Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 40

Teng’s command issues persist as SF Giants fall to Padres

SAN DIEGO — Roughly a week ago, Kai-Wei Teng and Nick Pivetta faced off at Oracle Park in what ended up being a 10-run loss for the Giants. There would be no blowout on Tuesday night at Petco Park, but the result was the same.

Teng had a promising beginning but faded in the fourth. Pivetta struck out 10 batters over six innings. Jung Hoo Lee’s leadoff homer was San Francisco’s only offense. The defense committed two errors. Those pieces added up to a 5-1 loss to San Diego, dropping San Francisco to 61-65 on the season.

“It looked like his stuff was better,” Melvin said. “He was getting ahead. He was getting different swings. Obviously, goes out for the fourth, hit a couple of guys and it kind of got away from him.”

Teng has given away his share of free bases during his four appearances with the Giants this season. Over 13 1/3 innings, Teng has totaled three hit batters and nine walks. Those issues cropped up in the bottom of the fourth, shortening what had been a promising start.

The right-hander began the inning by allowing a single to Ryan O’Hearn then plunking Xander Bogaerts in the hand with an errant changeup. After getting Ramon Laureano to hit into a force out, Teng loaded the bases by hitting Gavin Sheets in the shin with a curveball. Jose Iglesias gave the Padres a 2-1 lead with an RBI single, and Teng’s evening was done.

“The first three innings, I thought it was pretty good,” Teng said through team interpreter Andy Lin. “In the fourth inning, it was unfortunate I had two hit-by-pitches. That was the only part that I’m frustrated with myself.”

Pivetta, by contrast, had a couple more innings left in the tank. After allowing one run over 6 2/3 innings last Wednesday in San Francisco, Pivetta only allowed one run over six innings in San Diego. Melvin attributed Pivetta’s four-seam fastball, which generated four whiffs and five called strikes, as one of the main reasons for the right-hander’s effectiveness.

“(His fastball) looks good at certain levels,” Melvin said. “When you have that kind of vertical (movement), it’s easier said than done to stay on top of it.”

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Teng’s overall poor performance (8.78 ERA) could give the team an opportunity to call up right-hander Blade Tidwell from Triple-A Sacramento. Tidwell has impressed during his brief time in the Giants’ system after being acquired in the deal that sent Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets. Over three starts, Tidwell has a 1.69 ERA with 23 strikeouts over 16 innings.

Melvin said following the loss that he was unsure if Teng would receive another start.

Lee, who also doubled, generated the Giants’ only run of the night against Pivetta with a leadoff homer that gave the Giants an instant 1-0 lead. The center fielder has heated up in August, posting a .345/.417/.632 slash line over 17 games with one homer, two triples and seven doubles.

“Whatever the pitcher gives me, I’m trying to swing at the pitch at the perfect timing,” Lee said through team interpreter Justin Han. “Sometimes, you get that perfect timing. With the pull power, it just comes through naturally.”

SF Giants’ Adames out of Tuesday’s lineup due to right side soreness

SAN DIEGO — Shortstop Willy Adames is not in the starting lineup for the Giants’ Tuesday night matchup against the San Diego Padres due to right side soreness, per manager Bob Melvin.

“You can see it on some of the swings the last couple days,” Melvin said. “He wants to play. It was a bit of a fist fight to talk him out of it. You don’t mess with a side, oblique kind of thing.”

Infielder Christian Koss, who is hitting .272 with three home runs and three steals this season, is slated to start in Adames’ place. Koss has primarily spent time at second base this season, playing only 12 innings at shortstop in the majors.

Per Melvin, the ailment has impacted Adames’ production at the plate in recent days. Over 16 games in August, Adames is hitting a paltry .123/.197/.262 with 25 strikeouts over 71 plate appearances (35.2%). In July, by contrast, Adames had a slash line of .337/.422/.674 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs, far and away his most productive month as a Giant.

Adames leads the Giants in games played (124) this season entering Tuesday. The 29-year-old has missed only one other game this season, sitting on June 8 against the Atlanta Braves at home as part of a scheduled off day.

Later this week, Adames will return to Milwaukee for the first time since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract to join the Giants. He spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Brewers. During his time in Milwaukee, Adames had a .780 OPS with 107 home runs and 348 RBIs over 548 games.

Miller shut down for two weeks

Left-handed reliever Erik Miller (left elbow sprain) underwent an MRI on Monday that revealed inflammation in his left elbow, the Giants announced.

“Unfortunately, it just kind of got back to where we have to be careful with it,” Melvin said.

Miller will be re-evaluated after being shut down for two weeks. Given where the Giants are in the calendar, there’s a possibility that Miller doesn’t pitch in the majors again this season.

“If you do the math, two weeks then we’re in September,” Melvin said. “(He’d have to) ramp it back up a little bit. We’ll see.”

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Miller, who has a 1.50 ERA over 30 innings this season, landed on the injury list on July 5 and did not make his first rehab appearance until Aug. 8. The left-hander was nearing his return but felt discomfort in his elbow following his outing with Triple-A Sacramento on Aug. 15.

In Miller’s absence, Joey Lucchesi and Matt Gage have served as the Giants’ left-handed presences in the bullpen. Lucchesi, a Newark native, owns a 3.13 ERA over 23 innings, while Gage is posting a 0.45 ERA over 20 innings.

Chapman continues making progress

Matt Chapman (right hand inflammation) hit soft toss and off a batting tee on Tuesday, and is scheduled to take batting practice on the field in San Diego on Wednesday. On Monday, Chapman took grounders on the field prior to the Giants’ 4-3 win. Chapman was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 15 (retroactive to August 13) and could potentially miss the minimum amount of time.

‘Pure partisan advantage’: Trump leverages presidential power to help his party in the 2026 midterms

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI

President Donald Trump has made clear in recent weeks that he’s willing to use the vast powers of his office to prevent his party from losing control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections.

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Some of the steps Trump has taken to intervene in the election are typical, but controversial, political maneuvers taken to his trademark extremes. That includes pushing Republican lawmakers in Texas and other conservative-controlled states to redraw their legislative maps to expand the number of U.S. House seats favorable to the GOP.

Others involve the direct use of official presidential power in ways that have no modern precedent, such as ordering his Department of Justice to investigate the main liberal fundraising entity, ActBlue. The department also is demanding the detailed voter files from each state in an apparent attempt to look for ineligible voters on a vast scale.

And on Monday, Trump posted a falsehood-filled rant on social media pledging to lead a “movement” to outlaw voting machines and mail balloting, the latter of which has become a mainstay of Democratic voting since Trump pushed Republicans to avoid it in 2020 — before flipping on the issue ahead of last year’s presidential election.

The individual actions add up to an unprecedented attempt by a sitting president to interfere in a critical election before it’s even held, moves that have raised alarms among those concerned about the future of U.S. democracy.

“Those are actions that you don’t see in healthy democracies,” said Ian Bassin, executive director of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan organization that has sued the Trump administration. “Those are actions you see in authoritarian states.”

Trump has already tried to overturn an election

Bassin noted that presidents routinely stump for their party in midterm elections and try to bolster incumbents by steering projects and support to their districts. But he said Trump’s history is part of what’s driving alarm about the midterms.

He referenced Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which ended with a violent assault on the Capitol by his supporters.

“The one thing we know for certain from experience in 2020 is that this is a person who will use every measure and try every tactic to stay in power, regardless of the outcome of an election,” Bassin said.

He noted that in 2020, Trump was checked by elected Republicans in Congress and statehouses who refused to bend the rules, along with members of his own administration and even military leaders who distanced themselves from the defeated incumbent. In his second term, the president has locked down near-total loyalty from the GOP and stacked the administration with loyalists.

The incumbent president’s party normally loses seats in Congress during midterm elections. That’s what happened to Trump in 2018, when Democrats won enough seats to take back the House of Representatives, stymieing the president’s agenda and eventually leading to his two impeachments.

Trump has said he doesn’t want a repeat.

He also has argued that his actions are actually attempts to preserve democracy. Repeating baseless allegations of fraud, he said Monday during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that “you can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots.” Earlier this month, Trump said that, because he handily won Texas in the 2024 presidential election, “we are entitled to five more seats.”

An attempt to engineer GOP control of the US House

Republicans currently have a three-seat margin in the House of Representatives. Trump pushed Texas Republicans to redraw their congressional map to create up to five new winnable GOP seats and is lobbying other red states, including Indiana and Missouri, to take similar steps to pad the margin even more.

The Texas Legislature is likely to vote on its map on Wednesday. There’s no guarantee that Trump’s gambit will work, but also no legal prohibition against fiddling with maps in those states for partisan advantage. In response, California Democrats are moving forward with their own redistricting effort as a way to counter Republicans in Texas.

Mid-decade map adjustments have happened before, though usually in response to court orders rather than presidents openly hoping to manufacture more seats for their party. Larry Diamond, a political scientist at Stanford University, said there’s a chance the redrawing of House districts won’t succeed as Trump anticipates — but could end up motivating Democratic voters.

Still, Diamond said he’s concerned. “It’s the overall pattern that’s alarming and that the reason to do this is for pure partisan advantage,” he said of Trump’s tactic.

Diamond noted that in 2019 he wrote a book about a “12-step” process to turn a democracy into an autocracy, and “the last step in the process is to rig the electoral process.”

The Justice Department acts on Trump’s priorities

Trump has required loyalty from all levels of his administration and demanded that the Department of Justice follow his directives. One of those was to probe ActBlue, an online portal that raised hundreds of millions of dollars in small-dollar donations for Democratic candidates over two decades.

The site was so successful that Republicans launched a similar venture, called WinRed. Trump, notably, did not order a federal probe into WinRed.

Trump’s appointees at the Department of Justice also have demanded voting data from at least 19 states, as Trump continues to insist he actually won the 2020 election and proposed a special prosecutor to investigate that year’s vote tally. Much as he did before winning the 2024 election, Trump has baselessly implied that Democrats may rig upcoming vote counts against him.

In at least two of those states, California and Minnesota, the DOJ followed up with election officials last week, threatening legal action if they didn’t hand over their voter registration lists by this Thursday, according to letters shared with The Associated Press. Neither state — both controlled by Democrats — has responded publicly.

Attempts to interfere with voting and elections

Trump’s threat this week to end mail voting and do away with voting machines is just his latest attempt to sway how elections are run. An executive order he signed earlier this year sought documented proof of citizenship to register to vote, among other changes, though much of it has been blocked by courts.

In the days leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol to reverse his 2020 loss, Trump’s allies proposed having the military seize voting machines to investigate purported fraud, even though Trump’s own attorney general said there was no evidence of significant wrongdoing.

The Constitution says states and Congress, rather than the president, set the rules for elections, so it’s unclear what Trump could do to make his promises a reality. But election officials saw them as an obvious sign of his 2026 interests.

“Let’s see this for what it really is: An attempt to change voting going into the midterms because he’s afraid the Republicans will lose,” wrote Ann Jacobs, the Democratic chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, on X.

The president has very few levers to influence an election

Derek Muller, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, said the idea of seizing voting machines in 2020 was a sign of how few levers the president has to influence an election, not of his power. Under the U.S. Constitution, elections are run by states and only Congress can “alter” the procedures — and, even then, for federal races alone.

“It’s a deeply decentralized system,” Muller said.

There are fewer legal constraints on presidential powers, such as criminal investigations and deployment of law enforcement and military resources, Muller noted. But, he added, people usually err in forecasting election catastrophes.

He noted that in 2022 and 2024, a wide range of experts braced for violence, disruption and attempts to overturn losses by Trump allies, and no serious threats materialized.

“One lesson I’ve learned in decades of doing this is people are often preparing for the last election rather than what actually happens in the new ones,” Muller said.

Immigrants seeking lawful work and citizenship are now subject to ‘anti-Americanism’ screening

By COREY WILLIAMS and VALERIE GONZALEZ

Immigrants seeking a legal pathway to live and work in the United States will now be subject to screening for “anti-Americanism’,” authorities said Tuesday, raising concerns among critics that it gives officers too much leeway in rejecting foreigners based on a subjective judgment.

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said officers will now consider whether an applicant for benefits, such as a green card, “endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused” anti-American, terrorist or antisemitic views.

“America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies,” Matthew Tragesser, USCIS spokesman, said in a statement. “Immigration benefits—including to live and work in the United States—remain a privilege, not a right.”

It isn’t specified what constitutes anti-Americanism and it isn’t clear how and when the directive would be applied.

“The message is that the U.S. and immigration agencies are going to be less tolerant of anti-Americanism or antisemitism when making immigration decisions,” Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for immigration restrictions, said on Tuesday.

Jacobs said the government is being more explicit in the kind of behaviors and practices officers should consider, but emphasized that discretion is still in place. “The agency cannot tell officers that they have to deny — just to consider it as a negative discretion,” she said.

Critics worry the policy update will allow for more subjective views of what is considered anti-American and allow an officer’s personal bias to cloud his or her judgment.

“For me, the really big story is they are opening the door for stereotypes and prejudice and implicit bias to take the wheel in these decisions. That’s really worrisome,” said Jane Lilly Lopez, associate professor of sociology at Brigham Young University.

The policy changes follow others recently implemented since the start of the Trump administration including social media vetting and the most recent addition of assessing applicants seeking naturalization for ‘good moral character’. That will not only consider “not simply the absence of misconduct” but also factor the applicant’s positive attributes and contributions.

“It means you are going to just do a whole lot more work to provide evidence that you meet our standards,” Lopez said.

Experts disagree on the constitutionality of the policy involving people who are not U.S. citizens and their freedom of speech. Jacobs, of the Center for Immigration Studies, said First Amendment rights do not extend to people outside the U.S. or who are not U.S. citizens.

Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, believes the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution protects all people in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, against government encroachment. “A lot of this administration’s activities infringe on constitutional rights and do need to be resolved, ultimately, in courts,” Robinson added.

Attorneys are advising clients to adjust their expectations.

“People need to understand that we have a different system today and a lot more things that apply to U.S. citizens are not going to apply to somebody who’s trying to enter the United States,” said Jaime Diez, an immigration attorney based in Brownsville, Texas.

Jonathan Grode, managing partner of Green and Spiegel immigration law firm, said the policy update was not unexpected considering how the Trump administration approaches immigration.

“This is what was elected. They’re allowed to interpret the rules the way they want,” Grode said. “The policy always to them is to shrink the strike zone. The law is still the same.”

Nebraska announces plan for immigration detention center dubbed the ‘Cornhusker Clink’

By JOSH FUNK

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska announced plans Tuesday for an immigration detention center in the remote southwest corner of the state as President Donald Trump’s administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations.

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The facility will be dubbed the “Cornhusker Clink,” a play on Nebraska’s nickname of the Cornhusker State and an old slang term for jail. The alliterative name follows in the vein of the previously announced “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” detention centers in Florida and the “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana.

Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said he and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had agreed to use an existing minimum security prison work camp in McCook — a remote city of about 7,000 people in the middle of the wide-open prairies between Denver and Omaha — to house people awaiting deportation and being held for other immigration proceedings. It’s expected to be a Midwest hub for detainees from several states.

“This is about keeping Nebraskans – and Americans across our country – safe,” Pillen said in a statement.

The facility can accommodate 200 people with plans to expand to 300. McCook is about 210 miles west of Lincoln, the state capital.

Southwest Nebraska will host an immigration detention center. (AP Digital Embed)

“If you are in America illegally, you could find yourself in Nebraska’s Cornhusker Clink. Avoid arrest and self deport now using the CBP Home App,” Noem said in a separate statement.

Noem’s agency posted a picture on social media showing ears of corn wearing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats, standing in front of a prison fence.

The governor said later at a news conference in McCook that the center will have the advantage of being located at an existing facility and near a regional airport. He told reporters he didn’t know if the center would house women as well as men or if children could be held there. He said he first learned the federal government was interested in the facility on Friday.

Pillen also announced he would order the Nebraska National Guard to provide administrative and logistical support to Nebraska-based immigration agents. About 20 soldiers will be involved. And he said the Nebraska State Patrol would allow six troopers to help federal immigration agents make arrests.

Adding detention facilities to hold growing number of immigrants arrested

The Trump administration is adding new detention facilities across the country to hold the growing number of immigrants it has arrested and accused of being in the country illegally. ICE centers were holding more than 56,000 immigrants in June, the most since 2019.

The new and planned facilities include the remote detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” which opened last month. It’s designed to hold up to 3,000 detainees in temporary tent structures. When Trump toured it, he suggested it could be a model for future lockups nationwide.

The Florida facility also been the subject of legal challenges by attorneys who allege violations of due process there, including the rights of detainees to meet with their attorneys, limited access to immigration courts and poor living conditions. Critics have been trying to stop further construction and operations until it comes into compliance with federal environmental laws.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week that his administration is preparing to open a second facility, dubbed “Deportation Depot,” at a state prison in north Florida. It’s expected to have 1,300 immigration beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000, state officials said.

Also last week, officials in the rural Tennessee town of Mason voted to approve agreements to turn a former prison into an immigration detention facility operated by a private company, despite loud objections from residents and activists during a contentious public meeting.

And the Trump administration announced plans earlier this month for a 1,000-bed detention center in Indiana that would be dubbed “Speedway Slammer,” prompting a backlash in the Midwestern state that hosts the Indianapolis 500 auto race.

Corrections director Rob Jeffreys said the 186 inmates currently at the McCook work camp will be transferred to other state facilities over the next 45 to 60 days. The repurposed facility will be run by the state but will be paid for by the federal government. He said it’s already set up and accredited to hold prisoners, so detainees won’t be housed in tents or other temporary quarters.

The Nebraska plan has already raised concerns

In a video posted to social media, state Sen. Megan Hunt, an independent, blasted a lack of transparency about plans for a detention center, citing her unfulfilled request to the governor and executive branch for emails and other records.

She urged people to support local immigrant rights groups.

Emily Pietrzak holds a sign that reads “ICE=Gestapo” as other protesters gather outside the Nebraska governor’s office in Lincoln, Neb., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. “I believe our government is hurting people who live in our country and I think we should stand up for each other,” she said. (AP Photo/Josh Funk)

“The No. 1 thing we need to do is protect our neighbors, protect the people in our communities who are being targeted by these horrible people, these horrible organizations that are making choices to lock up, detain, disappear our neighbors and families and friends,” Hunt said.

Around a half-dozen protesters sat in the hallway outside the governor’s office Tuesday afternoon making signs that said, “No Nazi Nebraska” and “ICE = Gestapo.”

Maghie Miller-Jenkins of Lincoln said she doesn’t think an ICE detention center is a good idea, adding the state should tackle problems like child hunger and homelessness. “This state has numerous things they could focus on that would benefit the constituents,” she said.

Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jack Dura in Fargo, North Dakota, and Scott McFetridge in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this story.

US appeals court blocks New Mexico’s 7-day waiting period on gun purchases

By MORGAN LEE

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A panel of federal appellate judges ruled Tuesday that New Mexico’s seven-day waiting period on gun purchases likely infringes on citizens’ Second Amendment rights, putting the law on hold pending a legal challenge.

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The ruling by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sends the case back to a lower court. New Mexico’s waiting period went into effect in May 2024, and does hold an exception for concealed permit holders.

“Cooling-off periods do not fit into any historically grounded exceptions to the right to keep and bear arms, and burden conduct within the Second Amendment’s scope,” wrote Judge Timothy Tymkovich in the split 2-1 ruling. ”We conclude that New Mexico’s Waiting Period Act is likely an unconstitutional burden on the Second Amendment rights of its citizens.

In a dissenting opinion, Judge Scott Matheson said New Mexico’s waiting period “establishes a condition or qualification on the commercial sale of arms that does not serve abusive ends.”

The National Rifle Association and Mountain States Legal Foundation, an advocacy group for gun rights, filed the lawsuit on behalf of two New Mexico residents, citing concerns about delayed access to weapons for victims of domestic violence and others.

Democratic state lawmakers had enacted the restrictions in hopes of ensuring more time for the completion of federal background checks on gun buyers.

In a statement, Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham expressed “deep disappointment” and said Tuesday’s ruling was likely to cost lives.

“New Mexico’s waiting period law was carefully crafted to minimize gun violence while respecting Second Amendment rights,” said Lujan Grisham, highlighting additional exceptions for gun purchases by law enforcement officers and transactions between immediate family members. “Waiting periods prevent impulsive acts of violence and suicide, giving people time to step back and reassess their emotions during moments of crisis.”

It was unclear whether the governor and legislators would request a broader review by a majority of judges on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Only California, Hawaii and Washington, along with the District of Columbia — have longer waiting periods than New Mexico that range up to 14 days, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Rhode Island also has a seven-day wait.

FILE – The marquee at a gun shop in Los Ranchos, N.M, flashes in protest of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s order to suspend the carrying of firearms in the state’s largest metro area, Sept. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)

Michael McCoy, director of the Mountain States Legal Foundation’s Center to Keep and Bear Arms, applauded the ruling. The group is also challenging Colorado’s minimum three-day waiting period for gun purchases, enacted in 2023.

“The court found that there was no analogous law from that era that would support the modern day law that’s at issue,” McCoy said. “For now, it means New Mexicans can go buy their firearms without an arbitrary delay imposed.”

John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, said the appeals court decision “serves as a key piece in dismantling similar gun control laws across the country.”

Since 2019, Lujan Grisham has signed a raft of legislation restricting access to guns, including a “red flag” law allowing a court to temporarily remove guns from people who might hurt themselves or others and restrictions on guns near polling places.

In 2023, Lujan Grisham suspended the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in Albuquerque in response to a series of shootings around the state that left children dead.

In April, she declared a state of emergency in Albuquerque, saying that a significant increase in crime warranted the help of the New Mexico National Guard. And last week she declared a state of emergency in response to violent crime and drug trafficking across a swath of northern New Mexico in Rio Arriba County.

This story has been updated to correct Judge Timothy Tymkovich’s first name.

Sen. Lindsey Graham says Trump ready to ‘crush’ Russian economy if Putin avoids talks with Zelenskyy

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and MARY CLARE JALONICK

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that he believes President Donald Trump is prepared to “crush” Russia’s economy with a new wave of sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin refuses to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the coming weeks.

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Graham, who spoke with Trump on Tuesday morning, has pushed the president for months to support his sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill that would impose steep tariffs on countries that are fueling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by buying its oil, gas, uranium, and other exports. The legislation has the backing of 85 senators, but Trump has yet to endorse it. Republican leaders have said they won’t move without him.

“If we don’t have this thing moving in the right direction by the time we get back, then I think that plan B needs to kick in,” Graham said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. The Senate, now away from Washington for the August recess, is scheduled to return in September.

Graham’s call with Trump came less than 24 hours after high-stakes meetings at the White House with Zelenskyy and several European leaders. Trump and the leaders emerged from those talks sounding optimistic, with the expectation being that a Putin and Zelenskyy sit-down will happen soon.

Still, Trump’s comments to Graham, one of his top congressional allies, mark the latest sign that pressure is building — not just on Putin, but on Trump as well.

“Trump believes that if Putin doesn’t do his part, that he’s going to have to crush his economy. Because you’ve got to mean what you say,” Graham told reporters in South Carolina on Tuesday.

As Congress prepares to return to session in early September, the next few weeks could become a defining test of whether lawmakers and international allies are prepared to act on their own if Trump doesn’t follow through.

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the lead Democrat pushing the bill with Graham, says there is a “lot of reason for skepticism and doubt” after the meetings with Trump, especially because Putin has not made any direct promises. He said the Russian leader has an incentive to play “rope-a-dope” with Trump.

“The only way to bring Putin to the table is to show strength,” Blumenthal told the AP this week. “What Putin understands is force and pressure.”

Still, Republicans have shown little willingness to override Trump in his second term. They abruptly halted work on the sanctions bill before the August recess after Trump said the legislation may not be needed.

Asked Tuesday in a phone interview whether the sanctions bill should be brought up even without Trump’s support, Graham said, “the best way to do it is with him.”

“There will come a point where if it’s clear that Putin is not going to entertain peace, that President Trump will have to back up what he said he would do,” Graham said. “And the best way to do it is have congressional blessing.”

The legislation would impose tariffs of up to 500% on countries such as China and India, which together account for roughly 70% of Russia’s energy trade. The framework has the support of many European leaders.

Many of those same European leaders left the White House on Monday with a more hopeful tone. Zelenskyy called the meeting with Trump “an important step toward ending this war.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that his expectations “were not just met, they were exceeded.”

Still, little concrete progress was visible on the main obstacles to peace. That deadlock likely favors Putin, whose forces continue to make steady, if slow, progress on the ground in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters after talks at the White House that Trump believes a deal with Putin is possible. But he said sanctions remain on the table if the process fails.

Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard contributed to this report from Florence, South Carolina.

FACT FOCUS: Trump says he has ended seven wars. That’s not accurate

By CHINEDU ASADU and MELISSA GOLDIN

President Donald Trump has projected himself as a peacemaker since returning to the White House in January, touting his efforts to end global conflicts.

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In meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders Monday, Trump repeated that he has been instrumental in stopping multiple wars but didn’t specify which.

“I’ve done six wars, I’ve ended six wars, Trump said in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy. He later added: “If you look at the six deals I settled this year, they were all at war. I didn’t do any ceasefires.”

He raised that figure Tuesday, telling “Fox & Friends” that “we ended seven wars.”

But although Trump helped mediate relations among many of these nations, experts say his impact isn’t as clear cut as he claims.

Here’s a closer look at the conflicts.

Israel and Iran

Trump is credited with ending the 12-day war.

Israel launched attacks on the heart of Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership in June, saying it wanted to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon — which Tehran has denied it was trying to do.

Trump negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran just after directing American warplanes to strike Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites. He publicly harangued both countries into maintaining the ceasefire.

FILE – People take pictures of smoke rising from an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo, File)

Evelyn Farkas, executive director of Arizona State University’s McCain Institute, said Trump should get credit for ending the war.

“There’s always a chance it could flare up again if Iran restarts its nuclear weapons program, but nonetheless, they were engaged in a hot war with one another,” she said. “And it didn’t have any real end in sight before President Trump got involved and gave them an ultimatum.”

Lawrence Haas, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the American Foreign Policy Council who is an expert on Israel-Iran tensions, agreed the U.S. was instrumental in securing the ceasefire. But he characterized it as a “temporary respite” from the ongoing “day-to-day cold war” between the two foes that often involves flare-ups.

Egypt and Ethiopia

This could be described as tensions at best, and peace efforts — which don’t directly involve the U.S. — have stalled.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River has caused friction between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan since the power-generating project was announced more than a decade ago. In July, Ethiopia declared the project complete, with an inauguration set for September.

Egypt and Sudan oppose the dam. Although the vast majority of the water that flows down the Nile originates in Ethiopia, Egyptian agriculture relies on the river almost entirely. Sudan, meanwhile, fears flooding and wants to protect its own power-generating dams.

During his first term, Trump tried to broker a deal between Ethiopia and Egypt but couldn’t get them to agree. He suspended aid to Ethiopia over the dispute. In July, he posted on Truth Social that he helped the “fight over the massive dam (and) there is peace at least for now.” However, the disagreement persists, and negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have stalled.

“It would be a gross overstatement to say that these countries are at war,” said Haas. “I mean, they’re just not.”

India and Pakistan

The April killing of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir pushed India and Pakistan closer to war than they had been in years, but a ceasefire was reached.

Trump has claimed that the U.S. brokered the ceasefire, which he said came about in part because he offered trade concessions. Pakistan thanked Trump, recommending him for the Nobel Peace Prize. But India has denied Trump’s claims, saying there was no conversation between the U.S. and India on trade in regards to the ceasefire.

FILE – Indian security officers patrol in armored vehicles in Pahalgam, Indian controlled Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, after assailants indiscriminately opened fired at tourists. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin, File)

Although India has downplayed the Trump administration’s role in the ceasefire, Haas and Farkas believe the U.S. deserves some credit for helping stop the fighting.

“I think that President Trump played a constructive role from all accounts, but it may not have been decisive. And again, I’m not sure whether you would define that as a full-blown war,” Farkas said.

Serbia and Kosovo

The White House lists the conflict between these countries as one Trump resolved, but there has been no threat of a war between the two neighbors during Trump’s second term, nor any significant contribution from Trump this year to improve their relations.

Kosovo is a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Tensions have persisted ever since, but never to the point of war, mostly because NATO-led peacekeepers have been deployed in Kosovo, which has been recognized by more than 100 countries.

During his first term, Trump negotiated a wide-ranging deal between Serbia and Kosovo, but much of what was agreed on was never carried out.

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Trump has played a key role in peace efforts between the African neighbors, but he’s hardly alone and the conflict is far from over.

FILE – People protest in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, against the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels’ advances into eastern Congo’s capital, Goma, on Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi, File)

Eastern Congo, rich in minerals, has been battered by fighting with more than 100 armed groups. The most potent is the M23 rebel group backed by neighboring Rwanda, which claims it is protecting its territorial interests and that some of those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled to Congo and are working with the Congolese army.

The Trump administration’s efforts paid off in June, when the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers signed a peace deal at the White House. The M23, however, wasn’t directly involved in the U.S.-facilitated negotiations and said it couldn’t abide by the terms of an agreement that didn’t involve it.

The final step to peace was meant to be a separate Qatar-facilitated deal between Congo and M23 that would bring about a permanent ceasefire. But with the fighting still raging, Monday’s deadline for the Qatar-led deal was missed and there have been no public signs of major talks between Congo and M23 on the final terms.

Armenia and Azerbaijan

Trump this month hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House, where they signed a deal aimed at ending a decades-long conflict between the two nations. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the signed document a “significant milestone,” and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed Trump for performing “a miracle.”

The two countries signed agreements intended to reopen key transportation routes and reaffirm Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s commitment to signing a peace treaty. The treaty’s text was initialed by the countries’ foreign ministers at that meeting, which indicates preliminary approval. But the two countries have yet to sign and ratify the deal.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter conflict over territory since the early 1990s, when ethnic Armenian forces took control of the Karabakh province, known internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh, and nearby territories. In 2020, Azerbaijan’s military recaptured broad swaths of territory. Russia brokered a truce and deployed about 2,000 peacekeepers to the region.

In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces launched a lightning blitz to retake remaining portions. The two countries have worked toward normalizing ties and signing a peace treaty ever since.

Cambodia and Thailand

Officials from Thailand and Cambodia credit Trump with pushing the Asian neighbors to agree to a ceasefire in this summer’s brief border conflict.

Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their shared border. The latest fighting began in July after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Tensions had been growing since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thai politics.

FILE – This photo released by the Royal Thai Army shows an injured Thai soldier who stepped on a land mine, being airlifted to a hospital in Ubon Ratchathani province, Thailand, July 23, 2025. (The Royal Thai Army via AP, File)

Both countries agreed in late July to an unconditional ceasefire during a meeting in Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pressed for the pact, but there was little headway until Trump intervened. Trump said on social media that he warned the Thai and Cambodian leaders that the U.S. would not move forward with trade agreements if the hostilities continued. Both countries faced economic difficulties and neither had reached tariff deals with the U.S., though most of their Southeast Asian neighbors had.

According to Ken Lohatepanont, a political analyst and University of Michigan doctoral candidate, “President Trump’s decision to condition a successful conclusion to these talks on a ceasefire likely played a significant role in ensuring that both sides came to the negotiating table when they did.” ___ Associated Press reporters Jon Gambrell, Grant Peck, Dasha Litvinova, Fay Abuelgasim, Rajesh Roy, and Dusan Stojanovic contributed.

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

Trump administration vying to own a big stake in Intel after SoftBank’s $2 billion bet on company

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and ELAINE KURTENBACH

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday confirmed the U.S. government is vying for a 10% stake in Silicon Valley pioneer Intel in an unusual deal that would deepen the Trump administration’s financial ties with major computer chip manufacturers and punctuate a dramatic about-face from the president’s recent push to oust the company’s CEO.

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The ambitions that Lutnick confirmed in a televised interview with CNBC came the day after various news outlets reported on the negotiations between the Trump administration and Intel. The investment would be made by converting federal government grants previously pledged under President Joe Biden’s administration into a bushel of Intel stock that would turn the U.S. government into one of the company’s largest shareholders.

“We think America should get the benefit of the bargain,” Lutnick told CNBC as he explained why President Donald Trump is pushing for the deal. “It’s obvious that it’s the right move to make.”

Intel declined to comment on the negotiations with the Trump administration.

The notion of the U.S. government holding a huge stake in Intel would have seemed inconceivable back in the company’s heyday when its processors were powering a personal computer boom that began in the mid-1970s. But Intel has been mired in tough times after missing mobile computing era unleashed by the iPhone’s 2007 debut.

Intel has fall even farther behind in recent years during an artificial intelligence craze that has been a boon for two of its once-smaller rivals, Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices. The Trump administration is hitching a ride on their success by imposing a 15% commission on their sales of their chip sales in China in exchange for their export licenses. Those fees are expected to translate into billions of dollars in additional government revenue.

The U.S. government’s negotiations to become a major Intel shareholder are coming on a heels of a $2 billion investment Japanese technology giant SoftBank Group disclosed late Monday that it plans to make in the Santa Clara, California, company. Softbank is accumulating its 2% stake in Intel at $23 per share — a slight discount from the stock’s price when its investment was announced.

Intel’s shares surged nearly 7% to close at $25.31 on the news of Softbank’s big bet on Intel, coupled with Trump’s designs on the company.

FILE – The logo of Japanese mobile provider SoftBank is seen at its shop in Tokyo on June 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

SoftBank invests in an array of companies that it sees as holding long-term potential. It has been stepping up investments in the United States since Trump returned to the White House. In February, its chairman Masayoshi Son joined Trump, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Larry Ellison of Oracle in announcing a major investment of up to $500 billion in a project to develop artificial intelligence called Stargate.

“Semiconductors are the foundation of every industry, Son said in a statement. ”This strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role.”

Trump’s interest in Intel is also being driven by his desire to boost chip production in the U.S., which has been a focal point of the trade war that he has been waging throughout the world since he returned to the White House earlier this year for his second term in office. “We want Intel to be successful in America,” Lutnick said during his CNBC interview.

Boosting domestic production of computer chips also ranked high on the Biden administration’s agenda, which resulted in the 2022 passage of the CHIPS and Science Act.

Intel was among the biggest beneficiaries of the program, but it hasn’t been able to revive its fortunes while falling behind on construction projects spawned by the CHIPS program. The company has received about $2.2 billion of the $7.8 billion pledged under the incentives program — money that Lutnick derided as a “giveaway” that would better serve U.S. taxpayers if it’s turned into Intel stock, which he said would be in the form of non-voting shares so the government wouldn’t be able to use the stake to sway how the company is managed.

But Intel’s ongoing struggles also means the U.S. government is taking on a risky investment. The company is in the midst of its latest turnaround attempt under CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who was hired in March to shake things up. Tan’s turnaround effort so far has been focused on a cost-cutting spree that is gutting the company’s workforce and further delaying construction on a chip plant in Ohio that has been in the works since 2022.

Intel’s market value is hovering around $110 billion, only a slight uptick from where it was when Tan arrived and leaving it more than 60% below its peak reached about a quarter-century ago during the early phase of the internet boom.

In another strange twist to the new alliance, President Donald Trump had demanded that Tan resign in an August 7 post spurred by concerns about investments that Tan had made in China chipmakers while he was working as a venture capitalist.

FILE – Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan delivers a speech during the Computex 2025 exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)

But Trump backed off after the Malyasia-born Tan professed his allegiance to the U.S. in a public letter to Intel employees and went to the White House to meet with the president, who applauded the Intel CEO for having an “amazing story.” That truce apparently sparked the negotiations that may culminate in the U.S. government owning a chunk of Intel.

Although rare, it’s not unprecedented for the U.S. government to become a significant shareholder in a prominent company. One of the most notable instances occurred during the Great Recession in 2008 when the government injected nearly $50 billion into General Motors in return for a roughly 60% stake in the automaker at a time it was on the verge of bankruptcy. The government ended up with a roughly $10 billion loss after it sold its stock in GM.

Kurtenbach reported from Bangkok.

Horoscopes Aug. 19, 2025: John Stamos, keep an open dialogue this year

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Ethan Cutkosky, 26; Christina Perri, 39; John Stamos, 62; Bill Clinton, 79.

Happy Birthday: Keep an open dialogue this year, and progress will unfold. It’s up to you to bring about change and volunteer your help and services to the organizations you want to support. A give-and-take attitude will encourage partnerships that are trustworthy and forward-thinking. Your ability to present and promote what you can do to make a difference will be well-received and appreciated by those who need it most. Your numbers are 8, 15, 22, 27, 36, 44, 49.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take the creative path. Using your imagination will help you grow and nurture your desires. Instead of addressing existing issues you face in your domestic realm, consider your choices as well as what you expect to gain from any alteration you implement. Too much, too fast will be your downfall. Slow down, wait and watch. 2 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): It’s what you do that makes a difference. Talk is cheap, and misinformation will face opposition. Now is not the time to push others, but to focus inward and push yourself to be better. Rethink your plans and follow your heart: your life, your terms, your way. 4 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Live, learn and replace what is no longer working for you. Attend functions that offer an in-depth view into something that draws you and feeds your imagination. Act on what moves you visually, not on what others say or do. Work independently of those trying to upend your plans or control the outcome. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Honesty will be crucial if you want to make better choices. Being upfront with yourself or recognizing when someone isn’t being forthright with you is vital if you want to avoid conflict and controversy. Protect against insult, injury and interference. Solid plans are the only means to an end that doesn’t offer fallout. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Refuse to let change hurt you financially. Generosity is your downfall. Focus on learning and engaging in discussions that offer options and unique ways to do some good at a price you can afford. Discipline will be necessary when emotions kick in and leave you at a disadvantage. You can’t please everyone; please yourself first. 3 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Who you associate with matters. Engage in open conversations and connect with individuals who have something valuable to offer in return. Building a plan that fosters steady growth will capture the attention of those seeking change. Consider costs, break down time restraints and map out an itinerary that ensures success. Update your image. 4 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Put your emotions on the sidelines before you engage in a contentious discussion. Focus your energy on personal growth and self-improvement rather than engaging in interactions with someone who can hinder your ability to reach your chosen destination. Make honesty and equality a necessary part of all your business and personal relationships. 2 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Fine-tune your knowledge, experience and skills to fit the changes taking place in your neighborhood, industry or domestic environment. Explore, expand and extrapolate what’s most likely to help you get ahead. Partnering, networking and reconnecting with allies, old friends or former partners will encourage closure and pave the way for new beginnings. Romance and physical improvements are favored. 5 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Rearrange your space to fit your needs and schedule and help maintain your position among friends, family and associates. Don’t feel you have to pay for others when saving for a rainy day will put your mind at ease. Speak up, be the one to make a difference and choose to live life your way. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Indecisiveness will play a role in how your day progresses. Too much or too little will cause an imbalance, making it difficult to reach a conclusion that feels appropriate. When in doubt, take a closer look at what others are choosing to do, and it will help you avoid making mistakes or missing out on opportunities. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Stop dreaming and start initiating your plans. A moneymaking idea will pay off if you put muscle into turning your ideas into a reality. Do the legwork, gather information and take care of the necessary paperwork to avoid unnecessary costs and setbacks. Nurture your domestic situation and relationships. Take control of negotiations. 3 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Concentrate on what’s best for you, and stop worrying about the changes happening around you. Give others the same opportunity you want for yourself. Freedom of choice will encourage you to turn your dream into a reality. Love, romance and the chance to build a life that brings you happiness are within reach. 3 stars

Birthday Baby: You are eloquent, generous and entertaining. You are sensitive and unique.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes.2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others.3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals.4 stars: Aim high; start new projects.5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

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