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  • Flyers GM Danny Brière talks Trevor Zegras contract, Leo Carlsson efforts, and more: ‘I’d be very comfortable going into the season’

    Flyers GM Danny Brière talks Trevor Zegras contract, Leo Carlsson efforts, and more: ‘I’d be very comfortable going into the season’

    It may be mid-July, but the Flyers brass is still working.

    On Thursday, Flyers general manager Danny Brière spoke to the media via Zoom less than 24 hours after inking restricted free agent Trevor Zegras to a four-year, $36.5 million extension with an annual average value of $9.125 million.

    Of course, it wasn’t the only topic, as this was the first time he was speaking since sending shock waves through the NHL by tendering a five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson that the Anaheim Ducks eventually matched.

    The Flyers still have a ton of cap space — Puckpedia has it at $20.4 million — and although Brière reiterated the mantra that they are always looking to improve the roster if it makes sense, he added, “What I can tell you is I’d be very comfortable going into the season with this lineup.”

    Here’s what else Brière said.

    Trevor Zegras became the highest-paid Flyer on Wednesday. Chris Szagola

    On the Trevor Zegras contract

    “Yeah, it’s a nice feeling,” Brière said of getting the contract done and avoiding salary arbitration next Wednesday. Had it reached that point, the Flyers would have had an option of only a one- or two-year deal set at the AAV decided upon by the arbitrator. If they had opted for two years, Zegras would have been an unrestricted free agent in 2028.

    Brière continued: “Obviously, Trevor is a big part of our team, a big part of our future as well. Since we acquired him, it’s been extremely positive, and the way he carries himself, he’s lively in our locker room — he’s a big part of the locker room — but he’s also a big part of the community. People, they love him. So I’m glad it’s done. It’s much nicer to get a deal done, and a long-term deal done, rather than go through arbitration.”

    There was some give and take with Zegras and his agent, Pat Brisson. Some wonder why the New York native, who said countless times this past season that he loves playing in Philly, wasn’t locked up for longer, but it sounds like four years were “the sweet spot” and that “they gave us some things that were more in our favor on a four-year deal.”

    The Flyers’ complete 2026-27 schedule was announced Thursday. Here’s everything you need to know.

    “He’s about winning. He cares about this team,” Brière said. “Even in this negotiation, he took charge. He’s the one who said, ‘I want to be in Philly. I love it here. I want to stay there.’

    “So it’s a big reason why this contract was done, this extension was done, because Trevor was really involved, and Trevor was adamant that he wanted to be in Philly.

    “ … He’s going to have to take a bigger part of the leadership process on this team. So I’m really excited about him and how he’s grown as an individual in the last year, especially with us. But I think it goes way back — he’s gone through a lot in his career, some ups and downs that weren’t always easy. I think that makes you stronger in the long run, and we’re fortunate that we’re the team benefiting from that.”

    While the AAV looks more like the money doled out to a center, is that where the Flyers see him? Brière wouldn’t commit, saying it’s “not up to me to decide.” He did stress that the final contract to Zegras and the offer sheet to Carlsson, a center, had nothing to do with the other. “We wanted both on the team at the time when we made the offer sheet,” he said.

    Brière talked for the first time since the Anaheim Ducks matched the Flyers’ offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson (91).John Locher

    On the impact of the Leo Carlsson offer sheet

    According to Brière, the league, including players and agents, took notice that the Flyers not only have deep pockets, but also want to be back on top.

    “The answer is yes. I just can’t give you much detail, unfortunately,” he said, hinting at needing to avoid tampering. “But yeah, I mean, it was noticed. It was noticed around the league. But what I hope, too, is that it is noticed by our fans and by our players that we’re serious.

    “The players did their part last year, and we’re trying to do ours, and we’re going to keep trying to improve the team to give them the best chance to just be a contender for years to come.”

    Players are choosing to stay in Philly, like Zegras, like goalie Dan Vladař, who inked a five-year extension and is here for six years, and like forward Tyson Foerster, who signed an extension that will keep him around for nine more seasons. The next step is having a team that is trending to be a contender for the Stanley Cup, and while the Flyers did not get Carlsson, there were “many teams to choose from, and he selected us, which was a good sign.”

    What’s next for the Flyers after missing out on Leo Carlsson?

    Did the massive AAV, which would have made Carlsson the highest-paid player annually, impact contract negotiations with Zegras and other restricted free agents? The Flyers still have to ink defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who has an arbitration hearing scheduled for Monday, Hunter McDonald and forward Nikita Grebenkin.

    “No, I don’t believe it’s affected our other contract negotiations … The marketplace changes daily. There’s new deals being given or coming out on a daily basis,” he said, noting it may have impacted players who make above the high-end threshold.

    “I think, in Trevor’s case, for example, when we were working on it three months ago and six months ago, the marketplace was totally different than it was last night when we were talking. So, not necessarily the offer sheet, but every other deal, yes, they were affecting our negotiation.”

    Danny Brière said the team made some efforts to improve the power play but came up short in an outside acquisition. Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    On not adding players for the power play

    The Flyers’ power play is bad. This isn’t a new phenomenon under coach Rick Tocchet. It’s a problem that has persisted for five years and across three coaching staffs. It sounded like the Flyers wanted to take action to fix things, but while they were reportedly interested in signing unrestricted free agent John Carlson, who ultimately went to Tampa Bay, and Zach Werenski, who backed down from his trade request, they did not get either player.

    “We took some swings there, too. I unfortunately can’t get into details because players are elsewhere, but we took some swings there,” the Flyers GM said. “We tried to improve the power play. We’re going to keep looking. At this point, most free agents are signed, so it’s more on the trade front. So if there’s a chance there, we’re going to look to improve that.

    “But I also expect our guys to take a bigger bite of it. Adding a guy like [Porter] Martone, and [Denver] Barkey, and [Alex] Bump late in the season, you hope that they’re better at it with more experience. I expect guys like Trevor Zegras to improve on that. Matvei Michkov coming back and, after a sophomore — let’s call it a slump — we expect him to bounce back and have a big say in improving our power play.”

  • BalletX’s return to ‘The Little Prince’ is every bit as enchanting as before

    BalletX’s return to ‘The Little Prince’ is every bit as enchanting as before

    At 20, BalletX has developed into a contemporary company of strong dancers that consistently brings Philadelphia audiences something new. While most dance companies commission new work, BalletX leans heavily into the world premieres.

    This approach is largely a win for both the dancers and audiences. But when a standout work comes along, it can be a long wait before it returns.

    BalletX premiered Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s The Little Prince in 2019 and brought it on tour, giving the company ample time to deepen its relationship with this delightful piece. But Wednesday’s opening night of the summer season at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre marked the first opportunity for Philly audiences to see it again in seven years.

    BalletX’s ‘Little Prince’ is built to dazzle the world, and Philly has it first

    Nearly all of the dancers are new since 2016, and many of the costumes have been refreshed. Even so, assembling the finished product turned out to be a struggle. Three dancers were injured, artistic and executive director Christine Cox said in a pre-show introduction.

    The finished product was as charming as it was when it premiered.

    The story on stage is clear, though reading the novella — or at least the program synopsis — beforehand adds helpful context. It is about a pilot who crashes his plane on an asteroid and meets a little prince who tells him a story about meeting wacky characters on various planets. The prince wants to get to earth to save his precious rose, but later discovers that she is not the only rose in the universe.

    BalletX dancers Eli Alford, left, as the little prince, and Eileen Kim, as the geographer, in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “The Little Prince.”Vikki Sloviter / BalletX

    Meanwhile, death — in the former of a snake — slithers through the story, tempting both characters at every turn.

    For both the little prince and the pilot, the story is a journey toward returning home, giving it echoes of The Wizard of Oz. It also recalls BalletX’s other signature evening-length work, company co-founder Matthew Neenan’s Sunset, o639 Hours, which likewise centers on a plane crash and features live music performed onstage.

    In 2019, the role of the snake was so alluringly danced by former BalletX dancer Stanley Glover that it was hard to imagine it performed by anyone else. But Lopez Ochoa designed the role to be performed alternatively by a man and a woman, and Wednesday night it was performed by Ashley Simpson.

    At 20, BalletX is nowhere near done bringing the most exciting new ballet and choreography to Philly

    Simpson doesn’t have Glover’s impossibly long limbs, but her technique is stellar and she made the role her own. She commands the stage, her fellow dancers, composer Peter Salem (who performs live on stage), and even the audience. Simpson has excelled in many BalletX roles, but this performance showcases her unmistakeable star quality.

    Eli Alford is a charming little prince who takes us through the story (Nancy Meckler was the librettist and dramaturgist) and interacts with all the characters.

    Jonathan Montepara is another who got his moment in this unexpectedly smaller cast. Dancing the role of the pilot, he showed a range of emotion and movie-star good looks.

    BalletX dancer Jonathan Montepara as the pilot in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “The Little Prince.”Vikki Sloviter / BalletX

    Though the story explores weighty themes of fear, despair and death, Lopez Ochoa balances them with a sense of wonder. Matt Saunders’ set — built from dozens of white boxes that suggest the limitless possibilities of a child’s imagination — and dancers darting across the stage carrying whimsical props keep the production visually playful.

    The Little Prince closes BalletX’s 20th anniversary season, which largely revisited works from the company’s repertory. The ballet runs through Sunday before returning to the archives.

    BalletX in “The Little Prince”

    Through Sunday, July 19. Suzanne Roberts Theatre. $50-$90, 215-225-5389 ext. 250 or boxoffice@balletx.org

  • Trailer for biopic ‘I Play Rocky’ shows iconic Philly scenes

    Trailer for biopic ‘I Play Rocky’ shows iconic Philly scenes

    How did Sylvester Stallone make and star in Rocky? Well, he had to put up a fight.

    The trailer for the forthcoming biopic I Play Rocky has officially been released by Amazon MGM Studios. The film follows a young Sylvester Stallone, played by Anthony Ippolito, on his harrowing journey pitching and filming his Oscar-winning movie.

    Scenes from the trailer show the many hardships that went into making the movie, including Stallone convincing the producers to breaking his hand while filming the meat-punching scenes.

    Filming took place from October to December 2025, in Los Angeles, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, according to USA Production News. The filmmakers created their own version of the iconic run up the museum steps, filmed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and filming was also seen taking place in Kensington.

    Ippolito is best known for portraying Al Pacino in the Paramount+ miniseries The Offer, another biographical production about the making of a film — in this case, The Godfather. The I Play Rocky trailer shows the rising actor looking nearly identical to Stallone, with the thick, deep voice to match.

    Other main roles include AnnaSophia Robb as Stallone’s wife, Sasha Czack; Matt Dillon as Stallone’s father, Frank Stallone Sr.; and Stephan James as Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise.

    Peter Farrelly, born in Phoenixville, Chester County, directed the film. He is best known for directing and cowriting the 2018 comedy-drama film Green Book, which won the Oscar for Best Picture.

    The real-life Sylvester Stallone is not involved in the production.

    I Play Rocky is set to have a select theaters release on Nov. 6, according to Deadline. This will gear up the movie to be eligible for awards season.

  • Ukrainians protest Zelensky’s ouster of his popular defense minister

    Ukrainians protest Zelensky’s ouster of his popular defense minister

    KYIV, Ukraine — President Volodymyr Zelensky shook up his wartime government, drawing thousands into the streets Thursday across Ukraine to protest the ouster of his youthful defense minister — seen as an innovator of the country’s successful drone technology but who clashed with the traditional military establishment.

    The personnel overhaul, which included replacing his prime minister, could become a test of Zelensky’s political authority as Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches 4½ years. Zelensky has remained in office under martial law because wartime elections are prohibited but has periodically reshuffled his government.

    The moves threw Ukraine’s military leadership into an unwelcome crisis at a time when its actions against Russia are starting to bear fruit and as Moscow has unleashed unrelenting aerial attacks. Two people were killed and five others were wounded, including a child, when Russian missiles hit the capital of Kyiv overnight, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said.

    In making the changes, Zelensky cited friction between outgoing Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces.

    “I’m just showing that if the sides can’t resolve an issue, I will have to resolve it,” Zelensky said at a news conference.

    The outgoing defense chief was seen as a modernizer

    Fedorov, 35, is considered to be a vigorous modernizer whose technological expertise is credited in part with significantly improving Ukraine’s military performance in recent months against Russia’s bigger army. He is leaving the government after only six months in the post.

    Fedorov appeared at a news conference in a dark T-shirt and jeans, and accused Syrskyi of blocking reforms needed because “the war has changed completely” due to new technology like drones.

    During his time in office, he secured restrictions on Russian forces’ access to the Starlink satellite communications system, allowing Ukraine to better leverage its midrange strike capabilities giving Kyiv significant battlefield advantages.

    Fedorov said he was willing to work with Syrskyi, “but we encountered a situation in which all the initiatives we proposed began to be blocked.”

    “Under this arrangement [with Syrskyi as commander], I personally do not know how the war can be won,” he said.

    On social media, Fedorov highlighted what he called his major achievements: redirecting funds earmarked for salaries into midrange strike capabilities, fiber-optic drones, reconnaissance systems and other technologies. He pointed to expanded drone procurement, Patriot missile defense contracts, successful ballistic missile tests and sweeping changes to military procurement.

    But he acknowledged he was unable to complete the Defense Ministry’s organizational transformation “according to NATO standards and common sense,” and move all procurement to competitive tenders, and build a culture of accountability.

    Syrskyi didn’t appear in public but in a Facebook post thanked Fedorov and said he hoped he would continue to serve Ukraine. “I wish him to continue to remain in the Ukrainian team,” Syrskyi said without elaborating.

    Zelensky said he had asked Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara to perform the defense minister’s duties in the meantime, according to a post on the Telegram messaging app. Since January, Khmara has been acting head of the state’s security service, known as the SBU. He had previously led the SBU’s elite Alpha special forces unit.

    Zelensky described a difficult relationship between the Defense Ministry and the military at multiple levels, not simply a matter of personalities, and he said both sides share responsibility for the consequences.

    “Together we win, and together we’re responsible for the things that cause confusion and public reaction,” he said, standing beside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was making his final foreign visit before leaving office next week.

    Mostly young protesters support Fedorov

    Syrskyi, 60, initially organized the defense of Kyiv in February 2022, and seven months later masterminded a successful counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region. Born in 1965, he attended the Moscow Higher Military Command School before serving in the Soviet Artillery Corps before the USSR’s collapse in 1991.

    The Ukrainian military has rallied under Fedorov, slowing Moscow’s front-line advance to a virtual standstill and striking refineries and other energy sites inside Russian territory, causing widespread fuel shortages, Western officials and analysts say. Zelensky’s decision to fire him despite that record has dismayed many people.

    Before becoming defense minister in January, Fedorov headed Ukraine’s digital transformation policies. He won popularity by spearheading the rapid development and deployment of drone technology and introducing several successful e-government platforms.

    As minister, he moved to combat corruption, an issue that carries particular weight with Ukrainians who have repeatedly protested graft. Fighting corruption meant working against the interests of groups that had long profited from programs within the ministry, he said in interviews. He also sought to overhaul weapons procurement to make it more transparent.

    He had promised sweeping military reforms, saying it had faced about 200,000 desertions and draft-dodging by some 2 million people.

    The mostly young protesters who took to the streets of Kyiv and other cities to support Fedorov made crude remarks about the current military commander, chanting, “Syrskyi, go away!” and “A European army for a European country!”

    Kyiv resident Bohdan Huryak said he was “deeply outraged” by Fedorov’s exit.

    “I’m not deeply invested in the internal political debates, but this is a person who shows results on the battlefield, we see results, we feel the fighting spirit and confidence in victory rising,” Huryak told the Associated Press. “And then, six months later, he is removed from office? Come on.”

    Russian military correspondents and pro-Kremlin bloggers relished the controversy. Pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov described Fedorov’s comments as a “rebellion” against Zelensky.

    The deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force, Col. Pavlo Yelizarov, quit over Fedorov’s dismissal, saying on social media it will weaken Ukraine’s air defenses and lead to more deaths from Russian attacks.

    “I believe that the dismissal of Mykhailo Fedorov is a great evil for the country’s defense capability,” he wrote in his resignation letter on Facebook.

    State energy company chief is new prime minister

    Parliament overwhelmingly approved Serhii Koretskyi, the head of state energy company Naftogaz, as the country’s new prime minister.

    In nominating Koretskyi, Zelensky cited his record in the energy sector and argued he was best prepared to guide Ukraine through another winter, when Russian attacks on the power grid intensify.

    Unlike other senior government officials, the 48-year-old engineer did not rise through political parties, parliament or the civil service. He spent more than two decades managing fuel and food businesses before being picked to run some of Ukraine’s most troubled state-owned energy companies and gained a reputation as an effective crisis manager who could make them profitable.

    Zelensky has faced protests before over his decisions. Large demonstrations broke out in July 2025 when he fast-tracked a law that would have curbed the independence of the country’s anti-corruption watchdogs.

    The outcry threatened his leadership for the first time since Russia’s invasion, and he swiftly reversed course and submitted legislation to restore the agencies’ independence.

  • Rocky Balboa always represented the best of Philly. The city is finally loving him back.

    Rocky Balboa always represented the best of Philly. The city is finally loving him back.

    Controversy has long dogged Philly’s Rocky statues — controversy that on the surface is about what the statues represent and where they belong, but is really about class, commercialism, and community. But now, argues columnist Mike Sielski, the Rocky Exhibit at the Philadelphia Art Museum is a sign that the city has finally fully embraced the statue’s popular power and meaning. The big question is: Do you agree?

  • Amtrak and three counties are teaming up to restore passenger trains between Reading and Philly

    Amtrak and three counties are teaming up to restore passenger trains between Reading and Philly

    Amtrak and the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority agreed Wednesday to work together to revive passenger train service between Philadelphia and Reading after an absence of 45 years.

    Federal Railroad Administration officials designated the route as one of 60 intercity rail corridors to be developed in part with start-up funds from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

    Intermediate stops are planned for Pottstown and Phoenixville.

    The agreement is a step forward, committing Amtrak to complete formal ridership forecasts and revenue estimates and to determine likely costs to operate and maintain the route.

    That is the second step of the four required before passenger service can restart.

    “We’ll rocket through Step 2,” said Thomas Frawley, executive director of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, because of Amtrak’s commitment to the project. “We’re excited and optimistic.”

    Berks, Chester, and Montgomery Counties created the rail authority in 2022 to take advantage of Washington’s interest in establishing intercity passenger service.

    Amtrak will handle the next stage of work, estimated at $4.8 million. Federal officials have approved the budget, but the money needs to be obligated before the bipartisan infrastructure bill expires Sept. 30, Frawley said.

    Congress is discussing reauthorization of a new surface transportation law, and future funding of the rail corridor program is uncertain despite bipartisan support.

    After the business plan in Step 2, the Philadelphia-Reading line would require preliminary engineering, final design and engineering, and some construction.

    Ever since rail service along the route ended in 1981, people have been trying to figure out a way to bring back the trains.

    Other proposals fell by the wayside, including the state’s 1990s Schuylkill Valley Metro plan to build an electric-powered commuter service on the route. It was estimated at $2 billion. In 2003, Gov. Ed Rendell canceled the effort amid funding concerns.

    By contrast, the SRPRA plan is projected to cost about $100 million.

    Backers say the SRPRA plan has advantages that could pay off. For one, the partnership with Amtrak and the national passenger railroad’s interest in running the line.

    “We look forward to the opportunity to reconnect communities like Reading to the Northeast Corridor and beyond, to support their economic and community development,” Nicole Bucich, Amtrak’s vice president of planning and state partnerships, said in a statement.

    Another: Norfolk Southern owns and hauls freight on existing rails with diesel locomotives — no need for a massive project to build tracks or a system of overhead wires to power passenger trains.

    “They’re running trains today on the railroad, and it’s in very good condition,” Frawley said. “We’re not talking about a greenfield project.”

    The Northeast Corridor itself is an advantage, too, Frawley said, giving more people access to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station to Boston, New York, Washington, and points between.

    “It can have a powerful synergistic effect” on the regional economy, he said.

  • Philly music this week with J. Cole, Death Cab for Cutie, Japanese Breakfast, and more

    Philly music this week with J. Cole, Death Cab for Cutie, Japanese Breakfast, and more

    This week in Philly music features Death Cab for Cutie and Japanese Breakfast in Fairmount Park, a pair of John Coltrane tributes, two nights of J. Cole concerts in South Philly, Trombone Shorty in Fishtown, and “Weird Al” Yankovic in Atlantic City.

    Thursday, July 15

    Earth, Wind & Fire + Lionel Richie

    These seasoned entertainers on the “Sing a Song All Night Long” tour are stars of Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s highly entertaining new HBO documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World). EW&F and its founder and guiding light, Maurice White, are the subjects, and Richie, the American Idol judge and former Commodores leader, is an insightful talking head.

    White died in 2016, but three key original members of the band — singer Phillip Bailey, bassist Verdine White, and percussionist Ralph Johnson, are still in the band, so there’s no reason to think hits like “Shining Star” and “September” won’t sound as joyous as ever. And Richie showed just how much of a polished entertainer he is last year, when he played a rare intimate date at Union Transfer. 7:30 p.m., Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St., xfinitymobilearena.com

    Friday, July 17

    Joe Jackson

    Joe Jackson was grouped in with Elvis Costello and Graham Parker as an Angry Young Man when he first emerged with his albums Look Sharp! and I’m the Man in 1979, before the British songwriter diversified his musical palette to include Louis Jordan-style jump blues and polished Tin Pan Alley pop. Now, Jackson is feeling cranky again on his latest, Hope & Fury, which finds him again working with bassist Graham Maby. 8 p.m., Lansdowne Theater, 31 N. Lansdowne Ave., Lansdowne, lansdownetheater.com

    Death Cab for Cutie plays the Highmark Mann on Friday, with Japanese Breakfast opening.Ryan Russell

    Death Cab for Cutie & Japanese Breakfast

    I Built You a Tower, the 11th album by emblematic indie rockers Death Cab for Cutie, finds the Bellingham, Wash., band fronted by Ben Gibbard in fine fettle. They sounded sharp debuting the album at the Non-Commvention this spring. Michelle Zauner’s Philadelphia-born band Japanese Breakfast opens. 8 p.m., TD Pavilion at the Highmark Mann, 5201 Parkside Ave., highmarkmann.com

    Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue play the Fillmore Philly on Friday.Courtesy of the Artist

    Trombone Shorty

    Troy Andrews got his stage name playing in his family band when he was 4. Thirty-six years later, Andrews is carrying on the rich tradition of New Orleans funk, R&B, and second line rhythms. Bluesy Americana sister band Larkin Poe opens. 8 p.m., Fillmore Philly, 29 E. Allen St., thefillmorephilly.com

    Mikaela Davis plays Free at Noon at World Stage on Friday and Johnny Brenda’s on Friday night.Matthew Reamer

    Mikaela Davis

    Indie rock and alt-country harpist Mikaela Davis is playing two shows Friday. The Graceland Way and Grateful Shred songwriter is doing Free at Noon during the day, followed by a Fishtown gig that night. Noon, World Stage, 3025 Walnut St., xpn.org and 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com

    Taj Mahal

    Last year, the octogenarian bluesman born Henry St. Claire Fredericks Jr. released his 32nd album, Room on the Porch, a collaboration with Keb’ Mo’. That is a mostly acoustic affair, but he’s playing this show with the Phantom Blues Band. 8 p.m., The Grand, 818 N. Market St., thegrandwilmington.org

    Bebe Rexha

    The FIFA Fan Festival runs through Sunday’s Spain vs. Argentina World Cup Final, but the final show in its concert series, which has included shows by Leon Thomas, All-American Rejects, and Deadmau5, is Friday. The last star to grace the Lemon Hill stage will be Bebe Rexha, the dance-pop singer who has had hits with G-Eazy, David Guetta, and Florida Georgia Line. It’s free. FIFA Fan Festival, 1 Lemon Hill Drive, phillyfwc26.com

    “Weird Al” Yankovic in New York in 2025. He plays the Borgata in Atlantic City on Friday. John Nacion

    “Weird Al” Yankovic

    The ”Bigger & Weirder Tour” from the accordion-playing master of song parody is headed down the Shore. The “Amish Paradise” and “Eat It” singer will be supported by Puddles Pity Party. 8 p.m., Borgata Event Center, One Borgata Way, Atlantic City, borgata.mgmresorts.com

    Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18

    Patty Griffin and Kathleen Edwards

    A pairing of top-notch songwriters with two performances. Besides the 12 albums Patty Griffin has recorded under her own name, Griffin has had songs covered by the Chicks, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, and Philly’s Dave Hause as well as made her presence felt on Robert Plant’s 2010 Band of Joy. Kathleen Edwards returned after an eight-year break with Total Freedom in 2020 and released Billionaire, coproduced by Jason Isbell and Gena Johnson last year. 8 p.m., Friday, Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood, scottishriteauditorium.com and 8 p.m., Saturday, American Music Theatre, 2425 Lincoln Highway, Lancaster, amtshows.com

    Bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma will play with Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen at Grounds for Sculpture on Saturday.Sound Evidence

    Saturday, July 18

    Bobby Zankel’s Wonderful Sound 6

    Philly saxophonist Zankel is leading a notable tribute to John Coltrane. Along with Zankel, the band includes sax players Jaleel Shaw and Bryan Rogers, plus pianist Sumi Tonooka, bass player Sam Harris, and Nazir Ebo on drums. 8 p.m., Black Squirrel Club, 1049 Sarah St., blacksquirrelclub.com

    Judy Collins & Richard Thompson

    Folk singing legend Judy Collins is on a “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: Farewell Tour,” named after the 1969 Crosby, Stills & Nash song she inspired. The opening act is British folk rock great Richard Thompson. 7 p.m., Lansdowne Theater, 31 N. Lansdowne Ave., Lansdowne, landsdownetheater.com

    The tour is also playing the Ocean City Music Pier on Monday.

    Creative Freedom: A Salon Experience

    Philly avant-garde bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma pairs off with Sun Ra Arkestra leader Marshall Allen. They will debut new music from Allen’s upcoming album, 101: An Audio Odyssey, and be in conversation with artist Salvador Jiménez-Flores, whose exhibition Raíces & Resistencias is on view. 7 p.m., Grounds for Sculpture, 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, N.J., GroundsForSculpture.org

    Philly anti-folk hero Adam Brodsky’s new album is “American Epitaph.” S. Elfie

    Sunday, July 19

    Songs of Welcome: Concert for Immigrant Aid

    This afternoon event features an impressive array of Philly songwriting talent. Featured artists include John Faye, Cliff Hillis, Laura Mann, Adam Brodsky, Irene Lambrou, and Scott McClatchy. It benefits the Welcome Project, a Hatboro-based social service agency that provides assistance to immigrants in Philadelphia as well as Montgomery and Bucks Counties. 2 p.m., Fallser Club, 3721 Midvale Ave., thefallserclub.org

    Monday, July 20 and Tuesday, July 21

    J. Cole

    North Carolina rap star J. Cole says his new album, The Fall Off, is his final album. We’ll believe it when we don’t see a follow-up, but in the meantime, the 24-track double album is an impressive if uneven effort, with guest appearances by Tems, Future, Petey Pablo, and Erykah Badu. It’s also spawned a print publication, The Fall-Off Magazine. 8 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, Xfinity Mobile Arena, 3601 S. Broad St, xfinitymobilearena.com

    Downtown Boys play Johnny Brenda’s on Tuesday.Naomi Yang

    Tuesday, July 21

    Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs

    Tom Petty lead guitarist Mike Campbell has carried on after his former boss’ 2017 death, with four albums now with the Dirty Knobs, whose latest is Mission of Mercy. Sara Lee Guthrie, recently seen singing with Billy Bragg and Wilco at the Solid Sound festival in Massachusetts celebrating her grandfather Woody, is the opener. 8 p.m., Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside, keswicktheatre.com

    Downtown Boys

    It’s been nine years since fiery Providence, Rhode Island, punk band Downtown Boys’ last album, but the Victoria Ruiz-fronted fivesome have returned at full strength. The new bilingual Public Luxury comes out swinging with “No Me Jodas” — which translates as “Don’t [Mess] with Me” — and never lets up from there. They’re a fantastic live band. Pop Music Fever Dream opens. 8 p.m., Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., johnnybrendas.com

    Wednesday, July 22

    Coltrane 100: Legacy

    This Coltrane tribute features the saxophone great’s son Ravi Coltrane performing reimagined versions of his father’s classics with the Philadelphia Orchestra in advance of what would have been John Coltrane’s 100th birthday on Sept. 23. 8 p.m., TD Pavilion at the Highmark Mann, 5201 Parkside Ave., highmarkmann.com.

  • N.J. regulator orders probe into utilities’ response to July 4th power outages

    N.J. regulator orders probe into utilities’ response to July 4th power outages

    The state’s energy regulators will examine utilities’ handling of recent outages that left thousands of New Jerseyans without power amid heat waves that pushed temperatures above 100 degrees in parts of the state, sometimes for days.

    Regulatory staff will examine utilities’ preparedness before and after the early-July storms that prompted the outages, their communication with customers, and their ability to quickly restore power, Board of Public Utilities President Ben Hertz-Shargel said at the agency’s Wednesday meeting.

    “We expect utilities to be prepared, communicate effectively, and restore service safely and as quickly as possible. When they fall short, the board will hold them accountable,” Hertz-Shargel said.

    The Garden State saw severe and sudden thunderstorms during the Fourth of July weekend that the New Jersey Utilities Association, a trade group, said knocked out power for roughly 850,000 customers, mostly in areas serviced by PSE&G and Jersey Central Power & Light.

    Restoration work was largely complete by July 10, when fewer than 1,000 remained without power, the association said, but by then some lawmakers had already started to raise alarms about days-long outages during sweltering heat.

    At the time, Assemblyman Greg McGuckin (R., Ocean), whose legislative district falls within JCP&L’s central service area, said regular, extended summer outages had become the utility’s business model. On Wednesday, he said a review was long overdue.

    “It’s unacceptable that every summer we continue to end up like a third-world country every time there’s a storm,” McGuckin said. “It’s inexcusable to me that power stations are not adequately protected from a lightning storm when lightning storms are a common occurrence in the summer at the Jersey Shore.”

    The New Jersey Utilities Association, which represents JCP&L, PSE&G, and the state’s other electric distribution companies, said the storms were some of the most severe New Jersey had seen in recent years. Heavy rain and winds that approached the force of a hurricane downed trees and wires, prompting the outages.

    “These storms were a multi-day, multi-utility crisis that required massive mobilization, but the state’s electric distribution companies’ restoration teams, along with local, county and state emergency personnel, worked around the clock to restore power to over 800,000 customers in just six days,” said Richard Henning, the association’s president and CEO.

    He said the industry looks forward to collaborating with the state to boost resilience and improve storm response.

    Chris Hoenig, a spokesperson for JCP&L, acknowledged the power outages were disruptive, particularly given that week’s extreme heat, but said the company had marshalled about 5,700 workers to assess damage, fix power lines, and remove downed trees, among other things.

    “Four consecutive days of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and flooding rains caused widespread damage across JCP&L’s service territory, with impacts comparable to those experienced during a hurricane,” Hoenig said. “Throughout the restoration effort, our crews remained focused on a single objective: restoring service safely and as quickly as possible to every affected customer.”

    Asked to comment, Darwin Pham, a spokesman for Gov. Mikie Sherrill, said, “The Sherrill Administration will continue holding utility companies accountable to ensure they are providing reliable power, including making appropriate improvements to their energy infrastructure and outage response if gaps are identified.”

    The board on Wednesday also vote to advance an order to show cause that could levy $44.1 million in fines against JCP&L for failing to meet reliability benchmarks in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Commissioner Christine Guhl-Sadovy, the board’s immediate past president, will preside over that case.

    “I think that this action really shows, without predetermining any outcome, that we are taking very seriously the utility performance, particularly around these reliability issues and that, when warranted, we are willing to impose penalties,” she said.

    The board also voted to open procurement for new nuclear power plants.

    The vote follows a bill Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed earlier this week that calls for the state to stand up about 1,100 megawatts of new nuclear power to meet rising electricity demand spurred mostly by artificial intelligence data centers.

    The governor has championed nuclear power as a method of meeting the state’s energy needs in the long term, though the measure has faced criticism because of the long timelines and high costs associated with nuclear plants and because it calls for those plants to be subsidized by other generators who would pass those expenses on to ratepayers.

    “The project is super important, but we just have to be mindful,” Commissioner Joseph Coviello said. “It’s going to be extremely expensive at the start, and it’s only going to get more expensive, so we just have to be mindful of how we spend the ratepayers’ money.”

    This story originally appeared on New Jersey Monitor.

  • Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has more support among Pa. Republicans than GOP Sen. Dave McCormick, new poll shows

    Democratic Sen. John Fetterman has more support among Pa. Republicans than GOP Sen. Dave McCormick, new poll shows

    U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has insisted he has no plans to leave the Democratic Party, despite continued attempts to sway him.

    “I remain strongly pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-LGBT, pro-SNAP, pro-labor and even pro-rib-eye over bio slop,” the Pennsylvania lawmaker wrote in an opinion piece published in the Washington Post in May.

    But if he were to change his mind, a new poll shows he might have a home in Pennsylvania’s GOP.

    Just under half of registered voters in the state approve of how Fetterman is handling his job as a U.S. senator, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

    But the vast majority of the first-term Democrat’s support comes from voters in the opposing party: 77% of surveyed Republicans said they approve of Fetterman, while just 19% of Democrats do.

    That is a higher share of voter support than even U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, Fetterman’s Republican colleague from Pennsylvania, received from his own party, with 68% of surveyed Republicans approving of his job performance.

    Fetterman also faced more ire from Democrats than his GOP counterpart — with 69% of Pennsylvania Democrats disapproving of their party’s senator, compared with 52% who disapprove of McCormick.

    The Quinnipiac survey, conducted June 9-13, polled 895 registered Pennsylvania voters and has a 4.3-percentage-point margin of error.

    President Donald Trump appears at a Defense and Innovation Summit hosted by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (left) at the US Army War College in Carlisle Wednesday, July 15, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Since Fetterman began casting key votes in support of President Donald Trump and publicly criticizing progressives in his party, conservatives have been leaving the door open and, at times, rolling out a welcome mat.

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    State Sen. Greg Rothman, chair of the Pennsylvania GOP, said he could consider supporting Fetterman’s reelection if he switched parties, and Fox News’ Sean Hannity said Trump himself urged Hannity to coax Fetterman into becoming a Republican in exchange for the president’s support.

    During an interview Wednesday at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington, Fetterman said the Democratic Party’s stance on Israel could push him out.

    “If our party ever becomes — and just makes it official — the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me,” he said.

    Democrats, meanwhile, have mostly taken a hands-off approach. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party has previously declined to comment on Fetterman’s positions and actions, including his new joint fundraising committee with McCormick. The venture, announced earlier this month, allows them to split money from donors who want to give to both of their campaigns, a boost for Fetterman, who has reported raising significantly fewer campaign dollars on his own.

    Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has also avoided directly criticizing Fetterman, but admits their relationship is estranged.

    In an interview with Politico in May, Shapiro said it had been “probably years” since he had seen Fetterman at an event in Pennsylvania.

    “I’m not saying he hasn’t been at one, but I haven’t seen him and I’m at most things,” he said.

    Fetterman was most recently in Philadelphia at an event with McCormick to promote Trump Accounts, the new federally backed savings accounts for kids that became law with Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

    More than half of registered Pennsylvania voters want Fetterman to leave the Democratic Party altogether, according to the Quinnipiac poll.

    It is a figure that represents both push and pull: 57% of Democrats surveyed said they want him to leave, and 55% of Republicans do, too. The poll did not ask whether he would be welcomed into the GOP.

    “The Democrats would like to show him the door. The Republicans seem to be welcoming him in. Thus is the political irony of Sen. John Fetterman,” Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac, said.

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    Fetterman, who is likely to face a primary opponent, has not yet disclosed whether he plans to seek a second six-year term in 2028. U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D., Philadelphia) and Chris Deluzio (D., Allegheny) and former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, a Western Pennsylvania Democrat who lost the Senate primary to Fetterman in 2022, are all considered to be potential contenders.

    What Chris Rabb’s win in Philly could mean for the 2028 Democratic battle to replace John Fetterman

    Malloy called Fetterman’s approval among Republicans “stunningly high.”

    “He’s a maverick,” he said. “He is certainly one of the most unique politicians in the country.”

    “Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave — but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first,” Fetterman wrote in the Post.

  • Philly DA Larry Krasner taunts House Republicans in Washington after getting a subpoena

    Philly DA Larry Krasner taunts House Republicans in Washington after getting a subpoena

    WASHINGTON — Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, thumbing his nose at national Republicans on the morning after they subpoenaed him, rallied protesters on Capitol Hill on Thursday as one of his counterparts in Virginia, who had also been compelled by a subpoena from the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, prepared to testify behind closed doors.

    Taunting both Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), the committee chair, and President Donald Trump outside the building where the committee meets, Krasner railed against Republicans generally and the ongoing legal maneuvers he said are intended to ensure progressive prosecutors like him “roll over and play dead.”

    “Jim Jordan, can you hear me?” he asked as he stood before a crowd of mostly Virginians outside the Rayburn House Office Building. “Why don’t you come out here? We miss you. We haven’t seen you, and apparently, you don’t like us when we’re with you in public.”

    The monthslong war of words escalated on Wednesday, when Jordan ordered Krasner’s office to produce documents about its handling of immigration issues. The Republican-led committee requested the documents in May as it accused the district attorney — as well as Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel and Sheriff Rochelle Bilal — of protecting criminal immigrants through sanctuary policies.

    Republicans have similarly targeted multiple jurisdictions, including Arlington County and the city of Falls Church, in Virginia’s Washington suburbs.

    The committee subpoenaed the area’s top prosecutor, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, in March for documents related to protests outside the home of deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller. After a back-and-forth in which Dehghani-Tafti requested a public hearing, the committee wrote in a July 1 letter that it was compelling her to appear to answer questions about “politicized interference in a doxxing investigation and your preferential treatment of illegal immigrants accused of criminal conduct in your district.”

    “I’m here because I respect the law, and I’m here because I upheld the rule of law,” Dehghani-Tafti said Thursday as she walked by the gathering of about 75 people, some of whom wore shirts and held signs reading “No Secret Hearings.”

    Krasner said the committee was afraid to conduct the questioning in a public setting because Dehghani-Tafti, whom he described as a top-notch prosecutor and communicator, would “wreck them.”

    “And they are not just trying to do it to her,” Krasner said. “They’re trying to do it to a whole bunch of us — pretty much anybody who they see as standing in their way.”

    Krasner did not otherwise address his own subpoena while speaking in Washington.

    Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the committee said Thursday: “We look forward to Mr. Krasner’s compliance with the subpoena.”

    In an interview after his speech, Krasner said it was important for him and other local prosecutors, some of whom were in attendance Thursday, to join together to show that “none of us are backing down.” He said that he has the same legal representation as Dehghani-Tafti to deal with the situation, and that if he was compelled to testify he would answer the committee’s answers truthfully.

    “I’d be shocked if these cowards wanted a public hearing,” Krasner said. “Not because I’m so important, but because the questions are so stupid, and the truth harms them so much.”

    In a private setting, he said, the committee can control any transcripts or videos and decide when and how to make them public. He compared the situation to “Putin’s Russia,” mocked Jordan for not completing law school, and repeatedly called Trump the “criminal-in-chief.”

    Krasner also alleged that part of the reason he and others are being targeted is because of their ability to prosecute state-level crimes, for which Trump does not have the power to pardon. That includes potential crimes related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender and former Trump associate who died in 2019.

    “Make no mistake, Epstein class, we are coming for you,” Krasner said in shouting distance from federal lawmakers. “We’re coming for you now, or we’re coming for you later.”

    Epstein’s private islands were in the U.S. Virgin Islands and his mainland home was in Florida, outside Krasner’s jurisdiction in Philadelphia.

    Late Thursday afternoon in Philadelphia, Krasner said he was in the process of complying with the subpoena.

    “It encompasses an infinite number of documents, many of which they’re not entitled to have, but there’s little doubt they’re entitled to have some of them, and what the law requires is what we’re going to do,” he said. “It is very likely that sooner or later we’re going to turn over some documents.”

    He derided Jordan as “the criminal-in-chief’s little helper” and accused the House committee of being on a “silly mission” to try to show fault with how honest prosecutors are handling immigration issues in their jurisdictions.

    “If they want to mess with Philly, they’re going to come through me,” Krasner said. “My job is to protect Philadelphians. I’m going to do that. We’re not going to have ICE agents or federal agents murdering people on the streets of Philadelphia with no consequence.”

    This month ICE agents fatally shot two men in six days during traffic stops in Texas and Maine.

    The House committee gave Krasner a July 29 deadline to provide the documents it requested. In a letter Wednesday, Jordan said Krasner’s “refusal to cooperate” included “bizarre and baseless demands and conditions.”

    “The Committee has no obligation to entertain your unreasonable demand because as federal courts have explained, it is exclusively the prerogative of the Committee to determine how and in what manner it conducts its oversight,” Jordan wrote.

    Staff writer Jeff Gammage contributed to this article.