California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation Monday recognizing Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in state law, making California only the second state to treat the Islamic holy days as state holidays.
Eid al-Adha, or the &#8220;Festival of the Sacrifice,&#8221; traditionally involves the ritual slaughter of livestock, typically a sheep, goat, cow, or camel, in commemoration of Ibrahim&#8217;s willingness to sacrifice his son. Eid al-Fitr, the &#8220;Festival of Breaking the Fast,&#8221; marks the end of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar.
Assembly Bill 2017, authored by Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) and co-authored by state Sen. Aisha Wahab (D-Hayward), allows state and school employees to use existing personal holiday credit or leave time to observe Eid. It also authorizes K-12 schools and community colleges to close for the holidays through locally negotiated agreements.
&#8220;California is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Muslim communities in the country,&#8221; Haney previously <a href="https://haney.asmdc.org/press-releases/20260312-new-california-bill-will-recognize-eid-official-state-holiday">said</a>. &#8220;No student should have to choose between celebrating one of the holiest days of their faith and showing up to school, and no worker should feel they have to sacrifice their religious observance.&#8221;
The bill was co-sponsored by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA). In 2007, federal prosecutors <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2010/11/06/judge-ruled-prosecutors-should-not-have-publicly-released-holy-land-unindicted-co-conspirators-list/">named</a> CAIR an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror-financing case. CAIR was never charged and has denied wrongdoing. A federal judge later <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2010/11/06/judge-ruled-prosecutors-should-not-have-publicly-released-holy-land-unindicted-co-conspirators-list/">ruled</a> the government should not have publicly listed the group, but <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2010/12/10/hamas-supporter-in-us-is-human-rights-commissioner-for-jacksonville-florida/">found</a> &#8220;ample evidence to establish the associations&#8221; of CAIR with the Holy Land Foundation and Hamas.
&#8220;We commend Gov. Newsom for signing AB 2017 and sending a powerful message that amid growing hostility, California stands firmly with its Muslim community,&#8221; CAIR-CA CEO Hussam Ayloush said in a <a href="https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-ca-welcomes-governor-newsoms-signing-of-california-eid-state-holiday-act/">statement</a>. &#8220;Together, we&#8217;ve achieved a historic win for California Muslims.&#8221;
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-poised-to-recognize-two-islamic-holidays-statewide">reported</a>, the bill cleared the state Assembly by a 64-1 vote in May. The legislation drew opposition over a provision authorizing the State Board of Education to develop optional curriculum for classroom activities marking the holidays.
Greg Burt, vice president of the California Family Council, argued the measure crossed the line from teaching about religion to promoting it. He <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/california-lawmakers-push-make-muslim-holy-days-state-holidays-sparks-debate-school-neutrality">told</a> Fox News Digital it amounted to schools &#8220;encouraging the celebration of a religious holiday.&#8221; The council, which says it represents more than 2,000 churches statewide, also questioned where the state would draw the line on recognizing additional religious holidays.
The two Islamic holidays join Diwali and Lunar New Year among community-specific observances California has formally recognized in recent years.
Washington became the first state to recognize both Eid holidays in 2025.

Orange County Register Archive

Dems Will Officially Celebrate Islamic Holiday That Includes Ritual Animal Slaughter

california

council on american islamic relations

eid al-adha

eid al-fitr

gavin newsom

politics

Major League Baseball has approached the Trump administration about hosting a game in a national park &#8220;similar to the Field of Dreams game,&#8221; with Grand Teton emerging as a potential location, the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/09/26/trump-officials-weigh-mlb-game-grand-teton-national-park/">reported</a>. The White House says it is not directing the effort.
The White House said in a statement that the idea is &#8220;not being driven by the Department of Interior&#8221; either, adding, &#8220;This is not a White House or Administration priority.&#8221;
The Post reported, citing anonymous sources, that National Park Service Deputy Director Frank Lands had looked at three potential locations for a baseball park within Grand Teton. The White House disputed that account, saying it was &#8220;incorrect&#8221; that the Trump administration sent officials to scout sites and that MLB &#8220;happened to schedule their trip to Grand Teton at the same time&#8221; Lands was there.
The White House said MLB has made no decisions and the Park Service has issued no permits.
An MLB official told the Post the league approached the Trump administration after the success of its other stand-alone events, such as the recurring Field of Dreams game, and that a national park game is one of several ideas the league is exploring.
MLB has staged specialty games over the past decade at a historic Negro League ballpark in Birmingham, Alabama, a NASCAR racetrack in Tennessee, and three times at the Dyersville, Iowa, cornfield from the classic Kevin Costner movie, &#8220;Field of Dreams.&#8221; The Post reported that, with the 2027 schedule already locked in, no new specialty game at Grand Teton could happen before 2028.
One of the sites Lands reportedly visited is land that has already been disturbed rather than untouched parkland, according to the Post&#8217;s sources. Many parks set aside such areas to store equipment and materials.
Grand Teton, which borders Yellowstone in northwest Wyoming, is one of the most-visited national parks in the country. National parks are among the nation&#8217;s most protected federal lands, and the Post noted that building a sports facility there could set a new precedent.
Betsy Buffington, a regional director with the National Parks Conservation Association, told the Post that the idea is &#8220;ludicrous,&#8221; &#8220;crazy,&#8221; and &#8220;ridiculous.&#8221;
&#8220;It is irreplaceable,&#8221; she said. &#8220;There is no other Grand Teton that is home to bears and wolves and bison, elk and pronghorn.&#8221;
Teton County Commissioner Luther Propst told the Post that a ballpark would be &#8220;a radical departure from the tradition of national parks.&#8221;
Economist J.C. Bradbury called it &#8220;a uniquely terrible idea.&#8221; He estimated that the cost would exceed the more than $50 million spent expanding the Field of Dreams venue in Iowa, and argued that visitors coming for a baseball game would displace other tourists in a park where hotels are already full.
&nbsp;

Horses And Tourists At Grand Teton National Park

Take Me Out To The National Park? MLB Explores An Unusual Venue

baseball

field of dreams game

grand teton national park

national park service

trump administration

The Florida State Board of Education approved new artificial intelligence (AI) rules on Wednesday for K-12 public schools, charter schools, and the 28 institutions in the Florida College System.
School districts must alert parents when they approve an AI tool and explain how students will interact with it. If a student will use the tool directly, parents must opt their child in. Families that decline will be offered comparable alternatives that do not use AI.
&#8220;Florida will not outsource childhood to a chatbot,&#8221; Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis <a href="https://www.fldoe.org/newsroom/latest-news/florida-sets-national-standard-for-responsible-ai-in-classroomsfrom-vpk-through-college.stml">said</a>. &#8220;We welcome tools that help teachers teach and students learn. We will not accept tools that hide from parents, harvest student data, grade kids in secret, or pretend to be a friend.&#8221;
&#8220;In this state, a teacher stands in front of the class, a parent has the last word, and a student still has to think,&#8221; he added.
According to the Florida Department of Education, &#8220;The rules treat AI as a workforce reality, not a classroom fad.&#8221;
AI tools used in voluntary prekindergarten through fifth grade are subject to an additional review for age and developmental appropriateness before they can be approved.
The K-12 rule prohibits schools from using AI products designed to meet students&#8217; social or emotional needs, simulate friendship, or use humanlike features to encourage children to continue interacting with them.
AI tools are prohibited from secretly tracking students&#8217; behavior, assigning social scores, or developing psychological profiles. Providers are also barred from selling student data or exploiting it to train commercial AI models. Teachers and administrators must receive training on AI risks, limitations, and compliance.
<a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/09/16/florida-board-approves-ai-guidelines-for-k-12-schools-colleges/?lctg=fd884aa95b2af9a457bc96c449a53e39&amp;active=no&amp;utm_campaign=trib-sun_sentinel-breaking_news-nl&amp;utm_content=alert&amp;utm_source=sailthru&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_cluster=TRIB&amp;utm_profileID=6a7c212a97f7c87f4b5fb8ba">According</a> to the Sun Sentinel, unsupervised AI use will not be permitted.
At Florida College System institutions, students may not use AI on graded assignments unless an instructor permits it. Colleges must also establish policies addressing academic integrity, grading, student privacy, and faculty use of AI.
DeSantis appointed all seven current members of the state Board of Education.
State Board of Education Chair Ryan Petty, a Republican, said, &#8220;Innovation without those conditions is not leadership. It is abdication.&#8221;
Education Commissioner Henry Mack, a DeSantis <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article316612989.html">ally</a>, said Florida was rejecting both a ban and unfettered access.
&#8220;An educated person can use a powerful tool without becoming dependent on it. That is the line Florida is drawing,&#8221; Mack said. &#8220;AI belongs in a classroom when it sharpens instruction, elevates or enhances the learning experience, protects privacy, and leaves the student&#8217;s own mind stronger than it found it.&#8221;
He continued: &#8220;It does not belong in a classroom when it writes the essay, scores the child in secret, offers itself as a companion, or coopts the intellectual virtue of critical thinking.&#8221;
Districts must finalize their updated policies by July 1, 2027, ahead of the 2027-2028 school year.

Robot in classroom

The Classroom AI Shift Every Parent Should Know About

artificial intelligence in education

florida

florida department of education

ron desantis

student privacy

The Supreme Court on Monday night kept President Donald Trump&#8217;s new mail-ballot rules on hold ahead of the November midterms.
The justices denied the Trump administration&#8217;s request to suspend a lower court injunction, leaving the rules blocked while litigation continues. States can continue mailing ballots under their current procedures.
In an unsigned 7-2 order, the court said that the government was &#8220;unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge&#8221; to the injunction and had failed to satisfy the other requirements for emergency relief.
The Postal Service&#8217;s rule would require states to use ballot envelopes with an election-mail logo, machine-scannable features, and a barcode unique to each voter. Election officials would also have to submit envelope designs for approval and upload voters&#8217; names and addresses to a federal portal. The Postal Service could reject noncompliant mailings and return them to election officials.
The administration said the Postal Service had authority to impose the requirements, while election officials warned that implementing them weeks before the midterms could delay or prevent the delivery of ballots. Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin had already started sending ballots when the Supreme Court acted.
The dispute previously reached the Supreme Court in August. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-appointed-judge-throws-trumps-mail-in-ballot-plan-into-limbo">reported</a>, the justices paused an earlier injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama appointee, because the states had sued before demonstrating that the Trump administration&#8217;s plan would harm them. The Supreme Court emphasized that it had not decided whether the plan itself was legal.
After the Postal Service finalized its rule, the states filed a renewed challenge. Talwani issued a preliminary injunction, writing that states were &#8220;unable to pivot this late in the election cycle&#8221; without risking disenfranchising voters.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed that the rule should remain blocked for the midterms, but he said there was &#8220;at least a fair prospect&#8221; it fell within the Postal Service&#8217;s authority. He concluded that applying it during the 2026 elections would be &#8220;arbitrary and capricious&#8221; because officials lacked sufficient time to implement it.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, arguing that the administration had met the requirements for a stay. Monday&#8217;s decision does not permanently invalidate the rule, but it effectively prevents its use during this year&#8217;s elections.

U.S. President Donald Trump Visits Ireland – Day Two Doonbeg

Supreme Court Slams Brakes On Trump’s Mail-Ballot Plan

2026 midterm election

donald trump

mail in voting

supreme court

united states postal service

President Donald Trump says there&#8217;s one word he does not believe in: &#8220;regret.&#8221;
Trump sat down for an <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6404905769112">interview</a> on FOX News&#8217;s &#8220;The Ingraham Angle&#8221; broadcast Thursday, where host Laura Ingraham asked the president whether he had second thoughts about ordering military action against Iran as Republicans approach the midterms.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe in the word regret,&#8221; Trump replied. &#8220;You can always question yourself a little bit. A few people have asked me that. If I had it to do again, I&#8217;d do exactly as I did.&#8221;
Trump defended his decision by pointing to the threat posed by Iran&#8217;s nuclear program.
&#8220;I took out their nuclear capability,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Supposing we were cruising, and all of a sudden Iran has a nuclear weapon. They would use it. They are crazy. Okay, I deal with them. They&#8217;re crazy. They would use it. They would wipe out Israel; they would wipe out the Middle East; they would have started hitting a couple of our cities.&#8221;
The president briefly shifted to the stock market&#8217;s performance during what he called a &#8220;conflict,&#8221; noting that the situation has not prevented it from reaching record highs, although stocks had retreated from those records by Thursday. He then returned to Iran, saying the regime is trying to weaken him politically because it believes Democrats would take a softer approach to its nuclear ambitions.
&#8220;They are trying to do anything possible to get me out, because they think the Democrats will let them essentially have a nuclear weapon,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;They&#8217;re not going to have a nuclear weapon.&#8221;
The Iran conflict has become a main issue for Trump and Republicans as the midterms loom. Trump used the opening night of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas to defend his strategy and contrast it with what he says the Democrats would take.
&#8220;The war will be over very shortly after the election,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/trump-says-war-iran-will-end-after-election-day-rcna596950">told</a> reporters, then repeated in his convention keynote on Wednesday. &#8220;They&#8217;re hanging out for dear life, hoping that we lose, so they can deal with dumb, weak Democrats and they can have their nuclear bomb. But we&#8217;re not going to let that happen.&#8221;

US-TRUMP-POLITICS

Trump Says There’s One Word He Doesn’t Believe In

fox news

iran

laura ingraham

A federal judge on Friday again blocked the U.S. Postal Service from requiring states to follow new mail-ballot procedures developed under President Donald Trump&#8217;s executive order.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who was appointed in 2014 by President Barack Obama, issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Postal Service from imposing the requirements ahead of the November midterms. The ruling replaces a temporary block Talwani imposed after Democratic-led states renewed their legal challenge.
States may voluntarily use the Postal Service&#8217;s new system, but none have announced plans to do so, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2026-trump-mail-voting-postal-service-ce207ff2d0533de05cc2d299e91a0198">reported</a>.
Under the rule, state election officials would have to submit voters&#8217; names, addresses, and unique ballot-envelope barcodes through a federal portal before turning outbound ballots over to the Postal Service. The Postal Service could reject mailings that did not comply and return them to election officials.
Talwani said the timing would make compliance difficult as states begin distributing ballots. North Carolina mailed its first ballots Friday. Other states are expected to soon follow.
Talwani wrote that states are &#8220;unable to pivot this late in the election cycle, nearly guaranteeing significant disenfranchisement for eligible voters.&#8221;
The case reached the Supreme Court last month. On August 24, the justices paused an earlier injunction issued by Talwani, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-makes-decision-in-mail-in-ballot-fight-ahead-of-midterms">reported</a>, finding that the states had sued before showing that Trump&#8217;s executive order would actually harm them. The justices made clear that they had not ruled on whether the administration&#8217;s actions were legal.
Following that ruling, Talwani <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-scores-second-major-win-in-mail-in-voting-fight">lifted</a> her remaining injunction, temporarily clearing the way for the Postal Service to proceed. By then, the Postal Service had issued its final rule. That allowed the states to challenge the rule itself.
The states then sued over the final rule, and Talwani blocked it Friday.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to lift Talwani&#8217;s temporary block. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson gave the states challenging the rule until 10 a.m. Tuesday to respond. Talwani replaced the temporary order with a preliminary injunction Friday, and the parties notified the Supreme Court of the new ruling. The justices have not indicated when they will act.

US-VOTE-WASHINGTON

Obama-Appointed Judge Throws Trump’s Mail-In Ballot Plan Into Limbo

indira talwani

us postal service

President Donald Trump on Friday weighed in on the mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy murder case, calling the deaths of her three young children a &#8220;horrible tragedy&#8221; and predicting that she would face another trial.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a shame. It&#8217;s a horrible tragedy,&#8221; Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. &#8220;Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can&#8217;t be worse.&#8221;
Trump said the case, which has captivated the nation, had been difficult to avoid because it received so much television coverage. He said Clancy would face consequences and could end up confined in a psychiatric institution or prison.
&#8220;There&#8217;ll be a price,&#8221; Trump said, adding that he believes prosecutors would bring the case to trial again and called that scenario &#8220;too bad.&#8221;
Massachusetts Superior Court Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial Friday after the nine-woman, three-man jury said they remained unable to reach a unanimous verdict following seven days of deliberations.
Clancy, 36, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the January 2023 deaths of her children: Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months, inside the family&#8217;s home in Duxbury. She pleaded not guilty.
Clancy acknowledged strangling the children with exercise bands, but her attorneys argued that severe postpartum mental illness left her unable to understand that what she was doing was wrong. Prosecutors say the killings were deliberate and that Clancy was criminally responsible.
The jury&#8217;s final note said members could not reach a unanimous decision.
&#8220;With a heavy heart we report we cannot come to a unanimous decision,&#8221; the jurors wrote.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington said he believed the jury stood 11-1 in favor of finding Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury&#8217;s actual vote remains unknown.
Reddington unsuccessfully sought to remove the alleged holdout, arguing that jury notes indicated the juror was refusing to follow the law. He argued the juror was &#8220;biased&#8221; against those with &#8220;debilitating mental illness.&#8221; Sullivan rejected that request and gave the defense one hour to seek emergency intervention from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court before declaring a mistrial. The state&#8217;s highest court declined to intervene.
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not announced whether prosecutors plan to retry the case. Clancy will remain at a state psychiatric hospital, according to the Associated Press.

Trump Backs Beef Origin Labels, Eases Processing For Ranchers

Trump Drops Blunt Take After Lindsay Clancy Jury Deadlocks

insanity defense

lindsay clancy

massachusetts

mistrial

Vice President Vance Speaks At Event For Michigan Republican Candidates

LISTEN: JD Vance’s Closed-Door Interview In Front Of Republican Jews

antisemitism

israel united states relations

jd vance

republican jewish coalition

A Las Vegas jury found Duane &#8220;Keffe D&#8221; Davis guilty of first-degree murder on Monday in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, bringing an end to one of the most infamous unsolved murders in hip hop.
The jury convicted Davis, 63, of murder with the use of a deadly weapon and the intent to promote further, or assist a criminal gang, after deliberating for roughly three hours following closing arguments.
Davis was the only person charged in Shakur&#8217;s murder and now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
The killing took place against the backdrop of several overlapping rivalries, including a beef between Death Row Records and Bad Boy Records and between two Los Angeles-area gangs, the South Side Compton Crips and Mob Piru, a Bloods-affiliated gang.
Prosecutors did not accuse Davis of firing the shots that killed Shakur nearly 30 years ago. They argued the former leader of the South Side Compton Crips orchestrated the retaliatory attack and provided the gun used to kill Shakur.
Hours before Shakur was shot on September 7, 1996, Shakur and Death Row Records founder Marion &#8220;Suge&#8221; Knight were with a group captured on surveillance footage attacking Davis&#8217; nephew, Orlando &#8220;Baby Lane&#8221; Anderson, a member of the South Side Compton Crips, inside the MGM Grand following a Mike Tyson boxing match.
Prosecutors said Davis, Anderson, and two other men went &#8220;hunting&#8221; for Shakur and located Shakur and Knight while driving. Someone inside the white Cadillac opened fire, shooting Shakur four times while one bullet grazed Knight&#8217;s head. Shakur, who was 25, died six days later.
The decades-long case relied heavily on Davis&#8217;s own words.
Davis misunderstood the terms of a 2008 proffer agreement and repeatedly discussed the case publicly, placing himself inside the Cadillac in interviews, documentaries, and his 2019 memoir, &#8220;Compton Street Legend.&#8221; He also said he handed the gun to the men in the back seat.
Prosecutors and police described Davis as the &#8220;shot caller&#8221; who orchestrated the deadly shooting.
Davis&#8217; legal team argued that their client&#8217;s incriminating statements were essentially fiction. Defense attorney Michael Sanft told jurors Davis had not been charged years earlier because investigators &#8220;knew he was full of crap.&#8221; He said Davis had lied about his involvement to make money and boost his street credibility. They emphasized that prosecutors had no murder weapon, DNA, fingerprints, or physical evidence placing Davis at the scene.
Davis did not take the stand.
According to CNN, &#8220;there were no audible reactions&#8221; when the verdict was read, but Seiyiwa &#8220;Set&#8221; Shakur, Tupac&#8217;s sister, wept quietly.
Davis briefly raised his fist as he exited the courtroom.
Judge Carli Kierny ordered Davis to remain in jail until his sentencing on October 13.
&nbsp;

Tupac Shakur Live In Concert

Jury Reaches Verdict In Tupac Murder Trial 30 Years After His Death

death row records

duane keffe d davis

hip hop

murder trial

tupac shakur

Canada&#8217;s only WNBA franchise, the Toronto Tempo, unveiled two new official mascots this week, including a DJing snapping turtle that uses she/they pronouns.
Dot the Arctic Hare and Dez the Snapping Turtle made their debut Tuesday night during halftime of the Tempo&#8217;s game against the Indiana Fever. The timing was particularly notable because Fever star Sophie Cunningham has emerged as one of the WNBA&#8217;s most outspoken critics of biological males competing in women&#8217;s sports.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Tempo have officially unveiled their mascots. Yes, two!
Welcome Dez, the turtle and Dot, the hare. <a href="https://t.co/WRbSdu5vxm">pic.twitter.com/WRbSdu5vxm</a>
— Zulfi Sheikh (@zulfi_sheikh) <a href="https://x.com/zulfi_sheikh/status/2089865052757127311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Dez and Dot have completely different personalities, but they&#8217;re better together,&#8221; said Whitney Bell, chief marketing officer for the Toronto Tempo. &#8220;One knows when to slow things down, the other knows when to turn the energy all the way up.&#8221;
According to the Tempo, Dez uses she/they pronouns and is a Borealis Blue Snapping Turtle from Muskoka, Ontario, who DJs in their spare time.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Leave the mascots alone!” 😭
Come behind the scenes of our Official Mascot Reveal on our YouTube channel: <a href="https://t.co/RrmRh3fg1j">https://t.co/RrmRh3fg1j</a> <a href="https://t.co/prKESxar58">pic.twitter.com/prKESxar58</a>
— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) <a href="https://x.com/TempoBasketball/status/2090848079742488675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Their name is inspired by decibel, a nod to their love of music and role as the more measured half of the duo,&#8221; the team <a href="https://tempo.wnba.com/news/meet-the-official-tempo-mascots-dez-and-dot">said</a>. &#8220;Dez is calm, clever and always thinking a few steps ahead. A Taurus who spins the 1s and 2s in their spare time, Dez&#8217;s secret talent is snapping &#8211; they also have a particular fondness for soft shell tacos.&#8221;
The Tempo&#8217;s other new mascot, Dot, goes by she/her pronouns, loves cotton candy, and the team describes her as &#8220;the undisputed hype woman of the pair.&#8221;
Many have speculated that Dez identifies as &#8220;nonbinary,&#8221; which could be true, but the Tempo has not referred to it that way.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WNBA team Toronto Tempo unveils new non-binary mascot with She/They pronouns.
Dez the mascot, who uses She/They pronouns, identifies as a “borealis blue” snapping turtle from Muskoka. <a href="https://t.co/i1lFdfzWPO">pic.twitter.com/i1lFdfzWPO</a>
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href="https://x.com/OliLondonTV/status/2090773357751144856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The WNBA is virtue signaling so hard they&#8217;re going to break a wrist,&#8221; one social media user wrote.
LGBTQ-focused outlet Them also took notice, describing Dez as &#8220;butch&#8221; and saying the Tempo&#8217;s <a href="https://tempo.wnba.com/news/meet-the-official-tempo-mascots-dez-and-dot">press release</a> introducing the mascots &#8220;reads like a novella &#8211; a very queer novella.&#8221;
The outlet went a step further, speculating that Dez and Dot might be romantically involved. Them asked the Tempo to clarify both the mascots&#8217; relationship status and Dez&#8217;s gender identity.
A Tempo spokesperson told Them that Dez and Dot are &#8220;besties,&#8221; prompting the outlet to update its report.
Dez&#8217;s gender identity, however, remains a mystery.
&nbsp;

HQC1OQXWEAA6Z5w

WNBA Team’s New She/They Mascot Is A Taurus DJ Who Loves Tacos

gender identity

mascot

sophie cunningham

sports

toronto tempo

wnba

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a stunning upset Tuesday in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, defeating socialist frontrunner Francesca Hong after polls showed him trailing by double digits just days before the election.
Decision Desk Headquarters called the race early Wednesday morning for Crowley, who reentered the contest only weeks before the primary and earned the backing of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. With nearly all votes in, Crowley leads his socialist rival by a little over 3,000 votes. 
Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, significantly underperformed in white working-class parts of the state and failed to generate the margins she needed in deep-blue college towns like Madison.
It’s a narrow but significant victory for the establishment, which pulled off an 11th-hour campaign to stop Hong and ensure the party’s rebellious socialist summer surge hit a brick wall in the industrial battleground of Wisconsin. In the final stretch of the campaign, Crowley seized on Hong’s high-profile stumbles and rejected the establishment label as a racial slur.
“I&#8217;m trying to figure out who the establishment is, right? I think that when we talk about the establishment, I don&#8217;t know who that is. I&#8217;m a kid that grew up in 53206 zip code. My parents was drug addicts and suffered from mental health,” he <a href="http://Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley pulled off a stunning upset Tuesday in Wisconsin’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, defeating socialist frontrunner Francesca Hong after polls showed him trailing by double digits just days before the election. Decision Desk Headquarters called the race early Wednesday morning for Crowley, who reentered the contest only weeks before the primary and earned the backing of outgoing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. With nearly all votes in, Crowley leads his socialist rival by a little over 3,000 votes.  Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, significantly underperformed in white working-class parts of the state and failed to generate the margins she needed in deep-blue college towns like Madison. It’s a narrow but significant victory for the establishment, which pulled off an 11th-hour campaign to stop Hong and ensure the party’s rebellious socialist summer surge hit a brick wall in the industrial battleground of Wisconsin. In the final stretch of the campaign, Crowley seized on Hong’s high-profile stumbles and rejected the establishment label as a racial slur. “I'm trying to figure out who the establishment is, right? I think that when we talk about the establishment, I don't know who that is. I'm a kid that grew up in 53206 zip code. My parents was drug addicts and suffered from mental health,” he told reporters. “So when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.”  “That's my foundation. That's what I'm going to continue to do as a county executive, and what I'm going to do as the governor of Wisconsin,” he added.  His message resonated with enough voters to deliver a comeback that defied a flurry of pre-election polls showing Hong with a commanding double-digit lead over the rest of the Democratic field. One of the final polls before Election Day had Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%.">told</a> reporters. “So when people try to call me the establishment, I look at that as a slur, particularly as an African American candidate.” 
“That&#8217;s my foundation. That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m going to continue to do as a county executive, and what I&#8217;m going to do as the governor of Wisconsin,” he added. 
He also ran on a message of electability, arguing that Hong was far too extreme to win statewide in a swing state where Republicans are already facing national political headwinds.
“The Republican Governors Association is bankrolling millions right now, not to attack a Democrat, but to boost one, because they’ve decided which Democratic nominee they can beat in November,” Crowley <a href="https://www.crowleyforwi.com/">said</a>, explaining his decision to get back into the race. “That is a five-alarm warning sign. We cannot let the GOP choose the Democratic nominee for governor of Wisconsin.&#8221;
But Crowley’s comeback was not without its own vulnerabilities, as scrutiny of his past complicated his standing with leftist voters. 
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/wisconsin-democrat-david-crowley-dirt-mcgirk-twitter-rcna588646">NBC News</a> uncovered old social media posts linking Crowley to a pseudonymous X account called “Dirt McGirk,” which the outlet said featured racist, sexist, and homophobic posts between 2010 and 2014. Crowley insisted other people had access to the X burner account and condemned the posts.
Still, Hong&#8217;s high-profile stumbles in the homestretch appeared to decisively shift the race in Crowley&#8217;s favor, delivering a comeback that defied a flurry of pre-election polls showing Hong with a commanding double-digit lead over the rest of the Democratic field. One of the final polls before Election Day had Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%.
Evers, who backed Crowley after he reentered the race, had openly warned that Hong would face difficulty defeating Republican nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI).
&#8220;I think she&#8217;s in a tough place. She has spent her entire campaign dealing not with the issues, but what&#8217;s on the Twitter, and I just find that that&#8217;s not a good way to beat Tom Tiffany,&#8221; Evers said in the campaign&#8217;s homestretch. &#8220;It&#8217;s going to be tough&#8230;but I think she&#8217;s at a real disadvantage, especially since she spends a lot of time talking about Twitter.&#8221;
Hong, a 37-year-old state representative and part-time bartender, had ridden a wave of leftist enthusiasm to become the race&#8217;s surprise frontrunner, setting off a late scramble among establishment Democrats to stop her.
Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped out of the Democratic primary in late July as Hong surged in the polls, appearing to concede at the time that her nomination was inevitable.
“Last night I had a very difficult conversation with staff,” Barnes <a href="https://x.com/TheOtherMandela/status/2082894497839468849">said in a social media video</a>. “We’re incredibly proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and all the resources that we have raised to spread our message. But it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be.”
But Crowley&#8217;s late return to the race ultimately gave Democrats an alternative to Hong, who generated national headlines over a series of old social media posts and leftist policy positions.
“Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621,” she said in a deleted 2020 social media post. “If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed indigenous folx and women, so be it.”
Hong has also criticized other major American holidays, saying she doesn&#8217;t like fireworks ahead of Independence Day, dismissing Halloween as &#8220;not my thing,&#8221; and claiming Valentine&#8217;s Day brings out &#8220;the worst of humanity&#8221; on a day when &#8220;capitalism tells you how to show love.&#8221;
Hong&#8217;s rise drew national attention but did not result in endorsements from two of the country&#8217;s most prominent Democratic socialists, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
Crowley will now face Tiffany, the Republican nominee, in November as both parties battle for control of the governor&#8217;s mansion after Evers decided not to seek another term.
Tiffany has centered his campaign on affordability and reducing the size and cost of state government.
“Let&#8217;s get control of our utility rates, which have been skyrocketing $2 billion plus in the last eight years. Let&#8217;s get control of the red tape and let&#8217;s also audit all of state government,” Tiffany <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2086575835759161785?s=20">said</a> on Fox News over the weekend. &#8220;It is one of the most popular issues amongst people that I&#8217;m talking to at this point. Boy, let&#8217;s root out the fraud and waste because we know what&#8217;s happening here in Wisconsin also.&#8221;

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate David Crowley Holds Campaign Rally On Eve Of Primary Election

Socialist Frontrunner’s Stunning Collapse Hands Wisconsin Dems A November Lifeline

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Wisconsin&#8217;s Democratic gubernatorial primary was too close to call late Tuesday, with socialist frontrunner Francesca Hong and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley separated by a razor-thin margin after polls had projected Hong was headed for a decisive victory.
With 82% of the vote reported, Crowley held 39.96% of the vote to Hong&#8217;s 39.84%, a virtual tie in a race to determine who faces Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.
The nail-biter marked a dramatic departure from pre-election polling, which showed Hong with a commanding lead over her Democratic rivals. One of the final pre-election polls showed Hong leading Crowley 44% to 22%.
Hong, a dues-paying member of the Democratic Socialists of America, had ridden a wave of leftist enthusiasm to become the race&#8217;s surprise frontrunner, setting off a late scramble among establishment Democrats to stop her.
Crowley&#8217;s unexpectedly strong showing kept that effort alive late Tuesday, with neither candidate able to claim victory as outstanding ballots were still being counted.

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Socialist Frontrunner Suddenly Fighting For Survival In Wisconsin Governor Primary

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