DEAR ABBY: Would you please do a much-needed public service for those of us who have a service dog? Service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks for their handlers. Tasks can include smelling dangerously high or low glucose levels, smelling mood swings, anxiety and depression, smelling an impending seizure and many other tasks.
Service dogs are not family pets. Here in New Mexico and in many other states, it is a crime to misrepresent a dog as one. A service dog in training has the same access rights as one that’s fully trained. The dog cannot be denied access. Hotels that charge extra for pets cannot charge extra for a service dog. Airlines must allow service dogs to fly free of charge. They cannot be denied access to any public facility.
The handler must be in control of the animal at all times. Service dogs that bark excessively must be taken out of the facility. A single “woof” is not excessive barking. Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, only two questions are allowed: “Is that a service dog?” and “What task is the dog trained to perform?”
Questions about the handler’s disability or need for a service dog are not allowed. My dog in training is learning how to alert me to specific medical conditions and respond to assist me. Many people are unaware of proper behavior around service dogs. Never distract, talk to or pet the service dog. Do not make eye contact with it either. Distracting my dog could cause a serious problem for me.
— AWARENESS ADVOCATE
DEAR ADVOCATE: Thank you for your instructive letter about service dog responsibilities and etiquette. I hope it will prove useful to my readers because there appears to be some confusion about this subject, due to so many dog owners cheating the system by representing their pets as service animals.
** ** **
DEAR ABBY: My significant other of 16 years is fighting cancer. I am proud of his determination. I recently had an EKG, and my results weren’t great. When I told him, he turned it right around to his own issues. Am I selfish for being upset about this? I have catered to him through it all, driven him to his appointments and waited on him hand and foot. I doubt you’ll answer this post, but I’m submitting it anyway.
— FRUSTRATED IN MAINE
DEAR FRUSTRATED: Oh, ye of little faith! No, you are not selfish. You are rightfully concerned about your own health as well as your significant other’s and realize how centered on himself he is. What, if anything, you decide to do about this is up to you. But if you need someone to watch your back and are feeling a breeze back there, you might want to depend less on him. Sit down with him, have a serious chat and map out a strategy that’s beneficial to you both.
The Pennsylvania State Police gave out nearly 700 tickets and more than 300 warnings just days after a new law banning handheld device use was fully implemented.
Pennsylvania became one of the last states to have such a ban when Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the new law two years ago in June 2024. But the rule wasn’t implemented until June 2025, and it came with a one-year warning period. So police haven’t been able to ticket drivers for the law until just over a week ago.
To mark the occasion, state police conducted Operation Hands Off from Monday to Wednesday, cracking down on the new rule, which carries a $50 fine. The department touted the mission as “highly successful” with 694 traffic citations and 308 warnings related to the new law. They also issued 6,013 other traffic citations, 4,090 other warnings, and 98 DUI arrests during the three-day period.
The state police issued 1,616 warnings during the one-year warning period from June 5, 2025, to June 5, 2026, for the new law.
It’s named Paul Miller’s Law, to honor Paul Miller Jr., who was killed in 2010 after a tractor-trailer driver crashed into him.
“Nearly 15 years ago, two Dunmore state troopers knocked on my door to tell me that my son was killed,” Miller’s mother Eileen Miller said in an April statement. “My son did everything right — he was killed by someone else’s unsafe choices behind the wheel. This law is for every family in Pennsylvania that doesn’t have to experience two state troopers knocking on their door to tell them that their loved one was killed by distracted driving.”
Texting while driving had already been banned in Pennsylvania, but the new law encompasses all sorts of uses like taking photos, playing games, sending emails, scrolling on social media, or talking on the phone while holding it.
The law states that holding a phone or dialing or answering a phone by pressing more than one button is not allowed. Drivers can still use hands-free technology for uses like phone calls, navigation, and music.
There are no exceptions for sitting in traffic or at a red light — but there is an exception for contacting law enforcement in an emergency.
Shapiro’s administration suggests drivers pull over and park in a safe location if it’s urgent, ask a passenger to be a “designated texter,” use the “Do Not Disturb” feature while driving to silence notifications, or place their phone somewhere inaccessible.
MILWAUKEE — No offense to Shane Drohan, but after what they faced here Friday night, the Phillies were sure offense would be easier to come by Saturday.
Call it “The Miz” effect.
Because although Drohan has a respectable fastball, nobody throws more premium octane than his Brewers teammate, Jacob Misiorowski, whose 104-mph rocket fuel makes everything else looks like regular gasoline.
And sure enough, after getting held to one hit and striking out 15 times against Misiorowski, the Phillies blasted off for a season-high 17 hits, then staved off a late charge in a series-tying 9-8 cuticle-chomper over a National League heavyweight.
“The first [pitch] I saw today, I think it was 94, and I was pretty far out in front of it,” said J.T. Realmuto, who interrupted a 2-for-33 slump with three hits, including a three-run homer. “It almost slows the game down for you a little bit after seeing 104 all night.”
And now, the Phillies (38-32) will give the ball to their ace, Cristopher Sánchez, with a chance Sunday to win the series over the Brewers (42-26) and clinch a winning road trip. Sánchez will also be able to rebut Misiorowski in the still-early Cy Young Award debate.
Before that, though, let’s get to the best part for the Phillies in their biggest offensive outburst of the season: The bottom of the order did the heaviest lifting.
Bryson Stott lined two RBI doubles, one of which broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning; Realmuto collected four RBIs; Brandon Marsh and Edmundo Sosa had three hits apiece; the Nos. 5-9 spots in the order went 12-for-24 with eight RBIs.
How’s that for shaking off a Misiorowski hangover?
“Obviously we weren’t bothered by what happened [Friday] night,” interim manager Don Mattingly said after the Phillies won for the eighth time in 11 games. “I didn’t think we would be, honestly. Any time you face that and he’s throwing the ball like he did, it’s kind of easy to flush it when a guy’s doing that.
“And then anybody you see after that is just not the same.”
But it wasn’t stress-free for the Phillies either. Not after Brad Keller loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth inning. He wild-pitched in one run and gave up a sacrifice fly to Christian Yelich and an RBI single to Jackson Chourio to slice a four-run lead to one run.
Interim manager Don Mattingly said he was “close” to taking Keller out. Realmuto wasn’t sure the Phillies would emerge with the lead intact.
“Hopefully, I was thinking, best-case scenario, we get out with a tie with the at-bats they were putting up,” Realmuto said. “He made the pitches when he needed to, you know? I’m sure he’s not going to be happy with that outing, but the way he was able to finish it was big for us.”
Indeed, with Jonathan Bowlan warming, Keller struck out Brice Turang on a low-and-away slider and got William Contreras to foul out to leave the tying run on second base.
“Once he gets the sac fly, I’m like, ‘OK, he’s settled,’” Mattingly said. “It’s almost like the sac fly got us an out, settled him down, and he made some pitches. But yeah, a little hectic before that.”
Said Realmuto: “If that 3-1 pitch [to Yelich] is a walk or something positive doesn’t happen on that pitch, it might have spiraled pretty quickly. I think that kind of gave him the confidence to get through it.“
The Phillies staked Aaron Nola to a 3-0 lead. And after he fumbled it away on a pair of homers to straightaway center field — Garrett Mitchell crushed a two-run shot in the fourth inning; Chourio went deep in the fifth — the Phillies answered with five runs in the sixth inning.
Here’s how it went: Marsh single, Sosa single, Stott RBI double, Realmuto three-run homer, Derek Hill single, Kyle Schwarber single, Trea Turner strikeout, Bryce Harper sacrifice fly.
Realmuto’s part in the rally, which came after his RBI single in the third inning, was particularly cathartic given the slump he has been dragging. It got so bad — or maybe Misiorowski is so good — that Mattingly considered it a “small victory” for Realmuto to line out on a fastball Friday night.
“Obviously I haven’t been myself this year,” Realmuto said. “It’s something that I can continue to work on to to try to get better, and tonight felt good. I felt like I got good pitches to hit and was on time for them and put good swings on them.”
Said Mattingly: “It was good to see.”
Better still was not having to see Misiorowski again, at least until the Brewers come to Philadelphia at the end of September.
Halfway through the Union’s 17th season, midfielder Danley Jean Jacques became the first active player from the club to play in a World Cup.
Jean Jacques started for Haiti on Saturday night against Scotland in Foxborough, Mass., in what was also Haiti’s first men’s World Cup game since 1974 and Scotland’s first since 1998.
Haiti lost the game, 1-0, but played well, outshooting Scotland 15-9 and holding a majority of the possession. Jean Jacques was often at the center of the action, with four tackles, two clearances, one interception, eight duels won in 12 contested, and 44-of-53 passing.
The 26-year-old from the small coastal town of Petit-Goâve is in his third season with the Union. He has been a regular with Les Grenadiers since 2023, earning his 31st cap for the country in this game.
Jean Jacques is the third active Union player to be on a World Cup team. The first was right back Olivier Mbaizo, who made Cameroon’s squad four years ago but did not play.
Haiti's national anthem is played at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974 🇭🇹 pic.twitter.com/NM6ZvwHh7p
In 2014, centerback Carlos Valdés played in the tournament while on a series of loans away from the Union. While he returned to Chester later, the loan meant he didn’t qualify for this piece of history.
This year, centerback Olwethu Makhanya made South Africa’s team. He could have beaten Jean Jacques to the history books since South Africa played co-host Mexico in the tournament’s opening game.
Alas, Makhanya was on the bench, though that wasn’t too surprising. He had never played for Bafana Bafana’s senior team before the tournament, and hadn’t come close until finally earning a training camp invitation from manager Hugo Broos this past March.
The odds of Makhanya playing in South Africa’s next game, Thursday in Atlanta vs. Czechia (noon, Fox29, Telemundo62), might have gone up when two of his teammates were sent off in the 2-0 loss at Mexico City’s fabled Estadio Azteca. Then again, neither of those players was a centerback.
Haiti fans in the stands at Saturday’s game.Charlie Krupa
Haiti’s next game will be a homecoming for Jean Jacques, as the team plays mighty Brazil in Philadelphia on Friday (8:30 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62). One of his teammates, Penn alum Duke Lacroix — a native of New Egypt, N.J., in Ocean County — will also return to town, and will get to train on his old college field on the eve of the game.
Lacroix was an unused substitute against Scotland.
Haiti’s group finale is June 24 against Morocco in Atlanta. Morocco and Brazil tied, 1-1, earlier Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J., with spectacular goals by Ismael Saibari and Vinícius Junior.
South Africa’s group finale is June 24 against South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico.
After 11 years of marriage, there are very few things Aurora and Jamaal Brown don’t see eye to eye on. Then FIFA announced its first scheduled World Cup match in Philadelphia: Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador.
“Ivory Coast is going to win and I will celebrate with some drinks,” Jamaal playfully teased his wife over the phone Saturday evening. “I am telling her, we are winners.”
The Jacksonville, Fla., resident grew up with friends from the Ivory Coast and recently found out through a DNA test that he has ancestry from the West African country, a genetic inheritance he takes seriously.
Aurora Brown and the family pick out a soccer jersey for dad at FIFA Fan Fest in Philly. Dad Jamaal had stay back home in Jacksonville, where he will be rooting for the Ivory Coast. But Aurora is sticking with Ecuador.Michelle Myers
As an Ecuadorian native, Aurora thinks Jamaal is wrong. But she is letting him “live in delusion” because she and their kids were able to travel to Philly to support the Ecuadorian team. Jamaal had to stay behind to take care of his grandma.
“If they weren’t playing against Ecuador, the whole family would be Ivory Coast fans,” Aurora said while attending FIFA Fan Festival at Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill on Saturday with her family. “We are going to buy him an Ivory Coast jersey for Father’s Day so he feels the love.”
Walking into the Lemon Hill park area, the mother of two was stunned to see so many Ecuadorian soccer shirts and flags, but no Ivory Coast representation.
Soccer fan Plinio Rada waves the Ecuadorian flag at the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Saturday ahead of Ecuador’s first round World Cup match against the Ivory Coast.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Waves of yellow, red, and blue paraded down Center City and into the arteries connecting with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. An unusual scene in a city with little Ecuadorian representation.
Both the Ecuadorian and Ivory Coast communities are considered small in the Philly metro area.
According to the Census Bureau, 15,415 Philly-area residents claim Ecuadorian ancestry. And numbers for Ivory Coast residents are hard to estimate because the bureau doesn’t tabulate them.
Maryland resident Michelle Diagne, 35, felt that absence.
The Ivory Coast native came to visit her Philly family from Rockville, Md. But realizing the tickets were too expensive, she and her two teenagers settled for attending fan fest and watching Sunday’s game at home.
While she had hoped to see more Ivory Coast fans in Philly, Diagne said just knowing the “Elephants” are playing in the U.S. fills her with pride.
“It makes me feel like we count,” Diagne said.
Ecuadorian native Magaly Moreira, 60, shares the sentiment. After decades living in New Jersey, she had never seen such a display of her country’s people.
“It fills me with happiness, pride, and so much joy,” Moreira said, Ecuadorian flags painted on her face. “It’s our opportunity for us and the players to represent Ecuador.”
She was one of thousands of Ecuadorians attending “El banderazo Ecuatoriano” outside the Art Museum. An event organized by group +593 (the country’s international calling code) that made fans put aside the traditional “Ecuadorian hour” to show up more than on time to support their team.
“Ecuador, Ecuador, Ecuador, vamos Ecuador,” resounded through the Rocky steps as the fans chanted, many sporting the Ecuadorian soccer jersey.
Defeating the heat, a crowd of all ages — from newborns to seniors — cheered and danced to the traditional highland dance “Zapateando Juyayay,” showcasing pride for their country, waving flags, and hugging each other with hope.
With a broken leg and dragging a wheelchair, Darío Galarza and his friend Marco Gallardo flew in from Ecuador two days ago to support their home team. They did not expect to see such an outpouring for their national team.
“The U.S. is accessible for us because we share the same currency and it isn’t far, but we didn’t expect to see so many people,” Gallardo said.
Ecuadorian soccer fan Demetrio Govrea watches fans during a flag waving event at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
For Galarza, skipping the World Cup wasn’t an option. After undergoing surgery for his leg last month, he made it a point to be as recovered as possible to fly to Philadelphia.
“I guess it’s true, you will always find an Ecuadorian in every corner of the world,” Galarza said. “At least I knew it was going to be me because I wasn’t missing this for the world.”
As a man inside a guinea pig costume began a conga line around the Rocky statue, 77-year-old Ecuadorian Francisco Castellanos couldn’t help but reflect on the wonder of seeing so many Ecuadorians together and the weight of representation.
“There are so many of us here that now we must win,” Castellanos said. “Whatever it takes,” he added, as the crowd erupted chanting the Ecuadorian national anthem.
“I feel like, when we face pitchers, they’re always a tick up or ready to face our lineup, or at least our top three guys,” Harper said. “I feel like they’re always hunting and wanting to throw harder or throw their A-plus stuff against us.”
OK, sure. But this was absurd, even for Misiorowski.
Nobody has ever thrown harder than the Brewers’ 24-year-old ace. In overpowering the Phillies in a 95-pitch, 15-strikeout, one-hit 6-0 shutout, he set a record with a 104.5 heater to Schwarber in the first inning. His first pitch was clocked at 103.4; his last came in at 103.1.
Misiorowski might’ve had extra juice, too, considering the opponent.
Remember last summer, when several Phillies players squawked over Misiorowski getting named to the National League All-Star team after a handful of major league starts? They believed Cristopher Sánchez was more deserving.
Maybe it was a bad idea to poke “The Miz.”
Now, like then, Misiorowski denied any resentment or additional motivation to subdue the Phillies.
“It’s about the same as [facing] the Yankees, the Dodgers, any of those big-market teams,” he said. “You want to throw well against them. That adds adrenaline to it.”
In any case, it’s scarcely hyperbole to suggest it was the best game pitched against the Phillies since … well, ever. And it makes you wonder what Sánchez could do to top it Sunday against the Brewers.
Here’s the list of pitchers who struck out at least 15 batters and allowed one hit or fewer against the Phillies, who, keep in mind, have been around since 1883:
“I’m glad we faced him,” Harper said. “I’m glad we were able to see that. Obviously we’ve got a chance to play those guys in the postseason, so happy that we were able to face him today.”
After Misiorowski struck out Justin Crawford to end the game, Brandon Marsh asked Harper if he’d ever faced anyone with a fastball that resembled that. Harper cited former Mets ace Matt Harvey for a comparison.
But with extension that the 6-foot-7 Misiorowski gets at the end of his delivery, it somehow looks even faster to the hitter.
“It wasn’t like it was a blur coming at us,” Schwarber said. “It’s just hard to kind of compare because you don’t really see it consistently, right? When someone’s throwing 94-95, you can say, ‘Hey, that really plays up.’ You don’t really see that, so you can’t really explain it.”
Misiorowski and Sánchez are developing a rivalry en route to what might be a photo finish in the race for the Cy Young Award.
Sánchez one-upped Misiorowski in May by not allowing a run in five starts, part of a 50⅔-inning scoreless streak that was the longest ever by a left-handed pitcher and fifth-longest overall. Misiorowski gave up one run in six starts and was edged by Sánchez for NL pitcher of the month.
After Misiorowski’s mastery Friday night, Sánchez gets to answer with a start in the series finale Sunday.
“It’s a different animal when he’s on the mound,” Harper said of Misiorowski. “Just like what Sánchez is for us.”
Extra bases
Derek Hill made his Phillies debut Saturday night, two days after being acquired from the White Sox for two minor leaguers. Hill, who plays all three outfield positions, started in center, where he has the most experience. With the Phillies running platoons at two outfield positions, interim manager Don Mattingly said it’s possible Hill will continue to play center — with Edmundo Sosa in left and Brandon Marsh moving to right — against left-handed pitchers. … Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus (elbow) has allowed one run on five hits in two innings so far on his injury rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley. … Sánchez (8-2, 1.54 ERA) will be opposed at 2:10 p.m. Sunday by Brewers lefty Kyle Harrison (7-1, 2.72).
On a weekend when World Cup soccer was drawing people from all over the world to Philadelphia, Ashley Elder was the exception. She came to play dodgeball.
“Honestly, it’s amazing,” said Elder, 28, from Vernon, Conn. “I love being able to represent my state. This is history. For us, this is a pretty big deal.”
Elder is one of 217 adult recreational league dodgeball players from Boston, Connecticut, New York, D.C., Pittsburgh, Ohio, and Philly who converged on the indoor gym at Ben Franklin High School in Philadelphia Saturday.
Representing 27 teams, they competed in the “Beast Coast” championship — five rounds of fierce round-robin play, followed by a final four tournament in each of two divisions: one for women, transgender, and nonbinary players and the other open to any player, which in practice was mostly men.
Members of the Aggression, a WTNB (women, trans, and nonbinary) dodgeball team gather before they played the Duckin’ Savages during the “Beast Coast” championship Saturday at Ben Franklin High School.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The game is six-on-six, with six balls on the court, and teams win the round after hitting all opposing players with a ball. For the first three minutes of a round, players can use a ball to block one that is thrown at them. After that, no blocking. The team that wins the most rounds within 20 minutes wins the match.
Gameplay in the women’s, transgender, and nonbinary division was intense. During the “opening rush” where players scramble to grab one of the six balls at the center of the court, one of Elder’s Connecticut teammates took a ball to the face, point blank, from her opponent on the Philadelphia team. Elder’s teammate shouted, laughed it off, and left the court.
“Yeah, one tactic is to rush the ball, pass to your teammate, and get that opponent out right away to get that quick advantage,” Elder said after the game.
Recreational league dodgeball is nothing new, and is a popular way for people in their 20s and 30s to make friends in new cities. But one league, Philly Dodgeball, has grown over the past four years as it organized what its promoters say is the premier competition on the East Coast.
Samantha Sayward (center) of the Aggression, a WTNB (women, trans, and nonbinary) dodgeball team, throws a dodgeball against the Duckin’ Savages during the “Beast Coast” championship.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
In the process, it’s brought in elite players from around the country — Elder certainly fits that bill. Elder played basketball and track and field during high school, competed in shot put and discus at Southern New Hampshire University, and was named an NCAA Indoor Track and Field All-American in 2020.
Elder said that after graduating, she powerlifted her way through the worst of COVID-19 isolation. Once she got a chance to join a dodgeball league, she threw her energy into the game.
What started as a way to stay active and have fun led Elder to Graz, Austria, with Team USA for the 2024 world championships. (The Austrians won.) Now, she is one of 10 players at the Beast Coast competition who is headed to Bangkok this winter to compete for the biennial world championship.
It’s a rare sport, Elder said, where casual players can play alongside some of the best out there.
“If you stick to it, you’re going to get better,” she said. “We want people to have fun.”
Members of the Splooters from Connecticut play team Bostonian during the “Beast Coast” championship.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Philly Dodgeball
Samantha Sayward got her start when she moved to Philly from Boston in 2018 and was looking to make friends. But Sayward said she wanted to play in a league that followed USA Dodgeball rules, which she said are regarded as the standard rules and keep the games competitive and fair.
When she couldn’t find one, she launched Philly Dodgeball in 2022. As the league grew, she formed an LLC and hired three staffers to help run the league. In 2024, Sayward competed for Team USA in the World Dodgeball Championships.
Sayward, who is 35 and lives in Manayunk, said participation in Philadelphia has blown up in the past two years, from about 40 players to around 500.
Members of the Sirens celebrate after beating team Empire in a WTNB (women, trans, and nonbinary) dodgeball quarterfinals game.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
She said most players are like her, “transplants” to the city in their 20s and 30s, looking to meet people in an inclusive community. Many identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, she said, and the league hosts a women, transgender, and nonbinary “Lavender League” every Thursday.
“It is one of the most inclusive sports out there,” said John Michael Szczepaniak, 35, a casual player who came to the league after playing dodgeball in the LGBTQIA+-oriented Stonewall Sports. “There’s men and women, there’s every walk of life, respecting each other, cheering each other on. Even though we’re competitive, we’re the most supportive community.”
But as participation grew, Sayward drew on her experiences as a former Navy hospital corpsman and event planner in the nonprofit world to improve the league: Players have jerseys, regulation gear, referees, and a scoring system. There are custom medals. There’s even a commissioner. And that, she said, has helped bring in similar-minded leagues from across the East Coast for the Beast Coast competition.
By midafternoon, Elder and Sayward’s teams were both knocked out of the competition, with Long Island winning the tournament after beating the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia team in overtime.
Still, eight years after Sayward threw her first dodgeball in Philadelphia, the sport has changed her life. Her boyfriend — they met playing dodgeball — proposed to her in Dublin, Ireland, this year, just before she had to fly to Arizona to attend the Team USA combine. She said yes. And then she made the team.
“It builds friendships, relationships,” she said. “All the girls in my wedding, besides my sisters, I met them in dodgeball.”
President Donald Trump’s administration must restore the remaining missing displays to the President’s House Site in time for July Fourth, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Friday evening.
U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley’s decision, which came three weeks ahead of the United States’ roaring celebrations for its 250th birthday, temporarily blocks the National Park Service from removing or altering content at parks across the country and gives the agency 21 days to restore any exhibits that had been removed or changed.
“Because Defendants deemed it important to strip the parks of these undeniable truths in anticipation of the 250th Anniversary of our great Nation, it is equally important that our shared history be honestly told and fully restored by the 250th Anniversary to properly honor the remarkable achievements of the United States,” wrote Kelley, a nominee of former President Joe Biden.
The ruling comes as the City of Philadelphia and the federal government, including the Department of Interior and the National Park Service, are engaged in their own legal battle over the fate of the President’s House, a memorial dedicated to the nine people George Washington enslaved in Philadelphia during the founding of the U.S.
Both parties are waiting for a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on whether a February injunction ordering the administration to restore the site of America’s first executive mansion should take effect. Depending on how the Third Circuit rules — and when — the new ruling could add an extra level of complexity to the litigation.
Workers rehang panels at the President’s House in Independence National Historical Park on Feb. 19. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
In a statement to The Inquirer Saturday, a spokesperson for the Interior Department called Kelley a “liberal activist judge” and said the government will be considering its appeal options “while we celebrate UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House this weekend in honor of our nation’s 250th,” referring to the controversial UFC fight that Trump is hosting at the White House on his birthday Sunday.
The city did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Friday’s decision is the latest development in what has become both a bipartisan local and national effort to protect history at the President’s House and parks across the country. Directives from Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum prompted the President’s House to be abruptly dismantled earlier this year.
The federal government later proposed its own version of history for the Sixth and Market site, which the Trump administration said it’s ready to install should it get the legal green light.
In a court hearing earlier this month, the administration said it would take roughly three weeks to restore the exhibits or install the new panels.
The ruling out of Massachusetts came in a case that challenged the basis for the removals of exhibits more broadly. A coalition led by the National Parks Conservation Association argued in its lawsuit that Burgum’s 2025 order implementing Trump’s directive to ensure that no national parks’ exhibits “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living” was unlawful. The conservation groups asked Kelley to issue a stay on the order and reverse all removals that already took place.
“Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths,” Kelley wrote.
An electronic billboard from the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition is parked at the President’s House on Feb. 19, following a rally after the return of some of the slavery exhibits that the National Park Service removed in January.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Alan Spears, senior director for cultural resources for the National Parks Conservation Association, applauded the ruling in a statement. He said “it will help protect national parks from the administration’s unprecedented campaign to erase history and science at these one-of-a-kind places.”
The deadline to restore any missing materials ahead of July Fourth is notable, especially in Philadelphia, where a deluge of tourists will visit for Semiquincentennial festivities. But, as it stands, visitors to Independence National Historical Park are seeing a half-finished version of history at the President’s House.
Outside of the legal proceedings, President’s House stakeholders have continued to defend the site by holding rallies and engaging Philadelphians via social media. Last month, the site was designated endangered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awarding the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia a $25,000 grant to produce a mobile digital exhibit near the embattled site.
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) was back on television Friday attacking a familiar target: controversial Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner. This time, he received some fact-checking pushback from a Fox News host.
The criticism followed earlier questions about a death’s-head tattoo that Platner had that was similar to a World War II SS symbol, and various comments he posted on Reddit.
“He’s a bona fide dirtbag,” Fetterman told Philadelphia native Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press NOW Friday. “The Nazi tattoo, and the insane things that he said online. … What’s his resumé?”
Democrat Graham Platner is taking on incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Sophie Park
Fox News opinion hosts have been more than happy to welcome Fetterman in recent months, especially if it’s to criticize a fellow Democrat. He was just on the network last week bashing Platner, telling host Sean Hannity, “I’ll never carry water for that mess.”
But on Friday night, during an appearing on The Ingraham Angle, host Laura Ingraham had to interrupt Fetterman after he accused Platner of sending sexually explicit pictures as recently as last year.
“Senator, we haven’t confirmed that,” Ingraham said. “Fox has not confirmed that he sent these pictures.”
The interruption caused Fetterman to fumble a bit before calling on Platner to “clear it up” by releasing all the messages he allegedly sent.
Fetterman: He was sending pictures…
Ingraham: We haven’t confirmed that. Fox has not confirmed that.
Fetterman: I mean, you’re right. I’m saying whether he sent those pics or not, let’s clear it up. pic.twitter.com/ONXJFjuyze
Amy Gertner, Platner’s wife, admitted the two had worked through issues in their marriage and acknowledged seeking help from both marriage and personal counselors.
Platner recently took a shot at Fetterman on the campaign trail, criticizing the Pennsylvania senator’s work ethic during a town hall in Portland, Maine, last weekend.
“I got a lot of criticisms about the way this government functions. But in order for us to make it functional, we’re going to have to do stuff,” Platner said, according to The Hill. “And you can’t just go down there and be John Fetterman and … just sort of be an a-hole.”
“Oh, I’m devastated,” Fetterman joked on NBC. “I’ll take everything he says as a badge of honor.”
Platner is taking on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) this fall for a seat Democrats are targeting as part of their effort to take back control of the Senate. Republicans currently control the Senate 53-47, with two independents caucusing with Democrats. So Democrats would need to gain at least four seats in the 2026 midterm elections, and right now political analysts are focusing on six states: Maine, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Alaska, and Iowa.
While Fetterman won’t be supporting Platner and has veered to the right to become a key backer of some of President Donald Trump’s priorities, don’t expect to see him campaigning for Collins.
“I am a Democrat,” Fetterman told Ingraham on Fox News. “We have different views on things.”
In search of its next center, Villanova went to northern Italy.
The Wildcats will sign 7-foot-3 Italian professional Luigi Suigo, the school announced Saturday afternoon.
Suigo, a 19-year-old from Tradate, in the Lombardy region, went through the NBA draft process and attended the combine but decided to withdraw his name from the pool and will play college basketball instead. Suigo faced a Saturday deadline to withdraw and maintain NCAA eligibility for the 2026-27 season.
The draft projections for Suigo, who played professionally this past season with Serbia’s Mega Basket, were at the back end of the first round and into the second round. One mock draft at The Ringer recently had Suigo going 27th to the Boston Celtics. Another mock draft at ESPN had Suigo going off the board at No. 39.
The Ringer’s scouting report called Suigo a “huge piece of clay just scratching the surface of his two-way impact.” His strengths include his major paint presence on the defensive end, where his 7-foot-6 wingspan is disruptive. That size also is useful in the pick-and-roll game. The scouting report notes that Suigo has soft hands and that his shooting form is better than his shooting percentages.
In 26 games with Mega Basket this season, Suigo posted averages of 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1 block in 18.8 minutes. He shot 64.9% on his 111 two-point shots, 27.1% on 48 three-point attempts, and 64.7% on 34 free throws.
Suigo, who reportedly considered signing with BYU, also has experience representing Italy in international competitions.
Suigo is part of a growing trend of European pros coming to the U.S. to play college basketball in the modern world, where Division I hoops effectively is professional basketball. The Final Four in April featured multiple former European professionals, most notably on Illinois’ roster.
The NCAA, according to a report from Sports Illustrated, recently distributed “eligibility requirement guidance” that could affect the eligibility of international professionals. It’s unclear how the guidance will be enforced, and when, or if players from the ABA League, in which Suigo played, will face difficulties with eligibility.
For now, Suigo is the latest international player to choose college basketball in an era when the higher levels of the sport offer paydays that oftentimes exceed a player’s earning potential in the pros. The 30th and final pick in the first round of the NBA draft makes just over $3 million in his rookie season. Wooing Suigo to put off the draft to play in college may have a price tag higher than that, though it’s unclear what Suigo will earn at Villanova during the 2026-27 season. Financial agreements between players and schools are not made public.
Suigo will slot in as the starting center, which was the missing piece of Villanova’s roster overhaul this offseason. He’ll have 6-foot-10 power forward Kwame Evans Jr., an Oregon transfer, next to him, and 6-foot-6 Ohio State forward Devin Royal rounding out the frontcourt. Elijah Crawford (Illinois-Chicago) likely is the starting point guard with returning leading scorer Tyler Perkins the other starter in the backcourt.
Suigo’s addition brings Villanova’s roster to 12. Villanova added another portal player Friday night in Towson forward Abdou Samb. Samb figures to fill out a deep reserve role for the Wildcats, who will have a solid bench rotation. That bench includes returning forward Matt Hodge, who is recovering from ACL surgery, transfer guards Jake Fiegen and Buddy Simmons, incoming freshman guards Adam Oumiddoch and Carter Fisk, returning reserve center Nico Onyekwere, and Samb.
Coach Kevin Willard wanted to get bigger and more experienced after his younger Wildcats struggled at times against the top teams on their schedule last season. The roster rebuild accomplished that. Suigo may not check a box in the experience category, but there won’t be many bigger players in college basketball next season.
