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  • Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans

    The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts — an unceremonious end to a monthslong effort by Democrats to prevent the COVID-19-era subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1.Ahead of the votes, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans that if they did not vote to extend the tax credits, “there won’t be another chance to act,” before premiums rise for many people who buy insurance off the ACA marketplaces.”Let’s avert a disaster,” Schumer said. “The American people are watching.”Republicans have argued that Affordable Care Act plans are too expensive and need to be overhauled. The health savings accounts in the GOP bill would give money directly to consumers instead of to insurance companies, an idea that has been echoed by President Donald Trump. But Democrats immediately rejected the plan, saying that the accounts wouldn’t be enough to cover costs for most consumers.Some Republicans have pushed their colleagues to extend the credits, including Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who said they should vote for a short-term extension so they can find agreement on the issue next year. “It’s too complicated and too difficult to get done in the limited time that we have left,” Tillis said Wednesday.But despite the bipartisan desire to continue the credits, Republicans and Democrats have never engaged in meaningful or high-level negotiations on a solution, even after a small group of centrist Democrats struck a deal with Republicans last month to end the 43-day government shutdown in exchange for a vote on extending the ACA subsidies. Most Democratic lawmakers opposed the move as many Republicans made clear that they wanted the tax credits to expire.The deal raised hopes for bipartisan compromise on health care. But that quickly faded with a lack of any real bipartisan talks.The dueling Senate votes are the latest political messaging exercise in a Congress that has operated almost entirely on partisan terms, as Republicans pushed through a massive tax and spending cuts bill this summer using budget maneuvers that eliminated the need for Democratic votes. They also tweaked Senate rules to push past a Democratic blockade of all of Trump’s nominees. An intractable issueThe votes were also the latest failed salvo in the debate over the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature law that Democrats passed along party lines in 2010 to expand access to insurance coverage.Republicans have tried unsuccessfully since then to repeal or overhaul the law, arguing that health care is still too expensive. But they have struggled to find an alternative. In the meantime, Democrats have made the policy a central political issue in several elections, betting that the millions of people who buy health care on the government marketplaces want to keep their coverage.”When people’s monthly payments spike next year, they’ll know it was Republicans that made it happen,” Schumer said in November, while making clear that Democrats would not seek compromise.Even if they view it as a political win, the failed votes are a loss for Democrats who demanded an extension of the benefits as they forced a government shutdown for six weeks in October and November — and for the millions of people facing premium increases on Jan. 1.Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said the group tried to negotiate with Republicans after the shutdown ended. But, he said, the talks became unproductive when Republicans demanded language adding new limits for abortion coverage that were a “red line” for Democrats. He said Republicans were going to “own these increases.”A plethora of plans, but little agreementRepublicans have used the looming expiration of the subsidies to renew their longstanding criticisms of the ACA, also called Obamacare, and to try, once more, to agree on what should be done.Thune announced earlier this week that the GOP conference had decided to vote on the bill led by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the chairman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, even as several Republican senators proposed alternate ideas.In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has promised a vote next week. Republicans weighed different options in a conference meeting on Wednesday, with no apparent consensus.Republican moderates in the House who could have competitive reelection bids next year are pushing Johnson to find a way to extend the subsidies. But more conservative members want to see the law overhauled.Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., has pushed for a temporary extension, which he said could be an opening to take further steps on health care.If they fail to act and health care costs go up, the approval rating for Congress “will get even lower,” Kiley said.___Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

    WASHINGTON —

    The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.

    Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican alternative that would have created new health savings accounts — an unceremonious end to a monthslong effort by Democrats to prevent the COVID-19-era subsidies from expiring on Jan. 1.

    Ahead of the votes, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York warned Republicans that if they did not vote to extend the tax credits, “there won’t be another chance to act,” before premiums rise for many people who buy insurance off the ACA marketplaces.

    “Let’s avert a disaster,” Schumer said. “The American people are watching.”

    Republicans have argued that Affordable Care Act plans are too expensive and need to be overhauled. The health savings accounts in the GOP bill would give money directly to consumers instead of to insurance companies, an idea that has been echoed by President Donald Trump. But Democrats immediately rejected the plan, saying that the accounts wouldn’t be enough to cover costs for most consumers.

    Some Republicans have pushed their colleagues to extend the credits, including Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who said they should vote for a short-term extension so they can find agreement on the issue next year. “It’s too complicated and too difficult to get done in the limited time that we have left,” Tillis said Wednesday.

    But despite the bipartisan desire to continue the credits, Republicans and Democrats have never engaged in meaningful or high-level negotiations on a solution, even after a small group of centrist Democrats struck a deal with Republicans last month to end the 43-day government shutdown in exchange for a vote on extending the ACA subsidies. Most Democratic lawmakers opposed the move as many Republicans made clear that they wanted the tax credits to expire.

    The deal raised hopes for bipartisan compromise on health care. But that quickly faded with a lack of any real bipartisan talks.

    The dueling Senate votes are the latest political messaging exercise in a Congress that has operated almost entirely on partisan terms, as Republicans pushed through a massive tax and spending cuts bill this summer using budget maneuvers that eliminated the need for Democratic votes. They also tweaked Senate rules to push past a Democratic blockade of all of Trump’s nominees.

    An intractable issue

    The votes were also the latest failed salvo in the debate over the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s signature law that Democrats passed along party lines in 2010 to expand access to insurance coverage.

    Republicans have tried unsuccessfully since then to repeal or overhaul the law, arguing that health care is still too expensive. But they have struggled to find an alternative. In the meantime, Democrats have made the policy a central political issue in several elections, betting that the millions of people who buy health care on the government marketplaces want to keep their coverage.

    “When people’s monthly payments spike next year, they’ll know it was Republicans that made it happen,” Schumer said in November, while making clear that Democrats would not seek compromise.

    Even if they view it as a political win, the failed votes are a loss for Democrats who demanded an extension of the benefits as they forced a government shutdown for six weeks in October and November — and for the millions of people facing premium increases on Jan. 1.

    Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said the group tried to negotiate with Republicans after the shutdown ended. But, he said, the talks became unproductive when Republicans demanded language adding new limits for abortion coverage that were a “red line” for Democrats. He said Republicans were going to “own these increases.”

    A plethora of plans, but little agreement

    Republicans have used the looming expiration of the subsidies to renew their longstanding criticisms of the ACA, also called Obamacare, and to try, once more, to agree on what should be done.

    Thune announced earlier this week that the GOP conference had decided to vote on the bill led by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the chairman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, even as several Republican senators proposed alternate ideas.

    In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has promised a vote next week. Republicans weighed different options in a conference meeting on Wednesday, with no apparent consensus.

    Republican moderates in the House who could have competitive reelection bids next year are pushing Johnson to find a way to extend the subsidies. But more conservative members want to see the law overhauled.

    Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., has pushed for a temporary extension, which he said could be an opening to take further steps on health care.

    If they fail to act and health care costs go up, the approval rating for Congress “will get even lower,” Kiley said.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

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  • DACA was once a lifeline for undocumented youth. It’s leaving the next generation behind

    Alex immigrated to the U.S. as a toddler and has long felt haunted by his undocumented status.

    In 2017, when he turned 15, he was finally old enough to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, only for it to slip from his grasp right before he started the paperwork, when it was rescinded by the Trump administration.

    Then, in 2020, Alex was set to graduate at the top of his class and had racked up a slew of college acceptances, including a full ride to Harvard University. He ultimately declined because of his status, worried about travel restrictions. Instead, he enrolled in a nearby University of California campus.

    “It was almost like the system was taunting me,” said Alex, who is now a Cal State University graduate student and chose to use his middle name for fear of being targeted by immigration authorities. “No matter how you excel, the system always comes back to haunt you, to remind you that you did all of that, and yet you really don’t have a choice.”

    A promise of work authorization and deportation protection pulled a generation of undocumented youth out of the shadows when DACA first went into effect in 2012. Yet, hundreds of thousands of today’s students like Alex are largely left out because of the ongoing legal battle that has largely frozen applications since 2017.

    These students’ lives are further upended by the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement strategy this year. DACA recipients and international students have been targeted, which has cast a cloud over higher education attainment for undocumented youth with even less protections.

    Gaby Pacheco, who was undocumented while in high school and helped spearhead organizing efforts that led to DACA in the 2000s, said the current undocumented youth are “experiencing the same kind of heartbreaks” and limitations that her generation did.

    “It is keeping people chained and, in a sense, locking up their potential and their dreams,” said Pacheco, who serves as president and chief executive of TheDream.US, a scholarship program. Among the most prominent barriers are being barred from federal aid, certain scholarships and work opportunities, she said.

    Many of these concerns aren’t new, but “they feel so much bigger and closer than they ever have before” because of the hostile immigration strategy and rhetoric, said Corinne Kentor, a senior manager of research and policy at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

    Undocumented youth have long been at the center of the country’s immigration debate. What has resulted is a web of shaky piecemeal legislation determining their status, which is being challenged nationwide.

    DACA survived President Trump’s 2017 legal challenge when the Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that his administration didn’t take the proper steps to end the program.

    This year, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling that would uphold DACA nationwide but remove work authorization for recipients residing in Texas. Protections would stay the same in all other states, and applications could potentially reopen. The ruling is pending a decision by a judge in the lower courts on how its implementation will work.

    Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), reintroduced the Dream Act in early December, the most recent attempt of many over the last two decades to provide young immigrants a path to citizenship.

    The current Trump administration is attempting to further close the door by suing California in November, alleging that the state’s decades-long offering of in-state tuition to undocumented students is unlawful. The action follows similar legal steps taken by the federal government to end tuition equity laws in states across the country.

    “I feel like my family and I have been tossed into a video game,” Alex said. “Like the console gets turned on every morning, you know, and it’s a challenge and it’s a game and I’ve got to survive.”

    Who are today’s undocumented students?

    There hasn’t yet been a noticeable decline in the 80,000 undocumented students enrolled in the state.

    Undocumented students can apply for state financial aid through the California Dream Act, but applications have dropped by 15% this academic year, with just over 32,000 applications submitted. Applications have steadily declined since 2018.

    Advocates warn that this drop is a result of DACA’s legal challenges and young people being increasingly nervous about sharing their personal information with government-run programs.

    More than half a million undocumented people are enrolled in higher education, but less than 30% of them qualify for DACA, according to the Higher Ed Immigration Portal. Most current high school students were born after 2007 and are automatically aged out of the program.

    The average age of the more than 500,000 active DACA recipients is 31, with nearly 90% being older than 26. The population has also shrunk, down from its peak of more than 700,000 recipients, with some adjusting their status through marriage or children, said Javier Carbajal-Ramos, a coordinator for the Dream Resource Center at Los Angeles Valley College.

    “We call them the original undocumented students,” Carbajal-Ramos said. “They’re people that really had an opportunity and they most likely took it. But then, the system changed.”

    Alex, who was brought to the country by his mother from El Salvador in the early 2000s, couldn’t qualify for DACA because he was five years shy of the minimum age to apply.

    “I grew up feeling silenced, and then there was this period of time where I felt like I could speak and I could take back my voice. … Now, I feel like I’ve been shut up,” Alex said. “My story is being determined by everybody else except myself. My past, my present and my future are all being negotiated by people who legitimately don’t see humanity in me.”

    Higher education is a gamble

    Attending college is a risk for undocumented students. Many opt to go straight into the workforce instead, a choice that Alex said “is pretty clear for most” of his peers.

    Those who do take that gamble are often committed to the importance of education, said Iliana Perez, a former DACA recipient and the executive director of Immigrants Rising. Many immigrant families, like Alex’s, are initially drawn to the U.S. with aspirations for education access and social mobility.

    “My mom’s biggest mistake has always been thinking that there were going to be people on this side of the border who believed in her child just as much as she does,” Alex said. “They’ve done all that they can to continue to believe for me and for themselves that something has to work.”

    School has always felt like a “veil of protection” for Alex. A fear of entering the workforce was one factor that motivated him to continue in academia.

    Often, an education can also afford students more leverage in legal battles and allow them to pursue work opportunities abroad or paths such as self-employment and entrepreneurship, Perez said.

    Many schools now offer support services and fellowships that can provide financial compensation in the form of stipends, largely due to the organizing efforts of previous generations of undocumented students, Carbajal-Ramos said.

    One undocumented college senior worked at a summer program for her Cal State University campus after her first year because it was paid through a stipend. A yearlong academic position was also available but paid an hourly wage, meaning she was not eligible.

    The department leaders, however, were committed to offering her the position and paid her through a scholarship instead, she said, which allowed her to generate income while in school.

    “It wasn’t something that I asked for. They did it themselves. For that, I’m really, really grateful,” said the senior, who requested The Times not use her name because she doesn’t have legal status. “It was surprising seeing a group of people that really wanted to help me out.”

    Colleges and universities across the country also have established dream resource centers, which provide services, grants and support to immigrant students. There are 161 centers at campuses across the state, including nearly all community colleges and every Cal State and UC campus; 14 private universities also have dream centers in California.

    Carbajal-Ramos, who is the regional representative for centers across the Los Angeles area, said it’s important to meet students where they are and not shy away from the precarious realities they live in. He serves at least 1,000 undocumented students in his role as a coordinator at Los Angeles Valley College.

    “When somebody really tells you that you can’t, you either give up or you fight, right? And we came here because of the fight,” Carbajal-Ramos said. “They have the ganas. They have the drive. It’s my responsibility to keep it that way.”

    Alex, who is now only months away from finishing his master’s degree, is hoping to enroll in a PhD program next fall. The applications often require he plan out what the next five years of his academic journey could look like, a task that has proved exceptionally difficult.

    “I really can’t think about my life for the next five years,” he said. “I can’t even think about my life tonight. The drive home scares me. Coming to campus scares me. Walking from my car terrifies me. I live my life between breaths.”

    Itzel Luna

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  • Roblox sued by Southern California families alleging children met predators on its platform

    Video gaming platform Roblox is facing more lawsuits from parents who allege the San Mateo, Calif., company isn’t doing enough to safeguard children from sexual predators.

    A Los Angeles County mother, whose identity wasn’t revealed in a November lawsuit, alleges that her daughter met a predator on Roblox who persuaded her child to send sexually explicit photos of herself over the social media platform Discord. The woman is suing both Roblox and the San Francisco company Discord.

    When her daughter signed up for the gaming platform last year at 12 years old, the woman thought Roblox was safe because it was marketed for children and as educational, according to the lawsuit filed in a Los Angeles County Superior Court.

    But then her daughter befriended a person on Roblox known as “Precious” who claimed to be 15 years old and told her child that she had been abused at home and had no friends, the lawsuit said. Her daughter, accompanied by a friend’s parents, met up with the Roblox user at a beach and the person appeared older and attempted to introduce her to a group of older men.

    After they met, the predator tried to persuade the girl to visit her apartment alone in Fullerton and tried to alienate her from her family. The child suffered from psychological trauma, depression and other emotional distress because of her experiences on Roblox and Discord, according to the lawsuit.

    The lawsuit accuses Roblox and Discord of prioritizing profits over safety, creating a “digital” and “real-life nightmare” for children. It also alleges the companies’ failures are systematic and other children have also suffered harm from encountering predators on the platforms.

    “Her innocence has been snatched from her and her life will never be the same,” the lawsuit said.

    Roblox said in a statement it’s “deeply troubled by any incident that endangers any user” and prioritizes online safety.

    “We also understand that no system is perfect and that is why we are constantly working to further improve our safety tools and platform restrictions to ensure parents can trust us to help keep their children safe online, launching 145 new initiatives this year alone,” the statement said.

    Discord said it’s committed to safety and requires users to be at least 13 years old to use its platform.

    “We maintain strong systems to prevent the spread of sexual exploitation and grooming on our platform and also work with other technology companies and safety organizations to improve online safety across the internet,” the company said in a statement.

    The lawsuit is the latest scrutiny facing Roblox, a platform popular among young people. More than 151 million people use it daily. Earlier this year, the platform faced a wave of lawsuits from people in various states who allege that predators are posing as kids on the platform and sexually exploiting children.

    NBC4 News, which reported earlier on the lawsuit, also reported that Roblox is facing another lawsuit from a California family in Riverside who allege their child was sexually assaulted by a man the child met on Roblox. That man was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

    Roblox has been taking new steps this year to address mounting child-safety concerns. In November, the company said it would require users to verify their age to chat with other players. Roblox users would provide an ID or take a video selfie to verify their age. The verification feature estimates a person’s age, allowing the company to limit conversations between children and adults.

    The lawsuit by the Los Angeles County woman called safety changes made in 2024 by Roblox “woefully inadequate” and said they were made “too late.”

    “These changes could all have been implemented years ago,” the lawsuit said. “None of them involve any new or groundbreaking technology. Roblox only moved forward when its stock was threatened.”

    Queenie Wong

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  • L.A. City Council passes ordinance to streamline affordable housing

    During her first week in office three years ago, Mayor Karen Bass issued a sweeping directive to speed up affordable housing applications. Now, that plan is permanent.

    The L.A. City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt the Affordable Housing Streamlining Ordinance. Essentially, the ordinance takes Bass’ housing initiative, known as Executive Directive 1, and incorporates it into the L.A. Municipal Code, so the streamlined process will stick around even after Bass leaves office.

    Under the ordinance, developers get fast-tracked city approval for projects that include 100% affordable housing. Reviews for such projects typically take six to nine months, but under the directive, they’re required to be approved within 60 days.

    The expedited processing works by stripping away many of the discretionary review processes that typically bog down housing projects: City Council hearings, environmental reports, neighborhood outreach meetings, etc. As long as projects comply with certain criteria, including zoning and design review standards, they qualify for streamlined approval.

    Bass introduced the directive to make good on her campaign’s promise to address the city’s affordability and homelessness crises. It also serves as a response to housing developers who have long complained about the city’s complex permitting process, in which projects languish for weeks or months while navigating the red tape of reviews and inspections.

    Affordable housing applications have been pouring in under the directive.

    As of November, 490 projects have been streamlined, accounting for more than 40,000 affordable housing units, according to the Planning Department. Of those, 437 projects have been approved, with an average application process of 22 days.

    It’s unclear how many of those projects are actually being built. At a December City Council meeting, Planning Department officials said that as of July, 44 streamlined projects had been started, accounting for roughly 2,500 units. But there are no data on how many have been finished.

    Maria Patiño Gutierrez, deputy director for policy and advocacy at the nonprofit Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE), celebrated the decision to make the directive permanent, but said she hopes to see changes to the process down the road.

    “We want this ordinance to work and bring affordable housing, but we also want to make sure it doesn’t displace tenants,” she said.

    The directive has become increasingly watered down over the last three years as Bass carved out more and more areas from being subjected to streamlined applications. In June 2023, Bass exempted single-family zones from the directive, which accounts for 72% of land in L.A.

    A year later, she exempted historic districts — including areas of Highland Park and Lincoln Heights — as well as “very high fire hazard severity zones,” which include parts of Silver Lake and Hollywood Hills.

    To make sure streamlined projects weren’t displacing renters, Bass also exempted those that would replace rent-controlled apartment buildings with 12 units or more.

    These exemptions will carry into the newly adopted ordinance, though they may be tweaked in the months to come. In a Dec. 2 meeting, City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado argued that the exemption to preserve rent-controlled buildings should shrink from a minimum of 12 units to five units, claiming such projects could displace tenants in neighborhoods such as Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights.

    Jurado said the current ordinance exempts 19% of rent-controlled buildings, but if the minimum threshold were set at five units instead of 12, it would exempt 36%.

    Housing groups are pushing for amendments as well. A public comment letter published by Public Counsel and SAJE argued that maximum rents for streamlined projects should be cheaper than they’re allowed to be under current rules.

    The directive defines “100% affordable housing” as 80% low-income units and 20% moderate-income units, but the nonprofits claimed that those rates, which would still let a “low-income” two-bedroom apartment be rented for as much as $2,726, are still too expensive for many Angelenos.

    Jack Flemming

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  • Supreme Court sounds ready to give Trump power to oust officials of independent agencies

    WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservatives sounded ready on Monday to overrule Congress and give President Trump more power to fire officials at independent agencies and commissions.

    The justices heard arguments on whether Trump could fire Rebecca Slaughter, one of two Democratic appointees on the five-member Federal Trade Commission.

    The case poses a clash between Congress’ power to structure the government versus the president’s “executive power.”

    A ruling for Trump portends a historic shift in the federal government — away from bipartisan experts and toward more partisan control by the president.

    Trump’s Solicitor General D. John Sauer said the court should overturn a 1935 decision that upheld independent agencies. The decision “was grievously wrong when decided. It must be overruled,” he told the court.

    The court’s three liberals strongly argued against what they called a “radical change” in American government.

    If the president is free to fire the leaders of independent agencies, they said, the longstanding civil service laws could be struck down as well.

    It would put “massive, uncontrolled and unchecked power in the hands of the president,” Justice Elena Kagan said.

    But the six conservatives said they were concerned that these agencies were exercising “executive power” that is reserved to the president.

    It was not clear, however, whether the court will rule broadly to cover all independent agencies or focus narrowly on the FTC and other similar commissions.

    For most of American history, Congress has created independent boards and commissions to carry out specific missions, each led by a board of experts who were appointed with a fixed term.

    But the court’s current conservative majority has contended these commissions and boards are unconstitutional if their officials cannot be fired at will by a new president.

    Past presidents had signed those measures into law, and a unanimous Supreme Court upheld them 90 years ago in a case called Humphrey’s Executor vs. U.S.

    In creating such bodies, Congress often was responding to the problems of a new era.

    The Interstate Commerce Commission was created in 1887 to regulate railroad rates. The FTC, the focus of the court case, was created in 1914 to investigate corporate monopolies. The year before, the Federal Reserve Board was established to supervise banks, prevent panics and regulate the money supply.

    During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Congress created the Securities and Exchange Commission to regulate the stock market and the National Labor Relations Board to resolve labor disputes.

    Decades later, Congress focused on safety. The National Transportation Safety Board was created to investigate aviation accidents, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission investigates products that may pose a danger. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission protects the public from nuclear hazards.

    Typically, Congress gave the appointees, a mix of Republicans and Democrats, a fixed term and said they could be removed only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.”

    Slaughter was first appointed by Trump to a Democratic seat and was reappointed by President Biden in 2023 for a seven-year term.

    But conservatives often long derided these agencies and commissions as an out-of-control “administrative state,” and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said he believes their independence from direct presidential control is unconstitutional.

    “The President’s power to remove — and thus supervise — those who wield executive power on his behalf follows from the text” of the Constitution, he wrote last year in his opinion, which declared for the first time that a president has immunity from being prosecuted later for crimes while in office.

    Roberts spoke for a 6-3 majority in setting out an extremely broad view of presidential power while limiting the authority of Congress.

    The Constitution in Article I says Congress “shall have the power…to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution…all other powers vested” in the U.S. government. Article II says, “the executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States.”

    The current court majority believes that the president’s executive power prevails over the power of Congress to set limits by law.

    “Congress lacks authority to control the President’s ‘unrestricted power of removal’ with respect to executive officers of the United States,” Roberts wrote last year in Trump vs. United States.

    Four months later, Trump won reelection and moved quickly to fire a series of Democratic appointees who had fixed terms set by Congress. Slaughter, along with several other fired appointees, sued, citing the law and her fixed term. They won before federal district judges and the U.S. Court of Appeals.

    But Trump’s lawyers filed emergency appeals at the Supreme Court, and the justices, by 6-3 votes, sided with the president and against the fired officials.

    In September, the court said it would hear arguments in the case of Trump vs. Slaughter to decide on whether to overturn the Humphrey’s Executor decision.

    At the time, conservatives applauded the move. “For far too long, Humphrey’s Executor has allowed unaccountable agencies like the FTC to wield executive power without meaningful oversight,” said Cory Andrews, general counsel for the Washington Legal Foundation.

    In defense of the 1935 decision, law professors noted the court said that these independent boards were not purely executive agencies, but also had legislative and judicial duties, like adopting regulations or resolving labor disputes.

    During Monday’s argument, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the principle of “democratic accountability” called for deferring to Congress, not the president.

    “Congress decided that some matters should be handled by nonpartisan experts. They said expertise matters with respect to the economy and transportation. So having the president come in and fire all the scientists and the doctors and the economists and the PhDs and replacing them with loyalists is actually is not in the best interest of the citizens of the United States,” she said.

    But that argument gained no traction with Roberts and the conservatives. They said the president is elected and has the executive authority to control federal agencies.

    The only apparent doubt involved the Federal Reserve Board, whose independence is prized by business. The Chamber of Commerce said the court should overrule the 1935 decision, but carve out an exception for the Federal Reserve.

    Trump’s lawyer grudgingly agreed. If “an exception to the removal power exists,” he wrote in his brief in the Slaughter case, it should be “an agency-specific anomaly” limited to the Federal Reserve.

    David G. Savage

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  • How to spot real savings on Travel Tuesday

    Chain stores have Black Friday. Online marketplaces have Cyber Monday. For local businesses, it’s Small Business Saturday.In the last 20 years, more segments of the retail industry have vied for their own piece of the holiday shopping season. The travel trade has firmly joined the trend with another post-Thanksgiving sales push: Travel Tuesday.On the same day as the nonprofit world’s Giving Tuesday, airlines, hotels, cruise ship companies, travel booking platforms and tour operators get in on the annual spirit to spend by promoting one-day deals. Consumer advocates say there are legitimate savings to be had but also chances to be misled by marketing that conveys a false sense of urgency.”People see ‘40% off’ and assume it’s a once-in-a-lifetime steal, without recognizing that the underlying price may have been inflated or that the same itinerary was cheaper last month.” Sally French, a travel expert at personal finance site NerdWallet, said.She and other seasoned travelers advised consumers who want to see if they can save money by booking trips on Travel Tuesday to do research in advance and to pay especially close attention to the fine print attached to offers.People hoping to score last-minute deals for Christmas or New Year’s should double-check for blackout dates or other restrictions, recommended Lindsay Schwimer, a consumer expert for the online travel site Hopper.It’s also wise to to keep an eye out for nonrefundable fares, resort fees, double occupancy requirements or upgrade conditions that may be hidden within advertised discounts, according to French.Shoppers should be wary of travel packages with extra transportation options or add-on offers, French said. Instead of lowering fares or room rates, some companies use statement credits, extra points, included amenities and bundled extras as a way to tempt potential customers, she said.“Many travel brands want to keep sticker prices high to maintain an aura of luxury, but they still need to fill planes, ships and hotel rooms,” French said. “Add-on perks are their workaround.”Consumers who are prepared rather than impulsive and on the lookout for the up-sell are in a much better position to identify authentic bargains, consumer experts stressed. Knowing what a specific trip would typically cost and comparison shopping can help expose offers based on inflated underlying costs and whether the same itinerary might have been cheaper at other times, they said.“Compare prices, check your calendar and make sure the trip you’re booking is something you genuinely want, not something you bought because a countdown timer pressured you,” French said. “What gets glossed over is that the best deal might be not booking anything at all if it doesn’t align with your plans.”Travel Tuesday came about based on existing industry trends. In 2017, Hopper analyzed historical pricing data and found that in each of the nine previous years, the biggest day for post-Thanksgiving travel discounts was the day after Cyber Monday.The site named the day Travel Tuesday. The number of offers within that time-targeted window and the number of travelers looking for them has since expanded.“Nearly three times as many trips were planned on Travel Tuesday last year compared to Black Friday,” Hopper’s Schwimer said. “We continue to see growth in the day, year over year, as more travel brands and categories offer deals.”The event’s origin story is in line with the National Retail Federation coining Cyber Monday in 2005 as a response to the emerging e-commerce era. American Express came up with Small Business Saturday in 2010 to direct buyers and their dollars to smaller retailers, credit card fees and all.A report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company last year noted that November and December tend to be slow months for travel bookings, making Travel Tuesday a “marketing moment” that could help boost revenue.Hotel, cruise and and airline bookings by U.S. travelers increased significantly on Travel Tuesday 2023 compared with the two weeks before and after the day, the report’s authors wrote, citing data provided by the travel marketing platform Sojern.While Travel Tuesday so far has been mostly confined to the United States and Canada, “European travel companies can anticipate the possibility that Travel Tuesday will become a growing phenomenon in their region, given that other shopping days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have spread beyond North America,” the report stated.Vivek Pandya, lead insights analyst for Adobe Analytics, which tracks online spending, said consumers have more tools than ever this holiday season to help them determine if deals hold up to scrutiny.“Social journeys, influencers providing promo codes and values, and generative AI platforms taking all that in – the prices, the social conversation, the reviews – and giving guidance to the consumer, that’s a very different, dynamic kind of journey consumers are taking than they have in previous seasons,” Pandya said.Both he and French emphasized that prices rise and fall based on multiple factors, and that the winter holidays are not the only major promotional period of the year.“We now have dozens of consumer spending ‘holidays,’” French said. “Amazon alone keeps adding new versions of Prime Day. So if you don’t buy on Travel Tuesday, you haven’t missed your moment.”

    Chain stores have Black Friday. Online marketplaces have Cyber Monday. For local businesses, it’s Small Business Saturday.

    In the last 20 years, more segments of the retail industry have vied for their own piece of the holiday shopping season. The travel trade has firmly joined the trend with another post-Thanksgiving sales push: Travel Tuesday.

    On the same day as the nonprofit world’s Giving Tuesday, airlines, hotels, cruise ship companies, travel booking platforms and tour operators get in on the annual spirit to spend by promoting one-day deals. Consumer advocates say there are legitimate savings to be had but also chances to be misled by marketing that conveys a false sense of urgency.

    “People see ‘40% off’ and assume it’s a once-in-a-lifetime steal, without recognizing that the underlying price may have been inflated or that the same itinerary was cheaper last month.” Sally French, a travel expert at personal finance site NerdWallet, said.

    She and other seasoned travelers advised consumers who want to see if they can save money by booking trips on Travel Tuesday to do research in advance and to pay especially close attention to the fine print attached to offers.

    People hoping to score last-minute deals for Christmas or New Year’s should double-check for blackout dates or other restrictions, recommended Lindsay Schwimer, a consumer expert for the online travel site Hopper.

    It’s also wise to to keep an eye out for nonrefundable fares, resort fees, double occupancy requirements or upgrade conditions that may be hidden within advertised discounts, according to French.

    Shoppers should be wary of travel packages with extra transportation options or add-on offers, French said. Instead of lowering fares or room rates, some companies use statement credits, extra points, included amenities and bundled extras as a way to tempt potential customers, she said.

    “Many travel brands want to keep sticker prices high to maintain an aura of luxury, but they still need to fill planes, ships and hotel rooms,” French said. “Add-on perks are their workaround.”

    Consumers who are prepared rather than impulsive and on the lookout for the up-sell are in a much better position to identify authentic bargains, consumer experts stressed. Knowing what a specific trip would typically cost and comparison shopping can help expose offers based on inflated underlying costs and whether the same itinerary might have been cheaper at other times, they said.

    “Compare prices, check your calendar and make sure the trip you’re booking is something you genuinely want, not something you bought because a countdown timer pressured you,” French said. “What gets glossed over is that the best deal might be not booking anything at all if it doesn’t align with your plans.”

    Travel Tuesday came about based on existing industry trends. In 2017, Hopper analyzed historical pricing data and found that in each of the nine previous years, the biggest day for post-Thanksgiving travel discounts was the day after Cyber Monday.

    The site named the day Travel Tuesday. The number of offers within that time-targeted window and the number of travelers looking for them has since expanded.

    “Nearly three times as many trips were planned on Travel Tuesday last year compared to Black Friday,” Hopper’s Schwimer said. “We continue to see growth in the day, year over year, as more travel brands and categories offer deals.”

    The event’s origin story is in line with the National Retail Federation coining Cyber Monday in 2005 as a response to the emerging e-commerce era. American Express came up with Small Business Saturday in 2010 to direct buyers and their dollars to smaller retailers, credit card fees and all.

    A report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company last year noted that November and December tend to be slow months for travel bookings, making Travel Tuesday a “marketing moment” that could help boost revenue.

    Hotel, cruise and and airline bookings by U.S. travelers increased significantly on Travel Tuesday 2023 compared with the two weeks before and after the day, the report’s authors wrote, citing data provided by the travel marketing platform Sojern.

    While Travel Tuesday so far has been mostly confined to the United States and Canada, “European travel companies can anticipate the possibility that Travel Tuesday will become a growing phenomenon in their region, given that other shopping days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday have spread beyond North America,” the report stated.

    Vivek Pandya, lead insights analyst for Adobe Analytics, which tracks online spending, said consumers have more tools than ever this holiday season to help them determine if deals hold up to scrutiny.

    “Social journeys, influencers providing promo codes and values, and generative AI platforms taking all that in – the prices, the social conversation, the reviews – and giving guidance to the consumer, that’s a very different, dynamic kind of journey consumers are taking than they have in previous seasons,” Pandya said.

    Both he and French emphasized that prices rise and fall based on multiple factors, and that the winter holidays are not the only major promotional period of the year.

    “We now have dozens of consumer spending ‘holidays,’” French said. “Amazon alone keeps adding new versions of Prime Day. So if you don’t buy on Travel Tuesday, you haven’t missed your moment.”

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  • Australian prime minister Albanese becomes the first ever to marry in office

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese married his partner Jodie Haydon in a secretive and intimate ceremony on Saturday at his official residence in the national capital, Canberra.Albanese is the first prime minister to marry while in office in the 124-year history of the Australian federal government.The couple were married by a civil celebrant before around 60 guests, including several cabinet ministers, in an afternoon ceremony on the grounds of The Lodge. There was no media reporting of the event until after it had occurred.“We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends,” the couple said in a statement.The pair wrote their own vows and their dog Toto was the ring bearer. Haydon’s 5-year-old niece, Ella, was the flower girl, the statement said.Albanese, 62, who is divorced with an adult son, proposed to Haydon, 46, at The Lodge on Valentine’s Day last year. They initially planned a larger-scale wedding before the last election was scheduled to be held in May this year. Albanese had told a Sydney radio program he was considering inviting former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom he considered a personal friend.But the ruling center-left Labor Party strategists feared a lavish wedding during a cost of living crisis could hurt the government’s chances of being re-elected for a second three-year term.A decision was made to delay the wedding until after the election. Albanese had said the wedding would take place in 2025, but did not reveal a date.The wedding came two days after Parliament ended for the year on Thursday.Haydon, who works in finance, met Albanese at a business dinner in Melbourne in 2020.

    MELBOURNE, Australia —

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese married his partner Jodie Haydon in a secretive and intimate ceremony on Saturday at his official residence in the national capital, Canberra.

    Albanese is the first prime minister to marry while in office in the 124-year history of the Australian federal government.

    The couple were married by a civil celebrant before around 60 guests, including several cabinet ministers, in an afternoon ceremony on the grounds of The Lodge. There was no media reporting of the event until after it had occurred.

    “We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends,” the couple said in a statement.

    The pair wrote their own vows and their dog Toto was the ring bearer. Haydon’s 5-year-old niece, Ella, was the flower girl, the statement said.

    Albanese, 62, who is divorced with an adult son, proposed to Haydon, 46, at The Lodge on Valentine’s Day last year. They initially planned a larger-scale wedding before the last election was scheduled to be held in May this year. Albanese had told a Sydney radio program he was considering inviting former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom he considered a personal friend.

    But the ruling center-left Labor Party strategists feared a lavish wedding during a cost of living crisis could hurt the government’s chances of being re-elected for a second three-year term.

    A decision was made to delay the wedding until after the election. Albanese had said the wedding would take place in 2025, but did not reveal a date.

    The wedding came two days after Parliament ended for the year on Thursday.

    Haydon, who works in finance, met Albanese at a business dinner in Melbourne in 2020.

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  • More California students than ever are heading out of state for college. Here’s why

    Javier Perez, a senior at Benjamin Franklin Senior High School in Highland Park, dreams of studying computer science at Dartmouth College.

    “For me, it’s really important to be surrounded by the right people,” said Perez, who earlier this year spent two days on the New Hampshire campus during a spring college tour and said he felt a “genuine connection” with the people he met. Plus, he likes cold weather.

    He’s hardly alone. A Public Policy Institute of California report released this month found that the share of college-bound California high school graduates enrolling in out-of-state colleges has nearly doubled in the last two decades, rising from 8.5% in 2002 to 14.6% in 2022.

    West Coast and Southwest colleges in particular seek out students in population-rich California in their recruitment efforts. Making the move more enticing is that many public universities participate in a program offering Californians discounted tuition at public colleges in the West.

    In 2022, nearly 40,000 California high school grads enrolled in out-of-state colleges, roughly a third of whom flocked to Arizona, Oregon or New York, the researchers found in their analysis of enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2002, the number was closer to 15,000.

    In Arizona, the most popular universities included Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University — known for its online programs — and the University of Arizona. Oregon State University drew the highest number of Californians in that state.

    California grads who moved to New York for college were drawn to smaller, competitive private liberal arts colleges, usually with heftier tuitions than California’s public universities. Because of limitations in national enrollment data, the study couldn’t account for scholarships, making it hard to determine whether the California students were choosing out-of-state options because of financial aid incentives.

    The researchers found that most students leaving California attend colleges less selective on average than the competitive University of California system. About half attend colleges more selective than the California State University system, which will soon automatically admit students who meet requirements at 16 of its campuses.

    Lynda McGee, a recently retired Los Angeles Unified School District college counselor who spent more than two decades at Downtown Magnets High School, said she sees the trend as a positive development. She said she often urged students to look beyond California, as she felt out-of-state campuses would expose them to a more diverse range of people and experiences.

    Arizona State, the University of Arizona and Oregon State have strong name recognition, actively recruit in California and feel less intimidating to students because they’re relatively close to home, she said. Oregon State’s athletics programs are a particular draw.

    Under the right conditions, and after taking into account financial aid or merit-based scholarships, private colleges can sometimes end up costing less than a California public university, said Erica Rosales, executive director of College Match, a mentoring program for low-income students in Los Angeles.

    “For a low-income, first-generation student, a private institution that meets full need without loans is often the most affordable and most supportive option available,” Rosales said in an email.

    Rosales, who has spent nearly two decades helping students navigate the college admissions process, noted that Cal Grant income ceilings leave out some middle-class families unable to afford to send their children to a UC or CSU campus. Financial aid at CSU campuses typically covers tuition, not room and board, according to Rosales.

    The promise of full financial-need coverage is why Perez, who grew up in Guatemala and immigrated to the U.S. three years ago, is aiming to attend a private liberal arts college. He learned about his options through College Match. The program funded a two-week East Coast college tour this year and provided him with a laptop for his applications.

    Javier Perez, 18, takes public transit to a library. His three-hour round-trip commute to and from school involves a bike ride, two trains and a bus.

    (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

    Perez said leaving California would enable him to experience life in a small college town surrounded by nature. He’d like to spend his days focusing on his studies instead of commuting to school. His current commute from his Koreatown home to his Highland Park campus takes three hours round-trip, and involves a bike ride, two trains and a bus.

    Perez, an ambitious programmer who leads his school’s competitive robotics team, intends to apply to 22 colleges, including Stanford University, Caltech and a handful of UCs and CSUs.

    But his hopes are set on moving to the East Coast, as reflected by many of the schools on his list: Middlebury College, Boston College, Bowdoin College, Columbia University, Brown University and his dream school, Dartmouth College.

    “I just want to explore as much as I can in my college life,” Perez said.

    Iris Kwok

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  • Black Friday shoppers spend more time looking for deals but less money amid economic angst

    Black Friday shoppers flocked to stores, hoping to get more bags for their buck as they grapple with inflation, tariffs and anxiety about the health of the economy.

    Citadel Outlets in Commerce was mobbed Friday morning with long waits for parking and winding lines in front of stores as consumers tried to grab good deals. Camila Romero and her 13-year-old daughter spent hours in line trying to get the best possible deals on Ugg and Coach items on their wish lists.

    “You come to the Citadel because it’s outlets. And it’s discounts on top of that,” she said. “So even when you’re broke, you don’t feel it.”

    Shoppers across Los Angeles plan to spend less this holiday season, data show. While retailers tease their biggest deals and prepare for what they hope is robust demand, a Deloitte survey found that Angelenos plan to spend 14% less over the holidays compared with last year.

    Nationally, shoppers are expected to spend 10% less than last year.

    Consumers are pulling back on spending in response to economic uncertainty and rising prices, said Rebecca Lohrey, a partner at Deloitte with expertise in retail and e-commerce.

    “There is at least a perception of higher prices and higher costs of goods,” Lohrey said. “That is a concern for consumers across the board, and is one of the reasons they’re tightening their wallets a little bit.”

    The survey found that 62% of Angelenos expect the economy to weaken in the year ahead, up from 34% in 2024. Around the same percentage of respondents said they are concerned about a potential recession in the next six months.

    Across income groups, consumers are making cost-cutting trade-offs and putting more emphasis on finding the best deal, the data showed. More than half of Los Angeles respondents said they would switch brands if their first choice was too expensive.

    “It tends to be the lower income brackets or the middle income brackets that are the most likely to trade down,” said Collin Colburn, vice president of commerce and retail media at the Interactive Advertising Bureau. “This year, actually, everyone is trading down.”

    Camryn Smith and her daughter showed up to snoop around for the deals at the Americana at Brand in Glendale early Friday morning. The discounts help knock off some of the effect of inflation, she said.

    “The prices are higher and they just bring them down to what they normally would be,” Smith said. “It’s crazy.”

    Consumers are fatigued from continuous inflation and instability brought on by the Trump administration. More shoppers are regifting or considering giving homemade gifts, the Deloitte survey found.

    “We’ve been in an environment where prices continue to rise for a host of reasons, inflation being one, tariffs being another,” Colburn said. “I think when that happens year on year, it really drags on the consumer.”

    This means more shoppers are looking for ways to save on purchases — and presents — they cannot put off.

    The National Retail Federation predicts that a record number of Americans will shop the sales over Thanksgiving weekend. Retail sales in November and December are expected to grow between 3.7% and 4.2% compared with last year, the federation said.

    Cautious consumers are more eager than ever to find a hot deal, said NRF chief economist Mark Mathews.

    “People are changing the way that they spend,” he said. “They’re focusing more on stretching their dollar and getting value for the dollar.”

    Even shoppers spending more than usual may be doing it out of concern, economists say. Consumers who anticipate inflation sometimes spend now out of fear that prices will rise later.

    Brooklyn Farmer braved the crowds at Citadel to shop and try to save amid inflation.

    “People are struggling right now, but the holidays are still important to them,” he said. “The thinking is if there’s going to be discounts like this, I might as well go while I can, instead of spending more later.”

    Of those surveyed by Deloitte in Los Angeles, 43% said they planned to spend most of their holiday budget at big-box retailers and 32% said they would spend the most at digital-first retailers.

    Shoppers are also using new tools to help them find products and deals, including artificial intelligence. Data collected by the Interactive Advertising Bureau found that AI now ranks as the second-most influential shopping source, ahead of retailers’ websites and apps and behind only search engines.

    Nearly 90% of shoppers nationally said AI helps them find products they wouldn’t have found otherwise, according to the IAB data.

    Mattel, the El Segundo-based toy company, is offering up to 50% off at Target on Hot Wheels, Barbie dolls and Disney Princess toys, said company spokesperson Kelly Powers.

    “Mattel is working closely with retailers across the country on Black Friday deals,” Powers said.

    In May, Mattel said it was considering raising its prices to offset the effect of President Trump’s tariffs on China..

    On the October earnings call, however, the company said the full effect of tariffs won’t be seen until the fourth quarter.

    Discount retailers that depend heavily on foot traffic have given conflicting signals about their business.

    Walmart recently raised its sales forecast for the year after reporting a 6% year-over-year increase in revenue in the third quarter.

    Target, in contrast, missed analyst expectations and reported a 1.5% decline in sales in the third quarter. On a call with analysts earlier this month, Target Chief Executive Brian Cornell said the company “has not been performing up to its potential.”

    Of course, for many shoppers on Friday, the pilgrimage to splurge at the local mall was about more than saving.

    Ericka Pentasuglia brought her daughter to the Americana the Brand at around 3 a.m. to be the first in line for a pop-up store selling Billie Eilish perfume. She thought it was important for her to pass down the tradition of Black Friday shopping.

    “I do feel like it is dying a little bit,” Pentasuglia said. “The best thing is that you don’t lose a tradition, it continues to your children.”

    Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Christopher Buchanan, Gavin J. Quinton

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  • What do an axe, a bucket and a cannon have in common? Meet the rivalry trophies of college football

    What do an axe, a bucket and a cannon have in common? Meet the rivalry trophies of college football

    Welcome back to Oklahoma Chronicles. Now we want to take *** deeper look at NIL rules, the current state of college athletics, and the transfer portal, and all of it. Joining our panel today, *** couple of really good guests. We have State Senator Todd Gher here who authored NIL legislation this year in Oklahoma, very busy keeping your eyes on everything and the moving and shaking. Also Bobby Lepack, who teaches an NIL class at the University of Oklahoma, thanks so much. for being here. Thanks for having me. Well, let’s talk NIL and the transfer portal and everything as we were talking earlier, we just talked about how everything is changing so much. In fact, Bobby, you have this class on NIL it’s through the the business college there at OU, and you had to stop teaching it for *** while because everything’s changing it so so fast sometimes, correct it’s, it’s *** really dynamic landscape and between the Alston decision and then the new rules after that and how litigation. And now potentially the score act and all of that, you know, how about back us up and we start talking about the Alston decision and all of that. I mean, I should even say NIL when we say that name, image like this, this was something created so that college athletes, student athletes could receive compensation, get some money for signing autographs or doing endorsement deals, but it’s, it’s, it’s really grown. So I wanna come back to all the nitty gritty, but this has become such *** huge thing that even. Legislators now are having to watch very closely not just in Oklahoma but around the country. That’s right you know this, uh, the legislation we passed this year was, uh, basically, uh, the governor had done an executive order. This was taken that executive order, worked closely with the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University to uh get this bill through the, the Senate and over to the house, uh, did, you know, but it’s so dynamic in, in that, uh. It’s almost there’s 32 states already running NIL legislation they’re all different from each other or they’re some of them are and it’s very competitive and so we ran this legislation in order to uh keep that competitive edge that our universities need as well as to protect the student athletes, OK, and, and, and everybody’s doing this at the same time because of these changing dynamics, Bobby, and how everything’s happening from. The decision and the you know and lawsuits and everything, how many different factors are in play right now? How many things are colleges juggling and athletic departments? I think you got 3 big ones, right? So you have the name, image and likeness stuff, NIL, which I think is *** distinct concept from pay for play, which is what’s coming from the revenue share agreements that are coming out of the house settlement and then the last is the transfer portal which is really I think the one that’s actually. I would say the culprit in so much of the consternation around college sports is the the kind of open transfer rules that are going on. I think when you talk to most college football fans they can get behind the, you know, these universities they’re making so much money off off of their backs, especially these, these. You know, these very revenue making sports like football and basketball, they should get something but now it’s become, but I don’t like them leaving every single year where every single year we got *** new roster of players whether or not you had *** good team or *** bad team it’s *** whole new thing is is the portal become exploited because of NIL did one kind of create *** monster out of the other, do we think? I think the portal has, uh, you know, as far as the fans are concerned, has created an impatience that instead of, you know, the traditional way we’ve always done it, which is, uh, take *** young man and, and red shirt him and then build that team and, and, uh, build those skill sets, now it’s, uh, hey, you’ve got the money, go out there and just buy *** team for us we want to win next year so it’s created an impatient and the fan base, uh, but it’s also created. Uh, impatient with the coaches and the coaching staff and the different styles, right? is this difficult on these coaching staffs? Oh, absolutely. I, I, I have *** personal connection to. You have *** brother, my younger brother Brian, who played football and so I, I saw it from the side of the athlete that wasn’t allowed to get an IL, um, beforehand beforehand and now right back in the day and uh. And now as *** coach dealing with the dynamic of the portal you’re you’re not just recruiting high school players you’re recruiting at various times in the calendar year players from other rosters that have gone into the portal but you’re also trying to prevent your own guys from going into the portal and so it creates this dynamic where. The coaching calendar is just *** nightmare. They’re working nonstop year round on roster management issues and recruiting guys that play for them, play in high school and are now in the portal. It’s, it’s *** very difficult situation and it doesn’t stop. It never stops and it’s changing. Sometimes because from *** leadership perspective you’re trying to protect the interests of the state universities correct? is that when you’re doing these, these you know these bills is it coming from that standpoint to make sure that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and and other universities in the state. Are on at least *** competitive footing. That’s right, you know, in this state, you know, it applies to all the universities, but you know if you’re just talking about University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, they’re actually in two different conferences and so it’s imperative that we actually evened out that landscape so that if the SEC did something early. And the Big 12 was late to catch up. There wouldn’t be *** political, I mean, ***, uh, *** disadvantage, *** competitive disadvantage between the two schools, much less, uh, uh, *** competitive disadvantage coming from other states and other universities, you know, they, they call it the wild wild west, but it’s more of an arms race at this point, right? And I remember the old arms. When it was about facilities and T. Boone Pickens was out there and they were dominating the arms race and now it’s something completely different but I think it’s, I think that’s actually *** really good point is you’re just changing the mix, right? Where are you allocating your resources in this and it’s this is something that’s coming up in the coaching world is how are you gonna manage your roster, how are you gonna manage your personnel. Uh, I think it’s gonna take *** new breed of coach, new breed of athletic director. I think you’ll see you’re seeing departments do that. Oklahoma’s done *** really, I think, outstanding job of changing how they manage the roster. They brought in *** GM with NFL experience, things like that. They actually have *** general manager for these programs, right? And, and I think you’ll see the people that that are creative and open to the chaos. And and willing to take that challenge on really succeed and blossom in this, and if you’re not willing to adapt to the new environment, then you’re gonna have *** hard time and there might be more adapting to come because there is federal legislation that that could be you know uh that could be changing things again with with the score Act for example which Bobby that would make *** big change as well or maybe would that bring. Us together perhaps because that the whole idea of that is it would create *** national system correct for state senators wouldn’t have to be every single year creating new NIL legislation. It’s interesting the SCOR Act, if if you look at it really closely, it’s basically saying we’re just gonna create what the NCAA used to be and give them the antitrust exemption and give them authority to enforce *** bunch of rules, right? and um. So it kind of harkens back, but then added in are the three components we talked about earlier. There’s got to be revenue share. There’s gotta be transfer portal options and then the NIL protections. Uh, it’ll be interesting to see what happens there. I’m not sure exactly where it’s gonna go, if it’s even gonna pass, you know what, what is your intuition and what are you hearing about this? Well, you know, I, I think it’s interesting that uh from the federal level to the to the state level that, you know, as we said we we were in it to keep the competitive. Uh, not, not wanting to be at *** competitive disadvantage and, and to protect our student athletes. When you listen to, uh, what’s coming out of the federal, federal side, they’re talking about stabilizing the system. And uh they’re talking about protecting them from uh antitrust lawsuits in NCAA and so it’s kind of *** different focus and in an individual state doesn’t want to be disadvantaged to another state or another university where the federal government’s trying to, you know, make that stability give uh give uh each uh. that ability to compete too. Bottom line, and we have less than 2 minutes here. Is this better than what it was when your brother was, was, was playing football? Bobby, what do you think? I think from an NIL perspective it’s absolutely better, right? My brother was *** very, he is still is *** very talented singer and I remember he’s *** walk-on player at Oklahoma. He couldn’t. Be somebody’s wedding singer and get paid the market rate for his services, that was wrong, right? That’s exploitation, all of those things, but I think the environment that’s created with the ongoing transfer portal, no rules or or very limited rules and *** lot of uncertainty on what’s going to happen with eligibility. We even see litigation over that. I think that’s worse, and I think that. Somebody’s gonna have to step up and and make *** change whether that’s *** federal solution or that’s the colleges themselves self regulating saying we’re not going to participate in this game this way anymore. I think somebody’s got to do something about that. Well, there’s always going to be billionaire donors, right, that are gonna be willing to step up and it’s just who has them and who’s willing to use it in less than *** minute, do you think, Senator, the current system is college athletics broken or. We’re moving towards *** better, *** better place or are we there now? I, I think, I think we’re moving towards *** better place and, uh, you know, the, the state and the state legislature and the governor are engaged in temporary solutions until we can figure this out nationally or uh however we’re gonna do it but I think we’re moving to *** better solution where we’re gonna have revenue sharing and we’re gonna have uh control. And and things over college athletics to ensure that you know the Olympic sports aren’t left behind to ensure that women’s sports aren’t left behind. I think that’s gonna take *** national solution on that. We’ll tell you what, we’re going to pause here. We’re gonna take *** break. You can find more. We’re gonna record *** little bit more. We’re gonna talk about those other sports and how we can protect them. You can find that on KOCO.com as well as our YouTube page.

    What do an axe, a bucket and a cannon have in common? Meet the rivalry trophies of college football

    Updated: 12:08 AM EST Nov 28, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The most-played series in major college football history, the bitter border-state rivalry between Minnesota and Wisconsin, is punctuated each year with a postgame ritual by the winning team that could be described as jubilant yardwork.When time expires on Saturday in the 135th edition of the Gophers-Badgers grudge match, currently even at 63-63 with eight ties, the victors will sprint toward Paul Bunyan’s Axe, take turns hoisting the six-foot shaft above their heads as they parade it around the stadium, and aim the head at one of the goal posts in pretending to chop it down like it’s a giant tree in the north woods. The axe has been awarded annually since 1948.Video above: Taking a deeper dive in NIL rules and impact on college athleticsThere’s hardly a richer — or quirkier — tradition in college football than rivalry trophies, one of the few elements of the game that remains the same in the new era of revenue sharing and the transfer portal. From the small schools to the powerhouse programs, nothing captures a sports fan’s attention quite like a traveling trophy.”It’s a way for a community — certainly the students, alumni, fans and faculty, but even more casual fans — to get revved up for a football game,” said Christian Anderson, a University of South Carolina professor whose research focus is on the history of higher education. “There are a lot of people who may not pay attention the whole season, and then the rivalry game comes and they’re a passionate fan for one Saturday.”Longtime members of the Big Ten boast perhaps the richest history of these one-of-a-kind prizes. The Little Brown Jug, which is neither little nor brown, dates to the Michigan-Minnesota game in 1903. Wolverines coach Fielding Yost, out of fear the Gophers might tamper with their water, had a student manager buy a jug for the team. After a brutal struggle ended in a tie as Minnesota fans stormed the field, the container was left behind. The Gophers formally returned it after the Wolverines won the next meeting in 1909.Minnesota fared better at the beginning with Floyd of Rosedale, a 98-pound bronze pig named after the state’s governor in 1935 who suggested the trophy to his Iowa counterpart as a way to deescalate tension between two fan bases with deep roots in farming.Indiana will face Purdue on Friday for the Old Oaken Bucket, found in disrepair on a local farm in 1925 with the belief it might have been used by Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. Indiana and Michigan State have competed since 1950 for the Old Brass Spittoon, a relic from the trading post era purchased at an antique shop by an MSU student to add incentive to the game. Illinois and Ohio State have played for a century for the Illibuck Trophy, now a wooden turtle after an ill-fated attempt to award the real thing — a 16-pound snapper — to a student society on the campus of the winning team. Michigan and Michigan State have fought since 1953 for annual ownership of the Paul Bunyan Trophy, a four-foot wooden statue of the mythical lumberjack donated by the state’s governor to mark MSU’s entry into the conference.As football became the front-of-the-brochure image of a college campus, the power of visuals has helped make these trophies lasting legends.”It’s a tangible representation that we beat our rivals,” Anderson said. “Maybe we only keep it for a year because it’s a traveling trophy, but next time we’re going back to get it if we didn’t win it.”The NCAA certified the Territorial Cup played for by Arizona and Arizona State as the oldest known rivalry trophy, awarded after their first meeting in 1899. But there’s a gap in the history of the small, silver-plated pitcher. It was missing for decades until its rediscovery in a storage area of a church near the ASU campus in 1983. Traveling-trophy formality was finally reinstated in 2001.If there’s one recurring theme among rivalry trophies, it is relics from the pre-industrial age. Nevada and UNLV play for the Fremont Cannon, a 545-pound replica of the cannon the explorer of the same name abandoned in a snowstorm during his trek through the state in 1844. Notre Dame and USC have the Jewelled Shillelagh, a wooden symbol of a traditional Gaelic war club that was first presented in 1952. Oh, and there are all kinds of bells waiting to be rung by a winning team out there. Lots of bells.California and Stanford play for an axe, too, except theirs is just the head mounted on a plaque, an oft-stolen trophy annually awarded since 1933. Kentucky and Tennessee battle for a beer barrel. When Mississippi fans stormed Mississippi State’s field after a Rebels win in 1926, MSU supporters balked and brawls broke out. To help restore dignity to the rivalry the following year, the student bodies from both schools introduced the Golden Egg, a gold-plated football mounted on a pedestal. Fortunately, the egg never gets too close to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in Texas, where SMU and TCU have played for the Iron Skillet since 1946. The rivals from the defunct Southwest Conference have met 104 times in 110 years, but no future games have been scheduled.The Slab of Bacon is safely away from the skillet, too. That was the first version of the Minnesota-Wisconsin hardware, a wooden slab that went missing in 1943 after the planned exchange following a Gophers victory never took place, for reasons that depend on which school is telling the story. A summer storage cleanout project in Madison in 1994 turned up the trophy, which Wisconsin has since kept on display. Somehow, all the game scores through 1970 are inscribed on it even though it was supposedly unable to be found for all those years.

    MINNEAPOLIS —

    The most-played series in major college football history, the bitter border-state rivalry between Minnesota and Wisconsin, is punctuated each year with a postgame ritual by the winning team that could be described as jubilant yardwork.

    When time expires on Saturday in the 135th edition of the Gophers-Badgers grudge match, currently even at 63-63 with eight ties, the victors will sprint toward Paul Bunyan’s Axe, take turns hoisting the six-foot shaft above their heads as they parade it around the stadium, and aim the head at one of the goal posts in pretending to chop it down like it’s a giant tree in the north woods. The axe has been awarded annually since 1948.

    Video above: Taking a deeper dive in NIL rules and impact on college athletics

    There’s hardly a richer — or quirkier — tradition in college football than rivalry trophies, one of the few elements of the game that remains the same in the new era of revenue sharing and the transfer portal. From the small schools to the powerhouse programs, nothing captures a sports fan’s attention quite like a traveling trophy.

    “It’s a way for a community — certainly the students, alumni, fans and faculty, but even more casual fans — to get revved up for a football game,” said Christian Anderson, a University of South Carolina professor whose research focus is on the history of higher education. “There are a lot of people who may not pay attention the whole season, and then the rivalry game comes and they’re a passionate fan for one Saturday.”

    Longtime members of the Big Ten boast perhaps the richest history of these one-of-a-kind prizes. The Little Brown Jug, which is neither little nor brown, dates to the Michigan-Minnesota game in 1903. Wolverines coach Fielding Yost, out of fear the Gophers might tamper with their water, had a student manager buy a jug for the team. After a brutal struggle ended in a tie as Minnesota fans stormed the field, the container was left behind. The Gophers formally returned it after the Wolverines won the next meeting in 1909.

    Minnesota fared better at the beginning with Floyd of Rosedale, a 98-pound bronze pig named after the state’s governor in 1935 who suggested the trophy to his Iowa counterpart as a way to deescalate tension between two fan bases with deep roots in farming.

    Indiana will face Purdue on Friday for the Old Oaken Bucket, found in disrepair on a local farm in 1925 with the belief it might have been used by Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. Indiana and Michigan State have competed since 1950 for the Old Brass Spittoon, a relic from the trading post era purchased at an antique shop by an MSU student to add incentive to the game.

    FILE - Indiana's Mike Katic celebrates with the Old Oaken Bucket after defeating Purdue in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Bloomington, Ind.

    Darron Cummings

    FILE – Indiana’s Mike Katic celebrates with the Old Oaken Bucket after defeating Purdue in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Bloomington, Ind.

    Illinois and Ohio State have played for a century for the Illibuck Trophy, now a wooden turtle after an ill-fated attempt to award the real thing — a 16-pound snapper — to a student society on the campus of the winning team. Michigan and Michigan State have fought since 1953 for annual ownership of the Paul Bunyan Trophy, a four-foot wooden statue of the mythical lumberjack donated by the state’s governor to mark MSU’s entry into the conference.

    As football became the front-of-the-brochure image of a college campus, the power of visuals has helped make these trophies lasting legends.

    “It’s a tangible representation that we beat our rivals,” Anderson said. “Maybe we only keep it for a year because it’s a traveling trophy, but next time we’re going back to get it if we didn’t win it.”

    The NCAA certified the Territorial Cup played for by Arizona and Arizona State as the oldest known rivalry trophy, awarded after their first meeting in 1899. But there’s a gap in the history of the small, silver-plated pitcher. It was missing for decades until its rediscovery in a storage area of a church near the ASU campus in 1983. Traveling-trophy formality was finally reinstated in 2001.

    If there’s one recurring theme among rivalry trophies, it is relics from the pre-industrial age. Nevada and UNLV play for the Fremont Cannon, a 545-pound replica of the cannon the explorer of the same name abandoned in a snowstorm during his trek through the state in 1844.

    Notre Dame and USC have the Jewelled Shillelagh, a wooden symbol of a traditional Gaelic war club that was first presented in 1952. Oh, and there are all kinds of bells waiting to be rung by a winning team out there. Lots of bells.

    California and Stanford play for an axe, too, except theirs is just the head mounted on a plaque, an oft-stolen trophy annually awarded since 1933. Kentucky and Tennessee battle for a beer barrel.

    When Mississippi fans stormed Mississippi State’s field after a Rebels win in 1926, MSU supporters balked and brawls broke out. To help restore dignity to the rivalry the following year, the student bodies from both schools introduced the Golden Egg, a gold-plated football mounted on a pedestal.

    FILE - UNLV pulls the Fremont Cannon trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual Battle of Nevada game, on the field after defeating Nevada in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Las Vegas.

    David Becker

    FILE – UNLV pulls the Fremont Cannon trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual Battle of Nevada game, on the field after defeating Nevada in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Las Vegas.

    Fortunately, the egg never gets too close to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in Texas, where SMU and TCU have played for the Iron Skillet since 1946. The rivals from the defunct Southwest Conference have met 104 times in 110 years, but no future games have been scheduled.

    The Slab of Bacon is safely away from the skillet, too.

    That was the first version of the Minnesota-Wisconsin hardware, a wooden slab that went missing in 1943 after the planned exchange following a Gophers victory never took place, for reasons that depend on which school is telling the story.

    A summer storage cleanout project in Madison in 1994 turned up the trophy, which Wisconsin has since kept on display. Somehow, all the game scores through 1970 are inscribed on it even though it was supposedly unable to be found for all those years.

    Source link

  • Run to Feed the Hungry 2025: Recaps from this year’s Sacramento Thanksgiving tradition

    The 32nd annual Run to Feed the Hungry is now underway, bringing a record number of participants to the Thanksgiving tradition to benefit the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.Organizers say it’s the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country. It’s also the biggest fundraiser of the year for Sacramento Food Bank.The Nov. 27 event for 2025 offers a 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer run or walk. People will also join virtually and get a bib and shirt.The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services helps hundreds of thousands of people get food assistance in Sacramento County each month through a network of 111 partner agencies. Last year, the organization distributed the equivalent of 33.2 million meals to an average of 309,285 people each month. This year, food banks have experienced increased demand. Days ahead of the fun run, the 2025 Run to Feed the Hungry had already set a new registration record, topping last year’s record of 31,660 participants on Monday. At the first event in 1994, there were 796 runners and walkers.Around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, organizers said registration for the run had sold out, with 34,050 runners. It’s the first time the event has sold out in its 32-year history.| MORE | A look at the weather for Run to Feed the HungryHere is what else you should know about this year’s event, which KCRA 3 and My58 help to sponsor. Live updates from Run to Feed the Hungry 9:15 a.m.: The runner who won the 10K just crossed the finish line for the 5K seconds before the 15-minute mark.9 a.m.: The 5K is now underway.8:48 a.m.: The first female runner finished seconds before the 34-minute mark.8:44 a.m.: The first three participants for the 10K race finished in under 30 minutes.8:15 a.m.: The 10K race began with the elite runners taking the lead.8 a.m.: This year’s run will provide 4 million meals to those in need.7:30 a.m.: Traffic expert and DJ Brian Hickey gives a preview of what music to expect during the run.7 a.m.: Some runners are already showing up to prepare for the fun run.6 a.m.: KCRA 3’s Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Teo Torres get an early look at the start of the course before the sunrise. Where are the road closures for Run to Feed the Hungry?Watch the video below for a quick snapshot of closures.Where does Run to Feed the Hungry take place?The event starts on J Street, west of the entrance of Sacramento State, and runs a loop through the East Sacramento neighborhood. The course ends at the Scottish Rite Temple at 56th and H streets. View the course map here.People usually park at Sac State and in the surrounding neighborhood. Event organizers say there is free bike parking near the start line. View the parking map here.Note: The J Street entrance to Sac State will be closed until after the race finishes. Are there race awards?Yes.People can choose to have chip timing and join a timed runner’s corral to compete for an award.The top three finishers in each age group will get a medal, and the top three overall men and women in the 5K and 10K will receive plaques and prize money.The top three masters (age 40 or older) among men and women will also receive plaques and prize money.Learn more here.How to check Run to Feed the Hungry race resultsYou can find out what time runners completed the run here. What else should I know?No bikes, skateboards, or scooters are allowed. People using strollers are not allowed in the timed races but are encouraged to sign up for the untimed events.Refunds and transfers are not available.Click here for more FAQs from organizers.Celebrating thankfulnessShare photos of what you’re thankful for this holiday season.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    The 32nd annual Run to Feed the Hungry is now underway, bringing a record number of participants to the Thanksgiving tradition to benefit the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

    Organizers say it’s the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country. It’s also the biggest fundraiser of the year for Sacramento Food Bank.

    The Nov. 27 event for 2025 offers a 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer run or walk. People will also join virtually and get a bib and shirt.

    The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services helps hundreds of thousands of people get food assistance in Sacramento County each month through a network of 111 partner agencies. Last year, the organization distributed the equivalent of 33.2 million meals to an average of 309,285 people each month.

    This year, food banks have experienced increased demand.

    Days ahead of the fun run, the 2025 Run to Feed the Hungry had already set a new registration record, topping last year’s record of 31,660 participants on Monday. At the first event in 1994, there were 796 runners and walkers.

    Around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, organizers said registration for the run had sold out, with 34,050 runners. It’s the first time the event has sold out in its 32-year history.

    | MORE | A look at the weather for Run to Feed the Hungry

    Here is what else you should know about this year’s event, which KCRA 3 and My58 help to sponsor.

    Live updates from Run to Feed the Hungry

    9:15 a.m.: The runner who won the 10K just crossed the finish line for the 5K seconds before the 15-minute mark.

    9 a.m.: The 5K is now underway.

    8:48 a.m.: The first female runner finished seconds before the 34-minute mark.

    8:44 a.m.: The first three participants for the 10K race finished in under 30 minutes.

    8:15 a.m.: The 10K race began with the elite runners taking the lead.

    8 a.m.: This year’s run will provide 4 million meals to those in need.

    7:30 a.m.: Traffic expert and DJ Brian Hickey gives a preview of what music to expect during the run.


    7 a.m.: Some runners are already showing up to prepare for the fun run.

    6 a.m.: KCRA 3’s Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Teo Torres get an early look at the start of the course before the sunrise.

    Where are the road closures for Run to Feed the Hungry?

    Watch the video below for a quick snapshot of closures.

    Where does Run to Feed the Hungry take place?

    The event starts on J Street, west of the entrance of Sacramento State, and runs a loop through the East Sacramento neighborhood. The course ends at the Scottish Rite Temple at 56th and H streets. View the course map here.

    People usually park at Sac State and in the surrounding neighborhood. Event organizers say there is free bike parking near the start line. View the parking map here.

    Note: The J Street entrance to Sac State will be closed until after the race finishes.

    Are there race awards?

    Yes.

    People can choose to have chip timing and join a timed runner’s corral to compete for an award.

    The top three finishers in each age group will get a medal, and the top three overall men and women in the 5K and 10K will receive plaques and prize money.

    The top three masters (age 40 or older) among men and women will also receive plaques and prize money.

    Learn more here.

    How to check Run to Feed the Hungry race results

    You can find out what time runners completed the run here.

    What else should I know?

    No bikes, skateboards, or scooters are allowed. People using strollers are not allowed in the timed races but are encouraged to sign up for the untimed events.

    Refunds and transfers are not available.

    Click here for more FAQs from organizers.

    Celebrating thankfulness

    Share photos of what you’re thankful for this holiday season.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

    Source link

  • Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to kick off in Manhattan

    Dozens of balloons and floats filled the streets of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Many of the familiar balloon favorites like Marshall, the Dalmatian from Paw Patrol, and Dora the Explorer are joined by new friends this year like Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, and Mario. Creative new floats were on display along Central Park, giant Lebubus, and *** demogorgon from the. Down delighted the crowds. The parade is just such *** great part of New York and it’s such *** great part of history. It’s the greatest show on Earth, and we’re just so lucky to be part of it. April Rubens Stone raced to the front of the viewing line, eager to keep the decades-long tradition going. It doesn’t matter what age you are, it’s for everybody. For others, seeing the parade is *** once in *** lifetime opportunity. They couldn’t wait to. Growing up seeing this on television, I had always wished to come and see one live, so this is definitely on my bucket list and pressing it out. I’ve wanted to do it for 25 years to come and watch them blow up the floats, and we finally said let’s do it. While everyone has something unique they’re eager to see in the parade, one common thread connects them all. I’m thankful for. Uh, my family and my 90 year old mother. Thankful for our family and for everyone’s health. This is our first Thanksgiving as *** family of four, so he’s got *** little brother. Are you thankful for your little brother? In New York, I’m Lee Waldman.

    Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to kick off in Manhattan

    Updated: 7:10 AM EST Nov 27, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off Thursday in New York City, with new balloons depicting Buzz Lightyear and Pac-Man set to take to the skies and floats featuring Labubu and Lego gracing the streets.The parade is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. EST, rain or shine, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and will end at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street.It’s expected to be a chilly day in the city, with temperatures in the 40s, but wind gusts between 25 mph and 30 mph will make it feel colder, according to David Stark, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New York.Officials are watching the forecast closely, since city law prohibits Macy’s from flying full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph or wind gusts are over 35 mph. Weather has grounded the balloons only once, in 1971, but they also sometimes have soared lower than usual because of wind.Authorities will decide Thursday morning whether any balloon adjustments are needed, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. The parade has been a magnet for protests in the last two years, when pro-Palestinian protesters entered the parade route. Police “are prepared to address that and any other situations that come our way,” Tisch said.A star-studded lineup of performances will be sprinkled throughout the show, along with a slew of marching bands, dancers and cheerleaders. Performers include “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, Conan Gray, Lainey Wilson, Foreigner, Lil Jon, and Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of HUNTR/X, the fictional girl group at the heart of this year’s Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters.” The Radio City Rockettes also will be there, as will cast members from Broadway’s “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Just in Time” and “Ragtime.”All told, the parade is expected to feature dozens of balloons, floats, clown groups and marching bands — all leading the way for Santa Claus. Among the new balloons being featured is a large onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “Shrek.” “KPop Demon Hunters” will also be represented in the sky with the characters Derpy Tiger and Sussie.The event will air on NBC, hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker from “Today” and their former colleague Hoda Kotb. On Telemundo, the hosts will be Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz and Clovis Nienow.The parade is also being simulcast on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.

    NEW YORK —

    The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off Thursday in New York City, with new balloons depicting Buzz Lightyear and Pac-Man set to take to the skies and floats featuring Labubu and Lego gracing the streets.

    The parade is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. EST, rain or shine, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and will end at Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street.

    It’s expected to be a chilly day in the city, with temperatures in the 40s, but wind gusts between 25 mph and 30 mph will make it feel colder, according to David Stark, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New York.

    Officials are watching the forecast closely, since city law prohibits Macy’s from flying full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph or wind gusts are over 35 mph. Weather has grounded the balloons only once, in 1971, but they also sometimes have soared lower than usual because of wind.

    Authorities will decide Thursday morning whether any balloon adjustments are needed, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

    The parade has been a magnet for protests in the last two years, when pro-Palestinian protesters entered the parade route. Police “are prepared to address that and any other situations that come our way,” Tisch said.

    A star-studded lineup of performances will be sprinkled throughout the show, along with a slew of marching bands, dancers and cheerleaders. Performers include “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, Conan Gray, Lainey Wilson, Foreigner, Lil Jon, and Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of HUNTR/X, the fictional girl group at the heart of this year’s Netflix hit “KPop Demon Hunters.” The Radio City Rockettes also will be there, as will cast members from Broadway’s “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Just in Time” and “Ragtime.”

    All told, the parade is expected to feature dozens of balloons, floats, clown groups and marching bands — all leading the way for Santa Claus. Among the new balloons being featured is a large onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “Shrek.” “KPop Demon Hunters” will also be represented in the sky with the characters Derpy Tiger and Sussie.

    The event will air on NBC, hosted by Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker from “Today” and their former colleague Hoda Kotb. On Telemundo, the hosts will be Andrea Meza, Aleyda Ortiz and Clovis Nienow.

    The parade is also being simulcast on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.

    Source link

  • Run to Feed the Hungry 2025 sets registration record for Sacramento Thanksgiving Day tradition

    Run to Feed the Hungry has become a Thanksgiving tradition in Sacramento since its inaugural event 31 years ago. Organizers say it’s the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country. It’s also the biggest fundraiser for Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, organizers said registration for the run had sold out, with 34,050 runners. It’s the first time the event has sold out in its 32-year history. The Nov. 27 event for 2025 offers a 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer run or walk. People were also able to register virtually and get a bib and shirt.The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services helps hundreds of thousands of people get food assistance in Sacramento County each month through a network of 111 partner agencies. Last year, the organization distributed the equivalent of 33.2 million meals to an average of 309,285 people each month. This year, food banks have experienced increased demand. The 2025 Run to Feed the Hungry has already set a new registration record, topping last year’s record of 31,660 participants on Monday. At the first event in 1994, there were 796 runners and walkers.Here is what else you should know about this year’s event, which KCRA 3 and My58 help to sponsor. What is a team at Run to Feed the Hungry? A team could represent a company, family, school or another group. If you join or form a team, you get access to an upgraded tech shirt, a team area with coffee, water and breakfast snacks on Thanksgiving morning and a professional photo. Learn more here. The deadline to form or join a team was Nov. 21. Where and when is packet pickup? Packet pickup takes place at Fremont Presbyterian Church, located at 5770 Carlson Drive. Additional parking is across the street at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center.Below are the times to pick up your packet. Saturday, Nov. 22: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.Sunday, Nov. 23: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.Monday, Nov. 24: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.Tuesday, Nov. 25: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.Wednesday, Nov. 26: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27: 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.When do the races start? The 10K starts at 8:15 a.m. for timed runners and 8:20-8:30 a.m. for untimed runners. The 5K starts at 9 a.m. for timed runners and 9:05-9:40 a.m. for untimed runners. Where does Run to Feed the Hungry take place?The event starts on J Street, west of the entrance of Sacramento State, and runs a loop through the East Sacramento neighborhood. The course ends at the Scottish Rite Temple at 56th and H streets. View the course map here.People usually park at Sac State and in the surrounding neighborhood. Event organizers say there is free bike parking near the start line. View the parking map here.Note: The J Street entrance to Sac State will be closed until after the race finishes. Can you look up your run time for the 5k or 10k? Yes, there is a Run to Feed the Hungry results page that tracks when participants cross the finish line and how long it took them. See past race results here. Are there race awards?Yes.People can choose to have chip timing and join a timed runner’s corral to compete for an award.The top three finishers in each age group will get a medal, and the top three overall men and women in the 5K and 10K will receive plaques and prize money.The top three masters (age 40 or older) among men and women will also receive plaques and prize money.Learn more here. Can I bring my pet?Organizers ask participants to leave their pets at home. How to volunteer? You can sign up here. What else should I know?No bikes, skateboards, or scooters are allowed. People using strollers are not allowed in the timed races but are encouraged to sign up for the untimed events.Refunds and transfers are not available.Click here for more FAQs from organizers. Celebrating thankfulnessShare photos of what you’re thankful for this holiday season. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

    Run to Feed the Hungry has become a Thanksgiving tradition in Sacramento since its inaugural event 31 years ago.

    Organizers say it’s the largest Thanksgiving Day fun run in the country. It’s also the biggest fundraiser for Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

    Around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, organizers said registration for the run had sold out, with 34,050 runners.

    The Nov. 27 event for 2025 offers a 5-kilometer or 10-kilometer run or walk. People were also able to register virtually and get a bib and shirt.

    The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services helps hundreds of thousands of people get food assistance in Sacramento County each month through a network of 111 partner agencies. Last year, the organization distributed the equivalent of 33.2 million meals to an average of 309,285 people each month.

    This year, food banks have experienced increased demand.

    The 2025 Run to Feed the Hungry has already set a new registration record, topping last year’s record of 31,660 participants on Monday. At the first event in 1994, there were 796 runners and walkers.

    Here is what else you should know about this year’s event, which KCRA 3 and My58 help to sponsor.

    What is a team at Run to Feed the Hungry?

    A team could represent a company, family, school or another group. If you join or form a team, you get access to an upgraded tech shirt, a team area with coffee, water and breakfast snacks on Thanksgiving morning and a professional photo. Learn more here.

    Run to Feed the Hungry

    Here’s this year’s team shirt.

    The deadline to form or join a team was Nov. 21.

    Where and when is packet pickup?

    Packet pickup takes place at Fremont Presbyterian Church, located at 5770 Carlson Drive. Additional parking is across the street at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center.

    Below are the times to pick up your packet.

    • Saturday, Nov. 22: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
    • Sunday, Nov. 23: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
    • Monday, Nov. 24: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Tuesday, Nov. 25: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Wednesday, Nov. 26: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
    • Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27: 7 a.m. – 9 a.m.

    When do the races start?

    The 10K starts at 8:15 a.m. for timed runners and 8:20-8:30 a.m. for untimed runners. The 5K starts at 9 a.m. for timed runners and 9:05-9:40 a.m. for untimed runners.

    Where does Run to Feed the Hungry take place?

    The event starts on J Street, west of the entrance of Sacramento State, and runs a loop through the East Sacramento neighborhood. The course ends at the Scottish Rite Temple at 56th and H streets. View the course map here.

    People usually park at Sac State and in the surrounding neighborhood. Event organizers say there is free bike parking near the start line. View the parking map here.

    Note: The J Street entrance to Sac State will be closed until after the race finishes.

    Can you look up your run time for the 5k or 10k?

    Yes, there is a Run to Feed the Hungry results page that tracks when participants cross the finish line and how long it took them.

    See past race results here.

    Are there race awards?

    Yes.

    People can choose to have chip timing and join a timed runner’s corral to compete for an award.

    The top three finishers in each age group will get a medal, and the top three overall men and women in the 5K and 10K will receive plaques and prize money.

    The top three masters (age 40 or older) among men and women will also receive plaques and prize money.

    Learn more here.

    Can I bring my pet?

    Organizers ask participants to leave their pets at home.

    How to volunteer?

    You can sign up here.

    What else should I know?

    No bikes, skateboards, or scooters are allowed. People using strollers are not allowed in the timed races but are encouraged to sign up for the untimed events.

    Refunds and transfers are not available.

    Click here for more FAQs from organizers.

    Celebrating thankfulness

    Share photos of what you’re thankful for this holiday season.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter

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  • Crumbling ceilings in underground tunnels force closure of Terminal Island prison

    Crumbling infrastructure has forced the closure of a low-security prison in San Pedro that has housed a host of infamous inmates over the years including Al Capone and Charles Manson, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed this week.

    Conditions at the Federal Correctional Institution Terminal Island, which houses nearly 1,000 inmates, have been a years-long problem. An assessment conducted last year by an architectural and engineering firm identified more than $110 million in critical repairs needed at the prison over the next 20 years. The prison is currently home to disgraced celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti and former cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried.

    More recently, officials discovered problems involving the support structure of the steam system used for heating the facility, which “prompted immediate action,” including the relocation of inmates, said Donald Murphy, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

    “We take seriously our responsibility to safeguard the inmates in our care, our staff, and the broader community. Once we have assessed the situation further and ensured the safety of all those involved, we will determine the next steps for FCI Terminal Island,” Murphy said.

    Entrance to the Federal Correctional Institution Terminal Island.

    (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

    The prison, which opened in 1938, is the latest federal correctional facility to close over the past year amid serious budgetary and operational challenges, including severe staffing shortages, lack of funding to repair aging infrastructure, sexual assault of inmates and contraband across the prison system.

    In late 2024, the Bureau of Prisons announced that seven facilities, including the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, would be shuttered. Inmates at that prison had dealt with years of sexual abuse that led to the firing of top officials and the prosecution of the facility’s former warden and chaplain.

    It is not clear how long the Terminal Island facility will be closed. Inmates will be moved to other facilities, though officials did not specify where, saying only that the agency is prioritizing keeping people “as close as possible to their anticipated release locations.”

    Federal Bureau of Prison Director William K. Marshall III cited problems with underground tunnels containing the facility’s steam heating system in a memo to staff on Tuesday obtained by the Associated Press.

    Ceilings in the tunnels have begun to deteriorate, causing chunks of concrete to fall and putting employees and the heating system at risk, he said.

    “We are not going to wait for a crisis,” Marshall told employees. “We are not going to gamble with lives. And we are not going to expect people to work or live in conditions that we would never accept for ourselves.”

    This isn’t the first time the prison has faced critical infrastructure problems.

    In 2019, as Los Angeles was experiencing the coldest February in decades, two units that housed more than 200 inmates at the Terminal Island facility lost heat after an underground steam line failed.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Hannah Fry, Clara Harter

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  • Californians sharply divided along partisan lines about immigration raids, poll finds

    California voters are sharply divided along partisan lines over the Trump administration’s immigration raids this year in Los Angeles and across the nation, according to a new poll.

    Just over half of the state’s registered voters oppose federal efforts to reduce undocumented immigration, and 61% are against deporting everyone in the nation who doesn’t have legal status, according to a recent poll by UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab released to The Times on Wednesday.

    But there is an acute difference in opinions based on political leanings.

    Nearly 80% of Democrats oppose reducing the number of people entering the United States illegally, and 90% are against deporting everyone in the country who is undocumented, according to the poll. Among Republicans, 5% are against reducing the entries and 10% don’t believe all undocumented immigrants should be forced to leave.

    “The big thing that we find, not surprisingly, is that Democrats and Republicans look really different,” said political scientist Amy Lerman, director of UC Berkeley’s Possibility Lab, who studies race, public opinion and political behavior. “On these perspectives, they fall pretty clearly along party lines. While there’s some variation within the parties by things like age and race, really, the big divide is between Democrats and Republicans.”

    While there were some differences based on gender, age, income, geography and race, the results largely mirrored the partisan divide in the state, Lerman said.

    One remarkable finding was that nearly a quarter of survey respondents personally knew or were acquainted with someone in their family or friend groups directly affected by the deportation efforts, Lerman said.

    “That’s a really substantial proportion,” she said. “Similarly, the extent to which we see people reporting that people in their communities are concerned enough about deportation efforts that they’re not sending their kids to school, not shopping in local stores, not going to work,” not seeking medical care or attending church services.

    The poll surveyed a sample of the state’s registered voters and did not include the sentiments of the most affected communities — unregistered voters or those who are ineligible to cast ballots because they are not citizens.

    A little more than 23 million of California’s 39.5 million residents were registered to vote as of late October, according to the secretary of state’s office.

    “So if we think about the California population generally, this is a really significant underestimate of the effects, even though we’re seeing really substantial effects on communities,” she said.

    Earlier this year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched a series of raids in Los Angeles and surrounding communities that spiked in June, creating both fear and outrage in Latino communities. Despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other elected Democrats, the Trump administration also deployed the National Guard to the streets of the nation’s second-largest city to, federal officials said, protect federal immigration officials.

    The months since have been chaotic, with masked, armed agents randomly pulling people — most of whom are Latino — off the streets and out of their workplaces and sending many to detention facilities, where some have died. Some deportees were flown to an El Salvador prison. Multiple lawsuits have been filed by state officials and civil rights groups.

    In one notable local case, a federal district judge issued a ruling temporarily blocking federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out indiscriminate immigration arrests in the Los Angeles area. The Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal and lifted that order, while the case moves forward.

    More than 7,100 undocumented immigrants have been arrested in the Los Angeles area by federal authorities since June 6, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

    On Monday, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), Bass and other elected officials hosted a congressional hearing on the impact of immigration raids that have taken place across the country. Garcia, the top Democrat on the House’s oversight committee, also announced the creation of a tracker to document misconduct and abuse during ICE raids.

    While Republican voters largely aligned with Trump’s actions on deportations, 16% said that they believed that the deportations will worsen the state’s economy.

    Lerman said the university planned to study whether these numbers changed as the impacts on the economy are felt more greatly.

    “If it continues to affect people, particularly, as we see really high rates of effects on the workforce, so construction, agriculture, all of the places where we’re as an economy really reliant [on immigrant labor], I can imagine some of these starting to shift even among Republicans,” she said.

    Among Latinos, whose support of Trump grew in the 2024 election, there are multiple indications of growing dissatisfaction with the president, according to separate national polls.

    Nearly eight in 10 Latinos said Trump’s policies have harmed their community, compared to 69% in 2019 during his first term, according to a national poll of adults in the United States released by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center on Monday. About 71% said the administration’s deportation efforts had gone too far, an increase from 56% in March. And it was the first time in the two decades that Pew has conducted its survey of Latino voters that the number of Latinos who said their standing in the United States had worsened increased, with more than two-thirds expressing the sentiment.

    Another poll released earlier this month by Somos Votantes, a liberal group that urges Latino voters to support Democratic candidates, found that one-third of Latino voters who previously supported Trump rue their decision, according to a national poll.

    Small business owner Brian Gavidia is among the Latino voters who supported Trump in November because of financial struggles.

    “I was tired of struggling, I was tired of seeing my friends closing businesses,” the 30-year-old said. “When [President] Biden ran again I’m like, ‘I’m not going to vote for the same four years we just had’ … I was sad and I was heartbroken that our economy was failing and that’s the reason why I went that way.”

    The East L.A. native, the son of immigrants from Colombia and El Salvador, said he wasn’t concerned about Trump’s immigration policies because the president promised to deport the “worst of the worst.”

    He grew disgusted watching the raids that unfolded in Los Angeles earlier this year.

    “They’re taking fruit vendors, day laborers, that’s the worst of the worst to you?” he remembered thinking.

    Over a lunch of asada tortas and horchata in East L.A., Gavidia recounted being detained by Border Patrol agents in June while working at a Montebello tow yard. Agents shoved him against a metal gate, demanding to know what hospital he was born at after he said he was an American citizen, according to video of the incident.

    After reviewing his ID, the agents eventually let Gavidia go. The Department of Homeland Security later claimed that Gavidia was detained for investigation for interference and released after being confirmed to be a U.S. citizen with no outstanding warrants. He is now a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and immigrant advocacy groups alleging racial profiling during immigration raids.

    “At that moment, I was the criminal, at that moment I was the worst of the worst, which is crazy because I went to go see who they were getting — the worst of the worst like they said they were going to get,” Gavidia said. “But turns out when I got there, I was the worst of the worst.”

    Seema Mehta, Brittny Mejia

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  • California braces for early, sharper flu season as virus mutation outpaces vaccine, experts say

    California could see an early start to the annual flu season, as a combination of low vaccination rates and late mutations to the virus may leave the state particularly exposed to transmission, health experts say.

    Already, there are warning signs. Los Angeles County recently reported its first flu death of the season, and other nations are reporting record-breaking or powerful, earlier-than-expected flu seasons.

    Typically, flu picks up right after Christmas and into the New Year, but Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional physician chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, said she expects increases in viral activity perhaps over the next two to three weeks.

    “We’re expecting an early and likely sharp start to the flu season,” Hudson said.

    Last year’s flu season was the worst California had seen in years, and it’s not usual for there to be back-to-back bad flu seasons. But a combination of a decline in flu vaccination rates and a “souped-up mutant” is particularly concerning this year, according to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco.

    “That may translate into more people getting infected. And as more people get infected, a proportion of them will go to the hospital,” Chin-Hong said.

    The timing of this new flu subvariant — called H3N2 subclade K — is particularly problematic. It emerged toward the end of the summer, long after health officials had already determined how to formulate this fall’s flu vaccine, a decision that had to be made in February.

    H3N2 subclade K seems to be starting to dominate in Japan and Britain, Hudson said.

    “It looks like a bit of a mismatch between the seasonal flu vaccine strains” and the new subvariant, Hudson said.

    It remains unclear whether subclade K will reduce the effectiveness of this year’s flu shot.

    In California and the rest of the U.S., “things are quiet, but I think it’s just a calm before the storm,” Chin-Hong said. “From what we see in the U.K. and Japan, a lot more people are getting flu earlier.”

    Chin-Hong noted that subclade K is not that much different than the strains this year’s flu vaccines were designed against. And he noted data recently released in Britain that showed this season’s vaccines were still effective against hospitalization.

    According to the British government, vaccinated children were 70% to 75% less likely to need hospital care, and adults were 30% to 40% less likely. Flu vaccine effectiveness is typically between 30% to 60%, and tends to be more effective in younger people, the British government said.

    Even if there is some degree of mismatch between the vaccine and circulating strains, “the flu vaccine still provides protection against severe illness, including hospitalizations,” according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

    “Public Health strongly encourages everyone who has not received the flu vaccine yet this year to receive it now, especially before gathering with loved ones during the holidays,” the department said in a statement.

    But “while mismatched vaccines may still provide protection, enhanced genetic, antigenic and epidemiological … monitoring are warranted to inform risk assessment and response,” according to scientists writing in the Journal of the Assn. of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Canada.

    Because the vaccine is not a perfect match for the latest mutated flu strain, Chin-Hong said getting antiviral medication like Tamiflu to infected patients may be especially important this year, even for those who are vaccinated. That’s especially true for the most vulnerable, which include the very young and very old.

    “But that means you need to get diagnosed earlier,” Chin-Hong said. Drugs like Tamiflu work best when started within one to two days after flu symptoms begin, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

    There are now at-home flu testing kits that are widely available for sale for people who are showing signs of illness.

    Also worrying is how the flu has surged in other countries.

    Australia’s flu season came earlier this year and was more severe than usual. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said that nation saw a record flu season, with more than 410,000 lab-confirmed cases, up from the prior all-time high of 365,000 that were reported last year.

    “This is not a record we want to be breaking,” Dr. Michael Wright, president of the physician’s group, said.

    Hudson noted Australia’s flu season was “particularly hard on children” this year.

    L.A. County health officials cautioned that Australia’s experience isn’t a solid predictor of what happens locally.

    “It is difficult to predict what will happen in the United States and Los Angeles, as the severity of the flu season depends on multiple factors including circulating strains, pre-existing immunity, vaccine uptake, and the overall health of the population,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said.

    The new strain has also thrown a wrench in things. As Australia’s flu season was ending, “this new mutation came up, which kind of ignited flu in Japan and the U.K., and other parts of Europe and Asia,” Chin-Hong said.

    On Friday, Japan reportedly issued a national alert with flu cases surging and hospitalizations increasing, especially among children and the elderly, accompanied by a sharp rise in school and class closures. The Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun said children ages 1 through 9 and adults 80 and up were among the hardest-hit groups.

    Taiwanese health officials warned of the possibility of a second peak in flu this year, according to the Central News Agency. There was already a peak in late September and early October — a month earlier than normal — and officials are warning about an uptick in flu cases starting in December and then peaking around the Lunar New Year on Feb. 17.

    Taiwanese officials said 95% of patients with severe flu symptoms had not been recently vaccinated.

    British health officials this month issued a “flu jab SOS,” as an early wave struck the nation. Flu cases are “already triple what they were this time last year,” Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton said in a statement.

    In England, outside of pandemic years, this fall marked the earliest start to the flu season since 2003-04, scientists said in the journal Eurosurveillance.

    “We have to brace ourselves for another year of more cases of flu,” Chin-Hong said.

    One major concern has been declining flu vaccination rates — a trend seen in both Australia and the United States.

    In Australia, only 25.7% of children age 6 months to 5 years were vaccinated against flu in 2025, the lowest rate since 2021. Among seniors age 65 and up, 60.5% were vaccinated, the lowest rate since 2020.

    Australian health officials are promoting free flu vaccinations for children that don’t require an injection, but are administered by nasal spray.

    “We must boost vaccination rates,” Wright said.

    In the U.S., officials recommend the annual flu vaccine for everyone age 6 months and up. Those age 65 and up are eligible for a higher-dose version, and kids and adults between age 2 and age 49 are eligible to get vaccinated via the FluMist nasal spray, rather than a needle injection.

    Officials this year began allowing people to order FluMist to be mailed to them at home.

    Besides getting vaccinated, other ways to protect yourself against the flu include washing your hands frequently, avoiding sick people and wearing a mask in higher-risk indoor settings, such as while in the airport and on a plane.

    Healthy high-risk people, such as older individuals, can be prescribed antiviral drugs like Tamiflu if another household member has the flu, Chin-Hong said.

    Doctors are especially concerned about babies, toddlers and young children up to age 5.

    “Those are the kids that are the most vulnerable if they get any kind of a respiratory illness. It can really go badly for them, and they can end up extraordinarily ill,” Hudson said.

    In the United States, just 49.2% of children had gotten a flu shot as of late April, lower than the 53.4% who had done so at the same point the previous season, according to preliminary national survey results. Both figures are well below the final flu vaccination rate for eligible children during the 2019-20 season, which was 63.7%.

    Among adults, 46.7% had gotten their flu shot as of late April, slightly down from the 47.4% at the same point last season, according to the preliminary survey results, which are the most recent data available.

    “Before the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination coverage had been slowly increasing; downturns in coverage occurred during and after the pandemic. Flu vaccination levels have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels,” according to the CDC.

    The disparaging of vaccinations by federal health officials, led by the vaccine-skeptic secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has not helped improve immunization rates, health experts say. Kennedy told the New York Times on Thursday that he personally directed the CDC to change its website to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism.

    Mainstream health experts and former CDC officials denounced the change. “Extensive scientific evidence shows vaccines do not cause autism,” wrote Daniel Jernigan, Demetre Daskalakis and Debra Houry, all former top officials at the CDC, in an op-ed to MS NOW.

    “CDC has been updated to cause chaos without scientific basis. Do not trust this agency,” Daskalakis, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, added on social media. “This is a national embarrassment.”

    State health officials from California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii on Friday called the new claims on the CDC website inaccurate and said there are decades of “high quality evidence that vaccines are not linked to autism.”

    “Over 40 high-quality studies involving more than 5.6 million children have found no link between any routine childhood vaccine and autism,” the L.A. County Department of Public Health said Friday. “The increase in autism diagnoses reflects improved screening, broader diagnostic criteria, and greater awareness, not a link to vaccines.”

    Hudson said it’s important to get evidence-based information on the flu vaccines.

    “Vaccines save lives. The flu vaccine in particular saves lives,” Hudson said.

    Rong-Gong Lin II

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  • NFL players are wearing their philanthropic passion on their cleats

    Being a professional athlete, especially in the NFL, creates a unique brotherhood.On the field, players compete tooth-and-nail against one another, often delivering some of the most violent and brutal hits that can be imagined. Off the field, they often regularly rely on one another for guidance as they navigate an almost unimaginable life of athletic stardom.Video above: A look inside All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack BaunOne of the quickest-growing connections throughout the league is in players’ philanthropic efforts, which are on full display in the next two weeks for the league’s My Cause My Cleats event.”I have yet to come across a player in the many locker rooms that I’ve been in through the years that doesn’t have a desire to help, that doesn’t have a desire to make an impact to those less fortunate, or maybe injured, or the widows and the orphans of the world,” Miles Killebrew, a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, said.The My Cause My Cleats event is a two-week campaign during which NFL players get to show off a little of their personal style while promoting the causes that are nearest to their hearts. The player-led initiative brings hundreds of personal causes to the forefront and gives each player a chance to show a bit more of their off-the-field personality during games.Austin Hooper, a tight end for the New England Patriots, will be promoting the work his foundation is doing to support kids who are aging out of the foster care system. That work is born out of his own experience with a foster child living with his family when he was a kid.”I don’t really think I’ve actually said this publicly before, but like, a part of me kind of felt a little guilty because I remember growing up when we’re thinking about having a foster care kid come stay with us full time,” Hooper told CNN Sports. “And I remember me and my siblings, we weren’t like against it, but … all three of us were really little, and we kind of felt bad that we would treat him right, but everyone else in the community would know that he wasn’t our family.”So, kind of selfishly, when I got in the position, I was like, ‘Look, man, you messed that one up big time when you were a little kid, didn’t know any better. You got to kind of try to make this right.’”It’s a chance to show off what Brian Hooks, the chairman and CEO of Stand Together, calls a “philanthropic locker room” – a term he attributed to New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis – in which players can work together to accomplish the goals they’ve set for themselves in their community work. Hooks said his organization has worked with Killebrew and other NFL players to connect them with charities that work in areas that they’re passionate about.”This isn’t about two weeks. It’s not even about what happens on game day,” Hooks told CNN Sports. “This is about a movement, a yearlong, player-led movement that helps people who want to make a difference take the next step, to get engaged in their communities.”While the NFL has other league-wide events – such as Salute to Service early in November and Crucial Catch in October for breast cancer awareness – the My Cause My Cleats weeks allow players to promote their own individual causes.”While we were the ones for years saying we have so many guys who care, and here’s what this person is doing and here’s what this guy’s doing, we don’t have to do it anymore in the same way,” Anna Isaacson, the league’s senior vice president of social responsibility, said to CNN Sports, “because this campaign allows players to have the platform to take the NFL’s marketing muscle and really showcase who they are as humans and what they care about.”Picking their causesThe causes that players choose can be born out of life experiences as unique as the players themselves.Hooper’s foundation works with foster children to provide material things – clothes, shoes, laptops, etc. – and provide mental health services.”When you think of foster care, obviously you think of the infant. You think of the toddler. You don’t think of the 17-, 18-,19-year-old young man or woman that, depending on which state you’re in, you know, get a GED maybe, and $100 and it’s like, ‘All right, good luck. Go play life in America,’” Hooper said. “That’s a tough prospect. So, when I was made aware of that. I just kind of try to … kind of fill that role.”For Killebrew, he’s been working with various charities since he entered the league but is representing Café Momentum during this season’s My Cleats My Cause.Inspired by his parents, the former Detroit Lions safety has always had “a heart to serve.” He was connected with Café Momentum by former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander and has since fallen in love with the group.”The fact that Cafe Momentum, they take youth who are have some run in with the justice system (and) their reputation … is now tarnished to the world,” Killebrew said. “They take them and say, ‘No, you’re not your biggest mistake.’ They say, ‘You get a second chance.’ And they introduce them to the to the restaurant industry, and they provide them with everything that they need, all of the resources, all of the support to then reinvent themselves.”He added, “It is so cool to see the transformation in these youth when all they have is someone saying that they believe in them. I wanted to be on board with that. That spoke to my heart and aligned with what I really wanted to achieve while I’m in the league, and I’ve been on board ever since.”Showing off players’ passionIsaacson told CNN Sports she had no doubt that My Cause My Cleats would be a success during its first season in the league. What’s surprised her is the passion players show each and every year as the campaign now enters its 10th season.”It was hundreds of guys from the start,” Isaacson said. “So, I mean, I think we’ve been impressed that it has sustained itself … and every year there is a significant number of players who want to participate. But I think from year one, we were impressed by the number of guys who opted into this campaign.”In a world of extreme attention on uniform uniformity – the NFL has 64 employees whose only job is to look for dress code violations on game day – there is not exactly a lot of room for displays of personality and individuality in the NFL uniform.But being allowed to have flashy, loud shoes for even just a couple games can reveal a lot about the league, NFL senior vice president of player operations Tracy Perlman said to CNN Sports.”This personalizes it for the fan, because fans see, ‘Oh, wait a minute, this player cares about foster care. This player cares about domestic violence,’” she said. “So I feel like it fits in perfectly, because it’s like, here are the pillars of what we do in the community, and here are all of the things that the NFL is touching through players and clubs.”The players enjoy having those moments where they can show off their causes and their personalities.Killebrew said he works closely with the artists who design his cleats and – though he won’t be able to play this year, due to a knee injury that ended his season last month – he was able to show kids working with Café Momentum that their faces would be featured on the cleats.”We’re able to also have the actual youth that we’re representing like on our cleat, and we get to show them like in person,” he said. “We went down to Café Momentum with … (Steelers linebacker) Malik Harrison and (Steelers tight end) Connor Heyward and we were able to go down there and actually show them like, ‘Hey, this is our cleat we’re gonna wear this. That’s you on our cleat.’ And it was just cool to see the look on their face and just kind of that enjoyment, that excitement behind it.”Hooper is a little less involved in the design – “I wear a helmet, they’re the artists,” he said – but loves playing while knowing that he’s representing his foundation.”I wouldn’t say there’s more pressure,” he said, “I would say I actually have more fun. … When you’re out there, you got to be locked in on your job and be ready to get after it. But, I look at it a different way. This is a fun day. I get to do something that normally I wouldn’t do, other than, you know, my plain Jane cleats that I wear, something fun.”And of course, when I got them on, I definitely want to score, for sure – put a stamp on ’em wearing those.”

    CNN —

    Being a professional athlete, especially in the NFL, creates a unique brotherhood.

    On the field, players compete tooth-and-nail against one another, often delivering some of the most violent and brutal hits that can be imagined. Off the field, they often regularly rely on one another for guidance as they navigate an almost unimaginable life of athletic stardom.

    Video above: A look inside All-Pro Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun

    One of the quickest-growing connections throughout the league is in players’ philanthropic efforts, which are on full display in the next two weeks for the league’s My Cause My Cleats event.

    “I have yet to come across a player in the many locker rooms that I’ve been in through the years that doesn’t have a desire to help, that doesn’t have a desire to make an impact to those less fortunate, or maybe injured, or the widows and the orphans of the world,” Miles Killebrew, a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, said.

    The My Cause My Cleats event is a two-week campaign during which NFL players get to show off a little of their personal style while promoting the causes that are nearest to their hearts. The player-led initiative brings hundreds of personal causes to the forefront and gives each player a chance to show a bit more of their off-the-field personality during games.

    Austin Hooper, a tight end for the New England Patriots, will be promoting the work his foundation is doing to support kids who are aging out of the foster care system. That work is born out of his own experience with a foster child living with his family when he was a kid.

    “I don’t really think I’ve actually said this publicly before, but like, a part of me kind of felt a little guilty because I remember growing up when we’re thinking about having a foster care kid come stay with us full time,” Hooper told CNN Sports. “And I remember me and my siblings, we weren’t like against it, but … all three of us were really little, and we kind of felt bad that we would treat him right, but everyone else in the community would know that he wasn’t our family.

    “So, kind of selfishly, when I got in the position, I was like, ‘Look, man, you messed that one up big time when you were a little kid, didn’t know any better. You got to kind of try to make this right.’”

    It’s a chance to show off what Brian Hooks, the chairman and CEO of Stand Together, calls a “philanthropic locker room” – a term he attributed to New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis – in which players can work together to accomplish the goals they’ve set for themselves in their community work. Hooks said his organization has worked with Killebrew and other NFL players to connect them with charities that work in areas that they’re passionate about.

    Stand Together

    Miles Killebrew works with kids at Café Momentum.

    “This isn’t about two weeks. It’s not even about what happens on game day,” Hooks told CNN Sports. “This is about a movement, a yearlong, player-led movement that helps people who want to make a difference take the next step, to get engaged in their communities.”

    While the NFL has other league-wide events – such as Salute to Service early in November and Crucial Catch in October for breast cancer awareness – the My Cause My Cleats weeks allow players to promote their own individual causes.

    “While we were the ones for years saying we have so many guys who care, and here’s what this person is doing and here’s what this guy’s doing, we don’t have to do it anymore in the same way,” Anna Isaacson, the league’s senior vice president of social responsibility, said to CNN Sports, “because this campaign allows players to have the platform to take the NFL’s marketing muscle and really showcase who they are as humans and what they care about.”

    Picking their causes

    The causes that players choose can be born out of life experiences as unique as the players themselves.

    Hooper’s foundation works with foster children to provide material things – clothes, shoes, laptops, etc. – and provide mental health services.

    “When you think of foster care, obviously you think of the infant. You think of the toddler. You don’t think of the 17-, 18-,19-year-old young man or woman that, depending on which state you’re in, you know, get a GED maybe, and $100 and it’s like, ‘All right, good luck. Go play life in America,’” Hooper said. “That’s a tough prospect. So, when I was made aware of that. I just kind of try to … kind of fill that role.”

    For Killebrew, he’s been working with various charities since he entered the league but is representing Café Momentum during this season’s My Cleats My Cause.

    Inspired by his parents, the former Detroit Lions safety has always had “a heart to serve.” He was connected with Café Momentum by former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander and has since fallen in love with the group.

    “The fact that Cafe Momentum, they take youth who are have some run in with the justice system (and) their reputation … is now tarnished to the world,” Killebrew said. “They take them and say, ‘No, you’re not your biggest mistake.’ They say, ‘You get a second chance.’ And they introduce them to the to the restaurant industry, and they provide them with everything that they need, all of the resources, all of the support to then reinvent themselves.”

    The cleats of Christian McCaffrey, of the San Francisco 49ers, are shown.

    Stand Together

    The cleats of Christian McCaffrey, of the San Francisco 49ers, are shown.

    He added, “It is so cool to see the transformation in these youth when all they have is someone saying that they believe in them. I wanted to be on board with that. That spoke to my heart and aligned with what I really wanted to achieve while I’m in the league, and I’ve been on board ever since.”

    Showing off players’ passion

    Isaacson told CNN Sports she had no doubt that My Cause My Cleats would be a success during its first season in the league. What’s surprised her is the passion players show each and every year as the campaign now enters its 10th season.

    “It was hundreds of guys from the start,” Isaacson said. “So, I mean, I think we’ve been impressed that it has sustained itself … and every year there is a significant number of players who want to participate. But I think from year one, we were impressed by the number of guys who opted into this campaign.”

    In a world of extreme attention on uniform uniformity – the NFL has 64 employees whose only job is to look for dress code violations on game day – there is not exactly a lot of room for displays of personality and individuality in the NFL uniform.

    But being allowed to have flashy, loud shoes for even just a couple games can reveal a lot about the league, NFL senior vice president of player operations Tracy Perlman said to CNN Sports.

    “This personalizes it for the fan, because fans see, ‘Oh, wait a minute, this player cares about foster care. This player cares about domestic violence,’” she said. “So I feel like it fits in perfectly, because it’s like, here are the pillars of what we do in the community, and here are all of the things that the NFL is touching through players and clubs.”

    The players enjoy having those moments where they can show off their causes and their personalities.

    Killebrew said he works closely with the artists who design his cleats and – though he won’t be able to play this year, due to a knee injury that ended his season last month – he was able to show kids working with Café Momentum that their faces would be featured on the cleats.

    New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis shows off his cleats representing Stand Together.

    Stand Together

    New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis shows off his cleats representing Stand Together.

    “We’re able to also have the actual youth that we’re representing like on our cleat, and we get to show them like in person,” he said. “We went down to Café Momentum with … (Steelers linebacker) Malik Harrison and (Steelers tight end) Connor Heyward and we were able to go down there and actually show them like, ‘Hey, this is our cleat we’re gonna wear this. That’s you on our cleat.’ And it was just cool to see the look on their face and just kind of that enjoyment, that excitement behind it.”

    Hooper is a little less involved in the design – “I wear a helmet, they’re the artists,” he said – but loves playing while knowing that he’s representing his foundation.

    “I wouldn’t say there’s more pressure,” he said, “I would say I actually have more fun. … When you’re out there, you got to be locked in on your job and be ready to get after it. But, I look at it a different way. This is a fun day. I get to do something that normally I wouldn’t do, other than, you know, my plain Jane cleats that I wear, something fun.

    “And of course, when I got them on, I definitely want to score, for sure – put a stamp on ’em wearing those.”

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  • Co-conspirator of suspended Osceola County sheriff pleads guilty to money laundering

    Co-conspirator of suspended Osceola County sheriff pleads guilty to money laundering

    WESH TWO NEWS ON CW STARTS NOW. FIRST TONIGHT, TWO MORE CO-DEFENDANTS IN THE CASE AGAINST SUSPENDED OSCEOLA SHERIFF MARCOS LOPEZ TOOK PLEA DEALS. TODAY. I’M JESSE PAGAN AND I’M MICHELLE IMPERATO LOPEZ’S ESTRANGED WIFE. AND ANOTHER CODEFENDANT. CHRISTINA DURAN. AN ALLEGED ILLEGAL GAMBLING OPERATION. THEY BOTH PLED GUILTY. WESH TWO HAYLEY CROMBLEHOLME IS LIVE AT THE LAKE COUNTY JAIL. HAYLEY. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THEM? SO AT THIS POINT, ANY SENTENCE COULD BE FACING THAT’S YET TO BE DETERMINED. THAT’S GOING TO BE UP TO THE COURT TO DECIDE. BUT FOR ROBIN LOPEZ, AFTER SHE WAS RELEASED FROM THE LAKE COUNTY JAIL HERE THIS AFTERNOON, IT APPEARS SHE’LL BE AVOIDING PRISON TIME AND AVOIDING A FELONY CONVICTION. NOW THIS ALL COMES. THESE PLEA DEALS JUST DAYS AFTER COURT DOCUMENTS ALLEGE THAT DIOR WAS PREPARED TO TESTIFY THAT HE GAVE CASH IN AN ENVELOPE TO ROBIN LOPEZ FROM THAT GAMBLING OPERATION TO GIVE TO MARCOS. IN THIS VIDEO FROM BACK IN JULY, ROBIN LOPEZ WAS RELEASED FROM JAIL FOR THE FIRST TIME ON A CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT RACKETEERING CHARGE. WHAT IS THIS FOR? IT’S A WARRANT OUT OF LAKE COUNTY. SHE WAS ARRESTED AGAIN IN OCTOBER FOR PROVIDING FALSE OR MISLEADING INFORMATION OR OMITTING MATERIAL INFORMATION ON HER BOND APPLICATION, BUT MONDAY AFTERNOON, SHE LEFT THE LAKE COUNTY JAIL ONCE AGAIN AND BASED ON HER PLEA DEAL, IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKELY SHE’LL RETURN. THE AGREEMENT SAID LOPEZ IS CHANGING HER PLEA TO GUILTY ON A REDUCED CHARGE OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND PLEADING GUILTY TO THE CHARGE RELATED TO HER BAIL APPLICATION. IT SAYS SHE WILL FACE A MINIMUM OF 24 MONTHS PROBATION, BUT HER ADJUDICATION WILL BE WITHHELD. HER ATTORNEY, MICHELLE YARD, SAID IN A STATEMENT TODAY. ROBIN LOPEZ MADE THE DIFFICULT DECISION TO ENTER A PLEA IN HER CASES. THIS PLEA ALLOWS HER TO IMMEDIATELY RETURN HOME TO HER FAMILY AND MOVE FORWARD WITH HER LIFE. IMPORTANTLY, THE COURT HAS WITHHELD ADJUDICATION, MEANING THAT SHE HAS NOT BEEN FORMALLY CONVICTED AND WILL NOT CARRY THE LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES OF A FELONY CONVICTION. THIS DIFFICULT DECISION WAS MADE WITH CAREFUL CONSIDERATION AND IN THE BEST INTEREST OF HER FUTURE. WE SPOKE WITH CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY RAJAN JOSHI ABOUT WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN ON THE LINE IF ROBIN LOPEZ WAS CONVICTED. BEING A CONVICTED FELON WOULD HAVE BEEN LIFE CHANGING FOR HER, HE SAID. THAT KIND OF CONVICTION CAN IMPACT WHERE YOU CAN RENT AN APARTMENT, WHAT WEAPONS YOU CAN HAVE. AND IN SOME CASES, IF YOU CAN VOTE. ROBIN LOPEZ WASN’T THE ONLY CODEFENDANT TO STRIKE A DEAL MONDAY. KRISHNA DAREN, WHO INVESTIGATORS HAVE DESCRIBED AS AT THE HELM OF THE OPERATION, PLED GUILTY TO A MONEY LAUNDERING CHARGE, WITH THE AGREEMENT SAYING THE TIME HE WILL SERVE IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE COURT. IT COULD MEAN A MAXIMUM OF FIVE YEARS IN PRISON. WITH THE PLEA DEALS REACHED MONDAY, MARCOS LOPEZ REMAINS THE ONLY CODEFENDANT ARRESTED TO NOT STRIKE A DEAL. WE ASKED JOSHI WHAT THAT COULD MEAN FOR HIS CASE. THAT’S NOT GOOD FOR SHERIFF LOPEZ BECAUSE HE’S THE LAST MAN STANDING, AND THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE SOMEBODY WHO’S GOING TO TAKE THE FALL FOR ALL THIS. EVERYONE ELSE CUT A DEAL, AND A LOT OF THE CO-DEFENDANTS ARE GOING TO BE TESTIFYING AGAINST HIM. NOW, WE DO EXPECT TO BE TESTIFYING IN THE CASE AGAINST MARCOS LOPEZ. AND ROBIN LOPEZ’S ATTORNEY SAYS HER CLIENT PROVIDED A SWORN STATEMENT TO PROSECUTORS TOD

    Co-conspirator of suspended Osceola County sheriff pleads guilty to money laundering

    Updated: 11:04 PM EST Nov 24, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    A co-conspirator of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez has pleaded guilty to money laundering, according to court records.Krishna Deokaran’s guilty plea came on the same day as the estranged wife of the former sheriff, Robin Severance-Lopez, pleaded guilty to money laundering Monday. While Deokaran never faced any racketeering charges, investigators described him as standing “at the helm of the operation, overseeing its financial and logistical framework.”Unlike Severance-Lopez, Deokaran is being adjudicated guilty by the court. Deokaran could face up to five years in prison, according to court records. His sentence is to be decided at a later date. Marcos Lopez is accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from Deokaran in exchange for protecting the casino, the Eclipse Social Club Casino, where the illegal gambling ring was based in Kissimmee.Deokaran is expected to testify at the eventual trial for the former sheriff, but the date has not yet been set. >> This is a developing story and will be updated as new information is released.

    LAKE COUNTY, Fla. —

    A co-conspirator of suspended Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez has pleaded guilty to money laundering, according to court records.

    Krishna Deokaran’s guilty plea came on the same day as the estranged wife of the former sheriff, Robin Severance-Lopez, pleaded guilty to money laundering Monday.

    While Deokaran never faced any racketeering charges, investigators described him as standing “at the helm of the operation, overseeing its financial and logistical framework.”

    Unlike Severance-Lopez, Deokaran is being adjudicated guilty by the court.

    Deokaran could face up to five years in prison, according to court records. His sentence is to be decided at a later date.

    Marcos Lopez is accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from Deokaran in exchange for protecting the casino, the Eclipse Social Club Casino, where the illegal gambling ring was based in Kissimmee.

    Deokaran is expected to testify at the eventual trial for the former sheriff, but the date has not yet been set.

    >> This is a developing story and will be updated as new information is released.

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  • ‘Wicked: For Good’ is even more popular than the first, soaring to a $226 million global debut

    Universal Pictures’ two-part “Wicked” gamble continues to defy gravity at the box office. Just a year after part one brought droves of audiences to movie theaters around the country, even more people bought opening weekend tickets to see the epic conclusion, “Wicked: For Good.” According to studio estimates on Sunday, “Wicked: For Good” earned $150 million from North American theaters in its first days in theaters and $226 million globally.Not only is it the biggest opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, unseating the record set by the first film’s $112 million launch, it’s also the second biggest debut of the year behind “A Minecraft Movie’s” $162 million.”The results are just fantastic,” said Jim Orr, who heads domestic distribution for Universal. “Some films can deliver a false positive when tickets go on sale early but these results speak for themselves.”Universal began rolling out “Wicked: For Good” in theaters earlier this week, with previews on Monday ($6.1 million from 1,050 theaters) and Wednesday ($6.5 million from 2,300 theaters). By Friday it was playing in 4,115 North American locations and had raked in $68.6 million. IMAX showings accounted for $15.5 million, or 11%, of its domestic haul — a November record for the company.IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said in a statement that the strong market share shows, “our momentum carries into demos and genres beyond our traditional core, including families.”As with the first film, women powered opening weekend, making up around 71% of ticket buyers according to PostTrak exit polls. Critics were somewhat mixed on the final chapter, but audiences weren’t: An overwhelming 83% of audiences said it was one they would “definitely recommend” to friends. As far as foot traffic is concerned, the box office tracker EntTelligence estimates that about 2 million more people came out for “Wicked: For Good’s” first weekend than for “Wicked’s.”Jon M. Chu directed both “Wicked” films, starring Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande. The first film made over $758.7 million worldwide and received 10 Oscar nominations (winning two, for costume and production design ). The question is how high “Wicked: For Good” can soar. Combined, the two films cost around $300 million to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs.”The first film paved the way,” Orr said. “It’s really become a cultural event I think audiences are going to be flocking to theaters for quite some time to come.”Two other films also opened in wide release this weekend, but further down on the charts behind a buffet of holdovers. Searchlight Pictures opened its Brendan Fraser film “Rental Family” in 1,925 theaters where it earned $3.3 million. The Finnish action film “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” a Sony release, also played in 2,222 theaters. It earned an estimated $2.6 million.Second place went to “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” with $9.1 million in its second weekend, followed by “Predator: Badlands” with $6.3 million in weekend three. “The Running Man” followed in fourth place with $5.8 million, down 65% from its debut last weekend.Although this weekend the box office was more of a winner takes all scenario, “Wicked: For Good’s” success is vitally important for the exhibition industry as a whole as it enters the final weeks of the year.”It sets up a very strong final homestretch of the year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends.After the slow fall season, the Thanksgiving blockbusters could not arrive soon enough. Early next week, “Zootopia 2” enters the mix and is also expected to drive big crowds to the cineplex over the holiday break.Thanksgiving is often one of the biggest moviegoing frames of the year, Dergarabedian said, and both “Wicked 2” and “Zootopia 2” will benefit. Last year “Wicked,” “Moana 2” and “Gladiator II” helped power a record five-day frame.The running domestic box office is currently hovering around $7.5 billion, according to Comscore. Before the pandemic, the annual box office would regularly hit $11 billion, but the post-pandemic goal has lessened to $9 billion. The big question now is whether titles like “Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar:Fire and Ash” can push the industry over that threshold.Top 10 movies by domestic box officeWith final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:1. “Wicked: For Good,” $150 million.2. “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $9.1 million.3. “Predator: Badlands,” $6.3 million.4. “The Running Man,” $5.8 million.5. “Rental Family,” $3.3 million.6. “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” $2.6 million.7. “Regretting You,” $1.5 million.8. “Nuremberg,” $1.2 million.9. “Black Phone 2,” $1 million.10. “Sarah’s Oil,” $711,542.

    Universal Pictures’ two-part “Wicked” gamble continues to defy gravity at the box office. Just a year after part one brought droves of audiences to movie theaters around the country, even more people bought opening weekend tickets to see the epic conclusion, “Wicked: For Good.” According to studio estimates on Sunday, “Wicked: For Good” earned $150 million from North American theaters in its first days in theaters and $226 million globally.

    Not only is it the biggest opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, unseating the record set by the first film’s $112 million launch, it’s also the second biggest debut of the year behind “A Minecraft Movie’s” $162 million.

    “The results are just fantastic,” said Jim Orr, who heads domestic distribution for Universal. “Some films can deliver a false positive when tickets go on sale early but these results speak for themselves.”

    Universal began rolling out “Wicked: For Good” in theaters earlier this week, with previews on Monday ($6.1 million from 1,050 theaters) and Wednesday ($6.5 million from 2,300 theaters). By Friday it was playing in 4,115 North American locations and had raked in $68.6 million. IMAX showings accounted for $15.5 million, or 11%, of its domestic haul — a November record for the company.

    IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond said in a statement that the strong market share shows, “our momentum carries into demos and genres beyond our traditional core, including families.”

    As with the first film, women powered opening weekend, making up around 71% of ticket buyers according to PostTrak exit polls. Critics were somewhat mixed on the final chapter, but audiences weren’t: An overwhelming 83% of audiences said it was one they would “definitely recommend” to friends. As far as foot traffic is concerned, the box office tracker EntTelligence estimates that about 2 million more people came out for “Wicked: For Good’s” first weekend than for “Wicked’s.”

    Jon M. Chu directed both “Wicked” films, starring Cynthia Ervio and Ariana Grande. The first film made over $758.7 million worldwide and received 10 Oscar nominations (winning two, for costume and production design ). The question is how high “Wicked: For Good” can soar. Combined, the two films cost around $300 million to produce, not including marketing and promotion costs.

    “The first film paved the way,” Orr said. “It’s really become a cultural event I think audiences are going to be flocking to theaters for quite some time to come.”

    Two other films also opened in wide release this weekend, but further down on the charts behind a buffet of holdovers. Searchlight Pictures opened its Brendan Fraser film “Rental Family” in 1,925 theaters where it earned $3.3 million. The Finnish action film “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” a Sony release, also played in 2,222 theaters. It earned an estimated $2.6 million.

    Second place went to “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” with $9.1 million in its second weekend, followed by “Predator: Badlands” with $6.3 million in weekend three. “The Running Man” followed in fourth place with $5.8 million, down 65% from its debut last weekend.

    Although this weekend the box office was more of a winner takes all scenario, “Wicked: For Good’s” success is vitally important for the exhibition industry as a whole as it enters the final weeks of the year.

    “It sets up a very strong final homestretch of the year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends.

    After the slow fall season, the Thanksgiving blockbusters could not arrive soon enough. Early next week, “Zootopia 2” enters the mix and is also expected to drive big crowds to the cineplex over the holiday break.

    Thanksgiving is often one of the biggest moviegoing frames of the year, Dergarabedian said, and both “Wicked 2” and “Zootopia 2” will benefit. Last year “Wicked,” “Moana 2” and “Gladiator II” helped power a record five-day frame.

    The running domestic box office is currently hovering around $7.5 billion, according to Comscore. Before the pandemic, the annual box office would regularly hit $11 billion, but the post-pandemic goal has lessened to $9 billion. The big question now is whether titles like “Wicked: For Good,” “Zootopia 2” and “Avatar:Fire and Ash” can push the industry over that threshold.

    Top 10 movies by domestic box office

    With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

    1. “Wicked: For Good,” $150 million.

    2. “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” $9.1 million.

    3. “Predator: Badlands,” $6.3 million.

    4. “The Running Man,” $5.8 million.

    5. “Rental Family,” $3.3 million.

    6. “Sisu: Road to Revenge,” $2.6 million.

    7. “Regretting You,” $1.5 million.

    8. “Nuremberg,” $1.2 million.

    9. “Black Phone 2,” $1 million.

    10. “Sarah’s Oil,” $711,542.

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  • Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of JFK, reveals terminal cancer diagnosis

    Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of slain President John F. Kennedy, is battling a rare form of leukemia and may have less than a year to live.

    In an essay published Saturday in the New Yorker, the 35-year-old environmental journalist wrote her illness was discovered in May 2024 after she gave birth to her daughter. She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia with a rare mutation known as Inversion 3 and has undergone several treatments, including chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants.

    Schlossberg is a daughter of former U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, the former president’s daughter, and Edwin Schlossberg. They live in New York.

    In her essay, Schlossberg acknowledged that her terminal illness adds to a string of tragedies that has befallen the famous political family. Her grandfather was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Nearly five years later, his brother, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was fatally shot in Los Angeles after giving a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel following his California presidential primary win. Her uncle, John F. Kennedy Jr., died in 1999 when his small plane crashed.

    “For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter, and to protect my mother and never make her upset or angry,” Schlossberg wrote.

    “Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family’s life, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

    She wrote her diagnosis was stunning. She had just turned 34, didn’t feel sick and was physically active, including swimming a mile one day before she gave birth to her second child at Columbia-Presbyterian hospital in New York.

    After the delivery, her doctor became alarmed by her high white blood cell count.

    At first, medical professionals figured the test result might be tied to her pregnancy. However, doctors soon concluded she had myeloid leukemia, a condition mostly observed in older patients. She ended up spending weeks in the hospital.

    “Every doctor I saw asked me if I had spent a lot of time at Ground Zero, given how common blood cancers are among first responders,” Schlossberg wrote. “I was in New York on 9/11, in the sixth grade, but I didn’t visit the site until years later.”

    She has endured various treatments. Her older sister, Rose, was one of her bone marrow donors.

    In the article, Schlossberg mentioned the Kennedy family’s dilemma over controversial positions taken by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., her mother’s cousin. Schlossberg wrote that while she was in the hospital in mid-2024, Kennedy suspended his long-shot campaign for president to throw his weight behind then-Republican candidate Donald Trump.

    Trump went on to name Kennedy to his Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    In one of his early moves, Trump demanded a cut in government money to Columbia University, which employs her husband, George Moran.

    “Doctors and scientists at Columbia, including George, didn’t know if they would be able to continue their research, or even have jobs,” she wrote. “Suddenly, the health-care system on which I relied felt strained, shaky.”

    On Saturday, her brother Jack Schlossberg, who recently announced his bid for Congress in a New York district, shared on Instagram a link to her New Yorker essay, “A Battle with My Blood.”

    He added: “Life is short — let it rip.”

    Meg James

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