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A man of many fads, and many guests, host says he feels some responsibility to carry late-night into next generation. In Life

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In negotiations, President Donald Trump often employs a strategy he learned dealing in New York real estate. ENGLISH HICKORY/DANIEUTERS

The art of the bluff? How Trump gets his way

Extraordinary demands often lead to lesser wins

Bart Jansen USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Call it the art of the bluff.

Bombing Iran back to the Stone Age. Threatening to double the cost of Chinese imports. Filing multibillion-dollar lawsuits.

President Donald Trump storms ahead when embarking on a new policy or seeking to intimidate an adversary. But agreements often come after he trims his sails.

"In the trade space, Trump's strategy is always maximalist at first, very public, very much trying to get everyone to overreact and then settling for what he actually wanted."

Scott Lindisman CBS NATION

The commander-in-chief called Inxuan leaders "very smart people, very good negotiators" after hammering out a framework for peace that later fell apart. He touted a "fantastic" trade deal that came after meeting with the "great leader," China's President Xi Jinping. And he settled lawsuits for fractions of a percent of what he'd demanded — or for the promise of avoiding tax audits.

It's a strategy Trump learned in the bars-knuckle world of New York real estate development.

"I went in and asked for the world — for an unprecedented tax abatement — on the assumption that even if I got cut back, the break might still be sufficient," Trump wrote in his 2007 book "Trump: The Art of the Deal." In a funny way, it was like a high-stakes poker game in which neither side has very strong cards so both are forced to bluff.

Here's a look at how he's deployed the approach as president.

Trump's approach on Iran

Trump's comments on Iran have ranged from bellicose to complimentary.

See TRUMP DEALS, Page 4A

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Sightings are drifting north as habits, habitats change

Climate has sharks on the move

A great white, king of the deep. RANKIN CARRIET/LOETTY IMAGES

Janet Loehrke USA TODAY

As interest in sharks ramps up amid Discovery Channel's Shark Week, which runs through Saturday, Aug. 1, two studies have offered new insights into how sharks are changing their behavior and habitats. Researchers have found that rising ocean temperatures are reshaping where sharks live and travel. Some species are expanding their range farther north along the East Coast, while others, such as great white sharks, use the Gulf of America, also known as the Gulf of Mexico, as an important winter habitat. The oceans have experienced historic warming over the past decade, soaking up more than 90% of the surplus heat accumulating in Earth's climate, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

So does that mean Americans will see more sharks along our coastlines?

Not necessarily. You may not see more sharks overall, but you could see them in places where they were once less common.

Shannon Barry, a researcher in the Department of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology and lead author of a study published in April in the journal Marine Ecology

Progress Series, seems to agree: "As we see ocean temperatures increasing, especially as you move northward along the U.S. Atlantic coast, these near-future habitats that bull sharks use for nursery sites are moving into the temperature range preferred by juveniles."

Shark sightings are popping up in regions the animals don't normally visit as they adjust to

See SHARKS, Page 6A

Warning ocean waters

Since the mid-1990s, global ocean temperatures have consistently been above the 1955-2008 average, as shown by the red bars.

NOTE: Data is for the first 1/2 mile of ocean level and is displayed in 3-month intervals for each year. SOURCE NOAA: GRAPHIC, Janet Loehrke/USA TODAY

Fauci dodges questions on COVID

He pleads the Fifth in contentious hearing

Bart Jansen, Joey Garrison and Erin Mansfield

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, a chief architect of the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic, refused to answer Senate questions July 29 about his role during that era, invoking the Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination as lawmakers threatened him with criminal prosecution.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, accused Fauci of lying to Congress about the possibility the virus originated from a Chinese lab and the government's response to the pandemic.

Fauci, who was head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases under seven presidents, appeared under subpoena before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

He consistently refused to answer questions in a hearing that became so hosted that Paul, chair of the committee, threatened to pursue criminal charges of obstruction against Fauci. Paul also hosted one of his lawyers from the roots for sitting next to him at the witness table.

See FAUCI, Page 4A

Darlene Graham, front, and her family watch as Sen. Lindsey Graham's casket leaves the Capitol on July 28. MARK SCAMPIA BEAUTIFUL/US GETTY IMAGES

Graham, a 'true American original,' given final farewells

Bart Jansen, Zac Anderson, Joey Garrison and Francesca Chambers USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump eulogized Sen. Lindsey Graham as a "giant of the United States Senate" and a "true American original" with a "magnetic personality" of a memorial service at Washington National Cathedral.

The South Carolina Republican, who died unexpectedly July 31 at age 71, was a tireless public servant and a fiery advocate for his causes, whether defending Ukraine or fighting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Trump said.

See GRAHAM, Page 2A

Senate votes to advance Russia sanctions package

Legislation, inspired by Sen. Graham, cleared with bipartisan support.

Online: Visit osutoday.com for more coverage of Graham's funeral services.

24 | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | USA TODAY

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Clayton confirmed to lead U.S. Intelligence

Party-line vote stems tumult over post

Zac Anderson

USA TODAY

The Senate confirmed U.S. Attorney Joe Clayton as director of national intelligence in a party-line vote, approving President Donald Trump's pick to permanently lead the nation's spy agencies after backlash to his interim choice.

Clayton was confirmed July 28 by a 51-47 vote after months of turmoil around the Office of the District of National Intelligence.

“For a continuing in every second will do a spectacular job as Director” Trump wrote on social media after the vote.

Clint Gabbard announced in May that she was resigning as DNI and Trump tapped boating official Bill Pulis to lead the office on an interim basis, elevating a time slip with no experience in intelligence operations. Pulis faced bipartisan criticism of his qualifications for the intelligence job.

Aly Clayton, a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, was confirmed July 28 as director of national intelligence. REUTERS FILE

While Clayton also has been relatively few national security credentials compared with his DOE predecessors, he oversees the Justice Department's office in the Southern District of New York, which handle cases related to national security threats and is DOU's largest field office with more than 220 prosecution. He is also a former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Clayton attracted attention during his confirmation hearing for refusing to say who won the 2020 election. Trump lost the 2020 race to former President Johnson but has continued to push claims that the election was stolen.

“We are trying to resign in the theater,” Clayton said when pressed by Ben. Jon Oswell, D-Georgie, on 2020.

Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who serves as vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, said in a news release after Clayton's confirmation that he was initially “encouraged” by his nomination for “same away from his confirmation process with serious reservations about whether he would be willing to stand up to political pressure when it matters most.”

“Now that he has been confirmed, I sincerely hope he proves those concerns undivated, because the Intelligence Community deserves steadier leadership than it has received in recent months,” Warner added.

Clayton will take over an office that Pulis has been downsizing.

The acting DNI announced multiple rounds of layoffs on social media, writing on July 28 that the office had been cut by 36%.

Continuation over Pulis's appointment caused the House of Representatives on June 15 in block the renewal of a key government surveillance law – Section 752 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.

Contributing: Zachary Jishawende, Josh Meyer

USA TODAY

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Senate OKs: Russia sanctions package in Graham's honor

His sister, colleagues approve bipartisan bill

Francesco Chambers and Zachary Jishawende USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted to advance a Russian sanctions package inspired by the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, house after a formal service for the Republican lawmaker in Washington, that Ukraine's president attended.

The legislation easily cleared a procedural vote – the first of several hurdles before it can become law – with bipartisan support in an 86-42 vote. Eleven Democrats and one Republican, Secretary Sen. Read Paul, voted against the legislation.

Graham's sister, familiar, who was appointed to fill his seat, is a lead sponsor of the 86-42 which was renamed the Lindsey D. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026.

“There is no greater way to honor Senator Graham's legacy than to move forward with this bipartisan agreement,” Justice Graham and a bipartisan group of senators supporting the bill said in a final statement before the vote.

Graham was a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia and said he had secured President Donald Trump's backing for a version of the

bill before his sudden death from an entire test.

The legislation provides the president with new authority to sanction Russian officials, foreign nationals and financial institutions affiliated with the country's war machine. It further authorizes Trump to put a Office tariff on Russian imports and a tariff of up to 300% on employees of Moscow's oil, petroleum and natural gas. The bill also gives Trump more power to punish ships that skirt sanctions on Russian energy, its an added shadow fleet.

“This legislation is designed to cut off Vladimir Putin's main important resource in his war against Ukraine, his money,” Sen. Jeanne Shabenn, D-New Hampshire, a cosponsor of the bill, said on the Senate floor.

The vote July 28 was largely symbolic, with the Senate about to leave town on Aug. 7 for a month. The chamber will have to vote on the legislation several more times as it is officially pass the Trump.

“The the legislation must clear the House, which is away until Aug. 31, before it can be presented to Trump. So June, the House overrode Republican leadership to pass its own version of a sanctions and Ukraine aid package.

The Democrats who opposed the sanctions package said they were concerned about tariff provisions that would delegate too much authority to Trump.

“In effect, this would be a blanket delegation of congressional tariff authority

to the executive,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, said on the Senate floor.

The White House told USA TODAY that Trump is supporting the Senate bill, which also extends sanctions on Iran.

After a closed-door air-down Tuesday with Trump at the White House, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went up to Capitol Hill for a bipartisan meeting with senators. He then went up to watch them cast their votes, sitting at one point in between Sen. John Barnesev, the majority whip, and Sen. Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Zelenskyy was one of these solid leaders who came to the United States to attend Graham's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral.

In a 7-to-8 Friends' interview on July 28, Trump said Graham was militant in his support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy called him a “barthout” of the nation as a social media post that “headed the United States” for its firm support” during the country's more than four-year war to beat back Russia's invasion.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, that has shown little signs of rebutting, despite diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration to broker a deal with both national and could bring the conflict to an end. A summit Trump hosted for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kafak, Dzhivna by a visit by Zelenskyy and European leaders to Washington, failed to yield progress last August.

Graham

Continued from Page 14

Additional services were held for Graham on July 29 at Columbia, South Carolina. He will be barred on Pickens County, where he was born.

“He was a tough outlay, but he was beautiful,” Trump said in a one extemporaneous moment in his 14-minute address July 28 in Washington. “He was a force of nature and I will miss him greatly.”

Kavanagh, most of Trump's Cabinet and numerous lawmakers of both parties attended in an illustration of Graham's ability to listen to and work with anyone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Fawcett, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were blown for the invitation to all service, a testimony to his lasting influence on American foreign policy.

Setnapala and Zelenskyy each met privately with Trump earlier in the day. “Both meetings were positive and productive” While House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media.

The Israeli leader said ahead of the meeting that the two world doctors Iran “first and foremost” His goal was “to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us.” Zelenskyy was scheduled to also meet with a bipartisan group of senators.

Graham was a central figure in Congress over more than three decades in the House and a later, perennially in the middle of complex debates over immigration and budgeting from his roles leading the judiciary and budget committees.

“It was served 12 years to uniform as a lawyer in the Air Force, the Air National Guard and the reserves. Leavitt announced on social media that a South Carolina military base, Joint Base Chambers, would be renamed East Base Lindsey Graham, according to a Charleston Post and Course story also posted.

Graham, “never saw a war that he didn't like,” Trump said in the eulogy. “But he wanted it for the good of our country.”

The senator rose from a small town in rural South Carolina to become a constant failure of American politics at the highest level,” Trump said.

“Nothing of consequence” he passed in Washington without Graham knowing about it, and “nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world” without Graham having a

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's casket sits in the U.S. Capitol Bethesda with a military honor guard July 28 for a congressional tribute service.

REUTERS HORMIDY/STOCK/GETTY IMAGES

view on it, Trump said.

Graham's defense of Kavanagh at the justice's fiery confirmation hearing was “one of the greatest moments the Senate has ever seen,” Trump said as Kavanagh's insider on from the press.

The president remembered the early years of his relationship with the senator, when they were at odds, to say the least: He said he should not have given out Graham's personal cell phone number when they were able to enable the 2016 presidential race.

But “it was Lindsey who had this last laugh because what I show up his phone all he once day, we became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,” he said.

“There was truly nobody like Lindsey Graham,” Trump said.

Ten News host Rana Hamaty and Graham's voice, Emilie Ruggles Roberts, spoke as well in deeply affectionate addresses that also picked for at Graham's self-promotion, love of gossip and terrible driving.

“I already called Graham a ‘force of nature’ who kept a busy travel scheduling, saying “nobody visited more war zones” or next with “some active-duty troops.” He pushed back against characterization of him as a swamonger. “He wanted every region, every country in the region on that path to peace.”

Hamaty, a Christian life Graham, imagined the senator was decorating his “mansion in heaven” like May-n-Lago. “It may even be a little bigger than my love more gold. And I wouldn't be surprised if he added one big beautiful ballroom and an inch somewhere on the property because he would want to obviously duplicate his dearest friend in life you, Mr. President.”

Roberts poked that Graham was always there for his family – unless they

needed help with manual labor. As for his driving. “Those of you who did not have the privilege of riding with Lindsey Graham, consider yourself blessed. In all seriousness, nothing was happening to me on his watch, and I believe that to my core – we all did.”

Earlier in the day, senators, representatives and Vice President, D-Vance spoke about Graham at an emotional ceremony in the Capitol Bethesda that left some to tears as friends and colleagues recalled his tenacity in public debate and his good humor.

As the flag-dinged casket arrived, borne by a military honor guard and preceded by music from the U.S. Army Brass Quintet, Inc., Decker Graham, who was appointed to serve out her brother's term, dubbed her news with a handkerchief. Sen. Katie Pohl, R-Gahuma, appeared to be working as she stood at the casket.

Though Graham wasn't big in stature, he had an “attitude to him” that made him loom large, Vance said at the Bethesda ceremony.

Vance remembered Graham for his humor, charm and personal touch, remembering how he would walk into the Senate chamber and work the room, shaping an open space.

He recalled Graham making him laugh so hard if Hart while campaigning for a Senate seat and then supporting his pet railway legislation despite the two having clashed ferociously over a funding bill for Ukraine.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Graham worked tirelessly to advance nominations as head of the Judiciary Committee. He was a fierce defender of Ukraine and of ending attention, fighting what he saw in injustice in both cases, Thune said.

But despite dealing with serious issues, Thune said, he was also the first guest lawmakers would call for dinosex. “So one was more capable of crating up a room,” Thune said. “The conversation and the laughs always showed an eye meal where Lindsey Graham was present.”

The paradoxe Graham maintained relationships across the aisle, and his ability to work with people who disagreed with him was a defining aspect of his approach, said Rep. Sheri Ruggles, R-South Carolina.

“He believed that conversations matter,” she said. “He believed that showing up is interested. And he believed that leadership meant finding a way forward, even when the path was complicated.”

Contributing: Erin Mansfield, Emily K. Condon and Zachary Jishawende

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USA TODAY | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | 3A

Double execution is carried out in Florida

First in 60 years highlights state's push

Amanda Lee Myers

USA TODAY

Florida has put to death two inmates in which 5 now the state's first double execution in more than 60 years amid an aggressive death penalty push by Gov. Ben Defaintis.

James Duckett, a 68-year-old former police officer convicted of killing an 11-year-old girl in 1997, was executed by federal spitmen at 1,240 p.m. ET on July 28.

About five hours later, Florida executed Dominick Occhicone at 6:13 p.m. ET for the murder of 1st- or thurcery parents in 1996. At 80 years old, Occhicone became the second-oldest inmate ever executed in the United States and the oldest inmate ever executed in Florida, which, is putting more elderly prisoners to death than any other state in the nation.

The inmate packs the first time since 1964 that Florida has executed two inmates on the same day, according to an execution database by the nonprofit South Penalty Information Center. The last time any state executed two inmates in one day was in 2007 in Arkansas, according to the nonprofit.

Florida's rare double execution comes amid an aggressive push by Defaintis to put more inmates to death than the state ever has before. Of the 66 inmates executed in the United States since January 2020, Florida has carried out 31 of them – 47% – (including Duckett's and Occhicone's, according to an analysis by USA TODAY, since the start of this year, Florida has carried out 63% of the executions in the United States.

Defaintis has said he wants to give closure to families who have wanted for justice sometimes larger than four decades.

But the Republican's actions are drawing increasing criticism from death penalty opponents and observers who say the presence is being motivated by political ambition before the 2028 presidential election and is 'increasingly trusting executions as routine instruments of political power,' according to a recent statement from Floridians for Alternatives to the South Penalty.

The governor's office hasn't responded to a request for comment from USA TODAY about the allegations of political motives.

Here's what you need to know about Duckett's and Occhicone's crimes and more about what is going on in Florida.

What was James Duckett convicted of?

On May 31, 1967, 8-year-old Teresa Mae McAbee walked to a local convenience store to buy a period at around 10 p.m. in Mascotin, Florida, a rural city part west of Orlando that had fewer than 2,000 residents at the time.

James 'Jimmy' Duckett, a 29-year-old rocker dog, was on patrol for the Mascotin Police Department. The married father of two sons was making his regular rounds when he spotted Teresa talking with a 16-year-old boy outside the store, according to court records.

Duckett has always maintained that

Dorothy McAbee fights back tears during a news conference after her daughter's murderer, James Duckett, was executed at the Florida State Prison on July 29.

ALICIA DEVINE/USA TODAY NETWORK

James Duckett, left, and Dominick Occhicone both were executed in Florida on July 28.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

he talked to Teresa and the teen, telling each to go home. But the boy and his uncle later said that Duckett put Teresa in his patrol car and drove off.

Teresa's mother arrived at the Uncle K around 8 p.m., looking for her daughter. The store clerk told her that Teresa may have gone with Duckett, and the mother began searching the area. When she couldn't find Teresa, she contacted the police and later filed a missing person's report with the only officer on patrol at the time Duckett.

The next morning, two than a child from the convenience store, a fisherman found Teresa's body in Knight Lake. A medical examiner later found that she had been raped and strangled, and was still alive when her attacker drowned out. Bodily filled, presumably from the killer, was found on her underwear – DNA that was saved.

Duckett became a suspect when a sheriff's investigator, Bigi Chuck Johnson, thought the officer was acting nervous at the scene of the body recovery, 'was not curious about the death,' and told a 'rehearsed sounding story' about his interaction with Teresa and the events of the night before.

Duckett was charged with murder free months later. He was convicted and sentenced to death.

Duckett was supposed to be executed in March but won a new temporary reprieve from the Florida Supreme Court pending new DNA testing. The tests were inconclusive, Duckett's reprieve expired July 11 and Defaintis rescheduled his execution in a death warrant

signed July 14.

It was the last of many decades of delays for Teresa's family.

After witnessing Duckett's execution on July 28, Teresa's mother was able to get out one sentence before she began uncontrollably sebbing.

'I've been working 40 years to have him dead,' Dorothy Tula said in a quavering voice.

Her sister, Shirley Lancaster, robbed Tula's shoulders and continued to speak on behalf of her family, saying that 'the state let him live too damn long.'

'She was only 11,' Lancaster said. 'We've lived all this time without that baby... Maybe she'd have been the next doctor. Maybe she'd have been the next president, you never know. But we never got the chance to find that out because this bastard took her away from us.'

What was Dominick Anthony Occhicone Jr. convicted of?

In the early morning hours of June 10, 1966, an angry Dominick Anthony Occhicone Jr. went to the home of his ordinance, Anita Gertrity, in the coastal community of Helling, Florida, about 30 miles northwest of Tampa, according to court records.

As Occhicone knocked on windows and doors, he was confronted by Gertrity's 64-year-old father, Raymon Artmer. According to court records, Occhicone smiled at Artmer as he shot him short, then carried the house and finally shot Gertrity's 62-year-old mother. Met the Artmer, Gertrity and her 10-year-old daughter were able to escape.

At trial, Occhicone's attorneys argued that he was so drunk and filled with jealousy and rage that night that he was temporarily insane. Later, after Occhicone was found guilty of both murders, his attorneys argued that a life sentence was more appropriate, telling jurors that 'prison life is so hard on people, that they don't live until they're 92,' according to an archived news report to the Tampa Tribune.

The jury voted 7 to sentence him to death and a judge agreed.

In 1997, 10 years after the murders, the son of the victims told the Tribune that

he was frustrated with the delays in the execution.

'It's frustrating,' Jim Artmer told the paper. 'Justice has not been completed... It has gone on for so long. When is it going to end?'

That was 31 years ago.

On July 28 after witnessing Occhicone's execution, the Artment loved ones told reporters that it was 'the end of a long and painful journey.'

This years since June 10, 1966, have been filed with sleepless nights, empty chairs at family gatherings, and those one-on-one conversations. But, were lost, they said in a statement: 'We have missed birthdays, milestones, and simple everyday joys that were stolen from us. The pain and grief is always there, it never goes away.'

They went on to say that Occhicone's execution doesn't sense their pain, 'but it does show a love and not a chapter in our lives that has just triggered for for too long.'

What is happening in Florida?

Since January 2025, Florida has become the busiest state in the nation for executions. So far this year, the Hamilton State has executed more inmates than all other states combined. Florida has put 12 inmates to death, including Duckett, Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona have executed seven inmates combined.

In 2023 and so far this year, six states have executed 23 inmates who were at least 52 years old, including Duckett and Occhicone, according to Death Penalty Information Center data analyzed by USA TODAY. Eighteen of them were in Florida, or 72%.

Defaintis is driving the increase in executions in Florida. He not only has signed more death warrants than any other governor in the state's history, he signed legislation in 2023 that added the death penalty as a possible punishment for people convicted of sex crimes against children. He also signed a law in 2023 that basically supported the state's execution methods to include anything 'not deemed unconstitutional.'

He death penalty critics and observers, the double execution is put for the course. They question why the state wanted to execute a 'sickly' 66-year-old man who had a litany of ailments and argued that more time was needed to analyze the DNA in Duckett's case.

'Gov. Defaintis's executive, self-serving pursuit of a recent writing number of executions ignores the trauma that carrying out the investigation is a single day will inflict on prison staff,' Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, previously told USA TODAY. 'His rush to kill an elderly 60-year-old man and a man who may be innocent only proves the reckless disregard with which he is making these decisions.'

Defaintis recently told ProPublica that meeting with the loved ones of victims reinforced his determination to see old death sentences carried out.

'There's a saying, Justice defined is justice denied,' Defaintis said. 'We're doing it to be able to bring justice to the victims' families.'

Contributing: Alicia Devine, Tallahassee Democrat

Judge dismisses lawsuit over Tymp's religious panel

Faith groups had filed over lack of diversity

Brisbane, 2 French

USA TODAY

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that sought to have the court declare President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission to have an illegal lack of diversity through having only Christian and Jewish members.

A multifield group of organizations—Interfaith Alliance, Muslims In Progressive Values, the Bills American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Hindus Its Fathers Rights—sent the administration in February over what they said was an illegal lack of religious and ideological diversity on the commission. Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Democracy Forward represented the groups.

The groups also accused the commission of disregarding 'basic transparency requirements' that allow the public 'to follow and understand the Commission's work.' The administration notified the court in late April that it had publicly posted commission records, including transcripts, meeting minutes and hearing recommendations. Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of

Church and State, said at the time that the files 'only confirm for all to see the fatal flaw at the core of this commission.' Its Christian Nationalist here.

The administration has rejected such notions. In response to the dismissal, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers called the suit 'meritless, and a poor attempt to thwart the Trump Administration's effort to promote religious liberty' in a statement to USA TODAY on July 28: 'The Religious Liberty Commission's important work will continue, and President Trump will always vigorously defend religious liberty for all Americans,' Rogers said.

Laser said the groups behind the lawsuit were 'disappointed' by the dismissal and 'respectfully and strongly disagree that the Religious Liberty Commission's members represent a fair balance of viewpoints.'

'We are reviewing next steps with our co-counsel and plaintiffs,' she said in a statement to USA TODAY.

The Rev. Paul Randolombach, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, said in a statement to USA TODAY July 29 that the dismissal 'strongly ignored that the Commission privileges one narrow religious and ideological view.'

'Even so, the transparency we earned for the American people is a meaningful victory for everyone who believes religious freedom belongs to

all, not just a favored Rev,' he said. 'Interfaith Alliance and our multifidah partners will keep standing up to Christian nationalism wherever it threatens our democracy.'

Judge says commission in fairly balanced, made records available

Trump established the commission through an order in May 2025. The group was tasked with publishing a report on the history and state of religious liberty in the nation by July 4, 2026.

The group included Protestant, Catholic and Jewish members but no Muslims or members of other minority religions. The February lawsuit accused the commission's members of passing 'the view that America is a Justice-Christian nation with limited, if any restrictions, on abusing their religious values into government.'

The lawsuit pointed to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires such groups to be 'fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented.'

U.K. District Judge John F. Cronan, whom Trump appointed in 2020, wrote July 27 that the law does not clearly define what constitutes 'fair balance' and that courts have historically been 'highly differential' in reviewing a committee's composition.'

'Under this differential standard, the RLC's membership is a fully balanced,' Cronan wrote. 'Its members include workers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, have widely varying life experiences – from a former host of a popular television show to a State Lieutenant Governor, are religious leaders as well as male and life congregation, and – to the extent that it matters – encompass adherents of at least five different religions.'

In response to the plaintiffs' argument that having only Christian and Jewish commissioners is unlawful, Cronan said commissioners' religious beliefs are 'not relevant to the Commission's function,' He also disagreed with 'the premise that there is a single Judeo-Christian viewpoint.'

'Given the wide diversity of Christian and Jewish beliefs, there is no reason to think that an Evangelical member would 'balance out' a Catholic member any less than a Buddhist member would,' Cronan's opinion said.

He also rejected the allegations ordered to transparency requirements, saying the law does not have a deadline for making records available.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues in Donald through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

4A | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | USA TODAY

NEWS

Trump deals

Continued from Page 1A

Trump demanded "UNCONDITION-ALUMINUMED" in a March 6 post. He said in an April 1 post "we are blasting lion into oblivion or, as they say, back to the剧本 Agent?" And he said "A whole civilization will die tonight" in an April 7 post.

U.S. and Iranian officials signed a framework June 17 to stop the bombing, had the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and respect the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping in exchange for Tehran's commitment to to develop nuclear weapons.

"They're very smart people, very good negotiators," Trump said.

But after Iran resumed firing on commercial ships in the strait, Trump returned to the harsh talk. He told reporters of a NATO summit that Iranian leaders are "scram" and "sick people."

Presently, they haven't seen anything yet. "Trump told reporters in the final Office on July 21. "We've been dead."

From 'extremely hostile' to 'very friendly' on talks with China

As the American eagle battled the Chinese dragon over trade, Trump insisted tariffs on return from China last year that threatened to reach 1070 against China's "extraordinarily aggressive" and "extremely hostile" position.

"I don't think that's sustainable for them," he said.

But Trump repeatedly postponed or refused to make the negotiated trade agreement in October with the United States' third-largest trading partner.

"I think it was a very friendly meeting," Trump said in reaching an agreement with St. Y. "It was a good meeting for two very large, powerful countries. That's the way we should get along with a large powerful country."

Despite the bugging, the government is suffering much more on tariffs under Trump. The average tariff rate for all imports is about 9%, according to the Tariff Report, 2005 averaged 2.5%. In 2024, the cost before Trump's second term, according to the Tax Foundation.

"I think the president has viewed tariffs as an opening salvo," Dave Townsend, a partner at Disney & Whitney representing foreign clients in trade litigation, told USA TODAY.

Scott Linciccone, vice president of general economics at the libertarian Cato Institute, said threatened higher amounts and eventually settling for less and full tariffs nearly four times higher than when Trump returned.

"In the trade space, Trump's strategy is always maintained at first, very public, very much trying to get everyone to overreact and then settling for what he actually wanted and having the temperature actually go down because everyone expected the worst," Linciccone told USA TODAY. "There is some measure of relief when the worst doesn't happen, even if you're worse off."

Trump softens comments on China meddling in U.S. elections

Another clash since July 16, when Trump released a batch of declassified intelligence documents and accused China of trying to undermine the 2020

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 16 during a visit to Beijing. In 2025, Trump imposed a series of tariffs on China as the two countries marked toward a trade agreement. ©XIM VOCURB/STBS

election. But a few days later, he downplayed the threat and said both countries hordish with each other.

Trump accused China of stealing 220 million votes files from states across the country in what he called "the largest compromise of election data in history," although election experts said states sell the information.

Trump also said during that prime-time televised speech that China sought to influence U.S. business leaders to "turn against" the president during his first term and paid reporters to write negatively about him.

The Chinese government wanted [the] U.S. president to lose the next election, and the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them," Trump said.

But when reporters asked July 21 about consequences for China, Trump downplayed the threat by suggesting the U.S. government does similar things to them.

"Well, we'll talk to them about it. It took plus a long time ago," Trump told reporters the 42nd Office. "I think China's maybe a little bit different today than it was then. But look, they do things. And we do things to them. I'll be honest. We do things to them, too. It's not a one-way story."

Trump shrugs off Supreme Court losses after noting significance

Trump worked the role at the Supreme Court for his priorities of impos-

Trump speaks about election security on July 16 from the White House. He hardly criticized China for election meddling so the speech but later downplayed the threat. CAA/LUSIS VIA REUTERS

ing tariffs and restricting birthright citizenship, but then shrugged off losses in both cases.

Trump said in December that a ruling against him in the tariffs case would be the "biggest threat in history to United States National Security."

"WE'RE KIDNEVER" if the court overturns the tariffs, Trump added to a social media post Jan. 12.

But after the 4th U.S. 20 decision, Trump acknowledged other paths to tariffs.

"Yes, I have another way of doing Tariffs, but it is far slower, and more laborious than that was just determined, in a close decision, to be illegal in 'other' or 'stridional,' with those powerful, and highly accurate, dissentful" he said on social media May 10.

In another major loss at the high court, Trump argued the country "cannot live with the shackles of Birthright Citizenship," while he said wasn't recommended to maintain his social media post June 11. He reinforced the importance of the case by becoming the first setting president to attend an oral argument.

But after the court ruled against him on the final day of its term June 30, Trump said another decision released the same day was more important because it confirmed his power to remove the heads of independent agencies.

Regarding the birthright citizenship defeat, "we can easily make it up in Congress through Legislation," Trump said in a social media post June 30.

Billion-dollar lawsuits settled for millions but still 'jaw-dropping'

Trump, who frequently went to court before being elected president, hasn't let his day job keep him from filing, multibillion-dollar lawsuits. But in several high-profile cases he settled for millions - less than two-tenths of a percent of his demands - or an agreement to avoid future tax investigations.

For example, Trump filed a lawsuit against AR in March 2024 after George Stephanopoulos inaccidentally said he was found liable for saying columnist E. Jean Currell in his civil suit against him. ARF, agreed in December 2024 to pay $50 million in Trump's presidential library and $8 million for his legal fees.

Trump filed a $80 billion lawsuit in October 2024 over the editing of a "60

Minutes" interview on CBS with his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris. He settled in July 2025 for $8 million from CBS owner Paramount.

Trump has also sued The Wall Street Journal for $50 billion for writing about his relationship with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and The New York Times for $55 billion for "disparaging articles" during the 2024 campaign. But those cases are unresolving.

Lee Levine, a lawyer who has represented media clients for 35 years, said naming a big price in a lawsuit is common and not unique to Trump.

"Lawyers always put in their complaints outrageous dollar figures, usually just a function of how local thrift linings get in typing areas at their computers," Levine said.

The settlements have been wins for Trump even though the numbers are a fraction of what he sought.

But he said the multimillion-dollar settlements, which came before the cases were tested at court, reflected timidity of the media companies seeking to avoid getting on the president's wrong side.

"The amounts of those settlements standing on their own are jaw-dropping," Levine said.

Trump, his two older sons and his contesake business filed a $80 billion lawsuit in January against the Internal Revenue Service after a contractor ended their tax returns to reporters. The lawsuit said the "trumps suffered" vegetational and financial harm, public embarrassment and "unfairly tarnished their business vegetarians".

Trump, who oversees the IRS as president, reached an agreement in May that the IRS would "avoid federal and tax liabilities. The agreement also envisioned a nearly $4.5 billion fund to enjoy people investigated by the Justice Department, but Trump dropped the provision of the a public outcry and a judge is reviewing the agreement.

"This lawsuit was not brought to vindicate rights; it was brought to manipulate the judicial process," U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams wrote.

Settling for a single rather than trying for home rule

Some of Trump's lawsuits have yielded results. Tariffs are being recalibrated but the evaluation of the foreign policy remains unresolved because the Iran was grinde on.

In "The Art of the Deal," Trump wrote about not getting too greedy in financial negotiations.

"If you go for a home run on every pitch, you're also going to strike out a lot," Trump wrote. "I try never to leave myself too expensive, even if it became sometimes settling for a triple, a double, or even, on one occasion, a single."

But Trump's unpredictability in foreign affairs can be unsettling to the other side because it leaves negotiation uncertain whether the president will uphold his side of a deal, according to Tcha Paus, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think tank that emphasizes military restraint and diplomatic engagement.

"Part of it is that he's coming out with this bluster and then settles for something else," Paus told USA TODAY. "It can cause [foreign leaders] to be more cautious. It can cause them to be fearful of what he may do."

Fauci

Continued from Page 1A

Fauci, 65, was the public face of the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He retired from federal government work at the end of 2022.

Former President Ian Biden preemptively pushed Fauci to shield him from criminal investigation, but Paul has said that if Fauci perjures himself, the pardon for past actions won't protect him.

Starting from a one-page statement at the start of the hearing, Fauci said he would be invading his Fifth Amendment right because the hearing had one purpose: to entrap him into saying something that could be used against him in court.

He said Paul had an "unhinged obsession" with prosecuting him. He tried "repeated slanderous comments about me" and Paul's recent release of Fauci's diary "aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me".

"The only conclusion I can reach is that the side reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something - anything - that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, 'behind bars,'" Fauci said.

Paul said he denied Fauci's assertion of privilege and directed him to answer questions anyway.

When Fauci continued to refuse to testify, Paul said the committee would not endanger against him.

"It's against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress," Paul said. "There will be repercussions."

He accused Fauci of covering up legitimate questions about federal funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and research on whether the coronavirus could have come from animals or from a fair experiment.

Paul said that the funding for experimental research at the lab was "one of the worst public health decisions" in history and that Fauci needed to "come clean" and ask forgiveness from the American people who suffered as the coronavirus spread to pandemic populations.

He prepered Fauci with questions about organ research, the possible CIA transfer of money to his agency, and research into how avian fin jumped to mammals. Paul focused on whether the benefits of the research into how viruses are spread were worth the risk.

"On the advice of counsel, I respectfully declare to answer based upon my right upon the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution," Paul replied to each question.

The amendment protects people from having to incriminate themselves in court and instead forces prosecutors to prove their case.

With Fauci unwilling to defend himself, Republicans on the committee used

the hearing to air more of their longhold claims about him and his advice to Americans, using Fauci's Fifth Amendment strategy to shame the once-collected elections discuss expect.

"We have either generations of Americans who, rightfully so, do not trust our institutions to keep them safe because of you," Sen. Rick Scott of Florida told Fauci. "This has destroyed decades of progress and lifetimes of work because you wanted to fuel your own ego and be the center of attention."

Scott asked in another exchange, "In hindsight, are you disappointed how you handled COVID? Do you have any regrets?"

Fauci gave his standard answer.

"Your legacy will not be as a man who has saved America from COVID but as a man who destroyed the public trust in American's public health institutions in exchange for five minutes of fraud," Scott said. "This is how history will remember you."

Sen. Jack Hanley, Jr. Missouri, began with, "Nothing says honesty like taking the Fifth, Sen. doc."

He then mocked Fauci's strategy by asking him a series of basic, factual questions about the fate of the week and the color of his carpet.

Fauci, Paul said, "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully declare to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution."

Hanley accused Fauci of violating the law and said he has "done more to

harm science than anybody in my lifetime." He added, "I hope you'll go home and write that to your diary."

Several Democratic senators came to Fauci's defense.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, thanked Fauci for more than 50 years of federal government service and said, "It must be enormously frustrating to know that this hearing is designed to entrap you."

She lamented the spread of public health crises such as measles and cyclosporates that she and should instead be the subject of congressional hearings.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the distinct times in U.S. history and suggested the hearing was part of the Trump administration's effort to rewrite the history of a pandemic.

The Trump administration launched baseless onuran against vaccines that pulled the country out of the crisis that killed 1 million Americans and 10 million people worldwide. Blumenthal said Fauci spent decades in federal government helping "creepest" COVID-19, HIV, swine flu, Zika, Zbola and other epidemics, Blumenthal said.

"For the past 18 months, the Trump administration has been engaged in a campaign to rewrite this history," the senator said. "Today's proceeding, I fear, is part of that effort, one of the darkest days to our Senator's history."

Contributing: Our Anderson

NEWS

USA TODAY | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | 9A

Teen given life term for school shooting

Four killed, nine hurt at Georgia high school

N'dea Yancey-Bragg USA TODAY

The teenage who committed a deadly mass shooting at a Georgia high school in 2024 and pleaded guilty to dozens of charges after the attack was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole July 28

Colt Gray, 46, was handed the sentence days after he pleaded guilty to 55 charges, including Henry Smider, aggravated assault and cruelty to children following the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at Apalachee High School in which he killed two students and two teachers and injured nine others. Gray faced a maximum sentence of life without parole. There is no death penalty for juveniles.

Gray, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, was expected to face trial in Columbia County in October. But as the deadline for him to notify the court he wanted to plead guilty approached, a 'non-negotiated plea' – one in which the defense and prosecution have not agreed on a sentence – left Gray's sentence entirely up to Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Frimm.

Barrow County District Attorney Brad Smith urged Frimm to hand Gray the maximum sentence, saying he 'opened fire on perfect strangers only so he could become famous,' within an online community hearing. Smith said with mass shooters. Defense attorney Charlton Allen asked the judge for leniency saying Gray has admitted his actions and was 'driven not by evil intent but by a desire to be accepted.'

Frimm challenged the defense's characterization, calling Gray's conduct 'deliberate, contemplated evil' as he handed down his sentence.

'You wrote: 'I want to make history. I want people to remember the pain I caused,' and there you succeeded,' Frimm said.

Gray mimicked other mass shooters, investigators say

Ashley Gillend, an investigator with

Barrow County District Attorney's office, walked through evidence obtained from Gray's devices and thraced account that she said demonstrated his obsession with and attempts to imitate other mass shooters in an attempt to achieve notoriety.

Gillend said Gray had more than 2,000 photos of the shooter who attacked Margery Broneman Douglas High School in 2018 on his phone and more than a dozen displayed in his room. She pointed out similarities between Gray's statements to police, journal entries and planning to those of other mass shooters.

'As a whole it didn't appear that there was any original thought from the defendant when planning the mass shooting,' she said.

The prosecution also played audio clips of jail calls in which Gray encouraged his mother to look up and share information about him in the online community. Based on mass shooters that he was part of, Researcher Peter Smith testified that the group, known as the True Crime Community, was a novel form of extremism distinguished by its lack of unifying ideology. He said though the majority of participants are nonviolent, the group does have members who encourage or carry out acts of violence to gain notoriety.

Prosecutors also played clips of Gray's interviews with investigators following the shooting. Forensic psychologist Kevin Richards agreed that Gray lied to police about certain details of the attack to make the incident worse similar to other shootings, which a prosecutor described as having 'faster eggs' for others in his online community to find.

Forensic psychologist testifies about Gray's mental health

Gray's attorney questioned Richards about the teenager's mental health before and after the shooting. Richards said he interviewed Gray for about 15 books, during which they first discussed his chaotic childhood, which was also described by Gray's grandmother and the head of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.

Richards said as the family dealt with

Colt Gray pleads guilty to 55 counts, including murder in connection to a 2024 school shooting that killed four people. POLY.COUNTY

financial issues and drug use. Gray grew increasingly isolated, spent most of his time online and eventually joined the community that was 'obsessed' with school shooters. Richards said he reviewed more than 50,000 messages between Gray and two people in the online group and found Gray had sent ominous messages about something happening on Sept. 4. Richards read some of these messages aloud as prosecutors displayed them in court.

At the time of the shooting, Richards said Gray was struggling with anxiety, paranoia, depression and thoughts of self-harm. Under questioning by the prosecution, Richards acknowledged that Gray appeared to exaggerate his mental health symptoms at times, including claiming to experience hallucinations, in an apparent attempt to bolster a potential not guilty by reason of insanity defense at an eventual criminal trial.

After he was taken into custody, Richards said Gray never denied carrying out the shooting and said he 'felt terrible about the victims.' But Richards also acknowledged that Gray sent 'hateful' messages about victims of previous mass shootings, including the 2018 attack in Federal, Florida.

Barrow County Sheriff's Office investigator Jason Smith returned to the stand briefly on July 27 and testified that investigators directed Gray to write apology letters to family members of his victims as part of their interrogation.

Jason Smith said although Gray seemed 'very excited to write the letters,' he did not believe the apologies were genuine. Smith said that Gray appeared extremely emotional during his initial interview with law enforcement and cried at some points, but Smith said he believed his behavior was 'largely performative.'

'There's a lot Colt said that wasn't true and there's a lot Colt said that was true,' he said of the interview.

School shooting sentencing sparks emotional testimony

Mason Schermelman and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Itznie, 53, were killed in the Sept. 4, 2024, campaign, which sent shock waves through Winder, Georgia, a small town-northeast of Atlanta. Several loved ones of the victims tearfully addressed the court during a nearly eight-hour hearing on July 24, expressing anger and despair, calling Gray a coward and asking the judge to sentence him to the maximum sentence he faced under the law.

'The cruel actions of Colt Gray cost precious lives ... [affected] countless victims,' Apalachee Principal Jessica Rehberg told the judge. 'The ripple effect will be felt for generations ... For that he deserves the hardest consequences.'

During the hearing, the prosecution played audio of an interview in which Gray told a detective he heard voices on the day of the shooting telling him to open fire on people in the school. Smith testified that Gray had planned the attack for some time and found the weapon used in the shooting in his father's bedroom.

Gray's sentencing comes before his father's sentencing hearing is set to begin. In March, Colin Gray was found guilty of murder and other charges for providing his son with the rifle used in the mass shooting.

During the landmark trial, Colin Gray testified in his own defense that he had no idea his son was capable of carrying out a mass shooting. 'I struggle with it every day,' he said during the emotional testimony.

Contributing: Natalie Neyan Alaud

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© USA Today-Page 2C

6A | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | USA TODAY

NEWS

Saudi Arabia, U.S. join to attack Iran-linked militants

Michael Luria USA TODAY

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia joined the United States in attacking fighters aligned with Iran, the Persian Gulf state's Ministry of Defense announced.

Saudi Arabia struck Iran-linked militias based in Iran. He kingdom said July 29. The strikes come in response to attacks from the militants on the oil and gas facilities in the kingdom. Defense Ministry officials said the strikes were carried out in coordination with U.S. Central Command, the military arm overseeing operations in the Mid-

die East.

The strikes confirmed by Saudi officials mark the country's first announced foray into the war President Donald Trump and ally Israel launched on the Islamic Republic of Iran on Feb. 28.

'This reaffirms the Kingdom's legitimate right to defend itself and its capabilities, while reserving the right to respond at the appropriate time and place, in line with the Almighty's words,' Defense Ministry officials said in a statement on their official X account.

Saudi forces 'conducted precise and

targeted strikes against objectives belonging to these militias located on the territory of the Republic of Iraq and linked to the attacks on petroleum facilities in the kingdom.'

The U.S. Central Command confirmed the coordinated strikes with Saudi jets, saying they targeted 'transigned terrorists' in the eastern part of Iraq. According to military officials, the attacks came in response to Iran-directed attacks on U.S. assets in the region.

'The unwarranted attacks against U.S. forces were not successful,' Central Command said. 'The IROC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks

to avoid further U.S. military response.' Central Command said there were 600 such attempted attacks on U.S. assets in the region in the first two months of the war.

At least 10 U.S. service members have died in the Iran war and hundreds have been injured.

Saudi officials promised the strikes would not mark an escalation in the fighting, but the attacks come at a point when U.S.-Iranian peace negotiations appear to have fallen apart, though Trump has claimed 'good talks' were happening amid off-again, on-again bombing campaigns.

Trump asks Supreme Court to throw out Carroll award

Maureen Greppe and Bart Jansen USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a 803.3 million jury award he was ordered to pay writte E. Jean Carroll, arguing the judgment could permanently loose presidents fearful of civil liability for actions they take in office.

'If left standing, the decision below will cease significant damage, not only to this President and future Presidents, but also to 'the Nation that the Presidents' was designed to serve,' Trump's lawyers said in a filing July 28. 'As this Court has recognized, it would seriously cripple the proper and effective administration' government if Presidents forced that their official acts could result in damages liability.'

But the court already rejected Trump's appeal in a related case about more than $5 million that a jury said Trump must pay Carroll.

Both cases are part of a legal battle between Trump and Carroll that dates back to 2019 and includes two civil trials.

Carroll said in 2019 that Trump sexually assaulted her at a New York City department store in 1996, and Trump fired back with allegations that she was making up the story to sell her food.

Carroll sued him months later, eventually winning the 803.3 million judgment.

As the case was ongoing, Trump repeated the denial in a social media post in 2022. Carroll then sued Trump again under a special window of time that New York granted to sexual abuse survivors, and in 2023, a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse against Carroll. That resulted in the $5 million verdict.

Federal appeals courts upheld both judgments.

Trump has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its rejection of his appeal of the $5 million verdict, a move that ready is successful.

Carroll's lawyers declined to comment on Trump's latest filing.

But in rejecting Trump's appeal of the trial court judgment in September, the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of appeals said the 803.3 million judgment was reasonable 'to light of the extraordinary and egregious facts of this case.' The court said the starting point of its review 'is the now-indeputable fact that a jury found in this other case that Trump sexually abused Carroll in 1996,' which precludes another appeal.

'The record in this case supports the district court's determination that the 'the degree of reprehensibility' of Mr. Trump's conduct was remarkably high, perhaps unproven denied,' the appeals court wrote in its opinion.

Trump's repeated comments about Carroll resulted in 'a multitude of death threats and other threats of physical injury,' the appeals court said.

The jury was allowed to find that Trump would not stop defining Carroll unless he was hit with a substantial financial penalty, the court said.

Trump's lawyers have argued he should have immunity for his 2019 comments about Carroll because he must then within serving as president.

'That use of official Presidential statements matters, because this Court has made clear that official Presidential acts may not be used as evidence to impose liability for other conduct,' the lawyers have told the justice, softens long the court's 2024 ruling that presidents can't be criminally prosecuted for 'official' acts taken by a president.

Bull sharks react to climate change

Once rarely exactly juvenile bull sharks, Pamlico Sound in North Carolina now qualifies as a shark nursery habitat. The study offers one of the first genetic examples of a large coastal predator adapting to climate change.

Typical length: Between 5.1 to 7.5 feet, can reach 10.6 feet Habitat: Ground close inshore in water less than 100 ft. deep Appearance: A heavily built grey shark with a short, bluntly covered snout

SOURCE: A Magnavoxx or E-Stand-Head Maps; OCEARCH; Barry et al., 2026; Native Ecology Progress Series; Shark Research Institute; PHOTOS Discovery; Charcoal Institute; AFP via Getty Images; GRAPHIC ziarat.com/REVIEWS TODAY

Sharks

Continued from Page 14

warming waters, USA TODAY has reported.

As ocean conditions change, some species are shifting their migration routes, feeding grounds and nursery habitats, Barry's study says. These changes can lead to more shark sightings and, in some areas, a greater likelihood of shark-human encounters.

Sharks are shifting 'poleward' amid warming waters

As ocean temperatures rise, bull sharks appear to be moving coastal nursery habitats farther north along the East Coast. Barry and her researchers found evidence that a new nursery population has become established in North Carolina, signaling a broader shift in the species behavior.

'The move poleward is driven by climate change,' Barry said. 'Bull sharks have a specific temperature range they like to maintain, with adults typically found between 26-30 degrees Celsius (78.8 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit) and rarely below 25 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). While juveniles have been found in temperature ranges of 20-34 degrees Celsius (60 to 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit).'

Another peer-reviewed study, published in the journal Wildlife Research, challenges assumptions about great white shark migration. Researchers found that many great whites travel thousands of miles each winter from Canada and the northwestern United States to the Gulf of America.

Using satellite-linked smart position and acoustic tags, researchers tracked

Great white sharks winter in the Gulf

Great white sharks migrate thousands of miles each year from the northwestern United States and Atlantic Canada to winter winter habitats farther south. Researchers found the sharks were commonly located along the edge of the West Florida Shelf, near Palley Ridge, around the Florida Kays and in offshore waters near DeSoto Canyon and the Florida Panhandle.

Typical length: Between 7.8 to 18 feet, can reach over 26 feet Habitat: Occurs in both coastal and offshore waters over continental and insular shelves, including shallow bays and nearshore surf swathings Appearance: A powerful shark characterized by its streamlined, spindle-shaped body, pointed conical snout, caudal heel and lunate tail fin

SOURCE: A Magnavoxx or E-Stand-Head Maps; OCEARCH; Barry et al., 2026; Native Ecology Progress Series; Shark Research Institute; PHOTOS Discovery; Charcoal Institute; AFP via Getty Images; GRAPHIC ziarat.com/REVIEWS TODAY

Total shark bites in the U.S. from 2012 to 2026*

Shark bite attacks Total attacks In 2015, there were 59 unprovoked shark attacks

This year, there have been 7 shark bite attacks, none of which have been fatal.*

SOURCE: International Shark Attack Sites, Florida Museum of Natural History and TheologicalBales.com - 1958 list of July 9, GRAPHIC ziarat.com/REVIEWS TODAY

92 white sharks tagged between Nova Scotia, Canada, and Jacksonville, Florida. They found that 57 sharks across all life stages spent significant time in the Gulf as Heads of Florida, primarily from December through May, as part of a long-term OCEARCH-led research effort.

'For years we suspected white sharks were using the Gulf more than people realized,' Chris Fischer, founder and expedition leader of OCEARCH, posted on the group's site. 'This research confirms the Gulf is a regular winter habitat for this population and highlights how connected the ecosystems of the Atlantic Ocean truly are.'

Where shark bites are most common

It's no surprise that Florida leads the nation in unprovoked shark bites. With more than 8,000 miles of coastline and millions of people entering the water every year, the state offers more opportunities for encounters between sharks and humans than anywhere else in the United States.

How often do shark attacks happen in the United States?

You're far more likely to be struck by lightning than to be attacked by a shark. Shark attacks are considered extremely rare. The Florida Museum, a state natural history museum, puts the odds of being attacked by a shark at 1 in 0.5 million, the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are 1 in 2 million, according to NOAA.

ThickingSharks says even shark bite attacks were recorded this year, as of July 5, in five states: Florida (two), California (two), Georgia (one), New York (one) and Texas (one).

How to reduce your risk of being a shark attack victim

• Have a swimming buddy Don't go into the water alone.

• Don't swim at dawn or dusk. The light is low, which can increase the likelihood that sharks could mistakenly you for other prey.

• Don't enter waters where there is fishing activity.

• Don't wear shiny jewelry. It can catch the sunlight and glint, much like fish that sharks prey upon.

• Try to avoid splashing. It generates a sound similar to that of struggling fish, which can attract sharks.

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USA TODAY | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | TA

OPINION

WHAT TO COMMUNITY Write to Facebook/USA TODAY (opinion) and Instagram and it @teatodayopinion) You can also comment directly on online columns

Epstein survivors can't depend on AG nominee

Danielle Bensky Opinion coordinator

More than 20 years ago, when I was a 17-year-old aspiring fullerina in New York City, I met Jeffrey Epstein.

My mother was seriously ill, and I was young and scared. Epstein recognized that vulnerability and exploited it. He presented himself as someone who could help, then used my age, dreams and my family's circumstances to manipulate and sexually abuse me.

For years, I carried what happened largely on my own. Then other survivors of Epstein's trafficking network began coming forward, and I found hope in knowing that I was not alone. Over time, our individual stories grew into a movement demanding accountability. That movement helped back to the passage of the 1960s to 1970s. Transparency Act, which we believed would finally expose the full scope of Epstein's crimes and the people who enabled them.

What happened instead was alarming. The Department of Justice released survivors' names and other personally identifying information. This included node images that showed young women - possibly teenagers - with their faces visible. My name, phone number, former addresses, where I worked and studied at the time and accounts of abuse were all made public.

In Epstein case, failures of prosecution falls on Todd Blanche

At the same time, the names of alleged abusers, enablers and other powerful people connected to Epstein remained hidden throughout the files. The redactions were so extensive that a federal judge ordered the 2021 to explain them or remove them.

Just as anything, more than a thousands women and girls were abused, yet no one beyond Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell has been prosecuted.

Rather than, pursuing leads beyond his interview with Maxwell or prosecuting anyone else, then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to have been huddled in the White House Situation Room helping manage the political and public relations fallout from the release of the Epstein files.

Taken together, these failures paint a troubling picture: Former Attorney General Pam Bender testified for a congres-

Danielle Bensky, who has accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein of abuse, testifies at a Senate confirmation hearing for attorney general nominee Todd Blanche in Washington, DC, on July 16. (KEVIN HOCKSTON/REUTERS)

sional committee that Blanche was in charge of the Epstein files release. These failures fall on his shoulders.

Now, Blanche is up for a promotion to attorney general, the country's top law enforcement officer.

During my testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 16, I told senators that Blanche had refused my reported requests for a meeting for nearly nine months. Although he has said he met with representatives of 30 accusers, he did not meet with me or any of the survivors I know.

During that same period, he met with Maxwell for nine hours before she was moved to a law security person.

In his own testimony, Blanche claimed that three men in evidence to support additional prosecutions beyond Epstein and Maxwell, despite the investigative leads, survivors testimony and other records already contained in the files.

After my testimony, Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, seemed moved. He said he could not support Blanche's confirmation until Blanche met with survivors directly.

Only then did Blanche's team scramble to arrange a meeting, as my fellow survivors and I - exhausted from days

of travel and advance - were preparing to leave Washington. We rearranged our schedules and hurried to make sure our lawyers could attend.

The meeting that followed was, by any honest account, a non-checking exercise to secure Tillis' vote. Blanche offered no meaningful explanation for how the redaction failures happened, who approved the release or what steps he would take to prevent survivors from being exposed again. He made no commitment to investigate or prosecute anyone beyond Epstein and Maxwell.

America deserves an attorney general who listens to victims

Instead, we were told to take our information to the FBI. We have already done that. Survivors have reported what happened, provided evidence and re-told the most painful experiences of our lives to law enforcement for decades.

Telling us to start over was not a plan for accountability. There was no attempt to work with us. It was another way to dismiss us.

Today, I am a teacher and a mother. I would not find Blanche's refusal to take accountability acceptable in my students or my child. The American people

should not find it acceptable to the man seeking the highest law enforcement position in the country.

The county deserves an attorney general who listens to survivors. I only predators accountable and keeps their children safe. Blanche has shown us that he is not that person.

Tillis asked Blanche to meet with us because the senator understood that survivors deserved answers. We met with him in good faith, but he did not do the same. A meeting alone cannot become a substitute for accountability, and checking a box should not be enough to secure the senance's vote.

My message to Tillis is simple. If you hoped Blanche would offer another red accountability by meeting with us, he did not. If you hoped this meeting would resolve our concerns, it did not. And if your support for the confirmation depends on his ability to treat survivors of human trafficking and sexual assault with honesty and respect, then you - and every senator - should vote no on Blanche for attorney general.

Danielle Bensky is a Jeffrey Epstein survivor, public advocate and speaker fighting for government and currency, action accountability and legislative reform in sex trafficking cases.

Opponents of data centers are on the wrong side of history

Gene Marks Opinion Coordinator

Deforestation. Habitat destruction. Water and air pollution. Land and resources devoured. Noise. Corporate corruption. Government corruption. Monopolies. Eminent domain. Communities torn apart. Fumilated eaten up. Small businesses uprooted. Corporate titans who buy off local politicians with promises of tax revenue.

One industry expert and author called it a "decisive struggle, in which, from the beginning to the end, the fighting will be forced," with power "rapidly centering in the hands" of "the ablest, the more energetic, and by no means the most scrupulous men in America."

Except the expert, Charles Francis Adams Jr., didn't say this in 2026. He said it in the late 1970s. And he wasn't talking about data centers. He was talking about railroads.

Today's data centers are yesterday's railroads

In the 19th century, thousands of miles of railroad were built, and the opposition to them was intense. These weren't organized environmental groups. They were conservatisants, local residents, business owners, landowners, parents, farmers, Native American tribes and taxpayers enraged at how their electorkinders were spending their money.

Many didn't want trains rolling through their backyards. Many today

don't want data center complexes in theirs. You can't blame them.

Where would America be today with railroads?

Billions were spent moving freight and people faster and more efficiently, fueling economic growth, creating jobs, opening up projects and standardizing the flow of information. The costs were significant, but so were the benefits. We are better off for it.

More than 150 years later, little has changed. Today's data centers are yesterday's railroads. They are the infrastructure behind everything that powers our economy. Railroads move freight. Data centers move information and make modern commerce possible. Yesterday's railroad barons were Ceresina Vanderbilt, Jay Gould and James Hill. Today's builders are the companies behind hyperscale computing: Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Nvidia.

Old jobs, new industries

Like all new technologies, railroads destroyed jobs, two. Stagecoach lines, wayside lines and the small towns that depended on them withered as travelers stopped passing through.

But railroads created far more than they destroyed - construction and manufacturing jobs, building everything from rail cars to locomotives, and jobs in the cities that bounced at the end of the line. They built entire new industries: railroad retail, refrigerated food, mass media, mail-order commerce, modern tourism and standardized time.

Like the railroads, the artificial intelligence applications that data centers power will destroy some jobs. But those technologies have also fueled millions

A drone view shows a data center in a residential neighborhood in Lowell, Massachusetts, on July 28. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE

of new businesses in just the past few years, backed by a wave of venture capital. Robotics, cybersecurity, semiconductor manufacturing and computer components - all are expanding because of AI.

And data center construction alone has propped up the building trades through a rough economic stretch.

In the past 20 years we've seen job titles on one bad brand of: cannabis compliance manager, remote work coordinator, wellness manager. AI alone has produced prompt engineer, governance manager, automation developer, solutions architect.

The taxpayers predicting mass AI unemployment are making the same mistake railroad skeptics made, betting against the human capacity to find new ways to work and contribute. History says that bet loses.

Both railroad and data center construction have become more efficient.

Ecological impact eased as energy efficiency improved, technology advanced and resources were need more wisely.

Government regulation reined in the worst abuses in the 19th century, and it will do the same today. Communities adjusted. Supply chains adapted.

Today we look back on the railroad debate and wonder what all the fans was about. Future generations will likely say the same about ours.

None of this excuses poor planning, unnecessary environmental damage or taking property unfairly. Communities deserve a voice.

We can't cede our future to other countries - enemies or allies

But they shouldn't have a veto over infrastructure that benefits an entire nation. Are we simply not going to build data centers - and cede the field to China? To Russia? To Europe?

Imagine if that option had been on the table during the railroad debate.

Today's hyperscale computing giants are so vital to America's follow today as they decide, and the Pennsylvania and New York railroads were to a price century. In both cases, a minority suffered for that expansion. But because of the sacrifices made, hundreds of millions of Americans have gone on to enjoy a goal of life unmatched almost anywhere on the planet.

Every generation does the same choice: build the infrastructure that powers the next century, or let fear of disruption preserve the past. Americans chose the railroad. He convinced they'll choose AI infrastructure, too.

Gene Marks, founder of a small-business consulting firm, The Marks Group.

USA TODAY

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MONEY

USA TODAY | THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2026 | SECTION 8

You can check the headlines from your home state or city

We survey and compile the top news stories from all 50 states plus Washington, DC. Page 38

Cracker Barrel's CEO stepping down effective Aug. 10

Julie Masino to be replaced by David Deno, most recently the CEO of Bloomrr Brands. Page 48

PRICE OF OWNERSHIP

'Hidden' costs of buying a home can shock owners

Medora Lee USA TODAY

Buying a home is a huge milestone people save up most of their lives for, but it's very different from owning a home, according to a survey.

Nearly 2 in 3 homebuyers said homeownership has been more expensive than expected, according to business software Jobber's survey of 800 adults who purchased a home in the past two years. Of those, only 44% budgeted for ongoing maintenance, the data showed.

Buyers are so focused on homeownership that most budget for the purchase, not the full cost of ownership which can cause emotional and financial stress, the survey showed. More than half said homeownership has been more stressful than expected, 36% have lost deep over repair or cost concerns, and 34% have even questioned their decision to buy, the survey said.

'For many homebuyers, the biggest financial

surprises came from the cost of maintaining their home,' Jobber's report said. 'Whether it's a leaking pipe, a failing HVAC system, or an urgent repair that can't be delayed, unexpected costs often require immediate decisions and can quickly strain household budgets.'

What does 'more-in ready' really mean?

Most homebuyers expect eventual maintenance and repairs, but many are caught off guard when they're needed within the first two years, Jobber said.

While 86% of homeowners described their home as more-in ready at closing, 58% uncovered unexpected repairs after moving in, Jobber data showed.

And those repairs weren't cheap. Nearly 3 of 4

See HOMES, Page 28

'Quiet hours' latest trend in shopping

Sensory-friendly times becoming mainstream

Sara Moniuszka USA TODAY

Trying to get your makeup or skin-care staples can lead to squeezing through packed aisles of inconsiderate shoppers, music blasting overhead and perfume attacking your nose.

It's a classic, chaotic scene at many beauty stores, but now Sephora is trying to change that.

The beauty retailer is the latest in a line of stores to offer sensory-friendly hours for shoppers, but what does that mean?

Last month, Sephora globally launched what they're calling, 'Quiet Hours,' which they described in a news release as 'an inclusive initiative aimed at anyone who enjoys a more peaceful and calmer shopping environment.'

This means stores will 'turn down the music and adjust screens to create a calmer atmosphere with fewer distractions' at specified times across locations.

Other retailers, including Walmart, Target and even Chuck E. Cheese, also have begun offering hours that reduce sensory triggers.

Bonate Mitchell, a doctor of behavioral health and clinical director at The Mental Health and Stabilization Center of Sacramento, told USA TODAY those hours can be helpful for a range of people, including neurodivergent shoppers and those who just prefer a less overwhelming experience.

Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that encompasses the diverse makeup of neural processing, as it manifests differently for everyone.

While not an official medical term, some use it to describe a range of learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder and more, according to Cleveland Clinic.

It can include sensitivities to fluorescent or flickering lights, background music, announcements, crowded chatter, strong-smelling foods, perfume, cleaning product smells, unexpected touch in tight aisles or flashing displays and signage, according to True Progress Therapy.

'[Stores are] coming to understand that there is a huge untapped market with people that struggle with becoming overwhelmed with sights, sounds, blinds, all of the above...they are teeing down the music, teeing down the lights so they're not so harsh,' Mitchell said.

For example, those hours can be a 'huge game changer' for parents with children who struggle with loud environments, Mitchell says, or even someone like herself who is 'highly sensitive to smells'.

Sephora says its sensory-friendly hours are the first hour of business on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but to check your specific store location for details.

See SHOPPING, Page 28

Kroger's plan for cage-free eggs by '25 comes up short

Olivia Evans

Louisville Courier Journal USA TODAY NETWORK

More than a decade ago, Kroger promised shoppers it would transition to 'a 100% cage-free egg supply chain by 2025.'

As of July 2026, that promise remains unfilled.

In March 2016, the Cincinnati-based grocery giant announced its intent to move its egg supply to cage-free, noting its customers were choosing at an 'increasing rate' the eggs laid by hens housed indoors with unlimited access to food, water and freedom to roam. The original announcement followed a campaign by animal cruelty activists against the national grocer and came at a time when 85% of the eggs sold at Kroger came from hens confined in cages, The Courier Journal previously reported as part of the USA TODAY Network.

However, in a 2022 corporate report reviewed by The Courier Journal, Kroger quietly shared a revised goal – giving the grocer until 2030 to get 70% of its egg supply to cage-free status.

Beni Bisti, corporate policy specialist for farm animal protection at Humane World for Animals, a global animal rights nonprofit, said the 'back-tracked' promise by Kroger 'stands in contrast to so many grocery retailers, including Amazon, Costco, Target, CVS, Walgreens, Circle K, Trador Joe's and more, that have already achieved their 100% cage-free goals or established concrete plans to soon stop selling eggs from producers that keep hens confined in cages.'

On July 9, at the grand opening for the new Kroger in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, the activist group had a mobile billboard on display at the gas station across the street from the store that said, 'Kroger's eggs are gross' and depicted footage of hens in cages.

When asked about Kroger's commitment to a cage-free egg transition, a Kroger spokesperson said, 'I don't really have a comment on that.'

Here's what to know about Kroger's transition to cage-free eggs:

Kroger backs off egg transition goal

Since the grocery company initially announced its goal of 100% cage-free eggs in stores by 2025, its tracked progress toward this goal in its annual Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, which publicly discloses company data for the previous year on environmental impact, social responsibility and corporate governance.

A Courier Journal analysis of Kroger's ESG Reports found that from 2036-21, the company reported it was 'on track' or making its transition to cage-free eggs as 'area of focus.'

But in the ESG report published by

When asked about Kroger's commitment to a cage-free egg transition, a Kroger spokesperson said, 'I don't really have a comment on that.' BRANDIN BELL/GETTY IMAGES

Kroger in 2022, tucked near the bottom of the 68-page document, the grocer provides an 'updated goal' that elated, 'Given the current rate of industry progress and consumers' desire for affordability, we do not expect to achieve our 2025 commitment. Kroger anticipates

See KROGER, Page 28

28 | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2025 | USA TODAY

MONEY

12,000-plus pounds of bacon recalled over import violation

Julia Gomez USA TODAY

Maple Leaf Foods has recalled over 12,000 pounds of bacon imported to the United States from Canada because of an import violation, according to a notice from the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The products were 'imported from Canada without the benefit of import reinspection into the United States,' the FIBS stated in its July 24 notice.

The overall affects not really-to-eat smoked bacon products distributed to retailers in Idaho, Oregon and Washington state, according to the FIBS.

No illnesses have been reported related to the product, yet the recall notice.

The recall has comes about a week after President Donald Trump's admini-

stration announced 50% tariffs on many Canadian imports.

The tariffs, reported to impact goods imports into the United States from Canada's nuts, alcohol and dairy industries, are scheduled to take effect Aug. 19. However, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has appealed to a open to negotiations, so the final rule and scope may still change.

Here's what to know about the bacon recall.

What is being recalled?

The following Maple Leaf Foods products are included in the recall:

• • Boys' Natural Applewood Smoked ALL NATURAL Uncured Bacon Product of Canada - 32-ounce vacuum package with the following sell-by dates printed on the side of the package.

Sept. 1, 2026 Sept. 7, 2026

• • TOP SALE! Uncured Hardwood Smoked Bacon Product of Canada - 12-ounce vacuum package with the following sell-by dates printed on the side of the package.

Sept. 1, 2026 Sept. 2, 2026 Sept. 8, 2026 Sept. 5, 2026

Sept. 7, 2026

The recalled products were produced on the following dates:

• • June 9
• • June 10
• • June 12
• • June 13
• • June 15

'EST 1' is also printed on the side of the package.

Where were the products sold?

The products were sent to Grocery Outlet distributors and retailers in the following states, according to FIBS:

• • Idaho
• • Oregon
• • Washington

A full list of where the product was distributed will be posted to the FIBS website once it is available.

What should you do if you purchased the recalled products?

The agency said the recalled products may still be in consumers' fridges and freezers.

It urged people not to consume the recalled products.

Consumers also purchased the recalled bacon should form it away or return it to the place of purchase, according to the FIBS.

Contributing: Rachel Karker

Homes

Continued from Page 18

buyers say they spent upward of $60,000 on unexpected repairs or maintenance within the first two years.

Ownership costs aren't just repairs and maintenance

Beyond repairs and maintenance, homeowners also can be stung by high insurance costs and property taxes, experts said. Home insurance premiums have increased 46% since 2021, including a 12% rise in 2025, according to insurance comparison marketplace Insurify's home insurance report.

'Insurance has become an increasingly significant piece of the public in many parts of the country as premiums continue to rise,' comparison site LendingTree said in a report. It attributes the jump in insurance rates to more adverse weather events and inflation raising the costs of building materials, labor and home repairs.

Home insurance makes up 8.5%, or about $200, of the typical $2,354 monthly housing costs for homeowners with a mortgage nationwide, according to a LendingTree analysis.

In 20 states, insurance rises to 50% or more of monthly housing costs, the survey showed. Nebraska heads with home insurance swallowing nearly 20% of housing costs, followed by Oklahoma at 17.6% and Texas at 14.4%.

'Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas all have severe wind and hail risks, and Texas homeowners face additional threat from hurricanes and even wildfires, depending on their location,' said Bob Bhatt, LendingTree insurance analyst and licensed insurance agent. 'Insurance companies in these states have priced the potential costs of these types of disasters into their rates.'

But not all rising insurance costs are tied to climate risks. But insurance regulators can significantly influence

whether and when policyholders see that risk reflected in their premiums, said Julia Taliesin, economic analyst and all unused insurance agent at Insurify.

'Insurance affordability has become a kitchen-able issue. Inflation and climate risk have made it a key cost consideration, sometimes determining whether someone can afford a home in the area where they want to buy,' she said.

Property taxes can be taxing, too

More than three of four homeowners said their property taxes rose more than what they budgeted for, and 64% said they were shocked by the size of the bill according to property tax consulting service Owned® survey of 3,500 homeownersdeltaable in March.

In 2024, property tax costs rose across every major metro from the prior year, LendingTree said after analyzing the latest government data. Homeowners paid a median of $3.28 annually in property taxes, or $200 a month and up 3.1%, the analysis showed.

'When considering the costs of homeownership, too many people take too narrow a view,' Matt Schultz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst said. 'They think about the home taxes. Interest rates and closing costs, but they don't always consider other recurring costs over the long run, including property taxes. Homeowners association (MOA) have not insurance. If you're not considering all these costs and more when thinking about how much house you can afford, you're doing yourself a disservice. These costs matter, and you ignore them at your peril.'

What should homebuyers do?

Additionally, many eager buyers, especially young ones, enter homeownership after making significant compromises than can hurt them. According to Jobles, 50% of less 2.5 buyers make concessions to buy the home they wanted,

Beyond repairs and maintenance, homeowners also can be stung by high insurance costs and property taxes, experts said. Home insurance premiums have increased 46% since 2021, including a 12% rise in 2025, according to insurance comparison marketplace Insurify's home insurance report.

ALMA STANISKO/COSTA TODAY NETWORK

including 50% who wanted contingencies, or what might be considered legal escape clauses like inspection, appraisal and financing protections. Paying for an inspection that can uncover issues can be worth the money, the report said.

Know that property taxes will probably rise after you purchase a home. Property taxes are calculated by multiplying your home's assessed value, based on what your home will sell for, and the local tax rate. Assuming you purchased the home for more than what the previous owners paid years ago, your home will likely be reassessed higher and that will push up the property tax. Insurance premiums also are trending up, but insurance commissioners manage rate-change requests from insurers and the overall stability of the state's insurance market. That could

give voters a say, Taliesin noted.

'Insurance commissioners are powerful public officials that consumers rarely know about,' she said.

In 8 states, voters choose a commissioner and in 36, the governor appoints one. This year, four states have insurance commissioner seats on the Nov. 3 ballot: California, Georgia, Kansas, and Oklahoma – all of which are facing rising insurance costs, Taliesin said. And 16 states with appointed commissioners are holding gubernatorial elections, including Arizona, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, where the party could flip, according to Cook Political Report forecasts.

'The 2026 midterm elections could materially affect home insurance premiums for millions of Americans,' Taliesin said.

Kroger

Continued from Page 18

transitioning about 70% of eggs sold by units in cage-free or higher-welfare standards by 2025.

'Kroger's share of income is unacceptable,' Stein said. 'A target of 70% cage-free eggs by 2030 is a lackluster mark showing no ambition, as it's virtually already in line with our country's status quo.'

The ESG Reports show that the transition to cage-free comes at a hefty cost for the grocer, with Kroger reporting a 'anticipate-investing and $40 million to support this roadmap to 2030.'

'Kroger's claims about cage-free egg prices don't carry weight,' Stein said. 'Hundreds of other cost-cultivation companies like Amazon, Costco, McDonald's and so many more have already made the change to cage-free.

Kroger had more than 10 years to prepare for and fulfill its annual welfare commitment. Instead, it took the costs of allowing animals to suffer electrically while breaking its promise to the public.'

Kroger reported that for the full year of 2022, cage-free eggs represented roughly 32% of total egg revenue across the company, a stock decrease from the nearly 46% of total egg revenue it accounted for in 2021.

By 2023, the total egg revenue from cage-free eggs rebounded to almost 2.5%. This spotly, in revenue from cage-free eggs comes at a point when Kroger's units of eggs sourced from cage-free hens 'hold steady' with its 2022 rate of 33%. In 2023, Kroger stated it was once again 'on track' for its now-engaty transition goal.

Kroger's most recently published ESG report reflecting progress in 2024 stated the company saw 56% of total egg revenue from cage-free eggs and

bolstered its units of cage-free eggs to 43%.

The company noted this progress 'exceeded' its revamping goal for 2024.

Single-use plastic bags at Kroger

The total transition to cage-free eggs by 2025 isn't the only broken promise from Kroger.

In 2018, Kroger announced it would phase out 'see-once. Three-8-away plastic bags' and transition to reusable bags by 2025. However, this company goal also had its timeline quietly extended, The Courier Journal reported in January.

'We originally aimed to achieve our bag reduction goal in 2025. however, due to our current sale of grapes, the high cost of all paper bags to both our business and the plants, our customers feedback from multiple pilots across the country, and an anticipated slowdown in legislative action, we are extending

our timeline for phasing out single-use plastic bags,' a document provided by Kroger in The Courier Journal stated.

While Kroger has not yet publicized a new target date for completing its transition away from single-use plastic bags, the company previously said it remained confident it would be able to achieve this goal despite 'significant setbacks' to its progress from the COVID-19 pandemic, during which it suspended its bag-related projects.

The company reported that by the end of 2024, more than 70% Kroger operated stores stopped providing single-use plastic shopping bags for our customers, switching to paper or multi-use plastic bags as alternatives, depending on state requirements or local bag ordinances. And as of January, no Kentucky Kroger locations had made the switch.

Contact Business Reporter Olivia Evans at crcsvan@custodays.com or on X at @vdivhomeone.

Shopping

Continued from Page 18

A win-win for stores and shoppers

While Mitchell thinks greater awareness about second diversity is part of why stores are adopting these hours, it may also be a good business move.

Some data suggests these hours are a win-win for companies and consumers, too, she said. For example, one survey found a majority of shoppers say an enjoyable in-store atmosphere plays a key

factor in upping to make purchases in-store vs. online.

People may be 'more readily available to walk through and talk than time, versus 1 need to get in and get out because 1'm overwhelmed,' she explained.

With this in mind, she wonders if sensory-friendly will become the new normal. 'It'll be interesting to see what the future holds,' she said. 'If, instead of doing hours, they actually just go back to losing everything about.'

Christine Benghill of Open Inclusion, one of the groups that feplums consulted with, thinks quiet hours are

the 'future of retail.'

'By listening directly to neurodivergent and sensory-sensitive beauty customers' the retailer helped create an environment that is 'more welcoming, accessible and comfortable for many people,' Benghill said in the news release.

How to cope without sensory friendly hours

If sensory friendly hours aren't available at the stores you frequent, there are still ways to prepare for a potentially overwhelming shopping experience, Mitchell says. First, plan ahead, she ad-

views. Knowing what the store has, where it's located and having an idea of how long it will take to complete a shopping trip can give someone 'machinable control' over themselves and the whole experience,' Mitchell said. Finding a place nearby where you can sit and calm yourself if needed can also be helpful.

You can also see a buddy system. If you're finding overwhelmed, for example, ask a friend to go to for you, Mitchell suggested. Or contact the store ahead of time to hold an item for you at the front. 'That way,' all you have to do is go in, purchase it and leave,' she explained.

Contributing: Drew Peltock

MONEY

USA TODAY | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2025 | 38

50+ States

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Montgomery Beginning Aug 1, school discipline won't just affect expert cards or extracurricular activities. Under Taylor's Law, certain disciplinary actions can also delay when some teens are eligible to get a learner's permit or driver's license.

ALASKA Anchorage: Authorities said former Anchorage Assembly member and longtime teacher Karen Bronga was killed in a head-on collision on Meeting Highway after a southbound pickup on one site: oncoming traffic and stress the workshops in which she was riding. KCRA reported.

ARIZONA Phoenix: In Arizona's waterways, the decadalizing practice of stocking non-native spent fish for recreational walking has devastated the native wildlife, conservation advocates say. About 80% of Arizona's native fish are in decline, more than any other state, and two-thirds of species are currently threatened or teetering on the edge of extinction. The Center for Biological Diversity has now declared that it plans to use the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona State and Fish Department for what the pickup calls problematic management of the state's fish-stocking program.

ARKANSAS Fort Smith: The city of Fort Smith's long-awaited modification to its federal Council Decree has received final approval, officially extending the deadline for completing friendly mandated sewer system improvements by more than 8 years.

CALIFORNIA Sun Diego: Injuries involving elective bicycles: 'have increased dramatically across California,' it was study from the University of California Sun Diego has found. While there were two reported + false collisions in 2018, that figure rose to more than 1,500 in 2024, according to the study.

COLORADO Denver: The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Colorado's 8.8 per-day conquests impact charge on rental cars, turning down a challenge from an industry group representing Ohio, Hertz, Enterprise and others.

CONNECTICUT Stratford: Construction began on the $4.8 billion TIME's rail modernization project, a three-phase effort to speed up Metro-North New Haven Line service by using train speeds and cutting travel times to New York City, WYNH reported.

SULMONIA Wilmington: Mayor John Carney dusted off his vote stamp on an ordinance that would have prohibited the city from shutting off water for some residents who are behind on their water hills.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: met: Metro Transit Police's four-evasion crackdown has slowed, with citations dropping to roughly 41 per day from about 80 per day when enforcement impacts up in May, though officials were announcement remains a priority amid millions in lost revenue, WYNH reported.

FLORIDA Jacksonville: Jacksonville's college mailed has added a four-year medical school with the Lake Erie College of Management Medicine opening its LLCOM at Jacksonville University campus.

GEORGIA Augusta: Metro Augusta is in 1 on the 2026 'Cities on the Rise' list compiled by online career development and professional networking platform LinkedIn. Augusta is the only Georgia city to make the list.

HAWAII Honolulu: A new study by researchers at the University of Hawaii at Mason and the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology found that premium Japanese rice varieties can be successfully grown on Kauai, raising the possibility of reviving local rice production and improving Hawai'i's food security, Hawaii News-Press reported.

IDAHO Boane: Idaho wildlife officials estimate the state's well population declared by about 800 animals in 2023 to LDP section, driven largely by expanded hunting and trapping, Idaho Capital Sun reported.

ILLINOIS Peoria: Jacksonsproff group has designated the Detrwillan Marina property as a historic landmark as a battle continues over the future of the area.

INDIANA Jeffersonville: An Indiana industrialized well now be a leader in 'supporting America's energy security' thanks to the opening of a new solar facility. Of PowerTech Inc. opened its flagship manufacturing facility for production of solar cells at River Ridge Commerce Center.

HIGHLIGHT: OHIO

Cincinnati Zoo senior soricilitarist Alene Owen says the Guam kingfishers' insate assertiveness makes them a strong candidate for translocation.

PHIL LEGENDS FROM NETWORK

Cincinnati: Watching the Cincinnati Zoo's two Guam kingfishers on exhibit, you'd never guess that the rare species would have vanished from its homeland. The birds are 'mean in every aspect of their nature,' according to senior soricilitarist Alene Owen. But this insate assertiveness makes them a strong candidate for translocation, Owen said, and the heading effect at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden may help the birds return to the wild. For decades, the zoo has taken part in a global collaboration dedicated to recovering the Guam kingfisher, known as Kibok at the indigenous Chiamons language. Decades of breeding later, the zoo currently has 17 of the small, colorful creatures.

IOWA Rockwell City: After a record-setting 394 days, Central Iowa Water Works turned off the nitrate removal facility that's enabled the regional authority to meet federal safe drinking water limits for roughly six months.

KANSAS Kailua: A new city commissioner will be selected in less than a month, after the resignation of Jerry Ivey II on July 24.

KENTUCKY Frankfort: Former Rowan County Clerk Paul Davis is facing a new lawsuit claiming she felt an inheritance to avoid paying a civil rights judgment to a couple, according to court records.

LOUISIANA New Orleans: A special prosecutor has dismissed a 16-count Henry Imbichiere against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Merrill at the request of New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and other city officials says soon the purported victims of Merrill's alleged crimes.

MASSIE York: Standard Technologies, hired by the town in February identified between 394 and 472 rentals listed on websites such as Ashish and Who. Inter-Staunt Chain Field Products said the findings will help the board determine whether additional action is warranted amid rising complaints.

MARYLAND Heartburn: Maryland residents struggling to pay natural gas bills may be eligible for up to $500 in assurance through Columbia Gas of Maryland's Proposed Heartburn program. The program is available to qualifying customers who have exhausted other forms of energy assistance, according to a community announcement.

MASSACHUSETTS Walksley: The Massachusetts Horticultural Society will soon remove a historic sugar maple in the Italianate Garden at the Garden at Elm Bank, according to a community announcement. The move is losing made because advocates have determined the tree is structurally unsafe due to its destructive wood-decay fungus.

MICHIGAN Lansing: A position initiative seeking to ban large companies with government contracts from making political contributions in Michigan cleared a notable administrative step and now moves closer to potentially appearing on the November ballot. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers voted to certify the signatures submitted by the Michiganers for Money Out of Politics petition initiative.

MINNESOTA Minneapolis: A federal judge blocked Minnesota from enforcing a state enacted law that made the state the first nationally to outright ban prediction markets like those run by Kalshi and Polymarket.

MISSISSIPPI Oxford: The University of Mississippi athletics department and the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation have shattered their annual fundraising record over the past fiscal year. Ole Miss raised a record 800'9 million during the 2025-26 fiscal year, the school announced.

MISSOURI Boila: Missouri University of Science and Technology has received a $30 million federal award to advance efforts aimed at strengthening the nation's domestic critical minerals supply chain and expanding economic development opportunities across a 14-county region in Missouri.

MONTANA Blackla: The Carter County Museum in Blackla is planning to triple its size, a major expansion expected to draw thousands of visitors and bolster preservation of the small Montana town's local history, KPYR reported.

NEBRASKA Kearney: A new Office of Inspector General of Nebraska Field Welfare report found that 44 sexual-abuse-related allegations were made by 37 youths against 16 staff members at the Kearney Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center over roughly a year, KOLN reported.

NEVADA Carson City: Nevada overdoses since have dropped by 2% since last year, but that's a smaller decline than in most of the rest of the country, and local health officials aren't sure why, Nevada Current reported.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Hampton: One of New Hampshire's hardest-growing cultural celebrations is coming to the Beaverick's most iconic destination for the first time. On Aug. 2, the fifth annual New Hampshire Jewish Festival will make its exciting Hampton Beach debut, transforming Hampton Beach State Park into a vibrant afternoon of live music, delicious kohlest food, family fun, and cultural celebration.

NEW JERSEY Trenton: New Jersey ranked near the top of the country for household wealth in 2024, according to newly released Corona Bureau data. It ranked even higher for debt.

NEW MEXICO Las Cruces: The Las Cruces City Council voted to remove select and policy review committees from the city Municipal Code, which included a panel that a New Mexico watchdog described as a secret policymaking body.

NEW YORK Urbana: Work is expected to begin this fall to modernize the historic Pleasant Valley Winery. Vine Enterprises, LLC will invest at least $47 million to restore operations at the state's second largest winery, in the town of Urbana in the Finger Lakes Wine Region. Gov. Kathy Hucsuf announced $82 million in state funding will support the project and help spur more demand for New York-grown gingers.

NORTH CAROLINA Brunswick County: A family-friendly entertainment center coming to the Southport area is having some delays. It is coming up on a year since Brunswick County approved the renaming of a vacant property to become a fun center. Though the owners planned to wrap up construction by summer 2026, delays have peaked the opening date to next year.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Warming has been posted at several lakes across the state amid an increase in potentially harmful cyanobacteria disease linked by summer heat and low water levels, KPYR reported.

OKLAHOMA Tulsa: IKEA is getting closer to opening its first location in Oklahoma as soon as the end of 2026. On July 28, IKEA officials confirmed that they are moving forward and opening the Tulsa location in fall 2026. An exact opening date has set been announced.

OREGON Salem: The seizure circuit and upgrades at Salem Civic Center are ahead of schedule and are expected to be complete in January 2027, with employees possibly moving back as soon as February.

PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Gov. Josh Jilagire toured new funding for mental health programs in Pennsylvania's budget as a major achievement, including the $5 million boost among the demonstrations. In budget wins. The budget allocated $50 million for the $40 crisis before, which serves as a lifetime general toward suicide prevention and helping callers in need across critical treatment services.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: A multilingual charter school that was poised to open next fall is using Gov. Dan McKee, legislative leaders and the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education over the passage of a three-year modernism on new public charter schools.

SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has announced his run for U.S. Senate in a special Republican primary set for Aug. 8.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: According to estimates, one of several proposed pipeline systems to deliver Missouri River water in South Dakota could cost $6.4 billion to $10 billion, South Dakota biacefilipés reported.

TENNESSEE Knoxville: Repairs to the amphitheater at World's Fair Park are underway and on tour for March 2027 completion. Repairs to the outdoor range have been highly anticipated. It's the first renovation since the Tennessee Amphitheater was installed for the 1982 World's Fair.

TEXAS Corpus Christi: A water emergency that at one point threatened to descend on Corpus Christi as early as May 2026 is now projected for more than two years later — a dramatic, lengthy improve from a circumstance that would have seen among the hundred of water restractions. Projections now show a potential water emergency called in September 2026, City Manager Peter Zanoni said.

UTAH Ephraim: Wildlife officials tranquilized and relocated a bear after it wandered into Ephraim city limits, KCYT reported.

VERMONT Bashaw: Bastion hosted Vermont's first Tuscara to Towers OK on July 25 at the Orleans County Fairgrounds, raising more than $15,000, WUSA reported.

VIRGINIA Blacksburg: Virginia Tech's School of Architecture received a record $20 million gift, the largest donation in the school's history, to support architecture education and future program development, WYNE reported.

WASHINGTON Port Orchard: A Domein's Pizza in Port Orchard sustained significant damage after a vehicle crashed into the restaurant's wall and then fled the scene.

WEST VIRGINIA Elkins: Tuyatt Valley United Way has pledged a $20,000 founding gift to support Interact Children's Museum Founding 100 Campaign, WIPTY reported.

WISCONSIN Oshkosh: London Academy is investing $3.2 million in a new Early Learning Center on its Oshkosh campus while also welcoming a new director of advancement as easelment continues to rise. According to a community announcement, the construction project will add preschool and daycare space at the school's main campus and further expand services for young families.

WYOMING Cheyenne: Cheyenne Frontier Days show more than 283,000 attendees during its 110th annual celebration, an increase of more than 33,000 visitors from 2025, Cap City News reported. From USA TODAY Network and active reports

48 | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2024 | USA TODAY

MONEY

Cracker Barrel's CEO is stepping down effective Aug. 10

Gabe Hauari and Malina Khan USA TODAY

Cracker Barrel will soon have a new leader.

The company announced July 27 CEO Julie Masino will step down as CEO and member of the board effective Aug. 10.

Masino will be replaced by David Deno, most recently the CEO of Bloomin' Brands, the owner of casual restaurant chains such as Outback Steakhouse, Carrubha's Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill.

Masino will remain with Cracker Barrel as an adviser until Oct. 9, the company said.

"Following a robust and thoughtful search process, we are pleased to welcome David as Cracker Barrel's next CEO," said Carl Benquot, independent chairman of the Cracker Barrel board, in a news release.

"The brings decades of experience across the restaurant and retail industries, with a strong track record of leading businesses through growth and a demonstrated commitment to operational excellence, guest experience, and team member engagement."

Deno said in the news release he is "honored to lead the Cracker Barrel team" and looks forward to "unlocking the full potential of this remarkable brand."

Deno began his tenure as CEO of Bloomin' Brands in 2019, having previously served as the company's executive vice president and chief financial officer from 2022 to 2029.

Masino's departure follows 2025 rebrand controversy

The departure of Masino as CEO follows an attempt to rebrand the chain that sparked controversy in summer 2025.

On Aug. 19, 2025, Cracker Barrel unveiled a new, simplified logo.

While still featuring the company's classic gold and brown color palette, it removed a man seated next to a wooden

Outgoing Cracker Barrel CEO Julie Masino will be replaced by David Deno, most recently the CEO of Bloomin' Brands, the owner of casual restaurant chains such as Outback Steakhouse, Carrubha's Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill. ERIC SHELTON/USA TODAY NETWORK

barrel.

Some customers decried the logo change as unwittingly.

President Donald Trump also weighed in, writing in a Truth Social post that the chain could earn "free publicity" if it went back to its old logo.

On Aug. 26, the same day as Trump's initial post, Cracker Barrel said it would drop the new logo and return to the "Old Times".

"We thank our guests for sharing your voices and love for Cracker Barrel. We said we would listen, and we have," the company's statement said.

"Our new logo is going away and our 'Old Times' will remain."

Later, Cracker Barrel said it would not move forward with planned restaurant remodels - which were intended to make locations more modern.

Cracker Barrel also ended its partnership with the company that advised its logo and restaurant design.

Bating its quarterly financial results call with investors on Dec. 9, 2025, Masino acknowledged the chain had a "difficult" few months.

"While many of our guests are enjoying our improved food and guest experience, we certainly have more work to do to regain the trust and confidence of other who have been slowed to return," she said.

Shein warns of Trump tariff impact after posting first-quarter loss

James Pawel USA TODAY

Fast-Sadson retailer Shein blamed Trump administration trade policies with China for a loss in the first quarter of 2026 in financial filings as the purveyor of ultra-cheap clothing prepares to go public.

Pre-IPO documents filed with The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong showed the company taking a $99 million loss in the first quarter of the year. The company made a profit of $395 million in the first quarter of 2025, according to the documents.

Founded in Nanjing, China, and headquartered in Singapore, Shein has found itself at the center of trade tensions between the United States and China. Trump ended the de minimis exemption, a trade loophole for low-cost imported goods, for imports from China in May of 2025.

The company said that the move has had an "adverse impact" on sales in its largest market.

Shein's U.S. revenue fell 34.3% to $2.04 billion in the first quarter from $2.58 billion a year earlier. The United States accounted for 22.5% of quarterly revenue, down from 29.4% of annual revenue in 2023.

Shein said that Chinese origin products sold directly from the company in through its marketplace and shipped to the United States are now subject to tax rates ranging from 30% to 87.5%.

Before the Trump administration's actions, these products were taxed 0% to 62.5%, according to the company.

"In response to the increased duties and taxes, we are pursuing a wide range of options, including increasing our prices in the U.S. market to offset a portion of the increased costs," Shein said. "We expect to pass on the majority of the increased costs under our cost-plus pricing strategy."

It also ended in the filing that the U.S. war on Iran has affected consumer demand in the Middle East and disrupted

Founded in Nanjing, China, and headquartered in Singapore, Shein has found itself at the center of trade tensions between the United States and China.

SARAH METZ/CHANBER/RED/TONS

shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz. But the company said the war "has not had and is not currently expected to have a material adverse impact on our overall business."

Shein faces EU fee, criticism

The financial documents gave investors a look at the pressure facing Shein as it seeks new funds amid higher costs, slowing growth, and growing regulatory scrutiny in key markets.

The European Union, a key market for Shein, also imposed a €3 fee on low-value e-commerce imports this month to curb what the bloc calls unfair competition from China.

Europe accounted for about one-third of Shein's revenues in 2023.

"Although it remains too early to fully assess, it is possible that trends in the EU could be generally in line with or exceed the impact observed in the U.S. after the removal of the U.S. de minimis exemption," Shein said.

Shein has faced criticism from rivals, regulators and advocacy groups over issues including working conditions in supplier factories, allegedly addictive features of its shopping app, and the environmental impact of shipping large volumes by air.

Contributing Reuters

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SPORTS

● USA TODAY | THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2026 | SECTION C

NFL

Winning rehab

Patrick Mahomes explains competition-fueled recovery from left knee surgery

Jarrett Bell
Columbia
USA TODAY

ST. JOSEPH, MO – It would have been fitting enough if the Kansas City Chiefs had rolled out a red carpet at Scanlon Hall and lined the path with trumpets blaring as Patrick Mahomes arrived.

Sure, it was only the start of training camp at Missouri Western State University – and rookie camp at that – but this is a big deal nonetheless.

Mahomes is here! And so is his left knee, surgically repaired, rehab-fortified and lathered up. The best quarterback in the NFL hit another milestone in his comeback journey, cleared to fully practice in any and all drills from day one of camp.

‘I’m excited,’ Mahomes confirmed July 24 during a 12-minute news conference inside the players’ dorm. ‘I’ve been seeing cinder block walls rehabbing every single day in Kansas City.’

When Mahomes checked in, it had been 223 days since he was carted off the field at Arrowhead Stadium with a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee.

Shoot, back in the day, an injury like that might have wiped out a player for a year-and-a-half. Yet here was Mahomes, 30, tracking to make it back for the Monday night regular-season opener against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 14.

Here’s to modern medicine and advanced rehab. Mahomes got the clearance on July 22 during a follow-up exam with his surgeon, Dan Cooper.

‘This is just another checkpoint on the schedule, you know?’ Mahomes said, offering obligatory caution to go with some extreme confidence. ‘And so, you have to continue to work. It’s not over and I’m not going to play a game tomorrow. You’ve got to continue to work and get better and better and go through all practice, and prove to the coaches, prove to the doctors and everybody that I’m the same quarterback I was before, if not better.’

See BELL, Page 4C

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes takes part in the Chiefs training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 25 in St. Joseph. JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES

WSeriesly, Dodgers not splashy at deadline

Josh Peter USA TODAY

Knowing the Los Angeles Dodgers and their free-spending ways, it’s inevitable they’ll acquire pitcher Tarik Skubal or another high-priced player before the Aug. 3 trade deadline and maximize their chances to win a third straight World Series title.

Their willingness to pay top-dollar for free agents is indisputable. Start with Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year contract. Or the $240 million, four-year deal Kyle Tucker got before this season. Six other players on the roster signed deals worth more than $300 million.

But do the Dodgers go all out at the trade deadline?

Of the eight highest paid players on the current roster, none were acquired at the MLB trade deadline. In fact, their last two were awfully quiet, yet the Dodgers still won the World Series in 2024 and 2025.

2024: Edman ends up playoff hero

For the Dodgers in 2024, there was no obvious splash at the trade deadline.

Los Angeles added pitchers Jack Flaherty and Michael Kopech, along with

See DODGERS, Page 4C

Tommy Edman was a trade-deadline acquisition who ended up the 2024 NLCS MVP. KITCHEN/HOWARD IMAGES

Energy drinks, liquor grease bigger March Madnesses

Brent Schreienboer USA TODAY

To help protect college athletes from vices like vodka and Red Bull, the NCAA has long banned advertising of such products during broadcasts of its championship events, including the NCAA basketball tournaments.

The NCAA once even nixed a proposal by 5-Hour Energy to sponsor the name of a bowl game, leading that bowl game to go out of business. But times have changed, starting July 1, when the governing body for college sports opened the door for spirit and energy drink companies to advertise television commercials during NCAA championships.

The NCAA abandoned its previous principles for a reason – money. The NCAA confirmed to USA TODAY Sports it changed its advertising policy as part of its agreement with television companies to expand the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments from 68 to 76 teams starting in March 2027.

‘The NCAA Division I board of directors changed these policies to maximize the revenue the Association returns to member schools as they are showing more and more in student-athletes on their campuses,’ said Dan Garott, NCAA senior vice president of basketball. ‘The change also brings NCAA Championships in line with most schools and conferences which have been selling alcohol during events and accepting alcohol

See NCAA, Page 4C

20 | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | USA TODAY

SPORTS

Detroit in overdrive for Rocket

Tony Fowler The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network

DETROIT — The city that put the world on wheels is hitting the brakes when it comes to professional golf.

This is it for the PGA Tour in Detroit, at least for the foreseeable future, with the Rocket Classic set to be played for the eighth and final time this week at Detroit Golf Club.

Rocket Companies, the Detroit-based mortgage lender founded by Detroit billionaire booster Dan Gilbert, decided last month to end its decade-plus round of the sponsor on the tour amid uncertainty over the changing landscape of the tour and its scheduling.

After months of negotiations, Rocket declined to exercise its option for 2022 bringing an end to the first and only annual PGA Tour stop to be played within the city limits.

“It’s been amazing to see what they’ve been able to build,” said Rocker Fowler, who has played in every Rocket Classic, as a negative girdman for the past, and previously Quicken Loons. “To be a part of that,” added Fowler, who last week on the PGA Tour at the 2024 Rocket, when he dramatically landed the fifth hole in negotiation Sunday and then again in the playoff, “has been a lot of fun.”

Said Tony Finon, the 2022 champion: “I’m extremely sad ... to not have a tournament best in the 3D.”

Mark Hollis, Rocket tournament director and formerly the longtime athlete who has been in length. Also, has said these will be tears come Sunday night, not before that, he looked forward to putting in a show. It appears like he could deliver, with arguably the best field in the tournament’s history.

The Rocket field, thanks in no small part to being the second-to- last regular-season tournament before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs, boasts four players who are in the top 10 of the official World Golf Ranking and eight in the top 20. More than half of the OWGR top 100 is probably the best.

World No. 3 Cameron Young, who won The Players Championship and Cadillac Championship this year and finished runner-up at the British Open

Cameron Young, who finished second in The Open Championship, is the highest-ranked player, at No. 3, at the Rocket Classic. (Foto: Michael J. McCann)

this month, is the highest-ranked player in the field. He has been a regular throughout the years at the Rocket, where he has two top-10s, including a tie for second in 2022.

“It’s been a great place for me,” Young said this week. “I’ve played some nice golf here. I have good memories. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the future, but it’s been a good host.”

Speaking at the venue, for the final Rocket Classic, Detroit Golf Club is showing off a $16.1 million renovation that began after the conclusion of last year’s Rocket in late June. The Donald Ross greens, which had naturally shrunk over the years, have been issued over 5 reported. The average 6,700 square feet, from 5,400 to allow for some pin positions; there are more bunkers (over 100 now) and they’re deeper, too.496 has been planted all over the grounds, making the course more penal and aesthetically pleasing; Ross’ old cross-dارches have been brought back, and two pinboxes par-horse been turned into long par-3s. DGC now will play to a par-70. Players who got six only glimpses at the changes this week are seeing about the look and are seeing all of us that it will play tougher, if not exactly tough.

Members approved the renovation in 2024, with an eye on hosting many more Rockets. That makes this week a

bit bittersweet for the grounds even, including the head superintendent.

“My staff takes a lot of pride in being able to present a golf course to the nation,” Sam Meynilson, DGC’s director of agronomy, said Tuesday morning, “and being able to help highlight Detroit Golf Club on a national stage.”

Before the first tee shot had been hit at this year’s Rocket, the PGA Tour officially announced its replacement for 2027 on Tuesday. A new tournament with a new sponsor, insurance company Iompa, and a familiar venue, Silverstein Resort’s North Course, in Napa, California, will take place July 29–Aug 2, 2027. That Iompa-sponsored tournament will remain on the schedule in 2028 as part of the PGA Tour’s new Championship Series, the upper-tier in CEO Brian Relagio’s new two-tier scheduling market. That tournament will move to a new, as-yet-credit-based location in 2028.

The PGA Tour, though, continues to maintain that the Detroit market remains a priority for the future, and officials are exploring potential new sponsors and possibly new venues.

Ever, Rocket hasn’t completely shut the door on a return one day, though and assuredly won’t be in 2027.

“We look at this as a bit of a pause,” Nic Barlage, CEO of Rocket Entertainment Group, said recently. “We’re not riding out being back and a part of the PGA Tour again. We’re not giving up on golf. We just need a chance to kind of remove the (go!) landscape.”

What the Rocket really has lacked is drama. There have been big-name champions, including Fowler, Finan and Bryson DeChambeau, who overpowered the course in 2020 and sheepishly said afterward, “Sorry, Mr. Ross.”

And there has been plenty of drama down the stretch on Sundays, with three playoffs, two that lasted five holes, including last year’s when free-20 Aldrich Potgieter got his first PGA Tour win.

For now, this is it. As for the future, well, Detroit’s been known for a lot of things, like those wheels – and comebacks.

“I’d’ve to have an event look at a turn at some point,” Fowler said. “Never say, never.”

PGA TOUR Rocket Classic

Course: Detroit Golf Club (Par 70; 7,328 yards)

Purse: $10 million (winner: $1.8 million)

TV: July 30-31-3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel) Aug. 1-2-1-3 a.m. ET (Golf Channel) and 3-6 p.m. (CBS, Paramount+)

Streaming (ESPN+): July 30-31, 7 a.m.-9 p.m. ET, Aug. 1-2, 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

X: @RocketClassic

Inside the numbers

330 The average driving distance on the PGA Tour this season for defending Rocket Classic champion Aldrich Potgieter, which is on-pack to set a record. Rory McKay holds the mark of 328.3 yards in 2023. Potgieter, 21, led the tour in 2025 at 325. His average currently is more than 75 yards longer than leader J.B. Holmes just 10 years ago.

Keep an eye on

■ Jackson Kalman. He’s coming off a victory at the 3M Open in his third start as a professional. Koloun vaulted from No. 194 to No. 70 in the FedExCup standings and is on the bubble for the Playoffs (only the top 70 qualify) which begins in two weeks. He also is seeking to become the first player since Carlisle Vilegan at the 2008 Tour Championship to win in their next start after earning their first PGA Tour win.

■ Xander Schaufle. The two-time major winner is making his tournament debut. On the season, he has earned 1,480 FedExCup points, the fifth-most of any player on the PGA Tour this season without a win. He notched his 10th tour title at the Repayment Classic in October.

■ Wyndham Clark. The U.S. Open champion has been on a roll. In his first 12 starts, he recorded four top-20 finishes and no top-10s; in his last seven starts, he finished tied for 13th or better six times and won twice.

FOR THE RECORD

All times ET

MLB

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Best Division

New York — 7.7 — 7.6 — 7.6

Boston — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Canton/Dolton — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Detroit — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Detroit — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

West Division

New York — 7.7 — 7.6 — 7.6

Chicago — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Detroit — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Best Division

New York — 7.7 — 7.6 — 7.6

Newark — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Canton/Dolton — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Detroit — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

West Division

New York — 7.7 — 7.6 — 7.6

Newark — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Tuesdays & Saturdays

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Midlands & West Division

Newport — 7.7 — 7.6 — 7.6

Newport — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Midlands & West Division

Newport — 7.7 — 7.6 — 7.6

Newport — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cleveland — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Thursdays & Saturdays

Cincinnati — 7.7 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

Cincinnati — 7.6 — 7.6 — 7.6

PRO GOLF ON TV

LPGA: AIG Women’s Open

TV: July 30-31-4-6 a.m. ET (Golf Channel) and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (USA), Aug. 1-2, 7 a.m.-noon (USA) and Noon-2 p.m. (NBC)

PGA Tour Champions: Portugal Invitational

TV: July 31-Aug. 2-9 a.m.-noon ET (Golf Channel)

Ch. White tour at Yama Bay, 4:15 p.m.

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USA TODAY 8 THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 8 3C

Daydream of SEC, BIG, power expansion

Idell Hayes College of Social and Social USA TODAY NETWORK

Let's state the division right out of the gate. This all depends on the nightroom trifecta of Congress, Tony Pettitt and Greg Sankay agreeing on groundbreaking legislation.

And they're not exactly the most simpatieous group on the planet.

But since the latest iteration of the French College Sports Act leaked on July 20 in his Tuesday afternoon, we can at least daydream about the most intriguing piece within the legislation - one that's not amid the inside baseball that nearly every fan couldn't care two tickets down!

The bill - which will technically needs a blessing from commissioners of the SEC (Sankay) and Big Ten (Pettitt) - will cap conference membership at 39 schools and requires schools moving from one power conference to another to play for some as an independent before moving.

On its face, that looks like a deal-breaker for most schools looking to move that look a little deeper, everyone.

Live sports is the one guaranteed money pointing entity for network television and streaming sites. They can't get enough of it, especially if it's the NFL or college football.

Which leads us to this intriguing look on the road. Which comes power, big, finance teams could go into the five-year exile of independent status and survive? Which has the brand power to earn an independent network or streaming media rights deal to financially hold them over until joining the Big Ten or SEC?

The Big Ten currently has 38 schools and can expand by one under the NFL proposal. The SEC has 16 and can expand by three.

Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Pettitt speaks during Media Days at Hilton Chicago on July 20. (www.hitcoct969a.hk/club/awards/ via NOTES/CONNECT)

A five-year exile would mean potential conference realignment would begin with the 2032 season, assuming specific provisions of the bill won't be challenged in court - which could lead to a much quicker realignment.

But that doesn't mean we can't dream.

Which college would be able to go independent?

The brands that can survive so independent could have a legitimate shot at landing a university in network or streaming independent media rights deal? North Carolina, Duke, Miami and Florida State.

The brands that have enough money to go independent, and try to convince the Big Ten or SEC of their value while playing without a significant media rights deal. Texas Tech, SMC, Stanford, Cal.

The brand that isn't joining a conference can stop asking? Notre Dame

There's no stop asking? Notre Dame

The Big Ten

If's one sad dime. But where does the Big Ten look? At the best brand (North Carolina), or best fit (Stanford or Cal)?

North Carolina is the smart choice, but Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington and Oregon likely would push for another West Coast team to achieve travel on-prediment. The Big Ten presidents - who will make the decision - could have had both Stanford and Cal in the last expansion, and passed.

But where does North Carolina feel it fits best?

The Big Ten move: Stanford. After UNC declares intentions to stay in the South, the best conference in college sports takes the best all sports program in the country, and gives a little travel relief to all involved.

The SEC

The league's presidents have said over and over their most expand just to expand. But if North Carolina is sitting

out there, and they've made it clear they want the SEC over the Big Ten, it's a net-buster.

Now here's where it gets tricky. The last thing the SEC wants to do is add Florida State and Miami - and damage its relationship with Florida.

Because Florida could survive on its own for five years with an individual media rights deal.

And if the bluest of blue bloods Florida is on the market, guess where the Big Ten is headed?

So the guess here is the SEC adds Duke to addition to North Carolina, and cape it in 38 teams. North Carolina and Duke were two schools former SEC commissioner Mike Stice had eyes on in 2012 after the conference added Texas A&M and Missouri - but it never unfolded.

The ACC

In this scenario, the ACC is the big loser. Once an Inception North Carolina and Duke and newbie Stanford. That leaves the conference with 16 teams, and the idea of adding another month to feed doesn't happen unless it's a guaranteed business or a more media rights negotiations.

The conference would first have to transition Miami, FTC, SMC and Cal back into the field after five years in exile (or less, if the courts get involved). Adding another school(s) - UComa, Memphis, South Florida, Houston? - may not be high priority.

The Big LI

No old business (too unspired), and no additional. Other than welcoming Texas Tech back into the fold, before the ACC gets smart and adds another Texas school.

Can't blame the Red Raiders. The other 35 schools would have tried it, too, if they had the financial wherewithal.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB

Kyle Shanahan admits blame in car crash

Nick Brinkerhoff

USA TODAY

More details continue to emerge surrounding a car accident involving Kyle Shanahan.

The San Francisco 49ers announced the head coach's crash in statement on July 25, nearly two weeks after it happened. Shanahan suffered 'non-life threatening injuries' and will be limited as the Niners begin training camp. These injuries were revealed to be broken ribs, a broken nose, some 'bumps and bruises' and a concussion.

Pye football Talks's Glen Simms, a close friend of Shanahan's, shared more details during the July 27 episode of the PPT (one podcast).

'It was scary,' Simms explained to his co-host, Mike Pierce. 'All of a sudden, since he's got a tent from Kyle's with Mandy - she turns myself and my wife - and it's like 'Oh no, Kyle's been a part of some horrible accident. She sent us some pictures right off the bat, and it was like 'Oh my grab.'

Simms called the images joining, indicating just how close the injuries were to being much worse.

'He was this close to maybe losing his right eye,' Simms added. 'The scar is so big right here. So, all that stuff was just crazy to see.'

Simms also noted the head coach is still shaken up and realizes how lucky he was to avoid further damage.

Coach takes the blame for car accident

Shanahan revealed details about the crash in a select group of reporters in his office on July 28.

The head coach told the group he was at fault for the accident. Shanahan explained that California Highway Patrol had a 'clerical error attributing occurred' to the other driver, which was not accurate.

Palo Alto Police confirmed Shanahan's explanation in a statement released to SPOT. 'Kyle Shanahan's statement that he provided is correct and that he was found at half for the collision,' the statement read. 'There was a clerical error in the preparation of the report that was transmitted to the State database. We are in the process of correcting that error. It is the officer's discretion at the scene of the collision as to whether they have a citation to either party. It is not uncommon for officers to elect to not issue a citation to either party involved in a collision. Neither party in this situation was provided preferential treatment.'

Shanahan said he took his eyes off the road before to find his phone, which fell between seats. When he looked up, he had gone over the line and crashed into an SUV.

Shanahan said he did not lose consciousness or have amnesia following the accident.

When will Shanahan return?

Shanahan's timeline for a return is dependent on his recovery from the concussion, which could put his Week 1 status in doubt.

John Lynch, San Francisco's president of football operations and general manager, expressed some optimism about Shanahan's recovery, telling reporters they aren't expecting him to miss the season opener.

'That's not what we're anticipating,' Lynch said. 'That's not what I've heard from the doctors. Not you know, just like we talk about with players, the timeline kind of values are of itself. So he's got to meet certain matters,' but I think the expectation is that long before that he'll be better. But again, everybody responds to these things differently.'

Who is replacing Shanahan?

Chris Forester, the 49ers' assistant head coach, will handle the head coaching position while Shanahan is out. The 49ers announced that the team coordinators are also set to take on some responsibilities during the head coach's absence.

Forester has been with the Niners since 2019, holding a variety of titles during that time. He has been primarily an offensive line coach since entering the NFL ranks in 1993 with the Minnesota Vikings.

The 64 year-old met with the media for the first time on July 26 and shared the message he received from Shanahan.

'I had the one conversation, and I think what he said to me was, 'Hey, you do whatever you want. I have a lot of confidence in you. You know how we do things. You do whatever you want to do, and if you don't want to do it, delegate it to somebody else, man,'' Forester said. 'He said, 'You do what you feel is right and lead that way.' And he said, 'I trust that anything you want to do, and anything you want to delegate, delegate.'

Forester said he learned of his new job when the team released the statement about Shanahan. While he explained that he's fired up for the opportunity, Forester added that the Shanahan news was difficult to process.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on during the first quarter in a game against the Titans at Levi's Stadium.

PETE THORSON/REBANK IMAGES

'The thing is, he's family to me, this whole organization,' Forester said. 'I've known Kyle for a long time. He's one of my best friends in the world, by far. There's not many people that I call friend, for a lot of reasons, and Kyle is one of them. He and his wife, Mandy, are like family to me. This organization did some things for me and pulled me in at a time in my life when nobody would really want to be with me. And Kyle along with John and the whole York family have stood by me, and that loyalty is never going to be forgotten.'

'He's a close, close friend, and it scares the crop out of you when something like this happens to somebody so close.'

Robert Saleh thankful Shanahan in OK

Saleh, the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and former defensive coordinator under Shanahan, commented on the crash.

'I talked to him a couple days after it happened,' Saleh said, via Nick Isaac of The Tennessee, part of the USA TODAY Network. 'He's very fortunate. We're all very fortunate that he's still here. I know just talking to him and his wife, Mandy. (What) you see now, isn't what it was too weeks ago.'

'Thank God for OK. Thank God his family is intact. He's doing great. He looks great. Saw him on the Time a couple days ago. The surgeon did a great job. Not easy for him to go through what he went through.'

Rams head coach Sean McVay shares 'thoughts and prayers'

Sean McVay and Shanahan might be rivals on the field, but they are friends first.

At the Rams' first day of training camp on July 22, McVay revealed that he spoke with Shanahan after the coach's crash.

'Most importantly, thank God he and the other person involved in OK,' McVay said. 'Perspective is everything. We talk about that all the time as coaches and everybody goes through different things. I think the most important thing is that he's on the road to recovery.'

49ers GM John Lynch comments

Lynch spoke about the crash and Shanahan's status during a press conference on July 25.

'Kyle is doing good. He's got some bumps and bruises. He did suffer a concussion in the accident, but some lingering effects from that concussion,' Lynch said. 'We're going to let the condition, the doctors, dictate how he comes back, when he comes back. He's been in the building, so we've seen him.'

'It's kind of good. I think our prayers, a pleased back approach. Number one for Kyle and the Shanahan family is getting him back right. He's a tremendous head coach, he'd be a longer than that. This is about his well-being and we're going to take the time necessary and I think we're very equipped to do that.'

Lynch indicated that it will be a community effort to replace Shanahan for now, with all the coordinators taking on some added responsibility.

'We're not going to think,' Lynch said. 'No fool like we're well equipped for something like this. We understand what a tremendous leader we have in Kyle. Chris Forester. I know Kyle inside and out, what Kyle wants, what Kyle needs.'

'I think one of the great things Kyle does, aside from coaching his team, is tending this organization and I think he's a tremendous developer of his staff and so we're not going to miss a beat.'

49ers statement

'San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan was involved in a car accident last week where he suffered non-life threatening injuries. Coach Shanahan will participate in team activities on a limited basis at the start of training camp while he recovers,' the team said in a statement.

40 | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 1 USA TODAY

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Bell

Continued from Page 1C

Patrick Mahomes injury update

It was telling that Chath coach Andy Reid won't even rule out playing Mahomes in the presence. That decision is for another day, and Reid is quick to maintain that they are still operating on a day-by-day assessment.

When someone asked about the Week I target that Mahomes has always had in sight, Reid said, 'You've got to see how things go there. Let's just see where we're at and not make any predictions or anything else.'

Bill, Reid, whose team stumbled to it & last season as the Chath missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014, knows how his quarterback is wired better than any of us. I'd suspect that even if he doesn't want to risk a setback during the procession, there's no need to declare anything definitive now. If I'm Reid, I'm pushing whatever buttons will keep the flow of this main moving.

Mahomes knows: 'Has a sort about being ready to work for the pressurer.'

'We'll just see where we get there,' he said. 'Like, I'm a competitive, he, like game day, I'm gonna want to be out there. But I understand the process of getting myself ready in the regular season is more important, but we will see 1 moon, the coaches and doctors will kind of make that first moon for me, but I'll prepare myself like I'm going to play. And then if I're doing a 'very hard warm-up,' I will hide that as serious as playing in the pressurers game.'

John to Mahomes and it is no apparent that recovering physically from such a serious injury constitutes just one significant portion of a comeback. It's mental, too.

He needed out to 'tion Ready for advice. It's a striking coincidence that Mahomes, whose success includes three finger Point rings, suffered his severe

sister injury in his ninth season. Ready had won three finger Bowls, but when he suffered a similar injury. It's probably a given that Mahomes has connected with his former teammate, Tyrock Hill, over the course of his rehab. Hill, currently a free agent, is retabiting from a dislocated kneecap and turn ACL and LCL.

Turning recovery into competition

'Then there's Zach Ertz, the free agent right end who suffered a torn ACL, a week before Mahomes was injured while playing with the Commanders. Mahomes and Ertz, who was once coached by Mahomes' college coach, KDF Kingshorn Jr.'s two-stroke game surge, were forced each other during their rehab.

'We kind of had like competitions on where we were at and where we were re-habiting,' Mahomes said.

After they compared notes on how much they could deal lift in the weight room, Mahomes said, the 'competition' advanced to include video exchanges. Ertz sent Mahomes a video showing his explosion in drills jumping on a box, and the 'wells' left, footage that captured them setting to change direction.

'And so, it keeps me in competition going,' Mahomes said. 'It's a long process and you feel like sometimes you're being because you're just doing stuff by yourself and you're just competing against yourself. So, it gave me someone else that I can compete with to kind of push my competitors drive.'

Mahomes, given his abundance of competitive pace, mentioned 'how much it hurt me' to watch the Chath' first, 'other games last season without him.'

Yet that wasn't the hardest element of his setback is what with mentally:

'It's toughest part'

'Honestly, the toughest part was at the beginning, like, not being able to get up and share my kids around,' Mahomes, father of three, said, reflecting

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes hands off to new Chath running back. Kenneth Walker during mandatory minicamp. JEREMY HED (CYNMOX RANGS)

on the holiday season that come shortly after his five, 15 surgery. 'Like, I know it sounds crazy, but being a dial and being an active dial, I always want to be around my kids and playing and stuff like that. And so, I think that was tough. Once I was able to do that, it kind of motivated me to kind of keep getting better. So, when Bronze Patrick Hill plays a T-half game or birthing's playing soccer, I think he out there with them.'

'I always knew that I was going to get back here. And it's just because of my mindset and the people that we have around me.'

More mental challenges - or at least markers - loom. As much as Mahomes has something to prove with his performance - he aims to get the ball out of his

hand quicker and expects to run less after posting a career high $22 ranking yardshot season - at some point he will take a hit on the knee.

Of course, as was the case during offseason outbursts, that won't happen during training camp on the quarterbacks, stad in yellow jerseys, are offshade.

'We've had people kind of on air coming at me and you're moving, but it's not the same as having Chas Jones chasing after you, you know?' said Mahomes, who will start off wearing a blaze on the knee but hasn't been told whether he will need to wear it for an extended period.

Whenever he takes a kid, if I be another game:

'You'll never know until you get out there and you get hit and you make plays,' he said. 'But I trust that process I've been through.'

Until last season, the most time Mahomes missed during his NFL career came in 2019, when he missed two games due to a dislocated draw. Like now, he returned at an accelerated pace - which undoubtedly says something about how he's physically moved to recover at a pace that is not typical.

He reflected wretfully of a smarter upon his return in 2019 that indicated he was fully back. It came on a play when he improved while trying to avoid a rush to throw a pass. And it clearly provided some perspective to draw on in the coming weeks.

'I have that throw where I jump and throw the ball and it looks cool, but I actually did it because I was running my knee out of there,' he recalled. 'So, it's just little things like that, you just have to build that in the field.'

'I'm glad you could do that from day rest of training camp. You know, I didn't want to have to get only a couple weeks of practicing and then have to go play in a game. It wanted to build it up.'

In other words, get ready to roll out the red carpet and make up the hand.

Follow. Secret Bell on X. Ed (sacredbell)

NCAA

Continued from Page 1C

advertising and sponsorship for some time now. The NCAA will continue to prohibit sports betting and daily fantasy advertising.'

The NCAA also is allowing more alcohol ads than before

The NCAA previously banned advertising during its championship events for alcohol products that exceeded 65 alcohol by volume (ARV), which included many beer products but excluded liquor and many wines.

The NCAA also previously restricted beer ads to be no longer than 60 seconds per hour of NCAA championship programming. Note there is no ARV limit. And the alcohol commercial limit has expanded to up to 120 seconds per hour, effective July 1.

Let the same time the change marks the latest text in a long, strange history between the NCAA and energy drinks, which will am forbidden in another way. NCAA schools aren't allowed to provide them to student athletes because defense is listed as a banned stimulant that could cause a player to think an NCAA drug test if consumed in high quantities.

Why the NCAA changed its advertising policies

It's about money. The NCAA is getting an extra $500 million from television companies over the next six years because they agreed to expand the NCAA basketball tournaments.

It's be able to pay for a bigger March Mahomes, a television company such as Warner Bros. Discovery needed to be able to sell more commercials for it - a job that becomes much easier and more lucrative if energy drinks and liquor products are allowed to be included.

Warner Bros. Discovery previously televised early-round men's tournament games on truTV and stands to benefit from the change, as will CBS (which also televises the men's tournament) and ESPN (which televises the women's tournament).

The NCAA confirmed its advertising policy because part of its negotiations to expand the basketball tournaments as a result. The final contract was approved by several NCAA panels, including the Division I men's and women's basketball committees.

The CAA agreed to the change in part because the NCAA knew all the able to avoid more than $50 million in new revenue distributions to number schools that participate in the basketball tournaments over the final six years of the NCAA's broadcast agreements.

'The rapidly accelerating need to feed the financial boost continues to lead the NCAA and its business partners to increased commercialization,' said David Larkin, founder of the Sports Business Group. 'This hasn't just been the case with college sports as pro sports has also found itself embracing advertising and sponsorship categories since deemed inappropriate or illegal like alcohol and gambling.'

What does this NCAA advertising policy change affect?

The NCAA said it allowed energy drink ads as a trial basis for the 2026 men's and women's basketball tournaments before the ban was permanently lifted July 1. The lifting of the ban applies only to women's advertising during NCAA championship events such as the basketball tournaments, the Frome Pour in Turkey and the College World Series in baseball and softball.

Individual schools and conferences previously were not subject to this ban. For example, the Celsius energy drink company has had sponsorships with Oregon, Colorado, Washington and others. In 2024, Buckeye Vodka became a

sponsor of Ohio State athletics. The Big G Conference on July 7 announced an 'entitlement' sponsorship with the Monster Energy drink company that was not related to the lifting of the separate NCAA ban for NCAA championship events.

Likewise, college athletes were not banned from endorsement deals with energy drink companies, such as the new between Colorado football star Travis Hunter and Celsius.

Why the NCAA previously banned liquor and energy drink ads

The NCAA wanted to promote healthy sales for its menthol schools and athletes. Hard alcohol and energy drinks didn't jibe with that.

The NCAA's advertising policy states it is 'designed to encourage those advertisements and advertisers that support the NCAA's ideals and exclude those advertisements and advertisers, that do not appear to be in the best interests of higher education and student athletes.'

In 2016, Gary Wilfert, then associate director of the NCAA's Sport Science Institute, gave an online presentation to athletic trainees and athletic department staff. The presentation warned them about energy drinks, saying no many of such drinks could contribute to gastric upset, sleep disturbances and heart palpitations.

'The energy drink buzz is a false energy,' said one of the slides presented by Wilfert.

That time when a bowl game was canceled because of it

The International Bowl in Toronto went out of business after its last game in 2019 because the NCAA forbade the sponsorship of the game by 5-Hour Energy, the game's chief executive told USA TODAY Sports.

The College Football Playoff and Pac-Uj Networks also canceled an ad

campaign with energy drink 3/5 price in 2018 after scanning questions about it from USA TODAY Sports Back then, they didn't want to appear out of step with NCAA guidelines even though they technically weren't required to abide by them. Such a stance now appears quaint by today's standards.

Energy drinks 'have become so endemic to the college experience and beyond, the marketing fit - and the money that comes with it - is just to tempting to pass up,' said Carter of the Sports Business Group. 'And the fact that there is likely to be a good opportunity from the public at large should lead to even broader acceptance of energy drinks as marketing partners throughout college athletics.'

Such products still can't advertise at NCAA championships

The NCAA confirmed that such previously banned products still are not allowed to advertise at NCAA championships with onsite signage. Nor can those companies be an official NCAA sponsor.

Ossitis signage is exclusive to official NCAA sponsors, which includes Coca-Cola.

An energy drink would not be eligible to be an official NCAA sponsor because of Coca-Cola's inclusivity with beverage products, the NCAA confirmed.

The lifting of the ban therefore applies to TV commercials during NCAA championship events.

And then's where the idea of CBS and TNT will speech their thests to pay for a bigger March584000.

But there are still limits to what can be in their commercials.

With alcohol advertising, the NCAA will requires TV ads be 'respectful' and 'free of gratuities and overly supportive sexual demands' and with 'no displays of disorderly, reckless or destructive behavior.'

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenbauer @Schrotenbauer

Email: bschrotenbauer@sumtedy.com

Dodgers

Continued from Page 1C

utility player Tommy Kilman and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier.

The Dodgers overcrowd 2019 before the trade deadline and 30-08 (.660) after it. Flaherty and Kacey's strengthened the Dodgers' piloting in the regular season, going a combined 10-2 with Kopeck taking on a high-leverage role in relief.

But Kilman second up the postseason here. He won the National League championship series MVP award, batting .607 with 11 hits, one home run, 8.88hs and five runs on six games against

the New York 984 and the Dodgers won the series four games to two.

In the World Series, the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games. Kopeck made 12 postseason appearances and Flaherty started five games in the playoff run.

2025: Depth at the deadline

For the Dodgers in 2025, the 4th generated even less buzz at the trade deadline.

Los Angeles picked up three minor leagues (pitcher Adam Krowkowski) along with outfielder Zach Ehrhard and James Tible III, outfielder Alex Call, pitcher Paul Gercuse and Brock Stewart and catcher Ben Rortwell.

The Dodgers went 03-46 (.578) before the deadline and 30-23 (.566) after the deadline.

There was no Tommy Kilman among this group. But the depth proved trial for the Dodgers with Rortwell starting four playoff games as catcher Will Smith dealt with injury, while Call made three starts on the outfield.

The Dodgers went on to win the World Series, prevailing over the Toronto Blue Jays with a heart-stopping fashion, extra-inning victory in Game 2.

How Dodgers do business

The Dodgers have made significant upgrades with the trade deadline over the last decade. The acquisitions in-

cluded pitcher Yu Darvish in 2017, when he was a four-time All-Star, shortstop Manny Machado in 2018, when he was a four-time All-Star, pitcher Max Ilherson in 2021, when he was a seven-time All-Star, and shortstop Tera Turner in 2021, who won the NL starting title that year.

But none of those additions led to World Series stage, and the Dodgers have assembled their most fruitful centers through other methods.

The Dodgers used free agency to sign first baseman Freddie Freeman, pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, pitcher Blake Hunt, Ohnuki (designator Ilme) pitcher, and Tucker, the outfielder.

Though winter tracks, the Dodgers acquired shortstop Moskie Betts and pitcher Tyler Glamour.

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USA TODAY | THURSDAY JULY 30, 2026 | 5C

WHBA AWARD PREDICTIONS

Wilson, Miles lead the front-runners

Cydney Henderson

USA TODAY

The 2026 WHBA All-Star Game is in the books and the push for the playoffs has officially begun.

The Minnesota Lynx are sitting atop the WHBA standings, led by dynamic rookie guard Olivia Miles, who became the first player in WHBA history to record 400 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in 22 games. She has not only emerged as the Rookie of the Year front-runner but has also entered the MVP conversation. (Candace Parker is the only player in league history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season in 2008.)

Las Vegas Aces center AJA Wilson, however, would like a word if it hard to consistently top yourself, but the four-time MVP continues to dominate on both sides of the basketball. Wilson's former college coach, David Carolina's Dana Staley, predicted Wilson will become the league's first five-time MVP.

'When you are great players get better each and every year, that's hard to do. It's easy when you're an average player ... you can see that growth. But when you see the great ones get better each and every year, it's not talked about enough,' Staley said of Wilson, whose Aces are within striking distance of the No. 1 overall area.

As play resumes on the final third of the 2026 WHBA season, USA TODAY leaders began 24 in starting it back at who might be in line for awards come September. Here are our predictions:

WHBA MVP: AJA Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson has emerged as the favorite to win MVP, which should shock on one. Wilson is flirting with her career high, averaging a league-leading 26's points per game in her ninth season. Wilson's stat has in rounded out by 9.1 rebounds, which has the fourth place in the league. She's recorded double-digit points in every game this season (24 starts), including an efficient 40-point performance against the Connecticut Sun on May 15. She's grabbed at least 15 rebounds five times this season and her 21 double-doubles ranks third overall. Wilson's usage rate is the highest in the league (32.0 and she's accounted for nearly a third of the team's made field goals this season (33.9%). Should we keep going? Wilson has positioned the defending champion in the another run at the title at 10-8 on the season.

Others receiving votes: Paige Buschner, G. Dallas; Olivia Miles, G. Minnesota; Caitlin Clark, G. Indiana

WHBA DPOY: AJA Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

Wilson has won MVP and Defensive

Lynx & Olivia Miles dribbles vs. Aces C AJA Wilson. Both are MVP hopefuls. Miles should be Rookie of the Year. TOPPATCH: STUARBOUNDAGE AWARD: COUNSELY CORRECT

Player of the Year in the same season twice (2022, 2025). Can she make it better?

Wilson leads the league in blocks (2.0 per game) and is fifth in rebounds (6.6 per game), the third highest mark of her career. As the anchor of the Aces' defense, Wilson had helped Las Vegas maintain a 103.8 defensive rating across Las Vegas' last five games (third in the WHBA).

Others receiving votes: Rhyne Howard, G. Atlanta; Angel Reeve, F. Atlanta; Shakira Austin, C. Washington; Gabby Williams, F. Golden State

WHBA Rookie of the Year: Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx

Miles' debut has been nothing short of history. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WHBA Draft leads all rookies in points (19.3 ppg), made field goals (6.8) and assists (6.5). She's scored double-highs in all 26 games to start her career, including a career-high 33 points in her Phoenix earlier this season. Miles was named an All-Star starter, the only overall on team the honor this season. 'Milton' doing this and shouldering so much, basically ... the success of the team is on her shoulders and that is impressive how she's handled it,' Lynx coach Cheryl Brews said.

Others receiving votes: Anil Field, G. Dallas; Awa Ram, C. Seattle; Sydney Taylor, G. Chicago; Flori Joe Johnson, G. Seattle

WHBA Most Improved: Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings

After spending five seasons in Minnesota, Shepard found a new home and expanded role in Dallas after signing with the Wings in five agency. Shepard ranks second in scoring for the Wings through 27 games (all starts) and averaged a career-high 84.9 points per game, beating her previous high of 9.1 points per game in 2019. She also set career highs in assists (1.4) and rebounds (12), which leads the entire league. Shepard owns four of the five triple-doubles this season. Her career-best year was rewarded with her first All-Star next, being voted on a starter, no less. An award for Most Improved Player is likely next.

Others receiving votes: Marina Mabry, G. Toronto; Carla Leite, G. Portland; Asseeda Moreno, F. Connecticut; Dominique Malonga, C. Seattle

WHBA Sixth Player of the Year: Janelle Salatin, Golden State Valkyries

Salatin has been explosive off the bench for Golden State, averaging a career-high 12.5 points for the Valkyries-Golden State has the highest scoring bench in the league (16.4 points per game) and Salatin's 340 total points off the bench had the way. Salatin is shooting 41.1% from the field and a following 39.4% from 3-point line, which both mark career highs. 'I'm just trying to

Aces center AJA Wilson reacts after scoring against the Fever. LUCAS PELVER/MAKIN NAGES

bring energy whenever I come on the court,' Salatin said. Well, maintain the complatated. The Valkyries are second in the standings at 39-8 and will likely set a new franchise record of wins.

Others receiving votes: Sophie Cunningham, G. Indiana; Jewell Loyd, G. Las Vegas; Katilyn Chen, G. Golden State; Sue Burrell, G. Los Angeles

WHBA Coach of the Year: Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx

Reeve has had the Lynx to new heights since taking over head coaching duties in 2010, guiding the franchise to four WHBA championships in seven Finals appearances to become the all-time寄宿ed coach in

WHBA history. Yet, Reeve somehow continues to top herself. This year is especially unique. The Lynx weren't on anyone's cable heading into the seasons due to injury (five-time All-Star Nophosa Collier) and losing key pieces in five agency Johnson Smith, Jessica Shepard. But Minnesota has the best record in the league with the second-best defense and third-best overall defense. That's in large part to rookie Olivia Miles, who has seamlessly made the transition to the pros. Collier is back in the lineup after missing the first 27 games, so there's no telling how deep the Lynx usage. Reeve has won Coach of the Year second four times (2011, 2014, 2020, 2024) and is well on her way to extending her record.

Others receiving votes: Jose Fernandez, Dallas; Natalie Nakase, Golden State

Bench USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at shenderson@spnsnet.com and follow her on X at @CyddenJerson

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