Cleveland's new WNBA team rejects 'Lady Cavaliers' identity in unveiling of name, color scheme

Sirens: mythical creatures who perched along rocky shores, using their beautiful, hypnotic songs to lure unsuspecting sailors to their deaths.

Also, Cleveland’s new WNBA team.

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The expansion franchise unveiled its name, logo and colors Tuesday, officially introducing the Cleveland Sirens ahead of the team’s inaugural season in 2028.

The nautical branding is a nod to Lake Erie, but the organization had another objective in mind: making sure the new team did not look like a women’s version of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"We don't want to be the Lady Cavaliers, and we don't want to be wine and gold," Sirens President of Business Operations Allison Howard said. "We really need to be very separate, very distinctive."

The Sirens and Cavaliers are both owned by Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group and will share Rocket Arena. But Cleveland’s WNBA leadership made clear from the beginning that the two franchises should not share an identity.

Instead of borrowing the Cavaliers’ color scheme, the Sirens will use two shades of blue — appropriately named "Sirens Blue" and "Erie Blue." Their logo features the mythical creature beneath the team name, while the "S" in the wordmark contains a hidden "CLE."

"We love our Cavaliers, and they are such an amazing part of this organization," Howard said. "But this team can exist very much on the independent side of the Cavaliers."

Howard said the organization expects the Sirens to attract a different audience than the Cavaliers.

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"They eat different food, they drink different drinks," Howard said. "They get here earlier. They purchase merchandise differently, and they come from all over the state and even outside the state."

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Cleveland’s approach differs from several WNBA teams that share ownership with NBA counterparts. The Los Angeles Sparks mirror the Lakers’ purple and gold, while the Phoenix Mercury use the Suns’ purple and orange. The Minnesota Lynx and Timberwolves also feature similar combinations of blue and green, and the Indiana Fever share navy and gold with the Pacers, though the Fever incorporate red into their identity, too.

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The Sirens, however, are taking a path closer to the New York Liberty and Golden State Valkyries, which both separate themselves visually from their city’s NBA franchises.

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The Sirens will not be Cleveland’s first WNBA team.

The Cleveland Rockers were one of the league’s original eight franchises when the WNBA launched in 1997. Named as a tribute to the city’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockers played seven seasons before folding in 2003 after owner Gordon Gund was unable to find a buyer.

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Former Rockers player Janice Braxton narrated the Sirens’ introductory video, which carried the theme "Hear the Call." Braxton and several other former Rockers players also attended Tuesday’s unveiling.

The new franchise has already collected approximately 9,000 season-ticket deposits, and Howard expects that number to grow now that Cleveland fans finally know the name of their team.

source https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/clevelands-new-wnba-team-rejects-lady-cavaliers-identity-unveiling-name-color-scheme

Second lady Usha Vance gets candid about new baby, juggling four children and motherhood

FIRST ON FOX: In her first interview since the birth of her fourth child with Vice President JD Vance just a few weeks ago, Usha Vance described the joy of being a new mother all over again during a candid interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, August 4.

The interview came on the same day the newest episode of her popular podcast, "Storytime with the Second Lady," was set to go live. 

"It's been really lovely so far," she said of the experience of having four children, speaking from the Vice President's Residence. "One of the things that has just been beautiful to see is how excited my older kids are about their new brother. They're always fighting over holding him. When we do diaper changes or clothes changes, one of them is always there helping. They're willing to burp him, they want to grab things for him, they want to entertain him."

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She added, "So there's this really great way in which their needs are complementary with his."

Vice President Vance and his wife announced the birth of their fourth child in a July 20 Instagram post, as Fox News Digital previously reported. The couple said their baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born on Sunday morning, July 19. 

"We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning," the couple wrote. "Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother."

On Tuesday in her on-camera interview with Fox News Digital, Mrs. Vance called out the importance of doing things one on one with each of her children and the baby.

"They feel like they're getting their own personal time with both of us," she said. 

"For example, we go out [of the residence] and do something every day. And we've been doing that since the day we came home from the hospital. So yesterday was my middle child's day, and we went to a bookstore, we went to lunch — we did a quick return at a shop, and the whole time, it was just really special.

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"And we're trying to do that all the time. Now, I'm sure there are going to be hiccups here and there! But for right now, they seem to be really thriving."

She added, "My older kids see this as only good for themselves. Like, there's only one more kid to add to their pack. The parents are now outnumbered two to one!"

She referenced the jitters she had a bit ago — and how those were swiftly put to rest, and now part of the past.

"I would say I had all sorts of angst about this. My family [had] felt so complete. My kids were growing into a new phase," said Mrs. Vance. 

Now, she said, "I'm really glad that we took this plunge. I'm really glad that we decided to move into the unknown and do something that felt like a little bit of a risk to a settled and happy family dynamic because it's only become happier."

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"And we're looking forward to seeing what the next few years bring."

She is also continuing to expand and develop her podcast, "Storytime with the Second Lady."

The latest episode features author Jackie Oshry reading her children's book about summer camp. Mrs. Vance said the podcast is designed to encourage children not only to read books but also to imagine creating stories of their own.

"One of the things we're trying to do with this podcast is highlight authors of books to show [the children] that it's not just reading that you can do," she said. "You can imagine your own stories. You can write them yourself."

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So why this signature issue for her as second lady — and not others that she might have chosen? Mrs. Vance said that reading has long been one of her favorite hobbies and something she enjoys sharing with her own children. 

She said she chose literacy as one of her key initiatives because she wanted to make "a concrete change" while serving as second lady. She noted how critical it is that children in America develop a love of, and facility with, reading from a young age. 

She is also encouraging children in kindergarten through eighth grade to participate in the White House Summer Reading Challenge by reading 12 books before the end of August. Families who complete the challenge will be entered to win prizes — including a chance to visit the White House, she said.

In the waning weeks of summer, Mrs. Vance said her family is preparing for a new school year by gathering school supplies, organizing clothes and spending as much time outdoors as possible before classes begin for her older children.

"We're trying to make it a celebratory thing," she said of the family's back-to-school traditions. 

"Over the month of August, we slowly get everything prepared so it doesn't come as too much of a shock when they have to wake up at 6:30 again every morning."

President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post right after the Vances' new baby was born, "Congratulations! A perfect baby boy for the wonderful Vance family."

His post included a photo of the infant and two children.

source https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/second-lady-usha-vance-gets-candid-new-baby-juggling-four-children-motherhood

‘Special sauce of crazy’ — Midwest Dem candidate’s policies too extreme for voters: opponent

DETROIT, Michigan — Republican Mike Rogers is confident he'll defeat whichever Democratic rival he faces off with in the midterm elections in the crucial Senate showdown in this Great Lakes battleground state.

"It doesn't matter to us. We've looked at both candidates. We feel confident we're going to beat either one of those candidates that come out of that race," Rogers said in a Fox News Digital interview two days before Michigan's primary.

Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director who unsuccessfully ran an insurgent campaign for governor in 2018, is facing off for the Democratic Party's nomination in Michigan against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment. The primary race is the biggest battle to date in the party's ideological war between the far-left and the center-left.

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Rogers says both El-Sayed and Stevens "are very radical, and they are way too extreme for Michigan." And pointing to El-Sayed, he charged, "Abdul, he has his own special sauce of crazy."

The expensive and combustible scrum between El-Sayed and Stevens in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is bolstering Republicans and potentially endangering a must-hold seat in November for the Democrats as they face an uphill challenge to win back the Senate majority.

"That certainly helps," Rogers said as he pointed to the Democratic primary battle.

Rogers, a former congressman who lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan by a razor-thin margin while President Trump narrowly carried the state, touted that while the Democrats engage in what some describe as a civil war, "we've unified the Republican Party in a way I haven't seen in decades here on this particular race."

"We're building our team, our resources, and are ready for the fight after August 5 in a way I don't think Democrats are expecting," he highlighted.

El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation's first Muslim senator, has made support for Medicare-for-all a major component of his campaign.

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He has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide" against Palestinians. And El-Sayed, who served as a top surrogate on Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.

El-Sayed, who is backed by many leaders on the left and was joined on the campaign trail two weeks ago by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, has reiterated that he's not a socialist.

But Rogers argued that El-Sayed is "in a different league altogether about pushing that socialist agenda, Democrat Socialists of America are in Michigan working for him right now. They're parachuting in from all over the country."

"If you believe in the future of America and your own prosperity and your individual liberties, well…. We're going to talk about it because they've got plans to take all that away," Rogers claimed, as he pointed to the far left and El-Sayed. "And just because you're a smooth talker and could sell ice to an Eskimo doesn't mean people are ready to give up their rights."

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Both El-Sayed and Stevens are confident that Democrats will unite following Tuesday's primary.

"Let's make sure that anyone but Mike Rogers gets to the United States Senate," Stevens told reporters on Sunday. "After the primary, you're going to see a united Democratic Party. You are going to see us going full force, full fledge ahead."

And El-Sayed told Fox News Digital, "I think we all understand the risk of Donald Trump. We all understand the risk of Mike Rogers."

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"This is a guy who is not going to stand up and take on the war machine. He's not going to stand up and take on Big Pharma. He's not going to stand up and take on Big Tech. He is going to do the bidding of large corporations," El-Sayed argued as he referred to Rogers. "I think everybody understands what the stakes are. So I'm looking forward to welcoming everybody who might have voted differently in the primary."

Asked about El-Sayed's comments, Rogers charged, "The guy lies... this guy will lie from today until November 4, trying to get people to... walk past how bad he is for our state and our future in the country."

Fox News' Luke Trevisan contributed to this report.

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/special-sauce-crazy-midwest-dem-candidates-policies-too-extreme-voters-opponent

Chevron CEO warns Iran conflict has created 'very real' threat to global oil supplies as gas prices climb

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth warned of "very real" dangers for the global oil industry as tensions escalate in Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities fuel concerns over a potential new shipping crisis.

His comments come as oil prices climb following President Donald Trump’s pause on U.S. strikes against Iran and as Saudi Arabia reportedly builds an international coalition to protect vital shipping routes.

"We now see, not only the Strait of Hormuz, but the Red Sea and the Black Sea have risks and uncertainties. So, some of the challenges have expanded, and the risks to supply are very real," Wirth said during an appearance on "Sunday Morning Futures."

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While oil demand remains strong around the world, Wirth said energy markets are "fragile and uncertain" as the U.S. conflict with Iran festers into a sixth month and as global inventories continue to decline.

"The world energy system has been stressed and the need for supplies to markets and customers has never been higher," the Chevron CEO said.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital trade routes, is one of the most contentious aspects of the United States conflict with Iran. Traffic has sunk to only a handful of vessels passing through the waterway each day.

Recent Houthi attacks on another vital Middle East shipping route, the Red Sea, have raised fresh concerns about the reliability of that corridor.

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"I think the unfortunate thing is that energy assets have been targeted in this conflict. And what that means is it degrades the capacity of the energy system to meet global demand," Wirth said. "And how quickly that comes back will be one of the things that determines when markets actually get back to some sort of a new equilibrium."

"We've seen supply constrained, we've seen damage to infrastructure. And we have new risks that I think will be priced into the market on shipping."

U.S. crude oil is trading at roughly $84 per barrel, while the national average price for a gallon of gasoline stands at $4.09 – nearly $1 higher than the $3.15 average one year ago, according to AAA.

Despite the growing geopolitical uncertainty, Chevron’s production is up 20% year-on-year, with a 5% increase from Q1 to Q2 of 2026. The oil giant also set a record for producing more than 2 million barrels of oil equivalent in one day, an all-time high for the U.S., Wirth said.

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Wirth, who said the U.S. has "stepped up" to solve the global oil crisis, told Fox News that Chevron is exploring ways to bypass oil shipping through the Middle East’s vulnerable and unpredictable shipping waterways.

"We are in discussions with Iraq about potentially entering one or two oil fields there," the Chevron CEO said. "Part of those discussions would include a framework that would allow the construction of a pipeline that would go North and then move to the Mediterranean Sea and create a pathway for that production to get to market that would not have to go through the route today, which is through the Strait of Hormuz. "

source https://www.foxnews.com/media/chevron-ceo-warns-iran-conflict-created-very-real-threat-global-oil-supplies-gas-prices-climb

New York Liberty vs Phoenix Mercury betting preview as both teams struggle despite talent

We are switching it up and going away from the diamond today and back to an area that has had plenty of attention in the news lately — the WNBA. I wouldn't say anything the league is in the news for is exactly good, but that's how it works with the W. Just can't seem to get out of its own way. The WNBA needs a marketing team, a new commissioner, and maybe some people with brains. I'm going to use my brain for betting this game between the Liberty and Mercury.

The New York Liberty came into the season as favorites to win the WNBA Championship, and despite their record being just 16-13, I'm not sure you can count them out. They did win the Commissioner's Cup, which is a similar concept to the NBA Play-In Tournament. The bad news for New York is that only one team in the four-year history has won the WNBA Championship while winning the Commissioner's Cup the same season. The issue isn't talent for the Liberty; there is plenty of that. So, what is causing them to be average?

One factor is that the league is better. I know most people will think that it is solely the result of Caitlin Clark coming to the league, but the reality is there have been a lot of talented players coming in the past few seasons. The other major factor is that the team hasn't had its full team for the full year. Sabrina Ionescu has been in only 17 games. Satou Sabally has played in only 13. And overall, the Liberty have had 11 players play in 10+ games and average at least 13 minutes. That's a lot of mixing and matching for a club.

The Phoenix Mercury made it to the Finals last season before losing to the Aces. Now, they are struggling to even make it to the postseason this year. The team got off to a horrible start, opening the year 2-8, then went to 4-12. The Mercury have had three losing streaks this season of at least four games. They are playing better basketball right now, but why are they falling apart this season? It is a bit hard to tell why they are struggling aside from the improved rosters around the league.

Kahleah Copper is still on the team, and she is still elite, averaging 20.7 points per game. I think part of the remaining issue for the Mercury is they don't have a ton of help around the rest of the roster. They have only three people averaging 10 or more points per game. Sure, they have another three that are averaging nine or more, but still this team just seems like they are missing more than one go-to scorer at the moment. It probably doesn't help that Sabally, their leading scorer from last season, is now on the Liberty.

Sabally is out once again, so the Mercury at least don't need to worry about her. However, there shouldn't be a major lack of scoring. These teams are allowing a lot of points each game. The Liberty are allowing 87.6 points per game, and the Mercury are allowing 86.6. Combined, that puts them at 174.2 points allowed.

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WNBA PLAYER WHO BATTERED CAITLIN CLARK ELBOWS ANOTHER FEVER STAR IN THE FACE, BUT THERE'S A CATCH

They actually match up pretty well considering how many big names are out there. The Mercury are physical, and the Liberty are a bit of a mixture. They have plenty of people who can shoot, and they'd probably prefer to do that against Phoenix. Shooting, as you're probably aware, is very streaky. I'm going to back the under for the game.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024

source https://www.foxnews.com/sports/new-york-liberty-vs-phoenix-mercury-betting-preview-teams-struggle-despite-talent

Country singer Ruston Kelly commits to sobriety after relapsing on drugs following freak golf cart crash

Ruston Kelly surrendered to sobriety after a freak accident nearly derailed his life.

Kelly, 37, admitted he was three days sober after relapsing following a golf cart crash in June.

The country music singer reflected on the last few challenging months in a candid social media post shared Wednesday with followers.

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Kelly showed fans a gold Narcotics Anonymous token which read, "My gratitude speaks when I care and when I share with others the NA way." Recovery chips are often shared in meetings to commemorate clean living milestones.

"I told myself back in 2021 that as long as I wasn’t using amphetamines that I would be on the right 'clean' journey for myself," Kelly shared on Instagram. "I had never been addicted to any drug other than those pills. I lumped in alcohol and THC etc initially because I thought that’s what I was supposed to do."

"Somewhere along the way I became obstinate in my journey, that I wasn’t an 'addict' in the traditional sense of the word, that I was only addicted to amphetamines. 'I’ve never had a problem with alcohol, I’ve never had a problem with XYZ.' 'See I can be like everyone else, I can show self control, I am in control.'"

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Despite reaching a point of "spiritual surrender," Kelly admitted he was only attempting to "live a lifestyle that was satisfactory to my carnal impulses because I 'never had a problem with them.'"

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In June, Kelly broke his arm "in half" following a golf cart accident where he overcorrected the vehicle and flipped the cart.

"After my accident where I broke my arm in half, I was given fentanyl morphine ketamine dilaudid and oxycodone for 3 days leaving with a month long Rx of Percocet," Kelly wrote. "I needed it for the level 15 pain but very quickly they started running out sooner and sooner.

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"I was chewing them in the pharmacy before I walked out the door. I was hiding how many at a time I was taking. I was complaining to the dr it wasn’t enough."

His new drug dependency "awakened something I hadn’t felt in a very long time."

"On July 26 I decided to end any chance of ruining anything good," Kelly confessed. "For my soul my wife my family my art and career and my people. I admitted that whether I like it or not I will forever have a substance abuse disease."

He added, "ALL drugs/substances including alcohol and THC are off the table for good (working on nicotine) That if there is something that will scratch an itch I didn’t think I had, I will use it beyond excess and into addiction.

"I am 3 days completely clean and sober again, and intend to remain this way forever, one day at a time."

source https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/country-singer-ruston-kelly-commits-sobriety-after-relapsing-drugs-following-freak-golf-cart-crash

War powers resolution fails as Senate Republicans stand by Trump on Iran

Despite reports of waning munitions, spiking gas prices and concerns of no clear objectives moving forward, Senate Republicans are still giving President Donald Trump wiggle room in the war in Iran.

Republicans again blocked another war powers resolution to force an immediate withdrawal of America’s military might from Iran on Thursday. Senate Democrats have tried and failed to convince enough of their Republican colleagues to consistently buck the war over a dozen times as it stretches into its fifth month.

The latest effort from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., failed along similar lines as last week’s effort, where only a small cohort of Senate Republicans crossed the aisle to end the war.

REPUBLICANS FALL IN LINE WITH TRUMP ON IRAN WAR DESPITE RISING COSTS AND US DEATH TOLL

One Republican who did join Democrats, but has since reversed course, is Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who got into a shouting match with Trump and demanded a briefing on the situation in Iran.

He got that briefing and has since flipped his vote, which he acknowledged was used as "leverage to get some information." Still, he doesn’t totally support what’s going on, but used "All the King's Men" as an example to show that the situation and the politics of it are not black and white.

"It is a gradation," Cassidy said. "What we're doing here is a gradation, a murkiness, a vagueness, but we're trying to see our way through it. And I'm trying to see my way through it."

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But he drew a hard line on ground troops entering Iran.

"If there are ground troops, by definition, there needs to be a declaration of war from Congress on this, period," Cassidy said.

The latest votes come as reports of munitions continuing to dwindle have reverberated through Congress, and as the Pentagon and War Secretary Pete Hegseth plead for more defense funding.

HEGSETH DISMISSES ‘FOOLISH’ US STOCKPILE CONCERNS AS IRAN CONFLICT TESTS MUNITIONS

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has been wary of the war but has so far not broken with Trump to back Democrats’ resolutions, said, "Obviously, it’s concerning" that the nation’s munitions stockpile is dropping, but countered that a closed-door debriefing on the matter could sate concerns.

"And of course, if they are chronically low and affecting war strategy, then we should make it a priority," Tillis said.

When asked whether he had been adequately briefed, Tillis said, "No."

Munitions have been a concern throughout the war in Iran, and with renewed strikes starting last week, they are again back at the forefront of the conversation about the strategy in the region.

A report released Monday from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found, for example, that renewed fighting in the Middle East found that Patriot and THAAD interceptor missiles, which are used to thwart incoming projectiles and drones, had dwindled from prewar inventories of 2,330 and 452, respectively, to 759 and 234 missiles.

"I think there's pretty solid information that our military is short on munitions, not their fault," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said. "Trump launched this war impulsively, without a clear set of achievable objectives, and planning for how to conduct it."

"The basic failure to plan the amount of munitions that would be necessary is a fatal failing that is directly the responsibility of the commander in chief," he continued.

source https://www.foxnews.com/politics/war-powers-resolution-fails-senate-republicans-stand-trump-iran