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At what point do you start feeling bad for teams? It can be hard to have empathy for sports teams and professionals who make millions to play a game. However, I find myself rooting for teams that continuously knock on the door, but don't find their way to knock it down. The Hurricanes are a team that I've felt bad for, and they host the Canadiens in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

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The Montreal Canadiens put together a fantastic season with a 48-24-10 season. They were excellent on the road all year with a 24-9-8 record as a visiting team. In the opening round of the playoffs, they took Tampa to the distance, alternating wins and losses. In the second round, they found themselves again facing a tough test, taking on Buffalo. The Sabres couldn't get the job done against them, but took them the distance as well.

In the series opener against Carolina, the Canadiens got six goals to find the back of the net. They are now 7-2 in the postseason on the road. Tonight, they are putting Jakub Dobes in the net. He had a strong regular season with a 29-10-4 record and a 2.78 goals-against-per-game average. He also was tied for 22nd in the league with a .901 save percentage. He has been even better in the postseason, posting a .911 save percentage and a 2.48 goals-per-game average. Improving on his regular season numbers against tougher competition is quite impressive.

The Carolina Hurricanes are a team that I have a lot of sympathy for. I know the team had a good season, as they have for years. However, they keep stumbling in the Conference Finals. They went 1-4 last year against the Panthers, 0-4 three seasons ago, and 0-4 in 2018-19 when they got there. They are now 1-13 in their past 14 Conference Finals games. It is kind of depressing seeing it happen to them.

Of course, this was also the first loss of the playoffs for the Hurricanes, so you have to wonder if it is all mental or if it is just a fluke that they lost the first game. In the first round, they won all four games, but it wasn't like they blew out their opponent in any game. Against the Flyers, they had two wins in overtime, and the other two wins were by three goals. They should have Frederik Andersen in the net and he has been locked in for the playoffs. He has a .932 save percentage in the playoffs compared to .874 in the regular season. The same with his goals allowed dropping from 3.05 to 1.51.

Tonight should be a game the Hurricanes come out and look to get the stigma off their back. A win here would give them a completely new series and relieve a little bit of pressure off of them. Just because you need to win, doesn't mean you'll do it, though. I like the way the Canadiens played in Game 1 and think there is a ton of value on them.

This doesn't mean that Montreal will win the game, but it does give us a good opportunity to bet on them. Dobes has been tough to score on, but certainly easier than Andersen. Still, he is playing with house money at this point. I expect the Canadiens to play without pressure, full of confidence, and win this game. They may have found something after getting six goals in Game 1. Give me Montreal at plus money.

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A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit against Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Thursday.

The lawsuit, brought against Bellows in September, alleged that Maine violated federal election laws when the state refused to turn over data about Maine voters to the federal government.

Bellows argued that the DOJ did not provide an explanation for how it planned to use the data they requested, which included the names of everybody on Maine's voter rolls as well as driver's license numbers, partial Social Security numbers and full dates of birth.

She rejected the DOJ's request in August and then filed a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit in December.

TRUMP-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE TOSSES DOJ LAWSUIT SEEKING ARIZONA VOTER DATA

"The Gulf of Maine is awfully cold, but maybe that’s what the DOJ needs to cool down. So, here's my answer to Trump's DOJ today: Go jump in the Gulf of Maine," she said in a July news conference.

On Thursday, Maine Chief U.S. District Judge Lance Walker, who Trump appointed in 2018, granted Bellows' motion and dismissed the DOJ lawsuit.

"The United States' requests would require me to turn a blind eye to traditional practices of federalism and how those expressions have found expression in American elections," Walker said.

DOJ SUES SIX STATES FOR REFUSING TO TURN OVER VOTER REGISTRATION ROLLS, WARNS ‘OPEN DEFIANCE’ OF FEDERAL LAW

Bellows praised the ruling. "Today’s ruling affirms that the states, not the federal government, are in charge of our elections. From the moment the Trump Administration sought every American’s voter data, I said no. When they tried to bully me by suing Maine, I helped lead of coalition of states to fight back – and we’re winning. I will continue to defend every Mainer’s voting rights and their privacy," she said in a statement.

"Let me be clear – Trump and the DOJ may continue to try to interfere with free and fair elections run by the states. We will not let them," Bellows said. "Under our Constitution, states are the primary regulators and administrators of elections for federal office, unless Congress passes legislation that preempts that framework. And Congress’s power to do even that is itself subject to limitations."

The DOJ has sued 30 states for refusing to turn over unredacted lists of their voter rolls. Those lawsuits have been dismissed in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Rhode Island and now Maine, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The DOJ has not publicly commented on the dismissal.

Fox News Digital contacted the DOJ and Maine secretary of state for additional comment.

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The Pentagon’s latest batch of declassified UFO files includes audio from a 1969 Apollo 12 post-mission medical debrief in which astronauts described seeing "streaks of light" while trying to sleep in deep space.

The audio, released as part of the Department of War’s second tranche of records under its Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE), captures Apollo 12 crew members discussing flashes and streaks of light they saw in the darkened spacecraft.

"The streaks I saw were one that I saw on the horizontal," one crew member said, according to the transcript. "The horizontal streaks were always a little bit above the center."

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The Department of War said the release is a government-wide effort to identify, review, declassify and publicly release unresolved UAP-related records and historical documents. The first release was on May 8.

The Apollo 12 crew, which included Charles "Pete" Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean, launched in November 1969 on NASA’s second crewed moon landing mission.

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The newly released debrief audio offers an account of unexplained visual flashes seen by the astronauts.

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In the transcript, the astronauts describe watching for the flashes while lying awake in the spacecraft. One said the streaks appeared to be "roughly in the same place," while another said he saw them at about "30 degrees to horizontal."

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The crew and medical personnel also discussed whether the flashes were random or directional, and whether they appeared in one eye or both. One astronaut said he could usually tell which eye had registered the flash after waiting long enough to observe it.

The phenomenon was discussed in the debrief as possibly tied to cosmic rays or heavy particles passing through the eye.

DECLASSIFIED APOLLO MOON DOCS DESCRIBE UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES, UFO LIGHTS 'LIKE THE FOURTH OF JULY'

The Apollo 12 audio is one of several records included in the latest release.

Other files in the tranche include Cold War-era records on "green fireballs" near sensitive military and nuclear installations, Pantex imagery of an unidentified object, and a senior U.S. intelligence officer describing orange orbs during a helicopter mission.

The Department of War says the PURSUE archive contains unresolved cases, meaning the government has not made a definitive determination about the nature of the observed phenomena.

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The department said the materials are being released on a rolling basis as records are found, reviewed and declassified.

"The Department of War is in lockstep with President Trump to bring unprecedented transparency regarding our government’s understanding of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves," Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said. "This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon for comment.  

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New York Knicks small forward Josh Hart was hitting shots both on the floor and in his press conference on Thursday.

Hart, who scored a playoff career-high 26 points in the Knicks' 109-93 win in Game 2 in the Eastern Conference finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden, was asked about analytics and had a hilarious response.

"I'm never a huge analytics guy. At a certain point, they are a lamp post to a drunk person. You can lean on them, but it won't get you home," Hart told reporters.

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"At a certain point, you got to have a good feel for the game."

Hart’s quip drew laughs from reporters. Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the podium with him, took off his glasses and looked at his teammate with a bewildered expression.

"Oh my god, bruh," Towns said.

Hart then credited the quote to his former Villanova coach and used his full name in doing so.

"I’m not going to lie that’s Jerold Wright, his quote. Shoutout Jay Wright."

Towns then stopped the press conference, not wanting to let Hart off the hook for the analogy.

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"Wait, hold on, we’re not moving on from that," Towns said.

"That’s a great quote," Hart responded.

He then explained the quote to Towns.

"I was with (Coach John Calipari at Kentucky), so I didn’t hear that," Towns said.

"You ain’t even go to college," Hart jokingly said back to Towns, who laughed.

In the Knicks’ Game 1 comeback win, Hart struggled mightily shooting. He had 13 points and made just one of his five 3-pointers.

Head coach Mike Brown substituted Hart out and inserted Landry Shamet, who helped spark the Knicks' fourth-quarter rally. In Game 2, the Cavaliers sagged off Hart, daring him to shoot 3-point attempts.

Unlike Game 1, Hart drained five of his 11 3-pointers and led the team in scoring. The Cavaliers' game plan defensively was to make Hart beat them, and that’s exactly what he did. Though he might not have used analytics to help his shooting turnaround.

Hart will look to stay hot from deep when the Knicks take on the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, with hopes of taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.

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The weekend was filled with what Major League Baseball was referring to as "rivalry weekend." To start this week, they paired up divisional matchups for almost every team in baseball. These games feel more like the real rivalries, and they probably have more meaning for most teams. The Mets and the Nationals take each other on in a National League East battle.

The New York Mets are one of the disappointments of the first quarter of the season. They come into today's contest with a 21-28 record for the year, and it isn't just a losing record on the road that is causing issues. The team doesn't have a ton of terrible stats, but they are struggling to hit consistently. As a team they are batting .232, which is 24th in the league. They are also at just 202 runs for the season, putting them at 22nd in the league.

The pitching staff has been surprisingly good. As a team, they have a 3.91 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. The ERA ranks at 11th in the league, and the WHIP sits at 15th. If the hitting comes around, which it should given their hitters, the Mets should be fine. Hoping for some run support is David Peterson, who makes the start for the Mets today. He is 2-4 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. On the road, Peterson has been a bit better, but his numbers still look ugly with a 4.50 road ERA. His past three road starts haven't been long, but he has allowed just two earned runs over 12.2 innings. Peterson has been hit hard by the Nationals in the past, going 27-for-97. However, only three of those hits went for extra bases.

The Washington Nationals are one of the bigger surprises of the first quarter of the season. They are 25-25 before the opening pitch of this one. They are just 10-15 at home, though. This was still expected to be a bit of a rebuild year for the club. However, the Nationals have found some success with a variety of their young talent. They even recently called up Dylan Crews, who is expected to be one of the mainstays in their lineup for years.

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The Nationals don't have a ton of great pitching they can rely on, unfortunately. Their starting pitcher for tonight's contest is Cade Cavalli, who owns a 2-2 record with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. He has been slightly better at home, going 1-1 with a 3.75 home ERA. He has only allowed four or more earned runs in one of his 10 outings, but only three of his starts have seen him complete at least six innings. The Mets have hit Cavalli well in the past, going 10-for-23 against him.

I have a couple of considerations for player props, and I think I will play both of these even if they aren't for full units. Juan Soto has gone 4-for-5 against Cavalli with two extra base hits. Soto getting 2+ total bases at +131 is worth a play. CJ Abrams has done poorly against Peterson, going 4-for-22. He does make decent contact against him, so this isn't a great opportunity, but under 0.5 hits at +147 is a solid look.

I'm taking the over in this game. The total is at just 7.5 runs, and both offenses have shown success against the opposing starter. Both teams have had hot bats lately as well, and I don't expect that to slow down here. Give me the over 7.5. I also like the Nationals to win this game, but that's more of a lean than anything.

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The Justice Department is threatening to sue four Democratic-led states for denying undercover license plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, opening a new constitutional front in the immigration fight. 

At issue is whether the blue states are simply refusing to help ICE carry out civil immigration enforcement, or whether withholding confidential plates interferes with the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration law.

Charles "Cully" Stimson, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said the states are playing a "dangerous game" by refusing to help protect ICE agents, but he also questioned whether DOJ’s Supremacy Clause argument is as straightforward as the department suggests. 

"Federal law preempts state law when state law conflicts with a supreme federal law. And when it does, the state law is preempted, meaning that the state law cannot be given legal effect in those instances of conflict," Stimson told Fox News Digital. "There is no law in my mind that is conflicting with federal law. You simply have state actors refusing to issue these types of license plates."

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Stimson said DOJ’s challenge is establishing that the states are doing more than just refusing to help ICE. The department would likely need to show that the plate restrictions conflict with a specific federal law.

"So as much as I think that the DOJ is putting forth a plausible argument, I don't think there's a lot of ‘there’ there in this argument," he continued.

DOJ Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate warned on May 12 that the governors of Maine, Massachusetts, Washington and Oregon that they were running afoul of the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which makes federal law supreme over conflicting state laws, by refusing to provide immigration enforcement officers with license plates that conceal their identities as federal agents. 

"By refusing to issue standard and undercover registrations and plates to federal agencies, including federal law enforcement agencies, while continuing to issue them to similarly-situated state and local agencies without restriction, Oregon’s DMV has directly run afoul of the Supremacy Clause by discriminating against the federal government," Shumate wrote to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.

He used similar language in his letters to the three other Democratic governors.

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An official in the Massachusetts governor’s office told Fox News Digital that the commonwealth does issue undercover plates to federal agents, but only when they are investigating criminal offenses. Immigration enforcement typically involves civil infractions. 

The official added that state and local law enforcement are also barred from receiving undercover plates if they’re investigating civil offenses. They also claimed that fears of "doxing" of ICE officers, which were mentioned by Shumate, are unfounded, as non-confidential plates offered by the state to ICE only disclose that the agency owns the car, not the name of the individual agent. 

ICE claimed in January 2026 that agents and their families have experienced an 8,000% increase in death threats.

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"Massachusetts is not going to allow state resources to be used to help ICE operate in secret while they are violating people’s rights and making us all less safe," a spokesman for the governor’s office told Fox News Digital. "Any federal, state or local agency engaging in legitimate criminal law enforcement work can receive a confidential plate. We all know that’s not what ICE is doing. This is an agency that can’t and won’t even tell us who they are arresting and why. We are not going to enable their tactics." 

Oregon and Maine, however, appear to have issued broader suspensions of the issuance of undercover plates to federal agencies. The governor’s offices of Oregon, Maine and Washington did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Tuesday. 

Stimson explained that there is an underlying assumption that, by virtue of being in the union and as implied under the Constitution’s separation of powers, states will help the federal government enforce laws.

"Every one of these states is part of the union. It is assumed that when the federal government is enforcing federal law, the states are going to play ball," Stimson said. "And it's assumed when the states are enforcing state law, and it bumps up against federal agents, that the feds are going to cooperate with the states."

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Stimson did also question the motivations of the states in not issuing undercover plates. 

"On immigration, because they don't like Trump and they don't like ICE, even though apparently they loved ICE in the Obama administration, they are playing this very dangerous game. And it's despicable, by the way, because it puts lives in danger, not only of the people they're trying to pick up, but the agents themselves," he told Fox News Digital.

Tony Pham, former ICE director and current senior fellow at the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, believes the DOJ is well within its rights to compel the four states into issuing undercover plates using the Supremacy Clause.

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"The Justice Department’s position is firmly grounded in the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits individual states from discriminating against the federal government or interfering with lawful federal operations," Pham, who is also a lawyer, told Fox News Digital. 

"The State of Washington and Commonwealth of Massachusetts admit to the legitimate safety and operational needs for confidential license plates when issuing them to their respective state and local law enforcement agencies," Pham continued. "When their policies openly discriminate against the federal government, by denying federal law enforcement agents the same protections, this creates an unequal standard that directly undermines federal officers carrying out congressionally authorized law enforcement duties."

Shumate made similar arguments in his letters to the governors. When reached for comment on Thursday, the DOJ referred Fox News Digital to the letters posted by the assistant attorney general.

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Rafael Mangual, a fellow at the right-of-center Manhattan Institute who holds a law degree, questioned the distinction between civil and criminal enforcement drawn by the blue states.

"These states can try to draw distinctions between criminal and civil enforcement to obfuscate basic realities; but they know full well that many of the individuals who would be subjected to civil immigration enforcement actions also pose real criminal threats in their communities," he said. "This reality is illustrated all too often by the stories of sometimes heinous offenses committed by those unlawfully present in the United States. Making it easier to track and identify law enforcement vehicles will expose federal agents on the ground in those jurisdictions to the kind of harassment we saw in jurisdictions like Minneapolis and Chicago, which makes all involved less safe."

"Federal agencies such as ICE and CBP are enforcing immigration laws that have been on the books for decades and enforced by both Republican and Democratic administrations," he added.

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Mike Fox, a legal fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, was unimpressed with both sides of the debate, remarking it's not a "slam dunk for one side or the other."

"I think this is the type of case where you have one side that says we're obviously right, and the other side that says we're obviously right, and I think the answer is actually that they're both wrong," he told Fox News Digital. 

Fox said in cases where "the state's imposing conditions on how federal law enforcement officers operate," such as the attempted ban on masked federal agents in California, that "pretty clearly violates the Supremacy Clause." Congress, he said, could and should mandate that agents identify themselves, but that such a rule-change is out of bounds for state legislatures.

"This, though, is different, and the reason I think this is different is because the state issues license plates, right?" Fox continued. " It's not like the state is only issuing license plates to ICE and are withholding them. They issue license plates to you and to me and to everyone else, and it's also the case that most federal law enforcement, if they're not operating, you know, undercover, they have U.S. government license plates."

"There's nothing barring ICE from using vehicles with federal license plates," he added.

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