Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 70

SF Giants’ losing streak hits six games as Birdsong fails to record an out

ATLANTA — Thanks in part to the All-Star Break, Hayden Birdsong went roughly two weeks in between starts. The layoff gave him time to find a solution to the command issues that have plagued him in recent starts.

Instead, Birdsong hit his nadir.

He faced six batters and recorded no outs. He threw 25 pitches but landed only six strikes strikes. He surrendered one hit but allowed five runs due to four walks and a hit-by-pitch. Birdsong’s imperfect outing that set the stage for the Giants’ (52-49) latest defeat, a 9-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Monday night at Truist Park that extended the team’s current skid to six games.

“He was kind of teetering the last time and found a way through it. Today, he couldn’t, unfortunately,” said manager Bob Melvin. “Put us in a little bit of a bind with the pitching and how we had to cover this game. Not ideal, and kind of back to square one with him as far as command issues go.”

“We’re back to step one, whatever that is,” Birdsong said. “Go back, look at film, see what I was doing in the minor leagues, see what I’ve done up here early. Just reset it. That’s all I got right now.”

As poorly as Birdsong pitched, the Giants’ didn’t play a crisp game following his departure either. Along with a pair of throwing errors from reliever Matt Gage and left fielder Heliot Ramos, the defense had a pair of non-error miscues that directly led to runs.

In the fourth, Ronald Acuña Jr. scored from first base when Lee lobbed a throw back to the infield. In the sixth, Lee didn’t take command of a routine fly ball to left-center field, resulting in the ball dropping and a run scoring.

“We had bad communication is what it is,” Melvin said of Acuña scoring from first. “Casey (Schmitt) has to let him know when he gets up. (Matt Chapman) is trying to yell. Casey’s still kind of learning the position, too. It’s just a bad look when you’re playing like that and something like that happens in a game like this where we look terrible. Just another instance today that was not a good look for us.”

Said Willy Adames, who recorded his first four-hit game as a Giant: “We just have to figure out a way to be a better team. We have to figure out a way how to be better on defense, run the bases better, continue to play hard baseball.”

To the point about playing hard baseball, Adames assessed the Giants were “grinders” in the first half but haven’t had that same energy in the second half. To Adames, getting back to that point requires playing hard every day, being aggressive, taking good at-bats and “doing the little things.” During this current skid, Adames said the Giants aren’t “attacking the other team.”

“That’s not our identity. It feels like lately we’ve fallen off the bus. It’s just not us,” Adames said. “We have to figure out a way to get out of it as soon as possible. It’s not us. It sucks because we are in a good spot, but we have to be better for us to make a run. And obviously, to try to take this division, we have to be way, way better than how we are right now.”

The 23-year-old’s inability to command his pitches has seemingly come out of nowhere. In his first 17 appearances (six starts), Birdsong walked 20 batters over 52 2/3 innings and posted a 3.25 ERA. Over his last four starts, by contrast, Birdsong has walked 17 batters over 13 innings with an 11.08 ERA.

Birdsong began his outing by walking Jurickson Profar on seven pitches, getting into a full count before throwing a 3-2 slider in the dirt. From there, Birdsong lost the zone entirely. He walked Matt Olson on four pitches, then walked Ronald Acuña Jr. on four more pitches. After Birdsong loaded the bases, Drake Baldwin cleared them with a three-run double.

The 23-year-old’s night lasted just two more batters. Following Baldwin’s double, Birdsong walked Ozzie Albies on five pitches and plunked Sean Murphy on an errant fastball. With that, Melvin pulled the plug on Birdsong’s night.

Including tonight’s outing, there have now been 33 instances since 2000 of a starting pitcher facing at least six batters and recording no outs. The last Giant to do so was Zack Littell on June 15, 2021, a game that San Francisco still won as Mike Yastrzemski hit a go-ahead grand slam. The list includes former Giant and current roving pitching instructor Ryan Vogelsong, who was coincidentally in attendance.

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Gage entered the ballgame with no outs, the bases loaded and San Francisco already trailing Atlanta, 3-1. All things considered, Gage provided the Giants with much-needed equanimity. He allowed a two-run single to Nick Allen that expanded the Braves’ lead to 5-1, but recorded three outs and got San Francisco back into the dugout following a lengthy first inning.

Still, with Birdsong failing to record a single out, San Francisco’s bullpen needed to cover at least seven more innings at the minimum. That task would be especially difficult given the state of the ‘pen. Tristan Beck pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief on Friday when Justin Verlander was pulled before completing three innings. In Sunday’s 9-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, right-hander Spencer Bivens tossed 1 1/3 innings while left-hander Joey Lucchesi contributed two scoreless frames.

The Giants had opportunities to crawl back in the ballgame despite the early four-run deficit, but the defensive miscues combined with the offense going 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position led to Melvin almost exclusively using lower leverage relievers.

Gage’s outing lasted two innings before Melvin called upon another arm. Bivens allowed three runs over 1 2/3 innings, then Beck followed up by retiring all four batters he faced. Ryan Walker handled the sixth and seventh, then Camilo Doval rounded out the night by pitching the eighth in his first appearance of the second half.

“We had plenty of opportunities to come back in that game. We didn’t,” Melvin said. “If we did, it might’ve looked a little different as far as personnel, but somebody like Tristan has got to wear it after throwing four-plus the other day. Bivens (pitched) one-plus yesterday and he’s got to go back out there. We’re trying to get through the game and have enough weapons for tomorrow.”

Giants announce signings 17 of 18 draft picks

The Giants announced prior to Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves that they’ve signed 17 of the 18 players they selected in the 2025 MLB draft, a list that includes first-rounder Gavin Kilen out of the University of Tennessee. Additionally, San Francisco also signed three undrafted free agents: infielder Hayden Jatczak (Kent State), catcher Daniel Rogers (Iowa) and right-hander Dylan Carter (Arkansas).

Elijah McNeal, who starred at Dublin High School, did not sign with the Giants after being selected by the team in the 20th and final round of the draft. McNeal is committed to play at UC Davis.

Beloved ballpark therapy bunny, Alex The Great, has died after complications from cancer

By JANIE McCAULEY, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO  — A beloved therapy bunny named Alex The Great, who provided snuggles and comfort from ballparks to NBA arenas, airports, farmers markets and even Easter egg hunts and NASCAR races, has died. He was 4.

A floppy-eared Flemish giant who was larger than life in both size and spirit, Alex suffered complications from cancer treatment and died early Monday, his owners said. The rabbit had undergone care at the renowned UC Davis Veterinary Hospital in recent days.

Alex appeared June 4 sporting his signature cap for Padres-Giants at Oracle Park. At 4 months old, he attended his first Giants game in April 2021 — believed to be the first bunny in the stands at the waterfront ballpark.

He loved wearing bow ties and riding in his remote-controlled car, which Alex did in November 2021 following an Arizona Fall League appearance at Scottsdale Stadium where he saw now-Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe as a rising prospect.

Kei Kato and her fiancé Josh Row, both of San Francisco, are photographed with their Flemish Giant rabbit named Alex the Great before the start of the Golden State Warriors game against the Phoenix Suns at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, May 11, 2021. The therapy bunny was dressed in a Warriors uniform for the game. The Warriors hosted Alex as a "lucky rabbit's foot" for its playoff push. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

Owners Kei Kato and Josh Row saved Alex from a slaughterhouse — but, really, it was the bunny who saved them. They took Alex on all their trips and he spent hours at San Francisco International Airport with a golden retriever friend offering travelers emotional support.

“He saved us and saved so many people,” Kato said via text message Monday. “All the stories people are sharing are so overwhelming.”

Fans stopped in awe when they saw Alex The Great wherever he went, often surprised by his size and always eager to snap a photo or selfie. Kato and Row were thrilled to share him with the world because Alex had brought them so much love and joy and they wanted to spread that to anyone who might need a lift or a smile. Or provide a chance to pet Alex’s soft orange fur or give him a hug.

“We remember him well for his surprise frequent visits to the ballpark,” Giants CEO Larry Baer said in a text message. “We remember the comfort he brought those who loved him and the joy he brought so many.”

San Francisco Giants fan Zoya Volbe, of San Francisco, greets Alex the Great, a Flemish giant rabbit, before Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Kato lost her brewery restaurant during the pandemic and adopting Alex provided her with a new purpose. He helped Kato deal with the anxiety and stress of no longer having her main source of income and the fulfillment her business brought.

“I lost it all because of COVID, so I’ve been really stressed a lot,” Kato said at the ballpark that spring night in 2021. “We support local. I was a local. He’s well trained, too.”

When Alex became such a hit on the big screen, quick-thinking Daniel Kurish of the Marlins’ media relations staff went to find the bunny in the seventh inning to deliver some Miami gear.

Less than a month later, in May 2021, Alex appeared at a Suns-Warriors game at Chase Center. Of course, they loved him there, too. He’d also pop up outside the arena in Thrive City every now and then to greet fans before games.

“Let his legend continue,” Kato and Row wrote on Alex’s social media, “he was very loved.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Alex the Great’s San Francisco Giants jersey that is signed by Will Clark, San Francisco Giants first baseman, lays on a table at his apartment’s social lounge in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. The jersey is specially designed to fit Alex the Great. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

Banishing a reporter: Trump escalates battle with Wall Street Journal over Epstein story

By DAVID BAUDER

President Donald Trump on Monday followed up his lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal over last week’s Jeffrey Epstein story by banishing one of the newspaper’s reporters from Air Force One for an upcoming Scotland trip.

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The moves reflect Trump’s aggressiveness toward media who displease him — even a media magnate, Rupert Murdoch, with outlets that have been friendly to him in the past.

Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Journal and Murdoch on Friday because of the newspaper’s article about a sexually suggestive letter bearing Trump’s name that was included in a 2003 album compiled for alleged sex trafficker Epstein’s birthday. The president has denied having anything to do with it.

On Monday, the White House said it was removing a Journal reporter from the pool covering the president’s trip this weekend to his golf courses in Turnberry and Aberdeen in Scotland. The Journal’s Tarini Parti had been scheduled to cover him on the trip.

“Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

The Journal declined comment on the action.

Aggressiveness with the press is in the Trump playbook

It’s a tactic the Trump White House has used before. It restricted the access of journalists from The Associated Press to press events when the news outlet would not change its style guidelines to reflect Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico. That launched a legal battle that is wending its way through the courts.

The defamation lawsuit is another tool Trump has used against media outlets. He has sued CBS News for its editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with former opponent Kamala Harris; ABC News for a false statement made by George Stephanopoulos in a story regarding a New York writer who had accused Trump of sexual abuse; and Meta after it removed Trump’s social media accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

In each of those cases, Trump won multimillion-dollar settlements. But in those instances, news was only one part of a major corporation’s business. In the case of Murdoch and News Corp., news is the chief part of his business. The Journal has vowed to fight.

It’s also the first time Trump has sued for defamation as a sitting president, and it’s not clear whether any president has done that in the past.

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with a president bringing a libel suit,” said noted free speech attorney Floyd Abrams. “But this claim certainly seems like nothing more or less than an effort to suppress speech that our president finds discomforting. That’s not why we have libel law. It’s why we have a First Amendment.”

News organizations have reacted in varied ways

It’s all part of a broader pattern of trying to intimidate news organizations that report stories Trump does not like, said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

“These are lawsuits that have no hope of actually succeeding as lawsuits, but nevertheless have the potential to chill media organizations from doing what all of us need them to do,” Jaffer said.

Not every news organization has bowed down; “60 Minutes,” in fact, did some notably tough stories about the early days of Trump’s second administration. But it’s impossible to quantify stories that weren’t done because of fear of a fight with the White House, he said.

The Wall Street Journal leans conservative editorially, but hasn’t been afraid to take Trump on in both its opinion and news sections. Other Murdoch outlets — Fox News Channel and the New York Post — are much friendlier to him.

Ever since the administration announced that it would not be releasing additional government files from the case against Epstein, factions of Trump’s base supporters have turned on him. That has put some normally supportive news outlets in a difficult position.

Fox News largely avoided the story after Trump suggested his allies stop wasting time on it. But Fox’s Howard Kurtz reported on The Wall Street Journal lawsuit on his “Media Buzz” show Sunday, saying that by doing so, “the president has drawn extra attention to the Journal’s reporting.”

The president’s battle with the press has taken on several dimensions. He has been fighting to take away government support for news organizations like Voice of America, and last week the Republican-controlled Congress voted to take away federal funding from NPR and PBS because the president says their news programming is biased against conservatives.

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

Budget office says Trump’s tax law will add $3.4 trillion to deficits, leave 10 million uninsured

By KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficits through 2034, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday, a slight increase in the projection that takes into account the final tweaks that Republicans made before getting the legislation over the finish line.

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More than 10 million people will be uninsured under the law in 2034 because of the law, CBO found, an improvement from an earlier projection that found 11.8 million people losing coverage over the decade.

The release of the CBO analysis Monday comes at the end of a grueling legislative fight, but at the start of a longer political struggle to come as the two parties clash over the law’s impact on the economy, healthcare and government programs. Republicans are touting the bill as a tax cut for all Americans, yet a recent AP-NORC poll found about two-thirds of U.S. adults expect the new tax law will help the rich as Democrats attack the legislation.

The bill Trump signed into law on July 4 extended current tax rates for individuals that were set to expire at the end of this year and temporarily created new tax deductions for tips, overtime and auto interest loans for new vehicles assembled in the U.S. Republicans also used the bill to cut future spending on Medicaid and food assistance, and to phase out certain clean energy tax credits more quickly.

Democrats were quick to highlight the CBO’s findings.

“Today’s report reminds us of something: facts are stubborn and the facts are clear,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. ”The big, ugly betrayal is a loser for the country and will be a loser for the Republicans.”

Republicans say the bill was critical to ensure most Americans didn’t experience a significant tax increase next year. Trump and Republicans have also insisted that economic growth will exceed the CBO’s projections for the next decade, erasing the projected deficits as more revenue comes into the Treasury than anticipated.

Nonpartisan fiscal watchdogs also highlighted the CBO’s latest projection. Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said there will be a shorter-term “sugar high” as stimulus makes its way through the economy. But modelers from across the ideological spectrum agree that any sustained economic changes are likely to be modestly beneficial, or negative.

“And not one serious estimate claims this bill will improve our fiscal situation,” MacGuineas said. “Rather, positive growth effects are likely to be swamped by the effects of higher debt and interest rates.”

The CBO said more than $1 trillion in deficit savings is generated through the health portions of the bill, which includes new work requirements for certain Medicaid beneficiaries in states that expanded the program through the Affordable Care Act.

Some late changes on Medicaid were made to the bill to win over holdouts. One of those changes added a $50 billion fund for rural hospitals.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

Naval Postgraduate School launches sustainable buoy to advance research

MONTEREY — Located about 3 miles offshore and 5 miles north of the Naval Postgraduate School is a first-of-its-kind ocean-sensing buoy. With 5G technologies and solar panels built in, the buoy has the capabilities to collect oceanographic and meteorological data 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the next three years.

NPS worked to develop and now lease the PowerBuoy from Ocean Power Technologies, a New Jersey-based company specializing in clean ocean-energy technology, and AT&T. With the help of AT&T’s 5G technologies, the buoy will also serve to enhance communications at sea for the Navy and other mariners that come in contact with it. The buoy will remain in the ocean for three years, brought to the surface occasionally for upkeep.

“NPS has a long history of doing applied field experimentation … we have naval officers, permanent defense service officers and international students and they’re all coming here for graduate education, all of it being somehow related to the problems they’re facing within the Defense Department,” said Kevin Smith, principal investigator and chair of the physics department at the school.

The Naval Postgraduate School, in collaboration with AT&T and Ocean Power Technologies, has deployed a 5G cell site at sea, about three miles offshore. (Courtesy photo)

“It’s really nice as both a graduate education institution and a Navy organization that we get to see the combination of the fundamental science and understanding of how things work, with seeing how that could apply and improve the effectiveness of our Department of Defense,” he said.

The school worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the California State Lands and Coastal Commissions and other organizations to ensure the buoy was properly permitted and wouldn’t cause a negative environmental impact.

Powered by solar and wind energy, the buoy will collect undersea and surface data and relay that information to researchers at NPS through its 5G communication technology. The 5G maritime base station can also provide internet access, high-speed data transmission and communication capabilities to vessels within a half-mile radius. Part of the research looking forward will be to determine how far 5G can be extended in the maritime domain, according to Smith.

“We are excited to complete this installation and move into the lease phase of our contract with NPS,” said Philipp Stratmann, CEO of Ocean Power Technologies in a news release. “The collaboration with AT&T also demonstrates how PowerBuoys can serve as 5G communications nodes along the U.S. coastline.”

The buoy will help bring high-speed data to mariners who have been limited by VHF radio and satellite communication, which is more expensive than the 5G.

“At AT&T, we modernize network infrastructure to support the technologies of the future,” said Wes Anderson, public sector president in a news release. “That’s why we’re proud to have launched a 5G cell site at sea with the Navy, Naval Postgraduate School and OPT. This collaboration fuels our commitment to developing 5G and edge computing solutions for manned and unmanned naval platforms that support national defense, homeland security and the maritime community.”

Bringing Ocean Power Technologies and AT&T together to create this buoy “was sort of a natural fit,” said Smith.

While NPS is the project lead, multiple institutions are involved with the buoy and will rely on it for data. Some of the partnerships include NOAA, the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The PowerBuoy can be located on marinetraffic.com, an online vessel tracker. The buoy is pictured as a red dot, about five miles north of NPS and about three miles offshore at its closest to the coast. (Screenshot by Andrea Valadez)

The buoy has several practical applications that researchers are looking to utilize. From a Navy perspective, the buoy can track submarines and underwater vehicles and inform weather models to make predictions on the impact of the environment on operational systems, said Smith.

But there are also opportunities to track what’s happening underwater, including marine mammal activity – that data will be provided to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Information on sea surface temperature and wave energy, for example, can go to NOAA as well as fishermen.

“There’s a lot of dual use to all these studies that we’re doing and that’s, again, one of the great things about being an educational institution and a Navy organization is that we’re able to see both applications and study them accordingly,” said Smith.

Looking forward, the hope is that the buoy will transform the possibilities of what a maritime base station can look like.

“I don’t expect that we will put multiple buoys out in Monterey Bay,” said Smith. “This is sort of a testbed.”

The capabilities of the buoy and the sensors that have been built into it will hopefully promote the concept to other organizations, said Smith, and help support more of these stations popping up throughout the world to advance what we know about the ocean. Multiple buoys in Monterey aren’t the goal, but rather a chance to highlight how other areas could expand on the idea.

“That is a vision,” said Smith. “Not for Monterey Bay, but for other locations around the world.”

State Transportation Secretary tours Highway 1 at Regent’s Slide

BIG SUR – California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin visited Regents Slide on Highway 1 last week, reaffirming the state’s commitment to the Big Sur community as repair work continues.

Regent’s Slide — at post mile 27.8, and about 40 miles south of Carmel — has stymied unrestricted travel along the famed coast highway through Monterey County since it occurred Feb. 9, 2024. It started seeing top-down removal of slide material by crews on April 30, 2024. The slide originated 450 feet above the roadway, displacing material that engulfed Highway 1 and continuing down to the beach and ocean below.

Omishakin met with local leaders, business owners and tourism officials at the slide site and said that the state and Governor Newsom remain fully committed to reopening the highway as quickly and safely as possible.

“Visiting the project site reinforced my confidence that we will restore access to this majestic section of coastline to people who have endured hardships and demonstrated incredible patience,” said Omishakin. “Highway 1 belongs to them and is more than just a road, it is part of California’s rich culture.”

In August 2024, continued slide activity in and around the repair site halted excavation work for a time. It forced Caltrans to begin work higher up the slope but as slide activity continues, it has sometimes required workers loading the slide to back off of it as site conditions indicate.

Those conditions pushed the estimated time for reopening from late fall 2024 to late summer 2025, but that has since been scrubbed as slide activity remains a top concern.

Caltrans will update the public and local business owners with an estimated date for the reopening of Regent’s Slide by the end of this summer.

Portions of the Regent’s Slide repair area remain geologically active, moving one foot or more per day, according to Caltrans. Data collected by monitoring instruments and visual observation is analyzed to make informed decisions about slope stability, worker safety and repair design assessments.

In March 2025, Caltrans introduced remote-controlled equipment for use at Regent’s Slide, allowing operators to take more risk than they would with dozers and excavators that had people on board. The incorporation of this technology is intended to increase production and protect worker safety at Regent’s Slide where crews are challenged by the height, steepness and instability of the slide.

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

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

 

 

Regent’s Slide, which originated 450 feet above the roadway, occurred on Feb. 9, 2024, and has subsequently resulted in the closure of a 6.8-mile segment of Highway 1. (CSTA)

This engineering strategy allowed other phases of the repair to begin and provided a safer environment for workers, says Caltrans. To date, the slope has been reinforced with 20 miles of steel bars and eight million pounds of cement, enough cement to fill 533 trucks and enough steel to stretch halfway to Carmel.

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

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

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

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

What’s next for the Warriors as Kuminga standoff stretches past 3 weeks

SAN FRANCISCO – Among the NBA’s 30 teams, the Warriors have earned a unique distinction through their inaction over the last three weeks.

Golden State remains the only franchise to not make a single signing or non-draft trade this offseason.

After the brief respite of Summer League hoops, the microscope returns to focus on restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga, general manager Mike Dunleavy and a team looking to build around aging stars Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.

At this point, the reason for their inaction is well-documented. The Warriors are hoping to avoid the second apron of the salary cap, which brings stiff penalties for team building.

Kuminga is stuck in limbo, and is reported to be seeking a contract in the ballpark of $30 million a season in a NBA where precious few teams have cap space.

Aside from letting Kuminga walk, Golden State could orchestrate an immediate sign-and-trade, or bring him back on a deal and reserve the right to trade him midseason. Kuminga, like fellow RFAs Josh Giddey and Cam Thomas, remains in limbo.

Despite being in stasis, the Warriors have been long linked to a pair of unrestricted free agents.

Al Horford, 39, is coming off another workmanlike season as the Celtics’ stretch five and has long been linked to the Warriors. While Horford has reported interest from the Lakers, he remains unsigned.

The same could be said for De’Anthony Melton, a two-way combo guard who played six games for the Warriors last season and averaged 10.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Of course, the reason Melton only played a half-dozen games for Golden State (and is now available for the veteran minimum) is because the 28-year-old suffered an ACL tear last November before the Warriors traded his contract to Brooklyn for Dennis Schröder.

Multiple outlets have reported that the Warriors have verbal agreements in place with both Melton and Horford.

Those two would be needed reinforcements for a franchise that is looking to keep pace with the rest of the conference’s superpowers.

Yes, the Warriors did trade for Butler in a February move that could be considered Golden State’s blockbuster transaction of the year.

But as a second-round playoff exit after Curry’s hamstring injury showed, teams need to add depth to survive in the postseason.

The rest of the Western Conference has done just that.

The Lakers recently agreed to a deal with lockdown defender Marcus Smart, while the Clippers brought in Bradley Beal and signed franchise legend Chris Paul.

The Rockets have rebuilt their team around Kevin Durant, the Nuggets strengthened Nikola Jokic’s supporting cast and the Spurs are expected to take a leap with ascendant superstar Victor Wembanyama back in the fold.

Aside from their long-linked targets in Horford and Melton, the Warriors, strapped for cap space, will look to fill out the rest of the roster with veteran minimum signings.

Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon, center Thomas Bryant, forward Torrey Craig, stretch four Trey Lyles and Curry’s younger brother Seth Curry are all still available.

But no moves appear to be imminent until the Kuminga situation is resolved, and that may not happen any time soon.

Until then, the Warriors will remain stuck while the rest of the NBA gets better.

Trump ‘caught off guard’ by recent Israeli strikes, White House says

By CHRIS MEGERIAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was “caught off guard” by the recent Israeli strikes in Syria and on a Catholic church in Gaza, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.

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Her comments were a rare suggestion of daylight between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have often been aligned on politics and foreign policy, particularly with the recent attacks on Iran’s nuclear program.

However, Trump is pushing for an end to the war in Gaza and trying to support the new Syrian government as the country emerges from years of civil war, and Israeli military operations have threatened to complicate those initiatives.

An Israeli attack last week hit the Gaza Strip’s only Catholic church, killing three people and stirring outrage. In addition, Israel intervened during the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria, even bombing the capital, Damascus.

Leavitt told reporters that Trump has “a good working relationship” with Netanyahu but “he was caught off guard by the bombing in Syria and also the bombing of a Catholic church in Gaza.”

“In both accounts, the president quickly called the prime minister to rectify those situations,” Leavitt said.

Trump’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, told The Associated Press that Israel’s intervention in Syria “creates another very confusing chapter” and “came at a very bad time.”

Pentagon to withdraw 700 Marines from Los Angeles

By JAIMIE DING, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Pentagon ordered the U.S. Marines to leave Los Angeles on Monday, more than a month after President Donald Trump deployed them to the city against the objections of local leaders.

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The 700 Marines were deployed June 9 on the fourth day of protests in downtown LA over the administration’s crackdown on immigration. Four thousand National Guard soldiers were also deployed.

Their presence in the city had been limited to two locations with federal buildings in Los Angeles, including the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and detention facility downtown. During their deployment outside a federal complex in west LA, the Marines temporarily detained a man who said he was rushing to get to a Veterans Affairs appointment.

The decision to pull back the Marines comes after half of the National Guard troops were ordered to leave the city last week. The rest remain.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military presence “sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated.”

Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference Monday morning ahead of the announcement with several leaders of veteran groups who raised concerns about the deployment of military troops on domestic soil. They called for the remainder of troops to be withdrawn from Los Angeles.

“This is another win for Los Angeles but this is also a win for those serving this country in uniform,” Bass said in a statement. “Los Angeles stands with our troops, which is why we are glad they are leaving.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the federal government in June over the deployment of the National Guard, arguing that Trump violated the law when he activated the troops without notifying him. Newsom also asked the judge for an emergency stop to troops helping carry out immigration raids.

While a lower court ordered Trump to return control of the Guard to California, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month temporarily blocked the judge’s order.

Newsom originally included the Marines in the lawsuit, but the case has primarily focused on the Guard since.

Protesters confront Marines outside the Federal Building on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)

In response to the Pentagon’s announcement pulling back the Marines, Newsom reiterated his call for the remaining Guard troops to be sent home as well.

“The women and men of the California National Guard deserve more than to continue serving as puppets in Trump and Stephen Miller’s performative political theater,” Newsom said in a statement. “There was never a need for the military to deploy against civilians in Los Angeles.”

Local authorities have disputed the Trump administration’s characterization of the city as a “war zone.”

The protests in Los Angeles have been largely limited to a few blocks downtown containing City Hall, federal buildings and an immigration detention facility. Demonstrations in the city and the region in recent weeks have been largely small impromptu protests around arrests.

Protesters confront Marines outside the Federal Building on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)

In one of the most raucous days of protest, thousands of people took to the streets June 8 in response to Trump’s deployment of the Guard, blocking off a major freeway as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Photos captured several Waymo robotaxis set on fire.

A day later, police officers used flash bangs and shot projectiles as they pushed protesters through Little Tokyo, where bystanders and restaurant workers rushed to get out of their way.

Bass set a curfew in place for about a week that she said had successfully protected businesses and helped restore order.

Horoscopes July 21, 2025: Juno Temple, keep your home and finances in tip-top shape

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Juno Temple, 36; Justin Bartha, 47; Josh Hartnett, 47; Jon Lovitz, 68.

Happy Birthday: Pay attention, observe and keep personal information to yourself. Focus on acquiring knowledge, skills and qualifications that meet the demands of positions offering more in return. Be precise regarding your needs, ask for what you want and challenge anyone who tries to hold you back. Keep your home and finances in tip-top shape. Take responsibility and leave nothing unfinished. Live within your means, and protect against injury and illness. Your numbers are 9, 15, 19, 23, 34, 42, 49.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Discipline coupled with ingenuity will help you ward off temptation and replace it with a conscious effort to explore what will help you advance. Networking, making cold calls and marketing yourself for success will take you to the winner’s circle. You are overdue for a change and a financial boost. 4 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An open mind will help you gain perspective and reduce the likelihood of encountering a no-win situation. Stubbornness gets you nowhere; find the path that leads to new beginnings and a better future. A change at home or to your current lifestyle can soothe your soul and help you get back on track. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You’ll thrive with change. Whether you instigate it or are swept up in someone else’s whirlwind, hang on and enjoy the ride. Take pleasure in utilizing your attributes in unique ways and let them transform how you think and act. Put your energy to good use. Keeping busy will ward off interference. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Simplify your life. Keep information to yourself and concentrate on personal and professional gain. Take care of matters that influence your home, finances or health. Avoid aggressive situations and people who try to make you feel bad. Rise above, take care of your responsibilities and be true to yourself. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Explore your options by participating in events that connect you to people and companies who can help transform your skills and experience into something satisfying. Leave nothing to chance when it comes to your lifestyle and concerns. Strive for what serves you best. Temptation is apparent when it comes to love and money. 4 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Carefully delegate your time and effort. Common sense and good manners will help you navigate any controversy you encounter. Keep an open mind, but filter the information you receive to verify facts from fiction. Emotional uncertainty is your warning signal to take a wait-and-see attitude to promises in the making. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Big dreams, temptation and hope will lead to mixed emotions. When in doubt, ask an expert. Knowledge and a strong intuition, coupled with what is feasible, will make the difference between success and failure. Refrain from taking on unnecessary debt, responsibilities or someone else’s drama. Pay attention to how you look and feel. 5 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Revise your plans to meet your demands. Trying to accommodate too many will lead to disappointment. Don’t be afraid to put your needs first. Once you have a clear passage, you’ll find it less stressful to help others. Mix business with pleasure and make the most of your day. Avoid paying for others’ mistakes. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put more effort into functionality and comfort combined. A well-run home can make your life easier and give you more time to nurture your relationships with loved ones. Personal growth will result if you reflect on what’s transpired and revise how you plan to move forward. Romance is in the stars. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Honesty will keep you out of trouble. Look for opportunities, and avoid exaggerating or making promises you cannot deliver. Choose to explore partnerships and how well you work alongside others. Set goals, establish boundaries and create realistic timelines, and the results will enrich your life. Make every choice and move count. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’ve got all the right moves, smarts and wherewithal to get things done and enjoy the outcome. Focus on home, personal gains and worthwhile partnerships, and you will discover how easy it is to make your dreams come true when the stars align. Self-improvement, networking and heart-to-heart talks are game-changers. 5 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Explore people, places and pastimes that pique your interest. Attend events that offer insight into how others live. Put your energy behind your plans, and it will positively impact your perspective and what’s possible. Make yourself crystal clear to anyone who tries to twist your words or alter the outcome. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are fluctuating, entertaining and ambitious. You are charming and insightful.

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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