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Drag queen blasts GOP candidate for Arizona governor

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Drag queen blasts GOP candidate for Arizona governor


PHOENIX – Kari Lake, the frontrunner within the Republican main for Arizona governor, condemned the rising cultural clout of drag queens, leaping into the newest social grievance taking maintain on the best.

However her feedback have been rapidly criticized over the weekend by one of the crucial in style drag performers in Phoenix, who says Lake is a hypocrite who frequented his performances.

Richard Stevens, who performs as Barbra Seville, mentioned Lake, a former tv information anchor, recurrently attended drag exhibits and even employed him to decorate as Marilyn Monroe at a personal get together and introduced her younger daughter. He posted pictures on his social media accounts of Lake posing with drag queens and screenshots of his conversations with her.

The dispute between the gubernatorial frontrunner and the distinguished drag queen drew nationwide consideration and put Lake on the defensive two weeks earlier than early voting begins forward of Arizona’s Aug. 2 main. It additionally fuels a persistent criticism of Lake’s conversion from Barack Obama donor to Donald Trump conservative.

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“They kicked God out of colleges and welcomed the Drag Queens,” Lake tweeted on Friday evening. “They took down our Flag and changed it with a rainbow. They search to disarm People and militarize our Enemies. Let’s carry again the fundamentals: God, Weapons & Glory.”

Stevens responded on social media the following morning: “I’ve carried out for her. I’ve carried out for her household. I’ve met her youngsters. I’ve been in her residence, and I’ve her non-public telephone quantity and her non-public Fb account.”

He informed The Related Press on Monday that he stayed in contact with Lake and privately defended her at the same time as she ran a far-right marketing campaign that he disagreed with. However when she got here after drag queens, he mentioned, “this hypocrisy actually bothered me.”

“I used to be simply personally offended by that tweet,” Stevens mentioned.

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Stevens mentioned he first met Lake within the late Nineteen Nineties, when he carried out recurrently at a homosexual bar close to the KSAZ studios, the place Lake was a night anchor. He mentioned Lake and her coworkers would typically cease by the bar’s weekly drag present after the published, and he acknowledged her from watching the information. They finally struck up a friendship, he mentioned. She would ask him for sources to debate points affecting the LGBTQ group, and he sometimes appeared on Fox 10 broadcasts.

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Lake as soon as employed him to carry out as Marilyn Monroe at a coworker’s child bathe a couple of decade in the past, and there he met her daughter, whom he remembers being round 9 or 10 years previous.

As Stevens’ submit rapidly gained traction on social media Saturday, Lake’s marketing campaign initially responded by drawing a distinction between a drag performer and a person impersonating a feminine superstar.

The marketing campaign published a statement Sunday condemning the media for masking the controversy and threatening to sue Stevens for defamation.

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“Like most sane individuals, Kari Lake may be very a lot against grown males or ladies dancing provocatively for kids, particularly on the expense of the taxpayer,” the assertion mentioned. “Why would anybody be against this?”

The assertion known as Stevens a “gifted comic and performer that Kari Lake coated throughout her TV profession” and pointed to his assist for Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

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A spokesman for Lake, Russ Trumble, declined to remark additional Monday, saying “it’s a authorized matter now.”

Lake jumped rapidly into the frontrunner’s place after launching a marketing campaign that energized the GOP base and earned Trump’s endorsement. She has aggressively promoted false claims that the 2020 election was marred by fraud. However she faces a problem from businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson, who’s household fortune has allowed her to vastly outspend Lake on tv advertisements, and from former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon.

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Drag exhibits function males dressing in flamboyant ladies’s clothes whereas dancing and singing or lip-syncing. As soon as a comparatively obscure subculture, they’ve have exploded into the mainstream with the recognition of the tv hit “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Some performances, notably light-night occasions at bars, will be risque. Others are promoted as household pleasant affairs, reminiscent of drag queen story hour.

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Lake’s drag queen tweet latched onto a problem that caught fireplace this month with conservatives across the nation who say drag exhibits are sexualizing kids.

Lawmakers in a number of states have launched laws making an attempt to ban kids from drag exhibits, and GOP leaders of the Arizona Senate say they’ve plans for the same invoice.

“The actual fact is, drag has existed eternally,” Stevens mentioned. “I’ve been doing drag longer than Kari has been a Republican. However if you wish to outlaw drag in entrance of children, you higher liberate your calendar as a result of it’s ingrained in our tradition. The primary drag queen I noticed was Buggs Bunny.”

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Copyright 2022 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.





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Arizona

How to watch Arizona State football vs. UCF: TV channel, live stream, prediction

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How to watch Arizona State football vs. UCF: TV channel, live stream, prediction


The Arizona State football team is 5-0 at home this season.

But they have yet to play in front of a crowd like the one expected at Mountain America Stadium on Saturday afternoon vs. BYU.

“We’ve already sold out [for the BYU game],” Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said during his Monday press conference. “There’s like a thousand person wait line for tickets. For The Valley to be able to experience what they get to experience, which is an unbelievable college football environment on Saturday, is what we need to get people bought back into here. That there’s nothing that can replicate it. We haven’t had one like this yet since I’ve been here.”

In the biggest game for Arizona State (8-2) in more than a decade, they are 3.5-point favorites over BYU (9-1). The winner will have a great shot at a berth in the Big 12 football championship game. The loser will be all but eliminated.

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Quarterback play will be a huge factor on Saturday. Over the last three weeks Arizona State redshirt freshman QB Sam Leavitt has arguably been the best quarterback in the nation. In wins over Oklahoma State, UCF and Kansas State, Leavitt completed 65% of his passes for 740 yards and 9 touchdowns, with no interceptions. He also rushed for 69 yards.

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, a senior, has had a big season, throwing for 2,283 yards and 19 touchdowns, and rushing for 312 yards and 4 TDs. But he has struggled in the passing game the last two weeks. He completed just 45.5% of his passes and didn’t throw a TD pass in BYU’s 22-21 road win over rival Utah. In last week’s 17-13 home loss to Kansas he passed for just 192 yards, with one TD and one interception.

Which QB will rise to the occasion on Saturday? Stay tuned. Here are the details on how to watch and follow Arizona State’s Big 12 showdown vs. BYU on Saturday:

Arizona State vs. BYU TV Channel, Live Stream, Betting Odds

Who: Arizona State (8-2, 5-2) vs. BYU (9-1, 6-1) in a Big 12 football game

When: 1:30 p.m. MST | Saturday, November 23

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Where: Mountain America Stadium | Tempe, Arizona

Live Stream: Stream Arizona State-BYU live on fuboTV (Start your free trial)

TV Channel: ESPN

Our Prediction: Arizona State 30, BYU 27

Betting Odds: Arizona State is favored by 3.5 points per FanDuel Sportsbook

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Live Updates, HighlightsFollow the game on Arizona State On SI for live updates and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup

More Arizona State & Big 12 Analysis



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Flagg quiets Arizona crowd as Duke aces road test

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Flagg quiets Arizona crowd as Duke aces road test


TUCSON, Ariz. — Seconds after No. 12 Duke’s players ran onto the court for pregame introductions at the McKale Center on Friday night, someone in the crowd hurled a beer can in their direction.

That moment did not define the largely positive and vibrant atmosphere at the arena, where Cooper Flagg’s 24-point effort led the Blue Devils to a 69-55 win over No. 17 Arizona.

But throughout the game, building security and local police gathered near Duke’s tunnel and the team’s family and friends section because of concerns that additional objects would be thrown, sources told ESPN. Those same security and police personnel also entered the Arizona student section at halftime to address at least one fan’s behavior.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he didn’t notice the off-court chaos, a metaphor for the way his team responded in its first true road game of the season.

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“I didn’t even see that,” Scheyer said afterward about the beer-can incident. “First of all, I thought the environment and atmosphere was top notch. I mean, people were respectful. I thought there was just a big-time college basketball crowd, but at the end of the day, the crowd doesn’t control how you defend, how you sprint back on defense, how you take care of the ball.”

More than 14,000-plus gathered for the highly anticipated matchup involving a pair of teams that hadn’t met in Tucson since the 1980s. The notable personalities in the crowd gave the game a prime-time vibe. Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, and his teammates faced an Arizona squad led by Caleb Love, a preseason All-American.

Mike Bibby and Gilbert Arenas, a pair of former NBA stars who anchored some of Arizona’s greatest teams, sat in the front row. Phoenix Suns star Bradley Beal found his seat next to theirs early in the game, and Beal’s teammates Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen — who starred on Duke’s 2014-15 national title team — sat behind the Blue Devils’ bench.

Bryce James, son of LeBron James and a prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, also attended the matchup with his mother, Savannah James.

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Flagg delivered his best performance this season in another high-profile matchup, more than a week after he committed multiple turnovers in the final seconds of a loss to Kentucky in the Champions Classic in Atlanta. Arizona seemed to corral him in the first half, but Flagg dominated after the break, scoring 16 points.

Flagg, who shot 10-of-22 from the field, also finished with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.

“He is tall, athletic and he can finish over a lot of bodies,” Arizona’s Jaden Bradley, who led his team with 18 points, said of Flagg. “He’s just super athletic. I feel like we did a good job of containing him in the first half. I think we just went away from the game plan and then didn’t talk, didn’t communicate as a group and he found openings in our defense. He provides mismatch problems for them. We get a smaller guard on him, he can take us inside and use his strength, his height advantage. We get a bigger guy on him, he can play quick, play fast and be able to shoot over the top or get by him.”

As his team entered halftime, Scheyer said, “We’ve been here before,” referencing Duke’s halftime lead over Kentucky in the Champions Classic loss. But Duke avoided a similar fate Friday when Flagg, Tyrese Proctor (8 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds) and Kon Knueppel (13 points, 3-for-6 on 3-pointers) wouldn’t yield.

“It was a high-level college basketball game,” Flagg said. “It was really physical, and they’re a very physical team. So I guess I found my footing [in the second half].”

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Arizona entered the game ranked top five in adjusted tempo on KenPom and the Wildcats were also the top offensive rebounding team in the country. But against the Blue Devils, Arizona scored only six points on fast breaks and grabbed only six offensive rebounds.

After the game, the fears of security and police personnel were not realized. There were no further incidents, and Duke’s players, staff, family members and friends all safely exited the building without issue.

The Blue Devils, who next face No. 1 Kansas in Las Vegas on Tuesday, had weathered storms on and off the court in their first true road test. Scheyer said he was impressed by his team’s resilience in a hostile environment, especially as Arizona tried to close the gap late.

“I thought there were a couple of stretches at the beginning of the second half late when I think it got cut to eight points … but to have the maturity to answer and then come back on defense, I think that’s a credit to these guys,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of game situations this year and in the preseason [in practice], but it’s really the maturity by them.”



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By the Numbers: Seahawks vs. Cardinals

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By the Numbers: Seahawks vs. Cardinals


The Seahawks and Cardinals are set to do battle at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday. This will be the first of two meetings over a three-week span between the NFC West rivals.

What numbers and themes are relevant in this game between frequent divisional opponents?

The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Arizona Cardinals. They last lost to Arizona on November 21, 2021, in Seattle. The Seahawks held the Cardinals to just 30 total points in the teams’ two matchups last year.

That is Kyler Murray’s record as a starter against the Seahawks. He hasn’t beaten Seattle since October 2020. That includes being sacked 12 times over the last three games. The Seahawks will need to continue to pressure Murray to keep him contained. Otherwise, he can hurt them with his legs or downfield in the passing game.

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That is how many points per game the Seahawks are allowing in their last two games as a defense. The defense has stepped it up after an abysmal showing against the Buffalo Bills. The Cardinals have the 13th-ranked scoring offense and 12th-ranked total offense in the NFL. If Seattle can ride this momentum on defense, they should be able to beat the Cardinals a sixth straight time.

Yards per rushing attempt by the Cardinals. That is the second-best in all the NFL. The running back tandem of James Conner and Trey Benson, alongside the lethal legs of quarterback Kyler Murray, make the Cardinals one of the most dynamic running teams in all of football. The Seahawks need to be disciplined in their run defense. If they are caught in the wrong gaps or miss tackles, the Cardinals could control the game on the ground.

Arizona’s pass rush win rate is next to last in the NFL. One of their top pass rushers has been former Seahawks first-round pick L.J. Collier. Dante Stills leads the team with 3.5 sacks. They rank 23rd in sacks as a team. Seattle’s offensive line needs to take advantage of not facing a stellar pass rush and give Geno Smith ample time to take shots downfield.

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman L.J. Collier (91) attempts to block a pass.

Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman L.J. Collier (91) attempts to block a pass by Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) on Sept. 15, 2024, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yards receiving for running back James Conner against the Jets. He is a big play threat in the passing game as well as on the ground. The defense will need to be aware of Conner’s whereabouts at all times. They cannot afford to let Conner create big plays in the passing game, as he did against the Jets two weeks ago.

The Seahawks need to set a goal of getting at least 23 first downs. The Cardinals are 0-4 when they allow their opponents to get at least 23 first downs and 6-0 when they hold teams under 23. The Seahawks have only reached 23 first downs once. Incredibly, they got 38 first downs in their loss to the Lions. Racking up first downs is a positive result of having an offense in sync and sustaining drives. The longer Seattle can sustain drives, the less chances Kyler Murray and Arizona’s offense will have to make impact plays.

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The Seahawks’ record over their six home games this season. This is a shocking development after the Seahawks enjoyed one of the best home-field advantages in all of the NFL for the better part of a decade. This includes having lost four straight. Their last win at home came on September 22 against the Dolphins. This game is a big opportunity to flip the script at home after a tough stretch.

Game Preview: Can Seahawks Retake NFC West Lead vs. Cardinals?

Noah Fant Questionable to Suit Up For Seahawks vs. Cardinals

Back Healthy, Abraham Lucas ‘Big Time Difference Maker’ For Seahawks’ O-Line

Seahawks Look To Restore Home-Field Advantage

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