NFL star Patrick Mahomes boasts a commanding height, giving him an edge on the field and making him taller than most players

A Republican lawmaker in the North Carolina statehouse has apologised after questioning whether one of his Black Democratic colleagues in the legislature was only admitted to Harvard due to his race. It was an appalling moment that occurred during official proceedings and led to the white Republican who made the remarks, Jeff McNeely, walking them back only a few hours later. The remarks in question were directed at state Rep Abraham Jones, a Democrat who has represented Wake County, North Carolina, since 2021. Mr Jones is a graduate of both Harvard’s undergraduate program as well as the university’s law school. "Would you have not been able to achieve these if you were not an athlete or a minority?" Mr McNeely asked Mr Jones on Wednesday. Mr Jones responded by noting his student rank at Harvard, the second-highest out of five, before commenting calmly in response: “I earned my place, and I did well.” Mr McNeely was reportedly suspended from speaking further during the proceedings at hand and later issued an apology. “I respect Representative Jones. I think he’s a great legislator. I think he’s a great man. What I tried to ask or say did not come out right. That happens a lot, and I apologize,” said Mr McNeely, according to statehouse reporter Bryan Anderson. North Carolina’s legislature is home to a supermajority of Republican lawmakers, thanks to a recent surprise defection of a Democratic lawmaker who blamed the mistreatment supposedly coming from her colleagues for her shift in ideology. But the state also is presided over by a Democratic governor and is often a purple state in presidential elections. Mr McNeely’s statements were condemned by Democrats in the state legislature, including Mr Jones himself who described the “thinly-veiled racial aspect” of the encounter in his statement. He added separately: “I worked hard to get where I am today. It is disappointing that another member of our chamber would imply that I have been successful simply because of the color of my skin, or because I am an athlete. I appreciate the member apologizing for his remarks.” Read More EPA rule would force clean-up of toxic waste from coal-fired power plants Minnesota prosecutors drop state sex charges against R&B singer R. Kelly, citing federal convictions North Carolina’s 12-week abortion ban joins sweeping restrictions across US South Key abortion debates this week in US courts and statehouses AP News Digest 3:30 am 'Mississippi miracle': Kids' reading scores have soared in Deep South states

Steven Spielberg almost directed, Randy Newman played the Singing Bush, and Steve Martin developed permanent tinnitus.

Actress Elle Fanning revealed in a new Hollywood Reporter roundtable that she got turned down for a movie role at 16 for being "unf**kable". The Great star joined other female comedy actresses including Jenna Ortega, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ayo Edebiri, and more. All are nominated for this year's Emmys. One of the topics the actresses discussed explored dealing with sexism in the industry, in which Fanning spoke about an experience she said she had as a minor whilst auditioning for a movie. "I've never told this story," the former child star said. "But I was trying out for a movie. I didn't get it. I don't even think they ever made it. But it was a father-daughter road trip comedy. I didn't hear from my agents because they wouldn't tell me things like this. That filtration system is really important because there's probably a lot more damaging comments that they filtered." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "I was 16 years old, and a person said, 'Oh, she didn't get the father-daughter road trip comedy because she's unf**kable.'" She added. "Woah. at 16?" Lee Ralph responded in shock. "Of course, there are so many stories like this," Fanning said. "I've talked to people about this. And I can laugh at it now, like 'What a disgusting pig!'" Comedy Actress Roundtable: Jenna Ortega, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Elle Fanning, Ayo Edebiri & More youtu.be Fanning also took a moment to thank the adults around her for protecting her. She said "I have an amazing manager and agent who've been with me since I was 8 or 9." Around the age that comment was made, Fanning had featured in films such as Disney's Maleficent, as well as having a supporting role in Oscar-nominated film Trumbo. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

The return of striking United Auto Workers to vehicle assembly lines is seen driving a pickup in November

The economic core of the Biden administration’s much-touted Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China is fraying, frustrating allies even

Melanie Griffith underwent dermabrasion after getting treated for basic cell skin cancer

As the Supreme Court races to issue all outstanding opinions by a self-imposed early July deadline, there is little doubt that the conservative majority is prepared to continue the right-ward trajectory on areas concerning affirmative action, election law and LGBTQ rights.

Milan Kundera, the author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" whose dark, provocative novels delved into the enigma of the human condition, has died, a spokeswoman for the Milan Kundera Library in his native city...

Justin Herbert was expected to be directing one of the NFL’s elite offenses this season

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said he was “pleased” after Wolves were denied a late penalty at Old Trafford in their opening Premier League fixture. United’s debutant goalkeeper Andre Onana clattered into Sasa Kalajdzic deep into added time, but referee Simon Hooper did not react and VAR Michael Salisbury deemed there was no foul, with an incredulous Gary O’Neil instead booked for his reaction to the decision. Ten Hag’s side won the tight game 1-0, with defender Raphaël Varane scoring the winning goal in the 76th minute.

Poland’s ruling party leader says Polish voters will be asked to vote on whether they support the sell-off of state-owned enterprises in a referendum