
How stocks, bonds and other markets have fared so far in 2025
- April 21, 2025
By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and DAMIAN J. TROISE, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Global financial markets have been turned upside down this year by President Donald Trump’s burgeoning trade war. Markets are not in full panic, but the double-digit declines in major U.S. stock indexes are testing nerves.
U.S. markets had been on a two-year tear coming into 2025, though many believed that stock prices had become overinflated. Trump’s trade war pushed that sentiment into hyperdrive. The S&P 500 has tumbled 13%, and U.S. markets are being outpaced in Europe, Asia, and just about everywhere else.

Trading in traditional “safe havens” like U.S. Treasurys and the dollar has become erratic and unpredictable. On Monday, the dollar struck a three-year low and U.S. Treasury yields have been soaring. Typically, yields would fall as investors seek a safe place to park their money. U.S. Treasurys no longer appear to provide the shelter they once did.
Only gold, a commodity traded internationally, has maintained its reputation as a safe zone. The price of gold is hitting one record high after another.
Here’s a roundup of what is happening in various segments of the financial market:
Stocks
U.S. stocks have been losing ground in a sharp reversal after two years of stellar gains.
The S&P 500 index, which is considered a benchmark for the broader market’s health, is down more than 13% in 2025. It gained more than 20% in both 2023 and 2024.
The benchmark index is already in “correction,” having fallen more than 10% from the record it set in February. There have been only five weeks in which it’s ended in positive territory this year and with Monday’s decline it’s moving closer to bear market territory, or a 20% drop from recent highs.
It’s worse on the growth-focused Nasdaq composite, which has plunged 19%.
Overseas markets have largely performed much better than their U.S. counterparts.
Bonds
Treasurys, typically considered a less risky area of the market, have been volatile throughout the year.
The 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates and other loans, was as high as 4.80% in January but then fell until Trump announced the broad details of his tariff policy in early April. Yields then began to spike this month. The recent jump in bond yields, which happens when bond prices fall, reflects rising anxiety about inflation and a potential recession.
Treasury bonds are essentially IOUs from the U.S. government and they’re how Washington pays its bills. Bond prices typically move in the opposite direction of stock prices, but prices for both have fallen in tandem. That raises more significant concerns, namely a loss of faith in the U.S. as a safe place to invest.
Gold
In all of the economic uncertainty, gold is soaring — setting record after record in 2025.
New York spot gold hit another all-time high Thursday, closing at about $3,343 per Troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals — per FactSet. The price is up nearly 27% this year.
Gold futures rose to more than $3,432 Monday.
Interest in gold spikes in times of uncertainty as investors seek a safe place for their money, although there can still be some volatility. The price of spot gold fell for three straight trading days following Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” announcement on April 2, for example, but soon rebounded overall.
Foreign Exchange
The U.S. dollar, the world’s reserve currency, is falling under the weight of uncertainty over tariffs, inflation and the direction of the U.S. economy.
The U.S. dollar is down a steep 9% for the year when measured against a basket of other currencies, including the euro, Japanese yen, Canadian Dollar and Swiss franc.
The dollar began to erode almost immediately in 2025, but those losses have accelerated over the past two months. A weakened dollar means it is more difficult for the U.S. government, businesses and consumers to borrow money at lower rates. It also means less purchasing power for U.S. consumers and the potential for stunted economic growth.
Oil
There is good news and bad news about energy prices. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. on Monday was $3.15, down sharply from $3.67 at this time last year. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that energy prices fall when people start anticipating an economic slowdown. Factories produce less, families call off vacations and businesses cut travel expenses.
Oil prices hit a four-year low this month with anxiety over the impact of tariffs on global economic growth sinking in.
West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark, stood at around $63 per barrel as of midday Monday. That’s down nearly 14% year to date. And Brent crude, the European standard, was just above $66 — down nearly 13% since the start of 2025.
Economists are warning that the steep tariffs Trump is pursuing could cause a recession, which could carry significant implications for the supply chain and jobs in the energy sector.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin has continued to undulate.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency has been on a rollercoaster since the start of the year — with the volatile asset climbing to more than $109,000 ahead of Trump’s inauguration in January, only to dip under $75,000 amid wider market sell-offs this month. As of midday Monday, bitcoin’s going price was above $88,000, per CoinMarketCap.
That’s more than $6,000 lower than what bitcoin was trading at the start of 2025 — but still significantly higher than in recent years. At this time last year, bitcoin traded around $65,000. And in April 2023, months after the November 2022 collapse of FTX crushed crypto, the digital asset went for under $30,000.
Trump, once a crypto skeptic, became a major promoter of the industry throughout his campaign — and last month, he signed an executive order establishing a government reserve of bitcoin.
Orange County Register

OC baseball Top 25: Orange Lutheran, Cypress move up in the Top 10
- April 21, 2025
This week’s Orange County high school baseball rankings, as of Monday, April 21.
Notable this week: Huntington Beach returned to Sunset League action and swept Orange County’s then-No. 4 team Los Alamitos in three league games. … Orange Lutheran swept Santa Margarita in three Trinity League games, so those two teams swap positions in this week’s rankings. … Cypress climbs two berths after beating Foothill in two Crestview League games. … Newport Harbor rises after a three-game Sunset League sweep of Fountain Valley. … San Clemente returns to the Top 25.
ORANGE COUNTY BASEBALL TOP 25
(Records through Sunday, April 20)

1. Huntington Beach (15-2): The Oilers swept Los Alamitos in a Sunset League three-game series by scores of 3-2, 8-1 and 7-2. Ethan Porter had the walk-off hit in the 3-2 win, Jared Grindlinger pitched four no-hit innings in his outing and Jayton Greer on Friday had three hits including a home run and drove in four runs in the 7-2 win. Huntington Beach plays second-place Newport Harbor in three league games this week starting with a home game Tuesday.
Previous ranking: 1
2. Orange Lutheran (14-4): The Lancers shut down and swept Santa Margarita three-game Trinity League series by scores of 3-0, 4-0 and 1-0. Colt Peterson pitched a two-hitter in the first game. Gary Morse, Caden Miller and Tristan Ramos combined to shut out the Eagles in the 4-0 game and Sam Principe pitched a three-hitter in the 1-0 win. Orange Lutheran plays Servite in a three-game league series this week, beginning with a game at Servite on Tuesday.
Previous ranking: 3
3. Santa Margarita (11-10): The Eagles pitched well last week, including a fine effort by Brennan Bauer in which he gave up one run in six innings, but their batters struggled in three shutout losses to Orange Lutheran last week. Gavin Spiridonoff hit .333 for Santa Margarita during the three-game series. Santa Margarita plays JSerra in a three-game league series that starts Tuesday at Santa Margarita.
Previous ranking: 2
4. Cypress (14-9): The Centurions have won six of their past eight games including a two-game sweep of Foothill in a Crestview League series last week by scores of 5-3 and 9-1. First baseman Paul Dominguez homered and drove in five runs, catcher Noah Johnson knocked in a pair of runs and pitcher Tate Belfanti threw five scoreless innings. Cypress this week plays El Dorado in a two-game league series that begins at El Dorado on Wednesday.
Previous ranking: 9
5. Los Alamitos (15-7-2): The Griffins took on Orange County’s No. 1 team last week and lost the three Sunset League games to Huntington Beach. Los Alamitos, which is 8-7 in league, does not play any league games this week, with the only game on the schedule a nonleague game at Mira Costa on Saturday.
Previous ranking: 4
6. Villa Park (16-5): The Spartans beat El Modena in two Crestview League games, 7-2 and 5-1. Gunner Santillo was 5 for 7 with three RBIs and Dom Gutierrez was 4 for 7 with four RBIs. Villa Park, in second place behind Cypress with a 5-3 league record, plays three nonleague games this week against Pacifica, Bishop Amat and Ocean View before resuming league play against Foothill in two weeks.
Previous ranking: 7
7. Foothill (15-8): The Knights dropped two Crestview League games against Cypress, 5-3 and 9-1. Sean Green had two hits in both of those games. The Knights have two league games against El Modena this week, starting with a home game Wednesday.
Previous ranking: 5
8. JSerra (9-10): The Lions needed Trinity League victories and got them last week, taking two of three games against Mater Dei. JSerra lost the first game 2-1 and then won the next two 6-0 and 6-2 to improve its league record to 4-5. The Lions play Santa Margarita in a crucial three-game league series this week, with the first game Tuesday at Santa Margarita.
Previous ranking: 8
9. El Dorado (17-5): The Golden Hawks beat Crean Lutheran 3-0 in a nonleague game, their only game last week. Logan Steenburgen pitched the shutout with seven strikeouts. El Dorado, 3-3 in the Crestview league, plays league-leading Cypress (6-2) in a league series this week starting with a home game Wednesday.
Previous ranking: 10

10. Servite (12-9): The Friars were swept by Trinity League-leading St. John Bosco by scores of 4-1, 7-0 and 5-1. Servite is 3-6 in league. The Friars play Orange Lutheran in a three-game league series this week starting with a home game Tuesday.
Previous ranking: 9
11. Mater Dei (13-8)
Previous ranking: 11
12. Trabuco Hills (15-6)
Previous ranking: 13
13. Aliso Niguel (17-5)
Previous ranking: 14
14. Fullerton (13-7-1)
Previous ranking: 12
15. Newport Harbor (17-5)
Previous ranking: 16
16. Corona del Mar (11-12)
Previous ranking: 20
17. San Juan Hills (12-8)
Previous ranking: 23
18. Laguna Beach (18-3)
Previous ranking: 18
19. Fountain Valley (11-9)
Previous ranking: 15
20. Edison (11-10)
Previous ranking: 17
21. Marina (11-11)
Previous ranking: 21
22. Woodbridge (16-7)
Previous ranking: 19
23. San Clemente (11-9)
Previous ranking: Not ranked
24. Mission Viejo (11-11)
Previous ranking: 22
25. Canyon (15-6)
Previous ranking: Not ranked
Orange County Register

Sarah Palin tells defamation trial jury that Times editorial ‘kicked the oomph’ out of her
- April 21, 2025
By LARRY NEUMEISTER, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin testified Monday at a defamation trial that an editorial about gun control in The New York Times in 2017 was devastating and “kicked the oomph” out of her.
The former Republican candidate for vice president answered questions in Manhattan federal court at a trial of her libel claims against the newspaper. She seeks unspecified damages.
“This was the gamechanger,” Palin said of the effect on her life after the newspaper in June 2017 published an editorial about gun control. “I felt defenseless. It just kicked the oomph right out of you.”
The editorial was created after U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, was wounded when a man with a history of anti-GOP activity opened fire on a congressional baseball team practice in Washington.
In the editorial, the Times wrote that before the 2011 mass shooting in Arizona that severely wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and killed six others, Palin’s political action committee had contributed to an atmosphere of violence by circulating a map of electoral districts that put Giffords and 19 other Democrats under stylized crosshairs.
In a correction published less than a day later, the Times said the editorial had “incorrectly stated that a link existed between political rhetoric and the 2011 shooting” and had “incorrectly described” the map.
But Palin said the correction didn’t name her or restore her reputation, leaving it hard to overcome “when the loudest voice in the room, the most credible, biggest publication, was making things up about me.”
Last week, former Times editorial page editor James Bennet cried as he apologized to Palin from the witness stand, saying he “blew it” when he inserted the incorrect information in the editorial.
He said he was “really upset, and I still am, obviously.”
In February 2022, a jury found against Palin’s libel claims, but the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan last year revived the case, citing errors made by the trial judge.
Orange County Register
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Supreme Court appears likely to uphold Obamacare’s preventive care coverage mandate
- April 21, 2025
By LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seemed likely to uphold a key preventive-care provision of the Affordable Care Act in a case heard Monday.
Conservative justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, along with the court’s three liberals, appeared skeptical of arguments that Obamacare’s process for deciding which services must be fully covered by private insurance is unconstitutional.
The case could have big ramifications for the law’s preventive care coverage requirements for an estimated 150 million Americans. Medications and services that could be affected include statins to prevent heart disease, lung cancer screenings, HIV-prevention drugs and medication to lower the chance of breast cancer for high-risk women.
The plaintiffs argued that requirements to cover those medications and services are unconstitutional because a volunteer board of medical experts that recommended them should have been Senate- approved. The challengers have also raised religious and procedural objections to some requirements.
The Trump administration defended the mandate before the court, though President Donald Trump has been a critic of the law. The Justice Department said board members don’t need Senate approval because they can be removed by the health and human services secretary.
A majority of the justices seemed inclined to side with the government. Kavanaugh said he didn’t see indications in the law that the board was designed to have the kind of independent power that would require Senate approval, and Barrett questioned the plaintiff’s apparently “maximalist” interpretation of the board’s role.
“We don’t just go around creating independent agencies. More often, we destroy independent agencies,” said Justice Elena Kagan said about the court’s prior opinions.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas seemed likely to side with the plaintiffs. And some suggested they could send the case back to the conservative U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That would likely leave unanswered questions about which medications and services remain covered.
A ruling is expected by the end of June.
The case came before the Supreme Court after the appeals court struck down some preventive care coverage requirements. It sided with Christian employers and Texas residents who argued they can’t be forced to provide full insurance coverage for things like medication to prevent HIV and some cancer screenings.
They were represented by well-known conservative attorney Jonathan Mitchell, who represented Trump before the high court in a dispute about whether he could appear on the 2024 ballot.
Not all preventive care was threatened by the ruling. A 2023 analysis prepared by the nonprofit KFF found that some screenings, including mammography and cervical cancer screening, would still be covered without out-of-pocket costs.
The appeals court found that coverage requirements were unconstitutional because they came from a body — the United States Preventive Services Task Force — whose members were not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Orange County Register
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Lawsuits accuse insurers of colluding to drop coverage in fire-prone parts of California
- April 21, 2025
By TRÂN NGUYỄN, Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Two lawsuits filed in Los Angeles allege major home insurance companies have colluded to limit coverage in California communities at high risk for wildfires and force homeowners onto the state’s last-resort insurance plan that offers basic coverage and high premiums.
Insurers, including State Farm and 24 other companies that hold 75% of California’s home insurance market, were part of an “illegal scheme” in violation of California’s antitrust and unfair competition laws, according to one of the lawsuits, filed last week.
The lawsuit said the companies worked together in 2023 to “suddenly and simultaneously” drop coverage or halt writing new policies in fire-prone areas, including in neighborhoods like Pacific Palisades and Altadena that were leveled in the January wildfires that destroyed nearly 17,000 structures and killed at least 30 people. That has forced hundreds of homeowners onto the FAIR Plan that offers limited coverage capping at $3 million, leaving them underinsured and now struggling to rebuild after the fires, says the lawsuit filed by a group of homeowners who lost their houses in the LA fires.

The other lawsuit includes all policyholders who obtained the FAIR Plan after January 2023, when the conspiracy allegedly began, the suit says.
“Insurance is a product that homeowners hope never to need, but rely on for peace of mind in normal times and for critical help rebuilding after a catastrophe,” Michael J. Bidart, who represents the homeowners, said in a statement. “The complaints allege that, by colluding to push plaintiffs and so many like them to the FAIR Plan, the defendants have reaped the benefits of high premiums while depriving homeowners of coverage that they were ready, willing, and able to purchase to ensure that they could recover after a disaster like January’s wildfires.”
The lawsuits come as California is struggling to rein in an ongoing insurance crisis, where companies are boosting rates, limiting coverage or pulling out completely from regions susceptible to wildfires and other natural disasters in the era of climate change. In 2023, several major insurance companies either paused or restricted new business in the state, saying they can’t truly price the risk on properties as wildfires are becoming more common and destructive in California due to climate change.

The state Department of Insurance said it is not involved in the suits but said its focus is on protecting consumers.
“Californians deserve a system that works — one where decisions are made openly, rates reflect real risk, and no one is left without options,” department spokesperson Gabriel Sanchez said in a statement.
State Farm, the largest home insurer in California with roughly a million policies, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Representatives from the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, the largest national trade association representing home, auto and business insurers, also did not respond for comment.
The FAIR Plan is an insurance pool that all the major private insurers pay into, and the plan then issues policies to people who can’t get private insurance because their properties are deemed too risky to insure. The plan, with high premiums and basic coverage, is designed as a temporary option until homeowners can find permanent coverage, but more Californians are relying on it than ever. There were more than 555,000 home policies on the FAIR Plan as of March, more than double the number in 2020.
The complaints also allege that insurers were pushing policyholders onto the FAIR Plan because companies wouldn’t have to shoulder all financial responsibility to sustain the plan. When the state’s top insurance regulator in February ordered insurers to provide $1 billion to the FAIR Plan to help it pay out claims related to the LA wildfires, he allowed for half of the cost to be recouped from policyholders statewide. Another lawsuit was filed last week to block the cost-shifting regulation.
California has been in the process of implementing various new regulations to give insurers more latitude to raise premiums in exchange for issuing more policies in high-risk areas. That includes regulations allowing insurers to consider climate change when setting their prices and allowing them to pass on the costs of reinsurance to California consumers.
Orange County Register

Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, is running for California governor
- April 21, 2025
Podcaster and former Fox News host Steve Hilton is running for governor in California.
Hilton announced his candidacy Monday and will launch his campaign with a rally Tuesday in Huntington Beach and a campaign message that parallels his recent book tour: California is failing, and the Democratic supermajority in the state is to blame, he said.
“I just want to ask people to imagine what California would be like after another 15 years of one-party rule by the Democrats, yet more stagnation and decline. If you look at the state of California today, it is just a disaster on every front,” Hilton told the Southern California News Group in an exclusive interview ahead of his campaign launch.
Hilton, 55, is the latest to jump into an already crowded field of candidates vying to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is prevented from running again because of term limits.
A Republican, Hilton got his start in politics in the United Kingdom. Born in England to immigrant parents from Hungary — his father had found success as a professional hockey goalie before the couple fled during the 1956 revolution — Hilton started working with the Conservative Central Office in 1990.
He would eventually become a close advisor to David Cameron and was credited with softening the prime minister’s appearance. The two have since fallen out, disagreeing over Brexit (the term referring to the U.K. leaving the European Union) and other policy positions.
Hilton compares California today to the U.K. in the 1960s and ’70s, when it was called “the sick man of Europe,” a phrase that refers to economic struggles.
“Honestly, I can’t see how anyone could dispute that same kind of characterization of California today, the sick man of America,” Hilton said. “In many ways, California represents the ‘American dream,’ and it’s just been destroyed. We’ve got to get that back.”
Hilton — author of the recent “Califailure: Reversing the Ruin of America’s Worst-Run State” book and a self-described “positive populist” — has a laundry list of issues he wants to see changed in California, from affordability issues to public education.
On the former, Hilton said eliminating state income tax would be “the simplest and quickest way we can help people struggling financially in California.”
Fewer than a dozen states — including Florida, Alaska, Tennessee and Texas — do not have income taxes. And tax experts have found that states without an income tax often have higher other taxes (like sales or property) and may not provide as many public services.
Hilton also advocated for eliminating regulations that make it more difficult to build housing in the state, including reforming CEQA, the 1970 law signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan that requires developers to study a project’s impact to the environment and attempt to mitigate any damage. The law has drawn harsh critics who say it’s being weaponized by people opposed to certain developments, regardless of the environmental impact.
When it comes to education, Hilton wants to see more transparency and accountability in schools’ and teachers’ performances.
“We need a very simple focus on helping reward the best teachers but removing the worst teachers that are letting our kids down,” he said. “We can’t do that unless we have information about how they’re performing.”
A red campaign in a blue state
As of Feb. 10 — the latest report from the California secretary of state — registered Democrats account for 45.27% of registered voters in the state. Republicans make up 25.22%, and no party preference 22.34%.
In November, Democrat Adam Schiff handily defeated Republican Steve Garvey with 58.9% of the vote to win an open U.S. Senate seat.
But Hilton insists California voters are ready for a change in leadership in the state’s chief executive.
“I think that people are absolutely crying out for positive, practical solutions to their problems,” he said. “They see the Democrat politicians who’ve been in charge now for so long, obsessed with ideological agendas that have just made everything worse. And we need to be out there with positive, alternative, practical ideas that people can understand will help them in their daily life.”
That’s why Hilton said he chose Orange County’s Huntington Beach, which recently elected an all-conservative City Council, as his launch pad.
“The best-run city in California is run by Republicans,” said Hilton. “That is a change that happened very quickly, and no one expected it. That, to me, captures the kind of attitude and spirit that we need across California because we’ve had 15 years of one-party rule.”
When asked about Huntington Beach’s one-party rule, Hilton pointed to a WalletHub poll, which ranked it No. 65 overall on its list of best-run cities in the U.S. (Of note, San Diego is ranked No. 79, Santa Ana No. 84, Anaheim No. 104, Bakersfield No. 110, Riverside No. 133 and Los Angeles No. 139.)
“Something must be going on,” he said. “And of course, every other aspect of government in California is run by Democrats.”
Aside from Hilton, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is also running as a Republican for governor in 2026.
The Democratic field includes San Diego state Sen. Toni Atkins, former U.S Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, hospitality entrepreneur Stephen Cloobeck, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, former Rep. Katie Porter, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former State Controller Betty Yee.
Chickens and records
Hilton moved to Silicon Valley with his wife, Rachel Whetstone, a former Netflix communications chief, and their two children in 2012, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2021.
He founded Crowdpac, a political fundraising tool that focuses on smaller donations. He would later host a show on Fox News, “The Next Revolution,” and leave Crowdpac.
Two years ago, Hilton founded Golden Together, a bipartisan effort to tackle a slate of issues that includes homelessness, housing affordability, California’s business climate and wildfire management, according to its website.
And if there’s one thing Hilton is just as excited to talk about as he is the state of California, it’s his chickens. During an interview on Easter Sunday, Hilton said he had been out collecting eggs from his chickens, “who are very much a part of our family, along with our two dogs.”
His favorite chicken was Hermione, who lived for more than 10 years and recently died.
Hilton is also a music aficionado, fondly recalling frequenting a record shop in Brighton, where he grew up on the south coast of England.
His first album? “New Gold Dreams” by the Scottish band Simple Minds.
Orange County Register

Sports world mourns soccer-loving Pope Francis with games in Italy and Argentina postponed
- April 21, 2025
By ANDREW DAMPF, AP Sports Writer
ROME (AP) — Top-flight soccer matches in Italy and Argentina were postponed after the death of Pope Francis on Monday.
The Buenos Aires club that the Argentine pontiff supported throughout his life was also mourning its most famous fan.
The wider soccer and sports world paid homage after Francis died at 88.
All sports events scheduled for Easter Monday in Italy were postponed, including four Serie A games: Torino vs. Udinese, Cagliari vs. Fiorentina, Genoa vs. Lazio and Parma vs. Juventus. The games will now be played on Wednesday.
Likewise, three top-flight games in Argentina were postponed from Monday to Tuesday: Tigre vs. Belgrano, Argentinos Juniors vs. Barracas Central and Independiente Rivadavia vs. Aldosivi. The games will be preceded by a minute of silence to mourn Francis, who was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires before being elected pope.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he was “deeply saddened” over the pope’s death.
“I was privileged enough to spend some time with him on a couple of occasions, and he always shared his enthusiasm for football and stressed the important role our sport plays in society,” Infantino said on Instagram. “All the prayers of the whole football world are with him.”
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said “we are losing a great friend and supporter of the Olympic movement.” Bach added that Francis’ “support for the peace and solidarity mission of the Olympic Games and the many refugee initiatives of the IOC has been unwavering.”
Pope and San Lorenzo
Francis’ passion for soccer became known almost immediately after he was elected as the first pope from Latin America in 2013 when the Argentine club San Lorenzo tweeted a photo of him holding up the team’s crest. He was even a card-carrying member of the club, with San Lorenzo ID No. 88,235.
San Lorenzo is nicknamed “the Saints.”
“He was always one of us,” San Lorenzo said in tribute on Instagram, remembering how Francis watched its 1946 championship team as a boy.
San Lorenzo performed well after Francis was elected as the 266th pope in March 2013. The team won a national title in 2013 and claimed the Copa Libertadores for the first time a year later. Club officials traveled twice to the Vatican carrying trophies to thank Francis for his support.
A planned new San Lorenzo stadium is to be named for Francis.
In Italy, there were also suggestions that Francis supported Juventus since his family came from the Piedmont region where the Turin club is based. Francis’ father, Mario Bergoglio, was a basketball player.

Pope and Maradona
Francis met countryman Diego Maradona twice as pope. There was a special audience in connection with a charity soccer match in 2014 when Maradona presented the pontiff with a soccer jersey, emblazoned with the name “Francisco” — Spanish for Francis — and Maradona’s No. 10.
“We all now realize he’s a (star),” Maradona said after another meeting in 2015. “I’m Francis’ top fan.”
When Maradona died in 2020, Francis remembered the soccer great in his prayers.
“A different, approachable, Argentine pope,” Lionel Messi, another Argentina soccer great, said on Instagram. “Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you.”
Record 15-time European soccer champion Real Madrid also mourned Francis in a message on Instagram.
During a meeting with the Argentina and Italy national teams shortly after he was elected, Francis noted the influence of athletes, especially on youth, and told the players to remember that, “for better or worse” they were role models. “Dear players, you are very popular. People follow you, and not just on the field but also off it,” he said. “That’s a social responsibility.”
Francis often hailed sports as a way to promote solidarity and inclusion, especially for young people.
At a global conference on faith and sport in 2016, Francis implored leaders to do a better job of keeping corruption off the playing field and said sports must be protected from manipulations and commercial abuse.
“Francis was a special pope, able to illuminate in his time like only the greatest can,” Gianluigi Buffon, the former Italy captain who met the pope many times, said on Instagram. “He showed us the way with great courage and moved our souls. I will carry his example forever in my heart.”
AP Sports Writer Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo contributed.
Orange County Register

NFL draft: Should Rams use 1st-round pick on Matthew Stafford succession plan?
- April 21, 2025
The Rams’ restructuring of quarterback Matthew Stafford’s contract in February cemented who will be the team’s starting quarterback in 2025. But the nature of the restructure leaves plenty of questions about how the Rams approach the position in 2026 and beyond.
The Rams’ decision makers, from head coach Sean McVay to general manager Les Snead, have spoken about how they want Stafford to play for the franchise “as long as he wants to play.” Given the level that Stafford has performed the past couple of seasons, elevating a team beleaguered by injuries into two straight playoff appearances, the interest in a continued partnership makes sense.
But Stafford turned 37 in February. And the Rams only restructured the first of the two years remaining on Stafford’s deal, meaning both sides will have to go through contract talks next year, too.
Now, enter a draft class in which teams are uncertain which quarterbacks beyond Cam Ward deserve to be top picks. Players like Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart could slip into the late first round, which would present the Rams a decision to make with the 26th pick.
Go all-in on building a contender around Stafford in 2025? Or make a decision with an eye toward 2026 and beyond by selecting a potential successor who can benefit from an apprenticeship behind Stafford this fall?
“Even if we identified someone, sometimes it’s hard to acquire them and then you get into, okay, wait a minute. We do have Matthew and we want to chase ‘special’, whatever special may be so maybe it’s best at that moment to draft another position player and keep going that way,” Snead posited last month on a Zoom call with reporters. “You’re always balancing those two things but finding the next QB, that one is easier said than done. I think we’ve seen that over the course of history, the Green Bay Packers have done a nice job.”
The Packers have twice this century used a late first rounder to get their quarterback of the future. First it was the No. 24 pick in 2005 for Aaron Rodgers, who learned behind Brett Favre for three years. Then it was the 26th pick on Jordan Love in 2020 to learn behind Rodgers.
The first case didn’t surprise anybody; Favre had been hinting at retirement. The second did, as many wondered why the Packers didn’t take a player — namely, a receiver — who would help Rodgers win in Green Bay.
That’s the tightrope the Rams have to walk this week as they decide what to do with the No. 26 pick. Sanders and Dart could fall because they are flawed prospects. Sanders’ fundamentals are shaky and could lead to costly mistakes in the NFL. Dart is coming from an Ole Miss offense which emphasized predetermined reads and doesn’t necessarily translate to the NFL.
But, as Snead said, learning behind Stafford would ease a lot of those concerns for the Rams, long-term. But does that approach outweigh the possibility of going all-in on 2025?
The Rams were the only team that gave eventual-champion Philadelphia any kind of fight in the postseason. A receiver to line up next to Puka Nacua and Davante Adams could be extremely beneficial to the team’s 2025 outlook. So could a linebacker or cornerback, should the right one fall to the end of the first round.
An offensive tackle would likely be a long-term choice, but it could benefit Stafford in 2026 should right tackle Rob Havenstein retire after this season. And the Rams could trade back and address any of those four positions, or tight end, while adding additional draft capital to strengthen the roster.
That approach would punt the quarterback question at least a year. It could potentially mean that Stafford retires without the Rams having a replacement ready, and without the draft capital to acquire one.
Does that outweigh the benefits of building around Stafford in the short term? That’s what Snead, McVay and the rest of the Rams’ braintrust will have to decide this week.
Orange County Register
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