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Carson Wentz, Eagles turmoil detailed in new report amid coach Doug Pederson’s dismissal

Carson Wentz’s struggles and bizarre play-calls during the 2020 season were detailed in a new report Saturday.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported it was believed that because Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was Wentz’s biggest fan that the quarterback was given “too much rein” before he was able to prove anything on the field whether it was during the regular season or in the playoffs.

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After the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory during the 2017 season, Eagles officials reportedly treated Wentz as if he was the reason Philadelphia won the Super Bowl and started to take his input in draft, free-agent and coaching decisions. Wentz has only played a full set of game twice in his entire career.

According to the Inquirer, Wentz was on a path of regression for years and he “didn’t always take” to tough coaching and “struggled with accountability.” Sources told the newspaper that Wentz “rebuffed advice” and “clashed” with former head coach Doug Pederson.

The reported fracturing of the relationship between Wentz and Pederson may have been seen from miles away and before he was benched for Jalen Hurts in Week 13. The Inquirer reported, citing sources, that Wentz would “occasionally kill it for no other reason than his personal distaste.”

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Another source told the newspaper Wentz would make “bizarre kills that made no sense and effectively was going rogue.”

“He doesn’t understand that he lost games for us,” a veteran Eagles player told the Inquirer anonymously. “He will never admit that and that’s a problem because he can’t get it corrected.”

In the end, Roseman admitted as much before the season that the team was “married” to Wentz. The quarterback didn’t play in the final games of the season and wasn’t active for the Week 17 affair in which Pederson was criticized for throwing Nate Sudfeld into the game for their final four drives.

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As the Eagles head into the offseason, there are questions over whether Wentz could be traded. The NFL Network reported the Eagles have told coaching candidates they want Wentz back next season.

He has 16,811 passing yards and 113 touchdowns in 68 career games with the Eagles. He had 16 touchdown passes, 2,620 passing yards and a league-leading 15 interceptions in just 12 games in 2020.

Andy Puzder: Biden proposal to boost hourly minimum wage to $15 would destroy jobs, hurt unemployed

President-elect Joe Biden proposed increasing the federal minimum wage from the current $7.25 to $15 an hour as part of his coronavirus relief package announced Thursday night. Such a dramatic increase would exacerbate the devastating impact economic lockdowns are having on small businesses, while doing great harm to 10.7 million Americans who are unemployed.

The situation is so desperate for struggling small businesses that Congress recently increased the total funds available under the Payroll Protection Program to nearly $1 trillion to help them pay their employees and stay afloat.

Biden proposes adding another $190 billion in aid for minority businesses. But if small businesses are already on the cusp of failure and need help just to pay their employees, why impose a big wage increase that makes doing so more difficult?

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Even with the help available to date, tens of thousands of small businesses have been forced to close permanently and hundreds of thousands more are at risk. Every closure wipes out the jobs those business created and subjects its former employees to the real minimum wage: $0 an hour.

Of course, a minimum wage increase (the first at the federal level since 2009) only helps if you have a job. But it is the unemployed who are suffering during this pandemic. For people fortunate enough to have a job, wages have generally increased.

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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when President Trump took office in January 2017 the average hourly wage for American workers was $26. It increased to $28.69 by March 2020. Since April, it has never dropped below $29.32 and currently sits at $29.81. That a 15% increase since 2017 and over 4% in just the last nine months.

Part of the reason wages are up is that many of the jobs lost when the pandemic hit were low-wage jobs. But since then, large employers such as Starbucks and Walmart have increased wages to find and retain employees willing to work during the pandemic despite the health risks.

The left complains that low-wage employees are forced to take advantage of government welfare programs to get by. But increasing the minimum wage to the point where it kills small businesses only increases the need for government assistance.

People with a job and the potential to increase their earnings burden our welfare system far less than those without a job. Is it really better throw people out of work forcing them to rely entirely on welfare? For job seekers, it’s hard to imagine a worse time to raise the minimum wage.

In 2019 the Congressional Budget Office analyzed a House bill that proposed raising the minimum wage to $15. It found that in the year the increase took effect it would reduce family income by nearly $9 billion due to the loss of about 1.3 million jobs, increased consumer prices and reduced economic growth.

Notably, the Congressional Budget Office completed this discouraging analysis in the midst of the best labor market on record. In 2019 the unemployment rate consistently hit 50-year lows, while the number of people employed hit historic highs. Family income saw its largest increase on record to its highest level on record while the poverty rate experienced a record decline to a new record low.

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Imagine the devastating impact a $15 minimum wage would have today in the wake of economic lockdowns sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic that have destroyed tens of thousands of small businesses. The result to date is both the 10.7 million people unemployed plus another 7.1 million people who are out of the labor force (so are not counted as unemployed) but who “want a job now.”

That means nearly 18 million people are competing for only 6.5 million job openings, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition, 20 states and numerous localities are already increasing their minimum wages this year, diminishing the need for a federal increase.

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Any minimum wage increase should be at the state or local level — and the more local the better. The federal minimum wage necessarily ignores differences in the cost of living between states, while a statewide minimum wage ignores differences between metropolitan areas within that state. In any event, a federal minimum wage is the worst solution for people seeking work in economically distressed areas.

Getting back to the historic labor market strength we experienced in 2019 will require more than a vaccine. It will require pro-growth policies that get businesses growing and people working. Despite the sales pitch, a federal $15 minimum wage would have exactly the opposite effect.

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Biden planning several executive orders on first day in office, including rescinding travel ban

President-elect Biden is planning to sign several executive orders on day one of his presidency, his incoming chief of staff announced in a statement.

The president-elect will sign roughly a dozen executive orders that day, including reversing President Trump’s travel ban on 13 majority-Muslim countries, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and extending the pause on student loan payments, according to Ron Klain.

Biden also will initiate his “100-Day Masking Challenge” with a mask mandate on federal property and during interstate travel. Klain promised the president-elect would sign additional executive orders on climate change and health care access in the first week of the new administration.

“Much more will need to be done to fight COVID-19, build our economy back better, combat systemic racism and inequality, and address the existential threat of the climate crisis,” Klain said in the statement. “But by February 1st, America will be moving in the right direction on all four of these challenges — and more — thanks to President-elect Joe Biden’s leadership.”

Biden has long promised to rescind Trump’s travel ban and rejoin the Paris Climate Accords on “day one” of his presidency. He’s also promised to send a bill to Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s Dreamers, immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, and the 11 million undocumented people currently living in the U.S.

But in November he loosened that timeline, committing to forging a pathway to citizenship within the first 100 days.

“Some of it’s gonna depend on the kinda cooperation I can or cannot get from the United States Congress,” Biden acknowledged.

On the campaign trail, Biden pledged to end the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) that keep migrants in Mexico as their hearings play out. Known as the “Remain-in-Mexico” policy, opponents have claimed it puts migrants in danger, but Trump officials said it has been key in ending “catch-and-release” by which migrants were released into the U.S. instead.

Biden will take the oath of office Wednesday after a whirlwind lame-duck period where President Trump repeated regularly that the presidential election was “rigged” and alleged mass voter fraud. The House impeached the president this week for incitement of an insurrection after rioters stormed the Capitol following a rally where he spoke.

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Inauguration Day will, of course, look different than in years past. Congress has been invited, but each member only got one guest ticket.

President Trump has said he will not attend the ceremony, but Vice President Mike Pence is expected.

States deployed their National Guards to Washington in anticipation of more potential unrest. Still, Biden has said he is “not afraid” to take the oath of office outside.

Maryland, Jordan McNair’s family reach $3.5 million settlement

The University of Maryland and the family of Jordan McNair agreed to a $3.5 million settlement, his parents Marty McNair and Tonya Wilson announced Friday.

The amount still must be approved Jan. 27 during a Maryland Board of Public Works meeting, ESPN reported. The settlement was approved by university officials and the Office of the Attorney General to be paid out in full, according to WTOP News.

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“This has been a long and painful fight, but we will attempt to find closure even though this is a wound that will never, ever fully heal,” Marty McNair and Tonya Wilson said in a joint statement.

“We are focused on honoring Jordan’s legacy so that his death was not in vain. This includes protecting student athletes of all levels of competition, increasing awareness, education, and prevention of all heat related illnesses, empowering student athletes, and introducing legislation nationwide so that no parent should have to wait this long for closure where their child has been treated unfairly or unjustly.”

The settlement comes more than two years after Terrapins offensive lineman Jordan McNair died from heatstroke during a workout and the scrutiny over how the football program handled his death and practices during a heat wave before the start of the 2018 season.

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In September 2018, an independent investigation found that trainers on the scene of McNair’s collapse didn’t follow proper procedures to help him. The probe found 1 hour, 39 minutes between the time McNair collapsed and the departure of the ambulance from the football field.

McNair was hospitalized May 29, 2018 and died June 13 of that year. He was 18.

Then-coach D.J. Durkin was later fired and Board of Regents Chairman James Brady was removed. Durkin later became a defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Ole Miss.

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In wake of the teen’s death, the Jordan McNair Foundation was established to help inform football coaches on the signs a player is having a heatstroke or is being affected by the heat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Dana White: Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC return hinges on lightweight division

The door is open for Khabib Nurmagomedov to return to the UFC.

Dana White said Saturday the undefeated UFC lightweight champion may make a return to the octagon with the promotion if he’s impressed by the lightweight division after UFC 257.

“He’s accomplished everything he set out to accomplish. He thought that (Charles) Oliveira looked really good in his fight against Tony Ferguson. Next Saturday, we have the (Conor) McGregor-(Dustin) Poirier fight and (Michael) Chandler and (Dan) Hooker on there,” White said.

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“His words to me were, ‘I’m gonna watch this fight.’ He said, ‘I would never tie up the division, hold the belt, keep the belt away from anybody else. These guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight.’ So I have a feeling that if somebody delivers, it could be on the co-main event or the main event and like I said he thought Oliveira looked good. Two fights coming up, if these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them.”

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. He said he gave everything he had to the sport and would step away. Also weighing on him was the death of his father earlier in 2020 from coronavirus.

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Earlier in the week, McGregor tried to poke Nurmagomedov a bit more. The two have had one of the more heated rivalries in UFC. Nurmagomedov beat McGregor in their first fight.

“How you could walk away at this stage is baffling to me but to each to their own,” he told The Mac Life about his rival deciding to retire. “There’s so many amazing fights out there. Even the carry-on around the Tony [Ferguson] situation, like I don’t care about nothing. You’re scheduled to fight a man. No matter what. Fights must take place. You can’t just scurry away from bouts.

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“It’s been the hallmark of his approach. I was not surprised to see him walk away or scurry away, I should say. It is what it is. We carry on.”

SF Giants owner under scrutiny for donations to Rep. Boebert’s campaign after Capitol riot

Charles B. Johnson, the billionaire owner of the San Francisco Giants and the former CEO of Franklin Resources, came under scrutiny for donating thousands to the campaign of Lauren Boebert who won a seat in the House in November, representing Colorado.

Johnson, and his wife, Ann, both donated $2,800 to Boebert’s campaign, NBC Sports reported Friday, citing recent FEC filings. But the donations have come under criticism after Boebert’s comments during the U.S. Capitol riot in Washington as Congress was certifying the presidential election results.

Boebert tweeted that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was removed from her chambers during the riot. The tweet had many politicians calling for Boebert’s removal from Congress. In July, Boebert also came under fire for saying she hoped Q was “real” in reference to the conspiracy theory that a high-level government official peeled back the curtain on what the so-called deep state has “done” to affect Americans.

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Johnson received criticism from Giants play-by-play announcer Renel Brooks-Moon and Pelosi’s daughter, Christine.

Christine Pelosi told the Sacramento Bee: “This is pathetic. This is about felony murder and it’s about someone who tweeted the whereabouts of a person that was target of an assassination.”

Charles Johnson, 88, was forced to release a statement amid the backlash. He said he wasn’t aware Boebert was associated with QAnon.

“Like most of the country, I watched in dismay as our Capitol was overrun last week,” he said. “I hope that those who engaged in or encouraged violence are held accountable for their behavior. I have a long history of giving political contributions to Republican and some Democratic candidates who share my strong belief in a free market system. My contributions are mine alone and are not associated in any way with the San Francisco Giants.

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“It is often difficult to predict the future behavior of candidates and I would never have imagined that any legitimate candidate would participate in undermining the core values of our great country. Nor was I aware that any candidate to whom I contributed was associated with QAnon. I strongly believe in our democratic system where our elected representatives can engage in vigorous debate in the halls of government, free from violence and intimidation and in a peaceful and respectful manner. I hope we can return to this tradition that has served our great country so well for so long.”

The Associated Press reported that political contributions were suspended in wake of the rioting.

Johnson has donated about $11 million in the last five years to Republican candidates, ESPN reported last year. Since 2000, His donations have reportedly been to the campaigns of Mitt Romney, John Boehner and Ben Quayle. The New York Times reported that Johnson also donated to a Super Pac supporting Jeb Bush’s presidential run in 2016.

This election, Johnson donated to the campaigns of Republicans Tommy Tuberville, Jeff Van Drew, Burgess Owens, Kelly Loeffler, David Perdue, Madison Cawthorn and Laura Loomer. His last donations appeared to go to Loeffler and Perdue as they were in special and runoff elections for Georgia U.S. Senate seats.

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In 2018, Johnson’s contribution to the campaign of Cindy Hyde-Smith aslo sparked controversy. She was in a runoff for U.S. senator in Mississippi against Mike Espy. The Republican was caught on video she’d be in the “front row” if she was invited to a public hanging.

Rapper Bow Wow defends himself against criticism for packed club performance amid coronavirus pandemic

Rapper Bow Wow woke up Saturday to dozens of angry comments from fans for performing at a packed nightclub in Houston amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The 33-year-old artist documented his Friday night on his Instagram Story, showing off an extremely crowded nightclub featuring dozens of fans standing and dancing closely without masks.

“So wait, people risking their life in a packed club to see BOW WOW??? BOW WOW?” one user tweeted.

“Ppl really risking it all for Bow wow in the year 2021?!!” another quipped.

“I would NEVER risk my life for Lil Bow Wow….. Also, do we have NO COVID restrictions in H-Town? This club needs to be shut down. There are some awful ways to die, but death by Bow Wow has to be up there. Do better people,” another wrote.

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Bow Wow, real name Shad Moss, is facing backlash for performing at a packed nightclub amid the coronavirus pandemic.
(Getty)

Others tweeted directly at the musician, whose real name is Shad Moss, to accuse him of having zero regard for the crowd’s safety as well as his own.

“At what point do you as an artist stop and say ‘This is irresponsible?’ Do you not have a conversation with the promoters about social distancing? People are DYING because of Covid-19, especially people of color! But you got paid, right?!” one person tweeted to Bow Wow.

As other fans mocked Moss for being a “super spreader,” he claimed he wasn’t in the wrong and had attended similar parties in 2020.

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“Man i been hosting parties all last year. I wore my mask in the club. I cant host with that thing on,” he responded to one critic.

In another tweet, Moss claimed, ‘IT WASNT MY PARTY. But of course ima get the blame.”

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The performer added that he wore his mask, “up until i got on the mic. That simple. Keep hand sanitizer on me at all times.” In another tweet, the rapper said he “dont want folks thinking i dont care ya know…”

Judge dismisses 39 cases against 28 Black Lives Matter protesters in Detroit

A Detroit judge dismissed charges against 28 Black Lives Matter protesters arrested during anti-police demonstrations last summer, according to reports.

District Judge Larry Williams Jr. dismissed 39 cases Thursday.

“This is the first dismissal of a large group of cases en masse, specifically for the failure of the city to provide discovery of information necessary to prepare a defensive trial,” said John Royal, president of the National Lawyers Guild chapter in Detroit.

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Royal led the legal effort against city prosecutors, and won as the prosecution failed to provide discovery.

The cases can be reinstated if the requested evidence is provided, according to WDET.

“(Judge Williams) made his ruling based on the fact that the city cannot identify who the actual arresting officers were in most of these cases and cannot identify what happened to any police bodycam footage that would have been taken at the time of the arrest of the defendants,” Royal said.

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The ruling might play into a civil rights complaint made against the city.

Civil rights group Detroit Will Breathe filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Detroit and police officials in August, saying officers used unnecessary, excessive force to break up peaceful demonstrations against police brutality.

The group applauded the decision to dismiss the cases, saying: “This ruling is a vindication of the broader struggle for racial justice and liberation.”

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The group claimed the city offered to settle with the protesters if they admitted their arrests were based on probable cause, but the offer did not extend to the group’s co-founder Tristan Taylor, the Metro Times reported.

Missouri woman who allegedly posed with Pelosi’s nameplate charged in connection with Capitol riot

A Missouri woman seen apparently posing with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s nameplate was charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, federal documents show.

At least three identified tipsters and multiple anonymous tipsters named Emily Hernandez after her image was circulated in “video by ITV News, a television news network based in the United Kingdom,” according to a Friday statement from the FBI.

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“In the video…a large group of individuals can be seen streaming in and out of a room in the Capitol building with a curved entryway and a wooden sign above the doorway stating ‘Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi,'” the document says.

Emily Hernandez (Credit: FBI)

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One tipster sent the FBI a photo from Hernandez’s Facebook page that appeared to show her at the Capitol, and another sent the FBI a photo from Hernandez’s Snapchat that appeared to show her beneath the Capitol dome. Anonymous tipsters submitted more photos of the woman holding Pelosi’s sign.

Hernandez is facing five charges, including unlawful entry, engaging in disorderly conduct at the Capitol, and stealing a piece of federal property, according to a federal complaint. She has not been arrested.

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A curator estimates that the cost to replace the Speaker’s sign will come to $870, according to the FBI.

Federal law enforcement officials expected to have “well over 300” open cases this week in connection with last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.

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The FBI received more than 140,000 digital tips from the public as of Friday, said Steven D’Antuano, assistant director-in-charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. He updated reporters on arrests and the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol siege.

Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.

Twitter says ‘bug’ prevented users from searching Lincoln Project Aamid sexual misconduct allegations

Twitter said a “bug” prevented users from searching for the Lincoln Project on the platform, after one of the organization’s founders admitted to sending “inappropriate” messages to multiple men.

A Twitter spokesperson told the Daily Caller that “this was a bug that was fixed yesterday.” Twitter did not address why the bug affected searches while the conservative, anti-Trump organization’s co-founder was facing allegations of misconduct.

The allegations began to surface last Saturday after Ryan James Girdusky, author of “They’re Not Listening,” sent a cryptic tweet claiming that one of the founding members of the Lincoln Project offered “jobs to young men in exchange for sex.”

The alleged missives from John Weaver, a veteran GOP operative and former aide to prominent Republicans like former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and the late Sen. John McCain, were “sometimes coupled with offers of employment or political advancement,” Axios reported Friday.

Weaver issued an apology on Friday. He also said he is gay.

“To the men I made uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations at the time: I am truly sorry,” Weaver said in a statement obtained by Axios. “They were inappropriate and it was because of my failings that this discomfort was brought on you.”

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“The truth is that I’m gay,” Weaver added. “And that I have a wife and two kids who I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place.”

Weaver took a “medical leave of absence” from the Lincoln Project last summer and “will not be returning to the group,” according to Axios.

Following Weaver’s comments to Axios, Girdusky said the Lincoln Project co-founder gave “the Kevin Spacey defense that he’s gay” and refused to “take ownership of the fact that he reached out to men 40 years younger than him and said he believed it was consensual.”

One man Girdusky knew from Twitter, as he described in a report for The American Conservative, reached out to him after Weaver followed Girdusky on the social platform.

“You know [John] Weaver?” the message to Girdusky reads. When Girdusky replied saying he “didn’t really know much” about Weaver other than the fact that the Lincoln Project co-founder followed him on Twitter, the young man replied, “I won’t say who for privacy reasons…but I’ve had two guys confirm he uses his position of power to try and proposition them sexually.”

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The young man, who spoke to Girdusky on the condition of anonymity, told him that Weaver allegedly groomed “so many” other young men who are “probably wanna-be politicians that don’t see his predator-like behavior and entertain it.” He then alleged to Girdusky that Weaver used the term “my boy” on multiple occasions.

Screenshots of conversations between Weaver and various young men posted to Twitter appear to show the Lincoln Project founder making unsolicited advances through private messages.

Between the number of men Girdusky spoke to and a number of others in contact with Forensic News reporter Scott Stedman – who shared screenshots of his own messages with Weaver – Girdusky said the number of men who have had these experiences with Weaver may be around 60.

Beyond the seemingly flirtatious messages, Stedman said Weaver contacted men ages 19 to 26 who recently graduated and were looking to start their careers in politics.

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“In most cases, Weaver initiated contact over Twitter Direct Message, though many times later conversations included phone calls,” Stedman reported. “Weaver, according to the people who shared details and screenshots of conversations, attempted multiple times to pay for travel in order to meet in-person. At least two people took him up on his offer, expecting the meetings to be about professional opportunities.”

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