The Denver Post May 1 2025

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FROM THE EDITOR

Changes come in our features sections

Starting today, we are making some changes to our Life & Culture pages, where you find stories about the arts and the outdoors and other lifestyle features.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, you will still find Life & Culture sections with all the stories you’re accustomed to seeing.

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the comics, puzzles and advice column will be in our sports section, just as they are on Mondays and Tuesdays. The TV grid will appear consistently at the back of the B section.

Life & Culture stories that you are accustomed to seeing during the week, like movie reviews, will be in the Sunday paper. And our great staff-written stories will appear throughout the paper — on the front page, in Denver & the West, in business and in sports.

The change allows us to direct more attention to our popular premium sections like Summer Getaways, our yearly Broncos preview and our Year in Photos. You’ll see more of those sections with a strong Colorado focus and packed with information that we hope you will want to peruse like you would a magazine. Look for our Home on the Range special section filled with stories on food, drink and more in late June.

And to our loyal New York Times puzzlers, we apologize for the recent problems with missing clues and answers not appearing where you expect them. Our solution is to run two answer boxes — one for that day’s puzzle and one for the previous day.

— Lee Ann Colacioppo, Editor

Homeowners can exhale after

14 years of rising home values

Flat assessments could usher in lower property taxes for many, but not all

By Aldo Svaldi asvaldi@denverpost.com

Homeowners across metro Denver finally should receive a reprieve from property tax increases in the next two years after county assessors reported mostly flat to declining residential property values.

“This is a bit of a sigh of relief,” said Denver County Assessor Keith Erffmeyer, as he exhaled after a news conference Wednesday morning.

Property owners, who have had to deal with 14 straight years of rising valuations and property tax bills, including a historic jump two years ago of 30% or higher in many places, now can breathe easier. And county assessors and their staffers, who faced a flood of angry calls and fielded double the number of protests than usual from upset property owners two years ago, can bask in a more manageable pace as they hum “The Sound of Silence.”

Every two years, assessors in Colorado must deter-

mine a value for residential and commercial properties, and that number goes into the formula used to determine property taxes. Properties were valued as of June 30, 2024, using transactions going back 24 months.

In Denver County, with 240,000 residential properties, valuations declined an average of 1.6%, with most properties falling within a range of down 5% to up 5%, Erffmeyer said. That contrasts with a 33% average gain in the prior two-year cycle.

The biggest declines were concentrated along the I-25

corridor and in neighborhoods closer to downtown.

Athmar Park was down 8.7%, Clayton and College View fell about 7.5%, North Capitol Hill was down 7.3%, while values fell 6.99% in nearby Civic Center.

Cherry Creek values were up 11.7% on average, while the Belcaro neighborhood to the south saw an increase of 7%. Neighborhoods such as Union Station, up 14.2%, and Denver International Airport, up nearly 25%, had larger gains, but new construction, not a newfound popularity, skewed much of

By Paul Wiseman and Christopher Rugaber

The Associated Press

The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March, the first drop in three years, as President Donald Trump’s trade wars disrupted business. First-quarter growth was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump imposed massive tariffs.

The January-March drop in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — reversed a 2.4% gain in the last three months of 2024. Imports grew at a 41% pace, fastest since 2020, and shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth. Consumer spending also slowed sharply — to 1.8% growth from 4% in October-December last year. Federal government spending plunged 5.1% in the first quarter.

By Jessica Seaman jseaman@denverpost.com

The Denver school board is in talks with Superintendent Alex Marrero to extend his contract, a move members said is necessary for consistent leadership during a precarious time for K-12 education — but which has sparked criticism from others over a lack of transparency.

The discussions, which so far have taken place behind closed doors, will be brought into public view when Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education meets this afternoon.

Few details have been revealed about the changes proposed for Marrero’s contract beyond a potential extension, but school board members are expected to consider

DENVER & THE WEST

WHEAT RIDGE

Motorcyclist killed in crash north of Sloan’s Lake

A motorcyclist died Wednesday in a crash north of Sloan’s Lake, according to Wheat Ridge police.

At least one car and one motorcycle collided near the intersection of West 32nd Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, less than a mile north of Sloan’s Lake, police said.

Paramedics took the motorcyclist to a hospital, where the unidentified rider later died, police said.

It’s not clear what caused the crash, but the intersection was closed for about three hours for the cleanup and investigation. It reopened at 11:45 a.m., police said. — Lauren Penington, The Denver Post

IMMIGRATION

ICE will fine 3 businesses $8 million for employing unauthorized workers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said on Wednesday it planned to fine three Colorado companies a total of $8 million after worksite audits, accusing them of employing unauthorized workers.

“The employment of unauthorized workers undermines the integrity of our immigration system and puts law-abiding employers at a disadvantage,” said special agent in charge Steve Cagen in an ICE news release.

“These penalties reinforce our commitment to uphold the law and promote a culture of compliance.”

The agency imposed fines totaling more than $6.1 million on CCS Denver Inc., a company offering janitorial and facility maintenance services, for a 100% violation rate and the employment of at least 87 unauthorized workers.

PBC Commercial Cleaning Systems Inc., which appears to be another cleaning company serving areas from Fort Collins to Denver, was fined nearly $1.6 million for a 74% violation rate and employing at least 12 unauthorized workers.

Additionally, Green Management Denver also faced fines. The company was fined approximately $270,195 after a 100% violation rate and the identification of 44 unauthorized workers.

ICE said its Homeland Security Investigations’ worksite enforcement efforts focus on ensuring businesses comply with federal employment laws through I-9 audits, civil penalties and criminal prosecution where applicable.

ICE did not respond to requests for comment.

— Jessica Alvarado Gamez, The Denver Post

Corrections

• Because of an error from the source, an ingredient was left off of a recipe for Vegan Lemon Mousse With Cherry Compote in the April 16 Life & Culture section. The first ingredient should be 6 ounces of food-grade cocoa butter.

The Denver Post will correct all errors occurring in its news columns. If you find a problem with a story — an error of fact or a point requiring clarification — please call the city desk at 303-954-1201.

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JEANETTE VIZGUERRA

U.S. disputes that activism contributed to detention

By Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton mboyanton@denverpost.com

Federal lawyers urged a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado to reject Jeanette Vizguerra’s challenge of her detention in a new filing this week, arguing that she hasn’t shown sufficiently that the government was retaliating against her activism when authorities arrested her.

The well-known immigrantrights advocate was in the coun-

try without proper legal status, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were following a reinstated removal order, U.S. Justice Department attorneys wrote in the Tuesday filing. It responded to arguments by Vizguerra’s legal team in recent weeks that the government’s arrest of Vizguerra in March violated her First Amendment rights.

The federal attorneys counter that, as a noncitizen, Vizguerra can’t argue that her free-speech

rights were violated during her arrest, detention and potential deportation from the country.

“The Supreme Court has determined that noncitizens cannot challenge the enforcement of a removal order based on a selective-enforcement theory,” the lawyers wrote, adding that Vizguerra “does not have a viable First Amendment retaliation challenge here.”

The filing was signed by acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell and assistant U.S. at-

torneys Benjamin Gibson, Timothy Jafek and Kevin Traskos. Vizguerra’s attorney, Laura Lichter, didn’t respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Her attorneys initially filed an emergency petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which is a request to determine the validity of a person’s detention. U.S. District Judge Nina Wang in late March ordered ICE not to deport Vizguerra until her petition was litigated.

ST. PATRICK’S ARRIVAL

was being installed at Benson Sculpture Park in Loveland. The

park’s collection, which now has 188 pieces.

LA QUINTA, CALIF.

Sheriff investigating sports agent’s death after a fall

Elway on Saturday.

Sperbeck, 62, rolled and hit his head on the asphalt when he fell off the cart in a private California golf community, according to TMZ.

By Lauren Penington and Katie Langford The Denver Post

A California sheriff’s office is investigating the death of sports agent Jeff Sperbeck after he fell from a golf cart driven by former Denver Broncos quarterback and Hall of Famer John

Paramedics took Sperbeck to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, and he was put on life support before he was pronounced dead at 1:10 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

Elway and Sperbeck were

longtime friends and business partners, and the men and their wives and Elway’s son reportedly had been at the Stagecoach music festival earlier in the day and were leaving a post-party when the fall happened.

No one else was injured in the incident.

In a statement to The Denver Post, Elway said he was devastated and heartbroken by Sperbeck’s passing.

“There are no words to truly express the profound sadness

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I feel with the sudden loss of someone who has meant so much to me,” Elway said.

“Jeff will be deeply missed for the loyalty, wisdom, friendship and love he brought into my life and the lives of so many others.”

Elway’s statement did not address the circumstances of Sperbeck’s death.

Sheriff’s officials confirmed Wednesday they are investigating the case and were first told about Sperbeck’s fall on Monday.

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Trump: Tariffs could mean fewer, costlier items in U.S.

By Josh Boak The Associated Press

WASHINGTON>> President Donald Trump on Wednesday acknowledged that his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the United States, saying American kids might “have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” but he insisted China will suffer more from his trade war.

The Republican president has tried to reassure a nervous country that his tariffs will not provoke a recession, after a new government report showed the U.S. economy shrank during the first three months of the year.

Trump was quick to blame his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for any setbacks while telling his Cabinet that his tariffs meant China was “having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business,” adding that the U.S. did not really need imports from the world’s dominant manufacturer.

“You know, somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be open,’ ” Trump continued, offering a hypothetical. “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks

SENATE

more than they would normally.”

His remarks followed a defensive morning after the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% during the first quarter. Behind the decline was a surge in imports as companies tried to front-run the sweeping tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum and almost every country. And even positive signs of increased domestic consumption indicated that purchases might be occurring before the import taxes lead to price increases.

Trump pointed his finger at Biden as the stock market fell Wednesday morning in response to the gross domestic product report.

“This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s,” the Republican president, who took office in January, posted on his social media site. “Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS.”

But the GDP report gives Democrats ammunition to claim that Trump’s policies could shove the

economy into a recession. Democrats’ statements after the GDP report noted how quickly the economy, which still has a healthy 4.2% unemployment rate, appears to have lost momentum within weeks of Trump’s return.

A top House Democrat, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state, said that “we’ve only seen the beginning of the dangerous impacts from Trump’s random policies.”

Resolution to block Trump tariffs fails

By Mary Clare Jalonick The Associated Press

WASHINGTON>> Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Donald Trump this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.

Trump announced the farreaching tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners April 2 and reversed himself a few days later after a market meltdown, suspending the import taxes for 90 days. Amid the uncertainty for U.S. consumers and businesses, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the U.S. economy shrank 0.3% from January through March, the first drop in three years.

The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate approved a resolution that would have thwarted Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada. That measure passed 51-48 with the votes of four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky. But McConnell — who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote — and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.

Democrats said their primary

aim was to put Republicans on the record either way and to try to reassert congressional powers.

“The Senate cannot be an idle spectator in the tariff madness,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a lead sponsor of the resolution.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the dismal economic numbers should be a “wake-up call” to Republicans.

Wary of a rebuke to Trump, GOP leaders encouraged their conference not to vote for the resolution, even as many of them remain unconvinced about the tariffs. Vice President JD Vance attended a Senate GOP luncheon Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who assured senators that the administration is making progress toward trade deals with individual countries.

Collins said before the vote that she believes the Democratic resolution is too broad, but she was supporting it because it sends a message that “we really need to be far more discriminatory in imposing these tariffs and not treat allies like Canada the way we treat adversaries like China.”

But some Republicans argued that the vote was a political stunt.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he backs separate legislation by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley that would give Congress increased power over determining tariffs but would vote no on the resolution, which he said is only about “making a point.”

items such as exports, inventories and government spending.

Democrats say the Republicans’ failure to stand up to Trump could have dire consequences. “The only thing Donald Trump’s tariffs have succeeded in is raising the odds of recession and sending markets into a tailspin,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “Today, they have to choose — stick with Trump or stand with your states.”

The Democratic resolution forced a vote under a statute that allows them to try to terminate the national economic emergency Trump used to levy the tariffs.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it a “fake” emergency that Trump is using to impose his “on-again, off-again, redlight, green-light tariffs.”

The tariffs “are pushing our economy off a cliff,” Warren said.

The Republican president has tried to reassure voters that his tariffs will not provoke a recession as his administration has focused on China, raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% even as he paused the others. He told his Cabinet on Wednesday morning that his tariffs meant China was “having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business.”

Trump said the U.S. does not really need imports from the world’s dominant manufacturer.

“Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” he said. “So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”

line and core inflation accelerated, fanning concerns of stagflation.”

She noted that U.S. manufacturers still depend on parts and components from China to assemble final goods and said Trump’s approach to trade reflected a misunderstanding of the investment and certainty that domestic companies need to construct more factories and create jobs.

“Chaos and dysfunction are not going to help build investment,” said DelBene, who leads the

Jeffries:

House Democrats’ congressional campaign efforts. “A strong economy needs stability and certainty. We haven’t seen that.”

The GDP report landed as Trump sought to put the focus on new corporate investments in the U.S. as he spends the week celebrating his 100th day in office. He delivered remarks Wednesday afternoon and called out investments from companies such as Nvidia, Soft Bank, Apple, Johnson & Johnson and others that he said reflected the coming prosperity.

Still, Trump’s economic message contains some clashing arguments and dismisses data that raises red flags.

He wants credit for an aggressive first 100 days back in the White House that included mass layoffs of federal workers and the start of a trade war with 145% in new tariffs against China. He also wants to blame the negative response of the financial markets on Biden, who left office months ago. He’s also saying his tariffs are negotiating tools to generate trade deals, but at the same time is banking on hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff revenues to help cover his planned income tax cuts.

Trump’s 100 days filled with ‘chaos, cruelty and corruption’

By Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press

WASHINGTON>> Bringing the kind of punch many voters are demanding, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s 100 days in office have been an assault of Americans’ very way of life and promised Democrats in Congress are fighting as hard as they can to stop more “ bad things” from happening.

In a major address on the milestone of Trump’s time at the White House, Jeffries, who could become House speaker if Democrats regain power, also put Republicans in Congress on notice that their days as a “rubber stamp” to Trump’s agenda of “chaos, cruelty and corruption” won’t last.

“The Trump administration has been a disaster,” Jeffries of New York told the packed crowd at a historic theater in Washington.

“Donald Trump and the Republicans thought they could ‘shock and awe’ us into submission,” he said, adding they were wrong. “We’re just getting started.”

Schumer said, in failing to hold the president responsible, even when he is breaking the laws.

One Democrat, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, encouraged GOP lawmakers to peel away from Trump, imploring them with a message of the Civil Rights era: “It’s never too late to be on the right side of history.”

Warnock, who also was pastor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, said Trump and the GOP are trying to “weaponize despair” of the American people.

“They’re trying to so beat us down that we will be too so weary to fight,” Warnock said, “and it’s our job to prove them wrong.” It may be just 100 days into the new presidential administration, but the congressional leaders are already mapping the political races ahead in the 2026 midterm elections. In the House, where Johnson holds only the slimmest GOP majority, Jeffries is working vigorously to win back the few seats needed to flip control to Democrats.

Forecasters surveyed by the data firm FactSet had, on average, expected the economy to eke out 0.8% growth in the first quarter, but many expected GDP to fall.

Financial markets initially sank after the report but rebounded later in the day.

The surge in imports — fastest since 1972 outside COVID-19 economic disruptions — is likely to reverse in the second quarter, removing a weight on GDP. For that reason, Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics forecasts that AprilJune growth will rebound to a 2% gain.

Trade deficits reduce GDP. But that’s mainly a matter of mathematics. GDP is supposed to count only what’s produced domestically. So imports — which the government counts as consumer spending in the GDP report when you buy, say, Swiss chocolates — have to be subtracted to keep them from artificially inflating domestic production.

And other aspects of Wednesday’s GDP report suggested that the economy looked solid at the start of the year.

A category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength rose at a healthy 3% annual rate from January through March, up from 2.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile

Still, many economists say that Trump’s massive import taxes — the erratic way he’s rolled them out — will hurt growth in the second half of the year and that recession risks are rising.

“We think the downturn of the economy will get worse in the second half of this year,” wrote Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics. “Corrosive uncertainty and higher taxes — tariffs are a tax on imports — will drag GDP growth back into the red by the end of this year.”

Wednesday’s report also showed an increase in prices that is likely to worry the Federal Reserve, which is still trying to cool inflation after a severe pandemic run-up.

The Fed’s favored inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index — rose at an annual rate of 3.6%, up from 2.4% in the fourth quarter.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PC inflation registered 3.5%, compared with 2.6% from OctoberDecember. The central bank wants to see inflation at 2%.

The first-quarter GDP numbers “highlight the bind that the Federal Reserve is in,” Ryan Sweet of Oxford Economics wrote in a commentary. The Fed must weigh whether to cut interest rates to support economic growth or leave rates high because of elevated inflation. “The economy was essentially stagnant in the first three months of the year while growth in head-

Trump inherited a solid economy that had grown steadily despite high interest rates imposed by the Fed in 2022 and 2023 to fight inflation. His erratic trade policies — including 145% tariffs on China — have paralyzed businesses and threatened to raise prices and hurt consumers.

Democrats were quick to blame Trump for disrupting several years of solid economic growth. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said: “One hundred days into his presidency, Donald Trump’s red-light, green-light tariffs are shrinking our economy, with businesses stockpiling imports in anticipation of tariff doomsday.”

There is potential evidence emerging that the solid job market, a pillar of the U.S. economy during the pandemic recession, may be weakening.

On Wednesday, payroll provider ADP reported that companies added just 62,000 jobs in April, about half of what was expected and down from 147,000 in March.

That could be a signal that businesses may be taking a more cautious approach to hiring amid uncertainty over tariffs. Still, the ADP figures often diverge from the government’s jobs reports, which arrive Friday.

Employers in the education and health, information technology, and business and professional services industries all cut jobs. “Unease is the word of the day,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP.

The leader’s speech stood as an assessment not only Trump’s return to the White House, but also of the strength of the Democratic resistance. Americans are registering a weariness with the president, with just half saying he’s focused on the right priorities. The Democratic leadership in Congress is being tested over how best to confront the speed, scope and scale of the Trump administration’s unprecedented, and at times unlawful, actions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has mocked the attempt by Democratic leaders to find their political footing as Trump blazes through the start of his second term at the White House, which the GOP leader celebrated with four words: “Promises made, promises kept.”

Johnson cited the Trump’s achievements in deporting immigrants, reversing the government’s diversity programs and others, arguing the president has accomplished more during this period than many do “in their entire careers.”

Jeffries has at times been seen a cautious leader, known for his ability to stay cool under enormous pressure. But standing later on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Jeffries and other lawmakers sought to assure Americans, and their own voters, they were up for the job, and ready to fight back.

Schumer chalked up Trump’s first 100 days as defined by “one big F word — failure.”

The leaders warned of more to come. Republicans in Congress, who hold majority control of both the House and Senates, are rushing ahead to deliver on Trump’s priorities, including his “big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts.

Republicans are “complicit,”

Jeffries appears increasingly in command of his role, as the leader of the Democratic minority in the House, but also as the rising party leader on the national stage. He told dad stories, shuttling his family on trips for his son’s travel baseball game, and of his own understanding of the nation’s tax code seeing his wages on his first paycheck as a teenager in a minimum wage job drawn out for Social Security and the safety net programs he came to appreciate as Americans’ earned benefits.

“You work hard for those benefits, pay into those benefits,” he said, scoffing at Republican efforts to dismiss them as entitlement programs.

Jeffries name-checked billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency for the “cruel” way they are slashing federal spending that halts medical research and cuts employees’ jobs. He said Trump and Musk have failed to make life safer or more affordable.

“Trump’s unconstitutional assault on the American way of life is unprecedented. But the so-called dictator on day one is learning an important lesson: Americans don’t bend the knee to bullies,” Jeffries said.

“We will not rest until we end this national nightmare,” he said.

Jeffries stumbled slightly in his opening remarks about Trump’s first 100 “years” — before quickly correcting himself to “days” — saying the quiet part out loud for many Democrats and allies exhausted by it all.

“Republicans in Congress could put a stop to this insanity at any time,” Jeffries said. “Since they won’t, next November, we will.” Over the next 100 days, Jeffries says House Democrats will be laying out their own blueprint for what they would do if they were in charge — and it won’t be about Trump but “all about you.”

BUSINESS

BRACING FOR TARIFFS

Inflation cools; Americans step up spending

By Christopher Rugaber

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON>> A closely watched inflation gauge cooled last month in a sign that prices were steadily easing before most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs were implemented.

At the same time, consumers accelerated their spending, particularly on cars, likely in an effort to get ahead of the duties.

Wednesday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose just

2.3% in March from a year earlier, down from 2.7% in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% compared with a year ago, below February’s 3%. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed.

The slowdown in inflation could be a temporary respite until the widespread duties imposed by Trump begin to push up prices in many categories. Most economists expect inflation to start picking up in the coming months.

Google’s CEO testifies on fixes

Hearing held after judge rules company acted as a monopoly

By David Mccabe The New York Times

WASHINGTON>> Google CEO Sun-

dar Pichai told a federal judge Wednesday that a government proposal to break up the company would hobble the business, as he aimed to stave off drastic changes to fix an illegal monopoly in online search.

Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled last year that Google had broken the law to maintain a search monopoly. This month, he convened a hearing to decide on the measures, known as remedies, that would be put in place to address the illegal behavior.

As the company’s second witness, Pichai was called to make the case that the court should avoid the government’s aggressive solutions, including forcing Google to sell its popular Chrome web browser and share data with rivals. Pichai said the government’s proposal would lead the company to make fewer investments in new technology if it needed to share the benefits with its competitors for a minimal fee.

“The combination of all the remedies, I think, makes it unviable to invest in the R&D the way we have for the past three decades, to continue to innovate and build Google search,” he said, referring to research and development.

Pichai is the highest-profile witness expected to testify at the landmark three-week hearing, which could rebalance the power dynamic in Silicon Valley. The tech industry is locked in a race to develop internet products powered by artificial intelligence, and new restrictions on Google’s business could supercharge its rivals’ efforts and hamper its own.

The Google search case is also the first major test of U.S. government efforts to restrain tech giants’ enormous power over commerce, communications and information online. A federal judge in Virginia ruled this month that Google was also a monopolist in some online advertising technology.

The Federal Trade Commission is squaring off with Meta in a trial over whether its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp illegally snuffed out nascent competitors. Additional federal antitrust lawsuits against Apple and Amazon are expected to go to trial in the coming years.

The Justice Department filed its Google search lawsuit in 2020, during President Donald Trump’s first term. Government lawyers argued during a 2023 trial that Google had locked out other search engines by paying companies such as Apple, Samsung and Mozilla to be the search engine that comes up automatically in web browsers and on smartphones.

“Core inflation will inevitably rebound sharply in the coming months,” Harry Chambers, assistant economist at Capital Economics, said in an email. “Goods prices will rise much more strongly.”

Chambers expects core inflation will near 4% by late this year.

Wednesday’s report also showed that consumer spending increased 0.7% from February to March, a healthy gain. Much of the increase appeared to be driven by efforts to get ahead of duties, such as Trump’s 25% duty

on imported cars, which took effect April 3. Spending on autos surged 8.1% in March. Still, that means auto sales are likely to fade in the coming months because those assets have already been secured.

But spending on restaurants and hotels also jumped after falling in February, a sign Americans are still willing to splurge a little on travel and dining out.

The spending increase is noteworthy because consumer confidence surveys have plunged for several months, suggesting Amer-

icans have grown increasingly worried about the economy. Yet so far, that hasn’t translated into a noticeable slowdown in spending. Yet many economists expect it will come soon. Some businesses are already seeing it, including some airlines. And Sheryl Tubbs, an Idahobased creator behind DenimFelt, which converts secondhand denim into stuffed animals and puppets, opened her Etsy shop in late 2019 as a way to supplement her husband’s income.

increase housing supply in other parts of the country.

Housing on federal lands aims to ease the affordability crisis

By Madeleine Ngo The New York Times

WASHINGTON>> During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged to quickly bring down prices for American households, including making housing more affordable.

“We’re going to open up tracts of federal land for housing construction,” Trump said in August. “We desperately need housing for people who can’t afford what’s going on now.”

The Trump administration is now trying to follow through on that promise. In March, federal officials created a task force that would identify and release federal land that could be used for housing development.

The announcement is the first major initiative the Trump ad-

ministration has rolled out to address the nation’s affordable housing crisis. It is an idea that has bipartisan support. Trump and Kamala Harris, the former vice president and Democratic nominee for president, have supported efforts to build affordable housing on certain federal lands.

Housing developers and researchers say that the idea of making more federal land available for housing development holds some promise for Western states such as Nevada and California, where the bulk of federal land is. But the initiative would do little to increase housing supply in other parts of the country where residents also struggle with high shelter costs, such as New York and Miami.

By Damian J. Troise The Associated Press

NEW YORK>> Uncertainty continues to hang over the latest round of financial results and forecasts for companies both big and small as they try to navigate a global trade system severely shaken by a shift in U.S. policy. Tariffs and the stark shift in policy has also shaken consumer and business confidence. The U.S. economy shrank during the first quarter of the year, its first drop in three years. Consumer spending ramped up in March, likely an effort to get ahead of tariffs, but fell for the entire quarter. Meanwhile, companies have been pulling back on hiring.

Roughly half of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported their latest quarterly financial results, but the focus has been on how they will adjust to tariffs and any change in consumers’ behavior. The focus remains blurry for both companies and investors because of the on-again-off-again nature of President Donald Trump’s policy.

Trump has implemented a range of tariffs on goods from some of the biggest U.S. trading partners and many of those countries have hit back with retaliatory tariffs. At the same time, Trump has pulled back or postponed some tariffs. The situation remains unpredictable and that is problematic for com-

panies trying to plan ahead and investors looking for stability. Here’s what companies are saying about tariffs and the potential impact: Caterpillar Caterpillar’s latest profit and revenue results fell sharply from a year ago and they also missed Wall Street forecasts. The heavy machinery maker and industrial bellwether is among the many companies giving investors an uncertain forecast. Its equipment is used by the construction, mining and energy industries. Wall Street often uses Caterpillar’s financial position and forecasts as a gauge for how well those indus-

tries are performing or will potentially perform in the quarter and year ahead. Without any impact from tariffs, the company expects sales and revenue in 2025 to match the prior year. With the current tariffs in place, sales and revenue are expected to dip slightly. Stanley Black & Decker Stanley Black & Decker said it raised prices in April and plans to raise prices again in the third quarter of the year as a reaction to tariffs. The maker of drills and

and

Other challenges also exist before any housing can be built. Most of the federal government’s land lacks the necessary water and sewer infrastructure to support residential communities. Environmental groups have also voiced concern over the administration’s intent to sell public land because of its potential effect on wildlife habitat.

As part of the effort, the Interior Department will identify locations that can support homes and aim to reduce regulatory barriers involved with transferring or leasing land to local governments or public housing authorities. The Housing and Urban Development Department will also “pinpoint where housing needs are most pressing” and ensure that projects “align with affordability goals.”

Federal officials have estimated that roughly 400,000 acres of federal land could potentially be made available for housing development, said Jon Raby, acting director of the Bureau of Land Management. Raby said the estimate, which will continue to be refined, was determined after officials looked at land within 10 miles of cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.

The effort could be most impactful in states such as California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho and Colorado, Raby said. Officials said the lands vary widely and range from deserts and grasslands to mountains and forests. The lands are generally uneconomical or difficult to manage because of their scattered or isolated nature and “must meet specific public interest objectives.”

In addition to the water, power and sewer systems that would need to be built, federal officials might have to contend with groups that believe that certain areas have higher habitat or conservation value. Raby said the areas that officials were looking at generally had lower conservation value, but that the Bureau of Land Management would carefully review concerns. “People love their public lands,” Raby said. “Every acre is important to somebody.”

The Bureau of Land Management will evaluate applications from interested parties, such as state or local governments, that request specific land to be sold. The agency will then assess any existing use of the land, and perform an environmental review and appraisal. Officials could then either lease the land or sell it at fair market value, according to the agency.

Some analyses have found that releasing more federal land could result in the construction of millions of new homes. Selling about 544,000 acres of developable land — about 0.2% of the land that the Bureau of Land Management oversees — could result in the construction of 1.5 million new homes on land near existing cities over the next decade, according to a recent analysis from Edward Pinto, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Another 1.5 million homes could be built over the next five decades if new cities are developed near existing metropolitan areas, the analysis found.

David Garcia, policy director at Up for Growth, a Washington-based research group focused on the housing shortage, said he thought the initiative had “huge potential.”

“A lot of times when we think about federal land, we think about national parks or forest land or military bases, but there is a lot more land in urbanized areas than I think people realize,” Garcia said. Still, he said the process of releasing federal land can take years because of stringent procedures, and the federal effort alone would not be enough to make up the nation’s entire shortfall of homes. Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance giant, has estimated that the na-

tion is short about 3.7 million housing units.

Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, said he was optimistic that making more federal land available for development could boost housing supply in some of the fastest-growing markets in the country, such as Las Vegas and Phoenix.

“Any land that we can make available would help in those markets in particular, and then you have the ability to continue to push the suburbs out,” Tobin said.

But Tobin said the initiative could run into challenges because of local NIMBYism — the “not in my backyard” attitude that impedes housing construction because some residents fight new development in their neighborhoods. “People just don’t like changes to where they live,” he said.

Federal officials say the new national initiative could replicate efforts that have already been done in Nevada. A 1998 law pushed by Harry Reid, who was a senator of Nevada at the time, allowed the Bureau of Land Management to sell certain public land within the state for purposes such as housing construction.

So far, the agency has sold about 50 acres of federal land specifically for the construction of about 1,060 affordable housing units in the state.

But some environmental groups have already expressed concern over how the effort could affect public land. Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, said he was open to efforts to build more affordable housing on some land that is close to developed communities, but he was deeply skeptical of the Trump administration’s effort. He said he worried that new development could “trample wildlife habitat” and that the public could lose land used for recreation.

“We think this is just a backhanded way of privatizing federal land,” Manuel said. “We’re going to assume the worst from this administration until proven wrong.”

Some advocates said they were skeptical of the administration’s attempt to address affordable housing because officials are also eyeing deep cuts to the housing department as part of a broader effort to shrink the federal government.

Kim Johnson, a public policy manager at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said that building more housing on public land could make a big difference for certain Western states. But she said she was also concerned about the Trump administration potentially “decimating” the housing department’s workforce and cutting federal resources that could help address the affordable housing crisis.

Johnson said she also wanted to see administration officials provide more details about how they would ensure that housing built on federal land would be affordable. “The question is always: How affordable and affordable to whom?” Johnson said.

Kasey Lovett, a spokesperson for the Housing and Urban Development Department, said that “any efforts to streamline the department’s processes and programs will help to make HUD more successful in its mission, including addressing our nation’s affordable housing crisis.”

Some homebuilder groups said they were optimistic about the effort. Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Association, said the biggest challenge facing homebuilders in the state was a shortage of land that was both affordable and suitable for housing development.

Dunmoyer said efforts to release more federal land could help spur housing development in California, given that the federal government owns about half of the land in the state.

“Land is hard to find,” he said. “If there is land that’s adjacent to urban cores that’s available, that would be of interest to us.”

ways to market her business like selling at a local festival and digitizing her patterns so she can sell them.

She buys supplies like boxes, buttons and thread from Chinese sellers on Amazon and benefited from the fact that small shipments from overseas have been exempt from tariffs, under what’s known as the “ de minimis exemption.” But the Trump administration has now closed that loophole.

Prices for the supplies she buys from China are already rising. On top of that, sales dropped 50% over the past month as her customers pulled back.

She will have to raise prices by a dollar or two on her items, which average about $50. But she’s also coming up with new

Forecasts

FROM PAGE 7

“In light of the current environment, we are accelerating adjustments to our supply chain and exploring all options as we seek to minimize the impact of tariffs on end users while balancing the need to protect our business and our ability to innovate for years to come,” said CEO Donald Allan, Jr., in a statement.

Newell Brands

Newell Brands has not changed its current financial forecast for the year, but warned that tariffs on China could take a big bite out of profits if they stand.

The company makes ubiquitous consumer goods under brand names including Rubbermaid, Paper Mate and Coleman. It expects that tariffs on China, if they stand, to shave 20 cents per share from earnings. Newell Brands said it is already working on actions that could cut that impact in half.

“I definitely have to be more creative and come up with better ways of doing it to compete,” she said.

Earlier Wednesday, the government reported that consumer spending slowed in the first three months of the year, compared with last year’s final quarter, as bad weather depressed shopping and Americans took a breather after healthy spending over the winter holidays.

The nation’s economy actually shrank 0.3% in the January-March quarter as imports surged as companies sought to get ahead of Trump’s tariffs.

Trump benefited in last year’s election from broad

Barclays

British bank Barclays saw its profit in the firstquarter of the year spike by a fifth largely as a result of a boom in trading activity sparked by the turmoil in financial markets following the array of tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Barclays said the 16% increase in income across its investment banking division to nearly 4 billion pounds ($5.3 billion) outweighed the hit to dealmaking from tariff and economic uncertainty.

As a result. net profit rose 20% to 2.1 billion pounds.

Still, the bank said it has set aside more cash for bad debts due to worries over the American economy as a result of the uncertainty. Barclays has an exposure to the tariff woes and U.S. economy through its sizable operations in America, where it has 20 million customers.

CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan said the group remains “very committed”

dissatisfaction among voters about the steep rise in prices that began in 2021 and that, on average, pushed prices up about 25% by the middle of last year. Grocery costs shot up nearly 30%. As a candidate, Trump said he would immediately lower prices if elected.

Yet the president has slapped 25% duties on steel and aluminum, as well as cars, and a 10% tariff on nearly all other imports. And China, the United States’ third-largest trading partner, now faces a 145% duty on its exports.

The inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve target a 2% inflation rate and pay close attention to Wednesday’s inflation gauge, known as the personal consumption expen-

to its U.S. business, despite the clouded outlook for the American economy.

GSK

U.K.-based drugmaker GSK, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline, has said it is “well positioned” to cope with any financial impact from changes to U.S. tariff rules.

The company maintained its financial guidance for the year despite uncertainty over U.S. tariffs, with the Trump administration currently investigating whether to change tariff policy for the pharmaceuticals sector.

GSK was among pharmaceutical firms to recently call on the European Union to allow them to increase prices amid uncertainty over tariffs in the sector, warning Europe it will fall further behind the U.S. without stronger investment.

Sysco

Sysco cut its forecast for the year amid uncertainties over how tariffs will impact consumer spending.

ditures price index. The better-known consumer price index was released earlier this month and also showed a steady decline. Inflation figures were revised higher for January and February, leaving price increases in the first quarter higher than previously estimated. The higher figures would likely leave Fed officials wary of cutting rates soon even before taking tariffs into account. Trump has pushed the Fed to cut its key shortterm interest rate because inflation has cooled. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell has underscored that the central bank is likely to remain on the sidelines as officials gauge how tariffs will impact the economy. The Fed isn’t expected to lower its rate at its policy meeting next week.

The food distributor purchases more than 90% of its products in each country that it operates within. That leaves it less exposed to tariff cost impacts than other industries, it said. “Our main concern is the negative impact that tariff noise and volatility is clearly having on end consumer confidence and sentiment,” said CEO Kevin Hourican, in a conference call with analysts.

First Solar First Solar slashed its earnings forecast for the year and is considering idling some facilities because of the impact from tariffs.

The solar power technology company said that it currently operates international manufacturing facilities in India to serve markets in India and the U.S. Its manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and Vietnam almost exclusively serves the U.S. market and it may have to reduce operations there or possibly idle those facilities.

Roberts might hold key high-court vote

By Mark Sherman The Associated Press WASHINGTON>> Chief Jus -

tice John Roberts appears to hold the key vote over whether the Supreme Court will allow the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school in Oklahoma.

Roberts was the only justice whose vote seemed in doubt after the court heard more than two hours of arguments Wednesday in a major culture-war clash involving the separation of church and state.

The court seemed otherwise deeply divided.

Four other conservative justices seemed firmly on the side of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and the state charter school board that approved it.

DETAINEES

“They’re not asking for special treatment, not asking for favoritism,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said. “They’re just saying, ‘Don’t treat us worse because we’re religious.’ ”

The three liberal justices seemed just as likely to vote to affirm an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that held that the taxpayerfunded school would entangle church and state in violation of the First Amendment.

“Charter schools are in every respect equivalent to regular public schools,” Justice Elena Kagan said.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself without explanation. Barrett previously taught law at Notre Dame and is close friends with Notre Dame law professor Nicole Garnett, a leading proponent of pub -

licly funded religious charter schools.

If Roberts sides with the liberals, the court would be tied 4-4, an outcome that would leave the state court decision in place but would leave the issue unresolved nationally.

If he joins his conservative colleagues, on the other hand, the court could find that the taxpayer-funded school is in line with a string of high court decisions that have allowed public funds to flow to religious entities. Those rulings were based on a different part of the First Amendment that protects religious freedom.

Roberts wrote the last three of those decisions. He acknowledged at one point that the court had previously ruled that states “couldn’t exclude religious

participants,” suggesting support for St. Isidore.

But he also said the state’s involvement in this case is “much more comprehensive” than in the earlier ones, a point that could lead him in the other direction.

St. Isidore, a K-12 online school, had planned to start classes for its first 200 enrollees last fall, with part of its mission to evangelize its students in the Catholic faith.

Opponents warn a decision to allow the school to open would sap money from public schools and possibly upend the rules governing charter schools in almost every state.

Greg Garre, the lawyer defending the Oklahoma decision, repeatedly urged the justices to consider the broad impact of a ruling

for the school.

“This is going to have a dramatic effect on charter schools across the country,” Garre said.

Representing the state charter school board, lawyer James Campbell said Oklahoma’s charter school law discriminates against religion by encouraging diversity but “deeming religion to be the wrong kind of diversity.”

The case comes to the court amid efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools.

Those include a challenged Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms and a mandate from Oklahoma’s state schools superintendent that the Bible be placed in public school classrooms.

Kuwait frees 10 more Americans in second release

By Eric Tucker The Associated Press

WASHINGTON>> Kuwait has released an additional 10 American detainees, bringing to nearly two dozen the total number freed by the country in the past two months, U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Taken together, Kuwait’s pardons of 23 Americans since March — done as a goodwill gesture by the U.S. ally — amounted to the largest release of U.S. citizens by a single foreign country in years.

The prisoners include military contractors and veterans held on drug charges and other offenses by the small, oil-rich nation. One detainee was said by supporters to have been coerced into signing a false confession and endured physical violence and threats against his wife and daughter.

Ten others were released

“EXTREMIST GROUP”

on March 12, weeks after a visit to Kuwait by Adam Boehler, who is serving as the Trump administration’s envoy for hostage affairs.

“We flew out. We sat down with the Kuwaitis, and they said, listen, no one’s ever asked before at this level” for the release of the Americans, Boehler told the AP. The releases were not done as part of a swap, and the U.S. was not asked to give up anything in return.

“They’ve been extremely responsive, and their view is the United States is a huge ally. They know it’s a priority for (President Donald Trump) to bring Americans home,” Boehler said. “I credit it to the Kuwaiti understanding that we’ve stood up for them historically and they know that these things are important for the president.”

Kuwait is considered a major non-NATO ally of the U.S. The U.S. and Kuwait have had a close military

partnership since America launched the 1991 Gulf War to expel Iraqi troops after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, with some 13,500 American troops stationed in Kuwait at Camp Arifjan and Ali alSalem Air Base.

But the country also has detained many American military contractors on drug charges, in some cases for years. Their families have alleged that their loved ones faced abuse while imprisoned in a country that bans alcohol and has strict laws regarding drugs. Others have criticized Kuwaiti police for bringing trumped-up charges and manufacturing evidence used against them — allegations never acknowledged by the autocratic nation ruled by a hereditary emir.

A spokesperson for the Kuwaiti embassy in Washington didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Americans freed Wednesday “maintain their innocence, and it’s important to note none of these cases had an identified victim, and all of them were built on supposed confessions taken in Arabic without translation,” according to a statement from Jonathan Franks, a private consultant working on cases involving American hostages and detainees who represented nine of the 10 people released. He spent weeks in the country trying to negotiate the releases.

He credited the Trump administration for looking “for reasons to bring Americans home” even when they are not designated by the U.S. government has having been wrongfully detained. He said “these Americans, mostly veterans, lost years with their families.”

Among those freed Wednesday was Tony Holden, an HVAC technician. He was working as a defense contractor in sup -

port of Camp Arifjan at the time of his November 2022 arrest, when his family and supporters allege he was “set up by corrupt Kuwaiti police looking to earn bonuses.”

His supporters say his wife and daughter were threatened physically, that he was coerced into signing a written confession in Arabic and was charged with drug possession despite testing negative in a drug test and abstaining for religious reasons from drug and alcohol use.

“Tony was an innocent man when he was arrested, and he remains an innocent man today,” says a website that was established to support him and advocate for his release.

Added Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “We celebrate his release and return to the United States.”

A minor is also being released in the coming days but is expected to remain in Kuwait.

Israel says it carried out operation in Syria; at least 11 dead

By Omar Albam and Omar Sanadiki

Associated Press

The

SAHNAYA, SYRIA>> Israel

said Wednesday that it carried out an attack in Syria on a group targeting members of a minority sect as a new round of clashes left at least 11 people dead, most of them members of the country’s security forces.

The clashes on the edge of the town of Sahnaya, south of the capital Damascus, came a day after a heavy exchange of fire between progovernment gunmen and Druze fighters left 10 people dead in the Damascus suburb of Jaramana.

A statement released by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s military carried out a warning

Ukraine

Negotiations appeared to drag on till shortly before the two sides confirmed the agreement.

Earlier Wednesday, Bessent said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House — hours after Ukrainian officials indicated a deal was nearly finalized — that there was still work to do.

“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes,” Bessent said when asked about reports that Ukraine was ready to agree to the pact.

“We’re sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.”

He didn’t elaborate as to the late changes he said Ukraine made.

The U.S. has been seeking access to more than 20 raw materials deemed strategically critical to its

operation and attacked “an extremist group that was organizing to continue attacking the Druze population” in Sahnaya. It didn’t give details about the warning operation.

The statement said “a serious message was also conveyed to the Syrian regime,” adding that Israel expects it to act to prevent harm to the Druze.

The Syrian Information Ministry said in a statement that 11 members of the country’s security forces were killed in two separate attacks and that others were wounded, triggering the clashes.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said that 22 people were killed, of whom 16 were members of the security forces while

interests, including some non-minerals such as oil and natural gas.

Among them are Ukraine’s deposits of titanium, which is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. Ukraine also has lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.

After Kyiv felt the initial U.S. draft of the deal disproportionately favored American interests, it introduced new provisions aimed at addressing those concerns. According to Shmyhal, the latest version would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to a joint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S. military aid would count toward the American share. Assistance provided before

two were Druze residents of Sahnaya. It added that government forces are sending reinforcements toward Sahnaya. The Israeli military said Wednesday night that three Syrian Druze who were wounded in the fighting were taken to Israel for treatment.

On March 1, Israel’s Defense Ministry said that the military had been instructed to prepare to defend Jaramana, asserting that the minority it has vowed to protect was “under attack” by Syrian forces.

On Wednesday afternoon, a deal was reached between Druze dignitaries and officials representing the government after which security forces and pro-government gunmen entered Sahnaya and the situation became quiet af-

the agreement was signed would not be counted. Unlike an earlier draft, the deal would not conflict with Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership — a key provision for Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Cabinet approved the agreement Wednesday, empowering Svyrydenko to sign it in Washington. Once signed by both sides, the deal would need to be ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament before it could take effect.

The negotiations come amid rocky progress in Washington’s push to stop the war.

Putin supports calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, “but before it’s done, it’s necessary to answer a few questions and sort out a few nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin is also ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal, he added.

ter Druze gunmen withdrew from the streets.

The Druze religious sect is a minority group that began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam.

More than half of the 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria.

Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.

Rayan Maarouf, editorin-chief of the activist media collective Suwayda24, said that the clashes broke

out Tuesday night when security forces began attacking Ashrafiet Sahnaya. Maarouf, who is a Druze, said that since Tuesday night, residents have been contacting them to say that residential areas were being targeted.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, said in a statement that he is deeply concerned “at unacceptable violence in Syria,” adding that he is alarmed at reports of civilian casualties and casualties among security personnel and the potential for further escalation of an extremely fragile situation.

chored in

efforts to address

acies such as Agent Orange contamination and unexploded ordnance in the countryside that still threatens lives. The future of those projects is now at risk because of the Trump administration’s broad cuts to USAID. Moreover, the export-dependent country is vulnerable in a global economy made fragile amid Trump’s tariff plans.

Vietnam was slammed with reciprocal tariffs of 46%, one of the highest. This puts a “big question mark” on what the U.S. wants to achieve in Asia, said Huong Le-Thu of the International Crisis Group think tank.

Previously, close ties with Washington have helped Vietnam balance its relations with its much larger and more powerful neighbor China, she said. Vietnam is one of the countries, along with the Philippines, that has been involved in direct confrontations with China over conflicting maritime claims in the South China Sea. Focus on economic and not strategic competition may mean that Vietnam and other countries in Southeast Asia become less important for the U.S.

“It really will be shaping up (on) how the new administration sees the strategic picture in the Indo-Pacific and where countries like Vietnam would fit in,” she said.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce on Tuesday refused to comment on reports that the Trump administration had discouraged diplomats from attending anniversary events. “I’m not going to discuss what has been suggested or not suggested,” she said. The Embassy in Hanoi said U.S. consul general in Ho Chi Minh City Susan Burns had attended the event. U.S. ambassador Marc E. Knapper didn’t attend.

About 13,000 people, including troops, militias, veterans and local citizens took part in the parade.

The route followed the main boulevard leading to the Independence Palace before branching into city streets and passed the U.S. Consulate.

A video of Chinese troops singing the iconic song “As If Uncle Ho Were With Us on Victory Day” during a rehearsal was shared widely on social media. Chinese leader Xi Jinping had visited Vietnam earlier in the month in a bid to present the country as a force for stability in contrast with Trump.

SIRON

ROCK, KATY

OPINION

Social media

Is your favorite influencer’s opinion bought and sold?

By Lee Fang Los Angeles Times

Your addictive doomscrolling on X, TikTok or Instagram also may be the latest nexus for millions of dollars in secret political corruption.

Over the past month, the problem has come into sharp relief. Newly surfaced documents show that more than 500 social media creators were part of a covert electioneering effort by Democratic donors to shape the presidential election in favor of Kamala Harris.

Payments went to party members with online followings but also to non-political influencers — people known for comedy posts, travel vlogs or cooking YouTubes — in exchange for “positive, specific pro-Kamala content” meant to create the appearance of a groundswell of support for the former vice president.

Meanwhile, a similar pay-to-post effort among conservative influencers publicly unraveled. The goal was to publish messages in opposition to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to remove sugary soda beverages from eligible SNAP food stamp benefits.

Influencers allegedly were offered money to denounce soda restrictions as “an overreach that unfairly targets consumer choice” and encouraged to post pictures of President Donald Trump enjoying Coca-Cola products. After rightleaning reporter Nick Sortor pointed out the near-identical messages on several prominent accounts, posts came down and at least one of the influencers apologized: “That was dumb of me. Massive egg on my face. In all seriousness, it won’t happen again.”

On the left and the right, those creating the content made little to no effort to disclose that payments could be involved. For ordinary users stumbling on the posts and videos, what they saw would have seemed entirely organic.

In the influencers’ defense, they didn’t break any rules — because none exist.

We used to demand minimal levels of transparency for paid endorsements. In the 1970s, the U.S. enacted a series of reforms requiring new disclosures for those seeking to shape elections. Television, radio and print ads for political campaigns must specify the sponsors, and billboards or pamphlets sent by mail also feature small-print reminders of the groups responsible.

Social media, however, is the Wild West of advocacy. Although influencers are generally required by the Federal Trade Commission to disclose paid endorsements for products, politics are a different matter. Most election-related communications

fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Election Commission. But the FEC commissioners debated the issue without resolving the problem. A proposal floated in December 2023 to enact basic rules for influencers made no headway.

There was a momentary push in 2017 for stricter social media disclosures in the political realm. The discovery of foreign influence campaigns aimed at the 2016 presidential election set off alarm bells. As a result, the major tech platforms began working to track and close so-called sock puppet accounts operated by the Russian and Chinese governments. Yet few reforms were institutionalized, and as more and more Americans get their news from social media, the problem remains largely unchecked.

That has left the entire social media landscape vulnerable to hidden manipulation, where money from interest groups or corporations or even rich individuals silently can shape what appears to be authentic discourse. This corrosion of reality undermines the very foundation of democratic deliberation.

Democracy requires a minimal level of shared facts and good-faith engagement. Secret payments in support of candidates or causes destroy both, corrupting the “marketplace of ideas,” where the best arguments are supposed to rise to prominence naturally through competition. If genuine public sentiment becomes indistinguishable from manufactured opinion, we lose our collective ability to recognize the truth and make informed decisions. Everything from local zoning decisions to soda bans to presidential elections can be skewed.

Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously noted that “sunlight is … the best disinfectant.” Transparency in political influencing requires regulatory action. The Federal Election Commission must act and establish clear disclosure requirements for paid political communications on social media. Congress should expand the definition of electioneering and political-payola disclosure to include influencer content. Platforms must implement more robust paid content and disclosure tools. Most importantly, we, as citizens, must demand reform. We should support influencers who voluntarily disclose their financial relationships and conflicts of interests, and question those who don’t.

If we fail to address the growing influence of secret money in the digital public square, the risk is dire: We will surrender our decision-making ability and our democracy to whoever can afford to purchase the most compelling voices.

Lee Fang is an independent journalist.

We need more legislative action to protect pedestrians

Re: “Traffic deaths drop after hands-free phone law takes effect,” April 28 news story

I’m happy to see that traffic deaths are down in Colorado because of the enforcement of new laws for hand-held devices. However, we still need more protections for pedestrians.

We live near a park, but to get there, we have to cross a busy oneway street. As a mom, I worry constantly about the safety of my son riding his bike or walking in our neighborhood (let alone my own safety). We also have multiple houses along this one-way that have been struck by reckless drivers. A child one street over was fatally struck by a car because someone was speeding down this street.

I was excited to see the Colorado legislature debating a bill that would create a new fund for pedestrian protections. This fund would cost us only $3 per car annually and be paid for through our insurance. That’s less than a cup of coffee.

These are the types of things that make people such as me appreciate our government. Unfortunately, I learned the bill was killed by the Senate Finance Committee this week, and I am extremely disappointed. It is beyond me that a $3 registration fee per car was seen as too much to protect our children. We can and should do better. I hope the legislature reconsiders this bill and works harder to protect our kids.

— Ashley Plummer, Denver Cartoon’s premise is misleading

Re: April 25 political cartoon I am put off by the cartoon disparaging Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s trip to El Salvador being paid for by taxpayer dollars. It is not news that just about every member of Congress —

Republican, Democrat and independent — takes numerous international trips as part of their role. These excursions are for investigation, to observe overseas projects that the U.S. is involved with and to promote diplomacy throughout the world. These trips generally have been paid for by taxpayer dollars. What I am truly upset to see is my taxpayer dollars being spent to house immigrants from the United States in prisons in El Salvador! This is news that we, the taxpayers, did not agree to!

— Deborah Reshotko, Denver Climate assessment necessary to protect our planet

The Trump administration’s dismissal of the National Climate Assessment scientists is a direct attack on evidence-based leadership.

This congressionally mandated report provides critical guidance for farmers, businesses and communities facing intensifying wildfires, droughts and extreme weather. Without independent climate research, we are flying blind into a more dangerous future.

Silencing science weakens America’s ability to plan, innovate and lead. It undermines the facts we need to safeguard lives, livelihoods and our economy. We must protect the integrity of the climate assessment process. I urge Colorado’s representatives — and all members of Congress — to defend independent research and demand bipartisan action to restore these critical efforts.

The strength of America has always rested on our courage to face reality, not deny it. The truth doesn’t go away because it’s inconvenient. Neither should we. Let’s protect our planet — for our children and grandchildren.

— Judy McGoogan, Lafayette

By Jim Martin Guest Commentary

The Colorado General Assembly is considering overriding Gov. Jared Polis’ wise veto of Senate Bill 77, which would allow government agencies to take longer to give the public documents that are subject to the Colorado Open Records Act. The most dangerous section of the bill also includes a carve-out for special treatment for journalists.

The new law will allow the media to receive public records faster than the general public. Critics were right in their concern about allowing the custodians of public information to decide who is a journalist. Maybe I will find out soon if I am, or am not, a journalist after I file my first open records request under the new law.

Colorado lawmakers are counting votes to see if they have enough to override the governor’s veto and could vote as soon as Friday if they do.

In Colorado, as in many states, the question periodically arises: Should the media be treated differently, perhaps given special privileges when requesting access to state public records?

The answer, rooted in the en-

during principles of democracy, fairness and the public’s right to know, is clear: The media should not be treated differently. Instead, journalists and ordinary citizens alike should have the same equal access to government-held information.

Colorado’s open records law, like the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and similar statutes across the United States, is predicated on a simple but powerful idea: Government records are the property of the people, not the agency holding them. The Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) does not draw distinctions based on who is making the request. Whether you are an investigative reporter for a major newspaper, a concerned parent, a business owner or a curious student, the law recognizes your equal right to seek information about how your government operates.

History offers cautionary tales about the dangers of allowing government agencies to decide who counts as “the press.” In authoritarian regimes, the state routinely distinguishes between “approved” and “unapproved” journalists, granting access to the former and denying it to the latter. Such practices are anti-

thetical to the American tradition of an independent, adversarial press. Indeed, the very purpose of open records laws is to prevent the government from acting as a gatekeeper of information. By not making records available to all at the same time, the law ensures that no one, neither government officials nor private intermediaries, should control the flow of information to the public.

The beauty of a “requesterblind” system is that it avoids these pitfalls. The law applies equally to all, regardless of motive, affiliation or institutional backing. This not only protects the integrity of the process but also fosters public trust in the fairness and impartiality of government. At a time when trust in institutions is at a historic low, maintaining the legitimacy of government is more important than ever. One way to restore faith in public institutions is to ensure that they operate transparently, treat all citizens fairly and resist the temptation to play favorites.

The question of whether the media should be treated differently when obtaining state public records in Colorado is, at its core, a question about the kind

of democracy we want to have. Do we believe in a system that privileges certain voices over others, or one that empowers all citizens equally? The answer is clear. The media should not be treated differently, neither privileged nor penalized, when seeking public records. The rules should be the same for all, applied fairly and consistently, in service of the public interest.

Journalists should not be in a position to be asking for approval from hundreds of Colorado government custodians of public records.

We should not want any governmental agency to have a law allowing them to play favorites with public records

We should not want some public records to be put into the slow lane for public records requests, journalist or not.

We all should want public records in Colorado to remain public records because the public has a timely right to know.

The override of Polis’ veto comes at a time when transparency is under threat nationwide. In recent years, states across the country have chipped away at open records laws.

Attempts to define “journalist” in statute or policy often

lead to arbitrary or outdated distinctions. Such definitions risk excluding new forms of journalism and privileging legacy organizations over emerging voices. They also can be weaponized, with governments or agencies refusing access to those they deem not “real” journalists, thus undermining the very transparency such laws are supposed to guarantee. Moreover, giving journalists special access can have a chilling effect on citizen journalism and grassroots oversight. If ordinary citizens know they will face hurdles that professional journalists do not, they may be discouraged from seeking records themselves. This undermines the spirit of civic participation and the democratization of information.

Gov. Jared Polis wrote recently, “To ensure fairness and confidence in public transparency, all legitimate requests for public transparency under CORA should be treated equally under the law, without preference for some requestors over others.”

Jim Martin was a University of Colorado regent and can be reached at jimmartinesq@ gmail.com.

OFF AND RUNNING

In brief

BASEBALL Man falls from 21-foot Clemente Wall at PNC Park during Cubs-Pirates game

PITTSBURGH >> A man fell from the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park during Wednesday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs.

Right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put the Pirates ahead 4-3, players began waving frantically for medical personnel and pointing to the man, who had fallen onto the warning track.

The fan was tended to by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel before being removed from the field on a cart.

Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, posted on X late Wednesday night that the man was in critical condition and that police were investigating.

SALT LAKE

Owners of Jazz, Utah Hockey Club unveil renovation plans

The owners of the NHL’s Utah Hockey Club and NBA’s Jazz are beginning a massive renovation of their downtown Salt Lake City Arena that will eventually increase hockey capacity to roughly 17,000 and basketball to nearly 19,000 fans.

Smith Entertainment Group announced its plan Wednesday after a meeting of the Salt Lake City Council earlier in the week.

MOTORSPORTS

NASCAR Xfinity’s Zilisch will miss Saturday’s race at Texas after Talladega wreck FORT WORTH, TEXAS >> Connor Zilisch, the 18-year-old driver already with two NASCAR Xfinity Series race wins, will miss Saturday’s race at Texas because of lower back injuries sustained in a last-lap wreck at Talladega.

Trackhouse Racing said Zilisch will return as soon as possible to the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. Cup Series regular Kyle Larson will drive the No. 88 in Texas.

NFL Jets announce QB Jordan Travis is retiring after long comeback attempt

Jordan Travis pushed through the struggles of a long and valiant comeback attempt from a serious leg injury until he was told it was time to finally walk away.

The New York Jets announced Wednesday that the quarterback informed them he will retire from playing football, a surprising NFL ending for the 24-yearold former Florida State star.

Travis’ left leg rolled under a defender, twisting his ankle awkwardly and fracturing it in a game against North Alabama in November 2023. Travis was a fifth-round draft pick last year but spent last season on the Jets’ non-football injury list.

NHL Hurricanes reach 3-year, $9.5 million extension with forward Taylor Hall

The Carolina Hurricanes wasted little time in reaching an extension for trade-acquisition Taylor Hall. The team announced Wednesday that Hall had signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract through the 202728 season.

TENNIS

Swiatek recovers from 0-6 start to beat Keys and set up semifinal vs. Gauff

MADRID >> Iga Swiatek survived “one of the weirdest matches” after losing the first six games and recovering to defeat Madison Keys 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 and stay on track to defend her title at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.

The second-ranked Swiatek will face Coco Gauff in the semifinals after the 21-year-old American beat teenager Mirra Andreeva in straight sets in the youngest WTA 1000 quarterfinal since 2009.

How to reach us

Did Denver reach for Harvey, Bryant in draft?

By Parker Gabriel pgabriel@denverpost.com

Q >> I think the Broncos outsmarted themselves by trading down and up the draft board to pick a running back they probably could have had two rounds later, and the second slowest receiver at the combine. I heard they fell in love with Jahdae Barron and R.J. Harvey. Sometimes love is blind, but time will tell. I just felt they needed proven stars right now for this offense. Am I way off base?

— Joe C., Aurora

PARKER >> I feel pretty confident in saying UCF running back R.J. Harvey was not going to be available two rounds later when Denver took him No. 60 overall. He might not have even been there at No. 74, their next pick. The Athletic’s Mike Silver was embedded in the Jacksonville draft room, for example, and reported that the Jaguars were

aiming for either Harvey or Louisville edge rusher Ashton Gillotte at No. 70. He also indicated head coach Liam Cohen was interested in even moving up from there to get Harvey. As for Illinois receiver Pat Bryant, who ran 4.61 seconds in the 40 at the combine, yes, he went earlier than almost any draft analyst thought he would. Could they have waited until No. 101 (where they traded up to get LSU defensive lineman Sai’Vion Jones) or even No. 134 the next day? Maybe.

One of the reasons the draft is such great fodder is because there is always a counterargument. If Bryant’s good, you could just be happy with the pick. But even if he’s good, you could always say, “Well, they could have gotten another player at No. 74 AND him later.” What if Jones were taken No. 74 and Bryant No. 101? Would that feel better?

It’s fair to point out that Bryant went earlier than expected

SHEDEUR SANDERS CALL

and also fair to give it some time and see how it plays out. Not the same situation but somewhat similar: In 2023, when the Broncos traded back into the third round to take cornerback Riley Moss, I broke down what the charts said about giving up a future third-round pick to move up 25 spots and take him. And I wrote at the time that Moss was going to have to be a pretty good player in order to justify that kind of acquisition cost.

Well, guess what? Turns out he’s pretty good! But it didn’t happen overnight, either. .

Q >> With Shedeur Sanders dropping so far in the draft, did the Broncos ever consider picking him up?

— Jimmy, Lakewood

PARKER >> Can you imagine? There would have been 500 reporters at rookie minicamp next weekend.

NFL fines Falcons, defensive coordinator Ulbrich over prank

By Charles Odum The Associated Press

ATLANTA >> The Atlanta Falcons have been fined $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 as a result of Ulbrich’s son participating in a prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft.

The NFL confirmed the fines on Wednesday for the roles the Falcons and Ulbrich played in failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club ahead of the draft. The Falcons, who disclosed the role of Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son Jax in the prank call as the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was waiting for his name to be called in the draft, said they accept the discipline from the league.

At a news conference, Jeff Ulbrich apologized to Shedeur Sanders, his family, Falcons owner Arthur Blank and the rest of the organization.

“My actions — my actions — of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable,” Ulbrich said. “My son’s actions were absolutely inexcusable, and for that we are both deeply sorry. The NFL has taken action and I fully respect the punishment. We take full responsibility, my son and myself, and we will not be appealing the fine in any way. Going forward I promise my son and I will work hard to demonstrate we are better than this.”

The Falcons said in a statement that they appreciated the NFL’s “swift and thorough re -

JASON

view” of the matter.

“We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization,” the statement said. “We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises.”

The Falcons also said the Ulbrich family “is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.”

On Sunday, the Falcons said in a statement that Jax Ulbrich “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his par-

ent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call.”

Jax Ulbrich was sitting beside an unidentified friend who actually made the call to Sanders on Friday, the second day of the draft. Sanders, a standout quarterback from Colorado, is the son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, who began his NFL career with the Falcons. Sanders, who entered the draft expecting to be a firstround pick, was selected Saturday in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.

The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. He said he made the Falcons aware of the situation and then got hold of the Sanders family to apologize.

Payton made it clear on Friday night that he thinks Sanders will play in the league and that he was surprised by the fall. He’s also talked in the past about wanting to be a place that develops quarterbacks, even if your starter is in place.

If Nix were a couple more years into his career? Maybe. I don’t at all mean this as really anything to do with Sanders from a personality or persona standpoint, but I’d bet you there are few things Payton is more conscious of than the environment in his quarterback room. They’re high on quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, obviously, and they brought Jarrett Stidham back. It feels like they’re going for as much continuity around Nix as possible day to day.

Maybe Sanders would have been a great add to the room, I’m just not surprised that the default is to rock the boat as little as possible.

BRONCOS Scouting director heading to Raiders

By Luca Evans levans@denverpost.com

Just a few days after the Broncos wrapped a bow on their 2025 NFL draft class, one of their key talent evaluators is heading for new pastures.

The Las Vegas Raiders have hired the Broncos’ director of college scouting Brian Stark as their new assistant general manager, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Denver Post on Wednesday. He’ll work for a familiar Denver face in Raiders general manager John Spytek, who cut his teeth alongside Stark as a Broncos scout from 2013-15.

It’s a big leap up the ladder for Stark, who’s served in the Broncos’ scouting department since 2012 and was promoted in 2017. The Broncos interviewed him for their general manager opening in 2021, before eventually hiring George Paton away from the Minnesota Vikings.

The hiring means an alreadythin Denver front office and personnel department is down another important figure. Between January and February, the Broncos lost four supplementary decision-makers, including former assistant GM Darren Mougey to the New York Jets and vice president of football operations Mark Thewes — just like Stark — to the Raiders.

Beneath Paton and head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos have plenty of behind-the-scenes holes to fill this offseason, a blow to continuity heading into 2025.

Looking ahead

Pitching matchup

Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (0-4, 5.93 ERA) at Giants RHP Justin Verlander (0-2, 4.99)

7:45 p.m. Thursday, Oracle

Park

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: Freeland is scheduled to make his 207th career start, surpassing Aaron Cook for the most starts in franchise history. Freeland is coming off a tough game against the Reds when he surrendered a season-high six runs on 10 hits in Colorado’s 8-7 loss. In 24 career starts against the Giants, he’s 8-7 with a 4.19 ERA. In nine career starts at Oracle Park, he’s 2-4 with a 3.42 ERA.

Pitching probables

Friday: Rockies RHP Antonio Senzatela (1-4, 5.22) at Giants LHP Robbie Ray (3-0, 3.73), 8:15 p.m.

Saturday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (0-2, 4.75) at Giants RHP Logan Hicks (13, 6.12), 2:05 p.m.

Sunday: Rockies RHP German Marquez (0-5, 9.82) at Giants RHP Logan Webb (0-2, 2.83), 2:05 p.m. — PATRICK SAUNDERS, THE DENVER POST

Dollander leads Colorado to rare win

By Patrick Saunders psaunders@denverpost.com

The kids were more than all right; they were misery stoppers.

Rookie starter Chase Dollander, pitching with a bloody middle finger, baffled the Braves, and rookie reliever Zach Agnos shut them down for his first career save as the Rockies finally discovered a winning formula.

Their 2-1, white-knuckle victory over Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field snapped an eight-game losing streak and closed out a miserable April with a desperately needed W.

Colorado’s pitching quartet of Dollander, Jake Bird, Seth Halvorsen and Agnos limited the Braves to just three hits.

“That’s what it takes; it was a hard-fought win,” manager Bud Black said. “Usually, to get a W when you’re not scoring runs, it takes a strong pitching performance. So, four guys did it.”

Still, history’s dark shadow looms as the Rockies head to San Francisco for a four-game series beginning Thursday.

Colorado’s 5-25 start to the season is tied with the 2003 Tigers for the secondworst 30-game start to a season in baseball’s Modern Era (since 1901). The 1988 Orioles, who lost 21 straight to open that season, were 4-26 in their first 30 games.

Dollander went toeto-toe with Atlanta left-

hander Chris Sale, the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner. Dollander, 23, wrapped his arms around the challenge and welcomed the chance to halt Colorado’s misery.

“One-hundred percent,” said Dollander, who departed the game with two outs in the sixth inning because of a cracked fingernail on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

“I prepared a lot for this start, knowing I had to give the team a good few innings,” Dollander continued. “I was really happy with how I prepared for this start and I’m really happy with (the start).”

Brenton Doyle’s one-out, solo homer off Sale in the third inning turned out

to be the game-winning swing. Doyle rocketed the veteran lefty’s 1-1 fastball 421 feet and into the leftfield bleachers. Doyle has been dealing with injuries and personal matters.

“It’s no secret that the past week has been kind of rough for me, since coming back,” said Doyle, who snapped a 0-for-20 skid with his fourth homer of the season. “We definitely needed this win, as a team. Sale is a heck of a pitcher and to get it against him, on a getaway day, going to another series, is a good momentum boost for us.”

Dollander was pulled from the game with two outs in the sixth because of his injured finger.

“It was cracked, it was

bleeding,” Black said, adding that Dollander’s walks to Austin Riley and Matt Olson in the sixth inning were red flags.

“That was a tough decision,” Black continued.

“(Dollander) told me, ‘I’m good.’ Those are some of the toughest decisions a manager has to make. I mean, you believe in the guy, but he’s bleeding and he has a cracked fingernail. I know well enough after seeing a guy shaking his hand after a couple of pitches that he’s not where he needs to be.”

Making his fifth career start, Dollander allowed just two singles, struck out four and walked three.

“I was pleased with my curveball today,” Dollander

said. A leadoff walk to Drake Baldwin cost Dollander in the third. Nick Allen followed with a single to right, advancing Baldwin to third. Baldwin scored on Michael Harris’ groundout to second.

Third baseman Ryan McMahon’s diving stop and perfect throw to first on Allen’s hot shot down the line saved a run in the fifth for Colorado. Dollander clapped McMahon on the back and walked with him off the diamond.

“I said, ‘Thank you to him,’ “ Dollander said. “That probably saved a run. Like I always say, it’s a team effort, it’s never just me.” The Rockies got to Sale in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Hunter Goodman singled up the middle and Michael Toglia’s double to left sent Goodman to third. Sean Bouchard’s single to short scored Goodman. Sale had pitched in relief at Coors but had never started at the hitter-friendly ballpark. The lefty was excellent: seven innings, two runs allowed on five hits, no walks and 10 strikeouts. He punched out Jordan Beck and McMahon three times each. McMahon went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and his hitless streak grew to 34 at-bats, the longest hitless streak by a position player in franchise history, surpassing Desi Relaford’s 33 at-bat streak from June 28-July 21, 2005. In his last 17 games, McMahon is hitting 2 for 58 (.034) with 28 strikeouts.

Eyes already turning to 2026 free agency

By Doug Feinberg

The Associated Press

NEW YORK >> WNBA training camps just opened and there already are so many eyes on the 2026 season when more than 100 players will be free agents.

Nearly all of the league’s top players could be on the move, including 20 of last season’s All-Stars.

“It’s a fact that the majority of veterans will be unrestricted free agents after this season based on current contracts. It’s unclear if that will equate to a ton of player movement,” Atlanta Dream general manager Dan Padover said.

“But everything is set up that it could be the most player movement in WNBA history. I think every franchise is looking at it differ-

ently.

“Our most important priority is taking care of our Dream players in 2025 and beyond.”

Though teams and players say the focus now is winning a championship in 2025, the uncertainty of what “beyond” looks like is keeping front office staff around the league up at night.

“Everything can change. It’s kind of fascinating. we won’t really know what the gameboard looks like until we get the new CBA,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said.

“Any team could theoretically become a super team. It could be Golden State, it could Toronto or Portland in their first year. It could completely change the power dynamic as we see it.”

A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are among the star-studded group on one-year contracts knowing that a new collective bargaining agreement will hopefully be in place next season that is expected to monumentally increase salaries.

The WNBA begins an 11-year $2.2 billion media rights deal in 2026 which is where the shift will come from.

Most of the players who won’t be free agents are the ones on rookie contracts — including Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

The pair, who were rookies last season, earn about $75,000 in base pay. Currently WNBA players can have a maximum base salary of $250,000.

While there hasn’t been

a media rights deal like this in the WNBA’s 28-year history, when the NBA had an exponential increase in its TV deal in 2016, that league’s salary cap increased about 35%.

It’s not just increased salaries, however, that will entice free agents to move. Many of the players who changed teams this offseason cited practice facilities as a factor in choosing where they’ll go.

Currently Phoenix, Las Vegas, Golden State and Seattle have dedicated practice facilities for their WNBA teams while Minnesota and Washington share their facilities with NBA franchises.

New York, Dallas, Chicago and Indiana have ones in the works.

“I think facilities are a

huge piece of it,” Lobo said.

“You heard how much players talked about that with Vegas a few years ago. Players were posting about Phoenix’s new facility at All-Star last year.”

It’s also about the culture around a franchise that makes it inviting to players. Atlanta made a splash in free agency this winter, signing Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. Padover hopes to keep them beyond this season. Both will be free agents again next year. Free agency has never lined up like this before for the league. While New York, Las Vegas, Minnesota and Indiana are considered the top teams heading into this season, that could all be different next year.

League selects Seattle for 2nd expansion franchise

By John Wawrow The Associated Press

The PWHL will expand to eight teams next season by adding Seattle as its second new franchise alongside Vancouver, and The Associated Press has learned that plans are already in the works to add two more in a year’s time.

Seattle’s addition, announced Wednesday, gives the PWHL a strong foothold in the Pacific Northwest and comes a week after the unveiling of the new team in Vancouver for the 2025-26 season.

The westward move broadens the league’s reach across the continent in two markets with a history supporting women’s sports and separated by just a threehour drive.

“Of course the geography makes a ton of sense and I think we have a built-in rivalry here that will just naturally happen,” executive vice president of business operations Amy Scheer told the AP.

“But most importantly is they met all the criteria in terms of what we were looking for,” she added. “There’s just a ton of business reasons to do it. And those are

the final week of the regular season. “It could come in Year 4. It could come Year 5. I think that those conversations are still being had.”

Neutral site stops this past season in Denver, Detroit, Quebec City and Edmonton each topped 14,000 fans.

The new team will initially go by PWHL Seattle and its colors will be emerald green and cream. The team will play out of the NHL Kraken’s Climate Pledge Arena and practice at the Kraken Community Iceplex. Vancouver also has not announced a nickname yet.

is home to the WNBA’s Storm and NWSL’s Reign, and previously shown support for women’s hockey.

In November 2022, Seattle drew a U.S.-Canada Rivalry Series record crowd of 14,551. In January, the PWHL drew a crowd of 12,608 in kicking off its nine-game Takeover Tour of neutral site games in Seattle.

Boston Fleet captain and four-time U.S. Olympian Hilary Knight was a proponent of Seattle in the weeks ahead of her team’s Takeover Tour game against Montreal.

for the women’s game,” said Kraken owner Samantha Holloway. “We’re also proud to grow the game of hockey ... and together we’ll continue to inspire the next generation of hockey players and fans alike.”

In the bigger picture, the PWHL’s accelerated expansion plans coincide with wealth of college talent anticipated to enter the league over the next two years. The league’s growth is also expected to lure more Europeans to North America.

the only things we’re focused on.”

The two-team expansion for Season 3 is only the beginning for a league that launched in January 2024 with five Eastern franchises — Boston, New York, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto — and one in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The PWHL plans to grow to 10 teams for its 202627 season, a person with knowledge of discussions told the AP on the condition of anonymity because

the talks are private.

The person said the league is accelerating its plans based on the strength of responses and feedback received during its eightmonth expansion search in which the PWHL considered more than 20 markets.

Scheer didn’t entirely dispute the plan, without providing an exact timetable.

“I think we’ve been pretty clear from the outset that this is the first year of a multi-year process,” Scheer said as the PWHL closes

Though all PWHL teams are centrally controlled by the league, Seattle’s expansion bid was led by the Kraken and the Oak View Group, which developed and operates Climate Pledge Arena.

Oak View has longtime ties to women’s hockey, and expressed interest in landing an original six franchise when the league was established in June 2023 by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter, his wife Kimbra, and tennis icon Billie Jean King.

Seattle features a growing youth hockey program,

“I have yet to experience another crowd like that,” Knight said of the Rivalry Series game. “Seattle holds a special place in my mind, and that’s why I’m super excited to be able to share that experience with other teammates, whether it’s on the Fleet or on the Montreal team.”

The PWHL plans to announce the date of an expansion draft and how Vancouver and Seattle will be integrated into its entry draft on June 24 at a later time.

“Seattle is an incredible sports city and we’ve seen firsthand the passion

“Upon launch, you’ve got six teams and maybe if you’re not North American, you don’t know really what to expect,” PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said.

“Now I think these players are seeing that this league is here, it’s thriving, it’s growing, and they are going to want to be a part of it.”

In overseeing the expansion search, Scheer was impressed by the response.

“I feel more encouraged than ever about what our business looks like and what our business can be,” she said. “As we look to expand and move beyond Year 3, we’ll have plenty of suitors along the way as we look to grow.”

No. 5 Clippers vs. No. 4 Nuggets>>

1

NIKOLA JOKIC

Game 5 was ‘not my night,’ Joker says

By Luca Evans levans@denverpost.com

Ivica Zubac has spent two decades in basketball, from the hills of Zagreb, Croatia, to the beaches of Los Angeles, and still never once in a giant’s life has he played as a guard.

Never once been the one, on defense, getting screened. Never once been the man at the point of attack. Never once been the one chasing around pindowns.

Until now, against Nikola Jokic and the revolving carousel of this Nuggets circus around a 7-footer as a lead ballhandler.

“That’s what happens when you play against him,” Zubac said of Jokic after Game 2. “You gotta be ready for everything. You gotta figure it out.”

Five games into this Nuggets-Clippers series, and the Clippers have figured Jokic out like few teams in postseason memory. After a quiet 4-of-13 night in Game 5, Jokic is averaging his fewest points per game (25.4) in a series since the Phoenix Suns’ sweep of the Nuggets in 2020-21. Los Angeles coach

Ty Lue affirmed that a switch to a blitz-heavy coverage Tuesday night helped slow Jokic, enabling the heady Zubac to stay more

as he takes the court during the fourth quarter at Ball Arena on Tuesday.

consistently attached to Jokic and a flurry of Clippers defenders to push him out from the post.

The fact remains, however, that the Nuggets still won Game 5 by 16 points.

“Holding Joker to 13 points and losing the game,” Lue smiled faintly, postgame, “is tough.”

“But, that’s how he beats you,” the Clippers’ coach continued. “If you worry

about him too much, other guys can beat you.”

This complicated tango has defined the series, Jokic and Zubac and a slew of other blue-and-red Clippers jerseys locked into this give-and-take around the three-time MVP. And for five games, aside from a grueling 36-point effort in Game 4, Jokic has given more than he’s taken. Zubac’s length and physi -

cality in their one-on-one matchup bothered Jokic in Game 1. A swarm of Los Angeles gnats poked seven turnovers away in Game 2. And a wall awaited to ward off the paint in Game 5.

But Jamal Murray took, and took aplenty, on Tuesday night. Russell Westbrook did, too, in a 21-point effort, the man the Clippers are wholly content to let lick his fingers on the

perimeter now shooting 39% from deep in the series. Jokic flicked 12 assists against two turnovers, directed traffic, and Denver buried Los Angeles.

“It’s great,” Jokic said postgame when asked about his meager scoring output still resulting in a win.

“It was not my night, and I don’t have nothing — that’s fine,” he continued. “Like, I’m going to try to do whatever I can to try to do whatever I need to do to win a game. And I think everybody needs to accept that. Like, if it’s not your night, do whatever you need to do to win the game.”

In practice, the Clippers won the battle of Jokic Tuesday night. They switched coverages twice, as Zubac said postgame. They forced Jokic into tough shots, and his fewest made field goals in a playoff game since a 2018-19 Western Conference quarterfinal against the San Antonio Spurs.

But Jokic and the Nuggets won the war.

“He’s always gonna look for his teammates, he’s always gonna find open guys,” Zubac said postgame. “He takes away a lot of attention from the teammates … and he definitely gives a lot of space to operate for other guys.”

interim coach David Adelman said. “I thought he had great lift on his jump shot.”

Murray doesn’t forget. He can manufacture a chip on his shoulder as effectively as any professional athlete. Against Dunn, that chip is the size of Canada. The Nuggets picked Murray seventh overall in the 2016 draft, adding a foundational piece of their eventual championship puzzle. Two picks earlier, Dunn was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The feeling of having been overlooked in a draft is classic, borderline-cliché fuel for athletes. Murray has a full tank of it in this series. In fact, Clippers backup center Ben Simmons was the No. 1 pick in his draft, going to Philadelphia.

“It’s more before (the series),” Murray said when asked when he thinks about those storylines.

“We’re just competing. We’re just trying to get the win right now. It’s best out of three. It’s not about making it personal. It’s just, you know, it goes for anybody. Not just (Dunn).

quarter of the Nuggets’ 131-115 win at Ball Arena on Tuesday.

But it’s just a competitive spirit. It’s like I said, I like the challenge, and I like to give a challenge, too.”

Murray converted 11 of 17 shots outside of the paint in Denver’s 131-115 win. The Clippers shared in the blame for his eight 3-pointers. He knocked down multiple 3s with Dunn in his face, then others while guarded by a cavalcade of Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr. and James Harden.

“I thought he came out being aggressive, which we knew he would. That’s why we started off with the blitz against him,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “Just to try to slow him down. … And he made every shot.

Pull-up 3s. Midrange. We did everything. We dropped, we switched, we did a lot of different coverages. But he had a hell of a game.”

Murray was a release valve for Nikola Jokic on a 4-for-13 shooting night.

The Serbian big man tied his career-low for shots made in a playoff game — matching his playoff debut in 2019. When Jokic is a vacuum scorer, it generally doesn’t bode well for the Nuggets. Murray is the opposite. His points are the antithesis of empty stats.

Since he returned from his torn ACL at the start of the 2022-23 season, Denver is 33-4 when he scores 30 points, including the post-

season. In his playoff career, the Nuggets are 8-1 when he surpasses 35.

“When he’s complementary of Nikola, it’s great,” Adelman said, “but it sure is nice to have these nights where it’s his show.”

It’s an accurate word choice. Murray is a connoisseur of the game within the game. He plays to the crowd like very few in the NBA can. His expressive face and surly tone lend personality to a low-key Nuggets locker room.

And he’s enthralled by the challenge of solving a top-tier defender for six or seven games, especially when that defender represents a decade-old draft snub.

“There’s times when you’ve gotta roll with the punches. There’s times where you’ve gotta shake it up a little bit and make him react to you. … You’ve just gotta keep him off-balance,” Murray said of facing Dunn. “Probably the best way I can put it. Keep him off-balance. Not give him one look. Give him something to think about. … It’s always fun going against him. And it’s always a battle to go against him. I just have fun with those matchups.”

Inside the locker room, he is a cure. A calming force. His confidence is contagious. When Westbrook has it, the crowd feeds off it. And when he made a driving layup with 1:36 remaining in the first quarter, suddenly the team had it. Westbrook let the Clippers know it, too.

He promised after the opener that he was not going to discuss how personal this series was for him after playing for the Clippers last season. But we’ve reached the point where the friction is real, unfolding before our eyes. Westbrook feels it. Forced to sit out Saturday after suffering a foot injury in warmups, Tuesday seemed less like a game and more like a grudge. Westbrook made a ri-

diculous bank shot, the kind that makes no sense given his lack of touch on layups. With Los Angeles threatening, he sank a 3-pointer from the corner. Moments later, he executed a floater as he tumbled to the floor. He screamed at every Clipper but Joe DiMaggio. Some muffled M-VP chants reverberated throughout the arena. The score read: Nuggets 52, Clippers 38. Denver never trailed, despite an average game from Nikola Jokic (a 13-point tripledouble). Westbrook was not the difference. But he was a reason for the relatively easy win. Yes, Murray was ridiculous, reminding us why he belongs in the conversation among the league’s best shot makers. The harder things become, the better he gets. Nothing comes easily for Westbrook. These two are more similar than different. Perhaps that is why this pairing is finally

working. It was not early in the season.

Murray was playing himself into shape. And was too deferential to the 17-year veteran. Westbrook was brought in to help Murray, not replace him. But former coach Michael Malone leaned too heavily on the onetime MVP, gave him too much freedom. It created divisiveness in the building. Ex-general manager Calvin Booth wanted more minutes for Jalen Pickett. And even some teammates wondered why Westbrook was getting treatment reserved for Jokic, the franchise unicorn.

But now, liberated by the coaching change and cleansed by the fresh start of the postseason, Murray and Westbrook are helping connect a team that a month ago was fraying at the seams.

“He’s coming in hitting 3s, playing defense, doing so many things on the

court,” Murray said. “We are going to need more of that. I like when he’s being aggressive, and I am not the only one yelling at the crowd. It’s nice to have somebody else like that.”

It carries a risk. This is where Adelman deserves credit, and why, if the Nuggets win this series, he should be named head coach. With the fire alarms blaring, facing decisions demanding urgency, he has maintained a meritocracy. Westbrook’s first half was a virtual middle finger to the Clippers. But after his yelling, as he is wont to do, he began fading. He received a technical for yapping at Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Midway through the fourth quarter, he committed two turnovers and clanked a pair of shots. With 4:18 remaining, Adelman replaced him with Michael Porter Jr. This is how you advance, by making everything

personal, but not playing favorites.

Westbrook never returned. He did his part, scoring 21 points on 15 shots, second most to Murray, math that will not work on Thursday. In Game 6, the Nuggets need Westbrook’s energy more than his offense in a potential closeout game. But he must maintain his anger, his frustration, his edge. When Westbrook is telling off opponents, referees and fans, we will know the Nuggets are moving on to Oklahoma City.

“I always remind myself every night to have fun. And my fun may look a little different than everybody else’s. It may not be with a smile. It may not be running around slapping hands,” Westbrook said. “In Year 17, I still have so much fun going out there against the best players in the world. I

for

moments, for talking a little mess, I am all with it.”

ROCKETS 131, WARRIORS 116 Houston routs Golden State

By Kristie Rieken

>> Fred VanVleet scored 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a 131-116 rout of the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series Wednesday night. Game 6 is Friday in San Francisco. Warriors coach Steve Kerr threw in the towel early in this one with the game out of hand. A layup by VanVleet midway through the third quarter made it 93-64, and Kerr called timeout and cleared his bench.

Houston coach Ime Udoka followed suit with about a minute to go in the third and his team up 10576. He put all his starters back in with about eight minutes left after Golden State cut the lead to 109-92. Dillon Brooks added 24 points on a night when all five Houston scored in double figures. A 9-5 run by the Warriors got them within 114-101 before a fracas broke out with about four minutes to go. Pat Spencer pushed Brooks and then was ejected after headbutting Alperen Sengun in the ensuing scuffle. Houston went on a 7-2 run after that to put the game away. The Rockets put together their best game this postseason to extend the series after losing both games in California.

Giannis enters this offseason with a big question awaiting him

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

Giannis Antetokounmpo had to have known the question was coming.

“Do you think that you can still win that second championship here in Milwaukee after a third straight first-round exit?”

The question came after the Bucks’ season ended in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. Antetokounmpo is surely asking himself the same question right about now.

Antetokounmpo didn’t have a public answer for it following the 119-118 overtime, season-ending loss in Game 5 of Round 1 against Indiana. He probably doesn’t have a private answer to it, either. But he needs that answer sometime over the coming days or weeks, because he is now officially at the crossroads that plenty of superstars have reached over the years. Stay or go?

Yes, a fair question — though it’s not really Antetokounmpo’s decision. He’s under contract to the Bucks for multiple seasons. Even if he asks for a trade, they don’t have to accommodate him.

It could be great for Antetokounmpo; he’d pick a new spot and that team would instantly be considered a title contender. It could be great for the Bucks; most teams after years of contending have to hit the reset button at some point anyway, and they could get a haul of players and picks to begin anew.

“I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to do this,” Antetokounmpo said in response to the question. “I know ... whatever

I say, I know how it’s going to translate. I don’t know, man. I wish I was still playing. I wish I was still competing and going back to Milwaukee. I don’t know.”

Here’s what might figure into the answer, whenever the time comes to formulate the real one: His place in Milwaukee lore is secure, he’s brought an NBA championship to the city, he won’t have Damian Lillard for much if not all of next season because of Lillard’s torn Achilles, his team just got eliminated in the first round for the third consecutive season and the Bucks aren’t exactly loaded with draft picks or easy ways to bolster their roster.

Antetokounmpo is in his prime. He’s about to finish in the top four of the voting for the NBA MVP award — a trophy he’s won twice — for the seventh consecutive year. He just averaged 30 points per game for the third year in a row, and if he had scored eight more measly points in the 2021-22 season it’d be four straight years of doing that. He just averaged at least 25 points and 10 rebounds for the eighth straight season; only Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone have more such seasons.

Antetokounmpo will want more, whether he’s in Milwaukee or elsewhere.

“There’s a lot of times that life has made me sad or frustrated since I was a kid. I never gave up,” Antetokounmpo said. “You know, I always try to find solutions in my life. I think it translates to the basketball court. I always try to, even though things might not happen the way I want it to happen. I always have class, and I have this op -

timistic mentality of coming back, keep on working. And there’s going to be a day that’s it going to be your turn.”

Moving someone with two years and $113 million left on his contract — not to mention a player option that could extend it by another year and tack $63 million more onto the bill — will be difficult. And players don’t always get traded where they want to go; the obvious case in point there is when Lillard wanted to be traded by Portland to Miami and wound up in Milwaukee instead.

But if it’s what he wants, teams will jump at the chance to make it happen.

“Giannis is one of one,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I think, unfortunately for all the voters, they’re tired of voting for him for stuff. But he had every bit of an MVP season this year. What I’m most proud of is he has turned into a leader. I’m not just talking about on the floor, but off the floor.”

Antetokounmpo has received tons of praise in recent years for the way he has sometimes given long, well-thought-out, fromthe-heart answers to important questions in postgame news conferences.

He handled a question about the postgame fracas that involved Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton’s father essentially taunting Antetokounmpo on the court seconds after the final buzzer with his traditional grace and charm. It wasn’t the first time Antetokounmpo found the right words in an important moment.

Another important moment is here. Another big question. Stay or go?

Atlanta’s Daniels wins most improved player honors

NBA By Charles Odum The Associated Press

Dyson Daniels, who led the NBA in steals while making dramatic improvements in scoring, rebounds and assists for Atlanta, was named the league’s most improved player Wednesday. Daniels beat out fellow finalists Ivica Zubac of the Los Angeles Clippers and Cade Cunningham of Detroit.

The 22-year-old Daniels emerged as a productive starter at shooting guard for the Hawks after arriving in Atlanta in the trade that sent high-scoring guard Dejounte Murray to New Orleans on July 6. Before the trade, Daniels was best known for his defensive play. Injuries and other trades helped clear

the way for the 6-foot-7 Daniels to flourish as a scoring complement to Trae Young while providing impressive all-around production. Daniels now is entrenched as an important foundation player for the Hawks, joining Young, forward Jalen Johnson and 2024 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Zaccharie Risacher, who was the runnerup in Tuesday’s rookie of the year award won by San Antonio’s Stephon Castle. Daniels led the NBA with 229 steals, the most since Seattle’s Gary Payton had 231 in the 1995-96 season. He finished as the runner-up to Cleveland’s Evan Mobley in the voting for NBA defensive player of the year.

Daniels’ nickname — Great Barrier Thief — is a

nod to his roots in Australia and defensive prowess. Daniels’ impressive gains as a scorer, defender, rebounder and play-maker helped him claim the top spot in the voting for most improved player. Thanks to his role as a starter beside Young in Atlanta’s backcourt, Daniels improved his scoring from 5.8 points per game with New Orleans in 2023-24 to 14.1, his rebounds from 3.9 to 5.9, his steals from 1.4 to 3.0 and his assists from 2.7 to 4.4. Daniels became only the fifth player since 197374 to average at least 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals, joining Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Michael Ray Richardson and Alvin Robertson.

Lao for assignment. TORONTO BLUE JAYS: Activated LHP Eric Lauer. Designated RHP Casey Lawrence for assignment. National League ATLANTA BRAVES: Released OF Jake Marisnick from a minor league contract. CHICAGO CUBS: Selected the contract of RHP Chris Flexen. Optioned LHP Tom Cosgrove to Iowa (IL). Transferred RHP Javier Assad to the 60-day IL. CINCINNATI REDS: Placed INF Jeimer Candelario on the 10-day IL, retroactive to April 28. Recalled INF Tyler Callihan from Louisivlle (IL). Added RHP Chase Petty to the taxi squad. LOS ANGELES DODGERS: Reinstated RHP Tony Gonsolin from the injured list. Optioned RHP Matt Sauer to Oklahoma City (PCL).

MILWAUKEE BREWERS: Sent RHP Brandon Woodruff to Wisconsin (ML) on a rehab assignment. NEW YORK METS: Selected the contract of LHP Brandon Waddell from Syracuse (IL). Optioned RHP Kevin Herget to Syracuse. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: Activated RHP Gordon Graceffo.

NFL NFL: Fined Atlanta $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 as the result of Ulbrich’s son participating in a prank call to Shedeur Sanders during the NFL draft.

ATLANTA FALCONS: Exercised fifth-year option on WR Drake London. BALTIMORE RAVENS: Exercised fifthyear option on S Kyle Hamilton. CINCINNATI BENGALS: Exercised fifthyear option on CB Dax Hill. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: Signed DL Laki Tasi to a contract. Waived DE David Agoha. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Signed WR Myles Price to a contract. N.Y. JETS: Exercised fifth-year option on DE Jermaine Johnson, CB Sauce Gardner and WR Garrett Wilson. Announced the retirement of QB Jordan Travis. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Released DT Montravius Adams and LB Thomas Rush.

NHL

CAROLINA HURRICANES: Signed LW Taylor Hall to a three-year contract. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: Recalled D Max Crozier from Syracuse (AHL). NHL summaries

Capitals 4, Canadiens 1 Montreal 0 0 1 1 Washington 2 1 1 4 First Period: 1, Washington, Ovechkin 4 (Strome), 9:12 (pp). 2, Washington, Chychrun 2 (Wilson, Dubois), 11:15. Second Period: 3, Washington, Wilson 2 (Strome, Carlson), 16:59 (pp). Third Period: 4, Montreal, Heineman 1 (Kapanen, Armia), 2:40. 5, Washington, Duhaime 3 (McMichael), 19:34 (en). Shots on goal: Montreal 9-6-14: 29. Washington 11-9-8: 28. Power-play opportunities: Montreal 0 of 2. Washington 2 of 3. Goalies: Montreal, Dobes 1-2-0 (27 shots-24 saves). Washington, Thompson 4-1-0 (29-28).

Panthers 6, Lightning 3 Florida 2 2 2 6 Tampa Bay 2 1 0 3

First Period: 1, Tampa Bay, Goncalves 1 (Hedman, Glendening), 2:33. 2, Florida, Verhaeghe 2 (Tkachuk, Reinhart), 5:21 (pp). 3, Florida, Lundell 2 (Luostarinen, Marchand), 10:06. 4, Tampa Bay, Paul 2 (Geekie), 12:16. Second Period: 5, Florida, Barkov 1 (Luostarinen, Forsling), 0:52. 6, Tampa Bay, Guentzel 3 (Hedman), 9:57 (pp). 7, Florida, Bennett 3 (Luostarinen, Lundell), 15:13. Third Period: 8, Florida, Luostarinen 1 (Marchand, Lundell), 13:02. 9, Florida, Reinhart 2, 15:36 (en). Shots on goal: Florida 16-8-7: 31. Tampa Bay 9-13-7: 29. Power-play opportunities: Florida 1 of 3. Tampa Bay

(29

(30-25).

Chubby Checker, Outkast will join the Rock Hall

By Ben Sisario

The New York Times

Chubby Checker is finally joining the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 65 years after “The Twist” became a No. 1 hit and an international dance craze.

Checker, 83, who has campaigned for decades to be admitted to the pantheon — at one point taking out a full-page ad in Billboard magazine that said “I want my flowers while I’m alive” — is part of the 40th annual crop of performer inductees.

He is joined by Joe Cocker, the White Stripes, Outkast, Cyndi Lauper, Bad Company and Soundgarden, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced Sunday evening, after a Rock Hall-themed segment on ABC’s “American Idol.”

Those artists — a lineup that mixes classic rock, hip-hop, 1990s-vintage alternative rock and a female pop icon — will formally join the hall Nov. 8 in a ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles that will stream live in Disney+.

Checker, Cocker, Outkast and

Bad Company were all accepted on their first nomination.

The induction of the White Stripes, the stylish garage-rock minimalists whose “Seven Nation Army” has become a stadium-rousing standard, could

lend some anticipatory drama to this year’s ceremony.

Since the band broke up in 2011, Meg White, its drummer, has become one the great recluses of 21st-century pop, rarely seen in public and declining all

interview requests — which would make any possible appearance by her a major coup for the Rock Hall.

Among the other honors this year, Salt-N-Pepa, the pioneering female rap group, and singersongwriter Warren Zevon will receive the musical influence award.

The musical excellence citation will go to keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, studio bassist Carol Kaye and producer Thom Bell, a key figure in Philadelphia soul. Lenny Waronker, a producer and longtime executive at Warner Bros. Records, will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Among the nominees who failed to make the final cut this year are Oasis, the Britpop standard-bearers who have reunited for perhaps this year’s most indemand world tour, and Phish, the veteran Vermont jam band.

Phish won the hall’s fan ballot — a single vote, entered alongside those submitted from the hall’s voting body of more than 1,000 music historians, industry professionals and previously inducted artists. Other nominees who didn’t

make the cut include Mariah Carey, the Black Crowes, Billy Idol, Mexican rock band Maná and linked British groups Joy Division and New Order.

The Rock Hall has come under close scrutiny over the makeup of its inductee classes, receiving particularly harsh commentary over its low numbers of women; as of 2023, women made up just 8.8% of inducted individuals, according to one scholar’s count. The hall has pledged to address those disparities, even revising its definition of rock ‘n’ roll as “a spirit that is inclusive and everchanging.”

After some gains in recent years — with lauded inductions of Janet Jackson, Sheryl Crow, the Go-Go’s and Kate Bush — the latest crop of performer inductees may draw more complaints. It includes just two women: Lauper, who rose to fame in the 1980s with hits including “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time,” and Meg White of the White Stripes.

Artists become eligible for nomination to the hall 25 years after the release of their first recording.

Soft line of play

“If at first you don’t succeed, call it Version” — a sign in a software company. Computer programmers, whose forte is problem-solving, often do well at bridge. But declarers get only one try at making a contract. If at first you don’t succeed, have another chance in reserve.

It’s a mystery why today’s North raised to 3NT instead of looking for a 4-4 spade fit via Stayman. West led the ten of clubs; jack, king, ace. Declarer then cashed the A-K of spades. A 3-2 break would have given him nine sure tricks, but West threw a diamond.

South next led a heart to dummy and returned a diamond, finessing with his queen. West won, and the defense ran the clubs for down one.

South gave himself only one chance. After he sees the 4-1 spade break, he can take the ace, king and queen of hearts. When East-West follow, South’s fourth heart is good for his ninth trick. If the hearts failed to break, the lead would be in dummy, and South could try the diamond finesse.

DAILY QUESTION>> You hold: ♠ 10 ♥ 10 8 6 ♦ K 9 8 4 ♣ Q 10 9 5 2. Both sides vulnerable. The dealer, at your left, opens one heart. Your partner doubles, and you respond ("advance") two clubs. Partner raises to three clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER >> Your partner knew you were obliged to

out his double and you promised no values, yet he has tried for game. Your hand could be worse. Bid five clubs. Partner’s hand will be no weaker than AJ53,7,AJ6,AJ643.

Aries: Imagine landing in the perfect spot with the perfect someone who just gets you. A bit of digging into the issues and clear talk now could save you a mountain of stress later. You could find comfort in having a financial safety net.

Taurus: Pat yourself on the back. Your best qualities may blossom in group settings. You might be one face in the crowd, but to someone else, you could be everything. Dreaming big has the power to fuel your future, so build on it step by step.

Gemini: Even when balance becomes challenging, touching base and communicating your situation with the important people in your life could help secure your footing. Thinking you’ll be able to fix things later may only cause further problems.

Cancer: Your current goals may look nothing like what you wanted ten years ago, and they will continue to evolve over time. Be careful about your financial planning until you have a better understanding of your long-

term plans.

Leo: No one’s all saint or all sinner; everyone has a unique story. Consider cutting some minor things some slack but never abandon boundaries critical for your wellbeing. Tie up loose ends before jumping into anything fresh.

Virgo: Dig deep and take a hard look within to spot where you might have veered off course. Maybe it’s time to rethink your stance on a topic or a person. If you’ve bruised someone’s feelings, own it and make amends as soon as possible.

Libra: Every tale’s got a lesson if you dig for it. Problem-solving might turn you into either a critical thinker or an overthinker. You may splurge on quality stuff that elevates your space or makes your partner proud, rather than impressing the crowd.

Scorpio: Your creativity could be blooming more than ever. Look for ways to nurture those ideas, they might pave the way to success. Consider diving deeper into a passion with a course

or a good book. Learning more could lift you up.

Sagittarius: Take a leap and make it real. You might turn a far-off fantasy into solid ground by asking for some advice. Declaring a truce with someone close to you may serve to patch things up and bring back your glow.

Capricorn: Sometimes your first instinctive response may be the best answer you can give. It might be easy to find a dozen alternatives if you’re searching for the perfect version. Trust the knowledge you possess to carve a path forward.

Aquarius: You may land exactly what you desire. Before you kick back and bask in the glory, double-check there’s no catch hiding in the glow. A secret might slip out in casual conversation, so try to keep it close to your chest.

Pisces: Build your savings the classic way. Your sharp financial instincts could help to steer you clear of old and familiar traps. A partner may prove to be rock-solid when their loyalty is questioned, possibly easing any lingering doubts.

If May 1 is your birthday: Your focus might be on making wise financial decisions this week. Your business skills could feel elevated despite plenty of social activities and friends who may clamor for attention.

Magi Helena, Tribune Content Agency