INTERNACIONAL
George Wendt’s mistaken jabs at John Boehner link ‘Cheers’ and Ohio politics

There was no mistake when the beloved but forlorn accountant Norm Peterson chugged his way into the fictional TV bar «Cheers.»
«Norm!!!» hollered the regulars in unison, ranging from mail carrier Cliff Clavin to «Mayday» Sam Malone, the former Major League pitcher-turned barkeep.
If only former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, or late Rep. Buz Lukens, R-Ohio, had been as recognizable to George Wendt, the actor who played Norm on the sitcom.
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Wendt died last week at age 76. The portly, everyman, «Willy Loman» character Wendt created was one of the most iconic in the history of comedic television. Wendt’s portrayal of Norm earned him six consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a primetime series.
But during Boehner’s first race for Congress in 1990, Wendt inadvertently manufactured a bizarre and permanent connection to the future Speaker of the House.
In 1989, Lukens represented Ohio’s 8th Congressional District. But WSYX-TV in Columbus, Ohio, secretly recorded Lukens at a McDonald’s speaking with the mother of a teenage girl. Lukens talked to the woman about getting her a government job. He hoped to keep her quiet about his sexual activities with her daughter.
During Boehner’s first race for Congress in 1990, Wendt inadvertently manufactured a bizarre and permanent connection to the future Speaker of the House. (Reuters/Yuri Gripas)
Lukens denied any wrongdoing in public. He was charged and later convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation. But Lukens declined to step aside. That teed up a three-way Republican primary between Lukens, the former congressman who represented the district, the late Rep. Tom Kindness, R-Ohio, and Boehner.
Boehner was a state legislator at the time. The scandal embroiling Lukens created a rare opportunity to head to Washington.
As strange as it seems now, Boehner was the least-known of the three Republican candidates in what turned out to be a brutal primary. But Boehner’s innate political acumen shone through – decades before he would ascend to the Speaker’s suite.
Despite the scandal, Lukens remained popular in the district. He had served as the congressman decades earlier and returned to the House when Kindness ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against late-Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, in 1986. So with the Lukens scandal, Kindness wanted his job back. And Boehner hoped to capitalize on the opportunity.
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Can you top a name like that? «Congressman Kindness.» No wonder it was such a challenge for the upstart, future Speaker with the unpronounceable, Teutonic surname.
But Boehner won. And even though he felled Lukens and Kindness, it was not a done deal that Boehner would win the general election.
Boehner ran against Democrat Greg Jolivette, the mayor of Hamilton, Ohio, the biggest city in the 8th Congressional District. Jolivette was best known for changing the name of «Hamilton,» to «Hamilton!» in the 1980s. He also ran Jolly’s Drive-Ins in Hamilton. Imagine 1970s hamburger joints where you can order from your car, bedecked in orange.
But we’re talking about «Cheers» here. Not «Happy Days.»
Wendt was at the height of his popularity during the summer of 1990 as Boehner and Jolivette barreled toward a general election faceoff. So Wendt appeared on late-night TV on «The Arsenio Hall Show.»
Look him up, kids.
Hall’s syndicated show was never going to beat NBC’s «The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson» in the ratings. But the program scored major headlines in 1992, when future President Bill Clinton played saxophone on the show in an effort to appeal to a younger demographic, which gravitated to Hall rather than Carson.

Wendt’s portrayal of Norm earned him six consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a primetime series. (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images )
Clinton’s appearance was a seminal moment in American politics and may have helped him win the election. Certainly the most important political event on Hall’s show. Wendt’s appearance proved to be the second-most important.
Jolivette was Wendt’s brother-in-law. He periodically parachuted into Ohio’s 8th District to campaign for Jolivette and against Boehner. So Hall asked him about Wendt’s political involvement and Jolivette.
Wendt proceeded to essentially libel Boehner on the air. Wendt never mentioned Boehner by name. But Wendt mixed up Lukens and his sex scandal with Boehner. On national TV, no less.
«The guy he’s running against had some problems a while back,» said Wendt, referring to Jolivette’s opponent, but mixing Boehner up with Lukens. «The guy from the 8th District had some convictions, some felony or a misdemeanor or something. So I think it’s time for a change. One thing’s for sure, I know, Greg’s not going to be a criminal.»
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Hall is an Ohio native. But he was apparently not versed in the Lukens scandal – even though it was a national story and commanded daily headlines. He didn’t inquire further or correct Wendt. After all, this was a late-night comedy and variety show. Not «Meet the Press.»
A publicist for Hall blamed the issue entirely on Wendt, saying the host has no control over «what (guests are) going to say.»
Things then turned nasty when Boehner’s team put out a statement.
«We, like a lot of viewers, are confused about the conversation last night. We don’t know if they were talking about Congressman Lukens’ problems or perhaps the theft complaint filed with the Hamilton (Ohio) Police against Greg Jolivette,» said the Boehner campaign.

American comedian and talk show host Arsenio Hall poses for a portrait sitting in his chair in Los Angeles, circa 1991. (Bonnie Schiffman/Getty Images)
Jolivette’s campaign argued this was an old allegation and it wasn’t true. They then demanded that Boehner fire Barry Jackson, Boehner’s campaign manager. Jackson called the episode «cheap gutter politics.»
Boehner himself pinned the case of mistaken identity on Wendt. He believed the actor should have been more responsible for what he said on national TV.
Boehner didn’t fire Jackson. Jackson worked with Boehner for years and later served as his chief of staff when he became House speaker.
Wendt’s gaffe was not fatal for Boehner. Even though there were nearly as many Democrats as Republicans registered in the 8th District in those days, it had elected Republicans for years. And Boehner vanquished Jolivette 61-39 percent in the general election.
The rest is history for Boehner.
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Fast-forward to today. Boehner took to X after the actor’s death. The former Speaker explained how Wendt was the brother-in-law of his opponent and «went on a late-night TV show and said some tough things.»
Boehner said that Wendt was «confusing me with someone else. He called later to apologize and we had a great conversation. Raising a glass tonight to the man America will always remember as Norm.»
Or, as they might say on the show, «Cheers.»
Politics,Congress,Senate,House Of Representatives
INTERNACIONAL
Una noche de terror en Ecuador: doble crimen en un parque de Manabí y otro en un bus en Guayaquil

La noche del sábado 31 de mayo de 2025, la ciudad de Portoviejo, capital de la provincia costera de Manabí, fue escenario de un nuevo hecho de violencia que dejó dos personas muertas y otras dos gravemente heridas. El ataque ocurrió alrededor de las 23:45 en el parque Saavedra, ubicado en la ciudadela Los Olivos, cuando un grupo de amigos fue sorprendido por sicarios que se movilizaban en bicicletas. La irrupción de los atacantes dejó una escena de pánico y muerte que, según testigos, se desató en cuestión de segundos, según reportó Ecuavisa.
De acuerdo con dicho medio, una de las víctimas falleció en el sitio tras recibir varios impactos de bala. Otro hombre intentó huir corriendo, pero cayó sin vida a unos 50 metros del lugar. Los dos heridos fueron trasladados de urgencia a casas de salud cercanas, donde permanecen en estado crítico. El ECU 911 recibió la alerta e inmediatamente despachó ambulancias y unidades policiales a la zona. Al llegar, los socorristas constataron los decesos y procedieron al traslado de los heridos.
La Policía Nacional inició las investigaciones para dar con los responsables del crimen, quienes escaparon del lugar sin dejar rastros. Las autoridades manejan varias hipótesis sobre el móvil del ataque, aunque aún no se ha confirmado si se trató de un ajuste de cuentas, una disputa entre grupos criminales o una acción aleatoria. La escena fue acordonada para el levantamiento de indicios balísticos y toma de testimonios.

Este crimen ocurre en un contexto de creciente violencia en Portoviejo, que ha visto dispararse las cifras de homicidios en el último año. Según datos del Ministerio del Interior citados por Ecuavisa, entre enero y abril de 2025 se registraron 110 asesinatos en la ciudad, un aumento significativo si se compara con los 70 homicidios contabilizados en el mismo periodo de los dos años anteriores. La tendencia al alza preocupa a los habitantes, quienes señalan que los parques, calles y espacios públicos ya no ofrecen garantías mínimas de seguridad.
El doble homicidio en el parque de Portoviejo no fue el único crimen que estremeció al país ese sábado. Horas antes, a las 18:30, en la parroquia Chongón, perteneciente a Guayaquil, otro ataque armado dejó dos muertos dentro de una unidad de transporte público. En este caso, un sicario subió al bus y disparó en reiteradas ocasiones contra un joven de 21 años que tenía antecedentes penales. Las balas también alcanzaron a un segundo pasajero, un hombre de 50 años que fue identificado como víctima colateral.
La Policía presume que este asesinato está relacionado con disputas entre bandas delictivas que operan en la zona. Los cuerpos fueron trasladados a la morgue de Guayaquil mientras continúan las pericias para identificar al responsable del ataque. El distrito Progreso, al que pertenece Chongón, ha registrado un incremento preocupante de muertes violentas: en el primer cuatrimestre de 2025, se reportaron 32 asesinatos, muy por encima del promedio histórico de menos de 10 crímenes en ese mismo periodo, según el medio ecuatoriano.

Ambos episodios reflejan la magnitud de la crisis de seguridad que atraviesa Ecuador, especialmente en sus zonas urbanas y costeras, donde el control territorial de bandas vinculadas al narcotráfico ha generado un clima de temor e incertidumbre. La violencia ya no se circunscribe a determinados sectores, sino que irrumpe en espacios cotidianos, como buses y parques, afectando tanto a objetivos directos como a víctimas colaterales.
Aunque el Gobierno ha anunciado medidas para contener la ola de crímenes, como el fortalecimiento de la presencia policial y la intervención en territorios dominados por mafias, los resultados siguen siendo insuficientes. La Policía y las Fuerzas Armadas continúan desplegadas y realizan allanamientos en zonas de alto riesgo.
INTERNACIONAL
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INTERNACIONAL
Hundreds of millions in tax money goes to contracts for DEI groups, watchdog finds: ‘Total racket’

EXCLUSIVE: Over the last several years, a few dozen diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultant groups have racked up over a hundred million dollars in taxpayer-funded contracts from K-12 schools across the country, a new report by Defending Education found.
The report, shared with Fox News Digital, details how 41 DEI consultant groups garnered millions in taxpayer-funded contracts from 303 school districts and public education entities from 2021 until now.
In total, the groups collected over $123 million from public schools in 40 states. The report found public school DEI contracts in both red and blue states, from Florida and Alabama to California and Washington.
Erika Sanzi, a spokesperson for Defending Education, described the schools-consultants partnership as a «total racket that makes schools worse» and often takes no consideration of age-appropriateness in curricula.
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Over the last several years, a few dozen consultant groups have racked up over a hundred million dollars in tax-dollar contracts from K-12 schools across the country, a new report found. (Getty)
According to the report, the biggest winner in the scheme was Amplify, a firm that provides professional development and curricula to school districts, which scored a total of over $70,500,000.
The report states that in a now-scrubbed statement on its website, Amplify said its mission is to «make education, and thereby the world, more equitable and accessible» and to «help teachers support their students in constructing, questioning, expanding, and strengthening knowledge of where they come from and who they are becoming.»
In response, a representative for Amplify told Fox News Digital that the group «publishes textbooks and other instructional materials that help students learn reading, math and science» and that «there is no place anywhere in Amplify’s products, or in the training programs about how to use them, for ideologies or political agendas.»
The representative said «our programs help students learn how to think, not what to think.»
The report highlights another consultant group, Adjusted Equity Solutions, which it says is associated with the Culturally Responsive School Leadership Institute, that claims to help schools challenge «whiteness and hegemonic epistemologies in school,» use «equity audits to measure student inclusiveness, policy, and practice» and serve as «advocate and social activist for community-based causes in both the school and neighborhood community.»
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Students arrive at Benson High School for the first day of hybrid instruction for middle and high schools on April 19, 2021, in Portland, Oregon. (Carlos Delgado/AP Images for Portland Public Schools)
This group took in over a million dollars from public schools during the study period.
«Tinkering in the minds of other people’s children is big business and countless K-12 schools across the country are active participants,» Sanzi said. «They pay big bucks to enter into contracts with ideologues and activists who, in turn, gain access, directly or indirectly, to a captive audience of young minds.»
Speaking with Fox News Digital via Zoom, Sanzi said that «rather than this being a focus on sort of academic interventions, it’s a lot of jargon that so far has not proven itself to be measurable. And there’s really not much evidence, if any, that any of this is helping students or helping schools or helping staff.»
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Sanzi said that though these DEI groups couch their activities in agreeable terms like «belonging» and «empathy,» they often end up being a «wolf in sheep’s clothing.»
«At first, you’re thinking lesson on empathy, like that’s good,» she said. «Who wouldn’t want their child to be empathetic? We want that. Until you realize that the lesson on empathy is going to be about something like a little girl in her bathroom at school, a staff member who’s trans, so biologically male, but identifies as female, comes into the restroom with her. She naturally feels uncomfortable because that’s a very natural feeling in a circumstance like that. But she’s told that she needs to have ‘empathy’ for this grownup who identifies as female, right? And that her discomfort is the problem… That feeling discomfort in that situation is wrong or makes her un-empathetic.»

Morning sun lights the front of the Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4, 2025. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
The Trump Department of Education has warned state education departments in all 50 states that they must remove diversity, equity and inclusion policies or risk losing federal funding.
Despite this, Sanzi said many of these consultant groups have adjusted by scrubbing references to DEI on their websites and using other words to describe the same thing.
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«We see a lot of renaming,» she said. «So, they might say, ‘Well, we’re getting rid of our DEI office or we’re getting rid of our equity officer.’ [But] the proof will be in the pudding because what we notice often is that you’ll see a switch, like suddenly we hear the word belonging a lot more now. And so the question becomes, ‘Are you getting rid of it? Or are you just rebranding it and shifting it somewhere else and taking it off your website?’»
«What many people don’t understand is that the founders of these consultant companies and the people who run them and the practitioners are activists. They are ideologues,» she went on. «They have every right to believe that what they’re transmitting is the right thing, but in a public-school setting that is required to maintain viewpoint diversity, these really have no place, not only because of the cost, not only cause it’s public money, not only because they’re not very transparent about what they’re doing, but also because they are really trying to push an ideological agenda on other people’s children.»
The Culturally Responsive School Leadership Institute did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
DEI,Woke Culture,US Education,Dept of Education,Donald Trump
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