The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against John Deere, alleging that the company is preventing farmers from fixing their own tractors. The lawsuit claims that John Deere’s software locks prevent farmers from accessing and repairing certain parts of their equipment, forcing them to rely on expensive dealership repairs.
Farmers have long argued that they should have the right to repair their own equipment, as they often have the knowledge and skills necessary to fix simple issues themselves. However, John Deere’s restrictive software locks have made it nearly impossible for farmers to do so.
The lawsuit seeks to force John Deere to remove these software locks and allow farmers to repair their own equipment without facing legal repercussions. The outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for the agriculture industry and the right to repair movement as a whole.
Two federal workers filed a lawsuit to stop the federal government’s HR office from emailing all civilian federal staff at once, saying it violates privacy rules.
The Office of Personnel Management is testing a system to send emails to roughly 2.3 million federal employees from a single email address, according to the agency’s website. The new feature would allow senior Trump administration officials to communicate directly with staff across the government, rather than relying on managers to distribute information.
The workers argue that the OPM must first review how this new system collects and stores personal information about government employees, according to the complaint filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Most of my clients come from a security background and I’m very attuned to cyber vulnerabilities,” said Kel B. McClanahan, counsel for the plaintiffs. “This one screams out, ‘hack me.’”
OPM began testing the tool shortly after President Donald Trump took office and directed his team to shrink the federal workforce. Billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk is leading that effort to cut government spending.
After Musk took over Twitter, now X, he fired thousands of employees in a mass email. He required them to pledge to stay with the company and work long hours, or accept a buyout.
The plaintiffs didn’t file the lawsuit because they anticipate Musk will use the system to fire federal workers by email, McClanahan said.
Musk also banned remote work at X. Trump is also trying to force most federal workers to report to the office full time.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg Law.
Federal Workers Sue to Halt Government-Wide HR Email Tool
A group of federal workers has filed a lawsuit to stop the implementation of a new government-wide HR email tool, citing concerns about privacy and security. The tool, which is designed to streamline communication and information sharing within federal agencies, has raised red flags among employees who fear their personal data could be compromised.
The lawsuit alleges that the tool violates federal privacy laws and puts employees at risk of identity theft. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to halt the implementation of the tool until their concerns are addressed.
The case highlights the growing tension between government agencies’ push for efficiency and employees’ desire for privacy and security. As the lawsuit makes its way through the courts, federal workers are left to navigate the murky waters of digital communication in the age of data breaches and cyber attacks.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to sue the town of Fairview for denying a permit request for the McKinney Texas Temple.
In a Jan. 27 letter from attorney Eric Pinker, the church gave the town notice of its intent to file a lawsuit, citing the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The church said the town violated the church’s rights to free exercise of religion and nondiscrimination in land use regulation.
Denying a permit for the McKinney Texas Temple imposed a “substantial burden” on the church’s religious exercise by not allowing it to construct a house of worship that meets the needs of its faith, the letter from church legal representation states.
“While it continues to be the Church’s hope that this matter can be worked out amicably, in the face of continued and unreasonable opposition, it appears the Church has no choice but to defend its rights in court,” the letter states.
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The church has cited the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act in past statements advocating for a religious right to construct the temple.
William Christian, an attorney representing the town of nearly 11,000 people about 30 miles north of Dallas, did not have a statement on the potential lawsuit Monday afternoon. Fairview Mayor Henry Lessner is out of town and could not provide comments on the church’s letter. Mayor Pro Tem John Hubbard did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
The church made a roughly 54-foot concession in the temple’s height and reduced the size by about 13,000 square feet. The church intended to file a new application Jan. 13 for a single-story building nearly 30,000 square feet with a 120-foot steeple height.
“The Church understood these modifications fully satisfied any concerns previously raised by the Town Council,” a Jan. 27 statement from church spokesperson Melissa McKneely reads.
In November, the council unanimously approved moving the proposed settlement to public discussion.
“At every step we will keep our citizens informed of the content of any new proposal that may be considered,” Mayor Lessner wrote in a November statement. “There is absolutely no reason why the Church cannot respect our community’s resolve to maintain the character of our Town. The willingness to participate in good faith mediation does not change our position or commitment.”
In October, the Town Council announced a Zoning Defense Fund to collect donations to protect the town from potential litigation from the church. In December, residents spoke out against the amended plan, saying it wasn’t a compromise at all.
Many want the church to stick to a 68-foot tall building, the size of its meetinghouse in a neighboring lot.
The lot falls under residential zoning restrictions that say buildings can have a maximum height of 35 feet. Fairview zoning law says churches and schools can be located in any zone that isn’t a flood hazard upon an application for a conditional use permit.
After hours of public debate and months of discussion among church members, town residents and local officials, the town denied the church this permit last summer.
McKneely said the larger building is needed to accommodate a growing population in North Texas. She said some drive more than three hours to get to the Dallas temple, the only one operating in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A temple near Fort Worth is under construction.
“We don’t need another chapel,” she said. “We need a temple. A temple allows us to do ceremonies and worship in a different way.”
Fairview resident Pamela Sailor, left, who helps to organize the Legal Defense Fund Choir event, talks with attendees before singing Christmas songs in front of Fairview Town Hall, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Fairview. Fairview residents and supporters hosted a community event, Friday and formed a choir to raise money for their zoning defense fund..(Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)
Temples are more sacred and holy buildings than meetinghouses or chapels, McKneely said, open for individual worship Tuesday through Saturday. Weddings and sacred ceremonies are held there. It’s a place for prayer, meditation, learning and receiving inspiration from God, she said.
McKneely said temple attendance is encouraged in their religious practice, but members do not congregate all at once in a single sanctuary at the temple on Sundays like at many churches. The temple is organized in smaller rooms.
“We have been incredibly gracious and thoughtful [in] conceding and attempting to listen to the concerns of the residents to build a significantly scaled-down temple, which, frankly, is not what our community needs,” McKneely said. “We need the temple that was originally turned down in August, but we are striving to be good neighbors.”
She said the temple could serve about 20,000-25,000 church members.
McKneely originally said the church did not submit their application for the amended temple Jan. 13, as planned in the terms of settlement, because it was taking more time “to make sure everything is in place” with what was agreed on.
The church told an attorney representing the town in a letter Jan. 13 the new application was not filed because of concerns the town would not honor the nonbinding agreement that came from November’s mediation.
In the letter, the church listed examples of conduct that raised concerns about whether the town would keep its end of the deal. Public comments by town officials painted the results of mediation as an ongoing negotiation, not a settled compromise, the letter states. The church cited statements Mayor Lessner gaveThe Dallas Morning News in previous reporting.
Mayor Lessner also wrote in a January newsletter that town attorneys had said the design agreed on in mediation would likely not be accepted.
“If this happens, it moves us closer to being sued by the LDS church and the potential dire financial consequences of that action for the Town, should the Town lose in court,” Lessner wrote. “In my meetings with over 100 residents this week, the sense I get is that the overwhelming number of residents want this to get to court.”
In public meetings, town residents have expressed a willingness to face a lawsuit from the church, which is widely considered one of the wealthiest religious institutions in the world.
“I thought y’all were going to be a hero, not only for the residents of Fairview, but for others who have been trampled on by the LDS,” said Fairview resident Alycia Kuehne to the Town Council at a December meeting. “Y’all were so fearful about a lawsuit. I say, bring it.”
Fairview Legal Defense Fund Choir sings to raise money for their zoning defense fund.
Fairview residents, who are opposing the height of the proposed temple, try to raise money for their zoning defense fund.
In a letter to the town, a church attorney stated it would likely take the town to court unless Fairview’s leaders reassured them they’ll follow through with the settlement reached in November.
Town officials declined to meet individually to discuss the settlement’s status in January. An attorney representing the town wrote in a letter Jan. 17 this was not an indication of a rejection of the settlement but rather out of a concern for transparency and for deviating from the normal permit application process.
Fairview’s attorney wrote “strong negative feedback” from the public on the terms of the settlement prompted the town to ask the church to further reduce the temple height. The church declined, the town’s attorney wrote, but said the council was committed to following the process set out in the settlement.
“In light of the foregoing circumstances, the Church has no confidence that the Town will make good on its commitments,” the church’s Jan. 13 letter states. “The Church is further concerned that proceeding as though the Town will make good on its commitments will simply prejudice the Church’s legal rights.”
The church notified the town of its intent to sue Jan. 27.
“We just want to be able to worship peacefully, quietly,” McKneely said, saying the temple will be a beautiful addition to the community.
Its proposed site is situated near other places of worship in the town and its size was significantly reduced from the original proposal, she said.
“The church has attempted to negotiate an agreement in good faith,” McKneely said. “We came to mediation … We didn’t need to. We have a right to build this temple so that we can practice our faith, but we were trying to be peacemakers and to come to a compromise that we felt was generous.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced that it will be suing the town of Fairview over a dispute regarding the construction of a temple in the area. The Church had been planning to build a temple in Fairview, but the town recently passed a zoning ordinance that would prevent the construction of the temple.
In a statement released by the Church, they expressed their disappointment in the town’s decision and stated that they believe the ordinance is discriminatory and unconstitutional. The Church also stated that they have attempted to work with the town to find a mutually agreeable solution, but have been met with resistance at every turn.
The Church has now decided to take legal action against the town in order to protect their right to build a temple in Fairview. They are confident that they will prevail in court and are committed to fighting for their religious freedoms.
This lawsuit is sure to be a contentious and closely watched legal battle, as it pits the religious rights of the Church against the zoning laws of the town. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
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Blockchain protocol Chain is considering legal action against TRON founder Justin Sun after he accused the company of market manipulation.
Chain, a blockchain firm backed by over $40 million from investors including Pantera Capital and Citigroup,has threatened legal action against Sun following allegations of market manipulation.
In an X post on Jan. 24, Sun claimed that Chain was using “high leverage and contract that could cause serious harm to many exchange users.”
While Sun did not provide details about the alleged manipulations, he warned crypto exchanges to exercise caution and stated that he would “report their illegal activities to the SEC and DOJ for further investigation.” He also tagged major exchanges, including Coinbase, Kraken, and Bybit, urging them to take action.
Chain rejects market manipulation accusations
Chain was quick to respond, rejecting Sun’s allegations. In a follow-up post, the company stated that it is “not actively engaged in ANY trading of XCN, nor involved in ANY market manipulation directly or indirectly.” Chain further clarified that the XCN token is managed by OnyxDAO and announced plans to explore “legal remedies” against Sun over his claims.
The Chain team is not actively engaged in ANY trading of XCN, nor involved in ANY market manipulation directly or indirectly. We take these allegations extremely seriously and are exploring legal remedies against @JustinSun. XCN is managed by @OnyxDAO and not by @Chain.
Soon after Chain responded, Sun fired off another X post. This time, the TRON founder tagged OnyxDAO and called on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice to look into the situation. The accusations came right after the XCN token saw a big price jump, as its price soared 149% in one day and nearly 400% in a week, as crypto.news reported earlier.
Founded in 2014, Chain has raised over $40 million in funding from Khosla Ventures, Pantera Capital, Capital One, Citigroup, Fiserv, Nasdaq, Orange, and Visa, the firm claims on its website. In 2018, Stellar acquired Chain to form Interstellar, a commercial arm of the Stellar Foundation. In 2020, Chain was re-acquired.
Chain, the leading blockchain company, has announced plans to sue Justin Sun, founder of TRON and BitTorrent, over accusations of market manipulation. The lawsuit comes after Chain conducted a thorough investigation and found evidence that Sun had engaged in illegal activities to artificially inflate the price of TRON and BitTorrent tokens.
In a statement released by Chain, they expressed their commitment to upholding the integrity of the cryptocurrency market and holding accountable those who seek to manipulate it for personal gain. The company stated that they will not tolerate any form of market manipulation and will take all necessary legal actions to ensure justice is served.
Justin Sun has yet to respond to the allegations, but Chain’s lawsuit is expected to bring further scrutiny to his business practices. This development has sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency community, with many calling for increased regulation and oversight to prevent similar incidents in the future.
As the lawsuit unfolds, the cryptocurrency market will be closely watching to see how this case will impact the industry as a whole. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
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The actor and director Justin Baldoni plans to sue his co-star Blake Lively after she accused him of sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her, Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, told NBC.
While Freedman did not share any details about what the lawsuit will include, he said he was prepared to release a trove of text messages that he said would add the context needed to prove his client’s innocence.
“I am more than willing to take every single text message that exists out there, lay them out, put them on a website for the world to see, have them see the truth and determine the truth for themselves,” Freedman said in an interview that aired Friday.
Baldoni and Lively starred in the film It Ends with Us. On 20 December, Lively accused Baldoni, who also directed the film, his production company and his public relations team of creating a hostile work environment and leading a smear campaign against her. In the complaint, filed with California’s civil rights department, Lively accuses Baldoni of improper actions such as walking into her dressing room while she breastfed and commenting on her weight.
On 22 December, the Monday after Lively’s complaint was filed, the New York Times detailed the harassment Lively says she faced and the alleged effort by Baldoni and his team to discredit her. Baldoni quickly rejected the claims and on 31 December filed a $250m lawsuit against the New York Times for libel, accusing the paper of bending the knee to Lively and her A-list husband, Ryan Reynolds.
The same day, Lively filed a federal lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company and others, alleging harassment and “a carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out”.
Despite the continuing messiness, Freedman said Baldoni never wanted to “do anything negative toward [Lively].
“Justin Baldoni, from the get-go, said: ‘I don’t wanna do anything negative toward her, I don’t wanna hurt her.’”
Freedman said: “I think there’s always some behavior that can make people uncomfortable. I don’t think anyone has the intention to do that. The question in this case is: does it rise to the level of sexual harassment?”
Recently, actor and director Justin Baldoni made headlines after announcing his plans to sue fellow actress Blake Lively for defamation. The controversy began when Lively accused Baldoni of harassment during a public event, claiming that he had made inappropriate comments and advances towards her.
Baldoni quickly denied the allegations, stating that they were completely false and damaging to his reputation. He has since hired a legal team to pursue legal action against Lively for her statements.
The situation has sparked a heated debate among fans and industry insiders, with some supporting Lively’s accusations and others standing behind Baldoni. Many are eager to see how the case will unfold in the coming weeks.
As the lawsuit continues to make waves in Hollywood, it remains to be seen how the legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively will ultimately play out. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
When asked by NBC News in an interview that aired Thursday, Jan. 2, if his client plans to sue Lively, attorney Bryan Freedman replied, “Absolutely … yes.”
“We plan to release every single text messages between the two of them,” Freedman told NBC News. “We want the truth to be out there. We want the documents to be out there. We want people to make their determination based on receipts.”
PEOPLE has exclusively learned that the plaintiffs will include Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (his production company behind It End with Us), his publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan. They plan to name Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloane and Baldoni’s former publicist Stephanie Jones in the suit. (Jones sued Baldoni, Wayfarer, Abel and Nathan on Dec. 24.)
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in ‘It Ends with Us’.
Nicole Rivelli/Sony Pictures Entertainment
Freedman did not provide a timetable in terms of when Baldoni’s countersuit will be filed, but a source with knowledge of the lawsuit said it will be filed “soon.”
It will be in response to Lively’s allegations in her Dec. 20 complaint, in which she claimed that Baldoni’s alleged behavior while making It Ends with Us and during its promotion caused her “grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.” Lively’s complaint includes allegations that during production he showed her explicit images and videos, asked her about her personal sex life and attempted to add intimate scenes to the film that she had not originally agreed to. She also claimed that Baldoni, alongside his publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis firm TAG PR’s Melissa Nathan, attempted to manipulate social media and work alongside the press to “destroy” her reputation.
On Tuesday, Dec. 31, Baldoni sued The New York Times for libel in response to its Dec. 21 article “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.” The suit alleges the newspaper used “‘cherry-picked’ and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead” in its article regarding Lively’s lawsuit and behind-the-scenes trouble on It Ends with Us.
Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and It Ends with Us producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, along with Jed Wallace, and publicists Nathan and Abel are named as plaintiffs in that lawsuit.
The New York Times defended its article as “meticulously and responsibly reported” in response to Baldoni’s suit.
Blake Lively attends the ‘It Ends With Us’ photocall at IET Building: Savoy Place on August 08, 2024.
Jeff Spicer/Getty
In a statement Lively shared with The New York Times, she said, “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
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In response to Llvely’s complaint, filed in California, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, told PEOPLE in a statement that it was filed to “fix her negative reputation,” and called her allegations “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”
Lively has since filed a federal complaint, against Wayfarer Studios and others involved in producing It Ends with Us in the Southern District of New York.
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint,” said attorneys for Lively, 37, in a Dec. 31 statement obtained by PEOPLE. “While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”
Justin Baldoni attends the ‘It Ends With Us’ New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 06, 2024.
Freedman told PEOPLE exclusively on Dec. 29 that Baldoni’s lawsuit against Lively would form “a deliberate pursuit of truth.”
“This lawsuit will uncover and expose the false and destructive narrative that was intentionally engineered by a trusted media publication who relied upon nefarious sources and neglected a thorough fact checking process to confirm the validity of these texts,” he said at that time.
Justin Baldoni, star of hit TV show “Jane the Virgin,” is reportedly gearing up to sue his “It Ends with Us” costar Blake Lively “soon” following her recent sexual harassment complaint.
According to exclusive details obtained by our sources, Lively filed a formal complaint against Baldoni for allegedly making inappropriate advances towards her on set. The incident allegedly occurred during a heated argument between the two actors, leading to Lively feeling uncomfortable and unsafe in his presence.
While Baldoni has denied the allegations, claiming that the incident was a misunderstanding, Lively is said to be pursuing legal action against him. Sources close to the actress have revealed that she is determined to hold Baldoni accountable for his actions and ensure that he faces consequences for his behavior.
As the situation continues to escalate, tensions between the two costars are reportedly at an all-time high. It remains to be seen how this legal battle will unfold, but one thing is for certain: the drama between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively is far from over. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Six former Florida State basketball players sued Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton on Monday, alleging he failed to make good on a promise to get each of them $250,000 in name, image and likeness compensation.
The plaintiffs — Darin Green Jr., De’Ante Green, Cam’Ron Fletcher, Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears and Jalen Warley — filed suit in Leon County circuit court, and their attorney, Fort Lauderdale-based Darren Heitner, shared the 20-page complaint.
The former players allege Hamilton promised them the money from his “business partners.” The lawsuit says they walked out of a practice last season over the missed payments and intended to boycott a Feb. 17 game against Duke. They ended up playing — the Seminoles lost — amid a guarantee from Hamilton that they would be paid but they never were, according to the suit.
No attorney for Hamilton was listed in the lawsuit.
“We support Coach Hamilton’s right to defend himself against these allegations and look forward to an expeditious resolution of this matter,” the university said in a statement.
The university’s statement also said an inquiry into the allegations is ongoing but “at this point we know of no unfulfilled commitments by FSU in terms of scholarships or other appropriate benefits or the Rising Spear Collective relative to NIL payments owed to the athletes.”
The complaint includes multiple text-message exchanges between players and some between players and Hamilton.
FSU finished 17-16 last season, including 10-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 76-year-old Hamilton is in the final year of his contract. The Seminoles are 9-4, including 0-2 in league play.
None of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit remains with the team. Darin Green and Nickelberry exhausted their college eligibility last spring, and the four others transferred. Spears is now at UTSA, Fletcher is at Xavier, De’Ante Green is at South Florida and Warley is redshirting at Gonzaga.
The lawsuit is the latest in a growing number of NIL legal battles.
Matthew Sluka, a starting quarterback for the UNLV football team, left the program after three games in September because he said he was never paid on a $100,000 NIL deal. Former Florida quarterback signee Jaden Rashada, now playing at Georgia, sued Gators coach Billy Napier last year over an alleged unpaid $13 million NIL deal. And several Tulsa players claim they were never paid thousands in NIL commitments made by former coach Kevin Wilson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Several former Florida State University basketball players have filed a lawsuit against head coach Leonard Hamilton, alleging that he failed to deliver promised payments for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights.
The players, who were part of the Seminoles’ roster between 2018 and 2021, claim that Hamilton made verbal agreements to compensate them for promoting the team and utilizing their personal brands to generate revenue. However, they assert that they never received the agreed-upon payments and were left empty-handed.
The lawsuit accuses Hamilton of breach of contract, fraud, and unjust enrichment, among other claims. The players are seeking monetary damages for the unpaid NIL payments, as well as punitive damages for the alleged misconduct.
This legal action comes amid the ongoing debate over the compensation of college athletes for their NIL rights. With the recent changes in NCAA rules allowing players to profit from their personal brands, cases like this one highlight the importance of transparency and accountability in these transactions.
Coach Hamilton has yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit, but the outcome of this case could have significant implications for how college coaches and programs handle NIL agreements with their student-athletes. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has been a prominent figure in women’s basketball for a long time, both as a player and a coach. She has witnessed the evolution of the sport and firmly believes there is enough space for every player and story to be heard.
In March 2023, Staley participated in an interview with sports reporter Taylor Rooks, engaging in a wide-ranging discussion about the state of the women’s game.
During the interview, Rooks referenced a quote from four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird, who remarked that women’s sports are often perceived as having a “pond” rather than an “ocean” of opportunity.
“Sue is completely right about that. I do feel like the narratives are created as such that we go to the other end of the spectrum,” Dawn Staley said (12:49). “We start hating on that one, that chosen one, and we shouldn’t do that.”
“I know our fan bases love to go Tit for Tat, but it’s not. There is room. We need to respect the whole spectrum of all the people that make our game great. There are so many people that make our game great.”
“We have so much dissension in our game that we can’t elevate. We need to join our voices together to make sure that we’re all getting our just due in this space.”
Dawn Staley believed South Carolina would have won the canceled 2020 championship
Dawn Staley confidently asserted that the 2020 NCAA national championship title was within South Carolina’s reach, but the COVID-19 pandemic unfortunately denied them the opportunity.
In an interview with Taylor Rooks, Staley elaborated on the potential of the 2019-20 Gamecocks squad, reflecting on what could have been a historic season:
“We were a victim in 2020, being the number one team in the country for the last nine weeks before COVID hit, and you wouldn’t know,” Staley said (7:36).
“I think we would have won a national championship. We were playing so much elevated and we just got better and better and better, and maybe that story would have been told if we had an NCAA tournament.”
The Gamecocks started 2019-20 at No. 8 in the preseason poll and quickly climbed to No. 1 by mid-January. They only had one loss in the SEC regular season and were the heavy favorites to cut down the nets in New Orleans before the pandemic canceled the tournament.
Had the tournament been played as scheduled, the Gamecocks would have likely added their second national title, having won their first in 2017. That would have brought South Carolina’s total to four NCAA championships, including titles in 2022 and 2024.
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Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey – who is NCAAW’s highest-paid coach? Find out here
Edited by Nadim El Kak
In a recent interview, basketball legends Dawn Staley and Sue Bird discussed the narratives that surround women’s basketball. Staley, the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks and former WNBA player, agreed with Bird’s sentiments about the lack of recognition and respect given to women’s basketball.
Both Staley and Bird highlighted the disparities in coverage and attention that women’s basketball receives compared to the men’s game. They expressed frustration with the constant comparisons and criticisms that women players face, rather than being celebrated for their own unique talents and achievements.
Staley emphasized the need for a shift in the narrative surrounding women’s basketball, calling for more support and recognition for the incredible athletes who compete at the highest level. She echoed Bird’s call for more visibility and investment in women’s sports, so that future generations of players can have the opportunities and platforms they deserve.
As two influential figures in women’s basketball, Staley and Bird’s agreement on the importance of changing the narratives in the sport sends a powerful message to fans, media, and stakeholders. It’s time to give women’s basketball the recognition and respect it deserves.
A special edition of Meet the Press with Kristen Welker will air this Sunday, featuring “Meet the Moment” conversations from throughout 2024. The reoccurring broadcast segment was launched by Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker in 2023 and features influential voices outside the political sphere who are speaking out on issues impacting the nation’s politics.
This Sunday’s broadcast features conversations with:
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps on his battle with depression
Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges
Women’s World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe and WNBA champion Sue Bird
Author of Letters from Sing Sing: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a 20 Year Fight for Justice and Dateline senior investigative producer Dan Slepian and criminal legal reform activist JJ Velazquez
TODAY co-anchor and author of Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love EverywhereSavannah Guthrie
Meet the Press with Kristen Welker is the premiere destination for original political reporting and interviews with the leaders that shape each week’s headlines. Moderated by Kristen Welker, the veteran NBC News chief White House correspondent and the first journalist of color to moderate a Sunday public affairs program, Meet the Press has set the political agenda and highlighted the everyday impact of Washington decision-making on viewers all over the country for more than 75 years. It reaches millions of viewers every Sunday and millions more through social, digital and on-demand platforms. Meet the Press also brings its signature analysis and newsmaker interviews to streaming audiences with Meet the Press NOW at 4 p.m. on weekdays on NBC News NOW. Kristen Welker is the 13th moderator of Meet the Press, Carrie Budoff Brown is NBC News senior vice president for politics, and David Gelles is executive producer. Melissa Frankel is executive producer of Meet the Press NOW.
We are thrilled to announce a special edition of “Meet the Press With Kristen Welker” this Sunday, featuring exclusive “Meet the Moment” conversations with some of the most inspiring and influential figures of our time.
Join us as we sit down with Olympic legend Michael Phelps, civil rights icon Ruby Bridges, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, WNBA champion Sue Bird, and more as they share their perspectives on leadership, resilience, and making a difference in the world.
Don’t miss this incredible lineup of guests as they discuss the challenges they’ve faced, the lessons they’ve learned, and the ways they are using their platforms to create positive change.
Tune in this Sunday for a truly special edition of “Meet the Press With Kristen Welker” that you won’t want to miss.
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