Arráez's go-ahead single sparks 5-run 11th inning, Padres beat Diamondbacks 10-5

Arráez's go-ahead single sparks 5-run 11th inning, Padres beat Diamondbacks 10-5

PHOENIX (AP) — Luis Arráez had the go-ahead single in the 11th inning, Ramón Laureano added three hits and three RBIs, and the San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-5 on Tuesday night. Arráez was hitless in five at-bats before hitting a bloop single into short left field, which was enough to score Fernando Tatis Jr. from second base for a 6-5 lead. The Padres would tack on four more runs in the 11th. San Diego has won eight of its past 10 games. Arizona had a three-game winning streak snapped. Arizona's Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit two homers, including one on a 103.9 mph fastball from Mason Miller that made it 5-all in the eighth. It was the hardest hit pitch for a homer since MLB began pitch tracking in 2008. Laureano — who wasadded from the Baltimore Orioles at last week's trade deadline— had a two-run double in the seventh that gave the Padres a 5-3 lead. The 31-year-old is 8 for 22 at the plate over five games with his new team. D-backs starter Ryne Nelson gave up two runs over 5 2/3 innings, striking out eight. The right-hander left the game with a 3-2 lead and nobody on base in the sixth, but the D-backs bullpen walked four straight batters — three by Kyle Nelson and one by Andrew Hoffmann — to force in the tying run. Gurriel hit a two-run homer in the first to give the D-backs a 2-0 lead. It was his 13th homer of the season and first in more than a month. Key moment San Diego third baseman Jose Iglesias made a great defensive play to end the 10th inning, fielding a ground ball, stepping on third and throwing to first for the double play. Key stat The Padres had six hits in the 11th inning. Up next The Padres send LHP Nestor Cortes (1-1, 9.00 ERA) to the mound to face D-backs RHP Anthony DeSclafani (1-2, 4.91) on Wednesday. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byMario Satorik

in

August 05, 2025

Arráez's go-ahead single sparks 5-run 11th inning, Padres beat Diamondbacks 10-5

Arráez's go-ahead single sparks 5-run 11th inning, Padres beat Diamondbacks 10-5 PHOENIX (AP) — Luis Arráez had the go-ahead single in t...

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2025 WNBA trade deadline: Players on the move, grades for every deal

2025 WNBA trade deadline: Players on the move, grades for every deal

The 2025WNBAtrade deadline is quickly approaching, and there are several players to monitor as movement heats up before the deadline on Thursday, Aug. 7. Only a couple of players have moved so far withDiJonai Carrington, last year's Most Improved Player, going to the 2024 WNBA runner-upMinnesota Lynxand 2025 All-StarBrittney Sykesto theSeattle Storm. Here are afew players that could moveand here's a round up of the 2025 WNBA trade deadline deals so far: Storm get: G Brittney Sykes Mystics get: F Alysha Clark G Zia Cooke (has since been waived) 2026 first-round draft pick Sykes is averaging 15.4 points, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 31.8% from beyond the arc. The 5-foot-9 guard receivedher first All-Star selectionthis season and has four WNBA all-defensive team selections during her nine-year career, which also includes stints with the Atlanta Dream andLos Angeles Sparks. She signed with the Mystics as a free agent ahead of the 2023 season.Read more about the trade here. Adding Sykes to Seattle does a few things. It gives the Storm a versatile defender who plays larger than they are, plus a player who can create for themselves and others. Sykes will all but certainly be inserted into the starting rotation, and that should be a very nice one-two punch with Wheeler. Additionally, Seattle now has fewer excuses not to succeed. Heading into next season, theMystics now have three first-round picks. That's not including the other selections they have in the 2026 WNBA draft. Essentially, Washington would have plenty of options to choose from, including TCU guard Olivia Miles, UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts and UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd. ∎READ MORE:Full Sykes trade grades from Meghan L. Hall Lynx get: G DiJonai Carrington Wings get: F Diamond Miller G Karlie Samuelson (has since been waived) 2027 second-round draft pick It is the second trade in a matter of months for Carrington, who was traded to the Wings from the Connecticut Sun back in February. The former second-round pick out of Baylor is averaging 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists this season.Read more about the trade here. Bringing in Carrington does a few things for Reeve's squad. First, it adds valuable guard and wing depth. Carrington is more comfortable as a wing, but could take over point guard duties if necessary. She can even start if they need her to, which is huge. With that in mind, veteran Kayla McBride has to be jumping for joy right now. Carrington will fit nicely as depth behind her, and because she's an excellent defender, it takes a lot more pressure off McBride to have to be everything all at once. Guard Diamond Miller now has a new place to get more minutes and should thrive with the Wings. Veteran Karlie Samuelson is out for the season with an injury, but once healthy, there's a chance she could add quality minutes, too. Also, future draft stock never hurts. The Wings are somewhat leaning into a soft rebuild and should continue making moves for the future. ∎READ MORE:Full Carrington trade grades from Meghan L. Hall The 2025 WNBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. ET Thursday, Aug. 7. After that, teams cannot make trades for the remainder of the season. The trade deadline in the WNBA is not traditionally as busy as those in the NFL, NBA or MLB. The WNBA's hard salary cap ($1,507,100 per team) has no flexibility, meaning a team can't go over. That means team have to be able to make the money work in any trade dollar for dollar. Even with addition of the Golden State Valkyries, there are only 13 teams with 12 players each in the league. With fewer players, there are fewer trades. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:WNBA trade deadline 2025: Players changing teams, trade grades

byMario Satorik

in

August 05, 2025

2025 WNBA trade deadline: Players on the move, grades for every deal

2025 WNBA trade deadline: Players on the move, grades for every deal The 2025WNBAtrade deadline is quickly approaching, and there are severa...

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Witkoff lands in Russia as Trump’s sanctions threat looms

Witkoff lands in Russia as Trump's sanctions threat looms

President Donald Trump'strusted foreign envoySteve Witkofflandedin Moscowearly on Wednesday after the Kremlin requested a meeting with him in a last-ditch effort to avoid the punishing new sanctions Trump hasthreatened to imposethis week, people familiar with the matter said. Witkoff was was greeted at the airport by Russia's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Reuters reported, and is expected to meet various Russian officials during his visit — including potential talks with President Vladimir Putin — amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Whether Putin can convince Witkoff — and, by extension, Trump — that he is interested in ending the war is an open question. Trump has cast doubt on Putin's willingness to stop the fighting and appears wary of being strung along by a leader he now openly distrusts. Putin, meanwhile, has maintained his maximalist ambitions for the conflict, including capturing the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson and insisting Ukraine limit the size of its military. Trump said a day ahead of Witkoff's meeting he would wait until the talks conclude to decide whether to impose the new sanctions. "We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. We're going to see what happens," he said at the White House. "We'll make that determination at that time." The environment in Moscow will be far different than the last time Witkoff sat down with Putin in April — with Trump's frustration toward his Russian counterpart mounting in recent months. Since the April meeting, Russia has resisted US-led efforts to broker a peace in Ukraine, ramping up an onslaught of missiles and drones that have targeted Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv. A day ahead of Witkoff's visit, Trump spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss potential sanctions on Moscow, according to people familiar with the conversation. In a readout of the meeting posted on social media, Zelensky said those sanctions could "change a lot" when it comes to the Russian economy. Zelenskyalso saidthey discussed the increase of American weapons support to Ukraine, paid for by NATO allies, a policy Trump green-lit last month. The US president has grown increasingly impatient at Russia's resistance to his peace efforts, calling the air attacks "disgusting" and accusing Putin of peddling "bullsh*t" in their tense phone conversations. He has set a Friday deadline for Russia to either agree to a peace deal or suffer new sanctions, including on its own economy and on purchasers of its energy products. Trump truncated his original 50-day timeline after seeing little movement from Russia. Yet he has also cast doubt that any new sanctions will prove effective after Moscow found ways to skirt the heaps of western measures applied since the war began. "There'll be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions," Trump said Sunday. "You know, they're wily characters, and they're pretty good at avoiding sanctions. So we'll see what happens." Trump also announced late last week that he was ordering the repositioning oftwo US nuclear submarinesin an effort to be "prepared" – a response to inflammatory remarks by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and current deputy chairman of its security council. But even Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after those comments that Medvedev was not a relevant player and explained that his remarks were unlikely to "be a factor one way or another." Some Europeans officials viewed Trump's announcement as a possible effort to highlight US nuclear capabilities in preparation for Witkoff's visit, two sources told CNN. It remains unclear if the US actually repositioned any of its nuclear submarines. Trump has threatened two distinct types of measures should Moscow not reach Friday's deadline for peace. He has said he'll apply new sanctions on Russian imports to the US, which would have minimal impact given the near-stoppage in trade between the two countries since the start of the war. Trump has also promised "secondary tariffs" on countries that import Russian energy — which would include China and India, the country's largest energy customers. That could potentially do more to cut off funding for Russia's war machine. "Is August 8 an actual deadline or part of Trump's approach, which often involves manufacturing leverage points, and then determining how to use them?" said one US official. "It is not real until Trump decides it is, which is based on a number of unidentified variables." There have been active efforts to draw up those possible secondary sanctions in recent weeks, US officials said, adding that they believe that Trump's frustration with Putin is so intense that he might green light those measures. But Trump is also likely to back down if Russia makes a substantive offer, sources said. "These are gut feelings for him," said one source close to the White House. "It depends how he can sell it to his base." The US and its western allies have taken numerous steps to try stifling Moscow's energy revenues, including applying a price cap on Russian crude. But so far, it hasn't caused Putin to change course. And Russia has been able to evade some of the measures on its energy products by using a "shadow fleet" of tankers, whose ownership is hidden, to sell to China and India. Trump said that could change if the price of Russian oil drops significantly. "Putin will stop killing people if you get energy down another $10 a barrel. He's going to have no choice because his economy stinks," the president said in a Tuesday telephone interview on CNBC. Russia's economy has seen recent signs of weakness, including rampant inflation and higher food costs, as the weight of the three-and-a-half year war begins to take more of an effect. Trump has already said he'll apply a substantial tariff hike on India for its Russian energy purchases as he simultaneously works to extract concessions from New Delhi on a trade deal. "They're fueling the war machine, and if they're going to do that, then I'm not going to be happy," Trump told CNBC. India has argued its Russian energy purchases have stabilized the global oil market. It's less clear how intent Trump is on applying new measures on China for its Russian energy purchases. He remains on the hunt for a comprehensive trade agreement with Beijing, and US officials have described making significant progress in recent talks with their Chinese counterparts. Still, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directly told his Chinese counterparts during trade talks inStockholm last monththat they should be ready for sanctions if they continue to buy Russian oil. Putin and China's President Xi Jinping have also deepened their relationship in recent years, and Chinese support for Russia's war efforts extends well beyond energy purchases. China has provided Russia with components for its weapons and drones used to attack Ukraine. Putin and Xi are expected to meet in Beijing at the start of September around a commemoration ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In recent months, Witkoff played a less active role in the Ukraine war talks due to Russia's refusal to take substantial steps to drive an end to the conflict. During that time, Trump and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg maintained regular communications with the Ukrainians, withKellogg visiting Kyivlast month. Trump also began to change his tone on Ukraine, saying it needs the ability to defend itself. But with Witkoff visiting Russia again for the first time in months, there is a renewed spotlight on his role. Earlier this year, there were concerns among US officials and Russia experts about the real estate developer's diplomatic inexperience, particularly after he went into multiple early meetings with Putin without a US translator by his side. After his last meeting with Putin, Witkoff predicted the Russian leader "sees the opportunity for the first time in decades" to recalibrate the US-Russia relationship — though months later the war is ongoing and US-Russia relations have not improved. Still, even as talks with Russia took a backseat in recent months, Witkoff stayed engaged on Gaza talks and Iran talks, maintaining an active role in Trump's inner circle. This article has been updated with additional information For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byMario Satorik

in

August 05, 2025

Witkoff lands in Russia as Trump’s sanctions threat looms

Witkoff lands in Russia as Trump's sanctions threat looms President Donald Trump'strusted foreign envoySteve Witkofflandedin Moscowe...

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sues to remove House Democratic leader amid redistricting battle

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sues to remove House Democratic leader amid redistricting battle

In an escalation in theTexas redistricting battle, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott filed an emergency petition Aug. 5 seeking to remove the Democratic House leader from office after lawmakers fled en masse to block efforts to redraw the state's congressional districts. More than 50 Democratic lawmakersleft the Lone Star Stateon Aug. 3 to deny Republicans the quorum needed to vote on theredistricting plansought by President Donald Trump. By redrawing the state's 38 congressional districts, the Republican Partyhopes to flipfive U.S. congressional seats currently held by Democrats in next year's midterm elections. Abbott filed the lawsuit with the Texas Supreme Court to have state Rep. Gene Wu removed from office, arguing that Wu and other House Democrats who fled the state "constitute abandonment of their office, justifying their removal." The governor further alleged that Wu and the Democrats "appear to have solicited and received certain benefits in exchange for skipping a vote, further supporting their removal from office and allegations of bribery." Abbott has ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate whether the Democrats violated bribery laws. "Representative Wu and the other Texas House Democrats have shown a willful refusal to return, and their absence for an indefinite period of time deprives the House of the quorum needed to meet and conduct business on behalf of Texans," Abbott said in astatement. "Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans, and there must be consequences." In response to the lawsuit, Texas House Democrats said the governor "used the law as a weapon to silence his people." "We took an oath to the constitution, not to a politician's agenda," the Texas House Democrats said in a statement onsocial media. Texas Hold 'em:Gov. Abbott threatens legal action for absent Dems The lawsuit comes after Abbottthreatened to arrestDemocratic lawmakers, most of whom have gone to Illinois, New York, or Massachusetts. His order was designed to force the absconding legislators to comply with civil arrest warrants that state Republican lawmakers voted to issue during a statehouse session in Austin on Aug. 4. "To ensure compliance, I ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans," Abbott said in a statement. But the arrest warrants only apply within the state, and breaking quorum is not a crime that would allow Texas authorities to pursue extradition from other states.Earlier on Aug. 5, Trump said the FBI "may have to" help arrest the lawmakers and return them to their home state. "A lot of people are demanding they come back. You can't just sit it out. You have to go back," Trump said at a press event. What to know.Texas GOP eyes redistricting, Dems poised to hit back. Abbott has previously argued that lawmakers can be legally removed for deliberately leaving and breaking quorum, which he says amounts to an abandonment or forfeiture of an elected state office. On Aug. 3, the governor cited a 2021 non-binding opinion from Texas Attorney GeneralKen Paxtonthat said the "district court may determine that a legislator has forfeited his or her office due to abandonment and can remove the legislator from office, thereby creating a vacancy." Paxton told Fox News on Aug. 4 that he expected the Texas Supreme Court to ultimately weigh in on any abandonment cases he files, noting that "they're obviously a Republican court." The absent Democrats are already facing consequences with a $500-per-day fine for being out of state. The penalty was established after state Democrats fled in 2021 to protest over new voting restrictions, halting operations for 38 days. Contributing: Aysha Bagchi and Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Gov. Greg Abbott sues to remove Texas House Democratic leader Gene Wu

byMario Satorik

in

August 05, 2025

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sues to remove House Democratic leader amid redistricting battle

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sues to remove House Democratic leader amid redistricting battle In an escalation in theTexas redistricting battle, R...

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Trump says 2028 Olympic athletes will be tested to prevent transgender competitors

Trump says 2028 Olympic athletes will be tested to prevent transgender competitors

President Donald Trumpsaid athletes hoping to compete in the2028 Olympic and Paralympic Gamesin Los Angeles will be tested to prevent transgender participants in women's sports such as boxing. Trump during an Aug. 5 press conference focused on the Olympics responded to a question from a reporter who asked about transgender athletes and whether the Department of Justice would consider pressing charges against trans women who compete in boxing, specifically. "Would your administration consider genetic testing so that these people can prove that they're actually women competing?" the reporter added. Trump said he'd "have to ask" Attorney GeneralPam Bondiabout about pursuing charges. "But there will be a very, very strong form of testing, and if the test doesn't come out appropriately, they won't be in the Olympics," Trump said. Trumpsigned an executive orderin February aimed at barring transgender student athletes from participating in women's sports. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committeelater changed its rulesto prevent participation by transgender women, citing Trump's executive order. USOPC president Gene Sykes and CEO Sarah Hirshland sent a letter to the Olympic community saying the change came after "a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials" following the executive order. On Aug. 4, theU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issuedpolicy guidance preventing trans women from receiving "extraordinary ability" visas to compete in women's sports. Trump's comments about testing athletes came after he signed an executive order to create a White House Olympics task force to handle security and other issues related to the 2028 games. The games are expected to draw 11,000 Olympic and 4,500 Paralympic athletes. Contributing: Nancy Armour, Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Donald Trump expects testing to block transgender Olympians

byMario Satorik

in

August 05, 2025

Trump says 2028 Olympic athletes will be tested to prevent transgender competitors

Trump says 2028 Olympic athletes will be tested to prevent transgender competitors President Donald Trumpsaid athletes hoping to compete in ...

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ESPN agrees to buy NFL Network, RedZone Channel; league gets 10% equity in return

ESPN agrees to buy NFL Network, RedZone Channel; league gets 10% equity in return

ESPN and theNFLare putting a ring on it – let's hope that means a huge win for their viewers. As originallyreported by The Athleticlast week, ESPN's relationship with the league will become even more intertwined in the wake of Tuesday night's announcement of a non-binding agreement in which it "will acquire NFL Network and certain other media assets owned and controlled by the NFL – including NFL's linear RedZone Channel, and NFL Fantasy – in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN." The parties "are also entering into a second non-binding agreement, under which the NFL will license to ESPN certain NFL content and other intellectual property to be used by NFL Network and other assets." In addition to making more untold billions, the NFL effectively divests itself of the costs associated with in-house broadcasting. Concurrently, its product gains even wider distribution and new innovative benefits. NFL Network will continue to broadcast seven games per season with ESPN reaping the benefits of that – notably to its pending direct-to-consumer service. NFL Fantasy Football and ESPN Fantasy Football will merge. "This is an exciting day for sports fans," Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN's chairman, said in a statement. "By combining these NFL media assets with ESPN's reach and innovation, we're creating a premier destination for football fans. Together, ESPN and the NFL are redefining how fans engage with the game – anytime, anywhere. This deal helps fuel ESPN's digital future, laying the foundation for an even more robust offering as we prepare to launch our new direct-to-consumer service." The breadcrumbs for this union have been apparent for some time. POWER RANKINGS:As preseason nears, who are Eagles' main threats? NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport is a frequent guest on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" and has even hosted it – certainly an unusual arrangement for entities seemingly set up as something of competitors when the league became the first of the major ones in North America to create its own broadcasting arm with the launch of NFL Network in 2003. Rich Eisen, the original face of NFLN when he left ESPN to help start it, had already been revealed as the new de facto voice of ESPN Radio – "The Rich Eisen Show" to begin airing there in September from noon to 3 p.m. ET as well as on Disney+ and ESPN+. Former NFLN reporter Peter Schrager, a longtime cast member of "Good Morning Football," the network's morning show,jumped to ESPN earlier this year. Hopefully viewers reap the benefit of better and broader coverage of the league. The entertainment goliaths have essentially been significant others for decades, ESPN broadcasting league games on Sunday nights, Monday nights and, more recently, via select streaming opportunities through the years. "NFL Live" is an hour-long afternoon show that's a staple of the network's weekday lineup, and the cable giant's morning shows typically devote the bulk of their air time to NFL news and analysis. NFL Network original programming, along with its workforce, has been steadily reduced for years. Despite its new campus adjacent to SoFi Stadium − home of the Rams and Chargers − in Inglewood, California, "GMFB," which now runs two hours (it was once four hours), is currently the only regular studio show in the NFLN lineup year-round. The nightly "The Insiders" show replaced "NFL Total Access," which had been the network's long-running equivalent of "SportsCenter," but is essentially aired from the homes of its reporters as the league opted to cut the production costs associated with doing a studio show. During the season, the network does a stripped-down Sunday night highlights show and daily fantasy show. Yet it didn't even send Eisen and Hall of Fame analyst Kurt Warner to Canton, Ohio, last weekend to anchor this year's Hall of Fame inductions. Original "GMFB" cast member Kyle Brandt wore a "SportsCenter" shirt on Monday's broadcast. There were no details Tuesday regarding the impact on programming or on-air talent, though the marriage will obviously create opportunities − along with redundancies. Multiple people at NFL Media told USA TODAY Sports that rumors of the move have lingered for months and created an environment of uncertainty. They were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. The NFL will continue to own and operate NFL Films, which has churned out 141 Sports Emmys during its existence and helped mythologize the sport over the decades. However its footprint on NFL Network has dwindled in recent years as shows like "NFL 360," "NFL Top 10" and "A Football Life" wound down. This year, its annual "NFL's Top 100 Players" − a series underpinned by player surveys to determine the league's top stars − is being distributed on X rather than airing on NFLN. 🚨Sports Emmy Wins🚨The@NFLwon 4@sportsemmysawards last night!@NFLFilmswon 3 awards -- including 1st win in partnership w/@SkydanceSports -- to bring total to 141NFL Marketing won for Outstanding Public Service Contentpic.twitter.com/ulsQx7XVKM — NFL Media (@NFLMedia)May 21, 2025 Naturally, another major concern is how the league's seedier issues will be covered. In past years, ESPN has done deep dives into troubling NFL stories, such as the highly controversial tenure of former Washington owner Daniel Snyder or the ramifications of concussions, with hard-hitting, in-depth investigative pieces − both on air and digitally. NFL Network rarely delved into such topics, particularly when an owner like Snyder or the New England Patriots' Robert Kraft was in the headlines. How such stories are reported on ESPN in the future will invite further scrutiny given the league's ownership stake. NFL Network itself has been plagued for years by the dismissal of former players turned analysts who got into trouble behind the scenes or elsewhere, a list that includes Michael Irvin, Willie McGinest, Marshall Faulk, Warren Sapp, Ike Taylor and Heath Evans, among others. HARD KNOCKS:20 most memorable moments from NFL training camp docuseries "Since its launch in 2003, NFL Network has provided millions of fans unprecedented access to the sport they love," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "Whether it was debuting Thursday Night Football, televising the (Scouting) Combine, or telling incredible football stories through original shows and breaking news, NFL Network has delivered. The Network's sale to ESPN will build on this remarkable legacy, providing more NFL football for more fans in new and innovative ways." But how that legacy is shaped moving forward, especially regarding matters that can tarnish the reputation of America's favorite, by far, sports league remains to be seen. Per the NFL and ESPN, the "transactions are subject to the parties' negotiation of definitive agreements, various approvals including by the NFL team owners, and customary closing conditions." All NFL news on and off the field.Sign upfor USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:ESPN to buy NFL Network, RedZone Channel; league gets 10% equity back

byMario Satorik

in

August 05, 2025

ESPN agrees to buy NFL Network, RedZone Channel; league gets 10% equity in return

ESPN agrees to buy NFL Network, RedZone Channel; league gets 10% equity in return ESPN and theNFLare putting a ring on it – let's hope t...

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer makes another White House visit to meet with Trump

Michigan Gov. Whitmer makes another White House visit to meet with Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with PresidentDonald Trumpat the White House on Tuesday to discuss the tolltariffsare taking on the auto industry and the potential effects of his tax and spending bill on Medicaid. It's the latest in a string of meetings between the Democratic governor and the Republican president after the two frequently clashed during his first term. In his second term, Whitmer has adopted a morediplomatic approach,drawingsome backlashfrom fellow Democrats. But it's also resulted in multiple wins for Whitmer's state, including Trump's approving $50 million in storm relief and awarding anew fighter jet missionfor an Air National Guard base in the state. "I've always said that I'll work with anyone to get things done for Michigan," Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said in a statement Tuesday. "That's why I've continued to go to Washington, D.C., to make sure that Michiganders are front and center when critical decisions are being made." The private meeting between Trump and Whitmer — her third trip to the White House this year, in addition to a dinner in February where she sat next to Trump — marks a rare cordial relationship between the president and a leading Democratic figure. A White House official would not confirm the meeting but did stress Trump's continued focus on Michigan. In recent weeks, Trump attacked Senate Democratic leaderChuck Schumer, telling him to "go to hell," while also taking aim at otherhigh-profile Democratic governorswho have pushed back on some of his policies, including California'sGavin Newsomand Illinois'JB Pritzker, also considered possible 2028 candidates. Pritzker hasaided Texas Democratsin leaving their state for Illinois to block Republicans from their needed quorum to pass a new congressional map backed by Trump. Early Tuesday, Trump called Pritzker "probably the dumbest of all governors" in a television interview. Trump, however, has taken a different tone with Whitmer. Earlier this year, he said that she is a "very good person" who has done an "excellent job." Whitmer has treaded carefully with Trump, criticizing some of his policies rather than the president himself. She issued an executive directive last week to assess the impact of tariffs that she said have led to "massive economic uncertainty" — without mentioning Trump's name once. Tuesday's appearance ended with far less controversy than some of her other encounters with Trump this year. In a trip to the White House in April, she was unexpectedly ushered into the Oval Office, shielding her face with a folder at one point before standing awkwardly nearby as the Republican president signed executive orders and assailed his political opponents during a photo opportunity. Weeks later, the Democratic governor shared a hug with Trump ashe arrived in her home state. In their White House meeting Tuesday, Whitmer said that she told Trump and "his team about the impact tariffs are having on Michigan's economy, especially our auto industry." She also discussed "changes in the Medicaid program, and ongoing recovery efforts following the ice storm in Northern Michigan this year." Whitmer also saw Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and chief of staff Susie Wiles while at the White House. Trump announced last month that he had spoken with Whitmer to inform her that he was appproving $50 million in federal funds for Michigan to support repairs and recovery from a March ice storm. In April, Trump traveled to Michigan to announce a new mission for Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which Whitmer has sought for years.

byMario Satorik

in

August 05, 2025

Michigan Gov. Whitmer makes another White House visit to meet with Trump

Michigan Gov. Whitmer makes another White House visit to meet with Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with President...

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