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  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will attend a military parade in Beijing next week

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    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade next week, the two countries said Thursday, in an event that would bring him together with a group of world leaders for the first time since taking office in late 2011.Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among 26 foreign leaders who attend next Wednesday’s parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China’s resistance against Japan’s wartime aggressions, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.“We warmly welcome General Secretary Kim Jong Un to China to attend the commemorative events,” Hong Lei, China’s assistant minister of foreign affairs, told a press conference. “Upholding, consolidating and developing the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a firm position of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.”DPRK refers to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, said Kim will visit China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. It gave no further details, including how long he will stay in China and whether he will hold an official meeting with Xi, Putin or other leaders visiting China.Others coming for the parade include the leaders of Iran, Belarus, Serbia, Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Malaysia. No leaders from the United States or other major Western European countries are expected to attend, in part because of their differences with Putin over the war in Ukraine. The parade is expected to feature some of China’s newest weaponry and a speech by Xi.If Kim’s trip is realized, it would be his first trip to China since 2019. Since inheriting power upon his father’s death in December 2011, Kim has met Xi, Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and others, but all those summits were bilateral meetings and Kim hasn’t attended any multilateral events involving foreign leaders.In all, Kim traveled to China four times from 2018 to 2019 to meet Xi.China has long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, but there have been questions about their relations in recent years. North Korea has been focusing on expanding cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to support its war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military assistance.But many observers say North Korea is expected to take steps to improve ties with China to revive its troubled economy, because there is a limit to what it can get from Russia and it’s also unclear if North Korea and Russia would maintain the same level of cooperation after the Ukraine war ends. In 2023, about 97% of North Korea’s external trade was with China, while 1.2% was with Russia, according to Chinese data.Kim’s visit to China could also be related to efforts to restart diplomacy with Trump, who has repeatedly highlighted his relationship with Kim and expressed his hopes to resume talks. North Korea has so far dismissed Trump’s outreach, but many analysts say North Korea would return to talks if it believes the U.S. would make greater concessions.“Pyongyang’s illicit cooperation with Moscow has strained ties with Beijing, even as China’s political and economic support remains vital for the North Korean regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.“To re-engage Trump from a position of strength, Kim seeks to repair relations with Xi, and attending the parade in Beijing is a highly visible way of doing that,” Easley said.During a meeting with Lee in Washington this week, Trump spoke of his past summits with Kim, including one at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Responding to a question over whether he would return to the Demilitarized Zone, Trump told reporters, “I loved it. Remember when I walked across the line and everyone went crazy.”During Trump’s first term, he met Kim three times from 2018-19, but their high-stakes summit eventually collapsed due to wrangling over U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea. Kim has since conducted weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal.

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade next week, the two countries said Thursday, in an event that would bring him together with a group of world leaders for the first time since taking office in late 2011.

    Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among 26 foreign leaders who attend next Wednesday’s parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China’s resistance against Japan’s wartime aggressions, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

    “We warmly welcome General Secretary Kim Jong Un to China to attend the commemorative events,” Hong Lei, China’s assistant minister of foreign affairs, told a press conference. “Upholding, consolidating and developing the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a firm position of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.”

    DPRK refers to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

    North Korea’s state news agency, KCNA, said Kim will visit China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. It gave no further details, including how long he will stay in China and whether he will hold an official meeting with Xi, Putin or other leaders visiting China.

    Others coming for the parade include the leaders of Iran, Belarus, Serbia, Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Malaysia. No leaders from the United States or other major Western European countries are expected to attend, in part because of their differences with Putin over the war in Ukraine. The parade is expected to feature some of China’s newest weaponry and a speech by Xi.

    If Kim’s trip is realized, it would be his first trip to China since 2019. Since inheriting power upon his father’s death in December 2011, Kim has met Xi, Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and others, but all those summits were bilateral meetings and Kim hasn’t attended any multilateral events involving foreign leaders.

    In all, Kim traveled to China four times from 2018 to 2019 to meet Xi.

    China has long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, but there have been questions about their relations in recent years. North Korea has been focusing on expanding cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to support its war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military assistance.

    But many observers say North Korea is expected to take steps to improve ties with China to revive its troubled economy, because there is a limit to what it can get from Russia and it’s also unclear if North Korea and Russia would maintain the same level of cooperation after the Ukraine war ends. In 2023, about 97% of North Korea’s external trade was with China, while 1.2% was with Russia, according to Chinese data.

    Kim’s visit to China could also be related to efforts to restart diplomacy with Trump, who has repeatedly highlighted his relationship with Kim and expressed his hopes to resume talks. North Korea has so far dismissed Trump’s outreach, but many analysts say North Korea would return to talks if it believes the U.S. would make greater concessions.

    “Pyongyang’s illicit cooperation with Moscow has strained ties with Beijing, even as China’s political and economic support remains vital for the North Korean regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

    “To re-engage Trump from a position of strength, Kim seeks to repair relations with Xi, and attending the parade in Beijing is a highly visible way of doing that,” Easley said.

    During a meeting with Lee in Washington this week, Trump spoke of his past summits with Kim, including one at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Responding to a question over whether he would return to the Demilitarized Zone, Trump told reporters, “I loved it. Remember when I walked across the line and everyone went crazy.”

    During Trump’s first term, he met Kim three times from 2018-19, but their high-stakes summit eventually collapsed due to wrangling over U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea. Kim has since conducted weapons tests to modernize and expand his nuclear arsenal.

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  • Judge rules Utah’s congressional map must be redrawn for the 2026 elections

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    The Utah Legislature will need to rapidly redraw the state’s congressional boundaries after a judge ruled Monday that the Republican-controlled body circumvented safeguards put in place by voters to ensure districts aren’t drawn to favor any party.Related video above — Get the Facts: Redistricting or Gerrymandering? The current map, drawn in 2021, divides Salt Lake County — the state’s population center and a Democratic stronghold — among the state’s four congressional districts, all of which have since elected Republicans by wide margins.District Court Judge Dianna Gibson made few judgments on the content of the map but declared it unlawful because lawmakers had weakened and ignored an independent commission established by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering. The nature of the violation lies in “the Legislature’s refusal to respect the people’s exercise of their constitutional lawmaking power and to honor the people’s right to reform their government,” Gibson said in her ruling.New maps will need to be drawn quickly for the 2026 midterm elections. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the state’s top elections official, asked the courts for the case to be finalized by November to leave time for the process before candidates start filing in early January. But appeals promised by Republican lawmakers could help them run out the clock to possibly delay adopting new maps until 2028.The ruling creates uncertainty in a state that was thought to be a clean sweep for the GOP as the party is preparing to defend its slim majority in the U.S. House. Nationally, Democrats need to net three seats next year to take control of the chamber. The sitting president’s party tends to lose seats in the midterms, as was the case for President Donald Trump in 2018.Trump has urged several Republican-led states to add winnable seats for the GOP. In Texas, a plan awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval includes five new districts that would favor Republicans. Ohio Republicans already were scheduled to revise their maps to make them more partisan, and Indiana, Florida and Missouri may choose to make changes. Some Democrat-led states say they may enter the redistricting battle, but so far only California has taken action to offset GOP gains in Texas.

    The Utah Legislature will need to rapidly redraw the state’s congressional boundaries after a judge ruled Monday that the Republican-controlled body circumvented safeguards put in place by voters to ensure districts aren’t drawn to favor any party.

    Related video above — Get the Facts: Redistricting or Gerrymandering?

    The current map, drawn in 2021, divides Salt Lake County — the state’s population center and a Democratic stronghold — among the state’s four congressional districts, all of which have since elected Republicans by wide margins.

    District Court Judge Dianna Gibson made few judgments on the content of the map but declared it unlawful because lawmakers had weakened and ignored an independent commission established by voters to prevent partisan gerrymandering. The nature of the violation lies in “the Legislature’s refusal to respect the people’s exercise of their constitutional lawmaking power and to honor the people’s right to reform their government,” Gibson said in her ruling.

    New maps will need to be drawn quickly for the 2026 midterm elections. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the state’s top elections official, asked the courts for the case to be finalized by November to leave time for the process before candidates start filing in early January. But appeals promised by Republican lawmakers could help them run out the clock to possibly delay adopting new maps until 2028.

    The ruling creates uncertainty in a state that was thought to be a clean sweep for the GOP as the party is preparing to defend its slim majority in the U.S. House. Nationally, Democrats need to net three seats next year to take control of the chamber. The sitting president’s party tends to lose seats in the midterms, as was the case for President Donald Trump in 2018.

    Trump has urged several Republican-led states to add winnable seats for the GOP. In Texas, a plan awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval includes five new districts that would favor Republicans. Ohio Republicans already were scheduled to revise their maps to make them more partisan, and Indiana, Florida and Missouri may choose to make changes. Some Democrat-led states say they may enter the redistricting battle, but so far only California has taken action to offset GOP gains in Texas.

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  • House committee subpoenas Epstein’s estate for documents, including birthday book and contacts

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    House committee subpoenas Epstein’s estate for documents, including birthday book and contacts

    Updated: 4:41 PM EDT Aug 25, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the estate of the late Jeffrey Epstein on Monday as congressional lawmakers try to determine who was connected to the disgraced financier and whether prosecutors mishandled his case.The committee’s subpoena is the latest effort by both Republicans and Democrats to respond to public clamor for more disclosure in the investigation into Epstein, who was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019. Lawmakers are trying to guide an investigation into who among Epstein’s high-powered social circle may have been aware of his sexual abuse of teenage girls, delving into a criminal case that has spurred conspiracy theories and roiled top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration.The subpoena, signed by Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the oversight committee, and dated Monday, demands that Epstein’s estate provide Congress with documents including a book that was compiled with notes from friends for his 50th birthday, his last will and testament, agreements he signed with prosecutors, his contact books, and his financial transactions and holdings.Comer wrote to the executors of Epstein’s estate that the committee “is reviewing the possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell, the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr. Epstein’s death, the operation of sex-trafficking rings and ways for the federal government to effectively combat them, and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.”The Justice Department, trying to distance Trump and Epstein, last week began handing over to lawmakers documentation of the federal investigation into Epstein. It has also released transcripts of interviews conducted with Ghislaine Maxwell, his former girlfriend. But Democrats on the committee have not been satisfied with those efforts, saying that the some 33,000 pages of documents they’ve received are mostly already public.“DOJ’s limited disclosure raises more questions than answers and makes clear that the White House is not interested in justice for the victims or the truth,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.Pressure from lawmakers to release more information is likely to only grow when Congress returns to Washington next week.A bipartisan group of House members is attempting to maneuver around Republican leadership to hold a vote to pass legislation meant to require the Justice Department to release a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein.

    WASHINGTON —

    The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the estate of the late Jeffrey Epstein on Monday as congressional lawmakers try to determine who was connected to the disgraced financier and whether prosecutors mishandled his case.

    The committee’s subpoena is the latest effort by both Republicans and Democrats to respond to public clamor for more disclosure in the investigation into Epstein, who was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019. Lawmakers are trying to guide an investigation into who among Epstein’s high-powered social circle may have been aware of his sexual abuse of teenage girls, delving into a criminal case that has spurred conspiracy theories and roiled top officials in President Donald Trump’s administration.

    The subpoena, signed by Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the oversight committee, and dated Monday, demands that Epstein’s estate provide Congress with documents including a book that was compiled with notes from friends for his 50th birthday, his last will and testament, agreements he signed with prosecutors, his contact books, and his financial transactions and holdings.

    Comer wrote to the executors of Epstein’s estate that the committee “is reviewing the possible mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation of Mr. Jeffrey Epstein and Ms. Ghislaine Maxwell, the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Mr. Epstein’s death, the operation of sex-trafficking rings and ways for the federal government to effectively combat them, and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.”

    The Justice Department, trying to distance Trump and Epstein, last week began handing over to lawmakers documentation of the federal investigation into Epstein. It has also released transcripts of interviews conducted with Ghislaine Maxwell, his former girlfriend. But Democrats on the committee have not been satisfied with those efforts, saying that the some 33,000 pages of documents they’ve received are mostly already public.

    “DOJ’s limited disclosure raises more questions than answers and makes clear that the White House is not interested in justice for the victims or the truth,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.

    Pressure from lawmakers to release more information is likely to only grow when Congress returns to Washington next week.

    A bipartisan group of House members is attempting to maneuver around Republican leadership to hold a vote to pass legislation meant to require the Justice Department to release a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein.

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  • President Trump says Intel agreed to give US a stake in its company

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    President Donald Trump on Friday announced the U.S. government has secured a 10% stake in struggling Silicon Valley pioneer Intel in a deal that was completed just a couple weeks after he was depicting the company’s CEO as a conflicted leader unfit for the job.“The United States of America now fully owns and controls 10% of INTEL, a Great American Company that has an even more incredible future,” Trump wrote in a post.The U.S. government is getting the stake through the conversion of $11.1 billion in previously issued funds and pledges. All told, the government is getting 433.3 million shares of non-voting stock priced at $20.47 apiece — a discount from Friday’s closing price at $24.80. That spread means the U.S. government already has a gain of $1.9 billion, on paper.The remarkable turn of events makes the U.S. government one of Intel’s largest shareholders at a time that the Santa Clara, California, company is i n the process of jettisoning more than 20,000 workers as part of its latest attempt to bounce back from years of missteps taken under a variety of CEOs.Intel’s current CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, has only been on the job for slightly more than five months, and earlier this month, it looked like he might be on shaky ground already after some lawmakers raised national security concerns about his past investments in Chinese companies while he was a venture capitalist. Trump latched on to those concerns in an August 7 post demanding that Tan resign.But Trump backed off after the Malaysian-born Tan professed his allegiance to the U.S. in a public letter to Intel employees and went to the White House to meet with the president, leading to a deal that now has the U.S. government betting that the company is on the comeback trail after losing more than $22 billion since the end of 2023. Trump hailed Tan as “highly respected” CEO in his Friday post.In a statement, Tan applauded Trump for “driving historic investments in a vital industry” and resolved to reward his faith in Intel. “We are grateful for the confidence the President and the Administration have placed in Intel, and we look forward to working to advance U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership,” Tan said.Intel’s current stock price is just slightly above where it was when Tan was hired in March and more than 60% below its peak of about $75 reached 25 years ago when its chips were still dominating the personal computer boom before being undercut by a shift to smartphones a few years later. The company’s market value currently stands at about $108 billion – a fraction of the current chip kingpin, Nvidia, which is valued at $4.3 trillion.The stake is coming primarily through U.S. government grants to Intel through the CHIPS and Science Act that was started under President Joe Biden’s administration as a way to foster more domestic manufacturing of computer chips to lessen the dependence on overseas factories.But the Trump administration, which has regularly pilloried the policies of the Biden administration, saw the CHIPs act as a needless giveaway and is now hoping to make a profit off the funding that had been pledged to Intel.”We think America should get the benefit of the bargain,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said earlier this week. “It’s obvious that it’s the right move to make.”About $7.8 billion had been been pledged to Intel under the incentives program, but only $2.2 billion had been funded so far. Another $3.2 billion of the government investment is coming through the funds from another program called “Secure Enclave.”Although U.S. government can’t vote with its shares and won’t have a seat on Intel’s board of directors, critics of the deal view it as a troubling cross-pollination between the public and private sectors that could hurt the tech industry in a variety of ways.For instance, more tech companies may feel pressured to buy potentially inferior chips from Intel to curry favor with Trump at a time that he is already waging a trade war that threatens to affect their products in a potential scenario cited by Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics for the Cato Institute.“Overall, it’s a horrendous move that will have real harms for U.S. companies, U.S. tech leadership, and the U.S. economy overall,” Lincicome posted Friday.The 10% stake could also intensify the pressure already facing Tan, especially if Trump starts fixating on Intel’s stock price while resorting to his penchant for celebrating his past successes in business.Nancy Tengler, CEO of money manager Laffer Tengler Investments, is among the investors who abandoned Intel years ago because of all the challenges facing Intel.“I don’t see the benefit to the American taxpayer, nor do I see the benefit, necessarily to the chip industry,” Tengler said while also raising worries about Trump meddling in Intel’s business.“I don’t care how good of businessman you are, give it to the private sector and let people like me be the critic and let the government get to the business of government.,” Tengler said.Although rare, it’s not unprecedented for the U.S. government to become a significant shareholder in a prominent company. One of the most notable instances occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 when the government injected nearly $50 billion into General Motors in return for a roughly 60% stake in the automaker at a time it was on the verge of bankruptcy. The government ended up with a roughly $10 billion loss after it sold its stock in GM.The U.S. government’s stake in Intel coincides with Trump’s push to bring production to the U.S., which has been a focal point of the trade war that he has been waging throughout the world. By lessening the country’s dependence on chips manufactured overseas, the president believes the U.S. will be better positioned to maintain its technological lead on China in the race to create artificial intelligence.Even before gaining the 10% stake in Intel, Trump had been leveraging his power to reprogram the operations of major computer chip companies. The administration is requiring Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, two companies whose chips are powering the AI craze, to pay a 15% commission on their sales of chips in China in exchange for export licenses.

    President Donald Trump on Friday announced the U.S. government has secured a 10% stake in struggling Silicon Valley pioneer Intel in a deal that was completed just a couple weeks after he was depicting the company’s CEO as a conflicted leader unfit for the job.

    “The United States of America now fully owns and controls 10% of INTEL, a Great American Company that has an even more incredible future,” Trump wrote in a post.

    The U.S. government is getting the stake through the conversion of $11.1 billion in previously issued funds and pledges. All told, the government is getting 433.3 million shares of non-voting stock priced at $20.47 apiece — a discount from Friday’s closing price at $24.80. That spread means the U.S. government already has a gain of $1.9 billion, on paper.

    The remarkable turn of events makes the U.S. government one of Intel’s largest shareholders at a time that the Santa Clara, California, company is i n the process of jettisoning more than 20,000 workers as part of its latest attempt to bounce back from years of missteps taken under a variety of CEOs.

    Intel’s current CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, has only been on the job for slightly more than five months, and earlier this month, it looked like he might be on shaky ground already after some lawmakers raised national security concerns about his past investments in Chinese companies while he was a venture capitalist. Trump latched on to those concerns in an August 7 post demanding that Tan resign.

    But Trump backed off after the Malaysian-born Tan professed his allegiance to the U.S. in a public letter to Intel employees and went to the White House to meet with the president, leading to a deal that now has the U.S. government betting that the company is on the comeback trail after losing more than $22 billion since the end of 2023. Trump hailed Tan as “highly respected” CEO in his Friday post.

    In a statement, Tan applauded Trump for “driving historic investments in a vital industry” and resolved to reward his faith in Intel. “We are grateful for the confidence the President and the Administration have placed in Intel, and we look forward to working to advance U.S. technology and manufacturing leadership,” Tan said.

    Intel’s current stock price is just slightly above where it was when Tan was hired in March and more than 60% below its peak of about $75 reached 25 years ago when its chips were still dominating the personal computer boom before being undercut by a shift to smartphones a few years later. The company’s market value currently stands at about $108 billion – a fraction of the current chip kingpin, Nvidia, which is valued at $4.3 trillion.

    The stake is coming primarily through U.S. government grants to Intel through the CHIPS and Science Act that was started under President Joe Biden’s administration as a way to foster more domestic manufacturing of computer chips to lessen the dependence on overseas factories.

    But the Trump administration, which has regularly pilloried the policies of the Biden administration, saw the CHIPs act as a needless giveaway and is now hoping to make a profit off the funding that had been pledged to Intel.

    “We think America should get the benefit of the bargain,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said earlier this week. “It’s obvious that it’s the right move to make.”

    About $7.8 billion had been been pledged to Intel under the incentives program, but only $2.2 billion had been funded so far. Another $3.2 billion of the government investment is coming through the funds from another program called “Secure Enclave.”

    Although U.S. government can’t vote with its shares and won’t have a seat on Intel’s board of directors, critics of the deal view it as a troubling cross-pollination between the public and private sectors that could hurt the tech industry in a variety of ways.

    For instance, more tech companies may feel pressured to buy potentially inferior chips from Intel to curry favor with Trump at a time that he is already waging a trade war that threatens to affect their products in a potential scenario cited by Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics for the Cato Institute.

    “Overall, it’s a horrendous move that will have real harms for U.S. companies, U.S. tech leadership, and the U.S. economy overall,” Lincicome posted Friday.

    The 10% stake could also intensify the pressure already facing Tan, especially if Trump starts fixating on Intel’s stock price while resorting to his penchant for celebrating his past successes in business.

    Nancy Tengler, CEO of money manager Laffer Tengler Investments, is among the investors who abandoned Intel years ago because of all the challenges facing Intel.

    “I don’t see the benefit to the American taxpayer, nor do I see the benefit, necessarily to the chip industry,” Tengler said while also raising worries about Trump meddling in Intel’s business.

    “I don’t care how good of businessman you are, give it to the private sector and let people like me be the critic and let the government get to the business of government.,” Tengler said.

    Although rare, it’s not unprecedented for the U.S. government to become a significant shareholder in a prominent company. One of the most notable instances occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 when the government injected nearly $50 billion into General Motors in return for a roughly 60% stake in the automaker at a time it was on the verge of bankruptcy. The government ended up with a roughly $10 billion loss after it sold its stock in GM.

    The U.S. government’s stake in Intel coincides with Trump’s push to bring production to the U.S., which has been a focal point of the trade war that he has been waging throughout the world. By lessening the country’s dependence on chips manufactured overseas, the president believes the U.S. will be better positioned to maintain its technological lead on China in the race to create artificial intelligence.

    Even before gaining the 10% stake in Intel, Trump had been leveraging his power to reprogram the operations of major computer chip companies. The administration is requiring Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, two companies whose chips are powering the AI craze, to pay a 15% commission on their sales of chips in China in exchange for export licenses.

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  • More frozen shrimp has been recalled for possible radioactive contamination

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    More frozen shrimp has been recalled for possible radioactive contamination

    Updated: 7:44 AM PDT Aug 22, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    More packages of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination have been recalled, federal officials said Thursday.California-based Southwind Foods recalled frozen shrimp sold under the brands Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American and First Street. The bagged products were distributed between July 17 and Aug. 8 to stores and wholesalers in nine states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington state.In the video player above: Get a look at the product labelsThe products have the potential to be contaminated with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope that is a byproduct of nuclear reactions.Related video below: Are Recalled Products Hiding in Your Home?Walmart stores this week recalled packages of Great Value frozen raw shrimp sold in 13 states because of potential radioactive contamination.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert after federal officials detected Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to four U.S. ports and in a sample of frozen breaded shrimp imported by BMS Foods of Indonesia.The FDA advises consumers not to eat the recalled products. Traces of Cesium-137 are widespread in the environment including food, soil and air. The primary health risk is through long-term, repeated low-dose exposure, which can increase the risk of cancer.

    More packages of frozen shrimp potentially affected by radioactive contamination have been recalled, federal officials said Thursday.

    California-based Southwind Foods recalled frozen shrimp sold under the brands Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American and First Street. The bagged products were distributed between July 17 and Aug. 8 to stores and wholesalers in nine states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington state.

    In the video player above: Get a look at the product labels

    The products have the potential to be contaminated with Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope that is a byproduct of nuclear reactions.

    Related video below: Are Recalled Products Hiding in Your Home?

    Walmart stores this week recalled packages of Great Value frozen raw shrimp sold in 13 states because of potential radioactive contamination.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert after federal officials detected Cesium-137 in shipping containers sent to four U.S. ports and in a sample of frozen breaded shrimp imported by BMS Foods of Indonesia.

    The FDA advises consumers not to eat the recalled products. Traces of Cesium-137 are widespread in the environment including food, soil and air. The primary health risk is through long-term, repeated low-dose exposure, which can increase the risk of cancer.

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  • Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $643 million for Wednesday drawing. Here are the numbers

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    After there was no winner in Monday night’s drawing, Powerball’s jackpot climbed to an estimated $643 million ahead of Wednesday’s drawing. The numbers pulled in Wednesday night’s drawing were: 31-59-62-65-68 Powerball 5 The Powerplay Multiplier was 2xThe $643 million figure was already the 13th largest prize in the history of Powerball. The last jackpot was already the largest of 2025 as the lottery has gone without a winner since May 31.Preliminary data from the Multi-State Lottery Association, which helps facilitate the Powerball lottery, shows Powerball sales are 40% higher than they were at this point last year.”As the jackpot increases, we expect ticket sales to increase,” the association said.While the size of the jackpot and the ticket sales have risen, the odds of winning the top prize have not. The chances of winnings the jackpot stand at about 1 in 292 million.If someone wins in the next drawing, they’ll get to choose between the jackpot amount, which is paid out in 30 annual payments, or a one-time cash option of approximately $290 million.

    After there was no winner in Monday night’s drawing, Powerball’s jackpot climbed to an estimated $643 million ahead of Wednesday’s drawing.

    The numbers pulled in Wednesday night’s drawing were:

    31-59-62-65-68 Powerball 5

    The Powerplay Multiplier was 2x

    The $643 million figure was already the 13th largest prize in the history of Powerball. The last jackpot was already the largest of 2025 as the lottery has gone without a winner since May 31.

    Preliminary data from the Multi-State Lottery Association, which helps facilitate the Powerball lottery, shows Powerball sales are 40% higher than they were at this point last year.

    “As the jackpot increases, we expect ticket sales to increase,” the association said.

    While the size of the jackpot and the ticket sales have risen, the odds of winning the top prize have not. The chances of winnings the jackpot stand at about 1 in 292 million.

    If someone wins in the next drawing, they’ll get to choose between the jackpot amount, which is paid out in 30 annual payments, or a one-time cash option of approximately $290 million.

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  • A symbol of resilience and hope. White House Christmas tree chosen from North Carolina area hit hard by Hurricane Helene

    A symbol of resilience and hope. White House Christmas tree chosen from North Carolina area hit hard by Hurricane Helene

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    This year’s official White House Christmas tree comes from western North Carolina, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene in late September.White House staff traveled to Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, Avery County, on Monday to select the 20-foot-tall Fraser fir that will decorate the Blue Room.It’s the second time in a row a tree from North Carolina has been selected for the White House, and the first from Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm. The farm’s owner, Sam Cartner, said this is an achievement for all the tree farms in western North Carolina.”When it goes to the White House, it’s not about the politics; it’s about the people of this community,” he said.Avery County was one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, considered to be among the deadliest hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland in the last 50 years, CNN previously reported. At least 231 people were killed across six states.Cartner hopes their tree will be a symbol of resilience and resourcefulness for the people who demonstrated an “unbelievable sense of community, of generosity and giving” during Hurricane Helene.The farm lost between 5,000 and 6,000 Christmas trees from landslides, most of which were four feet tall or less and would have been market-ready in four years, Cartner said.Most of the farm’s roads and infrastructures damaged by the hurricane have been repaired and Cartner expects to have a “relatively normal harvest.””We are lucky that our farm is not in a river valley or close to a major river,” he said.Other farms in Avery County lost 8-foot-tall trees ready to be sold this holiday season, Cartner said. And some growers are still unable to access their farms, due to fallen trees and unstable roads.The North Carolina Department of Transportation says it is working closely with tree growers in the area to restore several connector roads and secondary routes still damaged from major slides and fallen trees.At this time, it is unclear when access to all the farms will be restored, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation.The impact of Hurricane Helene on the Christmas tree industry was minimalAs North Carolina tree growers approach the start of the Christmas tree “cutting season,” which begins in two weeks, most believe they will be open for business, according to Jennifer Greene, executive director of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.”I think that it is awesome, it symbolizes hope, and it shows the perseverance and the strength of the communities and of our Christmas tree farms,” Greene said.North Carolina is the second-largest Christmas tree-producing state in the nation, and it harvests over 3 million Christmas trees annually, according to Greene.It is unclear how many Fraser firs were damaged in the hurricane.”There were some losses from larger trees due to landslides and mudslides but it’s minimal in comparison to our industry, in comparison to how many trees we have and how many we grow,” Greene said.Authorities believe they will have a better estimate of how many trees were lost to the hurricane after the Christmas season.”We do not expect the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to have a significant effect on the supply of real North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas trees this holiday season,” said Tim O’Connor, executive director of the association.”It will take some time to fully assess the extent and implications of damage to Christmas tree farms affected by the hurricane, but our farmers have weathered the storm and are ready to persevere,” he added.A ‘beauty contest’ for Christmas treesThe White House Christmas tree is selected at a contest hosted by the National Christmas Tree Association, the national trade association and advocacy organization for the farm-grown Christmas tree industry.”Every tree selected for the White House is the best tree among those that fit the criteria for height and width,” said O’Connor.The tree must be between 18-20 feet tall, and approximately 12 feet wide.The North Carolina Fraser fir is the most popular Christmas tree, and the state produces about 20% of all real Christmas trees, according to the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.It’s the 16th time a North Carolina Fraser Fir has been selected for the White House, more than any other state in the nation, according to Greene.Growers spend years caring for and selecting their trees for the contest.”It is a subjective decision, essentially a beauty contest, reached by comparing the trees,” O’Connor said.To compete in the contest, tree growers first need to win their state or regional Christmas Tree Association contest.”Growers bring their tree entry to the national contest site from all over the country to be displayed for judging,” said O’Connor.Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm was named the 2024 Grand Champion Grower.”With this award goes the honor of presenting a Christmas tree to the White House,” O’Connor said.The farm will cut, wrap and ship the Fraser Fir on November 20 at an event to raise money for hurricane survivors, Cartner said.It will arrive at the White House North Portico via jingle bell-bedecked horse and carriage and it will be inspected by the first lady – a tradition since 1966 – which usually marks the kickoff of the White House’s annual holiday festivities.The tree will be placed in the center of the White House Blue Room and decorated with a theme that will be unveiled after the Thanksgiving holiday.The tree will be presented at a formal ceremony at the White House on November 25.

    This year’s official White House Christmas tree comes from western North Carolina, one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene in late September.

    White House staff traveled to Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, Avery County, on Monday to select the 20-foot-tall Fraser fir that will decorate the Blue Room.

    It’s the second time in a row a tree from North Carolina has been selected for the White House, and the first from Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm. The farm’s owner, Sam Cartner, said this is an achievement for all the tree farms in western North Carolina.

    “When it goes to the White House, it’s not about the politics; it’s about the people of this community,” he said.

    Avery County was one of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, considered to be among the deadliest hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland in the last 50 years, CNN previously reported. At least 231 people were killed across six states.

    Cartner hopes their tree will be a symbol of resilience and resourcefulness for the people who demonstrated an “unbelievable sense of community, of generosity and giving” during Hurricane Helene.

    Courtesy Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm via CNN Newsource

    David and Sam Cartner at the tree farm in 2013.

    The farm lost between 5,000 and 6,000 Christmas trees from landslides, most of which were four feet tall or less and would have been market-ready in four years, Cartner said.

    Most of the farm’s roads and infrastructures damaged by the hurricane have been repaired and Cartner expects to have a “relatively normal harvest.”

    “We are lucky that our farm is not in a river valley or close to a major river,” he said.

    Other farms in Avery County lost 8-foot-tall trees ready to be sold this holiday season, Cartner said. And some growers are still unable to access their farms, due to fallen trees and unstable roads.

    The North Carolina Department of Transportation says it is working closely with tree growers in the area to restore several connector roads and secondary routes still damaged from major slides and fallen trees.

    At this time, it is unclear when access to all the farms will be restored, according to a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation.

    The impact of Hurricane Helene on the Christmas tree industry was minimal

    As North Carolina tree growers approach the start of the Christmas tree “cutting season,” which begins in two weeks, most believe they will be open for business, according to Jennifer Greene, executive director of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.

    “I think that it is awesome, it symbolizes hope, and it shows the perseverance and the strength of the communities and of our Christmas tree farms,” Greene said.

    North Carolina is the second-largest Christmas tree-producing state in the nation, and it harvests over 3 million Christmas trees annually, according to Greene.

    It is unclear how many Fraser firs were damaged in the hurricane.

    “There were some losses from larger trees due to landslides and mudslides but it’s minimal in comparison to our industry, in comparison to how many trees we have and how many we grow,” Greene said.

    Authorities believe they will have a better estimate of how many trees were lost to the hurricane after the Christmas season.

    “We do not expect the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to have a significant effect on the supply of real North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas trees this holiday season,” said Tim O’Connor, executive director of the association.

    “It will take some time to fully assess the extent and implications of damage to Christmas tree farms affected by the hurricane, but our farmers have weathered the storm and are ready to persevere,” he added.

    A ‘beauty contest’ for Christmas trees

    The White House Christmas tree is selected at a contest hosted by the National Christmas Tree Association, the national trade association and advocacy organization for the farm-grown Christmas tree industry.

    “Every tree selected for the White House is the best tree among those that fit the criteria for height and width,” said O’Connor.

    The tree must be between 18-20 feet tall, and approximately 12 feet wide.

    The North Carolina Fraser fir is the most popular Christmas tree, and the state produces about 20% of all real Christmas trees, according to the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.

    It’s the 16th time a North Carolina Fraser Fir has been selected for the White House, more than any other state in the nation, according to Greene.

    Growers spend years caring for and selecting their trees for the contest.

    “It is a subjective decision, essentially a beauty contest, reached by comparing the trees,” O’Connor said.

    To compete in the contest, tree growers first need to win their state or regional Christmas Tree Association contest.

    “Growers bring their tree entry to the national contest site from all over the country to be displayed for judging,” said O’Connor.

    Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm was named the 2024 Grand Champion Grower.

    “With this award goes the honor of presenting a Christmas tree to the White House,” O’Connor said.

    The farm will cut, wrap and ship the Fraser Fir on November 20 at an event to raise money for hurricane survivors, Cartner said.

    It will arrive at the White House North Portico via jingle bell-bedecked horse and carriage and it will be inspected by the first lady – a tradition since 1966 – which usually marks the kickoff of the White House’s annual holiday festivities.

    The tree will be placed in the center of the White House Blue Room and decorated with a theme that will be unveiled after the Thanksgiving holiday.

    The tree will be presented at a formal ceremony at the White House on November 25.

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  • Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

    Dodgers win World Series in 5 games, overcome 5-run deficit with help of errors to beat Yankees 7-6

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    The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second World Series championship in five seasons, overcoming a five-run deficit with the help of three Yankees defensive miscues and rallying on sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to beat New York 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Alex Verdugo’s RBI single chased Jack Flaherty in the second, and Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning homer against Ryan Brasier built a 5-0 Yankees lead.But errors by Judge in center and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, combined with pitcher Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on Betts’ grounder, helped Los Angeles score five unearned runs in the fifth.After Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly put the Yankees back ahead 6-5, the Dodgers loaded the bases against loser Tommy Kahnle in the eighth before the sacrifice flies off Luke Weaver.Judge doubled off winner Blake Treinen with one out in the bottom half and Chisholm walked. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound with Treinen at 37 pitches.“I looked in his eyes. I said how you feeling? How much more you got?” Roberts recalled. “He said: `I want it.’ I trust him.”Treinen retired Stanton on a flyout and struck out Anthony Rizzo.Walker Buehler, making his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018, pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save.“We’re obviously resilient, but there’s so much love in the clubhouse that won this game today,” Betts said. “That’s what it was. It was love, it was grit. I mean, it was just a beautiful thing. I’m just proud of us and I’m happy for us.”When Buehler struck out Verdugo to end the game, the Dodgers poured onto the field to celebrate between the mound and first base, capping a season in which they won 98 games and finished with the best regular-season record.With several thousand Dodgers fans remaining in a mostly empty stadium, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the trophy on a platform quickly erected over second base.“There’s just a lot of ways we can win baseball games,” Buehler said. “Obviously the superstars we have on our team and the discipline, it just kind of all adds up.”Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ record-setting $700 million signing and baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-steal player, went 2 for 19 with no RBIs and had one single after separating his shoulder during a stolen base attempt in Game 2.Freddie Freeman hit a two-run single to tie the Series record of 12 RBIs, set by Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960, and was voted Series MVP. With the Dodgers one out from losing Friday’s opener, Freeman hit a game-ending grand slam reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s homer off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1988’s Game 1 that sparked Los Angeles to the title.The Dodgers earned their eighth championship and seventh since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles — their first in a non-shortened season since 1988. They won a neutral-site World Series against Tampa Bay in 2020 after a 60-game regular season and couldn’t have a parade because of the coronavirus pandemic.These Dodgers of Ohtani, Freeman & Betts joined the 1955 Duke Snider and Roy Campanella Boys of Summer, the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale era that spanned the three titles from 1959-65, the Tommy Lasorda-led groups 1981 and ’88 and the Betts and Clayton Kershaw champions of 2020.Roberts won his second championship in nine seasons as manager as the Dodgers, matching Lasorda and trailing the four of Walter Alston. The Dodgers won for the fourth time in 12 Series meetings with the Yankees.New York remained without a title since winning its record 27th in 2009. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto from San Diego in December knowing he would be eligible for free agency after the 2024 Series. The 26-year-old star went 5 for 16 one RBI in the Series heading into what will be intensely followed bidding on the open market.Judge finished 4 for 18 with three RBIs.Cole didn’t allow a hit until Kiké Hernández singled leading off the fifth. Judge, who an inning earlier made a leaping catch at the wall to deny Freeman an extra-base hit, dropped Tommy Edman’s fly to center. Shortstop Anthony Volpe then bounced a throw to third on Will Smith’s grounder, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs.Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, and Betts hit a grounder to Rizzo. Cole didn’t cover first, pointing at Rizzo to run to the bag as Betts outraced the first baseman.Freeman followed with a two-run single and Teoscar Hernández hit a tying two-run double. Max Muncy walked before Kiké Hernández grounded into a forceout on Cole’s 48th pitch of the inning.“We just take advantage of every mistake they made in that inning,” Teoscar Hernández said. “We put some good at-bats together. We put the ball in play.”Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Brusdar Graterol put the Yankees ahead 6-5, but the Dodgers rallied one last time in the eighth.Kiké Hernández singled off Tommy Kahnle leading off. Edman followed with an infield hit and Smith walked on four pitches. Lux’s sacrifice fly off Luke Weaver tied the score. Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference and Betts followed with another sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers their first lead.Purchased by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman from Tampa Bay to head their baseball operations two years later. He boosted the front office with a multitude of analytics and performance science staff, and ownership supplied the cash.Los Angeles went on an unprecedented $1.25 billion spending spree last offseason on deals with Ohtani, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton, and outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Much of the money was future obligations that raised the Dodgers’ deferred compensation to $915.5 million owed from 2028-44.Faced with injuries, the Dodgers acquired Flaherty, Edman and reliever Michael Kopech ahead of the trade deadline, and all became important cogs in the title run. The additions boosted payroll to $266 million, third behind the Mets and the Yankees, plus a projected $43 million luxury tax.

    NEW YORK —

    The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second World Series championship in five seasons, overcoming a five-run deficit with the help of three Yankees defensive miscues and rallying on sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts in the eighth inning to beat New York 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

    Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, Alex Verdugo’s RBI single chased Jack Flaherty in the second, and Giancarlo Stanton’s third-inning homer against Ryan Brasier built a 5-0 Yankees lead.

    But errors by Judge in center and Anthony Volpe at shortstop, combined with pitcher Gerrit Cole failing to cover first on Betts’ grounder, helped Los Angeles score five unearned runs in the fifth.

    After Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly put the Yankees back ahead 6-5, the Dodgers loaded the bases against loser Tommy Kahnle in the eighth before the sacrifice flies off Luke Weaver.

    Judge doubled off winner Blake Treinen with one out in the bottom half and Chisholm walked. Manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound with Treinen at 37 pitches.

    “I looked in his eyes. I said how you feeling? How much more you got?” Roberts recalled. “He said: `I want it.’ I trust him.”

    Treinen retired Stanton on a flyout and struck out Anthony Rizzo.

    Walker Buehler, making his first relief appearance since his rookie season in 2018, pitched a perfect ninth for his first major league save.

    “We’re obviously resilient, but there’s so much love in the clubhouse that won this game today,” Betts said. “That’s what it was. It was love, it was grit. I mean, it was just a beautiful thing. I’m just proud of us and I’m happy for us.”

    When Buehler struck out Verdugo to end the game, the Dodgers poured onto the field to celebrate between the mound and first base, capping a season in which they won 98 games and finished with the best regular-season record.

    With several thousand Dodgers fans remaining in a mostly empty stadium, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred presented the trophy on a platform quickly erected over second base.

    “There’s just a lot of ways we can win baseball games,” Buehler said. “Obviously the superstars we have on our team and the discipline, it just kind of all adds up.”

    Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers’ record-setting $700 million signing and baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-steal player, went 2 for 19 with no RBIs and had one single after separating his shoulder during a stolen base attempt in Game 2.

    Freddie Freeman hit a two-run single to tie the Series record of 12 RBIs, set by Bobby Richardson over seven games in 1960, and was voted Series MVP. With the Dodgers one out from losing Friday’s opener, Freeman hit a game-ending grand slam reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s homer off Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1988’s Game 1 that sparked Los Angeles to the title.

    The Dodgers earned their eighth championship and seventh since leaving Brooklyn for Los Angeles — their first in a non-shortened season since 1988. They won a neutral-site World Series against Tampa Bay in 2020 after a 60-game regular season and couldn’t have a parade because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    These Dodgers of Ohtani, Freeman & Betts joined the 1955 Duke Snider and Roy Campanella Boys of Summer, the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale era that spanned the three titles from 1959-65, the Tommy Lasorda-led groups 1981 and ’88 and the Betts and Clayton Kershaw champions of 2020.

    Roberts won his second championship in nine seasons as manager as the Dodgers, matching Lasorda and trailing the four of Walter Alston. The Dodgers won for the fourth time in 12 Series meetings with the Yankees.

    New York remained without a title since winning its record 27th in 2009. The Yankees acquired Juan Soto from San Diego in December knowing he would be eligible for free agency after the 2024 Series. The 26-year-old star went 5 for 16 one RBI in the Series heading into what will be intensely followed bidding on the open market.

    Judge finished 4 for 18 with three RBIs.

    Cole didn’t allow a hit until Kiké Hernández singled leading off the fifth. Judge, who an inning earlier made a leaping catch at the wall to deny Freeman an extra-base hit, dropped Tommy Edman’s fly to center. Shortstop Anthony Volpe then bounced a throw to third on Will Smith’s grounder, allowing the Dodgers to load the bases with no outs.

    Cole struck out Lux and Ohtani, and Betts hit a grounder to Rizzo. Cole didn’t cover first, pointing at Rizzo to run to the bag as Betts outraced the first baseman.

    Freeman followed with a two-run single and Teoscar Hernández hit a tying two-run double. Max Muncy walked before Kiké Hernández grounded into a forceout on Cole’s 48th pitch of the inning.

    “We just take advantage of every mistake they made in that inning,” Teoscar Hernández said. “We put some good at-bats together. We put the ball in play.”

    Stanton’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly off Brusdar Graterol put the Yankees ahead 6-5, but the Dodgers rallied one last time in the eighth.

    Kiké Hernández singled off Tommy Kahnle leading off. Edman followed with an infield hit and Smith walked on four pitches. Lux’s sacrifice fly off Luke Weaver tied the score. Ohtani reached on catcher’s interference and Betts followed with another sacrifice fly to give the Dodgers their first lead.

    Purchased by Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012, the Dodgers hired Andrew Friedman from Tampa Bay to head their baseball operations two years later. He boosted the front office with a multitude of analytics and performance science staff, and ownership supplied the cash.

    Los Angeles went on an unprecedented $1.25 billion spending spree last offseason on deals with Ohtani, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and James Paxton, and outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Much of the money was future obligations that raised the Dodgers’ deferred compensation to $915.5 million owed from 2028-44.

    Faced with injuries, the Dodgers acquired Flaherty, Edman and reliever Michael Kopech ahead of the trade deadline, and all became important cogs in the title run. The additions boosted payroll to $266 million, third behind the Mets and the Yankees, plus a projected $43 million luxury tax.

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  • Volpe slam sparks comeback after Freeman homer, Yanks beat Dodgers 11-4 to force World Series Game 5

    Volpe slam sparks comeback after Freeman homer, Yanks beat Dodgers 11-4 to force World Series Game 5

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    Anthony Volpe’s third-inning grand slam overcame Freddie Freeman’s record-setting home run, and the New York Yankees avoided a World Series sweep with an 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night that forced a Game 5.Freeman homered for his sixth straight Series game, hitting a two-run drive in the first inning for the second straight night and again stunning the Yankee Stadium crowd.Seeking to become the first team to overcome a 3-0 Series deficit, New York surged ahead 5-2 on Alex Verdugo’s RBI grounder in the second and Volpe’s drive against Daniel Hudson in the third. Volpe turned on a first-pitch slider at the knees and drove it into the left-field seats.Volpe came across with New York’s first run when he walked after falling behind 0-2 in the count in the second inning. He also doubled and stole two bases.Austin Wells and Gleyber Torres added homers for the Yankees, who broke open the game with a five-run eighth. New York had scored just seven runs in the first three games.Los Angeles closed within 6-4 in a two-run fifth that included Will Smith’s homer off starter Luis Gil and an RBI grounder by Freeman. Despite a sprained right ankle, Freeman beat a relay to avoid an inning-ending double play on what originally was ruled an out but was reversed in a video review.Wells hit a second-deck homer in the sixth against Landon Knack, and Verdugo added another run-scoring grounder in the eighth ahead of Torres’ three-run homer off Brent Honeywell.Tim Hill, winning pitcher Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Tim Mayza strung together five innings of one-hit relief with seven strikeouts, and the Yankees avoided what would have been their first losing Series sweep since 1976.Game 5 is Wednesday night, with the Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and the Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty meeting in a rematch of Game 1.New York’s Aaron Judge drove in his first run of the Series with an RBI single in the eighth and is 2 for 15 in the four games. Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani also is 2 for 15 after going 1 for 4 with a single, his first hit since partially separating his left shoulder in Game 2.Twenty-one of the previous 24 teams to take 3-0 Series leads went on to sweeps, all but the 1910 Philadelphia Athletics against the Chicago Cubs, the 1937 Yankees against the New York Giants and the 1970 Baltimore Orioles against the Cincinnati Reds. All three of those Series ended in five games.The 2004 Boston Red Sox, sparked by a stolen base from current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, are the only team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in any round, beating the Yankees in the AL Championship Series.New York stopped a seven-game Series losing streak against the Dodgers dating to 1981. The Yankees got their first seven RBIs from the bottom three hitters in their batting order, Volpe, Wells and Verdugo, who had entered 4 for 32 with three RBIs in the Series.Freeman homered when he deposited a slider from Gil into the right-field short porch following Mookie Betts’ one-out double. He became the first player to homer in the first four games of a World Series and his streak of long balls in six straight games is one more than Houston’s George Springer 2017 and ’19.Freeman’s walk-off grand slam with two outs in the 10th inning turned around the opener, giving the Dodgers a 6-3 win. The Yankees had not led since then.Volpe walked in the second against rookie Ben Casparias, reached third on Wells’ double off the center-field wall and scored on Verdugo’s groundout.Losing pitcher Hudson loaded the bases in the third when he Judge with a pitch with one out, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled off the right-field wall and Giancarlo Stanton walked. Anthony Rizzo popped out and Volpe hit the record sixth slam of the postseason.

    NEW YORK —

    Anthony Volpe’s third-inning grand slam overcame Freddie Freeman’s record-setting home run, and the New York Yankees avoided a World Series sweep with an 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night that forced a Game 5.

    Freeman homered for his sixth straight Series game, hitting a two-run drive in the first inning for the second straight night and again stunning the Yankee Stadium crowd.

    Seeking to become the first team to overcome a 3-0 Series deficit, New York surged ahead 5-2 on Alex Verdugo’s RBI grounder in the second and Volpe’s drive against Daniel Hudson in the third. Volpe turned on a first-pitch slider at the knees and drove it into the left-field seats.

    Volpe came across with New York’s first run when he walked after falling behind 0-2 in the count in the second inning. He also doubled and stole two bases.

    Austin Wells and Gleyber Torres added homers for the Yankees, who broke open the game with a five-run eighth. New York had scored just seven runs in the first three games.

    Los Angeles closed within 6-4 in a two-run fifth that included Will Smith’s homer off starter Luis Gil and an RBI grounder by Freeman. Despite a sprained right ankle, Freeman beat a relay to avoid an inning-ending double play on what originally was ruled an out but was reversed in a video review.

    Wells hit a second-deck homer in the sixth against Landon Knack, and Verdugo added another run-scoring grounder in the eighth ahead of Torres’ three-run homer off Brent Honeywell.

    Tim Hill, winning pitcher Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Tim Mayza strung together five innings of one-hit relief with seven strikeouts, and the Yankees avoided what would have been their first losing Series sweep since 1976.

    Game 5 is Wednesday night, with the Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and the Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty meeting in a rematch of Game 1.

    New York’s Aaron Judge drove in his first run of the Series with an RBI single in the eighth and is 2 for 15 in the four games. Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani also is 2 for 15 after going 1 for 4 with a single, his first hit since partially separating his left shoulder in Game 2.

    Twenty-one of the previous 24 teams to take 3-0 Series leads went on to sweeps, all but the 1910 Philadelphia Athletics against the Chicago Cubs, the 1937 Yankees against the New York Giants and the 1970 Baltimore Orioles against the Cincinnati Reds. All three of those Series ended in five games.

    The 2004 Boston Red Sox, sparked by a stolen base from current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, are the only team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in any round, beating the Yankees in the AL Championship Series.

    New York stopped a seven-game Series losing streak against the Dodgers dating to 1981. The Yankees got their first seven RBIs from the bottom three hitters in their batting order, Volpe, Wells and Verdugo, who had entered 4 for 32 with three RBIs in the Series.

    Freeman homered when he deposited a slider from Gil into the right-field short porch following Mookie Betts’ one-out double. He became the first player to homer in the first four games of a World Series and his streak of long balls in six straight games is one more than Houston’s George Springer 2017 and ’19.

    Freeman’s walk-off grand slam with two outs in the 10th inning turned around the opener, giving the Dodgers a 6-3 win. The Yankees had not led since then.

    Volpe walked in the second against rookie Ben Casparias, reached third on Wells’ double off the center-field wall and scored on Verdugo’s groundout.

    Losing pitcher Hudson loaded the bases in the third when he Judge with a pitch with one out, Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled off the right-field wall and Giancarlo Stanton walked. Anthony Rizzo popped out and Volpe hit the record sixth slam of the postseason.

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  • VIDEO: DNA links skull found in Illinois home in 1978 to teen who died in 1866

    VIDEO: DNA links skull found in Illinois home in 1978 to teen who died in 1866

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    VIDEO: DNA links skull found in an Illinois home in the 1970s to a teen who died in Indiana in 1866

    Coroners in Kane County, Illinois, have resolved a cold case that lingered for more than 45 years. It involves a skull discovered hidden in a home’s wall.Located in Batavia, Illinois, the house dates back to the mid-1800s. In 1978, the owner found the skull behind the drywall, leading to an investigation. However, the case went cold due to the inability to identify the remains. That’s until Kane County Coroner Rob Russell began seeking answers.”We had the means to do it. So why not do it?” Russell told WLS.ARAIM Labs in Texas, doing careful research, identified the skull as belonging to Esther Granger, who died during childbirth at the age of 17 in 1866. Her identity was confirmed through a DNA match with her great-great-grandson, Wayne Svilar, 69, who lives in Portland.”There is this sense of closure. I wish my mom was still here,” Svilar said.Authorities believe Granger died in Indiana, and they theorize that grave robbers may have taken her remains to Batavia.”Our running theory is that the skull was probably taken by someone studying medicine who needed a cadaver,” said Michael Vogan of Othram Labs.While some answers have surfaced, many questions remain.”We don’t have any names of anybody in town or relation to her. She’s kind of a mystery to us,” said Batavia Mayor Jeffrey Schielke.WLS reports that Granger’s last known address was in Indiana, and investigators acknowledge that it may never be clear how her remains ended up in Batavia, which is now her final resting place.Batavia is located around 43 miles outside of Chicago.See more in the video player above.

    (Video: WLS, KANE COUNTY CORONER’S OFFICE, CNN via CNN Newsource) —

    Coroners in Kane County, Illinois, have resolved a cold case that lingered for more than 45 years. It involves a skull discovered hidden in a home’s wall.

    Located in Batavia, Illinois, the house dates back to the mid-1800s. In 1978, the owner found the skull behind the drywall, leading to an investigation. However, the case went cold due to the inability to identify the remains. That’s until Kane County Coroner Rob Russell began seeking answers.

    “We had the means to do it. So why not do it?” Russell told WLS.

    ARAIM Labs in Texas, doing careful research, identified the skull as belonging to Esther Granger, who died during childbirth at the age of 17 in 1866. Her identity was confirmed through a DNA match with her great-great-grandson, Wayne Svilar, 69, who lives in Portland.

    “There is this sense of closure. I wish my mom was still here,” Svilar said.

    Authorities believe Granger died in Indiana, and they theorize that grave robbers may have taken her remains to Batavia.

    “Our running theory is that the skull was probably taken by someone studying medicine who needed a cadaver,” said Michael Vogan of Othram Labs.

    While some answers have surfaced, many questions remain.

    “We don’t have any names of anybody in town or relation to her. She’s kind of a mystery to us,” said Batavia Mayor Jeffrey Schielke.

    WLS reports that Granger’s last known address was in Indiana, and investigators acknowledge that it may never be clear how her remains ended up in Batavia, which is now her final resting place.

    Batavia is located around 43 miles outside of Chicago.

    See more in the video player above.

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  • Wrong-way driver passes vice presidential motorcade in Wisconsin

    Wrong-way driver passes vice presidential motorcade in Wisconsin

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    A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on the interstate nearly struck a vehicle containing Vice President Kamala Harris Monday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Sister station WISN obtained video from about 8:20 p.m. Monday showing the driver getting onto Interstate 794 via an offramp. The white car heads west into the eastbound lanes just as the motorcade is approaching on what was an otherwise closed-off freeway. The vehicle is seen moving to the left lanes as the first squad at the head of the motorcade passes by. Each of the more than a dozen vehicles then drives past the car until the final ones, driven by Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputies, make a traffic stop. The driver has been identified as a 55-year-old Milwaukee man, whom WISN did not identify as of early Wednesday morning because he had yet to be formally charged. According to an arrest report obtained by WISN, when the man was told by a deputy he’d “almost struck a vehicle in the VPOTUS’ motorcade, he was extremely surprised and had no recollection of entering the freeway or coming close to striking another vehicle. He also stated he did not have any intention of harming Vice President Kamala Harris or anybody related to her campaign.” According to the report, the man failed several field sobriety tests and had an open beer can in his vehicle. He was arrested for drunken driving and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He remained in jail Tuesday night without bail, awaiting a hearing. The Harris campaign referred any questions regarding the incident to the United States Secret Service. “The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the incident involving a motorist traveling in the opposite direction on the highway while the Vice President was in her motorcade. We are grateful to the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Office for their response which allowed them to stop the motorist and take the driver into custody for DUI,” Secret Service Spokesperson Joe Routh told WISN.

    MILWAUKEE —

    A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on the interstate nearly struck a vehicle containing Vice President Kamala Harris Monday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

    Sister station WISN obtained video from about 8:20 p.m. Monday showing the driver getting onto Interstate 794 via an offramp. The white car heads west into the eastbound lanes just as the motorcade is approaching on what was an otherwise closed-off freeway.

    The vehicle is seen moving to the left lanes as the first squad at the head of the motorcade passes by. Each of the more than a dozen vehicles then drives past the car until the final ones, driven by Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Deputies, make a traffic stop.

    The driver has been identified as a 55-year-old Milwaukee man, whom WISN did not identify as of early Wednesday morning because he had yet to be formally charged.

    According to an arrest report obtained by WISN, when the man was told by a deputy he’d “almost struck a vehicle in the VPOTUS’ motorcade, he was extremely surprised and had no recollection of entering the freeway or coming close to striking another vehicle. He also stated he did not have any intention of harming Vice President Kamala Harris or anybody related to her campaign.”

    According to the report, the man failed several field sobriety tests and had an open beer can in his vehicle.

    He was arrested for drunken driving and second-degree recklessly endangering safety. He remained in jail Tuesday night without bail, awaiting a hearing.

    The Harris campaign referred any questions regarding the incident to the United States Secret Service.

    “The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the incident involving a motorist traveling in the opposite direction on the highway while the Vice President was in her motorcade. We are grateful to the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Office for their response which allowed them to stop the motorist and take the driver into custody for DUI,” Secret Service Spokesperson Joe Routh told WISN.

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  • Search for missing Maine teen leads to discovery of human remains, but they aren’t hers

    Search for missing Maine teen leads to discovery of human remains, but they aren’t hers

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    JIM KEITHLEY VISITED THE SCENE FOR AN UPDATE ON THE CASE. “ONE STREET OVER AND UP AN HILL FROM WHERE KIM MOREAU LIVED, HER FATHER WITH THE HELP OF PSYCHIC ON SATURDAY JUST BEFORE NOON, DISCOVERED A SET OF REMAINS IN THE WOODS BEHIND WHAT WAS AN OLD BOWLING ALLEY ON ELM STREET.” “SHE HAD A VERY STRONG FEELING THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING UP HERE BUT SHE WASN’T SURE WHAT IT WAS.” “ABOUT TEN MINUTES.” “SHE TURNED AROUND, SHE CAME DOWN AND SAID – DICK YOU NEED TO GET DOWN HERE NOW.” DICK MOREAU TOOK US DOWN TO THE EXACT SPOT. STATE POLICE WERE CALLED, THE REMAINS WERE RECOVERED AND TAKEN TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE TO BE IDENTIFIED. MOREAU LEARNED THE DISAPPOINTING NEWS – IT’S NOT KIM – THE REMAINS WERE THAT OF A MALE. “YES, IT’S A DISAPPOINTED JIM, BUT WE GOT TO REMEMBER AND LOOK AT IT FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW – WE’RE ONE OF THE FAMILIES THAT HAS A MISSING LOVED ONE, WE WILL HAVE A FAMILY THAT’S GOING TO GET CLOSURE NOW. IT ISN’T US, BUT ONE OF THESE TIMES IT’S GOT TO BE.” KIM WENT MISSING IN MAY OF 1986 – HER SISTER SAID KIM LEFT THE FAMILY HOME ON JEWELL STREET, AND SAID SHE WAS GOING OUT FOR HOUR…SHE WAS NEVER SEEN AGAIN. AROUND THAT SAME TIME A MAN NAMED HAROLD SIMPSON WENT MISSING. HE WAS 28, FROM LIVERMORE FALLS. HE WAS LAST SEEN FISHING WITH A FRIEND, IN AUGUST 1986 – THREE MONTHS AFTER KIM DISAPPEARED. POLICE HAVE NOT MADE ANY CONNECTION TO THE SKELETON REMAINS FOUND OVER THE WEEKEND. FOR DICK MOREAU – THE SEARCH FOR KIM CONTINUES. “ALL WE WANT IS TO GET KIM HOME, GIVE HER A PROPER BURIAL AND LET ME TAKE DOWN ALL THESE POSTERS SO MY FAMILY, AND MYSELF WILL FINALLY GET SOME RELIEF.” “MOREAU SAYS HE’S GOING TO ASK POLICE TO COME BACK HERE WITH SEARCH DOGS BECAUSE HE WONDERS – IF THERE WAS ONE SET OF REMAINS, MAYBE THERE ARE MORE. HE ISN’T GIVING

    Search for missing Maine teen leads to discovery of human remains, but they aren’t hers

    A Maine man who has been searching for his missing daughter for nearly 40 years found human remains with the help of a psychic, but they were not those of his daughter.Dick Moreau said he discovered the remains Saturday in a wooded area of Jay, Maine, behind what was once a bowling alley.”(The psychic) had a very strong feeling that there was something up there, but she wasn’t sure what it was,” Moreau said. “Then in about 10 minutes, she turned around, she came down and said: ‘Dick, you’ve got to get up here now!’”Jay is around 70 miles from Portland, Maine, and around 31 miles from Lewiston, Maine.Maine State Police investigators were called to the scene, and the remains were recovered and taken to the office of the chief medical examiner for identification.Moreau later learned the remains were those of a male and not those of his daughter, Kim Moreau.”Yes, it’s a disappointment in some ways, but we’ve got to remember and look at it from our point of view. We’re one of the families that has a missing loved one. We will have a family that’s going to get closure now,” Moreau said. “So it isn’t us, but one of these times, it’s got to be.”Kim Moreau went missing in May 1986 after leaving her family home on Jewell Street, saying she was going out for an hour. She was never seen again. The site where Dick Moreau found the remains is one street over and up a hill from the family’s home.Around the same time, Harold Simpson, a 28-year-old from Livermore Falls, also went missing. He was last seen fishing with a friend in August 1986, three months after Kim disappeared.Police have not made any connection between Simpson and the remains that were found.For Dick Moreau, the search for Kim Moreau continues.”All we want is to get Kim home, give her a proper burial and let me take down all these posters so my family and myself will finally get some relief,” he said.Moreau plans to ask police to return to the area with search dogs, hoping that if one set of remains was found, there might be more. He remains determined to find his daughter.

    JAY, Maine —

    A Maine man who has been searching for his missing daughter for nearly 40 years found human remains with the help of a psychic, but they were not those of his daughter.

    Dick Moreau said he discovered the remains Saturday in a wooded area of Jay, Maine, behind what was once a bowling alley.

    “(The psychic) had a very strong feeling that there was something up there, but she wasn’t sure what it was,” Moreau said. “Then in about 10 minutes, she turned around, she came down and said: ‘Dick, you’ve got to get up here now!’”

    Jay is around 70 miles from Portland, Maine, and around 31 miles from Lewiston, Maine.

    Maine State Police investigators were called to the scene, and the remains were recovered and taken to the office of the chief medical examiner for identification.

    Moreau later learned the remains were those of a male and not those of his daughter, Kim Moreau.

    “Yes, it’s a disappointment in some ways, but we’ve got to remember and look at it from our point of view. We’re one of the families that has a missing loved one. We will have a family that’s going to get closure now,” Moreau said. “So it isn’t us, but one of these times, it’s got to be.”

    Kim Moreau went missing in May 1986 after leaving her family home on Jewell Street, saying she was going out for an hour. She was never seen again. The site where Dick Moreau found the remains is one street over and up a hill from the family’s home.

    Around the same time, Harold Simpson, a 28-year-old from Livermore Falls, also went missing. He was last seen fishing with a friend in August 1986, three months after Kim disappeared.

    Police have not made any connection between Simpson and the remains that were found.

    For Dick Moreau, the search for Kim Moreau continues.

    “All we want is to get Kim home, give her a proper burial and let me take down all these posters so my family and myself will finally get some relief,” he said.

    Moreau plans to ask police to return to the area with search dogs, hoping that if one set of remains was found, there might be more. He remains determined to find his daughter.

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  • Search for missing Maine teen leads to discovery of human remains, but they aren’t hers

    Search for missing Maine teen leads to discovery of human remains, but they aren’t hers

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    JIM KEITHLEY VISITED THE SCENE FOR AN UPDATE ON THE CASE. “ONE STREET OVER AND UP AN HILL FROM WHERE KIM MOREAU LIVED, HER FATHER WITH THE HELP OF PSYCHIC ON SATURDAY JUST BEFORE NOON, DISCOVERED A SET OF REMAINS IN THE WOODS BEHIND WHAT WAS AN OLD BOWLING ALLEY ON ELM STREET.” “SHE HAD A VERY STRONG FEELING THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING UP HERE BUT SHE WASN’T SURE WHAT IT WAS.” “ABOUT TEN MINUTES.” “SHE TURNED AROUND, SHE CAME DOWN AND SAID – DICK YOU NEED TO GET DOWN HERE NOW.” DICK MOREAU TOOK US DOWN TO THE EXACT SPOT. STATE POLICE WERE CALLED, THE REMAINS WERE RECOVERED AND TAKEN TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER’S OFFICE TO BE IDENTIFIED. MOREAU LEARNED THE DISAPPOINTING NEWS – IT’S NOT KIM – THE REMAINS WERE THAT OF A MALE. “YES, IT’S A DISAPPOINTED JIM, BUT WE GOT TO REMEMBER AND LOOK AT IT FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW – WE’RE ONE OF THE FAMILIES THAT HAS A MISSING LOVED ONE, WE WILL HAVE A FAMILY THAT’S GOING TO GET CLOSURE NOW. IT ISN’T US, BUT ONE OF THESE TIMES IT’S GOT TO BE.” KIM WENT MISSING IN MAY OF 1986 – HER SISTER SAID KIM LEFT THE FAMILY HOME ON JEWELL STREET, AND SAID SHE WAS GOING OUT FOR HOUR…SHE WAS NEVER SEEN AGAIN. AROUND THAT SAME TIME A MAN NAMED HAROLD SIMPSON WENT MISSING. HE WAS 28, FROM LIVERMORE FALLS. HE WAS LAST SEEN FISHING WITH A FRIEND, IN AUGUST 1986 – THREE MONTHS AFTER KIM DISAPPEARED. POLICE HAVE NOT MADE ANY CONNECTION TO THE SKELETON REMAINS FOUND OVER THE WEEKEND. FOR DICK MOREAU – THE SEARCH FOR KIM CONTINUES. “ALL WE WANT IS TO GET KIM HOME, GIVE HER A PROPER BURIAL AND LET ME TAKE DOWN ALL THESE POSTERS SO MY FAMILY, AND MYSELF WILL FINALLY GET SOME RELIEF.” “MOREAU SAYS HE’S GOING TO ASK POLICE TO COME BACK HERE WITH SEARCH DOGS BECAUSE HE WONDERS – IF THERE WAS ONE SET OF REMAINS, MAYBE THERE ARE MORE. HE ISN’T GIVING

    Search for missing Maine teen leads to discovery of human remains, but they aren’t hers

    A Maine man who has been searching for his missing daughter for nearly 40 years found human remains with the help of a psychic, but they were not those of his daughter.Dick Moreau said he discovered the remains Saturday in a wooded area of Jay, Maine, behind what was once a bowling alley.”(The psychic) had a very strong feeling that there was something up there, but she wasn’t sure what it was,” Moreau said. “Then in about 10 minutes, she turned around, she came down and said: ‘Dick, you’ve got to get up here now!’”Jay is around 70 miles from Portland, Maine, and around 31 miles from Lewiston, Maine.Maine State Police investigators were called to the scene, and the remains were recovered and taken to the office of the chief medical examiner for identification.Moreau later learned the remains were those of a male and not those of his daughter, Kim Moreau.”Yes, it’s a disappointment in some ways, but we’ve got to remember and look at it from our point of view. We’re one of the families that has a missing loved one. We will have a family that’s going to get closure now,” Moreau said. “So it isn’t us, but one of these times, it’s got to be.”Kim Moreau went missing in May 1986 after leaving her family home on Jewell Street, saying she was going out for an hour. She was never seen again. The site where Dick Moreau found the remains is one street over and up a hill from the family’s home.Around the same time, Harold Simpson, a 28-year-old from Livermore Falls, also went missing. He was last seen fishing with a friend in August 1986, three months after Kim disappeared.Police have not made any connection between Simpson and the remains that were found.For Dick Moreau, the search for Kim Moreau continues.”All we want is to get Kim home, give her a proper burial and let me take down all these posters so my family and myself will finally get some relief,” he said.Moreau plans to ask police to return to the area with search dogs, hoping that if one set of remains was found, there might be more. He remains determined to find his daughter.

    JAY, Maine —

    A Maine man who has been searching for his missing daughter for nearly 40 years found human remains with the help of a psychic, but they were not those of his daughter.

    Dick Moreau said he discovered the remains Saturday in a wooded area of Jay, Maine, behind what was once a bowling alley.

    “(The psychic) had a very strong feeling that there was something up there, but she wasn’t sure what it was,” Moreau said. “Then in about 10 minutes, she turned around, she came down and said: ‘Dick, you’ve got to get up here now!’”

    Jay is around 70 miles from Portland, Maine, and around 31 miles from Lewiston, Maine.

    Maine State Police investigators were called to the scene, and the remains were recovered and taken to the office of the chief medical examiner for identification.

    Moreau later learned the remains were those of a male and not those of his daughter, Kim Moreau.

    “Yes, it’s a disappointment in some ways, but we’ve got to remember and look at it from our point of view. We’re one of the families that has a missing loved one. We will have a family that’s going to get closure now,” Moreau said. “So it isn’t us, but one of these times, it’s got to be.”

    Kim Moreau went missing in May 1986 after leaving her family home on Jewell Street, saying she was going out for an hour. She was never seen again. The site where Dick Moreau found the remains is one street over and up a hill from the family’s home.

    Around the same time, Harold Simpson, a 28-year-old from Livermore Falls, also went missing. He was last seen fishing with a friend in August 1986, three months after Kim disappeared.

    Police have not made any connection between Simpson and the remains that were found.

    For Dick Moreau, the search for Kim Moreau continues.

    “All we want is to get Kim home, give her a proper burial and let me take down all these posters so my family and myself will finally get some relief,” he said.

    Moreau plans to ask police to return to the area with search dogs, hoping that if one set of remains was found, there might be more. He remains determined to find his daughter.

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  • Moderate flooding is expected from a glacial dam outburst in Alaska’s capital city

    Moderate flooding is expected from a glacial dam outburst in Alaska’s capital city

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    A flood warning was issued Saturday after an outburst from a glacial lake in Alaska’s capital.Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above the city of Juneau. Since 2011 it has released glacier lake outburst floods each year that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River. Related video above: UN Report Indicates 2023 Had Record Lows for Global River Flows”We expect moderate flooding from this event, not major flooding,” said Nicole Serrin, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau.Residents had 24 to 36 hours to prepare for flooding, she said. The flood warning was in effect until Monday. The forecast called for the river to crest at around 11 to 11.5 feet early that day, the weather service said. Officials warned people to stay away from the river. Recent snow has made the banks very slippery. Suicide Basin fills with rainwater and snowmelt during the spring and summer and at a certain point builds enough pressure to force its way out through channels it carves beneath Mendenhall Glacier.The basin started refilling with fall rain over the last couple of months, Serrin said. It was not certain how quickly it will drain or if it will empty completely.In August an estimated 100 homes and some businesses were damaged after the lake sent floodwaters into neighborhoods. The Mendenhall River crested at 15.99 feet then, a new record, topping the level during last year’s flood by about a foot, and the water reached farther into the Mendenhall Valley, officials said.Juneau, a city of about 30,000 people in southeast Alaska, is reachable only by plane or boat.

    JUNEAU, Alaska —

    A flood warning was issued Saturday after an outburst from a glacial lake in Alaska’s capital.

    Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above the city of Juneau. Since 2011 it has released glacier lake outburst floods each year that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River.

    Related video above: UN Report Indicates 2023 Had Record Lows for Global River Flows

    “We expect moderate flooding from this event, not major flooding,” said Nicole Serrin, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau.

    Residents had 24 to 36 hours to prepare for flooding, she said. The flood warning was in effect until Monday.

    The forecast called for the river to crest at around 11 to 11.5 feet early that day, the weather service said.

    Officials warned people to stay away from the river. Recent snow has made the banks very slippery.

    Suicide Basin fills with rainwater and snowmelt during the spring and summer and at a certain point builds enough pressure to force its way out through channels it carves beneath Mendenhall Glacier.

    The basin started refilling with fall rain over the last couple of months, Serrin said. It was not certain how quickly it will drain or if it will empty completely.

    In August an estimated 100 homes and some businesses were damaged after the lake sent floodwaters into neighborhoods.

    The Mendenhall River crested at 15.99 feet then, a new record, topping the level during last year’s flood by about a foot, and the water reached farther into the Mendenhall Valley, officials said.

    Juneau, a city of about 30,000 people in southeast Alaska, is reachable only by plane or boat.

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  • The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds

    The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds

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    Two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, according to a military investigation into the January deaths.The review concluded that the drownings of Chief Special Warfare Operator Christopher J. Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Nathan Gage Ingram could have been prevented. But both sank quickly in the high seas off the coast of Somalia, weighed down by heavy equipment they were carrying and not knowing or disregarding concerns that their flotation devices could not compensate for the additional weight. Both were lost at sea.Related video above: Chambers was remembered in his hometown in JanuaryThe highly critical and heavily redacted report — written by a Navy officer from outside Naval Special Warfare Command, which oversees the SEALs — concluded there were “deficiencies, gaps and inconsistencies” in training, policies, tactics and procedures as well as “conflicting guidance” on when and how to use emergency flotation devices and extra buoyancy material that could have kept them alive.The Associated Press obtained the report upon request before its public release.The mission’s goal was to intercept weapons headed to the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began a year ago. U.S. retaliatory strikes have so far not deterred their assaults.Mission gone wrongChambers and Ingram, members of SEAL Team 3, died during a nighttime mission to board an unflagged ship in the Arabian Sea. Their names were redacted in the report, but officials have confirmed Chambers slipped and fell as he was climbing onto the ship’s deck and Ingram jumped in to try to save him.“Encumbered by the weight of each individual’s gear, neither their physical capability nor emergency supplemental flotations devices, if activated, were sufficient to keep them at the surface,” Rear Adm. Michael DeVore wrote in the report.The report said Chambers was “intermittently” at the surface for 26 seconds after his fall and Ingram was at the surface for about 32 seconds.“The entire tragic event elapsed in just 47 seconds and two NSW warriors were lost to the sea,” DeVore wrote, referring to Naval Special Warfare Command.Flotation equipment that was properly maintained, working well and used correctly would have been able to keep them afloat until they were rescued, the report said. Other team members told investigators that while they knew the importance of their tactical flotation system — which includes two inflatable floats that attach to a belt and foam inserts that can be added — few had ever operated one in training and there is little instruction on how to wear it.The report said the team was operating in 6- to 8-foot seas, and while the vessel they were boarding was rolling in the waves, the conditions were well within their abilities.As time went on, however, the rolling increased, and Chambers tried to board by jumping from his combat craft’s engine compartment to the top rail of the ship they were boarding, the report said. Some of the commandos used an attachable ladder, but because of the waves, others jumped to the top rail, which they said was within reach but slippery.Chambers’ hands slipped off the rail, and he fell 9 feet into the water. Based on video of the mission, he was able to grab the lower rung of the ladder, but when he turned to try to get back to the combat craft, he was swept under by a wave.Eleven seconds after he fell, Ingram jumped in. For at least 10 seconds, video shows they were above water intermittently and at times were able to grab a ladder extension that was submerged. But both were knocked about by waves. The last sighting of Chambers was about 26 seconds after he fell.At one point, Ingram tried to climb back on the ladder but was overcome by a wave. He appeared to try to deploy his flotation device, but within two seconds, an unattached water wing was seen about a foot away from him. He also seemed to try to remove some of his equipment, but he slipped underwater and was not seen again. The sea depth was about 12,000 feet.‘Shock and disbelief’Both were wearing body armor, and Ingram also was carrying radio equipment that added as much as 40 more pounds. Each of the inflatable floats can lift a minimum of 40 pounds in seawater, the report said.It said members of the SEAL team expressed “shock and disbelief” that Chambers, their strongest swimmer, could not stay at the surface. The report concluded that the conflicting and meager guidance on the flotation devices may have left it to individuals to configure their buoyancy needs, potentially leading to mistakes.While SEALs routinely conduct pre-mission “buddy checks” to review each other’s gear, it said Ingram’s flotation equipment may have been incorrectly attached and a more thorough buddy exam could have discovered that.SEAL team members also told investigators that adding the foam inserts makes the flotation device more bulky and it becomes more difficult to climb or crawl.The report said SEAL Team 3 members began prompt and appropriate man-overboard procedures “within seconds,” and there were two helicopters and two drones overhead providing surveillance, light and video for the mission.After 10 days, the search was called off because of the water depth and low probability of finding the two.“The Navy respects the sanctity of human remains and recognized the sea as a fit and final resting place,” the report said.Chambers, 37, of Maryland, enlisted in the Navy in 2012 and graduated from SEAL training in 2014. Ingram, 27, of Texas, enlisted in 2019 and graduated from SEAL training in 2021.Changes to trainingIn response to the investigation, Naval Special Warfare Command said changes are already being made to training and guidance. It said the command is considering developing a force-wide policy to address water safety during maritime operations and is setting standard procedures for buoyancy requirements.Other changes would refine man-overboard procedures, pre-mission checks and maintenance of flotation devices. It also said it’s looking into “fail safe” buoyancy equipment and plans to review safety processes.Rear Adm. Keith Davids, who headed the command at the time of the mission, said it would learn from the tragic deaths and “doggedly pursue” recommended changes. Davids left the job in August in a routine change of command and is in the process of retiring.The report recommends that Ingram receive a commendation for heroism for giving his life while trying to save his teammate. That recommendation is under review. Both were posthumously promoted one rank.According to a separate Defense Intelligence Agency report, the Jan. 11 mission seized Iranian “propulsion, guidance systems and warheads” for medium-range ballistic missiles and antiship cruise missiles destined for the Houthis.

    WASHINGTON —

    Two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, according to a military investigation into the January deaths.

    The review concluded that the drownings of Chief Special Warfare Operator Christopher J. Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Nathan Gage Ingram could have been prevented. But both sank quickly in the high seas off the coast of Somalia, weighed down by heavy equipment they were carrying and not knowing or disregarding concerns that their flotation devices could not compensate for the additional weight. Both were lost at sea.

    Related video above: Chambers was remembered in his hometown in January

    The highly critical and heavily redacted report — written by a Navy officer from outside Naval Special Warfare Command, which oversees the SEALs — concluded there were “deficiencies, gaps and inconsistencies” in training, policies, tactics and procedures as well as “conflicting guidance” on when and how to use emergency flotation devices and extra buoyancy material that could have kept them alive.

    The Associated Press obtained the report upon request before its public release.

    Department of Defense via AP

    This combo image, provided by the Department of Defense, shows Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers, left, and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram, right. Chambers and Ingram died while boarding an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen, Jan. 11, 2024, in the Arabian Sea. (Department of Defense via AP, File)

    The mission’s goal was to intercept weapons headed to the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, who have been launching missile and drone attacks against commercial and U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began a year ago. U.S. retaliatory strikes have so far not deterred their assaults.

    Mission gone wrong

    Chambers and Ingram, members of SEAL Team 3, died during a nighttime mission to board an unflagged ship in the Arabian Sea. Their names were redacted in the report, but officials have confirmed Chambers slipped and fell as he was climbing onto the ship’s deck and Ingram jumped in to try to save him.

    “Encumbered by the weight of each individual’s gear, neither their physical capability nor emergency supplemental flotations devices, if activated, were sufficient to keep them at the surface,” Rear Adm. Michael DeVore wrote in the report.

    The report said Chambers was “intermittently” at the surface for 26 seconds after his fall and Ingram was at the surface for about 32 seconds.

    “The entire tragic event elapsed in just 47 seconds and two NSW warriors were lost to the sea,” DeVore wrote, referring to Naval Special Warfare Command.

    Flotation equipment that was properly maintained, working well and used correctly would have been able to keep them afloat until they were rescued, the report said. Other team members told investigators that while they knew the importance of their tactical flotation system — which includes two inflatable floats that attach to a belt and foam inserts that can be added — few had ever operated one in training and there is little instruction on how to wear it.

    The report said the team was operating in 6- to 8-foot seas, and while the vessel they were boarding was rolling in the waves, the conditions were well within their abilities.

    As time went on, however, the rolling increased, and Chambers tried to board by jumping from his combat craft’s engine compartment to the top rail of the ship they were boarding, the report said. Some of the commandos used an attachable ladder, but because of the waves, others jumped to the top rail, which they said was within reach but slippery.

    Chambers’ hands slipped off the rail, and he fell 9 feet into the water. Based on video of the mission, he was able to grab the lower rung of the ladder, but when he turned to try to get back to the combat craft, he was swept under by a wave.

    Eleven seconds after he fell, Ingram jumped in. For at least 10 seconds, video shows they were above water intermittently and at times were able to grab a ladder extension that was submerged. But both were knocked about by waves. The last sighting of Chambers was about 26 seconds after he fell.

    At one point, Ingram tried to climb back on the ladder but was overcome by a wave. He appeared to try to deploy his flotation device, but within two seconds, an unattached water wing was seen about a foot away from him. He also seemed to try to remove some of his equipment, but he slipped underwater and was not seen again. The sea depth was about 12,000 feet.

    ‘Shock and disbelief’

    Both were wearing body armor, and Ingram also was carrying radio equipment that added as much as 40 more pounds. Each of the inflatable floats can lift a minimum of 40 pounds in seawater, the report said.

    It said members of the SEAL team expressed “shock and disbelief” that Chambers, their strongest swimmer, could not stay at the surface. The report concluded that the conflicting and meager guidance on the flotation devices may have left it to individuals to configure their buoyancy needs, potentially leading to mistakes.

    While SEALs routinely conduct pre-mission “buddy checks” to review each other’s gear, it said Ingram’s flotation equipment may have been incorrectly attached and a more thorough buddy exam could have discovered that.

    SEAL team members also told investigators that adding the foam inserts makes the flotation device more bulky and it becomes more difficult to climb or crawl.

    The report said SEAL Team 3 members began prompt and appropriate man-overboard procedures “within seconds,” and there were two helicopters and two drones overhead providing surveillance, light and video for the mission.

    After 10 days, the search was called off because of the water depth and low probability of finding the two.

    “The Navy respects the sanctity of human remains and recognized the sea as a fit and final resting place,” the report said.

    Chambers, 37, of Maryland, enlisted in the Navy in 2012 and graduated from SEAL training in 2014. Ingram, 27, of Texas, enlisted in 2019 and graduated from SEAL training in 2021.

    Changes to training

    In response to the investigation, Naval Special Warfare Command said changes are already being made to training and guidance. It said the command is considering developing a force-wide policy to address water safety during maritime operations and is setting standard procedures for buoyancy requirements.

    Other changes would refine man-overboard procedures, pre-mission checks and maintenance of flotation devices. It also said it’s looking into “fail safe” buoyancy equipment and plans to review safety processes.

    Rear Adm. Keith Davids, who headed the command at the time of the mission, said it would learn from the tragic deaths and “doggedly pursue” recommended changes. Davids left the job in August in a routine change of command and is in the process of retiring.

    The report recommends that Ingram receive a commendation for heroism for giving his life while trying to save his teammate. That recommendation is under review. Both were posthumously promoted one rank.

    According to a separate Defense Intelligence Agency report, the Jan. 11 mission seized Iranian “propulsion, guidance systems and warheads” for medium-range ballistic missiles and antiship cruise missiles destined for the Houthis.

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  • An elevator malfunction killed 1 and trapped 12 at a Colorado tourist mine

    An elevator malfunction killed 1 and trapped 12 at a Colorado tourist mine

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    Investigators on Friday were trying to figure out what led to an elevator accident inside a former Colorado gold mine that killed a tour guide, injured four others and left 12 people trapped for hours at the bottom of the tourist attraction 1,000 feet beneath the surface.The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek in the mountains near Colorado Springs on Thursday when the door malfunctioned around 500 feet beneath the surface, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.Victim Patrick Weier, 46, was a guide at the mine and a father from the nearby town of Victor, Colorado. The exact circumstances of his death were not disclosed, but the sheriff said he died because of the elevator’s mechanical issue and not due to a medical issue.Eleven other people, including two children, who were riding the elevator during the mishap were brought up with it following the accident. Four had minor injuries including back pain, neck pain and arm pain, the sheriff said.Twelve adults from a second group were trapped for about six hours Thursday below ground while engineers made sure the elevator could be used. The group had access to water and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said.They were hoisted up in groups of four over 30 minutes. Officials had been prepared to bring them up by rope if necessary.Most people who were in the elevator when it malfunctioned were later taken to a local relief center where some got showers, new clothes and sandwiches, said Ted Borden, with the Community of Caring Foundation in Cripple Creek.“It was still very raw, but there was some good camaraderie,” Borden said.Video below: Aerial video shows the gold mine rescue underway in Teller County, ColoradoElevator accidents at mines are extremely rare, said Steven Schafrik, a University of Kentucky associate professor of mining engineering. They have been used by the industry to carry people and material since the mid-1800s, he said, and modern elevators are equipped with fail-safe devices that prevent them from falling far if a cable breaks.“They’re just ridiculously safe,” Schafrik said of mining elevators.He declined to comment directly on the Colorado accident.Mikesell said the family that owns the mine had operated it for many years and worked to make it safe.“Anytime you’re dealing with machinery and a 1,000 foot level at the 500 feet level in a mine, there could be accidents,” he said.Mines that operate as tourist attractions in Colorado must designate someone to inspect the mines and the transportation systems daily, according to the state Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Mikesell said he didn’t know the date of the last inspection at the Mollie Kathleen Mine. Records of the inspections weren’t immediately available online.Changes to the elevator were made in 1988 after the mine came under new ownership, according to the mine’s website. A second elevator that could carry nine people was suspended below the existing elevator, and a new motor was installed to accommodate the increased weight, the website says.The accident was under investigation by local and state authorities along with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.The incident, which was reported to authorities at about noon, happened during the final week of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine season before it shuts down for the winter, Mikesell said.The mine’s owners issued a statement Friday expressing their condolences and thanking emergency responders. The mine will be closed until further notice, they said.Cripple Creek is a town of about 1,100 in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Colorado Springs.The mine opened in the 1800s and closed in 1961, but still operates tours. Its website describes a one-hour tour. It says visitors can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.A woman named Mollie Kathleen Gortner discovered the site of the mine in 1891 when she saw quartz laced with gold, according to the company’s website.

    DENVER —

    Investigators on Friday were trying to figure out what led to an elevator accident inside a former Colorado gold mine that killed a tour guide, injured four others and left 12 people trapped for hours at the bottom of the tourist attraction 1,000 feet beneath the surface.

    The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek in the mountains near Colorado Springs on Thursday when the door malfunctioned around 500 feet beneath the surface, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

    Victim Patrick Weier, 46, was a guide at the mine and a father from the nearby town of Victor, Colorado. The exact circumstances of his death were not disclosed, but the sheriff said he died because of the elevator’s mechanical issue and not due to a medical issue.

    Eleven other people, including two children, who were riding the elevator during the mishap were brought up with it following the accident. Four had minor injuries including back pain, neck pain and arm pain, the sheriff said.

    Twelve adults from a second group were trapped for about six hours Thursday below ground while engineers made sure the elevator could be used. The group had access to water and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said.

    They were hoisted up in groups of four over 30 minutes. Officials had been prepared to bring them up by rope if necessary.

    Most people who were in the elevator when it malfunctioned were later taken to a local relief center where some got showers, new clothes and sandwiches, said Ted Borden, with the Community of Caring Foundation in Cripple Creek.

    “It was still very raw, but there was some good camaraderie,” Borden said.

    Video below: Aerial video shows the gold mine rescue underway in Teller County, Colorado

    Elevator accidents at mines are extremely rare, said Steven Schafrik, a University of Kentucky associate professor of mining engineering. They have been used by the industry to carry people and material since the mid-1800s, he said, and modern elevators are equipped with fail-safe devices that prevent them from falling far if a cable breaks.

    “They’re just ridiculously safe,” Schafrik said of mining elevators.

    He declined to comment directly on the Colorado accident.

    Mikesell said the family that owns the mine had operated it for many years and worked to make it safe.

    “Anytime you’re dealing with machinery and a 1,000 foot level at the 500 feet level in a mine, there could be accidents,” he said.

    Mines that operate as tourist attractions in Colorado must designate someone to inspect the mines and the transportation systems daily, according to the state Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Mikesell said he didn’t know the date of the last inspection at the Mollie Kathleen Mine. Records of the inspections weren’t immediately available online.

    Changes to the elevator were made in 1988 after the mine came under new ownership, according to the mine’s website. A second elevator that could carry nine people was suspended below the existing elevator, and a new motor was installed to accommodate the increased weight, the website says.

    The accident was under investigation by local and state authorities along with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

    The incident, which was reported to authorities at about noon, happened during the final week of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine season before it shuts down for the winter, Mikesell said.

    The mine’s owners issued a statement Friday expressing their condolences and thanking emergency responders. The mine will be closed until further notice, they said.

    Cripple Creek is a town of about 1,100 in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Colorado Springs.

    The mine opened in the 1800s and closed in 1961, but still operates tours. Its website describes a one-hour tour. It says visitors can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.

    A woman named Mollie Kathleen Gortner discovered the site of the mine in 1891 when she saw quartz laced with gold, according to the company’s website.

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  • Judge puts Biden’s student loan cancellation on hold again

    Judge puts Biden’s student loan cancellation on hold again

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    A federal judge in Missouri put a temporary hold on President Joe Biden’s latest student loan cancellation plan on Thursday, slamming the door on hope it would move forward after another judge allowed a pause to expire.Related video above: Delinquency reports for student loan borrowers restart in OctoberJust as it briefly appeared the Biden administration would have a window to push its plan forward, U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp in Missouri granted an injunction blocking any widespread cancellation.Six Republican-led states requested the injunction hours earlier, after a federal judge in Georgia decided not to extend a separate order blocking the plan.The states, led by Missouri’s attorney general, asked Schelp to act fast, saying the Education Department could “unlawfully mass cancel up to hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans as soon as Monday.” Schelp called it an easy decision.Biden’s plan has been on hold since September, when the states filed a lawsuit in Georgia arguing Biden had overstepped his legal authority. But on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall decided not to extend the pause after finding that Georgia doesn’t have the legal right to sue in this case.Hall dismissed Georgia from the case and transferred it to Missouri, which Hall said has “clear standing” to challenge Biden’s plan.Proponents of student loan cancellation briefly had a glimmer of hope the plan would move forward — Hall’s order was set to expire after Thursday, allowing the Education Department to finalize the rule. But Schelp’s order put the question to rest.“This is yet another win for the American people,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. “The Court rightfully recognized Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cannot saddle working Americans with Ivy League debt.”Biden’s plan would cancel at least some student loan debt for an estimated 30 million borrowers.It would erase up to $20,000 in interest for those who have seen their original balances increase because of runaway interest. It would also provide relief to those who have been repaying their loans for 20 or 25 years, and those who went to college programs that leave graduates with high debt compared to their incomes.Video below: Older Borrowers Struggle with High Student Loan DebtBiden told the Education Department to pursue cancellation through a federal rulemaking process after the Supreme Court rejected an earlier plan using a different legal justification. That plan would have eliminated up to $20,000 for 43 million Americans.The Supreme Court rejected Biden’s first proposal in a case brought by Republican states including Missouri.In his order Wednesday, Hall said Georgia failed to prove it was significantly harmed by Biden’s new plan. He rejected an argument that the policy would hurt the state’s income tax revenue, but he found that Missouri has a strong case.Missouri is suing on behalf of MOHELA, a student loan servicer that was created by the state and is hired by the federal government to help collect student loans. In the suit, Missouri argues that cancellation would hurt MOHELA’s revenue because it’s paid based on the number of borrowers it serves.In their lawsuit, the Republican states argue that the Education Department had quietly been telling loan servicers to prepare for loan cancellation as early as Sept. 9, bypassing a typical 60-day waiting period for new federal rules to take effect.Also joining the suit are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and Ohio.

    WASHINGTON —

    A federal judge in Missouri put a temporary hold on President Joe Biden’s latest student loan cancellation plan on Thursday, slamming the door on hope it would move forward after another judge allowed a pause to expire.

    Related video above: Delinquency reports for student loan borrowers restart in October

    Just as it briefly appeared the Biden administration would have a window to push its plan forward, U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp in Missouri granted an injunction blocking any widespread cancellation.

    Six Republican-led states requested the injunction hours earlier, after a federal judge in Georgia decided not to extend a separate order blocking the plan.

    The states, led by Missouri’s attorney general, asked Schelp to act fast, saying the Education Department could “unlawfully mass cancel up to hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans as soon as Monday.” Schelp called it an easy decision.

    Biden’s plan has been on hold since September, when the states filed a lawsuit in Georgia arguing Biden had overstepped his legal authority. But on Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall decided not to extend the pause after finding that Georgia doesn’t have the legal right to sue in this case.

    Hall dismissed Georgia from the case and transferred it to Missouri, which Hall said has “clear standing” to challenge Biden’s plan.

    Proponents of student loan cancellation briefly had a glimmer of hope the plan would move forward — Hall’s order was set to expire after Thursday, allowing the Education Department to finalize the rule. But Schelp’s order put the question to rest.

    “This is yet another win for the American people,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. “The Court rightfully recognized Joe Biden and Kamala Harris cannot saddle working Americans with Ivy League debt.”

    Biden’s plan would cancel at least some student loan debt for an estimated 30 million borrowers.

    It would erase up to $20,000 in interest for those who have seen their original balances increase because of runaway interest. It would also provide relief to those who have been repaying their loans for 20 or 25 years, and those who went to college programs that leave graduates with high debt compared to their incomes.

    Video below: Older Borrowers Struggle with High Student Loan Debt

    Biden told the Education Department to pursue cancellation through a federal rulemaking process after the Supreme Court rejected an earlier plan using a different legal justification. That plan would have eliminated up to $20,000 for 43 million Americans.

    The Supreme Court rejected Biden’s first proposal in a case brought by Republican states including Missouri.

    In his order Wednesday, Hall said Georgia failed to prove it was significantly harmed by Biden’s new plan. He rejected an argument that the policy would hurt the state’s income tax revenue, but he found that Missouri has a strong case.

    Missouri is suing on behalf of MOHELA, a student loan servicer that was created by the state and is hired by the federal government to help collect student loans. In the suit, Missouri argues that cancellation would hurt MOHELA’s revenue because it’s paid based on the number of borrowers it serves.

    In their lawsuit, the Republican states argue that the Education Department had quietly been telling loan servicers to prepare for loan cancellation as early as Sept. 9, bypassing a typical 60-day waiting period for new federal rules to take effect.

    Also joining the suit are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and Ohio.

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  • Russia’s adaptability to US sanctions stymied their effectiveness, economists say

    Russia’s adaptability to US sanctions stymied their effectiveness, economists say

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    Waves of sanctions imposed by the Biden administration after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine haven’t inflicted the devastating blow to Moscow’s economy that some had expected. In a new report, two researchers are offering reasons why.Oleg Itskhoki of Harvard University and Elina Ribakova of the Peterson Institute for International Economics argue that the sanctions should have been imposed more forcefully immediately after the invasion rather than in a piecemeal manner.Related video above: Russia can only be forced into peace, Zelensky says to the United Nations Security Council”In retrospect, it is evident that there was no reason not to have imposed all possible decisive measures against Russia from the outset once Russia launched the full scale invasion in February 2022,” the authors state in the paper. Still, “the critical takeaway is that sanctions are not a silver bullet,” Ribakova said on a call with reporters this week, to preview the study.The researchers say Russia was able to brace for the financial penalties because of the lessons learned from sanctions imposed in 2014 after it invaded Crimea. Also, the impact was weakened by the failure to get more countries to participate in sanctions, with economic powers like China and India not included. The report says that “while the count of sanctions is high, the tangible impact on Russia’s economy is less clear,” and “global cooperation is indispensable.”The question of what makes sanctions effective or not is important beyond the Russia-Ukraine war. Sanctions have become critical tools for the United States and other Western nations to pressure adversaries to reverse actions and change policies while stopping short of direct military conflict.The limited impact of sanctions on Russia has been clear for some time. But the report provides a more detailed picture of how Russia adapted to the sanctions and what it could mean for U.S. sanctions’ effectiveness in the future. The paper will be presented at the Brookings Institution next week. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has sanctioned more than 4,000 people and businesses, including 80% of Russia’s banking sector by assets.The Biden administration acknowledges that sanctions alone cannot stop Russia’s invasion — it has also sent roughly $56 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the 2022 invasion. And many policy experts say the sanctions are not strong enough, as evidenced by the growth of the Russian economy. U.S. officials have said Russia has turned to China for machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in the war.A Treasury representative pointed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s remarks in July during the Group of 20 finance ministers meetings, where she called actions against Russia “unprecedented.””We continue cracking down on Russian sanctions evasion and have strengthened and expanded our ability to target foreign financial institutions and anyone else around the world supporting Russia’s war machine,” she said. Still, Russia has been able to evade a $60 price cap on its oil exports imposed by the U.S. and the other Group of Seven democracies supporting Ukraine. The cap is enforced by barring Western insurers and shipping companies from handling oil above the cap. Russia has been able to dodge the cap by assembling its own fleet of aging, used tankers that do not use Western services and transport 90% of its oil.The U.S. pushed for the price cap as a way of cutting into Moscow’s oil profits without knocking large amounts of Russian oil off the global market and pushing up oil prices, gasoline prices and inflation. Similar concerns kept the European Union from imposing a boycott on most Russian oil for almost a year after Russia invaded Ukraine.G-7 leaders have agreed to engineer a $50 billion loan to help Ukraine, paid for by the interest earned on profits from Russia’s frozen central bank assets sitting mostly in Europe as collateral. However, the allies have not agreed on how to structure the loan. __Associated Press reporter Dave McHugh in Frankfurt contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    Waves of sanctions imposed by the Biden administration after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine haven’t inflicted the devastating blow to Moscow’s economy that some had expected. In a new report, two researchers are offering reasons why.

    Oleg Itskhoki of Harvard University and Elina Ribakova of the Peterson Institute for International Economics argue that the sanctions should have been imposed more forcefully immediately after the invasion rather than in a piecemeal manner.

    Related video above: Russia can only be forced into peace, Zelensky says to the United Nations Security Council

    “In retrospect, it is evident that there was no reason not to have imposed all possible decisive measures against Russia from the outset once Russia launched the full scale invasion in February 2022,” the authors state in the paper. Still, “the critical takeaway is that sanctions are not a silver bullet,” Ribakova said on a call with reporters this week, to preview the study.

    The researchers say Russia was able to brace for the financial penalties because of the lessons learned from sanctions imposed in 2014 after it invaded Crimea. Also, the impact was weakened by the failure to get more countries to participate in sanctions, with economic powers like China and India not included.

    The report says that “while the count of sanctions is high, the tangible impact on Russia’s economy is less clear,” and “global cooperation is indispensable.”

    The question of what makes sanctions effective or not is important beyond the Russia-Ukraine war. Sanctions have become critical tools for the United States and other Western nations to pressure adversaries to reverse actions and change policies while stopping short of direct military conflict.

    The limited impact of sanctions on Russia has been clear for some time. But the report provides a more detailed picture of how Russia adapted to the sanctions and what it could mean for U.S. sanctions’ effectiveness in the future.

    The paper will be presented at the Brookings Institution next week.

    Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has sanctioned more than 4,000 people and businesses, including 80% of Russia’s banking sector by assets.

    The Biden administration acknowledges that sanctions alone cannot stop Russia’s invasion — it has also sent roughly $56 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the 2022 invasion. And many policy experts say the sanctions are not strong enough, as evidenced by the growth of the Russian economy. U.S. officials have said Russia has turned to China for machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in the war.

    A Treasury representative pointed to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s remarks in July during the Group of 20 finance ministers meetings, where she called actions against Russia “unprecedented.”

    “We continue cracking down on Russian sanctions evasion and have strengthened and expanded our ability to target foreign financial institutions and anyone else around the world supporting Russia’s war machine,” she said.

    Still, Russia has been able to evade a $60 price cap on its oil exports imposed by the U.S. and the other Group of Seven democracies supporting Ukraine. The cap is enforced by barring Western insurers and shipping companies from handling oil above the cap. Russia has been able to dodge the cap by assembling its own fleet of aging, used tankers that do not use Western services and transport 90% of its oil.

    The U.S. pushed for the price cap as a way of cutting into Moscow’s oil profits without knocking large amounts of Russian oil off the global market and pushing up oil prices, gasoline prices and inflation. Similar concerns kept the European Union from imposing a boycott on most Russian oil for almost a year after Russia invaded Ukraine.

    G-7 leaders have agreed to engineer a $50 billion loan to help Ukraine, paid for by the interest earned on profits from Russia’s frozen central bank assets sitting mostly in Europe as collateral. However, the allies have not agreed on how to structure the loan.

    __

    Associated Press reporter Dave McHugh in Frankfurt contributed to this report.

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  • It’s been a decade since 43 students disappeared in Mexico. Their parents still fight for answers

    It’s been a decade since 43 students disappeared in Mexico. Their parents still fight for answers

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    Clemente Rodríguez has been documenting the long search for his missing son with tattoos. First, it was an ink drawing of a turtle — a symbol of 19-year-old Christian Rodríguez’s school — with a smaller turtle on its shell. Then, an image of Mexico’s patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, accompanied by the number 43. Later, a tiger for strength and a dove for hope.”How else is my son going to know that I have been looking for him?” asked Rodríguez. To the heartbroken father, the body art is evidence that he never stopped searching — proof he could perhaps one day show to his boy.On Sept. 26, 2014, Christian Rodríguez, a tall boy who loved to folk dance and had just enrolled in a teachers college in the southern state of Guerrero, disappeared along with 42 classmates. Every year since, on the 26th of each month, Clemente Rodríguez, his wife, Luz María Telumbre, and other families meet at the Rural Normal School at Ayotzinapa and take a long bus ride to the capital, Mexico City, to demand answers.They will do so again next week, on the 10th anniversary of their sons’ disappearance.”It is hard, very hard,” Clemente Rodríguez said.Rodríguez and the other parents are not alone. The 43 students are among more than 115,000 people still reported as missing in Mexico, a reflection of numerous unresolved crimes in a country where human rights activists say violence, corruption and impunity have long been the norm.Over the years, authorities have offered different explanations. The previous administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto said that the students were attacked by security forces linked to a local drug cartel, and that the bodies were then turned over to organized crime figures, who burned their bodies in a dump and threw their ashes in a river. A bone fragment of one of the students was later found in the river.President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration confirmed the source of the attack. But the current justice department — along with the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights and a Truth Commission formed specifically to investigate the students’ disappearance — refuted the story about the incineration of the bodies in a dump. They accused top former officials of planting the bone fragment in the river to suit their narrative. They also unearthed clues in a different location, including bone fragments from one of Christian’s feet.But the families still don’t have any solid answers about what happened to the students. For his part, Clemente Rodríguez is far from convinced that his son is dead. Not long after the students disappeared, parents took matters into their own hands, charging into remote, often gang-controlled mountain towns to search for their children. They encountered others who had been displaced by violence. Fear was everywhere.”When I left the house, I never knew if I would come back alive,” Rodríguez said.During the search, Christina Bautista, the 49-year-old mother of missing student Benjamin Ascencio, says strangers told her they’d been searching for a son for three years or a daughter for five. She had thought it would be a matter of weeks.”I couldn’t take it, I took off running,” she said. “How could there be so many disappeared?”Dozens of bodies were found, but not those of their children. A decade of fighting to keep the case alive has turned the parents’ lives inside out. Before his son’s disappearance, Rodríguez sold jugs of water from the back of his pickup and tended a small menagerie of animals in the town of Tixtla, not far from the school. Telumbre sold handmade tortillas cooked over a wood fire. When the students vanished, however, they dropped everything. Parents sold or abandoned their animals, left fields untended and entrusted grandparents with the care of other children.Rodríguez, 56, has since managed to partially reassemble his clutch of livestock and has planted some corn on the family’s plot of land. The family’s main income, however, comes from homemade crafts sold on trips to Mexico City: mats woven from reeds; bottles of an uncle’s locally brewed mezcal decorated with twine and colorful tiger faces; and cloth napkins embroidered by Telumbre.Sometimes the stocky, soft-spoken Rodríguez visits his land to think or to release his anger and sadness. “I start to cry, let it all go,” he said.Parents also find solace at the Rural Normal School at Ayotzinapa. The school, which trains students to teach in poor remote villages, is part of a network of rural educational facilities with a long history of radical activism. School walls painted with slogans demanding justice for the missing students also display murals honoring Che Guevara and Karl Marx. For the poorest families, Ayotzinapa offers a way out: Students receive free room, board and an education. In exchange, they work. The atmosphere has militaristic undertones: New students’ heads are shaved and the first year is about discipline and survival. They are tasked with tending cattle, planting fields and commandeering buses to drive to protests in the capital. The students who disappeared in 2014 were abducted from five buses they had taken over in the city of Iguala, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the school.Parents arrived at Ayotzinapa little by little from villages deep in the mountains. They gathered on the school’s basketball court, a concrete pad under a pavilion where 43 chairs still hold photos of each of the missing students. In the years since, a certain codependency has developed. The school’s fight for justice is fueled by the parents’ grief and anger. The school’s students, meanwhile, “are our strong arm,” Bautista says. “Here is where the movement started.”Students treat the parents respectfully and affectionately, greeting them as “aunt” or “uncle” as they pass through the guarded gates.In late August, Rodríguez and other parents met for the last time with López Obrador, who leaves office at the end of this month.The exchange was a grave disappointment.”Right now, this administration is just like that of Enrique Peña Nieto,” Rodríguez said. “He’s tried to mock us” by hiding information, protecting the Army and insulting the families’ lawyers, he said. López Obrador continues to insist that his government has done its best to find answers. He cites dozens of arrests, including that of a former attorney general charged with obstructing justice. He has downplayed the role of the military, however. Years ago, López Obrador declared the students’ abduction a “state crime,” pointing to the involvement of local, state and federal authorities, including the Army.The families met in July with López Obrador’s successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office Oct. 1, but she made no promises or commitments. After the August meeting, Rodríguez posed for a portrait in the National Palace, his gaze firm and his fist raised.Like other parents, he vows to keep fighting. “During these 10 years, we have learned a lot about obfuscation … lies,” Rodríguez said. Top military and government authorities “have the answers,” he added. “They can reveal them.”

    TIXTLA, México —

    Clemente Rodríguez has been documenting the long search for his missing son with tattoos.

    First, it was an ink drawing of a turtle — a symbol of 19-year-old Christian Rodríguez’s school — with a smaller turtle on its shell. Then, an image of Mexico’s patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe, accompanied by the number 43. Later, a tiger for strength and a dove for hope.

    “How else is my son going to know that I have been looking for him?” asked Rodríguez. To the heartbroken father, the body art is evidence that he never stopped searching — proof he could perhaps one day show to his boy.

    On Sept. 26, 2014, Christian Rodríguez, a tall boy who loved to folk dance and had just enrolled in a teachers college in the southern state of Guerrero, disappeared along with 42 classmates. Every year since, on the 26th of each month, Clemente Rodríguez, his wife, Luz María Telumbre, and other families meet at the Rural Normal School at Ayotzinapa and take a long bus ride to the capital, Mexico City, to demand answers.

    They will do so again next week, on the 10th anniversary of their sons’ disappearance.

    “It is hard, very hard,” Clemente Rodríguez said.

    Rodríguez and the other parents are not alone. The 43 students are among more than 115,000 people still reported as missing in Mexico, a reflection of numerous unresolved crimes in a country where human rights activists say violence, corruption and impunity have long been the norm.

    Over the years, authorities have offered different explanations. The previous administration of President Enrique Peña Nieto said that the students were attacked by security forces linked to a local drug cartel, and that the bodies were then turned over to organized crime figures, who burned their bodies in a dump and threw their ashes in a river. A bone fragment of one of the students was later found in the river.

    President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration confirmed the source of the attack. But the current justice department — along with the Interamerican Commission on Human Rights and a Truth Commission formed specifically to investigate the students’ disappearance — refuted the story about the incineration of the bodies in a dump. They accused top former officials of planting the bone fragment in the river to suit their narrative. They also unearthed clues in a different location, including bone fragments from one of Christian’s feet.

    But the families still don’t have any solid answers about what happened to the students. For his part, Clemente Rodríguez is far from convinced that his son is dead.

    Not long after the students disappeared, parents took matters into their own hands, charging into remote, often gang-controlled mountain towns to search for their children. They encountered others who had been displaced by violence. Fear was everywhere.

    “When I left the house, I never knew if I would come back alive,” Rodríguez said.

    During the search, Christina Bautista, the 49-year-old mother of missing student Benjamin Ascencio, says strangers told her they’d been searching for a son for three years or a daughter for five. She had thought it would be a matter of weeks.

    “I couldn’t take it, I took off running,” she said. “How could there be so many disappeared?”

    Dozens of bodies were found, but not those of their children.

    A decade of fighting to keep the case alive has turned the parents’ lives inside out. Before his son’s disappearance, Rodríguez sold jugs of water from the back of his pickup and tended a small menagerie of animals in the town of Tixtla, not far from the school. Telumbre sold handmade tortillas cooked over a wood fire.

    When the students vanished, however, they dropped everything. Parents sold or abandoned their animals, left fields untended and entrusted grandparents with the care of other children.

    Rodríguez, 56, has since managed to partially reassemble his clutch of livestock and has planted some corn on the family’s plot of land. The family’s main income, however, comes from homemade crafts sold on trips to Mexico City: mats woven from reeds; bottles of an uncle’s locally brewed mezcal decorated with twine and colorful tiger faces; and cloth napkins embroidered by Telumbre.

    Sometimes the stocky, soft-spoken Rodríguez visits his land to think or to release his anger and sadness. “I start to cry, let it all go,” he said.

    Parents also find solace at the Rural Normal School at Ayotzinapa.

    The school, which trains students to teach in poor remote villages, is part of a network of rural educational facilities with a long history of radical activism. School walls painted with slogans demanding justice for the missing students also display murals honoring Che Guevara and Karl Marx.

    For the poorest families, Ayotzinapa offers a way out: Students receive free room, board and an education. In exchange, they work.

    The atmosphere has militaristic undertones: New students’ heads are shaved and the first year is about discipline and survival. They are tasked with tending cattle, planting fields and commandeering buses to drive to protests in the capital. The students who disappeared in 2014 were abducted from five buses they had taken over in the city of Iguala, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the school.

    Parents arrived at Ayotzinapa little by little from villages deep in the mountains. They gathered on the school’s basketball court, a concrete pad under a pavilion where 43 chairs still hold photos of each of the missing students.

    In the years since, a certain codependency has developed. The school’s fight for justice is fueled by the parents’ grief and anger. The school’s students, meanwhile, “are our strong arm,” Bautista says. “Here is where the movement started.”

    Students treat the parents respectfully and affectionately, greeting them as “aunt” or “uncle” as they pass through the guarded gates.

    In late August, Rodríguez and other parents met for the last time with López Obrador, who leaves office at the end of this month.

    The exchange was a grave disappointment.

    “Right now, this administration is just like that of Enrique Peña Nieto,” Rodríguez said. “He’s tried to mock us” by hiding information, protecting the Army and insulting the families’ lawyers, he said.

    López Obrador continues to insist that his government has done its best to find answers. He cites dozens of arrests, including that of a former attorney general charged with obstructing justice. He has downplayed the role of the military, however. Years ago, López Obrador declared the students’ abduction a “state crime,” pointing to the involvement of local, state and federal authorities, including the Army.

    The families met in July with López Obrador’s successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, who will take office Oct. 1, but she made no promises or commitments.

    After the August meeting, Rodríguez posed for a portrait in the National Palace, his gaze firm and his fist raised.

    Like other parents, he vows to keep fighting.

    “During these 10 years, we have learned a lot about obfuscation … lies,” Rodríguez said. Top military and government authorities “have the answers,” he added.

    “They can reveal them.”

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  • As Jimmy Carter nears his 100th birthday, a musical gala celebrates the ‘rock-and roll president’

    As Jimmy Carter nears his 100th birthday, a musical gala celebrates the ‘rock-and roll president’

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    A range of stars from the stage, screen and sport paid tribute Tuesday to former President Jimmy Carter ahead of his 100th birthday, the eclectic lineup meant to highlight the 39th president’s emphasis on human rights and his love of music as a universal language.”Everyone here is making history,” Jason Carter, the former president’s grandson, told more than 4,000 people who filled Atlanta’s Fox Theatre to toast the longest-lived U.S. executive in history. “This is the first time people have come together to celebrate the 100th birthday of American president.”The benefit concert, with ticket sales funding international programs of The Carter Center that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded in 1982 after leaving the White House, brought together artists that crossed generations and genres that traced back to his 1976 campaign. The concert will be aired in full on Georgia Public Broadcasting on Oct. 1, Carter’s birthday. Carter remains in hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia. “He really was the rock-and-roll president,” said Chuck Leavell, whose Georgia-based Allman Brothers Band campaigned with Carter in 1976. But more than that, Leavell said, Carter always understood music as something “that brings people together.”Indeed, Tuesday’s run of show assembled artists as varied as India Arie singing R&B and soul draped in a resplendent purple gown; the B-52s, formed in Athens, Georgia, singing “Love Shack” and projecting psychedelic imagery across the concert hall; and the Atlanta Symphony Chamber Chorus bringing a classical and patriotic repertoire.Former President Barack Obama, known for releasing his summer playlists on social media, marveled at the range.”Now I have another reason to respect you,” Obama said in a video message. “He has got great taste in music. … I’ve never thrown a concert that features pop, rock, gospel, country, jazz, classical and hip-hop.”Of course, Obama noted, “Jimmy never passes up the opportunity to send a message,” and several artists referenced one of Carter’s widely circulated quotes about music: “One of the things that has held America together has been the music that we share and love.”Leavell took the stage multiple times Tuesday, reprising music he played and sang almost 50 years ago when Carter, then an underdog former Georgia governor, outpaced better-known Democrats to win his party’s nomination and the presidency in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.”Music was such an important part of his political legacy,” Jason Carter told The Associated Press. “The Allman Brothers helped get him elected. Willie Nelson helped get him elected. He truly believed that.”When he was coming out of the South, running for president of the United States, the Allman Brothers and some of these other folks were really announcing this New South that was turning the page on the days of segregation – their lyrics, their whole vibe,” the younger Carter continued. “He used that to connect across generations.”Leavell traced Carter’s love of music to his upbringing in church; the former president has written about his early church experiences, including visiting a Black congregation near his home just outside Plains. Carter recalled being more captivated by the music there than what he heard in his all-white congregation. At the Naval Academy, Leavell noted, Carter and one of his friends would buy classical recordings of the same pieces to study how music can be interpreted differently. Part of the evening involved recounting Carter’s legacy as president and with The Carter Center, which advocates democracy, resolves conflict and fights disease across the world. Hannah Hooper, a lead singer of the alternative rock band Grouplove, praised Carter for dramatically expanding nationally protected park lands, most of it in Alaska. Actress Renee Zellweger narrated the lifelong relationship between the former president and his wife, whom he first met when she was just days old and who died last November after 77 years of marriage. Two former Atlanta Braves baseball stars, Terry Pendleton and Dale Murphy, celebrated Carter as the team’s No. 1 fan. They recalled what it was like to play with the Carters sitting in a field-level box, and they presented the former president’s great-grandsons with a Braves jersey to give their great-grandfather. The jersey number: 100. Bernice King, the daughter of slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., recounted Carter’s relationship with her family — he was close to her mother, and her grandfather was instrumental in Carter’s 1976 election. Though Carter was not actively involved in King Jr.’s work, Bernice King thanked the former president for publicly crediting her father for his indirect role in Carter’s political rise. Without the successes of the Civil Rights Movement, she recalled Carter saying, the nation never would have elevated a Southern governor who came of age in the era of Jim Crow segregation. The night was mostly void of partisan politics. But there were signs of Democratic allegiances to Carter and shadows of the 2024 election.Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers praised Carter as being ahead of his time and added that the country would have been better off if he had gotten to “finish the job” — an obvious reference to Carter’s landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980. The list of former presidents paying tribute was bipartisan: Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush were packaged with Obama. President Joe Biden added his greetings, recalling that he was the first U.S. senator to endorse Carter’s White House bid. “I admire you so darn much,” Biden said, calling Carter, “Mr. President.” But there was a notable omission: former President Donald Trump. The 2024 Republican nominee has this year repeatedly cast Carter as a failed president as he tries to make a comeback bid. After the 2016 election, Carter questioned Trump’s legitimacy. Arie’s selections, meanwhile, included “What If,” the lyrics of which include first names of Black women who have broken barriers. Among them: Kamala. That reference to the vice president and Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, drew roars from the crowd. Jason Carter, for his part, said his grandfather has been captivated by Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and the possibility that Harris could become the first woman in the Oval Office. The younger Carter, who now chairs The Carter Center board, said Jimmy Carter struggled in the months after Rosalynn Carter’s death but now is excited by another campaign.”He’s ready to turn the page on Trump,” Jason Carter said, but more driven by the opportunity to vote for Harris. “When Kamala came onto the scene, it really galvanized the party, and it really energized him as well.”

    ATLANTA —

    A range of stars from the stage, screen and sport paid tribute Tuesday to former President Jimmy Carter ahead of his 100th birthday, the eclectic lineup meant to highlight the 39th president’s emphasis on human rights and his love of music as a universal language.

    “Everyone here is making history,” Jason Carter, the former president’s grandson, told more than 4,000 people who filled Atlanta’s Fox Theatre to toast the longest-lived U.S. executive in history. “This is the first time people have come together to celebrate the 100th birthday of American president.”

    The benefit concert, with ticket sales funding international programs of The Carter Center that Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter founded in 1982 after leaving the White House, brought together artists that crossed generations and genres that traced back to his 1976 campaign. The concert will be aired in full on Georgia Public Broadcasting on Oct. 1, Carter’s birthday. Carter remains in hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia.

    “He really was the rock-and-roll president,” said Chuck Leavell, whose Georgia-based Allman Brothers Band campaigned with Carter in 1976. But more than that, Leavell said, Carter always understood music as something “that brings people together.”

    Indeed, Tuesday’s run of show assembled artists as varied as India Arie singing R&B and soul draped in a resplendent purple gown; the B-52s, formed in Athens, Georgia, singing “Love Shack” and projecting psychedelic imagery across the concert hall; and the Atlanta Symphony Chamber Chorus bringing a classical and patriotic repertoire.

    Paras Griffin

    (L-R) Charlie Carter, Josh Carter, Jonathan Carter, Sarah Jane Opp Carter and guests attend Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song at The Fox Theatre on September 17, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

    Former President Barack Obama, known for releasing his summer playlists on social media, marveled at the range.

    ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 17: A view of the atmosphere at Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song at The Fox Theatre on September 17, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

    Paras Griffin

    A view of the atmosphere at Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song at The Fox Theatre on September 17, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

    “Now I have another reason to respect you,” Obama said in a video message. “He has got great taste in music. … I’ve never thrown a concert that features pop, rock, gospel, country, jazz, classical and hip-hop.”

    Of course, Obama noted, “Jimmy never passes up the opportunity to send a message,” and several artists referenced one of Carter’s widely circulated quotes about music: “One of the things that has held America together has been the music that we share and love.”

    Leavell took the stage multiple times Tuesday, reprising music he played and sang almost 50 years ago when Carter, then an underdog former Georgia governor, outpaced better-known Democrats to win his party’s nomination and the presidency in the wake of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.

    “Music was such an important part of his political legacy,” Jason Carter told The Associated Press. “The Allman Brothers helped get him elected. Willie Nelson helped get him elected. He truly believed that.

    Jason Carter, center, grandson of President Jimmy Carter, with his sons, Henry Lewis Carter, right, and Thomas Clyde Carter, left, attends the "Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song," concert at the Fox Theatre, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Atlanta. Former President Carter turns 100-years old on Oct. 1. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

    Mike Stewart

    Jason Carter, center, grandson of President Jimmy Carter, with his sons, Henry Lewis Carter, right, and Thomas Clyde Carter, left, attends the “Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song,” concert at the Fox Theatre, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Atlanta. Former President Carter turns 100-years old on Oct. 1. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

    “When he was coming out of the South, running for president of the United States, the Allman Brothers and some of these other folks were really announcing this New South that was turning the page on the days of segregation – their lyrics, their whole vibe,” the younger Carter continued. “He used that to connect across generations.”

    Leavell traced Carter’s love of music to his upbringing in church; the former president has written about his early church experiences, including visiting a Black congregation near his home just outside Plains. Carter recalled being more captivated by the music there than what he heard in his all-white congregation. At the Naval Academy, Leavell noted, Carter and one of his friends would buy classical recordings of the same pieces to study how music can be interpreted differently.

    Part of the evening involved recounting Carter’s legacy as president and with The Carter Center, which advocates democracy, resolves conflict and fights disease across the world.

    Hannah Hooper, a lead singer of the alternative rock band Grouplove, praised Carter for dramatically expanding nationally protected park lands, most of it in Alaska. Actress Renee Zellweger narrated the lifelong relationship between the former president and his wife, whom he first met when she was just days old and who died last November after 77 years of marriage.

    Two former Atlanta Braves baseball stars, Terry Pendleton and Dale Murphy, celebrated Carter as the team’s No. 1 fan. They recalled what it was like to play with the Carters sitting in a field-level box, and they presented the former president’s great-grandsons with a Braves jersey to give their great-grandfather. The jersey number: 100.

    Bernice King, the daughter of slain civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., recounted Carter’s relationship with her family — he was close to her mother, and her grandfather was instrumental in Carter’s 1976 election. Though Carter was not actively involved in King Jr.’s work, Bernice King thanked the former president for publicly crediting her father for his indirect role in Carter’s political rise. Without the successes of the Civil Rights Movement, she recalled Carter saying, the nation never would have elevated a Southern governor who came of age in the era of Jim Crow segregation.

    The night was mostly void of partisan politics. But there were signs of Democratic allegiances to Carter and shadows of the 2024 election.

    Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers praised Carter as being ahead of his time and added that the country would have been better off if he had gotten to “finish the job” — an obvious reference to Carter’s landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

    The list of former presidents paying tribute was bipartisan: Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush were packaged with Obama. President Joe Biden added his greetings, recalling that he was the first U.S. senator to endorse Carter’s White House bid. “I admire you so darn much,” Biden said, calling Carter, “Mr. President.”

    But there was a notable omission: former President Donald Trump. The 2024 Republican nominee has this year repeatedly cast Carter as a failed president as he tries to make a comeback bid. After the 2016 election, Carter questioned Trump’s legitimacy.

    Arie’s selections, meanwhile, included “What If,” the lyrics of which include first names of Black women who have broken barriers. Among them: Kamala. That reference to the vice president and Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, drew roars from the crowd.

    Jason Carter, for his part, said his grandfather has been captivated by Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid and the possibility that Harris could become the first woman in the Oval Office. The younger Carter, who now chairs The Carter Center board, said Jimmy Carter struggled in the months after Rosalynn Carter’s death but now is excited by another campaign.

    “He’s ready to turn the page on Trump,” Jason Carter said, but more driven by the opportunity to vote for Harris. “When Kamala came onto the scene, it really galvanized the party, and it really energized him as well.”

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