The Supreme Court hears a case that could upend decades of limits on executive power by allowing the president to fire leaders of independent agency leaders. Pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies are on track to expire at the end of the month, with Democrats pushing an extension and Republicans offering no unified plan. And President Zelenskyy meets with European leaders in London as they push back on U.S. pressure for Ukraine to accept concessions in peace talks with Russia.
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p class=”readrate”>We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
A Pentagon watchdog report and video of a deadly boat strike in the Caribbean deepen scrutiny of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s actions. Federal agents arrested a Virginia man accused of planting the Jan. 6 pipe bombs after a years-long investigation that uncovered new forensic leads. And the Supreme Court cleared Texas to use a Republican-drawn congressional map that could shift multiple House seats and reshape the 2026 midterms.
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Not long after NFL star Stefon Diggs submitted a libel lawsuit against a social media influencer, the influencer is clapping back.
Christopher Blake Griffith, the content creator who accused Diggs of sexual assault over the summer, is filing a countersuit against the New England Patriots wide receiver, denying Diggs’ claims of libel, according to a report from TMZon Friday, November 21.
Griffith claims Diggs “drugged and sexually assaulted” him in 2023 after a charity basketball game. Griffith alleged that Diggs and others went to a D.C. club that night before going to Diggs’ home afterwards, where he was assaulted by Diggs and others. In Griffith’s police report from 2023, he also claimed Diggs offered him candy that was “laced with drugs” without knowledge.
According to the TMZ report, when Griffith got to Diggs’ house after leaving the club, Diggs “exposed his penis to Mr. Griffith” and began masturbating. Griffith then allegedly told Diggs to “put his penis away” and when he walked to the door of Diggs’ house, the NFL star tried to kiss him.
The influencer then reportedly hid in Diggs’ bathroom for 45 minutes and was threatened by Diggs’ family when he left the bathroom. One week later, Griffith was allegedly assaulted outside of his Los Angeles apartment and suffered serious injuries.
On October 1, 2025, Diggs filed a libel lawsuit against Griffith, disputing his claims about what happened that night. According to Diggs, he went to his bedroom to wrap up the evening after the basketball game while his assistant asked Griffith to leave the house.
It was at this time that the alleged assault took place.
Over the summer, nearly two years after the alleged incident, Griffith took to social media to put Diggs under fire about what he claims happened that evening.
Stefon DiggsFOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 26: Stefon Diggs #8 of the New England Patriots leaves the field after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Griffith posted an Instagram story at the time, claiming the assault and tagging the footwear company Ugg and actress Sarah Jessica Parker in the post. (Both had participated in a campaign for Ugg).
The influencer said he was “disgusted” that the company hired Diggs for the campaign after he filed a police report from the May 2023 incident.
He also shared what he claimed was a copy of his police report in the August 2025 post, tagging the NFL and the Patriots in the post.
“Y’all gon let Aaron Hernandez 2.0 just run wild without penalty?” Griffith posted on his Instagram story, referring to the late tight end who was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 before dying by suicide while incarcerated in 2017.
“I’m aware that you’re aware & since we’re BOTH aware, let’s act accordingly.”
In a statement obtained by multiple outlets, Griffith’s lawyer, Jake Lebowitz, denied Diggs’ claims that the events ever happened.
“Mr. Griffith is looking forward to showing the world in Court that regardless of the fairy tale fabricated by Mr. Diggs’ high-priced New York Lawyers, he is the victim of Mr. Diggs’ unwanted sexual advances and his brother’s violent attacks.”
Aryna Sabalenka fell just short of the biggest single payday in women’s tennis history, losing to Elena Rybakina in the WTA Finals on Saturday, November 8.
After the match, cameras caught the player in tears while microphones picked up her trash talking her opponent.
Sabalenka, 27, smashed her racket and receded to her chair after her defeat. Amid her frustration, she muttered in Russian, “Once a year even the stick shoots,” according to video shared on social media.
The phrase is a Russian idiom that implies Sabalenka believes Rybakina’s success was a fluke, rather than a result of her skill.
Once she cooled down, Sabalenka was able to give credit to Rybakina, 26.
“I am getting old, I am getting really sensitive,” Sabalenka said during the trophy ceremony. “So many things to be proud of. Not the best performance, she was definitely the better player. She literally smashed me out of the court.”
Aryna SabalenkaPhoto by STR/NurPhoto
Even in defeat, Sabalenka set a WTA record for earnings in a single season. The $2.695 million she took home for her runner-up finish brought her 2025 total to $15 million, shattering the previous mark of $12.385 million set by Serena Williams in 2013.
One of the highlights of Sabalenka’s season came at the 2025 U.S. Open, where she won her second straight championship in women’s singles, defeating Amanda Anisimova in the final.
Sabalenka struck a different tone after that match compared to her outburst at the WTA Finals, praising Anisimova, 24, and wishing her opponent luck as her career continues.
“Congrats Amanda on reaching back to back Slam final [Wimbledon and US Open],” Sabalenka said during an on-court interview. “I know how much it hurts, losing in the final. But trust me, the moment you’re going to win the first one — and you are going to win it. You play incredible tennis!”
She added, “Congrats to you and your team on the things you’ve achieved after your comeback. Girl, you’re gonna enjoy it even more after the tough losses in the final.”
Looking back at that moment and others, Sabalenka took to Instagram on Sunday, November 9, posting a carousel of photos from the year.
“And that’s a wrap on the 2025 season!” she wrote in the caption. “This was a tough year, but incredibly rewarding. A Grand Slam title, World #1 for the second consecutive year 🤯, and a few trophies later… I couldn’t have done it without Team Tiger — the people that are by my side time and time again. I’ve learned so many lessons this year through the ups and the downs of every single tournament and the training in between. Beyond blessed and grateful for it all. ♥️ 2026 season — bring it on 💪🏼”
“One more meu amor!” her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, wrote in the comments. “Can’t wait for 2026.”
Sabalenka and Frangulis first met in January 2024, going Instagram official that July. Speaking to Us Weekly exclusively in June 2025, she explained what it meant to have his support amid a grueling tennis season.
“His support means so much to me,” she told Us. “Being on the road and having him support me, to make me laugh and to be able to workout together, makes life on the road feel more like home.”
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Senate Democrats break ranks to join Republicans in backing a deal to reopen the government after 41 days, a move that could finally end the longest shutdown in U.S. history. SNAP benefits remain tangled in court battles, as a late ruling orders the Trump administration to fully restore payments while states face threats of federal penalties. And world leaders gather in Brazil for a major climate conference, but the Trump administration says the U.S. won’t be at the table. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
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President Trump calls on Senate Republicans to end the government shutdown by scrapping the filibuster, even as he admits the standoff hurt the party in this week’s elections. The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether Trump overstepped his authority by imposing tariffs under a decades-old emergency powers law. And in Chicago, federal judges side against the administration in immigration enforcement cases, ordering cleaner detention centers and tighter limits on the use of force.
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p class=”readrate”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas
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p class=”readrate” data-rr=”17″ data-pm-slice=”1 1 []”>We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is David Greenburg.
