Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 44

SF Giants’ losing streak hits six games with loss to Rays

SAN FRANCISCO — For the three innings on Friday night, the Giants returned to playing their April brand of baseball.

They stole bases. They stacked extra-base hits. They cashed in with runners in scoring position. All the things they did during the season’s first full month. The next six innings, by contrast, were emblematic of how they’ve played over the last two months.

They wasted numerous opportunities. Landen Roupp allowed five runs over three-plus innings in his first start back from the injured list. Casey Schmitt, already filling in for the injured Matt Chapman, was hit by a pitch and sustained a right forearm contusion that will keep him out for several days at the minimum. By night’s end, the Giants had lost 7-6 to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The losing streak has hit six games. The Giants are not only 59-63, but they’ve lost 14 of their last 15 games at home — something that hasn’t been done since 1901. The third NL wild card spot remains open as the New York Mets continue to free fall, but San Francisco remains five games back as the losses pile up.

“We can’t get our timing right with anything,” said manager Bob Melvin. “We had a nice little lead early on, scored runs early in the game, added on — something we haven’t done. We just gave up too many runs.”

San Francisco’s offense had true life to begin the night, scoring six runs and going 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position through three innings.

The Giants used speed to manufacture two of those runs, a component of their game that’s been nearly nonexistent in recent months. Willy Adames stole second in the first inning, and Jung Hoo Lee did the same the following frame. Following their steals, Adames and Lee would both be driven home.

Along with his steal, Adames launched a solo homer to right-center field for his 19th home run of the season. It was one of three runs that the Giants scored in the third, and they owned a 6-3 lead by inning’s end.

From there, the offense went radio silent.

Six runs of support would normally be more than enough for Roupp, but the right-hander wasn’t at his sharpest in his first start back from the injured list. Roupp’s velocity noticeably dipped as the night progressed, dropping from the mid-90s in the beginning to the low-90s by the end.

“I’m not really happy with it,” Roupp said. “Obviously, good to be back and get the start tonight. But the guys put up six runs; that’s way more than enough to win a game. I kind of just kept the Rays in it the entire time I was out there.”

The lack of runs after the third wasn’t due to a lack of chances. With the score tied at six in the bottom of the eighth, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs. Schmitt and Christian Koss were both hit by pitches — Schmitt was removed from the game after being plunked — and Jung Hoo Lee singled, setting up a golden opportunity to score the go-ahead run late in the ballgame.

The Giants would not score.

Bailey smashed a 99.6 mph line drive that was caught by shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. Drew Gilbert couldn’t plate a run, hitting a grounder to first baseman Bob Seymour that was thrown home for the force out. With two outs, Heliot Ramos hit into an inning-ending force out and the opportunity was squandered.

The Rays, by contrast, wouldn’t let their opportunity to take a late lead go to waste in the top of the ninth. All-Star releiver Randy Rodríguez, making his first pitching appearance since August 6, allowed an RBI single to Yandy Díaz and gave the Rays a 7-6 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.

Rafael Devers set the table to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff double, but the Giants couldn’t generate the big hit to push across the tying run.

“Obviously, we’re going through a rough patch and we just got to get out of it,” Roupp said. “Every baseball team goes through it, but we have to figure out a way to get out of it. None of this is fun. Losing isn’t fun. We want to play better for the fans.”

Chapman discusses right hand injury 

Matt Chapman spoke with reporters following Friday’s loss, detailing how he’s been playing through discomfort since returning last month from the initial right hand injury.

“I’ve just been trying to push through it, do what I can,” said Chapman, who received two cortisone shots. “I think from constantly playing, the inflammation and just kind of kept going and I couldn’t get ahead of it. We’re hoping this cortisone shot … can kind of get me over the hump. That way, I can be productive and help the team win.

“I’m willing to push through anything for the team and try to help it. These last few days, I really felt like I couldn’t use my hand when I was swinging. It just didn’t feel right.”

Chapman believes his right hand will fully heal during the offseason when he has time to rest, but the five-time Gold Glover affirmed that he still has goals of “playing a lot of games this year and helping this team.”

Meeting of the Seymours

According to Baseball Reference, there have only been five players in major-league history with the last name “Seymour.” Three of those five — the Giants’ Carson Seymour and the Rays’ Ian Seymour and Bob Seymour — happened to play in Friday night’s game.

Not only are all three rookies, but Friday was Bob Seymour’s debut. Appropriately enough, Carson Seymour faced Bob Seymour, a first baseman, in the top of the sixth inning. After going hitless in his first two at-bats, Bob Seymour reached base for the first time as a big leaguer by drawing a walk.

Ian Seymour allowed two runs over 3 1/3 innings of relief with four strikeouts.

SF Giants’ Chapman lands on injured list, Roupp returns to rotation

SAN FRANCISCO — Landen Roupp is back, but he won’t have a certain five-time Gold Glove player behind him.

The Giants announced on Friday evening that they placed Matt Chapman on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to August 13) with right hand inflammation, the same hand he injured earlier this season.

Roupp, who will start on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays, was reinstated from the 15-day injured list after dealing with right elbow inflammation. Additionally, right-hander Keaton Winn has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento and will take the place of Ryan Walker, who was placed on the paternity list.

Chapman was held out of the starting lineup on Wednesday as the Giants were swept by the Padres due to the ailment, and manager Bob Melvin said that Chapman underwent an MRI on Friday afternoon.

The third baseman originally injured his hand on June 8 when diving back to first base and would not return until July 5. Chapman had an .812 OPS with 12 homers at the time of the injury, but had a .655 OPS over 31 games since returning.

“It’s more of a question for him,” Melvin said when asked if Chapman’s injury played into his struggles. “He’s a pretty tough guy. During the course of the season, you’re going to play through some stuff. Some days, probably worse than others. We got to the point where we needed to take a look at it.”

Infielder Casey Schmitt took over at third base when Chapman went on the injured list in June, and he will slide back into that role for the time being.

Schmitt started at third base in place of Chapman on Wednesday and is once again slated to start at the hot corner on Friday. The 26-year-old has been one of San Francisco’s hottest hitters in recent days, hitting .308/.357/.538 with two homers and seven RBIs over his last 10 games.

Roupp, 26, was placed on the injured list on July 25 (retroactive to July 23) with right elbow inflammation after pitching five shutout innings against the Braves in Atlanta. The Giants said they believed Roupp’s injury was on the minor side, and Roupp only needed one rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento (three innings, two runs) before returning.

Regarding Roupp’s workload, Melvin said “it’s not going to be a full compliment” in his first start back. Roupp, who has a 3.11 ERA over 20 starts, threw 50 pitches during his rehab start with the River Cats, and he’ll likely throw around 70 pitches against Tampa Bay.

Winn, 27, has not pitched at the major-league level this season. The right-hander began the season with Sacramento as a starter but has primarily pitched as a reliever since returning from a right shoulder injury that kept him out for roughly three months. As a reliever, Winn has allowed 14 earned runs over 11 2/3 innings (10.80 ERA) with 11 strikeouts to five walks.

Walker should be back for the Giants’ upcoming three-game series against the Padres in San Diego.

“We all know he’s really talented,” Melvin said. “We’ll kind of see how it plays out of the bullpen. For the most part, he’s been a starter. We’ve always kind of thought that maybe there’s something there as far as the bullpen with the fastball and split. The breaking ball’s always been his third pitch. As a reliever, maybe you can get away with two pretty good pitches.”

Miller nearing return

Left-handed reliever Erik Miller made his third rehab appearance on Thursday and is scheduled to throw again on Friday. The Giants will evaluate Miller on Sunday, and there’s a chance he could also be activated ahead of the team’s series in San Diego.

Miller, who has a 1.50 ERA over 30 innings, hasn’t pitched for the Giants since early July due to a left elbow sprain.

New Air Force policy denies transgender troops hearings before they’re discharged

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force says in a new memo that transgender airmen ousted under a recent Trump administration directive will no longer have the chance to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving their country.

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The memo dated Tuesday says military separation boards cannot independently decide whether to keep or discharge transgender airmen and instead “must recommend separation of the member” if the airman has a diagnosis of gender dysphoria — when a person’s biological sex does not match up with their gender identity.

Military legal experts who have been advising transgender troops told The Associated Press that the new policy is unlawful, and while they were not aware of the other services releasing similar memos, they fear it could serve as a blueprint across the military. Advocacy groups say the change threatens to weaken trust in the military’s leadership.

It is the second policy change the Air Force has taken in recent weeks to crack down on transgender service members. The Associated Press reported last week that the Air Force would deny transgender troops early retirement benefits and was moving to revoke requests already approved.

The Air Force declined to answer questions about the policy and its legal implications.

The service provided a statement saying the new guidance “is consistent with and responsive to Department of Defense policy regarding Service members with a diagnosis of, or history of, or exhibiting symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria.”

How the boards usually work

The boards traditionally offer a quasi-legal hearing to determine if a service member set to depart is still of value to the military and should stay on. Fellow service members hear evidence of whatever wrongdoing occurred and about the person’s character, fitness and performance.

The hearings are not a formal court, but they have much the same structure. Service members are often represented by lawyers, they can present evidence in their defense and they can appeal the board’s findings to federal court.

The Pentagon’s policy on separating officers notes that they are entitled to “fair and impartial” hearings that should be “a forum for the officer concerned to present reasons the contemplated action should not be taken.”

This impartial nature means that the boards can sometimes reach surprising conclusions.

For example, the three active-duty Marines who were part of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were retained.

The commanding officer of the USS McCain, a destroyer that collided with an oil tanker in the Pacific in 2017, killing 10, was not recommended for separation in 2019.

Military lawyers decry the Air Force change

Priya Rashid, a military lawyer who has represented service members before hundreds of separation boards, said she “has never seen an order like this.”

“I’ve seen people with three DUIs retained, I’ve seen people that beat their wives retained, I’ve seen all kinds of people retained because the board is empowered to retain anyone for any reason if they feel it’s in the best interest of the service,” she said.

Rashid said she and other lawyers working with transgender troops view the guidance as telling the boards to automatically order separation based solely on a diagnosis or symptoms of gender dysphoria.

She said that constitutes an unlawful command by the Air Force and upends impartiality.

“This instruction is essentially saying you will not make a determination of whether somebody has future potential in the service,” Rashid said.

The new Air Force guidance also prohibits recording the proceedings.

Rashid said the lack of an independent transcript would not only prevent Air Force leaders from reviewing the hearings to ensure they were conducted appropriately but would undercut any meaningful chance to appeal.

Stepped-up efforts to oust transgender troops

Pentagon officials say 4,240 troops have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which the military is using as an identifier of being transgender.

The Pentagon got the green light from Supreme Court in May to move forward with a ban on all transgender troops. It offered two options: volunteer to leave and take a one-time separation payout or be discharged at a later date without pay.

Some transgender troops decided to fight to stay by turning to the boards.

Senior Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, who has served in the Air Force since 2011, said she “wanted to face an objective board to be evaluated on my years of proven capability.”

“I wanted the board to see the assignments overseas and at the Pentagon, the deployments to different Combatant Commands, the service medals and the sustained operational and mission effectiveness,” she said in an interview.

But now, she said, that “the path ahead feels more uncertain than it ever has.”

Logan Ireland, a master sergeant in the Air Force with 15 years of service that includes a deployment to Afghanistan, was planning to retire early until his request was denied last week.

After that, he decided he would take a stand at the separation board.

“I chose the involuntary route because I believed in the promise of a fair hearing — judged on my service, my record and the facts,” he said.

“Now that promise is being ripped away, replaced with a process designed to decide my fate before I even walk in the room,” he said, adding that “all I’m asking for is the same fairness and justice every service member deserves.”

Both Ireland and Hash said they have yet to hear from their immediate superiors on what the new policy will mean for them.

Lawyers are worried it will set a precedent that will spread throughout the military.

Rashid said both the Army and Navy are “going to look at what the Air Force is doing as a standard of law … is this the minimum standard of law that we will afford our service members.”

Transgender troops warn the policy could have wider implications

Col. Bree Fram, a transgender officer in the Space Force who has long been seen as a leader among transgender troops, argued that the policy is a threat to other service members.

In an online post, Fram said it “swaps judgment for automation.”

”Today it’s gender dysphoria; tomorrow it can be any condition or class the politics of the moment calls for,” she argued.

If the new policy is allowed to sideline “evidence of fitness, deployment history, awards, and commander input — the very material boards were built to evaluate,” Fram said, it sends a message that performance is no longer relevant to staying in the military.

Cathy Marcello, interim director for Modern Military Association of America, said the change adds to a “growing loss of trust” because outcomes are determined by politics, not performance. The organization advocates for LGBTQ+ service members, military spouses, veterans, their families and allies.

“It’s a signal that identity, not ability or achievement, determines who stays in uniform and who gets a fair shot,” she said.

The next steps in California Democrats’ plan to counter Texas Republicans’ redistricting push

By TRÂN NGUYỄN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is the first Democratic-led state to wade into a brewing national redistricting fight after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to draw new maps to maintain the party’s slim U.S. House majority after the 2026 midterm elections.

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The Texas plan was temporarily stalled when minority Democrats left the state to stop the Legislature from passing any bills, but some lawmakers said they’ll return to Texas now that California is moving forward with its counter act.

Both parties hope to add five seats for their side.

Here’s what happens next in California:

Legislative approval

Lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Monday after summer break and plan to immediately take up the partisan plan. State Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers — enough to act without any Republican votes — and Newsom has said he’s not worried about winning the required support from two-thirds of lawmakers to advance the maps.

Lawmakers will hold hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday on a package of bills to establish the new congressional map, declare a Nov. 4 special election and authorize to reimburse local government for the costs. Elections committees in both houses are asking for public feedback on the proposed map, but it’s unlikely any changes would be made after the bills are officially introduced Monday.

Amendments to any legislation would require a 72-hour wait before a vote. That would jeopardize Democrats’ plan to approve the package by Thursday to give elections officials enough time to prepare ballots for a statewide election in November. State leaders already have blown past deadlines designed to give local officials adequate time for organizing an election.

Special elections are costly

California sends every voter a mail-in ballot roughly a month before each election. That means local officials have less than two months to prepare and print ballots.

They’re already preparing. On Friday, a coalition of county officials urged the Legislature to provide money in advance, because many counties are cash-strapped, and officials worry they won’t have enough money to administer the election.

A 2021 special election cost over $200 million to conduct. State Republicans this week estimated this year’s would cost $235 million.

Democrats chose Nov. 4 for the election because Los Angeles County and others are already holding local elections that day.

An intense campaign

Newsom is leading the campaign in favor of the maps. He and Democrats signaled Thursday they’ll make the effort a referendum on Trump and tie it to the future of American democracy.

Perhaps the most prominent opponent will be former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who championed the state’s independent redistricting commission during his time in office. On Friday, he posted a photo of himself lifting weights on social media wearing a T-shirt that called to “terminate gerrymandering,” a nod to his role in the “Terminator” movies.

Republican donor Charles Munger Jr., who spent tens of millions to support the California ballot initiative that gives redistricting power to an independent commission, also plans to “vigorously defend” nonpartisan redistricting, his spokesperson said.

State Republicans say the move is a power grab by Democrats and some have vowed to go to court.

Steve Hilton, a Republican candidate for governor, earlier this month paid for a legal opinion that says redistricting outside of the normal process and cycle violates the California Constitution. The new map wouldn’t be fair because state lawmakers are relying on outdated population data, he said.

Common Cause, a good governance group that supports independent redistricting, initially opposed California’s effort but this week reversed its stance. The group said it won’t challenge partisan redistricting in California if the effort is approved by voters, among other criteria.

A temporary change

California voters in 2010 gave the power to draw congressional maps to an independent commission, with the goal of making the process less partisan. The commission last redrew maps following the 2020 census, and the maps were in place for the 2022 and 2024 U.S. House elections.

Newsom and Democratic leaders say they’ll ask voters to approve their new maps only for the next few elections. They say they’ll return map-drawing power to the commission following the 2030 census.

The new map would take effect only if a Republican state moves forward with new maps.

CLASSIC CAR WEEK PHOTOS: Porsches on the green

[image error]The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)Christopher Lee's 1975 911S Targa has been family-owned since new. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)Gregory A. Dahlen's all-original 1968 911S. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)[image error]The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)[image error]The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The interior of a 1996 Porsche 993 C2. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)A 1978 911SC/R. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)Show Caption1 of 21The Porsche Club of America celebrated its 70th anniversary and the 11th annual Werks Reunion Monterey on Friday. Spectators saw a variety of Porsche Targas through the years and Porsche 912s – the featured cars for 2025 – on the Monterey Pines Golf Course. (Arianna Nalbach - Monterey Herald)Expand

Trump tax law could cause Medicare cuts if Congress doesn’t act, CBO says

By STEPHEN GROVES

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal budget deficits caused by President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law could trigger automatic cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported Friday.

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The CBO estimates that Medicare, the federal health insurance program for Americans over age 65, could potentially see as much as $491 billion from 2027 to 2034 if Congress does not act to mitigate a 2010 law that forces across-the-board cuts to many federal programs once legislation increases the federal deficit. The latest report from CBO showed how Trump’s signature tax and spending law could put new pressure on federal programs that are bedrocks of the American social safety net.

Trump and Republicans pledged not to cut Medicare as part of the legislation, but the estimated $3.4 trillion that the law adds to the federal deficit over the next decade means that many Medicare programs could still see cuts. In the past, Congress has always acted to mitigate cuts to Medicare and other programs, but it would take some bipartisan cooperation to do so.

Democrats, who requested the analysis from CBO, jumped on the potential cuts.

“Republicans knew their tax breaks for billionaires would force over half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts — and they did it anyway,” said Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, in a statement. “American families simply cannot afford Donald Trump’s attacks on Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare.”

Hospitals in rural parts of the country are already grappling with cuts to Medicaid, which is available to people with low incomes, and cuts to Medicare could exacerbate their shortfalls.

As Republicans muscled the bill through Congress and are now selling it to voters back home, they have been highly critical of how CBO has analyzed the bill. They have also argued that the tax cuts will spur economic growth and pointed to $50 billion in funding for rural hospitals that was included in the package.

Some workers would be excluded from student loan forgiveness program for ‘illegal’ activity

By COLLIN BINKLEY

WASHINGTON (AP) — Teachers, social workers, nurses and other public workers would be cut off from a popular student loan cancellation program if the Trump administration finds their employer engaged in activities with a “substantial illegal purpose,” under a new federal proposal released on Friday.

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The Education Department took aim at nonprofits or government bodies that work with immigrants and transgender youth, releasing plans to overhaul the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Opponents fear the new policy would turn the loan forgiveness benefit into a tool of political retribution.

The proposal would give the education secretary the final say in deciding whether a group or government entity should be excluded from the program, which was created by Congress in 2007 to encourage more college graduates to enter lower-paying public service fields. The proposal says illegal activity includes the trafficking or “chemical castration” of children, illegal immigration and supporting foreign terrorist organizations. “Chemical castration” is defined as using hormone therapy or drugs that delay puberty — gender-affirming care common for transgender children or teens.

President Donald Trump ordered the changes in March, saying the loan forgiveness program was steering taxpayer money to “activist organizations” that pose a threat to national security and do not serve the public.

The public will be given 30 days to weigh in on the proposal before it can be finalized. Any changes would take effect in July 2026.

Under current rules, government employees and many nonprofit workers can get their federal student loans canceled after they’ve made 10 years of payments. The program is open to government workers, including teachers, firefighters and employees of public hospitals, along with nonprofits that focus on certain areas.

The new proposal would exclude employees of any organization tied to an activity deemed illegal. The Education Department predicts that fewer than 10 organizations would be deemed ineligible per year. It doesn’t expect a “significant reduction” in the percentage of borrowers who would be granted forgiveness under the program, according to the proposal.

Yet the agency acknowledges that not all industries would be affected evenly. Schools, universities, health care providers, social workers and legal services organizations are among those most likely to have their eligibility jeopardized, the department wrote.

It did not give more specifics about what “illegal” actions those groups were taking that could bar them from the program. But the proposal suggests that performing gender-affirming care in the 27 states that outlaw it would be enough.

If a state or federal court rules against an employer, that could lead to its expulsion from the program, or if the employer is involved in a legal settlement that includes an admission of wrongdoing.

Even without a legal finding, however, the education secretary could determine independently that an organization should be ejected. The secretary could judge whether an organization participated in illegal activity by using a legal standard known as the “preponderance of the evidence” — meaning it’s more likely than not that an accusation is true.

Once an organization is barred from the program, its workers’ future loan payments would no longer count toward cancellation. They would have to find work at another eligible employer to keep making progress toward forgiveness. A ban from the Education Department would last 10 years or until the employer completed a “corrective action plan” approved by the secretary.

Critics blasted the proposal as an illegal attempt to weaponize student loan cancellation. Kristin McGuire, CEO of the nonprofit Young Invincibles, which advocates for loan forgiveness, called it a political stunt designed to confuse borrowers.

“By using a distorted and overly broad definition of ‘illegal activities,’ the Trump administration is exploiting the student loan system to attack political opponents,” McGuire said in a statement.

The Education Department sketched out its plans for the overhaul during a federal rulemaking process that began in June. The agency gathered a panel of experts to help hash out the details — a process known as negotiated rulemaking. But the panel failed to reach a consensus, which freed the department to move forward with a proposal of its own design.

The proposal released on Friday included some changes meant to ease concerns raised by the expert panel. Some had worried the department would ban organizations merely for supporting transgender rights, even if they have no direct involvement in gender-affirming care. The new proposal clarifies that the secretary would not expel organizations for exercising their First Amendment rights.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Man struck and killed on freeway after fleeing immigration agents, California official says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man fleeing immigration authorities outside a Home Depot store in Southern California was struck and killed by an SUV when he ran across a nearby freeway, officials said.

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Police in the city of Monrovia about 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles received a call Thursday about the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. A responding officer saw ICE agents approaching the store and conducting enforcement activity there, City Manager Dylan Feik said in a statement.

One man fled on foot and headed toward the nearby freeway, where he was struck by a vehicle, Feik said. He was taken to a hospital, where he died, the statement said.

“We extend our condolences for the individual and his family,” Feik said.

The incident comes amid a series of arrests at Home Depot stores, car washes and other locations as President Donald Trump’s administration steps up immigration enforcement in Southern California. The raids by masked agents have stoked widespread fear in immigrant communities, and the man is the second person reported to have died in Southern California while trying to flee federal immigration enforcement authorities.

On Friday, a team of unmarked SUVS with tinted windows carrying Border Patrol agents sped up to a food stand outside a Home Depot location in Los Angeles. They hit the brakes and filed out with masked faces, some with camouflage uniforms and carrying M-4 rifles.

Agents had been doing surveillance on a Guatemalan woman who they said had a criminal background. A plainclothes agent approached the food stand to confirm it was her, and then the operation began. Bystanders sounded whistles and shouted profanities.

The team repeated the drill at a car wash in the nearby community of Montebello but with less resistance. Two workers were arrested there.

On Thursday in Monrovia, the California Highway Patrol said the man was running across the lanes of eastbound Interstate 210 when he was struck by an SUV traveling about 50 or 60 miles per hour.

The man’s name was not immediately released pending the notification of family. The CHP said the crash, and the circumstances surrounding why the man was on the freeway, are under investigation.

A vigil was planned for Friday by immigrant advocates, who denounced the widespread raids.

Feik said he did not have information about the immigration operation or whether anyone was arrested.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wrote in an email that the agency was not notified of the incident until hours after operations in the area had concluded. “This individual was not being pursued by any DHS law enforcement,” said the spokesperson, who was not named.

The spokesperson did not respond to questions about the operation.

A woman is detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents outside a Home Depot Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)A man is detained by immigration agents at a car wash on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Montebello, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)A woman watches as immigration agents conduct an operation at a car wash on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Montebello, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)Immigration agents conduct arrests and check identifications at a car wash on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Montebello, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)A woman is detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents outside a Home Depot Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)Show Caption1 of 5A woman is detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents outside a Home Depot Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)Expand

The Trump administration has made arrests at Home Depot stores, car washes, garment factories and other locations, with many people held in immigration detention. Last month, a farmworker fell from a greenhouse roof during an immigration raid at a cannabis facility northwest of Los Angeles and died from his injuries.

Last month, a federal court in Southern California temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out indiscriminate sweeps. A hearing on the issue is set for September.

George Lane, a Home Depot spokesperson, said in an email that the company isn’t notified when immigration operations will take place and is not involved in them. Lane deferred questions to ICE.

Taxin contributed to this report from Santa Ana, California.

Kurtenbach: What’s a realistic expectation for the 2025 49ers? No, seriously, Kyle Shanahan is asking

Welcome to NFL expectation season, where everyone makes their predictions for the upcoming campaign, for this, the most volatile team sport in the world.

And perhaps no team in the NFL is more volatile — in both good and bad ways — than the 2025 49ers.

So after a six-win season from hell, what are the 49ers planning on being this year? What’s the true goal inside the building?

I’m asking.

And with three weeks until the Niners are scheduled to open their season in Seattle, well, the Niners are asking the same questions.

Push away all the quotable platitudes about standards and how only a sixth Lombardi trophy will do — the truth is that the 49ers don’t really know what they are yet.

And if you find that gray area uncomfortable, imagine how the coaches and players feel.

They have future Hall of Famers, an underrated quarterback, an elite coaching staff, and what might be the easiest schedule the NFL has issued this century. (Combined 2024 winning percentage of the 2025 slate was .415.) And all of those things are viable reasons to believe in the 49ers to bounce back this campaign.

These guys should win a bunch of games, right?

The 49ers’ win total in Las Vegas (but let’s be honest, it’s really just on your phone) is 10.5. That’s a clear expectation from bookies and the marketplace that the Niners are expected to be a playoff team this year.

But even head coach Kyle Shanahan is pumping the brakes a bit.

The 49ers head coach was on Sirius XM NFL radio this week and in a few moments of refreshing candor compared this year’s 49ers team to the 2017 and ’18 editions.

Those teams won 10 games… total.

But Shanahan isn’t wrong. The Niners doubled (tripled? Quadrupled?) down on the team’s stars-and-scrubs model from recent years. It’s a model that worked great when the team was healthy in 2023 and failed miserably when the other shoe dropped in 2024.

And back in 2017 and 2018, the roster was just scrubs — no stars.

But those scrubs eventually turned into the foundation players of a two-time NFC champion.

A reminder: the 2025 Niners have 17 rookies on their training camp roster. Seventeen!

Outside of the team’s established studs, there’s not a lot of experience to be found elsewhere on this team. The front office cleared out the vast majority of its middle-class veterans this past offseason for cash-saving purposes and left those spots to be filled with kids.

It leaves a roster that is equal parts win-now and early-stage rebuild.

“We’re kind of in the in-between,” Shanahan said.

But that’s bad branding, so let me phrase it another way: The Niners are living the Warriors’ two-timeline plan better than they ever could.

And that leaves a football team where any outcome is possible.

The floor is, believe it or not, lower than it was last year. If those top players are injured again, six wins might be considered an accomplishment for all these children.

But it’s not unreasonable to imagine a world where the young players find their footing, the top players push for MVPs and Defensive Player of the Year honors (meaning they stayed healthy) and the 49ers are the team to beat in the NFC this season.

As I said, these Niners are volatile.

So what path are they expecting to take?

Whichever one shows itself.

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The first five weeks of the season — capped by a Thursday night game against the Rams — will represent a viable checkpoint for San Francisco. In that five-game span are three division games, including the season opener in Seattle.

Coming out of that “mini-bye,” I imagine we’ll be hearing one of two things.

1. Of course we’re not going to compete for the division title. Why did you expect us to do anything this season? Have you seen all these kids? We’re building for 2026.

2. How dare any of you doubted us. Organizations win football games, and we’re clearly the best there is.

Somehow, both statements are currently correct. This is a Schrodinger’s Cat of a football team. (Schrodinger’s catch and run?)

The nerds down the street from the Niners’ facility would say this team is in a state of quantum superposition.

(Yes, of course I had to look that up. And no, I still don’t totally get it.)

It all leaves us in a not-so-fun place. We have to wait and see. That’s all we can do with the 49ers this season.

Because if the Niners don’t have any idea who they are going to be, how could we?

Horoscopes Aug. 15, 2025: Jennifer Lawrence, be careful what you wish for

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Jennifer Lawrence, 35; Joe Jonas, 36; Anthony Anderson, 55; Debra Messing, 57.

Happy Birthday: Be careful what you wish for. Refrain from sharing too much information with those you work with or for. Say no to emotional drama, and focus on your responsibilities, maintaining momentum and fulfilling your promises. Focus on self-improvement, health and lifestyle. It’s up to you to stand tall, stay in the game and set reasonable expectations. To fulfill your dreams, you’ll require discipline, truth and self-worth. Your numbers are 2, 12, 17, 25, 32, 38, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Reorganize your thoughts about your professional direction and how you can utilize your credentials to advance to a better position or one that accommodates the lifestyle you desire. Refuse to let negativity lead to ignoring situations; instead, address and fix them. Be true to yourself, be honest with others and do what’s best for you. 3 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Decline invitations that don’t appeal to you, cost too much or engage in indulgent practices. Utilize your time by engaging in learning, improving your surroundings or attending to matters you’ve left undone. The peace of mind you gain from wiping your slate clean will be well worth it. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Listen, verify information and focus on victory. You have plenty to gain if you are willing to make changes on the fly and be present, willing and ready to manipulate whatever situation you face to fit your needs. Be the powerhouse you are and soar to the forefront. Be a doer and an achiever. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Take an interest in what’s happening in your neighborhood and volunteer to help. The people you meet and the information you gather will help you make better lifestyle choices. Keep your emotions in check and do what you can to improve the situation. Time spent looking for love or with someone special is favored. 4 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Check the details before you sign up for something or move on to your next responsibility. Set the stage for success and dominate situations that require leadership. To stay in control, you must first take hold of whatever you face and combat problems with solutions. Trust your instincts and show your strengths, and you’ll thrive. 2 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Only show emotions when trying to make a point, and be willing to hear the other side of the story. Compromise, if need be, and you will make headway. Lending a helping hand will position you for a pleasant surprise or reunion with someone special. A trip, seminar or networking event looks promising. 5 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Pick up the pace and apply what you know to get things done on time. Others will view tardiness as a weakness; therefore, following through on your promises is essential if you want to gain momentum and support. Set a budget, get organized and work diligently to ensure you achieve the success you desire. 3 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Pay more attention to what and how you do things, and less to conversations that tug on your emotions and throw you off course. Personal improvements that lead to knowledge, growth and validation that you are doing what’s best for you are favored. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Spend more time at home; fix up your space to suit your needs, declutter, and lower your overhead by upgrading and replacing faulty equipment or poor domestic management. Attend a social event, and you’ll likely encounter someone who offers valuable insight into a worthwhile investment or a healthy lifestyle. Avoid emotional drama. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Domestic changes will be opportunistic and place you in a better financial position. Make special plans with someone you adore, and it will bring you closer together. A lifestyle change may look inviting and help you engage with the things and people that can lower your stress. Romance is on the rise. 5 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your interest in money will mount as you focus more on investing in something you want to pursue. Expand your interests, rethink your skills and update what you can offer with a fresh new look that aligns with current trends. A change at home can lead to positive results and increased financial flexibility. 2 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Sit tight and watch. What you observe will help you make better choices. Concentrate on self-improvement, not trying to change others. A social event that allows you to reconnect with people from your past will offer insight into using your skills more effectively to increase your volume and financial gains. Romance is favored. 4 stars

Birthday Baby: You are emotional, dramatic and unique. You are tender and loving.

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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