The Acadiana Advocate 06-12-2025 by The Advocate

Pharmacy bill stirs fierce debate

CVS texts warning of closures in Louisiana

BY ALYSE PFEIL, MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

the bill would force them to close 119 Louisiana pharmacies, affecting 1 million patients across the state and 22,000 patients who receive highcost specialty drugs that smaller pharmacies could ﬁnd difﬁcult to handle. It would also put 2,700 CVS employees out of work, the drug retailer said.

The company launched a

ä See PHARMACY, page 4A

Trump wants to phase out FEMA after hurricane season

President says states should be responsible for disaster recovery

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump wants to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the end of this year’s hurricane season and leave states more on their own when responding to natural disasters

Talking with reporters in the Oval Ofﬁce, Trump said he planned to phase out FEMA as it exists now and “wean” states off federal aid. The agency handles relief and recovery after hurricanes, ﬂoods, tor-

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

“We’re going to give out less money We’re going to give it out directly It’ll be from the president’s office.”

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

nadoes, earthquakes, wildﬁres and other catastrophic disasters.

“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,”

Trump said Tuesday night.

“If a certain state gets hit by a hurricane or tornado, the governor should be

able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor,” he added. “We’re going to give out less money. We’re going to give it out directly It’ll be from the president’s ofﬁce.” Gov Jeff Landry, an ardent supporter of Trump’s, did not respond to requests Wednesday for a comment.

Trump said he wants to change FEMA after hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov 30.

ä See FEMA, page 4A

Member gets ethics ruling

State panel says district vendors can’t sponsor customer appreciation nights at his bar

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

The Louisiana Board of Ethics determined that a Lafayette Parish School Board member’s business can’t allow district vendors to sponsor customer appreciation nights while he serves on the board. School Board member Jeremy Hidalgo asked the board to issue an opinion about whether local businesses that work with the school district can sponsor his Youngsville bar’s customer appreciation nights.

The ethics board said that’s not allowed under the Louisiana Code of Ethics. It unanimously adopted the opinion without further discussion during its Friday meeting.

“I asked for an advisory opinion because it was the right thing to do. I take my duty to students and taxpayers seriously and I’ve always made sure to stay within the rules,” Hidalgo told The Acadiana Advocate.

“The Ethics Board made its

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is withdrawing its affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policy to “remain compliant with current legal standards,” according to an email sent to faculty Wednesday morning The change comes “in response to recent federal and state directives,” according to a screenshot of the email shared with The Acadiana Advocate.

The university did not respond to a request for comment. The policy appears to address only employment and not admissions. While the policy was still posted on the university’s website as of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday it was removed by the end of the day

The email cites President Donald Trump’s January executive order that prohibits federal contractors and grantees from maintaining afﬁrmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. “As a federally funded institution, the university must comply

with this order to retain eligibility for federal contracts and grants,” the UL email stated. The university said in the email that Gov Jeff Landry “issued directives consistent with federal

UL withdraws affirmative action, equal employment policy ä See POLICY, page 4A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday joined by from left, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Hidalgo

LAFAYETTE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD

Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, defended House Bill 358 on Wednesday after CVS launched a public lobbying campaign.

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. urged to shut down drug-fueled Vegas event

LAUSANNE, Switzerland The global watchdog of doping in sports said Wednesday it will urge public authorities to shut down the drug-fueled Enhanced Games planned in Las Vegas next year.

“We will urge the U.S. authorities to ﬁnd legal ways to block this initiative,” World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka said on the sidelines of a meeting of Olympic sports bodies.

Organizers of the games scheduled for next May promise $1 million bonuses to beat world-record times by athletes who will be encouraged to use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision.

“This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs,” Banka told leaders of Summer Olympics sports at the annual meeting of their umbrella group, known as ASOIF

“For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport of course it must be stopped,” the WADA leader said.

Banka, a former sports minister in Poland, suggested the Enhanced Games could be legally exposed in the state of Nevada or federally

“This is something that has to be explored from the legal perspective,” he told The Associated Press. “I cannot imagine, for instance, doctors giving the drugs to the athletes. It is completely against the values of their work.” Earthquake strikes Taiwan near east coast

TAIPEI, Taiwan Taiwan was struck by an earthquake about 44.1 miles south of Hualien City, monitoring agencies said.

The quake hit seconds after cellphone alarms went off at 7:01 p.m. Wednesday

The United States Geological Survey reported the quake had a magnitude of 5.9 and was detected at a depth of 19.3 miles. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration gave the magnitude as 6.4. Such variations are common given differences in sensitivity and detector locations.

Buildings in Taipei shook for about a minute. There were no immediate reports of major damage.

Hualien, located 95.6 miles south of the capital Taipei, is relatively thinly populated compared to the highly congested western side of the island of 23 million people, which is frequently struck by quakes.

Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean from Chile to New Zealand where most of the world’s earthquakes occur

Taiwan’s worst modern quake, a magnitude 7.7 temblor that killed 2,415 people and damaged buildings in 1999 led to tightened building codes, better response times and coordination and widespread public education campaigns on earthquake safety Denmark approves U.S. bases on Danish soil

COPENHAGEN, Denmark Den-

mark’s Parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil, a move that comes as President Donald Trump seeks to take control of the kingdom’s semi-autonomous territory of Greenland.

Critics say the vote ceded Danish sovereignty to the U.S. The legislation widens a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, where U.S. troops had broad access to Danish airbases in the Scandinavian country

The new parameters follow Trump’s coveting of the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island even as the U.S. and Denmark are NATO allies. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, in a response to lawmakers’ questions, wrote that Denmark would be able to terminate the agreement if the U.S. tries to annex all or part of Greenland.

Ninety-four lawmakers voted for the bill, with 11 against. The legislation now goes to Danish King Frederik X for his signature Greenland’s prime minister previously said U.S. statements about the island have been disrespectful and it “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”

Drone attacks kill 3, wound 64 in Ukraine

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV Ukraine Russian forces launched a new drone assault across Ukraine overnight on Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 64 others, Ukrainian ofﬁcials said.

One of the hardest-hit areas was the city of Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, where 17 attack drones struck two residential districts Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Emergency crews, municipal workers and volunteers worked through the night to extinguish ﬁres, rescue residents from burning homes, and restore gas, electricity and water services.

“Those are ordinary sites of peaceful life — those that should never be targeted,” Terekhov wrote on Telegram.

Three people were confirmed killed, according to Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov. In a statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that 64 people had been wounded and reiterated his calls for greater international pressure on Moscow.

“Every new day now brings new vile Russian attacks, and almost every strike is telling,” he said. “We must not be afraid or postpone new decisions that could make things more difﬁcult for Russia Without this, they will not engage in genuine diplomacy And this depends primarily on the United States and other world leaders

Everyone who has called for an end to the killings and for diplomacy must act.”

Moscow’s forces have launched waves of drones and missiles in recent days, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday.

The attacks come despite discussions of a potential ceaseﬁre in the war The two sides traded memorandums at direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2 that set

out conditions. However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as nonstarters make any quick deal unlikely Zelenskyy urges more sanctions

Speaking at a meeting of leaders of countries of southeast Europe in Odesa, Zelenskyy urged the European Union to toughen its latest package of sanctions now being prepared.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Tuesday that the bloc is proposing to lower a cap on the price of Russian oil from $60 to $45, which is lower than the market price, to deprive the Kremlin of extra proﬁts to fund its war in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy prodded the EU to lower the cap further, arguing that “real peace comes with a $30 cap — that’s the level that will truly change thinking in Moscow.”

“You can all see — Putin does not want to end this war,” he told his audience. “He believes that as long as he can ﬁght and dominate his neighbors, he stays politically alive.

“But no matter what he believes, our job is to force Russia into a position where they must seek peace and political survival by non-military means. This is absolutely possible.”

Widespread destruction

Kharkiv has been frequently targeted in recent months as Russia launched repeated large-scale drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Wednesday’s strikes also caused widespread destruction in Kharkiv’s Slobidskyi and Osnovianskyi districts, hitting apartment buildings, private homes, playgrounds, industrial sites and public transportation Images from the scene published by Ukraine’s Emergency Service on Telegram showed burning apartments, shattered windows and ﬁreﬁghters battling the blaze.

At least 49 dead in South Africa flooding; toll expected to rise

BY MICHELLE GUMEDE and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG At least

49 people were conﬁrmed dead Wednesday as ﬂoods devastated one of South Africa’s poorest provinces, and officials said the toll was expected to rise as more bodies are recovered in the search for missing people

The ﬂoods hit the largely rural Eastern Cape province in the southeast of the country early Tuesday after an especially strong weather front brought heavy rains, gale force winds and also snow in some parts

“As we speak here, other bodies are being discovered,” Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane told reporters at a briefing, adding that it was one of the worst weather-related disasters his province had experienced. “I have never seen something like this,” he said.

The death toll included six high school students who were washed away when their school bus was caught in floodwaters on Tuesday near a river close to the town of Mthatha, which was especially hard hit and at the center of the worst ﬂooding. Four other students were among the

missing, Mabuyane said.

Authorities found the school bus earlier Wednesday, but it was empty Three of the students were rescued on Tuesday when they were found clinging to trees and crying out for help, the provincial government said.

A driver and another adult who were on the bus with the schoolchildren were among the dead.

Search and rescue operations would continue for a third day on Thursday, authorities said, though they didn’t give details on how many people might still be missing. They said they were working with families to ﬁnd out who was still unaccounted for Disaster response teams have been activated in

U.S. representative indicted from N.J. immigration skirmish

BY MIKE CATALINI Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J U.S. Rep.

LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration ofﬁcers outside a New Jersey detention center while Newark’s mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility

Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X.

“While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those ofﬁcers serve,” Habba said.

In a statement, McIver said the charges amounted to the Trump administration trying to scare her.

“The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation,” she said.

McIver, a Democrat, was charged in a complaint by Habba last month with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall — a 1,000-bed, privately owned facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center

The indictment includes three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal ofﬁcials.

Habba said two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. A third has a maximum sentence of one year

McIver’s lawyer, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said in a statement that they would challenge the allegations “head-on” in court.

“The legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away

from her oversight responsibilities,” Fishman said.

The indictment is the latest development in a legal-political drama that has seen President Donald Trump’s administration take Democratic ofﬁcials from New Jersey’s largest city to court, tapping into the president’s immigration crackdown and Democrats’ efforts to respond.

The prosecution of McIver is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption.

At the same visit that resulted in McIver’s charges, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge which was later dropped. Baraka is suing Habba over what he said was a malicious prosecution.

A nearly two-minute clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver on the facility side of a chain-link fence just before the arrest of the mayor on the street side of the fence, where other people had been protesting. She and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor

The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and ofﬁcers. At one point, her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an ofﬁcer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word “Police” on it. It isn’t clear from police bodycam video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene.

The complaint says she “slammed” her forearm into an agent then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him.

The indictment says she placed her arms around the mayor to block his arrest and repeats the charges that she slammed her forearm into an agent and grabbed the agent.

Eastern Cape province and the neighboring KwaZuluNatal province after the torrential rain and snow hit parts of southern and eastern South Africa over the weekend. Mabuyane said there had also been reports of mudslides.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the National Disaster Management Center was also working with local authorities in the Eastern Cape, the province that took the brunt of the extreme cold front that weather forecasters had warned was on its way last week. There were unusually large snowfalls in parts of Eastern Cape, KwaZuluNatal and the Free State province in South Africa’s interior

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDRII MARIENKO

Firefighters tackle a blaze after a Russian attack that hit a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HOSEyA JUBASE Homes are submerged in floodwaters Tuesday in Mthatha, South Africa.

Brian Wilson, Beach Boys leader, dies at 82

BY HILLEL ITALIE

AP national writer

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and other summertime anthems and made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82.

Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his website and social media accounts Wednesday Further details weren’t immediately available Since May 2024, Wilson had been under a court conservatorship to oversee his personal and medical affairs, with Wilson’s longtime representatives, publicist Jean Sievers and manager LeeAnn Hard, in charge.

The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums — he and his fellow Beach Boys rose in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of surf and sun. Wilson himself was celebrated for his gifts and pitied for his demons. He was one of rock’s great Romantics, a tormented man who in his peak years embarked on an ever-steeper path to aural perfection, the one true sound.

The Beach Boys rank among the most popular groups of the rock era, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide

sales of more than 100 million. The 1966 album “Pet Sounds” was voted No. 2 in a 2003 Rolling Stone list of the best 500 albums, losing out, as Wilson had done before, to the Beatles’ “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

The Beach Boys, who also featured Wilson cousin Mike Love and childhood friend Al Jardine, were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 Wilson feuded with Love over songwriting credits, but peers otherwise adored him beyond envy, from Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Katy Perry and Carole King. The Who’s drummer Keith Moon, fantasized about joining the Beach Boys. Paul McCart-

Musk backs off from feud with Trump

BY BERNARD CONDON Associated Press

NEW YORK The world’s most powerful politician and its richest businessman stepped back from their war of words that stunned Washington and Wall Street alike last week, but it’s unclear if the peace will hold. Early Wednesday, Musk wrote on X, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.” For his part, Trump said in a New York Post podcast interview published Wednesday, “Things like that happen. I don’t blame him for anything.” Musk’s break with a president whom he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect had appeared to put an end to his inﬂuence in the White House and dashed investors’ hopes for favored treatment for his businesses. For Trump, the spat was a distraction as he attempts to pass a massive tax bill, negotiate peace in two international conﬂicts and deal with protests in the second biggest city in the U.S. On Thursday, investors in Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla sent the stock plunging more than 14%, knocking $150 billion off the company’s market value.

Tesla shares recovered those losses over a few days’ trading, although the rally stalled Wednesday perhaps a sign that investors remain on edge and want a more solid conﬁrmation that the feud has ended. Tesla shares closed up 0.1% at $326.43. The Trump side was uneasy as well On Friday, Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles felt compelled to intervene. The pair called Musk and urged him to end his feud with Trump, according to two people familiar with the call who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly

The call was ﬁrst reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal.

Tesla investors had been hoping Trump would pull

back from regulatory scrutiny of Musk’s partially self-driving cars and hammer out new federal rules to help usher in a future of fully selfdriving cars that they are convinced Tesla will dominate.

The dispute seemed especially ill-timed with an upcoming trial run of Tesla’s self-driving “robotaxis” promised for this month.

Musk in a separate post late Tuesday on X said that Tesla’s rollout of the cab service in Austin, Texas, is “tentatively” scheduled for June 22.

Wall Street analysts have expressed concern that Trump could retaliate against Musk by having federal safety regulators impede a broad rollout of the service.

What’s more, Trump at one point threatened to cut government subsidies and contracts from Musk companies, which include the rocket company and big NASA contractor SpaceX.

Before expressing regrets for his comments, Musk deleted a post in which he claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president’s association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Meanwhile, other posts that irritated Trump, including ones in which Musk called the spending bill an abomination” and claimed credit for Trump’s election victory remained live.

Asked in the Post podcast taped on Monday whether he might reconcile with Musk, Trump responded, “I guess I could but, you know, we have to straighten out the country and my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than it’s ever been and I think we can do that.”

That was a marked changed from Trump’s comments on Sunday when he told NBC’s Kristen Welker that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warned that Musk could face “ serious consequences ” if he tried to help Democrats in upcoming elections

ney cited “Pet Sounds” as a direct inspiration on the Beatles and the ballad “God Only Knows” as among his favorite songs, often bringing him to tears. Wilson moved and fascinated fans and musicians long after he stopped having hits. In his later years, Wilson and a devoted entourage of younger musicians performed “Pet Sounds” and his restored opus, “Smile,” before worshipful crowds in concert halls. Meanwhile, The Go-Go’s, Lindsey Buckingham, Animal Collective and Janelle Monáe were among a wide range of artists who emulated him, whether as a master of crafting pop music or as a pioneer of pulling it apart

An endless summer

The Beach Boys’ music was like an ongoing party with Wilson as host and wallflower He was a tall, shy man, partially deaf (allegedly because of beatings by his father Murry Wilson), with a sweet, crooked grin, and he rarely touched a surfboard unless a photographer was around. But out of the lifestyle that he observed and such musical inﬂuences as Chuck Berry and the Four Freshmen, he conjured a golden soundscape — sweet melodies, shining harmonies, vignettes of beaches, cars and girls — that resonated across time and climates.

Decades after its ﬁrst release, a Beach Boys song can

still conjure instant summer — the wake-up guitar riff that opens “Surfin’ USA”; the melting vocals of “Don’t Worry Baby”; the chants of “fun, fun, fun” or “good, good, GOOD, good vibrations”; the behind-the-wheel chorus “’Round, ’round, get around, I get around.” Beach Boys songs have endured from turntables and transistor radios to boom boxes and iPhones, or any device that could lie on a beach towel or be placed upright in the sand

The band’s innocent appeal survived the group’s increasingly troubled backstory, whether Brian’s many personal trials, the feuds and lawsuits among band members or the alcoholism of Dennis Wilson, who drowned in 1983. Brian Wilson’s ambition raised the Beach Boys beyond the pleasures of their early hits and into a world transcendent, eccentric and destructive. They seemed to live out every fantasy and many nightmares, of the California myth they helped create.

From suburbs to stage Brian Wilson was born June 20, 1942, two days after McCartney His musical gifts were soon obvious, and as a boy he was playing piano and teaching his brothers to sing harmony The Beach Boys started as a neighborhood act, rehearsing in Brian’s bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California. Surf music, mostly instrumental in its early years, was catching on locally: Dennis Wilson,

the group’s only real surfer, suggested they cash in. Brian and Love hastily wrote up their first single, “Surfin,’” a minor hit released in 1961. They wanted to call themselves the Pendletones, in honor of a popular flannel shirt they wore in early publicity photos. But when they first saw the pressings for “Surfin,’ ” they discovered the record label had tagged them “The Beach Boys.” Other decisions were handled by their father, a musician of some frustration who hired himself as manager and holy terror. By middecade, Murry Wilson had been displaced and Brian, who had been running the band’s recording sessions almost from the start, was in charge, making the Beach Boys the rare group of the time to work without an outside producer Their breakthrough came in early 1963 with “Surfin’ USA,” so closely modeled on Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen” that Berry successfully sued to get a songwriting credit It was their first Top 10 hit and a boast to the nation: “If everybody had an ocean / across the USA / then everybody’d be surfin,’ / like Cali-for-nye-ay.” From 196366, they were rarely off the charts, hitting No 1 with “I Get Around” and “Help Me, Rhonda” and narrowly missing with “California Girls” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.” For television appearances, they wore candy-striped shirts and grinned as they mimed their latest hit, with a hot rod or surfboard nearby

Lawyers: Photos show accuser in NYC crypto kidnapping leaving house freely

BY PHILIP MARCELO Associated Press

NEW YORK — A man who says he was kidnapped by two crypto investors for his Bitcoin was seen in photos and videos “laughing and smiling” and moving about Manhattan freely during the days he claimed he was tortured in captivity, lawyers for the two suspects said in court Wednesday William Duplessie, 32, and John Woeltz, 37, pleaded not guilty and were ordered held in custody until their next court date on July 15. Prosecutors argue the man was clearly in distress because he ran barefoot and bloodied to the nearest police ofﬁcer after escaping 17 days in captivity However, Duplessie’s lawyer said Wednesday that videos show the accuser participating in group sex and smoking crack cocaine while “laughing and smiling the whole time.” In other photos, Sam Talkin said, the accuser is seen visiting an eyeglass store with one of the defendants and could have ﬂed or sought help at any time.

“The story that he is selling doesn’t make sense,” Talkin said in Manhattan criminal court as the defendants were formally arraigned.

Woeltz’s lawyer, Wayne Gosnell, added that witnesses told him the accuser came and went as he pleased from the upscale town house where he says he was held — going to church, clubs and dinners.

The accuser, a 28-year-old Italian national, has not been named by ofﬁcials. Prosecutors say the defendants have known him personally for years.

In court Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Sarah Khan argued that someone who supports the defendants was selectively leaking videos to present a counternarrative of the events.

In reality, she said, the accuser was constantly watched, was not permitted to leave the house without being guarded and was subjected to violence, including being pistol-whipped and cut with a small chain saw

The defendants also took photos of the man in various poses and acts to create the impression that he was not being held against his will, Khan said.

Police searching the town house found evidence corrob-

orating his story including a loaded pistol, chain saw and other instruments purportedly used to torture him

They also located photographs, including one where the defendants point a gun to the accuser’s head, another

where the accuser is tied to a wheelchair, and still another showing the accuser being set on ﬁre.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RON FREHM

The Beach Boys, from left,Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Brian Wilson and Mike Love, hold their trophies after being inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in New york on Jan. 21, 1988.

massive lobbying campaign, including text messages to CVS customers urging them to reach out to their lawmakers.

“Last minute legislation in Louisiana threatens to close your CVS Pharmacy — your medication cost may go up and your pharmacist may lose their job,” one such text said. The ad blitz infuriated some lawmakers, who said they were standing up to massive companies that have choked independent, local pharmacies and squeezed consumers over drug prices They blasted CVS for using “fear tactics” to scare their constituents.

“It is about time something in this building we have done tells a national industry we’re not going to stand for it anymore,” said Rep Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge

He referenced some of the messaging CVS had sent out that said lawmakers were threatening to close pharmacies.

“No, we’re not, you liars. Quit being liars. Quit using scare tactics,” McMakin said.

CVS ofﬁcials said the impacts of the bill would be far-reaching

“We feel it will cripple your health care access and affordability in Louisiana,” said Lucille Accetta, chief pharmacy ofﬁcer of CVS.

“It is shutting us completely down as a trusted health care phar-

FEMA

Continued from page 1A

Over the past four years, FEMA has provided more than $12 billion to individuals and $133 billion to state and local governments, tribal nations, territories and some nonprofits to help in recovery efforts.

FEMA has delivered nearly $47 billion for 28 disasters in Louisiana since 2003. Members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation have long echoed their constituents’ frustrations with FEMA’s bureaucracy, but they remain protective of the agency that provides relief after a storm hits and funds to help recover from the disaster “For years, I’ve heard from Louisiana families,

POLICY

Continued from page 1A

guidance calling for a shift toward merit-based practices and re-evaluation of DEI initiatives in Louisiana’s public institutions.” Its afﬁrmative action and equal employment opportunity policy “fully embraces equality of opportunity for all employees by affirming that the University will take affirmative action to ensure that all applicants receive fair consideration for employment and the employees are treated fairly during the period of employment,” according to its website.

The policy covered items such as nondiscrimination based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or

ETHICS

Continued from page 1A

call. I respect it. But let’s be clear: This was never a deﬁning issue for me.” Hidalgo asked for the opinion in March. He told the board in his request for an opinion that the monthly events are open to the public, there’s no charge for entry and no restriction on attendance.

In the past, Hidalgo has partnered with local businesses that volunteer to cook meals and sponsor a limited bar tab for customers. Businesses “get the publicity of being sponsors” and usually have a representative who greets customers.

Hidalgo told the board he was recently approached by business owners who provide goods or services to the Lafayette Parish school system and wanted an opin-

macy.”

She added that, should the legislation take effect, it would precipitate a “health care crisis” and said neither legislators nor the governor understand the impact of the proposed policy change on constituents.

The House passed the bill on an 88-4 vote.

The Senate had already gaveled out on Wednesday before the bill emerged from conference committee. The upper chamber will also need to agree to the change on Thursday — the last day of the session — before it can go to Gov.

Jeff Landry’s desk for a signature.

Landry backs the bill.

“Drug prices soaring? Thank PBMs, the Proﬁteering Big Money, for gaming the system,” Landry wrote on X. “They hurt patients and small businesses. No more, not here — let’s rein in PBMs now!”

A debate over PBMs

The battle over pharmacy beneﬁts managers emerged late in the session and swiftly became one of the most hotly debated topics in the waning legislative session.

PBMs are companies that negotiate lower drug prices by acting as middlemen between drug manufacturers, insurance companies and pharmacies.

Supporters say they can help keep drug costs down, but critics argue they pocket too much of the savings.

Previously, public legislative debate centered around House Bill

small businesses and local ofﬁcials who are frustrated with how FEMA delivers disaster relief and especially how poorly they’ve run the National Flood Insurance Program,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson. “Louisiana knows all too well how badly FEMA needs serious reform, and we are all looking at ways to further empower local and state leaders who are in a better position to react faster when disasters strike and people need help.”

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, referred to May 21 comments he made on Facebook when asked about his thoughts on Trump’s comments “If FEMA is replaced, it must be with something which can help with a $20 billion disaster such as Hurricanes

disability; prohibiting sexual harassment; and allowing sick leave use for maternity reasons.

But it’s unclear what changes will actually take effect after the university sent a follow-up email to staff Wednesday afternoon that said it “remains an equal opportunity employer and continues to fully comply with all applicable federal and state nondiscrimination laws.”

“The university’s commitment to a workplace free of discrimination and harassment remains unchanged,” according to the second email obtained by The Acadiana Advocate. Revised policy documents and additional guidance would be provided in the coming weeks, the email stated.

UL abruptly closed its Of-

ion on whether the business was allowed to sponsor a meal and bar tab

A sponsor usually cooks a meal on-site for customers or arranges a catered meal and no payment is made to Hidalgo or the bar For a drink tab, which typically comes with a set budget during a certain time frame, the sponsor pays the bar because drinks are served by the establishment

The Ethics Board’s opinion said that the Louisiana Code of Ethics “prohibits you, directly or indirectly through your company, from soliciting and receiving any sponsorship from any person that has or is seeking to have any contractual or other business or ﬁnancial relationship with the Lafayette Parish School Board or any school under its jurisdiction.”

It came to that conclusion because it said as a member of the School Board Hidalgo is a public servant and the

264, which would bar pharmacy benefit managers from steering customers to their own pharmacies. It would also require that discounts they negotiate go to employers and consumers.

HB264 also requires pharmacy beneﬁt managers to report more details of their activities to government regulators to ensure that they are following the law

On Wednesday, though, a different bill became the center of attention: House Bill 358. That bill was originally designed to set new rules for when pharmacy technicians can work remotely, and had passed both the House and the Senate.

But the bill emerged from a conference committee — a process in which a group of lawmakers from both the House and the Senate works behind closed doors to negotiate between the two chambers — with the new language addressing PBMs.

“No permit to operate a pharmacy shall be granted or renewed to a pharmacy that is wholly or partially owned or controlled by a pharmacy beneﬁt manager or its subsidiary,” that language said.

CVS and a handful of legislators criticized that process, arguing a major change to policy that could affect thousands of people was being added at the last minute with little public debate.

“A backroom deal isn’t the best way to proceed,” said Accetta.

If the change is something that lawmakers are seriously consid-

Katrina or Helene. Families rely on FEMA when their home is destroyed. We should use this as an opportunity to make the agency stronger but not abandon the mission of Americans helping Americans.”

Cassidy told reporters Tuesday, several hours before the president’s comments, “We absolutely have to preserve that American helping American through the federal government when a big storm comes, and I will push that that ability be preserved.”

Matt Smith, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow RStart, said, “Congresswoman Letlow has been clear that she believes FEMA is broken and in need of reform. She looks forward to reviewing the results of the FEMA Review Council’s study and working with

ﬁce of Campus Inclusion in April to remain “in compliance with a federal directive.”

The ofﬁce’s two employees “were offered and accepted opportunities in the University’s Office of Academic Affairs,” a university representative said in a statement.

Trump and his administration have targeted diversity equity and inclusion efforts at higher education institutes across the United States. Republicans and other DEI critics, including Trump, have argued in recent years the efforts are discriminatory, make White people feel guilty and push progressive ideas on students.

Email Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.

school system is his agency

The state code of ethics prohibits public servants from “soliciting and/or receiving a thing of economic value as a gift” from an officer, director, agent or employee who is trying to secure a contract, other business or financial relationship with their agency

The ruling doesn’t prevent Hidalgo’s bar from continuing its sponsored customer appreciation nights; he’ll just work with businesses and vendors that aren’t working with the school system, he said.

“I’ll keep doing what I was elected to do: ﬁght for students, stand up for teachers, and push for a better public school system,” he said. “And I’ll keep building my business the right way — no shortcuts, no favors, no apologies.”

Email Ashley White at ashley.white@ theadvocate.com.

ering, they should do appropriate research, hold public hearings and understand the economic impact to the state, she said.

But Rep. Dustin Miller an Opelousas Democrat who is sponsoring HB358, said the issue has been debated for years in various parts of the Legislature. He also said the bill wouldn’t take effect for a full year, giving CVS time to make the changes it needs to keep the pharmacies open.

“We have set the effective date of this bill January 2027,” he said.

“We will be here and have a whole other session if there is anything that we have to address.”

Arkansas previously passed a similar bill, and CVS has filed a lawsuit trying to stop it.

Asked if legal action could be on the table should the measure become law, CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault said, “We will do anything and everything that we can to keep our pharmacy operations up and running in Louisiana.”

Concerns about specialty drugs

Accetta said the legislation would force CVS to stop sending specialty drugs to patients in Louisiana for chronic or complex conditions like cancer, hemophilia and multiple sclerosis.

“We’re specially trained in these therapies typically not seen in independent pharmacies,” she said.

“In some cases, we are the only distributor of those drugs across this country.”

Miller said there are plenty of

President Trump and her colleagues to improve disaster recovery efforts. In the meantime, she will continue to ﬁght to ensure Louisiana’s needs are met.”

“I’ll be the ﬁrst to say that FEMA needs reforms, but dismantling this critical agency is dumb, shortsighted and cruel,” said Democratic Rep Troy Carter, whose New Orleans district is one of the nation’s most vulnerable to hurricanes.

Fellow Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields, of Baton Rouge, agreed. “President Trump needs to realize that states cannot take on the full responsibility of recovering from these disasters alone. Louisiana would not be able

pharmacies in the state that can handle specialty drugs, but PBMs often decline to ﬁll prescriptions at those pharmacies because they’re trying to steer patients to the pharmacies they own.

“There are pharmacies available to do all of the specialty items that they’re talking about. They’ve just never been given the opportunity,” he said.

Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, one of the few votes against HB358, said she wanted to vote for the bill but could not due to desperate texts from her constituents.

“I’ve gotten messages like: ‘Is there any way this can be stopped? I’m literally sobbing because my husband will die without this specialty medicine,’” said Landry

But Beryl Amedée, R-Gray, who supported the bill, complained that PBMs made it unnecessarily difﬁcult for her sister, who battled brain cancer and died after 10 months, to get her chemotherapy drugs.

“I can’t tell you the hours and days that she should have been sitting with her grandchildren, but she was instead having to come and fight with pharmaceutical companies, with PBMs,” Amedée said.

Amedée said the PBMs made her sister follow seemingly arbitrary rules and it often felt that her health was not their main consideration.

“I think I know what their consideration was. It’s called the bottom line,” she added.

to recover from a hurricane without assistance. FEMA is an absolute necessity for disaster response and recovery,” he said. Since last year’s campaign, Trump has repeatedly called for dramatic changes to FEMA, which he says is too expensive and provides haphazard relief. Tuesday’s comments, however, are Trump’s most direct so far about the future of the agency FEMA was established by Congress, which means Congress would have to vote to abolish it. But Trump has dramatically reshaped other agencies without seeking congressional approval, slashing staff and ending

billions of dollars worth of programs. Trump established a FEMA Review Council to work during the summer on how FEMA will look and operate in the future.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who co-chairs the council and attended Tuesday’s news briefing, said a revamped FEMA would “empower governors to go out and respond to emergency situations and make sure that the taxpayers are only fulfilling the need to which is appropriate.”

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

L.A.-area mayors demand immigration raids stop

BY CHRISTOPHER WEBER, AMY TAXIN, JAKE OFFENHARTZ and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand that the Trump administration stop the stepped-up immigration raids that have spread fear across their cities and sparked protests across the U.S.

They also called on President Donald Trump to pull back from using troops alongside immigration agents during the raids.

“I’m asking you please listen to me, stop terrorizing our residents,” said Mayor Jessica Ancona of El Monte, who said she was hit by rubber bullets during a raid in her city Meanwhile, the commander in charge of the troops said about 500 National Guard soldiers deployed to the Los Angeles protests have been trained to accompany agents on immigration operations. And while some troops have already gone on such missions, he said it’s too early to say if that will continue, even after the protests die down.

Speaking alongside the other mayors at a news conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the

raids spread fear at the behest of the White House.

“We started off by hearing the administration wanted to go after violent felons, gang members, drug dealers. But when you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armored caravans through our streets, you’re not trying to keep anyone safe,” she said.

“You’re trying to cause fear and panic.”

Those who have been caught up in the nationwide raids include asylum seekers, people who overstayed

their visas and migrants awaiting their day in immigration court.

The administration has cited the protests in its decision to deploy the military Referring to the demonstrations, which have been mostly concentrated in the LA business district, the Democratic mayor added: “If you drive a few blocks outside of downtown, you don’t know that anything is happening in the city at all.”

California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, has asked a federal court to put an emergency stop to the military helping immigration agents in the nation’s second-largest

city This week, guardsmen began standing protectively around agents as they carry out arrests. A judge set a hearing for Thursday

The military is now closer to engaging in law enforcement actions such as deportations, as Trump has promised in his crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack ofﬁcers, but any arrests must be made by law enforcement.

The president posted on the Truth Social platform that the city “would be burning to the ground” if he had not sent in the military

Some 2,000 National Guard soldiers are in Los Angeles, and are soon to be joined by 2,000 more along with about 700 Marines, said Army Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, head of Task Force 51, which is overseeing the deployment of National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles.

Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press and ABC, Sherman initially said that National Guard troops had already temporarily detained civilians in the Los Angeles protests over immigration raids. He later said he based his comments on photos and footage he had seen that turned out not to be a representation of Guard members in Los Angeles.

L.A. curfew will continue

Police detained more than 20 people, mostly on curfew violations, on the ﬁrst night of restrictions in downtown Los Angeles and used crowd-control projectiles to break up hundreds of protesters. But there were fewer clashes than on previous nights, and by daybreak, the downtown streets were bustling with residents walking dogs and commuters clutching coffee cups.

LA’s nightly curfew, which the mayor said would remain in effect as long as necessary, covers a 1-square-mile section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles.

“If there are raids that continue, if there are soldiers marching up and down our streets, I would imagine that the curfew will continue,” Bass said.

Los Angeles police have made nearly 400 arrests and detentions since Saturday the vast majority of which were for failing to leave the area at the request of law enforcement, according to the police department.

Israeli government could collapse as parliament possibly dissolved

BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids and President Donald Trump’s move to mobilize the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles are spreading nationwide and are expected to continue into the weekend. While many demonstrations against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency have been peaceful, with marchers chanting slogans and carrying signs, others have led to clashes with police, hundreds of arrests and the use of chemical irritants to disperse crowds. In Texas, Republican Gov Greg Abbott posted on social media that an unspeciﬁed number of National Guard troops “will be deployed to locations across the state to ensure peace & order.”

Activists say they will hold even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with “No Kings” events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C.

The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue regardless.

New York City

Police detained more than 80 people during protests in lower Manhattan’s Foley Square on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday

Protesters shouted and waved signs that included “ICE out of NYC” as they rallied near an ICE facility and federal courthouses. Police estimated some 2,500 people participated. Some protesters jumped over metal barricades and clashed with

ofﬁcers who wrestled them to the ground. Video shows demonstrators throwing items at law enforcement vehicles.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said most of the demonstrators were peaceful and that just a few caused the disorder that required police intervention.

“We want to maintain everyone’s right to protest peacefully in this city and in this country, but we will not tolerate chaos and disorder or violence,” Tisch said Wednesday morning during an appearance on Fox 5 New York.

Police said they took 86 people into custody, including 52 who were released with criminal court summonses for minor crimes and 34 who were charged with assault, resisting arrest and other crimes.

San Antonio

A protest is planned Wednesday night in downtown San Antonio outside the historic Alamo. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he encourages peaceful demonstration but that his ofﬁcers will respond if “it turns violent.”

Mayor Ron Nirenberg said he did not ask the governor to deploy the Texas National Guard to San Antonio and ofﬁcials said they did not know how many troops were being sent, where they would be stationed or what they would do

Another protest is planned in San Antonio on Saturday

“I want to acknowledge the anger and frustration that’s out there with the federal government’s crude interpretations of immigration law and cruel approach to human rights,” Nirenberg

said. “Exercise your right to free speech, but I urge you to keep it lawful and peaceful.”

Abbott declined to say how many soldiers would be sent or how, but only that they will be deployed in “strategic locations where they can provide the most robust response” necessary

“There are others outside of this room who would like to know that And I’m not going to tell them,” Abbott said. “We want to make sure that what has happened in California does not happen in Texas.”

Philadelphia

About 150 protesters gathered outside the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon and marched to ICE headquarters then back to the detention center

Police ordered a group marching along a major road to disperse and when they ignored the orders ofﬁcers arrested 15 of them.

Several ofﬁcers used force during the arrests and their conduct will be reviewed, police said, without detailing what kind of force was used. Two ofﬁcers suffered minor injuries.

San Francisco

About 200 protesters gathered outside the San Francisco Immigration Court on Tuesday after activists said several people were arrested there.

Protests in the city on Sunday and Monday swelled to several thousand demonstrators, and more than 150 people were arrested after some vandalized buildings and damaged cars, police vehicles and buses. Police said two officers suffered non-life threatening injuries.

BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government faced a major test Wednesday after the opposition submitted a bill to dissolve parliament, with his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners threatening to support the measure and force early elections.

The ultra-Orthodox parties are furious that the government has failed to pass a law exempting their community from mandatory military service, an issue that has long divided the Jewish Israeli public, espe-

cially during the 20-monthlong war in the Gaza Strip.

While many expect a last-minute compromise, the vote is the most serious challenge to Netanyahu’s government since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, the biggest security failure in Israel’s history

The opposition submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. In response, coalition members submitted numerous bills, packing Wednesday’s schedule and buying time for last-minute negotiations.

The dissolution vote, if it is not pulled, is expected to take place late at night.

Separately, Argentina’s President Javier Milei will address the Knesset on Wednesday The bill must pass another three readings before parliament is dissolved, a process that could take days or weeks. Even if the bill passes, it could take weeks or months for new elections to be called. If the bill fails, another vote for dissolution cannot be brought again by the opposition for at least six months. The opposition could still pull the bill if there isn’t enough support and submit it again in the coming weeks.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG

Members of the California National Guard conduct exercises after being deployed to the Los Angeles protests Wednesday in Los Alamitos, Calif.

Southern

Baptistdelegates call forbanning same-sex marriage

BYPETER SMITH Associated Press

DALLAS Southern Baptist delegatesattheir national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed aban on same-sex marriage —including acall for areversalofthe U.S.Supreme Court’s10-year-old precedentlegalizing it nationwide. They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The votes Tuesday came at thegathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’slargestProtestant denomination. The wide-ranging resolution doesn’tuse the word “ban,” but it left no room for legal same-sex marriage in calling for the “overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God’sdesign for marriage and family.”

Further,the resolution afﬁrmatively calls“forlaws that afﬁrm marriage between one man andone women.”

Areversal of the Supreme Court’s2015 Obergefell decision wouldn’tinand of itself amount to anationwide ban. At the time of that ruling,36 states had already legalized same-sex marriage, and support remains strong in many areas.

However,ifthe convention got its wish, not only would Obergefell be overturned, but so would every law and court ruling thataffirmed same-sex marriage.

There was no debate on the marriage resolution. That in itself is not surprising in the solidly conservative denomination, which has long deﬁned marriage as between one man and one woman However,itmarks an especially assertive step in its call forthe reversalofa decadeold Supreme Court ruling, as well as anyother legalpillars to same-sex marriageinlaw and court precedent.

Gender identity,fertility

The marriage issue was incorporated into amuch

By RICHARD W. RODRIGUEZ

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Messengers attending the Southern Baptist Convention lay on hands and prayovermissionaries during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting on TuesdayinDallas.

larger resolution on marriageand family —one that calls for civil lawtobebased on what the convention says is thedivinely created order as statedinthe Bible

The resolution says legislators have aduty to “pass laws that reflect the truth of creation andnatural law —about marriage, sex, human life, and family” and to oppose laws contradicting “what God hasmade plain through nature and Scripture.”

The same resolution calls for recognizing “the biological reality of maleand female” and opposes “any law or policythat compelspeople to speak falsehoodsabout sex andgender.” It urges Christians to “embrace marriage and childbearing” and to see children “as blessings rather than burdens.”

But italsoframes that issueasone of public policy.It calls for“for renewed moral clarityinpublic discourse regarding thecrisisofdecliningfertility andfor policies that support the bearing and raisingofchildrenwithin intact, marriedfamilies.”

It laments that modern culture is “pursuing willful childlessness which contributestoadeclining fertility rate,” echoing agrowing subject of discourse on the religious and political right

The pornography resolution,which had no debate, calls such material destruc-

tive,addictive and exploitive and says governments have the power to ban it

The sports betting resolution draws on Southern Baptists’ historic opposition to gambling.Itcalledsports betting “harmful andpredatory.” One pastorurged an amendment to distinguish between low-stakes,recreational gambling and predatory,addictive gambling activities. But his proposed amendment failed.

Andrew Walker,chair of theCommitteeonResolutions, saidatanews conference that the marriage resolutionshows that Southern Baptists aren’t going along with thewidespread social acceptance of same-sex marriage

But Walker,aprofessor at SouthernBaptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky,acknowledged that a realisticrollback strategy would require incremental steps,such as seeking to overturn Obergefell.

“I’mclear-eyed about the difficulties and the headwinds in this resolution,”he said.

The two-day annual meeting began Tuesday morning with praise sessions andoptimistic reports aboutgrowing numbers of baptisms. But casting apall over the gathering is the recentdeathof oneofthe most high-proﬁle whistleblowers in the Southern Baptists’ scandal of sexual abuse.

BY BEN FINLEY Associated Press

Veterans dividedoverparade beingheldonTrump’s birthday

NORFOLK, Va.— James Mc-

Donough served in the U.S. Army for 27 years, ﬁghting in Vietnam and delivering humanitarianaid to Rwanda. Forhim,Saturday’smilitary parade in Washingtonfor the Army’s250th anniversary —coinciding withPresident DonaldTrump’s birthday— is aboutthe resilienceofavital institution and the nation it serves.

“The soldiers marching thatday represent all of that history,” said McDonough, 78, of Crofton,Maryland. “They don’trepresent a single day.They don’trepresent asingle person. It’sthe AmericanArmystill standing straight, walking tall, ready to defend our country.”

Christopher Purdy,an Armyveteran who served in Iraq, calledthe parade a facade thatpaintsover some of the Republican president’s policies that have targeted militaryveterans and currentservice members, including cutsatthe DepartmentofVeterans Affairsand aban on transgender troops. Purdy said theparade, long sought by Trump, will needlessly display U.S. military might on thepresident’s79th birthday

“It’s embarrassing,”said Purdy,40, of Atlanta. “It’s expensive. And whatever his reasons are for doing it, Ithink it’sentirely unnecessary.”

Until recently,the Army’s long-planned birthday celebration didnot include a big parade. Added under the Trumpadministration, the event, featuringhundreds of military vehicles and aircraftand thousands of soldiers, has divided veterans. Some liken it to the military chest-pounding commonly seen in North Korea, astep toward authoritarianismora perverse birthday party for Trump.

Others seeitasa once-ina-lifetime accounting of the Army’sachievementsand the military service of mil-

lions of soldiers overcenturies. The paradeisnot about Trump, they say,but the public seeing the faces of soldiers when so fewAmericansserve.

TheArmyexpects up to 200,000 people could attend andsaysthe paradewill cost an estimated $25 millionto $45 million.

Trump, speaking at Fort Bragg this week, said Saturdaywould be “a big day” and noted “wewanttoshowoff a littlebit.”

“We’regoing to celebrate our greatness and our achievements,” he said.

“This week, we honor 250 years of valorand glory and triumph by the greatest ﬁghting force ever to walk theface of theEarth: the United States Army.”

‘Divisivepolitics’

For Edmundo Eugenio

MartinezJr.,anArmy veteran who fought in Iraq, the paradeisamissed opportunity to honorgenerations of veterans, many of whom paid asteep priceand came home to littlefanfare.

“Sadly,the timing and the optics and divisive politics have ruined it,” said Martinez, 48, of Katy, Texas. “And I’mnot picking one side or the other.Both sides are guilty.

‘It’sjustsuspicious’

JoePlenzler,aretired Marine who fought in Iraq,said Trump wants to see troops saluting him on his birthday as tanks rollpast.

“It’sjust suspicious,” the 53-year-old fromMiddletown,Virginia, said of the timing.

“I absolutelylovethe Army from the bottom of my cold black Marine heart,” he said. “But if the Army’s birthday was aday later,we probably wouldn’tbedoing it.I’d rather see that $50 milliontakecare of the men and women whowentoff to war andcame back withmissing arms, legs and eyeballs, and withdamaged brains.”

‘PartofAmericanculture’

Joe Kmiech, who served

in the Army and Minnesota National Guard from 1989 to 1998, supports the parade because the Armyis“part of American culture andour fabric.”

He notes the Army’spioneering contributions to engineering andmedicine, from dams to new surgical techniques. Like many veterans, he hasastrongfamilialconnection: Hisfather served in the Army,and so did his maternal grandfather,who fought in World WarII.

“I didn’tvote for President Trump, but the commander in chiefisgoingto be part of that celebration,” said Kmiech, 54, of Roberts, Wisconsin. “The distinction needs to be made that the parade is acelebrationofour Army, notofa person.”

‘StrokingTrump’s ego’

ForGulf WarArmy veteran Paul Sullivan, Trumpand the parade are inextricably linked.

“This Trump tanktravesty is allabout strokingTrump’s ego,” said Sullivan, 62, who livesoutside Charlottesville,Virginia.“If Trump truly cared aboutour service members, he would sit downwiththemquietlyand say,‘What can we do with $50 million or $100 million to make your lives better?’He’s not.”

‘Peopleare theArmy’ Michael Nardotti, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said military hardware has long been in American parades, which can help recruitment.

More important, he said, is the tremendous value in the public seeing soldiers’ faces in aparade when active-duty troops makeup less than 1% of thepopulation.

“‘People are theArmy,’” said Nardotti, 78, of Aldie, Virginia,quoting aformer Armychief of staff. Nardotti saidhe’lllisten carefully to Trump’s speech.

“I hope it sends the right message,” he said.

PHOTO

Lafayette schools to alter project process

Changes to be made in soliciting and awarding construction jobs

BY LESLIE TURK leslie@thecurrentla.com

The Lafayette Parish school system says it will make signiﬁcant changes to its processes for soliciting and awarding construction projects.

In an email to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contrac-

tors obtained by The Current, the school district outlined changes that closely track negative ﬁndings by that board and its own auditor

The changes come shortly after the state licensing board found that quotes for a drainage pipe repair project at Charles Burke Elementary last year were likely forged — among other procedur-

al shortcomings — and an audit found that the district had skirted public bid law

Despite the significant outside pressure, LPSS’s Construction, Facilities and Maintenance Director Robert Gautreaux called the policy changes “self-initiated corrective action.” Earlier this month, the school

system announced an internal investigation into the alleged forgeries, after the state licensing board notified it that two out of three companies said to have submitted quotes for the project denied doing so. The job was awarded to Bosco Oilfield Services, an unlicensed contractor

The policy and procedural changes also come on the heels of the system’s own auditor’s ﬁnding earlier in the year that it has been breaking up projects to get around public bid law. That ﬁnding prompted more scrutiny of the system’s practices by The Current, which first reported that LPSS used the unlicensed contractor for two culvert repair jobs at Charles Burke.

Airport board creation bill passes

Current panel would dissolve with Iberia Parish Council’s OK

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

Louisiana

desk for his signature. The Iberia Parish Council has final say on whether the new board is created per the terms of the bill. The Iberia Parish

ABOVE: Supporters of PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, paint the y Lafayette sign in Parc Sans Souci in downtown Lafayette on Saturday. LEFT: Pride Acadiana royalty, from left, Chico Black, Jabari Glamazon and Jazlyn Monae, apply paint to the sign in Parc Sans Souci STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD BOWIE

Lafayette High grad awarded CODOFIL honor

BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer

Recent Lafayette High School graduate Isabella Anderson was recognized for her dedication to learning French as a second language. Anderson received the Excellence in French Award from the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana this week. The award, given to high school

seniors across the state, comes with a ﬁnancial scholarship from La Fondation Louisiane. “French is more than the roads of Lafayette,” Anderson said in a translated statement “It’s a community, it’s a family, and it shows that everyone the entire world — is interconnected.” She has been enrolled in French immersion in the

Isabella Anderson, second from right, is presented the 2025 CODOFIL Award for Excellence in French.

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

PHOTO PROVIDED

CODOFIL

Gov.Jeff Landry and statelawmakers have not shied away from pursuinghigh-proﬁle issues this legislative session —from tort reform and the insurance crisis to education scholarship accounts and revisitingtax reformafter voters overwhelmingly rejected aproposed constitutional amendmentthat would have freedupfunds.

But one big effort that’sbeen quietly chugging along in the background has reached the ﬁnish line. That, of course, is the complete overhaul of the state Department of Transportationand Development, which could haveimpacts fordecades to come. We come away impressed with theway lawmakers have tackled this monumentaltaskwith little fanfare or drama. They’ve been meeting since January in committee to reach abipartisan consensus. They’ve looked at what is workinginother states. And they’ve keptaneye on the cost of any new proposals.

The dismal state of our roads has longbeena source of frustration, to put it mildly,for Louisiana drivers. There never seems to be enough money to repave aroad or build abridge.And even when projects get thegreen light,they seem to take foreverto complete.

Aseries of bills, sponsored byRep.Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville,aimed to tackle these problems by restructuringthe system and streamlining processes. HouseBill 640 creates the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction, independentofDOTD, that would be responsible for theroughly 4,800 miles of state roadways that don’tqualify forfederal funding.The governor would appoint itsexecutivedirector House Bill 528 restructures DOTD, creating adivision called the Office of Transformation to look at ways the department canbemoreinnovative. Thegovernor would appointadeputy secretary for the office. It’s envisionedasthe transportation equivalent of Louisiana Economic Development,whichLandry revamped at the start of his term to bemore nimble,with tremendous results, as we’venoted Also included is anew Office of ProjectDelivery,which the Legislature has given the responsibilityoflooking forwaysthe state can partner with private entities to better serve the public In putting together this sweepinglegislation, it’sclear that lawmakers listened to experts.To answer concerns that safetywould take aback seat togetting projects completed morequickly, they stipulated that the assistantsecretaryof theOffice of Project Deliverywould have to consult with the chief engineer on plans. Legislators initially wanted torestrict theTransportation Trust Fund to paying forprojects and not employee salaries,asithas for thepast30 years, butthey nixed thatideawhen newfunds forsalaries were not forthcoming. While there’smore to theplan anddetails still need to be filled in —there’snobudget or staff for the Office of Louisiana HighwayConstruction, for instance —wecan’t help but feelthat these bills have us heading in the rightdirection. It’sabout time.

How we work and communicate is being reshaped by artificial intelligence. This technology holds real promisetohelp make government more efficient, responsive and accountable. For Louisiana, it’sa timelyopportunitytoreduce bureaucracy and create apublic sector that works better for everyone. States arebeginning to harnessAI to reduce drag andimprove how the government serves people. South Carolina’srecent effort to use AI to identify duplicative and outdated regulations is amodel Louisiana should study As someonewho studies public administration —how governments function and can be improved —I see enormous potential in AI to supportsmarter,more responsive governance in our state. Everygovernment accumulates laws and regulations that eventually create confusion or redundancy Sorting through all of them manually is resource-intensive. AI can process huge amountsofdatainseconds, flagging contradictions or inefficiencies that would take months or years to uncover.That’s not just modernization —it’ssmarter government AI also offers tools to tackle persistentchallenges,from inef-

ficiencies to overextended public resources, with more agility and focus. Louisianans deserve institutions that respondbetter.Ifwereduce thetime agencies spenduntangling outdated rules,theycan focus more on innovation and listening to communities. It’scritical Louisiana leaders embrace AI as atool for bettergovernment, like Mississippi haswith its recentexecutive order. This means bringing AI intothe public sector in ways that prioritize transparency, efficiency and public benefit. It also means avoiding overly burdensome regulation beforeweunderstand AI’sfull potential. States like California and Colorado risk slowing innovation withheavy-handedframeworks. Louisiana can take asmarter pathusing AI for economic growth, better government and better outcomes for every Louisianan. At LSUand beyond, the next generation of public servants’ expectationsare shaped by modern tools. We owe it to them to build systems that meet that moment. Ultimately,Louisiana doesn’tneed more redtape. It needs smarter solutions, like AI. ANNA JOHNSON executivedirector of the West Baton RougeChamber of Commerce

I’ve spent mostofmylifeinthe restaurant management business. When I retired about three years ago, Iwanted to see whatitwas likeonthe other side as adelivery driver.That’show Ifound DoorDash.Since then, dashing has helped me earn extra incomeinretirementand stay connected to my community in ameaningful way.

Recently,I traveled to Washington, D.C., through DashRoots, agrassroots advocacy network hosted by DoorDash. Imet with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy to talk about the importance of keeping work like mine ﬂexible —and how policies like “NoTax on Tips” would help drivers take homemore of what we’ve earned. My only other source of incomeis Social Security,soevery dollar Iearn through DoorDash helps. Whether I’m putting money into savings or paying outstanding bills, being able to keep 100% of my tips without them being taxed would makeareal difference. Along with the other 40,000 Dashers whohave voiced their support, I’m calling on lawmakers to include independent workers in the No TaxonTips legislation —because we deserve to keep every dollar we earn through our hard work.

JAYSABLUDOWSKY Metairie LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Daily,atthe close of each House Legislativesession, there is aprocess by which legislators can approach themicrophone and announce their votechange on each of the bills previously voted on that day.This practice seemstohave gotten out of hand. On May 14, House Bill 425 initially had avote of 84 yes, 1noand 19 absent.

There were nine votes changed on this bill at theclose of the day.Four representatives changed from yes to no, and ﬁve changed from absent to no. Final count 80 yes, 10 no and 14 absent.

This meansthe nine changes represent about 9% of the total votes. Iamappalled that the House would let this practice become so distasteful. This is like akid taking aretest after he sees theanswers to the ﬁrst

test. Further analysis indicated that all nine votechanges were by Democrats, with six of them being from the New Orleansarea. This type of partisan politics is one of themajor issues holding Louisianaback. Where is theintegrity andindependence of these representatives when you can change avote to stay with your coalition? Maybe theHouse could do away with this policy of allowing vote changes. If that is not viable, then set alimit of, say,three vote changes per instrument.Perhaps that would encourage more representatives to stay near their desks and cut downon thenoise and repeated questions that delay business.

WAYNE COLVIN Lafayette

Since our available state budgetary resources are limited, providing asubsidy to families with kids in private and parochial schools via the LA GATOR program makes no sense to me, given the options parents have.

However,asahomeowner,along with my fellow state residents whoown homes, we have no options relative to the budget-busting annual premium that must be paid forhomeowners insurance. The $50 million that the state Senate offered as acompromise to foot the annual bill forthe GATOR program would have better served residents if it had been applied to the reinforced roofing program.Ifthe state wasserious about keeping residents from moving, it seemstobecommon sense to fund this morecritical need.

GARYSILBERT NewOrleans

Letlow should pursue LSUjob

If U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow truly is in the running to be the new president or chancellorofLSU or the LSU system, as is rumored, then she really ought to pursue the job.

The third-term Republicancongresswoman, originally from Monroe, could do more good at LSU than she can do in the House,and her pursuit of the university job would be abetter use of her energythan a risky race for the Senate against incumbent Republican Bill Cassidy As acaveat— and while Iaminnoway privytoher individual family situation —the odds are high that the position at LSU,with one and only one job locus, wouldcreate an easierhome front for awidowed mother of two young children than would the inherently split-focus existencethat members of Congress endure

Even when Congress was arelatively friendlier place, back in the 20th century,the frequent travel betweenhome districts and Washington, D.C., was stressful even for two-parent families, even if the families were largely based in D.C. rather than back home. Nowthe U.S. Capitol is aden of politicalviciousness in acity choked by ever-more horrendous trafﬁc, and one in which individual, junior representatives are hard-pressed to make muchofadifference Those political realities areworthyof more extended public comment. Unless ajunior member is eitherclearly on a track for formal leadership posts oris amedia-obsessed demagogue —oris on ahigh-risk mission to fundamentally change her party’strajectory on major issues or in general —the chancesto do meaningful work among 435 prima donnas are limited. This is especially true when, more than everbefore(or so it seems to this long-term observerand former staffer),members are hugely fearful of political crackdowns from presidents or party leaders. These days, there is almostnocomity in Congress between members of different parties —very few bipartisan coalitions, much lessfriendships! —and even apaucity of genuine comity among party colleagues. Without casting blame at one side or the other,itissafetosay

that in the age of Donald Trump, what always has been the rough-and-tumble of politicsisnow far worse than ordinary roughness.The U.S. Capitol complex is atoxicplace now Granted, large swathsofacademia alsohave become toxic. Still, it’sfar easiertodolasting good when one is the person at the very top of amajor academic institution than when oneisa junior member of a435-personbody of peoplewho each are answerable in conﬂicting ways to angrypresidents, angry party leaders andangryvoters. The comparative abilitytomake a constructivedifference was analyzed afew years ago by Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska), who resigned midterm from the Senate to becomepresident of the University of Florida. Asenator by designholds amuch more powerful post than aHouse member of similarseniority, and Sasse had even larger inﬂuence becausehehad anational(if slightly underground) following as adarling of conservativeintellectuals; yet Sasse sawaSoutheasternConference university presidency as being amuch better opportunity to do good. If acollegepresidency made sense even for Sasse (who sinceleft theuniversity to help his wife with an illness), surely itmakeseven more sense for the more junior Letlow.And that’seven before acknowledging that her political perch is at leastsomewhat more precarious becauseLouisiana’scongressional

map still faces aserious courtchallenge thatcould change her district lines yet again, this timeinaway lessfavorable for her reelection.

It is well known, of course, thatLetlow alsoisconsidering aSenate race, but she would ﬁrst need to defeat boththe incumbent Cassidy and stateTreasurer John Fleming in aRepublican primary and thenoutlast whomever Democrats nominate for ageneral election. That’s atall order —and an exhausting campaign slog —even without trying simultaneously to do arepresentative’sjob both in D.C. and in Louisiana, all while raising twochildren under 10 years old. Noneofthis is to saywhether LSU should or should nothire Letlow.That’s acompletely different question, although it is worth noting thatshe does have asolid background in academia at the UniversityofLouisiana at Monroe and at Tulane. It’s alsoinstructive to see thatanother former House member Republican Jo BonnerofAlabama, is doing an excellent job as president of the UniversityofSouth Alabama.In other words,the skill setsactually can translate well. Either way, if LSU wants Letlow,she should snatch the opportunity.Compared to the halls of Congress, the halls of academe could offer her greater personaland professional rewards.

Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com

Senate ﬁnds itsvoice versus Russia

The Senate, recently passiveregardingits prerogatives and deferential regarding presidential assertiveness, might insert itself into policymaking concerning Ukraine. And theSenate— hopefully with the House concurring —might do so where presidents are most protective of their ability to act unilaterally: foreign affairs. TheSenate’scontemplated action has been “coordinated”withthe current president, who is anotably aggressiveassertor of executive prerogatives.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has introduced legislation that, having attracted 82 supporters (counting Graham), proves two things: the possibility of bipartisanship about large questionsand Congress’srelevance in making foreign policy

In alettertoThe Wall Street Journal, Graham writes that he has “coordinated” with the White House concerning his legislation, which he jointly introduced with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. The legislation would impose a 500% tariff on goods sent to theUnited States from “any countrythat buys Moscow’senergy products” (e.g.,oil, gas, uranium). The countries thatmatter mostare China and India. Whatever coordination has occurred with the current president, he and many of hisadvisers and admirers are advocates of a“unitary executive” with untrammeled control of that branch of government.Asamatteroftemperament if not of logic, they mightgofurther and deem Graham’smeasure for congressional involvement inforeign policy constitutionally dubious.Itis not.

alegislativenature” to the president (e.g., the veto, the power to recommend legislation, the power to convene Congress), it also involves Congress in foreignpolicy.The mostimportantinvolvement is through Congress’spower “to regulate commerce with foreign nations,” which James Madison called the “most essential” of all the powers “in relations with other nations.” (Courts maydecidewhether Congress has constitutionally,orclearly,delegated this power to presidents.)

Congress hasadditional powers pertinenttoforeign policy,such as declaringwar and maintaining and exercising plenary power over the armed forces. Thepresident cannot raise a military or fund it.The Senate has special foreign-policy standing: Itconﬁrmsambassadors and consents to presidential ratiﬁcations of treaties

hours aday,seven days aweek,” he or she must be able unilaterally “totake temporary steps” to prevent or mitigatecrises. Butthe policy stipulated by Graham’s legislation is well within Congress’spurview In recent days, Graham’slegislation had 82 sponsors —41Republicans (including Graham), 40 Democrats and one independent who caucuses with theDemocrats. The non-co-sponsoring senatorsinclude 12 Republicans, ﬁve Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

In “The President Who WouldNot Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution” (2020), Michael W. McConnell of Stanford Law School and the HooverInstitution notes: Just as the Constitution assigns “some powers of

In “Imperial From theBeginning:The Constitution of the Original Executive” (2015), Saikrishna Bangalore Prakashof the University of Virginia’slaw school notes that Chief Justice John Marshall said at the endofthe 18thcentury that theexecutive is entrusted “with the whole foreignintercourse of the nation.” But although thepresident is (in Secretary of StateThomas Jefferson’s formulation) “the only channel of communication between this country and foreign nations,” Congress can shape, andrestrict presidential shaping of, thepolicies communicated. For example,Prakashsays that in Macon’sBill No. 2(1810), “Congress authorized the president to impose an embargo for ﬁfteen days,but only when Congress was notinsession,” thereby proving that “neither the president nor Congress believed that the president enjoyed anyconstitutional power to lay an embargo.” Because the president is (in Prakash’swords) “the only constitutional ofﬁcerondutytwenty-four

Those Republicans are: Indiana’s Jim Banks, Tennessee’sMarsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty,Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson, Missouri’sJosh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, Utah’s Mike Lee, Kansas’sRoger Marshall, Florida’s Ashley Moody,Ohio’sBernie Moreno, Kentucky’sRand Paul, and South Carolina’sTim Scott. The Democrats are: Nevada’sCatherine Cortez Masto, Illinois’ Tammy Duckworth,Connecticut’s Chris Murphy,Georgia’sJon Ossoff and Oregon’sRon Wyden, along with Vermont independent Bernie Sanders. For these18, two questions. What are you thinking? Andwhy do you want to be senators? If enacted, Graham’slegislation would notify Vladimir Putin that there can be steep costs to continuing the war.Congress’satrophied policymaking muscles, and diminished institutional pride, would be strengthened. Graham has unfurled thebanner of his boon companion John McCain, a steady advocateofU.S. —and Republican —internationalism.Hewas his party’spresidential nominee 17 years ago. Support for Graham’slegislation, especially from recently inert Senate Republicans, gives fresh reason to hope that William Faulkner was right: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com.

Pennsylvania has sued the Department of Agriculture for breach of contract. The state claimsthat the agency has illegally terminated funding for two critical programs providing more than $1 billion annually to nonprofitservices aimed at combating hunger “I don’tget what the hell their priorities are if not feeding people and taking care of our farmers,” the state’sgovernor,Josh Shapiro, told anews conference. That’savery good question, and the answer is clear: In Donald Trump’sworld, “feeding people” is avery low priority.More Americans are already going hungry sincehetook office, and if the massive tax and spending bill he favors passes Congress in its current form, the problem will get muchdeeper That bill contains severe new work requirements for recipients of the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program. Federal help to states would also be slashed. The likely result, calculates the Congressional Budget Office, is that 3 millionAmericans would lose their benefits. The CBO’s findings, reports The NewYork Times, “underscore the significant trade-offs in the party’ssignature legislative package, which seeks to save money by cutting federal anti-poverty programs in amove that mayleavesome of the poorest Americans in worse financial shape.” Trump wonlast fall in part because the cost of groceries wasdecimating family budgets, and that crunch continues. In 2023, 18 millionAmerican households, containing 47 millionpeople, suffered from food insecurity.That’sanincrease of 1million households from the previous year,and for households with children, almost1 in 5faced hunger issues.

As Feeding America, the nation’slargest hunger relief organization, put it: “Hungercan affect people from all walks of life. Millions of people in America are just one job loss, missed paycheck or medical emergency awayfrom hunger.” And that includes alot of folks who voted for Trump.

“We’ve never before faced asituationlike we are in now,where need is well beyond any disaster or ﬁnancial crisis that we’ve seen,and the government’sresponse is to take food away,” Michael McKee, CEO of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, told The Washington Post. “This isn’t about ideology.It’sabout math.”

Cancellation of the feeding programs Pennsylvania is suing to reverse is already having a major impact around the country

“The reality is that the food banking system is stressed to the breaking point right nowbecause we’re seeing record-high demand and diminished resources,” Vince Hall, spokesman for Feeding America, told USA Today. “Folks who cametousduring the pandemic have found it impossible to ease out of dependencyonfood banks because inﬂation has made so many of their monthly budget essentials more expensive than ever.”

For example, the Post reports that in Lynchburg, Virginia, the Park View Community Mission, anonproﬁtoffering aid to families facing economic strain, has “seen an explosion in demand.” The nonproﬁtserved an average of 316 families each month in 2024, but is now helping 349 families amonth.

“We’re all seeing that current prices aregoing up, but that’s[not just] food,” said R. Todd Blake, the organization’sexecutive director.“Housing costs have gone up, and the people we talk to are often making the call of paying rent or autility bill versus buying food.”

In Charleston, West Virginia, reports Reuters, “Sara Busse, volunteer coordinator for Trinity’s Table, afood aid group, stood in aparking lot and surveyed ameager delivery of USDA-supplied food: two boxes each of dried potato ﬂakes and shelf-stable milk and two cases of vegetarian baked beans.”

Before the Trump administration began, the deliveries ﬁlled an 18-wheeler.Now,the program mayneed to halt its meal service to senior groups altogether.“It’sdreary,it’svery frightening. We’re all losing sleep,” Busse said. This crisis would getfar more serious if Trump’s“big beautiful bill” containing SNAP reforms becomes law

“This plan walks away from the 50-year,bipartisan commitment to ensure thatlow-income children, adults and seniors get the help they need, regardless of where they live,” wrote the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, aprogressive think tank. “The consequences of ending SNAP would be severe. Hunger,including childhood hunger,would soar,despite the welldocumented detrimental impacts of even short periods of food insecurity on children’shealth and cognitive development.”

Trump’sMAGA movement likes to promote a new slogan —MAHA: Make America Healthy Again. But those initials now have anotherdarker meaning. The Trump Administrationnow embraces Make America Hungry Again.

Email Steven V. Roberts at stevecokie@gmail. com.

Quin Hillyer

Steve Roberts

George Will

PROVIDED PHOTO

U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’sdaughter Jacqueline, 4, gives athumbs at an election night party.

MardiGrasMikemakes hisstreetdebut

13.5-foottall fiberglass floaton itsway to Omaha to cheeronTigers

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

A13.5-foot-high, 31-foot-long

ﬁ

berglass Mike the Tiger ﬂoat is on its way to Omaha, Nebraska.

The Kern Studios float debuted Wednesday morning as more than 100 fans gathered at Alex Box Stadium to send the LSU baseball team on its way to Omaha for the College WorldSeries.

The ﬂoat will travel the 15 hours from Baton Rouge to Omaha on highways and interstates, along with the LSU baseball faithful who will have achance totailgate with Mardi Gras Mike at Charles Schwab Field. Throughout the CollegeWorldSeries, Mardi Gras Mike’stendersalsoplan for the giant tiger to show up around Omaha whereverLSU fans gather Imagined six months ago by Barry Kern, CEO and president of Kern Studios and MardiGras World, and his sons, the ﬂoat took three months to design andplan and three more months to build.

“This is really something cool that kind of integrates what we do from Mardi Gras with the spirit of LSU and LSU Tiger fans,” Kern

Rolfe McCollister,founder of Baton RougeBusiness Report,climbs atop agiant Mikethe TigerMardiGras-style float by KernStudios outsideofAlex Box Stadium during asend-off for the LSU baseballteam before they leave to the CollegeWorld Series in Omaha on Wednesday.The float will traveltoOmaha before LSU’sopening game on Saturday.

said. “Why don’twedosomething that will just bringall this together in one fell swoop? And that’s how we came up withMardi Gras Mike.”

Mardi Gras Mike meetsthe

LSU goes —big games,parades and other LSUevents.

Kern, thethird generation of Kern Studios, had the idea after attending the TigerWalkbefore the LSU vs. Ole Miss football game last year “There was something like

N.O. city leader accuses sheriffoflosingjailkeys

Councilpresident, Hutson spar in Instagrampost

BYJAMES FINN Staff writer

The president of the New Orleans CityCouncilaccused the sheriff thisweek of losing aset of keys to the city jail she oversees, escalating criticism of Sheriff Susan Hutsonafter 10 inmates escaped lastmonth from her beleaguered pretrial facility Council President JP Morrell leveled thoseaccusationsin an Instagram video, showing his 7,000 followersa setof keyshedescribed as “keys to the jail.” Morrell said the keys were submitted by an unidentified “whistleblower” who’d been fired from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. In an interview late Tuesday,hedeclined to provide additional details about the person’sidentity Hutson swiftly clapped back in the post’scomments, accusing Morrell of spreading “misinformation” and defending her leadership of the 600-deputy Sheriff’s Office in the wake of the escape. The keys Morrell described in the video “don’t open the jail or anycell,” Hutson said. Her office did not respond to detailed questions about the allegations. The fiery back-and-forth —one of relatively few public discussions Hutson has entertained regarding heroffice’shandlingofthe escape in its aftermath highlights the ongoing political fallout since the early morning hours of May16, when 10 men ripped atoilet from awall,scaled afence and ran free across Interstate 10. Tworemain on the lam. The breakout has spawned

weeks of furious questionsabout leadership of the troubled jail. The facilitywas built adecade ago in whatofficials promised would spell change to the old Orleans Parish Prison’s sordidhistory,but it has recently deteriorated amid stafﬁng woes and acrush of deferredmaintenance.

Days after theescape, Hutson paused her reelection campaign

Mounting criticism

Morrell, who has emerged since the escape as one of Hutson’smost vocal critics, described in his video how officials have interviewed several “whistleblowers” in thecourse of multiple investigations into the breakout.

One ofthem, Morrell said,produced the set of keys and said Hutson had failed to collect them when thepersonwas ﬁredbythe Sheriff’sOfﬁce. Morre ll a lso showed his audience aset of “calllogs”he said contained notes on when setsofjailkeys were “checked out.”

Asked to explain how he verified thekeys’ authenticity,Morrell declined to comment. He cited theongoinginvestigations into the escape.

Thecouncil member implied that the misstep, or others likeit, may have contributed to theease with which prisonerswereable to breakfree.But he didnot provide details to back up that claim.

“Maybe you don’tneed to have the ‘ShawshankRedemption’(style)digging of a hole to escape,” Morrell said in the Instagramvideo Referringtoajail employee whowas arresteddays afterthe breakout forallegedly helping theescapees, Morrell said: “Maybe he didn’t need to hire, or scare, amaintenance worker into doing it whenany employee could

walk out with the keys.”

Hutson responds Hutson’sstatement on Morrell’sInstagram post said thather ofﬁce is “in possession of allthe keys to the jail.”

“I would be careful about putting out misinformation to thepublic,” shesaid, “especially regarding public safetyand security.”

The statement defended Hutson’sleadership. “Has my office done everything perfectly?” she asked. “No, but let’sbeclear: My deputies work hard everysingle day andnight so Iwon’t let you make amockeryoftheir work.”

Morrell said the keys had beenturned over to Attorney General Liz Murrill’sofﬁce, which is investigating conditions and management at the jail.

Morrell said the person who handed themover explained which doors they unlocked, but thatverifying that information would fall nowtothe AttorneyGeneral’sOfﬁce.

Murrill declinedtorespond to alist of questions about the keys, but said herofﬁce will be “incorporating this very issue into our ongoing investigation” into the jailand how the inmates escaped.

Asked whythe “whistleblower”had been ﬁred from theSheriff’s Ofﬁce, Morrell declined to comment. But he argued that “if apersonhas been terminated for abad reason, you would especially want to retrieve the keys to the jail.”

Eight of the10jail escapees have been arrested.

On Wednesday, Derrick Groves,27, aconvicted murderer,and Antoine Massey, 32, remained on therun. Authorities on Monday arrested Darriana Burton, 28, on a felonycount of conspiracy to commitsimple escape, according to onlinecourt records. She was described by law enforcementasGroves’ girlfriend.

Email James Finn at jﬁnn@theadvocate.com

AIRPORT

Continuedfrom page 1B

Airport Authority would remain in place if the parish vote fails.

70,000 people there,”Kernsaid, “but we could even help it be more exciting. So my dream was that one day,Mardi Gras Mike would come downand go wherever LSU fans are.”

Mardi Gras Mike roars and plays the fight song with giant speakers, and in true Mardi Gras World fashion, lights up with LED lightsatnight.Peoplecan stand in the tiger and throw beads, so it is ready for future championship parades.

Patrick Kern, the fourth generationofKernStudiosand director of operations,saiditwas agreat feeling to see Mardi Gras Mike outside of the warehouse and ready to go to Omaha.

“Getting to see our work come to fruitionand bring joytoso many people is surreal,” Patrick Kern said.

The float will follow awhite truck with Mardi GrasMike signage that reads, “Geauxing Back to Omaha,” as well as Kern Studios andMardi Gras Worlddecals.

“(LSU)certainly will be theonly team in Omaha that has its own Mardi Gras ﬂoat and its ownMardi Gras Mike,” Barry Kern said. LSU’s ﬁrstgameatthe 2025 College World Serieswill be against No. 3Arkansas at 6p.m.onSaturday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.

Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

In itsoriginalform, thebill would haverequired board members to be appointed by the cities of New Iberia, Jeanerette andthe parish Butthe bill faced opposition from the Parish Council, which hadthe full appointing authority to the Iberia Parish Airport Authority

PROCESS

Continuedfrom page 1B

The inquiry intoBosco’s lack of alicense (the company has never held any kind of constructionlicense) led to the licensing board investigation. Bosco Oilﬁeld Services has since been charged for operating without alicense and faces a ﬁne of up to 10% of

CODOFIL

Continuedfrom page 1B

Lafayette Parish school system sincekindergarten, attendingMyrtle Place Elementary,Prairie Elementary,Paul Breaux Middle and Lafayette High.

She will study at Georgetown Universityinthe fall and plans to study internationaland cultural politics withaminor in French.

SCHEME

Continuedfrom page 1B

through cryptocurrency kiosks. Afake online investment portal displayed artiﬁcially inﬂated returns. Victims were encouraged to take out personalloansto increasetheir investments

The parish worked with sponsor,Rep. Gerald “Beau” Beaullieu, aRepublican from New Iberia, to amend

the value of the $124,000 in construction workatthe elementary school.

Superintendent Francis Touchet hassince toldThe Current that every project will be reviewedaspartof the system’s internal investigation. “We’re not only looking at one, we’re looking at all 500 of those different projects,” he says.

On May13, Gautreaux wrote to the state contractor licensing board that he

She also hopes to study abroad.

“Isabella is courageous, intelligent anddeeply committed to usingFrench in her life and future career,”

CODOFILExecutive Director Peggy Feehan said in astatement. “Weare incredibly proud of her.”

Anderson celebrated the achievement with her sister,who is enrolled in French immersion, and mother.Her mother said in astatement that it was a proud moment for the fam-

the bill to allow the Parish Council to appoint all seven members to the board. In its ﬁnalform, two members must be in New Iberia with at leastone member residing in Jeanerette. Members of the Iberia Parish Airport Authority will continue to serve out theirterms.

hadmet with hisdepartmentand “came up with a listofcorrective actions we are implementing along with some best practices we are now following …to preventany issues in procurement and awarding of projects moving forward.” “Thanks for your patience and assistance with us as we navigate and learn the proper processes,” Gautreauxtoldthe licensing board.

ily since her mother was a native Louisiana French and Creole speaker “Louisiana’sFrench immersion programsare an important way to continue building this heritage in ourstate forfuture generations,” Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser said in astatement. “It’sbecause of students like Isabella that our immersionprograms are seeing such great success in helping preserve this integral part of our state’s history and culture.”

Theywere then coerced into sending moremoney with thepromisethatinvestment profits would be released once theloans werepaidoff. There is apromise of couriers coming to the victims to help payoff theirdebts and deliver cash earnings. Policesay that neveroccurred Tian is being held at the IberiaParish Jail. Bailinformationwas unavailable. An investigation is ongoing. Fortips or informationrelated to this case, please contact theIberia Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce at (337) 369-3714. Email StephenMarcantel at stephen.marcantel@ theadvocate.com.

STAFFPHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Hutson Morrell

JUGGLING JAY

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Collegesports formally, ﬁnally crossed aRubicon just hours before LSUbaseball began its Baton Rouge super regional againstWestVirginia.

Afederal judge greenlit the House settlement Friday evening.Bylate Sunday night, the Tigers hadswept the Mountaineers, making Jay Johnson one of the coaches now in adelicate balancing act. He is in contention fora College WorldSeries titlewhile also recruiting transferswho can help the Tigers return to Omaha next season.Healsois untanglingthe uncertainties that linger past the settlement’sapproval andimplementation.

“I haven’treally thought aboutitaton,

ä See JOHNSON, page 3C

‘Relentless’ Oakmont awaits U.S. Open players

Star of this major is thegolfcourse

Cam Akers stood out from the rest of the New Orleans Saints running backs at Tuesday’smandatory minicamp. Unlike everybody else, Akers’ namewasn’ton theback of his jersey.All hisjersey had on the back was the No. 38. ButAkers doesn’tcare about that.

He’sjust glad for theopportunitytostandout withhis play and earn aspot on the team located less than three hours from his hometown of Clinton, Mississippi.

“I’mstill hungry and I’m young,” Akers said. “I’ve got a lot of tread on my tires, and I want to rewrite my story personally.”

Akers, who turns 26 in two weeks, is entering his sixth NFL season looking tomake what would be his fourthdifferent team. He was elated when he got thephone call last week from his agent saying theSaints wanted him to come to minicamp.

Skip Bertman’sLSU Tigers won the College World Series in 1996 and 1997, but the pain of having just seen his team eliminated from the 1998 CWS still was deep. After the mainnews conference, Bertman stopped to talk to a fewreporters before heading out to face autograph-seeking fans on the way to the team bus. He pressed a ﬁnger on each side of his mouth and forced himself to hoist his face into asmile as he headed out the door

There would be morefor Bertman to smile about two years later,when he led LSU to the ﬁfthofwhat is now seven national championships forwhat has becomethe gold standard of college baseball over that time. Since the Tigers wontheir ﬁrst College World Series back in 1991, only six other schools have wonmultiple titles, none morethan Oregon State with three. For all of LSU’s dominance in Omaha, there are somepainful near misses. Here are four years the Tigers fell just short of winning it all:

1987

One year after its ﬁrst CWS appearance, LSU fought its wayout of the NCAA South II regional at UNO

running backcoachJoel

minicamp practice at the Ochsner Sports

Tuesday.

“I’m blessed to be able tohave this opportunity,” Akers said. “I’ve been through alot in my career.Ican’tlet it affect these type of opportunities. So I’m coming out and having my head on right and attacking these opportunities.” Akers has seen the highs and lows on his football journey

class that included guys such as future pros Najee Harris and Chuba Hubbard. His stellar playing days at

Clinton High School had many people putting him in the conversation with Marcus Dupree, considered the greatest high school football player to ever come out of Mississippi. In Akers’ senior season when he lined up at quarterback, he rushed for2,105 yards (34 touchdowns) and threw for3,128 yards (31 touchdowns).

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU head coach JayJohnson pumps his fist as fans cheer before the game against Tennessee on April 26 atAlex Box Stadium.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU coach JayJohnson celebrateswithcenter

ADVOCATE STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

baseman Cole Freeman reacts to LSUcenter fielder Zach Watson flying out during Game 2ofthe CollegeWorld Series finalsbetween LSU and Florida on June 27, 2017, at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.Florida won6-1.

Scott Rabalais

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Saints

Thomas works with Cam Akers during

Performance Center on

Rod Walker

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SETH WENIG

Scottie Scheffler chips ontothe 13th green duringa practice round ahead of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country ClubonWednesday in Oakmont, Pa

ä See RABALAIS, page 3C

Notre Dame volleyball coach retires

young won 5 state titles in 26 years

BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer

For nearly three decades, Tara Young has roamed the sidelines for the Notre Dame volleyball program.

Not only has she been extremely successful but she also has enjoyed the journey every step of the way But all great things come to an end, and Young has decided to retire as the Pioneers head coach after 26 years at the helm.

“I really wasn’t looking to retire,” said Young, who will continue teaching at Notre Dame. “The kids at Notre Dame are great The girls are great. It was a big and difﬁcult decision.” Young admitted that not only have things been different for her since the death of her mother in 2022 but she is also becoming a new grandmother, making a return to the sidelines more difﬁcult.

“Ever since my mom passed away in 2022, the dynamic was different and it was a struggle to get back on track,” Young said.

“Then a grandbaby came along, and I just couldn’t see going fourand-a-half months without really seeing my grandbaby Ultimately, it came down to my grandbaby, and I just felt like I did not want to go so long without getting to spend much time with her.”

Emily Boggetto, who played college volleyball at Southeast Missouri State, has been named Young’s successor.

“They got a great young woman who played in college and has been coaching in the area for a little while,” Young said.

“I have the utmost conﬁdence in Emily taking over the program. The program is in great hands with her.”

Although she doesn’t foresee

herself returning to coaching varsity volleyball, Young does hope to share her knowledge with younger children at “the feederschool level.”

“I still have stuff to offer,” said Young, who will continue to coach with her club volleyball program

“The way I do things is different than a lot of people But I do

think I still have things to offer It’s not particularly popular my approach, in some things I do, which is ﬁne. But I believe I have a whole lot to offer.”

Young has a coaching record of 783-276 and led the Pios to 25 district championships and 26 consecutive playoff appearances. Under her guidance, the

Pios reached the state ﬁnals nine times winning ﬁve state championships — and advanced to the semifinals on eight other occasions.

“It has been a great run,” Young said.

Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.

Chicago Sky struggling in Reese’s 2nd year

BY ANDREW SELIGMAN

AP sportswriter

CHICAGO Angel Reese cap-

tured a national championship and never lost more than two games in a row during a fouryear college career She and Caitlin Clark helped lead women’s basketball to new heights with a rivalry that gripped the nation.

After all that winning, first at Maryland and then LSU, her rookie season with the Chicago Sky was an eye-opener Year 2 is off to a bumpy start, too

“I’m not really a patient person,” Reese said. “I like to perfect things right away That’s why I’m so hard on myself. We have great coaches, we have great players.” For now, they have room to improve. The Sky is struggling with a new coach and revamped roster with a 2-6 record after a lopsided road loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday A season-ending knee injury to franchise career assist leader Courtney Vandersloot last weekend only added to their difﬁculties. The slow start comes on the heels of a 13-27 season and 10thplace ﬁnish in the WNBA. The Sky dropped 12 of its final 14 games last year, then got busy reshaping the roster Chicago fired coach Teresa Weatherspoon after one season and hired Las Vegas Aces assistant Tyler Marsh to take over for the Hall of Famer

The Sky brought in veteran leadership to help Reese and Kamilla Cardoso take their games to a different level, reuniting with Vandersloot and acquiring two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins from Washington. But in the early going, the team is having a rough time. Chicago ranks among the worst in the WNBA on offense and defense and leads the league in turnovers. The Sky has been blown out

twice by Indiana, starting with a heated season opener on the road. Clark had a triple-double and sent tempers flaring by knocking Reese to the ﬂoor with a hard foul. Chicago dropped its ﬁrst four games before back-toback wins over struggling Dallas, with No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers missing the second meeting while in the concussion protocol.

Just when the Sky seemed to be pointing itself in the right direction, things took another painful turn on Saturday night.

They got wiped out again by Indiana in the ﬁrst WNBA game at the United Center, with a national, prime-time audience watching and Clark sidelined with a quad injury

Worse, Vandersloot tore the ACL in her right knee during the ﬁrst quarter

The ﬁve-time All-Star known as “The General” returned to

Chicago after two years in New York, where she helped the Liberty capture the championship last season and earned her second ring to go with the one she got with the Sky in 2021. A little more than a week before the injury Vandersloot broke wife Allie Quigley’s franchise career records for scoring and ﬁeld goals made.

“She’s our engine,” Marsh said. “She’s our captain, she’s our leader out there Obviously, it’s a huge blow.”

One of the best distributors the WNBA has seen, Vandersloot is second to Hall of Famer Sue Bird in total assists and holds the highest season and career averages in league history The Sky figures to lean more on rookie Hailey Van Lith, the No. 11 overall pick in the draft.

“She’s done as good a job as she can in terms of handling pressure,” Marsh said. “I think she’ll

LSU men’s hoops opens Nov. tourney vs. Drake

The LSU men’s basketball team will face Drake in the ﬁrst round of the 2025 Emerald Coast Classic basketball tournament in Niceville, Florida, on Nov 28, LSU announced Wednesday

The Thanksgiving weekend tournament will run from Nov 2829 at Raider Arena at Northwest Florida State College. Last season, Drake compiled a school-record 31 wins and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The program’s coach, Ben McCollum, and top player Bennett Stirtz, have both moved on to Iowa since. The team is now under the tutelage of Eric Henderson. The other participating teams are Georgia Tech and DePaul, who went 17-17 and 14-20, respectively They also will face each other Nov 28.

Jaguars WR Thomas leaves practice injured Jacksonville Jaguars Pro Bowl receiver Brian Thomas bruised his right shoulder during mandatory minicamp Wednesday, but coach Liam Coen said he could have returned to practice.

The former LSU player landed hard on his shoulder while trying to catch a pass from Trevor Lawrence in 11-on-11 drills. The second-year pro walked off the ﬁeld without assistance while holding his shoulder Team trainers evaluated him in the indoor practice facility, and he later rejoined teammates on the sideline. Thomas caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns as a rookie last season. He’s expected to be the focal point of Coen’s offense, especially after the Jaguars traded Christian Kirk and released Gabe Davis.

“I’m not really a patient person. I like to perfect things right away. That’s why I’m so hard on myself. We have great coaches, we have great players.”

ANGEL REESE, Chicago Sky forward

continue to see that. But just understanding how to command a team, how to run a team — I think she’s kind of now on a fast track to that.”

Van Lith said watching Vandersloot go down was “heartbreaking” and added: “Whatever is in store in the future for this team, I trust that we will ﬁnd a way to make this moment mean something.”

Reese and Cardoso hold the keys.

Though Reese leads the league in rebounding at 12.1 per game, she’s shooting just 35.8% while averaging 10.1 points. Last year, she set a WNBA record with double-doubles in 15 straight games and ﬁnished with 26 on the season — the most ever by a rookie.

She has four this year, giving her 30 in 42 games — the fewest needed to reach the mark in league history

Cardoso, the third overall pick last year, continues to show promise, including a careerhigh 23-point game in the ﬁrst win over Dallas But the former South Carolina star hasn’t become a consistent dominant force inside.

“I think it’s just continuing to instill the trust level that we have in her,” Marsh said.

“Her teammates look for her inside. They know what a force she can be down low, and our staff certainly is aware of who she can be down there as well. We want to give her looks and opportunities.”

Brown carted off field at Commanders minicamp Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown was carted off the ﬁeld after getting injured during minicamp in Ashburn, Virginia, on Wednesday It was not immediately clear what happened to cause the injury or its extent. Reporters said Brown walked off slowly after making a catch, threw his helmet in frustration when he was carted up the hill to the practice facility Brown, who caught Jayden Daniels’ desperation pass against Chicago for one of the Commanders’ signature moments last season, missed the ﬁnal four games of last season and their playoff run to the NFC championship game with a kidney injury He re-signed on a one-year deal worth up to $4.5 million.

Knicks denied an interview with 3 current NBA coaches

The New York Knicks were denied permission to speak with coaches Jason Kidd of Dallas, Ime Udoka of Houston and Chris Finch of Minnesota in a slow start to find Tom Thibodeau’s replacement. All three coaches are under contract and their organizations declined to make them available for interviews with the Knicks, two people with knowledge of the details said Wednesday The Knicks fired Thibodeau on June 3, despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. They reached the playoffs four times in Thibodeau’s five seasons and had won at least 50 games in each of the final two. They appear to be trying to find coaches they like be added to their list along with those currently available.

Royals place All-Star pitcher Ragans back on IL

The Royals put left-hander Cole Ragans back on the injured list after one dismal start against the Cardinals, this time with a left rotator cuff strain, and activated reliever Lucas Erceg from the IL before Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees.

Right-hander Jonathan Bowlan also was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to provide some extended depth in the bullpen, and right-hander Trevor Richards was designated for assignment. The 27-year-old Ragans,

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By AJ MAST

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese shoots during a game against the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis on May 17

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP

Notre Dame coach Tara young celebrates the Pioneers’ state championship in 2021 in the Cajundome.

Cajuns pick up two baseball players from portal

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The other side of the musical chairs for the UL baseball program is beginning to play out

Since the Ragin’ Cajuns were eliminated from the Sun Belt Tournament, the UL roster has lost 14 players.

The process to replenish the roster is underway as well. One familiar face and one stranger to the South Louisiana baseball scene plan to make Russo Park their homes next season.

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

despite LSU suspending right fielder Joey Belle (.349, 21 home runs, 66 RBIs in 57 games) before the regional began. Once in Omaha, LSU still made a run at the title without its star slugger. After opening with a 6-2, 10-inning victory over Florida State, the Tigers fell into the loser’s bracket with an 8-7 loss to Oklahoma State, then eliminated Arkansas 5-2 to set up another elimination game against Stanford. LSU looked on its way to a showdown with Texas for the right to play Oklahoma State in the final, breaking out of a 2-2 tie with three runs in the top of the ninth inning for a 5-2 lead. But Stanford’s Paul Carey blasted a grand slam off LSU freshman Ben McDonald for a 6-5 victory. Stanford went on to beat Texas and Oklahoma State for its first CWS title.

1989

LSU was back in Omaha two years later, fresh off of winning an epic NCAA Central regional at No. 1 Texas A&M thanks to an immortal 11th-inning double by light-hitting Pat Garrity in the 5-4 ﬁnal. The Tigers fell into the loser’s bracket with an opening

GOLF

Continued from page 1C

his brawn can handle this rough, there has been one name — Oakmont — that rises above all others going into the 125th U.S. Open

“Oakmont is relentless,” said John Bodenhamer, the chief championships officer at the USGA who sets up the course for the toughest test in golf. “There’s no letup It’s a grind. That’s the U.S. Open ” It gets started Thursday with Matt Vogt, the former Oakmont caddie and now an Indiana dentist, selected to hit the opening tee shot. Jon Rahm, who won his U.S Open four years ago at Torrey Pines, made his debut at Oakmont in 2016 when he was fresh out of Arizona State. He shot 76 on the first day, went 1-over par the rest of the way and finished as the low amateur Even with changes to the course from a restoration project, the Spanish star has a better idea of what to expect.

“You’re aware of what a golf tournament here is going to be like It’s going to be a challenge,” Rahm said. “A lot of unfortunate things are going to happen. It’s hard fairways to hit, bad lies, difficult bunkers, difficult greens. It’s going to be a nice test, a difficult test, and I think one of the truest representations of what a U.S. Open is all about.” Dustin Johnson set the Oakmont scoring record for a U.S Open at 276 when he won in 2016.

The USGA mentioned a few other numbers that also describe Oakmont, mainly the 5-inch rough so dense at the bottom there are no guarantees a golf ball will be found.

Another number had historical context — only 27 of the 1,385 play-

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

After three seasons at Florida State, he was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Rams. His rookie season included an NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor and a trip to the playoffs.

Those were the highs.

Then came his ﬁrst low.

He tore his Achilles tendon right before training camp of his second season in 2021. Akers returned to action in ﬁve months and made it back in time to play in the Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Two seasons later he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings.

He tore his other Achilles in Week 9 of the 2023 season. He signed with the Houston Texans last summer but was traded back to the Vikings in October

Former Barbe High standout Donovan LaSalle is transferring from Oklahoma State, and NAIA left-handed pitcher Tyler Papenbrock also is transferring to UL. LaSalle was the Most Valuable Player in Louisiana during his senior season with the Buccaneers after batting .510 with 10 homers, 43 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. His two seasons at Oklahoma State didn’t go as planned. The outﬁelder hit .194 in 50 plate appearances and 17 games as a true freshman with two doubles, one homer and three RBIs This past season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound

LaSalle batted .138 with a double, two homers and ﬁve RBIs in 26 games.

LaSalle will join former Barbe teammates Kasen Bellard and Owen Galt on the Cajuns. Papenbrock stands 6-3 and weights 200 pounds. He was 3-6 with a 5.23 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 78 strikeouts in 74 innings last season in Indiana.

5-2 loss to Miami, but rebounded back into contention by eliminating Long Beach State 8-5 and Miami 6-3 to set up a showdown with Texas for the right to face Wichita State in the ﬁnal. LSU pitched McDonald, the national player of the year against the Longhorns. But when blisters on his pitching hand tore opened in the ﬁrst inning, that tore a hole in the Tigers’ hopes. The Longhorns eliminated LSU 12-7.

Rory McIlroy,

Ireland,

on the seventh hole during a practice round ahead of the U.S

at Oakmont

Wednesday in Oakmont, Pa

ers who have competed in a major championship at Oakmont have ﬁnished under par That includes when Oakmont, now a par 70, was played as a par 71 or par 72.

“Our mantra is tough but fair,”

Bodenhamer said. “And what does that mean? It’s pretty simple. It’s not about the score. It’s about getting every club in a player’s bag dirty, all 15 of them — the 14 in their bag and the one between the ears. And we work hard on that.

“And that’s how we’ve gone about our business here at Oakmont.”

The other number that stands out is 10 — the number of times the USGA has brought its marquee championship to the course built to be tough in 1903. No other course has held the U.S. Open more often.

The USGA has been accused over

Now he’s looking to land yet another home, not too far from where he was born and raised.

“My family is right down the road, good food, Southern hospitality,” Akers said. “So it’s a home away from home.” Akers counted on three things through the tough times.

“Family, prayer and work,” he said. “You’re going to have ups and downs, good days and bad days. But that’s a part of it. I have a strong support system. I believe in God. I pray, and I have people praying for me.”

Getting the phone call from the Saints felt like an answered prayer

“Cam is an experienced player,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said.

“He’s done a lot throughout this league. As you go through this, you’re always trying to evaluate as many players as you possibly can. So we felt like it was a great opportunity and we are ﬁred up that he was wanting to come out

1998

Coming off an NCAA-record 188 home runs in 1997, the Tigers were bash brothers again in the ﬁrst two games of the 1998 CWS. LSU belted eight home runs in an opening 12-10 win over USC, including two from Brad Cresse, and six more in a 10-8 victory over Mississippi State. Then the weather turned cold, the wind started blowing

the years of trying to protect par, which it long has denied.

Johnny Miller remains the only player to win the U.S. Open with a 63 in the ﬁnal round, in 1973 at Oakmont. The next year, Hale Irwin won at 7-over par in what became known as the “Massacre at Winged Foot.” It also fed into the belief that par matters. In some respects, it does. Bodenhamer was asked what score would indicate the USGA didn’t get it right.

“Interesting question,” he said. Off the top of my head, something in double digits. I’ve said this before, we don’t want 20 over to win, and we don’t want 20 under to win. It might be tough. It might not be tough enough. There’s a number in there somewhere.”

If there is a common trait among U.S. Open champions at Oakmont, strength would be on the list Johnson won in 2016, Angel Cabrera in 2007, big Ernie Els in 1994. The ﬁrst of 18 professional majors by Jack Nicklaus and those powerful legs came at Oakmont in 1962.

Scheffler’s strength, much like Tiger Woods, is knowing where to miss and playing the angles. That works almost anywhere. Almost

“There’s not really many areas where you step on the tee box and you’re like, ‘Hey, I can miss it right here; hey, I can shade towards the left side of the fairway because right is really bad,’ ” he said. “Actually if you hit it in the right rough, you’re probably not going to get it to the green. If you hit it in the left rough, you’re probably not going to get it to the green. So might as well try and split the difference there and hit it in the middle.”

Sounds simple enough It rarely is at Oakmont. And that’s just the way the USGA likes it

here.”

Akers has rushed for 2,025 yards in 53 career games, but he said he’s not limited to just running the ball.

“Special teams, whatever they want me to do,” Akers said. “Even defense, if I have to.” Heck, he even would be willing to throw a pass or two like he did in high school if it helps him squeeze into a crowded running back room. The Saints currently have six other running backs on the roster (Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Velus Jones, Xazavian Valladay and Marcus Yarns).

“I like the atmosphere here,” Akers said. “The players and I can come in and compete. I can learn from AK. Everything is on me. The opportunity is there, but it’s on me to come in and attack.

“That’s pretty much all I can do. So that’s what I’m doing and hopefully we can get something rolling.”

The list of players leaving UL in the portal includes Carson Hepworth, Blaine Lucas, Matthew Holzhammer, Caleb Stelly, Luke Yuhasz, Brooks Wright, Casey Artigues, Riley Marcotte, Sam Ardoin, Parker Dillhoff, Connor Cuff, Clayton Pourciau and James Trimble. Additionally, pitcher Blake McGehee decided to retire from baseball.

It’s easy to imagine LSU swatting a ﬁstful of home runs and winning the ﬁnal as well. One good day of weather in those two losses to USC may have made the difference.

2017

into Rosenblatt Stadium instead of out, and the Tigers went into the deep freeze. The Trojans battled back from that opening loss to LSU to eliminate the Tigers 5-4 and 7-3, with LSU getting only one home run in the ﬁnal game from Jeff Leaumont. Compounding the Tigers’ pain, the weather warmed up and the wind blew out again for the ﬁnal, with USC beating Arizona State by the football score of 21-14.

JOHNSON

Continued from page 1C

to be perfectly honest with you,” Johnson said Tuesday The landmark agreement — a deal made to settle three federal antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and the four power conferences — allows schools to share up to $20.5 million of revenue with athletes

It sets aside billions in back damages for former players who couldn’t profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL). It also creates a new agency designed to enforce athlete compensation rules and ushers in new scholarship measures.

Baseball programs won’t be served a particularly large slice of the revenue-sharing pie. Most athletic departments, including LSU, are planning to use the way the settlement calls for the NCAA to distribute the back payments as a guide for divvying up the revenue among their programs. Football will receive 75%; men’s basketball will get 15%; women’s basketball will have 5%; and the rest of the sports, including baseball, will share the remaining 5%.

The new scholarship rules directly will affect baseball programs. Before, the NCAA limited the number of scholarships that programs could award. Now it’s capping roster spots, a stipulation that will allow teams to give scholarships to as many, or as few, athletes as they wish.

“In the immediate, yes, I think there’s way less margin for error with mistakes,” Johnson said. “Your staff’s ability to evaluate really becomes more critical, and I’ve always felt this way anyways, like, when you show up at a program, you ﬁnd out how good a coach you are. The longer you’re there, you ﬁnd out what kind of recruiter you are.

“Now this is kind of a unique dynamic to it because I really still don’t have a full answer on scholarship rules.”

Under the old rules, coaches could distribute 11.7 scholarships throughout their team Now coaches can give a full scholarship to each of the maximum 34 players on a roster Athletic director Scott Woodward said in an April interview that LSU will increase the number of scholarships it offers in baseball, but he didn’t specify how many it will add.

There’s also the question of how many players can be grandfathered into their roster spots. Before she approved the settlement, California judge Claudia Wilken required each side of

LSU thrashed its way through the regional and super regional rounds with a combined 5-0 record, then fought back from a 13-1 loss to No. 1 Oregon State in the Tigers’ second game in Omaha by twice beating a Beavers team that came into the CWS with just ﬁve losses total. Staff ace Alex Lange and Zack Hess dealt Oregon State a 3-1, two-hit defeat, then Caleb Gilbert turned in a brilliant starting performance in a 6-1 win that put LSU in the championship series against Florida. In a way, though, LSU lost this CWS before it was even played. The Tigers were without standout freshman pitcher Eric Walker, who suffered a ligament tear in his pitching elbow near the end of the season that would require Tommy John surgery Walker’s injury left LSU a quality starter short, as the Tigers lost 4-3 and 6-1 in the championship series. Had LSU been able to get to a Game 3 against the Gators, it likely would have pitched Lange again and won the series, but it was not to be.

the settlement to modify the roster-limit provision so athletes wouldn’t lose their spots while teams work to meet the new limits.

“There’s still some questions that haven’t really been answered,” Johnson said, “so we’re thinking about it, but I haven’t gone like, ‘OK, I’m changing what I’m doing tomorrow recruiting because of that.’ ”

The answers affect how many transfers Johnson can sign this summer

The portal opened June 2, the day LSU clinched its NCAA regional title with a 10-6 win over Little Rock. Johnson and his staff already have landed commitments from two transfers, but because they’re now competing in the CWS, they have less time to recruit portal entrants than some of their peers. The timeline, based on the academic calendar, puts the more successful teams at a disadvantage

In 2023, Johnson said, while LSU was playing in the championship series, one of its portal targets visited another program. He wound up committing to that team and canceled his scheduled visit with the Tigers.

“That’s how it goes,” Johnson said. “I think since I’ve been here, there’s been a direct correlation (of) if you’re not playing, you have a little bit of an advantage. We’re just going to stay on top of it.”

LSU already picked up commitments from a pair of transfer inﬁelders who can hit for power: Kansas State’s Seth Dardar and High Point’s Brayden Simpson. Both are rising seniors. Dardar is a Mandeville native who hit a home run this season against the Tigers. Simpson is a career .626 slugger with 37 homers.

Johnson said Tuesday that other recruits visited LSU during the super regionals The two wins and the Alex Box Stadium environment, he said, made favorable impressions on the players, who didn’t see as much of Johnson as they would have under normal circumstances. That’s because the LSU coach has quite a lot to juggle. He will for however long LSU gets to stay in Omaha.

“I would have been more present with them nonstop on their visit,” Johnson said, “if we weren’t trying to go to Omaha. But if you’re not trying to go to Omaha, like, what are we doing this for anyways?”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

FILE PHOTO By MARK SALTZ

The dejected Tigers look on in the ﬁnal inning of a game against USC at the 1998 College World Series in Omaha, Neb

AP PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL

of Northern

watches his shot

Open

Country Club on

THE VARSITY ZONE

Teurlings pitcher Vincent named 4A All-State MVP

BY JERIT ROSER

Written for the LSWA

A pair of junior aces who led their teams to Division II select state championships headline the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 4A all-state baseball and softball teams.

Vandebilt Catholic’s Lauren Baudoin and Teurlings Catholic’s Evan Vincent drew top honors in their respective sports.

Baudoin earned an all-state softball selection for the third straight year after helping lead her Terriers to their third straight title game and second straight championship.

The Nicholls State commitment posted a 24-1 record with a 1.10 ERA and 226 strikeouts in the circle, while also batting .380 with three home runs and 29 RBIs.

Vincent’s pitching was similarly critical in his Rebels’ run to their second straight baseball title.

The hometown Ragin’ Cajuns commitment finished his junior season with a 10-0 record, 1.26 ERA and one save. He struck out 86 batters in 61 innings and batted .270 with four doubles, two triples and 23 RBIs.

Rounding out the Class 4A superlatives, North DeSoto swept the Coach of the Year awards — just as its programs swept the Division II nonselect championships.

On the softball side, Tim Whitman led his team through a pair of opening-weekend losses to a 32-3 overall mark and back to their title-winning form of 2021, 2022 and 2023 with some critical coaching moves along the way including a

record and 1.26 ERA for the state champion Rebels.

game-winning squeeze bunt in the bottom of the seventh in the championship game.

Bo Odom, in his final season at the helm, coached the Griffins to their first baseball championship

since 2012. North DeSoto racked up a 28-13 record and upset topseeded Brusly to complete its run and Odom’s 28-year career, as he announced his retirement days later

Iowa; Luke Delaﬁeld, North DeSoto; Noah Detillier, South Terrebonne; Blaze Duhon, North Vermilion; Reed Dupre, Iowa; Myles Futrell, Grant; Spencer Guilbeau, Vandebilt; Xan Harwell, Pearl River; Chip Joiner, West Feliciana; Braden Jones, North DeSoto; Patrick Kennedy Archbishop Hannan; Gabe Kugler, St. Charles; Hayden Lebleu, Iowa; Jack Ledet, South Lafourche; Thomas Mancuso, Morgan City; Cam Martin, West Ouachita; Landon Martin, Northwood; Kaden Miller, West Ouachita; Ryland Nation, Grant; Brayden Netterville, Kenner Discovery; Jacob Pierce, South Lafourche; Cole Pryor, Loyola; Jack Purser, Teurlings ; Ryan Reeves, Tioga; Dylan Robichaux, E.D. White ; Mason Rogillio, West Feliciana; Riley Rowell, St. Thomas More; Reese Sanzone, Lakeshore; Aubrey St Angelo, Brusly; Bryce Waguespack, St. Charles.

Champagne settling in as new Cecilia football coach

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Cody Champagne can ﬁnally exhale.

In April, Champagne was promoted from Cecilia offensive coordinator to head coach. He was also the softball coach as that season was in full swing. Champagne has since relinquished softball duties but will continue as offensive coordinator for the reigning Division II nonselect state champions.

“Man, it’s been a whirlwind,” he said. “From being named head coach to finishing with softball

and lining up a spring (football) game. It feels good to get back to normal.”

The Bulldogs ﬁnished the school year by scrimmaging Abbeville He said he liked what his team which graduated college signees Diesel Solari, Ellis Stewart and Brent Gordon, showed.

“It was a big win with ﬁnding a team to play and then having success in the scrimmage,” he said.

“Abbeville will be a lot better

They have some big kids.”

Champagne said the offense ran smoothly despite track and ﬁeld athletes such as running back Braylon Calais only participating

in a couple of days of practice.

“The kids were able to run the offense without fault and with a lot of new pieces,” he said. “We moved around at a fast pace and spread the ball around.”

Calais, a four-star national recruit and rising junior, ran for more than 1,000 yards last season.

He’s projected to play receiver in college and will take snaps this upcoming season at quarterback, along with Collin Dore, while moving around and getting as many touches as possible.

Receivers Jermaine Davis and Malik Joseph are players to watch.

Former Cecilia coach Dennis

Skains (now an assistant at East Ascension) was a defensive-oriented coach After his departure, Jason Faulk was promoted to defensive coordinator

“In the spring, we worked on a four-man front, which is something we haven’t used in the past,” Champagne said. “We have a lot coming back on defense. We forced a lot of turnovers in the scrimmage.”

The Bulldogs have been undersized in the trenches in recent years, a trend that will continue this season, said Champagne who emphasized the importance of summer workouts.

“Summer is where we build them,” he said. “Strength and conditioning has to be top-notch. It’s what we hang our hat on. The way we prepare is super-important.”

The Bulldogs participated in the LSU 7-on-7 tournament earlier this month, going 3-2 while showing “a lot of good and some bad,” Champagne said.

“We have a lot of players in new roles,” he said.

“They’re like me. They have to lead from the front now. I’m excited about the opportunity and humbled to be the head coach and get to walk in the same shoes as the Cecilia coaches who I idolize.”

7:02 a.m.-12:47 p.m.: Cam Davis, Australia; Davis Thompson, United States; Thomas Detry, Belgium.

7:13 a.m.-12:58 p.m.: Richard Bland, England; a-Trevor Gutschewski, United States; Lanto Grifﬁn, United States.

7:24 a.m.-1:09 p.m.: Edoardo Molinari, Italy; Sam Stevens, United States; Ryan Gerard, United States.

7:35 a.m.-1:20 p.m.: Thriston Lawrence South Africa; a-Noah Kent, United States; Thorbjorn Olesen, Denmark.

7:46 a.m.-1:31 p.m.: Jinichiro Kozuma, Japan; a-Cameron Tankersley, United States; Chase Johnson, United States.

7:57 a.m.-1:42 p.m.: Philip Barbaree Jr., United States; Riley Lewis, United States; Brady Calkins, United States. Thursday-Friday 10th hole-ﬁrst hole

5:45 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Zac Blair, United States; Scott Vincent, Zimbabwe; Alistair Docherty United States.

5:56 a.m.-11:41 a.m.: Jacques Kruyswijk, South Africa; Jordan Smith, England; Eric Cole, United States.

6:07 a.m.-11:52 a.m.: Tom Kim South Korea; J.J. Spaun, United States; Taylor Pendrith, Canada.

6:18 a.m.-12:03 p.m.: Ludvig Aberg, Sweden; Adam Scott, Australia; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan.

6:29 a.m.-12:14 p.m.: Ben Grifﬁn, United States; Andrew Novak, United States; Maverick McNealy, United States.

6:40 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Shane Lowry, Ireland; Justin Rose, England; Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland.

6:51 a.m.-12:36 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay, United States; Si Woo Kim, South Korea; Lucas Glover, United States.

7:02 a.m.-12:47 p.m.: Cameron Smith, Australia; Brian Harman, United States; Phil Mickelson, United States.

7:13 a.m.-12:58 p.m.: Niklas Norgaard, Denmark; Brian Campbell, United States; Justin Lower, United States.

7:24 a.m.-1:09 p.m.: Davis Riley, United States; a-Jackson Koivun, United States; Johnny Keefer, United States.

7:35 a.m.-1:20 p.m.: James Hahn, United States; Mark Hubbard, United States; aMichael La Sasso, United States.

7:46 a.m.-1:31 p.m.: Joakim Lagergren, Sweden; a-Mason Howell, United States; Chris Gotterup, United States.

United States. 6:29 a.m.-12:14 p.m.: Xander Schauffele, United States; Jose Luis Ballester, Spain; Bryson DeChambeau, United States. 6:40 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Matt Fitzpatrick, England; Wyndham Clark, United States; Gary Woodland, United States

6:51 a.m.-12:36 p.m.: Akshay Bhatia, United States; Matt McCarty, United States; Robert MacIntyre, Scotland.

7:57 a.m.-2:42 p.m.: Zach Bauchou, United States; Jackson Buchanan, United States; a-Lance Simpson, United States. Thursday-Friday First hole-10th hole 11:30 a.m.-5:45 a.m.: Frederic Lacroix, France; Emiliano Grillo, Argentina; Sam Bairstow, England. 11:41 a.m.-5:56 a.m.: Byeong Hun An, South Korea; Joe Highsmith, United States; Ryan Fox, New Zealand. 11:52 a.m.-6:07 a.m.: Victor Perez, France; Jacob Bridgeman, United States; Adam Schenk, United States. 12:03 p.m.-6:18 a.m.: Min Woo Lee, Australia; Justin Thomas, United States; Brooks Koepka, United States. 12:14 p.m.-6:29 a.m.: Sam Burns, United States.; Nico Echavarria, Colombia; Denny McCarthy, United States.

11:25 a.m.-5:40 a.m.: Viktor Hovland, Norway; Collin Morikawa, United States; Scottie Schefﬂer, United States. 12:36 p.m.-6:51 a.m.: Corey Conners, Canada; Jason Day, Australia; Patrick Reed, United States. 12:47 p.m.-7:02 a.m.: Joaquin Niemann, Chile; Bud Cauley, United States.; Daniel Berger, United States. 12:58 p.m.-7:13 a.m.: Mackenzie Hughes, Canada; Tony Finau, United States; Chris Kirk, United States. 1:09 p.m.-7:24 a.m.: a-Ben James, United States.; Rasmus Højgaard, Denmark; Stephan Jaeger, Germany. 1:20 p.m.-7:35 a.m.: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Denmark; a-Justin Hastings, Cayman Islands; Laurie Canter, England. 1:31 p.m.-7:46 a.m.: a-Frankie Harris, United States; Emilio Gonzalez, Mexico; Roberto Díaz, Mexico. 1:42 p.m.-7:57 a.m.: Grant Haefner, United States; Joey Herrera, United States; George Kneiser, United States. Thursday-Friday 10th hole-ﬁrst hole 11:30 a.m.-5:45 a.m.: Will Chandler, United States; Andrea Pavan, Italy; Takumi Kanaya, Japan. 11:41 a.m.-5:56 a.m.: a-Bryan Lee, United States; Guido Migliozzi, Italy; Preston Summerhays, United States. 11:52 a.m.-6:07 a.m.: Erik van Rooyen, South Africa; Max Greyserman, United States; Matt Wallace, England. 12:03 p.m.-6:18 a.m.: Russell Henley, United States; Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa; Nick Taylor, Canada. 12:14 p.m.-6:29 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, United States; Jon Rahm, Spain; Dustin Johnson, United States. 12:25 p.m.-6:40 a.m.: Tyrrell Hatton, England; Sungjae Im, South Korea; Sepp Straka, Austria. 12:36 p.m.-6:51 a.m.:

PHOTO By KIRK MECHE

Teurlings Catholic pitcher Evan Vincent, a UL commitment, had a 10-0

Mushrooms aworthy stand-in formeat

BY BETH DOOLEY

The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Spring is aseason of surprises. Suddenly the asparagus appear,next it’sdelicate peas, tender lettuces and ﬁstfuls of fresh herbs.

Week after week, the farmers markets offer increasing bounty to tempt and delight

I’ll bring these market staples home to round out ameal: farmstead beef, chicken,pork, lamb and an array of locally grown wildmushrooms —oyster,shiitake, maitake and my favorite, dark brown chestnut mushrooms, with tight, ﬁrm caps.

Mushrooms are one of the best plant proteins.With their rich, deep umami ﬂavor and dense texture, they make a wonderful alternative to meat Mushrooms grow miraculously in almost nothing —rotting logs, decaying leaves, sawdust Neither vegetable, fruit nor animal, they defy culinary categories, and are unappetizingly identiﬁed as “gilled fungi.”

Mushrooms contain about 2grams of protein per cup, with nine essentialaminoacids, making them a“complete protein.” They are packed with vitamins Dand B, as well as minerals. Low in calories and carbohydrates,wild mushrooms are now being cultivated and sold locally in our farmers markets, grocery stores and co-ops.

Amess of different mushrooms make adelicious larb, the dish of northernThailand (also sometimes spelled laab, laap, larp or lahb). It’straditionally made with minced or ground and cooked pork tossed in apunchy lime-soy vinaigrette. Here, avarietyof roasted local mushroomsreplace pork in avegan version of larb.

Roast Mushroom Larb

Serves4to6.Recipe is from Beth Dooley.This dish, ready in minutes, relies on thewild mushroom varieties you’ll ﬁnd in farmersmarkets, co-ops and grocery stores. If they’re packaged in plastic whenyou buy them, be sure to remove and transfer mushrooms to a paper bag, then store in the refrigerator for no more than afew days.Wrapthe larbin lettuce leaves and servewitha side of herbedrice.

2pounds mixed mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, maitake, chestnut, cremini, button), trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces

¼cup vegetable oil

Coarse salt

2to3tablespoons lime juice

1tablespoon honey

2tablespoons soysauce

1clove garlic, minced

Generous pinch red-pepper flakes, to taste

¼cup sliced scallions

¼cup sliced snap peas, plus more forgarnish

½cup coarsely chopped mint leaves

½cup coarsely chopped basil

¼cup finely chopped unsalted toasted peanuts

Lettuce leaves, for wrapping Steamed rice, optional for serving Chopped fresh parsley,for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Line abaking sheet with parchment paper

2. Spread the mushrooms out on the baking sheet. Drizzle themwith alittle of the oil and sprinkle lightly with salt; using your ﬁngers, toss to coat.Roast, turning the pan occasionally, until the mushrooms arebrown and crisp, about 25 minutes.

3. In amedium bowl, whisk together the remaining oil, lime juice,honey,soy sauce,garlic and red pepper ﬂakes.Transfer themushrooms to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Toss in the scallions, snap peas, mint, basil and peanuts.

4. Serve the larb in lettuce leaves and steamed rice, if using. Garnish the larb with sliced pea pods and sprinkle chopped parsley over all.

Simmering summer

June in New Orleans is not for the faint of heart —orappetite. The heat settles in early,asthick as awool blanket.But thepeople of this city don’tretreat from summer; they lean into it.

June is when the city slows its pace just enough tosavor what makes this time of year so special: long, golden evenings, neighborhood gatherings and abounty of summertime food that’sasbold and unforgettable as New Orleansitself.

The mornings begin with warm,moist air rising from theMississippi River and the scentofmagnolias riding on thebreeze. Streetcars clatter downoak-lined avenues and by midmorning, thesidewalks are shimmering with heat.

But just as the sun starts its slow descent, New Orleans comes alive withthe rituals of summer

Kevin Belton

June brings aharvest of fresh fruit and vegetables. Farmers marketsburst withCreole tomatoes,cucumbers, bell peppers, watermelon and peaches. These ingredients lend themselves to bright,simple meals —salads with fresh herbs, pickled vegetables or grilled produce drizzled with olive oil and sea salt. Tomato pies and fresh peach cobbler are just two of the treasures that deﬁne aNew Orleans summer table.

In New Orleans, June isn’t just amonth, it’sa mood.It’s

ä See GRANDMA, page 6C

Old-timey Tomato Pie Makes 6servings.

5Roma tomatoes, peeled and sliced 10 fresh basil leaves chopped ½cup green onion, chopped 19-inch pre-baked pie crust 1cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1cup shredded cheddar cheese

¾cup mayonnaise (or half mayo,half Greek yogurt)

2tablespoonsfreshly gratedParmesan cheese Seasalt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Place the tomatoes in acolander in the sink in asingle layer.Sprinkle with salt and allowthem to rest for 10 minutes.

3. Use apaper towel to pat-dry the tomatoes andmakesure most of theexcess juice is out. Wettomatoes will makeyour pie soggy

4. Layer the tomato slices, basil, and onioninprebakedpie shell. Season with salt and pepper

5. Combinethe grated cheeses and mayonnaise or Greek yogurt together

6. Spread mixtureontop of thetomatoes andsprinkle Parmesan cheeseon top.

7. Bake for30minutes or untillightly browned. Allow to rest foratleast 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

succulent,slow-roasted Italian roastpork sandwichtoppedwith sharp provolone anddrippy,garlicky braisedbroccolirabe(also known as rapini).It’sa decidedly messy nosh as theingredients can,and probably will,

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Minister must learntojuggleconversations

Dear Miss Manners: Iamaministry leader at my church and am wellknown within the congregation. After the churchservice, many people like to stay in the lobby for afew minutes to chat.

ﬁnd myself often in an embarrassing situation that Idon’tknow how to handle: Suppose I’ve been chatting with someone, let’scall them Person A, for just aminute. Then I feel someone, Person B, touch my shoulderorarm to get my attention. Iturn to see that it’sanother friendly person who wishes to chat. Now,mybody is stillfacing

Person A, with whom Iwish to continuetalking,but my head is turned to chat withPerson B, who hasinterrupted our conversation.

tention.Can you please advise me on how to handle this situation?

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

I ﬁnd this situation terribly awkwardand disrespectful to Person A. Sometimes, when I ﬁnally manage to end theinteraction with Person B, Person Ahas already left. Ifeel awfulwhen this happens, anditoccurs far too often.

Idon’t understand how Person Bcan feel it’sacceptable to interruptanongoing conversation,but at thesame time, Idon’t knowhow to ignoresomeone who is physically tryingtoget my at-

Gentlereader: Ah yes, theministry two-step.Listen raptly until Person Areaches the end of asentence. Say,“Excuse me just one second.” Turn to Person B. Say, “I was just talking to Person A, won’tyou join us?” Turn back to Person A, opening up thecircle to include Person B. Say (toPerson A), “You were saying …” And do this all so quickly that neither Person Anor PersonBhas achance to takeover.Fortunately, as aministry leader,you areused to commanding attention.

Dear Miss Manners: Iwas “the other one” in my relationship with the person Iloved. Even aside from

Grandma’sPeach Cobbler

Serves 6-8 regular people or 4Louisianans.(Isuggestmaking 2pans.)

5peaches, cored and sliced

¾cup granulated sugar

¼teaspoon seasalt

BATTER:

6tablespoons butter

1cup all-purpose flour

1cup granulated sugar

2teaspoons baking powder

¼teaspoons sea salt

¾cup milk

Ground cinnamon

NOTE: If using canned peaches, skip steps 1and 2and follow the directions starting at step 3

1. Add the sliced peaches,

GRANDMA

Continued from page5C

the feeling of cold sno-ball syrup on your ﬁngers,the sound of crabs crackin’ between friends, and the taste

sugar andsalt to asaucepan andstir to combine

2. Cook on mediumheat forjust afew minutes, until thesugar is dissolved and helpstobring out juices from the peaches. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Slice butter intopieces and addtoa9x13inch baking dish. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats, to allow the buttertomelt.Once melted, remove the pan from the oven.

of sun-ripened tomatoes on your tongue. It’s summer served with soul anditlingers longafter thelast bite.

Kevin Belton is resident chef of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisiana cooking for30

4. In alargebowl mix together the ﬂour,sugar,baking powder,and salt. Stir in the milk, just until combined. Pour the mixture into the pan, overthe melted butter and smooth it into an even layer

5. Spoon the peaches and juice (or canned peaches, if using) over the batter Sprinkle cinnamon generously over the top.

6. Bakeat350 Ffor about 38-40 minutes. Serve warm, with ascoop of ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

years. The most recent of his four cookbooks, “KevinBelton’sCookin’ Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishes of the Pelican State,” was published in 2021. EmailChef at chefkevinbelton@gmail. com.

Philly-style Sausageand Broccoli Rabe Subs

Serves 4. Recipe adapted from “Mostly Meatless” by America’s Test Kitchen. 4(8-inch) Italian sub

of rolls and removeall but ¼inchofinterior crumb; discard removed crumb or usetomake bread crumbs or croutons. Set aside while youprepare ﬁlling. 3. Heat 1tablespoonoil andsliced garlicin a12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until garlic is light goldenbrown, 3-5 minutes. 4. Add broccoli rabeand ¼ teaspoon saltand cook, stirringoccasionally, until tender, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cover to keep warm.

tilshimmering. Add mushroomsand remaining ½teaspoonsalt. Cover andcook stirring occasionally,until mushrooms have released their liquid, 3-5 minutes.

7. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally,until mushroomsare well browned, 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low

2tablespoons

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 450 F.

2. If needed, slice rolls to make them easier to open (without slicing all the way through). Use spoon or your fingers to scraped inside

Continued from page5C

sesame-seeded roll. Spicy Italian sausage stands in for the thinly sliced roasted pork that is athree-day process at DiNic’s. It also includes savory,tender slices of portobello mushrooms cookedwith fennel, fresh rosemary and atouch of soy sauce. Shredded provolone goes right into the pan with the meat and veggies for amelty,

5. Heat 1teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into smallpieces with wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about5minutes.Transfer to abowl.

6. Add 1tablespoon oilto fat left in skilletand heat over medium-highheat un-

we’re-all-friends finish. Like DiNic’s, this recipe spotlights broccoli rabe. It’s acruciferous green that lookslike leafy broccoli, but as amember of the Brassicaceae family,isactually more closely related to the turnip. Its flavor is more bitter than broccoli, and the greens can also be fibrous, but the two veggies are interchangeable in this recipe.Iused long, tender stalks of Broccolini instead of broccoli rabe, which Icouldn’t find in my local grocery store. Don’tskimp on the pickled

8. Clear center of skillet andadd remaining 2teaspoonsoil, fennel seedsand rosemary.Stir in soy sauce and cooked sausage, then stir in cheeseuntil melted. Remove fromheat andcover to keep warm.

9. Arrange reserved rolls on baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted,about 3 minutes.

10. Divide mushroom and broccoli rabe mixture evenly amongrolls. Topwith cherry peppers, if using, and serve.

red cherry hot peppers as a final flourish. They’re only mildly spicy,and you can’t beat thatextra kick of flavor Iused 6-inch sausage rolls instead of 8-inch sub rolls, so Ihad enough filling for five sandwiches. Be sure to toastthe bread until it’s quitebrown and crispy,otherwise the filling could turn thesandwich into a(still delicious) soggy mess. Wrapped in aluminum foil and reheated in a350 F oven for afew minutes, any leftovers make agreat lunch the next day

themarital inﬁdelity,the relationship wouldhave been considered scandalousbymylover’sfamily because Iamthe wrong race, gender,social class, age, whatever (pick one). My loved one died, leaving me grieving in isolation. Iposted condolences, attended the funeral quietly and sometimes visit the grave alone. Ineed to do so as part of the grieving process; Iam near recovery now,and distancing myselffrom the death. Even so, the relatives have begun making pointed inquiries about me. Ihave ignored the questions so far,primarily because doing otherwise would be abetrayal of my loved one’swishes and repu-

tation. My obvious sin aside, am I now doing the proper thing?

Gentle reader: That will depend on your guess as to the motivation behind the inquiries, as well as how muchtime has passed. Miss Manners would only expect you to welcome overtures from wellmeaning family members for whomany thoughts of scandal or sin were buriedwith the deceased.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, June 12, the 163rd day of 2025. There are 202 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On June 12, 2016, agunman opened ﬁre at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, leaving 49 people dead and 53 wounded in what was then the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history; the gunman, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to theIslamic Stategroup during athree-hour standoff before being killed in a shootout withpolice.

Also on this date:

In 1939, theBaseball Hall of Fame was dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.

In 1942, Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl living in Amsterdam, received adiary for her 13th birthday,less than amonth before she and her family went into hiding from the Nazis.

In 1963, civil rights leader Medgar Evers, 37, was shot and killed outside his homeinJackson, Mississippi. (In 1994, Byron De La Beckwith was convicted of murdering Evers and

sentenced to lifeinprison, where he died in 2001.)

In 1964, eight South African anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, were sentenced to life in prison forcommitting acts of sabotage against South Africa’sapartheid government.

In 1967, the U.S. SupremeCourt, in Loving v. Virginia, unanimously struck downstate laws prohibiting interracial marriages, ruling that such lawsviolated the Fourteenth Amendment.

In 1978, David Berkowitz wassentenced to 25 years to lifeinprison foreach of the six “Son of Sam” killings committed in New York City over the previous two years.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan, during avisit to the divided German city of Berlin, exhorted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear downthis wall.”

In 1991, Russians went to the polls fortheir ﬁrstever presidential election, which resulted in victory forBoris Yeltsin.

In 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were killed outside

Simpson’sLos Angeles home. (O.J. Simpson, Nicole BrownSimpson’s ex-husband, waslater acquitted of the killings in acriminal trial but was eventually held liable in a civil action.)

Today’sbirthdays:

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Put everything in its place, and you will alleviate stress caused by clutter. Arrange to host ayard sale andsellwhatyou no longer need. Investmore time in improving your lifestyle.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Question everything and everyone beforeyou make an agreement, volunteerorsign up for something.Updatingyourlookwillboost your confidence.

LEO(July 23-Aug. 22) Choose stability.Put morethought and planning into how you want to proceed or what you want to do next. Don't let anger lead to premature acts thatcreate chaos and uncertainty.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Channel your energy into something that motivates you. Onceyou feel confident about your accomplishments,don'thesitatetosocialize, network andpresent your work. Mix business with pleasure.

LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take amoment to consider what's important to youand refusetoletemotionsinterferewithyour plans. Consider partnerships and your expectations before you agree to make alifestyle change.

scORPIO(Oct. 24-nov. 22) Youcandrumup interest if youpresent your ideas.Attend workshops, conferences, networking events and industry schmoozefests to captivate your audience. Don't be shy; if youtrust your ability,sowill others.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take the unknown out of the equation withdirect communication. Go straighttothe source, find out the expectationsothers

have and work to smooth out any rough edges before you proceed.

cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Letyour emotions and heartlead theway.Concentrateonwhatmakes you happy and who you enjoy spending time with. Home improvements, lifestyle changes and updating your appearance will be uplifting.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Gatheryour thoughts before makinga change. Plans are essential if you want to avoid costly mistakes. Look at your financial situationandputareasonablebudgetinplace. Take better care of your health PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) An open mind willencourageyoutovisualizeprospects and possibilities. Don't hesitate to live in the moment, experience what life has to offer andconnect withpeople who share your passions.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Takealow-key approach to whatever you do, and you can avoid setbacks. Channel your energy into completingtasks. Keep your thoughtsandemotionsunderwrapsuntil you can consider your options.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Set your sights onwhatyouwantandimplementprecautionary measures to offset any negativity.Communicateopenlywithcharmand finesse; you'll gain support andmomentum.

Celebrity Ciphercryptograms arecreatedfrom quotationsbyfamous people, past and present. Eachletter in thecipher stands for another tODAy's cLuE: VEQuALs c

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLYForth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases fromMonday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

RalphMarston,who played oneseason in the NationalFootball League with the Boston Bulldogs in 1929, said, “You’ve done it before andyou can do it now. See the positive possibilities.”

This deal has afew possibilities,which youhaveprobably seen before, but one of them still evades most players.

Southisinthreeno-trump, andWest leadsthe spade queen.Whathappens if South ducks the first trickand West continues spades at trick two? Whatis West’s best defense if South ducks the first trick? What happens if South wins thefirst trick?

South hasseven top tricks: twospades, three hearts and two diamonds. He must obtain two more winners from clubs Butsince he will lose thelead twice, the defendersmight establish andrun their spade suitfirst.

If declarer ducks trick one and West continues spades, Southplays on clubs and makeshis contract. When East gets in with the club king, he does not have another spade to lead.

If South does not winthe first trick, West must shifttoadiamond to defeat the contract —aplay that would be very toughtofind.IfSouthwinsthefirsttrick, he does best to play aheart to thequeen and start clubs from the board. To beat thecontract, East must put up his king andreturn his remaining spade. When partner’s suit is one lead from being established, especially if you have only one cardleft in that suit,do your utmost to winthe next defensive trick. ©2025 by NEA,Inc., dist. By

Andrews McMeel

wuzzles

Syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIOns: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the additionof“s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

tODAy’s WORD REVIVAL: rih-VYE-vul: Renewed attention to or interest in something.

Average mark 18 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 24 or more words in REVIVAL?

yEstERDAy’s WORD —DEFIcIts

“O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? for outofthe abundance of theheart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34

loCKhorNs Ourwords

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

Disney, Universal sue

AI firm over copyright

NEW YORK Disney and Universal filed a copyright lawsuit against popular artificial intelligence image-generator

Midjourney on Wednesday, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have entered the legal battle over AI.

Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two studios to generate and distribute “endless unauthorized copies” of famed characters, such as Darth Vader from “Star Wars” and the Minions from “Despicable Me.”

“Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing,” the companies state in the complaint.

The studios also claimed the San Francisco-based company ignored requests to stop infringing on copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation.

Midjourney didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Musk: Tesla’s robotaxi ‘tentatively’ to launch

AUSTIN, Texas Elon Musk said Tesla is “tentatively” set to begin providing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, on June 22

In a post on his X social media platform, Musk said the date could change because Tesla is “being super paranoid about safety.”

Investors, Wall Street analysts and Tesla enthusiasts have been anticipating the rollout of the driverless cabs since Musk said earlier this year that the service would launch sometime in June.

Last month, Musk told CNBC that the taxis will be remotely monitored at first and “geofenced” to certain areas of the city deemed the safest to navigate He said he expected to initially run 10 or so taxis, increase that number rapidly and start offering the service in Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Francisco and other cities

Musk has been promising fully autonomous, self-driving vehicles “next year” for a decade, but the pressure is on now as Tesla begins to operate a self-driving taxi service. Sales of Tesla’s electric vehicles have sagged due to increased competition, the retooling of its most popular car, the Model Y, and the fallout from Musk’s turn to politics.

Google offers buyouts to more workers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google has offered buyouts to another swath of its workforce across several key divisions in a fresh round of cost-cutting coming ahead of a court decision that could order a breakup of its internet empire. The Mountain View, California, company confirmed the streamlining that was reported by several news outlets.

It’s not clear how many employees are affected, but the offers were made to staff in Google’s search, advertising, research and engineering units, according to The Wall Street Journal. Google employs most of the nearly 186,000 workers on the worldwide payroll of its parent company, Alphabet Inc. Google is offering the buyouts while waiting for a federal judge to determine its fate after its ubiquitous search engine was declared an illegal monopoly as part of nearly 5-year-old case by the U.S. Justice Department The company is also awaiting remedy action in another antitrust case involving its digital ad network.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is weighing a government proposal seeking to ban Google paying more than $26 billon annually to Apple and other technology companies to lock in its search engine as the go-to place for online information, require it to share data with rivals and force a sale of its popular Chrome browser

U.S. stocks see 1st loss in 4 days

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK — Wall Street’s rally stalled on Wednesday after U.S. stocks climbed back within 2% of their all-time high

The S&P 500 fell 0.3% for its ﬁrst loss in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was virtually unchanged after edging down by 1 point, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.5%.

Several Big Tech stocks led the way lower, and a 1.9% drop for Apple was the heaviest weight on the market. It’s been listless this week

after unveiling several modest upcoming changes to the software that runs its devices.

The action was stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields eased after a report suggested President Donald Trump’s tariffs are not pushing inflation much higher, at least not yet.

U.S. consumers had to pay prices for food, gasoline and other costs of living that were 2.4% higher overall in May than a year earlier That was up from April’s 2.3% inﬂation rate, but it wasn’t as bad as the 2.5% that Wall Street was expecting.

A fear has been that Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs could ignite an acceleration in inﬂation, just when it had seemed to get nearly all the way back to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target from more than 9% three summers ago. It hasn’t happened, though economists warn it may take months more to feel the full effect of Trump’s tariffs.

“Another month goes by with little evidence of tariffs, but the longer-term inﬂation challenge they pose remains,” according to Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Financial markets also had only modest reactions to the conclusion of two days of trade talks between the United States and China in London.

Trump said Wednesday that China will supply rare-earth minerals and magnets to the United States, while his government will allow Chinese students into U.S. universities in a deal that still needs an agreement by him and by China’s leader Trump also said that “President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!”

Inflation increases slightly in May

Cheaper gas, cars offset some costlier imports

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO Associated Press writers

WASHINGTON U.S. inﬂation picked up a bit last month as higher prices for groceries and some imported goods were largely offset by cheaper gas, travel services, and rents.

Consumer prices increased 2.4% in May compared with a year ago, according to a Labor Department report released Wednesday. That is up from a 2.3% yearly increase in April. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.8% for the third straight month. Economists pay close attention to core prices because they generally provide a better sense of where inﬂation is headed.

The cost of groceries, toys and games, and large appliances rose, which could reﬂect the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Yet the price of new and used cars, clothes, airfares and hotel rooms all dropped from April to May.

On a monthly basis, overall prices ticked up just 0.1% from April to May, down from

0.2% the previous month, with inﬂationary pressures appearing muted. Core prices also dropped to 0.1% from 0.2%.

The data showed that Trump’s tariffs haven’t yet pushed overall prices higher, suggesting many companies may be absorbing the cost of the higher duties for now Yet many economists expect the import taxes to modestly increase inﬂation in the second half of the year Companies ranging from Walmart to Lululemon to J.M. Smucker have said they will raise prices in the coming months to offset the impact of tariffs

“You can point to seeing tariffs in this report, but the more important message is that you’re seeing inﬂation soften enough elsewhere that overall, price pressures continue to subside for the U.S. consumer,” Sarah House, an economist at Wells Fargo, said.

But offsetting price drops for things like cars and airfares may not continue at the same pace for the rest of this year, she said.

“I don’t think this report signals an all clear — that tariffs are not going to be a concern for the inﬂation picture,” House said.

The ﬁgures also show that core inﬂation remains stubbornly above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, which makes it less likely that the central bank will cut its key shortterm interest rate. Trump has repeatedly

urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs.

Grocery prices rose 0.3% from April to May, and are up 2.2% in the past year Fruits and vegetables, breakfast cereals, and frozen foods all rose last month. Egg costs fell 2.7%, though they are still more than 40% more expensive than a year ago. Gas prices dropped 2.6% last month

Marilyn Kirschner, editor of an online fashion magazine, was shopping for toothpaste Tuesday at Gristedes in lower Manhattan She’s surprised every day by high prices for items like Swiffer reﬁlls, which she said recently cost her $30.

“You go into the store and it’s like, wait a minute, how can this be?” Kirschner said. “Every single thing. It’s sticker shock at this point. It’s scary, with rent and everything.”

Peter Manning, a software engineer, bought a loaf of French bread and milk at Gristedes in his lower Manhattan neighborhood He’s been noticing high yogurt prices, at $8 or $9, and butter for $11.

“When we go out to the suburbs, we shop there, because it’s a little cheaper,” Manning said. “I’m sure everything’s going to probably go up. It takes a long time. I tell my friends, this economy, we’re watching a slow-motion train wreck.”

Framework set for trade deal with China

Trump says U.S. to get rare earth minerals

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE,

JOSH BOAK, PAUL WISEMAN and DIDI TANG Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that China will make it easier for American industry to obtain much-needed magnets and rare earth minerals, clearing the way for talks to continue between the world’s two biggest economies. In return Trump said, the U.S. will stop efforts to revoke the visas of

Chinese nationals on U.S. college campuses. Trump’s comment on social media came after two days of high-level U.S.-China trade talks in London. Details remain scarce. Trump didn’t fully spell out what concessions the U.S. made. Beijing has not confirmed what the negotiators agreed to, and Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump himself have yet to sign off on it.

What Trump described as a “deal” is actually a “framework” meant to set the stage for more substantive talks. And Trump’s own comments created confusion about what was happening to his tariffs on Chinese im-

ports, generating uncertainty about more than $660 billion in annual trade between the two countries. On social media, Trump said: “WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10% RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT!” But a White House ofﬁcial, who was not authorized to discuss the terms publicly and insisted on anonymity to describe them, said the 55% was not an increase on the previous 30% tariff on China because Trump was including preexisting tariffs, including some left over from his ﬁrst term.

“We have no idea what the rules are,” said Rick Woldenberg, CEO

of the educational toy company Learning Resources, who is part of a lawsuit challenging Trump’s authority to impose the tariffs. The framework emerged late Tuesday in London after intense talks involving U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer Leading the Chinese delegation was Vice Premier He Lifeng. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has deployed tariffs aggressively, seeing them as a way to raise money for the federal government, protect American industries and lure factories back to the United States.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

PHOTO By HAU DINH

Sales staff members work recently at an Apple store in Hanoi, Vietnam.