challenges

From Jack Harris: It was a miserably cold, rainy and gray afternoon outside Rogers Centre on Thursday.

Inside the stadium, however, the Dodgers found some rays of emotional sunshine.

No, this is not where the team wanted to be, facing a 3-2 deficit in the World Series entering Game 6 on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

And no, there was not much to feel good about after a disastrous 48 hours in Games 4 and 5 of this Fall Classic, in which the Dodgers relinquished control of the series and allowed their title-defense campaign to be put on life support.

But during an off-day workout, the club tried to rebound from that disappointment and reframe the downtrodden mindset that permeated the clubhouse after Game 5.

Every player showed up to the ballpark, even though attendance was optional after a long night of travel. “That was pretty exciting for me, and just speaks to where these guys are at,” manager Dave Roberts said. “They realize that the job’s not done.”

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this … and I could dive into my thoughts,” Roberts said of the team’s offensive struggles, which he noted could include another lineup alteration for Game 6.

“But I think at the end of the day,” Roberts continued, “they just have to compete and fight in the batter’s box. It’s one-on-one, the hitter versus the pitcher, and that’s it. Really. I mean, I think that that sort of mindset is all I’ll be looking for. And I expect good things to happen from that.”

Continue reading here

Hernández: Why Dodgers’ faulty bullpen construction will cost them the 2025 World Series title

Plaschke: Disappearing Dodgers backed to the brink of disaster after World Series Game 5 loss

The day the Dodgers attracted the most A-list celebrities in history — 67 years ago

WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE, RESULTS

All times Pacific

Dodgers vs. Toronto
at Toronto 11, Dodgers 4 (box score)
Dodgers 5, at Toronto 1 (box score)
at Dodgers 6, Toronto 5 (18) (box score)
Toronto 6, at Dodgers 2 (box score)
Toronto 6, at Dodgers 1 (box score)

Friday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*Saturday at Toronto, 5 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020, ESPN Radio

*-if necessary

RAMS

From Gary Klein: Puka Nacua sounded as if there was no doubt.

The Rams’ star receiver, who sat out the last game because of an ankle injury, said Thursday that he was “feeling great” and planned to play on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.

“That’s the plan,” he said after practice. “I’m feeling fantastic. Feel ready to go.”

The Rams returned this week from an off week after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Continue reading here

LAKERS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: The NBA board of governors unanimously approved Mark Walter’s bid to buy a majority stake in the Lakers on Thursday, the league announced, marking a major shift for one of L.A.’s most significant sports teams.

The Lakers had been a family-run team since Dr. Jerry Buss bought the franchise in 1979. When he died in 2013, control went into a family trust with daughter Jeanie Buss acting as the team’s governor. The Buss family built the team into one of the most recognizable brands in sports, eventually attracting a record-breaking $10-billion valuation. While the sale was finalized, Jeanie Buss will be the team’s governor for at least five years after the transaction officially closes, the league announcement stated.

“The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports, defined by a history of excellence and the relentless pursuit of greatness,” Walter said in a statement released by the team. “Few teams carry the legacy and global influence of the Lakers, and it’s a privilege to work alongside Jeanie Buss as we maintain that excellence and set the standard for success in this new era, both on and off the court.”

Continue reading here

‘Who is No. 12?’ Jake LaRavia let Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves know during Lakers win

Hornets’ LaMelo Ball fined $35,000 by NBA for making obscene gesture

KINGS

Lucas Raymond scored in the shootout and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Kings 4-3 on Thursday night.

Marco Kasper scored two goals, and Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist for Detroit. Cam Talbot stopped 35 shots through overtime and denied all three attempts in the tiebreaker as the Red Wings got their third straight win and eighth in the last 10 games.

Quinton Byfield had a goal and an assist, and Alex Laferriere and Corey Perry also scored for the Kings, who had a modest two-game win streak and a six-game point streak (4-0-2). Darcy Kuemper had 24 saves.

Continue reading here

Kings summary

NHL standings

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1948 — Sammy Baugh of Washington passes for 446 yards and four touchdowns and Dan Sandifer has four interceptions including two for touchdowns as the Redskins beat the Boston Yanks 56-21.

1950 — Earl Lloyd of the Washington Capitols becomes the first Black man to play in an NBA game. Washington loses 78-70 on the road to the Rochester Royals.

1964 — Kelso, running in what is billed as his final race in New York, wins his fifth consecutive Jockey Club Gold Cup, surpassing Round Table as the all-time money-winning thoroughbred. Kelso runs the 2-mile distance in 3:19 1/5, breaking the world record he set as a 3-year-old, four years earlier, by 1/5 of a second.

1969 — Lenny Wilkens, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, gets his first coaching victory as the Seattle SuperSonics beats Cincinnati Royals 129-121.

1981 — Florida State freshman Greg Allen rushes for 322 yards in a 56-31 victory over Western Carolina.

1987 — Eric Dickerson, the NFL’s single-season rushing champion, signs a three-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts to complete a three-way trade that nets the Rams two running backs and six top draft choices over the next two years. The third part of the deal sends linebacker Cornelius Bennett to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for three of the draft picks that went to the Rams.

1987 — Jockey Chris Antley becomes the first rider to win nine races in a single day. He has four winners in six mounts at Aqueduct and five winners from eight tries during The Meadowlands’ evening program.

1988 — The first Monday Night NFL game was played in Indianapolis; Colts beat the Broncos 55-23.

1998 — Tee Martin of Tennessee, sets NCAA records with 23 straight completions and 24 over two games in the No. 3 Volunteers’ 49-14 victory over South Carolina. Martin is 23-for-24, with a record completion percentage of 95.8, for 315 yards and four touchdowns.

1999 — Tim Couch completes a desperation 56-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Johnson with no time on the clock to give the expansion Cleveland Browns their first victory, a 21-16 win over New Orleans.

2004 — The New England Patriots lose for the first time in more than a year, falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-20. The Patriots had won 21 straight games, including the playoffs, and a league-record 18 in a row in the regular season.

2006 — Miami’s season-opening 108-66 loss to Chicago is the worst loss in NBA history for a defending champion on opening night.

2008 — The North Carolina Tar Heels are No. 1 in The Associated Press’ preseason Top 25, the first unanimous No. 1 since the preseason poll began in 1981-82.

2012 — Jamal Crawford scores 29 points in 30 minutes in his first official game with his new team, and the Clippers convert 21 turnovers into 29 points in a 101-92 victory that extends the Memphis Grizzlies’ NBA-record streak of opening-night losses to 12. The Grizzlies are 0-12 on opening night since the franchise shifted from Vancouver to Memphis in 2001.

2015 — Triple Crown champion American Pharoah wins the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic by 6 1/2 lengths in his final race before retirement.

2020 — Endland beats Italy 34-5 in Rome to win the 29th Six-Nations Rugby Championship.

Compiled by the Associated Press

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1972 — Gaylord Perry wins the AL Cy Young Award.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

TORONTO — It was a miserably cold, rainy and gray afternoon outside Rogers Centre on Thursday.

Inside the stadium, however, the Dodgers found some rays of emotional sunshine.

No, this is not where the team wanted to be, facing a 3-2 deficit in the World Series entering Game 6 on Friday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

And no, there was not much to feel good about after a disastrous 48 hours in Games 4 and 5 of this Fall Classic, in which the Dodgers relinquished control of the series and allowed their title-defense campaign to be put on life support.

But during an off-day workout, the club tried to rebound from that disappointment and reframe the downtrodden mindset that permeated the clubhouse after Game 5.

Every player showed up to the ballpark, even though attendance was optional after a long night of travel.

“That was pretty exciting for me, and just speaks to where these guys are at,” manager Dave Roberts said. “They realize that the job’s not done.”

Roberts brought some levity to the start of the workout, too, challenging speedster Hyeseong Kim to a race around the bases — only to stumble face-first on the turn around second while trying to preserve his comically large head start.

“Cut the cameras,” Roberts yelled to media members, as he playfully grabbed at his hamstring and wiped dirt off his sweatshirt.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts reacts after falling while challenging Hyeseong Kim to a race on the basepaths during a team workout at Rogers Centre on Thursday.

(Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images)

Then, the Dodgers got to work on their primary task: Trying to sync up an offense that had looked lost the last two games, and has scuffled through much of October.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this … and I could dive into my thoughts,” Roberts said of the team’s offensive struggles, which he noted could include another lineup alteration for Game 6.

“But I think at the end of the day,” Roberts continued, “they just have to compete and fight in the batter’s box. It’s one-on-one, the hitter versus the pitcher, and that’s it. Really. I mean, I think that that sort of mindset is all I’ll be looking for. And I expect good things to happen from that.”

In the losses at Chavez Ravine, the majors’ second-highest scoring offense struggled to hone that ethos. The Dodgers scored only three runs, racked up a woeful 10 hits and looked more like the version of themselves that stumbled through much of the second half of the season before entering the playoffs on a late-season surge.

Their biggest stars stopped hitting. Their teamwide approach went by the wayside. And in the aftermath of Game 5, they almost seemed to be searching for their identity as a team at the plate — trying to couple their naturally gifted slugging ability, with the need to work more competitive at-bats and earn hittable pitches first.

“We’re just not having good at-bats,” third baseman Max Muncy said.

“We’ve got to figure something out,” echoed shortstop Mookie Betts.

Take a quick glance at the numbers in this World Series, and the Dodgers’ hitting problems are relatively easy to explain.

Shohei Ohtani (who took another Ruthian round of batting practice Thursday) does not have a hit since reaching base nine times in the 18-inning Game 3 marathon. Betts (who spent as much time hitting as anyone Thursday) has bottomed out with a three-for-25 performance.

Other important bats, including Muncy and Tommy Edman, are hitting under .200. And as a team, the Dodgers have 55 strikeouts (11 more than the Blue Jays), a .201 overall average and just six hits in 30 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

“We got a lot of guys who aren’t hot right now, aren’t feeling the best,” Edman said Wednesday night. “But we got to turn the page, and hopefully we can swing it better the next couple days.”

“As a group,” Kiké Hernández added, “it’s time for us to show our character and put up a fight and see what happens. … It’s time for us, for the offense, to show up.”

Better production from Betts would be a good start.

On Wednesday night, the shortstop did not mince words about his recent offensive struggles, saying he has “just been terrible” after batting .164 in 13 games since the start of the National League Division Series.

Roberts tried to take some pressure off the former MVP in Game 5, moving him from second to third in a reshuffled batting order. But after that yielded yet another hitless performance, Roberts further simplified the task for his 33-year-old star.

“Focus on one game, and be good for one game,” Roberts said. “Go out there and compete.”

On Thursday, that was Betts’ focus, with multiple people around the team noting a quiet and renewed confidence he carried into his off-day batting practice session. He had long talks with hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, special assistant Ron Roenicke and Roberts around the hitting cage. He searched for answers to a swing that, of late, has generated too many shallow pop-ups and mishit balls.

Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts, left, Max Muncy, Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman wait on the infield during a pitching change in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“He looked great,” fellow hitting coach Aaron Bates said. “Actually, his head was in a good place. Good spirits. The whole group, guys were great. Everyone came and showed up and hit and got their work in.”

For the Dodgers to save their season, it isn’t only Betts who will need to find a turnaround.

While Blue Jays starters Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage pitched well in Games 4 and 5, the Dodgers also seemed to struggle to adapt their plan of attack — getting stuck in an “in-between” state, as both Roberts and several players noted, of both trying to attack fastballs and protect against secondary stuff.

“Sometimes we’re too aggressive,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “Sometimes we’re too patient.”

“It seems like at-bats are snowballing on us right now,” Kiké Hernández added. “We’re getting pitches to hit, we’re missing them. And we’re expanding the zone with two strikes.”

Being “in-between” was a problem for the Dodgers late in the season, when they ranked just 12th in the majors in scoring after the All-Star break. That it is happening again raises a familiar question about the identity of the club.

Do they want to be an aggressive, slugging lineup that lives and dies by the home run? Or more of a contact-minded unit capable of grinding out at-bats and stressing an opposing pitcher’s pitch count. Roberts’ emphasis on better “compete” signaled the need to do more of the latter.

Freeman echoed that notion leading up to Game 5.

“If we’re going up there just trying to hit home runs, it’s just not the name of the game,” Freeman said. “We just need to check down and have, like, almost a 0-1 mindset. Just build innings, extend ‘em, work counts, be who we are.”

So, how do they actually go about doing that, ahead of a Game 6 matchup with a pitcher in Kevin Gausman who excels at mixing his fastball and splitter?

“Basically, you have to keep to your strengths,” Bates said. “And see what the next pitcher brings to the table.”

The only silver lining: The Dodgers have been in this spot before.

Last year, at the very start of their World Series run, they faced a similar situation in the NLDS against the San Diego Padres, winning back-to-back games with clutch offensive outbursts that helped catapult them to an eventual World Series title.

“We can do it again,” Freeman said.

“I think we’re a more talented team than we were last year,” Kike Hernández added.

Entering Friday, they will have two games to prove it. Now or never. Do, or watch their dreams of cementing a dynasty die.

United States President Donald Trump has said that an international stabilisation force will operate in Gaza soon.

But not long after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel can veto which countries take part.

So what are the challenges in forming and maintaining such a force?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Tamer Qarmout – Associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

Tahani Mustafa – Visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations

Mehmet Celik – Editorial co-ordinator at the Daily Sabah newspaper

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a speech delivered on October 23rd, launched family support initiatives aimed at boosting Russia’s population. Essentially, the initiatives are not new ideas, but reiterating them demonstrates the Kremlin’s unprecedented and renewed commitment to the earlier promises of reversing population decline within the framework of creating investment opportunities and working for economic growth.

Putin, attending the first meeting of the Council for the Implementation of State Demographic and Family Policy, made several points, including the following:

– outlined concretely comprehensive steps and created conditions that enable the birth of as many children as possible in Russia. A family with three or more children should be considered as a minimum standard. At the same time, it is also essential to encourage students in the system of higher education to combine studies with family life.

– suggested, without delay, providing financial support for families as an underlying factor for strengthening the demographic policy. It is necessary to work on incentives such as maternity capital, preferential loans, flat-rate benefits for low-income families, and low-interest mortgages.

– trashed side, in absolute terms, migration to replace the native population, which often sacrifices national identity and culture, and, importantly, could cause internal political instability.

– advocated strongly for addressing the demographic challenge by supporting large family traditions and preserving genuine Russian family values.

It is important to regularly analyze the effectiveness of the measures in the sphere of family policy, improving the system of social support to make it as transparent as possible, understandable, and convenient for families with children. This approach guarantees the future, preserves the ethno-cultural balance in Russian society, and strengthens Russia’s sovereignty.

Demographic complexities and implications

There are several complications in Russia’s demography policy, although officials and demographers keep analyzing family support measures currently in effect and identifying and scaling up the most effective of them. At least, for the past decade, Russia’s approach has simply not been working perfectly well as expected. Accurate statistics and population surveys reflecting the realities are needed for correct managerial decisions.

There is a constant temptation to use maternity capital to resolve various other issues. Naturally, families with children always face many of them; they are endless. Considerable efforts have been taken to raise the level of population, but with little results. Russia’s population figures are seriously staggering, with researchers and demographers pegging it at approximately 142 million. 

In the first place, Russia has a relatively high death rate, influenced by health issues and lifestyle factors. In the second place, the birth rate has been declining over the years, contributing to a natural decrease in population. Third, emigration, especially among young professionals and specialists, is due to a lust for better economic and living conditions outside the Russian Federation.  

Moscow, the capital city of Russia, is currently under reconstruction. Alternatively, the city periphery (outskirts), the new micro-region where residential apartment blocks are undergoing construction, needs serious migrant labor. Moscow city mayor Sergey Sobyanin reiterated that the municipal administration needed 250,000 (a quarter of a million) to work on the construction sites (fields). In addition, many are required for tidying up the city. Sobyanin complained that there was a shortage of labor. St. Petersburg, the second largest city, and other major cities are constantly complaining and stuck with new construction projects.

On one hand, Putin, in his October 23rd speech, indicated categorically his opposition to raising population by naturalizing citizens from the Central Asian republics. On the other hand, Putin, during the second Russia–Central Asia Summit, held in Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, considered aspects of agreements encompassing migration of Central Asian citizens to Russia as a logical continuation of the close partnership within the framework of regional collaboration. 

Regrettably, legalizing 1.5 million (the majority from former Soviet republics) and transferring them to the Arctic and Far East regions to boost employment and systematically engage this labor in the production spheres is extremely hard for the Russian government. A well-coordinated and controlled ‘immigration’ could be one of the surest ways to allow population growth and comprehensive sustainable development and economic growth. 

Russia’s Logical Decision

In Putin’s candid views: “Different countries respond to this demographic challenge in various ways, including encouraging uncontrolled and even chaotic migration to replace the native population.” As a result, nations often sacrifice national identity, culture, and internal political stability.

Therefore, Russia opposes migrants replacing the native population, as contained in the speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was explicitly made clear that offsetting falling birth rates with immigration is destructive to internal stability and national identity. There stands the only option: Russia will support family values as the foundation of its society, rather than following in the footsteps of countries that try to solve demographic issues by replacing their native populations with “chaotic migration,” according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

SAN FRANCISCO — State Sen. Scott Wiener couldn’t wait any longer. The once-in-a-generation political opening he’d eyed for years had arrived, he decided — whether the grand dame of San Francisco politics agreed or not.

On Wednesday, Wiener, 55, a prolific and ambitious lawmaker, formally announced his candidacy for the San Francisco congressional seat held for nearly four decades by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 85, who remains one of the party’s most powerful leaders and has yet to reveal her own intentions for the 2026 race.

“The world is changing, the Democratic Party is changing, and it’s time,” Wiener said in an interview with The Times. “I know San Francisco, I have worked tirelessly to represent this community — delivering housing, health care, clean energy, LGBTQ and immigrant rights — and I have a fortitude and backbone to be able to deliver for San Francisco in Congress.”

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) announced Wednesdat that he will run for the congressional seat currently held by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

(Josh Edelson/For The Times)

Wiener’s announcement — which leaked in part last week — caught some political observers off guard, given Wiener had for years seemed resigned to run for Pelosi’s seat only once she stepped aside. But it stunned few, given how squarely it fit within the broader political moment facing the Democratic Party.

In recent years, a long-simmering reckoning over generational power has exploded into the political forefront as members of the party’s old guard have increasingly been accused of holding on too long, and to their party’s detriment.

Long-serving liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ruffled many Democratic feathers by declining to step down during Barack Obama’s presidency despite being in her 80s. She subsequently died while still on the court at the age of 87 in 2020, handing President Trump his third appointment to the high court.

Californians watched as the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, another D.C. power player from San Francisco, teetered into frailty, muddled through her final chapter in Washington and then died in office at 90 in 2023. The entire nation watched as President Biden, another octogenarian, gave a disastrous debate performance that sparked unrelenting questions about his age and cognitive abilities and cleared the way for Trump’s return to power last year.

Visitors walk past a bust of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein at San Francisco City Hall. The former mayor of San Francisco served in the Senate until she died in 2023 at age 90.

(Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

As a result, age has become an unavoidable tension point for Democrats heading into next year’s midterm elections.

It has also been an issue for Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), 83, the former Senate majority leader who has faced health issues in recent years and is retiring in 2026 after more than 40 years in the Senate. Other older Republicans are facing primary challenges for being perceived as too traditional or insufficiently loyal to Trump or the MAGA movement — including Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), 73 and in office since 2002, and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), 68 and in the Senate since 2015.

For decades, many conservatives have called for congressional term limits in opposition to “career politicians” who cling to power for too long. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and David Trone, a Maryland Democrat, renewed those calls on Wednesday, announcing in an op-ed published in the New York Times that they would co-chair a national campaign to push for term limits.

However, perhaps because they are in power, the calls for a generational shake-up in 2026 have not been nearly as loud on the Republican side.

Democratic Party activists have sounded the alarm about a quickening slide into gerontocracy on the political left, blamed it for their party’s inability to mount an energetic and effective response to Trump and his MAGA movement, and called for younger candidates to take the reins — while congressional leaders in their 70s and 80s have increasingly begun weighing their options in the face of primary challenges.

“It’s fair to say the political appetite for octogenarians is not high,” said Eric Jaye, a veteran Democratic strategist in San Francisco.

“The choice in front of people is not just age,” said Saikat Chakrabarti, a 39-year-old tech millionaire and Democratic political operative who is also running for Pelosi’s seat. “We need a whole different approach and different candidates.”

“There’s like this unspoken rule that you don’t do what we’re doing in this moment. You sit out and wait your turn,” said Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang, 40, who has launched a primary challenge to Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento), who is 81 and has been in Congress since 2005. “But I’m not going to wait on the sidelines, because there is an urgency of now.”

A national trend

The generational shift promises to reshape Congress by replacing Democrats across the country, including some who are leaving without a fight.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, 78 and a senator representing New Hampshire since 2009, said in March that it was “time” to step aside.

In Illinois, Sen. Richard Durbin, 80 and a senator since 1997, and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 81 and in the House since 1999, both announced in May that they would not run again. Durbin said it was time “to pass the torch,” while Schakowsky praised younger “voices” in the party as “so sharp.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, 78 and in the House since 1992, announced his retirement last month, saying that “watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party.”

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at a news conference.

(Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Other older Democrats, meanwhile, have shown no intention of stepping aside, or are seeking out new roles in power.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77, recently announced she is running to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is 72 and has been in the Senate since 1997. Mills has tried to soften concerns about her age by promising to serve just one term if elected.

Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, 79 and in the Senate since 2013, has stiffly rebuffed a primary challenge from Rep. Seth Moulton, 46, accusing Moulton of springing a challenge on him amid a shutdown and while he is busy resisting Trump’s agenda.

In Connecticut, Rep. John Larson, 77, who has been in office since 1999 and suffered a complex partial seizure on the House floor in February, has mocked his primary challengers’ message of generational change, telling Axios, “Generational change is fine, but you’ve got to earn it.”

David Hogg, a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., speaks at the 2022 March for Our Lives.

(Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for March For Our Lives)

David Hogg, a 25-year-old liberal activist who was thrust into politics by the 2018 mass shooting at his Parkland, Fla., high school, is among the party’s younger leaders pushing for new blood. He recently declined to seek reelection as the co-vice chair of the Democratic National Committee to bring primary challenges to older Democratic incumbents with his group Leaders We Deserve.

When he announced that decision in June, Hogg called the idea that Democratic leaders can stay in power until they die even if they don’t do a good job an “existential threat to the future of this party and nation.” His group fundraises and disperses money to young candidates it backs.

When asked by The Times about Pelosi and her primary challengers, however, Hogg was circumspect, calling Pelosi “one of the most effective and consequential leaders in the history of the Democratic Party.”

A shift in California

Pelosi is not the only older California incumbent facing a primary challenge. In addition to Matsui, the list also includes Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch), who is 70 and has been in office since 1997, and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who is 74 and has been in office since 1999.

But Pelosi’s challenges have attracted more attention, perhaps in part because her departure from Congress would be the clearest sign yet that the generational shift sought by younger party activists is fully underway.

Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as House speaker in 2007, surrounded by her grandchildren and children of other members of Congress.

(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

A trailblazer as the first female speaker of the House, Pelosi presided over two Trump impeachments. While no longer in leadership, she remains incredibly influential as an arm-twister and strategist.

She played a central role in sidelining Biden after his debate meltdown, and for the last couple months has been raising big money — a special skill of hers — in support of California’s Proposition 50. The measure seeks voter approval to redraw California’s congressional districts to better favor Democrats in response to Trump’s pressure campaign on Texas and other red states to redraw their lines in favor of Republicans.

Pelosi has used Prop. 50 in recent days to deflect questions about her primary challengers and her plans for 2026, with her spokesman Ian Krager saying she “is fully focused” on the Prop 50 fight and will be through Nov. 4.

Chakrabarti, who helped Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) unseat a longtime Democratic incumbent in 2019, said he sees even more “appetite for change” among the party’s base today — as evidenced by “mainstream Democrats who have voted for Nancy Pelosi their whole life” showing up to his events.

And it makes sense, he said.

For decades, Americans have watched the cost of essentials skyrocket while their wages have remained relatively flat, Chakrabarti said, and that has made them desperate to support messages of “bold, sweeping economic change” — whether from Obama or Trump — even as long-serving, mainstream Democrats backed by corporate money have worked to maintain the status quo.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leaves a news conference at the Capitol in 2019. At left is Saikat Chakrabarti, who was her chief of staff and is now a candidate for the congressional seat held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag)

He said it is time for Democrats to once again push bold, big ideas, which he plans to do — including Medicare for all, universal child care, free college tuition, millions of new units of affordable housing, a new economy built around climate action, and higher taxes on billionaires and mega-millionaires like him.

Wiener, who also backs Prop. 50 and would be the first out gay person to represent San Francisco in Congress, said he cannot speak to Pelosi’s thinking — or to Politico reporting Wednesday that Pelosi is considering dropping out and backing San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan in the race — but is confident in his readiness for the role.

Wiener agreed with Chakrabarti that big ideas are needed from Democrats to win back voters and make progress. He also said that his track record in the state Legislature shows that he has “been willing to take on very, very big fights to make significant progressive change.”

“No one has ever accused me of thinking small,” he said — citing his success in passing bills to create more affordable housing, reform health insurance and drug pricing, tackle net neutrality, challenge telecommunications and cable companies and protect LGBTQ+ and other minority communities and immigrants.

“In addition to having the desire to make big progressive change, in addition to talking about big progressive change, you have to be able to put together the coalitions to deliver on that change, because words are not enough,” Wiener said. “I’ve shown over and over again that I know how to do it, and that I can deliver.”

Political analysts said a message of big ideas will clearly resonate with some voters. But they also said that Pelosi, if she stays in the race, will be hard to beat. She will also face more serious questions than ever about her age and “her ability to function at the extraordinarily high level” she has worked at in years past, Jaye said, and will “have to answer those questions.”

If Pelosi decides not to run, Chakrabarti has the benefit of self-funding and of the current party enthusiasm for fresh faces, they said, and anyone — Chan or otherwise — would benefit from a Pelosi endorsement. But Wiener already has a strong base in the district, a track record for getting legislation passed and, as several observers pointed out, a seemingly endless battery.

“Scott Wiener is an animal. The notion of work-life balance is not a concept he has ever had. He is just like a robotic working machine,” said Aaron Peskin, who served 18 years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, some alongside Wiener.

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland) speaks to reporters at the Capitol in September.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Amanda Litman, the president of Run for Something, which supports young progressive candidates, said there is pent-up demand for a new generation of leaders, and “older Democrats, especially those in Congress, need to ask themselves, ‘Am I the best person to lead this party forward right now?’”

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland), 48, won her seat in 2024 after longtime Rep. Barbara Lee, 79, who had been in the seat since 1998, decided to run for Oakland mayor. Simon said that to her, “it’s not necessarily about birthdays” but who can do the job — “who can govern, who can mentor and who can hold this administration accountable.”

As a longtime community activist who worked with youth, Simon said she is “extremely excited” by all the energy of young Democratic office seekers. But as a freshman in Congress who has leaned on Lee, Pelosi and other mentors to help her learn the ropes, she said it’s also clear Democrats need to “have some generals who are really, really tried and tested.”

“What is not helpful to me in this moment,” Simon said, “is for the Democrats to be a circular firing squad.”

“They’re digging.” US President Donald Trump appeared to acknowledge Hamas’s struggle to recover Israeli captives’ bodies from beneath Gaza’s ruins. Israel says it will not move to the next phase of the Gaza peace plan until Hamas returns the remains of all 28 captives.

A year after his huge election win, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday faced the daunting task of trying to rally his party amid dismal ratings.

His most serious challenge comes from the right-wing Reform UK Party, helmed by Nigel Farage. Its hardline stance on immigration is adding pressure for more border security from Labour.

Starmer’s address at the Labour Party conference showed energy and passion — things he’s been criticized for lacking in recent months.

But will it be enough to help Starmer overcome his challenges, or are his days in office numbered?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Patrick Diamond – Professor in public policy at Queen Mary University of London, former policy adviser to Labour governments led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown

Jennifer Nadel – Political communications strategist and co-founder of Compassion in Politics, a cross-party think tank that works towards legislative change and ethical governance

Michael Walker – Contributing editor at Novara Media, an independent outlet, a former Labour Party member who left in 2020

ROME — Pope Leo XIV has intervened for the first time in an abortion dispute roiling the U.S. Catholic Church by raising the seeming contradiction over what it really means to be “pro-life.”

Leo, a Chicago native, was asked late Tuesday about plans by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich to give a lifetime achievement award to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin for his work helping immigrants. The plans drew objection from some conservative U.S. bishops given the powerful Democratic senator’s support for abortion rights.

Leo called first of all for respect for both sides, but he also pointed out the seeming contradiction in such debates.

“Someone who says ‘I’m against abortion but says I am in favor of the death penalty’ is not really pro-life,” Leo said. “Someone who says that ‘I’m against abortion, but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”

Leo spoke hours before Cupich announced that Durbin had declined the award.

Church teaching forbids abortion but it also opposes capital punishment as “inadmissible” under all circumstances. U.S. bishops and the Vatican have strongly called for humane treatment of migrants, citing the Biblical command to “welcome the stranger.”

Pope Leo says mutual respect is needed

Leo said he wasn’t familiar with the details of the dispute over the Durbin award, but said it was nevertheless important to look at the senator’s overall record and noted Durbin’s four-decade tenure. Responding to a question in English from the U.S. Catholic broadcaster EWTN News, he said there were many ethical issues that constitute the teaching of the Catholic Church.

“I don’t know if anyone has all the truth on them but I would ask first and foremost that there be greater respect for one another and that we search together both as human beings, in that case as American citizens or citizens of the state of Illinois, as well as Catholics to say we need to you know really look closely at all of these ethical issues and to find the way forward in this church. Church teaching on each one of those issues is very clear,” he said.

Cupich was a close adviser to Pope Francis, who strongly upheld church teaching opposing abortion but also criticized the politicizing of the abortion debate by U.S. bishops. Some bishops had called for denying Communion to Catholic politicians who supported abortion rights, including former President Joe Biden.

Biden met on several occasions with Francis and told reporters in 2021 that Francis had told him to continue receiving Communion. During a visit to Rome that year he received the sacrament during Mass at a church in Francis’ diocese.

Durbin was barred from receiving Communion in his home diocese of Springfield in 2004. Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki has continued the prohibition and was one of the U.S. bishops who strongly objected to Cupich’s decision to honor the senator. Cupich claims Durbin as a member of the Chicago Archdiocese, where Durbin also has a home.

Senator Durbin declines his award

In his statement announcing that Durbin would decline the award, Cupich lamented that the polarization in the U.S. has created a situation where U.S. Catholics “find themselves politically homeless” since neither the Republican nor the Democratic party fully encapsulates the breadth of Catholic teaching.

He defended honoring Durbin for his pro-immigration stance, and said the planned Nov. 3 award ceremony could have been an occasion to engage him and other political leaders with the hope of pressing the church’s view on other issues, including abortion.

“It could be an invitation to Catholics who tirelessly promote the dignity of the unborn, the elderly, and the sick to extend the circle of protection to immigrants facing in this present moment an existential threat to their lives and the lives of their families,” Cupich wrote.

Paprocki, for his part, thanked Durbin for declining the award. “I ask that all Catholics continue to pray for our church, our country, and for the human dignity of all people to be respected in all stages of life including the unborn and immigrants,” Paprocki said in a Facebook post.

The dispute came as President Donald Trump’s administration maintains a surge of immigration enforcement in the Chicago area.

Winfield writes for the Associated Press.

A 10-second bit by ABC comedian Jimmy Kimmel plunged Walt Disney Co. into a full-blown crisis that rippled across America.

President Trump, the Federal Communications Commission chief and others were angered this month over Kimmel’s remarks about the Charlie Kirk shooting, which they said had suggested the suspect was a “Make America Great Again” Republican. Kimmel asserted Trump supporters were “trying to score political points” from the tragedy.

TV station groups pulled the program and Disney benched the comedian, sparking a bigger backlash. Protesters lit into the Mouse House for seemingly kowtowing to the Trump administration, consumers canceled Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions and more than 400 celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lin-Manuel Miranda, signed a letter calling for a defense of free speech. Some investors bailed, briefly erasing nearly $4 billion in corporate market value.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger and his team turned the tide last week when they returned Kimmel to his late-night perch.

But the pressure on Disney’s top brass remains. Trump was not happy over Kimmel’s comeback, grousing that he may lob another lawsuit at ABC. In December, Disney agreed to pay $15 million to end a defamation suit Trump brought against the network and anchor George Stephanopoulos over misstatements.

And FCC Chairman Brendan Carr — who threatened ABC over Kimmel’s comments — isn’t backing down; he’s already opened one investigation into Disney and ABC for their diversity embrace.

“This [situation] isn’t going away anytime soon,” Nien-hê Hsieh, a Harvard Business School professor, said in an interview. “How it is managed certainly matters a lot.”

The Kimmel controversy exposed cracks at the Burbank company that has long meticulously managed its image. It also highlighted the fraught environment facing Disney’s next leader during a period of significant challenges for the entertainment juggernaut.

“Succession is difficult for any company — the stakes are high,” Hsieh said. “But Disney also is kind of a lightning rod that attracts criticism because of its brand and its prevalence and prominence.”

Iger, 74, is retiring for a second time in late 2026, when his contract expires. Within a few months, Disney’s board is expected to name a replacement — a pivotal decision for a company that has long struggled with succession.

Aside from the Trump administration, Disney’s next boss must navigate the shift to streaming, competition from tech giants, the rise of artificial intelligence, a potential economic slowdown and fragile geopolitics with a theme park in China and one planned for the Middle East. The new CEO also must try to keep Disney from again being drawn into America’s culture wars.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger is expected to retire at the end of 2026 after nearly 20 years leading the Burbank entertainment giant.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Four internal candidates are vying for the job, including Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, who oversees television and streaming and managed the Kimmel crisis with Iger.

Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme parks and experiences chief, is viewed by many as the leading contender.

Also in the CEO mix are ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro; and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman, who oversees movies, including the Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars franchises, and, in concert with Walden, entertainment streaming services.

“The next leader needs to be very attuned to how the company is perceived and valued by its customers and clients,” Hsieh said. “This is a moment for people to be very clear about their values.”

Disney’s values were questioned by many after the decision to yank Kimmel from the air.

As protesters buzzed around Disney’s Burbank headquarters and Kimmel’s darkened theater on Hollywood Boulevard, the voice of the company’s former chief rang out.

“Where has all the leadership gone?” Michael Eisner asked in a stinging Sept. 19 social media post. “If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the first amendment?”

Disney hadn’t formally addressed the situation. The only public message was a terse ABC statement on Sept. 17 — minutes after Iger and Walden moved to suspend the show: “ ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will be pre-empted indefinitely.”

Kimmel was furious. It was about an hour to showtime and his studio audience was queued up outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre. He had intended to clarify his words that night.

But Walden and Iger were worried the comedian was dug in, and his planned remarks would only inflame the situation.

Disney’s move to bench Jimmy Kimmel prompted protests, including days of demonstrations outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is taped.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

What was initially viewed by Disney executives as a social media storm — vitriol from Trump supporters — had morphed into an existential threat for ABC when Carr, the FCC chairman, threatened to go after station licenses.

Carr urged other broadcasters to take a stand — a call heeded by Nexstar Media Group, which needs FCC approval for its proposed $6.2-billion takeover of a rival TV station owner, Tegna.

Nexstar pulled Kimmel’s program, followed by the politically conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group. The two companies own stations that provide 22% of ABC’s coverage.

Protesters called for a Disney boycott this month outside the darkened stage of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ The comedian returned Sept. 23.

(Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times)

ABC’s ambiguous seven-word statement suggested to many that Kimmel wasn’t returning.

“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that night. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”

Disney executives privately said they were simply hitting pause. ABC executives and talent were getting death threats, according to one insider who was not authorized to discuss the situation. Later, in Sacramento, a gunman fired three shots into the lobby of an ABC-affiliated station. No one was injured.

But Disney’s initial response was roundly criticized for being weak, an abdication of the 1st Amendment. “To surrender our right to speak freely is to accept that those in power, not the people, will set the boundaries of debate that define a free society,” Anna M. Gomez, the sole Democrat FCC commissioner, said in a statement.

Executives defended the ABC statement, noting that anything Disney had said at that moment could have exacerbated its troubles with the FCC and station groups. One insider added that company also needed time to weigh whether it was worth bringing back the show.

Iger and Walden held a Sunday sit-down with Kimmel on Sept. 21 to clear the air. The following day, Disney announced his show would return.

“It wasn’t a reaction to any regulatory threats or political threats — it was an editorial decision because we felt the comments were ill-timed and, thus, insensitive given the topic,” Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s chief legal and compliance officer, said in an interview Monday. “We felt our responsibility was to avoid further inflaming the situation during a very delicate and emotional time for the nation and that couldn’t be achieved in the heat of the moment.”

Gutierrez said narratives about Disney’s motives were inaccurate.

“The guidance we were given by Bob as we were thinking this through was to do the right thing, and that’s what we did in both preempting the show and in putting it back on the air,” he said. “Other people can comment about what they would have done or said … but the reality is the action of the company speaks louder than any words.”

Brian Frons, a former senior ABC executive and a UCLA Anderson School professor, said the way the crisis was handled reflected Iger’s measured leadership style.

“This situation could have turned into a firefight with the [Trump] administration — a direct confrontation,” Frons said. “It could have been Florida-Chapek all over again.”

Disney’s last major public relations debacle was in early 2022, when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek tumbled into a political quagmire with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Disney belatedly opposed a Florida law banning school conversations about sexual orientation, the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill, prompting DeSantis to retaliate with a takeover of a Central Florida land-use board overseeing development around Walt Disney World.

Chapek’s shaky handling of the Florida dispute, which led conservatives to declare the company had become “woke,” was among the reasons Disney board’s fired him in November 2022, returning Iger to the top job.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger (left) and Bob Chapek (right) who served 2 1/2 years as chief executive. Chapek was removed in November 2022 to make way for Iger’s return.

(Business Wire)

Chapek had been Iger’s hand-picked successor but lasted in the job just 2½ years as pandemic dealt a crushing blow to theme parks, movie theaters and sporting events.

“In our instant-response culture, we want managers to have an immediate response and confrontation,” Frons said. “Sometimes, the instant solution might not be the best one.”

The Kimmel crisis and Chapek’s stormy tenure hover over succession.

Disney’s Achilles’ heel has long been its leadership handoffs. Over the years, Iger postponed several planned retirements, prompting at least one prospective successor, Tom Staggs, to exit the company in frustration.

The switch to Iger from Eisner 20 years ago was even more tumultuous, a move made to tamp down a shareholder revolt.

Before Iger was in the wings, Eisner recruited Creative Arts Agency co-founder Michael Ovitz — a debacle that ended in a court battle and a $140-million Disney payout.

Walt Disney Co. Chairman James P. Gorman is the former chief executive of Morgan Stanley.

(China News Service / China News Service via Getty Images)

Last year, Disney turned to James P. Gorman, Morgan Stanley’s former executive chairman, to oversee the succession process amid past criticism that some board members were too deferential to Iger. (A source close to the company disputed that characterization.)

Gorman became chairman of Disney’s board in January. He’s credited with orchestrating a smooth transition at the bank where he served as CEO for 14 years.

Disney’s board has said it would consider internal and outside candidates when determining who’s best equipped to lead the $206-billion company.

Walden was viewed as the early favorite, but some believe that Trump’s election last November might have changed that. The 60-year-old television executive has long been supportive of Democrat causes and is a friend of former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Walden joined Disney in 2019 after Disney swallowed Rupert Murdoch’s Fox entertainment properties, including the Fox television and movie studios and a controlling stake in Hulu. She oversees ABC, ABC News, Disney Channel, National Geographic and, with Bergman, the streaming services.

It’s not clear whether the Kimmel controversy helped or hurt her chances. By the end of last week, both Nexstar and Sinclair had abandoned their boycotts, returning the show to their ABC-affiliated stations.

“If this situation holds, Dana may have proved herself as a very effective crisis manager,” Frons said.

Clockwise from top left: Alan Bergman, Josh D’Amaro, Dana Walden and Jimmy Pitaro.

(Evan Agostini, Chris Pizzello and Richard Shotwell / Invision via AP)

D’Amaro, the parks and experiences chief, is thought to have an edge. Neither Disney nor the board have signaled that there is a front-runner.

The 54-year-old executive runs Disney’s biggest and most prosperous unit — theme parks, resorts, cruise lines and experiences, including video games. D’Amaro is an architect of Disney’s $60-billion campaign to expand and revitalize its parks and resorts and double the number of cruise ships.

The charismatic D’Amaro brims with enthusiasm for Disney where he’s spent most of his adult life — more than 27 years.

Bergman, 59, is a savvy executive who runs Disney’s film studios, its major creative franchises, as well as theatrical and streaming releases and marketing. He oversees Disney Music Group and its Broadway show unit.

And Pitaro, the Connecticut-based ESPN chief, has helped lead Disney’s push to streaming as the once lucrative cable business has contracted. The 56-year-old executive, a former consumer products and Yahoo executive, has managed Disney’s dealings with the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball.

Some worry that none of the candidates will match Iger’s skills.

“This idea that you’re going to replace the CEO — a person who is at the height of their power — with somebody in a similar place is pretty hard,” Frons said. “Instead, you have to ask: Who is the person who can best position Disney for the future in all the businesses that are important today and might be important in the future?”

Sept. 30 (UPI) — The Justice Department on Monday filed a lawsuit against so-called sanctuary policies in Minnesota as the Trump administration tries to have the court compel Democratic-led regions to abide by its immigration policies.

The lawsuit targets the laws of Minnesota, Hennepin County and the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, arguing that not only are they illegal, they effectively shield “criminal offenders” by obstructing federal law enforcement.

“Minnesota officials are jeopardizing the safety of their own citizens by allowing illegal aliens to circumvent the legal process,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.

“This Department of Justice will continue to bring litigation against any jurisdiction that uses sanctuary policies to defy federal law and undermine law enforcement.”

President Donald Trump, who campaigned on cracking down on immigration, often with the use of incendiary rhetoric and misinformation, has been attempting to conduct mass deportations, and has targeted Democratic-led jurisdictions’ refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities as part of that effort.

In April, he signed an executive order directing Bondi to compile a list of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions for punishment, with a list of 35 regions being made public early last month.

The Justice Department has already filed lawsuits against five states including Minnesota and several cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago. However, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit against Illinois, Chicago and other districts in the state in late July, finding the Trump administration “lacked standing” to challenge the laws.

Minnesota is also led by Gov. Tim Walz, a critic of Trump and a rival of the president, having run against him as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate on the Democratic ticket.

The state has been a target of numerous federal actions by the Trump administration, including investigations over its hiring practices. The president declined to call Walz after a man assassinated a state lawmaker and wounded another in mid-June, calling him “whacked out” and “a mess.”

Late last week, Minnesota was one of six states Trump sued to force handover of its voter registration list.

While Walz has yet to make a public statement about the latest lawsuit, Mayor Melvin Carter of Saint Paul said city employees work for those who live there and not Trump.

“We will stand with our immigrant and refugee neighbors no matter how many unconstitutional claims the White House makes,” he said in a statement.

“We’ve proven our resolve in two successful court actions already this year, and we look forward to winning our third legal victory in a row against this embarrassing federal regime.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey similarly said they would fight the Trump administration.

“We will not back down. We will fight with every bit of our strength for our immigrant communities. We will stand by our neighbors and we’re going to win in court,” he said in a recorded statement published on X.

“So, let’s just be really clear to everybody: this is not an issue where we will back down. We’re going to win this thing.”

Dolly Parton announced Sunday that she would be delaying six concerts at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas that were slated for December due to “health challenges.”

In a message posted on social media, the country superstar shared that she’s been dealing with some health issues and her doctors have advised her to undergo some procedures to manage it, though she did not provide specifics. The concerts were set for Dec. 4 through 13.

“I want the fans and the public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts,” the 79-year-old singer and songwriter wrote in a cheeky statement posted to her Instagram and X accounts. “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. “As I joked with them, it must be for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon.”

Parton said she needs time to “get show ready” to be back on stage and put on a performance that fans “deserve to see.” She also tried to ease any concern that her situation is serious. “Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” she continued. “But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures in life.”

“I love you and thank you for understanding,” she signed the note. Earlier this year, Parton’s husband Carl Dean died at 82. The pair were married for nearly 60 years.

Tickets purchased for the original dates will be honored when rescheduled dates are announced. Refunds are also available.

Globally, the world is still reeling under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as we look towards the future, people rethink the need to travel and unwind from their hectic lives, and these developments will boost the global tourism industry.

Post the pandemic, the tourism industry is playing catch-up, and as per the UNWTO estimates, it is believed to have a major recovery towards global tourism in 2023, where the international arrivals reached 1,300 million, which was a 33.3 percent increase from 2022. The reason for this upward development has been because of the economic development, which inevitably helps in the creation of jobs, helping stabilize the post-pandemic economies. The Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024 highlighted the sectors of travel and tourism to continuously grow in the post-pandemic scenario. It has been observed that 71 out of the 119 countries’ scores increased as per the 2024 index, and the reason for this increase in its ranking has been due to the focus on areas of safety and security and aims at greater emphasis on health and hygiene domains. Furthermore, the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024 mentioned that India ranked at the 39th position in the category of Asia-Pacific economies but has the largest travel and tourism industry in the region of South Asia. Furthermore, it tops the lower-middle-income economy category. For the United States of America, it has ranked first in the 2024 Travel and Tourism Development Index, and the reasons for the first position, as per the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024, have been due to several factors, such as the highly conducive business environment, highly skilled and qualified labor force, and readiness towards information and communication technology (ICT). Apart from these characteristics, the 2024 Index also observed that the reason for countries like the United States of America and others to have gained the top positions has been due to the brilliant provisions of transport and infrastructure associated with tourism and its services.

 India-US Contours of the Tourism Industry

Joseph Nye, the pioneer of soft power, opined that “a country which has a strong global influence is more successful in attracting tourism, and that would increase the economic development, investment, and abundant skilled labor force, which would do proper justice towards the use of soft power.” Tourism is one of the tools of soft power, and in the present global situation, the countries are collaborating and cooperating with one another.

One of the fastest growing domains of exchanges that can be witnessed has been the sector covering the people-to-people connections and exchanges. The relationship between India and the US has been evolving constantly, and both countries have many people-to-people interactions and a tourism industry, which has led this partnership to be stronger and more robust. In fact, the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024 observed 9.24 million foreign tourist arrivals, and this depicted a 43.5 percent increase as compared to 2022, as it brought in foreign exchange earnings of Rs 2.3 lakh crores from countries like the United States of America, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, to name a few. This data clearly explained the opportunities in the domain of tourism and related sectors for growth.

Given India’s growth story and becoming globally influential, India can lead another growth story in the domain of tourism in the coming times. According to the Ministry of Tourism’s report titled “India Tourism Data Compendium 2024,” the tourism industry in India has great potential, as there are 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. India’s rich culture and heritage experiences not only open up the world to visiting a beautiful cultural experience, but they also open up the opportunity to learn and invest in the handicraft and textile industry in India. Apart from handicrafts and the textile industry, there are several other products that India is abundant in, and so, as of 31st March 2025, there are 658 geographical indicator tag applications registered, which clearly shows the richness and diversity of Indian products. Furthermore, given India’s rich flora and fauna, India offers diverse nations locations like the various national parks open for safaris, which also helps in gaining safari tourism like the Rhino Safari in Kaziranga in Assam and the Tiger Safari in Pench and Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh. There are other locations like Ladakh, Spiti Valley, and Rishikesh known for adventure tourism, and this domain is popular among the younger generation. For a couple of years, the wellness and medical tourism industry has made India the global destination for Ayurveda, yoga, and healthcare facilities, which provided provisions for affordable and reliable services. It was observed that in 2023, 6.9 percent of foreign visitors visited India for medical tourism. Another sector of tourism that is emerging is the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry, which caters to the business sector, and in 2023, it brought in 10.3 percent of foreign visitors to India to Indian infrastructural marvels like Yashobhoomi and Bharat Mandapam.

In the Union Budget 2025-2026, Rs. 2541.06 crore has been allocated for employment-led development, which would cater to different aspects like infrastructure building, skill development, and travel facilities, paving the way to promote the tourism industry of India globally. The budget also includes the need to develop 50 top tourist destinations, which would help offer MUDRA loans for homestays, enhance connectivity, and introduce e-visa facilities. Furthermore, the budget also aims to support areas of sustainable tourism through Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0, Heal in India, and Gyan Bharatam Mission, and these schemes will not only incentivize employment opportunities but also create a possible growth model. The famous tagline ‘Incredible India’ has gained a strong fan following and has been gaining immense traction in the last couple of years. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), it has been observed that the Indian sector of tourism and hospitality is expected to exceed Rs. 5,12,356 crore by 2028, and it is suggested that travel and tourism are the largest industries in India, with states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal working to develop the tourism circuits and enhance infrastructure for pilgrims.

 As per the industry of tourism in the United States of America, it has been observed that according to the 2018 US Travel Association’s report titled “International Visitations to the US from International Inbound Travel Market Profile,” travel is the largest industry export to India, as Indian students spend up to 52 percent of travel exports and 36 percent is by the Indian tourists. The tourism industry in the US caters to students who study there and make their family visit, and this helps in the domain of leisure tourism in cities like Orlando and Las Vegas, as they provide world-class luxury and entertainment experiences.

Another sector that the US works on is the business and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) industry, which helps attract many business travelers. Globally, the US has always been the most sought-after choice for tourism, as it offers a combination of landscapes, cultural attractions, and luxurious experiences, and many also visit America to live the ‘American dream through a short holiday.’ From the perspective of the US economy, the tourism industry not only helps in supporting people through employment but also helps equip them with the opportunity to have purchasing power. Furthermore, the domain of infrastructure and hospitality services also experiences a boom in growth.

Since both the countries are looking to expand their relationship with one another. The tourism industry seems to be the most viable sector for greater opportunities of cooperation and exchange.

Challenges

One of the key challenges has been the issuing of visas for Indian citizens to go to America. Though the tourist visas are available, the high costs and the wait time for attaining a visa for many Indians make them rethink their need to visit the great American dream through a short holiday, and so they end up choosing places in Southeast Asia like Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore, where the attainment of a visa is not just convenient but visas are available on arrival. Furthermore, the cost of travelling, hotels, and food is far cheaper, which makes it more lucrative for budget-friendly travellers. A challenge that the US faces with regard to travelling in India is the safety issue, especially for the female solo travellers, which has been a major cause of concern. Another issue that has been a concern

RN for American travellers to India, the cleanliness issue is a big one, and so most of the foreign travellers prefer staying in five-star hotels, which cater to them with their luxurious hospitality and services. This is a problem for budget-friendly travelers, as not everyone can afford a five-star hotel and pay for luxury travel in India, which also economically deters many from coming to India.

Possibilities

It has also been observed that about 92 percent of Americans will be travelling in 2025. With this growth data, there is a major possibility of attracting American international travelers to visit India. If American tourists visit India, they normally visit India for its cultural extravaganza and spirituality retreats, but there is a need to develop other sectors like visits to natural habitats and safaris, which would also attract a lot of tourism in this domain. In fact, India can also learn from the US about its culture of amusement parks and fairs, which would also help boost tourism and employment opportunities. Another aspect is that India and the US venture into student-led tourist groups, and in these groups, students connected to universities can not only interact with one another in their respective academic fields but also show them their understanding of their country, and this way there will be greater interactions among the youth of the two countries and help cement future relations. Business meetings can also be held in cultural hubs, which would give the businesses a chance at working along with travelling and enjoying their leisure time in exploring cultural hubs, and so the governments need to also promote and provide business convention centers in cultural hubs.

All in all, one aspect that India and the US can work on is the people-to-people connections, as they are guiding lights for the future.

Al Jazeera’s James Bays challenged UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about why he has not referred to Israel’s war on Gaza as a genocide. On Tuesday a UN commission of inquiry concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

At a time when its leadership is in question and its mission challenged, the Library of Congress has named a new U.S. poet laureate, the much-honored author and translator Arthur Sze.

The library announced Monday that the 74-year-old Sze had been appointed to a one-year term, starting this fall. The author of 12 poetry collections and recipient last year of a lifetime achievement award from the library, he succeeds Ada Limón, who had served for three years. Previous laureates also include Joy Harjo, Louise Glück and Billy Collins.

Speaking during a recent Zoom interview with the Associated Press, Sze acknowledged some misgivings when Rob Casper, who heads the library’s poetry and literature center, called him in June about becoming the next laureate.

He wondered about the level of responsibilities and worried about the upheaval since President Trump fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in May. After thinking about it overnight, he called Casper back and happily accepted.

“I think it was the opportunity to give something back to poetry, to something that I’ve spent my life doing,” he explained, speaking from his home in Santa Fe, N.M. “So many people have helped me along the way. Poetry has just helped me grow so much, in every way.”

Sze’s new job begins during a tumultuous year for the library, a 200-year-old, nonpartisan institution that holds a massive archive of books published in the United States. Trump abruptly fired Hayden after conservative activists accused her of imposing a “woke” agenda, criticism that Trump has expressed often as he seeks sweeping changes at the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian museums and other cultural institutions.

Hayden’s ouster was sharply criticized by congressional Democrats, leaders in the library and scholarly community and such former laureates as Limón and Harjo.

Although the White House announced that it had named Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche as the acting librarian, daily operations are being run by a longtime official at the library, Robert Randolph Newlen. Events such as the annual National Book Festival have continued without interruption or revision.

Laureates are forbidden to take political positions, although the tradition was breached in 2003 when Collins publicly stated his objections to President George W. Bush’s push for war against Iraq.

Newlen is identified in Monday’s announcement as acting librarian, a position he was in line for according to the institution’s guidelines. He praised Sze, whose influences range from ancient Chinese poets to Wallace Stevens, for his “distinctly American” portraits of the Southwest landscapes and for his “great formal innovation.”

“Like Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, Sze forges something new from a range of traditions and influences — and the result is a poetry that moves freely throughout time and space,” his statement reads in part.

Sze’s official title is poet laureate consultant in poetry, a 1985 renaming of a position established in 1937 as consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress. The mission is loosely defined as a kind of literary ambassador, to “raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.”

Sze wants to focus on a passion going back more than a half-century to his undergraduate years at UC Berkeley — translation.

He remembers reading some English-language editions of Chinese poetry, finding the work “antiquated and dated” and deciding to translate some of it himself, writing out the Chinese characters and engaging with them “on a much deeper level” than he had expected. Besides his own poetry, he has published “The Silk Dragon: Translations From the Chinese.”

“I personally learned my own craft of writing poetry through translating poetry,” he says. “I often think that people think of poetry as intimidating, or difficult, which isn’t necessarily true. And I think one way to deepen the appreciation of poetry is to approach it through translation.”

Sze is a New York City native and son of Chinese immigrants who in such collections as “Sight Lines” and “Compass Rose” explores themes of cultural and environmental diversity and what he calls “coexisting.”

In a given poem, he might shift from rocks above a pond to people begging in a subway, from a firing squad in China to Thomas Jefferson’s plantation in Virginia. His many prizes include the National Book Award for “Sight Lines.”

He loves poetry from around the world but feels at home writing in English, if only for the “richness of the vocabulary” and the wonders of its origins.

“I was just looking at the word ‘ketchup,’ which started from southern China, went to Malaysia, was taken to England, where it became a tomato-based sauce, and then, of course, to America,” he says. “And I was just thinking days ago, that’s a word we use every day without recognizing its ancestry, how it’s crossed borders, how it’s entered into the English language and enriched it.”

Italie writes for the Associated Press.

Following deadly protests across Nepal, the country has appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister. Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride looks at who she is and the challenges she faces.

WASHINGTON — The agency that oversees Voice of America and other government-funded international broadcasters is eliminating more than 500 employees, the Trump administration has announced, a move that could ratchet up a months-long legal challenge over the news outlets’ fate.

Kari Lake, acting chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, VOA’s oversight agency, announced the latest round of job cuts late Friday, one day after a federal judge blocked her from removing Michael Abramowitz as VOA director.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth had ruled separately that the Trump administration had failed to show how it was complying with his orders to restore VOA’s operations. His order Monday gave the administration “one final opportunity, short of a contempt trial,” to demonstrate its compliance. He ordered Lake to sit for a deposition by lawyers for agency employees by Sept. 15.

On Thursday, Lamberth said Abramowitz could not be removed without the approval of the majority of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board. Firing Abramowitz would be “plainly contrary to law,” according to Lamberth, who was nominated to the bench by President Reagan.

Lake posted a statement on social media that said her agency had initiated a reduction in force, or RIF, eliminating 532 jobs for full-time government employees. She said the agency “will continue to fulfill its statutory mission after this RIF — and will likely improve its ability to function.”

“I look forward to taking additional steps in the coming months to improve the functioning of a very broken agency and make sure America’s voice is heard abroad where it matters most,” she wrote.

A group of agency employees who sued to block VOA’s elimination said Lake’s move would give their colleagues 30 days until their pay and benefits end.

“We find Lake’s continued attacks on our agency abhorrent,” they said in a statement. “We are looking forward to her deposition to hear whether her plan to dismantle VOA was done with the rigorous review process that Congress requires. So far we have not seen any evidence of that.”

In June, layoff notices were sent to more than 600 agency employees. Abramowitz was placed on administrative leave along with almost the entire VOA staff. He was told he would be fired effective Aug. 31.

The administration said in a court filing Thursday that it planned to send RIF notices to 486 employees of Voice of America and 46 other agency employees but intended to retain 158 agency employees and 108 VOA employees. The filing said the global media agency had 137 “active employees” and 62 other employees on administrative leave, while VOA had 86 active employees and 512 others on administrative leave.

Lake’s agency also oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Radio Marti, which beams Spanish-language news into Cuba. The networks, which together reach an estimated 427 million people, date to the Cold War and are part of a network of government-funded organizations designed to extend U.S. influence and combat authoritarianism.

Kunzelman writes for the Associated Press.

Indonesia’s telecommunications sector is at a historic crossroads.  After a decade of consolidation, three groups — TelkomGroup (with Telkomsel), Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) and XL Axiata/Smartfren (XL Smart) — now control about 95% of the market’s revenue .  This “healthy oligopoly” promises economies of scale and opens the door for infrastructure sharing, yet it also raises a sobering question: will these carriers become mere commodity providers squeezed by over‑the‑top (OTT) platforms, or will they emerge as strategic national enablers for Indonesia’s digital economy?

The Stagnation Trap: Core Problems and Risks

Low ARPU and Prepaid Dominance – Nearly 97% of Indonesian mobile subscribers are prepaid .  Customers churn easily, forcing operators into price wars.  As a result, the blended average revenue per user (ARPU) sits at only ~IDR 35,700 (US$2.38) and has been almost flat.

population was covered by 5G, mainly using refarmed 4G spectrum .  The for years.  Such thin margins, coupled with commoditization of connectivity, echo a global pattern where telco revenues grow slowly while capital expenditures continue to rise .

Limited 5G Spectrum and Slow Deployment – Indonesia’s 5G rollout remains selective and urban.  In 2024 only 26.3% of the country currently has 360 MHz of mid‑band spectrum assigned for mobile services, far below the ~2 GHz average required to capture 5G’s full economic impact.  Analysts note that refarming the 2.6 GHz and 700 MHz bands and releasing more mid‑band frequencies are urgent to prevent Indonesia from falling behind .

Spectrum Reform and Regulatory Bottlenecks – Twimbit’s 2023 update observes that spectrum scarcity has delayed 5G launches and forced operators to invest cautiously.  Government digital roadmaps push for 5G, but licensing remains fragmented and expensive.  Without transparent auction policies and neutral‑host models for shared infrastructure, the industry risks duplication and inefficiency.

Cybersecurity and Trust Deficit – High‑profile data breaches — including leaks affecting more than a billion SIM‑card activation records — spurred Indonesia’s Personal Data Protection law.  Implementing this law will require significant investment in cybersecurity.  EY research warns that two‑thirds of consumers want better explanations of how AI is used and 40% of telco employees feel unprepared to use AI responsibly.  Moreover, 57% of telecom executives worry about security attacks on physical assets, and Southeast Asian operators must balance innovation with strong compliance and trusted AI to counter rising cyber risks .

Talent and Skills Shortage – Telcos struggle to attract and retain digital talent.  EY’s Telco of Tomorrow survey shows that industry executives rank talent and culture as their top transformation inhibitors; poor collaboration and missing skills hinder innovation.  Competing with hyperscalers for AI and cloud expertise is an uphill battle, especially as Indonesia’s young engineers often migrate to global tech firms.

Financial Pressures and Capital Intensity – Globally, telco revenues are projected to grow at a compound annual rate of only 2.9% to 2028, while ARPU continues to decline.  Indonesia’s carriers therefore face a scenario where most cash is absorbed by capital expenditures, dividends and debt servicing , leaving little room for innovation.  Without new revenue streams, their role may stagnate.

Hidden Opportunities: Why Indonesia Still Holds Promise

Despite these headwinds, the country’s 280 million citizens and rapidly growing digital economy offer unique opportunities.  Indonesia’s GDP grew 5.3% in 2022 and its telecom revenue is expected to grow at 6.1% CAGR between 2023–27, outpacing global averages.  Operators and policymakers can tap several levers:

Infrastructure Sharing and Neutral Hosts – With three large players and tens of thousands of towers, sharing becomes logical.  Twimbit notes that Telkomsel, XL and Smartfren operate more than 165 000, 91 000 and 43 000 4G sites respectively.  Active sharing, fibre co‑build and neutral‑host models reduce duplication and free capital for new services.

Accelerated Spectrum Release – Refarming of the 2.6 GHz and 700 MHz bands and auctioning the 3.5 GHz mid‑band could enable Indonesia to meet the 2 GHz requirement.  Transparent, cost‑effective auctions will encourage investment and prevent a repeat of 5G’s initial delays.

Diversifying Beyond Connectivity – Telcos are shifting to non‑connectivity revenue streams.  Telkomsel created INDICO, focusing on education, health and gaming verticals, and saw its digital business revenue grow 17.4% year‑on‑year .  Enterprise services are a priority: carriers now offer IoT, cloud computing and managed services to businesses.  This pivot from consumer to B2B mirrors global advice that AI, fixed connectivity and vertical solutions are the ingredients for growth.

Trusted AI and Data Sovereignty – Indonesia can leverage its telcos as sovereign enablers rather than mere “techco”  By investing in secure sovereign clouds, digital identity and data‑classification systems, carriers can provide AI‑powered services while ensuring national data stays onshore.  EY’s insights stress that as AI becomes pervasive, building trust and clear privacy policies is essential.  Indonesia’s new data protection law compels operators to bolster cyber defenses, turning compliance into a competitive advantage.

Bridging the Digital Divide – Indonesia’s archipelagic geography means connectivity gaps persist.  The government’s Palapa Ring fibre backbone connects remote islands, but 5G coverage remains low.  Satellite‑enabled non‑terrestrial networks, community internet for rural areas, and targeted subsidies can help ensure that digital inclusion accompanies growth.

A Path Forward: Policy and Industry Recommendations

For Indonesia to avoid stagnation and instead become a digital powerhouse of the Global South, stakeholders must act in concert:

Enact Pro‑Growth Regulation – Regulators should adopt an orchestrator role, promoting shared infrastructure and neutral‑host models, streamlining spectrum auctions and fostering healthy collaboration.  Transparent policies can align private investment with national goals.

Prioritize Mid‑Band Spectrum – Release at least 200–300 MHz of the 3.5 GHz band and integrate it with the 700 MHz auction .  Reserve prices should be conservative to encourage robust 5G rollout.

Invest in Talent and Innovation – Government, academia and industry must co‑create programs to develop AI, cybersecurity and cloud skills.  Public‑private partnerships can sponsor scholarships and nurture a local digital workforce.

Leverage AI Responsibly – Telcos should harness generative AI to reduce costs, personalize services and improve network efficiency, while adhering to strict privacy standards .  Clear communication about AI use can rebuild customer trust.

Expand Non‑Connectivity Services – Operators need to emulate digital leaders by offering integrated fintech, healthtech, education and entertainment services.  Building “digital ecosystems” will differentiate them from commoditized connectivity and create new revenue streams.

Conclusion

Indonesia’s telco sector stands between two futures.  One path leads to commoditization and slow decline, as global OTT giants capture the value created by local networks.  The other path requires bold policies, shared infrastructure, spectrum reform and investment in AI and talent.  By choosing the latter, Indonesia’s operators can become sovereign digital enablers — powering not just connectivity but the nation’s broader ambitions for health, education, industry and sovereignty.  The moment for decisive action is now.

In just a little under one week, Nvidia (NVDA 1.65%) will report its earnings for Q2 2025.

For the most part, analysts are optimistic about the report, due out after the close of trading on Aug. 27. Consensus forecasts have the semiconductor company growing earnings 48.5% year over year, to $1.01 per share, as insatiable demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips drives a near-53% rise in revenue to almost $46 billion.

That’s a lot of money Nvidia will be raking in for a single quarter. This is one of the primary reasons why a staggering 58 analysts polled by S&P Global Market Intelligence give Nvidia stock either a “buy” or an “outperform,” or an equivalent rating — versus only one single analyst who says “sell.”

Image source: Getty Images.

One reason why two analysts are worried about Nvidia

And yet, not everything’s unicorns and rainbows for Nvidia stock. As the final countdown to earnings day begins, two separate Wall Street analysts chimed in Wednesday morning to raise reservations about Nvidia stock and the challenges that lie ahead for it.

First up was Deutsche Bank, where analyst Ross Seymore set a price target of $155 that implies the stock could fall 12% over the next 12 months. Ordinarily, the prospect of a 12% near-term loss in a stock would inspire an analyst to recommend selling that stock. But perhaps fearing to deviate too far from the herd on this popular AI stock, Seymore only reiterated a “hold” rating on Nvidia. (Seymore is still one of only a half-dozen analysts with neutral ratings on Nvidia).

No matter. Whether any one analyst thinks Nvidia is a “buy” or just a “hold” probably shouldn’t concern us as much as why he rates the stock as he does. And in Seymore’s case, the answer couldn’t be clearer:

Writing on StreetInsider.com on Wednesday, Seymore warns that U.S. trade restrictions on semiconductor exports to China will cost Nvidia about $8 billion in “foregone” revenue in Q2. True, a resumption of shipments upon receiving export licenses from the Trump administration should help rectify this situation by Q3. But there’s a cost to that solution — specifically, the Trump Administration’s requirement that, to obtain export licenses, Nvidia must fork over 15% of any revenue it generates in China to the IRS.

With China accounting for roughly $17 billion of Nvidia’s revenue over the last 12 months, that could amount to a $2.6 billion drag on Nvidia’s profits over the next 12 months.

KeyBanc chimes in

Investment bank KeyBanc shares Deutsche Bank’s concerns about Nvidia and China. On the one hand, KeyBanc anticipates Nvidia could book $2 billion to $3 billion in revenue from selling H20 and B40 chips in China next quarter. On the other hand, the banker believes this revenue is unreliable and dependent upon the receipt of export licenses from Washington.

For this reason, KeyBanc warns Nvidia may “exclude direct revenue from China” when giving revenue guidance next week, potentially creating a kind of guidance miss that could send Nvidia shares lower.

KeyBanc also cites the “potential 15% tax on AI exports” from the U.S. side as a risk, and adds that “pressure from the [Chinese] government for its AI providers to use domestic AI chips” could dampen Nvidia’s China revenues even further — adding a third risk that Deutsche didn’t mention!

Finally, some good news

Now, I hope I haven’t painted too bleak a picture for you here. Fact is, despite his reservations, Deutsche analyst Seymore still expects Nvidia to report a “typical” earnings beat next week, exceeding the company’s $45 billion revenue forecast by about $2 billion. Blackwell revenue is ramping, says Seymore, more than doubling sequentially between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, to $24 billion.

With the prospect of an imminent earnings beat, it makes sense that Seymore would hesitate to recommend selling Nvidia stock — even if he does feel it’s a bit overpriced.

Furthermore, KeyBanc agrees that Blackwell production is ramping, and a new Blackwell Ultra (B300) chip is on the way, potentially boosting revenue even more in Q3. For these and other reasons, KeyBanc not only still rates Nvidia stock “overweight” (i.e., buy). KeyBanc actually raised its price target on the stock to $215 on Wednesday.

So, is Nvidia stock a buy or not?

That’s the real question, isn’t it? Wall Street’s confident Nvidia will “beat” on Q2 next week. It’s just worried that Nvidia will “miss” on guidance for Q3. Longer-term, though, is Nvidia stock a buy or isn’t it?

Here’s how I look at it, and I’ll keep this really simple:

Valued at 4.28 trillion dollars, earning nearly $77 billion in annual profit, and backing that up with roughly $72 billion in annual free cash flow, Nvidia stock costs about 55 times trailing earnings and about 59 times free cash flow. For Nvidia stock to be a clear-cut buy, I’d want to see the stock growing earnings at least 50% annually over the next five years.

The best that Wall Street analysts expect Nvidia to do, however, is 30% annual growth — even with nine out of 10 analysts polled saying Nvidia stock is a buy.

The math here isn’t hard. Nvidia stock is not a buy at this price — but it might be if it sells off after earnings.

This is an unfamiliar playbook for Carson Palmer.

Sure, he has the NFL pedigree and the Heisman Trophy, and a staff of assistant coaches loaded with pro experience. But he’s the first-year coach at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, his alma mater, and stepping into an elite league of schools while studying not just game tape but reels of red tape.

“This is harder than I thought,” said Palmer, 45, sitting in his office above the practice field. “Year One is tough. The NFL is fast and responsive. Here, changing the playbook software takes an act of Congress. But I’m learning every day.”

Not that he’s complaining. He knew when he took the job eight months ago that his path would be littered with challenges and obstacles. Along with some satisfying successes.

The Heisman Trophy winner and former No. 1 overall pick has spent his adult life in that wafer-thin line at the top, the lofty latitude occupied by the best players in the game. Now, he’s getting back to basics.

“I enjoy seeing a kid make a mistake, then understand the why and fix it,” he said. “You don’t get that in the NFL. There, it’s just a job. Here, there’s joy in learning.”

The Eagles, ranked No. 7 in the Southland by The Times, open their season Friday against No. 6 Mission Viejo.

Said Palmer, engrossed in preparing the program for the last eight months: “It’s time.”

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer watches over practice on Wednesday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

He will have his hands full in the Trinity League, easily among the most competitive leagues in the country and featuring football powerhouses such as Mater Dei and St. John Bosco.

Are those opposing coaches looking for their Carson Palmer pelt on the wall?

“It’s not about the coach,” Palmer said. “Programs where the coach is the focal point don’t work. It’s about the players 100% of the time. I can help them because I was taught by great minds, but I’m just passing it on.”

Santa Margarita has standouts in brothers Trent and Grant Mosely, both wideouts and Trent committed to play at USC. At quarterback is Trace Johnson, who played high school football in Florida before transferring to spend his senior season with Palmer. His father, Doug Johnson, is Santa Margarita’s quarterbacks coach and played the position in the NFL.

Cornerback Jayden Crowder is heading to California, safety Logan Hirou to UCLA. Dash Fifita, a first-team All-Trinity League linebacker last season and nephew of Santa Margarita’s defensive coordinator, is committed to Arizona, and fellow linebacker Leki Holani is going to Sacramento State.

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer instructs his players during practice.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Palmer has several assistant coaches with NFL and/or major college football experience, among them running backs coach Mike Karney, a bruising fixture at fullback for the New Orleans Saints; receivers coach T.J. Houshmandzadeh, one of Palmer’s standout targets with the Cincinnati Bengals; offensive line coach Lenny Vandermade, among Palmer’s blockers at USC; defensive coordinator Steve Fifita, a standout at the University of Utah who later played in the NFL; and linebackers coach Rob Thomas, who was Pac-10 defensive player of the year as a UCLA linebacker and played eight NFL seasons with four teams.

“It’s been awesome,” Karney said. “Carson’s been running the program the way it should be run but putting his own twist on it, making it his own. From how we run practice to what we’re doing schematically, there’s a lot of carryover from the NFL.”

Palmer said it isn’t necessary to have a staff with so much playing experience, but it’s helpful.

“These guys know the importance of staff chemistry,” he said. “I’ve heard high school coaches say the hardest part isn’t the kids or the parents, it’s the adults and their egos. That’s why I was intentional about picking guys who get along. No one’s doing this for the money.”

Before accepting the job, Carson frequently consulted with Pete Carroll, his legendary coach at USC who is now leading the Las Vegas Raiders.

Carroll believes Palmer will be successful in this endeavor, but that it will take time.

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer instructs a player during practice.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“He’s going to take his knocks, I’m sure,” Carroll said. “He’ll have first- and second-year issues like all the coaches do — just getting your act together and trying to figure yourself out.

“We went extensively into that when we got together — helping him understand some of the questions that will be raised: What am I standing for? How hard am I? How tough am I? How open am I? All of those kinds of things that come into coaching.

“He’s tough, he’s demanding, and he has high expectations for anybody that plays — just like he held himself to all those years. I think he’ll do a wonderful job. He has a great love for the school and the setting, and he was really excited about the opportunity to go back. He’ll put his best foot forward, but it’s a challenge now. He’s got good guys working with him, too, so that’ll all help out. He’s going to do just fine.”

Palmer said he frequently gets phone calls from Norm Chow, his offensive coordinator at USC, who delivers a simple and powerful message.

“He keeps calling me and saying, ‘Culture before Xs and O’s,’ then hanging up,” Palmer said. “That sticks with me. It doesn’t matter what you run. It’s, do they believe in it? Do they trust each other? Is there an environment for growth? We don’t haze. We respect each other.”

That meant showing some players the door.

“Some kids didn’t fit culturally with what I envisioned,” he said. “This is the Trinity League. It’s big-boy ball.”

Santa Margarita coach Carson Palmer speaks to his players during practice on Wednesday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

And that also means coaching some sophisticated concepts, which he said his players are grasping to a surprising degree.

“I’m just giving them what I was given,” he said. “I use Bruce Arians’ short passing game, Norm Chow’s trick plays, the play-action stuff of [Steve] Sarkisian and [Lane] Kiffin.”

He borrowed, too, from Greg Knapp, the longtime NFL offensive coordinator who died in 2021 after a bicycle accident.

“Greg was a master installer,” said Palmer, who played for him in Oakland in 2012. “He’d give surprise quizzes in the meeting room to keep you awake. ‘What’s the capital of Nevada?’ I do that now. Meetings aren’t sit and stare. We’re on the move.”

How will that translate in terms of wins and losses? We’ll see. One of his old and beloved coaches is optimistic.

“The respect for him is automatic, right?” Chow said. “Just because of who he is. … When you’re coaching, you need to be able to run the room. With Carson, young people say, ‘OK, I’m going to listen.’”

Then, perhaps the highest praise.

“I’d absolutely want my kid to be coached by him,” Chow said. “Because of the human being that he is.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is encouraging Tory-controlled councils to consider launching legal challenges against the use of hotels to house asylum seekers in their areas.

Badenoch said Epping Forest District Council had achieved “a victory for local people”, after a High Court ruling blocked a hotel from housing asylum seekers.

In a letter to Conservative council leaders, Badenoch wrote “we back you to take similar action to protect your community… if your legal advice supports it”.

A Labour spokesperson said Badenoch’s letter was “desperate and hypocritical nonsense from the architects of the broken asylum system”.

The Labour spokesperson said under the Tories, “the number of asylum hotels in use rose as high as 400”.

“There are now half that and there are now 20,000 fewer asylum seekers in hotels than at their peak under the Tories,” the spokesperson added.

It comes after the High Court on Monday granted the Conservative-controlled Epping council a temporary injunction to stop migrants from being accommodated at The Bell Hotel in Essex.

The court ruled that about 140 asylum seekers must be moved out of the hotel by 12 September, giving the government limited time to find alternative housing.

Councils across England are considering similar legal challenges as ministers to draw up contingency plans for housing asylum seekers set to be removed from the Bell Hotel.

Historically, hotels have only been used to house asylum seekers in short-term emergency situations when other accommodation was unavailable.

But hotel use rose sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic, hitting a peak of 56,042 in 2023 when the Conservatives were in government.

The Labour government has pledged to end the use of migrant hotels by 2029, by cutting small-boat crossings and speeding up decisions on asylum claims.

There were 32,345 asylum seekers being housed in hotels at the end of March, down 15% from the end of December, according to Home Office figures.

In recent years, other councils have taken legal action in an attempt to close asylum hotels in their areas but in previous cases judges have refused to intervene.

Conservative-run Epping Forest District Council successfully argued its case was different as the hotel had become a safety risk, as well as a breach of planning law by ceasing to be a normal hotel.

The judge ruled in favour of the council, which made the case there had been “evidenced harms” related to protests around the hotel, which had led to violence and arrests.

For other councils to follow suit they would have to show the High Court evidence of local harm.

On Wednesday, a number of councils, including some run by Labour, said they were assessing their legal options.

In her letter, Badenoch told Tory council leaders they may “wish to take formal advice from planning officers on the other planning enforcement options available to your council in relation to unauthorised development or change of use”.

The Conservative leader of Broxbourne Council, Corina Gander, said she was “expecting to go down the same path” as Epping Forest District Council when filing a legal challenge to an asylum hotel in her area.

“We do not know who is in that hotel and it has brought an unease to the community,” Gander told BBC Newsnight.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said all 10 councils controlled by his party will “do everything in their power to follow Epping’s lead”.

“Several of them are already examining the legal transcript from that case,” Reform’s head of Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) Zia Yusuf said, adding “only a minority of our ten councils have planning control.”

The leader of Reform UK-led West Northamptonshire Council said he was “considering the implications of this judgment to understand any similarities and differences and actively looking at the options now available to us”.

Carol Dean, leader of Labour-controlled Tamworth Council, said her authority had previously decided against legal action but was now “carefully assessing” what the decision might mean for the area.

She said it was a “potentially important legal precedent”.

Wirral Council said it was also “considering the detail of the judgement and how it might impact on planning consent for the proposed use of the former hotel in Hoylake”.

Last week, the Labour-run council asked the Home Office to review its decision to house single male asylum seekers rather than families in the former Holiday Inn Express.

If successful, further legal challenges have the potential to pile more pressure on the government to find alternative housing options for migrants.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said asylum seekers moved out of the hotel in Epping should not be put in other hotels, flats or house-shares.

In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, he called for alternative accommodation such as former military sites or barges to be used.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Conservative former leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt said “Kemi is right to back local councils” but warned the consequence of stopping asylum hotels would be more people put into local accommodation and family housing stock converted into HMOs [houses of multiple occupation].

“That is going to be so much worse than hotels. It will alter the housing stock in particular,” she added, suggesting the availability of housing in the area would slim.

Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis told the BBC the government was “looking at contingency options” for housing those being moved out of the Bell Hotel but gave no specific examples.

“There’s likely to be a range of different arrangements in different parts of the country,” Jarvis said.

In June, ministers said the government was looking at buying tower blocks and former student accommodation, external to house migrants.