TALLINN, Estonia — Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday pardoned 28 political prisoners, the latest of his efforts to improve relations with the West.
Lukashenko’s decree marking the country’s Independence Day celebrated Friday announced that 28 convicts serving prison terms for “extremist crimes,” a term used by the authorities’ in their sweeping crackdown on dissent, were pardoned on “humanitarian” grounds.
More than 800 political prisoners remain jailed in the country, according to a rights organization in Belarus.
Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been sanctioned repeatedly by Western countries — both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Russia to use its territory in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lukashenko’s rule was challenged after a 2020 presidential election, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest a vote they viewed as rigged. In an ensuing crackdown, tens of thousands were detained, with many beaten by police. Prominent opposition figures fled the country or were imprisoned.
Five years after the mass demonstrations, Lukashenko won a seventh term last year in an election that the opposition called a farce.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Lukashenko has released hundreds of political prisoners in a series of U.S.-mediated deals that also lifted some U.S. sanctions.
As part of a deal in March that Washington helped broker, Lukashenko ordered the release of 250 political prisoners, while the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions from two Belarusian state banks and the country’s Finance Ministry, and to remove the top Belarusian potash producers from a sanctions list.
Belarus still has 864 political prisoners, including 21 journalists, according to the Viasna human rights center in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
In a report released earlier this week, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Nils Muižnieks, warned that despite the release of several hundred political prisoners over the past year, there has been no overall improvement in the human rights situation in the country.
“Sustainable progress requires an end to politically motivated repression and accountability for past violations,” he said.
Belarus opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told the Associated Press that although the release of 28 political prisoners will bring relief to their relatives, “we mustn’t forget that hundreds of political prisoners remain in Belarusian jails, and all of them must be released.”
This is the America’s 250th birthday and July 4 edition of This Week in Philly Music. Free music is all around, starting with The Roots, Jill Scott, Meek Mill, Will Smith, Jazzy Jeff, and more on the Ben Franklin Parkway. And tours featuring Molly Tuttle and Daniel Donato, Paul Simon, and Sarah McLachlan, and Allison Russell are also coming through town.
Thursday, July 2
Molly Tuttle & Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
Two terrific country-flavored guitarists and bandleaders team up on the co-headlining bill. Guitarist and banjo picker Tuttle is touring behind her fifth album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, which leans into country-pop and rock without leaving bluegrass behind. The 12-song set, largely cowritten with fiancé Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, includes a cover of Icona Pop’s ”I Love It.”
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country plays Heuser Park in King of Prussia on Thursday with Molly Tuttle on a co-headlining tour.Jason Stoltzfus
Donato is an electric guitar hero who was born in Atlantic City and moved to Nashville when he was 7. The author of The New Master of the Telecaster: Pathways to Dynamic Solos combines an affection for honky-tonk with Grateful Dead expansiveness. 6 p.m. Heuser Park, 694 West Beidler Road, King of Prussia, risingsunpresents.com/heuser-park/
Salute to Service with Queen Latifah
This free show has been pushed back to an 8 p.m. start to lessen the effects of the extreme heat. Along with rapper, actor, and singer Queen Latifah, it features the United States Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus and Miss America 2026 Cassie Donegan.
The Bug Club
Welsh indie pop duo the Bug Club consists of songwriter Sam Willmet and Tilly Harris. They’ve released three albums on Seattle’s Sub-Pop label since 2024, and the most recent, Every Single Muscle, overflows with infectious energy and Welsh pride. Columbus, Ohio, family band Golomb, which records for Philly label No Quarter, opens. 8 p.m., Ukie Club, 847 N. Franklin St., 43333collective.com
Pissed Jeans
Allentown-born and Philly-based hard core punk band Pissed Jeans has been raising a ruckus for two decades, reaching back to the band’s 2005 debut, Shallow, through 2024’s raging Half-Divorced. The Matt Korvette-fronted band is playing a free show by the Delaware River waterfront. 6 p.m., Spruce Street Harbor Park, 301 S. Columbus Blvd., 4333Collective.com
Ursula Rucker will perform as part of the Red, White, & Blue To-Do.Courtesy of Ursula Rucker
Red, White, & Blue To-Do
When the Continental Congress announced its independence from Britain on July 2, 1776, John Adams predicted that would be the day that future Americans would celebrate “with pomp and parade.” The Red, White and Blue To-Do will make good on that prediction with free events all throughout the historic district.
The musical component is wide ranging and meant to reflect a multicultural American mosaic. Puerto Rican Bomba band Los Bomberos de la Calle and a Balkan brass outfit play the National Constitution Center. Americana folk singer-songwriter Sug Daniels will sing in Elfreth’s Alley. Rob Curto’s Brazilian band Forró for All will perform at the Weitzman Museum of National Jewish History, and hip-hop poet Ursula Rucker will be joined by Miles Orion at Arch Street Meeting House. Times vary, Philadelphia Historic District, visitphilly.com
Friday, July 3
Pop on Independence with Idina Menzel
The Broadway star of Rent, Wicked, Frozen, If/Then, and last year’s Redwood will sing with the Philly Pops in a rare (for her) orchestral concert. “It’s the most glorious experience, just standing up there in front of 80-some musicians and performing with them,” she told my colleague Rosa Cartagena. “There’s nothing like it.” This concert has also been pushed back to a later start due to the heat. 8 p.m., Independence Mall, 615 Chestnut St., july4thphilly.com
Christina Aguilera will headline the One Philly: Unity Concert for America, with Jill Scott, The Roots, Seal, Will Smith & Jazzy Jeff, and more.Courtesy of the Artist
Saturday, July 4
One Philly: Unity Concert for America
With France vs. Paraguay in the World Cup in South Philly and this seven-hour free show on the Ben Franklin Parkway, July 4 is an unprecedented day in Philadelphia for outsized events.
The headliner of the One Philly concert — this year produced by Philly’s ESM Productions, rather than Wawa Welcome America — is not from Philly. It’s Christina Aguilera. The Pittsburgher and former teen star is an intriguing Independence Day headliner at a time when American identity is being contested. She’s the daughter of an Ecuadorian immigrant father and has released two Spanish-language albums, including 2022’s Aguilera.
British singer Seal and rising New York family band Infinity Song are the other nonlocal acts. Other than that, it’s all Philly.
The rest — Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, Meek Mill, Beanie Sigel, and the State Property crew and Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge — will be backed by The Roots, whose drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, is credited as an executive producer of the event. Wanda Sykes hosts, and Gillie Da King & Wallo 267 will be on hand. Special guests are expected and fireworks go off around midnight. Free, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, july4philly.com
Freedom Festival with the Commodores
The Camden alternative to Philly’s 250th birthday celebration is a more low-key affair with the Commodores, the 1970s funk-soul and easy listening band once led by Lionel Richie, who’s been gone since 1982 (though he will be playing Xfinity Mobile Arena on July 16 with Earth, Wind & Fire). Cofounder William “WAK” King still leads the band, and he will funk it up with “Machine Gun” and “Brock House” before the fireworks go off. 6:30 p.m., Wiggins Waterfront Park, 2 Riverside Drive, Camden, america250.org
Paul Simon performs during “A Quiet Celebration” shows at the Academy of Music in June 2025.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Sunday, July 5
Paul Simon
Paul Simon had planned to play three shows on his “A Quiet Celebration” tour at the Academy of Music last year, but the last two were canceled due to his bad back. Now, he’ll return and once again begin with his 33-minute-long 2023 album Seven Psalms in its entirety, followed by a lengthy greatest hit and deep cuts set. 8 p.m., TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann, 52nd and Parkside Ave., highmarkmann.org
Jason Newsted & the Chophouse
Jason Newsted spent 15 years in Metallica, playing bass in the biggest metal band in the world from 1986 to 2001. He’s on his first-ever tour with the Chophouse Band, with whom he promises to weave rock, country, and bluegrass with metal. 7:30 p.m., 118 North, 118 N. Wayne Ave, Wayne, 118NorthWayne.com
Allison Russell opens for Sarah McLachlan at the Highmark Mann on Tuesday.Dana Trippe
Tuesday, July 7
Sarah McLachlan & Allison Russell
Lilith Fair founder and “Building A Mystery” hitmaker McLachlan returned with Better Broken, her first album in nine years, in 2025. She’s joined by Russell, the Montreal-raised songwriter who raised her profile with 2020’s stunning Outside Child, and is a member of the Our Native Daughters supergroup. Russell’s third album, In the Hour of Chaos, which features guests including Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer, and Delco’s Devon Gilfillian, is due July 10. 8 p.m., TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann, 52nd and Parkside Ave., highmarkmann.org
Madison Beer
Madison Beer first gained notice at the age of 13 in 2012, when Justin Bieber posted a link to her cover of Etta James’ “At Last.” The pop singer is enjoying her biggest success with singles like “Yes Baby” and “Bittersweet” from her new Locket. Thuy and Lulu Simon open. 7:30 p.m., Met Philly, 858 N. Broad St., themetphilly.com
Sarah McLachlan poses for a portrait on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)Matt Licari
A long-empty retail space in Havertown is set to become a Sprouts Farmers Market.
The organic grocery chain has signed a lease for a 29,500-square-foot store in the Llanerch Shopping Center on the 400 block of West Chester Pike, according to Fred Snow, president of Brandolini Cos., which owns the complex.
David McGlinchey, chief development officer of Sprouts, confirmed in a statement that the chain signed a lease at the site and is planning for an early 2027 opening.
Sprouts is taking over a parcel that Amazon Fresh had rented for the past six years but never opened as a grocery store, Snow said. In February, the tech conglomerate abruptly closed all its physical Amazon Fresh locations, providing an opportunity for the landlord to terminate its lease in Havertown, Snow said.
“It’s never really been vacant very long, but it’s looked vacant,” Snow said of the space, which was previously occupied by an LA Fitness that relocated before the pandemic.
Once the property became available earlier this year, Snow said, Sprouts was “very aggressive,” and showed great interest in moving into such a densely populated, well-to-do area of Delaware County.
In 10 square miles, Haverford Township has nearly 51,000 residents, with a median household income of more than $130,000, according to U.S. Census data. The township is surrounded by other populous, affluent suburbs, including Lower Merion and Radnor.
The Havertown store is primed to be Sprouts’ first location in Philadelphia’s Western suburbs.
A view inside the Sprouts in South Philadelphia, as seen in 2018.STAFF / GRACE DICKINSON
“We’re just excited that they are going to provide offerings that aren’t in the area right now,” Snow said.
Sprouts markets sell organic, gluten-free, and plant-based products, including private-label items, as well as vitamins, supplements, natural toiletries, and bulk nuts, coffee, and baking ingredients.
Sprouts now operates two Montgomery County stores in Upper Dublin and Montgomeryville; three South Jersey outposts in Haddon Township, Marlton, and West Deptford; and four city locations, including Roosevelt Mall in the Northeast and the new Rivermark complex in Northern Liberties.
Sprouts has more local spots in the works, too, with stores under construction in Limerick and Washington Township.
The extensive supplement section at Sprouts in South Philadelphia, as seen in 2018STAFF / GRACE DICKINSON
Sprouts plans to open at least 40 stores by the end of 2026, for a total of more than 500 markets nationwide, according to the report.
“We’re seeing a great reaction as we enter new communities,” CEO Jack Sinclair said on the recent earnings call. “We’re sharpening site selection as we scale, expanding access to healthy foods.”
Yet some stores have struggled. After the Amazon Fresh shutdown in February, Grocery Outlet bargain market closed dozens of stores, including eight in the Philadelphia area.
Sprouts executives said on the earnings call that they’re aware of customers’ financial pressures and are taking steps to make their products more affordable. They mentioned store promotions like $5 Sushi Wednesday, and said they recently reduced prices on some basics like coffee, which has become exorbitantly expensive amidextreme weather andglobal conflict.
“We take the responsibility for affordability really seriously,” Sinclair said. “There’s a real opportunity for us to help people live and eat better.”
ECONE, Switzerland — A group of traditionalist Catholics directly defied Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday by consecrating four bishops without his consent, dismissing the resulting excommunications and break with the Holy See by saying it was necessary to defend the Catholic faith.
The Society of St. Pius X, which opposes modernizing reforms in the Catholic Church, conducted the five-hour ceremony at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, despite an appeal by Leo to call it off.
The American pope warned in a letter Tuesday that consecrating bishops without his approval amounted to a “sin of extreme gravity” that will actually harm their faithful.
The consecrations amounted to a crisis for Leo, who has prioritized church unity and healing tensions with traditionalists that worsened during the Pope Francis pontificate.
The SSPX, as the society is known, represents a parallel, ultra-Catholic faith to the Holy See. It now has six bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians training in five seminaries, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates, and 250 religious sisters representing 50 nationalities, according to SSPX statistics.
Bells tolled through the misty Alpine mountain valley as hundreds of priests walked two-by-two to the altar under a tent to start the service and then again at the end. An estimated 16,500 faithful who prefer the traditional Latin Mass over modern liturgies attended, sitting in a field through a downpour alongside their children who were too numerous for organizers to count.
The Mass, rich in velvet and gold-trimmed vestments, chanting, and incense, was livestreamed on the society’s YouTube channel, with simultaneous explanations in several languages. The highly organized religious extravaganza underscored the society’s international reach, despite its schismatic outsider status, and its appeal to conservative, traditionalist Catholics wary of the modern, secular world.
At the start of the Mass, a priest read aloud a statement justifying the consecrations as a necessary “sacred duty” and dismissing the resulting penalties. “We consider every punishment and censure brought to bear against this step will have no validity,” he said.
In the consecration rite, Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who himself was excommunicated after being consecrated without papal consent in 1988, placed his hands on the head of each of the four new bishops. The ritual confers the Holy Spirit from one bishop to another and recalls Christ’s gesture to his apostles. After they received their miter hats, gloves, and pastoral staffs, the four made a procession through the crowd, blessing the faithful as bishops.
According to church law, consecrating a bishop without a papal mandate incurs the harshest penalty in the Catholic Church: automatic excommunication for the four new bishops and the bishop administering the rite. It also amounts to a schismatic act, an intentional rupture of church unity.
The society was founded in opposition to Vatican II
French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the SSPX in opposition to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Among other things, the 1960s meetings known as Vatican II revolutionized the church’s relations with other Christians, Jews, and people of other faiths, and allowed Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular rather than Latin.
In 1988, Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal consent. The Vatican promptly excommunicated him and the four bishops and declared the consecrations a “schismatic act.” Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 lifted the excommunications, but the SSPX today has no legal standing in the church.
The SSPX has accused the church of being rife with heresies and errors and said that only it is upholding the true faith of Christ. It has justified the consecrations, citing a “state of necessity” to minister to its faithful.
It identified the new bishops as Pascal Schreiber of Switzerland, Michael Goldade of the United States, Michel Poinsinet de Sivry of France, and Marc Hanappier, also of France.
Catholic faithful don’t incur penalties for attending SSPX services, but they also can attend Latin Masses celebrated by priests in communion with the Vatican.
The Vatican didn’t immediately comment on the consecrations and it wasn’t clear how or if it would declare the excommunications or any other penalties. The SSPX acknowledged in a statement late Wednesday that the consecrations did not have papal approval.
The ritual had a joyous air
Everything about Wednesday’s ceremony had the air of a joyous celebration. Participants received a baseball cap with the “Econe2026” seal on it.
And in perhaps the most obvious sign of a celebration, registered participants could buy a souvenir set of wine to commemorate the “historic” event for 75 Swiss francs ($92.50). The “Cuvee des Sacres” gift box featured pinot noir, syrah, Petit Arvine, and Fendant, each bottle with a label depicting a bishop’s miter, his ring, a cross or crozier staff.
The field, located under giant power lines, was awash in smiling nuns, priests posing for photos, youths handing out bottled water, black-clad security guards with earpieces, and orange-vested volunteers who occasionally cut short journalists’ interviews with the faithful. During the downpour, priests administered Communion under yellow and white umbrellas, the colors of the Holy See.
Arlina Onglao, a 71-year-old travel agent from the Philippines, said she wanted to be on hand for the “historic event” and didn’t care about the prospect of excommunications of the bishops. She said the Vatican had “lost credibility.”
“I don’t think it’s going to scare any of us. Me, I’m not scared,” she said. “I feel like I’m on a safer road to heaven.”
Many Catholics not in Econe, including conservative and traditional ones, opposed the consecrations as an act of severe disobedience that hurts the church.
“You can’t serve tradition while disobeying the church and her authority,” said the Rev. Robert Gahl, an ethics expert at the Catholic University of America.
Roughly 83 acres of the historic St. Peter’s Village in Chester County will go up for auction this fall to the highest bidder, opening up potential for massive development of the land. And it already has seen thousands of interested parties.
The auction, scheduled for Sept. 30 at The Desmond Malvern, will put on offer the entirety of the Warwick Township village, in what auction and preservationist experts call an “unusual” type of sale.
On the table: 121 homes, which consist of 33 single-family homes, 33 twins, 34 townhomes, and 21 two-acre home sites; a wastewater treatment plant that serves the existing buildings; and 13 historic and commercial village buildings — including The Inn at St. Peter’s — which total about 43,500 square feet.
The new owner could also clinch iron ore deposits on site, “adding a rare investment dimension,” the auction website notes.
The 83-acre St. Peter’s Village — a historic destination in Chester County — will be sold at an absolute public auction to the highest bidder in September. The Inn and various shops on the main drag. Wednesday, July 1, 2026Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
The property is being sold as one unit. The buyer will have to improve the existing wastewater treatment plant for a full build out. The land is zoned for residential and neighborhood business uses.
It is definitely an “unusual property” and the auction is unusually large as well, said Doug Clemens, chief executive officer of the Traiman Real Estate Auction Company, which is overseeing the sale. Clemens said the property is owned by one entity. The Piazza family, which runs the Piazza Management Co. and owns multiple Main Line car dealerships, is listed on associated parcels. A spokesperson declined to comment.
“We’ve sold properties that were thousands of acres, but they weren’t builder properties, so this is a large property for a builder,” Clemens said.
Its good reputation, long history, and the sheer size of the parcel are why Clemens suspects they’ve seen remarkably high interest. The auctioneers put out a news release about the upcoming sale last week. They’ve received 14,000 responses since, he said.
St. Peter’s Village sprung up because of its nearby natural assets: the French Creek, timber, good soil – and resources like iron ore, copper and black granite.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Bidders must register at the auction with $150,000 guaranteed funds, but the bids will start wherever they’re comfortable.
“At the conclusion, we’ll know what the bidders were willing to pay for it,” Clemens said.
Following the curves of the French Creek, the village was established in the 1880s during the Gilded Age — a point in history where America was going through “growing pains” of both capital and labor, as well as whether it would be an “industrialized or agrarian nation,” said Jared Frederick, a history professor at Penn State Altoona.
Like many a small village or hamlet in Pennsylvania, St. Peter’s sprung up because of its nearby natural assets: the French Creek, timber, good soil – and resources like iron ore, copper and black granite.
Its economy flourished, thanks to those natural resources, which it transported to Philadelphia. It’s a “fascinating little enclave that demonstrates how some places were caught in the middle” of semi-ruralness and proximity to the big city, Frederick said.
Alongside that growing economic engine was also leisure, though. St. Peter’s Village became a recreational getaway due to its beautiful, scenic vista — something considered a “majestic retreat for commoners,” Frederick said. And while Chester County places high value on its green spaces now, it was even more essential for people living in urban areas to have access to such places in the 1880s through the 1900s, Frederick said.
St. Peter’s Village is on the National Register of Historic Places, but that may not safeguard it from development after it is auctioned off. Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer
Its sale has prompted concern about what it could become, with the auction site touting it as “suitable for major builders, venture capitalists, historic preservationists, and entrepreneurs.”
Places like this are increasingly rare, Frederick said. And while the village is on the National Register of Historic Places, that doesn’t necessarily safeguard it, Frederick said. There’s a “fairly lengthy list” of places that have earned such recognition, but been bulldozed or neglected.
And while development and other attractions could help revive the village by drawing in tourism, he believes it’s a careful balancing act.
“Something that I always impart to my students in the classroom when we talk about the power and the need to preserve historical places, is that regret only goes one way,” he said. “When a place is gone, it’s gone forever, and that is something that very much needs to be kept in mind when pondering the fate of places like this.”
This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja was walking to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas, when federal immigration officers stopped her, confiscated her rosary, and placed her in handcuffs.
The Catholic nun from Nigeria was released hours later after Democratic and Republican lawmakers intervened. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment about her immigration status, and officials from the Diocese of Brownsville would not give details other than to say she is a nurse who entered the country legally.
Ugboaja’s arrest was the latest to trigger anger from both sides of the political aisle in South Texas, highlighting how Hispanics in a region that supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 elections are growing wary of his administration’s deportation campaign.
An unlikely bipartisan consensus has emerged in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley to protest several recent immigration arrests, including those of three teenage mariachi musicians, numerous construction workers, and cases involving children and people who had been granted protection from deportation.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican who flipped her House district that includes the Texas border in 2022, has joined Democrats in the predominantly Mexican American region in calling for the release of immigrants with deep ties to their local communities and no criminal record.
“As I have repeatedly said, our immigration enforcement should target violent criminals,” she wrote on Facebook. “A Catholic nun on her way to church is not a threat to our community.”
Trump won 12 of 14 Texas border counties that had long been dominated by Democrats in the last presidential election. The rightward shift was the result of widespread discontent over how the Biden administration handled immigration and inflation.
Lawmakers and political analysts say border constituents hold nuanced views that the Trump deportation campaign is testing. They support deporting criminals and enhancing border security, but they also say hardworking immigrants with no criminal record should be given a chance. And they are upset by images of people like Ugboaja being detained while going about their daily lives.
“If the administration said they closed the border and are deporting criminals and stopped there, it would’ve been welcome news,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D., Texas). “But they didn’t stop there. They started going after people on the streets, and that part — the overreach by ICE — is turning Hispanics back to other candidates, to Democrats honestly.”
The diocese said Ugboaja is part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy congregation headquartered in Nigeria and has worked more than a decade at local Texas hospitals. Ugboaja has not publicly addressed her arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and did not respond to a request for comment.
ICE did not respond to a request for comment on why she was detained.
Richard Cortez, a Democrat who is the elected judge, or administrator, of Hidalgo County, is a parishioner at Our Lady of Sorrows, the church that Ugboaja had been walking to when she was arrested. He said he contacted representatives for De La Cruz and Cuellar after a deacon texted him to let him know that a nun had been arrested. The lawmakers then sent frenzied phone calls and text messages to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Tom Homan, the administration’s border czar.
“Where is she?” Cuellar recalled texting officials in Washington, demanding her swift release. The veteran lawmaker, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said Mullin and Homan reassured him that Ugboaja would be home by nightfall that same day.
De La Cruz wrote on Facebook on Sunday that she had “elevated this to the highest levels.”
The congresswoman is up for reelection and has been walking a careful line in supporting the Trump administration while also advocating for specific immigrants caught up in the deportation campaign. In a statement to the Washington Post, she said there is a “misconception” that Hispanic families want open borders.
“It simply isn’t true,” she said. “We want a strong, secure border and enforcement that prioritizes violent criminals and real threats to our neighborhoods.”
Local activists and cultural leaders were also involved in sounding the alarm, including Tejano singer Bobby Pulido, a Democrat challenging De La Cruz in the November general election. “It’s an aggression coming from the top, and they are not targeting bad people,” he said. “Trump voters, friends of mine, are very upset by this.”
Sister Norma Pimentel, a well-known figure in the region, drove to the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas, late Sunday to embrace a tearful Ugboaja as she exited the metal gates.
De La Cruz ”is arguing for the compassionate release for some but not others,” said political scientist Álvaro Corral of the University of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. “It puts her in a complicated place. The folks that elected her likely cheered some of this on.”
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Colorado rode a backlash against Washington to victory Tuesday night, as a surge of primary voters picked candidates without ties to Congress.
The state’s Democratic primary had been closely watched to see whether the wave of democratic socialist victories in New York last week would travel west from coastal, urban terrain into more politically diverse stretches of the country.
One key House race proved the theory true: Lawyer and democratic socialist Melat Kiros, 29, ousted Rep. Diana DeGette, a liberal, 30-year incumbent from Denver.
And in the primary race for governor, ties to D.C. also became too toxic to overcome as Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser decisively beat U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a three-term incumbent who once held a double-digit lead in polling.
The most prominent Democratic incumbent to fend off a challenger, Sen. John Hickenlooper, won against a challenger who did not air a single television ad. Hickenlooper, a former two-term governor and Denver mayor who was born outside Philadelphia in Narberth and graduated from the Haverford School, posted the narrowest primary victory of his more than 20 years running for public office in Colorado.
Here are some takeaways from primary night in Colorado, a once-purple state that saw a surge of Democratic ballots this year.
Democratic primary voters seek a fighter
In a campaign built on who would best fight President Donald Trump, Bennet’s early advantage evaporated as Weiser argued that the lawsuits he filed against the administration made him a better antagonist than an 18-year creature of Congress.
During his second term, the president has moved the U.S. Space Command headquarters out of the state and shut down Colorado’s globally recognized climate research center, among other moves that challengers said D.C.-based politicians did not do enough to stop.
Bennet is the first sitting senator to lose a gubernatorial primary in 15 years, a loss underwritten by a nearly $1 million personal loan to his campaign and almost twice as much spending on TV ads compared to Weiser.
Weiser tweaked Bennet for voting to confirm eight of Trump’s Cabinet members. Bennet stood by his votes, except for the one to confirm Energy Secretary Chris Wright. He argued that his support was necessary to help the state secure federal resources.
Colorado primary voters ultimately decided to leave Bennet in D.C., where he has another two years in his Senate term.
Democratic socialists can topple liberals
Kiros’s victory fuels nationwide exuberance of democratic socialists trying to pull the Democratic Party closer to their brand of economic populism and opposition to Israel.
After three candidates endorsed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their congressional primaries in New York last week, establishment Democrats felt angst. Democratic socialists looked to Colorado, and the money followed.
“Today, the East Coast, next week the Mountain West,” the Democratic Socialists of America posted on X the night of those NYC victories, along with a photo of Kiros and entreaties to help phone bank and “elect another socialist to Congress.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) had endorsed her a week earlier.
Kiros, a first-time candidate, beat Colorado’s most veteran member of Congress, a longtime progressive who supports Medicare-for-all and other causes dear to the left.
On the campaign trail, Kiros argued that DeGette had become part of the party’s out-of-touch establishment and accepted corporate donations but not doing enough to support the working class. A lawyer and Ph.D. student, Kiros moved back to Colorado from New York after she was fired in 2023 for writing an anti-Israel letter and refusing to retract it.
Buoyed by her savvy social media campaign, national groups flooded the race with cash in the closing weeks, tapping into the electorate’s growing interest in candidates vowing to upend the political system they seek to join. Establishment groups responded with cash to boost DeGette.
Outside spending for both candidates exceeded $3.1 million.
Kiros was not born when DeGette, 68, entered Congress in 1997, and her primary victory in a deeply blue district centered in Denver all but assures she’ll join the small caucus of Gen Z members of the House next year.
In the swingiest district, a progressive moves toward the middle
In Colorado’s most competitive House district, currently held by a Republican and stretching from the Denver suburbs north through ranches and farmland, the Democratic winner shifted positions away from those endorsed by democratic socialists — even as he remained the most liberal candidate in the field.
Manny Rutinel, a 31-year-old first-term state lawmaker, moderated his progressive views as he battled through a three-way primary race, finishing well ahead of his closest challenger, Shannon Bird.
The district, represented by Gabe Evans, is expected to be one of the country’s most expensive general election races this fall.
Rutinel is among the most progressive members of the state legislature, but he shifted on enough positions during his campaign that the Denver chapter of the democratic socialist party declined to endorse him. An editor’s note on the DSA’s voting guide added: “Many of our members are concerned that even a Neutral vote is too supportive of this candidate.”
A Yale-educated lawyer who also worked as an economist for the Army Corps of Engineers, Rutinel declined to support Medicare-for-all, proposing a strong public option instead. He also stopped supporting a fracking ban and ending student debt.
Colorado Democrats lost a redistricting fight, but they may flip seats anyway
The surge in Colorado’s Democratic turnout fueled the party’s optimism that losing in court over redistricting won’t matter too much in the end.
Democratic groups in the state had been planning in recent weeks an effort to redraw their maps ahead of the 2028 election in hopes of countering a string of Republican-run states that gerrymandered to favor the GOP in recent months.
Currently the state’s delegation is split 4-4 under boundaries drawn by an independent redistricting commission. But Colorado has trended blue for years amid a population explosion, and Democrats believed they could add as many as three seats.
Three ballot measures proposed by a Democratic-aligned group, Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, would have temporarily suspended the independent redistricting commission and adopt new maps for the 2028 elections. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that they were unconstitutional because of how they were structured.
But high turnout among Democrats in Tuesday’s primary has Democrats believing they can gain one or more seats in November, two years earlier than they had originally hoped.
It’s been a roller coaster start to his career, but Tyson Foerster’s feet are firmly planted in Philly.
On Wednesday, the 24-year-old winger inked an eight-year extension with an average annual value of $7.1 million. According to league sources, the deal features limited trade protection in years 3-8, but it does not contain a no-move clause. The contract will start in 2027-28, when Foerster was scheduled to become a restricted free agent.
“We believe he’s a big piece and part of our future,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said Wednesday when asked why he was extended on the day he was eligible.
“It’s another great leader, grown inside the organization. The leadership part, the scoring threat that he is, the 200-foot game that he plays, the size. He’s worked really hard to improve his physical condition, to improve his skating.”
The Flyers now have Foerster, Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Owen Tippett, Sean Couturier, Cam York, and Christian Dvorak inked to long-term deals. Goalie Dan Vladař signed a five-year extension that will begin after next season on Wednesday, and restricted free agents Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale are expected to be locked down in the coming days.
Foerster has one more year left on a two-year bridge contract he signed last May at a cap hit of $3.75 million. The GM acknowledged he could have signed him at that time for eight years, but it would have meant he’d be with the Flyers for eight years. Now, between the two deals, he’s slated to play in orange and black for 10. Also, if he had waited, the expectation is that the cap hit would have been larger.
“You probably remember when we drafted him [that] the big knock on him is that he’ll never play in the NHL, [that] this is a fatal flaw, he can’t skate,” Brière said. “He worked really hard at overcoming that, and when you watch him now, it’s not even a question [about] the skating part.
“So a lot of credit goes to him, and he’s growing into a leadership role that’s very important on our team, very respected by his teammates. We see him as a big part and piece of our future. So, to get those guys at a respectable number … you have to jump on them, and we believe he’s going to be a big-time goal scorer and overall player for us, and if we didn’t do it now, it’s going to cost us a lot more down the road.”
Drafted by the Flyers with the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft, Foerster has solidified himself as a top-six winger but has battled a multitude of injuries.
Flyers forwards Tyson Foerster and Trevor Zegras are poised to become part of the team’s long-term core.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
This past season, he missed four months with an upper-body injury that required surgery. Injured Dec. 1 during the follow-through of a one-timer against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he underwent surgery in mid-December and missed 49 games.
Before the injury, Foerster had 10 goals and 13 points in the first 21 games of the season, including a goal in the game against Pittsburgh. He was not expected to return during the season, but recovered to do so on April 2 and marked his return with a goal .
Foerster had three goals and one assist in his final eight games before adding another goal in the postseason. He also missed time in November with a lower-body injury from a blocked shot.
“I think right when I came back, we were kind of looking at must-win games. So, the first couple were adrenaline and stuff, and then you kind of get tired or whatnot,” Foerster said at his end-of-season availability. “Everyone’s been playing for so long, and they’re up to speed and stuff. So yeah, it was a little tough,” he said about his lack of production after returning in April.
“But I got no excuses. I came back, and it was a lot of fun for me to come back. I missed the team, and I missed everybody, and I missed playing in front of the fans.”
Two seasons ago, Foerster set career highs in goals (25), assists (18), and points (43) in 81 games. He finished the season on a high with nine goals in his final nine games, including notching his first career hat trick on April 9 against the New York Rangers.
But then his training was impacted in the summer after suffering an elbow injury while playing for Canada at the men’s World Championships last May. He underwent a procedure to remove the infection, and the team said he did not have any structural issues with the elbow. He started training camp in a non-contact jersey, but shed that pretty quickly.
Flyers right wing Tyson Foerster returned after upper-body surgery in December last season and returned in early April, right before the playoffs.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
In his first full season with the Flyers in 2023-24, Foerster played in 77 games and potted 20 goals and 33 assists. He missed four games in February with an injury to his right foot — also scoring in his return. Foerster also had a few injuries that cost him significant time in the minors, including a shoulder injury that cost him most of the 2021-22 season.
A reliable two-way forward, coach Rick Tocchet has also long lauded his shot.
“I’m sure you guys noticed, but I noticed that even in the corner, just a little bit of a play to keep the puck possession, body position, just a little play to our guy, instead of losing the puck. He’s a real smart player,” Tocchet said toward the end of the regular season.
“Even for a guy like him, even if he doesn’t have his A-game, he contributes. … Sometimes those guys are whatever, might not have their best night in the legs, but somehow they contribute. He’s that type of guy for us. He’s a real glue guy for us.”
Gone is the trademark light blue hull that helped Air Force One blend into the sky. The refurbished jet is painted to Trump’s preferred color scheme of a navy blue belly and red and gold stripes.
It has the luxury features that the president believes a commander-in-chief’s entourage should have — plush carpets, lie-flat seats, wood paneling, and a presidential seal on the seat belts, according to reported tours of the plane.
Trump told reporters that he was proud of the luxurious plane. “You can do two things: You can low-key it, or you can show it,” he said.
Reporters are generally not permitted to take photographs on the plane unless Trump is present. But on Wednesday, Trump administration staffers posted images of the plane’s interior on social media.
White House communications director Steven Cheung posted a photo of aides gathered around a circular table that had off-white place mats and leather captain’s chairs. Monica Crowley, the chief of U.S. protocol, posted a picture of herself perched on a leather couch between a pair of Air Force One throw pillows. Mounted on the wall behind her was a framed photo of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
The jet, a gift from the Middle Eastern power, raised ethical concerns, but Trump saw the plane as a necessary replacement to the 35-year-old planes that had previously ferried him as president.
“This is a gift from a country that has treated us very well,” Trump said.
The new jet will only temporarily be in the nation’s service only temporarily, as Boeing is expected to deliver in 2028 long-delayed planes that will permanently serve as Air Force One. Trump, a Republican, has said in the past that the Qatar plane would end up in a presidential library.
The Air Force has said that it did little to change the cabin layout of the plane and that it spent less than $400 million on security upgrades.
Longtime Immaculata University president Barbara Lettiere said she will retire next summer, following a decade at the helm of the Catholic school.
Lettiere, an Immaculata alumna, donor, and former board chair, was named the first lay president of the Chester County university in 2017.
“The time has come in my life and the life of Immaculata for the next chapter,” Lettiere, 76, said in a statement. “I did not make this decision easily, and it comes with some very mixed emotions.”
The university, which is affiliated with the congregation Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,enrolled nearly 2,800 students last academic year, and plans to do a national search for her replacement.
“The board accepts her decision with deep gratitude for her outstanding leadership and dedicated service over the past ten years,” Peggy Behm, board chair, and Sister Mary Ellen Tennity, IHM’s general superior, said in a statement. “Her deep dedication to Immaculata, its students, faculty and staff, and her love for the mission of the IHM Congregation have left a lasting and meaningful impact on the University community.”
Lettiere, a 1972 graduate, had previously served as vice president for finance and administration at Trinity Washington University.
