The Acadiana Advocate 09-04-2025

ICE detention center planned at Angola

Landry, Trump officials unveil ‘Louisiana Lockup’

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Flanked by several top leaders of

President Donald Trump’s administration, Gov Jeff Landry on Wednesday unveiled plans to open a new ICE detention center on the grounds of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola Officials said the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility would in the next few months have the capacity to hold over 400 people as state leaders seek to assist in Trump’s nationwide campaign to ramp up immigration ar-

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR

rests and deportations. There were already 51 there as of Wednesday and 208 would be held there by the middle of the month, they said.

“This facility is fulfilling the president’s promise to make America safe again,” Landry said.

Department of Homeland Security

Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Attorney

General Pam Bondi and ICE Deputy

Director Madison Sheahan, who previously served as Louisiana’s Wildlife and Fisheries secretary, joined Landry at Angola on Wednesday to announce the opening of what they called the

“Louisiana Lockup.” The center’s official name is Camp 57 because Landry is the 57th governor, a Landry spokesperson said.

Landry said the prison would house “the worst of the worst” ICE detainees, listing a litany of violent crimes he said were committed by “illegal criminal aliens.”

The detainees will be held in a building once known as Camp J, where inmates who broke the rules were kept in solitary confinement.

ä See ANGOLA, page 5A

Trump proposes sending Guard to patrol N.O.

President’s remarks latest in power struggle with majority-Democratic cities

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Sparking strong local and state reactions, President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that he could send federal agents and National Guard troops to patrol New Orleans, part of a series of intervention threats the president has levied against Democratic-led cities.

If the Republican president follows through, it would make New Orleans the first Democratic city in a Republican-led state to become a target of Trump’s widening bid to flex federal power in Democratic enclaves. Crime is on a decline in the city, data shows.

“We’re making a determination now: Do we go to Chicago, or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to come in and straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite tough, quite bad,” Trump told reporters while meeting in the Oval Office with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

Trump’s remarks were welcomed Wednesday by Landry, a Republican who has intervened in the city’s affairs in varied ways since his 2024 inauguration, including by sending State Police troopers to patrol the city’s streets.

“We will take President Trump’s help from New Orleans to Shreveport,” Landry a conservative Trump ally, responded in a post on X.

Trump has sent troops to two other majority-Democratic cities — Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. And he has threatened to send them to Baltimore and Chicago.

Letlow rules out bid to be next LSU president

House member cites focus on congressional district

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Letlow

In her statement, Letlow answered one question about her future but left another unanswered: Will she join the three other Republicans challenging U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, in his campaign for reelection?

Cypress and Jefferson streets where

The city of Lafayette’s fiber operations, LFT Fiber, have moved into a building on Jefferson Street in downtown Lafayette. ä See FIBER, page 5A

customers visiting the center may park free of charge and a parking lot at Jefferson and West Grant streets. A ribbon-cutting celebration is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sept. 12.

U.S Rep Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, on Wednesday ruled out applying to be the next president of LSU, ending widespread speculation just as the search to replace former President William Tate is gearing up. Scott Ballard, who is chairing the search, said he hopes the university will announce Tate’s replacement before Thanksgiving and, addressing a matter of much speculation, said Gov Jeff Landry hasn’t expressed to him a preference for who that person should be.

“For now, I need to stay focused on the 5th” Congressional District, which includes LSU, Letlow told host Brian Haldane on Baton Rouge radio station 107.3. “There’s so much more good work that can be accomplished for the university right here in D.C.”

Letlow said, “It has been humbling, to say the least, to be considered,” but that “now is not the right time to pursue the presidency of LSU.” Haldane did not ask Letlow about her intentions for the Senate, and Letlow declined an interview request from The Times-Picayune | The Advocate after being told she would be asked that and other questions about her political future.

ä See LETLOW, page 5A

U.S. government sued over Maine shooting

LEWISTON, Maine Survivors of Maine’s deadliest mass shooting and relatives of victims sued the federal government Wednesday, alleging that the U.S Army could and should have stopped one of its reservists from carrying out what they call “one of the most preventable mass tragedies in American history.

Eighteen people were killed Oct. 25, 2023, when Robert Card opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar and grill. An independent commission appointed by Maine’s governor later concluded that there were numerous opportunities for intervention by both Army officials and civilian law enforcement as Card’s mental health deteriorated. He was found dead by suicide two days after the shootings.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court on behalf of more than 100 survivors and victims’ family members, accuses the U.S. government of negligence, saying its conduct “directly and proximately caused the mass shooting.” It alleges that Army officials and others “failed to act reasonably, broke the promises they made to Card’s family and their community violated mandatory polices, procedures and disregarded directives and orders.”

“By March 2023, the United States and its personnel knew Card was paranoid, delusional, violent, and lacked impulse control. The Army knew he had access to firearms. The Army promised to remove his guns but did not fulfill that promise,” the lawsuit states. “Worse, through its acts and omissions, the Army withheld information and actively misled local law enforcement, thereby preventing others from intervening and separating Card from his weapons.”

Judge orders immediate redraw of Utah map

A judge has ruled that Utah lawmakers must proceed with redrawing the state’s congressional district map right away pointing to Texas and California in rejecting their argument that the job can’t be done in time for the 2026 midterm elections. Utah lawmakers were wrong to disregard an independent commission’s map in drawing one that has been used for the 2022 and 2024 elections, Salt Lake County District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled Aug. 25. The map did away with a district in the Salt Lake City area that has swung between Republicans and Democrats in favor of a map where four districts, each with a piece of the urban corridor have been won by Republicans with wide margins.

On Tuesday, Gibson denied state lawmakers’ request to keep her ruling from taking effect, rejecting their argument that her one-month deadline to adopt a map that complies with voterapproved standards is too short. In 2018, Utah voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative that created a commission to draw boundaries for Utah’s legislative and congressional districts.

Two years later, the state Legislature repealed the initiative and turned the commission into an advisory board they proceeded to ignore. The state Supreme Court rejected the law, ruling lawmakers have limited power to change laws passed by voters

Judge reverses Harvard cuts

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON A federal judge in Bos-

ton on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to reverse its cuts of more than $2.6 billion in research funding for Harvard University delivering a significant victory to the Ivy League school in its battle with the White House.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of the Trump administration’s demands for changes to Harvard’s governance and policies.

The government had tied the funding freezes to Harvard’s delays in dealing with antisemitism, but the judge said the university’s federally backed research had little connection to antisemitism.

“A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that (the government) used antisemitism

as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs wrote.

The ruling reverses a series of funding freezes that later became outright cuts as the Trump administration escalated its fight with the nation’s wealthiest university

The administration also has sought to prevent the school from hosting foreign students and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status in a clash watched widely across higher education.

The restoration of federal money would revive Harvard’s sprawling research operation and hundreds of projects that sustained cuts. But whether Harvard actually receives the federal money remains to be seen. The government plans an immediate appeal, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said in a statement, calling Burroughs an “activist Obama-appointed judge.”

“To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University

failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years,” Huston said. “Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars.”

Harvard’s research scientists said they had been watching the case closely, but feared their funding would not be restored any time soon.

“Many of us are worried that the federal government is going to appeal this decision or find other ways to obstruct the delivery of research dollars, despite the judge’s clear statement that the funding terminations were illegal,” said Rita Hamad, director of a center that researches the impact of social policies on health.

Beyond the courthouse, the Trump administration and Harvard officials have been discussing a potential agreement that would end investigations and allow the university to regain access to federal funding. President Donald

Famed streetcar in Lisbon derails, killing 15 people

BY BARRY HATTON Associated Press

LISBON, Portugal A picturesque elec-

tric streetcar that is one of Lisbon’s big tourist attractions derailed Wednesday, killing 15 people and injuring 18 others, emergency services said.

Five of the injured were in serious condition and a child was among the injured, the National Institute for Medical Emergencies said in a statement. An unknown number of foreigners were among the injured, it said.

Authorities called it an accident, the worst in the city’s recent history and it cast a pall over Lisbon’s charm for the millions of foreign tourists who arrive every year

The yellow-and-white streetcar, which is known as Elevador da Gloria and goes up and down a steep downtown hill in tandem with one going the opposite way, was lying on its side on the narrow road that it travels along.

Its sides and top were partially crumpled, and it appeared to have crashed into a building where the road bends. Parts of the vehicle, made mostly of metal, were crushed.

Eyewitnesses told local media that the streetcar careened down the hill, apparently out of control. One witness said the streetcar toppled onto a man on a sidewalk Carris, the company that operates the streetcar, said scheduled maintenance

had been carried out.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa offered his condolences to affected families, and Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said the city was in mourning. “It’s a tragedy of the like we’ve never seen,” Moedas said.

Portugal’s government announced that a day of national mourning would be observed on Thursday “A tragic accident caused the irreparable loss of human life, which left in mourning their families and dismayed the whole country,” it said in a statement.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also sent her condolences. “It is with sadness that I learned of the derailment of the famous Elevador da Gloria,” she wrote in Portuguese on X

The cause of the accident was not immediately known. It reportedly occurred at the start of the evening rush hour, around 6 p.m. Emergency officials said all victims were pulled out of the wreckage in just over two hours.

An investigation into the causes will begin once the rescue operation is over, the government said.

The streetcar technically called a funicular, is harnessed by steel cables and can carry more than 40 people, seated and standing. It is also commonly used by Lisbon residents. The service up and down a few hundred yards of a hill on a curved, traffic-free road was inaugurated in 1885.

It is classified as a national monument.

4 sentenced in Milwaukee hotel dogpile death

BY TODD RICHMOND Associated Press

MADISON,Wis. A judge sentenced four

former Milwaukee hotel workers accused of killing a man in a suffocating dogpile to a mix of probation and time served Wednesday, sparing them any more time behind bars

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge David Swanson handed down the sentences in D’Vontaye Mitchell’s June 2024 death during a series of hearings that lasted all day

The judge ordered former Hyatt security guard Todd Erickson to serve two years in prison but stayed the sentence and placed him probation for two years. Another former security guard, Brandon Turner, got a year in prison but Swanson stayed that sentence, too, and placed him on probation for a year. Former bellhop Herbert Williamson

was sentenced to 10 days in jail with credit for 10 days already served. Former front desk worker Devin JohnsonCarson was ordered to serve four days in jail with credit for four days already served.

Attorneys for Erickson, Turner and Williamson didn’t immediately return messages. Johnson-Carson’s attorney Craig Robert Johnson, said in an email to The Associated Press that the sentence was appropriate given that Johnson-Carson was trying to protect hotel guests and staff and never intended to seriously injure Mitchell.

According to investigators, Mitchell ran into the Hyatt’s lobby and went into the women’s bathroom Two women later told detectives that Mitchell tried to lock them in the bathroom. Turner pulled Mitchell out of the bathroom and together with a guest dragged him out of the lobby onto a

hotel driveway Turner, Erickson, Williamson and Johnson-Carson struggled with Mitchell before taking him to the ground and piling on top of him.

Hotel surveillance video shows Johnson-Carson holding Mitchell’s legs while Erickson, Turner and Williamson held down his upper body They kept him pinned for eight to nine minutes. By the time emergency responders arrived, Mitchell had stopped breathing.

A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, finding that Mitchell’s immediate cause of death was suffocation and toxic effects of cocaine and methamphetamine.

Prosecutors initially charged all four employees with being a party to felony murder Turner and Erickson both pleaded guilty to that count. Williamson and Johnson-Carson pleaded guilty to a reduced count of misdemeanor battery

Trump has said he wants Harvard to pay no less than $500 million, but no deal has materialized.

Harvard’s lawsuit accused the Trump administration of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a series of demands in an April 11 letter from a federal antisemitism task force.

The letter demanded sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions. It was meant to address government accusations that the university had become a hotbed of liberalism and tolerated anti-Jewish harassment on campus.

Trump officials moved to freeze $2.2 billion in research grants the same day Harvard rejected the administration’s demands. Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared in May that Harvard would no longer be eligible for new grants, and weeks later, the administration began canceling contracts with Harvard.

‘Ketamine Queen’ pleads to selling Perry fatal dose

BY ANDREW DALTON and ITZEL LUNA Associated Press

LOS ANGELES A woman branded as the “Ketamine Queen” pleaded guilty Wednesday to selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him, becoming the fifth and final defendant charged in Perry’s overdose death to admit guilt.

Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty to five federal charges, including providing the ketamine that led to Perry’s death. Sangha stood in court Wednesday next to her attorney, Mark Geragos, as she repeated “guilty” five times when U.S. District Court Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett asked for her pleas. Before that, she answered “yes, your honor” to dozens of procedural questions, hedging slightly when the judge asked if she knew the drugs she was giving to co-defendant and middleman Erik Fleming were going to Perry Making good on a deal she signed on Aug. 18, Sangha pleaded guilty to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises,

three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. Sangha, a 42-year-old citizen of the U.S. and the U.K., admitted to selling drugs directly to 33-yearold Cody McLaury, who died from an overdose in 2019. McLaury had no connection to Perry Prosecutors agreed to drop three other counts. The final plea deal came a year after federal prosecutors announced the indictments in Perry’s Oct. 28, 2023, death after a sweeping investigation. Sangha is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 10. She could get up to 65 years in prison.

Sangha and Dr Salvador Plasencia, who pleaded guilty in July, had been the primary targets of the investigation. Three others — Dr Mark Chavez, Kenneth Iwamasa and Fleming pleaded guilty in exchange for their cooperation. Perry was found dead in his Los Angeles home by Iwamasa, his assistant. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine was the primary cause of death.

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Fla. plans to end childhood vaccine mandates

BY CURT ANDERSON Associated Press

ST PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates, a longtime cornerstone of public health policy for keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases.

ment, said at a news conference in Valrico. “They don’t have the right to tell you what to put in your body Take it away from them.”

which not only impacts those families but also the local economy.”

Vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives globally over the past 50 years, the World Health Organization reported in 2024. The majority of those were infants and children.

Florida’s plan to end vaccine mandates “would undermine decades of public health progress.”

state that’s done as much as Florida. We want to stay ahead of the curve,” the governor said.

State Surgeon General Dr Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision Wednesday, cast current requirements in schools and elsewhere as “immoral” intrusions on people’s rights that hamper parents’ ability to make health decisions for their children.

“People have a right to make their own decisions, informed decisions,” Ladapo, who has frequently clashed with the medical establish-

Florida’s move, a significant departure from decades of public policy and research that has shown vaccines to be safe and the most effective way to stop the spread of communicable diseases, especially among schoolchildren, is a notable embrace of the Trump administration’s public health agenda led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a longtime anti-vaccine activist.

Dr Rana Alissa, chair of the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said removing vaccines puts students and school staff at greater risk.

“When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it is harder for diseases to spread and easier for everyone to continue learning and hav-

ing fun,” Alissa said in an email.

“When children are sick and miss school, caregivers also miss work,

In Florida, vaccine mandates for child day care facilities and public schools include shots for measles, chickenpox, hepatitis B, diphtheriatetanus-acellular pertussis, polio and other diseases according to the state Health Department’s website Ladapo didn’t give a timeline for the changes but said the department can scrap its own rules for some vaccine mandates, though others would require action by the Florida Legislature. He did not specify any particular vaccines but repeated several times that the effort would end “all of them. Every last one of them.”

The American Medical Association issued a statement saying

“While there is still time, we urge Florida to reconsider this change to help prevent a rise of infectious disease outbreaks that put health and lives at risk,” said Dr Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, an AMA trustee.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, a Democrat whose district is in the Tampa Bay area, said in a statement that “immunizations are key to a long, healthy life free from serious illnesses. This misguided announcement likely will raise costs and complicate easy access.”

Under Republican Gov Ron DeSantis, Florida resisted imposing COVID vaccines on schoolchildren during the pandemic, requiring “passports” for places that draw crowds, school closures and mandates that workers get the shots to keep their jobs.

“I don’t think there’s another

DeSantis also announced the creation of a state “Make America Healthy Again” commission Wednesday modeled after similar initiatives that Kennedy established at the federal level.

The commission would look into such things as allowing informed consent in medical matters, promoting safe and nutritious food, boosting parental rights in medical decisions about their children and eliminating “medical orthodoxy that is not supported by the data,” DeSantis said.

The commission’s work will help inform a large “medical freedom package” to be introduced in the Legislature next session, which would address the vaccine mandates required by state law and make permanent the recent state COVID decisions relaxing restrictions, DeSantis said.

3 states form health alliance in rebuke of administration

Governors believe Americans’ health and safety at risk

BY MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press

SEATTLE The Democratic governors of Washington, Oregon and California announced Wednesday that they created an alliance to safeguard health policies, believing the Trump administration is putting Americans’ health and safety at risk by politicizing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The move comes with COVID-19 cases rising and as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has restructured and downsized the CDC and attempted to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research.

prevention — “preventing illness, preventing the spread of disease, and preventing early avoidable deaths.”

“Vaccines are among the most powerful tools in modern medicine; they have indisputably saved millions of lives,” Oregon Health Director Sejal Hathi said. “But when guidance about their use becomes inconsistent or politicized, it undermines public trust at precisely the moment we need it most.”

toddler mask mandates, and draconian vaccine passports during the COVID era completely eroded the American people’s trust in public health agencies.”

from respected national medical organizations. Above, a COVID-19 shot is administered Jan. 21, 2022, in Seattle.

“The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences,” the governors said in a joint statement.

“The dismantling of public health and dismissal of experienced and respected

Concerns about staffing and budget cuts were heightened after the White House sought to oust the agency’s director and some top CDC leaders resigned in protest.

health leaders and advisers, along with the lack of using science, data, and evidence to improve our nation’s health are placing lives at risk,” California State Health Officer Erica Pan said in the news release. Washington state Health Secretary Dennis Worsham said public health is about

House rejects effort to censure N.J. rep over actions at detention center

La.’s Higgins sponsored measure

BY MATT BROWN and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

The partnership plans to coordinate health guidelines by aligning immunization plans based on recommendations from respected national medical organizations, said a joint statement from Gov. Bob Ferguson of Washington, Gov Tina Kotek of Oregon and Gov Gavin Newsom of California.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew G. Nixon shot back in a statement Wednesday that “Democratrun states that pushed unscientific school lockdowns,

He said the administration’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices “remains the scientific body guiding immunization recommendations in this country, and HHS will ensure policy is based on rigorous evidence and Gold Standard Science, not the failed politics of the pandemic.”

Meanwhile, public health agencies across the country have started taking steps to ensure their states have access to vaccines after U.S. regulators came out with new policies that limited access to COVID-19 shots.

Illinois Gov JB Pritzker’s health department said last week it is seeking advice from medical experts and its own Immunization Advisory Committee on COVID-19 vaccines and other immunizations for the fall

respiratory season. The New Mexico Department of Health said it would work with the state’s Board of Pharmacy to remove barriers and allow access to COVID vaccines at pharmacies across the state.

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro said at his request, the State Board of Pharmacy voted to protect access to COVID-19 vaccines for those most in need and make it available at CVS pharmacies across the state. Last month, public officials from eight Northeast states met in Rhode Island to discuss coordinating vaccine recommendations. The group included all the New England states except for New Hampshire, as well as New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Massachusetts Gov Maura Healey, a Democrat who has been critical of federal cuts to public health funding and restrictions on vaccines, said her state was leading the bipartisan coalition.

WASHINGTON The House rejected a resolution to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., and remove her from a committee that oversees immigration and national security as she faces federal charges ste mming from a visit to an immigration detention facility The House voted 215207 to table the measure, a sign that some were uncomfortable moving forward with censure while McIver’s case is still pending in the courts. A trial in her case has been scheduled for November Democratic lawmakers

unanimously voted to table the resolution, which was sponsored by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette. Five Republicans joined them and two others voted present. As the resolution was being read, some Democrats were incensed “Liar,” some shouted; “Shame,” yelled one Democratic lawmaker Many Republicans streamed out of the chamber before the vote concluded. Democrats cheered and hugged at the final tally’s reading “The censure attempt against me has failed. Rightfully so. It was a baseless, partisan effort to shut me up,” McIver wrote on social media after the vote. “I was not elected to play political games — I was elected to serve. I won’t back down. Not now Not ever.”

Republicans sought to punish McIver for a confrontation with federal law enforcement during a congressional visit to a new immigration detention facility in Newark, N.J. McIver has pleaded not guilty to federal charges

accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside the facility

The censure resolution recounted how McIver is alleged to have interfered with Homeland Security Investigations officials’ ability to arrest an unauthorized visitor It said she is alleged to have slammed her forearm into the body and forcibly grabbed an HSI officer The resolution also said body camera and other video evidence supported the allegations made in the federal indictment.

Higgins said he would not have moved forward with the resolution if McIver had withdrawn from the Homeland Security panel pending a resolution of the federal charges against her He said it was a conflict for her to serve on a panel with oversight authority over the agencies at the center of her criminal investigation.

“We didn’t expect it to fail. We knew it would be close, but it’s quite disappointing,” Higgins said.

1,040 HHS workers want RFK Jr. out

BY BRIAN NIEMIETZ

New york Daily News (TNS)

More than 1,000 past and present Health and Human Service workers signed a petition calling for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr

The dissatisfied health care professionals addressed their “Enough is Enough” request to Kennedy and Congress asking the latter to appoint a new HHS leader should the current one choose to remain in his position.

“Our oath requires us to speak out when the Constitution is violated and the American people are put at risk,” the petition published online Wednesday reads. “Thus, we warn the president, Congress, and the public that Secretary Kennedy’s actions are compromising the health of this nation, and we demand Secretary Kennedy’s resignation.”

The 71-year-old Trump administration appointee’s position on medical issues including vaccines alarmed many in the medical

community before the activist was sworn in to lead the HHS in February.

The 1,040 Kennedy critics cite his refusal to be briefed by “well-regarded CDC experts on vaccine-preventable diseases” among their reasons for demanding his dismissal.

He’s also blamed for facilitating the departures of medical experts including Senate-confirmed CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez and “appointing political ideologues who pose as scientific experts.”

Those who signed the petition include workers with ties to the Administration for Children and Families, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency

HHS responded to Wednesday’s petition with a statement claiming the CDC has been “broken for a long time” and vowed to fix it

‘Epstein files’ controversycontinues in Congress

Pressure continues to mountfor release

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON As pressure continued to release the Jeffrey Epstein files, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, got ashow of support Wednesday from Republicans who agreedthat aHouse committee has the issue covered, so avote by the full House is unnecessary

The imbroglio over theaccused sex trafficker of underage girls threatens to stallcongressional efforts to avoid agovernment shutdown at the end of the month.

The largely symbolic measure pushed by Johnson passed as part of arules package on a212-208 party-line vote Wednesday afternoon.

The two Democrats in the Louisiana delegation —Rep. Troy Carter,ofNew Orleans, and Rep. Cleo Fields, of Baton Rouge, voted against the resolution. All fourRepublicans voted for it: Johnson, of Benton; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of Jefferson; Rep. Clay Higgins, of Lafayette;and

Epstein survivors Jess Michaels, at the microphone, WendyAvis, looking at the camera, and Annie Farmer address arally Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. Theydemanded thepublic release of the investigatoryrecords into convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Rep.Julia Letlow,ofBaton Rouge. Theresolution calls on theHouse Oversight &Government Reform

Committee to continue itsinvestigation intothe federal handling of the materialsgathered during investigations intothe late financier, whowas friends with anumber of powerfulmen,including President DonaldTrump andformer President Bill Clinton.

The committee released Tuesday 33,295 pagesofredacted documents —only asmallpercentage —but mostofthat information already had been madepublic.

Oversight Chair James Comer R-Ky., said more information would be released after the panel has theopportunitytovet the documents andensurethatvictims’ identities are protected.

Johnsonand the White House have been maneuvering to smother abipartisan effort led by Reps. Thomas Massie,R-Ky.,and Ro Khanna, D-Calif.,tocircumvent Houseleadership and force the releaseofmaterial relatedtothe Epstein investigation.

Trumpcalled the issue a“Democratic hoax.”

Johnson said he and Trumpwant transparency.But “it has to be done in theright way,” he added.

Johnson said theMassie-Khanna resolution was poorlywritten and

wouldn’t protect theidentities of Epstein’svictims.

“There are hundreds and hundreds of other women, some of them recruited and groomed as minors, as young as 13 yearsold, who do not wanttheir identities to be known,” Johnson said.

Survivorsadd to thepressure

Meanwhile, anumber of Epstein’svictims rallied outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to tell their stories, excoriate Trumpand other political heavyweights, and demand theimmediaterelease of the materials.

“Women’svoices will notbemarginalized,” said Annie Farmer,of Austin, Texas, whosaidshe was enticed by Maxwell and forced to have sexwith Epstein as ateenager Massie criticized Johnson and Trump fortucking the resolution into aprocedural vote and encouraging representativesnot to sign theMassie-Khanna petitionthat would circumvent leadershipand force a floorvote.

“They’re also going to be too clever by ahalf by putting his versionofthe Epsteinresolution insideofthe rule so they canget Democrats to vote against it. The

Republicans now want to use it as a politicalfootballagainst theDemocrats,” Massie said. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring achild forprostitution. He died by suicide in August 2019 before he could be prosecuted on additional accusations that he trafficked dozens of young girls. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, wasfound guilty of sex trafficking minors in December 2021 and imprisoned for 20 years in June 2022. Epstein was rumored to have procured underage girls for celebrities, such as Prince Andrew,who denied he did anything improper but was suspendedfromroyal activities because of the allegations. Before being reelected, Trump and his alliesfueled conspiracy theories that former President Joe Biden’sadministration purposely hid theEpsteindocuments to protect the elite. When Trump became president,his administration,inan unsigned memo, determined that muchofthose accusations were unfoundedand moved nottorelease the documents.

Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com.

Trumpspent congressionalrecessfilling outloadedto-do list

BY JOHN T. BENNETT CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON Donald Trump had the Washington stage to himself while Congress took asummersojourn,but lawmakersreturn to athick playbill —largely written by the president. White House officials said in July,after Trumpsigned Republicans’ massive tax and domestic policy measure on Independence Day, thatthe president had not refilled his to-do listfor Congress. In theweeks after Trump made the“One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” the law of the land, he pivotedto his global trade war,Texas flood relief efforts and alist of thorny foreign conflicts as he seeks the Nobel Peace Prize.

But Trump’scongressional wish list has filled outas lawmakers return this week from their annual summer recess.

“We’re having alot of victories,” Trump said on Aug. 21 while visiting law enforcement officersand National Guard troops carrying out his federal policing takeover in the District of Columbia.

“We’re going to make Washington, D.C., great again. We’re makingour country great again.The country is very close to being great. When they say it’sthe hottest country in the world, they meanit,” he said. “And this capital is at alevel that you haven’t seen in along time.”

One GOP sourcecloseto Trump world said there are anumber of things the president “definitely wants to get done this year because he knows 2026 will be about the state of the economy come that time —and he desperately wants to keep control of the House.”

G. William Hoagland, a

former GOP aide to thenSenateMajority Bill Frist of Tennessee, noted Congress will quicklybecome consumed with trying to craft acompromise spending measure that wouldavoid agovernment shutdown at theend of themonth. From there, “with this POTUS,his agenda is impossible to determine onemonth aheadlet alone three months ahead,” Hoaglandsaid in an email of Trump’sunpredictability.

TrumponMonday,however,signaled that he intends to continue his breakneck pace of taking actions without worrying too much about how the GOP-controlled House and Senate might react when he announced he intends soon to change the name of the Department of Defense back to theDepartment of War.

“We’re justgoing todoit. I’msure Congresswill go alongifweneed that. Idon’t thinkweevenneed that,” he told reportersinthe Oval Office.

The president’send-ofyearto-dolist for lawmakers, sources noted, could still change,depending on the mercurial Trump’spriorities —which typically are tied to his own perceptions abouthis political standing. Shutdown showdown

Trump took the blame in the polls during and following afirst-term shutdown that spanned late 2018 and early 2019. Aides at that time saidhehad learned a tough lesson about voters typically seeing one of the main functions of asitting president as keeping their government running.

Fastforwardsix years and Trumpagainisexpectedto have to negotiate with House and Senate Democratic leaders to secure enoughvotes for some kind of shutdownavertingmeasure.

Trumpplans to askcourt to toss defamation verdict

BYMICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

NEW YORK President Don-

ald Trump will soon ask the Supreme Court to throw out ajury’s finding in acivil lawsuit that he sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll at a Manhattan department store in the mid-1990s and laterdefamed her, his lawyers said in arecent court filing Trump’slawyers previewed the move as they asked the high court to extend its deadline for challenging the $5 million verdict from Sept. 10 to Nov.11. Thepresident“intends to seek review”of“significant issues” arising from the trial and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ subsequent decisions upholding the verdict, his lawyers said. Carroll testified at a2023 trial that Trump turned a friendly encounter in spring 1996 into aviolent attack in

thedressing room at aluxury retailer across the street fromTrump Tower. The jury also found Trump liable for defaming Carroll whenhe made comments in October 2022 denyingher allegation. Athree-judge appellate panel upheld the verdict last December,rejecting Trump’sclaims that trial JudgeLewis A. Kaplan’s decisionsspoiled the trial, includingbyallowing twoother Trump sexual abuse accusers to testify.The women said Trumpcommitted similar acts againstthem. Trump deniedall threewomen’s allegations. In June, 2nd Circuit judges denied Trump’spetition for the full appellate court to take up the case. That left Trumpwith two options: accept theresultand allow Carrolltocollect the judgment,whichhe’d previously paid intoescrow,or fight on to theSupremeCourt.

“He wants to fund the government,” theGOP source said. “Thispresidentfeels like he’sgot the economy humming, and ashutdown could change that —ormake people feel like it has. And because we know it takes seven or eight months for voters to actually feel things that affect theeconomy, a shutdown right now could hurt Republicans in 2026.”

Hoagland said he sees “Congress entangled in a continuing resolution, appropriations, and ashutdown” threat for muchofthe fallwintersession.Thatannual spending drama could have multiple acts, if lawmakers andthe WhiteHouse punt funding afew weeks or a monthata time before passing alonger-term measure

before or after the holidays.

D.C. crimebill

Trump usedlawmakers’ absence to take over policing inside D.C., even though violent crimelevels have returned to pre-spike levels.

“I wonderifthe president will ask for an extension of the30days federal takeover of D.C. police and security,” Hoagland said, noting doing so could take up valuable floor time anddistract lawmakers fromother issues: “That would create alot of attention —and further complications for the legislative calendar.”

Trump said during recess he wantsCongress to send him aD.C. “crimebill” thatrevokes somepolicies, like so-calledcashless bail,

and provides the executive branch $2 billion to fight crime and makethe District “clean.”

“We(will) have no problemgetting that money That money will comeout of Congress.Ithink it’llbe even bipartisan. Iwould imagine Democrats would vote for that one,” Trump said Aug. 22.

Security measures

Expect the White House to push for the annual Pentagon policybill, likely afull-year Defense appropriations measure and possibly more funding for Trump’shardline immigration policies.

“If you look at everything thepresidentran on in 2024 andreally in 2016, theycan be boiled down to two things:

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prosperity and security,” said the GOP source, granted anonymity to be candid.“So that means he’sgoing to be really insistent that Congress doesn’tplaygames andfunds the military,funds more border security and funds immigration enforcement.”

Trump’spicks

“Confirmations,confirmations and confirmations.”

That is howthe GOP source put it when asked about the bulk of the year’s remaining Senate floor time: “Trump is pissed Republicans are not being allowed to do moreconfirmations by voice vote, which has been the custom.” Hoagland said “the Senate will still be tied up with nominations throughout the fall.”

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The building was shuttered in 2018 amid safety concerns, but Landry signed an emergency declaration allowing the state to skip regular bidding processes and swiftly renovate the building.

The cells have been refurbished and have air conditioning, said Kate Kelly, a Landry spokesperson.

The federal government approached Landry about the need for more detention space for ICE, and “he offered us a solution,” Noem said. “Louisiana is one of several states that have been stepping up to help solve these problems,” she said Angola was chosen in part because of its notorious reputation, in an effort to convince people to self-deport, she said.

Immigration crackdown

Trump and Republicans have made halting illegal immigration a top priority, dramatically increasing funding for ICE and tasking it with ramping up arrests and deportations.

Under Landry, a Republican and a vocal supporter of Trump’s immigration agenda, the state has taken a more active role in that crackdown. State Police recently entered into a partnership with the federal government that gives them more power to help carry out immigration laws; Landry has urged local law enforcement agencies to do the same. Home to a cluster of ICE detention facilities, many of which are privately run, Louisiana already plays a key part in immigration enforcement. Now, the governor is taking the state’s involvement further by establishing an ICE detention center on the grounds of Louisiana’s largest prison, which houses

FIBER

Continued from page 1A

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize city leaders to buy the property for $6.17 million from Jefferson Street Development, whose officers are listed with the Louisiana Secretary of State as Leonard Lemoine and Donald Broussard. The city of Lafayette and LFT Fiber are paying for the purchase. In July, the City Council approved a resolution to issue $6.5 million in revenue bonds for LFT Fiber

The ordinance adopted Tuesday authorizes the use of $5.17 million from the bond

LETLOW

Continued from page 1A

Political insiders have been discussing Letlow’s plans for weeks because of her academic background — she was a top official at the University of Louisiana at Monroe before her husband’s death in 2020 prompted her to run for Congress and the positive reviews she’s received during her four years in Washington, D.C.

“I think she is brilliant as it relates to higher ed,” Ballard said, adding that he guessed “family and politics played a role in what was best for her.

I thought it was 50/50 She didn’t consult me.”

Letlow, who is from the Monroe area, recently moved to Baton Rouge with her two small children. She is expected to run for reelection if she doesn’t give up her seat to run against Cassidy. Search ramps up

In the meantime, the outside firm hired by LSU’s Board of Supervisors began accepting “inquiries” last week, said Christel Slaughter, the CEO of SSA Consultants in Baton Rouge, after placing job postings on the websites for the Chronicle of Higher Education and higheredjobs.com.

Slaughter said potential applicants are posing questions and, in some cases, providing cover letters, résumés and references. SSA will forward the top applicants to the search commit-

the state’s highest-security inmates.

Earlier this summer, Florida, led by Republican Gov Ron DeSantis, speedily turned an isolated airfield in the Everglades into a detention center called “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Praised by Republicans as an effective tool in Trump’s immigration crackdown, Alligator Alcatraz was built to hold several thousand people Trump and Florida officials said it would house only detainees accused of serious crimes.

But the Miami Herald reported that hundreds of people held there faced no criminal charges. Detainees also told news outlets they were fed worm-infested food, and that malfunctioning toilets flooded the floors with fecal waste Officials disputed those accounts.

A federal judge recently ordered Florida to shut down Alligator Alcatraz after environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe sued over the facility, arguing it threatened sensitive wetlands.

DeSantis has vowed to open a new detention facility called Deportation Depot.

Critics have argued these facilities are publicity stunts.

In a statement, Bill Quigley the former director of the Law Clinic and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University New Orleans, said he feared Louisiana’s new facility was a “continuation of performative detention like the Alligator Alcatraz” that was “made for TV.”

Over 7,000 migrants are already held in nine ICE detention facilities across Louisiana, Quigley said. He also worried housing migrants at Angola would make it especially difficult for them to visit with their attorneys.

As of June 29, about 70% of detainees had no criminal convictions, The Associated Press reported, citing ICE

sale and $1 million in prior year fund balance to buy the property At the beginning of the year, LFT Fiber planned to lease two floors of the building. LFT Fiber had the first option to buy the building if another party was interested in buying it, said Jamie Boudreaux, chief communications officer with Lafayette Consolidated Government.

“They decided to leverage that option,” she said, “when a buyer approached the seller.”

Lafayette Consolidated Government Chief Financial Officer Karen Fontenot said officials evaluated from a cash flow perspective the benefits of purchasing the building versus leasing It was more beneficial to LFT

tee chaired by Ballard, who owns PJ’s Coffee with two of his brothers. Ballard also chairs the LSU Board of Supervisors.

The presidential search committee has met once and will gather next on Oct. 1, Ballard said.

He said the 19-member search committee which includes seven of the 16 members of the LSU board — will issue a recommendation to the full LSU board.

“By the middle of October, we should have the names and narrow it down to five, four or three,” Ballard said.

After that, Ballard added, the finalists will meet with the university’s 13 Boyd Professors, “who have attained national or international distinction for outstanding teaching, research, or other creative achievement,” according to LSU’s website.

The finalists also will meet separately with senior university staff.

The presidential search members will attend those two meetings and seek the views of Boyd professors and senior staff afterward.

“I’m looking for someone who has previous experience in higher ed,” Ballard said. “It would be awesome if they had previous experience in the real world as well. I’d like someone who can fundraise — raising money is a big part of being president today and understands (Washington) D.C. I’d like someone who has experience working with endowed professors. I hope that person understands our culture not only in Loui-

statistics. Roughly half of all detainees also had no criminal charges, according to the report.

Where the building was

The new detention center will be established in a oncenotorious section of Angola known as Camp J, formerly used to punish state prisoners who broke the rules by putting them in solitary confinement. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections closed Camp J in 2018, citing safety concerns and a push to reduce the use of solitary confinement.

State officials said dozens of weapons were found there during the first seven months of 2017; 85 corrections officers assigned there left within a year; and Camp J’s locks malfunctioned, allowing inmates to jam cell doors and circumvent security checks.

Criminal justice advocates also condemned the conditions at Camp J as being overly harsh.

Officials say they have overhauled the facility Sheahan, ICE’s deputy director and the former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said it would have a law library and places for detainees to meet with their attorneys.

The detainees would be isolated from Angola’s general population, Landry said. He did not answer a question about whether the facility was still set up for prisoners to be in solitary confinement.

In July Landry signed an executive order meant to speed renovations at Camp J, a hint the prison wing would reopen. The order, which suspended procurement and public bidding rules for the repairs, said the state needed to ready the unit because Angola lacked the bed space to house violent offenders who would be transferred there.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Fiber, she said, to buy the building.

The annual debt service to cover the annual bond payment, Fontenot said, is less than renting the space for a year In 2023, city officials considered renovating part of the building to house the City Marshal’s Office and City Court.

When Mayor-President Monique Boulet took office in January 2024 she killed those plans. Her predecessor, Josh Guillory, had proposed a public-private partnership to use the land on which the City Court building stands at the corner of Lee Avenue and Convent Street for private apartments and a parking garage.

siana but across the SEC and our flagship-type schools.”

Political insiders have been saying in recent weeks that Wade Rousse, who has been president of McNeese State University since April 2024, has the inside track. The insiders believe he’s the favorite of Landry and Lee Mallett, the vice chair of both the LSU board and the search committee, who is close with the governor

“Wade is a smart person,”

Ballard said “I know him from higher ed. If he chooses to apply, he should be looked at closely He’s had a phenomenal career I would not say he has an inside track. He’ll be given a fair shake like any else.”

Ballard added that he has not discussed any candidates with Landry Mallett, who was originally appointed to the board by then-Gov Bobby Jindal and was reappointed by then-Gov John Bel Edwards and then Landry said news accounts that he is supporting Rousse are incorrect.

“He’s done a fabulous job at McNeese State, but it’ll be up to him to prove himself among all the candidates,” Mallett said. “My main objective is I want to get someone from Louisiana I don’t understand why we have to think we have to bring someone from out of state. Then we have to teach them the culture and teach them the politics.”

Ballard said he would leave questions about changing the responsibilities of LSU’s president to Tate’s succes-

GUARD

Continued from page 1A

Local and state Democratic leaders there have fought the dispatches and have argued that federal resources would be better spent elsewhere. California, meanwhile, has sued, challenging the president’s right to intervene at all.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who is under federal criminal indictment brought by Trump’s Justice Department, in a statement did not critique the proposal. Instead, the mayor’s administration and the New Orleans Police Department praised past partnerships between the state and the federal government, including after the New Year’s Day vehicle-ramming attack on Bourbon Street earlier this year

“We have consistently worked with our federal partners, including collaborations with the Louisiana State Police,” the statement read. “This collaborative approach has been instrumental in our ongoing success in reducing crime.”

U.S Rep. Troy Carter, who represents New Orleans and Baton Rouge and who is one of two Democrats in Louisiana’s six-member congressional delegations, swiftly condemned the proposal, calling on Trump to use federal powers in different ways that Carter said would bring more meaningful change than the president’s plan. Other Democrats also offered loud criticism

“Militarizing the streets of New Orleans is not a solution. Period,” Carter said in a statement A Trump spokesperson, Steven Cheung, did not respond to a phone message seeking additional details about the plan.

N.O. crime has fallen Crime in New Orleans plummeted in recent years after a surge in violence during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2025, the city is on pace to log a historic, 50-year low in murders a remarkable reversal that law enforcement officials and outreach workers attribute to better community interventions, national trends and a flood of concern and cash funneled to anti-violence efforts in cities nationwide.

Relative to this point in 2022, when New Orleans’ violent crime wave peaked, carjackings in the city are down 81% robberies are down 59%, auto thefts are down 34%, shooting incidents are down 63%, vehicle burglaries are down

sor including possibly dividing those responsibilities between two jobs. LSU previously had a system president and a chancellor in charge of the main Baton Rouge campus.

Letlow mum on Senate run

Now that Letlow has ruled out trying to replace Tate, the time is drawing near for her to make a decision on whether she’ll run against

70% and homicides are down 64%, according to data tracked by Jeff Asher, a New Orleans-based crime analyst.

Asher said that National Guard soldiers “not law enforcement.” When National Guard troops entered New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, they provided services such as humanitarian support and a deterrent to would-be looters, rather than crime-fighting know how, he recalled.

“There are all sorts of ways that the city could use help from the federal government,” he said. “But deploying a bunch of National Guardsmen to stand around downtown is not it.”

Since Landry’s inauguration in 2024, New Orleans’ crime-fighting strategy has been driven in part by the governor’s own deployment of a unit of Louisiana State Police troopers to the city, known as Troop NOLA.

Though initially controversial, it has won support from some local leaders who hail it as part of the city’s broad approach to tackling crime.

Also praised locally were efforts of National Guard troops who trekked to New Orleans after the terrorist attack in January for major events such as the Super Bowl LIX and Mardi Gras, when the city received a designation on a federal risk assessment that afforded it extra federal support.

Cantrell officials lauded that collaboration on Wednesday The mayor is set to be arraigned in federal court Wednesday on charges that she pursued a romantic relationship with her bodyguard on the taxpayers’ dime.

In at least one other instance, Trump’s Justice Department has dropped corruption charges against a Democratic mayor who worked with the president to carry out his agenda — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was up for reelection and who later agreed to assist with the president’s immigration policies Cantrell is term-limited.

Politicians react

Trump on Wednesday said his past interventions have curbed crime in Washington and Los Angeles. He argued he would bring similar results to New Orleans.

“So, we’re going to be going to maybe Louisiana, and you have New Orleans which has a crime problem,” Trump said. “We’ll straighten that out in about two weeks. It’ll take us two weeks, easier than D.C.”

His announcement came days after a federal judge ruled that the deployment

Cassidy and the other candidates who have already declared.

of National Guard soldiers and U.S Marines to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests there violated the law CBS News reported Wednesday that federal grand juries have rejected at least four attempts by federal prosecutors to charge people arrested during Trump’s crackdown in California.

And in Washington last month, a federal jury declined to bring charges against a man prosecutors had accused of throwing a sandwich at a federal agent.

A series of Democratic political candidates and local officials joined Carter in condemning Trump’s idea Wednesday calling it an incursion into a city that has made vast strides on its own — and by working with state and federal agencies in tamping down lawlessness.

“President Trump’s suggestion that he may deploy federal troops to New Orleans is reckless, politically motivated, an abuse of presidential power, and a betrayal of our Constitution,” said state Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, who is running for mayor “Our residents deserve safety and stability, not to be used as pawns in partisan theater.”

That Trump’s deployments have targeted only cities led by Democrats suggests the president’s approach is driven by political bias rather than public safety, City Council Vice President Helena Moreno said.

“There are many cities with mayors aligned with this president whose crime issues are severe, but they’re not targeted,” said Moreno, who is also running for mayor “That clearly shows that this is about scare tactics and politicizing public safety.”

State Attorney General Liz Murrill and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, praised the plan. So did U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, RBaton Rouge, who called it a short-term solution and not a partisan issue.

“The National Guard in Washington, D.C., demonstrated that more uniforms on the street, whatever the color of the uniform is, makes our community safer,” Cassidy said. “It is not a long-term solution, but this gives us a chance to demonstrate that it is just as true in Louisiana as it is in Washington, D.C.”

James Finn covers politics for The TimesPicayune | Nola.com. Email him at jfinn@ theadvocate.com or contact him on Signal at jamesfinn.82.

Candidates have to qualify for next year’s elections in mid-January Plans by Landry to call a special legislative session beginning on Oct. 23 could complicate Letlow’s timetable, because that session will redraw Louisiana’s six congressional districts in anticipation of a Supreme Court ruling that could invalidate the current congressional map. For now, Cassidy’s challengers are: Treasurer John Fleming; state Sen Blake Miguez, of New Iberia; and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, who represents suburban New Orleans.

Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

BY NOAH BERGER and SARAH BRUMFIELD Associated Press

CHINESE CAMP,Calif. Oneof nearly two dozen fires burning across Northern California on Wednesday scorched homes in aGold Rush town settledinthe 1850s by thousands of Chinese miners who had faceddiscrimination and were driven outof anearby camp.

The quick-moving fire in theSierra Nevada foothills threatened the few remaining historic structuresin Chinese Camp, forced the evacuation of its roughly 100 residents and closeda highway that’samain route betweenSan Francisco and Yosemite NationalPark.

It’snot clear yet whether the town’shandful of Gold Rush era structures— including an old post office built in 1854 —were damaged in the fire that erupted Tuesday and continued burning without any containment.

Wildfire devastates historic Calif. gold mining town

were expected to be in the 90s over thenext fewdays with little rain in sight.

Strong winds were adding to the challenge as the flames strengthened in areas filled with dry,tall grass and brush, CalFire said.

The largest of the fires crossed 10 square miles around Chinese Camp, where at least five homes burned.

During the first hours, residents moved tree branches and shoveled sand onto flames in adesperate attempt to stop them from spreading until firefighters arrived. A recreationalvehicle on the property wasdamaged.

Chinese Camp, now a crossroads fortourists traveling to Yosemite, flourished in the 1850s as astagecoach stop and supply hubfor mining camps during theGold Rush.

Ashuttered Catholic church dating back to 1855 appeared to havesurvived the flames. The town’sgeneral store where tourists could pickupsupplies and seehistoric artifacts also seemed tobeintact. But on somelots, all that remained were charred brick walls and scorched trees.

Alarge number of lightning strikes early Tuesday set off at least 22 firesthat have burnedabout 20 square miles in Calaveras, Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties,said Emily Kilgore, aspokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and FireProtection, the state’s chief fire agency The fires arespread across theregion about 120 miles east of San Francisco. There have been no reports of injuries, butseveralstructures were destroyed in two of the fires, Kilgore said Wednesday. Damageassessments have not been completed.

TrumpsaysU.S.striketargeting

BY AAMER MADHANI, MATTHEW LEE

andFARNOUSHAMIRI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Wednesday justified the lethal military strike that hisadministration said was carried out aday earlier against aVenezuelan gang as anecessary effort by the United States to send an unmistakable message to Latin American cartels. Asked why the military did not instead interdict the vessel and capture thoseonboard, Trumpsaidthe operation would cause drug smugglers to think twice about trying to move drugs into the U.S. “Therewas massiveamounts of drugs coming into our country to kill alot of people, and everybody fully understands that,” Trump said while hosting Polish President Karol Nawrocki at the White House. He added, “Obviously,they won’tbedoing it again. AndI think

alot of other people won’t be doingitagain. When they watch that tape, they’re going to say,‘Let’snot do this.’”

Tuesday’sstrikewas an astonishing departure from typical U.S. drug interdictionefforts at atime when Trump has ordered amajor Navy buildup in the waters near Venezuela.

LaterWednesday,Secretary of State MarcoRubio warned that such operations “willhappen again.” Rubio said previous U.S. interdictionefforts in Latin America have not workedinstemming the flow of illicit drugsintothe United States andbeyond.“What will stop them is when youblow them up, when youget ridofthem,”Rubio said on avisit to Mexico.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on “Fox &Friends” thatVenezuelan PresidentNicolás Maduro was running hiscountry “as a kingpinofadrugnarco-state.”

“Therestill may be fires that haven’tbeen discovered yet,” Kilgore said, warning that more evacuationsmay be necessary.Temperatures

ThousandsofChinese came to California during the Gold Rush and faced persecution that includedan exorbitantForeign Miners Taxdesigned to drive them awayfrommining.Itwas a time when Chinese people all across the state faced widespread discrimination.

The town grew as the Chi-

neseminersarrived after being thrown outofa nearby campbyEuropean miners whodidn’twantany competition and discriminated against the Chinese. Originally called Camp Washington, itsname wassoon changed to Chinese Camptoreflect the thousands of new settlers. But within three decades, most of the Chinese residentshad movedaway, the last twoleaving in the early 1920s, said Stephen Provost, who recently wrote “Chinese Camp: The Haunting History of California’s Forgotten Boomtown.” The saloons, temples, stables and homes built by the Chinese have long been gone too, he said. But somestructures built by European settlers in the 1800s could still be found, including asaloon, aboarding house and afew old residences, said Provost. “It waslike atown thathad been trappedintime,” he said recalling his first visit. Now he is anxiously waiting fornewsabout what’s left.“These areplaces that are personal to ourhearts,” Provost said. “Wegot there just in time.”

Hegseth said officials “knew exactlywho was in thatboat”and “exactly what they weredoing.” But the Republican administration has not presented any evidence supporting Trump’sclaim that operators of thevessel were from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and were trying to smuggle in drugs.

“President Trump is willing to go on offenseinways that others have not seen,”said Hegseth, who declined to detail how thestrike was carried out.

Trumpand administration officials have repeatedly blamed the gang for being at the root of the violenceand illicit drug dealing that plague some American cities.

Thepresident on Tuesdayrepeated his claim —contradicted by adeclassified U.S. intelligence assessment —that Tren de Aragua is operating under Maduro’scontrol.

In announcing thestrike, Trump said the operation, which he said

killed11, wascarriedout in international waters. He also noted that the gang is designated by the U.S. government as aforeign terrorist organization.

Unlike its counterparts from Colombia, Brazil andCentral America,TrendeAraguahas no largescale involvement in smuggling cocaine across international borders, according to InSight Crime, whichlast month published a64page report on the gang based on two years of research.

“We’ve found no direct participation of TdA in the transnational drug trade, althoughthere are cases of themacting as subcontractorsfor other drug trafficking organizations,” said JeremyMcDermott,a Colombia-basedco-founder of InSightCrime, referring to the Venezuelan gang by its initials.

“It is almost impossible today to determinewho is TdA andwho is not,” said McDermott. “Deportations and statements from the

United States suggest that TdA is nowbeing usedasa catch-all descriptionfor Venezuelan criminals acting abroad.”

Some internationalwarfare experts are questioning the legality of the strike.

“Intentional killingoutside armed conflicthostilitiesisunlawfulunless it is to save alife immediately,” said Mary Ellen O’Connell, an expert on internationallaw andthe use of forceat the University of Notre Dame Law School. “Nohostilities wereoccurring in the Caribbean.”

The U.S. announced plans last monthtoboost itsmaritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combatthreats from LatinAmerican drug cartels. Maduro’sgovernment hasresponded by deploying troops along Venezuela’scoast and border with neighboring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in acivilian militia.

Dangerous fire erupts at homeless encampment

Propane tanks explode on Labor Day in Lafayette Parish

BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

At 7:14 p.m. on Labor Day, the Scott Fire Department sped to the scene of a particularly dangerous fire near the Ile des Cannes apartment complex in Lafayette.

Located about a mile from Acadiana High School, Ile des Cannes is a predominantly low-income community made up of several blocks of buildings immediately adjacent to a small stand of woods. A fire broke out in those woods where a homeless encampment had been erected, near the 100 block of Natchez Street in Ile des Cannes.

According to the Scott Fire Department, they responded to reports of explosions on Monday evening. On arrival, firefighters discovered a large debris pile, including refrigerators, tires, air conditioners and other materials, which had been used to construct a 50-by-30foot encampment where an undisclosed number of people had been living.

One occupant of the encampment was still unaccounted for when crews arrived, whereupon firefighters advanced into the debris to locate the missing person. More explosions, believed to be caused by propane tanks in the camp, rocked the area minutes later and the firefighters were forced to evacuate.

Resources from a number of area fire departments were called in, including a ladder truck and cadaver dogs, to assist with fire suppression and the search for the potential victim. At that time, crews confirmed that the missing individual had been located and was safe, according to the Scott Fire Department The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no firefighter or civilian injuries were reported. Tanker support to suppress the fire and sustain a water

flow rate of 1,500 gallons per minute was provided by the fire departments of Scott, Duson, Carencro, Mire, Broussard and Youngsville, with additional firefight-

Courtroom named to honor slain woman

Assistant district attorney lauded at 16th Judicial District site

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

A burned encampment is seen in a small wooded area in Scott.

ers from Duson and Judice. Email Joanna Brown at joanna. brown@theadvocate.com.

Lafayette Ballet Theatre plans ‘Nutcracker’ auditions

Brown

The St. Martin Parish Council voted this week to rename a 16th Judicial District courtroom in honor of an assistant district attorney who was killed in a murder-suicide earlier this year The courtroom will now be named in appreciation of Shentell Brown, who died in February after her husband shot and killed her before killing himself. The shooting occurred in Lafayette along Johnston Street. Brown served as an assistant district attorney working in the juvenile and nonsupport division. She had been a valued member of the court system since she was admitted to practice in October 2022, according to a previous statement by the 16th JDC.

“Mrs. Brown was instrumental in our juvenile court system handling child in need of care cases, juvenile delinquency cases and support enforcement cases,” the statement read. “Her contributions to the juvenile court system and legal profession will be remembered and the memory of her contributions will live on for generations to come.” Brown studied law at Southern University She started her law career as a judicial clerk under Judge Charles Porter She then worked as a public defender for the next 12 years before becoming an assistant district attorney Email Stephen at stephen. marcantel@theadvocate.com.

51-acre location has been certified under state program

BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor

A 51.71-acre site in Acadia Parish has been certified for economic development under the state’s certified sites program. The site, referred to as the Foster Site and located less than a mile from Interstate 10 near Crowley, is the 30th certified site in Acadiana, One Acadiana officials announced this morning The certification helps agencies connect companies who are interested in locating in Louisiana find potential sites, which leads to job growth and investment in the region.

The site has access to U.S. 90 and is within an hour of airports in Lafayette and Lake Charles and ports in Lake Charles, Iberia Parish and Mermentau. It could be expanded to 80 acres.

One Acadiana’s site development program is designed to increase the region’s portfolio of marketable, development-ready sites by certifying land within the nine-parish region through partnerships with local economic development partners, Louisiana Economic Development and landowners.

“The certification of the 51.71-acre Foster Site is a major win for Acadia Parish,” said Elizabeth Miller, president and CEO of Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce. “With direct access to highways, ports and airports, this development-ready location is

to attract new investment and jobs.” Email Adam Daigle at

This week marks the full launch of oneof the most important periods of thecalendarfor many Louisianans:football season.

And it can’tcome too soon

The advent beganinearnest this past weekend with the first full slate of collegefootball

We cheered along with many Louisianans to see LSU travel to South Carolina and remind Clemson’s(alleged) Tigers thatthe real Death Valley is along the Mississippi, not nestledinthe Palmetto State

We were also buoyed by Tulane’sdomination at home of Big 10 team Northwestern, especially after the Wildcat brassdeclined Tulane’s request to wear white uniforms as away to honor their2005 team, which had itsopener delayed by Hurricane Katrina. That year’steam ended up playing its opener against Mississippi State in Shreveport.And they wore white Northwestern representatives said therequest came too late for them tohonorit, but Tulane coach Jon Sumrall was able to use Northwestern’srefusal as motivation to help propel his team to abig win over amajor conference opponent.

“Don’tdisrespect the cityof New Orleans,” he said after the game.

Around the state, othercolleges and universities also got their seasons off to astart, with mixed results. But more important than the wins and losses is the way football season brings so many of us together tosit and watch andunite to cheer on the Tigers and Jags, Wave and Cajuns,Bulldogs andCowboys, Lionsand Colonels, among others.

That expressionofcommunitywill expand on Thursday and Friday nights, when manymore Louisianans will brave humidity,mosquitoes andsoggy nachos to watchthe opening week of the high school football season.FromOak GrovetoEdna Karr,South Cameron to Plain Dealing, fans from around the state willcongregate in bleachers to support thekids on the field. And notjust the football players, but the cheer team members, dancers and band members whoeach get achance to show off what weeks or months of off-season work haveproduced Of course, on Sunday,the Saints will open the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Prognosticators have not been kindtothe Saints’ chances this year,but they have never questionedthe fans’ devotion or the team’s importancetothe SouthLouisiana community

In these days of noise-canceling earphones and smart devices,too often we shutout the folks around us and turn ourattention to the virtual world. Football games,especially in those smaller venues, pull us out of that. They force us, at least for ashort time, tolive in the moment, to cheer and groan alongsideour fellow Louisianans. And now that theseasonishere again, thisannual ritual begins anew We canall celebrate that.OrDat,asthe case maybe.

Washington, D.C., this nation’s capital, is definitely becoming Trump, USA. He seemstowant to refurbish everything in thecity to his tastes or inclinations at amoment in time.

His tastes include refurbishing the WhiteHouse into an incomprehensible mess. Now the Oval Office looks like a gaudy bordello; thewhitestone-tiled area that was once the RoseGarden is now filled withwhite bistro tables and chairs, plus thekeynote: Mar-a-Lago umbrellas; and the proposed ballroom addition, larger than the entire White House, is so grandiose that it really belies comprehension as to its worth or need.

President Donald Trumpalso wants to refurbishthe Kennedy Center for PerformingArtsand, perhaps, rename it. TrumpCenter would be great, don’t you think?The Smithsonian was given 30 days to makeits historical accounts presentations more positive. Trump rewrites history.That would be atragedyindeed.

His inclinations so far have been to dismantle the federal agencies, send National Guard troops and U.S. ser-

vice memberstothe border and cities of his choice across America, spend billions to build unnecessary/unsafe detention centers for illegal immigrantsand on hiring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. His Big BeautifulBill will delete many Americans’ medical benefits, increase thedefense budget andborder wall completion budget plus manyadd-on pork projectsfrom toadyCongress members. His choices for Cabinet heads and any other positions in the White House staff are all known toadies. So sad to be governed by such an egomaniac. He has no concern for the American people, just himself. I’ve been alive 78 years. Trump’s style of governing has caused many Americanstobeanxious and depressed withhis ever-changing policies and hundreds of nonsensical presidential orders. He never keeps his promises: peace, atremendous economy for the U.S., border security, etc.

LYNEDWARDS Jackson

Iwill neverunderstand how anyoneisable to sleep at night knowing their actions arecausing many to sufferand many to die. The millions of dollars thathavebeen denied for children’scancer research and the continuationofthe mRNA vaccine research is beyond my belief. Istrongly encourage all involved in these cuts to visit apediatric oncologyunit andexplain your actions to the parents of babies struggling to survive.Itisonly whenyou hear, firsthand, what the parents endure thatyou will realize the impact of your votes.

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

In his first inaugural Ronald Reagan famously said, “Government is not the solution to our problem;government is the problem.” Not manypeople listened.

By almost any measure, government keeps growing, mainly because the costs of government creep are distant and obscure. Onesuch “cost”has been underscored by Stanford economist John Cogan, who maintains that our crushing national debt ($37 trillion and counting) is due to thefederal governmentexpanding beyond itsenumerated powers. If not already dead, federalism in the U.S. is on life support. Insidiously,the popularityofthe welfare state has becomeanational burden weighing on our fiscal sanity The average state depends on Washington for 37% of its annual budget. Louisianatopsthe list of dependents, relying on federal support for more than half its budget. Moreover,the trend is not our friend. Continuation of thepresent trajectory will eventually

result in therespective states becoming merevassals of One, Big Beautiful Government. Trumpers might blindly rejoice, but theeconomy will pay Sadly,resistance seems futile. Those few who resist theabrogation of state authority to the central government flirt withpolitical suicide. They are denounced from both sides of the political spectrum as enemies of the poor for turning down “free” money Milton Friedman warned us decades ago, “There’snosuchthing as afree lunch.” His subtle, albeit homely message is that all economic choices involve tradeoffs. Yetmost contemporary participantsinour ongoing political experiment live in constant denial of basic economic facts. It’s as though we are barreling down the path of ancient Rome but expecting adifferent result.With so manyerrant “leaders” flouting economic reality,what could possibly go wrong?

ROBERT HEBERT Baton Rouge

On amorepersonal note, Irecently became awarethat the FDA issueda lettertomanufacturers of NDT (naturaldesiccated thyroid) or as the FDA lists it, ADT (animal desiccatedthyroid) medications. The letterstatesthat action will be takenagainst these manufacturers to discontinue production of NDT andencourage patients to transition to synthetic thyroid medications, suchasSynthroid, Levothyroxine andCytomel. The problem is that the synthetic drugs contain talc, mannitol, andcancer-causing dyes thatcause severe allergic reactions in hypothyroidism patients like myself.

Ihavesuccessfully taken NDT meds for the past 30 yearsand in doing so,havereceived aconsistent dose of allofthe thyroid hormones Ineed,without the deadly additives. And the real issue Itake with this decisionisthatitisbased on the economicgoalsofpharmaceutical companiesand made by incompetent people with no education or experience in the field. Finally,their statements regarding NDT arecompletely false

There areseveral petitions against the FDA in circulation. And Iimplore patients and medical professionals to take up armsagainst this outrageous threat to choose what we andour doctors decide is best.

CATHERINE ALTAZAN Port Allen

CrackerBarrellogo flap wasnot aboutbeing woke

Isuppose it’snatural to think of Cracker Barrel in summer.Sweltering days call to mind road trips, rocking chairs and atall glassofice-cold lemonade. But if we aregoingtotalk about therestaurant chain, I’d rather discuss thequality of its biscuits than the tiresome question of whether Cracker Barrel has gone woke. Three Augustsago it was the chain’sdecision to introduce vegan sausage that spawned afew unhinged social media posts and alegion of think pieces about whether conservatives were losing their minds. Today,it’sthe move to rebrand the company,sheddingthe iconic logo with aman in overalls cuddlingupto, yes,a cracker barrel.Surely we have something better to do with our vacations than debate the strategic choices of a casual-dining franchise.

Idon’tblame Cracker Barrel for this sorry state of affairs.The companyisa victim of the internet’sendless search for something to be mad about Alas, Iwas shouting into thesocial media void, becausehere we are again, trying to turn astruggling restaurant chain into ametaphor for American politics.

This time, the president’s sonjoined the unhinged, retweeting apostfrom an accountcalledWoke WarRoom that had, for some unaccountable reason, gotten mad about the change.This was followed up by our poster in chief himself, who advised Cracker Barrelto restore the old logo. Then, the company announced it was taking this advice. And thus we had aweek of discourse aboutwhatitall means. So, with asigh, it’sonce more unto the breach to stress that Cracker Barrel is just arestaurant, notthe avatar forwhatever you’re upset about. It’sobvious why Cracker Barrel keeps being chosenasthe internet’s main character.

Its branding places it firmly on one side of various cleavages in today’s politics: country vs. city,tradition vs modernity, north vs. south. But when you are tempted to think that Cracker Barrelmust offer some insight into What America Is Becoming,please remember that this is just branding.

The companyistrying to sell food, not apolitical program.

Thechainwas founded in 1969 —not 1776. It adopted the country branding becausedown-homecooking and folksy kitsch were trendy back then, not because they were trying to restore America to the Good Ole Days. Now, the market has moved on, and Cracker Barrel has been trying to adapt —not because thecompany “read theroom” and decided that aWhiteguy in overalls is a“badlook,” but because its profits suffered as economic conditions shifted, American consumer tastes changed,and the market was flooded with casual-dining rivals.

Itendtoagree with marketing analysts whosay the update has made some mistakes;Cracker Barrel might have done better by leaning intoits quirky decor and iconography rather than refreshing it to asleeker,contemporary country vibe. Butyou can see howithappened, given that trafficto Cracker Barrel restaurants is down 16% since thepandemic. Companies in that position have to do something to attract new customers, and while I doubt younger consumers would have flocked to the evanescent new logo which looked as though it belongs on ano-name, down-marketbuffet —I’m notsureI’d have comeupwith any-

thingbetter than, say,jettisoning the “Uncle Herschel” illustration introduced in 1977.

But“venerable company makes mistakes trying to refresh itsbrand” is not thekind of story that usually leaps to national attention. It has happened now only because of the particular pathologies of our political moment. We have confused brands withmoral values, and we demand tosee our politics reflected everywhere, even in restaurant signage. We have also confused social media withsocial lives.And alone with our screens, too many of us have becomeaddicted torage, mashing therefresh button for thedopamine that rushes through us every time we discover that someone, somewhere, is wrong on the internet.

The addiction is so consuming that when no ready source of rage is available, we start cooking up our own out of whatever we can find in thecupboard.

Butifthe cupboard is really this bare, Isuggest people put down the phone and head to Cracker Barrel, rock themselves to serenity in thechairs on theporch, then head inside for adelicious helping of hash-brown casserole. MeganMcArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

Why do theworld’spoor make abeeline for New York City? It is nowhome to over 3million immigrants, thelargest influx coming from the Dominican Republic, China, Jamaica, Mexico, Guyana, Ecuador,Bangladesh, Haiti and India. How can these overwhelmingly poor new arrivals stay if no one can afford to live there?

Answer: They crowd into small apartments and work their tails off.

They’re largely there because there’smoney to be made. Like it or not, rich people have the money and spend it in thecity. That’swhy the creative class also gravitates to New York. The rich can afford to patronize the theater and the arts. Which brings us to mayoral candidate ZohranMamdani andhis family His father was aprofessor in Uganda and his mother a filmmaker.BothofIndian descent, they moved toNew York, where his father became director of Columbia University’sInstituteofAfrican Studies. Columbia became arich elite institution thanks to thewealthy New Yorkers who since the Gilded Age have bestowed the universitywith large gifts. Zohran Mamdani lied on his college application to Columbia aboutbeing “Black or African American.”Hethus took aspot intended for theBlack descendants of slaveryand Jim Crow. Perhaps the public City CollegeofNew

York wasn’tgood enough for him. TheMamdanis were never your huddled masses, yearning tobreathe free. AndZohran was hardly theonly privileged kidtoaccessorize with Socialist ideology.But modernDemocratic Socialists in Europe would regard hisviews as naive. They are certainly foreign to thechurn of the New York economy Take Mamdani’sidea of city-run grocery stores.They would compete with thebodegas now largely operated by Dominicans, Yemenis andother Middle Eastern immigrants. These little stores are theeconomic ladder on which generations of New Yorkers have climbed out of poverty andinto themiddleclass. Their proprietorsput in brutal hours, working harder than mostany public employee would Mamdani, meanwhile, has never run alemonadestand. New York’s Social Democratsrevere Sweden for its wide social safety net. “I don’t thinkweshould have billionaires,” Mamdani said, perhaps unaware that Sweden has morebillionaires per capita than the United States does. The rich in Sweden makethe socialwelfare system possible. Youcan’t have one without theother Mamdani has plans to raise taxes on city residents making more than $1 million. Wealthy New Yorkers already pay some of the highest combined in-

come taxes in the country

The richest 1% of residents pay nearly 48% of all New York Citypersonal incometax. That’supfrom 40% in 2019. This doesn’taccount for the propertytaxes on their co-ops, condos and brownstones. Nor the high sales tax on their luxury purchases and dining at the restaurantsthat employ immigrants, command of English not required.

Mamdani’svow to raise taxes on “richer,whiter neighborhoods” is hardly arecruiting tool for willing taxpayers. None of the inhabitants needs apassport to lower their taxes by movingelsewhere. Housing is very expensive, but Mamdani’splan for extending rent control over afraction of New York’srentals, his among them, would discourage the building of new units. This is aproblem of supply and demand. There are ways to ease thehousing burden, but New York will always be an expensive address. Without adoubt, the city is home to somestarkcontrasts between the rich and poor,but it also offers aconveyor belt between the two groups. Many who take the ride out of poverty leave thecity for the suburbs.

That’sthe way it’s always been. Mamdani understands neither economics nor New York City.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

About 70%ofthe nation’spublic schoolteachers belong to aunionoremployees’ association. The two largest teachers unions, the NationalEducation Association (NEA) and the American FederationofTeachers (AFT), together represent about 4.7 million members. Politically,according to a study by Pew Research, about 58% of public school K-12teachers identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party,compared to about 35% who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party

Last year,NEA President Rebecca Pringle told aPhiladelphia public radio station that her organization’smembership is “nearly evenly split betweenDemocrats, Republicans andindependents.” Whether that is true or not, we’ve known for alongtime that the union’sleadership does not reflectthe diversity of its membership; it donates the vast majority of the organization’smoney to liberal, progressive and Democratic causes and candidates. Anew compilation of data shows just howmuch.

Defending Education is agroup that says it seeks to free schools “fromactivists imposing harmful agendas” and to fight indoctrination in classrooms and on campus to promote the reestablishment of aquality,non-political education for all students.” Recently,itreleased an accounting of $43,524,125 donated to left-wing causes by the NEA and AFT in two years, from July 1, 2022, to July 30, 2024.

Starting with the biggest numbers, the NEA contributed $9.5 milliontoState Engagement Fund, an organization that in turn parcels out the money amongprogressive groups. NEA also contributed $6.95million to the For Our Future Action Fund, a liberal political action committee focused on electing Democratsinthe key statesofMichigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Florida. AFT contributed an additional $2.35 milliontothe fund, for atotal of $9.3 millionbetween the groups for Democratic candidates in those states.

The money,ofcourse, camefrom the dues of teachersbelonging to the unions.

The NEA gave $2.415million to agroup called Protect Our Schools KY,anorganization that fights Republican education reforms in the Bluegrass State.NEA gave $620,000 to the Democracy Alliance, another left-wing pass-through that distributes money to progressive groups.

The NEA gave $500,000 to the Hopewell Fund, $500,000 to the Color of Change.org Education Fund (AFT gave another $100,000); $500,000 to Defend Our Constitution (AFT gave another $150,000); $500,000 to the Centerfor American Progress (AFT gave another $200,000); $500,000 to Future Forward USA Action (AFTgaveanother $250,000); and $645,000tothe State PowerAction Fund.

To take one example, if you haven’theard of the Hopewell Fund, it is anonprofitassociated with Arabella Advisors, anotorious “dark money” network for Democratic causes. (The nation’slargest charity,the Gates Foundation, recently cut ties with Arabella Advisors.) The Hopewell Fund, according to the monitoring group InfluenceWatch, “primarily exists to sponsor anumber of ‘fake’ groups: websites designed to look like standalone nonprofits [that] typically exist to effect an issue advocacy campaign pushing left-wing policies and maydisappear after the campaign is finished.”

If you did not recognize Future Forward, it was the biggest political actioncommitteefor the Joe Biden presidential reelection campaign, and after Biden withdrew, the Kamala Harris presidential campaign.

Defend Our Constitution, for its national-sounding name,isactually an Alaska group dedicated to stopping Republicaninitiatives in that state.

AFT gave $1.6 milliontothe House Majority PAC, which seeks Democratic control of the House, and $1.25 milliontothe Senate Majority PAC, which seeks Democratic control of the Senate

AFT gave $870,000 to agroup called Red Wine & Blue, whichisinvolved in lots of left-wing political causes. AFT gave $100,000, and NEA gave $85,000, to Al Sharpton’sNationalAction Network, which is involvedinpromoting Al Sharpton.

NEA gave $30,000 to GLSEN, which usedtobe known as the Gay,Lesbian, Straight Education Network, but now just goes by GLSEN. NEA gave $60,000 to the LGBT organization Human Rights Campaign, and $29,250 to something called GenderInclusivity LLC, which appears to refer to a company called GenderInc., which says it seeks to “create agender-sensitive and inclusive environment supportive of the transgender community.”

The Defending Education report includes many other lefty organizations to whichthe nation’stop two teachers unions have contributed. And the $43,524,125 listed in the report is notthe entire amount the unions spent on political and ideological causes. But you get the idea. The report is nota surprise, and this kind of spending hasbeen going on for years. Still, it is stunning to confront the hyperpoliticized priorities of unions that are supposedly devoted to education.

Email Byron York at byork@washingtonexaminer com.

Superdomevendor vows improvements this season

ASMGlobal replaced Sodexo in July

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

After arocky preseason debut, the new concessions operator at the Caesars Superdomeispromising a better experience for Saints fans as Sunday’sregular season home opener against the Arizona Cardinals nears. Legends Hospitality, which took overthe Superdome’sexclusive food and beverage contract in July after Sodexo’s25-year run, faced awave of complaints during the Saints’ firstpreseason home game against the Jacksonville Jaguarson Aug. 17. The issues included slow service and poor food quality,and were particularlynoticeable in thehigh-priced suites that ring the Dome, according to people who attended the game —prompting awritten apologyto suite holders from Legends.

“Clearly, we didnot meet your expectations yesterday,nor did we come close to the high standards we set for our company,” wrote Legends’ vice president of hospitality Lauren “Fitz” Fitzmorris the day after the Jaguars game.

She said Legends wanted to “sincerely apologize” and had learned important lessons from the debacle, promising improvements.

Long lines,‘Play-Doh’pizza

Though it was only a preseason outing, thefirst chance to see the Saints at home under new coach Kellen Moore drew anearcapacity crowd of just over 70,000.

Some fans whoreceived catering service in the 165 exclusive suites complained of long delays and poor-qual-

ity food. “The pizza was likePlayDoh and the wings were burnedtothe bone,” said an attendee who was in asuite forthe Jaguarsgame. He didn’twant to be quoted by name ashewas aguest ofa companyleasing the suite andwasn’t authorizedto speak.

Some ordinary ticket holdersalsofaced long linesat thenearly 100 fixed and mobile concession stands around the stadium, and complained of poor quality wings, nachos and the near absence of local food options, according to the organizer of one of the Saints’ fanclubs, who didn’thave authorization to be quoted by name “Guess the true test will be this Sunday,” the fan club organizersaidvia text

Anew vendor’s firstday

Legends, headquartered in New York City,isowned by aprivate equity group andcounts Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jonesand the New York Yankeesorganization as minoritystakeholders.

Thestadium completed its takeover of ASM Global last year,creatingone of the world’s largest venue and hospitality groups. ASM and alocal predecessor company have run the Superdome for the state of Louisiana since 1977. Legends was chosen by ASM to replace Sodexo as theSuperdome concession providerafter aprocess that involved aconsultant’s report on the relative merits of the two firms.

The seven-memberLouisiana Stadium and Exposition District board knownasthe Superdome Commission—approved ASM’smove in June. Promises of better service The Superdome suites, which typically offer ahost

of different food and beverageoptions, were aprimary focusofthe recently completed $560 million stadium renovation. Saints President Dennis Lauscha described the upgraded suites as the “engine”for generatingrevenue to help payoff the$300 million renovation bonds issued by thestate to help fund theproject.

The suitestypically cost from $10,000 to $30,000 per gametolease, depending on size and importance of the event. Leasing asuite for a full season can cost $1 million or more,depending on size, location and other options like corporate branding, according to specialist stadium suitebrokers.

Under the current lease agreement, the Saints receive 42% of all concession revenuegenerated at the stadium It is not clear what led to the poor service andfood qualitylast month.When it took over the contract in July,Legends said it expected torehireessentially allofthe 880 staff thathad been employed by Sodexo. Legends spokesperson Stacey Escudero referred to the letter from Fitzmorris anddeclined to comment further ASM Global generalmanager Evan Holmes made a briefreference to theissues at theSuperdome Commission’slast meeting on Aug. 27, noting that “we had some opportunitiesfor improvement after the first game.” ASM declined to comment further In response to complaints from theJaguars game, Saintsspokesperson Greg Benselsaidthatthe organization “learned aboutthe issues facing Legends at the Jacksonville game as they were happening” and “immediately worked with them to help mitigate as best possible the issues that they were facing.”

Dogrescued from culvert

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

Meatball is blind, deaf and 15 years old (at least), but that doesn’tstop him from getting around his home turf in Lacombe.

“He’sabit of awanderer,” said owner Chuck Gorney

That wandering took a turn for the worse Monday when Meatball got lost. Gorney said thefamilysearched and searched but couldn’t find the 10-pound Shih Tzu.

Luckily,Gorney’sfamily had equippedthe pooch with an AirTag to trackhis whereabouts. The AirTag was showing Meatball in a nearby location, but there was no sign of the dog

“Wewere frantically searching,” Gorney said. “I was just baffled.” Monday turned into Tuesday,and still no Meatball sighting. Then, Gorney said, there was abark and what sounded like an echo.

Meatball had made his way into along culvert near the Gorney’shome that empties into abayou. Buthe couldn’t find his way out and Gorney couldn’tsee him deep inside the huge metal drain pipe.

“Wedidn’tknow how to get him,” Gorney said.

The family started making phone calls, eventually dialing the Lacombe-based St. Tammany Fire District No. 3. Firefighters responded, as well as workers from St. Tammany Parish’sPublic Works Department.

“When we firstarrived, we heard afew faint barks,so we knew he was in there, said Jordy Johnson, a firefighter The searchers debateda few different ways to reach the dog, but eventually de-

Funerals Today

Broussard,Delores FountainMemorialFuneralHome, 1010 PandoraStreet in Lafayette,at11 a.m.

Obituaries

Jeansonne,Dr. James Louis'Jim'

James Louis Jeansonne, "Jim"tofamily and friends, was our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncleand friend. He passed away, at theage of 75, on August 30, 2025, surrounded by his family BornSeptember 10, 1949 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Jim liveda life defined by strength,generosity and quietsensitivity. Well-read and deeply curious, Jim found joyinhistory, literature and allthingsofnature.Heloved spending time in thewoods, whether hunting or simply observing and nurturingall of God's wondrous giftsblossoming at his farm in Norwood, Louisiana. He was a curious amalgamationof theeclectic -a "modern Renaissance man"; he enjoyed scubadiving,travel and an appreciationofa vibrantmusic spectrum that ranged fromRandy Travis to The Rolling Stones, classical music and everything in between His family willalways remember him for his sharp mind, kind heart and calm presence. He knew when to fold another intohis embrace,sharing theirsorrows or magnifyingtheir joys. He was largein frame and in heart Jim graduated from Broadmoor HighSchool, earneda Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana StateUniversity in 1972 and then went on to graduateasa Doctor of Dental Surgery fromLSU in 1976. Following his graduation, Jimserved activeduty as aCaptain in theUnited States Army, stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, from1976 to 1979, carrying thevaluesofpatriotism and service throughout his

cided they’d have to take the long trip into the culvert. Johnson estimated it at around1,000feet. “It wasn’tacrawl, really, more ofaduckwalk,” Johnsonsaidwitha laugh. “My quads were burning.”

Though blind and deaf, Johnson said Meatball seemed to sense his rescuers were at hand. They foundthe pup in several inchesofwater. He was soaked and shivering, Johnson said

“When we finally got him out Iactually put him in my shirt,” Johnson said. “He wasshaking.” Johnson said the rescue operation took several hours, stretching beyond

dusk Tuesday.“We were getting eaten up by insects— we call‘em ‘flying vampires,’”hesaidwitha chuckle.

Gorney saidhis family is grateful.

Tuesday marked the second rescue of Meatball’slife.Gorney’s daughter found him wandering aroundLakeview years ago and took him in. He’slived in Lacombe for adecade since then.

“Mydaughterasked us to keep him for aweekend,” Gorneysaid. “Well, that turnedinto10years.”

Meatball was resting Wednesday after his big adventure.

“He sleeps alot these days,” Gorney said with a laugh.

lifetime In 1979, Jimlaunchedhis dental practice in Gonzales, Louisiana—a career he carried forward with compassion,skilland passionate dedication until retiringin2025. Hispassion for hisprofession ledhim oftentoremark "I lovedmy work; Ihave neverfeltthat I'worked'a day in my life. Every day wasa joy." That dedication anddrive was echoed in theassurances of anumberofcolleagues, whohave shared that Jim was vital to launching their careers.

Jimwas active in his community, serving in the GonzalesRotary Club, actingasits presidentin2022 and 2023. He wasalso a Fellow Craft Masonworkingtowards hisdegrees with lodge Feliciana#31 when he passed. He is survivedbyKathy hislovingand faithfulwife of 43 years and hischildren,Stephanie Marie Jeansonne andher husband Billy Tullier, James Robert Jeansonneand his wife Paige,and Katie JeansonneMaxwell and her husband Jack; hisgrandchildren, Pilot, Ronin, Freya, MaudieJames and Cannon, whoaffectionately calledhim "the Dude" (AKA: "the most awesome Dude"); hissiblings, WendyAnneJeansonne andher husband Dave Dargo andStephen Prince Jeansonne and hiswife Nancy; numerous nieces andnephews; and many otherloved ones, including hisbeloved four-legged furry side-kick "Buddy." He is preceded in death by his parents, Robert Louis Jeansonneand Sylvia Anne Hernandez Jeansonne WhileJim treasured his relationshipswith many special people, Drexell Boggs, Chris Reilyand Dr Chad Spillersheld cherished placesinhis heart. With each, manyyearsof shared professional and recreational endeavors forgedunbreakable bonds of brotherhood. Jim's drinkofchoice wasbourbon or whiskey over severely crushed ice, whichhereferredtoasa "snow cone." It wasintegral to toasts of "tothe family" when lovedones gatheredand it consistently kicked off arousing game of spades andother shared momentsofgood company. In time,the familywill hold twomemorial celebrationsinhonor of Jim: oneathis home in Baton Rouge,Louisiana andan-

other at his home inNorwood, Louisiana. Dates andtimes for thesecelebrationswill be announced. In themeantime, we know that eachofus nowhave stewardship over thegifts that Jimhas shared; it wouldput a smileonhis facetoknow that you took aleisurely walk in nature, preferably with abeloved family member or friendand perhaps afurry friend, and that you just inhaled the beautythatisGod's most generousgift to each of us -seize it.Hug yourloved ones. Tell them what is in yourheart.Hewould be honored to know that you thoughtofhim as you drank in thesethings. Jim's familywould like to thank hisentire care team at OurLady of the Lake Regional Medical Center for theircompassionate care.Inlieuof flowers, donations may be made to the Tunnelto Towers Foundation, in honor of hislifelongcommitmenttoservice andcommunity.

SPORTS

Woodland’s climbup CB ranks illustrates LSU’sdepth

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

When it lined up for its first snap of the season, the LSU defense contained asurprise. It had not given one of its first-team cornerback spots to the incumbent starter, the prized five-star freshman or thethirdyear transfer it plucked fromaSoutheastern Conferencerival

The job belonged to PJ Woodland,the true sophomore who joined the No. 3Tigers (1-0) last seasonasalightly recruited, undersized three-star prospect.

Whystart Woodland against Clemson? Why start him over more experienced LSU corners?

“Well,heearned it,”

coach Brian Kelly said Wednesday In doing so, Woodland jumped two or three rungs up the cornerback ladder that LSUused to beginpreseason practices, proving the Tigers have moredepth in the secondary than they’ve ever had in Kelly’s four-year tenure.

Virginia Tech transfer Mansoor Delaneis still at the top of the depthchart, as expected,and freshmanDJPickett is rotating in. But junior Ashton Stamps and Florida transfer Ja’Keem Jackson are, as of the opener, relegated to the sideline. Neither played a single snap againstClemson Woodland logged51snaps,according to Pro Football Focus, and Pickett played 33. Thataction wasthe firstextended playing time of their careers, and they eachplayed tight coverage against the Clemsonwide receivers.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubniktargeted wideoutsthey werecovering just six times on Saturday,per PFF,and completed only three passes for 37 yardswhenhedid. Woodland even led LSU with five tackles, one of which was an early third-downsack that dropped Klubnik 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage, ending Clemson’s first drive of the game.

Similarities hard to ignore betweenold,new Saints head coach, butMoore leansintobeing himself

PAYTON CL ON E?

Hours before they stood on opposite sidelines for apreseason game lastmonth,Sean Payton and Kellen Moore greeted each otherand took afew minutes to chat. Their conversation centered on the trade they hadmadedays earlier,when Payton andthe Denver Broncos sent wide receiver Devaughn Vele to Moore andthe New OrleansSaints.

The meeting also was aglimpse into theSaints’ past and present Inside theCaesars Superdome, wherethe men stood,nocoach has delivered more victories —and more hope —tothe cityofNew Orleans than Payton, the former Saintscoach whose reign lasted 15 years. Then there’sMoore, the first-year coach tasked with reviving thefranchise coming off itsworst season since 2005, theyear before Payton’sarrival.

The parallels between thetwo areunavoidable. Moore, like Payton when theSaints hired him, is a first-time head coach known for his offensive intellect. Moore, like Payton,workedfor the Dallas Cowboys —though in Moore’scase, that washis firstplay-calling gigbeforestops with the Los AngelesChargersand Philadelphia Eagles.And Moore, like Payton then, is young but still old enough to have been in the mix forhead coaching jobsbefore landing with the Saints.

Moore started hearing the comparisons well before theSaints hired him, and the37-year-old even joked that general manager Mickey Loomis “might have atype” at his introductory news conference, given the executive

hired Payton, too.

But is Kellen Moore the next Sean Payton?

He doesn’thavetobeasheprepares for the noon Sunday season opener against the Arizona Cardinals in the Dome.

“You have to be your authentic self,” Moore said. “IfIbecome someraging screamer,the guys are going to look at me like I’manidiot.”

Searchingfor Sean?

Sitting in his office,Loomis let out asmall laugh after he answered the question posed to him: Does he have a ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Saturday night wasn’tasfun as theUL administration, coaches, players or fans had envisioned. There was anew quarterback,new offense, renovated stadium andlotsofbuzz, but only 12 points toshow for it duringaloss to Rice. It was ahuge punch in the gut. Even worse, new quarterback Walker Howardsuffered an injury after the first play of the Cajuns’ finaldrive that could have ended with a game-winning field goal. Now that the disappointment has been processed, let’sreview what else waslost in the 14-12 setback. The long-shot goal of being the Groupof Five team in the College Football Playoffis likely out the window Truthfully,this offensewas never going to be efficient enough for that,anyways.So that one’sreallyeasy to get over

Support-wise, the Cajuns certainly lost some of the old fans who were giving the programanother chance because of the newstadium.Theoretically,awinning streak could correct that issue.

Team leaders suchasoffensive guard Jax Harrington went right to worktokeep theteam’s spirit up.

“Yeah, it really started right after the game —keepingguys focused on the fact that when adversity hits, you got to look at it as apositive,” Harrington said. “It’sa blessing. Youcan’tget better if you don’t go throughstruggles. So, keeping thatmessage in the guy’sheads, that,you know adversity is ablessing. We’regoing to get throughthis, stay together,don’tsplinter.”

Thebigger potential concern is the quarterback situation. Howard’sinjury cost him theopportunity to put asubpar performance behind him

and lead his team to victory.After all, the drive was off toagood start with a25-yard completion to Shelton Sampson during the play on which he was injured.

Late Wednesday afternoon it was announced Howard will miss the 7p.m. Saturday gameagainst old rival McNeese State. His actual injury hasn’tbeen declared, but it’sbelieved to be in his hip.

That’sunfortunatebecause everyone at theopener saw Howard and his targets need all the practice time available to get on the same page. The inexperience at quarterback and wide receiver was this team’sbiggest question mark. That showed up in amajor way in the opener Now redshirt freshman Daniel Beale will start.His emergency playing timing twice in UL’s last three games doesn’tcount toward an evaluation of him.

If theCajuns can grab awin with How-

On TV

WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER

5p.m. Penn St. at Virginia ACCN

6:30p.m. Notre Dame at Michigan St. BTN

8:30 p.m. Stanford at SouthernCal BTN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL

7p.m.Washington at SMU ACCN

7p.m Texas A&M at Utah ESPN2 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

3p.m. PhiladelphiaatMilwaukee MLBN

6:40 p.m. N.y.yankees at Houston MLBN NFL

7:20 p.m. DallasatPhiladelphia NBC MEN’S SOCCER

10:50 a.m.Georgia vs.Turkey FS2

1:30 p.m.Bulgaria vs.Spain FS2

6:30 p.m.Suriname vs. PanamaCBSSN

9p.m.Guatemala vs.ElSalvador CBSSN TENNIS

6p.m.WTA:U.S.Open ESPN WNBA

6:30 p.m.PhoenixatWashington PRIME

9p.m.Minnesota at Las VegasPRIME

Hayden diditall on diamond

UL softball star tops programinruns

Editor’snote: This is part of aseries leading into Friday’sULAthletics Hall of Fame inductionceremony atOur Lady of LourdesStadium.

BY DANMCDONALD

Contributing writer

Haley Haydenremains theUL career leader in runs scored almost adecade after finishing her four-year career,and she is still one of the top-30 run scorersin NCAA Division Isoftballhistory Hayden also is listed near the top in severalother UL offensive categories afteracareer in which she started all 244 games she played. But many of those who sawher play from 2014-17 insist it was her defensive skills that truly sether apart.

“If she’d played all thattime at only one position, she’d be thebest defensive player they’ve ever had at that spot,” longtime UL softball broadcasterSteve Peloquin said “She’sreally underrated there because she played different positions every year.But who does that and does it as wellasshe did?

“Anywhere theyneeded her, that’swhere she played,” longtime UL staff member Bobby Neveaux said. “She was just the same every day,soconsistent and so versatile, and as fierce acompetitor as I’ve ever seen regardless of where she was playing.” Hayden started at second base one year,incenter field oneyear, at first base one seasonand in right field her final year.She had only 15 careererrors while playing virtually every inningofthose 244 games.

That helped the Cajuns finish a hard-to-believe 83-7 in SunBelt Conference play during her tenure. But her offensive prowess and abilitytowreak havoc while running the bases made her afourtime All-Sun Belt choice.

Along with scoring arecord 251 runs —now 28th in NCAA history —Haydenranks fourth in ULhistory in hits (297) and at-bats, and fifth in total bases.

She hit .365 for her career and slugged at a.644 mark. She collected49homers and 214 RBIs over her career Neveaux said Hayden was at

UL softballplayerHaleyHayden is one of the top-30run scorers in NCAA

her career from 2014-17. She will be inducted into the UL Athletics Hall of

her best in clutch situations, and numbers such as recording more than 60 hits in four straight years, a.370 career mark with runners in scoringposition and a.431 averageinSun Belt play as asenior back that up.

“She always came up clutch,”he said. “Her wholesenior year,she only struck out nine times. When the game was on the lineinthe seventh inning, if they were down with runners on base, it seemed like shedelivered every time. If shewas up there when they needed something to happen, there’s abetter chance than not shewas goingtoget itdone.”

Her threat didn’tstopafter she reached base.

“She was one of the best baserunners I’ve ever seen,” Peloquin said. “You can be fast and not be

agood baserunner, but she was exactlythe opposite. Shecut the corners withsuch precision and had unbelievable instinctsonthe bases. Idon’t know how many times shescoredfromsecond base on aground ball to the right side,which mostplayerscan’tdo.”

Hayden won four Sun Belt regular-season and two tournament titles during her career,along with three NCAA regional titles UL went11-3inregionalplay during her four years at the top of the lineup along with making a trip to theWomen’sCollege World Series.

“She played thegamehard,” Peloquin said. “Stealing bases (29 of 33 for her career), diving for balls,working the count to geton base.Her body gotbeatupand nicked up alot, but in those dou-

on Friday

bleheaders she wasalways back in thelineupfor Game Two. She was aboutastough aplayerasI’ve seen.”

She saved maybe her best defensive play forone of herlastgames, when she made asixth-inning diving catch against McNeese State in a6-0 NCAA regional winthat preserved Alex Stewart’spostseason no-hitter

That year,she was one of the catalystsfor ateam that went 23-1 in Sun Beltplay,outscored its opponents 454-125 during the season andoutscored SunBelttournamentcompetition 31-2. “I’m sure she had some bad games,but Idon’tremember any,” Neveaux said. “A lot of the things she did were taken forgranted becauseshe got it done each and every game.”

Pelicans add two new playerstothe roster

The NewOrleansPelicans announced Wednesdaythe signing of two players, center Garrison Brooks and forward Jalen McDaniels. The signing of McDaniels previously had been reported. The6-foot-10 Brooks played at North Carolina before transferring to Mississippi State. After going undrafted in 2022, he started in theGLeague with the WestchesterKnicks, New York’s affiliate. Brooks also played on thePelicans’ Summer League team in 2023.

McDaniels played his first 31/2 seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before being tradedtothe Philadelphia76ers in his fourth season.Lastseason, McDaniels signed a10-day contract with the Washington Wizards. He is averaging 6.7points and 3.3 rebounds in his career

Boston rookie to miss restofseasonfrom injury

Red Soxrookie Roman Anthonyis expected to missthe rest of the regular seasonafter he wasplacedon the 10-day injured list on Wednesdaywitha left oblique strain.

The 21-year-old Anthony departed Tuesday’s11-7 victory over Cleveland after striking out in the fourth inning. An MRIrevealed theextent of the injury.There is no timetable for Anthony’sreturn, but manager Alex Cora saidplayers are typically sidelinedfor four to sixweekswith this kind of oblique issue.

Entering Wednesday’saction, Boston was 21/2 gamesback of AL East-leading Toronto.Anthony,one of baseball’stop prospects, made his major league debut on June 9. He is batting .292 witheight homersand 32 RBIsin71games with theRed Sox.

WR Meyerssays his trade requestdenied by Raiders Las Vegas wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said theRaidersturned down his trade request and he didn’tknow what his future looked like with the organization. Meyers, who turns 29 on Nov.9, requested atrade last weekwhen he andthe club failed to reachan agreementona contract extension. He enters the final season of a three-year,$33 milliondeal.

Meyers comes off his first 1,000yard season. He caught 87 passes in 2024 for 1,027 yards andfourtouchdowns. Meyers wasthe only NFL receiverwithatleast 85 targets andnodropped passes. Butrather than hold out or attend but not participate in practices, Meyers has continued to work with his teammates as they prepare for Sunday’s season opener at New England.

Jets O-lineman has injury before season opener

NewYork Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker has an arm injury that could sideline him forthe season opener and perhaps longer The offensive linemanwas listed Wednesday on the team’s injury reportasnot participating in practice with atriceps issue.

BY HOWARD FENDRICH AP tennis writer

NEW YORK Felix Auger-Aliassime gotpastAlexdeMinaur 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5,7-6 (4) at the U.S. Open across 4hours, 10 minutes on Wednesday to reach his second Grand Slam semifinal —and second at Flushing Meadows.

The No. 25-seeded Auger-Aliassime’sonly other trip to the final four at amajor came in New York in 2021 at age21.

“Four yearsago.Itfeels like more,” said Auger-Aliassime, who advanced back then when Carlos Alcaraz stopped playing in the quarterfinals with an injured leg muscle.“It wasa tough couple of years.” Auger-Aliassime, who is Canadian, will meetNo. 1JannikSinner or No. 10 LorenzoMusetti on Friday for aberth in the championship match. No. 2Alcaraz faces No. 7Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal.

“It’snot over. There’sstill some tennis to play and the biggest challenges areyet to come,”AugerAliassime said. “That’swhatI live for.That’swhat Itrain for.” He hit 22 aces and finished with atotal of 51 winners to the 29 for de Minaur,who dropped to0-6 for his career in Grand Slam quarterfinals.

“Right now I’mlookingatthis like awasted opportunity,”said de Minaur.“It’stough.”

Auger-Aliassime wasone point from trailing twosets to none whendeMinaur led 6-5 in the second-set tiebreaker.But AugerAliassimeerasedthatset point with a120 mphace.Thatbegan a run in which he grabbedfour of five points to even the contestat aset apiece.

“Just alot of nerves today,during the whole match. It wasn’t pretty at all times,” Auger-Aliassime saidduring hison-courtinterview in Arthur Ashe Stadium

“I was willing to dig really deep anddoeverythingI cantostand here,right now.”

This is the first time Auger-Aliassime has eliminated three seeded players during asingle major, adding thisvictory over No. 8de MinaurtowinsagainstNo. 3Alexander Zverevinthe thirdround andNo. 15 AndreyRublevinthe fourth.

Otherevents

In the women’squarterfinals, Amanda Anisimova upsetIga Swiatek 6-4, 6-3 in arematch of the Wimbledon final won by Swiatek 6-0, 6-0 less than two months ago. Naomi Osakafaced Karolina Muchova at night

Djokovic survives Tuesday Novak Djokovic is 38 and trying to conquer ayounger man’s game as he heads into the U.S.Open semifinals on Friday.It’sbeen two yearssince hismostrecentGrand Slamtitle. Last season was his first without

Felix Auger-Aliassime, of Canada, reacts after defeating Alex de Minaur,ofAustralia, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open on WednesdayinNew york.

earning at least onesince2017. AndDjokovic is clear that, at this point in his career,thosebig trophiesfrom the sport’sfourbiggest eventsare all he really cares about. At this year’sthreeother majortournaments, he exited in the semifinals, two after getting hurt: quitting at the Australian Open because of atornhamstring and clearly limited at Wimbledon by an injured groin muscle. He hadn’t competed anywhere sinceleaving theAll England Club in July until arriving at Flushing Meadows. Djokovic faces No. 2Carlos Alcaraz, 22, next after reaching

a53rd major semifinal and 14th by eliminating No. 4seed Taylor Fritz,27infour sets Tuesday night NowthatDjokovicisbackinthe finalfourinNew York, he wins thisand a final on Sunday against No. 1Jannik Sinner,23, could await,ifthe defending champion beats Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals and whoever his semifinal opponent is. Djokovic currently owns nearly everyrecord of anysignificance in men’s tennis, including 24 major championships, 37 major final appearances and themost weeks at No. 1inthe rankings.

Aperson withknowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Vera-Tucker was injured

The news came just four days before the Jets open their season against Pittsburgh. The Athletic first reported that Vera-Tucker was dealing with apotentially serious injury.ESPN reported VeraTucker hasa torntriceps— the same injury that cut short his2022 season —and could need surgery, but theoffensive linemanwas seeking asecond medical opinion.

NBA opens investigations on Clippers,Leonard deal

The NBAsaid Wednesday that it will investigate if a$28 million endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard anda Californiabased sustainability services company allowed the Los Angeles Clippers to circumvent league salary cap rules, following areport by journalist Pablo Torre.

The probe will focus on ties among Leonard, the Clippers and acompany called Aspiration Fund Adviser,which filed forbankruptcy this year

It listed several creditors at that time, among them the Clippers, who was owed $30 million, anda companycalled KL2 Aspire LLC that wasowed$7million.

Leonard is listed as the manager of that company in California filings. KL is his initials, and 2ishis jersey number

Continued from page 1C

“We’re gonna play the guys that, obviously, give us the best chance to win,” Kelly said. “It’s depth. It’s competition. We like the way (Woodland) was consistent in his performance in camp, and that led him to the starting position.” Kelly said after LSU’s sixth preseason practice that he also liked the fact Woodland now is around 12-15 pounds heavier than he was

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

type?

The general manager said he doesn’t know. What he does know is that he didn’t go into the Saints’ coaching vacancy with the intention of finding a Payton clone. He noted he interviewed offensive and defensive coaches. Loomis said he found the pool of candidates to be the strongest of the three coaching searches that he’s conducted.

But Loomis didn’t shoot down the similarities.

He said there are “natural comparisons” between Moore and Payton, from their coaching backgrounds to their days as college quarterbacks Loomis said there’s a lot of overlap in the things that they talk about as well. He said he even thinks the two look “a little bit alike.”

“Look, Sean’s the standard for the Saints,” Loomis said “... So everyone, no matter who it is, is going to be compared to him. It’s not a bad thing.”

Dennis Allen, Moore’s predecessor, can attest to those comparisons. The Saints promoted Allen from defensive coordinator to head coach after Payton’s resignation in 2021 in an attempt to maintain continuity, but he was unpopular with the fan base and fired midway through his third season.

Darren Rizzi, who took over in the interim, wasn’t seen as much of a direct link to Payton, but he still was part of the previous staff.

The Saints’ lack of success in recent years is why many wondered whether Loomis needed to completely move on from the Payton era for the franchise to have a fresh start this offseason.

This narrative always seemed to baffle Loomis. Didn’t the Broncos and the Detroit Lions launch two of the more successful rebuilds of late? Each of those franchises held ties to Payton or his assistants, Loomis pointed out at the end of the season.

Loomis said he’d be concerned only with finding the best candidate for the job.

“You could do a lot worse than trying to emulate Sean Payton,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. “The NFL truly is a copycat league. I wouldn’t blame Mickey for leaning into the similarities, if that’s what he did.” Still, there are plenty of differences between the two — especially in their personalities. Payton is a Bill Parcells disciple and had the fiery persona to match. Moore is more even-keeled after watching his dad coach high school football in their small hometown of Prosser, Washington.

The situations the men stepped into aren’t nearly the same, either Payton was tasked with taking over a franchise whose city had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but he had at least successfully recruited Drew Brees to be the team’s starting quarterback. Moore has a far less definitive answer at the position: Second-year QB Spencer Rattler beat out rookie Tyler Shough to start the season Loomis was drawn to Moore nonetheless. During the interview process, the general manager was struck by Moore’s intentionality Every answer, Loomis recalled, had a well-layered reason behind it. The answers felt genuine, no matter the topic.

The Saints, for instance, held part of training camp in California because Moore brought up the idea as a way of building team chemistry over the course of a long season, Loomis said. Moore also brought up the ways he’d go on to incorporate team-bonding activities, such as the team’s afternoon at a paintball course.

“Here’s what I like about him: He’s open-minded,” Loomis said.

“He’s not looking for and Sean’s the same way — he’s not a guy who thinks he has every answer, particularly early on. He likes having opinions and likes dissent. We grow from that.”

Creating a culture

Charlie Smyth knew to keep it brief this time.

After an August practice in which the kicker nailed a 58-yarder to win the simulated game, Moore told the Ireland native to break down the team’s huddle. It

during his freshman season. The added weight has helped him improve as a tackler Before, Kelly said, he was a little too light to push for a larger role in the secondary Now Woodland can start, especially because LSU trusts him to play on both the outside and inside. Against Clemson, according to PFF the Tigers lined him up wide on 33 snaps and slid him over the slot on nine.

“He’s a very smart player,” Kelly said about Woodland on Aug. 5, “so we can move him around.” Now the odd man out is Stamps,

the former Rummel star who started 17 games across the first two seasons of his career He and Woodland enrolled at LSU in similar positions. In 2023, Stamps was a three-star recruit, slotted well outside the top-500 prospects of 247Sports Composite rankings.

He played an important role as a freshman anyway The LSU secondary was that thin on talent — one of the key reasons why its defensive struggles derailed the 2023 season. Now the Tigers have a deep, talented group of corners. They have

veterans such as Delane, Stamps and Jackson, and younger players such as Pickett and Woodland. All of them can play significant snaps on a defense that helped LSU make a strong statement in the season opener Stamps may find his way into the rotation later in the season, Kelly said. But for now he’s running behind Woodland, the sophomore who rode a strong preseason camp into a rise up the depth chart and a starring role on a defense with a much stronger secondary “It’s hotly contested,” Kelly said.

“We’ve got great depth, and all those guys are extremely capable players. “It will be closely contested all year and that competition is the big difference in this program in that it drives consistency day in and day out because you know if you don’t have that consistency, you won’t be a starter.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

was only the second time Smyth, who didn’t start playing football until August 2023, had been given such a task — and he caught flak for his first speech.

“IrememberIdidoneatthe(International Player Pathway program) and the boys were like, ‘Is this a novel or whatever?’ ” Smyth said. Smyth appreciated Moore’s invitation. To Moore, it was a small way to praise the second-year kicker’s progress after an admittedly rough start to training camp.

“I think it really is a cool example of development in our league,” Moore said. “Charlie, he’ll be probably the first one to tell you that the start of training camp wasn’t great He was missing more than he made for a couple days, and he just kept going for it.”

This, to Moore, is culture.

He is not the kind of football coach who stands at a lectern, pounds his fist and goes on and on about the importance of culture.

Moore, like Loomis, views the term as a misnomer Culture is the result of creating an environment that allows every player and every coach to be their best, he said.

The approach is also why Moore wasn’t determined to make changes for the sake of change.

Moore wanted to understand what the Saints already had in place, adding that he recognized there was a “lot of good here.” He opted, for example, to keep some of the key messaging from the Payton era — including the “Compete Street” signs installed in 2015 at the team’s practice facility

“We’re going to lean into competition, because that’s part of the NFL,” Saints director of sports science Ted Rath said. “You have to compete now We can do it in a healthy manner We’re going to build upon those things and continue to keep that competitive edge.”

Instead, Moore has focused on blending all parts of his background to put his imprint on the Saints.

His assistants can recognize the influences. Rath said the flow of the Saints’ schedule — aimed at optimizing efficiency can be traced to Jim Caldwell’s days in Detroit, when Rath was an assistant strength and conditioning coach and Moore was a backup quarterback.

Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, once Moore’s boss as head coach of the Chargers, ran the same kind of “call-it” periods of unscripted plays in Los Angeles that Moore frequently utilized in training camp here.

“He tries to perfect that (borrowing),” said Saints senior offensive assistant Scott Linehan, who also overlapped with Moore in Detroit and Dallas. “He takes those pieces, logs that away and says, ‘I’m going to use that someday.’ It might be something from 12 years ago.”

The pieces extend to the building’s aesthetics. Outside the Saints’ locker room,Moorehadthearearemodeled

so that the right side of the hallway would pay homage to the Saints’ past andtheleftsideofthehallwaywould recognize the Saints’ future.

On the right side of the hallway there are decals featuring franchise legends, their positions and the years they played for the franchise through the decades. On the left side of the hallway there are the core values — big, bolded type that shows Moore’s vision for the Saints, backed up by photos that capture the moments.

There are five core values down the left side: takeaways, play style, team fundamentals, situational masters and ball security Each value also has key components written out, such as “smart, fast, physical.”

Moore got the idea after seeing the Eagles and the Golden State Warriors execute similar concepts.

Moore is quick to get the walls updated with relevant examples: Less than two weeks after Jonas Sanker’s game-tying interception in the preseason, a decal of the rookie was put up near the takeaways section.

It took Sanker by surprise.

“It’s awesome,” Sanker said. “They emphasize it all the time.”

Unexpected challenges

When he meets with candidates in person, Loomis likes to toss out hypothetical scenarios to see how they would react.

But nowhere in the interview did Loomis ask, “What if your starting quarterback suddenly retires?”

Not even the Saints could have seen that coming.

“Mickey and I had some fun conversations there for the first few months,” Moore said with a grin. “A couple of times where we’d joke, ‘You wanted to be a head coach in the NFL? Here we go.’ ” Derek Carr’s retirement in May because of a shoulder injury marked the stunning conclusion of a months-long saga that saw Carr disclose in late March he was hurt, with the quarterback and the Saints trying to determine the severity of the ailment.

During that time, Loomis said he never saw Moore panic; instead, he pivoted to find a solution. The team’s scouting of college quarterbacks “intensified,” Loomis said, but work already had been underway given Carr’s age (34).

“Different coaches react differently to — I think all eventually are going to attack the problem, but how they react initially can be different,” Loomis said.

Moore’s tendency to attack the problem is nothing new When Linehan served as the Lions offensive coordinator in 2012-13, he noticed how Moore, a third-string quarterback, would study TV copies of games to steal defensive signals, and then he’d share those observations with the rest of the room. Linehan could tell Moore

thought like a coach.

In 2016, with the pair now in Dallas, Linehan started to expand Moore’s responsibilities when the quarterback was out for the year with a leg injury At first, Linehan had Moore compile the defensive signals just as he did in Detroit. But one week, Linehan asked Moore to put together clips from the red zone. Another week, Moore’s task was two-minute situations. The work got to the point where Linehan had Moore start presenting the information to the rest of the quarterbacks in the room.

“You could tell he was on the fast track,” Linehan said. “He wasn’t promoting himself. He was just working behind the scenes, getting himself ready (to become a coach).”

In 2018, Moore made the decision to retire once the Cowboys offered him a job to coach the team’s quarterbacks. By 2019, he became the offensive coordinator after Linehan was fired.

Moore spent five years as an assistant in Dallas. Of all his NFL experience, the time perhaps best prepared Moore for the realities of losing a starting quarterback on the fly The Cowboys lost starter Dak Prescott twice in Moore’s tenure, once for most of the year in 2020 and again for the first five games in 2022.

When Moore thinks of Carr’s retirement these days, he said he thinks of a sign that Jason Garrett used to hang in the Cowboys’ training room:

The only thing that matters is what we do now

Carving his path

At the NFL owners’ meetings this past spring, Payton said Moore will do well leading the Saints.

There are impossible jobs and good jobs, he said.To Payton, the New Orleans front-office structure and ownership make the Saints a good NFL job.

“Generally, you’re going somewhere that’s broken and you’ve got to fix it quick,” Payton said.

“I think Kellen has that calmness about him. And I think there’s a uniqueness to that city, that maybe’s not for everyone, but I think he’ll do well there.” Moore and Payton know what it’s like to wait for the right job Before the Saints hired them, both men were part of the league’s annual coaching cycle. Moore was linked to head coaching jobs as early as 2021, when he interviewed by the Eagles. He was later a finalist in the Miami Dolphins’ 2022 coaching search. Payton turned down the Oakland Raiders in 2004 after Parcells and others persuaded him to stay in Dallas.

For Moore, each rejection was an opportunity to refine what he needed to work on. Before the Super Bowl, Moore admitted he was too pass-happy as a play-caller earlier in his career

It’s fitting, then, that his first job comes after he designed an Eagles offense that ranked second in rushing en route to winning the Super Bowl.

Rath was part of the Eagles’ hiring committee in 2021 when Philadelphia hired Nick Sirianni instead of Moore Though Philadelphia went in a different direction, the sports science director recalled how Moore “crushed” the interview and how evident it was he’d be a head coach one day Then the Eagles brought on Moore as their coordinator last season.

Rath said Moore’s growth since then has stemmed from his changes of scenery

“Experiencing new organizations and different methods, that’s a blessing in this business,” he said. Moore now gets to run the show in New Orleans. So far, players have embraced his approach. The vibes are always high in scenarios like these, but this offseason, long snapper Zach Wood and tight end Juwan Johnson remarked that this was the best it has felt in a long time.

The two are also part of the handful of players left who experienced the team’s success under Payton.

“With Sean here, he was very aggressive and (had an) assertive personality,” Wood said, bringing up Payton unprompted. “Kellen is laid back. Just himself, which I think everybody appreciates when somebody can get up in front of a room of a bunch of guys who think they’re alpha males and lead a team and not try to be anybody but yourself. Because people can usually see right through that.

“With Kellen, he’s super genuine up there.”

The mood can change if losses start to pile up. As high as those within the Saints are on Moore, New Orleans is still widely expected to be one of the NFL’s worst teams. Challenging times may lie ahead.

But they did for Payton, as well.

Because the Saints took the league by surprise with an NFC championship game appearance during the 2006 season, it is to forget now that Payton’s teams went 7-9 and 8-8 over his next two seasons.

“One thing that happens is (people) are going to talk about Sean like the Sean that left here and was here for 15 years,” Loomis said. “But you should be comparing (Moore) to the Sean that was here in Year 1 and 2. He evolved and was different in the mid and latter part of his career than he was at the beginning of his career.”

ButLoomisisconfidentthe37-yearold Moore is the right man for the job, just as he was once confident about a 42-year-old quarterbacks coach who just needed a chance. Is Kellen Moore the next Sean Payton?

All he has to do is be himself.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

THE VARSITY ZONE

Huge shoes to fill

New QBs clash in Vermilion Catholic vs. Catholic-New Iberia opener

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

A pair of local reigning state champions collide in Week 1 of the prep football season with new quarterbacks at the helm.

Prejean, whose team hasn’t lost a regular-season game since 2021 (to Erath), will be at a size disadvantage against the Panthers. That hasn’t hampered Vermilion Catholic, which has won each matchup against CHNI dating to 2019.

we were taking a shot at the end zone.”

Linebackers Michael Haik and Izaac Andre and defensive tackle Michael Bertrand had excellent jamboree efforts for the Panthers, whose only loss last season was to VCHS.

William Simon and Xander LaBa uve a re n’t inexperienced players, however Simon was a jackof-all-trades for Vermilion Catholic before moving to quarterback after Jonathan Dartez graduated LaBauve started at defensive end for Catholic High of New Iberia during Luke Landry’s senior year under center

“William had a great jamboree,” said Screamin’ Eagles coach Broc Prejean, who will welcome the Panthers to Abbeville at 7 p.m. Friday “He made great decisions in choosing where to go with the ball and executed the offense really well.”

The Eagles, who defeated Acadiana Renaissance 31-0 in the jamboree, are planning to throw the ball more after Dartez rushed for more than 2,500 yards, but Luke McLain should see plenty of carries in addition to serving as a defensive leader

“Luke was fantastic on both sides of the ball,” Prejean said. “When we got him in the open field, he showed what he can do. We handled a defensive line that had substantial size.”

“That’s a credit to our resilient kids,” Prejean said. “There is no doubt we’re giving up a lot of weight and height, which isn’t atypical for us. We’ve been playing fairly decently, but I don’t put a lot of stock in that until the real deal Friday night.”

CHNI, which got out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter before falling 14-10 to the Eagles last year, also pitched a jamboree shutout. The Panthers took down Opelousas Catholic 16-0 in Eunice.

“I was pleased with how we competed,” coach Matthew Desormeaux said “I think we can be really good if we stay healthy We need to continue developing quarterback play. We have a running back in Owen Morris who should be really good with the big boys up front.”

Morris had his way at times against the Opelousas Catholic defense, getting to the second level untouched and scoring a touchdown. Senior safety Layton Mitchell had the other score on a long interception return.

“Xander did better even though his stats weren’t great,” Desormeaux said of the 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior “He had two drops. We had an interception on the final play of the half when

“They killed us in the second half last year,” Desormeaux said. “The conditions were brutal and played to their advantage with a running quarterback, which gives them an extra blocker on each play

“Overall we’re bigger than they are, but we were bigger than them last year and the year before that. Vermilion Catholic plays with great motors.”

VCHS, which won the Division IV select championship, is ranked second in Class 1A by the LSWA behind Haynesville The Eagles received four of 11 first-place votes.

“I watched Catholic-New Iberia’s jamboree live and watched the tape a few times,” Prejean said. “They put a lot of pressure on you. They have athletes all over the back half of the defense that are so ready to jump on any mistake you make. Their unique defensive style with advanced coverage techniques is a concern.”

The Division III select champion Panthers, led by four-star junior safety Karon Eugene, are No. 4 in Class 2A. Lafayette Christian and Dunham, which finished as 2024 runner-up to CHNI, are tied at No. 1. CHNI got one first-place vote.

ard out, that seasoning could pay off down the road when Beale is next called upon.

As for the wide receivers, if Saturday’s parade of drops doesn’t motivate the group, nothing will.

The other culprit in the passing game was the offensive line’s lack of protection at times.

“It really wasn’t as big as you would think, watching the game,” Harrington said of the line’s grade. “It was a few inches here, a few inches there. It was one guy here, one guy there. Really just got to get all 11 playing right at the same time, I think, is what we got to improve on the most.

“O-line-wise, definitely could have had a little bit more strain, a little bit more finishing areas that would have took a 4- or 5-yard run into maybe even a house call. So it was very frustrating.”

The poor passing game also deprived some from evaluating the rest of the team. If the passing game can improve, competing in the Sun Belt is very realistic.

The running game wasn’t great, but there’s potential after gaining 151 yards on 4.9 yards a carry against the Owls. The defense missed tackles in the first half, but the tackling was much better in the second half. There’s still every reason to believe the defense can be among the league’s best. The kicking part of special teams was surprisingly good. Tony Sterner made two difficult kicks, and

Zucchini, delicate leeksthe starsof carbonara

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

(TNS)

Tribune News Service

Pasta Carbonara,with its rich and creamy sauce, is a classic Italian favorite. This light twist brings afresh,seasonal touch to the traditional dish.

Iprepare it using tender zucchini and delicateleeks,adding sliced mushrooms for asatisfying, meaty texture. The flavors are brightened withfragrant fresh basil whileParmesan cheese adds asavory finish.It’s aquick, easy,vegetarian dish, bursting with freshness.

HELPFUL HINTS:

n 3teaspoons minced garlic can be used instead of garlic cloves

n Any type of long pastasuch as spaghettican be used

Vegetable Carbonara Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

3ounces fettuccine

2teaspoons

3cups

heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½cup basil leaves

2tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring alarge saucepan ¾ filled with water to aboil. Stir in the pasta and boil for 10 minutes, taste to make surethe pasta is cooked but firm; add 2more minutes if necessary.

2. Remove ½cup of cooking water to abowl and set that aside. Drain therest of the pasta.

3. Heat the oil in alarge skillet and add the leeks and zucchini. Cook for 4minutes and add onionand garlic.Saute 6to7minutes. Add the oregano andstir to combine with the ingredients.

4. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet.Toss welltocombine all ingredients. Stir in the mushrooms.

5. In asmall bowl, whisk the egg and cream together.Pour into the skillet and toss again. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to make asmooth sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Dividebetween two dinner plates and sprinkle basil and parmesan on top.

NUTRITION INFO PER SERVING: 520 calories (36 percent from fat), 20.9 gfat (9.4 gsaturated, 6.3 gmonounsaturated), 131 mg cholesterol, 18.3 gprotein,70.0 gcarbohydrates, 7.7 g fiber, 182 mg sodium.

By LIZ

Howdoyou create asimpleand satisfying fish dish that’s difficult to mess up?The secret is foil packets

One of my favorite childhood memoriesinvolves riding down St.Charles Avenue in my Dad’snew company car to get ice cream. Life was good in our brandnew fancy tan Oldsmobile. It was not thebest-looking car, but it came withafreecassette tapeofWillie Nelson’s1978 album “Stardust.” Ican still picture riding with thesunroof open under live oak trees and hearing the slow somberopening notes to “September Song.” The lyrics and melody capture thefeeling when another summer ends and fall begins. The whole album is great and it makes cooking and cleaning more fun. The shorter days and busier schedules of September call for easy weeknight meals. This recipefor baked white fish seasoned with green onions, ginger and bok choy is simple and satisfying. Ihave heard from alot of people that they do not feel confident cooking

ä See FISH, page 6C

Ginger White Fish and Bok Choy Serves 4. Cooking supplies needed: rimmedbaking sheet and tinfoil.

4tablespoon soy sauce

2tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1tablespoon honey 4babybok choy (cut stem and clean and separate leaves)

4(5-6 ounce) red snapper fillets (substitute: cod, halibut or sea bass) 1teaspoon salt (divided) 1teaspoon pepper (divided) 10 green onions (white parts sliced thin; save some for garnish) 1piece of fresh ginger (peeled and sliced into thin sticks)

1⁄3 cup of cilantro (chopped and divided)

1. Preheat the oven to 425F

2. Place 4 large sheets of heavy tin foil (approximately 12 inches-by-14 inches each) on abaking sheet to wrap each fish fillet.

3. Make the sauce: In a small mixing bowl, add the soysauce,rice wine vinegar,sesame oil and honey whisk together untilthe honey incorporatesinto the sauce.

4. In thecenter of each piece of tin foil, place about 5leaves of baby bok choy,add one fish fillet on topofthe leaves. Season each fish fillet with salt and pepper,then top with theslicedgreen onions and fresh ginger

Foraquick meal,try whipping up ahealthful grainbowl

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER

Tribune News Service (TNS)

Have you thought about eating more whole grains? We keep hearing they’re good for us. Ifound abox of bulgur wheat in my pantry and thought this would be perfectfor aquick meal using awhole grain. Bulgur,sometimes called bulghur,iswheatkernels that have beensteamed, driedand crushed.For this dinner they only need to soak in hotwater for 20 minutes. Istart soaking them while gathering my other ingredients. Store bought hummus, crumbled feta cheese and vegetables complete this deliciousand easy,quickdinner.

Yields 2servings. RecipeisbyLinda Gassenheimer

6. Arrange each packet on the baking tray.Add the tray of fish to the oven and bake forabout 15 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven. Let sit 1minute. Carefully open the packets(don’tburn yourself) fromthe top so that you do notspill thesauce. Remove the fish onto aplate with aspatula. Add the bok choy.Pour the sauce from the packets over the fish. Use the freshly cut cilantro and reserved greenonionstogarnish. Serve with rice.

5. Bend the tin foil up on all sides of each fish fillettoform abowl shape; pour one tablespoon of theprepared sauceoverthe fish. Close the tin foil at the top, completely sealing the fish, vegetable and saucewithin apacket.Be very careful to seal the tin foil so that the sauce stays in the foil packet.

Mediterranean Grain Bowl

of the bowl. 5. Add the drained bulgur to the centerofeach bowl. Drizzlethe reserved saladdressing over allthe ingredients. Serve with the

Just parkouraroundthe hallwayconversations

Dear Miss Manners: Iama college student who lives in the dormitories on campus. The hallwaysare average-sized —about 5 feet wide —and arenever crowded, though residents often have conversations in the hall. Often, two or more people will be leaning on opposite walls, making it impossible to go around the conversation. Ialways walk through the opening, which is wide enough to go through without comingincontact witheither party,and Isay “excuse me” to bothfor interrupting them. Is this properetiquette,oris there amore polite way to go down the hall?

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Gentle reader: Your solution is proper.But it doesleave Miss Manners racking her brains for any other possible solution that wouldnot involve climbing gearorcoming into closer contact withthe floor than might be desirable. Dear MissManners: Iwas alwaystaught that one’s bread plate is placed to the left. Whenever Iamwith a largegroup at atable at a wedding (or another function), at leastone person always takesthe bread platetotheir right. Their neighbors then follow suit, eventually meeting theside of the table using the left plate, leaving someone withoutone. Iusually just quietly go without

Vigilanceatall times

Dear Heloise: An article about purse safety just appeared in this week’sSt. Louis Post-Dispatch. Awoman came out of the grocery store, placed her grocery bags in her car, put her purse in thefront seat, and walked only a few steps to the rack to return the cart. As she was doing so, avery polite man stopped her to ask if she knew the name of avet nearby as he had asick dog. After avery brief conversation, she returned to her car and drove home only to discover her purse wasmissing. Obviouslythe man had an accomplice whoremoved her purse from the unlockedcar in seconds. Be warned! Do not leave your car unlocked evenif it’sjust to return your cart. —Francesca R., via email

Unique gift wrapping

bread if I’mthe stranded guest, andIdon’treally get upset by it. Butthis seemslike such abasic element of table manners that I can’tbelieve so manypeople don’t know it Can you please weigh in, just for public education, assuming I’mright?

Gentlereader: Youare right.The good news is that most dinner tables are not flush to thewall. If diners are evenly spaced around theedges, then once everyone has, incorrectly,grabbed the platetothe right,the unused platewill be found to your right Allthat will then remain will be to clear space to the left for your plate —and seeing if there is any butter left.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave aneighbor who texts me on afairly regular basis, asking me for all kinds of different things —usually food items. She is not poor; she seemstogo out multiple times aday and has delivery trucks at her house daily Iamnot sure whyshe can’tmake her own grocery runs, as we live very close to multiple stores. If Irespondthat Idon’thave whatever she is looking for, she usually replies, “That’sOK, I found something else to use,” as if it is my fault she doesn’thave somethinginher house. It is very irritating, to say the least! This is aneighbor who,when she is out of thehouse, is more interested in herphone than in talk-

ing to my husband or me. Ihave blocked her in thepast, but Iam notsurethis is theright thing to do Gentle reader: What she is doing only works if you are responding “in real time” —asone apparently says these days —which is not yet arequirement of being a good neighbor

If you take along time to respond to these texts, she will stop sending them

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

that is special to recipient! —Judi B.,inGreen Valley,Arizona Judi, this was an old Heloise hint andone my mother andIloved!It’sespecially fun to use amap when wrappinga wedding gift if youcan find oneof where the couple plans to honeymoon. —Heloise By hook orbycrook

Dear Heloise: Icarry a large plastic hook with me in my purse.Itcomes in handy in apublic restroom to hang my bagon. Many stalls don’tprovide hooks. Andwhen I’m finished, I pull thepaper down off the roll for thenextpatron.This is abig courtesy —Ellen M., in New Jersey

Nailed it

Dear Heloise: Old or outdated maps are great for wrapping paper! Thrift stores often have themfor aquarter or less. It is especially fun if you can wrap agift with amap from an area

By The Associated Press

Dear Heloise: Isecuresmall nails to my hammerwith arubber band so that they are conveniently there whenIneed to hang apicture.No moresearching for nails! —Letty R., in San Antonio

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

with East Germany.

Today is Thursday,Sept. 4, the 247thday of 2025. There are 118 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Sept. 4, 1949, more than 140 people were injured following aperformance by singer Paul Robeson in Peekskill, NewYork, as an anti-Communist mob attacked departing concertgoers. Also on this date: In 1781, Los Angeles was founded by Spanish settlers underthe leadership of Governor FelipedeNeve.

In 1944, during World WarII, British troops liberated Antwerp, Belgium. In 1957, Arkansas Gov.Orval Faubus ordered ArkansasNational Guardsmen to prevent nine Black studentsfrom entering all-White Central High SchoolinLittle Rock.

In 1972, U.S. swimmerMark Spitzbecame the first to win seven medals at asingleOlympic Games, winning aseventhgold at the Munich Olympics in the 400-meter medley relay In 1972, the longest-running gameshow in U.S.history,“The Price is Right,” debuted on CBS In 1974, the United Statesestablished diplomatic relations

FISH

Continued from page5C

fish. Well, this fish recipe comes together in minutes and it is hard to mess up. The use of tin foil packets steams the fish and seals in the moisture and flavor of the vegetables. Iservedthis dish over rice and toppeditwith crunchy green onions and cilantro. Learning to cook fish in afoil is agame changer,because once you understand the method with one fish you can use it with many others.This method of cooking comes from aclassic French dish called poissonenpapillote, which means fish in paper or parchment to make asealed pouch. Using aparchmentpaper packet or atin foilpacket creates aclosed environment that steams the fish and melds all the flavors within the packet together.The result is moist delicious fish and asauce that you can use to pour overaside of rice. Iused red snapper,but halibut,

In 1998, Google was founded by Stanford University Ph.D. students Sergey Brin and Larry Page. In 2016, elevatingthe “saint of thegutters” to one of theCatholic Church’shighesthonors, Pope Franciscanonized Mother Teresa, praisingher radical dedication to society’soutcasts and hercourage inshaming world leaders for the “crimes of poverty they themselves created.”

In 2018, the SenateJudiciary Committee began confirmation hearings forfuture Supreme Court Justice BrettKavanaugh on aday that saw rancorous exchanges between Democrats and Republicans. Today’sbirthdays: Golf Hall of Famer RaymondFloyd is 83. Golf Hall of FamerTom Watson is 76. Actor Lawrence HiltonJacobsis72. Actor Khandi Alexander is 68. Actor-comedian DamonWayansSr. is 65. Baseball Hall ofFamer Mike Piazza is 57. DJ-musician-producer Mark Ronson is 50. Actor WesBentley is 47. Actor Max Greenfield is 46. Singer-actor Beyoncé is 44. Actor-comedian Whitney Cummings is 43. Actor-comedian Kyle Mooney (TV:“Saturday NightLive”) is 41.

cod andsea bass would all work well with this recipe. To boost the flavor,Iincludedsoy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesameoil which created an Asian flavor profile.

Ihappened to havea container of black rice in my pantry,soI decided to use it withthis fish dish. Black rice is also called “forbidden rice.” It was given this name because in ancient China, it was rarer than white rice andreserved for royalty These days we can find it on the shelves in most local grocery stores. When Isee it, Ibuy abag becauseit reminds me of my mother-in-law,Mae Faul. The first time shehad “forbidden rice” was at my house. She joked with me aboutserving what sounded likea wicked grain. Food memories are as precious as an old songthat transports and remindsusofgood times.

Liz Sullivan Faul is aregistered

dietitian nutritionist who enjoys cooking and sharing meals with herfriendsand family

TIME TO SAVOR THESUMMER

BY BETH DOOLEY

TheMinnesota Star Tribune (TNS)

Corn, sweet and tender,isin joyful high season. There’slots of it, and it’seasy to find, easy to love. The best way to eat corn is straight off the cob, dripping with butter and showered with coarse salt …orgrilled to roasty, caramelized perfection and slathered with spicy lime mayo. Buthurry,the season for corn is now.Enjoy it by the bushel before it fades intoa hazy memory. Make sure thecorn is local and fresh. Look for plump, dark green husks that are heavy in thehand. This means theear is mature and the

kernels are theproper size.

(Pleasedon’tpeel back the husk to check the interior.)

In our home, we eat cob after cob, night after night, until sometime near mid-August, when we’re ready foranother approach. Corn and tomato salad? Creamed corn?Corn chowder? Succotash? Better yet,savory corn pancakes.

Studded with sweet corn kernels, garden herbs and a kick of chili crisp, these are not your breakfast pancakes. They’re morelike cornbread with alovely crisp, crusty edge. The batter of cornmeal adds texture, flavor and crunch; browned butter adds a dark, nutty touch. These are just as delicious

withfresh raw corn cutstraight from the cob as they are with leftover corn from last night’s barbecue. Whether grilledor steamed, you’llwanttouse up that corn. Youcould also stir intothe batter shreddedCheddarorParmesan cheese, alittle choppedham or cooked bacon forheft. Topthese withpeppers andcherry tomatoes that have been roasted to turn jammy, tangy andsweet.Fresh tomato salsa andadollopofsourcream also would be lovely Corn and tomatoes are the season’sperfect partners. Served as asubstantial side dish to roasted or grilled chicken or as alight dinner, this pair shines with summer’s pizazz.

SavorySweet CornPancakes with Jammy Tomatoes and Peppers

Makes 1dozen (3-inch) pancakes,serving about 4to6.Studded withsweet, tender corn kernels andfragrant garden herbs, these pancakes aretopped with jammy tomatoes and peppersfor a tasteofsummer on aplate. Youcan make the batter several hoursinadvance, hold in acovered container in therefrigerator,and cook rightbefore serving.

JAMMY TOMATOES,PEPPERS:

or

1. To makethe jammy tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. In alarge bowl, toss the tomatoesand peppers withenoughoil to generously coat.Spread outon abaking sheet in one layer.Season with saltand pepper.Roast until thetomatoes begin to split and the peppers become very tender. Remove, top with the chopped basil, and cover to keep warm.

3. To makethe sweet corn pancakes: In asmallsaucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.Stirand watch as it becomes foamy, then begins to smellnutty golden and starts to brown, about 4 to 5minutes 4. Remove from the stove and set aside.

5. In alarge bowl, stirtogether the cornmeal, flour,baking powder and salt.Inaseparate medium bowl, whisk together the browned butter,buttermilk,chili crisp and

eggs. Fold this into the dry ingredients until no dry streaks of flour remain. Fold in the corn kernels and herbs.

6. Film alarge skillet or griddle withalittle oil andset over medium-high heat. Ladle about ¼cup of the batter onto the griddle, spreading it out with aspatula, repeating withasmanyasyou can fitontothe pan.

7. Cook undisturbed until the edges of the pancakes begin to set and bubbles start to break the top surface, about1½to2½minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes witha thin, flexible spatula and cook on asecond side until golden brown and set, about 2minutes longer Transfer to awire rack and set in arimmedbaking sheet in awarm oven while you cook the remaining pancakes.

8. Serve topped withthe jammy tomatoes and peppers.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Address your to-do list. Do the legwork yourself, rather than relying on others. Changing how you earn aliving won'tturnout as planned. Whenindoubt, take apass and look for other outlets.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Making time to participate in upliftingpastimes will also lead to new friendships and plans that blend business with pleasure. A lifestyle change,move or reunion is encouraged, and romance is prevalent.

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Take notes, getyour factsstraight and refuse to let emotions interferewith common sense. Refuse to letanxiety and indulgence disrupt your day. Apositive attitude and discipline will promote success.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec.21) Process your financial situation. Refuse to let minorsetbacksorinterference weigh youdown when an unexpected change can helpyou turn the next page and carry on withstrength and courage.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Simplify instead of intensifyingsituations. If you dwellonmattersyou cannot control, you are wasting time and energy that can lead to success. Change begins with you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Do it.Stop waiting forsomeone to go first when youhave the wherewithal to fine-tune what comes next to your liking. Limit spending to ensure you don't go over budget

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Don't grapple unnecessarily.Opena dialogue with

those who rely on you, and establish boundaries to protect yourselffrom potential harm. Take control, and you will get your way.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Socializingwill lead to chance meetings with people in aposition to help you reach your aspirations. Romance and personal improvement are prevalent. Be bold, brave and proactive.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Close the door on those who take more than they give and consider your needs. Take charge of your life and incorporate more of the pastimes that bring you joy.

GEMInI(May 21-June 20) Raising your profile and eliminating mediators will support your objective and convince onlookers that you have more to offer. Upgrade your look to suityour goal,and you will impress someone special.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Opportunity knocks; send out resumes, set up interviews or gettogetherwith someone who can participate in your plans. Take the high road, and you'll get positive results.

LEo(July 23-Aug. 22) Rev up the engine and head in adirection that shows promise. What you discover will change how you approach those in aposition to help you and how you can manipulate your status into something tangible.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.ByAndrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place thenumbers1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box containsthe same number only once. The difficulty level of theSudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’sPuzzle Answer

Bridge

By PHILLIPALDER

Groucho Marx said, “I’mnot feeling verywell—Ineedadoctorimmediately. Ringthe nearest golf course.”

Before we get to the relevance of that, look at thefulldeal and auction. What do you thinkabout thevarious calls?

Here is agood guideline: If your hand is not strongbut has along suit, show it immediately. In this case, East should have opened four hearts. Similarly,after theone-heartopening,Southshouldhave overcalled with threespades.

Westwas right to make anegative double, promising length in both minors. Then,ifEast, with scant defensive values, was going to bid four heartsover three spades, she should have biditover two diamonds. Do not give theopponents afielder’s choice —todoubleortobid higher. And South should have passed four heartsaround to North, who would have been happy to double.

Four hearts shouldgodown two. South leadsthespadeace,thenshiftstohersingleton diamond. North takes two tricks in thesuitand leads thediamondthree, suit-preference for clubs.South ruffs andswitches to aclub. North wins with theace and plays another diamond. East can ruffhigh, but must lose one more trick to North’sheart king.

Four spades can be made. West leads hissingleton. East takes two heart tricks, then does best to lead her trump (but wouldprobablyplayanother heart). Southwinswith her ace and cashes the king. Eventually, South must guess to lead the clubqueen from herhandto pinEast’s jack ©2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuCtIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the additionof“s,” suchas“bats” or “dies,” are notallowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may notbeused. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are notallowed.

toDAy’s WoRD FoRMuLA: FORM- yuh-luh: Amilk mixture or substitute for feeding an infant.

Average mark 18 words

Timelimit 35 minutes Can you find 28 or more words in FORMULA?

yEstERDAy’sWoRD —DIstREss

deist

sire sister

tress tried tries resist rest ride rise rite edit

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Newsmax files antitrust lawsuit against Fox

NEW YORK The conservative news network Newsmax filed an antitrust lawsuit against Fox News on Wednesday saying Fox has sought to maintain its market dominance through intimidation and exclusionary business practices designed to stifle competition.

Fox has sought to block television distributors from carrying Newsmax or minimize its exposure, pressured guests not to appear on the rival network and hired private detectives to investigate Newsmax executives, said the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in south Florida Newsmax seeks a jury trial.

Newsmax, which has operated since 2014, is attacking Fox News at perhaps its most popular point: the cable network’s opinion programming has consistently beaten broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC in prime time over the summer months Its rivals pointed at a series of hardball business tactics in the complex world of television distribution. Fox’s success enables it to charge distributors “outsized” fees to carry the network, and it tries to force distributors either not to carry competitors who seek access to conservative viewers or make it hard to find them. Fox has also tried to deliberately block Newsmax from growing platforms like Hulu, Sling and Fubo, the complaint alleged ConocoPhillips to lay off 25% of its workforce

NEW YORK Oil giant ConocoPhillips is planning to lay off up to a quarter of its workforce, amounting to thousands of jobs, as part of broader efforts from the company to cut costs.

A spokesperson for ConocoPhillips confirmed the layoffs Wednesday noting that 20% to 25% of the company’s employees and contractors would be impacted. ConocoPhillips currently has a global headcount of about 13,000 meaning that the cuts would impact between 2,600 and 3,250 workers.

“We are always looking at how we can be more efficient with the resources we have,” a ConocoPhillips’ spokesperson said via email, adding that the company expects the “majority of these reductions” to take place before the end of 2025. News of the coming layoffs was first reported by Reuters, with anonymous sources telling the outlet that CEO Ryan Lance detailed the plans in a video message earlier Wednesday In that video, Reuters reported, Lance said the company needed “fewer roles” while he cited rising costs.

C-SPAN reaches deal with YouTube, Hulu

NEW YORK C-SPAN said Wednesday that it had reached a deal to have its three channels air on YouTube TV and Hulu’s live television feed, ending a dispute that had led to a revenue squeeze for the public affairs network in the cordcutting era. The network said the streaming services would pay the same fee as cable and satellite companies, roughly 87 cents a year per subscriber, and that CSPAN would continue its no-advertising policy on television Congress involved itself in the issue, passing a resolution this spring calling on the services’ parent companies Alphabet for YouTube and Disney for Hulu — to add C-SPAN to their programming. Because congressional sessions and hearings represent a big portion of C-SPAN’s programming, the politicians faced diminished airtime without a deal. At its peak a decade ago, CSPAN was seen in some 100 million homes with television. The number of homes paying for TV has since dropped to some 70 million, with roughly 20 million of those consumers now getting television through services like YouTube and Hulu and they weren’t showing C-SPAN.

Markets steady as tech stocks rise

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK Wall Street steadied on Wednesday after Alphabet and other technology stocks rallied. It also got some relief from easing pressure from the bond market, where the latest discouraging report on the U.S. job market bolstered expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates soon to support the economy

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to

break the two-day losing slide it had been on since setting its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 24 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1%.

Google’s parent company was one of the strongest forces lifting the market and jumped 9.1% after avoiding some of the worst-case scenarios in its antitrust case. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google’s search engine but did not force a sale of its

BY SUMMER BALLENTINE and LUKE RAMSETH

The Detroit News (TNS)

General Motors Co. worker Annie Ignaczat spent years walking in circles on concrete factory floors, assembling the same parts and counting down hundreds of pieces she and her co-workers needed to finish before lunch.

“You’re doing the same movement hundreds, if not thousands, of times every day for the week,” Ignaczat said. “It wears your body down.”

Work at GM’s Parma metal plant near Cleveland, Ohio, was monotonous, she said, and the risks of knee and shoulder replacements caused by the stress of repeated movements were well known.

Over time, Ignaczat watched the facility become more automated, adding new robots to complete the same tasks that she once performed She didn’t immediately see another option for herself until co-workers urged her to join a GM apprenticeship program at the carmaker’s Technical Learning Center in Warren.

“I used to do a job that a robot does now,” she said. “But now my new job being in the trades, I service the robot So when the robot breaks, that’s what I work on.”

Automakers, including GM, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis NV, often point out how robots are used to increase safety ergonomics and product quality But experts say another benefit of robots for automakers is keeping labor costs down, meaning fewer jobs for humans.

“You’re going to see lots more automation because assembly labor is expensive,” said Dan Hearsch, global co-leader of automotive and industrial practice at the consulting firm AlixPartners.

The auto industry first adopted robots in the factory back in 1961 with a machine called Unimate that was installed in a New Jersey GM plant.

Now, all types of robots can be found in auto plants, shaping sheet metal and parts, welding together bodies and painting. And there are signs that higher levels of automation are coming even in the car’s final assembly process, which has been notoriously tough to automate due to its complexity and moving lines.

Take Ford, which last month announced a $2 billion investment in its Louisville Assembly Plant to build a new $30,000 electric pickup truck. The factory — which Ford says will be its most automated in the world will include three streamlined sub-assembly lines that incorporate robots and artificial intelligence features. The new system will limit the number of difficult maneuvers that employees must perform to install parts.

The plant is expected to require about 40% fewer workstations and 600 fewer workers to keep running than are currently needed to build gas-powered SUVs, though the car-

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Golf caddies, blackjack dealers and house painters are among the jobs covered under the Trump administration’s preliminary list of occupations not required to pay income tax on their tips under Republicans’ new tax cuts and spending bill. A bit more unexpected? Podcasters and social media influencers will also be excluded from forking over a portion of their tips, accord-

Chrome browser Also helping to steady Wall Street was a calming bond market. A day earlier, yields climbed worldwide on worries about governments’ abilities to repay their growing mountains of debt, as well as concerns that President Donald Trump’s pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut short-term interest rates could lead to higher inflation in the long term.

On Wednesday, Treasury yields retreated following the latest

report on the U.S. job market to come in weaker than expected.

The 10-year Treasury yield fell to 4.22% from 4.28% late Tuesday, for example.

The report showed that U.S. employers were advertising 7.2 million job openings at the end of July, fewer than economists had forecast.

The number bolsters the sense on Wall Street that the job market may be ossifying into a low-hire, low-fire state.

maker said those extra employees will be able to find work at another facility

“What this does is, in the final (assembly) where typically you’re in the low single-digit percentages in automation, we’re substantially higher than that,” said Bryce Currie, Ford’s vice president of manufacturing for the Americas, of the revamped plant.

Another example is Hyundai Motor Co. The Korean automaker recently opened a Georgia factory to build EVs; it says the facility uses more than 1,000 robots and automated guided vehicles that will, when fully staffed, eventually work alongside more than 8,000 humans. Among them: robotic dogs named Spot that conduct quality control tasks.

The company said last week it will set up a new robotics innovation facility in the United States to develop and produce additional robots for its factories.

GM says beyond adding robots to handle repetitive or heavy tasks, it is integrating automation features in the product development phase, and as it checks for defects.

Ed Duby, who heads propulsion systems for the Detroit automaker said the company now uses imaging tools often found in health care to analyze issues in batteries or engine parts, rather than workers needing to carefully take them apart. Those images can then be paired with machine learning to more quickly identify defects on other components.

Tariff effect

Robot installations by automakers in the United States were up 11% last year, according to the International Federation of Robotics. In North America, automakers and suppliers bought almost 9,000 robots in the first half of this year — an increase from last year and accounting for about half of the robots purchased across all industries, according to

data from the Ann Arbor-based Association for Advancing Automation.

Still, analysts and executives said the robot market’s growth is being temporarily held back by uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s tariffs as well as a pullback in EV investments.

In theory, higher tariffs mean auto companies will need to shift more of their manufacturing to the United States, and that will mean building more automated factories to save money on the higher cost of labor

But Hearsch said companies are still holding off on these big decisions, as they continue to wait and see how Trump’s tariffs play out and which levies will remain in place long-term.

Any companies looking to make a quick move stateside to avoid tariffs aren’t likely to be buying up lots of new robotics and other equipment, he said, but rather shifting their existing production line from another country to a building in the United States.

In the longer run, though, robot companies that serve the auto industry expect to capitalize on Trump’s reshoring push — even as some of their own imports are hit by higher tariffs that include 50% levies on steel and aluminum.

“The high cost of labor is on everybody’s mind,” said Ed Marchese, head of automotive at ABB Robotics, which has its U.S. factory in Auburn Hills. “So as companies look to reshore, the question is, how am I going to be competitive? At the end of the day, take the tariffs away, take all the other political stuff away, anybody producing in this country still has to be globally competitive.”

He expects automakers and suppliers to have more clarity by the end of the year and that will mean a rise in robot sales. “Robots are coming — we have faith in the market,” Marchese said during a tour of the company’s Michigan factory earlier this summer

ing to the list released Tuesday by the Treasury Department.

The provision in the law signed by President Donald Trump in July eliminates federal income taxes on tips for people working in jobs that have traditionally received them It’s temporary and runs from 2025 until 2028. It applies to people who make less than $160,000 in 2025. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that there were roughly 4 million workers in tipped occupations in 2023, which amounts to roughly 2.5% of all jobs.

The administration was required to publish a list of qualifying occupations within 90 days of the bill’s signing. The full list of occupations is located on the Treasury Depart-

ment website. They are broken down into eight categories, including beverage and food service; entertainment and events; hospitality and guest services; home services; personal services; personal appearance and wellness; recreation and instruction; and transportation and delivery Among other jobs exempted from tax on tips are sommeliers, cocktail waiters, pastry chefs, cake bakers, bingo workers, club dancers, DJs, clowns, streamers, online video creators, ushers, maids, gardeners, electricians, house cleaners, tow truck drivers, wedding planners, personal care aides, tutors, au pairs, massage therapists, yoga instructors, cob-

blers, skydiving pilots, ski instructors parking garage attendants, delivery drivers and movers.

A report from the Budget Lab shows that the effects of the law would be small, given that tipped workers tend to be lower income. More than 37% of tipped workers, or over one third, earned income low enough that they faced no federal income tax in 2022.

“The larger and far more uncertain effect would stem from behavioral changes incentivized by the bill, such as substitution into tipped employment and tipped income, which would increase the bill’s overall cost,” states the report, which was written by Ernie Tedeschi, the director of economics at the Budget Lab.