The Advocate 07-04-2025 by The Advocate

Housegives finalOK to Trump’slegislation

‘Big BeautifulBill’ fundspresident’s domesticagenda

Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton,left, and House Majority Leader

signedPresidentDonald Trump’ssignaturebill of tax breaks and spending

Measurecutstaxes andspending, projectedtoadd trillionstonationaldebt

BY MARKBALLARD Staff writer

ä Bill boosts state’sshare of offshore oil revenue.

PAGE 6A

WASHINGTON —The U.S. House gave ﬁnal approval Thursday to President Donald Trump’stax relief and spending cuts package that Republicanscall the “One Big BeautifulBill Act.” Speaker MikeJohnson, R-Benton, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, RJefferson, worked all day and all night to win over Republicans who began Wednesday saying they would not vote for the legislation. Enough Republicans agreed to go along with thenecessarybut stalled procedural votes to set up afullvotebythe House Debate began at 3:28 a.m. on whether to agree with the measure, whichhad been substantially rewritteninthe Senate.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y.,right, leaveshis office shortly after speaking in the House chamber during Thursday’s final vote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries,D-N.Y., gave the longest speech in House history against the measure, complaining that the Republicans refused amendments thatwould have allowed Democrats to support thebill.

After Jeffries spoke for 8hours and 44 minutes, Johnson took the ﬂoor

“My friends andcolleaguesonboth

ä See HOUSE, page 7A

Johnson, Scalisepush bill to ﬁnish

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON —Just after the One BigBeautifulBill Act passed the U.S.House of Representatives on Thursday —intime for agrand IndependenceDay signing ceremony at theWhiteHouse —House Majority Leader Steve Scalise gave Speaker of theHouse Mike Johnson abig hug.

“A lot of people wrote this bill off for dead,” Scalise said.

As theHouse’stwo top leaders, the pair of Louisiana natives were at the centerofa political drama that has consumed Congress forthe past few months.

Scalise,R-Jefferson, said President

ä See PUSH, page 6A

La.makes gains on LEAP tests

Math scores up butsomesee declines in English

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Louisiana’syounger students made modest gains on state tests this spring while high schoolers saw aslight overall decline, according to LEAP test scores released Thursday

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Afull 16 of the 17 line-item ve-

toes issued by Gov.JeffLandry were of spending projects sought by Republican legislators, including ahighway extension in Bossier City,atennis court in Livingston Parish and anew bridge in Lafraniere Park in Metairie. And in all 16 of those cases, the legislator had voted against the governor on his biggest priority during the just-completed legislativesession Thatmeasure, House Bill 148, gives Insurance Commissioner TimTemple greater authority to reject “excessive”rateincreases —anauthoritythatTemplesaidhe doesn’twant because he believes it would allow an insurancecommissionertoact indiscriminately

instead of relying on data.

Many conservatives agreed with Temple, anda numberofthem saw Landry kill theirprojects through theline-item veto —which targets specific projects while allowing others untouched by thegovernor to moveforward. Former lawmakersnoted that Landryishardlythe ﬁrstgovernor

“This is sustained growth. We’re pleased with theprogress but not satisfied knowing that we can still do better.”

CADE BRUMLEy, state superintendent of education

This year’sresultsare amixed bag for the state, which saw student scores plateau last year following several years of what state leaders and someeducation experts lauded as historic post-COVID improvements. In English, 43% of students in grades 3-8 metorexceeded state expectations, referred to by the state as “mastery” or above, the same share that metthat markin2024. In math, the number was 33%, which is 2percentage points higher than last year.Combining math English and science, 35% of gra de s 3-8students achieved mastery or above, up 1point from 2024. In high school, 35% of students scored at the mastery level or above on their English, math and science tests combined. That is 1 percentage point lower than last year Louisiana students are still performing better than they were during the early days of the pandemic, with grades 3-8 improving by 5 percentage points across all subjects since 2021 and high schoolers improving by 3points.

“This is sustained growth,” state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said in an interview “We’re pleased with the progress but not satisﬁed knowing that we can still do better.”

The Pelican Institute for Public Policy, aconservative advocacy group, said in astatement that whilethe organization is encouraged to see improvements in grades3-8,“the decline in high school scores—reflectingthe

ä See LEAP, page 8A

Gov. Jeff Landry used line-item vetoes to target projects sought by 16 Republican lawmakers.

STAFFFILE PHOTO

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSByJULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

SteveScalise,R-Jefferson, celebrate after Johnson

cuts on Thursdayatthe CapitolinWashington.

Poll finds huge partisan divide on flying U.S flag Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to own and ﬂy an American ﬂag, according to new polling.

In the latest YouGov/Economist survey, more than twothirds of GOP respondents, 68%, said they own an American ﬂag at home while 37% of Democrats said the same. Among respondents overall, 51% said they owned a U.S. ﬂag.

The poll — which sampled 1,648 adults June 27-30 then asked those who have a ﬂag how often, if ever, they display it.

More than one-third of Republicans, 38%, said they fly the Stars and Stripes every day, while 11% of Democrats said they do the same. Meanwhile, 62% of Republicans and 30% of Democrats said they display the flag every day, sometimes or on special occasions, such as holidays, including July 4. There was also a significant partisan divide on the question of whether flying the American flag is “an act of patriotism.”

The overwhelming majority of Republicans, 89%, said that it was a patriotic act. A smaller share of Democrats, but still a majority 58%, agreed.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points

Rainbow crosswalks next administration target

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Trump administration is seeking to wipe rainbows and other “political banners” from streets and crosswalks across the nation, a move that puts at risk the multicolored crossing near the former Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to the nation’s governors this week introducing a “safety initiative” seeking consistent markings on roads. On a post on X the same day, he more clearly spelled out his intentions.

“Taxpayers expect their dollars to fund safe streets, not rainbow crosswalks,” he posted. “Political banners have no place on public roads. I’m reminding recipients of @USDOT roadway funding that it’s limited to features advancing safety, and nothing else. It’s that simple.” A rainbow crosswalk has been emblazoned at the southern boundary of Pulse, the nightclub once seen as a safe haven for the LGBTQ community and where 49 were killed and 53 were wounded in a mass shooting on June 12, 2016.

Duffy’s letter itself doesn’t mention rainbows or “political banners” speciﬁcally, but states the agency’s desire to partner with state and local governments to “make the entire roadway right-of-way easier to interpret and navigate for all users.”

Court will hear trans athlete case

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a case over state restrictions on which school sports teams transgender students can join.

Just two weeks after upholding a ban on gender-afﬁrming care for transgender youth, the justices said they will review lower court rulings in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia. The case will be argued in the fall.

The nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls on girls sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a ﬁght for athletic fairness for women and girls.

More than two dozen states, including Louisiana, have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in cer-

tain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court.

At the federal level, the Trump administration has ﬁled lawsuits and launched investigations over state and school policies that have allowed transgender athletes to compete freely This week, the University of Pennsylvania modiﬁed a trio of school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by her participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case. Separately, Senate Democrats in March blocked a Republican push for a national ban.

Republican President Donald Trump also has acted aggressively in other areas involving transgender people, including removing transgender troops from military service In May, the Supreme Court allowed the ouster of transgender service members to pro-

ceed, reversing lower courts that had blocked it. A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women’s sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats. West Virginia is appealing a lower-court ruling that found the ban violates the rights of Becky Pepper-Jackson, who has been taking puberty-blocking medication and has publicly identified as a girl since she was in the third grade. Pepper-Jackson sued the state when she in was middle school because she wanted to compete on the cross country and track teams. This past school year PepperJackson qualiﬁed for the West Virginia girls high school state track

Immigration detainees arrive in the Everglades

BY CURT ANDERSON and KATE PAYNE

Associated Press

The ﬁrst group of immigrants has arrived at a new detention center deep in the Florida Everglades that ofﬁcials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” a spokesperson for Republican state Attorney General James Uthmeier told The Associated Press

“People are there,” Press Secretary Jae Williams said, though he didn’t immediately provide further details on the number of detainees or when they arrived.

“Next stop: back to where they came from,” Uthmeier said on the X social media platform Wednesday He’s been credited as the architect behind the Everglades proposal

“Stood up in record time under @GovRonDeSantis’ leadership & in coordination with @DHSgov & @ICEgov

Florida is proud to help facilitate @realDonaldTrump’s mission to enforce immigration law,” the account for the Florida Division of Emergency Management posted to the social media site X on Thursday Requests for additional information from the ofﬁce of Republican Gov Ron DeSantis and FDEM, which is building the site, were not returned early Thursday afternoon.

It cites 39,345 traffic fatalities last year as “unacceptable,” though that marks a 3.8% decrease from the year prior ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ ‘Kill Bill’ star Madsen dies LOS ANGELES Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill” made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino’s films, has died. He was 67. Madsen was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, California, on Thursday morning and pronounced dead, Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department Watch Commande r Christ opher Jauregui said. He is believed to have died of natural causes and authorities do not suspect any foul play was involved. Madsen’s manager Ron Smith said cardiac arrest was the apparent cause. Madsen’s career spanned more than 300 credits stretching back to the early 1980s, many in low-budget films. But his most memorable screen moment may have been the sadistic torture of a captured police officer — while dancing to Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You” — as Mr Blonde in 1992’s “Reservoir Dogs.” He would become a Tarantino regular, appearing in the “Kill Bill” films and “The Hateful Eight.” BRIEFS

The facility, at an airport used for training, will have an initial capacity of about 3,000 detainees, DeSantis said. The center was built in eight days and features more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet of barbed wire and 400 security personnel.

Immigrants who are arrested by Florida law enforcement officers under the federal government’s 287(g) program will be taken to the facility according to an official in President Donald Trump’s administration. The program is led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and allows police officers to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation.

The facility is expected to be expanded in 500 bed increments until it has an estimated 5,000 beds by early July

Federal agencies signaled their opposition Thursday to a lawsuit brought by environmental groups seeking to halt operations at the detention center Though Trump applauded the center during an ofﬁcial tour earlier this week, the ﬁling on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security seemed to try to distance his administration from the facility and said no federal money to date has been spent on it.

“DHS has not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida’s temporary detention center Florida is constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority and a preexisting general delegation of federal authority to implement immigration functions,” the U.S. ﬁling says.

Human rights advocates and Native American tribes have also protested, contending it is a threat to the fragile Everglades system, would be cruel to detainees because of heat and mosquitoes, and is on land the tribes consider sacred.

Lawmakers stopped from entering center in possible violation of Fla. law

BY ANA CEBALLOS and ANTONIO DELGADO Miami Herald (TNS)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A group of Florida lawmakers were barred from entering Alligator Alcatraz, the state-run detention facility for migrants in the Florida Everglades, Thursday afternoon.

Citing “safety concerns,” a representative with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency overseeing the detention facility’s operation, was at ﬁrst hesitant to allow lawmakers into the facility

Ultimately, lawmakers were denied access after a back-and-forth that lasted more than an hour and told to return at a later time. “I ﬁnd it hard to believe that they have safety concerns for us but no safety con-

cerns for the president of the United States when he was here just two days ago,” Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, DOrlando, told the Herald/Times as he was trying to gain access into the site.

Denying access to lawmakers may run afoul of Florida law, which says members of the Legislature are allowed to “visit at their pleasure all state correctional institutions.” It’s the same case for the governor, all Cabinet members, judges of state courts, state attorneys and public defenders.

Smith was one of ﬁve Democratic state lawmakers who traveled to the remote site trying to go inside the facility The site opened on Tuesday with a visit from President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, and which received the ﬁrst immigration detainees Wednesday night.

meet, ﬁnishing third in the discus throw and eighth in the shot put in the Class AAA division.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Pepper-Jackson in two areas, under the Constitution’s equal protection clause and the landmark federal law known as Title IX that forbids sex discrimination in education.

Idaho in 2020 became the ﬁrst state in the nation to ban transgender women and girls from playing on women’s sports teams sponsored by public schools, colleges and universities.

The ACLU and the women’s rights group Legal Voice sued Idaho on behalf of Lindsay Hecox, who hoped to run for Boise State University A Boise-area athlete who is not transgender also joined the lawsuit because she fears the law could force her to undergo invasive tests to prove her biological sex if someone questions her gender

Man charged in Minn. shootings looks forward to ‘truth’ coming out

BY STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

ST PAUL, Minn. — The man charged with killing former Minnesota House

Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband on June 14, and wounding a state senator and his wife, said Thursday that he’s looking forward to the facts coming out about what happened that day During a court appearance, Vance Boelter waived his right to full hearings on whether he should remain jailed without bail, and on probable cause, where the judge would determine whether the government has enough evidence to proceed with prosecuting the case. Thursday’s hearing lasted less than 10 minutes.

“Your honor, I’m looking forward to court, and looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out,” Boelter told Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko. Boelter affirmed that he knowingly waived his rights to the full hearings he was entitled. “That gets us to court faster, where the truth can come out.”

A date for Boelter’s next court appearance has not been set. The acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson told reporters afterward that the next step is for a grand jury to return an indictment, which is due by mid-July and could include additional charges. Boelter faces separate cases in federal and state court on charges of murder and attempted murder, but the feds are using their power to go ﬁrst.

“This isn’t just a murder case,” Thompson said.

“This is a political assassination.”

Authorities say Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot to death in their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park on June 14 by a man disguised as a police ofﬁcer who was driving a fake squad car Boelter also allegedly shot and seriously wounded state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, earlier that morning at their home in nearby Champlin. The Hoffmans are recovering. Hortman’s golden retriever, Gilbert, had to be euthanized.

Madsen

MIAMI HERALD PHOTO By AL DIAZ

Workers install a permanent ‘Alligator

Strikeskill94 Palestinians in Gaza,authorities say

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press

TEL AVIV,Israel Israeli airstrikes and shootings killed 94 Palestinians in Gaza late Wednesday and Thursday, including 45 who were attempting to get much-needed humanitarian aid,hospitals and the Health Ministry said Thursday Families wept over the bodies from astrike thathit atent camp during the night as displaced peopleslept in southern Gaza. At least 13 members of asingle family were killed, including at least six children under 12.

“My children, my children …mybeloved,” wailed Intisar Abu Assi, sobbing over the bodies of her son and daughters and their young children. Another woman kissed the forehead of a dead little girl wrapped in ablanket on theﬂoorofthe morgue at Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis. In central Gaza, aboy stroked the faceofhis dead sister,6-year-old HebaAbu Etiwi, in amorgue at AlAqsa Martyrs’ Hospital. The girl and another of her brotherswere among eight people killed when astrike Wednesday evening hit near astand selling falafel. Shootingsnearfood sites

The toll from strikes emerged as more Palestinians were killed in near-daily shootings while trying to obtain aid.

Five were killed on the roads leading to food-distribution sites run by the Gaza HumanitarianFoundation, the newly created, secretive Americanorganization backedbyIsrael to feed the Gaza Strip’spopulation.Another 40 were killed while waiting fortrucks carrying

Al-Za’anin,

Hospital in GazaCity

U.N. aid in several locations aroundGaza, accordingto hospital ofﬁcials.

Witnesses have saidIsraeli troops regularly unleash barrages oncrowds of Palestinians tryingtoreach the GHF sites. Witnesses have also reported troops openingﬁre when crowdsof people mass near militaryrun zones of Gaza, waiting for U.N. truckstoenter

More than500 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded since thefood-distribution sites opened in May

The Israeli military,whose forces are deployedonthe roadsleading to thesites, saysitﬁres warning shots to control crowds or at Palestinians who approach its troops. Armed U.S.contractors guardthe sites.

Amnestyreport

Amnesty International on Thursday issued areport saying Israel wascontinu-

ing to “use starvation of civilians as aweapon of war as part of its ongoing genocide.”

It saidthe GHFdistribution system appeared intended onlyto“placate internationalconcerns” even as Israel allows in only a small amount of food for the U.N. to distribute separately

“Bymaintaining adeadly, dehumanizing and ineffective militarized‘aid scheme, Israeliauthorities have turned aid-seeking into abooby trap for desperatestarvedPalestinians,” it said.

The Israeli ForeignMinistry denounced theAmnesty report, saying the organizationhas “joined forces with Hamas and fully adopted all of its propaganda lies.”

Israel has rejected allegationsitiscommitting genocide in Gaza in thewar with Hamas, and it is challenging the accusation ﬁled by South

By The Associated Press

MOSCOW— Russia on Thursday became the ﬁrst country to formally recognize the Taliban’sgovernment in Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021, after Moscow removed the groupfrom its list of outlawedorganizations.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,right,and ActingForeign Minister of Afghanistan’sTaliban movement Amir Khan Muttaqimeet Oct.4,2024, beforetalks in Moscow.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had received credentials from Afghanistan’snewly appointed Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan. Theofﬁcial recognition of the Afghan government will foster “productive bilateral cooperation,” the ministry said in astatement. Afghanistan’sForeign Ministry called it ahistoric step, andquoted Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as welcoming the decisionas“agood example for other countries.” The Taliban took control of AfghanistaninAugust 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Since then, they have sought international recognition while also enforcing their strict interpretation of Islamic law While no country hadformally recognized theTaliban administrationuntil now,the group hadengaged in highlevel talks with many nations andestablished some diplomatic ties with countriesincluding China and the United Arab Emirates. Still, the Taliban govern-

ment has been relatively isolated on the worldstage largely over its restrictions on women.

Although the Taliban initially promised amore moderaterule thanduring their firststint in power from 1996 to 2001, it started to enforce restrictions on women and girls soon after the 2021 takeover.Women arebarred from most jobs andpublic places, including parks, baths and gyms, while girls are bannedfrom education beyond sixthgrade.

Russianofﬁcials have recently been emphasizing the need to engage with the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan,and lifted aban on the Taliban in April.

Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, DmitryZhirnov said in remarks broadcast by stateChannel One television that the decisiontoofﬁcially recognize theTaliban governmentwas madeby President Vladimir Putin on advice from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Israel intends forGHF to replace the U.N. humanitarian network, which has delivered massive amounts of aid to Palestinians throughout the war.Israel contends that Hamas siphons offlarge amounts of aid fromthat system, aclaim that the U.N. and aid groups deny.They have rejected GHF,saying it cannot deliver enough aid, endangersPalestiniansand is being usedbyIsrael to carry out its war goals.

In astatement Tuesday, GHF rejected criticism of its operations and said it has delivered the equivalent of more than 52 millionmeals. GHFdistributes boxes of food staplessuchaslentils and rice, sayingone box holds the equivalent of more than 50 meals.

Witnesses have reported scenes of chaos at GHF sites as desperate crowds race to pick up food boxes, with sometaking morethan

onewhile many others go empty-handed. Much of the food is sold in markets at astronomical prices.

Work on ceasefire

TheGaza Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has passed 57,000 since the war beganonOct. 7, 2023. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in itsdeath count but says morethan half of the dead arewomen and children.

The deaths come as Israel and Hamas inch closer to a possible ceaseﬁre that would end the 21-month war Trump said Tuesday that Israel hadagreed on terms for a60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to acceptthe deal before conditionsworsen.Hamas’ response emphasized its demandthat the truce lead to an end to the war.

Africa at the International Court of Justice.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Lian

center, is comforted by relatives Thursdayasshe mourns the loss of her father,Rami Al-Za’anin, whowas killed while heading to an aid distribution hub,atthe morgue of the Shifa

Court clears wayfor deportations to

BY LINDSAYWHITEHURST

Associated Press

WASHINGTON TheSupreme Court

on Thursday clearedthe way for the deportationofseveralimmigrants who were put on aﬂightin May bound for South Sudan, awarravaged country where theyhave no ties. The decision comes after the court’sconservative majority found that immigration officials canquickly deportpeopletothird countries. The majority halted an order that had allowed immigrants to challenge any removals to countries outsidetheir homeland where they could be in danger

The court’slatest decision makes

clear that the South Sudan ﬂight can complete thetrip, weeks after it was detouredtoanaval base in Djiboutiwhere themigrantswho had previously been convicted of serious crimes were held in aconvertedshipping container It reversesﬁndings from federal JudgeBrianMurphy in Massachusetts, who said his order on those migrants stands even after thehigh courtliftedhis broader decision.

Department of Homeland Security AssistantSecretary Tricia McLaughlin said federal authoritieswould complete trip to South Sudan by thenext day TheSupreme Courtmajority wrotethat their decisiononJune 23 completely haltedMurphy’srul-

ing and also rendered his decision on the South Sudan ﬂight “unenforceable.” The court did not fully detail its legal reasoning on the underlying case, as is common on its emergency docket.

Twoliberal justices,Sonia Sotomayor andKetanji BrownJackson,dissented, saying theruling gives thegovernment special treatment. “Other litigantsmust follow therules,but theadministration hasthe SupremeCourt on speed dial,” Sotomayor wrote. Justice Elena Kagan wrote that while she disagreed withthe original order, it does countermandMurphy’s ﬁndings on the SouthSudan ﬂight

The eight migrants could face “imprisonment, torture andeven

death”inSouth Sudan, where escalating political tensions have threatened to devolve into another civil war

Thepushcomes amid asweeping immigration crackdownby Trump’sRepublican administration,which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally.The Trump administration has called Murphy’sﬁnding “a lawless act of deﬁance.”

McLaughlin said the Supreme Court’sintervention is “a win for therule of law,safety and security of the American people.” Attorney GeneralPam Bondi cast Murphy as a“rogue judge”and said the justices had rebuked him

Authorities have reached agreements with othercountriesto house immigrants if authorities can’tquickly send them back to theirhomelands.The eight men senttoSouth Sudan in Mayhad been convicted of crimes in the U.S. and had final orders of removal, Immigration andCustoms Enforcement ofﬁcials have said. The menand their guards have faced rough conditions on the naval base in Djibouti where authoritiesdetoured the ﬂight after Murphy foundthe administration had violated his order by failing allowthemachancetochallenge the removal. They have since said they’re afraid of being sent to South Sudan, Realmuto said.

Abrego Garcia says he suffered beatings,psychological torture

BY LISA BAUMANN and BEN FINLEY Associated Press

Kilmar Abrego Garcia said he suffered severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation and psychological torture in the notorious El Salvador prison theTrump administration had deported him to in March, according to court documents ﬁled Wednesday He said he was kicked and hit so often after arrival that by the following day,hehad visible bruises and lumps all over his body.Hesaidhe and20others wereforced to kneel all night long and guards hit anyone who fell.

Abrego Garcia was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported and became aﬂashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown The new details of Abrego Garcia’sincarceration in El Salvador were added to a lawsuit against the Trump

administrationthat Abrego Garcia’swife ﬁled in Maryland federal court afterhe was deported.

TheTrumpadministration has asked afederal judge in Maryland to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it is now moot because thegovernmentreturned himtothe United States as ordered by thecourt.

AU.S.immigrationjudge in 2019 hadbarredAbrego Garcia from beingdeported back to his native El Salvadorbecause he likely faced persecution therebylocal gangs who had terrorized himand hisfamily.The Trump administration deportedhim theredespitethe judge’s 2019 order andlater describeditasan“administrative error.” Trump and other officials havesince doubled down on claims Abrego Garciawas in the MS-13gang On March 15, AbregoGarcia wasdeportedtoElSal-

vadorand senttothe country’smega-prison known as the Terrorism Conﬁnement Center,orCECOT

In thenew court documents,Abrego Garcia said detainees at CECOT“were confined to metal bunks withnomattressesinan overcrowded cell with no windows, bright lightsthat remained on 24 hours aday, and minimal accesstosanitation.”

He said prisonofficials told him repeatedly that they would transfer himtocells with people who were gang memberswho would “tear” him apart. Abrego Garcia said he saw others in nearby cells violently harmeach other and heard screams from people throughout the night

TheTrump administration continued to face mounting pressure and aSupreme Court order to return him to the United States.Whenthe U.S. government brought

Trump, aftercallwithPutin,saysU.S. gave toomanyweapons to Ukraine

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN

Associated Press

MOSCOW— President Donald Trump complained Thursday that the United States provided too many weapons to Ukraine under the previous administration, his ﬁrst public comments on the pause in some shipments as Russia escalates its latest offensive.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump said former President Joe Biden “emptiedout our whole country giving them weapons, and we have to make sure that we have enough for ourselves.” Air defense missiles, precision-guidedartilleryand other weapons are among those being withheld from Ukraine. The countrysuffered anew barrage overnight, with warnings of ballistic missiles followed by explosions in Kyiv Trump, who also spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday,suggested he wasn’tcompletelycutting off American assistance to Ukraine. “We’ve given so many weapons,” he said,

adding that “we are working with them and trying to help them.”

Trump said he had a“pretty long call” with Putinthat “didn’tmake any progress” in resolving the war,which the Republican president had promised to swiftly bring to aconclusion. “I’m not happy about that,” he said TheKremlin described the conversation as “frank and constructive” —the sixth publicly disclosed chat between thetwo leaders since Trump returned to theWhite House.

While discussing thesituation aroundIran and in the broaderMiddle East, Putin emphasized the need toresolve all differences “exclusively by political and diplomatic means,” said Yuri Ushakov,his foreign affairs adviser

The leaders agreed that Russianand U.S. officials will maintain contact on the issue, he added.

TheUnited States struck three sites in Iran on June 22, insertingitself into Israel’s war aimed at destroyingTehran’snuclearprogram On the conﬂict in Ukraine,

Ushakov saidTrump emphasized his push for aquick halt to theﬁghting.

At thesame time, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve itsgoals in Ukraine and remove the “root causes”of theconﬂict, Ushakov said.

“Russiawill notback down from these goals,” Ushakov told reporters after the call.

Putin has arguedhesent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to fend off a threat to Russia posedby Ukraine’spush to join NATO andtoprotect Russian speakers in Ukraine —arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies. He insisted that anyprospective peace deal must see Ukraine abandon its NATO bid and recognize Russia’sterritorial gains.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Denmark after meeting with major European Union backersthat he may talkto Trump in the coming days about the suspension.

“I hope that maybe tomorrow, or close days, these days, Iwill speak about it with President Trump,” he said.

Tennessee.

back Abrego Garcialast month,itwas to face federal humansmuggling charges in

Justice Department spokesman ChadGilmartin told The Associated Press lastmonth that the depart-

ment intends to tryAbrego Garcia on the smuggling charges before it moves to deport him again.

BY MELINA WALLING Associated Press

The Environmental Protection AgencyonThursday putonadministrative leave 139 employees who signed a “declaration of dissent”with itspolicies, accusingthem of “unlawfully undermining” the Trump administration’s agenda.

In aletter made public Monday,the employees wrote that the agencyis no longer living up to its mission to protect human health and the environment The letter represented rare public criticism from agency employees whoknew they could face blowback for speaking out against a weakening of funding and federal support for climate, environmental and health science.

In astatement Thursday, the EPAsaid it has a“zerotolerance policy for career bureaucrats unlawfully undermining, sabotaging and undercutting” the Trump administration’sagenda.

Missouri judgeagain blocks abortionlaws

By The Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY,Mo. AMissouri judge blocked many of thestate’sabortion restrictions Thursday,reimposing apreliminary injunction againstthem just alittle over amonth after the state’shighestcourt had lifted aprevious hold.

The order by Jackson County Circuit JudgeJerri Zhang saidthe abortion restrictions likely violate a state constitutional right to abortion that was approved by voters last year Planned Parenthood said in astatement that the order clears the way for it to again provide procedural abortions in Missouri.

But Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said his ofﬁce “will expeditiously appeal this ruling.”

Employees were notified that they had been placed in a“temporary,non-duty, paid status” for thenext two weeks, pending an“administrative investigation,” accordingtoacopy of the email obtained by The Associated Press. “Itisimportant thatyou understand that this is notadisciplinary action,” the email read. More than 170 EPAemployees put their names to the document, with about 100 more signing anonymously out of fear of retaliation, accordingtoJeremyBerg, aformer editor-in-chief of Sciencemagazinewho is not an EPAemployee but was among non-EPAscientistsor academics toalso sign.

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health made a similarmove in June,when nearly 100 employees signed adeclaration that assailed Trump administration“policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public re-

sources,and harm thehealth of Americansand people across the globe.” An additional 250 of their colleagues endorsed thedeclaration without using theirnames Butnoone at NIH has been placed on administrative leave for signing the declarationand there has beennoknown retribution against them, Jenna Norton, alead organizerofthe statement, told AP on Thursday.Norton oversees health disparity research at the agency’sNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, in his conﬁrmation hearings, had pledged openness to views thatmight conﬂict with his own, saying dissent is the “essenceof science.

UnderAdministratorLee Zeldin,EPA has cut funding for environmental improvements in minority communities,vowed to roll backfed-

eral regulations that lower air pollution in national parks andtribal reservations,wantstoundo aban on atype of asbestos and proposed repealing rules thatlimit planet-warming greenhouse gasemissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.

Zeldin began reorganizing the EPA’sresearch and development ofﬁceaspart of hispush to slashits budget and gut its study of climate change andenvironmental justice. Andhe’sseeking to roll back pollution rules that an AP examination found were estimatedtosave 30,000 livesand $275 billion every year

TheEPA respondedtothe employees’ letter earlier this week by saying policy decisions “are aresult of a processwhere Administrator Zeldin is briefedonthe latestresearch and science by EPA’scareer professionals, andthe vast majority

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

TheTrump administration’stax and spending billapproved by Congress on Thursday includesa long-sought measure to increase the amount of offshore oil-and-gas revenue that Louisianareceives from the federal government. The little-known provision in the OneBig BeautifulBill, to be signed by President Donald TrumponFriday,means up to around $50 million per year extra for Louisiana over adecade —money thatmust be used for coastal protection and restoration projects. While the larger bill has been intensely divisive, that aspect of it has received bipartisan support in Louisiana, which is facing asteepdecline in coastal protection funds in the years ahead.

PUSH

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Donald Trump was the “absolute closer,”available to make the calls and take the meetings to get enough Republican votes.

“But this bill wouldn’tbeheading over to the White House without the yeoman’sunwavering support from the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson,” Scalise said.

Johnson, R-Benton, said Thursday that work on the bill began 15 months ago —beforethe November 2024 elections —when GOP leadership began seeingademographic shift that portended Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

“Wehad avision for what we wantedtodo,” said Johnson. “We didn’twant waste that opportunity.”

Getting there, however,took many sleepless hours —particularly during the last 48 hours. Johnsonsaidhehadn’tgottenany sleep for two days.

“I’m adanger to myself and oth-

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson,who was instrumental in including the measure in the mammoth bill, highlighted its passageinastatement.

“I was able to include in this bill my language to increase the revenue sharing Louisiana receives from energy exploration and productionoff our coast, which will result in new funding —tothe tune of hundreds ofmillions of dollars —for ﬂood control, hurricane protectionand coastal restoration projects that are vital to Louisiana’sfuture,” Scalise said, also noting the bill requires annual lease sales in the Gulf.

The measure changes aspects of what is known as GOMESA,or the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, and has longbeen agoal of Louisiana state ofﬁcials and its congressional delegation. Former Sen. Mary Landrieu was key in pushing the original GOMESA law throughCongress in 2006, givingLouisiana its ﬁrst share of the

ers right now,” he joked after the vote.

In May,after he managed to pass thebill through the House by asingle vote, Johnson asked the Senatenot to make major changes to theprovisions carefully cobbled out over several months. But the legislation returned Tuesday from theSenate substantially rewritten, with basically twodays to get it passedintime for Trump’sJuly

Fourthceremony

Johnson decided that the most efficientway to hit theself-imposed deadlinewas to acceptthe Senate’s changes.But that was going to requirelong conversations with recalcitrant Republicans to allow them to “make sure they fully understood it and all the implications.”

“Some of that was still going on”

Wednesday night, Johnson said.

Budgethawksinthe House promisedtooppose the bill because of it would add $3.3 trillion to the nation’sdebt, despite arecord $1.7 trillion in spending reductions, mostly from Medicaid.

They wanted deepercutsinsocial safetynet programs to offset that deﬁcit.

“With a30% increase in GOMESA funding,our coastal programcan do much more crucial work over the next decade.”

GORDON DOVE, chair of the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority

funds in question, andhas since argued forcefully that thestate deserves more.

The law includes acomplicated formula that determines how much offshore revenue Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabamareceive each year.Louisiana must use themoney for coastal projects.

Under the law,37.5% of offshore oil andgas revenue is shared among the four Gulf states, but the total amount is capped at $500 million per year.Louisiana receives themost of the four,amounting to

Lessconservative GOPrepresentatives vowed notback abill they said cut Medicaidand food stamps toomuch, arguingvoters would hold themaccountable in the2026 congressional elections.

This processisinthe wheelhouse of the twoLSU alumni who head thelower chamber

Scalise is an acknowledged master of parliamentary procedures andknows how to getintothe weedstochangelegislative languageinaway to turn “no” into “yes.”Hewas seen on theHouse ﬂoor Wednesday night gesticulating with holdouts.

Johnson’s calm and patience were seen as crucial to turning Trump’scampaign promises into law without the support of asingle Democrat.Heheld most of his meetings in aroom adjacent to the House ﬂoor They talked about,according to staffers andHouse members, ways to address thenation’sdebts and the kinds of executive orders Trumpcould issue.

Johnsonsaidmemberswanted to talk about how thelaw would be administered. It was not about making new commitmentsbut a

$156 million for the last ﬁscal year

The change approved in the currentbill lifts the cap to $650 million for the next decade. The amount of revenue does notreach the cap limit every year,but it has done so forthe past three years in row Louisiana couldgain an extra $46 million per year,or$460 million over the next decade, if thecap is hit each of those years, according to estimates.

Stateofﬁcials have long advocated forsuch achange by pointing to Louisiana’srole in the nation’s energyproduction, the importance of river shipping through its portsand the long-term beneﬁts of investment in coastal protection. They also highlight a1920 law that grantsWestern states farmore revenue,handing over half of what is collected from onshore energy and mineral mining.

Louisiana’scoastal restoration and protection efforts face threatsonvariousfronts. Most of thebudget forsuch projects in re-

better understanding, he added.

While most House Republicans went along with the plan, Johnson said he did need to bring in Trump to close the holdouts. At theend that was members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.

Trump brought sometothe White House and talked to others on the phone.

Beyond his persuasive skills, Trump— as president and leader of theRepublican Party —also can threaten the political futures of those who won’tgoalong with theprogram.

Time and again Republicans, particularly hard-line conservatives, defiantly voiced their willingnesstodie on aparticular policy hillonly to foldinthe ﬁnal moments and support the legislation Trump wanted. And when they didn’t, Trump threatened political purgatory

The prime example is Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who said Trump’sbill “will hurt people who are eligible and qualiﬁed forMedicaid.”

Trump attacked Tillis on social media and threatened to run an opponent againsthim in 2026. Tillis announced he would not seek a

cent years has come from billions sent to the state in fines and settlement money related to the 2010 BP DeepwaterHorizonoil spill, but that money expires by 2032. TheTrumpadministration has also been seekingtoplace more of theburden onto states. That could mean severe consequences for Louisiana if FEMA and the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers are forced to greatly reduce spending. Theextra moneyincludedin the bill falls farshort of filling the funding gap Louisiana will experience in the years ahead, but it has been welcomed by state officials as progress. The longer-term goal for the state is to eliminate the GOMESA cap entirely “With a30% increase in GOMESA funding, ourcoastal program can do much more crucial work overthe next decade,”saidGordon Dove, chairofthe state’sCoastal Protection and Restoration Au-

third term

Roy Fletcher,aseasoned political strategistfrom Baton Rouge, said Trump is playing the same game of hardball politicsthatall presidents play

“This is aboutthe presidency. It’s about governing,” Fletcher said. “You may say,‘Igot real problems with it.’ So what. Here’sa bigger problem for you —the president of your party opposes you.”

When the House Freedom Caucus still wasn’tready to vote late Wednesdaynight,Trump wrote on TruthSocial: “Itlooks like the House is ready to vote tonight. We had GREATconversations all day and the Republican House Majority is UNITED,for the Goodofour Country,delivering the Biggest TaxCuts in History and MASSIVE Growth. Let’sgoRepublicans, and everyone else —MAKE AMERICA GREATAGAIN!”

One of the procedural votes was held open for more than six hours to give Johnson, Scalise and Trump timetoﬁnd enough Republicans to pass the bill.

The House began the debate at 3:28 a.m.Republicans approved the legislation 11 hours later

sides of the aisle, we’ve waited long enough. Some of us have literally been up for days now,” Johnson said “However you vote today my friends, the presidentof the United States is waiting with his pen, the American people are waiting for this relief.”

At 2:28 p.m. Eastern, the House voted 218 to 214to get the bill to Trump for his signatureata Friday ceremony on Independence Day, which is what the president wanted.

In addition to Johnson andScalise,the other two Republicans in Louisiana’s delegation —Rep. Clay Higgins, of Lafayette; and Rep. Julia Letlow,ofStart —voted in favorofthe bill. Two GOP representativesjoined all Democratic House members voting against the bill, including Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans; and Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge. Even though Republicans hold a220-212 majorityin the Houseand 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate, GOP leadership has grappled with ﬁnding enough votesat every legislative step.

The bill funds Trump’sdomestic agenda.

Republicans focus mostly on the tax benefits.They argue that, when coupled withregulatoryrollbacks, lesser taxes will instigatean investment surge that will energize the U.S. economy and lead to growth enough to lower the deﬁcit.

“The pro-growth policies withinthishistoric legislation are going to fuelan economic boom likewe’ve never seen before,” said Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary Democratic members counter that the rich will beneﬁt, by far,from thetax cuts and that lower-income Americans will partially pay for the bill’scosts through reduced access to Medicaid and food stamps.

From the House floor, in the dark hours Thursday

providers to raise money for astate’sportion of Medicaid expenses.

About 17 millionAmericans—267,550 in Louisiana —could lose their coverage over adecade when changes to subsidies for theAffordable Care Act are added into theMedicaid revamp.

Republicans say their goal is to address “waste,fraud and abuse” and protectthe safety netprograms forthe deserving population, such as low-income pregnant women, the disabled and children.

Thebill finds moresavings by shifting some of the payments for food stamps fromfederal to stategovernments.

“The president is going to say how well economic development is going to be impacted, but experts say the numbers don’tindicate that,” Fields said. “These are not Democratic talking points. These are the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis.”

“This bill increases energy costs by $400 per household, cedeshundredsofbillions in clean energy investments and jobs to countries like China, and undermines ourability to competeina global economy,”said Rep. Troy Carter,D-New Orleans.

morning,Scalise boiled down thedisagreement as a philosophicalﬁghtbetween Democratsand Republicans.

“They don’twanttogive people backtheir money They want to keep the power inWashington. That’s really what’satstake here. That’sthe big fighthere,” Scalisesaid. “President Trump is at thehelmnow It’sanew day.World leadersknowit. The bad guys know it around the world. Butyou know what those hardworking families who have been waiting for this relief for along, long time, areﬁnally going to realize?

Help is on the way.

Thebill makes permanent roughly $3.8 trillion of temporary individual and business tax breaksenacted when Republicans held the majorityduring Trump’s first term. That 2017 tax break was set to expire in December If the bill had not been approved,Louisiana taxpayers would have seen a$2,135 increase, on average, in federal taxes nextyear Lower-incomeﬁlers’ taxes would save about $150 from what they would havepaid had the bill notpassed, according to The TaxPolicy Center, aWashington-based

nonpartisananalysis group.

Middle-income ﬁlers, making $66,801-$119,200 annually,would seeabout a $1,750 tax reduction and those earning over $217,100 annually wouldsaveabout $12,540 in taxes.

About 85% of the nation’s households would receive a tax cut in 2026.

The bill alsotemporarily allows workers to deduct tips and overtime pay,and provide anew $6,000 deduction for most older adults.

Alltold, the bill’stax provisions reducefederal revenuesbyabout $4.5 trillion over 10 years.

Plus, thebillincreases spending by about $350 billion on border security, including building awall along theMexican border, and military armaments.

“We’re cutting $1.7 trillion in this bill, andyou’re notgoing to feel any of it,” Trump said last week.

To pay for those expenses, thelegislation cuts about $1.1trillion from Medicaid and other health programs. The bill reduces federal spending on Medicaidby 18% and requires most beneﬁciaries to work or volunteer 80 hours amonth, along withrestrictions on how states can taxhospitals, clinics, andother health care

Rep. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, saidthat,while lower-income people will receive amodest tax break, they will endupbehind when lost health care and nutritionbenefits arefactored. He said the experts don’tback Republican insistence thatthe bill will energize thenation’seconomy

“This is afull-blown assault on veterans, students, workers, the elderly and every family that relies on afair shot to getahead. It’s abetrayal of our values and a dark day for economic justice.”

Much of the GOP opposition came from ﬁscal hawks fearful of adding to the nationaldebtand hadsought deeper spending cuts in Medicaid and other programs.

The bill is expected to add $3.3 trilliontothe nation’s $36.2 trillion debt, according to the Congressional Budget Ofﬁce, the arm of Congress chargedwith estimating the financial impact of legislation underconsideration. Interestpayments on thedebt are getting close $1 trillion annually and are one of the federal government’slargest expenses. Thebill also includes language that allows Louisiana to receive alarger cut of federal offshore leases and production by raising the annual cap on offshore energy revenue sharing with Gulf states from $500million to $650 million through 2034. Thebillalsowould require the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to hold no fewer than twolease salesevery year for15years in Gulf waters, and it eliminated the $200 tax stamp for shortbarreled ﬁrearms.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

VETOES

to punish waywardlawmakers by knockingout their projects. What stands out is that Landrytargeted members of hisown political party in virtually all cases.

“You hit Republicansfor one reason andfor onereasononly— that they don’tmarch to his orders. They’re independent thinkers,” said Robert Adley,aRepublican who represented Bossier Parish in the Legislature for 28 years until term limits forced hisretirement in 2016.

“It’svindictiveness,” Adley added. “It’swrong because they are elected to represent their districts. It shouldn’tbedone. It’sHuey Long stuff.

Tanner Magee, aRepublican who represented Houma for two terms in theHouse,saidhedoesn’t fault Landry for the line-item vetoes.

“This is howgovernors pass their agenda,” Magee said, through the threat of vetoing projectsthat legislators want because it will improve their districts and boost their standing back home. “He probably feels like his agenda is theiragenda, and he’stryingtocajole them into voting with him next time. This is big boy politics. You got to put your pants on and play. They (legislators) know thescore, and they know the game.”

Most of the legislators whose projects were vetoed declined to comment,sayingthey werefear-

ful of further antagonizing the governor

But Sen. Alan Seabaugh, RShreveport, who lost funding for four projects, morethan any other legislator,took ashot at Landry

because his residentsdesperately wanta park for kids anddon’t have thenecessary local tax dollars.

Briggs said he received word the vetowas “due to politics withAlan Seabaugh.

One was to spend $105,000 to repair thebridge at Lafraniere Park that connects to Marsh Island. The other was to spend $60,000 to upgrade Delta Playground in Metairie.

Japanese sneak attack on the Hawaiian naval base in 1941, Bayhamsaid, “I was notgivenany forewarning on the cut, and Iwas taken by surprise.”

Others also said they didn’treceive advance word.

readiness of students whowill soon transition to college and the workplace —isconcerning.”

The institute also pointed out that 35% of students in grades 3-12 met or exceeded the statetarget, which reﬂects no change from last year This year’smath scores were abright spot for elementary and middle schoolstudents. The share of third and fourth graders reaching mastery grew by 1percentage point, while the percentage of sixth, seventh andeighth grade students hitting that mark increased by 3points. Only ﬁfth graders saw adecline, with the

“Aslong as thegovernor is going on turkey huntsand traveling to LSUbaseballgames on billboard lawyers’private planes, the people of Louisiana will continue to pay outrageousinsurancepremiums while thegovernor continues to bully legislators and attack the InsuranceCommissioner,”Seabaugh said in astatement.

He wasreferring to anews report just before thelegislativesession began that Landry traveled to Texastogoturkeyhunting with personal injury attorney Gordon McKernan, along withﬁve legislative leaders and several other trial attorneys.

Seabaugh was also referring to Landry’s comments during the sessionthat if HB148 passed and insurance rates didn’tdrop, he would pin the blame on Temple.

Of Seabaugh’sfour vetoed projects, onewould have extended La. 71 to make it safer to enter and exit Parkway High School in Bossier City at acost of $4.2 million.

Three more would have authorized $100,000 to upgrade parks in Coushatta, $25,000 for apark in the village of Martin and $30,000 for a park in the villageofHall Summit —all in Red River Parish, which is between Shreveport and Natchitoches.

JasonBriggs, Hall Summit’s mayor,saidthe veto surprised him

mastery rate dropping 2percentagepoints.

TheEnglish resultswere more mixed, with two grades making gains —fourth graders improved by 2percentage points and sixth graders grewby1 point —while several grades sawslight declines. Students in ﬁfth, seventh and eighthgrade decreased by 1 percentage point and third graders decreased by2 points.

Theslip in literacyscores comes after Louisiana received praise earlier this year after its fourth graders led the country in reading progress on anational test,and aftera studylastyear foundthat Louisianawas one of just three states wherestudents’ reading scores had rebounded to pre-pandemiclevels. Ofﬁcials credited thosegains to anumber

The only pro-insurance bill that Landry vetoed, Senate Bill111, was sponsoredbySeabaugh. It sought to limit so-called bad-faith lawsuitsthat hold insurancecompanies liable when they delay or rejectclaims without agood reason. The 17 line-item vetoes were contained in House Bill 460 and House Bill 2, which contained hundreds of other projects that will advance. Landrysaid he vetoed the threeitems in HB2 because the construction budgetwas overfunded.Hedidn’texplain the14 items vetoed in HB460.

The governor’sofﬁce didn’trespond to an interview request.

To pass HB148, Landry met with House membersprivately and took theunusual step of testifying in favor of thebill during alegislativecommittee. There, he faced skeptical questions from several Republicans.

The passage of HB148 marked the first time that anumberof Republicans brokewith Landry during his ﬁve regular and special sessions as governor.Republicans split 37-34 in favorofitonApril 30, with the bill passing 68-34 thanks to support from all 31 Democrats.

Amongthe House memberswho voted againstit, Rep. John Illg, RMetairie, had two projectscut by Landry

of literacy changes the state enacted in recentyears.Under alaw that took effect this pastschool year,third graders who are far behind in reading can be required to repeat thegrade.

Brumley said his department is still working to determine why third graderssaw the biggestdecline in English on the LEAP test, noting that aseparate literacy screener given to thirdgraders showed they madeprogress over thecourse of last school year

“It’ssomething we’llwantto watch moving forward,”Brumley said, “but Idon’tthink it’ssomething we should be overly concerned about at this point in time.”

Brumley said themath gains are asign thatinitiatives thestate introduced last school year,including numeracy training for teach-

Rep.ChanceHenry,R-Crowley, lost money foratutoring program in his district.

Rep. Kim Carver,R-Mandeville, lost $50,000 to install an indoor athletic ﬁeld at Fontainbleau High School.

Rep. Jay Galle, R-Mandeville, lost $25,000 forplayground equipmentinLacombe.

Rep. Michael Melerine, RShreveport, lost $50,000 to upgrade East Kings Highway Park.

None of the ﬁve wanted to comment.

Rep. Kellee Dickerson, R-Denham Springs, lost $100,000 fortennis and pickleball courts at Live Oak High School in thecommunity of Watson.

Dickerson said she saw the project as part of theMake America Healthy Again movement by creating aplace where high schoolers and other residents could play bothsports. She said tournaments with localschoolscould generate revenue forLive Oak High.

“I guess it was aslap on the wrist,” Dickersonsaid, referring to Landry,adding that she has a good working relationship with him

Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, lost$6,000 for signage at PearlHarbor MemorialPark in Arabi.

Playingonwords related to the

ers andmandated tutoring for struggling students, are working.

“Wewere really excitedtosee thenumbers because we did spend more time last year with an intentional focusonmathematics,” he said. “You basically seethat growth across the board.”

High school students also take LEAP tests, some of whichstudents must pass to graduate. The share of students who reached mastery or above in each subject was:

English I: 44% —up3percentage points from last year

English II: 45% —down 2points

Algebra: 42% —up3points

Geometry: 30% —nochange

Biology: 26% —down 1point

U.S. History:25% —down 4 points.

Addressing the declines on some of the high school tests, Brumley

After HB148 passed the House, the Senate passed the Senate, 26-9, but not before Sen. Adam Bass, RBossier City,aggressively raised a series of questions on the Senate ﬂoor about its possible harmfuleffect.

Landry eliminated a$685,000 sewer project in Minden, in Bass’ district, $25,000 to study improvements to abridge on La. 537 in Plain Dealing and$545,000 to upgrade Kingston Park in Benton. Bass declined to comment. In ahighly unusualmove, Landrykilledtwo projects in his home area, St.MartinParish, whichisrepresented by Sen. Blake Miguez,R-New Iberia.Miguezalso voted against HB148.

One project, costing $275,000, would have paved Division Road, while the otherwould have extended Mills Avenue in Breaux Bridge at acostof$10.2 millionand unlocked development in the eastern part of town.

Miguez declined to comment.

Sen. SamJenkins,ofShreveport, wasthe lone Democrat to suffera line-item veto. He sought $125,000 fortwo nonproﬁts that aim to help people rebuild their lives. Jenkins said he had no idea why Landry vetoed the projects.

“I thought they were inconspicuous,” he said.

said he hopes the state’snew grading system for schools, which launches next year,will push districts to ensuretheirolderstudents are performing at grade level.

This is the last set of LEAP data to be released underLouisiana’s current school-rating system. Starting in 2026, students’ LEAP scores will be incorporatedmore heavily in their schools’ performance scores.

“There is someplateau there,” Brumley said. “I think it demonstrates the need for the accountability revisions that we made to provide extra emphasisonstudents mastering academic content before they graduate high school.” Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

BR program to help cover AC costs

Up to $1K will repair, replace units for some low-income residents

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER

writer

Teen arrested in fatal north BR shooting

Second gunman in BR mass shooting sentenced

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

A 16-year-old Baton Rouge boy was arrested Thursday in a fatal north Baton Rouge shooting. The victim, 22-year-old Victor Lapharohs, was found Monday by Baton Rouge police officers in a parking lot at 9990 Avenue J, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Lapharohs eventually died from the wounds. The 16-year-old boy was booked into East Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center on a count of second-degree murder No motive for the shooting has been given. This is the second shooting involving a juvenile suspect in the last two weeks. A 15-year-old was arrested last Thursday for allegedly killing Prenesha Wagner, 25, in a shooting that also injured ﬁve others outside a South Choctaw after-hours spot.

Gunfire wounded 12 at nightclub in January 2023

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A second gunman in a mass shooting at a Baton Rouge nightclub that wounded 12 people pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted firstdegree murder and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Jron Hines, 19, entered the guilty pleas Monday as he stood before District Judge Brad Myers. Myers imposed the 20-year sentences without the possibility of parole for each of the four charges and ordered Hines to serve his prison bids on all counts simultaneously In exchange for the guilty pleas, state prosecutors agreed to dismiss nine other attempted-murder charges

against Hines. It was the same plea deal Nikeal Marquis Franklin, 21, agreed to June 10. Myers sentenced him to 20 years behind bars as well.

Jy’Shawn Mylik Jackson, 21, and 24-year-old Shawnchez Amier Lemar are the pair’s co-defendants. They also face 13 counts of attempted ﬁrstdegree murder in connection with the January 2023 shooting at the now-shuttered Dior Bar & Lounge. All four are from St. James Parish. Jackson and Lemar are expected to plead guilty to charges in the case July 16, according to court records. According to police reports, Hines and Franklin opened ﬁre inside the crowded nightclub, aiming their guns at the club’s stage shortly after they sneaked weapons into the building.

Baton Rouge police officials at the time described the shooting as a “targeted attack,” but court documents do

not make clear who the shooters were targeting. It happened early in the morning on Jan. 22, 2023, during a weekend event inside the nightclub advertised as a kickoff bash for the spring semesters at LSU and Southern University

Three of the 12 victims were critically wounded A 13th person initially thought they were struck by bullets during the chaotic spate of violence, but they were uninjured.

The Dior Bar & Lounge sat just off Interstate 10 in the 4600 block of Bennington Avenue, near College Drive. Franklin and Hines were both 16 at the time of the shooting. Surveillance footage viewed by Baton Rouge detectives showed the teens go outside and walk to their Nissan Titan truck in a nearby parking lot while Jackson and Lemar waited inside the bar Detectives said Hines and

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

‘The legacy that is Essence’

Newfestivalleaders hope special2025‘curations’ appealtoold andnew fans alike

BY KEITHSPERA Staff writer

For the Essence Festival of Culture’sproducers, social media criticism is part of the job —and not necessarily abad thing.

“It’sanhonor and ablessing to have something you’re working on have that much emotional impact,” says MichaelBarclay II, chiefeventsofficerfor Essence Fest parent company Sundial Media Group.

“I remind my team that even the negative shows you how impactful you are.What we’rebuilding is that important to people that they’regoing to air us out if we get it wrong.

“Buttheywillcomebackwhen we get it right.”

What started in 1995 as aone-off celebration of Essence Magazine’s 25th anniversary has matured into an annual, multifaceted celebration and summit of Black music, culture, politics, health and wellness, and corporate marketing that draws tens of thousands ofvisitors to New Orleans over the Fourthof July weekend.

New Orleans has hosted every Essence Fest except in 2006, when it moved to Houston while the Superdome underwent Hurricane Katrina-related repairs

The 2025 Essence Fest’snighttime concert series in the Caesars Superdome runs Friday to Sunday Attendeeswillalsoroamfreedaytime seminars, shop in the SOKO Marketplace and peruseelaborate, six-figure product “activations” fromCoca-Cola, Disney,Target AT&T,Wells Fargo/Visa and other corporate sponsors inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

“Essence Festival is much bigger than the (musical)talent,” Barclay said. “But we know that the talent drives alot of excitement. Andthe talent wantstobehere because of the legacy that is Essence.”

Changing of theguard

Over the decades, Essence has presented the likes of Beyoncé, Prince, Janet Jackson, Kendrick Lamar,Kanye West,MaryJ Blige, Usher, Alicia Keys,Missy Elliott, Queen Latifahand Chris Rock.

Arelatively smallnumberof stadium-sized acts ﬁt the Essence proﬁle. They are often committed to theirown tours, i.e. Beyoncé’s current Cowboy CarterTour, or

Essence staff, cityleadersand NewOrleans MayorLaToyaCantrell, center,pose for photos onstageat theopeningnewsevent for the Essence Festival of Cultureatthe Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in NewOrleans on Thursday. Several multiartist themed showcases will takeplace in NewOrleans’ Caesars Superdome over the Fourth of July weekend.

locked intoexclusive contracts with global live entertainment powerhouses Live Nation and AEG Presents, neither of which is afﬁliated with Essence. Thatcan make booking Essence tricky.“It is aconstantconversation,” Barclay said. “Wecreate wish lists. We’re already talking about nextyear, andthe yearafter.”

In Essence’searly decades, oldschool and contemporaryR&B was its bread and butter.More recently,hip-hop has ﬁguredmuch more prominently That reﬂects rap’sascent to the pinnacle of pop culture, the shifting demographics of the Essence audience and leadership changes within the Essence organization.

The2023 and 2024 Essence Fests wereled by Essence Ventures president and CEO Caroline Wanga and Hakeem Holmes, aSt. Augustine High School graduate whowas the company’sﬁrst vice president focused speciﬁcally on the festival.

Following the 2024 Essence Holmes left Essence and moved to London to pursue an acting

Jury awards

$2.4M in

Holy CrossCatholic abuselawsuit

Victim filedsuit under‘lookback window’

Staff report

Afederaljury in New Orleans has leveled a$2.4 million verdict against the religious order that oversees Holy Cross School, finding that areligious brother, Stanley Repucci, sexually abused an adolescentboy more than half century ago at asummer camp. With the verdict last week, John Lousteau appears to be the first persontoreach asuccessful verdict under Louisiana’s“lookback window” for survivors of longago childhood sex abuse to file lawsuits, according to his attorneys The Louisiana Supreme Court last year reverseditself to uphold the law,which gave people alleging abuse athree-year window to file damage suits regardless of how long ago the past abuse occurred. Now retirement age, Lousteau sued the Congregation of Holy Cross Southern Province and Holy Cross College in 2021, alleging that Repucci abused him sexually when he was 10 or 11 once after inviting Lousteau to his room for pizza, and again at the boy’sbunk. Re-

pucci has since died. Lousteau’slawsuit, ﬁled by attorneys with the Lamothe Law Firm, describes “devastatingand far-reaching effects” from those encounters.

The Roman Catholic religious orderofbrothers is separate from NewOrleans’ Roman Catholic archdiocese, and Lousteau’scase is notpart of the Chapter11 bankruptcy case that has engulfed the archdiocese with claims fromsome600 victims of sexual abuse.

In Lousteau’scase,a threedaytrial before U.S. District Judge Jane TricheMilazzo ended June 25 with ajury ﬁnding by apreponderance of the evidence thatRepucci sexually abused Lousteau at the camp, setting damages at $2.375 million. “Weare incredibly pleased with the jury’sdecision, which validates Mr Lousteau’sclaims,and the harm caused by theabuse he endured as achild,”said attorney Kristi Schubert, lead counselfor Lousteau, in astatement. “Thisverdict is atestament to the facts presented and we are proud to have represented Mr.Lousteau in achieving this just outcome.”

Astatement fromthe religious order didnot commentonthe verdictor whether it will appeal.

career.“Imiss him daily,” Barclay said. “Hakeem was my right hand.”

Wanga, who published amemoir titled “Highly PercentSure” in May,iscurrentlyonleave from Essence.

The executive team guiding the 2025 Essence Fest, the31st overall, includes Barclay and Barkue Tubman-Zawolo, the chief community ofﬁcer at Essence.

Tubman-Zawoloand herstaff bookedthe musicfor 2025. Highlights include the “curations,” unique, multiartist collaborations built around atheme.

With so many acts taking part in the curations, ﬁnding enough backstage dressing rooms can be achallenge. Butthe curations, Tubman-Zawolo said, “allow us to tellastory.”

Thehopeisthatthose storiesappeal to both old and new fans of thefestival. “The philosophy is always multigeneration,” TubmanZawolo said. “Welook at where the brand is today as wellasthe legacy,the legends,the icons,the disrupters. We want to make sure we speak to all of those demos.”

‘Generationalsoul’

Case in point: Saturday’scrossgenerational Philadelphia showcasefeaturing Jill Scott, Patti LaBelle and Jazmine Sullivan.

“That is the whole point —‘generational soul,’”Tubman-Zawolo said. “It’sprobably aonce-in-a-lifetime moment. We like to have those iconic moments: what can happen here that can’thappen anywhere else?”

Another example is Sunday night’s“Essence Flowers” salute to the legendary Quincy Jones, curated by Atlanta hip-hop producer and songwriter Jermaine Dupri. Dupri curated awell-received Atlantahip-hopshowcase at the 2023 Essence Fest. For this weekend’s QuincyJones tribute, Dupri recruitedartists who worked directly withJones or sampled his music. The latter includes rapgroupthe Pharcyde, whose 1993 single “Passin’ Me By”sampledJones’ “Summer in the City.”

“Sampling introduces you to a deeper partofthe culture,” Barclay said. “I was ahuge ParliamentFunkadelic fanat15inthe 1990s

OperationStayCool requirements

To qualify for assistance,parishresidentsneedtoearnless than acertain amount each year,dependinguponhow many people are in their household

HOUSEHOLD SIZE:

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS INCLUDE:

Mustbringcopies of documents/not originals

• Utility bills no older than 30 days

• Proof of income from theprevious 30 days for anyoccupants over18 years old

• Additional informationisrequired for self employment and no employment(formswill be provided)

• Proof of unearned income (SocialSecurity,unemployment insurance, retirement, pension funds,disability,rentalincome, regular contributions,etc.)

• Proofofcurrent address(household bill or document showing name and addressofapplicant(no older than 30 days)

• Valid photo ID of theapplicant

• Social Security cards for all household members

Source:Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

Continuedfrom page 1B

Road, or by emailtoossfrontdesk@brla.gov Representativesofthe Gardere Initiative were also in attendanceatWednesday’s news conference, as the nonproﬁtispartneringwiththe mayor’sofﬁce to implement theprogram.Sowere public safety officials like Baton Rouge Police ChiefTJMorse and Interim EMS Director Chris Landry. “Every year,our EMS team responds toemergencies caused by extreme heat, many thatare involving our elderly population beyond andthose withoutaccess to

Staffgraphic

air conditioning,” Landry said. “While providing these AC units and the repairs for those folks that qualify and thosethatare in need, we’re not just offering relief, we’re preventing 911 calls, we’re preventing hospital stays, and we’resaving lives.”

Applicantswill have to cover any replacement or repair costs thatexceed $1,000. The city-parish will provide a listofvendors to applicants, though residents may choose whatever vendor they like, ofﬁcials said.

“I appreciate ourfederal partners that are funding this for us, and just really excited thepeople behind me thathave worked sohard to make this happen,” Edwards said.

because Dr.Dre sampled thema lot.

“Quincy’sinﬂuence is his direct impact, but also all the indirect impact of all the people that utilized his sounds to create other sounds.”

Essence faces thesamechallenge as the NewOrleans Jazz &Heritage Festival: Its original audience is aging out, so anew audience must be nurtured.

“How do we curate nights where the grandma who has been coming to Essence for 30 years can bring hergranddaughter and they can have that moment together?” Tubman-Zawolo said. “WhatJermaine is going to do will do that.”

Badu,GloRilla’sbroad appeal

The eccentric contemporary R&B and soul singer Erykah Badu’s history with Essence dates to the 1990s. But Badu’sactivepresence on social media, Tubman-Zawolo believes, makes her relevant to a younger audience too.

“Ifyou have that social relevance on the platforms that speak to the next generation, they getexcited to see you maybe for adifferent reason than an old-schooler,” TubmanZawolo said.

Similarly,Memphis rapper Gloria “GloRilla” Woods is only 25, but her personality and media presence extend her appeal beyond music

“I wastalking to my mom, who is in our older Essence demographic, about the lineup,” Barclay recalled. “She was very excited about Maxwell. Isaid, ‘You might not know GloRilla …’

“And she said, ‘Oh,I knowGloRilla! Idon’tknow her songs, but I know her.’ It wasn’tabout the music. GloRilla’spersonality is what’s attracting folks who may not listen to the music.”

That, Barclay said, is key: “We have to have that balance between our aunties andthe new audience. GloRilla is one that transcends all.”

And if the opinionatedEssence audience disagrees?

“Beating us up is part of it,too,” Tubman-Zawolosaid, laughing. “It just lets you know that we’re not amonolith. Thereare people who feel strongly about this and strongly about that.

“That’swhatmakes this such an amazing community. It reallyis conversational. And we really do listen.”

Email KeithSpera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

BLOTTER

Continued from page1B

Homicide trends from recent years show both suspects andvictims in Baton Rouge shootings are trending younger The investigation into Lapharohs’ death is ongoing.

Fire department responds to gas leak

Fireﬁghters with the St.

George Fire Department respondedThursday to an active hazmat situation near the intersection of Gardere Lane and GSRI/ Innovation Park Avenue. Aspokesperson for thedepartmentsaidthe hazmat situation wasa natural gas leak, and arepair team was dispatched. The intersection of Gardere Lane and Innovation Park Avewas blocked, according to areleasefrom the department. Drivers were encouraged to seek alternate routes.

SHOOTER

Continued from page1B

Franklin retrieved apair of Glock 9mm pistols from the SUVand slid them under aback fence of theclub to Jackson and Lemar,who were waiting on an outdoor patiotoreceive theweapons.

Jackson and Lemar concealed the guns and took them into the club, where theymet with Hinesand Franklin, police said. According to investigators, thetwo teens walked towardthe stage and began shooting shortly after 1:30 a.m., with Franklin opening ﬁre ﬁrst.

The gunfire inside the packed lounge sent revelersscrambling for the exits. Hines, Franklin, Jacksonand Lemar ran out and ﬂed in the Nissan Titan, according to detectives.

“Thiswas avery chaotic crime scene involving alot of people in avery crowded bar with manyshots ﬁred,” East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said after Franklin’spleahearinglast month. “Based on the factsand the level of co-

operationfrom witnesses, this wasthe best outcome the state could expect. We believethatthe plea and sentence was in thebest interest of protecting our public and doing justice under the circumstances.”

Email Matt Bruceat matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

BUSINESS

U.S. stocks set another record

U.S. applications for jobless aid fall to 233K

Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs in the U.S. remain low despite uncertainty about how tariffs will impact the economy

The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending June 28 fell by 4,000 to 233,000, less than the 241,000 that analysts forecast. Applications for unemployment aid are considered a proxy for layoffs.

Though the job market is broadly healthy by historical standards, some weakness has surfaced as employers contend with fallout from Trump’s policies, especially his aggressive tariffs.

Companies that have announced job cuts this year include Procter & Gamble, Workday, Dow, CNN, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Facebook parent company Meta.

On Wednesday, Microsoft announced that it is laying off about 9,000 workers, its second mass layoff in months and its largest in more than two years.

Earlier this month, Google conﬁrmed that it had offered buyouts to another swath of its workforce in a fresh round of cost-cutting ahead of a court decision that could order a breakup of its internet empire.

The Labor Department’s unemployment benefits report showed that the four-week average of claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, fell by 3,750 to 241,500.

The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits the week of June 21 held steady at 1.97 million.

UPS plans to offer buyouts to drivers

UPS is making plans to offer buyouts to its drivers for the ﬁrst time ever prompting staunch opposition from the Teamsters union.

The potential buyouts come as UPS has announced plans to slash tens of thousands of management and other jobs and automate more of its business as it slogs through global trade tensions and the loss of business from what used to be its biggest customer — Amazon

Just two years ago, UPS struck a landmark agreement with the Teamsters union that included pay boosts, promises to add air conditioning to package cars and agreements to hire thousands of full-time Teamsters members

But on Thursday, UPS said in a written statement it is navigating “an unprecedented business landscape.”

The buyouts would include a “generous ﬁnancial package if they choose to leave UPS,” in addition to any pension, health care or other retirement beneﬁts they’ve already earned, the company said.

In April, UPS said it planned to cut 20,000 jobs from its workforce of about 490,000, because of a cutback in its deliveries for Amazon and a larger push to make the network more “efﬁcient.” The shipping giant also said it was closing 73 buildings by the end of June, with more to come.

368K pounds of Oscar Mayer bacon recalled

Nearly 368,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon products are being recalled over possible contamination with listeria bacteria that can cause food poisoning, federal health ofﬁcials said Wednesday

No illnesses have been conﬁrmed to date, U.S. agriculture department ofﬁcials said.

Kraft Heinz Food Company of Newberry, South Carolina, announced the recall of the fully cooked turkey bacon that was produced from April 24 to June 11 The problem was discovered when the company’s laboratory testing indicated potential listeria contamination The recall includes products that were shipped to U.S. stores nationwide, as well as the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong. BRIEFS FROM

yields leap on signals the economy is solid

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stocks climbed further into record heights on Thursday after a report showed the U.S job market looks stronger than Wall Street expected.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and set an all-time high for the fourth time in ﬁve days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 344 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite

gained 1%.

The market’s gains were widespread, and companies whose proﬁts can get the biggest boosts when workers are feeling confident helped lead the way Expedia climbed 3.2%, and Norwegian Cruise Line steamed 2.9% higher

The reaction was bigger in the bond market following the report from the U.S. government, which said employers added 147,000 more jobs to their payrolls last month than they cut. The unexpected acceleration in hiring signals the U.S. job market is holding up despite worries about how Pres-

ident Donald Trump’s tariffs may hurt the economy and inﬂation.

“There is nothing to complain about here,” according to Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics. “You cannot ﬁnd any evidence of a nascent recession in these ﬁgures.”

A separate report, meanwhile, said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, an indication of easing layoffs.

Yields jumped in the bond market as investors bet the betterthan-expected data could keep the Federal Reserve on hold when it

comes to interest rates, instead of cutting them like Trump has loudly been calling for.

Traders in the futures market now see less than a 5% chance that the Fed could cut its main interest rate at its next meeting later this month.

That’s down sharply from the nearly 24% chance they saw just a day earlier, according to data from CME Group.

The Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, has been insisting that he wants to wait and see how Trump’s tariffs affect the economy and inﬂation before making its next move.

A ‘Help Wanted’ sign is displayed at Illinois Air Team Test Station in Lincolnshire, Ill. The U.S labor market delivered another upside surprise last month, churning out a surprisingly strong 147,000 jobs.

Labor market adds 147K jobs in June

BY PAUL WISEMAN AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The U.S. labor market delivered another upside surprise last month, churning out a surprisingly strong 147,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked down unexpectedly, too.

But the headline numbers masked some weaknesses as the U.S. economy contends with fallout from President Donald Trump’s economic policies, especially his sweeping import taxes and the erratic way he rolls them out. Here are ﬁve key takeaways from the jobs report the Labor Department released on Thursday

The headline jobs numbers looked good June hiring was up modestly from May’s 144,000 increase in payrolls and beat the 118,000 jobs economists had forecast for last month. The unemployment rate slipped to 4.1% from 4.2% in May as the ranks of the unemployed fell by 222,000. Forecasters had expected the jobless rate to inch up to 4.3%.

Labor Department revisions added 16,000 jobs to April and May payrolls.

Average hourly wages came in cooler than forecasters expected, rising 0.2% from May and 3.7% from a year earlier The yearover-year number is inching closer to the 3.5% considered consistent with the Federal Reserve’s 2% inﬂation target.

Health care jobs increased by 39,000. State governments added 47,000 workers

and local governments 33,000. Weakening in the job market

“On net, it was a good report,” said Sarah House, senior economist with Wells Fargo, “But when you dig underneath the surface, it was another jobs report that didn’t look quite as good as ﬁrst meets the eye.”

Private companies, for instance, hired just 74,000 workers last month, about half the 137,000 they hired in May And it was the fewest hires since last October, when there were signiﬁcant labor disruptions from hurricanes State and local governments added nearly 64,000 education jobs last month — a total that may have been inflated by seasonal quirks around the end of the school year

The U.S. labor force — the count of those working and looking for work fell by 130,000 last month on top of a 625,000 drop in May

Economists expect Trump’s immigration deportations — and the fear of them — to push foreign workers out of the labor force A falling labor force can keep the unemployment rate lower than it would be otherwise. That is because jobseekers need time to ﬁnd employment and can show up as unemployed in the interim.

The Fed is likely to stay put

The upside surprise in June payrolls likely will encourage the Fed to continue its waitand-see policy of leaving rates unchanged until it has a better idea of how Trump’s tariffs and other policies will affect inﬂation and the job market.

The Fed raised its benchmark interest rate

11 times in 2022 and 2023 to combat an outburst of inﬂation. As price pressures eased last year, the Fed reversed course and cut rates three times in 2024. More cuts were expected.

But the central bank has turned cautious this year “Today’s results are more than positive enough to reduce expectations for Fed rate cuts in the wake of tariffs and policy chaos, at least for now,” Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a commentary After the jobs data was released Thursday, yields on U.S. Treasurys spiked immediately. Traders in the futures market now see less than a 7% chance that the Fed could cut its main interest rate at its next meeting later this month. That’s down sharply from the nearly 24% chance they saw just a day earlier, according to data from CME Group.

The outlook is cloudy

Employers are now contending with fallout from Trump’s policies, especially his aggressive use of import taxes — tariffs.

Mainstream economists say that tariffs raise prices for businesses and consumers alike and make the economy less efﬁcient by reducing competition. They also invite retaliatory tariffs from other countries, hurting U.S. exporters.

Trump has increased the anxiety by imposing tariffs in an unpredictable way — announcing and then suspending them, then coming up with new ones. The uncertainty has left businesses bewildered and hesitant to make decisions about hiring and investment.

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON An analysis finds a critical group of U.S. employers would face a direct cost of $82.3 billion from President Donald Trump’s current tariff plans, a sum that could potentially be managed through price hikes, layoffs, hiring freezes or lower profit margins The analysis by the JPMorganChase Institute is among the first to measure the direct costs created by the import taxes on businesses with $10 million to $1 billion in annual revenue, a category including roughly a third of privatesector U.S. workers These companies are more dependent than

other businesses on imports from China, India and Thailand — and the retail and wholesale sectors would be especially vulnerable to the import taxes being levied by the Republican president.

The ﬁndings show clear tradeoffs from Trump’s import taxes, contradicting his claims foreign manufacturers would absorb the costs of the tariffs instead of U.S companies that rely on imports. While the tariffs launched under Trump have yet to boost overall inflation, large companies such as Amazon, Costco, Walmart and Williams-Sonoma delayed the potential reckoning by building up their inventories before the taxes could be imposed.

The analysis comes just ahead of the July 9 deadline by Trump to formally set the tariff rates on goods from dozens of countries.

Trump imposed that deadline after the ﬁnancial markets panicked in response to his April tariff announcements, prompting him to schedule a 90-day negotiating period when most imports faced a 10% baseline tariff. China, Mexico and Canada face higher rates, and there are separate 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Had the initial April 2 tariffs stayed in place, the companies in the JPMorganChase Institute analysis would’ve faced additional direct costs of $187.6 billion. Under the current rates, the $82.3 billion

would be equivalent on average to $2,080 per employee, or 3.1% of the average annual payroll. Those averages include ﬁrms that don’t import goods and those that do. Asked Tuesday how trade talks are faring, Trump said simply: “Everything’s going well.”

The president has indicated he’ll set tariff rates given the logistical challenge of negotiating with so many nations. As the 90day period comes to a close, only the United Kingdom has signed a trade framework with the Trump administration. Trump announced Wednesday he’d reached a deal with Vietnam, while India has signaled it’s close to agreeing on a trade framework.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NAM y. HUH

Doucet,Sharon Waguespack

Sharon Waguespack

Doucet, aresidentof Paulina, LA passedaway onSunday, June 29,2025 at the ageof70. Sharon was the second childand first girloften children by the lateClaudeJ.Waguespack, Sr. andGertrudeL.Bour‐geois Waguespack.She is survivedbyher spouse Wendell Doucet andchil‐drenNeilA.Duhe,Shawn P. Duheand Jacqueline Duhe, aswellasfourstepchil‐dren. Sheisalsosurvived byher siblings andtheir spouses Claude "C.J." Waguespack, Jr.(Sandra), Craig Waguespack (Donna), RogerWagues‐pack, RickyWaguespack (thelateDonna), Billy Waguespack(Jeannelle) Brian Waguespack (Cheryl), Jody Waguespack (Marsha), andAngelle Mar‐shall (BobbyLen); aunts MaryForsyth,Suzanne Brown;uncle VinzuleBour‐geois,Jr; mother-in-law AmandaDoucet; 17 grand‐childrenand step grand‐children; andmanynieces, nephews,and cousins. She isprecededindeath by her brother MickyWagues‐pack, nieceDannilleW Smith,and godchild DwayneBourgeois.Sharon was raised on property thather ancestorsac‐quiredafter beingpartof the AcadianExpulsion.She wenttoSt. JamesParish publicschoolseventually graduatingin1973 from Lutcher High School Girls Division. Aftergraduating SharonwenttoNicholas College in Thibodeaux for foodscience,but thecall ofthe workforceand moth‐erhoodwas toogreat,and she enteredthe workforce. She hadand held multiple jobswhile balancingfamily beforelanding at aSt. John Parishemployerand work‐ing therenumerousyears After partingwaysthere Sharonjuggled multiple jobsasa single parent be‐fore finallylanding at the ColonialSugar Refinery whereshe learnednumer‐

Obituaries ousjobsbeforeretiring. She lovedher flowersand especially roseswhich gaveher theinciteand courage to participatein the St.James Parish Home Vegetable Garden Contest small garden division win‐ning firstplace numerous times before physical chal‐lengestooktheir toll on her body.Sharon'slovefor helping others andbeing abletogivetofriends or familywas trulyher great‐est attribute. The fighting independent andgenerous spiritshe had, andthe strengthshown to others was trulyamazing,some‐times at herown peril. Rel‐ativesand friendsare in‐vited to attend theVisita‐tionand FuneralService on Saturday, July 5, 2025 at St JosephChurch.Visitation from9:00amto11:00 am, withthe Funeraltobegin at11:00 am.Burialwillim‐mediately follow theser‐vices at St.JosephCeme‐tery. Arrangements by RoseLynnFuneralHome. Tovieworsignthe online guest book,pleasevisit www.roselynnfuneral home.com

Lanieu,Brenda Ann 'BumbleBee'

Brenda Ann Lanieu "BumbleBee, 63 of Plaquemine La, passed away peacefully on Saturday June 28, 2025.She wasborn in Baton Rouge La to the late Ernest and Shirley Lewis. Brenda was apart of Plaquemine High'sClass of 81. Brenda was known for herkind, heart, infectious laugh, and willingness to alwaysgive.She was apillartrue in the community and willdeeplymissed by all who knew and loved her Sheissurvived by her lovely daughters: Felicia Charlotte, and Katrena Lanieu, sister Carolyn Clayton, two brothers: Jerry Lewis and Johnell Lanieu ,10grandchildren ,3 great

grandchildren,cousins, and ahost of nieces and nephews.

AcelebrationofBrenda's life will be held at Mount ZionIIinPlaquemine La on SaturdayJuly 5 with theviewing fromat911 am and theservicefollowing immediately. The repast willbeheldfollowing theserviceinthe fellowship hall of Mount Zion II RoscoeMortuary is entrusted forthe services and allflowers can be sent to them. The family of BrendaLanieuthank each of youfor your kind words and prayers during this time.

McKinney, Dianne Harvery

Dianne HarveryMcKin‐

ney,70, anativeand resi‐dentofDonaldsonville, Louisiana,passedaway peacefullyonJune 26, 2025 She wasprecededindeath byher husband,Michael K. McKinney, Sr.She leaves to cherish hermemory, her children: LeoMichael (DeLacey) McKinney and Michael K. (Angel)McKin‐ney,Jr. Visitation at Demby and SonFuneralHomeon Friday, July 4, 2025 from 5:00PMto7:00PM. Visita‐tiononSaturday, July 5, 2025 at Mount Zion Baptist Church,Donaldsonville, LA from9:00AMuntil Religious servicesat11:00AM

Richard,Jerry Lynn

JerryLynnRichard, passed away on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 in Denham Springs, LA at theage of 57. He was anativeofSt. Francisville and aresident of BatonRouge,LA. Jerry was born on September 28, 1967 to EthelWilliams Richard and thelate Joe Richard. He is survivedbyhis loving wife, Glenda Williams Richard;children, Terrell(Davina) A. Craig, JaredT.Scott and Kimberly (James) Johnson; mother, EthelRichard;sisters, Patricia (Izell) Pursley,Joyce Richard and JoAnn Richard;and ahost of other relatives and friends. Family and friendsof

Howtoplace an Obituary Notice

Jerryare invited to attend theVisitationonSaturday, July 5, 2025 at Hall'sCelebration Center,9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge,LA from 12:00pm to 1:00pm with aMemorialService immediately following. Inurnment:HeavenlyGates Cemetery of Baton Rouge ServicesEntrusted To Hall Davis andSon Funeral Service www.halldavisandson.com

OPINION

Plastics akey part of state’senergyeconomy

Louisiana’senergy sector is more than just amajor contributor to the state’seconomy —itis its backbone. From offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf to petrochemical facilities along the Mississippi River,energy production fuels nearly every facet of Louisiana’seconomic engine.

It provides tens of thousands of high-paying jobs, anchors local communities and keeps the lights on not only in Louisiana but across the country

It’simportant to examine what resources and materials remain essential to energy production within Louisiana.

With years of experience working in Louisiana’senergysector,I know that one of the most important materials the industry relies on is plastic, aproduct often

overlooked in discussions about energy reliability, affordability and yes, even sustainability Plastics support both economic growth and affordable energy solutions serving acrucial rolein the production of energy Pipelines that transport oil and natural gas heavily rely on plastic components because they are lightweight, durable and resistant to corrosion. Meanwhile, materials like polyethylene areessential for pipeline applications because they withstand high pressures andextreme temperatures. Thesepropertiesare what help ensure areliable fuel transportation system for consumers, translating into lower costs for businesses and households alike. Without these advances in plastictechnology,wewould face

signiﬁcantly heightened risksof leakage and failureinour energy distribution systems.

Believe it or not,renewables are reliant on plastics as well. Wind turbines,solar panels and batteries allrely heavily on plasticcomponents. Solar panels are encased in plastic sheetsthat protect the sensitive cells responsible for converting sunlight intoelectricity

Wind turbine blades aremade with light, durable plastic composites,which allow them to spin well but also withstandhigh wind speeds and years of constant rotation.

Butlet’saddresswhat everyday Louisianans are really concerned with: jobs and economic growth. Plastics industry shipmentsinLouisiana totaled nearly $19 billion in 2023, placing it eighthamong U.S. states. Given its signiﬁcant scope, the

Americorps avital lifeline for youngpeople, La.communities

AmeriCorps is astrategic investment in our state and our country’sfuture

The recent decision to cancelover$2.6 million in AmeriCorps grants in Louisiana is nothing short of acrisis. These cuts affect 330 members and stripnearly 50,000 Louisianans —children, seniors, veterans andfamilies —of critical services like tutoring,food support and disasterrelief. They also unravel anational serviceinfrastructurethathas launched thousands of young leaders —includingme. IservedinAmeriCorpsfor 5years. Istarted at CommunitiesInSchoolsin Philadelphia, continued withtwo years at City Year and culminatedwithTeach ForAmerica inBatonRouge. Each role built upon the last, preparingme to thrive as aclassroom teacher andultimately,asaneducation leader Today,I’m on the leadership team at anationally recognized education nonprofit in Baton Rouge, working with students from eighth grade throughcollege andbeyond. Ourteam is filled withAmeriCorps alumni —including our executive director and we would not be who we are withoutit. Igrew up in New York andgraduatedfrom college without aclear path. AmeriCorps gave me one. It connected me to community,purpose and alifelong commitment to education. It also gave me the financialfreedom to sayyes to service —thanks to the education award, Iwas able to pay off my college loans. Ididn’thaveto chaseasix-figure job to survive. Icould choose to teach. That’swhat’satstake with these cuts. At Teach For America, AmeriCorpsgrants are essential to recruiting thousandsofteachers each year for high-need classrooms. TFAcorps members—manyofwhom are first-generation college graduates—rely on these awards to cover certification fees and ongoingprofessional development. Ending this supportthreatensthe pipeline of

more than 2,500 teacherspreparing to enter classrooms this summer,including nearly 100 educators right here in Louisiana. At atime when rural and urban communities alike are facing critical teacher shortages, cutting AmeriCorps support risks leaving students without theeducators they need and deserve.

state’splasticsindustry supports adiverse arrayofhigh-paying, skilled jobs, offering signiﬁcant opportunities forcareer advancement. These jobs areessential for sustaining Louisiana’s economic growth andillustrate thevital local impacts of the state’sthriving plastics sector With theright leadership in Washington, this growth won’t stop any time soon.Luckily, theTrump administration has already showcased its commitment to unleashing American manufacturing andenergy dominance through executive orders that seek to rein in complicated, overly burdensome regulations that standinthe wayofinnovation Companies arepaying attention.This reformedapproach to regulationisalready bringing new energy projects to Louisiana.

Woodside Energy Group has announceda$17.5billion investment into anew liquefied natural gasproduction andexport facility in CalcasieuParish —the first greenfield LNG project to reach afinalinvestment decision under the newpresidency.Newlab, a globalventure platform, has additionally announced plans to establish anew energy innovation hub in the state Areliable supply of plastics is essentialfor these project plans to become areality,providing affordable energy,jobsand economicgrowth along the way Nurturing this sector will support aresilient energy supply onethatwill ensure American energy security andbenefit Louisianans for generations to come.

ShaneComeaux is apublic policyand energy expert from Lockport.

JimmySwaggart came from nothing andbuilt amovement

58 years. That’show long ago it’s been since Brother Jimmy Swaggart’sfather,also aminister,came intomysmall Ferridaylaw ofﬁce where Iwas asolepractitioner and asked me to incorporate his church. He toldmeabout his son, who had recently been ordained as aPentecostal minister in the Assemblies of God church.

stadiums thanwereusedonMondayNight Football.

Young BrotherSwaggart chose to be an evangelist, rather than establishing his own church. He preached in Pentecostalchurches throughout northeast Louisiana for several years before deciding to move to Baton Rouge. He asked me if Iwas willing to move to Baton Rouge and do legal work for what he told me would be amajor evangelical effort to build afull ministry thatwould include ahighschool and acollege. Ipassed on the opportunity and felt he might be toomuchofa dreamer for me. Needless to say, his legal needs proved to be great in theyears to come

AmeriCorps isn’tjust aprogram —it’sa launchpad. It attracts purpose-driven young people, builds their leadership and fuels measurable community impact. For every dollar invested in AmeriCorps, $17 in economic value is generated, proving that national service is not only efficient but apowerhouse for economic growth. Rather than draining resources, AmeriCorpsdrives real, measurable resultsthat benefit bothcommunities and the economy AmeriCorpsdelivers apowerful return on investment:lower unemployment, increased civic engagement and reduced reliance on public assistance. Through thetraining and experience it provides, alumni go on to becometeachers, social workers, nurses and nonprofit leaders people who give back for alifetime.

Cutting AmeriCorpsdoesn’tsave costs. It shifts them, placing added burdens on local governmentsand creating service gaps thatare even more expensive to ﬁll. If we care about thefuture of education, disaster resilience and civic leadership, we must protect andexpand national service opportunities

Iwouldn’tbewho Iamwithout AmeriCorps. I wouldn’tbeinBaton Rouge, leading aprogram that supports studentsfor life. Iwouldn’thave found the clarity and conviction to commit my career to public service. We cannot afford to lose this. Let’sinvest in AmeriCorps. It invests in us.

Allie Diefendorf is aﬁve-year AmeriCorps member and aTeach For America Greater Baton Rouge alum

We stayed in touchasIbecame astate senator andeventually moved to BatonRouge as the secretary of state.Ivisitedhim regularly at both his ofﬁce, and over the lunch table at his favorite restaurants on Bluebonnet near his campus.

During this time,I watched his dreams grow into the largest employer in Baton Rouge.

The Swaggart Ministries campus was quite alayout. There was aroom the size of abasketball court lined with some 50 tables where ladies satopening envelopes ﬁlled with contributions to his ministry

Therewas also alarge TV production studio lined with nearly 100 cubicles, where translators sat preparing videos to be sent to over 100 countries, where they would be played on local TV networks.

Hisprivate fleet of airplanes flew all the equipment transported to countries where Swaggart would preach, generally in stadiums filled with worshippers. He toldmehehad more TV cameras televising his ministries in these

Ihad what Ithought wasthe dubious request of brokering ameeting between Brother Swaggart andanothermajor televangelist, the Rev.Pat Robertson. Swaggart and Robertsonhad afalling out in 1988 when Robertson was making arun forthe Republicanpresidential nomination. Iwas the Louisiana SecretaryofState at the time,and remember receiving atelephone call from someoneI knew working in the Robertson campaign. He wondered if Icould try to getthese two religious icons together to settle their differences Robertsonplanned amajor rally at oneofthe largest Pentecostal churches in BatonRouge. He was hoping thatSwaggart would meet him there.Iwenttosee Swaggart at his ofﬁceonBluebonnet, but he was reluctant to come to Robertson’srally.But afteralongconversation, he agreed to do so Iwas the lone observer of these two,meeting in abackroom of the churchwhere theytalked over the differencesatlength.

Swaggart ﬁnally agreed to settle their differencesand joinedRobertsononthe church pulpit before acrowd of thousands. Iwas glad to have been the ﬂy on the wall to listen.

Our last lengthy visit wasat the funeral of Jerry Lee Lewis in ourmutualhome of Ferriday.We both hadlotstosay about his first cousin Jerry Lee, who wasalso my first legalclient. BrotherSwaggart certainly had his problems thathavebeen well airedinthe press. But whatever onethinks of him, he proved to be amajor figure in the evangelical movement throughout America. He made it to 90 years, and I’m nottoo far behind him in growing old.

It would be an understatement to saythatBrother Swaggart led afull life

JimBrownisaformer Louisiana insurancecommissioner and secretary of state.

STAFF FILE PHOTO AmeriCorps students stir recycled paint during a2024 Household Hazardous Waste DayinLafayette

Allie Diefendorf GUEST COLUMNIST

Jim Brown GUEST COLUMNIST

Shane Comeaux GUEST COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY

ROOM FOR DEBATE METADATACENTER

Meta’s$10 billion AI datacenter planned for Richland Parish in northeasternLouisiana has been hailedasaneconomicboon to an impoverished region. But as theproject movesforward, some have raised questions about what impactitwill have,especially giventhe significant powerneeds of data centers.How can Louisiana provide safeguards and ensure the benefits of sucha massive undertaking will go to its residents? Hereare twoperspectives.

PSCneeds to protectutility customers, notbig companies

What would it costtoobtain a$6billion insurance policy,providingcoveragefor 30 years? My guessisalot

What is it worth to get that largea policy for free?

That is exactly what Entergyand Meta are asking the PublicService Commission to order ratepayers to provide for adatacenter in north Louisiana:anopen-ended insurance policy to back up a$6 billion investment. Costs Meta does not pay would be paid by Louisiana consumers.

Meta.The companycalls it a“system” transmission line, to be paid for by all EntergyLouisiana customers, but admits it is needed only for theaddition of Meta.The annual ratepayer cost is $57.6 million.

Keep themomentumgoing from Meta’s

projectbenefits

Richland Parish is now home to one of themost signiﬁcant economic development projectsinLouisiana’shistory

ing any new burden on taxpayers.

Meta, through asubsidiary, is building ahuge data center in Richland Parish, whichEntergy says will create 300 to 500 permanent jobs with an averagepay of $82,000. The data center will require enormous amounts of electricity, and Entergy wants to build three new naturalgas generators to servethe center. It also seeks to build“clean”resourcesnot for the data center,but to satisfy Meta’s green energy goals.

Entergy says that Meta’sadditionwill provide overall benefits to customers, presumably because Meta’sratewill provide some contribution to paying embedded costs. But Entergy’s calculations are secret —available only toparties in the case who sign confidentiality agreements. Even so, theinformation disclosed in Entergy’sfiling suggests thatthe purported benefits are suspect at best.

The proposed new gas generators and direct transmission facilities will cost about$4billion. The investments will go into Entergy Louisiana’sratebase, paid for by all customers, but Meta will payarate sufﬁcient to cover theannual investment costs and expenses for these units,spread over 30 years.

Thecatch? Meta is obligated to make the payments only until 2041, about12 years after the data center begins operating. The term can be extendedinﬁveyear increments. Will Meta want the datacenter in 15, 20 or 25 years? With the paceoftechnological change, it seems doubtful that Meta will want it for the entire 30 years. Published estimates place the expected life of adata center at anywhere from15 and 30 years. Meta thus is protected;it can terminateat15years.

Entergy also says it needstobuild a $538 million transmission line in south Louisiana to balance power ﬂows to

Entergy says it will acquire 1,500 megawatts of solar generation to support Meta’sgreen energy goals. If Entergy constructs it, the cost will likely exceed $1.5 billion. Meta will pay a“levelized” annual cost, like a mortgage. The cost is lower than theactual costonthe front end andhigher on the back end, when Meta can escape thecontract. Ratepayers will pay amounts not paid by Meta. To further show Meta’scommitment to green energy,Entergy plans to equip an existinggas unit with carbon capture equipment. That will cost more than $1 billion,lower the unit’scapacity and make it less efﬁcient. Meta will pay a capped amount towardthe cost of the equipment. The ﬁling does not say who pays to transportand sequester the carbon.

Clean energy entitles aparty to obtain large tax credits and other benefits. Those go to Meta. Meta will profit greatly from thedeal and has protected itself from most of the risk.Entergy will also profit,sellingmore than2,500 megawatt-hours of electricity per hour or more, around the clock,for years. Meta will add about 50% to Entergy Louisiana’ssales. But Entergy assumes none of the risks Those it seeks to impose on consumers. Gov.Jeff Landry and Entergy have touted the project as an economic boon, andithas strong momentum. Buteven 500 jobsat$82,000 on average will produceonly$41 million for Meta’semployees and aftertaxes, less. The “system” transmission line in south Louisiana will cost more annually than that.

The obvious answer is to require Entergyand Metatotake some or all of the risk, since proﬁts normally entail risk in commerce. Will the PSC take that route, or will it commit ratepayers to ahuge open-ended insurance obligation?

Putanother way: Whom will the PSC protect?

Mike Fonthamisanattorney who has represented the PublicService Commission as outsidecounsel.

Metahas single-handedly transformed northeast Louisianainto acritical hub in the nation’sdigital infrastructure network —bringing high-wage jobs and longtermtax revenue for future generations of Louisianans. Andit’salready delivering real impact

From theoutset,this project stood apart in scope and speed. With total capital investment projected at over $12 billion and over 6,000 construction workers expected to mobilize by 2026, the investments by Meta and Entergy place northeast Louisiana as theepicenter of technology growth in theU.S. The project is an afﬁrmation that global companies see thebeneﬁts of doing business in Louisiana.

On top of that, the project is estimated to generate $163 million in new sales tax revenue in the first five years. Large-scale data centers require significant water and electricity.Did you know that the infrastructure investments needed to support Meta’soperations are being handled in away that protects Louisiana ratepayers?

Entergy Louisiana has structured ashared-cost model in partnership with Meta to ensure customers are not unfairly burdened. Meta is paying forasubstantial portion of the required infrastructure upgrades. This includes new generation units, transmission lines and grid resiliency improvements.

Grow NELArecently commissioned an independent economic impact study to conﬁrm the project beneﬁts to our communities. The datacenter will create more than500 high-wage permanent jobs, with an average wage 150% of the Louisiana average wage, or more than $88,000 per year.An additional 1,000 indirect jobs will be created solely because of this project

On theconstruction side, more than $300 million in wages will be paid to workers in northeast Louisiana. It’saneconomic wave that extends well beyond thefence line of thedata center itself. Since theday following the announcement, and on the site today, construction crews are moving massive amounts of dirt and building afoundation for thefuture datacenter.All three general contractors are hiring Louisiana companies and residents, and subcontractors have already held hiring events.

The volume of companies considering northeast Louisianahas morethan doubled over the previous six-month period. Companies from all over the world have bought, leased or inquired about buying property to set up new locations in our state. In the six monthssince the Meta announcement, northeast Louisianaleaders have worked feverishly to meet this transformational time by collaborating with state, local andhigher education partners to moreefﬁciently deliver workforce training solutions that can be replicated throughout the state.

Over the next 25 years, Richland Parish is projected to receive nearly $800 million in new property tax revenue. This revenue stream will dramatically strengthen public services, including roads and water,educationand emergency response, without plac-

Instead of passing those costs to the Louisiana customer,Meta is contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to strengthen Louisiana’sgrid while keeping rate increases minimal. Additionally,Meta is committing $1 million annually to Entergy’sPower to Care program,helping low-incomeLouisiana households cover utility costs.

This is amodel forhow to responsibly power transformative projects: shared investment, shared responsibility and longterm grid beneﬁts forall.

Grow NELA’s mission is to ensure every community in northeast Louisiana participates in aglobal economy.What our state has pulled off in attracting Meta is nothing short of remarkable. Leaders at every level recognized the opportunity,and they acted quickly and decisively

If we want abetter Louisiana future for kids, we must accelerate this momentum

The U.S. has the greatest abundance of natural resources in the world. The state of Louisiana is responsible formore natural gas exports than any state in the U.S. It is timewemaximize those advantages to create new,high-wage careers and recruit hundreds of billions of dollars in new investmenttobeneﬁt Louisianans.

Northeast Louisiana will not be distracted by negative propaganda. We’re focused on delivering real results: high-paying jobs, generational tax revenue, upgraded infrastructure and new opportunities. The Meta project isn’tathreat —it’sa blueprint forhow rural regions can lead in the modern economy,attract global investmentand improve quality of lifewithout burdening taxpayers.

RobClevelandispresident andCEO of Grow NELA.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Recent improvementsmadetothe property that will house the Meta AI Data Center in Richland Parish.

Mike Fontham GUEST COLUMNIST

Rob Cleveland GUEST COLUMNIST

Nitrogen oxide

Novak Djokovic returns to Daniel Evans during their second-round

A slider, a milestone and a thank you

BY BETH HARRIS AP sportswriter

LOS ANGELES Clayton Kershaw was laboring in pursuit of his 3,000th strikeout His pitch count soaring, he was down to the last batter he would face, needing one more swing and miss to become the 20th pitcher to reach the milestone.

“It’s a little bit harder when you’re actually trying to strike people out,” he said, smiling. “I never really had to do that before.” Kershaw accomplished the feat when Vinny Capra of the Chicago White Sox took a slider for a called third strike for the ﬁnal out of the sixth inning on Wednesday night.

“I made it interesting Made it take too long,” Kershaw said “Honestly, I didn’t pitch that great tonight The slider was so bad.” In his 18th season in Los Angeles, Kershaw joined Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators and Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals as the only pitchers with 3,000 or more strikeouts all for one team Freddie Freeman capped a three-run ninth by singling in Shohei Ohtani, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 win. Kershaw didn’t get a decision.

The sellout crowd of 53,536 was on its feet roaring as the 37-year-old left-hander walked off the mound to end the sixth. Kershaw paused and doffed his cap, with teammates brieﬂy holding off hugging him to allow him to soak in the cheers.

Kershaw waved to his wife Ellen and four children in the stands and then patted his chest and mouthed, “Thank you.”

“I feel bad for Ellen. I know she was nervous,” he said. “I made her last six innings out there just stressed out that I wasn’t going to get it and have to go to Milwaukee to do it.”

Dodgers’ Kershaw becomes 20th pitcher to score 3,000 strikeouts LSU

ä See KERSHAW, page 4C

Djokovic sets another record at Wimbledon

BY MATTIAS KARÉN Associated Press

LONDON — Novak Djokovic added another record to his name by reaching Wimbledon’s third round for a 19th time with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 win over Dan Evans on Centre Court on Thursday It was Djokovic’s 99th match win at Wimbledon overall, and the 19 third-round appearances put him one ahead of Roger Federer for most by any man in the Open era. It’s hardly the most prestigious record for Djokovic, whose 24 Grand Slam titles — including seven at Wimbledon are the most by a

male player But he could at least use it to poke fun at his new, and much younger, main rivals “Nineteen times, that’s a great stat,” said the 38-year-old Djokovic. “That’s probably almost as much as Sinner and Alcaraz have years in their lives.”

Well, not quite. Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon ﬁnals, is 22, while No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner who was playing later on Centre Court — is 23.

The growing rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz — especially in the wake of their ä See WIMBLEDON, page 3C

AHEAD LOOKING

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Though she must still ﬁgure out exactly how MiLaysia Fulwiley will ﬁt next to Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, coach Kim Mulkey has an idea of how the LSU women’s basketball team’s guards will contribute next season. The Tigers have only four returning contributors, and they all play in the backcourt.

What’s less certain, Mulkey told The Advocate in a recent interview, is the LSU frontcourt, a group she and her staff had to overhaul this offseason after a few key contributors left the program via the transfer portal.

“I think the exciting thing about the upcoming team is the unknown,” Mulkey said, “and the unknown is probably gonna be considered our post game.”

This spring, LSU had to replace all ﬁve frontcourt players from its 2024-2025 roster Aneesah Morrow exhausted her eligibility and began her WNBA career The other four decided to hit the transfer portal. Sa’Myah Smith landed at Virginia. Jersey Wolfenbarger and Aalyah Del Rosario enrolled at Tennessee and Vanderbilt, respec-

tively Amani Bartlett transferred to Houston.

Those departures forced Mulkey and her staff to overhaul their roster on the ﬂy

By the time the dust settled, the Tigers had found eight newcomers — ﬁve freshmen and three transfers — to replace the eight contributors they lost. That’s the most roster turnover LSU has experienced since the ﬁrst full offseason of Mulkey’s tenure.

“That’s not going to stop,” Mulkey said, “even if you win national championships. That’s just the way it is now, and you can’t even guesstimate because you don’t know.”

The only thing LSU did know was that it had four recruits signed to the nation’s No. 1 freshman class. In the 30-day portal window, the Tigers had to ﬁrst make sure they would retain both Johnson and Williams, then ﬁgure out which transfers they could recruit to plug the remaining holes. The frontcourt was a blank slate.

“The portal is open long enough,” Mulkey said, “for you to rebound and realize, ‘OK, this is who we lost; this is how many we lost; and so, now we’ve got a barometer of how many we need to sign and what we need to do.’ ”

coach Kim Mulkey watches a play from the sideline during a game against Northwestern State on Nov 8 at

Maravich

HILARy SCHEINUK

PHOTO By ALASTAIR GRANT

AP PHOTO By KEVORK DJANSEZIAN Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw tips his cap after striking out Chicago White Sox’s Vinny Capra during the sixth inning of their game on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Kershaw earned his 3,000th career strikeout.

Pels waive second-year guard Reeves

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans are moving on from one of their most promising young players.

The Pelicans waived guard Antonio Reeves, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

Reeves, a 6-foot-5 guard, was selected in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Kentucky and showed ﬂashes of potential during his rookie season..

He scored a season-high 34 points in November in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 34 points are the ﬁfth-most points scored by a Pelicans’ rookie in franchise history He made five 3-pointers in a game twice (against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers.)

Reeves, who also spent time last season with the G League Birmingham Squadron, played in 44 games for the Pelicans

He averaged 6.9 points and 1.4 rebounds and shot 39.5% on 3-pointers. His best game came toward the end of the season. He averaged 15.4 points over the last 10 games of the season. There was a three-game stretch where he made 12 consecutive ﬁeld goals.

Pelicans coach Willie Green raved about Reeves’ play in late March.

“He’s doing fantastic,” Green said. “The thing he’s doing is building on what he already has. He really comes in and works on his shots. We see that carry over when he does play And

he’s becoming a really good defender.”

The Pelicans’ decision to move a young, talented player on a cheap contract indicates perhaps the

team is eyeing another move in free agency As of Thursday afternoon, the only deal the Pelicans have agreed to in free agency is the

signing of center Kevon Looney from Golden State. The Pels agreed to a two-year deal worth $16 million for Looney, who won three NBA championships in his 10 NBA seasons with the Warriors. Looney gives the Pelicans a veteran presence at center

The team could still use more shooters, which becomes an even bigger issue now that Reeves has been waived. Reeves is the third reserve from last year’s backcourt no longer on the team. The Pelicans also declined the team options on both Elfrid Payton and Brandon Boston last week.

Joe Dumars, in his ﬁrst year as executive vice president of basketball operations, has made major overhauls to the roster since taking over in April.

Last week, the Pelicans acquired Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey from the Washington Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Olynyk. Before that, the Pelicans obtained the rights to guard Mojave King in a trade with the Indiana Pacers.

The Pelicans also added three players to the roster in last week’s NBA draft They selected guard Jeremiah Fears (Oklahoma) and Derik Queen (Maryland) in the first round and guard Micah Peavy (Georgetown) in the second round.

Some of the young talent will be on display next week in Las Vegas when the Pelicans begin Summer League play Their ﬁrst game is July 10 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Bronny not focused on LeBron’s future with franchise

BY KHOBI PRICE

The Orange County Register (TNS)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. For Bronny

James, the focus over the next couple of weeks will be on his summer league play with the Lakers Not the growing speculation surrounding his dad, LeBron James, and his future with the franchise after comments from his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, made it less clear how much of the elder James’ future will be with the Lakers.

And that approach is exactly what LeBron has encouraged of Bronny, the No 55 pick in last year’s draft, who had a businessas-usual approach Wednesday for the Lakers’ summer league team’s practice.

“One of my friends called me, talking about where, what I was gonna do,” Bronny said. [Because] they [saw] my dad, whatever I didn’t see it. He called me. ‘I was like, Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about.’

“I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. There’s a lot of stuff going around that I don’t pay attention to.” LeBron opted into his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season Sunday, bypassing the opportunity to become a free agent earlier this week.

Paul issued statements to multiple media outlets, ﬁrst to ESPN, saying that James will monitor the Lakers’ offseason moves.

“He knows the Lakers are building for the future,” part of Paul’s statement said. “He understands

LSU

Continued from page 1C

First, LSU signed former Notre Dame forward Kate Koval. Then it dipped into the mid-major ranks to sign ex-East Carolina forward Amiya Joyner a rising senior with a guard’s skillset Mulkey and her staff also pursued former Wisconsin star Serah Williams, one of the top portal entrants of the 2025 cycle. But she wrapped up her visit to Ba-

that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with [Lakers owner and governor]

Jeanie [Buss] and [general manager] Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career

“We understand the difﬁculty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

Speculation about LeBron’s future spread throughout the league, but Paul later clarified to ESPN that there haven’t been trade talks regarding the elder James.

Bronny said that he and LeBron don’t discuss his dad’s future with the franchise.

“We don’t really talk about it much,” Bronny said. “But I think when stuff like that does come up, he just tells me to not worry about it, not even pay attention to it. Just lock into what you have going on right now And that’s what’s gonna get me better and to keep me focused. It’s good that he tells me to not pay attention to that stuff.”

So the focus remains on Bronny’s growth and development.

“Just creating space for myself,” he said of what he’s focused on since the season ended “Just getting downhill more Use my body as a big point guard, just trying to use my body as best as I can. Just shooting off the dribble,

ton Rouge without committing to the Tigers and later signed with UConn instead, leaving LSU with a need to acquire more post production and few avenues to do so. So, Mulkey rounded out her roster by adding 6-foot-2 forward Meghan Yarnevich, a former Georgia signee, to her freshman class. The overhauled frontcourt now has the makings of a group that can complement LSU’s star guards. Koval, a strong 6-5 Ukrainian with a soft touch, can anchor lineups. In her freshman year with the Irish, she grabbed 10.3 re-

Los

stuff like that. Everything. I’ve been working on everything. So trying to get better as a player overall.”

Second-round pick Adou Thiero, whom the Lakers selected with the No. 36 pick in the draft, won’t participate in the team’s summer league games. He’s in the ﬁnal stages of his return-to-play process from a left knee ailment he dealt with at Arkansas. Thiero is expected to be fully cleared for training camp. The Lakers begin their sum-

bounds and blocked 3.8 shots per 40 minutes. Only 11 other powerconference players who logged at least 500 minutes last season cleaned the class and protected the rim at both of those rates. Joyner, like rising freshman Grace Knox, likes to use her faceup game and play in transition. Knox is a 6-2 forward from California ranked as the seventh-best recruit in her class, according to ESPN. She, along with the other three highly rated prospects who signed with LSU in November is expected to contribute to next sea-

Bueckers named WNBA Rookie of the Month

Three days after Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers learned she had been named a starter for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, the league announced Thursday that she was the WNBA’s Rookie of the Month for June. It is the ﬁrst Rookie of the Month honor for Bueckers, whom the Wings selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA draft. The UConn product averaged 21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks over seven games in June. She shot .475 from the ﬁeld and .929 from the free-throw line.

Bueckers’ scoring average ranked third among all players and first among guards. The 23-yearold is first in scoring and assists averages among rookies and was the only player to average at least 20 points and five assists in June.

Steelers sign GM Khan to three-year extension

PITTSBURGH The Pittsburgh Steelers signed general manager Omar Khan to a three-year extension after an offseason that saw the team bring in quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers announced the deal Thursday that will keep Khan with Pittsburgh through the 2028 season. He was hired as the team’s GM in 2022. Khan and coach Mike Tomlin are structuring their offense around Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP who’s returning for a 21st season. The 41-year-old Rodgers signed a one-year deal after a season in which Justin Fields and Russell Wilson combined to lead the Steelers to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth.

Reunited: Vogel joining Kidd’s staff with Mavericks DALLAS The Dallas Mavericks are poised to add Frank Vogel to coach Jason Kidd’s staff in a reunion for a tandem that won an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday night. Vogel was the head coach and Kidd one of his assistants when the Lakers won their 17th championship in the Florida “bubble.” The roles will be reversed this time, with Vogel serving as associate head coach after spending this past season as a consultant for the Mavericks. Both coaches are 52. Kidd stayed with Vogel one more season in LA before replacing Rick Carlisle as coach of the Mavericks in 2021-22. Dallas went to the Western Conference ﬁnals that season, then to the NBA Finals two years later

F1’s Russell adamant he will stay at Mercedes

SILVERSTONE, England George Russell says there’s an “exceptionally low” chance he’ll leave Mercedes next year, even after he claimed the team was holding talks with Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen. Speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix, Russell said he was confident of staying with Mercedes and argued that changing drivers would risk the team’s competitiveness when sweeping rule changes come in 2026.

mer schedule with three games in four days as part of the California Classic at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The Lakers face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., square off with the Miami Heat on Sunday at 1:30 p.m and face the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday at a time to be determined.

The team will then head to Las Vegas to participate in the leaguewide summer league, with their ﬁrst game scheduled for July 10 against the Dallas Mavericks.

son’s team. So, too, can Yarnevich, if she can ﬁnd some minutes at the back end of the Tigers’ brand-new, uncertain frontcourt rotation. “What I do know is they’re gonna play,” Mulkey said, “and they’re gonna play at an early age, and you’ve got a mixture of two of them that have college experience and two of them that don’t, and I think that’s great. I think that’s wonderful.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

Russell caused a stir last week when he suggested to broadcaster Sky Sports that “conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing” and were a reason why he had yet to renew his contract for 2026.

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain

MADRID Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother were killed in a car accident in Spain when the Lamborghini they were in veered off a road and burst into ﬂames, police said Thursday

The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed to The Associated Press that the 28-year-old Jota and his 25-year-old brother, André Silva, were found dead near the northwestern city of Zamora.

Jota’s death comes weeks after he married Rute Cardoso while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier League title. He leaves behind three children, the youngest born last year Police were investigating the causes of the accident that occurred past midnight local time. They said there were no other vehicles involved and that the brothers were alone in

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Pelicans guard Antonio Reeves reacts after hitting a three-pointer against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 6 at the Smoothie King Center Reeves was waived by the Pelicans on Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ERIC THAyER

Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, left, and forward LeBron James warm up before a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 in Los Angeles.

Fans question U.S. readiness for 2026 Club World Cup

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Lifelong soccer

fan Victor Dumois expressed concern about the United States cohosting the 2026 World Cup after attending a recent Club World Cup match in Miami

“I think after the Copa America, a weird phenomenon has occurred here,” said Dumois, who is from Spain. “There’s people that don’t like the World Cup being in the United States.”

The Copa America championship game last year in Miami was a security nightmare, with overheated and ticketless fans breaking down the barriers at Hard Rock Stadium to get inside. Eventually the game was played, although some paying customers never were able to get to their seats because they were occupied. Some cited the debacle as one example of how unprepared the United States is to host soccer’s biggest tournament.

Fast-forward to this summer and the 32-team Club World Cup hosted solely in the United States. Dumois said security was tight this time around — almost to a fault.

“In Spain, it is different, you can just have an Uber or taxi take you right up to the stadium ” Dumois said, sharing his thoughts on the Round 16 match between Real Madrid and Juventus. “Here in Miami, they have to leave you outside and far away There’s so many layers of security, it’s too much.”

The Club World Cup, which is entering the quarterfinals this weekend, has served as a tune-up for the United States which, along with Canada and Mexico, will host the 2026 World Cup in cities like Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.

So far, the club tournament has not been well-attended, except for a handful of matches.

A Round of 16 knockout match at Charlotte’s 75,000-seat Bank of America Stadium between Fluminense and Inter Milan drew just 20,030 fans. Stadium ofﬁcials allowed fans who’d purchased upper deck tickets to move down to the lower bowl. Even then, lower bowl looked half full.

Empty seats have been a common sight across the country There are variety of reasons why First, the club tournament simply isn’t as popular as the World Cup, where players are competing for their countries rather than a club team.

The costs — both for games and travel — have also kept some away And, for some, there have been lingering concerns of potential U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at matches amid

President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

The weather hasn’t helped either Benjamin Cabral lives in Boston, but his family is from Azoras an autonomous region of Portugal.

He said if FIFA hopes to grow the game in America, a scheduling change is necessary Due to soccer’s popularity in Europe, many club matches have been played in the middle of the day so fans overseas can watch games on television or livestream in real time at night.

The downside is players have been forced to play with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) while a major heat wave gripped the States.

“If they’re trying to grow their game in the US, they need to make the games later,” Cabral said. “It’s too hot out here for the players.”

It hasn’t been easy on fans, either

“There’s no roof, no screens, not much,” said Carlos Olguin, who made the trek from Mexico to Charlotte to watch Pachuca play Real Madrid

Next year’s World Cup will be played during a similar time frame, beginning in mid-June and concluding in mid-July

Excitement surrounding the current event also remains a concern.

“The other thing in the city is that it should be more prepared for the event, because there are people who don’t even know there’s an event and so you go to a restaurant

with the idea that there are ﬂags, fans, more football things and there’s nothing,” Olguin added of the Club World Cup. “The city should be more prepared for the event, because there are people who don’t even know there’s an event.”

As for the venues, spectators attending Club World Cup matches offered differing reviews of American stadiums and host cities leading up to the country hosting the World Cup for the ﬁrst since 1994.

“I’ll be honest, the U.S. is not ready to host the World Cup,” said Jeremy Zuniga from South Carolina. “There’s too many people coming from South America, Europe, everybody.”

Others, like Rogerio Bajos from Peru, feel differently

“I think it’s been good, we haven’t had any problems,” said Bajos, who also attended a CWC game in Miami. “The parking is no problem, the security has been good. Overall, a stupendous spectacle.”

Humberto Contasta from Miami said the Club World Cup should help the American co-hosts iron out some issues before next summer

Daniel Marques, who made the trek from Portugal to Charlotte for the sole purpose of watching Benﬁca battle Chelsea in a group play match, said he was impressed overall with how the tournament was run.

ICE arrests Mexican boxer César Chávez Jr.

BY JAIMIE DING and JULIE WATSON

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Famed Mexican boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. has been arrested for entering the United States illegally and will be deported to Mexico, where he faces organized crime charges, U.S. federal ofﬁcials said Thursday

The arrest comes only days after the former middleweight champion lost a match against Jake Paul in Anaheim, California.

The 39-year-old boxer was picked up by a large number of federal agents while he was riding a scooter in front of his home in Studio City, according to Chávez’s attorney Michael Goldstein.

“The current allegations are outrageous and simply another headline to terrorize the community,” Goldstein said.

Many people across Southern California are on edge as immigration arrests have ramped up, prompting protests and the federal deployment of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to downtown Los Angeles.

Goldstein did not know where Chávez was being detained as of Thursday morning, but said they were due in court Monday related to gun possession charges from last year and were to provide an update on his progress in a substance abuse program.

The Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained Chávez for overstaying a tourist visa that expired in February 2024 after he entered the country in August 2023.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ﬂagged ICE about Chávez last year, saying he “is an egregious public safety threat,” and yet he was allowed back into the country Jan. 4, the agency said.

Ofﬁcials said he has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives and is believed to be an afﬁliate of the

Sinaloa Cartel. The Associated Press contacted Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office about the charges but the ofﬁce has not responded yet.

The Trump administration said Chávez applied for a green card on April, 2, 2024, based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen, Frida Muñoz, the former partner of Édgar Guzmán López, the now-deceased son of imprisoned Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

The agency said Chávez had submitted multiple fraudulent statements on his application, which led to his arrest.

Chávez had fought just once since 2021 before his bout with Paul on Saturday, having fallen to innumerable lows during a lengthy boxing career conducted in the shadow of his father, one of the most beloved athletes in Mexican history, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame who won championships in several weight classes.

The son has failed drug tests, served suspensions and egregiously missed weight while being widely criticized for his intermittent dedication to the sport.

He still rose to its heights, winning the WBC middleweight title in 2011 and defending it three times. Chávez shared the ring with generational greats Canelo Álvarez and Sergio Martinez, losing to both.

After battling drug addiction for long stretches of his career, Chávez went to a rehabilitation clinic in Sinaloa and claimed to be clean for the Paul ﬁght. He looked in his best shape in years while preparing for the match.

Chávez said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times ahead of his ﬁght with Paul that he and his trainers were scared by the immigration arrests.

“I don’t understand the situation — why so much violence? There are a lot of good people, and you’re giving the community an example of violence,” Chávez said. “After everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t want to be deported.”

Continued from page 1C

ﬁve-set ﬁnal at the French Open last month — has helped tennis move on from the era of the Big Three, where Djokovic is the last man standing after Federer and Rafael Nadal retired.

But Djokovic is too focused on proving he can still win another Slam to sit back and reﬂect on everything he has accomplished at Wimbledon.

“I don’t pause to reflect, to be honest. I don’t have time,” Djokovic said in an on-court interview “I would like to. But I think that’s going to come probably when I set the racket aside and then sip margarita on the beach with Federer and Nadal and just reﬂect on our rivalry and everything.” Later in his news conference, Djokovic said he might choose a different drink if the three former rivals do get together.

“I don’t know why I said margaritas because I never had a margarita in my life,” he said “I don’t necessarily like that drink, but I guess it sounds good.” Against Evans, Djokovic failed to convert his first nine break points in the first set. But once he got the breakthrough for a 5-3 lead — raising both arms in the air as if to say “finally” he went five-for-six on break points the rest of the way

“You have these kinds of days where everything goes your way,” said Djokovic, who didn’t face a break point of his own until the ﬁnal game. “Everything ﬂows.” Andreeva, Navarro advance The top women’s players all

ASSOCIATED

Mirra Andreeva reacts during her second-round Wimbledon match against Lucia Bronzetti on Thursday in London.

avoided further upsets, after four of the five highest seeds went out over the ﬁrst three days. No. 7-seeded Mirra Andreeva and No. 10 Emma Navarro both advanced in straight sets The 18-year-old Andreeva earned a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win over Lucia Bronzetti of Italy, and Navarro cruised past Veronika Kudermetova 6-1, 6-2.

Former No. 1 Iga Swiatek, seeded eighth as she bids for a ﬁrst Wimbledon title, had to come from a set down to beat Caty McNally 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 on Centre Court. Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova was also taken to a third set before beating Caroline Dolehide 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, while 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina beat Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-1. In the men’s draw, it was a good day for the old guys. Aside from Djokovic, 34-year-old Grigor Dimitrov, 35-year-old Jan-Lennard

Struff and 36-year-old Marin Cilic all advanced. Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion and 2017 Wimbledon runnerup, stunned British No. 4-seed Jack Draper6-4,6-3,1-6,6-4onNo.1Court. No. 11 Alex de Minaur ousted 115th-ranked Arthur Cazaux 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 and 19th-seeded Gregor Dimitrov outlasted Corentin Moutet 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5. Sinner eased past Aleksandar Vukic 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 in the late match on Centre Court. Who plays Friday?

Alcaraz, the two-time reigning champion, faces 35-year-old JanLennard Struff on Centre Court, before No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces British home favorite Emma Raducanu in the late match. Australian Open champion Madison Keys faces Laura Siegemund on No. 2 Court.

Pogacar, Vingegaard set to ignite Tour de France

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN AND JEROME PUGMIRE AP sportswriters

PARIS At just 26 years old, Tadej Pogacar is among cycling’s greats and also admired as a spectacular rider The world champion wins on all terrains, and is favorite to win a fourth Tour de France title.

Pogacar lines up Saturday in the northern city of Lille with his conﬁdence sky-high boosted by a stellar ﬁrst half of the season punctuated with prestigious wins in both one-day and stage races.

This year, the Slovenian rider won a third Liège–Bastogne–Liège title and other one day-classics. Most recently, he won the Critérium du Dauphiné, a Tour tune-up, with a dominant display in the mountains.

“I’m lucky to have had close to the perfect preparation this year,” the UAE Team Emirates leader said “Everything has gone really smoothly, especially coming off a great altitude camp with my teammates.”

Pogacar posted back-to-back wins in 2020 and 2021, becoming the youngest double winner of the three-week showcase race. He was also runner-up in 2022 and 2023.

“It’s hard to believe it’s already my sixth Tour de France,” he

said. “Time ﬂies.”

So does Pogacar

His appetite for victory is insatiable and he has clearly established himself as the No. 1 rider in the world, drawing comparisons with the greatest of all time, Eddy Merckx. The Belgian great was known as “The Cannibal” for his ferocious taste for victory

The new “Cannibal”

The 80-year-old Merckx believes Pogacar has already surpassed him.

“It’s obvious that he is now above me,” Merckx told L’Equipe newspaper after Pogacar won the world championship last year.

“Deep down, I already thought as much when I saw what he did on the last Tour de France.”

A fourth Tour win will draw Pogacar level with British rider Chris Froome for the ﬁfth-most wins of all time. Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain have won cycling’s biggest race ﬁve times. Vingegaard the main rival Pogacar’s team is formidable. He will be supported by experienced all-rounders and climbers.

His main threat appears to come from two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard, who leads Team Visma-Lease a Bike.

PRESS PHOTO

KIN CHEUNG

AP PHOTO By ETIENNE LAURENT

Julio César Chávez Jr.,right, punches Jake Paul during their cruiserweight match on Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PHELAN EBENHACK

Fans cheer before the Club World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Manchester City and Al Hilal on Monday in Orlando, Fla.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By FRANK FRANKLIN II

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski throws against the New york Mets on Wednesday in New york. The hard-throwing rookie gave up five runs, five hits and two walks over 323 innings in a 7-3 loss.

Phenom Misiorowski gets tagged for 1st time in loss

BY MIKE FITZPATRICK AP baseball writer

NEW YORK Jacob Misiorowski made everything look so easy in his ﬁrst three major league starts. Now he knows it’s not.

The hard-throwing rookie ﬁnally got knocked around Wednesday, serving up back-to-back homers as the Milwaukee Brewers lost 7-3 to the New York Mets in the second game of a day-night doubleheader at Citi Field.

Barely touched by opposing batters since getting called up from the minors last month, Misiorowski (3-1) gave up ﬁve runs, ﬁve hits and three walks over 32⁄3 innings in his fourth career outing. Brandon Nimmo connected for a grand slam in the second and a slumping Francisco Lindor followed with another longball off Misiorowski to give the Mets a 5-0 lead.

“He wasn’t in sync tonight, for sure. You could see it early He’d have it for one pitch and then you could just see the ball wasn’t coming out of his ﬁngers the same. You could see the frustration building,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.

“That’s too good of a team and too good of a lineup. (These are) the days you realize how good these guys are, all major league players. It’s so tough to perform at the highest level and be consistent. But when you’re off a little bit, it can be the difference, and Miz just wasn’t in sync.”

A touted prospect, the 6-foot-7 Misiorowski had more than lived up to the hype since his arrival. He began his career with 11 hit-

KERSHAW

Continued from page 1C

Kershaw shared a clubhouse toast with his teammates, coaches, training staff and front ofﬁce executives.

“Just super thankful for tonight, super thankful for my teammates,” he said. “I told my teammates individual awards are great, but if you don’t have anybody to celebrate with it doesn’t matter.”

The game was delayed for nearly 6 minutes between pitches, a gap that included a tribute video.

Kershaw joined Justin Verlander of San Francisco (3,468) and Max Scherzer of Toronto (3,412) as the only active pitchers with that many Kershaw is just the fourth left-hander in the club.

“It’s an incredible list,” he said. “It’s special to finally be in that group.”

Capra, hitting ninth, was retired on four pitches, with plate umpire Jim Wolf calling the third strike on a slider, Kershaw’s season-high 100th pitch of the night Wolf is the brother of retired pitcher Randy Wolf, once a teammate of Kershaw’s.

“I wanted it to come easy,” Kershaw said. “I would much rather have got it done in the ﬁrst.”

Manager Dave Roberts had said before the game that he would manage the three-time Cy Young Award winner differently with the milestone within reach. That was apparent when Kershaw jogged out for the sixth to an ovation, having already tossed a season-high 92 pitches with just two strikeouts. He came into the game needing three to make history

“I was going to give him every opportunity to do it at home,” Roberts said. “You could see the emotion he had trying to get that third

less innings and then a scoreless start in a win over Pirates ace Paul Skenes before a crowd of 42,774 in Milwaukee last week. The 23-yearold right-hander carried a perfect game into the seventh June 20 at Minnesota and racked up 19 strikeouts in his first 16 big league innings.

“He has amazing stuff,” Nimmo said.

Misiorowski threw 62 pitches at least 100 mph in his ﬁrst three games, and opposing batters were 3 for 49 (.061) against him — making him the ﬁrst pitcher in the modern era (since 1900) to have as many wins as hits allowed through three career starts

“He’s really good. Crazy future ahead of him,” Lindor said. “It’s going to be fun to watch him and fun to play against him.”

But on this night, Misiorowski walked consecutive batters with two outs in the second and was unable to corral a high comebacker off the bat of No. 9 hitter Hayden Senger.

The ball glanced off Misiorowski’s glove and spun away from second baseman Brice Turang for an inﬁeld single that loaded the bases.

“There was a fastball at the bottom of the zone for a walk that I thought was there. But I thought, good spot, and maybe get it up a little bit more,” Misiorowski said.

“Just frustrated at myself for not making a play.”

Nimmo pulled the next pitch, a 96 mph slider, to right ﬁeld for his third career slam and second this season. Lindor then drove a 1-2 fastball to right-center for his 17th

home run.

“I threw good pitches and they hit ’em. Plain and simple as that,” Misiorowski said “I mean, you’re facing the best of the best. They’re getting paid what they’re getting paid for a reason.”

Misiorowski said his problem was mechanical.

“My ﬁngers were just a little too far on the right side of the ball, and it kind of spun a little different than I’m used to,” he said. “I think I came back pretty well after that I ﬁxed it that next inning.”

Murphy said Misiorowski didn’t feel good while warming up in the bullpen, and that carried over to the game.

“His whole body was not in sync,” the manager explained “All the arms and legs, it’s hard to sync it all up.”

Misiorowski came out ﬁring 100 mph fastballs, touching 102 mph against Lindor in the ﬁrst inning — but it didn’t last.

“He learned his lesson. He’s ticked about it. Even some of the sequencing he’s ticked about,” Murphy said. “He can see it that there’s just a really ﬁne line between being dominant and being just OK.”

Misiorowski, however, won’t dwell on this disappointment.

“It’s done. Use the old Tiger Woods approach and move on to the next hit. Move on to the next pitch. It is what it is I got a loss but, oh well,” he said. “It’s frustrating. But at the same time like, young career it’s good figuring it out now. Not when we’re in the playoffs and it matters most.”

strikeout on

strike. It just happened the way it was supposed to happen.”

Kershaw retired Lenyn Sosa on three pitches for No. 2,999 in the fifth. Sosa fouled off Kershaw’s ﬁrst two pitches before ending the inning by striking out on a 72 mph curveball.

In the third, Miguel Vargas took called strikes on his ﬁrst two pitches before he swung and missed on another 72 mph curveball from his former Dodgers teammate.

Chicago swung aggressively against Kershaw who gave up a two-run homer to Austin Slater and two more runs as the White Sox led 4-2 after six innings.

“You could just feel it. They wanted it for me so bad,” he said of the crowd. “You could feel the tension. They were trying to will me to do it.”

Kershaw made history one batter after Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy was injured in tagging out Michael A. Taylor on a steal attempt. Muncy had to be helped off the ﬁeld, barely able to put any

Nationals slugger Wood commits to Home Run Derby

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood became the third player to announce he will take part in the Home Run Derby

weight on his left leg.

Kershaw has provided muchneeded stability for the Dodgers’ pitching staff, which has been decimated by injuries.

“It’s just again a reminder for me, for anyone, to never bet against that guy,” Roberts said before the game. “It doesn’t matter health, stuff he’s going to will himself to doing whatever the team needs.”

Kershaw allowed five runs over four innings in his first start after returning from knee and foot surgeries last offseason. Since then, he has held opposing batters to a .222 average. “The first three months of the season, we’ve needed some length from the starter,” Roberts said. “Once he kind of got his footing after the first few he’s done everything and more that we’ve needed. That doesn’t go unnoticed.”

In his prime from 2010-15, Kershaw led the National League in ERA ﬁve times, in strikeouts three times and wins twice.

The derby will be held on July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Wood joins Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 33 homers, in the contest. Wood has 23 homers this season. He’s the third Nationals player to take part in the Home Run Derby, joining Juan Soto (2022) and Bryce Harper (2013 and ‘18).

The 22-year-old Wood has 12 homers that have been hit harder than 110 mph. It’s the second most in the league behind Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s 13. Wood also has four dingers that have been launched longer than 445 feet.

Wood was acquired from San Diego in August 2022 as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Soto to the Padres.

Guardians PITCHER ORTIZ SUBJECT OF MLB GAMBLING INVESTIGATION, PLACED ON LEAVE: Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation and was placed on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the investigation.

The investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27 The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.

ESPN reported the ﬁrm IC360 recently also sent an alert to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz.

MLB said Ortiz’s paid leave is through the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their teams July 17 and games resume the following day It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.

Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, said before Thursday night’s game at the Chicago Cubs that the team can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can’t enter any of the Guardians’ facilities Ortiz returned to Cleveland on Wednesday night.

Manager Stephen Vogt said he and Antonetti addressed the team about Ortiz’s situation and tried to answer questions the best they could. It is another setback for a Guardians squad that has dropped a season-high six straight games and is 9-18 since May 1.

The 26-year old Ortiz is in his ﬁrst season with Cleveland after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last December The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season. The nine losses are tied for the most in the American League.

Astros

ALVAREZ’S SETBACK NOTAS SERIOUSAS

FIRST FEARED GM SAYS: Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez’s setback to his recovery from a fractured right hand is not as serious as ﬁrst feared, general manager Dana Brown said Thursday Alvarez, who suffered the injury on May 2, was shut down after experiencing pain in his right hand. He had taken some swings at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday and when he arrived there on Tuesday the area was sore He was examined by a specialist, who determined inﬂammation was the issue and not a setback with the fracture

“It had nothing to do with the fracture, or the fracture not being healed,” Brown said before Houston’s game at Colorado.

“The fracture at this point is a non-factor, which we’re very glad about. And so during the process of him being examined by the specialist, we saw the inflammation, and Yordan did receive two shots in that area.” Alvarez first experienced issues with his hand in late April but stayed in the lineup. He was initially diagnosed with a muscle strain but a small fracture was discovered at the end of May Brown said there has not been an update on the timetable for Alvarez’s return but said with the latest update it “could be in the near future.”

“Yordan is going to be in a position where he’s going to let rest and let the shot take effect, and then as long as he’s starting to feel better, we’ll put a bat in his hand before we start hitting, but we’ll just let him feel the bat feels like,” Brown said. “And then we’ll get into some swings in the near future, but I felt like it was encouraging news. Now, with this injection into the area that was inﬂamed, we feel a lot better.” Alvarez, who averaged 34 home runs over the previous four seasons, has just three in 29 games this year and is batting .210 He was the 2021 ALCS MVP for the Astros and ﬁnished third in the AL MVP voting for 2022.

Dodgers

MUNCY PLACED ON INJURED LIST WITH KNEE BRUISE: Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy went on the injured list Thursday with a left knee bone bruise and is expected to be out about six weeks.

He had a MRI that showed no structural damage.

“It was obviously amazing hearing the news that nothing was torn, nothing was ripped,” said Muncy, who was walking gingerly “That was obviously a huge sigh of relief for me, but it still sounds like too long of a time in my head.”

He left in the sixth inning Wednesday night after a collision with Chicago White Sox center fielder Michael A. Taylor, who was attempting a steal Muncy took a throw from catcher Will Smith and tagged out Taylor Muncy sprawled on his back as a Dodgers trainer came out to check on him. He had to be helped off the field and was barely able to put any weight on his left leg.

A White Sox trainer checked on Taylor, who sustained a bruised back and left the game. Taylor cleared concussion protocol and was still sore a day later. He was not in Chicago’s lineup Thursday night.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was “very relieved” at Muncy’s test results and deliberately didn’t watch the gruesome replay Miguel Rojas started in Muncy’s place Thursday in the series ﬁnale. Kiké Hernández will play third on Friday against Houston. Utilityman Tommy Edman will begin taking grounders to prepare to join the platoon.

Muncy and Taylor tangled just before Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw got his 3,000th career strikeout against Vinny Capra to end the inning. There was a brief delay before Muncy and Taylor left the ﬁeld.

Muncy is hitting .250 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI in 81 games this season.

Angels

ROOKIE SECOND BASEMAN MOORE PLACED ON INJURED LIST: The Los Angeles Angels placed rookie second baseman Christian Moore on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left thumb on Thursday Moore left the Angels’ 8-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night with the injury Moore suffered the injury when he dove for Ozzie Albies’ ground ball in the sixth inning. Moore’s hand bent awkwardly when he hit the ground.

Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said he was grateful Moore would not require surgery, though he wouldn’t put a timetable on how much time the rookie may miss.

“Anytime you see somebody like him have an injury like that, you fear the worst,” Montgomery said, adding the hope Moore may miss two weeks may be “looking at the best-case scenario.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KEVORK DJANSEZIAN Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw throws against Chicago White Sox’s Vinny Capra during the sixth inning to strike him out for his 3,000th career

Wednesday in Los Angeles.

U.S.

Ghim sets pace at John Deere with a62and one-shot lead

By The Associated Press

SILVIS,Ill. Doug Ghim holed out for eagle on the par-4 sixth hole and kept bogeys off his card on a dayoflow scoring Thursday.He opened with a9-under 62 in abid to become the latest ﬁrst-time PGA Tour winner at the John Deere Classic.

Ghim had aone-shot lead over Max Homa and Austin Eckroatat the TPC Deere Run, where the winning score has been 20-under par or lower 12 of the past 15 years. He has been around long enough —six years on the PGA Tour,160 tour starts as apro —toknow it’s only astart. Theconditionswere so ideal Ghim wasn’teven sure his 62 wouldhold up as the lead bythe end of the day With alittle more wind in the afternoon, the best anyonecould do was 65 by four players, including Cameron Champ and Mexico Open winner Brian Campbell “Honestly,any time you can get to 20 under or better you’re going to have achance,” Ghimsaid. “It’s

still golf.It’sstill achallenge. You have to hit fairways. Ihit alot of them today.Sojusttrying to shoot forwardsof6underevery day and see where that putsme.”

AldrichPotgieter of SouthAfrica, the 20-year-old coming off his ﬁrst PGA Tour win lastweek in Detroit, was challenging for the lead until he stalled at the end of his round, took bogeyonthe par-5 17th andhad to settle for a67.

TheJohnDeere Classichas produced24first-time winners, the most of any PGATourevent since 1970, alist that included Davis Thompson last year,Bryson DeChambeau in 2017 and Jordan Spieth in 2013.

Homa and Eckroat have won before,and both are trying to rediscover their games.Homa gets the most attention,particularly since he played in the last Ryder Cup andreached No. 8inthe world until goingintoaslump that includes new equipment, anew coach and new caddie. Eckroat won twice in 2024 but it has been astrugglethisyear.He

ended lastyear at No. 35 in the world and now is at No. 75, leaving him out of the past two majors. He hasyet to finishinthe top 10 in 19 startsthis year Homaran off four straight birdiesearly andwas tied with Ghim for the lead until he missedhis final green at No. 9intoa bunker and failed to get up-and-down, his only bogey of the round. Eckroat had apair of eagles, one on the par-5 second with ashotto12feet, the other when he holed out with agap wedge from 137 yards on the par-4 fifthhole. Scoring wassolow that 18 players were at 65 or better,and more thanhalf of the 156-man field broke 70. Michael Kimand SamStevens werepartofthe group at 64. Kim wasone of those first-timewinners in 2018 when he finishedat 27-under 257 to win by eight shots. And thenheregressed in theworst way, even going back to theKorn Ferry Tour,before connecting with swingcoachSeanFoley andturning his game around.

FedExCup bonusgoes

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

ThePGA Tour hasdone away with thestaggered start for the FedEx Cup ﬁnale.Inits place is a new pay structure with staggered bonuses to whoever is leading at three points in theﬁnal month of the season.

TheFedExCup champion will get $10 million, down from $25 million.However,the No. 1seed wouldstill get$25 millionifhe stays at the top throughout the playoffs.

The bonus pool remains at $100 million underthe structure released Wednesday

But instead of the FedEx Cup champion receiving $25 million at the end of the Tour Championship, the No. 1playerwill get $10 million after the regular season ends with the Wyndham Champion. Whoever leads the FedEx Cup afterthe BMW Championship gets $5 million. Andthe Tour Championshipwinner gets$10 million.

This capsanoverhaul to what the PGA Tour hopescan lead to a more compelling— andless confusing— endtothe season.

The staggered start —also known as starting strokes —gave theNo. 1seed atwo-shotlead at theTourChampionship by putting him at 10-underpar before the tournament event started.

Now the top 30 who reach East Lake will start even, just like any tournament, and whoever wins the Tour Championship is the FedEx Cup champion.

To account forthe winner-takeallnature of the Tour Championship, the paystructure was altered to make sure season-long performances were still rewarded, and top players did notget penalizedtoo much forhaving abad week at East Lake.

Scottie Schefﬂer was so dominant lastyear he led the FedEx Cup allthroughthe playoffs,picking up the $25 millionbonusasthe champion. If the newpaymentstructure had been in place in 2023, however,Jon Rahmwould have received $10 million for leading the FedEx Cup going intothe playoffs; Schefﬂer would have won $5 million for leading after the BMW Championship; and Viktor Hovland would have won $10 million for being the FedEx Cup champion. Rahmwas the No. 1seed starting the2023 playoffs, tiedfor 18th in the Tour Championship and hispostseason payout was $675,000. Under the new payment plan, Rahm wouldhave received $12,208,750 forhis FedEx Cup bonus —No. 1going intothe playoff, No. 4after theBMW Championship and atie for21st in the Tour Championship.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

Doug Ghim tees off on the13th hole during the firstround of the

Open on June 12 in Oakmont,Pa. Ghim continued his hot playbyshooting a62inthe first round of the John DeereClassic on ThursdayinSilvis, Ill.

THINGS

ACTIVATEKID POWER

Films at Manship and Louisiana Public Broadcasting will present afree screening of thenew “Wild Kratts” movie at 4p.m.Sunday at theManship Theatre, 100Lafayette St.Kids are encouraged to wear their favorite animal costume. Register for free tickets at manshiptheatre.org

POWERFULPORTRAITS

Artist Becky Gottsegen, whosculpted 23 ceramic busts of men wrongfully imprisoned in Louisiana, will discuss her “Exonerated”project at an artist reception and talkat4 p.m. Sundayatthe Main LibraryatGoodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Registration is required. To register, visitebrpl.co/events.

EARLYBIRDS

Check out the feathered friendsatBREC’s

Seeking the truth

ActressMariska Hargitay directs ‘My MomJayne’with sensitivity, directness

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

Mariska Hargitay,star of TV’s

“Law &Order: Special Victims Unit” for 26 seasons and counting, leads adifferent kind of investigation in the HBO documentary “My Mom Jayne.”

An Emmy- and Golden Globewinning actress, Hargitay makes her featureﬁlm directorial debut with the documentary, telling an acutely personal story through an investigator’struth-seeking lens and amotherless child’slonging to know the mother she does not remember

The daughter of 1950s and ’60s moviestar and sex symbol Jayne Mansﬁeld, Hargitay was 3 years old when her mother was killed in ahorriﬁc 1967 car crash. The accident happened during an overnight drive from Biloxi, Mississippi, to New Orleans, instantly killing the three adults in the vehicle’sfront seat. Hargitay and her brothers, Mickey Jr., 8, and Zoltan, 6, all sleeping in the back seat, survived.

“My Mom Jayne” presents Hargitay’sfirst-person account of her tragicallyended relationship with her mother and the complex familyhistorythey share. Echoing her TV character, sex crimes detective Olivia Benson, Hargitay’sintimate inquiry is both sensitive and direct. The film includes Mansfield’sup-anddown career,three marriages and affair with the Italian cabaret entertainer Hargitay didn’t know was her biological father until she was 25 years old.

“I was so angry at my mother for hurting my father (Mickey Hargitay Sr.) and leaving me so alone and untethered,” she confesses. Hargitay gathersasmall but essential group of interviewees, including her oldest half-sibling, Jayne Marie Mansﬁeld, and older half-brothersMickey Jr and Zoltan.

BOOM

BY JUDYBERGERON| Staff writer

ireworks, ﬂying theStars andStripes, family fun —it’show America celebrates theFourthofJuly.But in the midst of allthe fun, it’sgood to pause andreﬂect on the “why” of the holiday Also referred to as Independence Day,itmarks the adoption of theDeclaration of Independence on that date in 1776, signaling America’s freedom from British rule. Freedom, patriotism andpride—there’smuch to ponder thereonJuly4

Here are 10 events happening in theBaton Rouge area this holiday weekend. Be safe, hydrateand grab the sunscreen. Happy Fourth!

Newstatewide talent competitionlaunches

BYJUDYBERGERON Staff writer

Louisiana native and country mu-

sic artist Lainey Wilson (“4x4xU,” “Watermelon Moonshine,” “Things aMan Outta Know”)helped announce anew statewide talent competition last week.

“I know what it’s like to grow up with big dreams in asmall town.This kind of opportunity can change everything,” Wilson, who grewupinBaskin, said in aFacebook reel. Bayou Star Search will take place at 7p.m. Aug. 16 at Howard Theatreonthe campusofLouisiana Tech University in Ruston. Singers, dancers, musicians andperformers of all kinds will square off in theLouisianaDelta

FRIDAY

ROCK THE RIVER: 4p.m. to 9p.m., Riverfront Plaza&CityDock, 300 S. River Road, Baton Rouge.Presented by Catﬁshonthe Bayou, thefree celebration will includelivemusic blues, zydeco and line dance —from theOMT Band, withArthur Corbin leading dance lessons from 5p.m. to 6p.m. Also look for food booths shopping and akidszone./www visitbatonrouge.com/event/rockthe-river/229905/ NEW ROADS 4TH OF JULYCELEBRATION: 4p.m., alongFalse River.The eventfeaturesaboat parade, agolf cart and side-by-side parade at ä See FOURTH, page 2D

Ballet-produced contest. Prizes will include $10,000, first place, $3,000, second place; and $1,000, thirdplace. Proceeds fromBayou Star Search will beneﬁt Louisiana Delta Ballet, a501(c)(3) corporation. Participantsmustberesidents of Louisiana or attending an in-state higher education institution.Rules restrict lip-syncing, profanity or insensitive subject matter To apply,complete online form, pay the nonrefundable $35 application feeand upload avideo(not longer than 21/2 minutes) of their talent, all at bayoustarsearch.com

“Submit your audition and show us what you got. I’ll be cheering you on,” Wilson said. Those interested in becoming asponsor can email bayoustarsearch@gmail.com. Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Jayne Mansfieldwas perhaps the most photographed woman of her time.

STAFFFILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

7 p.m., live music, a ﬁreworks display and more. The theme is “Stars, Stripes, and Sugarcane — A Tribute to the Farmers of Pointe Coupee.” Fireworks at 9 p.m. https://pctourism.org/4th-july-parade.

FOURTH FEST: 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., downtown Port Allen. Food, magic show, water slides, space walks and face painting. Also live music 5 p.m to 6:30 p.m. with Rockin’ Mozart School of Music Youth Bands, and 7 p.m.-10 p.m. featuring Foret Tradition. The ﬁreworks display starts at 9 p.m. Free. https://westbatonrouge. net/fourth-fest/.

PLAQUEMINE HOMETOWN CELEBRA-

TION: 5 p.m., Mark A. “Tony” Gulotta Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park, 57845 Foundry St. The event features kids’ rides, food, crafts, a boat parade honoring veterans and live music. Music and booths open at 5 p.m., ﬁreworks at 9 p.m. https:// pctourism.org/4th-july-parade.

4TH OF JULY CONCERT: 7 p.m., Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. The Baton Rouge Concert Band will perform a selection of American classics, marches and tributes. Bring chairs and refreshments. This is a free, family-friendly event. ebrpl.com.

L’AUBERGE FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA: 7 p.m. to midnight, L’Auberge Baton Rouge, 777 L’Auberge Ave. Free lawn viewing party from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; rooftop pool viewing party from 7 p.m. to

midnight. ($30 cover, must be 21+ to enter). https://www.lbatonrouge. com/ LSU MUSEUM OF ART & TSUNAMI DOWNTOWN 4TH OF JULY CELEBRA-

TION: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St. Food, drinks and a great spot to watch the 9 p.m. ﬁreworks. Tickets range from viewing only, $25 (8 p.m.) to VIP, $165, (7 p.m.). (225) 346-5100 or tsunami.downtownBR@servingsushi.com.

WBRZ’S FIREWORKS ON THE MIS-

SISSIPPI: 9 p.m., Riverfront Plaza & City Dock, 300 S. River Road, Baton Rouge. One of Louisiana’s largest ﬁreworks displays. Free. Show also will be accompanied by a live telecast on 24-hour news channel WBRZ+, WBRZ.com and WBRZ News 2’s YouTube Channel. https:// www.wbrz.com/ﬁreworks-on-themississippi/ SATURDAY

RED, WHITE AND BOOM: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., 14150 Grand Settlement Blvd., Central. The city is marking its 20th anniversary and Independence Day with kids’ activities, live music, pop-up vendors, food trucks and a ﬁreworks show. Free. https://www centralgov.com/ CELEBRATION IN THE PARK & FIREWORKS SHOW: 5 p.m. to dark, Sidney Hutchinson Park, 13750 Ball Park Road, Walker. Live music with I-10 Bound Band, art and farmers market, cornhole tournament, Jeep show, pie baking contest, hot dog and watermelon eating contests and food trucks. Free and familyfriendly. Fireworks will blast off at dusk. https://walker.la.us/.

MOM

Continued from page 1D

“You have all these memories,” she tells them. “I’m envious of that.” Jayne Marie Mansfield, born when her mother was 17 years old, gives her half-sister Hargitay the richest memories, while the much younger half-brothers offer impressionistic recollections. The children’s stepmother, Ellen Hargitay and, Mansfield’s 101-year-old press secretary, Raymond Strait, share their memories, too. Hargitay and her editor, J.D. Marlow, effectively exploit a cache of family photos and home movies and the abundant archival film of perhaps the most photographed woman of her time. Mansfield’s allure lights movie scenes and TV appearances with Groucho Marx, Ed Sullivan, Edward R. Murrow, Jack Paar and Merv Griffin.

“My Mom Jayne” begins with a montage of Mansfield’s life in the brightest of spotlights. The flashy intro segues to a clip from a chaotic 1966 episode of “The Merv Griffin Show.” Despite the family circus around her mother — four children, incontinent dogs and third husband — little Mariska, aka Maria, steals the show Losing control of his show Griffin admonishes 2-year-old Mariska: “Listen, get your own show, darling.” Like her mother, Hargitay studied acting seriously before launching her career Avoiding the typecasting Mansfield experienced, she took small roles, including her film debut in 1984’s “Ghoulies,” before

playing the recurring character in TV’s “ER” that led to her starring role in “Law & Order: SVU.”

Evidence being essential to any investigation, Hargitay ﬁnds long-unexplored material in Mickey Hargitay Sr.’s storage unit. Mansﬁeld’s marriage to the Hungarian-born actor and former Mr Universe was her longest and, apparently, most loving.

“She always had me,” he says in a 1989 interview “She knew that, but it seems like, at times, it wasn’t enough.”

On the last day of her life, Mansﬁeld spoke with second husband Hargitay by phone 90 minutes before her speeding New Orleansbound entourage lodged beneath a tractor-trailer on U.S. 90 near Slidell. He told her during the call he was ﬂying to New Orleans to be with her and the children.

Though Mickey Hargitay Sr is beloved by Mariska Hargitay “My Mom Jayne” reveals that, contrary to his claim until his death, he is not her biological father Her loyalty to him compelled her to suppress the identity of her biological father for 35 years.

“Sometimes keeping a secret doesn’t honor anyone,” she says of her change of heart.

More revelations come with appearances by Hargitay’s biological father, Nelson Sardelli, and his daughters. Hargitay embraces the meeting as part of a healing process, helping her replace the decades of loss, anger and shame she felt about her mother with understanding and forgiveness.

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn. com.

FRIDAY

SHOWS

CLAY CORMIER: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3 p.m

2025 LAFAYETTE STARS AND STRIPES: Parc International, Lafayette, 5 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.

FRIDAY NIGHT JAM: La Maison de Begnaud, Scott, 6 p.m.

HEATH AND THE HOLDOUTS: Adopted

Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

BLAKE LUQUETTE: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

JAMBALAYA TRIO: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

DUSTIN SONNIER & THE WANTED: Lakeview Park, Eunice, 8 p.m.

ALPHONSE ARDOIN & ZYDECO

KINGZ: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY DON FONTENOT BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8 a.m.

GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH ROCKIN’

BOOGIE: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8 a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAM SES-

SIONS: The Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park, Lafayette, 9 a.m.

LEBEAU ZYDECO FESTIVAL: Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Lebeau, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC JAM: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

DRUM CIRCLE: NUNU Arts Collective, Arnaudville, 2:30 p.m.

GERARD DELAFOSE & THE ZYDECO

GATORS: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3 p.m.

MYLES AND KARL OF THE GOOD DUDES: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville 6:30 p.m.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, July 4, the 185th day of 2024. There are 180 days left in the year This is Independence Day

Today in History:

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Also on this date:

In 1802, the United States Military Academy ofﬁcially opened at West Point, New York.

In 1817, construction of the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York.

In 1826, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died.

In 1831, the ﬁfth president of the United States, James Monroe, died in New York City at age 73.

In 1863, the Civil War siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ended as a Confederate garrison surrendered to Union forces.

In 1910, in what was billed as “The Fight of the Century,” Black world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson defeated

LIVE MUSIC: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

ETHAN HUNT: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

CHÈRE ELISE: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

GARY GRANGER PROJECT: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

4-HORSES: La Poussiere Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m. THAT ‘90S SHOW: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m

JAMBALAYA ACOUSTIC MUSIC JAM: Tom’s Fiddle & Bow, Arnaudville, 12:30 p.m.

BAL DU DIMANCHE — DIKKI DU & THE ZYDECO KREWE: Vermilionville, Lafayette, 1 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m

STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS: Cypress Cove Landing, Breaux Bridge, 3 p.m

RUSTY METOYER: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 5 p.m.

JUNIOR LACROSSE: Pat’s Atchafalaya Club, Henderson, 4:30 p.m.

THE SLACKERS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

CEDRIC WATSON & BIJOU CREOLE: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

MONDAY PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Ha-

IN HISTORY

White former champ “Gentleman” Jim Jeffries in Reno, Nevada; race riots across the country following the ﬁght killed more than 20 people.

In 1912, the 48-star American ﬂag, recognizing New Mexico and Arizona statehood, was adopted.

In 1939, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees delivered his famous farewell speech in which he called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

In 1946, the United States and the Philippines signed the Treaty of Manila, recognizing Philippine independence from the U.S.

In 1960, the current 50-star version of the U.S. ﬂag was adopted.

In 1976, America celebrated its bicentennial with daylong festivities; President Gerald R. Ford made stops in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Independence Hall in Philadelphia and New York, where more than 200 ships paraded up the Hudson River in Operation Sail.

In 1987, Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief known as the “Butcher of Lyon,” was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced

bana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

TUESDAY

TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

GROOVE ROOM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.

ROB SAXY: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Park Bistro, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

JUSTIN CORNETT BAND: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 5 p.m.

JOSH LEBLANC TRIO: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

TROUBADOUR: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

FOREST HUVAL: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

ZACH EDWARDS: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

KARAOKE PARTY – PANDA ENTERTAINMENT: Black Bull, Youngsville, 8 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@theadvocate. com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

to life in prison (he died in September 1991).

In 1995, the space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir parted after spending ﬁve days in orbit docked together In 2012, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Geneva cheered the apparent end of a decadeslong quest for a new subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, or “God particle.”

Today’s birthdays: Actor Eva Marie Saint is 101. Queen Sonja of Norway is 88. Actor Karolyn Grimes (“It’s a Wonderful Life”) is 84. Broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera is 82. Funk/jazz trombonist Fred Wesley is 82. Vietnam War veteran and peace activist Ron Kovic is 79. Singer John Waite is 73. International Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver is 63. Christian rock singer Michael Sweet (Stryper) is 61. Actor-playwrightscreenwriter Tracy Letts is 60. Actor Becki Newton is 47. TV personality Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is 43. R&B singer Melanie Fiona is 42. Singer and rapper Post Malone is 30. Malia Obama

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Catch the Justin Cornett Band at 5 p.m. Thursday at Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette. The group performs swamp, country and variety music.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Actress Mariska Hargitay sits amid memorabilia connected to her mother 1950s and ’60s movie star Jayne Mansfield

Dear Miss Manners: How can Ipolitely invite someone to my home but also indicate that theyshould not bring their friends or family with them? We moved a couple years agoto adifferent city,and made new friends we really like. We also have neighbors acouple of houses away who will just come over to join any gatheringwithout an invite Iwas hosting dinner for apair of friends, and they broughta couple of mutual friends with them. Ihad to stretch the food and was very uncomfortable. How can Ilet the neighbor

know they are notinvited when they just show up? It is becoming apattern now

Gentle reader: Are these two separate situations? Are your guests bringingmutualfriends to some dinner parties, and your neighbors just showinguptoothers? Or are theneighbors showing up at thesame time that the friends brought over other friends? That would indeed stretch the food.But assuming they are separate: Forthe friends bringing friends without warning,Miss Manners is afraid there is not much you can do in the moment. The next time youinvite them, if you do, you might say,“Ienjoyed meetingthe McDougals,but wasn’texpectingthem.Please do let us know

SHOWSTOWATCH —BATON ROUGE

FRIDAY

KIRK HOLDER &CHARLES PIERCE: Agile Brewing, 3p.m.

DRAMAKINGS: El Paso, Denham Springs,6:30 p.m.

BATONROUGE CONCERTBAND: Main Library at Goodwood, 7p.m.

MATHEW EWING &THE ALL STAR

BAND: Crowne Plaza, 7p.m

N’TUNE: The Showroom, 9p.m.

JOHN RUIZ JR.: The Vineyard,9 p.m

TRUE SPIN: Fred’s on theRiver, Prairieville,9 p.m.

VOODOO JUNCTION: FatCat Saloon, Prairieville, 9p.m.

SATURDAY

I-10 BOUND BAND: Sidney Hutchinson Park, Walker,5 p.m.

DON POURCIAU& KONSPIRACY: Pedro’s-Siegen, 6p.m.

ROCKIN’ROUGE: El Paso, Gonzales, 6p.m.

CLAYTON SHILLING: Le Chien Brewing Co., Denham Springs, 6:30 p.m.

INFINITY: Crowne Plaza, 7p.m.

VICTOR VIGNES: The Brakes Bar, 7p.m

ACOUSTIC SATURDAYSW/HENRY

TURNER: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m.

THE DUPONT BROTHERS: The Vineyard,9 p.m.

CATEGORY6: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 9p.m.

SUNDAY

JUSTIN BURDETTE TRIO: Superior Grill MidCity,11a.m.

ROBERTCALMES: Cocha,11a.m.

KIRK HOLDER: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 11 a.m.

MIKE HOGAN: Leola’s Café, 11a.m.

JAZZ BRUNCH: RedStick Social, noon

JUSTIN CORNETT BAND: Fred’s on the River, Prairieville, 3p.m.

LUCY YOES: PizzaByronz, 5p.m.

SONGWRITER SUNDAYS: La Divina Italian Café, 5p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: FatCat Saloon,Prairieville,7 p.m.

MONDAY

ACOUSTICRATS: Phil Brady’s,6p.m.

CAMPYLE: Superior Grill MidCity 6p.m.

TUESDAY CHRIS LEBLANC DUO: Superior Grill MidCity,6p.m.

EDDIE SMITH: On The Half Shell, Prairieville, 6:30 p.m.

OPEN MIC: Crazy Dave’s,Livingston, 7p.m.

STEVE EARLE ACOUSTIC SHOW: Manship Theatre, 7:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

LAUREN LEE: Galvez Seafood,Prairieville,5:30 p.m.

PETER SIMON: BLDG 5, 5:30 p.m.

RHETT GUILLOT: SuperiorGrill MidCity,6 p.m.

KIRK HOLDER: Bin 77, 6:30 p.m.

FILEPHOTO

Lucyyoes will performat5 p.m. SundayatPizza Byronz, 8200 VillagePlaza CourtinBaton Rouge.

SONGWRITERS OPENMIC W/HEATH RANSONNET: Coop’s on 621, Gonzales, 7p.m.

ANDYPIZZOTRIO: HayrideScandal, 7:30 p.m

DIXIE ROSE’SACOUSTICCIRCLE:

Teddy’s Juke Joint,Zachary,8p.m

EDDIE SMITH BAND: La Daiquiris, 8p.m.

OPEN MIC JAM: O’Hara’s Irish Pub, 8p.m.

THURSDAY

KYBALION: El Paso-Sherwood, 6p.m

OPEN MIC W/AMANDAJOHESS: Istrouma Brewing, St. Gabriel, 6p.m

DON POURCIAU&KONSPIRACY: La Carreta, Denham Springs, 6p.m

RACHAELHALLACK: Superior Grill

MidCity,6 p.m

TIM KULAGE: La Divina Italian Café, 6p.m.

THE BISHOP ELLIS TRIO: Hayride Scandal, 7p.m

THE STARDUST BOYS: The Brakes Bar, 7p.m.

HENRYTURNER JR. &THE LISTENING

ROOM ALL-STARS: Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room, 8p.m.

BLUES JAM: Phil Brady’s,9 p.m.

CHRISLEBLANC: The Vineyard, 9p.m.

OUTLYING

SATURDAY JOHN FOSTER: Mári Showroom at Paragon Casino,Marksville, 8p.m

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’smusic listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@theadvocate com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’spaper.

next time if you are thinking of inviting anyone else. We will have to decide whether we can be sufﬁciently prepared.”

As for theneighbors, just because they show up does not mean you have to invite them in.

“I’m afraid that we have other company over right now,but we would love to see you another time.” At leastwith them,you know their journey home is easy With friends of friends —unless you similarly banish their ride you are stuck.

Dear Miss Manners: What is the rule on inviting someonetoaccompany you to aplay that’sclose to being sold out,and they don’t respond to your invitation in a timely way?

Iinvited afriend to go to ashow

FRIDAY

FRIDAYNIGHT LECTURE: 7:30 p.m.-

8:30 p.m.,BREC’s Highland Road Park Observatory,13800 Highland Road. Skygazing tips, physics phenomena, space programs and famous events arecovered. For ages 14 and older.Free. hrpo.lsu. edu. Also, evening sky viewing from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

SATURDAY BATONROUGE ARTS MARKET:

8a.m.tonoon,Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Vendors sella variety of unique,originalworksof art including pottery,woodwork textiles, glass, paintings, sculptures, photographs, handmade soaps, handmade toys,jewelry and more. artsbr.org.

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

8a.m.tonoon,Fifth and Main streets, downtown. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

FAMILYHOUR STARGAZING: 10 a.m., Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art&Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Learn about the stars and constellations in the local nighttime sky,followed by an all-ages show. lasm.org.

READ &CREATE: 11:15 a.m.,Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Story time followed by athemed craft perfect for little learners. Included with admission; free for members. lasm.org.

MONTHLY CONTRA DANCE: 4p.m.6:30 p.m.,St. Alban’sChapel, corner of Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive. Newcomer instructionat 3:45 p.m. Singlesand couples welcome. $7 per person;freefor ﬁrst-timers. Louisianacontrasandsquares.com or (225) 803-9194.

SUNDAY

FREE FIRSTSUNDAY: Louisiana Art

&Science Museum, 100 S. River Road; Old State Capitol, 100 North Blvd.;Magnolia Mound Plantation, 2161 NicholsonDrive;LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St.; CarySaurage Community Arts Center, 233 St.FerdinandSt.,and LSU Center for River Studies, 100 Terrace Ave. Free admission to all exhibits and installations,plus reduced price entry to LASM’s Irene Pennington Planetarium shows

TUESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

3p.m.-6 p.m.,Main Library at Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods, cooking demonstrations. breada.org.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m.,Burgersmith, 18303 Perkins Road. Collect your team and jockey for ﬁrst place. loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

WEDNESDAY

RED STICK FARMERS MARKET:

9a.m.tonoon,ExxonMobil YMCA 7711 Howell Blvd. Farm-fresh produce, goods and more. www.facebook.com/redstickfarmersmarket. LUNCHTIME LAGNIAPPE: DISABILITY

with alimited run, and mentioned in my invitation that it was almost sold out.I said that Iwould go ahead and purchase my ticket if I didn’thear from her; Ididn’tset a time limit.

Idid buy my own ticket —and then heard from her,two days later,saying that she was interested in accompanying me. Should I have waited to hear from her before purchasing my ticket?

Gentlereader: How long did you give her before you gave up and bought yours? Somewhere between ﬁve minutes and two days is reasonable.

Miss Manners agrees that ultimatums with friends can be awkward, but in this case, atimelimit would havebeen helpful. Or at least made you feel better about

AROUND BATONROUGE

getting on with it. Of course you do not state it as an ultimatum —only that you are worried that tickets will sell out, so you are going to get yours by the end of the day,whether or not you have heard from her Presumably you could still go with each other,just not necessarily sit together.Especially if only standing room is left. Either way, you both will have learned a lesson.

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.

RIGHTS IN LOUISIANA: THEN AND NOW:noon to 1p.m., Capitol Park Museum, 660 N. FourthSt. Lecture by JP GaspardofThe ArcBaton Rouge. Free. https://louisianastatemuseum.org/ COSMIC CRAFTS UNDER THE DOME: 1p.m., IreneW.Pennington Planetarium, Louisiana Art &Science Museum, 100 S. River Road. Watch aplanetarium show,thendoa themed hands-oncraft activity Part of the LASM’s Beat theHeat Summer Series. Included in paid admission. lasm.org.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 6:30 p.m Burgersmith, 27350 Crossing Circle, Suite 150, Denham Springs.Collect your team and jockey for ﬁrstplace loom.ly/y-CKtQ4.

THURSDAY RED STICK FARMERS MARKET: 8a.m.tonoon, Pennington Biomedical Research Center,6400 Perkins Road. Farm-fresh produce goods and more. facebook.com/ redstickfarmersmarket.

WEEKLY SOCIAL BIKE RIDE: 7p.m., GeauxRide, 521 N. ThirdSt., SuiteA Free. https://fareharbor.com.

TRIVIA NIGHT: 7p.m., JoliePearl Oyster Bar, 315 NorthBlvd. Test your trivia skills withyour friends and family.Free.

ONGOING ARTGUILD OF LOUISIANA: Independence Park Theatre, 7800 Independence Blvd.“Spring Judged Show,” through Thursday. (225) 773-8020 or artguildlouisiana.org.

BATONROUGE GALLERYCENTER FORCONTEMPORARYART: 1515 DalrympleDrive. Group exhibit by April Hammock, MarcusMcAllister,Hye Yeon Nam and Nonney Oddlokken,through July 27. Free. batonrougegallery.org.

CAPITOLPARK MUSEUM: 660 N. Fourth St. “Billy Cannon: They CalledHim Legend,” through Jan. 10. (225) 342-5428 or louisianastate-

museum.org.

CARY SAURAGE COMMUNITY ARTS

CENTER SHELL GALLERY: 233 St. Ferdinand St. Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Saturday.artsbr.org.

ELIZABETHAN GALLERY: 680 Jefferson Highway.Group show.Call (225) 924-6437 or followthe gallery’s Facebook page

LOUISIANAART &SCIENCE MUSEUM: 100 S. River Road. “Discoveriesonthe Nile:Exploring King Tut’s Tomb and theAmin Egyptian Collection,” through Oct. 31. (225) 344-5272 or lasm.org.

LSU MUSEUM OF ART: Shaw Center for theArts, 100 Lafayette St. “Carved and Crafted: The Art of Letterpress,” through Sept. 21. “In Focus: Artwork by LSU Faculty,” through Aug. 3. (225) 389-7200 or lsumoa.org.

LSU TEXTILE &COSTUME MUSEUM: Human Ecology Building, Tower Drive,LSU campus. “Color Me Fashion,”morethan 45 looks with related accessories spanning approximately100 years of fashion history from c. 1890 to 1990. Exhibit runs through Aug. 15. (225) 578-5992 or email textile@lsu.edu

MAGNOLIA MOUNDMUSEUM +HISTORIC SITE: 2161 Nicholson Drive Guided and self-guided tours Hours arefrom10a.m. to 4p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Sunday.brec.org/facility/ MagnoliaMound OLD GOVERNOR’SMANSION: 502 NorthBlvd. Open for tours.Hours arefrom9 a.m. to 4p.m. MondayFriday.Freeadmission. oldgovernorsmansion.com.

CompiledbyJudy Bergeron Have an open-to-the-public eventyou’dlike to promote? Email details to red@ theadvocate.com. Deadline is 5p.m.Friday forthe following Friday’spaper.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByJAVIER GALLEGOS

BREC volunteer Scott Cadwallader gives atour of the telescope at Highland Road Park Observatory. Get skygazing tips and learn more about physics phenomena, spaceprograms and famous events at the free lectures at 7:30 p.m. each Friday at the observatory, 13800 Highland Road

cAncER (June 21-July22) Follow your instincts, question expenditures and refrain from sharing too much personal information. Social events are likely to cost more than anticipated

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) If youare neglectful, problems will surface in your personal life. You'll be pressed for time or preoccupied withworkorsomething intriguing, but save yourself grief by taking care of personal matters.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) The more interaction,the better. What you discover today willhelp you change how you learn, use your skills andpromote who you are and what youcan bring to the table.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Concentrate on getting things done. How you handle your business affairs, moneyand reputation will setthe stagefor howfar you can go.Tryingsomething newwill lead to connections and growth.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) You'll be hard to please, and someone you're trying to impress will disappoint you.It's time to try something new andexpand your interests.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick close to home and maximize your surroundings. Adjust yourworkflowtohelp you engage in the hobbies youenjoymost Settledifferences with others and move forward.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Tidy up loose ends and make planstodosomething

engaging. Socialevents or pampering yourself will help rejuvenate you. An offer will grab your attention, but do your due diligence to avoid scams and fakes

AQuARIus(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Payattention andask questions. Keep your emotions in check andyourmindonwhat's unfolding. Awareness is the best wayto combatanyone trying to exploit you.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Do something nice for yourself.A chance to socialize will lead to an unexpected opportunity. Explore your options and enjoy whatever comes your way.

ARIEs(March 21-April 19) Choose your words wisely. Keeping the peace while maintaining equilibrium at home will be difficult. An innovative response will give yousomething to consider.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Refuse to let stubbornness get in your way. Communication,incentives andpraise will help you get your way. Honesty, integrity, compromiseand equalitywill be necessary

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Attending a trade showwill help you discover options you didn't realize were available. Showyour enthusiasm, and someonewill help yougain ground.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Cipher cryptograms arecreated from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipherstands for another.

beetLe bAILeY

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place thenumbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containsthe same number only once. The difficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

We have reached the laststep of bidding major two-suiters opposite aoneno-trump opening: astrong hand withat leasttwo five-card suits. You mayhave your own method, but mine is to respond three spades —asintoday’s deal.

Over three spades, opener may bid game in either major.However, if he has asuitable hand for aslam, he rebids four clubs to say that he likes hearts, or four diamonds to establish spades as trumps Here,North’shandisborderlinebetween fourspades andfour diamonds.

Over fourspades, Southmakes afiveclub control-bid (cue-bid) to show afirstroundcontrolinthatsuitandstrongslam interest. North indicates hisfirst-round diamond control. South reveals secondround club control but no first-round heartcontrol (because he did not bid five hearts). And when North admitstoholdingthe heart ace, Southjumps to seven spades.

West,trusting hisopponents, leads a trump. How should Southplay?

Declarer has six side-suit tricks (five hearts and one diamond),somust score seventrump tricks viafour high trumps on the board and threeclub ruffs in his hand.

South takes the first trick on the board, ruffs aclub high, crosses to dummy with aheart,ruffs anotherclubhigh,plays a diamond to theace, ruffs thelast club high, overtakes his spade nine with dummy’s 10, draws trumps, and claims those 13 tricks

Syndication

EachWuzzle is aword riddle whichcreates adisguised word,phrase, name,place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four 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, slangwords, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

toDAy’s WoRD WHoLEsoME: HOLE-sum: Good for one’s health or well-being.

Average mark 26 words

Timelimit 40 minutes

Canyou find 37 or morewords in WHOLESOME?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —IncEntIVE

incite invent invite invitee nene neve nice niece nine cent cite

civet entice even event evict evince teen tine vein vent vice