A historic summer for soccer in the United States was capped off Sunday with one more record broken, as 66.4 million Americans watched Spain’s title win over Argentina.
The audience showed up despite the game ending in a 1-0 score including extra time. Ferran Torres had the breakthrough in the 106th of what proved to be 140 minutes of game clock, counting all the stoppage time.
Fox reported an audience of 42.5 million for its English-language broadcast, a new high for a soccer audience on a single channel. Telemundo’s audience of 23.9 million also set a record for the biggest viewership of a soccer game in Spanish.
¡¡¡GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL DE ESPAÑAAAAAAAAAA!!! ¡¡¡FERRAN TORRES!!! ¡¡¡GOL HISTÓRICO!!!
El jugador de Barcelona la manda a guardar y le está dando la Copa del Mundo a La Roja.
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) July 19, 2026
With the book now closed on the tournament, the big-picture view shows how much the world’s game broke through in America this summer.
A remarkable 63 games of 104 drew over 10 million viewers combined between Fox and Telemundo. Before this World Cup, 42 all-time broadcasts had topped that mark, according to data compiled by The Inquirer over the years. Thirty-one games of this World Cup drew over 15 million viewers; 18 over 20 million; 11 over 25 million; and five over 30 million.
Those five were the Norway-England quarterfinal (34.796 million); U.S.-Bosnia (36.195 million) and Mexico-England (46.690 million) in the round of 16; the U.S.-Belgium quarterfinal (50.125 million); and the final.
The top nine soccer broadcasts of all time in the U.S. were recorded this summer, as were 11 of the top 15 and 14 of the top 20. Each of the new entries involved at least one of the U.S., Mexico, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, star-studded England, or historic power Brazil — the last of which was playing another star in Erling Haaland’s Norway.
The big crowd at Philadelphia’s World Cup fan fest for one of the U.S. games.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Take it out to the top 25 all-time, and 18 of them came this summer. Of the four additions, three had France, with Kylian Mbappé among many big names; and the fourth was Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal facing Luka Modrić’s Croatia in the round of 32.
All these big numbers will not be lost on the networks, their advertisers, or likely the teams themselves. Some of them already knew how popular they’d be in this country, and the rest came to learn it.
Before this World Cup, the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history was the 2014 men’s final, which drew 27,314,274 viewers across ABC, Univision, and their respective streaming platforms. It now stands as No. 8.
The English-only record had stood since the 2015 women’s World Cup final, 25.632 million viewers for the U.S. ending its 16-year title drought in time zone-friendly Canada. The prior Spanish record was the 2014 men’s final, which became the first of Messi’s three title games.
It was no surprise that Lionel Messi’s Argentina was one of the biggest TV draws in this World Cup.Rebecca Blackwell
When will these records be challenged again? That’s a big question around the sport. The next two women’s World Cups are in Brazil and the U.S., which opens the door for big audiences, but their broadcast rights here are currently held by Netflix. The streaming giant has not yet agreed to any sublicensing deal to put some games on traditional television, and there haven’t been any hints about whether it will.
FIFA hasn’t done broadcast deals for the 2030 or 2034 tournaments, and now is racing to try to cash in. But it might struggle.
The 2030 tournament will be held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with a game each in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to celebrate the men’s World Cup’s 100th birthday.
The 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia. It’s likely to be moved to the winter to escape the Middle East’s summer heat, as the 2022 edition in Qatar was. But that would again put games in the middle of the American football season instead of on their own summer stage.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is investigating ties between one of DA Larry Krasner’s top advisers and a man serving life in prison after prosecutors learned that the official sent the man money years ago and did not disclose it.
G. Lamar Stewart, chief of external engagement and government affairs in the DA’s office, said he sent $100 to Anthony Sutton in January 2021 to support Sutton’s mentorship program, “Mann Up,” for men incarcerated at State Correctional Institute Phoenix.
Sutton, 61, who is serving life in prison for killing a man in Germantown in 1984, has been appealing his conviction for more than a decade.
The issue came to light last week, after the prosecutors assigned to Sutton’s appeal were reviewing his prison records and noticed that Stewart was among those who had sent Sutton money in recent years.
The records showed Stewart did so only once, Krasner said.
The payment raised concerns, in part because Stewart had organized and participated in meetings between Sutton’s defense attorney, Krasner, and prosecutors about the case, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Krasner’s office has opposed Sutton’s appeal and said his profession of innocence lacked merit.
When the prosecutors discovered the payment, it was quickly brought to the attention of Krasner, who then asked his office’s special investigation unit to investigate, according to multiple sources familiar with the case. The inquiry remains ongoing.
Stewart, who is also senior pastor of Taylor Memorial Baptist Church in Nicetown-Tioga, was working as the head of the office’s community engagement unit at the time of the donation. In an interview, he said he used his own money to support Sutton’s program as part of the faith-based charitable work he does to assist families and community organizations across the region every holiday season.
“I thought that the work that they were doing was positive, transformative, and it was geared to helping reduce violence in Philadelphia and to make communities and families whole,” he said.
He said he did not know of any way to reach the organization other than to send it through Sutton directly. “I was very intentional to make sure that my name was listed because when you’re not trying to hide anything, you just do things above the board,” he said.
District Attorney Larry Krasner (left) and G Lamar Stewart, head of the Community Engagement and Government Affairs at the DA’s Office, outside the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park in February 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
During a brief hearing in Sutton’s case on Monday, Assistant District Attorney David Napiorski, supervisor of the office’s law division, told Common Pleas Court Judge Giovanni O. Campbell that his attorneys needed additional time to investigate Sutton’s case after they found that someone in the office had put “money on the defendant’s books in prison.”
“That needs to be investigated by the office thoroughly before we can take any further action,” Napiorski told the judge.
Stewart said he did not try to influence the outcome of the appeal or advocate for Sutton. He acknowledged that he attended at least one meeting about Sutton’s case, but said his job requires him to coordinate and attend meetings with Krasner.
Krasner said that he saw no issue with Stewart’s donation or subsequent participation in meetings, and that his office’s inquiry and prosecutors’ comment in court Monday “establishes integrity.”
“G. Lamar Stewart gave a small amount of money for an organization … and then this office decided to oppose Mr. Sutton’s request. Where’s the issue?” he asked.
He added: “Any rock we haven’t flipped yet, we will flip. Preliminarily, it seems quite clear that this was a donation given for a completely legitimate purpose.”
Sutton did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent through a messaging app for people in prison. His attorney, Jason Javie, said Tuesday that he did not know anything about Stewart’s payment to Sutton and declined to discuss the matter further.
“My focus is 110% on the exoneration of Mr. Sutton,” he said.
The revelation comes amid mounting scrutiny over Krasner’s office’s handling of post-conviction matters. In a forceful ruling last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said Krasner’s office had a pattern of misleading judges when seeking to overturn old murder convictions.
Last week, in a separate, controversial federal appellate case, a former assistant district attorney in Krasner’s office said prosecutors were “colluding” with defense attorneys to find the most effective way to have the murder conviction thrown out. And then, on Monday, in a striking court filing in that same contentious case, two supervisors in the law division said Krasner had instructed them to litigate the matter in a way that would “protect the office.”
And now, the office is investigating a case connected to Stewart, who has worked in the DA’s office since 2019 and is one of Krasner’s most trusted advisers.
District Attorney Larry Krasner at a press conference in May, denouncing criticism of his office leveled by Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Stewart, who is paid $154,500 annually, oversees the office’s community engagement, public affairs, and communications strategies, and acts as a conduit between Krasner and other public officials. Since Robert Listenbee retired as first assistant district attorney in January, Krasner has not named a successor — and several prosecutors say Stewart, who is not a lawyer, has effectively absorbed parts of that job. He often helps coordinate sensitive matters in cases, including relocating victims and witnesses.
He is respected by many in city government and across the community. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, speaking at Krasner’s inauguration ceremony in January, mentioned Stewart as one of the office’s most essential staffers.
“District Attorney Krasner, as a moment of personal privilege, I want you to know that G. Lamar Stewart is one of the most committed, committed, committed members of your team in engaging in community outreach, and he represents you well, sir,” she said to applause.
Stewart, born and raised in Germantown and North Philadelphia, served in the U.S. Army and worked for the Philadelphia Police Department before joining Krasner’s team in 2019. At his church, he runs a nonprofit called Taylor Made Opportunities that offers job support and mentorship to young men in the neighborhood, and supports families of homicide victims.
Stewart said he donates to community organizations, and provides meals, Christmas gifts, and other means of support to crime victims’ families each year, using his personal money.
He does not typically disclose those donations to the DA’s office, he said, and it has never been a problem.
“My Christian faith is rooted in giving, in love, in showing up for the least of these, showing up for those who have been harmed, for showing up for those who are trying to rehabilitate and be accountable for the harm they caused to bring healing to our community,” he said. “For anyone to suggest that me giving through a faith lens, in the interest of good for community, is problematic for me, that is an infringement upon my faith tradition and my religious rights.”
Krasner said he did not think it was necessary for Stewart — or other employees in the office — to disclose donations.
“I don’t know that it makes sense to require 700 employees, especially if they’re doing so on a faith basis, to disclose everyone they give donations to,” he said. “It’s certainly something we could think about.”
In Stewart’s case, his money went to support a program run by Sutton, better known as Benny Doo, who was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Richard Berry in the Pelham section of Germantown in December 1984. In the early 1980s, prosecutors said, Berry hired Sutton and other members of his crew, called the “Ghostbusters,” to retrieve jewelry that had been stolen from him, and agreed to pay with “a few ounces of blow and a couple thousand dollars.”
Berry never paid up, and after he started avoiding Sutton and his crew, Sutton killed him, prosecutors said.
But Sutton said prosecutors violated his right to a fair trial when they failed to turn over police documents — including polygraph results and police interviews with several witnesses — to his defense attorney. One man who testified at trial has also since come forward to recant his testimony.
Prosecutors, in a court filing in May, said Sutton failed to show how those issues could have changed the outcome of his trial. His appeal, prosecutors wrote, was untimely and lacked merit.
A 15-year-old boy was struck and killed by a CSX freight train late Monday night in Northeast Philadelphia.
Abdusalom Babaev, who was identified by police Tuesday evening, had been reported missing on Sunday from his home in the city’s Bustleton section.
Babaev was walking south along the railroad tracks near the 1500 block of Grant Avenue near his home when he was hit at 11:19 p.m., according to CSX. No crew onboard the train were injured.
The Philadelphia Police Department responded to the area at 11:30 p.m. for a report of a train striking a pedestrian. Officers’ initial investigation indicated that a CSX train, operated by a 55-year-old man, was traveling north at a “normal operating speed” under dark conditions and limited visibility when the conductor saw Babaev walking along the tracks.
According to police, the conductor immediately initiated emergency braking in an attempt to avoid crashing into the boy, but was unable to stop the train in time.
Babaev was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:44 p.m. by the Philadelphia Fire Department. His body was transported to the city Medical Examiner’s Office for further investigation.
“CSX extends its deepest sympathies to everyone impacted by this tragic incident and will support local law enforcement as they complete the investigation,” a CSX spokesperson said.
Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.
The forward posted on social media that he attended the World Cup Final in New Jersey on Sunday. That came four days after he became the highest-paid Flyer in annual average value.
Zegras signed a four-year, $36.5 million extension with an AAV of $9.125 million on July 15 after filing for salary arbitration on July 5. The contract avoided a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, which he is happy about.
“I think I just had a lot of fun being at the rink and being around the guys,” he said when asked why the Flyers became a fit after just one season during a Zoom session on Tuesday. “ … I find it lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing people, from like the guys to the coaching staff to Danny [Brière, the Flyers general manager] and [president Keith Jones], Dan Hilferty, the [governor].
“So, I found that it was just a very good situation for me mentally, and it was a lot of fun on the ice, too.”
Zegras is now locked up for several years, alongside a strong core of players, including defensemen Jamie Drysdale, who signed a four-year contract Friday, Cam York, and Travis Sanheim; forwards Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, and Christian Dvorak; and goalie Dan Vladař.
Comfortable playing wing or center — he skated down the middle in the playoffs, which he said gave him confidence — Zegras is projected to be the top-line center for the Flyers this season.
His offseason work involves getting bigger and stronger to help in the faceoff circle — he has won just 38.9% of his draws across 349 NHL regular-season games with the Flyers and Anaheim Ducks — and a bit more skating in August, given the shorter training camp and preseason on the horizon.
Last year, Trevor Zegras took part in the Shoulder Check Showcase in Connecticut. The event raises money and awareness for mental health.Jackie Spiegel
First, there is one more date circled on the calendar for Zegras in July. On July 30, he will join other NHLers in the Fourth Annual Shoulder Check Showcase at the Martire Family Arena on Sacred Heart University’s campus in Fairfield, Conn. The puck drops at 6:30 p.m., the game will be televised on NHL Network, and “Gritty’s coming, so I’m pretty fired up about that,” Zegras said.
But the charity game, the premier event for the HT40 Foundation, is secondary to the meaning and importance of it.
Created in 2023, the HT40 Foundation rose from tragedy. Hayden Thorsen, who wore No. 40 and was a goalie for the Junior Rangers in the Mid Fairfield Youth Hockey Association, died by suicide at the age of 16. The foundation and the game honor his memory.
“[Rob Thorsen, Hayden’s father’s] basic premise was like, ‘Who’s Hayden?’ And for him, Hayden was that kid, the guy who was always checking on his buddies,” Gary Zegras, Trevor’s father, told The Inquirer.
“If you look at pictures of Hayden, he’s always got his arms around his buddy’s shoulders.
“And so Rob’s idea was just really born out of who Hayden was, which was the guy that would ask you how you’re doing, what’s going on, arm around your shoulder, always had a smile … that simple, just act of kindness.”
Last year, Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale participated in the Shoulder Check event held at a sold-out Terry Conners Rink in Stamford, Conn. Flyers mascot Gritty is expected to be at the 2026 edition.Jackie Spiegel
Trevor, a Bedford, N.Y., native, also grew up playing for the Connecticut-based organization. His father, who has been with the association for more than 20 years, is the vice president and coaches a pee-wee team. He is also on the board and the secretary for the HT40 Foundation.
“I think the message is good because it’s something, as hockey players and athletes, we can all kind of relate to and get behind, and that would be checking in on each other,” Trevor said.
“You never know what somebody’s going through on a day-to-day basis, and maybe your phone call or your text is the reason why maybe they turn the corner for whatever reason. So it’s a pretty inspiring game, and I’m lucky that I got a lot of buddies that come and play in it.”
The Shoulder Check initiative was created to raise mental health awareness and encourage people to reach out to, and check in with, one another. Although the event includes a hockey game, the message intends to reach beyond the sports world to broader communities, including schools, community centers, and places of worship.
“Ten years ago, 20 years ago … you weren’t supposed to talk about that kind of stuff,” Gary Zegras said. “But you can talk about your feelings. You can ask your friends, how they’re doing. You can make sure that they’re doing OK. You can put your arm around their shoulder. It’s just so important that the younger kids see that so that something like what happened with Hayden doesn’t happen again.
“I just think these guys are role models in their world, and listen, not everybody in the country or the world knows who these NHL players are, right? In our world they’re everybody, but you know the reality is not everybody knows who they are. So while it’s a great starting point for the message, we’re doing everything to get the message out.”
Fans will be able to get autographs, interact with and watch NHLers including Zegras, former Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and goalie Alex Lyon, San Jose Sharks forward Will Smith, Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers, and Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto. Everyone in attendance will pledge before the puck drops to “Reach Out. Check In. Make Contact.”
“Yeah, I’m a big phone-call guy,” Trevor Zegras said when asked how he reaches out. “So whether I’m driving or doing whatever, I like to check in, calling people, and seeing their face, seeing how they’re doing.”
Now that Philadelphia has wrapped up one of its busiest summers in sports — the area hosted the PGA Championship, MLB All-Star festivities, and FIFA World Cup games — we can finally take a breath, Philadelphia Stadium can again be known as Lincoln Financial Field, and Philly sports fans can turn their full attention toward the Eagles.
And with training camp starting next week, there still are several concerns surrounding the Super Bowl LIX champions. Here’s everything the national media is saying about the Birds entering training camp:
Is Jalen Hurts a top-10 quarterback?
ESPN recently asked league executives, coaches, and scouts to rank NFL players by position. Eight Eagles made their respective top 10s: Saquon Barkley (running back), Quinyon Mitchell (cornerback), Cooper DeJean (cornerback), Jalen Carter (defensive tackle), Jordan Davis (defensive tackle), Jordan Mailata (offensive tackle), Lane Johnson (offensive tackle), and Zack Baun (off-ball linebacker).
But a major name didn’t make his list — Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts. Hurts was beaten out by the likes of Dak Prescott, Drake Maye, Jared Goff, and Caleb Williams for a spot on the list.
Hurts was honorable mention along with Baker Mayfield, Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, and Jayden Daniels. And this isn’t the first time he’s been snubbed in rankings — he was No. 9 in last year’s ESPN rankings and wasn’t even mentioned in SB Nation’s top 10 list.
Despite ESPN not naming Hurts a top 10 quarterback, former NFL linebacker Manti Te’o has faith that fans will see an even better player under center this season — especially under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
“Jalen Hurts is at his best when Saquon, in 2024, was running crazy. When he was almost about to break Eric Dickerson’s record, when he was jumping over people backward,” said Te’o, who’s now a host on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. “That is when Jalen Hurts is at his best. Sean Mannion is going to go back to that. Sean Mannion’s going to put Jalen Hurts under center and he’s going to hand the ball off to Saquon Barkley. And guess what’s going to happen after that? He’s going to do what Jalen Hurts does best. And that’s get Jalen outside of the pocket and throw the ball deep down field.”
Leaning on running back Saquon Barkley will help improve Jalen Hurts’ game and the Eagles’ offense, overall, Manti Te’o argues.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Eagles offense finished 24th in total offense, averaging 311.2 yards per game. The team made a number of changes on that side of the ball entering this season, including hiring Mannion and trading away wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“I also think that having the departure of A.J. Brown could be a good thing for Jalen Hurts,” Te’o said. “Sometimes having a crutch in a wide receiver one limits a quarterback from being an actual quarterback.
“When you have schemes and plays that are designed specifically to have to go to somebody, it doesn’t give Jalen Hurts the opportunity to be like, ‘Man, let me look at what the defense is actually giving me.’ … I think that Jalen Hurts’ best football is ahead of him, and it could be ahead of him, and should be with someone like Sean Mannion at the helm.”
"I think that Jalen Hurts' best football is ahead of him"
According to ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, Lemon will be a perfect fit for an Eagles offense without Brown.
“I think DeVonta Smith takes more of the A.J. Brown usage, in terms of becoming more of a threat along the perimeter,” Kimes said. “But Makai Lemon is going to be really important because he fills a lot of the gaps that were pretty noticeable last year in the Eagles offense and have been for a while — specifically quick completions against zone coverage and yards after the catch.
“And I know that doesn’t sound super sexy to fantasy managers or people who think about A.J. Brown. But it is so important … to keeping that offense running on time and making it more efficient.”
"He fills a lot of the gaps that were pretty noticeable last year."
With all the questions surrounding the offense, former NFL defensive end Chris Canty believes the Eagles defense will be what leads them to another Super Bowl.
“The Eagles, when they go to Super Bowls, they have a top-two defense,” Canty said on ESPN’s First Take. “And if we’re going to establish the identity for this team, if we’re going to have a defining characteristic, I think the part that gets ignored is what that side of the ball does.
“If they want to continue to be a team that contends for titles, defense is going to have to be what wins the day.”
"The defining characteristic of this Eagles team, during this championship window, has been the defense."
Every year, players vote on the best 100 players in the league. The NFL has revealed Nos. 51-100. No Eagles players have been listed, but two former Eagles have made the cut: Brown and Josh Sweat.
Brown is No. 80, falling 51 spots from last year’s No. 29 ranking. Sweat is No. 78, improving from last year’s No. 95 ranking.
NEW YORK — More gains for makers of computer chips and other winners of the artificial-intelligence boom carried Wall Street higher Tuesday.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.9%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 385 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.3%.
AI stocks once again were at the center of the action, and they rose for a second straight day after tumbling the week before.
After rocketing higher because of the boom in investment in AI chips and data centers, they’ve come under pressure in recent weeks on worries that they shot too high. Concerns are also weighing that investment in AI may fall off if it doesn’t produce as much profit and productivity as hoped.
Micron Technology jumped 12.2% and added to its 1.9% gain from the day before, coming off its 13.3% drop from last week. Nvidia added 2%, and they were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500.
The gains came despite more climbs for oil prices, and Brent crude oil briefly got near $92 per barrel for the first time in more than five weeks because of continued attacks between the United States and Iran. It later pared its gain to 2% and settled at $91.01. That’s up from less than $72 early this month, which is roughly where it was before the war with Iran.
Rising oil prices are threatening a reacceleration of inflation, just as increases for prices were slowing more than economists expected. That in turn could push the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates, which would slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and other investments.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.63% from 4.60% late Monday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran began.
On Wall Street, several stronger-than-expected profit reports from big U.S. companies helped stocks to strengthen despite the added pressure.
3M climbed 7.3% after topping analysts’ expectations for both profit and revenue in the latest quarter. It also raised its forecast for profit over the full year of 2026.
Hasbro rallied 8.8% after the toy maker said its Magic: The Gathering game topped $500 million in revenue for a quarter for the first time. It also raised its revenue forecast for the year.
They helped offset a drop for Danaher, which slid 11% even though it likewise topped analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue.
Homebuilder D.R. Horton slipped 0.9% despite topping profit and revenue expectations for the latest quarter. Executive Chairman David Auld said it’s still feeling the effects of affordability concerns in the housing market and caution among potential homebuyers.
Companies broadly are under pressure to deliver strong growth in profit and revenue because of how high their stock prices have shot. Indexes are near their records, even with the recent shakiness for AI stocks.
All told, the S&P 500 rose 65.92 points to 7,509.20. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 385.38 to 52,224.64, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 329.13 to 25,837.21.
In stock markets abroad, indexes rose modestly in Europe. The United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 added 0.6% as new Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosted his first Cabinet meeting.
In Asia, stocks swung more. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.6% on strong gains for its two dominant stocks. Both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have been big beneficiaries of the AI boom, and the Kospi has soared 60% so far this year even with its 20% drop through July.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 climbed 3.3% after returning from Monday’s holiday, while indexes rose 1.8% in Shanghai and edged down by less than 0.1% in Hong Kong.
AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.
CHICAGO — An active-duty soldier who was hit by a stray bullet during a shooting outside the White House announced on Tuesday that he plans to sue the Secret Service over his life-threatening injuries.
Pfc. Benjamin Del Real Jr., 25, was visiting the capital on May 23 and hoping to snap pictures with his sister and father outside the White House when a gunman opened fire. Secret Service fired back, killing the man, and a bullet struck Del Real in the stomach, causing serious injuries that required emergency surgery. Part of his digestive system had to be removed.
Del Real filed notice of a personal injury claim on Tuesday, saying he plans to sue for $25 million under the Federal Tort Claims Act. He accused the Secret Service of botching its response to the shooting and failing to adequately protect him and other bystanders, he and his lawyer, Joseph Murphy, said Tuesday at a news conference.
“I, my father, and Benjamin all feared for our lives, and the moment that I saw Ben bleeding was undoubtedly the scariest moment of my life,” said his sister, Sara Del Real.
The Secret Service has not said whether its agents fired the bullet that struck Del Real. The Metropolitan Police Department said earlier this summer that the ballistics on that bullet had not yet been returned. Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Lee Lepe said Tuesday the investigation is ongoing.
Federal law enforcement agencies are generally shielded from legal liability, but there are some exceptions, including some claims of employee negligence.
The Secret Service does not comment on pending litigation, according to Nate Herring, a spokesperson for the Service. He referred questions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
Del Real, of Salina, Kansas, and his family had spent hours that day touring the National Archives, Arlington Cemetery, and other landmarks before passing by the White House at around 6 p.m. on their way to dinner. Just then, Del Real saw the shooter, about 20 yards closer to a Secret Service outpost, take out a gun and fire several rounds at their booth, prompting agents to return “a hail of gunfire,” Murphy said.
The shooter, 21-year-old Nasire Best, was killed.
Del Real pulled his father to the ground and dragged him behind a concrete barrier, saving his life, but a bullet struck Del Real in the stomach, causing him “life-threatening injuries,” Murphy said. He underwent an emergency surgery, then another two days later to remove the bullet, and is due for a third surgery next month. Doctors had to remove parts of his colon and small intestine.
Del Real, who joined the Army a year and a half ago, said he is “without a doubt, concerned” about his ability to continue a military career.
“He’s a young man, he’s 25 years old, and he’s had part of his digestive system taken out,” Murphy said. “It’s not going to get any better from here.”
Bryan De La Cruz was eating at Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão on Monday when he got a call from triple-A Lehigh Valley manager Chris Adamson.
Adamson told De La Cruz that he was heading back to the major leagues. The right-handed-hitting outfielder was officially activated on Tuesday, with catcher Garrett Stubbs placed on the 10-day injured list due to left wrist inflammation as a corresponding move.
De La Cruz has plenty of prior major league experience. Since 2021, he’s played 491 major league games for three teams. But since getting designated for assignment by the Yankees last July, he hasn’t found a foothold.
“I just want to thank God, mainly,” he said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “We just have to keep the faith up and just believe and keep going. Keep advancing, keep moving on, and it doesn’t matter how hard it gets. … You can always make it back up, and you just have to believe and be thankful for the opportunity to be here.”
De La Cruz signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies in the winter and was in big league camp this season. There, he reunited with Jesús Luzardo, with whom he spent time on the Marlins, and befriended some other players like pitcher Cristopher Sánchez.
Over 84 games in triple A, De La Cruz hit .269 with an .806 OPS, and played primarily left field along with stints in right field and as the designated hitter.
Bryan de la Cruz, shown during spring training, primarily played left field for triple A Lehigh Valley.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
It’s no secret how much the Phillies’ right-handed hitters have struggled this season. As a collective, they have a .217 batting average and .633 OPS, both of which rank dead last in baseball among right-handers. While Trea Turner has recently started to heat up, with four homers in his last four games, the Phillies need more production from that side of the plate.
“I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t up to date with what the team was doing here at the big league level, but my focus was and is always going to be to focus on where I’m at,” De La Cruz said. “Down in the minors, that was my main focus, just trying to perform and trying to help where I was. And now I’m here, and I’ll try to do the same.”
De La Cruz was recalled as a reinforcement before the Phillies are expected to face two consecutive left-handed starters. The Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski started Tuesday, while Eric Lauer is lined up to start Wednesday’s series finale.
In triple A, De La Cruz has a .313 average in 48 at-bats against left-handers with three doubles and two homers.
“I’m going to be here for everyone, and for the team, and whatever they want me to contribute in, I will do that,” he said. “I’ll just try and do what I can do, and what I do best. But any way that the team wants me, I’ll just be there and try to perform.”
Stubbs, as the third catcher on the roster, made just 20 appearances, including nine starts, since his contract was selected on April 22. His last two appearances — July 6 in Kansas City and July 10 in Detroit — came as a pitcher in blowouts.
In 28 total at-bats, Stubbs has a .179 batting average.
Extra bases
Aaron Nola (3-7, 5.68 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale against Lauer (4-5, 4.81).
Severe storms were moving through the Philadelphia region Tuesday, bringing with them the potential for flooding and tornadoes.
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly issued a flash flood warning for the area that was slated to be in effect through 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, as thunderstorms and heavy showers made their way to the region. Forecasters had predicted potentially unsettled weather that was expected to bring “several rounds” of rain.
“Even the first round we get could result in flooding,” said Paul Fitzsimmons, lead meteorologist at the weather service’s Mount Holly office. “With successive rounds, that results in an increased threat.”
The idea, Fitzsimmons added, is that once the ground is saturated with rain, the precipitation from future rounds of rain will have few places, if any, to go.
On Tuesday afternoon, the weather service also issued a tornado watch for the Philadelphia region and beyond. That tornado watch, which the weather service said applies to parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Connecticut, is in effect through 9 p.m. Tuesday.
The tornado watch impacts more than 32 million people, and covers possible tornados, scattered, ping pong ball-sized hail, and wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, according to the weather service.
Additional, more organized rounds of rain were expected to arrive later in the day, with multiple storms potentially hitting the region into the overnight period, according to the weather service. Rainfall rates could push into the neighborhood of one to two inches per hour at times.
The most severe weather, which could bring damaging winds, hail, and a possible tornado, was expected to arrive between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Fitzsimmons said.
Tuesday saw high temperatures in the 80s, but with very high humidity to start out. The storms were expected to alleviate some of that humidity, opening the way for cooler, drier days to come later this week.
It is not uncommon for weather setups to arrive with similar impacts in this way, Fitzsimmons said. It is, however, hard to say how long those patterns might last.
“There is something to the idea where you can get into patterns that repeat themselves,” he said.
WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee has advanced the nomination of Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies, along party lines.
The 9-8 vote came after some Democrats had praised Clayton and indicated that they might vote for him. But that shifted after a contentious hearing last week in which Clayton repeatedly refused to say that former President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the panel, said during the hearing that he was “bitterly disappointed” in Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, even though he had worked with him in the past.
The committee’s approval sets up a floor vote on Clayton’s nomination, potentially early next week. The vote took place behind closed doors, as is customary for the panel, and all Democrats voted against Clayton, according to a person familiar with the vote who requested anonymity to disclose it.
Democrats are unlikely to allow Republicans to speed up a vote on the nomination after the hearing, at which Clayton said many times that the election was “certified” for Biden, declining to say outright that the Democrat won.
But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said after the hearing that he thought Clayton’s performance was “abysmal,” and that “makes it much less likely that he will get Democratic votes.”
Democrats push back as Trump focuses on 2020
The Democratic pushback on Clayton comes as Trump has made revisiting the 2020 election, which he lost, a primary focus. On Thursday evening, he delivered a speech from the White House in which he again tried to cast doubts on that election and amplified debunked theories about Biden’s win. Clayton told senators that he had no involvement with that speech.
Senators in both parties have expressed concerns about the interim director, Bill Pulte, who took over when Tulsi Gabbard resigned last month. Pulte has no known intelligence experience and investigated the president’s perceived enemies in his previous post as a federal housing regulator.
Republicans were hoping to confirm Clayton in June so he could replace Gabbard without Pulte serving as interim. But Trump delayed Clayton’s nomination before the Senate left for a two-week recess, allowing Pulte to take the job temporarily.
Clayton did not mention Pulte in the hearing. But he emphasized his own government and national security experience, attempting to assuage senators in both parties.
“I saw firsthand how a strong national security apparatus depends on decisive judgment, discipline, integrity, and effective communication and cooperation across different branches of the government,” Clayton said in his opening statement. “If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, I will commit to upholding these principles every day.”
Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton, who expressed frustration last month when the hearing was delayed, said that Clayton has a reputation for operating with “morality, decency, and integrity” in his previous positions.
“Jay Clayton is a highly qualified nominee with a deep experience combating a wide range of national security threats. I’m pleased that the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance his nomination to be Director of National Intelligence,” Cotton said in a statement on Tuesday.
