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On Jennifer Davenport’s first day as N.J. attorney general, the Sherrill administration exchanges lawsuits with Trump

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport marked her first official day in the office Tuesday exchanging lawsuits with President Donald Trump’s administration.

Davenport, appointed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, had already been waging legal battles against Trump as acting attorney general before her unanimous confirmation by the New Jersey Senate.

The state’s new top lawyer announced a lawsuit the same day against Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services over what she called its “rogue vaccine schedule that gambles with children’s health and lives.”

Trump’s administration also announced a lawsuit against New Jersey over a new immigration policy Davenport helped roll out that restricts ICE operations on state property.

She called the federal government’s suit a “pointless” waste of resources.

The two cases are a sign of more battles to come as Sherrill promises to fight Trump. Davenport will be tasked with making sure the governor’s policies withstand a potential barrage of court battles in the months and years ahead.

DOJ sues Sherrill over her executive order limiting ICE

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it filed a lawsuit against Sherrill and the state over the Democratic governor’s recent executive order prohibiting ICE from conducting civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant in non-public areas of state-owned property, which she announced alongside Davenport.

The DOJ’s legal complaint repeatedly misspells Sherrill’s last name.

“Federal agents are risking their lives to keep New Jersey citizens safe, and yet New Jersey’s leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “States may not deliberately interfere with our efforts to remove illegal aliens and arrest criminals — New Jersey’s sanctuary policies will not stand.”

Davenport said Tuesday that the DOJ lawsuit is a waste and that her team looks “forward to defending this executive order in court.”

“New Jersey will continue to ensure the safety of our state’s immigrant communities,” she said.

Davenport joins lawsuit against RFK Jr.

In a lawsuit going in the other direction, Davenport announced on Tuesday that New Jersey is joining a multi-state lawsuit against HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and their leaders.

The suit challenges a January CDC memo that upended childhood vaccination recommendations. Vaccines for rotavirus, meningitis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were previously universally recommended, but are now only recommended for children under high risk of serious illness. (Parents of otherwise healthy children can still decide with their doctors to give their kids these vaccines.)

The lawsuit also focuses on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to replace members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

“This radical and unlawful overhaul of the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule rests on fringe theories and ignores decades of science,” Davenport said.

The suit, which was led by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, was brought forward by a dozen other Democratic attorneys general and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat whose state has a Republican attorney general.

Davenport and Sherrill fighting Trump and ICE

Prior to her confirmation, Davenport as acting attorney general joined another multi-state lawsuit last week against the Trump administration for rescinding clean energy funding that had previously been appropriated by Congress.

In New Jersey, the federal Department of Energy ended two agreements with Rutgers University, according to Davenport’s office. One, a $3.2 million award, was for energy-efficiency upgrades that would result in potential energy savings between $3.8 billion and $15.4 billion over the course of five years. The other award of $1.7 million was for research for farmers to use their land for energy production and agricultural production at the same time.

Lowering energy costs and fighting Trump were hallmarks of Sherrill’s campaign for governor and are part of her continued messaging as the state’s executive.

Davenport also sued the Trump administration with New York earlier this month over his halting of funding for the Gateway infrastructure project between New York and New Jersey. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release funding for the project, and construction is moving forward as the appeal process plays out.

She has also joined multi-state coalitions condemning the Trump administration over the DOJ asking Minnesota to hand over resident data in exchange for ending the violent ICE operations there, as well as Trump’s attempt to halt funding for natural disaster response.

Sherrill and Davenport have also worked together to create a portal for people to submit videos of ICE agents in New Jersey and share information for residents to know their rights when interacting with federal immigration agents.

Who is Jennifer Davenport?

Davenport has more than 15 years of state and federal law enforcement experience, with experience at the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, where she was colleagues with Sherrill for part of her time there.

She most recently worked as deputy general counsel and chief litigation counsel for the energy company PSEG.

Davenport worked in a top role at the New Jersey Attorney General’s office in 2018 when the state first implemented the Immigrant Trust Directive, the state’s sanctuary policy that limits law enforcement cooperation with ICE and has been upheld by federal judges.

The litigator, who grew up in Wildwood and now lives in Monmouth County, has two daughters ages 11 and 14. She graduated from DeSales University in Pennsylvania and the Seton Hall University School of Law in New Jersey.

“I am grateful to Governor Sherrill and the Legislature for the trust placed in me,” she said in a statement Tuesday. “I will serve with fairness, independence, and integrity — the same values that have guided every step of my public service.”

February 25, 2026
Oyster House wins James Beard Foundation 2026 America’s Classics Award

Oyster House is a great, storied fish house of Philly’s seafood glory days. And now it’s a James Beard 2026 America’s Classics Award winner.

On Wednesday, the James Beard Foundation announced six recipients of the award in the Restaurant and Chef category. The “America’s Classics” designation is given to local restaurants with “timeless appeal that serve quality food and are beloved by their communities” and “sustain and contribute to American food culture,” according to the foundation’s statement.

For the mid-Atlantic category, Oyster House was selected for its three-generation commitment to serving seafood traditions in Philadelphia. The foundation praised owner Sam Mink and his family for straddling multiple eras of Philadelphia’s restaurant history with specialties like sherried snapper soup and combinations like fried oysters and chicken salad, along with its willingness to evolve with creative modern seafood cookery like executive chef Joe Campoli’s crudos, grilled fish, and halibut glazed in black garlic over dashi.

“Oyster House is not just a venerable ambassador of Philadelphia food history — it remains one of the city’s most rewarding places to eat,” the statement noted.

People fill the bar during happy hour at Oyster House in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 11, 2024.

When Mink received the email announcing the restaurant’s win a week ago, he was surprised “because I really wanted this award.”

“I feel like we are such a classic institution for Philadelphia,” he said. “But to be honored on a national level … people in Philly know about us — we’ve been around for 50 years … that recognition means so much [and] just validates what we do day in and day out. We come to work trying to give Philadelphia the best seafood possible.”

The restaurant staff was abuzz with congratulations and excitement Wednesday morning. “I’ve got a great staff here, the managers, the chefs on down to the servers, bartenders, cooks — everyone just has a real smile on their face today and is really excited to be here.”

While Mink hasn’t had time to think about an immediate celebration for the good news, the Center City restaurant will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a big block party in the spring.

The Oyster House is one of The Inquirer’s 76 most vital restaurants in Philadelphia. This year’s other winners are the Serving Spoon in Inglewood, Calif., Johnny’s Cafe in Omaha, Neb., Eng’s in Kingston, N.Y., Figaretti’s Italian Restaurant in Wheeling, W.V., and Bob Taylor’s Ranch House in Las Vegas.

Gary McCready prepares a seafood tower at Oyster House in Philadelphia on Thursday, July 11, 2024.

Restaurants are recommended by the Restaurant and Chef Awards voting body and the public during an open call period from October to November, then considered and selected by the subcommittee. America’s Classics restaurants must be open for at least a decade to be eligible.

The winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 15 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

“Behind each of these cherished restaurants are people who show up day after day to nourish their communities — their powerful stories are ones of creativity, resilience, and tradition,” said Lauren Saria and Erinn Tucker-Oluwole, Restaurant and Chef Awards subcommittee cochairs. “On behalf of the Restaurant and Chef Awards subcommittee, we are honored to celebrate these unsung heroes of American food culture. We hope this recognition opens new doors for their continued success.”

February 25, 2026
Main Line Health reported an operating profit of $8.7 million in the first half of fiscal 2026

Main Line Health had an $8.7 million operating profit in the six months that ended Dec. 31, the nonprofit health system reported to bond investors Wednesday.

Main Line’s swing from an $8.9 million loss in the same period of 2024 benefited from a change in accounting for depreciation that reduced expenses. Without that change, Main Line would have had another loss.

“We have been pleased with our continued improvement in fiscal performance year over year, which has been strong outside of the change in depreciation,” Main Line’s chief financial officer, Leigh Ehrlich, said in a statement.

Here are more details on Main Line’s results:

Revenue: Main Line reported $1.35 billion in patient revenue in the first six months of fiscal 2026, up 10.5% from $1.22 billion a year ago. Strong gains in hospital discharges, emergency department visits, and same-day surgeries contributed to the increase. Main Line’s Riddle Hospital near Media has seen a 36% increase in patients following the closure of Crozer Health’s hospitals last spring, contributing to revenue growth, Ehrlich said.

Expenses: Last year, Main Line changed how it accounts for investments in facilities and equipment, significantly reducing depreciation and amortization expenses. In the first two quarters of fiscal 2026, Main Line’s depreciation and amortization expense was $68.8 million, down from $84.5 million the year before. Excluding those expenses from both years, Main Line’s operating profit margin fell slightly, to 5.5% from 5.9%.

Notable: Main Line provides more detail than most systems on its patients’ health insurers. After just two years in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh insurance giant Highmark accounted for 12.5% for the business at Main Line Health. That is just 2 percentage points less than Aetna, which as been in the market for decades.

February 25, 2026
Trump administration hits Iran with new sanctions as nuclear talks near

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed another tranche of sanctions on people and companies accused of enabling Iran’s ballistic missile program, drone production, and illicit oil sales as the U.S. presses Tehran to make a deal ahead of nuclear talks this week.

The sanctions against 30 people, companies, and ships come as President Donald Trump has massed the largest U.S. buildup of warships and aircraft in the region in decades and has threatened to use military action in a bid to get Iran to constrain its nuclear program.

The latest round of talks between U.S. officials, including envoy Steve Witkoff, and Iranian negotiators via mediator Oman are scheduled for Thursday in Geneva.

The new sanctions imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control include a list of ships accused of being part of Iran’s “shadow fleet,” which refers to rusting oil tankers that smuggle oil for countries facing stiff sanctions.

Also targeted are drone manufacturing firms, including Qods Aviation Industries, which has supplied drones “to all branches of the Iranian military and buyers in Africa and Latin America,” the Treasury Department said.

Among other things, sanctions deny the people and firms access to any property or financial assets held in the U.S. and prevent American companies and citizens from doing business with them. However, they are largely symbolic because many of them do not hold funds with U.S. institutions.

“Treasury will continue to put maximum pressure on Iran to target the regime’s weapons capabilities and support for terrorism, which it has prioritized over the lives of the Iranian people,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

Trump and other top administration officials insist that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and ramped up pressure months after U.S. strikes in June on three Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful. It had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity before the June attack — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

“We wiped it out and they want to start all over again. And they’re at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions,” Trump said during his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. “We are in negotiations with them. They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: We will never have a nuclear weapon.”

February 25, 2026
States sue Trump administration over changes to childhood vaccine recommendations

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — More than a dozen states sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its rollback of vaccine recommendations for children, calling the move an illegal threat to public health.

The states argue that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put children’s lives at risk when it announced last month that it would stop recommending all children get immunized against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis, and RSV. Under the new guidance, which was met with criticism from medical experts, protections against those diseases are recommended only for certain groups deemed high risk or when doctors recommend them in what’s called “shared decision-making.”

The new vaccine recommendations ignore long-standing medical guidance and will make states have to spend more to protect against outbreaks, the states, including Arizona and California, said.

“The health and safety of children across the country is not a political issue,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, said at a news conference. “It is not a culture war talking point.”

Emily G. Hilliard, press secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, blasted the complaint as a “publicity stunt dressed up as a lawsuit.”

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware all joined the Arizona-led lawsuit.

“Every Pennsylvanian deserves accurate information to make their own healthcare decisions when consulting with their doctors — and science, not politics, will continue to guide our healthcare decisions here in the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who has repeatedly joined litigation against the Trump administration since last year.

The lawsuit escalates an ongoing battle between Democratic-led states and Republican President Donald Trump’s administration over the federal government’s changes to public health policy under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Trump administration has laid off thousands of workers at federal public health agencies, cut funding for scientific research and altered government guidance on fluoride and other topics.

Kennedy last year ousted every member of a vaccine advisory committee and replaced them with his own picks, which Tuesday’s complaint alleges was unlawful.

The lawsuit comes months after the Democratic governors of California, Washington state, and Oregon launched an alliance to establish their own vaccine recommendations. The governors said the Trump administration was risking people’s health by politicizing the CDC.

States, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren, though the CDC’s requirements typically influence state regulations.

February 25, 2026
Surgeon general nominee Casey Means grilled on vaccines, pesticides in hearing

After over a year without a surgeon general, the Senate Health Committee is grilling Casey Means on vaccinations, her business entanglements, and past comments on pesticides, as they weigh whether she should serve as the nation’s top doctor.

Means wrote the book considered the bible of the Make America Healthy Again movement with her brother, Calley Means, a Trump administration official. As surgeon general, she could amplify many of her messages around healthy eating and exercise, although she has faced criticism for some of her ties to wellness products.

Means is drawing fire and praise from both sides of the aisle, reflecting the MAHA coalition’s crosscutting appeal. Her messages on food found favor with both sides, while Democrats and the panel’s GOP chair probed her views on vaccinations and a Republican senator raised questions on how her stance on pesticides could impact American farmers.

Means highlighted the nation’s chronic illness rates and a path to how she hopes to change them in her opening remarks.

“Public health leaders must address the evidence-based, modifiable drivers of chronic diseases which include ultra-processed foods, industrial chemical exposure, lack of physical activity, chronic stress and loneliness, and overmedicalization,” Means said. “As surgeon general, I would call on every American and the Public Health Service to join in a great national healing — one that halts preventable chronic disease, makes healthy living the easiest choice, honors the body’s connection to the environment, and puts America back on the road towards wholeness and health.”

Her initial confirmation hearing was delayed after she gave birth in the fall. This hearing is also a referendum on the controversial moves of her political patron, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has overhauled federal vaccine guidelines and upended the public health system. Means, like Kennedy, has publicly questioned the number of vaccines included in the childhood vaccine schedule, as well as the hepatitis B shot. Public health experts say the vaccine schedule is safe and effective.

Vaccine questions

At the beginning of the hearing, Chairman Bill Cassidy (R., La.) cautioned that as the nation’s top doctor, Means would have a responsibility to fight back against the vaccine skepticism rising across the country “at a time when so many, for whatever reason, sow distrust and confusion.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind., Vt.), the panel’s ranking minority-party member, went further, accusing Trump and Kennedy of spreading misinformation on vaccines and pleading with Means to take a stand against them.

Cassidy later peppered Means with questions around immunizations, pointing to children who have died of vaccine-preventable disease. Means emphasized that while she supports vaccines, she believes parents and patients must speak to their physicians. She also refused to explicitly say vaccines do not cause autism when pressed, instead saying that no stones should be left unturned in the search for the causes of autism. As health secretary, Kennedy instructed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to remove from its website the long-settled scientific conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism.

In his questioning, Sanders started by pointing out the overlap between his and Means’s interest in fighting against ultra-processed food, before pivoting to further press Means on the scientific community’s determination that vaccines don’t cause autism.

“Anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been a part of my message,” Means said, adding that the nation should study when children are getting many medications.

Business ties and pesticides

A Washington Post examination last year found that Means had made over half a million dollars from partnerships with companies that her financial forms described as selling “diagnostic testing,” “herbal remedies and wellness products,” and “teas, supplements, and elixirs” from 2024 into the summer of 2025, according to her financial disclosures. Legal and advertising experts told the Post last fall that they were concerned about whether Means clearly disclosed her ties to some brands.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.) grilled Means on some of her connections to wellness products: “It seems to me that you’ve spent your career sort of making money off the flaws” in the healthcare system.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) said he was concerned that Means was in “willful violation” of Federal Trade Commission rules, recommending products without telling followers she was sponsored by such products.

Means pushed back on the allegations and said she “would rectify that immediately” if it has inadvertently happened.

“I take conflicts of interest incredibly seriously,” Means said.

While many Republicans spoke highly of Means’s approach to improving American diets and fighting chronic disease, some others did not hold back in their questioning of her past remarks on psilocybin, pesticides, and other items.

Pesticides are a hot-button issue among the MAHA movement after Trump issued an executive order protecting a key ingredient in a weed killer.

She wrote in a newsletter sent in 2024: “How can we help bring a pesticide-free world to fruition? It starts with each of us prioritizing eating organic food as much as possible and standing firmly against buying or serving food sprayed with pesticides.”

Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio) stressed that he has heard questions from Ohio farmers about her comments on pesticides, calling them critical for the food supply and farmers’ stability.

Means called her thoughts on pesticides a core belief that was important to understand the impact pesticides could be having on Americans’ bodies, but noted she understood change could not happen overnight to destabilize the farming ecosystem.

Means also got in a testy exchange with Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.) over birth control, with Means stressing that it’s important to highlight the possible risks including stroke for women. Means has a history of disparaging birth control, which has been under fire from wellness and right-wing influencers.

Bucking the medical mainstream

Secretary Kennedy has championed Means’s nomination.

“She has an extraordinary capacity to communicate to the American public. That is the function of the surgeon general,” Kennedy said at an event Monday, saying Means would be a medical and “moral” authority for the public and he hoped she would be confirmed very soon.Means’ credentials — attending Stanford for her undergraduate education and medical school, racking up academic honors, writing scientific papers and working on research at top institutions — came up in the hearing.

Means left her medical residency over seven years ago and has encouraged Americans to ask questions of their doctors — positions Kennedy has said led to her nomination.

Means, a physician, has a medical license in Oregon that she voluntarily placed in inactive status, according to the state medical board, which means she cannot practice medicine in Oregon as of the beginning of 2024. Sen. Andy Kim (D., N.J.) raised concerns about Means’s medical license. Means pushed back on him by noting she practiced medicine and sees her background as “a feature, it’s not a bug.

MAHA supporters have lauded her for challenging the medical mainstream.

Public health experts have raised questions about some of her advice. In her book Good Energy, Means writes that “the ability to prevent and reverse” a variety of ailments, including infertility and Alzheimer’s, “is under your control and simpler than you think.”

Medical experts have said that while there is significant evidence that diet and exercise can lower the risk of some chronic conditions and slow the progression of diseases, Means overstates the science when she says it can reverse many of them.

February 25, 2026
Pink has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Will she make it in?

Philadelphia could be in for another banner year at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the city’s biggest pop star, Pink, among the 17 nominees in the running to be inducted later this year.

Along with the Doylestown-born “Get the Party Started” singer, the list of potential inductees includes another artist with Philly ties in Lauryn Hill. Plus, Phil Collins, Wu-Tang Clan, Oasis, Mariah Carey, Jeff Buckley, Billy Idol, the Black Crowes, INXS, Shakira, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross, Sade, Melissa Etheridge, Joy Division / New Order, Iron Maiden, and New Edition.

Pink — who was born Alecia Moore and has graduated to stadium-sized stardom, with recent tour dates at Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park — is newly eligible for the Rock Hall this year, having released her debut album, Can’t Take Me Home, in 2000.

Ten of the artists on the list have been nominated for the first time. Pink is the only one who made the initial cut in her first year of eligibility.

Last year was a breakthrough year for Philly at the RRHOF. “The Twist” hitmaker Chubby Checker was finally inducted — although he didn’t attend the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict. Late songwriter-producer Thom Bell got in as a Musical Excellence honoree. Cyndi Lauper, who has deep Philly ties, also got in.

Ms. Lauryn Hill performs during The Roots Picnic Philadelphia at the Mann Center in Fairmount Park on June 3, 2023.

Artists hoping to be named when inductees are announced in April include Hill, the Fugees singer whose acclaimed one-and-only-studio album as a solo artist, 1998’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, came out via Conshohocken’s Ruffhouse Records label.

Other nominees Philly music fans have a rooting interest in are Luther Vandross, the luxuriously voiced New York R&B singer who founded a Patti LaBelle fan club in high school and was a key contributor to David Bowie’s 1975 album Young Americans, which was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios. And Staten Island’s hip-hop Wu-Tang Clan have always claimed Philly as their second biggest market, and chose to end the farewell tour in South Philly last summer.

This year’s list is sure to irritate rock and roll purists eager to point out that the majority of acts nominated don’t primarily make rock and roll music. Instead, the list includes Shakira’s Latin pop, New Edition’s 1990s R&B, Carey’s R&B and hip-hop pop, and Sade’s silky smooth jazz-inflected R&B.

But that ship has long since sailed. With most rock and roll originators enshrined years ago, the modern RRHOF would more properly be called the Pop Music Hall of Fame.

The Cleveland institution needs to get bodies into its I.M. Pei-designed museum building. For years now, it’s been trying to do so by opening its doors to all forms of pop music and aiming to bring in still active artists who command at least a partially youngish fan base.

In that sense Pink (who stylizes her stage name as P!nk) is a perfect fit. She may have a quarter century of experience, but her persona is anything but old school and staid. Her trademark trick is to fly through the air in an aerial harness high above the crowds at her shows. If it’s vitality the Rock Hall is after, Pink could be its artist of choice.

Does that mean she’s going to get in? Not necessarily. Billboard has her odds at 8 to 1, tied with New Edition as the least likely of long shots.

There’s plenty of competition. Hill, for one. The Fugees is not in as a group, so Hill would be the first member to represent the hip-hop crew, which was a commercial and critically dominant force in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Hill is also freshly prominent this year, after impressing as the leader of the Roberta Flack-D’Angelo tribute at the Grammys this month.

She is nominated despite having only one solo album to her name, albeit an acknowledged classic that Apple Music rated the best of all time in 2024.

Wu-Tang Clan member RZA speaks to the audience during the hip hop group’s final performance of their farewell tour, “Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber,” at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Friday, July 18, 2025.

The other artist on the list who put out only one album is Jeff Buckley, the songwriter with a sensuous voice who drowned in the Mississippi River at 30 in 1997. His 1994 Grace includes the definitive take on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and his story has renewed interest, thanks to Amy Berg’s 2025 doc, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley.

Phil Collins is a lock. The British drummer and singer — who took a Concord to Philadelphia in 1985 so he could play at Live Aid on two continents — is already in with his band Genesis. But he has also had a massively successful solo career. His health struggles, which require 24-hour care, have been widely publicized.

I’d also rate Wu-Tang Clan as a safe bet. The Rock Hall has tended to enshrine one big-name hip-hop act every year recently, with OutKast as last year’s example. And Wu-Tang, after all, is for the children and has a perfect combo of prestige and popularity.

Every year, the Rock Hall snubs many unfashionable musical greats by not including them among the nominees. The incomparable Chicano band Los Lobos is my favorite example of a group that has been unjustly ignored.

That doesn’t mean they’ll never get in, though: Last year, long-suffering fans of the late Warren Zevon were rewarded when he was honored as a Musical Influence.

Other favorites among this year’s nominees include Iron Maiden, the English band whose inclusion would address the Rock Hall’s woeful record in acknowledging the history of heavy metal.

Colombian singer Shakira — whose 2006 “Hips Don’t Lie” is the first song by a South American artist to top the Billboard pop charts — also has an excellent shot, with the Rock Hall being mindful of paying attention to more Latin pop in the age of Bad Bunny.

Singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, who found fame from his lone solo album “Grace,” is the subject of the music documentary “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley.”

And Oasis — whose reunited Gallagher brothers mounted an enormously successful world tour in 2025 — would certainly be a popular choice, with the induction ceremony a rare chance to bring the famously squabbling siblings together to celebrate one of the few things they can agree on: their greatness.

Last year, only six of the nominated performers got in. Previous nominees like Carey might also have an edge on Pink, who is likely to get in eventually, if not this year.

This year’s induction ceremony will be held in the fall, though where and exactly when has not yet been announced. Inductees are chosen by over 1,200 artists, historians, and music business professionals, according to a statement.

Fans can vote for their favorite seven choices at RockHall.com, but those votes have little impact. The RRHOF condenses the total of all fan voting to just one ballot to add to over 1,200 others.

February 25, 2026
Breeze Airways is expanding again at the Atlantic City Airport

The Atlantic City International Airport will soon offer even more southbound flights.

Breeze Airways, a budget carrier founded in 2021, is set to add direct flights between A.C. and Tampa twice a week starting this summer, the company announced Tuesday.

The routes will be offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning July 1, according to Breeze, and fares for a one-way ticket will start at $79 per person.

The airline announced the new route to and from the Jersey Shore along with more than a dozen other nonstop flights nationwide.

Breeze Airways is adding nonstop flights from Atlantic City to Tampa twice a week starting in July.

“The addition of these new cities and routes will give even more travelers the opportunity to save precious hours that would otherwise be spent flying through hubs or driving,” David Neeleman, Breeze Airways’ founder and CEO, said in a statement, noting his company’s mission to offer affordable airfare in underserved markets. Neeleman has founded four other airlines, including JetBlue.

Last month, Breeze announced new nonstop service from Atlantic City to Charleston, S.C., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., as well as a flight to Tampa, Fla., that includes a stopover.

The Charleston flights are set to be offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays starting May 6. And the Raleigh-Durham and stopover Tampa routes are scheduled for Thursdays and Sundays starting June 11.

Atlantic City is getting more southbound flights on Breeze Airways

All Breeze flights out of Atlantic City can be booked online now at flybreeze.com.

Breeze Airways is a private company, so it is not required to publicly report its finances. Last year, however, the airline announced that it had turned a profit for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2024, a period in which the company generated more than $200 million in revenue.

The Utah-based carrier has expanded in recent years, now operating more than 300 routes, including seasonal flights, to 86 cities in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Breeze is one of only a few major airlines that operate a dozen or so flights in and out of Atlantic City every day, depending on the season.

Last year, Allegiant Air started offering flights from A.C. Spirit Airlines, meanwhile, has trimmed its flight schedule from the airport, a move that resulted in the 2024 decision to shut down its crew hub there.

American Airlines allows passengers to go through security in Atlantic City and then get on a bus to catch flights at the Philadelphia International Airport.

February 25, 2026
Wallingford-Swarthmore schools are cutting nearly 20 positions amid a ‘spending problem’

The Wallingford-Swarthmore school board on Tuesday approved a plan that would eliminate nearly 20 positions as it tries to reverse what officials have called a trend of unsustainable spending in the affluent suburban district.

The reorganization plan, which was approved by the board 8-0 and takes effect July 1, will save the district about $2 million, said Superintendent Russell Johnston. Five administrative positions will be eliminated, along with positions for instructional assistants at the middle and high schools, a high school special education teacher, high school secretary, and high school part-time guidance counselor, among other roles.

Some of those positions are currently unfilled. And not everyone whose position is being eliminated will be leaving the district: Employees with seniority will be able to bump less senior staff, Johnston said.

Overall, the changes will result in three to four layoffs, Johnston said Tuesday. Seven long-term substitutes will also no longer work in the district.

“This is not about solving a problem in this year’s budget,” but ensuring the district can sustain its programs in the future, Johnston said Tuesday.

Why is the district making budget cuts?

District officials told the board in November that they were facing mounting budget challenges.

“Bottom line: the district has a spending problem,” DeJuana Mosley, the district’s business administrator, said at a November finance committee meeting. She said there had been “considerable increases” in staffing since 2021 — and the district’s budget grew by 18%, from $89 million to $105 million — despite no increase in enrollment.

The district also lacked adequate inventory management, Mosley said — describing a “culture of just ordering stuff” — and faces other mounting pressures, including deferred maintenance and a lack of curricular investments, including some course materials not aligned to Pennsylvania or Advanced Placement standards.

Mosley described the district’s $164 million capital plan as “added pressure,” but not the source of budget troubles.

Meanwhile, the district’s tax base — which is heavily residential, with limited commercial properties — has declined, Mosley said. Taxable assessed value dropped by $6 million from 2024 to 2025, resulting in a loss of $175,000 in annual tax revenue for the district.

Even if the district raised taxes for the coming year by 3.5%, the maximum amount allowed by state law, it would still be short $2.6 million, Mosley said.

Why weren’t the budget issues addressed earlier?

It wasn’t clear why Wallingford-Swarthmore’s budget troubles weren’t discussed publicly sooner.

The school board parted ways with former superintendent, Wagner Marseille, in 2024, after an opposition campaign from parents that accused Marseille of excessive spending, among other allegations. Marseille, who had led the district since 2021, was replaced on an interim basis in August 2024 by Jim Scanlon, a former West Chester superintendent.

The board hired Johnston, a former Massachusetts education commissioner, in May.

In an interview this week, Johnston said that in planning for the fiscal year starting July 1, he “began to see more and more signs that we needed to make this adjustment.”

He said that in November, “I brought the full scope of the problem before the board.”

Which positions are being cut?

Five administrative positions will be cut under the plan approved Tuesday: director of assessment, compliance, and federal programs; supervisor of counseling and wellness; safety and security coordinator; communications and community relations liaison; and supervisor of buildings and grounds.

Other cuts include: two high school and one middle school instructional support positions; a high-school part-time guidance counselor; a high school secretary; a high-school special education teacher; a middle-school safety aide; a middle-school long-term substitute; a middle-school substitute custodian; and six teachers on special assignment helping with new curriculum rollouts. (The plan also includes the creation of two new curriculum supervisor positions.)

In outlining the cuts Tuesday, Johnston said, “This is really about a change in positions, not people.” He said responsibilities from discontinued administrative positions would be shifted to other administrators.

“What’s good for students is sometimes hard for adults,” he said.

The district is also eliminating “Cultural Proficiency Equity Teacher Leader” positions, which were created in 2022-23 and gave additional money to teachers working on equity initiatives.

Johnston said at a finance committee meeting last week that “this is no way a backing off of our commitment to equity,” and responsibilities would be absorbed elsewhere.

What happens next?

The reorganization plan isn’t the only way the district is trying to save money. At last week’s finance meeting, Johnston said the district would eliminate redundant software programs and increase oversight of supply purchases. He also said he would be sending a memo to staff to cut back on snacks at after-school events.

The district, which taxes residents at a relatively high rate compared to others, will be limited in how much it can increase taxes in future years, with the Act 1 index that dictates how much they can increase taxes projected to decline, Johnston said. The board directed district officials to prepare a budget for 2026-27 with an increase between 3-3.4%, under the 3.5% state-imposed limit.

“We want to make sure what we live with next year, we can live with in future years,” he said last week.

February 25, 2026
Takeaways from Trump’s address: Sales mode on economy, heavy on patriotism, dark turn on Democrats

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump started in sales mode, using his State of the Union address to deliver an upbeat vision of the U.S. economy.

But that portrayal collides with the sentiment of Americans who remain anxious about their finances and feel they haven’t benefited from Trump’s policies. He took the high road to honor the gold medal-winning U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team and a war hero before pivoting abruptly to a darker tone as he ridiculed Democrats.

Fetterman’s handshake and other Pennsylvania moments from Trump’s SOTU speech

Here are takeaways from the speech.

Trump’s ‘roaring’ economy is at odds with sour public sentiment

Much of the nation is worried about the direction of the economy, but Trump says the good times are here, insisting repeatedly that rising costs are no longer a problem.

“The roaring economy is roaring like never before,” he said. He cheered the lower cost of gasoline, mortgage rates, prescription drug prices, and the rising stock market: “Millions and millions of Americans are all gaining.”

Such optimism, as so many Americans are feeling economic strains, risks painting Trump as out of touch. Just 39% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in February, according to AP-NORC polling.

Still, the president focused much of the first hour of his speech on the economy, something Republicans had urged him to do as they head into the midterm elections.

First lady Melania Trump awards World War II Navy pilot Capt. Royce Williams the Congressional Medal of Honor as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.

Trump wraps himself in the flag

For a president who always seems to be spoiling for a fight, Trump also tried to summon Americans’ innate patriotic impulses. In addition to the hockey team, he singled out war heroes and those who had taken brave stands in other countries, using the moment to bestow numerous presidential medals in an effort to give the address a more positive gloss.

It underscored the president’s media savvy and understanding that even if a moment isn’t appreciated completely in real time, it can have an afterlife in the days following speech, especially on social media.

Yet in one revealing moment, Trump lamented why he couldn’t give a congressional medal to himself.

Taking aim at Democrats

Tributes to the Olympic hockey team and a World War II veteran didn’t unify the room for long.

The Republican president soon took aim at Democrats and blamed them for many of the nation’s ills.

Trump said rising healthcare premiums are “caused by you,” suggested Democrats “are not protecting” Social Security and blamed them for the nation’s affordability crunch. “You caused that problem. You caused that problem,” Trump said as he glared at the Democratic side of the room.

He seemed to get angrier as the speech progressed.

“These people are crazy, I’m telling you, they’re crazy,” he said. “Democrats are destroying this country.”

Trump’s MAGA base loves such aggression. It’s unclear, however, if the rest of the country feels the same.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio (from left), Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Justice Amy Coney Barrett applaud before President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address Tuesdy to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol.

The Supreme Court’s ‘unfortunate’ decision

By Trump’s standards, he held his tongue when it came to the Supreme Court.

After the court struck down his tariff policy last week, Trump said the justices who voted against one of his signature issues were an “embarrassment to their families.” By Tuesday, he simply called the ruling “unfortunate.”

Trump sought to treat the ruling with indifference, insisting that tariff revenues were “saving” the U.S., ignoring the fact that the levies haven’t made a significant dent in government debt. He said the tariffs were paid by foreign countries even as virtually every study concludes that costs have been paid by U.S. firms and consumers.

At one point, he seemed to take the long view that history would ultimately vindicate him even if the Supreme Court would not.

“As time goes by, I believe the tariffs paid by foreign countries will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern day system of income tax, taking a great burden off the people that I love,” he said.

That is unlikely. The federal income tax is authorized by the 16th Amendment to the Constitution and the power to collect revenue is ultimately defined by Congress, not the president.

Trump vows action on election ‘cheating’

The president also used the speech to reprise his attack on the integrity of U.S. elections.

“Cheating is rampant in our elections,” Trump said.

Trump has made such claims for years, focused on his 2020 election loss, claims rejected by dozens of courts and his own attorney general at the time.

But the timing of Tuesday’s prime-time claims, less than nine months before voters across America are scheduled to decide control of Congress, was noteworthy. So, too, was Trump’s suggestion that he would take action to address a problem that doesn’t appear to exist.

“They want to cheat. They have cheated, and their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat,” Trump said of Democrats. “And we’re going to stop it. We have to stop it.”

Trump is calling on Congress to pass a bill requiring voters to show a photo ID before casting ballots. But he also recently vowed to enact an executive order to address the issue, although the White House has not clarified what it might entail.

No mention of Minneapolis

Sometimes what’s not said is as notable as what is.

Trump has highlighted immigration since the very first speech in which he announced his 2016 presidential campaign. And on Tuesday night, he revived much of the same language he’s used throughout the past decade, blasting “criminal aliens” and warning of “drug lords, murderers all over our country.”

What he didn’t mention: the most aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that threatened to bring the U.S. to the brink earlier this year. He didn’t mention the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month at the hands of federal agents.

Indeed, it was Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.), who shouted that “Alex wasn’t a criminal,” referring to Alex Pretti, one of the U.S. citizens killed in Minneapolis.

During her Democratic rebuttal, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said law enforcement must work to build trust in communities and said Trump “every minute spent sowing fear is a minute not investigating murders.”

Trump said nothing of his administration’s shift in tactics, including a drawdown of agents in the Twin Cities. And he made no acknowledgment of the broad concerns in the U.S. about Trump’s approach on immigration, as demonstrated by the 60% of U.S. adults who disapproved of his handling of the issue in February, according to AP-NORC polling.

Drumbeat for war gets louder

Trump has already built up the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades. And in his speech, he outlined a rationale for using those forces to launch a major military strike against Iran.

The president said that Iran and its proxies have “spread nothing but terrorism, death and hate,” adding that its leaders killed at least 32,000 protesters in recent weeks, which is at the further end of estimates over the death toll. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activist News Agency has so far counted more than 7,000 dead and believes the death toll is far higher. Iran’s government offered its only death toll on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 people were killed.

Trump also warned that the nation has developed missiles that can threaten Europe and is working on missiles “that will soon reach” the U.S.

“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are, by far to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.”

On brand, the speech was the longest SOTU ever

The president, ever mindful of records that allow him to say he was the first, the best or had done the most, succeeded clearly on one thing: he beat his own record for the longest, clocking in at just under 1 hour, 48 minutes.

February 25, 2026