When Byron Young’s father died earlier this year, he asked his mother for his dad’s key chain.
It’s not your normal key chain. It’s made from the end of a snapped belt, the key ring looping into one of the belt’s holes. There’s a date carved into the brown leather on one side. It’s faint now, but Young said he thinks it reads “7-1-9” for July 1, 2009.
“I think the date that was on the belt was the date that he cut the belt and put it on his key chain,” Young said. “I want to say the belt was broken or something, and he just put it on there. I don’t think there was any deeper meaning.”
But the chain has great significance to Young, the Eagles’ 6-foot-3, 292-pound defensive tackle. When he first linked it to his keys, he marked the other side of the belt with the date “4-7-25,” nearly 16 years after his father’s original carving and just a week after Kenny Young, 62, suffered a fatal heart attack.
Byron Young turned father Kenny’s broken belt into a key chain that serves as a reminder of his father’s love.
“It’s just something that I knew he always carried around since that day, I believe,” Byron said, “and so it’s just something I want to keep with me.”
Young grabbed the key chain from his locker stall when a reporter recently asked how he kept his father’s memory alive, crying as he gripped the belt. He doesn’t hide his emotion. He said he gets that from his father, who openly shed tears when he spoke about his love for his family or God.
“I think a part of being masculine is being able to show your emotions and explain the way you feel and express the way you feel to other people,” Young said. “Not just balling everything up and thinking, ‘Oh, I’m a man. I can’t talk about this.’”
When Young found out his father had died back home in Mississippi on March 31, he drove to teammate Gabe Hall’s house, overcome with grief. They met just before the 2024 season and spent the next six months as part of the same position group, training side by side nearly every day during the offseason. The goal was to make the Eagles’ 53-man roster after having served mostly as reserves. But his father’s death put Young’s football plans on hiatus. He flew home the next day.
Eagles defensive tackle Byron Young has appeared in all 11 games this season.
“I expected him to be gone for the rest of summer,” Hall said. “I was like, ‘OK, he’s not going back. I’m going to miss him.’ But he came right back. And he was like, ‘Bro, it’s time to get to work.’ When I saw that, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s my dog.’”
Hall said Young trained with a “chip on his shoulder” that motivated him. They played golf — along with former Eagles tackle Laekin Vakalahi — to break the monotony. And they sometimes spoke about Young’s father.
Hall said he did his best to keep his friend from ruminating on the loss. Young had all the inspiration he needed.
“A lot of working out, man, a lot of working out ’cause it’s what he would have wanted,” Young said of his father.
Young and Hall initially made the active roster. The latter was soon moved to the practice squad where he remains, while the former has played in every game this season as the Eagles’ fourth defensive tackle.
The 25-year-old Young said he doesn’t dwell on his father’s absence or his last moment with him because it was like so many.
“He wasn’t the type that didn’t tell you that he loved you. He wasn’t the type that didn’t tell you he was proud of you,” Young said. “He would always let you know, to the day that he passed, that ‘I’m proud of you; you’ve done a lot of great stuff.
“‘I love you.’”
Byron Young (center) with his siblings and father, Kenny (center) and mother Melissa (left).
‘A passionate person’
Young didn’t play in Super Bowl LIX in February. His season ended in October when the Eagles placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. But he was in New Orleans for the game, as was his family, which made the two-hour drive south from Taylorsville, Miss.
His parents, Kenny and Melissa, were unable to get on the field at the Superdome to celebrate with Byron after the Eagles toppled the Kansas City Chiefs. But the family had a proper party back home a month later with Byron and his brothers Kendrick, Regrick, and Brandon, and sister Shavon.
Byron Young (center), flanked by parents Melissa (left) and Kenny (right) at a family Super Bowl celebration last March. Kenny died suddenly two days after this photo was taken.
A day later, the Youngs gathered after Sunday church services to celebrate the birthday of Melissa’s sister. At one point, Kenny stood up and delivered a speech. He loved to talk. But he also wanted to express his love for his two sisters-in-law.
“He shed a few tears. What’s crazy is my uncle told him, ‘You get up there talking like you about to leave us,’” Byron said. “It just so happened that he did. I don’t know if he knew, or I don’t think he knew, but I don’t think anybody had any idea.
“But, man, he was just always a passionate person.”
Kenny Young didn’t have anything close to an ideal upbringing, according to his wife and son. But he was a man of faith and found mentors through the Friendship Church of God in Christ in Collins, Miss. He had just ended a relationship when one day in church he prayed that his next girlfriend would become his wife, according to an oft-repeated family anecdote.
His plea was answered when he met Melissa in the library at the University of Southern Mississippi. She was a student, and he liked to go there to read the magazines. They started dating and married two years later.
Kenny was a “hands-on man,” as his wife described him. He worked on farms growing up and was mechanically inclined. He was a laborer at Georgia-Pacific and pulled the wood that the company manufactured into paper products.
The work was physically grinding. Byron recalled his father’s long hours and hearing his keys jingle in the early mornings as he was leaving for the next 12-hour shift. But Kenny also was a present dad to five children, Melissa said.
There were rules and discipline. He coached his sons in youth football and sometimes took them to chop firewood for parishioners who needed warmth during the winter months. He loved to joke and laugh.
“The best way to describe Kenny is he loved well,” Melissa said. “He had a great love, reverence for God, and he spoke the truth out of love, and he didn’t want anybody to go to hell. … He was a deacon in our church.”
Byron Young hugging father Kenny after he was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round of the 2023 draft.
Kenny had been promoted to less strenuous jobs in his later years at Georgia-Pacific. He was a lathe machine operator who “pushed buttons,” Byron said, to keep wood on the straight and narrow. He could have retired, Melissa said, but he told her he was needed to spread the gospel at work.
“We had talked about the two of us retiring at age 65, maybe coming out the same year, but God retired him at age 62, and his work was done,” said Melissa, who’s still a pre-K teacher. “And I feel like God said to my husband, ‘Well done, that good and faithful servant.’
“He slipped away quickly and easily. He didn’t go through any suffering.”
‘A mini-him’
Kenny worked on Monday, the day after his sister-in-law’s birthday, after Byron flew back to Philly. Later that night, Kenny got into bed with his wife.
“He liked to play. And I thought he was making a sound just playing with me,” Melissa said. “And I said, ‘Well, Ken is gonna quit making that sound in a little bit.’ So I guess it may have been a moment, and he kept making the sound. … I got up and I turned the light on, I called his name and I pushed him, and he was not responsive.”
Melissa called Shavon and they dialed 911. They got Kenny off the bed, elevated his head, and tried chest compressions. One of Byron’s brothers called him immediately. There was nothing that could be done.
“He wanted to turn around and come drive right back,” Melissa said of Byron. “But one of his brothers convinced him not to. … They told him to get a flight, because he will get here by plane quicker than he would if he got on the road and drove.
“And he probably was not in any condition to be on the road anyway.”
Young called Hall instead. He wanted to know if he could watch his dog while he was away. They had worked out at NovaCare Complex, the Eagles’ practice facility, earlier that day. Hall sensed something was wrong.
“I was like, ‘You OK?’” Hall said. “This was late. You don’t just call me late.”
Young told him about his father and asked if he could drive over.
“He allowed me to cry on his shoulder,” Young said. “We just sat in silence because there was nothing really to be said.”
Eagles defensive tackle Gabe Hall helped Byron Young cope with the pain of his father’s death.
At one point, Hall said, Young cracked a joke. Hall had never met Young’s father, but he had heard stories about his sense of humor.
“You could tell he was kind of a mini-him, in a sort of way,” Hall said. “I just knew that was a person he always talked about. He talked about his dad at least a few times a week.
“You could just tell when a man respects somebody in their life.”
Kenny played football growing up, but couldn’t pursue it beyond high school because he had family responsibilities, his son said.
“According to him, he was one of the best ever,” Byron said. “And I don’t doubt it.”
He stopped coaching his sons when they reached a certain level. But he influenced their every decision. Byron wanted to play at Ole Miss, but Kenny felt Alabama and coach Nick Saban would be best for his son.
The first training camp was difficult.
“I remember calling him one day and not wanting to be there anymore,” Young said of his father. “He just told me that’s what I signed up for. … I didn’t really tell anybody else but him. He told me that wasn’t something that he wanted me to do because I gave Alabama my word that I would be there for four years.
“And that was kind of the end of me thinking that I was going to transfer.”
Young played in 13 games as a freshman, won a national title as a sophomore, and was All-SEC by his senior season. When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted him in 2023, he and his father had a long, knowing embrace.
Byron Young spent one difficult season as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders before being cut and landing in Philly.
The NFL brought its own struggles. Young played in only six games as a rookie and was cut by the Raiders the following August. He still has the voicemail his father left him offering encouragement and advice.
“It’s something like the last thing that I have on my phone of his voice,” Young said. “And … I just always keep that in my mind.”
The Eagles signed him off waivers the next day. Exactly one year later, Young made the 53-man roster out of 2025 training camp. He said he wasn’t surprised “because I knew the work that I had put in.” He just wished his dad could have been there to see it.
“I believe that he knows, and that he’s in heaven or resting right now,” Young said, “and eventually I’ll see him again.”
For now, he has mementos. There’s Kenny’s 1967 Pontiac GTO parked in the shed his father built that Byron hopes to finish restoring. And, always with him, his father’s key chain.
“Hopefully, one day I have a son or a daughter,” Young said, “and I can give it to them.”
In the spirit of the holiday, we’re starting the newsletter today with a pair of football-focused stories by Matt Breen to digest.
The first is about a Thanksgiving tradition that is fading away. High school football games between fierce rivals used to be a Turkey Day staple, but only 10 games are planned Thursday in Southeastern Pennsylvania, down from 28 in 2005.
The games are dwindling because of the PIAA playoff schedule, tepid attendance, and school closures, among other reasons, but one Thanksgiving rivalry plays on. Northeast and Central started playing annually in 1896 and the rivalry has paused only twice: in 1918 during World War I and 2020 during the pandemic. The schools say it’s the nation’s oldest rivalry among public schools.
Although attendance has shrunk, the teams will meet again at Northeast on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. and the mahogany Wooden Horse trophy will be at stake.
The second story revisits the rough-and-tumble days of the NFL in the 1940s and ’50s, when Bucko Kilroy was a fearsome force on both sides of the ball for the Eagles. Kilroy was called the dirtiest player in football in a Life magazine article, but he wound up spending 64 years in the NFL as a player, coach, scout, and front-office executive.
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship limping off the field after he suffered a thigh injury against the Cowboys.
The Eagles needed some good news after that awful ending on Sunday and this is it: Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says he expects to have Reed Blankenship available to play in the Good Friday matchup against the Chicago Bears (3 p.m., Fox29).
The veteran safety left the Cowboys game with an injured thigh and the other safety, Drew Mukuba, suffered a right leg fracture in that game. Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson left with a concussion, too. Olivia Reiner reports on how the Birds plan to patch up their secondary against the Bears.
There are few teams that have been as undisciplined as the Bears this season. Chicago has been called for 87 penalties, which is tied for fourth in the NFL.
Eagles defensive tackle Byron Young’s father died suddenly in March. He has found a way to keep his dad close to him.
Lightning center Anthony Cirelli scores on Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson during the second period Monday.
The Flyers managed only 20 shots on goal Monday, failing to score for the first time this season in a 3-0 loss to the Lightning in Tampa, Fla. Tending goal for the first time in 10 days, Sam Ersson played well for the Flyers, making 15 saves. Peer beyond the box score and you’ll see a goalie who played his game.
Live from the Linc: Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will preview the game against the Bears on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Tune in to Gameday Central.
Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey drives to the rim during the first half of their loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
We asked: Should the Eagles change their play-caller? Among your responses:
I do not ascribe that play calling is at the root of the offense’s “funk.” I see the issue as execution on the field. Saquon’s inability to gain constructive yards and bone headed penalties and decisions (fielding punt on 2-yard line) as the primary culprit. — Bill M.
YES! — Jill L.
Just curious why the Eagles felt that “on the job training” would be successful? Detroit made the change a few weeks ago. Worked for the first game and that’s it. How come no one is questioning Jeff Stoutland, the OL and run game coach? Big game coming up on Friday afternoon against da’ Bears. Looking for a 34-10 win and that will shut everyone up! Me included! Except for talk radio that will pick the game apart as usual. — Ronald R.
ABSOLUTELY. Duh. … Patullo is not working. At the end of the season, you’ll be saying “shoulda, woulda, coulda.” — Karen L.
The Eagles definitely need to change their play caller, but would guess that would not be easy at this point in the season. Maybe a serious sit down with Patullo, Sirianni, Roseman, and Mr. Lurie would help. I’ve never been a football coach, but just watching on TV from far away I find myself so frustrated at the calls that seem to be contrary to the immediate need. — Everett S.
It is easy to want a change, but who would you turn to? Nick is hopefully on the middle of game planning. Given his 4th quarter calls, he is not the answer. We are stuck with a learning curve and will have to ride it out. Either the plays are too conservative or the execution by the players is off. The offensive line has not been intact all year and Barkley looks a step slower. — Bob C.
There is something clearly wrong with this offense. They have enough talent that blowing a 21-point lead should never happen. I am not certain that the play caller is the problem but something has to change and that seems to be the place to start. — Bill H.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Ariel Simpson, Colin Schofield, and Katie Lewis.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Again, happy Thanksgiving! I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim
It was Nick Lincoln’s first season at Northeast High School, so the football coach asked his athletic director last November if the Wooden Horse — the mahogany trophy carved nearly 80 years ago by a student — could be brought to the field on Thanksgiving morning for the annual game against Central.
The trophy, heavy and old, usually stays inside. But what good is the Wooden Horse if the players can’t hoist it after a win?
“Well, we had a little too much excitement,” Lincoln said.
The celebration ended, and the horse no longer had a tail.
“I said, ‘Dude, you’re going to get me fired,’” athletic director Phil Gormley said. “‘You’re going to be back coaching in Delaware, and I’m going to be bagging groceries at the Acme.’”
Northeast vs. Central is one of the longest-running rivalries in the country, but the Thanksgiving game is no longer the spectacle it once was. The halls of the schools don’t buzz in the weeks leading up to it, the parade down Cottman Avenue was canceled years ago, the bleachers aren’t filled, and the trophy is falling apart.
High school football in Philadelphia once meant as much to Thanksgiving as Santa Claus climbing into Gimbels. But traditions fade. Just 10 games are planned Thursday in Southeastern Pennsylvania, down from 28 in 2005. Thanksgiving games have faded for a variety of reasons: state playoffs, lack of competition, tepid attendance, and school closures.
But Northeast vs. Central — the schools say it’s the nation’s oldest rivalry among public schools — refuses to go away, even if the trophy is showing its age. The teams will meet again at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Northeast.
“I don’t think the game will fade,” Gormley said. “It’s not attended like it used to be, but I know it’s still important to our alumni. When I talk to anyone who comes back for any reason, it’s always a question that eventually comes up. I think the game, for the foreseeable future, is OK. It’s certainly something that could happen, but thankfully it’s not something that will happen anytime too soon.”
A historic game
The schools first played in 1892 and started playing annually in 1896. The rivalry has paused only twice: in 1918 during World War I and 2020 during the pandemic. They’ve played through snow, rain, and muddy fields.
The rivalry was real, as the schools were just three miles apart: Central was at Broad and Green, and Northeast was at 8th and Lehigh. The trophy came along in 1947, when Northeast’s Spurgeon Smith, using only a kitchen paring knife, carved into a block of mahogany donated by Smythe Mahogany Company.
The games often were epic and packed. More than 15,000 fans saw Central beat Northeast in 1929 at the Baker Bowl, they played a muddy scoreless tie in 1971, and they’ve braved a few snowstorms.
Philadelphia had a full slate of high school football on Thanksgiving morning, and Northeast-Central was the game for years.
“Everyone is brought on board at Central knowing that Thanksgiving is against Northeast,” said Jeff Thomas, Central’s associate archivist. “No matter how good or bad the team is that year, that is the most important game. Very similar to Army-Navy. Both teams could be 1-6, but when they play each other, it’s the most important game.”
Northeast High School football players (left) meet at the center of the field with their Thanksgiving Day rival, Central High School, before the 2014 game.
In 1986, current Central coach Rich Drayton scored five touchdowns as the Lancers ran up the score in a 60-3 win in front of 7,000 fans. Afterward, Northeast coach Harvey Schumer refused to shake hands with Central coach Bob Cullman, and the two had to be separated at midfield. Three years earlier, Northeast didn’t let up in a 42-point Thanksgiving win. So Central was returning the favor.
The rivalry was deep.
“Wherever you go wearing your Lancers stuff, people ask for your class number,” Drayton said. “The next thing they say is, ‘Are we going to win on Thanksgiving?’ It’s a really big deal. Hopefully, the student body can notice before it’s too late how important it is.”
Hanging on
The parade of antique cars and convertibles started near the Roosevelt Mall, traveled west on Cottman Avenue, turned right on Glendale Avenue, then finished with a lap around the track that circled Northeast’s football field.
The stands were filled as more than 6,000 fans came each Thanksgiving to see which school’s trophy case would hold the Wooden Horse.
But the parade ended about 15 years ago when the school district replaced the cinder track with rubber. Students no longer decorate the stadium like they once did, and the game now attracts between 600 and 800 fans instead of thousands.
Both schools have strong alumni groups, and former students still come out. It’s a chance to wear a letterman’s jacket, see old classmates, and tell the same stories.
“We have breakfast in the gym for alumni who come back,” Gormley said. “These old guys would be in there razzing each other. ‘Well, you lost to Central. I never lost to them.’ You know how guys talk. It’s funny to hear.”
Central’s Mike Roche threw for 409 yards and five touchdowns in a 60-3 rout of Northeast on Thanksgiving Day 1986.
But interest among current students is tepid. Both schools draw students from across the city, and getting to Northeast Philly on a holiday morning can be a challenge.
The game has become one-sided — Northeast last lost in 2013 — and a football game doesn’t mean what it once did. The high school experience at Northeast and Central is not defined by the football teams the way it was in the 1960s or 1970s.
“We have career day, and me and the other old guys come in,” Thomas said. “At the end of each class, we’ll ask them who’s going to the game. One hand raised. I’m like, ‘OK. Well, let’s beat Northeast.’ They’re like, ‘Huh?’ It’s gone full cycle to almost no care at all.”
St. Joseph’s Prep and La Salle High School stopped their Thanksgiving game in 2006. North Catholic and Frankford played their final game in 2009 before North closed seven months later. Father Judge and Lincoln canceled their annual game last year, and Neumann Goretti and Southern won’t play this year.
Thanksgiving games drop off the schedule every year. As interest drops, could Northeast-Central be next?
“No,” Thomas said. “Well, maybe. After, say, everyone who graduated before 1985 is gone.”
High school football’s regular season in Pennsylvania started a week before Labor Day and ended a week before Halloween. Central did not make the playoffs, and Northeast lost in the first round, so neither team has played a game in nearly four weeks.
The PIAA playoff schedule has ended other rivalries as schools are either playing this weekend in the state tournament — like La Salle — or have been dormant for too long to play on Thanksgiving.
Northeast and Central found a way to keep their teams together as they wait for Thanksgiving. The coaches could have walked away weeks ago when the season ended — they instead practice a few times a week and schedule time in the weight room. They want to give their kids another game.
“I would love to be playing a PIAA playoff game and have to forfeit,” Lincoln said. “But it’s another chance for our guys to play football.”
Northeast celebrates its 37-21 win over Central with the Thanksgiving game Wooden Horse trophy last year.
Lincoln held his breath last Thanksgiving before he found the Wooden Horse’s tail on the field. His first win against Central wasn’t spoiled by a horse’s rear.
Gormley took the Wooden Horse to a nearby trophy shop, which repaired the tail and added last year’s final score — Northeast 37, Central 21 — to the base before it was tucked safely into the trophy case. The Wooden Horse, just like the game it represented, refused to go away.
“I’m going to try to bring it out again,” Lincoln said. “Let’s see if the AD allows me to.”
President Donald Trump accused six Democratic members of Congress of committing sedition,a claim that his administration has stuck to amid a fierce national debate that began when the lawmakers urged military and intelligence personnel to “refuse illegal orders.”
The Democratic members, who are all veterans or members of the intelligence community, shared a video online last week in whichthey accused Trump’s administration of pitting service members against American citizens andwarned against orders that would violate the Constitution.
The lawmakers did not reference specific orders, but members have spoken against strikes in the Caribbean and Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in American cities — both of which have faced legal scrutiny — as cause for concern.
Trump first responded to the video with a string of posts on his social media platform, Truth Social, calling for the lawmakers to be arrested and put on trial for sedition, “punishable by DEATH,” and sharing posts against them, including one that called for them to be hanged.
Two of the members represent Pennsylvania: U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D., Chester), an Air Force veteran, and Chris Deluzio (D., Allegheny), a Navy veteran.
On Monday, the Department of Defense announced that it would investigate Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.), a former naval officer and the one veteran in the video who is still obligated to follow military laws because he served long enough to become a military retiree. The announcement threatened to call Kelly back to active duty for court-martial proceedings.
On Tuesday, a Justice Department official told Reuters that the FBI has requested interviews with the Democrats who appeared in the video, which some of the lawmakers publicly corroborated. The FBI declined to comment when reached by The Inquirer.
As the debate over the video escalates in the wake of Trump’s sedition accusation and his administration’s actions, a rarely used charge and the intricacies of military law have been thrown into the spotlight.
What is sedition, and is it punishable by death?
Sedition is an incitement of a rebellion or encouragement of attacking authority, or, in other words, the intent to overthrow the government, according to legal and military experts. When acting with others, it is called seditious conspiracy.
For civilians, sedition is a violation of federal law and carries prison time. It is not punishable by death.
Active-duty military, however, must follow the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). While the military law has overlap with civilian law, it is more expansive, controlling, and strict, said Sean Timmons, a Houston-based attorney specializing in military law who previously served as an active-duty U.S. Army captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) program.
“In the civilian world you have a lot more defenses, and you have full First Amendment protections,” said Timmons, a managing partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC. “Whereas in the military, your First Amendment rights are quite limited.”
The maximum punishment for active military is death, but it can be far lower, he said.
Service members must be on active duty to be prosecuted under the UCMJ, but the conduct does not have to have taken place during active duty. This means that retirees like Kelly can be recalled for active duty to face UCMJ prosecution over their behavior while they were not on active duty.
What is an illegal order?
Members of Trump’s administration have pointed to the UCMJ rule that says members must follow lawful orders and orders should be presumed to be lawful. Service members can be punished for not following orders.
However, military rules also prohibit service members from following orders that are undoubtedly illegal — a point the lawmakers get at in their video — and they can be punished for doing so.
But whether orders are legal is supposed to be up to officers, not rank-and-file members, Timmons said.
“If you don’t comply, you could be charged with failure to follow orders and other crimes,”hesaid.
The exceptions (those obviously illegal crimes) would be war crimes like raping prisoners, deliberating killing civilians without justification, or torture, not day-to-day acts that would break the law, he explained.
Take the example of burning down an enemy’s structure.
“If your military unit says to burn it down because it’s part of the military objective, that’s a lawful order, even though it’s an illegal act,” he said. “It’s a war crime if it’s to burn down adaycare with kids inside.”
The boat strikes in the Caribbean have been in a legalgray area, he said, but “if your command says it’s legal, you’re supposed to execute.”
“The military system is harsh, cruel, and unfair … but it’s the system we have in place, and it’s designed that way to ensure discipline, obedience, and compliance,” he added.
Did the lawmakers commit sedition?
Claire Finkelstein, founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School and an expert in military ethics, said accusing the lawmakers of sedition “makes absolutely no sense, especially in a case in which they’re just reminding servicemen of their obligation not to follow illegal orders, which is a fundamental part of the UCMJ.”
“One has to really work hard to fill in the blanks here,” she said.
Timmons said five out of the six lawmakers have their freedom of speech to relyon as a protection.
“Just having divergent political views that the commander-in-chief doesn’t like, for civilians, there’s no liability, there’s no repercussions,” he said.
That doesn’t mean Trump’s administration cannot investigate them for “seditious behavior” anyway.
Kelly, on the other hand, was “on thin ice” by participating in a video that seems to undermine Trump’s authority, he said, and it’s not “totally crazy” to argue he engaged in seditious behavior under military law.
That being said, prosecutors would have to prove that his intent was to “cause a revolt within the ranks,” which would be “very hard,” he said.
“But could they make him miserable and humiliate him and charge him? Yes,” he said.
“Is that politically wise? Absolutely not. Is it reckless? Of course. But, technically, can they do it? Yes,” he added.
What are members of Trump’s administration saying?
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday the White House supports the investigation into Kelly and accused him of trying to “intimidate” active-duty members with the video.
“Sen. Mark Kelly well knows the rules of the military and the respect that one must have for the chain of command,” she said.
“You can’t have a functioning military if there is disorder and chaos within the ranks, and that’s what these Democrat members were encouraging,” she added.
In a social media post on Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the lawmakers the “seditious six.”
“Encouraging our warriors to ignore the orders of their Commanders undermines every aspect of ‘good order and discipline,’” he wrote. “Their foolish screed sows doubt and confusion — which only puts our warriors in danger.”
How has Kelly responded?
Kelly, also a former astronaut, played down the impact of the threats against him on The Rachel Maddow Show Monday night.
“Is it stressful? I’ve been stressed by, you know, things more important than Donald Trump trying to intimidate me into shutting my mouth and not doing my job,” he said. “He didn’t like what I said. I’m going to show up for work every day, support the Constitution, do my job, hold this administration accountable.”
He also denounced the president’s rhetoric, calling it “inciteful.”
“He’s got millions of supporters,” Kelly said. “People listen to what he says more so than anybody else in the country, and he should be careful with his words. But I’m not going to be silenced here.”
He said he and his wife, former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D., Ariz.), who survived a 2011 assassination attempt in which she was shot in the head, “know what political violence is, and we know what causes it, too.”
What response have Houlahan and Deluzio gotten?
Houlahan and Deluzio, the two Pennsylvania lawmakers in the video, both reported bomb threats at their district offices on Friday following the president’s posts.
But they have also gotten messages of support.
Houlahan shared voice recordings of veterans from all over the country who left messages of support for her office and thanked her for her advocacy.
“Keep pushing it,” one said. “I’m with you, I’m behind ya,” another said.
“I am so proud of all six of you for making that video,” said another.
Andrew Rick (center) in the pregame huddle with teammates before the Philadelphia Union's Major League Soccer (MLS) game against the Chicago Fire at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 23, 2025.Philadelphia Union
Which Union Players Should Stay or Go? Swipe and decide
Though the Union’s playoff run ended earlier than hoped for this year, it was still a successful season. Winning the Supporters’ Shield returned the team to MLS’s elite, and the squad saw some new names rise to prominence. But as always in soccer, there isn’t much time to reflect. The Union have to make their offseason roster moves quickly, then get to work preparing for next year. Here’s your chance to play sporting director and pick who should stay or go.
Our soccer reporter Jonathan Tannenwald also provides his analysis on how much of a roster overhaul the team needs. Make your pick for each player by swiping the cards below — right for Stay or left for Go. Yes, just like Tinder. Finding it hard to decide? We'll also show you how other Inquirer readers have voted so far and what we think the team will do.
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Goalkeepers
As ever, Andre Blake leads the way, with Andrew Rick a strong backup behind him.
#18
Andre
Blake
Captain
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '26 Option: '27
Age
35
Inky Says Stay
The Union's No. 1 in net, and the best goalkeeper in MLS for nearly a decade. Neither of those things will change soon.
#1
Oliver
Semmle
Loaned out
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '25 Option: '26
Age
27
Inky Says Go
A loan out this year was the final proof that he wasn't good enough for the MLS level.
#31
George
Marks
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '26
Age
26
Inky Says Go
He did his job as an emergency signing when other backups were injured.
#76
Andrew
Rick
Home grown
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '28 Option: '29
Age
19
Inky Says Stay
The safest hands the team could ask for in a backup goalkeeper, as he showed again in the playoffs.
An era is ending with Mikael Uhre’s expected departure. Will the Union sign another Designated Player to replace him, and will the team let young prospects fill out the depth chart?
#7
Mikael
Uhre
DP
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '25
Age
31
Inky Says Go
It's been an open secret for weeks that his time is up. Here's hoping fans appreciate what he did.
#9
Tai
Baribo
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '25 Option: '26
Age
27
Inky Says Stay
He likes Philadelphia, and fans like him. Will contract talks produce a deal that keeps him in town long-term?
#20
Bruno
Damiani
DP
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '28 Option: '29
Age
23
Inky Says Stay
A relenteless worker not afraid to mix it up physically. But goals count the most, and there weren't enough this year.
#25
Chris
Donovan
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '25 Options: '26, '27
Age
25
Inky Says Go
He's been a good servant, but his skill set remains limited. Better to play the club's young prospects.
#32
Milan
Iloski
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '27 Option: '28
Age
26
Inky Says Stay
His arrival in the summer saved the season and launched a run to a trophy. Here's hoping for an encore next year.
#35
Markus
Anderson
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '26 Options: '27, '28
Age
21
Inky Says Stay
Regained the first team's good graces this year even though he didn't play much. He brings something different, and that's needed.
#55
Sal
Olivas
Home grown
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '28 Option: '29
Age
19
Inky Says Stay
He showed in his first-team cameos that he deserves more chances next year, and maybe did this year.
#77
Eddy
Davis III
Home grown
Crowd says
Contract
Signed Thru: '27 Options: '28, '29
Age
19
Inky Says Stay
He's still young, but deserves a shot next year to show if he can step up to the first team.
MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. — The rocky shores of Loyalsock Creek looked a bit drab to the untrained eye on a blustery, overcast November afternoon.
There were browns and grays, along with flurries of yellow and orange leaves across the turbid water when the wind whipped through the trees.
Sierra Weir, an artist from Pittsburgh, stepped gingerly across the mud and rocks. When she got to the water’s edge, Weir saw the landscape in a completely different way.
“It’s not as visually stunning as synthetic colors, but I would say the depth and variation within one tiny spectra is so much deeper,” she said. “I’ve gained such an appreciation for all the different ways brown can be brown.”
Sierra Weir of Pittsburgh was an artist-in residency of the Susquehanna River Watershed.
Weir, who has a background in biochemistry, is a pigment artist and community outreach coordinator for Three Rivers Waterkeeper, a nonprofit organization in Pittsburgh that advocates and protects the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers.
In June, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, selected Weir and two others for its new artist-in-residency program, “Reflections through Art: Inclusive Access on Water Trails in the Susquehanna Basin.”
“It’s a new way to get people to engage with the environment,” Weir said.
Painter Spencer Verney of Coatesville was also chosen as a resident by the PEC. He focuses on preserved lands and protected waterways in historic settings. Meg Lemieur of Port Richmond was chosen to illustrate a map for the Swatara Creek Watershed.
“My art celebrates the diversity and amazing features of the natural world,” Lemieur told The Inquirer. “I’m definitely drawn to all the living animals, including animals of the watershed like turtles, owls, and gophers, but lately I’ve been getting more into flora and understanding plants.“
Tali MacArthur, a senior program manager for the PEC, said the residency program was created as another way to get the public involved in watershed conservation.
“There are people who don’t really see themselves as scientists or fishermen, but maybe they see themselves as artists, as musicians, or visual learners,” MacArthur said. “I’ve kind of been chasing this approach for some time now.”
The residency program was funded by the National Park Service’s Chesapeake Gateways Grant Program and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnership Program.
When Weir was in college, in Ohio, she spent a year studying the pigments of Betta fish and contributed a sculpture based on the majesty of jeweled beetles. She’s also created various paintings made with natural pigments like goldenrod, black walnut, and pokeberry, which fade quickly.
“It’s in opposition to synthetic pigments, which are made from petrochemicals, and I do a lot of work to reduce pollutants,” she said. “This was a natural fit.”
Sierra Weir of Pittsburgh was an artist-in-residency of the Susquehanna River Watershed. She’s pictured along Loyalsock Creek in Montoursville.
Weir, 28, said her goal of combining art and waterways was to help people hone their “noticing skills” and provide new ways to engage with the environment and, perhaps, repair broken connections to the natural world.
“What I do is help people notice the relationship between water, earth, plants, and themselves and how inherently connected we are to this place,” Weir said. “We’re made of this same stuff, biologically and chemically.”
Sierra Weir of Pittsburgh was an artist-in-residency of the Susquehanna River Watershed.
Biology professor Jody Hey was lecturing on human evolution one recent day at Temple University.
His students vigorously took notes by hand in paper notebooks.
There wasn’t a laptop in sight. Nor an iPhone. No student’s face was hidden by a screen.
Hey said he stopped allowing them about a year and a half ago after seeing research that students are too often distracted when laptops are open in front of them and actually learn better when they have to distill lectures into handwritten notes.
“The clearest sign that it’s making a difference is that students are paying attention more,” said Hey, who has taught at Temple for more than 12 years. “And they want to participate much more than before.”
Hey is among a seemingly growing number of professors who have chosen to keep laptop and phone use out of class, with exceptions for students with disabilities who require accommodations. Several said they made the decision after seeing what some students were doing on their laptops during class.
Temple University biology professor Jody Hey stopped allowing laptops to be used in class about a year and a half ago. He said he’s noticed improvement in student performance.
Jessa Lingel, an associate professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program there, stationed teaching assistants in the back of her room to observe.
Students “were out there booking flights and Airbnbs,” Lingel said. “Fun fall cocktail recipes. They were online gambling in class. I thought, ‘This is not acceptable.’”
She originally disallowed laptops in 2017, but decided to go easy in 2021 as students returned after the pandemic, she said. She reinforced the ban after her teaching assistants’ observations.
“It’s a movement,” Lingel said. “More and more people are headed in this direction.”
In Hey’s class, students have warmed up to the laptop ban.
“At first I didn’t like it,” said Jess Nguyen, 20, a junior genomic medicine major from Broomall, “because I kind of organize all my notes on my laptop. But I feel I’ve been learning better by writing my notes.”
When she took notes on her iPad, she sometimes got distracted and played computer games, she said. In Hey’s class, that’s not an option.
Students said it takes more time to write notes and sometimes their hands get tired.
“After a couple classes, you kind of get used to it,” said Sara Tedla, 22, a senior natural sciences major from Philadelphia.
She’s on the fence about which way she prefers to take notes.
“It’s good that for an hour and 20 minutes you can just sit down and, without any technological distractions, focus because that’s a part of your brain you can work on,” said Quinn Johnson, 20, a senior ecology major from Philadelphia. “The more you do it, the easier it becomes to focus on something for a long period of time.”
‘Students learn better’
Professors say laptopsare pretty ubiquitous in the classroom when they are permitted.
Hey conducted research on laptop use and presented it at a Temple department faculty meeting earlier this year.
“As early as 2003, a study was done contrasting the retention of lecture material by two groups of students, one who had laptops and unrestrained internet access and a second who worked without laptops,” he said. “In that study, students with laptops scored 20% lower on average in the subsequent exam.”
Four of every five students who used laptops in a general psychology class said they checked email during lectures, another study showed, while 68% used instant messaging, 43% surfed the net, 25% played games, and 35% said they did “other” activities.
He also cited studies showing students who took notes by hand performed better on tests. Others cited that research, too.
Penn President emerita Amy Gutmann co-teaches a class at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication with the dean Sarah Banet-Weiser. They don’t allow laptops or phones to be used in the classroom.
“I read the literature on it and it really showed that students learn better when they’re taking notes rather than trying to type as fast as they can verbatim what you say,” said Amy Gutmann, Penn president emerita, who is co-teaching a class at the Annenberg School for Communication this fall.
Some professors say laptop use in class can be beneficial.
Sudhir Kumar, a Temple biology professor, said he asks his class of 150 students to respond to questions on their laptops every 10 minutes. Their answers count toward their grades.
“It’s constantly keeping them on their toes,” he said.
He would not want to see everyone give up on laptop use in class.
“We cannot fight technology,” he said. “Teachers have to embrace technology, whether it is artificial intelligence or computers. That is a standard mode of operation for most people today.”
(Left to Right) Jess Nguyen, 20, a junior from Broomall, Allan Thomas, 22, a senior from Philly, and Sara Tedla, 22, a senior from Philly, in a class taught by Temple University biology professor Jody Hey last month.
In Cathy Brant’ssocial studies methods classof 20 to 25 students at Rowan University, laptops are key. Brant, an associate professor of education, saidthere are lots of hands-on group projects, and she frequently asks students to check New Jersey standards online as they prepare their lessons. She also teaches them how to use AI appropriately in the classroom.
One of her students, she said, recently handed in a paper with very detailed notes from Brant’s lecture that she probably got only because she was able to type quickly on her computer.
“You’re responsible for paying attention in class,” she said. “Maybe it’s a little harsh, but I’m just like, ‘If you want to be on Facebook the entire time during class, that’s on you.’”
Jordan Shapiro, an associate professor at Temple, more than a decade ago used to make a point of having his students post on Twitter, now X, during class and counted it toward classroom participation.
Now, he tells students to put their laptops away during class.
“I tell them I have no problem with tech or laptops,” he said. “I just think that none of us get enough time in our lives to just focus on ideas or to listen in a sustained way to the people around us.”
He also became concerned about students doing homework during class, he said, and usingartificial intelligence to supply them with questions and comments to ask in class. They were “outsourcing class participation to the robots,” he said.
Mark Boudreau, a biology professor at Penn State Brandywine, disallowed laptops for the first time this semester.
“I thought I would get real pushback … or people might even drop the class,” he said. “But … a lot of students have had other faculty who have this policy.”
Exam scores in his three courses are better this year, he said.
Hey noted student grades have gone up, too. But he can tell some students struggle with note-taking; some just listen and don’t take notes.
“That’s better than sitting there and going on Facebook,” he said.
In a small clinic room at Mother of Mercy House on Allegheny Avenue in Kensington, Emma Anderson unwrapped a bandage from a man’s swollen hand.
“It hurts really bad in the cold,” the man said, wincing at the inflamed wound that covered most of a right-hand finger.
Cleaning it with saline solution proved so painful that Anderson, an EMT and St. Joseph’s University student, let the patient take the lead, wiping carefully at the yellowish-white tissue at the center of the wound.
It was his second time attending the wound care clinic at Mother of Mercy, the Catholic nonprofit that twice a week opens its doors to people with addiction dealing with the serious skin lesions, caused by the animal tranquilizer xylazine, that can develop into wounds so severe the only treatment is amputation.
Called “tranq” on the streets, xylazine was never approved for human use and has wreaked havoc across the city since dealers began adding it to fentanyl to extend the opioid’s short-lived high.
In the five years since it emerged as a threat, amputations among opioid users have more than doubled. The Philadelphia drug supply is now changing again, and though emergency rooms in the last year have treated fewer xylazine wounds, the crisis is far from over.
The man who visited Mother of Mercy’s clinic on a recent Tuesday, who gave only his first name, Steven, because of the stigma surrounding drug use, noticed the alarming wound on his hand a few weeks ago.
Steven had seen people sleeping on the streets with flies hovering around their gaping wounds. He had hoped that he could avoid a wound himself: He smokes fentanyl, instead of injecting it, and knows that injection drug users are generally at a higher risk for skin infections. But, like many people who smoke their drugs, he had developed a wound anyway.
“Believe it or not,” Steven said, between deep breaths during the painful cleaning, “I actually was an EMT myself at one point.”
‘How did we let it get this bad?’
Mother of Mercy, founded in 2015 in Kensington, partners with St. Joseph’s Institute of Clinical Bioethics to host the clinics. The institute, headed byFather Peter Clark, a Jesuit priest and a bioethicist at several area hospitals, has long held a monthly health clinic at the nonprofit’s Kensington headquarters.
In the last year, they expanded the program to offer more wound care opportunities to a community increasingly in need of them.
Father Peter Clark, the director of the Institute of Clinical Bioethics at St. Joseph’s University, and Ean Hudak, a St. Joseph’s student and staffer at the Mother of Mercy House wound care clinic, assist a person who had fallen unconscious on Allegheny Avenue in Kensington.
“To be physically down here in the heart of it, and seeing it on a weekly, monthly basis, it opens your eyes. How did we let it get this bad?” said Steven Silver, the assistant director of research and development at St. Joseph’s, who was welcoming clients at the door on a recent clinic day.
The program is staffed by medical students and undergraduates, all trained in wound care. Many say the work they do at the clinic is unlike any medical training they’ve been offered at school.
Undergraduates like Anderson and Ean Hudak, who takes shifts at the clinic in between applying to nursing schools, say they’re hoping to use their experience as they pursue careers in the medical field.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, organizers serve hot meals and wait inthe small clinic room for patients to trickle in, usually about 20 a week.
Once a month, the team takes to the streets with wound care supplies, such as bandages, saline sprays, and antiseptic cleansers. They look for people on the streets who may not be able to reach the clinic.
Clark said the clinic stepped up its hours in an effort to help patients keep their wounds clean more consistently — and hopefully prevent more amputations. “It’s increasing [patients’] ability to know what to do and how to keep the wounds clean — hopefully to help them out,” he said.
The trust factor
This year, medetomidine, another animal tranquilizer that causes severe withdrawal, has supplanted xylazine’s dominance in the Philadelphia area drug supply. Fewer patients addicted to opioids are visiting emergency rooms with soft-tissue damage, according to city data.
But it’s unknown how medetomidine affects those wounds, and there are still enough people suffering from them in Kensington, the epicenter of the city’s opioid crisis, that the clinic felt it necessary to increase its hours.
Hosting more frequent clinics also deepens relationships with patients. “People are coming back, which is good,” Clark said. “The trust factor is a huge issue.”
Many of the clinic’s patients avoid hospitals, fearing long waits for care: “At the ERs, they wait eight hours and they sign themselves out, or they’re coming down from a high, and nobody’s taking care of the withdrawal,” Clark said. “It’s a big mess.”
At the clinic,staff are regularly on the phone with wound care physicians at Temple University Hospital, who can flag patients with xylazine wounds and get them prompt care before they enter withdrawal, he said.
They also connect patients with housing, inpatient rehabs, and hospital care, for those with wounds too serious for the clinic to handle.
Several weeks ago, they called an ambulance to get a man with a wound that exposed his bone to the hospital.
Staff collect data to share with area hospitals so physicians can get a better understanding of the situation on the street — measuring patients’ wounds, collecting demographic data, and asking patients about which drugs they use.
Each leaves the clinic with a hospital bracelet documenting the care they’ve received so staff can keep track of their care from week to week.
‘It’s always an uphill battle’
Not all patients at the clinic are suffering from xylazine wounds. On a recent weekday, one man asked for help bandaging scrapes on his knuckles. He’d tried to fight someone who was stealing his belongings.
Another man said he’d been robbed and pepper-sprayed and asked staff to help wash the last traces of Mace out of his eyes.
As staffers looked for eyedrops among their medical supplies, Clark poked his head into the room. “We need someone with Narcan,” he said, referring to the opioid overdose-reversing spray.
Across the street, a man was slumped on a stoop, unresponsive.
Clark and Hudak dodged cars on Allegheny Avenue, knelt down by the man, and managed to gently shake him awake.
Slowly, he revived enough to speak a bit and showed them a wound on his leg, which they cleaned and wrapped in gauze. “You have some cracked skin — do you want us to put some moisturizer on your hands?” Hudak asked.
With temperatures dropping, the team is worried that patients’ skin will dry out, making their wounds more painful. (The summer months present a different challenge, with wounds leaking fluids.) And many patients may be too cold to travel to the clinic, making the monthly street rounds even more crucial.
When Steven Peikin and Amy Spicer moved back to the Philadelphia area in late 2023 after spending 2½ years in Florida, there weren’t many houses on the market. So when Peikin discovered a 4,100-square-foot, two-story home in Bryn Mawr on a solo trip, he convinced Spicer that he’d found the perfect home.
“She saw the pictures online,” recalled Peikin, a gastroenterologist at Cooper University Health Care. “I saw it on a Thursday and was told there could be no contingency or inspection, there were four other bidders, and I had to have our best offer in by Sunday.”
He took the plunge and bought the house, but when Amy saw it, she wasn’t completely sold. She felt the house was dated and she couldn’t get past the yellow exterior.
“When I saw the inside of the house, it was very 1980-esque and needed considerable remodeling,” said Amy, a pharmaceutical sales rep for Madrigal and a yoga instructor. “Steve found it very charming, but I saw it as my 97-year-old grandma’s house.”
Steve Peikin and Amy Spicer’s living room was one of the spaces they updated in renovations.The kitchen and dining area, which looks out on the backyard.The renovated kitchen features Thermador appliances and a stone island with a built-in stove. Decor in the den.
The compromise was to make changes that would satisfy them both. The couple stayed in Airbnbs during a four-month renovation, and moved into the home in the spring of 2025.
With the help of Christina Henck from Manayunk-based Henck Design, they created a cozy, updated English Country style home in warm browns and neutrals.
“The house was very formal but we created a more natural, laid-back feel,” said Peikin.
They painted the exterior brownish gray, updated the bathrooms, created a dedicated laundry room, and added architectural elements to the living room and family room.
The outside of the home, which was once yellow, was painted after Spicer and Peikin moved in.
Those included custom bookshelves, a new metal mantle for the wood-burning stove, and extended ceiling beams. They also replaced all of the original lighting with a combination of recessed lighting and fixtures, swapped out the window treatments, updated the HVAC system, and added pavers to the backyard.
“Steve has a living room and I have a den,” said Spicer. “Mine is very calm and peaceful and his feels refined and sophisticated.”
Parts of the house had been renovated a couple of years earlier after a tree fell on the house, resulting in a new kitchen, primary suite, and roof.
Spicer’s son, Austin, 23, is currently living with the couple. He and his mom enjoy cooking together in their spacious kitchen featuring Thermador appliances and a stone island with a built-in stove. A second stove sits under the microwave. When weather permits, Peikin grills outside and they eat on the patio.
A reprint of the painting “Lady With an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci is pictured on a shelf in the den.Metal wall decor hanging on the wall of the den.Steve Peikin’s home office. When they bought the home, the couple wanted space for two home offices.The mudroom and arched entryway.
The mudroom off the garage leads to the kitchen through an arched passageway which may have been an addition to the original house built in 1950, Peikin said. The mudroom floor features black and gold tile and a huge inlaid wooden chest that they call the Narnia cabinet — akin to the one in the fantasy novel The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe — sits against one wall.
The primary bedroom suite includes a large window overlooking the tree-lined property.
“You can watch the deer and other animals in the backyard,” said Spicer. “While our home in Florida was lovely because we stared at water, it was loud. Here it’s quiet and just beautiful.”
Peikin and Spicer each have dedicated offices. He refers to his first-floor office as his studiolo, which during the Italian Renaissance was a place of study and contemplation. He meets with telemedicine clients there, but it’s also where he watches ballgames and hangs out.
The backyard, where the couple enjoy swimming, barbecuing, and relaxing.
Spicer’s office includes an altar featuring a Buddha, a space where she meditates and which she uses as a backdrop for the online yoga classes she teaches.
The backyard is where the family spends as much time as possible, swimming, hanging in the hot tub, lounging by the pool, warming up at the fire pit, or barbecuing. With help from All Seasons Maintenance & Design, Melady Landscaping, and Bloom Design, they created a cozy, inviting outdoor retreat.
“The best part of living here is that we are surrounded by a bamboo forest and tall trees, with beautiful crepe myrtle, dogwoods, and magnolias, and we have deer and lots of birds,” said Peikin. “We love the outdoors.”
Is your house a Haven? Nominate your home by email (and send some digital photographs) at properties@inquirer.com.
The outdoor kitchen, where Spicer and Peikin prefer to cook dinner when the weather allows.Steve Peikin and Amy Spicer pose for a portrait in their backyard.
Trump is ready to press Ukraine to bow to a plan that guarantees further Russian destruction. Let’s hope the backlash to the proposal stiffens the backbone of GOP supporters of Ukraine against the pro-Russian White House crowd.
The drama hasn’t ended yet.
The 28-point plan was cooked up by Trump’s feckless negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and first son-in-law Jared Kushner. Two real estate moguls with zero knowledge of Ukraine wrote a draft plan based heavily on input from Kremlin insider Kirill Dmitriev.
Dmitriev is Putin’s representative for economic cooperation and has wooed Witkoff and Kushner with fantasies of joint U.S.-Russian investment. The three men met for secret talks in October in Miami, at Witkoff’s home.
The resulting document reads like Kremlin talking points; some Russia experts point out that the English syntax sounds as if it were google translated directly from the Russian text.
“Even Neville Chamberlain would blush at this,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), referencing the British prime minister who infamously appeased Adolph Hitler. “It’s embarrassing to our country.”
Painfully true.
The deal demands suicidal concessions from Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression, but none from the Russia invader. The points echoed a Putin wish list, and green-light Moscow’s complete subordination of Ukraine, by shrinking Kyiv’s army, limiting its alliances and weapons, and leaving it wide-open to future Russian attacks.
Trump was — and still is — ready to sell out Kyiv in pursuit of an imaginary Nobel Peace Prize along with lucrative business deals with Moscow and predatory deals for Ukrainian minerals (both are touted in the plan).
In clear evidence of Russian untrustworthiness, Dmitriev leaked the proposal last week to journalist Barak Ravid of Axios in order to box in the Americans before consultations with Ukraine. Yet Trump quickly endorsed this capitulation document.
Dmitriev’s betrayal alone should disqualify him from further negotiations, but there’s no sign Witkoff will abandon his new Russian pal. As for Witkoff and Kushner, Trump is rewarding their blunders by sending them to meet Putin next week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev (left) and President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff attend talks in St. Petersburg, Russia, in April.
How do we know for sure that Dmitriev was the leaker? Because Witkoff posted on X, “He [Axios’ Ravid] must have got this from K …,” meaning Kirillov. Apparently, Witkoff thought he was sending a private message, another sign he isn’t up to the job.
Equally egregious, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who does know something about Russia, was kept out of the loop by Witkoff. After the leak, he got a firestorm of complaints from upset European counterparts and GOP supporters of Ukraine. That led him to call Sen. Mike Rounds (R., N.D.), who was at an international security conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, along with a bipartisan Senate delegation.
Rounds recounted to journalists that Rubio described Witkoff’s plan as a Russian “wish list” and not an actual U.S. proposal. Under White House pressure, Rubio soon reversed himself and posted online that the senators were mistaken. A State Department spokesperson falsely accused the senators of lying
I spoke to Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.), who was with the delegation during the call (although not on the phone). “I heard what [my colleagues] said immediately after the call,” he told me. “They couldn’t have been clearer about what Marco said, and what the complications were. I hope after today we’ll see a proposal which enables Ukraine to remain free and sovereign and defend itself in the future.”
With this White House, don’t hold your breath.
The pushback from GOP backers of Ukraine, as well as from the EU and Kyiv, was so intense, however, that Rubio rushed to “update” the document in weekend negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Geneva.
Very sensitive issues remain unresolved, yet Trump is still pressuring Kyiv to sign on this month. There is an acute danger that he and Vice President JD Vance may try again to bushwhack Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, who will probably visit the White House this month.
European allies, who were not consulted on the deal, have been desperately trying to bolster Zelensky and get Trump’s ear.
In this image taken from video provided by Russian Presidential Press Service on Nov. 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks as he visits one of the command posts of the West group of Russian Army in an undisclosed location.
But given the president’s eagerness for a “deal” — any deal, no matter how fatal to Ukraine — Trump is more likely to squeeze Kyiv than press Putin for concessions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made clear this week that Putin is only interested in the original pro-Russian points, and not any revision that protects Ukraine from future attack.
It’s important for Americans to understand why the Putin-Trump 28-point deal wouldn’t stop Russian aggression and would only encourage Moscow to continue the war.
As former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk pointed out: “Ukraine has never attempted to seize Russian territory. Russia, on the other hand, has repeatedly invaded Ukraine and continues to strike Ukrainian cities daily.”
The bottom line for achieving peace is that any plan must strengthen Ukraine’s defenses and provide concrete U.S. guarantees that Russia won’t destroy the Ukrainian state in the future. The 28-point plan does just the opposite (and the revisions aren’t strong enough.)
The Kirillov proposal shrinks the size of the Ukrainian army by a third while putting no limits on Russia’s army, which is roughly twice the size of Ukraine’s. It prevents Ukraine from ever joining NATO and forbids NATO peacekeepers on its soil.
Imagine if Franklin Delano Roosevelt had endorsed a peace plan between Winston Churchill and Hitler in 1940 that left Hitler free to expand his army while demanding Churchill halve his forces, ground his Spitfires, and promise never to ask the Yanks for help.
Which brings us to the ugliest part of Trump’s fake peace efforts. There is a lot of loose verbiage about “guarantees” against a future Russian invasion in the 28 points, and in a side letter offering Kyiv a “security assurance modeled on the principles of [NATO’s] Article 5.” Note the weasel words.
Let me assure you, I have read and reread the texts, and they offer Ukraine no firm U.S. or allied commitment to intervene if Russia attacks again.
The real hint of the worthlessness of this Kremlin-born document comes with point 16, which proclaims: “Russia will enshrine in law its policy of non-aggression toward Europe and Ukraine.”
Does Trump not know Putin has violated every accord he or his predecessors signed with Kyiv. That includes the 1994 Budapest Memorandum by which Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees of sovereignty from the U.S., the U.K., and Russia? We know how much those paper assurances have been worth.
POTUS refuses to face reality: Putin respects only strength; there will be no peace until the costs of war are more than the Russian economy and military can bear.
Peace negotiations are worthless unless backed by tougher U.S. sanctions and sales of U.S. air defense systems and missiles to Ukraine.
By his continual concessions to Moscow, Trump has convinced the Russian leader that he is a weak pushover. That guarantees that Russia will continue the war.
