The Advocate 02-23-2026

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EU: U.S. must honor deal after tariff ruling

BRUSSELS The European Union’s executive arm requested “full clarity” from the United States and asked its trade partner to fulfill its commitments after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down some of President Donald Trump’s most sweeping tariffs.

Trump has lashed out at the court decision and said Saturday that he wants a global tariff of 15%, up from the 10% he announced a day earlier

The European Commission said the current situation is not conducive to delivering “fair balanced, and mutually beneficial” trans-Atlantic trade and investment, as agreed to by both sides and spelled out in the EUU.S. Joint Statement of August 2025.

American and EU officials sealed a trade deal last year that imposes a 15% import tax on 70% of European goods exported to the United States. The European Commission handles trade for the 27 EU member countries.

A top EU lawmaker said on Sunday he will propose to the European Parliament negotiating team to put the ratifying process of the deal on pause.

“Pure tariff chaos on the part of the U.S. administration,” Bernd Lange, the chair of Parliament’s international trade committee, wrote on social media. “No one can make sense of it anymore — only open questions and growing uncertainty for the EU and other U.S. trading partners.”

The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to $2 trillion in 2024, or an average of about $5.4 billion a day according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

Huckabee’s words taken out of context, U.S. says TELAVIV,Israel An uproar continued Sunday after the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, as more Arab and Muslim countries objected and the U.S. said his comments were taken out of context.

Huckabee spoke in an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson that aired Friday Carlson said that according to the Bible, the descendants of Abraham would receive land that today would include much of the Middle East, including parts of modern-day Jordan Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. He quoted from Genesis Chapter 15 and asked Huckabee if Israel had a right to that land.

Huckabee responded: “It would be fine if they took it all.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy said Sunday that Huckabee’s comments were taken out of context and that there is no change to U.S. policies on Israel. In the interview, Huckabee added: “They’re not asking to go back and take all of that, but they are asking to at least take the land that they now occupy, they now live in, they now own legitimately, and it is a safe haven for them.” He added that Israel isn’t trying to take over Jordan, Lebanon Syria, or Iraq but is trying to protect its own people.

A joint statement Sunday by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian Authority and several Arab governing bodies called Huckabee’s remarks

“dangerous and inflammatory” and ones that endanger the region’s stability

NASA to return rocket to hangar for repairs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Grounded until at least April, NASA’s giant moon rocket is headed back to the hangar this week for more repairs before astronauts climb aboard.

The space agency said Sunday it’s targeting Tuesday for the slow, 4-mile trek across Kennedy Space Center, weather permitting.

NASA had barely finished a repeat fueling test Thursday, to ensure dangerous hydrogen fuel leaks were plugged when another problem cropped up

This time, the rocket’s helium system malfunctioned, further delaying astronauts’ first trip to the moon in more than half a century

PHoTo By VAHID sALEMI

Pedestrians walk sunday past a billboard depicting a U.s. aircraft carrier with damaged fighter jets on its deck and a sign in Farsi and English reading ‘If you sow the wind, you’ll reap the whirlwind’

Next U.S.-Iran talks set for Thursday

Washington awaits proposed deal from Tehran

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States and Iran will hold their next round of nuclear talks Thursday in Geneva, a facilitator said Sunday as the Islamic Republic faces both the threat of a U.S. military strike and new protests at home.

Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, confirmed the talks. Oman previously hosted the indirect talks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and facilitated the latest round in Geneva last week.

There was no immediate comment from the Trump administration, which has built up the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades as it pushes its longtime adversary for concessions on its nuclear program and more.

Shortly before Oman’s announcement, Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, told CBS in an interview that he expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Geneva on Thursday, and said a “good chance” remained for a diplomatic solution on the nuclear issue.

Washington awaits a proposed deal that Araghchi has said would be ready to share within days, and the foreign minster told CBS that Iran was still working on the draft proposal.

The nuclear issue, he added, is the only matter being discussed — even though both the United States and Israel also want to address Iran’s missile program

and its support for armed proxies in the Middle East

President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible, and both Iran and the U.S. have signaled they are prepared for war if the talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fail.

Minutes after Oman’s confirmation of the talks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on social media that negotiations had involved “the exchange of practical proposals and yielded encouraging signals,” but added that Tehran has “made all necessary preparations for any potential scenario.”

The U.S. has said Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them and that it cannot enrich uranium. Araghchi, however, told CBS that Iran has the right to enrich uranium

On Friday he said his U.S. counterparts had not asked for zero enrichment as part of the latest round of talks, which is not what U.S. officials have said publicly He also said talks focused on how to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program, including enrichment, “will remain peaceful forever.” He said that in return, Iran will implement confidence-building measures in exchange for relief on economic sanctions. Tehran has long insisted that any negotiations should only focus on its nuclear program, and has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli demands that it scale back its missile program and sever ties to armed groups.

Although Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, the U.S. and others suspect it is aimed at eventually developing weapons. Iran says it hasn’t been enriching uranium since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June.

Blizzard warnings cascade across East Coast as storm approaches

BY ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, JULIE WALKER and ADAM GELLER Associated Press

NEW YORK New York City and New Jersey announced travel bans, airlines canceled thousands of flights and even Broadway shows were canceled Sunday evening as a fierce winter storm bore down on the Northeastern U.S., prompting blizzard warnings from Maryland to Massachusetts Snow began falling in New Jersey and New York as the storm moved northward.

The National Weather Service said 1 to 2 feet of snow was possible in many areas, along with heavy winds. Visibility in many areas was expected to be a quarter-mile or less. Officials throughout the region urged residents to avoid travel.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a major nor’easter and major blizzard of this magnitude across the Northeast,” said Cody Snell, a meteorologist at the service’s Weather Prediction Center “This is definitely a major winter storm and a major impact for this part of the country.”

The weather service issued blizzard warnings for New York City and Long Island, Boston and coastal communities in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. State of emergency declarations were issued in New York City and other parts of New York state, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts as officials mobilized readiness efforts.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a ban on nonemergency travel on all streets from 9 p.m. Sunday through noon Monday, with travel restrictions planned in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and elsewhere in the region. The emergency alerts, blasted to the phones of New York City residents, warned them to stay off roads “due to dangerous blizzard conditions.”

Around the region, airports canceled flights ahead of the storm, and even DoorDash announced it was suspending deliveries in the city overnight

TSA halts Global Entry program

Move comes amid partial government shutdown

BY JAMIE STENGLE and ALI SWENSON The Associated Press

DALLAS The Transportation Security Administration said Sunday that its Global Entry program would be suspended as long as the partial government shutdown remains in effect.

The announcement comes after the Department of Homeland Security said Saturday night that it planned to shut down both Global Entry and the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck program as well, but DHS canceled the PreCheck closure.

“As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case-by-case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the agency said.

The turmoil at security and customs lanes is tied to a partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14 after Democrats and the White House were unable to reach a deal on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security Democrats have been demanding changes to immigration operations that are core to President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign.

The security disruptions come at a time when a major winter storm will hit the East Coast from Sunday into Monday Nine out of 10 flights going out of John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Boston Logan Airport have been canceled for Monday

Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that allows preapproved low-risk travelers to use expedited kiosks when entering the United States from abroad. There’s no specific government data that shows how much time passengers save at airports or other ports of entry from Global Entry

AssoCIATED PREss FILE PHoTo By sETH WENIG Pedestrians climb over snow banks to try and cross the streets on Jan. 26 in New york. The region is bracing for another winter storm.

To the south, landmarks such as the Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., announced closures Monday

The weather service said some of the heaviest snow was expected to fall overnight, with as much as 2 inches of snow per hour accumulating at times in some areas, before tapering off by Monday afternoon.

It said the storm’s strong wind gusts could cause whiteout conditions and warned of a “Potentially Historic/Destructive Storm” southeast of the BostonProvidence corridor “Winds like that, combined with heavy, wet snow are a recipe for damaged trees and prolonged power outages,” said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Boston office. “That’s what we’re most concerned with, is the combination of those extreme snow amounts with that wind.”

The storm could possibly meet the definition of a bomb cyclone, said Frank Pereira, another weather service meteorologist. That’s when a storm drops at least 24 millibars in pressure in 24 hours. More than 3,500 flights were canceled across the U.S. as of Sunday afternoon along with thousands of delays, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Airports in the path of the storm, including in New York City and Boston, were also seeing widespread cancellations and delays.

but travel industry experts estimate that Global Entry cuts the amount of time passengers getting through customs from an average of 30 to 90 minutes to 5 to 10 minutes in Global Entry lines. Those who purchase Global Entry also receive TSA PreCheck. In 2024, the Department of Homeland Security said more than 20 million Americans had TSA PreCheck, and millions of those Americans have overlapping Global Entry memberships.

Airport lines seemed largely unaffected Sunday, with security check line wait times listed as under 15 minutes for most international airports, according to TSA’s mobile app. Blair Perkins, 39, of Dallas, had seen the news about the shutdown of Global Entry before she left Cancun to return home Sunday morning to Dallas. She said after she and her friends arrived at DallasFort Worth International Airport that the regular line was long but moved fairly fast.

“We went around about four or five different corners to get to the end of the U.S. line,” she said. With Global Entry, it usually takes less than five minutes to get through customs, she said. Sunday, it took about 30 minutes. Perkins said the shutdown was frustrating. “It feels like Washington is using travelers as a pawn to try to, I guess, persuade the other side to do what they want,” she said. Homeland Security previously said it was taking “emergency measures to preserve limited funds.” Among the steps listed were “ending Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck lanes and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Global Entry service, to refocus Department personnel on the majority of travelers.”

“We are glad that DHS has decided to keep PreCheck operational and avoid a crisis of its own making,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S Travel Association

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Mexican army kills cartel leader ‘El Mencho’

Jalisco New Generation head slain in operation to capture him

BY FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ Associated Press

MEXICO CITY The Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” on Sunday, decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful cartel and giving the government its biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration its efforts.

Oseguera Cervantes was wounded in an operation to capture him Sunday in Tapalpa, Jalisco, about a two-hour drive southwest of Guadalajara and he died while being flown to Mexico City, the Defense Department said in a statement. The state is the base of the cartel known for trafficking huge quantities of fentanyl and other drugs to the United States.

During the operation, troops came under fire and killed four people at the location. Three more people, including Oseguera Cervantes, were wounded and later died, the statement said. Two others were arrested and armored vehicles, rocket launchers and other arms were seized. Three members of the armed forces were wounded and receiving medical treatment.

The killing of the powerful drug lord set off several

A vehicle sits charred sunday after being set on fi

after the

hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations. Jalisco canceled school in the state for Monday

Videos circulating on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, and people sprinting through the airport of the state’s capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta “due to an ongoing security situation” and advised customers not to go to their airport.

In Guadalajara, the state capital, burning vehicles

Russian barrage hits Kyiv suburbs, killing 1

By The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Russia attacked Ukraine with a barrage of missiles and drones, killing one person in the Kyiv region, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said on Sunday

Another eight people, including a child, were rescued from under the rubble of destroyed buildings, the service said.

The attack caused damage and fires to erupt in five districts in the suburbs of Kyiv In the village of Putrivka in the Fastiv district, emergency first responders worked on saving people buried under debris. Russia also struck energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, resulting in significant fires, which were later extinguished, the emergency service said.

During the four years since Russia launched an all-out war on its neighbor and despite a new push over the past year in U.S.led peace efforts, Ukrainian civilians have endured constant aerial attacks. Russia has also ramped up attacks targeting the country’s energy grid, leaving

Ukrainian civilians without electricity and heating amid harsh winter conditions. Ukraine’s Air Force said Sunday that Russia’s overnight barrage had included 297 drones and 50 missiles of various types, of which 274 drones and 33 missiles were shot down or neutralized. Of those remaining, 14 missiles and 23 drones struck 14 locations, it said. Three missiles were unaccounted for Separately, an explosion in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv killed one person and injured 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post on Sunday One person has been arrested over the incident, which is unrelated to Russia’s aerial attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian air defenses destroyed 86 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Sunday A security guard was injured and a fuel tank set alight when two Ukrainian drones hit an oil depot in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Luhansk, Moscow-installed leader Leonid Pasechnik said

blocked roads. Mexico’s second-largest city is scheduled to host matches during this summer’s soccer World Cup.

The U.S. State Department warned U.S. citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacan, Guerrero and Nuevo Leon states to remain in safe places due to the ongoing security operations. Canada’s embassy in Mexico warned its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and generally to keep a low profile in Jalisco.

Jalisco Gov Pablo Lemus told residents to stay at home and suspended public transportation.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for informa-

tion leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fastest growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, like her predecessor, has criticized the “kingpin” strategy of previous administrations that took out cartel leaders only to trigger explosions of violence as cartels fractured. While she has remained popular in Mexico, security is a persistent concern and since President Donald Trump

took office a year ago, she has been under tremendous pressure to show results against drug trafficking.

The Jalisco cartel has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military — including on helicopters — and is a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital’s police force and now federal security secretary

The DEA considers the cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico’s most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.

Sinaloa, however, has been weakened by infighting after the loss of its leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, both in U.S. custody Oseguera Cervantes, 59, was originally from Aguililla in the neighboring state of Michoacan. He had been significantly involved in drug trafficking activities since the 1990s. When he was younger, he migrated to the U.S. where he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in 1994 and served nearly

three years in prison.

Following his release from custody, Oseguera Cervantes returned to Mexico and reengaged in drug trafficking activity with drug lord Ignacio Coronel Villarreal, alias “Nacho Coronel.” After Villarreal’s death, Oseguera Cervantes and Erik Valencia Salazar, alias “El 85,” created the Jalisco New Generation Cartel around 2007.

Initially, they worked for the Sinaloa Cartel, but eventually split and for years the two cartels have battled for territory across Mexico.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise

Last year, people searching for missing relatives founds piles of shoes and other clothing, as well as bone fragments at what authorities later said was a Jalisco cartel recruitment and training site.

AP writer María Verza contributed to this report.

By The Associated Press

CARACAS,Venezuela Venezuela-based prisoners’ rights group Foro Penal said on X Sunday that it had verified the release of 16 people since an amnesty bill for people in held for political reasons was signed into law this week.

That number is far below those given by National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez a day prior On Saturday he said that 1,557 applications were being processed immediately and that hundreds people deprived of liberty benefiting from the amnesty law were already being released.

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez signed the amnesty measure into law on Thursday, signaling a major shift in policy following last month’s stunning U.S. military raid in the capital, Caracas, to capture then-President Nicolás Maduro.

It is expected to benefit opposition members, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and many others detained for months or even years.

But human rights organizations have reacted with distrust to the approval of the law calling it insufficient

because it leaves out, for example, imprisoned military personnel.

The new law also excludes those convicted of homicide, drug trafficking and

serious human rights violations.

Days after Maduro’s capture, Rodríguez’s government offered to release a significant number of pris-

oners as a gesture to consolidate peace Since then, a total of 464 people have been released but more than 600 remain detained, according to Foro Penal.

Carolina, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

He’s believed to have purchased his shotgun while driving south, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said, and a box for the weapon was later discovered in the man’s vehicle. Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign

The man entered the north gate of the property as another vehicle was exiting and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw

“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with him. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief news conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a relative of Martin’s reported him missing early Sunday morning Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile. Asked whether the man was previously known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said, “not right now.”

The FBI encouraged residents who live near Mar-aLago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.

In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation. On Sunday afternoon, vehicles blocked the entrance to a property listed in public records as an address for Martin at the end of a private road in Cameron, North Carolina.

Braeden Fields, Martin’s cousin, reacted with disbelief. He described Martin

UPGRADES

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building is owned by the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Of the total $28 million increase, $2.6 million is expected to be used for onetime purchases, according to Barras.

Asked what else was contributing to the requested budget increase, Barras said the state anticipated higher costs with more youth using OJJ programs. And, he said $2 million of the increase was slated to pay for staffing at the Jetson Center for Youth in Baker Jetson is a shuttered former juvenile facility It is expected to partly reopen in April. Officials last year said

as quiet, afraid of guns and from a family of avid Trump supporters.

“He’s a good kid,” Fields, 19, said. He said they grew up together “I wouldn’t believe he would do something like this. It’s mind-blowing.”

He said Martin worked at a local golf course and would send money from each paycheck to charity

“He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. He doesn’t even know how to use a gun,” Fields said.

He said his cousin didn’t discuss politics.

“We are big Trump supporters, all of us Everybody,” Fields said, but his cousin was “real quiet, never really talked about anything.”

Sunday’s incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign

A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison

Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper One rally attendee was killed by the gunman.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that “the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home.” Leavitt used her post to blame Democratic lawmakers in Congress for the partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security Department which began Feb. 14 after Democrats demanded changes to the president’s deportation campaign.

The Secret Service is among the agencies where the vast majority of employees are continuing their work but missing a paycheck.

they needed to open a building there to house 36 teens due to bedspace shortages.

The state is simultaneously expected to begin construction on a new 72-bed facility on the Jetson property So, too, will the Vernon Parish facility help support a growing population of incarcerated teens, according to Deputy Secretary Courtney Myers, the OJJ’s top official. “To address the increased youth population and alleviate overcrowding, the proposed project will renovate an existing building operated by the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office,” Myers said in a statement. “This renovation aims to create approximately 56 beds, enhancing safety, enabling developmental separation of youth, and supporting broader operational

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woman who believed he was a four-star military general for money to fix a school he said was damaged in a storm. She sent him $124,757 over about a year Another woman in Hawaii wired $250,000 to someone she thought was an Air Force officer stationed in Syria named “Michael Minihan.” Yet another believed she was falling in love with an oil rig worker in the North Sea who asked for money to pay tax bills.

The man was not a decorated soldier, nor was his name “Michael Minihan,” nor did he work on a remote, freezing oil rig. He was a 45-year-old Marietta, Georgia, resident originally from Nigeria named Kenneth Akpieyi. He used concocted backstories to ingratiate himself with lonely women, convinced them to send huge sums of cash, laundered the money through multiple businesses, sent portions of it overseas and spent what remained on himself, according to hundreds of pages of records filed in U.S. Eastern District Court in New Orleans.

In all, more than two dozen women testified to sending him more than $9 million. That may be an undercount, prosecutors say A federal jury in New Orleans found Akpieyi guilty of fraud last year, and on Jan. 29, U.S. District Judge Jane Milazzo sentenced him to 25 years in prison. A co-conspirator, Emuobosan Emmanuella Hall, pleaded guilty to helping Akpieyi launder some of the money and was sentenced to eight years. Both must also pay restitution to their victims.

The sentences, which are hefty by the standards of federal sentencing codes, reflect the scheme’s breadth and the damage it inflicted upon dozens of lonely, financially vulnerable victims, prosecutors and federal court watchers say Evoking a modern-day soap opera, the sprawling plot touched hundreds of bank accounts, at least five statesand32victimsbefore culminating last month in a

improvements.”

State data shows the number of youth in secure care has steadily risen over the past several years. In the fourth quarter of 2020, 308 received secure care services from the state; by the fourth quarter of 2025, that number reached 510, according to reports available on the OJJ’s website.

The OJJ did not answer questions about its current secure bed capacity or about what its capacity would be if the Vernon Parish facility opens. Historically, the agency has struggled to provide enough beds for adjudicated youth. As a result, some teens have languished in pretrial detention centers, which are often not equipped to provide the services they need.

Louisiana courtroom.

Efforts to untangle the scheme, which mirrors a similar romance-related plot in which another man was sentenced to federal prison in December in New Orleans, required at least five law enforcement agencies in two states over several years. Officials and experts say the case reflects a growing threat to vulnerable people online.

“The victims have all suffered some financial impairment at a later point in their lives, when it is more difficult to earn money and repair the damage,” prosecutor Matthew Payne of the New Orleans-based U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a court filing. “For some, their financial injury is even more serious. They cannot retire, they have to reenter the workforce, and they need to sell property.”

Akpieyi has appealed his conviction. In a 93-minute testimony during his trial, he said repeatedly that money had flowed to him from legitimate sales by a car dealership he owned, according to a trial transcript. He denied knowing any of the victims.

“I have never contacted any of the women that I saw here,” he said.

His attorneys did not respond to inquiries about the case.

Sprawling scheme

Akpieyi caught investigators’ attention in June 2023 when he walked into a Chase Bank branch in Marietta and tried to withdraw $6,000 in cash and a $30,000 money order He handed a teller a fake ID card with his real photo and an alias, “Phillip Anderson” — the name under which his account was registered. The teller noticed the fake ID and called the police.

Akpieyi later testified he had devised the alias after moving to the U.S. from Nigeria a decade ago because he thought it would be easier to do business in the U.S. with an English-sounding name He repeatedly admitted under cross-examination to using the false identity to set up bank accounts, including one tied to his car dealership,

KGA Autobrokers.

“I was thinking an English name would be more preferable for me to do business for people to associate with me,” he said.

Akpieyi’s arrest led investigators to the trail of widowed, mostly older women he had sought out online. Each described being wooed by a man who presented fabulist, but not totally unbelievable, backstories.

Some of them fell for characters with slight similarities to each other Akpieyi told more than one woman he was in the military, for instance, and others that he was in the oil industry To a victim in Costa Mesa, California, he was “Tom Nguyen,” an oil engineer who wanted her to go in on a $2.5 million deal he said was pending in Spain. She sent him money she thought would be an investment in the nonexistent deal.

One victim said she sent money to a “Dr Mark Kelly” at a trio of companies with official-sounding names: “Moreland Motorsports LLC,” “Fox Consulting, Inc.” and “JBM Exports LLC.”

Another woman recounted sending Akpieyi $1 million, and yet another sent $750,000.

“I kind of lost track,” testified another victim who lost nearly $500,000.

Prosecutors acknowledge the $9 million in projected losses may be an undercount.

Victims described mailing him cash and buying money orders, gift cards and bitcoin all methods of transferring money that do not readily generate receipts.

“This conspiracy was an expansive one,” U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle wrote in a sentencing memo, “both in membership and in its methodology, making it difficult to trace every stolen dollar.”

After Akpieyi received the payments, his co-conspirator, Hall, helped launder the money along with her daughter she acknowledged in a plea agreement. Hall and Akpieyi met in Nigeria before moving to the U.S., he testified. They sometimes worked through a company called Le Beau Monde LLC, depositing money into bank accounts con-

nected to the business.

Investigators ultimately subpoenaed more than 200 bank accounts in the case, including those belonging to victims. The money flowed to at least 30 accounts connected to Akpieyi, including the KGA Autobrokers account registered to “Phillip Anderson.”

The money was then transferred to accounts with other banks, including in China and the United Arab Emirates, prosecutors said ‘Errors in judgment’ Hall in her guilty plea acknowledged laundering just over $850,000. Her attorney, Sean Toomey, in a statement last week said the restitution portion of her sentence is resolved pending an appeal. He declined to comment further Prosecutors dropped charges against Hall’s daughter after she agreed to enter a diversion program, records show Her mother admitted to involving her in the arrangement without explaining its full scope, records show Hall’s business, Le Beau Monde, functioned as a legitimate enterprise before she became involved in Akpieyi’s scheme, Toomey argued in a court filing.

Though Hall made “serious errors in judgment,” Toomey said she pocketed just $45,000 from the scheme.

“Ms. Hall is not a sophisticated fraudster,” he said in the filing. “She did not contact victims She did not recruit accomplices beyond her daughter, with whom she lived. Ms. Hall was simply a bridge, a low-level middleman who followed the instructions of Akpieyi.” On the witness stand last summer, Akpieyi appeared to claim that some of the victim transactions were payments for cars sold by his auto dealership.

“Whoever I’m doing business is who I’m doing business with, but not this lady at all,” he said of one person who’d written him checks. “I’ve never spoken to this lady at all.” Email James Finn at jfinn@ theadvocate.com.

GreenlandsaysnothankstoTrump’s hospital ship plan

Announcement promptsdefense of island’s health system

BY JAMEY KEATENand

KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

President Donald Trump said he woulddeploy ahospital ship to Greenland, alleging that many people there are sick and not receiving care, even though both of the U.S. Navy’shospital ships are currently docked at ashipyard in Alabama.

Trump’sannouncement prompted adefense on Sunday of Denmark and Greenland’shealth care system from their leaders, and it was the latest point of friction with the American leader who has frequently talked about seizing the massive Arctic territory

“It’sanothank you from here,” said Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

Trump’ssocial media post about ahospital ship came after Denmark’smilitary said its arctic command forces on Saturday evacuat-

ed acrew member of aU.S submarine off the coast of Greenland for urgentmedical treatment.

The Danish Joint Arctic Command, on its Facebook page, saidthe crew member wasevacuated some 7nautical miles (8 miles; 13 kilometers) off Nuuk —the capital of the vast, ice-coveredterritory —and transferred to a hospital in the city.The crew member was retrieved by a Danish Seahawk helicopter that hadbeen deployedon an inspection ship Trump, in apostonhis Truth Social platform on Saturday night, referredtohis special envoy for Greenland and said, “Workingwith the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send agreat hospital boattoGreenland totake care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken careofthere.It’sonthe way!!!”

Nielsensaiditwasn’t necessary

“Wehave apublic health caresystem wheretreatment is free for citizens. That is adeliberatechoice —and afundamental part of oursociety,” Nielsen said. “That is nothow it worksin the USA, whereitcostsmon-

ey to see adoctor.”

He added, in anote of exasperation, that Greenland is always open to dialogue andcooperation.“But please talk to us instead of just making more or less random statements on social media,” he said.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, speakingtopublic broadcaster DR,said Danish authorities hadnot been informedthat

theU.S. ship was on itsway

The Pentagon referred questions about the status of theU.S. Navy’stwo hospital ships, the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, to the White House. The WhiteHousedid not immediately respond to repeated requests for more information.

Both ships are currently at ashipyard in Mobile, Ala., according to social media postsfrom theshipyard,

which also posted photos of them next to each other

Whenasked aboutthe status of the ships and the president’spost, the Navy referred questions to the White House.

The historically strong bilateral ties after World War II between NATO alliesDenmark and the United States have come undersevere strain in recent months as Trump ratcheteduptalkof

apossible U.S. takeover of themineral-richand strategically located Arcticisland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended Denmark’shealth care system on Sunday, writing on Facebook that she was “happy to live in acountry where there is free and equalaccesstohealth for all. Where it’snot insurances andwealth that determine whether you get proper treatment.”

“You have the same approach in Greenland,” she said, before adding: “Happy Sunday to youall” in front of ablushing, smiling emoji.

Aaja Chemnitz, one of the twoGreenlandic politicians in the Danish parliament, wrote on Facebook that “Donald Trump wants to send apoorly maintained hospital ship to Greenland It seemsrather desperate anddoes notcontribute to the permanent andsustainable strengthening of the health care system that we need.”

“Another day. Anothercrazy newsstory,” she wrote in front of asmiley face emoji.

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this story.

Former ‘AmericanIdol’ contestant chargedwithmurderinOhio

BY DIDI TANG Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court decision striking down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs has added awrinkle to already complicated U.S.-Chinarelations, with both countries navigating shifting ground to avoid an all-out trade war that would disrupt the global economy while still jostling for aposition of strength in negotiations.

Friday’scourtruling would seem to strengthen China’s hand,but analysts predict that Beijing will be cautious in exploiting the advantage, knowing that Trump has other ways of levying taxes. Both sides also want to maintain afragile trade truce and stabilize ties ahead of Trump’shighly anticipated trip to Beijing.

“It will give China amoral boost in their negotiations with Trump’s team ahead of the summit, but they are prepared for the scenario that nothing actuallychanges in reality,” said Sun Yun, director of the China programat the Stimson Center,aWashington-based think tank.

Furious about thedefeat, Trump said first he wasimposing atemporary10% global tariff before raising it to 15% as well as pursuing alternative paths for import duties. He made the case for tariffs by pointing to China, which poses the biggest challenge to U.S. economic, technological and military dominance.

“China had hundreds of billions of dollars in surpluses with the United States. They

rebuilt China. They rebuilt the army.Webuilt China’s armybyallowing thatto happen,” Trump told reporters Friday.“Ihaveagreat relationship with President Xi, but he respectsour country now.”

The White House has confirmed that Trump will travel to China on March31through April 2tomeet President Xi Jinping Xi is unlikely to “flaunt or brandish” the Supreme Courtruling forcefully when meeting Trump, likely choosing instead to try to strengthen his rapport with the U.S president, said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviserfocusedonU.S. policy toward China at the International Crisis Group.

The more that Xi can do that, “themore likely it is that thefragile trade truce between the United States andChina willtakeholdin earnest andthat Trump will be amenable to security concessions that give China greater freedom ofmaneuverinAsia,” Wyne said Asked for comment on the implications of the court ruling, Chinese Embassy spokespersonLiu Pengyu said only that tariff andtrade wars serveneithercountry’s interest.Hecalledfor Beijing and Washingtontowork togetherto“provide greater certaintyand stability for China-U.S. economic and tradecooperation andthe globaleconomy.”

Thecourt decision also createsnew uncertainty forother U.S. trading partners,in Asia and elsewhere, especially those that have reached trade deals to calm the initial

turmoil from Trump’stariffs

“I would expect most Asian partners to proceed cautiously,with existing agreements largely holding as bothsides work through the implications in the coming weeks,” said Dan Kritenbrink, apartner at The Asia Group who served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in the Biden administration

He said he would be watching the impact on Japan ahead of Prime Minister SanaeTakaichi’splannedvisit to WashingtoninMarch. Japan, astaunch U.S. ally,has see jing mont Shor turn early emergency slapped nese wasB the be used Tr same to impose cal including jing iffs triple climbed Af trade bet Sout two one-year base slash yl tariff jing in restri more be used

BY SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press

Authorities in Ohiohave arrested aformer contestant on “American Idol” and charged him with shooting and killing his wife and staging the crimescene to mislead investigators.

Caleb Flynn, 39, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of murder,assault andtampering withevidence.

“I just want to take care of my daughters. I’mnot a risk,” he told Judge Samuel

Huffmanina videoofhis arraignment from jail.

The judge sethis bond at $2 million. Ashley Flynn, 37, was found dead Mondayafter officers received areport of aburglary andshooting at a Tipp City home, according to anews releasebyTippCity Police. Her husband and twochildren wereinside the home when officers arrived. In a911 callreleased by authorities, afrantic Caleb Flynn tells adispatcher someone broke into his

home and killed his wife. He says she was shot multiple times in thehead and he doesn’tknowwhetherthe intruder was still there.

“There’s bloodeverywhere, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” he says. His attorney,Patrick Mulligan, said in astatement on Saturday he and Flynn were “disappointed and concerned about the short timeline and seeming rush to judgment in this case.” Police arrested Flynn on Thursday

La. Democrats won’t boycott

State of the Union

Groups plan ‘counterprogramming’

BY MARK BALLARD staff writer

WASHINGTON Louisiana’s two Democratic U.S. House members — Rep. Troy Carter Sr., of New Orleans, and Rep. Cleo Fields, of Baton Rouge plan to sit stoically in the chamber when President Donald Trump gives his State of the Union address Tuesday, unlike some other members of their party

At least two dozen Democratic representatives and senators have announced that they plan to instead attend two “counter events” — or just not show up to the annual briefing to Congress as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told the 214-member Democratic delegation to do as they please, but he would sit in “silent defiance” as Trump runs through GOP accomplishments and desires.

“It’s my view that you don’t let anyone ever run you off of your block,” Jeffries told reporters. Fields and Carter, Louisiana’s only Democratic members, said they would join Jeffries.

“While I strongly disagree with President Trump and his administration’s policies, my oath to uphold the Constitution requires that I show up, exercise oversight and fulfill my responsibility under our system of checks and balances,” Carter said Friday

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for a week and could still be come Tuesday Democrats have refused to appropriate funding to DHS until Republicans agree to restrictions on how the agency’s agents enforce immigration laws. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which handles disaster relief, and the Transportation Security Administration, which checks passengers at airports, are both part

After

of Homeland Security and are closed, though much of their personnel are required to work without pay

The Democratic base has been demanding elected officials take a stronger stance against Trump and Republican policies that have largely been approved as the GOP holds majorities in Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court

MoveOn, a progressive advocacy group, and MeidasTouch, a progressive media group, are hosting “counterprogramming” on the National Mall near the Capitol as Trump gives his State of the Union speech. About a dozen Democratic members of Congress have said they will attend.

Other Democrats have said they will go to a “State of the Swamp” event at the National Press Club.

Still others, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., say they plan to just skip the speech.

Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer R-N.Y. announced that Virginia Gov Abigail Spanberger would give the official Democratic response after Trump concludes. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., will deliver the Democratic response in Spanish.

Because the speech is so highprofile and televised on most networks, disruptions often occur

Last year, Democratic Rep. Al Green, a Louisiana native who represents parts of Houston, interrupted Trump by yelling, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, had Green removed.

During the 2023 State of the Union, then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., interrupted President Joe Biden, calling him a “liar.”

The address begins at 8 p.m. and is available on major television stations and streaming platforms.

years of

‘They made me feel like I belonged’

BY JA’KORI MADISON staff writer

For most of her life, Ginger Cawley held onto a single photograph and the memory of a hug from foster parents she never forgot.

Now, after searching for them for more than 20 years, a reunion she once thought was impossible came simply from her stepping out on faith when she posted in a Facebook group called Looking for Lost Family

What felt like a long shot turned into something more after members of the Lafayette-area community began sharing the post. Someone recognized the names, and Cawley’s foster parents, Paula and Ronnie Boffner, were found within 24 hours of the search.

“It was like my heart was trying to catch up with my brain,” she said “I was excited, but I also wanted to be gentle. I didn’t know where they were in life or how they’d feel.”

The reunion was emotional for everyone involved, given the brief but formative role the Boffners played in Cawley’s childhood during a turbulent time in her life. It also underscores broader challenges within the foster care system, where privacy rules, limited records access and the lack of a formal pathway can make it difficult or impossible for former foster children and foster parents to reconnect years later Cawley a Lafayette native entered foster care around age 5, sometime between 1989 and 1991, because of instability at home. After an earlier placement where things were unpleasant, she was placed with the Boffners She said the months she spent with the Boffners and their young son, Ian, were an important part of her childhood, where she truly felt safe and stable. She remembers spending holidays

Poetry pop-up

Toddler dies after falling from pickup

CRIME BLOTTER staff reports

A 1-year-old boy was killed Friday when he fell from a moving pickup truck and was run over in a gas station parking lot on Cortana Place, according to Baton Rouge police. The toddler, Nicholas Aguilar, was not properly restrained at the time of the incident in the 9300 block of Cortana Place, according to a Baton Rouge Police Department news release. As a 2014 Dodge Ram was making a turn in the parking lot about 11:20 a.m., the rear pas-

senger door opened and the child tumbled out of the vehicle. After falling onto the concrete, Nicholas was run over by the vehicle’s rear passenger-side tire, according to the release. Nicholas was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Detectives with the BRPD Traffic Homicide Unit are investigating the incident.

Suspect in fatal shooting turns himself in

A 17-year-old accused in a fatal shooting where the victim’s body was found hanging out of the window of a parked car at an apart-

ment complex has turned himself into Baton Rouge police. Timothy Thomas Jr was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Friday on counts of second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon, according to a Baton Rouge Police Department release. Edwyn Williams, 18, was found dead about 6 a.m. Feb. 12 in the parking lot of The Reserve at Howell Place apartments at 4229 Ford St. He was a senior at Baker High School.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call BRPD’s Violent Crimes Unit, at (225) 3894869, or Crime Stoppers, at (225) 344-7867.

searching, woman reunites with foster parents

On the other hand, Cawley said her experience trying to revisit that chapter of her life as a young teen into adulthood felt far more complicated.

After about six to eight months with the Boffners, Cawley was returned home, where she said the stability did not last. She described her teenage years as difficult and she left home at 15. As an adult, she repeatedly tried to find the foster family she remembered so lovingly, but she did not know their last name and gaining access to records was difficult.

She said the process of requesting court or foster care records only got more difficult after she moved out of state. Cawley said there were no resources for guidance or even to tell her where to start.

Meylian said while there have been improvements in child welfare practices over the past two decades, especially in encouraging ongoing connections, those systems weren’t always designed with long-term reunions in mind.

“We’ve come a long way in understanding how important lifelong connections are for kids,” she said.

“But for adults who were in care years ago, there just aren’t many formal pathways to help them reconnect later in life.”

When the day came that Cawley’s mother regained custody, Boffner remembers an emotional goodbye.

Before Cawley left Boffner made her a small photo album documenting her time with the family Most of it was later lost, but Cawley kept one picture, which is the one she says she looked at for decades.

“For many former foster youth, reconnecting is about closure and understanding a piece of their story,” she said. “For foster parents, there can be excitement but also worry, wondering how that child’s life turned out.”

Cawley, now a mother herself, said those early memories shaped how she raises her own child. She said she tries to provide the same sense of safety and reassurance she felt in the Boffners’ home.

“I know what it feels like to have a place where you feel safe,” she said. “Every kid deserves that.” She hopes her story encourages others who grew up in foster care not to give up searching and wants to spark more conversation about making the process easier

with their extended family, joining camp and always feeling included.

“They made me feel like I belonged,” she said “I never forgot that.”

Paula Boffner said Cawley was the first child she and her husband fostered

“She was very loving, so it was a great first experience for fostering a child,” Boffner said. “We just wanted her to feel loved, safe.”

The couple had always hoped to grow their family after the birth of their son, Ian. Although having another biological child was possible, Boffner said she felt called to help a child who needed a home.

They initially contacted adoption agencies but were advised to begin as foster parents, to allow families to gain experience and support while caring for children who may have experienced trauma or instability Foster training prepared them for temporary care and the emotional reality of what loving a child meant, even if it ended in saying goodbye.

“For us, it was easier navigating foster care because they gave us resources and guidance,” Boffner said

“I think a lot of people stop searching because it’s so complicated,” she said. “There’s not just a simple way to find that information.”

Boffner said she was surprised to learn how hard it had been for Cawley to find her

“You’d think she could call and say, ‘I was in foster care, who were my foster parents?’” Boffner said.

“We were willing to love her and take care of her, so why wouldn’t we want to hear from her now?”

Heather Meylian, executive director of Foster the Love Louisiana, said stories like Cawley’s are more common than people realize.

She said the difficulty often isn’t about strict privacy laws or reunification laws overall, but about the absence of a clear, organized pathway for reconnection.

“There’s no dedicated registry or community organization whose sole role is helping former foster youth reconnect with former foster families,” Meylian said.

She added that a lot of it comes down to what information a person already has, which may include a name, photo or a small detail.

“Without that, it can feel like searching in the dark,” she said.

“I could still feel that embrace from that photo,” Cawley said. “They gave me love that wasn’t corrupted.”

That separation and not having an easy way to reconnect is something advocates say is not uncommon.

Meylian said that while privacy and confidentiality are important in foster care, they are not usually the main barrier decades later

“It’s less about someone being forbidden from reconnecting and more about there not being a system set up to help make it happen,” she said.

“Over time, names change, families move, records are hard to access, and there’s no central place to turn.”

Earlier this month, more than three decades after they said goodbye, Cawley was able to reconnect with the Boffners.

“She looked the same. I could see Ginger,” said Boffner “Hearing that she still remembered the love in our home made me feel like I did something right.”

Meylian said reunions like this can be incredibly joyful for former foster children, and that most foster parents would welcome hearing how they made a positive impact.

Meylian said Cawley’s story is a powerful reminder of how even short placements can leave lifelong impressions.

“Even if a child is only in a foster home for a few months, the love, stability and examples they see there can stay with them forever,” Meylian said “And the more safe, caring adults a child can stay connected to over time, the better their long-term outcomes tend to be.”

For Cawley, the reunion feels like reclaiming a missing piece of her childhood.

“For me, this is like a second chance,” she said. “It’s taking back something that was stolen.”

FEB 21, 2026

3: 5-7-6

4: 2-6-0-2

5: 1-9-8-7-6

‘Never Trump’ Republicansstill issuingwarnings

It’s unclear howmanypeople arelistening

BY STEVE PEOPLES

AP national political writer

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.— Over and over,the Republicans and former Republicans whogathered just outside Washington this weekend warned that President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are tearing at the very fabric of American democracy Aformer congressman described the president’s party as an “authoritarianembracingcult.” Aprominent conservative writer said Trumpism is an “existential threat.” And a retired Army general,his voice shaking with emotion, cited post-Nazi Germany as aroad map for the nation’s post-Trump recovery.

It’sunclear how many people are listening.

The main convention hall at the sixth annualPrinciplesFirst summit on Saturday and Sunday was half empty.About 750 chairs were set up in aroomthat could have fit thousands, and many were unfilled. Not asingle current Republican elected official participated in the two-day program. This is what remains of the Grand Old Party’s Never Trump movement, acoalition of Republicans, former Republicans and independents who banded together as Trump consolidated power.They largely remain political exiles notquite at home among Democrats yet disgusted by how the president has abandoned Republicans’ long-standing commitments to free trade and limited government.

John McDowell, 69, who was alifelong Republican

before Trump’semergence, acknowledged that the diminishedgroup had virtually “zero” political clout within his former party

“It’sjustafact. We’re losing good people,” said McDowell, aformer CapitolHill staffer and county Republican official from San Carlos,California.“The party is becoming more and more MAGA-fied.”

White House spokesperson AbigailJackson dismissed all the criticism from what she called “a bunch of deranged has-been politicians.”

“The only people who will payattention to this event arethe journalists who are forced to cover it,” she said.

Virtually everyone who gatheredatthe hotelinNational Harbor,Maryland, said they are rooting for Democratic victories in this fall’smidterm elections.

One of the only Democrats there was Conor Lamb, a former congressman from Pennsylvaniawho lost his party’sprimary to John Fetterman four years ago.

Despite dire concerns, there was aslight sense of optimism among the halfempty convention hall and quiet hotelhallways.

Several people cheered last week’sSupreme Court decision to strike down Trump’stariffs,the economictoolhehas wielded withoutcongressional approvalinhis attempt to force friends and foes around the globe to bend to his will. Trump insisted he wouldimplement anew round of tariffs despite the ruling

Former New Jersey Gov. ChrisChristie, aformer Trump adviser,highlighted recent AP-NORCpolling showing that 1in4Republicans nationwidedonot approve of Trump’sjob performance.

“It’slike any show that’s

on TV for along time —the ratings start to go down. And the ratings are going down,”Christiesaid. “I am willing to bet you that by next February,this room is going to be twice the size of what it is now.After the midterms,you watch.”

Ex-MAGA die-hardRich Logis, wearing ared “I left MAGA” hat, hopes to see “anelectoralrevolt against MAGA”inthe midterms

“I thinkthere’sa shift in our countryrightnow,” he said. “It happens slowly ”

Logis was promoting support groups for friends and family of Trumployalists at atable outside theconvention hall. Nearby, someone was sellingbooksabout how to escape cults.

At the podium, former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh implored Trump’s critics not to downplaythe seriousness of thethreat thepresident poses to thenation.

“He’s everything our founders feared. Say it. Believe it,”Walsh said. He said his former party is “an authoritarian-embracing cult” and “a threat to everything Ilove.”

Retired Gen.Mark Hertling, whooncecommanded theU.S. Army’s European forces, said he’s “haunted” by allies who ask him “whether American institutions ever can be trusted again.”

“Ournation’sinstitutions have been shaken.Our alliances have been strained.

Our credibilityhas been damaged. And our nation’s values have been cast aside,” Hertling said. He suggested the U.S. should looktothe reconstruction of Germanyafter the defeat of Nazism if it hopedtorestore the damage caused by Trumpand his allies.

The nation’srecovery,he saidashis voiced cracked, would be something people have to earn over many years.

Bill Kristol, who worked in previous Republican administrations andhelped found the Weekly Standard magazine,describedTrump andhis Republican supporters in Congress as “anexistential threat” to the nation. Buthewas also optimistic about the upcoming midtermelections.

Kristol said Democrats are “almost certain to win theHouse,” “could possibly winthe Senate,” andhave “a good chance to winthe presidency” in 2028.

BrittanyMartinez, executive director of thehost organization Principles First, also tried to cast an optimistic tone, even after describing the many reasons whyshe couldn’tbear to continue her career as a Republican staffer on Capitol Hill.

“I hope that Republicans continue to wake up,”she said.“Idothink that those folks exist.And Ihope that theyexist in greater numbers.”

Babin, Dorothy St.Patrick Catholic Church,12424 Brogdon Lane,at11a.m Burrell Sr., Freddie Immaculate ConceptionChurch 1565 Curtis Street,at9 a.m.

Dier,Mary Greenoaks Memorial Park and FuneralHome, 9595 FloridaBoulevard, at 10 a.m.

Manuel, Wayne WilbertFuneralHome, 440 South AlexanderinPortAllen, at 1:30 p.m McClure, Elizabeth RiverbendChurch at Smith Family Chapel, 4214 NorthCapitalofTexas Highway inAustin,TX, at 10 a.m.

Oubre, Maurice St.GeorgeCatholic Church at 11:00am.

Obituaries SykesSr., Bennie P.

Melancon,Brenda

It is with great sadness that we announcethe passing of BrendaJ Melancon,84. Shedeported this life February 18, 2026, at OurLady of the Lake Hospital. Shewas born on October20, 1941, in Baton Rouge,La. Brenda wasthe beloveddaughter of thelateHewitt and Gladys Garon. Brenda was an integral partofthe community. Shewas a published author,a longtime MayorofSorrento, La. anda well-known historian.She enthusiastically droveintoher genealogy research. Shetook great pride in hersmall town, whichinspired hertoauthor thebook "TheTownof Sorrento." Shespent so much time and money givingbacktoher owncommunity. Butifyou had asked her, hergreatest accomplishment wasbeinga motherand grandmother. Sheispreceded in death by herparents;and husband of 49 years, Victor Melancon;son,Michael Melancon;and daughter VickiMelancon Gauthreaux. Brenda is survivedbyher sister Linda BabinofBaton Rouge;a daughter, Sheryl Melancon Hammack of Pooler, Ga.; 8 grandchildren; Ashton Lessard Barker (Patrick), Hayden Melancon (Deanna), Megan Wilson Snyder (Hunter),Mikah Melancon (Tyler), ChristopherHam-

BenniePaulSykes Sr wasa native of Baton Rouge,LAbornSeptember 30, 1948, in Homer, LA. After acourageousbattle with cancer, he peacefully departed this life. He wasa proudveteran of theUnited States Militaryand afaithfulmember of 68th Ave Baptist Church Benniewas known for his quietstrength,steady faith, anddeep love forhis family. He lived hislife with dignity, honor,and devotion to God, carrying thevalueshelearned in militaryservice into every area of hislife. Hislifeand legacy will be cherishedbyall who knew and lovedhim. Afuneral servicewill be held from1:00 PM to 2:30 PM on 2026-02-24 at Hall Davis& SonFuneral Services, 9348 Scenic Highway.

BY GHAITH ALSAYED Associated Press

DAMASCUS,Syria Anotori-

ous camp in Syria that once housedtens of thousands of women and children with alleged links to the Islamic State group has been emptied, officials said Sunday Fadi al-Qassem, the Syrian Foreign Ministry representative for the al-Hol camp administration, said the final convoy left the camp Sundaymorning.

Hundreds of residents of the remote camp in northeastern Syria have been transferred to the Akhtarin camp in Aleppo province in recent weeks and others have been repatriated to Iraq. Officials have said the decision to emptythe al-Hol

camp was madebecause of its remote location in the desert— far from services and close to areas where the authoritiesdonot have complete control of the territory

The U.N. refugee agency said it assisted in thereturn of 191 Iraqi citizens from Syria’s al-Hol camp to Iraq on Thursday

TheSyrian Observatory forHuman Rights, aU.K.based war monitor,also reported that anunspecifiednumber of residents “left thecamp individually without waiting for the organized convoys.”

Afterthe defeat of IS in 2019, around 73,000 people were livingatal-Hol, most of them Syrian and Iraqi citizens but alsoincluding thousandsfromother coun-

tries. Thecamp’sresidents are mostlywomen, including wives or widows of IS members, and their children.

Since then, the number hasdeclined, with some countries repatriating their citizens,leaving about 24,000 as of last month.

Thecamp’sresidents were not technically prisoners and most have not been accused of crimes, buttheyhad been held in de facto detentionatthe heavily guarded facility for years.

Lastmonth, Syrian governmentforces captured theal-Hol camp in aweekslong offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF,which had been running thecamp near theborder with Iraq

for adecade. Aceasefire deal has since ended the fighting.

During andafter the fighting, many families arebelievedtohaveescaped from thecamp.

Thefate of the similar but smallerRoj camp in northeastern Syria, which is still under SDF control, remains unclear.Mostofthe residents of that camp are foreigners, whose countries have largely refused to take them back.

Syrian authorities turned back agroup of 34 Australian women and children on Feb. 16 after they left the Roj camp, headed toward Damascus to boardaflight back to Australia.Australian authorities later said they would not repatriate thefamilies

Higgins’ record shows no respect forlaw and order

YOUR VIEWS

Medical school chancellor’s ouster raises ugly specter

In itsJan. 26 editorial, thenewspaper’seditorial staff imagined that U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins might have something reasonable to sayabout the necessity of due process and equal protection in immigration enforcement in the wake of the deaths of Minneapolitans Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal immigration authorities. The newspaper cited Higgins’ “background in local law enforcement” as asource of wisdom that he might provide It is time for the media to quit portraying Higgins as some sort of “top cop.” It istrue that Higgins was employed by the Opelousas PoliceDepartment from 2004 to 2007. His SWAT unit was disbanded after he anda colleague were caught on aconvenience store camera, purchasing alcoholic beverages while on duty.Hewas also investigated for using unnecessary force in beatingasuspect who was unarmed, already in handcuffs and later released for no wrongdoing. Higgins resigned beforedisciplinary action could be taken. He called his police chief a“peacock, acolorful, flightless bird.”

From Opelousas, Higgins bouncedtothe Port Barre Police from 2007 to 2010. Very littleis known of his time there, buthis tenure was as brief as it was with Opelousas police. From 2011 to 2016,Higgins was employed with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office as apublic relations officer There, he rosetoculturalnotice with bounty videos of alleged gang members. Hissuperior,the sheriff, told him to “tone it down” andto“put his big boy pants on” forputting a“target on the back” of fellowofficers. Higgins again resigned just as disciplinary measures were being taken. Let’sbereal. Except for masks, which Higgins believes conceal ouridentity as “children of God,” Higgins is no different from the ICE thugs —not asource of wisdomonlaw enforcement. M. CHRISTIAN GREEN Lafayette

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR

AREWELCOME.HEREARE

In aftermathofice storm, crews andcommunity came together

With power now fully restored across northLouisiana followingthe historic winter storm,Iwant to pause to say two simple words: thank you. Thank you to our customers for your patience, resilience and extraordinary sense of community.Inthe face of adversity,what shined brightest was how people cared for one another.Wesaw neighbors stepping in to help,families making room for others and communities lifting each other up. That kindness and generosityare theheart of northLouisiana, and we are proud to serve aregion built on those values. Your spirit made aset of difficult circumstances more manageableand reminded us why these communities are so special. Ialso want to recognize themorethan 4,500 restoration workers who answered the call. These men and women worked around theclock in some of the most hazardous conditionsour system has ever faced. Many were away from their own families while

enduring freezing temperatures, mud, standing water and difficult terrain to rebuild damaged lines and infrastructure.

In my four decades in this industry,this wasthe mostsevere ice event Ihave witnessed on our electrical system. Restoration required persistence and precision. Even after initial repairs, continued environmental impacts created new challenges, and crews returned again and again to ensure every repair was completed thoroughly and correctly.That sustained effort is what allowed us to restore service across theregion.

We are deeply grateful for the trust you place in our company,and we don’ttake that for granted. Storms will come and go, but our commitment to north Louisiana remains constant. It is an honor to standwith you, and we thank you for reminding us what true community looks like.

PHILLIP MAY president and CEo,EntergyLouisiana

GoPreaps fruitofdeceptionstheynurtured

While my political leanings are wholly mine, andI would never force, coerce or even ask another to hold them in place of their own educated or otherwise opinion, I wish to pointout themodern hand-wringing and brow-dabbing that Republicans are going through.

When narratives held in recent years such as vaccine efficacy,voting security, environmental technologies, immigration andclimate analysis —are questioned and vilified, is it anywonder that the constituents whohave been weaned on the teat of questionable defiance now so threaten the stability of those very politicians’ futures that said politicians are near to tears hoping that voters suddenly accept the very things denounced for years?

regardless of winning. Carbon capture technologies, once a“leftist” effort, are now embraced by theright and vital forindustries that know via science that it is safe, effective and beneficial.

The natural process of human populations to moveand mix andspread physically is now bound by imagined lines andfalse ideas of race, leaving aonce-proud country farmer squeezed by massive industrial processes and alack of honest workers.

That very climate activity binds mostof these issues together,swinging through extremes that will only grow worse in decades to come, and acontinued denialdoes nothing for abetter understanding of the solutions, if not of climatechange, then of the multiplicity of issues theworld will face in compensation

As aLouisiana native and former director of adepartment of the LSU Health Sciences Center in NewOrleans, Iamdeeply disturbedbythe major self-inflicted injury the political leadership of the state andthe LSU System have inflicteduponthis preeminent health careinstitution.

By unceremoniously dismissing Dr.Steve Nelsonaschancellor aftera little more thanayear in the position, the future suddenly appearsbleak

Dr.Nelsonisa widely respected physician, administrator and researcher,not only in the local regionbut also across the world in his field of expertise

Moreover,hewas successfully undertaking the herculean task of rebuilding trust andrespect in the community following the misdeedsofhis predecessor so very thoroughly documentedbythis newspaper.

By following the tired old failed script of reorganizing andremoving people of integrity,independenceand character with cronies who fail upward, the institution (aswellasthe state) is set back by decades LSU HSC’sbillion-dollar impact will wither away because of departuresand retirements of worldclassresearchers, educators and clinicians who have lost faith as a result of the political games originating in BatonRouge. Sadly,these missteps have been the case since the HueyLongera.Everyone loses when “leadership” chooses politics over integrity: students, educators, staff, researchers andespecially patients.

As he is widely respected, I’m sure Nelson likely will do just fine in his next position, though he deserveda kinderfate.

More importantly,those families who rely on health care education andtreatment in Louisiana deserve amuchbetterfuture.

JAMES A. HARDY san Diego, California

Arequiem forour democracy

“America first,” he said

Better than ever before

Just watch us soar

To sEND Us ALETTER, sCAN HERE

OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone 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.

Measles, once carefully controlled, has returned, surely in time for atrue epidemic to emerge that half our population will refuse wholeheartedly to accept any medical intervention for.Elections are denied to the pointthat either blindloyalty shadesthe selection available or the resultsare rejected

Ijust foundout thetickets for the New Orleans Saints game in Paris will be by lottery In thepast, it was done by seniority. Iaman original season ticket holder with the highest seniority and was expecting the ticketstobe offered this way again.

What’sthe point of having seniority if they’regoing to use alottery?

I’vebeen with theSaintsfor almost 60 years nowand have been loyal this entire time. Where is their loyalty to the fans like

Maybe amatter of time will lay low the wheat, and perhaps theseed will find root in abrighter future —but not in the darkness of lies and purposeful mismanagement.

NATHAN MEAUX Crowley

me whohave been here since Day 1?

Loyalty works bothways, andifitmeans nothing to theSaints, then Imay have to rethinkcontinuing to show my loyalty by buying season tickets.

Iamthoroughly disappointed in their decision, and Ihope Gayle Benson is madeaware of how disgusted the season ticket-holders are with this decision.

KEITH ORGERON youngsville

And prices did

Then came the ICE

Chilling the plan

Killing the vision

Causing the tears

The anguish Forgotten promises Broken dreams

Nightmares galore

Bringing us more

Heartache and pain

Losing family and friends

Not making amends

But causing morechaos

When will this end

Will they ever bend

To hear our pleas

For harmony and peace

First to last, alas!

MARYLARSON Baton Rouge

COMMENTARY

PamBondi showsloyalty to heraudienceofone

Let’shear aword of praise for the ordinary citizens who havecalled for an endtothe too-often reckless invasions of American cities byfederal agents carrying out PresidentDonald Trump’scrusade against undocumented immigrants. Iammoved by the courage andpatriotism of those who havecomeout on the streets, sometimes in awesome numbers, to demand investigations into and accountability for recent allegations of misconduct byofficers of the Department of Homeland Securityin Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere. These events were spotlighted earlier this month in hearings in the House Judiciary Committee. Then there’sU.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who, as is often said aboutthe dramatis personae of the executive branch these days, plays to “an audience of one,” namely the president, and her actions and demeanor have descended to such alow standard that the Department of Justice approaches astaffing crisis.

To see why,consider Bondi’srecent Housetestimony.She cameintothe hearing against abackdrop of recrimination between apresidential administration and the opposition party the depth and rancor of which has not been seen since the Watergate era.

Team Trump faced anumberof problems, including their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, thefailed attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers and the killing of two protesters by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

The attorney general, steadfast in her defense of the administration, replied to questions from Democratic members with adramatic escalation of the angry rhetoric, invectiveand combative name-calling,atpoints reading scripted “sick burns”from abinder.Attimes, if you closed your eyes, it was easy to believeyou were watching “Jerry Springer.”

One illustrative low point came when shelashedout at the committee’sranking Democrat, Rep.Jamie Raskin of Maryland. During adiatribe Bondilaunched at another Democrat on thecommittee, Raskin broke in, directing her to respond to the question. “You don’t tell me anything, you washed-up loser lawyer,” shemuttered.“You’re not even alawyer.”

It’swell known that Raskin is indeed alawyer,amagna cum laude Harvard

Lawgraduate and professor of constitutional law.But that wasn’teven the mostabsurdthing Bondi said. She provoked audible laughter early in the hearing when she suggested Democrats on the committee should look at the good news of Trump’ssecondterm.

“The Dow is over 50,000 right now, the S&P at almost 7,000, and theNASDAQ smashingrecords, Americans’ 401(k)s and retirement savings are booming,” Bondi said. “That’s what we should be talking about.”

Maybe, in her view,but thestock market was way off topic for the Judiciary committee, as aDemocratic member pointed out.

It’sashame,but also not asurprise, that Bondi came prepared for afight, which shemade sound at least as personal as it was political. After all, the DOJ is falling down on anumber of important issues.

Democrats repeatedly pressed Bondionher department’sfailure to redact names, addresses and other identifying information relating to Epstein’s victims, and in some cases nude images, fromthe files it released last month.

When Rep.Pramila Jayapal, DWash., asked Bondi to address Epstein’svictims present in the hearing room, the attorney general declared, “I’m not going to get in thegutter for hertheatrics.”

In fairness, she did express regret for“what any victim has been through, especially as aresult of that monster,” Epstein. She added, “I want you to know that any accusation of

criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated.”

That’swhat agood attorney general is supposed to do. Ionly wish Icould feel more confident that Bondi is up to thetask.

Unfortunately,her to-do list is full of dead-end tasks on behalf of her No. 1fan. Whether it’sgetting revenge on Trump’sold enemies (e.g., indicting former FBI Director James Comey andNew York Attorney General Letitia James)orreviving his old conspiracy theories (e.g., investigating the “stolen” election in Georgia, promising “Russiagate” prosecutions), covering his posterior (the “Epstein files” slow roll) or gettinghis mighty deportation machine running, theDOJ is losing talented attorneys who didn’t sign up to do political wet work.

“The system sucks,”a DOJ grunt attorney told ajudge in Minneapolis, breaking down in thecourtroom earlier this month.“This job sucks.”

Likeother federal judges, the one presiding in this particular case demanded to know why Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were not complying with court orders, and what the DOJ was doing about it.

“Fixing asystem,abroken system, Idon’thave amagic button to do it,” theattorney pleaded. “I don’thave the power or the voice to do it.”

Away from the sound and fury of the hearing room on Capitol Hill, the problems of our democracy run deeper than we know

Email Clarence Page at clarence47page@gmail.com

Trumpstops race to save thecreation

May we talk about spiritual matters? “In the beginning,” the Bible opens, “God created the heavensand theearth.” Several lines down,God says, let humankind “havedominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air,and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of theearth,and over every creeping thingthat creeps upon the earth.”

We humans were given stewardship of earth, but global warming is remaking the world beneath us. We are the cause, but we stillhave thepowerto stop or at least greatly slow the desecration of what was placed in our care I’ve written at length about theeconomic damage global warming can inflict, knowing that money arguments often get more traction than ethical ones. But the moral urgency of this crisis deserves far more attention than it receives. Howeverwe define conscience, within traditional religion or outside it, protecting theenvironment for future generationsisamoral imperative. In the world of Donald Trump,dollars outrank soul. His Environmental Protection Agencyhas just revoked the 2009 “endangerment finding,” which allows the governmenttoregulate planet-warming pollution. In sum, he has just taken the United States out of the race to preserve theCreation.

EPAemissions regulator said. “Nothing. Zero.” At age 79, Trump likely won’tbe aroundtosee the worst of what’scoming. But he can makeplenty of money in the meantime, championing thefossil fuels that heat the atmosphere. Andhe’snot just promoting them; he’ssmotheringtheircompetition.

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” —George Orwell, “1984”

When the 105-day warended, almost 400,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed or wounded or were missing. The Kremlin reported minor losses. Vladimir Putin, aStalin admirer,should have studied the actual past that Stalin falsified.

Stalin began the Winter War, aka the RussoFinnish War, on Nov.30, 1939, as his then-ally Adolf Hitler had begun World WarIIinEurope three months earlier: by staging afraudulent border incident. Stalin, dictator of anation of 170 million, expected to quickly subdue Finland, anation of 3.5 million.

When Putin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, his troops weretold to pack dress uniforms. There would be avictory parade afew days later in Kyiv.In“The Winter Warriors,” ajust-published novel by Olivier Norek, Vyacheslav Molotov,Stalin’s close aide, tells aRed Armycolonel that Stalin wants to celebrate his next birthday on the steps of Finland’sParliament, “in precisely 20 days.” ASoviet general had told Stalin 10 days should suffice.

The warended on March 13, 1940. The Soviet Union settled forabout 10% of Finland’sterritory As the fifth year of Russia’swar to subdue Ukraine approaches, Putin has learned that the past is easier to control than the present. He has a grim future if the United States and Europe press their advantages.

Amuch-diminished Russia occupies just 20% of Ukrainian territory that Kyiv controlled four Februarys ago. Europe, which has not yet even completely weaned itself from Russian energy, is at least accustoming itself to the vocabulary of military seriousness.

In 2024, every Swedish household received a booklet stating: “From the year you turn 16 until the end of the year you turn 70, you are part of Sweden’stotal defense and required to serve in the event of war or the threat of war.”Finland andNorway have longhad military conscription. Other nationsare preparing infrastructures for mobilization.DonaldTrumphas endorsed legislation that would provide crushing economic penalties fornations that buy Russian oil.

Last year,Putin would not —crippled by his Ukraine misadventure, he could not —try to rescue his client regimeinSyria as it was being swept away.Iran’sregime, Putin’smost important ally other than China, is preoccupied with suppressing Iranians. Putin’sonly sympathizer in the European Union, Hungary’sViktor Orban, might now have firmer support among American authoritarians (“national conservatives”) than among Hungarians.

Putin’s“special military operation” in Ukraine (calling it awar can mean imprisonment) has lasted longer than Russia’sinvolvement in World War II. By now,Putin has surely defined success down: anegotiated armistice that provides Ukraine with security “guarantees” even moregossamer than those of the infamous 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances. In it, Ukraine agreed to give up the almost 2,000 Soviet-era nuclear weapons (and ballistic missiles and strategic bombers) stationed on its soil. Russia gave “assurances” that it would “respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine,” and would “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.” Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and invaded Ukraine eight years later

Forstarters, he’ssabotaging theproduction of American electric vehicles, for which U.S. automakers will pay theprice. This is agift to China, which is dominatingworld production of EVs, as the world shifts to electrical vehicles.

Trumphas also frozen or slowed offshore windenergy projects. (He ludicrouslysuggests that turbine noise causes cancer.) He’s also targeted onshore wind, which now produces some of America’scheapestelectricity.A recent Lazard cost-of-energy comparisonfoundthat “utility-scale solar and onshore windremain the most costeffectiveforms of new-build energy generation,” even when unsubsidized.

TheEdison Electric Institute, which lobbies for investor-owned utilities, said scrapping federal rules on powerplant carbon emissions would hurt the sector’sgrowth. And just as the industryisexpanding to meet the ravenous power demands of artificial intelligence.

green energy.Itperversely started zeroing out the public-healthsavings its own analyses credited to banning two pollutants. Fewer cases of asthma, cardiovascular disease and brain-development problemsdon’tjust spare people suffering. They spare thecountryenormous medical costs.

I’m not indicting theoil and gas industry,which has been around long before we knew what carbon dioxide would do. Civilization still relies on someofits products. Butweshouldn’t tolerate efforts to slam thebrakes on themove to clean energy —especially when even major oil companies have madesubstantial investments in renewables that they view as central to their future.

Back at the beginning, in theBook of Genesis, we read that when humanity corrupted the world with sin, God destroyed his Creation by unleashing the great flood. Buthedoes save therighteous Noah and the animals Noah brings onto his Ark. (Thestory also appears in theQuran, which treats Noah as aprophet warning his people.)

When thewaters receded, God said to Noah,“Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish theearth.” Noah becomes afarmer and plants avineyard. Humankind, if it refuses to act as aresponsible steward, may not get a second chance.

Choices by Ukraine’sfriends can deliver condign punishment to Putin forhis Ukrainian blunder

These friends can at last choose to fund Ukraine with the approximately $300 billion in frozen Russian assets. They can intensify interdiction of the shadow fleet of tankers getting Russian oil to foreign buyers. And they can deny Putin aveto over security guarantees forUkraine, including permanent troop deployments there. Otherwise, any agreement will be asizzling fuse.

In Norek’snovel, before Russia attacked, Molotov explained that negotiations with Finland “have never been anything but along fuse.” And if Finland accepts Soviet demands, “We’ll only ask formore until we’ve taken the whole country.” Today’sStalinist in the Kremlin is no sphinx.

Writing in Foreign Affairs (“Russia’sDescent Into Tyranny”), Nina Khrushcheva of the New School reports that in 2023, “1984,” George Orwell’sdystopian novel about aregime resting on masssurveillance and incessant propaganda, was, according to aRussian bookstore chain, its most stolen book.

In the first half of 2025, the moststolen item was the Russian constitution, which guarantees free speech and forbids censorship. Hence, aRussian joke: “Weread Orwell forhis reflection of reality and the constitution as abeautiful utopia.” Negotiate accordingly

“The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning,”aformer

Trump’sEPA has gone beyond making false claims about the costs of

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.

Email George Will ageorgewill@washpost.com

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LosAngeles officially on theclock forSummer Games

BY THUC NHI NGUYEN Los Angeles Times (TNs)

VERONA, Italy In fair Verona, L.A.,unofficially,takes the torch.

While the Olympic flag passed from Italy to France at Sunday’sclosing ceremony, handing off the Winter Games from MilanCortina to the French Alps, the flame will burn next in L.A. In just over two years,the UnitedStates will host the country’sfirst SummerGames since 1996, welcoming an Olympic movement thatissurging in popularity butunsteady in achanging world, as the Games return to Los Angeles for thethirdtime

The Milan-Cortina Olympics are expected to rake in recordTVnumbers forNBC Theyalready produced themost-watched women’shockeygame on record when an average of 5.3 million viewers took in the United States’ thrilling overtime win over Canada. The rivalrygame contributed to the largest weekday audience foraWinter Games since 2014 withanaverage of 26.7

ä see OLYMPICS, page 6B

AP PHoTo By LUCA BRUNo People takephotosofthe cauldron at the Arco della Pace momentsbefore it is extinguished to close the 2026 Winter Games on sundayinMilan, Italy

Jordan turned back clockin Pelicans’win over 76ers

si FORTHE BOOKS

UsAbeats Canada in oTtowin firsthockeygold nce 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice,’ Page 4B

CRUISE CONTROL

BY REED DARCEY staff writer

Coach Kim Mulkey went big on Thursday to spark the LSUwomen’sbasketball team’scomeback win over Ole Miss,and then shewentsmall on Sunday to secure its lopsided victory over Missouri.

The No. 7Tigers(24-4, 10-4 SEC) won 108-55, even though they playedmostofthe first half without oneof their post players on thefloor.Theydidn’treally need one. LSUprevented Missouri from scoring at therim, dominated the glass and uncorked its transition offense anyway,which allowed it to tiea program record for margin of victory in an SEC game.

“You’re notgoingtobeable to (go small) much,”

Mulkeysaid, “but whatIlikedwas sharing the ball. I like the ability to take off, and everybody’sjust running. That puts alot of pressure on them defensively.”

Freshman forward ZaKiyah Johnsonscored17points andgrabbed acareer-high14boards—11ofwhich she pulled off the offensive glass —topost her third doubledouble of the season. Junior MiLaysia Fulwiley chipped in 22 points, acareer-high 11 rebounds and four assists, three blocks and two steals in her first career double-double. Star senior Flau’jae Johnson tallied 16 points, while sophomore JadaRichard added 10 points, six assists and four rebounds.

MikaylahWilliams, astar junior, satout thewhole

ä see LSU, page 3B

Rod Walker

ä Warriors at Pelicans

7P.M.TUEsDAy

GCsEN

DeAndre Jordan craved twothings Saturday night when he left theSmoothie King Center Wine. And ice. The wine to unwind andcelebrate the key role he played inthe New OrleansPelicans’126111 victory over thePhiladelphia 76ers. The ice to help his37-yearold body recover from playing in an actual game for the first time in almost four months. There wouldn’thavebeen anything to celebrate if it weren’tfor Jordan.Hefinished with just six points, but it was his 15 rebounds and four blocked shotsthat were pivotal in makingsure the Pelicans erased thebitter taste from the night before whenthey fell 139-118 to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pelicans know they shouldn’thavelost by 21 points to the Bucks, especially when the only Antetokounmpo who played Friday was Thanasis. His little brother Giannis, the two-time league MVP,sat out the game Pelicans interim head coach JamesBorrego left the arena disappointed. He knew he needed to do something to shakethings up. The light bulb that popped up in Borrego’shead told him to insert the6-foot-11

ä see WALKER, page 6B

BY MATTHEWPARAS staff writer

Pr s ects f r Sai ts t w Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love AP PHoTo

With all due respect to the SeniorBowl last month’sAll-Star college exhibition game didn’thave the star power that this year’sNFL scouting combine brings. Manyofthe event’s topprospects pulled out at thelast minute— meaning thatwhen teams descendonIndianapolis this week, they’ll finally have the chance to get an up-close look at the biggest names in the 2026 draft. That applies to theNew Orleans Saints. Here are eight names to keep an eyeon when thescouting combine begins Monday —inhonor of the Saints holdingthe eighthoverall pick this year JEREMIYAH LOVE •NOTRE DAME •RB Arguably,noplayer hasbeen linked to the Saints more in mock drafts —and for good reason. The electric 20-yearold is aforce and would likely provide a much-needed jolt to New Orleans’ offense. Love’scollege tape is dazzling. Can he be just as impressive at the combine? It remainstobeseen whether he participates in drills or waits untilhis proday,but he still

will likely meet with teams. MAKAI LEMON• USC •WR; CARNELLTATE•OHIO STATE •WR; JORDYN TYSON• ARIZONA STATE• WR

Let’slink these threetogether, because if the Saints don’ttake arunning back in Round 1and still want adynamic weapon, oneofTate, TysonorLemon is certainly appealing. But whichone would best fit the Saints, if all three werestill available when New Orleans is on the clock at No. 8? This is aweek to help create that separation whether that’sthrough on-field testing or the interview process, when each (presumably) will chat with the Saints. Each brings adifferent flavor,too. Lemon thrivesinthe slotand would seemingly complement Saintscoach KellenMoore’s preferencefor deploying three-wide receiver sets. Tate, who NFL.com compared to Chris Olave, can work the middle-of-thefield andvertical routes with steady speed andcrafty route running. Tysonisthe contested-catch, do-it-all type

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Schmidt plants his flag

NFL WR Rondale Moore found dead in Indiana

JACKSONVILLE. Fla. Achilled Februarysun gave up on VyStar Ballpark here late Sunday afternoon, instead focusing its energyonthe Jacksonville Jaguars’ stadium next door and ahuge orangecantilever bridge spanning the St. John’sRiver, carrying traffic speeding east toward the Atlantic. Inside the park, on the mound, LSU pitcher William Schmidt didn’tneed the sun. He was hot enough on his own. Fullwattage, as he mowed down Central Florida batter afterbatter in what wound up aseven-inning, 11-0 Tigervictory to clinch the Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic

If you follow baseball,particularly local baseball, you know who Schmidt is. The wunderkind who carved out alegendary prep career at Catholic High, going9-0 as asenior in 2024 with amicroscopic 0.44 earned run average and 102 strikeouts in 632/3 innings So good he was projectedtobe at leastamid-first-round major league draft pick in 2024.

“You can’tteach stuff, and he’s gotstuff,” LSU legend, former major league pitcher Ben McDonald said aweek earlier while calling Schmidt’s outing against Milwaukee. “Major leaguestuff.” That stuff hadn’talways shown itself in college quite yet.Yes, Schmidt was 7-0 with a4.73 ERA as an LSU freshman, but mostly in midweek starts. He threw all of 12/3 innings during the Tigers’ postseason run to their eighth College World Series title, both appearances in late relief.

As asophomore, Schmidthas done enough, shown enough to be penciled in as LSU’sSunday starter beating out araft of other talented arms on apitching staffthat may prove to be deeper than lastyear’s.

His first start, Feb. 15 against Milwaukee,was awin. Schmidt is already 9-0 as aTiger. The other numbers were decent if not overwhelming: four innings pitched, three runs allowed on three hits with nine strikeouts and three walks, all adding up to a6.75 ERA entering the UCF game. When the lanky 6-foot-4 sophomorestrodetothe mound at the top of the first inning, you quickly got asense that this was going to be an awesome outing. The “stuff” Big Ben raved about crackled. Schmidt looked confi-

dent and in command of himself andthe Golden Knights’ batters.

“The stuff is electric,” UCF

coach Rick Wallace said (there’s that word again). “When he’sgot dominatingstuff and is landing multiple pitches, you get caught in between and you can’tdothat.” Schmidt wentfive strong innings, allowing three hitswhile striking outseven and walking just one. He gave up aone-out single in the secondtoaUCF batter whogot stranded at first aleadoff double in thefourth to abatter whoreached third on awild pitch but gotstuck there when Schmidt struck out the side, and another single in the fifthpairedwith hiswalk that also came to nothing. Mavrick Rizy threw two innings of hitless relief to close it out.

“Dating backtointersquad, that’shis third really good performance in arow,” LSU coach JayJohnson said of Schmidt. “He

filled thezone all day.All of his pitches were for strikes. Even when he’snot doing good he beats thebats, which he did today.”

It’searlyyet.Just two weekends in. But in the part of Florida they callthe First Coast,Schmidt looked like an explorer who planted his flagasiftosay,“I, Prince William, have arrived.” Actually, he left here with amini version of the orange boxing-liketitle belt for earning tournament MVP honors, but it was flag-like.

“I could get all threeofmypitches in the zone when Iwanted to,” Schmidt said. “They were checking off speed, so Icould land those for strikes. The defense really helped alot on multiple plays.”

LSU’sothertwo weekend starters appear to be about on the same path. Casan Evans (0-0, 6.48 ERA) hasn’t quite arrived yet, while Cooper Moore (2-0, 3.09)gavea second straight fairly impressive performance in Saturday’s9-4 win

here overNotre Dame. Whoever the top three wind up being by season’send, if the Tigers can have three dependable and durable starters, they will be mightytough to beat once again. No, LSU isn’tpitching and hitting againstSoutheastern Conference powers yet —UCF is picked 10th in the 14-teamBig 12 —but the offenseisalready humming. The Tigers scored 34 runs in three games here on 40 hits (only three of themhome runs, two by Cade Arrambide,including one Sunday) and now have 97 runs in their first eight games. First eight wins, rather, which is LSU’sbest start under Johnson and equals the Tigers’ best start since 2019. Youfigured LSU would hit overmatched pitching this weekend. What was hard to figure out was how the starters, the only partsofthe team that madeyou go “Well?” coming here, would fare.

LSUsoftballnarrowlyovercomes Howard

BYJIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

On aday when LSU waslooking for veteran support for afreshman pitcher making her first career start, it was that freshman who did the supporting.

Ashlin Mowery retiredthe first nine hitters she faced and got late help from Tatum Clopton as LSU won arazorthin 1-0 decision against Howard to cap thePurple and Gold Challenge SundayatTiger Park.

Mowery,atall, hard-throwing righthanderfrom Lancaster, Ohio, allowed one hit and onewalk with four strikeouts in 51/3 innings Clopton enteredinthe sixthwhen an error and awalk put two runners on. Clopton threw one pitch, resulting in an inning-endingdouble play and then retired all three hitters in the seventh forher first save.

Mowery said her big moment came without nerves

“Honestly,it’shard to have nerves when you havesuch an amazing team behind you,” she said. “From the moment Ilearned Iwas starting today,I hadhigh fives and pumped energy through it all. It gives you all the confidence in the world to go out and do your thing.

“It was amix of everything. One wasusing what I’m good at, and that’svelo (velocity) and trying to pump strikes in there and attack the zone. We work heavy on that.”

It was the secondshutout of the weekendfor Beth Torina’s crew andfourth of theseason. Mowery threw 61 pitches, 40 for strikes.

“She did great, she gave us the start we needed,”Torina said. “She looked confident, con-

trolled thezone and didareally nice joband got her first winas aTiger

“I thought shewouldbe(nervous), but she seemed great. Rightoff thebat shegot three up, threedown andseemed

NEWALBANY, Ind. Rondale Moore, an NFL receiver who had seasonending training camp knee injuries in each of the last two years after astandout collegecareer at Purdue anda promisingstartwiththe Arizona Cardinals, was found dead Saturday,authorities said. He was 25. Police said Moore died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. Moorewas found dead in the garage of aproperty in his hometown of New Albany,police chief Todd Bailey said. The death remains under investigation. FloydCountyCoroner Matthew Tomlin also confirmed Moore’s death. He saidanautopsy would be conducted on Sunday MooregrewupinNew Albany, just acrossthe Indiana border from Louisville, Kentucky,and wasafirst-team All-American as a freshman at Purdue in 2018.

Insurancekeeps

Phillies LHP Alvarado from WBC CLEARWATER, Fla. Philadelphia Phillies left-hander José Alvarado announced on social media Sunday that insuranceissues will prevent him fromrepresenting Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Alvarado wrote on his Instagram message thenews “deeply saddens me.” He added “the insurance requiredfor my participation was not approved.This is asituation that is beyond my control and without adoubt it fills me with sadness and is difficult to understand. Ihad thehopeand commitment to once again wear my country’s jerseyfor thethirdconsecutive time. Representing Venezuela has always been one of the greatest honors of my career.”

Cowboys, RB Williams agree to 3-year contract

The DallasCowboysand running back Javonte Williamshave agreed on a$24 million, three-year contract, following through on the front office’spledge that bringing back their leading rusher was a top priority

The team announced the deal on itswebsite Saturday,more than twoweeksbeforefreeagency opens. ESPN reported the deal includes $16 millioninguaranteed money Williams joinedthe Cowboys on aone-year contract last season after an injury-filled four years on his rookie deal withthe Denver Broncos. He hadhis first 1,000yard season andfinishedwith 1,201 yards rushing, the mostfor aDallas back since two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott had 1,357 in 2019.

Thitikulwins home LPGA tournament for firsttime

CHONBURI, Thailand World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul justified her top billing in emphaticfashion after edging Japan’sChizzy Iwaibyone stroketocapture and claimher homeLPGAThailand tournament forthe first time.

great thewhole time.”

Mowery and Clopton needed to be precisewhenthe LSU offense mustered only five hits and left eightrunnersonbase in six innings. Tori Edwards delivered thegame’sonlyrun with abloop single to right field in the first inning but had troublethroughout the afternoon squaring up Howard pitcher Aiko Conaway Conaway allowed only an unearned runwith two walks and a strikeoutwhile throwing only 83 pitches in the 1hour, 32-minute game.

“We’re still searching, trying to find theright answers alittle bit,” Torina said the day after her team left 21 runners on in adoubleheader.“At theend of the day,we’ll just double down on our process.We know we haveagreat team,great hitters. They will come around I’m 100 percentconfident they’re going to be great.

“She (Conaway) did agood job keepingusoff balance with the changeup. We hadsome balls in the air to the left side that we didn’twantoff that pitch.Itwas deceptive. On aweekend like this, you don’thave aton of time to plan for an outlier arm like that. At the endofthe day,weneed to do a better job,perform better top to bottom.”

LSU is back in action at 6p.m. Tuesday at McNeese State before next weekend’sLSU Invitational Fridayand Saturday

Buoyed by raucous homesupport, theThaistar kept hercomposure undersweltering conditions and intense pressure to card aclosing 4-under-par68, finishing on 24-under-par 264.

The victory marked her eighth LPGA Tour title and her first triumph on homesoil.

“I would rate it Atriple-plus,” said the 23-year-old. “I know it’s not as big as the majors, but winning in my home country means so much to me —sometimes even morethan amajor.”

South African golferJarvis wins in Kenya by 3shots

NAIROBI,Kenya— South African golfer Casey Jarvis wonthe Kenya Open by three shots on Sunday to clinch his first title on the European tour TheNo. 195-rankedJarvisrolled in an eagle putt on his 72nd hole to post 8-under 62 forthe final round and finish on 25-under par for the tournamentatKaren Country Club in Nairobi.

Jarvis also eagledthe short par-4 12thholeSunday,making awinding right-to-left putt over aridge, on theway to shooting 30 in his back nine.

Jarvis shared the lead in each of thefirstthree rounds —and each timewith adifferent player —before finally pulling away American Davis Bryant (64) was alone in second place andHennie Du Plessis (65) of South Africa was third.

Tide coach sings LSU’s praises after close game

BY TOYLOY BROWN III

staff writer

Nate Oats didn’t speak about his team for the first minute of the postgame press conference.

The seventh-year coach of No. 25 Alabama used the time to talk about an LSU team that lost 90-83 Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

“Got a lot of respect for LSU players and staff,” Oats said. “Watch those guys lose tight games Kentucky one awfully tough. They played Arkansas really tough. Lost one-possession game to Texas, who we lost to at home. For them to play as hard as they’re currently playing and keep fighting. They’re down 16, seven minutes to go, and fought all the way back, cut it to 6.

“You got to give them a lot of credit, because they could easily not do what they did tonight, based on some of the tough, close one-, two-possession losses that they’ve had. So lot of credit to them.” LSU played a tightly contested

first half, trailing 43-40 at halftime, and got within six points twice at the end of the game despite the Crimson Tide’s earlier scoring runs.

sive rebounds for the entire half.

Second half, they get 11 offensive rebounds.”

Blakes scores 35 as No. 5 Vanderbilt survives Kentucky

BY JACK WILLIAMS Associated Press

NASHVILLE,Tenn. — Mikayla Blakes scored 35 points and Justine Pissott came up with a big defensive play late to help No. 5 Vanderbilt edge 16th-ranked Kentucky 81-79 on Sunday Trailing by one, Kentucky’s Clara Strack had the ball with 4 seconds left and made a move to the basket from the wing when Pissott deflected it out of Strack’s hand Blakes gained possession and then was fouled with less than a second left. She hit the first of two free throws and then the

Wildcats couldn’t get off a shot. Aubrey Galvan, who finished with 20 points, hit the go-ahead jumper with 7.9 seconds left to lift Vanderbilt (25-3, 11-3 SEC). Pissott finished with eight points, including two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter One of those 3’s tied the game with 2:21 left. The victory ties Vanderbilt with No 4 Texas for second place in the SEC with two games left in regular-season play Strack led the Wildcats (20-8, 7-7) in scoring, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds. Amelia Hassett added 15 points, hitting five 3-pointers.

The Tigers were down 81-75 with 2:38 remaining and 89-83 with 14.7 seconds left. While it seemed that Alabama extinguished any hope of a comeback when the lead ballooned back to 10 points with 38 seconds left, the Tigers didn’t stop trying hard.

LSU coach Matt McMahon said that the effort level of his group has consistently been at a high as of late.

“When you look at these last three games at Tennessee, at Texas, here at home against Alabama, the effort, the spirit, competitive spirit, the togetherness is where it needs to be,” the fourth-year coach said “It’s where it needs to be for us to take the next step forward as we get ready to get back to practice on Monday in preparation for Ole Miss. We have to execute better We have to finish every possession with the box out. In the first half, we give up two defen-

WOMEN’S TOP 25 ROUNDUP

Marquel Sutton, who had a gamehigh 21 points, said the team isn’t discouraged by deficits and continues to push each other

“I feel like we’ve been down a lot before, and you know, we made strides to come back like that before,” Sutton said. “We just all believe in each other We got stops when we needed to, and we scored when we needed to get that comeback.”

The failed comeback didn’t dampen LSU’s hunger to win. The Tigers will return to the practice court and film room just as determined as they try to snap their five-game losing streak against Ole Miss on Wednesday at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.

“I’ve been very pleased with the effort, with the focus, the preparation and the togetherness on the floor,” McMahon. “We just got to make a couple more plays on both sides of the ball to get over the hump there.”

Clemson upsets No. 9 Duke

By The Associated Press

CLEMSON, S.C. — Hannah Kohn hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3.1 seconds left for her only points of the game as Clemson upset No. 9 Duke 53-51 on Sunday to snap the Blue Devils’ 17-game win streak.

Demeara Hinds finished with 13 points and Taylor Johnson-Matthews and Mia Moore each added 11 for the Tigers (19-9, 10-6 ACC), who added a huge resume-building victory before the NCAA Tournament. Toby Fournier had 18 points and seven rebounds for Duke (207, 15-1 ACC) which lost its first conference game of the season. Fournier, an ACC player of the year candidate, was held in check for most of the second half after scoring 14 before the break.

The Blue Devils appeared in control entering the fourth quarter, but Clemson stepped up its defense.

The Tigers took the lead at 44-43 with 3:24 left when Moore drove the lane and drew a foul for a 3-point play Johnson-Matthews then drilled a 3 to give the Tigers their biggest lead of the game at 4 Duke would battle back though and Riley Nelson hit a corner 3 to give the Blue Devils the lead with 9.3 seconds left

But Kohn, who had missed her previous four shots of the game, got free and hit the 3 as Clemson made four of its final five shots from the field.

NO 1 UCONN 81, PROVIDENCE 38: In Storrs, Connecticut, Azzi Fudd had 13 points and four steals in her final regular-season game at Gampel Pavilion as UConn tied a program record by forcing 39 turnovers in a victory over Providence, extending the Huskies’ winning streak to 45 games.

KK Arnold finished with eight points, eight assists, and a seasonhigh seven steals. Sarah Strong had 13 points in 13 minutes for the Huskies (29-0, 18-0 Big East), who have won 56 consecutive conference regular season games.

NO 2 UCLA 80, WISCONSIN 60: In Los Angeles, Lauren Betts had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, and UCLA defeated Wisconsin for its 21st consecutive victory, clinching the program’s first outright Big Ten championship.

The Bruins (27-1, 17-0) are close to completing the first undefeated league season since 2014-15, when Maryland went 18-0. They finished 14-0 at home and have one road game remaining.

NO 3 SOUTH CAROLINA 85, NO. 17 MIS-

SISSIPPI 48: In Columbia, South Carolina, Joyce Edwards scored 21 points, Madina Okot had 17 and South Carolina clinched a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with a victory over Mississippi.

The Gamecocks (27-2, 13-1 SEC) can earn their fifth straight crown outright by beating either Missouri or Kentucky in the season’s final week The victory, their 21st straight over the Rebels (21-8, 8-6), guarantees South Carolina the top seed in next month’s SEC Tournament in Greenville.

NO 4 TEXAS 92, MISSISSIPPI STATE 42:

In Austin, Texas, Madison Booker scored 23 points, Jordan Lee added 17 and Texas routed Mississippi State Texas (26-3, 11-3 Southeastern Conference) has won 41 straight home games, the longest such streak in the country.

NO 13 IOWA 62, NO. 6 MICHIGAN 44:

In Iowa City, Ava Heiden had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help Iowa beat Michigan. Hannah Stuelke added 11 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for

the Hawkeyes (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten), who held the Wolverines (22-5, 133) to their lowest point total of the season and moved into a secondplace tie in the Big Ten with Michigan heading into the final week of the regular season.

VIRGINIA 74, NO. 8 LOUISVILLE 72: In Louisville, Kentucky, Romi Levy made a clutch 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining and grabbed Louisville’s missed 3 at the buzzer as Virginia held off the Cardinals.

Imari Berry made 1 of 2 free throws with 31.4 seconds left to put Louisville up 72-71. Virginia (19-8, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) ran time off before Levy spotted up for a 3 on the right side for her second basket in the final 2:08 to give the Cavaliers their fourth win in five games. Levy finished with 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers.. NO 10 OHIO STATE 88, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 83: In Columbus, Ohio, Jaloni Cambridge scored 33 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, and Ohio State used a 15-0 run to rally for a victory over Southern California. It was Cambridge’s fifth 30-point game this season. The sophomore was 12 of 21 from the field and 8 of 9 from the line as the Buckeyes (23-5, 11-4) snapped a two-game losing streak.

NO 11 OKLAHOMA 100, NO. 21 TENNESSEE 93: In Norman, Oklahoma, Raegan Beers, who averages a double-double, had 18 points and 18 rebounds in Oklahoma’s foulfilled win over Tennessee. Sahara Williams had 22 points and Aaliyah Chavez scored 19 points for the Sooners (21-6, 9-5 SEC). Payton Verhulst scored 17 points and Zya Vann added 15 as Oklahoma’s starters all scored in double figures and totaled 93 points.

second half of LSU’s win over the No. 17 Rebels on Thursday in what Mulkey called a “coach’s decision.” On Sunday, she bounced back, tallying 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

The Tigers shot 47% from the field and won the rebounding battle 72-25, setting an NCAA-era program record for boards grabbed in a game. Missouri converted just 24% of its field-goal tries and missed 33 of 44 3-pointers.

“They run an offense that’s hard for our bigs to just move and get out there and defend,” Mulkey said. “We’re fortunate to have depth on the perimeter and fortunate that we have a couple of perimeter players that can go inside and defend.

“You never think you’re going to win by that much. You never think you’re going to rebound like that, but it just unfolded today.”

Because it pulled off the win over Ole Miss on Thursday, LSU began its matchup with Missouri on Sunday in sole possession of fourth place in the SEC. The Tigers can secure that spot, netting themselves a double bye in the SEC Tournament for the fifth year in a row, just by winning two of their last three regular-season games.

Mulkey started senior forward Amiya Joyner next to ZaKiyah Johnson, Williams, Flau’jae Johnson and Richard for the third contest in a row After only three minutes, though, she subbed Fulwiley for Joyner, sliding ZaKiyah Johnson down to the 5.

That group then laid the foundation of the 21-7 run that LSU used to take control of the game. Richard drained a 3 from the right wing. A few minutes later, Williams connected on a jumper as the shot clock expired, ZaKiyah Johnson snared an offensive board to convert a three-point play, and Fulwiley nailed a 3 from the left wing.

LSU won the second quarter 31-8. Missouri missed 17 of the 19 shots it took in that frame. Things didn’t improve for the visiting Tigers in the second half. They scrounged together only three field goals in the third and six in the fourth.

“What does it do?” Mulkey said “What does it mean? This is the SEC. This league is brutal. This team never gets too high. It never gets too low They just keep getting better.”

Joyner, center Kate Koval and freshman forward Grace Knox combined to play only seven minutes through the first three quarters. Knox was active for the game, but she did not see the floor

The Tigers have now scored at least 100 points 13 times this season — two shy of tying the NCAA single-season record.

LSU will play two more games before the SEC Tournament begins March 4. It can clinch a double bye in that bracket if it wins the first one: a home matchup with Tennessee set to tip off at 5 p.m. Thursday The No. 21 Lady Vols won their first six games of league play but they’ve since dropped seven of their last nine.

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

MI LA N CORT IN A OL YM

SWEDEN’S BIG DAY: First, Ebba Andersson, pictured above pulled away from the pack to win the 50-kilometer mass start crosscountry ski race and earn redemption for her crash that cost sweden a gold medal in the team relay.

“I’ve dreamed about this day for a long time now and it’s almost unbelievable that everything went as planned,” she said.

And then sweden’s women’s curling team beat switzerland to give the scandinavian nation another gold.

DIGGINS CONCLUDES

GLITTERING OLYMPIC CAREER:

Jessie Diggins finished fifth in the 50-kilometer mass start crosscountry ski race. Just a few seconds shy of one more medal.

she’s oK with that.

“I can confidently say I could not possibly have tried harder or gotten more out of my body,” the 34-year-old Diggins, pictured below, said.

It marked the final olympic event for an athlete who transformed American cross-country skiing and became a symbol of endurance.

LOCHNER’S BOBSLED SWEEP:

In bobsled, Germany’s Johannes Lochner added the four-man gold to his two-man title.

Lochner — who announced his retirement months ago — capped his career with his second gold medal of these olympics, winning the fourman event over two-time defending olympic champion Francesco Friedrich by 0.57 seconds

“It’s just such a dream. It’s indescribable,” Lochner said “A moment for eternity A perfect finish, the most perfect finish ever.”

OLYMPIC CAULDRONS

EXTINGUISHED TO CLOSE WINTER

GAMES: The Milan Cortina olympics ended sunday as the twin flames in co-host cities Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were extinguished as part of a closing ceremony inside the ancient Verona Arena, roughly mid-distance between the far-flung mountain, valley and city venues that made these the most spread-out Winter Games ever.

In declaring the 2026 Games over, International olympic Committee

President Kirsty Coventry told local organizers that they “delivered a new kind of winter games and you set a new, very high standard for the future.”

A total of 116 medal events have been held in eight olympic sports across 16 disciplines including the debut of ski mountaineering this year over the course of 17 days of competition.

—The Associated Press

NO MIRACLE NEEDED

U.s. wins first men’s hockey gold at olympics since 1980

BY STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press

MILAN

The United States is on top of the hockey world for the first time in nearly a half-century No miracle needed.

Jack Hughes scored less than 2 minutes into overtime and the U.S beat Canada 2-1 in the gold medal final at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Sunday, earning the nation’s third men’s title at the Games and its first since the “Miracle on Ice” in 1980 — 46 years to the day of the upset over the mighty Soviet Union, too.

Unlike that ragtag group of college kids that pulled off one of the biggest shockers in sports history in Lake Placid, the Americans in Milan were a machine that rode goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and a roster full of NHL players through the tournament unbeaten Still, they were underdogs again against the stacked Canadians and came out on top — again.

“This is all about our country right now,” said Hughes, who lost at least one and maybe two of his front teeth taking a high stick during the game. “I love the U.S.A. I love my teammates It’s unbelievable. The USA Hockey brotherhood is so strong.”

Early in the three-on-three

overtime, Zach Werenski took the puck away from Nathan MacKinnon and passed it to Hughes, who was wide open streaking to the net Hughes fired a shot past Jordan Binnington 1:41 in to send players into a wild celebration as the rival Canadians watched from the bench.

Asked his favorite moment during his Olympic debut, captain Auston Matthews quipped, “I think when Jack scored. I’ll definitely remember Jack’s goal.”

There was a note of sadness amid all the joy as Werenski and Matthew Tkachuk carried a Johnny Gaudreau No. 13 jersey around the ice in tribute to the beloved player who was killed along with his brother in 2024.

Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jay, his widow, Meredith, and their oldest children were in attendance. It was Johnny Jr.’s second birthday and he was brought on the ice with older sister Noa for the team photo.

“We just wanted to show the Gaudreau family our support,” Brady Tkachuk said of the player known as “Johnny Hockey.” “He was so near and dear to a lot of us, and we miss him dearly We did it for him.”

Hellebuyck was extraordinary, stopping 41 of the 42 shots he faced as Canada tilted the ice toward him over the final two periods. He made the save of the tournament by getting his stick on the puck on a shot from Devon Toews in the third period, then minutes later denied Macklin Celebrini on a breakaway something he also did to Connor McDavid earlier “He was our best player by a mile,” winger Matt Boldy said. “He’s an absolute stud. He wants to be in those moments. He wants to make the saves. And he did just that, so he was definitely our MVP.”

It was a glorious weekend for Team USA, with the women’s hockey team also defeating Canada in overtime to win gold. For the men, it was only fitting the Americans needed to go through Canada, their northern neighbor that beat them at the 4 Nations Face-Off a year ago and has won every international competition over the past 16 years that featured the world’s best players. Not anymore.

Gu claims gold on halfpipe for sixth career medal

she has earned six medals in six events over her Winter Games career

BY EDDIE PELLS Associated Press

LIVIGNO,Italy Eileen Gu snatched a gold ribbon off a gift basket on her way to the mountain Sunday and stuck it in her pocket just in case. Just in case? If her 16-day odyssey at the Milan Cortina Games taught the world anything, it’s that there are no sure things in sports. Especially when the athletes flip 15 feet over rock-hard snowscapes for a living

But that gold ribbon Gu tied into a bow in her hair after her curtain-closing Olympic performance on the mountain did, in fact, match the color medal she won in the women’s ski halfpipe final. And that gold medal also was the third she’s won over two Olympics more than any athlete in her sport.

And she is now 6 for 6 — six events, six medals, three of them gold, three silver — over a stillyoung Olympic career that has cascaded well beyond sports,

veering into geopolitics, inclusion and, as the gold ribbon reminded us, fashion.

“I took a big risk in trusting myself,” Gu said of her frenetic quest this year, “and I’m glad that I did.” Gu, born in the United States but competing for her mother’s homeland of China, knows that the modeling career, the fame, the platform she commands and the message she sends wouldn’t be possible if she weren’t the best freeskier in the world She was also the only woman willing to divide her attention between halfpipe, slopestyle and big air over the 2 1/2-week marathon of

Olympic risk-taking. It was a quest that limited her training, rest and sometimes her sanity Never her confidence, though.

“I’m not a gambling woman, but if I were, I took a pretty big bet on myself,” Gu said. “There was a chance everything could go wrong and I could have walked away with nothing, because I was trying to do too much. But in my head, even if everything crashes and burns, I tried I’ll never regret trying.”

The risk of doing too much once again reared its head on the first run of this bluebird day in Livigno — the halfpipe bathed one half

in sun, the other in shade a day after a snowstorm postponed the final. Gu lost balance on the landing of her very first jump of the contest, forcing her to abandon the run toward the top of the pipe. Each of her qualifying rounds at these Olympics involved a fall and a must-make return that she landed every time just to get to the final.

In halfpipe, largely viewed as the premier event in the sport and also the event where Gu has won 15 of her 20 World Cup titles, the odds of Gu not landing any of her three runs in the final seemed slim. In fact, it was none. She ended up with not just the best score of the 32 runs by 11 athletes, but the best two scores of them all. Her second run was a 94 and her last was a 94.75. “I tried for gold,” said Li Fanghui, who made this the first 1-2 finish for China in this event. “But my first goal was for silver.” Gu won because she flies higher than almost everyone (except for bronze medalist Zoe Atkin), does more rotations than anyone (highlighted by two 900-degree spins in opposite directions) and, in a key separator in a 1.75-point win over Li, tried one more trick than her Chinese teammate (Gu and most skiers did six, Li only tried five). “She is ‘Wonder Woman,’” New Zealand’s eighth-place finisher Mischa Thomas said.

Reddick, Jordan get victory in Atlanta

By The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga. — Whether on or off the racetrack, all Michael Jordan does is win in NASCAR.

For the second consecutive Sunday to open the season, the basketball great and co-owner of 23XI Racing celebrated in victory lane with driver Tyler Reddick. This time, after a thriller at Echo Park Speedway Jordan’s team now has the top two drivers in the Cup Series points standings with Reddick and Bubba Wallace The six-time NBA champion already added a ring last week with Reddick in the Daytona 500, the crown jewel of stock-car racing.

Oh, and Jordan also settled a federal antitrust lawsuit with NASCAR in December, a major legal victory that secured a permanent franchise-style model and ensured his team would remain in business for the long-term “The guys worked hard all summer, and I know we had our little ordeal,” Jordan said after Reddick’s victory Sunday, referring to the bruising court battle that ended with him making peace with NASCAR CEO and chairman Jim France. “They kept working hard and this is the fruit of their labor They put forth the effort, and for us to come out and win the first two races says a lot about our whole team.” It especially says a lot about Reddick, who put on another dazzling performance the week after he became the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 by leading only the final lap.

This time, he led a race-high 53 laps on the 1.54-mile oval south of Atlanta – including the final two

in a double-overtime restart. He snatched the lead from Wallace despite the right-front fender of his No. 45 Toyota being damaged in a nine-car crash on the 224th of a scheduled 260 laps. Reddick fell two laps down for repairs but came roaring back from 27th for his 10th career victory I mean, that’s crazy, ain’t it?” said Reddick, who became the

first driver since Matt Kenseth in 2009 to win the first two NASCAR Cup Series races of the season. “I just found a way to get back in the top five, and I tried to stay committed to somebody.”

and leading 46 laps.

“Tyler did an unbelievable job,” Jordan said. “I feel bad for Bubba because he had an unbelievable day But Tyler drove his ass off. I’m very happy for Tyler I’m very happy for 23XI.”

Green turns to yellow

Austin Cindric took advantage of a stretch of 61 green-flag laps to open the race, winning the first stage after starting 30th.

It was the second consecutive year that the first stage in the February race was completed without a yellow flag – an oddity for a track known for chaos since its 2022 reconfiguration into a high-banked drafting oval.

The cautions quickly picked up pace in the second stage with three yellow flags in 40 laps that collected 16 cars and eliminated notable drivers Ty Gibbs Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Kyle Busch. The 160-lap middle segment ended under another yellow when defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson slammed the outside wall after a collision with Shane van Gisbergen.

No Las Vegas love lost Busch was perturbed after his No. 8 Chevrolet “got rammed” exiting Turn 2 by the No. 4 Ford of Noah Gragson on the 125th lap.

“Tyler had like another gear,” Chastain said. “(He had) no fender, and he pulled us so fast.”

Though both drivers hail from Las Vegas, Nevada, the 40-year-old Busch felt little kinship in taking issue with the aggressive style of Gragson, who is 13 years younger

In a race that featured a trackrecord 57 lead changes, Wallace was first entering the final restart but shuffled to eighth He still gained the second-most points (48) by winning the second stage

He got a helpful push from runner-up Chase Briscoe. Ross Chastain finished third followed by the Spire Motorsports tandem of Carson Hocevar (who triggered a large crash in the first overtime) and Daniel Suarez.

“He didn’t give me an opportunity to make sure I was straight before hitting me or get into me gently to try and get the momentum back,” said Busch, who finished 33rd. “He just drove right through me.”

SCOREBOARD

WP — Schmidt 2(2); Wicker, C(1); Dorsey C(1). HBP — by Wicker, C (Braun); by Wicker, C (Curiel); by Wicker, C (Arrambide). BK — Dorsey, C(1). Inherited runners/scored: Dorsey, C 3/2; Schoneboom,K 2/2; Rosado, K 3/3. Umpires — HP: Jason Bradley 1B: Chris Tipton 2B: Danny Cricks 3B: Ray Chamberlin Start: 3:48 pm Time: 2:52 Attendance: 5777 Weather: Clear; 65F; 15—20 MPH Men’s college basketball State scores, schedule Saturday’s games UL 67, Texas State 54 Arkansas State 102, UL—Monroe 94 Northwestern St. 71, Houston Christian 53 UTRGV 96, Southeastern 75 Kennesaw State 58, Louisiana Tech 55 Alabama 90, LSU 83 Stephen F. Austin 81, Nicholls 78 Southern 85, Grambling 73 UNO 77, Lamar 71 McNeese 70, Texas A&M—CC 54 Sunday’s game Tulane 81, Rice 75 Monday’s games UNO at Stephen F. Austin, 6 p.m. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Southeastern, 6 p.m. Nicholls at Lamar, 6 p.m. Texas—Rio Grande Valley at McNeese, 6:30 p.m. Incarnate Word at Northwestern State, 6:30 p.m. Mississippi Valley at Grambling, 7 p.m. National scores

EAST American 75, Lafayette 61 Drexel 68, Towson 62 Fairfield 85, Quinnipiac 79 Holy Cross 72, Bucknell 63 Lehigh 70, Boston University 67 Marist 65, Sacred Heart 63 Merrimack 88, Iona 86, 2OT Mount St Marys 68, Canisius 47 Rider 67, Niagara 62 Siena 72, Saint Peter’s 63 SOUTH Tulane 81, Rice 75 UAB 78, Memphis 67 MIDWEST Detroit Mercy 74, Green Bay 70 Michigan State 66, Ohio State 60 Oakland 81, Milwaukee 70 Purdue Fort Wayne 92, Cleveland State 86 Robert Morris 81, Wright State 68 Wisconsin 84, Iowa 71 Youngstown State 64, Northern Kentucky 58 SOUTHWEST North Texas 73, Florida Atlantic 72 Tulsa 100, UTSA 74 Women’s college basketball State scores, schedule Friday’s games No games scheduled Saturday’s games Georgia Southern 67, UL—Monroe 54

N’western St. 70, Houston Christian 64 UTRGV 77, Southeastern 54 Louisiana Tech 63, Kennesaw State 59 McNeese 72, Texas A&M—CC 55 Stephen F. Austin 77, Nicholls 57 Southern 59, Grambling 45 Lamar 84, UNO 54 Arkansas State 92, UL 66 Sunday’s game LSU 108, Missouri 55 Monday’s games None scheduled. No. 7 LSU 108, Missouri 55 MISSOURI (16—13) Dowell 3—11 3—5 10, Schreacke 1—7 1—3 4, Slaughter 3—12 6—8 14, Sotell 3—12 2—2 11, Tyler 2—7 0—0 6, Toman 1—2 0—0 3, Smith 2—10 0—0 5, Thompson 1—2 0—0 2, Vincent 0—3 0—0 0, Totals 16—66 12—18 55 LSU (24—4) Joyner 2—6 1—2 5, Flau’jae Johnson 6—15 3—3 16, ZaKiyah Johnson 6—9 5—5 17, Richard 4—10 0—0 10, Williams 4—15 4—5 12, Koval 4—7 5—6 13, Bourrage 1—1 0—0 2, Fulwiley 7—11 2—2 22, Hines 4—7 0—0 11, Totals 38—81 20—23 108 Missouri1481518—55 LSU23313123108 3—Point Goals—Missouri 11—44 (Dowell 1—4 Schreacke 1—5, Slaughter 2—7 Sotell 3—11, Tyler 2—5, Toman 1—2, Smith 1—7, Thompson 0—1, Vincent 0—2), LSU 12—29 (F.Johnson 1—8, Richard 2—5, Williams 0—3, Fulwiley 6—9, Hines 3—4). Assists—Missouri 10 (Dowell 2, Schreacke 2, Smith 2, Sotell 2), LSU 23 (Richard 6). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Missouri 25 (Sotell 7), LSU 72 (Z.Johnson 14). Total Fouls—Missouri 20, LSU 15. Technical Fouls—None. A—11,278. National scores EAST Hofstra 75, UNC Wilmington 43 Loyola (MD) 58, Colgate 49 Maryland 99, Purdue 66 St. John’s 59, Seton Hall 56 Temple 65, Memphis 62 Towson 73, Stony Brook 68 UConn 81, Providence 38 Villanova 64, Marquette 39 Wake Forest 79, Boston College 65 SOUTH Alabama 76, Florida 71 Clemson 53, Duke 51 Drexel 63, William & Mary 61 Elon 70, Northeastern 57 Miami (FL) 69, California 60 Monmouth 64, Hampton 57 North Carolina 78, Pittsburgh 50 North Carolina State 82, Syracuse 69 Richmond 92, La Salle 58 South Carolina 85, Ole Miss 48 Stanford 77, Florida State 61 Vanderbilt 81, Kentucky 79 Virginia 74, Louisville 72 Virginia Tech 62, Georgia Tech 51 MIDWEST

Ford, 271, 22. 19. (24) John H. Nemechek, Toyota, 271, 18. 20. (20) M. McDowell, Chevrolet, 271, 17. 21. (32) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 271, 16. 22. (27) Cole Custer,

with meteorologist DamonSingleton

After acoldmorning,expect asunny, chilly and breezy afternoon. Temperatures todaywill onlyrise to the mid-50s and with the winds blowingat10-15 mph,itwillfeel likethe mid- to upper 40s.The air is so dryand the winds are so brisk that aRed Flag Warning has been issued for sELA becauseany fire youstartoutsidewillspread very quickly.The very dryconditions will be with us throughTuesday Tomorrow morning,expect to waketotemperatures that are at or belowfreezing,soprotect people, plants and pets

SAINTS

Continued from page1B

RUEBEN BAIN •MIAMI •EDGE RUSHER

Everyone knows that Bainisundersized —and it hardlymattered when he wrecked opposing offenses as one of the nation’sbest pass rushers. But how small is he? Specifically,Bain’sarm length measurement will be closely watched this week,

OLYMPICS

Continued from page1B

million viewers who also watched U.S. star Alysa Liu win the country’sfirst Olympic gold medal for women’ssingles figure skating in 24 years. The smiling 20-year-old with horizontal stripes in her hair became a sensation in Milan just as 41-yearold mother of two Elana Meyers Taylor did in Cortina d’Ampezzo afterthe five-time Olympian won her first gold medal in bobsled, jumping into the arms of her nanny and, through tears, signing to her deaf children, “Mommywon.” No matter protests, politics or planning hurdles, the Olympics sought to remain astage for those athletes to shine. After record numbers from the 2024 Paris Summer Games,the Milan-Cortina Games sold 1.3 million tickets, which, accounting for 80% of the expected tickets, was “beyond our expectations,” Milano Cortina 2026 chief executive officer Andrea Varnier saidata news conference. Of the 63% of international fans who attended the Games, the United States,at14%, bought the second-mosttickets.

Fans filled arenas that were finished just in time in Milan. They withstood snowstormsinLivigno, cheered the debut of ski mountaineering in Bormio and held their breath while multiple skiers got airlifted off the downhill course in Cortina.

ThemostwidespreadGames in history created distinct pocketsof Olympic spirit separated by hours on trains and miles of winding mountain roads. The Olympicsthat preached harmony finallyunitedin asingle city known for love, beauty and grudges. The Milan-Cortina Games represented seemingly ev-

justasitwas for former LSU tackle Will Campbell ayear ago. Either way,Bain wouldbeanintriguing option to play across from Saints defensive end Chase Young if he’s still on the board at No. 8.

CALEB DOWNS •OHIO STATE• S If Saints cornerbackAlontae Taylor leaves in free agency, Downs instantly makes alot of sense for New Orleans. Though he’slisted at safety, theOhio State producthas the versatility that

eryShakespearean theme. Athletes gotengaged. Sponsors organizedhairand makeup sessions in the Olympic villages, which went throughanaverage of 365 kilograms of pasta and 10,000 eggsa day.A cheating scandal rockedcurling Theclosing ceremony set at the Romanamphitheater at the heart of thecitythatinspired“RomeoandJuliet” celebrated theGames as “beauty in action ”But beneath theglitteringgold medals, there was pain. Alpine skier LindseyVonn suffered ahorrificcrash andhas already undergone four surgeries on her broken leg.Ukrainianskeleton athlete VladyslavHeraskevych was disqualifiedwhenherefused to compete without his helmethonoring Ukrainian athletes who’ve been killed in the war with Russia. Already holding theweight of their personal dreams, U.S. athletes faced additional pressure answering questions about the country’s political landscape. After freestyle skier Hunter Hess he said he had“mixed emotions” representing the United Statesatthe Olympics, President Trumpcalled the 27-year-old “areal loser”onsocialmedia. Twoweeks later,Hess held his thumb and forefinger in theshape of an “L” to his forehead after his first qualifying run. Athletespleaded for assistance navigating an onslaught of social mediathreatsasthe Olympic spotlightgrows with every Games. Coventry saidatanews conference this week thatthe IOC has a safeguarding unitthat monitors the organization’ssocial media platformsfor hatefulmessages. More than 10,000 such comments were taken down during theParis Games, IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. The number for the Milan-Cortina Games hadn’tbeen finalized

could help fillTaylor’sdeparture in the slot. NFLscoutsalready rave about Downs, and he has the chance to make another strong impression this week.

TY SIMPSON •ALABAMA •QB The Saints aren’tinthe market foraquarterback, buttheymay still be monitoring Simpson’s stock. With Fernando Mendoza theonly signal-caller projected to go in thetop 10 —likely first overall to theRaiders —the Saints

WALKER

Continuedfrom page1B

Jordan into thestarting lineup.

“After thegame, my gut was saying makethis move,” Borrego recalled. “I slept on it

When Borrego woke up Saturday morning, he was convinced it was the right thing to do. His team could usemoresize to help withtheir rebounding and physical struggles, and protecting the rim.Itdidn’tmatterthat Jordan had only played in twogames this season. The lastone was way back on Oct. 29, the third game of the season. So it’s understandable why Jordan felt the way he felt when Borrego told him he was going to be in thestarting five.

“I was extremely excited,” Jordan said. “Anytime you can go out there and compete in this league, it’sa gift.Itwas cool to be able togoout there and be able to play.”

Jordan, in his 18th NBA season, had only played 23 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds all season before Saturday.Heeclipsed that rebound total in thefirst half, finishing with 11.

“DeAndre raised thelevel of everybody,” Borrego said. “He lifted everybody’sstandard, competitiveness, defensive effort. AndIthink it sustained throughout thegame.”

Jordan’s biggest highlight was soaring foranalley-oop fromHerb Jones, turning back the clock to his high-flying days with Chris Paul andthe Los Angeles Clippers squad nicknamed Lob City.Seeing Jordan show that type of athleticism took teammate Bryce McGowensback to his youth.

“Watching him when Iwas 7, 8 years old and togrow up and be on the same team with him and

would benefitifSimpson can performwell enough to puthimself in that territory,oreven in the conversation to be picked in the first round.The earlierSimpson goes, themore likely the Saints won’thave to worry about ateam ahead of them picking theplayer they want. Think back to the 2024 draft,when the run of quarterbacks in Round 1cleared the way for them to take tackle Taliese Fuaga at No. 14.

By

HINToN Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan, right, talks to center DerikQueen after Queen was pushed during agameagainst the 76ers on saturday.

seeing him doing the samething, it’sunbelievable,” McGowens said. “Himhaving 15 rebounds is insane. It’s acredit to him being who he is. He’saleader even when he’snot playing. And then coming in and dominating the gamewas crazy to see.”

Jordan credits the Death Row League for helping him stay preparedtoplay despite racking up 53 consecutive DNPs (coach’sdecision) on the stat sheet before Saturday. The Death Row League is the name the Pels give to games held beforeorafter practice between players who are out of the rotation or getting limited minutes.

“It helpskeep arhythm and keep our conditioning up and still get that competition aspect,” Jordan said.

Jordan knew when he arrived in New Orleansthatthere could be many nights he wouldn’ttouch the floor.Heunderstood therosterhas otherbig men like Zion Williamson, DerikQueen,Yves Missi, Karlo Matkovicand Kevon Looney

“Coming in, Iknew it wasgoing to be ‘play somenights’ and ‘not play some nights’ and (I’d) be moreofamentor,” Jordan said. “But when my number is called,

MANSOOR DELANE •LSU •CB

Delane would be another name to watch in the event Taylor bolts. Even if he’snot atarget for the Saints, Delane is worth keeping an eye on given his local connectionto LSU.Asofnow,the 22-year-old is lined up to be the first cornerback off the board comeApril. If the Saints did have an interest, he has the vision and awareness to fit into defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’sscheme.

I’ve got to be ready and that’s what it was tonight.” In away,itwas athrowback night as the 76ers started Andre Drummondatcenter.Ten seasons ago, Jordan was voted as first-team center on the All-NBA team,while Drummondmade the third team

Jordan has played in the playoffs 10 times, including each of the past four seasons. With the Pelicans improving to just 16-42 Saturday,Jordan’splayoffstreak will end this season. But... “Wewant to continue to stack wins and keep building as this season comes to aclose,” Jordan said. “We’re just trying to see how much noise we can makeas the regular season ends.”

Just three seasons ago, Jordan played on the Denver Nuggets’ championship team. Nowhe’s trying to spread that winning mindset to his teammates. It’s whyhe’salways mentoring his younger teammates.

Jordan has taken rookie center Queen under his wing. Earlier in the season, he instructed Queen to stand up while doing his postgameinterview.Queen still does to this day.Jordan can be gentle, putting his arms around a younger player when he’sgetting downonhimself.Orhecan be fiery,which wasthe case Saturday when he told Queen to “calm the f*** down” when he was getting heated. Jordan has been aboost to the locker room.And on Saturday,heprovided just as much of aboost on the court.

“What I’mmost proud of is the leadership, the human being (he is), the professional (he is) and the wayhe’selevated our program in so manyways,” Borrego said. “He deserves all that comes with tonight.” That includes somewine and someice.

LIVING

A NEW PAGE

The Damascus book fair draws

crowds, with censorship eased in post-Assad Syria

BY OMAR SANADIKI and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria Abdul-Razzaq

Ahmad Saryoul began publishing books in Syria in 2003 but he used to abstain from participating in the annual International Damascus Book Fair because of tight measures by the country’s security agencies and bans on many books under Bashar Assad’s rule.

In the first post-Assad book fair to be held in Damascus, which wrapped up Feb. 16, Saryoul was surprised when he was issued a permit the day he applied to take part without being asked what his books are about. The wide range of titles available made this year’s fair “unprecedented,” he said.

Another publisher, Salah Sorakji, was proud to offer Kurdish books in the Syrian capital for the first time in decades. During the Assad era, ethnic Kurds suffered from discrimination, including bans on their language.

The first book fair since Assad was unseated in December 2024 witnessed high turnout, with state media reporting that 250,000 peo-

A visitor looks through a book at a stall selling Islamic titles during the 57th Damascus International

ple attended on the first day, Feb. 6, trekking out to fairgrounds where it was held about 10 miles from the city center The fair’s director, Ahmad Naasan, said about 500 publishing companies from some 35 countries took part.

A debate over religious texts While the new freedom of ex-

pression was widely welcomed, the introduction of some previously forbidden books by Islamist writers sparked anxiety among religious minorities. Religious books were among the best selling at previous fairs in the majority Sunni Muslim country

ä see BOOK FAIR, page 2C

“We are all Syrians but what caused all the differences was the (Assad) regime.”

sALAH soRAKJI, publisher

RACHEL ROBERTS Idaho statesman (TNs) BOISE, Idaho For the average 11-year-old, the challenges presented by the 12th annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals would be intimidating. But the stakes have been much higher for Owen Zaragoza in his own backyard.

The fifth-grader at Pioneer Elementary School in Boise once hit a trick shot around a tree onto the roof of the family’s shed, off the fence and into the hole on the putting green at his home.

“I didn’t see it. I’m like,

BY MATT SEDENSKY AP national writer

NEW YORK — For years, it was a daily McDonald’s trip for a cup of coffee with 10 sugars and five creams. Later, it was Starbucks caramel macchiatos with almond milk and two pumps of syrup. Coffee has been a morning ritual for Chandra Donelson since she was old enough to drink it. But, dismayed by rising prices, the 35-year-old from Washington, D.C., did the unthinkable: She gave it up. “I did that daily for years. I loved it. That was just my routine,” she says. “And now it’s not.” Years of steadily climbing coffee prices have some in this country of coffee lovers upending their habits by nixing café visits, switching to cheaper brews or foregoing it altogether Coffee prices in the U.S. were up 18.3% in January from a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released on Friday Over five years, the government reported, coffee prices rose 47%. That extraordinary rise has brought some to take extraordinary measures.

“Before, I thought, ‘There’s no way I could make it through my day without coffee,’” says Liz Sweeney, 50, of Boise, Idaho, a former “coffee addict” who has cut her consumption. “Now my car’s not on automatic pilot.” Sweeney used to have three cups of coffee at home each day and stop at a café whenever she left the house. As prices climbed last year, though, she nixed coffee shop visits and cut her intake to a cup a day at home. To make up for the caffeine, she pops open a can of Diet Coke at home or rolls through McDonald’s for one. Dan DeBaun, 34, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, has likewise trimmed back on coffee shop visits, conscious of the increasing expense as he and his wife save up for a house. soaring coffee prices rewrite

“What used to be a $2 coffee, it’s now $5, $6,” says DeBaun, who now buys ground coffee at Trader Joe’s and fills up a travel mug to bring to the office. Data from Toast, a payment platform used by more than 150,000 restaurants, found the median price of a regular hot coffee in the U.S. had climbed to $3.61 in December, with wide variation by location. The median price of cold brews was $5.55. Virtually all coffee consumed in the U.S. is imported. Though tariffs affected some imports of coffee in 2025, they ultimately were removed. Climate issues — drought in Vietnam, heavy rain in Indonesia, and hot, dry weather in Brazil — are blamed for reducing yields of coffee crops and driving up global prices.

see COFFEE, page 2C

Tonsillectomiesstill performed, butmoreselectively

Dear Doctors: WhenIwas young, it seemed to be aregular practice that you would get your tonsils removed, thoughIstill have mine Why was that? Is it still the same now? What are the pros and cons of having your tonsils removed as achild?

Dear Reader: Youare correct. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, tonsillectomies were common preventive care. As a front-line organ of the immune system, tonsils are prone to repeated infection. Before antibiotics and when antibiotics were still new,these infections were seen as adanger to health. To avoid repeated throat infections in children, surgery to remove tonsils became the go-to answer.The trend peaked in the late 1950s, with more than 1.4 million tonsil-

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier

AsK THE DoCToRs

lectomies done in asingle year Tonsillectomiesstill take place today, but formoreselective reasons. Partofthe reason for the decline is thatwe now understand the role oftonsils in good health. Tonsils are twooval mounds, perchedoneither side of the throat. They are an important part of theimmune system and lymphatic system.Theyguard theentrancetothe respiratory system,

trapping viruses and bacteria. They also act as afiling system to help guide thebody’sfuture immune responses. They contain immune cells that sample incoming microbes and help build long-term immune memory. This is very important during childhood, when the immune system is on asteep learning curve. As antibiotics became morewidespread and doctors grew morecomfortable using them, medication clearly became less extreme thansurgery Today,people have tonsillectomies for specific reasons, unlike in the past when they were almost achildhood riteofpassage. In somecases,the tonsils can be too large for the throat and can interfere with breathing, particularly at night. This can lead to snoring and to obstructive sleep apnea.

BOOK FAIR

Continued from page1C

This year,however,books of the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyya —who lived in Damascus seven centuries ago and whose teachings are followedbySunni jihadi groups —were sold openly at the fair after being banned for decades

Thecirculation of books spreadinganextreme ideology raised alarms in Syria, where sectarian killings have lefthundredsofAlawites and Druze dead over the past year in sectarian attacks by pro-government Sunni fighters. Assad, amember of the Alawite religious minority officially espoused asecular ideology.The Assad dynasty launched brutal crackdowns on theMuslim Brotherhood and other Islamistgroups during the family’sfive- decade rule

The only known book to be banned this year —“Have YouHeard the Talk of the Rafida?” —included audio addresses by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, theleader of al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in aU.S. strike in 2006. Iraq reportedly asked Syrian authorities to remove it because it incites hatred against Shiite Muslims.

Abearded man wearing a military uniform who identified himself by his nom de guerre Abu Obeida,bought acopy of Ibn Taymiyyah’s famous book “Al-Aqida Alwasitiyeh” or “The Fundamental Principles of Islam.”

COFFEE

Continued from page1C

Two-thirds of Americans drink coffee daily,according to the National Coffee Association. For many,it is such an indispensable part of their routine, the soaring price has led to nothing more than grumbling. The coffee association saysits surveys show coffee consumption is broadly holding steady despite price hikes. But, squeezed by the cost of everything from rent to beef,othersare shaking up their habit.

Sharon Cooksey, 55,of Greensboro, North Carolina, was visitingher local Starbucks most weekday mornings for acaramel latte until scaling back last year.First,

“Before liberation this book was banned in Syria,” Abu Obeida toldThe Associated Press, standing at astand selling religious books. “Anyone who had such abook used to be taken to jail.”

“Now it is available, thanks be to God,”hesaid,adding that in thepast people read “whatthe statewantedthem to.”

Anew era

The book fair was first held in Syriain1985and stopped for several years after thecountry’s civil war began in March 2011.

Hala Bishbishi, the director of the Egypt-basedAlHala publishing house, was surprised by the number of peoplewho showed up, although she added that the Damascus book fair cannot yet be comparedto those held in oil-rich Gulf countries.

“With thecircumstances that Syria passed through, this fair is excellent,” the woman said.Shuttle buses between thefair and central Damascus boosted visitor numbers, she added.

AtefNamous, aSyrian publisher who had been livingabroad for 45 years, said he was participating for the first time because any book canbesoldat thefairnow, even those imported form Western countries.

The exhibition this year comes weeks after intense clashes betweengovernment forces and Kurdish fighters in thenortheast. A ceasefire deal was reached and thegovernment in Damascus has sought to reas-

she switched to brewing Starbucks at home. Then, she discovered Lavazza coffee was about 40% cheaper and switched to it “I can buy abag of coffee for $6?” she said to herself. “It was like Ihad just discovered another world. The multiverse opened up to me in the coffee aisle of Publix.”

She has noticedher homebrewedcosts tick upward, too, but it’snothingcompared toher café habit. A bagofbeansthat lasts weeks costs heraboutthe sameas onelatte.

Cooksey misses thesocial aspect of visiting the café, where baristasgreeted her by name.But she’sbeen surprised to find sheactually prefersthe way herhomemade coffees taste. “I’ll be damned if it didn’t taste so good,” she says.

sure Kurds that they are equal citizens in the new political order

InterimPresident Ahamd al-Sharaa issued adecree last month giving Kurds rightsunseen in decades, including restoring citizenshiptoKurds whohad been strippedofitunder the Assaddynasty, making Kurdish one of Syria’s official languagesaswellasrecognizing the Kurds most importantholiday,the spring celebration of Newroz.

“Weare very happy with this positive step toward Kurds,who for morethan 60 years have been deprived of practicing the Kurdish culture,” said Sorakji, the Kurdish publisher about being allowed to show books in Kurdish for the first time in manyyears.

Selling history,literature and philosophy books at his stand, Sorakji said most of the people buying were Kurds, but there were also Arabs who want to know more abouttheir compatriots.

“Weare allSyriansbut what caused allthe differences was the(Assad) regime,”hesaid.

Anotherowner of apublishing company, Mayada Kayali, saidthatthe most importantthing to offer to theyoungergenerations who “have emerged from war,injustice and oppression is knowledge —knowledge that is accessible to them, without placing restrictions on their ideas or their opinions.”

Mroue reported from Beirut

Growing up, Donelson watched enviously as her mother made adaily coffee jaunt (also to McDonald’s, also 10 sugars and five creams), and she duplicated thehabit. Shewentfrom college to the Air Force to agovernment job as adata and artificial intelligence strategist, but through it all, coffee was there.

She noticed the growing expense of her routine, but kept it up until a government shutdown halted her paychecks last fall and sheneeded to trim herspending. Looking for amorning substitute,she landedona Republic of Teablendwith ahealthy squeezeofhoney

“Twentycents acup compared to $7 or $8 acup,”she says. “The mathjustmakes sense.

Sleep apnea is when breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. It can be apotentially dangerous condition. Children who have frequentthroat infections across multiple years may benefit from tonsillectomy. People who experience serious complications, such as infections that lead to abscesses, may also be referred for surgery Providers now evaluate the pros and cons of tonsillectomy on acase-by-case basis. The wide-ranging immune benefits of the organsoften outweigh the difficulties of an occasional infection.Surgery itself carries risks, including pain and bleeding. Complications from anesthesia are also possible, though these are rare.The surgery has an uncomfortable recovery period. De-

pending on insurance, it can also be costly.Children with severe and frequent throat infections may experience stress from illness and miss school days. They can also have other problems from repeated antibiotics use. These may be cases where tonsillectomyisthe best path forward. The bottom line is we no longer view tonsils as useless, nuisance organs. But forsome people in specific circumstances, tonsillectomyisstill asolid and wellsupported treatment.

Send yourquestions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday,Feb.23, the 54th day of 2026. There are 311 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Feb.23, 1945, during World WarII, U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where they raised two American flags. (Thesecond flagraising was captured in an iconic photograph by Joe Rosenthal of The Associated Press.)

Also on this date:

In 1836, thesiege of the Alamo by Mexican troops began in San Antonio. Almostall of the nearly 200 heavily outnumbered Texas defenders, including American frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett, were killed in the13day assault

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease land around Guantanamo Bay to theUnited States. No datewas set for termination of the lease and Naval Station Guantanamo Bay continues at thesite, along with ahighsecuritydetention complex for suspected terrorists.

In 1942, thefirst shelling of the U.S. mainland during World WarIIoccurred as a

GOLF

Continuedfrom page1C

stay cool. Stay humble.”

Owen’sdad,Adam, accompanied himonthe trip to California and had a front-row seat for his son’s triumph. He could hardly believe what he was seeing “It was alittle surreal and unbelievable,” Adam Zaragoza said. “He made thethird chip. He madethe first putt, barely missed the second putt, and then he hit thethirdputt, andIremember texting(my wife) Anna being like, ‘Holy cow, Ithink this might actually happen.’

“Six or sevenplayers were left, andthe scores kept comingin. Iwas sitting there watching it and pac-

Japanesesubmarinefired on an oilrefinery near Santa Barbara, California.

In 1980, American Eric Heiden completed his sweep of the five men’s speed skating events at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NewYork, by winning the men’s 10,000-meter race in world record time; Heiden was the first athlete to winfive gold medals in asingle Winter Olympics.

In 2011, in amajor policy reversal, President Barack Obama’sadministration said it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, afederal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage.

In 2020, a25-year-old Black man, Ahmaud Arbery,was fatally shot while running in acoastal Georgia neighborhood after a White father and son armed themselves and pursued him. (Greg and Travis McMichael and neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan subsequently drew life sentences for murder convictions and later were convicted of federal hate crimes.)

In 2021, golfer Tiger Woods was seriously injured when he crashed his SUVinto amedian and

ing, going back andforth, and it went final. It was a little surreal.”

Owenwas 2yearsold when he received aplastic set of golf clubs from his grandmother. When the plastic balls that came with the set got lost or chewed up by thedog,Owendidn’t slowdown,instead taking aimatthe pine cones in his backyard.

Histwinsister, Abby,oftenservedashas histarget.

“Wewereall targets at somepoint in time,” his dad said.

Owen graduatedtoareal set of clubs at 3, and played his first hole that sameyear on the nine-hole course at Three IslandCrossing in Glenns Ferry

He joinedthe BanBury Boomers, ayouth golf training program held at Ban-

rolled over several times on asteep downhill road in suburban Los Angeles. In 2023, afederal judge handed singer R. Kelly a 20-year prison sentence forhis convictions that include producing child sexual abuse materials and federal sex trafficking charges., but said he would serve nearly all of the sentence simultaneously with a30-year sentence imposed ayear earlier on racketeering charges. Today’sbirthdays: Football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoffis83. Actor Patricia Richardson is 75. Singer Howard Jones is 71. Japanese Emperor Naruhito is 66. Actor Kristin Davis is 61. Business executive Michael Dell is 61. TV personality-business executive Daymond John is 57. Actor Niecy Nash is 56. Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland is 55. Country singer Steve Holy is 54. Actor Kelly Macdonald is 50. Rapper Residente, born René Juan Pérez Joglar,is48. Actor Josh Gadis45.

Bury Golf Course, at age 5, and began competing in the U.S. Kids Golf programby the timehewas 7. “I like meeting new friends and going to these really awesome places, like going to Augusta,” Owen said. “It’sjust super fun.” The entire Zaragoza family willbegoing to Georgia in April forOwen’sbig day.The participants compete Sunday and then get to watch the pro golfers’ Masters practice round on Monday

TheDrive, Chip andPutt competition will air live on the Golf Channel beginning at 7a.m. April 5. “It’s gonna be really something that Iwill hopefully,definitelyremember,” Owen said. “I really want to do good,because that’d be super awesome.”

PISCES(Feb. 20-March 20) Follow through, take advantage of opportunitiesand makethe mostofyourtime.Choose to be unique andtoallow yourself the privilege of following your heart and enjoying what lifehas to offer.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Know when to saynotoothers instead of trying to please everyone. Your top priority is your mental, physical and emotional well-being. Excess and indulgent behaviorwill pose problems.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Monitor situations, weigh the pros andcons, and change only what's necessary. Askquestions, relyonexperts and go through the properchannels to ensure you get precisely what youwant

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Keep busy. It's what youachieve that will make your dayworthwhile. Steer clear of conversations that can lead to distress or uncertainty. Look out for your interests first andforemost.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Set your sights on what youwanttoachieve. Discipline anda well-thought-outplan will help youreach your goal withtimetospare. Yourexpertise will be recognized and respected.

LEO (July 23-Aug.22) Take care of business. Map out aplan and set goals. Refuse to letoutsideinfluences stifle your progress. Putyour energy into selfimprovement and upping your game.

VIRGO(Aug.23-Sept.22) Address issues of concern. Honesty will help you gain insight and make allowances that

encourage better relationships. Ashift in how or whereyou workwill lead to interesting possibilitiesand connections

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Check outthe possibilities, and eliminate what isn't necessary to reach your destination. The journey that has the mostimpact will be the one that includes the people you mesh with best.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov.22) Have apurpose in mind beforeyou walk out the door. Channel your energy wisely to avoid unsavory incidents. Change only what's necessary, and avoid discord withpartners and people you count on.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec.21) Takepride in what you do, and be quick to stop anyone who interferes withyour progress. It'snecessary to put yourself first if you wanttoget ahead.Say no to emotional manipulation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Question anything that sounds suspicious. Don't limit what you can do. Trusting others to do things to your specifications will lead to disappointment AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Distance yourself from procrastinators and people eager to take advantage of you. Refuse to buy into fads, promotional ads and productsthat sound toogood to be true.

Thehoroscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.Each letterinthe cipherstands for another

Sudoku

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

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Rene Descartes, aFrench philosopher, mathematician and writer whospent most of his life in the Dutch Republic anddied in 1650, said in alecture, “And nowwecometothetwooperationsofour understanding, intuition anddeduction, on which alone we have said we must rely in the acquisition of knowledge.”

At the bridge table, we gain an understanding of adeal primarily by using deduction —although some players also employ intuition.

If you wish to test your deductive powers, cover the West andSouth hands. The contract is three no-trump.West leads afourth-highest heart twoand declarer calls for dummy’sfour. Wouldyou put in the10orrise with theking? Why?

This is atrap deal forNorth and South. They have 29 high-card points, but cannot, in theory, make game. However, if anygame is going to get through, it is three no-trump.Often,when dummy has theheartqueenandEasttheking-10over her, it is right for East to play his 10. But notinthis instance. If South is permittedtotake the first trick with his heart jack,hewill then cash four clubs, four diamonds and the spade ace to score up an overtrick. It is right to play the 10 when South has the ace, but is that possible?

No!

If South had started with ace-lowin hearts, he wouldhave calledfor dummy’squeen, hoping the lead wasaway fromthe king. So East should play his king at thefirsttrick,confident it will win, then return the five, his original fourth-highest. The defenders will run thesuit fordown one.

©2026 by NEA, Inc dist.

By AndrewsMcMeel Syndication

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

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”

or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

or

toDAY’s WoRD VItIAtEs: VIH-she-ates: Makes ineffective.

Average mark 18 words Time limit 20 minutes

Can you find 22 or more words in VITIATES?

sAtuRDAY’s WoRD —GRuDGInGLY