Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 39

SF Giants’ Roupp diagnosed with left knee sprain, carted off field in loss to Padres

SAN DIEGO — Landen Roupp was only acting on instinct.

When Ramón Laureano smashed a comebacker in his direction, Roupp followed a basic human impulse by trying to get out of the way. Doing so sent him stumbling, putting his feet in an awkward position. The ball still banged off his right hamstring, and as he fell backwards, his left knee awkwardly bent and he immediately collapsed.

Roupp tried to rise back to his feet but fell back to the ground. The Giants’ medical staff quickly rushed to Roupp’s aid and tended to his knee. A medical cart eventually emerged from the left-field fence. Following several minutes on the ground, Roupp was helped on to the cart and he departed from the field.

In his second start back from right elbow inflammation, Roupp had sustained another injury: a left knee sprain.

San Francisco allowed four homers and played a poor game en route to losing 8-1 to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night at Petco Park, but the loss of the game was secondary to the loss of Roupp. Now, the 26-year-old will fly back to San Francisco and undergo an MRI that determines the severity of his injury and, by extension, whether he can pitch again this season.

“It’s super tough,” said shortstop Willy Adames. “It’s another thing that you go, ‘Man, that had to happen too?’ We just got him back. I feel like this was a really good moment for him to come back and rejoin the team and help us be better. Then, that happened.

“It feels like we can’t catch a break. Obviously, hopefully, it’s nothing terrible. I know it’s still going to be bad whatever it is that he has, but we’re going to wait until tomorrow to see … whatever happened to him.”

If Roupp has to miss the remainder of the season, this night would be an unfortunate end to a season where the 26-year-old established himself as a quality starter tonight.

Including tonight’s outing, one where he allowed five runs over 2 1/3 innings and surrendered two homers, Roupp own a 3.80 ERA with 100 strikeouts over 106 2/3 innings. Roupp won the fifth and final rotation spot out of spring training and emerged as the No. 3 starter in the rotation behind All-Stars Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, consistently putting the Giants in positions to win.

“I saw him right after,” said manager Bob Melvin. “You know how he is. He said, ‘I’m going to be fine.’ Just the way he is with everything.”

With Roupp likely headed to the injured list, the Giants will soon have to determine who takes his spot in the starting rotation. The team may also need a fresh bullpen arm after right-hander Tristan Beck threw four innings of relief and will likely be unavailable for the next several days.

Blade Tidwell, who was acquired in the trade that sent Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets, would’ve been a clear-cut choice based on his performance since joining the organization. Tidwell, however, is slated to undergo an MRI on Thursday after experiencing shoulder discomfort in a recent bullpen.

So, what are the Giants’ other options?

The three most viable choices down at Triple-A Sacramento are Hayden Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt and Trevor McDonald. Of those three, Birdsong and Whisenhunt have made starts for the Giants this season while McDonald has exclusively pitched for the River Cats.

On Wednesday, Birdsong made his fifth start for Sacramento since being optioned by the Giants in late July. The right-hander allowed four runs (three earned) over three innings, walking five batters in the process. Overall, Birdsong has a 5.59 ERA with the River Cats this season.

Whisenhunt recently made three starts with the Giants before being optioned back to Sacramento. The left-hander has only made one start since returning, allowing two runs and surrendering one homer over 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts to four walks.

McDonald, 24, has yet to pitch for San Francisco this season after making his major-league debut last season. The right-hander has a 5.25 ERA over 25 appearances (20 starts) with the River Cats this season but he’s fared well over his last three starts, posting a 3.00 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 18 innings.

Another option the Giants could pursue is stretching out Carson Seymour to be a starter.

Seymour has primarily been a starting pitcher for his entire professional career and made 15 starts with Sacramento this season, but he’s exclusively pitched as a reliever for San Francisco. The 26-year-old has pitched multiple innings in all but one of his nine bullpen appearances, tossing three innings of relief on four occasions.

“We’ve seen some guys,” Melvin said. “We’re kind of filtering through it right now and what we think we need here coming up too. Obviously, the bullpen was taxed a little bit, too. So, thinking about what the need is here in both the short-term and the long-term.”

SF Giants prospect Blade Tidwell to undergo MRI due to shoulder discomfort

SAN DIEGO — Blade Tidwell was knocking on the door of making his Giants debut, but now it’s possible he may have to wait until next season.

Tidwell, who is currently pitching for Triple-A Sacramento, experienced discomfort in his right shoulder following a recent bullpen session, according to manager Bob Melvin, and is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday.

The 24-year-old right-hander was one of three players that the Giants acquired in the deal that sent reliever Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets, the other two being right-hander José Buttó and outfielder Drew Gilbert.

Tidwell made his major-league debut earlier this season with the Mets and had pitched well upon joining the River Cats. Over three starts, Tidwell has posted a 1.69 ERA over three starts and struck out 23 batters over 16 innings.

With Tidwell dealing with his shoulder ailment, it’s unclear which starting pitcher is next in line to get an opportunity with San Francisco.

Hayden Birdsong, 23, has made four starts with Sacramento since being optioned in late July and is scheduled to start for the River Cats on Wednesday night. Over those four starts, Birdsong allowed nine earned runs over 16 1/3 innings (4.96 ERA) and surrendered five homers while totaling 18 strikeouts and seven walks.

Carson Whisenhunt could also be a possibility after making three starts with the Giants (5.02 ERA) before being optioned back to Sacramento. Whisenhunt has only made one start since returning to Triple-A, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings and striking out six but walking four.

There’s also right-hander Trevor McDonald, who has done well from a run prevention standpoint in August. Over his last three starts, McDonald has allowed six runs over 18 innings (3.00 ERA) with 24 strikeouts over 18 innings. It is worth noting that McDonald allowed five homers during those three starts.

Along with the starting pitchers, the Giants will have to decide whether to give top prospect Bryce Eldridge a cup of coffee in the majors prior to season’s end.

Eldridge has shown power over the last month since returning from a right hamstring strain, hitting nine home runs and posting a .529 slugging percentage over his last 28 games. While the pop has been on display, the 20-year-old has a .240 batting average and .314 slugging percentage while striking out in 33.9 percent of his plate appearances during that same stretch.

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When Buster Posey discussed Eldridge on KNBR earlier this month, the Giants’ president of baseball operations said, “I think there’s a chance, but there’s a chance he doesn’t as well.”

“He’s continuing to make strides, and we’re going to keep watching him and see where we are as we continue to move forward. Nothing’s etched in stone,” Posey said.

Catcher/infielder Jesus Rodriguez, who was part of the return from the New York Yankees in exchange for Camilo Doval, could also warrant some consideration in September when the rosters expand.

Rodriguez hasn’t found his stride at the plate since joining Sacramento, posting a .644 OPS with no homers over 14 games entering Wednesday. Rodriguez also has yet to catch since joining the River Cats, being used exclusively as a designated hitter.

Worth noting

Shortstop Willy Adames returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday after sitting on Tuesday due to right side soreness.Third baseman Matt Chapman continued to make progress as he returns from right hand inflammation, taking batting practice on the field at Petco Park prior to Wednesday night’s game.

49ers trade for Chiefs WR Skyy Moore

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers moved to fortify an injury-laden position Wednesday with the acquisition of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore.

Moore played only six games for the Chiefs last year before going on injured reserve with a core muscle injury. He had hamstring issues during training camp leading to the core injury.

The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and confirmed independently by this news organization. It includes an exchange of sixth- and seventh-round picks, an indication Moore was likely headed for release when the rosters are cut to 53 on Tuesday. The deal becomes official once Moore passes a 49ers physical.

In 2022 and 2023, Moore caught 43 passes for 494 yards and one touchdown in 30 games. He also scored a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, a 4-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes that put the Chiefs up 35-27.

In the Chiefs’ last preseason game against Seattle, Moore returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown and returned 14 punts for 86 yards as a rookie in 2022.

Moore, 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, was a second-round draft pick out of Western Michigan in 2022. In three seasons at Western Michigan, Moore caught 171 passes for 2,482 yards and 15 touchdowns. He came out for the draft after catching 95 passes for 1,292 yards and five touchdowns.

The 49ers are currently without Jauan Jennings (calf) and probably won’t have Brandon Aiyuk until the sixth game of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL/MCL.

In addition, Demarcus Robinson is expected to be suspended under the NFL’s substance abuse policy after pleading no contest, paying a fine and participating in an alcohol rehabilitation program following an arrest last November.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday on KNBR-680 the 49ers were anticipating a three-game suspension.

Also injured is second-year receiver Jacob Cowing, who missed most of camp with a hamstring strain and has aggravated that injury.

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That leaves Ricky Pearsall Jr., a first-round pick a year ago as potentially the 49ers No. 1 wide receiving option in Week 1.

Rookie fourth-round pick is Jordan Watkins out with a high ankle sprain. Other receivers on the roster include veterans Russell Gage, Robbie Chosen and Malik Turner, Terrique Owens, Isaiah Hodgins and rookie Junior Bergen, drafted primarily as a return specialist.

 

Kurtenbach: The 49ers have a big problem at wide receiver. Here are three reasonable solutions

The 49ers are in the market for a wide receiver.

And we’re not just talking about a camp body, here. They’ve signed enough of those in recent weeks.

No, San Francisco is searching for someone who can actually play a role on this team come the regular season.

According to multiple media reports, San Francisco has been working the phone lines trying to swing a trade for a wide-out. They reportedly missed out on former Houston Texan, now Philadelphia Eagle, John Metchie earlier this week.

If the Niners can strike a deal is one question.

But the fact that they’re on the prowl answers another:

No, the Niners do not, in fact, feel good about the state of their wide receiver room.

That’s a bit of a departure from where this team — or at least its head coach — stood a few weeks back.

“It’s a challenge,” Kyle Shanahan said of the team’s lack of trustworthy receivers. “There are lots of things that tie to that, who’s available, how much they’re available for, and the situation our team’s in, salary cap-wise, and what we can do. But yeah, we’re looking into everything. We’ll always try to do the best, but try not to just panic and do something to survive a tough situation at the expense of what would really hurt you later in this year and definitely next year.”

But it sure seems as if the Niners are panicking a bit.

And I don’t blame them. This situation is looking more and more dire by the day.

Let’s take inventory:

This team’s top receiver is Ricky Pearsall, in his second season and first, honest-to-goodness NFL training camp. If not for his emergence as a viable go-to option, the Niners would be operating at Defcon 1 right now.

Let’s call this situation at hand Defcon 2, as in this team lacks a No. 2 receiver at least for the first three weeks of the campaign. A vital three weeks, it should be noted, as there are two division games in that span.

The Niners can trust Pearsall, but they cannot trust that last season’s No. 1, Jauan Jennings, will come back into the fold anytime soon. Calf injuries are finicky, and the risk of an Achilles rupture from them is dramatically high. Seeing as this is the same calf he injured last season, there’s no timetable for his return this summer.t

The team needed him back yesterday, but with less than three weeks until the Niners’ season opener in Seattle — that’s eight, maybe nine practices remaining — the most Jennings has shown in public is some walking around on a side field Tuesday. That doesn’t suggest that he’ll be out there against the Seahawks.

We know that Brandon Aiyuk won’t be activated until temperatures drop in the Bay, and there’s no indication that DeMarcus Robinson will avoid a three-game suspension following a November 2024 DUI. Shanahan said earlier this month that Robinson is in an “appeal process,” but seeing as he pled no-contest in July to a charge that carries an automatic NFL suspension, it’s difficult to imagine a circumstance where he’s able to avoid or even limit punishment.

Rookie Jordan Watkins has a high ankle sprain that is likely to keep him out until at least September.

Then came Jacob Cowing’s latest injury. Cowing returned to practice last week after a hamstring sprain that sidelined him for the first three-plus weeks of camp, and then he picked up another hamstring injury in Tuesday’s practice.

Cowing hadn’t done anything worthy of note in his limited practice time, but after a good mini-camp and OTA stretch, there was some optimism he could leap in year two of his NFL career.

Let’s all take a moment to wave goodbye to that optimism. Cowing appears to be on the Drake Jackson track in Santa Clara.

And those are merely the issues that are known at the moment. Who knows what might have happened behind the scenes while I was writing this column?

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As it stands, the Niners are left with a presumed Week 1 depth chart of Pearsall, Russell Gage, Isaiah Hodgins, and rookie punt returner Junior Bergen. Even Pearsall looking like the truth and Gage and Hodgins proving to be helpful pros, that’s probably the worst receiver room in the NFL.

Of course, that state isn’t permanent, but the Niners’ constant state of flux at the position has made it clear: San Francisco cannot stand pat. General manager John Lynch needs to go get someone.

Ignore the big names at the position — the Niners aren’t looking for anything bold here; Aiyuk, Jennings, and Watkins are expected to play this year, after all. And if there were a viable free agent (Gabe Davis, Amari Cooper), they’d have been signed by now.

But here’s some good news: the trade market is robust this time of year, and if you’re looking for a depth receiver — a dependable pro you can keep on your roster for 17 weeks — there are decent options that won’t cost anything more than a forgettable Day 3 draft pick.

Seeing as the Niners can’t out and trade for Packers’ now-cornerback Bo Melton (yes, they changed his position and it’s apparently going well), there are three names I suspect are at the top of the 49ers’ attainable wishlist:

1. Kendrick Bourne, New England

Bourne has been injured since Aug. 1. He already sounds like a Niner, no? But in his time sidelined, the Pats’ new coaching staff has gotten a good look at their young stable of receivers. I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to move on from Bourne, who has two years left on his three-year, $19 million contract, but has no guaranteed money this year or next. The Niners would need strong assurances that Bourne is healthy and ready to play, but given his history with Shanahan, a late-August transition shouldn’t hold back a trade. I bet he’d only cost a forgettable pick swap.

2. Rakim Jarrett, Tampa Bay

The Bucs have a strong receiver room, and the unsurprising emergence of rookie Emeka Egbuka has left a handful of more experienced players expendable. Between Jarrett and Trey Palmer, I’d bet on Jarrett, a former five-star recruit whose limitations in Tampa have been tied to injury, not performance. The Niners have enough blocking in the receiver room — they need someone with the ability to make a big play from the X receiver spot. Jarrett might be able to do just that. The Niners missed out on Metchie, but Jarrett is a nice consolation prize.

3. Mecole Hardman, Green Bay

The former Chief signed a modest contract with the Packers this offseason, only to see the Packers’ receiver room become the deepest in the NFL (don’t confuse that with best) with two early draft picks, including first-rounder Matthew Golden, added in the subsequent weeks. Hardman seems limited to punt returner in Green Bay, and it wouldn’t be surprising if both parties agreed to part before the start of the season. For the Niners, Hardman can be another gadget player to complement Pearsall (who will be picking up a lot of what remains of the Deebo Samuel playbook). Seeing as Hardman has burned the 49ers every time they’ve played, I’d have to presume he’s held in high regard in Santa Clara. The real hold-up here would be the unlikeness of a Packers-49ers trade. Rivals rarely do deals.

Federal Reserve official says she won’t be ‘bullied’ by Trump into resigning

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook late Wednesday said she wouldn’t leave her post after Trump on social media called on her to resign over an accusation from one his officials that she committed mortgage fraud.

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“I have no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet,” Cook said in a statement issued by the Fed.

Bill Pulte, the head of the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and a Trump appointee, alleged on the X social media platform early Wednesday that Cook had claimed two primary residences — in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Atlanta — in 2021 to get better mortgage terms. Mortgage rates are often higher on second homes or those purchased to rent.

Trump followed up Pulte’s accusation by calling on Cook to resign, in the latest effort by the administration to exert greater control over one of the few remaining independent agencies in Washington. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, for not cutting its short-term interest rate, and even threatened to fire him.

If Cook is forced off the Fed’s governing board, it would provide Trump an opportunity to appoint a loyalist. Trump has said he would only appoint officials who would support cutting rates.

Pulte urged the Justice Department to investigate Cook, who was appointed to the Fed’s governing board by former president Joe Biden in 2022. She was reappointed the following year to a term that lasts until 2038, the longest remaining term among the seven governors.

Cook also said, “I do intend to take any questions about my financial history seriously as a member of the Federal Reserve and so I am gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions and provide the facts.”

Pulte, in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, said that on June 18, 2021, Cook purchased a home in Ann Arbor and then two weeks later bought a condo in Atlanta. Before joining the Fed, Cook taught at Michigan State University. Pulte also charged that Cook has listed her condo in Atlanta for rent.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

FILE – Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook, speaks during a conversations with leaders from organizations that include nonprofits, small businesses, manufacturing, supply chain management, the hospitality industry, and the housing and education sectors at the Federal Reserve building, Sept. 23, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Just last month, Trump blasted Powell for the ballooning cost of the renovation of two of the Fed’s headquarters buildings, even suggesting that the run-up in costs could constitute a firing offense. He backed off his threats to fire Powell after receiving a tour of the project.

Pulte also suggested that Cook’s alleged actions could constitute a fireable offense. Fed officials are protected by law from being removed by a president, except “for cause,” which is generally seen as some kind of malfeasance or dereliction of duty.

Either way, if Trump seeks to fire Cook, it could lead to a court battle over a president’s power to remove Fed governors.

Senate Democrats, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, expressed support for Cook and slammed Trump’s actions.

“Trump is a liar. Lisa Cook—stand tough and don’t let Trump intimidate you,” Schumer wrote in a post on social media platform X.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement that Trump “has been scrambling for a pretext to intimidate or fire Chair Powell and members of the Federal Reserve Board while blaming anyone but himself for how his failed economic policies are hurting Americans.”

Trump will be able to replace Chair Jerome Powell in May 2026, when Powell’s term expires. Yet 12 members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee have a vote on whether to raise or lower interest rates, so even replacing the Chair doesn’t guarantee that Fed policy will shift the way Trump wants.

But the more members of the Fed’s governing board that Trump can appoint, the more control he will be able to assert over the Fed, which has long been considered independent from day-to-day politics.

All seven members of the Fed’s governing board are able to vote on rate decisions. The other five voters include the president of the Fed’s New York branch and a rotating group of four of the presidents of the Fed’s other 11 regional branches.

Trump appointed two members of the Fed’s board in his first term, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman. Both dissented July 30 from the central bank’s decision to keep its rate unchanged, in favor of a rate cut.

Another Fed governor, Adriana Kugler, stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 1, and Trump has nominated one of his economic advisers, Stephen Miran, to fill out the remainder of her term until January.

If Trump is able to replace Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Fed’s board, as well as Kugler, that would give him a clear majority on the board of governors. If Powell leaves the board when his term as chair ends next May, then Trump will be able to fill a fifth spot. However, Powell could stay on the board until early 2028 after finishing his term as chair.

The presidents of the regional Federal Reserve banks are selected by the boards of directors of those banks, but are subject to the approval of the Fed’s board of governors. The terms of all 12 of the regional Fed presidents end next February.

Trump has for months demanded that the Federal Reserve reduce the short-term interest rate it controls, which currently stands at about 4.3%. He has also repeatedly insulted Powell, who has said that the Fed would like to see more evidence of how the economy evolves in response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs before making any moves. Powell has also said the duties threaten to raise inflation and slow growth.

Trump says that a lower rate would reduce the government’s borrowing costs on $37 trillion in debt and boost the housing market by reducing mortgage rates. Yet mortgage borrowing costs and other interest rates, including many of the ones the government pays, do not always follow the Fed’s rate decisions.

The Trump administration has made similar claims of mortgage fraud against Democrats that Trump has attacked, including California Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Vistra prepares to remove damaged batteries, EPA updating public in September

SALINAS — Crews are onsite at Vistra’s Moss Landing Battery Storage facility, where a long-awaited cleanup effort has begun of the Jan. 16 fire.

Kelsey Scanlon, director of the Monterey County Emergency Management Department, gave a brief update Tuesday to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on the process with plans to give a more detailed presentation Sept. 16 alongside officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

During Tuesday’s regular Board of Supervisors meeting, Scanlon reported that since her last update on July 17, the EPA and Vistra finalized an enforceable agreement. Following the agreement, work has started on site, including structural stabilization of the remaining walls and partial demolition to allow safe access. Crews are conducting targeted demolition, clearing access points and adding structural supports to prepare for battery removal, which is expected to start in September.

Crews have been working to remove undamaged batteries from the Moss 300 building that was destroyed in the fire, but none of the damaged batteries have been removed yet because of risks of another flare-up like the one on Feb. 18.

Air monitoring and perimeter controls are already in place and will remain active throughout the process. The EPA has also launched a webpage for updates at readymontereycounty.org under the debris removal section and is developing a community involvement plan based on interviews with local residents.

Meanwhile, soil sampling conducted between May and June across Moss Landing and parts of North County is still under review. Preliminary results, delayed due to complex pollutant analysis, were received July 28. A technical report from the contractor TerraPhase is expected within 30 days and will be posted online once verified by county experts.

Phase two of the sampling program is already underway. A revised work plan submitted Aug. 11 expands testing to include pore water sampling at selected sites. Surface water and sediment testing is expected to begin in late August or early September, with results anticipated later this year.

The county’s environmental reporting timeline includes; soil sampling results in November, sediment and surface water data in December, and a preliminary environmental analysis with health and ecological risk screenings by the end of the year.

All findings will be reviewed by county and state experts, including toxicologists.

But not everyone is satisfied with the pace or transparency. Ed Mitchell, co-founder of Never Again Moss Landing, criticized the lack of public information about pollutants released during the Jan. 16 fire. He said residents still haven’t received a list of contaminants or their concentrations.

Mitchell’s group has asked the EPA to release sample results from what they call “ground zero,” a 700-foot-long pile of residue left behind by the fire. However, they say the agency released its cleanup agreement with Vistra, but no pollution data.

Last week, the group sent a letter to the EPA’s on-site coordinator requesting a full list of hazardous materials and sample results. Copies were also sent to elected officials and environmental groups. Mitchell said at least one state assembly member has since contacted the EPA.

Scanlon said more detailed information will be shared at the Sept. 16 briefing, including addressing residents’ concerns.

Appeals court allows Trump to end temporary protections for migrants from Central America and Nepal

By JANIE HAR, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration and halted for now a lower court’s order that had kept in place temporary protections for 60,000 migrants from Central America and Nepal.

This means that the Republican administration can move toward removing an estimated 7,000 people from Nepal whose Temporary Protected Status designations expired Aug. 5. The TPS designations and legal status of 51,000 Hondurans and 3,000 Nicaraguans are set to expire Sept. 8, at which point they will become eligible for removal.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco granted the emergency stay pending an appeal as immigrants rights advocates allege that the administration acted unlawfully in ending Temporary Protected Status designations for people from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal.

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“The district court’s order granting plaintiffs’ motion to postpone, entered July 31, 2025, is stayed pending further order of this court,” wrote the judges, who are appointees of Democrat Bill Clinton and Republicans George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

Temporary Protected Status is a designation that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary, preventing migrants from being deported and allowing them to work. The Trump administration has aggressively sought to remove the protection, thus making more people eligible for removal. It’s part of a wider effort by the administration to carry out mass deportations of immigrants.

Secretary Kristi Noem can extend Temporary Protected Status to immigrants in the U.S. if conditions in their homelands are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions.

Immigrants rights advocates say TPS holders from Nepal have lived in the U.S. for more than a decade while people from Honduras and Nicaragua have lived in the country for 26 years, after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 devastated both countries.

“The Trump administration is systematically de-documenting immigrants who have lived lawfully in this country for decades, raising U.S.-citizen children, starting businesses, and contributing to their communities,” said Jessica Bansal, attorney at the National Day Laborer Organization, in a statement.

Noem ended the programs after determining that conditions no longer warranted protections.

In a sharply written July 31 order, U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson in San Francisco kept the protections in place while the case proceeds. The next hearing is Nov. 18.

She said the administration ended the migrant status protections without an “objective review of the country conditions,” such as political violence in Honduras and the impact of recent hurricanes and storms in Nicaragua.

In response, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary at DHS, said, “TPS was never meant to be a de facto asylum system, yet that is how previous administrations have used it for decades.”

The Trump administration has already terminated TPS designations for about 350,000 Venezuelans, 500,000 Haitians, more than 160,000 Ukrainians and thousands of people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Some have pending lawsuits in federal courts.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that Noem’s decisions are unlawful because they were predetermined by President Donald Trump’s campaign promises and motivated by racial animus.

But Drew Ensign, a U.S. deputy assistant attorney general, said at a hearing Tuesday that the government suffers an ongoing irreparable harm from its “inability to carry out the programs that it has determined are warranted.”

In May, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS designations for Venezuelans. The justices provided no rationale, which is common in emergency appeals, and did not rule on the underlying claims.

Regent’s Slide stabilization effective, repairs advance at Highway 1 site

BIG SUR – Slope stabilization efforts at Regent’s Slide on Highway 1 have been effective in helping sustained excavation activity at the site where traffic along the Big Sur Coast remains blocked.

Regent’s Slide — at post mile 27.8, and about 40 miles south of Carmel — has blocked travelers along the famed coast highway through Monterey County since it occurred Feb. 9, 2024. Crews began top-down removal of slide material on April 30, 2024. Regent’s Slide originated 450 feet above the roadway, displacing material that engulfed Highway 1 and continued down to the beach and ocean below.

Over time, continued slide activity in and around the repair site, along with the height, steepness and instability of the slide area, has been a challenge crews have faced, sometimes bringing work to a halt. The introduction of remote-controlled equipment at the site allowed operators to take more risk while increasing production and worker safety.

By May of this year, crews began installing dozens of shear dowels, steel bars about 60 feet in length, into the slope above the work area. The shear dowels are drilled into the slope and grouted in place in a 10-foot by 10- foot grid fashion.

The primary function of shear dowels is to reinforce the slope by increasing its internal shear strength. By anchoring the unstable soil layers to more stable underlying materials, they help resist the forces that can cause landslides. This method is particularly effective in areas where traditional excavation or grading is not feasible due to environmental concerns or terrain challenges.

This engineering strategy allowed other phases of the repair to begin and provided a safer environment for workers, said Caltrans in a previous report. Last month it said the slope had been reinforced with 20 miles of steel bars and eight million pounds of cement — enough cement to fill 533 trucks and enough steel to stretch halfway to Carmel.

Full-scale excavation work has continued at Regent’s Slide since mid-July with crews able to sustain production in part due to the effectiveness of the installation of the thousands of shear dowels.

Data from an array of monitoring equipment has confirmed that the shear dowels are having the intended effect of mitigating further slide activity which has been a characteristic feature of repairs at Regent’s Slide, said Caltrans. As the top-down excavation advances, crews will continue to install shear dowels in the cut slope behind them, providing immediate and long-term reinforcement of the slope. Since mid-July, crews have installed an additional 1,500 dowels, bringing the overall total number of installed shear dowels to 3,500.

Excavation work is advancing with the combined use of both conventional and the remote-controlled equipment, which includes two large bulldozers and one excavator, and remains an integral component to the advancement of excavation and removal of slide material. Even as seasonal patchy coastal fog has intermittently cut into full production, crews continue to work seven days a week and extended hours on these repair efforts.

Caltrans remains in a position to announce a refreshed date for the full reopening of Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide in mid-September.

Once work at Regent’s Slide is complete, it would open up Highway 1 to direct travel between Carmel and Cambria.

Currently, visitors coming from the north are able to travel to Big Sur, its businesses and surrounding area up to the northern-most closure point at Lime Creek — post mile 32.1 — just south of the Esalen Institute, while travelers from the communities of Cambria, San Simeon and the south coast continue to be within reach from Southern California up to the southern-most closure point at south of Vicente Creek Bridge at post mile 25.3.

There is a 6.8-mile-wide segment of Highway 1 between the two turnaround points that remains inaccessible to through traffic due to the ongoing repair work at Regent’s Slide.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5.

At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says

By MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are receiving permanent termination notices in the wake of a recent court decision that protected some CDC employees from layoffs but not others.

The notices went out this week and many people have not yet received them, according to the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 2,000 dues-paying members at CDC.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AFGE officials said they are aware of at least 600 employees being cut.

But “due to a staggering lack of transparency from HHS,” the union hasn’t received formal notices of who is being laid off,” the federation said in a statement on Wednesday.

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The permanent cuts include about 100 people who worked in violence prevention. Some employees noted those cuts come less than two weeks after a man fired at least 180 bullets into the CDC’s campus and killed a police officer.

“The irony is devastating: The very experts trained to understand, interrupt and prevent this kind of violence were among those whose jobs were eliminated,” some of the affected employees wrote in a blog post last week.

On April 1, the HHS officials sent layoff notices to thousands of employees at the CDC and other federal health agencies, part of a sweeping overhaul designed to vastly shrink the agencies responsible for protecting and promoting Americans’ health.

Many have been on administrative leave since then — paid but not allowed to work — as lawsuits played out.

A federal judge in Rhode Island last week issued a preliminary ruling that protected employees in several parts of the CDC, including groups dealing with smoking, reproductive health, environmental health, workplace safety, birth defects and sexually transmitted diseases.

But the ruling did not protect other CDC employees, and layoffs are being finalized across other parts of the agency, including in the freedom of information office. The terminations were effective as of Monday, employees were told.

Affected projects included work to prevent rape, child abuse and teen dating violence. The laid-off staff included people who have helped other countries to track violence against children — an effort that helped give rise to an international conference in November at which countries talked about setting violence-reduction goals.

“There are nationally and internationally recognized experts that will be impossible to replace,” said Tom Simon, the retired senior director for scientific programs at the CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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