Daily Republic: Monday, June 5, 2023

Mystery trader’s debt-ceiling windfall sparks insider concerns

BloomBerg News

The U.S. government’s move to greenlight a 300mile natural gas pipeline as part of legislation to stave off a Treasury default shocked just about everyone, except for a mystery trader who somehow appears to have seen it coming.

On Wall Street, analysts had mostly expected vague promises on energy permits to be included in a bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling. Yet, options trading suggests something bigger may have been in the offing.

On May 24 – several days before an agreement was announced – a huge bullish bet was made on Equitrans Midstream Corp., data compiled by Bloomberg show. The company is deeply involved in the longdelayed Mountain Valley Pipeline. The wager involved snapping up 100,000 call options on the firm’s stock.

It proved prescient and wildly profitable within just a few days.

On May 27, White House and Republican lawmakers reached a deal that would give the longdelayed Mountain Valley Pipeline the final approvals needed to complete the project.

Throughout April and much of May, nego-

tiators from the White House and Congress went back and forth on broadstroke parameters of an agreement. Almost until the very end, the details were closely held and in flux. Doubts lingered over whether a deal would be reached before the U.S. was scheduled to run out of money in early June.

The legislation, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Saturday, forced action on permits for the project. On paper, the bet appears to have earned $7.5 million through Friday. It has some asking whether more than skill and luck played a role.

“My questions are: Who’s the trader? How sophisticated are they? And what are their connections to the government?” said Donald Sherman, chief counsel at the ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He added the bet raises the specter of whether the parameters of the debt deal had somehow leaked out ahead of time.

Digging into whether a trade is improperly based on confidential information is notoriously difficult, especially when it involves market-moving news from inside the government. The rules

See Insider, Page A7

Directors Guild reaches new deal with studio heads

washiNgtoN Post

A major union representing film and television directors announced late Saturday that it had reached a tentative deal with Hollywood producers, addressing industry fears that artificial intelligence may wipe out creative workers' jobs and instituting an on-set ban of live ammunition after a cinematographer was killed in 2021.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) said its "historic" three-year contract with studios and streaming services recognizes that AI cannot replace members' work.

While the DGA had previously been quiet on the issue, it was a flash point in negotiations between screenwriters and producers before their negotiations collapsed, leading to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that began a month ago.

Some economists have warned that AI could eventually replace hundreds of millions of jobs across industries.

Walk through musical time with Alina’s Studio students

VACAVILLE — World-renowned violinist Alina SolodovnikovaAdams takes a step back and will let her students take center stage at the “Music from the Time Machine” performance June 13 at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre.

“It’s not just a boring recital, it’s a show,” Adams said.

The music, and costumes, range from the 13th century to more modern selections such as “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones, all featuring the violinists, pianists and singers who study at Alina’s Studio in Vacaville.

The performance includes material from the classical era of Mozart and his peers.

“It takes guts to go out and still perform. And even if you got nerves, you have to hold it ... and still perform,” Adams said in an interview. “But it’s not my show; I’m the director.”

While there will be a number of soloists who perform, that lights shine specifically on Karis Pintner, who has been working with Adams for 10 years. She is 15. Adams will perform on her own and with her students.

“Support our musicians: pianists, violinists and singers who will showcase their wonderful talents to create an unforgettable atmosphere,” Adams said in a statement.

“Some of the standout performances to watch out for include our violin ensemble, who will perform early music, as well as movie favorites; Shadden Gulley will perform first movement of the beloved Bach’s Double concerto with ... Adams; Gracie Langlois (will play) Mozart’s famous Turkish March, and the ensemble concertmaster, Karis Pintner, with the first movement of E. Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, a virtuosic violin piece that she has mastered exceptionally well,” Adams said.

“In addition, Karis will also

perform a rendition of “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones, as featured in the famous Netflix TV series, ‘Wednesday’ (Addams),” she added.

While Adams focuses on her students, the music selection and show performance is created by her.

Most especially, is a kind of lullaby that she learned as a child growing up in what is now war-torn Ukraine. It is a piece that is close to her heart.

“It’s very important, that’s how I grew up,” Adams said. “I grew up listening to that song.”

It will be 20 years in December that Adams opened her studio in Vacaville, so while coming back from Covid-19 to perform live is important, next year will be an even bigger gala she has planned.

Tickets are available at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre box office by calling 707469-4013 or by going to https:// vpat.net/. The theater is located at 1010 Ulatis Drive.

The live ammunition ban, meanwhile, comes about a year and a half after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of "Rust." Criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin, who was handling a prop gun when it discharged, were filed, then dropped.

The directors' deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) would also: provide a 5 percent wage increase in the first year, with raises of 4 percent and 3.5 percent in the two subsequent years; reduce the length of assistant directors' workdays by an hour; and expand other safety programs.

"This deal recognizes the future of our industry is global and respects the unique and essential role of directors and their teams as we move into that future," DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. "As each new technology brings about major change, this deal ensures that each of the

See Directors, Page A7

Rail signal system error in India blamed for worst crash in decades

BloomBerg News

India said its deadliest rail accident in nearly three decades was due to a fault in an electronic signaling system, as the focus turned from recovering victims to restoring train operations.

A high-level inquiry into the three-train collision is underway, and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a preliminary investigation showed the accident on Friday evening happened “due to a change in electronic interlocking.”

“Who has done it and what is

the reason will come out of after an investigation,” he told news agency ANI.

A search for survivors has ended, with at least 288 fatalities, and more than 800 passengers injured. Hydraulic excavation machines and cranes are being used to clear the mangled wreckage, and over 1,000 workers are involved to expedite restoration efforts, Indian Railways said in a statement Sunday.

Currently the focus is on restoration, Vaishnaw said on Sunday. He visited the accident site in the

state of Odisha and said the target is to restore all damaged tracks by Wednesday morning. Victims have all been retrieved, he said.

An express passenger train collided with a stationary goods train after entering into a loop line from its original path, resulting in carriages derailing and ending up on an adjoining track. Another express passenger train from an opposite direction moving at high speed then rammed into the coaches and was also derailed.

Photos and videos from the

Make sweet and savory treats with biscuit dough B2

Anthony DeSclafani done in as Giants fall to Orioles B1

Courtesy Photo

Alina Adams, right, and Karis Pintner at a violin lesson at Alina’s Studio in Vacaville.

At long last I have been cloned on Facebook

Finally!

I’ve been on Facebook since 2009. In that time I have seen countless people report that someone had created a clone account of them and sent out friend requests to people. I have received numerous ones over the years and the first thing I do is check to make sure we are already friends and then report it to Facebook and to the person being “cloned."

But here’s the thing: I had never myself been the victim of such a thing. It started to mess with me over the years. What, am I not worthy enough for someone to pretend they are me? I mean, even Daily Republic columnist Brad Stanhope had it done to him! Sure, it was a schnauzer, but still.

Last week former Suisun City resident Stephanie Knight informed that someone had indeed sent her a friend request on Facebook using my name and likeness. At last I am worthy to be cloned!

So if you get a friend request from that account, it ain’t me. The next logical question to ask is how do you know it isn’t me?

It reminds me of the Star Trek episode “Whom Gods Destroy” where a mentally unstable former starship captain named Garth of Izar who had the ability to shape shift, taking on the appearance of others at will. He wreaked havoc throughout the episode trying to gain control of the U.S.S. Enterprise. In a climactic scene, Mr. Spock enters a control room brandishing a phaser set on stun and faces two Captain James T. Kirks. Each of the Captains Kirk accuse the other of actually being Garth. Spock quizzes them and then a struggle begins, during which Kirk No. 1 orders Spock to shoot Kirk No. 2. But Kirk No. 2 says to shoot them both because it is

the only way to ensure the safety of the Enterprise. Spock shoots Kirk No. 1, who is Garth.

The real Kirk was revealed because he thought of others and not just defaulting to thinking about himself.

So a good rule of thumb

if you are faced with that dilemma is that in my case, it would just be the opposite. Simple.

Now there are numerous other actual Tony Wades on Facebook. There is an actor whose full name is Anthony Wade Stumpf who is known professionally as Tony Wade. He has lots of TV and film credits but with the exception of an uncredited role in a 2008 episode the TV series

“Lost,” I haven’t seen any of them. He’s probably never read any of my books, either, so we’re even.

Another Tony Wade was a prop master for one of my favorite all-time movies, 1973’s “Paper Moon.” He also was a production manager on “Race with the Devil” (1975) and “The Legend of Billie Jean” (1985). Also Dr. Tony Wade is a regionally popular gospel singer.

I am Facebook friends with a couple of other Tony Wades, one in Texas and one in the United Kingdom. It’s mainly so that on their birthdays I can post “Happy Birthday Tony Wade!" on their timelines.

Remember the old TV show

“To Tell the Truth”? It featured four celebrity panelists who were presented with three contestants. One of the contestants was the actual "central character" whose unusual occupation or experience had been read aloud by the show’s host. The other two were imposters. The panelists would question the contestants and the two impostors could lie but the "central character" had to tell the truth. Then at the end

the host would say “Will the real__________ please stand up? By the way, that’s how we got the Real Slim Shady.

Anyway, there are a few surefire ways you can tell if a Facebook Tony Wade is actually me:

If they are a fan of any National Football League team that is not the Raiders, that ain’t me.

If they are a fan of any National Basketball Association team that is not the Lakers, that ain’t me.

If they are a fan of any Major League Baseball team, that ain’t me.

If you scratch and sniff the profile picture on the Facebook account and you don’t detect the distinctive notes of a Joe’s Buffet au jus roast beef sandwich mixed with a Dave’s Giant

Hamburger with just a touch of the scent of the Waving Chief Solano Statue’s size 24 bronze feet, that ain’t me.

Even though this is the first time I have been cloned on Facebook, over the years I have had numerous people think I was someone else. I have no idea who those poor unfortunate souls out there are who resemble me, but evidently there are a few of them as I have been asked the following over the years:

Random Dude 1: “Hey! Did you used to drive the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile in San Bernardino in the early 1990s?

Me: "Uh no, that wasn’t me."

Random Dude 2: "This is so weird. Are you sure you didn’t go to high school in Albuquerque and could put six quarters in one nostril and have them stay there?"

Me: "Uh, while I probably can do that, that wasn’t me."

Random Dudette: “Didn’t you play basketball in high school and in one game shot four free throws, missed them all and three of the four were air balls?"

Me: "Uh, no that wasn’t me."

Also Me: "OK, yes it was.” Fairfield freelance humor columnist and accidental local historian Tony Wade writes two weekly columns-- "The Last Laugh" on Mondays and "Back in the Day" on Fridays. Wade is also the author of The History Press books “Growing Up In Fairfield, California," "Lost Restaurants of Fairfield, California," the upcoming book "Armijo High School: Fairfield, California" and hosts the Channel 26 government access TV show "Local Legends."

BRIGHT spot

CORRECTION

It is the Daily Republic’s policy to correct errors in reporting. If you notice an error, please call the Daily Republic at 425-4646 during business hours weekdays and ask to speak to the editor in charge of the section where the error occurred. Corrections will be printed here.

Tony Wade

The last laugh

Homeschooling still a popular choice for many post-pandemic

Ifza Khan’s mornings don’t start with the school bell.

Instead, the 11-yearold gets out of bed, walks downstairs and heads to her dining room table, where her mom, Arsala, leads Ifza and her two siblings in the day’s lessons. Some days they join 12 other families for a park meet-up or a field trip to a local museum. On other days, they’ll gather for in-person, à la carte lessons at different locations, which focus on everything from horseback riding to robotics engineering.

For years, the Khans have been among thousands of California families homeschooling their children. But today, they’ve got much more company. Since the year before the pandemic shut down schools, the number of California kids being homeschooled has skyrocketed by 70% – and despite a return to in-person learning, many are not going back.

“When you’re in public school, it’s almost like a death march: you’re going to go through this set of classes whether you like it or not,” said Leigh Cline of San Francisco, who shifted her daughters to homeschooling last year. “I wish I’d (begun homeschooling) earlier.”

In California, homeschooling rates peaked during the 2020-21 academic year. They have declined since then, but the rates are still much higher than anything the state had seen pre-pandemic as more families grow convinced of the merits. The Arnold family from Lafayette, for example, switched to homeschooling after discovering how much more flexibility it gave their family, both to travel and to spend more time together. The Clines decided during COVID-19 that their daughters weren’t getting the support they needed in the classroom – and that a homeschooling model might be a better fit.

The Khans made the decision in 2017, after starting Ifza in a program where kids would go to the classroom two days a week. By the time she was in second grade, they’d moved to homeschooling full time, bringing along Ifza’s now 9- and 6-yearold siblings.

“This was kind of my way of rebelling against Silicon Valley’s singular focus on strong academics, and the idea that math and science was all that mattered,” said Arsala Khan, who lives in Milpitas. “I wanted my kids to have a more organic process of learning so

that they wouldn’t end up hating it.”

Homeschooling can take different forms in California, making it nearly impossible to obtain an accurate estimate of the number of children educated that way.

Parents can establish a “private school” of under six children in their own home by filing an affidavit that the state uses to identify students who are likely homeschooled.

Parents can also enroll their children in a more traditional private school that offers homeschooling programs, or with an independent study program at a public school. Or, they can enroll in a home-based charter school, which gives parents around $3,000 per child, per year, for outside classes, and provides monthly meetings with an educational specialist to ensure students are staying on track.

Only the home-based private school option is uniformly tracked by the state. This year, more than 40,000 children were registered through affidavits of private schools of less than six students statewide, as compared to just over 25,400 during the 2018-19 academic year.

At the same time, schools across California have been losing students, especially since the pandemic. From the 2018-19 to 2022-23 academic years, California’s public-school enrollment declined by more than 5%, and the number of kids in traditional private schools ticked up only slightly: less than a 2% increase in the same time period.

Jamie Heston started homeschooling her kids two decades ago – and ever since she’s had a front-row seat to the way the trend has shifted. For years, the Hayward resident has coached other parents through the details, moderating a Facebook group for homeschool families, and hosting a “homeschooling 101” class for parents every few months.

Before Covid-19, Heston’s class would attract 20 to 30 parents each session. Midway through 2020, she said her numbers topped 100.

Since then, attendees have eased back down –but every week, Heston said about 20 new families join the 7,300-strong Facebook group.

“Every time there’s a school shooting, we see a boost,” Heston said.

“Every time there was talk of a Covid mandate, we saw a boost. But the biggest boost came from the pandemic. People got a glimpse into their child’s classrooms, and many of them didn’t like what they saw.”

That’s how it unfolded for Leigh Cline, who began homeschooling her now 15- and 13-yearold daughters last year. During the pandemic, Cline said she saw one of her daughters – who has learning difficulties – getting yelled at by her teacher.

“My daughter was acting out and needed guidance, but the school had too many kids to actually manage them all. It just wasn’t working,” Cline said.

By the end of that year, the Clines moved from Santa Monica to the Bay Area, which they’d heard was an epicenter of homeschooling resources. They now live in San Francisco, a city with easy access to a multitude of tutors and in-person classes for homeschooled kids, Cline said, along with hundreds of families creating “coops” to socialize their kids in parks, on field trips, or through joint lessons in public spaces.

Still, there are many other reasons families are choosing to homeschool their children. During the height of the pandemic, Alissa Arnold – a mother of a 13-year-old, 10-year-old and 7-yearold in Lafayette – said she saw how remote learning could mean a more flexible lifestyle for her family. Another driver for the switch was the social pressure embedded in the public school system. Like Khan, Arnold feels children are pushed toward academic excellence as the be all, end all, and that there’s more to learning than just exams and textbooks.

“If you look at this grand experiment of

public education, the numbers are out. The anxiety, the suicide, the mental health. We’re just not getting it right,” said Arnold. “Homeschooling is an entire paradigm shift.”

Both the Khans and Arnolds are enrolled in home-based charter schools, which provide light support for families in the form of funding, check-ins with an educational specialist, and optional classes. Homebased charters are difficult to track, as they are grouped with regular public schools in state datasets. But according to a list compiled by a homebased private school, Peach Blossom, there are at least 140 of these schools across California, including about 30 in the Bay Area.

While only 23 of those Bay Area charters provided easily accessible data to the state, together, they had a student count of over 22,530 this academic year – a 14% spike since 2018-19.

Even using the most optimistic estimates, homeschooled students are still just a fraction of the state’s overall student population, which tops 6 million. Despite the small numbers, homeschooling’s continued prevalence is still an interesting pattern, said Julien Lafortune, a research fellow specializing in K-12 education at the Public Policy Institute of California.

“It’s still unclear where we’ll land in our new normal post-pandemic,” Lafortune said. “Is this the baseline (number of homeschooled students) we’ll recede to? Or will this number continue to drop, and end up back where it was pre-pandemic? That’s still to be determined.”

Homeschooling gets more complicated as children age into high school, taking classes that are beyond the abilities of many parents to guide. Cline said she finds tutors or group lessons for advanced courses she cannot teach, such as chemistry.

“We play to our strengths when we teach our kids, and we outsource our weaknesses,” she added.

Every year, Khan says she asks her children whether they still want to be homeschooled, or whether they’d like to try the public school route. But so far, the resounding answer from both children has been clear.

“Other kids are stuck in a classroom when they’re at school,” said Ifza. “Sitting for hours and hours? No way. I don’t want that.”

Al Seib/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that he and Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta met Saturday with more than 12 migrants, who “were transported from Texas to New Mexico before being flown by private chartered jet to Sacramento and dumped on the doorstep of a local church without any advance warning.”

State investigates who sent migrants to Sacramento

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento on Friday received some unexpected visitors: 16 migrants from South America who had been flown in on a private chartered jet from New Mexico after being transported from the border town of El Paso without any coordination with the church or with California authorities.

Their arrival on the diocese’s doorstep, for which no politician or organization has yet to publicly claim responsibility, adds fuel to a controversy over similar ploys by conservative politicians in Republican-led states.

They and their supporters have said the efforts are aimed at raising awareness of the influx of migrants over the southern border and bringing the issue to the doorsteps of authorities in states led by Democrats. Opponents describe the moves as cruel political stunts that use immigrants as pawns and leave them many miles from family, resources and even the courthouses where they are often expected to appear to plead their cases for asylum.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said in a statement that he and Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta on Saturday met with more than 12 of the migrants, who “were transported from Texas to New Mexico before being flown by private chartered jet to Sacramento and dumped on the doorstep of a local church without any advance warning.”

Newsom added that his office and the California Department of Justice are working together “to investigate the circumstances around who paid for the group’s travel and whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, includ-

ing kidnapping.”

Bonta confirmed that his office is “investigating the circumstances by which these individuals were brought to California” in a statement Saturday.

“We are also evaluating potential criminal or civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of these vulnerable immigrants,” he added. “While this is still under investigation, we can confirm these individuals were in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida.”

The situation in Sacramento is playing out against a backdrop of intense national debate over how to handle the influx of migrants who enter the U.S. across the Mexican border each year. That debate has come to a head in response to similar efforts championed and supported by Republican governors such as Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida that have displaced thousands of migrants and generated widespread controversy in recent years.

In September, Abbott bused about 100 migrants to Washington, D.C., where they were dropped off outside the Naval Observatory, the home of Vice President Kamala Harris. That same month, DeSantis — who is now a top contender for the GOP presidential nomination –sent a group of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy liberal haven off the coast of Massachusetts. Neither governor’s office responded immediately to requests for comment Saturday evening.

Newsom has made a habit of attacking DeSantis and Abbott over a host of issues that divide the nation, routinely blasting their stance on immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, gun control and abortion.

25th Annual Art on the Vine this weekend

SuSAn HilAnd SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

NBC News is passing the baton on its long-running Sunday public affairs program “Meet the Press.”

Chuck Todd told viewers Sunday he is leaving the moderator’s chair on the 75-year-old program in September. He will hand it off to Kristen Welker, the network’s chief White House correspondent.

Welker will be the second female moderator in the long history of “Meet the Press.” Martha Rountree was the first to have the job when the program launched in 1947 and held the position until 1953.

Welker will make history as the first Black woman to serve as moderator of a Sunday morning network public affairs program, among the most prestigious positions in TV news.

The correspondent’s contract

with NBC News was up at the end of the year and she likely would have departed for other opportunities if the moderator job had gone to another candidate, according to people familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to comment.

Welker is a home-grown on-air talent, hired in 2010 after she put in several years as a local anchor at NBC’s Philadelphia TV station, and the network did not want to risk losing her. Her stock at the network shot up significantly in 2020 after she received strong reviews for her handling of the second presidential debate.

Todd praised the choice of Welker, who has served as a regular substitute for him.

“I’m also ready to take a step back because I have so much confidence in the person whom I’m

going to pass the baton to,” Todd said near the end of the program Sunday. “She’s somebody who’s been ready for this for a long time. I’ve had the privilege of working with her from essentially her first day here in Washington and let me just say she’s the right person in the right moment.”

Todd will remain at NBC News, where he will continue to be a political analyst and will take part in the network’s election coverage.

The replacement of Todd has been under discussion at NBC for years. Todd himself acknowledged that the job of hosting a broadcast institution was not permanent.

“The program doesn’t belong to me,” Todd told The Times in a 2020 interview. “That is something that I’m fully aware of. I’m a custodian. My job is to put ‘Meet the Press’ in a better place and leave it in a better place than I got it.”

FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield-Suisun City Visual Arts Association is hosting the 25th Art on the Vine event this weekend.

Both days will feature fine art, wine tasting served by BackRoad Vines Winery, two live bands, a bocce tournament and food served by Mauricio's Brunch-in-a-Box.

Rodriguez High School will return with a booth to raise money for the student art program. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the BackRoad Vines Winery, 2221 Julian Lane, Fairfield. No outside food or beverages will be permitted. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, call Dennis Ariza at 707-688-8889.

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group

Arsala Khan, center, teaches art history class to her children, Hamza, 9, left, and Ifza, 11, as part of the homeschooling program at their home in Milpitas.

Kristen Welker to succeed Chuck Todd on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ in September

Everything Apple plans to show at WWDC

XR headset, iOS 17 and more

M ark GurM an BLOOMBERG

Apple’s most significant product launch event in nearly a decade kicks off Monday, when the company will introduce its first major new product category since the Apple Watch alongside multiple new Macs and software upgrades across its platforms.

The event starts from the company’s Cupertino, campus on Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific time/1 p.m. Eastern time.

The highlight of the event will be a mixed-reality headset, likely to be dubbed either the Reality Pro or XR Pro, along with a new xrOS operating system for the device. Also likely to be present are new Mac laptops and desktops and software updates including WatchOS 10, iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS 14. The company will also highlight updates to services on its platforms related to fitness, health and finance and further meld its devices to work better together and keep people within the Apple ecosystem.

Over the past several months, Bloomberg News has reported on Apple’s plans for the new products coming at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Here is what to expect from each, based on those reports as well as people familiar with Apple’s plans:

Mixed-Reality Headset and xrOS:

n Apple’s first headset will be an ultra-premium device made of glass, carbon fiber and aluminum. It looks like a hightech pair of ski goggles, features a new magnetic charger for power, has a curved front with an external screen to show a wearer’s facial expressions and eyes, and several external cameras to enable video passthrough, depth sensing and hand control.

n The main use cases will be communication, video consumption, wellness, gaming and productivity. One person who worked on the device called it part “status symbol” and part “future of the computer.”

n The product blends augmented and virtual reality. The VR features will be powered by a pair of bright, 4K screens inside the headset, while the AR functionality will be enabled by the video pass-through mode. The headset has a Digital Crown like the Apple Watch for users to toggle between AR and VR. When in VR, the user is fully immersed. When AR is toggled, content and applications fade back slightly and mix with the real environment surrounding the wearer.

n The headset will be powered by an M2 chip with 16GB of memory, or RAM, and use an external battery pack that looks like a larger version of the MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone. The pack will connect over a wire to the headset. The circular power adapter will attach via magnet and with a clockwise twist to lock it in so it doesn’t fall out during use. The power requirements of the headset mean it will likely only last about two hours per charge.

n Users will operate the headset using eye and hand control so they can look at an item to highlight it and then pinch their fingers to select it. It will also have Siri onboard. The headset has an array of microphones as well as speakers mounted near the user’s temples, but it will rely on AirPods for enhanced spatial audio.

n The device will cost around $3,000 and Apple isn’t planning to make much money from it. It could be one of the few Apple products to not provide a big margin as Apple doesn’t want to completely price itself out of the market. Apple has also discussed initially selling the device in the U.S. and expects it will sell about 900,000 units in the first year. The company believes sales will begin slow but that the device provides an Apple Watch-sized opportunity. It’s also a reputation-risking endeavor given the high price

and lack of established market.

n While the headset will debut on Monday, it won’t go on sale for several more months. Internally, the company has dis cussed release dates ranging from after the iPhone 15 launch to December to early 2024. It has trademarked names sug gesting brands ranging from Reality Pro or Reality One to XR Pro, while the operating system itself will be dubbed xrOS.

n Apple has built a large structure on the Apple Park campus to provide controlled hands-on demos of the device to some attendees and media at the conference. The company has set up an area at the bas ketball courts near its employee fitness center. Apple is also planning future demos through the summer. When it shows off the device, it’s planning to focus on immersive FaceTime in VR, Apple TV+ content and gaming.

n A snap-in prescription lens system will play a significant role in the headset’s introduction, demos and sales process, as the device is too slim to support the wearing of normal glasses beneath it.

n Apple is also discussing notifying potential customers with certain conditions that they should not buy or use the device due to the impact AR and VR may have on their health. That includes people with Meniere’s disease, past traumatic brain injuries, post-concussion syndrome, migraines and vertigo.

n Some testers have also found the product, which is nearing a development stage called DVT - or Design Validation Testing - to overheat.

n When a user turns on the headset, they’ll be able to sync their existing Apple account data from an iPhone or download it from iCloud. The device will feature an iPad-like home screen of icons and widgets and users will be able to operate multiple apps at once in space. Apps can be placed in a particular physical space - such as a living room - and when a user reenters that room their previous workspace will reappear.

n The headset will feature many of the same apps as the iPad and iPhone, including Books, Camera, Contacts, FaceTime, Files, Freeform, Home, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Notes, Photos, Reminders, Safari, Stocks, TV and Weather. A new Wellness app with a focus on meditation and a sports watching portal are also coming. The company is also working on a Fitness+ workout app for the device.

n The headset will run the hundreds of thousands of existing third-party iPad apps from the App Store with either no extra work or minimal modi-

fications. Apple will provide a software development kit and a Mac-based simulator for developers to build optimized apps.

n The device will have advanced videoconferencing and virtual meeting rooms with realistic avatars, ideally making users feel like they’re interacting in the same place, and new collaboration tools via the Freeform app that let users work on virtual whiteboards and go over material together. There are also features to tie into existing Apple devices, such as using the headset as an external monitor.

New Macs and macOS 14:

n Apple is planning to spend a notable amount of time on the Mac at WWDC 2023, following last year when it introduced the revamped 13-inch MacBook Air at the developer conference.

n Apple has been planning to introduce a new 15-inch MacBook Air as early as at the conference. The new model will look similar to the current MacBook Air, in a larger size. Apple had initially intended to launch this machine last year alongside the smaller version.

n Apple is also nearing the debut of an updated Mac Studio line in new M2 Max and M2 Ultra configurations - codenamed Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14 or J475 - to replace last year’s M1 Max and M1 Ultra models. The new machines and their chips recently were spotted in testing. The M2 Max chip is the same as the one found in the latest 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, while the M2 Ultra will be entirely new.

n The M2 Ultra chip will include 24 CPU cores (16 high-

performance and 8 efficiency cores) and offer up to 76 graphics cores. The company is also planning 64GB, 128GB and 192GB RAM options.

n That M2 Ultra chip could also find its way into the Mac Pro after Apple nixed work on an even more powerful chip that would sit at the high-end of its chip line by doubling the performance of the Ultra component.

n While these machines are unlikely to be discussed, the company is also working on M3 versions of the MacBook Air, entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro, high-end MacBook Pros and iMac.

n The new Mac operating system, code-named Sunburst, is unlikely to have major changes this year and instead bring on compatibility for new features launching in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.

iOS 17 and iPadOS 17:

n iOS 17, code-named Dawn, will bring a new smart display-like mode for the iPhone when the device is locked and placed in landscape mode. This feature will include an interface for showing upcoming calendar appointments and other snippets of information, in addition to notifications.

n A journaling app to take notes and update your friends on activities such as a bike ride. The app will let people keep a log of their mood and emotions, and it should tap deeply into location services on the iPhone.

n The Wallet app will get an upgrade as the company pushes deeper into financial services. That could include the app tying deeper into third-party credit

cards to show balance information, mirroring the experience of the Apple Card.

n SharePlay will get enhancements related to the Apple headset. And AirPlay will make it easier to beam content to TVs and speakers you don’t own, such as in hotels.

n Updates in the Health app include options for logging moods and managing vision problems. The app will also come to the iPad for the first time.

n Apple also has already unveiled a slew of new accessibility features for iOS 17, including a new interface with larger controls and an AI feature for replicating your voice. And, as usual, there will be performance enhancements and bug fixes across the board.

WatchOS 10:

n Apple is bringing widgets back to the Apple Watch and will make them a key part of the new operating system. The widgets will look similar to those on the iOS and iPadOS home screen and allow users to scroll through weather, stock tickers, upcoming calendar appointments and more.

n Apple is changing some of the button behavior on the Apple Watch, including changing the Digital Crown to open the new widgets interface instead of the standard home screen app array.

n Apple is revamping all of the core apps on the Apple Watch with new designs to take advantage of the larger displays on the Apple Watch Ultra and larger standard watches.

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

An attendee uses an HTC Vive at WWDC 2017 for a VR demo.

Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg Apple Watch Series 8.

Columns&Games

Uncomfortable for all passengers

Annie Lane is off this week. The following column was originally published in 2019.

Dear Annie: When did airplane seats become so small? I hadn’t flown in six years until this past spring, when I booked a flight to attend a family wedding. I reserved a window seat so that I could relax in comfort. But the experience was anything but comfortable.

For starters, the man next to me in the middle seat must have been 6’2” tall and weighed at least 250 pounds, and he could not possibly sit in the middle seat without taking up room from the window and aisle seats. We almost had to pull up the middle seat armrests so that he could sit down. The whole time, I kept trying not to touch his body, but his girth was such that some contact was unavoidable.

I used to fly a lot for business in the ‘80s, and I don’t ever remember such uncomfortable seats, or such an unpleasant experience. I never want to fly again!

I felt sorry for this large man. He was very nice and embarrassed about the whole situation. It had to be extremely uncomfortable for him to squeeze his body between those armrests. As

bad as it was for me and for the woman in the aisle seat on his other side, this guy had it worse. He should never have been booked into such a ridiculously narrow seat with virtually no legroom. His knees were pressed against the seat in front of him the entire time. Why don’t airlines have size limitations for middle seat passengers? – Recovering from an Unbearable Flight

Dear Recovering: You are not alone in wondering what airlines are thinking by reducing the width of their seats and the amount of legroom. They create a great deal of resentment of their brand. In theory, many have policies stating that obese people should buy two tickets so they can spread out, but since more than a third of Americans are called “obese,” they don’t insist on this policy.

Air Canada says that obesity can be a disability and, with a doctor’s note, will grant the obese passenger two seats for the price of one. Air France offers a 25 percent discount on the second seat for an obese person and will refund the balance of the fare if the flight has empty seats.

Politicians have passed various versions of a “Bill of Rights” for airline passengers, but having airplane seats

Horoscopes by Holiday Mathis

ARIES (March 21-April 19).

In a way, the praise you give others today is self-praise because you wouldn’t see the quality if you didn’t have it to some degree in yourself. Similarly, criticism of others is self-criticism. Be light with it all!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20).

Momentum is hard to get going and harder to stop. You won’t regret putting in the extra effort in the beginning. Mostly, it’s about solving a problem. Once that’s out of the way, a project comes together quickly.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21).

You’re not easily impressed nor are you concerned with impressing others. Because you don’t worry about your social ranking, it tends to be quite high. Your lack of a personal agenda puts people at ease.

CANCER (June 22-July 22).

Group problem-solving has its own magical dynamic. This is part of the appeal of a good mystery, which you’ll come across today. Varying opinions and misunderstandings are communication issues that add to the fun.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22).

You’re wise to be careful about what you take on. You’ll accept two kinds of challenges: the sort you are reasonably sure you can impact, and the type that looks like so much fun, it

Today’s birthday

However old you are in years, you keep getting younger and more resilient, creative and curious. Your frequent visitors: wonder and awe. More highlights: Impulsivity will send a relationship sailing. What was once a job will get transformed into a spiritual practice, an incredible network and a means for selfdevelopment. Scorpio and Aquarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 4, 7, 20, 19 and 18.

doesn’t matter.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22).

This is your day to take a risk.

If you win, great. If you lose and lose with grace, even better. It will spark your creativity, endear you to the heart of someone loving, or both.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23).

Something you do today will give you bragging rights. Whether you exercise those rights in the future will be fully up to you. Either way, it will make you feel wonderfully confident just to know you have them.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21).

Tranquility can only be achieved in the now. A memory

like the old days – with plenty of width and legroom – are not considered essential.

However, I agree with you, and I would encourage you to write a letter of complaint to the airline you used.

Dear Annie: This is response to your column about the 88-year-old mother whose daughter didn’t feel it was safe for her to drive. Please let people know that if they feel a person is an unsafe driver, they can report them to the DMV anonymously. The DMV will call them in for a driver’s license test.

I wish we had known that was a possibility. After various mishaps, we had asked my stepfather not to drive. Unfortunately, one day he decided he wanted to get behind the wheel. One person was killed instantly (my mother). Thank goodness the family in the car he pulled out in front of were only injured and all recovered.

If the 88-year-old mother frequently falls, she should not be behind the wheel of a car. Not only for the safety of herself and her son, but the safety of others on the road. –Mindful Motorist

Dear Mindful Motorist: Thank you for this tip. It might help keep our roads safer. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

of tranquility can be a tranquil thing to linger on, or it can be a contrast that makes the current chaos more apparent.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21). If you make a mistake, you’ll own up to it. Also, you are wise and realize that “mistakes” are often a subjective concept – just one person’s opinion against another’s. Light apologies are the answer.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19). You’ll come to a point in which you really don’t know what to do next, but don’t fret. Any move will do. Once you’re in motion, you’ll fall into the groove that eventually leads to the next move.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 18). By human standards, life often seems inherently unfair. Even so, you’ll get the feeling that there’s some other standard in effect today as disparate elements come together in a beautiful, unpredictable balance.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Each person’s brain is different. Some hear a running narrative in their head, and others see the way. Still, others feel the impulse and move. There’s luck for working with those who have a different thinking style from yours. Write Holiday Mathis at HolidayMathis.com.

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

opponents’ play.

Take today’s deal as an example. How should South play in six no-trump after an uncontested auction or, as given, after East makes a weak jump overcall?

If East had passed throughout, probably North would have ended in six hearts. If he had wondered about an overtrick and started with a heart to his queen, he would have lost two trump tricks. However, when East tried to jam his opponents’ auction, South took full advantage.

South’s three-spade cue-bid announced at least game-going values with heart support. When North rebid four hearts, South bid what he thought he could make. He went with no-trump because he was nervous about bad splits, especially in hearts.

BE INFLUENCED BY THEIR BIDDING

Napoleon Hill, who penned self-help books, wrote, “Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.”

These days, players cannot wait to preempt the auction. They do not consider how their bid might aid their

South had nine tricks outside of hearts, so he needed only three heart tricks without losing two. If the suit was 3-2, everything would work. If hearts were 5-0, nothing would succeed. So South assumed a 4-1 split. Who would be short? Surely East. At trick two, declarer led the heart jack: king, ace, seven. He continued with the heart two, covered by the eight and nine. Then, after winning the next trick in hand, South led his heart four and covered West’s card as cheaply as possible to make his slam. Think thrice about bidding when you are bound to be outbid.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

6/5/23

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

Difficulty level: BRONZE

Solution for 6/3/23:

Word Sleuth

Annie Lane

Dear Annie

to meeting you and providing you with excellent customer ser vice

(707) 427-1386

Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel end ‘Fast and Furious’ feud

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Vin Diesel have squashed their beef. The “Fast and Furious” co-stars famously refused to work together for years, roiling the multibillion-dollar “F&F” franchise. Now, according to Johnson, they remain fast, but are no longer furious.

“Last summer [Vin Diesel] and I put all the past behind us,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love.”

The feud update coincided with an announcement from Universal Studios that Johnson will headline his own “Fast and Furious”

spinoff movie.

Johnson, 51, made a surprise cameo appearance at the end of “Fast X,” but his future in the franchise remained unclear. Johnson and Diesel, 55, were so angry with each other that they refused to film scenes together for the series’ eighth installment.

The ninth film left out Johnson’s character entirely, and instead, he got a spinoff movie with Jason Statham. In 2021, Johnson said he would never return to the franchise, rejecting a plea from Diesel as “manipulation” and emphasizing “there was no chance” of a reunion.

But on Thursday, Johnson confirmed that he’s back, for real, to play Luke Hobbs.

Pickles Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls Before Swine Stephan Pastis

Candorville Darrin Bell

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú

US, China lock horns at Asia’s security forum

Washington Post

SINGAPORE — At a major conference billed as a “dialogue,” the top defense officials of the United States and China found themselves locked in a standoff. Flashpoints had flared across the region: In the skies above the South China Sea just days earlier, a Chinese fighter jet performed what U.S. officials described as “an unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” when intercepting a U.S. aircraft.

Over the weekend, as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urged his Chinese counterparts to open channels of communication with the United States, a Chinese ship nearly collided with a U.S. destroyer transiting through the Taiwan Strait.

There was no bilateral meeting between Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, even though they spent the weekend under the same ritzy roof. They shared an awkward handshake at dinner Friday night, an exchange that Austin would later say was no “substitute” for more meaningful engagement. The two were the star guests among the hundreds of dignitaries from 54 countries gathered at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual summit organized for the past two decades by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, a British think tank, with support from the Singaporean government. (This was the first time in attendance for The Washington Post newsletter Today’s WorldView.)

The tension between the two powers shadowed all discussions. In the keynote

Mexico’s biggest state could have party change at the top

address Friday evening, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he feared that a “breakdown” in U.S.-China dialogue could trigger a chain of escalation that “would be devastating for the world.”

Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, chief of staff of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, said the international community was at a “watershed” moment, with the specter of war looming over Asia. The next day, Indonesia’s defense minister, Prabowo Subianto, warned that “the danger of catastrophe is near.”

In their separate speeches, both Austin and Li stressed their nations’ desire to avoid conflict and promote stability. But they talked past each other: “We do not seek conflict or confrontation, but we will not flinch in the face of bullying or coercion,” Austin said. Li, in turn, groused about the desire for “hegemony” of a certain “big power.” Austin declared that the United States was not trying to create a new NATO in Asia through its deepening partnerships with a host of regional powers. Li, unmoved, said attempts to forge “NATOlike” alliances would send Asia “into a whirlpool of disputes and conflicts.”

The conference’s delegates mostly warmed to Austin’s rhetoric. The U.S. defense secretary seemed intent on lowering the temperature of the moment.

Austin insisted that the U.S. had no desire to change the status quo around Taiwan - the self-governing island democracy that Beijing claims as part of Chinaand that it believed that conflict in the region was neither “imminent nor inevitable.”

For nearly a century, one party has governed Mexico’s most populous state.

The Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI, dominated political life in Mexico for decades by rigging elections, buying off labor unions and suppressing dissent. Even after its nationwide monopoly was broken in 2000, the party maintained a tight grip on power here in the state of Mexico.

But in gubernatorial elections Sunday, what was long seen as unthinkable is now widely expected: The party will lose one of its last strongholds.

“The extinction of the PRI,” as the Mexican media have been putting it, seems in some ways the inevitable result of its long history of corruption and the self-enrichment of its leaders.

Multiple former PRI governors in other parts of the country have been convicted of graft in recent years, and a news report last week implicated the current governor of the state of Mexico in a $300-million embezzlement scheme.

“They made themselves millionaires,” said Vito Baltazar, a 66-year-old retiree. “They governed only for themselves.”

But perhaps a bigger factor in the demise of the PRI is the swift rise of Morena, the party that Baltazar said he plans to vote for.

Founded less than a decade ago, the party has taken over much of Mexico. It boasts a wide majority in both cham-

Insider

From Page One

are also rife with gray areas and ambiguities.

bers of Congress, and with a win in the race for governor here, the party and its allies will control 22 of Mexico’s 31 states, along with the federal district of Mexico City. The PRI will probably be left with just two.

Morena has become so dominant that some critics warn that it is ushering Mexico into a new kind of one-party rule — or perhaps one-man rule.

The party’s success rests squarely on its founder, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the populist widely known as AMLO whose vows to combat corruption and put the poor first have inspired a fervent following.

“AMLO could put a sock puppet up as a candidate and the sock puppet would win,” said Carlos Bravo Regidor, a professor at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, a public institution in Mexico City. “This is obviously about AMLO and the intensity of his support.”

That seemed clear at a Morena campaign rally on a cloudy morning last week in Jilotepec, a small town north of Mexico City.

The president’s

picture – tan skin, silver hair, prominent front teeth – was everywhere, printed on T-shirts, pins and bags. Vendors hawked AMLO dolls as attendees sporadically broke out into chants of “it’s an honor to be with Obrador.”

Many in the crowd acknowledged that they didn’t know much about the gubernatorial candidate, Delfina Gómez, a former schoolteacher and mayor who was once fined by election officials for docking the pay of city workers to raise cash for Morena.

Still, polls show Gómez with a double-digit lead over Alejandra del Moral, a lifelong member of the PRI, which has held the governorship for 94 years straight. Gómez is running with a coalition of parties that once opposed the PRI, including the center-right National Action Party and the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution.

That three former enemies have now united in an attempt to defeat Morena says a lot about how the political landscape in Mexico has shifted since López Obrador swept into power in 2018.

That year, his party

won big nationally and made significant inroads at the local level in the state of Mexico. Morena won even in Atlacomulco, the municipality whose name has long been synonymous with a group of PRI elites, including former President Enrique Peña Nieto.

“There have been a lot of presidents that have come from here, but what have they done for us?” asked Katy Montoya, 40, a street vendor of sweet bread in Atlacomulco who voted against the PRI for the first time in 2018 and who plans to support Gómez on Sunday.

Like many Mexicans, her favorite policy change under López Obrador is a program that sends cash welfare payments to students, young workers and the elderly. “It’s given them dignity,” she said of older Mexicans. “With the money they get from the government, they can fix up their homes or come here and buy bread.”

Support for López Obrador tends to fall along class lines, which helps explain why Morena is so far ahead in polling in the state of Mexico.

A sprawling patchwork of suburbs, urban slums, farmland and industry, the state is home to 1 in 8 Mexicans and is an economic powerhouse, contributing 9% to the country’s GDP.

Yet it is also plagued by crime and hardship, with nearly half of residents living below the poverty line and 9 in 10 reporting that they feel unsafe.

“We obviously need a change,” said Reina Isabel Reyes, a 22-yearold teacher who like many people here has been the victim of armed robbery. “We just want peace.”

America’s ‘MVP,” an apparent reference to the project’s initials.

Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images/TNS Railway workers help to restore services at the accident site of a three-train collision near Balasore, about 125 miles from the state capital Bhubaneswar in the eastern state of Odisha, Sunday.

Error

From Page One

site showed overturned carriages piled on top of others, with several upturned and more littered across tracks. Among the wreckage were disfigured and burnt bodies and dismembered human body parts, and scattered passenger belongings.

India’s rail network, one of the largest in the world, carries hundreds of millions of passengers each month but also suffers from scores of accidents. Most are blamed on outdated signaling equipment or human error. About 3,000 people have been killed in train accidents since 2000. In 1995, more than 300 people died

in a collision between two trains near the northern town of Agra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the accident site and a nearby hospital on Saturday, and reviewed rescue and relief efforts. He pledged medical help to those injured, and expressed condolences to families of those who died.

Investigators were looking into causes behind the accident including human error, signal failure, or sabotage. A signal was given to Coromandel Express to enter the main line but it was taken off and the train entered the loop line and crashed into the goods train parked there, Press Trust of India reported, citing a preliminary report of the investigation.

Officials, including members of Congress, are barred from trading on confidential information they learned in their position. But if, for example, someone overhears a Congressional staffer loudly mention a piece of information on the train, they’re likely in the clear.

“The challenge for investigators isn’t just to learn if information was shared, but to uncover the intent in sharing it,” Philip Khinda, head of the SEC enforcement practice at Cadwalader, said. “These are very difficult cases to bring, because of both the legal and investigative complications they pose.”

No one has been accused of any wrongdoing with the options trade. A representative for the Securities and Exchange Commission, which would be responsible for overseeing any probe, declined to comment on whether it was looking into the matter.

Still, the call options are attracting a lot of attention for their timing – immediately

Directors

From Page One

before the debt-ceiling agreement was reached. The $8 strike price also equates roughly to how some Wall Street analysts have valued the Mountain Valley Pipeline for Equitrans.

Before the debt deal, the outlook for the Mountain Valley pipeline project had been bleak. Legal fights with environmentalists raged for years. Shares in Equitrans fell 35% last year.

After the surprise announcement that the pipeline would get a kickstart, Equitrans roared back. Shares soared 49% last week, a record.

“These trades are highly concerning,” said Dan Taylor, a professor at The Wharton School who studies insider trading,

DGA's 19,000 members can share in the success we all create together."

The directors union, which began negotiations with producers May 10, said the guild's national board will consider approving the tentative agreement Tuesday.

The deadline for a new DGA deal is June 30.

A directors strike would have left much of the on-screen entertainment industry on picket lines.

The WGA, which represents more than 11,000 Hollywood screenwriters, has been on strike since May 2. That walkout has paused production

said. “It starts to beg the question of whether it, in fact, is a coincidence.”

Equitrans said neither the company nor any of its executives were involved in the transaction. In a statement, the firm also lauded the pipeline as “essential energy infrastructure that will ensure American families have reliable, affordable access to domestic energy” that will actually help reduce carbon emissions and bolster energy security.

To be sure, the project has powerful champions.

Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat who represents West Virginia where the pipeline will traverse, has long been a backer. He celebrated the project on Friday, saying on Twitter that it was “truly

on some of the most popular television shows in the United States.

In 2008, a weeks-long writers strike ended soon after a DGA deal laid the groundwork for the writers' eventual agreement.

That "playbook" won't work this time, a WGA negotiator said.

"If [AMPTP President] Carol Lombardini thinks negotiating with the DGA while we're out on strike is some kind of trump card, she's going to find out that her 2007-2008 playbook doesn't belong in the negotiating room; it belongs in a museum," Chris Keyser said in a video last week. "Any deal that puts this town back to work runs straight through the WGA, and there is no way around us." The AMPTP did not

Asked about the options trade, Manchin said, “I have no idea about that.” He added, “The only thing I know is that people need power.”

Trading aside, the inclusion of the pipeline in the debt ceiling law has been a political lightning rod.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, whose state the pipeline also crosses, offered an amendment to remove it from the debt deal. That effort failed Thursday.

Representatives for the White House and Kevin McCarthy, who spearheaded negotiations for the GOP as Speaker of the House, didn’t respond Saturday to requests for comment on the trade.

“The surprise was that it actually made it into the debt ceiling bill itself and was not part of a separate vote or a promise to pass another bill,” said Citi analyst Spiro Dounis, who covers Equitrans.

The options underlying the trade appear to be outstanding. That indicates no one has yet cashed in the bet, and the windfall could grow if the rally continues.

immediately respond to The Washington Post's request for comment Sunday afternoon.

The directors' deal comes at an inflection point for yet another Hollywood union. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is scheduled to meet with producers for negotiations this week.

The actors have until Monday at 5 p.m. Pacific to vote on a potential strike. Their contract, like the directors' agreement, expires June 30.

"The prospect of a strike is not a first option, but a last resort," SAGAFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a news release announcing the strike-authorization vote.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/TNS

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, speaks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, Thursday.

Claudio Cruz/AFP/Getty Images/TNS

People vote at a polling station in Tepetlaoxtoc de Hidalgo, Mexico, during gubernatorial elections in the State of Mexico, Sunday.

For many Black Californians, discussion about reparations offers up both skepticism and hope

Brennon Dixson LOS ANGELES TIMES

LOS ANGELES — Carolyn Peters grew up during a time when Compton was a mostly white middle-class suburb, and she was part of her generation’s vanguard, as one of the first Black students to integrate the city’s Roosevelt Middle School. Their reception was cold and often cruel.

“There were teachers that had problems with Black children there. And we met resistance not only from other children but from their parents,” Peters said, recalling that era almost 60 years ago.

Teachers insisted that Black students use salutations like “sir” or “ma’am,” but allowed white students to reply to their questions with a simple “yes” or “no.” In Peters’ opinion, educators appeared to prefer working with white children. She spent 38 years as a teacher, trying to rectify that.

In town, Black women had to wear dresses or face persecution, Peters remembers. And she and her peers were not allowed to sit anywhere but upstairs while watching movies at the Compton theater.

Still Peters is proud of the life she built as a homeowner in South Los Angeles – and acutely aware that she has never had a level playing field.

And now, as California readies to finalize a discussion on reparations that could shape the lives of millions in the Golden State, Peters and other Black Angelenos are skeptical they will ever see the restitution they feel is deserved.

After almost two years of meetings, California’s Reparations Task Force decided last month to rec-

ommend that the state issue a formal apology for the pervasive harms of slavery and discrimination and potentially provide billions of dollars in cash payments in a historic effort to make amends.

The group’s final report, due to the state Legislature by July 1, will act as a guide for lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will determine if the harms of slavery and lasting discrimination are worthy of reparations.

The current task force report offers reparations only to Californians who are descendants of enslaved Americans and calculates their monetary losses in three categories of community harms: health disparities, African American mass incarceration and over-policing, and housing discrimination.

And while the prospect of reparations has been the subject of much public discourse, the process is only vaguely understood in many of the communities that stand to benefit the most.

But that hasn’t stopped people from speculating or drawing up wish lists.

Critics question whether the task force’s proposed recommen -

dations are sufficient to address systemic issues in the Black community that remain prevalent today. Supporters, on the other hand, contend that billions of dollars in direct payments and a formal apology are the most effective ways to atone for generations of discrimination that have shaped the Black experience in Southern California.

Most legislators have not yet tipped their hand on where they stand, but the debate remains one of the hottest topics in town, particularly in Los Angeles communities such as Crenshaw, Leimert Park and Inglewood – the heart of Black L.A. There is no shortage of suggestions.

Direct payments are only one method the state could use to support the descendants of slaves. Peters would like to see apartments become affordable enough to afford on minimum wage, more resources for those who rely on meager government benefits and funding to address the ravages of recent history.

Peters remembers the Black-owned banks, restaurants and storefronts that were forced to close in

the wake of the 1992 civil unrest, which reshaped the character of her neighborhood in South Los Angeles.

“I really think if we’re going to talk about helping people with reparations, we have to think about the riots and the lot of Black businesses that lost their business because they weren’t able to get the loans to make repairs,” Peters said. “How much better off would we be if we had that money to stand on?”

And she hopes that somewhere in the bigpicture deliberations, the lens is turned on individual needs of Black people who are suffering.

The item at the top of Peters’ personal reparations list is providing a way to fix her home’s old windows and leaking roof, so her knees won’t ache as much in the cold.

“I think the intention of it, whatever it looks like,” Peters said, “the goal should be to help people live a little bit easier.”

There’s no telling if the nine-member committee’s two-year process will pan out as anticipated. Two local lawmakers who sit on the task force, state Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) and Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), are expected to lead the efforts to convince their fellow lawmakers to provide reparations.

But the topic is as politically incendiary as it is expensive, with a price tag potentially in the billions.

Overlooking speeding cars from her motorized wheelchair on a sunny Thursday afternoon, Beverly Johnson ticked off problems that need fixing in the area around her senior housing complex, near Florence and Normandie avenues. She’s worried about an uptick in

crime, wall-to-wall graffiti and the ever-present noise of police helicopters.

The 68-year-old Angeleno joked that Black residents should receive “40 acres and a mule” for all they’ve endured, a saying that dates back more than 150 years to a promise made – and broken – to aid enslaved African Americans on the verge of emancipation.

“It’s what was promised,” Johnson said, implying that reparations may meet that same fate.

“I don’t think we’ll ever get money or land. Heck, I don’t know if any changes will take place,” she said, reflecting on the state’s looming budget crisis and the lack of land to house struggling veterans.

Her reparations wish list includes helping homeless individuals find a way off the streets, particularly those who suffered through the war on drugs.

And at the very least, Johnson would like reparations to include a monthly stipend to assist with rent payments and the high cost of living in this sprawling city.

Others who were interviewed by The Times in the Los Angeles area acknowledged they’ve pondered the possibility of restitution in recent months. Many, however, were unaware of the specifics under consideration and instead repeated rumors they’d heard from relatives or friends that payments would range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for each Black Californian.

Others were concerned that without guidance that teaches people how to protect and grow the assets they’d receive as reparations, the money may be squandered or misspent. That sentiment was

echoed by a trio of men in Inglewood, who pointed to nearby luxury vehicles to exemplify how much of the reparations windfall might be spent.

One of those vehicles, a Mercedes-Benz, was driven out of the fastfood parking lot by Randy Mitchell, who manages Preferred Chauffeured Limousines.

Mitchell arrived in Los Angeles from Louisiana in 1975 at age 16 with dreams of being a California Highway Patrol officer. He avoided gang life and other risky situations, but finding a path to a career wasn’t as easy as he imagined when he left the South for more opportunities.

“There was neglect, abuse and discrimination everywhere,” Mitchell said. “Shoot, we are still going through it.”

His friend, L.A. native Terry Harmon, shared Mitchell’s skepticism about the pace of change. They both doubt they will see financial benefits anytime soon. But the options being considered are “better than what we’ve been getting,” Harmon said. “I’d still want the check.

“But how much money is worth the cost of slavery?” he wondered.

In Hyde Park, Jermaine Stewart and his wife, Heather Daly, seemed more upbeat about the possibility of reparations.

Stewart recalled growing up in the Rollin’ 60s gang territory, attempting to navigate a landscape of drugs, poverty and disease.

“I seen my people struggle,” he said, which is why he wants the state to invest in resources like youth centers that help children acquire the skills to thrive in everyday life.

Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Sisters Melissa and Lauren Beckford, left, pose for a portrait with their parents Marlene and Delroy at their family’s restaurant, Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Cuisine in Leimert Park in Los Angeles, Tuesday.

Djokovic reaches a record 17th French quarters B7

Monday, June 5, 2023

Hot-shooting Heat even up series with big win in Denver

A nthony ChiAng MIAMI HERALD

The Miami Heat made a change to its starting lineup for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. But it turns out the only adjustment the Heat needed to make was to hit more shots.

The Heat did exactly that to earn a hardfought 111-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night at Ball Arena to steal homecourt advantage and even the best-of-7 championship series at 1-1. The Finals now move to Miami for Games 3 and 4.

After shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 13 of 39 (33.3 percent) from three-point range in Thursday’s Game 1 loss, the Heat shot 48.7 percent from the field and 17 of 35 (48.6 percent) from three-point range in Game 2 to tie the series.

That was enough to overcome a 41-point performance from two-time MVP Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, a 15-point deficit in the second quarter and an eight-

point deficit entering the fourth quarter.

The Heat stole Game 2 by dominating the fourth quarter, outscoring the Nuggets 36-25 in the period on it way to the win.

The Heat opened the fourth quarter on a huge 32-12 run to turn an eight-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter into a commanding 12-point lead with 3:39 to play.

Not even that lead was safe, though, as the Nuggets’high-powered offense responded with a quick 13-4 run to cut the deficit to three and put themselves in a position to tie the game in the final seconds.

But after Jimmy Butler missed a threepointer with 14.6 seconds to play, what would have been a game-tying threepointer from Nuggets guard Jamal Murray bounced off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

Gabe Vincent led the Heat with a teamhigh 23 points. Bam Adebayo and Butler each scored 21 points.

Marlins sink A’s with late rally for series sweep

JordAn MCPherson MIAMI HERALD

MIAMI — For six of the seven innings he pitched on Sunday, Sandy Alcantara was dominant. He looked like the Miami Marlins’ ace, shutting down the Oakland Athletics’ lineup in the series finale between the two teams. That one inning where he faltered, the third inning, was big enough of a catastrophe to almost put the team in jeopardy of getting a series sweep. Almost.

The Marlins offense rallied back, with Garrett Cooper hitting a gametying three-run home run in the fifth inning and the Marlins taking the lead back for good with a two-run eighth to beat the Athletics 7-5 at loanDepot park. Miami (32-28) also won the first two games of the series 4-0 on Friday and 12-1 on Saturday.

DeSclafani loses it in third inning, Giants lose home series to Orioles

evAn WebeCk BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

SAN FRANCISCO —

The Giants were riding high a week ago on their flight home from Milwaukee. But they failed to capitalize on that momentum over a six-game home stand that culminated Sunday with their second loss in three games to the Baltimore Orioles.

Whatever chances the Giants had at salvaging one series win this home stand were sapped in the third inning, as Anthony DeSclafani lost

the ability to locate, Baltimore brought 12 batters to the plate, and the Orioles scored six runs, knocking San Francisco’s starter from the game and taking a commanding early lead.

With an 8-3 loss, the Giants (29-30) dropped two of three to the Orioles, lost both series of their six-game home stand and fell one game under .500.

DeSclafani had com-

pleted at least five innings and hadn’t issued more than two walks in all of his first 11 starts this season, but both streaks were snapped Sunday. Only Juan Marichal (23, 1968) and Madison Bumgarner (17, 2017) had reeled off more consecutive starts of five-plus innings and two or fewer walks to begin a season.

The third inning began with a leadoff walk to catcher James McCann, the Orioles’ No. 8 hitter, and didn’t end until McCann came to

bat again – and was hit in the hand by a DeSclafani sinker that ran up and in. DeSclafani labored through 38 pitches in the inning, only 20 of which found the strike zone. He issued three walks, all of which came around to score.

Four of the runs scored with two outs, and three came around to score after DeSclafani wasn’t able to put away rookie Josh Lester, in his third career game, who lined a single to center on the ninth

The Marlins’ eighthinning rally began with a Joey Wendle double and Jacob Stallings single that put runners on second and third (Oakland right fielder Ramon Laureano threw home, allowing Stallings to get to second). After Jorge Soler struck out swinging, Luis Arraez hit an infield single that bounced off second baseman Aledmys Diaz’s glove and drove in Wendle. Nick Fortes, who pinch-ran for Stallings after he got to third on the Arraez single, then gave Miami an insurance run when he scored on a passed ball.

This completed Miami’s comeback that was highlighted by Cooper’s game-tying home run in the fifth, a 363foot shot to left field.

Stallings hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Yuli Gurriel opened

See A’s, Page B8

California high schooler not letting size stop him from playing football

eriC sondheiMer

LOS ANGELES TIMES

LOS ANGELES — Fearlessness. Courage. Passion.

Those are the character traits immediately visible when watching senior Aiden Bankowski of Fillmore High participate with his football teammates.

Wearing a white bandana, white cut-off T-shirt and black shorts, Bankowski was at Simi Valley High on Saturday celebrating his 17th birthday during the start of summer football workouts that featured a seven-onseven passing tournament and lineman competition.

He’s 4 feet 3, weighs 120 pounds and plays

defensive line. He finally got to join the football team last season.

“I always liked football and finally got permission erfrom my mom,” he said.

Born with primordial

dwarfism, Bankowski also wrestles and used to play baseball and basketball. His positive outlook fits in perfectly with the vision of Fillmore coach Charlie Weis, who preaches the

experience of having fun in the sport.

“Just like all the other kids, Aiden comes out here and enjoys being part of the football team,” Weis said. “He’s a positive influence. He’s relentlessly supportive of his teammates and does everything every other athlete on the team does. He never makes excuses, never misses a day. He’s in every weight training session, every speed and conditioning session.

“The guy just represents what it means to work hard and face extreme odds and yet persevere and be positive when doing it.”

Bankowski said his

See Size, Page B8

Kyle Busch goes from pole position to victory in Illinois

nAsCA r Wire serviCes

MADISON, Ill.—Kyle Busch collected his 63rd NASCAR Cup Series victory on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, but the driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet had to work hard for the first-place money.

Busch, the pole winner, survived five restarts in the last 40 laps of the Enjoy Illinois 300 and beat Denny Hamlin to the finish line by .517 seconds after Bubba Wallace’s broken brake rotor caused the 11th caution on Lap 236 and sent the

race to overtime.

The victory was Busch’s first at the 1.25-mile track and the third in his debut season with RCR. It was a home game for his crew chief, Randall Burnett, who grew up in Fenton, Mo., and had family in attendance on Sunday.

Next week, NASCAR heads to Sonoma Raceway for its annual trek through Northern California.

“That was pretty awesome,” Busch exulted after he climbed from his car. “Man, to sit on the pole, lead a lot of laps and have my guys do such a great job today was pretty phenomenal

for us. Great for RCR. Just win, baby! Thanks to Team Chevy, appreciate (sponsor) 3Chi… “We’re going to have a great time with this one. This one is pretty cool.”

Busch led five times for 121 laps, including the last 60. Neither Hamlin nor third-place finisher Joey Logano—winner of the inaugural Gateway race last year – led a single circuit.

Kyle Larson parlayed a twotire call on Lap 178 into improved track position and a fourth-place finish. Martin Truex was fifth, followed by Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, William Byron, Michael

McDowell and Kevin Harvick.

Blaney led 83 laps and Byron 30. Byron pitted from the lead on Lap 178 but fell to fourth with an uncharacteristically slow stop and faded in traffic after the subsequent Lap 184 restart.

Corey LaJoie finished 21st in a substitute role for Chase Elliott, who was serving a onerace suspension for wrecking Hamlin in Monday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

Subbing for LaJoie in his usual ride—the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – Carson Hocevar started 26th and gained 10 spots with an impressive drive

through the field before a brake rotor failure on Lap 90 knocked him out of the race.

Hocevar was running 16th and chasing Austin Dillon for position when the right front rotor broke into pieces. The No. 7 Camaro made jarring contact with the Turn 1 wall to cause the fourth caution of the race, which was delayed for two hours with just seven laps complete because of lightning in the area.

“I thought it was great,” said Hocevar, who was racing a Cup car for the first time. “I had a blast. Just so thankful for the opportunity.

SECTION B Matt Miller . Sports Editor . 707.427.6995

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS Giants starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani walks off the field after the final out of the top of the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Sunday.

Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Senior Aiden Bankowski of Fillmore, a Southern California, high school, is a 4-foot-3, 115-pound defensive lineman offering a constant “positive influence.”

See Giants, Page B8

INSIDE Former Giants manager Roger Craig dies at the age of 93. Page B8.

Cream biscuit dough

Use these recipes for a variety of sweet and savory treats

Jessie sheehan SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST

What if I told you a simple cream biscuit dough, which is a breeze to make, could be the foundation for a slew of celebratory baked treats, both sweet and savory. Did you know you could make pull-apart-bread (or muffins) with such a dough? Or savory cheese-and-herb pinwheels? Or everyone’s favorite: pigs in the proverbial blanket?

Well, it can.

Although any biscuit dough will work to make a variety of baked goods, this tender, versatile cream biscuit dough works particularly well. First, it is crazy simple to assemble (heavy cream acts as both the fat and liquid in the dough) which is helpful when you are making a dough that’s destined for use in a recipe that requires additional steps. And second, it bakes up so tender and rich that it is as sumptuous on its own as it is as the foundation for any biscuit dough-inspired creations.

The dough can be made into drop biscuits, and I hope you love them for that. In short, that means they are not only onebowl, but they never leave said bowl (a.k.a. no dumping out onto the counter to knead, cut, etc.). That is, of course, unless you use it to make pull-apart muffins, pigs-in-a-blanket and pinwheels. In that case, you transfer the dough to a generously floured surface, knead it a few times until it comes together and then roll or form it as needed.

Here are a few insights about why the dough works so well and tips and tricks to ensure all your biscuit-based treats are as easy and delicious as promised.

n Cake flour for tenderness

The cream biscuit dough here calls for cake flour as well as all-purpose, as the combination of the two replicates a flour oft-used in the South when biscuit-making, White Lily. White Lily famously produces ultratender biscuits. I learned this tip from none other than the biscuit queen herself, Cheryl Day of Back in the Day bakery in Savannah, Ga., and have never looked back. But if you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can just use all-purpose.

n Sugar as a seasoning, not a sweetener

I know it might seem strange to add sugar to the biscuit dough, since cheesy pinwheels and pigs in a blanket are savory, but the sugar actually plays the role of a seasoning, or flavor enhancer, here, not a sweetener.

n The egg wash is worth it

I love a short ingredient list as much as the next person. But I do make an exception here for the egg wash. The color and flavor that the egg adds to the exterior of these otherwise pale treats is just too good to pass up. But you can brush with cream instead, which is already in the ingredient list, thus simplifying the assembly.

n The power of high heat

Not only does baking at a high heat translate into treats ready in record time, but it also guarantees that the leavening in the dough will be activated quickly. Your biscuits will therefore be airy and light.

n Secret ingredient for beautiful biscuit-dough pinwheels: mayo

Spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise - yes, mayonnaise - on your dough before adding the cheese, herbs and pepper not only helps your ingredients stick to the dough as you roll it up, but also adds richness and flavor. Not in an obvious, oh-there’s-mayo-in-this kind of way, but by giving the pinwheels a wonderfully unctuous

vibe. Finally, consider using yellow cheddar in them, as the color makes them more festive and fun.

n Be creative with the spices of your pull-apart muffins

I call for tossing the meltedbutter-dunked dough in cinnamon and sugar, but feel free to add a little nutmeg to the mix, or even cocoa powder. Or switch things up entirely and toss in a pumpkinspice mixture.

n Make biscuit croutons from your dough scraps

When slicing off the ends of your dough-wrapped hot dogs or trimming your pinwheels before baking, consider cutting the scraps into bite-size pieces (they may be already that size), brushing them with egg wash and baking them at the same time. The resulting baby biscuits make fabulous croutons, or tasty cook’s treats. Biscuit dough isn’t just for biscuits anymore. So here’s to embracing its magical versatility.

CREAM BISCUITS

Active time: 10 mins;

Total time: 35 mins

9 servings

Whipping up a tray of cream biscuits is just straight-up baking alchemy: You assemble them with heavy cream, rather than butter, resulting in biscuits that are not only tender and rich, but can be thrown together in about 5 minutes and baked in about 15. The bonus here: This cream biscuit dough is so versatile. It can be scooped and baked for egg sandwich-worthy drop biscuits; rolled out and filled with cheese, herbs and spices for a savory pinwheel cookie; folded up around a hotdog and sliced into little blanketed pigs; or, cut into pieces, dunked in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar for the cutest little individual pull-apart breads you’ve ever seen. To make one of the related recipes, follow the directions below to make the dough, then use the unbaked, unportioned dough in those recipes.

All of the related recipes can be assembled quickly, and although they are all best served warm right out of the oven, you can make ahead and freeze them all: Just reheat on a baking sheet (or place the muffins back in a tin) in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes right before serving.

Storage: Biscuits are best as soon as they are made, but can be stored tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 3 days.

1 cup (125 grams) allpurpose flour

1 cup (130 grams) cake flour

1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 ⅛ teaspoons fine salt, divided

1 ½ cups (340 grams) heavy cream

1 large egg salted butter, for serving jam, for serving

parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add the cream and stir with a flexible spatula until no loose flour remains. Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, scoop the dough into 9 biscuits, and evenly space them on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and lightly brush each biscuit with the egg wash.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the tops and bottoms of the biscuits are nicely browned. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving with the butter and jam.

Nutrition: 256 Calories Per serving (1 biscuit): 26g Carbohydrates, 75mg Cholesterol, 16g Fat, 1g Fiber, 4g Protein, 9g Saturated Fat, 480mg Sodium, 2g Sugar

CHEESY CHIVE AND PEPPER PINWHEELS

Active time: 25 mins; Total time: 1 hour

8 servings

Cocktail party snacks never looked so cute, tasted so good and took less time. Biscuit dough makes easy yet delicious work of these cheesy pinwheels. Try them as the recipe describes or make them with your own herb and cheese combo. They would be lovely with a glass of white or red - or really any beverage that says “party time” to you.

Note: The dough scraps can be used to make biscuit croutons. Cut the dough scraps into 1-inch pieces, brush with the egg wash, then bake for about 10 minutes.

Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 ½ cups (generous 165 grams) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (or whatever shredded cheese you prefer)

2 tablespoon minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg

⅛ teaspoon fine salt

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with

granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 stick (8 tablespoons/113 grams) unsalted butter, melted Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Generously flour your work surface. Transfer the biscuit dough to it and knead it a few times until it comes together and is smooth.

With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12-by-12-inch square and cut into 64 (1 1/2-by-1 1/2-inch) pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon until well-combined.

Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Eyeball to make sure your dough balls are fairly equal in size. Dunk each in the melted butter, and toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture before evenly distributing them among the 12 muffin cups; you’ll have 4 leftover pieces that you can add to any tin cup that looks needy.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly golden brown, fragrant and set. Let cool the muffin tin on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition: 342 Calories Per serving (1 muffin): 41g Carbohydrates, 77mg Cholesterol, 19g Fat, 1g Fiber, 3g Protein, 12g Saturated Fat, 361mg Sodium, 22g Sugar

PIGS IN A BLANKET

12 to 24 servings

Active time: 40 mins; Total time: 1 hour 25 mins

parchment paper. Generously flour your work surface. Transfer the biscuit dough to it and knead it a few times until it comes together and is smooth.

With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough 14-by-10-inch rectangle with the long side facing you, and spread the mayonnaise over the dough, leaving a 1/2- to 1-inch border at the edges. Evenly sprinkle the cheese, chives and pepper over the mayonnaise, pressing down lightly with your hands to help it adhere.

Trim the edges of the dough (see NOTE) right to the edge of the mayonnaise and, starting from the long edge of the rectangle closest to you, begin tightly rolling up the dough, until a 12-inch long log is formed. Pinch the dough with your fingers to seal the seam.

Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into 16 equal pieces (each about 3/4 inches long) - the dough will be sticky - and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and salt until combined. Using a pastry brush, brush each pinwheel with the egg wash and transfer to the oven.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the tops and bottoms of the wheels are lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Nutrition: 391 Calories Per serving (2 pinwheels): 29g Carbohydrates, 127mg Cholesterol, 27g Fat, 1g Fiber, 10g Protein, 15g Saturated Fat, 713mg Sodium, 3g Sugar

PULL-APART CINNAMON

MUFFINS

Active time: 45 mins; Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

12 servings

No one will believe that this sweet breakfast treat is made from biscuit dough. Small pieces of dough are dunked in melted butter, rolled in cinnamon sugar, piled in a muffin tin and baked, transforming into delectable mini pull-apart breads with doughnut-like in flavor and texture.

Storage: The muffins are best served warm, but will keep tightly wrapped on the counter for up to 3 days.

All-purpose flour, for rolling the dough

1 ¼ cups (250 grams)

If you want your pigs in tender, rich blankets, make them using Cream Biscuit dough (see related recipe). The dough comes together in 10 minutes. Wrap your hot dogs in strips of the dough, slice them, chill them for 10 minutes and bake them until golden brown. The dough is tender, so it is essential to let the pigs in a blanket cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Note: The dough scraps can be used to make biscuit croutons. Cut the dough scraps into 1-inch pieces, brush with the egg wash, then bake for about 10 minutes.

Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days; reheat in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.

Flour, for dusting

8 6-inch hot dogs

1 large egg

⅛ teaspoon fine salt

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Generously flour your work surface. Transfer the biscuit dough to it and knead it a few times until it comes together and is smooth.With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rough 5-by-16-inch rectangle and cut the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Place a hot dog on each rectangle (it should be about the length of the hot dog) and wrap it in the biscuit dough, pulling and pinching the dough a bit until you can seal it around the meat. Try not to cover the ends of the hot dog, but if there is just too much extra dough, you can trim it. Roll the wrapped hot dog on the counter to further seal the dough and to distribute it evenly around the meat.

Slice each hot dog into six pieces, trimming the ends if necessary (see headnote) and place the pieces, hot dog side up, on the prepared baking sheet. As you cut, rotate the hot dog each time to avoid flattening the dough on one side. Transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with salt until combined. Use a pastry brush to brush the sides and top of the “blanket” in the egg wash and transfer to the oven.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is lightly browned. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition: 143 Calories Per serving (2 pieces), based on 24: 10g Carbohydrates, 44mg Cholesterol, 10g Fat, 0g Fiber, 3g Protein, 5g Saturated Fat, 359mg Sodium, 2g Sugar

Rey Lopez/The Washington Post photos

These Pigs in a Blanket, Cinnamon Pull-Apart Muffins, Drop Biscuits and Cheesy Chive and Pepper Pinwheels were all made using the same, one-bowl Cream Biscuit Dough.

Drop biscuits.

CALMATTERS COMMENTARY

The one big flaw in local reforms to redistricting

Gerrymandering – the redrawing of legislative districts to benefit specific political parties, political factions or individual political figures – dominated post-census redistricting in California for decades.

The Legislature long wielded redistricting authority for itself and the state’s congressional delegation, and every 10 years its power players would carve up California to help themselves, their parties and their loyalists gain or retain office.

The districts they created often defied cartographic or demographic rationality.

Michael Berman, who died recently, was long regarded as a savant who could make or break political careers in how he drew lines for his brother, long-serving legislator and Congressman Howard Berman, and others in their orbit.

After one particularly creative round of redistricting in the 1980s, the late Congressman Phil Burton, described the lines he drew as “my contribution to modern art.”

Occasionally, when Republican governors balked at signing redistricting bills drafted by the Legislature’s dominant Democrats, the task was assumed by the state Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, gerrymandering became so blatantly unfair in California that voters, when given the chance, stripped politicians of redistricting power and shifted it to an independent commission.

The reforms were sparked by a bipartisan gerrymander after the 2000 census, one that froze the status quo in both the Legislature and the congressional delegation and ignored massive demographic changes during the preceding decade.

A 2008 ballot measure created the commission for legislative districts, and in 2010, a second measure expanded its authority to congressional districts.

The 14-member commission, with five members from each major party and four noparty-preference voters, did its work after the 2010 and 2020 census and while not everyone was happy with what it wrought, the process each time was reasonably transparent and fair.

Gerrymandering has been no less blatant at the local level, particularly in larger counties, cities and school districts, where politics often overshadow civic duty.

Beginning in the last decade, there have been efforts to make redistricting fairer and more responsive at the local level. Local governments have been compelled to elect their governing bodies from districts, rather than at-large, and the Legislature has decreed that five relatively large counties use independent commissions to redraw districts for their five-member boards of supervisors.

Last week, the redistricting reform movement took another big step when the Assembly passed legislation requiring all cities and counties with more than 300,000 residents, and school and community college district with more than 500,000, to use independent commissions. Another bill tightened up criteria for how districts should be shaped.

“The process of redistricting is crucial for determining representation of communities in government for the next decade,” said Laurel Brodzinsky of California Common Cause, one of the sponsoring organizations. “These bills ensure that process is transparent, participatory, and driven by the community, rather than by politicians.”

If the legislation makes it through the entire Legislature and is signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, it would be, indeed, a major improvement. However, there is one anomaly that should be addressed. The new measure would not apply to the five counties that already have redistricting commissions: Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Fresno and Kern. And the legislative measures that created those five commissions contained one important difference.

In those counties, the commissioners must reflect partisan voter registration data. That means Democrats dominate the commissions in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and Fresno, while Kern’s commission is more evenly divided.

There’s no such requirement in the new legislation, nor should there be. The state redistricting commission is carefully designed not to favor either party and that principle should prevail in local commissions as well – including the five counties that would be exempted from the new law.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

COMMENTARY

It doesn't happen often with this Supreme Court, but federal labor leaders are celebrating a strong pro-union decision written by an archconservative justice.

To the consternation of small-government champions, the ruling also confirmed the power of a little-known federal agency over a state government militia, while granting union officials welcome respite from other hostile opinions.

The ramifications of the decision could be far-reaching, fear union opponents, who see it as a gateway to intrusive federal power in the workplace.

Led by Justice Clarence Thomas, the 7-2 decision stopped the Ohio National Guard from unilaterally reversing a payroll union dues collection practice, while declaring itself exempt from a key federal labor law.

The May 18 decision allows voluntary paycheck dues deductions for "dual-status" civilian members of the National Guard represented by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). Dual-status employees are full-time civilian employees of the National Guard, who also serve as part-time uniformed members of the military. The opinion refers to them as "rare-birds" who "occupy both civilian and military roles."

They provide a variety of tasks, including administrative, information technology and maintenance services to keep the state's Air and Army National Guard mission ready. Thomas's opinion also confirms the ability of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) to resolve disputes involving Nation Guard units that report to both state and federal officials. The Ohio Guard had appealed FLRA rulings in favor of the union's unfair labor practice complaints.

FLRA's decision was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and now by the high court.

Under the Federal Service LaborManagement Relations Act, "a State National Guard acts as a federal agency . . . when it hires and supervises dual-status technicians serving in their civilian role," Thomas wrote. They are "ultimately employees of the Secretaries of the Army and the Air Force ... subject to federal civilservice requirements."

In 2016, after 45 years of collective bargaining between AFGE and the National Guard, state officials announced that the National Guard was no longer bound by the labor relations statute and stopped withholding payroll union dues payments

for 89 employees, according to the union's brief, submitted by AFGE Assistant General Counsel Matthew W. Milledge.

Ohio officials argued that the FLRA has no power over a state entity. Congress, Ohio's brief said, empowered FLRA to regulate the labor practices of federal agencies only, that is: "Establishments within the executive branch." But Ohio also acknowledged: "Nearly every circuit has already uncritically held that federal law empowers the Authority to issue orders to state militias, and to do so even with respect to the parts of those militias that are not employed in the Service of the United States.'"

Nonetheless, Ohio's brief urged the high court to reverse those decisions, saying counterintuitively that "the uniformity of the lower-court decisions is all the more reason to hear this case."

Briefs from the pro-Trump America First Policy Institute and the Americans for Fair Treatment, which works against public-sector unions, demonstrated the importance of the case to conservatives, who fought FLRA's ruling.

Americans for Fair Treatment claimed that FLRA's action means "it can transfigure all manner of states, localities, territories, Indian tribes, universities, and non-profits nationwide into federal agencies and give them orders to engage in collective bargaining as it sees fit." Its brief also said the agency's decision amounts to an "expansion of FLRA's jurisdiction [that] inexorably means that the First Amendment rights of untold thousands will be violated." Because union members only can withdraw their dues withholding after one year, Americans for Fair Treatment said that amounts to "forced membership."

America First, led by former Trump administration appointees, showed its anti-federal union stance in a brief that said its "research demonstrates just how intrusive, time-consuming, and wasteful federal-sector collective bargaining can be." It outlined "all the burdens associated" with basic labor-management negotiations, "including participating in negotiations, grievance proceedings, and unfair labor practice proceedings."

Two conservative justices, Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch, disagreed with Thomas's ruling. Because the National Guard and the Ohio Adjutant General's Department, which oversees the militia,

"are not actually federal agencies," Alito wrote, "the FLRA lacks jurisdiction" over them. Gorsuch joined the dissent, which said federal designation of the National Guard to act as a federal agency does not make it a federal agency. "Just because A is designated to exercise the authority of B," Alito wrote, "it does not follow that A is B."

Elisabeth Messenger, CEO of Americans for Fair Treatment, was surprised by the majority's opinion. "This decision was unexpected, given the Court's recent rulings - including Janus v. AFSCME - that affirmatively protect the First Amendment rights of public employees," she said by email, referring to a 2018 Supreme Court opinion that left unions fuming.

The Janus ruling said public-sector employees who are not union members can't be forced to pay union dues even though they benefit from union representation. In a 2021 decision, the high court struck down a California provision allowing union representatives to organize on growers' land. And this week, the court issued a ruling easing the way for employers to sue over property damage resulting from labor strikes.

Based on justices' questions during the National Guard oral arguments, AFGE Deputy General Counsel Andres M. Grajales was not surprised at who dissented or the final decision. The union rights for the dual-status employees are "an inescapable and unavoidable conclusion," he said by phone. "Ohio's arguments only make sense if you ignored the comprehensive statutory scheme that governs technicians."

It was Grajales's first time participating in high court oral arguments. He described the January experience as "intense, intense." Unlike appearing before lower courts, lawyers at the Supreme Court not only argue the application of the law, but also "what the law should be" because the justices can overturn precedent.

The Ohio decision, he said, is important because it reinforces "the rights of federal sector unions to exist and to collectively bargain and to work in a civilian capacity."

Columnist Joe Davidson covers federal government issues in the Federal Insider, formerly the Federal Diary. Davidson previously was an assistant city editor at The Washington Post and a Washington and foreign correspondent with the Wall Street Journal, where he covered federal agencies and political campaigns.

Dan Walters

Stars’ a

entertaining dramatization of LeBron’s high school team

M ark Meszoros

THE NEWS-HERALD, WILLOUGHBY

Well, “Shooting Stars”

nailed the casting of the LeBron James role.

It’s not as if Marquis “Mookie” Cook is a dead ringer for the James many of us met when the high school basketball phenom was dubbed “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated when the magazine put him on its cover. However, when Cook – a highflying prep hoopster himself, making his screen debut in the movie debuting this week on Peacock – flashes a smile, you can convince yourself you’re watching a teen version of the future four-time NBA champion, four-time winner of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award and the league’s all-time leading scorer.

That isn’t reason enough to make time for “Shooting Stars,” based on the 2009 book of the same name by current Los Angeles Lakers star James and “Friday Night Lights” author and journalist Buzz Bissinger. However, even as it struggles to maintain a rhythm with its narrative, the film is engaging enough to recommend, thanks largely to Cook and his onscreen teammates.

Already the subject the 2008 documentary “More Than a Game,” James and four of his teammates from Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary Catholic High School – Dru Joyce III (Caleb McLaughlin of “Stranger Things), Willie McGee (Avery S. Wills Jr., “Swagger”), Sian Cotton (Khalil Everage, “Cobra Kai”) and Romeo Travis (newcomer Sterling “Scoot” Henderson) – are front and center again in this dramatization.

We meet the self-proclaimed “Fab Four” of LeBron, Lil Dru, Willie and Sian (portrayed by younger actors) as they play together on a youth team, the Shooting Stars, where they are coached by Dru’s father, Dru Joyce II (Wood Harris of the “Creed” franchise). He has

Daily Cryptoquotes

Here’s how to work it:

instilled in them a refrain: “It isn’t how you start the game. It’s how you finish.”

A few years later, the talented foursome is preparing to attend what was then John R. Buchtel High School, a public school in Akron. However, when the Buchtel coach makes it clear that the undersized Dru would begin playing with the junior-varsity squad, the spunky young man convinces the new coach at SVSM, the likewise fiery Keith Dambrot (Dermot Mulroney, “August: Osage County”), to let them try out for the varsity if they attend that school instead.

Oh, and those tryouts? Brutal.

Directed by Chris Robinson, working from a script by Frank E. Flowers, Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor, “Shooting Stars” proceeds to take us through the frequent highs and occasional lows from the amateur portion of James’ career.

We see former college coach Dambrot, unquestionably benefiting from the Fab Four’s play, take his shot to get back to that level by accepting the head coach position at the nearby University of Akron, with the elder Joyce taking over the SVSM squad.

We see Romeo, a kid with a troubled past, transfer to SVSM and, after a frictionfilled phase, become the fifth member of the crew.

MOVIE

Review

“Shooting Stars”

Rated PG-13 116 minutes (OUT OF FOUR)

Of course, we also see LeBron’s mother, Gloria James (a convincing Natalie Paul of “Crown Heights”), give her son that unforgettable GMC Hummer, stating the bank knew they’d be able to pay off the loan for it in a few years.

It’s a bit of a bummer that Robinson (“Beats,” “Grownish”), Flowers (“Metro Manila”), Rettenmaier (“Space Jam: A New Legacy”) and Taylor (“Creed II”) struggle to make more than bit players of Willie, Sian and Romeo. That said, it’s inevitable that the story would become LeBroncentric as it progressed.

Drama is mined from the big head the future Cleveland Cavaliers star gets, understandably, as the spotlight on him grows ever larger. His teammates grow frustrated by him, and his increasingly annoyed future wife, Savannah (Katlyn Nichol, “Black-Ish”) works to keep him in check.

Robinson does manage to keep the basketball scenes, while never spectacular, fresh. Working with his longtime director of photography, Karsten “Crash” Gopinath, he shoots each of the 15 or so games included in the movie in a different way. That’s more than what you might expect from a straight-tostreaming affair.

And even though you can see why this Universal Pictures production bypassed theaters –it looks only so expensive as it isn’t exactly peppered with big-named actors – it does occasionally rock the rim and offers a relatively inspirational story about a group of boys who came from an unremarkable, if also beloved, place.

Word Sleuth

Crossword by Phillip Alder

Bridge

West intervened with a Michaels Cue-Bid, which showed at least 5-5 in the majors. When East preempted to the maximum, South might have rebid four no-trump to show his secondary diamonds, but he opted to go with his long, strong clubs.

West led the king from ace-king for two reasons: The contract was above four no-trump, and East had supported West’s suit.

After ruffing the second spade and cashing the club ace, declarer was tempted to enter dummy with a heart and take a club finesse (because, given West’s overcall, East was more likely to have queen-third than a low doubleton). However, he realized this would reduce his options in diamonds. So he cashed the club king, relieved to see West drop the queen. What next?

REMEMBER BIDDING WHEN

DECLARING

It is a fact of bridge life that if you make a positive contribution to an auction but end up on defense, you have probably given declarer a helping hand. In today’s deal, how should South play in five clubs after West starts the defense with his two top spades?

West was known to have started with 5=5=1=2 or 6=5=0=2 or 5=6=0=2 distribution. Declarer deduced that he should continue with a low diamond from his hand.

If West played a royal, South would finesse East out of his diamond honor. If West played a low diamond or showed out, dummy’s nine would lose to the queen, but South’s diamond spots were just good enough to pick up the rest of the suit for no loss, there being two dummy entries in the heart ace and club seven.

COPYRIGHT: 2023, UNITED FEATURE SYNDICATE

Sudoku by Wayne Gould

Bridge

6/6/23

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid contains the digits

REMEMBER BIDDING

WHEN DECLARING

1 through 9, with no repeats. That means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Solution, tips and computer program at www.sudoku.com

It is a fact of bridge life that if you make a positive contribution to an auction but end up on defense, you have probably given declarer a helping hand.

© 2023 Janric Enterprises Dist. by creators.com

Difficulty level: SILVER

Yesterday’s solution:

‘Shooting

fairly

Universal Pictures/TNS

Marquis “Mookie” Cook as LeBron James in “Shooting Stars,” directed by Chris Robinson.

Oluwaseye Olusa/ Universal Pictures/TNS

LeBron James (Mookie Cook), left, and Lil Dru Joyce III (Caleb McLaughlin) in “Shooting Stars.”

‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ comes to theaters

SuSan Hiland SHILAND@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

FAIRFIELD —

Coming to theaters this week is a return to a childhood favorite, Transformers, which introduces new friends and old enemies in to the battle on Earth.

Opening nationwide are:

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” in this film, the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons join the existing battle on Earth between Autobots and Decepticons. This film is rated PG-13.

Opening in limited release are:

“Pollen,” in this movie, after a senior coworker assaults a bright-eyed young woman, her dream job becomes a living nightmare as she tries to keep her career together while being tormented at work, at home, and in her dreams by a mysterious tree monster. This film is not rated.

“DaliLand,” this movie stars Ben Kingsley as Salvador Dalí, one of the most worldrenowned artists of the 20th century, and focuses on the later years of the strange and fascinating marriage between Dalí and Gala (Barbara Sukowa), as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to stress and fracture. Set in New York and Spain in 1974, the film is told through the eyes of James (Christopher Briney), a young assistant keen to make his name in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show. This film is not rated.

“Mending the Line,” this is a story about finding something to make living worthwhile.

John Colter, a wounded veteran, returns to the States still carrying the demons of war, hauntingly disturbed by the everyday expectations of friendships and love interests. In Livingston, Montana, he meets Ike, a surly, headstrong fly-fisherman more than twice his age, and Lucy, a talented photographer turned librarian who reads aloud to veterans, both damaged in their

own way. While getting treatment for his wounds, both physical and psychological, Colter wants only to re-enlist, to have something to die for. But the real challenge is finding something to live for. This film is rated R. “Scarlet,” in this film, Juliette (Juliette Jouan) is raised by her World War I veteran father in Normandy, France. She grows into a lonely young woman who dreams of greater things. The nearby woods are her refuge, where she meets a witch who promises scarlet sails will one day take her away from her village. Reckoning with her future and swept away by a rakish young pilot (Louis Garrel) who literally falls from the sky, Juliette never stops believing in the witch’s prophecy. This film is not rated.

“The Secret Kingdom,” in this movie, siblings Peter and Verity find hidden beneath their bedroom floor a land of enchantment, which must be protected from an ancient enemy – the evil Shroud. As they embark on their quest to unite five mystical treasures and save the Kingdom, Peter and Verity must face epic challenges that will test their bravery to the limit. This film is not rated.

“Users,” in this film, a mother questions whether technology will take over her role as mother in the lives of her children. This question guides her examine the human relationship with technology and where it is taking us. This film is not rated.

For information on Edwards Cinemas in Fairfield, visit www. regmovies.com/ theatres/regal-edwardsfairfield-imax. For Vacaville showtimes, visit www.brendentheatres.com. For Vallejo showtimes, check www. cinemark.com/theatres/ ca-vallejo.

Brian Crane

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Pearls

Swine Stephan Pastis

Candorville Darrin Bell

Baby Blues Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

Baldo Hector Cantú and Carlos Castellanos

Djokovic reaches record 17th French quarterfinal

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

PARIS — Novak Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal’s alltime record by reaching his 17th French Open quarterfinal.

The 22-time grand slam champion defeated Juan Pablo Varillas 6-3 6-2 6-2 to maintain his run of not having lost before the last eight at Roland Garros since 2010 and set up a clash with 11th seed Karen Khachanov.

Djokovic is still 12 Paris titles behind Nadal though, and, with the Spaniard missing for the first time since 2004, his great rival knows what an opportunity this is.

He said: “I’m proud of it, but my attention is already on the next match. Obviously quarterfinals, Khachanov, I know what my goal is here. I’m trying to stay mentally the course and of course not look too far.

“Obviously the performance

of today gives me a great deal of confidence about how I felt, about how I played. So I’m looking forward to the next match.”

Peruvian Varillas, ranked 94, has enjoyed the best week of his career but he had needed five sets to get through all three of his previous matches and was unable to trouble Djokovic.

The third seed had been pushed extremely hard by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his previous match and struggled physically, so this was a very welcome easy afternoon.

Djokovic raced into a 4-0 lead and the only time he looked in any discomfort was when Varillas won two games in a row and forced a break point in the next one.

The third seed, who criticised the crowd for booing while he took a medical time-out in his previous match, was again jeered

for his reaction and cupped his hand to his ear after winning the next-but-one point.

There were plenty of cheers at the end, though, as Djokovic wrapped up the victory after an hour and 57 minutes.

He said of the crowd: “I thought they were great, especially at the end. They gave me a very nice chanting and support and, as a player, you always want to receive that love from the crowd.”

A semifinal against Carlos Alcaraz is looming ever closer, and the Spaniard continued to look every inch a potential champion in a 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory over Lorenzo Musetti.

The 21-year-old Italian is a big talent, especially on clay, and this was a crowd-pleasing encounter, with Alcaraz pulling off several shots through his legs.

Ultimately it was a straight-

forward win, though, as world number one Alcaraz, who missed the Australian Open through injury, stayed on track for a second successive grand slam title.

Khachanov is bidding to reach the semi-finals at a third straight major tournament and he recovered from a poor first set to beat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 1-6 6-4 7-6 (7) 6-1.

includes the reasons for t h e o b j e c t i o n a t l e a s t t w o c o u r t d a y s b ef o r e t h e m a t t e r i s s c h e d u l e d t o b e h e a r d a n d m u s t a p p e a r a t t h e h e a r i n g t o s h o w cause why the petition should not be grant e d I f n o w r i t t e n o

Clive Mason/Getty Images/TNS Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a backhand against Pablo Juan Varillas of Peru during their match Sunday at the French Open.

Monday’s TV sports

Baseball College

• NCAA Regionals, Teams TBA, ESPN, 4 p.m. • NCAA Regionals, Teams TBA, ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Vegas vs. Florida, TBS, 5 p.m.

Softball College

• Women’s World Series, Teams TBA, ESPN.

• Women’s World Series, Teams TBA, ESPN, if necessary.

• Women’s World Series, Teams TBA, 4 p.m.

• Women’s World Series, Teams TBA, 6:30 p.m., if necessary.

Tuesday’s TV sports

Baseball MLB

• Oakland vs. Pittsburgh, NBCSCA, 4:05 p.m.

• N.Y. Mets vs. Atlanta, TBS, 4:20 p.m.

• San Francisco vs. Colorado, NBCSBA, 5:40 p.m.

Bay Area prep star earns big selection with national team

Tribune ConTenT AgenCy

Archbishop Mitty’s basketball prodigy closed out her unprecedented freshman year with one more honor.

McKenna Woliczko, the 6-2 forward with great athleticism and elite scoring ability around the rim, earned a spot on the USA under-16 national team after tryouts in Colorado Springs.

“I’m excited to be selected for the U-16 national team,”

Woliczko told the Bay Area News Group via text on Sunday morning. “And we are all ready to win it all!!

Woliczko and 11 others will represent the country from June 13-19 in Merida, Mexicoat the FIBA Women’s U16 Americas Championship.

“I am super grateful for this experience,” Woliczko said. “I’m glad I’ve been able to play and compete with the best player in the country and get taught by

Size

From Page B1

biggest challenge last season on the defensive line was dealing with the weight difference.

“I had a fun time,” he said. “I enjoyed it. With my team, everyone has 60, 70 pounds on me.”

This season, he’s trying running back, too.

Weis said Bankowski received “significant playing time last year and is probably everyone’s favorite player in town. When he goes in, the crowd goes absolutely nuts.”

Former Giants manager Roger Craig dies at age 93

A lex Simon BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

some of the best coaches in the country!”

Woliczko started the trials as one of 55 participants, which was eventually pared down to 22, and then to the dozen who will compete in Group A with Puerto Rico, Colombia and host Mexico.

Woliczko joins fellow MaxPreps freshman of the year Jerzy Robinson on the team that includes players from across the nation.

Woliczko is now the second player on the Mitty women’s basketball team to represent the Stars and Stripes internationally. Rising senior and UConn commit Morgan Cheli, led by her high school coach Sue Phillips, took gold for the U-17 team in Hungary last summer.

Woliczko was named Bay Area News Group player of the year and firstteam all-Area honors after averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Monarchs.

he stands next to anyone, they always seem to have his back. He’s everyone’s little brother. They watch over him and won’t let anything happen to him.

Asked about the response when opponents see him on the field, Bankowski said, “Most of it is positive. You get some negative comments. I ignore it. I’ve always been a positive person. Someone is going to say something, someone is going to give a look, I don’t care.”

Roger Craig, the manager who brought “Humm Baby” to San Francisco Giants lore and turned the franchise around from its lowest point in history, has died, the team announced on Sunday. He was 93.

After a 12-year career as a pitcher and a twoyear stint as Padres manager, Craig took over as Giants manager for the final 18 games of 1985 and guided the team until 1992, winning two division titles (1987 and 1989) and one National League championship in 1989.

“We have lost a legendary member of our Giants family,” Larry Baer, president and CEO of the Giants, said in a statement. “Roger was beloved by players, coaches, front office staff and fans. He was a father figure to many and his optimism and wisdom resulted in some of the most memorable seasons in our history.”

After the only 100-loss in Giants franchise history in 1985, Craig’s first full season as skipper started a five-year turnaround, with the “You Gotta Like These Kids” Giants in 1986 going 83-79. It was also the season that Giants fans were introduced to the most famous of Craig’s many baseball sayings in “Humm Baby.” That

Giants

From Page B1

small phrase — which Craig used as an adjective, adverb, a noun and even a nickname — became a major part of the Giants organization in the late 1980s, as Craig’s teams ascended to the top of the National League.

In 1987, Craig and the Giants went 90-72 and won the NL West, earning the franchise’s first postseason appearance in 16 years. In the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Giants led the series 3-2 but were shut out in both Game 6 and Game 7 to lose the series.

After another 83-79 year in 1988, the Giants won the NL West again in 1989 with a 92-70 record. San Francisco then took down the Chicago Cubs in five games in the NLCS to win the Giants’ first National League pennant in 27 years and reach the World Series for the first time since 1962.

In that World Series, the Giants took on their cross-bay rivals, the Oakland A’s. After losing the first two games in Oakland, the Oct. 17 Loma Prieta earthquake shook the Bay Area just minutes before the start of Game 3 at Candlestick Park. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake killed 63, caused more than $5.5 billion in damage and forced the World Series to pause.

It took 10 days to get

The Giants got six innings of two-run ball from their bullpen but had already put themselves in too deep of a hole.

back on the field, during which the A’s went to Phoenix, Arizonafor two days to work out while the Giants stayed in the Bay Area. Once back on the field on Oct. 27, the A’s rolled to a Game 3 win and finished off the sweep in Game 4.

That would be Craig’s final postseason game in charge of the Giants. Though Craig would lead the Giants to a fifth straight winning season in 1990 (85-77), his teams finished under .500 in both 1991 (75-87) and 1992 (72-90).

The Giants nearly moved to Tampa Bay after that 1992 season, but owner Bob Lurie’s sale of the team to Floridabased businessmen was rejected by the National Leagueowners. After a San Francisco group led by Peter Magowan stepped up and bought the team, one of the new owners’ first moves was to dismiss Craig.

Still, Craig’s place in Giants’ lore held strong over the three decades since he was a manager. Craig was a frequent presence at Giants team reunion days for the teams of the 1980s and received rousing ovations from the Giants fans every time.

He also holds a strong place in the history of the Giants organization statistically, with his 586 wins the sixth-most in franchise history and third-most since the Giants moved to

San Francisco.

Before managing the Giants, Craig spent two years in charge of the San Diego Padresfrom 197879. Like he would later do with the Giants, Craig led a quick turnaround in his first season in charge, engineering a 15-game improvement to 84-78 in 1978. But Craig was fired after San Diego crashed to 68-93 in 1979. Craig then went to the Detroit Tigers as a pitching coach, where he spent five seasons and won a World Series title in 1984.

In his 12-year playing career, Craig played for the Dodgers for seven years (three in Brooklyn and four in Los Angeles) before he was selected by the New York Mets as the sixth pick in their expansion draft. After two years where he led the Majors in losses with the Mets (24 in 1962, 22 in 1963), Craig bounced around for a single year each with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies.

Born in Durham, North Carolina on Feb. 17, 1930, Craig finished his career with a 74-98 record and a 3.83 ERA in 368 games (186 starts).

Craig is survived by his wife, Carolyn, his four children, Sherri Paschelke, Roger Craig Jr., Teresa Hanvy and Vikki Dancan, his seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

You can see the loyalty and love teammates have for him. After a brief interview, Bankowski returned to workouts and received a universal ovation. When

A’s

From Page B1

It helped mitigate Alcantara’s third inning to forget. After retiring the first six batters he faced on just 13 pitches, Alcantara gave up five runs in a third inning that saw Oakland send eight to the plate.

The frame began with four consecutive singles by Jace Peterson, Shea Langeliers, Nick Allen and Esteury Ruiz that gave Oakland (12-49) a 2-1 lead.

After Alcantara struck out Ryan Noda for the first out of the inning, Ramon Laureano hit a two-run

Initial concerns his parents had about safety have been eased.

“After last season they’re OK with it,” he said.

Weis said you’ll see Bankowski on the field in the fall.

“He represents everything good,” Weis said.

pitch of his at-bat. The single had already plated two, and a bobble by cutoff man Brett Wisely on a low throw by Austin Slater allowed a third run to cross the plate. DeSclafani was credited with five earned runs, tying a season-high and raising his ERA to 3.97. scoring in the second with an RBI double.

double to give the Athletics a 4-1 lead. Laureano then stole third and made it home when Alcantara’s throw sailed past Jean Segura to extend Oakland’s lead to 5-1.

It was a frustrating inning that has been part of a frustrating season.

But Alcantara limited the damage to just that one frame. He faced the minimum over his final four innings, working around the one hit he gave up in that span with a double play, to get through seven innings for just the fourth time this season.

Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Dylan Floro pitched a perfect ninth.

After starting the home stand by exploding for 14 runs in a rout of the Pirates, the Giants managed to only equal that total over the next five games, dropping four of them.

On Sunday, Orioles starter Tyler Wells had

them flummoxed. The 6-foot-8, 28-year-old righthander set a career-high with nine strikeouts over 5-plus, holding the Giants scoreless into the sixth inning, which has been more than enough cushion for the Orioles so far this season; they improved to 25-3 when leading after six innings.

Blake Sabol provided most of the Giants’ offense Sunday with a two-run

shot that sailed well over the wall in the deepest part of the ballpark. Sabol’s home run, his seventh of the season, was measured at 426 feet and followed a one-out walk to Wilmer Flores, knocking Wells from the game. He ranks fifth among National League rookies and seventh in the majors in home runs, coming in fewer games and at-bats than all but one player.

Nick Lammers / Bay Area News Group Staff Archives Giants manager Roger Craig greets a fan at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.