delivers

Norris admitted after the race in Mexico that there had been times earlier this year when he “certainly did” doubt himself.

“When the car was winning and Oscar was winning,” he said, “the last thing I could do was use the excuse that my car wasn’t good enough.

“I wasn’t getting to grips and finding a way to make it work and I’m finding a better way to make it work now, so it’s as simple as that.”

It is now Piastri facing that feeling, after two difficult weekends during which he has been a fair bit off the pace.

“For some reason, the last couple of weekends has required a very different way of driving,” said Piastri.

“What’s worked well for me in the last 19 races, I’ve needed something very different the last couple of weekends. Trying to wrap my head around why has been a bit of a struggle.”

After qualifying 0.588 seconds and seven places behind Norris in Mexico, Piastri spent Saturday night deep in the data with his engineers, trying to come up with some answers.

The race was about trying to apply them – even if he was not able to get a definitive answer as to whether they had worked, given he spent most of it stuck behind other cars on his way to a fifth place that will have felt painful, but in reality amounted to a solid recovery and exercise in damage limitation.

“Ultimately today was about trying to experiment with some of those things,” continued Piastri. “Because driving the way I’ve had to drive these last couple of weekends is not particularly natural for me.

Team boss Andrea Stella had an explanation for Piastri’s struggles.

He said that Norris excels in low-grip conditions, whereas Piastri’s driving style tends more towards high-grip levels, and he pointed out that, in only his third season, Piastri still has things to learn about adapting to different conditions.

“In the final four races, no reason to think that one may favour one driver or the other,” said Stella, pointing to Las Vegas as the most problematic potentially for the team.

“For Lando and Oscar, there’s no problem in terms of track layout coming in the next four races. If anything, we need to make sure that from a McLaren point of view, we are in condition to extract the full performance that is available in the car, like we have been able to do here in Mexico.

“The confidence in terms of the championship is increased. It’s increased because we have proven that we have a car that can win races and in some conditions can dominate races. This is the most important factor to put Lando and Oscar in condition to pursue the drivers’ championship.”

Oct. 15 (UPI) — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to halt firings of workers amid the shutdown, according to two labor unions that brought the lawsuit against the federal government.

The Trump administration on Friday announced that it has begun laying off 4,100 federal workers as the federal purse has run dry with Congress since Oct. 1, failing to pass a stopgap funding bill to keep the government open.

On Sept. 30, ahead of the shutdown and amid Trump administration threats to institute mass firings if the government shuttered, the American Federation of Government Employees, with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the layoffs.

Then on Oct. 4, the union filed a motion for a temporary restraining order.

On Wednesday, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California sided with the unions, issuing the temporary restraining order they sought, stating that the reduction-in-force notices issued to the more than 4,000 federal employees were likely illegal, exceeded the Trump administration’s authority and were capricious.

In her scathing rebuke of the Trump administration, the appointee of President Bill Clinton described Trump’s mass firings amid a government shutdown as “unprecedented.”

In her order, she outlined how some employees could not even find out if they had been fired because the notices were sent to government email accounts, which they may not have access to because of the shutdown.

Those who do receive the notices are then unable to prepare for their terminations because human resources staff have been furloughed, she said, adding that in one case at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, human resources staff were brought back into the office to issue the layoff notices only to then be directed to lay themselves off.

She then chastised the Trump administration for carrying out the layoffs to punish the Democratic Party, which it blames for the shutdown.

“But this is precisely what President Trump has announced he is doing,” she said, pointing to a social media post from the president on the second day of the shutdown saying he had a meeting with Russell Vought, the White House budget chief, to determine which of the many “Democrat Agencies” to cut.

“I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,” Trump wrote in the Oct. 2 post, which was quoted in full in Illston’s order.

Illston gave the administration two days to provide the court with more information on the issued notices.

“This decision affirms that these threatened mass firings are likely illegal and blocks layoff notices from going out,” Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME, said in a statement.

“Federal workers have already faced enough uncertainty from the administration’s relentless attacks on the important jobs they do to keep us safe and healthy.”

As the order was issued, Vought said that he expects thousands of federal workers to be fired in the coming days.

“Much of the reporting has been based on kind of court snapshots, which they have articulated as in the 4,000 number of people,” he said on The Charlie Kirk Show podcast. “But that’s just a snapshot, and I think it’ll get much higher. And we’re going to keep those RIFs rolling throughout the shutdown.”

Democrats said they will only support a stopgap bill that extends and restores Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, arguing that failing to do so would raise healthcare costs for some 20 million Americans.

Republicans — who control the House, Senate and the presidency — are seeking a so-called clean funding bill that includes no changes. They argue that the Democrats are fighting to provide undocumented migrants with taxpayer-funded healthcare, even though federal law does not permit them to receive Medicaid or ACA premium tax credits.

The parties continue to trade blame for the shutdown as it extends for more than two weeks, with some 750,000 federal workers furloughed.

United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has sent a powerful message to trans youth.

Over the last year, the Trump administration has been relentless in its efforts to roll back protections for trans people.

This includes attempts to limit access to gender-affirming healthcare, restrict participation in sports and define gender narrowly in legal terms.

While the 47th president and his Republican allies are showing no signs of slowing down their tirade, various Democratic lawmakers have come out swinging in support of the trans community, including AOC.

On 3 October, the representative for New York’s 14th congressional district held a Q&A session on her Instagram, during which she discussed several topics.

When a user asked if she had anything to say to trans youth amid the rise of anti-trans rhetoric, AOC delivered a powerful message assuring them that she stands by the community.

“I want to say that I know this time is completely terrifying for so many people. And it feels hard to know where your place is, especially in politics, where it feels like people of both parties are blaming you for everything that’s happening,” she said.

“I just want you to know that they couldn’t be more wrong and you are fine just the way you are, and in a time when it’s hard to know who stands with you, I want you to know that I stand with you, and everyone who wants to be mean shouldn’t be mean around me.”

AOC’s message was immediately embraced by many of her LGBTQIA+ followers, with one person commenting: “Thank you! As a peer support/peer ambassador in the mental health field, I truly appreciate your words #achildislistening”

@aocMy message for trans youth in what feels like a terrifying moment: I stand with you. I’ve got your back.♬ original sound – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Another user echoed similar sentiments, writing: “As a trans girl, thank you for standing up for us.”

A third follower added: “Thank you for taking the time to address our trans babies!! They deserve so much more love & respect than they’re receiving rn.”

Since entering the political sphere, AOC has been a staunch advocate for the trans community, often using her platform and public appearances to push back against hateful rhetoric.

In 2021, she effortlessly shut down transphobic critics mocking her for using the inclusive terminology, “menstruating person,” while discussing Texas’ anti-abortion law.

The politician took to Twitter to clarify her comments when news outlets generalised her wording to mean just “women”.

“Not just women,” AOC wrote. “Trans men & non-binary people can also menstruate.”

Not just women! Trans men & non-binary people can also menstruate.

Some women also *don’t* menstruate for many reasons, including surviving cancer that required a hysterectomy.

GOP mad at this are protecting the patriarchal idea that women are most valuable as uterus holders. pic.twitter.com/BJovcw1qPa

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 8, 2021

“Some women also *don’t* menstruate for many reasons, including surviving cancer that required a hysterectomy. GOP mad at this are protecting the patriarchal idea that women are most valuable as uterus holders.”

In November 2024, she came out in support of her colleague Sarah McBride –the first openly trans person to be elected to the House of Representatives – after Republican lawmakers attempted to pass a bill banning trans people from using the bathrooms on Capitol Hill that match their gender identity.

“If you ask them what is your plan to enforce this is, they won’t come up with an answer. What it inevitably results in are women and girls who are primed for assault because people are going to check their private parts in suspecting who is trans and who is cis and who is doing what,” she told reporters.

“And so the idea that Nancy Mace wants little girls and women to drop trou[sers] in front of who? An investigator? Who would that be? Because she wants to suspect and point fingers at who she thinks is trans? It is disgusting.”

@nbcnews Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls out #Republican Rep. Nancy Mace’s proposal to ban transgender women from female bathrooms in the Capitol. Mace and Speaker Johnson have separately introduced restrictions after #Democrat Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to #Congress ♬ original sound – nbcnews

The American subsidiary of Belgian gunmaker Fabrique Nationale (FN) has delivered new prototype rifles and machine guns chambered to fire the 6.5x43mm Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge (LICC) to the U.S. military. LICC is one of several avenues the U.S. military has pursued in the past decade to find new small arms that offer greater range and terminal effectiveness, particularly over existing types firing the 5.56x45mm round. Though a U.S.-led effort, Canada has also been deeply involved in LICC.

FN America put out a press release today saying it had provided an unspecified number of test samples of the LICC-Individual Weapon System (LICC-IWS) and LICC-Assault Machine Gun (LICC-AMG) to the Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD). The IWTSD, first established in 1999 as the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO), resides within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. It is charged with identifying and developing new capabilities primarily to aid in irregular warfare operations. In U.S. military parlance, irregular warfare is an umbrella term that encompasses a host of lower-intensity mission sets, including counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, as well as advising and assisting foreign forces, often performed by special operations units.

The LICC effort traces its roots back to the mid-2010s. The 6.5x43mm cartridge evolved directly from the .264 USA round, which was developed internally by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU). FN has been under contract to develop a weapon system to go with the LICC ammunition since 2019. The steel-cased 6.5x43mm rounds are 20 percent lighter than equivalent cartridges with brass cases, and have better accuracy, range, and performance compared to typical 5.56x45mm loadings, according to the company.

The LICC-IWS is a version of FN’s Improved Performance Carbine (IPC). Though it has some broad external resemblances to the AR-15/M16 family, as well as larger AR-10-style guns, the IPC is a proprietary gas-piston operated design that first broke cover in 2023.

FN America has developed three subvariants of the LICC-IWS with 12.5-inch, 14.5-inch, and 18-inch barrels, referred to as the Close Quarters Battle, Carbine, and Designated Marksmanship Rifle types, respectively. The company says the 14.5-inch barrelled version is 35 and a half inches overall (32 and a half inches with its stock collapsed) and weighs 7.75 pounds. This puts it in the same general size and weight class as the 5.56x45mm M4A1 carbine, which continues to be widely issued across the U.S. military and has been something of a control standard for the LICC effort.

“Initial test firing results from the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and other operators show that the accuracy of the LICC-IWS is consistently two times better than the M4A1,” Jim Williams, Vice President of Military Programs for FN America, said in a statement today. “Additionally, the LICC-IWS handles like the M4A1, yet remains soft shooting when firing the new 6.5×43 lightweight ammunition.”

The LICC-AMG is a 6.5x43mm variant of FN’s Evolys machine gun, which made its public debut in 2021. The belt-fed Evolys is also offered chambered in 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm. The LICC version has a 14.5-inch barrel, is nearly 40 inches long overall (36 and a half inches with its stock collapsed), and weighs nearly 14 pounds. FN America says it has tested the LICC-AMG against its Mk 48, Mk 46, and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) machine guns. The Mk 48 is a 7.62x51mm derivative of the 5.56x45mm M249. The Mk 46 is a special-purpose subvariant of the M249. All three types are in service with various elements of the U.S. military.

“In prototype testing, the AMG was more accurate than the FN MK 48 in full auto mode,” according to FN America’s release today. “Overall, the AMG demonstrated improved performance in lethality, accuracy, durability, balance, and handling over the FN M249 and FN MK 46/MK 48 machine guns.”

“FN’s ultimate goal is to advance from development into production and field a final solution that provides operators a system that is easier to operate, more accurate and more effective than anything available today,” Mark Cherpes, President and CEO for FN America, also said in a statement. “After this test and evaluation phase, our plan is to take user feedback, fine-tune the systems, and move into low-rate initial production.”

“Multiple users will test the operational samples, providing critical feedback to aid FN and IWTSD in the final development of the systems,” today’s press release adds.

All this being said, what the exact plan is going forward for the LICC effort, and who might be in line to field the LICC-IWS and/or the LICC-AMG on any level, is not entirely clear. Key to the genesis of the preceding .264 USA cartridge were lessons learned by U.S. forces from combat in Afghanistan during the Global War on Terror era, where being outranged was a common complaint.

“Tactical operators require an integrated, user-tailorable, lightweight shoulder-fired individual weapon and lightweight intermediate caliber cartridge (LICC) that can overmatch the current maximum effective range and terminal effects of peer, near peer, and future threat individual weapons and ammunition, while also defeating current and emerging threat individual protective equipment out to 800 meters,” what was then CCTSO had said in a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) contracting notice back in 2018.

Since then, the U.S. Army has selected a new standard service rifle and replacement for the M249, the M7 and M250, both from Sig Sauer and chambered to fire a 6.8x51mm round. The Next Generation Squad Weapons program that birthed those weapons was driven heavily by the same concerns about range as LICC, as well as improvements in adversary body armor.

Army special operations units were involved in developmental testing of the M7 and M250, though it remains to be seen how widespread the use of those guns within the broader special operations community might be in the end. The M7 rifle has been the subject of some controversy recently, including criticism about its weight, bulk, and increased recoil compared to the M4A1, as you can read more about here.

In recent years, the U.S. special operations community has also increasingly embraced the 6.5mm Creedmoor round, again because of the increased range, accuracy, and terminal performance it offers over 5.56x45mm, as well as 7.62x51mm. U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has ordered examples of at least two new rifles in this caliber in the past two years, and has also been evaluating belt-fed machine guns chambered to fire this round.

This all prompts a question of whether the IWTSD is now continuing to pursue LICC with more of an eye toward requirements from foreign allies and partners. As mentioned, Canada is known to be heavily involved in the effort. The 2018 BAA notably used Colt Canada’s C8 Special Forces Weapon (SFW), an AR-15/M16 pattern carbine distinct from the U.S. standard M4A1, as the comparison point for many of the stated LICC requirements. At the time of writing, the LICC-IWS and LICC-AMG pages on FN America’s website notably show the IWTSD logo and the crest of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).

“With an eye to the future, CANSOFCOM is pursuing a NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG) for 6.5 x 43 mm in partnership with at least one additional NATO member,” Soldier Systems Daily reported earlier this year, citing unnamed sources. “At this point, the other party has not been disclosed. However, I know it is not the US, which has been working on the 6.8 x 51mm common case cartridge as their path forward.”

Canada has historically been very tight-lipped about its special operations community.

Whatever the case, FN America is clearly continuing to work with the IWTSD to advance the LICC effort, with series production of guns chambered in that round now said to be finally on the horizon.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Without a doubt, it is important to capture the reflections of a vice president who found herself in an unprecedented situation after the president was pressured to withdraw from the 2024 election. And “107 Days,” a taut, often eye-opening account — written with the help of Geraldine Brooks — takes you inside the rooms where it happened, as well as what led up to Kamala Harris’ remarkable run.

For one, apparently MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell first gave Harris the idea she should seek the presidency in 2020. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were having breakfast at a restaurant near their Brentwood home when O’Donnell “wandered up to our table to talk about the dire consequences of a second Trump term.” Harris, then in her first term as a U.S. senator, recounts that O’Donnell bluntly suggested: “‘You should run for president.’ I honestly had not thought about it until that moment,” she writes in “107 Days.”

Later, Harris also reveals that Tim Walz was not her first choice for running mate: Pete Buttigieg was, though she ultimately concluded the country wasn’t ready for a gay man in the role.

“We were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man,” she writes. She assumes Buttigieg felt similarly, but they never discussed it.

We do not glean much more than we already knew or assumed about President Biden’s life-changing 2024 phone call that set Harris on this path. Pleas for Biden to step aside had been building following his disastrous debate performance less than five months before the election, but by that time Harris had given up on the idea that he would withdraw from the race. But on Sunday, July 21, Harris had just finished making pancakes for her grandnieces at the vice president’s residence and was settling in to watch a cooking show with them when “No Caller ID” came up on her secure phone.

“I need to talk to you,” Biden rasps, then battling COVID-19. Without fanfare, he told her: “I’ve decided I’m dropping out.” “Are you sure?” Harris replies, to which Biden responds: “I’m sure. I’m going to announce in a few minutes.” In italics, we are made privy to what Harris is thinking during their brief phone call: “Really?” Give me a bit more time. The whole world is about to change. I’m here in sweatpants.”

If we wanted in on the powerful feelings that must have been swirling within each of them during such an exchange, or a nod to the momentousness of the moment — no dice. The conversation shifted to the timing of Biden’s endorsement of Harris, which Biden’s staff wanted to delay and which she wanted immediately. Politics, not sentiment, reigned.

The Atlantic book excerpt published earlier this month, it turns out, accurately represents the overall tone of “107 Days.” A thread running throughout is one of bitterness toward Biden’s inner circle, whom Harris felt had been poisoning the well since she first took office: “The public statements, the whispering campaigns, and the speculation had done a world of damage,” she recounts, and perhaps laid the groundwork for her defeat. While she had a warm relationship with the president himself, Harris believes she was never trusted by the first lady or the president’s closest advisors, nor did they throw their full weight behind her as the Democratic nominee.

At the same time, she never doubted that she was the right person for the job. She writes, “I knew I was the candidate in the strongest position to win. … The most qualified and ready. The highest name recognition.” She also calculates that the president and his team thought she was the least bad option to replace him because “I was the only person who would preserve his legacy.” “At this point,” she adds, “anyone else was bound to throw him — and all the good he had achieved — right under the bus.”

For those who are cynical about politics, “107 Days” will not alter your view. After Biden announces his withdrawal, First Lady Jill Biden welcomes Second Gentleman Emhoff into the fray, advising: “Be careful what you wish for. You’re about to see how horrible the world is.” Her senior adviser David Plouffe encourages Harris to distance herself from the president on the campaign trail, because “People hate Joe Biden.” Again and again, Harris provides examples of being left out of the loop or not robustly supported by his inner circle. She writes that her feelings for the president “were grounded in warmth and loyalty” but had become “more complicated over time.” She claims never to have doubted Biden’s competence, even while she worried about how he appeared to the public.

“On his worst day,” she writes, “he was more deeply knowledgeable, more capable of exercising judgment, and far more compassionate than Donald Trump at his best.” Still, his decision about seeking a second term shouldn’t “have been left to an individual’s ego, an individual’s ambition,” she concludes in an observation that grabbed headlines upon its publication in the Atlantic excerpt.

The exhilaration that Harris’ campaign frequently exuded in those early rallies is summarized here, but those accounts don’t capture the joy. Some of the details she chooses to highlight tamp down the excitement. For example, at their first rally together after picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, Walz, Harris and their families greet an audience of 10,000 people in Philadelphia. Though Harris writes, “We rode the high of the crowd that night,” she also notes, “When Tim clasped my hand to thrust it high in an enthusiastic victory gesture, he was so tall that the entire front of my jacket rose up.” She makes “a mental note to tell him: From now on, when we do that, you gotta bend your elbow.”

The Kamala Harris I saw on the campaign trail and enthusiastically voted for is often in evidence on the page. She is smart, savvy, funny and tough. As in many of her stump speeches and media interviews, she tends to recite her accomplishments as if reading from a resume, which sometimes reads as defensive. But she is also indefatigable: She believes that she must win to save democracy, yet she seems to shoulder that formidable burden without breaking a sweat.

“107 Days” does an excellent job of conveying the difficulty of seeking — and occupying — high office, and suggests that if she’d won, Harris’ resilience and ambition would have served her well as the leader of the free world. Many of her insights are astute, though occasionally tinged with rancor. She does accept responsibility for certain missteps, such as when she was asked on “The View” if she would have done anything differently than Biden had she been in charge. She reflects that her response — “There is nothing that comes to mind” — landed as if she’d “pulled the pin on a hand grenade.” But she doesn’t attribute her eventual loss to that or any other miscalculation: She simply needed more time to make her case.

I craved a soaring moment, a rallying cry. I didn’t find hope or inspiration within these pages — the book felt more like an obligatory postmortem with an already established conclusion. If an aim of this memoir was to rally the troops for a Harris run in 2028, “107 Days” falls short of lighting a fire. The brilliant, charismatic woman who came close to breaking the ultimate glass ceiling has given us an essential portrait of an unforgettable turning point in her journey, but “107 Days” is mainly absent the perspective and blueprint for going forward that so many of us hunger for. A few years out, that wisdom may come.

Haber is a writer, editor and publishing strategist. She was director of Oprah’s Book Club and books editor for O, the Oprah Magazine.

Clayton Kershaw blew a kiss to his family, pounded a fist in his glove, then made the familiar trot from the Dodgers’ dugout to the Chavez Ravine mound.

This time, however, he did it alone.

In what was his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium, coming one day after he announced that he would retire at the end of this year, Kershaw took the field while the rest of his teammates stayed back and applauded.

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On a night of appreciation for his 18-year career, the moment belonged to him — and an adoring fan base that has watched his every step.

The first time Kershaw ever pitched at Dodger Stadium, he was a much-hyped and highly anticipated 20-year-old prospect. His talent immense. His Hall of Fame future in front of him.

When he did it for potentially the last time on Friday night, he was a much-beloved and long-admired 37-year-old veteran. Hardened by the failures that once defined his baseball mortality. Celebrated for the way he had learned to overcome them.

Few athletes in modern sport play for one team, for so long. Fewer still experience the emotional extremes Kershaw was put through, or manage still to weather the storm.

When Kershaw was asked about Dodgers fans during his retirement news conference Thursday, that’s the dynamic he quickly pointed to.

“It hasn’t been a smooth ride,” he said. “We’ve had our ups and downs for sure.”

Between boundless cheers and intermittent boos, historic milestones and horrifying heartbreaks, triumphant summers and torturous falls.

In regular-season play, baseball has maybe never seen a more accomplished pitcher. Kershaw’s 2.54 ERA is the lowest in the live-ball era among those with 100 starts. He is one of the 20 members of MLB’s 3,000 strikeout club. He is one of four pitchers to win three Cy Youngs and an MVP award.

In October, however, no one’s history has been more checkered. There were implosions against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 and 2014. The infamous fifth game of the 2017 World Series against the sign-stealing Houston Astros. The nightmare relief appearance in 2019 against the Washington Nationals. Nine trips to the playoffs in his first 11 seasons, without winning a championship once.

In those days, it made Kershaw’s relationship complicated with Dodger Nation. He was heroic until he wasn’t. Clutch until the autumn. It didn’t matter that he was often pitching on short rest, or through injuries and strenuous workloads, or in situations no other pitcher would have ever been tasked. He was the embodiment of the Dodgers’ repeated postseason failings. The face of a franchise that could never clear the final hurdle.

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1. Clayton Kershaw reacts after getting San Francisco’s Jerar Encarnacion to hit into a double play in the third inning Friday night at Dodger Stadium. 2. Kershaw acknowledges the cheers from the Dodger Stadium crowd after exiting the game in the fifth inning. 3. Kershaw acknowledges the crowd after leaving the game in the fifth inning. 4. Kershaw is congratulated by his teammates as he exits the game. 5. Kershaw is embraced by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as he leaves the game in the fifth inning. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“It’s almost like a relationship, right?” Kershaw said. “You’ve been in it 18 years with them. There’s some great times, and then there’s some times where you probably want to break up for a minute.”

In his case, though, that’s how such an enduring bond was built.

He persevered through such struggles. He kept coming back every season. He finally got over the hump with World Series titles in 2020 and 2024. He never shied away from even his darkest moments.

“With that responsibility as the ace, you’ve got to take on a lot of scrutiny or potential failures,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Everything wasn’t optimal for him. But he never complained about it. Never made an excuse for it.

“I think the fans, certainly at his highest moments, have shown their love for him and support. In those other times, I think it’s just, the fans have been hurting along with him. Wanting so much for a guy that’s been such a stalwart and a great citizen and person for this city and organization.”

“I think the respect, the universal respect, is certainly warranted 10 times over.”

Over a 6-3 win against the San Francisco Giants that ended just minutes after the Dodgers clinched their 13th consecutive postseason berth, that’s what was celebrated from Kershaw’s first pitch to his last.

The left-hander threw 4⅓ innings of two-run ball, striking out six batters on four hits and four walks, but it wasn’t his stats that mattered. He struggled with his command, averaged only 89 mph with his fastball, and left the mound with the Dodgers trailing, but the memories from this night will go far beyond that.

From the moment Kershaw emerged on the field at 6:23 p.m., fans rose to their feet. They cheered and chanted his pregame routine in the outfield and bullpen. They roared when his name was introduced shortly before first pitch.

They knew this could be his Dodger Stadium send-off, a sentimental opportunity to say thank you for all he accomplished and all he endured.

Kershaw felt a swirl of emotions, as well, sitting teary-eyed in the outfield while taking in the scene before the game began.

“You’re trying to focus on the night and getting outs, but it’s a special day,” Kershaw said. “It’s the last time here, potentially, and this place has meant so much to me for so long. I didn’t want to not think about it.”

At the start of the first inning, his teammates made sure he wouldn’t. As Kershaw headed to the mound, the Dodgers’ fielders made an impromptu decision to stay back and let him be serenaded with an extended ovation.

“I didn’t love it,” Kershaw joked. “But it was a great gesture.”

And as he stood on the mound alone, he smiled and waved at a moment 18 years in the making.

“This is one of those moments where Dodger fans, you all have seen him for 18 years and watched his career grow and everything that he’s gone through,” Roberts said. “People are going to back and go, ‘I was there for the last time he started a home game at Dodger Stadium.’”

From there, the night was surprisingly tense.

Kershaw gave up a home run on the third pitch of the game to Heliot Ramos. He spent the next four innings battling traffic, stranding two runners later in the first, another two in the second, and two more in the third after a Wilmer Flores RBI single.

By the fourth, it was clear Kershaw was not long for the evening. His pitch count was rising. The bullpen was active. And with two outs in the inning, Willy Adames was extending a two-strike at-bat.

On the ninth pitch of that battle, however, Kershaw finally got a whiff on a slider. For the first time since the first inning, Dodger Stadium erupted once again.

Watch Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s full start against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.

Kershaw returned to the mound in the fifth, and struck out Rafael Devers with a fastball at the knees.

With that, his night was over, along with maybe his Dodger Stadium career.

“I feel like the moments that we have right there in front of us, it’s history,” second baseman Miguel Rojas said.

“You had to just kind of be there to really feel the emotions,” shortstop Mookie Betts added.

In the stands, applause echoed through a sell-out crowd of 53,037 — which included former teammates Austin Barnes, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Trayce Thompson and AJ Pollock; as well as other Los Angeles sports icons from Magic Johnson to Matthew Stafford (a childhood friend of Kershaw’s from Texas).

After receiving hugs from his infield, and embracing Roberts with an apology (“I’m sorry I pitched so poorly tonight”) and a request (“Not trying to be disrespectful, but I’m keeping this ball”), the pitcher then made the slow walk back from the rubber.

Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw makes a hugging gesture as he walks off the mound to a standing ovation at Dodger Stadium on Friday night.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

He took a deep breath. He gave a hugging motion to his family sitting in the loge level. He donned his cap, and repeatedly said thank you to a crowd that never ceased to cheer.

“It hasn’t always been a smooth ride, but you guys have stuck with me,” Kershaw, who also re-emerged from the dugout for a raucous curtain call, reiterated in a postgame on-field interview.

“Dodger Stadium is a super special place, and the fans are the main reason why,” he added in his postgame news conference with reporters. “They continue to come out and support us. Every night, it’s 50,000 people. I wish I had better words other than I’m just so honored and thankful to hear those ovations. I’ll never take that for granted.”

Now, one more October awaits — with the Dodgers (87-67) officially clinching a postseason berth Friday after roaring to the lead on back-to-back home runs from Shohei Ohtani and Betts in the bottom half of the fifth.

Kershaw’s role in this last title chase is uncertain. With a loaded rotation, but shaky relief corps, the Dodgers’ best use for him could come out of the bullpen. Roberts said he envisions Kershaw fitting somewhere on the playoff roster. Kershaw said he can “do the math” and is prepared “to do whatever I can to help.”

Either way, his legacy with the Dodgers, and its forever indebted fan base, had already long before been graciously cemented.

“I’m kind of mentally exhausted today, honestly, but it’s the best feeling in the world now,” Kershaw said. “We got a win, we clinched a playoff berth, and I got to stand on that mound one last time. I just can’t be more grateful.”

“Perfect night,” he later added. “It really was.”

Corn is no stranger to Broadway musicals. In “Oklahoma!,” the crop is “as high as an elephant’s eye,” according to the lyrical measurements of the show’s opening number, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.”

But in “Shucked,” the hilarious countrified musical that brought “Hee Haw”-style comedy in a modern guise to Broadway, corn finally gets top billing. The North American tour production, which opened Wednesday at the Hollywood Pantages, is a folksy farcical riot, wholesome enough for widespread appeal but with just enough flamboyant oddity to tickle the funny bone of urban sophisticates.

The book by Robert Horn (who won a Tony for his exuberantly witty book for the musical version of “Tootsie”) employs two narrators. Storyteller 1 (Maya Lagerstam) and Storyteller 2 (Tyler Joseph Ellis) are our guides to this “farm to fable” tale about “a simple place that time forgot,” Cob County. The exact coordinates of this backwater are a bit hazy, but Storyteller 2 helpfully pinpoints the locale as “a place where being from somewhere is who you are.”

Cob County, as the name suggests, is corn crazy. The town’s livelihood depends on a flourishing crop, but just as the local sweethearts, Maizy (Danielle Wade) and Beau (Jake Odmark), are about to tie the knot, the corn starts shriveling up. Maizy halts the wedding until the crisis is resolved. Beau assures her that he’ll eventually figure it out, but time is not on Cob County’s side.

Maizy proposes to do the unthinkable: leave town to consult an outside expert.

Maya Lagerstam as Storyteller 1, left, and Tyler Joseph Ellis as Storyteller 2 in the North American Tour of “Shucked” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.

(Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

As far as her alarmed friends and family members are concerned, she might as well be volunteering to go to Mars on an Elon Musk rocket ship. Beau is dead set against the idea, but Maizy won’t take no for answer and heads for the biggest metropolis she can imagine, Tampa, Fla., where she meets a seductive foot doctor, Gordy (Quinn VanAntwerp) who caters to lonely women and is desperate to pay off a gambling debt.

Easy marks don’t come any easier than naïve, trusting Maizy, whose bracelet of rare stones has caught con man Gordy’s predatory attention. She explains that her grandfather made it from the rocks that a flood washed under their home. And that is how a quack who treats the tender corns on pedicured toes suddenly becomes a world-renowned corn doctor in a show that seemingly never met a pun it didn’t like.

Danielle Wade as Maizy, left, and Miki Abraham as Lulu in the North American Tour of “Shucked” at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre.

(Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

The humor, at once simple and clever, innocent and off-color, amiably wants to get a rise, and Horn isn’t too proud to go low in his genial wordplay. Peanut (Mike Nappi), Beau’s kindhearted, witless brother, is a geyser of potty-minded quips. “I just passed a huge squirrel, which is odd because I don’t remember eating one,” he tells his brother, who merely asked, “What’s going on?”

All of the elements of “Shucked” are perfectly calibrated to shamelessly win us over. First and foremost among these is Jack O’Brien’s precise and invigorating direction, which treats the characters as our country cousins, never condescending to them, even at their laughable worst.

The fresh look of the production, incorporating Scott Pask’s bucolic cartoon set, prevents the show from coming across as dated. Tilly Grimes’ sexy, small-town costumes lend an updated “Flashdance” feeling.

The sunshiny score by Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, a blend of country, blues and Broadway pop, is intent on making theatergoers smile. “Corn,” the opening number celebrating the miracle and many uses of this magical plant, starts things off riotously, building sensationally to a chorus line of corncobs that choreographer Sarah O’Gleby sets into zesty motion.

The cast contains a wide range of gorgeous voices. Wade’s Maizy sounds like an ingenue Dolly Parton, exquisite to listen to, especially when her heart is in play, as is the case with “Maybe Love,” a number so good it returns in the second act as the jumbled romances get sorted out.

Odmark’s Beau, the boyfriend who gets shucked, if you will, never loses his country charisma. He performs with an affectionate twinkle in his eye, offering understanding even when his jealousy is put to the severest test. But, as he reminds himself in the handsomely performed hearbreak song “Somebody Will,” he knows his worth and that his innate goodness will carry him through.

Another vocal standout is Miki Abraham, who plays Lulu, Maizy’s whiskey-making street-savvy cousin, who sees straight through Gordy, even if she can’t help being enticed by his rakish game. Abraham practically brings the house down with “Independently Owned,” an anthem to her character’s emancipated spirit. But Lulu might protest too much: She’s clearly not so hard-nosed about love as she makes herself out to be.

“Shucked,” like “& Juliet” at the Ahmanson right now, are two clever contemporary shows that deliver the kind of delight you can’t find anywhere else but the musical stage. I might have enjoyed “Shucked” 15% more if it were 15% shorter. And I missed the uncompromising individuality of the original Broadway cast, which has been slightly homogenized for the North American tour.

On Broadway, Alex Newell, who played Lulu, became the first out nonbinary actor to win a Tony for performance. Kevin Cahoon was nominated in the same category for his captivatingly eccentric performance as Peanut.

The sense of a community fully able to express itself in all its variety is thankfully still an integral part of “Shucked,” lending warmth to the intoxicating silliness of a musical that made this city slicker long to move to corn country.

It was a sight that’s been all too rare this season, coming precisely when the Dodgers needed it most.

Mookie Betts, bat in hand, game on the line. A swing as smooth as it was strong, his two-handed finish sending the ball out of sight.

For so much of this year, the Dodgers have been picking Betts up amid a career-worst season at the plate.

On Sunday afternoon, with a rivalry game and division lead hanging in the balance, he returned the favor with his biggest moment in what felt like ages.

After once leading by four, then watching the San Diego Padres claw back to tie the score, the Dodgers completed a weekend series sweep on Betts’ go-ahead home run in the eighth.

The no-doubt, 394-foot, stadium-shaking blast sent the Dodgers to a 5-4 win and gave them a two-game lead in the National League West; and had Betts skipping around the bases with a swagger that has been missing for much of the campaign.

“It’s been a long time,” Betts said — since he had delivered such a clutch hit, looked so much like his old self at the dish, and trusted a swing that has frustrated him since the earliest days of the season.

“Finally, I did something good for the boys that’s with the bat. I feel like I’ve done a decent job with the glove. But the bat, I haven’t really been able to help much. So just good to help with that.”

Mookie Betts hits a solo home run for the Dodgers in eighth inning Sunday against the Padres.

As Betts came to the plate in the eighth, Dodger Stadium stood still in a silent, tense trance.

In the first inning, the team had ambushed Padres starter Yu Darvish for four runs on long balls from Freddie Freeman and Andy Pages.

But from there, a crowd of 49,189 watched the Padres slowly come back.

Tyler Glasnow fizzled after two electric opening innings, leaving the game at the end of the fifth after allowing two runs.

A patchwork Dodgers bullpen couldn’t hold off the Padres, giving up runs in the top of the sixth and eighth to make it a 4-4 game.

At that point, San Diego had the advantage. Their league-best bullpen was fresh. Their closer, Robert Suarez, was on the mound. And the Dodgers were almost completely out of pitching options, having burned five relievers to get the previous nine outs.

But then, Betts delivered. In a 2-and-0 count against Suarez, he launched a center-cut fastball deep into the left-field stands.

“To get into a good count and turn that fastball around, that’s the Mookie we like,” manager Dave Roberts said.

“He was able to stay through it, back-spin the ball, hit it over the fence in a big situation,” Freeman echoed. “Been saying it the last few weeks. Mookie Betts is gonna be Mookie Betts. No one here is worried about him.”

That might have been true of his teammates. But for much of the summer, Betts seemed to be battling constant self-doubt.

His swing never felt right, off from the start after a late-spring stomach virus that zapped him of almost 20 pounds. His typical production never materialized, with a lack of power or consistent on-base ability contributing to distant career-lows in batting average (.242), OPS (.683) and home runs (he is on pace for only 17).

“I don’t know how to get through this,” Betts said last month. “I’m working every day. Hopefully it turns.”

When mechanical tweaks and long-trusted swing cues didn’t fix the issue, Betts recently decided to adopt a new mindset.

At the behest of Roberts, and the encouragement of his wife Brianna, Betts began this month by reframing his perspective.

“We’re going to have to chalk [this] up [as] not a great season,” Betts said two weeks ago, at least as far as his overall numbers were concerned. “But I can go out and help the boys win every night. Get an RBI. Make a play. Do something. I’m going to have to shift my focus there.”

Of late, the shift seemed to be working.

From Aug. 5-13, he went 14 for 35 over an eight-game hitting streak with seven RBIs, three extra-base hits and only two strikeouts.

This weekend had been more of a struggle, with Betts going hitless in his first nine at-bats.

But when he came up in the eighth, he had mental clarity. He wasn’t worried about his numbers, or a statline long past saving.

“Just trying to do something productive,” he said. “It definitely helps to not carry burdens from previous at-bats.”

Mookie Betts runs the bases after hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning for the Dodgers against the Padres on Sunday.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

As the ball sailed out, landing in a left-field pavilion of rollicking fans, Betts practically floated around the bases, giving a two-handed wave to the bullpen, the team’s Shohei Ohtani-inspired finger swoosh to the dugout, and a couple emphatic salutes to both teammates and the crowd.

“To take the pressure off — trying to recover from the season and get more micro, just game to game, at-bat to at-bat — it’s a better quality of life,” Roberts said. “Certainly, we’re seeing the performance from Mookie.”

And as a result, the Dodgers (71-53) had a triumphant ending to their pivotal rivalry series sweep of the Padres (69-55), going from second place Friday to all alone in first again.

“We just played a good brand of baseball this weekend,” Betts said. “But again, we still got a long way to go.”

Long before the dramatic ending, Sunday had started like the previous two games. The Dodgers were getting good pitching, with Glasnow striking out four of his first five batters while pumping increased fastball velocity and generating foolish swings with his slider. The Padres were making mistakes; most notably, Freddy Fermín getting gunned down by Pages from center while trying to leg out a double in the top of the third, turning what could have been a crooked-number rally into only a one-run inning.

Darvish, meanwhile, made a pair of two-strike mistakes in the first, leaving a fastball up to Freeman for a three-run homer before failing to bury a splitter to Pages for a solo shot.

It all seemed to give the Dodgers full control of the series finale.

In the top of the fifth, however, things began to shift.

Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow delivers in the first inning against the Padres on Sunday.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

First, Ramón Laureano lifted a solo drive just over the wall in right to lead off the inning. And though Glasnow got out of a jam later in the inning, his fading command and rising 91-throw pitch count prompted Roberts to go to the bullpen with still 12 outs to go.

In the sixth, Anthony Banda gave up one run on a pair of doubles (the second one, a floating fly ball into the right-field corner from Ryan O’Hearn that slow-footed Teoscar Hernández couldn’t track down).

And though Blake Treinen stranded a runner at third in the seventh — thanks in no small part to a generous strike call against Manny Machado that negated a walk — more trouble arose in the eighth, after Alexis Díaz started by hitting a batter and giving up a double to Laureano on a line drive to center.

“Man, fought our tail off to come back,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “Could have easily said, you know what, it’s not our day again, down four.”

Tying the game, however, was as close as the Padres would get.

Facing the two-on, one-out jam, Roberts summoned Alex Vesia to try and get out of the inning. The left-hander retired both batters he faced, with only a ground ball from Jose Iglesias managing to level the score.

Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, right, celebrates with catcher Will Smith after the Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Padres at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

When Vesia returned to the dugout, Roberts phoned to the bullpen, instructing Justin Wrobleski to get loose with the game veering toward extras.

Vesia, however, had a different plan in mind.

“They told me I was done. And I was just like, ‘No,’” Vesia declared. “So I told Doc, I walked up to him and said, ‘Hey, if we’re up [in the ninth], I want it.’ He was like, ‘OK, you got it.’ Sure enough, Mook, bang, homers. Sweet, let’s go.”

Indeed, just when it seemed like all the momentum the Dodgers had built this weekend was suddenly fading, and the series would end with them only tied atop the standings, Betts instead flipped the script with his moment of salvation. Then Vesia returned to the mound for a clean ninth inning — punctuated by a strikeout of Machado that left him one for 11 in the series.

“To really weather the last couple innings, and to get that big hit off a really good closer was big,” Roberts said. “Yeah, feel a lot better today than a week ago.”

Hibs went into Thursday’s second leg as strong favourites given their excellent showing in Belgrade, but their two-goal lead slipped away in alarming fashion as goalkeeper Jordan Smith pushed Milan Vukotic’s long-range effort into the top corner before allowing Jovan Milosevic’s tame effort to squirm under him.

He trudged off at half-time to howls of dismay from the home supporters, but Gray believes the break came at a good time for his side.

“For large spells of the first half the shape was really good, we had the better chances and then there’s obviously a couple of mistakes,” Gray said.

“The character was certainly tested. Half-time came at a good time – I was able to calm them down and then it’s all about character.”

And they showed their character through Bowie’s inspired strike and through a string of Smith saves, who put his first-half horror show behind him admirably.

“I’m delighted for Jordan for his second-half performance,” Gray said. “He made big saves at big times.”

Gray was keen to point out that his team’s character was then tested again.

The tie looked done. Hibs were through, 3-2 up on aggregate with 30 seconds left of time added on.

That was before Partizan’s Andrej Kostic swept home in the 96th minute to force extra time.

However, unlike in Europa League qualifying against Midtjylland, there would be no heartache this time.

“The game became stretched, we lost control at times,” Gray said. “You think you’re over the line and then you have to go again for another 30 minutes.

“Now it’s all done and dusted there will be improvements to come from it, but that’s for another night.”

Pinch-hitter Yoán Moncada keyed a four-run sixth inning with a two-run single and Gustavo Campero also drove in two runs as the Angels beat the Texas Rangers 8-5 on Tuesday night.

Texas took a 4-3 lead with two runs in the sixth, one scoring on Ezequiel Duran’s RBI single and the other on an error. But two walks by Rangers reliever Jon Gray opened the door for the Angels in the bottom half.

Campero tied it when he doubled to shallow left-center, with Texas center fielder Sam Haggerty coming up short on his attempt at a sliding catch. Moncada lined his two-out single to right for a 6-4 lead, and Zach Neto doubled to make it 7-4.

The Rangers outhit the Angels 14-6. Kyle Higashioka had three hits, including solo homers in the fourth and eighth for his sixth career multihomer game. He scored three times.

Both benches and bullpens emptied briefly in the bottom of the eighth after Rangers reliever Shawn Armstrong hit Neto and Mike Trout with pitches, prompting an angry exchange between Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery and Texas manager Bruce Bochy. No punches were thrown.

Angels left-hander Reid Detmers struck out two in a scoreless seventh, and Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth for his 20th save. Jansen has not given up an earned run in 17 consecutive appearances, the longest active streak by an American League pitcher and tying the longest such streak of his career.

Texas starter Patrick Corbin shook off a 30-pitch, two-run first to complete five innings. He gave up three runs — two earned — and three hits.

Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi gave up four runs, three earned, and 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Rangers right fielder Adolis García, who dropped a routine fly that led to an Angels run in the fourth, robbed Nolan Schanuel of a two-run homer with a leaping catch to end the fifth, keeping the score 3-2.

England fans may had doubt but they did not show it at Stadion Letzigrund as those behind the goal to Wiegman’s right sang her name as they trailed 2-0.

When things eventually started going to plan, England still relied on plenty of luck.

The ball didn’t quite drop for Sweden on set-pieces, and as extra time wore on, momentum felt like it was with England.

But in the shootout, it was Sweden’s game to win. They had two chances to seal victory with penalties of their own and managed to squander both.

Sweden goalkeeper Falk wasted the first opportunity, blasting the ball over the crossbar, before Hampton dived low to save Jakobsson’s spot-kick.

As Sweden’s senior players missed their opportunities, England’s most experienced was ready to take her moment.

It was fitting that 33-year-old Bronze, playing in her seventh major tournament, delivered when it mattered.

Someone who epitomises England’s resilience, she stepped up, took a deep breath and thumped her penalty into the roof of the net.

A roar erupted from Bronze as she looked at the supporters behind the goal, ripping off tape – that she had put on herself during the match – in the process.

Around half an hour earlier, she had kicked the hoardings behind the same net – a release of emotion as she kickstarted England’s comeback.

“Lucy was chaotic in herself, right? There was a lot going on with her. She became a physio, she became a striker, she nailed the best penalty of the day,” said team-mate Mead.

“I think Lucy really showed her experience in those moments. She’s our most experienced England player and I think she was one of the players that very much got the determination out of us all today.”

Having failed to convert four penalties, Wiegman admitted she was “really concerned” that England were heading out.

But it was fitting that Bronze helped carry her team over the line.

“She is just one of a kind. I have never seen this before in my life. I have worked with so many incredible football players but what she does and her mentality,” said Wiegman.

“The penalty, the goal – that is not what defines her. What defines her is that resilience, that fight. The only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.”

In 2018, Paul Simon walked onto the Hollywood Bowl stage for what most in the crowd believed to be his last tour stop in Los Angeles, ever. Simon expected that too — he’d billed the event as his “Homeward Bound — Farewell Tour.” After 50 years of performing, a then-record three Grammy wins for album, a catalog of some of the most sophisticated and inquisitive American songwriting ever put to paper — he’d go out in full garlands.

So what a shock and delight when Simon, now 83, announced a few years later that he was not quite done yet. In 2023, he released a new album, “Seven Psalms,” an elliptical, gracious invocation for the arc of his life, drawing on biblical imagery and intertwined guitar fugues.

But even better, Simon would also return to the stage for a new tour, including a five-night run at Disney Concert Hall. For L.A. fans, these shows were one last chance to reconnect with Simon, who now had a profound late-career album to bookend his catalog. Those songs spanned from his years in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s to a Sabrina Carpenter duet on “Saturday Night Live’s” 50th anniversary special.

Wednesday’s show — the last of the Disney hall stand — got to all of it, with Simon still in exquisite form in the last light of his performing career.

If Simon, seven years ago, had any doubts about his interest or ability to perform live at this exacting level, they must have disappeared the second he got a guitar in his hand at Disney Hall. The set opened with a full run of “Seven Psalms,” a short yet profound song cycle in which a dense, ornamental acoustic guitar figure recurs over several songs in an intimate valediction.

“Seven Pslams” belongs alongside David Bowie’s “Blackstar” or Johnny Cash’s “American Recordings” albums in the canon of wide-lens looks at the mystery of late life. Simon’s music was wise before its time even when he was a young man. But the perspective he has at this vantage, on the backside of 80 with a rejuvenated muse, was especially moving.

“I lived a life of pleasant sorrows, until the real deal came,” he sang on “Love Is Like a Braid.” “And in that time of prayer and waiting, where doubt and reason dwell / A jury sat, deliberating. All is lost or all is well.“

Simon’s band members for this stint — a dozen or so strong, spanning percussion, woodwinds and guitars — were mostly impressionists during this portion, adding distant bells and chamber flourishes to the patina of these songs.

While he kicked up his heels a bit on the bluesy “My Professional Opinion,” there was a trembling power in “Trail of Volcanoes” and, especially, “Your Forgiveness,” in which Simon took stock of his time on Earth and whatever lies next. “Two billion heart beats and out / Waving the flag in the last parade / I have my reasons to doubt,” he sang, followed by a gracious incantation: “Dip your hand in heaven’s waters, god’s imagination … All of life’s abundance in a drop of condensation.”

Paul Simon plays and sings Wednesday at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The hit-heavy back half of the show was a little rowdier. One fan even made a bit of history when he tossed a $20 bill onstage, which was enough for Simon to gamely oblige his request to play a verse of “Kodachrome.”

Simon and his band had looser reins here. “Graceland” and “Under African Skies” still radiated curiosity for the world’s musical bounty, with the fraught complexity of that album nonetheless paving a stone on the road for African music’s current global ascent. (He introduced his bassist, Bakithi Kumalo, as the last surviving member of the original “Graceland” band.)

An elegant “Slip Slidin’ Away” led up to a poignant “The Late Great Johnny Ace,” which took a tale of rock ‘n’ roll self-destruction and pinned it to a generational sense of cultural collapse. Simon didn’t reference any current events beyond the John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and John Lennon assassinations, but you could feel a contemporary gravity in the song.

Veteran drummer Steve Gadd reprised his jazzy breaks for “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” and the fatherhood ballad “St. Judy’s Comet” was a sweet, deep-cut flourish. (That mood continued when Edie Brickell, Simon’s wife and vocalist, slipped in from the side stage to whistle the hook on “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.) But the band hit full velocity on a pair of songs from “The Rhythm of the Saints.” “Spirit Voices” conjured an ayahuasca reverie with its thicket of guitars and hand percussion, while the sprawling and time-signature-bending “The Cool, Cool River” showed Simon the musician — not just the poet — still in absolute command.

Simon’s set never got to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or “You Can Call Me Al,” but the final encore wrapped with just him and a guitar and the eternal hymn of “The Sound of Silence.” His guitar work retained all its original power in the opening instrumental runs, and Simon looked genuinely grateful that, perhaps even to his own surprise, the stage hadn’t lost its promise or potency for him just yet.

Who knows whether Wednesday was the last time Angelenos will get to see Simon perform live (this tour wraps next month in Seattle). If it was, then it was a beautiful benediction for one of America’s defining songwriters. But if it wasn’t, take any chance you get to see him again.

The UN says that despite being permitted to deliver the first fuel shipment to Gaza in 130 days, it was not enough to cover even a single day’s needs, leaving hospitals and other critical facilities on the brink of shutdown.

June 14 (UPI) — More than 30,000 are gathering in Chicago Saturday to see Pope Leo XIV deliver a video message to a crowd in his hometown.

The Pope, who was born and raised in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost, will appear in a 7.5-minute recorded video at Rate Field.

The baseball park on the South Side of Chicago is home to the MLB White Sox, the Pope’s favorite team.

Rate Field has a listed capacity of 40,615.

Pope Leo XIV has previously been photographed wearing a White Sox hat, the team he grew up cheering for in a working-class neighborhood.

Leo is the first person from the United States elected to serve as Pope.

Long before he was Pope, Prevost witnessed his White Sox win the 2005 World Series, capturing baseball’s title for the first time in 88 years after winning four straight games over the Houston Astros.

In addition to the Pope’s address, Saturday’s event features a serenade from a Chicago Catholic school boys’ choir competing on the reality TV program America’s Got Talent. Chicago Bulls play-by-play voice Chuck Swirsky is serving as Master of Ceremonies.

The taped appearance comes just over a month after the 69-year-old was elected to the Papacy, to the delight of many Chicagoans and its large Catholic population.

The Archdiocese of Chicago estimates more than 2 million Catholics live in the region.

Saturday’s festivities come a week after the Pope asked God to “open borders, break down walls and dispel hatred,” during weekly mass in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

On Friday, the Pope confirmed the date on which Italian teenager Carlo Acutis will be canonized. Acutis, who died at the age of 15 from leukemia in 2006, will become the first saint from the millennial generation on Sept. 7.

The setting matched the message Tuesday as Donald Trump stood beneath the gun barrels of a 57,000-ton battleship in Los Angeles Harbor and fired rhetorical blasts on immigration, trade and national security.

But protesters on shore nearly drowned out Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, as his shipboard rally set the stage for Wednesday’s GOP debate at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

Borrowing Richard Nixon’s polarizing pledge to stand up for the “silent majority” amid the social upheaval of the 1960s, Trump told supporters gathered on the ship’s stern that Americans were disgusted by the U.S. allowing immigrants to “just pour into the country” illegally.

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“They’re disgusted when a woman who’s nine months pregnant walks across the border, has a baby, and you have to take care of that baby for the next 85 years,” Trump, wearing a red baseball cap emblazoned with his “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan, told the crowd.

“Booooooo!” the audience responded.

The comment was typical of Trump’s remarks on illegal immigration on the campaign trail. He has led in polls for much of the summer, tapping into fears about people in the country illegally and garnering support mostly from restive Republicans drawn to his political-outsider status.

Trump appeared unfazed by the loud and relentless taunting by demonstrators waving signs reading “Deport Trump!” and “We’re All Anchor Babies.” But the talkative New York real estate tycoon, whose speeches can exceed a full hour, spoke for just 13 minutes, packing his remarks, as usual, with superlatives.

He pledged a military buildup that would force the leaders of Russia and Iran to respect America.

“Nobody’s going to mess with us,” he said.

He called President Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran “one of the dumbest deals and one of the weakest contracts I’ve ever seen of any kind.”

“Fire him, Donald!” a man in the crowd bellowed. “Fire him!”

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Trump, the only one of the 15 candidates in Wednesday’s debates to appear publicly Tuesday in Southern California, assailed Obama on trade with Japan, China and Mexico, saying the leaders of all three countries were smarter and more cunning, a favorite comparison of his.

Japan’s “massive ships float right here and they drop off the cars, right?” he said, gesturing to the giant container vessels floating nearby. “They drop off thousands and thousands and thousands of cars. Millions of cars. And we sell them beef.”

The crowd erupted in laughter.

Trump’s event was a fundraiser for Veterans for a Strong America, a group that endorsed him Tuesday.

Trump’s stature with veterans has been bumpy. Trump offended some this summer when he mocked Arizona Sen. John McCain’s record of service as a prisoner of war for five years in Vietnam, saying he’s “not a war hero.”

He ignored calls to apologize, but has been casting himself as a champion of veterans, as he did again aboard the battleship Iowa, now a museum.

“We have illegal immigrants that are treated better, by far, than our veterans,” he said.

Trump, who received draft deferments during the Vietnam War and has never served in the military, has called on CNN, the sponsor of Wednesday’s debate, to donate its advertising revenue to veterans groups.

Marine veteran Scott Fischer of Lake Forest, who attended the rally, said he was undecided on Trump but was concerned about illegal immigration.

“They’re just letting everyone from all these countries in,” he said.

One of Trump’s biggest applause lines was his promise to make Mexico pay for a wall along its entire border with the U.S. He lamented drugs pouring into the country.

“Not a good deal: We get the drugs, they get the money,” he said. “The drug cartels are going wild. They cannot believe how stupid our government is.”

It was just such comments that drew 18-year-old Rebekah Kritz of San Pedro and a couple of hundred other protesters to the ship’s berth.

“He’s a racist,” Kritz said bluntly. “We can’t let people just constantly call for a wall to be built to keep others out. It’s like putting people against people.”

Follow @finneganLAT and @kurtisalee for political news.

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By the time Cuco arrived at Dodger Stadium on a recent Tuesday evening, thousands of fans were already lined up outside the venue’s gates, waiting to be let in.

Though the matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks wouldn’t begin for another two hours, these Doyer diehards made their way to Chavez Ravine early to catch the pre-game festivities. It was Mexican Heritage Night, and the team had plenty of entertainment planned for the fanbase that Fernando Valenzuela built: a mini-concert by the legendary La Original Banda el Limón de Salvador Lizárraga; a lucha libre exhibition; and the throwing of the ceremonial first pitch by Chavo Guerrero Jr., scion of the storied Mexican American Guerrero wrestling clan.

Luchadores perform in the outfield during Mexican Heritage Night at Dodger Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

To complete this hodgepodge of a cultural celebration, the Dodgers also asked Cuco to sing the national anthem, a fitting invitation given that the 26-year-old Inglewood-born and Hawthorne-raised artist, whose real name is Omar Banos, had just put out “Ridin’” (released May 9 via Interscope Records). The LP, his third, is an 11-track gem of L.A. Mexican Americana dripping with the ageless sounds of Chicano soul.

Donning a team cap, a long white tee, black shorts, Dodger blue Nike SB Dunk Lows and his trademark glasses, Cuco walked into the stadium entrance reserved for suite-level ticketholders accompanied by his manager and a social content creator. Despite a heat wave that raised that day’s temperatures into the high 80s, a black Dodgers windbreaker that he planned to wear later in the evening hung around his neck. Pinned to it was a button that contained a portrait of Jaime Mendoza, his late maternal grandfather.

“My grandpa was big on the Dodgers,” Cuco said, noting that it was because of him that his whole family rooted for the Boys in Blue.

Cuco wears a pin with his grandfather Jaime Mendoza’s picture at Dodger Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

As Cuco is escorted through the concrete bowels of Dodger Stadium by a pair of team publicists taking him to sound check, fans spot him and excitedly call out his name. Some even approach him for a selfie. When asked if he often gets recognized in public, the singer-songwriter chuckled.

“Yeah, if there’s a lot of Latinos around,” he quipped. “I’m always going to say yes to a photo. I’m never going to turn them down.”

It’s cliché for any artist to say that they’d be nothing without their fans, but this adage rings particularly true when it comes to Cuco. His loyal supporters, dubbed the “Cuco Puffs,” turned a former precocious marching band geek into a bonafide indie pop star.

He began his career in the mid-2010s by uploading Spanglish lo-fi love songs recorded in his childhood bedroom to Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Dreamy, synth-heavy ballads like “Lover Is a Day” (off of his first mixtape, 2016’s “Wannabewithu”) and “Lo Que Siento” (released as a single in 2017) quickly connected with countless bicultural, Gen Z Latinos, racking up millions of streams in the process. By the time Cuco started performing at backyard shows, he had packed crowds singing every lyric back at him.

Such was the hype around him that several labels got into a two-year bidding war to sign the unlikely teen idol with a ready-made fan base.

Cuco sings the national anthem before the Dodgers game.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“I don’t need a label. The labels mostly need me,” Cuco told The Times in 2017. “Like, in no cocky way, the reality of it is labels stay up because of the artists.”

When Interscope finally won out in 2019, it was on the artist’s terms — Cuco inked a seven-figure deal that allowed him to retain ownership of his music and gave him the creative freedom to do what he wanted. He was 20 at the time.

That summer, he released his debut album, “Para Mi,” a notable first effort that paired a blissful sound — inspired by a slew of genres, including psychedelic rock, bossa nova, pop and quiet storm R&B — with lyrics that touched on loneliness and substance abuse (“Take this and fly away till the substance numbs the pain,” he sings in “Ego Death in Thailand”). The album’s first single, “Hydrocodone,” is a nod to the pain medication he was on after being involved in a near-fatal car crash while out on tour in 2018.

This March, Cuco celebrated three years of sobriety.

The year 2022 saw the release of “Fantasy Gateway,” an ambitious concept album heavily inspired by psych rockers Tame Impala that takes the listener to another dimension, featuring notable collaborations with artists like Mexico’s indie darling Bratty and fellow sadboi romántico DannyLux. “Sitting in the Corner,” recorded with música Mexicana crooner Adriel Favela and country singer Kacey Musgraves, is a space pop ranchera that yearns for a lover who has left.

“It’s the vibe, man,” he says of the musicians he chooses to work with. “It’s not really about artists being big or not. It’s just if I get along with them and they have cool ideas and it aligns with my personality.”

With “Ridin’,” Cuco delivers his most mature album to date. Produced by Thomas Brenneck (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse), the record is a neo-Chicano soul instant classic that pays tribute to the likes of Brenton Wood, Al Green and Smokey Robinson — soul and R&B artists from the ’60s and ’70s whose music has been adopted by lowrider and Chicano culture — all while maintaining that distinct Cuco sound, a perfect marriage between the old and the new.

The album’s opener, “ICNBYH” (an abbrevation of “I Could Never Break Your Heart”), would be at home in an “East Side Story” mixtape compilation. Cuco’s psychedelia roots are most apparent in songs like “Ridin’,” a track that feels like you’re cruising on a spaceship down Whittier Boulevard.

“I couldn’t really try to make something that sounded exactly like [Chicano soul]. I was hoping to embody that timelessness, but I had to work in the most authentic way possible so that it felt that way,” he said.

“I wanted to go for more natural sounds with the soul sound, but I think it’s just inevitable for me sometimes. I’m just going to end up doing some psychedelic parts with the music because that’s what I’ve always been.”

“Ridin’” is an album of the summer contender for anyone whose idea of summer means hanging out at the beach with all your friends — this exact scenario describes the music video for the album’s first single, “My 45,” which stars Mexican American actress Xochitl Gomez as a femme fatale.

And while the LP is teeming with enough vehicular references to make Bruce Springsteen jealous (the cover shows Cuco sitting on top of his 1989 Toyota Supra), Cuco says “Ridin’” isn’t strictly meant for the car.

“I’m hoping that [“Ridin’”] is something that’s interpreted however the listener chooses to interpret it, whether they’re ridin’ in your car, ridin’ for somebody or just ridin’ through life,” he says.

After sound check, Cuco made his way back to the suite level to wait for the rest of his party to arrive, which included his parents, Adolfo Banos and Irma Mendoza. The only child of immigrants, the artist has made it a point to share his success with them. Forgoing wearing anything in Dodger blue, the elder Banos donned a hoodie from his son’s latest tour. Mendoza showed up wearing a team hat and a striped shirt. Affixed to it was a button identical to her son’s. It was her idea; she had made them the night before.

Cuco gets a hug from his dad after singing the national anthem.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

As it got closer to game time, the singer was ushered down to the field once again. It was showtime.

Cuco poses with his parents before singing the national anthem.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“Please stand and remove your hats for the singing of the national anthem,” the stadium announcer said over the P.A. system. “Joining us today is Cuco, indie pop star from Hawthorne!”

Cuco took a beat before singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in his patented soft and mellow voice. His parents stood approximately 20 feet away, beaming with pride. After it was all over, the singer quickly made his way to them, and was met with smiles and hugs.

A minute later, a production assistant grabs Cuco for his final obligation of the night. He’s handed a microphone and is escorted back to where he performed the national anthem. He’s met by a congregation of luchadores who will act as a chorus as he delivers the phrase popularized by the legendary broadcaster Vin Scully — “It’s time for Dodger baseball!”

In the fall, Cuco will go on a nationwide tour to promote the album — he’ll be performing at the Greek Theatre on Sept. 15. But right now it’s summer and he’s ridin’ with his loved ones, about to watch a game the Dodgers will end up winning 4-3 in extra innings.

CLEVELAND — José Soriano threw six scoreless innings, Mike Trout had a hit in his return to the Angels’ lineup in a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

Jo Adell had three hits and an RBI and Jorge Soler hit a solo homer down the left-field line in the ninth inning as the Angels snapped a five-game losing streak.

Cleveland’s José Ramírez had his 21-game hitting streak snapped. He drew a walk in the eighth inning to extend his on-base streak to 26 games.

The Guardians, who have dropped four of their last five, avoided a shutout on Nolan Jones’ RBI single to right with two outs in the ninth.

It was the third time this season Soriano (4-5) has gone at least six innings and not given up a run. The right-hander yielded just four hits with two strikeouts and four walks.

Trout, activated off the injured list after he missed 26 games due to a bone bruise on his left knee, lined out to Ramírez at third in his first at-bat before he lined a base hit to left-center in the fourth inning.

Adell singled to right with one out in the second to drive in Soler, who drew a walk off Luis Ortiz (2-6) to lead off the inning.

The Angels added a pair of runs in the seventh when Scott Kingery scored on a passed ball and Soler had a run-scoring single to center.

Key moment: The Guardians had the bases loaded with two outs in the fourth inning, but Soriano got Gabriel Arias to chase a 98-mph sinker for the strikeout.

Key stat: Trout went one for five and batted fifth as the designated hitter. It was the first time since Sept. 26, 2011, the three-time American League MVP started a game hitting lower than third.

Up next: RHP Kyle Hendricks (2-6, 5.23 ERA) goes for the Angels while RHP Slade Cecconi (1-1, 3.27 ERA) takes the mound for the Guardians.

BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has been inundated with messages of support from her co-stars and fans after she issued an emotional statement on social media

Naga Munchetty has received an outpouring of support from her BBC Breakfast colleagues after sharing an emotional update on Instagram.

When she’s not gracing our screens on BBC Breakfast, Naga has been busy promoting her new book ‘It’s Probably Nothing’, a personal account of her own health struggles that remained undiagnosed for years.

The broadcaster also embarked on a book tour, during which she connected with other women who have endured their own silent health battles.

In a recent Instagram post, Naga shared highlights from her latest event and expressed gratitude to those who joined the conversation.

Her post read: “Last weekend, almost 1,700 people joined me at @hayfestival to discuss women’s health and my new book, It’s Probably Nothing.”

She continued: “It was an insightful and passionate discussion on why women’s pain and symptoms have historically been ignored, and what we can do to advocate for ourselves in the healthcare system,” reports the Express.

Wrapping up her heartfelt message, Naga said: “Thank you to everyone who came to the event, and @hayfestival for having me. It’s Probably Nothing is now available online, in all good bookshops, and in ebook and audiobook.”

Colleagues like Nina Warhurst and Ben Thompson were among the first to comment, leading a wave of supportive messages for Naga from her co-stars and fans alike.

Nina responded with a single fire emoji, while Ben sent Naga an emoji of fireworks. One fan commented: “Thank you for speaking up and writing this book for all women and sharing the women’s gynecological health crisis and the way they are being treated in the system. I wish I had this book and am having to navigate my own health challenges/conditions.”

Other fans praised her, saying, “It was so amazing to hear you talk,” and “Fantastic turnout, this goes to show how much difference you’re making and how many people need you as an advocate.”

In a recent interview, Naga discussed her struggles with adenomyosis, a condition in which the lining of the uterus grows into the uterine walls. She told the i: “I wasn’t diagnosed with it until I was 47, but I’ve probably had it since the age of about 15. I’d always pass out when my periods started, have diarrhoea, feel dizzy, and often be crying or screaming in agony.”

Naga recalled being told by doctors that her symptoms were normal and that she would grow out of it, which she now recognises as a form of gaslighting. She stopped bringing it up as a result.

BBC Breakfast airs daily at 6am on BBC One.

ROSS SMITH reeled off the craziest stats in Players Championship history – clinching PC16 with TWO nine-darters and three straight whitewash wins.

But the English oche ace‘s verdict on his performance was even more astonishing than his figures.

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No player has ever been more dominant in this tournament than Smith was in triumphing in Hildesheim, Germany.

But the 36-year-old claimed: “I don’t actually think I played that well!” 

The Kent star Smith, 36, reached World No. 9 last year and has now won six PDC rankings events.

And although that’s a useful pedigree, no-one could have predicted his record-breaking feats on Tuesday.

Smith sealed the crown by winning 24 legs in a row.

In fact four of his five opponents failed to win a single leg.

And only legends Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen have ever bagged more than one nine-darter at the same Players Championship event.

Smith said: “I know I can be one of the best in the world. Consistency is a big thing, but I know I can win tournaments on a regular basis.”

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BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK

The 2022 European champion opened with a 6-0 defeat of Dylan Slevin, then dispatched Chris Landman 6-3 in the last 16.

Landman briefly fought back to level at 3-3 – but from that moment Smith never lost another leg all day.

He next sunk Danny Noppert 6-0 and Luke Woodhouse 7-0 in the semis.

And he demolished Brendan Dolan 8-0 in the final – with an average of 104.5.

Smith polished off the Northern Irishman with legs of 14, 12, 13, 14, 12 and 14 darts.

His joy in Germany means he has jumped up to World No. 14.

Smith said: “I’m so happy with the win.

“I’ve got the little plaques at home with the scoresheets from my Players Championship wins. They’re my little trophies, and they mean a lot to me.

“I’m going to add another one to the wall today, and it’s another incentive when I’m at home practising, because I want to win all the time; who doesn’t?

“If you’ve won a major title you can win anything. I honestly believe I’m going to win more, but I need to keep working hard.”

Leicester’s Mattioli Arena will host the PDC’s Players Championships 17 and 18 on June 17-18.