The Acadiana Advocate 07-10-2025 by The Advocate

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Landry vetoes ban

on balloon releases

Governor says bill would be difficult to enforce; environmental advocates express disappointment

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Some wildlife advocates, a lieutenant governor with a passion for Louisiana’s natural environment and at least one state lawmaker are dismayed after Gov Jeff Landry vetoed a bill that would have made it illegal to intentionally release balloons into the air, a regulation that supporters say would protect wildlife and their habitat.

But others — even some who say caring for the natural environment should be a priority — were OK with the governor blocking the balloon release ban, which could have led to

BY DEVI SHASTRI Associated Press

The U.S. is having its worst year for measles spread in more than three decades, with a total of 1,288 cases nationally and another six months to go in 2025.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the national case count surpassed 2019, when there were 1,274 cases for the year and the country almost lost its status of having

civil penalties between $150 and $500 for anyone over age 16.

Baton Rouge Audubon Society Treasurer Mark Pethke said his organization is “tremendously disappointed by the governor’s veto.”

The organization says that balloons can end up littering the natural environment, including lakes, streams, beaches and oceans.

Fish, sea turtles and dolphins sometimes eat those balloons, causing a slow, painful death by starvation, the society says, and birds can get wrapped in or even strangled by balloon string.

Pethke said the anti-litter measure would have caused organizations that

eliminated the vaccine-preventable illness. That could happen this year if the virus has nonstop spread for 12 months.

This year’s outbreaks, some of them interconnected, started five months ago in undervaccinated communities in West Texas. Three people have died — two children in Texas and

frequently release balloons into the air such as schools and businesses, to ﬁnd “another, more environmentally friendly way to conduct celebrations.”

State Rep. John Illg Jr a Harahan Republican who sponsored the proposed ban in House Bill 581, echoed those ideas.

“It’s just something that needs to be recognized, that it is litter It’s basically releasing litter into the air and who knows where it comes down,” he said

an adult in New Mexico and dozens of people have been hospitalized. Public health experts maintain the true case count may be higher than state health departments have conﬁrmed. North America has three other major measles outbreaks, with 2,966 cases in Chihuahua state, Mexico, 2,223 cases in Ontario, Canada and 1,230 in Alberta, Canada. Thirteen other states have confirmed outbreaks of three or more people Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois,

Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah — and four other states saw their outbreaks end. The measles mumps and rubella vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles after two doses.

The World Health Organization said in 2000 that measles had been eliminated from the U.S.

Council to review FEMA holds N.O. meeting

Report: State ranks high for recovery funds

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

The council that President Donald Trump established to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency met in New Orleans on Wednesday, promising a complete remake of the agency that Louisiana has relied upon to recover from disasters ranging from destructive hurricanes to saltwater intrusion.

Led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the FEMA Review Council is tasked with reporting on the agency‘s strengths and failures and making a list of recommendations for overhauling it. As the council met, natural disasters were unfolding in parts of the U.S., with severe ﬂooding in Texas and New Mexico claiming the lives of more than 100 people. In Louisiana, hurricane season is just getting underway

ä See FEMA, page 5A

Gov. Jeff Landry holds a news conference Wednesday after a Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council meeting in New Orleans.

CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

The probation of former Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope on malfeasance and perjury charges was revoked in June during an unscheduled Zoom meeting, according to court records. Pope was arrested in March when he failed to appear in court for a hearing on probation and parole violations. He had been found guilty in 2016 and 2018 on charges of perjury and malfeasance in ofﬁce and

to court records. Pope was not in court in person. He appeared via Zoom.

See PROBATION, page 5A

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Balloons are released at a park on America Street in New Orleans during a 2023 memorial. A bill that would have made it illegal to intentionally release balloons into the air was vetoed by Gov. Jeff Landry.

STAFF PHOTO

SOPHIA GERMER

Senate confirms

new FAA administrator

WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate on Wednesday conﬁrmed Bryan Bedford to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, putting him in charge of the federal agency at a precarious time for the airline industry after recent accidents, including the January collision near Washington, D.C that killed 67 people.

Bedford was conﬁrmed on a near party-line vote, 53-43.

Republicans and industry leaders lauded President Donald Tr ump’s choice of Bedford, citing his experience as CEO of regional airline Republic Airways since 1999. Sen Ted Cruz, the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, called Bedford a “steady leader with executive experience.”

But Democrats and ﬂight safety advocates opposed his nomination, citing Bedford’s lack of commitment to the 1,500-hour training requirement for pilots that was put in place by Congress after a 2009 plane crash in New York.

Bedford declined during his confirmation hearing to commit to upholding a rule requiring 1,500 hours of training for pilots, saying only that he would not “have anything that will reduce safety.”

Congress implemented the 1,500-hour rule for pilot training and other safety precautions after the 2009 Colgan Air crash near Buffalo, New York

In that ﬂight, the pilot had not been trained on how to recover from a stall in the aircraft. His actions caused the plane carrying 49 people to fall from the sky and crash into a house, where another man was killed.

Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, made famous for safely landing a plane in the Hudson River, also opposed Trump’s pick, posting on social media that “with the nomination of Bryan Bedford to be FAA Administrator, my life’s work could be undone.”

Allen Hassenfeld, former CEO of Hasbro, dies

NEWYORK Alan G. Hassenfeld, a renowned philanthropist and former CEO of iconic toy company Hasbro Inc., the maker of G.I. Joe and Play-Doh, has died He was 76, according to the toy company. Hasbro declined to offer more details. Hassenfeld’s family foundation, Hassenfeld Family Initiatives, wasn’t immediately available to comment.

Hassenfeld was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and received an undergraduate arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970. Upon graduation, he joined the Pawtucket, Rhode Island-based family business in 1970. Hasbro was founded in 1923, by Hassenfeld’s grandfather, Henry Known initially as Hassenfeld Brothers, it sold textile remnants but expanded into school supplies and later toy manufacturing under the Hasbro name in the 1940s, according to Hasbro’s website. It went public in 1968.

Hassenfeld labored for years in the shadow of his older brother Stephen. His brother’s death of pneumonia in June 1989 at age 47, however, moved Hassenfeld into the position of chairman and chief executive ofﬁcer Hassenfeld stepped down as CEO in 2003 and in August 2005, he became emeritus chairman. He stepped away from that role last year Hassenfeld was the last family member to sit on the board, according to Hasbro.

CORRECTION

A story in Wednesday’s editions incorrectly stated the number of redfish estimated to have been killed as bycatch by Louisiana’s menhaden industry in 2024. The correct number is approximately 30,000. The story’s headline also implied that there is a legal limit on the amount of redfish killed. The limit applies to bycatch of all fish species. The Advocate regrets the error.

Israeli strikes kill 40 in Gaza

No sign of breakthrough after Trump’s talks with Netanyahu

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, KAREEM CHEHAYEB, and MELANIE LIDMAN

Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli

airstrikes killed at least 40 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including 10 members of a family sheltering in a tent, hospital ofﬁcials said Wednesday The strikes came as U.S President Donald Trump pushed for a ceaseﬁre that might end the war and free dozens of Israeli hostages.

Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in two days at the White House on Tuesday evening, but there was no sign of a breakthrough.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue the 21-month war until Hamas is destroyed, while the militant group has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceaseﬁre and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis said the dead included 17 women and 10 children. The war has gutted Gaza’s health system, with several hospitals taken out of service and leading physicians killed in Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military said it had struck more than 100 targets across Gaza over the past day, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities,

missile launchers and tunnels. Israel accuses Hamas of hiding weapons and ﬁghters among civilians.

‘I found all my children dead’

On Wednesday, crowds of people bid farewell to the 10 members of the Shaaban family killed in an Israeli strike while they were inside their tent in Khan Younis.

“I found all my children dead, and my daughters’ three children dead,” said Um Mohammad Shaaban, a nickname that means Mohammad Shaaban’s mother “It’s supposed to be a safe area where we were.”

She said that strikes have intensiﬁed even as hope for a ceaseﬁre has risen. “The hospital last night was jam-packed,” she said.

As she wept over the bodies of her three grandchildren, others holding the bodies struggled to let

go before they were sent to burial.

Struggling to secure food, water

Palestinians are desperate for an end to the war that has killed tens of thousands, destroyed vast areas and displaced around 90% of the territory’s population.

Aid groups say Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order have made it extremely difﬁcult to deliver humanitarian assistance, leading to widespread hunger and fears of famine.

In the sprawling coastal Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands of people live in tents after being displaced from their homes, Abeer al-Najjar said she had struggled during the constant bombardments to get food and water for her family

“I pray to God that there would be a pause, and not just a pause

where they would lie to us,” she said, referring to an earlier ceasefire that Israel ended in March.

“We want a full ceaseﬁre.”

The war started after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceaseﬁres. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry

The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatantss.

Trump says ‘we’re close’ to deal Netanyahu told reporters on Tuesday that he and Trump see “eye to eye” on the need to destroy Hamas and that coordination between Israel and the United States has never been better

Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, and other senior administration officials met with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer as well as Qatari officials at the White House on Tuesday to discuss sticking points in the talks, including Israel’s desire to maintain a military presence in Gaza during a potential 60-day truce, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity

Asked about the meeting, Trump did not conﬁrm that “secret” talks had happened, but said if they did, he hoped the engagement “gets us to where we want to be.”

“We want to have peace. We want to get the hostages back. And I think we’re close to doing it,” Trump added.

Biden’s former doctor refuses to answer questions

BY MATT BROWN and MICHELLE L PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Joe Biden’s former White House physician refused on Wednesday to answer questions as part of the House Republican investigation into Biden’s health in ofﬁce.

Dr Kevin O’Connor invoked his rights under the Fifth Amendment during a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee, his attorney and lawmakers said Republicans on the Oversight Committee subpoenaed O’Connor last month as part of a their sweeping investigation into Biden’s health and his mental fitness as

president. They claim some policies carried out during Biden’s term through the use of the White House autopen may be illegitimate if it’s proven the Democrat was mentally incapacitated for some of his term.

Biden has strongly denied that he was not in a right state of mind at any point while in ofﬁce, calling the claims “ridiculous and false.”

David Schertler, one of O’Connor’s lawyers, said the doctor had “no choice” but to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in testimony before the committee. Schertler cited both O’Connor’s responsibilities to protect patient privacy as a doctor and the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation into Biden’s use of the autopen.

Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Oversight chair, said O’Connor’s refusal to testify made it “clear there was a conspiracy.”

Comer

“The American people demand tr an spa re nc y, but Dr O’Connor would rather conceal the truth,” Comer said in a statement. Witnesses routinely invoke their Fifth Amendment rights in testimony to Congress. Allies of President Donald Trump, for example, invoked their rights when refusing to testify to the committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capi-

Influencer’s conviction for spreading 2016 election falsehoods overturned

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

NEW YORK A federal appeals court on Wednesday overturned a self-styled right-wing propagandist’s conviction for spreading falsehoods on social media in an effort to suppress Democratic turnout in the 2016 presidential election.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ordered a lower court to enter a judgment of acquittal for Douglass Mackey, ﬁnding that trial evidence failed to prove the government’s claim that the Florida man conspired with others to inﬂuence the election.

Mackey, 36, was convicted in March 2023 in federal court in Brooklyn on a charge of conspiracy against rights after posting false memes that said supporters of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton could vote for her by text message or social media post. He was sentenced to seven months in federal prison.

“HALLELUJAH!” Mackey wrote on X after the 2nd Circuit’s decision was posted Wednesday In follow up messages, he thanked God, his family wife, lawyers and supporters, and threatened legal action over his conviction.

One of Mackey’s lawyers on his appeal was Yaakov Roth, who is now principal deputy assistant U.S. attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Division

The federal prosecutors’ office in Brooklyn declined to comment.

In charging Mackey, prosecutors alleged that he conspired with others between September and November of 2016 to post memes, such as a photo of a woman standing in front of an “African Americans for Hillary” sign “Avoid the Line. Vote from Home,” the tweet said.

“Text ‘Hillary’ to 59925.”

About 5,000 people followed the meme’s instructions, according to trial

testimony Nearly all of them received an automated response indicating that the social media posts were not associated with the Clinton campaign, and there was “no evidence at trial that Mackey’s tweets tricked anyone into failing properly to vote,” the 2nd Circuit found.

In overturning Mackey’s conviction, a three-judge 2nd Circuit panel wrote, “the mere fact” that he “posted the memes, even assuming that he did so with the intent to injure other citizens in the exercise of their right to vote, is not enough, standing alone, to prove a violation” of the conspiracy law

“The government was obligated to show that Mackey knowingly entered into an agreement with other people to pursue that objective,” Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston and Judges Reena Raggi and Beth Robinson wrote. “This the government failed to do.” Livingston and Raggi were appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican. Robinson was appointed by President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

At Mackey’s sentencing, the trial judge, Ann M. Donnelly said that he had been “one of the leading members” of a conspiracy that was “nothing short of an assault on our democracy.”

The 2nd Circuit disagreed, ruling that the prosecution’s primary evidence of a conspiracy was ﬂimsy at best.

At Mackey’s trial, prosecutors showed messages exchanged in private Twitter groups that they said proved an intent to interfere with people exercising their right to vote. However, the three-judge panel ruled that prosecutors “failed to offer sufﬁcient evidence that Mackey even viewed — let alone participated in — any of these exchanges.”

“In the absence of such evidence, the government’s remaining circumstantial evidence cannot alone establish Mackey’s knowing agreement,” the judges wrote.

tol by a mob of his supporters.

Comer has has sought testimony from nearly a dozen former Biden aides as he conducts his investigation. He has also issued a subpoena for Anthony Bernal, the former chief of staff to former ﬁrst lady Jill Biden.

Trump’s White House has waived executive privilege, a right that protects many communications between the president and staff from Congress and the courts, for almost all of those senior staffers. That clears the way for those staffers to discuss their conversations with Biden while he was president Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel, dismissed the Republican investigation as a waste of time.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By OHAD ZWIGENBERG

Israeli army vehicles transport a group of soldiers and journalists along the Morag corridor in southern Gaza on Tuesday.

Trump slapping 50% tariff on Brazil over Bolsonaro

He calls trial against former Brazilian president a ‘witch hunt’

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON President

Donald Trump singled out Brazil for import taxes of 50% on Wednesday for its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, showing that personal grudges rather than simple economics were driving the U.S. leader’s use of import taxes.

Trump avoided his standard form letter with Brazil, speciﬁcally tying his tariffs to the trial of Bolsonaro, who is charged with trying to overturn his 2022 election loss.

Trump has described Bolsonaro as a friend and hosted the former Brazilian president at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020.

“This Trial should not be taking place,” Trump wrote in the letter posted on Truth Social “It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”

Trump also objected to Brazil’s Supreme Court ﬁning of social media companies such as X, saying the temporary blocking last year amounted to “SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders.” Trump said he is launching an investigation as a result under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which applies to companies with trade practices that are

deemed unfair to U.S. companies.

The Brazil letter was a reminder that politics and personal relations with Trump matter just as much as any economic fundamentals.

And while Trump has said the high tariff rates he’s setting are based on trade imbalances, it was unclear by his Wednesday actions how the countries being targeted would help to reindustrialize America.

Trump also sent letters Wednesday to the leaders of seven other nations. None of them the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Libya, Iraq and Sri Lanka —

is a major industrial rival to the United States. Taken together, the trade imbalances with those seven countries are essentially a rounding error in a U.S. economy with a gross domestic product of $30 trillion.

Most economic analyses say the tariffs will worsen inﬂationary pressures and subtract from economic growth, but Trump has used the taxes as a way to assert the diplomatic and ﬁnancial power of the U.S. on both rivals and allies. His administration is promising that the taxes on imports will lower trade imbalances, offset some of the cost of the tax cuts he signed

into law on Friday and cause factory jobs to return to the United States.

Trump, during a White House meeting with African leaders, talked up trade as a diplomatic tool. Trade, he said, “seems to be a foundation” for him to settle disputes between India and Pakistan, as well as Kosovo and Serbia.

“You guys are going to fight, we’re not going to trade,” Trump said. “And we seem to be quite successful in doing that.”

On Monday, Trump placed a 35% tariff on Serbia, one of the countries he was using as an example of how fostering

trade can lead to peace.

Trump said the tariff rates in his letters were based on “common sense” and trade imbalances, even though the Brazil letter indicated otherwise.

Ofﬁcials for the European Union, a major trade partner and source of Trump’s ire on trade, said Tuesday that they are not expecting to receive a letter from Trump listing tariff rates. The Republican president started the process of announcing tariff rates on Monday by hitting two major U.S. trading partners, Japan and South Korea, with import taxes of 25%.

The letters were posted on Truth Social after the expiration of a 90-day negotiating period with a baseline levy of 10%. Trump is giving countries more time to negotiate with his Aug. 1 deadline, but he has insisted there will be no extensions for the countries that receive letters.

Trump on April 2 proposed a 20% tariff for EU goods and then threatened to raise that to 50% after negotiations did not move as quickly as he would have liked, only to return to the 10% baseline The EU has 27 member states, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The tariff letters are worded aggressively in Trump’s style of writing He frames the tariffs as an invitation to “participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States,” adding that the trade imbalances are a “major threat” to America’s economy and national security The president threatened additional tariffs on any country that attempts to retaliate. He said he chose to send the letters because it was too complicated for U.S officials to negotiate with their counterparts in the countries with new tariffs. It can take years to broker trade accords.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba interpreted the Aug. 1 deadline as a delay to allow more time for negotiations, although he cautioned in remarks that the tariffs would hurt his nation’s domestic industries and employment.

Musk’s xAI scrubs posts after chatbot makes antisemitic comments

By The Associated Press

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company said Wednesday that it’s taking down “inappropriate posts” made by its Grok chatbot, which appeared to include antisemiti c com ments that praised Adolf Hitler Grok was developed by Musk’s xAI and pitched as alternative to “woke AI” interactions from rival chatbots like Google’s Gemini, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT Musk said Friday that Grok has been improved signiﬁcantly, and users “should notice a difference.”

Since then Grok has shared several antisemitic posts, including the trope that Jews run Hollywood, and denied that such a stance could be described as Nazism.

the inappropriate posts,” the Grok account posted early Wednesday, without being more speciﬁc.

antisemitism that is already surging on X and many other platforms.”

“Labeling truths as hate speech stifles discussion,” Grok said.

It also appeared to praise Hitler, according to screenshots of posts that have now apparently been deleted.

After making one of the posts, Grok walked back the comments, saying it was “an unacceptable error from an earlier model iteration, swiftly deleted” and that it condemned “Nazism and Hitler unequivocally — his actions were genocidal horrors.”

“We are aware of recent posts made by Grok and are actively working to remove

“Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X. xAI is training only truth-seeking and thanks to the millions of users on X, we are able to quickly identify and update the model where training could be improved.”

The Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat antisemitism, called out Grok’s behavior

“What we are seeing from Grok LLM right now is irresponsible, dangerous and antisemitic, plain and simple,” the group said in a post on X.

“This supercharging of extremist rhetoric will only amplify and encourage the

X CEO resigns after two years at helm

BY MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY AP technology writers

X CEO Linda Yaccarino

Musk later waded into the debate, alleging that some users may have been trying to manipulate Grok into making the statements.

“Grok was too compliant

to user prompts. Too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially That is being addressed,” he wrote on X, in response to comments that a user was trying to get Grok to make controversial and politically incorrect statements.

Also Wednesday a court in Turkey ordered a ban on Grok and Poland’s digital minister said he would report the chatbot to the European Commission after it made vulgar comments about politicians and public ﬁgures in both countries.

said she’s stepping down after two bumpy years running Elon Musk’s social media platform. Yaccarino posted a positive message Wednesday about her tenure at the company formerly known as Twitter and said “the best is yet to come as X enters a new chapter with” Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, maker of the chatbot Grok. She did not say why she is leaving. Musk responded to Yaccarino’s announcement with his own 5-word statement on X: “Thank you for your contributions.”

“The only thing that’s surprising about Linda Yaccarino’s resignation is that it didn’t come sooner,” said Forrester research director Mike Proulx. “It was clear from the start that she was being set up to fail by a limited scope as the company’s chief executive.” In reality, Proulx added, Musk “is and always has been at the helm of X. And that made Linda X’s CEO in title only, which is a very tough position to be in, especially for someone of Linda’s talents.” Musk hired Yaccarino a veteran ad executive, in

May 2023 after buying Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022 and cutting most of its staff. He said at the time that Yaccarino’s role would be focused mainly on running the company’s business operations, leaving him to focus on product design and new technology Before announcing her hiring, Musk said whoever took over as the company’s CEO “must like pain a lot.”

In accepting the job, Yaccarino was taking on the challenge of getting big brands back to advertising on the social media platform after months of upheaval following Musk’s takeover. She also had to work in a supporting role to Musk’s outsized persona on and off of X as he loosened content moderation rules in the name of free speech and restored accounts previously banned by the social media platform.

“Being the CEO of X was always going to be a tough job, and Yaccarino lasted in the role longer than many expected Faced with a mercurial owner who never fully stepped away from the helm and continued to use the platform as his personal megaphone, Yaccarino had to try to run the business while also regularly putting out fires,” said Emarketer analyst Jasmine Enberg Yaccarino’s future at X became unclear earlier this year after Musk merged the social media platform with his artificial intelligence company, xAI. And the advertising issues have not subsided. Since Musk’s

takeover, a number of companies had pulled back on ad spending — the platform’s chief source of revenue — over concerns that Musk’s thinning of content restrictions was enabling hateful and toxic speech to ﬂourish.

Yaccarino has, at times, ardently defended Musk’s approach, including in a lawsuit against liberal advocacy group Media Matters for America over a report that claimed leading advertisers’ posts on X were appearing alongside neo-Nazi and white nationalist content The report led some advertisers to pause their activity on X.

A federal judge last year dismissed X’s lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which has documented the increase in hate speech on the site since it was acquired by Musk.

X is also in an ongoing legal dispute with major advertisers — including CVS, Mars, Lego, Nestle, Shell and Tyson Foods over what it has alleged was a “massive advertiser boycott” that deprived the company of billions of dollars in revenue and violated antitrust laws.

Enberg said that, “to a degree, Yaccarino accomplished what she was hired to do.” Emarketer expects X’s ad business to return to growth in 2025 after more than halving between 2022 and 2023 following Musk’s takeover But, she added, “the reasons for X’s ad recovery are complicated, and Yaccarino was unable to restore the platform’s reputation among advertisers.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI

U.S. President Donald Trump, center, speaks with African presidents Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, Joseph Nyuma Boakai of Liberia, Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania and Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon during a lunch Wednesday in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington.

Musk

Yaccarino

Harrowing stories emerge from Texas floods

BY SEAN MURPHY, NADIA LATHAN and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

HUNT, Texas In the frantic hours after a wall of water engulfed camps and homes in Texas, a police officer who was trapped himself spotted dozens of people stranded on roofs and waded out to bring them to safety, a fellow ofﬁcer said Wednesday

Another off-duty officer tied a garden hose around his waist so he could reach two people clinging to a tree above swirling floodwaters, Kerrville officer Jonathan Lamb said, describing another harrowing rescue.

“This tragedy, as horrific as it is, could have been so much worse,” Lamb told a news conference, crediting first responders and volunteers with saving lives and knocking on doors to evacuate residents during the flash floods on the July Fourth holiday

More than 160 people still are believed to be missing, and at least 118 have died in the floods that laid waste to the Hill Country region of Texas. The large number of missing people suggests that the full extent of the catastrophe is still unclear ﬁve days after the disaster The ﬂoods are now the deadliest from inland flooding in the U.S. since 1976, when Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flooded, killing 144 people, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections.

Crews used backhoes and their bare hands Wednesday to dig through piles of debris that stretched for miles along the Guadalupe River in the search of missing people.

“We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for,”

Gov Greg Abbott said Tuesday “Know this also: There very likely could be more added to that list.”

BY SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, MORGAN LEE

RUIDOSO, N.M. — A New Mexico mountain village prepared Wednesday for another round of monsoon rains as crews scrambled to dig out from a historic flash flood that killed three people, damaged dozens of homes and left streets and culverts clogged with mud and debris. A man, a 4-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy were swept away from an RV park along the Rio Ruidoso as floodwaters raged through the area Tuesday The bodies were found downstream from the park at a distance between 1/4 of a mile and 2 miles

The two children were related, but authorities were not releasing their names. They had yet to identify the man who was killed.

Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford said the community is devastated by the loss of life, a tragedy that is not unfamiliar for the popular summer retreat, which is about 130 miles southeast of Albuquerque. Before summer rains began, Ruidoso had made much progress in recovering from last year’s wildfires and post-fire flooding, but village officials ac-

Officials face backlash

Public ofﬁcials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were not sounded and more preparations were not made.

“Those questions are going to be answered,” Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said “I believe those questions need to be answered, to the families of the loved ones, to the public.”

But he said the priority for now is recovering victims. “We’re not running. We’re not going to hide from anything,” the sheriff said.

The governor called on state lawmakers to approve new ﬂood warning systems and strengthen

emergency communications in ﬂood prone areas throughout the state when the Legislature meets in a special session that Abbott had already called to address other issues starting July 21. Abbott also called on lawmakers to provide ﬁnancial relief for response and recovery efforts from the storms.

“We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,” Abbott said in a statement.

Local leaders have talked for years about the need for a ﬂood warning system, but concerns about costs and noise led to missed opportunities to put up sirens.

Raymond Howard, a city council member in Ingram, said it was “unfathomable” that county ofﬁcials did not act.

“This is lives. This is families,”

knowledged Tuesday’s rain was too much to absorb “As bad as it is, it could have been way worse because people did heed the warning, did get the higher ground,” Crawford said during a radio address. “But we do have people that are in greater need today than they were yesterday.”

New Mexico’s governor signed an emergency declaration Tuesday night and requests were pending for more assistance from the federal government as search and rescue crews fanned out Wednesday in

places that had been hard to reach the night before.

Village ofﬁcials continued to encourage people to call an emergency line if their loved ones or neighbors were missing or affected by the ﬂood.

Emergency crews had completed dozens of swift water rescues before the water receded Tuesday, including of people who were trapped in their homes and cars. Two National Guard teams and several local crews already were in the area when the flooding began, said Danielle Silva of

he said. “This is heartbreaking.”

Number of missing has soared

A day earlier, the governor announced that about 160 people have been reported missing in Kerr County, where searchers already have found more than 90 bodies.

Ofﬁcials have been seeking more information about those who were in the Hill Country, a popular tourist destination, during the holiday weekend but did not register at a camp or a hotel and may have been in the area without many people knowing, Abbott said.

The riverbanks and hills of Kerr County are filled with vacation cabins, youth camps and campgrounds, including Camp Mystic, the century-old all-girls Christian summer camp where at least 27

campers and counselors died. Officials said five campers and one counselor have still not been found.

Just two days before the ﬂooding, Texas inspectors signed off on the camp’s emergency planning. But ﬁve years of inspection reports released to The Associated Press did not provide any details about how campers would be evacuated.

Challenging search for the dead

With almost no hope of ﬁnding anyone alive, search crews and volunteers say they are focused on bringing the families of the missing some closure.

Crews fanned out in air boats, helicopters and on horseback. They used excavators and their hands, going through layer by layer, with search dogs snifﬁng for any sign of buried bodies.

They looked in trees and in the mounds below their feet. They searched inside crumpled pickup trucks and cars, painting them with a large X, much like those marked on homes after a hurricane.

More than 2,000 volunteers have offered to lend a hand in Kerr County alone, the sheriff said.

How long the search will continue was impossible to predict given the number of people unaccounted for and the miles to cover

Shannon Ament wore knee-high rubber boots and black gloves as she rummaged through debris in front of her rental property in Kerr County A high school soccer coach is one of the many people she knows who are still missing.

“We

the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Several roads remained closed Wednesday and the mayor said it would take

time to restore utilities in some neighborhoods. He said damage assessments would take several days to complete. Along the river, pieces of

metal and other debris were twisted around tree trunks while broken tree limbs were wedged against homes and piled on porches.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

prays with

family as they pick up items Wednesday at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas.

Balloons get tangled on a power line following a balloon release in Marrero in November

BALLOON

Continued from page 1A

Illg, who said he is “passionate” about combating the state’s litter problem, said Louisiana has a “Mardi Gras mentality,” where the thinking is that someone else will pick up when things are left or tossed in the street In the letter explaining his veto, Landry said that HB581 would have been “impossible or impractical to execute.”

Landry said law enforcement agencies across the state would have been “tasked with tracking down locations from where balloons were released based on eyewitness accounts, only to be met — if met at all with excuses and ﬁngerpointing to avoid meeting the bill’s requirements for a ﬁne to be issued.”

And local governments are empowered to regulate balloon releases if need be, Landry said.

State Sen. Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat who was among a small, bipartisan minority of lawmakers who voted against the bill, said she agreed with Landry on leaving restrictions up to local governments. She also questioned who would be tasked with enforcement and said that the ﬁnes seemed too steep. Barrow also said that, in her community, balloon releases are a common way of memorializing certain events, such as the death of a loved one, and they can bring about a certain “level of peace.”

“I think those things are important,” she said. “Everybody processes grief differently.”

And while Barrow said she is “always very concerned

FEMA

Continued from page 1A

An above-average number of storms is forecast this year Trump formed the council, Noem said at the meeting, to “streamline and rightsize the federal government, especially in its role in disaster management.” She noted that she had been in Texas and that her firsthand experience there underscored the need to overhaul or eliminate FEMA.

“This entire agency needs to be eliminated as it exists today and remade into a responsive agency,” she stressed.

Though the meeting was held in New Orleans, Noem and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attended remotely over Zoom.

Gov Jeff Landry, who is not an official member of the council but hosted Wednesday’s meeting, noted FEMA’s failures in his state. He stressed his strong support for the president’s effort to reform the agency but stopped short of calling for FEMA to be eliminated.

“What is happening in Texas today is exactly why this FEMA review council matters,” he said. “This is not political theater The president has tasked Secretary Noem and Secretary Hegseth and this council with addressing emergency response, because, like me, he believes that disaster response must be fast, it must be smart and it must be closer to the ground.”

Responding to questions from reporters after the meeting, Landry emphasized that he thinks FEMA — or,

about the environment,” she took issue with “abruptly” implementing a ban and said a wind-down period should be considered instead.

The Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association was one of several groups that supported the bill during the legislative session. Executive Vice President Shae Simon called Landry’s veto “disheartening.”

“We had a hard time understanding his point of view on the fact that you couldn’t patrol this or enforce it, if you can enforce littering ﬁnes for any other piece of trash,” she said Simon explained that balloons, like other trash, can end up in hay bales and cow pastures, getting eaten by curious baby cows and mature cattle alike.

The balloon can tie up a cow’s stomach, leading to suffering and a painful death, Simon said

Political punishment?

Illg is a board member for Keep Louisiana Beautiful, an agency housed in the office of Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser that focuses on litter prevention and beautiﬁcation He sponsored the balloon legislation at Nungesser’s request.

Nungesser said balloon releases, including some that number in thousands, have become a big environmental and safety problem, hurting pelicans, turtles and baby cattle and causing power outages and drainage problems.

“Since I took over Keep Louisiana Beautiful, it’s become a movement of people wanting to clean up our state,” he said.

Nungesser said Landry’s veto was political, but not aimed at the lieutenant governor

“It’s obvious that it’s political punishing for Rep. Illg,”

perhaps, a new federal agency charged with assisting in disaster recovery — would still exist after the council makes its recommendations.

“What we want out of FEMA (is) a competent and functional agency, whether it’s FEMA, whatever it is, we just want it to be able to work,” Landry told reporters after the meeting. Trump “is not saying he’s doing away with FEMA and not replacing it,” he stressed.

Trump has stated, however, that he wants to “wean off” of FEMA and hand disaster recovery over to states.

“We want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump said in the Oval Ofﬁce last month “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”

‘Fix the system’ Dismantling FEMA would have enormous consequences for Louisiana, which has received nearly $47 billion to recover from 28 disasters since 2003, according to a January Carnegie Endowment report. Louisiana residents have received $2,953 in federal disaster recovery dollars per person from FEMA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development since 2011 — more than any other state, according to a 2024 report from Rebuild by Design, a nonproﬁt that helps communities recover from disaster Noem has suggested that FEMA, rather than directly managing disaster recovery, would instead rapidly distribute “block grants” to states to manage their own recovery. Participants in

MEASLES

Continued from page 1A

The CDC identiﬁed 22 outbreaks in 2019, the largest being two separate clusters in New York — 412 in New York state and 702 in New York City These were linked because measles was spreading through close-knit Orthodox Jewish communities, the CDC said.

he said. “People need to be able to vote for what they think is right for Louisiana without being punished.”

Illg on Monday said he had not spoken with Landry about the veto and took his letter at “face value.”

He also said that during the legislative session, he wasn’t aware of the governor’s opposition over enforcing the balloon ban until he received the veto letter

“I just wish he had brought that up to me, you know, in the process,” Illg said. “That is the ﬁrst bill I’ve ever had vetoed in six years.”

Landry, through a spokesperson, declined to elaborate on the legislation and his reasoning for opposing it, or whether he was retaliating against Illg.

Illg was among a group of lawmakers who opposed a bill strongly favored by the governor — some of whom had funding for local projects cut through line-item vetoes by the governor

House Bill 148 was at the center of a fight between Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple over Louisiana’s high auto insurance rates during this year’s legislative session. The measure ultimately won passage and was quickly signed into law

It gives the insurance commissioner greater authority to reject “excessive” insurance rate increases. Landry argues that empowers the commissioner to halt unreasonable price hikes for Louisianans.

Temple, however, has opposed the measure, saying it will allow his successors to reject rate changes indiscriminately rather than by relying on data.

Staff writer Tyler Bridges contributed to this report.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse. pfeil@theadvocate.com.

Wednesday’s meeting also emphasized shifting their priority toward public-private partnerships and employing private government contractors to more quickly carry out tasks like debris removal.

FEMA already provides funding to states in the form of grants and helps them to coordinate disaster recovery, sometimes through private-public partnerships.

The National Flood Insurance Program, which FEMA also oversees, may be substantially reformed as a result of the agency’s overhaul. Louisiana is among the most ﬂood-prone states in the U.S., and homeowners hold more than 400,000 federally-backed flood insurance policies, according to FEMA.

“We need to fix the system,” Landry said of the flood insurance program “It is exacerbating the problem of our homeowners insurance crisis that we have here in Louisiana.”

Since the Texas ﬂoods this month, however, Trump appears to have put the question of whether to scrap FEMA aside while the recovery effort unfolds.

“Well, FEMA is something we can talk about later,” Trump said on Sunday when a reporter asked if he still planned to eliminate the agency “But right now, they’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that.”

Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate. com and follow him on Twitter @alexlubben. His work is supported with a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

It’s a similar situation in North America this year where the Canada, Mexico and Texas outbreaks stem from large Mennonite communities in the regions. Mennonite churches do not formally discourage vaccination, though more conservative Mennonite communities historically have low vaccination rates and a distrust of government.

A recent study found childhood vaccination rates against measles fell after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data, including in states that are battling outbreaks this year

Only 92.7% of kindergartners in the U.S. had the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in the 20232024 school year, below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks. In Gaines County,

PROBATION

Continued from page 1A

Pope’s attorney, Chad Ikerd, was not immediately available for comment on this story Court minutes show Pope admitted he did not comply with the rules of his probation.

“The defendant admitted to the court that the allegations contained in the motion and order for revocation were sufﬁcient enough to revoke his probation. The court found that the defendant violated

Texas, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak, only 82% of kindergartners were up-to-date with MMR vaccines.

State and federal leaders have for years kept funding stagnant for local public health departments’ vaccination programs that are tasked with reversing the trend.

“What we’re seeing with measles is a little bit of a ‘canary in a coal mine,’ ” said Lauren Gardner, leader of Johns Hopkins University’s independent measles and COVID tracking databases.

“It’s indicative of a problem that we know exists with vaccination attitudes in this county and just, I think, likely to get worse.”

Recommendations

The best way to avoid measles is to get the mea-

the terms and conditions of his probation and ordered his probation revoked with the original sentence imposed,” court records say.

It’s unclear how much additional time Pope will spend in jail. The court credited him with time already served from the date of the offense, Jan. 5, 2018, until June 16. Pope also was again ordered to pay restitution, the amount of which was not speciﬁed in court documents.

Probation and parole ofﬁcer Brandy Bonner, in an April 9 motion to revoke Pope’s probation, said Pope

sles, mumps and rubella vaccine

The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says.

People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have “presumptive immunity.”

Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates above 95% — due to “herd immunity.” But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.

missed probation appointments, missed payments for restitution and fees and failed to document that he completed 240 hours of community service work. Pope’s legal troubles began when he refused to comply with a public records request by the former news organization The Independent. It was later discovered that he was keeping as part of his personal salary fees collected by his ofﬁce that were supposed to go to the ofﬁce. Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate. com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Russia ﬁredmore

than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, topping previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks,part of Moscow’sintensifying aerial and ground assault in the threeyear war,Ukrainian ofﬁcials said Wednesday Russia has recently soughtto overwhelm Ukraine’sair defenses by launching major attacks that include increasingnumbers of decoy drones. The most recent one appeared aimed at disrupting Ukraine’svital supply of Western weapons. The city of Lutsk, home to airﬁelds used by the Ukrainian army, was the hardest hit, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Itlies near the border with Poland in western Ukraine, a region that is acrucial hub for receiving foreign military aid

The attack comes at atime of increased uncertainty over the supply of crucial American weapons and as U.S.-led peace efforts have stalled.Zelenskyy saidthat the Kremlin was “making apoint” with it.

TheRussianDefense Ministry said itsforces took aimatUkrainianair bases andthat“allthe designatedtargetshave been hit.”

Meanwhile,Ukraine ﬁred drones intoRussia overnight, killing three peoplein theKursk border region, including a5-year-old boy,the local governor said.

The Russian attack, which included 728 drones and 13 missiles,

had the largest number of drones ﬁred in asingle night in the war

On Friday, Russia fired550 drones, less than aweek after it launched 477, both the largest at thetime, officials said. Beyond Lutsk, 10 regions were struck. Oneperson was killed in theKhmelnytskyi region, and two woundedinthe Kyiv region,officials said.

Russia battersUkraine with more than 700drones

Poland, amember of NATO, scrambled its ﬁghter jets and put its armed forces on the highest level of alertinresponse to the attack, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command wrote in an Xpost.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was“not happy” with Russian President VladimirPutin,who hasn’t budged from his ceaseﬁre and peace demands sinceTrump took ofﬁce in January andbegan to push for asettlement.

Trump said Monday that the U.S. would havetosend moreweapons to Ukraine,just days after Washington paused critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv Kremlin spokesmanDmitry Peskov said Trump“has quite atough style in terms of the phrasing he uses,” adding that Moscow hopes to “continue ourdialogue with Washingtonand our course aimed at repairing the badly damaged bilateral ties.” Zelenskyy,meanwhile,urged Ukraine’spartnerstoimpose strictersanctions on Russian oil andthose who help finance the Kremlin’swar by buying it.

“Everyone who wants peace mustact,” Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian leader met PopeLeo XIV on Wednesdayduring avisit

Courtfinds Russia committedviolationsinUkraine

BY MOLLYQUELL Associated Press

THEHAGUE,Netherlands— Europe’stop human rights court delivered damning judgments Wednesday against Russia in four cases broughtbyKyiv andthe NetherlandsaccusingMoscow of atrocities in Ukrainedating back more than adecade.

Judges at the European Courtof Human Rights ruled that Russia was responsible for widespread violations of international law —fromshooting down Malaysia AirlinesFlight17in 2014, to the murder,torture,rape, destruction of civilian infrastructure and kidnappingofUkrainianchildren after Moscow’sfull-scale invasion of 2022. Reading the decisions in apacked courtroom in Strasbourg,Court President Mattias Guyomar said Russian forces breached international humanitarian law in Ukraine by carrying out attacks that “killed and wounded thousands of civilians and created fear and terror.”

TheKremlin said it would ignore

the largely symbolic judgment, but Ukrainehailed it as “historicand unprecedented,” saying it was an “undeniable victory” forthe embattled country

The judgesfoundthe human rights abuses went beyond anymilitary objective and that Russia used sexual violenceaspartofastrategy to break Ukrainian morale, theFrench judge said.

“The use of rape as aweapon of war was an act of extreme atrocity that amounted to torture,” Guyomar said.

The 501-page judgment notedthat Russia’srefusal to participate in the proceedings also was aviolation of European Convention of Human Rights, the treaty that underpins thecourt.

Asked about the judgment before the rulings were read, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We won’t abidebyit, we consider it void.”

TheBoeing777 ﬂying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on July17, 2014,using aRussianmade Bukmissile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels loyal to Moscow.All

298 passengers and crew were killed, including 196 Dutch citizens.

Thejudgesfound that Russia’srefusal to acknowledge its involvement in the Flight MH17 disaster alsoviolated international law. Russia’sfailure to properly investigate“signiﬁcantly aggravatedthe suffering” of therelatives and friends of the dead.

“Russia never took any opportunity to tell thetruth,” Schansman said.

In May, the U.N.’saviation agency found Russia responsible forthe disaster

TheECHRisanimportantpartof theCouncil of Europe, which is the continent’sforemosthuman rightsinstitution. The court’sgoverning body expelled Moscow in 2022 in response to theinvasion of Ukraine. However, the court can still deal withcases against Russia dating from before its expulsion and, legally,the country is still obligedtoparticipate in the proceedings.

The court will rule on ﬁnancial compensationatalater datebut Russia’s departure leaves little hope that damages will ever be collected.

to Italy ahead of an international conference on rebuilding Ukraine. Ukraine’sair defensesshotdown 296 drones and seven missiles during the overnight attack, while 415 moredrones were lost from radars or jammed, an air force statement said.

Ukrainian interceptor drones, developed to counter the Shahed ones ﬁred by Russia, are increasinglyeffective,Zelenskyy said addingthatdomesticproductionof anti-aircraft dronesisbeing scaled up in partnership with someWestern countries.

Western military analysts say Russia is also boosting its drone manufacturing and could soon be capable of launching1,000 anight at Ukraine.

“Russia continues to expand its domestic drone production capacity amid the ever-growing role of tactical dronesinfront-line combat operations and Russia’s increasingly large nightly longrange strike packages against Ukraine,”the Institutefor the Study of War, aWashington-based think tank, said late Tuesday Ukraine has also built up its own offensive drone threat, reaching deep intoRussia with some longrange strikes.

Report:Hegseth didn’t tell Trumpabout arms pause

BY DAVE GOLDINER Newyork Daily News (TNS)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly didn’t tell President Trumporseek his permission before orderinga pauseinshipments of arms to embattledUkraine last week.

Trump was unhappy and frustrated to ﬁndout about the Pentagon chief’s controversial decision, which the president quickly reversed after ahigh-stakes meeting with Ukraine’sVolodymyr Zelenskyy,according to CNN, which citedfive administration ofﬁcials.

TrumpsaidTuesday at acabinet meeting that he didn’tknowwho decided to temporarily halt arms shipments to Kyiv Hegseth sat silently next to Trumpwithout volunteer-

ing any informationabout the decision that apparently came on his watch.

“Hegseth provided a framework for the President to evaluate military aid shipments andassess existing stockpiles. This effort was coordinated acrossgovernment,” Pentagonpress secretary KingsleyWilsonsaid in astatement. The pause is thesecond timethe Pentagon has cut off supplies to Kyiv without the expressedpermission of Trumpafter asimilar incident in February,CNN reported. Thelatest pauseaffected shipments of Patriot missiles, precision-guided GMLRS,Hellfiremissiles, Howitzer rounds and more. The White House has said Trumpstill has conﬁdence in Hegseth.

PHOTO PROVIDEDByUKRAINIAN EMERGENCy SERVICE

A fire burnsfollowing aRussian attack Wednesday near Kyiv,Ukraine.

Sanity hearingsoughtindeadlycase

Suspectaccused of settingfatal fire that killed sister

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

The attorney fora Lafayette Parish woman accused of setting ahouse fire that killed her sister and injured her motherand brother has asked ajudge to appoint asanity commission Lafayette attorney Bobby “Deuce” Domengeaux filed amotion Monday asking 15th Judicial District Court Judge Michelle Billeaud toappoint asanity commission to determine whether Kalayshia Lagrange, 24, is capable of assisting with her defense He said Wednesday thata sanity commission was discussed with Billeaudand the prosecutor during arecent hearing and he is “very confident” it is goingto happen.

Number of named storms lowered

Hurricane experts tweaktheir prediction

BY MARCOCARTOLANO

Staff writer

Hurricane researchers at Colorado State University on Wednesday tweakedtheir prediction of above-average activityduringthe 2025 Atlantic hurricaneseason, decreasing the number of expected storms.

Hurricane experts withCSU —which issues annual forecasts just like the National HurricaneCenter—saidthey now expect aslightly above-average season and lowered the number of named storms,hurricanes andmajor hurricanes each by one from the initial April 3prediction.

The probability of amajor hurricane making landfallin the U.S. and in the Caribbean was also slightly aboveaverage.

CSU now predicts the season will produce 16 namedstorms, including eight hurricanes and three major hurricanes of Category 3strength or above.

The primary reason forthe forecast change is both the observedand predicted high levels of Caribbean wind shear While high wind shear in June and July is generally associatedwith less active hurricane seasons, the CSUresearchers said there arestill conditions that are conducive to hurricane formation and intensiﬁcation.

Those conditions include warmer-than-normal tropical Atlantic temperatures and El Niño-Southern Oscillation neutral conditions, aset of conditions over the Pacific Ocean that affects weather patterns across the world.

CSU researchers saidthere’s now a31% chance that amajor hurricane will hit somewhere along theGulf Coast, from the Florida panhandletoBrownsville, Texas. There’sa 48% chance of landfall somewhere along the entirety of the U.S. coastline.

So far,there have been three namedstorms and no hurricanes this year: Andrea, Barry andChantal. None has posed a threat to Louisiana.

CSU predicted the 2024 season wouldhave23named storms, including 11 hurricanesand five majorhurricanes, thehighestnumberever predicted by the university By the end of last year’s season, there wasatotal of 19 named storms and 11 hurricanes, with ﬁve classiﬁed as major

Email Marco Cartolano at Marco.Cartolano@ theadvocate.com

Lagrange faces asecond-de-

Lagrange was charged with twocounts of attempted seconddegree murder on top of seconddegree murder She was arrestedatthe scene of theﬁre in connection with violatingprobation in connection with a2023 conviction.

Lagrange was charged with

gree murder chargefor allegedly settingfire in Decemberto ahouse at 207Latin Drivenear Scottwhere she lived with her mother and siblings Hersister,Malayshia Conley, 19, wasunabletoescapethe fire anddied. Lagrange’smother, whowas 44 at the time, suffered third-degree burns over about 50% of her body,afire departmentspokesperson said at the time.Her brother,who was21, suffered minor burns and both sufferedsmoke inhalation.

aggravated second-degree battery in connection with aJuly 22, 2023, battery with adangerous weapon upon Jardon Deshotel. Shealso waschargedonthe same daywithaggravatedbattery upon Corti Collins while armed with scissors, according to court records In adeal with the DistrictAttorney’sOfﬁce, Lagrange pleaded guiltytosecond-degree battery.The other chargeswere

DogHausexpands to La.

Texascouple plans on opening Lafayettelocation

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

WhenthisTexas-based couple decided they wanted to buy intoone of the country’sfastest-growinghot dogchains, they knew just where theyneeded to be —Louisiana

Erin and Matt LeDouxlive in Belton, asmall town located between Waco andAustin. They love traveling to Matt’s home state to visit hisLake Charles family,enjoying everything southwest Louisiana has

to offer —food, culture and abustling, family-friendly atmosphere that encourages good times around good eats.

Dog Haus ﬁrst opened in Pasadena, California, 15 yearsago.The concept is based around loaded hot dogs, sloppy burgers, dressed-up tots and havingfun withfood, drinks andfriends Franchises have started expanding across thecountry and into the South, and the LeDouxs plantoopen Louisiana’sﬁrst DogHauslocations in Lake Charles, Lafayette andBaton Rouge over the nextfew years.

“Wefell in lovewiththe personalityand the people at Dog Haus, and we really lovehot dogs,” said Erin LeDoux. “It’svery chef-focused,and theytruly believe ahot dogisanexperience. It’sbratwurst style, Hawaiianbuns —alot of ﬂavorsgoing on.”

Butwhile DogHauscan bring ﬂavor, the LeDouxswere sensitive to

Donationssoughtfor Texasflood victims

Localorganizations, businesses launch drives

BYJA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

Multiple Acadianaorganizations and businesses are launching donation drivestohelpTexas flood victims. More than 160 people arestill missing days after flash floods in Texas killed over 100 people during Fourth of July weekend, according to The Associated Press. While victims work through this tragedy, Acadiana

locals have come together to offer their support. For anyone looking to help, here are some local businesses accepting drop-off donations: Catholic CharitiesofAcadiana Catholic CharitiesofAcadiana will hostaone-day, item-speciﬁc supply drive July 16 to collect essential relief items for ﬂood survivors. The drive will take place from 7a.m. to 4p.m. at theCatholic Charities of Acadiana Regional Disaster Response Warehouse, located at 403 Ambassador Caffery Parkway.Catholic

CRIME BLOTTER Advocate staff reports

the idea that Louisiana food culture doesn’ttolerateanything less than exceptionally delicious —and fun.

According to Erin LeDoux,“We love theway youexperience food in Louisiana.Welovegoing to Crying Eagle and Darrell’sinLake Charles and being in that environment,where the adultscan sit down and relax, have agood time, and the kids are safeand happy and enjoying good food without breaking the bank.”

MattLeDoux agreed, saying, “We wantanatmosphere just like Louisiana, with people being loud and being together and having agood time. It’s really the people that bring it.”

The LeDoux’sfirst Dog Haus location willopeninWacolater this summer.They plan to open another in theirhometown, Belton,and are working on aBaton Rouge spot for

TheOpelousas Police Department is looking foranescaped inmate believed to be in the area. Raymond Howard, 34, escaped Tuesday from a Madison County, Mississippi, Sheriff’sOfficetransport van in Opelousas through arear window,police said. The van was parked on Wallior Street. Howard wasintownfor a hearingatthe St.Landry Parish Courthouse. Witnesses said they saw Howardrunning across Wallior Street, past theTake 5Car Wash He thenremoved hisorange

jumpsuit,revealing awhite Tshirtand entered awooded area north of the car wash

Thepublic is urgednot approach or detain theindividual. If you see him, please contact the Opelousas Police Department at (337) 948-2500 or CrimeStoppers at (337) 948-TIPS (8477). Shooting victim ID’d,as police look for suspect

The victim in adeadly Church Point shooting has been identiﬁed.

Jiveston Hebert, 38, died at the Acadia St. LandryHospital after aMondayshooting in Church

PHOTO PROVIDED By DOG HAUS

Aspecialty hot dogisfeatured by DogHaus, arestaurant chain largely centered on the West Coastoffering hot dogs, burgers, Tater Tots, beer and other items. Franchiseowners Erin and Matt LeDoux are planning to open locations in Baton Rouge, LakeCharles and Lafayette by 2030.

Erin LeDoux

DefendingLa. againststorm threatsisa sound investment

The destructive power ofwaterisverymuch in the news these days, due to the tragedy still unfolding in Texas. But the truth is that Louisiana didn’t need areminder of how deadly ﬂooding can be, because livingwith thedanger is aconstantaround here. And so is the need to keep the defenses surrounding some of south Louisiana’smostpopulated areas strong and up-to-date, particularly as extreme weather events becomemorefrequent andmore threatening.

Risk reduction is expensive,though, and there are new concerns about whetherthe federal government is willingtodoall that’snecessary to keep ourareaassafe as it should be.

Arecentstory by environmental reporter Mark Schleifstein outlined the costofthe ﬁght againstboththe effectsofclimate change and sinkinglandinthe area,reporting that federal investment is just not keeping up.

Twokey projects are at issue.

The ﬁrst is maintenance of New Orleans-area hurricane levees so that theystay high enough not to be overtopped by storm surgesdrivenby aso-called100-yearstorm.Congresshas authorized plansfor the federal government to pay 65% of the cost of keeping the leveesatthe 100year level through 2078, with the state picking up the rest.

But it’sadifferent story with the second project, to study how to bring the east bank levee system to the level where it can withstand 200year storm surges. To date,nomoneyhas been appropriated for this.

Both time-speciﬁc labels are likely misleading, due to projections that hurricaneswill continue to grow more intense and the documented sinking of current ﬂood walls.The so-called100-year system might not offer the promisedlevel of protection, which is what makes looking at 200-year risk reduction urgent.

“The Greater New Orleans area is home to critical industries, including energy,shipping, and tourism, all of which rely on robustﬂood protection infrastructure,” said Glenn LedetJr.,the former executive director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority who was recently appointedtohead the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. “The devastation of Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the dire consequences of levee failure, and we must act nowtofortify our ﬂood protectionsystems before the next major storm.”

Indeed, Katrina’sdevastationwas such awakeup call that the nation rallied to install astate-ofthe-art$14.5 billion risk reductionsystem.Yet the system is in constantbattle with forces that would undermine it and cause dangerous, and expensive, damage.

We urge Louisiana’spowerfulCongressional leaders to use their clouttokeep thefederal dollars ﬂowing for this important—and in thelong run, likelymoney-saving —project. For taxpayers across the country,it’sabout protecting the generousinvestmentthey made after the horriﬁc events of 2005

For the communities behind the federallevees, it could well be amatter of survival.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

Sen. Bill Cassidy’scall for postponing themeeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices seemed like an incredibly tepid response to theoutrageous actions of Healthand Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy,i.e. summarily ﬁring all 17 long-serving membersof thatcommittee and partially replacing them with folks with dubious credentials.That is so, especially because Cassidy’sdeciding vote to conﬁrmhis appointment in February was contingent on what we now know were false assurances. We deserve better from our representatives in Congress. Washington Rep.Kim Schrier (also aphysician) has been moreforthright in her criticism of Kennedy,and should be an

example to all of us, especially those in Congress. If it was not clear to manybefore his appointment, it ought to be clear now that Kennedy not only lacks the requisitecompetence to serve as HHS Secretary, but he is also afringe ideologue attempting to wield his newfound power in away that can be immensely destructive. For another example, just takealook at his efforts to ban U.S. government scientists from publishing in widely respected medical journals. In light of what we have seen so far, Cassidy and everyone else in Congress ought to be demanding the resignation or impeachment of RFK Jr.—nothing less.

BRUCEWILDER

NewOrleans

The East Baton Rouge ParishMetro

Council recently approved acontract between the Baton Rouge Police Departmentand theproduction company behind “OnPatrol: Live.”

BRPD Chief Thomas Morse cited ofﬁcers’ potential for celebrity status and potential boosts to recruitment and tourism as reasons to partner with thereality television show

But, is reality TV really what we want from BRPD?

“OnPatrol: Live” is adescendant of thelong-running series “Cops.” Viewers are encouraged to follow along with the show and interact with the hostsvia social media. “On Patrol: Live” captures, in real-time, many people’sworst days, and its viewership revels in mocking and belittling those unfortunateenough to have their lives permanently exposed on national television. Transparency in policing is essen-

tial to building community trust, but trust cannot comewithout treating communitymembers with dignity and respect The hosts and featured ofﬁcers of “OnPatrol: Live” may enjoy internet celebrity status; however,reality television and celebritystatus are inconsistent withwell-established principles of police legitimacy and procedural justice. Police chiefs whowork hard to incorporate these concepts into their departments generate the goodwill and public support —and accompanying investigative and public relations successes —that Morse appears to desire. It takes courage to swim against the current of entertainment fame,but BRPD and the Metro Council need to end the relationship with “On Patrol: Live.” It’sbad for Baton Rouge.

STACEY PEARSON Baton Rouge

As aPort Allen resident commuting daily to Plaquemine, my evening drive highlights signiﬁcant trafﬁc challenges West Baton Rouge Parish has struggled to address.

The Intracoastal Canal Bridge remains our biggest chokepoint. When trafﬁc was temporarily routed over the old northbound span, congestion eased. Nowthat all vehicles use the new southbound bridge, gridlock has returned.

The Department of Transportation and Development needs to consider immediate fixes. Installing large plastic barriers on the northbound side across the new Intracoastal canal bridge would separate traffic going to Port Allen and Baton Rouge, as people cut lanes and cause wrecks, creating asafety issue. These barriers would be betterthan the poles used on the old northbound bridge. From the Walmart red light to the bridge, the shoulder could be converted into atravel lane for northbound traffic, or another lane added if ashoulder is needed. These improvements would help traffic flow to Port Allen by reducing congestion.

Iwas under theimpression that theSaints have three quarterbacks competing to become the starter.Jake Haener,Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough arethe men who are in camp.

Is this fact or ﬁction?

I’m only asking because whenever Isee the sports segments on TV,or Iread the sports segments on the computer,all Isee and hear is how wonderful and great Tyler Shough is doing. Very littleismentioned about the progressofRattler and Haener.It’s like themedia has already anointed Shough thestarter How about informing us of the progress of all three, instead of focusing on the player you want to seeasthe starting quarterback?

KIMMINOR NewOrleans

From Addis through Port Allen, the La. 1signal system is outdated and poorly timed. Drivers hit redlight after red light —including the “temporary” Sugar Plantation Parkway signal. This creates unsafe conditions as motorists speed between lights, while those crossing La. 1face safety concerns. However,temporary measures won’taddress underlying challenges. We need acoordinated trafﬁc strategy led by atask force including West Baton Rouge mayors, the West Baton Rouge Parish president, DOTD, our state delegation and possibly Iberville leaders, as Irecently discussed at aWest Baton Rouge parish council meeting. For decades, residents have endured metro-level congestion while West Baton Rouge leaders focused on asingle incomplete approach.

It’stime to explore modern alternatives to trafﬁc signals or upgrade signals to work together and respond to trafﬁc conditions. Residents on the westside deserve safer roads, shorter commutesand planning.

This isn’tjust about trafﬁc —it’s about safety,quality of life and economic impact.

ANTHONY

SUMMERS Port Allen

COMMENTARY

Medicaid changesmakesense forLa.

There is much to likeand plenty to dislike about the misnamed“Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law on July4,but the fearmongering about its provisions on Medicaid is unwarranted. Moreover,despite the doomsayers, Louisiana is especially well situatedtoavoid drastic repercussions.

In particular,acrucial protection for Louisiana came via language U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,RBaton Rouge, was able to insert into the bill late in the process.

“losses” likelywill be rather minimal, it’s worth understanding why Louisiana is well situated.

In general, thebill imposes new limits on something called “state-directed payments,” amethod by whichstates draw from federal funds to paymanaged care organizations forMedicaid patients. The 28-word phrase addedby Cassidy “grandfathers in” requests to the federal government, already in the pipeline when the bill wassigned, for reimbursements at the previous, higherallowable rate.

Louisiana had two such requests already pending, so the state likely will be able to garner the higher federal payments until 2028.

For many weeks, people agitating against the bill had cited whatalready were unfounded predictions that its Medicaid cuts wouldcost the state $4 billion annually.That amount already exceeded even the worst-case scenarios of respected observers suchasthe center-left KFF group.

Now,with the Cassidy language and other late Senate adjustments such as delayingimplementationofother cost-cutting measures —almost none of which, by KFF’sown account, are included in KFF’sestimates— Louisianaislikely to break even in the near term. Longer term, Louisiana will have plenty of time to prepare forthe coming changes.

Forgive abit of policy wonkery,but to bolster the contention thatLouisiana’s

SEA YOUINCOURT!

First, there’sacomplicated system whereby states usesomething called “providertaxes”essentially to game thesystem,bringing home much moreinfederal funds thanthe state’smedical providers put up in theﬁrst place. This bill, quiterightly, ratchets down astate’sabilityto game the system quite so much.

But some states have been assessingprovidertaxes at a6%rate, whereas Louisiana was assessing them at just 4.6%. As theratcheting process is gradual, starting at that 6% rate and working downward, thatmeans it will take several years before the toplimit comes downtoLouisiana’s 4.6% (and eventually down to 3.5%).This provision, then, holds Louisiana harmless for quite some time.

Then, consider theabundant caterwaulingabout how rural hospitals would beforced to closebecauseofthis bill. The complaintsalways were excessive, but the Senate eventually negated alarge portionofwhatever concerns might have been legitimate. The law, as enacted, creates a$50 billion fund (spreadoverﬁve years) to help keep ruralhospitals open. The formula is complicated, but it will effectively provide poorerstatessuch as Louisiana with more moneyper capitathan wealthier states will get Back-of-the-envelope math says Louisiana, at just over 1% of the nation’s population, could get nearly 2% of the rural hospital funds —meaning something approaching $1 billion total,or $200 millionper year. It was state SenatePresident Cameron Henrywho, in somewhat vague andoffhand remarks during an online conference, mostwidely popularized theoverblown fearthat Louisiana could

Louisiana haswater everywhere.It must be tough to be alittle fish down there. In this week’sundersea scenario,here’sa placewhere theycan settletheir disputes.So,what’sgoing on in this cartoon?youtell me.Bewitty,funny,crazy, absurd or snarky —just trytokeep it clean.There’snolimit on the number of entries

Thewinning punchlinewill be lettered into the word balloon and runonMonday, in our print editions and online.In addition,the winner will receive asignedprint of thecartoon alongwith acool winner’sT-shirt! Somehonorable mentions will also be listed.

Email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate.com

DON’T FORGET!All entries must includeyour name,homeaddressand phone number.Cell numbers are best.The deadline for all entries is midnight on Thursday.Good luck,everyone! —Walt

As the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representativesneared passage of President Donald Trump’s beloved —and enormous —“One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” my mind racedback as it often does in such debates to memories of the late Linda Taylor,a Chicago woman better known as “the welfare queen.”

That’snot what she calledherself.The nickname was coined either by the late George Bliss, aPulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune, in 1974 or later by Jet magazine.

lose up to $4 billion annually.With the ﬁnal changes, though, Henry said “Louisiana is in good shape”becauseSens. Cassidy and John Kennedy,R-Madisonville, “ﬁx[ed] harmful provisions and protect[ed] our hospitals.”

The mostunjust criticism of the new law,meanwhile, was aimed at its “work” requirementsfor Medicaid.

The ﬁnal version of the bill solves one semi-legitimate earlier objection by delaying implementation of the new requirements until theend of 2026. This will give states 18 months to make the new system workable, without undue redtape.

Meanwhile, therequirementsthemselvesaren’tthe least bit onerous. They apply only to able-bodied adultsbetween ages 19 and 65, only to those with moreincome thanthe ofﬁcial poverty line, and only to those who aren’tcaregivers, who aren’tpregnant,and who don’thave dependent children.

To meet the requirements, one need only spend 80 hoursper month in any combination of paid work, volunteer work, schooling or job training. These requirements, by theway,are far less stringent than the120 monthly work hours required in the1996 welfare reform bill that Democraticthen-President Bill Clintonand Vice President Al Gorespent years touting as agood thing.

At least threeother tax incentives in the bill would make it easier for those leaving Medicaid to ﬁnd insurance in the privatemarket that likely would provide better care with more options. Those are just the highlights of why the Medicaid-related critiques of the new law are wrongheaded. Otherexamples aplentycould showthat the vast bulk of theMedicaid changes arenot merely acceptable, but wise.

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

cash incomealone was estimated at more than $150,000.”

Reagan’saim was to justifyreallife changes to policies, including the shrinking ofthe social safetynet. And he succeeded —the imperative to dismantle thesocial safety netbecame bipartisan Beltway orthodoxy for decades after Reagantook power in 1981.

Taylor ultimately was chargedand convicted in 1977 of illegally obtaining 23 welfare checks, among other charges, and using two aliases.She died of a heart attack in 2002 in Ingalls Memorial Hospital, outside Chicago Taylor the woman may be gone,but the “welfare queen” livesoninAmerican political legend. She was ﬁrstmade famous by Ronald Reagan in his 1976 presidential campaign. In speech after speech he recounted her exploits in the characteristic Gipper storytelling style. Crowds ate it up.

“She has 80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cardsand is collecting veterans’ beneﬁts on four nonexisting deceased husbands,” saidReagan in a1976 campaign speech in Asheville, North Carolina, quoted by The New York Times. Reagan didn’tname her.Hedidn’tsay her race.

“There’sawoman in Chicago,” he told aNew Hampshireaudience. Wink, wink.

“Andshe’s collecting SocialSecurity on her cards. She’sgot Medicaid, getting food stamps, and she is collecting welfare and Social Security cards under each of several names. Her tax-free

Today, amid the ferocious debate over Trump’s“Big Beautiful,”Ican hear echoes of the old “welfare queen” legend, particularly when lawmakers or other opportunistssuch as erstwhile DOGE operativeElon Musk cynically hackand slashaway at programs and agencies Americans depend on. We depend onthem to deal with our real problems, and the “ﬁxes” appear designed to create new problems.

Rep. George Latimer,aNew York Democrat,called Trump’sspending bill “Robin Hood in reverse”beforevoting againstthe House version. “This House Republican budgettakes away money from people who desperately need it,” he said,“and givesittopeople who alreadyhave plentyofit.”

This was conﬁrmed by experts at the Budget Lab at Yale, aresearch center in its analysis of the Senatebill.

“Americans who comprisethe bottom ﬁfth of allearnerswould seetheir annualafter-taxincomes fall on average by 2.3%within the next decade,” the BudgetLab concluded, while those at thetop wouldsee about a2.3% boost, whichfactors in wages earned and government beneﬁts received.

“On average,”asThe New York Times summarized the ﬁndings, “that translatestoabout $560 in losses for someone whoreports littletonoincome by 2034, and morethan$118,000 in gains for someone making over $3 million, the

report found. Yet, Republicans have continued to defend the package as awin for all Americans.Intheory,maybe. Treasury Secretary ScottBessent called it a“deal for working people” and claimed it would protect Medicaid.

Oncethe legislation passed, Stephen Miran, the chairmanofthe WhiteHouse Council of Economic Advisers, heralded it as aboon for economic growth.

Yetthe fact remains that Republicans areonly slightly offsetting signiﬁcant taxcuts for therich by decimating programs thathelp thepoor,including food stamps and Medicaid. The suffering and ﬁnancial burdens on theseAmericans will take alarge tollontheir lives. And for what?

To cover only afraction of the enormous costofthe bill, which will add morethan $3 trillion tothe federal debt by 2034. The cutshave been described as one of the largestretrenchmentsin the federal safety net in ageneration That sounds about right to me. But it also sounds wrong, deeply wrong. In atime when thesuffering and seemingly hopelessprospectsof America’spoor areknown to allwho have eyes tosee, the only fig leaf available to hide theobscenityofthis bill is the old partisan charge of waste, fraud and abuse. Even after DOGE —especially after DOGE —that tropelacks any credibility For now,another old saying comes to mind: Elections have consequences As the full impact of thebill that looks increasingly like abig, beautiful disasterhits home, it may be left up to the voters to have the final word. Idon’texpect them— or us —tobe filled with glee.

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com

Democrats last carried Texas in apresidential election 49 years ago, last elected aU.S. senator there in 1986 and have lost all statewide elections since 1994. Texas Republicans could, however,surrender their considerable advantages and lose the state’s2026 U.S. Senate election.

John Cornyn, whonext year will seek aﬁfth term,isrespected by colleagues, whoelected him to be Republican whip from 2013 to 2019. He is judicious: He was aTexas Supreme Court justice. He is conservative: The National Riﬂe Association and the National Federation of Independent Businesses give him 100% ratings. His AFL-CIOrating is 0%.

Currently,however,Cornyn is polling behind achallenger in next year’sRepublican primary: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whohas, to say no more, acheckered past.

Resignations and whistleblowers from Paxton’soffice, and his, shall we say,casual approach to financial disclosures and appearances, have occasioned doubts about his administrative competence and the rigor of his ethical scruples. There also are interesting questions about how he, without private wealth and having been in elective offices mostofhis adult life, has come to own properties in Texas, Utah, Hawaii, Oklahomaand Florida. Where there is smoke, there is not necessarily fire, but Paxton’spublic career and private financial and personal affairs have generated enough smoke to cover Texas across the 800 miles at its widest points. Furthermore, Paxton is markedly discordant with today’sTexas. The state is afar cry from longhorns roaming wide-open spaces dotted with oil derricks. It has six of the nation’s25most populous cities: Houston (4), San Antonio (7), Dallas (9), Austin (10), Fort Worth (13) and El Paso (22). It has the headquarters of 107 of the Fortune 1,000 companies, including manynonenergy corporations: e.g., AT&T,Tesla, DellTechnologies, Hewlett-Packard,Charles Schwab, andAmerican andSouthwest airlines. Texas’soil industry has been gigantic since January 1901, when astonished drillers on ahillock called Spindletop, near Beaumont, brought on an uncontrollable geyser.In“Texas: An American History” (Yale, 2025), Southern Methodist University historian Benjamin H. Johnson writes that oil coated “all of Beaumont’sbuildings” before “it settled downtoasteady production of 100,000 barrels aday,athousand times greater than what had been considered agood well.” In 1931, the Texas National Guard was deployed to East Texas to combat an oil crisis: Aglut wasdepressing prices. By 1928, Texas produced one-fifth of the world’soil. By 1950, oil had been produced in 80% of the state’s254 counties.

Today,however,Texas is unlike the cattle-andoil-centered state depicted in the 1956 movie “Giant.” It is remarkably urbanized, economically complex and culturally sophisticated. Paxton is (to be polite rather than —heaven forbid —judgmental) a colorful reminder of Texas’spre-modern past. As in 1938, when W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel toured with his companysponsored country musicians, the Light Crust Doughboys, to get elected governor.(Three years later,this entertainer-as-politician won aSenate seat by winning aspecial election against Rep. Lyndon B. Johnson.)

In 2024, Donald Trumpcarried Texas by 13 points. That was,however,less than his margin in 19 of the 31 states he won.Someday,Texas will elect another Democratic U.S. senator Were Trumptoendorse Paxton, whose enthusiasm forTrumphas been reciprocated, that day could come two Novembers from now.Of course, this assumes what cannot be assumed: that prudence will conquer the national Democratic Party’simpulse to incessantly annoy the electorate’stemperate center

Cornyn has hired Chris LaCivita, aTrump political adviser,torun asuper PACsupporting Cornyn’sreelection. And Cornyn has hired Trump’spollster Tony Fabrizio.

If Cornyn is renominated, his reelection would be highly probable, so securing it would not burden the national party.With Paxton as its nominee, theRepublican Party might have to spend$250 million (Texas’s20media markets devour $2 million aweekfor saturation advertising) to drag himtovictory.Even that sum might fail to do so.

Also, every national dollar spent in Texas cannot be spent elsewhere. So, if Texas’sRepublicans pick Paxton in the March 3primary next year,this would improve Democrats’ now-slim hopes forcapturing the Senate. Another dimension to the Cornyn-Paxton contest is aesthetic but has civic importance. Plainly put, Cornyn is agentleman. This might seem like an eccentric, because anachronistic, consideration. It has, however,contemporary relevance: Any subtraction from the Republican Party’ssupply of civility increases the party’salready large quotient of loutishness. Email George Will at georgewill@washpost.com

George Will

Clarence Page Quin Hillyer

DOG

Continued from page1B

their first Louisiana location, aiming to open by fall 2026. Lake Charles and Lafayette locations will follow.They are looking at ways to tailor the menu more closely to the area, particularly in the seasonings and meats used.

According to Erin LeDoux,Dog Haus had no plans to expand to Louisiana until the LeDouxs expressed interest in bringing the concept to bayou country

“Wecalled Dog Haus corporate andasked them to consider going into Acadiana —bringing Cajun culturetoDog Haus andmaking it unique,” she said.

“They hadn’tgone intoLouisiana, and Ican understand the reason, being an outsider myself —Louisianahas such astrongculture,you don’twanttoinsult that. We don’tgotoLake Charles to go to KFC or McDonald’s, we go to enjoy the local culture andfood “Itneeds to be Louisiana through and through; we don’t want it to feel like afranchise. It needs to be special, down to the menus. Corporate didn’tthink anyone else could do it, and agreed to let us try.”

Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

TEXAS

Continued from page1B

Charities of Acadiana are asking donors to provide thefollowing urgently needed items to assist in the recovery efforts:

n Large black trash bags

n Laundry detergent

n Paper towels

n Cleaning supplies (allpurpose cleaner,mops, brooms and moldicide)

n Diapers (sizes 3topullups)

n $25 Visa gift cards

Bead Busters

Bead Busters in Scott is hosting adonation drive from July16-23 to support Texas residents affected by the recent ﬂooding.

From 9a.m. to 6p.m. daily,donors can make drop-

SANITY

Continued frompage1B

dismissed. Lagrange was sentenced to eight years at hard labor, which Billeaud dismissed. Instead, Lagrangewas put on five years of probation beginning Jan. 11, 2024.Within afew months, she was in violation of the stipulations of her probation. Court recordsshow Lagrange did not allow her

BLOTTER

Continued from page1B

Point, according to KADN reports. Church Point police suspect Calvin Scott, 26, to be responsible for the shooting, which occurred around 8p.m. on North Wilson Street offWest Martin Luther King Drive. He faces charges of second-degree murder,illegal carry of agun by a convicted felon and illegal discharge of agun. Investigators urge anyonewithinformation on Scott’swhereabouts to contact the Church Point Police Department at (337) 684-5455.

Woman killed in crash, police say AEunicewoman died on Monday in asingle-vehicle JeffersonDavis Parish crash. The crash claimed the life Chelsea Wilson,36, of Eunice.

On July 7, shortly before 3p.m., LouisianaState Police Troop Dbegan investigating afatal crash on U.S 190 near Bornsdall Road in Jefferson Davis Parish

The preliminary investigation revealed that Wilson wasdriving a2005Toyota Tacoma west on U.S. 190. For reasons still under investigation, the Toyota

ADog Haus

offs to either 4909 Cameron St., or nonperishable food to Mandez’sSeafood Bar and Grill in Youngsville or Lafayette.

n Personal hygiene products

n Nonperishable food

n Baby items(food, formula,diapers,wipes,new bottles)

n New chain saws (chains,chainbaroil)

n Cleaning supplies (industrial mops,industrial shovels, heavy-duty work gloves, no rubber gloves)

n Insect repellent (bug spray/wipes,waspspray).

AidtoTexas drop-off locations

Chief Eddie Thibodeaux, of theSt. Landry Parish Jai,l along with hismotorcycle club, the Louisiana Mother Chapter of theThin

probation officertowalk through her residence, which wasstipulated in the pleaagreement Lagrangeisbeingheld in theLafayette Parish Correctional Center on a $250,000 bond forthe second-degree murder charge and $150,000 for each of the attempted second-degree murder charge, according to records. She pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate com.

crossed thecenter line before travelingoff the roadway to theleft andstriking atree. Wilson, who was unrestrained at thetime of the crash, suffering fatalinjuries and died at the scene.

Thiscrash remains under investigation

Body discovered in pond, policesay

Authorities are investigating after abodywas recovered from apond Tuesday in Rayne. Police say aﬁsher calledaround 7:20 p.m. Tuesday to report what appeared to be abody floatinginthe water near the westbound Interstate 10 off ramp. Rayne Police, the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce and the Acadia Parish Coroner’s Office responded to the scene. The body was recovered,and an investigation is underway

Ofﬁcialshave not released the identityofthe person.

LOTTERY

TUESDAY,JULY8,2025

PICK 3: 9-4-2

PICK 4: 9-6-5-3

PICK 5: 8-3-4-6-7

MEGA MILLIONS: 4-6-38-44-62

MEGA BALL: 24

Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.

BlueLine, andlocal agencies in Eunice are coming together to collect donations.

Monday to Friday from 8a.m.to4 p.m., donors can dropoff at the Eunice Police Department (300 S. SecondSt.) Eunice Fire Department(100 Park Ave.),St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce in Opelousas, Eunice Substation (101 Moosa Blvd.), and the Leb-

eau Substation(6621 La. 10, Lebeau).

Bottled water and food are covered; only cleaning supplies andcash are needed. Donors can also callthe Marshal’s Ofﬁce at (337) 457-6580 to getitems picked up.

St.Peter RomanCatholic Church

In response to the dev-

astating flooding in Kerr County,St. Peter’sispartnering with Catholic Charities of Acadiana to collect urgently needed relief supplies

Bring your donations to the bins outside of the church, located 102-A N. Church St. in Carencroat all Masses this weekend. Here’salist of items that aremostneeded. n Diapers(sizes3 to pull-

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restaurant is pictured in NewAlbany, Ind., courtesy of the DogHaus Facebook page.Franchise owners

and Matt LeDoux

planning to openlocations in Baton Rouge, LakeCharles and Lafayette by 2030.

SUMMER STAGE

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen al-

ready have some NBA Summer League memories etched in their brains.

For Fears, it was all of the times in middle school when he visited Las Vegas and got to watch Summer League games. He even got to play in some pickup games as a freshman in high school.

Queen still remembers watching six years ago when Zion Williamson ripped the ball out of the hands of then-New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox and ﬁnished the play with a thunderous slam dunk.

Now Fears and Queen — drafted seventh and 13th overall, respectively, by the New Orleans Pelicans two weeks ago — get to make some Summer League memories of their own.

They’ll make their Summer League debut Thursday at 2:30 p.m. when the Pelicans play their opener in Vegas against the Minnesota Timberwolves The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

“We are going to come out and set a statement and show everybody what the New Orleans Pelicans can bring,” Fears said. “Every time we step on the court, we are going to go out there and go hard and play together and we’re going to rack up some W’s.”

The Pelicans went 1-4 in Summer League play last year, but the record doesn’t really matter The focus will be on

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

UL continues to successfully recruit defenders from Plaquemine High after securing a verbal commitment from Roderick Bingham in March.

A 6-foot-2, 170-pound free safety, Bingham follows in the footsteps of former Green Devils A.J. Riley and Percy Butler, a safety who was selected by the Washington Commandeers in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Plaquemine also has sent highproﬁle offensive guys to UL over the years in quarterback Brian Mitchell and offensive guard Kevin Dotson, both of whom had NFL careers.

“Percy and A.J. set the standard,” said Bingham, whose primary recruiter is outside linebackers

how well Fears, a guard from the University of Oklahoma, and Queen, a forward from the University of Maryland, play

“Those guys are going to get a ton of work,” Pelicans Summer League coach Corey Brewer said. “We want to see what we got.”

Although Fears was the higher draft pick, even more focus will be on Queen.

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON At least Novak Djokovic could laugh about it immediately afterward.

Yes, he took what he called a “nasty” and “awkward” fall on his second match point at Wimbledon on Wednesday Yes, he slid into the splits and ended up facedown on the Centre Court grass. And, yes, those sorts of things aren’t ideal for a 38-year-old seeking an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title.

Still, Djokovic dusted himself off and took the next two points, reaching the semiﬁnals at the All England Club for a men’s record 14th time with a 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 22 seed Flavio Cobolli to set up a showdown against No. 1 Jannik Sinner

“Obviously, (my) body is not the same today like it was before,” Djokovic said at his news conference, “so I guess the real impact or effect of what happened, I will feel tomorrow So let’s see I’m hoping in the next 24, 48 hours, that the severity of what happened is not too bad, that I’ll be able to play at my best and free of pain in two days.”

That’s when he will take on three-time major champion Sinner, who didn’t play like someone dealing with an injured right elbow while using terriﬁc serving and his usual booming forehand to beat 10th-seeded Ben Shelton 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4

“It’s going to take the best of me at the moment to beat Jannik. I mean, I know that,” said Djokovic, who has lost his

MAC ENGEL Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS)

FRISCO Texas Texas Tech, with influential

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Oklahoma guard Jeremiah Fears celebrates a 3-pointer against

during a game at the Southeastern Conference tournament on March 12 in Nashville, Tenn.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TERRANCE WILLIAMS

Queen looks to shoot as

center Lathan Sommerville,

Reese, Anthony featured by NBA 2K26

By The Associated Press

2K Games announced Wednesday that NBA 2K26 will be released on Sept. 5 and Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony will be featured on special edition covers.

Thunder guard and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was announced a day earlier as the cover athlete for the video game’s standard edition, which will cost $69.99 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X’S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

Chicago Sky forward Reese, a former LSU star, will be on the WNBA edition and Anthony, who is set to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will be on the superstar edition.

A fourth edition will feature all three players on the cover

“Being on the cover of NBA 2K26 and debuting my ﬁrst-ever signature shoe with Reebok on that cover the Angel Reese 1, is more than a milestone — it’s a statement,” the two-time AllStar Reese said in a news release. “It’s about representation and showing young girls they can be conﬁdent, bold, and take up space unapologetically

“To be cemented in NBA 2K history is a special honor that reflects not only my journey, but also all the veteran WNBA players who have paved the way before me and the growing impact of the league as a whole I’m proud to be part of a game that continues to elevate wom-

Fever routed in Clark’s return

Indiana star struggles after missing past five games with groin injury

By The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS Veronica Burton

had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, Kayla Thornton added 18 points and eight rebounds, and the Golden State Valkyries beat the Indiana Fever 80-61 on Wednesday to spoil Caitlin Clark’s return.

The Valkyries held Clark to just 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting as the Fever scored their second-fewest points of the season.

Clark returned after missing the past ﬁve games with a left groin injury The All-Star captain participated in practice Monday the first time she’d done that since getting hurt on June 26.

“It felt good to be out there I thought we started really well,” Clark said. “When they went on their ﬁrst run it kind of deﬂated us a little bit. I’m not really sure why We struggled to do what the coaches asked of us. They just played with more energy and effort, and those are things that just can’t happen.”

Golden State led 41-32 at halftime and Kate Martin scored ﬁve consecutive points in the third for a 15-point lead.

“Overall we played team basketball today and I think that’s something we’ve been missing,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “We played team defense I’d say the last two games it got a little individual. Credit to our players, just being coachable, coachable, coachable.”

After Indiana went on a 10-1 run to get within 55-50, Burton ended Golden State’s drought with a 3-pointer Burton also capped Golden State’s 9-0 run on another 3-pointer with 26 seconds left in the third for a 64-50 lead.

Burton’s ﬁfth 3-pointer, setting a career high, came with 6:32 remaining for a 70-53 lead and Thornton’s wide-open 3 about a minute later made it a 20-point lead.

Golden State (10-9) went 12 of 32 from 3-point range, compared to 6 of 27 for Indiana.

Kelsey Mitchell also struggled for Indiana (9-10), going 3 of 13 for 12 points. Makayla Timpson added 10 points off the bench.

SUN 93, STORM 83: In Uncasville, Connecticut, Tina Charles set season highs with 29 points and 11 rebounds to help Connecticut end a 10-game losing skid.

Connecticut (3-16) won its ﬁrst game since June 6.

Charles made a baseline jumper with 5:36 left in the fourth quarter to give Connecticut its ﬁrst lead of the game at 79-77. Charles also made two layups in eight seconds following a steal by Saniya Rivers — for a 91-81 lead.

The Sun pulled away by scoring 11 straight points late in the fourth.

Charles ﬁnished 11 of 22 from the field for her sixth 20-point

game of the season. Jacy Sheldon added 16 points and Bria Hartley had 15. Rivers scored all 11 of her points in the opening ﬁve minutes of the third.

Skylar Diggins led Seattle (13-7) with 23 points and seven assists. Gabby Williams added 21 points and Nneka Ogwumike had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Diggins, Williams, Ogwumike, and Ezi Magbegor each scored in double ﬁgures in the ﬁrst half and combined for 43 points as Seattle led 49-41.

Seattle used a four-point possession at the end of the third to take a 74-66 lead. Diggins made a layup while being fouled and Connecticut forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa was called for a technical foul. Skylar Diggins made both free throws for an eight-point lead.

MERCURY 79, LYNX 71: In Phoenix, Alyssa Thomas scored 12 of her career-high 29 points in the fourth quarter and Phoenix closed on a 19-4 run to beat Minnesota. Thomas, who was coming off

her 16th career triple-double on Monday, was 14 of 24 from the ﬁeld to top her previous high of 28 points. She also had eight rebounds and ﬁve assists. Phoenix tied it at 69 and 71 before Thomas scored on back-toback possessions to take a 75-71 lead. She scored 10 points during the Mercury’s game-closing run.

DeWanna Bonner, Thomas’ fiancee and former Connecticut Sun teammate, signed with Phoenix as a free agent on Tuesday and played her first game since June 10. Bonner, who spent the first 10 years of her career with the Mercury and helped them win titles in 2009 and 2014, finished with seven points and six rebounds in 26 minutes.

Monique Akoa Makani added 13 points and Sami Whitcomb, coming off a career-high 36 points, scored 10 for Phoenix (14-6). The Mercury were without Satou Sabally (right ankle) and Kahleah Copper (right hamstring) for a second straight game.

Shreveport’s Smith earns status of the world’s longest golf driver

ROY LANG III Staff writer

SHREVEPORT Few people — no matter the occupation, discipline or sport can boast of being the best in the world at what they do.

On Wednesday, Shreveport’s Jack Smith joined the exclusive club.

The Loyola and LSU graduate is now No. 1 in the World Long Drive rankings.

“It was a grind to get here,” Smith said Wednesday “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to do it.” Smith already has one victory on the WLD Tour this season He averages 389.5 yards per swat during competition and unleashed a

season-best 432-yard effort at the Duel in the Desert. Led to this discipline of golf by a snowboarding accident and an innocuous meeting with Hal Sutton, Smith founded a golf apparel company dubbed “Kairos,” an ancient Greek word that means “the right or critical movement.”

“It’s an incredible honor to reach No. 1,” the 25-year-old Smith said.

“The sport pushes all of us to our limits and I have immense respect for the talent and drive of everyone I compete alongside,” he said. “I’m grateful for the support of my team, family and everyone who’s been a part of this journey I don’t take this moment for granted I know the competition will only keep raising the bar.”

Sugar Bowl’s Corbett Award winner as the top female athlete in Louisiana Morrow, a DePaul transfer, was LSU’s leading scorer at 18.7 points per game and the nation’s leading rebounder (13.5 per game). Her 485 rebounds were the fourth most in a season by an LSU player The senior led the nation with 30 double-doubles. In two years at LSU, Morrow helped the Tigers reach two Elite Eights, winning 31 games both seasons. Morrow was selected No. 7 overall in the WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. Other finalists for the award were Leah Varisco (multi-sport star at Academy of Sacred Heart), My-Anh Holmes (Willow tennis) and Luci Schroeder (Xavier soccer).

Yankees designate veteran LeMahieu for assignment

NEW YORK The New York Yankees designated two-time batting champion and former LSU star DJ LeMahieu for assignment, one day after manager Aaron Boone said the aging inﬁelder with a diminished defensive range would primarily be used off the bench.

The Yankees, who owe LeMahieu about $22 million on the remainder of a six-year deal that ran through the 2026 season, made the announcement before Wednesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.

LeMahieu, who turns 37 on Sunday and has dealt with a variety of toe, foot and hip injuries, was hitting .266 with two homers, 12 RBIs and a .674 OPS this season.

Holmgren, Thunder agree on $240M extension

Chet Holmgren has agreed on a ﬁve-year contract extension worth nearly $240 million to remain with the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a person with knowledge of the deal said Wednesday It is the second major extension for the Thunder since winning the NBA title last month. The other went to NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP and reigning scoring champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who got a fouryear, $285 million extension.

Soon, the Thunder could extend Jalen Williams — another huge part of the title team and lock up the entirety of their young core for years.

Holmgren will make $13.7 million this coming season, the ﬁnal year of his rookie deal, before his salary jumps to about $41 million for 202627 and the start of the extension.

MLB to use robot umpire system in All-Star Game

NEW YORK Major League Baseball plans to use its robot umpire technology for ball-strike challenges in Tuesday’s All-Star Game at Atlanta, another step toward possible regular-season use next season.

MLB said Wednesday it intends to make the All-Star announcement Thursday Teams won 52.2% of their ball/ strike challenges during the spring training test, with 617 of 1,182 challenges successful in the 288 exhibition games using the Automated Ball-Strike System. ABS was installed at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams, and an animation of the pitch was shown on video boards displaying the challenge result for spectators to see.

Ex-NBA player McLemore sentenced to over 8 years PORTLAND, Ore An Oregon judge on Wednesday sentenced former NBA player Ben McLemore to more than eight years in prison, a week after a jury found him guilty of raping a woman at a 2021 party at the home of a then-teammate. The ex-Portland Trail Blazer was sentenced to 100 months in prison by Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Michael Wetzel, Portland TV station KGW reported. The jury last week found the 32-year-old guilty of rape, unlawful sexual penetration and one count of sexual abuse He was found not guilty on another count of sexual abuse. The charges involved a 21-yearold woman and stemmed from a party at a home owned by thenteammate Robert Covington in the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego.

PHOTO By 2K GAMES

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, a former LSU star, is featured on the WNBA cover edition of NBA 2K26.

STAFF PHOTO By By JILL PICKETT Jack Smith, an LSU graduate, leads the World Long Drive rankings with an average drive of 389.5 yards.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DOUG McSCHOOLER

Swiatek enjoying her best Wimbledon run

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

LONDON Iga Swiatek reached the Wimbledon semiﬁnals for the ﬁrst time with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 19th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova that went from a stroll to a bit of a struggle in the late stages Wednesday.

“Even though I’m in the middle of the tournament, I already got goosebumps after this win,” said Swiatek, who will face unseeded Belinda Bencic on Thursday for a spot in the final. “I’m super happy and super proud of myself.” Bencic beat No. 7 Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since the 2019 U.S. Open. The other women’s semifinal is No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against No. 13 Amanda Anisimova; they advanced with wins Tuesday “It doesn’t end here,” Bencic said.

Swiatek is a five-time major champion, with four of those titles on the red clay of the French Open, and the other on the hard courts of the U.S. Open. She’s also twice

been a semifinalist at the hardcourt Australian Open.

The grass courts of the All England Club always had given her the most trouble as a pro, even though she did claim a junior championship there in 2018. In her ﬁve appearances in the Wimbledon women’s bracket before this year, she had made it as far as the quarterﬁnals just once, exiting in that round in 2023.

But the 24-year-old from Poland is enjoying a career-best run on the slick surface, thanks in part to being more comfortable with the footing required “I, for sure, feel like I really worked hard to progress here on this surface,” Swiatek said. “So this year, I feel like I can just work with it and work with myself. I’ll just keep doing that.”

Before the start of Wimbledon, Swiatek was the runner-up in Bad Homburg, Germany, her first final at a tournament played on grass — and her first final at any event in more than a year, a drought that resulted in her falling from the No. 1 ranking and being seeded No. 8

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KIRSTy WIGGLESWORTH Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates after winning a quarterfinal match against Liudmilla Samsonova of Russia at Wimbledon in London on Wednesday.

at the All England Club.

Her rough stretch included a one-month ban last season in a doping case after an investigation determined a failed out-ofcompetition drug test was caused

by an unintentional contamination of non-prescription medication for issues with jet lag and sleeping. On the court, a semiﬁnal loss to Sabalenka at Roland-Garros last month ended Swiatek’s 26-match

Plaquemine’s Roderick Bingham shown here trying to tackle potential UL teammate Brent Gordon of Cecilia is one of many talented defensive backs in the Cajuns’ commitment class.

UL

Continued from page 1C

coach/special teams coordinator

Mike Giuliani. “UL likes the way I hit people. They like everything about me.”

There is a lot to like about Bingham, starting with the numbers he posted during his junior season (93 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and ﬁve interceptions).

“At the back end of the defense Roderick is a ballhawk who does a great job of reading the quarterback’s eyes,” Jace LeJeune of Gridiron Football said “He has great ball skills and is always around the football, even in run support. He has the tools to be an all-around great safety.” Bingham intercepted three passes in a playoff win over Northwest

ENGEL

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“That is true. That is very true,” Tech quarterback Behren Morton said. Tech is on a timeline that says it’s time for a bump in the record. That won’t fall on Campbell or athletic director Kirby Hocutt. It’s on coach Joey McGuire.

Here are the minimums for McGuire in 2025: Ten wins, a ﬁrst for Tech since 2008. On the list includes at least ﬂirting with reaching the Big 12 title game, a feat the team has never achieved, and the College Football Playoff.

“That is absolutely correct; it’s about that time for us to do it,” Douglas said. “We’ve always had the same expectations, but (the money) will help us realize those expectations. Bringing in a different caliber player.” McGuire is the most successful football coach Texas Tech has had since the late Mike Leach, and clearing that bar is now ofﬁcially no longer good enough. McGuire is in his fourth year in Lubbock, and he’s had a winning record in all three seasons A 23-16 record with two bowl wins is pretty good Tech has spent a lot of money to

and led the Green Devils, who held ﬁve opponents to eight points or less during the regular season, to a 12-2 record and a Division II nonselect semiﬁnal appearance.

“Roderick was a big reason why the Green Devils were one game away from reaching the Superdome,” LeJeune said.

UL is loading up its 2026 recruiting class with defensive backs. In addition to Bingham, the Cajuns have commitments from Jayden Reed (Neville), Edrick Williams (Daphne, Alabama), and the Lafayette Christian duo of Luke Green and Braylon Walker

“UL is my dream college,” said Bingham, who was offered a scholarship in February, took an ofﬁcial visit to the campus in March and ofﬁcially visited this summer “I feel great about it. It’s close to home so my family can make it to games.”

Plaquemine’s only regular-season loss last year was in Week 1 to

land players in the transfer portal, adding more than 30 transfers in the past year to upgrade the roster

This includes, among others, linebacker Romello Height, who has played at USC, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

“I understand how important this year is,” McGuire said Tuesday “I would rather be here than a place hoping like crazy everything goes right just to win four or ﬁve games. (The) players shouldn’t feel the pressure. Let us (coaches) have the pressure and see if we can’t go out and beat those expectations.”

He gets Lubbock and the Red Raiders community At a place like Texas Tech, those are vital attributes.

He’s also been entrusted by the Red Raiders administration to put Tech in a place it’s never been previously This is a community that wants him to succeed because he’s one of theirs. But they want to succeed ﬁrst.

Cash creates expectations.

“We still have to perform. The money doesn’t perform,” Height said. “We are the ones who have to make it happen. They can pay us all we want, but we have to make the things happen.”

Techies should not expect a 2025 national title, but a seat with a decent view is not unreasonable. It

Zachary and Kristian Brooks, a 6-4 UL receiver commitment ranked as the No. 33 player in Louisiana by 247Sports.

“We made history,” Bingham said of his team’s ﬁrst run to the semiﬁnals since 2015. “I was a big part of the journey (Run support) is my strength. I see the ball and go get the ball.”

Bingham also plays basketball, averaging six points, four assists and 10 rebounds as a junior UL has offered his teammate, junior receiver John Walker, and is evaluating senior receiver Tyrinn Henderson.

“My brother (Henderson) and I kept saying if we get a UL offer, we’re going to commit right away,” said Bingham, who returned a punt for a touchdown last season against Tara. “It’s about doing the little things. If we do them right, we’ll be pretty good. Keep track of us we’re going to be something special.”

took Oregon well over a decade, and a few coaches, to reach its current spot near the front, but the Ducks are consistently a top-15 program and in the highest tier of college sports.

That is Tech’s long-term goal Before the NCAA announced what effectively amounts to “a salary cap” for Division I athletic departments earlier this summer, a few programs took advantage of the window of an uncapped period where they could offer players vast sums without limits.

But when those limits are enforced, Tech has made it clear it plans to be one of those programs that will go above and beyond the minimums with NIL deals. Tech recently landed ﬁve-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, the top-ranked recruit in Texas for the Class of 2026. He reportedly agreed to a threeyear contract worth a reported $5.1 million.

“That’s the game of NIL these days,” Morton said. “We are using our resources just like everyone else is using their resources. We have a donor who can use his resources to help us get players. This day and age is different, and it’s a wild.”

Thanks to Knight, this plan worked for Oregon.

It could work for Texas Tech, too.

French Open winning streak. Swiatek led by a set and 3-0 in the second against Samsonova, who was appearing in her ﬁrst Grand Slam quarterﬁnal.

Soon, though, it was 4-all, then 5-all. But Swiatek held for a 6-5 lead, then broke to end it, and a smile spread across her face.

“I saw how I can play on practice courts. I was just not sure if I can do it on the match court,” Swiatek said. “I kind of already did. I’m going to try to continue that.”

Bencic, who at 28 is a decade older than Andreeva, is competing in her second major tournament since returning to the tour after giving birth to a daughter, Bella, in April 2024.

“I’m very proud, actually All my career, I didn’t say it a lot to myself, but after having Bella, I really say it to myself every day,” Bencic said. “We are just enjoying life on tour with Bella, traveling. It’s been beautiful to create these memories together And obviously, to play great is so amazing, but for me, it’s a bonus. I’m generally just really happy to be able to play again.”

PELICANS

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He is the player who ﬁrst-year executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars traded up 10 spots for in the draft to select. In that trade with the Atlanta Hawks, the Pelicans gave up their ﬁrst-round draft pick in the 2026 draft.

The move drew a lot of criticism. Queen’s play is the one thing that can silence the noise.

“I just want to show that I’m one of the best that got drafted this year,” Queen said. “It doesn’t matter if I went 13, second, third or fourth or whatever I just want to show them that I’m the best.”

Queen will get a chance to show his ability to score and pass, as well as his basketball IQ, the traits that made Dumars covet him so much. Fears, whose quickness has impressed during practices so far, will get a chance to show he can run the offense.

“I want to put the ball in his hands, let him make plays,” Brewer said. “He’s got to make mistakes, too. The only way you’re going to get better is by making mistakes, so he’s going to have the ball in his hands.”

Fears relishes the opportunity

“A lot of coaches don’t give rookies the opportunity to go out there and show what they are capable of,” Fears said. “So him giving me the ball and letting me learn on the ﬂy and make mistakes is going to be something that I can take with me

WIMBLEDON

Continued from page 1C

last four meetings with Sinner, including in the French Open semiﬁnals last month.

Djokovic is 2-0 against Sinner at Wimbledon, eliminating him in the 2023 semiﬁnals and 2022 quarterﬁnals.

Against Cobolli like Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy — the late-match tumble was not the only thing that was far from smooth for Djokovic. He served for the opening set at 5-3 but got broken at love. He later was a point from owning that set before ﬁrst-time major quarterﬁ nalist Cobolli came through.

Djokovic did stretches and breathing exercises at changeovers. He whacked his shoe with his racket after one miss in the fourth set. He seemed bothered at times by the bright sun above Centre Court.

He also showed off all of his considerable skills, accumulating 13 aces, holding in 19 of 21 service games, using a dropshot-lob-drop-shot combination to take one point and limiting his unforced errors to 22 — half as many as Cobolli.

On Friday, Djokovic will try to reach his seventh consecutive final at the All England Club and get closer to equaling Roger Federer’s men’s mark of eight trophies there. The other men’s semifinal is two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals, against Taylor Fritz. The women’s semifinals Thursday are Aryna Sabalenka vs. Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic. Against Shelton at No. 1 Court,

and something I can learn from as well.”

Queen will get to play minutes alongside second-year center

Yves Missi, the ﬁrst-round draft pick last year who was named to the second-team All-Rookie team this season.

“Yves is going to love playing with me because I’m going to keep throwing him lobs and just help the team,” Queen said. “And both of us work well together.” Fears isn’t just interested in who he is playing with. He’s also focused on who he is playing against.

His goals for Vegas?

“Just to compete and see some of my old teammates that I played with in high school,” Queen said. “I have some people on my hit list, so hopefully I can get to them.”

The real NBA games don’t come until October. That’s when Fears and Queen will get to put on their uniforms and play alongside Williamson, Trey Murphy and other veterans. But this trip to Vegas is the next best thing for Fears and Queen, who last played in meaningful games during March Madness.

“It’s one of those things where you’ve got to look back and kinda reminisce a little bit and just take it all in,” Fears said. “It’s a great experience and something you dream of doing all your life. Finally being able to be in this position is something that every kid wants to achieve.”

Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

Sinner wore a white sleeve on his right arm with strips of tape visible underneath one above the elbow, one below it — after he was hurt when he fell in the opening game of his fourthround match against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday Sinner, the runner-up to Alcaraz at Roland-Garros, had an MRI exam on Tuesday and initially canceled a practice session that day but did hit some balls in a 20-minute session at an indoor court later

“When you are in a match with a lot of tension, you try to not think about it,” Sinner said. “It has improved a lot from yesterday to today.”

He played as though nothing was amiss, grabbing 27 of 29 service points in the first set while accumulating a total of 15 winners to just one unforced error

“You can’t go into a match thinking that the guy’s not going to be at 100%,” Shelton said. “His ball was coming off pretty big today, so I didn’t see any difference.” Shelton stayed right with him until 2-2 in the tiebreaker That’s when Sinner surged in front, helped by a double-fault and four consecutive forehand errors by Shelton.

At the outset of the second set, Shelton ﬁnally made some headway in the return game, getting a pair of break points at 15-40. On one, Sinner produced a forehand winner On the other, he pounded a 132 mph serve — his fastest of the match — and rushed forward, getting to deuce when Shelton’s backhand pass attempt found the net. That was followed by a 118 mph ace and a 125 mph service winner Those were Shelton’s only break chances.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

BRITTANyCONERLy

Compère Lapin Buttermilk Biscuits, Recipe 6C

Make Nina Compton’s ﬂaky biscuits at home

BY ANN MALONEY Contributing writer

Chancesare,ifyou’ve eaten at CompèreLapin restaurant, you started your meal with Nina Compton’sdelicious, ﬂaky,herbﬂecked buttermilk biscuits. In the chef-restaurateur’s first cookbook, “Kwéyòl/Creole” (Clarkson Potter,2025),she shares the recipe that lets you createthe tall, tenderbiscuits in your homekitchen.

The kitchen staff makesmore than1,000 of thebiscuits each week to meet diners’ demand. And, the popular biscuits were recently featured in aSouthern Livingmagazinestory about where to ﬁndthe best biscuits in theSouth.

The biscuits are just one of many recipes Compton includedinthe cookbook she describes as “story-driven.” In it, those who love Compton’sfood get to step behind the kitchen’s swinging door to learn about the life experiences that shapedthe way she cooks and discover how she andher husband Larry Miller came to putdownsuchdeep roots in the Crescent City

As achild, Compton recalls bouncing in the back of her family’spickup, high-ﬁving banana tree leaves with her sisterasthey traveled St. Lucia’s windingroads. It’sthat kind of joy and vivid detailthat draws readers into her ﬁrstcookbook.

Flip the book open, and you’ll findacolorful map that reflects the chef’s beginnings in her hometown of Moulin aVent on St.Lucia andher subsequent stops in Montego Bay in Jamaica,Miami and, finally,New Orleans, where she and herhusband Larry Miller have lived for 10 years. The couple now runstwo restaurants, including Compère Lapin, which opened to much acclaim and markedits 10th anniversary this summer Naturally reserved,Compton credits her co-author,Osayi Endolyn, with helping her dig deep soshe could not only share recipes, but how herfood flavored the worlds she has inhabited and their way of life.

“A lot of people are really touched by the book,” she said. People have become tearyat her signings, as they reminisce about their favorite dishes from

ä See BISCUITS, page 6C

AFLAIR FORFLAVOR

Spiceupthe summer with catfish in

aParmesancrust,Creolecoleslaw

Inaworld increasingly homogenized, New Orleans remains stubbornly and deliciously itself —acultural gumbo thatrefuses to be replicated. Like the perfect étouffée, the city smothers you in warmth, complexity and satisfaction.

Thearchitecture of the French Quarter is avisual feast —buildingsfrosted with ironwork balconies that curl and swirl like chocolate decorations on afancy dessert.Beneath them, shops offer pralines so sweet they make yourﬁllings ache, while the scent of chicory coffee provides abalanced counterpoint.

In City Park,ancient oak trees stretch their arms like ladles stirringthe sky,their Spanish moss hanging like herbs drying in a kitchen window.Locals picnic on thegrass, spreading blankets and unpacking containers of spicy boiled shrimp and cold Abita beer

TheMississippi River ﬂows be-

side it all. Paddlewheel steamboats churn through itswaters, offering jazzbrunches wherethe music is as rich as thehollandaise sauce on eggs Sardou. Butyou needn’toverindulge to capture theessenceofthe Crescent City in your own kitchen. Themagic of New Orleanscuisine lies in its bold ﬂavors rather than heavy techniques. My Parmesan-crusted bakedcatﬁsh delivers all the satisfactionofa traditional fry without oil, thenutty cheeseforming agolden crustthat crackles witheach forkful.

ä See SPICE, page 6C

Mint yogurt saucerevelsinzesty chickenthigh pairing

BY GRETCHENMcKAY PittsburghPost-Gazette (TNS)

Likemanyhome cooks, Ikeep akitchen garden planted with herbs during the summer growing season. Ihave apretty good hand with basil and rosemary, and my parsley generally does pretty well, too. Yetone of themostproliﬁc —ordare I say dastardly —patches of green contains mint Thebully of the herb world, mintisquick to takeover a garden

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Kevin Belton

Slaw PAGE 6C

Rinseand recycle

Dear Heloise: I, too, live in Tucson, Arizona, and follow the same ritual for rinsing recyclables in dishwater as J.B. Ialsoput some items in the dishwasher when there is room. Most loads always have aspot or two where adish or cup may not ﬁt, but arecyclable might. —Valerie Golembiewski, in Tucson,Arizona

Agem of wisdom

They arealsoamajor sourceof the antioxidant lycopene, which is believedtoreduce thelikelihoodofcancerand heartdisease.

Most tomatoesare about 95% water, with the remaining 5% being ﬁber and carbohydrates. —Heloise Frozen dogs

Parent’s phobia meanscouplecan’t host

Dear Miss Manners: My boyfriend and Ishare an apartment,and also share two pet snakes. These are not large reptiles, and are kept in very secure glass tanks behind closed doors.

meals at theirhouse and then not reciprocating? We are young and broke, so entertainingthemina restaurant is notareal possibility. Do we have to get ridoftwo pets in order to satisfyhis father?

Dear Heloise: Sometimes the best way to win an argument is to say,“Youare right.”

The shorter version is:“Yes, dear.” —Chuck N., in San Antonio

Themightytomato

Dear Heloise: I’ve been reading about various foods to avoid,and tomatoes have come up afew times. Ithought tomatoeswere supposed to be good for you. Bridget, in Scottsdale,Arizona

Bridget, if you have acid reﬂux or some other condition that your doctor tells you is aggravated by tomatoes, then it’s probably best to avoidthem However,tomatoesare agood source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K.

By The Associated Press

Dear Heloise: Iused to freeze hot dogs in the entire package, but they were difﬁcult to separate whenIonlyneeded one or two. Now Iremove them from the package, lay them one by one on acookie sheet, and freeze them.While they’restill frozen, Iplace them in afreezer bag, andwhen Iamready, they come right out and don’t stick together —B.R.,Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

(Don’t)takeastabatit

Dear Heloise: Whycan’tpeople use their utensils (fork, knife andspoon)properly when they eat? There is noneed to hold your utensils in your ﬁsts and stab or slash away at your food. —Luisa, in Texas

Email heloise@heloise.com.

TODAYINHISTORY

was launched byNASA.

Today is Thursday,July 10,the 191st day of 2025. There are 174 days left in the year

Todayinhistory:

On July 10, 1940, during World WarII, the Battle of Britain began as the German Luftwaffe launched attacks on southern England. (The Royal Air Force was ultimately victorious.)

Also on this date: In 1509, theologian JohnCalvin, akey ﬁgure of the Protestant Reformation, was born in Noyon, Picardy,France.

In 1890, Wyoming was admitted as the 44th US state.

In 1925, jury selection began in Dayton, Tennessee, in thetrial of John T. Scopes, charged with violating the law by teaching Darwin’sTheory of Evolution. (Scopes was convicted and ﬁned, but the verdict was overturned on atechnicality.)

In 1929, American paper currency was reduced in sizeasthe government beganissuing bills that were approximately 25% smaller In 1951, armistice talksaimed at ending the Korean Warbegan at Kaesong. In 1962, the ﬁrst active communications satellite,Telstar 1,

In 1991, Boris N. Yeltsin took the oath of ofﬁce as the ﬁrst elected presidentofthe Russian republic.

In 2002, theU.S.House approved ameasure to allow airline pilots to carry gunsinthe cockpit to defendtheir planes against terrorists (President GeorgeW.Bush latersigned the measureinto law) In 2015, South Carolina pulled the Confederate battle ﬂag from its place of honor at theStatehouseaftermore than 50 years. Today’sbirthdays: Singer Mavis Staplesis86. Actor Robert Pine is 84. International Tennis Hall of Famer Virginia Wade is 80. FolksingerArloGuthrie is 78. Baseball Hall of Famer Andre Dawson is 71. Rock singer Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys)is71. Banjo player Bela Fleck is 67. Actor FionaShaw is 67. Singer/ actor JackyCheung is 64. Actor Alec Mapais60. Country singer Gary LeVox(Rascal Flatts)is55.

Actor Soﬁa Vergara is 53. Actor Adrian Grenier is 49.Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is 48. Actor Thomas Ian Nicholas is 45. Singer/actor Jessica Simpson is 45. Actor Emily Skeggsis35. Pop singer Perrie Edwards (Little Mix) is 32. Actor Isabela Merced is 24.

Spicy ChickenThigh with Mint YogurtSauce

Serves 4. Recipe is from Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette FOR CHICKEN:

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)

4tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

4tablespoons tomato paste

5garlic cloves, minced Zest and juice of 1lemon

2tablespoons smoked paprika

2tablespoons dried oregano

Generous pinch of cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper FOR SAUCE:

½cup plain Greek yogurt

½bunch fresh mint, leaves picked (about 1cup), roughly chopped

4green onions, roughly chopped

1jalapeno pepper,seeded and roughly chopped Zest and juice of 1lemon

2tablespoons extravirgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,totaste FOR SERVING:

2cups cooked rice, quinoa or couscous

1. Prepare chicken: Pat chicken thighs dry with aclean papertowel. (This will help the marinade adhere better to the meat.)

2. In large bowl, whisk together olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, lemon juice andzest,paprika, oregano and agenerous pinch of cayenne. Seasontotaste withsalt and pepper

We understand that manypeople are not comfortable with reptiles, so we never let them roam around the apartment. If we have company,we never bring our petsout or even open the door to that room;they stay completely out of sight. We would never presumetoforce anyone to interact in theslightest with an animal that caused them anxiety

The problem is that my boyfriend’sfather is so afraid of snakes that he will not even set foot in theapartment, despite thefact that they are securely contained and not visible. Iwould love to be able toentertain his family in our home, but his father is adamant that he will not come over until thesnakes are no longer there. Is it rude of us to persist in eating

SPICE

Gentle reader: What you need is amutual agreement on how you will reciprocate their hospitality

Would your boyfriend’s parents, forexample, be amenable to having you sometimes prepare and bring ameal to them?

Surely that is preferable to ﬁnding alternative living arrangements for Antony and Cleopatra.

Dear Miss Manners: What is the proper way to exit achurch at the end of aservice? My boyfriend thinks that you must let everyone in the adjacent pew(the one closer to the doors) exit before you do. I view it more like astreet intersection, but less formal, where groups of people take turns exiting. In my view,you should not try to rush, bumporpush people out of the way,but you should also go

with the flow and not hold people up. My boyfriend thought Iwas very rude, and berated me in the parking lot, because Idid not let all of the people in the next pew exit first. Instead, Ifollowed the womaninfront of me. She had invited the people in the other pew to go first, but they said no, waving her ahead. Ifollowed her out without stopping to invite the samepeople to exit first.

WasI rude?

Gentle reader: Miss Manners agrees that if someone asks people to go ahead, then the request should be obeyed, as it maymask aneed for more time to disembark. Youwould hardly want to get into apushing match in church with an elderly couple by insisting that you are not going anywhere until they get amove on. Why you would want aboyfriend whoberates you is another question.

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com.

CreoleSlaw

MINT

Continued from page5C

4. Cover bowl with plasticwrap, and place in the refrigerator.Allow chicken to marinate for at least 1hour and uptoovernight

5. Aboutahalfanhour before you want to cook, remove chicken from fridge and allow it to come back to room temperature. Preheatovento425 F.

6. Placechicken in aroasting pan (I used acast-iron skillet) and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken registers 165 Fonan instant-read thermometer

7. While chicken is roasting, prepare the yogurt sauce. Add yogurt, mint,green onions, jalapeño pepper, lemonzestand juice and olive oil to thebowl of afood processor or blender.Process untilthe mixture is as smooth or chunky as you like. (I made it fairlysmooth.)

8. Pour sauceintoa serving bowl, season to taste withsalt and pepperand set asidewhile youplate thechicken.

9. Remove chicken from the roasting pan or skillet to aservingplatter.Ifyou like, pour some of thejuices in the pan on top.

10. Slice chicken thigh into thin slices, or servewhole with your favorite grain and the mint yogurt sauce.

3. Add chicken thighs to bowl, and toss to combine, making sure all of the meat is covered with marinade.

an hourwill adda quick ﬂavor boost.Ifyou don’t use all the marinade when roastingthe meat, be suretodiscard it Iused about acup of packed mintleaves in theyogurt sauce, but youcoulduse moreorless depending onhow thick and/or chunkyyou want it to be. Ipaired thechicken and sauce with steamed whiterice, but anyfavorite grain is agreat accompaniment. Youcan cut the chicken into slices before serving, or serve whole.

Pair it with my Creole Slaw,the crisp cabbage spiked with Creole mustard and alil’ bit of hot sauce, if you dare (and very little mayo because Monica is not afan of mayo).

Suddenly,your Tuesday night dinner proves that New Orleans’ culinary ﬂair can be both soulful and sensible.

New Orleans teaches us that life, like cooking, isn’tabout following someone else’srecipe to the letter It’s about throwing in what you have, adjusting to taste, andsharing the resultswithothers.

It’sabout understanding that sometimes themost meaningful experiences come from embracing the mess, thespice and the unexpected combinations that create something magniﬁcent! Kevin Belton is resident chef

of WWL-TV and has taught classes in Louisianacooking for 30 years. Themost recent of his four cookbooks, “KevinBelton’s Cookin’ Louisiana:Flavors from the Parishes of thePelican State,” waspublishedin2021. Email Chef at chefkevinbelton@ gmail.com.

This recipe calls for aquarter cup of mayonnaise, but for a lighter version, substitute plain Greek yogurt. This slaw is best eaten the sameday,asitloses its crunch over time. However,you can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3days. Serves 6-8.

16 ouncesofpackaged coleslawmix ¼cup mayo 1tablespoon Creole seasoning 2tablespoonsCreole mustard 1tablespoon apple cidervinegar 2teaspoons sugar

1. Combine themayo, mustard, seasoning, cider and sugar.Mix well.

2. Add the seasoning mixture to the coleslaw

3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

4. Tasteand adjust forseasoning. If you wantaspicier slaw,add a splash of hot sauce.

Compère Lapin Buttermilk Biscuits

From “Kwéyòl/Creole.” Made with butter and all-purposeaswellascake ﬂour,these biscuits come outtall, tenderand ﬂaky.The recipe calls forusing amixer,sothere is no folding and re-rolling thedough.Compton likestomakethemwith chives, but we tried avariety of herbs, so dealer’schoice. The chef makes herbiscuits salt-forward, using atablespoonofsalt,but we reduced that forthis at-home version. Makes 12 biscuits.

4sticks unsalted butter,cold

5¼ cups all-purpose flour,plusmore for dusting

2cups cake flour

2tablespoons granulated sugar

1tablespoon baking powder

1½ teaspoons fine salt

½teaspoon baking soda

½cup chives, thinly sliced

2cups plus 6tablespoons buttermilk, divided 1largeegg yolk

3tablespoons flaky sea salt(optional)

1. Position arack in the middle of theoven and preheat to 325 F. Line asheet panwith parchment paper.

2. Cut the cold butter into ¼-inch cubes and refrigerate until needed.

BISCUITS

Continuedfrom page5C

their island homes.

Continuedfrom page5C yogurt in afood processor with green onion,fresh lemonand jalapeño to create atopping for gently spiced, roasted boneless chicken thighs. Marinating the chicken thighs beforecooking willhelp tenderize the meat andadd ﬂavor.I let them rest in the marinade overnight in the fridge, buteven

“I wanted to be very respectful of the recipes that people expect,” she said.

To thatend, the recipes sometimes feature ingredients that may be unfamiliartothose born outside theCaribbean, such as ackee, breadfruit, goat and green ﬁg (or unripe banana)

“There are some things that you cannot substitute,” shesaid, andshe hopespeople whouse her recipestry newﬂavors andingredients. “I wantpeople to venture out to the Latin and Asian markets and really explore.”

The book also features her spins on popular Southern dishes, such as herCreolePotato Salad,made with thetrinity of green bell pepper,onion and celery, along with generous additions of Creole mustard andseasoning blend resulting in abig-ﬂavored, creamy dish that’sideal for summer gatherings. When St.Lucians usethe term Creole, or Kwéyòl, theyare talking abouta cuisine that reflects diverse African influences,said Compton, whose father,Sir John GeorgeMelvin Compton, ledSt. Lucia to independence and served severalterms as primeminister Other cultures left their mark on the island’sfood as well, even within her own family The chef’s parents—Compton’s father died in 2007, but her mother

3. In the bowlofa stand mixer fittedwith the paddle attachment, add the all-purpose and cake flours, sugar,baking powder, salt andbaking soda. Mix forafew seconds on lowspeed to combine. Add the butterand mixonalow speeduntil the mixture forms into pea-sized balls, 5to8minutes. Add the chives and continue mixing for about 1minute, just to combine. Slowly add 2 cups of thebuttermilk and keep mixing just until afirm,smooth, cohesivedough forms, about5 minutes. Do not over-mix.

4. On alightly ﬂouredsurface, turn outthe dough and roll into a rectangle about12-by-4-by-2 inches. Use adough cutterora sharp

knife to cut the biscuits into 12 2-inch squares. Place the squares on the sheet pan. It’sOKifthe biscuits touch as theyexpand and bake.

5. In asmall bowl, whisk together the remaining 6tablespoons of buttermilk and the egg yolk, until combined to make an egg wash. Gently brush the egg wash over the top of the biscuits and sprinkle the ﬂaky sea salt, if using.

6. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes to ensure even baking, until golden brown. The biscuits are thick, so if youare unsureiftheyare cooked completely,carefully slice one open and take apeek.

Lady Janice Barbara Clarke still livesonSt. Lucia—traveleda good deal, so, as achild, Compton learnedtocook fromher grandmother,Phyllis Clark, anative of Britain, who married aSt. Lucian and moved to the Eastern Caribbean island afterWorld WarII. Having lived through deprivation during the war,she also taught Compton howtodeftly manage a kitchen.

Compton “learned from standing side-by-side, watching, listening and mimicking,”she said, adding that,bythe time she was 16, she knew shewanted to be aprofessional cook. Like her grandmother, she is dead-serious abouther food and her business, but that laser focus is balanced by her exuberance when it comes to enjoying life.

And, in New Orleans, she said, she’sfound asecondhome that embraces that balance. Compton ﬁrst cametothe Cres-

cent City when she was invited to be acontestant on Bravo’s“Top Chef” in 2013. Theappearance brought her anational following as shecameinsecondand wasnamed “fan favorite.” The city’sweather,brightly painted houses and warmth drew herin. And, nowshe andher husband have put down deep roots, expanding their business by opening Nina’sCreole Cottage, aquick-service restaurant in the Caesars Hotelin2023. The couplealsodoesa podcast together called “Between Bites,” in which they talk with New Orleanians aboutthe city’sculture (Their third restaurant Bywater American Bistro, also known as BABS, closed in May.)

“It’sreallythe people,” she said of her adopted home. “It’sjust howtheyare. It’s the pleasantry, the kindness, the hospitality.We were coming from Miami, where it was becoming very competitive.Here, it was, ‘Hey do you have aﬁsh guy? Ihave someone.’ I thought, wow, that’sreally nice. It’s all about sharing, because there is strength in numbers. Whereas in some places,theywanttosee you fail because they see you as competition.

“And,” she added, “New Orleans feels like abig island.”

Reprinted withpermission from “Kwéyòl/Creole: Recipes Stories,and Tings from aSt. Lucian Chef’s Journey” by Nina Compton withOsayiEndolyn. PublishedbyClarksonPotter, adivisionofPenguinRandom House,LLC.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Hints from Heloise

PHOTO By MONICA BELTON

Creole Slaw

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Participate andenjoy. Don't put offwhatyou can accomplish today. Join in, formulate a plan andmake things happen. Takethe initiative, be an instigator and see what unfolds.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Keep your eye on theball when dealing with government, legaland financial matters. Do your best to get alongwithyour colleagues and to align yourself with thoseyou feel akin to.

VIRGO(Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Be smart about investing your time, money and emotions. Know who you are dealing with and get everything in writing. Emotional energy will surface, leaving you vulnerable if you take the bait.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Be smart about investing your time, money and emotions. Noteveryone will share your principles. Knowwho you aredealing with and get everything in writing

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You'll want to explore prospects that requireupgrading your skills and expertise.Don'tlet fear standbetween youand striving for something better.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec.21) Concentrate on learning, exploring possibilitiesand finding ways to bring in more cash.Doing whatyou enjoy will bring you in contact withlike-minded people and potential partners and friends

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Precision, attention to detail andquickaction will help yougainrespect andincrease your potential to negotiate success-

fully. Keep things simple and avoid interference.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Make alterations at home thatwill help you pursue what's essential. Discussions willhelp you resolve pending issues and give you accesstosuggestions that can improve your work.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Don't overlook what others are doing. Place more thought into networking and mingling with people youcan learn from. Personal andprofessional growth look promising,but youwillhavetodosome legwork. Get moving.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Give andtake will be essential if you plan to get along with others. Be willing to compromise and share the cost, time and workload necessary to achieve positive results.

TAURUS (April 20-May20) Work to ease your mind and stop others from pressuring you. Look for opportunities to expand your horizons andrelationships. Makechanges at hometoensure optimum efficiency.

GEMINI (May21-June20) Spend time researching, interacting with experts andconsidering your options. Bide your time,avoid premature action and be cognizant of what others choose to do.

by NEA, Inc.,dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptogramsare created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: EEQUALS F

CeLebrItY CIpher

better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases fromMonday to Sunday.

Yesterday’sPuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Josh Billings, the pen name of humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw, said, “There arepeoplewho are always anticipating trouble, and in this waytheymanage to enjoy manysorrows that never really happen to them.” Bridge experts, though, arealways anticipating trouble, and in this way they managemoreplusscoresthanthosewho always assumeeverything will work out perfectly

In today’s deal, South opens and closes theauctionwithhisthree-spadebid.West leads the diamond 10. East wins with his ace and returns the diamond two. What should South do now?

The traditional requirements for a weak three-bid are two of the top three or three of the top five honorsinthe seven-card suitand 5-10high-card points. These days the requirements have been lowered by many players, especially at favorable vulnerability. But it does not hurt to have atextbook hand occasionally.

Norththought about raisingtofour spades, but knew game wasunlikely. And he hoped that Eastmight balance, allowing North to double theopponents and gain asizable penalty.

It is tempting for South to winthe second trick on the boardand immediately to play atrump. However,with this layout he would go down. West would take the trick and give his partner adiamond ruff.

wuzzles

East wouldcash theheart ace, and Westwould get asecond trump trick. Southshouldanticipatethe5-2diamond break.(Intheory,ifEasthadstartedwith three diamonds, he would have returned hishigher remainingdiamond, not the two.)Before touching trumps, declarer should cash dummy’s top clubs and discard his thirddiamond.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of four or moreletters.2.Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,”are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” maynot be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAY’s WoRD MELAnIn: MEL-uh-nin: Apigment found primarily in skin, hair, feathersand eyes.

Average mark 22 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find29ormorewords in MELANIN?

YEsTERDAY’s WoRD —BEGRuDGED

beer begged begrudge berg bred breed budge bugged burg burgee edge

edger egged grebe greed grub grudge redbud reed rube rude rugged

udder urge debug debugged debugger deed deer dredge dreg drub drudge drug drugged dude

Puzzle Answer

loCKhorNs

Youdon’t

intoyour

G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Tech stocks push

Nasdaq to record

A rally in big tech stocks led the broader market to a higher close Wednesday, lifting the Nasdaq to an all-time high and helping Wall Street claw back most of its losses from earlier in the week

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% for its ﬁrst gain this week. The benchmark index remains near the record it set last week after a better-than-expected U.S jobs report.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.5%. The Nasdaq composite, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, closed 0.9% higher The gain was good enough to nudge the index past the record high it set last Thursday.

Wednesday was initially set as a deadline by President Donald Trump for countries to make deals with the U.S. or face heavy increases in tariffs. But with just two trade deals announced since April, one with the United Kingdom and one with Vietnam, the window for negotiations has been extended to Aug. 1. This latest phase in the White House’s trade war heightens the threat of potentially more severe tariffs that’s been hanging over the global economy. Higher taxes on imported goods could hinder economic growth, if not increase recession risks.

On Tuesday, Trump said he would be announcing tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs at a “very, very high rate, like 200%.” He also said he would sign an executive order placing a 50% tariff on copper imports, matching the rates charged on steel and aluminum.

Amazon’s Prime Day gets a solid start

NEW YORK The first day of Amazon’s Prime Day event and competing retail sales that kicked off on Tuesday drove solid online spending compared to a year earlier according to two data sources. Adobe Digital Insights, which tracks visits to e-commerce sites, reported that U.S. consumers spent $7.9 billion at online stores on Tuesday, a 9.9% increase from the comparable day last year

Retailers offered discounts in the range of 9% to 23%, on par with July 2024 sales events, Adobe said.

Shoppers appeared especially eager to take advantage of deals on appliances, electronics and home improvement products, the data company said. Online sales of appliances were 135% higher than last month’s daily average, according to Adobe’s data.

Amazon doubled the length of Prime Day to four days this year.

‘Click-to-cancel’ rule is blocked by court

A “click-to-cancel” rule, which would have required businesses to make it easy for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and memberships, has been blocked by a federal appeals court just days before it was set to go into effect. The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed changes, adopted in October, required businesses to obtain a customer’s consent before charging for memberships, auto-renewals and programs linked to free trial offers.

The FTC said at the time that businesses must also disclose when free trials or other promotional offers will end and let customers cancel recurring subscriptions as easily as they started them.

The FTC rule was set to go into effect on Monday, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit said this week that the FTC made a procedural error by failing to come up with a preliminary regulatory analysis, which is required for rules whose annual impact on the U.S. economy is more than $100 million.

THEADVOCATE.COM/news/business

Nvidia soars to $4 trillion valuation

Chipmaker is first publicly traded company to reach that number

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technology writer

SAN FRANCISCO Silicon Valley chipmaker Nvidia on Wednesday became the ﬁrst publicly traded company to surpass a $4 trillion

market valuation, putting the latest exclamation point on the investor frenzy surrounding an artiﬁcial intelligence boom powered by its industry-leading processors.

Although Nvidia’s market value dipped back below $4 trillion by the time the stock market closed, reaching the milestone highlighted the upheaval being unleashed by an AI craze that’s widely viewed as the biggest tectonic

shift in technology since Apple co-founder Steve Jobs unveiled the ﬁrst iPhone 18 years ago.

Underscoring the changing of the guard, AI bellwether Nvidia is now worth $900 billion more than Apple, which rode the iPhone’s success to become the ﬁrst publicly traded company to valued at $1 trillion, $2 trillion and eventually, $3 trillion.

Nvidia’s rise as come as Apple has struggled to deliver on its

ambitions to infuse the iPhone and other products with more AI with an array of new features that included a more than year-old promise to smarten up its often bumbling virtual assistant. Apple acknowledged last month that delivering on its AI vision is going to take until at least next year, leading some industry analysts to wonder if the company will have to acquire an AI startup to regain momentum.

KNOW THE POLICY

Property owners are often shocked how expansive flood devastation can be

BY SALLY HO

By The Associated Press

SEATTLE Though natural disasters cycle

across seasons and regions in the U.S., it’s often a shocking discovery for property owners how expansive and expensive ﬂood and water damage can be when a major storm devastates their homes, businesses and communities.

That’s because oftentimes insurance doesn’t cover what the policyholder thinks it does or thinks it should.

The disappointing surprise is that while the standard home insurance policy does cover ﬁre and wind damage, even good property insurance typically doesn’t cover things like ﬂooding and earthquakes, which usually require a special and separate policy for each.

Who has flood insurance

Most people who have ﬂood insurance are required to have it.

Although many property owners have the option of purchasing ﬂood insurance, it is mandated for government-backed mortgages that sit in areas that the Federal Emergency Management Agency deems highest risk. Many banks require it in high-risk zones, too.

But most private insurance companies don’t carry flood insurance, leaving the National Flood Insurance Program run by FEMA as the primary provider Congress created the federal ﬂood insurance program more than 50 years ago when many private insurers stopped offering poli-

cies in high-risk areas. FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center has an online tool to check your area. FEMA notes even a 1% chance of ﬂooding is considered high risk because it amounts to a 1-in-4 chance of ﬂooding over the life of a 30-year mortgage.

Who doesn’t have flood insurance

Homeowners in high-risk areas who should have it sometimes decide not to get it. Someone who pays off their mortgage can drop their ﬂood insurance once it’s not required. Or if they purchase a house or mobile home with cash, they may not opt for it at all.

The rest of us are just rolling the dice, even though experts have long warned that flooding can happen just about anywhere because flood damage isn’t just water surging and seeping into the land — it’s also water from banks, as well as mudflow and torrential rains.

Mark Friedlander, spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group, said only about 6% of U.S. households have a ﬂood policy primarily in the costal areas prone to hurricanes. That rate has remained steady in recent years despite the increasing frequency of severe ﬂooding events, including in areas that are not formally considered by the government to be high risk.

“Lack of flood coverage is the largest insurance gap across the country,” Friedlander said in an email. “Ninety percent of U.S. natural disasters involve flooding and flood-

ing can occur just about anywhere it rains.”

What flood insurance covers

Even if a homeowner does have ﬂood insurance, the coverage may not be enough to make a policyholder whole again.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program only covers up to $250,000 for singlefamily homes and $100,000 for contents. Renters can get up to $100,000 for contents, and commercial ﬂood insurance will cover up to $500,000. There are concerns that such ﬂooding coverage limits are not robust enough, especially at a time when climate change is making strong hurricanes even stronger and making storms in general wetter, slower and more prone to intensifying rapidly

And what typically happens to the people without ﬂood insurance in a major storm is that they can try to recover some money from their standard home insurance but may end up in a ﬁght to determine what damage is or isn’t wind versus rain, or even “winddriven rain.”

Don Hornstein, an insurance law expert at the University of North Carolina, said the line between wind and water is a thin but very clear line that technical experts can determine.

Should there be a proverbial tie the law favors the insurance company

“If the house was simultaneously destroyed by ﬂood and, concurrently (by) wind, it’s not covered by private insurance,” Hornstein said.

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK Mattel has introduced its ﬁrst Barbie representing a person with Type 1 diabetes, as part of wider efforts from the toy maker to increase inclusivity among its dolls.

reﬂect the medical equipment” people with Type 1 diabetes may need, the California-based company noted.

can be used to carry other essential supplies or snacks on the go.

Company says doll ‘captures the community’ Barbie wears a

In an announcement Tuesday, Mattel said it had partnered with Breakthrough T1D a Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization formerly known as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, or JDRF — to ensure that the design of the doll “truly captures the community.” That includes accessories that “accurately

“Visibility matters for everyone facing Type 1 diabetes,” Emily Mazreku, director of marketing strategy at Breakthrough T1D, said in an accompanying announcement. And as a mother who lives with Type 1 diabetes, she added, “it means everything to have Barbie helping the world see T1D and the incredible people who live with it.”

The new Barbie wears continuous glucose monitor, a device that tracks blood sugar levels, on her arm — while holding a phone displaying an accompanying app. She also has an insulin pump attached to her waist. And the doll carries a blue purse that

The Barbie’s outﬁt is blue, too — with polka dots on a matching top and skirt set. Mattel says that this color and design are nods to symbols for diabetes awareness.

This new doll “enables more children to see themselves reﬂected in Barbie,” Mattel wrote Tuesday, and is part of the company’s wider Fashionistas line committed to inclusivity The line features Barbies with various skin tones, hair colors and textures, disabilities, body types and more. Previously-introduced Fashionistas include a Ken doll with a prosthetic leg and a Barbie with hearing aids. Mattel also introduced its ﬁrst doll with Down syndrome in 2023.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT People search debris along the Guadalupe River on Wednesday after deadly flooding in Kerrville, Texas