The Full Belmonte, September 3, 2022
Court Releases Detailed FBI Inventory of Material Seized at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
List shows classified material commingled with press clippings; dozens of empty folders marked as classified were found
A partially redacted photo included with a Justice Department filing shows material found during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago.PHOTO: /ASSOCIATED PRESS
“WASHINGTON—Top secret and other classified documents at Mar-a-Lago were kept in boxes that also held newspaper and magazine clippings, clothing and gifts, according to a more detailed list of items FBI agents seized in their search of former President Donald Trump’s home last month.
Agents took around 33 boxes, containing more than 100 classified documents, prosecutors have said. Seven of the boxes or containers were located in Mr. Trump’s office and the rest in a storage room at the private club, according to the inventory.
In one of the boxes found in Mr. Trump’s office, 99 newspaper and magazine clips dated from 2017 and 2018 were held alongside seven documents marked as top secret, 15 documents marked as secret, 43 empty folders marked as classified, and 28 empty folders labeled “Return to Staff Secretary/Miliary[sic] Aide,’ among other items, the receipt shows.
Another five empty folders with classified banners were found in the storage room, according to the list.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ordered the more detailed inventory unsealed Thursday after Mr. Trump’s team had asked for it and the Justice Department said it was prepared to make it public.
The inventory appears to illustrate the haphazard organization of the files Mr. Trump took with him to his Florida resort during his chaotic exit from the White House. A lawyer for Mr. Trump, speaking at a hearing before Judge Cannon on Thursday, likened the dispute over the material to one involving overdue library books.
The list also underscores what Justice Department officials have described as concerns that the highly sensitive information, including some derived from clandestine human-intelligence sources, was commingled with other items. The list doesn’t describe the subjects of any of the classified or other documents.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
F.B.I. Found 48 Empty Folders That Had Contained Classified Documents at Trump’s Home
A detailed inventory of items seized in the F.B.I.’s search of Mar-a-Lago raised the question of whether the government had fully recovered the documents or any remained missing.
A more detailed list of the documents that were seized from former President Donald J. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was unsealed on Friday.Credit...Steve Helber/Associated Press
“WASHINGTON — The F.B.I.’s search of former President Donald J. Trump’s Florida club and residence last month recovered 48 empty folders marked as containing classified information, a newly disclosed court filing shows, raising the question of whether the government had fully recovered the documents or any remain missing.
The filing, a detailed list of items retrieved in the search, was unsealed on Friday as part of the court fight over whether to appoint an independent arbiter to review the materials taken by federal agents from Mr. Trump’s estate, Mar-a-Lago, on Aug. 8.
Along with the empty folders with classified markings, the F.B.I. recovered 40 more empty folders that said they contained sensitive documents the user should ‘return to staff secretary/military aide,’ the inventory said. It also said that agents found seven documents marked as ‘top secret’ in Mr. Trump’s office and 11 more in a storage room.
The list and an accompanying court filing from the Justice Department did not say whether all the contents of the folders had been recovered. But the filing noted that the inquiry into Mr. Trump’s handling of the documents remained ‘an active criminal investigation.’
The inventory also sheds further light on how the documents marked as classified were stored haphazardly in boxes or in containers, mixed among news clippings and ‘other printed media,’ articles of clothing, books and ‘gift items.’
The inventory listed seven batches of materials taken by the F.B.I. from Mr. Trump’s personal office at Mar-a-Lago that contained government-owned documents and photographs, some marked with classification levels up to ‘top secret’ and some that were not marked as classified. The list also included batches of government documents that had been in 26 boxes or containers in a storage room at the compound.
In all, the list said, the F.B.I. retrieved 18 documents marked as top secret, 54 marked as secret, 31 marked as confidential, and 11,179 government documents or photographs without classification markings.
A federal judge in Florida, Aileen M. Cannon, ordered the inventory list to be released during a hearing on Thursday to determine whether to appoint a so-called special master to review the government records seized from Mar-a-Lago for any that could be privileged. Judge Cannon said that she would issue a written decision on the matter ‘in due course.’
Mr. Trump appeared to acknowledge on social media this week that he knew that much of this material was at his estate, complaining about a photograph that the Justice Department released on Tuesday night that cataloged some of the evidence that had been seized.” Read more at New York Times
“Former Attorney General Bill Barr, once one of Donald Trump's most valued defenders, continued to distance himself from the former president Friday, saying that his former boss had ‘no justification’ to retain the trove of classified documents seized from his Florida beach club.
Barr, who famously broke with Trump in the final weeks of the administration when he declared that federal authorities had found no substantial evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, also said the ongoing Justice Department investigation into the handling of classified documents poses potentially ‘serious’ jeopardy for the former president.
‘I think it's a serious matter,’ Barr said in an interview with USA TODAY.
Barr first expressed his concerns for Trump's handling of the documents in an earlier interview with Fox News.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr announces a new Crime Reduction Initiative aimed at Detroit on December 18, 2019. BILL PUGLIANO/GETTY IMAGES
‘I can’t think of a legitimate reason why they should have been – could be taken out of government, away from the government if they are classified,’ he told the network.
While Trump has claimed that the materials seized by FBI agents in an Aug. 8 search of the Mar-a-Lago beach club had been previously declassified, Barr told USA TODAY that such an explanation was very unlikely.
‘I don't believe he did,’ Barr said.
‘If he did attempt some indiscriminate act of declassification, that would be more reckless than just taking the documents,’ he said. ‘It just didn't happen.’
In the Fox interview, Barr called Trump's request for the appointment of a third-party special master to oversee federal investigators' review of documents seized from Mar-a-Lago a ‘red herring’ and ‘waste of time.’” Read more at USA Today
U.S. Added 315,000 Jobs in August; Unemployment Rate Rose to 3.7%
Despite Fed’s rate increases, labor market remains tight, with elevated job openings and falling unemployment claims
The U.S. labor market has powered on as employers try to catch up with demand following pandemic-driven job cuts in early 2020.PHOTO: JOHN SMITH/VIEWPRESS/GETTY IMAGES
“U.S. employers added 315,000 jobs in August, a slower but still solid pace in a tight labor market. The jobless rate rose to 3.7%.
Job growth has been resilient this year, despite a contraction in the overall economy in the first half of 2022.
On Tuesday, the Labor Department said there were 11.2 million open positions in July, up from 11 million in June. That amounts to almost two vacant jobs for every unemployed person, and it exceeds prepandemic levels. New claims for jobless benefits also fell to their lowest level in two months last week as companies hold on to workers.
Other indicators sketch an economy rapidly slowing under the weight of high inflation. The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates to slow the economy and curb price increases. Gross domestic product shrank in both the first and second quarters of the year, according to the Commerce Department.
The labor market has powered on as employers try to catch up with demand following steep pandemic-driven job cuts in early 2020. Rehiring has helped boost payrolls by a monthly average of about 800,000 since they hit a trough in April 2020.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
White House seeks $47 billion for covid, monkeypox, Ukraine and floods
The request sets the stage for a September showdown on Capitol Hill, where Republicans repeatedly have blocked Democrats’ attempts to pass more covid aid
“The Biden administration on Friday asked Congress to approve more than $47 billion in new emergency funds this fall to combat the coronavirus, secure new monkeypox vaccines, bolster Ukraine’s defenses and respond to devastating floods in Kentucky.
The official request sets up a fierce fight on Capitol Hill, where warring Democrats and Republicans face a looming, end-of-September deadline by which they must fund the government — or risk a catastrophic shutdown weeks before the midterm elections.
Much of the new money the Biden administration seeks would boost the U.S. government’s public health programs. Federal officials long have warned that dwindling funds threaten their ability to respond to a crisis.
Targeting the coronavirus, the Biden administration proposed $22.4 billion, much of which would facilitate the purchase and development of next-generation vaccines and treatments. The money also would help restart programs that recently ran out of funds, including an initiative to provide free tests that the White House said it had to wind down this week after months of congressional inaction.” Read more at Washington Post
Local volunteers distributed bottles of water in Jackson on Wednesday.
PHOTO: CARLOS BARRIA/REUTERS
The Jackson, Miss., water crisis is forcing cities across the country to confront their own aging infrastructure.
“The nation’s drinking water is at risk, according to utilities. Pipes, treatment facilities and pumps that take and clean H20 from rivers and reservoirs to people’s homes are breaking down. Water agencies are struggling with the cost of upkeep and sometimes must choose between short-term patches and costlier long-term solutions. The situation in Mississippi’s capital is a wake-up call, they say.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Veterans Affairs to Provide Abortion Services for Health Dangers, Rape and Incest
The VA for the first time in its history will provide abortions at federal facilities, even in states that have outlawed the procedure
The Department of Veteran Affairs has announced a new health policy for immediate implementation.PHOTO: LARRY DOWNING/REUTERS
“The Department of Veterans Affairs, for the first time in its history, will provide abortion services and counseling to veterans in cases of health dangers, rape and incest, even at federal facilities in states that have outlawed the procedure, the department said Friday.
The department, whose healthcare reach spans the country and U.S. territories, announced the policy in an interim final rule that it said allows for immediate implementation of the new policy.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Republicans Mount Rescue Effort in Pennsylvania for Doug Mastriano, Dr. Oz Campaigns
Trump and millions of dollars worth of advertising are on the way as the GOP nominees trail in the polls
Republican Senate nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz, standing with his wife, spoke with supporters last month in Swatara Township, Pa.PHOTO: SEAN SIMMERS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Republicans are preparing a rescue effort for their midterm-election candidates for governor and Senate in Pennsylvania, who trail in public opinion surveys and are prompting concerns that GOP prospects are fading in one of the nation’s most closely divided states.
Both Doug Mastriano, a state senator and the Republican nominee for governor, and Mehmet Oz, the celebrity surgeon who is the party’s Senate nominee, lag behind their Democratic opponents by more than 7 percentage points in a state that President Biden won by 1.2 points in 2020, the Fivethirtyeight.com aggregate of polls shows.
Now, the GOP candidates are getting some backup from the party. A political-action committee with ties to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has reserved more than $29 million in ads to support Mr. Oz, the ad-tracking firm AdImpact finds. The expected ads will likely present the first sustained attack of the campaign cycle against Mr. Oz’s Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman.
Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, black sweat shirt, greeted a supporter at a rally last month in Erie, Pa.PHOTO: QUINN GLABICKI/REUTERS
On Saturday, former President Donald Trump will hold a rally to support Messrs. Mastriano and Oz in Wilkes-Barre Township, in the northeastern part of the state. The rally could boost attention to Mr. Mastriano, who has drawn sustained negative publicity for his false assertions that the 2020 election was stolen and for having attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally at the Capitol that became a riot. Mr. Mastriano has lagged behind in fundraising and hasn’t run a single television ad since the primary season ended, according to AdImpact. By contrast, his Democratic opponent, Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has spent about $14 million on TV ads since the primary.
Republicans still hope that voter anger over inflation and tepid views of Mr. Biden’s job performance will help them retake the Pennsylvania governor’s office, which Democrats now hold, and retain the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey—a key step in Republicans’ bid to take control of the Senate.
Highlighting the importance of Pennsylvania in the midterms, Mr. Biden plans to visit Pittsburgh for the Labor Day parade with Mr. Shapiro and other Democrats on Monday. Mr. Biden made two other trips to the state for speeches this week.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Eight Migrants Drown as Dozens Are Swept Down Rio Grande
A large group attempting to cross into Texas was overcome by a fast-moving current, the authorities said.
Concertina wire along the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas.Credit...Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times
“AUSTIN, Texas — Eight migrants drowned and 37 others were rescued as they tried to cross the raging waters of the Rio Grande to reach the United States, administration officials said on Friday.
The migrants were among scores of people crossing the river near Eagle Pass, a town in southern Texas that has become a major entry point for migrants in the last year.
After heavy rains, the Rio Grande is several feet higher than normal, and law enforcement officials have reported making a number of rescues, including some over the last weekend as migrants struggling to keep their heads above water were being dragged by turbulent currents.
Rick Pauza, spokesman for the Customs and Border Protection office in Laredo, Texas, said in a statement that the authorities were continuing with the aid of the local fire department and sheriff’s office to search for possible survivors.” Read more at New York Times
Biden climate chief Gina McCarthy to leave White House
Her departure comes as the administration moves on to the next phase of Biden’s climate agenda.
Then-Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy highlights what she believes to be the accomplishments of her agency during the Obama Administration's eight years in office during the Newsmakers luncheon at the National Press Club November 21, 2016 in Washington, D.C. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“Gina McCarthy, President Joe Biden’s top domestic climate adviser, will leave the White House on Sept. 16, just weeks after Congress passed the largest-ever U.S. law to tackle climate change — legislation that her office helped craft.
McCarthy’s exit will leave Biden without one of his climate policy heavyweights as his administration moves on to the next phase of its climate fight: developing executive actions and regulations that can survive the partisan power shifts and Supreme Court scrutiny that have derailed previous Democratic climate plans.” Read more at POLITICO
“President Biden named John Podesta — former chief of staff to President Clinton and chair of Hillary Clinton's campaign — as senior adviser for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. Go deeper.” Read more at Axios
IRS Says It Exposed Some Confidential Taxpayer Data on Website
Tax agency says error led to posting about some taxpayers with IRAs
The IRS, located in Washington, has struggled with occasional instances of private taxpayer data being released.PHOTO: TING SHEN FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“WASHINGTON—The Internal Revenue Service inadvertently posted what is normally confidential information involving about 120,000 individuals before discovering the error and removing the data from its website, officials said Friday.
The data are from Form 990-T, which is often required for people with individual retirement accounts who earn certain types of business income within those retirement plans. That typically includes people whose IRAs are invested in master limited partnerships, real estate or other assets that generate income, not those whose IRAs are solely invested in securities.
The disclosures included names, contact information and financial information about income within those IRAs. It didn’t include Social Security numbers, full individual income information or other data that could affect a taxpayer’s credit, the Treasury Department determined, according to a letter that the administration is sending to key members of Congress on Friday.
Like most individual tax filings to the IRS, those forms are supposed to be confidential. But charities with so-called unrelated business income are also required to file Form 990-T, and those filings are supposed to be open to the public.
The IRS and Treasury Department blamed a human coding error that happened last year when Form 990-T began to be electronically filed. The nonpublic data was mistakenly included with the public data and all of it was available for searching and downloading on the agency’s website. The Wall Street Journal, which routinely analyzes nonprofit tax filings, downloaded at least some of the data before its removal.
An IRS research employee discovered the mistake in recent weeks, triggering a broader inquiry and leading to the removal of the data. As required under federal law governing major information-security incidents, the IRS notified Congress on Friday. Affected taxpayers will be notified in the coming weeks.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Russian Oil Faces Price Cap Under New G-7 Plan
Wealthy nations hope to use their power over insurance and financing for shipping to limit Moscow’s revenue amid the Ukraine war
The Yarakta oil field in Russia’s Irkutsk region. Russian officials have said they would refuse to sell oil under the price cap.PHOTO: VASILY FEDOSENKO/REUTERS
“The Group of Seven wealthy nations rolled out a plan to cap the price of Russian oil on global markets, committing to a novel sanctions design aimed at limiting Russia’s revenue from oil sales as its invasion of Ukraine grinds on.
The finance ministers of the G-7 said they would move to ban the insurance and financing of shipments of Russian oil and petroleum products unless they are sold under a set price cap.
With the plan, the U.S. and its allies are hoping to leverage their control over the financing and insurance of global shipping to force Russia to comply with the cap or face the possibility of being unable to ship its oil. Over 90% of the world’s ships are insured through a London-based association of insurers, according to Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank.
The announcement didn’t include several key details, including the level at which the price cap would be set. The G-7 ministers said they would consult with international partners about where to set the cap, with the possibility of changing the cap level over time.
The ultimate design will include three price caps, with one set for Russian crude and two sets for Russian petroleum products, according to a senior Treasury official.
The plan seeks to resolve a dilemma that has so far confounded Western attempts to penalize Russia for its invasion of Ukraine: how to cut off Russia’s revenue without reducing global oil supply and raising prices. Inflation is already running at the highest levels in decades, posing a major economic and political problem for governments across the West.
‘This price cap is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight inflation and protect workers and businesses in the United States and globally from future price spikes caused by global disruptions,’ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
The price cap would soften the European Union’s plan for a total ban on insuring and financing shipments of Russian oil, which is set to go into effect on Dec. 5 for crude and Feb. 5 for refined products. Ms. Yellen has warned for months that the EU’s ban could take large volumes of Russian oil off global markets, driving up prices and causing a global recession.
Those concerns fueled the creation of the price-cap proposal, which would allow firms in the EU to finance and insure Russian oil as long as it is sold below the price cap. G-7 officials are aiming to finalize the price cap and put it in place before Dec. 5.
At the center of the plan is the assumption that Russia would choose to sell its oil at a reduced price rather than risk selling far less oil, possibly damaging its long-term production capacity. Russian officials have repeatedly said in recent days that they would refuse to sell oil under the cap, which U.S. officials believe is a bluff.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Russia to Keep Nord Stream Pipeline Shut, Citing Mechanical Problems
Move raises the pressure on Europe as governments race to avoid energy shortages this winter
Gazprom said Friday it found a technical fault during maintenance of the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline.PHOTO: ANATOLY MALTSEV/SHUTTERSTOCK
“Kremlin-controlled energy company Gazprom PJSC said it would suspend the Nord Stream natural-gas pipeline to Germany until further notice, raising the pressure on Europe as governments race to avoid energy shortages this winter.
Gazprom said Friday that it found a technical fault during maintenance of the pipeline, which connects Russia with Germany under the Baltic Sea. The company said the pipeline would remain shut down until the issue is fixed, without giving any timeline.
The pipeline was due to resume work early Saturday after three-day maintenance. Before the maintenance, the pipeline was operating at 20% of its capacity.
Russia first began throttling supplies via Nord Stream in June, saying that needed maintenance was being prevented by Western sanctions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The notion was dismissed by European officials as an excuse for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime to use its gas exports to punish Europe for its support of Ukraine.
A complete shutdown of Nord Stream will compel European governments to accelerate their push to become independent of Russian gas ahead of the winter months and could force them to ration energy—a move that would hurt industrial companies and tip the continent’s already fragile economy into a recession.
At the same time, the move deprives Moscow of its most potent economic leverage on the continent and could remove any remaining misgivings in European capitals about raising sanctions on Moscow for fear of retribution.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Ukraine says its air force has been striking Russian troops using jets, helicopters and drones, mostly in the country’s south where the nation is mounting a counteroffensive. According to UK intelligence, Ukrainian forces have pushed the front line back some distance in places, exploiting relatively thinly held Russian defenses.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans from Ethiopia who served in a United Nations peacekeeping force have joined a battle for a strategic town in the northwest of the country, the latest twist in an internal conflict that erupted in late 2020.” Read more at Bloomberg
Ethiopian former peacekeepers disembark from a United Nations' aircraft as they arrive in Sudan’s Kassala airport on May 15 after seeking asylum. Photographer: Hussein Ery/AFP
Reproduced from Pew Research. Chart: Axios Visuals
“Americans' views of the Supreme Court are more politically polarized than at any point in more than three decades of polling, Pew Research Center found.
The plunging approval in the graph above was driven by Democrats' views after the abortion ruling.
Just 28% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents view the court favorably — down 18 points from January, and nearly 40 points since 2020.
Positive views of the court among Republicans and Republican leaners ticked up since the beginning of the year — 73%, up eight points from 65%.” Read more at Axios
Trump's rising rivals
Data: Axios research. Map: Axios Visuals
“Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are both hitting the road for midterms, blazing 2024 trails as potential rivals to former President Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
Why it matters: DeSantis is trending Trumpier and Youngkin is going more establishment, Axios' Josh Kraushaar and Alayna Treene write.
What's happening: Youngkin, in office under eight months, is bypassing MAGA-oriented gubernatorial candidates in favor of pragmatists running tough races in blue states.
DeSantis has leaned into some of the party's most controversial nominees.
Between the lines: If Youngkin helps elect Republican governors in blue states like New Mexico and Oregon — and Trump and DeSantis' candidates in redder states fall to defeat — it would send a powerful message that Youngkin's mainstream conservative message is a winning one for the party.
Of course: The reverse would be true.
By the numbers: DeSantis has campaigned for seven Senate or gubernatorial candidates this year. Six are Trump-endorsed.
Youngkin has helped, or is planning to help, 10 GOP gubernatorial candidates. Just three have Trump's backing. Eight of the 10 are running in states President Biden carried in 2020.
How they're positioning themselves: DeSantis spokesperson Lindsey Curnutte said he's ‘supporting candidates who align with the freedom agenda we've created in Florida.’
Youngkin political adviser Kristin Davison told Axios: ‘He's excited to bring the spirit of Virginia to swing states that look a lot like Virginia did last year, turn blue states' culture of defeat into a spirit of winning, and help flip these purple and blue states red.’” Read more at Axios
Women workers hit post-COVID jobs milestone
“Women workers hit a milestone last month: The proportion of employed prime-aged women (that is, between the ages of 25-54) is finally above the level seen before the pandemic.
By the numbers: Labor force participation rate in this cohort ticked up last month by a whopping 0.8 percentage points.
Julia Coronado, founder of MacroPolicy Perspectives, suspects it could be tied to schools back-in-session, per a tweet.
What to watch: Men haven't notched the same feat. The employment-population ratio for prime-aged men is roughly 0.7 percentage points below the February 2020 level.” Read more at Axios
CVS Is in Advanced Talks to Buy Signify Health for Around $8 Billion
Drugstore-chain owner appears to prevail over interested parties innatives since earlier this summer.PHOTO: SHELBY TAUBER/BLOOMBERG NEWS
“CVS Health Corp. CVS -0.49%▼ is in advanced talks to acquire the home-healthcare company Signify Health Inc. SGFY 1.34%▲ for around $8 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
CVS appears to have beat out other heavy hitters including Amazon.com Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc., which had been circling Signify for a deal that could be announced soon. UnitedHealth never submitted an official bid, one of the people said.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Chobani Withdraws IPO After Delays
Greek-style yogurt maker, which previously delayed offering amid executive departures, says it will focus on profitable growth
Chobani had put a planned offering of shares on hold in March as several executives left the company, and was expected to launch the IPO later this year or next year. PHOTO: MARK LENNIHAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Chobani Inc. said it is withdrawing its previously delayed initial public offering, after having pushed back the listing earlier this year.
The yogurt maker said in a regulatory filing Friday that it had determined not to pursue the IPO at this time, and that no securities had been sold in connection to it. A Chobani spokeswoman said the company decided to withdraw the offering given current market conditions, and that it will continue to focus on profitable growth and execution.
The company over the past two decades has helped popularize Greek-style yogurt, which has more protein and less sugar than traditional yogurt, coinciding with U.S. consumers’ shift toward protein-centric foods and snacks.
Chobani has estimated that it has about one-fifth of the roughly $10 billion U.S. yogurt market, and the company also produces oat milk and coffee creamer. It sells its products to Walmart Inc., WMT -1.10%▼ Kroger Co., Albertsons Cos. ACI -0.04%▼ and Whole Foods Market, among other retailers.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Serena Williams loses to Tomljanovic in US Open farewell
By HOWARD FENDRICHan hour ago
“NEW YORK (AP) — Leave it to Serena Williams to not want to go quietly, to not want this match, this trip to the U.S. Open, this transcendent career of hers, to really, truly end.
Right down to what were, barring a change of heart, the final minutes of her quarter-century of excellence on the tennis court, and an unbending unwillingness to be told what wasn’t possible, Williams tried to mount one last classic comeback, earn one last vintage victory, with fans on their feet in a full Arthur Ashe Stadium, cellphone cameras at the ready.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion staved off five match points to prolong the three-hours-plus proceedings, but could not do more, and was eliminated from the U.S. Open in the third round by Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1 on Friday night in what is expected to be her final contest.
‘I’ve been down before. ... I don’t really give up,’ Williams said. ‘In my career, I’ve never given up. In matches, I don’t give up. Definitely wasn’t giving up tonight.’
She turns 41 this month and recently told the world that she is ready to start ‘evolving’ away from her playing days — she expressed distaste for the word ‘retirement’ — and while she remained purposely vague about whether this appearance at Flushing Meadows definitely would represent her last hurrah, everyone assumed it will be.
‘It’s been the most incredible ride and journey I’ve ever been on in my life,’ Williams said, tears streaming down her cheeks shortly after one final shot landed in the net. ‘I’m so grateful to every single person that’s ever said, ‘Go, Serena!’ in their life.’
Asked during an on-court interview whether she might reconsider walking away, Williams replied: ‘I don’t think so, but you never know.’
A little later, pressed on the same topic at her post-match news conference, Williams joked, ‘I always did love Australia,’ the country that hosts the next Grand Slam tournament in January.
With two victories in singles this week, including over the No. 2 player in the world, Anett Kontaveit, on Wednesday, Williams took her fans on a thrill-a-minute throwback trip at the hard-court tournament that was the site of a half-dozen of her championships.
The first came in 1999 in New York, when Williams was a teen. Now she’s married and a mother; her daughter, Olympia, turned 5 on Thursday.” Read more at AP News
College Football Playoff Will Expand to 12 Teams by 2026
The playoff’s Board of Managers voted on Friday to expand the four-team title tournament, continuing a summer of moves aimed at maximizing the sport’s escalating financial value
Alabama and Georgia Bulldogs played in last season’s College Football Playoff championship game.PHOTO: KIRBY LEE/USA TODAY SPORTS
“The College Football Playoff will expand from the current four teams to 12 by no later than the 2026 football season, the event’s governing body decided on Friday, the latest bid to maximize the rapidly escalating financial value of the sport’s marquee games.
The move was approved unanimously by the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, which is composed of 11 presidents and chancellors from the top conferences in Division I plus Notre Dame. It continues a frenzied summer of off-the-field moves in college sports that has included a massive new TV deal for the Big Ten Conference, which also successfully lured UCLA and Southern California away from the Pac-12.
‘I’m very pleased we were able to get this accomplished,’ said Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, who chairs the CFP’s board of managers. ‘More teams, more participation and more excitement are good for our fans, alumni, and student-athletes.’
Expanding the playoff to decide a national champion is also a way to add more games, and bring in more money, to the benefit of the top conferences.
The playoff’s management committee—the 10 conference commissioners and the athletic director at Notre Dame, who operate the playoff—will assess the possibility of beginning the expanded playoff in either the 2024 or 2025 regular season, according to Friday’s announcement.
That could require changes to the College Football Playoff’s current 12-year broadcast deal with ESPN, which expires after the 2025-26 academic year. ESPN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The new format creates two ways to get into the 12-team field. Six spots will be reserved for the highest-ranked conference champions, meaning that the so-called Power 5 conferences—the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference—won’t be guaranteed spots in the playoff. The remaining six at-large spots are for the highest-ranked teams that did not win their leagues.
The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded Nos. 1 through 4, and each will receive a first-round bye. The other eight teams will play in the first round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds—either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded team. That could result in something many college football purists have clamored for as more and more top games are held in NFL stadiums: on-campus playoff contests.
The four quarterfinal games and two playoff semifinal games would be played in existing bowl games, such as the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, on a rotating basis. The national championship game will continue to be played at a neutral site.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Carrie Sideris, a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, speaks through a window in Newton, Mass. Photo: Mary Schwalm/AP
“Jehovah's Witnesses have resumed door-to-door visits after a 2½-year pandemic hiatus, AP reports.” Read more at Axios