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People are bewildered by Donald Trump’s latest claim that a judge declared sports “unconstitutional.” He was ranting about trans athletes on Thursday this week while addressing a celebration for the athletes who represented the United States at the Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games in Italy, when he apparently went off script and said that all sports have been declared unconstitutional. Related Donald Trump says he “feels badly” for congressman accused of brutal abuse of his wife & daughter And this wasn’t just a word or two that he messed up. He continued to insist that sports are not unconstitutional and that he had to enlist “so many great people” to help fight the decision by drafting a bill to make sports constitutional again. “Already we’ve done a lot to help save women’s sports, and we’re also saving college sports,” Trump said. “We’re in the process of working very hard. We had a bad judge’s decision, and, uh, a judge that knew nothing about sports declared sports unconstitutional. Can you believe it?” Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today “We had to come and put something together. We had the help of so many great people. They all came together,” he rambled on. “We have a bill, uh, right now that we’re trying to get passed, and if it does, we’ll be bringing sports back.” Trump: A bad judge declared sports unconstitutional. Can you believe it? pic.twitter.com/aTMhCwvgFm— Acyn (@Acyn) August 6, 2026 Usually when Trump says something outlandish, people can often discern what he intended to talk about and how he mispoke, but here people are stumped. Mediaite suggests that he might be referring to the Protect College Sports Act, which standardizes rules around revenue-sharing, NIL (name, image, and likeness) rights, transfers, and several other matters related to college sports. Some GOP senators have introduced an amendment to that bill to protect states’ ability to ban trans women from sports, but the Supreme Court just ruled in favor of such bans. While it wasn’t the inspiration for the bill, a federal court ruled against the NCAA this week when it came to applying a new rule regarding eligibility requirements for college athletes. But that ruling was a preliminary injunction and didn’t declare college sports to be unconstitutional. Online, people were confused by Trump’s statements. Would someone please for once just yell out "what the fuck are you talking about??!"— JimBob McBoatFace (@JBobMcBoatFace) August 6, 2026 She is all of us pic.twitter.com/HntUf6z1Tr— JennX (@JennX0608) August 7, 2026 No one behind him knows what the fuck he is talking about.— JimBob McBoatFace (@JBobMcBoatFace) August 6, 2026 Uh, no, I quite literally don't believe that. https://t.co/lZ69OYzbCU— Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) August 6, 2026 I perhaps don’t believe it because its completely made up nonsense said by someone with a broken brain. https://t.co/ZoO0D6TOLG— Spiro’s Ghost (@AntiToxicPeople) August 7, 2026 Dang it!Sports is cancelled, folks! https://t.co/NM61coXD1v— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) August 6, 2026 Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The oil painting, the work of "Scottish Colorist" FCB Cadell, just sold at auction for more than $250,000

The effect transcends factors like culture, gender and handedness, causing the scientists, who were initially studying social distancing behavior, to scratch their heads

The massive necropolis, located deep in the southeastern Indian Ocean, is teeming with marine life supported by the whale carcasses, including many suspected new species

The 213 acres of land in far northern Wisconsin, along the southern shore of Lake Superior, include a waterfall

Construction on the $20 million bridge in Siskiyou County began last year and is expected to be complete by this fall, with miles of eight-foot-high fencing along the highway to help funnel animals toward it

The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a news conference, May 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)2026-08-07T19:48:21Z WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal prosecutor fired last year over critical comments he had written as a private citizen about President Donald Trump sued the Justice Department on Friday, saying his termination violated his First Amendment rights.Will Rosenzweig was two weeks away from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case when a blog he had written years earlier covering a broad range of topics was publicized online by a conservative political commentator who also included a screenshot of Rosenzweig’s LinkedIn account and tagged senior Justice Department officials for their awareness.Less than three hours after the post, the lawsuit says, Rosenzweig received an email signed by then- Attorney General Pam Bondi informing him that he had been fired. The news came as Rosenzweig was out of town with his family observing the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. The September 2025 termination was part of a sweeping personnel purge over the last year and a half inside the Justice Department, which has fired prosecutors who worked on investigations into Trump and others seen as being against the administration’s efforts.A lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami, where Rosenzweig worked as a federal prosecutor for five years, seeks reinstatement to the job as well as a court order declaring his firing unlawful. The complaint says Rosenzweig was a highly respected prosecutor who received “consistent praise and awards” and was so highly valued in his office that he was told just weeks before his firing that he would be getting a special parking spot. The blog Rosenzweig had written had been defunct for over six years at the time of his firing and included his thoughts on travel, sports and other “apolitical, anodyne topics,” in addition to critical observations about Trump and other political candidates, the lawsuit says. The comments that the conservative commentator, Natalie Winters, chose to highlight in her post on X specifically highlighted his thoughts on Trump, according to the complaint, which says the firing was a direct assault on Rosenzweig’s free speech rights. Read More “The Department’s conduct rests on a single premise: a citizen must forever refrain from criticizing the government and its leaders to remain eligible to serve it,” the lawsuit says. “That rule would force every American who might one day serve to choose between speaking freely now and working for the government later. Conditioning public employment on political loyalty, where a party card rather than merit opens the door to a government job, is a way of life in Havana and Caracas. It has no place here.” A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment, citing pending litigation. ERIC TUCKER Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department. twitter mailto

The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a news conference, May 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)2026-08-07T19:23:50Z The Davis Mountain Clinic is not your typical rural medical clinic. It doesn’t have windows or a big waiting room, and there aren’t teams of physicians and nurses waiting on patients.Instead, there’s one nurse, Carol Brewer, who connects patients to psychologists and physicians online. What’s even more remarkable is where Brewer runs the clinic — a renovated shipping container.“It saves them time and the expense of traveling,” Brewer said. “They don’t have to travel 30 miles to the closest clinic, or get an appointment two weeks later. They are more likely to drop in, as opposed to delaying care.”A lack of funding and the struggle to expand broadband into rural communities has pushed some healthcare providers to use more creative tactics to bring healthcare services to the areas that need it.Brewer’s telehealth clinic in Fort Davis, a town with less than 900 residents, is just one example of how two organizations — in this case rival schools Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas A&M University — worked together to renovate and establish a telehealth clinic to bring much-needed healthcare services to rural Texas. For years, telehealth has been looked at as the next frontier in healthcare, particularly in rural communities. Some say it couldn’t come at a better time as inflation continues to drive up gas prices and the cost of car repairs. And Texas leads the nation in rural hospital closures due to high operating costs and not having enough patients to bring money in.Lawmakers have noticed the problem. In June, Gov. Greg Abbott announced the Texas Health and Human Services Commission made $10 million in grant funding available for eligible rural hospitals and health clinics to provide pediatric telehealth. People in the medical field say funding for telehealth, or virtual care, is desperately needed to close the gaps in rural healthcare. According to Texas Health and Human Services, as of 2024, 143 counties in Texas lack a practicing pediatrician and only 4,899 pediatricians provide direct care to patients. It’s a big problem in West Texas, where Brewer’s clinic is. Nearly 82% of counties in the region did not have a pediatrician in 2024. Read More The Davis Mountain Clinic is set up for both physical and virtual care, but primarily serves as a conduit for residents who don’t have internet access. On the left side of the clinic is a telehealth camera to connect with physicians from Texas Tech’s Health Sciences Center. On the right is another telehealth camera to connect patients to counseling services provided by Texas A&M’s Telehealth Institute. The land is owned by the county, so the clinic doesn’t have to pay rent or for utilities. However, they do pay for the internet services and other supplies that are needed. The clinic doesn’t accept insurance and charges a $30 flat fee for patients. Patients are not charged for routine or minor care that Brewer can take care of, such as administering wound care or showing newly diagnosed diabetics how to use glucometers.Another retrofitted container clinic from the universities opened this summer in the small town of Burton, nearly 85 miles east of Austin. Adrian Billings, the chair for rural health at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, said there are about 40 other counties in the state they want to launch the collaboration in. They have to find the funding first. “The goal is to have some sort of healthcare access point in all 254 of our counties,” Billings said. “Telehealth is a very important piece of healthcare, especially for our rural communities.”Billings is also a physician with Preventative Care Health Services, serving the rural West Texas communities of Alpine, Marfa and Presidio. He said the healthcare workforce is mostly found in urban areas, so telehealth clinics give them access to those physicians. While he believes every patient should have the opportunity to shake their physician’s hand, Billings said rural communities still need healthcare even if it’s not physically available.“I firmly believe that we can’t give up on development of the rural healthcare workforce to be there in person, especially for urgent situations like childbirth and emergency care,” Billings said. “It will still be an access point for a rural patient.” Billings said broadband access in the Big Bend region has improved over the last 20 years. However, he said there are still dark spots where people don’t have access or can’t afford it, or don’t even have a smartphone to use internet service. That’s where telehealth clinics come into the picture, Billings said.“Whether it be a library or a container clinic, it’s important because patients don’t have to pay for that Wi-Fi and the infrastructure needed for telehealth,” Billings said. “I think if we can begin in places that do have it, maybe it will be easier for patients who live outside of broadband access to travel fewer miles where there is access.”Despite its struggle with expanding broadband services in rural areas, Texas has made progress over the years. The state’s broadband map shows most of the state has at least 75% or more served. Most rural hospitals in the state all have broadband for quick access to physicians, radiologists and specialists. Zoom calls can now include digital tools, such as a stethoscope, to make examinations more robust. Despite the expansion of broadband in rural areas, some counties still lack reliable internet service, such as Wheeler in the Panhandle, where nearly 2,000 residents still don’t have service. Patients all over the state — both in-person and virtual — need a connection to the internet to access records. But access largely comes down to where someone lives and if they can afford internet service.“If you don’t have access to the internet, you can’t get to your patient portal, get your lab results, you can’t go online and schedule an appointment,” said Nora Cox, CEO and founder of Texas e-Health Alliance. “There’s so many things missing if you don’t have connectivity.”Cox said broadband, which provides high-speed access to the internet, has gotten better in some ways. However, she said there are still pockets of consumers who either don’t have internet or don’t use a smartphone, and they need to be taken care of better.“If you are lower income and using a track phone with limited minutes, what happens if you run out in the middle of talking to your doctor?” Cox said. “We tend to think everyone has an iPhone, but it’s a problem when all people have is a track phone from Walmart.”Thomas Kim, a psychiatrist who has been working on telehealth development for the last 20 years, said expanding pediatric telehealth with the grant is beneficial, but also misses the point.“I think in telehealth, we should move away from this idea that a single grant should target a specific-use case because that’s not really sustainable,” Kim said.Kim said grant funding should be used to support areas with proven success in the field, such as the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine, or TCHATT, at Texas Tech’s Health Sciences Center. The program is in collaboration with more than 200 independent school districts across Texas, and connects pre-K through 12th grade students with free mental health services.“It’s something I hope gets their slice of this most recent investment because we’re in trouble,” Kim said. “The healthcare crisis is real in so many ways. It would be nice if we took seriously the fundamental flaws we have in the financing and delivery system.”Cynthia Jumper, executive vice president for health policy and strategic initiatives at Texas Tech’s Health Sciences Center, said she would like to see telehealth expand into more healthcare fields. Telehealth has expanded into practices such as psychiatry and mental health counseling, ophthalmology, even dentistry to an extent.But telemedicine has its limits. It can’t see patients who have critical physical ailments, such as abdominal pain, changes in consciousness or losing vital functions.“There are many ways to use this, and we continue to push that limit in order to get care where it needs to be provided,” Jumper said. “Not everybody’s in a city with a level one trauma center, so trying to get more care to the patient where they are is really how telehealth is working.”In 2021, the Texas Legislature put $150 million in grant funding toward the Next-Gen 911 program. This allowed another expansion into telehealth, Jumper said, where paramedics can also use telehealth equipment in the back of ambulances. If a paramedic thinks the patient can be treated in the ambulance instead of enduring a long drive, then they will be able to connect a camera to a physician to walk them through treatment.“We are doing that to try and prevent emergency room visits which are costly,” Jumper said.As far as the Davis Mountain Clinic, the community has welcomed Brewer and the clinic with open arms. Brewer calls it old frontier medicine. People bring her plants, snacks — someone even made her a quilt that is displayed in the clinic. In the more than 30 years of her career, Brewer said it’s the best job she’s had.Brewer said the clinic plans to expand its services to other rural communities. This fall, they are hoping to use the community center in Valentine, a town of about 70 people 40 miles west of Fort Davis, a few times a month for patients in the area. The clinic might also have a Texas Tech healthcare student serve as a physician’s assistant later this year.“This clinic is serving in part as a model for future clinics they’re planning,” Brewer said. “And the convenience of having access has been crucial for people out here.”___This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Missouri head coach Dan Devine, center, meets with three of his girders, Paul Henley (68), guard; Ron Tayler (12), quarterback; and Donnie Smith (45), halfback, in Miami on Dec. 27, 1960. (AP Photo/Earl Shugars, File)2026-08-07T19:22:37Z WASHINGTON (AP) — Four teams had claims to the 1960 national championship in college football. The U.S. Senate is adding Missouri to that list.Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., introduced a resolution during a meeting Thursday recognizing the Tigers for a claim to the national title. The measure was passed with no objections; resolutions don’t have the force of law and by the chamber’s definition reflect the Senate’s “sentiments,” according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.Still, it adds another odd wrinkle to college football history for a sport decided by polls and rankings decades ago before the arrival of the Bowl Championship Series or today’s College Football Playoff. Missouri hadn’t previously claimed the 1960 team as a national champion.Team spokesman Dave Matter didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press for comment Friday afternoon. Missouri went 10-1 on the field after beating Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino in the Orange Bowl. The lone loss had come to “Border War” rival Kansas in a game to decide the then-Big Eight Conference title, though the league ordered the Jayhawks to forfeit for using an ineligible player because of recruiting violations.In a past interview with the The Post-Dispatch, author Brendon Steenbergen — who wrote a book detailing that season — said: “I’ve been beating the drum to try to get the university to recognize it because I think they have as much a right as anyone in the country to be national champions in 1960.” Minnesota was crowed champion by the AP and United Press International polls, though that took place before the Gophers lost to Washington in the Rose Bowl. The Football Writers Association of America voted Mississippi its post-bowl champion. Read More The Helms Athletic Foundation, created in 1936 to promote amateur athletics until dissolving in 1983, recognized Washington as its champion. Meanwhile, the Litkenhous Rating system chose Iowa with its mathematical formula utilizing scoring margins and opponent strength, according to The Athletic.___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Florida football quarterbacks Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. will continue an intense competition this month to determine who wins the starting job for the 2026 season.Off the field, though, Philio and Jones look to build each other up, not tear each other down.From golf outings to hosting offensive linemen for steak dinners, Philo and Jones have forged a bond that belies the jealousies that can emerge competing for the most important position on the football field. One of the two will start for the Florida Gators in their season opener against Florida Atlantic on Sept. 5 at The Swamp (7:45 p.m., SEC Network). But the other will need to be ready just in case."We're very similar in a lot of ways," Philo said. "Just how we approach everything in the building, outside the building. How we handle ourselves. So really just, I feel like we've learned a lot from each other and I feel like competing with each other, it's easy to build off each other."Jones said he respects how Philo, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Georgia Tech, has helped him and other members of the team learn the offense. Philo played under new Florida football offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner last season when Faulkner called the plays for the Yellow Jackets."We want to see each other succeed, and I want to see him succeed for sure," Jones said. "And I think that's why we both get along so well because no matter who's going on the field, we want to see the other person be good."How Florida football QBs Aaron Philo, Tramell Jones Jr. are bondingAn example of the bonding between Philo and Jones came during a recent golf outing. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dallas Wilson tagged along, though Wilson didn't tell the two it was his first time playing golf."We had to tell him to stop.," Philo said. "He was in the bunker one time and then he just couldn't even get out of it. So, it was a little rough, but it was good to see him out there trying."Jones said the time on the golf course with Philo allowed the two to get to know each other on a more personal level."When he gets on the field you know how hard he is pushing to get on that next level," Jones said. "So, when you see him on the field and know how hard he is pushing, you kind of look deeper than that. Because you know who he is off the field and what he’s going to bring to the table for us."Jones and Philo also arranged a dinner for UF's offensive linemen at Hawkstone, a Gainesville country club. Former Gator and 2024 Olympic gold medal hurdler Grant Holloway spoke to the quarterbacks and linemen after dinner."Steak and lobster and some potatoes," Jones said. "Everyone came together, It was a great night.”What Aaron Philo, Tramell Jones Jr. bring to Florida football QB positionPhilo respects what Jones, a redshirt freshman from Mandarin High in Jacksonville who backed up DJ Lagway, brings to the quarterback position. Jones showed off his accuracy and arm strength during UF's third practice of fall camp on August 7, hitting multiple receivers in stride."He's a really smart player," Philo said. "I think he understands the defense really well. Obviously he has a lot of zip on his ball. I think he's got a really strong arm, but he's a really smart player and really sharp."Philo brings the advantage of having played under Faulkner's intricate system."He knows where everyone is," Jones said. "He knows the process. Quick processor. He's smart. Those are things that stand out because he knows where to go with the football. Quick delivery can make any throw. Has a great arm, and he's very decisive."Jones said the feedback he received from UF coaches last spring centered on processing the offense more quickly. He feels like he's made strides in that area over the summer."Going quickly through my reads, knowing where everyone's at, motions, just process with the offense, getting everybody down fast, knowing where everyone's at," Jones said. "We have athletes. You can get those guys the ball fast, let them do what they need to do − and touchdown."Florida football coach Jon Sumrall said there is no timetable this camp on when he will make the starting quarterback decision. Faulkner said the starting quarterback needs to be "the toughest guy physically and mentally in the building.""You judge a quarterback really on how well does he perform on third down and two-minute drills," Faulkner said. "Especially, like I said, in the SEC, obviously the NFL, that's a big deal. So that's something we'll look forward to."They got to protect the football. We want to see how they protect the ball. We're going to put them in a lot of tough situations. We'll throw the ball more in camp than we probably have here in the past, just to kind of, you know, see where we're at and see where those guys are."Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1.This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How Florida football QBs Aaron Philo, Tramell Jones Jr bonded this summer

The Athletics announced Friday that the club and longtime general manager David Forst have “mutually agreed to part ways.”The Athletics announced that David Forst is out as GM. Assistant GM Dan Feinstein takes over on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/jhjrmntn0H— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 7, 2026This story is being updated.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy rolls out to pass during the team's training camp, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in Santa Clara. (Jeff Chiu/Associated Press) Injuries have dominated the news cycle from San Francisco 49ers training camp, but eight practices in, quarterback Brock Purdy has still made his backups look good. And against an empowered secondary. Defensive players have raved about Raheem Morris and the fresh scheme he's installing. Early returns have been positive enough for former coordinator Robert Saleh to catch some strays.An early glance at the rookies includes one who has been easy to notice of late, too. Here are five standouts from the early going:Brock and the bodies:Another training camp marked by missed time has not put Purdy behind schedule, with Ricky Pearsall out for the year, Mike Evans and Christian Kirk on the mend and promising rookie De'Zhaun Stribling not available.So Purdy used KhaDarel Hodge and Malik Turner, practice-squad players at best, to beat the defense vertically and made Demarcus Robinson and Jordan Watkins look like starters at different points. Deebo Samuel was back in the fold this week, which helped. But even backup tight ends Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell have made plays for Purdy with George Kittle as an onlooker. On one pass, Purdy hit Tonges in the chest with a layered pass with just enough touch to clear the outstretched arm of one Fred Warner.Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris called Purdy the "layer king" after practice Thursday. Monday was probably the bumpiest showing for the first-team offense. Purdy has missed a few throws since then and not overly relied on checkdowns, challenging what has proven to be an increasingly testy secondary this camp.Sharp corners:Take your pick. Deommodore Lenoir. Renardo Green. Upton Stout. Jack Jones. Heck, even fifth-round rookie Ephesians Prysock has started to flash some of his potential. A number of players on offense and defense are buzzing about this group.Lenoir, Green, Stout - they've all talked about Morris' directive to play free. But what does that actually mean?The phrase "sticky coverage" has been referenced to describe the match-coverage principles Morris is partial to. Match coverage allows zone defenders to lock onto a receiver if a specific route is run.Purdy said the techniques seen from the team's defensive backs is a "whole other thing" compared to previous years. Lenoir, Green and Stout have been nuisances at the catch point. Jones in his own ball-hawking way has done the same, snagging several interceptions. Prysock is raw but can be disruptive with his long reach and has gained confidence with more reps. Passes are being challenged more regularly."A lot more match coverage, so the throws are a lot more contested," backup quarterback Mac Jones said. "I'd say that some teams in the league play that way but a lot of teams don't now."Saleh's substitute:The Titans think highly of Saleh. They hired him as their head coach after the 49ers' battered defense remained respectable last year. Yet the two-time head coach has been taking jabs from a few ex-players this summer. Green hailed Morris' defense while suggesting Saleh's scheme was too complex. Safety Ji'Ayir Brown was less subtle in praising Morris."Raheem's dope," Brown said. "He wants football players. Previous schemes we've been in haven't wanted that. Raheem wants you to play football. He wants instinct with players. He wants players who can get out there and play ball and read the quarterback."Brown, who was benched to start 2025, might have an ax to grind. And it's safe to say Saleh "wants football players." But the comments, fair or not, reflect an excitement about Morris, another two-time NFL head coach who has brought a new scheme and different energy."Saleh's pretty chill," Jones said. "He would just stand back there (in practice) and look all strong and stuff. And then Raheem -- maybe not as strong looking -- but definitely a louder voice."The 49ers had run a 4-3 defense heavy on zone coverage and not overly reliant on blitzes since 2017. It was largely successful partly because of a pass rush that was often disruptive. With the pass rush a question mark, Morris' scheme, which includes five-man fronts and pre-snap shifting, could suit the 2026 personnel better.At this point, we can say with certainty the new guy is popular.Boisterous newbie:Rookies tend to err on the quieter side. Defensive tackle Gracen Halton has only been in pads for the last couple of days, returning from a knee bone bruise that sidelined him for five practices. Loud and proud is more his style.The 49ers drafted Halton, listed at 6-foot-2 and 293 pounds, in the fourth round out of Oklahoma. He started his college career as a defensive end and boasts noticeable explosiveness off the snap for an interior lineman. Starting center Jake Brendel, among others, saw as much firsthand during the last couple of 1-on-1 practice periods for offensive and defensive linemen. Halton would blow by someone and let everyone know about it with a hoot on his way back.Halton does not project as an immediate starter but could help bolster the interior pass rush that was lacking last season. He'll still be behind Osa Odighizuwa, who recorded more pressures (52) for the Cowboys in 2025 than the combined total of since-departed starting defensive tackles Jordan Elliott and Kalia Davis (24)."I see a young man that's really feisty … kind of fired up, sometimes a little too fired up," Morris said."Sometimes you got to tell them to kind of slow down a little bit to get with the tempo. The guy's been going at a really high rate. Really going fast, really getting after it. He got out there and really wanted to be a part of it the last couple of days, so it's been fun to watch him get back."Fitting in next to an All-Pro:Patrick Mahomes' tone made it clear he understood the significance when Greenlaw suffered a torn Achilles in Super Bowl LVIII. "Hey, 57 got hurt," the Chiefs' QB told offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. "Fifty-seven got hurt over there."Greenlaw is a difference-maker. The 49ers went 44-20 when he played and 16-20 when he was sidelined during his first six seasons (2019-2024). Now, after Greenlaw spent 2025 with the Broncos, his all-over-the-place performance early in training camp has been a reminder of his influence.Injuries have been an issue for Greenlaw, but when both he and Warner are healthy, they belong in the same conversation as Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman when it comes legendary 49ers linebacker duos. Greenlaw's fearlessness and instincts elevate the defense. Greenlaw sat out practice Wednesday due to "soreness" that kept him out of team drills Thursday. Morris said it's been nice to have Greenlaw observing practicing with him. But it will be better when he's back causing havoc."Greenlaw is one of those guys that you like playing football instead of being around you," Morris said. "But I'll never get tired of that guy. A lot of fun."SubscribeThere’s more to San Francisco with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Five bright spots from 49ers training camp inspire optimism amid glut of injuries.

Jahmyr Gibbs finally has what he wanted.Not the money. Not the distinction of becoming the NFL’s highest-paid running back.Football.One day after officially signing his massive extension with the Detroit Lions, Gibbs admitted that the process required to reach the finish line was far more difficult than he would have preferred.“This process was extremely stressful, because I just wanted to play ball,” Gibbs said Friday. “I missed being out there with my teammates and coaches. It’s just fun being out there right now with my pads and stuff on. It just feels a lot better.”For a player who rarely creates drama and generally prefers letting his game speak for him, spending a week at the center of one of the NFL’s biggest contract stories was hardly comfortable.Now it is over.Gibbs Says the Business Side Was “Really Hard”Gibbs’ hold-in lasted through Detroit’s first six training camp practices.He remained around the team, attended meetings and continued working inside the facility, but stayed away from full practice participation while his representatives negotiated with general manager Brad Holmes.The football player in Gibbs wanted no part of that waiting game.“It was really hard, but it’s a business,” Gibbs said. “Stuff has just got to get done, but, yeah, it was really hard.”That may be the best explanation of the entire situation.Gibbs never appeared interested in creating a confrontation with Detroit. His teammates repeatedly spoke about how much they missed having him on the field. Coaches praised his work habits even while he was not practicing.There was still business to handle.And Gibbs knew the safest way to protect his value was to get the contract resolved before returning to full-speed work.Lions Made Gibbs the NFL’s Highest-Paid Running BackThe wait produced a historic payday.Gibbs signed a three-year extension worth $67.5 million in base value, with $51.5 million guaranteed. Incentives can push the deal to $75.75 million.His $22.5 million annual average makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history by base annual value.That narrowly tops Bijan Robinson’s recent $22.25 million annual extension with Atlanta and Jonathan Taylor’s $22 million deal with Indianapolis.For Detroit, the contract is a statement about how the organization views Gibbs.He is not being compensated as a replaceable running back.He is being paid as one of the central offensive players on the roster.Gibbs Wanted to Push the Running Back Market ForwardThe significance of the deal extends beyond Allen Park.Running backs have spent years fighting against a league-wide financial trend that dramatically reduced the value of the position. Teams became increasingly reluctant to invest major guaranteed money into backs because of workload concerns, injury risk and the belief that cheaper replacements could produce similar results.Gibbs, Robinson and Taylor just pushed hard in the opposite direction.Gibbs said part of his motivation was helping establish a stronger market for the players coming behind him.Several prominent running backs supported him during the process.“They all reached out, showed some love. As always, we’re all in this together,” Gibbs said.According to Gibbs, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Taylor, James Cook and De’Von Achane were among the players who contacted him.That fraternity matters.Running backs compete against each other statistically and financially, but each major contract gives the next star another argument when negotiations begin.Gibbs benefited from Robinson and Taylor getting paid.Someone else will eventually benefit from Gibbs.Detroit Is Paying for a Complete Offensive WeaponGibbs’ argument was strengthened by the way his game has evolved.Through three NFL seasons, he has produced 5,029 yards from scrimmage and 49 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl selection each year.His value also cannot be measured only through rushing attempts.Gibbs can line up in the backfield, split wide, catch the football in space and turn a routine play into a touchdown before a defense has time to recover. He has also earned praise from Detroit’s coaches for his intelligence and willingness to handle pass-protection responsibilities.That complete skill set matters when discussing the future of running back contracts.If teams want versatile backs who can impact every portion of the offense, eventually those players are going to demand compensation that reflects it.Gibbs just received his.The Hold-In Never Became a Locker-Room ProblemAnother important part of this story is what did not happen.Gibbs’ contract dispute never turned ugly.Amon-Ra St. Brown publicly supported him. Jameson Williams repeatedly called him one of the best players in football and said there was no question Gibbs deserved to become the NFL’s highest-paid running back.Drew Petzing said he remained in constant communication with Gibbs about practice looks, concepts and how the Lions planned to use him.Dan Campbell continued treating him as part of the team.That matters.Contract negotiations can create resentment if either side allows them to become personal. Detroit and Gibbs managed to keep the disagreement where it belonged, at the negotiating table.Once the signatures were finished, Gibbs went right back to football.Gibbs Already Knows What He Wants NextThe contract provides security.It does not satisfy Gibbs’ biggest goal.Asked what comes next after becoming the NFL’s highest-paid running back, Gibbs did not mention rushing titles, individual awards or another contract.“Ultimately, I just want to win a Super Bowl with this team, and do anything it takes to get that.”That answer should resonate in Detroit.The Lions did not pay Gibbs simply because of what he accomplished during his first three seasons. They paid him because they believe his best football remains ahead of him and that he can help carry this roster to places it has never been.Gibbs now has financial security.Detroit wants a Lombardi Trophy.So does he.Bottom LineJahmyr Gibbs admitted his contract negotiations with the Detroit Lions were “extremely stressful” because he wanted nothing more than to return to the field with his teammates.The business side forced him to wait.The result was worth it.Gibbs landed a three-year, $67.5 million extension with $51.5 million guaranteed, becoming the NFL’s highest-paid running back and helping push the market forward for the players who will follow him.Now the distractions are gone.Gibbs is paid. He is back in pads. And his goal has shifted completely toward the one accomplishment money cannot buy.A Super Bowl championship in Detroit.

Texas Longhorns running back Raleek Brown (0) runs the ball during practice on fan day at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aril 18, 2026 in Austin. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman) During last month's SEC media days, Texas football player Trevor Goosby shared an interesting tidbit about new teammate Raleek Brown."We call him Band-Aid," the Longhorns' offensive lineman said. When asked about the origin of that nickname for Brown, a transfer running back who spent the past two years at Arizona State, Goosby didn't have any additional insight. "(They) were just like, 'He's Band-Aid.' I was, like, all right."MORE: Arch Manning, Colin Simmons and the complete roster for the 2026 LonghornsBut as fall camp got underway this week for the Longhorns, fellow running back Ryan Niblett shed some additional light on Brown's moniker. Niblett pointed out that "Band-Aid" is a part of Brown's Instagram handle (@bandaidleekfo3), and he added the nickname is also a reference to the currency bands that are used for $100 bills."He likes to call (himself) Band-Aid because of the blue strip on the $100 bill," Niblett said. "That's what he told us." View this post on Instagram A post shared by hookem.com (@hookemdotcom)Niblett described Brown as "a character" off the field. When asked to describe Brown's running style, Niblett surmised that his new teammate is "a little different. He's short, but runs long. He's very fast, very quick, agile."MORE:After Texas' running game lagged in 2025, Steve Sarkisian says he has 2 starting RBsOver four years at Arizona State and USC, Brown turned nearly 300 offensive touches into 13 touchdowns while averaging 5.9 yards per carry and 7.8 yards per catch. He rushed for 1,141 yards during the 2025 season and earned a first-team nod on the Big 12 honor roll.Brown now joins a Texas backfield that has also added North Carolina State transfer Hollywood Smothers and four-star freshman Derrek Cooper to the mix. With 399 yards and 10 touchdowns, quarterback Arch Manning is the Longhorns' leading returning rusher from a 2025 rushing attack that had its top four running backs transfer to Florida State (Quintrevion Wisner), Kentucky (CJ Baxter), South Carolina (Christian Clark) and Purdue (Jerrick Gibson). The Longhorns ranked 90th nationally last season in rushing at 137.8 yards per game, which tied for the program's worst ranking in that statistical category since 2018.Sign up for the Daily Briefing from the Austin American-Statesman. Start your day with the must-read headlines from Austin's most trusted news source.This article originally published at Texas football: How did new Longhorns RB Raleek Brown get that 'Band-Aid' nickname?.

New York City police arrested 47-year-old psychotherapist Remington Yhap on July 29 for allegedly raping a 16-year-old transgender boy who was his client at Yhap’s practice, Liberation Psychotherapy in Midtown Manhattan, on June 15. Yhap reportedly began counseling the teen in September 2025 and allegedly forced the boy to perform oral sex on him during their June 15 session this year, AM NY reported. Yhap allegedly showed the teen photos of nude people and asked if he had masturbated before. Related Patient secretly records physical therapy staff’s “horrible” jokes: “You’re gayer than AIDS” The teen reported the alleged incident to the Manhattan Special Victims Squad. Following an investigation and Yhap’s July 29 arrest, he was released on a $75,000 bail and is set to appear in court on October 1. Yhap’s LinkedIn professional profile describes himself as a psychotherapist “specializing in depression, sex, integrative, nonjudgmental, culturally aware care” to help “clients heal, grow, and explore authenticity.” Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today While Liberation Psychotherapy removed Yhap from its listing of therapists last Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office says that Yhap may have sexually assaulted other clients, and has encouraged others to confidentially share any information with the NYPD Sex Crimes Hotline at 212-267-7273 or 646-610-7272; the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS; or online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or via the X social media platform at @NYPDTips. An image of sexual assault statistics involving trans and nonbinary people. | The National Sexual Violence Resource Center Nearly half (47%) of all trans and non-binary people are sexually assaulted in their lifetimes, facing violent crime rates over four times higher than cisgender people, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Approximately 77% of trans and non-binary people who reported sexual assault said that the assault happened from someone they knew intimately, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource. Additionally, 57% of trans and non-binary people said they feel uncomfortable asking the police for help because 58% who interacted with law enforcement in the past year experienced mistreatment, such as verbal harassment, repeated misgendering, physical assault, or sexual assault. Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Patterned with a map of the British Isles, the housecoat was an early design by the pioneering brand Horrockses, which turned cotton cloth into whimsical women's wear after World War II

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez speaks during a rally to protect kids online on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2026-08-07T20:11:37Z New Mexico’s attorney general hopes a state court ruling ordering Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million and take steps to protect people under 18 is the impetus for addressing how Big Tech can harm children.Thursday’s decision ended the second phase of a landmark trial. Jurors earlier this year determined Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.The first phase of the case saw a $375 million judgment against Meta, meaning the social media giant is responsible for $942 million.Along with the additional penalties, Judge Bryan Biedscheid also ordered Meta on Thursday to make fundamental changes to its platforms to reduce addictive features, improve age verification and prevent child sexual exploitation.“They have not shown any willingness to either accept responsibility for their conduct or concede they have a role to play in fixing and addressing the harms that they created,” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said.Here’s what the ruling means for New Mexico, Meta and the future of social media. Judge orders Meta to make key changes to its platformsFor Torrez, the most important aspects of the ruling were requiring Meta to improve how it reviews and responds to reports of child sexual abuse, limiting how chatbots can interact with children and capping the number of hours people under 17 can spend on Meta’s platforms.The judge ordered Facebook and Instagram to build banner and informational screens to clearly explain protection features, best practices and tools to address inappropriate comments and display them regularly. Those changes and an educational campaign in New Mexico would be subject to review by the state.Meta must also work to improve its age verification tools in New Mexico, which include using artificial intelligence to determine people’s age based on signals such as who their friends are and what types of content they post and consume.“It’s only the beginning of a conversation nationally that we need to have around all of these issues to make this a safer space for all our kids and families,” Torrez said. Where will the $942 million go?The judge required $420 million to be used for treatment services for young people. The rest will go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years.How that money is doled out will be up to lawmakers in New Mexico.When the state gets the money is also up in the air. Meta can appeal the ruling and request it not have to pay until its appeal is heard. If the company loses, it would have to pay interest. Read More What Meta will do nextThe company said it will appeal and issued a statement after Thursday’s ruling.“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content,” Meta said. “We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts.”Meta posted a profit in 2025 of about $60 billion and investors seemed to shrug off the $942 million judgments. The stock was down about a half-percent to $586.78 a share when markets opened Friday but regained most of its value as the day wore on. Torrez expects Meta to keep fighting both in court and for new laws and protections in legislatures in New Mexico and other states and the U.S. Congress.“I have no doubt that Meta’s army of lawyers and lobbyists will be out in force in Santa Fe and Washington,” Torrez said at a news conference on Friday. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Meta faces more courtroom fightsLater this month in federal court in California, Meta faces the first four of 29 states that sued it in a federal lawsuit filed in 2023 for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that get children addicted to its platforms.Eight states, including Tennessee, where a trial is currently ongoing, filed lawsuits in their own state courts.And late last month, Meta, along with TikTok, Snap and Google’s YouTube, were sued by the families of four teenagers who died by suicide over what they describe as “years of escalating harms” from using their platforms. New Mexico hopes ruling will lead to changed lawsNew Mexico used a 1970 consumer protection law to sue Meta. One penalty calculated under the parameters of that old law was $375 million — considered astronomical five decades ago but far less than what it would be if adjusted for today’s dollars: $3 billion.The law “was built for a totally different economy and it didn’t conceive of or understand or anticipate companies of this size and scale or the business practices that they engage in,” Torrez said. This is a good time to have broad discussions on changing older federal laws like the one from 30 years ago that protects social media from liability on what is posted on their sites, Torrez said. JEFFREY COLLINS Collins covers South Carolina from Columbia for The Associated Press. He has been with the AP since 2000. twitter mailto 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez speaks during a rally to protect kids online on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)2026-08-07T20:10:24Z Since March 2025, some Native cultural artifacts and sacred sites have been left vulnerable after Congress rescinded reporting requirements for development proposals on the Outer Continental Shelf. Developers are no longer required to conduct archaeological surveys for proposed projects along the 3.2 billion acres of marine territory while the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) explores the potential for space launch and recovery infrastructure on the Outer Continental Shelf. “It feels very sad and violating,” said Katrina Thompson-Upton, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, and co-founder of Northwest American Indian Coalition (NAIC). Thompson-Upton’s traditional lands along the coast of Northern California would be impacted by the development of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). “We did not glacier here, so we were not under ice,” Thompson-Upton said. “There’s a lot of older places in our area, and that extends well out into what is now underwater on the coast on the shelf out there.” Because of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), federal agencies are required to consider the impacts of any federally funded, permitted, or licensed project affecting underwater cultural artifacts. Development could happen faster without the requirement for archaeological reporting of cultural artifacts and sacred spaces along the OCS, defined as all submerged lands moving outward toward the sea from the shores to 200 nautical miles from the coast. On July 17, 2026 the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) provided its members with sweeping revisions to Section 106 that would restructure the tribal consultation process and ultimately reduce the role of Tribal Nations, according to the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers. Read More Some Native nations, like the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, plan to assert treaty rights to protect impacted lands. Other places lack formal tribal representation and rely on local community involvement to uplift Indigenous self-determination. Thompson-Upton’s organization, NAIC, acts as the tribal representation for Curry County and southern Oregon coast without resources of federally recognized tribes. “Because of the removal and termination we don’t have a tribal government here to engage in those conversations,” Thompson-Upton said. “We don’t have the protections.” Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Many Indigenous peoples whose original lands exist along the coast of the current U.S. territories have artifacts embedded in the shores of the OCS that would be documented by marine archaeological surveys. A documentation that is no longer practiced, unless a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) regional director has reason to believe that an archaeological resource may be present in the lease area, according to Congress. Before the removal of marine archaeology protections, it was required that all proposed exploration or development plans that would result in seabed disturbance must be accompanied by an archaeological report. Scott Williams, board advisor for the Maritime Archaeology Society, told Underscore Native News, “If I’m the regional director of BOEM, I could just say, ‘well, I don’t know (if) there’s any archeological sites there. You’re fine, go forth and destroy.’” In adherence with the Trump Administration’s December 2025 Executive Order, Ensuring American Space Superiority, the BOEM opened a 30-day public comment period to gather information and input on the potential development for space launch and recovery that ends this Friday, Aug. 7 at 11:59 p.m. EST — the first step in evaluating the OCS for development. “The Outer Continental Shelf presents a significant opportunity to support the future of America’s space economy. Offshore launch, re-entry, and recovery infrastructure could expand operational flexibility, increase capacity, reduce constraints on growing launch demand, and strengthen the nation’s commercial and national security space capabilities,” said Acting BOEM Director Matt Giacona in a July announcement about the request for input. Underscore reached out to the original sponsor of the law change, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, and co-sponsor Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho. Neither responded to emailed requests for comment. This law impacts cultural resources in a big way, according to Williams who has worked on marine archaeological sites from the shores of the Pacific Northwest all the way to Hawai’i where Kānaka Maoli have underwater shrines dedicated to shark spirits for protection — sacred sites that directly coincide with their oral histories. “Whether it’s a shipwreck or a buried Native American site, it’s really part of everyone’s history,” Williams said.An archaeological resource is considered the remains of human life or activities that are at least 50 years of age, according to the federal register. According to the State of Oregon Guidelines for Reporting Archaeological Investigations, archaeology reports provide information and data needed to protect cultural sites and follow federal laws like the NHPA, the Native American Grave and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The Tillamook, as part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, are a tribe whose original lands are along the coast. Grand Ronde says their 2023 treaty is the supreme law of the land which supersedes any law that conflicts with tribal resources. According to Grand Ronde Deputy Press Secretary, Sara Thompson, Grand Ronde recognizes resource protection laws as they existed in a 2023 signed treaty. “Any rollback or diminishment of federal protections below that standard will not be recognized by Grand Ronde for purposes of fulfilling Tribal consultation,” Thompson told Underscore News via email. “It’ll be bad,” Thompson-Upton said when asked about the potential harm from a lack of archaeological protections. “There’ll be lots of destruction and pollution and no real oversight to call that out.” ___This story was originally published by Underscore Native News and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)2026-08-07T20:04:46Z The battle for control of the U.S. Senate isn’t supposed to run through Mississippi. Scott Colom is trying to convince people that it could. “We can win here, and we’re going to,” said Colom, the Democratic nominee who’s trying to unseat Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith as she seeks her second full term. That could be typical candidate bravado, and Republicans say he has little chance. But Colom is drawing attention for a potentially competitive campaign, a reflection of a wider Senate map than either party envisioned at the midpoint of Donald Trump’s second presidency. Democrats must pick up at least four new seats to win the majority — and more than that if they lose any they currently hold. That includes Michigan, where Republicans are feeling more confident since progressive Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination this week. “We can’t spare a single seat,” Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks said in an interview while she was in Mississippi on Colom’s behalf. She said Democrats have an opportunity to be competitive in more places because of voter angst over an uneven, inflationary economy. “They cannot afford their groceries,” she said. “They cannot afford the cost of gas. They cannot afford housing. It’s all over the country.” Republicans remain confident they can hold power, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune even said in a recent fundraising email that an expanded map could backfire on Democrats.“By scrambling the Democrats, we’ll spread their resources thin, making it nearly impossible for them to flip the seats they need to take the majority,” he wrote to donors.Here’s a look at four wildcard contests that could make headlines in November. Read More MississippiColom would be his state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction — the 12-year period after the U.S. Civil War when the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were adopted. He’d also be Mississippi’s first new Democratic senator since the 1940s. (Those lawmakers were Jim Crow segregationists who were first elected before white Southerners shifted to the Republican Party.) Now a district attorney, Colom needs a fundraising uptick to introduce himself to voters and attack Hyde-Smith on the airwaves. Mississippi remains small enough that retail campaigning still matters, while television ads remain much less expensive than in places like Texas, where James Talarico is running against Ken Paxton. The Mississippi governor’s 2023 race was decided by 3 percentage points. To close the gap, Colom would need to increase Mississippi’s usual Black turnout by a few percentage points and get a larger share of the white vote than Democrats typically do. He insists he can do both in part because of Hyde-Smith’s unfailing loyalty to Trump and policies that have saddled Mississippi farmers with tariffs, consumers with higher gas prices and made it harder for Mississippians to have health insurance. Hyde-Smith, first appointed and then elected in 2018, is using a familiar playbook of portraying her Democratic opponent as too liberal for Mississippi. Notably, Mississippi requires a majority to win a statewide election. With minor candidates on the ballot, there’s a scenario where Colom pulls an upset or at least forces a runoff. IowaRepublican Sen. Joni Ernst opted against a reelection bid, and it’s always easier to flip an open seat than defeat an incumbent. Democrats nominated state lawmaker and wheelchair basketball star Josh Turek, 47, while Republicans opted for U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, 43, who has Trump’s endorsement. Iowa has moved rightward in the Trump era, especially in small towns and rural areas. But it wasn’t that long ago that voters here sent Barack Obama on his way to the presidency and elected a bipartisan congressional delegation that included liberal stalwart Tom Harkin in the Senate. Even in the 2018 midterms, during Trump’s first presidency, Democrats won three out of four U.S. House seats. They’ve since flipped to Republicans. But now the most conservative areas in Iowa — those centered around the agricultural economy — feel the pinch of the president’s tariff rollercoaster. Combined with Trump’s unpopularity with college-educated voters and the liberal tilt of urban places like Des Moines and Iowa City, the electoral math could look more like 2008 or 2018 than 2024. And Obama, who’s been sparing in his endorsements so far this year, has endorsed Turek — on the basketball court. KansasThis is a famously Republican state in federal elections. It hasn’t had a Democratic senator since the New Deal era of the 1930s. But the state has elected a Democratic governor four times since 2002. Democratic Senate nominee Adam Hamilton hopes that voters’ struggles during Trump’s presidency will be enough to help him unseat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. Hamilton has a notable biography: He’s a high-profile United Methodist megachurch minister and author who has avoided partisan politics and is running for office for the first time. “I didn’t plan to run for office. I’ve spent my life as a pastor, and I try to care for people,” the 62-year-old said in his primary victory speech. Marshall has the state’s fundamentals on his side. But the 65-year-old also is seeking reelection for the first time after winning in 2020 with Trump at the top of the ticket. NebraskaThere is no Democrat in this race, at least officially. But national Democrats back independent Dan Osborn, a former labor union chief, as their choice to unseat Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts. It’s the second time Osborn and Democrats have tried this approach. Osborn lost to Republican Sen. Deb Fischer by 7 points in 2024. She won all 89 Nebraska counties. But she also finished well short of Trump’s 21-point gap in the presidential contest. The thinking is that voters have experienced enough of Trump and the Capitol Hill Republicans who’ve mostly facilitated his agenda. Osborn’s labor background also stands in stark contrast to that of the megamillionaire Ricketts, whose billionaire father founded TD Ameritrade and whose family owns Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. To be sure, Osborn has not said he’d caucus with Senate Democrats. But he could at least deny Republicans a seat. And like other middle America states that have moved rightward, plenty of Nebraskans remember electing moderate senators: Democrat Ben Nelson retired in 2013. BILL BARROW Barrow covers U.S. politics for The Associated Press. He is based in Atlanta. twitter mailto

Colin Gray, father of the Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, enters the courtroom during his sentencing hearing at Barrow County Superior Court on Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Winder, Ga. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)2026-08-07T19:53:55Z ATLANTA (AP) — A man sentenced to 15 years in prison after giving his son the gun he used in a deadly high school shooting in Georgia has requested a new trial.Colin Gray was convicted earlier this year of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. In a court filing Wednesday, his attorneys argued the jury’s guilty verdict is not supported by the evidence and is “contrary to law and the principles of justice and equity.”Two students and two teachers were killed in the Sept. 4, 2024 shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. His son, Colt Gray, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.Colin Gray is one of a handful of American parents who have been criminally charged after their children were accused in shootings. Prosecutors said Colin Gray gave his son the semiautomatic rifle as a Christmas gift along with ammunition, and other shooting accessories. A jury in March found Colin Gray guilty of second-degree murder in the deaths of two 14-year-old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo. Georgia law defines second-degree murder as causing the death of a child by committing the crime of cruelty to children. Gray was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killings of teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53. The high school is 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.

The Morgan Library & Museum traces the history of beautifully illustrated tarot cards from their origins as a card game to modern occult fascination

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The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, who wrote of the "radicalism" of the country’s founding, was killed in a car collision in a parking lot

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In a phone call, the Democratic leader told the new Michigan contender who has opposed him to just win.

Some officials warn that a more hard-line leader could emerge if the Trump administration moves forward with its plans.

Dec 12, 2024; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey speaks during the introductory press conference for shortstop Willy Adames (not pictured) at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn ImagesThree weeks ago, KNBR deleted all digital traces of a hot-mic incident in which an unnamed producer was caught saying “Posey sucks, man,” following the San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations’ first interview on the station in over two months, an absence seemingly tied to the club’s Pride Night controversy.The incident occurred after Posey was a guest for the Murph and Markus morning show’s weekly Giants Executive Show, where co-hosts Brian Murphy and Markus Boucher sit down with a member of the Giants’ brass. On Thursday, he returned to the show for the first time since the incident to discuss the Giants’ approach to the trade deadline, and he made sure to address the elephant in the room.While signing off at the end of the interview, Posey told Murphy and guest host John Dickinson, “Make sure the mics aren’t hot before you talk trash about me.”Boucher took the shot in stride, laughing it off and responding, “Yeah, we’ll make sure the behind-the-scenes boys don’t press any hot mics. Appreciate you. Love you, Buster. Thank you, man. Buster Posey with the mic drop. Yeah, his mic was hot for that one.”“Woo, sheesh,” Dickinson added with a laugh.Earlier this month, SFGate reported that the relationship between the Giants organization and KNBR, which has seen Giants games air on the station since 1979, has fractured and has” never been this bad” amid KNBR’s coverage of San Francisco’s disaster season that has included strange comments from manager Tony Vitello, weird hip-thrust celebrations, criticism from their team broadcasters, criticism from other teams’ broadcasters, players feuding with themselves, and with the media.Despite the reported fray, Thursday’s interview was largely affable. However, with the way 2026 has gone for San Francisco, there’s no telling where things will stand between Posey and the station when his next turn in the KNBR executive interview rotation comes around in three weeks.The post Buster Posey trolls KNBR over producer’s hot-mic insult appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy - FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesWorld Cup performances really raise the bar for the transfer markets. This time all eyes are on Folarin Balogun.Balogun could be heading back to the Premier League after Tottenham were reportedly offered the chance to sign the USMNT striker this summer.The former Arsenal academy graduate has spent the past three seasons with Monaco, but his long-term future in Ligue 1 is now uncertain despite an impressive spell in France.Balogun also enjoyed a memorable 2026 World Cup with the United States, scoring three goals in four matches before his tournament was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesTottenham offered opportunity to sign Folarin Balogun from MonacoAccording to The Sun, Balogun’s representatives have approached Tottenham over a potential move, with the striker said to be available for a ‘competitive fee’.The report adds that Monaco are open to selling the American forward, although any deal would still need to be agreed upon between the two clubs.Balogun, who grew up in London, joined Monaco from Arsenal in 2023 and has scored 19 goals in 43 appearances for the French side.His performances have kept him on the radar of clubs across Europe, with Spurs now emerging as a possible destination. Well, Spurs are not the only London club that would keep track of this move.A move would also have an added twist for Arsenal.The Gunners reportedly inserted a 17.5 per cent sell-on clause when Balogun left north London, meaning they would benefit financially if Tottenham complete a deal with Monaco.Balogun’s stock also rose during the World Cup.The 25-year-old looked set to become one of the tournament’s breakout stars after scoring three goals in four appearances for the USMNT. He was the top goalscorer in his team throughout the tournament.However, much of the attention shifted to his controversial dismissal in the Round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina after VAR upgraded his challenge to a red card.Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty ImagesDespite that, Balogun remains one of the United States’ leading attacking talents and could now be set for a return to English football.For Tottenham, who are still looking to pull another Harry Kane into the team, adding another striker would provide further competition in Roberto De Zerbi’s squad as preparations continue for the new Premier League season.While Balogun, if the transfer is finalised, would have the opportunity to prove himself back in England after leaving Arsenal three years ago.Read more:Will Lionel Messi retire? Argentina future in doubt ahead of Copa AmericaHow many career goals Lionel Messi is projected to have scored by the time Inter Miami contract endsMiami Heat legend Udonis Haslem ‘proud to announce’ ownership stake in Premier League soccer club

Amid increasing discussion about transgender athletes following comments made by Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham, the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) is speaking out. The union released a statement on Friday embracing the inclusion of all groups and denouncing hate."To everyone who loves this game: The WNBPA represents 200+ individual people with different lived experiences, cultures, lifestyles, and opinions," the union wrote in the statement. "We embrace justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Those are the values that unite this Union and allow it to protect women's sports while creating transformational change."Hate, abuse, and demonization of any person or group of people, including transgender people, only fuel fear, division, and harm. We will continue to have hard conversations. But we will not be used as political pawns."View this post on InstagramThe WNBPA also encouraged fans to support players and fans at games by reporting abuse in person and on the internet. It also encouraged support of Title IX, a landmark amendment that is the bedrock of women's sports, especially at the collegiate level."Support the Players. Support the Fans. At games, notify security if you witness hateful, violent, or abusive behavior. Online, report abusive posts and drown out the bots and bad actors. At home, tell your elected officials to strengthen Title IX," the statement added.The current discourse stems from comments Cunningham made in an ESPN feature in July. Several demonstrations have taken place outside Fever away games since then, though Indiana has said that it does not have any connection to those who planned the rallies. A minority owner of the Seattle Storm was suspended five games after a verbal confrontation with two Cunningham fans wearing shirts from a brand advocating against the inclusion of transgender women in women's sports.Players have largely not engaged in the discussion, including her teammate Caitlin Clark, but several coaches started speaking on the issue this week. Ahead of a game against the Fever on Sunday, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve advocated for the WNBA to be "a safe space for everyone" and wore a shirt that read "Trans Kids Belong" during the game. Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase and forward Gabby Williams are among those who have further expressed support for inclusivity.After initially doubling down on her comments, Cunningham has this week called the conversation a "distraction" and has asked the media to focus on basketball.

Derry City registered a 2-0 win over Sligo Rovers in their first match under interim manager Mark Connolly at the Ryan McBride Brandywell.The Candystripes took the lead on 54 minutes when Barry Cotter headed home to reward Derry's dominance before Adam O'Reilly doubled their advantage in style.The crucial three points come after it was announced on Wednesday that manager Tiernan Lynch had left the club by mutual consent. Derry will now aim to use this momentum when they face UC Dublin in the FAI Cup quarter-finals on Friday, 14 August. Derry dominate as life without Lynch begins Derry started the match strongly with Liam Boyce's header just over and Michael Duffy unable to keep his free kick on target. In the 15th minute, James Clarke beat his marker to connect with Brooklyn Lyons-Foster's pass with his effort denied by the right post.Clarke had another good chance shortly after but could not steer Duffy's pass home from point-blank range. However, the home side would take the lead when Darragh Burns corner was met by a powerful header from Cotter. Just seconds later, Duffy's strike crashed off the crossbar as Derry's confidence started to grow. The Candystripes would extend their lead on 65 minutes when O'Reilly played a clever one-two with Liam Boyce and fired past stopper Sam Sargeant. Sligo continued to struggle to create their own chances, but so did the home side in the closing stages of an important win at an end of a turbulent week. Who could succeed Tiernan Lynch at Derry City?Derry City part ways with manager Lynch

The Athletics have parted ways with General Manager David Forst, the team announced on Friday, Aug. 7.The move comes as the team has a 45-70 record and is fourth in the AL West. They have lost eight straight games."David has been an integral part of the A's and our success for nearly three decades," team owner John Fisher said in a statement. "His leadership, dedication, and commitment to this team have helped shape our baseball operations department and position us for the future. We are grateful for everything David has done for our organization."Forst had been with the A's organization for 27 years and was in the final year of his contract. He expressed no interest in relocating to Las Vegas in two years when the organization moves from its temporary home in Sacramento.Forst, who had been with the organization for 27 years, also had no interest in relocating to Las Vegas in two years. https://t.co/k7RZ3Sd3iB— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 7, 2026Assistant General Manager Dan Feinstein will take Forst's place through the end of the season as the organization looks for a permanent replacement, according to a team release.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Athletics part ways with longtime GM David Forst

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Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, center, surrounded by screens, speaks to supporters from inside a bulletproof booth during a campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)2026-06-22T20:01:56Z BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Keiko Fujimori, a business-friendly conservative politician who campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, on Friday was declared the winner of Peru’s presidential runoff election, making the South American nation the latest in Latin America to elect a right-wing leader.Fujimori, 51, the daughter of late former President Alberto Fujimori, whose government defeated the Shining Path violent extremist group in the 1990s but also took an authoritarian turn, has pledged an aggressive crackdown on crime. She has promised to build four new prisons, including a mega-prison modeled after El Salvador’s CECOT facility, militarize Peru’s borders to curb drug trafficking and deport migrants working in the country without legal residency.Conservatives have won seven major presidential elections in Latin American in the past few years, most of the them since the January 2025 inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, in a winning streak propelled by concerns over crime, immigration and slow economic growth Here is a look at the Latin American countries that have elected conservative presidents recently: Colombia elects a ‘tiger’ to take on rebels and drug gangsTrump-endorsed outsider Abelardo de la Espriella won Colombia’s presidential election in June by a narrow margin, defeating progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda.De la Espriella, who is nicknamed “The Tiger,” campaigned on a tough-on-crime approach, which includes proposals like canceling peace talks with Colombian rebel groups and building mega-prisons, like those in El Salvador. De la Espriella’s election marks a pivotal moment for Colombia, which was governed for the past four years by a former member of a rebel group, who was critical of the Trump administration’s immigration and anti-drug policies.“The tiger” has promised to tackle extortion and drug trafficking. He was endorsed by Trump, who described the lawyer and business owner as the candidate who could restore law and order in Colombia. Argentina chooses libertarian to tackle inflationJavier Milei, an economist and television commentator nicknamed “The Lion,” won Argentina’s presidential election in November 2023 by promising to slash government spending and tackle the South American nation’s decades-long inflation problem. The libertarian defeated the ruling Peronist movement.During his tenure, Milei has stopped the nation’s central bank from printing money to finance the government deficit and has cut government spending by firing civil servants and halting investment in public infrastructure programs, while reducing subsidies for public utility bills. Argentina’s inflation has fallen from 211% in 2023 to 32% in 2025. However, some have blamed Milei’s austerity policies for decreasing the living standards of many Argentines, including public sector workers. Read More Ecuador reelects leader that favors militaryDaniel Noboa, a member of one of Ecuador’s wealthiest families, was reelected to a four-year term in April 2025, winning the election with 56% of the vote. The conservative leader has given the military a more prominent role in providing security in coastal cities overrun by drug gangs fighting over the control of ports and drug trafficking routes. But the strategy has not substantially reduced homicide rates. The government also has been criticized for human rights abuses, such as extrajudicial executions. Under Noboa’s watch, Ecuador’s military has started to conduct joint operations against drug traffickers with the U.S. Noboa also pushed for the reopening of a U.S. military base in Ecuador, but the proposal was struck down in a referendum last year. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Honduras goes back to conservative partyNasry Asfura, a real estate investor and former city mayor of the National Party narrowly won the presidential election in Honduras in November, defeating his closest rival by less than a percentage point. Asfura, who belongs to the same party as former President Juan Orlando Hernández who was pardoned by Trump for a drug trafficking conviction, was endorsed by the U.S. president, who threatened to cut off aid to the small Central American country if Asfura was not elected. Under Asfura’s administration, Honduras has received dozens of deportees from third countries through an agreement that was signed with the U.S. in early 2025, most of them Guatemalan nationals. Chile’s Kast defeats the progressive movementIn December, José Antonio Kast, a conservative and a devout Catholic, won Chile’s presidential election with 58% of the vote, defeating a progressive government that had been in power for the previous four years. In his campaigns, Kast capitalized on fears over increasing crime rates in Chile and said he would expel migrants from countries like Venezuela and Haiti that had been working in Chile without residency permits. One of his first moves after taking office has been to expand a trench along Chile’s borders with Peru and Bolivia in a bid, his government says, to stop drug trafficking and migration. Kast’s government has recently faced protests over increasing unemployment and budget cuts that have affected public servants. Costa Rica proposes tough-on-crime approachLaura Fernández, an economy minister under conservative ex-President Rodrigo Chaves, won Costa Rica’s election in February with 48% of the vote, defeating her closest rival by 15 percentage points and surpassing the 40% of votes needed to avoid a runoff election.During her campaign, Fernández proposed tough-on-crime measures, including a state of exception that would enable police to arrest suspects without warrants, and said she would build a mega prison modeled after El Salvador’s notorious CECOT penitentiary. Fernández’s government has received several flights with migrants from third countries deported by the U.S. as she complies with an agreement that was signed by her predecessor last year. In June, one of these flights had migrants from China, Vietnam, Colombia and Azerbaijan.___Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, center, surrounded by screens, speaks to supporters from inside a bulletproof booth during a campaign rally in Buga, Colombia, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Santiago Saldarriaga)2026-08-07T20:33:08Z For six years, Californians have been able to shake up a craft cocktail at home using alcohol delivered to their doorstep. Now, it’s last call for the distillery deliveries, unless lawmakers intervene by the end of this month.That’s unlikely, thanks to opposition from California’s wine industry, Teamsters union truck drivers and corporate alcohol wholesalers and distributors.The influential, well-funded groups lobbied the Legislature behind closed doors this year to block legislation that would have made permanent pandemic-era rules that allowed craft distillers to ship spirits directly to their customers. During the pandemic lockdowns, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order that allowed craft distillers to ship spirits to their customers’ homes. In the years since, lawmakers passed temporary laws allowing craft distillers — defined as those that produce up to 150,000 gallons a year — to keep shipping their spirits. The latest extension expires Dec. 31. “I don’t have a lot of hope that we’re going to be able to salvage this,” said Folsom Republican Assemblymember Josh Hoover. He tried unsuccessfully this year to amend one of his bills to let small distillers continue shipping directly to their customers.The groups blocking Hoover’s proposal have spent more than $1 million lobbying the Legislature and state government this year. They have donated at least 11 times that much to California politicians and their campaigns over the years. The craft distillers, who have spent a fraction as much on state politics, say all that spending from the opposition, particularly from corporate liquor distributors, appears to have paid off. “They went directly to legislators’ offices and basically torpedoed any effort we came up with,” said Cris Steller, acting executive director of the California Distillers Association and the owner of Amador and Dry Diggings Distillery in El Dorado Hills, a family-run business that makes whiskey, brandy, vodka and gin. Read More The fight is about more than whether Californians can have a bottle of whiskey or gin delivered. It illustrates how decisions are made in Sacramento, where wealthy and powerful interests can shape or kill policy in secret negotiations with lawmakers. Politicians, in turn, benefit when proposals die quietly because they don’t have to explain their decisions to voters. Opponents insist they aren’t using the political system to crush competitors as national alcohol sales slump. Sign up for Morning Wire: Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day. Email address Sign up By checking this box, you agree to AP's Terms of Use and acknowledge that AP may collect and use your data pursuant to our Privacy Policy. Instead, representatives of the major alcohol wholesalers and distributors that stock shelves at liquor retailers say they oppose the proposal because it primarily benefits out-of-state companies and weakens safeguards that include preventing alcohol deliveries to minors.Teamsters lobbyist Matt Broad said the labor group’s truck drivers aren’t opposed to allowing craft distillers to ship their product. They just want them to use established shipping companies that have actual employees, including those that employ Teamsters, such as UPS.Those companies have standards to ensure legal delivery, Broad said. When they employ drivers rather than use contractors, the companies — not the drivers — bear legal liability.Federal law preempts California from mandating hiring unionized truck drivers, Broad said.“We are absolutely not opposed to the little guys being able to ship directly to consumers, and in fact, we have a track record of supporting the proposal but with meaningful guardrails that protect our members and protect the public,” he told CalMatters. The California wine industry, which has been allowed to ship bottles directly to customers in California for decades, isn’t necessarily opposed either. But its representative says wine sellers are leery of giving little alcohol sellers delivery rights when big liquor companies deserve the same. Wineries of any size can ship to their customers in California. Big booze, big labor spend bigThe U.S. Postal Service prohibits most alcohol shipments to homes, but California allows certain types of alcohol sellers to use private shipping companies. Breweries are prohibited from shipping directly to California customers.Hoover hoped his Assembly Bill 2211, a proposal to give craft distillers the ability to offer tastings and sell spirits at locations other than their distilleries, could be amended to give craft distillers a permanent direct-to-consumer provision. It has advanced through the Legislature without formal opposition or any lawmaker voting against it, according to CalMatters’ Digital Democracy database. The measure is pending before the full Senate. There may be no formal opposition, but reports filed with the California secretary of state show an extensive behind-the-scenes lobbying effort aimed at preventing any changes.At least six groups, including some of the biggest national alcohol distributors, have reported lobbying on Hoover’s bill.The reports show those groups spent more than $1 million on lobbying this year. State ethics laws only require entities to report the total amount they spent lobbying the government in a year. They’re not required to report how much they spent on specific legislation, so it’s unclear how much they spent trying to influence lawmakers as they considered AB 2211 and its never-published direct-shipping amendment. Those groups, along with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Wine Institute, have given at least $11 million to both Democrats and Republicans in California since 2000, according to Digital Democracy, including at least $738,000 since 2025, the start of the current two-year legislative session. By comparison, California’s craft distillers reported spending $54,000 on lobbying this year. They reported just three donations to lawmakers in the past decade, according to Digital Democracy. One was a $42 bottle of whiskey in 2022 to former Napa Democratic Sen. Bill Dodd, who now lobbies on behalf of the craft distillery industry. In 2023, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas received $215 in tequila. Democratic Assemblymember-turned U.S. Rep. Adam Gray received a $1,300 campaign donation in 2016.Hoover said he has been trying since last year to add language to his bill that would allow craft distillers to permanently keep shipping. He succeeded last year in getting the extension that expires Dec. 31, but this year he’s been unable to overcome the opposition to expanding the tasting room measure.“I’m always open to figuring this out, if there’s a way that we can make this work. … but I don’t have a lot of hope that this bill is going to preserve those provisions this year,” he said.With less than a month left before the Legislature finishes for the year on Aug. 31, Democratic leaders would likely need to sign off on changes to Hoover’s tasting room measure. They’ve offered little indication they intend to intervene for craft distillers. Rivas, who’s received at least $108,000 in donations over the years from opponents of Hoover’s unpublished proposal, declined CalMatters’ request for an interview. Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, who’s received at least $33,000, responded to an interview request with an emailed statement saying she is aware of the pending deadline.“This bill will continue to work its way through the legislative process as intended,” it said.Democratic Sen. Susan Rubio and her sister, Democratic Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, oversee the committees that regulate California’s alcohol industry. When Hoover’s measure passed through their committees, the chairs could have allowed Hoover to add the direct-to-consumer amendment. They did not.Susan Rubio has received at least $65,000 in donations from the groups blocking the direct-shipping proposal, according to Digital Democracy. Blanca Rubio has received at least $129,000. Sen. Rubio’s spokesperson, Giovanni Ruiz Reyes, responded to interview requests with emailed statements. The first said “conversations between stakeholders are ongoing” and that she “looks forward” to reviewing potential legislation. Ruiz Reyes said in a second statement Thursday that she’s supported four previous extensions of the craft distiller shipping policy. “There is currently no bill or amendment before the committee seeking another extension,” Ruiz Reyes said. “Accordingly, it would be inaccurate to suggest that Senator Rubio or the committee has blocked or refused to hear an extension when no such proposal is currently before the committee.” Assemblymember Rubio didn’t return interview requests.Fewer Americans are drinking The liquor industry is facing a nationwide decline as more Americans cut back on drinking. In that difficult business climate, corporate liquor wholesalers and distribution companies lobbied “to obliterate competition,” said Dodd, the former state senator from wine country lobbying on behalf of craft distillers.“We oppose any effort to make DTC (direct to consumer) permanent,” the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, the California Beer & Beverage Distributors and the California Family Beer Distributors wrote in a joint statement to CalMatters. Craft distilleries’ direct shipping “was always meant to be temporary pandemic relief, and it’s expiring exactly as designed, six years later” said the groups, which represent local and national companies that move many of America’s best-known beer, wine and liquor brands. They argue that after the law expires, spirits can still be delivered to customers through services such as DoorDash. DoorDash is listed as a member of the Wine & Spirit Wholesalers of America on its website.The groups’ representative, Kevin Luckey, declined an interview request.Steve Gross, president and CEO of the Wine Institute, said the wine industry has worked hard over the decades to have large and small wine sellers treated equally under California and national alcohol distribution laws. He said it would undermine his industry’s efforts if small distillers get delivery rights in California when large ones don’t have them.“They have the option to go in and try and fight for a bill that we and others could also support,” Gross said. “They’ve chosen not to because those larger distillers are not their members.”The Wine Institute is a lobbying group that represents more than 700 large and small wine sellers, including one of the world’s largest, Modesto-based Gallo Winery.Craft distillers say they’ve tried to work with the groups blocking their bill to address their concerns, but they have gotten nowhere.In the meantime, Steller, the El Dorado Hills distiller, has already started pulling back on shipping bottles to his customers because the Legislature won’t budge.“I don’t want to keep putting money into a program that’s going to get yanked,” he said.___This story was originally published by CalMatters and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press. 获取更多RSS：https://feedx.net https://feedx.site