Author: Fox News

Former Bon Jovi member Richie Sambora reflected on his regrets over how he abruptly left the band during its Because We Can tour in 2013.

The 64-year-old musician, who joined Bon Jovi as the band’s lead guitarist in 1983, suddenly exited the group without warning hours before they were set to perform at a show in Calgary. In an Instagram post Thursday, Sambora shared a clip which he wrote was “from the cutting room floor” of the new Hulu docuseries, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.”

In the video, Sambora wore a red shirt, black pants and a brown cowboy hat as he spoke to the camera from a living room.

“I heard everything, and I was the guy that really fought for this to be a band,” he said. 

JON BON JOVI ON WHAT HE’S MOST PROUD OF IN 40-YEAR MUSIC CAREER: ‘IT’S BEYOND WORDS’

Richie Sambora reflected on his departure from Bon Jovi. (Getty)

“It’s really hard to be married to four guys,” Sambora continued with a laugh. “And be in close quarters the way we were. That coupled with my daughter coming of age, my wife’s mental health stuff was really acting up, and she needed me. 

“And I needed her,” he added, referring to his ex-wife Heather Locklear, 62.

Sambora and Locklear tied the knot in December 1994 and welcomed daughter Ava, now 26, in October 1997. In 2006, the “Melrose Place” alum filed for divorce from Sambora, citing “irreconciable differences.” Their split was finalized in April 2007.

Locklear has publicly struggled with mental health and substance abuse problems over the years. In 2008, she entered rehab to be treated for anxiety and depression. The actress has since sought treatment in rehab several times and has dealt with a number of legal problems.

Despite their divorce, Sambora and Locklear have remained close, and the rocker previously told People magazine he “will always be there” for her and their daughter. 

Sambora has also been open about his own battles with substance abuse. He entered rehab for alcoholism in 2007 and again in 2011.

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In the clip that he shared from the docuseries, Sambora apologized to Bon Jovi fans and his former bandmates. 

“I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it,” he said. “So, I would like to apologize fully right now to the fans, especially also to the guys because my feet and my spirit were just not letting me walk out the door.”

However, Sambora noted that he felt he “didn’t receive a lot of compassion” regarding the circumstances he was dealing with at the time.

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“I was in this organization for 31½ years, and everybody has their personal tragedies and things like that, but I didn’t receive a lot of compassion coming back for what I was going through,” he said. 

“I believe everybody had their own respective perspective on how fame and fortune …,” he continued. “Everybody experiences that at different speeds. That’s how life can get whacked from one guy from the next and blah blah blah.”

Sambora and Locklear were married from 1994 to 2007. (Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)

Sambora was one of frontman Jon Bon Jovi’s most frequent songwriting collaborators, and the pair penned some of the band’s biggest hits. In the video, Sambora reflected on his relationship with Jon during his time in the band.

“I was essential because I spent more time with Jon than even his wife and was more honest,” he said. “We spent a lot of time in a room with no windows even for the beginning stages of writing the material and recording it.

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“I think that I had a good view,” Sambora recalled. “I was a fan, too. I could be a fan of Jon and be like, ‘I don’t want to hear you sing that’ if I’m a fan in the audience. That kind of thing. 

“I think that was one of my primary roles besides being his right hand and an accurate mirror, so to speak.”

Sambora, Alec John Such, Jon Bon Jovi, Tico Torres and David Bryan are pictured in 1985. (Paul Natkin)

During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Jon Bon Jovi shared his view on Sambora’s exit from the band.

“If I can accept the blame for working too hard, then I will,” he said. “But it was never anything malicious, and we never had a fight. And there was never any animus.

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“Richie had issues that he has now addressed publicly and privately with substance abuse and some anxieties and being a single dad. But we had to continue to do what we do, and he chose not to want to do it any longer.

“So, unfortunately, for him and for us — you know, being in a rock band is not a life sentence. And so he chose not to want to do it any longer.”

“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill dropped by the White House on Friday for a visit with President Joe Biden and walked away with a pair of the president’s aviator sunglasses and a greater respect for the office.

“I love the merch,” he said, taking off the glasses during a quick appearance at the White House daily press briefing following his visit with Biden. Hamill, 72, famous for playing Luke Skywalker, kidded with reporters that he’d take a few questions — as long as they weren’t about “Star Wars.”

MARK HAMILL MULLS ‘STAR WARS’ RETIREMENT: ‘THEY DON’T NEED LUKE’

“I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president,” he said. He’s been to the White House before, during the Carter and Obama administrations, but he’d never checked out the Oval Office, and that was quite something, he said. Biden showed off photographs and other Oval Office items, Hamill said.

Actor Mark Hamill takes off sunglasses given to him by President Joe Biden, as he joins White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as she speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Friday, May 3, 2024, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Hamill said Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill offered an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”

“He liked that,” said Hamill, who also voiced the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.”

Both Hamill and the White House were vague about his reason for visiting. But Hamill, a Democrat and Biden supporter with a huge social media following, has been posting about the president’s reelection campaign this week.

“May The First Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!” he wrote on May 1.

On Friday he posted, “May The Third Be Absurd That The Guy Who Tried To Steal A Fair Election Is Allowed To Run Again,” a reference to Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

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May 4th is unofficially “Star Wars” Day, in part because of the famous Jedi phrase “May the force be with you.” The pun goes, “May the fourth be with you.”

Hamill also lent his voice to “Air Alert” — a downloadable app linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. His voice urges people to take cover whenever Russia unleashes another aerial bombardment on Ukraine.

President Biden honored 19 individuals with the United States’ highest civilian award on Friday, many of whom are Democratic allies.

The White House announced the roster for the annual Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony, with notable recipients including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Vice-President Al Gore, and former Secretary of State John Kerry.

Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, who gave Biden a critical endorsement in the 2020 primary, also received the medal.

BIDEN ANNOUNCES MEDAL OF FREEDOM FOR DENZEL WASHINGTON, STEVE JOBS, SIMONE BILES, JOHN MCCAIN, OTHERS

President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Philadelphia. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian award — we the people doing what we can to ensure the idea of America, the cause of freedom, shines like the sun to light up the future of the world,” Biden said of the medal in a video promoting the latest recipients.

Civil rights leaders are well-represented among the recipients, including: LGBTQ activist Judy Shepard, Juneteenth recognition advocate Opal Lee, lawyer Clarence Jones, and Mississippi civil rights leader Medgar Evers. 

United Farm Workers president Teresa Romero received the award — as well as Catholic priest Fr. Greg Boyle, an anti-gang ministry organizer.

IN TEARFUL FAREWELL, OBAMA AWARDS BIDEN THE MEDAL OF FREEDOM

Buzz Aldrin’s Medal of Freedom presented by Richard M. Nixon is seen on display in New York City.  (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

Other recipients include long-time talk-show host Phil Donahue, Olympian Katie Ledecky, Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, astronomer Jane Rigby, and former NASA Johnson Space Center director Ellen Ochoa.

The first American Indian Olympic gold medalist, Jim Thorpe, received a posthumous award — as did the late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

The only Republican lawmaker recognized is former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who served in the cabinets of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

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President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to then-Vice President Joe Biden during an event in the State Dining room of the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 2017. (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

The Presidential Medal of Freedom was established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy. It replaced the Medal of Freedom established by President Harry S. Truman in 1945, which honored individuals who rendered significant aid to the U.S. in World War II.

It is the highest civilian award in the nation and is intended to recognize “any person who has made an especially meritorious contribution to (1) the security or national interests of the United States, or (2) world peace, or (3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

Biden himself received the medal from then-President Barack Obama while serving as his vice president on Jan. 12, 2017.

Several Jewish organizations pulled out of a high-level meeting with the Department of Education about antisemitism on campuses on Friday morning after finding out far-left groups were added at the last minute, Fox News Digital has confirmed.

The groups, which “either did not participate in or dropped off the call,” the Jewish Insider reported, included the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federations of North America, Hillel International, the Orthodox Union, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

The decision was made shortly before the 10 a.m. meeting between the Jewish groups and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, White House Domestic Policy Adviser Neera Tanden and other senior officials. 

According to Jewish Insider, government officials sent out a list of participating organizations only 20 minutes prior to the meeting, which “included a number of left-wing groups not usually included in White House convenings,” prompting the last-minute withdrawal. The morning meeting with the Department of Education continued as scheduled, but a separate meeting for the objecting organizations took place Friday afternoon.

COLUMBIA LAW REVIEW EDITORS URGE SCHOOL TO CANCEL FINALS AFTER POLICE RAID LEFT STUDENTS ‘HIGHLY EMOTIONAL’

Miguel Cardona, US education secretary, speaks to members of the media following a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. The US Education Department has an open investigation into antisemitism and student safety on Columbia’s campus, Cardona told senators on Tuesday.  (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

According to Jewish Insider, the mainstream Jewish organizations took particular issue with the invitation of the Diaspora Alliance, which is “closely aligned with the far-left Jewish activist group IfNotNow.”

The group IfNotNow is an anti-Israel Jewish organization that has staged several protests to block highways. Its website accuses Israel of having an “apartheid system” and states that the Jewish nation “massacres Palestinians in Gaza.”

IfNotNow also released a letter of support for the anti-Israel agitators at Columbia University and other New York colleges this week, calling them, “brave students [who] have spoken up in solidarity with Palestinians as they face a genocide in which our country and their universities are complicit.”

“The groups who had requested the meeting found out at the last minute that the meeting was not going to proceed as planned,” one source told Jewish Insider.

The meeting was originally set up last Friday when the groups – including the National Council of Jewish Women and the conservative Rabbinical Assembly – emailed Cardona seeking an audience with him to find ways to protect Jewish students amid the ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations on American college campuses.

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Education Secretary Miguel Cardona (Getty Images)

The Jewish organizations wanted to “discuss concrete actions the Department can take to support the restoration of order, compliance with civil rights laws and the protection of Jewish students,” the email obtained by Jewish Insider stated.

The email also voiced their complaints that the Department had not taken actions proposed by these groups to protect students, adding, “and now we confront the current crisis.”

Jewish Insider reported, “Representatives of the groups that pulled out were frustrated to see the inclusion of some progressive organizations that oppose the use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, including T’ruah, the Nexus Leadership Project and Bend the Arc.”

The IHRA’s definition of antisemitism was also the basis for the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which was recently passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. House of Representatives in order to crack down on antisemitism on campuses.

However, many lawmakers and commentators have criticized the bill, claiming that basing anti-discrimination laws on the IHRA’s definition would result in crackdowns on free speech in America.

A joint statement was released by the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federations of North America, Hillel International, the Orthodox Union, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the National Council of Jewish Women about the separate afternoon meeting.

The groups said, “We directly raised our urgent concerns surrounding the current climate of antisemitism on campus and the lack thus far of effective response. In this moment of crisis, we asked the Department to be specific in their follow up and implementation of this week’s clear statement made by President Biden and to provide universities with a clear path to effective enforcement of that statement. By sharing specific recommendations, we urged the Administration to do more to protect Jewish students and the broader student community from intimidation, harassment, and violence.”

The White House did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

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I spend hours and hours (and hours) online every week looking for the latest in tech for my national radio show, podcasts and, of course, newsletter.

I rounded up eight browser keyboard shortcuts I use — so you can spend less time clicking around for the right button, too. 

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AI EXPERT: CHATGPT PROMPTS YOU’LL WISH YOU KNEW SOONER

4 if you’re always in Word or Google Docs

These tricks make work (or writing the novel you always wanted to get to) so much faster and easier.

• Just the text: Drop in text from somewhere else — without all the formatting coming with it. Use Ctrl + Shift + V to paste in whatever text you’ve copied, stripped completely of the source formatting.
• Swift selections: Make sure your cursor is before (or after) the text you’d like to select, then hold down Shift and use the left or right arrows to expand your selection, one character at a time. Ctrl + Shift + the left or right arrows will allow you to select the remainder of a line.
• Get in the mode: Need to track your changes? Switch between editing modes by holding down Ctrl + Shift + Alt, and then tap X to suggest changes, Z to edit directly or C to just view the document, not edit it.
• Do it in style: Easily change your text formatting by holding down Ctrl + B for bold, Ctrl + I for italics and Ctrl+ U for underlining. You already knew that? OK, but what about holding down Shift + X for strikethrough text, Shift + . (period) to superscript something and Shift + , (comma) for subscripting? I thought so!

A man types on a keyboard of a laptop.  (Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)

3 tricks for tabs

These genuine timesavers work in most popular browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.

• Closing time: Hit Ctrl + W (Windows) or Cmd + W (macOS) to shut down the browser tab you’re currently looking at. If you close a tab by accident, use Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + T (macOS) to bring it back.
• Tab cycling: On Windows and macOS, you can use Ctrl + Tab to scroll through open tabs (yeah, all 200 of them). Hold down Shift as well to go in the opposite direction.
• Turn over a new tab: Hit Ctrl + T (Windows) or Cmd + T (macOS) on your keyboard to open a new tab and jump straight to it. If you want a brand new window, you need Ctrl + N (Windows) or Cmd + N (macOS).

SMARTPHONE TRICKS EVERY IPHONE AND ANDROID USER SHOULD KNOW

2 ways to stay in the flow

• Keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling: Engrossed in something online? Tap the Spacebar to scroll down the page and keep reading without looking away. Shift + Spacebar takes you back in the other direction.
• Eyes on the prize: Follow an interesting link without losing focus while reading. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS) when you click on a web link to open it in a new tab while you stay on your current tab. Add the Shift key to open a link in a new tab and jump straight to it.

A person eating pizza while working on their laptop. (iStock)

2 ways to re-trace your steps

• Follow the breadcrumbs: You know those “back” and “forward” buttons in your browser? You can do the same with your keyboard, no clicking required — hold down Alt (Windows) or Cmd (macOS), then tap the left or right arrow button to explore your browsing history in the current tab.
• Save your page: Press Ctrl + D (Windows) or Cmd + D (macOS) to bookmark the current webpage so you can get back to it later. Your browser will throw up a dialog box you can use to sort the bookmark into a folder.

1 way to go undercover

• Keep it hush-hush: If you need a new incognito or private window, press Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + N (macOS). Firefox does this differently, for some reason: Use P instead of N.

Close-up of a man’s hand typing on a computer keyboard, with monitor and mouse. (LincolnRogers)

Your carpal tunnel says, “Thank you.” Share this with your tab-happy friends! 

Get tech-smarter on your schedule

Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.

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Patrick Mahomes is already a three-time Super Bowl champion. He also has three Super Bowl MVP trophies and is widely regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL.

Mahomes helped lift the Kansas City Chiefs to victory in each of the last two Super Bowls, and he is already eyeing another Vince Lombardi Trophy.

During a recent sit-down with Logan Paul on the “Impaulsive” podcast, Mahomes reaffirmed his belief the Chiefs will again contend for a title next season.

“Next year in New Orleans, we’re going to do it again,” Mahomes declared. “Put it on the table. We’re going to do it again. I’m telling you now.”

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes celebrates with the trophy after the team’s overtime win in the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.  (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Mahomes also discussed the infamous “Corndog” play, which the Chiefs used in overtime to defeat the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl. Kansas City also ran the play in 2023 during their Super Bowl victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

CHIEFS’ PATRICK MAHOMES GIVES SUPER BOWL RINGS TO LOGAN PAUL FOR WWE BEATDOWN

“That play was freaking sweet, man,” Mahomes said. “It was not supposed to go to the guy who caught the touchdown. We ran the ‘Corndog’ one against the Eagles. It was a touchdown. Won the game. Then, we were going to run a fake version of that and then do a little shovel pass, and it was wide open again.

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In February, Mahomes voiced his confidence about the Chiefs’ three-peat prospects.

“We’re going for that three-peat. … Don’t get it twisted. We’re doing it. Three times. … First time in NFL history, we’re doing it,” Mahomes said as he addressed the fans at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally.

Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

The Chiefs recently signed Mahomes’ most reliable target, Travis Kelce, to a contract extension. The move bolsters Kansas City’s odds of making another championship run.

Kelce will celebrate his 35th birthday a few weeks after the 2024 NFL season kicks off. For the first time in seven years, Kelce finished a season with less than 1,000 receiving yards. But he is still one of the most productive tight ends in the league.

Travis Kelce (87) and teammate Patrick Mahomes (15) of the Kansas City Chiefs during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Deutsche Bank Park Nov. 5, 2023, in Frankfurt, Germany. (Ralf Ibing/firo sportphoto/Getty Images)

The deal makes Kelce the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL. It also ties Kelce to the franchise through the 2027 season. He will be 38 years old when his contract expiries.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach expressed confidence in Kelce’s ability to produce at a high level for the foreseeable future.

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“Every now and then, you have one of these guys that are outliers, and certainly Travis [Kelce] is one of those players,” Veach said Monday. “It’s funny. It’s not even May yet, and today we had a chance to get out there in phase two, and guys were out there running around. Travis was the first guy in line, and he looked like he was 28 years old.

“Again, the odds of someone playing this far into their 30s is very low, but it does happen, and it happens with unicorns in the profession, and Travis is one of those.”

The NFL will release the regular-season schedule at some point this month, giving the Chiefs a more detailed view of the road they will have to take in their push for a three-peat.

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The start of the first civil trial stemming from the 2021 Astroworld festival, at which 10 people were killed in a crowd surge, has been delayed.

Jury selection had been set to begin next Tuesday in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old Houston resident who was killed during the crowd crush at the Nov. 5, 2021, concert by rap superstar Travis Scott.

TEXAS RAPPER TRAVIS SCOTT NARROWLY ESCAPES CHARGES RELATED TO 2021 ASTROWORLD CROWD CRUSH DISASTER

But Apple Inc., one of the more than 20 defendants going to trial next week, filed an appeal this week, automatically delaying the start of jury selection.

“Unless I hear differently, the trial is stayed,” state District Judge Kristen Hawkins said during a court hearing Thursday.

Travis Scott performs at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Nov. 5, 2021. The start of the first civil trial stemming from the 2021 Astroworld festival, at which 10 people were killed in a crowd surge, has been delayed. Jury selection had been set to begin Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the family of Madison Dubiski, a 23-year-old Houston resident who was killed during the crowd crush at Scott’s November 2021 concert.  (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Apple, which livestreamed Scott’s concert, is appealing a ruling by Hawkins that denied the company’s motion to be dismissed from the case. Apple has argued that under Texas law, it can appeal Hawkins’ ruling because its defense claims are being made in part as a member of the electronic media.

Apple is arguing that in livestreaming Scott’s concert, it was acting as a member of the electronic media and its actions merit free speech protection.

“It remains our position that our conduct is protected by the First Amendment,” Kent Rutter, one of Apple’s attorneys, told Hawkins during a court hearing Thursday.

Just before the hearing ended, Hawkins said she had been notified that the appeals court earlier Thursday had denied a request by the lawyers for Dubiski’s family to lift the stay.

Jason Itkin, one of the attorneys for Dubiski’s family, said he planned to appeal that denial, likely up to the Texas Supreme Court.

Lawyers for Dubiski’s family have alleged that her death was caused by negligent planning and a lack of concern over capacity at the event. Her lawyers allege that how Apple placed its cameras around the concert site affected the placement of barriers and reduced available crowd space by the main stage.

Rutter argued that it was broadcasting an event “with significant public interest” and that by doing so, it was acting as a member of the media and gathering news.

Itkin said Apple has described itself in business records as a company that makes smartphones and computers but doesn’t mention news or news reporting. He added that the company’s Apple News app is a subscription service that aggregates the stories of other news organizations.

“This is not a free speech case. They know that,” Itkin said.

During the hearing, Hawkins appeared skeptical about Apple’s claims about being a member of the electronic media, asking Rutter that if a livestream were set up in a zoo to watch animals, would that be news.

“Yes, it would be,” Rutter said.

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Over 4,000 plaintiffs filed hundreds of lawsuits following the concert. Dubiski’s case had been chosen by attorneys in the litigation to be the first to go to trial. More than 20 defendants, including Scott, Apple and Live Nation, the festival’s promoter, had been set to go on trial Tuesday.

Following a police investigation, a grand jury last year declined to indict Scott, along with five others connected to the festival.

New York State’s last Republican governor condemned President Biden Thursday for his relative inaction on antisemitic protests enveloping college campuses in the Empire State and warned Iran is using images of the chaos as propaganda.

Former Gov. George Pataki, who left office at the end of 2006 upon the election of Eliot Spitzer, told Fox News the protests constitute “acts of anarchy” at this juncture and should have been halted on “day one.”

“This is just disgusting and it shouldn’t be tolerated. These are not acts of free speech or protest,” he said on “The Story.”

“University administrators should have stopped it. They didn’t. When they didn’t do it, since they’re clearly breaking the law, the law enforcement — the NYPD in New York and others across the country — should have been called in right away.”

Pataki, who earned his juris doctor from Columbia Law in 1970, said he was on campus during the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations. He recounted, however, helping lead the anti-protester faction.

NYPD IDENTIFIES OUTSIDE ‘INFILTRATORS’ WHO AMPED UP COLLEGE PROTESTS

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (Majid Saeedi/Getty)

“The longer it goes, the more propensity for violence there is, so it should have been shut down day one,” he said of the unrest.

Near 137th Street and Broadway, protesters had taken down the American flag and raised the Palestinian banner at City College on Tuesday night. Pataki said that act should have been stopped cold, praising Democratic Mayor Eric Adams for condemning students who desecrated the Stars & Stripes in that way.

Adams told reporters he was offended by the act because his uncle died in service to the country and that he himself is very proud to be an American, saying, “We are not surrendering our way of life to anyone.” 

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry was seen re-raising Old Glory shortly after midnight Wednesday, as his officers restored order on campus.

Conversely, Pataki criticized President Biden’s relative silence on the protests, as the White House had relied instead mostly on statements from spokesmen and a brief line the president offered to a reporter while commemorating Earth Day on federal parkland near MCB Quantico.

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Biden broke his silence on Thursday, condemning the violence that has broken out and saying that “order must prevail.”

“We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent. The American people are heard. In fact, peaceful protest is in the best tradition of how Americans respond to consequential issues. But neither are we a lawless country. We’re a civil society and order must prevail,” Biden said at the White House.

Pataki was not impressed by Biden’s words and said Iranian state television has been airing footage of protests at Columbia, CCNY and other campuses around the United States.

“Al Jazeera has played them all across the Middle East,” he added. “This hurts the peace process. This empowers the radicals like Hamas, and whether or not it’s intentional by those protesters, it is hurting the prospect for peace. It’s got to be stopped. They should be arrested.”

“They should be prosecuted, and students should be expelled,” Pataki added, as the New York Post reported Thursday an Iranian university is offering scholarships to anti-Israel students expelled for engaging in the unrest.

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Shiraz University President Mohammad Moazzeni invited expelled students and terminated professors to transfer to his school, located in Fars, Iran, the paper reported, citing Iranian state-owned Press TV.

Meanwhile, at Tehran University, Prof. Foad Izadi reportedly called the students “our people” and claimed they would side with Iran in any direct conflict with the United States. 

A recent baseball game between Southeastern conference foes was marred by controversy. Georgia Bulldogs pitcher Christian Mracna’s activity in the bullpen and during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies raised some eyebrows.

Social media videos surfaced showing Mracna appearing to work on his glove as he crouched in the corner of the bullpen during Saturday’s game. Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle seemed to take issue with Mracna’s behavior and believed the pitcher may have been using some type of foreign substance on the ball, which would be a rule violation.

“Certainly appears that way,” Schlossnagle said in a text to The Associated Press on Tuesday. “It’s part of the game … wish we would’ve caught it.”

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A Georgia baseball cap during the mens college baseball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on March 03, 2024 at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, GA. (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Mracna also appeared to reach for an unknown something that was near or behind a post, although the view was mostly obstructed.

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He went on to pitch for two innings during Georgia’s 5-4 win over the top-ranked Aggies. Mracna threw a total of 30 pitches over the pair of innings, 23 of which were strikes. He also struck out six of the batters he faced.

GRAND CANYON BASEBALL PLAYER GETS EJECTED FOLLOWING GAME-TYING GRAND SLAM AFTER BAT FLIP

Mracna was also seen touching the thumb area of his glove with his right hand when he was on the pitching mound.

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Since 2021, Major League Baseball pitchers are subject to forgiven substance checks from umpires. College baseball does not currently have the policy in place.

A general view of an SEC baseball. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Georgia did not make Mracna available for comment after the game, and he has not publicly commented on the matter in the days the game ended.

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Mracna has appeared in 13 games for the Bulldogs this season. Saturday’s victory over Texas A&M marked Georgia’s 31st win of the season. 

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The Houston Cougars will continue with plans to use light blue alternative uniforms for their sports teams, a decision that comes months after the NFL sent the university a cease-and-desist letter claiming that the look was “blatant copying” of the Houston Oilers trademark. 

The university sent a letter to the NFL last month informing the league of its decision to move forward with the jerseys, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday. 

Houston Cougars wide receiver Samuel Brown (4) jumps to celebrate a touchdown by Houston Cougars wide receiver Joseph Manjack IV (0) in the first quarter during the college football game between the UTSA Roadrunners and Houston Cougars on Sept. 2, 2023 at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas.  (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“We literally have a story we can show the city uses it,” athletic director Chris Pezman told the outlet at the Big 12’s spring meetings. “This isn’t a reach. This is a layup. We’ve got a very defensible position.”

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“We’re doing it,” Pezman continued. “We’ve reviewed everything and come to the conclusion that we are going to proceed.”

Pezman told the outlet that school officials are giving the league “two to three weeks” to respond to their letter. As of Tuesday, the Chronicle reported that the league had not responded to the letter. 

Joseph Manjack IV #0 of the Houston Cougars celebrates his reception for a touchdown with Patrick Paul during the first half against the UTSA Roadrunners at TDECU Stadium on Sept. 2, 2023 in Houston, Texas.  (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

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The issue began on Sept. 2, the Cougars football team wore the light blue jerseys, which they called a tribute to “H-Town Pride.” But the league sent a legal notice to the school, believing they were too similar to the Oilers’ “Luv Ya Blue” era — the rights of which are owned by the Tennessee Titans after the franchise’s move in the late 1990s.

In the October letter, first obtained by the Houston Chronicle, the NFL said the university’s “attempt to free ride on the popularity of the NFL and the club violates the intellectual property rights of the NFL and (Tennessee) Titans.” 

Will Levis #8 of the Tennessee Titans throws the ball during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

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Pezman told the outlet that the university is working on a new design that still pays respect to the city’s football history. A timetable for their release has not been finalized. 

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