Damian Lillard announces he's taking over as general manager of Weber State basketballNew Foto - Damian Lillard announces he's taking over as general manager of Weber State basketball

Damian Lillard is staying true to his roots this offseason. Less than two weeks after the team he spent his first 11 NBA seasons with officially welcomed him home with an introductory press conference, Lillard announced he's going to take over as the general manager of his college alma mater. The Portland Trail Blazers star broke the news Saturday in Ogden, Utah, where he hosted the Weber State Basketball Alumni Classic for the sixth time. "It's something that, my relationship with coach [Eric] Duft and this program means a lot to me, and seeing the success of the program means a lot to me," Lillard said at the event, per theStandard-Examiner. "I feel like I can do a lot to help the program be successful, to help the players even individually continue to grow their careers past college, that's something that I'm passionate about." [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] A legacy continues in Ogden. Wildcat legend Damian Lillard is officially joining Weber State Men's Basketball as the new General Manager.Dame is stepping into a leadership role that will help shape the future of Wildcat hoops.A new era begins now.#WeberStateGreat#DameTimepic.twitter.com/MV3bVHX6st — Weber State Men's Basketball (@WeberStateMBB)August 3, 2025 Lillard played for Weber State from 2008-2012. During his senior season, he averaged 24.5 points per game while shooting 44.6% from the field, including 40.9% from 3. In the process, he won Big Sky Player of the Year for the second time and became a third-team All-American. The Blazers selected him No. 6 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. Lillard immediately made an impact, collecting NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2013. He's a nine-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA 3-Point Contest champion, and he has five top-10 MVP finishes. Lillard signed athree-year, $42 million dealwith the Blazers after the Milwaukee Bucks waived him at the start of free agency. Lillard, 35, is still owed $113 million from the Bucks, whom he wasn't able to win a championship with in his two seasons in Milwaukee. Heruptured his left Achillesin Game 4 of the team's first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Lillard isn't expected to play during the 2025-26 season. He'll likely serve as a quasi-assistant coach for the Blazers while he recovers. But now he has another non-playing role. In anews release, Weber State said Lillard "will work closely with the coaching staff and athletic department leadership to provide insight, mentorship, and guidance, using his experience at the collegiate and professional levels to elevate the program." In 2015, Lillard finished his degree at Weber State. His No. 1 jersey was retired two years later. Four years after that, in 2021, he was inducted into the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame. "College athletics is constantly evolving, and building a strong program requires time, trust, and commitment," Lillard said in that samenews release. "I believe in what this program represents and the culture that continues to grow at Weber State. The support of our community is vital to the program's success, and I am committed to playing a greater role in that effort." He added: "This opportunity allows me to be even more involved in shaping the future of Weber State basketball."

byMario Satorik
in
August 03, 2025

Damian Lillard announces he's taking over as general manager of Weber State basketball

Damian Lillard announces he's taking over as general manager of Weber State basketball Damian Lillard is staying true to his roots this ...
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Victoria Mboko stuns Coco Gauff to reach quarterfinals in MontrealNew Foto - Victoria Mboko stuns Coco Gauff to reach quarterfinals in Montreal

Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko delivered the biggest victory of her career on Saturday when she dominated top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open in Montreal. Mboko needed just 62 minutes to dispose of the two-time Grand Slam champion. "It's incredible," Mboko said in French in her on-court interview, according to the WTA. "I'm so happy to beat such a great champion." Mboko, 18, received a wild card entry into the tournament and has dropped just one set in four matches. She is the youngest Canadian quarterfinalist at this event since 17-year-old Helen Kelesi in 1987. Mboko began the year ranked No. 333. She was at No. 85 entering this event and rose to No. 53 with the win over Gauff. Mboko, a Toronto resident, saved all five of her break-point opportunities and converted 4 of 5 against Gauff. She won 15 of 27 points (55.6 percent) against Gauff's second serve. "Coming into the match, I was so locked in," Mboko said in a postmatch interview with Sportsnet. "I tried to keep my composure as much as I could, especially playing in front of so many people. This is a very special experience for me." In May, Gauff lost the first set in a second-round match in Rome against Mboko before rallying to win the next two. The second meeting belonged to Mboko. "I'm sure we're going to have many more battles in the future," Gauff said after the loss. "Yeah, I think she's going to have a lot of success on tour." Gauff again had troubles with her serve as she committed six double faults for a three-match tournament total of 43. In the second round, she had 23 while narrowly beating Danielle Collins in a third-set tiebreaker in the second round and then followed up with 14 in a three-set, third-round win over Russia's Veronika Kudermetova. Mkobo will face unseeded Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the quarters. The Spaniard beat China's Lin Zhu 7-5, 1-6, 6-2. Bouzas Maneiro had all seven of the match's aces and saved half of the 16 break points she faced while converting nine of the 13 chances she had to break Zhu. No. 9 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan advanced to the quarterfinals with a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 victory over No. 30 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine. Rybakina overcame nine double faults while recording seven aces and converting 5 of 9 break points. Yastremska was one game away from winning before Rybakina won the final three games. The clincher came when she converted her fourth-match point attempt of the decisive game. Yastremska had four aces against seven double faults. Rybakina will face No. 24 seed Marta Kostyuk on Monday. The Ukrainian rallied for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 28 McCartney Kessler. Both players had substantial serving issues. Kostyuk scored the lone ace of the match but had 10 double faults. Kessler was worse with 12. Kessler pulled within 4-3 in the third set before Kostyuk won the final two games to sew up the win. --Field Level Media

byMario Satorik
in
August 03, 2025

Victoria Mboko stuns Coco Gauff to reach quarterfinals in Montreal

Victoria Mboko stuns Coco Gauff to reach quarterfinals in Montreal Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko delivered the biggest victory of her car...
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The Justice Department seeks voter and election information from at least 19 states, AP findsNew Foto - The Justice Department seeks voter and election information from at least 19 states, AP finds

NEW YORK (AP) — The requests have come in letters, emails and phone calls. The specifics vary, but the target is consistent: The U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up an effort to get voter data and other election information from the states. Over the past three months, the department's voting sectionhas requestedcopies of voter registration lists from state election administrators in at least 15 states, according to an Associated Press tally. Of those, nine are Democrats, five are Republicans and one is a bipartisan commission. In Colorado, the department demanded "all records" relating to the 2024 election and any records the state retained from the 2020 election. Department lawyers have contacted officials in at least seven states to propose a meeting about forging an information-sharing agreement related to instances of voting or election fraud. The idea, they say in the emails, is for states to help the department enforce the law. The unusually expansive outreach has raised alarm among some election officials because states have the constitutional authority to run elections and federal law protects the sharing of individual data with the government. It also signalsthe transformationof the Justice Department's involvement in elections underPresident Donald Trump. The department historically has focused on protecting access to the ballot box. Today, it istaking stepsto crack down on voter fraud and noncitizen voting, both of which arerarebut have been the subject of years of false claims fromTrump and his allies. The department's actions come alongside a broader effort by the administration toinvestigate past electionsand influence the 2026 midterms. The Republican president hascalled for a special prosecutorto investigate the 2020 election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden and continues tofalsely claimhe won. Trump also has pushed Texas Republicans toredraw their congressional mapsto create more House seats favorable to the GOP. The Justice Department does not typically "engage in fishing expeditions" to find laws that may potentially have been broken and has traditionally been independent from the president, said David Becker, a former department lawyer who leads the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research. "Now it seems to be operating differently," he said. The department responded with an emailed "no comment" to a list of questions submitted by the AP seeking details about the communications with state officials. Requests to states vary and some are specific Election offices in Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Utah, andWisconsinconfirmed to the AP that they received letters from the voting section requesting their statewide voter registration lists. At least one other, Oklahoma, received the request by phone. Many requests included basic questions about the procedures states use to comply with federal voting laws, such as how states identify and remove duplicate voter registrations or deceased or otherwise ineligible voters. Certain questions were more state-specific and referenced data points or perceived inconsistencies from a recent survey from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an AP review of several of the letters showed. The Justice Department already hasfiled suitagainst the state election board in North Carolina alleging it failed to comply with a part of the federal Help America Vote Act that relates to voter registration records. More inquiries are likely on the way There are signs the department's outreach isn't done. It told the National Association of Secretaries of State that "all states would be contacted eventually," said Maria Benson, a NASS spokeswoman. The organization has asked the department to join a virtual meeting of its elections committee to answer questions about the letters, Benson said. Some officials have raised concerns about how the voter data will be used and protected. Election officials in at least four California counties — Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and San Francisco —said the Justice Department sent them letters asking for voter roll records. The letters asked for the number of people removed from the rolls for being noncitizens and for their voting records, dates of birth and ID numbers. Officials in Arizona, Connecticut, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Wisconsin confirmed to the AP that they received an email from two department lawyers requesting a call about a potential "information-sharing agreement." The goal, according to several copies of the emails reviewed by the AP, was for states to provide the government with information about instances of election fraud to help the Justice Department "enforce Federal election laws and protect the integrity of Federal elections." One of those sending the emails was a senior counsel in the criminal division. The emails referred to Trump's Marchexecutive order on elections, part of which directs the attorney general to enter information-sharing agreements with state election officials to the "maximum extent possible." Skeptical state election officials assess how to reply Election officials in several states that received requests for their voter registration information have not responded. Some said they were reviewing the inquiries. Officials in some other states provided public versions of voter registration lists to the department, with certain personal information such as Social Security numbers blacked out. Elsewhere, state officials answered procedural questions from the Justice Department but refused to provide the voter lists. In Minnesota, the office of Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, said the federal agency is not legally entitled to the information. In a July 25 letter to the Justice Department's voting section, Simon's general counsel, Justin Erickson, said the list "contains sensitive personal identifying information on several million individuals." He said the office had obligations under federal and state law to not disclose any information from the statewide list unless expressly required by law. In a recent letter, Republican lawmakers in the state called on Simon to comply with the federal request as a way "to protect the voting rights of the citizens of Minnesota." Maine's secretary of state, Democrat Shenna Bellows, said the administration's request overstepped the federal government's bounds and that the state will not fulfill it. She said doing so would violate voter privacy. The department "doesn't get to know everything about you just because they want to," Bellows said. Some Justice Department requests are questionable, lawyers say There is nothing inherently wrong with the Justice Department requesting information on state procedures or the states providing it, said Justin Levitt, a former deputy assistant attorney general who teaches at Loyola Law School. But the department's requests for voter registration data are more problematic, he said. That is because of the Privacy Act of 1974, which put strict guidelines on data collection by the federal government. The government is required to issue a notice in the Federal Register and notify appropriate congressional committees when it seeks personally identifiable information about individuals. Becker said there is nothing in federal law that compels states to comply with requests for sensitive personal data about their residents. He added that while the outreach about information-sharing agreements was largely innocuous, the involvement of a criminal attorney could be seen as intimidating. "You can understand how people would be concerned," he said. ___ Fields reported from Washington. Associated Press state government reporters from around the country contributed to this report.

byMario Satorik
in
August 03, 2025

The Justice Department seeks voter and election information from at least 19 states, AP finds

The Justice Department seeks voter and election information from at least 19 states, AP finds NEW YORK (AP) — The requests have come in lett...
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Transcript: U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan"

The following is the transcript of an interview with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that airs on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Aug. 3, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're joined now by United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer. Ambassador, good to have you here. JAMIESON GREER: Great to be here. Thank you. MARGARET BRENNAN: So the President signed this executive order on Thursday, raises tariff rates on about 70 countries. Should we expect those to be negotiated down in the coming days? JAMIESON GREER: I don't, I don't think they will be in the coming days. I think a lot of these, well I know a lot of these, are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced,  some are not, others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country. So, so these, these tariff rates are pretty much set. I expect I do have my phone blowing up. There are trade ministers who, who want to talk more and see how they can work in a different way with the United States, but I think that we have, we're seeing truly the contours of the President's tariff plan right now with these rates. MARGARET BRENNAN: I was reading some interviews you had given, and you said at some point the President's view is maybe a tariff is better than a deal. Are you saying there are countries that just, they have no shot of avoiding a tariff? JAMIESON GREER: Well, I would say that, in fact, most countries in the world, they just have a tariff assigned to them, right? Whether it's– MARGARET BRENNAN: It'll be the 10 percent or 15 percent. JAMIESON GREER: 10 or 15 or the higher level tariff. Because, again, when the President is looking at this, he looks at potential deals, and we bring him potential concessions from countries and the things they might want to do. And he compares that to the potential tariff that might be applied to try to get that deficit down. And then talking to his advisors, he makes a call on this. And you know, sometimes a country will come back and make additional concessions that, that make it more appropriate. He's trying to get at the deficit. He's trying to reshore manufacturing. And so those are the factors he's looking at when he's looking at when he's determining whether he's just going to have a tariff or he'll take a deal. MARGARET BRENNAN: Trying to reshore manufacturing, bring manufacturing jobs back to America. But we just saw in this unemployment data that while the level is pretty low overall, it's pretty steady, good. Manufacturing in particular, we saw it contract for the fifth straight month in July, factory employment dropped to lowest levels in five years. What does that data indicate to you about the impact of your tariffs? JAMIESON GREER: Yeah, I saw that and my own view is that I think a lot of companies were waiting to see if the tax bill was going to come through with the expensing for capital goods and things like that. And so I think now you know a lot of that data comes pre "One Big Beautiful Bill". Now that we have "One Big Beautiful Bill", and we have a better sense of where the taxes are going, I think we're going to see a much, we're going to see more investment, all the, all the commitments on investment we've seen countries making, that's going to come through. And like you said, it's a relatively small number. So I don't, I don't read tariff policy into that number. I think that is kind of pre-bill policy. MARGARET BRENNAN: So you believe the executives are making strategic decisions with hiring, but the President just announced that the head of Labor Statistics is being fired because of the weak jobs report, claiming the data was faked. JAMIESON GREER: Well, I think you know, and I saw what the president did, and he also talked about the, just the record from BLS, you know, last year– MARGARET BRENNAN: Labor Statistics Bureau. JAMIESON GREER: That's right, yeah, exactly. You know, even last year during the campaign, there were enormous swings in the jobs numbers and so it sounds to me like the President has real concerns. You know, not just based on today's but everything we saw last year. You want to be able to have somewhat reliable numbers. There are always revisions, but sometimes you see these revisions go in really extreme ways. And it's, you know, the President is the President. He can choose who works in the executive branch. MARGARET BRENNAN: But you were just saying you weren't really doubting the data. JAMIESON GREER: No, I wasn't– You asked me what I thought about the data– MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. JAMIESON GREER:–And was it reflected in the tariff policy? The answer is no. I mean, my view is, to the extent that there's some kind of, you know, information about manufacturing jobs, you know, I think that we're going to see a big increase in manufacturing jobs now that we have the "one big, beautiful bill" passed, now that we have the expensing going in. And I think that, you know, our manufacturers know that they have a clear and certain path forward on that now. MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you confident, though – because you have to deal in legal terms, in details, with facts and data when you are negotiating a legal agreement – do you trust that if you bring hard data to the president, he takes your counsel, even if it's an inconvenient fact? JAMIESON GREER: Always, yes. I mean, I've spent the- I spend many hours with the president almost every day, and that's what we're talking about is data. We're looking - and I'm on the trade side, of course - and we're looking at import figures, export figures, investment levels, et cetera. And that's how we're making this decision. So I'm very comfortable with that. MARGARET BRENNAN: So you've seen that Apple estimates, for the full year, tariffs are going to cost them more than a billion dollars. For the automakers - GM, Stellantis, Ford - they all came out and said they are going to take a hit from this. AMBASSADOR GREER: Well, so that's exactly the issue, right? We have, over decades, we've had these large manufacturers, advanced manufacturing, that have gone overseas. They've gone to other countries. They've taken advantage of unfair trading practices, and the fact that the US has had low tariffs while other countries haven't, and they've taken advantage of that. That's what businesses do. We're all capitalists. And so if now they have to pay a tariff or build here, the President is creating incentives to bring them back here. That's why GM has announced investments here in the United States, and that's why we have all these companies and countries announcing investment in the US. Because the tariffs create the incentive to do so. MARGARET BRENNAN: But reductions in profits come at a cost, right? And as CEOs are making decisions, how long do you expect this pain to last for corporate America? AMBASSADOR GREER: Well, you know, again, when we look at- you know, when we look at the numbers and the data, we're seeing predictions of more investment here. That's what we want. The President isn't doing this so much for the companies. He's doing it for American workers who have seen their jobs offshored to Mexico, to Vietnam, to China. So when we hear companies having to make hard choices about supply chain changes. We have to do that. I mean the status quo, where we keep making things overseas, because we can do it a little bit cheaper in the short run. That is not preferable to having that investment and employment here in the United States. MARGARET BRENNAN: But we haven't seen that reshoring happen. AMBASSADOR GREER: Well, we have- we have announced AstraZeneca announced they're going to have a $50 billion investment in pharmaceuticals. GM has announced $5 billion. Hyundai Steel has said they're going to do a $21 billion investment in Louisiana. So this is- this is actually happening. These are things from the company saying it right, and they have to say it. And they have, you know, earnings reports, and they have and- they have filings. They can't just make this stuff up. This is real investment that we're seeing. MARGARET BRENNAN: Let me ask you about Canada, which is our second largest- largest trading partner. The president increased tariffs to 35%. It applies, though, to just about 10% of what Canada sells here. Why bother to do this now in the middle of negotiations? AMBASSADOR GREER: So I would say, first of all, you know, Canada is subject to 50% tariffs on steel, aluminum. 25% tariffs on autos, and again, the 35% tariff on- on goods that don't follow the rules of USMCA. And, you know, early on, the president posed a 25% tariff on Canada, and that was really about fentanyl and border issues, right? It's- it's- it's a separate regime from the reciprocal tariff. And what did Canada do in response? You know, they talked about helping at the border. And I'm not, you know, I'm not the drug czar or anything. But what I do know, as the trade guy, is that Canada retaliated. The only other country in the world who retaliated on tariffs was the Chinese. And so if the president's going to take an action and the Canadians retaliate, the United States needs to maintain the integrity of our action, the effectiveness. So we have to go up too. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you're talking about the things that the former Prime Minister Trudeau put in place, not the  current Prime Minister-- AMBASSADOR GREER: -- And are still in place-- MARGARET BRENNAN: -- That are still in place. But the current prime minister has held off, largely, on retaliation here. That's the guy you're negotiating with and his team. So what's the strategy here? And aren't you worried that this will hurt the broader free trade deal if you truly do want to renegotiate it next year. AMBASSADOR GREER: Well- well, the President's view with with every country, whether it's Canada or Mexico, and regardless of the kind of trade agreement we have in place, is that the net result of the trading system, whether it's our WTO agreements or our existing trade agreements, the net result has been that a lot of the manufacturing has gone overseas, and when that's the net result, you can't continue with that system. So you know, I'm not concerned that it's going to complicate things with Canada. Our view is the President is trying to fix the terms of trade with Canada, and if there's a way to a deal, we'll find it. And if it's not, we'll have the tariff levels that we have. MARGARET BRENNAN : So I hear you drawing distinctions when you say I'm the trade guy, I'm not the drug czar. AMBASSADOR GREER: Correct. MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm the trade guy. I'm not handling these other things. But the President is kind of blending all these things together, because he cited fentanyl once again when it came to tariffs-  to the policy with Canada. He also said on social media, Canada's decision to back statehood for Palestine is going to make it hard for us to make a trade deal. How does that have anything to do with financial and trade agreements? AMBASSADOR GREER: So, so- so, first of all, the president United States has his foreign affairs power where he can- he can manage relations under the Constitution with foreign countries. Second of all, you know, Congress delegated to the president the ability to take economic action in response to national emergencies in the International Economic Emergency Powers Act. And for example, the Treasury Department, they have a number of sanctions where they can actually cut off a country's trade with the United States, prohibit goods, cut them off from our financial system for geopolitical reasons. So the fact that they can do that- almost certainly the President can do something that's not as expansive and just- and just put a fee on those goods, which is a- which is a tariff. So if you-- MARGARET BRENNAN: --But can and should are different things, right? And- and I'm asking this-- JAMIESON GREER: --But to- to go- but- but listen, if you're going to sanction somebody and essentially prohibit trade, you almost certainly can do something that's softer, which is to allow the trade and just put a tariff on it. MARGARET BRENNAN: So let me ask you about Brazil, because the U.S. has a trade surplus with Brazil. That means, you know, we sell them more than we buy from them. So it doesn't seem to be consistent here, when you have the President put 50% tariffs on Brazil, one of the highest of any countries. And at the same time, the President is bringing up things that have nothing to do with trade when he's justifying them. He sent a letter to the current government complaining about the prosecution of his ally, Bolsonaro, who is- who allegedly staged a coup when he lost the last election. The President called it a witch hunt. This seems politically motivated and not about trade. AMBASSADOR GREER: Well, two things. First of all, there's a 10% tariff on Brazil because we have a surplus with them. That's the reciprocal tariff. And then there's a 40% tariff that the President has chosen to do under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, like we would do any sanction where we see geopolitical issues. The President has seen in Brazil, like he's seen in other countries, a misuse of law, a misuse of democracy, what one might call lawfare. It is normal to use these tools for geopolitical issues. I mean, sanctions, we've been using them for years with all kinds of countries, including countries we like-- MARGARET BRENNAN: You view tariffs and sanctions as the same? AMBASSADOR GREER: They're just different in degree. I mean, tariffs are actually lighter than a sanction- a sanction, you're cutting off a country from your financial system. You're prohibiting trade with them. A tariff, you're allowing trade. You're just putting a fee on it. It's a- it's a lesser MARGARET BRENNAN: --But now AMBASSADOR GREER: step than sanctions-- MARGARET BRENNAN: --You- you have moved far away from from dealing with the deficit. Now-- AMBASSADOR GREER: --Well the deficit has a 10% tariff-- MARGARET BRENNAN: --you are talking about politically motivated trade actions here. I mean, the president sent a letter to President Lula, saying that tariffs are due in part to Brazil's insidious attacks on free elections. He also, at the same time, sanctioned the Supreme Court justice overseeing Bolsonaro's trial. Why are you trying to influence a criminal trial of an ally of President Trump? AMBASSADOR GREER: So, so, so the president of United States, historically, whether it's a Democrat or Republican, they have used IEEPA to impose sanctions for all kinds of geopolitical reasons in all kinds of countries. Sometimes it's countrywide, sometimes it's specific to certain, you know, individuals and often foreign leaders and foreign officials. So this is not, this is not way outside the market. If anything, the President could have gone farther in the type of sanction that was used. Instead he just used a tariff instead of cutting them off from the financial system altogether. MARGARET BRENNAN: So you were fully on board with it. It sounds like. AMBASSADOR GREER: With the president of the United States? My boss? Of course I am-- MARGARET BRENNAN: --But with intervening in criminal trials-- AMBASSADOR GREER: --when the President-- MARGARET BRENNAN: -- through trade policy. AMBASSADOR GREER: When the President sees lawfare going on, he's going to impose a sanction through IEEPA that's been delegated by Congress. That's his job as the president. He's elected to assess the Foreign Affairs situation in the United States and take appropriate action. There's just no question that it's both from a legal perspective, it's completely permissible. And from a policy perspective, that's what he's elected to do. MARGARET BRENNAN: When it comes to trade, the big deal that is pending out there is how is the president going to deal with China? There's an August 12 deadline, and if that deadline is not met, you have said tariff levels could snap back to above 80%. Is that deadline going to slide? AMBASSADOR GREER: So that's what's under discussion right now. I would say that our conversations with the Chinese have been very positive. We have discussions at the staff level, at my level, you know, President Xi and President Trump have had conversations. MARGARET BRENNAN: They said that it's sliding. The Chinese said it's sliding. AMBASSADOR GREER: That's something we're working toward. That's what we talked about-- MARGARET BRENNAN: So you're not there yet. AMBASSADOR GREER: And so, so they want to do that. We're working on some technical issues, and we're talking to the president about it, you know, I think it's going in a positive direction. You know, I'm not going to get ahead of the President, but, you know, I don't think anyone wants to see those tariffs snap back to 84%. MARGARET BRENNAN: Did you get any commitments in those two days of talks in Stockholm? AMBASSADOR GREER: So yes, we did. Yes, we talked about, and I won't go into detail, because they're, you know, confidential conversations between two, two governments, but they really focused on rare earth magnets and minerals. You've probably heard some about that, that China has put a global control on the world, and so for the United States, we're focused on making sure that the flow of magnets from from China to the United States and the- and the adjacent supply chain can flow as freely as it did before the control, and I'd say we're about halfway there. MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador Greer, thank you for your time today. AMBASSADOR GREER: Thank you so much. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we'll be right back. Black swimmers teach others amid history of aquatic segregation Lawyer says political pressure helped Marine Corps veteran, wife reunite after her ICE detention Judge blocks Trump administration from closing sites that help at-risk kids

byMario Satorik
in
August 03, 2025

Transcript: U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan"

Transcript: U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" The following is the transcript of...
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'Is it worth it?': Red flags to watch with youth sports programsNew Foto - 'Is it worth it?': Red flags to watch with youth sports programs

USA Hockey didn't invent the line, but Ken Martel has used it when he talks about succeeding in sports. "As many as possible for as long as possible with the best environment possible," the organization's senior director of player and coach development told USA TODAY Sports in an interview last year. He was referring to the American Development Model program he helped install more than a decade and a half ago, when the sport was losing young players in our country. The ADM, which has become thecornerstone of USA Hockey's message, has helped bring them back to the ice in droves and, in Martel's thinking, continues to help generateworld junior championship titles. "When you have more kids playing, certainly a few more of them will turn out to be good and you'll see 'em on TV, right?" he says. USA Hockey created the ADM to help keep kids, parents and coaches engaged while, at least in theory, giving everyone a chance to organically develop to his or her full athletic potential. It starts with getting boys and girls enthused from an early age, infusing a love of competition (without a laser focus on winning) and engaging them into adulthood. USA Hockey reports 577,864 registered players (kids and adults) for 2024-25, up from 465,975 in 2008-09. "Geography is no longer a predetermining factor in who can be good in our sport," Martel says. USA TODAY reported Aug. 1, however, about how one NHL club has a monopoly over North Texas ice. It effectively controls the pathways by which the region's young players advance,Kenny Jacoby writes, and has reminded (and even threatened) parents they can block it at any time. "You get so beaten down, and you see your kid get screwed over for opportunities, and you decide, 'You know what? Maybe I do have to play by their rules to get where I want to be,' " says Kat Pierce, a hockey mom whom aDallas Starsemployee attempted to reprimand when she criticized them in a social media post. The power to decide to play a sport, and to stick with it, is ultimately the choice of our kids. As parents we have a right to speak up to a coach or organization without fear of them being penalized. We know from this story and others about the so-called "professionalism of youth sports" that the system isn't always that simple. Here are eight red flags to watch with youth sports programs: USA Hockey delegates much of its authority to regional affiliates. The Texas Amateur Hockey Association oversees Texas and Oklahoma. Member associations' votes are weighted by the number of players they register and, as USA TODAY reports, tilt heavily in the interests of those in Stars leagues or with teams that rent Stars ice. It's an issue with which many of us can relate, at least to some degree. Running a youth team or league is entrusted in the hands of a few – club owners or the board. All too often, it seems, they prioritize their own interests: Making a steep profit or giving their own kids All-Star slots. You should never feel you don't have power, though. Volunteer for the board, file a complaint with the league about a nepotistic coach or speak to other parents if something doesn't feel right. It probably isn't. Band together in your opposition. A board or coach can brush aside one complaint but collective one isn't as easily ignored, and it isn't good for business. Coach Steve:How do I deal with a bad coach? Here are three steps OK, maybe it's not that simple. When Jacoby, my USA TODAY colleague, reported about the Stars' heavy influence in North Texas, he came across a number of parents hesitant to raise concerns out of fear of retaliation against their kids. One dad who coached at a Stars complex inquired about coaching at a competing rink after he felt the Stars had failed to address a safety concern. The Stars fired him when he did so, according to emails he provided, and allegedly banned his 5- and 7-year-old daughters. (A Stars employee denied banning his daughters.) No one wants to risk putting their kids' dreams, or even their playing time, in jeopardy. But think about the concern for a moment. Is being on a team where you're afraid to rock the boat really a situation you want your child to have to endure? Before you do anything, talk to your son or daughter about their experience. They might not want to be there anyway. You always have a voice in their sports journey. Think of yourself as an investor in your team or league. Its leaders should be open to your constructive criticism on how to make it better. Don't take to social media to complain, where you risk making someone feel public embarrassment. Instead, schedule a private meeting where you can mention your concerns diplomatically. The reaction you get will give you a good indication of where you stand. If they aren't willing to consider spreading out rink fees over a larger group of teams, or giving every kid equal playing time when you're paying for a college showcase experience, for example, this might not be worth your time. No single team will make or break whether your child reaches an elite level of a sport, but asingle experiencemight determine whether they keep playing at all. We can help.Submit your feedback hereabout how the corporatization of youth sports has affected you and your kids. We wrote in a line specifically for those of you who've faced retaliation or threats. An internal study the NHL and NHL Players' Association conducted in 2018 found that out of the 700-plus players on rosters, 98% of them were multisport athletes as kids. "Get out, play multiple sports," says USA Hockey's Martel. "Look, if your passion's not ice hockey, you're never gonna really turn out to be a great player if you don't truly love it. And if you find a passion that happens to be another sport, wonderful." TheAmerican Development Modelrecommends multisport play until at least age 12. Arguments can be made to take it longer. "I am dead set against single-sport athletes (while kids are growing up)," former football coach Urban Meyerhas said. "When my son was playing baseball I had many people tell me that he should just stop playing other sports and focus on baseball. I got in big arguments with people, and a lot of those kids that (at) nine, 10 years old were great - they blew out. They burned out, andthey're not playing anymore." Meyer said he looked at kids who played football and another sport at a high level. Brenda Frese, another national championship-winning coach, also loves recruiting basketball players who play multiple sports. "We just see the benefits of it – you know, mentally, physical, socially, you name it," Frese's husband, Mark Thomas, told me in an interview for a 2023profile of the Maryland women's coachand her family. "At an early age, teams try to take over your calendar. A key little tool I learned is that as long as you're playing multiple sports, you give yourself some leverage that they can't take over your schedule completely because you have commitments to multiple teams. Eventually, you may have some hard-line coaches." When one of the couple's twin sons played club soccer in seventh grade, Thomas recalled the coach telling parents and players:We expect you to only play soccer now and if you're not just playing soccer, then we don't want you. "From the soccer club's end, why wouldn't you keep more kids involved?" Thomas said. "I mean, he was never a kid who was gonna be a professional or anything like that. I didn't understand the point." The National Athletic Trainers' Association recommends playing for one team at a time, playing a sport for less than eight months per year and at no more hours per week than your age. You can always specializethe year before high school if you are concerned about making a specific team, but playing other sports recreationally on the side will make you a better athlete. As Martel looked to reinvent American hockey, he discontinued a 12-and-under national championship. "The only pushback we got was from a few adults that run programs; it was more about them than it was about the kids," he says. "Why do we need to run across the country at 12 for a championship? If you're gonna run a 12U national championship, the 10U coach starts aggregating players because we need to get them all together so that they're ready by the time they're 12. And it juststarts the race to the bottomsooner." Project Play, a national initiative of the Aspen Institute to build healthy communities through sports, surveys children. When it asks them what they like most about playing sports, having fun and playing with friends always ranks at the top and by a lot, according to Aspen Sports & Society community impact director Jon Solomon. Solomon says winning games and chasing scholarships rank lower, such as in theWashington, D.C. State of Play report. Yes, kids thrive off game situations. But instead of loading up on age-specific travel tournaments, play the 8- through 12-year-olds together, as USA Hockey suggests. Prioritize small-sided games in practice over "boring" drills, as Martel calls them. "We do different things in that to get them to work on different technical abilities and different tactical situations," Martel says. "But kids have fun. They get to problem solve. There's autonomy to that. And you see that in our play." It costs a lot less, too. We love the adventure of traveling with our kids through their sports. Hitting the road can give them exposure to top competition. It's also a prime intersection for collusion. For years, according to USA TODAY reporting, three Stars executives organized tournaments that required out-of-town participants to book minimum three-night stays at select hotels. At the same time, they ran their own for-profit company that took a cut of the revenue. After our investigation, the Stars say they will be "loosening" the policies. Although stay-to-play arrangements remain common across youth sports, I have never encountered one over about eight years of traveling with my sons for their baseball teams. The hotels our team or a tournament recommends are always suggestions. I book at a better rate through my rewards program if I find one. We sometimes run into tournaments that are a couple of hours from home. Once the game times are announced, we might choose to return for one of the nights. Having that choice improves our quality of life, and our satisfaction with the team. The most effective coaches maintain a cordial yet arm's length rapport with parents. They lay out the ground rules in a meeting before the season – no parent coaching from the bleachers, perhaps? – and say something to parents who violate them. Playing for close friends is inevitable when kids are younger. When they are preparing to play high school ball or competing in front of college coaches, though, there are enough distractions without having to worry about your coach favoring someone over you. Brent Tully was a former defenseman who helped Team Canada win two world junior championships in the 1990s. He later became general manager for an elite junior hockey team in Ontario and has coached younger players. He's also a father of two athletes. He has seen first hand the long hours and travel, the tens of thousands of dollars spent, the living "hand-to-mouth," as Pierce, the Texas hockey mom, described in my colleague's story. All for what? "I can't imagine parents at the end of that last year (when) their child isn't drafted," Tully said in 2024. "And that's the end. The disappointment of the ending, it's all too frequent. "My oldest son, back when he was playing, they were an average to below average team. And they stayed that way, even beyond the years he had stopped playing. I knew some of the fathers pretty well. And one father, at the end of nine years of minor hockey - and he complained all the time, complained about his son's ice time, about the coaching -  I remember saying to him, 'So was that all worth it?' Was that fun? All the money you spent. Your son's now gone to college, and he's working a job and you could have had him play house league, probably left with a lot less frustration. And he can still play the game his whole life at the level he's playing. ... "Regardless of where a boy or girl plays, that should be a great experience." Coach Steve:10 questions athletes should consider if they play on a travel team With the right experience, his sport can be ingrained in someone from "cradle to grave," as USA Hockey's Martel describes. "Hockey is played with no contact in a lot of places," he says. "We have 70-and-over national championships. It's really low impact and it's a lot of fun. There's people that play when they're 100. So hopefully you come back to the sport and you're involved over a life. "You don't see that in American football. No one wants to go out and get tackled and have to go to work the next day." Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons' baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly.For his past columns, click here. Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him atsborelli@usatoday.com This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Red flags in youth sports programs, how to spot and respond to them

byMario Satorik
in
August 03, 2025

'Is it worth it?': Red flags to watch with youth sports programs

'Is it worth it?': Red flags to watch with youth sports programs USA Hockey didn't invent the line, but Ken Martel has used it w...
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MLB trade deadline awards: Twins' mind-boggling fire sale shook baseballNew Foto - MLB trade deadline awards: Twins' mind-boggling fire sale shook baseball

It was ugly. Outrageous. Unfathomable. Disgraceful. It was perhaps the most stunning and quickest fire sale in baseball history. TheMinnesota Twins, that lovable little team in the upper Midwest that once won two World Series titles in four years, with St. Paul producing four Hall of Fame ballplayers from the same neighborhood who played for the Twins,ripped out the heart of the franchisein less than 24 hours. They traded 10 active major-league players from their team, including 11 players off their 40-man roster, and saved $26 million in one fell swoop. They traded away All-Stars. They traded away a World Series champion. They traded away their team captain. They traded away their popular homegrown dude. They traded away their soul. The fire sale was so hideous that a local bar in Mankato offered a free drinks for anybody wearing Twins attire. The promotion: "Free Drinks For All Twins Fans! Because this level of (expletive) requires alcohol." While everyone in Minnesota has beenimploring the Pohlad family to sellthe team as quickly as possible, they didn't mean for the Pohlads to take it literally, selling off everything but the cup holders. "The deadline was going to be a complete dud," one current general manager told USA TODAY Sports, "but what changed the entire deadline were the Twins selling. They said they were going to just trade players on expiring contracts. They were going to re-visit the other stuff in the winter. Then, they started selling off everyone. "I mean, no one expected them to do this. They had everyone going everywhere. The trade deadline wouldn't have been nearly this active without the Twins doing what they did." The GM spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity in order to freely analyze the trade deadline. Houston Astrosowner Jim Crane, who was golfing with Twins Hall of Famer Joe Mauer last weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., during the Hall of Fame weekend, perhaps lit the first match in the fire sale in a casual conversation at the Leatherstocking Golf Course. He mentioned that they might try to pursue All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, and with the Twins so deep in debt – about $440 million with $40 million in losses this year – that they may have no choice but to dump him. Crane returned home and had Astros GM Dana Brown telephone the Twins to inquire if they would be willing to trade Correa and one of their outfielders to the Astros. Oh, and could they pick up about $50 million of the remaining $103 million on Correa's contract, too? The Twins laughed, and hung up. When USA TODAY Sports contacted Correa's agent, Scott Boras, to inquire whether Correa would waive his no-trade clause, he laughed, too. Correa loved Minnesota, he said. The Twins loved him. Besides, there was no way, he said, the Astros would take on that kind of money. Correa's phone started to blow up with messages when USA TODAY Sports published a report Wednesday morning that theAstros were interested in a possible reunion. Correa was completely caught by surprise, and he too, scoffed at the idea. "That's nothing that's serious right now," he told reporters. While some were dismissive of the idea, Crane refused to blink. He wanted to make sure the Twins understood the severity of their financial woes. The Twins are deep in debt. They are trying to sell the team for $1.7 billion. The team will be more attractive to every suitor, Crane said in talks with the Pohlad family, if their payroll was slashed. Correa's contract happened to be the biggest financial commitment. The Pohlad family got back to Derek Falvey, Twins president of baseball operations. They suddenly were curious. Correa, who left the game early Tuesday with a migraine, suddenly felt good enough to sit down with Falvey, himself. If the Twins indeed are rebuilding, he said, he'd gladly waive his no-trade clause for a chance to get back to Houston. Crane, realizing he suddenly had the Twins' attention, used his business acumen. The Astros kept hammering away at the Twins, and at one point, even talked about Astros first baseman Christian Walker being part of the package. By mid-afternoon Thursday, hours before the trade deadline, they got the Twins to swallow $33 milllion that would be spread over the life of the contract. Just like that, after originally offering Correa a five-year, $160 million contract to remain in Houston after the 2021 season to avoid free agency, the Astros got him back for three-plus years at just $70 million. Finally, after watching his clients like Alex Bregman, Gerrit Cole and Correa depart Houston in free agency, Boras told Crane, "Jim, we finally have a deal." The Twins' teardown jumped into high speed, and by the end of the day, the only confusion was why All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan was still wearing a Minnesota uniform. Wondered one GM who was in trade talks with the Twins: "Why keep him when you traded everyone else?" Valid point. TheBoston Red Soxtried, but pivoted to Dodgers starter Dustin May, leaving Ryan as a top trade target this winter. The Twins' fire sale was so ruthless that 27-year-old reliever Louie Varland, the hometown kid who absolutely loved being a Twin, making only $8,150 more than the minimum salary, and wasn't even eligible for salary arbitration for two more years, was dumped and sent to theToronto Blue Jayswith first baseman Ty France. Varland was devastated, leaving Twins players seething and rivals GMs dumfounded as to why the Twins would actually trade a valuable reliever (2.02 ERA, 47 strikeouts in 49 innings) with five years of control. My God, he was born and raised in St. Paul, with his wife and a family coming to virtually every home game. This is the way you treat him? "By and large across the board, [these] were baseball trades, trades we felt we got real talent back," Falvey told reporters, "and were not geared toward the financial flexibility component to it." Believe it or not, those words were uttered with a straight face. Meanwhile, the Twins, who had to call up eight players from the minor leagues just to field a team Friday, will play on. They've got no choice. Maybe they'll be a contender one day again. But for now, it's 34 years and counting since they've been to the World Series, and the only thing that can save them is for the Pohlad family to sell the team as quickly as possible. Yet, even when the Twins finally are sold, the scars and memories from this dark day of July 31, 2025, will last for generations. While the Twins certainly stole the trade show, let's present our 2025 trade deadline awards, with the assistance of GMs, executives and scouts. They really had no intention of trading closer Mason Miller. He was their prized hometown product, a third-round pick in the 2021 draft. He was their All-Star. He was their most electric reliever in the game. And he was theirs through 2029. Yet, what good is it having a lights-out closer, striking out 13.85 batters per nine innings, when you don't have enough games to save? The A's, wanting to make sure they have a powerful contender when they get to Las Vegas in 2028, had no choice but to accept theSan Diego Padres' overwhelming offer: prized 18-year-old infielder Leo De Vries, and right-handed pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Barez and Eduarniel Nunez. They were the Padres' No. 1, No. 3, No. 13 and No. 17 prospects. "Ultimately, it took a player the caliber of De Vries to get our attention and get us to the negotiating table," A's GM David Forsttold MLB.com. "In Mason's case, we knew it was going to take something special. When the Padres suggested they were open to including Leo, that's kind of when this got serious." Was it a smart move by the A's? "It was a no-brainer," one GM said. "Look, the kid throws 102 mph. Guys don't sustain throwing 101-102 for six years. I don't know how many years he has. At some point, he's going to break. Guys just don't have the consistency of a Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman." "So the A's had to do it. Really, they had no choice." Sure, no one did more than San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller, but it cost him 17 prospects to get five players. But no one got more by giving up less than David Stearns of the Mets, rival GMs and executives overwhelmingly say. They acquired closer Ryan Helsley from theSt. Louis Cardinals, setup man Tyler Rogers from theSan Francisco Giants, reliever Gregory Soto and center fielder Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles, without touching their most prized prospect. "The Padres had to go for it because of all of the back-loaded contracts," one rival GM said. "At some point, a rebuild is going to have to come, but for now, they're willing to do everything it takes. "But what Stearns did was a stroke of genius. They traded away a lot of bodies, but no real prospects. Stearns had a hell of a deadline." The D-backs thought they were going to clean up at the deadline with third baseman Eugenio Suárez, easily the best position player available, along with first baseman Josh Naylor, starters Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, outfielder Randal Grichuk and reliever Shelby Miller. Nope. The best they got in return was $18 million in savings, thanks in part to the Milwaukee Brewers taking on part of Jordan Montgomery's salary as part of the Miller deal where the Brewers didn't send back one of manager Pat Murphy's pocket pancakes. The overall return was ugly. The best prospect they received was only Mariners Triple-A first baseman Ryan Locklear, who couldn't crack the Seattle roster, along with a whole lot of questionable young arms. The pitcher with the highest upside is David Hagaman, 6-foot-4, who throws 98-mph but is only in Class A. The D-backs were frustrated at the little interest shown in Suárez, despite his 36 homers and 87 RBIs. Once the Yankees pivoted toRyan McMahonof the Rockies, and the Cincinnati Redsgrabbed Ke'Bryan Hayes, the market shrunk. It was a painful reminder of the little demand for position players at the deadline. As one GM said, all you have to do is look back to see the little return the Detroit Tigers received from the D-backs in 2017 to remind everyone that position players just aren't as same attractive as relievers this time of year. It also didn't help, executives say, that Suárez is 34 years old and was nearly released a year ago. The Diamondbacks barely even got a sniff for Gallen, who finished third in the Cy Young balloting two years ago. They were left with no choice but to keep him and will give him a qualifying offer to at least get a draft pick in return. Jordan Montgomery, recovering from Tommy John surgery with the Diamondbacks, was stunned to find himself traded to Milwaukee when he hasn't thrown a pitch since spring training and is a free agent at the end of the season. Imagine everyone's surprise, too, when they learned he has a $500,000 bonus for being traded. Carlos Correa, playing for the Twins with a home in St. Paul, was residing in a state where the tax rate is 9.85%. He was traded to the Astros where there are no state taxes in Texas. He just saved himself $4.7 million, and even more, considering the AL West schedule features road games in Arlington. The Yankees overhauled their bullpen, bringing in three new shiny toys and featured them all in the first game after the trade deadline. What happened? Jake Bird (acquired from the Colorado Rockies) came in and gave up a grand slam. Dave Bednar (Pittsburgh Pirates) coughed up a lead. And Camilo Doval (San Francisco Giants) blew the save, with the Yankees losing 13-12 to the Marlins. It was the first time since July 24, 1940 against the St. Louis Browns at Sportsman's Park that they scored 12 runs in a game and lost. The three relievers combined to give up nine runs (seven earned) in 2.1 innings. "It was definitely not an ideal start," Bednar told reporters, "by any means." Oh, and for good measure, new addition Jose Caballero made a massive gaffe in the ninth inning when he ran past a routine ground ball in right field for a critical two-base error. TheSeattle Marinerssent third baseman Eugenio Suárez to the Arizona Diamondbacks 20 months ago in a salary dump for Carlos Vargas and Seby Zavala, only to watch Suárez become one of the elite power-hitting third baseman in the game while they missed the postseason by one game. Their team's basemen combined to hit just 12 homers and 49 RBI while Suárez had 30 homers and 101 RBIs by himself. The Mariners traded back for him to make sure it doesn't happen again. In December, the Cardinals agreed to trade Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado in to the Houston Astros, but he exercised his no-trade clause. He had a chance to be traded to the Los Angeles Angels in January. He turned it down. At the deadline, the Astros instead turned to Carlos Correa, who waived his no-trade clause and came home. That's twice Arenado has been thwarted by former Astros. First, it was Alex Bregman signing a free-agent contract with the Boston Red Sox in February with Arenado being their back-up plan, and now Correa, with Arenado the backup plan again. TheCleveland Guardianswere planning to pull off a heist like theAthleticsdid in the Mason Miller trade by dealing closer Emanuel Clase, setting themselves up for a glorious future. Oh, if only they had acted a month ago. When MLB began investigating Guardians starter Luis Ortiz for potential gambling in at least two games that he pitched, Clase's name suddenly came up, too. Now, instead of clearing out Clase's locker because of a trade, the Guardians cleared it out along with Ortiz's, fearing they may have thrown their final pitch in major league baseball. They are on paid administrative leave through at least Aug. 31, and if found guilty, will be banned for life from MLB. Remember when they traded away Rafael Devers, saying they'll be better off with him, and just you wait until they use those resources? Well, the trade deadline came and went, and their only two moves were picking up starter Dustin May, who wasn't good enough to stay in the Dodgers' rotation with his 5.95 ERA in eight starts, and swingman Steven Matz, who was yielding a 6.19 ERA in his last 12 appearances with the Cardinals. Those hardly are the moves to inspire confidence for a team that was 59-51 at the deadline, and sitting in second place in the wild-card race. The last time the Red Sox had a winning record after the trade deadline? It was 2018, the last time they won the World Series. They fired GM Dave Dombrowski less than a year later and haven't been the same since. Los Angeles Dodgers: They were badly trying to acquire Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, believing he would be the perfect fit to replace Michael Conforto in left field. But after hours of negotiations, were left empty-handed. The consolation prize was Washington Nationals outfielder Alex Call. "Everyone in baseball though they were getting Kwan," one GM said. John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations for the St. Louis Cardinals, made one last trade with 68 seconds to spare in his final trade deadline with the Cardinals, sending reliever Phil Maton to the Texas Rangers for two minor league pitchers. Mozeliak officially steps down after the season ends and will be replaced by former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom. Yes, it's true that the Padres traded one of baseball's best prospects when they sent shortstop Leo De Vries to the Athletics in the Mason Miller trade. But while DeVries, 18, certainly can hit, it's almost impossible to find a single talent evaluator who believes he will remain at shortstop, believing he'll be eventually moved to third base or first base. While social media can be a powerful and entertaining tool, and where agents leak 99% of the trades and free-agent signings to reporters, it should not be the vehicle where players find out they are traded. Pirates closer David Bednar found out on social media that he was being traded to the Yankees before getting a call from the Pirates front office. The same scenario was about to happen in Baltimore when the Orioles swung a trade for Andrew Kittredge to the Chicago Cubs. The trade was complete Wednesday night when USA TODAY Sports notified Kittredge's agent, Brian Grieper. He had no idea, and neither did Kittredge. Grieper immediately sent a text message to the Orioles front office. They confirmed the trade was consummated and it would be announced Thursday morning. The news, of course, was immediately leaked to X. Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan was sitting with his teammates in their Cleveland hotel Thursday when the news flashed on social media feeds. The Twins were trading him to the Boston Red Sox. He kept waiting and waiting for the Twins front office to call him. The call never came. It took several minutes before he learned it was wrong. It turns out that to be completely wrong. The teams had talked but were not even remotely close to a deal, with the Red Sox refusing to meet the Twins' request to include outfielders Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu in a package. "I was kind of in a weird state of mind and physically pretty exhausted, too," Ryantold the Minnesota Star-Tribune. "We were hearing so many different things. The weird part is what was expected. It feels a little bit different than what some of us were led to believe. That was interesting." TheSan Diego Padresled the major leagues in ERA (2.93), batting average allowed (.216) and WHIP (1.16) and still unloaded their farm system to grab Athletics closer Mason Miller and his 102-mph fastball. Yes, that's how vital a bullpen is in October baseball. This is why the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite getting only two six-inning appearances from their starters in 16 postseason games, still won the World Series last year. Teams used their starters an average of only 4.25 innings in last year's postseason, with 51.5% of all innings pitched by relievers. In 2023, it was 48.1% with starters averaging 4.6 innings. In 2022, it was 45.2% with starters averaging 5 innings. No wonder the Padre could only laugh when Miller's first pitch on Friday night was clocked at 102 mph.. The Padres wound up making five trades, involving 22 players, and shipping 14 prospects out of town – including seven ranked among their top 16 – by the time the smoke cleared. "Welcome to the San Diego Padre deadline," Padres All-Star third baseman Manny Machado told reporters. "I'm never shocked about anything we do at the deadline, let's be honest." Sure, the White Sox didn't get the offer wanted for center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who's having another injury-prone, underperforming season. But guess what? No team shopping their position players got what they wanted either. You think the Pittsburgh Pirates still wanted Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Tommy Pham still on the roster? You think Atlanta still wanted Marcell Ozuna around? You think the Washington Nationals didn't want to unload Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Bell or Paul DeJong. The White Sox not only didn't move Robert, but now are planning to throw bad money after bad money and pick up his $20 million option. If no one wanted Robert bad enough at his $15 million salary, why would they want him at $20 million? And what happens at next year's trade deadline if they still can't unload him? Would they throw another $20 million his way and pick up his 2027 option? Please, make it make sense. Los Angeles Dodgers: They sent Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox simply because he wasn't good enough to make their rotation, and brought back minor league outfielder James Tibbs, who was the Red Sox's fifth-ranked prospect, and a key piece from San Francisco in the Rafael Devers' trade. Rival executives believe the deal could be a steal for the Dodgers with Tibbs having a chance to become a star. Tyler Rogers: The submarine reliever who was traded by the San Francisco Giants to the New York Mets, caught a plane ride with his former teammates to New York, still wearing his Giants sweats. In exchange for their hospitality, Rogers donated his beer refrigerator and wine collection to his former bullpen. No offense, but there's not a single contender who wants to see the Rangers in the postseason. Not with that pitching staff. Not after acquiring starter Merrill Kelly from Arizona along with veteran relievers Danny Coulombe and Phil Maton, joining a pitching staff that already has an MLB-best 3.24 ERA. Can you imagine a team having to face Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Kelly in a short series? "You think someone wants to face those guys in October?'' one rival GM said. "They would scare me to death." Toronto Blue Jays:The Blue Jays are taking the chance that Shane Bieber, who hasn't pitched in the big leagues all season recovering from Tommy John surgery, will return to become the Cy Young winner of old. "The risk is, almost in some ways, the exciting aspect of it because of the upside," Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins told reporters. "The upside is just so big, and I think what makes it riskier is the fact that he's not pitching in major-league games right now." Bieber would be potentially their Game 1 starter in the playoffs ahead of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Eric Lauer. This is a dude that won the Cy Young award in 2020, and two years later went 13-8 with a 2.88 ERA, striking out 198 batters in 200 innings. Just six weeks ago, they were all in, acquiring Rafael Devers and the remaining $254.5 million remaining on his contract. They since have baseball's worst record, going 13-26, and waved the white flag, dumping closer Camilo Doval and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski. They badly need shortstop Willy Adames to live up to his $182.5 million contract for them to become a contender again. "We wish we were in a spot that we were adding," Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey told reporters, "but as poorly as we've played since the All-Star break, we all felt like it was the best decision for the organization to try to get those pieces coming back that will help us in the future." Suárez had just arrived in Sacramento with his family after the D-backs had played in Detroit when he got the call he was traded to Seattle. The Mariners, who had just played in Sacramento, were still on the ground boarding their plane back to Seattle when there was a 30-minute delay. The door opened at about 11:30 p.m. It was Suárez and his family. The Mariners' somber mood after their loss quickly turned into a party. Pittsburgh Pirates: Yes, once again, instead of improving, they succeeded in only dumping money. They no longer have the remaining $32.2 million left in Ke'Bryan Hayes contract, David Bednar's $5.9 million deal or Bailey Falter's $2.2 million contract. They now have an extra $18 million, shedding about $42 million once their free agents walk away after the season. Will they use the savings to enhance their roster for 2026 or will owner Bob Nutting simply stuff it in his pocket? Come on, you already know the answer. BEST USE OF UNHERALDED PROSPECTS: New York Yankees. The Yankees were able to snag Pirates closer David Bednar with catcher Rafael Flores, catcher Edgleen. Perez, and center fielder Brian Sanchez. Let's see Flores was an undrafted catcher in Orange County, and Perez and Sanchez were international signings that cost them less than $100,000. They turned them into Bednar. Take a bow, scouting director Damon Oppenheimer. NL CENTRAL SIGHT-SEEING TRIP: Taylor Rogers. In a matter of 48 hours, he pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, suited up for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He and his twin brother, Tyler, were even traded an hour apart. It's just the third time two brothers were traded the same day – but never a set of twins. Seranthony Dominguez: He went to work last Wednesday morning, got dressed in an Orioles uniform in the home clubhouse at Camden Yards before Game 1 of a doubleheader. He got the news after the game that was traded to Toronto. He simply strolled down the hall to put on a Blue Jays uniform. It was the first time a player suited up in different uniforms in a doubleheader since May 30, 1922, when Max Flack started for the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 and the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2, according to Jayson Stark of the Athletic. Buster Posey: Posey just finished playing for the San Francisco Giants four years ago before becoming president of baseball operations. So, imagine the conversations when three of the five players he traded this week were his former teammates: Tyler Rogers, Mike Yastrzemski and Camilo Doval. – In less than six hours after the MLB trade deadline was complete, rumors already were swirling that the Pirates will be replacing Ben Cherington as GM, just as rumors prevail that Bill Schmidt of the Colorado Rockies would be re-assigned. They still retained their jobs entering the weekend, but no one in baseball has less job security. – Boston Red Sox rookie infielder Marcelo Mayer's sprained wrist is more serious than the Red Sox initially envisioned, and season-ending surgery is a possibility after consulting with specialists. – The Minnesota Twins front office asked center fielder Byron Buxton if he wants to stay through the Twins rebuild, and he answered with a resounding, "Yes." Buxton, 31, who signed a seven-year, $100 million contract three years ago, has a full no-trade clause. He's under contract through 2028. – The Twins had the opportunity to acquire Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker in their Carlos Correa trade talks, but passed, not wanting to take on the two years and $40 million left on his contract. It's possible Walker is shopped this winter to make room for Isaac Paredes at first base. – The Padres never had any intention of trading closer Robert Suarez, and were never close to trading starter Dylan Cease, realizing they are a much stronger team with him. They did have late talks with the Astros, but the Astros balked at including younger Spencer Arrighetti in a package with three prospects. – The Milwaukee Brewers added about $4 million to their payroll at the trade deadline by picking up $2.2 million by sending starter Nestor Cortes to San Diego for outfielder Brandon Lockridge, while also chipping in $2 million in their acquisition for reliever Shelby Miller, which included injured starter Jordan Montgomery. – If the NL Manager of the Year balloting was done today, Miami Marlins rookie manager Clayton McCullough would be your winner. It's remarkable that this team is hovering around .500 with the lowest payroll in baseball, and is on one of the greatest tears in franchise history. They entered Sunday with a 29-14 record since June 13. – It's hysterical that everyone is going wild with new Phillies closer Jhoan Duran's wild walk-off entrance in his debut at Citizen's Bank Park. It's the same exact entrance that accompanied him in Minnesota.It's just that no one watched the Twins. The difference? "Here," Duran says, "I've got a chance to win the World Series." – The Astros are weighing the possibility of bringing back reliever Ryan Pressly after he was released by the Chicago Cubs. They passed on the idea of trying to re-acquire Justin Verlander at the deadline. – The Cardinals would have loved to move starters Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas, and first baseman Willson Contreras, too, but all three told the Cardinals they would not waive their no-trade clauses. – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is going to ask the commissioners and players unions from the six major U.S. sports leagues – MLB, NFL,NBA, NHL, WNBA and MLS – to support a ban on prop betting. The request comes in the aftermath of MLB's gambling investigation of Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz. "The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass," DeWine said in a statement. "First, there were threats on Ohio athletes, and now two high-profile Ohio professional athletes have been suspended by Major League Baseball as part of a 'sports betting investigation.' The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly." – It could be quite the winter for starting pitchers on the block: Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez of the Minnesota Twins and Sandy Alcantara and Edwin Cabrera of the Miami Marlins and Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates. – The cost of the A's ballpark in Las Vegas, which was originally estimated $1.5 billion, has now climbed over $2 billion. – The Brewers are the first team to score 16 runs in a game in four different road ballparks in the same season since 1939. – Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet has pitched 66 ⅓ innings since June 1, already exceeding his entire total of 64 innings in August and September in his career. – There's something about Cleveland that the Twins just can't stand. The Twins have lost 14 consecutive one-run games at Progressive Field. The Guardians have outscored the Twins only 123-111 in their last 29 meetings in Cleveland, but the Guardians have gone 21-8 in those games. – Yes, that was Athletics starter Luis Severino, falling down after his second and third pitches, winning his first game of the season at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, giving up one run in fifth. He entered the game with a 6.68 ERA at home in his first 12 starts. The A's are expected to trade him this winter. – What was the significance of the Chicago White Sox's 41st victory this season? It matched their entire total of a year ago when they went 41-121, a record for futility. – RIP Ryne Sandberg, who left a legacy with the way he played the game, and offered this message in his Hall of Fame speech: "You hit a home run, you drop the bat, put your head down and run around the bases because the name on the front of your uniform is a lot more important than the name on the back. That's respect." Amen. Follow Nightengale on X:@Bnightengale This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:MLB trade deadline awards: Twins' fire sale shocked baseball

byMario Satorik
in
August 03, 2025

MLB trade deadline awards: Twins' mind-boggling fire sale shook baseball

MLB trade deadline awards: Twins' mind-boggling fire sale shook baseball It was ugly. Outrageous. Unfathomable. Disgraceful. It was perh...
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Which way will Senate swing in 2026? Here are 11 pivotal races that will decide.New Foto - Which way will Senate swing in 2026? Here are 11 pivotal races that will decide.

WASHINGTON –President Donald Trump's agendain the second half of his second term will hinge on whether Republicans canmaintain control of Congressin next year's midterm elections. In the Senate, where the GOP currently has a slim 53 to 47 majority, being the party in charge is vital for the president and his ability to passkey legislation priorities,confirm nominees, including anypotential Supreme Court vacancies. Heading into 2026, congressional Republicans look tokeep their legislative advantagebut face the challenge ofprecedent. Often, the party that does not hold the White House – Democrats, currently – fares better in midterm congressional elections. In need of a pick me up after last year'sbruising presidential and congressional elections, Democrats are trying to flip the upper chamber back to blue by winning a handful of states scattered from the South to the Great Lakes. More:What to expect when you're expecting a GOP trifecta For their part, Republicans trying to defend their majority in next November's races must first weather some base-splitting primaries, in which established GOP incumbents hope to hold on against challengers from inside their own party. Here are 11 Senate races to watch across the country heading into the 2026 midterm elections. More:Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announces run for Senate in a win for Democrats North Carolina's two-term senior senator, Republican Thom Tillis, announced in June he wouldnot be seeking reelection. His news, which Tillis called "not a hard choice," came as debates over Trump's sweeping tax, spending and policy bill engulfed Congress and pitted GOP members against one another. The news was music to Democrats' ears. Already a top target for the liberal party in next year's midterms, the North Carolina race was set to be one of the most competitive Senate battles in 2026, even with Tillis on the ballot. More:After Lara Trump opts out, president endorses RNC Chair Whatley for NC Senate race Now, the open seat has attracted high-profile contenders on both sides of the aisle. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat,announcedhis campaign formally on July 28, following weeks of speculation. On the Republican side, Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, said she considered jumping in. However, after she announced July 24she would not runfor the seat in North Carolina, President Trump gave his backing to Republican National Committee chair and former North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley. Primary elections in the state will be held March 3. In Michigan, another retiring incumbent has set the stage for a toss-up race next year. Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, announced in January he wouldnot seek a third termrepresenting the Great Lakes State in the Senate. More:Michigan's Gary Peters won't run for US Senate reelection next year His absence leaves the race open for either party's taking. Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressmanwith Trump's endorsement, is his party's expected nominee. Rogers ran in 2024, narrowly losing to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Among Democrats, Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow lead the pack of 2026 candidates.  Primary elections in the state will be held Aug. 4, 2026. Georgia's Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff must fend off a pack of conservative lawmakers in order to hang onto his seat in 2026. Alongside fellow Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock,Ossoff's winin a Jan. 2021 runoff election secured him a first term in Congress and his party a chamber majority. Once again, his race will be key in determining whether Democrats win control of the Senate. Republicans looking to unseat him include Rep. Buddy Carter, a former pharmacist who represents the Savannah area. Carter was firstto throw his red hat in the ring. But others, including Rep. Mike Collins, have since joined the contest. Both Carter and Collins are coveting Trump's support, an endorsement that could carry weight with Georgia's deep red electorate pockets. Georgia's primary elections are set for May 19. Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn stands a good chance of winning a fifth term against a Democratic challenger next November, in the red-leaning Lone Star State. But first, he must make it through what ispromising to be a tough primaryagainst the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton. Cornyn has served in the Senate since 2002, but early polls showed him down double digits to Paxton. More:Texas AG Ken Paxton's wife files for divorce 'on biblical grounds' National Republicans have expressed concern that Paxton, who has faced indictments, impeachment and, more recently, avery public divorce, could cost the GOP their safely held Texas seat in a general election. Democrat and former Rep. Colin Allred, who ran unsuccessfully against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, hasannounced his campaignfor 2026. Texas state Rep. James Talaricohas saidhe is "seriously considering" a run as well. More:Former congressman Colin Allred launches 2026 campaign for US Senate Primary elections in the Lone Star State are scheduled for March 3. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has alsodrawn a GOP challengerin his 2026 bid for reelection. Paul Dans, the original author ofProject 2025, a sweeping conservative agenda to overhaul the federal government, announced his entrance into the race at an event in Charleston July 30. More:Lindsey Graham gets Republican challenger: Project 2025 author to announce Senate bid The primary contest will likely pit MAGA voters in the Palmetto State against one another. Though Graham has previously been a regular target of criticism from Trump − displeased by the lawmaker at times breaking from the GOP leader − he is currently an ally to the president and has already received Trump's "complete and total endorsement." Dans' primary challenge will be an uphill battle. Should Graham come out on top, he is heavily favored to win a fifth term representing the Palmetto State. A pack of Democrats are vying to face Graham or Dans in the general, though South Carolina is generally considered a safely red seat. Both party primaries will be held June 9. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is about to wrap her fifth term in the Senate, and while she has yet to formally announce her bid for reelection, many colleaguesexpect her torun again. Her position as one of the upper chamber's most independent voices has kept her in favor, and in office, with her left-leaning state, though Democrats still see this upcoming race as one of their top pick-up opportunities if two-term Gov. Janet Mills decides to run. Collins has garnered a reputation for being one of the few congressional Republicans willing to tell Trump no. She voted against two of his major legislative priorities this summer – a sweeping tax and spending bill, as well as a $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid funding – and has openly criticized some of the president's nominees. More:'See you in court.' Trump, Maine governor clash in tense exchange at White House Willingness to oppose Trumptypically comes with the president's full public ire – and often a MAGA-aligned primary opponent. However, Collins is the only Republican senator to have won a state in which Democrats won the popular vote in 2024. Her unique position seems to, at least for now, have kept Trump from speaking out against who many view as the GOP's best chance to keep their seat in Maine. Several Democratic candidates have announced campaigns against Collins, including David Costello, who ran unsuccessfully against Maine's Independent Sen. Angus King in 2024. All eyes are most focused on Mills, the state governor who has alsotussled with Trumpbut hasn't yet said if she will run. Maine will have its primaries on June 9. Minnesota's Democratic Sen.Tina Smithannounced earlier this year her plan to retire at the end of her current term, calling the decision "entirely personal." With the state's blue tilt, Smith's seat has a good chance of staying in Democrats' hands. More:'Entirely personal': Democrat Tina Smith to not seek reelection in 2026 Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Annie Craig are among the frontrunners for their party's nomination. Minnesota Gov.Tim Walz, 2024 Democratic presidential nomineeKamala Harris' running mate, opted back in Februarynot to run for Senate. On the Republican side, former NBA player Royce White is running again, after losing his bid against Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024. Former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze has also announced his campaign for the GOP nomination. The Minnesota primaries will be held Aug. 11. The Buckeye State represents one of Democrats' few pick up opportunities, and even then it will not be an easy flip. Republican Sen.Jon Hustedwas picked by Ohio's governor to fill the seat vacated by Vice PresidentJD Vanceat the start of the year, and Husted will be on the ballot next November to keep his spot. Ohio has become reliably red in recent years, making the fight to flip it tough for Democrats. Their best shot likely is former Democratic Sen.Sherrod Brown, who lost his bid for reelection last year to Sen. Bernie Moreno.Axios reportedthat Brown met with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in late July, as part of the top Senate Democrat's efforts to lobby Brown to run again. Democratic Sen.Jeanne Shaheenof New Hampshire announced she would not be seeking another term in 2026 either. Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who launched his campaign in April, is widely seen as a strong contender to succeed Shaheen. More:Former GOP Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown running for Senate in New Hampshire Republican Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts senator and ex-ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa under Trump's first term, is among ahandful of candidatescompeting on the GOP side. Like Minnesota,Cook Political Reporthas rated New Hampshire's race leaning Democrat. In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican, has the advantage, with Cook Political Report rating her race likely Republican. Three Democrats so far have launched bids in hopes of beating those odds: Nathan Sage, the former chamber of commerce director from Knoxville; stateRep. J.D. Scholten; andstate Sen. Zach Wahls. More:Iowa Democratic Rep. and minor league pitcher J.D. Scholten to run against Sen. Joni Ernst Trump's sweeping tax, spending and policy bill,passed into lawearlier this summer, is expectedto be a defining issuein Iowa's race. Ernst was one of 50 Senate Republicans who voted in favor of the legislation, which her Democratic opponents decried as a move "to gut Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of Iowa children and families." The primary in Iowa is scheduled for June 2. Nebraska is widely seen as a Republican stronghold with incumbent GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts, though there could be a surprisingly competitive race in 2026 with Independent candidate Dan Osborn jumping back into a statewide election. More:Nebraska independent Dan Osborn could be poised to shake up U.S. Senate Osborn came within seven percentage points of beating Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024, acloser-than-expected marginin the GOP-dominated state. Osborn, a former labor leader, is a registered Independent but received campaign contributions from Democrats in his last campaign (money hetold NBChe did not ask for). Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor and part owner with his family of the Chicago Cubs, is running for a full term after being appointed to the job in January of 2023 upon the resignation of Republican Sen. Ben Sasse. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Who will win Senate majority in 2026? These are 11 key races to watch.

byMario Satorik
in
August 03, 2025

Which way will Senate swing in 2026? Here are 11 pivotal races that will decide.

Which way will Senate swing in 2026? Here are 11 pivotal races that will decide. WASHINGTON –President Donald Trump's agendain the secon...
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