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  • First of its kind queer museum in San Francisco Chinatown amplifies Chinese LGBTQ+ artists


    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — On one side of the world, Xiangqi Chen can be punished for her LGBTQ+ activism. But on the other, the activist and artist is lauded as a trailblazer — the architect behind the first of its kind Chinese queer art museum.

    The irony that she left her home in China and found a public platform for her LGBTQ+ artistic expression in San Francisco’s Chinatown — the country’s oldest — is not lost on her.

    “Here in San Francisco Chinatown, I still continued my journey and met so many like-minded community members and friends,” Chen told The Associated Press through an interpreter. “It kind of actually encouraged me and gave me lots of strength to do what I know is my mission, my calling.”

    The OUT Museum opened with a rainbow-ribbon cutting at the end of May — between Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Pride Month. Situated across from the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum, the bilingual museum is giving recognition to a demographic that has long felt invisible. It seems like an ideal fit in the progressive city at a time when some cities, states and the federal government are restricting or banning certain LGBTQ+ rights.

    To start, the museum is only open on Saturdays and is one room with fewer than a dozen artworks by artists from China and the Chinese diaspora. But there is hope to expand the museum’s exhibits and days of operation.

    Museum allows Chinese artists to fully tell their stories

    While still living in China, Chen launched a Kickstarter for a proposed museum six years ago — more than 2,000 donated on the platform. But she knew it likely wouldn’t be built there. In 2022, she came to the U.S. on a J-1 visa as a visiting scholar at Georgetown University. By 2024, Chen gained attention in San Francisco for her role in an exhibition at the Asian Art Museum. That led to a residency with the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco.

    The organization was “proud to be the incubating space for the OUT Museum prototype,” executive director Jenny Leung said in an email.

    The level of support that followed amazed Chen.

    “I got so many chances to connect with the local Asian American queer community and even the Chinatown community in general,” she said.

    Interest soon followed from longtime collaborators and younger artists who reached out via Instagram. They are represented in the inaugural exhibition, which includes photography, zines and an interactive installation where visitors use thread to trace their self-discovery journey with gender and sexuality.

    For Hong Kong-born artist Dixon Ngai, this museum offers an outlet to tell his story as mainstream media typically overlook the Chinese LGBTQ+ community. He contributed a hand-painted, Chinese porcelain wine pot inspired by the Cantonese opera “Di Nü Hua,” or “The Flower Princess.”

    Ngai said the OUT Museum, unlike other exhibitions, is very specific to the experience of the Chinese queer community, allowing “more people to see our voice.”

    Museum affirms evolving attitudes toward LGBTQ+ presence

    Since the museum’s opening, Chen has been “one hundred percent moved” by unexpected feedback from one particular demographic: Chinese immigrants, both queer and straight, who have lived in California for decades.

    A 60-year-old transgender man who visited shared how he immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s for crucial gender-affirming care. There was also a mother looking to connect with her gay adult son.

    “She later emailed me saying that she’s so grateful for all the events the art museum has organized,” Chen said. “Her son came out to her, and she’s very proud of her son and she wants to express gratitude.”

    These reactions are proof the museum is elevating the visibility of Chinese, Chinese American and Asian American LGBTQ+ people, said author and activist Helen Zia, a museum advisory board member. It also shows how attitudes have shifted, she said, as it would have been difficult to mount even 20 years ago.

    “There were Asian churches who would have demonstrations week after week with thousands of people just condemning same-sex couples,” Zia said, recalling the response from the Chinese community in 2008 when she handed out pro-gay marriage flyers in Oakland’s Chinatown. “We got people yelling at us, spitting.”

    Later that year, Zia and her wife were among many couples who wed after the California Supreme Court rejected a same-sex marriage ban. Even today, she says the museum’s presence sends a needed message.

    “See our humanity,” Zia said. “Here’s the beautiful art that we create and imagine and contribute to the world.”

    LGBTQ+ life in mainland China
    versus the US

    Being homosexual in China means living under the radar and discriminatory policies. In 2001, the Chinese Psychiatric Association stopped listing homosexuality as a mental disorder. But LGBTQ+ couples still cannot marry or adopt. They are also limited in their right to publicly advocate. When Chen lived in Shanghai, she ran a grassroots center for lesbians. One of the reasons she left was because during the pandemic the government started cracking down on spaces for LGBTQ+ activism.

    She likely could not even put on an art show, let alone a museum.

    “From 2013 to 2015, that kind of art exhibition by queer artists (could) exist, but only if you don’t explicitly show or tell the audience that your work or yourself identify as queer or LGBTQ,” Chen said. “But not nowadays.”

    That Shanghai center is how Zia met Chen a decade ago. Zia was doing research for a book and toured the center.

    “She’s been just incredibly brave in China, creating a center that attracted a lot of state attention,” Zia said.

    A key difference Chen has noticed among American-born Chinese LGBTQ+ people versus those in China is they are more educated about gender and sexual identity and have more access to support.

    Under the second Trump administration, LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly under threat. President Donald Trump’s administration has targeted gender-affirming care and sought to ban transgender people in the military. Some anti-Pride lawmakers recently proposed “Nuclear Family Month.”

    San Francisco also recently dealt with shifting LGBTQ+ attitudes after Giants baseball players wrote Bible verses on Pride Night hats.

    Nevertheless, the Chinese artists say the social landscape here is a breath of fresh air.

    “Here in San Francisco, in California, we enjoy the air of freedom, there is equal human rights, there is security,” Ngai said. “So, we are very proud to be ourselves.”

    This Sunday, Chen will proudly walk in her first San Francisco Pride Parade. She will plug the museum while dressed fittingly as a woman warrior from a Cantonese opera.

    “I think completing this opening will be a start for me. It’s not the end,” Chen said. “We still have a long way to go.”

    ___

    Tang reported from Phoenix.


  • The homilies and addresses of Pope Leo XIV are now coming to English readers


    NEW YORK (AP) — A collection of early public writings by the future Pope Leo XIV will be published this fall for the first time in English.

    “Freedom Under Grace: Reflections on the Spiritual Tradition That Formed Me” is scheduled for Sept. 15, according to Image Books, an imprint of the Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group.

    Released in Italian by the Vatican Publishing House earlier this year, “Freedom from Grace” features homilies, addresses and other works by Robert Prevost, when he was prior general of the Order of Saint Augustine from 2001 to 2013.

    “Each chapter is a window into the spiritual depth and vision of the man who would eventually become Pope Leo, with an urgent message of love and service to address the challenges of the world today,” Campbell Wharton, senior vice president and publisher of Penguin Random House Christian, said in a statement Wednesday. “It’s a book for any Catholic, but also any Christian or spiritual seeker looking for guidance and hope for living a life that transforms the world.”


  • Vatican begins 5-year restoration of Raphael Loggia, used by popes and presidents


    VATICAN CITY (AP) — One of the most intricately decorated parts of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, a passageway walked by popes and presidents and attributed to Renaissance master Raphael, is getting its first major face-lift in over 500 years.

    The Vatican Museums on Wednesday announced the start of a five-year, $5.5 million project to clean and restore the Raphael Loggia, a 65-meter (yard) long, 4-meter (yard) wide corridor that is considered one of the highest expressions of Renaissance figurative art.

    The windowed second floor corridor, which overlooks the palace’s San Damaso courtyard, is not open to the public. But lucky visitors to the pope or Secretariat of State walk along it en route to their audiences and are treated to biblical scenes, from the Old Testament and New, as well as botanical motifs in painting and stucco.

    Pope Leo XIV, who moved back into the Apostolic Palace after Pope Francis famously stayed away, has his private apartments upstairs but walks along the corridor when going to audiences.

    Raphael conceived of the decoration between 1517-1519 as one of his last commissions for Pope Leo X, alongside his more well-known and accessible masterpieces that are today highlights of any visit to the Vatican Museums: the recently restored Raphael Rooms and his tapestries.

    Located deep within the inner sanctum of the Holy See, the passageway’s 13 arched bays are considered such a spectacular example of figurative painting that they were widely copied, including a full-scale replica at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

    Until 1813, the Raphael Loggia was open to the elements and suffered damage from rain and exposure, said Paolo Violini, in charge of painting restoration at the Vatican Museums. Even after windows were installed, the artworks suffered further because the windows trapped heat and humidity, leading to a particularly fragile state that requires special care.

    Restorers will use hand-held lasers to clean and restore the stucco and wall paintings, using a “dry” cleaning method since the paints are water soluble and would suffer further if cleaned in a more traditional way or using chemical solvents, Violini said.

    The restoration, being done in partnership with the World Monuments Fund, is being financed by the Stephen A. Schwarzman Foundation, a New York-based philanthropy.

    At a press conference Wednesday, Schwarzman said the foundation’s overall contribution to the project was more than $14 million: $5.5 million for the restoration and the rest used to digitize images of the loggia so the public can appreciate it, to fund a documentary of the renovation and to endow a training program for art restorers at a Swiss university.

    Alongside the restoration, the Vatican plans to also replace the arched windows of the loggia to install special glass that filters out the sun’s harmful rays.

    ___

    Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.


  • AI is an energy and water hog, here’s what you can do to counter that


    WASHINGTON (AP) — As the world tries to curb human-caused climate change and not run dry of water, every online query is increasing our environmental footprint and exacerbating the problem.

    Artificial intelligence and the data centers they require use growing amounts of energy and are water hogs — and AI companies aren’t transparent about how much of those resources they use, experts said. So each time you turn to the internet and seek an AI-fueled response, it’s gobbling up precious resources.

    “AI is going in the opposite direction to decarbonization efforts,” said cognitive computer scientist Sasha Luccioni, co-founder and chief scientific officer of the Sustainable AI Group. “We should be thinking about where we are going towards. If you’re recycling and a vegan but then you’re using ChatGPT to do your multiplication for you, well that’s kind of against the trend.”

    “It’s like one other thing among many to think about when you’re like developing these daily habits,” Luccioni said. “It is not too late. You are not obliged to use AI for everything. You can opt out, you can have a say and you can kind of just like think about how you engage with this technology.”

    But she also said Big Tech companies are making it hard by “integrating generative AI into everything. … There’s like this bait-and-switch going on. I feel that nowadays you use the same tools that you used to use, but now they’re generative AI.”

    There are a few ways climate conscious individuals aren’t completely powerless, said several experts in water use, artificial intelligence, data center placement and environmental sustainability.

    Use AI less

    The advice from experts is simple: Just use AI less often.

    “The cleanest form of AI use is no use,” Kaveh Madani, a water scientist and director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in Canada. “So when you could avoid using AI, don’t use it.”

    Don’t use it for simple things. Don’t use it for calculations, directions, store hours, recipes or shopping lists, which are all searches people used to do without AI, but now do it with AI and waste power and water, Luccioni said.

    “Yeah, it’s great. You can generate a chocolate chip cookie recipe with Claude, or you can open a damn book. Like, those still exist. You really don’t need Claude,” Luccioni said. “You really don’t need all of these generative AI technologies to do day-to-day tasks. I do agree there are some productivity gains to be had but I think that it’s a pretty small percentage of what people are currently using.”

    And when you make a query, make it concise because more information translates into more computing and more energy and water used. No need to be polite. Don’t give unnecessary background information, Madani and others said.

    Every query means more energy use, experts said.

    The power and water cost of a query

    Last year, global data centers used 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries of the world, and it is expected to more than double in the next four years, according to a new report from the United Nations University. By then, it will have moved up in rankings to just behind five countries for power use.

    By 2030, just the electricity that data centers use — not including the massive amounts of water needed to cool them — would require nearly 2.5 trillion gallons of water (9.3 trillion liters), which is enough drinking water for the entire world for 1.7 years, said Madani, the study’s co-author.

    Getting an AI text response is the equivalent to using an efficient light bulb for two and a half minutes, but that’s being done 2.5 billion times a day with ChatGPT alone, according to the report and Madani. Using AI to generate a complex video is the equivalent of 42 hours of that light bulb burning and using a gallon of water (4 liters), he said.

    Lack of transparency is a problem

    Except for a mention in a blogpost and scant information, private AI companies aren’t transparent about the energy and water costs of queries, said Luccioni and other experts who have tried to calculate those costs. That reality forces them to just make estimates based on less common open source AI.

    “We have no way of knowing and getting a sense of the amount of energy,” said University of Michigan computer science professor Mosharaf Chowdhury, who tracks energy consumption of open source models.

    “If there’s no transparency, we have no choice. We’re really not choosing. We are being given whatever is being given to us,” said Ana Pinheiro Privette, a former top sustainability official for Amazon Web Services, who also used to direct the University of Illinois’ water security center and was a data scientist at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “That’s the power. The power is to say ‘I actually want to understand what I’m consuming’.”

    Forced into AI use but you can opt out

    When you go online, many search engines, including Google, answer via AI and promote it, without users asking for machine learning to kick in. You have to opt out of AI, when you should have to opt in, Luccioni said.

    “End users, you and me, we have absolutely no control other than saying ‘OK we don’t want to use any of it’ and even then the companies force it onto us,” Chowdhury said.

    You can opt out of AI in Google searches by putting “-ai” at the end of your search, Luccioni said. Or you can click on “Web” in search options.

    There are search engines that reduce their carbon footprints by planting trees and use less energy in their AI, such as Ecosia, Luccioni said. And search engines DuckDuckGo and Startpage have no-AI options.

    Consumers and neighbors have some power

    “The big power I think the consumer has is the market message because I’ve seen that when I worked at Amazon,” Privette said. “They listen. They listen if everybody suddenly starts caring about not having a footprint.”

    Years ago, when data centers wanted to build in an area, it was no problem. Now that they are multiplying in high population centers and people are speaking up and against them, said Privette. For example, data centers in two Virginia counties near Washington used 2.1 billion gallons (8 billion liters) of water in 2023.

    Balaji Tammabattula, chief operating officer of BaRupOn which makes energy-ready data center campuses, said, “the moment you say that you’re building a data center, there’s a backlash. The data center is the new boogeyman.”

    So he said companies like his have to listen and when they do, they use less water and energy.

    “AI is not going anywhere,” Tammabattula said. “It has to be done. But it has to be with the help of the community, where we’re understanding the concerns of the community.”

    ___

    The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.


  • Avoyles Could Break State Rainfall Record; Vidalia Break-In and $12.3M Medicaid Indictments Reported


    Investigators responded to a reported break-in at Concordia Pawn and Gun Shop in Vidalia during the early morning hours of Saturday. Officers detained 19-year-old Dakota Lee Page, who was found shirtless and bleeding, with injuries believed to have been caused by broken store glass. According to investigators, several items linking Page to the burglary were recovered. His bond has been set at just under $27,000.

    The race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana remains unpredictable as Election Day approaches. Polling shows varying results on whether Julia Letlow or John Fleming holds the lead. Low anticipated voter turnout has made forecasting the outcome difficult. The deciding factor is expected to be which campaign is more successful in mobilizing its supporters to vote on Saturday.

    Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced that 11 individuals have been indicted in connection with Medicaid fraud cases totaling more than $12.3 million. The indictments involve allegations of fraudulent billing, wire fraud, and false documentation, with cases spread from Olive Branch to Gulfport and other communities across the state.

    A rain gauge in Avoyles Parish recorded 29.06 inches of rainfall within 12 hours during Tropical Storm Arthur. State climatologist Jay Grimes is working with the National Weather Service to officially validate the measurement. If confirmed, it would surpass the current state record of 22 inches of rainfall in a single day. Grimes said the extreme rainfall resulted from a chain of thunderstorms repeatedly forming over the same area, similar to the conditions that led to the 2016 floods in south Louisiana.

    The Mississippi River at Natchez-Vidalia is at 37.35 feet and rising.

  • New York sweep by Israel critics shines light on a fraught issue for Democrats


    NEW YORK (AP) — When Varun Venkatesh cast his ballot in New York’s primary this week, he thought about “a good litmus test for me as a voter.” He wanted to know what the candidates are doing for the Palestinian cause.

    The 27-year-old Brooklyn resident decided to support Claire Valdez, who was backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, over Antonio Reynoso, another progressive who was the choice of the Democratic establishment, because she had “a clear and more consistent stance.”

    Valdez triumphed in her congressional primary, as did two other insurgent candidates endorsed by Mamdani, and Israel was a key issue in each of the races. Now the question for Democrats is how many more voters like Venkatesh are out there as the party charts its path toward the November midterms and the next presidential election.

    The war in Gaza began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which responded with a yearslong counterattack that left more than 73,000 dead. About 1,000 have died since a ceasefire was reached in October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry that does not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties.

    Human rights groups and a United Nations commission have described Israel’s actions as a genocide, a charge that’s been rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Democrats on the left — and even some conservatives — have ratcheted up pressure to suspend U.S. aid to Israel, a shift that’s been shadowed by a rise in antisemitism across the political spectrum.

    “The Israel question has become defining,” said Matt Bennett, who leads the centrist Democratic group Third Way and frequently criticizes progressives as jeopardizing outreach to independent voters. He argued that some in Mamdani’s camp have embraced “a new level of extremism,” warning that “Republicans are very good at weaponizing crazy ideas on the fringe against mainstream candidates.”

    The schism over Israel, which widened during Joe Biden’s presidency and undermined Kamala Harris’ bid to replace him, remains an open wound. How Democrats attempt to stitch it closed will help define their future. A step in any direction risks alienating pieces of the party’s unwieldy coalition when it’s trying to unify around the mission of retaking control of Congress and set the stage for winning the White House again.

    Mamdani is unapologetic in his effort to reshape the Democratic Party from the mayor’s office of the country’s largest city. He sharply criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for defending what he calls “a status quo of immorality” in Gaza, and voters who celebrated his slate’s victories on Tuesday night chanted “Free Palestine.”

    The mayor, meanwhile, argues that New York should shape Democrats’ search for their national identity in the coming years.

    “When does the race for 2028 begin?” Mamdani asked last week on a stage with his slate of candidates. “It starts now.”

    Israel-Palestinian conflict animates Democrats’ left flank

    Even for a party accustomed to conflicts between progressives and moderates, the divide over Israel has been especially intense. Although the U.S. alliance with Israel once had bipartisan support, the ascendancy of Israel’s right wing, led by Netanyahu, strained those ties over the years. Then the war in Gaza shredded them.

    Biden was denounced as “Genocide Joe” by pro-Palestinian supporters, who shifted their attention to Harris once she replaced him as the Democratic nominee for president two years ago.

    “She was trying to do the right thing,” said Jamie Harrison, who led the Democratic National Committee at the time. “It was a hard and awkward place to be in.”

    Harrison said the war in Gaza helped cost Harris the state of Michigan, which has a sizable Arab American population. However, he doubts that it was a defining national issue then or now.

    “It’s one thing to be in New York. But I can tell you that most places, including where I am in South Carolina, it’s not what people are talking about,” he said. “They are concerned about affording gas and groceries and housing.”

    Harrison expects Democrats to look for middle ground in the future, which includes “still supporting Israel’s sovereignty” while calling for “reducing U.S. aid to Israel and changing the nature of the relationship.”

    The issue puts a notable spotlight on Jewish Democrats who could become presidential contenders at the same time Mamdani wields his influence as the most prominent elected Muslim in U.S. politics.

    When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s name landed on Harris’ list of potential running mates, activists on the left cried foul over his support for Israel — potentially previewing pressures he would experience in a White House campaign.

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was once a billionaire donor to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, and a national board member. He cut ties with the group after it aligned with Donald Trump, but the governor has continued to face questions about his past support.

    Both Shapiro and Pritzker are seeking reelection this November before deciding on White House bids.

    One primary victor blasted the ‘hug Bibi’ strategy

    Finding middle ground has been difficult so far, as demonstrated by the primary in New York’s 10th congressional district.

    Brad Lander, the former city comptroller backed by Mamdani, successfully challenged U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in the race.

    Both candidates are Jewish, and both have criticized the Israeli government. But Lander says the war in Gaza is a genocide, and Goldman does not.

    “Our party needs to admit that Joe Biden’s ‘hug Bibi’ strategy was a catastrophic mistake,” Lander said in his primary victory speech. He added, “We cannot keep paying for Netanyahu’s wars with our tax dollars. Democratic voters are saying this, loud and clear.”

    Ari Rassouli, a voter in the district, said the incumbent’s views on Israel were “one of the many reasons that I didn’t like Dan Goldman.”

    Describing the war as a genocide, she said “a candidate that is in support of that has no place in our democracy at all.”

    While talking to reporters on Tuesday, Lander acknowledged that Israel was among the top issues along with affordability and immigration.

    “I like talking to Jewish voters who feel anxiety about the times we live in and say, ‘I have these values, I want to treat everyone like they’re equal and with dignity and created in God’s image. How do we navigate the times we’re in?’” he said.

    He added with a smile, “Those are probably the longest conversations at the polls.” ___

    Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.


  • HOW to Keep Your WOWs/ Jodi’s Warmie Gift Confession / 60-Year Taco Bell Vow Renewal – WEDNESDAY 6/24

    Learn to Keep your WOWS /Jodi shares the sweet story of the Warmie cat she bought her mom in the hospital / 3 Things to Know Today /A couple celebrating 60 years by renewing their vows at their favorite Taco Bell in your Morning Pick Me Up!

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  • Cubs manager Craig Counsell perplexed by rainout and irked by ‘terrible rule’


    NEW YORK (AP) — After his team got rained out two days in a row, Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell sounded a little miffed about the second one.

    Hours later Tuesday, he was criticizing a major league rule that led to his ejection following an unusual play.

    Chicago’s series opener Monday night against the Mets in New York was postponed because of poor weather and rescheduled as part of a day-night doubleheader Wednesday at Citi Field.

    Counsell and the Cubs also got washed out back home at Wrigley Field on Sunday, when they were supposed to wrap up a series against the Toronto Blue Jays. That game will be made up Aug. 6.

    “Look, consecutive rainouts are, they’re troublesome for pitching, for sure. And frankly, yesterday’s game did not need to be rained out. It didn’t rain, and for some reason we didn’t play,” Counsell said in the dugout late Tuesday afternoon, with a tarp covering the infield on another drizzly day in Queens.

    There were a couple of heavy thunderstorms around Citi Field on Monday, in the late afternoon and after 11 p.m. It was a wet day throughout with light showers and mist — but the rain mostly stopped between about 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

    First pitch had been scheduled for 7:10 p.m., but the game was called approximately 40 minutes before that. In their news release, the Mets announced the game was “postponed due to weather.”

    It was the first time the Cubs had back-to-back games postponed because of weather since April 2018 — and the first time in different cities since early October 1986.

    Counsell was asked if he sought any sort of explanation.

    “Major League Baseball tells you the game’s canceled, and that’s it. Especially on the road. That’s all you get,” he said.

    Shota Imanaga had been scheduled to start Monday for Chicago against Japanese countryman Kodai Senga, but with all the uncertainty during the evening about whether the game would be played, the Cubs ended up having Imanaga throw a bullpen and pushed his turn back to Wednesday.

    “Just to give him a chance to touch the mound and be a little more in routine,” Counsell said.

    Edward Cabrera started Tuesday night against Senga in the opener of a four-game series, which began following an 11-minute rain delay. Cabrera hurt his left leg in a 9-6 victory and is headed to the injured list.

    “You stack a doubleheader, which affects — you’re not going to have enough starters available, so we’re either going to end up with a bullpen game or we’re going to call up (someone) later in the week,” Counsell said before the game.

    Getting heated

    In the seventh inning, Michael Busch drew a one-out walk for the Cubs that appeared to advance Pete Crow-Armstrong from first base to second.

    Crow-Armstrong was running on the full-count pitch, however, and slid headfirst into second as Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez threw down. New York manager Carlos Mendoza challenged the play, and a replay review determined Crow-Armstrong was tagged out when he lost contact with second base at one point.

    So even though Busch walked, his teammate was out at second.

    “No comment. Pretty confusing stuff,” said Crow-Armstrong, who was ushered away from umpires when he attempted to argue.

    Counsell got an explanation from the umps about what Mendoza was challenging. But when the call was overturned, Counsell came back onto the field and argued, waving his hand dismissively.

    That’s when he got ejected.

    “Umpires interpret rules correctly. They don’t get that stuff wrong,” Counsell said. “It’s a bad rule. It’s a terrible rule. I mean, I don’t know what else to say. Like, not a good rule.”

    New arm in the ‘pen

    Jayden Murray reported to the Cubs and was added to their bullpen after the right-hander was acquired Saturday from the Houston Astros in a trade for minor league first baseman Cameron Sisneros.

    “This is a guy that’s had a lot of success in the minor leagues. He’s pitched really well in the minor leagues. In the big leagues, he’s gotten just a limited opportunity,” Counsell said. “We’ve got options, obviously, so there’s going to be some flexibility, but we like his performance right now in the minor leagues and think he’s ready to pitch big league innings.”

    Murray made his Cubs debut in the ninth and gave up three runs, including Bo Bichette’s homer, before getting the final out.

    To open a roster spot, Chicago optioned right-hander Gavin Hollowell to Triple-A Iowa.

    ___

    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb


  • Trump turns America 250 kickoff into a campaign-style rally on the National Mall


    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump formally kicked off celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary on Wednesday night by working to get the country excited again — about himself.

    The president hosted a rally on Washington’s National Mall, including a series of booming flyovers by stealth bombers, music from military bands, and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA.”

    “There has never been anything like the United States of America, and together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,” Trump said.

    He said he’d restored the country to greatness, proclaiming, ”Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.”

    As he does in all rally speeches, Trump championed his crackdown on the U.S.-Mexico border and opposition to transgender rights. However, perhaps in a nod to the anniversary celebrations, he was far less critical of Democrats than usual — at least to a point.

    “The American Dream is alive again. It’s something that nobody thought they’d be saying when you went through that last four years of incompetence,” Trump said.

    The president also mentioned his tumultuous effort to revamp the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial and build a ballroom at the White House.

    Surprisingly, Trump wrapped his speech in less than half an hour — making it one of the shortest rally addresses of his second term and perhaps his entire political career. Just Tuesday, while addressing workers at a truck factory in Pennsylvania, Trump spoke for well over an hour.

    Still, he found time to note that he’ll again be addressing a Washington rally on July Fourth, imploring, “Your favorite president will be speaking so please show up.”

    For Wednesday’s speech, the crowd was contained to a segment of the National Mall that was nearly full. From the stage, Trump could likely see the neon colors of the giant Ferris wheel erected in front of the Capitol.

    Rally comes as midterms begin looming

    Trump is working to convince Americans ahead of critical November elections that he’s put the unpopular Iran war in the rearview mirror, with oil prices easing as the Strait of Hormuz has started to reopen in the wake of an interim deal to end the war with Tehran.

    The rally launched weeks of celebrations about America and its 1776 founding as part of “The Great American State Fair” on the mall, the national park that stretches from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.

    But Trump’s appearance was only announced after several musicians — including Young MC, Martina McBride and the Commodores — canceled their concerts because of concerns the event had become politicized.

    Instead, among those addressing the crowd was Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who slammed the musicians who backed out while declaring that Trump is “the greatest president that’s ever existed in this country since George Washington.”

    The president himself told the crowd, “This is the beginning of the golden age of America.” He congratulated himself for ousting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — but made no mention of the earthquakes that rocked that country Wednesday night.

    Organizers distributed rectangular cardboard American flags that some attendees used for shade before the sun went down and Trump took the stage.

    On the menu for the crowd: burgers, sausages and turkey legs. The program felt like a summer concert, except for the variety of American flag-themed outfits, from overalls to skirts to hats. There were also plenty of “Make America Great Again” hats.

    Attendees included Karen and Brian Ontrap, who drove 500-plus miles from northwest Ohio with their children. They planned the trip in January to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary and, for some in the group, see Washington for the first time.

    Karen Ontrap said the pair support the president “100%.”

    Trump is pressing the case that he’s made America better

    The president has struggled to deliver the presidency that he advertised to voters — causing his approval rating to dwell at a low 37%, according to the most recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling.

    Democrats say his botched repairs to the reflecting pool and the resulting algae outbreak are a sign that he’s spending taxpayer money on vanity projects instead of the nation’s legacy.

    Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said the Trump-affiliated group organizing the 250th anniversary was selling access to special interests and redrafting the nation’s founding to the president’s liking, based on documents he presented at a congressional hearing earlier this year.

    “It should be about bringing us together,” Huffman said. “He’s trying to make this 250th celebration all about him.”

    Only 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s economic leadership, with favorability at 40% on immigration and 34% on Iran.

    Trump’s rallies can only help so much without improvements on inflation

    Inflation is still higher than what Trump inherited and it has been outpacing wage growth. The budget deficit remains on a path upward that keeps interest rates high. Investments in artificial intelligence are driving growth, but they come with fears of middle-class job losses such that the construction of data centers needed for America’s tech economy have become controversial politically.

    Still, for many, Trump was the main attraction.

    Jacob Wankasky and his family, traveling from Buffalo, New York, peeled off a day early from their trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, when he and his wife, Jennifer, realized they could see Trump before their planned visit Thursday to the State Fair with their children, ages 4 and 6.

    “It’s a once in a lifetime chance,” Jacob Wankasky said. In a bright red “America Is Back” cap, the 42-year-old antique mall owner said Trump’s return to the White House was a relief in a time of “insanity.”

    __

    Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Haya Pajwani in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.


  • Michigan Senate candidate accuses Trump of keeping Canada-US bridge closed to help donor


    WASHINGTON (AP) — The delayed opening of a bridge connecting Michigan and Canada is spilling into one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races, as Democratic candidate Mallory McMorrow launches the first major effort to turn the controversy into a political liability for President Donald Trump and Republicans.

    McMorrow’s new ad, shared first with The Associated Press, accuses Trump of blocking the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and suggests he is doing so to benefit a major political donor, building on an anti-corruption message she has sought to make central to her campaign.

    The bridge, which spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario, was slated for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 12. It was abruptly postponed after officials said the U.S. and Canada were still working to resolve “outstanding issues.”

    The dispute gives Democrats a rare opportunity to tie Trump directly to a project with visible economic consequences in a battleground state. For McMorrow, who is trying to gain ground in a three-person primary, it also offers a chance to distinguish herself as the first Democratic candidate to make the controversy a campaign issue. She’s running against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.

    The winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024. Rogers has also used the bridge in political messaging, saying that if he’s sent to Washington he’ll make sure the bridge is opened.

    The ad claims Trump is blocking the bridge for billionaire donor

    Standing in front of the bridge, McMorrow claims in the ad that it’s ready to open but remains closed because “Donald Trump won’t open it.”

    “I’m Mallory McMorrow and I have one message for the president: open this damn bridge,” she says.

    McMorrow argues that Trump is blocking the bridge because “the billionaire family that owns the other bridge gave him a million bucks.”

    That claim references the Moroun family, owners of the privately held Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor. Federal campaign finance records show Matthew Moroun donated $1 million to Trump’s super PAC earlier this year.

    In February, Trump demanded in a social media post that Canada hand over at least half ownership of the bridge to the U.S. government and accept other unspecified demands, part of his broader clashes with Canada over trade.

    Canada financed the bridge’s construction. The project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and work has been underway since 2018 and cost close to $4.4 billion.

    Named after the late Canadian hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge is expected to be another vital economic artery between Canada and the United States.

    McMorrow is taking big swings. She may need to

    McMorrow is hoping to break through in a race that many in the state see increasingly as a two-candidate contest.

    In an interview with AP, McMorrow acknowledged that from the start of the race she’s been a “dark horse” candidate. A state senator known for a viral speech in 2022, she faces a congresswoman with large resources in Stevens. El-Sayed, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, has carved out the progressive lane with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ backing.

    The Gordie Howe digital ad is the second ad in a series, with an initial buy of over $400,000 on TV and digital platforms in the Detroit market. The first ad was a 30-second TV spot released Tuesday.

    “Right now in this primary, my two opponents are trying to present a false binary choice,” McMorrow said.

    Outside groups have also begun pouring money into the race. A PAC connected to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has spent nearly $8 million this month boosting Stevens, while Yes Michigan Action Committee, a super PAC supporting McMorrow, has reserved nearly $6 million in advertising, according to AdImpact.

    Last week, El-Sayed became the first Democratic candidate in the race to directly spend for an ad.

    “We have six weeks. I mean, anything can happen,” said McMorrow. “There are so many people who are just starting to tune into this race.”