The Advocate 06-10-2026 by The Advocate

U.S. carriesout strikesonIran

TrumpblamesTehranfor downingArmyhelicopter

BY JON GAMBRELL, KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates The U.S. military launched airstrikes Wednesday on Iran following the crashofanArmyhelicopternear the Strait of Hormuz that U.S. President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic.

Tehran vowed to respond, again throwing into question effortsto reach apermanent ceasefire in theIran war that’sseen the Strait of Hormuz effectively choked off and global energy prices spike. Missile alert sirens sounded in the island kingdomofBahrain, home to the U.S.Navy’s5th Fleet, which Tehran said it targeted for retaliation Fighterjets from the U.S. Air

Forceand Navy conductedthe strikes, the U.S.military’sCentral Commandsaid,targeting “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.” Iran acknowledged strikes around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but gave no details on the damage.

“The operation was aproportional response to recent attackson

EL EC TI ON 20 26

District attorney race heatsup

Candidates spar over hate crimecaseaselectionapproaches

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

Allegations that a13-year-old boy dressed up in Ku Klux Klan garb todeface aneighbor’s property with racist messages have sparkeda ﬁght between Baton Rouge’sdistrictattorneyand his ﬁrst political challenger in 17 years

On Monday,attorney Ryan Thompson —who is takingonlongtimeincumbent District AttorneyHillar Moore in November’selection—held anews conference with the NAACP at the home of Carolyn Morrison-Howard in Central

CommentsbyThompson and Moore’s response mark the ﬁrst public exchange between the two, though neither initially mentioned theelection or called out the other by name.

Thompson last week ﬁled acivil lawsuit on behalf of Morrison-Howard against the parents of the boy accusedof racist threats. That came afterMoore’s ofﬁce charged the teen with hate crimes for allegedly painting racist messages on thewoman’sproperty andcarving a swastika on avehicle parked outside her home At the news conference, Thompson

demanded that “the District Attorney’s Ofﬁce take ahard look at this again” and suggested that stalking and terrorism charges should have been brought too. Moore shot back in anews release Monday evening, accusing “one participant at the press conference”ofusing thealleged hate crime to “advancea political campaign” and “created afalse narrative”about howthe case is being handled.

“Whilereasonablepeoplecan disagree on public policy,noone should use

ä See RACE, page 8A

Judge accusedof misconduct in barﬁght

Videofootage shows Gonzales scrap

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

Three years ago, alate-night fracas landed astate judge, Steven Tureau, in themud andtrash behind Swamp Chicken Daiquiris, aGonzales bar Now, Tureau faces judicial misconduct charges over the incident, accused by the Louisiana Judiciary Commission of misusing the prestige of his office and conduct unbefitting ajudge. Tureau, whohas served forfive years on the 23rdJudicialDistrictCourt bench in Ascension, Assumption andSt. James parishes, has admitted he crossed thelineina dispute with Michelle Lee, part-owner of Swamp Chicken.

The judge, his wife andanother couple showed up at the bar late on Feb. 12, 2023, after dinner and drinks at alocal steakhouse. At the time, Tureau was in secret discussionswiththe bar’sco-owner,StephenFrederic,about buying Lee out of the business. Frederic had recently learned that one of the bar’slicenses was due to expire. He blamed Lee and told Tureau about it.

Things turned nasty that night after the judge’s wife anda friend “worked their waythrough the crowded bar in front of the band, which upset other patrons,” the commission wrote. Jostling ensued,and thetwo women were movedtothe back of the bar,where they complained about Lee.

The judge confronted Lee. Tureau broughtupbuying thebar and was heardsaying“that youweregoing to shut her down,” the commission alleges. Frederic, the bar’sco-owner,began to push him away

ä See JUDGE, page 8A

Inmates’ families left in dark afterLouisiana prison deaths

Failed legislation wouldhavecreated reporting system

BY AIDAN McCAHILL

Staff writer

she learned

that

Center.More than sixmonths later, she’sstill searching for answers. Eight months after detectives told them their son died at the West BatonRouge Parish DetentionCenter,Charlene and Henry Henderson say they have learned more about it from watching the localnewsthanfrom public ofﬁcials.

Monica Lafayette recalls the excruciating two weeks she had to wait to seeher daughter’sbody, andthe bruisesshe sawwhenshe ﬁnally viewed her. The questions for Lafayette —whose daughter was in EastBaton Rouge Parish Prison —have stretched on for morethan 10 months.

information,disrupting an already arduousgrieving process. Some waitmonths for just adeathcertiﬁcate.

abill that failedthis past legislative session that aimed to establish basic reporting requirements for deaths in custody

In Louisiana, thereiscurrently no uniform,statewidesystem for reporting deaths in custody.Many familiesofinmateswho died say theyare forcedtoﬁght for basic

“You play it in your mind, trying to ﬁgure outwhat happened,” said Jehane Draper.“Because we don’t know what happened …your mind tends to go here, tends to go there, your mindisnever at rest.”

State Rep.Candace Newell, a New Orleans Democrat, sponsored

“Familieshave been leftinthe dark at the very momentthey are grieving the most,” she said. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety andCorrections, whichdeclinedaninterview,has

ä See PRISON, page 10A

See STRIKES, page 7A

President Donald Trump talks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Newyork early Tuesday.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

PHOTO By MARK SCHIEFELBEIN

Jahane Draper says

through social media

her son died at Elayn Hunt Correctional

Texas teen convicted in stabbing of rival athlete

MCKINNEY, Texas — A Texas teenager who fatally stabbed a 17-year-old track athlete from a rival team during a competition was convicted of murder Tuesday in a trial that drew attention far beyond the booming Dallas suburb where the two students attended different high schools.

A jury rejected Karmelo Anthony’s claims of self-defense during a confrontation with Austin Metcalf in stadium bleachers last year. Most people who testiﬁed were students who described a heated exchange over Anthony’s refusal on a rainy spring day to leave a tent that belonged to Metcalf’s team Anthony, now 19, did not testify at trial and faces up to life in prison after a sentencing hearing in which his mother was the only witness. His lawyer had an arm around him when the guilty verdict was announced.

Trial in Ukrainian

woman’s killing delayed

CHARLOTTE,N.C. — A man charged in the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train cannot currently stand trial because of his mental illness and will undergo medical treatment to try to restore his competency, a federal judge ruled Tuesday Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, faces a federal charge of causing death on a mass transportation system in the killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, a charge that is punishable by death. A separate state case against Brown in which he is charged with ﬁrst-degree murder is on pause pending the outcome of the federal case.

At the request of Brown’s attorneys, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell found that their client is not currently competent to stand trial and ordered him to spend up to four months in a prison medical facility to try to restore his competency.

Rob Reiner’s son seeks money from trust

LOS ANGELES Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense against charges that he killed them.

A petition ﬁled by Nick Reiner’s civil attorneys in a Los Angeles County court on Monday says that trustees overseeing the funds have denied them to him without legal justiﬁcation, and he needs and should get them now

“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue in this Trust litigation,” the petition says. “Like anyone accused of a crime, Nick is presumed innocent, and he is entitled to mount his defense with the resources that are lawfully his own.”

N.Y.’s busiest train station to get $8B remodel

NEW YORK When Manhattan’s original Pennsylvania Station was demolished in 1963, it marked the undigniﬁed end to one of America’s great public works, a monolithic Beaux Arts train terminal with Roman-style columns and a spacious central waiting area that was at the time the city’s largest indoor space. But a dramatic new vision for the busiest transit hub in the Western Hemisphere calls for a return to the original station’s grandeur from 1910.

The redesign is projected to cost roughly $8 billion, and construction is targeted to begin before the end of 2027, ofﬁcials said Monday. Renderings released Monday feature a rectangular stone facade lined with imposing columns along a grand entryway

32K displaced by quake in Philippines

Death toll hits 37 as rescuers search rubble

BY JIM GOMEZ and JOEAL CALUPITAN Associated Press

GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines Rescuers searched ruined buildings in the southern Philippines on Tuesday to ensure no one was still trapped a day after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the country in a half-century killed at least 37 people and displaced more than 32,000.

Only four people were considered missing on official records in the southern provinces near where the 7.8 magnitude quake struck Monday morning, but the Ofﬁce of Civil Defense acknowledged several collapsed and heavily damaged buildings must be thoroughly inspected for possible survivors or casualties.

The earthquake centered off Mindanao, the second most populous Philippine island injured nearly 500 people and displaced more than 32,000, most of whom ﬂed to emergency shelters.

Many people who left their homes feared a tsunami. Waves up to 4.6 feet above tide level were measured in the Philippines, but the only tsunami damage reported was to six

shanties on stilts in a coastal village. Smaller waves washed ashore in Indonesia and Palau and as far away as southern Japan.

Landslides, building collapses

The earthquake left a trail of destruction, including in General Santos, a lively coastal city of more than 700,000 people known as the country’s tuna capital, where at least 13 people were killed in collapsed buildings and due to falling debris.

At least 18 died in Sarangani province, mostly in a landslide that buried houses in the mountainside town of Glan, according to Rafaelito Alejandro of the Ofﬁce of Civil Defense.

The other deaths were reported in the southern provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental, and on Balut Island, disaster response ofﬁcials said.

About 2,500 houses and 117 government buildings and facilities were damaged in several provinces, according to an initial government damage assessment. The international airport in General Santos remained shut for a second day forcing the cancellation of 63 domestic ﬂights except for those on humanitarian missions.

About 6,000 public school buildings in quake-hit provinces must be assessed before classes can resume. The quake struck on the ﬁrst day of classes nationwide after a twomonth summer break, and many who sustained injuries were young students who had gathered with excitement for morning ﬂag-raising ceremonies. Authorities have warned that buildings that sustained cracks could collapse due to aftershocks, some of them dangerously powerful. “We cannot force the immediate reopening of schools because we have to ensure the integrity of the buildings,” Alejandro said.

Strongest since 1976

Monday’s earthquake was centered at sea at a depth of 20 miles, about 20 miles southwest of Maasim town in Sarangani province. It was set off by movement in the Cotabato Trench and was the strongest since the same undersea depression triggered an 8.1 magnitude quake that whipped up tsunami waves on Aug. 17, 1976, said Teresito Bacolcol, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

NASA unveils crew for Artemis III mission

Astronauts to test technology for a future moon landing

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP science writer

NEW YORK NASA on Tuesday revealed the crew for its Artemis III mission, the next step in the space agency’s plan to eventually land astronauts on the moon.

The announcement came two months after Artemis II’s record-breaking trip around the moon that surpassed the distance record of Apollo 13.

NASA’s Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano won’t ﬂy to the moon or land on the surface. Instead, they’ll orbit Earth while practicing docking their Orion capsule with two lunar landers.

“To the Artemis III crew, we wish you Godspeed on the journey ahead,” said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are racing to deliver the lunar landers. The two-week demo is targeted for 2027.

Blue Origin suffered a recent setback when its massive rocket exploded during an engine-ﬁring test on the launch pad in Florida, shaking nearby homes and illuminating the sky with an orange ﬁreball.

NASA’s Jeremy Parsons said the setback is a learning opportunity and that the space agency is conﬁdent Blue Origin’s rocket will be ready in time.

NASA’s Artemis program aims to re-

turn astronauts to the moon’s surface for the ﬁrst time since the 1970s. A recent revamp of the program announced by Isaacman aims to fast-track it similarly to the Apollo era, adding the upcoming spaceﬂight around Earth before eyeing a lunar landing in 2028.

“We are certainly humbled as a crew to be able to be your crew that executes this Artemis III mission in space,” said Bresnik, Artemis III commander Added Douglas, mission specialist: “My brain — it is going a mile a minute right now But my heart, it is so warm. It is so full.” In May, NASA awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts to four companies, including Blue Origin, to build landers, rovers and drones for a future moon base.

Isaacman said the goal of the moon base is to lay the foundation for a Mars expedition.

Judge bars Alabama nitrogen gas execution

BY KIM CHANDLER Associated Press

MONTGOMERY

Ala. A federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked Alabama from executing an inmate with nitrogen gas after declaring it violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

U.S. District Judge Emily Marks issued the ruling hours after an appeals court reversed her initial ﬁnding that the method was constitutional. Marks permanently enjoined the state from executing Jeffrey Lee, 49, by nitrogen gas. He was scheduled to be executed Thursday

The decision, for now, blocks the use of the controversial new execution method that the state has championed since 2024, but the issue will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

A spokesman for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state is reviewing the decision and considering next steps, including an appeal.

A spokeswoman for Lee’s legal team said they did not have an immediate comment.

Death penalty opponents and critics of the nitrogen method welcomed the decision

“The truth is ﬁnally free. Two federal courts have now called nitrogen executions what they are completely unnecessary,” the Rev Jeff Hood said Hood was a spiritual adviser at two nitrogen executions.“Indeed, I pray that we are witnessing the collapse of this horriﬁc method nationwide,” Hood added. In her 26-page ruling, Marks said litigation is a constant in death penalty cases.

“Were Alabama to adopt firing squad as a method of execution, that method would likely be challenged as well. Indeed, there is likely no method — no matter how humane — that would be immune to constitutional challenge. But the Constitution does not guarantee a painless death, and human life cannot be purposefully extinguished without some risk of pain The Court, the condemned, and the State must all confront that sobering reality,” Marks wrote.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BASILIO SEPE

Rescuers inspect a damaged building Tuesday following an earthquake in General Santos, Philippines.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The Artemis III crew includes, from left, Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik and Frank Rubio.

House passes $70B immigration bill

Enforcement agencies to be funded for 3 years

BY KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON A bill to provide nearly $70 billion for immigration enforcement narrowly passed the House on Tuesday and now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, fueling the administration’s deportation agenda for the remainder of his time in the White House. Republicans used their majority to get the bill over the ﬁnish line, funding a pair of Homeland Security agencies through the next three years. The bill passed by a vote of 214-212, over the objections of Democrats

The White House says the bill will provide $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs. It frontloads routine annual funding, ensuring a virtually uninterrupted ﬂow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some 1 million people per year Speaker Mike Johnson needed near-perfect attendance and unity on his side to complete weeks of action. The legislation got sidetracked over $1 billion for White House security including for Trump’s new

Report: ICE facility wasted millions

Conditions played factor in deaths, review finds

BY MICHAEL BIESECKER and RYAN J FOLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Mismanagement at a massive Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Texas created unsafe conditions that contributed to detainee deaths and suffering even as millions of wasted tax dollars enriched contractors, according to a federal report released Tuesday

The Government Accountability Office report documents serious problems at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility at Fort Bliss in El Paso where three detainees have died in little more than six months. Evidence in one of those deaths, of a 55-yearold Cuban migrant who died in January after being held down by guards, was “missing or destroyed,” the report found.

ICE rushed to open the camp in August before construction was complete and failed to conduct required oversight to ensure detainees were held in sanitary conditions and receiving adequate medical care, according to the report.

The Department of Homeland Security noted that ICE has replaced the contractor running the facility. “This new contractor will allow Camp East Montana to continue abiding by the highest detention standards with the ability to provide more medical care on-site,” said DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis.

The GAO’s ﬁndings echo past reporting by The Associated Press and other news outlets about dangerous conditions at Camp East Montana, which quickly became the nation’s largest immigration detention facility But the government report also details previously undisclosed incidents, including that a detainee escaped in October due to what ICE called the contractor’s oversight failure.

hearing on the budget request for the Department of Homeland Security.

ballroom, and a $1.8 billion fund to compensate his allies who claim they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Those proposals proved politically toxic and were scrapped. Now, the bill is focused entirely on immigration enforcement, a topic that Republicans have treated as a deﬁning issue between the two major political parties and one they hope will carry them to victory in this year’s midterm elections.

“It’s long overdue,” said Johnson, R-Benton, of the bill. “We have to fund border security and immigration enforcement, and it’s sad that Republicans have to do it on our own.”

But Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett, of Texas, called it a “slush fund for

The funding comes on top of the nearly $140 billion that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and Customs and Border Protection last year as part of Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill. Democrats objected to giving the agencies more money without changes in the way they operate after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. For example, Democrats insisted agents remove masks and be required to display ID badges during enforcement operations and that they get a judicial warrant before entering private property Instead, the funding will come with virtually no strings attached.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York,

said Republicans weren’t focused on the top priorities of the American people and have cut access to Medicaid and nutrition assistance through Trump’s earlier tax and spending cut bill.

“Republicans have now come back for more, to give ICE and Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine another $70 billion blank check, with no over-

sight, no accountability and no guardrails,” Jeffries said.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise countered that Democrats were not adequately supportive of law enforcement.

“Make no mistake, if you’re voting yes, you’re not only voting to secure America’s border, you’re voting to fund law enforcement,” Scalise said. “And if you vote no, you are voting to defund the police.”

The package is the result of a monthslong standoff in Congress after Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and other American cities, leading to the longest shutdown in agency history

HarryHurst’s Advanced STEAMLab Prepares Students forRealWorld Careers

HarryHurst Middle School students walk into thefuturewhentheyenter theschool’s Advanced STEAMLab —abrightlycolored uniquelydesignedclassroom whereengineering meetsjournalismand learningmirrors real worldexperiences.The innovativelab combines hands-on engineeringprojectswithdigital storytelling andbroadcast journalism,giving students opportunitiestoexplore careers, build conﬁdence, andthink creatively.

In theEngineering side of thelab,students design andconstruct projects such as pulleys, circuitboards, andevenamechanicalforearm that bendsatthe elbow. Throughtrial,error,and problemsolving,theylearn that challenges are part of theprocess. “It’shardtosay what thebest part of STEAMisbecause it’s allinteresting,” oneeighthgrader says.“Ireallyliked learning aboutcircuits.”Another addedthatthe experience hassparked career goals: “I’m thinking aboutbecoming an engineer.”

Acrossthe room,several Journalism students

arepreparing scripts, producingand editingvideos, andpreparing to anchor dailyannouncements.Othersareworking on theschoolnewspaper,which includes news articles, photos,interviews, comics, andpuzzles.“I’mananchorfor themorningnews,”one studentshares. “I love it even though it made me nervousatﬁrst. Studentsalsoenjoythecreativefreedom encouraged in theSTEAM labenvironment.“Sometimeswemakefunny videos asking students andteachersdifferent questions; sometimeswediscuss serious things, like what ourprincipal expectsfroma HarryHurst student,”saysa soon-to-be high school freshman. “One of ourﬁrstsurveys was aboutFruit Roll-Ups.” Learning to keep videos shortand focusedhas been achallenge,students admit, buttheysay thetechnologyinthe STEAM labmakes professional levelworkpossibleas they learntoconquer ever-changingadvances.

entire school or interviewing ourprincipal We function like afamily—ateamthatworks throughchallengestogether.”

TheAdvancedSTEAM Lab is ledbyLindsayMaxie,who transitioned from teaching EnglishLanguageArtsintothe STEAM coordinatorrole. With abackground in journalism andexperienceadvising theschoolnewspaper andchess club, Maxieembracedthe opportunitytoblend creativity with technology.She says oneof themostrewarding aspectsiswatching students grow “Iseethemproblemsolvingandaccepting taskstheynever thoughttheycould do,” Maxiesaid. “Theyare growingasleaders taking riskslikespeakinginfront of the

PrincipalSeanDwyer creditsthe lab’sgrowth to strong community support, includingfundingfromShell Norco. “Whatour students do is amazing,”Dwyer notes. “Shell askedhow it couldhelp, encouraged us to thinkbiggerwhen we answered,and that supporttransformed our STEAMclassroom into an innovative Advanced STEAMLab.”

Dwyerexplainsthatthe programservesasa bridge tohigh school andbeyond. “The St.Charles Parish Public School district offerswelding and engineeringprograms, andour SatelliteCenter plus both high schoolsteach television broadcastingcourses.Thislab is aﬁrststeptoward careersand good jobs.”

AtHarryHurst,math,science,andEnglishcome together in powerful ways.“Here,weopenthe door to imagination, collaboration, andsuccess in therealworld,”Dwyer says —“oneproject,one broadcast, andone conﬁdent studentatatime.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CLIFF OWEN

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testifies June 3 before the House Committee on Homeland Security during a

This articleisbrought to youbyShell

HarryHurst Middle School STEAMLab coordinatorLindsay Maxie(left)withSTEAM Labstudentsand Hurstprincipal Sean Dwyer(center back row)

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Envoy: Sanctions a ‘pretext’ for action

Trump laying groundwork for military intervention in Cuba, diplomat says

BY MATTHEW LEE AP diplomatic writer

WASHINGTON Recent U.S. sanctions targeting Cuba’s leadership and the indictment of former President Raúl Castro are a “pretext” for the Trump administration to persuade the American people to support a military intervention, Cuba’s top diplomat to the United States told The Associated Press. In an interview on Tuesday, Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera repeated accusations against the Trump administration made by other Cuban ofﬁcials, including the foreign minister and the president, and complained bitterly that the U.S. is targeting Cuban civilians with its decades-old embargo and

new blockade of energy shipments to the island.

“The sanctions against our leaders, we see as a pretext to make the American people think we are a threat,” she said at Cuba’s embassy

in Washington. “We are not a threat to the U.S., and we don’t want confrontation.”

Torres Rivera, who holds the formal title of chargé d’affaires, described the situation as “a war

without bombs.” She said efforts to change Cuba’s government by coercion or force would be met by ﬁerce resistance.

“Raúl is sacred,” she said of the indictment by a federal grand jury last month of Castro. The 95-yearold former president faces conspiracy and murder charges related to the 1996 shootdown of two unarmed civilian planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue while he was serving as Cuba’s defense minister

“Raúl is a sacred symbol of the revolution, and we will defend Raúl — as we will the country — until the end,” Torres Rivera said. “If we are attacked, we are going to respond, and we are prepared for that. But we don’t want it.”

Her comments reflect a belief among many Cubans and Cuba analysts that the charges against Castro and the sanctions imposed on others in the socialist government’s leadership are similar to those the Trump administration touted as a reason for the military intervention in Ven-

ezuela in January that deposed thenPresident Nicolás Maduro. On Thursday, the same day the U.S. Treasury Department leveled sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Castro’s son and grandson, along with others, U.S. President Donald Trump said of Cuba: “We’re going to handle that as soon as we’ve ﬁnished” military operations in Iran.

Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since ousting Maduro and then ordering an energy blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba. That has led to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island Torres Rivera said the moves by the Trump administration to tighten the screws on Cuba’s already faltering economy have resulted in untold misery for ordinary Cubans who are struggling to survive with power cuts of up to 20 hours a day and exorbitant costs for gasoline, kerosene and everyday goods, including food and medicine.

BY NICOLE WINFIELD and JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday sought to encourage Spain’s young people to persevere in their faith, as he presided over an evening rally that was notable for its frank discussion of depression, domestic violence and “toxic” family relationships.

The U.S.-born pope received a raucous welcome at the Olympic stadium in Barcelona, the second stop of his weeklong visit to Spain that has drawn huge crowds despite the country’s strong secular bent. The crowd, estimated at 40,000, erupted in cheers when Leo emerged from the stands in his popemobile and looped around the grounds. He thrilled sections of the crowd each time he stopped to bless babies or to do the “6-7” hand gesture that has now become a signature. The event featured several

nods to Catalan culture, including a demonstration of the region’s famed human tower acrobats, known as castellers. The eightlevel tower drew an appreciative applause from the pope after the smallest child reached the top, waved and then quickly shimmied down.

Leo also spoke in Catalan, more than initially foreseen, during the prayer vigil that featured a question-and-answer session with young adults. Such exchanges are scripted in advance and are typical features of papal trips But Tuesday’s edition was particularly raw given the subject matter Leo covered.

One young woman told Leo of a suicide attempt and the “darkness” she had experienced with bouts of depression. Another spoke about her father’s attempt to kill her mother and a childhood spent in juvenile detention. She asked how she could ever forgive her father Leo thanked the youths for their

honesty and willingness to share their stories publicly He blamed the malaise on what he said was a society that demands perfection of its youth and silences “moments of darkness and suffering.”

He compared the “silent illness” of depression among young people to the suffering of Christ on the cross.

“In those dark hours, as he was dying on the cross, Jesus shared our pain and revealed to us the face of a compassionate God, who bears our sorrows, who suffers with us, weeps our tears and remains at our side with his presence full of love and mercy,” Leo said.

But he also identified abusive families where domestic violence is normalized as being behind many problems facing today’s young people.

“So many crime reports, even today reﬂect a toxic climate in family relationships marked by abuse and oppression and, in particular, by violence against women, which

unfortunately often leads to femicide,” Leo said. Leo urged young people to ﬁnd solace in their faith And he drew

applause when he demanded better health services and care for mental health problems and domestic violence.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Cuba Lianys Torres Rivera speaks Tuesday with The Associated Press in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BERNAT ARMANGUE

Pope Leo XIV makes a ‘6-7’ hand gesture Tuesday as he arrives at a prayer vigil at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain.

5.22-5.5

Ukraineready to share itsdrone technology

Zelenskyymeets with Nordic and Baltic leaders

BY KOSTYAMANENKOV

Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Nordicand Baltic leaders whowere in Estonia for aregional summit Tuesday, avisit that comes amid frictionover Ukrainian drones straying into the region in recent months.

The drones have crashed into the chimney of apower plant in Estonia, hit empty fuel tanks in Latvia and been shot down by Romanian ﬁghter jets stationed in Lithuania. Ukrainian ofﬁcials apologized, saying the drones had been aimedatmilitary targets in Russia but were sent off course by Russian electronic interference.

Estonia hosted the summit in its capital of Tallinn amid

Russia’s 4-year-old, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Estonia holds the rotating presidency of theNB8, aregional grouping of the five Nordic and three Balticcountries, and brought together the bloc’s prime ministers, alongwith Zelenskyy Zelenskyy and Estonian PresidentAlar Karis agreed to work on cheaper ways to shoot down drones that have ﬂown over Estonia, including onethat aNATOﬁghter jet shot down over the south of thecountry in May

“Wehave shown that we can shoot the drones down with the planes,”Karis said at anews conference. Using fighter jets to shoot down the drones is expensive, he added, so he hopes to partner with Ukraine for its technology and expertise to do it more cheaply

Zelenskyy said Ukraine wasready to do so, drawing on its experiencewith helping countriesin theMiddleEast shoot down drones, where it

had sent experts to train local forces. “Wedid this in the Middle East, anditworked,” he said.

He said Ukraine could offer thelow-costinterceptor drones it has deployed at home to build an inexpensive shield against Russian drone attacks, and that Kyiv could send experts to its European partners “at any moment.”

Karis said he expects dronestocross into Baltic airspace as thewar continues and urged thepublic to remain calm. Estonia and theother Baltic nations are among Ukraine’sstaunchest supporters in its war against Russia.

Zelenskyysaidhis talks with theleadershad focused on advancing diplomacy strengthening air defenses and Ukraine’spathtoEuropeanUnion membership. He said Kyiv hadmet theconditions to open itsaccession negotiations and urged the bloctoapprove them this summer

Nigeria’sBorno statebattling choleraoutbreakthathas killed 74

By The Associated Press

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria Acholeraoutbreak in northeastern Nigeria has killed 74 people and infected more than 7,000 others since it started in early May, medical charity Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday The outbreak, reportedin 14 of Borno state’s27local governments, is unfoldingin communities with health systems made fragile by nearly twodecades of violentextremism from the Boko Haram insurgent group. The illness is endemic and seasonal in the country, where only 14%ofNigeria’s population of more than 200 million have access to safely managed drinkingwater supply services, according to government data from 2020. The situation is sometimes worseinBorno, bothinMaiduguri, the state’scapital, whichisdenselypopulated, and in remote communities with poor sanitationand hygiene due in part to being out of theclose reach of health authorities.

Achild suffering from cholera has ablood sample taken Mondayatthe treatment center

The medical group said it hastreated 7,439 cholera patients at its facilities, representing an average of 185 admissions per day. It saidthat it recorded500 patients last week on Friday,asingle-day record in the outbreak.

Congo’sEbola outbreak risestoover100 deaths

BY CHINEDU ASADU and JUSTIN KABUMBA Associated Press

BUNIA, Congo— More than 100 people havediedfrom Ebola lessthana month afterauthoritiesdeclaredan outbreakofthe disease in eastern Congo, agrim toll as ofﬁcials intensify efforts to slow thediseasediscovered weeks late.

Attacks on health workers from angry residents skepticismamongsome locals and armed conﬂict in hot spots continue to challenge efforts to stop the Ebola outbreak declared on May 15, caused by asevere form of thedisease.

Outofthe 550 cases conﬁrmedasofSunday, there have been 101 deathsand 19 recoveries,the latest

situation report said late Monday.The outbreak is concentrated in Congo’s eastern province of Ituri, whichaccounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, and has spread across the border to Uganda.

However,the number of cases in Congo is believed to be higher because the outbreak wasconfirmed weekslateand the contacttracing coverage rate, which hasimproved in recent days, is still at 64%.

The World Health Organization said Tuesdaythat over the last 24 hours, only 137samples have been tested, with 35 coming back positive.

The latest Ebola outbreak

is causedbythe rare Bundibugyo virus, which does nothaveanapprovedvaccine or treatmentunlike the “Zaire virus,” another name forthe Ebola virus, responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

The rapid increase in the numberofcases is partly due to the scale up of diagnostic capacities,enabling testing of the backlog of previouslycollected samples, authorities said. Health measures put in place to limit thespread of Ebolahave disrupted daily life in Bunia,the bustling capital of Ituri province. Justin Abekani,who ferriescustomers on his motorcycle, said they are“now onlyallowed to carry one customer per motorbike.”

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO By SERGEI GRITS

Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal, right,and Ukraine’sPresident Volodymyr Zelenskyy attendaNordic and Baltic countries meeting in Tallinn,Estonia, on Tuesday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JUDE MIKE

in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

U.S. forces and international commercial shipstransiting regional waters,”Central Command said.

Trump said earlierinasocial media post that Iran had shot down the aircraft while it was on patrol over the strait and declared that the U.S. “must, of necessity,respond to thisattack.” Iran’s top diplomat saidforeign military forces near its territory “are at constant risk” and later vowed that there wouldbearesponse to the newU.S. strikes.

Iranian forces “will leave no attack or threat unanswered,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. “Leave our region if youwanttobesafe.”

The downingofthe Apache attack helicopter and thestrikes by the U.S. military further strained a two-month ceasefire aday after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragiletruce took effect. Iranian state television said Tuesday that the Israeli attacks killedat least two members of the country’sair-defenseunits.

Since the U.S. and Israel beganstriking Iran on Feb. 28, the war has shaken the global economy,driven up energyprices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive.

Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into adeal to permanently end the conflict, particularly as Israel intensifies and expands its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.

The Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter went down after colliding with an Iranian drone, accordingtoa U.S ofﬁcial, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation It wasn’tclear whetherthe collision was intentional, and ofﬁcial statements only said the crash is under investigation. CNN, CBS News and other outlets earlier report-

ed thecollision In the first known operation of its kind by the American military,adrone boat rescued two aviators at 3:30 a.m. local time Tuesday abouttwo hours after their aircraft wentdown during a patroloff the coast of Oman, U.S. Central Commandsaid. Trump saidboth service members were “safeand uninjured.”

TheU.S. service members were spottedand picked up by adrone boat that took them to another locationon the water,where they were picked upbya helicopter said Capt. TimHawkins, a spokesperson for U.S. CentralCommand. He initially said thedrone took the two to shore, andhedid not elaborate on theupdated timeline.

It was thefirst known drone rescue at sea by the U.S.military,Hawkins said. AH-64 Apache helicopters have been akey assetfor the American military asit enforces ablockadeonIranian crude oilshipments and tankers, seeking to pressure Tehraninto adeal. Thehelicopters havealso been used by theUnitedArab Emirates to shoot down Iranian drones.

The drone usedtoperform therescue was a24-foot vesselcalleda Corsair, Hawkins said. It’smanufacturedby Saronic Technologies.

The dronewas assigned to theNavy’sTask Force 59, establishedin2021 as the Navy’sfirst uncrewed and artificial intelligence unit that focuses on maritime security in the Middle East, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal.

Soon after Trump made his accusation that Iran shot down theaircraft, Araghchi saidthe strait is “thousands of milesawayfromU.S. shores.

“Foreign forces in proximity to our territoryare at constant risk on account of theirown humanerrors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossﬁre,” Araghchi wrote on social media. “Toreduce risk, best solutionisfor them to leave.”

Before he accusedIranof downing the U.S. helicopter,Trump hadexpressed renewed optimism over negotiationswith Iran, but he didn’tsay why there was reason for optimism.

Mediators, led predominantly by Pakistan, have been trying for weeks toget

adeal acrossthe line. However,bothIranand theU.S have taken hard-line positions.

The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be entombed

in the aftermath of American airstrikesthathappened during the 12-day war in 2025. But Iranisrefusing that anddemanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before afinal agreement is in place, something rejected by Trump. The continued ﬁghting between Israel and Hezbollah is still atop Iranian priority Lebanon’sarmychief,Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, traveled to PakistanonTuesday. There, he met Pakistan’s armychief, Field Marshal Asim Munir,who hasbeen akey ﬁgure in the Iran-U.S. talks.

Haykal’svisit comes as Lebanon’sgovernment takes an increasingly hard line on Hezbollah but remains unable to disarm the powerful militia.Hezbollah thanked Iran on Tuesdayfor attacking Israel “in defense of our Lebanese people,” suggesting that Lebanon’sgovernmentshould take this opportunitytoimproverelations with Tehran.

Salt Lake City sues to blockwarehousedetention

“Thiskindoffacility

BY RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press

Salt Lake City and its county have filed alawsuit seekingto block the Department of Homeland Security’splan to open a giant warehouse in the citythat would be used to detain up to 10,000 immigrants.

The lawsuit, ﬁled Monday in federal court, is the latest brought by ofﬁcials around the country who werenot consulted before DHS purchased industrialwarehouses that it planned to convertinto regional immigrantprocessing and detention centers.

The lawsuit targets the most expensive property purchased by DHS for the initiative: $145.4 millionfor a833,000-square-foot warehouse that is roughly the size of 15 footballﬁelds.The March

RACE

Continued from page1A

avictim’stragedy to advance a political campaign or mislead the public aboutthe actions already taken by law enforcement and prosecutors,” Moore said Thompson respondedtothe district attorney’scommentson Tuesday,saying Moore is the one focusing on politics whileheisprioritizing justice for the family

“The facts surroundingthis alleged hate crime shouldhave been

JUDGE

Continued from page1A

“You weren’t supposed to say anythingtoMs. Leeabout theexpiringlicense and your conversation with (Frederic),” the commission wrote.

The argument grew hot. Video footage of the incident“clearly shows that you, Judge Tureau,

purchase, from areal estate development group partiallyowned by Deutsche Bank, cost nearly 50%morethanthe property’s 2025 assessed market value,records show In all, DHS purchased 11 warehousesfor more than $1 billion between Januaryand Marchin theﬁnal weeks of HomelandSecretary KristiNoem’s tenure under her $38.3billionplan for anew detention model to increase bed

shared with the public by theDA’s Ofﬁce,” Thompson said. “Instead, this family is being forced to continueliving across the street from afamily whose child is accused of committing multiple crimes against them.”

Rare opponent

First sworn in as district attorneyin2009, Moore hasnot hadan opponent in the two election cycles since he ﬁrst ran for ofﬁce.

Both Moore andThompsonare Democrats. Thompson is the only candidate to announce achallenge to Moore’sreelection bid so far

were angry,red-faced and spilling abottle of what appearstobebeer, andyou appeared to be intoxicated,” thecommission said.

Frederic and agroup of patrons shoved Tureau, his wife andthe womanwho hadjoined them out the back door.The two women “ended up on the muddy, trashstrewn ground,along with you,” the commission stated.

Theother woman “believed that sheendedupontop of you,”the

capacity and make deportations more efficient. TheDHS Office of Inspector General has opened an investigationinto whetherthe planwas wasteful, andNoem’s successor, DHSSecretaryMarkwayne Mullin, has put it on hold. Like others filed around the country,the lawsuit in Utah alleges DHS violated federal law by failing to conduct required environmental reviewsorget input fromstate andlocal ofﬁcialsbe-

Practicingboth civil lawand criminal defense, Thompsonhas worked in theparish’sPublic Defender’sOfﬁce. He also represented plaintiffs suing EastBaton Rouge city-parish in several cases involvingthe “BRAVE Cave,” a now-shuttered interrogation facility where his clientsallege police abused them.

“My concern is, and always will be,doingwhatisinthe best interest of my clients while ensuring the people of this parish areinformed about matters that impact public safety andjustice,” he said Tuesday

commission stated. “Ms. Tureau testiﬁed that she landed in agarbage can or on top of some garbage bags and you, Judge Tureau, were undereveryone else in the dirt and themud.”

Michelle Lee, the target of the judge’sire, called 911.

“They had been drinking, and they think they are entitled,and thatpretty much sums it up,”she told adispatcher The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s

fore the purchase.

“This kind of facility has no place in Salt Lake City,not only due to its inhumane nature but also because of our limited water supply,the increased strain on public utilities systems,and the potentially drastic public health andsafetyimpacts it wouldhave on ourresidents,” Salt Lake City

Mayor ErinMendenhall said in a statement

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the plan “is adire threat to the very essence of our community values,”adding it would overwhelm infrastructure, harm businesses, and undermine public health andsafety

Anewly formed advocacy group, Uproar Utah, also planned anews conference Tuesday to discuss litigation againstthe warehouseplan.

“As with any transition, we are reviewingagencypoliciesand proposals,” DHS said in astate-

Thompson announced his plan to run for district attorney in October and released acampaign ad two weeks agotargeting Moore’s record as Baton Rouge’schief prosecutor In the ad, Thompson notes that more than2,000 homicides have taken place since Moore waselected and says courts are backlogged withmurdercases, violentoffenders arebackon BatonRouge streets andtrust in thejustice system is at an alltime low In his statementinresponse to Thompson’snews conference,

Ofﬁce responded but did notpursuethe case further,according to the commission.

In aformalresponselastweek to the commission, Tureau denied that he intended to “invoke or exerciseactual judicialpower or inﬂuence against Ms. Lee or her business.”

ment Tuesday, adding thatMullin haspledgedtoworkwith community leaders and be “goodpartners.”

Legalactions elsewhere have hadsome initialsuccess.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’sadministration has issued administrative orders blocking the operation of two planned detention centers until DHS can show they are complying with state andfederal environmental regulations. DHS is appealing the orders.

In Maryland, ajudge hasgranted apreliminary injunctionhalting construction activities at a Williamsport warehouse while a lawsuit is heard. In New Jersey, ICE is preparinga newenvironmental assessment and decision after alawsuit was ﬁled against itsplanfor adetention center in Roxbury Township. Other cases arepending in Arizona, Michigan andGeorgia

Moore thanked the NAACP for its advocacy,condemned the alleged racist acts and said his responsibilityis“nottowin political arguments” but to seek justicefor victimslike Morrison-Howard.

“The facts and the law —not politics, public pressure, or campaign rhetoric —will determine howthis case proceeds,” Moore said. “Justice is too important to become a campaign talking point.”

Email Patrick Sloan-Turner at patrick.sloan-turner@ theadvocate.com.

Tureau’s attorney,DaneCiolino, said the judge “hasacceptedresponsibilityfor what occurredin this isolated and brief event.”

The commissioncan recommend discipline of judges, up to removal, to the Louisiana Supreme Court. It seta Septemberhearing date forthe charges against Tureau,who is up forreelectionthis year

He admitted, though, that“underthe circumstances his conduct could reasonably have been perceived by Ms. Leeasthreatening and as invoking the prestige of the ofﬁce.”

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argued that adequate reporting systems already exist. Timely notiﬁcation to family members is required for DOC facilities, they say while statistics about deaths at its facilities are posted online.

“DOC supports the general principle that families and designated emergency contacts should be notiﬁed as soon as practicable regarding serious incidents involving individuals who are incarcerated,” the agency said in a statement.

Beyond the notification process, there is no statelevel system for investigating deaths at jails and prisons in Louisiana, and details about how they occur don’t have to be made public. Advocates for inmates argue that without more transparency and oversight, prisoner safety in Louisiana’s penal system, ranked in the top five nationally in state prison mortality rates, won’t improve.

“Understanding who is dying and why and where is the only way that you can reduce the number of preventable deaths,” said Andrea Armstrong, a law professor at Loyola University in New Orleans.

Underreporting?

Under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, Louisiana must report every incustody death that occurs in private, parish and state facilities to the federal government, though the raw data is not made public. The process is facilitated by the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, a state agency that helps distribute millions of dollars in federal grant money Armstrong, an expert on prison conditions certified by the U.S. Justice Department to audit detention facilities, says Louisiana is likely underreporting prison deaths.

Since 2019, she and her students have tracked Loui-

siana deaths in custody through public records requests. While DOC posts online the number and causes of deaths in its facilities through its “Death Dashboard,” Armstrong’s database, The Incarceration Transparency Project, provides the only statewide, publicly available mortality information for all Louisiana detention centers.

Between 2020 and 2023, the project uncovered 302 Louisiana inmate deaths in state, parish and private detention centers that did not show up in federal databases. Of the 707 deaths occurring in Louisiana during that time, Armstrong’s data suggests only 57% were reported to the federal government.

“There are facilities that don’t report at all but my students are able to obtain that information through public records requests,” she said.

Over half of the nearly 31,000 people in state custody are held under contract in local parish jails, which also house pretrial detainees and can vary in how they report and investigate deaths.

Some agencies report each death that occurs at the jails they run to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, but others don’t. Armstrong pointed to Jefferson Parish Correction Center, run by the parish Sheriff’s Office. In 2025, after averaging one to two deaths annually for years, the facility had eight — including at least one suicide and two drug overdoses, according to autopsy results. Only one was reported to the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, Armstrong said — and it was reported by DOC. Brandon Veal, a spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, said their facility did not report in-custody deaths to the commission in 2025 because they did not receive or apply for federal grant money that year He said the policy of the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce is to report each in-custody death

to DOC.

“I can’t speak for what was reported or not reported by the state,” Veal added.

Fredia Dunn, who manages such reporting for the law enforcement commission, said each death is supposed to ﬂow through her ofﬁce. She said it’s “been communicated over the years that this is a requirement” by the U.S. Justice Department, “but I don’t know how we would be able to police that.”

De’Troit Draper

De’Troit Draper had been in Elayn Hunt since 2017 for attempted second-degree murder, convicted of shooting a woman in the arm. The 30-year-old liked helping other inmates produce their own music and was working on two degrees, his mother, Jehane Draper, said.

“He wasn’t just sitting idle; he was educating himself,” she said.

On Nov 24, De’Troit Draper was found unresponsive in his cell after a “ﬁstic encounter” with another inmate. He died hours later at a local hospital.

By the evening, Jehane Draper had learned her son had died through a friend on social media. She said she called Elayn Hunt multiple times before they conﬁrmed her son had died — after it was reported by local news outlets.

Randy Lavespere, the DOC’s head physician, testiﬁed during a recent legislative committee hearing that after prison deaths employees are supposed to call the emergency contact provided by the inmates — which for De’Troit Draper was his mother

Staff must also immediately notify the warden, parish coroner and DOC headquarters, conduct in-house medical reviews, and engage law enforcement “under suspicious circumstances,” Lavespere said.

“Timely notification of designated family contacts following a serious illness, serious bodily injury or death is a matter our staff and medical professionals

handle with great care and urgency,” the department said in an email in response to a question about its practices.

But that process is only for DOC facilities, and many families of inmates who die in custody — regardless of who runs the facility say they struggle to receive anything beyond a call and an autopsy report.

“Most families, they have to go ﬁnd a lawyer, they have to come up with money out of their pockets, just to get some degree of closure,” said the Rev Alexis Anderson, a Baton Rouge criminal justice advocate. “We treat deaths in custody as if they are not real human beings, and their families are not real human beings.”

In Draper’s case, the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office initially investigated his death as a homicide, gathering physical and surveillance evidence, until a pathologist ruled he had epilepsy and died of a natural seizure.

“When the pathologist says natural, I can’t go with anything more than that,” said Mark Graves, a detective with the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce who investigated the case. Jahane Draper, who has not been able to view the footage of her son’s death, remains unconvinced She said she spoke with De’Troit every week. She’s never heard of him having epilepsy

“The type of relationship me and my son had, my son would have picked up the phone and called me, would’ve told me,” she said.

“It’s a lie.”

Deavon Scott

Denise Scott is likewise trying to reconcile with being told her son, Deavon Scott, died from a seizure. He was arrested in Baton Rouge in November after allegedly hitting an ex-girlfriend and later ﬁring a gun near her apartment. Due to a lack of space, he was taken to Riverbend Detention Cen-

ter, run by the East Carroll Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce and more than three hours away Before he died, Scott was scheduled twice in January for arraignment in Baton Rouge but was never taken back, according to court records. On Feb. 10, Scott was again scheduled for court in Baton Rouge. Instead, Denise Scott got a call around 2 a.m. and learned her son had died at a hospital in Lake Providence.

“When I called the hospital to see if I could come see him they told me they couldn’t give me any information that I would have to contact the prison,” she said.

After repeatedly calling Riverbend, Denise Scott said, the warden told her surveillance footage showed her son collapsing after what appeared to be a seizure. Initial autopsy reports, conducted by an out-of-parish coroner’s ofﬁce, have found no drugs in Deavon Scott’s

ä See PRISON, page 11A

system.East CarrollParish Coroner Lisa Holt says she hasnot beenallowed by the Riverbend warden to review the footage of his death, nor has his mother Riverbend Detention Center Warden John Hedgemon didnot respondtomultiple requests for comment.

“Tohave aseizure at 23, with no history of seizures, Ireally don’tunderstand,” said Denise Scott. In May,a BatonRouge judge issuedabenchwarrant for Deavon Scott for three more missed arraignment dates —all scheduled after he died.

Nicholas Henderson

Nicholas Henderson was awaiting trial for allegedly supplying adeadly batchof synthetic marijuana to another inmate. He was soon placed in alockdown cell after aﬁght. He was 26, had two daughters and called his parents almost every day from the West Baton Rouge Parish jail.

Twodays before his death, on Sept. 5, he toldthem he planned to sue the jail for civil rights violations, his parents say After detectives told Charlene and Henry Hendersontheir son had died, they drove to the parish Coroner’sOfﬁce and banged on the door.They said they did the same at the jail but received no answers there either It was not until after an autopsy three days later that the Hendersons were able to see their son.

Henry Henderson has since ordered asecond, out-of-stateautopsy. Afew weeks after Nicholas’s death, the family says, they were told preliminary evidence suggested adrug overdose, and for months afterward,they pressed West Baton Rougeofﬁcials for more details.

“Each time we called, it was always still under investigation and no informa-

tion was giventous,” Henry Henderson said His wife Charlenesaid they also have ﬁled multiple public records requests. Henderson’scause of death was eventually determined to be adrug overdose after apathologist discovereda small bag of fentanyl in his stomach —details The Advocateobtainedthrough its own public recordsrequest. “At thistime, investigators were unable to determine how he came into possession of the narcotics,”said aspokesperson forthe West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, which runs the jail and initially investigated the death as ahomicide.

MaressaMays

Maressa Mays was found dead in alockdown cell at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on July 19

Mays hadamedical condition that put heratrisk of bloodclots,her mother said. She alsohad HIV andwas in jail for allegedly intentionally exposing people to the virus.

In thedaysbeforeher death,her mother,Monica Lafayette, said she received two calls from inmates first saying her daughter was screaming in stomach pain and beingdenied medical care, then two days later alleging staff were beating her After detectives informed Lafayette that her daugh-

terdied, shewas told she couldn’tget an independent autopsy,orsee the body,until Aug. 1, two weeks later, she said. Whenshe did see thebody, Lafayettesaid, it looked like herdaughterhad been severely beaten.

“She had bruises everywhere, all over her body,” Lafayette said. “The left front of her forehead was dented in.”

The autopsylists herdeath as accidentaldue to afentanyl overdose.

Aspokesperson for the EastBaton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, which runs the jail and conducted ahomicide investigation into Mays’ death,said“there was no evidence thatindicated anything otherthan an overdose,” but declined to provide any other information

Public health approach

In many facilities, such as theEastand West Baton Rouge Parishjails,suspiciousdeathsare investigated by the same agency that runs them.The only independent probe Louisiana law requires is by local coroners, who are trained to look only forthe mannerand cause of death and whose investigations vary widely from ofﬁce to ofﬁce, Loyola’sArmstrong said.

“The law is vague on what the content of that investigation is,” she noted. She saidLouisianahas no

one at the state level analyz-

ing systemic issueswithin prisonslikehealthcareor stafﬁng shortages.

“(Coroners) arenot experienced in or required to assess the prisonorthe jail’s policy,stafﬁng, supervision, and whether or not that playeda roleinthe death,” Armstrong added.

Nobody,for example, monitors how inmates in lockdown cells might be obtaining drugs or whether unexpected seizures areincreasing, she said.

After astring of inmate deathsatElayn Hunt,DOC requested an independent State Policeinvestigation into the facility in January but has since declined to provide details about it.

In Texas and New Jersey,the Attorney General’s Office investigatesprison deaths. Washington State produces multipage reports, filled withpreventive recommendations, after each unexpected deathincustody.Otherstates, like Florida, publish the nameofeach inmate andcause of death online, Armstrong said.

Independent reviews might not only increase accountability,Armstrong said, but also allow the state to takeapublic health approach to prisonhealth. Nothingonadeath certiﬁcate notes whether aperson died behind bars —meaning

the state Health Department has no waytotrack or analyze patterns of prisonmortality,she added.

“There is someone at the state level whoreviews allinfant deaths; the same should apply to deaths of incarcerated individuals,” Toby Savoy,a former St Landry Parish coroner,said in arecentHealth Departmentsurvey

Some familymembers say the lack of oversight has eroded their trust in the criminal justice system

“I think it’sreally hard for families when that ﬁrst moment doesn’tgogreat, they don’tget aphone call,”said Armstrong. “Itbegins and plants the seed of distrust, andit’shardtoovercome that.” Henry Henderson, whose son diedinSeptember,says he’ll keep pushing to make changes to ensurefamilies whose loved ones die in prison can get closure faster “It’snot just happening to our kids,” he said. “It’sgoing to happen to other kids, too.”

MedicaidandNursingHomePoverty

WhatisNursingHomePovertyandHowDoYouAvoidIt?

NursinghomepovertyisaproblemthatcreepsuponLouisianafamiliesandforces themtodepletetheirlifesavings,withdrawtheirfamilyfundsfromtheirretirement accountsandspendalloftheirmonthlyincomeontheirlong-termcareandnursing homeexpenses without anyassistance fromMedicaid. In ordertoavoidthisfrom happening, youMUSTplanahead at leastfiveyearsprior to entering anursing home.

Nelda’sStory

TheFive-YearLookBackPeriod

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Council on Aging tax on next ballot

Renewal would fund EBR senior services

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

East Baton Rouge Parish voters will decide this month whether to renew a 10-year property tax for the parish’s Council on Aging that would fund services like meals and transportation for seniors.

The East Baton Rouge Council on Aging’s proposed measure on the June 27 ballot is for a 10-year renewal of its existing property tax at a reduced millage rate of 2 mills.

A mill represents $1 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed property value. If approved, the tax would collect around $12.5 million annually for 10 years, beginning in 2027.

A majority of voters approved this property tax for 2.25 mills in 2016. For the past two years, the millage has collected 2 mills after it was rolled back following a tax assessment year showing rising property values. Previously, it collected a rate of 2.13 mills, which was rolled back during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OMV offices face network outages

Tech upgrade causes issues

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Office of Motor Vehicles locations around Louisiana experienced network outages caused by connectivity issues after a new hardware system used by dozens of state government offices and agencies was installed Sunday, officials said.

“The Ofﬁce of Technology Services (OTS) replaced a legacy piece of hardware on Sunday,” according to a Tuesday news release from OTS, which handles information technology for state government agencies.

“While migrating to the new hardware, the old system began to give the state’s network team issues.”

The new statewide hardware system is now “up and running,” but some OMV locations are still experiencing issues, said Thomas Mulé, director of communication for OTS.

The OMV issues are stemming from problems connecting to the new system, and employees at the state technology ofﬁce have been “working nonstop since Sunday” and will continue to do so until the problems are resolved, Mulé said.

“We are confident that by tomorrow morning, all ofﬁces will be up and running,” Mulé said in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

Residents can check on the closure status of OMV locations at the website ofﬁces.omv la.gov Locations with the label Temporary Office Closure” are affected by the network issue

Mulé said the technology interruptions have been brief and have been changing rapidly

“As those interruptions are brought to our attention, we are addressing them and we are fixing them,” he said. “It’s very fluid. It’s very minute-by-minute.” OMV spokesperson Matthew Boudreaux said “all 80” OMV locations were affected in some way by the IT issues, though he agreed that the situation is “very fluid.”

The technology problems and resulting closures at OMV locations this week are “completely unrelated” to other computer system upgrades the motor vehicle office has planned, OMV Commissioner Keith Neal said Tuesday The ﬁrst phase of the OMV computer system upgrade related to driver’s licenses is slated to roll out in mid-September, and a second phase for vehicle registration

ä See OMV, page 2B

The balloting comes after voters in November shot down Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ partial tax rededication plan, known as the “Thrive” initiative. If approved, Thrive would have partially rededicated 0.25 mills of the Council on Aging’s 2.25 mills property tax revenue into the cityparish’s general fund.

Tasha Clark-Amar, CEO of the agency says about 25,000 seniors get assis-

tance through the council’s programs and services each year She said the council has 26 programs, with the tax revenue largely funding its Meals on Wheels and congregate meals programs. The tax also funds transportation and housing services for seniors.

The CEO said funds from the tax would help build or renovate senior centers in Broadmoor St. George, Baker and north Baton

Pet break

Rouge to help support the parish’s senior population, which Clark-Amar estimates has grown by 15% to 20% since the pandemic “The aging population is growing in this parish,” she said. “All of our senior centers are at capacity and beyond.”

Regarding potentially rolling back the millage, Clark-Amar said

Gonzales council denies in-home daycare permit

Airbnb rentals narrowly approved

BY ANNAKATE FREELAND Staff writer

The Gonzales City Council unanimously denied a request Monday for an in-home childcare facility to operate in a residential neighborhood and narrowly approved permits allowing two condominium units to run through Airbnb.

Natasha London requested a specialuse permit to operate an in-home childcare facility at 784 Huey Andrew Ave., a property in a residential neighborhood.

London said she isn’t living in the residence and wants to put it to use rather than leaving it vacant. London said she planned to care for six children, allowing the operation to function as family home daycare without additional employees

“If the city’s position is that a family childcare home is considered a commercial business under these constrictions, I would like to know the legal bias for that interpretation and whether the city has an ordinance, policy, or prior decision supporting that conclusion,” London said.

Donna Kliebert, who owns adjacent property, cited three provisions of the homeowners association covenants that limit use to residential and prohibit commercial businesses and signage

shortage.

Kliebert said she had other concerns regarding an increase in trafﬁc, noise and potential for change to residential character with modiﬁcations making it feel like a business and not a home.

The council later voted 3-2 to approve special-use permits allowing two condominiums in Cypress Village to operate as Airbnb rentals.

The applications were submitted by Kristi Raines and Mark Boss for units at 919 W. Rothland St and 909 W. Tony West St.

The two said they have operated the units as long-term rentals for the past year

“We are actively involved owners. We are there at our units blowing leaves and picking up trash all the time,” Raines said. “We feel like our units are better maintained than a normal oneyear lease. Landlords typically don’t go back to the units until the year is up, and we are at our units every week checking different things for maintenance.”

Rains said she would not rent to locals and intended the units to serve visitors coming for short stays.

Stephen Summerlin, who also has units in Cypress Village, said a special homeowners association meeting was held to address the rental durations While a quorum was not reached, he said attendees voted against reducing the minimum rental period to less than

Officials: Teen arrested in fatal April shooting

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

A 17-year-old suspect wanted in a fatal Baton Rouge shooting in April has been arrested in Mississippi and is now in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, where he faces a count of ﬁrst-degree murder, ofﬁcials said.

U.S. marshals arrested Markell Rogers on May 29 in McComb, Mississippi, and he was extradited to Baton Rouge on Friday in connection with the fatal shooting of Frederick Scott, 47, Baton Rouge police said.

At about 5 p.m. April 7, Scott was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the 5100 block of Sherwood Street. He was transported to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, police said. In addition to the charge of ﬁrst-degree murder, Rogers was booked on counts of armed robbery and illegal use of weapons.

Police: Arrest made in fatal hit-and-run

The suspect wanted in a crash that killed a bicyclist

in Baton Rouge last month has been arrested after the owner of the vehicle involved contacted police, according to arrest records. Frank Alexander, 37, turned himself in to Baton Rouge police on Friday He faces charges of vehicular hit-and-run homicide and reckless operation of a vehicle, arrest records say Tyrese Singleton, 26, was riding his bike west in the 3300 block of Winbourne Avenue shortly before 2 a.m. May 31, when he was struck by a vehicle in the westbound lane and was thrown several feet, the affidavit says. The vehicle, determined by investigators to be a black Nissan SUV, ﬂed the scene before police arrived. On the next day the registered owner of the SUV contacted police and told them where the vehicle could be found. The SUV “appeared to have major front-end/windshield damage, which is consistent with a pedestrian/ bicycle strike,” according to police documents. Police took custody of the vehicle.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Author Sara Deen Kimball lets Barnes & Noble customers Reid and Lucille Ross pet her therapy dog, Finn, while selling her book, ‘Rowen and the Animal Shelter,’ at Perkins Rowe on Saturday

Former DeRidder mayor sentenced in sex case

Roberts to receive the maximum sentence — 10 years for one charge and seven years for another — while her defense attorneys requested a suspended sentence.

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

Former DeRidder Mayor

Misty Roberts, convicted of multiple sex crimes after a 2024 party in which she was charged with having sex with her son’s 16-year-old friend, was ordered by a judge Tuesday to serve 90 days in the parish jail

Judge Kent Savoie, who sits on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, presided over the trial and sentenced Roberts. He acted as an ad hoc district judge for the case because of the recusals of the other district judges.

Savoie sentenced Roberts

ﬁve years in prison for each charge with the time to be served concurrently but he suspended the sentence. He instead ordered Roberts to 90 days in the parish jail and to pay a $5,000 ﬁne.

He also ordered Roberts to abstain from drugs and alcohol, to submit to random drug screenings, to pay monthly supervision fees and to have no contact with victim and his family If she violates any of the conditions of a fiveyear probation, she’ll serve 10 years in prison.

State prosecutors asked for

AGING

Continued from page 1B

maintaining a rate of 2 mills would properly sustain the agency “It’s going to help us meet

GONZALES

Continued from page 1B

30 days. “The concern that we would have would be the precedence that would be set if

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

Arrest made in 2021 homicide, police say

A man was arrested Saturday in connection with a 2021 double homicide that took the lives of a 22-yearold man and his 5-year-old nephew as they sat in a vehicle on Brightside Drive, Baton Rouge police said Dexter Reed, who was identified as a suspect in 2023, was in federal prison in Texas at the time for earlier charges, BRPD said in a news release On Friday, Reed, 28, was released from the Texas prison and extradited back to Louisiana, where he was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on two counts of first-degree murder, six counts of attempted first-degree murder, assault by drive-by shooting, illegal use of weapons and felon in possession of a firearm, police said.

The victims, 22-year-old Michael Riley and his nephew, 5-year-old Carson Riley, were sitting in the back seat of a vehicle in the 1000 block of Brightside Drive when gunfire erupted, striking both of them. Michael Riley died at the scene, and Carson was transported to the hospital where he later died, police said.

Woman from deadly house fire identified

The Livingston Parish Coroner’s Office identified 74-year old Rita Reulet as the victim of the fatal house ﬁre early Sunday morning The fire broke out about 2:30 a.m. in a home on the 7900 block of Conrad Street. Livingston Parish Fire Department crews responded to the blaze.

A 77-year-old man was able to escape unharmed, the Fire Department said

Before sentencing, the judge heard victim impact statements from the 16-yearold victim’s mother, two older sisters and cousin They said the victim has struggled with panic attacks in the aftermath of the 2024 party, missed a lot of school and that they have worried about him harming himself.

“The person responsible took many things from our family,” said the victim’s mom, who described Roberts as a child predator “She will not take our son’s future.”

Her address to the courtroom ended with a message to Roberts: “Stay the hell away from my family ”

Roberts also addressed the courtroom before her sentencing Tuesday “I have sat with the consequences of my actions for nearly two years,” the former mayor said.

“I blamed myself that day,” Roberts added. “I blame myself today, and I will blame myself for the rest of my life.”

Sasha Joy Lambert, a psychologist from Lafayette, assessed Roberts and testiﬁed that she has a low risk of reoffending and would beneﬁt from specialized, long-term treatment.

the demand and need the need is up,” she said about staying at 2 mills. If the renewal fails, ClarkAmar said there would be a “drastic reduction” in the number of meals the agency could provide for seniors, and there would be reduc-

this nomination is granted to give the special-use permit. Maybe Kristi and Mark have the best interest to operate responsibly, to have provisions to manage their screening, but others that come after them may not have the same thought.”

The home was equipped with working smoke alarms, which saved the man’s life, the State Fire Marshal’s Ofﬁce said.

Initial findings indicate the fire began in the attached garage, but the exact cause has not yet been determined, the agency said. The possibility of the fire being caused by electrical issues has not been ruled out.

Police seek man in fatal May 16 crash

Police are looking for a man who allegedly killed a motorcyclist while driving under the inﬂuence May 16 along Airline Highway Baton Rouge police officers responded to the crash shortly before 9 p.m. in the 6300 block of Airline Highway and found a motorcyclist suffering from severe injuries after he was thrown from his bike.

Jarren Williams, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene.

During the investigation, police said the crash happened when Marlon Morrison, 49, was driving a 2001 GMC Sierra truck southbound on Airline Highway and attempted to make a left turn onto Hanks Drive Williams was traveling northbound in a 2019 Suzuki GSXR 1300. When Morrison made the turn, Williams hit the front end of the truck and was thrown from the bike, the arrest warrant said Because of the severity of the crash police called

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As he read out Roberts’ sentence, Savoie said he did not believe she took full responsibility for her actions. He said Roberts told the children who witnessed the crimes to lie or be quiet, minimized her involvement and, to some extent, blamed the victim.

Although prosecutors asked the court to consider Roberts’ position of authority as mayor at the time of the crimes, Savoie said he did not do so because there was no evidence she used her inﬂuence as an elected ofﬁcial. Instead, she “used her position in that she was the sole adult present” trusted with supervising the teens at the party, he said.

Savoie determined the sentence by considering Roberts’ lack of prior criminal history, low risk for reoffending and the sentences given by other judges in Beauregard Parish for similar crimes, he said. He also considered the victim impact statements, attorney arguments and how the crimes affected the victim’s family and Roberts’ family Prosecutor Charles Robinson objected to the “lenient” sentence and declined to comment after the hearing.

“There’s no way an elected ofﬁcial can have sex with a child and not go to jail,” Robinson said before the sentencing.

Roberts’ defense attorneys said she won’t post a $150,000 appeal bond for the 90 days in

tions in other services.

“Our services outweigh the cost,” Clark-Amar said. “What we do is a value added to this community.”

Early voting is from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 1220, excluding June 14 and June 19.

Division C council member Cynthia Gray James and Division E council member Terri Lambert cast the two dissenting votes.

“The only problem I have with this is a condo is usually long-term. Airbnb is shortterm,” James said.

the DWI investigators to the scene. Morrison was transported to police headquarters, where a breath test showed his blood alcohol was 0.228%, three times the legal limit, police said.

Morrison is wanted for vehicular homicide, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and reckless operation of a vehicle.

parish jail.

“She wants to get it over with,” said defense attorney Adam Johnson said after court adjourned. “She doesn’t want it hanging over her head.”

Johnson and his co-counselor, Todd Clemons, said they were disappointed by the conviction but could tell Savoie put a lot of thought into the sentencing.

“The sentence could have been much worse,” Johnson said.

Found guilty in March

A jury on March 3 found Roberts guilty of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, both felony charges.

The panel of six jurors deliberated for less than an hour after hearing ﬁve days of arguments, witness testimony and evidence presentation in the case.

Roberts initially walked free on bail after her conviction while she waited for sentencing.

Witnesses testified that Roberts provided alcohol to her teenage son, nephew and their friends during a July 2024 party before having sex with one of their friends.

The 16-year-old victim testified that he was drunk the night of the party when Roberts told him he looked good, winked at him, danced with him, took a photo with him, grabbed him and kissed

OMV

Continued from page 1B

and titling is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027, Neal said.

Mulé said Tuesday that officials realized last spring the state needed to replace its “very, very, very old” IT network.

Last year, the state initiated the process of acquiring a new core

him. The victim said he felt dizzy and strange, and when Roberts said they shouldn’t continue kissing outside, he asked if they could go upstairs. The victim testified that they had sex upstairs in the game room, and it wasn’t until afterward that he realized what was happening.

Roberts’ son, nephew and a friend testiﬁed that they went upstairs and saw the mayor and their friend having sex through blinds in a window of the game room. When Roberts and the victim came downstairs, Roberts and her son got into an argument, witnesses said.

The victim’s cousin lost friendships because he “chose to tell the truth,” according to a victim impact statement read by Robinson.

“The emotional scars extend far beyond the courtroom,” the statement said.

In her statement to the court Tuesday the victim’s mother said Roberts preyed on children, but instead of using a van and candy, Roberts had hair extensions and heels.

“She’s not sorry for what she did,” the victim’s mother told the courtroom “She’s only sorry it got out.”

The victim’s mother said her son missed half his high school years because of the crimes, noting that he didn’t want to go to school and continues to face ridicule. An opposing baseball team mem-

network that “provides greater redundancy, resiliency and the highest level of performance available,” he said. “There was no expense spared. We wanted the best of the best.”

The state’s IT division this weekend launched the new system, which serves roughly 35,000 state employees across every state agency, Mulé said. Some agencies, like

ber referred to her son as “the mayor slayer,” she said. Roberts resigned from her elected position a few days before her August 2024 arrest The defense portrayed a case built around rumors shared by teenagers in a small town.

Johnson asked his client’s son if he actually saw his mother having sex with his friend. Roberts’ son said he could not confirm it, but it looked like it from what he saw Text messages between Roberts and her nephew the day after indicate the mayor was “scared to death,” although Clemons pointed out that she

the OMV, have run into problems connecting to the new network, he said, and at least nine agencies were affected by the outage, though some of the issues were “minor.”

The OMV and the Department of Public Safety and Corrections have experienced the biggest effects, he said.

Mulé called the state’s quick response and resolution of the problems “nothing short of miraculous.”

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

More swings for AI stocks on Wall Street

Another sudden reversal for high-flying artificial-intelligencestockssent Wall Street reelingonTuesday

The S&P 500 fell 0.3% after careening betweenaninitial gain of 1% and amidday loss of 2.3%, pulling furtherfrom its all-time high set aweekago. After similar yo-yo moves, the Dow JonesIndustrial Average added 86 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 1%.

Indexes swung lowerafter companiesselling computer chips, memory and other building blocks of the AI boom broke fromearly gainstolosses.

Micron Technologywent from ajump of 4% to aplummet of 10%, for example, before finishing with adrop of 1.4%. That’saday after it soared 9.9% and two days after it plunged 13.3%.

The computer memory company’sstock hasalready tripledsofar this year,raising criticism that it’sgonetoo far,too fast. Following last week’sindustrywide sell-off, the question is whether AI stocks broadly areheadingfor alongdownturn or just needed ashake-out to get rid of excessiveoptimism.

Several big-name AI companies are racing to list their stocksona U.S. exchange and sell them at high prices.

OpenAI, the maker ofChatGPT,said Monday it was the latest to file confidential paperwork with U.S. regulators top open the door for an initial public offering. SpaceX’sIPO could happenlater this week.

Meta ordered to restore WhatsAppaccess

LONDON European Union regulators on Tuesday ordered Meta Platforms to restoreaccess to WhatsAppfor rival AI chatbot makers until an antitrustinvestigation is complete.

The bloc’sexecutive Commission, whichisthe 27-nation EU’stop antitrust and competitionenforcer,saiditwas taking action to prevent harm to competition in thegrowing market for AI assistants before it’stoo late.

The commission said it was imposing “interim measures” while it continuesits investigation into WhatsApp’sartiﬁcial intelligencepolicy over concernsthe companyisbreaching EU lawbyblockingcompetitors from offeringtheir AI assistantsonthe platform Meta said it would appeal.

“The European Commission has decided that OpenAIand some of the largest companies in theworld can usethe paidfor WhatsApp Business product forfree,” the company said in astatement. “Thisisregulatory overreachsubsidized by the manyEuropean companies that pay.”

Brussels has occasionally resorted to temporary orders after facing criticism that previousyearslongantitrust investigations into Big Tech companies were too slow to rein in their market power

China’sexports jump 19.4% in May

HONG KONG China’sexports picked up pace in May, rising 19.4% fromayear earlier,its customs agency said Tuesday, as technology-related shipments remained robust despite impacts from the Iran war The stronger than expected performance was an improvement fromApril’s14.1% yearon-year increase.

Imports in May jumped 27.4%, also at afasterpace comparedwith April’s25.3% year-on-year expansion.

Exports to the U.S. in May surged more than 35%from the year before —the strongest pace since early 2021 —after an 11% increase in April. China’sshipments to the U.S. had fallen sharply for most of the months since U.S. President Donald Trump returned tothe White House last year,asshipments to regions like Southeast Asia and Europe surged

Hospitalspushedtowardprice transparency

the warnings comes withpenalties as high as $2 million annually for each recipient that doesn’tcreate a plan to post clear pricing data.

message that his administration is ﬁxing the problem of healthcare expenses that can draina family budget

BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON— The Trump administration has warned more than 500hospitals that they are failing to provide the public withbasic pricinginformation —arguing that thelack of disclosure is keepinghealthcare costs higher than they should be

TheAssociated Press obtained exclusively the list of hospitals thatsinceAprilhaveeitherreceived letters of warning or,in moreseverecases, requeststo submit planstoprovide transparent pricing.Failingtocomply with

Theletters are meanttofixa fundamental problemthatpatients, employers andinsurersmight notknowahead of time thecost of blood work, an imaging test or another form of treatment, and as aresult pay morethan they should have.Asenior administration official who requested anonymityto provide thelist said that President Donald Trumpplans to tighten enforcement of price transparency standards made possible by a2019 executiveordersignedby Trump. More hospitals are likely to receive letters regarding the absence of pricing data, the official said.

It’sacalculated pitch ahead of theNovember midtermsatatime when affordability is atop concern for voters. But Trump is also vulnerable on this particular issue, as his administration allowed subsidiestolapse forpeople buying insurance through the2010 AffordableCare Act, widely known as Obamacare.

“There’sapretty widespread belief that prices are more divergent than they should be in acompetitive market —and this is one way of trying to understand that more,” Claxtonsaid. “It’smoving in the right direction, but that doesn’t mean it has gotten to where it needs to be.” Trumpadministration

Thewarningsare thelatest example of Trumpleaning into the

Just 29% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’shealthcare policies according to the mostrecent survey on the issue by The Associated Press-NORCCenterfor Public AffairsResearch. Thepresident fared slightly worse on that issue in theDecembersurveythanon theeconomy,immigrationorhis management of the federal gov-

ernment. Gary Claxton,seniorvicepresident andthe director of the program on thehealthcare marketplace at KFF, said that the pricing data is moreuseful forbeneﬁtconsultants and others in the sector with access to additional information than it would be for consumers. But he said that the standards in reporting pricing data can still create difﬁculty in making accurate comparisonsabout thecosts and quality of the services being provided.

SOCIAL SECURITY SHORTFALL

Retirement trustfundfaces funding loss oneyearearlier than expected

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Social Security ’s retirement trust fund is projected to face afunding shortfallin2032,a year earlier thanlast year’sprojections, according to an annual reportreleased Tuesday, while Medicare’shospital insurance trust fund will be unable to pay full beneﬁts in 2033, which is unchanged from last year’sestimate.

Rising healthcare costs and government spending have contributedtoaprojected depletion date that is less than10yearsfrom now.

The looming challenge for the programs is apartial funding gap, not acollapse. Even after trust fund depletion, the system will continue issuing beneﬁts, albeit at reduced amounts.

Last year,Medicare’shospital insurance trust fund go-brokedate was pushed to 2033 from 2036 the year before that, according to thereport from the programs’ trustees.

BY KAITLYN HUAMANI AP technologywriter

AnyadvertisementsinNew York that feature artiﬁcialintelligence-generated people in place of actors will now be violating state law if they don’tclearly label that they have used a“synthetic performer.” The law,signed in December by Gov.KathyHochul,wentinto effect Tuesday

Her ofﬁce is calling it a“ﬁrstin-the-nation law” thatwill boost transparency at atimewhen it says AI generated performers are popping up across all forms of media, including on social platforms

Meanwhile, Social Security’scombined trust funds —which cover old age anddisabilityrecipients—will be unable to pay full beneﬁtsbeginning in 2034, unchanged from the2025 report. After that, incoming revenue would cover about83% of scheduled beneﬁts.

Social Security CommissionerFrank Bisignano said the Trump administrationis “committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security” and “eliminating waste, fraud, abuse and ensuring program integrity.”

The report states that the new funding shortfallismainly theresultoflower projected birthrates, reduced immigration and reduced trust fund revenue due to the costs of Republican’smassive taxand spending bill that was signed intolaw by President Donald Trumplast summer

Nancy Altman,president of the Social SecurityWorks advocacy group, said the latest report takes “Donald Trump’ssecond term policies intoaccount:A taxbillthatlargely beneﬁtedthe wealthy, economy-wrecking tariffs,aneedless war with Iran, and hostility to immigrants. All of these havereduced theamount of money going intoSocial Security, weakening the system’sﬁnances.”

The trustees, who include thetreasury

secretary,labor secretary,health and humanservices secretary and the Social Security commissioner,say the latest ﬁndings show theurgency of needed changestothe programs, whichhavefaced dire ﬁnancial projections fordecades. But making changes to the programshas long been politically unpopular, andlawmakershaverepeatedly kicked Social Security and Medicare’stroubling mathtothe next generation.

AARP’sCEO Myechia Minter-Jordan said in astatement that the latest numbers “should be awake-up call. Congress needs to act.”

“Americanshaveworked hard andpaid into Social Security their entire lives, and they deservetocount on it whentheyretire,” shesaid. “No family should see any cuts to what they’ve earned in Social Security.”

About 70.1 millionpeople are enrolled in Medicare, the federal government’shealth insurancethatcoversthose 65 andolder,as wellaspeople with severe disabilities or illnesses.

Social Security beneﬁts were last reformed roughly 40 years ago, when the federal government raisedthe eligibility agefor the program from 65 to 67. The eligibility age of 65 has never changed forMedicare.

and in digital advertising.

Synthetic performersare deﬁned under statelaw as “digitallycreated media that appear as areal person.”The lawappliestoads in any medium.

“In New York, we are setting the rules of the road instead of letting AI run theshow,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in astatement. The “simple, honest disclosure” required by thelaw “protects consumers, respects our creative workforce and keeps New York at the forefront of responsible innovation,”she said. Ads that don’t“conspicuously disclose”thattheyhaveuseda synthetic performerwill be subject to apenaltyof$1,000 for a ﬁrst violationand $5,000 forany

further violations.

Thereare specific carve outs listed in thelaw to exempt ads for movies, televisionshows, streaming content, video games and other works that feature synthetic performers in theentire work.

It also doesn’tapply to audio advertisements or ads where AI is solely used for language translation.

When the law wasmaking itsway through thestate legislature last year,the American Association of Advertising Agencies and several other advertising organizations issued statements in strong opposition to the law The 4As, as the organization is better known,said in one blog post that it would hurt advertisersby

“injecting compliance uncertainty into the advertising process, burdening brands (and their agencies) whoadvertise in NewYork and undermining creative and technological innovation.”

Other organizations, like theThe New York State Broadcasters Association, said in public statements during the legislation’sjourney to become law that they were relieved to see someofthose carve outs that were created through amendments, but remained concerned about the broad deﬁnition of asynthetic performer

The biggest supporter of the lawwas SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union that recently ratiﬁed anew contract withstudiosand streamers that they say provides further protections against synthetic performers.

Hochul

Johnrobert Kember; honorary daughter, Chantel Dunn;grandchildren, KassianKember, Johnathen Kember and AriaKember; siblings, Janet Kember, Keith Kemberand wife Wanda, Jerilyn Migliacio and Liz Kember; numerous niecesand nephews. Precededindeath by hisparents,Harry "Soup" and JoanBourgeois Kember; niece, Kirsch Kember; nephew, Joshua Barker; and brother-in-law, Peter Migliacio. Rob lovedcooking,fishing,and spending time with his grandchildren who he loved immensely. His crawfish belly stew was afan favorite in the kitchen. On Sundays during football season,he loved watching andcheering on his Chicago Bears. "DaBears" as he would say. His laugh was infectious, he loved to dance, and he was alwayswilling to lend ahelping handto someone in need. He was loved by allwho knew him and willbedeeplymissed. Please sharememoriesonline at www.wilbertservices.com

Roland EugeneMathews was born on August 10, 1933, in Natalbany, Louisiana, and passed away on June 8, 2026, at The Crossing in Baton Rouge, La. Dad was retired fromAlliedChemical in BatonRouge,where he worked for 38 years, and a veteran of the United States Navy,serving in the Korean Conflict. Dad was preceded in death by his loving wife, Rita Wagner Mathews; parents, Leonard EdwardMathews and Clara Chapman Mathews; brothers, Thomas Edward Mathews, Bobby Mathews, John David Mathews; and his daughter-in-lawof45years, TheresaMathews. He survivedbyhis daughter, Stephanie Mathews Meade and husband James Meade; son, Michael J. Mathews; son Andrew E. Mathews; seven grandchildren,Christine Jenkins (William), Shelby Martinez, EricMathews (Paige), Brian Mathews (Amanda), Misty Mathews, April Mathews, AndreaMathews; and 9great-grandchildren; sister,Sandra Mathews McCollister (Don); 3sisters-in-lawand one brother-in-law. Dad livedmost of his life

in BatonRougeand was proud to say he attended Istroma High School. After theNavyand averyshort courtship with our dear sweetmother(6weeks totalfrom the day of their first date to thedateof marriage on April 21, 1956), they started theirlifetogetherinBaton Rouge, then moved to Baker in 1963, and livedthere till 1993, when Dad decidedto move Mom to Albany, Louisiana where they lived

outtheir lives.Being married to ourmom for atotal of 67 years, Dadhad prayed to live just oneday longerthanour mom, but God gave us 1124 days, and we thank theLordfor that honor.Our dad was always active in the churchesthat they attended, from Fairfield Baptist, First Baptist Church of Baker,toOld Zion Hill Baptist Church Ourdad wasa true LSU fan andtraveled to many of thegames with hisgood

friendSteve We canremember lots of Thanksgiving dinners rushed because they were headed to watch LSUplayArkansas in Fayetteville on theFriday after Thanksgiving In thelast months of Dad's life, he andI got to spend alot of time together,and he said to make sure in hisobituarythatit stated, "Hehad aGreat Life". Ourfather,ifyou knew

Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coveragefor their entire working life,through employer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement,payingdental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock,leading peopletoput offoreven go without care. Simplyput —without dental insurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcarecoverage

Whenyou’recomparing plans

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1

That’s right. As good as Medicare is,itwas never meanttocover everything. That means if youwant protection, youneed to purchase individual insurance.

Previous dental work canwearout

Even if you’ve hadqualitydentalworkinthe past, youshouldn’t take your dentalhealth forgranted. In fact, your odds of havinga dentalproblemonly go up as youage.2

Early detectioncan prevent small problemsfrom becomingexpensive ones

The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkupstwiceayear.

Treatment is expensive especially theservicespeople over 50 often need

Consider these national average costsof treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethiscan be areal burden, especially if you’reonafixed income

Mathews, RolandE.

11:00 am on June 11, 2026

Aburial will take place at OldZion Hill Cemetery immediately after completion of the service.

Paul, Robert Lester

Robert Lester Paul, a resident of Central, LA, died on Saturday, June 6, 2026. He is survived by his son, Roy Paul;brother Eugene and his wife Sherilyn Paul; brother Tommy Paul; and two grandkids, Emily and Elvis. He was preceded in death by his wife, Douglass Paul; daughter Leslie Dunn; motherJune Joyner Paul;sister Wanda Scallen, brother Carl Lee Paul. Pallbearers will be Rusty Paul Mitchell Paul, Roy Paul, Micheal Scallen, Tyler Creighton, and Elvis Dunn

He was aproud veteran of the US Navy. He was retired from acareer at Dow Chemical. There will be a visitation at Charlet Funeral Home, Inc. in Zachary, LA on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 from 10am until funeral services at 12 noon. Burial will be at the Louisiana National Cemetery. Share sympathies, memories, andcondolences at www.CharletFun eralHome.com.

Richard,Toni Accardo

Toni Accardo Richard passedawaypeacefully, surrounded by her family, on Sunday, May31, 2026,at OurLady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.She was born on February11, 1964,inBatonRouge, Louisiana ShegraduatedfromSt. George CatholicSchool (1978), St. Joseph's Academy (1982), and received her bachelor's degree in ElementaryEducation from Louisiana State University (1988).

Toni's deeproots in Baton Rouge and herboundless generosity as an educatorfor 37 years defined her.She taught for 20 years at St. George CatholicSchool.The passionshe had to teach young minds continued at OakGrove Primary,Baton Rouge Mid-CityCharter Academy (CharterUSA), withher tenure culminating at AscensionParish Schools.She was currently employedwith St. Jude the ApostleSchool, where she served as their administrative receptionist. Beyond the classroom, Toni broughtjoy and friendship to her communityasa dedicatedmember of the Krewe of Romany family forthe past 23 years. Above all, Toniwas the cornerstone of her family Sheissurvived by her beloved husband of 41 years, Brant Richard; three children, Ryan Richard (April), CoryRichard, and Kelsey Richard(fiancé, Trenton Porche); two treasured grandchildren, Bennett and Kyle; herloving parents, J.F.and Adrienne Accardo; sisters, Tina Knight (Robert) and Charla Wade (David), alongwitha close-knit extended family and many dear friends. Avisitation willbeheld on Thursday, June 11, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at ResthavenFuneral Home, 11817Jefferson Highway. A Visitationwillcontinue Friday, June 12, 2026,beginningat1:00 pm atSt.

GeorgeCatholic Church, 7808 St.GeorgeDrive, followedbya Mass of Christian Burial at 2:00 p.m. Entombment willfollow St GeorgeCatholic Church Mausoleum. For acomplete obituary please visitwww.resthave nbatonrouge.com

Redistricting frenzy diminishes allofpolitics

There’ssomething aboutredistrictingthat brings out the most cynical sideof politics

Questions that should be high-minded, suchas what is the nature of representationinademocracy,are overtaken by naked political advantage.

That was unfortunately true during this year’s legislative session in response tothe U.S. Supreme Court’sruling in Louisiana v. Callais, in which thecourt declared the 6thCongressional District an unconstitutional racial gerrymander

The high court waived itscustomarywaiting period andexpedited itsﬁnal, formaljudgment

That allowedGov.Jeff Landrytocancel elections for U.S. House in whichthousands of Louisiana voters had already mailed in ballots.The Legislature quicklyredrew congressional maps for this year’selection —violating at leastthe spirit of adoctrine that saysrules shouldn’tbe changed close to an election

Disturbingly,voters whoshowed up to the state Capitol in force to remindlawmakersof the Voting Rights Act’shistory andofthe ongoing importance of having theopportunity to elect representatives who share their concerns about protecting civil rights were toooften treated dismissively

Yes, Landry and the Legislature actedwithin the rules presented to them, but it’s alsotrue they pushed themtothe limit

Callais was aLouisiana case, but itseffects were felt across the South,where otherRepublican-majority legislatures pounced on judicial permission to try to increase their numbers ahead of the fall midterm congressional elections, when control of theU.S. House will be at stake. Democrats in otherparts of thecountry have also sought ways to gain advantage,sothe end resultlikelywill be aCongress with even fewer members who feel they need to answerto all the voters in their district

Louisiana wound up with ﬁve majority White, largely Republican districts, andBlack voters in the Baton Rouge were packed into aheavily Black and Democratic district centered aroundNew Orleans.Lost is the current second majority Black seat thatstretched fromBaton Rouge to points north andwest,which gave the stateabalance of power muchmore closely aligned with its population. But becausethe court deems partisan gerrymanders acceptable, many voters are still lopped intooddly-shaped districts that break up communities.

At some point, both in Baton Rougeand in Washington, atruce is needed. Myriadpotential reforms, suchasneutral redistrictingcommissions (asinIowa)or bansonmid-decaderedistricting,shouldatleast beconsidered Thefocus in Baton Rougethis session was on politics, but the impact of thenew map on whose voices are represented willtouch every aspect of American life where Congress acts We hope the politicianswho will be eventually emerge from this discouragingprocessin the rescheduled fall electionskeep that in mind —and remember that once the gamesmanship ends, their duty remains asacred one: to serve thevotersintheir districts. All of them.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

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

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

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Cal Thomas’ recent column criticizing polls that show President Donald Trump’sdecaying approval ratings is a fascinating display of his refusal to accept reality.ToThomas, theonly conceivable reason for these polls is the “poor memories” of the participants. Don’tweremember,asks Thomas, gas prices under Biden? Well, yes, we do. When Putin invaded Ukraine (an event Biden did not control),fuel prices hit global record highs, pushing inﬂation over 9%. Fuel prices remained astronomical in much of theworld, but in theUnited States, inﬂation cooled rapidly,and within six months, average gas prices in theU.S. had gone down to $3.75 agallon ($3 in Louisiana).

When Biden left ofﬁce, his economy had created millions of jobs, unemployment had hit a50-year low and average U.S. gas prices were down to $3.16 agallon. By contrast? Trump, and Trump

alone, has created our current fuel and inflation crisis. His tariff insanity has sent prices on everything we buy —from food to clothing to cars —soaring to record highs. Unsatisfied with creating this financial chaos, Trumpdecided to go to war with Iran, awar he has not been able to explain the reason for or the goals of, nor has he offered any plan forvictory or withdrawal.

Nationwide, gas prices are wellover $4 agallon ($6 in California), inﬂation is climbing rapidly and even FOX commentatorsagree that there is no end in sight. Andin2025, the last year we have datafor,his “booming” economy added fewer than 200,000 jobs.

Thomas blames bad memories for bad polls. He should be concerned about his own.

NANCY KEEGAN Baton Rouge

Iamwriting to express my outrage about the SupremeCourt’sLouisiana v. Callais decision. First, as aLouisianan, it is embarrassing that our state took the position that the map the Louisiana Legislature had drawnwas unconstitutional. Minority-majority districts had been apositive outcome of the landmark Voting Rights Act for decades. It has been the only way Black citizens of the South could be truly represented in Congress. With this decision, the court gutted the law that so manycivil rights leaders, Black and White, fought to enact for decades with blood, sweat and tears. Second, the court ruled that while creating acongressional district based on race is not permitted, it is OK to draw districts based on partisan reasons. As aresult, manyof the Southern states, including ours, are scrambling to redesign their congressional mapstofavor Republicans.

Deep in the bayous,guarded by swamp puppies,giant mosquitoes and union lobbyists, lies theOffice of State Examiner.What it’sprotecting is a nearly 80-year-old tradition of promoting workers based on seniorityrather thancompetence, something born of necessity and alack of standards that is finally catching up withthe Louisiana FireService. Promotion based on senioritywas once the only basis for advancement, given the absence of certification and formal training. International FireService Accreditation Congress(IFSAC) certifications weren’testablisheduntil the 1990s,and there werenoflagship universities offering fire science degree programs. Those weren’treadily available until the post-internet boom of the early 2000s.IfIhad to imagine, it was just “the way things weredone.” Here we stand in 2026, wondering how bare-minimum certification guys arebrandishing thetitle and rank of

captain with as little as three years of experience. Does it make sense when aguy with 10 yearsofexperience transfers to a neighboring department, meets all the educational and time-of-service requirementsand getspassed over for a three-year guy? Icontend that it’shigh noon in Louisiana; we must recognize a merit-based, dare Isay purely competitive,promotional system. We owe it to the public stakeholders to promotethe best person for the job. Stop protecting guys whose greatest accomplishment isn’ttheir resume, but merely the fact thatthey managed to not get fired in theirfirst three years of service. What Ifear is that eventually,Louisiana’scurrent civil service system will be put on trial when an unqualified chief officer makes acritical mistake and kills membersofhis department.

BRIAN DEES Amite

It seemslike the court has now ruled it’swrong to draw districts to empower Black voters, but it’sOK to draw districts to empower White conservatives.

As aWhite Democrat wholives in New Orleans, this effort also disenfranchises my vote as the only options formewill mostlikely be Republicans. How can this be fair or what the Voting Rights Act intended?

It is areturn to the horrible Jim Crow era and deﬁnitely astep backward in history.This decision, and Louisiana rushing with other Southern states to erase Black representation, will be remembered in the same vein as the Dred Scott decision by racist justice Roger Taney,as“the worst ever rendered by the Supreme Court,” according to the Oxford Companion to the SupremeCourt. NORA SUPER NewOrleans

From front-runnertoEpstein files

COLUMBIA, S.C. There’snothinglike acircus for entertainment, especially if you enjoy the blood sport of South Carolina politics. The Roman Colosseum had nothing on the state’spolitical games, which these days have become more dramatic thanks tothe head-spinningtheatrics of Rep. Nancy Mace, the erstwhile Republican front-runner in the governor’srace.

The jumbo surprise under the big top as the Tuesday primary approached was President Donald Trump’sendorsement of the Other Woman running for governor— Lt.Gov.Pamela Evette.

On the morning of May 29, thereliably ﬁre-breathing Mace jumped on social media apparently to head offrumors that Trump was planning tocommit his support to Evette.

“Pamela Evette is NOT ENDORSED by DONALD TRUMP,” Mace exclaimed at 10:05 a.m. on X. “Do not believe her LIES.” Speaking of fake news, the post featured avideo generated by artificial intelligence of Mace and Trump giving athumbs-up Trump officially backedEvetteina Truth Social post at 5:45 p.m. that day At 7:03 p.m amore sober Mace said Trump’ssnub was because of her demand for transparency on theEpstein files.

“If sacrificing my values is theprice of an endorsement, Iwill never pay it,” shewrote on X. (OK, brava, but Mace’s support for Trump has waffled through theyears, no offense to her proudpast as aWaffle House waitress.)

Nevertheless, on May 31, Mace posted aphoto of herself andTrump with more thumbs-up and aquote from himdescribing her as “a ﬁghter.”No onehas ever disputed the veracity of Trump’sobservation, butseveral factcheckingenthusiasts on theplatform accused Mace of misleadingvoters about his support.

The president also appeared to endorse Gov.Henry McMaster’sson, lawyer Henry McMasterJr.,tobe Evette’slieutenant governor.The only hitch is that Evette hasn’t agreed to theyounger McMaster as her running

LastTuesday saw the usual ﬁrstweek-of-June gaggle of stateprimary elections. It’safeatureofthe American federal system that states choose when to hold primary and local elections. Back in the 1850s,ashistorian Roy Franklin Nichols notes, there was an election in all but one or two of the24months in the two-year congressional election cycle. From the results, in those prepolling days, politicos andpundits drew conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the Democratic and Republican politicalparties and their various candidates. Congress in 1872 set asingle date for congressional elections, butthe proliferation of primariesinthe early20th century gave us, once again,elections scheduled around the calendar. Primary elections don’talwaysgive clues about the parties’ general election strength. But they do tellussomething about the stateofmind of the followers of both parties, and theysometimes bring forward candidates withthe capacity for future national leadership

mate,though his inclusion on the ticket haslongbeen talked about around the StateHouse.

Trump’sendorsements look likea trade-off with McMaster,sort of like when Don Corleone loans money to a young manindistress with theominous suggestion that someday he may call upon himfor afavor.Don Trump helped McMaster by making then-Gov Nikki Haley ambassador to theUnited Nations, which paved theway for McMaster to become governor; therefore, wouldn’tMcMaster like to reconsider hisstatement that he wouldn’tcall for aspecial session for legislators to push throughTrump’sdesired congressional redistricting map?

Thegovernor did reconsider,and he didrecall legislators to Columbia. But instead of doing theDon’sbidding, enoughRepublicans joined Democrats to rebuke thepresident.Apparently, the state’ssecessionist blood runs a deeper redthanaMAGA cap. Even withoutthe redistricting win, Evette wasaneasy endorsement for the president.The self-made millionaire has been an unwavering Trumpsupporter. Mace’sbehavior may be erratic, but another candidate, U.S. Rep.Ralph Norman, is amenace. An eager player in the Trump-inspired conspiracy to declare the2020 election “stolen,” Normandashed offafrantic texttoTrump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows three days before Joe Biden’s inauguration,

notconvicted by theTexas House) and whose wife of 38 years is suing him “on biblical grounds.”

saying: “Weare at apoint of …noreturn …insaving our Republic!!Our LASTHOPE is invoking Marshall [sic] Law!! PLEASEURGE TO PRESIDENT TO DO SO!!”

How did two people as wild-eyed as Norman and Mace manage to be boring together?

Mace’slegendary public meltdowns include the time she berated airport police for failing to obey her orders. Then there are themoreshocking moments:using theHouse ﬂoor to accuse her ex-ﬁancé and three other men of raping her and other women. (All four men denied theallegations.)

Mace’sserial histrionics seem more apt to invite an exorcism than the governorship, which may explain her signature fashion accessory —dangling cross earrings the size of parakeets. If Mace is, indeed, spiraling and needs help, as someofher former colleagues and social media followers have asserted, then we mustn’tbe mean (anymore).SouthCarolinians have always had asoft spot for eccentrics or at least observed them benignly,aswhen afoppish yet frumpy fellow ﬁlls his pocketswith ham biscuitsfrom theCharleston Yacht Club buffet, as I once witnessed. They do not, however, elect their “interesting” aunts and uncles to public ofﬁce.

Email KathleenParker at kathleenparker@washpost.com.

and tactical blunders. Butworse things can happen, and have happened, in electoral democracies.

In 2016, the conservative writer Mike Anton madeagalvanizing case forDonald Trumpin his famous “Flight 93” essay,arguing that the stakes in the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were existential.

His contention that aClinton winwould cementDemocratic electoral dominance forever, such that Republicans needed to charge the cockpit or die, was implausible at the time, and seemsmore so in retrospect. If Hillary had won in 2016, in all likelihood, she would have been gone in 2020, washed away by the pandemic just like Trump was This time, though, really might be different.

Democrats are now seriously contemplating measures that wouldn’thave occurred to Hillary Clinton circa 2016.

Endorsing someversion of court-packing, or “court reform,” as Democrats insist on calling it, is becoming orthodoxy among mainstream Democrats.

Several weeks ago, James Carville said that Democrats should pack the Court and add the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as states in 2028 if they get uniﬁed control of Washington. The immediate past Democratic presidential nominee, whohas somechance of winning the 2028 Democratic nomination, KamalaHarris, associated herself with the sameideas. She added abolishing the Electoral College to the list.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, whoeasily could be the Speaker of the House next year,has said: “Inthe new Congress, we’re going to have to do something about this SupremeCourt, and let me be very clear: Everything is on the table.”

The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Jamie Raskin, has fashioned a reason whythe SupremeCourt needs to be expanded by four justices (supposedly the number of justices should match the number of federal circuits at 13).

Loyalty to apresident whose idiosyncratic preoccupations —resurrecting tariffs, restricting Iran —are opposed by largely nonoverlapping segments of theRepublican electorate sweeps all before it,for the moment Democratic primary voters appear on the verge of endorsing candidates who most vibrantly radiatecontempt for Trump, despiteproblematic signs in their own proﬁles. Democrats in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District nominated Adam Hamawy,anunrepentant witness forthe Omar Abdel-Rahman, aka “the Blind Sheik,” in his 1995 terrorism trial; Hamawy also worked for an alQaeda front in Bosnia in 1994.

This year’sprimaries seem to be providing little in the way of good news for both parties’ futures. Both parties’ primary electorates seem focused on fighting the same old battles they have been fighting since Donald Trump clinched the Republican Partypresidential nomination121 months ago. Republican primary voters have been obediently followingthe orders of apresident who must leave office two and ahalf years from now. Democratic primary voters seem focused on endorsing whoever denounces him most vitriolically

Thus, 75% of Louisiana Republicans rejected Sen. Bill Cassidy. R-Louisiana, on May 16, 55% of Kentucky’s 4th District Republicans rejected Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky,onMay 19, and 64% of Texas runoff primary voters rejected Sen. JohnCornyn,RTexas, on May 26. In that last case, the votes went to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was impeached (but

America’spolitical parties are the oldest and third-oldest in theworld —Democrats dating from 1832, Republicans from 1854 —and they have both had theirtroubles before, though rarely simultaneously Some haveapplauded those developmentsand cheered for the old parties’ downfalls. American liberals have tried jiggering electoral systems with aview to derailing Republicans, with ranked-choice voting in Maine andAlaska (and New York Cityand Washington, D.C.), all-party primaries in Washington and California, and Democrats withdrawing in favor of theoretically independent candidates in Nebraska and Kansas. Critics have pointed to polls showingmore respondents identifying as independents, even though in actual elections, historically low percentages of voters split their tickets. There is atemptation to write off our currentparties as hopelessly addled by loyalty to, or hatred of, Trump. But history advises caution.You can argue, as Ihave, that both parties these days seem engaged in self-harm,and the only question is which one will hurt itself more by poor candidatechoices

Acentury ago, the horrors of what was then called the Great Warwere followed by an antidemocratic upheaval. Riots in St.Petersburg in 1918 removed anascent representative government and produced acommunist tyranny that spread over much of the earth and lasted more than 70 years. A comic-opera march on Rome in 1922 imposed fascism in Italy for 22 years. Street thuggeryinWeimar-era Berlin led to Hitler’sNazi dictatorship, a world war that killed millions, and the Holocaust America’spolitical parties, old even then, did better The Democratic Party,always a coalition of people considered not ordinary Americansbut capable of notable majorities, collapsed in 1918-20 through Woodrow Wilson’sforeign policy and economic misrule. ButRepublicans, with acore of people considered ordinary Americansbut not yet amajority,were there to provide competent governance in the1920s.

Similarly,when Republican support collapsed from 1930 to 1934 due to the Great Depression, theDemocrats were capable of providing leadership capable of governing. Butjust as Democrats recovered from collapse in 1920 and won again, so Republicans recovered from collapse in 1932 and were capable of winning again, although that was hidden by Franklin Roosevelt’s success as leader of what was in fact a bipartisan war government

The enduring character of America’s historical parties has provided and can provide again an alternative to antidemocratic or anti-republican alternatives that may emerge, as they did in Europe acentury ago. In the meantime, there may be apremiumfor theparty that emerges ﬁrst from what somemight call itsversion of Trump derangement syndrome.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

If all these ideas were to becomeconsensus Democratic agenda itemsin2028, they would constitute one of the mostradical political platformsofa major political party in American history Court-packing alone would be aseismic, system-changing event, as would abolishing the Electoral College, which has been foundational to our presidential elections from the beginning.

The common theme of all of this would be guaranteeing outcomes —four new progressive justices, four new Democratic senators —inblatant power grabs undermining the legitimacy of the institutions in question.

What would aworld look like where asubstantial portion of the country thinks the SupremeCourt is asham,and not because the court is issuing unwelcome opinions, but because the court has been arbitrarily changed to produce apredetermined ideological result through agrotesque end-run around the rules?

Democrats will say Republicans have already done this, even though the GOPoperated within standard procedures to forge the current conservative majority

DidRepublicans play hardball? Sure. But their influence on the composition of the court depended on winning presidential and senate elections, and taking advantage of fortuitous timing to confirm justices the way they’ve always been confirmed. Manufacturing new seats out of nothing, or forcing the retirements of conservative justices by fiat, would be ablatant rigging of the court.

If aportion of the country thinks that it no longer needs to abide by the Court’sdecisions, that obviously creates the predicate forserious civil strife. The sameistrue if the Congress is no longer seen as legitimate after it is packed with newly minted Democratic senators. Democrats feel justiﬁed in embracing any meanstomatch and exceed Trump’scomprehensive aggressiveness. Trump’sprovocations —the lawfare, the executive overreach, the wars without congressional authorization, the gerrymandering —all have ample precedent among prior Democratic presidents. Democrats, of course, don’tsee it that way,and they fear and loathe Donald Trumpmore than they have any other Republican president.

In reaction, should they sweep in 2028, they may try to push the American constitutional order past an event horizon from which it will never return. In other words, 12 years after the GOPwas told to charge the cockpit or die, the stakes forour system really could be existential.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C

Rich Lowry

Michael Barone

Kathleen Parker

TAKING SHAPE

Tigers likely still have more work to do in transfer portal

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

The transfer portal has been open for 10 days, but LSU baseball already has made a couple of big splashes, adding Texas State shortstop Dawson Park and Gonzaga righthander Landon Hood Park ﬁlls a major need at short and Hood is a potential weekend starter, but coach Jay Johnson’s proactivity is likely just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s where the roster stands as we head toward mid-June.

A woman holds a flag and poster during a protest in reaction to FIFA’s ban of Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag inside World Cup stadiums on Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Catcher

Returners: Cade Arrambide (Jr.), Omar

Serna (So.), Eddie Yamin (Sr.)

Transfers out/in: None High school signees: Masen Belding

Breakdown: As long as Serna or Arrambide don’t unexpectedly enter the transfer portal, LSU is set behind the plate. Serna and Arrambide had their fair share of struggles defensively, but both catchers thrived at the plate, particularly in Southeastern Conference play Johnson said during the season that Ya-

min plans to return for another year Belding is a signee from California who also has experience playing ﬁrst and third base. First base

Returners: Mason Braun (So.), Yamin, Serna Transfers out/in: None High school signees: Will Adams, Dominic Santarelli, Dylan Minnatee, Luke Tucker, Belding

Breakdown: A strong finish to the year

ä See TIGERS, page 5C

Biggest tournament ever kicks off Thursday

BY JAMES ROBSON AP soccer writer

The wait is over for the biggest World Cup ever with 48 teams, 104 matches, three host nations, and a slew of questions and controversies swirling around the highly scrutinized event that will last for nearly six weeks.

The tournament kicks off in Mexico City on Thursday amid concerns about soaring ticket prices and political tensions. There are unprecedented logistical challenges to staging a three-country event

across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

All of that is separate from the onﬁeld drama that will play out through the July 19 ﬁnal as soccer’s top stars battle for the sport’s biggest prize.

Knicks look to bounce back from rare defeat

BY BRIAN MAHONEY AP basketball writer

NEW

When

we did.

“We’re looking forward to going out on the ﬂoor and showing it.” Game 4 is Wednesday in a series in which the road team has won all

ä See KNICKS, page 3C

Sprinters key hopes for LSU track teams

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Tigers to make run at NCAA championships ä ThursdayJuly 19

“This will be the biggest, the most inclusive, the greatest FIFA World Cup ever,” declared FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has predicted 7 million fans will pack the stadiums and 6 billion more will watch from afar “FIFA is the ofﬁcial happiness provider for humanity.”

That remains to be seen. The tournament kicks off in the U.S., which hosts the majority of the games, at a time of rising inﬂation, the war in Iran and the Trump administration’s policies regarding immigration. A ‘monumental betrayal’

FIFA has come in for ﬁerce criticizm over its ticket pricing strategy for this World Cup, which was already considered an expensive trip. When tickets went on general sale in January they ranged from $140 to $8,680. While some have since been made available for less, others have risen signiﬁcantly — up

LSU will have 23 entries at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships between the men’s (11) and women’s (12) teams this week. That total is four more than coach Dennis Shaver’s squad sent last year Competition begins Wednesday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, where the

ä NCAA Track and Field championships (men). 7 P.M.WEDNESDAy ESPN

relay He qualified after an impressive showing in the NCAA East first round, especially in the 200 after finishing second with a season-best 20.01 seconds. Jackson, a sophomore, has continued her breakout first season at LSU by qualifying in the women’s 100, 200 and 4x100 relay The former No. 1 U20 sprinter in the world in 2023 has battled injuries throughout her college career, missing her freshman outdoor season and the 2025 indoor season while at Arkansas. Her

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MATTHEW HINTON

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

TOP PHOTO: Texas State shortstop Dawson Park is one of the key transfers heading to LSU. BOTTOM PHOTO: LSU coach Jay Johnson talks with third baseman John Pearson, left, and catcher Omar Serna during a game against Oklahoma on March 19 at Alex Box Stadium. Both Pearson and Serna are expected to return to the team next season.

FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU sprinter Aniyah Bigam, left, battles Adidas sprinter and LSU alum Thelma Davies in the 100 meters at the LSU Alumni Gold meet on April 25 at Bernie Moore Track Stadium.

PHOTO By BENJAMIM HANSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO New york Knicks guards Jalen Brunson, left, and Miles McBride walk to their bench during their 115111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in New york.

Hitters struggling to thrive after 35

Analytics, increased velocity contribute to league skewing younger

BY DAVID BRANDT Associated Press

PHOENIX Nolan Arenado was slugging his way through the month of May when the Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman woke up one morning with an ailment that’s familiar to those who felt invincible in their 20s but have advanced to their mid-tolate 30s. His back hurt. Not bad. Not enough to keep him out of the lineup But it was one of those inexplicable moments that comes with being an aging Major League Baseball player — threatening to derail a hot streak for an eight-time All-Star who just turned 35.

“There’s more aches and pains,” Arenado said. “There’s just a little more work in the gym getting prepared for the game, than there used to be. That’s a learning curve.

“I’ve always been in the gym, always did that stuff, but there’s deﬁnitely more maintenance.”

Arenado got past the minor back issue and is continuing a bounceback season in the desert, batting .256 with eight homers and 30 RBIs through Monday’s games.

He’s among a group of the 35-andolder crowd getting solid results at the plate, joining Los Angeles Dodgers veterans Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy, along with Houston’s Christian Walker

But it’s a small club that’s become smaller over the past decade.

MLB hitters who are 35 or older have combined to provide just 5.6 WAR (Wins Above Replacement, per FanGraphs) through roughly the ﬁrst one-third of the season, continuing a trend that’s accelerated over the past decade.

In the early 2000s, older stars were the norm in the big leagues. It peaked in 2003 when older hitters combined for 71.3 WAR, with a group highlighted by Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, Kenny Lofton, Luis Gonzalez and Jeff Bagwell.

So what changed?

Let’s look at some of the reasons why MLB is skewing younger these days:

Analytics like younger players

Baseball’s analytical era can be traced back to the work of Bill James in the 1970s and 1980s, but terms like WAR, wOBA, BABIP and OPS+ didn’t start to become widespread in the big leagues until at least the late 2000s.

Suddenly, the eye test wasn’t enough for MLB general managers. Cold, hard numbers were in. And — overwhelmingly — those numbers showed that the best years for a big league hitter usually come from their mid-20s to early 30s.

That’s directly correlated to MLB teams locking up young players to long-term contracts.

Arizona’s Corbin Carroll, Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle, Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin, Kansas City’s Bobby Witt and Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez are among dozens of promising players who were signed to lucrative deals well before they reach free agency

Spending on veterans is no longer in vogue. Walker — a threetime Gold Glove first baseman who has hit nearly 200 career homers — signed with the Astros for a relatively modest $60 million, three-year deal after the 2024 season when he was 33 years old.

“I think it has a lot to do with the ability to measure guys’ value on the field,” Walker said. “For a long time, WAR didn’t exist, wRC+ wasn’t a stat, right? So, you went off of the optics or this guy’s a good clubhouse guy or he’s got experience, he’s been to a World Series.”

Velocity has exploded

Today’s young stars have come of age in a game where velocity is king, but it wasn’t that way when Freeman and others broke through. The average MLB fastball in 2026 is north of 94 mph,

with 18 qualified pitchers averaging at least 96. When Freeman debuted 17 years ago, the leaguewide average was under 92 and no qualiﬁed pitchers averaged at least 96.

Arenado said that one of the ﬁrst things that becomes tougher for MLB veterans is the ability to handle really good fastballs particularly inside. It makes for tough matchups against pitchers like Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski, who routinely throws 100 mph.

“I feel like just the general age of the levels and the development is trending younger and younger,” Walker said. “And there might be something to that like your best bullets might be when you’re 27 years old.”

Teams value flexibility

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has Freeman and Muncy in his lineup on nearly a daily basis. He also played in the big leagues until he was 36 years old, retiring in 2008, giving him some personal experience on the aging process “The hardest part is to expect and want the same output you’ve always had, but not be willing to change the equation,” Roberts said. Roberts said the process is different for every player Some need to work out more. Some less. Others need more sleep. Diet becomes more important. The tricky part is that the habits that brought you to the big leagues might not be the same ones that will keep you there in

your mid-to-late 30s.

Walker, who didn’t become a starter in the big leagues until he was 28, said he has embraced getting older and enjoys analyzing his blood tests that might signal what’s causing vitamin deﬁciencies or inflammation The tests also show how much alcohol might affect his body or the importance of a good night’s sleep.

“For myself, no real magic recipe, just chalk it up to being a late bloomer,” Walker said. “My age is older than most guys, but service time isn’t. I haven’t been in the big leagues for 20 years or anything like that. Just fortunate that I still can help the team.”

Arenado embraces change Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he believed there were two main reasons Arenado was still having success in his 14th big league season. First, he gave credit to the D-backs’ hitting coaches.

But maybe most importantly, Arenado has listened to those coaches, embraced change and found new ways to have success.

“There’s an adjustment to work habits and mindset once you get to that level where things aren’t as easy as they used to be,” Lovullo said. “Some say ‘I’ve had my career, it’s not as easy as it once was, and I want to shut it down.’”

Later he added: “It’s fun to watch Nolan Arenado have all this success, but he’s worked his butt off. He’s working as hard as any 22 or 23 year old we have on this team.”

A’s say hello to future Vegas fans with wild game

BY MARK ANDERSON Associated Press

LAS VEGAS The ﬁrst pitch to an Athletics player Monday night in Las Vegas was an explosive welcome.

Shea Langeliers sent a shot 483 feet in the ﬁrst sign of the madness to come in a 15-14, 12-inning game that introduced the city to its eventual MLB club.

The Milwaukee Brewers were the winners, but so were the fans.

“It’s the most bizarre game I’ve ever had in Major League Baseball in 11 years,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I never saw anything like it. So many things happened. There were 16 challenges in the game Sixteen challenges in the game. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Oh, yes, the challenges.

It wasn’t just the pitchers who had a rough night. Home plate umpire Clint Vondrak had 11 of 16 challenges for ball and strikes overturned and, according to Umpire Scorecards, he missed three other calls that potentially affected the game. This series is being played at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the A’s Triple-A afﬁliate The A’s were set to play the Brewers again Tuesday and Wednesday and will host the Colorado Rockies in a three-game series beginning Friday as they begin to introduce themselves to the Las Vegas fan base. The club is scheduled to move to Las Vegas in 2028 and play in a $2 billion 33,000-person capacity domed sta-

dium on the Strip. Team jerseys with VEGAS on the back and the No. 28 were given out to fans. It’s doubtful that new stadium will be the launching pad the minor league facility was in the opening game — a four-hour, 14-minute offensive onslaught. The teams combined for 34 hits

Bengals rework Burrow’s contract to free cap space

The Cincinnati Bengals have restructured the contract of franchise quarterback Joe Burrow a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Tuesday Cincinnati gains around $10 million in cap space by spreading out some of his base salary over the ﬁnal three years of the deal (2027 through ’29). The former LSU star signed a ﬁve-year, $275 million extension in 2023.

The Bengals found themselves low on cap space after acquiring defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants before the draft and signing him to a oneyear extension worth $28 million. Burrow, the top overall pick in the 2020 draft, played in only eight games last season. He suffered a turf toe injury in a Week 2 win over Jacksonville and was out until late November

Williams makes winning comeback in doubles

LONDON After nearly four years away from professional tennis, Serena Williams showed she still has plenty of power to her game as she made a winning return at Queen’s Club on Tuesday

The 44-year-old Williams hit service winners of up to 120 mph as she teamed up with 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko to win their opening doubles match at the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament.

Williams and Mboko beat thirdseeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 in Williams’ ﬁrst professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open. They next face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterﬁnals.

Bitonio to retire after 12 seasons, all with Browns BEREA, Ohio Joel Bitonio had a good idea in January that he would be retiring after 12 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. On Tuesday, it was time for the 34-year-old offensive lineman to make it ofﬁcial.

“This place is so special that it was hard to truly say goodbye. I’m so glad I got to learn and be a Cleveland Brown my entire career,” Bitonio said during a news conference.

Bitonio played his entire career in Cleveland after he was selected in the second round (35th) of the 2014 draft. He was a stalwart at left guard and emerged as the leader of the offensive line when Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas retired after the 2017 season. Bitonio’s 178 games — all starts are ninth in franchise history

Rams LT arrested at LA home, awaits charges

and 11 home runs.

“Just an all-around crazy game,” Langeliers said. “Both teams battled all night. It was a great baseball game.”

This was the Brewers’ secondever victory after allowing at least 14 runs Milwaukee defeated Washington by the same score on Aug. 17, 2019. The Brewers now are 2-88 in such games.

For the A’s, this was the first time they have been in a game in which both sides scored at least 14 runs since a 17-16 loss at Texas on May 5, 2000. There was not only a lot of scoring, but plenty of drama as well.

The A’s took a two-run lead into the ninth inning, but Andrew Vaughn’s two-run double with no outs sent the game to extras. Milwaukee then scored four runs in the 10th before the A’s answered with four of their own, including two-out homers by Nick Kurtz and Jonah Heim. Brice Turang’s ﬁelder’s choice grounder with one out in the 12th inning scored Christian Yelich for what turned out to be the winning run, and soon after perhaps the wildest game of the season was over

LOS ANGELES Los Angeles Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson was arrested Monday night on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The Los Angeles Police Department says Jackson was arrested after ofﬁcers were called to his home in the West Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley NBC4 reported that Jackson allegedly attempted to take a phone away from a woman when he thought he was being recorded, and the woman had scratches on her arm. Jackson has been the Rams’ starting left tackle for the past three seasons, starting 45 regular-season games and six playoff games. The case will be submitted to the district attorney’s ofﬁce to consider charges.

Detroit PGA tournament coming to end this year

DETROIT The next Rocket Classic will be the last.

“After nearly 13 years as a PGA Tour title sponsor, including eight years in Detroit, 2026 will mark the ﬁnal Rocket Classic,” tournament director Mark Hollis said Tuesday “We are incredibly proud of what this tournament has meant to the city, from creating unforgettable moments for fans to raising more than $10 million for local organizations.” Aldrich Potgieter will be the reigning champion on July 30 when the ﬁnal tournament begins at Detroit Golf Club. Cam Davis is a two-time Rocket Classic champion and Bryson DeChambeau is among the previous winners at the tournament.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RICK SCUTERI

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning of a game May 18 in Phoenix At 35, Arenado is part of a shrinking group of older veteran players.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLINE BREHMAN

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe cheers after striking out the final batter to end the 11th inning against the Athletics on Monday in Las Vegas. The teams combined for 34 hits and 11 home runs.

Spursundaunted in hostileenvironments

SanAntonio star Wembanyama says he likes ‘lively,active crowds’

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

NEW YORK Victor Wembanyama

likens home-courtadvantage to having six players on thecourt against ﬁve. On the road, it is like ﬁve on six.

Wemby likes it like that. Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs thrived in Game 3of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden and are undaunted by the hostile environment and theseries deﬁcit they faceagainst the New York Knicks.

“I like lively crowds, active crowds,” Wembanyama said Tuesday,roughly 13 hours after his 32-point, eight-rebound, six-assist dominancetopick up his ﬁrst career win in the ﬁnals. “Athome, it’sanextra motivation because you want to givethe people who support you agoodshow.On the road, you want to do the opposite.”

Fresh off silencing asellout crowd of nearly 20,000, San Antonio now gets the chance to even things up in Game 4onWednesday night back at the Garden in what could be an even more intense situationasfans try to will their team to the verge of itsﬁrst championship since1973.

“Weﬁnd acomfort playing on the road, knowing when you’re in this environment, it’susversus them, and obviously everybody in the crowd,” Spurs guard De’Aaron

Fox said. “When you know that everybody behind you hasyour back —itallows you to settleinto these games.”

Backcourt mate Stephon Castle said he andthe Spurs knew their season was onthe line after falling behind 2-0 in the series and creditedtheir connectivityfor being 7-3 on the road in these playoffs. If Monday wasa mustwingame,Wednesday is nearly thatbecause only one of 38 teams

to fall behind 3-1 in the ﬁnals came back to winit.

“It’ssomething youcan’t shy away from, especially with the goalsand aspirations that we have,” Castle said. “Just focuson thethings that matter throughout the game and not really paying tooclose attention to the crowd. They’regoing to be there regardless, especially cheering on their team. Youshould want to play in those environments. Ifeel like

KNICKS

that’swhen we playatour best.”

Wembanyamacertainly was, shaking off his buzzer-beating miss to turn in aperformanceﬁt for the bright spotlight at aplace known as theworld’smostfamous arena. But the22-year-old big man from France did not do it alone.

Castle,who’s 21, scored 23 points and did not look bothered by the ankle he injured in Game 2onFridaynight. Devin Vassell, who’s25, andJulian Champagnie,

Continuedfrom page1C

three games, only the second time that’shappened in theNBA Finals.

BY JACKSON REYES

Staff writer

State titles and championship performances deﬁned the season in Class 4A as baseball and softball athletes from the Baton Rouge arealanded on theLSWA all-state teams,itwas announcedTuesday In softball, apair of Brusly sophomores earned all-state honors. Pitcher Abigail Heidbrink earned aspotat utility after she totaled a 25-7 record with 219 strikeouts and a1.55 ERA across 1712/3 innings.

Zoe Fabre was named to the inﬁeld after she ﬁnished theyear with a.410 average, .467 on-base percentage, 27 RBIs, 45 runs, eight doubles, four triples and five home runs. Lutcher,the Division II

nonselect statebaseball champion, had one honoree in senior pitcher Dane Bodin. He ﬁnished withan 8-0record and66strikeouts in 721/3 innings

Three players from state runner-up Brusly earned all-state honors.

Junior Tate Tassin was namedtothe outﬁeld after he hit.449 with 29 RBIs, 37 runs and32stolen bases.

TwoPanthers seniors were named to the utility team. Aubrey St. Angelo ﬁnished with a7-1 record and had an 0.82 ERA in 68 innings. The Nicholls State signee also had a.415 battingaverage with 40 RBIs,45runs and ﬁve home runs Brayden Ray had a7-0 record with a2.02 ERAacross 412/3 innings. On offense, he hada.417 battingaverage with 33 RBIs and 39 walks.

Bourgeois, Vandebilt Catholic

Barbera, E.D.White; Avery Bergeron,Livonia; Brandon Blanchard, Brusly; Trigger Booth, West Ouachita; Kohen Boudreaux, Iowa;MaddoxBreaux, South Terrebonne; Eli Clark, St. Thomas More; Brayden Cortez, St. Charles; Ryan Crooks, Tioga; Isaiah Daley,Brusly; TreDaley,Brusly; Cayden Dartez, St. Thomas More;Cameron DeRoche, Lutcher; ColinDore, Cecilia;Carter Douglas, E.D.White; Porter Doyal, North DeSoto; BlazeDuhon,North Vermilion; Alex Duvieilh,Lakeshore; Benjamin Ellender, Breaux Bridge; Landen Fletcher, Grant; Patton Ferguson, Tioga; Gavin Foreman,Rayne; GavinFoster, Livonia;Myles Futrell, Grant; Luca Golden,Loyola; Morgan Havens,DeRidder;Holdyn Herring,West Ouachita; HayesHolton, Loranger;KoleHurst St.Charles;JaceJarveaux, Vandebilt Catholic; Braden Jones, NorthDeSoto; Hunter Jones, Livonia;BrysonKeller, Lutcher; Grant Kirkpatrick, E.D.White; Colton Lacour, North DeSoto;Caleb LeBlanc, South Terrebonne; Thomas Lecompte, Vandebilt Catholic; Aiden LeJeune, Eunice; Mason Lomonaco, Lakeshore; SammyMcDaniel, Pearl River; LoganMatherne,Loranger; KrashMenard,Vandebilt Catholic; LonPaul Moody, Rayne; Cole Pepiton, Grant; Dakota Porche, Ellender;CadenPryor, Loyola; Owen Rivere, Assumption; DavisSt. Pierre, Lutcher; Creek Smith, Leesville; Avery Stutes,North Vermilion; CohenTrosclair,Lakeshore

The Spurs jumped on the Knicks rightatthe start andthenoutplayedthem late in their 115-111 victory on Monday

Victor Wembanyama controlled the action on both sides with 32 points,eight rebounds,six assists and three blocked shots.

Showing no fear of arowdy road environment in the first NBAFinals game in Madison Square Garden since 1999, Wembanyama and the Spurs again looked like ateam that might be able to win atitle withoutﬁrst experiencing the growing pains that other young groups have gone through.

“Wewill see. Butmybet would be yes, it’spossible,” Wembanyamasaid.

The Spurs thoughtso even after dropping two games in San Antonio, which means to win the title they would have to be-

Tioga; Peyton Kirtland, Grant; LarkinKrieg,Loyola;Ava Kulivan Archbishop Hannah; Emma Loupe, Brusly; Danielle Louque, Lutcher;Landry McLamb, Caddo Magnet; Baylie Middleton, Tioga; Anistyn Nichols,Tioga; Margaret Oge, St. Thomas More; Makenzie Picasso, Pearl River; Bree Pech, E.D.White; Londyn Pennison, Assumption; Haleigh Perilloux, E.D.White; MelaniePomar, Belle Chasse; Carleigh Roe, Grant; Isabella Rome, Livonia; Grant; Avery St.Pierre, Lutcher;AddisynSingletary, Iowa;Alivia Singletary,Iowa; Cali Smith, West Ouachita; AlyaTaylor,Archbishop Hannan; Emmey Tullos,West Ouachita; Presley Walker, Loyola; Tannah Willie, Lakeshore; Riley Williams, Archbishop Hannan; Saydie Wilson,Grant; Jada Wolfgang, Caddo Magnet.

weeks away fromhis 25th birthday,each hit some big shots and gotinto double figures. Rookie Dylan Harper,who is 20, scored 13 offthe bench.

Fox, whoat28isamong the elderstatesmen, points to those young players’ demeanor to explain why theydon’t shrink under pressure

“They just don’thave the personalities that you would think that are just going to be overwhelmed by something,”Fox said. “I don’tknow what they’re feeling on the inside,obviously.Whatyou see out there on the court with them, just when you see it on their faces when New York is going on arun, youdon’t seethem panic.”

There does notseem to be any panic in the Spurs, no matterhow inexperienced some of their core players are. Coach Mitch Johnson understands whythere is so much talk aboutyouth andage, but like Fox he thinks it’smoreabout the makeup of guys like Wembanyama,Castle andHarper than how many years they’vebeen alive andplaying basketball.

Perhaps being alittle naive helps. Harpersaidthis is the ﬁrst time he has been booed on the street walking out of ahotel in New York, though it only served to ﬁre him and his teammates up —and could continue to do so

“Wejust stay together in environments like this,”Harpersaid.

“When we come to away games in the playoffs,for us at least, it’s been just staying together and holding each other accountable. I feel like with the level of desperation and desire that we played with (in Game 3), Ifeel like we’re pretty hard to beat when we do that.”

come the ﬁrst team to do so after starting 0-2 in its own building.

It’sabelief built from having one of the best players in theworldand loads of talentaround him, a groupsoconﬁdentthatthe players didn’tthink much of their accomplishment Monday

“I didn’twant us to get too happy about one win and get satisﬁed and take ourfoot off thegas alittle bit for the next game,” saidSpursguardStephon Castle, who scored 23 points. “But Ithink since the end of Game 2we’ve still been confidentthat we’re going to win this series, and that’swhat we plan to do.

The Knicks’ first loss sinceApril 23 didn’tsend them scrambling forsolutions, because they were constantly looking for ways to improve even when all they did was win.

“Each game, no matter whatthe situation is, we’re growing as ateam. Ithink we’re learning andwe’re getting better —obviously beforelastnight,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunsonsaid.

“No matter what the situation is, we’re going to stick together.We’re going to execute, we’re going to be better. That’sjust how our mindset has to be going forward.”

There are things to fix. Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t scoring in the fourth quarter.Wembanyama has clearlyﬁgured outwaysto hurt the Knicks in the last 11/2 gamesafterstruggling by his standards before that. Theyhavetoturn the ball over less and defend better without fouling. The Knicks did enough of those things well to run off the second-longest winning streak in postseason history Now they have to recover quickly fromaloss, or they’ll head to SanAntonio for Game 5with the series tied.

“Wehave, what, 13 games in arow,50days of ﬁlmtoshow what it looks like when we’re at our best. So we’ve got good film,” Towns said. “We’ll get back to our fundamentals, what makes us great, what made us great, and get back to work.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByROSS FRANKLIN

San Antonio Spursforward Victor Wembanyama, left, talks withguard Stephon Castle during the second halfof Game 3ofthe NBAFinals against the New york Knicks on Monday in Newyork.

WORLDCUP 2026

U.S. goalkeepersaim to live up to predecessors

BY GREG BEACHAM Associated Press

IRVINE, Calif. In many previous World Cup cycles over the past three decades, the best and most accomplished players on theU.S men’sroster were their goalkeepers.

Kasey Keller.Brad Friedel. TimHoward. Brad Guzan. They all played on major international club stages,and their national team could always count on havingelite talent in net, evenwhen therest of the roster wasn’t world-class.

That’snolonger the case as the current American team prepares for its home World Cup.

While Matt Freese and Matt Turner are both solid domestic professionals, they have yet to match their esteemed predecessors’ level of international accomplishment forclub or country Both are hoping they can summit that obstacle over the next few weeks —assoon as coach MauricioPochettinoletsthemknow who’sstarting Friday night, that is.

“It’sfair to say the U.S. has a great goalkeeping corps,historically,” said Freese, theNew York City FC keeper.“Iwas afan of that goalkeeping corps formost of my life. Still am. Andsoit’san honor to be on this team and be apart of that group to hopefully continue that great legacy.”

TheU.S.arrived at its final World Cup training base in Orange County this week, butPochettino has yet to announcewhichof his goalkeepers will start when his team opens the group stage

WORLD CUP

Continued from page1C

others have risen signiﬁcantly —up to $32,970 forthe ﬁnal. Fanshave accused the governing body of a “monumental betrayal”.

Resale prices are evenhigheron thesecondary market, withFIFA’s own resale marketplace in April listing four tickets to theﬁnalfor just under $2.3 million each.While FIFAdoes not control prices on the site, it doestake a30% commission from each resale. Parking for games can cost as much as $175, and fans have been stunned by rising train fares —up from $12.90 to $98 in New Jersey, for example.

Infantinohas defendedticket prices and said demand was equivalent to “1,000years of World Cups at once,”adding that all 104 matches would be sold out.

Arecent IPSOS poll,however, found that only 26% of Americans said they were “at least somewhat excited” about the World Cup and 7% were “extremely or very excited.” Meanwhile, room bookings have been lighter than expected in most of the 11 U.S.

against Paraguay in Inglewood, California —and it’s tough not to see that as an indicator of the state of theU.S. situation in net

Freese has been the Americans regular starter since the CONCACAF Gold Cuplastsummer,while Turner was their starter at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under coach Gregg Berhalter.Freese seems likely to be Pochettino’s pick for Friday,but the fact that it hasn’tbeen made yet is interesting for both competitors for thejob.

“Not aton of clarity,but Ithink the messaging for me is just to always be ready,” Turner said Tuesday.“It’sabout training really well, keep ﬁghting, and then the decision will be made.”

No matter whogets the nod, the U.S. will haveaMajor League Soccer goalkeeper in net at the World Cup for the first time. That’s a coupfor MLS,but theAmericans are used to ﬁelding goalies who hadsuccess beyond their shores.

The 27-year-old Freese has spenthis pro career in MLS since he left Harvard in early 2019. The 31-year-oldTurner is also back in North America’stop league with theNew England Revolution after hisEuropean career stalled before it really gotrolling.

Pochettino has split up thetime in net in the Americans’ four matches in 2026, even working third-stringerChris Brady into the mix. Turner started their friendly against Senegal last month, whileFreese gothis turn last weekendagainst Germany

Turner knows he is probably behind Freese on Pochettino’sdepth chart, but the lackofastarting an-

nouncementhas him working just that much harder

“Given the fact that Ihaven’t played aton in the last year for thenationalteam, of course, for me, that makes me feel like the door is alwayscracked,” Turner said. “Everyone hasachance. But Ithink thecoach will always pick the guy that’splaying the best, andhe’sgoingtomakethe right decision for theteam, andwhatever my role is going to be, I’m going to be ready to do it to the best of myability.”

Turner made hisU.S.debut in early2021, while Freese onlygot his first U.S. callup in January 2025, finally making his debut last June. But he quickly seized thestartingjob and played all six Gold Cup matches, earning praise for arun thatincluded twoclean sheets and three penalty saves during asuccessful shootout

“I dreamofthisopportunity,” Freese said. “You work for this opportunity,but younever know if it’sgoing to come. Ilearned probably nine years ago, the ones that work hard without thepromiseofreward are theonesthat usually succeed.”

Notes

All 26 players participated in afullpractice Tuesday for the ﬁrst time in this World Cup training cycle.Tyler Adams, who sat outMonday’slight workoutfor a maintenance day, was in the mix alongwith defenderChris Richards, who went through his second straightfullpractice while recovering from an ankle injury he picked up last month with Crystal Palace.

Olisecould be attacking star forFranceatCup

BY JEROME PUGMIRE Associated Press

PARIS It might notbeKylian Mbappé or Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembélé lighting up France’sattack at the World Cup.

Instead, it could be the discreet and unassuming Michael Olise, withhis golden first touch and devastating changes of direction, startingwhen two-time champion France takes on Senegal on Tuesday in New Jersey

TheBayern Munich winger entersthe tournament in ﬁne form after netting asuperb hat trick against Northern Ireland on Monday, takinghis totaltosevenin17 games for Les Bleus.

Coach Didier Deschamps ﬁelded his ﬁrst-choice side anditwas Olise whostood out most in aglittering attack featuring Mbappé, Dembélé and rising starDésiré Doué.

“He’sbeen shining brightly this season at Bayern and he’sdone great things for us. He’sbrimming with conﬁdence, he’s so decisive,” Deschamps said of Olise. “On top of that, as an attacking player he also has aremarkable capacity for hard work.”

After two finishesinside the penalty area, Olise curled abrilliant shotinto the top left corner afterbreaking inside from the right ﬂank with oneofhis sudden switches of play

He does it so deftlyand quickly that it has become his signature moveand helped the 24-year-old score 22 goals forBayern this season.

Henry’sguidance

Deschamps said Olise impressed him at the 2024 Paris Olympics. There, he wascoached by Thierry Henry —the France and Arsenal great —and Olise’stwo goals and ﬁve assists helped Les Bleus reach theﬁnal.

Olise called the Paris Games “the best football experience of my life”

because they“allowedpeople to get to know me.” He praised Henry for sharing his vision of the game.

But when Olise stepped up to the senior side, Deschamps said it took him “four or ﬁve”gamestoshow his true potential because he was shy

“He’s notaveryexpressive character.He’sratherintroverted, but he’s very endearing,” Deschamps said.

Olise’sfirst international goal cameonhis sixth appearance, and it showcased his ability as he bent afree kick into the top corner against Croatiainthe 2025 Nations League.

Overlooked by bigclubs

Born in London, Olise began his professional career with Reading after being released by Chelsea and Manchester City

While playing for Reading in thesecond-tierChampionshiphe was named theEnglishFootball League’syoung player of theseason. He joined PremierLeagueside Crystal Palace in 2021, andthree seasons with Palace were enough to convinceBayerntosign him in adeal worth $65 million.

Olise added goal-scoring to his superb range of passing and in two seasonsatthe German giant he’s netted 42 goals in 107 games, albeit in an extremely attack-minded team

Wasteful Mbappé

Olise’sgoals took thespotlight offanother mediocre performance from Mbappé, who also failed to score in a2-1 home loss to Ivory Coast last Thursday “It’strue that he had several chances andwasn’tefﬁcient,” Deschamps said.

Mbappé has56international goals and needstwo moretobeat Olivier Giroud’sFrance record. “He told me he’sholding back for the UnitedStates,” Deschamps said with asmile.“So that suits me.”

the groupstage hasbeenremoved with elite teamslargely separated. It means the real dramamay be put on hold until the round of 16. “There’sa balance to be struckbetween making sure the World Cup is genuinely representative, but it’salso meanttobea footballtournament that determines whothe bestteam in theworld is,” said Jonathan Wilson, author of The Power and the Glory: A NewHistory of the WorldCup.

Goingtobehot One thing FIFA cannot be blamed forisrising temperatures and extreme heat. Some of the sites —the Texas citiesofDallas and Houston, for example, though Kansas City and Atlanta are notimmune could see ‘feels like” temperatures above 90 degrees. There will be safety measures such as hydration breaksfor play-

ersand FIFAwound up changing its policy on water bottles for thetournament’s 16 stadiums acrossNorth America, including some with limited shade from the sun. Politicalfootball

PresidentTrump hasbeena big supporter of theWorld Cupcoming to America, repeatedly hosting Infantino at theWhite House and speaking in glowing terms about the tournament.Infantino has gone to great lengthstostrengthenthose relations, awarding Trump theinaugural FIFA Peace Prize last year after he missed out on the Nobel Prize.

Six months have passed since a German soccer federation ofﬁcial said it was time to considera World Cup boycott because of Trump’s actions,which included threats to takecontrol of Greenland. That was even before the United States andIsrael launched military attacks on Iran. It alsoraised questions about Iran’s participation in theWorld Cup. Theteam moved its training base from Tuscon, Arizona, to Tijuana,Mexico, calledout visahassles just aweek before it opens play and arrived wearing lapelpinshighlightingthe victims of adeadly missile strike on an elementary school at the start of the war

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByMIKE STEWART

NicoWilliams of Spain, left, takes aphoto withfan Marcos Perez of Atlanta after atraining session Saturdayin Chattanooga, Tenn., ahead of the WorldCup

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARy SCHWALM

U.S. goalie Matt Freese directs his teamduringan international friendly game against Turkey on June 7, 2025, in East Hartford, Conn. Freeseisvying forastarting spot in the Americans’ game against Paraguay

ASSOCIATEDPRESS FILEPHOTO By JULIO CORTEZ

Michael Olise of Franceruns with the ballduring amen’sgroup A soccer match between Guinea and FranceatNiceStadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 27, 2024, in Nice, France.

TIGERS

defensively makes Braun the leading candidate to start at ﬁrst base next season. He’ll be one of LSU’s most important hittersin 2027. Behind him, Yamin and Serna also have experience at ﬁrst

There’sachance Adams and Santarelli don’tmake it to campus. Between the two, Santarelliismore likely to end up at LSU. Minnatee is a contact-firstfirst baseman,in the same vein as TreMorgan. Tucker’ssize (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) limits him to acorner infield spot, but he was also a shortstop in high school.

Second base

Returners: Jack Ruckert (So.)

Transfers out: Ethan Clauss (So.)

High school signees: CJ Weinstein, Parker Loew

Breakdown: Ruckert settled into astarting spot at second base after arocky start. Clauss was the only freshman who didn’tsee more time on the ﬁeld at the end of the year

Don’trule out LSU adding atransfer who can at least compete with Ruckert for the starting job. Ruckert showed some promise this past season, but Johnson will be aggressive in making sure he has plenty of options to turn to on the inﬁeld.

Shortstop

Likely draft departure: Steven Milam (Sr.)

Transfers in: Dawson Park (Jr.)

Transfers out: Clauss

High school signees: Jordan Martinez, Weinstein, Loew

Breakdown: Parkhad 13 home runs, a.962 on-base plus slugging percentage and played strong defense at shortstop for Texas State. He also left the program before theend of theseason, reportedly after getting into an on-ﬁeldaltercation with a teammateinMay.He’ll still start at shortstop as longas Milam doesn’treturn. Weinstein and Loew are primarily shortstops, but both signees could compete for astarting spot at second base. There’sachance that Weinstein doesn’tmake it to campus as atop-150 prospect in the draft, per MLB. com.

Thirdbase

Returners: John Pearson(Jr.)

Transfers out: Trent Caraway (Sr.)

High school signees: Martinez,

TRACK

Continued from page1C

areincontention for top-threefinishes. The men’steam, made up of senior Jeremiah Walker, senior ShakeemMcKay,junior Joshua Caleb and Reid ran apersonal-best 38.25to finish second at the SEC Championships. While they didn’tmatch that time in the NCAA ﬁrst round,their previous showing demonstratedtheir potential to outrun most of the ﬁeld.

The women’steamof freshman Athaleyha Hinckson, juniorTima Godbless, junior Aniyah Bigamand Jackson should be among the favoritestodowell. They won the SEC titlein apersonal-best 42.31 and placed third in the NCAA East ﬁrst round in 42.48. The men’s4x400 relay also enters with expectations. Sophomore Amal

Tucker,Belding Breakdown: Pearson struggleddefensively at third base despiteshowcasing some power as asophomore. Caraway departs for the portalafteranunderwhelming season in Baton Rouge. Martinez andLoeware high school teammates at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida. Martinez has experience at shortstop,but hissize likely makes himathird baseman. Thirdbase is arguably LSU’sbiggest remaining roster need. ExpectJohnson to add someone from the portalsooner rather than later Left field

Returners: William Patrick (So.), Braun,Yamin Transfers out: Daniel Harden (Sr.)

High school signees: Malachi Washington, Anthony Murphy,Nathaneal Davis and Wessley Roberson Breakdown: Patricksaw more of theﬁeldtoward the end of the year.His athleticism gives him achance to start next season. Harden entered theportal after registering just19at-bats.

Washington, Davisand Murphy may notend up on campus. All three players are excellent athletes, and Murphy would be draft-eligible as asophomore if he came to school. Roberson is aspeedsterwith strong batto-ball ability

Center field

Returners: Patrick Likely draft departure: Derek Curiel

High school signees: Murphy, Washington,Davis andRoberson

Breakdown: Thefour signees are all fast enough toplay center field. Whether any of them get thechance to start out there as freshmen is another question.Thisis deﬁnitely aposition of need in the transfer portal.

Right field

Returners: Patrick, Braun

Likelydraft departure: Jake Brown

Transfersout: Harden

High school signees: Washington, Murphy,Davis andRoberson

Breakdown: As long as Braun remains in theinﬁeld, right field is another hole the Tigerslikely needtofill through theportal.

Right-handed pitchers

Returners: Casan Evans (Jr.), William Schmidt (Jr.), Cooper Moore (Sr.), Reagan Ricken (So.), Zion Theophilus(So.),Marcos Paz (So.)

Glasgow,McKay, junior Grant Buckmillerand redshirt freshman MalachiAustinbrokethe LSU record with a2:58.47 at theSEC Championships andﬁnished second at the NCAA East in 3:00.39. In the field events, LSU is led by Jack Larriviere in themen’s javelin. Afteran injury-riddled start to his college career,the junior is headed to Eugene for the ﬁrst time.

The New Orleans native placed third in the NCAA East with athrow of 231 feet,8inches. His personal best of 258-1 in April would have ledthe NCAA East ﬁrst round.

Senior long jumper JordanTurner took third in thefirst round withaleap of 25-111/2,and women’s discus thrower Princesse Hymandisplayed herpotentialafter finishingfifth in the first round. LSU has one veteran who could peak at the righttime. Godbless,who missedthis

Likely draftdepartures: Deven

Sheerin

Transfers out: Mavrick Rizy (Jr.), Jaden Noot (Sr.)

Transfersin: Landon Hood (So.), Hayden Morris(Jr.) and Major Osbolt (So.)

Highschool signees: Jensen Hirschkorn, Cooper Sides, Kolby Stringer,Dylan Blomker,Coleton Brady and Braydon Wisener

Breakdown: LSU’sthree starting pitchers areset to return in Evans, Schmidt and Moore. Hood might crack that rotation if he widens his arsenal of pitches. He arrives in Baton Rouge with agood fastball, alethal changeup and acurveball.

Sheerin has achance to be one of the ﬁrst relievers picked in thedraft.Rizy and Noot enteredthe portal after bothpitchers took astep back this season. Morris and Osbolt are junior-college transfers with high strikeout rates.

Hirschkorn is alongshot to make it to campus. He’ll likely be picked on theﬁrst dayofthe draft.Sidesand Stringer alsocould be selected, while Blomker, Brady and Wisener add depth to a room that’sexpected tolose at least seven arms. Hood probably won’tbe LSU’sonly additionatthis spot.The pitching staff was theprimary reason behind LSU’sdemise this season.

Left-handedpitchers

Returners: Danny Lachenmayer(Jr.), Jonah Aase (Fr.), Cooper Williams (Jr.), Ethan Plog (Jr.)

Likely draft departures: Santiago Garcia

Transfersout: DJ Primeuax (Sr.)

Highschool signees: Logan Schmidt,Lucas Nawrocki, Spencer Evans, Braxton Beaty,Colton Christman and Bradyn Cupit

Breakdown: Primeaux is theonly lefty whohas entered the portal,meaning LSU has four lefties set to return as things currently stand. Lachenmayer alreadyhad said thathewas coming back, and Aase was with the team this spring but missed the year while recovering from Tommy John surgery Garcia’sarray of breaking balls makes him astrong candidatetoget drafted. Primeaux exits after four seasons withthe program

Even if Schmidt and Nawrockidon’t make ittoschool, Johnson made sure his team wouldn’tbeshort of lefthandedoptions next year LSUisstill on track to bring in its deepest class of lefties since Johnson took over

year’sindoor season, is competing in the 100 for the third straight year after placing 11th at regionals.

The former Nigerian Olympian remains athreat after ﬁnishing third at last year’s NCAA Championships Several Tigersare making their debuts in Eugene. For thewomen, that includes freshman Hinckson (100), ﬁfth-year senior Adeyah Brewster (100 hurdles), freshman Skyler Franklin(400), freshman Kennedi Burks (4x400 relay), senior Keliza Smith (4x400 relay),freshmanAbigael Chemnagei (10,000) and junior AlexisGuillory (javelin).

For the men, Austin (400), Buckmiller (400), Caleb (4x100), sophomore Chad Hendricks (discus) and Larriviere (javelin) are making theirdebuts. LSU is seeking its first track and fieldnational team title for the men since 2021. The women last won a national in 2012.

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

Loyola University of New Orleans madeitofﬁcial Tuesdaythatits athletic programs will compete at the NCAA level for the ﬁrst time in more than 50 years.

Anews conference at the University Sports Complex wasused to announcethe move back to the NCAA, where the Wolf Pack will compete in Division II. Loyola will head to Division II beginningin the fall of 2027 as amember of the Gulf South Conferenceafteritcompeted at the NAIAlevel since reinstating athletics in 1991.

The GulfSouth Conference’sexpansion committee voted unanimously for Loyola to becomeits newest member.Fifteen of Loyola’s22athletic programs are set to compete at the Division II level.

“(Joining the NCAA) raises alevel of prestige forthe university,” Loyola athletic director Brett Simpsonsaid. “Being the only Division II school in the state of Louisiana is a great opportunity for us This seems like agreat next step. We’re readyfor the new challenge.”

Loyola will competein NAIA for onemore year before beginning atwoyear provisionalperiod in 2027 as part of its NCAA Division II transition. The Wolf Pack will become eligible forDivisionIIpostseason competition in 2029 once the provisional period is complete. Baseball, volleyball, and men’sand women’s basketball areamong the Loyola sports thatwill make the jump to Division II.

Loyola wonanNAIA men’sbasketball national championship in 2022, and the baseball team reached

theNAIAWorld Serieslast spring. Thehope is that moving to Division II will attract more talent.

“Tobecomethe only Division II school in (Louisiana), Ithink that gives us aleg up in recruiting, Loyola men’sbasketball coach Trey Lindsey said.

“(Joining the NCAA) validates us.The transfers are more willingtocome, and the high school guys perk up alittle bit more.”

The move to Division II will result in increased scholarships forLoyola athletes.Several Wolf Pack programswere ranked in the top 25 of their respective sports thispast year such as the women’s basketball team, whichreached theNAIA Tournament.

“The scholarshippackage will be better,”Loyola women’sbasketball coach Kellie Kennedysaid. “It will give us abetterstandardand abetter level to compete. I’ve seen alot of growth (at Loyola). To be able to bring this program to the next level is so exciting.”

TheGulfSouth will offerstiffer competitionfor Loyola, which becomes the conference’s13thmember

Delta State and Mississippi Christian are schools that present natural rivalry opportunities as well as future Gulf South member Spring Hill College. The GulfSouthConference includes schools from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. West Florida was arecent Gulf Southmemberbut is transitioning to Division I.

“I think the (Gulf South) sent ﬁveteamstothe (Division II) men’sbasketball tournament last year so the level just goes up,” Lindsey said.

“The difference between high-level Division II sports andlow-level Division Isports is really minimal. That means we have to be ready.” To help get ready for the Division II transition, Loyola launched a$4 million campaign forimprovementstoits athletic facilities afterreceiving an initial $1 million donation in 2025.

West Floridaisamong the schools that’smade the jump fromthe NAIA to the NCAA in recent years and is now set to compete at the Division Ilevel after asuccessful stint in Division II.

Lauren Cheramie BONVIVANT

RedStick Farmers Market to host FreshFest

Bon vi·vant /noun/ asociable personwho has cultivatedand reﬁned tastes, especially with respect to food and drink

Newfood on theblock

The June po-boy of the month at Jed’sLocal,672 Jefferson Highway, Baton Rouge, is the BBQ Pulled Pork Po-boy,made with Abita Amber-braised pulled pork, housemade coleslaw,barbecue sauce and crispy fried onion rings and served with agreen salad. For every order of the po-boy, Jed’s will donate money to the Red Stick Farmers Market.

PROVIDED PHOTO

The BBQ Pulled Pork Po-boyis the June po-boyofthe month at Jed’sLocal.

Jinya,10000 Perkins Rowe, Baton Rouge, has rolled out summer specials through Aug. 31 like thecreamy tonkotsu ramen, Hokkaido mille crepe dessert and more. Guests who order the tonkotsu ramen instore will receive one of three exclusive collectible pinsfeaturing “Dragon Ball Z” characters, while supplies last. Rock-n-Sake,3043 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, released its June roll of the month for Tuesdays: The “One Hot Summer Roll” is made with torched salmon, jalapeño,snowkrab, cucumbers and spring mix, ﬁnished with kimchi sauce, eel sauce, chili-garlic ponzu, green onions and black sesame seeds. Dine in to get the special for $6 when you purchaseany regular-priced roll.

Wine andspirits

JukeJoints, Jazz Clubs and Juice:

6p.m. to 8:30 p.m. June 19, at The Tipsy Librarian, 7450 Jefferson Highway,Baton Rouge Explore cocktails from Toni Tipton-Martin’s“Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs &Juice: Cocktails from TwoCenturies of African American Cookbooks.” Participants will make three cocktails while learning the cultural history and storied past associated with the drinks. Tickets are $115 per person, available for purchase at www.thetipsylibrarian.com. Must be 21 years or older

In theknow

The Louisiana Seafood CookOff has announcedits 2026 competing chefs, including one from Baton Rouge. Chef Hayden Guidry at Eliza Restaurant and Bar will be competing in the event, which includes alive, fast-paced, culinary showoff. Guidry is from Lafayette and attended the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge. He startedat Eliza as aline cook and is now the executive chef.

The Cook-Off is scheduled for June 26 in Kenner At thefarmers market

The Red Stick Farmers Market has kicked off summer with Fresh Fest, which runs through July 18, in celebration of the height of Louisiana’sagriculture season.

“I grew up in this restaurant, so it justmeans alot more to me.”

KEVIN McDONALD, sonofco-owner Justin McDonald, whoalsoworks as a front-of-housemanager

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

was 30 years ago when French Market Bistro in BatonRouge first opened its doors.

Though co-ownersJustin McDonaldand TimKringlie handle different parts of the business (front of house and back of house), they’ve struck arhythm that haskeptthe restaurant thriving for decades.

Most of Kringlie’sdaysstart at 2a.m., when he enters thekitchen to begin preparing for the day When he was25, hisfascination for Southern cuisine andPaul Prudhomme pulled him all the way from hishome state of North Dakota to BatonRouge. Aculinary legend, Kringlie hascooked in kitchens across theglobe,sometimes for historical figures, including Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988 alongside the famed chef John Folse.

At Mansur’sonthe Boulevard in theearly 1990s,Kringlie met ayoung Justin McDonald, who ﬁrst enteredthe food industryat 9years old, whipping up sno-balls and popcornatabaseball concession stand. At 14, McDonald began making his own wine after letting

grapejuice, sugar andbaker’s juice(yeast) sit on topofthe family fridge for 21 days.

The twoopened adeli in 1996. Over three decades, thespace doubledinsize,expandedits offerings and became awhite tablecloth restaurantwitha nationally recognized wine list. They named it French Market Bistro.

Meet theteam

Inside is ateam of longtime staff. There’ssous chef and back of the ASoviet-erachef, 250+ winesand mornings that startat2 a.m. WelcometoFrenchMarketBistro

“Consistency is our No. 1trait,”

McDonald said. “Back of the house, they’re long-term. The same person who cooked your ﬁsh today is thesame person who cooked your dish several years ago.”

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Staff and co-owners of French Market Bistro takeagroup photo in the entrywayonMay 14. Toprow,from left, are Kevin McDonald, Ollie Tryshyna andAlex Parker.Bottom row, from left,are Ryan Payne, Justin McDonald, Tim Kringlie, Trey Guey and Borivane Khemmanyvong

Julewith salmon

the menu at French Market Bistro in Baton Rouge.

for ﬁveand ahalf years, and he curates therestaurant’s list of over 250 wines, meets with distributors and plays amajor role in therestaurant’swine dinners.

house manager Borivane Khemmanyvong,who has workedthere since1997. He gets to the kitchen at 9a.m.nearly every day.The ﬁrst task on his agenda each morning is organizing the kitchen, which looks like receiving the daily deliveries, cleaning ﬁsh, cutting meat and getting the line cooks ready to go.

Barmanager Ollie Tryshyna has been there for 12 years and operates thesocialmedia accounts, bartends and creates specialty cocktails. She likes puns, and this is evident in the drink titles. There’sthe

“This Little Piggy Went to French Market,” whichis their spin-off of aclassicpaper plane, with WhistlePig PiggyBack whiskey

One of the most popular drinks is the “You Gotta ‘FMB’ Kidding Me.”

“That’slike aspicy margaritawithfresh cilantro, jalapeño, cucumber —and it comes in amartini glass with acelerysaltrim,”

Tryshyna said.

One of herfavorite elements of the job is the autonomy to exercise creativity She just came back from a bourbon trail trip where she drove 11 hours to Kentucky with acouple of other staff members, hitting distilleries and meeting with brandrepresentatives alongthe way. She sealed the trip by getting atattoo of abourbon barrel.

“My employees are dedicated,” McDonald joked

Wine director Alex Parker has worked at the restaurant

BONVIVANT

Continued from page1D

Theannual event highlights adifferent local agricultural product each week with cooking demonstrations from local chefs,food tastings, kids’ activities, live music and more. This Saturday’stheme is Dairy Day, 8a.m. to noon at Fifth and Main Streets in Baton Rouge. Shoppers can also expect to ﬁnd more at the weekly

“I kind of followthe 80/20 rulewhere 80% of what I curateisgoing tobethings that guestscome in for and typicallylove,” Parker said. “California wines, things like that. The other smallbit is ﬁnding fun and interesting wine Ican champion.”

McDonald’s son, Kevin McDonald, grew up venturingtothe restaurant, helping out here and there.

After landing an ofﬁcialjob as ateenager,heworked his wayupto become afrontof-house manager.The staff has seen himgrow up, and as an only child,Kevin McDonald considers them family “It’safamily business, so I’ve always loved that aspect aboutit,” hesaid.“Igrew up in this restaurant, so itjust means alot more to me ” Menu rundown

Themenu has range, and about90% of therecipes are Kringlie’sown.

Customers can ﬁnd angus rib-eye, filet mignon,scallops,charbroiled oysters, redfish,spinach artichoke dip, tuna wasabi,pasta,pizzas andmore on themenu.

Justin McDonald believes French Market Bistrohas some of the best pizza in town,something he hears from customers almost daily.Kringlie agreed, and so didevent coordinator Ryan Payne, whosego-to is the “Around the World Pizza,” a red pie with Italian sausage, pepperoni,groundmeat, mushroom, onion and mozzarella.

markets —mushrooms, honey,cut ﬂowers, seafood, meat, eggs,breadand baked goods, jams,jellies, picklesand more

Cooking demonstrations, which feature local chefs, are now held at 10 a.m. every SaturdayinThe Teaching KitchenatMain Street Market. JP Uzee will be in the kitchen June 20.

Mark your calendar

Bridgethe Bars:3 p.m. to 8p.m.June28, between Brickyard South and

The most popular dish is hardtopin, but acrowd favorite is the “Duck Michael,” Justin McDonald said, named after abeloved French Market Bistro manager who worked there for 20 years. The dish is abonein, half duckthat’sovenroastedand finished with ablackberry honeyglaze, served withgarlic mashed potatoes.

There’s also the lollipop lamb chops, marinatedfor 25 hoursinoliveoil,garlic androsemary.The newest dish is the stuffed grouper, with jumbolump crab,lemon beurre blanc and grits du jour.

Forsomething sweet,the Kahlua chocolate cheesecake is baked withchocolate chips and Kahlua coffee liquor.The dessert menualso haspies, more cheesecake, creme brulee andbread pudding, to nameafew ‘We’re goingstrong’

French Market Bistro’s 5,400-square-foot space features multiple dining rooms equipped with enough space for 180 diners.

The wine cellar,cooled at 58 degrees,can hold up to 3,000 bottles.And every painting in the restaurant is created by alocal female artist, except forone hallway that displays agallery of children’sartwork for Mother’sDay

Pairthe experienceofthe restaurantwith aglass of wine, appetizer and entree crafted by Kringlie’slifetimeofcooking, and you’ve got ameal that’ll linger

“We’re going strong,”Justin McDonald said. “Welook forward to taking care of Baton Rouge.”

George’sPlace in Baton Rouge

Enjoy ablock party and art crawl featuring live music, food, drink specials and vendors. Brickyard Southisnow accepting vendors, including those who makeart,prints, jewelry, baked goods, seasonings and more. Visit tinyurl.com/ mvztk2c8 toapply

If you have an upcoming food event or akitchen question, emaillauren. cheramie@theadvocate. com. Cheers!

Useno. 0000 steelwoolfor glass

Dear Heloise: No. 0000 steel wool won’tscratch glass It’s alsothe best thing for cleaning up chrome thatisrustyand pitted. It can make things look almost like new.(Icollect British sportscars from the ’50s and ’60s.You learnall kinds of tricks.) I’m a70-year-old man who read your mother’s column many decades ago. I’m happy that my local paper recently picked up your column. —Chris T.,via email Chris, for double-paned windows, the stains and spots are possibly on the inside between the sheetsof glass. If this is the case, then you’ll have to replace the sheet of glass or possibly the entire window —Heloise Broken window seal

the spots on her windows that she can’tremove, it’s mostlikely that the seal around the two window panes of glass is broken and letting in air and moisture, which causes the spots. The only remedy is to replace the glass. Look forcompanies that will only replace the glass —not the entire window —Paul, via email

Leavedishessparkling

Dear Heloise: In reference to Jacqueline’sinquiry on

Dear Heloise: Ilike to conserve water when washing dishes, so Ihave many different sized “rubber” scrapers. (My granddaughter started the collection.) After using them,I take already used paper towels and napkins and wipe them off. Ihave aplastic container behind my coffee pot that holds the gently

used paper goods. My scrapers come in handy here to getthe corners of dishes. (I hate to waste food.) My dishwasher gets everything sparkly clean andwould even work on peanut butter —but only after removing whatI could ﬁrst. This only takes seconds —Doris,anotherTucsonan P.S. In the process of clearing out paper “stuff,” I cameacross an old column of your mother’s. Iwish I had saved it, as Ican’teven remember the topic. Doris, thank you forbeing alongtime reader of both my mother’sand my column. Over the years, we’ve received many interesting letters from readers, and we appreciate each and every single person whowrote to us. Heloise

Sendahinttoheloise@ heloise.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Afull spread of chargrilledoysters, entrees, cocktails and dessertisservedupatFrench Market BistroinBaton Rouge.

Countering negativity from mother-in-law

Dear Miss Manners: My daughter married avery nice man 18 months ago. We have had some contact with the in-laws, and are friendly. The mother-in-law tends to be very negative, and is known to say unkind things about whoever isn’t present. Iran into her while shopping, and she went into how she was worried about my daughter:She looks sad, she looks sick, she looks worried Ichanged the subject after saying she was ﬁne.If Ididn’tknow the mother-inlaw’shistory,I’d think that she was just concerned. But Iknow what she is like. How do Itactfully tell this womanthatcommenting about my family to me is

off-limits? Iknow she’llbe insulted anyway,and she is known to hang ontothis sort of thing, but I needher to know. Gentle reader: Why?

Judith

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, June 10, the 161st day of 2026. There are 204 days left in the year

Martin MISS MANNERS

Miss Mannerscould remind youthatitis impolite to criticize another person’s behavior—whichis what you propose. Butasyou’vejust said, it will also make the mother-inlaw angry,causingher to talk more. And it will not changeher behavior.Better to do whatyou did, which is to blithely assert that your daughter is happy and healthy—and then change thesubject.

Dear Miss Manners: Iusually run in the morning through aparticular park andam in the habit of greetingthe

park’sother patrons,who are all much older than me. Inoticed that if Idon’t say hello, they don’tlook up from their walk to greet me. However,ifIdo, they always give me abright smile and ahello. Is it arule that the younger person must greet the older person ﬁrst?

Gentle reader: Greeting each other is acustom among hikers, but no actual rule requiring runners to offer greetings —though it is gracious. Others maysimply have had moreontheir minds or been less aware of their surroundings, whichever way you prefer to think of it.But you know thatthey appreciate your greetings.

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com.

Continued from page1D

with harissa and chorizo oil. The dates weresalty, sweet and alittle smoky aperfect small bite. The honey-glazed porkbelly was the star of the lunch The pork belly came with a carrot, scallion and cucumber salad, asesame puree and cilantro. The dish was fresh, bright and decadent The sesame puree and sauce beneath the pork were good enough to drink on their own.

—Joy Holden, features writer Mixed grill n Al Shami, 13461 Tiger Bend Road, Baton Rouge

This new Middle Eastern food truck just opened last month in the parking lot of AZ International Foods in Baton Rouge. Last time Iwent, they served my beef kabob on a2-foot-long skewer that felt like holding asword of meat. When Iwas craving something hearty on Thursday,Iknew

The beef and chicken were tender and juicy.I enjoyed stufﬁng thebread with bits of meat and tomato likeawrap, alternating between little bites of everything listed above. Isplit theplate with aco-worker, and we were both pretty full after I’ll deﬁnitely be back. My eyes are on that chicken shawarmasandwich.

—Maddie Scott, features reporter

Beef Patacon

n Patacon Latin Cuisine,308 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette

just the place. Iordered the mixed grill meal,awhopping plate that came with beef tikka(the same meat as on last visit’s sword) andchickentawook. Thebest part aboutthis plate is thevariety of accoutrements. Fries, mixed pickles, agrilled tomato grilled onions, coleslaw, lemon slices, garlic sauce, Shami sauceand my favorite lagniappe, the“special bread,” wereincluded.The breadwas like awarm, ﬂuffy tortilla with ared paste inside.

The beef patacon is one of thetreatsImiss mostsince moving from Lafayette. It’ssuch agreat blend of ﬂavors and textures —soft, crunchy,sweet and savory Just delicious!

Iwas sad to seethat they no longer have thedelicious green sauce in bottles,and you have to buy ateenytinycup of it for 80 cents, but Iunderstand that a business has to do business. AndIamwilling to pay for such adelicacy

—Jan Risher, LouisianaCulture Editor

Todayinhistory: On June 10, 2018, NASA’s rover Opportunitysent its last message from thesurface of Mars. Originally expected to serve athree-monthmission, Opportunityfunctioned for over 14 years, traveling over 28 miles across Mars and providing critical discoveries about the planet’sgeology

Also on this date:

In 1692, theﬁrst execution resulting from the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts took place as Bridget Bishop was hanged.

In 1854, theU.S. Naval Academy held its ﬁrst graduation ceremony

In 1940, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared war on France and Great Britain,formally entering Italy into World WarII.

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Equal Pay Act of 1963, aimed at eliminating wage disparities based on gender

In 1967, six days of war in the Mideast involving Israel, Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq ended as Israel and Syria accepted a United Nations-mediated ceaseﬁre.

In 1977, James Earl Ray,the convicted assassin of civil rightsleader Martin Luther KingJr., escaped from Brushy Mountain StatePenitentiaryinTennessee with six others. He was recaptured three days later

In 1978, racehorse Afﬁrmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, won the110th BelmontStakes to claim the11th Triple Crown. Alydar,ridden by Jorge Velasquez, ﬁnished a close second in each of theTriple Crown races.

In 1991, 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard of Meyers, California, wasabducted by Phillip and Nancy Garrido; Dugard washeld by the couple for18years before she wasfound by authorities.

In 2009, White supremacist James von Brunn, 88, opened ﬁre in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., killing security guard Stephen T. Johns. (Von Brunn died in 2010 while awaiting trial.)

In 2020, protesters pulled downacentury-old statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Virginia, the former capital of the Confederacy In 2023, Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvardeducated mathematician dubbed the “Unabomber” by the FBI,died in afederal prison in North Carolina at age 81. Before his capture, Kaczynski conducted a17year bombing campaign

that killed three people and injured 23 others. Today’sbirthdays: Political commentator Jeff

ﬁeld is 83. Actor

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER Beef patacon from Patacon Latin Cuisine

STAFF PHOTO By MADDIESCOTT

Mixed grill platefrom Al Shami

Green-

Frankie Faison is 77. Football Hall of Famer DanFouts is 75. Actor Gina Gershon is 64. Actor-model Elizabeth Hurley is 61. Comedian Bill Burr is 58. Alphabet and Goggle CEO Sundar Pichai is 54. R&B singer Faith Evans is 53. Actor Hugh Dancy is 51. Country musician Lee Brice is 47. Actor Leelee Sobieski is 43. Olympic ﬁgure skating gold medalist Tara Lipinski is 44. Model Kate Upton is 34. Former ﬁrst daughter Sasha Obamais25. Actor Eden McCoy is 23.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Success comes when joint effort and great minds work in conjunction to get the best outcome. The information you gather will change how you feel about some of the people and pastimes you engage in.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Work behind the scenes. If you make yourself too readily available, others will take advantage of your skills, eating up your time and ability to do the best job possible.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Plant your feet firmly on the ground and think twice before you jump into anything you know little about. Research is your ticket forward, so don't scrimp when it comes to positioning yourself for victory.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Reach out, ask questions and offer solutions. Your input will help you win favors and encourage others to be a help, not a hindrance Don't buy into what others do.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Distance yourself from trouble and those who are eager to pick a fight or alter your plans. Pay attention to the changes happening around you and take advantage of the information you gather from reliable sources.

ScoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Push forward with enthusiasm. Do your own thing and gain experience in areas that help you add to your qualifications and skills. An encounter with someone special will change your perspective.

SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Consider the changes you want to make at home or to yourself, and set a strict budget.

Refuse to buy into someone else's vision or lavish attitude. Use your imagination to devise a plan that's within your means.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Opportunities are apparent, but if you let outsiders interfere with your plans you'll end up redoing what you don't like at a high cost. Put your time and energy into hands-on projects.

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Tidy up loose ends and give yourself a pat on the back. Refuse to let what others do anger you when your energy is best used to satisfy your needs and add to your comfort and convenience.

PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Someone you encounter will grab your attention, but before you engage in talks that lead to joint ventures listen, ask questions and consider if you can do better moving forward alone.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Verify information before passing it along. Someone will give you an overrated opinion that can cost you if you don't do your homework. Lead the way; when you follow, it always ends in disappointment.

tAuRuS (April 20-May 20) You can hide, but you can't ignore responsibilities. The longer you leave matters unfinished, the more difficult it will be to turn things around. Size up and act accordingly.

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

toDAy'S cLuE: J EQuALS R

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

And erneSt SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

bIG

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

John Tyndall, an English physicist who died in 1893, said, “Life is awave that in notwoconsecutivemomentsofexistence is composed of the same particles.”

At thebridge table, usually when the right choice of bidorplayisnot clear, you have two possibilities. Consider both of them, and with luck it will become apparent,which is preferable In this deal, Southisinfivediamonds. West leads the spadefour.How should declarer plan the play?

South mighthave opened five diamonds, but thatwould have risked missing aslam. East’sdouble of oneno-trump was for takeout of diamonds, the opener’s suit. Yes, East might have bidtwo heartstoget hisfive-card major into the game, but the double wasmore flexible. Then Southbid what he hopedhecould make. Note that if he had gambled on the majorsbyrebiddingthreeno-trump,that contract would have made easily

Declarer has three possible losers: one in each side-suit. He also has only10 winners: one spade, eight diamonds and one club. He needs asecond spade trick. And if West has led away from the king, that trick will materialize immediately. Butwhat happens if East produces the spade king?

Yes,South’s queen is now established, but how can he get to dummy’sspade ace? The answer is to hope that West has the spade jack and to drop the queen under East’s king. Suppose East shifts to theclubking. Declarer wins, drawstrumps, and plays his spade threetodummy’s 10. If that finesse loses, the contract was unmakable.

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 LIBAtIon: ly-BAY-shun: Abeverage, especially one containing alcohol.

Average mark23words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 36 or morewords in LIBATION?

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

clickon board meetings,and board application. Once completed,the form shouldbesentvia email toBradBarth,P.E Secre‐taryofthe SLFPA-ENomi‐natingCommittee at bradley.barth@la.gov. 190055-jun10-1t $71.07

PUBLIC NOTICE REQUESTFOR PROPOS‐ALS“AS NEEDED/ON CALL”FEMAGRANT MAN‐AGEMENTAND ADMINIS‐TRATIONSERVICES Port of SouthLouisiana invites interested parties tosubmitproposals to provide "AsNeeded/On Call" FEMA GrantMan‐agement andAdministra‐tionServices; theseser‐vices will be on an "as needed/oncall" basis. In order to effectivelyad‐ministerand manage various FEMA recovery programsand grant awardsthatmay be forthcoming as aresult f f di g of future disaster events hurricanes, stormor flooding, as well as other possiblefuturedeclared disasters,the Port is so‐licitingproposals from qualified andexperi‐enced firmstoprovide FEMAgrant management and administration ser‐vices Theproceduresfor the selection of this firm will beinaccordancewith the procurementrequire‐ments of theFEMAand the Governor's Office of HomelandSecurityand Emergency Preparedness Programs, andthe proce‐dures setforth in theRe‐quest forProposals packet. Allresponsesre‐i d ill b l d p p ceived will beevaluated inaccordancewiththe selection criteria identi‐fied in theRequest for Proposals packet.That packetalsoidentifies the anticipated scopeofser‐vicetobeperformed by the selected firm Proposal packages may beobtained from Port of South Louisiana1720 Highway 44, Reserve, Louisiana 70084, www portsl.com or www.cen tralbidding.com. Sealed Proposalsmay be hand-deliveredormailed tothe Port of South Louisiana at theabovenamed addressmarked: Attention: JuliaFisher Cormier, ExecutiveDirec‐tor,“As Needed/OnCall” FEMAGrant Management and Administration Ser‐vices or submittedelec‐tronicallyat www.central bidding.combynolater thanTuesday,July7,2026 at1:00p.m.Central Time ThePortofSouth Louisiana reserves the right to cancel thesolici‐tationorrejectany and all proposals. Port of SouthLouisiana JuliaFisher- Cormier ExecutiveDirector 189310-jun3-10-17-3t $104.89

PUBLIC NOTICE

TheLouisiana Ofﬁce of the StateMuseumisre‐questingproposals for a Public-PrivatePartner‐shipproject to design build,furnish,operate and maintain an in‐door/outdoor café at the New OrleansJazzMu‐seum. Formoreinforma‐tiongotoopportuni‐tiesinlouisiana.com 188286-MAY21-JUN16 $139 NEWS 24/7 ON

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