Officials in the state of Washington have agreed to water down a child abuse law after pressure from the Trump administration and local Catholic leaders.
Catholic bishops and the Trump administration had filed lawsuits seeking to overturn a bill signed by Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat and a Catholic, that required faith leaders of all denominations to report allegations of abuse they received in private religious settings — including confession. Though the Catholic Church has a documented history of enabling child sexual abuse, the sponsor of Washington’s bill said the legislation was inspired by reports of abuse within Jehovah’s Witness churches.
Catholic leaders have argued that being forced to report admissions made during a confession amounts to religious discrimination. And after a federal court temporarily blocked the law in July, Washington’s attorney general said late last week that the law will be pared back:
Clergy in Washington will remain mandatory reporters under stipulations filed today by the state Attorney General’s Office and the plaintiffs in lawsuits against the state over Senate Bill 5375. Under the stipulations, however, the state and county prosecutors have agreed — as the court ordered — not to enforce reporting requirements for information clergy learn solely through confession or its equivalent in other faiths. The stipulation now awaits approval by the court.
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Most states have so-called clergy-penitent privilege laws that effectively shield religious leaders from having to report child abuse claims they hear in confessional settings. A 2022 report by Boston’s NPR station, WBUR, detailed how this loophole has protected churches from prosecutions and civil lawsuits from victims seeking accountability. Washington had sought to join the few other states without such protections.
In Washington, the governor had denounced the lawsuit filed by Catholic bishops in his state, with Ferguson saying that he was “disappointed my Church is filing a federal lawsuit to protect individuals who abuse kids.”
Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, said in a statement last week that “preventing abuse and upholding the sacred seal of confession are not mutually exclusive — we can and must do both.”
The Washington Wizards dropped their first preseason matchup to the Toronto Raptors 113-112. The squad made a remarkable comeback in the fourth quarter, giving themselves a chance to win it with 4.2 seconds remaining. Will Riley got the ball and drove to the rim, drawing the foul. He hit both his free throws to give Washington the lead with less than a second remaining. Then, Olivier Sarr hit a game-winning alley-oop layup to win the game for Toronto.
It was an unfortunate way for the game to end, but there was a ton of great information to take away. From rookie debuts to returning players shaking off the rust, here are the studs and duds from the loss.
Alex Sarr was cleared to play just days before the first preseason game, so it was expected he would have some rust. However, Sarr was arguably the best player for the Wizards in this loss. The starting center recorded 12 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and even knocked down a three-pointer in his 17 minutes of action.
It was only a small sample size, but he took the leap. A big concern was his efficiency, and Sarr was living inside the paint in this game. Definitely, he was a wall, not allowing anything inside the paint. Overall, Sarr looked great, and if he keeps up these performances, he will find his way on these lists plenty of times during the season.
This was a horrible season debut for Bub Carrington; there is no other way to put it. Carrington was a -38 on the night and did not make a single shot from the field. His only points came from the free throw line, as he recorded four points, two assists, and one rebound. The point guard also had four turnovers in 23 minutes of play.
The only thing Carrington looked decent at was defense. He had a nice block at the beginning of the game and was decent out on the perimeter. However, that is not enough to overlook what was just a horrible offensive outing.
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In his first game as a member of the Wizards, CJ McCollum was on fire offensively. The veteran guard finished his debut with 19 points on five for nine shooting from distance, five rebounds, and two assists. He was the offensive threat that kept the Wizards in the game during the first half.
Other than offense, there is nothing to highlight for McCollum. He needs to get around 25 points a night, and this game shows he can actually average close to 30 points. If McCollum played in the fourth quarter, the Wizards could have easily won this game.
Although Tristan Vukcevic said he was trying to be like Nikola Jokic after playing with him in EuroBasket, he was far from being one of the best players in the world. Just like Carrington, it was a hideous game for the Serbian. Vukcevic finished his night with nine points after hitting all five of his free throws and four rebounds.
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The point total is very deceiving, as he was actually generating negative points for the Wizards, finishing with a -30. He had four turnovers and caused multiple turnovers as his spacing was deplorable. He seemed to have zero feel on offense and looked confused like a lost puppy. It is not too far-fetched to say Marvin Bagley should get more playing time than Vukcevic.
Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
One of the best things about living in the Pacific Time Zone is that, during college football season, games start at 9 a.m. What a way to start the day. For our Washington State Cougars today, kickoff at 9:45 a.m. allows us to watch the slaughter and then get on with our day by lunchtime. Nobody has it better than us.
Except Ole Miss, probably. The Runnin’ Rebels are ranked no. 4 nationwide and sit atop the mighty SEC. They have a head coach who’s certainly changed the narrative around his name and just knocked off LSU, which was previously ranked no. 4.
They’re 33.5-point favorites today, which means this one could be over by the second quarter.
Nothing about our Cougs has them in the “advantage” column when sizing this one up. The Cougs had a bye week to get healthy (and apparently bond over hot yoga), but nothing this season tells me they have a prayer today. Ole Miss has a dual threat quarterback who’s playing nearly lights out. They like to wear you down with their running game. They like to make you miss tackles, something WSU is prone to do. They have beasts on the defensive line, as all SEC teams seemingly have.
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Simply put, the Cougs just don’t have the Jimmys and Joes to compete. But at least they’ll get a solid payday out of this one.
It’s been a while since WSU went into SEC territory. For those at the game, I’m sure the atmosphere is worth the trip, as nearly all SEC venues and tailgate parties are. But this one isn’t going to end pretty.
Talk about the car wreck here!
9:45 a.m. PT, perfect for pancakes and pigskin.
Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. It holds just over 64,000, which is twice the population of Pullman.
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You’ll need the SEC Network for this one. Taylor Zarzour and Matt Stinchcomb on the call. No, I haven’t heard of them, either.
Ole Miss is anywhere from 32.5-point favorites to 33.5-point favorites, depending on where you get your gambling odds. Does it really matter, though?
Remember De’Zhaun Stribling? The former WSU wide receiver transferred from WSU to Oklahoma State and now finds himself at Ole Miss. He has 11 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown thus far for the Rebs.
How about Kapena Gushiken? He spent two seasons at WSU and started 16 games. Gushiken played a big role for the Cougs and now finds himself in an Ole Miss uniform. He has 12 tackles this year on defense.
Ben Verbrugge is a freelance sportswriter with a journalism degree from CSU Dominguez Hills. He is a member of the Los Angeles media and spends most of his time covering the NBA, NFL, and MLB. When not writing, he is either playing or watching sports.
Ben Verbrugge
Contributing Sports Network
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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-2) travel to Husky Stadium at Canvas Stadium to face the Washington Huskies (4-1) in a Big Ten Conference College Football matchup.
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Jonah Coleman #1 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on October 04, 2025 in College Park, Maryland. Jonah Coleman #1 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on October 04, 2025 in College Park, Maryland. G Fiume/Getty Images
How to Watch Rutgers vs Washington
When: Friday, October 10, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM ET
Where: Husky Stadium
TV Channel: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)
The Scarlet Knights won their first three games of the season, but have lost two straight since conference play began. Their last outing was a 31-28 loss on September 27 at Minnesota. The game was back-and-forth, with Rutgers holding a 28-24 lead deep into the fourth quarter before Minnesota’s Drake Lindsey found Javon Tracy in the endzone for a 4-yard touchdown pass to take the final lead.
Washington has had a fantastic start to their season, with their lone loss coming against No. 1 Ohio State (24-6). Their last game was a tough come-from-behind 24-20 win on the road against Maryland, where they trailed 20-0 early in the third quarter. The Huskies held Maryland to just 274 yards of total offense, completely shutting down their attack late in the game. A 1-yard touchdown run from Jonah Coleman sealed the deal with 3:21 remaining.
This is a great college football matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
Live stream Rutgers vs Washington on Fubo: Watch the event now!
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