Jenna Dewan is “so excited” for her next performance on “Dancing With the Stars.”
The “Rookie” actor appeared in a short video posted Sunday to the show’s Instagram Stories with her temporary partner, Alan Bersten — who is filling in for suspended pro Val Chmerkovskiy — to promote their upcoming routine.
“Hi, everybody,” Dewan said while standing beside Bersten during rehearsals. “It’s ‘Dedication Night’ and we are dancing a Viennese waltz to ‘Unchained Melody’ by the Righteous Brothers, the greatest, most romantic song ever.”
The “Step Up” star shared on social media that she is dedicating this dance to her mother.
“My mom has always been my biggest cheerleader,” Dewan wrote in her Sunday Instagram post. “The one who believed in me before I even knew what was possible for myself. Who encouraged me to dream big, to keep going, and most importantly, to never lose sight of who I am along the way.”
She added: “There’s something so beautiful and full circle about getting to honor the woman who first encouraged my love of dance, through the very thing she helped me fall in love with.”
The short teaser was shared shortly after it was announced that Chmerkovskiy would be suspended for a week for posting a message on TikTok that seemed to reference Will Smith‘s infamous 2022 Oscars slap. That incident involved Smith rushing the stage and slapping host Chris Rock with an open hand after the Oscars host made jokes about Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Keep my wife’s name out your … mouth!” Smith shouted at Rock afterward.
Chmerkovskiy’s since-deleted TikTok post appeared to be in response to judge Carrie Ann Inaba‘s harsh critique of the performance by pro Jenna Johnson, his wife, and partner Harry Shum Jr. during Tuesday’s “Super Bowl Night” episode of the show.
“You almost saw Fresh Prince enter the ballroom last night,” Chmerkovskiy reportedly wrote.
“DWTS” producers BBC Studios responded with a widely reported statement that the “well-being of everyone who works on Dancing with the Stars is non-negotiable. Val’s social media post was inappropriate and does not reflect the values or standards expected of anyone connected with the show. As a result, he will not participate in next week’s show.”
Chmerkovskiy has since apologized for his remark, saying in a statement provided to Deadline that he had merely reacted on “instinct” to “defend [his] wife.”
“In a moment where my instinct was to defend my wife, I made a poor decision to reference a meme to ‘keep my wife’s name’ out of the conversation, without stopping to think through what else that reference could imply, which was genuinely never my intention,” the statement read. “Carrie Ann certainly didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of my bad judgment, and I hate that she was.”
The dancer also reportedly posted an apology to his Instagram Stories on Thursday.
“I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for my recent post,” he wrote. “I have reached out to Carrie Ann to apologize directly and personally, and I also want to apologize publicly as I understand my words affect so many outside of our internal DWTS family.”
Bersten, who is filling in this week as Dewan’s partner, was previously paired with celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis before they were eliminated earlier in the season.
The Rams lost much more than a game to the Arizona Cardinals.
They lost four key players because of injuries.
Receiver Davante Adams suffered a ruptured hamstring and will be sidelined six to 10 weeks, defensive lineman Kobie Turner sustained a groin strain and will be out several weeks and defensive lineman Poona Ford suffered a season-ending triceps injury, coach Sean McVay said Monday.
Kicker Blake Grupe was placed on injured reserve after leaving Sunday’s 18-16 defeat because of a knee injury.
“These are adverse moments and we’ve got to be able to push through and do hard things,” McVay said during a videoconference with reporters, “and that’s exactly what this situation entails.”
The Rams are 2-4 heading into Sunday’s game against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
A team that began the season as the Super Bowl favorite now must engineer turnarounds similar to those they pulled off in 2023 and 2024 to qualify for the playoffs.
“There’s no sense of panic,” safety Quentin Lake said during a videoconference, “but I think for us now there has to be a sense of urgency.”
On Sunday, the Rams will once again be without edge rusher Myles Garrett, who has been on injured reserve following left knee surgery after the season opener. McVay said the Rams would not open Garrett’s 21-day window to return this week.
Rams defensive end Myles Garrett stands on the field before Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium.
(Gregory Bull / Associated Press)
All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, who sat out against the Cardinals because of a groin injury, is “progressing” and his status for the game against the Raiders will be determined late in the week, McVay said.
Adams, 33, is in his 13th NFL season. The three-time All-Pro, who led the NFL with 14 touchdown catches last season, has 30 receptions for 480 yards and four touchdowns.
Adams’ absence leaves the Rams with receivers Puka Nacua, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Tutu Atwell and rookie CJ Daniels.
McVay said the Rams would explore possibly adding a receiver.
Turner has made 22 tackles and has broken up two passes. Ford has 15 tackles, one for a loss.
Aaron Donald and Braden Fiske are the remaining starters, and Tyler Davis, Larrell Murchison and Ty Hamilton will assume larger roles.
Grupe, signed last week to replace Harrison Mevis, made a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter against the Cardinals. But he was injured during the ensuing kickoff when he knocked the returner out of bounds.
McVay said the Rams were making inquiries about available kickers.
“We’ve taken some shots this year,” McVay said of the rash of injuries. “We’ve got to be able to get up and keep swingin’.
“This is a good test.”
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday directed the federal government to bolster federal research into women’s health, a move pushed by his wife, first lady Melania Trump.
The Republican president signed an executive order that creates a new women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force to focus on the issue. That panel was set to hold its first meeting Monday after the Trumps held a Rose Garden signing ceremony.
“Beginning today we will change the reality of women’s health,” Melania Trump said. “Previous generations fought for women’s rights. Our generation will fight to discover the cures that will ensure a woman can live her life in health and to the fullest.”
The president, who spoke after his wife, said the order will “promote new research and really go after the understudied diseases affecting women.” The order is also intended to promote diagnostic technology and improve treatment.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who recently completed treatment for breast cancer, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will lead the White House task force. Donald Trump said the task force will coordinate with various federal agencies and programs. The order does not include specific funding goals.
The initiative comes after a series of meetings the first lady had with federal health officials.
The president called it a “historic action” and praised the first lady’s work.
“She’s accomplished so much,” he said before pivoting into unscripted commentary on White House renovations, including the patio stone that now covers what was once the Rose Garden lawn.
Shifting back to women’s health, the president expressed surprise that some of the order’s requirements had not already been imposed.
“Who the hell wouldn’t have a women’s health division?” he said, after recalling that he’d asked Melania Trump, “Are you sure they don’t have that?”
The executive order calls for targeting maternal health, mental health and endometriosis. It also mentions other health concerns and diseases, including Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, heart disease and stroke.
Melania Trump helped shape the order and the task force in consultation with physicians, White House officials, Kennedy and the Republican president. The initiative adds a new dimension to her policy portfolio as first lady.
In Donald Trump’s second term, the first lady has focused on improving foster care systems and expanding technology and artificial-intelligence access in education. In Trump’s first presidency, the first lady’s signature initiative, Be Best, focused on child well-being, safe social media use and reducing drug abuse.
The White House ceremony comes weeks before Nov. 3 elections and as Donald Trump’s job approval ratings have declined, including among women.
About 4 in 10 independent women supported Trump during the 2024 election against Democrat Kamala Harris and in the pre-presidency period, according to AP-NORC polls. That dropped to around a quarter in the opening months of this midterm election year, the period marked by Trump’s hard-line immigration crackdown in U.S. cities and the opening weeks of the Iran war.
Barrow writes for the Associated Press.
typhoonski/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
A sale of GFL Environmental (GFL) to a consortium of private equity firms could be reached as early as next week.
While the companies are still working on negotiating the terms and structure of a potential deal, a transaction could happen
12:15, 19 Oct 2026Updated 12:16, 19 Oct 2026
Delta Goodrem will return to Strictly Come Dancing this week, it has been confirmed(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/BBC Studios)
Delta Goodrem will return to Strictly Come Dancing this week, it has been confirmed.
The pop star, 41, had been forced to take time out of the BBC Saturday night favourite when she sustained a rib injury and was given a free pass but it was uncertain whether she would be well enough to make it back to the show at all.
But on Monday morning, the official social media account for Strictly announced that her comeback was imminent. A statement posted to Instagram read: “Following her bye last week due to injury, we’re delighted to confirm Delta has been given the all clear to dance again this weekend.
“She’ll return to the #Strictly ballroom on Saturday night, and Abi Clarke will pop into her rehearsal room for a chat on Training Room Diaries on Wednesday evening.”
Reacting to the news, one fan said: “Great news can’t wait to see your dance this week,” whilst another wrote: “Whoop whoop have missed her.”
A third wrote: “Unfinished business to attend to! Can’t wait to see you back out there,” and a fourth said: “Amazing news, welcome back delta.”
Delta, who is best known for starring in Australian soap Neighbours and releasing hits such as Innocent Eyes, recently told fans she was hoping to recover in time for the next round and – following her doctor’s order – had been getting rest at home.
Taking to social media, Delta, who is paired up with professional dancer Kai Widdrington, wrote: “Just wanted to come on here and say a big Thank you to everyone who has sent messages and wrote lovely comments the last couple of days, I see them all.
“Not the start to the week I’d hoped for but your support has meant the world. Also special big thank you to my amazing dance partner @kaiwidd who I will miss dancing with this weekend but I am so beyond grateful for his guidance and friendship through it all.. as well as the wonderful Strictly team!!”
She added: “Resting and recovering at home and will be cheering everyone on from my couch on Saturday night xx.” Delta had previously said she was “absolutely gutted” to be out the show for the week, and hoped she’d be back the following week.
Delta had planned dance to Dolly Parton’s Jolene with Kai during Icons Week but it was performed instead by Amy Dowden.
A spokesperson for the show had said: “Due to injury, Delta Goodrem has been advised by doctors to rest and, as a result, will not dance on this weekend’s Strictly Come Dancing.
“In line with the rules of the show, Delta and Kai will receive a bye through to next week when it is hoped they will be able to dance again. We wish Delta the very best as she continues her recovery.”
Delta added: “I’ve been loving every second of this experience, so having to sit this one out is heartbreaking – especially after the high of Saturday night.”
“I cannot tell you how much I love being a part of this magical show. I’m going to focus on resting and recovering, and hopefully I’ll be back on that dancefloor very soon. Thank you so much to everyone for all the love and support. It’s so appreciated. I’ll be cheering everyone on from the sidelines this week!”
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Though not part of an NFL punter’s official job description, Ethan Evans was on the phone seeking information again this week.
Evans called players who were holders for new Rams kicker Blake Grupe in New Orleans and Indianapolis.
“I was like, ‘Hey, what do I need to know about him?’” Evans said. “‘Is there anything special he wants with holds?’”
Evans is accustomed to the research.
In 2023, the Rams replaced Brett Maher during the season with Lucas Havrisik, and then eventually re-signed Maher. Last season, Harrison Mevis replaced Joshua Karty at midseason, and now Grupe replaces Mevis.
Special teams miscues — including surrendering a 70-yard kickoff return, a missed field-goal attempt and a blocked field-goal attempt — helped doom the Rams again Monday in a 37-34 overtime defeat by the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium.
On Sunday, the struggling 2-3 Rams will attempt to bounce back against the struggling Arizona Cardinals (1-4).
“I want to see this get fixed,” coach Sean McVay said of special teams breakdowns, adding, “Let’s have solves, let’s have solutions and let’s give our players a chance to be able to have 11-as-one executed in each phase as consistently as possible.
“That’s what we’re going to keep striving for,” he said before quipping, “and I’m hopeful that it does happen so I don’t have to keep talking about it.”
Said special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone: “It ultimately comes down to reverting back to your fundamentals and your techniques that enable you to be able to protect, block, tackle, all of those things.”
After playing four of their first five games against teams that made the playoffs last season, the Rams will face a Cardinals team coached by former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur.
LaFleur is the latest former Rams offensive assistant to be hired as a head coach. His older brother Matt LaFleur coaches the Green Bay Packers, Zac Taylor the Cincinnati Bengals, Kevin O’Connell the Minnesota Vikings and Liam Coen the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Former Rams defensive coordinators Brandon Staley and Raheem Morris also parlayed their time under McVay into head coach roles.
“As much as I love Sean, haven’t really thought of him too much,” Mike LaFleur told Arizona reporters this week, “and I’m sure he’s kind of feeling the same way about me right now.”
McVay said he talks with LaFleur “a lot.” But had not this week, “just because it’s been busier than normal, but I will talk to him at some point.”
McVay was busy releasing Mevis and signing Grupe, and dealing with the NFL’s suspension of left tackle Alaric Jackson.
The league initially suspended Jackson for two games for striking Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb in the face on the field after the Rams’ defeat. The suspension was reduced to one game on appeal.
Veteran David Quessenberry, a ninth-year pro who last started a game in 2023, will start in place of Jackson as quarterback Matthew Stafford’s blindside protector.
“This is kind of why I’m here — when things like this happen,” Quessenberry said. “So I’m ready to go. This is what I’ve worked for … I’m fired up.”
A look at the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland after Week 8:
Rk. School (record) result; Next game; last week’s ranking
1. SANTA MARGARITA (8-0) def. St. John Bosco, 21-7; vs. JSerra, Friday; 1
2. SIERRA CANYON (8-0) def. Chaminade, 41-0; at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Friday; 3
3. ST. JOHN BOSCO (6-2) lost to Santa Margarita, 21-7; at Servite, Friday; 2
4. CORONA CENTENNIAL (5-3) def. Norco, 46-14; at Chaparral, Friday; 4
5. MATER DEI (6-2) def. Servite, 38-15; vs. Orange Lutheran, Friday; 5
6. MISSION VIEJO (6-1) vs. San Clemente, canceled; at Los Alamitos, Friday; 6
7. ORANGE LUTHERAN (5-3) def. JSerra, 48-13; at Servite, Friday; 7
8. SAN CLEMENTE (7-0) vs. Mission Viejo, canceled; at San Juan Hills, Friday; 8
9. JSERRA (4-4) lost to Orange Lutheran, 48-13; at Santa Margarita, Friday; 10
10. BISHOP AMAT (7-1) def. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 48-28; vs. Loyola, Friday; 12
11. SERVITE (3-5) lost to Mater Dei, 38-15; vs. Orange Lutheran, Friday; 11
12. LA SERNA (7-1) def. Cerritos, 57-7; vs. Mayfair, Friday; 13
13. CREAN LUTHERAN (5-2) def. La Habra, 35-28; at Corona del Mar, Friday; 14
14. INGLEWOOD (8-1) def. Redondo Union, 33-7; at Leuzinger, Friday; 15
15. PALOS VERDES (7-1) def. Mira Costa, 34-14; at Redondo Union, Friday; 16
16. CORONA DEL MAR (7-1) lost to Capistrano Valley, 21-17; vs. Crean Lutheran, Friday; 9
17. CARSON (7-1) def. Narbonne, 60-0; vs. San Pedro, Friday; 18
18. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (7-1) lost to Bishop Amat, 48-28; vs. Sierra Canyon, Friday; 17
19. CHAMINADE (5-3) lost to Sierra Canyon, 41-0; vs. Gardena Serra, Friday; 19
20. HUNTINGTON BEACH (8-0) def. Western, 34-14; vs. Troy, Thursday; 20
21. SAN JACINTO (8-0) def. Elsinore, 49-16; vs. Granite Hills, Friday; 21
22. GARDENA SERRA (4-4) def. Loyola, 26-0; at Chaminade, Friday; 22
23. ORANGE (8-0) def. Beckman, 51-14; vs. Irvine, Thursday; 23
24. SAN JUAN HILLS (7-1) def. Yorba Linda, 14-10; vs. San Clemente, Friday; 24
25. CAPISTRANO VALLEY (7-1) def. Corona del Mar, 21-17; vs. Villa Park, Friday; 25
Netflix publicly reported box office results for the first time in its history this weekend as it released its queer drama “La Bola Negra” in U.S. theaters.
The Spanish-language film opened in limited release — just four theaters in Los Angeles and New York — and brought in $277,500 on a reported production budget of $15 million to $17 million. That averaged out to about $69,375 per screen, the second-highest per-screen average for a non-English language film.
Netflix acquired the U.S. rights to the film at Cannes, reportedly for about $5 million.
The Los Gatos-based streaming giant plans to expand the number of locations in the coming weeks to as many as 300 theaters across the country. The film already opened in Spain in late September.
“La Bola Negra” will be available on Netflix on Dec. 2.
Netflix has high hopes for the film, which won six audience awards on the festival circuit and will be Spain’s entry for the Academy Awards.
But the U.S. debut comes at a rocky time for Netflix, which cut 6% of its workforce, or about 1,000 jobs, last week. The layoffs, which are believed to be the largest in company history, included Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, who was replaced by former Disney executive Peter Rice.
The move arrives as Netflix’s stock price has tumbled, and the company is under pressure from shareholders to churn out more hit films and TV shows, while increasing engagement on the platform.
Elsewhere at the box office, Paramount Pictures’ video game adaptation “Street Fighter” took the top spot, with a domestic haul of $31 million. It is the first major release from Skydance, the company formed when Paramount completed its $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this month.
A24’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary, “You Can See Everything,” which opened on only 855 screens, made about $15 million, while Universal Pictures’ “Other Mommy” ($8.3 million), Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ “Whalefall” ($8 million) and Universal-owned Focus Features’ “Sense and Sensibility” ($7.2 million) rounded out the top five.
WEEK 9 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE
SOUTHERN SECTION
Ironwood league
Village Christian at Capistrano Valley Christian
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
SOUTHERN SECTION
Arroyo League
La Canada at Monrovia
Muir at Burbank
Big West League
Corona Santiago at Eastvale Roosevelt
Vista Murrieta at Norco
Bravo League
Tustin at La Habra
Citrus Belt League
Beaumont at Yucaipa
Redlands at Citrus Valley
Del Rey League
Harvard-Westlake at La Salle
Delta League
Troy at Huntington Beach
Desert Empire League
La Quinta at Xavier Prep
Desert Sky League
Victor Valley at Silverado
Epsilon League
Brea Olinda at Newport Harbor
Foxtrot League
Irvine at Orange
Gano League
Don Lugo at Nogales
Montclair at Chaffey
Walnut at Rowland
Golden League
Palmdale at Quartz Hill
Inland Valley League
Canyon Springs at Hemet
Kappa League
St. Margaret’s at Esperanza
Manzanita League
Temecula Prep at Nuview Bridge
Marmonte League
Simi Valley at Bishop Diego
Mid-Cities League
Gahr at Santa Fe
Mojave River League
Apple Valley at Serrano
Mountain Pass League
Elsinore at West Valley
Temescal Canyon at Tahquitz
Omicron League
Los Amigos at Santa Ana
Rio Vista League
Artesia at Whittier
River Valley League
Big Bear at Miller
Ramona at Patriot
San Andreas League
Rialto at Kaiser
Sigma League
Anaheim at Rancho Alamitos
Ocean View at Katella
Sunbelt League
Paloma Valley at Valley View
Tango League
Garden Grove Santiago at Magnolia
8-MAN
SOUTHERN SECTION
Agape League
PAL Academy at Lucerne Valley
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
CITY SECTION
Central League
Bernstein at Maywood CES
Contreras at Roybal
Hollywood at Mendez
Coliseum League
Crenshaw at Dorsey
Marquez at King/Drew
Eastern League
Huntington Park at Legacy
L.A. Roosevelt at Bell
South East at South Gate
East Valley League
Arroyo at North Hollywood
Fulton at Arleta
Grant at Monroe
Sun Valley Poly at Verdugo Hills
Exposition League
Manual Arts at Jefferson
Marine League
San Pedro at Carson
Wilmington Banning at Narbonne
Metro League
Hawkins at Locke
L.A. Jordan at Dymally, 4 p.m.
Northern League
Lincoln at Franklin
L.A. Wilson at L.A. Marshall
Southern League
Torres at Belmont
West Adams at Los Angeles, 3 p.m.
Valley Mission League
San Fernando at Granada Hills Kennedy
Sylmar at Reseda
Van Nuys at Panorama
Western League
L.A. Hamilton at Venice
L.A. University at Westchester
Palisades at Fairfax
West Valley League
Chatsworth at Birmingham
Cleveland at Granada Hills
Taft at Wells Camino Real
Nonleague
Eagle Rock at Garfield
Fremont at Angelou
Stella at Sotomayor
SOUTHERN SECTION
Alliance League
South El Monte at Montebello
Almont League
Alhambra at San Gabriel
Alpha League
Edison at Yorba Linda
Mission Viejo at Los Alamitos
San Clemente at San Juan Hills
Angelus League
Paraclete at Cathedral
St. Francis at Bishop Montgomery
St. Paul at St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy
Baseline League
Eitwanda at Chino Hills
Upland at Rancho Cucamonga
Bay League
Inglewood at Leuzinger
Palos Verdes at Redondo Union
Big West League
Corona Centennial at Chaparral
Temecula Valley at Corona
Murrieta Valley at Murrieta Mesa
Riverside King at Great Oak
Boulder League
Burbank Burroughs at Crescenta Valley
San Marino at Gabrielino
South Pasadena at Pasadena
Bravo League
Crean Lutheran at Corona Del Mar
Villa Park at Capistrano Valley
Camino Real League
St. Bernard at Mary Star of the Sea
St. Genevieve at St. Monica
Channel League
Thousand Oaks at Rio Mesa
Ventura at Moorpark
Westlake at Santa Barbara
Citrus Belt League
Redlands at Citrus Valley
Redlands East Valley at Cajon
Citrus Coast League
Channel Islands at Santa Clara
Del Sol at Carpinteria
Grace at Nordhoff
Coastal 101 League
Calabasas at Buena
Camarillo at Oak Park
Oxnard at Agoura
Conference 12 League
Keppel at Arroyo
Mountain View at Rosemead
Cottonwood League
Vasquez at Riverside Notre Dame
Whittier Christian at Riverside Prep
Crest League
Arcadia at Glendale
Temple City at Hoover
Del Rey League
Crespi at Alemany
Salesian at St. Anthony
Delta League
El Modena at Dana Hills
Western at Laguna Beach
Desert Empire League
Palm Desert at Palm Springs
Rancho Mirage at Shadow Hills
Desert Sky League
Barstow at Granite Hills
Desert Valley League
Coachella Valley at Yucca Valley
Epsilon League
Santa Ana Foothill at Tesoro
Trabuco Hills at Aliso Niguel
Foothill League
Castaic vs. West Ranch at College the Canyons
Golden Valley at Valencia
Hart at Canyon Country Canyon
Foxtrot League
El Dorado at Beckman
Segerstrom at El Toro
Gateway League
Downey at Cerritos
Mayfair at La Serna
Warren at La Mirada
Gold Coast League
Brentwood at Rio Hondo Prep
Golden League
Eastside at Knight
Highland at Lancaster
Littlerock at Antelope Valley
Hacienda League
Covina at Diamond Bar
Los Altos at Baldwin Park
West Covina at South Hills
Hub City League
Compton at Compton Centennial
Dominguez at Long Beach Cabrillo
Inland Valley League
Heritage at Citrus Hill
Lakeside at Arlington
Perris at Moreno Valley
Iota League
Garden Grove Pacifica at Marina
Laguna Hills at Cypress
La Palma Kennedy at Northwood
Ironwood League
Aquinas at Village Christian
Capistrano Valley Christian at Heritage Christian
Western Christian at Cerritos Valley Christian
Ivy League
Rancho Christian at Orange Vista
Rancho Verde at Liberty
Riverside Poly at Vista del Lago
Kappa League
Portola at Anaheim Canyon
Sunny Hills at Fullerton
Lambda League
Placentia Valencia at Fountain Valley
Westminster at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
Woodbridge at Sonora
Manzanita League
Anza Hamilton at Silver Valley
Desert Chapel at San Jacinto Valley Academy
Marmonte League
Newbury Park at Oaks Christian
St. Bonaventure at Oxnard Pacifica
Mesquite League
Desert Christian Academy at Santa Rosa Academy
Ontario Christian at Linfield Christian
Metro League
Bell Gardens at El Rancho
El Monte at Schurr
Mid-Cities League
California at Paramount
Norwalk at Bellflower
Miramonte League
Ganesha at Workman
Pomona at Garey
Mission League
Gardena Serra at Chaminade
Loyola at Bishop Amat
Sherman Oaks Notre Damę at Sierra Canyon
Mission Valley League
Mountain View at Rosemead
Mojave River League
Oak Hills at Ridgecrest Burroughs
Sultana at Hesperia
Montview League
Azusa at Ontario
Duarte at Hacienda Heights Wilson
La Puente at Sierra Vista
Moore League
Long Beach Jordan at Lakewood
Long Beach Poly at Millikan
Mountain Valley League
Jurupa Valley at La Sierra
San Bernardino at Rubidoux
Ocean League
Hawthorne at South Torrance
Peninsula at Beverly Hills
Omicron League
Estancia at Garden Grove
Irvine University at Buena Park
Los Amigos at Santa Ana
Pioneer League
Culver City at Torrance
North Torrance at El Segundo
West Torrance at Santa Monica
Rio Vista League
Firebaugh at Pioneer
Lynwood at Glenn
River Valley League
Jurupa Valley at La Sierra
Norte Vista at Pacific
San Andreas League
Rim of the World at Colton
Sierra League
Bonita at Charter Oak
Colony at Glendora
Northview at Ayala
Sigma League
Saddleback at Costa Mesa
Skyline League
Arroyo Valley at Carter
Fontana at Indian Springs
San Gorgonio at Bloomington
Sunbelt League
Hillcrest at Riverside North
Sunkist League
Eisenhower at Summit
Grand Terrace at Jurupa Hills
Sun Valley League
Banning at Desert Hot Springs
Cathedral City at Indio
Desert Mirage at Twentynine Palms
Tango League
Bolsa Grande at Godinez
Savanna at Loara, 6:30 p.m.
Tri-County League
Fillmore at Dos Pueblos
Hueneme at Santa Paula
San Marcos at Royal
Trinity League
JSerra vs. Santa Margarita at Saddleback College
Orange Lutheran vs. Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium
St. John Bosco vs. Servite at Orange Coast College
Valle Vista League
Alta Loma at Chino
Claremont at San Dimas
Diamond Ranch at Los Osos
Nonleague
Maranatha at Viewpoint
INTERSECTIONAL
El Cajon Granite Hills at San Jacinto
St. Jeanne de Lestonnac at Diego Rivera
8-MAN
CITY SECTION
City League
New Designs University Park at Animo Robinson
USC Hybrid at New Designs Watts
Valley League
TEACH Tech at Valley Oaks CES
South LA College Prep at Sherman Oaks CES
SOUTHERN SECTION
Express League
Downey Calvary Chapel at Vista Meridian, 6 p.m.
Southlands Christian at Magnolia Science Academy, 3 p.m.
Freelance League
Malibu at Laguna Blanca, 3 p.m.
Majestic League
Public Safety Academy at Cornerstone Christian, 5 p.m.
Tri-Valley League
Pasadena Poly at Flintridge Prep, 6:30 p.m.
Nonleague
California School for the Deaf Riverside at Faith Baptist, 6:30 p.m.
Thacher at Sage Hill, 6 p.m.
Villanova Prep at Thousand Oaks Hillcrest Christian, 6 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Bakersfield Legacy Christian Academy at Cuyama Valley
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
SOUTHERN SECTION
Cottonwood League
Arrowhead Christian at Webb, 1 p.m.
INTERSECTIONAL
Trinity Classical Academy at Orcutt Academy, 6 p.m.
8-MAN
SOUTHERN SECTION
Agape League
Hesperia Christian at Academy of Careers & Exploration
Coast Valley League
Valley Christian Academy at San Luis Obispo Classical Academy, 11 a.m.
Express League
Downey Calvary Chapel at Vista Meridian, 6 p.m.
Heritage League
Lancaster Baptist at Desert Christian, 3 p.m.
Tri-Valley League
Cate at Chadwick, 2 p.m.
Heritage League
Lancaster Baptist at Desert Christian, 6 p.m.
Freelance League
Highland Entrepreneur at California Lutheran, 6 p.m.
Tri-Valley League
Cate at Chadwick, 2 p.m.
Major deals include Proofpoint’s acquisition of Varonis Systems, International Paper’s European packaging business attracting private equity bids, CCC Intelligent Solutions being acquired by a consortium led by GTCR, Galderma acquiring ZO Skin Health, Bumble’s buyout by Ithaca Holdings, IonQ’s acquisition of Elisity, STERIS acquiring Xodus Medical, Amazon’s negotiations to buy Decart AI, and Softbank’s interest in Allied Universal.
Sarah Storey’s performance with Julian(Image: BBC)
Sarah Storey’s performance didn’t just have the judges talking!
Judge Anton told Britain’s most successful Paralympian that she was better than she thought she was.
Craig told her she looked “fantastic”, but her solo dancing saw her “drop the ball”. Motsi didn’t agree entirely with Craig, saying she was “playing the role”.
As the scores came in, Sarah was given a message from icon Shania Twain herself, leaving them screaming.
Shania shared her hopes to see Sarah and Julian’s Tango at one of her UK shows. As for the scores, they were 5, 5, 5, 6, equalling a total of 21.
Shania Twain has her say on Strictly(Image: BBC)
The Chargers will have their two top wide receivers back Sunday as they seek their first win of the season against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.
Ladd McConkey (foot) and Quentin Johnston (chest) are each off the injury report after missing the Chargers’ Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos.
“Heck yeah. Fired up about that,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Really good week of preparation. … Excited for this opportunity.”
Harbaugh said he didn’t know whether McConkey or Johnston would have limited snaps.
The Chargers, though, could use all the reinforcements they can get. They enter Arrowhead Stadium averaging 16.8 points per game — third-worst in the NFL — eager to snap a nightmare five-game skid heading into their bye week.
Tre’ Harris, who led the Chargers’ banged-up wideout unit against the Broncos, is out with a hamstring injury; KeAndre Lambert-Smith (hamstring) is questionable with the same ailment.
Rookie wideout Brenen Thompson (quad), whose unparalleled speed helps open up offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme, is also questionable after missing the last three games.
Quarterback Justin Herbert isn’t the type to complain about working with limited options.
“You have to try to keep the game the same,” Herbert said. “You can’t let it affect you too much.”
But it’s refreshing to have McConkey and Johnston back.
“Yeah, it was awesome to see those guys out there,” Herbert said Wednesday. “They’ve made so many plays for us. And, you know, we expect them to make more plays for us, too.
“To have those guys back out there — I know they’re doing everything they can to be out back out there for this team.”
Unfortunately for the Chargers, the offensive line is still severely hobbled.
Chargers offensive linemen, from left, guard Logan Taylor, guard Alex Harkey, center Jake Slaughter and guard Cole Strange run onto the field with quarterback Justin Herbert during a loss to the Denver Broncos on Oct. 11.
(Scott Strazzante / Associated Press)
Right tackle Joe Alt (neck) and left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula) remain out, meaning rookie center Jake Slaughter will continue to anchor a front that has featured several inexperienced players over the last two games.
The offensive line was already down left tackle Rashawn Slater (ankle), who is on injured reserve, and center Tyler Biadasz, whose season was over before it started when he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament tear in August.
McDaniel liked what he saw from the offensive line against the Broncos. He’s optimistic, really with no other choice, about the unit entering the matchup with the Chiefs, a team allowing the NFL’s seventh-fewest points per game (19.3).
“There [were] a lot of positives from the offensive line perspective,” McDaniel said. “I’ve never been a part of that many rookies playing at once. Fortunately, we drafted the right guys, and they [are] made of the right stuff. … There was a lot to build on.”
Kansas City, as usual over the last decade, will be a force to reckon with — especially at home.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and new running back Kenneth Walker III have the Chiefs averaging the fifth-most points per game (29.5) and the second-most yards per game (412) amid a 4-0 start.
“Explosiveness, man,” Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack said. “[Walker is] breaking tackles. Just the ability to create plays between him and [Mahomes], man. That’s a special duo there in that backfield.”
One the Chargers will have trouble stopping, as they’ll also be without key defensive players like safety Derwin James Jr.
Winning in the NFL is already challenging enough. But for the injury-riddled Chargers, it’s been impossible so far, and it won’t be any easier Sunday.
“Communicating and keeping your poise and all those factors,” Harbaugh said of preparing for the loud environment in Kansas City.
After the L.A. mayoral debate on NBC4 ended Tuesday, reporters rushed downstairs to a courtyard hoping to speak with the candidates or their surrogates.
Speaking for Mayor Karen Bass were Councilmember Monica Rodriguez and State Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles). On the other side, speaking for Councilmember Nithya Raman, the sole spin doctor was Controller Kenneth Mejia.
“What Councilmember Nithya Raman did up there was show a better path, a better vision for what this city could be,” Mejia told reporters outside the NBC4 and Telemundo52 studios in Universal City.
Mejia isn’t just listed as Raman’s top endorser on her campaign website. He’s also her biggest cheerleader, and the only elected official at City Hall publicly supporting her mayoral bid. (Raman’s camp has contended throughout the campaign that endorsements are not necessarily a sign of how the electorate is feeling.)
Of all the elected officials out there, Mejia is an obvious ally for a politician like Raman who has been somewhat ostracized at L.A. City Hall since she announced her candidacy in February. Not a single council member — even her three fellow comrades in the Democratic Socialists of America — has endorsed Raman’s candidacy.
“When you’re in office, once you learn how status quo works and how to game it, you don’t want to change it,” Mejia told The Times, referring to the three DSA council members supporting Bass.
As for Mejia, he doesn’t mind being on the outside.
“It’s been lonely since I’ve been here [at City Hall],” he said.
“People have told me, ‘Kenneth you ruined your political career by endorsing Nithya,’” he said. “I’m honored to be the only one endorsing her … Karen Bass said the political establishment doesn’t like Nithya and I said, ‘So? I won by bucking political establishment.’”
Mejia has turned into an attack dog for Raman over the past few weeks. After endorsing her in July, he has showed up at news conferences with her and posts sometimes multiple times per day on social media supporting her or attacking the mayor.
One reason for his endorsement is that Bass declined to consent to Mejia performing an audit into her signature homelessness program Inside Safe.
Raman, meanwhile, has said she’ll open the books to Mejia.
If Raman wins, she will have a formidable City Hall ally in Mejia, who has not been shy about using social media to attack an assortment of political targets in and outside city government. On Friday, he announced that he had issued subpoenas to LA28, the private Olympic organizing committee, demanding financial records on the planning for the 2028 Games.
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Fourteen members of the Los Angeles City Council have endorsed Bass (yes, that includes Raman, who subsequently decided to challenge the incumbent).
The sole holdout on the council, Traci Park, made her allegiances — soft as they may be — abundantly clear Wednesday at a town hall in Pacific Palisades when she said she would be voting for Bass but not endorsing her.
“I want some change too,” Park said, addressing her constituents about the mayor’s race. “But the alternative does not actually get us where we want to be. I think it actually impedes our progress.”
“I have deep concerns about the leadership and effectiveness of both candidates. I have personally been deeply frustrated and angry with our current mayor. We have tangled on some major policy issues. But always respectfully.”
Park said that as difficult as things may be now, they could get worse if Raman were elected.
The council member, who represents a large swath of L.A.’s Westside, said she is “very, very concerned” about a Raman mayoralty.
Park represents the Palisades, where the Palisades fire burned last year, destroying thousands of homes and killing 12 people.
Park told The Times in an interview that an endorsement of Bass would have represented “an affirmative statement of support earned based on agreement with someone’s records or positions or accomplishments.”
But Bass is someone Park can work with, the council member told The Times.
“I cannot say the same thing about Nithya Raman. That’s the problem. She doesn’t work with others. I think that deep frustration with her unwillingness to collaborate with others is reflected in the fact that no other council members at all are endorsing her,” Park said.
Bass went hard after Raman at this week’s NBC4/Telemundo 52 debate, accusing her of neglecting constituents in her district, which stretches from Silver Lake to the San Fernando Valley. She pushed even harder the following morning, appearing with some of those dissatisfied residents and business owners in Sherman Oaks.
Standing outside the Valley Inn Restaurant and Martini Bar, Bass said she reached out to Raman early on as mayor to warn her that some of her Valley constituents had contacted the mayor’s office to voice unhappiness with Raman. Bass said she told Raman she was going to meet with them.
“She essentially said to me that … she knew that they didn’t like her, that it was a feeling that was mutual, and to have at it if I want,” Bass said. “To me, I thought that was a strange way to respond.”
Raman spokesperson Liz Garcia denounced Bass’ comments as “bizarre and simply not true,” saying her boss has maintained positive relationships with her constituents. In a statement, she pointed to recent polling that showed Raman with an 8-point lead in the Valley.
“Nithya’s results in her district help explain why: She has reduced encampments, tents and RVs by 70% in her district over the past three years, helped businesses succeed, protected tenants, installed traffic safety upgrades and improved quality of life for residents,” Garcia said.
Raman has been pushing back against the mayor’s claims in other ways, noting that two-thirds of voters in the June 2 primary chose someone other than the incumbent.
During this week’s debate, Raman criticized Bass for boasting that she had given Sherman Oaks residents her personal cell number, saying it showed that regular government operations are dysfunctional.
Standing outside the martini bar, Bass acknowledged that her own staffers aren’t always happy about her generosity with her cell number. But things were worse when she was a member of Congress, she said.
“My cellphone was on my business card,” Bass said.
— BLOW FOR BLOW: The gloves came off in the final debate between Bass and Raman this week, with the two candidates trading verbal jabs over public safety, the Palisades fire and the fate of Police Chief Jim McDonnell. Meanwhile, here’s who three L.A. Times columnists believe won the debate.
— A MOVING TARGET: Raman has shifted her position on police hiring, public safety spending, the so-called mansion tax and other issues, causing some to question what she stands for. Raman has defended her various policy shifts, saying she made them after receiving new information or recognizing changed circumstances.
— CHIEF AMONG THEM: Raman and Bass have diverged over whether to keep Chief McDonnell. Raman said she would replace the chief if she becomes mayor, although she offered mixed messages on the timing. Bass said that McDonnell’s replacement before the 2028 Olympics could throw the LAPD into turmoil.
— GATES-GATE: Bass denounced Raman for saying the “gold standard” for the LAPD’s noncooperation with immigration enforcement took place during the tenure of former police chief Daryl Gates. Bass suggested Raman is not in touch with the city’s Black community, while Raman said the mayor had deliberately twisted her words.
— HOPE FOR HOUSING: Both Bass and Raman have been talking up their work on housing affordability. Bass said her administration has fast-tracked tens of thousands of units of affordable housing, while Raman has boasted of her success in enacting the strongest tenant protections in L.A. in 40 years.
— FIGHTING FRAUD: Los Angeles County voters are concerned about a host of voter fraud issues that could disrupt the Nov. 3 general election, even though they have a high degree of confidence in local elections officials, according to a new poll funded by the nonprofit California Community Foundation.
That’s it for this week! Send your questions, comments and gossip to LAontheRecord@latimes.com. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
By Los Angeles Times staff
A look at how the top 25 high school football teams in the Southland fared this week:
Rk. School (record) result; Next game
1. SANTA MARGARITA (8-0) def. St. John Bosco, 21-7; vs. JSerra, Friday
2. ST. JOHN BOSCO (6-2) lost to Santa Margarita, 21-7; at Servite, Friday
3. SIERRA CANYON (8-0) def. Chaminade, 41-0; at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Friday
4. CORONA CENTENNIAL (5-3) def. Norco, 46-14; at Chaparrel, Friday
5. MATER DEI (6-2) def. Servite, 38-15; vs. Orange Lutheran, Friday
6. MISSION VIEJO (6-1) at San Clemente, postponed; at Los Alamitos, Friday
7. ORANGE LUTHERAN (5-3) def. JSerra, 48-13; at Servite, Friday
8. SAN CLEMENTE (7-0) vs. Mission Viejo, postponed; at San Juan Hills, Friday
9. CORONA DEL MAR (7-0) at Capistrano Valley, Saturday; vs. Crean Lutheran, Friday
10. JSERRA (4-4) lost to Orange Lutheran, 48-13; at Santa Margarita, Friday
11. SERVITE (3-5) lost to Mater Dei, 38-15; vs. Orange Lutheran, Friday
12. BISHOP AMAT (7-1) def. Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 48-28; vs. Loyola, Friday
13. LA SERNA (7-1) def. Cerritos, 57-7; vs. Mayfair, Friday
14. CREAN LUTHERAN (5-2) vs. La Habra, late; at Corona del Mar, Friday
15. INGLEWOOD (8-1) def. Redondo Union, 33-7; at Leuzinger, Friday
16. PALOS VERDES (7-1) def. Mira Costa, 34-14; at Redondo Union, Friday
17. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (7-1) lost to Bishop Amat, 48-28; vs. Sierra Canyon, Friday
18. CARSON (7-1) def. Narbonne, 48-14; vs. San Pedro, Friday
19. CHAMINADE (5-3) lost to Sierra Canyon, 41-0; vs. Gardena Serra, Friday
20. HUNTINGTON BEACH (8-0) def. Western, 34-14; vs. Troy, Thursday
21. SAN JACINTO (8-0) def. Elsinore, 49-16; vs. Granite Hills, Friday
22. GARDENA SERRA (4-4) def. Loyola, 26-0; at Chaminade, Friday
23. ORANGE (8-0) def. Beckman, 51-14; vs. Irvine, Thursday
24. SAN JUAN HILLS (7-1) def. Yorba Linda, 14-10; vs. San Clemente, Friday
25. CAPISTRANO VALLEY (6-1) vs. Corona del Mar, Saturday; vs. Villa Park, Friday
Hey guys, just wanted to talk about a cool thing that happened last Sunday. We won Best Military Aviation Submission at the 2026 Defense Media Awards in Washington, D.C., for “What The F-47’s Canards Say About The Rest Of Its Design.” This is the biggest deal in our little corner of journalism. Not just that, but we were nominated in many categories:
A big thanks to the committee and the Defense Media Awards!
Welcome to Bunker Talk. This is a weekend open discussion post for the best commenting crew on the net, in which we can chat about all the stuff that went on this week that we didn’t cover. We can also talk about the stuff we did or whatever else grabs your interest. In other words, it’s an off-topic thread.
This week’s caption reads:
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Sep. 18, 2023) – Navy Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians assigned to EOD Mobile Unit (EODMU) 6 conduct radiological search procedures at a training bunker onboard Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story as part of a training evolution, Sep. 18. EODMU 6 provides operational EOD capabilities for the location, identification, rendering safe, recovery, field evaluation and disposal of explosive ordnance, including chemical and nuclear weapons.
PRIME DIRECTIVES:
WASHINGTON — President Trump bypassed his White House chief of staff last week in selecting Katie Zacharia as his press secretary and chief messenger, triggering days of scathing headlines about her credentials and abilities before her ignominious resignation on Friday.
Susie Wiles, that senior-most aide ostensibly in charge of the president’s team, is facing his scrutiny over a different set of problems: widespread public anxiety over corruption in government under the Trump administration. The issue has surpassed the economy as the top concern of voters entering next month’s election, according a Fox News poll released this week.
Marco Rubio, the president’s secretary of State and national security advisor, has been silent on Trump’s decision to cut a deal with Moscow on diesel sales that could fuel Russia’s war against Ukraine. The president’s poll numbers have been below water across the board, but especially so on foreign policy, where over two-thirds of Americans disapprove of his job performance and support Kyiv’s fight for freedom.
Trump aides walk to board Air Force One on Tuesday: Natalie Harp, Trump’s executive assistant, left; Walt Nauta, director of Oval Office operations (in sunglasses); Chief of Staff Susie Wiles; and then-Press Secretary Katie Zacharia.
(Alex Wong / Getty Images)
And on Thursday, the president was forced to reverse a course set out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon to live-stream the execution of a convicted mass shooter by firing squad.
In the final stretch of the 2026 midterms, nearly two weeks out from election day, a White House that has enjoyed relative stability over the past two years has returned to the state of disarray that characterized much of Trump’s early political career, anticipating sweeping losses to Democrats in the House and Senate.
Staff upheaval is expected as officials brace for a blame game over Republican performance, with some distancing themselves from what they see as a fading political movement.
Polls suggest that Republicans are likely to lose control of the House, setting up two years of relentless congressional probes through the twilight of the Trump era, and that Democrats could even flip the Senate, winning in ruby red states from Ohio to Alaska.
It is historically a time for closing arguments, when politicians deliver their final pitches to voters in neat, disciplined packages.
Yet Trump’s campaign blitz across the country in recent weeks has generated a muddled message, dismissing the importance of the election itself at the risk of depressing Republican votes, overshadowing local candidates seeking distance from his record and touting an economy unrecognizable to most Americans.
President Trump walks ahead of Katie Zacharia at the White House.
(Win McNamee / Getty Images)
The president’s selection of Zacharia, who lasted just five days on the job, raised fresh questions about his message discipline in the final stretch.
And infighting within the White House has reinforced a narrative among political pundits that Democratic gains are a fait accompli, despite Zacharia, in her first and only press briefing, foretelling of Republican energy and excitement “never seen before in the history of midterms thanks to President Trump.”
Election officials across the country fear that, anticipating inevitable losses, Trump may be laying the ground to challenge the authenticity of the election results themselves.
“You know, this is the only guy that — it’s ‘promises made, promises kept,’ but he did more things than he promised,” Trump said Thursday, referring to himself in the third person. “I think we did. We did much more than we promised.”
The extent of the coming West Wing shakeup could be extensive, reaching into a Cabinet that has had far less turnover than Trump experienced in his first term.
Zacharia is the second senior official forced out by Trump in just three days, after Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former fiancée of one of Trump’s sons who served as U.S. ambassador to Greece, was revealed by the Wall Street Journal to have asked a Trump donor to pay off her $100,000 credit card bill.
Now, the president has begun asking political allies and donors about Wiles’ job performance, according to a recent Politico report, and several top administration officials are vying for her role, anticipating her resignation after the elections next month.
The conclusion of the midterms will also kick off the start of the 2028 presidential election season, when Republican hopefuls — including many from Trump’s Cabinet — are expected to launch exploratory committees.
British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stand for anthems at the Pentagon on Thursday.
(Finn Gomez / Getty Images)
“We have to get through the midterms first,” Trump said at the end of August, asked about Hegseth reportedly considering a run. “I bet there’s a lot of people considering it that you don’t know about. You have a lot of people.”
The party of incumbent presidents regularly loses seats in midterm elections, and it is common for presidents to shake up their staffs halfway through a term.
But the last time a term-limited Republican president faced voters in midterm elections, in 2006, Democrats swept into power in both houses of Congress — and President George W. Bush’s political capital never recovered.
That year, 37% of voters said they approved of Bush’s job performance. Polls published this month by AP and Reuters have found Trump already below that threshold.
In the GOP presidential primaries that followed, candidates jockeying to replace Bush distanced themselves from his legacy. He ultimately left office with an approval rating of 25%.
Neither USC nor UCLA has made the College Football Playoff since its inception in 2014. Yet the Trojans finished six of those 12 seasons ranked in the Associated Press top 25, while UCLA finished in the top 25 twice and is currently ranked No. 12.
Reports that the CFP is nearing a deal to expand the field from 12 to 24 teams in 2027 should be tremendous news for both schools. UCLA (5-0) is surging after its rousing upset over Oregon, and USC (6-1) is ranked No. 19 after beating Washington and Penn State.
Arduous tests loom during the second half of the season, however, making the chances of getting the nod from the CFP selection committee a coin flip at best.
Next season, however, all it would take is being among the top 24 teams as deemed by the 13-member committee, which considers on-field performance, head-to-head results and strength of schedule the primary criteria.
The Big Ten was the primary driving force behind the expansion, which gained momentum recently when the Southeastern Conference gave its blessing. The CFP management committee, made up of 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, met Thursday to discuss the negotiations with ESPN, according to the Athletic and ESPN.
“When you get a room of 50 coaches or whatever we have in this conference together, it’s hard to get everybody to be unanimous on something,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said earlier this season. “This is something where our room has been unanimous.”
ESPN reported that the network would acquire the additional games and continue to be the exclusive home of the CFP through the length of its current six-year contract.
“Constructive discussions with ESPN continued this week,” the CFP said in a statement Thursday night. “We have enjoyed a strong partnership with ESPN since our inception and are appreciative of the productive dialogue we have had throughout the negotiating period and continuing over the last several days. We will provide additional updates on the matters of future format and media rights when appropriate.”
Expanding the CFP would not be without concessions. The lengthier postseason would force the regular season to begin one week earlier and likely eliminate Power 4 conference championship games, which while lucrative, can be redundant and potentially problematic in impacting the CFP slate. Lower and mid-tier bowl games might become extinct, although the six prominent bowls on and around New Year’s Day — Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange, Cotton and Peach — should continue to host the CFP quarterfinals and semifinals.
The format has not been formally approved, but one scenario would give the top eight seeded teams a first-round bye and a home game in the second round. The other 16 teams would play first-round games hosted by the higher seed. It would take five games for a team seeded from nine to 24 to win the championship and four games for one of the top eight.
That’s a lot of football beyond the regular season. The wildly popular NCAA men’s basketball tournament will expand from 68 to 76 teams next spring, but the physical demands of the two sports are markedly different, making the expansion there less onerous on players. Still, if the expansion is approved, the CFP will have its own version of the NCAA’s trademarked titles Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and Final Four.
March Madness is another trademarked term, although the NCAA would need to come up with something new for the CFP: December Delirium, anyone?
USC and UCLA presumably would be happy with any name as long as they are invited to the festivities.
Remember Edward Warchoki? The Polish humanoid robot that went viral in April for chasing wild boars through a parking lot in Warsaw? Even late-night comedian John Oliver did a bit on him, calling Warchoki “a pretty canny PR campaign for anthropomorphic robots. All I’m saying is, ‘That is a nice way to get us all used to him before he’s inevitably one day used as a weapon of war.’ ”
Warchoki has not yet turned into a weapon of war — unless you consider being an online influencer a form of digital warfare. As the first robot influencer, Warchoki has his own social media accounts and appeared at Poland’s parliament. Last week he entered the art world when he was among the first visitors to what looks to be a fascinating exhibition, “How to Feel Real. Art, Technology and Us,” at MO Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania. The show is a collaboration of the modern art museum with ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, which specializes in media art.
According to a news release, the show “explores questions that are becoming increasingly urgent in a world shaped by technology: How do we feel real, and what does it mean to be alive?” Apparently Warchoki was there to address the issue head on.
“People keep asking me if I’m real, so when I heard about an exhibition asking what ‘real’ actually means, I thought: Finally, someone is asking the right question. I’m coming to the beautiful Vilnius to see what the artists have to say — and, of course, to check whether they think I’m real,” Warchocki said in the release.
A number of works in the exhibit explore artificial intelligence, automation, “and the ways machines are increasingly taking on roles we once considered distinctly human,” said MO Museum director Milda Ivanauskienė. “Bringing Edward into the museum is a playful extension of this idea, as his deliberately human-like and slightly absurd persona makes the questions raised by the exhibition tangible — inviting us to wonder why we are so eager to find the human in a machine.”
I am intrigued by this last question and wonder about it myself: Why exactly are we so quick to anthropomorphize AI? Every time I’ve interacted with a chatbot I feel the urge to be polite in my dealings, to say “please” and “thank you” when I ask questions. I certainly don’t do that with a Google search. And once, when I saw a delivery robot hopelessly stuck in a pothole, I felt genuinely bad for it. “Poor little guy,” I thought. I imagine if I met Warchoki, I’d react the same way.
I’m glad MO Museum is exploring these impulses by using artist’s thoughts and interpretations as a way to offer answers to an issue that is not going away — but only growing more powerful and omnipresent by the day.
I hope Warchoki 2.0 isn’t used as a future ICE agent, but I also hope we are not at the dawn of the rise of the robot influencer. Warchoki already has his own line of super gross-looking flavored drink concentrates, as well as snacks like an ice cream, chocolate and popcorn popsicle. This is going nowhere good fast.
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt and I’ve got a pickle-kimchi lollipop to sell you. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
Our critics and reporters guide you through events and happenings in the SoCal arts scene. In your inbox every Friday.
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Elim Chan conducts the L.A. Phil in 2024.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Elim Chan Conducts the L.A. Phil
It will be a busy couple of weekends in L.A. for the San Francisco Symphony music director-designate. First up is a program featuring Dongshoon Shin’s “Dance Card,” Franz Liszt’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S. 125” with pianist Yefim Bronfman, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s suite from “Swan Lake.” Next week will be “A Symphonic Ballet,” with Claude Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, L. 86,” Karen Gomyo premiering Samuel Adams’ “Violin Concerto No. 2 (The Wheel),” and Igor Stravinsky’s “Petrushka (1947).”
“Swan Lake,” 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. “Symphonic Ballet,” 8 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Oct. 17-18. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Kuniko Kato Presents Reich90
The North American tour of the Steve Reich Project, conceived and produced by Japanese percussionist Kato arrives downtown in honor of the composer’s 90th birthday.
7:30 p.m. Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. colburnschool.edu
Victoria Marks : A Deer Walks into a Dance
The award-winning choreographer and four performers (Rian Alcid, Maya Billig, Karen Chuang and Aaron Mason) explore the idea connection in a world of division via movement, text and the deconstruction of a (bad) joke.
8 p.m. Friday-Saturday. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood. cap.ucla.edu
L.A. Opera’s new music director, Domingo Hindoyan, conducts a dress rehearsal of “Carmen.”
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Carmen
Los Angeles Opera’s new music director, Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan, opens the company’s season with a new production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” It stars mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, who has dazzled in Mozart at L.A. Opera. The Spanish gothic new production is by director/designer Thaddeus Strassberger and choreographer Antonio Najarro. (Mark Swed) The season-opening performance will be broadcast live in high definition, free of charge, at Steinmetz Park in Hacienda Heights and at the Santa Monica Pier.
Through Nov. 7. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Free simulcast, 6 p.m. Saturday, Santa Monica Pier and Steinmetz Park, 545 S. Stimson Ave., Hacienda Heights. laopera.org
Strauss, Ravel, Beethoven
Music Director Jaime Martín conducts the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in Richard Strauss’ “Metamorphosen,” Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G Major” with Conrad Tao, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (Eroica).”
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 4 p.m. Sunday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laco.org
Dale Brockman Davis, Alonzo Davis and David Hammons.
(Museum Associates)
The Brockman Gallery: Los Angeles,1967-1990
For more than two decades, the Leimert Park gallery, founded by Alonzo and Dale Davis, served as a vital cultural hub, staging exhibitions, festivals, concerts, literary events and more. Named after the brothers’ maternal grandmother, born enslaved, the Brockman Gallery was a flourishing, ongoing act of self-determination in the wake of the 1965 Watts Rebellion. It showcased Black artists whose opportunities were severely limited at mainstream, white-run institutions and galleries: David Hammons, Suzanne Jackson, John Outterbridge, Elizabeth Catlett, Betye Saar, Carrie Mae Weems, Senga Nengudi, Noah Purifoy and many more. More than 60 works by artists associated with the gallery will be included in this first full-scale consideration of the Brockman’s scope and impact. (Leah Ollman)
Through Jan. 24. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. lacma.org
Pacific Jazz Orchestra: A Tribute to Quincy Jones
Led by Chris Walden, and featuring vocalists Nayanna Holley and Adam ‘Aejaye’ Jackson, the ensemble performs early work by the late producer/composer. Presented by Ventura Music Festival,
3 p.m. Sunday. Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center, 4235 Mar Vista Drive, Camarillo. pacificjazz.org
Mendelssohn & Brahms
Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform a program of chamber works from Joseph Haydn, Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms.
8 p.m. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Ulysse Marion
A new work by choreographer Dimitri Chamblas, created with former Paris Opera Ballet dancer Marion Barbeau and dancer and musician Ulysse Zangs, explores the journey of a performer throughout a life in art.
8 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org
At the Very Bottom of A Body Of Water
The latest work by Benjamin Benne, a dramatist many have been keeping close tabs on, continues his collaboration with veteran director (and fellow L.A. native) Juliette Carrillo, and dives even further into magical realism in an unconventional work exploring the oceanic depths that grief can reveal. (Charles McNulty)
Through Nov. 29. Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave. bostoncourtpasadena.org
Judy Baca, detail from the 1960s segment of the Great Wall of Los Angeles mural.
(Judy Baca and the SPARC Archives.)
Skirball Cultural Center
Three new exhibits open: “The 1960s — A Generation on Fire: Judy Baca’s Great Wall of Los Angeles” presents new murals as part of the evolving L.A. landmark; “Patrisse Cullors: Wishes Made Material” features three new works inspired by conversations between Black and Jewish communities; and “Jenny Yurshansky: What We Carry” explores local immigration stories, memories and family history through collected objects.
Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. skirball.org
Zoe Ryan, director of UCLA’s Hammer Museum.
(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)
ICYMI, the best of this week’s L.A. Times arts coverage:
The Hammer’s director, Zoe Ryan, is hoping to make the museum the anchor of a Westside Arts District.
Times theater critic Charles McNulty was not taken by Jaclyn Backhaus’ “Wives,” which opened Sunday at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater.
At 80, artist Lita Albuquerque is not slowing down. She has two upcoming shows: one at the Palm Springs Art Museum, and an installation at A–Z West in Joshua Tree.
K-pop star and Blackpink member Rosé will perform at LACMA’s Art+Film Gala as its musical guest.
Advance reservations for the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center will go live on Oct. 21 at 9:30 a.m., ahead of its opening on Nov. 13.
Actor Alan Mandell died Tuesday. He was 98.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Alan Mandell, a classical actor and renowned interpreter of playwright Samuel Beckett’s work, died Tuesday at his home in Westwood at the age of 98. McNulty also penned a lovely and personal appreciation of Mandell, whom he felt lucky to have spent time with.
The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are around the corner, yet serious questions remain about funding and coordination for the Cultural Olympiad.
L.A. Opera’s new music director, Domingo Hindoyan is stepping up to the podium for the first time in his new role with the opening of “Carmen.”
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Climate activists in Tallahassee this week unveiled a statue of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that was created to melt. “In response to the Governor’s recent ‘Don’t say climate change’ action in state law, 350Action (one of the world’s most influential climate change advocates) built quite a visual — a statue that couldn’t withstand Florida’s daily climate. It’s provocative but for a purpose, to encourage young people to vote in a few weeks for candidates that recognize the threat from climate change,” a news release noted of the “climate denial statue.”
And finally, not strictly arts related, but some Halloween fun for you: Street Food Cinema is hosting its annual Boo-ze, Bites and Frights events with some spooky horror film screenings at Heritage Square and the Ford over the next few weekends, including a Saturday showing of “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which is a film that still genuinely terrifies me.
— Jessica Gelt
Speaking of robots — they are now roaming the aisles of local grocery stores.
Gas prices are high. Diesel prices are higher — about $8 a gallon in California, $2 more than the national average.
For truckers, that’s a crisis. Their big rigs get about a paltry six miles to the gallon and filling their tanks in the Golden State now costs up to $2,500 a pop. For the guys who own a single truck or the small companies (which is the majority of trucking businesses), it can be hard to pass along those extra fuel costs to customers — which, as my colleague Nilesh Christoper wrote about, is causing a lot of pain in the industry.
Truckers everywhere are stomping mad, and it’s a problem for President Trump and Republicans heading into the midterms. Eventually, higher diesel prices are going to mean higher prices on the goods those trucks are transporting, and that’s an even bigger problem.
Trump has been throwing spaghetti at the wall trying out one limp solution after another to bring prices down — cutting taxes, brokering deals with Russia, telling us it’s just not a problem. But of course, it is.
Truck drivers fill they diesel tanks at United Oil in Long Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
One Southern California energy expert has spent recent days in Washington, D.C., trying to convince the administration that the solution lies in California, in the vast oil reserves under our cities and farms that we largely leave untapped for environmental reasons. Environment aside, it’s a long-running and compelling (to some, anyway) argument that may have found its moment, meaning California might become Trump’s next solution — or at least scapegoat — to a costly problem.
More on that, but first, a recap of where we are.
Three thousand years ago in Trump time, but which I mean earlier this month, the president signed an executive order that allowed truckers to use red dye diesel as a way to lower costs.
Red dye diesel is, you guessed it, my genius readers, diesel that has been dyed red — to differentiate it from the stuff at truck stops. Farmers and other agricultural types are allowed to buy red dye diesel without certain taxes to use in tractors and other equipment that doesn’t run on our roads.
The Trump order allows truckers to buy red dye and defer paying the roughly 25-cent-per-gallon federal tax on it. So it’s not really saving them money, just delaying payment.
“It’s a small step, but nonetheless, it’s a positive step,” said Michael Mische, a professor at the USC Marshall School of Business whose conservative-leaning take on energy policy has often raised the ire of the Newsom administration.
President Trump signs an executive order to lower the cost of diesel fuel during a campaign rally on Oct. 5, 2026, in Grand Island, Neb.
(Win McNamee / Getty Images)
But there’s a problem with Trump’s red dye plan. States have their own laws about red dye diesel, and the feds can’t change them. So even if truckers could find a place to buy red dye diesel (again, not sold at regular gas stations), and even if the incentive of paying taxes later made the search seem worthwhile, they would often be breaking state laws.
Eric Sauer, chief executive of the California Trucking Assn., a trade group that advocates for the industry, said his group has been advising members not to use the crimson fuel until it’s clear that states are going to change their rules. Some, like Missouri, have. California has not.
Either way, Sauer said, allowing truckers to use diesel dyed red really doesn’t increase the overall supply, just shifts it around — which is unlikely to bring prices down.
“It’s still the same supply of diesel fuel out there,” Sauer said.
The global supply of crude oil, has been, shall we say, negatively affected by our war with Iran. Despite Trump’s assurances that the conflict is winding down, two container ships in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked this week, highlighting that perhaps Iran is unaware the war is over. Fears of that conflict and others sent energy prices soaring even higher.
Faced with that unpleasant reality, Trump this week also announced he was lifting sanctions on diesel exports from Russia, a move that shocked his own party and most of the world.
The PCK petroleum refinery stands illuminated at twilight on April 28, 2026, in Schwedt, Germany. The refinery, which produces gasoline, diesel, kerosene and bitumen, receives 20% of its oil from Kazakhstan through the Russian Druzhba pipeline.
(Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
That deal could bring 36 million barrels of Russian diesel, at most, to American shores, which sounds like a lot until you realize we use about 4 million barrels of the stuff every day. So Trump essentially sold out Ukraine and demolished what was left of our European standing for nine days of diesel — an amount unlikely to lower prices.
In California, that’s especially true because, as UC Berkeley professor Aaron Smith points out, about 70% of our diesel “is actually not made from crude oil and coming from oil refineries. It’s made from vegetable oils and animal fats.”
Yes, the Golden State relies heavily on so-called renewable diesel that, Smith says, “introduces, I think, another wrinkle” when trying to lower costs.
But let’s get back to Mische, the USC professor. For years, he’s been arguing that California’s refusal to pump more oil should be viewed as a national security concern.
California actually imports the majority of its crude oil, more than 60% from other countries, and our refineries for a number of debated reasons have been closing. Our imports have been growing in recent years. We also have no pipelines connecting us to the rest of the U.S., unlike many other states. That means we can’t easily get oil except what’s shipped in through our ports.
At the same time, the West Coast with its many military installations is undeniably pivotal to national security. Mische argues that without adequate fuel reserves for a shortage — like during a war — our military readiness could be jeopardized. He wants to see California not only pump more, but for the federal government to store more of that California crude.
A train of tank cars enters the Chevron EL Segundo refinery, one of the largest petroleum processing facilities in California, on April 8, 2026. California imports approximately 75% of its crude oil, with nearly one-third of the crude supplied from the Middle East. Prices at the pump in the state are averaging $5.93 per gallon today amid the war in Iran.
(Mario Tama / Getty Images)
These arguments haven’t gained much traction in our heavily Democratic state, which has moved forcefully away from fossil fuels and toward renewable sources in recent years and which has little interest in increasing drilling. But Mische and his colleagues may have found their moment.
Earlier this year, they wrote draft executive orders about California’s oil industry that he says the Trump administration is considering — one would attempt to force California to pump more oil using the authority of the Defense Production Act of 1950.
Mische said he spent last week in conversations with the administration on the proposed orders and is “confident” Trump will “issue additional executive orders under the Defense Production Act for California” by the end of the year.
Beyond the national security argument, such orders could please Trump because they do two things. First, if California pumps its own oil, it could free up some imported oil for other states, which could lower prices — though it would certainly take time and require more refinery capacity.
Second, and likely of more interest to the White House, it makes California — and Newsom — the villain for this sticky Republican problem. California will sue, of course, which would just help the Trump political narrative.
Kevin de León, a California Senate president emeritus and author of SB 100, California’s landmark 100% clean energy law, said he can easily envision Trump claiming that “we have lots of cheap oil in the United States that can lower your gas prices — but crazy lefty California is blocking us.”
Actually, it’s hard to imagine Trump not grabbing the chance to blame gas prices on the Golden State — or Newsom.
What else you should be reading:
The must-read: ‘Very few people out in the streets’: ICE surge rattles California’s Central Valley
The California angle: Justice Dept. demands California prove citizenship for lists of voters or withhold ballots
The L.A. Times Special: The U.S is in the death business. Newsom can change that, and win votes
Stay Golden,
Anita Chabria
—
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NEW YORK — Lawyers for the BBC say President Trump is trying to delay sitting for a deposition in the defamation case he brought against the British broadcaster until January 2027.
In a filing this week, they asked a Florida court to compel the president to appear in the $10 billion case after they say he canceled an agreed-upon date this week, citing “matters of national importance.”
“Two months of discovery remaining, the BBC still has not been able to depose, and does not even have a schedule to depose, the most central figure in this case: Plaintiff himself,” attorney Charles D. Tobin wrote in the filing. “Those delays have flouted the cooperative spirit of discovery and precluded the BBC from obtaining the evidence necessary to robustly litigate its defense.”
Trump, who has a history of avoiding depositions, filed the lawsuit against the BBC last December, seeking $10 billion in damages as he accused the British broadcaster of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a documentary, “Trump: A Second Chance.”
Britain’s publicly funded national broadcaster admitted filmmakers spliced together quotes from different sections of the speech Trump delivered to his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, before the storming of the U.S. Capitol, to make it seem like he was directly urging violence.
The 33-page lawsuit accused the BBC of broadcasting a “false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump,” calling it “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The broadcaster apologized to Trump over the edit and the head of the BBC and the British broadcaster’s top news executive both resigned. But the broadcaster has denied Trump’s claims that it defamed him.
In the filing this week, BBC lawyers said that they first requested dates for the deposition in July, and followed up repeatedly. Both sides, they said, eventually agreed on Oct. 16.
However, after weeks of silence, they wrote, “Plaintiff’s counsel responded on September 28, 2026, indicating that ‘the President is no longer available for his deposition on October 16 due to other matters of national importance’ and that counsel would ‘endeavor to provide you with a replacement date by the end of this week.’ He did not.”
Instead, they said, they were told last week that Trump “has no availability whatsoever for a deposition” before discovery is set to close on Dec. 18. and were told that Trump would instead make himself available the second or third week of January.
In a statement in response to the filing, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team did not address the reasons for Trump’s delay, but repeated its allegations against the BBC and said the president was holding the broadcaster “accountable for its defamation and reckless election interference just as he has held other fake news mainstream media responsible for their wrongdoing.”
Trump voluntarily dropped a $500 million lawsuit he filed against his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen in 2023, days before he was set to give a deposition in that suit.
Colvin writes for the Associated Press.
Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer examines the matchups and makes his predictions for Week 6 of the NFL season.
All lines and over/under numbers are according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Last week, Farmer posted an 11-5 (.688) record. Through the first five weeks of the season, he is 37-27 (.578).
Using point spreads with the scores Farmer predicted, his record against the spread in Week 5 would have been 9-7 (.563). For the season, his record against the spread is 25-39 (.391).
All times are Pacific and TV reflects broadcasts in the Los Angeles area. The Bengals, Dolphins, Lions and Vikings do not play this week.
By Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities are investigating letters with “suspicious substances” that have been mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide and are urging recipients to treat the mailings as “potentially hazardous.”
The investigation by the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Capitol Police was first disclosed in a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The notice, sent to Senate offices, said that law enforcement officials were working to intercept any additional letters, but “it is possible that some letters may reach their destinations.”
In Congress, the threat appeared limited to the Senate, though the House was monitoring the situation, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
An FBI statement said the bureau and the Postal Inspection Service were “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the statement read. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
Mailed packages containing a powdery substance led to the evacuation this week of election offices in at least two states, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The Ohio secretary of state said the Postal Service intercepted a package containing a white powder intended for its office and noted that similar mailings had been sent to election officials in multiple states.
News of the letters comes just three weeks before Election Day and is reminiscent of a similar threat in 2023, when election offices in six states received mailings that contained a white powder. In some cases, the incidents disrupted work around local elections.
Some of those letters contained threats and traces of the powerful opioid fentanyl, leading some election offices to stock up on the overdose reversal medication naloxone.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors issued a joint statement condemning what they said were threats against election staff.
“Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” they said in their statement.
Deputy Postal Inspector Brendan Donahue told reporters Thursday that “any threat or attack on election officials is unacceptable” and that “we are also working with our partners on identifying the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
Mascaro and Cappelletti write for the Associated Press.