The nation just learned that last month, when we thought President Donald Trump had fled his Qatari-donated luxury plane for the relative safety of a proper Air Force One, he was actually on a third plane out of Turkey. Fearing an Iranian assassination attempt, military and security officials had secreted him off the official aircraft and onto an Air Force C-32A inside a catering container.
That left a plane full of staff and press to fly to England — and potentially into the ayatollah’s crosshairs — as his unwitting sacrificial stand-ins.
Trump’s non-daring escape is an apt analogy for his self-defeating war with Iran. The president has reached a point of desperation to retreat from the conflict and save what little is left of his political hide. The rest of us, meanwhile, will be the unwilling targets of whatever consequences may come.
Trump’s frenetic ricocheting among ordering air attacks, leveling idle threats, and engaging in half-hearted diplomacy with the Islamic Republic has increasingly given way to a palpable apathy about the whole losing endeavor. A week after his latest empty vow to unleash more shock and awe, he told Axios that the administration is “low-keying” the conflict and “only semi-negotiating” with Iran, whatever that means.
His gambit in this “chess game,” he added, is to bide his time while the economic pressure on Iran does the work for him — never mind that the extremist regime has weathered such stresses for decades.
In reality, as Trump has essentially acknowledged in confessing his fear of becoming the next Herbert Hoover, it’s he who has been economically checkmated. Tehran underscored the strength of its position last weekend by demanding Washington meet a series of additional conditions before it loosens its choke hold on the crucial Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices upward.
Handing Iran this powerful weapon is the chief achievement of Trump’s war — and the main reason he hasn’t given up despite his fervent desire to do so. Bereft of international allies and domestic support, he has no solution to a problem he created.
A ground invasion to secure the strait, which could dramatically compound the cost of a war that has already wasted tens of billions of dollars and thousands of lives, is politically untenable, and the only alternative in the short term is continued Iranian control of the strait. The region’s fossil fuel producers have recognized as much by accelerating spending on pipelines and other means of circumventing the route, with further consequences for the price of oil and everything that relies on it.
It’s a dramatic deterioration from the international order that allowed about a fifth of the global oil supply to routinely transit the waterway before Trump undertook his second unauthorized war with Iran.
He has also exacerbated the threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb, the weapon that most worried the world before the regime could hold the global economy hostage.
While Trump’s twin wars have degraded Iran’s nuclear sites, it still has substantial supplies of enriched uranium and no foreseeable international restrictions like those in place before the president dismantled them. And while Trump has continued to insist that preventing nuclear proliferation was the war’s primary purpose (among several other proposed rationales), he seems to be “low-keying” that mission, too, lately. The Wall Street Journal reported that he has told aides he is prepared to end the war without any agreement on the nuclear issue.
Another oft-stated goal of the war, degrading Iran’s capacity to wage war and sponsor terrorism, looks similarly unrealized given the recently demonstrated ability of the regime and its proxies to endanger ships in the strait, U.S. bases and allies in the region, and even Trump himself.
The image of the president of the United States being smuggled out of a NATO country in the back of a snack truck hardly suggests it’s the Iranian regime that has been humiliated.
We should hope the administration gets our troops, as well as Trump, out of harm’s way by ending this war soon. The security and economic repercussions for America and the world, however, are bound to be far-reaching and long-lasting.
Think you know your news? There’s only one way to find out. Welcome back to our weekly News Quiz — a quick way to see if your reading habits are sinking in and to put your local news knowledge to the test.
Question 1 of 10
Bryson Stott’s custom “Field of Dreams” cleats feature Phillies legends emerging from a cornfield. They were designed by NXT LVL Customs, based out of where in Pennsylvania?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Ryan Stevens and his company, NXT LVL Customs, are based out of Downington. Stevens collaborated with a Bucks County illustrator to do the portrait work on the shoes.
Question 2 of 10
Philadelphia is the latest locale for vigilante Jack Reacher's shadowy dealings in season four of Reacher, streaming now on Amazon Video. The show, which stars actor Alan Ritchson as the hulking retired Army investigator, was spotted filming around town last year. What location has NOT been spotted in a season four episode?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Parc briefly plays host to Reacher, Lila Hoth (Agnez Mo), and Jacob Merrick (Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette) as the trio settles in at an outdoor table to evade police. But they haven’t been spotted at a cheesesteak spot, like Pat’s, so far.
story continues after advertisement
Question 3 of 10
What did 12-year-old Sam Okyere choose for his Make-A-Wish “Perfect Day?”
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Sam, who has sickle cell disease, wanted to help the homeless as his Make-A-Wish gift. The organization hosted a carnival-style extravaganza for the West Philly homeless shelter, Families Forward Philadelphia.
Question 4 of 10
A new LeBron James mural takes inspiration from an iconic photo from the basketball player’s Miami Heat days — where he and Dwyane Wade nailed an alley-oop. In the Chinatown mural, however, James is seen wearing a Sixers uniform and Wade is swapped out for this figure:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
In the mural, Wade is swapped for a bronze Billy Penn, a nod to the statue atop City Hall. Artist Chenlin Cai painted the mural.
Question 5 of 10
A corner store in Point Breeze, on the corner of 17th and Wharton Streets, is being praised for having the best:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The spot is praised for its fried chicken sandwich, which costs $9 and consists of two chicken breast cutlets, thickly breaded with a super crunchy exterior. Ordering it “with everything” means that it comes with pickles, mayo, onion, tomato, and lettuce; laid on two slices of potato bread.
Subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer
Our reporting is directly supported by reader subscriptions. If you want more journalism like this story, please subscribe today.
This sweet treat first originated in Philadelphia, according to a 19th-century cookbook:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The first known American cookbook author, Amelia Simmons, included a “light cake to bake in small cups” in her 1796 American Cookery. Another book from 1828 was the first to call the petite cake a cupcake. Not only is her recipe titled “cup cake,” but she also includes specific instructions to bake in “small tins.” Cupcake history thus begins here, in this printed record of the name and form recognized today.
Question 7 of 10
As its permit nears expiration, this attraction by City Hall is looking to relocate soon:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
The Portal — the video installation that accesses live feeds to other countries — and its permit is set to expire on Oct. 31. Portals.org is looking for a sponsor that can help house and relocate it. If it doesn’t find one in time, officials say the exhibit will move on.
Question 8 of 10
Which fruit flavor is trending across all Philly beverage menus — from bars to cafes — according to food reporter Kiki Aranita?
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
Banana’s popularity is suddenly booming. They’re trending everywhere, but especially at cocktail bars and cafes, which use fresh bananas, banana liqueur, banana extract, and even banana peel. Some are calling it "the next pumpkin spice."
Question 9 of 10
The alternative rock band, Dogstar, toured through the Philly region this week. The band features this famous actor on bass:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
“We’re coming to Philly! We’re gonna rock!” said actor and Dogstar bassist Keanu Reeves in an interview with music critic Dan DeLuca. The band discussed the actor’s winding career and how he came back around to playing bass.
Question 10 of 10
A Philly entrepreneur allegedly scammed Eagles players and people in multiple states with:
CorrectIncorrect. XX% of other readers got this question right.
A recent investigation claimed that Mohamed Coulibaly defrauded three former NFL players out of $1 million in an e-commerce scheme involving fake Shopify stores.
Your Results
You have skipped .
You scored XX out of 10.
The average reader scored XX out of 10
Seems like you’ve been skimming more than reading there, buddy. There’s always next week.
You’ve read some articles (or made some educated guesses) but we wouldn’t come to you first for our local news recaps. Better luck next week!
Do you work here? You’re a local news stan with the latest updates on Philly happenings. Your friends definitely ask you for summaries on what’s going on and it shows.
Not all Philadelphians who answered President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s call to action were soldiers and civilians.
Even the artists went to war.
Like renown sculptor — and local legend — Walker Kirtland Hancock, these educated Americans charged into the bomb-pocked battlefields of World War II to also confront unprecedented evil.
Their task? Saving priceless pieces of art.
Hancock was part of the “Monuments Men,” an outfit of about 345 men and women who were sent overseas to try to pry Europe’s cultural treasures from the grip of the Gestapo.
“I was really prepared,” Hancock told the Daily News in 1991. “I knew where I was going and what I was looking for.”
A group of “Monuments Men” retrieving stolen art in Germany in 1945. National Archives
He enlisted in the Army in his mid-40s and was trained as a medic, but later transferred to the Army’s Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives outfit.
The unit’s monumental task: reclaim art the Germans had stolen and then hidden throughout the countryside in caves, on trains, in castles, and in hospitals.
But it was in a salt mine in Bernterode, Germany where Hancock struck gold.
Walker K. Hancock, considered the dean of American figurative sculpture, taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.Inquirer Archives
The first painting he rescued was a work by Jean-Antoine Watteau, Embarkation for Cythera, what he described as “one of the greatest paintings” the artist ever completed.
“The surprise was so enormous to see a very famous old friend like that standing on the ground without any frame on it,” he told the Daily News.
The mine was also filled with other treasures: the great seal of Prussia; an emperor’s scepter; the art collection of Frederick the Great, which was considered to be the best collection of French paintings in the world; and palatial libraries.
The group’s efforts to reclaim precious pieces of human achievement were documented in a 2009 best-selling book. In 2014, their tale was given the “based on a true story” treatment and made into a star-studded motion picture dubbed The Monuments Men, featuring names like George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and John Goodman.
Today, Hancock’s public works can be found all over the country, and locally, his most notable work sits at the east end of 30th Street Station.
The Pennsylvania Railroad War Memorial (1950, installed 1952) by Walker Kirtland Hancock (1901 – 1998) in the lobby of 30th Street Station.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
The 39-foot-tall, 10½-ton Statue to War Dead depicts an angel holding a dying soldier. It commemorates in bronze the 1,307 employees of the Pennsylvania Railroad who died during World War II. Gen. Omar N. Bradley was on hand to help dedicate the artwork on Aug. 10, 1952.
Hancock died in 1998 at age 97 but his sculpture remains the station’s monumental centerpiece.
Happy Friday, Philly. It’s looking like a mostly sunny day with a high around 88.
Two Liberty Place, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and hundreds of other buildings rely on Vicinity Energy’s steam plants for heat, air-conditioning, and chilled water. Its workers are bargaining for better pay and safer facilities — and they’re prepared to walk off the job.
And if you’ve ever wondered what a black hole sounds like, a Villanova professor enlisted the help of a composer to make that a reality.
Plus, Pennsylvania won’t change its childhood vaccine guidelines, despite President Donald Trump’s latest executive order, and more news of the day.
Philadelphia’s steam system was originally built by Peco at the start of the 20th century. Run by Vicinity Energy today, its employees manage some 41 miles of underground pipe infrastructure and services 400 buildings in the city.
Those workers, represented by IBEW Local 614, could launch a strike if they do not reach a deal as they negotiate a new contract with the company. They voted to authorize a strike on Saturday if the union calls for it.
Among their asks, workers want:
💰 More money. That includes raises on “substandard” wages, better short-term disability pay, and adequate compensation for time spent training new hires.
⚠️ Workplace safety. Some plants are in need of repair, leading to unsafe conditions, such as asbestos and standing water in work areas.
Most of space is empty and “deathly silent,” said Villanova physics professor Becka Phillipson. So Phillipson, who researches black holes, gave herself an astronomical challenge: translating these remote cosmic objects into sound.
That took some creative license. While black holes are invisible, the environment around them brightens or dims depending on the material interacting with them.
Phillipson decided that brighter light near a black hole would equal a higher pitch, and in that way turned data she was collecting into sounds.
Composer LJ White then layered those sounds with singing, percussion, and recordings of Phillipson talking about black holes. The resulting 13-minute piece debuted during a sold out concert at the Chestnut Hill Skyspace last weekend.
Philadelphia health officials said earlier this week that the city has seen 22 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis. Across the state, cases are even higher.
Gov. Josh Shapiro said the state will not follow President Trump’s executive order reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccinations.
Gunfire directed toward a couple in North Philly, killing 61-year-old Michelle Wilson, may have been retaliation for an earlier killing involving their son, according to law enforcement sources.
An effort using cameras to police loading zones in Center City is working, according to PPA officials. So they’re doubling down.
Immigration courts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware are ordering people to leave the country in droves. The number of removal and voluntary deportation orders from the three states has topped 46,000 since January 2025.
A “historic” El Niño developing in the Pacific Ocean could mean a gentler Atlantic hurricane season, and maybe less risk of flooding in Philadelphia.
This week, we have an explainer from Michelle Myers on the future of the 10-foot bronze statue of Frank Rizzo, the former mayor and police commissioner.
The monument of Rizzo, who died 35 years ago, was removed from public display following civil rights protests in 2020. Reader JJ Cutuli wanted to know: “Where is the Frank Rizzo statue, right now?”
In short, it has undergone expensive repairs, and now it’s looking for a new home. Here’s what Myers discovered.
Philadelphia is the latest locale for vigilante Jack Reacher’s shadowy dealings in season four of Reacher, streaming now on Amazon Video. What location has NOT been spotted in a season four episode?
Cheers to Bobbi Harris, who solved Thursday’s anagram: Ross Tucker. He’s jumping to the No. 2 booth at CBS alongside veteran play-by-play voice Ian Eagle. The big promotion stems from Tony Romo’s arrest.
Here’s what one reader said about the situation:
As a longtime Eagles fan, I would not miss Tony Romo at all, if he’s out of the broadcast booth that long. It’s funny, but Romo, just like Dak Prescott today, is the “greatest quarterback who never won anything.” Ten seasons (I believe) with the “elite” Dallas Cowboys and he won all of two playoff games. But he was able to leverage that into being one of the highest paid football announcers working today. (Or not working…)
Photo of the day
Natalia Mejia (left) and Lili Daliessio (right) hug during a vigil for the people of Colombia at Philadelphia’s City Hall.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake devastated Colombia earlier this week. Community nonprofit Acción Colombia will be holding multiple events Saturday and Sunday in and around Philly to collect donations.
👋 Thanks, as always, for reading. Have a wonderful weekend when you get there.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
To reduce your risks for at least 13 types of cancer, jog up and down the nearest steps for three minutes or stand up from your desk or couch for 30.
Either strategy might help drop your risks of certain cancers by as much as 7%, according to a new study of how the ways we move — and don’t move — during the day affect our chances of malignancies.
The study, published in July in BMC Medicine, is one of the first to examine in detail how replacing sitting time with almost any kind of activity alters cancer risk.
Relying on extensive activity data from nearly 60,000 men and women, it used statistical models to determine which movements, from standing to strolling to rushing around the block, seem most strongly associated with fewer cancer cases, including breast, colorectal, and lung cancers.
“The reassuring finding is that every movement contributed,” said John J. Mitchell, a senior research fellow at University College London’s Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health, and the study’s lead author.
But they didn’t contribute equally.
“Some choices,” Mitchell said, “proved more beneficial than others.”
Is standing up good for us?
On average, American adults sit for nearly 10 hours a day, studies show. Being so sedentary is not good for us. Substantial evidence links uninterrupted sitting with heightened risks for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and other conditions.
Sitting also makes us more vulnerable to many cancers, studies show.
Ideally, we should reduce the amount of time we spend seated every day and be more physically active instead.
But how? Does standing up count? Do we need to move around? Is it enough to meander slowly down the hallway? Or should we raise our heart rates and break a sweat?
Those questions matter because many of us are tied to our desks and schedules. In that case, what are the most realistic and efficient options for sitting less?
The link between activity and cancer risk
Past studies of sitting and health generally focused on one change, such as standing more often, and not multiple types of movement and how they might affect sitting’s health risks in comparison to one another.
They didn’t tell us, in other words, if standing up for a few minutes would undo the effects of sitting as potently as climbing stairs.
So, for the new study, the scientists drew records for 59,218 adult men and women who’d joined the large-scale UK Biobank health study and worn a sophisticated activity tracker for a week.
Using machine learning algorithms, the researchers parsed everyone’s activity data and determined how much time they spent sitting (generally around 10 hours) or in other activities on most days, including standing up; light movement, such as leisurely walks; moderate activity, meaning brisker walks; or vigorous activities, which would get people breathing hard, such as running to catch a bus.
They also checked medical records for eight years or so after people joined the Biobank, to see whether they’d developed any of 13 cancers that have been associated with inactivity.
The best ways to break up sitting
With those mountains of data, the researchers then created complex, statistical models of what theoretically would happen if people replaced some of their normal sitting time with movement.
First, they looked at standing. Compared to nonstop sitting, standing up for any period of time reduced the cancer risks associated with sitting.
But standing was about half as potent as moving. In general, moving in any way, even short, gentle strolls, for about 15 minutes dropped cancer risks to the same extent as half an hour of standing.
The gains were even more striking when the researchers focused on different intensities of movement. Again, standing was better than sitting and light activity was better than standing.
But vigorous movement — such as hurrying up and down the stairs or rushing to the subway station — was, by far, the most effective. Three minutes of daily vigorous activity dropped cancer risks to the same extent as 90 minutes of light-intensity movement.
Pick the routine that works for you
“I think these results show there can be different routes” to the same goal, said Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity and health at Monash University in Australia, and senior author of the new study.
If we can’t find 90 minutes to wander around the block or from cubicle to cubicle, we could instead head for the nearest stairwell and jog up and down for a few minutes.
“This is a really interesting paper,” said Lora Giangregorio, an exercise scientist at the University of Waterloo in Canada. She studies physical activity and health but wasn’t involved with the new study. “It is really encouraging that adding movement or standing is associated with reduced risk of cancer. But what stuck out for me was the finding that ‘only three minutes of additional vigorous physical activity in place of any other intensity was associated with lower cancer risk.’”
Many of us can probably find a way to fit those three strenuous minutes into our day.
‘Any movement counts’
The study was observational and shows links between more activity and lower cancer risk but doesn’t prove the additional movement directly caused that effect.
It also doesn’t explain how moving instead of sitting changes the likelihood of cancer, though muscles release a slew of biochemicals when they contract, Stamatakis said. Some of them likely jump-start physiological processes that dampen the development or progression of cancer.
The study doesn’t say, either, whether we should lump our movement time into a single session or spread those three minutes of speedy or 90 minutes of laid-back activity throughout the day.
More study is needed, Stamatakis and Mitchell agree.
But, for now, the takeaway is to rise from your chair whenever you can, Stamatakis said, even if it’s just to stand.
The problem with most conspiracy theories is they assume a level of intelligence, cooperation, discretion, and selflessness that is completely at odds with the track record of large groups of humans. There may only be five people on planet Earth who possess the requisite skill set, let alone five who share a motivation to plot some nefarious deed.
That being said …
If you are the kind of person who tends to believe in dark, mysterious forces working in concert, you might want to give a little thought to the shifts in the NBA’s competitive environment over the last couple of years.
The Luka Doncic and Jaylen Brown trades have plenty in common. Both were traded from teams less than two years removed from an NBA Finals appearance. Both for a pittance, and both to conference rivals. Of far greater significance is their dual place among the prime movers of a league that could be in the beginning stages of a renaissance.
The Lakers’ acquisition of Doncic two years ago not only positioned a marquee franchise for a seamless transition into life after LeBron James, it effectively, if improbably, positioned the Mavericks to land the No. 1 overall draft pick that they used to select a generational talent in Cooper Flagg. Meanwhile, the Sixers’ acquisition of Brown was effectively coupled with the acquisition of James, whose minimum contract free-agent deal with the Sixers completed the organization’s wild and near-instant transformation from borderline irrelevance to legitimate title contender.
New Sixer Jaylen Brown arrives for his introductory press conference at the Francis Myers Recreation Center on Aug. 6.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Doncic and Brown are just two of the deals that have dramatically flattened the NBA’s competitive landscape heading into the 2026-27 season. From perennial MVP finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade to the Heat to the Raptors acquisition of Kawhi Leonard to Flagg and Victor Wembanyama’s presence in the West, the league is suddenly chock full of potential counterweights to its behemoths in New York, Oklahoma City, and Boston. The league’s release of its schedule on Thursday crystalized this. It also crystalized the challenge that will confront the Sixers as they embark on a season unlike any they’ve experienced prior. In fact, one need only look at the first 10 days of the season.
Five of the Sixers’ first six games will come against the Knicks (twice), Cavs, Pistons and Pacers. That group includes the last two teams to advance to the NBA Finals from the Eastern Conference, plus two teams who have won 60+ games in one of the last two regular seasons.
The schedule is full of these sorts of stretches. A month into the season, the Sixers will have played just four games against teams that didn’t win a first-round playoff series in either of the last two seasons. Mid-January brings Anthony Edwards’ Timberwolves to Philadelphia before a home/road back-to-back against the Hawks and Pacers, followed by a trip to Boston two days later. Really, you can pick any two or three-week stretch and find a preponderance of must-see matchups. On paper, at least.
This is a good thing. For the NBA. For its fans. For commissioner Adam Silver, who has grown increasingly proactive in both word and deed regarding the on-court product during the regular season. It’s not premature to say that we are already seeing the impact of the NBA’s second apron penalties and its soon-to-be-instituted lottery reforms. Both played a role in the Sixers’ acquisition of Brown, whom they acquired for a package of draft picks that included a 2028 Clippers first-rounder that gained immense value from the new draft odds.
This is also a good thing for the Sixers. Not just from an entertainment standpoint. After a six-year stretch where every NBA Finals featured either the Heat against the Spurs or the Warriors against the Cavs, eight different teams have appeared in the last four Finals. The Celtics are the only team to appear in more than one NBA Finals since 2022. When the league released its schedule on Thursday afternoon, half its teams had a Vegas win total over/under of at least 44.5. A healthy percentage of those teams will enter the season with a valid argument as a title contender. The Sixers are one of those teams.
Whether they reach those heights will depend on plenty of factors even beyond their obvious health and age-related concerns. Basketball is a sport where rhythm, synergy and on-court chemistry play a huge role in differentiating talented teams from each other. The gauntlet of Eastern Conference rivals the Sixers will face in their first week-and-a-half only underscores the time crunch they’ll face once all of the new faces are on the court together in training camp.
One way or another, it will be fascinating to watch.
Rachael DeCecco had long believed that her lacrosse career was over.
After years of playing at Marple Newtown High School, then at Princeton and for the U.S. World Cup team in 2005, the Delaware County native had reached the pinnacle of women’s lacrosse at the time.
She had made peace with that and transitioned to work in healthcare administration for senior living facilities. That was until over a decade later, when the Premier Lacrosse League helped her revive her lacrosse muscles, this time on the administrative side, in 2020.
Now, DeCecco is the senior vice president of the PLL and Women’s Lacrosse League, helping pave the way for other women to continue their lacrosse careers with opportunities she didn’t have.
“Playing professionally was never something that was even a whisper of possibility,” DeCecco said. “If it had been a real opportunity, I definitely would have tried.”
Dozens of women have gotten the chance to do just that, and several will compete in the inaugural WLL championship game Saturday at Subaru Park in Chester. The Maryland Charm will face the California Palms (2 p.m., ESPN) at the home of the Union, and the venue was chosen to highlight the lacrosse culture in the Philadelphia area.
“It’s a no-brainer for me, personally,” DeCecco said of the decision. “Philly lacrosse has been something that’s been big forever. It’s a great sports market, and so many of the roots were born in Philly. … It does become sort of this generational expectation that you’re going to play lacrosse. It’s really fun to see that generation over generation.”
Eight players and a coach from the Maryland Charm have ties to the area. Some of the game’s stars are among this group, including Marie McCool, a Moorestown native who recently became a three-time world champion with the U.S. women’s lacrosse team, which won its fifth consecutive championship Aug. 2 in Japan. Fifteen of the 22 players on the U.S. team now play in the WLL.
Rachael DeCecco (left) presents a trophy to Moorestown native Marie McCool at the WLL All-Star Game.Women's Lacrosse League
For DeCecco, who is a two-time NCAA champion and a silver medalist with the U.S. World Cup team in 2005, the WLL championship is an up-close view of female athletes who are playing at the highest level.
“It’s going to be an incredible display of athleticism and skill and competition,” DeCecco said. “This is the beginning of something that everybody’s worked really hard to get to where we are. You only get one — they will be the first champions ever. That only happens once. It’s a really cool opportunity.”
Despite her playing days being “long gone,” she says she’s looking forward to watching some of her favorite players on the field.
“Brigid Duffy, I watch her play and I’m like, ‘Is she on ice skates?’” DeCecco said. “She’s just gliding through it, and then she rips a shot and you’re like, ‘Wow.’”
“I’m watching the games and helping run the games, and it’s really hard for me to not scream, ‘My gosh, did you see that?’ Like, that was one of the most athletic things I’ve ever seen, and it happens 10 times a game. So I’m a fan as well, but it’s hard. I have to keep my business face on.”
Saturday’s championship caps a season that featured 10 games between the league’s four teams, both numbers DeCecco hopes will grow in years to come.
“This isn’t the end goal,” she said. “I think and hope we’ll have more TV distribution, more games, more teams. In 10 years, I fully believe kids will grow up saying, ‘I want to be a professional lacrosse player.’ That didn’t exist before.”
Jeremiah Wells didn’t want any distractions leading up to his upcoming fight.
The 39-year-old Philadelphia native knew he would have to be hyper-focused for fight camp as he prepared to compete against an opponent over a decade younger, 28-year-old Myktybek Orolbai. And what made matters even more pressing, the fight on Saturday night is in his own backyard at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in front of his friends and family.
So if that meant he would have to take his 4-year-old French bulldog, Stardust, to live with his family in Hazleton, Pa., during camp, then he would do just that.
“He’s a handful,” Wells said. “He’s a small little Frenchie. He’s like 4. He wants so much attention. He wants walks every day. I just can’t handle it, dragging him everywhere. … I had to wake up in the morning, take him for a walk, and then drag him to the gym, and then take him for a walk when we got back, all while he wanted me to pet him.”
Wells has been fighting for nearly 15 years. He was introduced to the sport at 24 years old, watching a fight card with friends. At one point, he looked over and said, “I could do that.” Seconds later, his friends laughed at the thought.
“They were just arrogant kids, that’s all it was,” Wells said. “I said I could do it, but they didn’t believe me. But now, they do.”
Since then, Wells has competed in different promotions like PA Cage Fight and Cage Fury Fighting Championships. He made his UFC debut in 2021, defeating Warlley Alves by second-round knockout after replacing Ramazan Emeev on short notice at UFC Fight Night 190. But before making the transition to the UFC, Wells said there was one part of his game he really had to work on.
“Be patient,” Wells said. “I always wanted it now, and wanted it now, and wanted it now. I thought it was, when you were young, this is going to happen, and then this is going to happen. Like, I always said I was going to be in the UFC in like three years. And it took me like, probably 10.”
Jeremiah Wells (right) trains at Marquez MMA in Philadelphia for Saturday’s UFC fight.TYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
Wells won four of his first six UFC fights, suffering consecutive losses to Carlston Harris and Max Griffin before returning to the win column against Themba Gorimbo in November 2025.
But between the Griffin and Gorimbo fights, Wells faced one of his toughest challenges — a 21-month hiatus from fighting. Wells broke his hand in the Griffin fight. After recovering, he was supposed to fight Niko Price in June 2024, but he was forced to pull out after tearing his Achilles.
“I went through hell just getting back mentally and physically,” Wells said. “It turned me into a different person, also. Just being grateful for so many things. I had to make a new person of myself. And I leveled up. I slowed everything down. Listened to my body, not overtraining, actually recovering and eating healthy. And also not partying. Just changing up my mindset, my mental clarity.”
Training at Marquez MMA, located on Worth Street, Wells is surrounded by several Philly UFC fighters who have motivated him in his fight journey, including Pat Sabatini, Sean Brady, Joe Pyfer, and Andre Petroski.
“All my teammates that started with me, they really love this,” Wells said. “They stuck to it. Everyone like Sean Brady, Pat Sabatini, that’s the ones I started with like day one at Gracie’s and they’re still here today. I’m happy that they’re still here and I’m proud. Definitely, the new guys too, like Pyfer and Andre Petroski. It means a lot to me to just share the mats with these guys.”
UFC 330 will be the first numbered event and first title fight held in Philadelphia in a decade and a half, dating back to UFC 133 in 2011, which featured Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz as the main event. UFC returned to the city in 2019 for a Fight Night card at the then-Wells Fargo Center, featuring a main event between Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza.
Jeremiah Wells, a West Philadelphia native, watches Pat Sabatini, of Bristol, and Philly’s Sean Brady sparring. Sabatini and Brady have been big Wells supporters.TYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
The last time UFC was in town, there wasn’t a single fighter from the area on the card, although former Philly fighter-turned-broadcaster Paul Felder was in the booth. This time, Wells will be the only Philly fighter featured, appearing as the first fight in the early prelims.
“It means a lot, man,” Wells said. “It’s been a long time coming, just to fight in front of my family and my fans. I do [wish more Philly fighters were on the card], we just got that dog in us. That grit. This town is just, sometimes we get a little dirty. We get our hands dirty.”
Wells has finished three of his seven UFC opponents through submission and knockouts. Once he decides to hang it up, the Philly native hopes to be remembered as a fighter whom the fans were looking forward to watching. And he’s hoping Saturday will be another example of that.
”I feel confident and ready,” Wells said. “[I want to be remembered as] that gritty fighter, explosive and always excited to see. To just put it on for the fans.”
The JAB Classic, a three-day pro-am basketball tournament, is looking to use sports as a way to foster unity.
JAB’s founder, Philadelphia native Jared Armstrong, brought the tournament to Penn following years of campus turmoil in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza, which killed more than 70,000 Palestinian civilians.
“I just think [combating] the rise of hate,” Armstrong said. “Whether it’s racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia — it’s going to start with the next generation and really educating them. It’s more than just basketball for me.”
Eighty-five percent of respondents from a 2025 Penn Hillel survey of Jewish students marked that they had “experienced, heard about, or witnessed” antisemitism at Penn.
Meanwhile, members of the Penn community who participated in pro-Palestinian protests received direct threats of violence, and an off-campus residence of pro-Palestinian students was controversially raided by Penn police officers, who said it was in connection to an alleged act of vandalism.
“This mission is really focused on college campuses,” Armstrong said. “We actually have an idea to just take it not to just Penn, but other campuses. That brings the mixture of the message. You know, sports, culture, entertainment all in one. So kids can understand the importance organically, not being forced to sit in the classroom.”
The eight-team tournament will tip off Friday and run through Sunday. Nine total games will be played over the weekend with Sunday boasting the Classic’s championship. Each team includes former and current NBA talent. Notable names participating include 76ers forward Dominick Barlow, two-time NBA champion Quinn Cook, two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo, and Philadelphia natives Markieff and Marcus Morris.
In 2023, Jared Armstrong started the JAB Camp, a basketball program that uses sports to teach children about prejudice.Jared Armstrong
The first-place team will take home $1 million, though Armstrong noted he hopes the event’s mission will entice players to participate.
“Most athletes experience hate, whether it’s on or off the court,” Armstrong said. “We’re some of the most influential people in the world. I think every person in this tournament dealt with some sort of racism, and it’s not something new to us.”
Additionally, the tournament will feature two musical performances. On Friday, Philadelphia rapper KUR will perform between games three and four. On Sunday, prominent Chicago rapper G Herbo will take the Palestra’s court.
‘Supporting all kids’
Armstrong, a professional basketball player in Israel’s second division who played collegiately at Slippery Rock, was living in Ashkelon on Oct. 7, 2023, eight miles north of Gaza and the closest major city to the Gaza Strip.
With his life in danger and Hamas-led attacks getting closer to his residence, Armstrong fled to Tel Aviv alongside his teammates. Armstrong later returned home to Philadelphia.
When it was safe to go back to Israel to play, Armstrong witnessed the disarray the community was in. Looking to make a difference, he launched Jared Armstrong Basketball (JAB) Camp, a program that uses sports to teach children about prejudice. Additionally, Armstrong and JAB began renovating basketball courts in Israel and Philadelphia. To this day, 17 courts have been renovated, and this weekend’s classic will help fund another court in Philadelphia.
Jared Armstrong played professional basketball in Israel.Courtesy of Jared Armstrong
In the future, Armstrong is hoping to bring his mission to Gaza.
“[Palestinian children] are going through struggles that kids in Israel during the war are going through,” Armstrong said. “I’m big on supporting all kids. Regardless of your skin color, where you’re from. Like I said, just keep trying to inspire them, giving them some sort of hope, some sort of sanity, and just trying to give them some sort of peace.”
In the meantime, Armstrong is focused on helping heal the divide on Penn’s campus. A key figure in bringing JAB to the Palestra was Rev. Charles L. “Chaz” Howard, Penn’s university chaplain and vice president of social equity and community. Howard regularly holds interfaith dialogue on campus, focused on squashing prejudice.
Jared Armstrong has renovated basketball courts in Israel and Philadelphia.Jared Armstrong
“Penn is no island,” Howard said. “And the world has been a hard place the last several years.”
Howard believes events like the JAB Classic can help “stitch back together some of the brokenness” the community has felt in recent years. The timing also worked out. Many incoming freshmen and their families are in the city, with first-year student move-in slated for next week.
“I think what [Armstrong is] doing by using something like basketball as a dialogical space is brilliant,” Howard said. “It’s so simple, but it’s also brilliant. … And I’m a basketball man. So this is really exciting to me personally.”
Preseason games are generally meaningless from the standpoint that they don’t count toward a team’s regular-season record.
But for nearly half the players on any training camp roster, these games are some of the most important of their careers.
When the Eagles face the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday in their preseason opener, some players will be fighting to make the initial 53-man roster or the practice squad — either with the Eagles or another team. Others are Eagles roster locks, but they might be in competition for a prominent role.
Here are 12 Eagles players that have something to prove in the first preseason game:
Darius Cooper has been a trusted target for Jalen Hurts in camp. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Darius Cooper, WR
Cooper is practically a roster lock at this point. The 2025 undrafted free agent out of Tarleton State has made the most of his opportunities — arguably more so than any other receiver — in the absence of DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon, who are dealing with hamstring injuries.
Last year, Cooper was primarily a “dirty work” receiver, as Nick Sirianni described him, responsible for blocking and running clear-out routes. Has he shown in camp that he’s ready for more playing time in Year 2?
“He’s having a good camp,” Sirianni said Thursday. “There’s still a lot of time left. It’s about being consistent on a daily basis. He’s done a good job being consistent on a daily basis and he makes really good catches, really elite hands and we know he’s tough and things that he can do. But I’ve been pleased with where he is.”
If he plays on Saturday, Cooper has an opportunity to show why he’s capable of taking on a bigger role in the offense.
Elijah Moore, WR
Cooper isn’t the only receiver with something to prove. Moore, entering Year 6 in the NFL and his first with the Eagles, is also battling for a roster spot in a crowded room.
He’s been showing why he deserves one lately, as his chemistry with Jalen Hurts continues to build. His latest standout moment came Tuesday when he caught a deep touchdown pass from Hurts in an 11-on-11 session.
While Moore’s stock has risen, eighth-year veteran Hollywood Brown hasn’t made much noise. Hurts has been picked off in consecutive practices while targeting Brown, the latest instance occurring on Thursday in seven-on-sevens when Mac McWilliams undercut the receiver’s route in the end zone.
Saturday’s game could provide Moore with a chance to further his case for a spot on the initial 53, especially while Brown’s stock is slipping.
Mac McWilliams is trying to lay claim to a spot in the cornerback rotation. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Mac McWilliams, CB
Speaking of McWilliams, the 2025 fifth-rounder out of Central Florida has been the first outside cornerback off the bench for the last three practices as Jonathan Jones deals with a shoulder injury.
McWilliams got more work with the starting defense opposite Riq Woolen with Quinyon Mitchell sidelined Thursday due to a glute injury. He also took reps at nickel cornerback. Vic Fangio said on Tuesday that McWilliams has “matured” since last season, leading to improvement in his game during the offseason program and training camp.
Fangio also acknowledged that Jones could “miss some time” due to injury. McWilliams could assert himself as a frontrunner for the backup job in a crowded room that also includes Jakorian Bennett and Kelee Ringo.
Andrew Mukuba, S
Mukuba, the 2025 second-rounder out of Texas, is in line to start at safety. But it’s been nearly nine months since he played his last game.
Saturday could mark his first game since his season-ending fibula fracture in a Week 11 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. But Mukuba, who would not reveal on Thursday whether he’ll playing against the Ravens, said that he isn’t looking at the opportunity through that lens.
“I’ve already put everything behind me, to be honest with you,” Mukuba said. “I feel comfortable out here. Despite what I had going on, I feel comfortable and I’ve already put everything behind me. Just focused on what’s next and what’s in front of me.”
Marcus Epps is looking to lock up a starting safety job. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Marcus Epps, S
Primarily playing alongside Mukuba at safety with the starting defense in camp has been Epps, the 30-year-old veteran. Epps has two seasons of experience as a full-time starter (17 games in 2022 with the Eagles and 17 games in 2023 with the Las Vegas Raiders), plus he also started five games last season (including the playoffs) in Mukuba’s absence.
Michael Carter II is in competition for the gig, too, but Epps has commanded most of the starting reps with Mukuba in camp. Epps could potentially have an opportunity to tighten his grip on the starting role with a solid preseason performance.
Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee, QBs
McKee, 26, was Hurts’ full-time backup in 2025. Could this year be different for the 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford?
The Eagles acquired Dalton via trade with the Carolina Panthers in the offseason, appearing to identify their QB3. But Dalton and McKee have split reps with the second-team offense in the offseason program and in training camp, a reflection of the open competition for the top backup job.
Andy Dalton will likely see game action as an Eagle for the first time. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Early in camp, Dalton seemed like the better of the two quarterbacks, but he has appeared to falter this week. On Monday, he had a handful of errant throws during team drills. He was picked off on Tuesday in 11-on-11 by Cooper DeJean and the starting defense. Dalton missed a wide-open Danny Gray in the end zone with an overthrown pass on Thursday.
The competition between Dalton and McKee could continue to play out in the preseason. It’s also worth acknowledging that their preseason performances could serve as auditions for other teams if the Eagles decide to move either player in a trade.
Eli Stowers (87) has been slow to acclimate to the NFL and will try to make an impact on Saturday. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eli Stowers, TE
Stowers, the second-round tight end out of Vanderbilt, could make his NFL (preseason) debut on Saturday. He has had a relatively quiet camp so far, but he has been reliable lately when the ball has come his way. The preseason could offer him more opportunities to showcase his game, especially his athleticism, which was his calling card coming out of college.
Markel Bell, T
Bell, the 6-foot-9, 346-pound tackle, will be another rookie to watch. The Eagles have been evaluating him at right tackle, where he could serve as the primary backup to Lane Johnson if he beats out incumbent Fred Johnson. Saturday could be Bell’s first game at right tackle ever, as he mostly played on the left side throughout college.
Uar Bernard could play in a football game for the first time at any level on Saturday. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Uar Bernard, DL
Bernard has experienced plenty of firsts since he was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round out of the International Player Pathway program. Is he ready for his first football game ever? Sirianni didn’t directly say whether Bernard would play on Saturday, but he acknowledged how important it is that he goes through a pregame routine for the first time before the season starts.
Ty Robinson, DL
Robinson may have begun camp with the developmental defense in team drills, but he has been moving his way up the depth chart recently. The 2025 fourth-rounder out of Nebraska had a strong showing on Monday as a pass rusher, forcing his way into the backfield on multiple occasions against the second-string offense. Robinson could use some standout preseason performances if he wants to make a case for the initial 53.
Willie Lampkin has had a strong camp despite unconventional size for a lineman. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Willie Lampkin, OL
Lampkin hasn’t played a football game since Aug. 16, 2025. At that time, the 2025 undrafted free agent out of North Carolina was a member of the Los Angeles Rams. He had a strong start to camp, especially in the preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. But Lampkin was injured in the second game of the preseason against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he was ultimately waived at the end of camp with an injury designation.
The Eagles signed him to the active roster and placed him on injured reserve for the rest of the year. Now, Lampkin is set to return to action this preseason as he vies for a depth role, at both center and guard.
