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Ashton Jeanty’s fantasy stock plummeted after his preseason debut more than a week ago. After Saturday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Las Vegas Raiders’ rookie running back’s stock should surge once again.

Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick by Las Vegas in the 2025 NFL Draft, finished his first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks with -1 rushing yards on three carries. On Saturday against the 49ers, the rookie from Boise State looked a lot more like the Heisman runner-up he was last year, trucking his defenders en route to a much more productive outing.

Here’s what to know about Jeanty’s performance in his second preseason outing:

Ashton Jeanty stats this weekend

Jeanty performed significantly better in his second professional outing with the Raiders, this time against the 49ers.

  • Rush attempts: 7
  • Rushing yards: 33
  • Touchdowns: 1
  • Longest rush: 13 yards
  • Rush yards over expected: +6 (per Next Gen Stats)

Ashton Jeanty highlights

Jeanty’s biggest play of the day came on his 13-yard rush, his longest play of the day.

The rookie trucked nickel cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and nearly broke through safety Ji’Ayir Brown’s tackle with a stiff arm before Brown took him down.

Jeanty’s monster rush was the Raiders’ longest play on the ground in their second preseason game.

He also scored his first touchdown later on in that drive, punching it in from the 1-yard line through a couple of would-be tacklers to give Las Vegas its only touchdown of the game.

Said Jeanty after the game: ‘I’ve arrived.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

  • Caleb Williams excelled in his first preseason game running Ben Johnson’s offense.
  • Chicago looked great on both sides of the ball after what seemed like a highly successful offseason.
  • Still, there are plenty of reasons fans should keep expectations in check for at least another year.

Savvy consumers of NFL football know better than to put too much stock into a preseason performance. Hopefully the same applies to anyone writing about the NFL for a living … though some of us have been known to get a bit too lathered up after, say, watching the Chicago Bears look like a potential juggernaut, steamrolling the Buffalo Bills, presumably a Super Bowl contender, 38-0 Sunday night in a nationally televised game.

Pump. The. Brakes.

And yet …

Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams made his game day debut Sunday, albeit in a contest that doesn’t count, in rookie head coach Ben Johnson’s offense. And Williams looked awesome. Finally.

Yes, he was in for all of two drives. Yes, he was facing Buffalo defenders likely vying for middle-of-the-depth-chart jobs (at best) in 2025. No, he likely wasn’t seeing exotic schemes designed to confuse and frustrate him. Sure, Chicago’s second possession stalled after six plays and resulted in a punt.

But did you see that first drive?

Maybe before we obsess over the moment, we should review the last 16 months or so.

It was just a year ago that optimism was soaring – raises hand – in Chicago, Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 draft, seemingly landing in as favorable a situation as any top pick ever had considering the talent that would be surrounding him. But he didn’t. Turns out the guy picked after Williams, Jayden Daniels, was the one who instantly turned a woebegone franchise around and maybe had the best rookie season of all time while leading the Washington Commanders to the NFC title game − a performance that reset the bar for Williams.

While Daniels excelled, Williams was torpedoed by his own bad habits, a brutally tough division and an organizational infrastructure simply unable to cultivate him – no accomplished offensive coordinator, no wizened backup quarterback to lean on, apparently no one to advise him to just get rid of the damn ball and live to fight another play. Chicago went 5-12, head coach Matt Eberflus becoming the first in more than a century of Bears football to be fired before the completion of a season.

But this year already feels different, even if the scrutiny is somehow heightened.

Sure, there has been virtually a daily summer dose of social media clips, whether in proper context or not, of Williams struggling and venting his frustration during practice while trying to ingest his new playbook. He’s publicly welcomed Johnson’s unsparing approach and meticulous schemes even as the coach has attempted to temper expectations around his new quarterback and team – one that reeled one of the hottest coaching candidates in years, aggressively retooled (especially along the line of scrimmage) during free agency and seemingly had a strong draft engineered by GM Ryan Poles.

Then came Sunday.

There was Williams, opening the game by repeatedly feathering balls to his tight ends, reliable Cole Kmet and first-round rookie Colston Loveland. Then he zipped a pass to veteran slot man Olamide Zaccheaus, the catch-and-run resulting in a 36-yard touchdown reminiscent of the dozens and dozens Johnson had orchestrated while successfully lording over the Detroit Lions attack amid a high degree of difficulty and productivity over the previous three seasons.

But it wasn’t just Williams’ numbers – which included five completions on six throws for 97 yards during that initial march. He was accurate. He was decisive. He showed off his patented pocket mobility but didn’t overextend himself – a wise decision in the heat of relatively meaningless August action. He even dirted a ball at the feet of his lineman when a play failed to develop rather than hoping to make something out of nothing − gambits that often worked during a college career that included a Heisman Trophy but not so much against professionals.

“I think getting started fast is important, it was one of our goals coming into this game,’ Williams said during Fox’s broadcast. ‘Kinda set the tone for the team, the season.”

It was indeed a snippet of what would portend a successful 2025 Bears campaign.

“The challenge is to keep it headed in that direction,’ Johnson said Sunday.

Regardless, whether preseason or regular season, these are building blocks Chicago can build with on its new foundation. Williams will doubtless have to play hero ball at times in 2025, but it doesn’t need to be in the first quarter. He doesn’t need to absorb unnecessary punishment – he was sacked a league-high 68 times as a rookie – while reverting to jailbreak football, which Johnson will doubtless attempt to drill out of him.

The Bears have won nine NFL championships in their proud history but just one in the Super Bowl era, which began in 1966. Williams knows.

“You come to a place like this, with a lot of history, and you want to be able to make something of it,’ he said.

But he’s got time. Johnson has time. Poles has time. A young and promising roster has time. However it’s time to shine almost certainly won’t come in 2025.

A successful Bears season will require patience from the hard-driving Johnson as his new charges progress with his offense. If he’s not getting incessantly grilled on local talk radio the way predecessors like Eberflus and Matt Nagy did, then that’s a win. If Johnson isn’t making himself mad while his players master his system – no trick plays revealed Sunday – even though the Lions took off almost immediately during his first season as their play caller, then that’s a win.

A successful Bears season will include new coordinator Dennis Allen getting the defense back near the top of the heap − and pitching a shutout under any circumstances is a positive development. A successful Bears season will likely see second-year wideout Rome Odunze blossom into a No. 1-caliber target.

A successful Bears season might not result in anything better than a third-place finish in the NFC North, arguably the league’s toughest division and one that could realistically produce three playoff entries. A really successful Bears season would include at least a split with the hated Green Bay Packers.

But for a team nearly 15 years removed from its last playoff win but just one from picking its latest would-be savior and just seven months from hiring a man who might finally be a worthy successor to Mike Ditka? Third place, perhaps eight wins, and maybe the first 4,000-yard passing effort in 106 seasons would represent realistic progress – and maybe the appropriate kindling to fan legitimate Super Bowl flames in 2026.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Quarterback has become an increasingly critical position in fantasy football thanks to the rise of mobile quarterbacks.

Top dual-threat players like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson can fundamentally change the look of fantasy lineups. As such, fantasy managers have increasingly targeted these players in the early rounds of their drafts.

Still, quarterback remains one of the deepest positions in fantasy football, especially in non-SuperFlex leagues. Every year, a top-10 scoring quarterback emerges from the group of streamers selected in the second half of fantasy drafts.

Those who choose to wait on quarterbacks will have no shortage of options in the draft’s mid-to-late rounds. But who are the best potential value picks to target? Below are a handful of signal-callers who could exceed expectations in 2025.

Best QB value picks for fantasy football 2025

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

  • ADP: 59.5
  • Position rank: QB6

Mahomes’ ADP has nearly doubled between the 2024 and 2025 NFL seasons, which makes sense since he finished last season as the 12th-ranked fantasy quarterback while ranking 13th in fantasy points per game (FPPG).

That said, Mahomes saw plenty of opportunities to generate points. He averaged 36.3 passing attempts per game, good for the second-most behind Joe Burrow (38.4). The two-time MVP should maintain that type of volume in 2025 and could be more efficient with a healthy stable of playmakers at his disposal.

Mahomes threw just 26 touchdown passes in 2024, tied for his fewest in a single season as starter. A healthy Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy should help him improve upon that figure and could allow him to return to the top-five fantasy quarterback status he has enjoyed in four of his seven seasons as a starter.

Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

  • ADP: 108.5
  • Position rank: QB12

Prescott disappointed fantasy managers last season by ranking 22nd in FPPG among quarterbacks, but volume wasn’t an issue. He averaged 35.8 passing attempts per game, fourth most in the NFL.

Instead, the issue was Prescott’s scoring capabilities. He averaged just 1.5 total touchdowns per game, well down from his average of 2.2 during the 2023 season, in which he finished as the No. 3 overall fantasy quarterback.

Prescott is due for some positive scoring regression, especially with George Pickens – a great contested-catch receiver and potential red-zone weapon – joining the team. That should allow Dak to reestablish himself as a top-10 fantasy quarterback, especially if he shows no ill effects from the hamstring injury that prematurely ended his 2024 season.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

  • ADP: 112
  • Position rank: QB14

Many are projecting Purdy to take a step back in 2025 with Deebo Samuel no longer in San Francisco and Brandon Aiyuk likely to miss the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. He could, but the 49ers still have enough weapons to form a formidable offense.

Jauan Jennings impressed while leading the 49ers in targets last season; Ricky Pearsall racked up 14 catches, 210 yards and two touchdowns over the final two games of his rookie season; George Kittle is as steady as they come at tight end; and Christian McCaffrey remains one of the NFL’s best receiving backs when healthy.

All that’s to say Purdy shouldn’t have any issues consistently generating yardage. After all, he averaged a respectable 257.6 passing yards per game and a solid, under-the-radar 21.5 rushing yards per game last season. Those numbers compare favorably to Bo Nix, who is coming off the board as QB8.

The only major difference between Nix and Purdy is that the former had 33 total tocuhdowns last year to Purdy’s 25. With some positive TD regression, Purdy could end up matching the Denver Broncos signal-caller and re-establishing himself as a top-10 fantasy quarterback.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

  • ADP: 153
  • Position rank: QB21

If you’re looking for a consistent, late-round quarterback option, it could be worth investing in Tagovailoa. The 27-year-old ranked 15th in FPPG among quarterbacks last season and averaged 36.27 passing attempts per game, good for third in the league behind only Burrow (38.35) and Mahomes (36.31).

The Dolphins sport an explosive passing offense thanks to the presence of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, so Tagovailoa could emerge as a viable fantasy starter – and significantly outperform his QB21 ADP – if he can stay on the field. That has been the veteran’s biggest issue, as he has played more than 13 games just once in his five NFL seasons, including just 11 last season.

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This post appeared first on USA TODAY

To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, I think it’s time to ask: do you honestly feel better off today than you were at the beginning of the year?  

In the past few weeks, President Donald Trump cheated at golf in Scotland on the taxpayer dime, announced a $200 million White House ballroom to host his rich donors, finalized a Qatari grift for his new Air Force One, waddled around the White House roof like a lost old man, and talked about how his old pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein ‘stole’ a 16-year-old spa worker from Mar-a-Lago. 

How much of that time did he spend actually focusing on the economy? 

On jobs?  

On bringing prices down, like he promised to do on day one?  

Look, for years, the Trump Industrial Complex has been ruthlessly effective at painting Democrats every which way. I’ll admit, we didn’t do nearly enough to define ourselves before allowing them to define us. In fact, we did some research the other month and found the number one word associated with the Democratic Party was ‘weak.’  

Now, I know that’s not the case. We’re the party of the working class, the small business, the farmer. Before leading the DNC, I headed up the Minnesota DFL – and you know what DFL stands for? Democratic-Farmer-Labor.   

We’re the party that says, we don’t want to dismantle the VA or fire vets from their jobs, we want the men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedom to be able to find an affordable home or get care after they’ve served. We’re the party that promises, if you’re going to work your butt off for decades, then you shouldn’t have to worry about some snake oil salesman blowing up your Social Security. And now it seems we’re the only party that still believes the Constitution matters.  

But it doesn’t matter what I know. It matters what people think. Between now and the midterm elections, our job – my job – is to make the case why your life would be better with Democrats in charge.  

Now, you know what else Trump Republicans in D.C. are ruthlessly effective at?  

Ruining the country.  

Trump thinks the best way to show leadership is through bumper-sticker politics. But while you read his catchy slogans, he drives the car into oncoming traffic.  

When he wants to appear tough, he sends the military into U.S. cities.  

When he wants to make the economy seem better than it is, he fires economists and pumps fake trade deals.  

When he wants to avoid his friendship with the most notorious sex criminal in modern history, he whips up BS scandals about Democrats.   

Meanwhile, the latest labor report shows the past three months as the weakest stretch for jobs since COVID-19. America’s small business backbone is being ground into dust. Farmers are shutting down operations. Families are paying more, getting less, and sitting up at night wondering if their job will be there for them next week.  

It’s almost as though, since coming into power, Trump and his allies in Congress have done everything possible to stop America from being great.  

They caused unnecessary economic tariff chaos and then, with their debt-ballooning budget, followed it up by ripping healthcare and food from those who need basic lifelines to make it through tough times. All to give lucrative tax windfalls to the most extreme elites. The richest of the richest of the rich.  

They attacked construction jobs, rural hospitals and nursing homes. They’re raising energy prices, grocery prices, clothing prices, car prices – the list goes on.  

And Trump said foreign countries would eat the tariff costs. Nope. You’re eating the costs. No press conference or talking point or billionaire-controlled AI bot can convince your bank account of something that’s not true.  

Trump thinks the best way to show leadership is through bumper-sticker politics. But while you read his catchy slogans, he drives the car into oncoming traffic.  

The thing is, we all want America to be great.  

But Democrats measure greatness by how many people have healthcare, how many families can find childcare that doesn’t break the bank, how many young couples can get keys to their first home, how many people with amazing ideas can turn those ideas into businesses. 

Let’s not forget, the Republican Party some of us still remember did big things. We didn’t always agree, and we fought bitterly at times, but at least they tried. They actually invested in stuff that matters to people, like building the interstate highway system, creating NASA, and knocking out polio. Hell, even President Richard Nixon created the EPA to make sure air is clean and water is safe. Now, the Trump administration is greenlighting forever chemicals in your water. These are the people who ran on ‘Make America Healthy Again.’  

Nobody should feel like they have to cover for Trump anymore. You deserve better. Plus, he already has a cartoon villain squad covering up for him every day with the Epstein files. 

If you’re disillusioned by politics, think that this government is captured by the ultra-elites, or believe the system is broken and screwing you over – you’re right.  

If you’re sick of the status quo, looking to break from the establishment, and end rigged games that protect powerful people, then I’m going to break it to you – you should vote Democrat.  

As Democrats, our job isn’t to help Jeff Bezos pay for his $50 million European wedding. It’s to make sure the economy allows you to afford your own wedding, or raise a kid, or get care for aging relatives, or pay the summer A/C bill.  

Don’t you wish Republicans in Washington cared about those things too? 

They attacked construction jobs, rural hospitals and nursing homes. They’re raising energy prices, grocery prices, clothing prices, car prices – the list goes on.  

Look, it’s a damn shame that some people don’t feel like Democrats fight for them anymore. 

Here’s my admission: we can’t say to voters that we’re going to fight for them, fight for their families, fight for working people, and then when given the power, do nothing with it. 

That has to change. It is changing.  

I like to say you don’t need a miracle to grow a spine. You just need a willingness to do what’s right.  

I know politics these days feels like a sport. Good guys and bad guys. Winners and losers.  

But whether or not families can make it in this country isn’t a sport.  

It’s the most serious thing in the world.  

Trump doesn’t take that responsibility seriously. I promise, Democrats do.  

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Former Attorney General Bill Barr will appear before House investigators on Monday as part of the House GOP’s probe into Jeffrey Epstein.

He was one of the many officials subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., earlier this month to appear before the panel and is part of a broader, bipartisan push in the House to uncover more information on the late financier and convicted pedophile.

Barr served as attorney general during President Donald Trump’s first term and helmed the Justice Department when Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City after being indicted on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

He became embroiled in investigations into Epstein’s death in August 2019 in the immediate aftermath, given that the Department of Justice (DOJ) oversees the Bureau of Prisons.

‘I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups,’ Barr told the AP in 2019.

Fox News Digital reached out to Barr for comment ahead of his testimony.

Flash forward over six years later, and interest in the case, particularly over the Trump administration’s handling of it, has reignited a public and political firestorm.

The renewed interest stemmed from a memo from the FBI released last month when the agency revealed it would not release new documents from the case and that their review of it was closed.

In the memo, the FBI found there was ‘no incriminating ‘client list,’’ nor was there ‘credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.’

‘We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,’ the agency stated.

Though Barr was a prominent figure at the time, he is not the main target of Comer and the committee. Several others, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were also subpoenaed by Comer to appear before the committee.

‘Everybody in America wants to know what went on in Epstein Island, and we’ve all heard reports that Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor there, so he’s a prime suspect to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee,’ Comer told Newsmax.

Comer’s decision to subpoena the Barr and the Clintons, along with former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, ex-Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales, came after the Oversight panel voted to compel people with possible links to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, to testify.

Along with the list of former officials, Comer also subpoenaed the DOJ for records related to Epstein’s case. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

President Donald Trump’s foreign policy agenda is set to take center stage again this week, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visiting the White House on Monday as Washington continues efforts to broker peace between Moscow and Kyiv.

The upcoming meeting comes on the heels of Trump’s summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Anchorage on Friday, where the U.S. leader shifted from demanding a ceasefire to calling for a final peace deal. Trump discussed some of the details of his meeting with Putin during a phone call with Zelenskyy from Air Force One.

The White House has yet to release details of the meeting but has acknowledged that key European allies will accompany Zelenskyy.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb all confirmed their plans to attend.

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy acknowledged his last White House visit — cut short by a shouting match with both Trump and Vice President JD Vance — and told reporters in Brussels he hopes Monday’s meeting ‘will be productive’ rather than a repeat of February’s encounter.

Trump’s back-to-back meetings with both former Soviet republics could set the stage for a trilateral summit with the U.S., Russia and Ukraine.

Over the weekend, Zelenskyy said that, so far, Russia has ‘given no sign that the trilateral will happen.’ The Ukrainian leader also said over the weekend that he would use his meetings in Washington to stress that Kyiv will reject any peace deal with Moscow that undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Trump signaled that Putin could agree to end the war if Zelenskyy ceded the entirety of the hotly-contested Donbas region to Russia. 

The area, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, is an industrial hub where coal mining and steel production remain central to Ukraine’s economy. Control of Donbas’s mines and factories would hand Moscow powerful leverage over Kyiv’s post-war financial survival.

‘The constitution of Ukraine makes it impossible to give up territory or trade land,’ Zelenskyy said during a press conference at the EU Commission on Sunday. 

‘Since the territorial issue is so important, it should be discussed only by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at the trilateral Ukraine, United States, Russia,’ Zelenskyy said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed reports that Trump supports Russia’s conditions for peace.

‘The president has said that in terms of territories, these are things that Zelenskyy is going to have to decide on,’ Rubio told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

‘All the president is trying to do here is narrow down the open issues,’ Rubio said, adding that Trump remains focused on ending the Kremlin’s three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine. 

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The State Department has yanked more than 6,000 student visas in 2025 for overstays and law violations — including support for terrorism, Fox News Digital has learned. 

The Trump administration has launched multiple initiatives aimed at cracking down on immigration and revoking visas of those attending academic institutions in the U.S. 

Those who’ve publicly protested supporting Palestine have faced heightened scrutiny, as one example, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in May that the administration was reviewing the visa status of students who participated in pro-Palestine protests. 

The roughly 6,000 visas that were pulled primarily were due to visa overstays or encounters with the law, including assault, DUIs, burglary and support for terrorism, the State Department told Fox News Digital. 

‘Every single student visa revoked under the Trump Administration has happened because the individual has either broken the law or expressed support for terrorism while in the United States,’ a senior State Department official said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘About 4,000 visas alone have been revoked because these visitors broke the law while visiting our country, including records of assault and DUIs.’ 

Those who had their student visas yanked due to assault — roughly 800 students — either faced arrest or charges stemming from assault, according to the State Department official. 

Those whose visas were pulled due to support for terrorism — between 200 people to 300 people — engaged in behavior such as raising funds for the militant group Hamas, which the U.S. State Department has designated as a terrorist organization, the official said. 

Altogether, the State Department told Fox News Digital that approximately 40,000 visas have been pulled in 2025, in comparison to the 16,000 that were revoked during the same time frame under the Biden administration. 

‘Even if the previous administration was doing less, they were still revoking visas,’ the State Department official said. ‘It’s not something that just started on January 20 … So this has happened for years.’ 

Rubio told lawmakers in May that he estimated ‘thousands’ of student visas had been rescinded since January. 

‘I don’t know the latest count, but we probably have more to do,’ Rubio told lawmakers on the Senate appropriations subcommittee overseeing foreign affairs May 20. ‘We’re going to continue to revoke the visas of people who are here as guests and are disrupting our higher education facilities.’

However, Democrats have pushed back on the Trump administration’s effort to revoke visas, asserting it is a violation of due process.

‘I do think it’s a fundamental attack on freedom, because due process is the guardian of the gate to keep a government from taking away people’s life or liberty, and liberty is what happens when you take away a visa without due process,’ Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told Rubio May 20.

A student visa permits those outside the U.S. to study in the country for a set amount of time at an academic institution. It’s different from a green card, which allows an individual already in the U.S. who is not an American citizen to remain in the country.

The crackdown on student visas aligns with several executive orders President Donald Trump signed in January, aimed at safeguarding the U.S. from foreign terrorists and other national security threats, along with combating antisemitism. 

One of the executive orders instructed the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, attorney general and director of national intelligence, to ‘vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States, particularly those aliens coming from regions or nations with identified security risks.’ 

A separate executive order Trump signed ordered the U.S. to use ‘all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.’

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Former Attorney General Bill Barr arrived to appear before House investigators on Monday as part of the House GOP’s probe into Jeffrey Epstein.

He was one of the many officials subpoenaed by House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., earlier this month to appear before the panel and is part of a broader, bipartisan push in the House to uncover more information on the late financier and convicted pedophile.

‘We’re very excited. This will be our first deposition in the bipartisan investigation into the entire Epstein Island saga, so we’ve got a lot of questions for former Attorney General Barr,’ Comer told reporters shortly before the closed-door deposition began. 

‘I appreciate his willingness to come in, and hopefully this will be the first of many.’

The Kentucky Republican also hinted the scope of Monday’s questioning could go beyond Epstein, but maintained the late pedophile would be his main focus.

‘The subpoena was just for Epstein. There are some other things that I’m curious about, so we’ll see how it goes,’ Comer said in response to a question by Fox News Digital. ‘But obviously the purpose of this deposition is on Epstein.’

Two Democrats on the committee, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., were also witnessed entering the room by Fox News Digital.

Barr served as attorney general during President Donald Trump’s first term and helmed the Justice Department when Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City after being indicted on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

He became embroiled in investigations into Epstein’s death in August 2019 in the immediate aftermath, given that the Department of Justice (DOJ) oversees the Bureau of Prisons.

‘I can understand people who immediately, whose minds went to sort of the worst-case scenario because it was a perfect storm of screw-ups,’ Barr told the AP in 2019.

Barr arrived for his closed-door hearing just after 9 a.m. on Monday, and told reporters the ‘early bird gets the worm’ before beginning his testimony. 

Flash forward over six years later, and interest in the case, particularly over the Trump administration’s handling of it, has reignited a public and political firestorm.

The renewed interest stemmed from a memo from the FBI released last month when the agency revealed it would not release new documents from the case and that their review of it was closed.

In the memo, the FBI found there was ‘no incriminating ‘client list,’’ nor was there ‘credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.’

‘We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties,’ the agency stated.

Though Barr was a prominent figure at the time, he is not the main target of Comer and the committee. Several others, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were also subpoenaed by Comer to appear before the committee.

‘Everybody in America wants to know what went on in Epstein Island, and we’ve all heard reports that Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor there, so he’s a prime suspect to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee,’ Comer told Newsmax.

Comer’s decision to subpoena the Barr and the Clintons, along with former FBI directors James Comey and Robert Mueller, ex-Attorneys General Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, Jeff Sessions, and Alberto Gonzales, came after the Oversight panel voted to compel people with possible links to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate, to testify.

Along with the list of former officials, Comer also subpoenaed the DOJ for records related to Epstein’s case. 

The deadline for those files is Aug. 19, but Comer did not say whether that will materialize by then when asked by reporters on Monday.

‘You could imagine how many documents there are,’ Comer said. ‘I think we’ll receive the documents very soon. They’re compiling everything together, I think. We’re working together in a good faith effort and everything’s coming along.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

  • Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart played one quarter against the Jets in his second preseason game.
  • Dart’s performance improved from his preseason debut against the Bills.

Another week and another game of action for New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

The first-round pick got a full quarter of work in against the New York Jets Saturday night at MetLife Stadium. He got his first taste of NFL action against the Buffalo Bills in the Giants’ preseason opener Aug. 9.

New York traded up into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Dart. His first live snaps as an NFL quarterback were promising against the Bills; New York scored points on three of the four drives he led with a touchdown and two field goals.

Dart ended up 12 of 19 passing for 154 yards and a touchdown in the Giants’ 34-25 win.

Giants starter Russell Wilson played the first four drives of the game, the final culminating in an interception to Jets cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers. At the 5:56 mark of the second quarter, Dart came in for Wilson. Here’s how fared:

Jaxson Dart stats today

Dart played better statistically against the Jets than he did a week prior against the Bills. The Giants scored two touchdowns over his three drives before Jameis Winston entered the game with 3:04 left in the third quarter.

Here’s how the box score looked for Dart:

  • Completions/Attempts: 14/16
  • Passing yards: 137
  • Passing touchdowns: 1
  • Interceptions: 0
  • Fumbles (lost): 0
  • Rushing yards: 5
  • Rushing touchdowns: 1
  • Sacks: 1 (no yards lost)

Dart connected with tight end Greg Dulcich for his first touchdown of the night.

He called his own number for his second touchdown with a quarterback sneak on second-and-goal.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi’s right hamstring may not be 100%. But he’s still able to deliver highlight moments and give the impression he’s fully healthy.

Messi made his injury return, scoring a game-deciding goal in the 84th minute, Jordi Alba (43’) and Luis Suarez (89’) also scored goals, and Inter Miami beat the defending MLS Cup champion L.A. Galaxy 3-1 at Chase Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16.

It appeared to be a laborious return to action for the Argentine World Cup champion, playing in his first match since suffering a right hamstring injury on Aug. 2.

Despite his highlight goal and a stellar heel assist to Suarez to cap his return, there were several instances where Messi was seen bent over, trying to stretch his hamstring during stoppages in play.

Messi waited by the closest part of the pitch near the locker room area and walked immediately inside the stadium corridor when the match concluded.

“He clearly wasn’t 100% comfortable,” Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said of Messi after the match. “Now, the reality is that as the minutes went by, he loosened up a little bit more. We’ll have to see how he ended up in terms of fatigue.”

The Galaxy match served as a barometer for Messi’s health before Inter Miami plays in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals against Tigres UANL, set for 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 20. Inter Miami’s next match in the MLS regular season is Aug. 23 on the road against D.C. United.

Messi entered Saturday’s match at halftime, walking onto the pitch and adjusting the captain’s armband around his left bicep as the second half began. He already caused a ruckus in the stadium, warming up before the first half ended.

Within two minutes, Messi fired his first shot in the 46th minute, which soared over the net. Ten minutes later, Messi sent a shot that was much closer to the net, barely above it.

Joseph Paintsil tied the match, 1-1, for the Galaxy in the 59th minute, setting the stage for Messi to decide the game in the final 10 minutes.

Messi finished the match, jogging close to full speed before providing a shifty finish around a defender to help Inter Miami secure the victory.

Messi became the second-fastest player in MLS history to reach 40 career goals, doing so in 44 league matches. Josef Martínez, the 2018 MLS MVP with Atlanta United who played alongside Messi on Inter Miami in 2023, did so in 42 matches.

“At the end of the day, he’s been out for two weeks with an injury. It was something very, very minor, and the three training sessions we had were good,” Mascherano said of Messi. “And I’ll say it again, the important thing is that he finished the game. I saw him get better as the minutes went by, but in the end, we’ll have to see how he is (Sunday), how he feels when he wakes up, and take it day by day.”

Messi’s injury caused him to miss two matches: Inter Miami advanced to the Leagues Cup knockout stage with a 3-1 win against Pumas on Aug. 6, then lost 4-1 to Orlando City in a regular-season match on Aug. 10. 

Mascherano said Messi wanted to play on the road in Orlando, but it was “impossible.”

Messi’s health will continue to be the focus for Inter Miami in the next week.

“You have understand why Leo is Leo, because he always wants to be on the pitch. He’s happy there,” Mascherano said. “Sometimes we try to explain to him to go slowly, but in the end when he feels good, he knows himself like no one (else). We tried to give him some minutes to start to find a good feeling for the next games.”

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Inter Miami vs. LA Galaxy highlights

Inter Miami 3, LA Galaxy 1: Luis Suarez scores goal

Inter Miami 2, LA Galaxy 1: Messi scores goal in return

Inter Miami 1, LA Galaxy 1: Joseph Paintsil scores goal

Joseph Paintsil has scored for the Galaxy, finishing past Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari in the 59th minute.

Inter Miami 1, LA Galaxy 0: Messi fires shot, nearly scores

Messi fired a shot over the net in the 56th minute, barely missing over the net. After the play, Messi and Jordi Alba each exchanged thumbs up to each other for the pass he was unable to finish.

Inter Miami 1, LA Galaxy 0: Messi enters match in second half

When the second half began, Messi walked immediately onto the pitch with the captain’s armband around his left bicep. He was immediately substituted into the match after halftime. It didn’t take him long to fire his first shot, soaring a left boot over the net in the 46th minute.

Inter Miami 1, LA Galaxy 0: Messi begins warming up before halftime

The crowd inside Chase Stadium erupted when Messi and Rodrigo De Paul, the Argentine World Cup champions, came off the bench to begin stretching just before halftime. Expect to see them both in the second half, with Messi making his return from injury.

Inter Miami 1, LA Galaxy 0: Jordi Alba scores goal

As Lionel Messi came off the bench to begin warming up, two of his former FC Barcelona running mates secured a lead right before halftime. Sergio Busquets found Jordi Alba in space, and Alba provided the finish in the 43rd minute.

Inter Miami starting lineup vs. LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy lineup vs. Inter Miami

Is Messi playing tonight?

Yes, Messi is expected to play. He is a substitute for Inter Miami against the Galaxy.

What time is Inter Miami vs. LA Galaxy match?

The match begins at 7:30 p.m. ET (8:30 p.m. in Argentina)

How to watch Inter Miami vs. LA Galaxy match?

The match is available to live stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV and on Apple TV+.

Inter Miami vs. LA Galaxy betting odds

Here are the betting odds, according to BETMGM.

  • Inter Miami: -220
  • Tie: +380
  • Away: +475
  • Over/under: 3.5 goals

Messi, Inter Miami upcoming schedule

  • Aug. 20: Inter Miami vs. Tigres UANL (Leagues Cup quarterfinals) 
  • Aug. 23: D.C. United vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET (MLS regular season)
  • Aug. 26 or 27: Leagues Cup semifinals (if applicable)
  • Aug. 30: Inter Miami vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ET (MLS regular season)
  • Aug. 31: Leagues Cup final and third-place match (if applicable)
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