to ICE officers. A video posted by partisan media outlet Alpha News showed Good talking to agents before the shooting, saying, “I’m not mad at you.”
The shooting has sparked major protests and accusations from local officials that the presence of ICE has been disruptive and escalated violence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye condemned ICE, telling agents to “get the f— out of our city.”
The incident, in turn, has put a harsher spotlight on Smith, raising questions on whether he was reckless or irresponsible in offering his views on Good’s shooting when he had no direct knowledge of what had transpired.
An angered Smith appeared on his “Straight Shooter” show on YouTube on Friday, saying the full context of his comments had not been conveyed in media reports, specifically calling out the New York Post and media personality Keith Olbermann, while saying that people were trying to get him fired.
He also doubled down on his contention that Good provoked the situation that led to her death, saying the ICE agent was in front of Good’s car and would have been run over had he not stepped out of the way.
“In the moment when you are dealing with law enforcement officials, you obey their orders so you can get home safely,” he said. “Renee Good did not do that.”
When reached for comment about his statements, a representative for Smith said his response was in Friday’s show.
It’s not the first time Smith, who has suggested he’s interesting in going into politics, has sparked outside the sports universe. He and journalist Joy Reid publicly quarreled following her exit last year from MSNBC.
He also faced backlash from Black media personalities and others when he accused Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas of using “street verbiage” in her frequent criticisms of President Trump.
“The way that Jasmine Crockett chooses to express herself … Aren’t you there to try and get stuff done instead of just being an impediment? ‘I’m just going to go off about Trump, cuss him out every chance I get, say the most derogatory things imaginable, and that’s my day’s work?’ That ain’t work! Work is, this is the man in power. I know what his agenda is. Maybe I try to work with this man. I might get something out of it for my constituents.’ ”
WASHINGTON — When a 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an immigration agent Wednesday morning, driving in her Minneapolis neighborhood after dropping her son off at school, the Trump administration’s response was swift. The victim was to blame for her own death — acting as a “professional agitator,” a “domestic terrorist,” possibly trained to use her car against law enforcement, officials said.
It was an uncompromising response without any pretense the administration would rely on independent investigations of the event, video of which quickly circulated online, gripping the nation.
“You can accept that this woman’s death is a tragedy,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media, defending the shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent within hours of her death, “while acknowledging it’s a tragedy of her own making.”
The shooting of Renee Nicole Good, an American citizen, put the administration on defense over one of President Trump’s signature policy initiatives, exponentially expanding the ranks of ICE to outnumber most armies, and deploying its agents across unassuming communities throughout the United States.
ICE had just announced the deployment of “the largest immigration operation ever” in the Minnesota city, allegedly targeting Somali residents involved in fraud schemes. But Good’s death could prove a turning point. The shooting has highlighted souring public opinion on Trump’s immigration enforcement, with a majority of Americans now disapproving of the administration’s tactics, according to Pew Research.
Despite the outcry, Trump’s team doubled down on Thursday, vowing to send even more agents to the Midwestern state.
It was not immediately clear whether Good had positioned her car intentionally to thwart law enforcement agents, or in protest of their activities in her neighborhood.
Eyewitnesses to the shooting said that ICE agents were telling her to move her vehicle. Initial footage that emerged of the incident showed that, as she was doing so, Good briefly drove her car in reverse before turning her front wheels away to leave the scene.
She was shot three times by an officer who stood by her front left headlight, who the Department of Homeland Security said was hit by Good and fired in self-defense.
Only Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, urged caution from lawmakers and the public in responding to the incident, telling people to “take a deep breath” and “hold their judgment” for additional footage and evidence.
He distanced himself from the Department of Homeland Security and its secretary, Kristi Noem, who took mere hours to accuse the deceased of domestic terrorism. “The investigation’s just started,” Homan told CBS in an interview.
“I’m not going to make a judgment call on one video,” he said. “It would be unprofessional to comment.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Renee Nicole Good was engaged in “domestic terrorism” when she was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent.
(Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)
Yet, asked why DHS had felt compelled to comment, Homan replied, “that’s a question for Homeland Security.”
It was not just the department. Trump, too, wrote on X that the victim was “obviously, a professional agitator.”
“The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer,” Trump wrote, “who seems to have shot her in self defense.”
Noem was unequivocal in her assessment of the incident during engagements with the media on Wednesday and Thursday.
“It was an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem said. “A woman attacked them, and those surrounding them, and attempted to run them over.”
But local officials and law enforcement expressed concern over the incident, warning federal officials that the deployment had unnecessarily increased tensions within the community, and expressing support for the rights of residents to peacefully protest.
“What I think everybody knows that’s been happening here over the last several weeks is that there have been groups of people exercising their 1st Amendment rights,” Minneapolis Chief of Police Brian O’Hara said in an interview with MS NOW. “They have the right to observe, to livestream and record police activity, and they have the right to protest and object to it.”
“The line is, people must be able to exercise those 1st Amendment rights lawfully,” O’Hara said, adding, “and to do it safely.”
On Thursday, Trump administration officials told local law enforcement that the investigation of the matter would be within federal hands.
Vance told reporters at the White House on Thursday that the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security would both investigate the case, and said without evidence that Good had “aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed on the accelerator.”
“I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it’s a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left who has marshaled an entire movement, a lunatic fringe, against our law enforcement officers,” Vance said.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo showed some tough love for one of his former players on Monday night during the Spartans’ blowout victory against USC in East Lansing.
Paul Davis, a standout player for Izzo and the Spartans during the early 2000s, was in the stands at Breslin Center to show support for his alma mater.
Apparently he went too far.
With Michigan State up by 21 midway through the fourth quarter, referee Jeffrey Anderson stopped the game and pointed toward Davis, who was sitting three rows up from the court on the opposite side of the teams’ benches. Anderson then went over to speak with Izzo.
The coaching legend in his 31st year leading the Spartans then looked across the court at Davis with his arms spread open and appeared to shout more than once, “What are you doing?” and adding at least one curse word.
Odd moment in Michigan State-USC. After being consulted by the referee, it appears Tom Izzo asks former Spartan, Paul Davis, to leave his seat. pic.twitter.com/rix9qIyEnd
As Henderson walked back across the court, he pointed at Davis again and gestured for him to leave the area. A staffer (identified by ESPN as Michigan State associate athletic director Seth Kesler) approached Davis to escort him out. Davis stood up and looked toward the court while placing his hands on his chest. Izzo could be seen from the sideline apparently motioning for Davis to leave and saying, “Get out of here.”
Davis eventually did as he was told and watched the rest of the game from a suite in the concourse level, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Izzo was asked about the incident by reporters after the 80-51 victory.
“I love Paul Davis. I really do. He’s one of my favorite guys. He’s always calling and doing things. But what he said, he should never say anywhere in the world. And that ticked me off,” Izzo said. “I’m gonna have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. And you know what he’ll say? ‘I screwed up, coach. I’m sorry.’
“So he kind of got after the official and he was 150% wrong. And for a guy like me to 150 percent agree with the official, it’s almost illegal.”
Izzo declined to state exactly what Davis said to Henderson.
“Let’s not get carried away,” Izzo said. “It wasn’t something racial, it wasn’t something sexual. It was just the wrong thing to say, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Davis played for Izzo and the Spartans from 2002 through 2006, a span that included a Final Four appearance and another run that ended in the Elite Eight. He currently ranks in Michigan State’s all-time top 10 in several statistical categories, including scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and free throws made (statistics for all four categories go back to 1966).
Selected by the Clippers in the second round of the 2006 draft, Davis played three years in Los Angeles and one more season with the Washington Wizards before continuing his career in Europe through 2016.
Michigan State did not immediately respond to questions from The Times as to whether there would be any further repercussions for Davis following the incident. But Izzo indicated he wants his former star player back supporting the team.
“I want to tell him he was wrong, like I’d tell my son, my daughter, like I would my player, like I would myself,” Izzo said. “But I don’t want to — I need Paul Davis here. Paul Davis is a very important part of this program because he went through tough times when he was here and he’s really been a good advocate of telling kids how they got to, you know, deal with the process.
“So I’ll go with Paul. He just made a mistake tonight.”
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs was charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery at a court hearing Tuesday. The alleged victim in the Dec. 2 incident was his private chef, according to a report taken by police in Dedham, Mass.
Through his attorney, Diggs has denied the allegations. The name of the woman was redacted from the police report.
The chef reported the incident Dec. 16, telling police that she and Diggs had a dispute over pay after he told her via text that her services weren’t needed the week of Nov. 7 and she replied that she should be paid for the week.
The woman told police that Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom in his house and “smacked her across the face.” She tried to push him away and he “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
She said that she had trouble breathing and felt like she could have blacked out. “As she tried to pry his arm away, he tightened his grip,” she told police.
The woman told police she had redness on her upper chest area after the incident occurred but did not take photos. She returned to Diggs’ house Dec. 9 to retrieve personal belongings and he instructed her to speak with his assistant about getting paid, she told police. The assistant told her Diggs had requested she sign a non-disclosure agreement, but she refused.
Diggs’ girlfriend is rapper Cardi B, who gave birth to their son in November. Cardi B, born Belcalis Almánzar, is not mentioned by name in the police report, although the woman told police Dec. 20 that a few days earlier “she received a voice mail and text messages from a female that she believed to be Diggs girlfriend. Based on these messages, [the alleged victim] believed that Diggs somehow knew the police were contacted. The messages stated something to the effect of ‘You don’t need to do all this. It’s not that big of a deal.’”
The woman, who had worked as Diggs’ private chef since July, initially did not want the police to file charges against the two-time All-Pro receiver but changed her mind Dec. 23.
Diggs’ lawyer David Meier said in a statement that his client “categorically denies these allegations. They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur.
“The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.”
Meier also said Diggs has made a financial offer to the woman, telling the judge at the hearing Tuesday, “As we speak, they’re working to come to an agreement on that.”
According to the police report, Diggs did not return calls from investigators and the criminal complaint was “based on [the alleged victim’s] statement.”
Diggs, 32, has been one of the NFL’s top receivers since beginning his career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. He ranks fifth among active players with 939 career receptions, including 82 this season for 970 yards.
This is his first season with the Patriots, who have clinched the AFC East title and will begin the playoffs with a wild card home game the weekend of Jan. 10. Diggs is in the first year of a three-year, $69-million contract.
“We support Stefon,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Diggs’ arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 23. Meier asked the judge Tuesday that the proceeding be delayed until March but no ruling was made.
The PGMOL, the body responsible for refereeing all Premier League matches, has been approached for comment.
Newcastle were 2-1 up at the time, but Chelsea forward Joao Pedro equalised midway through the second half after a slip by Malick Thiaw.
No team have thrown away more points – 13 – from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Newcastle.
They are 11th in the table, have won only once away from home and travel to Manchester United on 26 December.
“My glass is very much half full,” said Howe. “I know everyone else might have a different opinion, but I feel we’re improving.
“We have been moving in the right direction, but we have got lots of work to do to be the team that we ultimately want to be and that’s consistently winning.
“That’s what’s eluded us this season – the ability to put winning runs together, which is the defining thing we need to do.”
The Chargers will be without starting linebacker Denzel Perryman for the remainder of the regular season.
The NFL on Monday suspended Perryman without pay for two games for repeated violations of playing rules designed to protect player health and safety, including an incident during Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
In the second quarter, Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a forcible blow to the helmet of Ryan Flournoy while the Dallas Cowboys’ receiver was on the ground following a catch. The play violated an NFL rule prohibiting the use of any part of the helmet or facemask to initiate forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck area.
Perryman will be eligible to return to the Chargers’ active roster on Monday, Jan. 5, following the team’s Week 17 game against the Houston Texans and Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos.
Under the collective bargaining agreement, Perryman may appeal the suspension. Any appeal would be heard and decided by one of three jointly appointed and compensated hearing officers: Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster or Jordy Nelson.
Boats have been left stricken at a canal in Shropshire
A major incident has been declared at a Shropshire canal where a giant hole has emerged, with boats either stricken in the cavity or left teetering on the edge of the drop.
Pictures appear to show that the structural integrity of a stretch of waterway in Whitchurch has given way, raising flooding fears.
Two narrowboats at the scene were said to have sunk into the hole shortly after 04:00 GMT, with one witness estimating it to be 15ft (four metres) deep. Water looks to have drained away completely.
Fifty firefighters were deployed to the scene. There are no reports of casualties, according to police.
The Canal and River Trust has blamed the issue on what it described as an “embankment failure”.
Scott Hurford, area manager at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews received reports at about 04:20 that a canal bank had collapsed – and that there were large volumes of water in surrounding fields.
People who live on boats near to where the incident unfolded said they were first alerted to a problem by unusual noises, with some in the area fearing an earthquake, according to one report.
The sounds became so bad that people knew to flee their vessels, a witness told the BBC.
West Mercia Police has asked people to avoid the scene, located in an area of Whitchurch called Chemistry.
Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service
One boat was left perched on the edge of the canal, above the collapsed section
Mr Hurford told BBC Shropshire: “The information we’ve had back is that the canal bank failed and that’s what put the emergency call in.
“The water from the canal has leaked out of the canal into the surrounding fields… There are up to 15 people who had to be moved out of the way to safety, and there’s a number of canal boats that have been affected, some of those have gone into the field and some are at the bottom of the canal.”
He added: “Our job is the response phase, so we’re there to save life, protect property and the environment, but we will support in the recovery phase.”
Mark Durham, the Canal and River Trust’s principle engineer, said rather than sinkhole – a term used by police earlier – and landslip, a description initially used by the fire service, neither in the circumstances quite reflected what had gone on.
He said “embankment failure” was more apt, adding the embankment in question was a man-made one, and designed to “hold the canal up, which it’s done for over 200 years”.
That changed on Monday, although it was too early, he said, to know how the embankment had failed.
He added that after recovering the stricken boats, the next steps would be examining the area and rebuilding it.
Mark Durham from the Canal and River Trust said it was an “embankment failure”
Andy Hall, a councillor in Whitchurch, said: “We’ve got two boats at the bottom of the [hole] that have fallen down, and we’ve got two boats that are teetering on the edge that could go in at any time,” he told the BBC.
“Obviously [the fire service is] going to make those safe.”
He added: “[People] thought that there was an earthquake.
“To the right, we’ve got the field which has taken probably about a million gallons of water out of the canal.”
He said that no one was on board “the two boats that went down”, adding that people on the boats “teetering over the edge” had been helped to safety by fire crews.
Lorraine Barlow said she felt “something amiss”
Lorraine Barlow, who lives on a boat called The Singing Kettle and was moored near the site, said: “About 04:20 this morning I could feel that there was something amiss, there seemed to be a current coming from underneath the boat, and bubbling, it sounded really unusual.
“Then I was tilting to the middle of the canal, I could feel the ropes were getting tight.”
She said she left the boat and could see the fire service as well as search and rescue teams.
“There was no water on the canal,” she said.
“I was worried about the ropes and about my canal boat hanging there.
“It’s an awful thing, I was worried about the other people.”
Firefighter Scott Hurford said about 15 people had been taken to safety
Paul Storey, who lives on a boat about 90 yards (82 metres) away from the collapse, estimated that the affected area was between 150 to 180ft (45 to 55 metres) long, with the cavity about 15ft (four metres) deep.
He said: “We were awoken at about 04:20 this morning with a crash on the boat, things were sliding out of the cabinets… We got off the boat, walked about 100 yards in front,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We could hear the breach, the rush of water was amazing… We saw a boat that had gone over the edge and was in the bottom of the breach.
“We witnessed another boat being washed away.”
He added: “Because of the noise and the crashing of the boats, and the creaking of the ropes, people knew something was going on and got off the boats as quickly as they could.”
Andy Hall
Police have asked people to avoid the area
Mr Hall said the fire service had since put in a flood gate to stem the flow of more water from the compromised canal.
“The most important thing is that the canal itself has been secured by fire and rescue,” he said. “Their biggest worry was that the canal was going to burst even more and flood residents in the town.”
He said that contrary to speculation on social media, there had been no bridge collapse.
In addition, the Canal and River Trust’s Mr Durham, responding to social media claims the area was checked by trust inspectors in recent weeks, said: “We have a really robust inspection scheme.
“I’ve spoken to two people that inspected that embankment today and I’m satisfied that there were no causes for any intervention or undue concern at the time, but it is something that we need to look into.”
A spokesperson for the trust said: “We will also seek to return water levels either side of the breach as soon as possible and are providing support to the boaters affected and those in the immediate area either side of the breach.”
Stephen A. Smith doubles down on calling ICE shooting ‘justified’
Stephen A. Smith is arguably the most-well known sports commentator in the country. But the outspoken ESPN commentator’s perspective outside the sports arena has landed him in a firestorm.
The furor is due to his pointed comments defending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot a Minneapolis woman driving away from him.
Just hours after the shooting on Wednesday, Smith said on his SiriusXM “Straight Shooter” talk show that although the killing of Renee Nicole Good was “completely unnecessary,” he added that the agent “from a lawful perspective” was “completely justified” in firing his gun at her.
He also noted, “From a humanitarian perspective, however, why did he have to do that?”
Smith’s comments about the agent being in harm’s way echoed the views of Deputy of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Good engaged in an “act of domestic terrorism” by attacking officers and attempting to run them over with her vehicle.
However, videos showing the incident from different angles indicate that the agent was not standing directly in front of Good’s vehicle when he opened fire on her. Local officials contend that Good posed no danger to ICE officers. A video posted by partisan media outlet Alpha News showed Good talking to agents before the shooting, saying, “I’m not mad at you.”
The shooting has sparked major protests and accusations from local officials that the presence of ICE has been disruptive and escalated violence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye condemned ICE, telling agents to “get the f— out of our city.”
The incident, in turn, has put a harsher spotlight on Smith, raising questions on whether he was reckless or irresponsible in offering his views on Good’s shooting when he had no direct knowledge of what had transpired.
An angered Smith appeared on his “Straight Shooter” show on YouTube on Friday, saying the full context of his comments had not been conveyed in media reports, specifically calling out the New York Post and media personality Keith Olbermann, while saying that people were trying to get him fired.
He also doubled down on his contention that Good provoked the situation that led to her death, saying the ICE agent was in front of Good’s car and would have been run over had he not stepped out of the way.
“In the moment when you are dealing with law enforcement officials, you obey their orders so you can get home safely,” he said. “Renee Good did not do that.”
When reached for comment about his statements, a representative for Smith said his response was in Friday’s show.
It’s not the first time Smith, who has suggested he’s interesting in going into politics, has sparked outside the sports universe. He and journalist Joy Reid publicly quarreled following her exit last year from MSNBC.
He also faced backlash from Black media personalities and others when he accused Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas of using “street verbiage” in her frequent criticisms of President Trump.
“The way that Jasmine Crockett chooses to express herself … Aren’t you there to try and get stuff done instead of just being an impediment? ‘I’m just going to go off about Trump, cuss him out every chance I get, say the most derogatory things imaginable, and that’s my day’s work?’ That ain’t work! Work is, this is the man in power. I know what his agenda is. Maybe I try to work with this man. I might get something out of it for my constituents.’ ”
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A deadly Minneapolis shooting puts the White House on defense
WASHINGTON — When a 37-year-old mother of three was fatally shot by an immigration agent Wednesday morning, driving in her Minneapolis neighborhood after dropping her son off at school, the Trump administration’s response was swift. The victim was to blame for her own death — acting as a “professional agitator,” a “domestic terrorist,” possibly trained to use her car against law enforcement, officials said.
It was an uncompromising response without any pretense the administration would rely on independent investigations of the event, video of which quickly circulated online, gripping the nation.
“You can accept that this woman’s death is a tragedy,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media, defending the shooting by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent within hours of her death, “while acknowledging it’s a tragedy of her own making.”
The shooting of Renee Nicole Good, an American citizen, put the administration on defense over one of President Trump’s signature policy initiatives, exponentially expanding the ranks of ICE to outnumber most armies, and deploying its agents across unassuming communities throughout the United States.
ICE had just announced the deployment of “the largest immigration operation ever” in the Minnesota city, allegedly targeting Somali residents involved in fraud schemes. But Good’s death could prove a turning point. The shooting has highlighted souring public opinion on Trump’s immigration enforcement, with a majority of Americans now disapproving of the administration’s tactics, according to Pew Research.
Despite the outcry, Trump’s team doubled down on Thursday, vowing to send even more agents to the Midwestern state.
It was not immediately clear whether Good had positioned her car intentionally to thwart law enforcement agents, or in protest of their activities in her neighborhood.
Eyewitnesses to the shooting said that ICE agents were telling her to move her vehicle. Initial footage that emerged of the incident showed that, as she was doing so, Good briefly drove her car in reverse before turning her front wheels away to leave the scene.
She was shot three times by an officer who stood by her front left headlight, who the Department of Homeland Security said was hit by Good and fired in self-defense.
Only Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, urged caution from lawmakers and the public in responding to the incident, telling people to “take a deep breath” and “hold their judgment” for additional footage and evidence.
He distanced himself from the Department of Homeland Security and its secretary, Kristi Noem, who took mere hours to accuse the deceased of domestic terrorism. “The investigation’s just started,” Homan told CBS in an interview.
“I’m not going to make a judgment call on one video,” he said. “It would be unprofessional to comment.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Renee Nicole Good was engaged in “domestic terrorism” when she was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent.
(Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)
Yet, asked why DHS had felt compelled to comment, Homan replied, “that’s a question for Homeland Security.”
It was not just the department. Trump, too, wrote on X that the victim was “obviously, a professional agitator.”
“The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer,” Trump wrote, “who seems to have shot her in self defense.”
Noem was unequivocal in her assessment of the incident during engagements with the media on Wednesday and Thursday.
“It was an act of domestic terrorism,” Noem said. “A woman attacked them, and those surrounding them, and attempted to run them over.”
But local officials and law enforcement expressed concern over the incident, warning federal officials that the deployment had unnecessarily increased tensions within the community, and expressing support for the rights of residents to peacefully protest.
“What I think everybody knows that’s been happening here over the last several weeks is that there have been groups of people exercising their 1st Amendment rights,” Minneapolis Chief of Police Brian O’Hara said in an interview with MS NOW. “They have the right to observe, to livestream and record police activity, and they have the right to protest and object to it.”
“The line is, people must be able to exercise those 1st Amendment rights lawfully,” O’Hara said, adding, “and to do it safely.”
On Thursday, Trump administration officials told local law enforcement that the investigation of the matter would be within federal hands.
Vance told reporters at the White House on Thursday that the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security would both investigate the case, and said without evidence that Good had “aimed her car at a law enforcement officer and pressed on the accelerator.”
“I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it’s a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left who has marshaled an entire movement, a lunatic fringe, against our law enforcement officers,” Vance said.
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Tom Izzo supports ejection of ex-player Paul Davis
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo showed some tough love for one of his former players on Monday night during the Spartans’ blowout victory against USC in East Lansing.
Paul Davis, a standout player for Izzo and the Spartans during the early 2000s, was in the stands at Breslin Center to show support for his alma mater.
Apparently he went too far.
With Michigan State up by 21 midway through the fourth quarter, referee Jeffrey Anderson stopped the game and pointed toward Davis, who was sitting three rows up from the court on the opposite side of the teams’ benches. Anderson then went over to speak with Izzo.
The coaching legend in his 31st year leading the Spartans then looked across the court at Davis with his arms spread open and appeared to shout more than once, “What are you doing?” and adding at least one curse word.
As Henderson walked back across the court, he pointed at Davis again and gestured for him to leave the area. A staffer (identified by ESPN as Michigan State associate athletic director Seth Kesler) approached Davis to escort him out. Davis stood up and looked toward the court while placing his hands on his chest. Izzo could be seen from the sideline apparently motioning for Davis to leave and saying, “Get out of here.”
Davis eventually did as he was told and watched the rest of the game from a suite in the concourse level, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Izzo was asked about the incident by reporters after the 80-51 victory.
“I love Paul Davis. I really do. He’s one of my favorite guys. He’s always calling and doing things. But what he said, he should never say anywhere in the world. And that ticked me off,” Izzo said. “I’m gonna have to call him tomorrow and tell him what I thought of it. And you know what he’ll say? ‘I screwed up, coach. I’m sorry.’
“So he kind of got after the official and he was 150% wrong. And for a guy like me to 150 percent agree with the official, it’s almost illegal.”
Izzo declined to state exactly what Davis said to Henderson.
“Let’s not get carried away,” Izzo said. “It wasn’t something racial, it wasn’t something sexual. It was just the wrong thing to say, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Davis played for Izzo and the Spartans from 2002 through 2006, a span that included a Final Four appearance and another run that ended in the Elite Eight. He currently ranks in Michigan State’s all-time top 10 in several statistical categories, including scoring, rebounds, field goal percentage and free throws made (statistics for all four categories go back to 1966).
Selected by the Clippers in the second round of the 2006 draft, Davis played three years in Los Angeles and one more season with the Washington Wizards before continuing his career in Europe through 2016.
Michigan State did not immediately respond to questions from The Times as to whether there would be any further repercussions for Davis following the incident. But Izzo indicated he wants his former star player back supporting the team.
“I want to tell him he was wrong, like I’d tell my son, my daughter, like I would my player, like I would myself,” Izzo said. “But I don’t want to — I need Paul Davis here. Paul Davis is a very important part of this program because he went through tough times when he was here and he’s really been a good advocate of telling kids how they got to, you know, deal with the process.
“So I’ll go with Paul. He just made a mistake tonight.”
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Stefon Diggs faces felony charge of strangling private chef
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs was charged with felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery at a court hearing Tuesday. The alleged victim in the Dec. 2 incident was his private chef, according to a report taken by police in Dedham, Mass.
Through his attorney, Diggs has denied the allegations. The name of the woman was redacted from the police report.
The chef reported the incident Dec. 16, telling police that she and Diggs had a dispute over pay after he told her via text that her services weren’t needed the week of Nov. 7 and she replied that she should be paid for the week.
The woman told police that Diggs entered her unlocked bedroom in his house and “smacked her across the face.” She tried to push him away and he “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck.”
She said that she had trouble breathing and felt like she could have blacked out. “As she tried to pry his arm away, he tightened his grip,” she told police.
The woman told police she had redness on her upper chest area after the incident occurred but did not take photos. She returned to Diggs’ house Dec. 9 to retrieve personal belongings and he instructed her to speak with his assistant about getting paid, she told police. The assistant told her Diggs had requested she sign a non-disclosure agreement, but she refused.
Diggs’ girlfriend is rapper Cardi B, who gave birth to their son in November. Cardi B, born Belcalis Almánzar, is not mentioned by name in the police report, although the woman told police Dec. 20 that a few days earlier “she received a voice mail and text messages from a female that she believed to be Diggs girlfriend. Based on these messages, [the alleged victim] believed that Diggs somehow knew the police were contacted. The messages stated something to the effect of ‘You don’t need to do all this. It’s not that big of a deal.’”
The woman, who had worked as Diggs’ private chef since July, initially did not want the police to file charges against the two-time All-Pro receiver but changed her mind Dec. 23.
Diggs’ lawyer David Meier said in a statement that his client “categorically denies these allegations. They are unsubstantiated, uncorroborated, and were never investigated — because they did not occur.
“The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Stefon looks forward to establishing the truth in a court of law.”
Meier also said Diggs has made a financial offer to the woman, telling the judge at the hearing Tuesday, “As we speak, they’re working to come to an agreement on that.”
According to the police report, Diggs did not return calls from investigators and the criminal complaint was “based on [the alleged victim’s] statement.”
Diggs, 32, has been one of the NFL’s top receivers since beginning his career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. He ranks fifth among active players with 939 career receptions, including 82 this season for 970 yards.
This is his first season with the Patriots, who have clinched the AFC East title and will begin the playoffs with a wild card home game the weekend of Jan. 10. Diggs is in the first year of a three-year, $69-million contract.
“We support Stefon,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We will continue to gather information and will cooperate fully with the appropriate authorities and the NFL as necessary. Out of respect for all parties involved, and given that this is an ongoing legal matter, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Diggs’ arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 23. Meier asked the judge Tuesday that the proceeding be delayed until March but no ruling was made.
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Newcastle seek ‘clarification’ over Anthony Gordon penalty incident against Chelsea
The PGMOL, the body responsible for refereeing all Premier League matches, has been approached for comment.
Newcastle were 2-1 up at the time, but Chelsea forward Joao Pedro equalised midway through the second half after a slip by Malick Thiaw.
No team have thrown away more points – 13 – from winning positions in the Premier League this season than Newcastle.
They are 11th in the table, have won only once away from home and travel to Manchester United on 26 December.
“My glass is very much half full,” said Howe. “I know everyone else might have a different opinion, but I feel we’re improving.
“We have been moving in the right direction, but we have got lots of work to do to be the team that we ultimately want to be and that’s consistently winning.
“That’s what’s eluded us this season – the ability to put winning runs together, which is the defining thing we need to do.”
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Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman suspended two games by NFL
The Chargers will be without starting linebacker Denzel Perryman for the remainder of the regular season.
The NFL on Monday suspended Perryman without pay for two games for repeated violations of playing rules designed to protect player health and safety, including an incident during Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
In the second quarter, Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a forcible blow to the helmet of Ryan Flournoy while the Dallas Cowboys’ receiver was on the ground following a catch. The play violated an NFL rule prohibiting the use of any part of the helmet or facemask to initiate forcible contact to an opponent’s head or neck area.
Perryman will be eligible to return to the Chargers’ active roster on Monday, Jan. 5, following the team’s Week 17 game against the Houston Texans and Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos.
Under the collective bargaining agreement, Perryman may appeal the suspension. Any appeal would be heard and decided by one of three jointly appointed and compensated hearing officers: Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster or Jordy Nelson.
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Major incident declared over giant hole at Shropshire canal
Chloe Hughes,West Midlandsand
Ellen Knight,in Whitchurch
A major incident has been declared at a Shropshire canal where a giant hole has emerged, with boats either stricken in the cavity or left teetering on the edge of the drop.
Pictures appear to show that the structural integrity of a stretch of waterway in Whitchurch has given way, raising flooding fears.
Two narrowboats at the scene were said to have sunk into the hole shortly after 04:00 GMT, with one witness estimating it to be 15ft (four metres) deep. Water looks to have drained away completely.
Fifty firefighters were deployed to the scene. There are no reports of casualties, according to police.
The Canal and River Trust has blamed the issue on what it described as an “embankment failure”.
Scott Hurford, area manager at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews received reports at about 04:20 that a canal bank had collapsed – and that there were large volumes of water in surrounding fields.
People who live on boats near to where the incident unfolded said they were first alerted to a problem by unusual noises, with some in the area fearing an earthquake, according to one report.
The sounds became so bad that people knew to flee their vessels, a witness told the BBC.
West Mercia Police has asked people to avoid the scene, located in an area of Whitchurch called Chemistry.
Mr Hurford told BBC Shropshire: “The information we’ve had back is that the canal bank failed and that’s what put the emergency call in.
“The water from the canal has leaked out of the canal into the surrounding fields… There are up to 15 people who had to be moved out of the way to safety, and there’s a number of canal boats that have been affected, some of those have gone into the field and some are at the bottom of the canal.”
He added: “Our job is the response phase, so we’re there to save life, protect property and the environment, but we will support in the recovery phase.”
Mark Durham, the Canal and River Trust’s principle engineer, said rather than sinkhole – a term used by police earlier – and landslip, a description initially used by the fire service, neither in the circumstances quite reflected what had gone on.
He said “embankment failure” was more apt, adding the embankment in question was a man-made one, and designed to “hold the canal up, which it’s done for over 200 years”.
That changed on Monday, although it was too early, he said, to know how the embankment had failed.
He added that after recovering the stricken boats, the next steps would be examining the area and rebuilding it.
Andy Hall, a councillor in Whitchurch, said: “We’ve got two boats at the bottom of the [hole] that have fallen down, and we’ve got two boats that are teetering on the edge that could go in at any time,” he told the BBC.
“Obviously [the fire service is] going to make those safe.”
He added: “[People] thought that there was an earthquake.
“To the right, we’ve got the field which has taken probably about a million gallons of water out of the canal.”
He said that no one was on board “the two boats that went down”, adding that people on the boats “teetering over the edge” had been helped to safety by fire crews.
Lorraine Barlow, who lives on a boat called The Singing Kettle and was moored near the site, said: “About 04:20 this morning I could feel that there was something amiss, there seemed to be a current coming from underneath the boat, and bubbling, it sounded really unusual.
“Then I was tilting to the middle of the canal, I could feel the ropes were getting tight.”
She said she left the boat and could see the fire service as well as search and rescue teams.
“There was no water on the canal,” she said.
“I was worried about the ropes and about my canal boat hanging there.
“It’s an awful thing, I was worried about the other people.”
Paul Storey, who lives on a boat about 90 yards (82 metres) away from the collapse, estimated that the affected area was between 150 to 180ft (45 to 55 metres) long, with the cavity about 15ft (four metres) deep.
He said: “We were awoken at about 04:20 this morning with a crash on the boat, things were sliding out of the cabinets… We got off the boat, walked about 100 yards in front,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“We could hear the breach, the rush of water was amazing… We saw a boat that had gone over the edge and was in the bottom of the breach.
“We witnessed another boat being washed away.”
He added: “Because of the noise and the crashing of the boats, and the creaking of the ropes, people knew something was going on and got off the boats as quickly as they could.”
Mr Hall said the fire service had since put in a flood gate to stem the flow of more water from the compromised canal.
“The most important thing is that the canal itself has been secured by fire and rescue,” he said. “Their biggest worry was that the canal was going to burst even more and flood residents in the town.”
He said that contrary to speculation on social media, there had been no bridge collapse.
In addition, the Canal and River Trust’s Mr Durham, responding to social media claims the area was checked by trust inspectors in recent weeks, said: “We have a really robust inspection scheme.
“I’ve spoken to two people that inspected that embankment today and I’m satisfied that there were no causes for any intervention or undue concern at the time, but it is something that we need to look into.”
A spokesperson for the trust said: “We will also seek to return water levels either side of the breach as soon as possible and are providing support to the boaters affected and those in the immediate area either side of the breach.”
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