ABOVE: Christina Dayries, chief of staff in the Lafayette Parish Mayorpresident’s Office, speaks Monday during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ arrest at the Rosa Parks Transportation Center in Lafayette. Parks was arrested in 1955 after she refused to give up her bus seat to a White passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, leading to a Supreme Court ruling that deemed segregation on buses unconstitutional and the furtherance of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
RIGHT: Phyllis Coleman Mouton, president of Women of Wisdom, lays a rose on a city bus seat to honor civil rights icon Rosa Parks during Monday’s ceremony.
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
White House says follow-up strike on drug boat lawful
BY AAMER MADHANI and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press
WASHINGTON The White House said Monday that a Navy admiral acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered a second, follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in a September U.S. military operation that has come under bipartisan scrutiny White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt offered the justification for the Sept 2 strike after lawmakers from both parties on Sunday announced support for congressional reviews of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The lawmakers cited a published report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for a
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‘The
best job in football’
New coach Kiffin praises opportunity to win at LSU
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
As LSU courted Lane Kiffin, athletic director Verge Ausberry sent him a message. Ole Miss had been jumped by Oregon in the College Football Playoff rankings even though it had not played a game, and Ausberry wanted to tease him a little bit. What he said also encapsulated the way LSU sold Kiffin on the job.
“Teams don’t jump LSU,” Ausberry said. Kiffin was introduced as LSU’s head coach Monday afternoon inside the club suites overlooking Tiger Stadium, a day after he left an Ole Miss team on the cusp of hosting a first-round game. He is the first head coach to leave a playoff-bound team, and Kiffin felt torn. At one point, he said the only way to describe the decision-making process was that “it sucked.”
But Kiffin did leave, taking over a team that went 7-5 this year while he led Ole Miss to its first 11-win regular season in school history. Kiffin saw LSU as one of the premier jobs in college football, a place where he could finally win his first national championship. Kiffin has taken other desirable jobs before, especially at Southern Cal, but he felt ready at 50 years old to make a move that he hopes will define his career
“Somebody very close to me reminded me this week that LSU is the best job in football,” Kiffin said.
Landry intervenes in House leadership race
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
The election to choose the next chair of the Louisiana House Republican Caucus, normally a littlenoticed piece of inside baseball, is roiling the ranks of the 73-member Republican delegation.
That’s because Gov Jeff Landry, in an unprecedented move, is telling lawmakers he wants them to select Rep Michael Echols, RMonroe, instead of Rep. John Illg, R-Metairie.
Numerous House members said Landry’s support for Echols stems from his anger at Illg for taking a stand against the governor’s biggest priority during the 2025 legislative session, a measure that will give Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple more power to reject car insurance rate increases. The bill would allow Landry to blame Temple if insurance rates continue to rise. Landry has already sought retribution against Republicans who opposed him on that measure As The Advocate | The Times-Picayune reported in July, 16 of the 17 line-item vetoes issued by Landry killed spending projects sponsored
Republicans prepare for caucus chair election ä See LANDRY, page 5A
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU football coach Lane Kiffin gives an opening statement at an introductory news conference on Monday at Tiger Stadium.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing at the White House on Monday. ä See
page 4A
ä See KIFFIN, page 4A
Son of drug kingpin
‘El Chapo’ pleads guilty
CHICAGO A son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin “El Chapo” pleaded guilty Monday to U.S. drug trafficking charges, months after his brother entered a plea deal.
Known locally in Mexico as the “Chapitos,” or “little Chapos,” Joaquin Guzman Lopez and his brother Ovidio Guzman Lopez, are accused of running a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Federal authorities in 2023 described the operation as a massive effort to send “staggering” quantities of fentanyl into the U.S. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of drug trafficking and continuing criminal enterprise after admitting his role in overseeing the transport of tens of thousands of kilograms of drugs to the U.S., mostly through underground tunnels. With the plea deal he’ll avoid life in prison.
Security was tight at Chicago’s federal court ahead of the hearing where prosecutors detailed events leading up to Guzman Lopez’s dramatic arrest with another longtime Sinaloa leader on U.S. soil in July 2024. Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit and matching shoes, spoke little in court. At the start of the hearing, U.S District Judge Sharon Coleman asked him what he did for work.
“Drug trafficking,” he said.
“Oh that’s your job,” Coleman said with a chuckle. “There you go.” If Guzman Lopez cooperates with the U.S. government, prosecutors say they would reduce the life sentence attached to the charges. Regardless, he faces at least 10 years in prison, said Andrew Erskine, an attorney representing the federal government.
Shot Guard member shows positive signs
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A West Virginia National Guard member who was shot last week in a brazen daytime attack in Washington, D.C., remains in serious condition but showed positive signs by giving a thumbs-up that he could hear a nurse’s question and wiggling his toes, Gov Patrick Morrisey said Monday.
Morrisey said the family of 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe has asked the public to pray for him. Another member of the West Virginia National Guard, U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in the shooting.
“Andrew is still fighting for his life,” Morrisey said “Andrew needs prayers.”
Morrisey said he could not yet share details of any funeral arrangements for Beckstrom and wants to respect her family’s wishes.
Beckstrom and Wolfe were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House while deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting plan that federalized D.C. police.
‘Rage bait’ named Oxford word of year
LONDON Oxford University Press has named “rage bait” as its word of the year, capturing the internet zeitgeist of 2025.
The phrase refers to online content that is “deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive,” with the aim of driving traffic to a particular social media account, Oxford said in a statement.
“The person producing it will bask in the millions, quite often, of comments and shares and even likes sometimes,” lexicographer Susie Dent told the BBC. This is a result of the algorithms used by social media companies, “because although we love fluffy cats, we’ll appreciate that we tend to engage more with negative content and content that really provokes us.”
Rage bait topped two other contenders — “aura farming” and “biohack” — after public comment on a shortlist compiled by lexicographers at Oxford University Press.
“Aura farming” means to cultivate a public image by presenting oneself in “a way intended subtly to convey an air of confidence, coolness or mystique.”
“Biohack” is defined as “an attempt to improve or optimize one’s physical or mental performance, health or longevity.”
Survivor describes Calif. party shooting
Family was about to cut birthday cake when gunfire erupted
BY SOPHIE AUSTIN and CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press
STOCKTON, Calif. Family members were getting ready to cut the cake at a toddler’s birthday party when the gunfire started inside a banquet hall packed with relatives and friends over the weekend in California.
“I actually thought it was my balloons popping. It was gunshots,” said Patrice Williams, the birthday girl’s mother Her daughter, who turned 2, was uninjured But Williams told The Associated Press on Monday that her sister, a cousin and three of her friends were shot in the burst of gunfire Saturday evening in Stockton.
Three children ages 8, 9 and 14 and a 21-year-old were killed in the hall where at least 100 people were gathered, San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow said Detectives believe the gunfire continued outside and there may have been multiple shooters
Eleven people were wounded, and at least one is in critical condition, Withrow said. No one is in custody
Williams said partygoers who had gathered around the cake dropped to the ground the moment the gunshots rang out.
“It was just unexpected. I don’t know what happened, and I’m just so shocked and lost,” Williams said. She expressed remorse for the mothers who lost their children.
Williams said she didn’t get a look at the shooter and has no idea who would commit violence at what was supposed to be a joyous event.
“They deserve to be in jail. They deserve to go to hell,” Williams said. “I’m sorry, but I just it’s not respectable It’s a kids’ party.”
Williams, surrounded by family members, teared up as she said parents who plan birthday parties for their kids should consider having them indoors because of the risk of violence
The sheriff urged anyone with information to contact his office with tips, cellphone video or witness accounts.
“This is a time for our community to show that we will not put up with this type
of behavior, when people will just walk in and kill children,” Withrow said Sunday evening. “And so if you know anything about this, you have to come forward and tell us what you know If not, you just become complacent and think this is acceptable behavior.”
Sheriff’s spokesperson Heather Brent has said investigators believe it was a “targeted incident.” Officials did not elaborate on why authorities believe it was intentional or who might have been targeted. She said investigators would welcome any information, “even rumors.”
Stockton resident Carolyn Tahod, who didn’t know the victims, showed up Monday to place bouquets of flowers at a makeshift memorial with candles lit in honor of those who died.
“I’m just the average person that has a big heart, and I have grandkids,” she said. “I would be devastated if this were to happen in our family.”
Roscoe Brown, who said the party was in honor of his brother’s granddaughter, works for the city of Stockton’s Office of Violence Prevention. Brown was in Arizona when he learned about the shooting and drove straight to the scene. He said a niece and nephew were shot, and he knows several other victims He didn’t have information about their conditions.
“Who would come and do that to some kids, you know?” Brown told AP after a Sunday afternoon vigil organized by faith leaders. “You can’t shoot up a party That’s senseless. A kid’s party, at that.”
Emmanuel Lopez told the Los Angeles Times his brother, 21-year-old Susano Archuleta, was shot in the neck and died at the scene. Lopez said his 9-year-old daughter was shot in the head but survived. He didn’t share details about what led up to the shooting.
Stockton is a city of 320,000 residents about 80 miles east of San Francisco. Stockton saw 3,680 violent crimes in 2024, at a rate more than double the statewide rate, according to city and state data. Violent crime includes homicide, rape, assault and robbery The San Joaquin Valley, where Stockton is located, had the highest violent crime rate in the state in 2023, according to data from the Public Policy Institute of California.
Hours after the shooting, the Stockton Police Department arrested five people, including a juvenile, on weapons and gang-related charges There was no indication that the arrests were connected to the killings at the banquet hall, the sheriff said.
Mangione seeks to exclude evidence from trial in health care CEO’s death
BY MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press
NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione watched stoically in court Monday as prosecutors played surveillance videos showing the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York City sidewalk last year and Mangione’s arrest five days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania. The videos, including footage from the restaurant previously unseen by the press or the public, kicked off a hearing on Mangione’s fight to bar evidence from his state murder trial, including the gun prosecutors say matches the one used in the Dec. 4, 2024, attack. Thompson was killed as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.
Mangione, 27, pressed a finger to his lips and a thumb to his chin as he watched footage of two police officers approaching him as he ate breakfast at the McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan.
He gripped a pen in his right hand, making a fist at times, as prosecutors played a 911 call from a McDonald’s manager
relaying concerns from customers that Mangione looked like the suspect in Thompson’s killing. The manager said she searched online for photos of the suspect and that as Mangione sat in the restaurant, she could only see his eyebrows because he was wearing a beanie and a medical face mask. Before he was flown to New York City to face murder charges, Mangione was held under constant watch in an otherwise empty special housing unit at a Pennsylvania state prison.
A correctional officer testified that the prison wanted to keep Mangione away from other inmates and staff who might leak information about him to the media. The officer testified that the facility’s superintendent told him that the prison “did not want an Epstein-style situation,” referring to Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide at a Manhattan federal jail in 2019.
Among the evidence Mangione’s defense team wants excluded are the 9 mm handgun and a notebook in which prosecutors say he described his intent to “wack” a health insurance executive. Both were found in a backpack Mangione had with him when arrested.
Ex-Trump lawyer disqualified as top N.J. prosecutor
Appeals court upholds ruling on Alina Habba
BY MIKE CATALINI Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA President
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba is disqualified from serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor despite his administration’s maneuvers to keep her in the role, an appeals court said Monday
A panel of judges from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sitting in Philadelphia sided with a lower-court judge’s ruling after hearing oral arguments at which Habba was present on Oct. 20.
fighting on behalf of other candidates to be federal prosecutors who have been denied a chance for a Senate hearing. The White House had no immediate comment on Habba and referred questions to the Justice Department. Messages were left Monday seeking comment from the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey Habba’s personal staffer and the Justice Department. The decision affirmed Habba is serving unlawfully attorneys for the appellees said in an emailed statement.
“It is apparent that the current administration has been frustrated by some of the legal and political barriers to getting its appointees in place. Its efforts to elevate its preferred candidate for U.S Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, to the role of Acting U.S. Attorney demonstrate the difficulties it has faced — yet the citizens of New Jersey and the loyal employees in the U.S. Attorney’s Office deserve some clarity and stability,” the court wrote in a 32-page opinion. It concluded: “We will affirm the District Court’s disqualification order.”
The ruling comes amid the push by Trump’s Republican administration to keep Habba as the acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, a powerful post charged with enforcing federal criminal and civil law It also comes after the judges questioned the government’s moves to keep Habba in place after her interim appointment expired and without her getting Senate confirmation.
Habba said after that hearing in a statement posted to X that she was
“We will continue to challenge President Trump’s unlawful appointments of purported U.S Attorneys wherever appropriate,” said attorneys Abbe Lowell, Gerry Krovatin and Norm Eisen in the statement.
Habba is hardly the only Trump administration prosecutor whose appointment has been challenged by defense lawyers. Last week, a federal judge dismissed criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James after concluding that the hastily installed prosecutor who filed the charges, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed to the position of interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Justice Department has said it intends to appeal the rulings. The judges on the panel were two appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, D. Brooks Smith and D. Michael Fisher, as well as one named by Democratic President Barack Obama Luis Felipe Restrepo. It wasn’t immediately clear how the ruling would affect prosecutions. Jacob Elberg, a Seton Hall Law School professor, said the decision would have “real implications.”
Aundre Smith, left watches Monday as Genesis Smith places flowers near the scene of a mass shooting on Saturday at a banquet hall in Stockton, Calif.
Habba
That person may have been PeteCarroll or Nick Saban.Kiffin talkedtoboth of them, looking for advice aboutwhat he should do. Though he did not say it explicitly,hesuggested Saban toldhim to take the LSU job, saying, “I respect him, so there’sareason I’m here.” Carroll told him that Kiffin’s late father,Monte, would have advised him to go. “I felt like everybody that I talked to outside of thestate that Iwas in all basically said thesame thing,” Kiffin said. “They all said, ‘Man, you are going to regretit if you don’ttake theshot and you don’tgotoLSU. It’sthe best job in America with the best resources to win it.’” There was mutual interestfrom the beginning. LSU put together a list of namesafter theOct.26 firingofBrianKelly,and Ausberry said administrators “performed due diligence on several other candidates.”Sources said Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz was high on the list as abackup option.But the primarytarget was always Kiffin. “Lane’sname kept popping up,” Ausberry said. “You know what? Let’stake ashot at him.”
Alongtime LSU athleticofficial, Ausberry led the search for the first timeafter theouster of athletic director Scott Woodward afew days after Kelly.Ausberry had been involvedinhiring the previous four football coachesinsome capacity.When LSU promoted him to the full-time role, hisconnections with agents and coaches was
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Continued from page1A
second strike that killed survivors on the boat in that September incident.
Leavitt in her comments to reporters did not dispute aWashington Post reportthat there were survivors afterthe initial strike in theincident. Herexplanation came after President Donald Trump aday earlier saidthat he “wouldn’thave wanted that —not asecond strike” when asked about theincident.
“Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” said Leavitt, referring to U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Frank Bradley,who at the time was thecommander of Joint Special Operations Command.“Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law,directing the engagement to ensure theboat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated.”
viewed as astrength.
Ausberry talked to former LSU players Booger McFarland, Ryan Clark andMarcusSpears, as well as former coaches. He mentioned one “who workedhere,”hinting again at Saban. Ausberry wanted to ask other peopleinthe business about Kiffinto make surehewould be agood fit. He also watched Ole Missgames, seeing howthe team played and the waythe offense functioned.
“Hehas atalent that notmany people have,” Ausberry said.
“Steve Spurrier had this talent.
Nick Saban has this talent. Skip Bertman has this talent where theycan look at agameand say, ‘Do this right now.Run this play rightnow.’ Not many guys can do that.”
The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’sPost report was true, and some Republicanswereskeptical. Still, they said thereports of attackingsurvivors of an initial missile strike posed seriouslegal concernsand merited further scrutiny.
TheWhite House weighed in after Trump onSunday vigorously defended Hegseth
“Pete said he did not order the death of those two men,” Trump said. He added, “And Ibelieve him.”
Leavitt said Hegseth has spoken with members ofCongresswho may have expressed some concerns about the reports over the weekend.
Gen.Dan Caine, chairofthe Joint Chiefs of Staff,also spoke over theweekendwith thefour bipartisanlawmakers leadingthe Senate andHouse Armed Services Committees.
He reiterated “his trust and confidence in the experienced commanders at every echelon,” Caine’soffice said in astatement.
Thestatement added thatthe call
At some point in the process, Ausberry flewtomeet with Kiffin. He did not specify thelocation or dateofthe meetingwhen asked. Ausberry said it lasted for an hour and 20 minutes. He asked Kiffin what he needed to be successful andwhatheexpected from the LSUadministration, nothis ideas about offensive game plans or potential hires.
“I’m goingtoleaveyou alone and letyou coach theteam,” Kiffin said of Ausberry’spitch. “I like when I hear that. ‘We’re going to give you everything to win,and I’mgoing to leaveyou aloneand go coach the team andbring us championships.’
“Vergeisn’treally long-winded in those meetings, as some other people, andhegets right to the point. Ireally like that. He sparked
focusedon“addressing the intent and legality of missions to disrupt illicittrafficking networks which threaten the securityand stability of the Western Hemisphere.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Monday broadly defended theoperations,echoing theTrumpadministration position that they’re necessary to stem the flow of illegalnarcotics into the United States.
Thune said the committees in Congress will conductoversight looking intowhat happened. “I don’tthink you wanttodrawany conclusions or deductions until youhave all the facts,” he said of the Sept.2strike. “We’ll see where they lead.”
After the Post’sreport, Hegseth said Friday on Xthat “fake news is delivering morefabricated, inflammatory,and derogatoryreporting to discredit our incredible warriors fighting to protect the homeland.”
“Ourcurrent operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law,with all actions in compliance with the law
my interest from thefirsttimeI talked to him.”
LSU’spursuit heated up Nov. 17, when school officials arranged for aprivateplane to bring several of Kiffin’sfamily members, including his ex-wife, Layla Kiffin, to Baton Rouge.Theyspent theday looking at potential properties and learning about schools, trying to get asense of where they would live if they moved. Kiffin said he thought about how his decision affected his children and the family of his brother,Ole Miss defensive analyst Chris Kiffin, whofollowed him to LSU
The family took asimilartrip the day before to Gainesville, Florida, as he consideredthe University of Florida head coachingjob Layla Kiffin’sfather,John Reaves, played quarterback forthe Gators and later returned to coach at the school in theearly 1990s.
“Thoseare the things that we were alittle afraid of,” Ausberry said. “That’sthatpull to Gainesville. When she came to Baton Rouge, she was like, ‘Wow,I really like this place.’”
Over the rest of theweek, LSU officials assembled aseven-year, $91 million contract offer.His $13 millionannual salary made Lane Kiffin thesecond-highest paid coachincollege football behind Georgia’sKirby Smart.
ButKiffin joked Monday that he did not even know the numbers inside his deal. He said he asked agent Jimmy Sexton to tell him instead about howmuchthe teams that wanted to hire him were willing to spend on the roster.LSU has prepared to commit $25 million to $30million annually throughrevenue sharing and name, image and
of armed conflict —and approved by thebest military andcivilian lawyers,upand downthe chain of command,” Hegseth wrote.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck SchumercalledHegseth a“national embarrassment” over his responsetocritics. Schumeradded thatthe armed services committees should demand that Hegseth release the video of the strike and testify under oath about what happened.
Sen. JackReed,the topDemocrat on the Senate ArmedServices Committee, said thepanel’s inquiry would start “with briefings about whatactually happened” from theofficials involved. Reed also called forthe administration to release unredacted video of the strike.
“If they’ve done nothing wrong, thenthat videoshouldexonerate them completely.Why don’tthey release it?” he asked.
Sen. Roger Wicker,the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pledged that his investigation wouldbe“done by thenumbers.”
likeness,sources said.Ausberry claimed donors who have already givenNIL money want to spend moreand that somewho haven’t contributed before arenow willing to do so.
“This was the best setup,” Kiffin said. “That definitely played a factor into it. Because Idon’tcare what your systems are,without good players, they don’twork. In the process of figuring out the NIL package, those werenot similar (at other schools). Those were not the same. That’sabig part of it.”
Still, Kiffin felt happy at Ole Miss andhad ateamheading toward the College FootballPlayoff. He said he wanted to coach through the postseason,whichLSU would have allowed him to do.
But Ole Miss did not agree to let him stayonduring meetings Saturday nightand into Sunday morning, letting LSU finally pickhim up with aprivate plane.
Kiffin said he felt “torn.”Hedescribeddriving to theOxford, Mississippi, airport with his son and having people trytorun himoff the road. He even questioned the decision as he flew toward Baton Rouge, wondering if he had made theright call. Once he landedand rode past Tiger Stadium on the way to the football operations facility,itfelt right.
As he went past, Kiffincalled another coach: formerLSU head coach Ed Orgeron. He jokedthat the place madehim wanttotalk like his gravel-voiced friend.
“I don’tknow, man,I’m feeling you right now,” Kiffinsaid.
“Coach,” Kiffin recalled Orgeron saying, “you’re at the best place in America.”
“We’ll find out the ground truth,” he said, adding that the ramificationsofthe report were “serious charges.”
Trump met later Monday with his national security team to discuss the ongoing operations and potential next steps against Venezuela.
The U.S. administration says the strikes are aimed at drug cartels, someofwhich it claims are controlled by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump also is weighing whether to carry out strikes on the Venezuelan mainland.
Trump confirmed Sunday that he hadrecently spoken by phonewith Maduro but declined to detail the conversation.
Speaking to supporters in Caracas on Monday, Maduro said U.S. pressure has “tested” the country, but Venezuelans areready “todefend it andlead it to the path of peace.”
“Wehave lived through 22 weeks of aggression that can only be described as psychological terrorism,” Maduro said.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSUPresident Wade Rousse, left, and athletic director VergeAusberry, right, stand withnew football coach Lane Kiffinafter anewsconference on Monday.
by Republicans who had voted against him on the bill, including Illg. With nearly half of Republican House members voting against the bill at one point, the defection represented their biggest opposition to the governor House members and political analysts said they believe Landry also favors Echols because he is more likely to focus on shoring up the governor’s support among Republicans during the 2026 legislative session
The 73 House Republicans have begun sending in their secret ballots to pick the next caucus chair, with the counting scheduled to take place in the State Capitol on Dec. 11.
Landry’s intervention is the latest in his efforts to place people he wants in positions of power He maneuvered to get his choices selected as the president of LSU and speaker of the House and he publicly called to oust the athletic director of LSU.
“That’s Jeff Landry,” said veteran pollster and political consultant Bernie Pinsonat “That’s his way of governing, taking control as much as he can.”
Why it matters
Electing Echols, Pinsonat said, “would amount to a loss of independence” for the Legislature Pinsonat and others noted that Republican lawmakers forcefully advocated for the Legislature to be independent of the governor during the eight years when John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, held the office. Republicans showed their independence by swatting aside the Democrat who Edwards wanted to be named speaker after he became governor in January 2016. Republicans, who held a majority, chose one of their own instead.
Four years later when Edwards began his second term, then-state Rep Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, put together a coalition of Republicans and Democrats to be elected speaker over a Republican-only supported representative, with Edwards blessing the plan only at the end.
After Landry was elected governor in October 2023, House Republicans reverted to a decadeslong tradition by allowing Landry to choose the next speaker He selected Rep. Phillip DeVillier R-Eunice.
House Republicans praise DeVillier for his open style in overseeing the House and his willingness to work with everyone.
DeVillier has also won high marks for keeping the Republican delegation united behind Landry’s conservative agenda. This has led to a reduction in income tax rates, an expansion of the school voucher program, the passage of anti-transgender legislation and the enactment of tough-on-crime measures.
DeVillier sidestepped a question in a text about whether he has joined with the governor in supporting
Echols and whether the governor’s involvement in the election represents a step back from legislative independence.
DeVillier instead listed a series of legislative accomplishments and said he looks forward to working with the next chair
Landry didn’t respond to a question on why he is supporting Echols, instead sending a text of his accomplishments that matched DeVillier’s text, word for word.
Governors have frequently sought to get their preferred candidate named speaker or Senate president, but none have pushed for the selection of a caucus chair
Landry’s divides caucus
Fifteen House Republicans, who did not want to be named to avoid antagonizing Landry or any colleagues, said the governor and legislative aides have told them in personal meetings or phone calls that he supports Echols.
Nearly all of the House Republicans said Landry’s push is dividing the caucus Some who support Echols feared it could end up creating a backlash that would hurt his candidacy
“It’s causing a lot of grief and a lot of rift,” said one Illg supporter
Several Republican House members said they understand why Landry would want a delegation chair who is in lockstep with him.
Both Illg and Echols have strongly backed the governor’s legislation, with Illg showing a bit more willingness to buck Landry Republican colleagues say Illg is known as a big teddy bear his nickname is “Big” because of his size — who gets along with everyone, while Echols has a reputation for being more overtly strategic and political.
How Illg crossed Landry
Landry saw his biggest defection among Republicans when he pushed for the measure during the 2025 legislative session that will give Temple greater authority to reject insurance rate increases. And that’s when Illg got crossways with the governor
At its first hearing, Landry took the unusual step of personally testifying in favor of the measure, House Bill 576,
before the House Insurance Committee.
The day before, committee Chair Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, tried to get all of the Republicans to agree to support HB576, to avoid embarrassing or antagonizing Landry But Illg refused to go along, believing that the bill would harm the insurance industry
On the day of the hearing, Illg made the motion to object to HB576, which forced a recorded vote. Three other Republicans joined Illg in opposition.
Landry then faced so much opposition from Republicans that he had to amend his plan onto a different bill that passed the House thanks to Democratic support.
The caucus chair organizes Republican strategy meetings during the legislative session. The governor and his aides frequently attend to push his priorities.
Changing partisan politics
Having a caucus chair is a not new, but it’s only been in the past 15 to 20 years that state legislators have mimicked Washington by dividing themselves into Republican and Democratic camps. Previously, the fault line for Democrats and Republicans was whether they lined up with the governor, regardless of party
During Gov Bobby Jindal’s second term and Edwards’ first term, then-state Rep. Lance Harris, of Alexandria, was the House GOP chair, using both humor and muscle to corral Republicans into supporting a common position.
Then-state Rep. Blake Miguez, of New Iberia, now a state senator running to be U.S. senator, was the caucus chair during Edwards’ second term. Miguez and Schexnayder were at odds because Miguez hadn’t supported Schexnayder to be speaker As a result, Schexnayder for a year refused to give Miguez the check-writing authority that Harris had for the caucus and locked Miguez out of an office that Harris had used.
The Republican caucus chair became vacant on Nov. 13 when Rep. Mark Wright, of Covington, stepped down from the position to devote more time for his campaign to be elected to the Public Service Commission next
with the understanding that he would succeed Wright in two years.
“It was sort of an agreement,” Wright said, adding, “he’d still have to get his votes.”
Echols decided to seek the job, too. He emailed Republican House members on Oct. 28, saying he wanted to strengthen efforts to raise money for their messaging by “clearly articulating our values and legislative accomplishments.”
Illg expressed disappointment that Echols didn’t give him a heads-up of his plans even though they had been together the night before at the Pentagon Barracks, across the street from the Capitol, watching a World Series game with other legislators.
mote our strong Republican values with better communication.”
Illg defeated Echols in January 2024 to become the caucus vice chair But the two men describe themselves as friends during their six years together in the Legislature, sharing meals and hunting deer together at Echols’ camp.
year Wright and Illg had vied
to be the caucus chair when the current Legislature was seated in January 2024, with Illg agreeing to step aside
Echols followed up with another email to House Republicans on Nov 25 that included a nearly two-minute video.
Illg also emailed Republican House members on Nov 25, saying he wanted “to pro-
Echols said he decided to run for caucus chair on his own and informed Landry only afterward. “I did not ask the governor or his staff to make calls on my behalf,” he said. Illg said he strongly supports Landry’s agenda, not voting with him on only a couple of high-profile issues. Republican members, he said, “want unity, better communication and independence. Let’s be together and work with the governor.” Other legislators say the election creates a quandary “I love both of those guys,” said Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Hessmer. “I hate that it’s getting to this point.”
Russia andUkraine mull Trump’speace proposal
Land andsecurity aremainsticking points
BY DASHA LITVINOVA
andISOBEL KOSHIW
Associated Press
Diplomats face an uphill battle to reconcile Russian and Ukrainian “red lines” as arenewed U.S.-led push to end the war gatherssteam, with Ukrainian officials attending talks in the U.S. over theweekend and Washington officials expected in Moscow early this week. PresidentDonald Trump’s peaceplanbecame public last month, sparking alarm that it was too favorableto Moscow.Itwas revised following talks in Geneva betweenthe U.S. and Ukraine aweek ago. Ukraine’sPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy has saidthe revised plan couldbe “workable.” RussianPresident Vladimir Putin called it apossible“basis” for a future peace agreement. Trump said Sunday “there’s agood chance we can make adeal.”
Still, officials on both sides indicated along road ahead as key sticking points —over whether Kyiv should cede land to Moscow and how to ensure Ukraine’sfuture se-
curity —appear unresolved.
Trump representatives met the Ukrainian officials over theweekendand plan to meet with the Russians in coming days
Ukraine’snational security councilhead Rustem Umerov,the headofUkraine’s armed forcesAndrii Hnatov, presidential adviser OleksandrBevzand others met with U.S. officials for about four hours on Sunday.U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the session was productive but more work remains. Umerov praised theU.S.for itssupport but offerednodetails.
Zelenskyy’sformerchief of staff andformer lead negotiator for Ukraine, Andrii Yermak, resigned Friday amidacorruptionscandal and isnolonger part of the negotiating team. It wasonly aweek ago that Rubio met with Yermak in Geneva,resulting in arevised peace plan.
Trump said last week that he would sendhis envoy Steve Witkoff to Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Monday that Putin will meetWitkoff on Tuesday afternoon.
Trump suggested he could eventually meet with Putin and Zelenskyy, but notuntil therehas beenmoreprogress.
Witkoff’s role in the peace
The first version of the plan granted somecore Russian demands that Ukraine considers nonstarters, suchas ceding land to Moscow that it doesn’tyet occupy and renouncing its bid to become a memberofNATO.
Zelenskyy has said repeatedly that giving up territory is not an option. One of the Ukrainiannegotiators, Bevz, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Ukraine’s president wanted to discuss the territoryissue with Trump directly.Yermak thentold The Atlanticinaninterview on Thursday that Zelenskyy would notsign over the land.
amajor blow for Zelenskyy, although neither the president nor Yermakhave been accusedofwrongdoing by investigators.
“Russia really wants Ukraine to make mistakes. There won’tbemistakeson our side,” Zelenskyy said. “Our work continues, our struggle continues. We don’t have aright nottopush it to the end.”
efforts came underscrutiny last week following areport thathecoached Yuri Ushakov, Putin’sforeign affairs adviser,onhow Russia’s leader should pitch Trump on the Ukraine peace plan. Both Moscow and Washington downplayed thesignificance of the revelations.
Eager to pleaseTrump, Kyiv andMoscow have ostensibly welcomed the peace planand the push to end the war.But Russia has continuedattackingUkraine and reiteratedits maximalist demands, indicating adeal is still aways off.
Putin impliedlast week that he will fight as along as it takestoachieve hisgoals, saying that he will stop only when Ukrainian troops with-
drawfrom all fourUkrainian regions thatRussia illegally annexedin2022and still doesn’tfully control. “If they don’twithdraw, we’ll achieve thisbyforce. That’sall,” he said.
The plan, Putinsaid, “could form thebasis forfuture agreements,”but it is in no way final and requires “a serious discussion.”
Zelenskyy hasrefrained from talking about individualpoints, opting instead to thank Trump profuselyfor his effortsand emphasizing the needfor Europe —whose interests aremore closely aligned withUkraine’s— to be involved. He also has stressed the importance of robust securityguarantees for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy also maintains thatNATOmembership is the cheapest way to guaranteeUkraine’s security, andNATO’s32member countries said last year that Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to membership. Sincehetook office, Trump has made it clear that NATO membership is off the table.
Moscow,inturn, hasbristled at anysuggestion of a Western peacekeeping force on the ground in Ukraine, and stressed that keeping Ukraine out of NATO and NATO outofUkraine was oneofthe core goalsofthe war Zelenskyy,meanwhile, has been under pressure at home.
Yermak’s resignation was
An activist with Ukraine’s nongovernmentalAntiCorruptionCenter,Valeriia Radchenko, saidletting go of Yermakwas the right decision and would open a “windowofopportunityfor reform.” Putin, meanwhile, seeks to project confidence, boasting of Russia’sadvances on the battlefield.
The Russianleader “feels more confident than ever about the battlefield situation and is convinced that he can wait until Kyiv finally accepts that it cannot win and mustnegotiateonRussia’s well-known terms,” Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia andEurasia Center wrote on X. “Ifthe Americans can help move things in that direction —fine. If not, he knows how to proceed anyway.That is the current Kremlin logic.” NATO and the EU areholding several meetings this week focused on Ukraine.
BY PATRICK WHITTLE and ADAM SCHRECK Associated Press
PORTLAND,Maine Black ice, snow showers and fog pestered post-holidaytravelers in the Midwest on Monday whilethe Northeast geared up for its firstmajor snowstorm of the season. More than 8inches of snow fell at Chicago O’Hare International Airport this weekend, setting arecord for the highest single calendarday snowfallinNovember at the airport, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record was set in 1951. About300 flights into and out of O’Hare had been canceled by earlySunday evening, while about1,600 had been delayed, according to thetracking site FlightAware. Dozens remained canceled or delayed there into Monday,and commuting conditions on roads were expected to remaindangerous in some areas wellintoMondaynight.
could soak some partsofthe region’ssix states while piling snow in others, forecasterssaid.
In theNortheast, some parts of northern New England were expecting up to 10 inches of snow.Awindy, potentially icy storm was headed to theregion, and
The NationalWeather Serviceissued winterstorm warnings and winter weather advisories in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont Maine, Connecticut and New York. With plowable snow expected to coat large parts of Pennsylvania, crews began to treat lanes along the565mile Pennsylvania Turnpike system on Monday,said the agency’spress secretary, Marissa Orbanek. Vehicle restrictions on many inter-
states in the eastern half of Pennsylvania,including on the turnpike system’s Northeast Extension, from the Lehigh Valley to Clarks Summit,will be imposed at 5 a.m. Tuesday More than 600 equipment operatorsand safetyworkers are available to help clear the turnpike’s2,900 milesof lanes, Orbanek said. The turnpike’swinterstaffing schedule began in mid-November,and 23 maintenance sheds arestaffed around the clock. “Wereally prepare for snowall year long,” Orbanek said.
In Chicago, Don Herrian was among the crowdsof travelers at O’Hare on Sunday, hoping to make it back home after Thanksgiving as hundreds of flights were delayed and canceled following awinterstorminthe Great Lakes region. The 76-year-old retiree fromArdmore,Oklahoma, had visitedhis daughterand her family in Indianapolis. He said his first flight was three hours late, and his connecting flight to Oklahoma City from Chicago was alreadyrunning anothertwo hours behind. Roads leading to O’Hare were packed Sundaywith slow-moving vehicles even after the roads had been cleared of snow.Inside, delayed travelers crowded into gate seating areas, restaurants and sports bars to pass the time. Others grabbed spots on the floors of the terminals, snacking, knitting or scrolling their phones. Planes were being de-iced at several airports across the country on Sunday, including at Ronald Reagan WashingtonNationalAirport and Minneapolis-Saint PaulInternationalAirport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By GAVRIIL GRIGOROV
RussianPresidentVladimir Putin and President Donald Trump’sspecialenvoy SteveWitkoff shakehandsAug.6 during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow.
JanRisher
LOUISIANA AT LARGE
Building Kiffin’s La. to-dolist
If Baton Rouge is getting a coach, Oxford is losinga character —and plenty of Oxford characters had something to say about Mississippi’sloss and Louisiana’sgain.
Ispent much of the weekend on the Lane Kiffin watch. As the daughter of aMississippi football coach, Icalled cousins,coaches and old friends to see what was going on in Oxford. Most were salty Icalled Square Books in Oxford, where Ispoke with owner Richard Howorth.
“Ordinarily,wedon’ttalk about aparticular customer’sbehavior, but in this case, Idon’tcare,” Howorth said. “I only saw him in here once. Istarted to introducemyself, but he was talkingwith someone, and Ididn’twant to interrupt him. Then, he was in and out.”
Howorth acknowledged thatthe Ole Miss faithful are frustrated but looking forward.
“People are alittle riled about the way that ordeal went down. Ithink the system is at fault to a great extent,” Howorth said. “People wouldn’thave minded hadit been somewhere other than LSU.” The bookseller went on to talk about the brokenness of university-level football, calling it aminor league farm system for professional football.
“I’m rethinking my devotionto being afootball fan,” Howorth said, before expoundingonthe ridiculous level of deliberations and process.
Isaid, “It was almost like picking the next pope.”
Howorth said, “Or like picking the next dope.”
Coach Kiffin, in Baton Rouge, try Red Stick Reads. If you’re up for adrive, head to St. Francisville’sThe Conundrum or Denham Springs’ Cavalier House Books.
Then Icalled another Oxford favorite, the Chevron on South Lamar Boulevard, where they’ve been making the world’sbest chicken on astick for more than 50 years, according to the Ole Miss faithful.
Owner Rey Rupani said Kiffin had definitely been by the Chevron. “I never met him personally but I’m not here 24 hours aday,” Rupani said. “Yes, I’m sad that he
ä See RISHER, page 4B
BY KEVIN HALL Publisher
There’salot of excitement in Louisiana right now. LSUhas a newfootballcoach,the
An appealscourt hasoverturned alower-court ruling in alawsuit thatallegesthe Lafayette Parish School Boardwas responsible for injuries toanAcadiana High Schoolstudent during an afterschool joyriding incident on campus.
Athree-judge panelwith the Louisiana 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal on Nov.26reversed thelowercourt ruling granting asummary judgmentbyJudge Royale Colbert,ofthe 15thJudicial District in
Lafayette, that favored the board. Tina Reed filed the lawsuit on behalf of herson,Trentez Gilchrist, whowas an Acadiana High freshman on Nov.12, 2020, when he sat on the hood of car driven by another Acadiana High student Appeal Court Judge Ledricka Thierry wrote in the judgment that thedriver“drove recklessly around the school campus,” reaching speeds of 40 mph. Gilchrist was thrown off thecar andsuffered serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury,she wrote. Reed filed apetition for damages alleging theSchoolBoard “was
negligent and failed to exercise reasonable supervision of its students,” Thierry wrote.
Theboardfileda motion for summary judgment, Thierry wrote, alleging the incident “was not foreseeable and wascaused by therecklessness of the students involved.”
The incident occurred at least two hours after classes ended and after basketball practice. No staff was on duty outside the school at the timeofthe incident.
Colbert granted theboard’s motion. Reed and Gilchrist appealed. Whenthe liability of aschool
board is at issue, Thierry wrote, those filing the lawsuit must prove the board was negligentinregards to supervision, that acausal connection exists between the lack of supervision and the incident, and the foreseeability of the risk of unreasonable injury
The appealcourt found several issues of material fact exist in the case that preclude the granting of the motion for summaryjudgment in favorofthe board, Thierry wrote.
The case will be returnedtothe 15th Judicial District for reconsideration.
Lighting theway
BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
TwoofAcadiana’spremier sports recreation areas are among thenation’sbest.That’saccording to asurvey recently conducted by SportbooksReview.More than3,000 people from across the United States were asked to identifythe parks andrecreation areas they believe to offerthe best opportunities for sports and exercise.
Of the threeLouisiana spots to make thecut,two were located in Lafayette Parish, thosebeingYoungsvilleSport Complex, whichranked No. 40 nationwide, and Broussard’sSt. JulienSports Complex, whichcame in at No. 97. Coming in first from Louisiana was New Orleans’ City Park, which was ranked No. 23 among all entries.
Amongits key findings, SportsbookReview notes that in many Southern states, including Louisiana, sports parksalso function as
munities.This
which first opened in 2014, boasts youthbasketball and volleyball leagues, nine beach volleyball courts,10tennis courts, and re-
cently expanded to include eight pickleball courtsand theaforementioned amphitheater Likewise, the St. Julien Sports ComplexinBroussard,which opened in 2018, features six fields forsoccer, football andlacrosse, eight tennis courts and 11 baseball/softball fields. Both of the relatively new facilitieshave been highly touted by local officials in the region, whoview
“In
at
andnearly1
have
We’re very
of the
reation that we provide to our local families,”saidBroussard Mayor Ray Bourque, highlighting the St. Julien Sports Complex in a social media address last month. For acomplete listofthe 144 parks highlighted in SportbooksReview’s survey,visit sports-
PHOTOSByROBIN MAy
DOTD must find aroute to lasting change
High on the list of priorities for Gov.Jeff Landry’s administration when it took officein 2024 was improving the state’sinfrastructure especially the condition of itsroadsand bridges Almost two years into his term, we aregetting someindication of how it’s going.
In November,the state chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers releasedgrades for Louisiana’sinfrastructure, givingthe state aC-overall. That’supslightly from the D+ the state received in the prior report released in 2017, butstill below the national averageofa C. The report lookednot only at roads and bridges, but also at sewerage and water systems, airports, dams, levees and other coastalprotection work.
It found that Louisiana is not keeping pace with its infrastructure needs due to avariety of factors, including extremeweather and alack of resources. There is much to raise concern as we look more closelyatamajor area of frustrationfor millions of Louisianadrivers daily:our roads and bridges. The report covers such alarge period that includes most ofthe termofGov.John Bel Edwards, so we know not allofits findings reflectactions by the currentadministration. The report gave our roadsa Dand ourbridges aD+. In other words, no change fromthe last report. That means despite ahuge influx of cash from the federalgovernment during theBiden administration, Louisianahas not moved the needle on road improvements.
We were optimistic aboutthe plan passed by the Legislature earlierthis yearatLandry’s urging to overhaul the Department of Transportationand Development andeliminate red tape to speedmaintenance and repaironstate roadways.
But it’snot all been smoothsailing.Some bridge projects set to be completed by theend of next year have barely gotten off theground, and the huge backlog of maintenance projects still lingers.
We are pleasedtosee Landry willing to shift gears whenneeded. He replaced hisprevious pick for head of DOTD, JoeDonahue,and named former chief of the Coastal Protection andRestoration Authority,Glenn Ledet, to lead the agencyinJune. He appointed Eric Dauphine, adistrict administrator in Lafayette, to leadthe OfficeofProjectDelivery and Julia Fisher-Cormier,who helpedimplement his ports plan as head of the Office of Multimodal Transportation, to run the agency’s newOffice of Transformation.
Changes at the top, however needed,may not be enough though. The commontheme that has spanned administrationsisthat Louisiana simply doesn’tdevote enough resources to fixing and maintaining roads. It’s past time forthe state to look at ways to generatea sustainable revenue stream for much-needed projects whether that means considering toll roads or raising the sacrosanct gas tax.All realistic options need to be on the table. Short of that, we’re just spinning our wheels
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.
LSUisonthe verge of acrisis that will damage the university for many years. The crisis is not related toan underperforming football team. The crisis is the purposeful loss of standards that lowers thevalue of degrees earned by future graduates and worsensthe reputation of LSU.
Why this assertion? First and foremost, LSUisnow test-optional. ACT scores are not arequired component of the admission process. Students with lousy testscores are admitted “holistically” using apotpourri of high school grades, essays, etc. They are, statistically,the “less smart”students. Painfully,LSU assertsthat ACT scores at LSU are rising, but that’sdeceitful because they only count the students who want their scores added to the database. Overall, the incoming credentials of the student body are getting worse. Andthe outcomeofthese inferior studentsbeing admitted? Iknow professors at LSU who care that an LSU degree meanssomething. Typically,
I’ve read quite afew letters lately about Bootstaters’ disgust withthe likes of Reps. Steve Scalise, Mike Johnson, Clay Higgins and Sen. Bill Cassidy,etc. Imust be frank and admit it’shard for me to muster any empathyfor the writers when these shills get elected timeand time again. News flash: Yougot exactly what you voted for Louisianaisdead last in qualityof-life standards for areason. Meanwhile, the current Republican majority owned the longest government shutdown in American history,while President Donald Trumpenjoyed a night of opulence and nostalgia as he celebrated Halloween at Mar-a-Lago by throwing alavish party complete with burlesque dancers and glamorous
these “gatekeepers” act as afilter, preventing people whodon’tdeserve adegree from marching forward. I’m told by these gatekeepers that inferior studentsput downward pressure on expectations. Unfortunately,there’s incentive to allow poor performers to pass. After all, graduation rates are a metric valued above quality LSUupper management seems proud that enrollment has grownand thestudent body is more diverse. But pressuretolower standards to accommodate lower-quality students will soon hurt thehard-earned good reputation of LSU. Once lost, it takes avery long time to recover.The endorsement Iused to give LSUasa great value is now less enthusiastic. In conclusion, mandatory test scores must be reinstated if LSUistofollow apositive corrective course as asolid academic institution. Isuggest aminimum ACT of 24 for nonathletes.
KEVIN W. KELLY Baton Rouge
women dressed in Roaring ’20s outfits. The 1920s narrative of “The Great Gatsby” was fitting forTrump’sliving portrayal of the Gilded Age. Perfectly adapted for the wealthiest president in history.Ofcourse, we all know what happened after the Roaring ’20s: the economic upheaval of the Great Depression. Although thestock market seemstobeholding its own forthe moment, thereare several economic indicators flashing like blinking lights on awarning panel: rising unemploymentand negative job growth, inflation,elimination of social safety nets, tariffs,etc, etc. Nero fiddled while Romeburned, andyou will reap what you sow MARK WALOCK Walker
TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE ‘Tis ashamethat all sometook away from theNoKings protest is that President Donald Trumpmust not be a king since no one was arrested. The protests don’texist to test Trump; thegoal is to mock him and remindhim that “no kings” are tolerated here.
When will Trumpsupportersget whyNoKings matters?
(Butifhehad ordered arrests, would that have bothered his supporters? Would that wake them up to his other abuses?)
CAROL CUREAU
Slidell
Like manyinLouisiana, Iwas following with interest the shocking newscoming almost daily from the LSU campus in Baton Rouge. Brian Kelly’stenure as head football coach did not go as planned or as mostof us would have liked. Now he’sgone, along with the man whohired him Athletic Director Scott Woodward. These twomen were owed nearly $60 million in total as buyout payments.
Someofussaw this coming. At the risk of sounding naive, I hope the members of the LSU Board of Supervisors have learned from this disaster as they fill vacancies in the athletic department. It goes without saying that the definition of excellence in higher education should include academic achievement. Ultimately,the people of Louisiana must demand morefrom their flagship university and its leaders. FOSTER CAMPBELL public service commissioner,north Louisiana
Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.Power in itself is not bad. It is simply the ability to influence and/or control. It can be used forgood or evil. It is the abuse of power that is the problem
When power is used in illegitimate, unfair and immoral ways, it is dangerous and evil and should be resisted and held in check. The end never justifies the means, particularly if the meansare wrong and abusive. The less powerful are always the victimsofthe abuse of power.All it takes forevil to prevail in this world is forgood men and women to stand by and do nothing. Jesus wasmerciful and forgiving, but he always called asin asin. The abuse of power,whenever and wherever it occurs, is asin. We should speak out, resist and stand up against the abuse of power in every form we can. How we do that is each individual’schoice, but we and society and the world have much at stake in the outcome.
DAVID SCHOEN Covington
In 1988,when PresidentRonaldReagan was asked by areporter during the summit in Moscow what his goalwas in the Cold War, he said: “Wewin,they lose.”
When it comes to today’s Russia and its unprovoked war with Ukraine, President Trump’sgoalatleast in practice and outcome appears to be “we lose, they win.”
The president originallygave Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thanksgiving Day to accept his “peace proposal” which read as if it could have been written by Vladimir Putin. In fact, according to news reports, it mayhave been. According to the NY Post, “Secretary of State MarcoRubio told U.S. senators recently that the sweeping peace plan to end the nearly four-yearwar betweenRussia andUkraine was not America’s—but merelya‘leaked’ Russian ‘wish list.”
Maybe so, but it seems to align with the one-sided pressure Trump hasput on Zelenskyy to settle the war since he took office. Trump said the proposalis not his “final offer.”
If the document is from the administration, it is capitulation to most of Putin’sdemands and is an invitationfor thedictator to continue pursuing his stated goal of retaking all of the former Soviet satellite countries, whichhave been free and independentsince theend of the Cold War.
According to adraft of the proposal shared publicly by amemberofthe Ukraine opposition party,the 28-point document would require Ukraine to surrender its Eastern Donbasregion,as well as Crimea, the latter of which no previous administration hasdemanded since Putin invaded Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. It also wouldrequire Ukraine to forego NATO membership, though it does loosely promise a“security” force, presumablytoprevent Putin from gobbling up more territory. If Zelinskyy bows to U.S.pressure and accepts adeal forced upon him, we might as well get the U.S.S. Missouri out
of mothballs and replicatethe signing of surrender documents by theJapanese, endingWorldWar II.
In astatement to CBS News, White Housepress secretary Karoline Leavitt said:“This plan was crafted to reflect the realities of thesituation, after five years ofa devastating war,tofind the best win-win scenario, where bothpartiesgainmorethan they must give.” Thatsoundslike an admissionthe document came from us.
Among the provisions in theproposed dealisthatRussia would be allowed to keepmuchofthe territoryitnow occupies andeven takeover land Ukraine currently holds, along withregions of Crimea,Donetsk and Luhansk. These would be recognized by theU.S. as de facto Russia territory.Any betsonhow long it would take Putin to swallow whole these regions intogreater Russia?
The plan creates aneutral “buffer zone”with no Russian forces allowed. Again, placeyour bets on how long that will last.
Zelenskyy will be required to cap the size of hismilitary (thereisnosimilar requirement for Russia) and promise notto become aNATOmember,but
it can join theEuropean Union. Does anyone expect the EU to mount asignificant resistance should Putin choose to violate theagreement and especially if he invades other countries as he has promised to do to restore the old Soviet satellite countries?Itmay be theonly promise he has ever kept There is so much potential for Russia to violate theproposedagreement and so little effective response outlinedif it does. These include more sanctions, which so far have not worked. Putin has always had agoal in the war he started, but theU.S. and Europe have vacillated about ours. This proposed peace deal will only encourage vile dictators like Putin. President Trump likes to sayhewants to end wars. This agreement will only encourage Putin’s voracious appetite to startnew ones as well as eventually finishthe one against Ukraine. Afew days ago, the U.S. and Ukraine reportedly agreed to change the draft of the peace plan, but thekey is whether Putin will agree to anything that won’t give him everything he wants. Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.
The centralscandalinthe Epstein’ssex abuse ring targeting children is not the sex. It’sthe children.
Whatpowerful men do with grown-up women —thatis, females 18 or older —bothers me little
Inever cared much about Donald Trump’s assignationwith porn star Stormy Daniels. OtherTrump criticstried to pile on another layerofimmorality by noting that Trump was cheating on awife who hadjust givenbirth. I wouldn’tgothere.
Some years ago,during adinner party,our smoke detector started beeping while we were broiling steaks. Idashed into the hallway and poked at the detector with abroom, which paused,as if surprised, then resumed wailing. My husband came outofthe kitchenand had ago. Hismore muscular attention boughtus perhaps 30 seconds of relief, but themachine recovered andmore aggressively assaulted our ears. Eventually, we pulled the cursed thing out of itsframe andripped the batteries out. That’swhen one of our guestssaid, “Guys, that’s really alot of smoke.” It sure was, because as it turned out, ourbathroom was on fire (thanks to a candle). Life is full of thesemessy signals Prices are asignal.They tell us how much people want stuff, how much that stuff costs to produce andhow much of it we have available. Standardized test scores are signs, telling uswhether kids have mastered certain skills. Those warnings are, like my smoke alarm, highlyimperfect. (We’vehad many alerts and exactly onefire.) But they contain vital information,and we ignore them at our peril Unfortunately,because these signals are messy,weare often temptedto ignore them, especially when theinformation they contain is bad news, like “your bathroom is on fire,” or “your schools are failing to close persistent racial and income gaps,” or “regulations have made it too hard to build newhousing.” Ideally you’dextinguish thefire or fix your failing schools or amend the regulations before theproblem worsens. But solvingproblems is hard, and in politics, it often involves taking on well-organized constituencies that willwaveaway thesmoke and insist that everything is justfine. So institutions oftenchoose to disregard the underlying issues and simply whack the alarm with ahammer untilitstops beeping. There has been alot of that goingon recently,most notablyineducation.
Instead of rectifying disparities in preparation and achievement, people decided itwould be simpler to adjust the measurements. Parents opposed to standardized testing got their kids disability diagnoses that allowed them extratime on testsand lobbied teachers to change badgrades. Exhausted teachers responded with grade inflation, which also helped conceal that low-income and minority kids weren’tdoing as well as their richer and White peers. Progressive educators watered down curriculums, gutted gifted and talented programs, and weakened admissions standards for honors classes and magnet schools. Colleges droppedstandardized testing requirements, in part because that madeiteasier to diversify their student body.None of these things happened everywhere, but they happened in many places, and all of them made it harder to see —orrectify —pandemicera learning loss. The results of this thinking can be seen in arecent report from the University of California at San Diego, which like the rest of theUCsystem stopped acceptingstandardized testscoresin 2020.In 2024,the school had to redesign its remedial mathprogramtocreate aclass that focused entirely on remediating elementary school and middle school math. In 2025, more than 8% of enteringstudentsneeded that class. These are college students who chose to enroll in amajor with amath requirement yet struggle to round numbers to the nearest hundred, add or dividefractions, or work with negative numbers.
Most astonishingly,in2024, the majorityofkidswho needed arefresher on the most basic skills had taken at least onehigher-level high school math course,such as calculus or statistics, andhad an average grade-point averageintheir mathclasses of 3.65. More than one-quarter of them had straight A’sinasubject they demonstrably didn’tunderstand. Andthis problem is
not limited toUCSan Diego or California. I’ve heard professors at many institutions, including Harvard, express concerns about the number of unprepared studentsthey were seeing after admissions offices stopped demanding testscores.
That’swhat happens when you silence the alarm instead of responding to it: The fire burns out of control. It should be awarning to thegrowing number of politicians who think they can fix other problems —like soaring rentsorrising electricity costs —by simply freezing prices. The prices are tellingusthat there’stoo little supply to meet demand, or that something (such as renewables mandates or too few natural gas pipelines) is driving up supply costs. Freezing prices doesn’t fix that any more than acourtesy A gives studentswhat they actually need to succeed in college.
It does theopposite, because it makes it less profitable to build housing units, transmission lines or generating capacity.You can claim you’re going to pair supply-side reformswith price controls (claims we’ve heard from Zohran Mamdani, New York’smayor-elect, and Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey’snext governor). Butthe reason those reforms haven’thappened is that they require politicians to takeonpowerful groups such as homeowners or environmental activists opposed to new natural gas pipelines.
Aprice freeze doesn’tmake those fightsany easier towin. It temporarily relieves thepolitical pressuretoactually do something about rising prices, while creating problems down the road. Addressing educational disparities through grade inflation, or managing asupply shortage by freezing prices, is like trying to cure your lung cancer by smoking more. It undoubtedly feels better in the moment than the drastic therapy that’sactually needed. Butinthe long run, it can only make thingsworse.
MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.
Thatwas between Melania and Donald. One assumes that the third Mrs. Trump knewwhat she was getting into. Idoubt I’m going on alimb to assume that what attracted Melania to Donaldwas nothis winning personality.She made her deal, as was herright.
Trump hasjust given into the inevitable. Whenitbecame clearthat the House would vote to releasethe Epstein files, and the Senate would follow,heran to the front of the parade Trump is undoubtedly plotting ways to keep informationhedoesn’twantdisclosed outof the public eye.
His reluctance to release files on apedophile ring in which his name appearsrepeatedly is understandable
As the late Sen. DanielPatrickMoynihanfamously complainedin1993, deviancehas been defineddownsothatbehavior that was once deemed intolerable is now accepted as normal. One of his examples of deviancy being defined downward was sexual exploitation. Howfar downward we’ve come.
WilliamJ.Bennett was aconservative moral-mouth of the 1990s.Hewentinto full fire-and-brimstone mode afterBill Clinton was caught having afling with aWhite House intern.
Bennett milked the moment with abook grandly titled“The DeathofOutrage:Bill Clintonand the Assault on American Ideals.” (On aroll, he followed with his pious “The Book of Virtues.”) About adultery,Bennett wrote, “One reason societyneedstouphold high public standards in this realmisbecause sex —when engaged in capriciously,without restraint, and against those in positions of relative weakness —can be exploitative andharmful.”
Come 2016, Trump is running for president, andhis adulterous escapades were public.A 1990 tabloid headline attributed to Trump’s mistress Marla Maples(while Trump was married to Ivana Trump) went, “Best Sex I’ve EverHad.” Without ablush, Bennett argued that conservativeswho refused to back Trump “suffer from aterrible caseofmoral superiority and put their ownvanity and taste above the interestofthe country.”
Clinton’stryst with MonicaLewinsky was vulgarand inappropriate, but she wasnot a child. Monicawas a22-year-old college grad, andconsent was mutual.
Whathappened on Epstein’sisland was not technically adultery —sexualrelations between at leastone married personand another adult. Whenone is aminor,the legal term is statutory rape
Some of Trump’sfiercest defenders are now attempting to downplayEpstein’scrimes, thus diving belowthe second circle of hell that Dante reserved formere philanderers.
Megyn Kelly tried to sanitize Epstein’sdisgrace by saying on her show,“He was into the barely legaltype.Like,heliked15-year-old girls.” She goes on:“And Irealize this is disgusting. I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this. I’m just giving youfacts, that he wasn’tinto,like,8-year-olds.”
To which we can add5-year-olds. Epstein was notinto 5-year-olds, and that’safact,we think.
However,one of the girls, Jena-Lisa Jones, was 14 andstill in juniorhigh.
The American public, including alarge chunk of MAGA, deserves credit forfinally drawing amoral line that they wouldn’tlet even Trump cross. The story’snot over until the Justice Department releases allthe files, victim names redacted.We’re waiting.
Aman walksinfront of burning residential building after aRussian attack on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, last week.
Froma Harrop
Cal Thomas
ega McArdle M n
Mayoraccused of misconduct
BY JOSEPH CRANNEY Staff writer
The tiny Golden Meadow Police Department faces new allegations of lying, conspiracy and false arrest —all stemming from asocial media fight over a woman’sphotos from her OnlyFans account.
Afederal lawsuit alleges that longtime Golden Meadow MayorJoey Bouziga leaned on the town’s newly elected police chief, Michelle Lafont, to arrest Lafourche Parish resident Dawn Pierceoverher social media posts. It’sthe latest flare-up over the department that has developed an outsized reputation for controversy in recent years.
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left because he was agood coach, but I’m going to support Ole Miss regardless. Life moves on. Some people take it alittle too far and make it alittle too personal.” In Baton Rouge, there are alot of options for chicken. TryBlue Store Chicken or Chicken Shack. Neither is on astick, but both are tasty as can be.
Ileaned into my Mississippi people and asked my baby brother,anOle Miss grad, for other Kiffin favorites. My brother suggested Blue Delta Denim, a bespoke jeans place on the Square in Oxford.
Icalled their factory in Tupelo and firsttalked to Richard Sherrell. This is how our conversation went:
“Yeah, we do alot with the school. Kiffin is very much acustomer.We’ve outfitted him and pretty much the entire coaching staff,” Sherrell said. There was apause, followed by ashriek.
“A cat just ran through our factory in Tupelo,” he said. “Did you see that cat?” Sherrell went on to explain that they have customers “on both sides” as their plant is in Tupelo, dead center between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. According to Sherrell, Kiffin wore Blue Delta’s “performance fabric” on the sidelines. The company works with lots of SEC
Before her arrest, Pierce quarreled online with the 22-year-oldfiancéeofa formerco-worker of Bouziga. Themayor then ordered Pierce’sarrest despite Lafont’s initial objections,the lawsuit alleges. Pierce’slone offense: uploadingsome of thewoman’s OnlyFans photos to Facebook, behavior the lawsuit alleges thatLafont knew wasn’tacrime. OnlyFans is awebsite whereuserscan sell photosorvideos, which are often sexually explicit, to paid subscribers. Nonetheless, Golden MeadowpoliceOfficer Tristin Gaspardand aLafourche Parish Sheriff’s Officedeputy arrestedPierce —a52-year-old customer service agent —ather home July 8, the lawsuit alleges. Pierce posted a$10,000 bond laterthatnight The Lafourche Parish District Attorney’sOffice droppedthe chargesagainst Pierceabouta monthlater,
according to the suit.A spokesperson for the districtattorneydidn’treturn a message seeking comment.
The suit,which was filed last month, accuses Lafont of submitting afalse statementunder oathwhen she sought awarrant from the districtcourt forPierce’s arrest. Bouziga is also accusedoforchestrating a false arrest after Lafontinitially saidshe “didn’tknow if there was anything I could charge(Pierce) with, according to the lawsuit.
Attorney Keith Detweiler, representing Gaspard, Lafont and Bouziga, said his clientsdeclined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
The lawsuit continues a pattern of misconductallegations in the GoldenMeadow Police Department,and thetown is still reeling from the record tampering arrest
PROVIDED PHOTO
yoglates Studio owner Katie Fox welcomed LSU’snew football coach, Lane Kiffin, on his first morning in Baton Rouge. AinsleyCallowaywas the yogalates instructor for Kiffin’s6:30 a.m. Mondayclass.
schools and coaching staffs, including Brian Kelly
“Kiffinwas afan of our raw denim,” Sherrell said
“Every pant that we make is made one at atime here in Tupelo,made to each personal measurement.”
Aside from the retail spaces in Oxfordand Tupelo, Blue Delta alsohas an onlinevirtual tailor Then NickWeaver, co-ownerofBlue Delta, walked in.
Weaver explainedthat Josh West is his business partner, and they’ve been friends since elementary schoolbecause theyhad to sit in alphabetical order West satbehind Weaver.I knewI hadmet akindred spirit. (This is thesame
reason Melvin Rascoismy friend.)
The friends started Blue Deltabecausethey were “young and stupid” and there were3,000 blue jean seamstressesina 30-mile radius who had just lost their jobs because of the North American Free Trade Agreement
Shortly after the company’slaunch, they made jeans for the Manning family.After Eli got apair,he bought jeans for the whole New York Giants team for Christmas.
Today,Blue Delta jeans costaround $500 apiece. Each pair is made based on 16 measurementsfor each pair of pants. Baton Rouge has avariety of bespoke
in August of its last police chief, Troy Dufrene.
Afterhelost an election to Lafont last year,Dufrene began systematically deleting computerrecords about thedepartment’s casesand administration, according to the LouisianaAttorney General’sOffice. He later apologized, sayinghe“felt the data belonged tohim,” an investigator wrote. Dufrenehad been appointedbythe Town Council in 2021 to replace aformer chief who resignedafter Golden Meadow settled afederal lawsuit that accused that chief of excessive force.
By the time of last year’s election, Dufrene’srelationship withBouziga had also soured, and the mayor’sbacking of Lafont —a 53-year-old middle school teacher with no recent experience in law enforcement —helpedturn the tide of that race in her favor.Lafontwon by nine votes.
tailors who also make fancy pants for coaches and athletes.
Whether it’sa home, food or schools for your kids,the people of BatonRouge and Louisiana are looking forwardtoyou, coach Kiffin, and your family jumping in withbothfeet
By Monday morning, Kiffin was sweating through hot yoga in Baton Rouge Oxford, though, was still talking —inbookstores, gas stations, denim factoriesand everywhere else his shadow lingered.
Welcome to Louisiana, coach! We hope you’ll take us up on afew of the recommendations and let us know what you think.
Down here, thewelcome mat is out withbooks to browse and chicken to sample.
Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com
Ancona,Sr.,Frank St.Edmond Roman Catholic Church Lafayette at 11:00am.
Domingue,Elsie
Sts. Peter& Paul Catholic Church Scottat1:30pm
Obituaries
Robert, Patsy DixieMeliet
Patsy Dixie Meliet Robert Patsy wasborn October28, 1932 in NewOrleans,and on Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at the age of 93 passed into theloving arms of herSavior JesusChrist Adevoted Mother Grandmother,and Great Grandmother,she leaves to cherish hermemory to herthree children, Deirdre Cucinello,Michelle Ford (Jerry) andDewey Joseph Robert,III,Grandchildren CathySaidous (Steve), AllenCucinello(Amy), Jonathan Cucinello(Alys) JerryFord, Angela Ford, Matthew Ford (Lenka), Great Grandchildren Aimee Robert (Jonathan Reulet), Katie Marie Robert (Stephen Lampert), Joseph Robert (Lindsey), Maria Hebrock(Stephen), TimothyUpton, Great GrandchildrenAlexis Ford,Tristan Ford,Patrik Ford, Betsi Dilts, ParkerReulet, Elijah Hebrock, AidenCucinello, Sophia Cucinello, andSonny Cucinello Patsy was preceded in death by herhusband DeweyJ,Robert, Jr., parents Henry andMarie Phillips Meliet,siblings HenryMeliet, DeloresMeliet,Elizabeth Roussell, Robert Meliet,Marguerite Zimmer and son in law AllenCucinello, Sr., daughterinlaw,Cindy Robert Sheissurvivedbyher sister Jean Meliet Hess. Sheissurvivedbyher many nieces andnephews, whocherish their memories with AuntPatsy Herdevotion to the Catholic Christian faith andtothe Blessed Mother
businessgoals. Shehad confidenceand drive that shecould do whatever sheset hermind to do,and she didit. Hergenerosity and presence of always giving of herselftoall who needed anythingwas witnessed by anyone who knew herand herkindness. Shealways hadthe brightestgenuine loving smilefromher heart. Serviceswill be held on December 3, 2025 at St.Angela Merici Church,901 Beverly Garden Dr., Metairie, LA beginningat11:00 a.m. visitation,Christian Catholic Mass beginningatNoon. Therewill be acelebration of Life in honorofPatsy's love filledjourney at 1:30 p.m.,atNew Orleans CountryClub, 5024 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans, Louisiana
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community stakeholders. We are operating in atime of great disruption for all media where subscription and advertising dollars are no longer enough to support the kind of impact journalism that changes laws and changes lives. We need your help. Your support helps make in-depth reporting possible —stories like Sam Karlin’slook at the impact rising heat levels are having across Louisiana and Mike Smith’sexamination of the ever-changing course of the MississippiRiver and how it affects commerce and communities.
visit LouisianaJournalismFund.org.
On this Giving Tuesday, we’reaskingyou to support thisongoingmission of journalism as aforce for good in Louisiana.We’re nearingour goal of $100,000 by Dec. 31, but we need your help to push us past thefinishline. Your tax-deductible donation goes solelytoour impact journalists, photographers and editors in the field working the long hours needed to shinealight on issues many want kept in darkness. To learnmore about theimpactofour journalismand to donate, please
Thank you again for being areader,for beingengaged in the success of our state and for putting your trust in thevalue of public service journalism Happy holidays.
Mondayathis introductory news conference that he willnot coach the Tigers in their upcomingbowl game.
Instead, Kiffin said, interim coach Frank Wilson will guide LSU through that matchup.
“(Wilson and I) have spent alot
of time together the last 24 hours thatI’ve been here,” Kiffin said, “and so I’ve made the decision that he’sgonna stillstay in that roleas thehead coach of that team for the bowl game.” Wilson is in his second stint at LSU. He workedoncoach Les Miles’ staff from 2010-15, then rejoined the Tigers in 2022 to serve as BrianKelly’sassociate head coach and runningbacks coach. When Kelly was firedonOct
26, LSUelevated himtointerim coach for theseason’s last four games. TheTigerswent2-2 over that stretch. They beat Arkansas andWestern Kentucky at home but lost to Alabama and Oklahoma on the road.
On Sunday,after Kiffinarrived in Baton Rouge, he was spotted meeting withWilson inside the LSUhead coach’soffice.
Kiffin said Monday that he was “still in the process” of figuring out
what his new staffmight look like. Nine Ole Miss coaches and frontoffice staff members, including offensive coordinator andquarterbacks coach Charlie Weis Jr., accompanied him on his flight from Oxford, Mississippi, on Sunday LSUisalso expected to strongly considerretaining defensive coordinator Blake Baker and other defensivecoaches through the transition, sources have told The Advocate.
As he wrestled withthe career decision of alifetime, Lane Kiffin dearly wished his father was there to help him choose his path.
Stay at Ole Miss,witha College Football Playoff-bound team in hand,or leave for aboundless but unknown future at LSU.
Monte Kiffin, one of the most respected defensive coaches in NFLhistory, died in July 2024 in Oxford, Mississippi, where he had relocated in retirement to be close to his sons Lane and Chris, also on the Ole Miss staff. Without his dad, Lane did the nextbest thing he could think to do. He asked his two living mentors, former LSU andAlabama coach Nick Saban andLas Vegas Raiders and former USC coach PeteCarroll, for their advice.
Carroll once told MonteKiffin he
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
Hereisa list of widereceiv-
ers who havebeen targeted at least eight times in agame while catching every pass this season, as New Orleans Saints widereceiver Devaughn Vele did in Sunday’s21-17 losstothe Miami Dolphins:
•Dallas WR George Pickens
(nine catches, 146yardsonNov 23 against Philadelphia).
•Kansas City WR Rashee Rice
(nine catches, 93 yards on Oct. 27 against Washington) And now Vele makesitthree. The Saints finallygot Vele involved in the offense, and it paid off. The 27-year-old,who New Orleans acquiredinAugust from the Denver Broncos,
alwayswould look out for Lane in his career.More than anything, it seems it was Carroll’swords that cut through all of the emotion and indecision Lane faced in recent days.
“When we were talking, he really channeled (Monte) from knowing him for so long,” Kiffin said of Carroll. “He said, ‘This is exactly what (your dad) would do. He would tell you, ‘Boy,goget it. Go forit.’ ” So that’show it came to be that Lane
ä Saints at Buccaneers, NOON SUNDAy,CBS
finished with astat line of eight catches for 93 yards and one touchdown —ascore thatgave the Saints achance to tie the game lateinthe fourth quarter Vele even recovered the ensuing onside kick, making avaluable special-teams contribution in addition to his impact on the offense. What tooksolong?
“Obviously,his role hasincreased as we’ve madeafew transactions,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said
Those transactionsincluded trading Rashid Shaheed and then releasingBrandin Cooks, freeing up Vele to take over as the start-
MonteKiffin was at apodium on arainy Monday afternoon before dozens of people and bristling cameras in Tiger Stadium’s SouthStadium Club, wearing apurple tie with an LSUpin on his lapel. Not at Ole Miss. Not anymore.
The decision to leave, as Kiffinsaid morethan once, was an excruciating one. Onethat drew jeersand anger —practically pitchforks and torches —from theOle Miss fans that until recently were cheering him, his innovativeoffense and the55wins he led the Rebels to over the past six years.
In theend, Kiffin felt compelled to takehis shot. To takeajob that, no provincialism involved, is one of the very best in America.
He mentioned being on the visitor’s
ing “Z” receiver and not worrying about having to subinand out.In themonth since theirdepartures, Vele leads theSaints’skill players in snaps. Againstthe Dolphins, those snaps were rewarded with production. The performance was thefirst time theSaints’ description of Vele matched the on-field product.When New Orleans gave up a2026 fourth-round pick and 2027 seventh-round pick, Moore said the Saints were getting abigbodied receiver whocould make contested catches andhelp in the red zone. Vele’ssize was evident in Miami. On his touchdown catch, the 6-foot-5wide receiveroutmuscled Dolphins cornerback Jack Jones
WilsonworkedonKiffin’sTennessee staffin2009.
KiffinchannelsOrgeron
Kiffin said Mondayhealmostfell victim to throwing on afake Cajun accent during his first night in Baton Rouge on Sunday In his introductorynews conference, Kiffin joked with local and national media after hearing
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
It didn’ttakelong—threequestions, to be exact —before Lane Kiffinwas askedabout therolehis mentors, including NickSaban,playedinhis decision to come to LSU.
Kiffin, whowas hired as the 34th head coach of LSU on Sunday,stood at the podium at hisintroductory news conference less than 24 hours later and talked about how “torn” he wastoleave Ole Miss, as it wason the verge of making the College Football Playoff. He relayed what Las Vegas Raiders coach and former Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll told him: That Kiffin’slate father Montewould tell himhe should take the LSU job.
“He would tell you,”Kiffin said. “ ‘Boy,goget it. Go for it.’ “ Butwhatdid Saban —the national championship winning coach at LSU andsix-time nationaltitle winneratAlabama—say to him about the LSU job?
“Coach Saban kind of coached at another place in this conference, so Ican’t really say exactly what he said,” Kiffin quipped.“ButI’llsay Ithink theworld of coach Saban, and Irespect him. So there’sareason I’mhere.”
Roughly six weeks after deciding to fire Brian Kelly,LSU finally found its man. Butthe journey LSUtook to get to Mondaywith Kiffin on the podium —sportinga purple suit andtie with awhiteand purple checkered buttondownshirt with an LSU pin on his chest —was anything but straightforward. Threedaysafter Kelly’sfiring, Gov Jeff Landry stated he’d rather have Donald Trump hire LSU’snextcoach thanathleticdirector ScottWoodward. Woodward then parted wayswith the programthe next day. The next week, LSU appointed Wade Rousse as the new university president and promoted Verge Ausberry to the full-time athletic director position.
Thenthe search beganfor anew coach, aprocess that was helped along by Saban, who speakswith Ausberry
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU president Wade Rousse,left, and athleticdirector VergeAusberry,right, pose with newfootball coachLane Kiffinafter an introductorynewsconference on MondayatTiger Stadium.
Texas leaps to No. 2 spot
BY DOUG FEINBERG AP basketball writer
Texas moved up to No. 2 behind UConn in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll on Monday after beating two top teams in a Thanksgiving tournament.
The Longhorns topped then-No. 2 South Carolina 66-64 a day after beating then-No. 3 UCLA 76-65 in Las Vegas. It was the first time in the past 25 years that a team has beaten two top three teams in such a short time frame.
Texas received 10 first-place votes from a 32-member national media panel. No. 1 UConn garnered the other 22. The Huskies routed Xavier 104-39 to open Big East play South Carolina fell to third and UCLA was fourth.
LSU remained fifth. The Tigers, who haven’t played a ranked opponent yet, have scored over 100 points in each of their first eight games to set an NCAA record. They broke the mark of six in a row set by the 1981-82 Louisiana Tech team that LSU coach Kim Mulkey played on.
Michigan, Maryland, TCU, Oklahoma and Iowa State rounded out the top 10. The Cyclones got a school-record 47-point effort from star post player Audi Crooks to beat Indiana on Sunday
In and out Ohio State debuted in this year’s poll at No. 23 after edging West Virginia last week 83-81. The Buckeyes followed that up with a 98-point win over Niagara, the most points scored in school history and the biggest margin of vic-
tory ever for the Buckeyes. N.C. State fell out of the poll. Conference supremacy
The Big Ten matched the Southeastern Conference this week with eight teams ranked after Ohio State entered the Top 25 The Big 12 is next with five and the Atlantic Coast Conference has three. The Big East has one Games of the week
It’s ACC-SEC challenge week with a host of quality matchups between the two power conferences. On Thursday, No. 22 Louisville hosts No. 3 South Carolina; No 11 North Carolina visits No. 2 Texas; and No. 13 Ole Miss plays No. 18 Notre
Michigan State, Iowa State men climb into top 10
BY JOHN MARSHALL AP basketball writer
Michigan jumped to No 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball poll on Monday as rival Michigan State and Iowa State both climbed into the top 10 No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Arizona remained atop the rankings. The Boilermakers received 40 firstplace votes from a 61-person media panel, Arizona got six and Michigan got 15 after its dominating run through the Players Era Championship.
Duke and UConn held their positions from last week to round out the top five. Louisville remained No. 6, followed by Michigan State, which moved up four spots, and No. 8 Houston, which dropped five places after losing to then-No 17 Tennessee at the Players Era Michigan made a run to the Sweet 16 in coach Dusty May’s first season a year ago and is looking like a title contender. The Wolverines opened the Las Vegas tournament with a 94-54 win over San Diego State, crushed thenNo. 21 Auburn 102-72 and handed Gonzaga coach Mark Few his worst loss in 902 career games with a 101-61 win over the 12thranked Zags.
That’s three wins by a combined 110 points and four straight wins by at least 20 points, the last two over ranked teams.
“Today was to put the world on notice that we’re here to be the best team in the nation and we’ll continue to do that,” Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg said after the win over Gonzaga
Rising No. 17 Vanderbilt had the biggest jump of the week, moving up seven spots after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis title in the Bahamas No. 10 Iowa State climbed five places after winning three games at the Players Era championship. No. 7 Michigan State moved up four places following lopsided wins over East Carolina and No. 16 North Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. No. 13 Tennessee also
Michigan State center Coen Carr dunks the ball against East Carolina during a game Nov. 25
Ft. Myers, Fla.
gained four spots after beating Houston and losing to Kansas, which moved back into the poll at No. 21
Falling No 23 St. John’s had the biggest drop among teams still in the poll, losing nine places after wrapping losses to Iowa State and Auburn around a win over Baylor at the Players Era Reigning national champion Florida fell five places to No. 15 after losing to TCU in the Rady Children’s Invitational. No. 12 Alabama dropped four places after losing to Gonzaga in its opener of the Players Era.
In and out No. 21 Kansas returned to the poll after dropping out last week with three wins at the Players Era
No. 24 Southern California is ranked for the first time since the 2023-24 season following three wins in three days to take the Maui Invitational title. UCLA fell out of the poll from No 18 after losing to California 80-72 in the Empire Classic championship game. North Carolina State dropped out of the poll from No 23 and didn’t receive a single vote following a 1-2 run through the Maui Invitational. Conference watch
The Southeastern Conference had the most teams in the AP Top 25 for the second straight week with seven. The Big 12 matched the Big Ten with six ranked teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference had three, the Big East had two and the West Coast Conference one.
Vikings waive WR Thielen in his final NFL season
MINNEAPOLIS
The Minnesota Vikings are waiving veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen following a request by his representation for his release, the team announced Monday morning via a statement from General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Thielen was inactive for the Vikings’ 26-0 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday Both Adofo-Mensah’s statement and one from Thielen indicate that the 35-year-old intends for this to be his final NFL season, though when each party knew that to be the case is unclear
“Following discussions through the weekend and out of respect for Adam, we have agreed to give him the opportunity to pursue more playing time elsewhere,” AdofoMensah wrote in his statement.
Colts CB Gardner to miss ‘some time’ with calf injury
INDIANAPOLIS Indianapolis Colts
coach Shane Steichen said Monday that starting cornerback Sauce Gardner is expected to miss “some time” after injuring his left calf during Sunday’s 20-16 loss to the Houston Texans but that Gardner avoided hurting his Achilles tendon. Steichen didn’t provide details on how much time the two-time AllPro might miss but said he believed Gardner would return this season and that he’s not expected to go on injured reserve.
Gardner was hurt on the Texans’ second offensive play of the game while in coverage, but he did not appear to get hit when he went down. Gardner later returned to the sideline and watched the rest of the game in street clothes and a walking boot.
Browns’ Collins will miss rest of season after injury
CLEVELAND Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Maliek Collins will be lost for the rest of the season after suffering a quad injury in Sunday’s 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Kevin Stefanski made the announcement Monday that Collins will have to undergo seasonending surgery The 10-year veteran defensive lineman suffered the non-contact injury during the third quarter Collins is also a key reason why All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett needs four sacks to break the NFL’s single-season record of 22 ½
“When you lose a guy like Maliek, you don’t replace him. He’s made a big impact on this football team on the field and off.”
WNBA and players union extend CBA deadline
NEWYORK The WNBA and players union agreed to an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement to Jan 9 just before their current deadline ran out Sunday night. Just like the previous extension, both sides have the option to terminate the extension with 48 hours advanced notice. Under the league’s latest proposal, in 2026, the max salary would be a guaranteed $1 million base, with projected revenue sharing
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERIC GAy Texas guard Rori Harmon, left, holds her MVP trophy as she and teammates celebrate their win over South Carolina in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas on Thursday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SCOTT AUDETTE
in
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sideline in Tiger Stadium, calling plays for Alabama in a 2014 overtime win over LSU and as the Ole Miss head coach here in 2024 in an overtime loss to the Tigers. Games that made him project himself on the home sideline.
“I’ve coached a lot of places and a lot of road games,” Kiffin said. “NFL, college, there is nothing like the feeling when you are on the other sideline. The intensity it’s like a weight that you feel.
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a number of LSU fans yell
“Geaux Tigers” that he wanted to talk like former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron.
“Actually, we were going by Tiger Stadium, and I called one person,” Kiffin said. “I called Ed Orgeron. And I said, ‘Hey, man. All I can do — this place just makes me want to talk like you right now.’ ” Kiffin then leaned back, as
SABAN
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every two weeks.
“I always thought to myself, ‘Man, what if we had that advantage on our side? If we combine what we do, the way that we coach players, the systems that we run, and now we have that intensity on our side for the opponent to deal with.’
That’s how it painted all together to say ‘This is where you are supposed to be.’
Kiffin has spent most of his career in the harsh spotlight of being a head coach. The Raiders made him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history at 32 back in 2007. This is his sixth head coaching job after Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic and Ole Miss.
attendees in the room began to laugh, and he leaned back with his palms up
“I did,” Kiffin said “We were in the car The kids were in there, and (my hands were on my head), the coaches asked me, ‘What are you doing?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, I’m channeling Ed right now I’m feeling him right now I rolled down the window, and I yelled, ‘Geaux Tigers!’ to the fans.
“So then, I called Ed, and I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going on man, but I’m feeling you right now ”
He’s 50 now, at an age where a man is shaped by his choices and experiences, good and bad. Positive and negative. At an age when he felt he was ready for what is likely to be a career-defining move. Saban was 49 when he came to LSU and launched his legend. Carroll was also 49 when he went to USC and did the same thing. The parallels are not lost on Kiffin at all.
“I’m uniquely prepared at
Kiffin said Orgeron responded with a few words.
“He said, ‘Coach, you’re at the best place in America,’ ” Kiffin said. “So, I feel that.”
It’s been reported that LSU is open to adding Orgeron to Kiffin’s staff.
Kiffin on Ole Miss fans
As Kiffin boarded his plane to Baton Rouge on Sunday, Ole Miss fans gathered outside the fences around the tarmac to boo and jeer him.
Some lobbed obscenities his way Others, Kiffin said, fol-
50 years old for this job,” he said. “To have been so many places, done good things, made a lot of mistakes and made them really early on.
“Like someone said, ‘You made mistakes on the national stage at an age, in your early 30s, that coaches aren’t even head coaches yet.’ So I got to learn from those. This is my sixth head job. I don’t know if anybody has ever done that. It’s not necessarily great in some ways. They weren’t all by
lowed him and his son Knox to the airport and tried to “run them off the road.”
Kiffin addressed those reactions Monday, saying that he doesn’t “get emotional” about the vitriol he received for taking the LSU job and leaving the Rebels behind ahead of their expected College Football Playoff run.
“That’s the SEC,” Kiffin said. “I’ve been around it long enough to know that, and it’s just the passion of the SEC. I’m not upset at those reactions by fans, by people. I think that people
choice. But what that does is if you take all that information and you keep it and you collect it and you learn from the good, from the bad, that’s experience.
“You figure things out when you go through all those experiences and having multiple head coaching jobs, and then you become even better.”
As Kiffin left the stadium, the gloomy day turned into a rainy night. Down below Tiger Stadium was lit up
get really upset when you leave somewhere because they feel hurt because you’re doing a really good job.
“They ain’t going to the airport and driving from all over to say those things and yell those things and try to run you off the road if you were doing bad.”
Kiffin has said that he tried to figure out a way to both accept the LSU job and coach Ole Miss in the CFP Ole Miss, however, chose not to let him do that — a decision he said he respects and understands.
tors, of course, was Saban.
For
“Time heals a lot of things,” Kiffin said, “and having gone through (it) in this conference before, I sure hope that happens. I sure hope that the people there and the fans there, as time goes, can focus on the amazing six years, the greatest football run in the history of the school, the greatest regular season ever in the history of the state just happened there. “I really hope they can focus on that.” Wilson Alexander contributed to this report.
SAINTS
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on the route and used his frame to haul in a soaring pass in the back of the end zone. What changed? Moore said the Dolphins ran a lot of Cover 2, creating an opening for Vele to be found on in-breaking routes near the boundary — just as Shaheed used to be. Beyond the advantageous matchup, the Saints hope that Sunday’s outing can get Vele going in part because of what the wideout was doing to get open.
“He’s super smart,” quarterback Tyler Shough said. “He has a great feel with his routes. I think he does a really good job. I was really proud of Devaughn just because I think he’s such a key player for us.” Moore said Vele understands how each route affects the play as a whole.
He noted the former 2024 seventh-round pick has no problem clearing out space for another target and can read where the holes in the coverage will be. Moore said he saw “hints” of Vele’s processing when evaluating his film from Denver, but he got a better appreciation of it when he started coaching him in New Orleans.
The process behind landing Kiffin was quiet at first, but it exploded upon the arrival of a private jet to Baton Rouge that included Kiffin’s ex-wife, Layla.
“Nick is a very good friend of mine,” Ausberry said Monday. “He’s one of my role models. I think that’s what helped me in this decision of getting him here, was all those great football coaches I knew around the country that really helped me.”
With the Broncos, Vele proved to be a trusty target for quarterback Bo Nix Twenty-five of his 41 catches last season moved the chains, with 11 of 12 coming on third down. He also caught three touchdowns, all in the red zone. He left such an impact on Denver that coach Sean Payton called trading him one of the toughest deals of his career, openly wondering whether he’d regret the move in the same vein as when he shipped out Darren Sproles in New Orleans.
“I just thought it was really important when they offered to have the family come down without me and get a feel for it,” Kiffin said. “… I don’t know that I could have made the decision, or certainly couldn’t have made it and felt good, without everybody on board like it was after going to multiple places
For most of the season, it was easy to wonder whether Payton’s high praise was simply a ploy to make his former team feel better about giving away multiple draft picks. Nothing about Vele’s nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown in his first 10 games with the Saints suggested Payton had anything to have second doubts over But then the second half of Sunday happened. Vele’s production, which all came after halftime, wasn’t just the best outing as a Saint.
and coming back and saying, ‘Hey, we’re all in We’re all in to go to Baton Rouge and to go to LSU.’ “
The trip to Baton Rouge signaled the seriousness with which Kiffin was considering LSU. He just needed some help in making his decision.
And among those men-
It marked a personal best as well.
That doesn’t mean Vele was satisfied.
“I bring this up a lot, I’m a very competitive guy and at the end of the day I want
“I felt like everybody that I talked to outside of the state that I was in, (they) all basically said the same thing,” Kiffin said. “They all said, ‘Man, you are going to regret it if you don’t take the shot and you don’t go to LSU. It’s the best job in America with the best resources, and to win it.’ It’s obviously been done here before by a number of people.”
to win games,” Vele said. “I’m grateful (that) I had a career day for myself, but at the end of the day, I want to win games.”
If he can keep contributing as he did against Miami,
Email Koki Riley at koki.riley@theadvocate. com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter
New Orleans will have a better chance to do just that.
Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@theadvocate. com
STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
The north videoboard at Tiger Stadium welcomes new LSU coach Lane Kiffin on Monday
New LSU coach Lane Kiffin gives an opening statement at an introductory news conference Monday at Tiger Stadium.
“You figure things out when you go through all those experiences and having multiple head coaching jobs, and then
LANE KIFFIN, new LSU coach
MATT ROURKE
Winning Bears rolling with conference lead
BY ANDREW SELIGMAN Associated Press
CHICAGO — Ben Johnson pulled off his shirt and flexed like a body builder as players screamed and chanted in the locker room after the Chicago Bears beat the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
The viral celebration sure turned some heads. The coach’s young daughter even had something to say about it.
“My 2-year-old was watching the TV screen back at home. She’s pointing at the screen, ‘No shirt, no shirt.’ My wife had no idea what was going on,” Johnson said Monday “That’s about how it went. I think anytime you get a chance to feed the city, you want to do it. So, man of the people.”
With his infectious energy and a mounting pile of wins, Johnson is endearing himself to the people of Chicago in his first season
The Bears (9-3) not only lead the NFC North, they hold the top spot in the conference. They’ve won five straight and nine of 10, and they’ll try to keep it going when they visit rival Green Bay (8-3-1) on Sunday There’s no shortage of excitement in Chicago. In the span of
a year, the Bears went from firing former coach Matt Eberflus the day after an embarrassing Thanksgiving loss at Detroit, to taking out the defending champions on the road on Black Friday
They’ve gone from finishing last in the division to securing a winning season with five games remaining. Chicago hasn’t finished above 500 since the 2018 team won the NFC North at 12-4.
“The significance of it at the moment isn’t much,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “Look, I know how this all is We’re on the socalled mountaintop right now, but those things change quickly week to week. We felt that after the Baltimore week, and you could feel that after the first two weeks of the season.”
Chicago let an 11-point lead slip away in a season-opening loss to Minnesota and got blown out the following week at Detroit. The only loss since then was in Week 8 at Baltimore.
Johnson figures teams will need 11 wins to make the playoffs so he wasn’t getting too caught up in holding the No. 1 seed at the moment.
“We have not been guaranteed a spot in the tournament yet,” he said “We have to earn that right.”
UL seeking first win, energy from Education Game crowd
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
It’s been 26 days since the UL women’s basketball team played in the Cajundome.
That drought will end at 11 a.m. Tuesday when the Ragin’ Cajuns take on East Texas A&M in the 12th annual Education Game.
About 4,000 students from elementary schools around the area are expected to enjoy some college basketball as a field trip.
Coach Garry Brodhead hopes the extra energy provided by the young fans will spark his team still searching for its first win.
“I think it’s huge,” said Brodhead, whose Cajuns are 0-7 after losses to High Point and Fresno State in the Big Easy Classic.
Despite some encouraging performances — like leading Fresno State midway through the fourth quarter — UL’s young team hadn’t been able to celebrate a win so far this regular season.
“Not so much for me, because I’m confident in what we’re doing as a program and with the kids we have right now but for the kids these days, how do they say that?” Brodhead said “Confidence comes from evidence. They need some evidence, man.”
It’ll be the first meeting between the two programs. East Texas A&M of the Southland Conference has a 2-3 record.
“It’s going to have to play man because they shoot it pretty well,” Brodhead said.
That’s a more significant statement than one might think at first glance.
Brodhead has lived and died with man-to-man defense throughout his coaching career but has begun to mix in some zone this season.
“There are some kids who got it, but it’s when one doesn’t get it that it makes it a little bit tougher,” Brodhead said. “That’s why I kind of desire to go in the zone because you’re already putting them in
“She’s getting better at understanding what we want to do, and I think it’s different from what she usually plays,” Brodhead said of Ba.
the gaps and you’re always kind of putting them where you want them, so that’s kind of the process. We’re going to keep working on it.”
The Cajuns have been led by Mikaylah Manley (12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds), Amijah Price (11.1 points, 5.9 rebounds) and Imani Daniel (10.9 points, 6.7 rebounds).
“We’ll keep working, and I think the defensive things will get better,” Brodhead said. “I mean, I saw some improvement. We just need to keep that improvement and be more consistent, you know, both on offense and defense.”
There have even been glimpses of depth. In a recent loss to Memphis, Bianca Silva scored 19 points off the bench with six assists and five steals, and Lily Ba added 13 points, eight boards and three steals.
Percentages: FG .483, FT .872. 3-Point Goals: 15-41, .366 (Reaves 4-7, Doncic 4-12, Vincent 2-4, LaRavia 2-7, Hachimura 2-8, Knecht 1-3). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 1. Blocked Shots: 10 (Ayton 4, Hayes 2, Doncic, Knecht, LaRavia, Reaves). Turnovers: 8 (Reaves 5, Doncic 2, LaRavia). Steals: 4 (Doncic, Reaves, Thiero, Vincent). Technical Fouls: Doncic, 4:46 third. New Orleans27303529121
L.A. Lakers46313125—133
A: 18,824 (18,997). T: 2:18. Pro hockey
NHL
Sunday’s games Washington 4, N.Y. Islanders 1 Chicago 5, Anaheim 3 Carolina 1, Calgary 0, OT Dallas 6, Ottawa 1 Monday’s games Columbus at New Jersey, n Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, n Winnipeg at Buffalo,
Tuesday’s game begins a week of home games, with Morehead State playing at 4 p.m. Sunday
“We did some really good things, but we’re not consistent at it,” Brodhead said. “It’s like I think we get tired and it once we start subbing people and stuff like that, we start to kind of drop off a little bit.”
Daniel illustrated her potential by averaging 14 points and 8.5 rebounds to earn a place on the Big Easy Classic all-tournament team.
“Hopefully we can kind of correct a lot of the things in the half court, a lot of problems is in the half court, you know, more so than in transition,” Brodhead said.
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
AP PHOTO By
Bears coach Ben Johnson, right greets Eagles coach Nick Sirianni after the Bears’ win on Friday in Philadelphia.
The cottage garden trend LIVING
If youwanta whimsicalspring retreat, sow those seedsnow
If you follow trends, you’ve probably noticed photos of cottage gardens floating around the internet in recent years. Characterized by abundant, mixed plantings that burst with color and texture, this style of garden has an informal, romantic air that feels like something out of afairytale. Cottage gardens have been around for along time, originating in the English countryside in the 15th century.People took small plots of land and turned them into multipurpose gardens densely planted withvegetables,fruits, herbs and, yes, even afew flowers —although they typically were grown for culinary and medicinal uses back then. Some of these gardens even doubled as space for keeping livestock and beehives By the 19th century,cottage gardens began to shift from practical to ornamental. Their carefree charm became popular among the middle and upper classes and inspired countless works of art. It was during these times that the modern vision of cottage gardens took form.
LSU AGCENTER FILE PHOTO Poppies are astaple of cottage gardens. Seeds can be sown nowinLouisiana.
Their resurgence is no surprise: Cottage gardens’natural, whimsical vibe lendsitself to minimal maintenance and the use of pollinator-friendly and native plants —things that resonate with many gardeners today.Cottage gardensare budget conscious and perfect for small areas, and there is plenty of room for creativity and self-expression. Want to create acottage garden of your own? November is agreat opportunity to set the stage for apowerful springtime bloom.
Startwithseeds
Cottage gardens thrive on mass plantings of flowers, whichare easy to achieveby sowing seeds directly intothe ground. Direct seeding is a cost-effective practice for this kind of garden, as seeds generally are less expensive than transplants. Plus, it can be fun to watch tiny seeds sprout and grow into awe-inspiring flowers.
Trythese flowersinLouisiana Now is agreat time to sow cool-season annuals, springblooming plants and some perennials into the garden in Louisiana. Many of these species are fantasticfor cottage gardens. Some annuals you can plant now include poppies,larkspur, delphinium, calendula and spurredsnapdragon. These sometimes self-seed. For
ä See TREND, page 6C
FEEL GOOD,LOOK GOOD
SustainableboutiqueTenantopens
BY LAURENCHERAMIE
Staff writer
Yetta Russell’slifehas never followed astraight line.
She finishedcollege on herown timeline, skipped the traditional nine-to-five world and moved between fashionmerchandising and service-industry jobs. Butone thread has always held: clothes.
Twoyears agoinLafayette, Russell started her own clothing line —Tenant. It’sabout thoughtfully produced and curated clothing that focuses on sustainability.Her aim is simple —makepeople feel confident in what they wear and offer distinctive pieces that last.
“The idea of Tenant is that you live in your clothes,” Russell said.
“You’re an occupant of these, and this is your house. Youwant to feel good in your house.”
After ricocheting between cities and hostingpop-ups around Louisiana, Russell has settled into Baton Rouge,where she’s set to open Tenant as abrick-and-mortar store in Mid City
“This is thefirst time Ihave something that’s mine,” she said. “The
ä See TENANT, page 6C
BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
yetta Russell stands in her booth, Tenant, duringWhite Light Night in Baton Rouge.
Dear Miss Manners: Due to acomputer meltdown earlier this year,I had to rebuild my holidaygreeting card address list. When I asked my mother-in-law to share her list from that side of the family,Iwas flummoxed to find that she addresses her cards as “Mr.and Mrs. Husband’s Name” —e.g., John and Jane Smith would be addressed as “Mr.and Mrs. John Smith.”
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
While Iknow this used to be acorrect form of address, I (married for 15 years and using my husband’slast name) findthis sexist and would be somewhat insulted to be addressedas“Mrs Husband’sName.”
Iimagine that in this day and
age, there are quiteafew other female friendsand relatives that would feel likewise. There are so manyother alternatives —the holiday cards maybeaddressed to “The Smiths,” “The Smith family,” “Mr. John and Mrs. JaneSmith,”for example. ShouldIbringupthe subject with my mother-inlaw? Ihad not realized the issue previously because we live in the same town, and shetypically gives us our cardsinperson rather than throughthe mail.
Gentle reader: When people want to insult their friends, Christmas cardsare probably not their weapon of choice. Or so Miss Manners would
Making the perfectcup of java
Dear Heloise: Whenthe coffee can is close to empty,I turn the can upside down over alarge bowl and hit the bottom and sides of the can. Ican rotate it while hitting the sides until it looks clear of most of the grounds. Then Iuse asoft brush inside the can to collect whatever grounds are still remaining. If the can is to be reused, it can then be wiped clean. Ialso make coffee in an electric 12-cup percolatorthat was purchased online. My husband and Ihave been making our coffee for several years this way, and it tastes great. All the parts are metal, so no plastic comes into contact with the coffee-brewing process. We order paper filters online to use with the percolator.This oldfashioned technique still seems to work for us.
Marlene S.,inTucson,Arizona
Thesilentgeneration
between 1946-1964. Iwas born in 1935, so what am I labeled? “Old”? —Grandma G., via email Grandma G., theSilent Generation refers to peoplewho wereborn between 1928-1945. Many readers had thesame question!
TREND
think.But you —and others, no doubt —think otherwise.
So here is an idea for an advance Christmas present for your mother-in-law: Offer to updateher list by asking each of her friends how theywish to be addressed.
Dear Miss Manners: Iamayoung woman who has recently moved into alarger city.Iamnot comfortable interacting with strange men on thestreet who ask passersby for change or attention.
It seems that most of my peers respond to such requests by ignoring them, but Idislike the contempt expressed in ignoring anyone. I prefer to give apolite“No, thank you,” “I’m sorry,no” or “Excuse me please,” and thenmove on. Unfortunately,since these gentlemenare used to being ignored, my
more-polite evasionsserve only to encourage them to continue these unwanted conversations.
Ifeel that if Igive in and begin ignoring people on the street, I will be allowing the rudeness of others to force me into rudeness myself. However,I do not care to spend every day disengaging from conversations with very persistent strangers whosee every tacticfor evasion —except for silence —asencouragement.
Anysuggestionsastohow to handle such tricky situations would be appreciated.
Continuedfrom page5C
perennials that will return year after year,try purple coneflower,rudbeckia and coreopsis.
—Heloise
Making life easier
Dear Heloise: Ijust read the terms that are used for certain years of birth. Baby Boomers were born
Dear Heloise: Ihave found that as Iam aging(I’m 71), there are some things that are becoming more constantpain-in-the-backs to do, specificallybending over.Since my wife and I don’tgenerate much dirty dishesand such, Ihave found it much easier to just put everything on the top rack of the dishwasher exceptdinner plates and silverware, which goes in the removable tray anyhow. This makes for alot less bending over, and there are fewer dishes to put away when it’sdone. My backreally appreciates it —BradHinks, via email Send ahint to heloise@ heloise.com.
TODAYINHISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Tuesday, Dec. 2, the 336th day of 2025. There are 29 days left in the year Todayinhistory: On Dec. 2, 1982, in the first operation of its kind, doctorsatthe University of Utah Medical Center implanted apermanent artificial heart in the chest of Barney Clark, aretired dentist who lived 112 days with the device. Also on this date: In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France in acoronation ceremony at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral In 1823, President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing further European expansion or colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. The Monroe Doctrine effectively created separate spheres of influence for the Americans and Europe In 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his raidthe previous Octoberon HarpersFerry in hopes of inciting alarge-scale slave rebellion. His execution further exacerbated North-South tensions in therun-up to the American Civil War. In 1942, an artificially created, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago. The experiment led by physicist Enrico Fermi marked the dawn of the Atomic Age. In 1954, the U.S. Senate, voting 67-22, passed aresolution condemning Republican Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin, saying he had “acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tendedtobring the
Senateinto dishonorand disrepute.”
In 1993, Colombian drug lord PabloEscobar was shot to death by security forces while tryingtoflee across rooftopsinMedellin. In 2004, Typhoon Nanmadollashed thePhilippines, killing hundreds of people.
In 2015, acouple loyal to theIslamic Stategroup opened fire at aholiday banquet forpublic employeesinSan Bernardino, California, killing 14 peopleand wounding21 others before dyingina shootout with police. In 2016, afire raced through anillegally convertedwarehouseinOakland, California, during adance party,killing 36 people In 2020, TheU.N. Commission onNarcotic Drugs voted to removecannabis and cannabis resin from acategory of theworld’s most dangerous drugs, in astep with potential impactsonthe globalmedical marijuana industry Today’sBirthdays: Actor Cathy Lee Crosby is 81. Film director Penelope Spheerisis80. Author T. Coraghessan Boyle is 77. Actor Dan Butler is 71. Actor Steven Bauer is 69. Actor Lucy Liu is 57. Bassist Nate Mendel (Foo Fighters) is57. RapperTreach (NaughtyBy Nature) is 55. TennisHall of Famer Monica Seles is 52. Singer Nelly Furtado is 47. Pop singer Britney Spears is 44. Actor-singer JanaKramer is 42. Actor Yvonne Orji is 42. Actor Daniela Ruah is 42. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 42. Actor Alfred Enoch is 37. Pop singersongwriter Charlie Puth is 34.
This is just astarting point.Astime goes on, layer in plants that bloom at different times to keep the garden colorful and lively all year long. Youcan mix in other
DINING
Continuedfrom page5C
gameday watch parties and pop-ups.
The dining hall on theeast side of campus,the 459 Commons, was closed and under construction all of summer 2024, reopening on Aug. 17 that year.The renovations took intoaccount the collective feedback fromLSU Dining’sstudent surveys
TENANT
Continuedfrom page5C
idea, it’sall falling into place.”
Her soft opening is set for Dec. 10 at 2558 Government St., with agrand opening on Dec. 12. The store will be open 11 a.m. to 5p.m. Wednesday through Friday, with additionalprivate-appointmenthours.
Steepedinstyle
Fashion has long been part of Russell’sworld. Her paternal grandmother owned awomen’s andchildren’s store in London. Her maternalgrandmother worked in makeup. Her British father workedinhigh-endshops andlikestobe“put together.” Her mother—anartist wholivedinMexico— never dressed like “your typical J. Crew mom.”
Tenant beganasaside project while Russell managed Wild Child, awine shop in Lafayette. Before that, she spent four years as abuyerfor Genterie SupplyCo., curating women’s collections. She triedNew York, working in wholesale fashion, then came back to south Louisianaand worked in the service industry
After afew years, Russell returned to Tenant and started hosting pop-ups and placing merchandiseinstores around Lafayette and New Orleans.
As thebusinessgrew —and began taking over her floor space —Russell stepped away from herjob to focus entirely on fashion. This year,she and herfamily moved to Baton Rouge. In November,she set up abooth at herfirst White Light Night, just outside what is now her permanent, 150-square-foot shop next to Rad Dad.
Sustainability at thecore
Russell’sgoal with Tenant is longevity —pieces people can wear for years.
“WhatI’m carrying is consciouslyproduced, independent brands. The idea is, maybe you’re investing a littlebit more in your wardrobe, but it’sgoing to be more of alongtime investment,” she said. “I try to
Gentlereader: Youare not supposed to be comfortableinteracting with strange gentlemen on the street.Evidence that people are destituteand desperate should makeyou uncomfortable. And so should solvent strangers who have personal designs on you. However,Miss Manners is reluctant to discourage you from responding initially with those polite phrases when they might serve to acknowledge the humanity of the unfortunate. That does not oblige you to continue with an exchange. Whether they are seeking your money or your acquaintance, you should react to aggressive behavior by moving away
plants(including transplants) to add variety.Asa throwback tothe original cottage garden concept from medieval times,you may wanttoinclude some edible plants.
Alush, layeredeffect
Oneofcottage gardens’ mostdefining features is their effortless blending of adiverse assortment of plants.
Sow seeds of plantsthat grow tallesttowardthe
each semester
“Based on the resultsof morethan 1,400 student surveys, we developeda plan with our partners, LSUDining, to give studentsgreater visibilityintohow their food was produced, amore open floor plan andmore ties to LSU culture and community,”LSU AssistantVice President, AuxiliaryServices Margot Hsu Carroll said. The dining hall nowhas amoreopen-conceptfloor plan withdifferent varieties
carry things that areseasonless and timeless.”
Her focusonsustainability means paying attention to how and where clothing is made and pushing against thechurnoffastfashion —the high-speed production of inexpensive, trendy clothing that creates immense waste.
LSU instructorand fashionanthropologist Danielle Honeycutt studies how people interact withclothing socially andpsychologically Fast fashion, she said, has grown rapidly,with massive environmental consequences —somethingshe and colleagues areworking to “lighten.”
Elsevier,ascientific publishing company,reports that fast fashionhas dramatically expanded clothing production and consumption, generating waste at everystage of manufacturing. According to KhairulAkteretal. (2022), about53milliontonsof textile fibers are consumed each year,resulting in more than 92 million tonsofglobal textile waste —73% of whichisincineratedordiscarded,representing over
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.
back and center of the garden. Add in somemediumheight fillers and place lowgrowing plants toward the front and edges. Read your seed packets forinformation on how high each plant grows. Include avariety of colorsand textures. Youcan pair airy,delicateplants with bolder foliage and flowers.
The structure of acottage garden matters, too. When planting your seeds,
of seating and more natural lighting, Carroll said. The renovations also added five new food stations.
“Weknowfromour student surveys that students werevery,very interested in having local cuisine,”Carroll said.
JJ’sCamp,named after Senior Executive Chef Jon Jackson, will serve Louisianaspecialty foods. There’s also anew,all-day breakfast station in response to student requests.
$100 billion in wasted raw materials annually
“According to Khairul Akter et al.(2022), roughly 53 million tonsoftextile fibers are consumed each year, whichleads to over 92 milliontonsoftextile waste being produced each year worldwide,73% of which is incinerated and/or discarded, whichrepresents a waste of over USD100 billions worth of raw materials annually,” the journal article stated.
Honeycutt notes that small changes in consumer habits can help, especially efforts tied to thecircular economy
“Ifwecan keep things in thefashioncycle foralonger amount of time, that has been proven as an effective way,overall, to combat some of this textile waste and textile pollution,” she said.
Rental fashion, vintage shopping and clothing swaps can all play arole. But she also stresses that sustainable options must be more widely accessible.
“Sustainable can’tjust mean expensive,” she said. “Ithas to be accessible for everyone.”
Amongthe eco-friendly
work in drifts, not rows. Sow seeds in clusters and sweeping curves to create anatural look. Overlap different types of seeds to soften the transitions between colors and textures. Finally,besure to add somevertical interest. Use trellises or other objects for climbing plants to draw the eye upward and give depth to the garden. Grasses can provide vertical, swaying elements as wellasshelter forpollinators.
At another food station called Roux, students can find homestyledishes. At Deli Laville,students can mobile order custom sandwiches through Transact Mobile Ordering. They then scan aQRcode upon their arrival, where theirsandwich is madefresh to order Anew allergen station opened on Feb. 1and it has its ownkitchen area so all of the preparation and cooking is contained in the station.
brands Russell carries are Toit Volant,kowtow andLe Bon Shoppe.
Acapsule wardrobe
Russell’sown style has evolvedsincebecoming a mother.She’s nowfocused on acapsule wardrobe —a small collection of versatile pieces she can wearrepeatedly Honeycutt notes this approach is common in France, where women learn it from ayoung age.
Russellnow putsmore thought into her clothes so that shefeels “put together forthe day.” Shesaidit’s easy forpeople to get lost in the role of parenting, but she feels morehuman when she gets dressed with intention. “I love that fashion can help youexpress your individualityand feel comfortable being you, because that’swhat clothes are about,” Russell said. “Someone telling you, ‘I love what you’re wearing today’ is the best feeling, personally,that Icould get.”
Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@ theadvocate.com.
Hints from Heloise
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Refuse to let your emotions interfere with your professionalism. Observation will provide answers without involving a confrontation or conflict of interest.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look for opportunities and take advantage. Change begins with you, and starting with self-improvement will offer the boost you require to initiate positive change. A partnership looks inviting.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put your emotions on the shelf and use common sense when dealing with others. Hasty decisions, emotional meltdowns and overreacting will hold you back.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Use intelligence, not brawn, to make your point. You'll gain respect and bring about positive change if you offer solid solutions that benefit everyone, not just you.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Do some research and verify information before you engage in a change. Knowing the hidden costs will offer peace of mind and encourage you to make better choices.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Pay attention to detail. Don't rush to please others, or it will cost you in the end. Map out a plan and stick to it until you're satisfied with the outcome. Show your strength.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) You'll be itching to make a change but you must first consider the physical aspects of what's
WonderWord
required to make things happen. Given the chance, someone will take advantage of you.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) An opportunity to get ahead is within reach. Let your intelligence and creativity lead the way, and you will convince others to support your efforts.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) It's your turn to step into the spotlight. Believe in and love what you do, and your passion will have a positive influence on those whose attention you capture.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) One step forward and two steps back will sum up your day if you overload your plate. You have plenty to gain if you learn from experience and make only necessary changes.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Live, learn, love and be happy. Communication is the key to getting what you want. Show your understanding of what you bring to the table.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Think, expand and initiate your plans. Take the road that leads to what makes you thrive. Travel, reunite with past associates and confront negativity, and something good will happen.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: n EQuALs P
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe peAnUtS
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG
Sudoku
InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
CurTiS
Bridge
By PHILLIP ALDER
Our friend A.N. Other said, “Don’t gambleunless you can afford to lose, and if you can afford to lose, you don’t have to gamble.”
At the bridge table, unlessyou are playinginapairevent,whereovertricks canbevaluable,donotgambleyourcontract.Justtaketheguaranteedlinetoget home.
Today’sdealwouldnotonlysnaregamblers,butwouldalsocatchoutthosewho play tooquickly at trickone.
The bidding went off the rails slightly when it didnot end in three no-trump. Southwaspropelledintofiveclubs.After West guessed well to lead adiamond, what shoulddeclarer have done?
North’s two-heart bid was fourth-suit game-forcing. His three-club continuation was reasonable because six clubs could have been agoodcontract if South had, say, 4-3-1-5 shape. Butover South’s threehearts,Northshouldhavebidthree no-trump.
With only one toploser, the trump ace, it looks safetotake the diamond finesse at trickone.However,ifEastwinsand shifts to aheart,suddenly five clubs has no chance.
Instead,Southshouldwinthefirsttrick with dummy’s ace and attack trumps.
Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed toDAy’s WoRD cHRonIc: KRON-ik: Alway present, especially amedical condition.
Average mark16words
Timelimit 20 minutes
Can you find 20 or morewords in CHRONIC?
yEstERDAy’s WoRD —EPILEPsy
wuzzles
loCKhorNs
Theseare good wordstoheed on adaily basis. They will save us alot of grief
G.E. Dean
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
hidato
mallard
BRIEFS
FROM WIRE REPORTS
U.S. stocks fall as bitcoin tumbles
NEW YORK U.S. stocks gave back some of last week’s rally, as bitcoin fell again on Monday
The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% and broke a five-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 427 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite dipped 0.4%.
Last week’s rally was largely due to rising hopes that the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate next week to help shore up the slowing job market. Such hopes are still high, with traders betting on a roughly 85% chance the Fed will cut at its next meeting, according to data from CME Group
But yields for longer-term Treasurys nevertheless rose in the bond market Monday It was part of a worldwide climb for yields after the head of the Bank of Japan hinted at a possible hike to interest rates there. When bonds are paying higher yields, they can attract investors who would otherwise buy stocks or cryptocurrencies. Higher yields undercut prices for all kinds of investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive.
Bitcoin, which was soaring around $125,000 in October, dropped toward $85,500. That’s down roughly 6% from a day earlier That in turn sent stocks lower across the crypto industry Coinbase Global sank 4.8%, and Robinhood Markets fell 4.1%, for example.
UK secures zero-tariff deal on pharmaceuticals
LONDON The U.K. has secured a 0% tariff rate for all U.K. medicines exported to the U.S for at least three years, officials said Monday, in return for the U.K. spending more on new medicines. Under the deal, the U.S. agreed to exempt U.K.-origin pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical ingredients, and medical technology from import taxes
The Trump administration said in return U.K. drugs firms committed to invest more in the U.S. and create more jobs.
The U.K. government said the 0% rate on all of its pharmaceuticals exports was the lowest offered to any country As part of the deal, it said the country’s National Health Service will spend around 25% more in new and effective treatments the first major increase in such spending in over two decades.
Officials said that means U.K health authorities will now be able to approve medicines that deliver significant health improvements but might have previously been declined purely on cost-effectiveness grounds, including breakthrough cancer treatments or therapies for rare diseases.
Starbucks to pay about $35M to NYC workers
NEW YORK Starbucks will pay about $35 million to more than 15,000 New York City workers to settle claims it denied them stable schedules and arbitrarily cut their hours, city officials announced Monday
The company will also pay $3.4 million in civil penalties under the agreement with the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection It also agrees to comply with the city’s Fair Workweek law going forward.
A company spokeswoman said Starbucks is committed to operating responsibly and in compliance with all applicable local laws and regulations in every market where it does business, but also noted the complexities of the city’s law
“This (law) is notoriously challenging to manage and this isn’t just a Starbucks issue, nearly every retailer in the city faces these roadblocks,” spokeswoman Jaci Anderson said.
Most of the affected employees who held hourly positions will receive $50 for each week worked from July 2021 through July 2024, the department said Workers who experienced a violation after that may be eligible for compensation by filing a complaint with the department.
TSA to charge travelers without REAL ID
$45 fee to begin in February
By The Associated Press
Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday
The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security says 94% of passengers are already compliant and that the new fee is intended to encourage travelers to obtain the ID.
REAL ID is a federally compliant state-issued license or identification card that meets enhanced requirements mandated in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Obtaining the ID indicated by a white star in a yellow circle in most states means taking more docu-
ments to the motor vehicle agency than most states require for regular IDs. It was supposed to be rolled out in 2008 but the implementation had been repeatedly delayed.
Beginning Feb. 1, travelers 18
and older flying domestically without a REAL ID and who don’t have another accepted form of ID on them, such as a passport, will pay the nonrefundable fee to verify their identity through TSA’s alter-
native “Confirm.ID” system. TSA officials said that paying the fee does not guarantee verification, and travelers whose identities cannot be verified may be turned away If approved, however, the verification covers a 10-day travel period.
The fee can be paid online before arriving at the airport Travelers can also pay online at the airport before entering the security line, but officials said the process make take up to 30 minutes.
The TSA initially proposed an $18 charge for passengers without a REAL ID, but officials said Monday they raised it after realizing the alternative identification program would cost more than anticipated.
Other acceptable forms of ID include military IDs, permanent resident cards and photo IDs from federally recognized tribal nations. TSA also accepts digital IDs through platforms such as Apple Wallet, Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports in the U.S.
LAST CALL FOR DEALS
Cyber Monday could break spending records despite economic uncertainty
BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS
Associated Press
NEW YORK — After four days of deal-fueled spending sprees that kicked off on Thanksgiving, shoppers shifted their focus on Cyber Monday, which is again expected to be the biggest sales day of the year for online retailers.
Walmart was promoting up to 50% off on fashion on its website among some of the deals, while online juggernaut Amazon was hoping to ply customers with discounts of up to 55%.
It’s no secret that buying things online is now a staple of many people’s everyday routines. And year after year, those purchases mount during the gift-giving holiday rush.
Experts expect consumers to drive record Cyber Monday spending this year, despite wider economic uncertainty
Adobe Analytics estimates that U.S. shoppers will spend $14.2 billion online Monday or 6.3% more than in 2024. Spending is expected to peak between the hours of 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. local time, when Adobe expects $16 million to pass through online shopping carts every minute nationwide.
U.S. consumers already spent $11.8 billion online for Black Friday, $6.4 billion on Thanksgiving Day and another $11.8 billion over the weekend — exceeding Adobe’s forecasts Purchases made across Cyber Week — the five major shopping days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — provides a strong indication of how much shoppers are willing to spend for the holidays
“Cyber Week is off to a strong start,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. “Discounts are set to remain elevated through Cyber Monday, which we expect will remain the biggest online shopping day of the season and year.”
Pandya said he will be analyzing Adobe data capturing Cyber Monday sales to see if some of the spending momentum dissipated after a strong weekend.
Deals on electronics and apparel are expected to peak Monday at 30% and 26% off average listed prices, per Adobe’s latest estimates. But other categories will still continue to see deep discounts — including toys, which Adobe expects to reach 27% off listed
prices.
Meanwhile, software company Salesforce — which tracks digital spending from a range of retailers, including grocers — estimates Cyber Monday’s online sales will total $13.4 billion in the U.S. and $53.7 billion globally
While the amount of money going into online shopping carts is expected to reach new heights Monday, rising retail prices also may contribute to any record sales figures that materialize. Consumers may be buying fewer total items. Experts say tighter budgets are causing many to shop with more precision than in years past such as focusing on a few “big ticket” purchases, for example, and spreading out what they buy over days of promotions in hopes of getting the most bang for their buck.
Businesses and households have watched anxiously for financial impacts from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports. Workers in both the public and private sectors are also struggling with anxieties over job security amid both corporate layoffs and the aftereffects of the 43-day government shutdown.
For the November-December holiday season overall, the National Retail Federation estimates that U.S. shoppers will spend more than $1 trillion for the first time this year But the rate of growth is slowing — with an
anticipated increase of 3.7% to 4.2% year over year compared with 4.3% during last year’s holiday season.
At the same time, credit card debt and delinquencies on other short-term loans have been rising. More and more shoppers are turning to “buy now, pay later” plans, which allow them to delay payments on holiday decor, gifts and other items.
Buy now pay later loans are expected to drive $20.2 billion in online spending this holiday season, according to Adobe, up 11% from last year The firm predicted that buy now, pay later loans would pass a new $1 billion milestone on Cyber Monday the vast majority involving purchases made on mobile devices.
Overall, mobile devices have become the dominant shopping platform consumers are turning to for the holidays. Adobe expects smartphones, wearable tech and other handheld electronics to account for 58% of online spending this season.
Five years ago, a majority of online purchases were made on desktops. Shopping services powered by artificial intelligence are also expected to play a role in what consumers choose to buy For Black Friday, Salesforce estimated that AI assistants and digital agents contributed to $14.2 billion of the total $79 billion it said was spent online worldwide.
44% of trucking schools don’t comply with U.S. rules, report says
BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer
Nearly 44% of the 16,000 truck driving schools in the U.S may be forced to close if they lose their students after a review by the federal Transportation Department found they may not be complying with government requirements.
The Transportation Department said Monday that it plans to revoke the accreditation of nearly 3,000 schools unless they can comply with training requirements in the next 30 days. The targeted schools must notify students that their accreditation is in jeopardy Another 4,500 schools are being warned they may face similar action. Schools that lose accreditation
will no longer be able to issue the certificates showing a driver completed training that are required to get a license, so students are likely to abandon those schools.
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security is auditing trucking firms in California owned by immigrants to verify the status of their drivers and whether they are qualified to hold a commercial driver’s license. This crackdown on trucking schools and companies is the latest step in the government’s effort to ensure that truck drivers are qualified and eligible to hold a commercial license This began after a truck driver that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says was not authorized to be in the U.S. made
an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people. Duffy has threatened to pull federal funding from California and Pennsylvania over the issue, and he proposed significant new restrictions on which immigrants can get a commercial driver’s license but a court put those new rules on hold.
“We are reigning in illegal and reckless practices that let poorly trained drivers get behind the wheel of semi-trucks and school buses,” Duffy said.
It’s not clear how this action against these trucking schools could affect the existing shortage of drivers. The American Trucking Association estimates there were 3.58 million truck drivers out on the roads last year
The Transportation Department said the 3,000 schools it is taking action against failed to meet training standards and didn’t maintain accurate and complete records. The schools are also accused of falsifying or manipulating training data. The list of schools being targeted wasn’t immediately released. Trucking industry groups have praised the effort to tighten up licensing standards and ensure that drivers can meet basic English proficiency requirements the Trump administration began enforcing this summer But groups that represent immigrant truck drivers say they believe many qualified drivers and companies are being targeted simply because of their citizenship status.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MEGAN VARNER Shoppers browse for Black Friday deals at an outdoor mall in Atlanta.
