Chinese businesses view tariff pause with caution and uncertainty

• May 14, 2025

By HUIZHONG WU

BANGKOK (AP) — While U.S. President Donald Trump has talked of victory after reaching a weekend deal with China to reduce the sky-high tariffs levied on each others’ goods, businesses in China are reacting to the temporary deal with caution.

The U.S. and China have cut the tariffs levied on each other in April, with the U.S. cutting the 145% tax Trump imposed last month to 30%. China agreed to lower its tariff rate on U.S. goods to 10% from 125%. The lower tariff rates came into effect on Wednesday.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, announcing the reduction in tariff rates this weekend in Geneva, had said, “We do want trade.” While the markets have responded to the agreement with gusto, rebounding to the levels before Trump’s tariffs, business owners remain wary.

Businesses like one kitchen utensil factory in southern Guangdong province were eager to get back to work. The business said they put at least four orders from their American clients back into production on Tuesday after the tariff pause was announced.

“We thought the negotiation would bring the tariffs down a bit, but didn’t expect it would be so much,” said Margaret Zhuang, a salesperson for the utensil factory in Guangdong province, one of China’s manufacturing hubs.

The two countries are now planning to start negotiations for a longer-term deal.

Kahlee Yu, sales manager of Yangjiang Hongnan Industry and Trade Company, which also manufactures kitchen utensils, said he was reaching out to American customers again. “We’re a little bit optimistic about the trade deal between the two sides. But it is still possible the tariff policies will change again, resulting in no orders from our American clients,” he said.

However happy they were in the moment, the damage from tariffs announced in April has already been done, Zhuang added, as they are seeing fewer orders. Currently, she has orders for products up until June. Earlier this year, before Trump’s trade war began, they had orders for production extending to August.

The uncertainty also means companies are less willing to make new investments. Kelvin Liao, sales director at Action Composites, a manufacturer of carbon fiber auto parts in Dongguan, a major city in Guangdong, said he was originally planning to buy a piece of land to build a new factory, but opted instead to rent because of the tariff situation.

“It is good to reach a trade deal between the two countries. But people have already lost confidence in Trump, and we will take a wait-and-see attitude,” he said. “We believe the signing a trade deal is just a pause and the ultimate goal of the US is to curb China’s development.”

Tariffs also remain in place for some industries, which are not part of the general deal. Hong Kong businessman Danny Lau, who owns an aluminum-coating factory, said his company still faces about a 75% tariff from tariffs levied at different points since 2018 by the U.S. Still he welcomed the news from the weekend, saying he would reach out to existing American customers to gauge their views.

“Although the policy change doesn’t cover our industry, we hope talks will continue and there will be better news during the 90-day pause,” he said.

In April, some Chinese businesses said they would focus their attention on exporting to other markets, given how high the American tariffs were. Analysts said previously that the tariffs could cause Chinese businesses to diversify their supply chains and move part of their manufacturing capacity abroad, including to the U.S.

Liao, the auto parts manufacturer, said his company already has a factory in Vietnam, and the products there were exported to the U.S.

“We don’t believe that the US has the ability to produce the products like ours with lower costs. We will not give up on the US market.”

AP researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report from Beijing. AP writers Kanis Leung in Hong Kong and Fu Ting in Washington contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump marvels at wealth of his Arab hosts while he eyes White House and Air Force One upgrades

• May 14, 2025

By CHRIS MEGERIAN and ZEKE MILLER

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Donald Trump is the most powerful and famous person on the planet, at the helm of the biggest economy and the strongest military.

But on his trip to the Middle East this week, the American president is sounding more than a little envious of his Arab hosts.

He admired the marble in the Qatari palace as “perfecto” and “very hard to buy.” He praised the “gleaming marvels” of the skyline in Saudi Arabia. And he groused about the “much smaller” and “much less impressive” plane that is Air Force One.

On his flight to the region, Trump said the Gulf states all have “these brand-new Boeing 747s,” while he was stuck using a version nearly 4 decades old.

The president is so impatient for a replacement plane that he is considering accepting a donated model from Qatar, despite concerns that it could be less secure, costly to retrofit and a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on foreign gifts. He presented no national security imperative for a swift upgrade rather than waiting for Boeing to finish new Air Force One jets that have been in the works for years.

It sounded like a case of keeping up with the Joneses, only in this case the Joneses are oil-rich leaders of Middle Eastern autocracies. For a former real estate developer with flamboyant tastes, Trump’s trip has been a tantalizing peek into the lives of his more opulent counterparts.

“The job you’ve done is second to none,” Trump told Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, gazing up at his surroundings in the palace known as the Amiri Diwan. “You look at this, it’s so beautiful. As a construction person, I’m seeing perfect marble. This is what they call perfecto.”

There have been other lavish touches on the trip, which will wind up with a stop in the United Arab Emirates. Air Force One received fighter jet escorts, honor guards stood by with golden swords in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the presidential limousine was welcomed by riders on camelback in Doha, Qatar.

“We appreciate those camels,” Trump told Al Thani. “I haven’t seen camels like that in a long time. That was some greeting.”

The Republican president’s admiration reflects an aesthetic and political vision at odds with American tradition. After declaring independence from the British monarchy, the Founding Fathers wanted to eschew anything that suggested royalty. Even as the United States emerged as the global superpower, the country and its leaders emphasized a facade of humility.

But that’s never been Trump’s style. The billionaire’s New York City penthouse is embellished with gold and marble, and parts of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida are modeled after France’s Palace of Versailles.

After winning a second term last year, Trump is eager to bring the same approach to the presidency, and it’s likely that his visit to the Middle East will fuel his desire for renovations. The White House, despite is grandeur, can be quite cramped. Office space is limited and state dinners are sometimes held in a fancy tent to accommodate enough guests.

Trump said he wants to build “a beautiful, beautiful ballroom like I have at Mar-a-Lago, as beautiful as can be.” He promised to foot the $100 million bill.

“I think we’ve outgrown the tent stuff, right, don’t you think?” he said recently.

Trump has also talked about paving over the lawn in the Rose Garden, turning it into a patio with “gorgeous stone” that would be easier for holding events.

Some upgrades have already taken place, particularly in the Oval Office. There are gold accents to the fireplace, doorway arches, walls and other areas of the room. The walls have become increasingly packed with portraits of past presidents. A model of a new Air Force One — complete with a paint scheme that echoes his personal jet — sits on a table in the center of the room.

One prized addition is a copy of the Declaration of Independence, which is concealed behind a curtain to protect it from sunlight. He sometimes dramatically unveils the document for guests.

“You see the new and improved Oval Office as it becomes more and more beautiful,” the president told Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a recent visit. He said it’s been renovated “with great love and 24 karat gold — that always helps too.”

Megerian reported from Washington.

​ Orange County Register 

Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds

• May 14, 2025

By STEVE PEOPLES and LINLEY SANDERS

NEW YORK (AP) — Six months after Donald Trump’s presidential victory, Democrats remain deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, although neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party is viewed favorably by a majority of U.S. adults.

A new poll conducted earlier this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only about one-third of Democrats are “very optimistic” or even “somewhat optimistic” about their party’s future. That’s down sharply from July 2024, when about 6 in 10 Democrats said they had a positive outlook.

“I’m not real high on Democrats right now,” said poll respondent Damien Williams, a 48-year-old Democrat from Cahokia Heights, Illinois. “To me, they’re not doing enough to push back against Trump.”

The poll comes at a critical moment for the Democratic Party, which is desperately seeking momentum after losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in last fall’s general election. In the survey, Democrats offer mixed reviews for some of their party’s best-known elected officials — including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both of New York — while reporting significant concerns about how leaders are chosen in the U.S. political system.

Williams, a member of the Teamsters union, said he likely won’t feel good about his party again “until somebody steps up in terms of being a leader that can bring positive change — an Obama-like figure.”

Republicans, meanwhile, are slightly more optimistic about the future of the GOP than they were last year.

The poll finds that about half of Republicans, 55%, are very or somewhat optimistic about their party’s future, up from 47% last summer. Still, only about 3 in 10 Republicans are optimistic about the state of U.S. politics, up from about 1 in 10 last summer.

Patrick Reynolds, a 50-year-old Republican community activist and pastor from Fort Worth, Texas, says he has conflicting feelings about Trump’s leadership and the future of his party.

He worries that too many Republicans in Congress are falling in line behind the Republican president and his chief ally and adviser, Elon Musk, who has led Trump’s push to slash the size of the federal government. Reynolds also says he’s concerned that Trump’s aggressive moves to combat illegal immigration may be violating the Constitution.

“How can we be the party of the rule of law when we’re violating constitutional principles?” Reynolds said. “I think there could be a (political) backlash.”

Neither political party is especially popular right now.

Overall, about 4 in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable view of the Republican Party while about one-third have a positive view of the Democratic Party.

This relatively weak support extends to some of each party’s most prominent officials.

Roughly 4 in 10 Americans have a favorable view of Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who has twice run for the Democratic presidential nomination and has toured the nation in recent months rallying anti-Trump resistance. Among self-described Democrats, about three-quarters view Sanders favorably.

About half of Democrats have a favorable view of Ocasio-Cortez, who has joined Sanders on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. She is less popular among U.S. adults overall — about 3 in 10 have a favorable opinion of the 35-year-old representative, who is sometimes mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in 2028.

Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, is less popular than Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez.

Just about one-third of Democrats have a somewhat or very favorable view of the 74-year-old senator, who took a hit from many liberals for acceding to a Republican-led funding bill that kept the government open. The share of Democrats who view Schumer positively has fallen since December 2024, when about half had a somewhat or very favorable view. Among all adults, his favorability stands at 21%.

“I just feel like the majority of the old Democratic Party needs to go,” said Democrat Monica Brown, a 61-year-old social worker from Knoxville, Tennessee. “They’re not in tune with the new generation. They’re not in tune with the new world. We’ve got such division within the party.”

On the GOP side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida senator, is more popular than several other high-profile Republicans.

About 6 in 10 Republicans view Rubio favorably, although that number falls to about one-third among all adults. About half of Republicans have a positive opinion of House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, while around one-quarter of U.S. adults feel the same. That’s roughly the same level of support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News Channel host who earns favorable ratings from 44% of Republicans and about one-quarter of Americans overall.

Beyond their negative outlook on the future of their party, 55% of Democrats are also pessimistic about the way leaders are chosen in the U.S. The figure is up slightly from 46% last summer, when President Joe Biden was still in the White House.

Linda Sleet, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in Venice, Florida, raised specific concerns about the way congressional districts are drawn and the Electoral College that is used to determine presidential contests instead of the popular vote.

“I don’t have confidence in the system,” Sleet said. “I think it served a purpose way back when. It does not now.”

Williams, the Teamster from Illinois, said he’s unhappy with just about everything to do with U.S. politics.

“I’m going to need to see some wins for America, for humanity, before I can be optimistic right now,” he said. “Every day is just a constant barrage of negative feelings and news politically. It’s all screwed up right now.”

Sanders reported from Washington.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,175 adults was conducted May 1-5, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

​ Orange County Register 

A still-unfolding diplomatic road seeking peace in Ukraine has had many twists and turns

• May 14, 2025

By KATIE MARIE DAVIES

It was a weekend of diplomatic announcements on the war in Ukraine.

First, European leaders assembled in Kyiv on Saturday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire. Then, after midnight, the Kremlin leader surfaced in Moscow to unveil a proposal for talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

If both Putin and Zelenskyy sit down with each other, it would be a first in the 3-year-old war.

Key events that have shaped efforts to end the war since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022:

Feb. 28, 2022: Ukrainian and Russian delegations meet in neighboring Belarus for the first time after the invasion. Talks continue over the next two weeks, but no apparent agreements emerge other than a decision to set up humanitarian corridors for civilians.

March 21, 2022: Zelenskyy calls for direct talks with Putin but is rebuffed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. A day later, Zelenskyy says he is prepared to discuss a commitment for Ukraine to not to seek NATO membership in exchange for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian troops and a guarantee of Ukraine’s security.

March 29, 2022: Talks begin in Istanbul, Turkey, with Moscow saying it’s willing to “fundamentally cut back” military activity near Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, while Ukraine said it was open to discussing neutral status for Ukraine if its security is backed by other nations.

April 7, 2022: Lavrov rejects a Ukrainian peace proposal as “unacceptable. ” He says Kyiv has walked back on an agreement to exempt the Crimean Peninsula from wider Ukrainian security guarantees. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014.

April 26, 2022: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visits Russia to discuss ending the war.

May 13, 2022: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calls his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, in their first contact since before the start of the war.

July 22, 2022: Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by Turkey and the U.N., agree on a deal to unblock supplies of grain stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, ending a standoff that threatened global food security. The deal expires a year later.

Sept. 22, 2022: Zelenskyy addresses the U.N. General Assembly, laying out five “nonnegotiable” conditions, including a “just punishment” for Russia.

Sept. 30, 2022: Russia illegally annexes the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, even though it doesn’t fully control any of them. Ukraine responds by applying to join NATO and by enacting a decree that declares negotiations with Putin “impossible”.

Nov. 15, 2022: Zelenskyy unveils a 10-point peace plan at the G20 summit in Bali.

June 25, 2023: Officials from 15 countries, including the U.S., the European Union, India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, to discuss Zelenskyy’s peace plan.

Aug. 5, 2023: Two days of discussions on the war begin in Saudi Arabia with delegates from 40 countries, but not Russia. No joint statements are issued.

Oct. 28, 2023: Delegates from 65 countries meet in Malta to continue talks on Zelenskyy’s peace plan. Russia, which has dismissed the talks, was not invited.

June 15, 2024: Representatives of 92 nations meet in Nidwalden, Switzerland, to discuss Ukraine’s peace plan. Despite the growing number of delegates, a consensus remains elusive. The summit’s final statement is backed by most – although not all – participants.

Dec. 7, 2024: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump travels to Paris and meets Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

Feb 12. 2025: Trump and Putin speak directly via telephone and agree to begin negotiations on ending Ukraine war in a phone call that abruptly ended a three-year U.S.-led effort to isolate Putin over Ukraine.

Feb. 18, 2025: Russian and U.S. officials, including Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meet in Saudi Arabia and agree to work toward ending the war, as well as restoring bilateral ties. Ukrainian officials are not invited.

Feb. 28, 2025: Zelenskyy meets with Trump, Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in the White House but tensions break out in the Oval Office and a proposed minerals deal between the countries is left unsigned.

March 11, 2025: U.S. and Ukrainian officials meet in Saudi Arabia, with American officials putting forward a plan for a 30-day ceasefire. Kyiv agrees to the proposed truce.

March 13, 2025: Putin effectively rejects the ceasefire plan, stating certain issues still must be resolved. He also meets with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow. Witkoff would travel to Russia two more times in April to meet Putin.

March 18, 2025: A proposal is put forward for a temporary halt on strikes on energy infrastructure. Both sides agree to the plan, but soon accuse each other of violations, and the measure later expires.

April 19, 2025: Putin announces a 30-hour ceasefire to mark the Easter holiday, although attacks continue across Ukraine.

April 28, 2025: The Kremlin declares a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting May 8 to mark Russia’s Victory Day celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Kyiv does not agree, preferring a 30-day truce proposed by U.S. officials. Both sides accuse each other of violating it.

May 10, 2025: French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk meet with Zelenskyy in Kyiv and urge Russia to enact a 30-day truce starting May 12.

May 11, 2025: Putin proposes restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions,” but does not agree to the 30-day ceasefire Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet personally in Turkey.

May 12, 2025: Trump says he is “thinking about flying over” to Turkey for the talks after his visit to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but later says Rubio and other U.S. officials will go.

May 13, 2025: Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak says Zelenskyy won’t meet with any representative of Russia in Turkey except for Putin. Zelenskyy says he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will wait for Putin in Ankara, adding: “If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point that he does not want to end the war.”

​ Orange County Register 

‘Bosch’ author Michael Connelly cancels book tour for ‘a medical issue’

• May 13, 2025

Michael Connelly, the Los Angeles crime-writing legend whose books include the Harry Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer series, announced on his Instagram today, May 13 that he would be cancelling dates and postponing his tour for his latest book, “Nightshade.”

Calling it “a medical issue that needs immediate attention and aftercare,” the 68-year-old author apologized to fans for canceling upcoming May and June events in the U.S. and U.K., but he concluded the message on an upbeat note. “Please know that this is only a pause. I’ll get past this and get back out there in the fall. Thank you for understanding.”

The Instagram post had already tallied more than 200 messages of support and goodwill toward the popular novelist.

Connelly’s latest book, which arrives in stores on May 20, is a stand-alones novel involving a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detective who gets taken off the homicide desk and “exiled” to work on Catalina Island.

“I love this book and the new character I have created, and wanted to get out there and talk about it. I love being on the road, visiting in bookstores and meeting readers who have long supported my work. It means so much to me,” wrote Connelly. “I’ve been doing it since 1992, but health issues caught up to me this time.”

With 40 books published and nearly 90 million copies in print, Connelly has a large and devoted following of readers, which has only grown larger with the screen versions of “Bosch,” “Bosch: Legacy” and “The Lincoln Lawyer” streaming series.

The messages from his publisher and the author, headlined as “A Note From Michael Connelly,” appear below in full:

THE NIGHTSHADE BOOK TOUR EVENTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED:

I am very sorry to share that Michael had to cancel his May (USA) and June (England) book tours for NIGHTSHADE. An unforeseen medical procedure has been scheduled, prohibiting touring and traveling. Doctors’ orders. It is a huge disappointment, but the plan is to try and schedule an event with these same booksellers in October when the next book comes out. If you bought a ticket to an event, the host store will be reaching out to you with an update, or you can reach out to the store directly yourself. Thank you for your understanding and your patience.

A NOTE FROM MICHAEL CONNELLY:I am so sorry for this late notice but I need to postpone my book tour for NIGHTSHADE. I am dealing with a medical issue that needs immediate attention and aftercare, and I am not going to be able to make the appearances that were scheduled and I was so looking forward to. I love this book and the new character I have created, and wanted to get out there to talk about it. I love being on the road, visiting in bookstores and meeting readers who have long supported my work. It means so much to me. I’ve been doing it since 1992, but health issues caught up with me this time. Please know that this is only a pause. I’ll get past this and get back out there in the fall. Thank you for understanding. See you then.

​ Orange County Register 

The Habit Burger & Grill uses beefcake to publicize chicken salads

• May 13, 2025

The Habit Burger & Grill is freshening up its salad menu and has found an unlikely partner to publicize it.

Beginning Wednesday, May 14, the Irvine-based chain will begin serving two new chicken salads.

Mango Miso Crunch is made with romaine lettuce, cabbage slaw, carrots, cucumber and mango salsa with miso vinaigrette dressing. It’s topped with almonds and almonds.

Harvest Chopped Salad is made with romaine, green leaf lettuce, golden beets, apples, picked red onions, white cheddar, roasted sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and candied pecans with fuji apple cider vinaigrette dressing.

The Habit has also refreshed the recipes of its Santa Barbara Cobb, Chicken Caesar and Garden Salad, according to a news release that notes that salads are made to order.

Prices, which vary by location, will be $10.69-$12, representatives say.

The Habit is collaborating with UFC Gym on a pin-up calendar, “Hot Dads of Habit x UFC Gym,” to promote the salads as “part of a balanced, protein-forward lifestyle.” The goal, according to a separate news release, is to change the narrative that salads are a “mom” order.

The Habit and UFC Gym are taking applications online from guys who are willing to pose shirtless and reveal a few personal details at ufcgym.com/hotdads. The deadline is May 23.

Actor Josh Peck of “Drake & Josh” fame is promoting the contest and the salads on Instragram, including a video showing him doing paternal things such as putting a child seat in a car and scraping an outdoor grill.

The calendar will come out July 1.

habitburger.com

​ Orange County Register 

MLB reinstates Pete Rose, now eligible for Hall of Fame

• May 13, 2025

NEW YORK — Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson were reinstated by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday, making both eligible for the sport’s Hall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports gambling scandals.

Rose’s permanent ban was lifted eight months after his death and comes a day before the Cincinnati Reds will honor baseball’s career hits leader with Pete Rose Night.

Manfred announced Tuesday that he was changing the league’s policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expire after death. Several others will also have their status changed by the ruling, including all members of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox, former Philadelphia Phillies president Williams D. Cox and former New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff.

Under the Hall of Fame’s current rules, the earliest Rose or Jackson could be inducted would be in 2028.Rose agreed to a permanent ban on Aug. 23, 1989, following an investigation commissioned by Major League Baseball concluded Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player and manager of the team from 1985-87, a violation of a long-standing MLB rule.

Rose, who in retirement spent many years living in Sherman Oaks, first applied for reinstatement in September 1997, but Commissioner Bud Selig never ruled on the request. Manfred in 2015 rejected a petition for reinstatement, saying “Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life.”

Rose died Sept. 30 at age 83 in Las Vegas. A new petition was filed Jan. 8 by Jeffrey Lenkov, a lawyer who represented Rose. Lenkov and Rose’s daughter Fawn had met with Manfred on Dec. 17.

In a letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote, “In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase ‘permanently ineligible’ should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others.

“In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.”

A 17-time All-Star during a playing career from 1963-86, Rose holds record for hits (4,256), games (3,562), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and singles (3,215). He was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, 1973 MVP and 1975 World Series MVP. A three-time NL batting champion, he broke the prior hits record of 4,191 set by Ty Cobb from 1905-28.

Jackson was a .356 career hitter who was among the eight Chicago Black Sox banned for throwing the 1919 World Series. Jackson twice appeared on a BBWAA ballot before the Hall’s rules change, receiving 0.9% in 1936 and 1% of a nominating vote in 1940.

What about the Hall of Fame?

Under a rule adopted by the Hall’s board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can’t be considered for election to the Hall.

Rose’s reinstatement occurred too late for him to be considered for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot. If not on the permanently banned list, Rose would have been eligible on the ballots each from 1992 through 2006. He was written in on 41 votes in 1992 and on 243 of 7,232 ballots (3.4%) over the 15 years, votes that were not counted.

Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement Tuesday that players affected by Manfred’s ruling would be considered.

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball’s permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration,” she said. “Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered.”

Without the ban, both players are eligible for the Hall’s Classic Baseball Era, which next meets to consider players in December 2027 and considers those whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.

A 10-person historical overview committee selects the ballot candidates with the approval of the Hall’s board and the ballot is considered by 16 members at the winter meetings, with a 75% or higher vote needed. The committee members include Hall of Fame members, team executives and media/historians.

Among the players in the 2028 class eligible for the BBWAA ballot are Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.

Did Trump help get Rose reinstated?

Rose’s supporters have included U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to pardon Rose posthumously. Manfred discussed Rose with Trump when the pair met in April, but he hasn’t disclosed specifics of their conversation.

It’s not clear what a presidential pardon for Rose would entail. Rose entered guilty pleas on April 20, 1990, to two counts of filing false tax returns, admitting he failed to report $354,968 during a four-year period. Rose was sentenced on July 19, 1990, by U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel in Cincinnati to five months in prison. He also was fined $50,000 and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service as a gym teacher’s assistant with inner-city youths in Cincinnati as part of a one-year probation period. The first three months of the probation were to be spent at the halfway house. Rose repaid the Internal Revenue Service $366,042.

​ Orange County Register 

$200K donor steps up to aid Riverside’s De Anza monument

• May 13, 2025

The long walk to restoring a monument in Riverside to explorer Juan Bautista de Anza was limping along, with only $15,000 raised toward a project expected to cost several times that.

Discouragement had set in. Then a friendly stranger offered a lift.

He donated $100,000. And he pledged that whatever donations come in, he’ll match them, up to another $100,000.

This means he is willing to donate up to $200,000, all for a monument that many Riversiders scarcely notice.

Backers are pinching themselves, especially because the donor was off Riverside’s radar.

“We don’t really know why he’s interested in this park,” admits Philip Falcone, a councilmember who is spearheading the drive on behalf of a nonprofit, Beautify Riverside. “He said he saw your column and that’s what got him to reach out to us.”

The man’s name: Fritz Duda.

Duda once owned Riverside International Raceway, the track that closed in 1989. Falcone says that when he mentioned Duda to Cindy Roth, whose involvement in the Chamber of Commerce goes back to 1977, she replied in wonder: “I haven’t heard that name in years.”

The Fritz Duda Co., his real estate development and investment firm, has offices in Dallas, Newport Beach and Reno, Nevada. Duda is best known here for building the Moreno Valley Mall and the neighboring Towngate mixed-use projects on the site of the former raceway.

Duda, who divides his time between Dallas and Newport Beach, lived in Riverside a mere five years, 1969 to 1974. “I have fond memories of Riverside,” Duda tells me by phone. “Two of my children were born at Riverside Community Hospital.”

To refresh your memory, De Anza, who was seeking a supply route for Mission San Gabriel, in 1774 became the first outsider to venture through Riverside and other parts of the Inland Empire.

A monument to De Anza was dedicated in 1940 in tiny Newman Park on Magnolia Avenue and 14th Street. Today the wedge-shaped park, inside a fence near a medical clinic, is little visited and uninviting. And the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame shares space with the park, awkwardly.

I wrote last September about the start of the fund drive.

Duda happened to read it, but not in The Press-Enterprise. He saw it in one of our other newspapers, the Orange County Register, to which he subscribes. The Register only occasionally runs me, but that day it did, serendipitously.

The photo of the statue made Duda do a double-take.

“I remember the De Anza statue,” Duda tells me. “My older children remember the statue.”

After reading my column, Duda spoke with a longtime friend from the raceway days.

“I was talking to Ralph Lawler about the De Anza statue: ‘They really ought to fix the park. It’s kind of ragged,’” Duda recalls saying. Lawler offered encouragement.

Duda contacted Falcone and learned that little money had come in. He said he’d like to help. Conversations ensued.

“We put together a matching deal where we can fix the statue, the park and the Sport Hall of Fame,” Duda says. He quotes Falcone as telling him: “If you made a challenge grant, I think I can raise more.” Duda adds: “And I think he can do it.”

Two weeks ago I met up in Newman Park with Falcone and Jennifer Mermilliod, the project’s historic consultant. They were buoyed by Duda’s contribution.

The fund drive, which had stalled out, suddenly has major momentum.

“I’m feeling more optimistic than before because I see a clearer path for financially attaining it,” Falcone says. “We’re hoping this generates more donations. Your donation of $1,000 will actually get us $2,000.”

Or your $10 will get them $20. Fill in whatever number of zeroes you’re comfortable with. Donations may be made to the Riverside Arts Council, 3700 6th St., Riverside 92501 with “Beautify Riverside” in the memo line.

Work could start as early as this fall. Falcone says, “We can move more quickly because it’s not taxpayer dollars that are being used.”

Falcone and Mermilliod say the project, which includes a reimagining of the pocket park, can be done for $300,000.

The relief wall would be repaired, sealed and polished. Sprinklers, grass and a hedge would be ripped out and replaced by a drip line, native plants and paths of decomposed granite. The park would get a better entry. Signs would make clear that Newman is a city park.

The odd jumble of Sport Hall of Fame monuments would be relocated. Lighting would shine on the statue, whose pedestal would be repaired.

“The statue is actually in pretty good shape. It needs a good cleaning,” Mermilliod says.

Interpretive panels would share the story of De Anza from several perspectives.

“We’re going to tell the historical context of De Anza: for Native people, for people who lived here before there was a Riverside, and De Anza Days and that whole fascination,” Falcone says of the 1930s and ’40s celebratory air.

“It’s a broader California story,” Mermilliod adds.

Duda feels similarly. A self-described history buff, Duda, 86, serves on the Texas Historical Commission, to which he was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott. And he lived in Riverside during a period when the statue was more a focal point than it is today.

“De Anza was a great explorer and that statue represents a lot of the history of the area,” Duda says. “I think it’s a good thing for Riverside to understand their roots.”

He’d never funded anything here before. When he lived in Riverside, he jokes, “I didn’t have enough money to be philanthropic.” He says the donation should properly be co-credited to his wife, Mary Lee.

I had suggested to him that hearing from the donor about his interest would personalize the story and encourage others to chip in.

“I’m really not looking for any recognition here,” Duda explains. “But if I can help…”

Now it’s time for Riverside to match this former resident’s generosity with its own. Remember, all your dollars will be doubled.

And on a personal note, I thank Mr. Duda for subscribing to the newspaper.

David Allen writes Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, monumentally. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, and follow davidallencolumnist on Facebook, @davidallen909 on X or @davidallen909.bsky.social on Bluesky.

​ Orange County Register