Katherine Legge, Kyle Busch, Amazon among topics coming from the mailbag

It's been a while since the last trip to the mailbox, and yet again it's nothing butHowdy-Do'sfrom eager realtors, loveable insurance companies andthe relentless graybeardsat AARP.

So it's back to the laptop and virtual mailbag, where there'salways some action ....

HEY, WILLIE!

The Indy-Charlotte double was quite a feat of endurancefor Katherine Legge, especially considering gender and age.

If her Cup car had not encountered the wheel issue, do you think she would have finished in the top 20 or 25?

Short answer: Probably not. Not without some attrition in front of her. That’s not fully a reflection on her, but the part-time team (Live Fast Motorsports) whose car she was wheeling — yes, on three wheels for a brief time.

Longer answer: I’m pretty sure a few women just cleared their throats and are prepared to take issue with you, as well as plenty of fit folks in their mid-40s. Especially since she only turned 19 laps at Indy before a wrecked car got in her way.

Also, as a reminder, of the other five racers who did the Indy-Charlotte double, Tony Stewart did it twice and went flag-to-flag in both races, both years.

And not once — officially or in casual conversation — did anyone ever mistake Tony Stewart for a triathlete.

He did, however, seem to borrow from the playbook of the late, great Dick Trickle, who once answered a question about a growing fitness trend by saying, “You know how I get in shape to race? I RACE!”

HEY, WILLIE!

Is NASCAR trying to kill itself with bad formats (the “All-Star Race”) and now Amazon Prime?

I know they made money, but now they must be losing viewers, namely me. Instead of trying to build interest, I think they are doing the opposite.

We’re a week into Year 2 of NASCAR’s partnership with Prime, which is a week into its five-week run as Cup race broadcaster. The complaints are fewer than they were a year ago, which I assume is due to one of two things.

Either more viewers have given in and decided Prime is yet another place to dump expendable(?) income. Or they’ve reintroduced themselves to the radio.

Meanwhile, hate to tell you, but Prime delivers a great product. Don't believe me? Ask this guy ...

HEY, WILLIE!

Thank you for adding a little common sense to the scenario being played out over Kyle Busch’s sad demise. Deepest sympathy to his family and all who loved him.

HEY, MYRNA!

Just a horrible saga all around.

But as eventually happens during the process, pragmatic thoughts spring up. Here’s one that crept in …

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Previous tragedy involving racers and untimely deaths usually happened on the racetrack. In their aftermath, the examinations often led to advancements in safety — changes to the cars, to the tracks and, in the case of Dale Earnhardt, a wide variety of measures.

Without knowing more than the basics at this time, the Kyle Busch tragedy seems to offer one obvious lesson: Don’t neglect your health if something is wrong and isn’t getting better.

I obviously have no way of knowing, but I assume there’s been an uptick in checkups this past week.

HEY, WILLIE!

Great job (as usual) on the column about Europe and Formula One (May 21). At F1, pomposity reigns.

Keep up the good work.

But that’s part of their charm, isn’t it?

HEY, WILLIE!

I struggled to recognize the names on the PGA Championship leaderboard, especially on the first day. Had you ever heard of Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jager, Min Woo Lee and Ryo Hisatsune?

Heard of them, yes. Pick any of them out of a lineup, maybe not at this stage of their careers.

None of them finished in the top 10 at week’s end, by the way, which brings to mind one of the great golf quotesnotattributed to Lee Trevino.

It was Peter Jacobsen, when briefly leading after his opening round at the 1990 Masters, who turned prophetic: “The slums of Chicago are full of first-round leaders.”

Three days later, he was tied for 30th.

HEY, WILLIE!

I’m pretty sure the first person not named France to run NASCAR (President, CEO or COO) was Mike Helton. Am I wrong?

You’re kinda right. Which might also mean kinda wrong.

A lot of us assumed Mike Helton would eventually start appearing on the France family Christmas card. His consolation prize, 26 years ago, was the NASCAR presidency.

But Bill France Jr., when not sidelined by health issues, was very much the final say through 2003, when Brian became CEO.

Currently, for the first time, there’s no NASCAR president since Steve O’Donnell was recently promoted from that position to CEO. Keep in mind, however, the family still owns NASCAR and if there’s a meeting of importance over in that GlassCar building on ISB, their chairs won’t likely be empty.

—Email Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal:Kyle Busch, NASCAR politics, Amazon Prime remain hot topics

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May 28, 2026

Katherine Legge, Kyle Busch, Amazon among topics coming from the mailbag

It's been a while since the last trip to the mailbox, and yet again it's nothing butHowdy-Do'sfrom eager realtors, loveable...

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South African parliament calls impeachment committee meeting over president's scandal

JOHANNESBURG, May 28 (Reuters) - ‌South ‌Africa's parliament has ​scheduled for Monday a ‌meeting ⁠of an impeachment ⁠committee that ​will ​further ​probe allegations ‌surrounding President Cyril Ramaphosa's "Farmgate" scandal, ‌the ​Democratic ​Alliance ​party ‌said on Thursday.

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(Reporting ​by ​Anathi Madubela ​and ‌Nilutpal Timsina;Editing ​by Alexander ​Winning)

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May 28, 2026

South African parliament calls impeachment committee meeting over president's scandal

JOHANNESBURG, May 28 (Reuters) - ‌South ‌Africa's parliament has ​scheduled for Monday a ‌meeting ⁠of an impeachment ⁠committee tha...

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Judge allows Trump to implement mail-in voting executive order

By Luc Cohen

May 28 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday declined to block President Donald Trump's executive tightening rules on mail-in voting in ‌a loss for the Democratic Party, whose lawyers argued that it ‌could disenfranchise millions of voters.

The decision comes as Trump's Republicans are locked in a tight battle ​to keep control of both houses of the U.S. Congress in the November midterm elections. Trump has for years pushed the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud and has criticized voting by ‌mail.

The executive order signed ⁠by Trump on March 31 directed his administration to compile a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in ⁠each state and to use federal data to help state election officials verify who is eligible to vote.

It also required the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ​ballots to ​voters on each state's approved mail-in ballot ​list, and required states to ‌preserve election-related records for five years.

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In urging Washington-based U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the measure, plaintiffs including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York argued that the order infringed on individual states' rights to regulate elections under the U.S. Constitution.

The Democrats argued that the ‌executive order's direction that agencies use Department of ​Homeland Security and Social Security Administration data ​to build "state citizenship lists" risked ​improperly excluding lawfully registered voters because the data sources can ‌be out of date and may include ​errors.

The Justice Department ​countered that the litigation was premature because federal agencies have not yet implemented the executive order.

Nichols had at times appeared sympathetic to that ​argument during oral arguments on ‌May 14.

A coalition of Democratic states brought a similar lawsuit challenging ​the executive order in federal court in Boston.

(Reporting by Luc ​Cohen in New YorkEditing by Bill Berkrot)

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May 28, 2026

Judge allows Trump to implement mail-in voting executive order

By Luc Cohen May 28 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday declined to block President Donald Trump's executive tightening rule...

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CBS Under Fire as NFL Fans Demand Boycott

CBSis facing boycott calls after endingStephen Colbert’s late-night showthis week. Some viewers now want fans to avoid CBS sports, thoughNFLsupporters appear to be split on that idea. The backlash quickly spread across social media after Colbert’s final episode aired.

NFL fans call for the boycott of CBS after Stephen Colbert’s Late Show finale

The controversy started after CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s late-night program, which reportedly had been losing around $40 million annually. The network’s decision triggered strong reactions online, with celebrities, TV viewers, and some football fans calling for a boycott of CBS programming.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel publicly backed the criticism during his own show on ABC. Kimmel told viewers, “On behalf of everyone at our show, we want to say to everyone at your show: It has been a pleasure to work alongside you.” Kimmel then hoped that those who watch his show would also tune in to CBS for the final time. “Don’t ever watch it again,” he said (viaThe Spun).

The calls for a boycott soon moved beyond entertainment. Since CBS broadcasts major sports properties, including NFL games, the NCAA Tournament, and The Masters, some users argued that sports fans should also stop watching the network this fall. One social media user wrote, “Boycott CBS, Paramount, and any Ellison product.” Another added, “Thank you, Stephen Colbert. No reason to watch CBS anymore.”

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One fanwrote, “It’s easy to support the boycott since the only show I watched on CBS was The Late Show (until NFL season starts).” Another user said that they will not watch NFL games broadcast on CBS, adding that they’ll “stick to another network” for the games.

Still, many football viewers admitted the NFL may be too powerful for any real boycott to work. One fan summed up that divide by writing, “I’m down with boycotting CBS… but there is no way on this green Earth I’m giving up the NFL!!”

Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya onMandatory.

The postCBS Under Fire as NFL Fans Demand Boycottappeared first onReality Tea.

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May 27, 2026

CBS Under Fire as NFL Fans Demand Boycott

CBSis facing boycott calls after endingStephen Colbert’s late-night showthis week. Some viewers now want fans to avoid CBS sports, thou...

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South Korea says attack on ship in Strait of Hormuz likely involved an Iranian missile

By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee

SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) - South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that an attack on a cargo ship operated by ‌local shipper HMM in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month likely involved ‌an Iranian anti-ship missile.

The Iranian embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ministry ​made the assessment at a briefing to announce the outcome of a government investigation into the May 4 attack on the bulk carrier, which caused a fire and damaged the lower stern hull.

"Various pieces of evidence point toward Iran," said First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo, ‌adding that Seoul had not ⁠conclusively determined who was responsible or whether the attack was intentional.

The probe looked at debris from unidentified objects that were found inside the ⁠ship after the attack on the vessel.

The analysis showed that the ship, named Namu, was attacked twice and while the first warhead did not explode, a second did.

Components in the debris ​indicated the ​objects were likely made in Iran, the ministry ​said.

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"Their engines were similar to turbojet ‌engines made in Iran," Park said, noting that one component had markings that appeared to be used by an Iranian manufacturer.

The warheads resembled those used in Iranian anti-ship missiles, the Noor or Qader, Park said.

South Korea will summon the Iranian ambassador to share the results of the investigation and deliver a protest message, he said. Seoul will also demand ‌Iran take responsible measures to prevent a similar ​incident recurring, Park added.

He declined to speculate on why ​a South Korean ship would have ​been targeted, saying Seoul could not determine intent without access to ‌the attacker's decision-making process.

A South Korean defence ​official said, however, that ​from a naval perspective, the firing of two missiles suggested an intention to cause damage.

U.S. President Donald Trump said soon after the incident that Iran had fired ​at the South Korean ‌vessel, and urged Seoul to join U.S.-led efforts to secure shipping through the ​strait.

Tehran has previously denied any responsibility for the attack.

(Reporting by Heejin Kim, Joyce ​Lee and Brenda GohEditing by Ed Davies)

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May 27, 2026

South Korea says attack on ship in Strait of Hormuz likely involved an Iranian missile

By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) - South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that an attack on a ca...

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UK, Poland set to sign defence treaty to tackle hostile threats across Europe

LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) - Britain will sign a new defence and security treaty with Poland on Wednesday to strengthen defence cooperation in the face of ‌increasing hostile threats across Europe, the government said, following similar deals ‌with France and Germany.

The deal, due to be signed when Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk meets ​his British counterpart Keir Starmer in London, will improve border security, tackle organised crime and deepen defence cooperation with the European Union, the statement said.

They will discuss what Britain called a major uptick in hybrid attacks, including Russian-ordered arson attacks in East London and across ‌Europe, as well as cyberattacks ⁠and espionage, the government said.

While Britain and Poland are already close allies, Starmer said "the challenges Europe now faces demands an even ⁠stronger partnership". The continent has been under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to take greater responsibility for its own defence.

"This treaty is the biggest step forward in ​our ​defence and security relationship with Poland in ​a generation, allowing us to confront ‌modern security threats that may be less visible but no less dangerous," Starmer said.

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'HISTORIC' TREATY

In a Polish government meeting on Tuesday, Tusk said that the signing of the treaty would be a "historic moment".

Poland signed a defence treaty with France in 2025, boosting defence cooperation, and is working on a similar treaty with Germany, ‌as alliances with European partners take on ​greater significance for Warsaw.

Tusk said beyond defence a ​significant part of the treaty ​focused on cybersecurity. Poland says its role as a hub ‌for military aid to Ukraine has made ​it a key ​target for Russian espionage, cyberattacks and disinformation.

On the defence part of the deal, the British government said it would seek to combine expertise and ​industrial capability to lead the ‌development of complex weapons, including new sophisticated munitions and the co-production of ​a medium‑range air defence missile.

(Reporting by Muvija M in London and ​Alan Charlish in WarsawEditing by Tomasz Janowski)

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May 27, 2026

UK, Poland set to sign defence treaty to tackle hostile threats across Europe

LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) - Britain will sign a new defence and security treaty with Poland on Wednesday to strengthen defence cooperati...

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Charles Barkley rails against TV 'clowns' over Victor Wembanyama takes

Charles Barkley did little to hide his frustration with “clowns on TV” who’ve created a narrative that the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing “dirty” against San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.

Throughout the Western Conference Finals, fans and pundits alike have argued that theThunder— namely center Isaiah Hartenstein — are bending the rules while guardingWembanyama. Following hishistoric 41-point outburst in Game 1, Oklahoma City defenders have begun grabbing, pushing, and pressuring the Frenchman in an effort to slow him down in the paint.

The physical style of play has largely gone unchecked by the referees, prompting many around the NBA to question the officiating. NBC Sports’ Reggie Miller noted during a broadcast: “[Hartenstein is] using all of his body weight. He’s grabbing him, pushing him, and constantly trying to wear him down.”

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Bill Simmons similarly called out the officials for not blowing the whistle, writing on X: “I thought Hartenstein couldn’t play in this series. But if they’re letting him grab and hit Wemby on every possession, then he should play all 48 minutes.”

On Saturday’s edition of ‘Inside the NBA,’ Barkley couldn’t help but poke fun at the overall discourse surrounding Wembanyama and the Thunder’s defense against him.

“I think we need to all pray for Wemby, because he can’t play too many minutes, they’re gonna kill him out there,” he said.

Once Kenny Smith questioned if his colleague was joking, Barkley replied: “Man I am damn sure joking, because you guys — these people — man they pissing me off. I’m watching the whole game, they ain’t playing dirty.

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“These are some of the softest fouls I've ever seen in my life. You've got these clowns on TV talking about, 'Oh, they're going to hurt poor Wemby.' I was like, ‘Hurt him? You're kidding, man.’ It drives me crazy watching these shows."

Barkley expressed a similar sentiment following the Thunder’s 122-113 victory over the Spurs in Game 2 of the series, adding: “All of you at home and on TV saying they were too physical with Wemby need to stop. I’ve had kisses harder than those contacts.

“Sure, he was bodying him up, but it wasn’t anything excessive. No hard shots, no dirty fouls. If you think that’s physical, then you’re overreacting.”

Wembanyama, to his credit, is hardly letting the Thunder’s divisive approach throw him off his game.

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In Game 4, the 22-year-old scored a game-high 33 points — eight of which came at the free-throw line — along with eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks en route to propelling the Spurs to a 103-82 win that tied up the series at two apiece.

Assessing his performance during a postgame press conference, Wembanyama told reporters: “We all have high standards, and I know I have a lot of responsibilities, but I’m here for it.

“Yeah, it was better today. It wasn’t perfect. But, you know, all of us, I’m talking about the whole organization, so we’re going to have to do things that we didn’t sign up for.”

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May 26, 2026

Charles Barkley rails against TV 'clowns' over Victor Wembanyama takes

Charles Barkley did little to hide his frustration with “clowns on TV” who’ve created a narrative that the Oklahoma City Thunder are pl...

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