Friday, October 10, 2025

Hodgetwins Sued for Confusing Conservative Pastor with Woke Cracker Barrel Executive

Ken Silva
-
0
Hodgetwins Sued for Confusing Conservative Pastor with Woke Cracker Barrel Executive

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) You might say that the Hodgetwins confused their crackers.

On Aug. 22, the Facebook page for the conservative influencers Keith and Kevin Hodge—collectively known as the Hodgetwins—posted about one of the former Cracker Barrel executives who made that company “woke.”

“Meet Steve Smotherman – a former Cracker Barrel management and training leader. After leaving the company in 2020, he joined the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Business Advisory Council, one of the most powerful LGBT lobbying groups in America,” the Hodgetwins Facebook post said.

According to the post, Smotherman founded an LGBT employee group, pulled Duck Dynasty products, banned a pastor with traditional views, and pushed other woke policies—helping move Cracker Barrel’s HRC Corporate Equality Index score from ZERO in 2002 to 80 by 2021.

The problem was, the post included a picture of the wrong Smotherson. Instead of the woke former Cracker Barrel executive, the Hodgetwins pictured the conservative Pastor Steve Smothermon, who preaches at Legacy Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The post has since been deleted, but Pastor Smothermon is now suing the Hodgetwins over the mistake.

In a lawsuit filed last Wednesday, Pastor Smothermon said the false Hodgetwins post has subjected him to “widespread backlash.”

“The false and malicious statements published by Keith and Kevin Hodge and Hodgetwins, LLC pose a direct threat to the reputation Pastor Smothermon has built over a lifetime of ministry and service,” states the lawsuit, which was first reported by CourtWatch.

Pastor Smothermon seeks damages in excess of $75,000.

The Hodgetwins have yet to respond to the lawsuit. They might not have to. A judge ordered Pastor Smothermon to explain by Oct. 24 why the lawsuit, which is filed in Nevada, shouldn’t be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Larry Ellison Vetted Marco Rubio on Israel Loyalty, Leaked Emails Show

Jose Nino
-
0
Larry Ellison Vetted Marco Rubio on Israel Loyalty, Leaked Emails Show

(José Niño, Headline USA) Before pouring millions into Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, billionaire Larry Ellison coordinated with an Israeli diplomat to test whether the Florida senator would be a reliable advocate for Israel, leaked correspondence shows. 

According to a report by Drop Site News, In April 2015, Ellison exchanged emails with Ron Prosor, then serving as Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, discussing Rubio’s potential as a presidential candidate. “How was the conversation with Mario Rubio,” Prosor wrote to Ellison. “Did he pass your scrutiny? Did you have a chance to talk about Israel? Would love to chat.”

Hours later, Ellison responded enthusiastically. “Great meeting with Marco Rubio. I set him up to meet with Tony Blair. Marco will be a great friend for Israel.”

The correspondence, part of a hacked archive obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a non-profit website dedicated to whistleblower disclosures and file distribution, reveals the Oracle founder’s methodical approach to political patronage. 

Within weeks of that exchange, Ellison hosted a fundraiser for Rubio at his California mansion. He eventually contributed $5 million to the Conservative Solutions super PAC supporting Rubio’s campaign.

Today, Rubio serves as Secretary of State, where he has launched an unprecedented crackdown on critics of Israel, detaining and attempting to deport individuals specifically for their criticism of Israeli policies. 

The Drop Site News report also noted that Ellison played a central role in steering TikTok toward Ellison’s control and helped roll out plans for Gaza’s future that place the enclave under administration by the Tony Blair Institute, which Ellison has funded with more than $350 million. 

As Wired recently observed, “The Ellison family is cornering the market on attention and data the same way the Vanderbilts did railroads and the Rockefellers did oil.” 

That consolidation is accelerating. Drop Site News highlighted that Ellison’s Oracle is set to take a lead role in reshaping TikTok in the United States, with the company auditing and retraining the platform’s content algorithm. His son David is moving to control CBS News, CNN, Warner Brothers, and Paramount, reportedly bringing in media personality Bari Weiss to shape editorial direction.

The implications extend beyond corporate consolidation. Ellison has articulated a vision of mass surveillance he sees as inevitable. On an investor call last year, he described a future where “citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.”

His relationship with the Tony Blair Institute has effectively merged the former British prime minister’s organization with Oracle’s operations. 

Former staffers describe joint retreats and deeply integrated operations. “It’s hard to get across just how deeply connected the two organizations are,” one former employee said. “The meetings were like they’re part of the same organization.”

Ellison has never hidden his support for Israel. In 2014, The Times of Israel reported that he told fellow billionaires at a fundraiser that “there is no greater honor” than supporting the Israeli military. Three years later, he donated $16.6 million to Friends of the IDF, the largest gift the organization had ever received. He maintains a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has visited Ellison’s private Hawaiian island, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Oracle CEO Safra Catz, who was born in Israel, shares his commitment. Responsible Statecraft reported in a 2015 email to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, she described plans to embed “love and respect for Israel in the American culture” through media projects aimed at countering the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

 

Who in Their Right Mind Would Hold Dollars?

Money Metals News Service
-
0
Who in Their Right Mind Would Hold Dollars?

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Nobody in their right mind would hold their reserves in dollars.

That’s the conclusion of Catalyst Funds CIO David Miller.

And he’s right.

Gold is up over 87 percent since January 2024 and is knocking on the door of $4,000 an ounce. But even with the rapid price surge, Miller said gold is not overpriced.

“It is just keeping up with how fast the money supply has grown.”

The appreciation of gold is the flip side of the dollar’s depreciation.

In other words, gold is tracking inflation.

After contracting during the hiking cycle, the money supply has been expanding for well over a year.

This is, by definition, inflation.

As of the end of August, the money supply had expanded by more than $1.5 trillion since its low point in mid-2023 and stood at nearly $22.2 trillion, above the peak reached during the pandemic.

Miller said this relentless monetary inflation is inevitable given the massive government debt.

And there is no sign the federal government is going to address its spending problem any time soon.

With one month left in fiscal 2025, the federal government had spent $6.73 trillion, a 5.9 percent increase over the same period in fiscal ’24. The Trump administration has already spent more this fiscal year than it did last.

Make no mistake, the 2026 spending bill will raise spending even higher. Oh, they may trim the speed of some of the spending increases. They’ll call that a “cut,” and partisans will cheer. But spending will increase on an absolute level.

It always does. As Miller pointed out, political incentives make this inevitable.

“If you owed $37 trillion, like the U.S. government does, and were running a $1.9 trillion annual deficit—spending that much more than you bring in through taxes—and also had a printing press, you’d likely use it. Politicians face major pushback for austerity or aggressive tax hikes, so the easiest path is to gradually debase the currency. It’s not just the U.S.—governments globally have learned this.”

Miller said that he wouldn’t be surprised if price inflation ran at 5 percent annually.

So, what can you do, because this isn’t something you can just vote away.

“One way to protect against this as a consumer or investor is to denominate your assets in hard currency—like gold—instead of the dollar, euro, or yen.”

There are other factors driving de-dollarization as well, including the weaponization of the dollar and aggressive trade policy.

The U.S. and other Western countries aggressively sanctioned Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. America and its allies locked Russia out of the SWIFT financial system and froze around $300 billion in Russian central bank assets.

The rest of the world was watching.

Consider this – if something makes you vulnerable, what do you do?

You take the necessary steps to eliminate that vulnerability.

So, if you’re worried that the U.S. and its allies might cut off your access to dollars, what would you do?

Minimize your dependence on dollars.

In other words, if you are concerned that the U.S. could pull the “dollar rug” out from under you, why not pull out from the dollar system first?

Miller said when you combine all these factors, it’s no wonder gold is surging through the roof.

“ When you combine that trifecta of tariffs, weaponization of SWIFT, and enormous quantitative easing, no one in their right mind should want to keep their reserve, the money they don’t intend to spend in dollars.”

While there is no question that de-dollarization is happening, Miller thinks it’s unlikely the U.S. currency will lose its standing as the global reserve overnight.

“This will be a multi-decade process, which will keep an elevated floor in gold for the foreseeable future.”

However, even a modest de-dollarization spells trouble.

Because the global financial system runs on dollars, the world needs a lot of them, and the United States depends on this global demand to underpin its bloated government. The only reason the U.S. can borrow, spend, and run massive budget deficits to the extent that it does is the dollar’s role as the world reserve currency. It creates a built-in global demand for dollars and dollar-denominated assets. This absorbs the Federal Reserve’s money creation and helps maintain dollar strength despite the Federal Reserve’s inflationary policies.

But what happens if that demand drops? What happens if the world decides it doesn’t need as many dollars?

A de-dollarization of the world economy would cause a dollar glut. The value of the U.S. currency would further depreciate. At the extreme, global de-dollarization could spark a currency crisis. You and I would feel the impact through more price inflation, eating away at the purchasing power of the dollar. In the worst-case scenario, it could lead to hyperinflation.

Again – the world doesn’t have to completely abandon the dollar to create negative impacts. Even a modest drop in the demand for the greenback will ripple through the U.S. economy.

Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

Central Bank Gold Buying Rebounded in August

Money Metals News Service
-
0
Central Bank Gold Buying Rebounded in August

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) After holding reserves steady in July, central banks returned to gold buying in August.

Based on initial data, central banks globally increased gold reserves by 10 tonnes in July, but the late report of a 10-tonne sale by Indonesia dropped net purchases to zero for that month.

However, central banks were back in a buying mood in August, reporting a 15-tonne increase to global gold reserves. This was largely in line with monthly net purchases between March and June.

The rapidly rising price of gold (up around 45 percent this year) seems to have slowed central bank gold accumulation. Central banks globally added 166 tonnes of gold to their reserves in Q2. That was a 33 percent quarter-on-quarter decline and the lowest quarterly demand since Q2 2022.

However, gold buying was still 41 percent above the quarterly average that was typical between 2010 and 2021.

The World Gold Council notes that while central banks tend to make reserve decisions strategically, they are not totally insensitive to prices.

“As such, gold’s rally so far this year, up 26 percent, to new record levels, has likely contributed to the slowdown in central bank buying. But that they continue to add gold in the face of a higher price underscores their continuing favorable attitudes towards gold as a strategic asset amid such uncertainty.”

Kazakhstan was the biggest gold buyer in August, adding 8 tonnes to its reserves. It was the sixth consecutive month of gold accumulation for the Kazakh central bank. It currently holds 316 tonnes of gold, a 32-tonne increase since the end of 2024.

The Central Bank of Turkey increased its holdings by 2 tonnes in August. The Turkish central bank has been a net purchaser for 27 consecutive months – since June 2023.

The Czech Central Bank has followed a similar strategy – growing its gold reserves at a slow, steady pace. It added another 2 tonnes in August, its 30th straight month of gold accumulation. The Czech Republic now holds 65 tonnes of gold. Czech officials say they plan to increase gold reserves to 100 tonnes by 2028.

Bulgaria joined the list of buyers in August, increasing its reserves by 2 tonnes. It was the largest monthly increase in Bulgarian gold holdings since 1997. The country currently holds 43 tonnes of gold.

According to the World Gold Council, the Bulgarian central bank may have to transfer some of its gold to the European Central Bank as part of the process of joining the Eurozone.

China has reported an increase in its official reserves for 10 straight months, adding 2 more tonnes in August. The People’s Bank of China has increased its official holding by 38 tonnes in that span.

Total official Chinese gold reserves are now over 2,300 tonnes, making up around 7 percent of its total reserves.

Notice the emphasis on “official.”

China is one of the central banks that likely holds significantly more gold than it publicly discloses. As Jan Nieuwenhuijs has reported, the People’s Bank of China is secretly buying large amounts of gold off the books. According to data parsed by the renowned Money Metals researcher, the Chinese central bank is currently sitting on more than 5,000 tonnes of monetary gold located in Beijing – more than TWICE what has been publicly admitted.

Poland and India stood pat in July. Even so, Poland remains the biggest gold buyer so far in 2025. The central bank recently announced plans to target its gold holdings at 30 percent of total reserves, up from the previous 20 percent target. It achieved that goal earlier this year.

Other banks reporting an increase in their gold holdings in August include:

  • Uzbekistan – 2 tonnes
  • Ghana – 2 tonnes
  • El Salvador – 0.5 tonnes

There were only two reported sales, with both Russia and Indonesia decreasing gold reserves by 3 and 2 tonnes, respectively. According to the World Gold Council, the decrease in Russian reserves was likely related to its coin-minting program.

Despite the slowdown in central bank buying this year, the World Gold Council remains bullish.

“We maintain our view that central banks will continue to add gold to their reserves. Our Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey 2025 shows that respondents overwhelmingly (95 percent) expect global central bank gold reserves to increase over the next 12 months, while 43 percent believe that their own gold reserves will also increase over the same period. Notably, none of the respondents anticipate a decline in their gold reserves.”

You can read more details about that central bank survey HERE.

On net, central banks officially increased their gold holdings by 1,044.6 tonnes in 2024. It was the 15th consecutive year of expanding gold reserves.

Last year was the third-largest expansion of central bank gold reserves on record, coming in just 6.2 tonnes lower than in 2023 and 91 tonnes lower than the all-time high set in 2022. (1,136 tonnes). 2022 was the highest level of net purchases on record, dating back to 1950, including since the suspension of dollar convertibility into gold in 1971.

To put that into context, central bank gold reserves increased by an average of just 473 tonnes annually between 2010 and 2021.

World Gold Council analysts expect the trend to continue, with buying “close to the range seen over the past three years on continued elevated trade-related risks and uncertainty premia in U.S. assets.”

The WGC also noted that “diversification” with “a reduction of U.S. assets” is one of the factors driving central bank gold buying. In other words, de-dollarization.

“We don’t see an end to this narrative unless there is a material shift in geopolitical tensions. The IMF has downgraded growth prospects in the U.S. more than in other major economies, citing policy uncertainty. This suggests that other countries may have leverage in negotiations, although these typically last months and years, not weeks. Hence, we don’t expect any near-term resolutions.”

Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

Trump Threatens To Bomb Iran Again If It Restarts Nuclear Program, Says He’s ‘Not Going To Wait So Long’

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Trump Threatens To Bomb Iran Again If It Restarts Nuclear Program, Says He’s ‘Not Going To Wait So Long’

(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) President Trump on Sunday said that he would bomb Iran again if the country restarts its nuclear program, warning the US was “not going to wait so long this time,” a threat that comes amid growing signs that another US-Israeli war against Iran may be coming.

“The B2s, what they did. Those beautiful flying wings, what they did, they hit every single target. And just in case, we shot 30 Tomahawks out of a submarine,” Trump said in a speech at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, during a celebration of the US Navy’s 250th birthday, referring to the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 22.

Trump claimed in the speech that Iran was going to have a nuclear weapon “within a month,” but before Israel launched the war, US intelligence determined Tehran was not pursuing a nuclear weapon, and even if it chose to, it would take years to actually develop a deliverable weapon.

“They were going to have a nuclear weapon within a month,” Trump told a crowd of US Navy sailors. “And now they can start the operation all over again, but I hope they don’t because we’ll have to take care of that too if they do, I let them know that. You want to do that, it’s fine, but we’re going to take care of that and we’re not going to wait so long.”

Trump went on to say that he had B-2 pilots visit him in the Oval Office, who said the US had been working on plans to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities for 22 years, but that no president before him wanted to do it. The president has previously acknowledged that he bombed Iran on behalf of Israel. “Look, nobody has done more for Israel than I have, including the recent attacks with Iran, wiping that thing out,” he said in an interview with the Daily Caller published on September 1.

Since the ceasefire that ended the 12-day US-Israeli war on Iran, Trump has threatened to bomb Iran again several times. At the same time, the Trump administration is demanding that Iran enter negotiations to give up its nuclear enrichment program and place limits on its ballistic missiles, demands that Iranian officials have made clear are a non-starter.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently reaffirmed his prohibition on the development of nuclear weapons but also vowed Tehran wouldn’t give up its civilian nuclear enrichment program, framing it as a matter of national pride. He also rejected the idea of imposing limits on Iran’s ballistic missile program.

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.

 

Trump Deploys California National Guard to Portland

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Trump Deploys California National Guard to Portland

(, The Center Square) President Donald Trump on Sunday deployed California National Guard troops to Portland after a federal judge in Oregon on Saturday temporarily blocked the president from calling up the Oregon National Guard.

“My administration is aware that 101 federalized California National Guard members arrived in Oregon last night via plane, and it is our understanding that there are more on the way today,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said in a Sunday morning statement. “We have received no official notification or correspondence from the federal government regarding this action by the President. This action appears to [intentionally] circumvent yesterday’s ruling by a federal judge.”

Portland has been a hotspot for violent protests against Trump and his administration’s deportation efforts.

This past summer, Trump deployed the California National Guard to Los Angeles to protect U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement agents from violent protesters opposed to his immigration policies.

On Saturday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he was notified by Trump’s Department of War that 300 members of the Illinois National would be deployed to Chicago, where Trump has said they are needed to help reduce violent crime. Last month, Trump deployed the National Guard in Washington D.C. to address crime, which dropped significantly after the deployment.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would sue the Trump administration over this latest deployment.

In Oregon, Kotek said the guard is not needed.

“There is no need for military intervention in Oregon,” she said. “There is no insurrection in Portland. No threat to national security. Oregon is our home, not a military target. Oregonians exercising their freedom of speech against unlawful actions by the Trump Administration should do so peacefully.”

Vance Calls for Jay Jones to Withdraw from Race after Leaked Texts

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Vance Calls for Jay Jones to Withdraw from Race after Leaked Texts

(, The Center Square) Vice President JD Vance is calling for Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones to withdraw from Virginia’s Nov. 4 election after private text messages leaked in which Jones talked about shooting former House Speaker Todd Gilbert.

The messages, first reported by National Review, include Jones writing in 2022 that Gilbert would “receive both bullets” when compared to Hitler and Pol Pot.

In another exchange, after being told he had been talking about “hoping Jennifer Gilbert’s children would die,” Jones responded, “Yes. Only when people feel pain personally do they move on policy.”

“I’m sure the people hyperventilating about sombrero memes will join me in calling for this very deranged person to drop out of the race,” Vance wrote on X Saturday.
Jones apologized Friday, saying he takes “full responsibility” for his actions.
“Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry,” he said. Jones added that he reached out to apologize directly to Gilbert and his family.
Republicans echoed Vance’s demand. Virginia lieutenant governor nominee John Reid said Democrats “have a violence problem” and described the comments as disqualifying.
House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., said the texts are “plainly disqualifying” and urged Jones to withdraw.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears called the remarks “horrible to read” and said Jones “can never be Attorney General of Virginia.”
Attorney General Jason Miyares said at a press conference Saturday that he did not accept Jones’ apology.
Democratic governor candidate Abigail Spanberger said she spoke with Jones about her “disgust” with the comments and told him he must take responsibility, adding that she “will always condemn violent language in our politics.”
Lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi and Jones’ campaign did not reply to a request for comment by the time of publication.

SCOTUS Rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s Appeal

Headline USA Editor
-
0
SCOTUS Rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s Appeal

(Headline USA) The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein.

On the first day of their new term, the justices declined to take up a case that would have drawn renewed attention to the sordid sexual-abuse saga after President Donald Trump’s administration sought to tamp down criticism over its refusal to publicly release more investigative files from Epstein’s case.

Lawyers for Maxwell, a British socialite, argued that she never should have been tried or convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, a New York financier. She is serving a 20-year prison term, though she was moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after she was interviewed in July by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

As is their custom, the justices did not explain why they turned away the appeal.

Trump’s Republican administration had urged the high court to stay out of the case.

Maxwell’s lawyers contended that a non-prosecution agreement reached in 2007 by federal prosecutors in Miami and Epstein’s lawyers also protected his “potential co-conspirators” from federal charges anywhere in the country.

Maxwell was prosecuted in Manhattan, and the federal appeals court there ruled that the prosecution was proper. A jury found her guilty of sex trafficking a teenage girl, among other charges.

Maxwell’s trial featured accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14 told by four women who described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s homes.

Neither Maxwell’s lawyers nor the federal Bureau of Prisons has explained the reason for her transfer, but one of her lawyers, David Oscar Markus, has said she is “innocent and never should have been tried, much less convicted.” Markus also was the lead lawyer on her Supreme Court case.

Maxwell was interviewed by Blanche at a Florida courthouse. She was given limited immunity, allowing her to speak freely without fear of prosecution for anything she said except for in the event of a false statement. She repeatedly denied witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions involving Trump, according to records released in August meant to distance the president from the disgraced financer.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges and was accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls. A month later, he was found dead in a New York jail cell in what investigators described as a suicide.

The Epstein case had consumed Trump’s administration following an announcement from the FBI and the Justice Department in July that Epstein had killed himself despite conspiracy theories to the contrary, that a “client list” that Attorney General Pam Bondi had intimated was on her desk did not actually exist, and that no additional documents from the high-profile investigation were suitable to be released.

The announcement produced outrage from those who suspect that there is a government coverup afoot. The outrage was heightened by the fact that FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino previously promoted the idea that damaging details about prominent people were being withheld.

Patel, for instance, said in at least one podcast interview before becoming FBI director that Epstein’s “black book” was under the “direct control of the director of the FBI.”

But the Justice Department said its review of evidence in the government’s possession determined that no “further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.” The department noted that much of the material was placed under seal by a court to protect victims and “only a fraction” of it “would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial.”

Faced with fury from his base, Trump sought to quickly turn the page, shutting down questioning of Bondi about Epstein at a White House Cabinet meeting and deriding as “weaklings” supporters he said were falling for the “Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Ex-NFL QB Arrested in Stabbing Incident

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Ex-NFL QB Arrested in Stabbing Incident

(Headline USA) Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was pepper-sprayed and stabbed multiple times during a late-night altercationwith a 69-year-old truck driver in a downtown Indianapolis alley, which resulted in criminal charges against the Fox Sports analyst, according to court records filed Sunday.

Based on hotel video footage of the altercation early Saturday and the driver’s statement to police, a police affidavit alleges that Sanchez, smelling of alcohol, accosted the driver of a box truck that backed into a hotel’s loading docks, leading to a confrontation outside the vehicle that prompted the driver to defensively pull out a knife.

Sanchez was hospitalized with stab wounds to his upper right torso, the affidavit signed by a police detective said. Sanchez remained hospitalized early Sunday, according to police. The truck driver, identified as P.T., had a cut to his left cheek, it said.

Sanchez was in stable condition, Fox Sports said Saturday. There was no immediate update Sunday.

His initial court hearing was set for Tuesday in a Marion County courtroom.

Sanchez stabbed multiple times

As the altercation escalated, the driver feared “’this guy is trying to kill me’” and pulled his knife as Sanchez came at him, the affidavit said. Sanchez was initially stabbed two or three times, then stabbed again when he went at the driver again, it said.

“The next thing P.T. knew was Mr. Sanchez looked at him with a look of shock, he slowly turned around, and Mr. Sanchez took off northbound in the alley,” the document said.

Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders-Colts game. Instead, he was charged with battery resulting in injury, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication — all misdemeanors. Police got a warrant to obtain Sanchez’s phone and clothes from the hospital, the document said.

There were no immediate court records indicating whether Sanchez had legal representation yet.

Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said Sunday that his office would “follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

“What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured,” Mears said in a statement.

Fox Sports announcers acknowledge Sanchez’s absence Sunday

Sanchez told police at the hospital that all he could remember was grabbing for a window, the court document said. Sanchez said he didn’t know who else was involved or where the altercation happened.

“Friday night in Indianapolis, one of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that, to be honest, we are still trying to wrap our heads around,” Curt Menefee said Sunday on Fox’s primary NFL pregame show. “At this time our thoughts and prayers are with Mark and his family and all of those involved.”

Fox Sports play-by-play announcer Chris Myers also acknowledged Sanchez’s absence on Sunday before introducing Sanchez’s replacement, Brady Quinn. Myers said he wanted to send thoughts and prayers to Sanchez and everyone involved in the incident.

Police officers found Sanchez with the stab wounds when they were dispatched to a downtown pub about 12:35 a.m. Saturday. The truck driver was found in the alley.

Details of the confrontation were disclosed in the affidavit, based on video footage and the truck driver’s statement to police.

The video showed a man believed to be Sanchez running in the alley toward the truck, the affidavit said. The driver works for a company that specializes in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal, and he was performed his work duties, it said.

Sanchez opened the truck door and began talking to the driver, the affidavit said. Sanchez told the driver he couldn’t be at the loading dock and that Sanchez had spoken to the hotel manager, the document said. Sanchez smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred, the driver told police.

Affidavit says Sanchez threw truck driver to ground

Sanchez followed the driver from side to side of the truck, the court document said. When the driver darted toward the driver’s door, video showed Sanchez “grabbing and throwing” the driver toward a hotel wall, it said. The fight continued against a dumpster and Sanchez threw the driver to the ground, it said.

Sanchez climbed into the truck but got out when told by the driver he wasn’t allowed in, it said. Sanchez repeated that he spoke to a manager and didn’t want the driver to replace fryer oil, the document said. Sanchez tried again to get into the truck and blocked the driver from calling his manager, it said.

Believing he was in danger, the driver grabbed pepper spray from his pocket and sprayed Sanchez’s face, it said. Sanchez wiped his face and advanced toward the driver again, it said.

The driver then pulled his knife and stabbed Sanchez as the ex-quarterback came at him, it said. The driver fell onto pallets on the ground, he told police.

“While P.T. was on the ground, he could only see the feet of Mr. Sanchez coming at him, making P.T. realize that he was in a life-or-death situation,” the affidavit said.

The driver made it to his feet and stabbed Sanchez the last time as Sanchez came at him, it said.

Sanchez had a 10-year NFL career before retiring in 2019. He appeared on ABC and ESPN for two years before joining Fox Sports as a game analyst in 2021. The Long Beach, California, native starred at Southern California before he was selected by the New York Jets with the fifth pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Sanchez also appeared in games with Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington.

Sanchez is married to actor Perry Mattfeld, a former USC cheerleader whose credits include “Shameless,” “In the Dark” and “Chad Powers.” She told Glamour recently that the couple had twin daughters in March.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

 

Rival Gangs Kill 2, Injure 12 in a Downtown Montgomery Shootout

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Rival Gangs Kill 2, Injure 12 in a Downtown Montgomery Shootout

(Headline USA) Rival gunmen shot at each other in a crowded downtown nightlife district in Alabama’s capital city Saturday night, killing two people and injuring 12 others in a chaotic street scene that left authorities trying to find out who started it, police said.

The dead included a 43-year-old woman, identified by police as Shalanda Williams, and a 17-year-old identified as Jeremiah Morris. Five of the wounded were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, including a juvenile, Montgomery police said.

No one had been arrested as of Sunday afternoon as police appealed to the public for information and sorted through a complicated crime scene that involved multiple people firing weapons in a crowd just after the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College rivalry football game ended blocks away.

“We’re gonna do whatever we can not only to arrest those responsible, we’re going to do whatever to arrest those connected in any way, who knew what may have happened, who knew what could take place,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed told a Sunday news conference. “We’re not going just to stop with those folks that were pulling the trigger last night.”

The shooters “had no regard for human life,” he said.

Police were reviewing surveillance video, interviewing witnesses and potential suspects and trying to piece together a motive for why the shooting started.

Police were called around 11:30 p.m. to what Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys described as a “mass shooting” that broke out near the Hank Williams Museum, the Rosa Parks Museum and the Alabama Statehouse, within earshot of officers on routine patrol in downtown Montgomery.

The shooting began when someone targeted one of the 14 victims, prompting multiple people to pull their own weapons and start firing back, Graboys said.

“This was two parties involved that were basically shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd,” Graboys said.

The shooters, he said, “did not care about the people around them when they did it.”

Seven of the 14 victims were under 20, and the youngest was 16, Graboys said. At least two of the victims were armed, Graboys said.

Multiple weapons and shell cases were recovered from the scene, Graboys said.

Few other details were available.

It was a particularly busy weekend in Montgomery, with Alabama State University’s homecoming football game that day at Hornet Stadium, the Alabama National Fair ongoing at Garrett Coliseum and the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College game having just ended at nearby Cramton Bowl.

Reed said there were police patrols within 50 feet when the shooting broke out. One officer was so quick to arrive on the scene that he transported a victim to the hospital before an ambulance arrived, Graboys said.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

1...678...3,395Page 7 of 3,395

LATEST NEWS

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR CATEGORY

HEADLINE USA • PO BOX 49043 • CHARLOTTE, NC 28277

THE INFORMATION PRESENTED HERE IS FOR GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN REGARDING ANY PERSONAL HEALTH PROBLEM, AND YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CONSULT WITH YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISER REGARDING INVESTMENT DECISIONS. FDA DISCLOSURE: THE STATEMENTS, ARTICLES, AND PRODUCTS FEATURED IN HEADLINE USA EMAILS AND AT HEADLINEUSA.COM HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. NO INFORMATION OR PRODUCTS APPEARING IN EMAILS OR THE WEBSITE ARE INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. MATERIAL CONNECTION DISCLOSURE: HEADLINE USA MAY HAVE AN AFFILIATE RELATIONSHIP AND/OR ANOTHER MATERIAL CONNECTION TO ANY PERSONS OR BUSINESSES MENTIONED IN OR LINKED TO FROM EMAILS OR THE WEBSITE AND MAY RECEIVE COMMISSIONS FROM PURCHASES YOU MAKE ON SUBSEQUENT WEB SITES. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY SOLELY ON INFORMATION PUBLISHED BY HEADLINE USA TO EVALUATE THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE BEING OFFERED. ALWAYS EXERCISE YOUR OWN DUE DILIGENCE BEFORE PURCHASING ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE.

Copyright 2025 HeadlineUSA.com