When Gretchen Ellis saw photos of the four-bedroom, two-bathroom twin on a cul-de-sac in Chestnut Hill, she said, “I knew it was ‘the house.’ I felt a deep sense of calm.”
With her two sons in college, she moved from Maple Glen in 2017. Now, her sons are in Pittsburgh and Ellis is joining them.
“I wish I could pick up my house and my neighbors and move them there,” Ellis joked.
The kitchen has marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a breakfast bar. Gary Schempp
The 1,520-square-foot home was built in 1887, designed by architect Robert R. McGoodwin.
Hardwood flooring covers most of the home; the living room has a gas fireplace; and the kitchen has marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a breakfast bar with scenic views of the grounds.
The living room has a gas fireplace.Gary Schempp
The second floor has two bedrooms, including the primary, which has a built-in closet system, and share a full bathroom. The second bedroom can also serve as a home office.
The two bedrooms on the third floor share a full bathroom with a claw-foot tub.
The dining room.Gary Schempp
Recent improvements include roof flashing reinforcement, metal roof coating, replacement of a cedar shed, and a new sump pump.
There is a full basement with a French drain system, laundry facilities, and an exterior exit with a full set of stairs and a brick patio.
The back patio.Gary Schempp
The house is a short walk from SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill East and Chestnut Hill West Regional Rail lines, and the shopping corridor of Germantown Avenue.
It is listed by Diane Reddington of Coldwell Banker Realty for $699,900.
The American League won the 2026 MLB All-Star Game 4-0, shutting out the National League in front of a sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park in South Philly.
Phillies batters struggle as American League wins All-Star Game
Phillies Bryce Harper waves to the fans during the sixth inningElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Well that was rough.
The American League blanked the National League 4-0 in the MLB All-Star Game in South Philly Tuesday night, where the only real fireworks were during a recreation of “The Sandlot.”
Phillies’ batters didn’t help much. Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Brandon Marsh went a combined 0-5 with three strikeouts.
Starting his first All-Star Game, Cristopher Sánchez struggled, giving up three runs on three hits. Teammates Jesús Luzardo and Jhoan Duran pitched well during their limited time on the mound.
Overall, the National League managed just three hits against dominant American League pitching, which recorded 15 strikeouts.
The AL has won 11 of the last 13 All-Star Games, for those keeping score.
Phillies fan nabs a souvenir that will ‘go into a case for life’
Phillies fan David MacDonald and his dad, Jim, after catching a Brandon Marsh foul ball. Abraham Gutman / staff
David MacDonald will leave the MLB All-Star game tonight with a souvenir.
The 23-year-old from Cape May caught a ball Brandon Marsh fouled in the second inning.
“My dad and I have been talking about going to the All-Star game even before it was announced it was here,” MacDonald said. “I shed tears during the national anthem and everything.”
Adding to the lore of what is guaranteed to be a story told and retold in the MacDonald household, father Jim MacDonald was in the bathroom for Marsh’s at bat.
The ball instantly became the young MacDonald’s most prized possession, he said, and it will immediately “go into a case for life” after the game.
The father-son due are Phillies diehards, and like so many children and their parents, they’ve bonded over their love of baseball.
“It means everything to us,” the young MacDonald said. “This is one of the coolest days of my life.”
A recreation of ‘The Sandlot’ at the All-Star Game
A recreation of The Sandlot scene was shown, and then those kids rode bikes onto the field to meet the players, all while “America the Beautiful” from Ray Charles plays.
Sánchez gives up three runs in All-Star Game start
Cristopher Sanchez walks off of the mound after pitching the first inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Upon being introduced Tuesday night, Cristopher Sánchez stood in the bullpen, hands on his hips, tapped his chest and saluted the crowd.
It was all downhill after that.
Sánchez, the first Phillies pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Roy Halladay in 2011, labored through a 34-pitch first inning in which he faced eight batters and gave up three runs on three hits.
The trouble for Sánchez began with a one-out single from the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez. Sánchez walked Shea Langeliers of the Athletics, and two batters later, walked the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. to load the bases.
With action in the National League bullpen, Sánchez allowed back-to-back RBI singles to the Yankees’ Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice to drop the NL in a 3-0 hole before Kyle Schwarber led off the bottom of the first.
Sánchez came into the All-Star Game with a 2.62 ERA, ninth among all pitchers. But he quietly struggled before the break. He gave up nine runs in 3 1/3 innings in his worst career start July 6 in Kansas City, then dodged 10 hits in allowing only two runs in seven innings last Saturday in Detroit.
The full Philadelphia sports fan range of emotion in seconds, in equal passion applauding Kyle Schwarber and booing Juan Soto. pic.twitter.com/k8C7Y5iBSK
Jennifer Hudson performs before the start of the All-Star Game.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerActor Miles Teller introduces the All-Star Game to fans and viewers on Fox. Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerJhoan Duran, Jesús Luzardo and Bryce Harper during player introductions.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
// Timestamp 07/14/26 7:59pm
Big cheers for Phillies All-Stars during player introductions
Kyle Schwarber passes Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy during batting practice.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerLos Angeles Angles centerfielder Mike Trout prepares for batting practice.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer(From left) Phillies’ Jesús Luzardo, Pirates’ Braxton Ashcraft, Phillies’ Jhoan Duran, and Dodgers’ Justin Wrobleski talk during batting practice.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff PhotographerPhillies interim manager Don Mattingly watches batting practice.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
// Timestamp 07/14/26 5:47pm
Brandon Marsh’s dry hair among best looks from the MLB All-Star Game red carpet
Brandon Marsh waves during the All-Star red carpet event.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
You can take the baseball players off the field, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to stop sporting coordinated outfits.
The All-Star red carpet ran through Independence Mall on Tuesday before that night’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, and the stars were putting their stellar fashion skills on display, as fans saw a lot of coordinated outfits between families.
Sometimes the best outfits are less about the clothes and more about the overall look, and with a head of hair like Brandon Marsh’s, there’s little the clothes have to do.
Marsh wore his signature locks notably dry and tied back with an all-black look, from shirt to pants, jacket, and shoes.
But he wasn’t just bringing the fashion, he also was offering tips on haircare.
The Phillies outfielder shared his hair routine with MLB Network’s Kait Maniscalco, stating that he doesn’t do much beyond washing it once or twice a week, usually after day games, and then, of course, wetting it every inning.
“I just water it every inning just like you do the grass or the flowers,” Marsh said.
Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton to throw ceremonial first pitches
Tonight’s ceremonial first pitches will be thrown by a pair of Phillies legends, Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton.
Receiving the pitches will be two other Phillies greats, Hall of Famer Scott Rolen and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels. #AllStarGamepic.twitter.com/PFRYN89wra
All-Stars talk Philly fans and ‘impressive’ Derby atmosphere
A fan celebrates after catching a home run from St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Jordan Walker during the Home Run Derby.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philly has a reputation for having some of the toughest fans in professional sports — and Monday night was a clear reminder why they’ve earned that reputation. During the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park, fans booed anyone without Philly affiliation.
“I thought it was in a pretty impressive atmosphere last night,” said Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan. “Just seeing the Home Run Derby, [Philly fans are] always going to have a good time and they want to win. So, yeah, [I] respect it.”
And nobody was safe — not even the kids in the outfield tasked with tracking down the non-home runs. After a failed attempt, some took heat from the Philly crowd, while others were cheered for their successful catches.
“To be honest, I didn’t see [the Home Run Derby,]” said Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman. “But they’re passionate, man. I got to give them credit.”
“They’re passionate, man. I got to give them credit.” — Adley Rutschman on Philly fans pic.twitter.com/XGdWCO3phP
Phillies fans cheered loudly for Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on Monday night. The other Home Run Derby contestants? They got a different reception.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The boos at Monday’s Home Run Derby may have surprised some but it’s nothing new in Philly.
Fifty years ago, the fans at Veterans Stadium provided the soundtrack at the All-Star Game just like they did on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. The fans booed the rival Reds players during pregame introductions and roared for the Phillies. The Reds, who would beat the Phillies that October in the playoffs, had no issue with the South Philly serenade.
“They’ve got people in this town who boo the crack in the Liberty Bell,” said Pete Rose, who was one of five Reds in the starting lineup. “So I knew I’d get a few raspberries playing third base instead of Mike Schmidt. If the game was in Cincinnati and there were that many Phillies voted into the lineup, they would be getting boos. These people are going to hate us a lot more come October.”
The All-Star Game has grown substantially since 1976 as the midsummer classic is now a week-long event. But it’s a safe bet that it will sound like 1976 during pre-game introductions on Tuesday night. Mets, Braves, Dodgers, and even some others: cover your ears.
“I think the important thing is that Bryce’s activity was not a violation of the basic agreement,” commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday in a meeting with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “We made sure about that, and we’ll continue to try to figure out exactly how we ended up, where we ended up on that.”
MLB’s collective bargaining agreement, which will expire on Dec. 1, allows players to appear in advertisements or make personal appearances for casinos, racetracks, or sportsbook companies, as long as they do not encourage betting on baseball.
The Inquirer obtained a copy of a 21-second video from November 2024 in which Harper offered a greeting to a bettor, Terry Thompson, who wagered $18.5 million with FanDuel and lost $1.5 million, according to a lawsuit that the Public Health Advocacy Institute filed in March in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia.
Harper posted to Instagram on Monday that he thought he was just doing a message on the site Cameo — in which celebrities are paid to record videos for fans — but “what happened here went beyond anything I knew about or approved.”
“I did not know this video would be used for commercial purposes,” Harper wrote, adding that he read a script “in good faith” before FanDuel put its own logo on the video and used it as a gambling promotion. “I did not know FanDuel would do this, I did not consent to it, and FanDuel had no right to do it.”
Harper declined to comment beyond his initial statement on the advice of counsel.
Manfred said he’s “aware of the situation” and Harper’s statement about it, but said, “I’m not really certain that I know all of the underlying facts well enough to evaluate the behavior.”
Harper will be in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Citizens Bank Park. He was selected as the commissioner’s “Legends Pick,” one spot on each league’s roster that is filled by Manfred.
Photos: Check out the Phillies All-Stars on the red carpet
All six of the Phillies All-Stars took to the red carpet Tuesday on Independence Mall, sporting their freshest outfits with their families joining in on several of the looks. Here’s how they looked …
Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo and his wife, Francesca Sue Luzardo.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhillies closer Jhoan Duran and his family.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhillies outfielder Brandon Marsh.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerGov. Josh Shapiro (left) greets Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and his family.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez and his family.Monica Herndon / Staff PhotographerPhillies first baseman Bryce Harper and his wife Kayla Harper.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
// Timestamp 07/14/26 2:45pm
Bryce Harper talks Home Run Derby and red-carpet fit
Greg Amsinger loves his red carpet outfit, but Bryce Harper isn't the biggest fan.😂
Harper spoke about what it means to represent the @Phillies in their home ballpark at the #AllStarGame!
Gameday Central: Previewing the All-Star Game — and the trade deadline
The All-Star Game is back in Philly for the first time in 30 years, and The Inquirer has you covered. Join Phillies reporter Scott Lauber and Phillies beat writer Lochlahn March for a special All-Star episode of Gameday Central at 2 p.m.
They’ll be on site at Citizens Bank Park to discuss All-Star week, recap the Phillies’ first half, and look ahead to the trade deadline and beyond.
// Timestamp 07/14/26 1:57pm
The stars are here: Watch the MLB Network Red Carpet show
// Timestamp 07/14/26 1:18pm
Fans arrive on Independence Mall ahead off red carpet
Farr: Stop whining about the boos at the Home Run Derby
A fan reacts after catching a home run from Tampa Bay Rays Junior Caminero during the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
I understand some folks on social media are very upset with Phillies fans today for booing every baseball player but their own two during the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park Monday night.
To those whom we’ve offended, may I humbly say: BOOOOO!!! There’s no crying in baseball, you whiny babies.
I wasn’t there in person so sadly I can’t claim to have been a part of the cacophonous crowd that joyfully jeered player after player as they walked onto the field (except, of course, for Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, who received thunderous applause), but I did laugh like hell while watching the incessant booing on TV.
Philly literally booed these guys just for daring to show up and be introduced at our ballpark. We are so unserious.
Our humor is just as brutal as our honesty and while it may not seem like it on the surface, both come from a place of respect. Sure we could be fake and feign applause for players from other teams, or we could be “polite” and not say anything at all, but we’d rather be engaged and enjoy a good time and a good ribbing.
Heck, last night Phillies fans booed one of the kids picking up baseballs in the outfield because he didn’t catch a fly ball, so yeah, puppies and sunshine should be on high alert.
All-Star Game in Philly: Here’s how to watch and stream
Joe Davis (left) and Hall of Famer John Smoltz will call tonight’s All-Star Game on Fox.Fox Sports
The Phillies will be well-represented in tonight’s MLB All-Star Game (8 p.m., Fox), which is back on Fox for the 26th straight year.
Cristopher Sánchez will start for the National League, and two Phillies players will be in the starting lineup — Kyle Schwarber and Brandon Marsh. Bryce Harper, Jesús Luzardo, and closer Jhoan Duran are also on the National League squad.
Calling the game is Fox’s World Series crew — play-by-play announcer Joe Davis and Hall of Famer John Smoltz. Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will report from Citizens Bank Park.
How to stream the All-Star Game
The game will stream live on the Fox Sports app, although it’s only available there for cable subscribers. It will also stream live on MLB.TV, although the subscription service is hardly worth it for Phillies fans in the Philadelphia market due to its blackout rules.
The game can also be streamed on a host of services that carry Fox, including FuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, or YouTube TV. If you live near Philadelphia, you can also watch it for free using a digital antenna, since Fox 29 is a broadcast channel.
Other All-Star Game coverage
Fox Sports will begin its live coverage at 7 p.m. with a pregame show hosted by Kevin Burkhardt alongside analysts Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and David Ortiz.
The MLB All-Star Red Carpet Show will begin at 2 p.m. on MLB Network.
All-Star Game lineups: Kyle Schwarber will lead off for National League
Kyle Schwarber finished second in Monday night’s Home Run Derby.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The starting lineups for Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game were revealed by the teams’ respective managers Monday at Citizens Bank Park.
The lineup behind Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez, who gets the start on the mound for the National League, will begin with his Phillies teammate, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. Outfielder Brandon Marsh will bat seventh for Dave Roberts’ NL squad.
Here’s a look at the full order:
Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies
Juan Soto, LF, Mets
Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers
CJ Abrams, SS, Nationals
Max Muncy, 3B, Dodgers
Ozzie Albies, 2B, Braves
Brandon Marsh, RF, Phillies
Andy Pages, CF, Dodgers
Drake Baldwin, C, Braves
Meanwhile, here’s a look at the starting lineup for John Schneider’s American League side, behind starting pitcher Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays:
Some of MLB’s biggest stars are missing from this year’s All-Star Game
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani isn’t at the All-Star Game.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
The best player in Major League Baseball — a player who can make a claim to being the greatest baseball player ever — will not play in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park.
The best player on the most popular team in Major League Baseball — a player who hit at least 53 home runs in three of the previous four seasons and is among the most recognizable figures in the sport — will not play either.
And the best pitcher for the franchise that is hosting the game — a pitcher who can make a claim to being the best starter in the majors for the last several years — wasn’t initially selected to be an All-Star, then was, then rejected the invitation.
If the stars everyone wants to see don’t play, does the All-Star Game still make a sound? It was a question worth contemplating Monday. It wasn’t the only one. The players who will make up the American and National League rosters Tuesday night plopped down on chairs along Ashburn Alley for the game’s media availability, and the juice wasn’t quite what it might have been.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani has irritation in his left knee. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in his right rib. The Phillies’ Zack Wheeler has a bruise to his ego.
Kyle Schwarber falls in Home Run Derby heartbreaker
Kyle Schwarber looked set to take his first Home Run Derby title before Jordan Walker went on a late frenzy.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Kyle Schwarber needed to take a breath.
Schwarber went deep seven times in a nine-swing span in the semifinals of Monday night’s Home Run Derby. With three swings left, he needed to regroup.
And so, Schwarber did what any slugger in a hometown Derby would. He took a beat and waved to the Phillies fans in sold-out Citizens Bank Park to make more noise.
Schwarber won the round and nearly the Derby. But the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker, who drew cheers from the 43,863 paying customers after each swing that didn’t result in a homer, smashed four homers in a row in bonus time to eke out a 12-11 victory in the finals.
It marked Schwarber’s third career Derby and second runner-up finish. He came in second to Harper in 2018 in Washington, then Harper’s home ballpark. Four years later, they became teammates with the Phillies.
There would be no rematch this time. Harper hit eight homers in the first round and didn’t advance despite crushing a 482-footer that disappeared beyond the second deck in right field before touching down in Ashburn Alley.
Philly road closures due to tonight’s All-Star Game
All-Star Game banners are in place around town.Conor Smith / Staff
Independence Mall will see road closures in place from 5 a.m. to midnight Tuesday due to the MLB Red Carper show, which begins at 2 p.m.
Those closures will affect:
Fifth and Sixth Streets from Arch to Walnut Streets
Market and Chestnut Streets from Fourth to Seventh Streets
Ranstead and Sansom Streets from Sixth Street to Seventh Streets
Philadelphia police, the city said, may institute additional closures in the interest of public safety.
All roads affected by closures will also be temporary no-parking zones, the city said. If vehicles are parked in those locations during the times they are closed, the vehicles will be moved.
Drivers who may have had their cars moved should contact the police district of the area where their vehicle was parked, the city said.
To accommodate fans heading to Citizens Bank Park, SEPTA will run six additional express trains on the Broad Street Line, also known as the B Line, to NRG Station before and after the All-Star Game.
Free rides on the line from NRG Station will also be available at select times during those events. Free rides begin after the sixth inning of the All-Star Game Tuesday, the city said.
When Rafael Peña throws to Kyle Schwarber in the batting cage, he likes to challenge him. The Phillies designated hitter will get a steady stream of curveballs, changeups, and sliders.
He’ll also get some trash talk. Peña jokingly dares the slugger to scrape out a hit. These sessions are meant to prepare; not to please. “We really don’t do a lot of feel-good BP,” Schwarber said.
But when the DH was deciding whether to participate in the Home Run Derby, it was Peña who came to mind. The assistant hitting coach has thrown more batting practice to Schwarber than anyone in the organization (with the exception of Kevin Long, who coached him before he arrived in Philadelphia).
So, Schwarber asked him if he’d be his pitcher about 10 days ago while the Phillies were on the road. But Schwarber hadn’t announced that he was participating in the Home Run Derby. The coach assumed he was talking about cage work.
“He asked me what I was doing,” Peña said. “And I was like, ‘I’m going to be in Philly.’ And he was like, ‘Do you want to throw to me? Do you want to throw BP to me?’
“And I was kind of like, ‘What do you mean?’ And he was like, ‘Well, in the Derby.’ I throw BP to him all the time. I didn’t know if maybe he was going to stay late one of the days or something like that.”
Kyle Schwarber electrified the Citizens Bank Park crowd in the Home Run Derby but came up just short of a title. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Peña agreed, and the two men got to work. On Saturday, when the Phillies were in Detroit, Peña, Schwarber, Long, and bullpen catcher Brad Flanders took a car service to Comerica Park.
They arrived hours before game time, and long before the rest of the team got there. Peña measured the exact distance from the plate that he’d be positioned in the Derby and set up behind an L screen.
Flanders, wearing the same bright red glove he’d later use on Monday night, bent into a crouch. Schwarber stepped up to the plate. Peña began firing pitches middle, middle-in.
The assistant hitting coach called it a “practice round.”
“We did 20 [pitches] and he hit 13 out of 20,” Peña recalled. “And then we did a 15 round and he hit nine out of 15.”
Long, who was watching from a few feet away, gave his stamp of approval.
“K-Long was just like, ‘Just feed it in there,’” Peña said. “‘You don’t need to go too crazy. Just feed it in there. Flandy has a big target, big red target.’”
It ended up being a harbinger of Schwarbombs to come. Two days later, with Peña behind the L-screen, the Phillies DH put on an epic performance in Citizens Bank Park, falling one home run short of winning the Home Run Derby.
Schwarber started slow — falling short in his first five tries — but gained momentum as the night went on. He finished his first round with 10 home runs, his semifinal round with nine, and his final round with 11.
He seemed like he was guaranteed a win, until Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker crushed 12 home runs a few minutes later (an especially impressive feat, given that the crowd was actively rooting for his demise).
Even though this wasn’t the result the Phillies wanted, for Peña, it was still a meaningful moment. The assistant hitting coach was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where his father, Rafael Sr., took him to his first baseball game at the age of 7.
Rafael Sr. was in the stands on Monday night. He had family and friends following along from the Dominican Republic. His daughters, Sophia and Isabella, were cheering him on from home in Oklahoma City.
Phillies assistant hitting coach Rafael Pena has a strong rapport with Schwarber, which was evident on Monday night. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
“They called me [today]. They’re like, ‘Hey Daddy, are you ready? Have you practiced?’” Peña said. “It’s fun.”
Peña said on Monday afternoon that if Schwarber hit like he did on Saturday, he’d have a good chance of winning it all. And his words proved prescient. Schwarber came incredibly close; Walker was down to his last swing.
But the baseball gods had other ideas, and Schwarber will have to wait another year, at least, for his next chance at the trophy. And if he calls, Peña will be ready.
“It’s special,” Peña said. “I’ve watched this since I was a little kid; every single Home Run Derby. So being a part of it is amazing.”
The best player in Major League Baseball — a player who can make a claim to being the greatest baseball player ever — will not play in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. The best player on the most popular team in Major League Baseball — a player who hit at least 53 home runs in three of the previous four seasons and is among the most recognizable figures in the sport — will not play either. And the best pitcher for the franchise that is hosting the game — a pitcher who can make a claim to being the best starter in the majors for the last several years — wasn’t initially selected to be an All-Star, then was, then rejected the invitation.
If the stars everyone wants to see don’t play, does the All-Star Game still make a sound? It was a question worth contemplating Monday. It wasn’t the only one. The players who will make up the American and National League rosters Tuesday night plopped down on chairs along Ashburn Alley for the game’s media availability, and the juice wasn’t quite what it might have been.
There were a couple of famous names, such as Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. There were emerging stars, such as the Washington Nationals’ James Wood and the Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong. There were the grateful first-timers, such as the Phillies’ Jesús Luzardo and the Detroit Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle (a proud Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast alum). But because of some adverse circumstances, the showcase will be without three of the game’s greatest showmen.
The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani has irritation in his left knee. The Yankees’ Aaron Judge has a stress fracture in his right rib. The Phillies’ Zack Wheeler has a bruise to his ego.
Shohei Ohtani (left) will sit it out Tuesday night along with Zack Wheeler.Mark J. Terrill
They were missed Monday and will be missed Tuesday, though their conspicuous absences weren’t all their fault. As the Dodgers’ best hitter and one of their best pitchers, Ohtani already bears some heavy obligations; he can be forgiven for declining to play hurt through even an inning Tuesday. And Judge hasn’t appeared in a game for the Yankees since May 31.
Wheeler is a different story, though, and his situation did raise the issue of the All-Star Game’s purpose. Is it a showcase for the game’s most popular and accomplished players, a chance for fans to see those stars all together at once? Is it a reward for those players whose performances in the season’s first half were particularly excellent? If so, does the game really need its longtime quota system of having every team represented?
Wheeler’s snub touched on all those topics. It had become a cause célèbre around here, of course, and he was so miffed that on Friday, when Major League Baseball offered him a spot on the NL team, he said no, telling reporters, “They disrespected me, so I’m not going to participate in it.” His nose-thumbing at MLB has garnered him a lot of atta-boys from Phillies fans and media members. Still, it would be easier to be sympathetic to Wheeler if he hadn’t been selected to the All-Star Team in 2024 and 2025 and declined each year not just to pitch but to show up to the game.
In fairness to Wheeler, he was suffering from some back tightness in 2024 and had pitched on the Sunday before the 2025 game. But in fairness to the people who make such decisions, how many times does a player have to turn down participating in the All-Star festivities before they catch the hint that he’d rather spend the break down the shore?
Maybe the honor of playing in the All-Star Game doesn’t matter as much to Wheeler as the honor of saying he’s an All-Star does, especially once it comes time for the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s voters to consider his credentials and case for induction.
But then, Wheeler’s attitude toward the game is nothing new among major leaguers, despite the common assertion (and reality) that baseball’s All-Star Game carries more meaning than the NBA All-Star Game or the Pro Bowl. If it does, it’s not by much.
“I never felt like there was that much at stake,” said Phillies manager Don Mattingly, a six-time American League All-Star selection during his 14-year career with the Yankees. “I felt like it was an exhibition, really. There was so much stuff around it, all the stuff you have to do. At game time, guys want to play, but you’re not as invested as you are in a pennant race, going down to the last week of the season. It doesn’t feel like that.”
So instead of Wheeler, the National League’s pitching staff will have the San Diego Padres’ Adrian Morejon, a 27-year-old middle reliever with a 3.42 earned-run average this season. And because the rotation schedules of Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes, and Max Meyer — three of the National League’s top starters — made them unavailable to pitch Tuesday night, Luzardo was among some late additions to the roster.
“There’s two sides,” said Luzardo, who is 8-4 with a 3.51 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 110⅓ innings this season. “The child in me sees it as all the best stars in baseball getting together and playing a game. That was me growing up watching the All-Star Game. Now, being a player, it’s a reward for the success you’ve had. Obviously, there’s a lot of motivation to go out and perform every time out. You’re going to get the best out of everyone at these games.”
The question isn’t whether the fans will see these players give their best. The question is whether the players they’ll see are really the best — and how many of the best of the best really want to be there at all.
With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.
Player: Jonathan Jones
Position: Cornerback
Age: 32
Previous experience: Jones is the most veteran player in the cornerbacks room, bringing 10 years of NFL experience to the Eagles. He spent nine seasons and earned two Super Bowl rings (2016, 2018) with the New England Patriots, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2016.
He spent most of his early Patriots career as a backup defensive back (primarily at nickel) and a special teams contributor until 2022, when he earned the starting outside cornerback job out of training camp. That year, he started 16 games, registering a career-high four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown), three forced fumbles, and 11 pass breakups.
Jones remained the starter in New England in 2023 and 2024, then signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent in 2025. As a backup last season, he started seven games, making five pass breakups and notching one sack. He took the bulk of his snaps on the outside.
Path to a roster spot: Cornerback depth — at either spot, but most likely on the outside. The Eagles are set among their starting trio of Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen on the outside and Cooper DeJean in the slot. Michael Carter II could be the primary backup in the slot if he doesn’t win the starting safety job, but Jones could earn the top backup role on the outside if he fares well in training camp against contenders that include Kelee Ringo and Mac McWilliams.
Quotable: “I can remember being the younger guy in the room, full of veterans, Devin McCourty and those guys, and just trying to compete with them. And so now being the older guy in the room, just still having that joy of the game, coming out, competing in practice and games, and just still having that childhood joy of playing football is definitely what keeps you going.” — Jones in March on his rare longevity as an undrafted player
Samori Touré (83) saw limited action with the Packers earlier in his career. Paul Sancya / AP
Player: Samori Touré
Position: Wide receiver
Age: 28
Previous experience: Touré, who is 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, has four years of NFL experience, spending the latter half primarily on practice squads.
He began his career with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the seventh round out of Nebraska in 2022. Touré saw limited action in Green Bay, combining for 13 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown in 22 games (two starts) in two seasons on the active roster. He was released in August 2024 after ending the previous season on injured reserve.
Since his release from the Packers, he has been on three practice squads: the Chicago Bears (2024), the Denver Broncos (2025), and the New Orleans Saints (2025). He was only active on game day with the Saints, the team that picked him up in late November last season after the Broncos released him in late October. Touré had one reception for three yards in one game with the Saints.
Path to a roster spot: Receiving depth, both on the outside and in the slot, most likely as a member of the practice squad. The active roster seems like a stretch, given that Touré will be competing with Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Britain Covey for one of those last couple spots in training camp.
Even the practice squad will be a challenge for Touré to make, seeing as he does not have special teams experience. In addition to the aforementioned active roster contenders, Touré will have to beat out practice squad incumbents Danny Gray and Quez Watkins for a spot on that unit.
However, while Touré did not overlap with Sean Mannion in Green Bay, they are both products of Matt LaFleur’s offense to an extent. That experience could give Touré a boost while competing for a role in the revamped Eagles offense, which will likely feature similarities to the Packers’ scheme.
Quotable: “Samori has had his moments, and we gotta continue to build upon those and become more and more consistent along the way. But he’s a guy that we definitely have high hopes for. He has the tools necessary that you look for in terms of being able to separate. He has them in his body. He possesses those. It’s just continuing to get more and more reps.” — LaFleur on Touré in July 2023, via Packers.com
Creating their forever home was a labor of love for Wendy Whittington and Fred Duffy.
The couple, on the cusp of retiring from medical careers in Dallas, spent several years designing the Strathmere home they moved into this summer. It’s a showcase of their passions: family, books, travel, and wine.
“We wanted to recreate an old beach house with the feel of the Shore we knew from growing up,” said Whittington. She grew up in nearby Dennis Township and Duffy visited Long Beach Island in his youth.
An ornate candle holder, a gift from Wendy Whittington for her husband, Fred Duffy, sits in a nook in the living space.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The InquirerThe main bedroom of the Strathmere home.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
“We have a big family and wanted a place that was welcoming,” Whittington said, “a gathering place.”
So they razed and rebuilt the house they had bought a decade earlier. They had purchased the rundown two-bedroom ranch as a rental property, with a plan to replace it later.
“We had an affinity for coming back to the beach and Strathmere worked for both of us,” said Whittington. “It felt like coming home.”
The uppermost deck offers a view of the ocean.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
But the house was too small for their large blended family. Together they have eight children, four of whom now have spouses.
Working with Halliday Architects and Oliver Custom Home Builders, they spent about four years designing and almost two years building the new house. The roughly 4,000-square-foot home has two main floors. The second floor, where the couple spend most of their time, includes a spacious kitchen and den, primary bedroom and sitting area, Duffy’s office, and a secret wine cave.
A custom-made bookcase has a hidden door that leads to a refrigerated wine storage area.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The InquirerWhittington and Duffy enjoy collecting and tasting wine.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
The first floor is where their kids hang out. It has three bedrooms, a second kitchen, and Whittington’s study.
“The kids are welcome upstairs, but they aren’t encouraged to come up,” joked Duffy. “That’s our sanctuary.”
Despite the boundary, “everybody always ends up in the kitchen anyway,” Whittington said. So “we wanted a kitchen big enough to allow for that.”
Whittington and Duffy both enjoy cooking. Their main kitchen was designed with functionality in mind, and includes a large quartz island, Thermador appliances with a five-burner gas stove, double ovens, a pot filler, a copper sink, and lots of storage space.
The second-floor main kitchen, one of two, is spacious, with ample seating and a large pantry area.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
The open-concept layout allows guests to mingle in the sitting area, a cozy room with a fireplace, comfortable couches, and a stunning view of the ocean. Large walnut bookcases are filled with books, evidence of their passion for reading. Hidden behind one of the bookcases is the temperature-controlled wine grotto.
The pair often eat at the bistro table in the corner. When the house is full of guests, they eat in the dining room at an oak table they bought from Land & Sea Furniture in Ocean View. Custom made by Amish woodworkers, it seats 14.
The extensive use of wood throughout the home is one of its most striking features. Rich mahogany defines the exterior trim and extends to the ceiling of the couple’s primary bedroom. Inside, walnut takes center stage, featured in the flooring, trim, and distinctive banisters.
Whittington and Duffy, passionate readers, built a library area with a custom bookcase and a custom walnut banister.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
The home is filled with treasures from their travels, as well as finds from stores in Philadelphia, antique shops in Cape May, and Etsy. The door knocker, which dates back to the 18th century, was found on a trip to Barcelona and the fish-shaped outdoor shower handles came from Uruguay. They discovered several hammered steel pieces of art in Haiti.
At Architectural Antiques Exchange in Philadelphia, they found the Belgian cabinet they converted into the powder room vanity, the stained glass for the transoms in the kitchen, and the stained glass door for Whittington’s study.
“Everything is personal and has a story,” said Duffy.
The light fixtures are among their favorite accents. They aimed for period-appropriate pieces with a whimsical flair. For example, the dining room lights are original milk glass and the second-floor living room chandelier is brass. The two matching stairwell lights are vintage Venetian mouth-blown Murano caged-glass bubble lanterns.
Whimsical wallpaper brings fun and funky beach designs into the home, featuring fish, octopus, crabs, and seagulls.
Light fixtures believed to be over 100 years old hang in the library area.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The InquirerThe vibrant jellyfish pattern in this bathroom is one of several eye-catching wallpaper treatments in the house.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The InquirerAn antique door knocker greets visitors to the home.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The InquirerA stained glass window above a doorway off the second-floor kitchen.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
The home boasts several outdoor spaces, including a grassy backyard. From the large roof deck, Duffy and Whittington can take in both sunrises and sunsets, and the cozy front porch is where they read and relax. The primary bedroom and a guest bedroom also have walk-out decks.
“We enjoy sitting on the deck, looking at the stars, listening to the ocean, and having a bottle of wine,” said Whittington. “That’s blissful.”
Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@inquirer.com.
Thousands of Americans who undergo a common knee surgery might be making their problems worse rather than better.
Researchers who followed patients for 10 years after they received either the actual procedure, arthroscopic knee surgery to trim degenerative cartilage tears, or merely “sham surgery” — a skin incision — for knee pain, found that the surgery provided little or no benefit and was, in fact, associated with accelerated osteoarthritis and higher rates of reoperation. That generally meant a total knee replacement.
“I don’t know how I would defend this procedure at all,” said one of the study’s authors, Teppo Järvinen, an orthopedist and the head of the Finnish Centre for Evidence-Based Orthopaedics. “What has been shown dramatically is that patients who have this procedure have more pain — they do worse. All the scores pointed in the same direction.”
Järvinen said the Finnish study, published in April in the New England Journal of Medicine, was the first to show the surgery left many patients worse off. Though the study was small, the results were compelling, he said, because his team picked the patients “most likely to benefit.”
The study does not apply to cartilage tears incurred from an acute pain-causing injury. It included subjects middle-aged or older who were experiencing knee pain and whose MRIs showed cartilage tears.
Evidence has been accumulating steadily for over a decade that arthroscopic knee surgery to shave torn, degenerative cartilage does not help more than physical therapy. Arthroscopic rates in Finland have dropped 90%, Järvinen said. They have been falling in the U.S., too, but at a far slower rate.
One study of commercial claims in the U.S., which counted over 2 million meniscus surgeries from 2010 to 2020, found the number decreased by about 4% each year. Most procedures were performed on women and patients in their 50s.
In the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, the number of procedures has declined steadily in recent years, from about 169,000 in 2014 to 91,000 in 2024, federal data show. These figures do not include beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage, private insurance plans that cover more than half of Medicare enrollees.
Prior studies of scans have found that such tears are common in people over 50, the result of wear and tear and often not painful.
“Nothing supports the idea that a patient’s pain comes from the meniscus,” Järvinen said.
Robert Brophy, director of the Orthopaedic Clinical Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis, said that “evidence is growing for judicious use of this surgery in this population.” But, he noted, “many patients do benefit.”
All the same, he acknowledged that current practice among his peers is “all over the map.” For example, data show that surgery for meniscus tears in the Medicare population is far more common in the South than in the Northeast.
A massive study committee of orthopedic societies in Europe and the U.S. last June released a consensus statement noting that “degenerative meniscus lesions can be treated with comparable results with either non-operative (including physical therapy) or surgical approach.” It recommended a trial of physical therapy before surgery but still endorsed the operation.
A concerted campaign by orthopedic specialty societies called the Save the Meniscus Society has been ongoing for years. The group advocates for protecting and maintaining long-term knee health through nonsurgical treatments, surgical repair, and other therapies.
One inherent issue in all medical specialties is that appropriate treatment is often in the eye of the physician beholder, meaning that specialists create the guidelines for when a treatment is in order. And financial considerations may influence that decision, Järvinen said.
In the U.S., physician payments are decided by the Relative Value Scale Update Committee, or RUC, a committee of the American Medical Association composed largely of specialists. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his advisers have reportedly looked into wresting control of that committee from the association, though it’s not clear how that could be done, since the AMA owns the billing codes used to calculate patients’ charges.
Arthroscopic knee surgery takes 30 to 60 minutes in the operating room, and the patients spend a few hours recovering in a surgery center or in a hospital outpatient department. Medicare allots on average $2,159 to $3,875 for the procedure, depending on where it is performed; patients pay 20% of the fee as coinsurance. There may be additional costs, for example, if more than one doctor is involved in the procedure. Commercial insurers average well more than twice that, said Marcus Dorstel, a senior vice president at the data analytics firm Turquoise Health, adding that the amount providers charge for the procedure varies widely. Those charges do not include the fees of the surgeons and the anesthesiologist.
Treating chronic knee pain has a variegated history.
Fifty years ago, the treatment for cartilage tears, from acute injury or from wear and tear, was to remove the entire piece of cartilage. At that time, doctors did not consider it a shock absorber but a useless, vestigial piece of tissue like the appendix.
Today, the first-line therapy for a painful knee with degenerative tears is physical therapy and, for some people, weight loss. Then there is arthroscopic surgery, depending on the view of the surgeon about its utility.
There is also a menu of injections: Steroids have proved scientifically valuable in the short term. And injections of stem cells and plasma-rich protein are widely offered but are controversial — and not covered by most insurance — because studies have been at best inconclusive about their benefit.
And as orthopedists are backing away from shaving off meniscus tears, they are highlighting a newer procedure — sewing the torn cartilage back into a whole. But that is typically an option for patients under 50 with acute injuries and clean tears, and it is unclear exactly which patients might benefit.
When all else fails, there’s a different surgery that’s also a big moneymaker for hospitals and doctors: knee replacement.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a man in a vehicle on Monday morning in Biddeford, Maine. It was the second fatal episode in a week, as the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown, and the latest in a string of encounters between agents and people in cars.
The man was identified as Joan Sebastian Guerrero, according to Matthew Felling, a spokesperson for Sen. Angus King, I-Maine.
The Homeland Security Department said in a statement Monday that ICE agents had been monitoring what they believed to be the residence of someone who was in the country illegally and for whom they had a removal order.
It was unclear from the department’s statement whether Guerrero was the person agents had been seeking.
Video recorded early Monday and posted to social media showed agents surrounding a body next to a car with bullet holes in the windshield.
“I heard agony,” said Mary Hayes, a local resident, who said she saw a screaming woman on her knees, next to a young girl. “I heard a howl that came from your soul, that your whole life had just changed and it was never going to be the same.”
Here’s what we know:
Witnesses heard gunfire early Monday morning
On Monday morning, agents tried to stop a vehicle that had departed from the residence they were monitoring, DHS said in its statement, which came nearly 12 hours after the shooting.
“The vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the statement continued. The driver was struck and died from his injuries.
In a separate communication received by some members of Congress, the department used more pointed language, saying the driver had “weaponized his vehicle toward law enforcement.”
As of Monday evening, no video evidence confirming the government’s version of events had emerged.
People who live nearby reported hearing gunfire at an intersection at around 7:15 a.m. Several reported seeing a body on the ground next to a car.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who represents the area, said in a phone interview Monday that “we have gotten reports that ICE officers shot through a car window, and the individual in the car was killed.”
Immigration officials have said little about the victim
Though King’s office named Guerrero as the victim, the DHS statement did not.
Three advocacy groups released information about the victim in the shooting but did not name Guerrero. In a joint statement, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! Maine, identified him as a 26-year-old Colombian man. A third group said he had a partner and a young child. The source of the advocates’ information was unclear, and could not be immediately confirmed with authorities.
The Colombian Embassy said in a statement Monday that it was assisting the family of a Colombian national who had died in Biddeford. The embassy said it was also requesting information from DHS “regarding the circumstances surrounding this lamentable death.”
King said Monday that he had spoken with Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary. King said that Mullin had told him that the man had been the target of an arrest warrant “based upon his immigration status.”
But Felling said later that Mullin called the senator again and told him the driver had not been the target of any warrant. “He said they were looking for someone, essentially, and the person they shot was not the person they were looking for,” Felling said.
Officials are demanding a full investigation
Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said in a statement that the State Police and other agencies were consulting with federal officials to “determine the facts of what occurred this morning.”
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called for a “full and impartial investigation.”
“We will get answers, but we do not have them yet,” said Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain, who also pushed for an investigation.
This is the second death in a week involving an ICE agent firing into a vehicle
Amid a national surge in immigration enforcement, a federal agent last week shot and killed another individual in a vehicle: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican man who died after a traffic stop in Houston.
Salgado Araujo, a construction worker and father of three who had lived in the country for more than 30 years without legal status, was not the initial target of the officers who pursued his vehicle, according to immigration officials.
The Houston and Maine killings add to a growing list of encounters between immigration agents and people in vehicles.
About 20 people have been shot at in their cars, some of them fatally. Federal officials have in several cases claimed that the agents’ actions were justified because their lives had been endangered by “weaponized” vehicles. Witnesses of the Houston shooting said that Salgado Araujo had not used his vehicle as a weapon.
As in the shooting of Salgado Araujo, it appeared that federal agents were not wearing body cameras Monday, King said. So “we have no video evidence of what occurred in this case,” he added.
Immigration arrests are on the rise nationwide
Daily arrests of immigrants in the United States doubled in the last week of June and have continued to increase, signaling a reinvigoration of the president’s crackdown after a spring slowdown.
Immigrants make up about 5% of Maine’s population and have helped prop up the state’s economy, hampered by its aging population. Over the years, Maine has welcomed waves of refugees fleeing conflict in the Middle East and several African countries.
In January, ICE detained hundreds of immigrants in the state during an enforcement surge the agency called “Operation Catch of the Day” — a reference to Maine’s commercial seafood industry.
Now, locals say agents have returned, making frequent appearances in Biddeford in recent months. Biddeford, a working-class city of roughly 22,000, contains a growing community of Latin American immigrants.
Talla Fall, who is originally from Senegal, lives near where the shooting took place Monday. ICE agents have been in the neighborhood “every day, every week,” he said.
WASHINGTON — Still shaken from the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Senate Republicans returned to Washington on Monday and were immediately forced to confront the policy and political complications caused by his absence.
Coupled with the extended leave of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who was hospitalized last month and has not said when he will return to the Senate, Graham’s death Saturday has created further difficulties for an election-year legislative agenda that already faced significant hurdles.
The loss of Graham and the absence of McConnell have temporarily whittled down an already slim Republican majority and are threatening to stall spending bills, a major budget measure the party had hoped to use to push through hundreds of billions of dollars of military spending, and at least one crucial nomination.
It also left uncertain the fate of a new package of sanctions against Russia that Graham had negotiated in the days leading up to his death, which now lacks its most influential Republican champion in the Senate.
In the coming days, Senate Republicans had hoped to quickly confirm President Donald Trump’s pick as attorney general, Todd Blanche, whose confirmation hearings are set for Wednesday and Thursday. They are also eager to pass annual spending bills before a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government. And with the midterms looming, many Republicans are hoping to find a way to push through sweeping policy initiatives in an arcane budget process known as reconciliation that allows them to skirt a Democratic filibuster.
All of those are up in the air with the loss of Graham. He sat on the Appropriations and Judiciary committees, where Republicans could now find themselves short of a majority to approve legislation or nominations, and was the chair of the Budget Committee, which would drive the reconciliation process.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the majority leader, who was a longtime friend of Graham’s dating to their early years together in the House, had already been skeptical that he and his fellow Republicans could push through a politically charged, one-party budget bill so close to the November election.
“Obviously there are a lot of considerations that we have to work through: how big it is, what the offsets are, what our limitations are,” Thune said. “To get that done and get the requisite number of votes in both the House and Senate will be a heavy lift.”
Thune and other senators were visibly affected by the death, and Graham’s Senate desk was draped in black velvet and held a vase of white roses.
With senior roles on the panels overseeing the Justice Department, spending and budget policy, Graham was seen as an important Republican voice in all three efforts. And as Republicans try to take advantage of their governing trifecta before the elections, Graham was viewed as a crucial link between the Senate and the White House.
Many of Graham’s colleagues acknowledged that he would have been particularly valuable helping Senate Republicans navigate an increasingly tense relationship with Trump, who has grown frustrated by their refusal to bow wholeheartedly to his agenda.
“His voice is going to be really, really missed in terms of the relationship that Senate Republicans have with the president and his team,” Thune said in a CNN interview Monday. “Because he was so good and so effective at talking to the president, and it was so respected by the president.”
That connection would have been central to any attempt to push through a third reconciliation bill.
Trump last week urged congressional Republicans to turn to the procedure — which allows bills that affect government revenues to pass the Senate on a simple-majority vote — to provide $350 billion to the Pentagon and to impose long-sought restrictions on elections.
As chair of the Senate Budget Committee, Graham would have overseen that process, steering any measure through complex rules that govern what provisions can be included. Before his death, he signaled a willingness to try to meet Trump’s demand, even as many Republican senators, including Thune, have been skeptical that they could muster the necessary support to pass such a measure given disputes about how to pay for new spending with compensating cuts elsewhere.
Though Thune has not yet named a successor, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is widely viewed as the next in line to lead the budget panel. But Johnson is among the staunchest fiscal conservatives in Congress, and his approach to spending cuts may rankle vulnerable lawmakers who do not want to slash government programs.
Asked about the path forward Monday, Johnson brushed off questions. “Look, I just walked by Lindsey’s desk,” he said. “It’s kind of one step at a time.”
Thune’s most immediate challenge may come with Blanche’s nomination. While some Republicans have voiced concerns about Blanche’s role in establishing a Justice Department fund for people claiming to be victims of unfair prosecution, Graham, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was seen as a reliable supporter who would have helped Blanche advance.
But after Graham’s death, Republicans on the committee hold only an 11-10 edge on, meaning objections from any one Republican senator on the committee could stymie Blanche’s nomination. Two of them, Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, have raised questions about Blanche. Cornyn reiterated his concerns Monday after a federal judge in Miami assailed a settlement that Blanche brokered between Trump and the IRS that protected the president and his family from tax audits.
“It certainly is another area that I plan to ask about, and I’m certainly not making any commitments until after the hearing,” Cornyn said.
Advancing legislation to fund the government out of the Senate Appropriations Committee was already going to be difficult with McConnell’s absence, and the committee has already been at a partisan impasse.
But Graham’s death could make it nearly impossible to move any spending bills without major bipartisan support. Republicans will now need all their senators on the panel to be present and voting to overcome unanimous Democratic opposition.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said the two primary actions Congress must take are to fund the government and keep it open after Sept. 30, probably through a stopgap bill, and provide money for the conflict in Iran. He predicted that progress would be difficult.
“I’m not terribly optimistic about the next four weeks,” Kennedy said.
NEW YORK — No large data centers can be built in New York for up to a year as the state creates rules to protect the environment and its energy grid from the power-hungry facilities fueling artificial intelligence.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Tuesday imposing the country’s first statewide moratorium on hyperscale data centers, which house thousands of computer servers and require massive amounts of energy and a steady supply of water to keep cool.
The move pushes the state into a raging debate over how to regulate the AI industry, as concerns over rising electric bills and environmental risks collide with a desire to stimulate local economies and foster the U.S. tech sector.
“The bottom line is that progress shouldn’t arrive with a higher utility bill, deleted water supply, or noise pollution, so we have no choice but to address these challenges created by these massive facilities,” Hochul said at a celebratory signing ceremony in Brooklyn.
President Donald Trump has warned states not to slap regulations on the AI industry, echoing tech companies in arguing such moves hamper job growth and cede ground to China in a race to lead in the rapidly growing field.
Earlier this year, Maine seemed poised to establish a similar moratorium. But the measure was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills because it would have blocked a proposed data center in a town that has struggled after a mill closed.
Moratoriums have been proposed in at least a dozen states but have not gotten far, though some counties and municipalities have imposed their own temporary bans.
New York’s executive order pauses state permitting for new large data centers and directs state regulators to create standards that address environmental impacts, energy demand, water usage, and other factors, the governor’s office said.
The decision in New York also carries political significance for Hochul’s reelection campaign and the state’s tight congressional races this fall, as Democrats move to address affordability concerns over high utility bills. In addition, the governor this year softened New York’s ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gases, citing rising energy costs for consumers.
Hochul’s Republican opponent in the governor’s race, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, opposes a statewide moratorium and says local governments should be allowed to strike deals with tech companies for data center projects that promise enough economic benefits.
In a statement Tuesday, Blakeman said the governor “doesn’t work with local governments and business leaders to figure out how to get things done,” while pledging to “modernize our economy to bring costs down and create good jobs.”
The state Legislature this year approved its own moratorium bill, but Hochul’s office described the legislation as complex and said it needed additional work. Instead, the governor opted for an executive order that would take effect immediately.
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation, joined the governor during the signing ceremony. “If Big Tech is coming onto our turf, it should be on our terms,” she said.
New York, at this stage, has not been a destination for the largest hyperscale data centers.
