Connect with us

Latest

Megan Rapinoe, in a shock to no one, backs Angel Reese skipping interviews as ‘taking power back’

Published

on

Move over, Naomi Osaka … there’s a new face of the media blackout.

Megan Rapinoe, the retired soccer star who never saw a camera she didn’t want to lecture, is now playing fairy godmother to WNBA star Angel Reese.

ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!

Her advice? Angel, just don’t show up for work.

Rapinoe took to her podcast to gush over Reese for suggesting she’s willing to skip media obligations and eat the fines that come with it rather than deal with questions she doesn’t like.

WNBA STAR ANGEL REESE SAYS SHE’D RATHER PAY A FINE THAN SPEAK TO REPORTERS

Most athletes view the media as the bridge to fans and those endorsement checks, but Rapinoe thinks the press is just a nuisance that needs to be “adjusted.”

“I think Angel is a really great example of her taking her power back,” Rapinoe chirped.

“Angel was set up as a villain before she was even in the WNBA, and now she’s making it clear that she’s gonna protect her peace.”

Protecting your peace is the new code for ducking the heat.

On a recent podcast with Michelle Obama, Reese made her stance on skipping media sessions clear.

MEGAN RAPINOE CALLS ON TRADITIONAL WNBA MEDIA TO BE REPLACED WITH THOSE WHO ‘UNDERSTAND QUEER CULTURE’

“I’ll take a fine before I have to go media and feel like my back is against the wall,” Reese said.

Reese argued the media has twisted her words and pushed narratives she doesn’t agree with.

But that doesn’t exempt her.

Postgame interviews aren’t optional add-ons but part of the job. They’re how players connect with fans and build their brands.

For a league still trying to grow its footprint, treating media availability like a nuisance is a curious growth strategy.

After all, Reese’s “Bayou Barbie” brand runs through media exposure in one way or another.

Rapinoe, of course, sees this defiance as something of a movement.

“I think this is a great example for all athletes and all female athletes of, ‘I don’t really have to do this.’ It might mean I get a fine, but at some point, we have to adjust the expectations that journalists can just go up there and throw any kind of narrative …”

“There needs to be a quality of journalism that is at the level of these athletes,” Rapinoe sniffed. “The media landscape is changing rapidly in women’s sports, and of course, the W, as always, is out front.”

Bold strategy, Cotton. Demand the spotlight, then act surprised when it comes with questions.

Rapinoe spent years demanding more respect and attention for women’s sports. Now she’s encouraging one of its biggest stars to sidestep a basic professional obligation.

If this is what being “out front” looks like, the next WNBA news conference might just be an empty chair and a receipt for the fine and that’s progress, apparently.

Send us your thoughts: [email protected] / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela 

Continue Reading

Latest

Cruise ship linked to deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrives off Tenerife as passenger evacuation begins

Published

on

The cruise ship linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrived early Sunday off the Spanish island of Tenerife, where the evacuation of passengers is expected to begin.

Passengers will be tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they are asymptomatic before being transported ashore in small boats, Spanish officials said, according to Reuters.

Evacuation is expected to begin between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. local time, with Spanish nationals disembarking first, followed by passengers of other nationalities, Reuters reported.

They are then expected to be taken to the island’s main airport and flown back to their home countries. Multiple Americans are believed to be aboard the MV Hondius.

AMERICANS TO BE EVACUATED FROM HANTAVIRUS CRUISE SHIP AS GLOBAL HEALTH CHIEF TRAVELS TO QUARANTINE ISLAND

Fox News Digital previously reported that the U.S. government is planning to transfer American passengers to a military base in Nebraska for quarantine and monitoring.

The ship set course for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the WHO and European Union requested assistance in managing the outbreak.

The ship’s arrival comes hours after World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island.

The WHO said Friday that eight people aboard the ship had fallen ill, including three who died. Six cases have been confirmed, with two others suspected.

HANTAVIRUS DEATHS ON CRUISE SHIP HIGHLIGHT DANGERS OF RODENT-BORNE DISEASE

In a statement Saturday, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remains low.

“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” he said.

“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” he continued.

ARGENTINA INVESTIGATORS ZERO IN ON POSSIBLE ORIGIN POINT OF HANTAVIRUS IN DEADLY CRUISE OUTBREAK

Ghebreyesus noted that the virus identified aboard the ship is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be severe.

“Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families,” he wrote, reiterating that the public health risk posed by the virus remained low.

About 30 crew members are expected to remain on board as the vessel continues to the Netherlands, where it will be disinfected.

Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy and Reuters contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Latest

North Korea updates constitution to require automatic nuclear strike if Kim Jong Un is assassinated: report

Published

on

North Korea has updated its constitution to require a retaliatory nuclear strike if leader Kim Jong Un is assassinated, according to a report.

The Telegraph reported the change comes amid heightened global tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials during a recent conflict.

Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran as part of a coordinated U.S.-Israeli military operation earlier this year, Fox News Digital previously reported.

The constitutional revision was approved during a session of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, which opened March 22 in Pyongyang, the outlet said.

ISRAEL TARGETS IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER IN SWEEPING STRIKES AS US JOINS ‘OPERATION EPIC FURY’

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) briefed senior government officials this week on the update, according to the report.

The revised policy outlines procedures for retaliatory action if North Korea’s leadership is incapacitated or killed.

“If the command-and-control system over the state’s nuclear forces is placed in danger by hostile forces’ attacks … a nuclear strike shall be launched automatically and immediately,” the updated provision states.

KIM JONG UN CALLS SOUTH KOREA ‘MOST HOSTILE ENEMY,’ SAYS NORTH COULD ‘COMPLETELY DESTROY’ IT

Reuters previously reported that North Korea revised its constitution to define its territory as bordering South Korea and remove references to reunification, reflecting Kim’s push to formally treat the two Koreas as separate states.

That marked the first time North Korea included a territorial clause in its constitution.

Last month, Kim pledged to further strengthen the country’s nuclear capabilities while maintaining a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he has called the “most hostile” state.

Kim has also accused the United States of “state terrorism and aggression,” and signaled North Korea could take a more active role in opposition to Washington amid rising global tensions.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Latest

Wings rookie Azzi Fudd sets dubious WNBA record with lowest-scoring debut by top pick

Published

on

The highly anticipated 30th WNBA season tipped off Friday with three games, including the expansion Toronto Tempo’s first-ever contest.

The action continued Saturday with a full slate, including Caitlin Clark’s return after an injury-riddled sophomore season.

Clark and the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings on Saturday afternoon in a matchup featuring the four most recent No. 1 overall picks. The Wings outlasted the Fever 107-104, but the game was defined by Azzi Fudd’s — the most recent top pick — underwhelming debut.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring three points — the lowest ever by a No. 1 overall pick in a WNBA debut.

Wings coach Jose Fernandez addressed Fudd’s performance after the game, encouraging the rookie to, “Keep doing what she’s doing, it’s her first year in the league. We got five really talented backcourt players.”

EX-WNBA STAR CRITICAL OF SKY ROOKIE HAILEY VAN LITH, BELIEVES POPULARITY PLAYED ROLE IN DRAFT SELECTION

In addition to Fudd, Dallas’ backcourt features last year’s top draft pick Paige Bueckers, last season’s No. 12 overall pick Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and starting guard Odyssey Sims.

Until Saturday, Kelsey Plum held the record for the lowest-scoring debut by a No. 1 pick. Selected first overall by the then-San Antonio Stars in 2017, she scored just four points in her debut. The Stars relocated to Las Vegas in 2018 and was subsequently rebranded as the Aces.

Despite the slow start to her first season in the league, Plum ended the year with All-Rookie team honors. In the years since, she’s been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Aces.

The Wings’ decision to take Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick drew controversy, raising questions about whether Bueckers’ personal relationship with her influenced the selection. Late last month, Bueckers said last month it did not.

“Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 draft pick because she earned it, and it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who she is as a human being, who she is as a basketball player,” Bueckers said, according to ESPN.

Neither Bueckers nor Fudd has publicly updated their relationship status since the April draft.

“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own,” Bueckers also said in April. “And what we choose to share is completely up to us.”

Next up, the Wings play their home opener on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Dream.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Political Signal