What does it say about Pennsylvania’s political leadership when U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a progressive Democrat from California, seems more in tune with where voters stand on data centers than many top elected leaders in the Keystone State?
Khanna, a native of Bucks County, said Pennsylvania should do more to safeguard communities from the proliferation of data centers across the nation. He’s proposed a Data Center Bill of Rights to protect residents from the environmental and financial harms caused by the energy-sucking centers needed to fuel the artificial intelligence boom.
If Congress approved Khanna’s measure — which is unlikely as long as Republicans control both chambers in Washington — it would pause the current runaway development of data centers.
Pennsylvania is among the fastest-growing states for data centers. More than 50 of them have been proposed, planned, or are under construction in the state. So far, six are being built and 10 have received at least one state-level permit approval, according to Shapiro’s office.
Opposition to data centers may be the only issue that unites voters from all sides of the otherwise divided political landscape. In Pennsylvania, a whopping 74% of voters are against building an AI data center in their community, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.
Residents fiercely oppose a two million-square-foot data center proposed outside Conshohocken. Tempers flared at a public meeting in King of Prussia where the same developer, Brian O’Neill, wants to build five other data centers totaling 4.6 million square feet.
Across the country, residents have complained about sharp increases in electric bills — including a 20% increase in Pennsylvania since 2024 — caused, in part, by the growing power demands of data centers.
Others said their once-quiet communities have been ruined by the constant noise coming from the facilities, including one in Vineland, N.J.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announces a $20 billion investment by Amazon in Pennsylvania data centers in Salem and Falls Townships in 2025.Commonwealth Media Services
Still others said data centers caused their water wells to run dry, while many fear increased water bills from the need to cool large data centers that use an estimated five million gallons of water each day, equal to the usage of a town of up to 50,000 residents.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) has championed the development of data centers along with President Donald Trump. (Conflict of interest alert: McCormick’s wife is an executive at Meta, one of the leading developers of AI data centers.)
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D., Pa.) initially trumpeted efforts to bring data centers to the state. Just over a year ago, Shapiro said his administration was “all in” on AI, but his position has shifted somewhat in the face of the growing public backlash.
In May, Shapiro, who is up for reelection in November, unveiled standards designed to place guardrails on the energy usage of data centers and give local communities more input.
In recent months, Shapiro has met with some residents about data centers and acknowledged concerns about the impact on utility bills and the environment.
Supporters argue the data centers will bring investment and construction jobs to the state, and position the country to compete in the global AI race.
But at what cost to consumers left to shoulder the rising electric and water bills, not to mention the environmental harm?
Lawmakers have been slow to consider that part of the equation, as no one can say if the hyped benefits outweigh the real costs.
Elected officials are supposed to represent the interests of the people, and not the deep pockets of big businesses. Until lawmakers find ways to protect residents from the true impact of AI data centers, a pause makes the most sense.
DEAR ABBY: My brother “Earl” and I always had a very bad relationship. When I was 6 and Earl was 13, he molested me. Actually, he took my virginity. My mother caught him but whipped both of us and told me I should have known better than to allow it to happen. Fast-forward to when I was 17. I woke up to find him lying in bed with me, stroking my face. I screamed for my mother, who said, “Oh, he probably came home drunk or something.”
Earl was never nice to me; even on his deathbed he yelled at me for forgetting to take his house keys to my other brother as his daughter asked me to do. A few weeks later, I forgave him for everything he did to me, but the last time I saw him alive, I still felt his hatred toward me.
There is a memorial planned, and I’m not sure I want to attend. I’m the youngest of seven; some of my siblings know the history and have witnessed the animosity between us. Part of me wants to go because Earl was my brother, and part of me is afraid if I don’t, my siblings will hold it against me. Another part of me feels a memorial is to pay your last respects to the deceased, and I have no respect for Earl. I don’t know what to do.
— VICTIMIZED IN GEORGIA
DEAR VICTIMIZED: From what you have written, Earl seems more like an emotional and sexual abuser than a brother. Your siblings have no right to give you a hard time if you skip the memorial. Remind them of how he treated you and how much you suffered for it if that fact has slipped their minds.
You should do whatever makes you comfortable, and if listening to your angry, abusive pervert of a brother eulogized would make you uncomfortable, stay away. Because you didn’t get counseling at the time he assaulted you, you might benefit from discussing your family history with a licensed therapist. To find one, contact an organization called RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). Its toll-free phone number is 1-800-656-4673 and its website is rainn.org.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My 6-year-old is enrolled in a Spanish immersion kindergarten class, and we are getting through it the best we can. We are an English-speaking household, so it is a challenge. The teacher is incredible. Her energy, dedication, spirit and connection with the kids is amazing. However, she is a cringe-worthy singer.
What she sings is nowhere near the melody. I’m not the only person who feels this way. Music is a big part of learning for the kids in this class, so this is a significant problem. As a singer, I can tell you that “tone deafness” is a myth. The ability to carry a tune can be learned.
I would love to offer this teacher singing lessons, for free, of course, but I have no idea how to approach it. A comment on vocal ability could feel similar to a comment on one’s physical appearance. I brought it up to the principal early in the year. She told me she would look into it and get back to me, but never did. Should I let it be, since these teachers, staff and administration have so much on their plates right now? We have been at this for nearly six months, and I really feel it should be addressed.
— IN-TUNE MOMMY
DEAR MOMMY: Because the principal promised to get back to you and never did, it is possible that your kind offer fell through the cracks. Contact the principal again and ask how the teacher reacted to your proposition. If the response was negative, do not pursue it further. If she showed an interest, follow through.
ARIES (March 21-April 19). New Moon Focus: Small steps create big success. Choose just one focus to apply the principle — a project, an area that needs improvement, a habit or a relationship. Brainstorm what those steps would be.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20). New Moon Focus: Being comfortable in your skin. Your authenticity is what earns respect, but since you contain multitudes, you sometimes wonder which ones you should bring to task. Reflect on how you’d like to move through the world.
GEMINI (May 21-June 21). New Moon Focus: Hope. Hope fuels perseverance. Hope overturns seemingly impossible circumstances. Indeed, hope has altered the course of nations. Hope starts small. Articulate your hopes and the small actions you can take to nurture them.
CANCER (June 22-July 22). New Moon Focus: Read people before you lead people. The more you pick up on, the more influential you become. What keeps you from observing better? Having too much to do in the moment? Being in a rush? How can you make it easier to be a better listener?
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). New Moon Focus: Adapt and thrive anywhere. Confidence isn’t knowing exactly what will happen. It’s trusting yourself to respond well to whatever does. Think of a place, role or challenge where greater flexibility would serve you. What helps you land on your feet?
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). New Moon Focus: Trusting your own impeccable timing. Good timing comes from paying attention. Consider the opportunities you’ve hesitated over and the ones you’ve rushed. How can you create more moments to notice when it’s truly time to act?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). New Moon Focus: Loving complexity. It’s so much easier to categorize things with black-and-white thinking, but your artistry and maturity won’t have it. What complexity can you embrace? Which contrasting ideas can you hold at once?
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). New Moon Focus: The right question. Some questions end conversations. Others begin them. Some are asked for information; others reveal character. Think of an issue you’ve been circling. What question would change the entire discussion?
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). New Moon Focus: The ethical shortcut. You have a gift for spotting unnecessary steps. Efficiency isn’t about rushing. It’s about removing the parts that aren’t pulling their weight. Consider trimming elements that may have outlived their usefulness.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). New Moon Focus: Becoming unforgettable. People remember how you made them see themselves. They remember surprises, inside jokes and stories they’ll repeat later. Which of your gifts do you want to linger in someone’s mind long after you’ve left?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). New Moon Focus: Discernment. Every project has one change that transforms it and 50 that don’t matter. Every argument has one point worth addressing and several worth ignoring. Where could a sharper filter save time and energy?
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). New Moon Focus: Inventing tomorrow. Every invention sounded strange before it became ordinary. Every movement began with one brave person imagining a different future. What are your dreams of tomorrow that feel too early, too ambitious or too unusual?
TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Aug. 11). It’s your Year of the Masterpiece. Your long hours, multitudes of drafts and specific choices add up to results that are as unique as they are stunning. It’s not just about physical works. Relationships, your style and physique — it’s all an art. More highlights: You’ll visit favorite destinations. A partnership doubles your reach and augments your income. Family news, celebrations and harmony. Libra and Cancer adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 19, 4, 11 and 28.
An Iranian assassination threat against President Donald Trump prompted an extraordinary operation last month in which he flew secretly from Turkey on an alternate military aircraft while the White House said he was aboard Air Force One, the Washington Post has learned.
The clandestine mission, which has not been reported previously, was carried out unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff members who believed they were on the same plane as the president, according to material reviewed by the Post, a U.S. official familiar with the operation, and another person with knowledge of the president’s travel. These people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the matter.
The administration has claimed that Trump departed Turkey on July 8 on the former Air Force One. Trump announced on social media that he would use the “former Air Force One” rather than the plane that flew him there, a newer Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar. The security of the Qatar-provided aircraft has been called into question, and Trump said last month after the trip that it would undergo additional upgrades.
In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras. He was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies preflight, according to the U.S. official and corroborating material reviewed by the Post. That made Air Force One a “decoy” with media and some White House staff aboard, the official said.
Trump had been in Ankara for a NATO summit with world leaders. The operation occurred a night after U.S. forces renewed military strikes on Iran at Trump’s direction following a breakdown of negotiations between Washington and Tehran to end their monthslong war.
The maneuver meant that Trump’s actual location was concealed from the American public and many senior U.S. officials for hours. Weeks later, it remains unclear how widely the administration has disclosed the operation.
The Post provided the White House with the details from its reporting, along with a list of questions. In response, White House communications director Steven Cheung issued a statement defending the jet gifted by Qatar.
“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff,” Cheung’s statement said. “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”
A spokesperson for the Pentagon referred questions to the White House. A Secret Service spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Air Force One sits on the tarmac as President Donald Trump switches planes at U.S. Air Force Base, RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk Eastern England, on his way back to Washington from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey ,Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Alex Brandon
Publicly, the White House has repeated its account that the president left Turkey on the legacy blue-and-white Boeing 747 that served as Air Force One before Trump began using the former Qatari jet.
For decades, it has been rare for U.S. presidents to travel without members of the White House press corps accompanying them in their roles as proxies for the American public. Journalists have traveled into war zones with numerous presidents, including Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush.
In the first hours after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Bush administration officials did not immediately disclose the president’s whereabouts, saying only that he had been taken to an “undisclosed location.” But they did not say he was somewhere he was not, and within hours officials revealed that he had been flown to a military facility in Nebraska.
The Trump operation unfolded quite differently, highlighting the depth of concern that U.S. security officials had about his safety leaving Turkey amid hostilities with Iran. Turkey, a key U.S. ally and member of the NATO military alliance, shares a border with Iran.
A credible threat to Trump involving Iran set the “deception operation” in motion, the U.S. official said. The New York Times and CBS News reported last month that intelligence officials flagged a specific threat of an attack on the president or his jet, triggering additional precautions.
There are decades-old concerns in the U.S. government of Iranian terrorism plots against American officials, including Trump. Those fears have escalated recently as a result of Washington’s role in the killing of Iranian military and political leaders.
The operation, and the Iranian threat, came days after the president began using the newer Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar for use as Air Force One. Trump flew to Turkey on that aircraft after the red, white, and blue jet underwent upgrades costing hundreds of millions of dollars. It was fielded by the Air Force in July but lacks some of the defensive countermeasures included in the legacy Air Force One.
To transport the president out of Turkey, U.S. officials relied in part on a technique that has occasionally become public knowledge. One such mission occurred in March 2000, when President Bill Clinton visited Pakistan. With television cameras recording in Islamabad, Clinton disembarked from a plain white jet that followed the blue-and-white Air Force One, clarifying where he had been.
There have been other times in the last 30 years when Air Force One served as a decoy for the president because of a serious threat or because he was flying to a dangerous location, another U.S. official said, declining to elaborate. The legacy jet is highly secure, but also highly visible, so putting the president on an alternate plane instead can be considered safer, that former official said.
Ronald L. Rowe Jr., a former acting director of the Secret Service, said that the president’s protection is paramount and that the details of his movements are shielded for good reason.
“We need to keep the ‘secret’ in Secret Service,” said Rowe, now with the Chertoff Group, a security advisory firm. “The public should know what the president is doing on a daily basis, but when it comes to the methods by which the Secret Service keeps the president safe, that should remain out of public view.”
When Trump first announced that he would leave Turkey on the legacy Air Force One, he touted the decision on social media as an opportunity for U.S. troops stationed in Britain to see the former Qatari aircraft. He would instead take “the former Air Force One” from Turkey for “old time’s sake,” Trump posted.
But that did not happen, according to the material reviewed by the Post and the U.S. official. Numerous people participated in the deception, some unwittingly, and journalists who thought they were traveling with the president aboard the legacy Air Force One were not notified that he had changed aircraft or made aware of the extent of the threat on Air Force One, the U.S. official said.
The new Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar departed Turkey first, early in the evening of July 8. Trump then boarded the legacy blue-and-white Air Force One at dusk, waving goodbye on camera.
To exit that plane without being seen by those uninvolved in the operation, Trump and several aides stepped aboard an airport catering truck, which was elevated planeside using hydraulics and positioned at a door on the opposite side of Air Force One’s entrance, according to the U.S. official and other corroborating material.
Imagery captured by the news media at the Turkish airport shows a staircase on one side of the legacy Air Force One and the catering truck on the other, with its container elevated to the level of the plane. Trump arrived in a limousine, climbed the staircase and waved toward the tarmac as he boarded, video shows.
A few minutes later, as members of the White House press corps boarded near the back of the plane, a man in a suit entered the catering truck’s cab, according to media pool video of the departure process. The container was lowered into the bed of the vehicle, which then pulled away from Air Force One and drove to the smaller C-32A nearby, the video appears to show. The truck is out of view for about 40 seconds when the camera pans away and is briefly hidden while behind the C-32A’s engines.
Catering trucks are parked at Air Force One on the tarmac as the motorcade carrying U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the tarmac to depart following the NATO summit at Ankara International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Alex Brandon
The video shows that the container was lifted to the level of the plane for several minutes. After the container was lowered, a person in a suit stepped out of the truck’s cab, which remained at ground level, and ascended the stairs leading up to the C-32A, disappearing from the camera’s view.
The blue-and-white C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 used to transport U.S. government officials, had been flown to Turkey along with the legacy Air Force One and the former Qatari jet to support the president’s visit, the U.S. official said. Like Air Force One jumbo jets, it is emblazoned with the words “United States of America” and can be used to transport the president or vice president. But it typically does so with the “Air Force One” or “Air Force Two” call sign, not a nondescript moniker.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded the C-32A separately using external stairs, part of an attempt to make the flight appear typical, according to the U.S. official and other materials reviewed by the Post. Hegseth flew with Trump to Britain on the same plane, this person said.
As journalists boarded the legacy Air Force One, White House staff directed them to close their window shades, according to a media pool report.
The New York Times reported last month that the former Qatari jet lacks the defensive capabilities of legacy U.S. presidential transport jets. That report prompted the Trump administration to take the unusual step of issuing subpoenas to several journalists in a bid to learn the identities of their confidential sources.
Administration officials cast the government’s actions against the New York Times as necessary to investigate a national security breach, while the Times described the move as an effort to avoid transparency, intimidate journalists, and scare their sources. The administration later withdrew the subpoenas, acknowledging missteps in the case.
In deflecting criticism of the new jet, the White House also released a statement from the Air Force.
“The aircraft is safe, secure, and equipped with the most advanced technologies necessary to meet requirements of the presidential mission,” the statement said. “Those requirements were carefully crafted to prioritize mission over aesthetics, leaving much of the previous head of state interior layout minimally changed.”
“No risk was taken in security, safety, or mission communications, but the collective team made trades on some of the less commonly used mission sets that Boeing must deliver to support the next 40 years,” the statement added.
Though the 747 jumbo jets that carry the president are commonly referred to as “Air Force One,” the term is technically an air-traffic-control call sign for any plane which the president is aboard.
In this instance, however, the president’s whereabouts were obscured on the C-32A flight to Britain using the nondescript call sign “Reach 18” or “RCH18,” according to a person familiar with the mission and other material reviewed by the Post.
The aviation account “Thenewarea51″ noted the C-32A’s arrival in Britain and its call sign, reporting that night that systems allowing for the aircraft to be easily tracked while in the air had been switched off. “Reach” call signs are often used for personnel transport flights and those that haul military equipment, according those familiar with the mission.
Publicly available flight tracking data shows that the former Qatari jet flew to Britain’s Mildenhall air base while bearing the call sign “SAM 33,” using a common abbreviation for “special air mission.” It landed at Mildenhall at 6:26 p.m. local time on July 8, data shows.
The legacy Air Force One plane carrying White House staff and journalists appeared on radar near Istanbul on its way to Britain, initially with no call sign listed. Despite the president not being aboard, it then took the Air Force One call sign, “AF1,” midflight and arrived at Mildenhall about 10:29 p.m. local time, the tracking data shows. A media pool report that night said the flight was “uneventful” with “no visitors to the press cabin.”
No flight tracker data could be found for the C-32A, but videos posted by the YouTube accounts RankUpAviation and Military Aviation Channel show the former Qatari jet landing, followed by a C-32A hours later at about 10:20 p.m. and the legacy Air Force One several minutes later.
Videos show the legacy Air Force One, after landing, coming to a stop in a place where the C-32A had briefly been parked. The hobbyist videos on YouTube do not show Trump exiting the C-32A or entering the legacy Air Force One, as the stairway entries faced away from the plane spotters’ cameras.
It’s not clear how Trump moved from the C-32A to the legacy Air Force One after landing, but he appeared before television cameras and descended external stairs from the legacy Air Force One about 10:56 p.m., according to a media pool report.
After greeting U.S. service members, the president embarked on the newly gifted Air Force One to travel back to Washington, with staff and press aboard after a transfer from the legacy Air Force One, at about 11:01 p.m. A social media post from the White House that night said that Trump had landed at the British base “aboard the former Air Force One,” and included a picture of the legacy plane.
Aboard the new Air Force One, Trump spoke to journalists for about 15 minutes, highlighting the threat Iran poses but not acknowledging the subterfuge that had occurred earlier.
Asked why reporters had been instructed to lower the window shades on the plane in Turkey, Trump said that it was “because you’re probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleaze bags that we have to deal with.” Trump said that he has a “threat all the time” against his life, and that he is “number one” on Iran’s “list.”
“But if I go, you go. Right?” Trump suggested to reporters. “Perhaps someday you want to change professions.”
The parents of a 7-week-old girl were charged with aggravated assault and related offenses after an examination at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia revealed the infant had been seriously injured, police said Monday.
Secret McCleve-Sar, 21, and Tyrone Jones, 22, both of the 2500 block of North Front Street, were arrested on Sunday and also charged with kidnapping, criminal conspiracy, endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and obstructing justice, police said.
Bail for each was set at 10% of $1 million and both were still in custody on Monday, court records show.
A court-appointed lawyer for McCleve-Sar declined to comment on the case. The Defender Association of Philadelphia, which is representing Jones, also could not be reached for comment.
On Saturday shortly after 6:30 a.m. police responded to CHOP for a report of a prior assault involving the infant girl.
The girl had initially been taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital by her parents and then was transferred to CHOP, police said. The parents allegedly left the hospital with their infant prior to receiving the results of the medical evaluation.
The investigation remains ongoing by the Special Victims Unit.
Canada put its military on standby Monday to help battle deadly wildfires in British Columbia as a local mayor warned that one of the blazes had wreaked huge destruction on his community. A woman has died and some 20,000 people have fled their homes so far.
For days, scores of wildfires have burned across the province, nearly half of them out of control in hot, windy weather and prolonged drought. Thousands have fled on jammed roads as officials said even more communities could be threatened.
The mayor of Summerland — home to about 12,000 people, which was ordered evacuated on Saturday night along with about 8,000 people in and around nearby Peachland — warned that the affected areas remained too dangerous to enter and that it was impossible to determine the scope of the destruction.
The blaze — known as the Bald Range wildfire — remained out of control after racing toward Summerland and other communities along Okanagan Lake over the weekend.
“It’s going to be quite a bit,” Mayor Doug Holmes said of the expected destruction. “We need to brace ourselves for that bad news when it’s time to go back. Everybody will know somebody who has lost a home.”
Defense Minister David McGuinty said the Canadian Armed Forces were in constant contact with provincial and federal officials and were ready to respond if British Columbia formally requested assistance. The federal government has already approved provincial requests for help with shelter and accommodations.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said an 80-year-old woman died while trying to escape the fire near Summerland. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the death was heartbreaking and that the federal government would continue supporting British Columbia.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service said Monday the fire had grown to about 60 square miles from 53 square miles on Sunday. Officials warned clearer skies and direct sunlight could increase fire activity.
Ravi Parmer, British Columbia Minister of Forests, said 19 helicopters were assigned to the Bald Range wildfire but that its intensity made it impossible to halt the blaze.
“We could have put a thousand more helicopters and a thousand more people on the ground, and it wouldn’t have made a difference,” he said.
British Columbia Wildfire Service information officer Nicole Bonnett said the smoke lingering over the Bald Range fire has reduced visibility, limiting the use of air tankers and water-skimming aircraft.
Bonnett said the blaze has been fueled primarily by extremely dry conditions rather than wind, and grew explosively Friday, reaching 19 square miles within three hours.
Evacuated residents face uncertain prospects for return
Holmes, the Summerland mayor, said there was no timetable for when residents would be able to return as power lines had been downed and hazards at the destroyed or damaged buildings would have to be assessed first. He added that residents would eventually return, likely neighborhood by neighborhood.
“The hard part is going home and seeing the devastation,” he cautioned.
Kyla Gaudiuso, a resident of Faulder, a 215-strong community, said her home was likely destroyed as she had gotten a photo showing the ridge where it stood engulfed in flames.
She described the community’s evacuation as “pandemonium” and said she was now staying with a friend in the town of Penticton.
“It doesn’t really seem real,” she said. “I have to see it to believe it.”
Progress made with Washington state fires
Firefighters in Spokane, Wash., have strengthened containment lines around three destructive blazes in recent days, allowing some evacuated residents to return home.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announced emergency proclamations to help those impacted by the fires at a news conference in Spokane on Monday. He suspended waiting periods for unemployment benefits and prohibited evictions, while the state Department of Licensing and Department of Health will help people who lost important documents get them immediately without charge.
The state is also working on a request to the federal government for a major disaster declaration that would secure more support, he said.
In California, evacuations have been ordered for areas along the famous Big Sur coast as a wildfire burns in the nearby steep, rugged mountains. The Timber Fire in Monterey County started Sunday and had grown to about 2 square miles by midday Monday, according to Cal Fire.
With just 25 days until Temple football’s season opener against Rhode Island, coach K.C. Keeler and his staff seem to have a pretty good idea of the starting lineup they’ll be rolling out at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 5.
But there is one glaring decision remaining — quarterback.
Here are observations from Temple’s Monday morning practice.
Temple quarterback Ajani Sheppard takes part in drills during practice at Edberg-Olson Hall on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
QB competition update
The quarterback competition between the transfer duo of Jaxon Smolik (Penn State) and Ajani Sheppard (Washington State) continued Monday morning.
Smolik, who got snaps in four games as a junior, found seniors Peter Clarke and Colin Chase multiple times, each for big gains.
Smolik also hit Clarke and Ryder Kusch through the middle on slant routes while finding Chase streaking down the sideline twice on big plays.
Temple coach K.C. Keeler is content to take his time making a decision on a starting quarterback.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Keeler declined to give any indication about who might be in the lead for the starting job.
“We’re not even close,” Keeler said. “I thought they both took a step forward today. I just look at last year and Evan [Simon] didn’t establish himself until later but looked strong. I’d also say Evan was going up against a defense that had some wider windows in practice than what these guys are seeing now, and I think the defense has played really sound, which has affected these guys.”
Last year, Simon and Gevani McCoy competed into the season opener against UMass, when Simon threw for six touchdowns and claimed the starting job.
“Yeah, I’m not going to overthink it,” Keeler said when asked if he’d be OK with a similar competition this year. “I’m just going to let it play out. Everyone would obviously prefer to have a guy, but at this time I think we let it play and see how it goes.”
Depth chart shakedown
Aside from quarterback, Keeler said “everything is kind of shaking out where you would’ve wanted it to” with the rest of the roster.
“There are positions like with the defensive line where we have 10 good guys and we’re going to play 10 guys on the defensive line, same thing with linebackers,“ he said.
And if the Owls continue to line up the way they have in practice, a skill-position core of wide receivers Chase, JoJo Bermudez, and Jayce Freeman, tight end Clarke, and running back Sam Brown looks promising.
Temple linebacker Uyi Igiehon (55) takes part in drills during practice at Edberg-Olson Hall on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Giakoby Hills, Eric King, Grayson Mains, Jackson Pruitt and Kevin Terry figure to start on the offensive line. Terry was thrust into the starting right tackle position following an injury to Luke Watson this week.
Keeler and offensive line coach Al Johnson have been vocal about having multiple players switching off and on throughout the game on the line.
“I absolutely [think we can have a rotation],” Johnson said following Saturday’s practice. “If you earn the right to play, you’re going to play. If we have seven guys that earn the right to play and help Temple football win football games, we’re going to play seven guys.”
With Watson, that number could jump to nine, though John Stone and Zach Aamland seem like the players who could rotate in the most at center and right guard/tackle, respectively.
On the defensive line, Keeler plans on having 10 players rotate in and out, a group that would likely be headlined by Cam Jones, Davier Bishop and Joseph Auzenne. Kevin Hornbeak Jr., Troy Cunningham, Kaleb Artis, Russell Sykes IV, and Lamar Fairfax are expected to see regular playing time on a unit that could be kept fresh in games.
Temple players look on during practice at Edberg-Olson Hall on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
On the edge and in the linebacker core, Jaylon Joseph and JaMair Diaz headline the outside and Curly Ordonez and Eric Stuart hold down the middle and weak-side linebacker spots, with Tyree Alualu, Jayvant Brown, Wesley Brown, Willy Love, and Aiden Britton likely to see meaningful time.
In the defensive backfield, Denzel Chavis and Adrian Laing will hold down the cornerback spots and Saboor Karriem and Avery Powell will take safety duties, with Jaeden Gould, Kolin Dinkins and Josiah Jackson in the conversation as well.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s campaign has spent about $108,000 on legal fees since the start of 2025, far more than it shelled out in any recent year, campaign finance records show.
For instance, in 2023, when Parker’s legal bills would have been expected to spike amid her winning campaign for mayor, the campaign paid about $14,900 in fees to its law firm, Dilworth Paxson, according to campaign finance reports. In 2024, Parker’s first year in office, the campaign sent Dilworth about $19,300.
But in 2025, payments to Dilworth more than quadrupled.
Aren Platt, executive director of the Democratic mayor’s campaign, People for Parker, did not respond to a request for comment on what was driving the increased legal bills.
“Our lawyers at Dilworth are an essential part of our team and it’s important that we are able to talk to them on a variety of strategic initiatives,” Platt said in a statement.
The campaign paid Dilworth about $88,700 in 2025, and an additional $19,700 between Jan. 1 and May 4 of this year, according to the most recent report.
“It’s an unusual number to see right now,” said Matthew Haverstick, a Philadelphia-based elections attorney who has primarily worked with Republican candidates. “There could be lots of prosaic or benign explanations for it, but it’s not normal.”
Election law gives campaigns wide latitude over how they spend money from donors. In addition to election-related expenses like advertisements or legal work on campaign finance compliance, campaigns can spend money on everything from constituents’ funeral expenses to airfare for candidates to attend political events. They can also support the candidates’ work in government.
Public records do not provide detailed information about campaign expenditures. After multiple requests from The Inquirer for the campaign’s legal expenses, Dilworth attorney Timothy J. Ford, who handles most of the campaign’s legal work, on Monday provided copies of invoices from 2023 through 2025.
The campaign told the Philadelphia Office of City Commissioners, which oversees elections and processed the request, that the delay was due to a mix-up involving an email address that is “not checked regularly.”
The invoices, which the commissioners said were “redacted for attorney-client privilege and client confidential information,” show Dilworth billed the campaign during that three-year period for four separate matters.
For “Matter 01,″ which included all the invoices during the election year of 2023, the firm billed the campaign for about $12,400, and almost all of the work appears to have been done by Ford. (The campaign spending reports and Dilworth’s invoices do not exactly align, due to the timing of payments and potentially other factors such as reimbursements.)
“Matter 02″ listed in the invoices lasted from February 2024 to March 2024, with Dilworth billing $2,300. Ford appeared to complete all the work.
The billings escalated with “Matter 03,” which began in March 2024, three months into Parker’s tenure, and lasted at least through October 2025, the period covered by the most recent invoice provided to The Inquirer. The firm billed about $62,100 for its work on that matter, and the invoices show that at least four people from Dilworth billed hours.
“Matter 04″ began in August 2025, and has resulted in $45,300 in billing with as of October 2025. Although most of the details are redacted, the invoices show extensive billing around an “interview” on Sept. 12, 2025. From Sept. 10 to 13, Dilworth billed nearly $7,800.
Additionally, the Parker Mayoral Transition and Inaugural Committee, which aided her transition into office and has since closed, paid Dilworth about $9,700 between December 2023 and March 2024, when it was active.
Parker’s campaign has been more active with fundraising during nonelection years than the campaigns of her recent predecessors. In 2025, she raised $1.7 million, more than any another second-year mayor since at least the early 2000s, according to her campaign.
People for Parker had about $1.4 million in cash on hand as of May 4 after raising about $241,000 and spending about $390,000 in the first four months of this year. Parker is up for reelection next year, and rumors have swirled about the potential of her facing a challenger backed by the progressive movement.
Earlier this year, Parker’s campaign donated $23,000 to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and $25,000 to Pick Pennsylvania, a committee led in part by Parker to lure the Democratic National Convention back to Philadelphia.
Political consultant Jeff Sheridan, who helped lead a super PAC that was critical to Parker’s 2023 victory, was a public point person for the One Philly nonprofit. In March 2024, he said the group was formed to advance Parker’s governing agenda, not to get involved in politics.
One Philly, which is not required to disclose its donors, raised $658,500 in 2024, Parker’s first year in office, according to an annual return the nonprofit filed with the IRS. It spent $484,900 that year to “promote policies and actions championed by City leaders.”
The group also reported paying nearly $19,000 in legal bills that year, and listed its representative as the Ballard Spahr law firm.
In 2025, the group reported raising only $15,000 and spent all of its remaining money, according to its most recent disclosure, filed in May.
Sheridan did not respond to a request for comment.
Staff writer Anna Orso contributed to this article.
Rick Santos has already implemented changes to Penn football as the new head coach.
While fans won’t see those changes until the Quakers’ season kicks off on Sept. 19 against Bucknell, Santos gave a glimpse inside his program during the Ivy League’s media day on Monday.
Santos, who led New Hampshire to three FCS playoff appearances in five seasons, was hired in December to succeed longtime Quakers coach Ray Priore. He is taking over a program that finished 3-4 in Ivy League play last season and has not won a conference title since 2016.
“I don’t think there was a ton of hurdles [taking over the program],” Santos said. “I just think it was an opportunity for growth for all of us to work as hard as we could to get this thing [going] and lay the foundation that we feel like is going to be sturdy for championships to come.”
Senior guard Luke Sacchetti added: “The overall buy-in is greater than I’ve ever seen rolling into a season. It felt like every day of spring ball was like a new game. Guys were really fighting and battling, whereas some years it felt like we might have just been lulled to sleep. So I’m really excited to see what we can do in the regular season.”
Here are other notable takeaways from Ivy media day.
Penn’s starting QB
Santos confirmed that junior Karson Siqueiros-Lasky will start at quarterback this season.
Siqueiros-Lasky lacks experience in the quarterback room, but the junior, who was named a captain, backed up starter Liam O’Brien last season. Due to Ivy League rules, O’Brien was forced to transfer for his final year of eligibility following his graduation from Penn. He will play at Cincinnati this season.
Siqueiros-Lasky has not started a game in college. He was primarily a pocket passer at Seminole High School in Sanford, Fla.
“I thought it was a really good battle during the spring between Karson Siqueiros-Lasky and [sophomore] Shane Throgmartin,” Santos said. “Those guys battled back and forth. I think by the end of it … Karson really took a stronghold on the position. He finished with a really strong spring scrimmage that we had. Right now, he’s the clear-cut No. 1 going into it.”
Another name at quarterback that Santos briefly mentioned is freshman Miles Teodecki — the highest-rated Penn recruit since 2000. Teodecki originally signed with Kansas State before mutually parting ways with the Big 12 program. The Quakers could see the freshman get time under center this season.
Penn officially announces their quarterback of the future, Miles Teodecki.
Teodecki is the highest rated Penn recruit since 2000. He had originally signed with Kansas State before mutually parting ways with the program. He had multiple P4 offers, but opted for the Ivies. https://t.co/tkp0r6QtKh
Santos brought his codefensive coordinators and cornerbacks coach with him from New Hampshire. Penn will run a similar defensive scheme to the one the Wildcats employed the past few years: a 4-2-5.
The scheme, which sees five defensive backs on the field at once, also plays to the Quakers’ strengths in the secondary. Santos noted that the team will look to lean on the “defensive backfield” spearheaded by senior safety Josh Narcisse and play “a lot of man-to-man.”
Last season, the Quakers gave up 377.4 yards per game — the second most in the Ivy League.
“We’ll take advantage of some of the experience that we have coming back,” Narcisse said. “Overall, when you look at our defense, without getting into the technicals, what you’ll see is a violent defense. We’re going to communicate every single snap before the play, during the play, and we’re going to swarm to the ball. We’re going to tackle well. We’re going to be efficient, and we’re going to limit all explosive plays. We’re going to cause chaos in the trenches.”
Yale’s Abu Kamara named captain
Delaware County’s Abu Kamara, now a senior defensive back at Yale, starred on both sides of the field at Interboro High.
During his final campaign with the Buccaneers, Kamara rushed for 2,832 yards and scored 40 total touchdowns. Defensively, he accounted for 70 tackles and 11 interceptions.
His career at Yale followed suit. Last season, Kamara recorded 76 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions. For his efforts, he was named a unanimous All-Ivy selection and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award — which is given annually to the best defensive player at the FCS level.
This offseason, Kamara was named a captain for the Bulldogs. However, he is not looking to let the new title change how he approaches his role on the team.
#Delco has taken over Franklin Field as Interboro football alum Abu Kamara is returning home as a member of the Yale Bulldogs. The sophomore defensive back comes into today's matchup versus Penn leading the FCS in solo tackles per game with 7.6. pic.twitter.com/p4hKgsi2DM
“I want to still be that same player,” Kamara said. “Still be that same person that people can come up to and ask questions and be comfortable around. I don’t want there to be some sort of barrier just because I’m of a certain status now. I still want to be known as Abu Kamara, the Yale football player, the funny, charismatic guy on the football team.”
In 2024, when Yale traveled to Penn, the Interboro faithful packed Franklin Field to cheer on Kamara — who finished his day with seven tackles, a sack, and two turnovers. Bucs fans will get the chance to do the same come Oct. 23, when the Bulldogs face Penn at Franklin Field.
Chester County authorities believe that the shooting death of a woman in East Goshen Township on Friday was a suicide and that a 9-year-old girl also was wounded by gunfire.
“The child who was shot continues to recover from her injuries. As we announced on Friday, this was an isolated incident and there was no threat to the general public,” the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement Monday.
Police were dispatched just before 11 a.m. to the Summit House condominium complex on West Chester Pike for a reported shooting. Inside the unit, the officers found the woman, described only as in her 40s, dead from a single gunshot wound.
The girl was treated at the scene by paramedics and was alert and able to speak, said Chief David Leahy of the Westtown-East Goshen Police Department.
Police found a gun not far from the woman’s body.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that the Chester County District Attorney’s Office said the girl was struck by the same bullet that killed the woman.
