NCAA basketball superstar Caitlin Clark has set a new record‚ giving her the top top-selling jersey ever for a draft pick across all sports. On Monday‚ the former Iowa Hawkeyes star went number one in overall picks in the 2024 WNBA draft to the Indiana Fever — and shortly afterward‚ her new jersey shot to the top of Fanatics — the official online retailer for the league‚ TMZ reported. The sports site said it put up preorders for her No. 22 jersey and they not only sold out‚ but her WNBA jersey is now the top-selling draft pick in the company’s history across all sports‚ the outlet noted. A jersey sales record is just one more accomplishment for Clark‚ the former NCAA star who became the top scorer in both women and men’s college basketball history‚ the outlet noted. After being drafted‚ Clark spoke to “Good Morning America” about how she’s ready for the pros. In just one hour‚ Fanatics has completely sold out of Caitlin Clark’s Fever jersey in sizes XS‚ M‚ L‚ XL‚ and XXL‚ per @darrenrovell pic.twitter.com/KPzpckeQgh — NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 16‚ 2024 “I always believed in myself‚” Clark said. “Also I worked really hard for it. I think that’s what I’m really proud of is like‚ I earned it. I deserve it. Nothing was ever given to me. More than anything just believe in myself.” “That’s what I’m trying to take to the next level‚” she added. Speaking to ESPN after being drafted‚ Clark noted how excited she is for the new challenge of playing in the WNBA‚ as she gets ready to join last year’s No. 1 overall pick‚ Aliyah Boston. “For myself‚ I can’t imagine a more perfect fit‚ a better place for me to start my professional career‚ an organization that really just believes in women’s basketball and wants to do everything the right way‚” Clark said. “So I couldn’t be more excited to get there.” “Going to an organization that has‚ in my eyes‚ one of the best post players in the entire world. My point guard eyes just light up at that‚” she added of Boston. “My biggest job is I’m just feeding Aliyah the ball every single day. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to be in there and be like‚ go make a layup. She’s going to make my life easy.” “I’m 22 years old‚ and I don’t have all the answers in the world‚” Clark continued. “This is something new to me … That’s something I’m excited for. But having those type of people around me to lean on and ask questions‚ or when things get hard‚ to be there for me.”

Author J.K. Rowling laid into “gender ideologues” on Tuesday for doing everything they could to stifle debate on the potential risks and long-term impact of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones‚ particularly on children. Noting that “no debate” was an oft-repeated slogan in the trans activist community‚ the “Harry Potter” creator punctuated her comments with a series of X posts identifying individuals who had been scolded‚ bullied‚ and harassed — sometimes publicly — until they were either forced out of or quit their jobs. The conversation began with a comment from Kirstie Allsop‚ who said in an X post that no one was blocking debate around those issues: “There [are] very real issues around the impact of puberty blockers on long term health. But the point I was making is that it is‚ and always has been possible to debate these things and those saying there was no debate are wrong.” “I’m astounded by this comment‚” Rowling replied. “One of the gender ideologues’ favourite slogans is ‘no debate.’ Opponents have been attacked‚ vilified‚ subject to discipline at work‚ had their lives overturned and lost their careers‚ all for the crime of wanting a debate.” .@KirstieMAllsopp I'm astounded by this comment. One of the gender ideologues' favourite slogans is 'no debate'. Opponents have been attacked‚ vilified‚ subject to discipline at work‚ had their lives overturned and lost their careers‚ all for the crime of wanting a debate. 1/13 https://t.co/UVS2KmWmm6 — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 15‚ 2024 Rowling quickly followed that with a series of posts naming people who had been directly harmed by the “gender ideologues” and their insistence that not only was no debate necessary‚ no debate could be permitted. “Sonia Appleby‚ an experienced psychotherapist working at the now discredited Tavistock clinic‚ was monstered for raising concerns. A tribunal found that her professional reputation had been damaged and ‘prevented her from proper work on safeguarding‚'” Rowling’s first post read. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Sue Evans‚ a nurse who also worked at the Tavistock and was extremely worried that children were being harmed‚ tried to raise the alarm. She took concerns to management but was 'alienated' and subsequently left for the sake of her own mental health. https://t.co/66x9VrES4q 3/13 — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 15‚ 2024 And the second: “Sue Evans‚ a nurse who also worked at the Tavistock and was extremely worried that children were being harmed‚ tried to raise the alarm. She took concerns to management but was ‘alienated’ and subsequently left for the sake of her own mental health.” A third post mentioned psychiatrist Dr. David Bell‚ who filed a report voicing the concerns of people like Evans and Appleby — “and the trust’s response was to attempt to open an investigation into him.” James Esses‚ who was doing a Masters Degree in psychotherapy‚ was expelled from his course for speaking out about the impact of gender ideology on child safeguarding. 5/13https://t.co/par3OwMcOF — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 15‚ 2024 “James Esses‚ who was doing a Masters Degree in psychotherapy‚ was expelled from his course for speaking out about the impact of gender ideology on child safeguarding‚” the next post read. “In Canada‚ Kenneth Zucker‚ former head of the Child Youth and Family Gender Identity Clinic‚ was fired for questioning whether automatic affirmation of children in their trans identities was the best treatment model‚” Rowling’s thread continued. In the US‚ trans man Scott Newgent (@NotScottNewgent) has made it his life's mission to raise the alarm about the dangers of transitioning children. He's lost his career for speaking out. 7/13 pic.twitter.com/HmCh6kC0fm — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 15‚ 2024 The seventh post told the story of Scott Newgent‚ who transitioned from female to male as an adult and was featured in Matt Walsh’s “What Is A Woman&;#63;” documentary — and has spent years advocating against transitioning children. “Jo Phoenix‚ professor of criminology at the Open University‚ was harassed and bullied because of her opposition to gender identity ideology‚ severely impacting her career and health‚” the eighth post read. Allison Bailey‚ the lesbian KC who dared challenge gender identity ideology's impact on lesbians‚ was targeted by Stonewall‚ subject to horrendous abuse and effectively lost her career. 9/13https://t.co/dtC4WZNwtq — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 15‚ 2024 A ninth followed: “Allison Bailey‚ the lesbian KC who dared challenge gender identity ideology’s impact on lesbians‚ was targeted by Stonewall‚ subject to horrendous abuse and effectively lost her career.” “Philosophy professor Kathleen Stock was hounded out of her position at the University of Sussex‚ shunned by colleagues and targeted by students‚ all for the crime of being critical of gender identity ideology‚” Rowling’s tenth post added. Detransitioners are subject to horrendous abuse from their 'community' online‚ because they speak out about the negative impact hormones and surgery have had on their lives. We've all watched them being jeered at‚ even told to kill themselves‚ after sharing their stories. 11/13 — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 15‚ 2024 Pivoting back to her original point‚ Rowling continued‚ “Detransitioners are subject to horrendous abuse from their ‘community’ online‚ because they speak out about the negative impact hormones and surgery have had on their lives. We’ve all watched them being jeered at‚ even told to kill themselves‚ after sharing their stories.” “These individuals are the tip of the iceberg‚” Rowling added. “I know‚ because I’ve received innumerable letters and emails from other people in medical and related professions who’ve been bullied and harassed for wanting a debate on gender identity ideology and the affirmation model.” People like you who now claim there's never been any attempt to stifle debate are part of the reason this mess happened in the first place. If you want to remain in a state of blithe unconcern‚ fine‚ but don't tell those in the trenches they're making a fuss about nothing. 13/X — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 15‚ 2024 Turning back to Allsop’s comment‚ Rowling concluded: “People like you who now claim there’s never been any attempt to stifle debate are part of the reason this mess happened in the first place. If you want to remain in a state of blithe unconcern‚ fine‚ but don’t tell those in the trenches they’re making a fuss about nothing.”

Joe Biden‚ the president of the United States‚ says one word over and over and over: “Don’t.” He said it of the Taliban with regard to attacks on American troops. And then they did. He said it to the Russians with regard to going into Ukraine. And then they did. Now he’s said it to the Iranians with regard to directly attacking Israel. And then‚ of course‚ they did. All of which means that Joe Biden is not a credible player on the world stage. There is something in foreign policy called deterrence. It’s the single most important concept of the postwar era. The Defense Department defines deterrence as the “prevention of action by the existence of a credible threat of unacceptable counteraction and/or belief that the cost of action outweighs the perceived benefits.” In other words‚ you do not attack me because I am threatening you. If you attack me‚ I will clock you into next week. You know who is an expert at deterrence&;#63; President Donald Trump. He was excellent at deterrence because every threat that he uttered was perfectly credible. He kept everybody off-balance. It’s a kind of madman theory of foreign policy. You never knew when he meant it and you never knew when he didn’t. It didn’t matter whether you understood it. It only mattered whether he understood it. He could push you off the ball simply by saying‚ “If you cross the line‚ you don’t know what’s going to happen‚ but it’s going to be really bad.”  And other nations took that seriously. The Taliban took that seriously. Russia took that seriously. China took that seriously. Iran took that seriously.  But when Joe Biden — over and over and over again — keeps saying “Don’t‚” and then other parties do‚ and the United States not only doesn’t respond but also slow-walks aid to America’s allies so even America’s allies cannot respond‚ or also intervenes to tell America’s allies not to do too much‚ the party that is deterred is not‚ in fact‚ the opponents‚ the enemies of the United States. The party that is deterred is the United States herself. WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show It is one thing to suggest that the United States should be deterred from forward action by the presence of‚ for example‚ the Soviet Union. But to suggest that the United States should be deterred from providing full aid to Ukraine‚ such that Ukraine is not overrun‚ and that we should be deterred by the possibility Vladimir Putin is going to unleash nuclear weapons — which of course is not a credible threat when it comes to simply maintaining the current battle lines in Ukraine — that’s stupid. Or the suggestion that the United States should be deterred by Iran‚ which is what’s happening right now. Iran is saying‚ “We fired 300-odd missiles and drones at Israel. Most of those got knocked down. Virtually all of them got knocked down. But don’t go further or we are going to go further.”  Iran is saying if Israel were to counterattack‚ then it would unleash 1‚500 cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. So Biden is putting pressure on Israel. The United States is the deterred party. Being deterred is a sign that you are the weaker party in any conflict. The stronger party typically is not deterred. It is the weaker party who is worried that the cost of action will outweigh the perceived benefit. Typically‚ if you are on the playground‚ it is not the bully who is being deterred by the weakling. It’s the weakling who is being deterred by the bully. When it comes to foreign policy‚ the United States has the world’s largest and most powerful military presence spanning the globe in terms of technology — far more advanced than anything on the table by a factor of probably five. And yet‚ the United States is being deterred over and over by significantly smaller powers‚ which is why smaller powers are feeling their oats right now. So the question is why&;#63; Why exactly has it become rote for smaller powers to deter the United States&;#63; The answer is not the insufficiency of American materiel. The answer is not the insufficiency of America’s military might. America is so far beyond‚ for example‚ the Chinese military in terms of advancement. China going to a full-scale war with the United States would be the biggest mistake China ever made. And if that’s true of China‚ who has nuclear weapons‚ think about Iran‚ who does not have nuclear weapons and whose ballistic missile system is so bad that half of the rockets just fired at Israel fell in its own territory or the territory of other countries before they even hit Israeli airspace. So‚ again‚ why is America being deterred&;#63; The answer is simple: moral cowardice. Under Biden‚ the United States has become a morally cowardly force. Under Biden‚ the United States has basically decided that any engagement in the world’s sphere is some sort of act of aggression. Even so much as funding our allies so those allies can defend themselves with forward action to deter — for example‚ Iran from doing this again — would be some sort of American aggression that would escalate. The reality is that when it comes to the Middle East‚ every single conflict is a game of chicken. The game of chicken‚ as we all know‚ is a game wherein two sides drive toward a cliff and whoever gets closest to the cliff without driving over wins. The worst case scenario is you’re the one who goes off the cliff. But when it comes to the United States versus other countries‚ we have both the best gas and the best brakes. The reality is that if there were to be a cliff and if we were to hit it‚ the significant impact would be on Iran and not on the United States. The United States is already engaged in wartime activity against Iran. It was American forces striking down drones directly from Iranian territory. But it is Joe Biden who is acting the weakling‚ not just with regard to Iran directly‚ but also with regard to Hezbollah‚ with regard to Hamas‚ which is a basically defunct terror group at this point. The only reason that is happening is because Biden does not have the courage of American convictions. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP This is not an argument for America to be involved in war. There’s an argument that American deterrence relies on credible threat of force‚ and that in a world where America’s deterrence is gone‚ everybody gets a lot more aggressive‚ the world becomes a lot more violent. There’s this theory out there from both the far-libertarian Right and from the far-Left Noam Chomsky group that the way world wars start is through a series of escalating steps that no one can stop. There are two ways world wars start. That can be one way world wars start: when you have a relative balance of power. But when you have one full-on dominant power‚ the way the world war starts is by simply mistaking your way into it by failure of credibility. The reality is that the United States owes it to the West to be an iron wall and to provide enough support to its allies that those allies can be an iron wall against forces of countries like Iran. And yet‚ that is not what the Biden administration is pursuing. That is a moral shortcoming. That is a question of will and a question of common sense.

John Mellencamp has hit back after a video went viral of him walking off the stage at a concert in Ohio after the crowd heckled him. On Monday‚ video surfaced of his concert in Toledo in March showing the 72-year-old singer telling the crowd he can just end the show when someone in the audience yelled at him to stop talking and “play some music” when he was telling stories in between songs‚ the Daily Mail reported. “What do you think I’ve been doing‚ you c********r&;#63;’” Mellencamp told the hecklers as fans joined in and booed them. “Here’s the thing‚ man. You don’t know me. You don’t f****** know me‚” he added. “Hey Joe‚ find this guy and let me see him after the show.” Another fan then shouted for Mellencamp to sing “Authority Song” and he replied‚ “Guys‚ I can stop this show right now and just go home. Tell you what I’m going to do. Since you’ve been so wonderful‚ I’m going to cut about ten songs out of the show. Here we go.” He attempted to sing his most famous song “Jack &; Diane‚” but the yelling continued. He then announced‚ “You know what&;#63; Show’s over” and left the stage. Speaking to The Washington Post later‚ Mellencamp said‚ “I do expect etiquette inside of the theater‚ the same way you would at a Broadway show.” Thoughts &; prayers going out to all the people just now finding out John Mellencamp can be insufferable live. When he’s wearing the onesie and starts telling stories… Just head for the exit. pic.twitter.com/PJ2lUuuvQB — Michael Loftus (@MikeLoftusComic) April 16‚ 2024 “My shows are not really concerts anymore‚” he added. “They’re performances‚ and there’s a difference between a performance and a concert.” “Look‚ I’m not for everyone anymore. I’m just not‚” the singer continued. “And if you want to come and scream and yell and get drunk‚ don’t come to my show.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP There have been mixed reports as to what exactly started the the trouble at his concert. One report said that it started after Mellencamp introduced his song “The Eyes of Portland” by talking about the homeless problem in America and a homeless woman he met in Portland‚ the Toledo Blade reported. “Your tears and prayers will not help the homeless‚” Mellencamp sang‚ before the heckling started. Others online claimed that things got out of hand at Mellencamp’s show when he was reportedly talking about President Joe Biden. However‚ it later it came out that the singer had been referencing a conversation he had with his dying grandmother. The band and singer did eventually return to the stage and finish the show‚ the Blade noted.

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) grilled Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra over his position on abortion‚ asking whether there was any case in which he would support imposing restrictions on women seeking to terminate their pregnancies. During a Tuesday hearing‚ Kennedy posed a hypothetical scenario — a healthy baby and a healthy mother‚ one day before the due date — and Becerra repeatedly refused to say whether he’d support banning abortion even in that case. WATCH: Why are you embarrassed to answer&;#63; &;quot;Would you support making it illegal to abort a baby‚ if the mother is healthy‚ and the baby is healthy‚ on the day before that baby is scheduled to be born&;#63;&;quot;@SenJohnKennedy presses @SecBecerra on his support for no-limits abortion pic.twitter.com/K2mkoSGW0i — SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) April 16‚ 2024 After thanking Secretary Becerra for his time‚ Kennedy jumped straight to the heart of his questions. “Mr. Secretary‚ if the mother is healthy and the baby is healthy‚ do you really support abortion of the baby up to the moment of birth&;#63;” he asked. “Senator‚ let me make sure — to the moment of birth&;#63; You’re saying after gestation‚ the 40 weeks —” Becerra attempted to clarify the question. Kennedy obliged‚ saying‚ “Let’s suppose — suppose it’s the day before the due date‚ and the baby is fully formed and the baby is healthy and the mother is healthy‚ do you support aborting — the right to abort the baby then&;#63;” “I’ve heard no one say that‚” Becerra protested‚ claiming that “reproductive rights” advocates were only saying that they supported the provisions of the recently-overturned 1973 case Roe v. Wade. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Kennedy responded by reading a 2020 statement from Becerra himself‚ who said at the time‚ “No government‚ state or federal‚ has the right to make decisions for a woman about her body or her health care.” “Your words‚ not mine‚” Kennedy added. “I ask you again‚ up to the moment of birth‚ if the mother’s healthy and the baby’s healthy‚ do you believe that there should be the right to abort that baby&;#63; Up to the moment of birth.” Becerra again claimed that he had “always supported Roe v‚ Wade‚ which doesn’t do what you just said‚” and said that he did not know of anyone who was arguing in favor of abortion until the moment of birth. He went on to say that it should still be a decision left entirely up to a woman and her doctor. Kennedy tried once more‚ asking Becerra directly whether he would support any restrictions on abortion in cases where both mother and baby were healthy and the baby was full term. The HHS Secretary would only answer that he would support bringing back Roe. “I want your answer‚” Kennedy pressed again. “Roe v. Wade has been overturned. I want your answer.” But even as Kennedy repeated the direct question several more times‚ Becerra refused to give a straight answer.

National Geographic recently caught first-of-its-kind footage that shows the awe-sticking way 700 emperor penguin chicks learned to swim. According to a video the publication posted on YouTube‚ emperor penguin chicks take their first swim at six months old. They typically do so by jumping two feet from ice cliffs. However‚ the only evidence scientists have had of this phenomenon has been captured from satellites‚ and what happens once the chicks hit the water “has remained a mystery.” But in January of this year‚ a National Geographic team spent two months camping alongside a colony of about 10‚000 emperor penguins who lived in Atka Bay on the Ekstr&;ouml;m Ice Shelf in Antarctica. And they were lucky enough to witness the event for themselves‚ but in this case‚ the chicks lept from a 50-foot cliff. Cinematographer Bertie Gregory told Good Morning America that the jumps unfolded in a majestic way. He was studying the colony one day‚ and‚ all of a sudden‚ “trains of chicks” started heading towards a massive ice shelf‚ so he launched a drone to follow. “[I] flew it over there to see what was going on‚ and realized they were stacking up on the edge of a huge 50-foot ice cliff‚” he said. Emperor Penguin Chicks Say “I Can Swim&;#33;” The team had been hoping to capture the emperor penguin chicks’ first swims‚ which always happens in January. But they never expected to see them fall from such great heights. “One by one they started to jump off this 50-foot ice cliff to take their first swim in the Southern Ocean‚” Bertie continued In the footage‚ as soon as one chick is brave enough to take the first jump‚ the others feel confident to follow. Bertie worried that their descent was dangerous‚ but the chicks instinctively knew what to do. “They were falling and there were big chunks of ice floating in the water beneath them‚” he recalled. “So it’s like falling onto a chunk of concrete.” “But‚ to my amazement‚ they were not just surviving‚ but popping up and going‚ ‘I can swim&;#33;’ This is their first swim ever‚ the first swim of their lives‚” he added. The footage will be part of a Disney+ original called Secrets of the Penguins‚ which debuts on April 22‚ 2025. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Hundreds Of Emperor Penguin Chicks Leap From Massive Antarctic Iceberg‚ Watch Stunning Footage appeared first on InspireMore.

After 35 years of marriage‚ Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon have formed a unique and strong bond. But Kyra says that bond means one of them will have to endure an agonizing heartbreak in the future. The couple‚ who wed in 1988 after meeting on the set of Lemon Sky‚ is admittedly a rarity in Hollywood. While all couples face troubles with longevity‚ celebrities tend to face even more troubles. But for Kyra and Kevin‚ love has come somewhat easily thanks to their openness and honesty. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kyra (@kyrasedgwickofficial) During a 2023 interview on TODAY‚ Kevin shared that there is a simple “secret” to maintaining lasting love. “No secret. Never have the secret‚” he said before joking‚ “The secret is don’t ask a celebrity on how to stay married.” Kevin Bacon also noted that his biggest “challenge” with Kyra Sedgwick is “getting the temperature in the car correct” so they’re “both happy.” Kyra Sedgwick And Kevin Bacon Believe In Having “A Death Practice” During a separate interview with the publication‚ Kyra furthered that concept by adding that all marriages come with challenges. But solid communication‚ openness‚ and compromise aren’t what she deems most challenging. For her‚ it’s knowing that all good things must end. “The challenge is knowing that one of us will be alone one day‚” she said. “The truth is‚ one of us will be alone and that’s heartbreaking.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kevin Bacon (@kevinbacon) While Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon should have plenty of good years ahead to spend with each other and their two children; Travis‚ 34‚ and Sosie‚ 32‚ they take a realistic approach to preparing for the inevitable truth that one of them will die before the other with a “death practice.” “I don’t think it’s bad to have a death practice‚ honestly‚ to know that you’re going to die one day‚” she said. “So‚ today is the day that you’re going to remember that and do something different. Just cherish. It just helps to cherish.” This story’s featured image is by Rick Kern/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures. The post Kyra Sedgwick Opens Up About The “Heartbreaking” Reality Of Her Marriage With Kevin Bacon appeared first on InspireMore.

Schedule F empowered the president to hold the bureaucracy accountable.

enjoined for two weeks

'Increased scrutiny'