Southeast
USA Today quietly deleting Sen. John Kennedy's op-ed is latest of bizarre editorial moves by newspaper giant
USA Today’s recent debacle over its deleted op-ed penned by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is the latest in a series of bizarre editorial decisions made by the newspaper giant.
Fox News Digital broke the story last week about how several USA Today Network’s Louisiana-based newspapers quietly removed Kennedy’s opinion piece on his opposition towards trans athletes competing in women’s sports from their websites without telling the lawmaker and replacing it with an error message.
Its parent company Gannett told Fox News Digital the op-ed “did not meet our ethical guidelines, which state we will treat people with respect” and stood by its decision to pull the op-ed despite the fact that it did not express any objections to the senator’s piece before publishing. Kennedy accused Gannett of trying to “silence the position it disagrees with.”
After Fox News Digital reached out seeking comment, Gannett added a disclaimer to the once-broken links noting the content “has been removed because it did not meet our editorial standards.”
But this isn’t the first time that the editorial staff at USA Today has raised eyebrows.
USA TODAY NEWSPAPERS QUIETLY DELETE GOP SENATOR’S OP-ED ON TRANS ATHLETES WITHOUT TELLING HIM
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., accused USA Today of trying to “silence” him after the newspaper giant quietly removed his op-ed about trans athletes without telling him. (REUTERS/Larry Downing)
In March 2021, USA Today published an op-ed from Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who appeared to support boycotts against her state during the uproar at the time over a GOP-backed election reform law ahead of her second bid for governor.
“The impassioned response to the racist, classist bill that is now the law of Georgia is to boycott in order to achieve change,” Abrams originally wrote. “Events hosted by major league baseball, world class soccer, college sports and dozens of Hollywood films hang in the balance. At the same time, activists urge Georgians to swear off of hometown products to express our outrage. Until we hear clear, unequivocal statements that show Georgia-based companies get what’s at stake, I can’t argue with an individual’s choice to opt for their competition.”
She continued, “However, one lesson of boycotts is that the pain of deprivation must be shared to be sustainable. Otherwise, those least resilient bear the brunt of these actions; and in the aftermath, they struggle to access the victory. And boycotts are complicated affairs that require a long-term commitment to action. I have no doubt that voters of color, particularly Black voters, are willing to endure the hardships of boycotts. But I don’t think that’s necessary — yet… I ask you to bring your business to Georgia and, if you’re already here, stay and fight. Stay and vote.”
USA TODAY UNDER FIRE FOR ALLOWING STACEY ABRAMS TO RETROACTIVELY EDIT OP-ED TO DOWNPLAY BOYCOTT SUPPORT
USA Today was under fire after it allowed Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams to edit her op-ed so that she can water down her support of boycotts after the MLB pulled its 2021 All-Star game out of Atlanta. (Dustin Chambers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
However, after the MLB pulled its All-Star game from Atlanta in protest of the law, USA Today allowed Abrams to retroactively edit her op-ed to water down her boycott support without placing an editor’s note.
“The impassioned (and understandable) response to the racist, classist bill that is now the law of Georgia is to boycott in order to achieve change. Events that can bring millions of dollars to struggling families hang in the balance. Major League Baseball pulled both its All-Star Game and its draft from Georgia, which could cost our state nearly $100 million in lost revenue,” Abrams’ revisions read. “Rather than accept responsibility for their craven actions, Republican leaders blame me and others who have championed voting rights (and actually read the bill). Their faux outrage is designed to hide the fact that they prioritized making it harder for people of color to vote over the economic well-being of all Georgians. To add to the injury, the failed former president is now calling for cancellation of baseball as the national pastime.”
“Boycotts invariably also cost jobs. To be sustainable, the pain of deprivation must be shared rather than borne by those who are least resilient… I have no doubt that voters of color, particularly Black voters, are willing to endure the hardships of boycotts. But such monetary loss is unlikely to affect the stubborn, frightened Republicans who see voter suppression as their only way to win. Money isn’t quite as seductive as political power to these putative leaders. “
Her revised op-ed adds, “Instead of a boycott, I strongly urge other events and productions to do business in Georgia and speak out against our law and similar proposals in other states.”
A spokesperson for Gannett at the time told Fox News Digital, “We regret the oversight in updating the Stacey Abrams column. As soon as we recognized there was no editor’s note, we added it to the page to reflect her changes. We have reviewed our procedures to ensure this does not occur again.”
EX-USA TODAY EDITOR TELLS WHY HE SPOKE OUT AGAINST THE PAPER’S WOKE REPORTING: ‘THE PLACE HAS GONE OFF THE RAILS’
Later that year, USA Today was caught stealth-editing multiple pieces after its sports columnist decried the “racist” Atlanta Braves team name.
Bob Nightengale, USA Today’s MLB writer, penned a piece titled “MLB, club won’t budge on Atlanta baseball team’s nickname, but here’s why I won’t use it” that began by listing the “blatantly racist” caricatures and the “offensive” mascot that were previously removed and how headdresses, face paint and the famous “tomahawk chop” chant at games became “strongly discouraged.”
“In recent years, I have tried to avoid using Atlanta’s nickname in columns,” Nightengale wrote. “Copy editors have occasionally changed it in my copy because until now this has been my private stance. Several readers picked up on the name appearing in my articles during Atlanta’s World Series run, and after talking it over with my editors, I have decided to explain my stance here and make more of a concerted effort to keep the name out of my columns.”
USA Today was caught stealth editing its columns to scrub “Braves” from its pieces about the Atlanta Braves after its sports writer decried the team name as racist.. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Nightengale’s past coverage of the Braves underwent a jarring makeover. His column from the weekend originally had the headline, “Sweet revenge: Atlanta Braves knock off Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to World Series,” according to The Wayback Machine. That was changed to read, “Sweet revenge: Atlanta knocks off Los Angeles Dodgers to advance to World Series.”
Every reference to the “Braves” was removed from the piece.
The stealth-editing similarly occurred with another piece, originally titled, “Mighty Dodgers are reeling, frustrated after two walk-off NLCS wins for the Braves,” now titled “Mighty Dodgers are reeling, frustrated after two walk-off NLCS wins for Atlanta.” All uses of the word “Braves” in the piece were also scrubbed.
USA TODAY STEALTH EDITS, SCRUBS ‘BRAVES’ FROM COLUMNS AS SPORTS WRITER DECRIES ‘RACIST’ TEAM NAME
Both articles were timestamped as “updated” on Oct. 25, two days before Nightengale’s piece slamming the Braves team name was published. No editor’s note was initially added acknowledging the changes, though one of them included an unrelated correction.
A spokesperson referred to the stealth-edits as an “oversight,” telling Fox News Digital the stories have been “corrected” with an editor’s note, which reads, “A previous version of this column was edited to remove the team name after it had been originally published. Due to an editing change, the team name was inserted without the author’s knowledge.”
David Mastio, a former deputy editorial page editor for USA Today, left Gannett in 2022 after roughly 25 years because of its left-wing transformation.
“USA Today had always previously been a place that welcomed vocal conservatives, that welcomed having my opinion out there. And, you know, I just didn’t feel it was that kind of place anymore. And so I needed to leave,” Mastio previously told Fox News Digital. “And I certainly wasn’t going to get promoted again, and I wasn’t going to be the next editorial page editor. So, you know, they said the next time I screwed up, I was going to be fired. So I thought it was better to leave before being fired.”
FORMER USA TODAY EDITOR WARNS GANNETT: YOU’RE ON A ‘ROAD TO RUIN’ BY WRITING OFF HALF THE COUNTRY
Before leaving on his own terms, Mastio threatened to take legal action against Gannett following a nasty feud that began when he wrote on social media “People who are pregnant are also women,” which he said was in response to a USA Today report that claimed transgender men can get pregnant.
By the time Mastio left USA Today, a “good number of conservatives” who worked in the newsroom were either laid off or accepted buyouts over the years and were “replaced with the young, inexpensive, woke workers.”
He was compelled to speak out after it was reported that Gannett was scaling back the editorial pages of its newspapers in an effort to combat readers’ perception of liberal bias, but he was particularly irked when his former boss, then-USA Today opinion editor Kristen DelGuzzi, claimed, “This is part of the overall evolution of our industry… The opinion pages feel like the last part of the newsroom to evolve.”
“I just thought that was wildly untrue. And it made me want to say something,” Mastio told Fox News Digital. “The conservative editorial pages had been shut down and replaced with liberal editorial pages all over the country… and I thought that the opinion sections going out across the country had evolved a lot over the last ten years and that readers had decided that they weren’t good anymore. And so I thought that story needed to be told.”
Mastio offered a direct plea to Gannett to change its ways “before it’s too late.”
“There are tons of really good people and really good journalists across Gannett’s newspapers, and I think that they’re putting themselves on a road to ruin by writing off half of their readers, half of their potential customers,” Mastio said. “And I would much rather have Gannett be saved because there’s so much good there than this small group of loud, woke journalists, you know, driving it into a ditch.”
Gannett did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Family member of American killed by Cuban forces in boat shootout says he was on ‘diabolical’ mission
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The brother of an American citizen killed in a brazen boat clash with Cuban forces says his sibling was consumed by an “obsessive and diabolical” push to free the island and that “no one knew” what he was planning.
American citizen Michel Ortega Casanova, who worked as a truck driver, was one of 10 passengers on a Florida-registered boat that allegedly opened fire on Cuban soldiers in an attempt to infiltrate the island.
A Monroe County Sheriff’s Office incident report obtained by Fox News noted the boat’s owner reported it stolen Wednesday after hearing about the Cuba shootout on the news.
The owner, who did not speak English, told deputies his 24-foot vessel went missing, and he suspected an employee named Hector — who had two young daughters in Cuba — may have taken it.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed an incident involving Cuban forces and a speedboat Wednesday before returning to Washington, D.C., after meetings with Caribbean Community leaders at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Reuters)
Ortega Casanova, who lived in the U.S. for more than two decades, was one of four killed in the attempt. He is survived by his wife, mother, brother, two sisters, daughter and unborn grandchild.
Six other passengers, all Cubans living in the U.S., were injured. It is unclear if Hector was on board.
Ortega Casanova’s brother, Misael, told The Associated Press Wednesday that his brother had an “obsessive and diabolical” pursuit for Cuba’s freedom.
“Only us Cubans who have lived over there understand [the great suffering],” Misael said.
He said “no one knew” about his brother’s plans to infiltrate the island, noting their mother is “devastated.”
“They became so obsessed that they didn’t think about the consequences nor their own lives,” Misael said.
While Ortega Casanova’s family did not recognize any of the other passengers, Misael said, “maybe [the attempt] will justify that some day Cuba will be free.”
CUBA IS APPROACHING ITS BERLIN WALL MOMENT — AMERICA MUST HELP THEM BREAK THROUGH
Cuban Coast Guard forces reported an exchange of gunfire with a U.S.-registered speedboat Wednesday. (Yamil Lage/AFP via Getty Images)
He refrained from labeling the group heroes, describing the idea as “ignorance.”
Cuban officials said many of the boat passengers, who were intercepted roughly a mile northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s north coast, had a known history of criminal and violent activity.
Passengers Amijail Sánchez González and Leordan Enrique Cruz Gómez were wanted by Cuban authorities for their involvement in the “promotion, planning, organization, financing, support or commission of actions carried out in the national territory or in other countries, in connection with acts of terrorism,” according to the government.
Cuban politician Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla posted to X after the incident, claiming a “rigorous investigation” is being conducted to clarify the facts.
CUBA IDENTIFIES 32 MILITARY PERSONNEL KILLED IN US OPERATION AGAINST MADURO REGIME IN VENEZUELA
“Cuba has had to face numerous terrorist and aggressive infiltrations originating from #EEUU since 1959, at a high cost in lives, injuries, and material damage,” Rodriguez Parrilla wrote in a post. “The defense of Cuba’s coasts, of the national territory, and of national security is an ineludible duty.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is working to determine whether the passengers were American citizens or permanent residents.
U.S. officials said at least two of the people on the bat were U.S. citizens, and another was on a U.S. K-1 visa — which is granted to fiancées of U.S. citizens for 90 days.
“We have various different elements of the U.S. government that are trying to identify elements of the story that may not be provided to us now,” Rubio told reporters in Basseterre, St. Kitts.
“Suffice it to say, it is highly unusual to see shootouts in open sea like that. It’s not something that happens every day. It’s something, frankly, that hasn’t happened with Cuba in a very long time.”
Cuban officials said the vessel’s passengers were intercepted off the country’s northern coast. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto)
RUSSIA WARNS AGAINST ‘PROVOCATIVE ACTIONS’ AROUND CUBA AFTER 4 KILLED ONBOARD US-REGISTERED SPEEDBOAT
Rubio said the U.S. will verify the facts independently, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.
Vice President JD Vance said he was briefed on the incident, and the White House is monitoring the situation.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as we fear it could be,” Vance said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier said prosecutors will work with federal, state and law enforcement partners to start an investigation.
“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” Uthmeier wrote in a social media post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related Article
Read the full article from Here
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A North Carolina woman whose disappearance in 2001 triggered a 24-year search is now facing criminal charges from the year she vanished.
Michele Hundley Smith, now 63, was located Feb. 20 at an undisclosed location within North Carolina after detectives received new information about her case, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said.
Smith was 38 when her husband reported that she left their Eden home Dec. 9, 2001, to go Christmas shopping in Martinsville, Virginia, and never returned. Her vehicle was never found.
An extensive investigation followed, and, despite years of investigative work, her whereabouts remained unknown until last week.
The 63-year-old woman posted $2,000 bond on a failure to appear charge related to a DWI from the month before she vanished for 24 years. (Robeson County Sheriff’s Office)
Authorities said Smith told investigators she left on her own accord and referenced “domestic issues.”
Sheriff Sam Page told Fox News Digital the sheriff’s office had no prior record of domestic incidents at the home. No criminal charges are expected in her disappearance. However, following her identification, investigators discovered an outstanding order for arrest dating back to 2001.
A missing persons flyer circulated at the time of Michele Hundely Smith’s disappearance in December 2001. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
MISSING NORTH CAROLINA MOM FOUND ALIVE AFTER 24 YEARS REVEALS WHY SHE LEFT
In a statement, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said that, after consultation with the District Attorney’s Office and further investigation, authorities identified an outstanding order for arrest for Smith for failure to appear.
FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X
The order stemmed from a DWI charge issued by the Eden Police Department Nov. 11, 2001. Smith failed to appear in court Dec. 27, 2001, for that charge, the statement said.
On Feb. 25, 2026, Smith was taken into custody by the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office at the request of Rockingham County authorities. She later posted a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Rockingham County District Court March 26, 2026.
A missing mom found alive after 23 years reveals she left due to domestic issues. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER
On Thursday, the New York Post reported it had located Smith in a trailer in a rural community near the South Carolina state line. Smith told the outlet she is trying to make amends with her daughter and the family she walked out on decades ago.
“My daughter is forgiving me. We are in contact, so leave me alone,” she told the outlet.
Smith’s neighbors said she had “been here for years and years” and mostly keeps to herself.
“We asked why she didn’t come out of the house much, and she said her husband passed. He passed last year. … She was really sad about it. She said she was depressed and stayed inside,” the neighbor said.
Michele Hundely Smith disappeared after leaving her home in North Carolina to go Christmas shopping in Virginia in December 2001. (Bring Michele Hundely Smith Home/Facebook)
In a 2018 interview on “The Vanished Podcast,” her daughter, Amanda Hundley, said her mother’s marriage was unraveling under the weight of alcohol abuse, infidelity and escalating marital arguments.
Smith had recently lost her job at a veterinary practice after being fired for drinking on the job, Hundley said.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB
“My dad didn’t like the fact that my mom hid her drinking. I knew about it, and I was the only one. And I felt, you know, I was young, and I felt obligated not to say anything to betray my mom,” Hundley said on the podcast.
SEND US A TIP HERE
According to Hundley, her father suspected the drinking but did not fully understand the extent of it until after Smith vanished.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“He said, ‘Do you know where she kept the bottles at?’ And I showed them we had a little red building outside, and it was full of rum bottles, the empties, the ones that she had already drunk,” recalled Hundley, who was 14 at the time.
The couple’s relationship had also deteriorated. Hundley said both her parents had affairs during the marriage. She described frequent arguments that “got physical a few times.”
Related Article
Read the full article from Here
Southeast
Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’
MAHA eyes SNAP, school lunch restrictions for junk food
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the Trump administration’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative, detailing new efforts to restrict ultra-processed foods in school lunches and limiting SNAP benefit purchases.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An Atlanta-area police department issued a blunt notice to parents after officers claimed a child brought a vodka-based beverage to school — tucked beside Doritos in a packed lunch.
The City of South Fulton Police Department sounded off about the incident in a now-viral Facebook post, warning parents to “CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX.”
“Say Twin… Before you send them babies off to school… CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX. Because why are we getting reports of juice boxes sitting next to… Cutwater margaritas??” the department wrote.
Officials also shared a photo of the alleged lunchbox, containing what appears to be a child’s lunch, Doritos and a Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini.
The police department shared a photo of a Cutwater canned cocktail in a lunchbox. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
“That is NOT Capri Sun. That is NOT Apple Juice. That is a whole ‘Parent had a long night’ starter pack,” the department wrote. “Now little Johnny done pulled up to 3rd period talking about: ‘Who want fruit snacks?’ knowing good and well he got a Lemon Drop Martini in the zipper pocket.”
Cutwater Lemon Drop Martinis, as found in the lunchbox, are 11% ABV ready-to-drink cocktails made with vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and natural flavors.
They come in 12-ounce cans, similar in appearance to a soda can.
The City of South Fulton Police Department issued a statement after the apparent mishap. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
CALIFORNIA ‘PARTY MOM’ ACCUSED OF GROOMING VICTIMS FOR SEX, DRINKING IN RITZY MANSION, TEENS TESTIFY AT TRIAL
The department said it understands mornings can be hectic, but issued a stern notice to parents to “TIGHTEN UP.”
“Your child shouldn’t be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID,” authorities wrote. “If it says 12% ABV… it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.”
Officials also provided a “quick parent checklist,” with items including: “Homework,” “Lunch packed,” and “Alcoholic beverages.”
Boxes of Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai and Strawberry Margarita canned cocktails. (Gado/Getty Images)
“Check the lunchbox before the Fulton County Schools Police resource officers gotta do inventory at recess,” the department added.
It is unclear if any parents or students were disciplined in relation to the mix-up.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fulton County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The City of South Fulton, Georgia, is a rapidly growing municipality located about 20 minutes from Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Related Article
Read the full article from Here
South Dakota lawmakers push bill criminalizing deepfakes nearer to governor’s desk
Vanderbilt Basketball Guard Leaves Program Ahead of Tennessee Matchup – Knoxville Today
Democrat James Talarico wins Senate primary in Texas
‘Don’t release him ever. Please.’ Family of slain Utah teen calls for justice at parole hearing
6 of the Quirkiest Towns in Vermont
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
US submarine sinks Iranian warship by torpedo in a first since World War II
Which oil and gas facilities in the Gulf have been attacked?
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of former supreme leader, tipped to become Iran’s next head of state
Video: Senators Question Kristi Noem on ICE Immigration Tactics
Combustible Republican Senate primary in Texas heading into overtime
-
World7 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts7 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO7 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Florida3 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Maryland3 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Oregon5 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Wisconsin3 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin