Earlier this summer, the Edmund Burke Foundation, the home of the NatCon movement, published a formal Statement of Principles, initially at The American Conservative. The diverse array of signees was impressive, and totaled over 70. I was delighted to sign it myself. But despite the prominence of the Statement of Principles and the growing stature of the NatCon movement—as evidenced by the fact the most popular current conservative elected official in America, Gov....

If you want to join in and are looking for some outfits to celebrate National Dress Up Your Pet Day yourself, we’ve included some pet costume deals below. Twitter user @LRatterman_WDRB shared photos of her dog as a basketball player, dressed up for Halloween and in a beach setting, saying: “These pictures may or may not have been used in the most wonderful calendar ever.” @YeyushR posted a fashion-forward picture of two chihuahuas, adding: “It is a new era in Fashion....

In a memo obtained by Newsweek that was distributed to all of the organization’s employees Thursday afternoon, CEO Wayne LaPierre announced that the organization has had to “make the very painful decision to furlough employees who cannot perform their duties in the short term due to the cancellation or postponement of events, temporary closure of facilities or other disruptions in our operations.” The furloughs will begin on Sunday and will be effective indefinitely....

The resolution to charge the pair with criminal contempt passed 220-203 on Wednesday, with the only two Republicans on the January 6 House select committee—Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois—voting “yes,” according to CNN. Last week, the committee voted in favor of referring criminal charges for the pair after they defiled subpoenas demanding they testify and hand over documents relevant to the Capitol attack. Navarro and Scavino have cited “executive privilege” as their reason for not complying with the committee’s subpoenas....

The marble tablet, also known as the Nazareth Inscription, is a slab measuring 23 inches in height and 14.7 inches wide. It is written in Greek and appears to have been issued by a Roman ruler identified as Caesar. The text on the tablet says tombs and graves should not be disturbed and bodies should not be removed. Doing so, it says, is a capital offense. The tablet was owned by Wilhelm Froehner, who bought it in Paris in 1878 and kept it in his private collection until his death....

The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, was sent on behalf of commissioner Adam Silver and players union executive director Michele Roberts in response to protests in other sports over racial oppression and other social matters. MORE: National anthem protests across sports The league and the National Basketball Players Association are working together to find ways to “come together and take meaningful action.” “These ideas are based on the actions many of you have already taken or supported, including convening community conversations in NBA markets to engage young people, parents, community leaders and law enforcement in a candid dialogue,’’ the memo read in part....

The No. 1 seed by virtue of being the highest ranked player in the game, Durant selected the Los Angeles Clippers in his opening game on Friday evening but lost 78-62 against No. 16 seed Derrick Jones Jr., who controlled the Milwaukee Bucks instead. The Clippers and the Bucks were by far the most popular teams in the first round, with each franchise picked four times in the eight matchups....

He turned out to be wrong — sorry, Micah — but it sure was a fun exercise, so we’re going to do it again. This year’s 3-Point Contest participants are CJ McCollum, Trae Young, Zach LaVine, Desmond Bane, Karl-Anthony Towns, Fred VanVleet, Luke Kennard and Patty Mills. That’s four All-Stars in Young, LaVine, Towns and VanVleet, plus four of the league’s sharpest shooters in McCollum, Bane, Kennard and Mills....

So, it comes as no surprise, that the fans have a huge say in which players participate in the NBA All-Star Game, the headlining event of the weekend. Up until 2017, the starters for the NBA All-Star Game were completely decided by fan voting but since, the league has shifted to a weighted process wherein fan voting accounts for 50%, with player and media voting accounting for 25% each....

The game, which will be played on Friday, Feb. 14, in New Orleans as part of All-Star Weekend, is in its third season with first- and second-year players playing together. That's a good thing for this rookie class, considering its challenges this season. Several players, including No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, have performed well below initial expectations. Many of the rookies who have played well will be on the court when the game is televised on TNT at 9 p....

The NBA is announcing the winners of its major awards through the postseason coverage on TNT, naming who will take home the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year. Voting was conducted by media members and is based on the 2020-21 regular season. MORE: NBA playoff schedule 2021 Who will take home the top awards?...

Line: Hawks -6.5, Total: 200.5 (check our odds page for current NBA point spreads and totals ) The Rockets (41-18 SU, 34-25 ATS) are coming off a big, nationally-televised win over the Cavaliers on Sunday, when things got chippy between Harden and LeBron James. Harden, who is putting up astronomical numbers this season and is squarely in the MVP discussion, kicked James in the groin in the third quarter and has been suspended for tonight’s game in Atlanta....

Line: Cleveland -3.5 , Total: 215 (check our odds page for current NBA point spreads and totals) Cleveland and Golden State are the top two favorites to win the NBA Championship, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Warriors have the best record in basketball, and while the Cavs rank just ninth, they’ve been red-hot of late. Cleveland (36-22 SU, 29-29 ATS) has won three-straight games (3-0 ATS) and is 17-2 SU (15-4 ATS) in its last 19 overall....

Line: Cleveland 3, Total: 212 (check our live odds page for current NBA point spreads and totals) The Cavaliers (24-20 SU, 19-25 ATS) have been a streaky team all season, but even more so of late. They’ve won their last five (5-0 ATS) after ending a six-game losing streak (0-6 ATS). Injuries, trades and player chemistry have all affected this team that was the NBA title favorite before the season....

NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) Will LeBron James claim the record for most wins on Christmas Day? Can the Knicks avenge their playoff defeat to the Hawks? Five members of our Sporting News Staff give their predictions for all five games across the marquee day. MORE: 2021-22 NBA Christmas Day guide | List of players in NBA’s health and safety protocols...

The 2018 draft class, so far, has given the league nearly as many rotation players as the previous year’s class — and those players, arguably, have been more productive. There are eight 2018 draftees playing better than 24 minutes this season, and what stands out in looking at each one is that there is likely to be much improvement ahead. MORE: Four reasons why Mavs find themselves in West playoff race...

Both games have point spreads of under 10 points, but outside of the double-OT game last season, the Warriors handled Houston in their other three matchups. The Boston-Cleveland total tonight is 212.5, while the Houston-Golden State game checks in with the higher total of roughly 230 points. While your options are slightly limited with only two games, below is free sneak preview of our premium advice on some top players to roster tonight....

After James went on a rant claiming after Kawhi Leonard’s reported ACL injury that the NBA’s 2020-21 schedule was responsible for an increased injury rate, NBA spokesperson Mike Bass stepped in to defend the league and rebut James’ claim. “Injury rates were virtually the same this season as they were during 2019-20 while starter-level and All-Star players missed games due to injury at similar rates as the last three seasons," Bass said, per Marc Stein of the New York Times....