Men's Journal's Blog, page 74

Sophie Cunningham Comes to Caitlin Clark's Defense Again

Sophie Cunningham scored major points with WNBA and Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark and her fans recently, and she's set to score even more after her latest comments.

Cunningham got herself kicked out of the Fever's 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday after she committed a hard foul on Sun guard Jacy Sheldon.

It was a form of retaliation for Sheldon poking Clark in the eye earlier in the game, which ignited a scuffle between the Fever and Sun and led to Clark getting bumped to the ground by Marina Mabrey.

On Saturday, Cunningham defended Clark again by blaming WNBA referees for things getting out of hand after they failed to protect the league's biggest star from an issue that has been going on for too long.

Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever and Jacy Sheldon of the Connecticut Sun face off during an altercation.

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

"I'm not focused on the extracurricular activities," Cunningham said, per the team's official YouTube channel. "And you know what, during that, it was just part of the game.

"I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a buildup for a couple years now of them just not protecting the star player in the WNBA. And so at the end of the day, I’m going to protect my teammates, that’s what I do. And I'm a team player, so it's all good."

Standing up for Clark is not something we see her teammates do, so it was definitely refreshing to see that. Cunningham, who was acquired by Indiana from the Phoenix Mercury as part a of a four-team deal, benefitted greatly from it, also, as she saw an explosion in her popularity immediately.

Moving forward, anyone that wants to mess with Clark is going to have to deal with her new enforcer, Cunningham.

Related: Dick Vitale Admits Only One Player Can Challenge Caitlin Clark

New Study Ranks the ‘Most Patriotic’ States in the U.S.

Did you ever wonder if you live in one of the most patriotic states in the country? Well, there's now a way to find out.

WalletHub put together a study to determine the most patriotic states in the United States based on 13 metrics that fell into two categories: civic engagement, which included voter turnout, and military engagement, which included the number of veterans and military enlistees in the state.

The end result saw Virginia emerging as the most patriotic state in the country, followed by Montana, Vermont, Colorado and Oregon.

Landing in the bottom five were Arkansas, New York, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida, from No. 50 to No. 46. Texas landed just outside the bottom five at No. 45.

Here's a look at the full top 10 from WalletHub:

1. Virginia

2. Montana

3. Vermont

4. Colorado

5. Oregon

6. Washington

7. North Dakota

8. Maryland

9. Minnesota

10. New Hampshire

An American flag flies in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Kevin Carter/Getty Images

“The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections, and a high share of the population volunteering with national or local organizations," Chip Lupo of WalletHub wrote. 

"Patriotism also isn’t concentrated in any one particular area — the top states are located in vastly different geographic regions," Lupo added.

The study also revealed that Georgia, Alaska, Texas, Hawaii and South Carolina have the highest average number of military enlistees, in that order. Alaska, Virginia, Wyoming, Montana and Hawaii have the most veterans per capita, from No. 1 to No. 5.

Beloved Restaurant Maido Named Best in the World for 2025

A beloved restaurant has earned top honors.

On the rankings of the world's best restaurants, it's scored the #1 spot.

The top-ranked restaurant is Maido, and it's located in Lima, Peru.

"The world of gastronomy came together in the city of Turin, Region of Piedmont, Italy this evening to celebrate and recognise The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, with Lima's Maido named The World's Best Restaurant,"

"The awards ceremony, hosted at Lingotto Fiere, honours the very best global gastronomic talent from 22 territories across five continents," it adds.

Atomix in New York was the top-ranked U.S. restaurant on the list.

"Ranked at No.5 in the 2024 list, Maido is a masterclass in Nikkei cuisine, blending meticulous Japanese techniques with vibrant Peruvian ingredients to create a dining experience that is both culturally rich and innovatively modern," the release says. 

Picture of the facade of the Maido high-cuisine restaurant in Lima, taken on June 19, 2025.

ERNESTO BENAVIDES/Getty Images

"The restaurant takes its name from a Japanese phrase used to greet people: 'Maido!' – the very first word diners hear as Chef Micha's team warmly welcomes them into the space."

The restaurant's website says Chef Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura is from Lima with origins in Osaka. He studied Culinary Arts and Food and Beverage Management in the U.S. at Johnson & Wales University. He then went to Osaka to learn about Japanese cuisine, the website says.

He later worked at other restaurants like Seto Sushi and developed a specialty in sushi. Eventually, he returned to Peru where he worked at a Sheraton Hotel and then eventually opened Maido in 2009. 

The restaurant offers a menu called the "Maido Experience" with pairings.

Related: Beloved Italian Restaurant Frequented by Frank Sinatra Closes After 46 Years

Bill Belichick Claims CBS Secretly Filmed Jordon Hudson

Earlier this year, a particular moment during a CBS News interview with legendary head coach Bill Belichick went viral when his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, shut down a question about how the two of them met. Now, Belichick has a rather shocking claim about the incident.

During an interview with CBS back in April, Hudson shut down a question from CBS Sunday Morning anchor Tony Dokoupil asking when she and 73-year-old Belichick met.

"We're not talking about this," she responded as she shut down the question.

The now-viral video clip led to a broader report from TMZ, which shared more details from the interview, claiming that Hudson stormed off the interview set, delaying the interview for 30 minutes.

Belichick issued a statement on the incident, claiming that the interview questions were supposed to focus solely on his new book, but CBS News refuted that with a statement of their own, where the network claimed that there were "no preconditions or limitations to this conversation."

Now, some new details reveal a shocking claim Belichick made about CBS News.

In an email to Beth Keith, a senior associate vice chancellor in the office of university communication at North Carolina, Belichick shockingly and boldly claims that CBS secretly aimed their camera at Hudson during the interview of Belichick.

“Secretly, CBS had a camera focused on Jordon where Lead producer Gabe instructed her to sit,” Belichick wrote to Keith in an email obtained by WRAL this week.

Belichick also doubled down on his stance that the interview was supposed to focus exclusively on his new book and claims that CBS News followed those guidelines at first, but then began to ask unrelated questions that were "off-limits."

“For approximately 35 uninterrupted minutes, Tony asked questions about the book,” Belichick wrote. “Then, the questions shifted to other subjects that were not related to the Art of Winning, which we had outlined as off-limits with my book publicist.”

Belichick went on to explain that Hudson attended the interview with him because his publicist, David Kass, was not present, so she filled that role. He claims that Hudson was not looking to avoid that specific question, but was simply looking to stop the questions about his personal life and steer the conversation back to the book.

“I met Jordon randomly on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021,” Belichick wrote. “That is no secret. Jordon was not dodging the specific question regarding how we met, but rather was preventing the interview from continuing to probe into personal matters.”

CBS News has not issued any sort of response to these recently surfaced comments from Belichick.

Expert Warns to Never Put Your Phone in a TSA Airport Security Bin

Airport security can be stressful, especially in the summer months when airports across the country get a little busier than usual. But next time you go through a TSA checkpoint at the airport, there is one thing you should make sure never to put directly into one of the bins.

Typically, when you go through the TSA security checkpoint at the airport, the agents will instruct everyone to place all of their belongings in a bin so that you belongings can go through the scanner and agents can ensure that everything brought onto a plane is safe.

While there are some items that the TSA typically requests be placed directly in a bin by themselves, like larger electronic devices such as laptops or tablets, there is one item that you should never place directly in a bin: your phone.

In a recent TikTok video, travel expert Tiffany, who posts to her TikTok account @travel.by.the.books, revealed that a TSA agent once advised her against placing her phone directly in a bin, warning, "This is the fastest way to get it stolen."

Instead of placing it directly into the bin, Tiffany advised travelers to place their phone or other valuables inside their bag when they go through the security screening, where it would be much more difficult for a thief to steal.

"Always make sure your valuables are zipped up into your bag when they go through the scanners," Tiffany suggested in the video.

While Tiffany specifically singled out a phone in her guidance, this same advice would apply to any valuable item that thieves might target – wallets, jewelry, headphones, sunglasses, cash, or anything else that might be an easy target.

Airport security might be designed to keep passengers safe, but it's ironically an easy place for travelers to be targeted by thieves if you aren't careful.

Massive Grocery Store Chain Kroger Announces 60 Closures

Kroger is ranked as the third-largest supermarket chain in the United States, behind only Walmart and Costco.

Thus, many Americans have come to rely on Kroger's grocery stores in their hometowns.

However, many communities are about to lose their grocery store.

Kroger announced on June 20 that it will close 60 stores across 16 states, which will amount to about 5 percent of its 1,239 "Kroger-branded grocery stores," CBS News reported.

"In the first quarter, Kroger recognized an impairment charge of $100 million related to the planned closing of approximately 60 stores over the next 18 months," Kroger wrote in a June 20 news release. 

"As a result of these store closures, Kroger expects a modest financial benefit. Kroger is committed to reinvesting these savings back into the customer experience, and as a result, this will not impact full-year guidance. Kroger will offer roles in other stores to all associates currently employed at affected stores," the release says.

Kroger's sales for the period fell to $45.1 billion compared to $45.3 billion.

Chairman and CEO Ron Sargent painted a forward-looking outlook in the release.

"Kroger delivered solid first quarter results, with strong sales led by pharmacy, eCommerce and fresh. We made good progress in streamlining our priorities, enhancing customer focus, and running great stores to improve the shopping experience," he said.

It's not clear where the closing stores are located. The Cincinnati-Dayton area is not among them.

According to Supermarket News, Kroger is "seeking to bounce back from its failed bid to merge with Albertsons Cos. late last year and the loss of its chairman and CEO earlier this year."

The site reported that Kroger is planning to open some new stores in 2025 while closing the 60 locations that are deemed "underperforming."

Related: Largest Fast Food Restaurant Chain Closed Over 600 Stores, New Data Reveals

Summerfest Lineup for 2025 Is Released in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee music festival, Summerfest, has released its 2025 lineup.

The festival launched on June 19. It runs over three weekends and ends on July 5. The music festival spans nine days and features 600 artists. It unfolds along the Lake Michigan lakefront in downtown Milwaukee. Admission is $30.

The main acts take place at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. "A separate ticket is needed to see concerts in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, but your Amphitheater ticket also includes admission to Summerfest on the day of your show," Summerfest says.

Summerfest has also provided daily schedules that provides a detailed lineup. They are for June 21, June 26, June 27, June 28, July 3, July 4, and July 5.

The main headliners are:

June 19

Def Leppard

Tesla

June 20

Hozier

Gigi Perez

June 21

James Taylor

Jason Mraz

Tiny Habits

June 26

Lainey Wilson

Lukas Nelson

Shane Smith & The Saints

June 27

The Killers

Cold War Kids

June 28

Megan Thee Stallion

Flo Milli

July 3

Benson Boone

Bishop Briggs

July 4

Bad Omens

Spiritbox

July 4

We Came as Romans

July 5

The Lumineers

Hippo Campus

Festival Stage Headliners

"A separate ticket is needed to see concerts in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, but your Amphitheater ticket also includes admission to Summerfest on the day of your show," Summerfest wrote.

See the full list here.

Summerfest has also provided a list of discounts, promotions, and ways to get free tickets. Commonly asked questions are answered here. A festival map is also provided on the Summerfest website.

Related: Summerfest Announces 2025 Promotions, Discounts & How to Get Free Tickets

Expert Criticizes New Southwest Airlines Commercial

Southwest Airlines celebrated a significant change in a recent commercial, but one expert was not necessarily a fan of the tone of the new ad.

In a recent commercial announcing the airline's shift away from its longstanding open seating policy to an assigned seating model, Southwest Airlines took a rather jovial and celebratory tone in the ad featuring scenes of rucuous celebration, including people leaping over tables, doing high kicks in the street, and dancing in a public fountain.

“That over-the-top celebratory nature was important—people going crazy about news that didn’t seem that new to the world,” Southwest Airlines director of brand and content Julia Melle told Adweek.

“The tone [of the spot] had to be tongue-in-cheek—anything else would have felt off brand,” added Bill Bayne, group creative director at GSD&M. “This is a brand that’s been doing its own way of seat selection for years, so we knew it was important to show that we ‘get it.’ So we used humor and a healthy dose of self-awareness. As Herb Kelleher said, ‘We take our competition seriously, not ourselves.’”

However, not everyone was a fan of the new ad.

Ian Baer, founder and CEO of marketing intelligence company Sooth, offered some criticism as he pointed out that many consumers are not all that happy with the recent changes, particularly the decision to end free checked bags.

“This is a charming, bouncy spot—but I wish it were coming from a brand other than Southwest,” Baer told Adweek. “It lands more like: ‘We’re not like other airlines. We’re a cool airline! Except… now we’re just like the others.’”

Baer thinks that the ad may be a bit tone-deaf and might not land with consumers the way Southwest Airlines hopes it will.

He points out that “taking beloved benefits away from loyal customers isn’t a topic for musical comedy.

We'll have to see what customers ultimately think about the ad.

Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague Jokes He Has 'PTSD' From Facing LeBron James

Several current and former NBA All-Stars have been on very good teams that found themselves in the crosshairs of a LeBron James-led team early in the NBA playoffs over the years.

James, who's won four NBA titles, has been on teams that made it to the championship 10 times in his career, including eight consecutive appearances from 2011 to 2018.

One player who fell under the category of being on good teams at the wrong time is former point guard Jeff Teague, who played in the postseason in seven of eight years during the 2011 to 2018 stretch mentioned above.

However, for Teague, a three-year stretch from 2015 to 2017 haunted him. In 2015 and 2016, Teague was a member of the Atlanta Hawks, and in 2017 joined the Indiana Pacers. Over those three years, Teague's teams went 0-12 against the James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs.

Teague recently joined the Dan Patrick Show and spoke about James. After admitting that James is his "favorite player of all-time," he addressed his winless streak against the future Hall-of-Famer.

"I have PTSD from playing against him."

-Jeff Teague on playing against @KingJames pic.twitter.com/8QuhW1i493

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 20, 2025

"I've never beaten him in a playoff series, like never won a game. So, I've got like PTSD from playing against [LeBron] a little bit," Teague joked. "But, he's still my favorite player of all-time."

Teague told a story of when he pushed James into the crowd near the end of one of the playoff series against the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player. After stating he received "a few death threats" for it, Teague admitted they're "all good now."

While James gave Teague fits throughout those three years, specifically, the 2015 NBA All-Star did eventually get a title. Teague was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks team that won the championship in 2021, his final NBA season.

Related: 'F1: The Movie' Star Damson Idris Recalls Witnessing Brad Pitt’s 'Sexy Walk' on Set

Southwest Airlines Celebrates Assigned Seating in New Commercial

Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines announced that it would be moving away from its longstanding open seating policy and moving forward with an assigned seating model. As it nears time for Southwest to implement this change, the airline is celebrating with a new ad to share the news with customers.

This week, Southwest Airlines debuted a new 30-second advertisement celebrating the news of the assigned seating. The ad featured scenes of rucuous celebration, including people leaping over tables, doing high kicks in the street, and dancing in a public fountain.

In a recent interview with Adweek, Southwest Airlines director of brand and content Julia Melle opened up a bit about the vision for the celebratory nature of the ad.

“That over-the-top celebratory nature was important—people going crazy about news that didn’t seem that new to the world,” Melle said. Amping up the satire “feels uniquely Southwest,” she told Adweek.

“The tone [of the spot] had to be tongue-in-cheek—anything else would have felt off brand,” added Bill Bayne, group creative director at GSD&M. “This is a brand that’s been doing its own way of seat selection for years, so we knew it was important to show that we ‘get it.’ So we used humor and a healthy dose of self-awareness. As Herb Kelleher said, ‘We take our competition seriously, not ourselves.’”

Bayne's comments make reference to Southwest’s founder, who famously sketched out the airline’s business plan on a cocktail napkin in 1967, with a vision of a fun airline that did not take itself too seriously.

While moving to assigned seating is certainly a significant change for the airline, Melle told Adweek that the airline was simply responding to consumer preferences.

“Eighty percent of our customers and 86% of airline customers [overall] prefer assigned seats,” she said, “so we knew we had to take a look at our model and change it.”

Southwest is looking to move fully to its assigned seating model at some point in early 2026.