Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Tag: no-latest

  • Judge blocks Pentagon from punishing Sen. Mark Kelly for call to resist unlawful orders

    Judge blocks Pentagon from punishing Sen. Mark Kelly for call to resist unlawful orders

    WASHINGTON — A federal judge agreed Thursday to block the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.

    U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that Pentagon officials violated Kelly’s First Amendment free speech rights and “threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees.”

    “To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it!” wrote Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush.

    Kelly, who represents Arizona, sued in federal court to block his Jan. 5 censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Leon’s order prohibits the Pentagon from implementing or enforcing Kelly’s punishment while his lawsuit is pending. The judge instructed the parties to provide him with an update in 30 days.

    In November, Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers appeared on a video in which they urged troops to uphold the Constitution and not to follow unlawful military directives from the Trump administration. Republican President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” in a social media post days later.

    The court case is just one front in a broader dispute that has spiraled between the group of Democratic lawmakers and the Trump administration since they posted the video. Earlier this week, a Washington grand jury declined to indict the lawmakers over the video.

    Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin has said she has been told the Justice Department could seek a new indictment as soon as Friday. Kelly and Slotkin said at a news conference Wednesday that they are keeping all legal options on the table regarding potentially suing the administration.

    Leon said that Kelly “is likely to succeed on the merits” of his free speech claim. “He has also shown irreparable harm, and the balance of the equities fall decidedly in his favor.”

    Hegseth said Kelly’s censure was “a necessary process step” to proceedings that could result in a demotion from the senator’s retired rank of captain and subsequent reduction in retirement pay.

    The judge concluded that Kelly’s speech is entitled to full First Amendment protection. Leon wrote, “Horsefeathers!” in response to the government’s argument that Kelly is trying to exempt himself from the rules of military justice.

    “Rather than trying to shrink the First Amendment liberties of retired servicemembers, Secretary Hegseth and his fellow Defendants might reflect and be grateful for the wisdom and expertise that retired servicemembers have brought to public discussions and debate on military matters in our Nation over the past 250 years,” Leon wrote.

    “If so,” he added, “they will more fully appreciate why the Founding Fathers made free speech the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights!”

    The Pentagon did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the judge’s ruling.

    Kelly said in a video statement posted after the ruling that the case was about more than just him and that the administration “was sending a message to millions of retired veterans that they too can be censured or demoted just for speaking out.”

    He added that the ruling was unlikely the end: “This might not be over yet, because this president and this administration do not know how to admit when they’re wrong.”

    The 90-second video was first posted on a social media account belonging to Slotkin. Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania also appeared in the video. All of the participants are veterans of the armed services or intelligence agencies.

    The Pentagon began investigating Kelly in late November, citing a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court-martial or other punishment. Hegseth has said Kelly was the only one of the six lawmakers to be investigated because he is the only one who formally retired from the military and still falls under the Pentagon’s jurisdiction.

    Kelly’s lawyers said the Pentagon’s censure of Kelly — and its efforts to reduce his retirement grade and pay — are an unprecedented attack on the rights of veterans to publicly debate national security issues.

    “Defendants assert an absolute and unreviewable authority to impose military punishment on a retired veteran and sitting United States Senator for engaging in speech a civilian political appointee dislikes. That position is as alarming as it is unprecedented,” they wrote.

    Government lawyers said the case “is not about legislative independence or freedom of speech in civilian society.”

    “Instead, this case involves a retired military officer who seeks to use his military status as a sword and his legislative position as a shield against the consequences of his actions in military personnel matters,” they wrote.

    Hegseth, the Defense Department, Navy Secretary John Phelan and the Navy are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

  • What science says we’ve been getting wrong about exercise

    What science says we’ve been getting wrong about exercise

    Every year, I climb to the top of Everest. It’s no big deal. I take it one step at a time, 80,000 steps per year.

    By the time Dec. 31 arrives, I calculated, I have ascended at least seven vertical miles, carrying loads roughly equal to the weight of three pickup trucks, mostly composed of laundry, groceries, and small children.

    You see, I live on the top floor of a duplex.

    Public health messaging has convinced us that the only way to work out is “exercising.” Yet, for most of human history, of course, living was exercise. Humans got most — if not all — of the physical activity needed to stay healthy through natural movement in their daily lives.

    After a half-century asking us to exercise more, doctors and physiologists say we have been thinking about it wrong. U.S. and World Health Organization guidelines no longer specify a minimum duration of moderate or vigorous aerobic activity.

    Movement-tracking studies show even tiny, regular bursts of effort — as short as 30 seconds — can capture many of the health benefits of the gym. Climbing two to three flights of stairs a few times per day could change your life. Experts call it VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity.

    “The message now is that all activity counts,” said Martin Gibala, a professor and former chair of the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Canada. And perhaps nothing’s better than stairs.

    Here’s how to take your first step toward living to 100.

    Staircase athletes

    In the world’s “Blue Zones” — Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California — a disproportionate number of people live to be 100 and beyond. Scientists aren’t certain why, but they’ve proposed several reasons, including diet, genetics, social connection, purpose, and daily physical activity, especially on hills and stairs.

    The villagers of Sardinia, a rugged part of Italy, stand out. A typical octogenarian engages in daily physical activity equivalent to climbing many flights of stairs. When researchers looked at what was behind Sardinians’ extraordinary longevity, three factors — terrain slope, distance to workplace, and working as a shepherd (who often climb more than 1,000 feet per day) — were most strongly correlated with longer lives. In some regions, the global pattern of men dying earlier than women was virtually absent.

    Since we can’t all move to Sardinia, as beautiful as it is, we can just stop avoiding gravity instead.

    From a topological perspective, modern life has leveled what’s healthy about Blue Zones, replacing them with a “frictionless” landscape of elevators, cars, instant delivery, and sedentary jobs. Just about a quarter of U.S. adults meet the modest targets for aerobic activity.

    Yet our stairs remain. And if you’re looking to maximize the benefits of short bouts of exercise, “stair climbing is the clear winner,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity and population health at the University of Sydney.

    That’s because of what stairs, and hill climbing generally, force your body to do. With each step, you must momentarily balance your entire body weight on one leg. As you ascend — an exquisite feat of neurological coordination — you’re constantly lifting at least 100 pounds into the air, boosting your heart rate and cardiovascular fitness. On the way down, bracing against the pull of gravity, you build bone density and muscle strength, especially in your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, adductors, and core muscles.

    Over the past decade, studies have shown the potency of going up and down stairs each day to boost your health. It doesn’t take much. Just taking the stairs daily is associated with lower body weight and cutting the risk of stroke and heart disease — the leading (and largely preventable) cause of death globally. While it may not burn many calories (most exercise doesn’t), it does appear to extend your health span. Leg power — a measure of explosive muscle strength — was a stronger predictor of brain aging than any lifestyle factors measured in a 2015 study in the journal Gerontology.

    Subsequent studies put a finer point on it: Just nine to 10 brief bouts of vigorous activity per day — averaging 30 to 45 seconds each — lowered the risk of dying by about 40% in nonexercisers, according to a 2022 study in Britain. Benefits increased as people exercised longer, but most of the risk reduction occurred during the first few minutes of daily activity.

    Anyone who has ever prepared for a race will be familiar with the question: What are you training for? At some point, I realized what I’m really training for — whether I acknowledge it or not — is the life I want to lead when I’m older.

    If the goal is live independently and get out of a chair unassisted, something has to change for many Americans.

    The belief that your daily routine isn’t exercise is a good place to start. The truth is that we don’t have “exercise” guidelines, Gibala said. We have physical activity guidelines. That doesn’t distinguish between the gym, dancing, or using your home stairs.

    “Exercise doesn’t need to be this special thing you do in this special place after you change into special clothes,” Gibala said. “It can be part of everyday life.”

    How little activity can you do?

    Four minutes daily. Essentially, a few flights of stairs at a vigorous pace. That’s the effort Stamatakis found delivered significant health benefits in that 2022 study of British nonexercisers.

    “We saw benefits from the first minute,” Stamatakis said.

    For Americans, the effect is even more dramatic: a 44% drop in deaths, according to a peer-reviewed paper recently accepted for publication.

    “We showed for the first time that vigorous intensity, even if it’s done as part of the day-to-day routine, not in a planned and structured manner, works miracles,” Stamatakis said. “The key principle here is start with one, two minutes a day. The focus should be on making sure that it’s something that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Then you can start thinking about increasing the dose.”

    Intensity is the most important factor. You won’t break a sweat in a brief burst, but you do need to feel it. A highly conditioned athlete might need to sprint to reach vigorous territory. But many people need only to take the stairs. Use your breathing as a guide, Stamatakis said: If you can sing, it’s light intensity. If you can speak but not sing, you’re entering moderate exertion. If you can’t hold a conversation, it’s vigorous.

    The biggest benefits come from moderate to vigorous movement. One minute of incidental vigorous activity prevents premature deaths, heart attacks or strokes as well as about three minutes of moderate activity or 35 to 49 minutes of light activity. Other studies show an even wider gap for reducing the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes: One minute of vigorous activity is roughly as effective as about 1½ hours of light activity.

    If you rarely climb stairs, or it’s not safe to climb unassisted, then check with your doctor before starting any activity regimen.

    How to do it

    Home. Office. Subway. A step platform in your living room. All stairs work at every fitness level.

    But they work best with someone else. That’s a lesson from Blue Zones: Social connection is probably essential to our health. You can’t “stair-climb” out of a solitary, stressful, junk-food-filled lifestyle on your own. Try a few sessions with a coach, friend, or social fitness app to stick to your routine.

    If you want to know where your fitness level stands (or lies sprawled on the couch), the best gauge of cardiorespiratory fitness is VO2 max, a measure of how much oxygen your body can consume during intense exercise. You can test this in a lab, use a stopwatch or health app, or estimate it with an online calculator.

    The most important thing? Start moving, said Gibala, who recommends beginning with at least 30 seconds of continuous climbing or one minute of ascending and descending. “It doesn’t matter what you are starting from, you’re still going to see benefits,” he said.

    After that, it’s just one step at a time. I made a calculator through which you can estimate your annual ascents — and decide how many Everests you want to climb.

    Upward.

  • Letters to the Editor | Feb. 12, 2026

    Letters to the Editor | Feb. 12, 2026

    Hope floats

    Pennsylvania is home to almost 86,000 miles of rivers and streams, more than any state except Alaska. The Shapiro administration understands the responsibility that comes with maintaining our waterways and remains committed to protecting them to keep Pennsylvania beautiful.

    The recent op-ed from the Stroud Research Center made important points about the challenges facing Pennsylvania’s rivers, lakes, and streams.

    Over the last three years, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has increased our assessments and evaluated more than 10,000 miles of streams, which has led to us identifying a higher number of impaired waterways. That is why we have accelerated our work to protect and restore our rivers, lakes, and streams and reduce pollution flowing through them, all while supporting our farmers, growing our economy, and strengthening communities across the commonwealth — meeting these challenges and delivering for the people of Pennsylvania, but we know there is more work to be done.

    DEP takes a “whole watershed” approach to protecting the water quality of Pennsylvania’s waterways. We look at rural and urban conservation opportunities that keep stormwater runoff from pulling pollutants into our waters. We work with landowners, watershed organizations, local governments, and conservation districts to identify the best ways to protect rivers and streams — and we have grant programs like Growing Greener, which invest in local communities to restore waterways.

    Restoring the remaining miles of impaired waterways will take a lot of effort, but with strong partnerships, we can continue to restore our rivers, lakes, and streams for all to enjoy.

    Jessica Shirley, secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

    More data, please

    I am a teacher at Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice. I teach English, history, and journalism. I also serve as the elected Philadelphia Federation of Teachers building representative. In response to your editorial headlined, “Philadelphia school closure proposal is not perfect, but it is necessary,” The “recommendation” of Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. to the Board of Education reeks of machine politics at its worst. It is clear to everyone directly involved that the district is not really concerned about improving outcomes for students; if it had produced real data that supported its conclusions, it would have already shared it with the public. There are scant details provided for these bright neighborhood community hubs upon the hill because, according to the district’s own briefing, this will all be figured out after the plan has been approved. Understandably, it can’t say what this is really about, but it doesn’t have to worry about transparency as long as the institutions meant to hold government accountable, like this one, are so obviously complicit in the “dirty work” of city politics. Instead of holding the district accountable for its shoddy process and threadbare arguments, you are helping sell the general public on the benefits of getting on board a plane that is only 10% built. You should be ashamed of yourselves, and it should come as no surprise when our students leave a school or political system that has failed the basic tests of democratic process and transparency.

    Brian Nevins, Philadelphia

    Dumb down AI

    With all the talk these days of artificial intelligence, I recently came across an interesting and uncanny quote from an 18th-century essayist and scholar, Joseph Addison, in which he said, “Artificial intelligence will never be a match for natural stupidity.”

    Addison surely had nothing in mind relating to current interpretations of artificial intelligence, but maybe he had a point in that snags should be expected in our adoption and use of AI. This would not be unusual for a new technology.

    B. W. Witty, Mount Laurel

    Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.

  • Dear Abby | Old friend seeks to control the narrative about couple

    DEAR ABBY: Last year, after several years overseas, my husband and I returned stateside and moved to my hometown. It has been a lonely transition. One of my friends from school, “Skip,” has helped, but more and more, he dominates social situations by framing what people first learn about me and my husband. It is usually unflattering or one-dimensional, or he’ll include me in a one-time event story but make it sound like it was my whole life, which it isn’t.

    Skip also dominates a conversation and always has to be right. This interferes with our meeting other people, and it leaves my husband feeling alienated and even more alone. He would like to meet and have conversations with new people, but Skip doesn’t take it well when I try to explain that his behavior is stifling.

    Should I pull back, or try to broach the subject of allowing my husband and me to interact with new people without Skip framing who we are before we meet them?

    — MISREPRESENTED IN THE MIDWEST

    DEAR MISREPRESENTED: Carve out time for you and your husband to socialize independently from your old “friend,” who does not seem like much of a friend from where I’m sitting. Use that time to look into volunteering opportunities for yourself and your husband, separately if necessary, and joining other social or special interest groups. If you do, those folks will have the opportunity to meet the real you, and your husband may begin to feel less isolated. Please don’t wait to start, because if you do, your husband may become depressed from the continued social isolation.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: My husband has two grown children from his first marriage and two grandchildren. When I met him, he was still in what he described as a very unhappy and unhealthy marriage of 30 years. Because of this, his family has labeled me a home-wrecker. While his children are polite and cordial, we don’t have any kind of relationship with each other.

    My husband feels that for every holiday, we must host his children for some portion of the day, after which they can go be with their mother and other family. I don’t think I should have to open up my home and cook for people who don’t like me. Could you please provide me with some guidance?

    — LOOKING FOR WHAT’S FAIR

    DEAR LOOKING: Please consider a change in attitude. You stated that your husband’s children are polite and cordial with you. They may not dislike you as much as fear that getting too close to you might alienate their mother. Your husband should be able to invite his children into the home you share if he wishes, and the atmosphere should be as warm and welcoming as you can manage. (“Kill them with kindness.”)

    If there is a lot of work involved, your husband should help you with it if he can. If you can manage to do this, you may be able to improve the relationship you have with your stepchildren, which will benefit everyone.

  • Horoscopes: Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). Maintenance is a kind of listening. Tighten the loose screw, clear the small pile, straighten the edge. These modest gestures calm the nervous system, signaling that it’s all in order, and when it’s not, it’s OK. Falling apart is the first sign of coming together.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There’s strong psychological evidence that willpower is a limited resource. Willpower gets scarce when you’re already using so much to get through a tense situation or a demanding day. Self-discipline is made easier in an otherwise stress-free day.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Every relationship has a story, and today you’ll be making it a more interesting one with your sense of play. Of course it means tapping into your creativity and daring. It’s better to be messy and silly than too regimented, literal or serious.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). You’re avoiding mistakes for a reason. The consequences are real. Just “valuing effort” doesn’t pay bills or fix problems. Because you’re serious about doing a good job, you’ll put safeguards in place that make it impossible not to.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Being a “driven” person is easy when you simply accept your drives. It’s when you ignore or disapprove of them that motivation wanes. What’s standing between you and what you naturally want to do? A judgment? A fear? Grapple with and dismantle it.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’re open-minded, flexible, amenable … and you still should try to get your way. Sometimes your way is just better. Today is one of those times when all will benefit when you politely advocate for it.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). If people were stars, there’s one who is your North Star right now and you keep moving toward the light, constant and bright. Yes, there is still a distance between you, but what’s a few light-years among friends?

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). A bit of envy in the mix will be lucky for you because you’re naturally competitive, so the idea that someone else is winning the very thing you’re interested in will give you the energy to think smarter and move faster to make things happen for yourself.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You want people to be comfortable around you, but not so relaxed that they are also complacent, inconsiderate or greedy. There’s a balance to be struck between warmth and power, and it can be addressed sartorially.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The temptation of making a “bad” choice isn’t really about morality or a failure of discipline, so much as needs. Comfort, relief, connection, excitement, rest, reassurance — all are valid reasons to act. Understand the need and behaviors are easier to manage.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). The focus you choose is the picture. What you don’t focus on may as well be absent entirely. Your world features the people, things and ideas you flow your attention to. As you witness the world, you also make it.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Only say yes when you’re genuinely excited about the offering or see a definite benefit to responding like you are. Keep focusing on the upside of extra responsibility and it will stop feeling like a chore and start feeling like choice, and maybe even a little fun.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 12). Welcome to your Year of Uncanny Social Intelligence, when you make moves that outperform the finest diplomats and strategists. Your solar year brings numerous opportunities to play these cards, parlay yourself into a sweeter position and round up the resources and ideas to leave your mark on the world. More highlights: Rivals become allies, higher learning and three financial bonuses. Cancer and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 26, 10, 1, 3, and 7.

  • FBI combs desert terrain for clues in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance

    FBI combs desert terrain for clues in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance

    TUCSON, Ariz. — Fresh surveillance images from Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing, coupled with intense police activity across Arizona and the detention of a man had raised hopes that authorities were nearing a major break.

    But then the man was released after questioning, leaving it unclear Wednesday where the investigation stood into last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.

    FBI agents carrying water bottles to beat the 80-degree F (26.7-degree C) heat walked among rocks and desert vegetation at Guthrie’s Tucson-area home. They also fanned out across a neighborhood about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away, knocking on doors and searching through cactuses, bushes and boulders.

    Several hundred detectives and agents are now assigned to the investigation, which is expanding in the area, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.

    In a nearby neighborhood, two investigators emerged from daughter Annie Guthrie’s home with a paper grocery sack and a white trash bag. One, still wearing blue protective gloves, also took a stack of mail from the roadside mailbox. They drove away without speaking to reporters.

    Barb Dutrow, who was jogging through a neighborhood where teams were searching, said an FBI agent told her they were looking for anything that might have been tossed from a car. Dutrow, who was visiting from Louisiana for a convention, said she “can’t imagine the feeling of the family of having their mother taken.”

    A day earlier, authorities said they had stopped a man near the U.S.-Mexico border, just hours after the FBI released videos of a person wearing a gun holster, ski mask and backpack and approaching Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson. The man told media outlets early Wednesday that he was released after several hours and had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance last week.

    Authorities have not said what led them to stop the man Tuesday but confirmed he was released. The sheriff’s department said its deputies and FBI agents also searched a location in Rio Rico, a city south of Tucson where the man lives.

    It was the latest twist in an investigation that has gripped the nation since Nancy Guthrie disappeared on Feb. 1. Until Tuesday, it seemed authorities were making little headway in determining what happened to her or finding who was responsible.

    The black and white images released by the FBI showing a masked person trying to cover a doorbell camera on Guthrie’s porch marked the first significant break in the case. But the images did not show what happened to her or help determine whether she is still alive.

    FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images.

    Even though the images do not show the person’s face, investigators are hopeful someone will know who was on the porch. More than 4,000 calls came into the Pima County sheriff’s tip line within the past 24 hours, the department said Wednesday afternoon.

    Authorities have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. She was last seen at home Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.

    Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media and said the family believes their mother is still alive.

    The longtime NBC host and her two siblings have indicated a willingness to pay a ransom.

    It is not known whether ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, and whether the family has had any contact with whoever took Guthrie.

    TMZ reported it received a message Wednesday from someone claiming to know the kidnapper’s identity and that they unsuccessfully tried to reach Savannah Guthrie’s brother and sister. The person asked for bitcoin in exchange for the information, TMZ said. The FBI did not immediately respond to a message.

    Authorities have said Nancy Guthrie takes several medications and there was concern from the start that she could die without them.

  • Knicks rout the Sixers behind strong performances by Jose Alvarado and Mikal Bridges

    Knicks rout the Sixers behind strong performances by Jose Alvarado and Mikal Bridges

    Jose Alvarado scored a season-high 26 points and Mikal Bridges added 22 points as the New York Knicks beat the 76ers 138-89 Wednesday night.

    The Knicks bounced back from an overtime home lost to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night for their 10th win in 12 games. Two of those victories have come against the Sixers. The teams split their four-game season series.

    Alvarado, acquired last week from New Orleans, shot 8-for-13 from three-point range and finished with five steals.

    Joel Embiid and Quentin Grimes miss second straight game as Sixers face Knicks

    Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Mohamed Diawara scored 14 points. Jalen Brunson, who scored 40 points against the Pacers, scored eight on Tuesday.

    Tyrese Maxey led the way with 32 points in three quarters for the Sixers, who played without center Joel Embiid. The Sixers’ center sat out due to right knee soreness. VJ Edgecombe added 14 points, and Dominick Barlow scored 13.

    The Sixers, who lost their second straight and for the third time in four games, were held to a season-low point total, just their third game under 100 points this season.

    The Knicks jumped out to a 16-4 lead thanks to nine points from Bridges. They led by 30 at the half. The Knicks shot 58% from the field in the first half, paced by 19 points from Bridges and 16 from Towns. They finished with a season-high 41 assists.

    Embiid missed his second straight game. He hadn’t missed consecutive games since Dec. 19-20. Quentin Grimes missed a second straight game due to illness.

    OG Anunoby missed this fourth straight game for the Knicks with a right toenail avulsion.

    The Sixers head into the All-Star break with a 30-24 record and will host the Atlanta Hawks next on Feb. 19 (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Trump allows Democratic governors to White House meeting after initial snub

    Trump allows Democratic governors to White House meeting after initial snub

    President Donald Trump has backed down from his decision to exclude Democratic governors from an annual White House meeting that has long been bipartisan, according to the National Governors Association.

    For decades, the White House meeting between the president and governors — held around the NGA’s annual winter gathering in Washington — has included Republican and Democratic governors. That nearly changed last week when Trump did not extend an invitation to Democrats, sparking concern among governors. After telling Democratic governors Friday that they would not be invited to the meeting, the bipartisan NGA said the meeting would no longer be part of the organization’s official schedule for the gathering.

    On Wednesday, however, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R), the NGA chairman, told governors that Trump would be inviting all governors to the White House on Feb. 20 for the NGA’s business breakfast.

    “He was very clear in his communications with me that this is a National Governors Association’s event, and he looks forward to hosting you and hearing from governors across the country,” Stitt wrote to the governors. “President Trump said this was always his intention, and we have addressed the misunderstanding in scheduling.”

    Governors from all states are expected to gather in Washington for their conference from Feb. 19 to 21.

    And while all governors are now being invited to the White House, not all Democrats were invited to a separate dinner there scheduled to be held around the NGA gathering. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, both Democrats, said in recent days that their invitations to the dinner had been rescinded. The other 16 Democratic governors remained on the guest list but decided Tuesday that they would not attend unless all 18 of them were invited.

    Trump said on social media Wednesday that the situation over the White House meeting invitations had been a misunderstanding — and he blamed it on Stitt, whom he referred to as a “Republican In Name Only.” Stitt “incorrectly stated my position on the very exclusive Governors Annual Dinner and Meeting at the White House,” Trump wrote, and said that invitations were sent “to ALL Governors, other than two, who I feel are not worthy of being there.”

    Trump emphasized that Polis and Moore had not been invited to the dinner, slinging baseless accusations against them, but he noted that he did invite some Democratic governors that he has repeatedly sparred with, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

    “Stitt got it WRONG!” Trump wrote. “I look forward to seeing the Republican Governors, and some of the Democrats Governors who were worthy of being invited.”

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had defended Trump’s decision to exclude the Democrats from the meeting only a day earlier. “The president has the discretion to invite whomever he wants to the White House,” she told reporters.

    NGA CEO Brandon Tatum said in a statement that the organization was “pleased the president will welcome governors from all 55 states and territories to the White House.”

    “The bipartisan White House governors meeting is a valued tradition and an important opportunity to build bridges and hold constructive conversations,” Tatum said. “The NGA looks forward to continued collaboration between governors and the White House.”

    The Democratic Governors Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting and dinner.

  • Protesters in multiple states press Target to oppose the immigration crackdown in Minnesota

    Protesters in multiple states press Target to oppose the immigration crackdown in Minnesota

    NEW YORK — Activists planned protests at more than two dozen Target stores around the United States on Wednesday to pressure the discount retailer into taking a public stand against the 5-week-old immigration crackdown in its home state of Minnesota.

    ICE Out Minnesota, a coalition of community groups, religious leaders, labor unions, and other critics of the federal operation, called for sit-ins and other demonstrations to continue at Target locations for a full week. Target’s headquarters are located in Minneapolis, where federal officers last month killed two residents who had participated in anti-ICE protests, and its name adorns the city’s major league baseball stadium and an arena where its basketball teams plays.

    “They claim to be part of the community, but they are not standing up to ICE,” said Elan Axelbank, a member of the Minnesota chapter of Socialist Alternative, which describes itself as a revolutionary political group. He organized a Wednesday protest outside a Target store in Minneapolis’ Dinkytown commercial district.

    Demonstrations also were scheduled in St. Paul, Minnesota, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, North Carolina, San Diego, Seattle and other cities, as well as in suburban areas of Minnesota, California and Massachusetts. Target declined Wednesday to comment on the protests.

    Target first became a bull’s-eye for critics of the Trump administration’s surge in immigration enforcement activity after a widely-circulated video showed federal agents detaining two Target employees in a store in the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield last month. Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos Minnesota, an immigrant-led social justice advocacy organization that is part of the ICE Out Minnesota coalition, said his group is focusing its protests on the Richfield store.

    One of the demands of Wednesday’s protests is for Target to deny federal agents entry to stores unless they have judicial warrants authorizing arrests.

    Some lawyers have argued that anyone, including U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customers Enforcement agents without signed warrants, can enter public areas of a business as they wish. Public areas include restaurant dining sections, open parking lots, office lobbies and shopping aisles, but not back offices, closed-off kitchens or other areas of a business that are generally off-limits to the public and where privacy would be reasonably expected, those lawyers say.

    Target has not commented publicly on the detention of the store employees. CEO Michael Fiddelke, who became Target’s chief executive on Feb. 2, sent a video message to the company’s 400,000 workers two days after a Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection officer shot and killed Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti on Jan. 24.

    Fiddelke said the “violence and loss of life in our community is incredibly painful,” but he did not mention the immigration crackdown or the fatal shootings of Pretti, an ICU nurse at a medical center for U.S. veterans in Minneapolis, and Renee Good, a mother of three fired on in her car by an ICE agent.

    Fiddelke was one of 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies who, in the wake of Pretti’s death, signed an open letter “calling for an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.”

    The protests over its alleged failure to oppose the immigration crackdown in Minnesota come a year after Target faced protests and boycotts over the company’s decision to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. At the time, critics said the decision marked a betrayal of Target’s retail giant’s philanthropic commitment to fighting racial disparities and promoting progressive values in liberal Minneapolis and beyond.

    The retail chain also is struggling with a persistent sales malaise. Critics have complained of disheveled stores that are missing the budget-priced flair that long ago earned the retailer the nickname “Tarzhay.”

    While Wednesday’s protests targeted a tiny fraction of the company’s nearly 2,000 stores, the negative attention serves as another distraction from Target’s business, according to Neil Saunders, managing director of the retail division of market research firm GlobalData.

    “The agenda has been hijacked by this,” Saunders said. “And it is a bit of a distraction for Target that they’d rather not have.”

    In recent days, a national coalition of Mennonite congregations organized roughly a dozen demonstrations inside and outside of Target stores across the country, singing and urging Target to publicly call Congress to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement among other demands.

    A spokesperson for Mennonite Action said the coalition was not formally connected to ICE Out but following the lead of organizers in Minneapolis.

    The Rev. Joanna Lawrence Shenk, associate pastor at First Mennonite Church of San Francisco, said the group did not plan any actions on Wednesday but was mapping out weekend singalong events at Targets in a handful of towns and cities, including Pittsburgh and Harrisonburg, Virginia. She estimated that by the end of the weekend more than 1,000 congregation members will have participated.

    Shenk noted that the Mennonites sing This Little Light of Mine and other gospel songs and hymns.

    “The singing was an expression of our love for immigrant neighbors who are at risk right now and who are also a part of our congregation,” she said. “For us, it’s not just standing in solidarity with others but it’s also protecting people who are vulnerable.”

  • Pentagon-FAA dispute over lasers to thwart cartel drones led to airspace closure, AP sources say

    Pentagon-FAA dispute over lasers to thwart cartel drones led to airspace closure, AP sources say

    EL PASO, Texas — The Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser earlier this week, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.

    The confusing arc of events began as the FAA announced it was shutting down all flight traffic over the city on the U.S.-Mexico border for 10 days, stranding some travelers, but the closure ended up only lasting a few hours. The Trump administration said it stemmed from the FAA and Pentagon working to halt an incursion by Mexican cartel drones, which are not uncommon along the southern border.

    One of the people said the laser was deployed near Fort Bliss without coordinating with the FAA, which decided then to close the airspace to ensure commercial air safety. Others familiar with the matter said the technology was used despite a meeting scheduled for later this month between the Pentagon and the FAA to discuss the issue.

    While the restrictions were short-lived in the city of nearly 700,000 people, it is unusual for an entire airport to shut down even for a short time. Stranded travelers with luggage lined up at airline ticket counters and car rental desks before the order was lifted.

    Normal flights resumed after seven arrivals and seven departures were canceled. Some medical evacuation flights also had to be rerouted.

    Jorge Rueda, 20, and Yamilexi Meza, 21, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, had their morning flight to Portland, Ore., canceled, so they were losing part of their Valentine’s Day weekend trip.

    Rueda said he was glad that “10 days turned into two hours.” They were booked on an evening flight out of El Paso.

    Troubling lack of coordination

    The investigation into last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., between an airliner and Army helicopter that killed 67 people highlighted how the FAA and Pentagon were not always working well together.

    The National Transportation Safety Board said the FAA and the Army did not share safety data with each other about the alarming number of close calls around Reagan National Airport and failed to address the risks.

    Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a former Army helicopter pilot who serves on committees focused on aviation and the armed services, said the issue Wednesday was the latest example of “the lack of coordination that’s endemic in this Trump administration.”

    Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R., Texas) said he would request a briefing from the FAA on the incident.

    Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes El Paso, said neither her office nor local officials received any advance notice of the closure. After it was lifted, she said “the information coming from the federal government does not add up.”

    “I believe the FAA owes the community and the country an explanation as to why this happened so suddenly and abruptly and was lifted so suddenly and abruptly,” Escobar said at a news conference.

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said earlier that the airspace was closed as the Defense Department and the FAA halted an incursion by Mexican cartel drones and “the threat has been neutralized.”

    Officials at the Department of Homeland Security, FAA and Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Trump administration official insisted the agencies were in lockstep to protect national security and pointed to Duffy’s statement. The Pentagon said it had nothing to add to its statement that largely mirrored Duffy’s.

    Cross-border drone activity is not new

    Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose congressional district covers an area that stretches about 800 miles along Texas’ border with Mexico, said cartel drone sightings are common.

    “For any of us who live and work along the border, daily drone incursions by criminal organizations is everyday life for us. It’s a Wednesday for us,” Gonzales said.

    Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the counter-drone program at the Department of Homeland Security, told Congress in July that cartels are using drones nearly every day to transport drugs across the border and surveil Border Patrol agents. More than 27,000 drones were detected within 1,600 feet of the southern border in the last six months of 2024, he said, mostly at night.

    What is “extremely rare” is the closure of an entire airport over a security issue, according to a former chief security officer at United Airlines.

    Officials usually will try to take security measures to isolate the risk if a specific plane or airline is threatened rather than shut down the airport, said Rich Davis, now a senior security adviser at risk mitigation company International SOS.

    Mexican officials question the explanation

    Asked about the drone explanation provided by U.S. officials, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had “no information about the use of drones on the border.” She noted that if U.S. authorities have more information, they should contact Mexico’s government.

    Mexican defense and navy secretaries planned to talk with officials from U.S. Northern Command in a meeting Wednesday in Washington attended by several other countries, Sheinbaum told reporters. Sheinbaum said the Mexican officials would “listen” in the meeting and her government would look into “the exact causes” of the closure.

    El Paso is a hub of cross-border commerce alongside Ciudad Juárez. That Mexican city is home to about 1.5 million people, and some of its residents are accustomed to taking advantage of facilities, including airports, on the U.S. side of the border.

    That easy access to the United States also has made Juarez, like other border cities, attractive to Mexico’s drug cartels seeking to safeguard their smuggling routes for drugs and migrants headed north and cash and guns moving to the south.

    ‘This was a major and unnecessary disruption’

    El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson told reporters that he did not hear about the closure until after the alert was issued.

    “Decisions made without notice and coordination puts lives at risk and creates unnecessary danger and confusion,” Johnson said. “This was a major and unnecessary disruption, one that has not occurred since 9/11.”

    The airport describes itself as the gateway to west Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico. Southwest, United, American and Delta are among the carriers that operate flights there.

    A similar 10-day temporary flight restriction for special security reasons remained in place Wednesday around Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of the El Paso airport. FAA officials did not immediately explain why that restriction remained.

    Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, a New Mexico Democrat, said in a statement that he was seeking answers from the FAA and the Trump administration “about why the airspace was closed in the first place without notifying appropriate officials, leaving travelers to deal with unnecessary chaos.”

    Confusion for travelers

    Travel plans on both sides of the border were disrupted.

    María Aracelia was pushing two roller suitcases across the pedestrian bridge from Ciudad Juarez to El Paso on Wednesday morning. She had a round-trip flight to Illinois scheduled for the afternoon.

    After receiving a text at 4 a.m. telling her about the 10-day closure, she scrambled to try to find other options, even how to get to another airport. Then came a notification that the El Paso airport had reopened.

    “This is stressful, and there isn’t time to make so many changes, especially if you need to get back for work,” Aracelia said.