Thunder-Pacers could be an NBA Finals true fans enjoy

• June 3, 2025

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s No. 25 Indiana vs. No. 47 Oklahoma City in the NBA Finals.

That’s not their seeding. That’s their media market ranking. To some, that might matter. To others, it probably won’t – and probably shouldn’t – matter whatsoever.

A title matchup that starts Thursday night between the Pacers and Thunder – two young, fun teams that score a ton and are led by marketable stars in reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Oklahoma City and Olympic gold medalist Tyrese Haliburton for Indiana – is the type of series that real basketball fans clamor for. It has everything: star power, good coaching, All-Stars on both sides. And it adds to the NBA’s recent run of parity.

That’s the good news. Here’s the inevitable other side: The ratings, especially at the start of the series, probably aren’t going to be good because the home markets are so small. Those who like the NBA won’t be dissuaded by that. Those who don’t like the NBA will tout it as great failure.

“I think this Finals is a great representation with the two teams that are in it,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “You know, they’re teams that play good, exciting styles of basketball. Players that have great individual stories, teams that have a great story collectively. And we’re proud to be a part of that.”

People are watching; they just might not be watching on television. The social media tracking site Videocites says NBA content is getting consumed at a 64% higher clip than last season – 32 billion views and counting so far in these playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander is the most viewed player, Haliburton is No. 3 and playoff clips of those two have about 1.5 billion views between them to this point.

That’s billion, with a B. And speaking of that, there are 76 billion reasons the NBA won’t be bothered by whatever the ratings are over the next couple of weeks.

The new media rights deals – an 11-year, $76 billion pact between the NBA and broadcast partners Disney (ABC/ESPN), Peacock (NBC) and Amazon (Prime Video) that kicks in at the start of next season – show that clearly somebody is watching NBA games or consuming NBA content. The days of straight relying on Nielsen ratings seem to be long gone, with more and more people ditching cable for streaming and more and more young fans just watching everything on their phones and often in condensed versions.

If the ratings tank for Pacers-Thunder, those deals are still worth $76 billion. The ad buys for these playoffs have long been paid for. So, the numbers for this series are largely irrelevant to the NBA’s bottom line.

Haliburton was asked Tuesday what fans who watch will see if they tune in to these Finals.

“I think (they’ll see) two high-level teams that play an elite style of basketball, who share the ball really well, a lot of different people that can chip in,” Haliburton said. “I think that’s the exciting part about this. I don’t want to say it’s like a passing of the torch because the old heads are still here. They’re still playing very, very well. But definitely to see two young teams, two young organizations, fighting to win a championship, I think is a very big deal.”

Late in the regular season, as numbers were bouncing back from a slow start to the season, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league’s ratings were down about 2% from a year ago.

“But in this environment, where particularly when you’re largely featured in legacy media and particularly cable, and no question cable subscriptions are going down, that seems like a victory,” Silver said.

In short, nobody at the league office is panicking about ratings, especially right now. Whichever team wins will be the seventh different champion in the last seven seasons, and without question the Thunder and Pacers will be featured in more national broadcasts next season than they were this season and their ratings will be higher – as proven by recent Finals runs by Milwaukee, Denver and Dallas. Go ahead and expect Indy and OKC in the Christmas Day package next season as well; neither team was among the 10 picked for that this season, which was probably a mild disappointment for the Pacers and was a huge disappointment for the Thunder.

“I’d love to play on Christmas Day,” Gilgeous-Alexander said earlier this season. “And I think we’re that caliber of team. The NBA makes their decisions. Can’t slight them for it. Ball’s in our court to prove to them why we deserve to be in that game.”

It can easily be argued that both teams did it right: didn’t overspend, didn’t go into the luxury tax – it’s the first Finals between two non-taxpayer teams in about two decades – and tried to build around young stars.

And the Thunder and Pacers were teams that combined to win 49 games just three seasons ago; their success now has to be a reason for hope for teams like Utah, Washington, Portland, Charlotte and others that have been sputtering. Turnarounds can happen, and they can be rewarded. Some people will watch, some won’t, but true fans probably are expecting a pretty good series.

“I think that’s exciting,” Haliburton said, “for any basketball fan.”

AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Santiago Canyon College event makes science fun for younger students

• June 3, 2025

To some, the mere mention of “science” may bring up feelings of frustration, intimidation or even boredom. They don’t realize that science can be fun, even playful.

The more than 2,000 people who attended the 18th annual Community Science Night, a colorful assortment of hands-on activities, live demonstrations and interactive exhibits on April 25 at Santiago Canyon College, would happily concur. The engaging presentations invited all attendees — particularly elementary and middle school students — to celebrate the wonders of biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, and engineering. The activities were led by instructors from SCC and the Orange Unified and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School Districts.

“It’s a big circus and playground of science,” said Jeff Wada, SCC professor of chemistry. “The event really excited so many students and other little kids. At the end of the evening, when the families were leaving, they were either super excited to share with their parents what they played with or learned, or they were sad that the night was over.”

“We exposed a large number of students to many different sciences and gave them different kinds of experiences that they may not have at their schools or their homes,” said Rochelle Greenwald, a teacher on special assignment for the Orange Unified School District specializing in Career Pathways and STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). “Things like engineering-design challenges, using microscopes, observing animals, trying out robotics and more. They may not even know they’re interested in science until they’ve tried it.”

The exhibits, activities and demos, more than 50 in all, took place in Santiago Canyon College’s Science Center, Humanities Building and Gym, along with a few at outdoor locales on campus. They included:

• Push Car Derby – By building cars out of a LEGO Essentials kit to see which could be pushed the farthest, students learned about friction and force.

• Let There Be Light – Students explored the properties of light: how a light bulb contains a rainbow of colors, what happens when a beam of laser light is trapped in water, and more.

• Plushie Museum of Paleontology – Young kids played with new cuddly friends, in the form of stuffed dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.

• Magma-nificent Experiments – Future geologists discovered how trapped gases cause eruptions through several hands-on experiments that simulate the explosive power of volcanoes.

• Stuffie Stage – Students used clothespins and sticks to build platforms, at least 6 inches tall, to hold one of a variety of stuffed animals.

• Chemistry Magic Show – A comedic demonstration – featuring Dr. Solid, Dr. Liquid and Dr. Gas – explored the three phases of matter.

Wada, who wrote and performed in the latter exhibit, ran it with another SCC chemistry instructor and a student volunteer. “At this year’s event, we had over 200 SCC students who helped out,” he said. “They all talked about the event the following week. It helped reaffirm their interest in science. … In fact, I’ve had students who’ve said, ‘I started college because of Community Science Night.’ I’ve even had those who’ve told me, ‘I signed up for your class because I saw you there when I was younger.’ ”

Santiago Canyon College and the Orange Unified and Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School Districts partnered with several community organizations and companies that hosted their own room, booth or table, said Community Science Night’s chair, Angela Daneshmand, SCC associate professor and chair of Earth sciences. They included the OC Health Care Agency, The Cooper Center, Bricks 4 Kidz, the Environmental Nature Center, the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, Bio-Rad Laboratories and Amigos de Bolsa Chica, among others.

Wada noted that the event started 18 years ago through a grant that Santiago Canyon College received to benefit STEM-major students. Part of this grant involved a push to get elementary and middle school students in the community excited about science.

Wada also sang high praise for Daneshmand, who led the event’s planning committee. “She does an amazing job corralling so many different resources and people,” he said. “It’s like herding cats, as she often says. But she makes it all run.”

“Everyone likes to give me all the credit,” Daneshmand said, “but the event wouldn’t be the success it is without the energy, creativity and commitment of so many faculty, staff and students. It’s truly a team effort, and I’m incredibly grateful for the support.”

Greenwald, who also served on the event’s planning committee, noted that not just young students enjoyed the evening. “The kids had a great time, and sometimes it’s the parents who have more fun than the kids! … I hope that this event continues to grow and change each year, because it’s just about the best thing we can give to our students and the community.”

​ Orange County Register 

Rams OLB Jared Verse feels ‘more prepared than I’ve ever been’

• June 3, 2025

WOODLAND HILLS — Entering his first NFL offseason, the first of his life in which he didn’t have to deal with school or draft prep, Rams edge rusher Jared Verse got a text from a fellow Florida State alum, one who had enjoyed a long NFL career. And he offered Verse one piece of advice.

Study your old film. All of it.

“Watch more of the bad plays than the good,” Verse said, “and realize what I can work on. I did that, and I feel more prepared than I’ve ever been.”

Verse, still the Rams’ only first-round draft pick since 2016, had the rookie season the front office envisioned when it took him with the 19th overall pick last spring. He finished with 4½ total sacks but led all NFL players with 89 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus, with a 19.7% win rate on his pass rush opportunities.

The raw numbers led to accolades, including a Pro Bowl nod and the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award. But when he watched his film from the past year, Verse noticed instead how many big plays he missed out on, and not just sacks.

“Dropping in coverage, I could have done this. Rushing the passer, I could have done that. Even in the run game a couple times, there’s a couple things where I’m a little too far inside, I’m a little too far outside and I could have made a big, impact play,” Verse explained Tuesday after the Rams wrapped up an OTA practice. “So realizing that this really is a game of inches where it’s like stopping the ball or actually just doing your job, there’s a couple things I could have done better.”

As Verse looks to take on more leadership responsibilities in this second season, it’s this level of self-scouting that will help elevate him.

Being vocal has never been an issue for the verbose Verse, whose eyes went wide when a reporter joked that he seemed quieter on the field this year. But having one of the defense’s best players take on that level of accountability can have a positive impact.

It was evident last year when Verse put the blame squarely on his own shoulders for a midseason loss to Philadelphia in which he struggled to do his part to keep Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley in check. His and his teammates’ willingness to look inward led to a late-season turnaround for the defense.

“We were talking about it this morning, we don’t want him to put any extra pressure on himself,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “Just be the best version of yourself. That’s all we’re challenging him to do is understanding his opps within the scheme of the defense, which we started to do in the middle of the season last year, and just be himself.”

For the confident Verse, that won’t be an issue.

“I don’t really put too much pressure,” Verse said. “If I’m who I am and I take the strides I need to take, I’m going to be the best version of me and I’m going to be able to help the team in any facet or way that they need.”

BRIEFLY

Receiver Davante Adams missed Tuesday’s practice with an excused absence, a team spokesperson said.

​ Orange County Register 

LAPD devoting ‘a lot of resources’ to transgender hate crime case, one suspect in custody

• June 3, 2025

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Tuesday that considerable resources are focused on apprehending the people who repeatedly attacked a transgender store owner in the Westlake District.

Police have described a series of assaults against the woman as hate crimes, and they are requesting the public’s help in locating two young males suspected of assaulting the 61-year-old victim multiple times.

“I think certainly anybody who is the victim of a crime certainly feels that they would like to see more being done, particularly those that are involved in a series of crimes as this individual has,” McDonnell told reporters Tuesday morning.

“Our heart goes out to her for what she’s been through with five incidents in the course of roughly a month,” McDonnell continued. “We take these crimes very seriously. We have a lot of resources focused on taking these individuals into custody and holding them accountable for what they’ve done.”

He said one suspect, who was in custody when the latest attack occurred, was arrested by detectives on May 27. Police identified him as Samuel Parros, 30, who was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, not a firearm, with great bodily injury. He remained in sheriff’s department custody at the Men’s Central Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail, according to online jail records Tuesday.

The individual in custody was listed as “Suspect 2” in the surveillance images circulated by the LAPD.

The victim said the suspects stole $30,000 from her, and one of them twice pointed a gun at her, but it did not fire.

The first alleged crime took place April 8, when a suspect entered the victim’s store, flirted with her, and later punched her to the ground after she rejected his advances, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The suspect later discovered the victim was a transgender woman and sexually assaulted her before he pulled away and threatened to kill her, police said.

The same suspect allegedly returned to the location multiple times with additional suspects and committed hate crimes against the victim, which involved one of the suspects striking the victim with a skateboard, deploying pepper spray and throwing an unknown liquid substance at the victim as another suspect attempted to stun her with a Taser.

Police believe the same individuals returned to the victim’s location around 11:40 p.m. Saturday and physically assaulted her, inflicting “serious injuries.”

The suspects left the scene before police arrived.

Detectives from the LAPD’s Rampart Division Robbery Section believe there may be additional victims, and the department released surveillance photos of the suspects to encourage those individuals to come forward. The photos can be viewed at x.com/LAPDPIO/status/1929281011046547882.

Anyone with additional information regarding the crimes was urged to call detectives at 213-484-3495. Calls during non-business hours or weekends should be made to 877-527-3247. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

​ Orange County Register 

Republicans target Nashville’s mayor for his response to immigration arrests

• June 3, 2025

By JONATHAN MATTISE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Congressional Republicans are investigating Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s response to federal immigration arrests during hundreds of traffic stops over several days in May.

Rep. Andy Ogles is leading the charge, pitting the Republican who represents part of the Democratic-leaning city against a progressive mayor who has criticized immigration officials after they arrested nearly 200 people in the greater Nashville area.

The dayslong presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents sent chills through well-known Nashville immigrant neighborhoods. Many Republicans, meanwhile, applauded ICE’s enforcement focus in the city.

Republicans have criticized Nashville officials for publicly documenting interactions between local authorities and federal immigration agents on an official city government website. Some of the entries included authorities’ names before city officials removed them. They have also blasted O’Connell for promoting a fundraiser for families affected by the ICE activity.

O’Connell has said the arrests caused long-lasting trauma for families and were led by people who don’t share Nashville’s values of safety and community.

Here is a look at the ICE activity and its fallout.

The arrests

ICE has said that it arrested 196 people alongside the Tennessee Highway Patrol during a weeklong effort in and around Nashville. ICE said 95 had criminal convictions, were facing criminal charges or both, but didn’t provide a more detailed breakdown, including the type of crimes. It said about 30 had entered the country after previously being deported, some of whom are included in the 95.

The Highway Patrol said it made more than 580 traffic stops in the joint operation with ICE. ICE highlighted seven cases, including two gang members, one of whom was wanted in an El Salvador killing, and people with convictions such as drug offenses, rape or assault.

Lisa Sherman Luna of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition criticized the effort as “at a scale we’ve never seen before.” She said officers were arresting some people who were going home to their children or heading to work.

The mayor’s response

Early into ICE’s operation in Nashville, the mayor held a news conference to assure that Nashville’s police force was not involved in the immigration crackdown.

He said the immigration enforcement approach “is not our understanding of what a Nashville for all of us looks like.”

At the news conference, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee also announced the fundraising effort to provide child care, transportation, housing aid, food and more for families impacted by the ICE activity.

O’Connell’s administration has sent letters asking Tennessee Highway Patrol and ICE to identify those arrested and their charges. He told the Nashville Rotary Club this week he still hasn’t received that information.

O’Connell is facing particular scrutiny because of a policy requiring city agencies to report communications with federal immigration authorities to the mayor’s office. Nashville has had similar orders under two prior mayors, and O’Connell added quicker reporting deadlines last month. He said the goal is transparency.

Republicans’ investigation into O’Connell

Congressman Ogles declared that House committees would be investigating O’Connell during a Memorial Day news conference at Tennessee’s Capitol in Nashville — a venue that raised eyebrows because it’s closed to the public on the holiday. Noise from protesters carried from outside the building.

A subsequent letter signed by Ogles and three other House committee and subcommittee chairmen requests documents and communications about O’Connell’s executive order and the ICE enforcement efforts. Ogles and others have also cried foul that the names of some immigration officials in the Nashville operation were made public. The agents’ names were removed, with O’Connell saying it wasn’t the intent of the executive order to release them.

O’Connell has said Nashville isn’t trying to obstruct federal or state laws, and has no reason to be concerned about the congressional investigation.

Ogles first won his seat in 2022 after Republicans redistricted Nashville to flip a Democratic congressional district.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News last week that agents will “flood the zone” in Nashville due to O’Connell’s response.

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice investigate O’Connell.

Last week, the Trump administration listed Nashville among its so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, before the list was removed. O’Connell said he’s “puzzled” by the city’s inclusion and that Nashville, by definition, is not a sanctuary city.

Laws toughened over so-called sanctuary policies

In 2019, sanctuary cities became illegal in Tennessee, threatening noncomplying governments with the loss of state economic development money. Tennessee economic development officials say they aren’t aware of any warnings, denials or withholding of state money under that law to date.

Early this year, lawmakers and Republican Gov. Bill Lee approved legislation to aid the Trump administration with immigration enforcement. It features a potential Class E felony against any local elected official voting for or adopting a so-called sanctuary policy. This could include voting in favor of local government restrictions that impede ICE efforts to detain migrants in the U.S. without permission.

Critics believe the criminal penalty — effective July 1 — could be unconstitutional due to state and federal protections afforded lawmakers at various levels of government.

The law also created a new state immigration division, but shielded its records from public disclosure.

​ Orange County Register 

Musk calls Trump’s big tax break bill a ‘disgusting abomination,’ testing his influence over the GOP

• June 3, 2025

By JONATHAN J. COOPER and CHRIS MEGERIAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk blasted President Donald Trump’s“big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts as a “disgusting abomination” on Tuesday, testing the limits of his political influence as he targeted the centerpiece of Republicans’ legislative agenda.

The broadside, which Musk issued on his social media platform X, came just days after the president gave him a celebratory Oval Office farewell that marked the end of his work for the administration, where he spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore,” Musk posted on X. “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

The legislation, which has passed the House and is currently under debate in the Senate, would curtail subsidies that benefit Tesla, Musk’s electric automaker.

The tech billionaire followed his criticism with a threat aimed at Republicans.

“In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,” he wrote in another X post.

It’s a sharp shift for Musk, the world’s richest person who spent at least $250 million supporting Trump’s campaign last year. He previously pledged to help defeat Republican lawmakers deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump, but now he’s suggesting voting them out if they advance the president’s legislative priority.

However, it’s unclear how Musk will follow through on his criticism. He recently said that he would spend “a lot less” on political campaigns, though he left the door open to political involvement “if I see a reason.”

The tech titan’s missives could cause headaches for Republicans on Capitol Hill, who face conflicting demands from Trump and their party’s wealthiest benefactor.

Alex Conant, a Republican strategist, said “it’s not helpful” to have Musk criticizing the legislation, but he doesn’t expect lawmakers to side with Musk over Trump.

“Senate Republicans are not going to let the tax cuts expire,” Conant said. “It just makes leadership’s job that much harder to wrangle the holdouts.”

Trump can change the outcome in Republican primaries with his endorsements; Musk doesn’t wield that level of influence, Conant said.

“No matter what Elon Musk or anybody else says — and I don’t want to diminish him because I don’t think that’s fair — it’s still going to be second fiddle to President Trump,” said Republican West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.

Musk’s business interests stand to take a hit if lawmakers approve Trump’s bill, which would slash funding for electric vehicles and related technologies. Musk is the chief executive of Tesla, the nation’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer, and SpaceX, which has massive defense contracts.

Last month, Musk said he was “disappointed” by the spending bill, a much milder criticism than the broadside he leveled on Tuesday.

The budget package seeks to extend tax cuts approved in 2017, during Trump’s first term at the White House, and add new ones he campaigned on. It also includes a massive build-up of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security.

To defray some of the lost tax revenue to the government and limit piling onto the nation’s $36 trillion debt load, Republicans want to reduce federal spending by imposing work requirements for some Americans who rely on government safety net services.

Musk’s post threw another hurdle in front of Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s already complex task to pass a bill in time for Trump to achieve his goal of signing it by July 4. The South Dakota Republican has few votes to spare in the GOP’s slim 53-seat majority.

Two of the Senate’s most fiscally hawkish Republicans quickly backed Musk.

“We can and must do better,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul wrote on X. Utah Sen. Mike Lee said “federal spending has become excessive,” adding that it causes inflation and “weaponizes government.”

Still, Trump enjoys fierce loyalty among the GOP base, and in the end, his opinion may be the only one that matters.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt played down Musk’s criticism.

“The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill,” Leavitt said, and Musk’s post “doesn’t change the president’s opinion.”

The tension in the GOP delighted Democrats, who found themselves in the unlikely position of siding with Musk. Democrats are waging an all-out political assault on GOP proposals to cut Medicaid, food stamps and green energy investments to help pay for more than $4.5 trillion in tax cuts — with many lawmakers being hammered at boisterous town halls back home.

“We’re in complete agreement,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said of Musk. The New York Democratic lawmaker stood alongside a poster-sized printout of Musk’s post during a Capitol news conference.

The last time Musk weighed in significantly on legislation, the scenario was far different. His power was ascendant after the election, with Trump joining him for a rocket test in Texas and appointing him to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency.

During the transition period, Musk started whipping up opposition to legislation that would prevent a government shutdown, posting about it repeatedly on X, his social media platform. Trump soon weighed in, encouraging Republicans to back out of a bipartisan deal. Lawmakers eventually patched together a new agreement.

Cooper reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Joey Capelletti and Mary Claire Jalonick in Washington contributed reporting.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels’ Jo Adell is hot again because of aggression at the plate

• June 3, 2025

BOSTON — Jo Adell is again having one of those moments that provides some hope that he’s figuring out what it takes to be successful in the majors.

The Angels outfielder hit two home runs on Monday night. He’s hit .306 with a four homers and an OPS of 1.099 in his last 11 games.

The hot streak has brought his season batting average up to .215 and his OPS to .714. The major league average OPS is .711.

Adell, a 26-year-old former top prospect, has had other stretches of success – most notably last summer after dropping his leg kick – but his overall career average still sits at .212 with an OPS of .658.

This hot streak, he said, is about being aggressive at the plate.

“When pitches have showed up that I think I can do damage with, I’ve attempted to do so, just continue to be aggressive and put off my swing,” Adell said.

Both of Adell’s homers on Monday were on the first pitch. He’s hit seven of his nine homers on the first pitch. His average on the first pitch this season is .414, with an OPS of 1.640.

Early in Adell’s career, he struck out too much and walked too little. As he tried to correct that, he got away from his strengths. Trying to be too disciplined at the plate led him to too many deep counts.

It’s counterintuitive, but he said a simpler, swing-first approach actually leads to better swing decisions.

“The more aggressive I’ve been, I’ve actually been able to take other pitches, because I’m not overthinking it when I’m aggressive in the zone,” he said. “I think if you’re trying to guess at the plate and trying to look a little too close, you let pitches go by that you shouldn’t.”

This season, Adell has seen 3.67 pitches per plate appearance, which is the lowest figure of his career. His 25% strikeout rate is also his lowest since 2021. Over the 11-game hot streak, he’s struck out in just 21% of his plate appearances, which is slightly better than the major league average.

“We talk about finishing the at-bat when it should be finished,” Adell said. “It’s kind of like our thing. I think I’ve done a better job of kind of ending the at-bat when I’m supposed to, when I get something over the heart of the plate, it’s good enough to take a swing, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job of doing that to this point.”

Adell also has a new defensive role. He began the season as the Angels’ center fielder, but he struggled and was moved to right once Mike Trout’s injury opened that position for him. Now Trout is back, which means Jorge Soler is going to be in right when Trout is the DH, and Trout will be back in right when he’s ready.

Manager Ron Washington said he’s going to give Adell some runway to get comfortable in center.

“We don’t have anybody pushing him center field,” Washington said. “We had to push him back in center field. We are making certain his focus stays where it’s supposed to be and he does what he’s supposed to do. If there’s any time there’s any let up, we’re going to let him know about it.”

MOVED UP

Trout was moved into his familiar No. 3 spot in the lineup, after a hot start in his first few games off the injured list. Washington said over the weekend he wanted Trout to hit fifth or sixth until he got comfortable, because he hadn’t had any live at-bats during the month he was on the injured list.

After Trout had three hits and a home run in the No. 5 spot on Monday, Washington said he was inclined to leave him there because he was doing so well.

But when the lineup was posted on Tuesday, he’d changed his mind.

“When I was making the lineup out last night, I realized that he’s played four games, he’s gotten eight hits, he’s driven in five runs, so I decided that we needed to get that bat to the plate as often as we can,” Washington said. “I figure at third, we can constantly get him at-bats and get that bat going. Since it’s already going, to get him as many plate appearances as we possibly can.”

Trout dismissed the notion that he was hitting well because he was comfortable in the No. 5 spot. He said on Monday night his swing is dialed in because of the work he did while he was injured.

“I obviously like hitting at the top of the lineup, for sure,” Trout said on Tuesday.

SPREAD THE WORD

A day after the Angels became the first visiting team in the 114-season history of Fenway Park to hit three homers in the first inning, Adell said it was the result of good communication.

Adell hit the third of the homers against Boston starter Richard Fitts, batting in the No. 7 spot. Zach Neto hit a homer out of the leadoff spot, and then Trout hit a homer in the No. 5 spot.

“We really passed information along really well in the first inning about what guys were seeing at the plate,” Adell said. “As each hitter got up, they were more and more comfortable adjusting. (Taylor Ward) passed some good information along to me before I came up, which really helped me in the first. That’s what it’s about. It’s about getting information and, you know, dialing in the approach, because we all can hit the ball, but it’s just about what you’re looking for and how you’re attacking the at-bat.”

Adell said he wasn’t referring to pitch tipping.

“Just what guys are seeing at the plate, what the ball is doing,” he said. “Just those things to try to get the advantage of seeing it before you see it.”

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP José Soriano, 4-5, 3.41 ERA) at Red Sox (RHP Lucas Giolito, 1-1, 4.78 ERA), Wednesday, 10:35 a.m. PT, FDSN West, 830 AM

​ Orange County Register 

Federal judge blocks Florida from enforcing social media ban for kids while lawsuit continues

• June 3, 2025

By KATE PAYNE

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge has barred state officials from enforcing a Florida law that would ban social media accounts for young children, while a legal challenge against the law plays out. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued the order Tuesday, blocking portions of the law from taking effect.

The measure was one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S. on social media use by children when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law in 2024. The law would ban social media accounts for children under 14 and require parental permission for their use by 14- and 15-year-olds.

In his order granting the preliminary injunction sought by the groups Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, Walker wrote that the law is “likely unconstitutional,” but acknowledged that parents and lawmakers have “sincere concerns” about social media’s effects on kids.

Walker wrote that the prohibition on social media platforms from allowing certain age groups to have accounts “directly burdens those youths’ rights to engage in and access speech.”

Also Tuesday, a federal judge in Atlanta heard arguments from NetChoice seeking to block a 2024 Georgia law scheduled to take effect July 1 that would require age verification for social media accounts and require children younger than 16 to get parental permission for accounts. Like in Florida and other states where laws have been blocked, the internet trade group NetChoice argues that the Georgia law infringes on free speech rights, is vague, and overly burdensome.

While siding with the industry groups’ claims that the law limits free speech, Walker allowed a provision of the Florida law to go into effect requiring platforms to shut down accounts for children under 16, if their parent or guardian requests it.

Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. Supporters of the laws have said they are needed to help curb the explosive use of social media among young people, and what researchers say is an associated increase in depression and anxiety.

Matt Schruers, the president and CEO of the industry association CCIA, praised the judge’s order blocking the Florida law.

“This ruling vindicates our argument that Florida’s statute violates the First Amendment by blocking and restricting minors — and likely adults as well — from using certain websites to view lawful content,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing this statute permanently blocked as a violation of Floridians’ constitutional right to engage in lawful speech online.”

A spokesperson for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the law and the state’s efforts to insulate kids from social media at a time when platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat seem almost impossible to escape.

“Florida parents voted through their elected representatives for a law protecting kids from the harmful and sometimes lifelong tragic impacts of social media. These platforms do not have a constitutional right to addict kids to their products,” Uthmeier’s press secretary Jae Williams said in a statement. “We disagree with the court’s order and will immediately seek relief in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.”

In Atlanta, NetChoice attorney Jeremy Maltz told U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg that Georgia’s law would impermissibly restrict speech by minors, saying that “before you share your art, before you share your political information, you need to produce your papers, please.”

Totenberg did not rule Tuesday. But citing rulings against similar laws in other states, she expressed skepticism about Georgia’s case, asking Deputy Attorney General Logan Winkles: “What makes today different from all other days?”

Winkles argued the law’s requirement of “commercially reasonable” attempts to verify age could be quite cheap and likened it to banning minors from bars serving alcohol, not restricting their speech.

“There are things about social media that make it dangerous,” Winkles said. “It’s a place where children are being restricted. It’s not about speech.”

Associated Press writer Jeff Amy contributed from Atlanta.

Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

​ Orange County Register