Featured

Mark Cuban confirms Mavericks will not play National Anthem before games

Published

3 years ago

February 10, 2021

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban confirmed to ESPN Tuesday that his team will no longer play the National Anthem before home games.

The National Anthem has not been played before any of the Mavericks 13 preseason or regular-season games at the American Airlines Center this season.

Mark Cuban decided before the season the Mavericks would no longer play the national anthem, and it hasn't been before any of the team's 13 home games.

It's the first instance we know of a pro sports team striking the U.S. anthem from the pre-game. https://t.co/VaReFVCu4U
— tim cato (@tim_cato) February 10, 2021

According to the NBA rulebook, players are required to stand during the National Anthem, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver has not enforced the rule.

“I recognize that this is a very emotional issue on both sides of the equation in America right now, and I think it calls for real engagement rather than rule enforcement,” Silver said during a news conference in December.

In a June interview on ESPN, Cuban said he was proud of his players for taking a knee during the National Anthem.

“If they were taking a knee and they were being respectful, I’d be proud of them. Hopefully I’d join them,” Cuban said.

Cuban added that he hopes the NBA will “let the players do exactly what they think is the right thing to do.”

“Whether it’s holding their arm up in the air, whether it’s taking a knee, whatever it is, I don’t think this is an issue of respect or disrespect to the flag or to the anthem or to our country,” Cuban said. “I think this is more a reflection of our players’ commitment to this country and the fact that it’s so important to them that they’re willing to say what’s in their heart and do what they think is right.”

“I’ll defer to [Silver] on any final judgments and [NBA executive director] Michele Roberts. But the reality is, my hope is we’ll let the players do exactly what they think is the right thing to do.”

Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy

Featured

Hunter Biden Indicted on Federal Gun Charges Amidst Special Counsel Investigation

Published

2 weeks ago

September 14, 2023

Alexander Carter

Screen Shot 2021 04 09 at 4.57.09 PM scaled

In a significant development, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was indicted on Thursday on federal gun charges as part of Special Counsel David Weiss’ ongoing investigation. The indictment alleges that Hunter Biden made false statements during the purchase of a firearm, among other charges.

The charges against Hunter Biden include:

• Making a false statement in the purchase of a firearm

• Making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federal firearms licensed dealer

•Possession of a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance

According to the indictment, the alleged incident occurred on or about October 12, 2018, in the District of Delaware. Hunter Biden is accused of knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement during the acquisition of a Colt Cobra 38SPL Revolver. According to reports from Fox News, the statement, submitted on Form 4473, falsely certified that he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, or controlled substance.

View Fullscreen

Furthermore, the indictment further states that between October 12, 2018, and October 23, 2018, in the District of Delaware, Hunter Biden knowingly possessed the same firearm despite being an unlawful user of and addicted to controlled substances. This marks the first set of charges brought by Special Counsel David Weiss against Hunter Biden since being granted special counsel status.

The investigation came to public attention when it was reported by Fox News in 2021 that police had responded to an incident in 2018 involving a gun owned by Hunter Biden.

Reports state that, Hallie Biden, the widow of President Biden’s late son, Beau, who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, discarded the gun. Hunter’s gun was thrown away in a dumpster near a market, located close to a school. It was subsequently revealed that Hunter Biden had purchased a gun earlier that same month.

Hunter Biden’s legal troubles do not end with the gun charges. Earlier in July, an original plea agreement collapsed, which would have seen him plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax counts for willful failure to pay federal income tax, thus avoiding jail time on a felony gun charge. Instead, he pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and one felony gun charge.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss as special counsel to oversee the Hunter Biden investigation and related matters. The White House has declined to comment on these developments, which continue to draw significant public and media attention.

Follow Alexander Carter on Twitter @AlexCarterDC for more!