BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill is asking the state Supreme Court to review and potentially expedite five death penalty cases, saying they have languished in the court system for too long and that her office needs clarity on conflicting lower court rulings. The defendants in those cases,
all of whom have been convicted of murder, are:
n Larry Roy in Rapides Parish. Roy, known as the “Cheneyville slasher,” was convicted of a double murder in a knife attack in 1994. Some of his victims are still alive.
n Antoinette Frank in Orleans Parish. Frank, a former New Orleans police officer was convicted in 1995 in a triple murder at the Kim Ahn Noodle House in New Orleans East.
n Robert Miller in East Baton Rouge Parish Miller was convicted in the 1997 murder, rape and armed robbery of his landlord at her home.
n Marcus Reed in Caddo Parish. Reed was convicted of killing three brothers in 2010 after a burglary at his home.
n David Bowie in East Baton Rouge Parish. Bowie was convicted in the murder of his friend in Scotlandville in 1996 after a night
of gambling. All five cases are in the postconviction relief stage. The defendants have been found guilty, but are challenging the constitutionality of their verdicts or sentences.
“In these five cases — and many others — the offenders failed to move their cases for many years and sometimes decades,” Murrill wrote in a news release Wednes-
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day. “Meanwhile, victims’ family members are left with the fear that the conviction might be vacated and the pain and trauma of waiting for finality for decades.”
Cecelia Kappel, an attorney for death row inmates, slammed Murrill’s news release and accused her office of attempting to stop defendants from having their claims heard.
“Courts around the state have rejected the attorney general’s arguments, and their news release is
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Sharing meals at the station is a tradition for firefighters. These first responders spend long hours together in between rushing to emergencies, and in Louisiana, great food plays an important role in cementing the bond among teammates.
According to Capt. Coby Bailey, of Lafayette Fire Station 9, it’s typical for the station captain to take charge of preparing group meals. It’s about showing appreciation for the team, creating opportunities to play and work together, and maybe showing off a few skills. After all, when you learned how to cook from your Cajun mother and grandmother, it’s hard
to keep those skills to yourself.
Bailey grew up in Lafayette and said he first started cooking for groups while on mess duty in the Navy Cooking continued to play a role in his career as a young fireman — going to the store with his crew chopping up ingredients, prepping sides and learning from his captain and colleagues about crowd-pleasing meals. More than 27 years later, Bailey is now getting ready to retire from his firefighting career and step into a new role as a TV chef, Cajun seasoning entrepreneur and Louisiana food personality.
America can watch Bailey show off his Cajun chef skills in the Season 4 premiere of “Great American Recipe,” airing July 11 on PBS. The show pits home chefs from around the country against
each other in a competition that highlights the variety of American cuisines.
About five years ago, Bailey created a YouTube channel and posted his first Cajun cooking video. He had no way of knowing where the endeavor would lead, but to his surprise, the videos started attracting attention immediately
“This whole thing started as a joke,” he said. “I had a young fireman who asked me to subscribe to his channel, and I was like, ‘What does that mean?’
“He said, ‘Me and my girlfriend film our daily life, and people watch that.’ I was like no, I work with you 12 days a month, I don’t want to know what you’re doing on your day off.”
ä See CAPTAIN, page 4A
for sewage system project
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
Lafayette has a chance to win $1 million for a project designed to help increase the city’s sewage system capacity
The city’s proposal is one of 50 finalists for Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2025 Mayors Challenge, which aims to spur government innovation for projects that bolster essential city services and improve residents’ lives Lafayette’s proposed project is to streamline sewage pipe repairs on private properties by creating a public-private partnership to manage and repair leaks at no cost to owners and increase sewage system capacity, according to the Mayors Challenge website.
“Out of 630 ideas submitted, Lafayette’s idea stood out for its originality, potential for impact and credible vision for delivery,” a Bloomberg spokesperson said in a news release. “Lafayette’s bold idea addresses outdated and overburdened sewage infrastructure by creating a publicprivate partnership to manage and repair leaks on private properties at no cost to owners.”
Other ideas from the 50 finalists include increasing public transit ridership, lowering household energy costs, strengthening sanitation and improving youth safety Lafayette will receive $50,000 to prototype the idea and participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Ideas Camp in July to test the concept with feedback from experts and peers. In January 25 city halls will be awarded $1 million and operational assistance to bring their ideas to life, according to a news release.
“Local government is where people
Trump says U.S. and Iranian officials will talk next week
BY JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel and Iran seemed to honor the fragile ceasefire between them for a second day Wednesday, and U.S. President Donald Trump said that American and Iranian officials will talk next week, giving rise to cautious hope for longer-term peace. Trump, who helped negotiate the
ceasefire that took hold Tuesday on the 12th day of the war, told reporters at a NATO summit that he was not particularly interested in restarting negotiations with Iran, insisting that U.S. strikes had destroyed its nuclear program Earlier in the day, an Iranian official questioned whether the United States could be trusted after its weekend attack
“We may sign an agreement; I don’t know,” Trump said. “The way I look at it, they fought, the war is done.” Iran has not acknowledged any talks taking place next week, though U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff has said there have been direct and indirect communications between the countries. A sixth round of U.S.-Iran negotiations was scheduled for earlier this month in Oman but was can-
ä See TRUMP, page 4A
Workers clear the rubble of a damaged building in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday after an Israeli strike on Tuesday.
Lafayette fire captain takes Cajun cooking from Station 9 to
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Lafayette Fire Department Capt. Coby Bailey will compete against home chefs from across the U.S on Season 4 of ‘Great American Recipe,’ airing on PBS in July
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Murrill
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VAHID SALEMI
Alaska bear gets huge crown for canine tooth
DULUTH,Minn. An Alaska brown bear at the Lake Superior Zoo in northeastern Minnesota has a gleaming new silver-colored canine tooth in a first-of-its-kind procedure for a bear
The 800-pound Tundra was put under sedation Monday and fitted with a new crown the largest dental crown ever created, according to the zoo.
“He’s got a little glint in his smile now,” zoo marketing manager Caroline Routley said Wednesday
The hourlong procedure was done by Dr Grace Brown, a board-certified veterinary dentist who helped perform a root canal on the same tooth two years ago. When Tundra reinjured the tooth, the decision was made to give him a new, stronger crown. The titanium alloy crown, made by Creature Crowns of Post Falls, Idaho, was created for Tundra from a wax caste of the tooth.
Brown plans to publish a paper on the procedure in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry later this year
“This is the largest crown ever created in the world,” she said “It has to be published.”
Tundra and his sibling, Banks, have been at the Duluth zoo since they were 3 months old, after their mother was killed.
Croatia discovers 18thcentury boat under city
DUBROVNIK, Croatia A sunken 18th-century boat has been discovered by chance near the majestic stone walls of Croatia’s medieval city of Dubrovnik.
Ivan Bukelic was working on a water pipeline in Dubrovnik’s old port back in April when he found a wooden structure buried in the seabed.
“I can now say I discovered a boat at the Old Town Dubrovnik,” Bukelic, who is a diver and undersea builder from Dubrovnik, said. He added the vessel was some 23-31 inches under the sea bottom A key trade port in the Adriatic Sea in medieval times, Dubrovnik has been declared a UNESCO protected heritage site It attracts huge crowds of tourists, especially during the summer, and is also known as a filming site for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” series.
The remains of the boat in Dubrovnik’s old port have been protected for further examination.
Nestle to remove U.S. artificial dyes by 2026
Nestle said Wednesday it will eliminate artificial colors from its U.S. food and beverages by the middle of 2026.
It’s the latest big food company making that pledge. Last week, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products by 2027 General Mills also said it plans to remove artificial dyes from its U.S. cereals and from all foods served in K-12 schools by the middle of 2026. The move has broad support. About two-thirds of Americans favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes, according to an AP-NORC poll. Both California and West Virginia have recently banned artificial dyes in foods served in schools.
On Sunday, Republican Gov Greg Abbott of Texas signed a bill requiring foods made with artificial dyes or additives to contain a new safety label starting in 2027. The label would say they contain ingredients “not recommended for human consumption” in Australia, Canada, the European Union or the U.K
The federal government is also stepping up its scrutiny of artificial colors. In January, days before President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. regulators banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk. In April, Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency would take steps to eliminate synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, largely by relying on voluntary efforts from the food
7 Israeli troops killed in a Gaza bombing
BY JULIA FRANKEL and FATMA KHALED Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Israel on Wednesday reported one of its deadliest days in Gaza in months as its military said seven soldiers were killed when a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armored vehicle, while health officials in the battered enclave said Israeli attacks killed 79 people over the past day
The attack on the Israeli troops, which occurred on Tuesday, quickly drew the nation’s attention back to the grinding conflict with the Hamas militant group after nearly two weeks of war between Israel and Iran.
Among the 79 reported killed in Gaza were 33 people who died while trying to access aid. Palestinian witnesses and health officials say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds heading toward desperately needed food, killing hundreds in recent weeks. The military says it has fired warning shots at people it said approached its forces in a suspicious manner
Israel returns its attention to Gaza
Israel has been fighting in Gaza since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. U.S.-led ceasefire efforts have repeatedly stalled.
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, the army’s chief spokesman, said the soldiers were attacked in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where the army has operated on and off throughout much of the war “Helicopters and rescue forces were sent to the spot. They made attempts to rescue the fighters, but without success,” he said.
The army said another soldier was seriously wounded in a separate incident in Khan Younis. It gave no further details, but Hamas claimed on its Telegram channel it had ambushed Israeli soldiers tak-
ing cover inside a residential building.
Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza.
The initial Hamas attack killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Some 50 hostages remain in captivity, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Palestinians eager for ceasefire
With a fragile ceasefire holding between Israel and Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump said there has been “great progress” in Gaza ceasefire talks, without elaborating.
“I think we’re going to have some very good news,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit. He credited the U.S. interference in the Israel-Iran war for progress on Gaza, saying that “I think that it helped a little bit, it showed a lot of power.”
Some Palestinians in Gaza City expressed frustration that the war has dragged on for nearly two years, while the conflict between Israel and Iran lasted 12 days before a fragile ceasefire.
“I live in a tent and now my tent is gone too and we’re living in suffering here. The war between Israel and Iran ended in less than two weeks and we’ve been dying for two years,” said Um Zidan, a woman displaced from northern Gaza. Gaza health authorities had announced on Tuesday that the number of Palestinians killed in the war has risen above 56,000. Experts say Israel’s blockade and military campaign have driven the population to the brink of famine.
Mazen al-Jomla, a displaced resident of Shati camp, questioned why war in the coastal enclave has stretched on, noting that Israel’s assault on Iran was based on accusations of possessing nuclear weapons.
Pope affirms celibacy for priests, demands ‘firm’ action on sex abuse
BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
ROME Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that priests must be celibate and insisted that bishops take “firm and decisive” action to deal with sex abusers, as he gave marching orders Wednesday to the world’s Catholic hierarchs.
Leo met in St. Peter’s Basilica with about 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries attending this week’s special Holy Year celebrations for clergy A day after he gave an uplifting message of encouragement to young seminarians, Leo offered a more comprehensive outline of what bishops must do to lead their flocks.
It’s an issue the former Cardinal Robert Prevost would have long pondered given his role as the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops. In that job from 2023 until his election in May, the Chicago-born Prevost vetted bishop nominations for Pope Francis, identifying the type of leader who would further Francis’ view of a church where all are welcome and dialogue is the decisive form of governance.
History’s first American pope reaffirmed Wednesday that the primary role of bishops is to forge unity in his diocese among clergy and to be close to his flock in word and deed. Bishops must live in poverty and simplicity, generously opening their homes to all and acting as a father figure and brother to his priests, Leo said. “In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power,” he said.
Bishops must remain celibate “and present to all the authentic image of the church, holy and chaste in her members as
Mamdani
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victory over Cuomo. Next: Eric Adams, GOP and more
BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press
NEW YORK Zohran Mamdani has claimed victory over a wounded, but still formidable former Gov Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary Now he faces an equally tough task: Defeating Mayor Eric Adams and a Republican opponent — and maybe even Cuomo again in the general election, while fending off critics who argue the 33-year-old democratic socialist is too far to the left.
While the results have yet to be finalized, Mamdani had a commanding lead that will be exceedingly difficult for Cuomo to overcome when the vote count resumes July 1 in New York City’s ranked choice voting system.
Mamdani’s likely win was a political lightning bolt partly because of the stunning upset of New York’s once all-powerful former governor, but also for the signals it sent about what kind of leader Democrats are gravitating toward following the party’s bruising loss to Republican President Donald Trump last year But Mamdani still has a ways to go. In a normal New York City election year, the winner of the Democratic primary might be all but assured to sail through the general election and become the next mayor But this is not a normal election year Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is a Democrat, pulled out of the primary to instead run as an independent in the general election, a decision he made after it was clear the public uproar over his now-dismissed federal corruption case had severely damaged his chances of winning the party’s nomination. Adams had not done much campaigning, but now appears eager to take on Mamdani, who is still relatively new to politics, having served in the state Assembly only since 2021.
“What NYC deserves is a mayor who’s proud to run
on his record — not one who ran from his record, or one who has no record,” Adams said in a statement. “We deserve a mayor who will keep driving down crime, support our police, fight antisemitism, and stand up for working-class New Yorkers.”
Mamdani, in a clip of an interview released by WABC-TV on Wednesday started turning his attention Adams, criticizing the incumbent’s record and warm relationship with Trump.
“We’ve been told time and again that through his collaboration, he could protect our city But we do not see that protection,” Mamdani said of Adams and Trump. At the same time, Cuomo appears down but might not yet be out. The former governor could also run in the general election on an independent ballot line and said he was still assessing his options, even after conceding the primary race to Mamdani.
Both Cuomo and Adams are guaranteed spots on the general election ballot because of the state’s generous qualification rules for third parties. Jim Walden, a former prosecutor, is also running as an independent. Adams created two of his own political parties, one called “EndAntiSemitism” the other called “Safe&Affordable,” to get a spot on the ballot. Cuomo created one called the “Fight and Deliver” party to give himself the option of running.
“I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting. I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November,” Cuomo said in a statement. Heading toward the fall, Mamdani is also sure to face a renewed wave of criticism from the city’s business and real estate communities, which have opposed his plans to hike taxes on the wealthy and poured money into Cuomo’s political action committees.
in her head,” he said. Referring to cases of abuse, he said bishops “must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force.”
It was the second time in a week that Leo has commented publicly on the abuse scandal. On Friday night, in a written statement to a crusading Peruvian journalist who documented gross abuses in a Peruvian Catholic movement, Leo said there should be no tolerance in the Catholic Church for any type of abuse.
industry
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA
Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday.
BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANDREW MEDICHINI Pope Leo XIV leads a meditation with the participants into the Jubilee of Bishops inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Wednesday.
Report: U.S. strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months
BY MICHELLE L. PRICE, MARY CLARE JALONICK, STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN
and SAM MCNEIL Associated Press
WASHINGTON A U.S. intelligence report suggests that Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months after U.S. strikes and was not “completely and fully obliterated” as President Donald Trump has said, according to two people familiar with the early assessment.
The report issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency on Monday contradicts statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to the people, the report found that while the Sunday strikes at the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites did significant damage, the facilities were not totally destroyed. The people were not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity
The White House rejected the DIA assessment, calling it “flat-out wrong.” On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a post on X that “New intelligence con-
firms” what Trump has stated: “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do.”
Gabbard’s office declined to respond to questions about the details of the new intelligence, or whether it would be declassified and released publicly
The office of the director of national intelligence coordinates the work of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies, including the DIA, which is the intelligence arm of the Defense Department, responsible for producing intelligence on foreign militaries and the capabilities of adversaries.
The DIA’s assessment was preliminary and will be refined as new information becomes available, the agency wrote in a statement Wednesday Its authors also characterized it as “low confidence,” an acknowledgement that the report’s conclusions could be mistaken. According to the DIA statement, analysts have not been able to review the sites themselves.
The DIA also said it is working with the FBI to in-
vestigate the unauthorized leak of the assessment.
The U.S. has held out hope of restarting negotiations with Iran to convince it to give up its nuclear program entirely, but some experts fear that the U.S. strikes — and the potential of Iran retaining some of its capabilities could push Tehran toward developing a functioning weapon.
The assessment also suggests that at least some of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, necessary for creating a nuclear weapon, was moved out of multiple sites before the U.S. strikes and survived, and it found that Iran’s centrifuges, which are required to further enrich uranium to weaponsgrade levels, are largely intact, according to the people.
At the deeply buried Fordo uranium enrichment plant, where U.S. B-2 stealth bombers dropped several 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, the entrance collapsed and infrastructure was damaged, but the underground infrastructure was not destroyed, the assessment found. The people said that intelligence officials had warned of such an outcome in previous assessments ahead of the strike on Fordo.
Abrego Garcia to remain in jail while attorneys debate deportation
BY TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Kilmar
Abrego Garcia will remain in jail for at least a few more days while attorneys in the federal smuggling case against him spar over whether prosecutors have the ability to prevent Abrego Garcia’s deportation if he is released to await trial.
The Salvadoran national whose mistaken deportation became a flashpoint in the fight over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies has been in jail since he was returned to the U.S. on June 7, facing two counts of human smuggling.
Although a federal judge has ruled that he has a right to be released and even set specific conditions for his release, his attorneys expressed concern that it would lead to immediate detention by ICE and deportation.
On Sunday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes ruled that Abrego Garcia does not have to remain in jail ahead of that trial On Wednesday afternoon, she will set his conditions of his release and allow him to go, according to her order However, his defense attorneys and prosecutors have said they expect him to be taken into custody by U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement as soon as he is released on the criminal charges.
Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said during a news conference before Wednesday’s scheduled court hearing that it’s been 106 days since he “was abducted by the Trump administration and separated from our family.” She noted that he has missed family birthdays, graduations and Father’s Day, while “today he misses our wedding anniversary.”
Vasquez Sura said their love, their faith in God and an abundance of community support have helped them persevere.
“Kilmar should never have been taken away from us,” she said. “This fight has been the hardest thing in my life.”
Federal prosecutors are appealing Holmes’ release order Among other things, they expressed concern in a motion filed on Sunday that Abrego Garcia could be deported before he faces trial. Holmes has said that she won’t step between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security it is up to them to decide whether they want to deport Abrego Garcia or prosecute him.
Abrego Garcia pleaded
not guilty on June 13 to smuggling charges that his attorneys have characterized as an attempt to justify his mistaken deportation in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador Those charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop for speeding in Tennessee during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. At his detention hearing, Homeland Security special agent Peter Joseph testified that he did not begin investigating Abrego Garcia until April of this year Holmes said in her Sunday ruling that federal prosecutors failed to show that Abrego Garcia was a flight risk or a danger to the community He has lived for more than a decade in Maryland, where he and his American wife are raising three children. However, Holmes referred to her own ruling as “little more than an academic exercise,” noting that ICE plans to detain him. It is less clear what will happen after that. Although Abrego Garcia can’t be deported to El Salvador where an immigration judge found he faces a credible threat from gangs — he is still deportable to a third country as long as that country agrees to not send him to El Salvador
NATO leaders agree to hike military spending
BY MIKE CORDER, SYLVIE CORBET, MOLLY QUELL and LORNE COOK Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands NATO leaders agreed on a massive hike in defense spending Wednesday after pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, and expressed their “ironclad commitment” to come to each other’s aid if attacked
The 32 leaders endorsed a final summit statement saying: “Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.”
The show of unity vindicated NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s billing of the summit as “transformational,” even though it papered over divisions.
Trump called the spending boost “something that no one really thought possible. And they said, ‘You did it, sir You did it.’ Well, I don’t know if I did it, but I think I did.” Spain had already officially announced that it cannot meet the target, and others have voiced reservations, but the investment pledge includes a review of spending in 2029 — after the next U.S. presidential elections to monitor progress and reassess the security threat posed by Russia.
The leaders also underlined their “ironclad commitment” to NATO’s collective security guarantee – “that an attack on one is an attack on all.” Ahead of the summit, Trump had again raised doubts over whether the United States would defend its allies.
“Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO,” Rutte told reporters after chairing the meeting in The Hague. “This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defense.” The spending hike requires each countries to spend billions of dollars. It comes as the United States — NATO’s biggest-spending member — shifts its attention away from Europe to focus on security priorities elsewhere, notably in the Middle East and IndoPacific.
Spain had called the new spending target and 2035 deadline “unreasonable.” Belgium signaled that it would not get there either and Slovakia said it reserves the right to decide its own defense spending. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stood conspicuously aside from other
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the end of the NATO summit as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday.
leaders in the summit family photo. After the meeting, he said that Spain can execute NATO’s defense plans by spending only 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
“In today’s summit, NATO wins and Spain wins something very important for our society, which is security and the welfare state,” Sánchez said.
Trump lashed out at Spain after the meeting.
“They want to stay at 2% I think it’s terrible,” he said.
“You know, what we’re going to do? We’re negotiating with Spain on a trade deal. We’re going to make them pay twice as much.”
Along with Spain, many other European countries face major economic challenges, and Trump’s global tariff war could make it even harder for America’s allies to reach their targets. Some countries are already squeezing welfare and foreign aid spending to channel extra funds into their military budgets.
On Tuesday, Trump complained that “there’s a problem with Spain Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly.” He has also criticized Canada as “a low payer.” In 2018, a NATO summit during Trump’s first term unraveled due to a dispute over defense spending.
Russia’s neighbors lead
Other countries closer to the borders of Russia and Ukraine Poland, the three Baltic states and Nordic countries — have committed to the 5% goal, as have NATO’s European heavyweights Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands. In their statement, the leaders said they were united “in the face of profound secu-
rity threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia.” It had been feared that Trump would object to that assessment, which European governments need to justify higher spending.
Trump has been reluctant to support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We stand by Ukraine in its pursuit of peace and will continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to NATO membership,” Rutte said. The Trump administration has vetoed Ukraine’s bid to join NATO for the foreseeable future.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said the agreement “is a big win, I think, for both President Trump and I think it’s also a big win for Europe.” He told reporters that “we’re witnessing the birth of a new NATO, which means a more balanced NATO.”
He said it would take nations “back to the defense expenditure levels of the Cold War.” NATO countries started to cut their military budgets in safer times after the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer threw his weight behind the hike, declaring, ““This is the moment to unite, for Europe to make a fundamental shift in its posture and for NATO to meet this challenge head-on.”
In a fresh take on Trump’s MAGA movement, Lithuanian President Gitanas Naus da said: “We should choose a motto, ‘make NATO great again.’”
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the NATO allies agreed to make 2% of GDP the minimum spending level Last year 22 countries were expected to
hit that target, up from just three a decade ago.
In The Hague, the allies endorsed a major revamp of their spending targets. They upped the ante for what NATO calls “core defense spending” to 3.5%, while changing how it’s counted to include providing military support to Ukraine.
To hit Trump’s 5% demand, the deal set a second target of 1.5% of GDP for a broader range of defense-related spending, such as improving roads, bridges, ports and airfields so that armies can deploy more quickly, countering cyber and hybrid attack measures, or preparing societies to deal with future conflicts.
“This declaration is historic. We are 32 allies supporting that ambition, which
is huge,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. “We have been struggling to get above 2% and now we said 3.5%, which is necessary in order to reach our capabilities.”
U.S. decision on forces Extra funds will also be needed should the Trump administration announce a drawdown of forces in Europe, where around 84,000 U.S. troops are based, leaving European allies to plug any security gaps. The Pentagon is expected to announce its intentions in coming months. Asked why Trump has suggested that the new spending target should not apply to the United States, Rutte said: “The U.S. is more or less there,” in terms of the 5% benchmark.
celed after Israel attacked Iran. Earlier, Trump said the ceasefire was going “very well,” and added that Iran was “not going to have a bomb, and they’re not going to enrich.”
Iran has insisted that it will not give up its nuclear program. In a vote underscoring the tough path ahead, its parliament agreed to fast-track a proposal that would effectively stop the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. watchdog that has monitored the program for years.
Before the vote, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf criticized the IAEA for refusing “to even pretend to condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities” that the U.S. carried out Sunday “For this reason, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran will suspend cooperation with the IAEA until security of nuclear facilities is ensured, and Iran’s peaceful nuclear program will move forward at a faster pace,” Qalibaf told lawmakers.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he wrote to Iran to discuss resuming inspections of their nuclear facilities Among other things, Iran claims to have moved its highly enriched uranium ahead of the U.S strikes, and Grossi said his inspectors need to reassess the country’s stockpiles.
“We need to return,” he said “We need to engage.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he hoped Tehran would come back to the table France was part of the 2015 deal with Iran that restricted its nuclear program, but the agreement began unraveling after Trump pulled the U.S. out in his first term. Macron spoke multiple times to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during the war Grossi said Wednesday that Iran
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meritless grandstanding,” she said. “The attorney general’s filings have nothing to do with speeding up cases but instead seek to confuse, delay and prevent these individuals from having their day in court.”
Kappel also gave other reasons for why capital cases take so long to reach a conclusion.
“The reasons why capital cases historically take a long time is due to extreme underresourcing of the capital defense and also the prosecution,” she said, adding that there is not enough money in the state to support the pros-
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Bailey said that he suggested cooking videos instead, since Station 9 is known for high-quality meals. Bailey filmed a video himself so they could see what kind of content was more popular, and that’s how Captain Coby Cajun Cooking got its start on YouTube and Facebook — and eventually ended up on grocery shelves.
While filming for “Great American Recipe” ended late last year, Bailey can’t say yet where he placed on the show He’s planning to retire from the Lafayette Fire Department in January, and from there, he will focus on his channel and Captain Coby line of Cajun season-
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meet policy — and where government improves lives and builds trust,” James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said in a statement.
“These Mayors Challenge finalists stand out because they’re not just thinking creatively — they’re designing solutions that reckon with the complexity of implementation and the urgency
must quickly resume cooperation with international inspectors, telling French broadcaster France 2 that the IAEA had lost visibility over sensitive nuclear materials since the onset of hostilities.
Grossi said Iran is legally obligated to cooperate with the IAEA under the Non-Proliferation Treaty
“During a war, inspections are not possible. But now that hostilities have ceased, and given the sensitivity of this material, I believe it is in everyone’s interest that we resume our activities as soon as possible,” he said.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, and U.S intelligence agencies have assessed that Tehran is not actively pursuing a bomb. However, Israeli leaders have argued that Iran could quickly assemble a nuclear weapon.
Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons, which it has never acknowledged The Israel Atomic Energy Commission said its assessment was that
ecution of all death penalty cases at once. Louisiana stopped executions for 15 years, with past government and prison officials saying they could not access lethal injection drugs without risking losing access to medicine for sick inmates. During the hiatus, many death row cases sat dormant in Louisiana courts. Defendants would often file bare-bones court filings, known as shell petitions, to start pursuing post-conviction relief. But both defense attorneys and district attorneys often spent years without acting on them while the state’s execution chamber was dormant. Eventually, attorneys for defendants in post-conviction relief hearings are supposed to supple-
ing, barbecue rub, roasted pumpkin seeds and other products in development.
His spicy and medium seasonings come with a pepperforward kick that forms a delicious crust on baked chicken and can be found at local stores like NuNu’s, Kevin Guidry’s and Super One Foods.
Bailey said he learned a lot on the show, which gave him the opportunity to interact with well-known TV cooking judges like Texas chef Tiffany Derry
“All the judges were really awesome,” he said. “They actually do help you They’ll come to your station if you have a question and say, ‘Hey, if you do this, it’ll help you. You can cut some time off.’ Or, ‘Hey, don’t worry about cutting this, just put it all together right now.’
“One of the episodes I was
of their residents’ needs. “Their proposals reflect a new standard for public sector achievement: ambitious, yes, but also grounded, disciplined, and ripe for real impact.”
The 630 proposals submitted for the challenge “reflect some of the greatest public service challenges facing cities today,” according to the news release. One third of U.S. and Canadian applicants proposed solutions for housing and shelter. Nearly half of African applicants proposed upgrades to waste collection and management.
the U.S and Israeli strikes have “set back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.”
The U.S. strikes hit three Iranian nuclear sites, which Trump said “completely and fully obliterated” the country’s nuclear program When asked about a U.S. intelligence report that found Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months, Trump scoffed and said it would at least take years to rebuild.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, confirmed that the strikes by American B-2 bombers using bunker-buster bombs had caused significant damage.
“Our nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that’s for sure,” he told Al Jazeera on Wednesday, refusing to go into detail.
He seemed to suggest Iran might not shut out IAEA inspectors for good, noting that the bill before parliament only talks of suspending work with the agency, not ending it. He also insisted Iran has the right to pursue a nuclear energy
program.
“Iran is determined to preserve that right under any circumstances,” he said.
Witkoff said late Tuesday on Fox News that Israel and the U.S. had achieved their objective with “the total destruction of the enrichment capacity” in Iran, and Iran’s prerequisite for talks — that Israel end its campaign — had been fulfilled.
“The proof is in the pudding,” he said. “No one’s shooting at each other It’s over.”
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the ceasefire agreement with Iran amounted to “quiet for quiet,” with no further understandings about Iran’s nuclear program going ahead.
Witkoff told Fox News that Trump is now looking to land “a comprehensive peace agreement that goes beyond even the ceasefire.”
“We’re already talking to each other, not just directly, but also through interlocutors,” Witkoff
said, adding that the conversations were promising.
However, Baghaei, the Iranian spokesman, said Washington had “torpedoed diplomacy” with its attacks on nuclear sites, and that while Iran in principle was always open to talks, national security was the priority
“We have to make sure whether the other parties are really serious when they’re talking about diplomacy, or is it again part of their tactics to make more problems for the region and for my country,” he said.
Grossi said Iran and the international community should seize the opportunity of the ceasefire for a long-term diplomatic solution.
“Out of the bad things that military conflict brings, there’s also now a possibility an opening,” he said. “We shouldn’t miss that opportunity.”
Israel revealed details of the intelligence and covert operations that it said allowed the country to effectively target Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and key facilities.
In a rare video released by Israel’s Mossad spy agency, chief David Barnea thanked the CIA for being a key partner, and his own agents for work over years to achieve what was “unimaginable at first.”
“Thanks to accurate intelligence, advanced technologies and operational capabilities beyond imagination, we helped the air force strike the Iranian nuclear project, establish aerial superiority in Iranian skies and reduce the missile threat,” the agency said in a Facebook post alongside the video. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the military chief of staff, asserted that commandos had operated secretly “deep inside enemy territory” during the war Tehran on Tuesday put the death toll in Iran at 606, with 5,332 people wounded. The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group released figures Wednesday suggesting Israeli strikes on Iran had killed at least 1,054 and wounded 4,476.
ment shell petitions with full filings that dispute a death sentence.
Since Louisiana resumed executions in March, several death penalty defendants are now attempting to restart litigating their postconviction claims.
Louisiana has started executions with a new method: nitrogen gas. The state used it for the first time in March when they put to death Jessie Hoffman Jr., who was convicted in 1998 of raping and murdering Mary “Molly” Elliott two years earlier Murrill said she is asking the state’s highest court to take each of the five cases “and develop clear standards for post-conviction relief cases when an applicant waited decades to pursue re-
really behind, and they came in and made suggestions and we made it happen. So they do assist you in some things, and they teach you along the way I learned a lot from some of these judges.”
Bailey said that one of his biggest takeaways from the show came from a PBS producer who told him to get ready to seize the opportunities coming his way “I hope so,” he said.
“I’m a big believer in God, and if that’s the plan for me, then it’s gonna happen. If not, I’m not mad about that. I’ve worked hard my entire life, and I made enough money Right now, it seems like it’s all falling into place — so, that’s my life right now.”
Email Joanna Brown at joanna.brown@ theadvocate.com.
This is the sixth Mayors Challenge, and more funding will be distributed and more cities will be assisted than in the previous five challenges, according to the news release. The most successful winning ideas have been replicated by Bloomberg Philanthropies, reaching more than 337 other cities and impacting more than 100 million residents around the world.
Email Ashley White at ashley.white@theadvocate. com.
lief, the relief was optional, and the state is substantially prejudiced by the delay.”
Murrill has long argued that defendants abuse the post-conviction relief pro-
cess to delay executions for years, denying victims’ families justice. But defense attorneys say a robust postconviction relief process is vital to preventing the state
from executing someone because of a faulty conviction. Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG
People fold tents at an underground shelter they stayed in during the war with Iran after the ceasefire was announced in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
Bobby Sherman, teen idol in ’60s and ’70s, dies at 81
BY MARK KENNEDY Associated Press
Bobby Sherman, whose winsome smile and fashionable shaggy mop top helped make him into a teen idol in the 1960s and ’70s with bubblegum pop hits like “Little Woman” and “Julie, Do Ya Love Me,” has died. He was 81. His wife, Brigitte Poublon, announced the death Tuesday and family friend John Stamos posted her message on Instagram: “Bobby left this world holding my hand — just as he held up our life with love, courage, and unwavering grace.” Sherman revealed he had Stage 4 cancer earlier this year Sherman was a squeaky-clean regular on the covers of Tiger Beat and Sixteen magazines, often with hair over his eyes and a choker on his neck. His face was printed on lunchboxes, cereal boxes and posters that hung on the bedroom walls of his adoring fans. He landed at No. 8 in TV Guide’s list of “TV’s 25 Greatest Teen Idols.” He was part of a lineage of teen heartthrobs who emerged as massmarket, youth-oriented magazines and TV took off, connecting freshscrubbed Ricky Nelson in the 1950s
to David Cassidy in the ’70s, all the way to Justin Bieber in the 2000s.
lice Department, teaching police recruits first aid and CPR. He donated his salary
Sherman had four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart “Little Woman,” “Julie, Do Ya Love Me,” “Easy Come, Easy Go,” and “La La La (If I Had You).” He had six albums on the Billboard 200 chart, including “Here Comes Bobby,” which spent 48 weeks on the album chart, peaking at No. 10. His career got its jump start when he was cast in the ABC rock ’n’ roll show “Shindig!” in the mid-’60s
Sherman
“A lot of times, people say, ‘Well, if you could go back and change things, what would you do?’” he told The Tulsa World in 1997. “And I don’t think I’d change a thing — except to maybe be a little bit more aware of it, because I probably could’ve relished the fun of it a little more. It was a lot of work. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears. But it was the best of times.”
Later, he starred in two television series “Here Come the Brides” (1968-70) and “Getting Together” (1971).
Admirers from Hollywood took to social media to honor Sherman, with actor Patricia Heaton posting on X: “Hey all my 70s peeps, let’s take a minute to remember our heartthrob Bobby Sherman” and Lorenzo Lamas recalling listening to Sherman’s “Easy Come, Easy Go” on the school bus as a kid. After the limelight moved on, Sherman became a certified medical emergency technician and instructor for the Los Angeles Po-
A life-changing Hollywood party Sherman, with sky blue eyes and dimples, grew up in the San Fernando Valley, singing Ricky Nelson songs and performing with a highschool rock band.
“I was brought up in a fairly strict family,” he told the Sunday News newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1998. “Law and order were important Respect your fellow neighbor, remember other people’s feelings. I was the kind of boy who didn’t do things just to be mischievous.”
He was studying child psychology at a community college in 1964
when his girlfriend took him to a Hollywood party, which would change his life. He stepped onstage and sang with the band. Afterward, guests Jane Fonda, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo asked him who his agent was. They took his number and, a few days later, an agent called him and set him up with “Shindig!” Sherman hit true teen idol status in 1968, when he appeared in Here Come the Brides,” a comedyadventure set in boom town Seattle in the 1870s. He sang the show’s theme song, “Seattle,” and starred as young logger Jeremy Bolt, often at loggerheads with brother, played by David Soul. It lasted two seasons. Following the series, Sherman starred in “Getting Together,” a spinoff of “The Partridge Family,” about a songwriter struggling to make it in the music business He became the first performer to star in three TV series before the age of 30. That television exposure soon translated into a fruitful recording career: His first single, “Little Woman,” earned a gold record in 1969. “While the rest of the world seemed jumbled up and threatening, Sherman’s smiling visage beamed from the bedroom walls of
hundreds of thousands of teen-age girls, a reassuring totem against the riots, drugs, war protests and free love that raged outside,” The Tulsa World said in 1997. His movies included “Wild In Streets,” “He is My Brother” and “Get Crazy.”
From music to medicine
Sherman pulled back from his celebrity career after several years of a frantic schedule, telling The Washington Post: “I’d film five days a week, get on a plane on a Friday night and go someplace for matinee and evening shows Saturday and Sunday, then get on a plane and go back to the studio to start filming again. It was so hectic for three years that I didn’t know what home was.”
Sherman’s pivot to becoming an emergency medical technician in 1988 was born out of a longtime fascination with medicine. Sherman said that affinity blossomed when he raised his sons with his first wife, Patti Carnel. They would get scrapes and bloody noses and he became the family’s first-aid provider So he started learning basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the Red Cross.
Mississippi inmate set for execution after five decades
BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press
PARCHMAN, Miss. — Mississippi’s longest-serving death row inmate is set to be executed Wednesday nearly five decades after he kidnapped and killed a bank loan officer’s wife in a violent ransom scheme
Richard Gerald Jordan, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. He is one of several people on Mississippi’s death row suing the state over its three-drug execution protocol, which they claim is inhumane.
The U.S. Supreme Court denied Jordan’s remaining appeals Wednesday afternoon without comment.
Jordan would be the third person executed in the state in the last 10 years; the most recent execution was in December 2022.
Marc McClure, Mississippi State Penitentiary superintendent, said that Jordan visited with family, lawyers and spiritual advisers Wednesday and that family members would be allowed to stay with him until 4 p.m., when he would be offered his requested last meal.
His execution comes a day after a man was executed in Florida in what is shaping up to be a year with the most executions since 2015. Jordan was sentenced to death in 1976 for killing and kidnapping Edwina Marter, a mother of two young children, earlier that year As of the beginning of the year
Jordan is one of 22 people across the country sentenced for crimes in the 1970s who are still on death
row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center Eric Marter, who was 11 when his mother was killed, said neither he, his brother, nor his father will attend the execution, but other family members are expected to be there.
“It should have happened a long time ago,” he said of the execution. “I’m not really interested in giving him the benefit of the doubt.”
Mississippi Supreme Court records show that in January 1976, Jordan called the Gulf National Bank in Gulfport Mississippi and asked to speak with a loan officer After he was told Charles Marter could speak to him, he hung up. He then looked up the Marters’ home address in a telephone book and kidnapped Edwina Marter. According to court records, Jordan took her to a forest and shot
Bezos arrives in Venice as protesters say expensive wedding highlights growing inequality
BY COLLEEN BARRY and LUCA BRUNO Associated Press
VENICE, Italy Multi-billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez arrived in Venice on Wednesday ahead of their star-studded weekend wedding, an event that has galvanized a wide assortment of activist groups protesting it.
Bezos waved from a water taxi as he and Sanchez arrived at the dock of the Aman Hotel, a five-star hotel on the Grand Canal, with two security boats in tow
The event has drawn protests by groups who view it as a sign of the growing disparity between the haves and have-nots, while residents complain it exemplifies the way their needs are disregarded in the era of mass tourism to the historic lagoon city About a dozen Venetian organizations — including housing advocates, anticruise ship campaigners and university groups — have united to protest the multiday event under the banner “No Space for Bezos,” a play on words also referring to the bride’s recent space flight. They have staged smallscale protests, unfurling anti-Bezos banners on iconic Venetian sites. They were joined Monday by Green-
peace and the British group “Everyone Hates Elon,” which has smashed Teslas to protest Elon Musk, to unfurl a giant banner in St. Mark’s Square protesting purported tax breaks for billionaires.
On Wednesday, other activists launched a float down the Grand Canal featuring a mannequin of Bezos clinging onto an Amazon box, his fists full of fake dollars. The British publicity firm that announced the stunt said it wasn’t a protest of the wedding “but against unchecked wealth, media control, and the growing privatisation of public spaces.”
There has been no comment from Bezos’ representatives on the protests.
her to death before calling her husband, claiming she was safe and demanding $25,000.
“He needs to be punished,” Eric Marter said.
The execution would end Jordan’s decadeslong court process that included four trials and numerous appeals. On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition that claimed he was denied due process rights.
“He was never given what, for a long time, the law has entitled him to, which is a mental health professional that is independent of the prosecution and can assist his defense,” said lawyer Krissy Nobile, the director of Mississippi’s Office of Capital Post-Conviction Counsel, who represents Jordan. “Because of that, his jury never got to hear about his Vietnam experiences.”
A recent petition asking Missis-
sippi Gov Tate Reeves for clemency echoed Nobile’s claim. It argued Jordan developed PTSD after serving three back-to-back tours in the Vietnam War, which could have been a factor in his crime. Reeves denied the request.
“His war service, his war trauma, was considered not relevant in his murder trial,” said Franklin Rosenblatt, the president of the National Institute of Military Justice, who wrote the petition on Jordan’s behalf. “We just know so much more than we did 10 years ago, and certainly during Vietnam, about the effect of war trauma on the brain and how that affects ongoing behaviors.”
Eric Marter said he doesn’t buy that argument. “I know what he did. He wanted money, and he couldn’t take her with him. And he — so he did what he did,” he said.
Onemoresizzlinghot dayfor the easternU.S.beforetemperaturesplunge
BY SETH BORENSTEIN
AP sciencewriter
NEW YORK Arecord-smashing
heat wave broiled the U.S.East foranother day Wednesday, even as thermometers wereforecast to soon plunge by as many as 30 degreesinthe same areas
The day’sheat wasn’t expected to be as intense as Tuesday,when at least 50 heat records were matched or broken and 21 places hittripledigit temperatures. About127 million Americans remained under National Weather Serviceheat advisories, down from the previous day.Sizzling temperatures sent utilities scrambling to keep the air conditioningand lights on amid massive demand for power
“It’sstill going to be, Ithink, pretty bad across the East,” meteorologist Bob Oravec of the Weather Prediction Center saidWednesday morning. ”I thinktoday is probably the last day of widespread record potential.Itmight notbequite as hot as yesterday by afew degrees. But still, high temperatures are expected in the upper 90s across a good section of the East.”
The weather service warnedof “extreme heat” for astretch of the country from North Carolina to New York and westtoWest Virginia. Highs could approach triple digits from New York to Richmond, Oravecsaid. Temperatures again broke 100 on Wednesday at New York’sJohn F. Kennedy Airport and in Newark and Baltimore. Temperatures Wednesdaymorning were “a little bit warmer than expected” because of northwesterly winds bringing “warm leftovers from yesterday,”said formerNOAA chiefscientistRyan Maue, aprivate meteorologist. Nantucket, Massachusetts, was above 90 degrees Fahrenheit when its forecast high was 82.
Weatherwhiplash
The high pressure heatdome that has baked the East was forecast to break. Acoldfrontbegan moving south from New England, bringing with it clouds and cooler temperatures —not only cooler than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but cooler than normal.
That airmass drawing on cool ocean waters will send temperatures plummeting by the end of the week in Philadelphia, which hit a
record high of 101 degrees FahrenheitonTuesday,saidRay Martin, meteorologist at theNational Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey.Air temperatures will be in the low 70s Fahrenheit.
“It’s going to feellikea shock to the system, but it’snot anything particularly unusual,” said Martin.
Boston’sforecast high forFriday is 34 degrees lower than whatithit Tuesday
“It’sgoingtofeel like adifferent season,” Oravec said.
However,it won’tlast. After one or two days, slightly hotter than normaltemperatures areforecast, but notanywhere near thehighs from earlier this week, Oravec said.
Weather whiplash from one extreme to another occurs more oftenasthe world warms overall from burning fossilfuelssuchas coal, oil and natural gas, scientists said
Recordssmashed
Tuesday was likely the peak of the heat, with Baltimore the king of swelter. The city’shigh of 105 degrees Fahrenheit smasheda previous recordbyfourdegrees.
At night,when the human body needs cooling, temperatures only droppedto87Fahrenheit.
Baltimore was hardlyalone. A dozenweather stationswere101 degreesorhigher, including two New York airports. Boston hit 102, breaking its old record by seven degrees. Augusta,Maine’s100 degrees alsobrokeits old record by
seven degrees.
Everycoastal statefromMaine to South Carolinahit 100 degrees somewhere, with Georgia and Florida clocking in at 99 on Tuesday
As temperatures rise “things becomeless reliable and more unstable,” said Climate Central Chief MeteorologistBernadette Woods Placky.
The heat meantmore demand for power.The nation’slargest power grid operator,PJM Interconnection, on Monday recorded its highest demand since2011, withonly aslight drop-off Tuesday andWednesday, spokesman Dan Lockwood said.
“Wehaveanaging grid infrastructure already in United States, so you can seethe impacts of that heat on that infrastructure,” said Kate Guy,senior research fellow at theColumbiaUniversityCenter on Global Energy Policy.The aging system is lesscapable of transmitting power at thevoltages needed, she said. “At thesame time, you’re seeing areally big spike in demand. This is what they (utilities)are increasinglyexperiencing because of climatechange,” Guy said. “Frankly,with each year is increased, historictemperatures andthat intense heat arriving earlier than ever,just putting an immense pressure on theelectrical grid.”
Somedowntown Chicago streets will close Wednesday night to repair pavementthathas buckled due to hot temperaturesamidan ongoing heat wave in the city
Kennedy’snew vaccine panelalarmspediatricians
BY MIKE STOBBE and LAURAN NEERGAARD AssociatedPress
ATLANTA— U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’snew vaccine advisers alarmed pediatricians Wednesday by announcing inquiries into some long-settled questionsabout children’sshots.
Opening the first meeting of Kennedy’shandpicked sevenmember panel, committee chairman Martin Kulldorff said he wasappointing awork groupto evaluate the “cumulative effect” of thechildren’s vaccineschedule —the list of immunizations given at different times throughout childhood.
Alsotobeevaluated, he said, is how twoother shots are administered —one thatguards against liver-destroying hepatitis Band anotherthat combines chickenpoxprotection with MMR, the measles, mumpsand rubella vaccine. It was an earlysign of howthe Advisory CommitteeonImmunization Practices is being reshaped by Kennedy,aleading antivaccine activist before becoming the nation’stop health official. He fired the entire 17-member panel this month and replaced it with agroup that includesseveral anti-vaccine voices.
“Vaccines are notall good or bad,”Kulldorff said. “Weare learning more aboutvaccines overtime”and must“keep up to date.”
His announcementreflected acommon message of vaccine skeptics: that too many shots may overwhelm kids’ immune systems or that the ingredients may build up to cause harm. Scientistssay those claimshave been repeatedly investigated withno signs of concern Kidstoday are exposed to fewer antigens —immune-revving components —than theirgrandparents despite getting more doses, becauseofimproved vaccine technology,said Dr.Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’sHospital of Philadelphia. The American Academy of Pediatrics announced Wednesday that it would continue publishing its own vaccine schedule forchildren but now will do so independently of theACIP, callingit“no longer acredible process.”
“The narrative that current vaccine policies are flawed and need ‘fixing’ is adistortion,” saidthe AAP’sDr. Sean O’Leary. “These policies have saved trillions of dollars and millions of lives.”
The ACIP,created more than 60 years ago, helps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determine who should be vaccinated against alonglist of diseases, and when. Those recommendations have abig impact on whether insurancecoversvaccinationsand wherethey’re available, such as at pharmacies.
After Kennedy’sabrupt dismissalofthe existing expert panel, anumber of the CDC’stop vaccine scientists —including some who lead the reporting of data andthe vetting of presentations at ACIP meetings —have resignedorbeen moved outof previous positions. And shortly before Wednesday’smeeting, aVirginia-based obstetrician and gynecologist appointed to the committee stepped down. According to the Trump administration, he withdrew during acustomary review of members’ financial holdings.
Scientists show data First on the committee’sagenda WednesdaywereCOVID-19 vaccinations. Kennedy already sidestepped thepaneland announced the vaccine will no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women.
YetCDC scientists told the panel that vaccination is “the best protection”during pregnancy,and said most children hospitalized for COVID-19 over the past year were unvaccinated.
COVID-19 remainsapublic health threat,resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deathsand more than 250,000 hospitalizations sincelast fall, according to theCDC. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and children under 2—especially infants under 6months who could have some protection if their mom got vaccinated during pregnancy, according to the CDC’spresentation.
The new advisers weren’tasked to vote on Kennedy’s recommendations, whichraise uncertainty abouthow easily people will be able to access COVID-19 vaccinations this fall.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREENIKHINSON
AU.S.Capitol Police officer pours water on his head Wednesdayoutside theCapitol in Washington.
Surgical robot expected to improve patient outcomes
Our Lady of Lourdes showcases new system
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
As Dr Safi Haq sat behind the controls of Our Lady of Lourdes’ newest robotic surgical system, the cardiothoracic surgeon kept murmuring exclamations like “cool” and “wow.”
Sure, playing with robots is fun — but for this surgeon, the regional medical center’s updated Intuitive Da Vinci 5 machine is definitely not a toy It’s an extremely precise piece of medical technology that’s going to make his job a little easier — and yes, it’s pretty cool. It is a robot, after all.
According to Haq, robots are now commonly used in thoracic surgeries, which involve opening the chest cavity and working on the heart and lungs. Equipped with powerful cameras, flexible robotic arms and even artificial intelligence machine learning, Haq was impressed at the way the machine lets him handle sensitive procedures while decreasing the potential for patient injury
“The old robot didn’t provide us any kind of feedback on the tissues we’re touching,” Haq said “I could describe it like stretching a rubber band, and you can tell when it’s going to break just by seeing how tight it looks. That’s what the old robot felt like. We would pull tissues apart, but you’d have to use visual cues to determine the tension on the tissues.”
This robot features haptic feedback technology which creates a sense of touch for the user through vibrations or other sensations That lets the surgeon know how close the tissue is to tearing, while allowing them to perform a more precise dissection. Ultimately, Haq said, features like this lessen risk for the patient and can lead
ä See ROBOT, page 4B
First case of West Nile virus found this year
Livingston Parish resident hospitalized from infection
BY MARGARET DELANEY and
The person was hospitalized due to complications from the infection, but no further information about the patient will be released, according to the Health Department. This year, the virus has been confirmed in tested mosquito pools in 14 parishes, according to the Health Department Multiple Louisiana parishes, including Tangipahoa and Orleans, have enacted mosquito abatement efforts, including scheduled truck and helicopter sprays and treatment of standing water to kill mosquito larvae.
It is not uncommon for West Nile to be detected in local mosquito pools. Last year, Louisiana recorded 617 positive mosquito pools. In 2024, there were 57 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in Louisiana, including three deaths. West Nile is a virus that can cause neurological disease and death and is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. Humans, birds, mosquitoes, horses and some other mammals can contract the disease. Between 80% and 90% of all
West Nile virus cases do not cause symptoms, according to the Health Department. About 20% of people infected may develop a fever and experience other symptoms such as headaches, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And 1 in 150 people infected with West Nile virus will develop a severe illness that affects the central nervous system.
ä See WEST NILE, page 4B
Lafayette tops in internet speed
Survey says city gets an ‘A-’
BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor
Lafayette has one of the fastest internet speeds in the country, according to a national report. The survey from ISP Reports in its annual 2025 update of U.S. cities’ internet speeds indicated that Lafayette’s average internet speed of 9,036 Mbps and was second-best among cities with a population between 100,000 and 249,999 residents.
The report gave Lafayette, home of LFT Fiber, an “A-”and noted it for its fiber reaching 92% of households and a digital connectivity index of 66/100. It was Lafayette’s first time to make the list.
“Lafayette combines a strong infrastructure backbone with solid adoption and affordability,” the report read. “Lafayette’s high-speed network is wellpositioned to support ongoing economic growth and enhance community quality of life.”
Lafayette was behind West Valley City, Utah, for the fastest speed in its category Chattanooga, Tennessee, was far ahead of every other major city in the survey regardless of category, at 17,141 Mbps, due to the recent investments in its EPB Fiber Network, one of the nation’s first municipally owned gigabit services. Smaller cities in Tennessee and Utah also had some of the highest speeds in the U.S. ISP Reports used block-level data to assess internet speeds, accounting for both the availability and the number of people who can access high-speed internet in each area, to gain a realistic picture of internet performance in each city Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
Nominations are open for the Dr Mary B. Neiheisel Patron of Hope Award, an honor created by Faith House of Acadiana to recognize people who exemplify compassion and dedication to survivors of domestic violence.
The award is named after Mary B Neiheisel, a nursing professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, known for her passion for advocacy and service to the community
“We are looking for people who work to prevent domestic violence, support survivors and go above and beyond ‘the usual’ for their cause,” said Kristin Boutte, director of prevention and development for Faith House of Acadiana.
Honoring advocates for domestic violence survivors is important because it is such a persistent issue in Louisiana. The state has led the nation in domestic homicides for the past 28 years Individuals who are current employees and board members of Faith House of Acadiana are qualified to be nominated. Nominations can be completed through an online form, mailed to P.O. Box 93145 Lafayette, LA 70509, or emailed to kristen@faithhouseacadiana.com. The submission deadline is noon on Tuesday
The
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Blaise Provitola, area capital manager for Intuitive, left, works with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Safi Haq as he looks through the viewing interface and controls the Intuitive Da Vinci 5, a robotic surgical system,
Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette.
OUR VIEWS
Legislaturewent toofar in loosening gunrestrictions near schools, parades
The U.S. Constitution protectsthe right to bear arms, but the interpretation of the Second Amendmentisdebated, and the limits on gun rights weighed against public safety have been hotlycontested.
Onething thathas longbeen clear to us is that keeping firearms away from schools is an entirely reasonable precaution —particularly in an erainwhich deadlyviolence strikesschools across our country,atevery leveland in every type of community, with horrifying regularity So we weredisappointedtosee theLouisiana Legislature shift away from along-standing restrictiononfirearms within so-calledgunfree zones around schools. SenateBill 101 by state Sen. Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia,which is awaiting Gov.Jeff Landry’ssignatureand expected to get it, would allow those eligible to carry without apermit underlast year’s “constitutionalcarry”law to do so within 1,000 feet of aschool.
We’ve previously expressed ourobjections to last year’slaw,which eliminated arequirement that thosewho carry undergo trainingand also robbed law enforcement of auseful tool to proactively stop violencebefore it happens. The most vocal opposition camefrom NewOrleans public officials, but the LouisianaFraternal OrderofPolice also raised concerns. Polls showed that amajority of Louisianansdid not want the change, andwe’ve got no reason to think public sentimenthas shifted.
Miguez says hisbill will provide consistency, but we don’tthink that should come at theexpense of putting our state’schildrenatfurther risk.
Here’s how Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime CommissioninNew Orleans, summed up the potential effect of further loosening restrictions during thisyear’s session: “For every one example of afirearm preventing acrime from occurring there are going to be multiple examples of abad outcome with afirearm in those areas —that’s whythose laws were passed …It’sreally common-sensical and it’sreally afundamental public safetyissue.”
We also have deep reservations overanother measure that theLegislaturepassed,HouseBill 393 by state Rep. DennisBamburg Jr R-Bossier City,which has already gotten the governor’s signature.
This one addresses the righttoconcealed carry along densely packed paraderoutes. Prior law banned most guns at parades and demonstrations, but the language was unclear We have no objection to clarifying therules,but we do worry about the specifics of the newlaw, which specifies that thoseattending parades and protests can carry concealed weapons but participants cannot.
This doesn’taddress the type ofgun violence among densely packed spectators that has brought tragedy to parade routes inthe past. And we dare say it’snot going to make people whoride, walk or march —let alone thosewho showuptopass agood time alongthe route but could end up in the crossfire —any safer. Which is supposed to be thewhole point, isn’t it?
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
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YOUR VIEWS
Free speech advocateswant attacksonlawsuit to stop
We’rewriting to correct misinformationabout our lawsuit against Robert Judge. At the May19meeting of the Lafayette LibraryBoardofControl, Judge made misleading, self-serving statementsabout aproposedsettlement agreement —remarks that should have been reserved for executive session, as listedonthe agenda. Unfortunately, theseremarks have since been echoed and amplified by Judge’spolitical ally, Michael Lunsford, and board member Daniel Kelly,who have mischaracterized both our motives and thefacts
Let’s be clear: This lawsuit exists becauseJudge chose to ignore Louisiana’s OpenMeetings Law,and that refusal to follow thelaw has had consequences for the Lafayette Consolidated Government and the librarysystem,not because of any action on our part.Attemptstoshiftblameontousare not just dishonest;they are dangerous distortions of reality Even worse, Judge and Lunsford have falsely claimed that we filed this lawsuit in order to “put porn” in the
children’ssection of the library.This accusation is not only entirely false —it is offensive. It demeans honest efforts to protect therightsoflibrary users and misrepresents the core issue: accountability
Our lawsuit challenges policies adopted by the LibraryBoard of Control that restrictpublic comment during meetings —speech protected by the Constitution. As First Amendment advocates, we would never support any settlement thatrestricts Judge’sright to speak, andwenever have. Any suggestion to the contrary is simplyuntrue.
This case is about upholding transparency, accountability and the public’s right to participate in government. Our community deserves leaders who protect public expression, not suppress it. We askJudge and Lunsford to please stopspreading lies about this case and our intentions.Weremain committed to defending civil liberties and holding public officials accountable.
LYNETTE MEJIA and MELANIEBREVIS co-founders,Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship
Parade notpresented with respect it deserved
Iwas disappointed in the Advocate’s coverage of the parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.Your coverage was more about theprotests than the parade. The photoshown on an inside page was terribly disrespectful of our Secretary of Defense. Obviously,The Associated Pressphotographer didn’tcover the viewing stand very well, as there were smiles and respect coming from our leaders and their wives throughout the parade.
Iwas able to watch the parade in its entirety.Asa graduateofbothhistoryand education, Iwould highly recommend the Fox News footage of theevent.Its coverage of the parade showed the Army’suniformsand equipment used throughout history The parade announcer’scommentary
A1961 episode of Rod Serling’s“The Twilight Zone” titled “It’s aGood Life” featured 6-year-old Anthony Fremont, an undisciplined, spoiled brat who had godlike mental powers, including mind-reading. Having witnessed Anthony’spower to makepeople disappear for having “unhappy thoughts” or thinking less
was wonderful, telling the history of our nation’sArmyfrom its conception in 1775 to now.Itwould be afabulous tool for classrooms across the country The costumes and military equipment from all 250 years were represented. My father,who passed away last summer,was amember of the 106th Infantry Division in World WarII. He was captured by theGermans in the Battle of theBulge and held in work camps for several months. He would have loved to have seen this tribute to theArmy. It was truly an event that honors all the men and women who have served their country with honor and bravery for thelast 250 years so that we live the lives we have today Youcannot put aprice on that.
ANN BERNARD
Baton Rouge
than positive thoughts about him,the adultsfell all over themselves trying to please Anthony,fearing they’d incur his anger and the punishment he’d impose. Who would have expected that a1960s television show would predict theRepublican Party of 2025?
WAYNE
PARKER Baton Rouge
Scrutinize corporate welfareasmuchas we do SNAP
Per Senate Bill 14, Iapplaud the governor and Legislature for taking astand on health, but wonderiftheir efforts shouldn’tbeexpanded. According to the Cato Institute, the average American family pays approximately $870 each year in taxes to fund “corporate welfare” —direct subsidies and grants to private companies. Compared with approximately $516 afamily pays for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance or,SNAP,shouldn’twedemand the same targeted scrutiny of aprogram getting significantly more of our taxpayer dollars?
If we agree that sugary drinks are unhealthy and should be banned from SNAP purchases, then we should apply that same rigor to the more expensive corporate subsidies: Legislate how they spend taxpayer-funded handouts so sweet deals like covering executive compensation, buying back stocks and paying down debt are prohibited. Or,inthe absence of enhanced oversight of corporate handouts, we could simply ban unhealthy sugary drinks for everyone, rather than punish afew
SARAH KRACKE Baton Rouge
Shameonlawmakers who shielded nursinghomes
Iamhorrified that the Republican majority in the Louisiana Legislature passed Senate Bill 134, which shields nursing homes from lawsuits. Louisiana nursing homes are consistently ranked among the worst in the nation. And no lessons were learned from Bob Dean’sdeadly performance after Hurricane Ida. Apparently,over $1 millionincampaign contributions in 2023 and amassive lobbying effort in 2025 were sufficient to convince GOP representatives that the state wasin danger of losing its disgustingly rank homes for the elderly if the Legislature didn’tshield them from lawsuits. How do these elected officials sleep at night? Oh, Iforgot. They have piles of cash to keep them warm and comfortable. Easy to forget the elderly whenyou know they maydie before the next election. Pray none of our legislators or their family members ever have to go into aLouisiana nursing home.
TERRYVERIGAN Metairie
‘Good news’doesn’t have to be acontradiction in terms
Anumber of recent examplesshow that despite what the cynics say,the expression “good news”isn’t an oxymoron. You’ve all probably heard theold saying about newspapersand local newscasts, that “if it bleeds, it leads,” meaning that only blood and tragedy draws attention. Or you know the old Don Henley song “Dirty Laundry,” where he excoriates the newsman’ssupposed attitude that “it’sinteresting when people die Canwefilm the operation? Is the head dead yet?”
Well, Louisianans don’tneed to fall forthat. Here, we celebrate life and joy within and despite tragedies. And our coverage in the pages of thisnewspaper show an appreciation that good news isn’tjust for suckers. Each of the following items probably merits afull column of itsown,but for now, let’sjustnoticesome of thestories we can celebrate, several of which made it into our “most popular” list of articles online. And no, this isn’tjust about theEmpire State Building turning purpleand gold in honor of the LSU Tigers’ national baseball title.
Swamp Start with the final $60 million, for a $500 million project, comingfrom the RESTORE council for restoration of the MaurepasSwamp between Blind River,Lake Maurepas and the towns of Gramercy,Garyville and Reserve. Until loggers culled millionsofcypress trees more than acentury ago, much of southern Louisiana consisted of forested wetlands.Now,though, the 45,000 acres of the Maurepas Swamp (a pittance of the territory once bejeweled with those noble trees) is one of the largest forested wetlandsinthe country
Alas, cut off from theMississippi River morethan 80 years ago, the Maurepas Swamp has been slowly dying. But it’snot dead yet, and this $500 million project,which will slowly divert river water back into the swamp, is designedtosave it. Not to beconfused with the much larger and far more controversial diversion project into Barataria Bay,this onewill restore what once was anatural amount of annual spring flooding from theriver into the swamp without overwhelming fisheries with so much fresh water that it kills them. Meanwhile, the Coalition to RestoreCoastal Louisiana will keep planting thousands of new cypress and water tupelo trees, re-establishing wildlife habitat and sportsman’s opportunitiesand boosting floodprotection for nearby communities.
This is greatstuff.
Youthrecreation
Downriver in New Orleans, meanwhile, recreational activities involving organized games (rather than wild game)are getting abig boost from the state government, in partnership with numerous civic groups and withthe UniversityofNew Orleans. Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration is providing $1.95 million to renovate UNO ballfields, pools and gyms for swimming, gymnastics, baseball, soccer,tennis andflag football. In conjunction with the500-group NOLA Coalition, the nonprofit sports organization The 18th Ward, theMetropolitan Crime Commission and other outfits, thenewly formed Recreation for YouthPartnership will complement (not supplant)other offerings such as those from the New OrleansRecreationDepartment, all to give area youthwaystospend their hours that are healthyand fun.
Youthvolunteers In news that will be making alot
moreheadlines amonth from now,the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is sending 20,000 teenagers, youthpastorsand adult volunteers toNew Orleans from July 19-23, where they will provide an astonishing 150,000 service hours for various charitable projects across the metro area. More on this later,but this convention surely will be atremendous boon to theentire region.
Medstudentsvolunteering
Speaking of volunteers, LSUmedical students in May kept up a40-year tradition of running Camp Tiger,which provides field tripsand summer camp activities for about 75 children, aged 6 to 15, with various mental andphysical disabilities. Trips to the Audubon Aquarium,Insectarium and Zoo, and to an arcade, are among those that highlight theweeklong project. The children, with ailments ranging from Down syndrome to autismtokidney disease, get asense of adventure and of supportive contact withsoon-to-be doctors, while the med students, as reported by this newspaper’sMarie Fazio, “get firsthand experience withthe first patientsoftheir medical careers.”
Studentart
Finally,it’ssmile-inducing to see thepainting —ofawindup toy fish in aswimming pool lane —from recent Haynes Academy graduate Madison Howard that won the 2025 Rau for Art Scholarship competition. Bright and cheerful, the painting “Bubba” earns her achance to travel to Florence, Italy,tostudy art for four weeks. (Read all about it in aJune 23 online story by Robert Wolfe.)
Sometimes, good news doesn’tsink from sight. We’re all blessed when it surfaces.
Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin. hillyer@theadvocate.com.
If you don’thave anything nice to say, just make somethingupinstead.
The word “badass” wasbandied about alot afterthe first assassination attempt on Donald Trump last year
Famously,the bloodied Republican candidate raisedhis fist in defiance. In adifferent context, the same pungent word appliestohis 2a.m.strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump the TV starhas aknack for the theatrical andgrand gesture.Thatobviously matters in domestic politics, but in internationalaffairs, too, where projecting strength andcommand arejust as important.
We don’tknowwhere the war headsfromhereand need to learnmoreabout the damage thatwas inflicted. Still, it was an operationwith adistinctand very useful element of Trump badassery
It’snot thatTrump always follows through on his threats. He doesn’t, with his on-and-off “liberation day” tariffs an ongoing example of backing offand recalibrating. But whenhe makes good on athreat, it leaves amark. He’s said howforeign adversaries in his first term didn’talways believe his threats 100%; theymight believe him some percentage less thanthat, but it’d still be enough to make them wonder Afterthis, whatever that number is just went up another30% or so.
Trump’ssignature military operations haven’tbeen particularly complex: smashing ISIS, killing Soleimani, bombing Fordow and otherIraniannuclear facilities. They haven’t requiredmustering big international coalitions or launching, say,amphibious landings. But theyachieve an outsized effect thanks to the stark terms in which they are promised (e.g.,bombing “the s***” out of ISIS), or the sheer audacity of the operation. Killing Soleimani was averylimited action but one that was shocking allthe same.Bombing Fordow andthe othersiteswas also quite focused, but the operationcame as astrategic thunderclap. One way to put it is thatthe “shock and awe” bombing campaign before the secondIraq Warwas much less awesomethan advertised, anda prelude to agrinding, drawn-out conflict. Trump’soperations tend, in contrast, to be all shock andawe, andfor real.
That’sthe strategy Republican politicians have adoptedin hopes of selling their regressive, unpopular budget billtovoters, as an even harsherversion of the legislationnow makes its waythrough the Senate. The One Big Beautiful Bill is already deeply underwater,voter-wise. Multiple polls now show that about twice as many Americans oppose the bill as support it. This should not be asurprise, giventhat this legislation is effectively amash-up of multiple past GOP initiatives that, individually,had each been among the worstpolling major bills in recent history
For example, the OBBB includestax cuts that disproportionatelybenefit the wealthy; when Republicans last did this, with their 2017 tax overhaul,the legislation garnered more opposition than support in virtually every poll. The OBBB also includes asort of backdoor Obamacare repeal by slashing Medicaid and other measures. As battle-scarred Republicans might remember,their last attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act so enraged voters thatthe party suffered awatershed wipeout in the subsequent midterms.
If you combine these historically unpopular provisions —paying for regressive tax cuts by slashingmajor health care and other safety-netprograms for thepoor of course voters will hate it. Here, voters’ revulsion happens to be grounded in data (which, candidly is not always the case). As I’ve noted before, the OBBB couldeasily become the largest single transfer of wealth from poor to rich in U.S. history.The Congressional Budget Office, the legislature’snonpartisan scorekeeper, estimated that those in the bottomtenth of households by income would become about 4% poorer as aresult of the bill. By contrast, the typical household at the
richend ofthe income spectrum would become 2.3% richer.
Thosefigures are for the Housepassedversion of the OBBB. Afew days ago, the Senateintroduced its own versionofthe legislation. Many moderate HouseRepublicans appear to have been banking onthe Senatemaking their legislation better —that is, less punishing forthe poorthrough less draconian cuts to the safety net.After all, some GOP senators, including JoshHawley of Missouri, have warned thatMedicaid cuts would devastateruralcommunities, home to plenty of Republican voters. But that moderation and mercydid notarrive,atleastnot in this initial draftfrom theSenate. For example, the red-tape Medicaid “work requirements” have gotten worse;theyhave been extended to more Americans,such as parents with teenage children. As I’ve written before, Medicaid work requirements are asolutioninsearchofaproblem, as nearly all Medicaid enrollees are either already workingorhave arecognized exemption (such as adisability, caregiver status or full-time school enrollment).But the effectwould be to boot millions of eligible Americans off their insurance anyway,due to added paperwork and other bureaucratic hurdles Cruel, unpopular ideas from Repub-
licans are apolitical gift to Democrats, of course.Sohow areRepublicans responding? Not by defending theiragenda on itsmerits,but by lying about or misrepresenting what theyplan to do For example, the CBO estimates that about 11 million people would become uninsured as adirect result of thebill. Republican officials have responded by asserting: 1. No one will losetheir insurance (a completely false claim from Trump’sbudget director,Russell Vought); 2. Don’tworry,only undeserving freeloaders will lose their insurance, not hardworking Americans like you (perHouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, among others); or 3. Hey,we’reall going to die anyway (guessyou can’targue withthattake, via Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst). Republican politicians have also repeatedly attacked the refbyimpugning the integrityofthe hardworking, independent professionals at theCBO. White House press secretary Karoline Leavittclaims they’reall in thetank for Democrats (theCBO is nonpartisan —and not that it should matter, but the current director held senior roles in the George W. Bush administration). Sen. TimScott,R-South Carolina, also recently criticized the CBO for forecasts it supposedly made 50 years before it existed. Elsewhere, some promotional campaigns for thebill wholly fabricate morepalatable thingsthe legislation doesn’tdo. For example, anational ad campaign from aGOP-aligned 501(c)4 organization suggeststhe bill cutstaxes on Social Security benefits. Trumpdid promise to do so on the campaign trail, but it’snowhereinthis bill. People can reasonably disagree about whether it’swise to gut thesocial safety net in service of trillions of dollars’ worth of taxcuts. But Republicans should defend that agenda, ratherthan singing thepraisesofa bill thatdoesn’t exist.
Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@ washpost.com.
He represents the opposite approach of Robert McNamara during the Vietnam War. Basically,the formerbusiness executive and LBJ defense secretary believed that talented managers could micromanage their wayto successingovernment —complicated problems requiredcomplex analysis, shorn of a humanelement.
The Trump methodistosimplify everything andapply blunt-force solutions, undergirded by averyhumanpsychology of dominance. To wit, Iran can’t have anuclear bomb. Diplomacywould be ideal. But if it doesn’twork, military force will be necessary TinkertoEvers to Chance. QED.
Trump provedimmune to anysubtle and counterintuitive theories about Iran, displaying the attitude toward the regime thatyou’d expect of anycommonsensicalAmerican who’slivedthrough the last 45 years.
Anotherway to look at Trump’sstrike is as the bookendofDesert One in 1980, Jimmy Carter’smisbegotten hostage rescue operation.
The failure of thatattempt represented a humiliation thatwas another blow to our nationalself-confidenceand wasasymbol of the reduced state of the post-VietnamU.S. military.Italso spoke to the staying power of the Iranian regime at its inception.
This is the opposite.The strike showcased the remarkable reach and proficiency of the U.S. military,and apresident willing to wield it as necessary.The operation mayeventually —although this is less certain —beseen as a prelude to the endofadecrepit regime
Again, who knows how this all plays out, and it maybethatthere are unanticipated downsidesand missioncreep. Trump posted the otherday aboutregimechange.
The Iranians might believe that it’smerely bluster, but theyneed to take it more seriously thanonly acouple of days ago. Suchis the effect of Trump’sbadass move, and we should hope it is being felt not just in Tehran but in everycapitalofacountry thatwishes us harm.
Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, gives reporters an optimistic outlook to passing President Donald Trump’sbig tax and immigration bill.
Rich Lowry
Catherine Rampell
Quin Hillyer
47-yearU.S.residentarrestedbyICE
NewOrleans Iranian woman
BY JAMES FINN Staff writer
An Iranian woman who has lived in the United Statesfor 47 years and has no criminal record was detained by federal agentsSunday morning as she gardened outsideher Lakeview home.
Mandonna “Donna” Kashanian, 64, was handcuffed and placed in the back of apickup by agents whoarrived in three unmarked vehicles, a witness said. She was taken to Hancock County,Mississippi, where she spent anight in the local jail before being moved to the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile.
Kashanian came to the United States in 1978 on a student visa and eventually appliedfor asylum,but her claim was denied. Federal officials granted her areprieve to stay in the country provided she follow the law and appear at regular immigration appointments. Family members say Kashanian never missed one of those appointments and has never been accused of acrime. She remainedincustody in Basile on Wednesday, according to federal records.
Kashanian’sarrest highlights how President Donald Trump’swidening immigration crackdown is, in part, focusing on people who were long allowed to stay in the United States while their immigration cases unfolded, but who now face detention and possible removal as federal officials scramble to meet the administration’s ambitious deportation quotas.
“As long as she was reporting andabiding by the rules of this stay,wethought she would be able to, you
ROBOT
Continued from page1B
to faster,more complete recoveries
Yes, this is an AI robot as well —but that doesn’t meanitwill learn to perform surgeries on its own. The AI integration provides features to help surgeons analyze their “game tape,” in Haq’swords, leading to better understand-
WEST NILE
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No specific medicines treat the virus, butrest, fluids and pain medications may relieve symptoms.
Mosquito protection
The most important way to prevent mosquitoes is by dumping standing water that could be collecting outsideofthe home, according to New Orleans Mosquito Rat and TermiteControl
Board director Claudia Riegel Riegel encouraged residentstospend just 10 minutes aweek scanning yards on trash day to see if any items could be collecting water
Even small containers with water inside, like a soda can, can be aproductive site formosquito breeding.
As for keeping bugs off the skin,bug spray,long sleeves andstaying near airflow from fans while outsideisthe best.
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know,live here inNew Orleanswith no problem,”said Kashanian’shusband, Russ Milne.Milne and the couple’s 32-year-old daughter,Kaitlynn Milne, are both U.S. citizens.
Kashanian’sdetention came hours after U.S. military forces bombed targets inside her home country,partofan escalatingconflict between Iran and Israel, aU.S. military ally Spokespeople for the Trump administration, theDepartment of Homeland Security and New Orleans’ Immigrationand CustomsEnforcement field office didnot respondto inquiries about the case.A DHS official, however,issued astatementonTuesday toutingarrests over the weekend of 11 Iranians in various U.S. cities,sayingthe arrestees hadbeen accusedofcrimes includingterrorism.
DecadesinLouisiana
Kashanian was 17 when shecame to the United States, her husband said. When her student visa expiredseveral yearslater, she appliedfor asylum.Her father had worked in Tehran as an engineer for theU.S.backed Shah,whose regime toppled in 1979, and Kashanian feared retribution if she returned, her husband said. While her asylum application wound itsway through the courts, Kashanian built alife in New Orleans. Shetendedbar in the French Quarter,whereshe met Milne, who managed a restaurant where Kashanian would kill time after shifts.
The twomarried in 1990.
“Weproactively deliver on President Trump’smandate to securethe homeland,” spokespersonTricia McLaughlin wrote Separately,atleast one Iranian-bornLSU student was detained by ICE inBatonRouge, according to the agency’sdatabase. In New York, an Iranian man who hadsuccessfully petitioned for asylum andhad no criminal record was taken into custody Monday,according to NBC News.
Kashanian had long argued to immigrationofficialsthat returning to Iran wouldput her in danger and even beforeSaturday’s bombing mission, she feared that her country’sstatusas an enemy of the United States couldimperilher effortstostay, her husband said “Wethink what precipitated this actionwas,obviously,the events in the Middle East,” Milne said.
ing of which parts of the surgery were successful, and which could have been improved. He said, “It also allows us to have areal-time live consultation with another surgeonwho mightbeina different part of the country. So duringthe surgery, we canget someonewho’s experienced or aleader in thefieldtoprovide insight on howto proceed with a complex situation.” Robots have been in the
Southern housemosquitoes also bite in theevening, Riegelsaid, so try to lessen the time spent outside at night. Here area few extra tips to stay safe during mosquito season: n Wear an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent when outdoors.
Kashanian’sapplication was rejected by the U.S.5th CircuitCourt of Appealsover adecade later,but federal authorities granted her a“stay of removal” —anadministrative reprieve handed out at immigration officials’ discretion underwhich they agree not to deport someone provided they appear as orderedfor immigration check-ins.
Kashaniannever missed one of those meetings, according to her husband.
Her roots in New Orleans deepenedover the following 25 years. Shevolunteered for Habitatfor Humanity after HurricaneKatrina,building homes in the hard-hit 7th Ward andChalmette —and rebuilding herown, which flooded badly in the landmark storm. She worked as a caregiver for the elderly and cooked for neighbors, sharing her feats on aYouTube channeldedicated to traditional Persian cooking. She joined the parent-teacher association at the schools her daughter attended.
“She’salways worked she’shad adriver’slicense,
operatingroom for decades now, equippedwith technologies that allow them to assist in increasingly complexprocedures. The key wordthere is “assist,”said Haq, who said he sees the robotic surgical system as akin to oneofhis other instruments, like forceps or aknife.
“The robot doesn’tdoany of the surgery,” he said. “It provides instruments that articulate so they move like our wrist. And you kind of
n Wear long-sleeved, loose-fitting clothing.
n Spray bug spray on exposed skin or on top of clothes.
n Apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent.
n Weather-strip doors andwindowsand check for holes in screens.
EmailMargaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.
she has aSocial Security card, she’spaid taxes,” Milne said. “She’sabout to qualify forMedicare. She’sbeen a contributiontothe community for her whole life.
Milne said Kashanian expressed anxiety over the years about her immigration status. She tried to apply for agreencard under aprogram for spouses of U.S. citizens,but wasrejected due to aprevious marriage she had in the 1980s thatofficials haddeemedfraudulent, her daughtersaid.Kashanian’s fear sharpened when Trump took office following acampaign where he promised to round up anddeport millions.
Homero López, aNew Orleans-based immigration attorneyand former immigration judge, said agents are increasingly arresting people who have long complied with immigration check-ins, including those withstays of removal.
Rather than alegally binding order,the administrative measure Kashanian was living under is imposed at ICE’s discretion. Trump’sadministration is revoking many of them.
“Those cases are low-hanging fruit as theyseek to meet Trump’squotas,” he said. Afamiliarpattern
Witnesses described Kashanian’sarrest as following afamiliar pattern underTrump’simmigration crackdown —plainclothes agents, wearing body armor but without identifiable agency insignia, handcuffing people before placing them into unmarkedvehiclesand transportingthemtodetentionfacilities
Kashanian’snext-door neighbor,Sarah Gerig, said herfriend’sarrest took less thanaminute.
“She was able to say, ‘Find my husband andtell him what happened,’ ”Gerig said. “The ICEagent gave my husband athumbs-
up and got in the car and zoomed off.”
The family got abrief call from Kashanian later that day as she was being processed at the ICE office in downtown New Orleans. A federal agent was present on the other end of the line, Kaitlynn Milne said, but declined to answer when the family asked if he had ajudge’s warrant forher mother’sarrest.
The family didn’thear from Kashanian again until Tuesday,when she called fromBasile. She said the privately-contracted ICE facility is relatively clean and well-maintained.
Fortwo days, Russ Milne andhis daughter,withthe help of Gerig, have made calls and pored over files at thefamily’sdiningroomtable as they struggled to find an immigrationlawyer the result of what attorneys describe as alack of enough litigators to meet Louisiana’s largenumberofpeople in ICE detention.
Kashanian’sdetention drew criticism Wednesday from her representative on the New Orleans City Council, Joe Giarrusso.
“I usually don’tcomment on federal issues but this is alocal issue, too,” said Giarrusso, aDemocrat. “Someone living here with the federal government’sfull knowledge and approval for nearly 50 years is hardly public enemy No. 1. This should not happen.”
López, the immigration attorney and former judge, said the conflict with Iran could present apossible newargument for Kashanian to fight her deportation in immigration court. But he also noted that the Trump administration won avictory before theU.S.Supreme Court this week when the high courtruled that it could deportmigrantstoplaces other than their countries of origin in some cases.
get in themagic school bus and get inside thechest, so youfeellike you’re working in the chest in ahighly
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Cam Jordan believes his defensiveline cohort Bryan Bresee should have made the Pro Bowl in 2024.
Bresee, in hissecond seasonafterthe New Orleans Saintsselected him in the first round out of Clemson in 2023, recorded 7.5sacks and14quarterbackhits last season.Thosenumbersplacedhim in aselect group among NFL defensive tackles, with his sacksrankingthird and his quarterback hitsranking10th
“Comeon,” Jordan said. “Seven-anda-half (sacks) will normally get you in.”
There’snodenyingBresee’sskill as apass rusher.His 12 sacks sincehis rookie season rank sixth among NFL defensive tackles, ahead of somebigname players such as Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter andTennessee’sJeffery Simmons.
What was likely holding Bresee back compared to his contemporaries was his relative ineffectiveness as arun defender.According to ProFootball Focus, more than two-thirds of Bresee’ssnaps came as apass rusher andthat waslikely for good reason. Breseeranked 218th out of 219 interior defensive linemeninthe service’srun-defense grades.
Things may be different this year.
The Saints hired Brandon Staley to serve as thedefensive coordinator, and he is bringing an entirely new scheme
“Lining up outside on atackleor whatever,there’smore room.You’re abletomove more, there’smore space. Most of the time, your double teams are not aguard and atackle, it’satackleand atight end.”
BRyAN BRESEE, Saintsdefensivetackle
with him. That could be beneficial for Bresee, whoseregularalignment is going to look different than it did under former headcoach Dennis Allen
In Allen’s4-3 scheme, Bresee was most often playingasthe 3-technique defensive tackle, an alignment that often had himover the offensive guard’soutside shoulder.InStaley’sscheme, he will more often lineupdirectlyover theoffensive tackle in a4-technique position.
Or,inBresee’swords, he will be “furtheraway from the football,” which could lead to more opportunities for himtolean into hisstrengths as aplayer
“Lining up outside on atackle or whatever, there’smoreroom,” Bresee said “You’re able to move more, there’smore space. Most of thetime, your double teamsare not aguardand atackle, it’sa tackle and atight end.”
Or the scheme maysimply present him with moreopportunities to not face adoubleteam at all. Jordan described Staley’s defenseasone that is “geared toward one-on-ones.”
“Head up on atackle, you’renolonger splitting the guard and center,” Jordan said. “You’re not playing nose,you’re notplaying 0(technique), which is right abovethe center.Now you’re getting alot moreone-on-ones.
“... And you’re tellingmeBryan Bresee versus anybody one-on-one? Ilike Bryan Bresee.”
Bresee said he had some level of comfort withhis new defensive coordinator before he was even hired because he met with him priortothe 2023 draft when Staley was still the Los Angeles Chargers head coach.
He sees Staley as someone who understands how to put his best players in aposition to succeed. While it has been difficult to get atruegauge on whatthat meansthissummerbecause neither the offensive nordefensive lines have played live practice snaps, Bresee can see how Staley’splay calls are difficult foropposing offenses to contend with.
“It’sjust so many differentvariables than what you’re usedto,” Bresee said. “There will be different opportunities for me to lineupindifferent places. That just kind of comes withthe scheme.”
Andthat might be agood thing forBresee, specifically
“I think this year he’ll have alot more sacks, and this will be his year to makea lotofhay towardhis legacy,” Jordan said.
Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@ theadvocate.com.
Physicians wary of lawsuits in NILera
BY ERIC OLSON AP collegefootball writer
Theprofessionalization of college sports has prompted concern among teamphysicians that they will be exposedtoagreaterrisk of being sued by athletes who claim apoor outcome from treatment caused them to lose future earnings. Before July 2021 —when college athletes were cleared to be compensated by third parties for the use of their name, image andlikeness —such lawsuits would have been virtually unwinnable.
Four years later,and with schools set to share millions directly with their athletes, team physicians are wary.Some of the most highprofile college athletes are already signing multimillion-dollar deals and six-figure contracts arecommon.
Though no malpractice lawsuits seeking lost future earnings at the college level are known to have been filed, it’sonly amatterof time, said Dr.James Borchers, Big
Tenchief medical officer and presidentand CEO of the U.S.Council for Athletes’ Health.
“The complexityfor theclinician is goingtobesignificant,” he said.
“I do think there are people who are going to evaluate this andsay, ‘I didn’tsign up for an 18-year-old making amilliondollars and then saying the decision Imakeaffected theirability to make money.’I think youmay see people saythis isn’tfor me.”
The case of former PhiladelphiaEagles player Chris Maragos jolted thesportsmedicinefield in 2023 when ajury ordered his surgeonand an orthopedics group affiliated with the team to pay him $43.5 million for lostfutureearnings and pain and suffering after he alleged improper careofaknee injury.The orthopedics group ended its two-decadeassociation with the Eagles out of fear of future lawsuits.
At thecollegelevel, it still would be hard for an athlete to contend ateam doctor’serrantcare cost them an opportunity to makemon-
ey in professional sports because there are no guarantees to playat the next level. However,acollege athlete who didn’thave an optimal recovery couldargue treatment reduced their ability to makeNIL money or to transfer to ahigherlevel school where they could makemore money
“You had an ACL tear,Idid surgery and younever quite made it back —back in my day, you just had bad luck,”said Borchers, who played football at Ohio Statefrom 1989-93. “You’re makingamillion dollarsand thathappens,you’re probably having adifferent discussion.”
Borchers offered ahypothetical situation toillustrate his concerns about the pressures faced by team doctors. Areceiver is treated for a hamstring injury,returns to play and reinjures the hamstring. The receiver says theinjury never felt fully healed andhis agenttakes himtoanother doctor whohas a differentopinion on how theinjury should have been treated. Borchers said the receiver would
The New Orleans Super Bowlhost committee held abreakfast Wednesday morning to thank sponsors and staffmembers forajob well done. It wasachance forlocal officials to figuratively spike the football on awildly successful Super BowlLIX. And deservedly so. Super BowlLIX wasa homerun foreveryone involved, especially the local host committee, led by chairman Marcus Brown, and executives with the NewOrleans Saints and Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.
The collaboration among local, state and regional partners was inspiring, and the results werespectacular Super BowlLIX had a$1.25 billion economic impact on the state, including $658 million in direct spending, according to arecent study by the LSU Center forEconomics, Business and Policy Research. There were ancillary benefits, as well, such as extensive infrastructure improvements across the city The intangible benefits might have been even greater than the tangible ones. The Super Bowlarrived at atime when New Orleans desperately needed it. In the wakeofthe traumatic New Year’sDay terrorist attack and aseemingly endless string of bad newsout of city hall, the Super Bowldelivered a much-needed boost to our civic pride and collective self-esteem Browncalled it “one of the momentous achievements ever forour city and state. We broke records and set new standards forall future host cities.”
As with any event of such size and scale, not everything wasperfect. The city will need to address somethings before our next Super Bowl, among them arelative lack of corporate event space and high-end hotel rooms. Likewise, the influx of visitors, at times, overwhelmed the airport and its staff. Otherwise, the reports from the NFL were exemplary “The best Super Bowlthe NFLhas ever had, according to (NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell,” is how Saints owner Gayle Benson described it. Local officials wisely are trying to ride the momentum.Noone wants to wait another 11 or 12 years, as we had to do forour last twoSuper Bowls. But, as always, the quest foranother one is complicated.
First and foremost, the competition is morefierce than ever.Where Miami, Phoenix and Tampawere once seen as NewOrleans’ maincompetitors forthe big game, Las Vegas and Los Angeles have joined the mix. Both check all the Super Bowlboxes, with new stadiums, good weather,great nightlife and massive hotel inventories. Each will be regulars in future Super Bowl
have been betteroff to sit out longer and miss afew moregames. “But there wasn’tmoney tied to that,” he said. “Now
STAFF FILEPHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Los Angeles Rams quarterbackMatthewStaffordistackled by Saints defensivetackle BryanBresee during agame at Caesars Superdome on Dec.1
ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By EUGENE TANNER Oregon State medicaltrainers check the right knee of linebackerMatthew Tago during agameagainst Hawaii on Sept. 7, 2019, in Honolulu.
10
2p.m.
2p.m.
LOUISIANASPORTSHALLOFFAME
8p.m.U.S.vs. Ireland TBS WNBA
6p.m.Los Angeles at Indiana PRIME
9p.m.Washington at Las VegasPRIME
Granger’sgameblossomed in Metairie
BY BILL BUMGARNER
Contributing writer
This is an entry in aprofile series of inductees for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The induction ceremony is set for Saturday in Natchitoches.
Enshrinement in an athletic Hall of Fame requiresahigh level of success over alengthy periodof time.
During abasketball career thatbegan at Grace King High School in Metairie and ended with astandout 10-year NBA career, Danny Granger certainly checked all of the boxes for his pathto the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025. The induction ceremony is set for Saturday in Natchitoches.
Even though Granger loved the game, it wasn’this firstchoice
“My favorite sport wasreally football,” he said. “But Ilook back and Ifeel lucky just to have been playing basketball the majority of my youth. Ifelt one of my strengths was passingthe ball to other players,which helped me stay on thefloor. Thegamealways drove me to get better.For me, playing basketball was surreal.” In high school, the 6-foot-8 Granger was tall enough toplay center and skilled enough to shoot from the outside.Asa senior,heaveraged24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 5.5 blocks before heading to the next level.
His initial college choice was Yale,but theIvy League school didnot offercivil engineering which was his goal as amajor Instead, he and teammate Michael Suggs chose Bradley University where they stayed for two years before decidingtotransfer to New Mexico.
Granger’ssturdy 230-pound frame provided astrong presence inside and he made the most of it, averaging morethan 7.0 rebounds agame in all four of his collegiate seasons. He also was able to stepout and affect games with his scoring ability
He racked up 19.2 points agame as asophomore at Bradley,then averaged 19.5 and 18.8 points in his two seasons at New Mexico.
Granger averaged in double
Rookie
BY STEVE MEGARGEE AP sportswriter
MILWAUKEE Milwaukee’sJacob
Misiorowski made an extra effort to avoid getting caught up in all thehype surrounding therookie flamethrower’shighly anticipated matchup with Pittsburgh’sPaul Skenes.
“It was just one of those things that you wanted to try and calm yourself down as much as possible and stay off the internet becauseI feel like everything Iswiped was me andSkenes, me and Skenes, me and Skenes,” Misiorowski said after the Brewers’ 4-2 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday.“Ihad to mute it, turn it off.”
Theway he’s pitching, Misiorowski better get accustomedto the extra attention.
After throwing five shutout innings to outperform the 2024 NL rookie of the year,Misiorowski owns a3-0 record and 1.13 earned run average. The three hits Misiorowski has allowedthus far is the fewest by any major league pitcher through his first three career starts withaminimumof 16 innings pitched since at least1901, according to Sportradar Plenty of history was made Wednesday According to Sportradar,Misiorowski averaged 99.5 mph and Skenes averaged 98.5 on their fastballs.That representedthe highest combined fastball velocity by two starting pitchers in the same game since at least 2009.
Misiorowski reached at least 100 mph on 19 of his 74 pitches —reachingacareer-bestpeak of 102.4 —and Skenes got to 100 mph once out of 78 pitches. Since at least 2009, this marked the most
By WALLySANTANA
NBAPacers forwardDannyGranger,center,moves past Houston Rockets players Donatas Montiejunas, left, and FranciscoGarcia during apreseason game against the Houston Rockets in Taipei, Taiwan, on Oct.13, 2013.Granger played for10seasons in the NBA.
figuresinall four of his collegiate seasonsand finishedhis 95-game career averaging 16.7ppg while shooting 49.6% from the field, including 36.6% from beyond the 3-pointarc.
In the 2005 NBA Draft, Granger was afirst-round pick (17thoverall) of theIndiana Pacers.
He played atotal of 10 NBA seasons, starring for the Pacers for 81/2 seasons(2006-14), including an All-Star appearancein2009 —before finishing his career with the Los AngelesClippers (2014)and Miami Heat(2015)
Granger’s pro career got off to a bit of aslow start, but it didn’ttake long for him to become astaple in thePacers’ lineupasasmall forward
After averaging 7.5 ppg as a rookie in the2005-06 season while playing withestablishedhighscoring veterans such as Ron Artest,PejaStojakovic, Stephen Jackson andJermaine O’Neal, Granger set acourse that would see him become one of the team’s rising stars over thenext few seasons.
His star rose quickly when Granger accepted the role he was
asked to play.That meantdoing thingsthe rightway on andoff the court and being an unselfish teammate.
Thoseweresome of thethings that impressed Mike Wells, aformer Indianapolis Star sportswriter who was the Pacers beat writer during Granger’stenure with the club.
Wells said the biggest thing was Granger’s decision to follow the older players on the court, not off thecourt, at atimewhen some Pacerswereinthe papers and newscasts for the wrong reasons.
“Danny was always there before practice working on his shooting withthe other perimeter players,” Wellssaid, “and he wasalwaysout theredoing more work afterpractice.”
It certainly showed up when Granger improved his scoring average by morethan five points in each of the next three seasons.
That stretch culminated in what would be acareer-high 25.8 ppg in the2008-09 season.
That year,heearned astarting spot on theEastern Conference All-Star team.
In becoming the first Pacers
playertoaverage morethan25 pointsagame sincethe 1976-77 season, Granger wasrecognized as the NBA Most Improved Player His stock continued to rise as a volumescorer by averaging 24.1, 20.5 and18.7ppg over thenext three seasons.
In afive-year stretch from 200812, Granger was recognized as oneofthe league’selite players when he averaged 21.6 points and 5.4rebounds in 350 games.
After aproductive six-year stretch,injuries hit. Foot,knee and calf issues limited Granger to 76 games with just eight starts over the next threeseasons, essentiallyleading to theend of his career
Although he was ahighly decorated player in the college and pro ranks, Granger said his latest honor really resonates with him “When Igot the call about the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, it was great news,” he said. “This induction is aprivilege.”
Granger,42, resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife Dianna andtheir threechildren. He and his father Danny Sr
day. “If he does what he’s supposed to do and everybody thinks he can do, that’snot going away any time soon.Get used to it andfind ways to find peace and that kind of thing.”
Skenes (4-7) lasted just four innings Wednesday while striking outfourand allowing four runs, four hits and two walks. This was only the third time in 40 career starts that Skenes hasgivenupas many as four runs.
Milwaukeedid all its damage during asecond inning in which Skenesfaced nine batters, threw 37 pitches andallowed four runs. Never before had Skenes faced that many hitters, thrown that many pitches or yielded that many runs in asingle inning.
Irving, Mavericks agreeon athree-year extension
The DallasMavericksand Kyrie Irving have agreed on a$119 million, three-year contract with the All-Star guard still recovering from atorn ACL that will sideline him intothe 2025-26 season,aperson with knowledge of the deal said Tuesdaynight on conditionofanonymitybecause thedeal isn’texpected to be finalized until the start of the new league year on July 6. Irving is declining the$43 million player option in the final year of his current three-year contract. Thenew contract will alignIrving withco-star AnthonyDavis who joinedthe Mavericks in the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to theLos Angeles Lakers in February.Davis has three years remaining on his contract, witha player option that now will be the same season as Irving in 2027-28.
Walter,Lakerssay team sale expected later this year
BusinessmanMarkWalter’sacquisitionofthe majority ownership stake of the Los Angeles Lakers, in adeal that puts the franchise valuation at $10 billion, is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of this year
In astatement Wednesday,the sides confirmed that Jeanie Buss whosefamily has had control of the Lakersfor 46 years—will remain governorofthe team and“continue to oversee all team operations.” The agreement for the sale of the Lakers came aboutthree months after Bill Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics with an initial valuationof$6.1billion— which was going to be arecord, topping the previous markof$6.05 billion sale for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.
Seahawksbring back veteran cornerbackGriffin
The Seattle Seahawks agreed to termswith veteran cornerback Shaquill Griffin, the team announced on Wednesday Griffin is expected to compete for the third cornerback spot. The ninth-year defensive back played in 17 games last season for the Minnesota Vikings after spending 2023 withboth theHouston Texans and Carolina Panthers.
Griffin hasalso played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but started his career with the Seahawks, starting in 53 games from 2017 to 2020. He was draftedbySeattle in 2017 and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019. He also playedalongside his brother, Shaquem, for threeseasons with the Seahawks. In eight seasons, Griffin has407 tackles and nine interceptions.
Red Sox pitcher’soff-field accident requiressurgery
Kutter Crawford had an off-field “accident” that requires seasonending surgery on his right throwing wrist, RedSox manager Alex Cora said on Wednesday, adding that the 29-year-old wasn’tdoing anything “irresponsible.”
Crawford has been sidelined all season by aright-knee injury that he initially suffered in his third gameof2024, aseason in which he went9-6 with a4.36 ERAin33 starts, tied for the most starts in the American League.
Crawford was one of baseball’s mostdurable pitchers in 2024 despite pitching most of the season with patellar-tendon discomfort, leading theRed Soxwith 1832/3 innings pitched and 175 strikeouts, but he also gave up amajor leaguehigh 34 homers.
combined 100-mph pitches by opposing starters for any gamein whichbothreached that threshold at least once. “I’ve watched plenty of his games,”Misiorowskisaidof Skenes.“It’sawesome to face a guy likethatand really compare yourselftosome of the best.”
The hoopla surrounding this matchup of 23-year-olds didn’t seem to bother Misiorowski, who struck out eight while allowing two hits and two walks.That was apparent well beforethe game.
“Wewere sitting over here laughing, joking,” said Brewers catcher Eric Haase, whose locker is just around the corner from Misiorowski’s. “Didn’tseem it was affectinghim at all.”
The matchup drewaseason-best selloutcrowd of 42,774for aweek-
day afternoon game. Mostwanted to see what Misiorowski did next afterallowingatotal of onehit in his first two outings.
His torrid startcould force Misiorowski to deal with the level of attention Skeneshas received ever sincearriving in the big leagues as aNo. 1overall draft pick who led LSU to a2023 College World Series title Skenes has outperformed those considerable expectations. He was named theNLrookie of theyear and finished third in theCyYoung Awardvoting lastseason.
What advice would Skenes give Misiorowskiabout howtohandle the scrutiny that could accompany an emergence to stardom?
“You’ve got to protect yourself, for lack of abetter term, obviously with the media, but Iassume if he goes and walks around Milwaukee now there’sgoing to be more people that recognize him and all that,” said Skenes, who met Misiorowskifor thefirst time on Mon-
AfterMilwaukee loaded the bases on awalkand two singles to start the second, Isaac Collins scored from third as Joey Ortiz grounded out to Skenes on an 0-2 pitch. Haase then hit a1-2 pitch for abloop RBI double that bounced in front of center fielderOneil Cruz’s diving attempt. Christian Yelich capped the rally with an RBI single to left on a1-2 offering.
Skenesallowedonly oneother baserunner in his other three inningswhile matchingthe secondshortest stintofhis career.His shortest appearance came in hisfinal start last year,when he worked just two innings by design anddidn’tallow abaserunner in a9-4 victoryoverthe NewYork Yankees.
The performance raised Skenes’ career ERAfrom 1.91 to 2.03.
“They did agood jobofgetting to some pitches,” Skenes said. “I wasn’tunhappy withthe execution of all of those, there are probably a couple thatcould have been better but theydid agood job.”
USA Surfing gets finances for Olympics recertification
USA Surfing says it hassecured amultimillion-dollarendowment as part of its push to be recertified as the nascent Olympic sport’s national governing body after losing its status four years ago over financial issues.
USA Surfing executive director Becky Fleischauer told TheAssociated Press on Wednesday that the investment is amajor step toward theorganization’s goal to return to the Olympic movement. USA Surfing has struckmultiyear deals for financial backing fromKamakaResponsible Development, whichbuildshousing communities, andwith Orange County-based surf company Resin Services. Kamaka also plans to develop awave pool that can be used for year-round training for USA Surfing athletes.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Skenes
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KAyLA WOLF MilwaukeeBrewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowskireacts to striking out Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates on WednesdayinMilwaukee.
PGA Tour signature events get elite winners
BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer
CROMWELL, Conn. The PGA Tour has created more paths to the $20 million signature events, such as 10 leading players in the FedEx Cup standings and the five top players on a special list from the events in between. The elite players are still winning them.
Keegan Bradley became the eighth different winner of the eight signature events when he won the Travelers Championship He also had the worst world ranking (No. 21) of any of this year’s winners.
The only other signature event winners outside the top 10 in the world were Russell Henley (14) at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Sepp Straka (17) at the Truist Championship.
As far as current ranking, now all eight signature event winners are among the top 12.
Scottie Scheffler at least gave everyone a chance this year Scheffler won four of the eight among his seven official PGA Tour titles a year ago. The only one where he repeated was at the Memorial.
Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama are the only players to win at least one signature event in each of the last two years.
“I think the signature events have gone great,” said McIlroy, who won at Quail Hollow last year and Pebble Beach this year “If you look at the list of winners I think they work. They get all the top players together I think they’ve produced exciting finishes with the best players in the world battling one another, played on some of the most iconic venues that we have.”
The difficulty is the short season. All eight signature events were held over six months, and that doesn’t include three majors and The Players Championship
“This is the last signature event of the year, and it feels like we’ve only got started,” McIlroy said. “We’re only into June, and we’re not even halfway through the year.” Still to come, of course, is the British Open and two $20 million FedEx Cup playoff events, along with the bonus payout — $25 million to the winner from the FedEx Cup finale in the Tour Championship at East Lake.
Scheffler’s run
Even when Scottie Scheffler is
DUNCAN
Continued from page 1C
not winning, he’s rarely too far behind.
He was part of the 36-hole lead at the Travelers Championship when he opened with a triple bogey and shot 72 to fall nine shots behind.
He closed with a 65 and tied for sixth.
Dating to the Houston Open, the world’s No. 1 player now has nine consecutive tournaments finishing in the top 10. He had three wins during a four-tournament stretch, including the PGA Championship for his third major
His actual scoring average during that stretch is 67.8, and he has earned just over $13 million.
Scheffler twice finished five shots behind since late March, at Hilton Head and the U.S. Open.
One last chance
The British Open typically has an exemption based on the FedEx Cup that ends after the Travelers Championship. At the request of the PGA Tour that spot has been moved back one week to end after the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
It’s still a long shot.
The category is the leading five players, not already exempt, from the top 20 in the FedEx Cup Trouble is, the top 30 going into the Rocket Mortgage already are exempt for Royal Portrush.
Michael Kim is at No. 31, and he
would require no less than a twoway tie for second (245 points) to reach the points where Robert MacIntyre is at No. 20. Jacob Bridgeman at No. 34 in the FedEx Cup needs outright second place.
One other from the top 40, Ryan Gerard, would have to win this week.
The Open previously offered a spot to the leading finisher in the
John Deere Classic. That spot no longer exists. The tour asked for the cutoff to move back one week because the Travelers Championship is a signature event, and some players might not have been in the field.
Open qualifying
The British Open is offering 20 spots from four golf courses on
July 1 in the regional final qualifying to see who gets to Royal Portrush on July 17-20.
This is viewed as a significant pathway for players from Saudifunded LIV Golf, and 16 players are entered in the 36-hole qualifier That includes 52-year-old Lee Westwood, who has not played in a major since the 2022 British Open, a month after he joined LIV He will be an Dundonald Links just north of Troon.
There’s also a father-son outing at Royal Cinque Ports on the east coast of England, where Ian and Luke Poulter are playing. Luke Poulter nearly qualified for the U.S. Open, instead getting an alternate spot but not getting into the field at Oakmont.
The four regional qualifiers start two days after LIV concludes its event in the Dallas area. Among those signed to play are Graeme McDowell, Peter Uihlein, Paul Casey and David Puig.
LIV’s next event is July 11-13 in Spain, a week before the British Open.
Long sponsorships
The PGA Tour has extended the contracts of two of its longest-running title sponsors.
The most recent was AT&T, which began as title sponsor of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 1986. Next year will mark its 41st consecutive year of what now is a signature event. Rory McIlroy won earlier this year at Pebble Beach.
Previously it was John Deere, a longtime partner with the PGA Tour and title sponsor of the John Deere Classic since 1999.
Divots
The Broadmoor will get two more U.S. Senior Opens, in 2031 and 2037 The U.S Senior Open is being held on the Colorado course this week for the third time. Joe Hooks, who grew up playing at Detroit Golf Club, shot 68-66 to win the John Shippen Men’s Invitational and earn a spot in the Rocket Mortgage Classic this week. Minjee Lee became the first player to win three LPGA majors this decade with her victory in the KPMG Women’s PGA. Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu and Yuka Saso have each won two. Tommy Fleetwood surpassed $31 million in career PGA Tour earnings with his tie for second in the Travelers Championship. No one has earned more without a PGA Tour victory
All eventually will jockey for their place in line, and — as we learned in 2018 and 2019 with Minneapolis and Atlanta — league owners and officials love to reward cities that build new stadiums with Super Bowls. What’s more, New Orleans’ bid for future Super Bowls is complicated by Mardi Gras and the busy calendar at the Ernest N Morial Convention Center, which has booked major shows as far out as 2038.
It’s a Rubik’s Cube that requires countless hours of work and research from local officials in the sports, tourism and hospitality sectors.
The NFL has awarded the next three Super Bowls to San Francisco (2026), Los Angeles (2027) and Atlanta (2028), and will likely announce the 2029 game at the league’s fall meeting in New York in October New Orleans is not expected
NIL
Continued from page 1C rotations. Additionally, a growing list of cities with new or renovated stadiums will be under consideration. Nashville’s new $2.1 billion stadium and Jacksonville’s renovated “stadium of the future” are on track to open in 2028. New enclosed stadium projects are in the works in Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, D.C.
local medical group. Athletic trainers are employed by the athletic department. Team physicians must carry liability insurance either individually or through the medical center or group. The most common limits for a malpractice insurance policy are $1 million per incident and $3 million total in a year said Mike Matray, editor of Medical Liabil-
to be in the mix for Super Bowl
2029 because of a conflict with Mardi Gras, which falls two days later than the game that year A similar conflict with Mardi Gras makes the 2032 Super Bowl a nonstarter That leaves 2030, 2031, 2033 and beyond. The longer the
ity Monitor
“You can see how an athlete’s economic damages, should a medical error end his/her career, would easily exceed those limits,” Matray wrote in an email to The Associated Press Medical Liability Monitor has followed the medical liability insurance industry since 1975, and though the publication does not track data specific to sports medicine practitioners who perform surgeries, Matray estimated rates for that specialty to be more than $100,000 per year in
wait, the more competition New Orleans faces from rival cities as their new stadiums come online. Therein lies the sense of urgency Landing another Super Bowl would be huge for the city Along with a potential College Football Playoff championship game in
some states. Dr Jon Divine, head team physician at Cincinnati, said Big 12 team doctors are discussing among themselves and university general counsels whether they should increase their liability insurance limits, perhaps to $2 million or $6 million or more. Divine said he and other team doctors also are taking extra steps in evaluating injuries in the new era of college sports. “I’ve probably ordered more MRIs than I ever have in 25 years in the last two years,” he said. “It’s
2028, it would cement our sta-
tus as a major sports event hub while allowing us to reclaim outright the mantle as America’s most popular Super Bowl city
“I’ll say it again, it’s what we do,” said Jay Cicero, the CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. “And now we can
to make sure we’re getting it right for the (coaching) staff, for the kids, for the kid’s family There’s that much more riding on it.” Dr David McAllister, head team physician at UCLA who has been practicing for 27 years, said the relationship between team doctor and athlete has gone from one built on trust to now being transactional and at times adversarial. When athletes spent four or five years at the same school, as once was the norm, friendships were formed and the team doctor continued to provide care for the same
The Super Bowl LIX host committee parade passes the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on Feb 8. STAFF PHOTO By
say, we did it. And we can also say, I hope we can do it again.”
When New Orleans lands another Super Bowl remains to be seen. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later
Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.
athletes long after their playing days. Now McAllister said many football and basketball players are taking advice from agents and business managers whose priority is the athlete’s earning power, and that puts pressure on team physicians.
“There are seasoned, experienced people that do what I do who either recently got out of it or are really considering it because they don’t want to be exposed to the liability,” McAllister said, “and they don’t find it that much fun anymore.”
SOPHIA GERMER
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JESSICA HILL
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, waves as he is announced at the first tee during the first round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 19 in Cromwell, Conn.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER
Michael Kim lines up a putt on the eighth hole during the third round of the U.S Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club on June 14 in Oakmont, Pa. Golf notes
Picklesstar in creamy, crunchy potato salad
BY GRETCHEN McKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
Nashville is renowned for its music scene. Knownasthe country music capital of the world, it’shome to the Grand Ole Opry
But we also love the Tennessee city’seponymous sweet and spicy fried chicken sandwich, which is said to have originated in the 1930s at Prince’sHot Chicken Shack. Brined in pickle juice, slathered in apaste-like saucemade with cayenne, garlicand brown sugar,and served with pickles on white bread, it’sjuicy, crunchy and fiery hot.
This potato salad recipe is also worthy of the Nashvillename. It combines one of summer’s favorite side dishes, amayonnaise-based potato salad, with the sharp kick of mustard and the bright, acidic burst of pickle juice and vinegar.Italso includes fresh dill andthe crunch of freshly chopped celery.
But the real kicker is the spicy Nashville Hot seasoning that is tossed in the sauce and, if you’re not afraid of theextra heat, also gets sprinkled on top of the salad beforeserving The original recipe calls for red-skinned potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces, but Iused a 3-pound bag of baby Yukonpotatoes Igot for $1 (score!)
The salad should be refrigerated for at least two hours beforeserving to allow the flavors to mingle and the potatoes to absorb the dressing. Foran extra punch of flavor and/or texture, you could sprinkle a little chopped cooked bacon on top,add ahandful of diced ham or stir in some shredded colby jack or sharp cheddar cheese
However you serve it, it’s perfectfor your next family barbecue or late-night nosh
PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS PHOTO By GRETCHENMcKAy
Nashville Hot Pickle Potato Salad
Recipe adapted from chilesandsmoke.com. FOR SEASONING:
4-8 tablespoons cayenne pepper powder,depending on heat
½cup brown sugar
2tablespoons paprika
1tablespoon kosher salt
1tablespoon celerysalt
1½ tablespoons chipotle powder
2teaspoons granulated garlic
2teaspoons black pepper FOR SALAD:
3pounds red-skinned potatoes
1cup small dill pickles, diced or chopped
1½ cups diced celery
4hard-boiled eggs,cooled and chopped FOR DRESSING:
1¼ cup mayonnaise
¼cup pickle juice
1tablespoon white vinegar
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
2tablespoons Nashville hot seasoning
1minced shallot, about ¼cup
4tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1. Prepare seasoning: Mix the ingredients together.Makesure to remove any clumps in the brown sugar,then storeinan airtight container.(This dry rub recipe willstay at itsfreshest for about amonth.)
2. Prepare the potatoes. Slice the red potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place in alarge pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes, plus an inch. Season with atablespoon of salt and bring the water to aboil. Boil until tender,about 10-15 minutes. Drain the potatoesand allow them to cool completely
3. Make thedressing: Whisk the mayo, pickle juice, vinegar, Dijon and seasoning together. Fold in shallots and dill. Taste andadjustfor additional seasoning if needed.
4. Fold in ingredients: Carefully stir in the cooled potatoes, pickles, celeryand eggs. Mixto coateverything evenly.Taste and adjust. Garnish the topof thepotato salad with additional Nashville Hot seasoning.
Chocolate angel food cake is a great cake choice for summer. The cake is light and goes well withice cream, cold whipped cream or creme fraiche. Andleftover angel food cake is easy to repurpose. For example, if your angel food cake is getting slightly stale,itcan be transformedinto something very sophisticated. Cut thecake into slices like Texas toast. Butter bothsides of the slices and lightly toast theslices in aheated dry pan. Get abit of color from the
ä See CAKE, page 6C
Chocolate Angel Food Cake
Makes a10-inch angel food tube cake.This recipe calls forcake flour,a
finely ground flour and usually softerthan all-purpose flour.Ifyou cannot
findespresso powder,use instant coffeecrystals and crush in asmall plastic bag withamallet or awine bottle to make the crystals finer.
2cups eggwhites (thisisabout 15 eggs, depending on their size)
¼teaspoon salt
1¼ teaspoons cream of tartar
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1¼ cup granulated sugar
1¼ cup confectionerssugar
1¼ cup cake flour
¼cup cocoa powder (you can use carob powder if you cannot eat chocolate)
2. Whip together the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in thebowl of an electric mixer.Mix until stiff, but be careful not to overbeat. The mixture shouldmakepeaks when the whiskislifted out of the bowl. Addthe vanillaextract. Addthe granulated sugar abit at atime with the beaters going.
3. While theegg whites are beating mixthe confectioners sugar,cake flour,cocoapowder andespresso powdertogether andsift twice. Then addittothe beaten whites alittleata time until well incorporated
4. Pour into an ungreased tube panwith aremovable centerand bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and invert on awine bottle for 45 minutes to an hour
5. When the cake is cool, run a knifearound the circumference of thepan.The knife shouldbelong enough that it reaches to thebottomofthe pan. Thenyou can remove the cakeand the centerinsert of the pan. Then run the knife along the bottom of the insert and remove it. Youcan dust the cake with cocoa powder forgarnish andcut with a serrated knifeoracake comb.
BY LIZ WILLIAMS Contributingwriter
and
STAFFPHOTO
Liz Williams cooks Haitian rice and peas.
STAFF
PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Leaveneighbor’swardrobechoices alone
Dear Miss Manners: Ihave an acquaintance who frequentlywalks her dog at the same time Ido. She is anice person, and we get along well; our dogs even like each other We are both female. The issue is that her skirts or sundresses keep getting shorter.Iavert my eyes, but Ihave seen more of her anatomy than Icare to Ihave also seen acertain male neighbor looking at her in anot-so-nice way
tion of who is sniffingwhom at all.
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
Should Isay something to her?
If so, how do Idosopolitely?
Gentle reader: Really,asthisperson is merely an acquaintance, Miss Manners fails to seewhy you would wish to raise theques-
Dear Miss Manners: My husband and Ihostedalongtime friend of minefor 10 days at our home.She had told me sheenjoys stayingwith friends for extended periods, findingitanefficient way to travel. She didnot bring her own bathroom essentials, vitamins, slippers, etc. We didall the driving and the planning.Wecooked and served every breakfast, lunch anddinner,along with providing beer and wine everyday (Typically she drinks much more than we do.)
Often she would ask themenu for theday,and Iwould prepare
ashopping list.She would join me in the shopping and point out items she thought would be helpful. Iinvited her to purchase items shewanted outside the menu, but her answer always was, “I’ll have whatever you’rehaving.”
She secretly joked with me that if she stares at the check long enough, someone will grab it. We told her we were happy todine out if she did not mind separate checks. She said yes, but added that aman’sego usually prevents this,soIshould makesure my husband was on the samepage. (Hewas.)
We dined out once and included another couple, and everyone received their own check. She took us out todinner at the end of her
Pork Chops with Apples andOnions
Serves 4.
4tablespoons butter
2largewhite or yellow onions sliced thinly in rings or half rings
4cloves garlic, minced
2 firm apples, unpeeled and cut into 8slices per apple (you can use a green apple likeGrannySmith or aRed Galaorone of each)
1teaspoon salt
1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½teaspoon ground sumac (if you do not have sumac, use ½teaspoon sweet paprika and increase the lemon zest to the zest of 2lemons)
¼teaspoon smoked paprika
4pork chops, ½to¾ inches thick
¼cup pomegranate molasses (or maple syrup)
Zest of 1lemon
1. Addthe butter to askillet that is large enough to hold all4 pork chops. As thebutter melts add the onions. Cook over mediumheat.Stir occasionally.Donot worry if you geta bitofcharon those onions. It will addevenmore flavor.Cook for about7minutes. Add thegarlic and apple slices and stir.Stir for 3to4minutes.Remove the vegetables from thepan and set aside.
2. In asmall bowl mix the salt, pepper,nutmeg, sumac andpaprika.Stir these ingredients togethersothateverything is evenly distributed. Use this spicemixture to seasoneach of theporkchops on both sides. Then addthe pork chops tothe pan— adding more butterifthe panistoo dry Cook for 4to5minutesover medium heat and then flip the chops. Addthe cooked vegetables to thepan,including any juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the bowl.
3. Cook for4to5 more minutes. Place the pork chops on aplatter and cover with the cooked onions and apples. Drizzle the molasses over everything. Zestthe lemon over the dish and place the dishonthe table. (If youare going to freezethis dish,add themolasses andlemon zest after youhave warmedthe dish and are ready to serve.)
Haitian Rice and Peas
Serves 4to6.This recipe callsfor canned black-eyed peas, but if you prefer,you can cook anduse about ½ pound of dried peas.
2tablespoons olive oil
1largeonion, chopped
1bell pepper (green or red), chopped
3cloves garlic, chopped
1tablespoon of salt-free Creole seasoning mix, suchasTony Chachere No Salt Cajun/Creole Seasoning
1. Place the oil in apot. Heat until it begins to shimmer.Add the onion and cook, stirring for 5minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and Creole seasoning. Stir and cook another 5minutes.
2. Add the rice, salt and pep-
SUMMER
Continued from page5C
is much more compelling that standing in front of the stove. And if you are being pulled in multiple directionsbyall of thehappenings in town, your brain is craving something simple to put together.But, of course, we don’tlower our flavor expectations just because we are in ahurry. These pork chops are really tasty and easyto make Ashort cut is to make a double batch and freeze half of the results. This will give you apass on abusy day,when you know that
per,and 2cups water.Bring to aboil andthen reduce to asimmer. Cook for10minutes, covered. At the10minutemarkadd theblack-eyed peas. Stir.Replace the lid and cook for 8to10minutes more,
there is simply no time for cooking.It is worththe extra preptomake the double batch And when you pullitout of thefreezer later,itwill save you atrip to get takeout. Andifyou don’twant pork, this dish is just as delicious with an equivalent amountofchickenthighs TheHaitian Rice and Peas is agift to any table Eatingblack eyed peas or crowder peas or pigeon peasgives you amuch more interesting rice as well as an extra punch of protein.You can cook it fresh withoutbreaking out in asweat and it tastes as though youspent lotsof time putting it together
until the riceiscooked. Transfer to aserving bowl, fluffthe rice andpeas with 2forks. Garnish with ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley.Fluff again. Addthe rest of the parsley and serve.
CAKE
Continuedfrom page5C
cooking butter and make sure to toast both sides. Allow to cool for aminute and thencut each slice into about 4sticks. They are delicious with sparkling wine or adry Marsala.
Liz Williamsisfounder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans. Listen to “Tip of theTongue,” Liz’spodcast about food, drink and culture, wherever you hear podcasts. EmailLiz at lizwillia@gmail.com.
stay as athank-you.
My manners taught me to be a generous host, and Ibelieve we were, all the waytothe end when Idrove her to the airport. However,Ifeel like our generosity was taken advantage of.
Where is the line? Is alongertermguest expected to pitch in? Iwill definitely think carefully about afuture invite.
Gentlereader: Alonger-term guest is expected to do more, and Miss Manners agrees your friend fell short.But where the line is drawn canbechallenging since any equalization of expense is meant to occur by the balancing of invitations—not within asingle visit.
Where your friend offended mostwas when she all but told
By The Associated Press
Today is Thursday, June 26, the 177th day of 2025. There are 188 days left in the year
Todayinhistory
On June 26, 2015, in its 5-4 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, theU.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across thecountry, ruling that state-level bans on same-sex marriage violated thedue process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment
On this date:
In 1917, U.S. troopsenteredWorld WarIasthe first troops of the American Expeditionary Force landed in Saint-Nazaire, France. In 1945, thecharter of theUnited Nations was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. In 1948, theBerlin Airlift began in earnest after the Soviet Union cut off land and water routes to the isolated western sector of Berlin
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered his famous speech expressing
you she was sticking you with the expenses: joining the shopping expedition and standing at the checkout counter but never offering to pay; joking about staring at the check; the comment about a man’s ego. She would be amuch moreeffective moocher —not to mention amuch morepleasant houseguest —ifshe would learn when to keep her thoughts to herself
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.
solidarity with the city’s residents, declaring: “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”).
In 1993, President Bill Clinton announced the U.S. had launched missiles against Iraqi targets because of “compelling evidence” Iraq had plotted to assassinate former President George H.W.Bush.
In 1996, in the case of United States v. Virginia, the U.S. SupremeCourt found that the Virginia Military Institute’smale-only admission policy violated the Fourteenth Amendment’sEqual Protection Clause. (VMI enrolled its first female cadets the following year.)
In 1997, the first Harry Potter novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling, waspublished in the United Kingdom.Itwas later released in the United States under the title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’sStone.”
In 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller,the U.S. SupremeCourt struck downahandgun ban in the District of Columbia as it
affirmed, 5-4, that an individual’sright to gun ownership is protected by the Second Amendment.
In 2013, in the case of United States v. Windsor, the U.S. SupremeCourt gave the nation’slegally married same-sex couples equal federal footing with all other married Americans, and cleared the way forsame-sex marriages to resumeinCalifornia in a separate decision.
Today’sBirthdays: Jazz musician-composer Dave Grusin is 91. Singer Billy Davis Jr.is87. Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician Gilberto Gilis83. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer is 72. Musician Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) is 70. Musician Chris Isaak is 69. Cyclist Greg LeMond is 64. Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is 57. Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is 55. Actor Sean Hayes is 55. Actor Chris O’Donnell
STAFF PHOTOSByCHRIS GRANGER
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Stepupand be theperson whomakes adifference. Stick to the truth and adoptdiscipline, and you'll turn whatyou knowand love doing into alucrativeventure.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep personal information to yourself. Observationis in your bestinterest. Abrupt changes will backfire. It'sbest to research and take baby steps to break even or come out ahead.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Putyour energy to good use. It's up to you to manifest opportunities. Makingcold calls, advertising and spreading the word throughout your community will help.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Stick to the truth anddowhatever you can to avoidcomplicating your life.A helpful attitude, enthusiasm and aunique approach will help you gain support and insight into thepossibilities.
ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Focusonwhatever will bring you the best outcome. Retaliating against something you cannot control will be awaste of time. Learntogowith the flow andmakethe most of whatever transpires.
SAGITTARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Creative accounting will help you deal with your finances. It's time to dump thedeadweight in your life.Turnone of your hobbies into apart-time business.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Temptation will costyou. Clear your head andlook at every anglebeforeyou indulge in something iffy.Fast-talkers and false
accusationswill impedecommunication.
AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Temptation will lead to taking on or spending too much. Prioritize your home, family and yourself before outsiders, or you'll disrupt ameaningful relationship. Choose peace over discord PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Useyour energy wisely andpleaseloved ones. Making home improvements, participating in activitiesthatbring you closer together anddoingyourpart to help a cause are favored ARIES (March 21-April19) Immerse yourselfinconversationsregarding your plans and getseveral estimates. Protect yourself from overpaying for additional services youdon't need or want. TAuRuS (April20-May20) Put essentials in order andforgeahead without hesitation. Once youhaveyourpaperwork in order, your plansinplace andany permits requiredtofollowthrough, you'll enjoy turning your dream into a reality.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) An open mind will lead to discovery and apathway to new beginnings. Refusetolet disgruntledindividuals rain on your parade. Putyourself and your intentions first.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people,past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another
ToDAy'S cLuE:M EQuALS W
For better or For WorSe
SALLYForth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe AndGrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG nAte
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZardoFid
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
One of the pluses of transfer bids into themajors is that thestronger hand becomes the declarer. This “right-sides” contracts with reasonable frequency. What canhappeninthisdeal if North is in four spades, or Southisinthreenotrump, or South is in fourspades?
In the auction, South opened one notrump, showing 15-17 points. North transferred with atwo-heart response, promising five-plusspadesand any point-count. After South completed the transfer, North jumpedtothreenotrump to show exactlyfivespades and to ask South to choose between three notrumpandfourspades.(Thiswasaslight overbid;twono-trumpwouldhavebeena slight underbid.) South,withthree-card spade support and alow-doubleton diamond, preferred four spades. In this deal, if Northisinfourspades, the contract shouldgodown two. East would lead the heart queen. The defenders couldtake three tricks in that suit, then shift to diamonds. When in with the spade ace, West would cash adiamond trick. If South is in three no-trump, West would lead the diamond king and again down two wouldbethe result Now let’s have South in four spades. He winsthe diamond-king lead with dummy’sace and drives out thespade ace. West cashes the diamondqueen, but South has10tricks: four spades, one diamondand fiveclubs
Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguisedword, 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 lettersbythe addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
ToDAy’S WoRD EnTERIc: en-TER-ik: Of, relating to or affecting the intestines.
Average mark 20 words
Can youfind 29 or more words in ENTERIC?
yESTERDAy’S WoRD —InADEQuAcy
thought
and
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
Online dating platform
Bumble to cut 240 jobs
Online dating platform Bumble plans to lay off about 240 employees, or roughly 30% of its global workforce.
In a securities filing, Bumble disclosed that its board approved the cuts this week as it “realigns its operating structure to optimize execution on its strategic priorities.” The Austin, Texasbased company expects to see $40 million in annual cost savings spanning from the workforce reductions, much of which it says it will invest in product and technology development.
“These decisions were not made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of every employee impacted,”
Bumble said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday — adding that it was now focused on “moving forward in a way that strengthens our core business” and “positions us for future growth.”
Shares for Bumble soared following the news.
Bumble did not immediately specify when it would implement the layoffs or which roles would be affected. But its securities filing signaled that the process would extend into later in the year
Getty drops copyright allegations in suit
Getty Images dropped copyright infringement allegations from its lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Stability AI as closing arguments began Wednesday in the landmark case at Britain’s High Court.
Seattle-based Getty’s decision to abandon the copyright claim removes a key part of its lawsuit against Stability AI, which owns a popular AI image-making tool called Stable Diffusion The two have been facing off in a widely watched court case that could have implications for the creative and technology industries.
Tech companies have been training their AI systems on vast troves of writings and images available online. Getty was among the first to challenge those practices with copyright infringement lawsuits in the United States and the United Kingdom in early 2023.
Getty’s trial evidence sought to show the painstaking creative work of professional photographers who made the images found in Getty’s collection, from a Caribbean beach scene to celebrity shots of actor Donald Glover at an awards show and Kurt Cobain smoking a cigarette. It juxtaposed those real photographs with Stability’s AI-generated output.
Tesla sales continue to drop in Europe
Europeans still aren’t buying Teslas with figures out Wednesday showing sales plunged for a fifth month in a row in May, a blow to investors who had hoped anger toward Elon Musk would have faded by now Tesla sales fell 28% last month in 30 European countries even as the overall market for electric vehicles expanded sharply, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. The poor showing comes after Musk had promised a “major rebound” was coming last month, adding to a recent buying frenzy among investors. They were selling Wednesday, pushing prices down more than 4% in early afternoon trading. Musk had said Tesla was sure to get a boost once the company was done retooling its factories to produce a new version of its biggest seller, the Model Y. But that was finished months ago, and the new models are widely available. Investors are now hoping that a cheaper Tesla expected to be out later year will help reverse the sales decline. Overall, battery electric vehicle sales rose 25% in Europe compared to a year earlier The market for EVs was particularly strong in Germany, where Musk has angered potential buyers by publicly supporting the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party in elections. Overall, EV sales leapt 45%.
U.S. stocks hang near record
BY STAN CHOE AP business writer
NEW YORK U.S. stocks hung near their all-time high on Wednesday as financial markets caught a breath following two big days bolstered by hopes that the Israel-Iran war will not disrupt the global flow of crude oil. The S&P 500 barely budged after drifting through a quiet day of trading and is sitting just 0.8% below its all-time high, which was set in February The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 106 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite
rose 0.3%.
In the oil market, which has been the center of much of this week’s action, crude prices stabilized after plunging by roughly $10 per barrel in the last two days. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 55 cents to $64.92 per barrel, though it still remains below where it was before the fighting between Israel and Iran broke out nearly two weeks ago. A fragile ceasefire between the two countries appears to be holding, at least for the moment.
On Wall Street, FedEx fell 3.3% despite reporting stronger profit
and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It gave a forecast for profit in the current quarter that fell short of expectations. General Mills, the company behind Pillsbury and Progresso soups, lost 5.1% after reporting weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit topped forecasts. It also said an underlying measure of profit could fall by 10% to 15% this upcoming fiscal year On the winning side of Wall Street, Bumble jumped 25.1% after the online dating platform said
it would cut about 30% of its workforce, or 240 jobs, to save up to $40 million in annual costs. QuantumScape rallied 30.9% after announcing a breakthrough in its process for making solid-state batteries. Solid-state battery technology promises to improve electric vehicle range, decrease charging times and minimize the risk of battery fires. But the batteries are expensive to research and difficult to manufacture at a large scale, giving them a reputation for being a Holy Grail for battery engineers all over the world.
Fed chair, GOP senators debate tariffs
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP economics writer
WASHINGTON Federal Reserve Chair Je-
rome Powell said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs will likely push up inflation in the coming months, even as some Republican senators suggested the chair was biased against the duties.
On the second day of his twice-yearly testimony before the House and Senate, Powell said that consumers will likely have to shoulder some of the cost of the import taxes. Most Fed officials support cutting rates this year Powell added, but the central bank wants to take time to see how inflation changes in the months ahead.
“There will be some inflation from tariffs coming,” Powell said under questioning from members of the Senate Banking Committee. “Not yet, but over the course of the coming months.”
Powell noted that the duties would likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars annually, and “some of that is going to fall on the consumer We’re just kind of waiting to see more data on that.”
Some GOP senators criticized Powell, however, for characterizing tariffs as a potential driver of inflation. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Re-
publican from Nebraska, argued that the duties could simply act as a one-time increase in prices that wouldn’t fuel inflation.
And Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio, echoed some of Trump’s complaints about Powell’s reluctance to cut rates and accused Powell of political bias.
“You should consider whether you are looking at this through a fiscal lens or a political lens because you just don’t like tariffs,” Moreno said. Powell didn’t respond.
But the Fed chair reiterated that most central bank officials do support cutting the Fed’s key rate this year Powell added that it is possible that tariffs won’t increase inflation by very much.
Trump has sharply criticized Powell for not reducing borrowing costs, calling him a “numbskull” and a “fool.” Trump has pushed for rate cuts in order to reduce the interest costs the federal government pays on its debt. Yet some Fed officials have pushed back against that view saying that it’s not their job to lower the government’s borrowing costs.
Also Wednesday, at a post-NATO summit news conference, Trump said he had candidates in mind to replace Powell, presumably for when Powell’s term as chair ends in May 2026. Trump has previously threatened to
fire Powell, but the Supreme Court has signaled that a president probably doesn’t have the legal authority to remove the Fed chair “I know, within three or four people, who I’m going to pick,” Trump said, calling Powell a “very stupid person.”
So far, inflation has steadily cooled this year despite concerns among some economists about the impact of tariffs. The consumer price index ticked up just 0.1% from April to May, the government said last week, a sign that price pressures are muted.
Compared with a year ago, consumer prices rose 2.4% in May, up from a yearly increase of 2.3% in April.
Yet many economists on Wall Street expect that Trump’s tariffs will lift inflation this year, to about 3% to 3.5% by the end of this year
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the senior Democrat on the banking committee, told reporters before the hearing that the Fed would likely be cutting rates if it wasn’t for the threat of higher prices posed by tariffs. When the Fed reduces its key rate, it often lowers borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.
“Trump’s chaotic tariff policies are directly causing higher costs for the American people,” Warren said.
Watchdog: Trump budget bill could complicate tax season
BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The budget bill championed by President Donald Trump could complicate next year’s tax filing season after the IRS lost one-quarter of its employees through staffing cuts, an independent watchdog reported Wednesday The IRS workforce has fallen from 102,113 workers to 75,702 over the past year, according to the latest National Taxpayer Advocate report to Congress. The report Wednesday offered the first official numbers on the IRS job losses associated with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency Most of the employees took the
“fork in the road” resignation offer from DOGE rather than waiting to get laid off. Some of the findings from the report: n Taxpayers will likely see effects of staffing reductions. The Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal bureaucracy led to a mass exodus of probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protections and were offered buyouts through a “deferred resignation program.” More than 17,500 IRS workers took that route. The biggest cuts were in taxpayer services, the small business/selfemployed office and information technology
The report noted that the Republican administration’s proposed budget includes a 20% reduction
in IRS funding next year That’s a 37% reduction when taking into account the supplemental funding in the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act that Republicans previously stripped away
“A reduction of that magnitude is likely to impact taxpayers and potentially the revenue collected,” wrote Erin M. Collins, who leads the organization assigned to protect taxpayers’ rights.
n The 2026 tax season could be precarious. Collins said the 2025 filing season was “one of the most successful filing seasons in recent memory,” though she warned that the 2026 season could be rocky
“With the IRS workforce reduced by 26% and significant tax law changes on the horizon, there are risks to next year’s filing season,”
Collins wrote. “It is critical that the IRS begin to take steps now to prepare.”
She said that, halfway through the year, there were concerns that the IRS had not yet undertaken key preparation steps, including hiring and training seasonal and permanent employees.
n Trump’s package could add new layer of problems. The report warned about the possibility of understaffing to manage new provisions from Trump’s legislative package if it’s enacted.
“Several provisions will retroactively affect the 2025 tax year, thus impacting millions of taxpayers and requiring the IRS to quickly update tax year 2025 tax forms and programming for the 2026 filing season,” the report said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON
Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell listens Wednesday during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington.
