Texas

Haley Walks Back Bizarre Texas Secession Comment: ‘Nobody’s Going to Do That’

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2024

Nikki Haley was forced to clean up a bizarre gaffe Thursday after claiming during an interview that she would let Texas secede from the United States if elected president.

Following her comments Wednesday, she told Fox News that the question—and her answer—was merely a hypothetical that would never happen, despite the fact that tensions between Texas officials and President Joe Biden’s administration are as strained as ever.

Haley was criticized heavily for the comments she made Wednesday during a podcast interview with Charlamagne tha God, in which she said of Texas: “If that whole state says we don’t want to be part of America anymore, I mean, that’s their decision to make.”

The statement came in response to a question about whether Haley—if she wins the presidency—would use force against Texas if ever tried to leave the U.S.

On Thursday, however, Haley was adamant her opinion on the legality of secession is irrelevant until a state realistically shows interest in doing so.

“It’s not about secession,” she said. “Nobody’s going to do that. That’s not what people are talking about.”

That’s not entirely true, however, even if succession chatter has mostly been confined to the more far-right corners of the internet.

Texas has been in a standoff with the federal government for weeks after it began to to put up razor wire along the southern U.S. border near Eagle Pass, an area that has seen a record number of crossing by migrants in recent months.

The Biden Administration then contested the state’s authority to do so all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that federal agents could cut down the wire—though it crucially did not instruct Texas to stop putting up the wire in the first place.

Since the standoff became headline news, scores of states led by conservative governors have shared their public support for Texas. Some have even sent national guard troops to aid state authorities attempting to enforce border laws usually handled by federal agencies.

When pressed to speak more about her thoughts on secession by Fox News, Haley pivoted to bashing President Joe Biden and suggesting he was the reason secession hypotheticals were mentioned in the first place.

“What should be the issue with Texas is, look, they are dealing with a terrible illegal immigration crisis,” Haley said. “The federal government, Joe Biden, is not being there for them. We should let them do whatever they need to, to keep Texans safe and to keep Texas protected. That’s the goal. That’s what we want to do.”

Haley insisted that her comments on secession were related to an old comment she made in 2010, where she also said states have the right to leave the union if their residents wish to.

States have only seceded from the U.S. once, a tide which began with Haley’s native South Carolina at the onset of the Civil War. Despite that act of secession being one of the biggest stains on U.S. history, Haley is adamant that states should have the right to do as they please.

“I don’t think government needs to tell people how to live, how to do anything,” she said on Wednesday’s podcast. “I mean, I think that we need to let freedom live.”

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Texas A&M vs. Louisville volleyball final score, stats highlights

Published

57 minutes ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Texas A&M vs. Louisville volleyball final score, stats highlights

After dropping the first two sets, No. 3 seed Texas A&M (25-4) stormed back to beat No. 2 seed Louisville (26-6) 3-2 in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament Friday night.

Texas A&M moves on to play Sunday against either No. 1 Nebraska or No. 4 Kansas, who play at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday night. Here’s how the Sweet 16 heavyweight match played out:

FINAL: Texas A&M wins 3-2, taking final set 15-12.

No. 3 Texas A&M completed a reverse sweep against No. 2 Louisville to advance to the regional final for the first time since 2001 after winning the fifth set, 15-12. The Aggies were able to swing the momentum of the game with their blocking ability, led by Ifenna Cos-okpalla’s 12 total blocks.

Texas A&M’s Logan Lednicky (20 kills, 10 digs on .245 hitting), Kyndal Stowers (16 kills, 11 digs on .282 hitting) and Emily Hellmuth (12 kills on .226 hitting) each recorded double-digit kills.

“We just weren’t finishing the last end of the set,” said an emotional Lednicky, who was three blocks away from a triple double. “We’re like, we’re not letting them sweep us. We know how to grind, we know how to dig it. We saw it in the TCU match and we did just that last one.”

Tensions boiled over in the fifth set. Louisville head coach Dan Meske earned a yellow card for swatting the ball because he thought the referee missed a carry call during a long rally Texas A&M won to go up 12-10.

Louisville’s Chloe Chicoine finished with a game-high 26 kills hitting .300 in the loss.

No. 3 Texas A&M took a 17-8 lead after holding No. 2 Louisville to a -.143 hitting percentage to start the fourth set with its defensive prowess. The Aggies stretched their lead to as many as nine points, but Louisville went on a 7-1 run to come within three points of Texas A&M. The Aggies didn’t relinquish the lead this time. Texas A&M finished the fourth set on a 4-0 run to force a decisive fifth set.

Texas A&M held Louisville to .000 hitting in the fourth set. The Aggies hit .267 and recorded nine blocks. Texas A&M’s Logan Lednicky (18 kills on .333 hitting), Kyndal Stowers (14 kills on .243 hitting) and Emily Hellmuth (10 kills on .200 hitting) each have double-digit kills. Ifenna Cos-okpalla is up to 11 blocks.

The Aggies are going for the reverse sweep, the team’s first since September 2024.

No. 3 Texas A&M head coach Jamie Morrison said his team needed to do a better job at finishing at the end of the set if they wanted to extend their season against No. 2 Louisville after giving up leads in the first two sets. The Aggies did just that in a third set that featured 15 ties and five lead changes.

The Aggies had a 23-21 lead in the third set before Louisville tied it up at 23-23 following back-to-back kills from Chloe Chicoine. Texas A&M’s Kyndal Stowers responded with a pair of kills herself to give the Aggies the set, 25-23.

Texas A&M’s Logan Lednicky (14 kills on .333 hitting), Stowers (11 kills on .259 hitting) and Emily Hellmuth (10 kills on .261) each have double-digit kills as the team is collectively hitting .292.

Meanwhile, Chicoine is up to 19 kills on .405 hitting. Cara Cresse added seven blocks.

New set, same scenario. Much like the first set, Texas A&M was the first team to reach 15 points. The Aggies had a 21-16 lead in the second set, before Louisville staged another comeback. The Cardinals went on a 9-1 run to take the lead and clinch the second set, 25-22, to take a 2-0 lead over Texas A&M.

Louisville capitalized on 14 total blocks and three aces. Chloe Chicoine (11 kills on .400 hitting) and Payton Petersen (10 kills on .563 hitting) led the Cardinals in kills.

Logan Lednicky has nine kills, while Emily Hellmuth and Kyndal Stowers each have seven kills for Texas A&M.

No. 3 Texas A&M had control of the first set and was the first team to 15 points, but No. 2 Louisville went on a 5-0 run to tie it up at 17-17. Five more ties ensued before Louisville ultimately created some separation to take the first set, 25-23. Louisville hit .457 and had two players with six or more kills — Payton Petersen (seven kills on .778 hitting) and Chloe Chicoine (six kills on .600 hitting).

NCAA volleyball tournament regionals schedule

All times Eastern

Friday, Dec. 12

Saturday, Dec. 13

Sunday, Dec. 14

TBA | No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Wisconsin
Regional final, TBD

NCAA women’s volleyball bracket

Find the full NCAA women’s volleyball tournament bracket on the NCAA website.

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UConn vs. Texas Prediction, How to Watch, Odds, Channel

Published

13 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

UConn vs. Texas Prediction, How to Watch, Odds, Channel

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

The No. 5 UConn Huskies (9-1) will attempt to continue a five-game winning streak when they host the Texas Longhorns (7-3) on Friday, December 12, 2025 at PeoplesBank Arena. The contest airs at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Keep reading to get all you need to know ahead of wagering on the UConn-Texas matchup.

UConn vs. Texas How to Watch & Odds

When: Friday, December 12, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut
TV: FOX
Streaming: FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App and FOX One (Try free for 7 days)

UConn vs. Texas Prediction

The Huskies are holding opponents to just 60.4 points per game while averaging 91, giving them one of the strongest scoring margins in the country. Their defense has been particularly sharp, limiting opponents to 37.4% shooting from the field.

Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. continue to set the tone. Ball is averaging 15 points per game, and Reed Jr. has provided steady interior production with 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Their consistency has been central to the Huskies’ early-season dominance.

The Longhorns have shown they can score, averaging 85.8 points per game, but their defense has struggled, allowing opponents to shoot 48.5%. That could be an issue against a UConn offense that moves the ball well and attacks efficiently.

UConn’s home court-advantage and Texas’s 2-2 road struggles tilt the matchup toward the Huskies.

Pick ATS: Texas (+16.5)
Pick OU: Over (145.5)
Prediction: UConn 81, Texas 69

Prediction provided by FOX Sports’ Sports AI. Download the FOX Sports App for free access to Sports AI.

UConn vs. Texas Betting Insights

Betting Line Implied Predictions

Based on the spread and over/under, the implied score for the matchup is Huskies 81, Longhorns 64.
The Huskies have a 95.9% chance to win this meeting per the moneyline’s implied probability.
The Longhorns have an 8.3% implied probability to win.

Key Spread Facts

UConn has compiled a 3-7-0 record against the spread this season.
Texas has won six games against the spread this year, while failing to cover four times.
UConn has covered the spread once this season (1-4 ATS) when playing as at least 16.5-point favorites.

Key Total Facts

The Huskies and their opponent have broken the 145.5-point mark four times this year.
Longhorns games have gone over 145.5 points on eight occasions this season.
The total for this matchup is 145.5 points, 23.4 fewer than the combined scoring average of the two teams.

Key Moneyline Facts

UConn has won six of seven games when the moneyline favorite this season (85.7%).
Texas has split the two games it has played as underdogs this season.
UConn has played as a moneyline favorite of -2326 or shorter twice this season, and won both.
Texas has not entered a game this season with longer moneyline odds than +1103.

UConn vs. Texas: Recent Results

Huskies vs Longhorns Recent Games
Date	Favorite	Spread	Total	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline	Result
12/8/2024	Longhorns	-1.5	141	-121	+101	76-65 UCONN

UConn vs. Texas: 2025-26 Stats Comparison

	UConn	Texas
Points Scored Per Game (Rank)	79.8 (137)	89.1 (21)
Points Allowed (Rank)	61.7 (10)	73.2 (189)
Rebounds (Rank)	9 (234)	11.7 (49)
3pt Made (Rank)	7.7 (203)	8 (175)
Assists (Rank)	17.9 (38)	14.6 (179)
Turnovers (Rank)	8.8 (10)	11.5 (167)

UConn 2025-26 Key Players

Huskies Leaders
Name	GP	PTS	REB	ASST	STL	BLK	3PM
Solomon Ball	10	15	3.3	1.6	0.8	0.3	2
Tarris Reed Jr.	5	14.8	7.6	1.4	1.2	1.6	0
Alex Karaban	10	13.4	5.4	2.2	0.9	1.2	2
Silas Demary Jr.	10	10	4.5	5.1	1.8	0.2	0.3
Eric Reibe	10	9.6	4.6	0.3	0.3	1.3	0.3

Texas 2025-26 Key Players

Longhorns Leaders
Name	GP	PTS	REB	ASST	STL	BLK	3PM
Matas Vokietaitis	10	15.9	6.6	0.2	0.4	1.1	0
Dailyn Swain	10	15.7	6.9	3.5	1.6	0.3	0.7
Jordan Pope	10	12.5	2.1	3	0.3	0.1	2.4
Tramon Mark	10	9.9	2.8	2.5	0.7	0.6	1
Simeon Wilcher	10	9.4	2.4	1.9	0.7	0.5	1.6

FOX Sports used technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar to create this story.

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Texas Football Opt-Outs: Who’s Likely Playing and Who’s Out for the Citrus Bowl

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Texas Football Opt-Outs: Who’s Likely Playing and Who’s Out for the Citrus Bowl

At this point in time, opting out of bowl games is nothing new, but Texas is going to have more opt-outs in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan than many—self included—expected. This problem pales in comparison to what’s going on in Ann Arbor, but the amount of lost experience will be something for Texas to overcome, primarily on defense.

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