The fans were enraged, They now saw him as akin to a martyr who might be carried out on his shield because his directors wouldn’t back his vision to bring success.
The leak was poisonous, of course, and it was meant to hurt Rodgers, which it did. He called for an investigation and for the guilty person to be removed. If there was a probe then we heard no more about it.
At that point it was plain Rodgers was losing the support of the people above him.
The regular gripes about transfers were followed by a desperate beginning to the season. A feeble exit from the Champions League, flat domestic performances, a stench of decay in the air.
Blame was shifted. When Celtic lost to Dundee a few weeks back he said: “You can’t be given the keys to a Honda Civic and drive it like a Ferrari.”
If Rodgers had said that after losing a big Champions League game then it would have been contentious enough, but after a loss to Dundee – with a tiny fraction of Celtic’s resources – it was mortifying. Later, he doubled-down on it.
The fans, increasingly growing weary of excuses, didn’t buy it, but if it was a battle between Rodgers and the Celtic board then, in their eyes, Rodgers was still an emphatic winner.
Nothing was heard from Desmond, as usual, but the story of his business life tells us he doesn’t appreciate his people going rogue. Rodgers comment by Rodgers comment, those Desmond whiskers would have to started to dance.
Monday, in the wake of a loss to Hearts that put Celtic eight points behind Derek McInnes’ team, was the endgame. Desmond opened his laptop. Sudden, unsparing and almost startling in its intensity, he unburdened himself.
Unquestionably, elements of what Rodgers did and said was self-serving. He dropped hints that some players were being signed without his full approval, something that Desmond categorically denies.
He said as recently as Sunday that he was never more determined to fix things as he was right in the here and now, but the trust had obviously gone. In both directions.
A divorce is the wisest action. This was an irretrievable breakdown. Unseemly and embarrassing.
Rodgers made good points, though, and the supporters, though turning on him slightly in the wake of recent performances, were wholly behind him in other areas.
Some will see him now as a victim, a sacrificial lamb, a man who had the bravery to speak up about the problems the club faced and who got driven out because of it. Silenced and humiliated by Desmond.
It’s an interpretation with merit, but they were two parties involved in this break-up.
Through his caustic words, Desmond has made it a vicious separation. We’ll get Rodgers’s riposte in time, but his era is over now. No coming back this time, not even a chance of a proper farewell. A sad, but inevitable conclusion.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa discuss cooperation and mutual respect as Ukraine and Syria rebuild diplomatic relations.
Published On 25 Sep 202525 Sep 2025
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Ukraine and Syria have formally restored diplomatic relations as their leaders met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following his meeting with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, along with an accompanying delegation, also attended the meeting on Wednesday in New York, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement.
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Ukraine broke off relations with Syria in 2022 after the government of the country’s former ruler, Bashar al-Assad, moved to recognise the “independence” of the Russian-backed breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Shortly after, Syria announced it would break ties with Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Syria signed a communique on the restoration of their diplomatic relations.
“We welcome this important step and are ready to support the Syrian people on their path to stability,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.
“During our negotiations with the President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa, we also discussed in detail promising sectors for developing cooperation, security threats faced by both countries, and the importance of countering them,” Zelenskyy said.
Today, Ukraine and Syria signed a Joint Communiqué on the restoration of diplomatic relations. We welcome this important step and are ready to support the Syrian people on their path to stability.
During our negotiations with President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa, we also discussed… pic.twitter.com/HBXsoaRob8
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 24, 2025
The Ukrainian leader said the two sides agreed to build “our relations on the basis of mutual respect and trust”.
Al-Sharaa arrived in New York on Sunday with a delegation of ministers to join the annual UN General Assembly, marking Syria’s first participation in the event at the presidential level in nearly 60 years.
Damascus had boycotted the gathering after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, when Israel occupied the Golan Heights in southwest Syria.
President Nureddin al-Atassi was the last Syrian head of state to attend the UN summit, holding office from 1966 to 1970.
In January, al-Sharaa assumed power in Damascus after the opposition forces he led overthrew President al-Assad’s regime, bringing an end to the Assad family’s five-decade rule over Syria.
In his debut speech at the UNGA earlier on Wednesday, al-Sharaa called for the lifting of international sanctions on his war-torn nation.
Al-Sharaa highlighted the reform measures introduced in the months since he took power, including the creation of new institutions, plans for elections and efforts to attract foreign investment.
U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff have sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting a detailed breakdown of military deployments to Los Angeles amid recent immigration enforcement protests in the city.
The two California Democrats wrote Monday that they wanted to know how thousands of National Guard troops and U.S. Marines were specifically used, whether and how they engaged in any law enforcement activity and how much the deployments have cost taxpayers to date.
The deployments were made over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and other local officials, and sparked a lawsuit by the state alleging they were illegal. The letter came just hours before a federal judge agreed with the state in a ruling Tuesday that Padilla and Schiff both cheered.
Padilla and Schiff wrote that the deployments were unnecessary and that greater detail was needed in light of similar operations now being launched or threatened in other American cities.
“The use of the U.S. military to assist in or otherwise support immigration operations remains inappropriate, potentially a violation of the law, and harmful to the relationship between the U.S. public and the U.S. military,” they wrote.
The Department of Defense declined to comment on the letter to The Times, saying it would “respond directly” to Padilla and Schiff.
President Trump ordered the federalization of some 4,100 National Guard troops in California in June, as L.A. protests erupted over his administration’s immigration policies. Some 700 Marines were also deployed to the city. Most of those forces have since departed, but Padilla and Schiff said 300 Guard troops remain activated.
Trump, Hegseth and other administration leaders have previously defended the deployments as necessary to restore law and order in L.A., defend federal buildings and protect federal immigration agents as they conduct immigration raids in local communities opposed to such enforcement efforts.
Under questioning from members of Congress at the start of the deployments in June, Hegseth and other Defense officials estimated that the mission would last 60 days and that basic necessities such as travel, housing and food for the troops would cost about $134 million. However, the administration has not provided updated details as the operation has continued.
Padilla and Schiff asked for specific totals on the number of California Guard troops and Marines deployed to L.A., and details as to which units they were drawn from and whether any out-of-state Guard personnel were brought in. They also asked whether any other military personnel were deployed to L.A., and how many civilian employees from the Department of Defense were assigned to the L.A. operation.
The senators asked for a description of the “specific missions” carried out by the different units deployed to the city, and for a breakdown of military personnel who directly supported Department of Homeland Security teams, which would include ICE agents doing immigration enforcement. They also asked which units were assigned to provide security at federal sites or were “placed on stand-by status outside of the immediate protest or immigration enforcement areas.”
They asked for “the number of times and relevant detail for any cases in which [Defense] personnel made arrests, detained any individuals, otherwise exercised law enforcement authorities, or exercised use of lethal force during the operation.”
They also asked for the total cost of all of the work to the Department of Defense and for a breakdown of costs by operation, maintenance, personnel or other accounts, and asked whether any funding used in the operation was diverted from other programs.
Padilla and Schiff requested that the Department of Defense provide the information by Sept. 12.
Unless it is “expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress,” the use of military personnel for civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil is barred by law under the Posse Comitatus Act. The 1878 law applies to U.S. Marines and to Guard troops who, like those in L.A., have been federalized.
In its lawsuit, California argued the deployments were a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. In response, the Trump administration argued that the president has the legal authority to deploy federal troops to protect federal property and personnel, such as ICE agents.
On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled for the state, finding that the deployments did violate the Posse Comitatus Act. The judge placed his injunction on hold for 10 days, and the Trump administration is expected to appeal.
Schiff said Trump’s “goal was not to ensure safety, but to create a spectacle,” and that the ruling affirmed those actions were “unlawful and unjustified.”
Padilla said the ruling “confirmed what we knew all along: Trump broke the law in his effort to turn service members into his own national police force.”
MANCHESTER UNITED are set for a make-or-break deadline day after failing to sell any players this window.
But Ruben Amorim’s side is running out of time with the window shutting at 7pm tonight.
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Ruben Amorim is hoping to make some late changes to his squadCredit: Reuters
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Emiliano Martinez is one goalkeeper target for UnitedCredit: Alamy
Goalkeeper
United are keeping potential deals with Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens warm before deciding which one to go for.
Both players want to join Amorim’s side and were left out of their respective squads over the weekend. United aren’t in line to sign both goalkeepers.
£17million-rated Lammens, 23, is a project for the future, while World Cup winner Martinez can surely put things up between the sticks immediately.
SunSport understands Lammens is happy with the personal terms now on offer after talks stalled last week, and the Belgian wants to move to Old Trafford.
However, the Red Devils still need to agree a fee with Royal Antwerp, who are believed to be seeking £20 million.
Martinez, 32, would cost significantly more at around £40million and would demand higher wages in line with his current Villa Park deal, which still has five years left.
Antony
United winger Antony is expected to travel to Spain for a medical with Real Betis, where he enjoyed a revitalising six month loan last season.
He will take a significant pay cut to leave and will join Betis for £21.7m, with the deal made up of an initial £19m payment plus £3.4million in adds.
After a week of high-stakes diplomacy aimed at halting the war in Ukraine, United States President Donald Trump says he is set on arranging a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Following separate meetings with both leaders, Trump has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine, but pledged security guarantees to Kyiv and indicated that Washington could provide air support to reinforce a potential deal.
Ukraine, in turn, told reporters at the White House it would obtain US-made weapons purchased by Europeans for an estimated $90bn as part of the effort to bolster its defences.
Which countries are aiding Ukraine?
At least 41 countries have contributed to Ukraine’s war efforts monetarily, either through military, humanitarian or financial assistance, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank.
Military assistance includes weapons, equipment and financial aid for the Ukrainian military. Humanitarian relief covers medical, food and other items for civilians, while financial assistance comes in the form of grants, loans and guarantees.
Most contributions to Ukraine have come from NATO, with 29 of its 32 members providing monetary aid, according to the Kiel Institute.
Additionally, 12 non-NATO countries and territories have sent monetary aid to Ukraine. These include Australia, Austria, Cyprus, the Republic of Ireland, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, China, Taiwan, and India.
The European Union, through the Commission and Council, has also delivered substantial aid to Ukraine.
How much aid has Ukraine received so far?
So far, Ukraine has received more than 309 billion euros ($360bn) in military, financial, and humanitarian aid, according to the Kiel Institute:
Military aid – 149.26 billion euros ($174bn – using today’s exchange rate of €1 = $1.17)
Financial aid – 139.34 billion euros ($163bn)
Humanitarian aid – 21.04 billion euros ($24bn)
Who are Ukraine’s largest donors?
The US has committed the largest amount of aid to Ukraine, providing 114.64 billion euros ($134bn) between January 24, 2022 and June 30, 2025, of which:
Military aid – 64.6 billion euros ($75bn)
Financial aid – 46.6 billion euros ($54bn)
Humanitarian aid – 3.4 billion euros ($4bn)
The EU (Commission and Council) is the second biggest donor at 63.19 billion euros ($74bn), followed by Germany (21.29 billion euros or $25bn), the UK (18.6 billion euros or $21bn) and Japan (13.57 billion euros or $15bn).
How much aid has been pledged v allocated?
According to the Kiel Institute, European countries have collectively allocated 167.4 billion euros ($195bn) to the war in Ukraine, more than the 114.6 billion euros ($134bn) allocated by the US.
Allocated aid refers to funds or resources that have actually been set aside, delivered, or officially committed for use by Ukraine.
It is different from pledged aid, which is money or equipment promised by a country but not yet delivered or officially set aside.
In total, Europe as a whole has committed 257.4 billion euros ($300bn) and the US 119 billion euros ($139bn).
US aid to Ukraine plummets under Trump
Days before Trump took office, the Biden administration gave one final injection of military support to Ukraine with a weapons package of $500m on January 9.
Following the start of the Trump administration’s second term in office, aid to Ukraine has plummeted, with Washington suspending all support, including weapons, in March after a tense meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House.
Trump made claims that the US has given Ukraine more than $300bn in wartime aid. That number has been contested by Ukraine and its supporters, despite the US being the single largest donor country.
What weapons has Ukraine received?
Ukraine has received various weapons systems from its allies, including armoured vehicles, artillery, aircraft, air defence systems, drones, missiles, and a wide range of support equipment.
According to the Kiel Institute, Poland has supplied its neighbour with the largest number of tanks, totaling 354, while the US leads in providing infantry fighting vehicles (305), howitzers (201), air defence systems (18), and HIMARS rocket launchers (41).
The HIMARS, capable of striking targets just a few metres (feet) wide from nearly 80km (50 miles) away, gave Ukraine a vital long-range precision strike capability that slowed Russian advances early in the war.
NATO defence spending
In a news briefing, the White House said the US could help coordinate a security guarantee for Ukraine. However, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal.
In June, NATO leaders signed a deal to increase defence spending, which is to be achieved over the next 10 years, and is a jump worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the current goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 5 percent.
Currently, 23 of the 32 member countries have met this target, with the alliance as a whole spending 2.61 percent of its combined GDP on defence last year.
NATO countries bordering Russia, such as Estonia and Lithuania, have significantly increased their defence spending – from less than 1 percent of their GDP just 10 years ago.
The United States and the European Union have reached a wide-ranging trade agreement, ending a months-long standoff and averting a full-blown trade war just days before President Donald Trump’s deadline to impose steep tariffs.
The EU will pay 15 percent tariffs on most goods, including cars. The tariff rate is half the 30 percent Trump had threatened to implement starting on Friday. Brussels also agreed on Sunday to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on US weaponry and energy products on top of existing expenditures.
Speaking to reporters at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, Trump hailed the agreement as the “biggest deal ever made”. “I think it’s going to be great for both parties. It’s going to bring us closer together,” he added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement would “bring stability” and “bring predictability that’s very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic”.
Von der Leyen defended the deal, saying the aim was to rebalance a trade surplus with the US. Trump has made no secret of using tariffs to try to trim US trade deficits.
Sunday’s agreement capped off months of often tense shuttle diplomacy between Brussels and Washington although neither side disclosed the full details of the pact or released any written materials.
So how will the deal impact the two sides, which account for almost a third of global trade, and will it end the threats of a tariff war?
What was agreed?
At a news event at Trump’s golf resort, von der Leyen said a 15 percent tariff would apply to European cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors – all important products for Europe’s economy.
For his part, Trump said US levies on steel and aluminium, which he has set at 50 percent on many countries, would not be cut for EU products, dashing the hopes of industry in the bloc. Elsewhere, aerospace tariffs will remain at zero for now.
In exchange for the 15 percent tariff rate on EU goods, Trump said the bloc would be “opening up their countries at zero tariff” for American exports.
In addition, he said the EU would spend an extra $750bn on US energy products, invest $600bn in the US and buy military equipment worth “hundreds of billions of dollars”.
Von der Leyen confirmed that the EU would seek to buy an extra $250bn of US energy products each year from now until 2027.
“With this deal, we are securing access to our largest export market,” she said.
At the same time, she acknowledged that the 15 percent tariffs would be “a challenge for some” European industries.
The EU is the US’s largest trading partner with two-way trade in goods and services last year reaching nearly $2 trillion.
How have European leaders responded?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the agreement, saying it avoids “an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations”.
He said a trade war “would have hit Germany’s export-oriented economy hard”, pointing out that the German car industry would see US tariffs lowered from 27.5 percent to 15 percent.
But French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the deal a “dark day” for Europe, saying the bloc had caved in to the US president with an unbalanced deal that spares US imports from any immediate European retaliation.
“It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission,” Bayrou wrote on X of what he called the “von der Leyen-Trump deal”.
Wolfgang Niedermark, a board member of the Federation of German Industries trade body, called the deal “an inadequate compromise” with the EU “accepting painful tariffs”.
A 15 percent tariff rate “will have a huge negative impact on Germany’s export-oriented industry”, he said.
Earlier, Benjamin Haddad, France’s European affairs minister, said: “The trade agreement … will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced.”
Echoing that sentiment, Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Hanneke Boerma said the deal was “not ideal” and called on the commission to continue negotiations with Washington.
The European Commission is responsible for negotiating trade deals for the entire bloc.
EU ambassadors will be discussing the agreement with the commission this week.
How was trade conducted before the deal?
On July 12, Trump threatened to impose 30 percent tariffs on EU goods if the two sides couldn’t reach a deal before this Friday, the day a suspension expires on the implementation of what Trump calls his “reciprocal tariffs”, which he placed on nearly all countries in the world.
Those “reciprocal tariffs” are due to come into effect in addition to the 25 percent tariffs on cars and car parts and the 50 percent levy on steel and aluminium products Trump already put in place.
On the European side, it is understood that Brussels would have pushed ahead with a retaliatory tariffs package on 90 billion euros ($109bn) of US goods, including car parts and bourbon, if talks had broken down.
The EU had been a frequent target of escalating trade rhetoric by Trump, who accused the bloc of “ripping off” the US.
In 2024, the US ran a $235.6bn goods deficit with the EU. Pharmaceuticals, car parts and industrial chemicals were among Europe’s largest exports to the US, according to EU data.
How will the deal impact the US and EU?
Bloomberg Economics estimated that a no-deal outcome would have raised the effective US tariff rate on European goods to nearly 18 percent on Friday.
The new deal brings that number down to 16 percent, offering a small reprieve to European exporting firms. Still, current trade barriers are much higher than before Trump took office in 2025.
According to Bruegel, a research group, the average US tariff rate on EU exports was just 1.5 percent at the end of 2024.
William Lee, chief economist at the Milken Institute, told Al Jazeera: “I think the [Trump] strategy has been clear from the very beginning. … It’s brinkmanship. … Either partner with the US or face high tariffs.”
Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said: “President Trump just unlocked one of the biggest economies in the world. The European Union is going to open its $20 trillion market and completely accept our auto and industrial standards for the first time ever.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It’s time to start previewing top football players for the coming season. The Times’ nine-part series looking at each position begins Aug. 12, but let’s start providing a sneak peek.
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Quarterbacks to watch
Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel throws a pass during a 43-14 nonleague win over Ventura on Sept. 26, 2024.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Quarterbacks can be broken down into three groups — exceptional returnees, rising players entering their senior seasons and newcomers with potential.
Brady Smigiel of Newbury Park returns for his senior year having thrown 147 career touchdowns. Bryson Beaver of Vista Murrieta surged in the off season as a college prospect before committing to Oregon after passing for 3,214 yards. Luke Fahey of Mission Viejo is an Ohio State commit with big ambitions for his senior season. Brady Edmunds of Huntington Beach enters his junior season after passing for 3,222 yards as a sophomore. He’s also committed to Ohio State.
Corin Berry of Charter Oak passed for 3,034 and committed to Purdue. Oscar Rios of Downey is committed to Arizona and one of the best passers and runners. Jackson Taylor of Thousand Oaks committed to Boise State.
Alexander Lundsberg of Anaheim Canyon was one of the state leaders in passing at 3,646 yards. Travis Frazier of Esperanza is a 6-foot-4 senior who passed for 2,600 yards.
Ryan Hopkins of Mater Dei moves from JSerra as one of the fastest quarterbacks in the state and is a Wisconsin commit. Koa Malau’ulu of St. John Bosco should continue his rise after a freshman season that saw him get the Braves into the Division 1 final. Wyatt Brown moves from Santa Monica to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame ready to test himself against Mission League competition. Cathedral’s Jaden Jefferson had 2,641 yards and 30 touchdowns as a sophomore. Edison’s Sam Thomson led his team to a state title as a sophomore.
Santa Margarita turns to Tulane commit Trace Johnson, a transfer from Florida. Agoura gets back from injury Gavin Gray, who had more than 1,100 yards passing in four games. Chaparral’s Dane Weber completed 67% of his passes as a sophomore. Dominik Hardy of Calabasas passed for 2,100 yards as a sophomore. Deshawn Laporte of Burbank had 2,600 yards passing as a sophomore for a 9-3 team. Joseph Mesa of Paraclete passed for 3,414 yards and 30 touchdowns. Isaiah Arriaza of Damien passed for 2,892 yards and was Baseline League MVP.
Russell Sekona of Leuzinger is coming off a freshman season in which he passed for 1,600 yards. Caden Jones of Crean Lutheran might be the best football/basketball athlete in the Southland entering his junior season. Jacob Paisano of Hart and Brady Bretthauer of Valencia are both senior quarterbacks with strong arms and proven performances from the Foothill League.
The City Section could have its best collection of quarterbacks in years, led by Eagle Rock’s Liam Pasten, who had 3,602 yards passing last season. There’s also Chris Fields at Carson, Jack Thomas at Palisades, Elijah McDaniel at Dorsey, Diego Montes at Kennedy, Seth Solorio at San Pedro and freshman Thaddeus Breaux at Hamilton.
Speaking of freshmen, the class of 2029 quarterbacks look promising. Evan McCalister of Valencia, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran and Marcus Washington of Cajon have already made positive impressions this summer.
Orange Lutheran quarterback Makena Cook throws a pass.
(Steve Galluzzo For The Times)
In girls flag football, Makena Cook of Orange Lutheran, injured during the girls’ soccer season, is expected back this fall to lead the defending Southern Section champion Lancers. Here’s the report.
San Pedro is up to nearly 30 players going out for flag football. The Pirates have lost in the City Open Division finals the last two seasons. King/Drew is joining the Pirates in the Marine League this season.
Summer competition
It’s my favorite week of the summer, because Edison’s Battle at the Beach seven on seven passing tournament is set for Saturday. The 9 a.m. games are some of the best matchups, with Cathedral vs. St. John Bosco and Edison vs. Santa Margarita.
St. John Bosco, Mission Viejo, Santa Margarita, Servite, Los Alamitos, Palos Verdes, Long Beach Poly and L.A. Cathedral are among the schools scheduled to participate. Mission Viejo gets the favorite nod, having beaten Mater Dei in its own tournament on June 28. Action starts at 9 a.m. and ends by early afternoon. Bring a lawn chair, then sit back and enjoy lots of outstanding skill-position players.
Ocean View is hosting its own tournament on Saturday.
The transfer portal continues nonstop. Matt Smith, who took over starting quarterback duties during last season’s playoffs as a sophomore, has left Loyola for Villa Park. Two other Loyola players have also left, defensive back Brandon Lockhart to Sierra Canyon and running back Sean Morris to Orange Lutheran. The Cubs have lost at least eight players since January.
Richard Dunn, a linebacker and running back who was All-City selection as a freshman at Hamilton, has transferred to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Jordan Spigarelli, a 6-foot-3 junior quarterback, has left JSerra for Newport Harbor. Here’s the transfer tracker.
New stadiums
Garfield’s new all-weather football field will be ready for games this fall.
(Garfield HS)
Rivals Garfield and Roosevelt will unveil new football fields and stadiums this fall. Construction could be finished by the end of this month.
Andrew Williams of Fremont is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior who committed to USC.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Unsung defensive end Andrew Williams of Fremont should serve as inspiration for City Section players this season after committing to USC last February. It’s a story that gives others hope.
The Section 7 tournament in Arizona revealed lots of top boys basketball teams for the coming season.
Among the teams winning bracket championships were Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Crespi, Crean Lutheran, Sierra Canyon and Orange Lutheran. Among the new stars emerging were junior Davy Harris of Windward and junior NaVorro Bowman of Notre Dame. Bowman received a scholarship offer from UCLA.
☀️ Boys California LIVE 2025 ☀️ Presented By Passport Sports@simplyy_bball@CoachesCorner__ 🏆 LEADING SCORER Jason Crowe Jr., was a certified 🪣 averaging 37.0 points per game! Scoring from the field, off the dribble and at the rim, a truly outstanding performance! pic.twitter.com/1LCP8YNZIs
— Boys California Live 2025 🚨 (@BoysCALiveHoops) July 4, 2025
Brentwood’s girls’ team made a positive impressive at the CaliLive competition.
Guards were standouts in the CaliLive boys competition. Jason Crowe Jr. (Inglewood), Luke Barnett (Mater Dei), Joe Sterling (Harvard-Westlake), Kaiden Bailey (Santa Margarita) all indicated they are ready for big senior seasons. Notre Dame or St. John Bosco will be the the No. 1 team to start the season.
Transfers have moved into Crespi, JSerra, Campbell Hall, Sierra Canyon, La Mirada and St. John Bosco, adding to already talented teams. But plenty more transfers are expected before school begins next month.
Cleveland has added St. Bonaventure’s Charlie Adams, who was a star freshman last season.
MLB draft
Corona High’s Seth Hernandez circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run.
(Jerry Soifer)
The MLB amateur draft begins Sunday in Atlanta, and it should be a good draft for Southern California products.
Corona pitcher Seth Hernandez and Corona shortstop Billy Carlson are both likely first-round picks, if not top 10 picks. Hernandez was the Gatorade national player of the year and is a two-time player of the year by The Times.
Great Oak infielder Gavin Fien is another likely first-round selection. Shortstop Quentin Young of Oaks Christian is another potential first-round pick. Pitcher Angel Cervantes of Warren, a UCLA commit, is expected to be taken in the first three rounds and sign.
Also, for the first time, two Harvard-Westlake grads have earned spots in the MLB All-Star Game. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs and Max Fried of the New York Yankees can wear their old Wolverine caps.
Volleyball
The Manhattan Beach volleyball club team, MB Surf.
(Olivia Duval)
Good things happen when volleyball players from Loyola and Mira Costa join together. The MB Surf club team won the 18 Open division championship at the AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships in Florida. It’s owned by Loyola coach Mike Boehle. His sons, Parker and Davis, coached the team.
The MVP was Mira Costa’s Andrew Chapin. All-tournament picks included Grayson Bradford from Mira Costa and Blake Falbusch from Loyola. MB Surf also won the 12 Open division title, so watch for future Loyola and Mira Costa players.
Kendall Omoruyi, the top-ranked girls’ volleyball player from the class of 2027, has enrolled at Sierra Canyon. She’s a Nebraska commit who attended Casteel High near Phoenix.
Notes . . .
Jackson Eisenhower, the pitcher of the year in the Mission League from Crespi, has committed to Colorado Mesa. . . .
Megan Hall has become an athletic director at Harvard-Westlake. She previously was at Notre Dame Academy. . . .
Defensive end Richard Wesley of Sierra Canyon, previously committed to Oregon after a fancy social media video of taking a swim with Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, has committed to Texas. . . .
Huntington Beach receiver Troy Foster has committed to Colorado State. . . .
Crespi defensive lineman James Moffat has committed to Princeton. . . .
Cathedral receiver Jalen Ross has committed to Idaho State. . . .
Corona Centennial offensive lineman Jakob Mckindley has committed to Northern Arizona. . . .
Servite tight end Luke Sorensen has committed to Nebraska. . . .
Mission Viejo defensive back Jeron Jones has committed to Washington. . . .
Khary Wilder, the standout defensive lineman from Gardena Serra, has committed to Ohio State. . . .
Offensive lineman Mateo Bilaver of Chaminade has committed to UNLV. . . .
Kyle Sanders, a 6-10 sophomore at St. Bernard, has transferred to Campbell Hall. . . .
Trinity League boys basketball has decided to hold a post-regular season tournament and will play each league team once during the regular season. . . .
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has completed a project adding new bleachers to its gymnasium. . . .
AJ Garcia, the former football coach at Ayala, is the new athletic director at Chino. . . .
Former Bishop Montgomery and UCLA guard David Singleton is the new assistant coach at UCLA. . . .
Joe Hoggatt, the baseball coach and athletic director at Bishop Amat, is leaving to become an assistant commissioner with the Southern Section. . . .
The City Section is up to 85 schools planning to have flag football teams this fall. . . .
Jesse Mercado is the new boys basketball at Villa Park. . . .
Nico Young was the premier distance runner in Southern California running for Newbury Park, and now he’s one of the best in the world. He set an American record in the 5,000 meters on June 12, running 12:45.27.
From The562.org, a story on Long Beach Poly’s campus beginning a six-year, $450 million upgrade.
From ESPN.com, a story on the rise of former Harvard-Westlake outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
From the Los Angeles Times, a story on former Chatsworth guard Alijah Arenas discussing his accident.
From ESPN.com, a story on the rise of former Thousand Oaks shortstop Jacob Wilson, who made the All-Star Game.
Tweets you might have missed
Former JSerra girls’ basketball coach Chyanne Butler has filed suit in Orange County Superior Court alleging discrimination and sexual harassment after her dismissal last March. She guided the team to a 3A title during 2024 season https://t.co/9rHsveugWA
Thank you Fillmore/Piru! Your New Fillmore High Athletic Complex Construction has begun! Athletic Complex construction news will be updated regularly on our blog, social media, and website at this link: https://t.co/pb04U1uTljpic.twitter.com/91bZae0qgH
— Fillmore Unified School District (@FUSDDistrict) June 17, 2025
STORY: Lakewood alum Anthony Eyanson led LSU to an NCAA baseball championship yesterday. Next up: the MLB Draft next monthhttps://t.co/F7ij59L6X3
Alijah Arenas describes for the first time publicly how the steering wheel of his Tesla Cybertruck locked up and led to his fiery April wreck in Reseda.
It’s going to be the summer of turmoil at Southern Section office dealing with transfers. As soon as transfer paperwork gets entered into data base, the work begins. Expect lots of forfeits this season if AD’s don’t do their jobs checking addresses and pre-enrollment contact.
CSUN Athletics is mourning the passing of Matador Hall of Fame @CSUNBaseball coach and former Athletics Director, Bob Hiegert at the age of 83.
A legendary figure in CSUN Athletics’ history, Hiegert is the longest tenured and winningest coach in Matador baseball history with… pic.twitter.com/RpPgWk9MG8
Today marks Jamal K. Adams’ ’90 first official day as the new president of Loyola High School.
A Loyola alumnus, he was most recently the school’s principal. With full support from the community, join us in welcoming President Adams as he begins a new era for Loyola. #AMDGpic.twitter.com/9rC6Ws8aw6
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WASHINGTON — The governor and the president are talking past each other.
The two men, despite their politics and ambition, have worked together before, through devastating fires and a pandemic. But as immigration raids roil Los Angeles, President Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom cannot even agree on how they left their last conversation, late on Friday evening on the East Coast, as protests picked up around the city.
Aides to Trump told The Times he issued a clear warning: “Get the police in gear.” His patience would last less than 24 hours before he chose a historic path, federalizing the National Guard against the wishes of state and local officials.
The governor, on the other hand, told MSNBC the account is a lie. In their 40-minute call, not once did the president raise the prospect of wresting control over the National Guard from state and local officials.
They have not spoken since, a White House official said.
Trump went even further on Monday, raising the specter of Newsom’s arrest and supplementing the National Guard operation with a historic deployment of active-duty U.S. Marines.
The troop deployment is yet another extraordinary effort to quell simmering demonstrations across Los Angeles, some of which have turned violent, in protest of flash raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in recent days.
‘Subjecting himself to arrest’
Newsom’s government said Monday it would sue the Trump administration over the deployment and issued scathing criticism of Trump’s leadership, calling his Defense secretary a “joke” and the president “unhinged.” But the president and his top advisers responded with an especially pointed threat, suggesting the governor could be arrested for obstruction.
“It is a basic principle in this country that if you break the law, you will face a consequence for that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Times in an interview. “So if the governor obstructs federal enforcement, or breaks federal laws, then he is subjecting himself to arrest.”
Earlier in the day, Tom Homan, the president’s so-called border czar, said that no one is above the law and that anyone — including the governor — who obstructs immigration enforcement would be subject to charges.
“I would do it if I were Tom,” Trump said, pursing his lips as he appeared to consider the question as he was speaking to reporters on Monday. “I think it’s great.”
“He’s done a terrible job,” Trump continued. “I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy. But he’s grossly incompetent. Everybody knows.”
The White House is not actively discussing or planning Newsom’s arrest. But Newsom took the threat seriously, vehemently decrying Trump’s remarks as the mark of an authoritarian.
“The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,” Newsom wrote on X.
“It would truly be unprecedented to arrest a governor over a difference in policy between the federal government and a state,” UC Berkeley law school dean Erwin Chemerinsky said Monday. “Even when Southern governors were obstructing desegregation orders, presidents did not try to have them arrested.”
A backfiring effort at deterrence
Leavitt said that Trump’s initial decision to deploy the Guard was “with the expectation that the deployment of the National Guard would hopefully prevent and deter some of this violence.”
“He told the governor to get it under control and watched again for another full day, 24 hours, where it got worse,” Leavitt said. “The assaults against federal law enforcement upticked, the violence grew, and the president took bold action on Saturday evening to protect federal detention spaces and federal buildings and federal personnel.”
The opposite occurred. The worst violence yet took place on Sunday, with some rioters torching and hurling concrete at police cars, hours after National Guard troops had arrived in L.A. County.
The protests had been largely peaceful throughout Friday and Saturday, with isolated instances of violent activity. Leavitt said that Newsom and Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, have “handicapped” the Los Angeles Police Department, “who are trying to do their jobs.”
Local leaders “have refused to allow the local police department to work alongside the feds to enforce our nation’s immigration laws, and to detain and arrest violent criminals who are on the streets of Los Angeles,” she said.
“As for the local law enforcement,” she added, “the president has the utmost respect for the Los Angeles Police Department.”
‘All options on the table’
Leavitt, in a phone call on Monday afternoon, said she would not get ahead of Trump on whether he will invoke the Insurrection Act, a law that allows the president to suspend Posse Comitatus, which prohibits the military from engaging in local law enforcement.
But she took note that, on Monday, the president referred to some of the rioters as insurrectionists, potentially laying the groundwork for an invocation of the law.
“The president is wisely keeping all options on the table, and will do what is necessary to restore law and order in California,” she said. “Federal immigration enforcement operations will continue in the city of Los Angeles, which has been completely overrun by illegal alien criminals that pose a public safety risk and need to be removed from the city.”
The president’s order, directing 2,000 National Guard troops to protect federal buildings in the city, allows for a 60-day deployment. Leavitt would not say how long the operation might last, but suggested it would continue until violence at the protests ends.
“I don’t want to get ahead of the president on any decisions or timelines,” she said. “I can tell you the White House is 100% focused on this. The president wants to solve the problem. And that means creating an environment where citizens, if they wish, are given the space and the right to peacefully protest.”
“And these violent disruptors and insurrectionists, as the president has called them, are not only doing a disservice to law-abiding citizens, but to those who wish to peacefully protest. That’s a fundamental right this administration will always support and protect.”
Wilner reported from Washington, Wick from Los Angeles.
June 8 (UPI) — Pope Leo asked God to “open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred,” during Sunday mass with tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square Sunday.
The pontiff has been critical of nationalist political movements and the “exclusionary mindset” they convey, but did not name a specific country or government.
“There is no room for prejudice , for ‘security zones’ separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging in political nationalisms,” the pope said during the mass.
Leo added that the church “must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race.”
“People must move beyond our fear of those who are different,” he continued, and said the Holy Spirit “breaks down barriers and tears down the walls of indifference and hatred.”
While the pontiff did not mention President Donald Trump by name, he has been critical of his administration and policies.
Prior to ascending to pope in May, Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, routinely posted negative comments about Trump and vice-president JD Vance on social media. The Prevost X account was deactivated shortly after he became pope.
Prior to Leo, pope Francis, who died earlier this year, was also critical of Trump.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not a Christian,” Francis said about Trump when asked about him in 2016.
1 of 3 | An displaced Palestinian woman stands among the rubble of her destroyed family shelter after an Israeli airstrike in Al Jerjawi school in the Al Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City onMonday. Photo by Mohammed Saber/EPA-EFE
May 26 (UPI) — Dozens of Palestinians were killed overnight by further Israeli air strikes on the war-torn enclave amid a breakdown in a new cease-fire agreement.
An estimated 54 Palestinians sheltering at Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City have been killed by airstrikes carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces, the BBC reported Monday.
The scores of dead refugees included children from Beit Lahia after fires were seen engulfing two classrooms fixed as living quarters in the school, which was housing hundreds of people, according to the Hamas-run civil defense authority.
At least 35 were reported to be killed when the school was hit.
Video footage depicted fire engulfing parts of the school and graphic images of severely burned victims, including kids.
On Monday morning, the IDF said it hit 200 “terrorist organizations” across the Gaza Strip in 28 hours as military ops carried on.
The IDF claimed it targeted a “Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control center” in an area used by “terrorists” to presumably “plan” attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops, accusing Hamas of using the Gaza population “as human shields.”
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official told the BBC that the terror syndicate agreed to the latest cease-fire deal.
The proposal permitted the release in two phases of 10 Israel hostages in exchange for a 70-day truce, a gradual withdrawal of IDF troops out of the territory and release of an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas further demanded the entrance of 1,000 humanitarian aid trucks a day to aid the ailing population in Gaza.
However, a senior Israeli official said Monday that it had rejected the cease-fire proposal after reports that Israel had agreed to it in principle.
“The proposal received by Israel cannot be accepted by any responsible government,” the official told The Times of Israel without providing further detail, claiming that Hamas was setting “impossible conditions that mean a complete failure to meet the war goals, and an inability to release the hostages.”
On Sunday, IDF officials claimed that since its war began, Israel has “facilitated” the entry of over 1.7 million tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
On Monday, Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories office — a unit of its Ministry of Defense — claimed that 107 humanitarian aid trucks transporting flour and food were transferred into Gaza “following inspection” via the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
But according to international human rights organizations, Gaza is at a “breaking point” while the United Nations-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has warned of imminent famine on top of reputable accusations of genocide by Israel against Palestinians.
Nearly 54,000 people, including at least 16,000 children, have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its invasion, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Israel launched a campaign against former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger after he blamed the Israelis for the breakdown of his mission to achieve an interim agreement with Egypt following the 1973 war, according to declassified British documents
The documents, unearthed by MEMO in the British National Archives, showed that the Israeli government lobbied US Congressmen to turn American opinion against Kissinger, accusing him of “delivering” Israel to Egypt and “humiliating” Israeli ministers.
In late March 1975, Kissinger’s shuttle diplomacy between Israel and Egypt collapsed. Although he initially avoided publicly assigning blame, he privately told his UK counterpart, James Callaghan, that Israeli leaders were primarily responsible. Kissinger argued that the Israelis had “locked themselves into an inflexible position on non-belligerency,” that “wouldn’t allow them to escape”. He also informed his British counterpart that he “warned the Israelis once the step-by-step process had broken down the situation might change rapidly to their disadvantage”.
Egypt publicly declared that Kissinger’s approach had failed due to Israeli intransigence, specifically their insistence on non-belligerency, which Egypt rejected before a comprehensive settlement involving all aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the Palestinian issue, is reached.
Following the breakdown, the administration of President Gerald Ford began a comprehensive reassessment of its Middle East policy. The US National Security Council (NSC) informed the British embassy that the review “will be far reaching and will include an examination of military and economic assistance to Israel” and focusing on “principles underlying US policy rather than on tactical considerations”.
Although the Ford Administration avoided publicly blaming either party, US media reports suggested that Kissinger viewed Israel as primarily responsible for the failure. This impression was reinforced when it was revealed that President Ford had sent a strongly worded letter to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, criticising Israel’s inflexibility before the breakdown of the negotiations.
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) files show that the US NSC told British Ambassador Peter Ramsbotham “in confidence” that Ford’s message to Rabin had been “very tough” and had referred critically to Israeli stubbornness during the negotiations.
Ramsbotham reported that while the Israeli embassy denied “in the strongest possible terms” any responsibility for the failed talks, support for Israel in the US “will come under increasing critical scrutiny.”
Relations between Kissinger and Israel deteriorated further. British Ambassador to Israel William B. J. Ledwidge observed increasing distrust toward Kissinger in the Israeli press, a sentiment he believed was encouraged by Israeli leaders. Ledwidge reported the relations were “in the process of becoming distinctly worse than the relations between Israel and the United States administration”. He assessed that this was “clearly inspired by briefing from Israel’s leaders”.
In a highly secret report, Ledwidge noted that the Israelis were “making no secret of the fact that Kissinger is angry with them for their stubbornness in the recent negotiations and President Ford agrees with him”.
After talking to “enough of well-informed” Israelis, Ledwidge concluded that Israel’s leaders were “worried by the strength of the disapproval which is being expressed by Washington”. “In the present situation the fact of Kissinger’s anger with Israel is perhaps more important than the justice of accusations against them”, the ambassador added.
Leon Dulzin, then treasurer of the Jewish Agency and a Likud leader, also complained to the ambassador that there as “very little negotiation” during Kissinger’s shuttle accusing the top US diplomat of aiming at “persuading the Israelis to give Sadat what he wanted”. Dulzin, a former Israeli cabinet minister and trusted by leading Zionists overseas, added that Kissinger “had never really accepted the proposition that Israel was entitled to any price in return beyond a continuation of American economic and military aid and general goodwill”.
A satirical drawing showing Israel pandering to Henry Kissinger of the United States while Egypt’s President Sadat gets away with the oil rich Sinai desert. [David Rubinger/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images]
An Israeli source close to Rabin told the ambassador that the Israeli prime minister believed that Kissinger “had tried to deliver the Israelis to Sadat” and he (Kissinger) “had become angry when he found that it would not work”. Rabin came to the conclusion that “he only wished he could talk directly to the Egyptians” without Kissinger’s go-between.
At a dinner with visiting US Congressmen, Shimon Peres, then Israel’s defense minister, accused Kissinger of “humiliating” him, complaining that he played role in delaying his important visit to the US. Peres asked the Congressmen to “say as much (about Kissinger claimed behaviour) when they returned to Washington”.
Another player was Yehoshua Rabinowitz, then Israeli minister of finance who was also informed by Washington that he must postpone his visit to discuss economic aid yet once more. Sources told the UK ambassador that Rabinowitz understood that he will not be received until the re-assessment of American Middle East policy was completed. Rabinowitz detected the “hand of Kissinger in the repeated delays of his mission”, the sources said.
The dispatches from the British embassy in Tell Aviv indicated that the Israelis were talking “as if they were convinced that Kissinger himself is the chief organiser of the present wave of American displeasure which has reached such heights”.
Senior official in Israeli Foreign Ministry Yeshayahu Anug strongly criticised Kissinger in a conversation with the UK ambassador. He said “for the first time we saw him (Kissinger) behaving like a Jew”. Anug argued that when the shuttle went wrong, Kissinger “behaved as if he had been personally betrayed by the Israelis and lost his cool completely”.
In his assessment, the ambassador concluded that many Israelis “feel that the Zionist State does indeed irritate Kissinger”.
The documents also reveal that some Israeli figures questioned Kissinger’s personal attitude toward their country. According to Ledwidge, the Israelis who knew Kissinger believed when Israel was founded in 1948, he regarded it as “an aberration that could not be last”. They acknowledged that he changed his mind later. But Kissinger had been criticised because since the 1967 war, he has always been convinced that Israel “would be obliged to evacuate all the territories she had occupied as a result of the pressure of international opinion”.
An account of a secret briefing Kissinger gave to Jewish leaders in December 1973 showed him making harsh comments about Israel’s military performance during the Yom Kippur War and emphasising the limits of US support.
According to this account, shown to the British ambassador by an Israeli diplomatic official “in strict confidence”, Kissinger “was brutally unsympathetic to Israel throughout his briefing”. He was quoted as saying “Israel had lost the Yom Kippur war strategically and that even if she had surrounded and defeated the Third Egyptian Army, she would not have reversed the verdict”.
“If there were another war, the US might not be able, even if she were willing; to mount an airlift and Israel might fare worse than she had in 1973”. He even accused Israelis of “misleading the Americans about their military plans during the latter part of the war”.
In a separate dispatch, the British embassy in Washington reported that Kissinger “has suspected for months that the Israelis were casting him for the role of “fall guy”. The British ambassador to Tel Aviv commented that “no doubt the Israelis have had for a long time past a contingency plan for doing precisely this’ and perhaps they “have now reached the point of putting it into effect”.
British diplomats in London concluded that while the Israelis had reasons to criticise Kissinger, they were mistaken to view his actions as motivated by personal animosity. Instead, they believed that Kissinger’s pressure aimed to avoid another conflict that “would ultimately damage Israel and the West more than the Arabs”. As seen by Michel S Weir, Assistant Under-Secretary and director of Middle East and North Africa, Israel considered the pursuit of this major objective and any final settlement, which would involve it giving up most of the foreign territory she is occupying, as “personal spite”. This was considered as a “measure of the chasm that separates Israeli thinking from that of the outside world”. In as much as the Israelis had accepted the idea of withdrawal, Kissinger was “surely entitled to feel betrayed, Weir concluded.
![A satirical drawing showing Israel pandering to Henry Kissinger of the United States while Egypt's President Sadat gets away with the oil rich Sinai desert. [David Rubinger/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/GettyImages-530701224.jpg?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1)