Uncommon Knowledge
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The debate on whether President Joe Biden should seize control of the Texas National Guard in order to force it to comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling is continuing to rage between Democrats and Republicans.
Texas Representative Joaquin Castro and former congressman and 2020 presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke, both Democrats, are among those who are urging Biden to federalize the state’s National Guard to allow Border Patrol agents to remove razor wire put up along the U.S.-Mexico border by Texas law enforcement in order to prevent illegal immigration.
In a 5-4 ruling on January 22, the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration, which said that the wire erected in Eagle Pass was put up illegally and prevented Border Patrol from trying to detain people who were attempting to cross the border via the Rio Grande.
Despite the ruling, Texas Governor Greg Abbott argued that Biden is failing his duties as president by not controlling the record levels of illegal crossings at the southern border during his time in office. Abbott has also declared that Texas is currently under an “invasion” and invoked the state’s constitutional right to defend and protect itself.
“That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border,” Abbott said.
As a result, Abbott is allowing the Texas National Guard to continue to install the razor wire along the border. He is refusing to allow Border Patrol agents access to Shelby Park—a riverfront park in Eagle Pass that migrants are using to enter the U.S. illegally—in order to remove the wires.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Abbott via email for comment.
Biden is within his power to federalize the Texas National Guard in accordance with Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which would mean the state’s troops would be under direct orders of the president.
In 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal authority and ordered them to protect nine Black students who enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock. The move arrived after the state’s governor, Orval Faubus, previously called the troops to prevent the Black students’ entry into the all-white school, despite a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Currently, Texas National Guard troops are operating under Title 32, which means they fall under the command of the Texas governor as their commander-in-chief.
“Abbott is using the Texas Guard to defy a Supreme Court ruling. When Gov. Faubus did this in 1957, Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas Guard to ensure compliance with the law,” O’Rourke posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Biden must follow this example of bold, decisive leadership to end this crisis before it gets worse.”
However, questions have been raised as to whether Biden can federalize the Texas National Guard in these current circumstances, with some suggesting the president does not have the legal justification to do so.
“Title 10 can only supersede Title 32 in a national emergency. In this case, Biden would have to activate the Texas National Guard to guard the border. Otherwise it is an unlawful order,” retired Air Force General Robert Spalding posted on X.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
Presumably, a move to federalize the Texas National Guard would mean the Border Patrol would quickly move in and remove the razor wire, which has been the focus of the arguments in the Lone Star state.
Others have suggested such a move could have broader implications for Biden, as well as setting up possible further legal challenges and issues.
“If the Texas National Guard are federalized under Title 10 for the sole purpose of pulling them off the Texas border and out of the chain of command of the Commander in Chief of the Texas military after Gov. Abbott invoked his constitutional authority to defend the Texas border, the founders would have envisioned this as a crime and misdemeanor and impeachable offense,” Jonathan Hullihan, a constitutional law and national security law expert, told The Center Square.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also suggested that the Democrats calling for Biden to federalize the National Guard “don’t understand the law” and the president must first declare a national emergency.
“That goes to the whole question, why is he declaring an emergency? Obviously, we have one, right? And now he’s admitting it,” Paxton told Newsmax. “I think that becomes a political issue for him, it becomes a real problem for him politically.”
Beyond continuing to defy the Biden Administration and ordering law enforcement to still erect razor wire, Abbott has also indicated that he is willing to appeal any decision from the president to the Supreme Court.
Professor Peter Shane, a law lecturer at New York University and constitutional law expert, dismissed Abbott’s suggestion that he can have supreme authority in Texas after declaring that the state is under “invasion” from people crossing the border illegally.
“This is nonsense. Governors have no power to declare anything under the U.S. Constitution, nor does the Constitution give states any legal power to countermand the exercise of federal authority,” Shane previously told Newsweek.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Here’s the complete college football bowl schedule for the 2025-26 season, which begins Saturday, Dec. 13. Games continue through the College Football Playoff title game on Monday, Jan. 19.
This article will continue to be updated as bowl games go final.
(all times ET)
Celebration Bowl
South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M
12 p.m. | ABC
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia
LA Bowl
Boise State vs. Washington
8 p.m. | ABC
SoFi Stadium
Inglewood, Calif.
Salute to Veterans Bowl
Troy vs. Jacksonville State
9 p.m. | ESPN
Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Ala.
Cure Bowl
Old Dominion vs. South Florida
5 p.m. | ESPN
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Fla.
68 Ventures Bowl
Louisiana vs. Delaware
8:30 p.m. | ESPN
Hancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, Ala.
Xbox Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Missouri State
9 p.m. | ESPN2
Ford Center
Frisco, Texas
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan
11 a.m. | ESPN
Brooks Stadium
Conway, S.C.
Gasparilla Bowl
Memphis vs. NC State
2:30 p.m. | ESPN
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Fla.
College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama
8 p.m. | ESPN, ABC
Memorial Stadium
Norman, Okla.
College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.)
12 p.m. | ESPN, ABC
Kyle Field
College Station, Texas
College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 20 Tulane
3:30 p.m. | TNT, HBO Max, truTV
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Oxford, Miss.
College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 24 James Madison
7:30 p.m. | TNT, HBO Max, truTV
Autzen Stadium
Eugene, Ore.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Washington State vs. Utah State
2 p.m. | ESPN
Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho
Boca Raton Bowl
New Orleans Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Caesars Superdome
New Orleans, La.
Frisco Bowl
UNLV vs. Ohio
9 p.m. | ESPN
Ford Center at The Star
Frisco, Texas
Hawai’i Bowl
Cal vs. Hawai’i
8 p.m. | ESPN
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex
Honolulu, Hawai’i
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern
1 p.m. | ESPN
Ford Field
Detroit, Mich.
Rate Bowl
New Mexico vs. Minnesota
4:30 p.m. | ESPN
Chase Field
Phoenix, Ariz.
First Responder Bowl
FIU vs. UTSA
8 p.m. | ESPN
Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Dallas, Texas
Military Bowl
Pitt vs. East Carolina
11 a.m. | ESPN
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Md.
Pinstripe Bowl
Clemson vs. Penn State
12 p.m. | ABC
Yankee Stadium
Bronx, N.Y.
Fenway Bowl
UConn vs. Army
2:15 p.m. | ESPN
Fenway Park
Boston, Mass.
Pop-Tarts Bowl
No. 12 BYU vs. No. 22 Georgia Tech
3:30 p.m. | ABC
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Fla.
Arizona Bowl
Miami (Ohio) vs. Fresno State
4:30 p.m. | The CW Network
Arizona Stadium
Tucson, Ariz.
New Mexico Bowl
No. 25 North Texas vs. San Diego State
5:45 p.m. | ESPN
University Stadium
Albuquerque, N.M.
Gator Bowl
Missouri vs. No. 19 Virginia
7:30 p.m. | ABC
EverBank Stadium
Jacksonville, Fla.
Texas Bowl
LSU vs. No. 21 Houston
9:15 p.m. | ESPN
NRG Stadium
Houston, Texas
Birmingham Bowl
Independence Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech
2 p.m. | ESPN
Independence Stadium
Shreveport, La.
Music City Bowl
Tennessee vs. Illinois
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tenn.
Alamo Bowl
No. 16 USC vs. TCU
9 p.m. | ESPN
Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas
ReliaQuest Bowl
No. 23 Iowa vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt
12 p.m. | ESPN
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Fla.
Sun Bowl
Arizona State vs. Duke
2 p.m. | CBS
Sun Bowl
El Paso, Texas
Citrus Bowl
No. 13 Texas vs. No. 18 Michigan
3 p.m. | ABC
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Fla.
Las Vegas Bowl
Nebraska vs. No. 15 Utah
3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Allegiant Stadium
Las Vegas, Nev.
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M/No. 10 Miami (Fla.) winner
7:30 p.m. | ESPN , WatchESPN
AT&T Stadium (Cotton Bowl)
Arlington, Texas
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon/No. 24 James Madison winner
12 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
Hard Rock Stadium (Orange Bowl)
Miami Gardens, Fla.
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oklahoma/No. 9 Alabama winner
4 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
Rose Bowl (Rose Bowl)
Pasadena, Calif.
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss/No. 20 Tulane winner
8 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
Caesars Superdome (Sugar Bowl)
New Orleans, La.
Armed Forces Bowl
Texas State vs. Rice
1 p.m. | ESPN
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, Texas
Liberty Bowl
Navy vs. Cincinnati
4:30 p.m. | ESPN
Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
Memphis, Tenn.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest
8 p.m. | ESPN
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, N.C.
Holiday Bowl
No. 17 Arizona vs. SMU
8 p.m. | FOX
Snapdragon Stadium
San Diego, Calif.
College Football Playoff Semifinal
7:30 p.m. | ESPN
State Farm Stadium (Fiesta Bowl)
Glendale, Ariz.
College Football Playoff Semifinal
7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Peach Bowl)
Atlanta, Ga.
College Football Playoff National Championship Game
7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami, Fla.
Here’s a complete list of scores from the College Football Playoff since its first season in 2014:
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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).
All times Eastern
Friday, Dec. 12
Saturday, Dec. 13
Sunday, Dec. 14
Find the full NCAA women’s volleyball tournament bracket on the NCAA website.
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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.
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.
Prediction provided by FOX Sports’ Sports AI. Download the FOX Sports App for free access to Sports AI.
| Date | Favorite | Spread | Total | Favorite Moneyline | Underdog Moneyline | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/8/2024 | Longhorns | -1.5 | 141 | -121 | +101 | 76-65 UCONN |
| 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) |
| 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 |
| 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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