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  • Union drops opening match of the Leagues Cup to Cruz Azul

    Union drops opening match of the Leagues Cup to Cruz Azul

    The Union dropped the first of three Leagues Cup matches, 1-0, to Cruz Azul Thursday at Subaru Park.

    José Paradela scored a third-minute goal that put the Liga MX side in control of the match, securing three points for fourth-seeded Cruz Azul in the Cup’s Phase 1 standings.

    The loss severely dampens the No. 5 seed Union’s odds of advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament, which pits 18 Liga MX teams against 18 qualified MLS teams.

    Ryan Richter balances wanting a deep Leagues Cup run for the Union with a packed August

    After three Liga MX vs. MLS matchups, the top four teams from each league advance to a single-elimination bracket.

    This is the Cup’s second season utilizing an eight-team bracket. In 2025, no MLS team that lost in regulation in any of its three matches advanced to the knockout stage.

    Paradela’s goal for Cruz Azul came before some spectators had settled into their seats.

    Paradela launched a left-footed strike from the edge of the 18-yard box that beat an outstretched Andrew Rick, who started in place of usual goalkeeper Andre Blake.

    While one could question how much stock the Union should place in the Cup competition amid the attempted revival of their MLS campaign, Ryan Richter approached Thursday with a mostly first-choice lineup, aside from Rick.

    Quinn Sullivan returned to the starting lineup for the first time since tearing his ACL at the end of the 2025 season, across from his younger brother Cavan Sullivan.

    “[It throws] you into the fire,” Quinn Sullivan said of his first start back. “I love it. We know any Mexican team’s going to bring the intensity and the fight, the hitting and the afters. I’m all for it, as long as it’s not too out of line. … Physical match. Sixty-five minutes on my legs. I’m definitely going to be sore tomorrow.”

    It is the second time the Sullivan brothers started together for the Union. They also started together against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the 2025 U.S. Open Cup.

    “It was great to see [Quinn] back,” Cavan Sullivan said. “Obviously he still has some restrictions, but it’s great to see him back, [being] dynamic, beating guys. We had a couple linkups, some unsuccessful, some successful. I’m really happy.”

    Cruz Azul fans cheer on at the start of the Leagues Cup match against the Union in Chester.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    Seven minutes after his goal, Paradela was shown yellow for obstructing a free kick awarded to the Union at the edge of the attacking third.

    It appeared Omar Campos added a second goal to Cruz Azul’s lead in the 13th minute, but a Video Assistant Referee check determined Gabriel Fernández was offside in the build up, disallowing the goal.

    Jesús Bueno was shown yellow in the 23rd after a dangerous challenge on Cruz Azul’s Érik Lira. Bueno, making his first start for the Union since April, brought his left leg up near Lira’s shoulder to contest the possession.

    Cruz Azul set social media ablaze by putting its flag on the Rocky statue before Leagues Cup opener against Union

    Under high heat and oppressive humidity that necessitated a hydration break past the 30th minute, Cruz Azul held on to its 1-0 lead through a physical opening half. Both the Union and Cruz Azul finished the first half with an equal number of shots and fouls (3).

    The Union continued to press in the second half, registering seven shots between the 45th and the 65th minutes. Both Cavan Sullivan and Milan Iloski registered near misses on potential equalizers in the 59th and 61st, respectively.

    “I was very proud of the way we went for this game in the end,” Richter said. “The goal just didn’t come. But there [were] a lot of positives we can take from it.”

    Richter made his first pair of changes in the 66th minute, bringing on Indiana Vassilev for Quinn Sullivan and Bruno Damiani for Ezekiel Alladoh.

    Another trio of swaps came in the 79th minute, with Neil Pierre, Agustín Anello and Jovan Lukić replacing Japhet Sery Larsen, Nathan Harriel and Bueno.

    Union midfielder Danley Jean Jacques (left) on the ball during the first half against Cruz Azul.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    Iloski broke through on goal in the 85th, but his shot sailed over the crossbar. Iloski was held scoreless Thursday, snapping a six-game scoring streak.

    The Union wanted a penalty in the 90th minute after Iloski’s cross appeared to make contact with the arm of a Cruz Azul defender inside the 18-yard box, but referee Juan Gabriel Calderon Pérez did not award a spot kick.

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    — Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 10:19 PM

    “I didn’t speak to the ref about it, but, yeah, I think it was a penalty,” Richter said after the match.

    “They said that they were checking it,” Richter added. “[It is] disappointing. I think it would have been the fair decision.”

    Instead, the Union suffered their first loss since returning from the FIFA World Cup break.

    Up next …

    The Union will face Necaxa in their second Leagues Cup match on at Subaru Park on Sunday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV).

  • Kyle Schwarber breaks out of his slump as Phillies hit eight doubles in 7-3 win vs. Nationals

    Kyle Schwarber breaks out of his slump as Phillies hit eight doubles in 7-3 win vs. Nationals

    With several hours still to go before Thursday’s first pitch against the Nationals, a stifling humidity settled around Citizens Bank Park. To get his pregame swings in, Kyle Schwarber could have easily retreated to the air-conditioned batting cages underneath the stadium as he normally does.

    But instead, the Phillies slugger shifted his daily routine to take an early hitting session with coach Kevin Long outside on the field. As he searched for the end of a slump that had reached 0-for-18, Schwarber wanted to see the ball fly.

    “Sweating bullets out there. That was fun,” Schwarber said. “But being able to try to find the little reset there.”

    Andrew Painter expected to make his next start; Derek Hill avoided injury from collision

    The extra work seemed to pay off, as he later delivered a pair of singles and drove in a run in the Phillies’ 7-3 win over Washington. One thing Schwarber didn’t do was hit a double. But his teammates more than made up for that, setting a season-high with eight total doubles from seven different Phillies.

    Schwarber hopes his results on Thursday are a sign he’s turning the corner from a slow start since the All-Star break. The power is still a work in progress. His homer drought has stretched to 15 games.

    “Once I got into that third, fourth at-bat there, and even the fifth at-bat — even though it did result in a strikeout — I felt like that I was starting to get into the positions that I wanted to get into, and the field that I wanted to get into,” Schwarber said.

    Even when he’s at his hottest, Schwarber doesn’t step into the box trying to hit a homer. In fact, he’s usually thinking about staying in the middle of the field and hitting line drives. It just so happens that when he makes that kind of contact, it often goes out beyond the fence. While that hasn’t happened lately, Schwarber is hopeful that it’ll come if he sticks with the process.

    “I just want to try to have the best at-bats I can, keep the quality contact there, keep the chase to a minimum, and find a way on base for our guys,” Schwarber said.

    The Phillies offense racked up 16 hits, knocking around Nationals starter Miles Mikolas for six runs. Luis Arraez started the double party in the first inning, driving in Trea Turner and Bryce Harper with a line drive to right field.

    Justin Crawford was the only other Phillies starter to finish without a double, but like Schwarber, he contributed in other ways. Crawford laced an RBI single in the second inning, and executed a sacrifice bunt in the sixth. After Bryson Stott hit his second double of the game, Crawford’s bunt advanced him to third and he scored on Schwarber’s single.

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    “It was nice to see the guys swing the bats tonight, kind of up and down,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “Everybody with contributions, getting out there early was nice, and to be able to keep scoring was one of those things that you feel good about.”

    The Phillies’ early lead could have been even bigger, but both Arraez and Crawford were waved home on aggressive sends from third that backfired, as each were thrown out at the plate.

    Starter Cristopher Sánchez didn’t look as sharp as usual, but he held the Nationals to two runs. He gave up six hits, including a solo homer to Andrew Pickney for his first major league hit, and walked two. Sánchez allowed baserunners in every inning he pitched except for the first.

    He wasn’t making many bats miss with his sinker, which only generated one swing-and-miss on 23 swings. But Sánchez still struck out six, five of which came on his changeup.

    Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez allowed baserunners in every inning he pitched except for the first. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    “I try to pitch as good as I can when I have traffic on the bases and try to get out of those jams, and I always go out there trying to put the team in the best position to win,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello.

    In the fifth inning, Sánchez loaded the bases on a single and two walks. Pitching coach Caleb Cotham came out to the mound to give him a chance to steady his breathing in the heat, and afterward Sánchez rebounded with a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.

    But the long at-bats and long innings had driven his pitch count up, and his night ended there at 98 pitches.

    “Just seemed like he was tick off tonight,” Mattingly said. “They’ve been tough on him all year, it feels like. They’ve put the ball in play. They single him, foul him off a little bit. I thought the fifth was huge. Him getting out of that jam was huge for us. You can tell he kind of emptied the tank there at the end.”

    It was not an ideal situation for a club that used eight bullpen arms in an extra-innings loss the night before, but the offense provided enough of a cushion. Orion Kerkering, José Alvarado, Jonathan Bowlan, and Jhoan Duran made appearances after also pitching on Wednesday.

    Lewis Kalb never became a professional announcer. But during Wednesday’s Phillies game, he had his ‘moment.’

    “We wanted Sánchy obviously to be able to go further and keep more guys out of the game. But obviously, good to see those guys bounce back,” Mattingly said.

    A run scored on Kerkering in the sixth after he gave up a triple to Jacob Young and a single to Keibert Ruiz. He battled back with consecutive strikeouts to strand runners on the corners.

    The Phillies played some solid defense, too. The new-look infield turned a double play to help out Sánchez in the fourth. Over at third base, Stott caught a foul pop-up just before his momentum took him a few steps into the Nationals’ dugout.

    In the ninth inning, Bryan De La Cruz entered the game in right field as a defensive substitution for Bryce Harper, and made a sliding grab on a line drive.

    The Phillies infielders celebrate after their 7-3 win on Thursday night.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    The Phillies have won their second consecutive series since getting swept by the Marlins last week. They did it without a single homer from their home run leader. But they expect those to come along soon.

    “I think it’s just a matter of time with him,” Mattingly said of Schwarber. “He’s not one of the guys that I sit there and think about, worrying if he’s going to bounce back or not. He’s going to catch fire again.”

  • Flyers sign ‘feisty’ restricted free agent Nikita Grebenkin to two-year deal

    Flyers sign ‘feisty’ restricted free agent Nikita Grebenkin to two-year deal

    Nikita Grebenkin is always smiling. He’s probably got a big grin right now after he and the Flyers agreed to a new deal. The restricted free agent signed a two-year, $2.2 million contract with an average annual value of $1.1 million on Thursday.

    The Flyers have one more restricted free agent to sign in defenseman Hunter McDonald.

    Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade at the 2025 NHL deadline that sent Scott Laughton home, Grebenkin was a sparkplug this past season when he was in the lineup.

    The 23-year-old Russian, who played in seven NHL games with the Leafs, made the Flyers out of camp after a strong preseason. He had four goals and 10 assists in 55 regular-season games, notching his first NHL tally Nov. 4 against the Montreal Canadiens. The goal came at a critical time as the Flyers, who entered the game on a two-game losing streak, took a 3-0 lead in the first period before Montreal scored four times in the second. Grebenkin tied the game in the third, and the Flyers won in a shootout.

    Although he was in and out of the lineup until late March, when he suffered an upper-body injury and missed the rest of the season, he had some memorable moments.

    Fans gather for Flyers’ Community Caravan in Ocean City with renewed optimism about the team’s future

    In October, and playing in just his fourth game as a Flyer, he instigated a fight with Seattle Kraken defenseman Cale Fleury, body-slamming him to the ice, after Garnet Hathaway was awkwardly hit.

    “It was awesome. Didn’t see it coming,” defenseman Cam York said after the Flyers’ win. “But he’s a feisty guy, I think, and any time one of our guys gets hit like that, you want to stick up for him. It’s who we are here; we’re a family, and just part of what we do.”

    He gestured to the hometown faithful to get them amped on his way to the penalty box and played just 7 minutes, 38 seconds in the game, after earning 17 minutes’ worth of penalty time for his fight.

    Philadelphia Flyers right wing Nikita Grebenkin (29) fights Seattle Kraken defenseman Cale Fleury (8) on Oct. 20. Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    In January, he also mucked it up all night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, eventually dropping the gloves with Max Crozier in the third period. “Really feisty, finishing the body, getting into the corner, going to the net,” coach Rick Tocchet said after the game. “ … He was just engaged. It’s really nice to see. He’s an identity player for us there tonight.”

    With his contract renewed, the question is whether Grebenkin will be ready to go. The winger missed the final 13 games and the playoffs. “Initially, we thought it was going to be something short, and it just never got better,” general manager Danny Brière said at his end-of-season availability. “Now we’re looking at different options for him. So he’s the only one that I would say ‘maybe,’ if it doesn’t improve.”

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    Grebenkin skated during development camp, participating in drills and showing off that grin. A team source told The Inquirer in late July that Grebenkin is progressing well and the hope is he will be ready for training camp, which starts on Sept. 17.

    If he is indeed good to go, the Flyers would love to have him in the lineup.

    “He’s another young winger. He brings us a different flavor, a little bit of flair, a little bit of getting under the skin of the opponent with the big smile,” Brière told The Inquirer in June. “We hope that he can recover and be there. He could be a different type of player for us that we could use.”

  • Fans gather for Flyers’ Community Caravan in Ocean City with renewed optimism about the team’s future

    Fans gather for Flyers’ Community Caravan in Ocean City with renewed optimism about the team’s future

    On May 27, 1975, Barbara Flank’s father woke his then 4-year-old daughter, carried her downstairs, and sat her in front of the television.

    “You might only see this once in your lifetime,” Flank remembered her father telling her about what was happening on the screen. The Flyers were on the verge of defeating the Buffalo Sabres, 2-0, in Game 6 to claim their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

    Ever since that night, Flank, who grew up in Atlantic City and now lives in Somers Point, has been a diehard Flyers fan.

    On Thursday, Flank joined hundreds of fellow fans at the Ocean City Sport and Civic Center for the Flyers’ 10th annual Community Caravan presented by Xfinity. It was an offseason celebration that showcased the excitement surrounding the team coming off a playoff appearance and a busy summer building momentum for the future.

    Fans showed up dressed head to toe in the Flyers’ signature orange and black, lining up for autographs from former players, exclusive giveaways, and a chance to meet Gritty.

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    The event featured Flyers-themed merchandise, including Gritty beach towels, reusable tote bags, visors, slim koozies, and Gritty memo pads. Fans posed for pictures with Gritty and had the chance to shop official Flyers apparel from the merch pop-up — Porter Martone and Trevor Zegras jerseys were the most popular items. There were also obstacle courses, ping-pong tables, and hockey sticks for people to play with.

    The main purpose of the event is to continue to keep fans engaged during the offseason, President of Flyers Charities and Alternate Governor of the Flyers Blair Listino said.

    “This is really to bring our fans together with our alumni and partners and get them involved in the community,” Listino said. “As we know, a lot of people spend their summers down at the Shore, so it is intentional to have these events down here. We want to make it convenient for the fans so we can get a lot of engagement.”

    The caravan made stops in Voorhees, Cape May, Mays Landing, and Ocean City and will end in Exton on Aug. 19.

    Lauren McMally hands out a beach towel to a fan during the Flyers’ Community Caravan on Thursday.Tim Hawk / For The Inquirer

    One of the tents at the caravan featured an interactive game from the student wellness app the Flyers developed with Athlon last year. Designed to provide students in Philadelphia and South Jersey school districts with “brain breaks” both in and out of the classroom, the app places users in a virtual Flyers environment where they skate across the ice, jump over obstacles, and duck to avoid Gritty, Listino said. Fans were able to try the game during the event for a chance to win Flyers prizes.

    Engaging with the former players was the highlight of the event for Wallingford native Jason Kilpatrick, who has been a Flyers fan since he was born in 1979. He took off work on Thursday to attend the event with his 7 and 10 year old sons.

    “I went right up to Brian Propp and I was like, ‘You’re one of my childhood heroes. It’s so nice to meet you,’” Kilpatrick said. “It was nice to connect with him. I remember when I was my son’s age watching him play in the Stanley Cup finals, so that was pretty cool.”

    Trevor Zegras inked a major contract extension with the Flyers. Next up: Lending his time and service to the Shoulder Check cause.

    Propp was joined by fellow Flyers alumni Doug Crossman, Riley Cote, Bob Kelly, and Todd Fedoruk. Each spent time signing autographs and interacting with fans.

    Long lines wrapped around the venue throughout the afternoon as fans waited to get in, a sight Fedoruk said reflects the growing enthusiasm surrounding the franchise.

    “It is a lot better when they’re winning,” Fedoruk said. “The caravan is something that grows year after year, and it’s good to get involved in the community. Five years ago, I was doing this event and 150 people showed up. You got the diehard Flyers fans to show up, but when they start winning even more people come out.”

    Gritty greets fans during the Flyers’ Community Caravan on Thursday.Tim Hawk / For The Inquirer

    The buzz around the offseason moves made by management were at the top of conversation for many people attending the event. Fifteen-year-old Tommy Klem, who was in Ocean City for vacation with his family, said the Leo Carlsson pursuit and other deals during the offseason sent a message to the rest of the league.

    “It kind of shows they are progressing through the rebuild and they’re not going for all these 28-, 29-year-old guys, but they’re going for the guys they can build off on in the future,” Tommy said.

    He and his father, Tom Klem, have remained loyal to the Flyers despite living in Granby, Conn., deep in Boston Bruins fan territory, he said.

    Tom was christened on the day the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup in 1974, and has stayed a fan ever since.

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    “My mother is from Bensalem, so I grew up a fan of all the Philadelphia teams,” Tom said. “My sons haven’t had the long hard misery that I’ve had as a fan, but we are optimistic about the future of the team.”

    Fedoruk, who spent seven seasons with the Flyers after being drafted 164th overall in 1997, agreed that the offseason only strengthened their chances of making another playoff run.

    “That’s a big message that the organization sent to the entire league this summer with the offer sheet, the dynamics of it, and just the moves that they made,” Fedoruk said. “They’re doing what a team should be doing.

    “I think the other teams are going to be aware of that, but mostly the players are going to know that this is a destination city. You’re going to want to come and play here. And that’s probably due to the fan base and the job the front office has done.”

    Fans line up to meet former Flyers players on Thursday.Tim Hawk / For The Inquirer
  • Jaylen Brown insists ‘winning is the agenda’ as he joins star-studded Sixers

    Jaylen Brown insists ‘winning is the agenda’ as he joins star-studded Sixers

    Jaylen Brown sat immersed in his new basketball community Thursday afternoon, ready to move forward.

    The All-NBA wing had stepped inside the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center’s gymnasium in Southwest Philly. An absence of air-conditioning in early August did not prevent kids wearing blue T-shirt jerseys — with Brown and the No. 7 on the back — from creating a human tunnel to welcome the 76ers’ star. Mike Gansey, the Sixers’ president of basketball operations, marveled at the scene, saying, “This is Jaylen Brown right there, man. … This is a special, special day to be a Seventy-Sixer.”

    It was Brown’s official introduction to Philly after last month’s blockbuster trade from the rival Boston Celtics, part of the Sixers’ stunning and swift roster revamp that also lured the legendary LeBron James and fortified the bench.

    Brown proclaimed that, “on paper,” these new-look Sixers boast “excellent” talent but cautioned that those names “don’t really mean nothing” when it comes to future on-court success. The 29-year-old also shrugged off a question about if there are enough touches to go around on a roster now full of high-usage stars, and acknowledged he is “not sure completely yet” what these Sixers will need most from him.

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    So his initial focus is on winning — and to “just be myself.”

    “That’s one thing that I can promise this city, the organization, and the coaching staff,” Brown said during his news conference, “that I’m going to come in every single day and be myself. Put my best foot forward. Lead with my integrity, lead with my mentality, and lead with my capacity and my will to win.

    “We’ll figure out the Xs and Os and the ins and outs. But winning is the agenda, so that’s the first thing that’s on my mind.”

    Inquiries are valid about where Brown envisions his fit on a roster that also features All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey, former NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, and second-year standout guard VJ Edgecombe.

    Brown is coming off the best individual season of his career, when he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists and finished sixth in MVP voting. Brown also publicly called it his “favorite season” on more than one occasion, because he was the unquestioned top offensive option while fellow superstar wing Jayson Tatum recovered from Achilles surgery and helped a Celtics team that many outsiders had written off finish second in the Eastern Conference’s regular-season standings.

    That will not be the case on these Sixers now expected to legitimately chase a title in a deep Eastern Conference headlined by the defending-champion New York Knicks. Sacrifice, transparency, and communication between those stars will be critical, Brown said Thursday.

    In turn, Brown vowed to earn the “trust and respect” of his new teammates. He is excited to learn from James, an all-time great and four-time champion. Those two premier newcomers are already in multiple group chats with the established Sixers, which Brown said are active “damn near every day.” Reserve forwards Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker were in attendance at Thursday’s news conference.

    “I don’t care about the MVP award or the Finals MVP,” Brown said. “None of that stuff really moves me. It’s nice, but the only thing that’s going to move me is doing something collectively, so a championship.

    “That’s what I’m looking forward to, trying to start that journey and building toward [it].”

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    Brown reflected fondly on his 10 seasons in Boston, where he spent one-third of his life and became a five-time All-Star and Finals MVP. He declined to fully rehash his messy and public departure — when his game and personality were heavily scrutinized by professional and social-media pundits — though acknowledged he is still processing “to some degree” the emotions of such a jarring professional and personal change.

    “It’s been a crazy transition,” Brown said. “ … It has been a lot.”

    But now Brown has officially begun immersing himself in his new basketball community. After his afternoon rec center visit, he headed to Citizens Bank Park to throw out the first pitch of the Phillies-Nationals game. Sixers training camp begins in less than eight weeks.

    Sixers forward Jaylen Brown throws the ceremonial first pitch before the Phillies played the Washington Nationals on Thursday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    He sees the same impressive roster that has vaulted his new team into contender status. He also recognizes that a list of names and past individual accomplishments are not guaranteed to translate to the court.

    So he will start his Sixers tenure by prioritizing winning, and being himself.

    “Obviously, on paper, we look great,” Brown said. “But let’s all slow down. It takes real work every single day in order to make something like this happen. …

    “I’m looking forward to doing whatever it is I need to do, whoever I need to talk to, to make sure that we’re on the same page and everybody’s focused on the same thing. If we do that, then we’ll be where we want to be.”

  • McConnell says he’s leaving rehabilitation center to continue recovery at home

    McConnell says he’s leaving rehabilitation center to continue recovery at home

    WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says he’s been discharged from a rehabilitation center and will continue his recovery from home.

    The former Senate leader was first admitted to the hospital on June 14. He disclosed weeks later that his hospitalization was the result of a fall and said he was undergoing physical therapy.

    McConnell, 84, gave no specific date for his return to the Capitol, but senators are expected to soon leave Washington for the traditional August recess. Votes are unlikely for the next five weeks once they adjourn.

    “On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell said in a statement released by his office.

    McConnell had polio in his early childhood and has long acknowledged some difficulty walking and climbing stairs as an adult. The Office of the Attending Physician has said McConnell was undergoing a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation since he left the hospital, which includes multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls.

    The senator is determined to finish out his seventh term, which concludes in January.

    McConnell’s absence is being felt in the Senate as Republicans were unable to advance a farm bill out of committee Thursday. The committee’s chairman, Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, said he spoke with McConnell this week about the bill.

    “I know how much he would have wanted to be here to advocate for Kentucky’s farmers and rural communities,” Boozman said in kicking off the committee’s meeting Thursday.

    But there has also been criticism that McConnell has not been transparent enough about his health. The state’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, recently called on the senator to either prove that he is fit to continue serving after his lengthy hospital stay or resign from office.

  • Trump signs 2 immigration actions to limit birthright citizenship

    Trump signs 2 immigration actions to limit birthright citizenship

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is once more trying to limit the number of people who are born in the country who can become American citizens, in a sign that even after his first attempt at limiting birthright citizenship was rejected by the Supreme Court, he’s ready to try again.

    The president said he was signing two executive actions on immigration.

    He said one will limit the number of people eligible for U.S. citizenship after being born in the United States.

    A second order seeks to curb what Trump called “birth tourism” by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. who want to obtain visas to give birth while in the country.

    Additional details weren’t provided, but Trump said he thought his latest actions would be constitutional.

    In June, the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s previous efforts to declare that children born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens, and upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship.

    On Trump’s first day in office of his second term, he signed an executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship, which allows anyone born in the United States to automatically become an American citizen.

    Trump’s administration was immediately sued by opponents who said the executive order went against the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War, which makes anyone born in the country a citizen, with very limited exceptions.

    The executive order was blocked by several lower courts and never took effect.

    In June, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s order by a 6-3 vote. But the vote was too close for many immigration advocates and legal observers who felt the legal question of birthright citizenship was a long-settled issue.

  • Andrew Painter expected to make his next start; Derek Hill avoided injury from collision

    Andrew Painter expected to make his next start; Derek Hill avoided injury from collision

    The Phillies’ 10-4 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday was overshadowed by several injury scares. Andrew Painter left his start after just four innings with hamstring tightness, while Derek Hill exited with a bruised shoulder after crashing into the center field wall in the 11th. After both players were evaluated on Thursday, though, the Phillies were optimistic.

    Imaging on Painter came back clear, and interim manager Don Mattingly said he is expected to make his next start.

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    “It’s obviously a sigh of relief that you know you’re not going to be searching for a starter every fifth day. And really everything last night could have been a lot worse,” Mattingly said.

    Hill went through protocols and evaluation after the collision. He was sore but has avoided injury.

    “He feels like he probably should, after running into a wall,” Mattingly said.

    Mattingly added that depending on how Hill progressed through pregame activities, the outfielder might be available off the bench on Thursday.

    Bryce Harper was also checked out by trainers Wednesday night after jamming his hand while attempting to steal second in the 10th, but remained in the game and was fine afterward. Harper was back in the lineup in right field on Thursday.

  • Luis Arraez is the latest Phillie Justin Crawford has pulled aside to ‘pick his brain’

    Luis Arraez is the latest Phillie Justin Crawford has pulled aside to ‘pick his brain’

    After Luis Arraez had traversed the length of the dugout, doling out high fives in celebration of his fifth homer of the season, Justin Crawford had a question for him.

    The Phillies rookie pulled aside the newest member of the team to ask what he’d seen from Nationals pitcher Jake Irvin that had allowed him to take him deep. Arraez sent an 0-2 sinker at the top of the zone 385 feet off the foul pole in right field.

    “I figured he’s probably going to try to pitch me similar to how he pitched him,” Crawford said. “So I was just trying to pick his brain, and see what he saw from him.”

    Derek Hill and Andrew Painter suffer injuries in Phillies’ 10-4 loss to Nationals in 11 innings

    When it was Crawford’s turn, he attacked a first-pitch fastball from Irvin, and powered it to deep center field for a sacrifice fly that scored a run.

    The exchange between him and Arraez was caught on NBCSP’s broadcast cameras, but it’s something Crawford does often with his teammates. He is always asking fellow lefties Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott for advice, because he sees their approach as somewhat similar to his own.

    “Just lefties that are kind of similar to me, where I think pitchers might try to pitch us kind of the same,” Crawford said. “Arraez, I went up to him. He had a pretty long at-bat, I think, too. So went up there and [I] asked him what he saw. And yeah, I definitely took that into my next at-bat.”

    Arraez, with his ability to spray the ball all over the field and his penchant for singles, might be more similar to Crawford than anyone else on the team. Both lefties hit for average, don’t swing and miss a lot, and have the ability to manufacture runs. Power is not a main feature of either of their games.

    Luis Arraez celebrates a second-inning home run with Alec Bohm on Wednesday.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Arraez has three batting titles and is on pace for his fourth. Crawford won the International League batting title in the minors last year after putting up a .334 average in triple A.

    He knows there is a lot he can learn from his new teammate.

    “I think that’s someone I’m going to be relying on throughout the rest of the year, honestly,” Crawford said. “Just with our profiles being pretty similar, knowing that, how pitchers try to pitch him will most likely be how they’re trying to pitch me.”

    What impresses Crawford most about Arraez’s approach is how hard he battles at the plate. Although he has the lowest strikeout rate in MLB — 4.4% — Arraez is not afraid to fall behind in the count and work long at-bats.

    “Just how tough of an out he is,” Crawford said. “I think every at-bat, he goes up there, competes, and his ability to be able to extend that at-bat, put the ball in play, is something that I think is really unique. And also is a lost art.”

    Lewis Kalb never became a professional announcer. But during Wednesday’s Phillies game, he had his ‘moment.’

    The potential mentorship between Arraez and Crawford is something that interim manager Don Mattingly thinks can really benefit the rookie in the long run.

    “I think Luis is a guy for him. It’s a great guy for him to talk to,” Mattingly said. “He’s left-handed. He’s won a few batting titles. Craw’s won a couple in the minor leagues, so they’re similar guys. Obviously, they look a little different, but they’re similar in what they do.”

    The energy the 29-year-old Arraez has injected into the Phillies lineup in just the two games since they acquired him is clear watching from the outside. But behind the scenes, his leadership is already shining through.

    “Throughout the year, throughout every game, I think I’m going to be kind of leaning on him,” Crawford said. “He’s such a leader too, already, so it’s been really good so far.”

    Phillies outfielder Derek Hill leaves the game against the Nationals after crashing into the center field wall on Wednesday.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Extra bases

    Zack Wheeler (10-2, 2.49 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener opposite Blue Jays right-hander José Soriano (9-6, 3.29). Toronto acquired Soriano at the trade deadline, and he will be making his debut with the club. … Chase Utley is set to be inducted into the Phillies’ Wall of Fame on Friday before the game.

  • Ukraine strikes more oil facilities deep inside Russia, Zelensky says

    Ukraine strikes more oil facilities deep inside Russia, Zelensky says

    KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine hit more oil facilities deep inside Russia in overnight attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, as Kyiv kept up its campaign to undermine Moscow’s wartime economy and embarrass the Kremlin.

    The repeated strikes have caused fuel shortages and rattled Russians. Ukrainians, meanwhile, are enduring regular barrages that Kyiv’s depleted air defenses are struggling to counter amid Moscow’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

    The Kyiv region observed an official day of mourning Thursday after a Russian missile and drone blitz killed 17 people the previous day, prompting an increasingly urgent scramble by Ukraine and its allies to find new air defense supplies.

    In the first six months of this year, 1,396 civilians were killed and 7,978 injured in Ukraine, the United Nations office in Kyiv said Wednesday. That was a 37% increase from the same period last year and a 114% jump over 2024, it said, attributing the rise to more long-range aerial attacks by Russia.

    Zelensky said he met with senior officials on how to accelerate the development of Ukraine’s own ballistic weaponry, similar to its swift wartime innovation in drone technology.

    “Developing one’s own ballistic capabilities and creating a new anti-ballistic system is a task that only a tiny minority of countries worldwide have managed to accomplish,” he said in a social media post. “Ukraine has this capability.”

    Zelensky said he expects the program to produce results this year and next after it overcomes “key challenges,” including procuring critical components, technological cooperation with partner countries, and choosing where to build the armaments.

    Ukraine says it hit Russian refineries and vessels at sea

    Ukrainian forces hit a refinery in Russia’s Bashkortostan region, more than 800 miles from the front line, as well as a refinery in the Yaroslavl region, almost 400 miles from the border, Zelensky said on social media.

    Yaroslavl Gov. Mikhail Yevrayev confirmed an attack on a refinery, saying in a Telegram post that drone debris hit the facility’s oil reservoirs, sparking a fire. Three private houses also caught fire, and several residential buildings were damaged, he added.

    Ukrainian forces hit two Russian military patrol boats in the Black Sea, Zelensky said, along with vessels belonging to Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet, which Russia uses to evade Western restrictions on its oil exports. He did not give any details.

    The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight shot down 605 Ukrainian drones over its territory.

    Ukraine seeks more interceptor missiles to bolster air defenses

    Drone and glide bomb attacks across Ukraine overnight killed at least three civilians and wounded 22 others, authorities said Thursday, as countries helping Kyiv resist the invasion scrambled to find more vital air defenses for its fight.

    Moscow’s forces have in recent weeks pummeled Ukraine with ballistic missiles that Kyiv officials say only the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system can stop. But the Iran war has drained stocks of Patriot interceptor missiles, leaving Ukraine at the mercy of Russian bombardments that seek to exploit the weakened air defenses.

    “We are working as hard as possible with all partners who can assist with the supply of interceptor missiles to protect against such insane Russian strikes targeting life, people, and civilian facilities,” Zelensky said on social media late Wednesday.

    He said he had spoken to NATO chief Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb about urgently procuring interceptors from stockpiles. Zelensky said he and Rutte “coordinated our efforts regarding countries that have the necessary missiles and the capacity to help.”

    Rutte said on X that he was discussing with allies “how we can continue to get Ukraine the air defenses they urgently need.”

    Russian glide bombs wound 12 in Sumy region

    Russia appears determined to exhaust Ukraine through sheer weight of numbers in terms of soldiers, armor and weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes time is on his side, that Western support will fade and that Ukraine’s resistance will eventually collapse under pressure, Western analysts and officials say.

    Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired four missiles and 101 long-range strike drones overnight, with air defenses shooting down or jamming 66 drones.

    Three people were killed in Balakliia in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, said Vitalii Karabanov, head of the city’s military administration.

    In the neighboring Sumy region, Russian glide bombs wounded 12 people, the National Police said. Apartment buildings and infrastructure were damaged, with hundreds of windows shattered, said regional military administration chief Oleh Hryhorov.

    In the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, a Russian drone struck a bus carrying farmworkers, injuring six people, regional authorities said.

    A Russian drone also struck a residential area in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, injuring four, said regional administration head Ivan Fedorov.

    UN chief condemns escalating attacks

    U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned both sides for their attacks, his spokesman said.

    “These latest series of attacks follow an alarming pattern of escalating strikes against populated areas, reportedly resulting in a record-level increase in numbers of civilian casualties and widespread destruction of residential and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as increasingly in the Russian Federation,” said Farhan Haq, Guterres’ deputy spokesman.

    The U.N. chief also called for freedom of navigation in the Black and Azov seas, expressing concern at the risks to shipping, the spokesman said.