Alyssa Thompson scores her 1st USWNT goal in victory over Iceland

• October 25, 2024

AUSTIN, Texas — Alyssa Thompson scored her first goal for the United States, Jaedyn Shaw provided the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute, and the Americans beat Iceland, 3-1, in an exhibition match on Thursday night.

Sophia Smith also scored for the U.S. in its first game since winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics this summer under new coach Emma Hayes.

The 19-year-old Thompson, the Harvard-Westlake product who was left off the Olympic roster, made her third start for the U.S. She has scored five goals in her last eight games for Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League.

Thompson whipped the ball across the face of Iceland’s goal and into the far upper corner in the 39th minute.

“Coming onto the field and wearing in the jersey in the beginning, I was like, this is surreal,” Thompson said. “And being able to get my first goal, I just can’t describe how I feel. I’m just so happy.”

Iceland tied it on Selma Sol Magnusdottir’s goal from distance in the 56th minute. It was the midfielder’s fifth international goal and it was just the third goal allowed by the U.S. in 11 matches under Hayes, who took over in May.

Shaw’s goal went between the legs of Iceland goalkeeper Telma Ivarsdottir. Smith scored from distance about three minutes later.

Smith had been hampered since the Olympics by an ankle injury that has sidelined her with her NWSL club, the Portland Thorns.

“I’ve obviously been dealing a little bit of an injury coming off the Olympics so honestly the thing that felt the best was just being out on the field with my friends again and representing this country,” Smith said. “But obviously the goal on top makes it feel extra special.”

Shaw, who like Smith came into the game in the second half, went to Paris with the United States but didn’t play because of a muscle injury.

“It was a really tough month for me, but it was also the best month of my life, and I learned a lot from it,” Shaw said of the Olympics. “It just made me hungrier to come back and produce the same, if not more.”

The starting lineup included six players who faced Brazil in the gold medal match in Paris. Defender Emily Sonnett started in her 100th national team appearance.

Yazmeen Ryan made her first appearance for the U.S., entering as a second-half sub.

The U.S. and Iceland will play another exhibition on Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee. The Americans will then face Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky, next Wednesday.

Trinity Rodman will miss the three matches while she recovers from a back injury. Crystal Dunn was left off the roster because of a personal commitment.

The U.S. will finish out the year with a trip to Europe, playing England at Wembley Stadium on Nov. 30 and the Netherlands in the Hague on Dec. 3.

​ Orange County Register 

Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua spark Rams’ offense to victory over Vikings

• October 25, 2024

INGLEWOOD — Team introductions had a different kind of energy ahead of the Rams’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.

Puka Nacua, making a surprise return after missing five games, was all smiles as he ran onto the field, ready to play football again. He was followed by Cooper Kupp, typically stoic as he prepared to play for the first time since Week 2, but greeted with a little extra enthusiasm by an angsty fan base in the wake of trade rumors surrounding the former Super Bowl MVP. And then finally Matthew Stafford, pounding his chest and leaping in in the air as he took the field behind his two favorite targets.

And, for a night at least, everything was right with the Rams’ offense. The screen game to Nacua, in full effect. Running lanes for Kyren Williams, open. A first-quarter touchdown, scored for the first time this season. Kupp in motion, pulling defenses in different directions. Four touchdown passes, thrown by Stafford after three in the first six games.

And that was what the Rams needed to overcome one of the NFL’s top defenses, beating the Vikings, 30-20.

In their returns to the field, Nacua finished with seven catches for 106 yards while Kupp added five for 51.

On their first two drives of the game, the offense looked like the offense the Rams (3-4) imagined when they planned for the 2024 season. Offensive linemen pulled outside to block for Nacua screens, as Kupp pulled defenses in the wrong direction with motion. Williams gashed defenses that had to account for the two big-name receivers.

The Rams got some help from third-down penalties on the Vikings’ defense to keep drives alive. But they scored on both their first possessions. Williams was able to slip out of the backfield for a touchdown catch, while on the second drive Stafford ducked under a sack attempt to extend the play and find a sliding Kupp for a touchdown.

After the first score, the first first-quarter touchdown allowed by the Vikings (5-2) this season, Stafford took a long look at the Rams’ sideline before running to the end zone to celebrate. It was game on.

The Rams needed that offensive fire, because the Vikings were just as in-sync on their first two possessions. The offensive line erased the Rams’ pass rush, and receiver Justin Jefferson was able to get open at will.

It took eight and 10 plays, respectively, for the Vikings to drive 70 yards on each of those first two drives, both ending in touchdowns to the flat to Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield Sr. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed his first eight passes for 97 yards.

The Rams’ defense began to calm down from there. Rookie Jared Verse spooked Darnold into a third-down throwaway, then bull rushed through the tight end on the first play of the next drive to sack Darnold for a 10-yard loss. The play, which Verse celebrated by doing the Vikings’ overhead “Skol” clap, set the Vikings back and led to a punt.

Meanwhile, the Rams’ offense stalled in its own way, with the third and fourth offensive line penalties out of six in the game. Then Stafford threw his fourth interception in four weeks to open the second half.

The Vikings were able to take advantage, to a point. Jefferson gained 27 yards on a sideline catch he tipped to himself. But the receiver slipped coming out of his break on third-and-goal, and Minnesota settled for a field goal.

That opened a window for the Rams, and they took advantage. Eighteen- and 19-yard gains by Tutu Atwell and Nacua, respectively, were followed by an end zone shot to Demarcus Robinson streaking down the field. The cornerback in coverage was called for pass interference, but it didn’t matter, as Robinson came to the ground with the ball and the go-ahead touchdown.

The Vikings again stalled in the red zone through their own mistakes. Darnold was able to escape a blitz and draw in the Rams’ linebackers, creating an opening for Jalen Nailor. But the third-down pass bounced off Nailor’s hands, and again the Vikings kicked a field goal.

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That gave the Rams the ball back with 12:47 to play and a one-point lead. And Stafford went back to work, completing passes to Blake Corum and Hunter Long – the eighth and ninth targets to make catches on Thursday – to complete first downs. Then facing fourth-and-inches, Nacua set the edge against a linebacker to spring a first-down run by Williams.

All Stafford needed was a clean pocket and good misdirection route by Robinson, who got open in the corner of the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. Robinson chucked the ball into the crowd of 72,127 and Stafford (279 yards passing) stuck his tongue out at the Rams’ sideline as they secured an eight-point lead.

Another Verse sack, with some help from Michael Hoecht, stalled another Minnesota drive and gave the Rams the ball back with 4:11 to play. On third down and the Vikings bleeding timeouts, Stafford found Kupp down the sideline for a 27-yard conversion. But a screen to the veteran receiver on third-and-12 only gained 8 yards.

The Rams had to punt, but Ethan Evans pinned Minnesota at its own 5-yard line. Two plays later, Byron Young sacked Darnold in the end zone, getting away with a facemask penalty to secure the win.

​ Orange County Register 

Tri Ta: Andrew Do broke trust in government. Elected officials must rebuild trust by rooting out corruption.

• October 25, 2024

As an elected official, I am entrusted with the public’s confidence to act as their representative in the state government — a solemn responsibility I hold in the highest regard.

The recent news of former Supervisor Andrew Do’s guilty plea and resignation is extremely troubling, not only for the severity of the charges but the audacity of the behavior that was brought to light.

No level of punishment will fully restore the public’s trust in government following this alarming news.

Public corruption is the absolute worst breach of trust by elected officials and it erodes the confidence between political leaders and their constituents.

When officials act with impunity, exploiting their positions for personal gain, it undermines the integrity of the entire political system.

I am so grateful to the staff at the US Attorney’s Office, the Orange County District Attorney, and all of the law enforcement involved that brought this matter to justice.

Corruption needs to be rooted out and exposed regardless of the perpetrator.  Anyone who uses their office for personal gain for themselves or their family members must face serious consequences.

Unfortunately, former Supervisor Do’s case is not an isolated one. Recent reporting by the Orange County Register also brought to light a pair of cases in which two candidates misrepresented nomination papers to get on the ballot.

These recent news stories seem to suggest a culture of corruption in Orange County that cannot go ignored.  While each case is serious in its own right, these developments, viewed collectively, paint a hugely unsettling picture of governance in Orange County — one that raises significant concerns about the guardrails meant to protect the public.

This pattern forces us to ask serious questions about the effectiveness of these guardrails we currently have in place. Are there enough checks in place to hold leaders to account?  For my part, I will always advocate for more transparency and accountability from our elected leaders and my fellow legislators.

In the Legislature, I supported several bills that would enhance transparency in local government.

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Among the bills signed by the governor last month, I voted for one that prohibits government contracts to nonprofits where a family member is employed and another bill that requires contracts to be voted on at public board meetings.

These reforms are critical to bring sunlight into the work of debating public policy in government.

I am cognizant that more work must be done.  These initial bills are a first step into bringing about accountability in government and restoring faith in our processes.  I look forward to putting forward meaningful, bipartisan legislation to prevent future corruption of this scale.

We must continue to demand a government that is responsive, accountable, and transparent at every level.  Only then can we rebuild the trust that has been damaged and ensure that our government serves the public interest, not personal gain.

Tri Ta serves in the California Assembly representing the 70th Assembly District. 

​ Orange County Register 

Timing of DA Gascón’s decision on Menendez case raises questions for some

• October 25, 2024

When Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said earlier this month that he would revisit the famous murder case of Erik and Lyle Menendez and decide whether to ask a judge to consider resentencing the brothers, some people – including his political rival – questioned the timing of his announcement.

Gascón, a Democrat who swept into office in 2020 thanks to a progressive voter base made up of criminal justice reform advocates, is trailing by double digits in the polls in his bid for reelection this November.

And on Thursday, Oct. 24, his opponent in the D.A. race, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, accused the incumbent of using the Menendez brothers’ high-profile case to score political points. In a statement, Hochman said the D.A.’s office received a petition back in May 2023 and a request to resentence them in February of this year.

The Menendez brothers are serving life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole. But Gascón said Thursday he will ask a judge to consider reducing the brothers’ sentences down to life with the possibility of parole. Because the murders were committed when the brothers were younger than 26 years old, it effectively would allow them to be released from prison immediately.

Hochman said Gascón waited until “days before the Nov. 5 election, 30 points down in the polls” to release his recommendation for resentencing the Menendez brothers.

“By releasing it now, Gascón has cast a cloud over the fairness and impartiality of his decision, allowing Angelenos to question whether the decision was correct and just — or just another desperate political move by a D.A. running a losing campaign scrambling to grab headlines through a made-for-TV decision,” Hochman said.

Gascón rejected claims that his decision was politically motivated.

“There’s nothing political about this,” Gascón said during a Thursday news conference about his plans to ask a court to consider resentencing the Menendez brothers.

“We have re-sentenced over 300 people, including 28 for murder. And we will continue to re-sentence people in the future,” he said about the D.A.’s office under his tenure.

The Democrat was swept into office in 2020 thanks to a progressive voter base made up of criminal justice reform advocates. Hochman has criticized the incumbent as being too soft on criminals.

And Hochman isn’t the only one who’s accused Gascón of using the Menendez case to promote his profile.

Some believe Gascón chose this moment – just weeks out from Election Day – to bring up the Menendez case in hopes that the media attention will stir up publicity for himself.

“When you are running a campaign, when you’re a candidate who’s also an elected official … you use the office to make news,” said longtime Democratic strategist Mike Trujillo.

Although Trujillo acknowledged that the intense public interest in the Menendez brothers will bring attention to Gascón, he cast doubt that the attention could sway the outcome of the D.A. race.

“It’s a high-profile case. I just don’t know that Angelenos are on the side of the Menendez brothers,” Trujillo said.

The Menendez brothers made national headlines for the murder of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989. They were 21 and 18 years old at the time. Their attorneys claimed they were victims of sexual abuse by their father and had acted out of fear that their parents would kill them to prevent them from disclosing their father’s behavior.

The brothers, now 56 and 53, are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Some relatives of the Menendez brothers spoke in favor of a resentencing during Thursday’s press conference. One of the brothers’ cousins thanked Gascón for putting “justice over politics” and said his decision was “a recognition of the abuse my cousins endured.”

But at least one member of the Menendez family disagreed with the D.A.

The attorney for Kitty Menendez’s brother, Milton Andersen, who opposes a resentencing for his nephews, slammed Gascón, claiming that his decision to revisit the case at this moment is politically motivated.

“With Gascón trailing by 30 points in the polls, his desperation is palpable,” Andersen’s attorney, Kathy Cady, said in a statement Thursday.

“The upcoming election is less than two weeks away, and it seems Gascón is willing to manipulate the facts for a fleeting chance to salvage his political career. But justice should never be sacrificed for political gain,” Cady said. “His decisions must be grounded in truth and law, not a last-ditch effort to sway voters. Gascón’s failure to uphold his ethical responsibilities is a disgrace, and the victims of this horrific crime, including Mr. Andersen, deserve far better than being pawns in a politician’s game.”

Gascón previously said he chose to reexamine the case because of recent new evidence – a letter that Erik Menendez reportedly wrote to a cousin years ago, which his attorneys say corroborates allegations that their father was sexually abusive, plus claims by a former member of the Latin pop group Menudo who recently came forward and said he was raped by Jose Menendez in the 1980s when he was a teenager.

Public interest in the case was renewed because of two documentaries about the Menendez brothers released this year.

Gascón said his office was “flooded” with requests for information but didn’t have the resources to handle the volume. That, he said, is why he decided to take action now, though it had already been scheduled to be heard in late November.

Bill Przylucki is director emeritus of Ground Game LA, an organization that tries to get progressive leaders elected and has endorsed Gascón for reelection. For his organization, it is a “non-issue” that some question the motive behind the timing of Gascón’s resentencing decision, he said.

He said Ground Game LA hasn’t taken a position on whether the Menendez brothers should be resentenced. Przylucki said he was speaking for himself when he said: “I have no specific reason to believe or not believe that the election had any influence on his thinking, or the timing of his decision on the Menendez case. And frankly, I’m not that interested in it.”

“When is the wrong time to reexamine a case that should potentially be reexamined?” he asked.

Michele Hanisee, president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, the union representing nearly 900 deputy district attorneys in L.A., had a different take. The union has endorsed Hochman in the upcoming election.

In a post on the union’s website, Hanisee criticized the D.A.’s decision, saying “Gascón’s actions make it clear that he is more interested in using his office for free media attention than in actual justice. His self-serving agenda has left victims and their families neglected while he chases the next headline.”

Gascón’s campaign declined to comment for this article.

​ Orange County Register 

Letter: George Gascón knows he’s about to lose, so he tries to free the Menendez brothers

• October 25, 2024

George Gascón is a joke. He can’t be booted out from office fast enough, and he knows it.

So what’s the biggest nose-thumbing he can come up with as he’s clearing out his office?

To release the Menendez brothers. These two lovely individuals murdered their parents in cold blood, as adult men. They were sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole. But we all know that means nothing in California. The best part is that TikTok and Netflix influenced this turn of events for Gascón. God help us all.

Get out of California while you can, for your own sanity, and more importantly, for your safety.

Bobbie Carey, San Clemente

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​ Orange County Register 

Swanson: SoCal exports Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton are World Series power players

• October 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES — Well, I’ll say. Sometimes the Ghosts of Christmas Future can run a good gambit, every so often blindside us with a beyond-our-wildest-dreams plot twist.

Other times, fate ain’t fooling anybody.

So, yes, they knew. Of course they knew!

Everybody in Orange County knew. Everyone in the Valley knew.

Gerrit Cole was going places. Giancarlo – or Mike, then – Stanton was going far.

And if you knew them then, you too might have guessed that their road might point to this – a Southern California showcase of a World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees, starting Friday at Dodger Stadium.

It’s got managers from UCLA and USC in Dave Roberts and Aaron Boone. Dodgers contributors from Burbank and Fountain Valley, in Jack Flaherty and Freddie Freeman.

And, in the clubhouse across the way, reliever Tim Hill, of Granada Hills Charter High School. And Stanton and Cole – just a couple of supremely talented Southern California dudes paying a visit home, hoping to rain on their friends’ parade plans.

Stanton storming in as the American League Championship Series MVP after hitting four home runs to vanquish the Cleveland Guardians. Cole – also a former Bruin – taking the mound to start Game 1: “A dream come true,” the lifelong Yankees fan called it Thursday.

What could have possibly given it away about those two back in the 2000s?

Obviously, the power. The power!!

Now the New Yankees’ ace, Cole was once Orange Lutheran’s big arm, blowing away scouts with his upper-90s fastball that could touch 101 and would leave catchers’ hands stinging so much they can just about feel it today. “That’s what I think about most often: ‘How did our catchers catch him?’” said Willie Shaw, a Nashville-based singer who was a sophomore shortstop when Cole was a senior.

Now a bona fide Bronx bomber and one of five batters who have hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium, Stanton started as a Tujunga Little Leaguer hitting home runs clear over the fence and the wash at Babe Herman Field in Glendale.

Once a three-sport stud called by his middle name at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Stanton used to mash moon shots over the fence and the 30 feet of extra netting at Loyola High School’s field. Or through a headwind, off future big leaguer John Lamb in a CIF playoff game against higher-seeded Laguna Hills.

Over the hills and through the woods, the tale of the tape tells its story, but it’s the sound off the bat that’s echoing still really drives it home.

“It sounded,” said Trevor Gee, a Baltimore attorney who once was a third baseman on Stanton’s Notre Dame team, “like a gunshot.”

“Like when a plane breaks the sound barrier,” texted Hayden Hunter, a former Knights catcher. “Like thunder.”

Nick Rodarte, who pitched, is surprised that Stanton, wielding a metal bat in high school, never killed anyone: “Nobody was playing even with the bag at third,” the Sherman Oaks-based general contractor said. “No way.”

We all played with good athletes growing up. Guys or gals who went off to play in college. Perhaps one even went pro, maybe even made a real career out of it.

But how many of us can say we hit behind or caught bullpens for future stars? All-Star shoo-ins? Potential Hall of Famers? Superstars?

What I learned this week talking to these former Lancers and Knights is that we’d know if we had.

“We had a lot of really special players,” said Chase Harrison, a Concordia University Irvine baseball coach who was the catcher for a Lancers’ pitching staff that produced three big-league draft picks. “… and it was pretty obvious at that point how special Gerrit was. The type of guy that really, a goal that he set, he’s going to hit, he’s gonna reach. So nothing’s gotten in his way, from being a first-rounder to a big leaguer, to a Cy Young winner, to an All-Star to a strikeout king.”

Said Stanton’s former teammate Rodarte: “We knew he was different, the way he hit balls – and then he made the jump from junior year to senior year, just in his approach to the game. It was more advanced … he just went about his business like he knew this was what he was going to do for a living.”

He, like Cole, put in the work. The study. The time, the effort, all the invisible but imperative behind-the-scenes stuff that can net historical results.

In Cole’s case: the No. 1 overall pick in 2011, the unanimous Cy Young Award in 2023, the record for strikeouts in a season for two franchises, the Yankees (257) and Houston Astros (326). And six All-Star bids.

In Stanton’s: 429 career home runs, the Miami Marlins’ franchise home run record, the 2017 National League MVP and, twice, the NL Hank Aaron Award and Silver Slugger Award. And five All-Star bids, though not in 2016, when he participated in the Home Run Derby and homered a record 61 times.

Their commitment has net record compensation too: In 2014, Stanton’s 13-year $325 million extension with the Marlins was the most lucrative contract in sports history. In 2019, the Yankees signed Cole to a franchise-record nine-year $324 million deal, the richest ever for a pitcher.

And, again, none of this is remotely surprising to the men who knew them when they were kids, one-time teammates who all wanted to stress what nice guys these superstars still are – “just with a lot more money,” as Stanton’s buddy Rodarte put it.

The 6-foot-6 slugger – whose social media handles, @Giancarlo818, harken back to his hometown area code – would come by and talk to the kids in the under-14 feeder program Rodarte coached. “Everybody loved it, all the kids were going nuts, and you’d see them standing next to him, the size one of his legs,” Rodarte said.

Cole? “He was a confident guy,” Harrison said. “But at the same time, he was always humble, a good teammate. It’s just the energy he had, it was infectious. It made the team believe.”

So Harrison can’t help it. Normally a Dodgers supporter, he’s pulling for the Yankees in this series.

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So too is Stanton’s former teammate Gee – though if it was Yankees vs. Cubs, it might be a different calculation for the Chicago native.

Shaw, the one-time Orange Lutheran infielder, is splitting his rooting interests: “I hope Gerrit has a stellar performance and bolsters his Hall of Fame chances and the Dodgers win the series.”

But Rodarte, the Notre Dame pitcher who grew up a Dodger fan, just like Stanton? He believes his talented former teammate would understand: “I hope he does not do well during the World Series against the Dodgers. Honestly, I hope he goes oh-for-the-series.”

Now, Rodarte knows – of course he does – how unlikely that is. In 25 games at Dodger Stadium, Stanton is hitting .309 and 10 home runs and 26 runs batting in.

“That Cali air, man,” Stanton said Thursday. “Grew up with it.”

​ Orange County Register 

Alex Vesia ready to return to Dodgers’ roster for World Series

• October 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ bullpen will be getting reinforcements for the World Series.

Left-hander Alex Vesia is expected to be back on the active roster after missing the National League Championship Series with a rib injury suffered during Game 5 of the Division Series against the San Diego Padres.

Vesia threw 15 pitches in a simulated inning against Dodgers’ hitters during the team’s workout on Wednesday. He said he had “no issues” with his injured side and hasn’t been bothered by it for over a week now.

“I definitely feel I will be active for Friday,” Vesia said Thursday.

“I’m going to give it everything I got. I feel very confident that I’ll be able to go out and perform exactly how I’ve been for the majority of the season.”

Vesia had a 1.76 ERA in a team-leading 67 appearances during the regular season then pitched three scoreless innings during the NLDS. He put the “simulated” in Wednesday’s simulated game, going through his gameday routine.

“Played catch at 5 o’clock, sat down for a little bit,” he said. “Tony Gonsolin was pitching as well. So I was mimicking that I got a phone call and was getting hot. Once his inning ended, I was good to go. Everything felt good. On the mound, getting my five to seven (warmup) throws usually. Hitter stepped in. From hitter No. 1, I was good.

“I was a little wild, but I hadn’t pitched in a couple days so that’s to be expected. Had no issues with anything. Landed sliders, threw the fastball well. And as I got more and more throws in, the better it got.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said right-hander Brusdar Graterol is “trending in the right direction” but he seems less likely to be added when the Dodgers submit their World Series roster Friday morning. Right-hander Joe Kelly is not an option to be on that roster but could be an option as an injury replacement if needed later in the Series. Both have been out with shoulder injuries.

ROJAS RETURN

Shortstop Miguel Rojas could also return to the active roster for the World Series against the Yankees.

He has been playing with a strained adductor muscle for weeks. He aggravated it during the NLDS and was left off the roster for the NLCS against the Mets. But Roberts said Rojas has made enough progress that “there’s a really good possibility we’ll see him on the roster” for the World Series.

Rojas participated in the full workout Wednesday and was “running well, taking at-bats, catching grounders. Everything looks really good,” Roberts said.

STILL NO

Roberts was asked again Thursday if there was any possibility that Shohei Ohtani might pitch during the World Series.

“There’s no possibility, none whatsoever,” Roberts said, then added the finishing touch he has adopted when answering questions about Ohtani pitching.

“Thank you for asking.”

Ohtani has not pitched since undergoing major elbow surgery last September while with the Angels. The two-way star was strictly a designated hitter for the Dodgers this season (while rehabbing his elbow) and is a virtual lock to win NL MVP after posting the first 50/50 season in MLB history.

Ohtani does not seem disappointed with the decision.

“I’ve never said to them that I wanted to pitch in the postseason,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.

TROJAN WAR

Yankees manager Aaron Boone (USC) and Roberts (UCLA) faced each other as players on opposite sides of that rivalry. Boone revisited the rivalry and poked at Roberts on Thursday.

“I’m a Trojan. So as we all know in here – you’re a Trojan for life, you’re a Bruin for four years,” Boone joked.

Roberts was asked for his response.

“Ouch. Ouch, that hurts,” he said. “We go way back. We’ve got a lot of history, but it’s all in fun. I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Aaron.”

Boone said he texted Roberts a Yankees logo when the team landed in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

“There was another emoji I thought about sending him with one finger, but I didn’t,” Roberts joked. “I just gave a laughing emoji back.”

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The Yankees’ Game 1 starter, Gerrit Cole, pitched for UCLA and was caught in the crossfire.

“You know, Aaron and I don’t always agree on everything,” Cole said when Boone’s jibe was relayed to him.

R.I.P. FERNANDO

A number of players were asked about the death of Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela this week and offered “thoughts and prayers” for both the Valenzuela family and his extended family with the Dodgers.

“I was really sad to read about it the other day,” Cole said.

“He’s one of the great Dodgers of all time, one of the great Mexican players of all time, and he’s a legend. It’s sad he won’t be here for this Series, but he’s probably got a great seat for it upstairs.”

​ Orange County Register 

Israeli strike on Gaza shelter kills 17 as Blinken says cease-fire talks will resume

• October 25, 2024

By WAFAA SHURAFA, FARNOUSH AMIRI and FATMA KHALED

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli strike on a school where displaced people were sheltering in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people on Thursday, nearly all women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.

The strike came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel had accomplished its objective of “effectively dismantling” Hamas, and that negotiations over a cease-fire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages would resume “in the coming days.”

Another 42 people were wounded in the strike in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Among the dead were 13 children under the age of 18 and three women, according to the hospital’s records.

The Israeli military said it targeted Hamas militants inside the school, without providing evidence. Israel has carried out strikes on several schools-turned-shelters in recent months, saying it precisely targets militants hiding out among civilians. The strikes often kill women and children.

New talks in Qatar planned

Blinken, speaking to reporters in Qatar, which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, said negotiators would return to Doha to renew the talks.

“What we really have to determine is whether Hamas is prepared to engage,” Blinken said on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war.

Hamas’s political representatives have not so far signaled a softer stance.

“There is no change in our position,” senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese broadcaster seen as closely aligned with Iran and its allies.

Hamdan said Hamas delegates heard from mediators in Cairo about the potential to revive cease-fire negotiations but reiterated that the group still insists on an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, as well as its complete withdrawal from the territory.

The Israeli prime minister’s office said the head of the Mossad, the country’s spy agency, would travel to Qatar on Sunday to meet with CIA director Bill Burns and the Qatari prime minister.

The United States hoped to revive the negotiations after Israeli forces killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week, but neither side has shown signs of moderating its demands from months of negotiations that sputtered to a halt over the summer.

Blinken also announced an additional $135 million in U.S. aid to the Palestinians, while again urging Israel to allow more assistance to enter the territory.

Supplies run low in northern Gaza

Health workers in besieged northern Gaza meanwhile warned of a catastrophic situation there, where Israel has been waging an air and ground offensive for over two weeks.

Hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands have fled their homes in northern Gaza in recent days. The military says it is battling Hamas fighters who regrouped in the north, which was one of the first targets of the ground offensive at the start of the war.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiyeh, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north, said in a video message released Wednesday that some 150 wounded people were being treated there, including 14 children in intensive care or the neonatal department.

“There is a very large number of wounded people, and we lose at least one person every hour because of the lack of medical supplies and medical staff,” he said.

“Our ambulances can’t transfer wounded people,” he said. “Those who can arrive by themselves to the hospital receive care, but those who don’t just die in the streets.”

Footage shared with The Associated Press shows medical staff tending to premature babies and several older children in hospital beds, some with severe burns. One child is seen attached to a breathing machine, with bandages on her face and flies hovering over her.

“We are providing the bare minimum to patients. Everyone is paying the price of what is happening now in northern Gaza,” Abu Safiyeh said.

Kamal Adwan is one of three hospitals in the north left largely inaccessible because of the fighting. The war has gutted the health system across Gaza, with only 16 of 39 hospitals even partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization.

In another one of the besieged hospitals in Gaza’s northernmost end, the Indonesian Hospital, patients say they’re struggling to stay alive in the face of power outages and shortages of food, water and medical supplies.

“The pain is horrible, but there are no painkillers here, no antibiotics,” said 39-year-old Nidal al-Darini, whose foot, wounded in an Israeli airstrike, has become infected. “It’s becoming unbearable.”

First responders halt operations after saying Israel fired on them

The Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, said they had suspended operations in the north. They said Israeli forces fired on one of their teams in the town of Beit Lahiya after ordering them to relocate to the Indonesian Hospital, where troops are stationed.

Three Civil Defense members were wounded in the strike, and a firetruck was destroyed, it said. It said another five of its personnel were detained by Israeli forces at the hospital.

“As a result, we declare that Civil Defense operations in the northern Gaza Strip have been completely halted, leaving these areas without any firefighting, rescue, or emergency medical services,” it said in a statement.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the allegations.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.

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The war has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands of people are crammed into tent camps along the coast after entire neighborhoods in many areas were pounded to rubble.

Meanwhile the Israeli campaign has expanded to Lebanon, where Israel launched a ground invasion over three weeks ago after trading fire with the Hezbollah militant group for much of the past year.

Lebanese health officials reported another day of intense airstrikes and shelling Thursday, which they said killed 19 people over the last 24 hours and raised the overall Lebanese death toll to 2,593 since the conflict started in October 2023.

The Israeli military on Thursday announced the deaths of four reservists who were killed the day before in combat in southern Lebanon, making Wednesday one of the deadliest days for Israel in Lebanon since it launched its ground invasion on Sept. 30.

Amiri reported from Doha, Qatar, and Khaled reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed.

​ Orange County Register