Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration’s new transit and homelessness grant conditions

• May 8, 2025

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from imposing new conditions on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of mass transit grants for the Seattle area or homelessness services grants for Boston, New York, San Francisco and other local governments.

The new conditions were designed to further President Donald Trump’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies; coerce local officials into assisting with the administration’s mass deportation efforts; and cut off information about lawful abortions, according to the lawsuit filed last week by eight cities and counties.

The administration argued that Senior U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein in Seattle did not have jurisdiction over the lawsuit because it was essentially a contract dispute that should have been brought in the Court of Federal Claims — an argument the judge rejected.

Rothstein wrote that the local governments had shown they were likely to win the case, because the conditions being imposed on the grants had not been approved by Congress, were not closely related to the purposes of the grants and would not make the administration of the grants more efficient.

“Defendants have put Plaintiffs in the position of having to choose between accepting conditions that they believe are unconstitutional, and risking the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grant funding, including funding that they have already budgeted and are committed to spending,” Rothstein wrote.

Her order blocks U.S. Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Transportation Administration for 14 days from enforcing the new grant conditions or withholding or delaying funding awarded under the grants. The local jurisdictions said they would seek a longer-term block in the meantime.

The Trump administration did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

King County, which includes Seattle, sued over changes to grant conditions for homelessness services as well as mass transit funding that helps pay for maintenance of the region’s light rail system. Boston and New York, Pierce and Snohomish Counties in Washington, the city and county of San Francisco, and Santa Clara County in California all sued over the changes to homelessness services grants.

“Today’s ruling is a positive first step in our challenge to federal overreach,” King County Executive Shannon Braddock said in a statement. “We will continue to stand up against unlawful actions to protect our residents and the services they rely on.”

The conditions highlighted in the plaintiff’s restraining order motion included barring grant recipients from using the funding in a way that promotes “illegal immigration or abets policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.” Another condition bars them from using the funding to “promote elective abortions.”

AP reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

Peninsula volleyball rallies to defeat Santa Margarita in CIF-SS quarterfinals

• May 8, 2025

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES — Peninsula’s Drake Harris described the final point of Wednesday’s CIF Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinal battle as one of the weirdest he has ever experienced.

“It was probably the weirdest feeling I ever had serving,” Harris said. ”My legs were tingling and the crowd was going crazy.”

Serving on match point, Harris watched as Santa Margarita rallied before the Eagles were unable to volley his final kill, sending Peninsula to a thrilling five-set victory, 19-25, 25-23, 24-26, 31-29, 18-16.

Peninsula (20-7) will host St. Margaret’s in the semifinals Saturday.

All signs pointed to Peninsula forcing a fifth game without much pushback from Santa Margarita (24-9) after taking a 24-21 lead following kills by Harris and Kyle Boger. The Eagles responded behind a block and a kill from Brooks Ignosci.

“That’s probably the most electric game I’ve ever been in,” Harris said. “We thought it was a lock, they came back and we were worried. That would have been the end of the season.”

Peninsula’s Kyle Boger recorded nine kills in the fourth set, including a tip kill to make it 25-25 and another to tie the game at 26-26. Harris’ sixth kill of the fourth game tied the game at 29-29, and after a Santa Margarita error, Carter Zee’s kill kept Peninsula’s season alive. Harris finished with 27 kills.

“Some rotations we couldn’t get out of and (setter) Robert (Michael) did a really good job of working with our middle, (Boger), and getting out of them,” Harris said. “At the end of that, we were filled with motivation to win the fifth.”

Peninsula trailed 13-8 in the fifth set following three consecutive points from Santa Margarita’s Fenton Regan, but up stepped Boger and Harris when the Panthers needed them. The duo recorded kills on consecutive points and after an Eagle error, Boger’s kill made it 13-12.

Boger finished with 21 kills.

Following a Santa Margarita point, Boger won a joust above the net before another Eagles error tied the game at 14-14.

“We were telling each other not to give up and we kept rallying,” Harris said. “Once we got to 12-14, I went back to serve and got some lucky points.”

Zee’s eight kill of the night gave Peninsula match-point before Harris’ kill found the open court, sending the Panther sideline and home crowd into a frenzy.

“I trust my players. We do our job in the gym prior to the game, all the things we did (Wednesday) we’ve practiced,” Peninsula coach Kevin Williams said. “At the end of the day, you need a couple things to go your way and they did.”

Peninsula committed nine errors in the opening game, unable to pull closer to Santa Margarita, who utilized its strength at the net.

“(Santa Margarita) is really well coached,” Boger said. “(They have) super disciplined blocks, tough to get past. They go for low seam and high hands, score some scrappy points and it makes it hard.”

After just three kills in the opening set, Harris began to put his mark on the match in the second set. The UC Santa Cruz-bound attacker recorded eight kills in the second set, helping the Panthers to a 25-232 win.

But the play of Harris in the deciding fifth game showed just how valuable he is to the Panthers. Trailing 14-13, a diving dig helped keep the ball alive before an Eagle error made it 14-14 and at 16-15, he came up with a dig before Boger’s kill made it 16-16.

“(Harris) was phenomenal. He was steady with passing and smart enough to adjust his serving according to what we were doing,” Williams said. “He’s one of those players I don’t put restraints on. I let him play volleyball and I trust him.”

​ Orange County Register 

Peninsula boys volleyball defeats Santa Margarita in a thrilling quarterfinal

• May 8, 2025

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES — Peninsula’s Drake Harris described the final point of Wednesday’s CIF Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinal battle as one of the weirdest he has ever experienced.

“It was probably the weirdest feeling I ever had serving,” Harris said. ”My legs were tingling and the crowd was going crazy.”

Serving on match point, Harris watched as Santa Margarita rallied before the Eagles were unable to volley his final kill, sending Peninsula to a thrilling five-set victory, 19-25, 25-23, 24-26, 31-29, 18-16.

Peninsula (20-7) will host St. Margaret’s in the semifinals Saturday.

All signs pointed to Peninsula forcing a fifth game without much pushback from Santa Margarita (24-9) after taking a 24-21 lead following kills by Harris and Kyle Boger. The Eagles responded behind a block and a kill from Brooks Ignosci.

“That’s probably the most electric game I’ve ever been in,” Harris said. “We thought it was a lock, they came back and we were worried. That would have been the end of the season.”

Peninsula’s Kyle Boger recorded nine kills in the fourth set, including a tip kill to make it 25-25 and another to tie the game at 26-26. Harris’ sixth kill of the fourth game tied the game at 29-29, and after a Santa Margarita error, Carter Zee’s kill kept Peninsula’s season alive. Harris finished with 27 kills.

“Some rotations we couldn’t get out of and (setter) Robert (Michael) did a really good job of working with our middle, (Boger), and getting out of them,” Harris said. “At the end of that, we were filled with motivation to win the fifth.”

Peninsula trailed 13-8 in the fifth set following three consecutive points from Santa Margarita’s Fenton Regan, but up stepped Boger and Harris when the Panthers needed them. The duo recorded kills on consecutive points and after an Eagle error, Boger’s kill made it 13-12.

Boger finished with 21 kills.

Following a Santa Margarita point, Boger won a joust above the net before another Eagles error tied the game at 14-14.

“We were telling each other not to give up and we kept rallying,” Harris said. “Once we got to 12-14, I went back to serve and got some lucky points.”

Zee’s eight kill of the night gave Peninsula match-point before Harris’ kill found the open court, sending the Panther sideline and home crowd into a frenzy.

“I trust my players. We do our job in the gym prior to the game, all the things we did (Wednesday) we’ve practiced,” Peninsula coach Kevin Williams said. “At the end of the day, you need a couple things to go your way and they did.”

Peninsula committed nine errors in the opening game, unable to pull closer to Santa Margarita, who utilized its strength at the net.

“(Santa Margarita) is really well coached,” Boger said. “(They have) super disciplined blocks, tough to get past. They go for low seam and high hands, score some scrappy points and it makes it hard.”

After just three kills in the opening set, Harris began to put his mark on the match in the second set. The UC Santa Cruz-bound attacker recorded eight kills in the second set, helping the Panthers to a 25-232 win.

But the play of Harris in the deciding fifth game showed just how valuable he is to the Panthers. Trailing 14-13, a diving dig helped keep the ball alive before an Eagle error made it 14-14 and at 16-15, he came up with a dig before Boger’s kill made it 16-16.

“(Harris) was phenomenal. He was steady with passing and smart enough to adjust his serving according to what we were doing,” Williams said. “He’s one of those players I don’t put restraints on. I let him play volleyball and I trust him.”

​ Orange County Register 

Edison’s swimming relay slotted as CIF-SS alternate after entry issue

• May 8, 2025

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Edison’s boys 200-yard freestyle relay displayed impressive speed at the Sunset League finals.

Racing at Golden West College on Friday, the all-junior team of Matthew Langford, Coulter Dilts, Micah Baltzer and Holden Lee finished second in a time of 1 minute, 25.65 seconds. The time dipped well under the automatic qualifying time for the CIF-SS Division 1 championships and narrowly missed Edison’s 2014 school record.

But when the Division 1 prelims begin Thursday morning at Mt. SAC, Edison will be listed as the No. 3 alternate in the 200 free relay and hoping for a chance to race due to an issue with its meet entry.

Edison’s official entry time is 1:33.86, which ranked No. 39 and outside of the Top 36 need to race in the 9 a.m. prelims.

Veteran Edison coach Matt Whitmore described the issue as a “computer glitch.” CIF-SS assistant coach Kristine Palle, who also is a former swimming coach, explained it as a clerical error that wasn’t corrected in time.

Whitmore said he entered the Chargers’ swift relay time from the league finals online but a slower time from earlier in the season “auto-filled” as the Edison entry.

Whitmore said he learned after the 9 a.m. deadline for entries on Saturday that there was a problem.

The CIF-SS alerts coaches of the deadline and states on its postseason bulletin “NO EXCEPTIONS!”

“Once we close after the deadline, we have to accept what was entered,” Palle said. “It’s unfortunate. (This) happens occasionally. That’s the tough part of the entry process.”

“The deadlines are really important and we kind of have to hold the line,” she added.

Whitmore called the alternate status for Edison’s relay “an injustice” because of the boys’ time. The team’s Sunset League time placed second to Newport Harbor (1:24.82) and was fast enough for the No. 6 seed in Division 1.

“They’re bummed,” Whitmore said of his swimmers.

The coach hopes his athletes can use the situation as a life lesson on how to deal with unexpected setbacks. “You just got to more forward,” he said.

​ Orange County Register 

Lakewood’s inexperience shows in loss to Brea Olinda in volleyball quarterfinals

• May 8, 2025

LAKEWOOD – The Lakewood boys volleyball team had its season come to a disappointing end with a loss to Brea Olinda, 26-24, 25-17, 25-17, in the Division 7 quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section playoffs Wednesday.

Carlo Tautai-Reyes Jr. led Lakewood (8-18) with 14 kills. He added a block and three assists. Advent Fernandez led the team in assists with 26 while Ivan Mandujano served two aces and added four kills.

Lakewood coach Daniel Lozada thought his team missed an opportunity.

“We had scouted them pretty well,” Lozada said. “We knew where their pieces were going to be attacking from or the right pieces were going to be coming from, we just didn’t execute our game plan. The inexperience from some of our players caught up to them in pressure situations, it’s a culmination on a lot of things.

“It was a multitude of errors form the get-go. Serve receive I think was our biggest fault. They served really well. That’s definitely where they got us.”

It looked as if Lakewood would take the first set, but Brea Olinda prevailed. The two teams traded points until late in the set when kills by Tautai-Reyes and Mandujano and an ace by Christian Newquist gave Lakewood a 21-19 lead. Brea Olinda later tied the score at 23 before taking a 24-23 lead on a kill by Addison Altermatt.

A kill by Mandujano tied the score at 24 on the next point, sending the set to extra points. A long rally culminated in a kill by Brea Olinda’s CJ Villaverde. On set point, Altermatt clinched it with a kill for a 26-24 Brea Olinda win.

Altermatt led Brea Olinda (17-12) with 10 kills. Seth Vivek paced both teams with four aces.

Brea Olinda, which has not lost a set in its first three playoff matches, will be home Saturday night against San Jacinto in the semifinals.

Lakewood struggled in the second set, falling behind 7-4 early. Kills by Tautai-Reyes and Newquist and a block by Deron Groce helped Lakewood creep to within a point 10-9.

Brea Olinda pulled away after that, growing its lead to as much as five points, 18-13, after a kill by Mason Del Rosario. Brea Olinda won the second set 25-17 on an unforced error by the Lancers.

Lakewood dug itself another deep hole in the final set, suffering from a streak of self-induced errors, struggling to hit the ball in bounds.

Brea Olinda built a 17-9 lead midway through the set. Vivek notched his fourth ace of the match and Altermatt converted his ninth kill to help earn Brea Olinda match point. 24-17. Altermatt ended the match with his final kill to give the Wildcats the 25-17 win.

Newquist, a senior, said the Lancers will continue to grow next season, but was unhappy this season ended the way it did.

“The future of the program looks bright with coach Daniel,” Newquist said. “He’s a great coach. He teaches you a lot. The young players that we have are really great and will play club.

“I’m going to come back and help. I feel good, we’ve done something we haven’t done in a while, but it’s disappointing how it ended tonight.”

​ Orange County Register 

Live conclave cam: Cardinals vote for a new pope on day 2

• May 8, 2025

One hundred and thirty-three cardinals have sequestered themselves behind the Vatican’s medieval walls for a conclave to elect a successor to Pope Francis.

The cardinals are cut off from the world at the Vatican, between residences and the Sistine Chapel, where they vote in secret — and in silence — beneath Michelangelo’s famed ceiling fresco of the Creation and his monumental “Last Judgment.”

The Associated Press has a livestream here:

The process — fictionalized in the 2024 political thriller “Conclave” — is said to be guided by the Holy Spirit, and is designed to be both contemplative and free from outside interference.

Taking no chances, the Vatican is asking cardinals to hand over their phones for the duration of the conclave and is deactivating cell phone coverage at the Vatican. It is using signal jammers around the Sistine Chapel and the Domus Santa Marta hotel and adjacent residence where the cardinals will sleep, to prevent surveillance and communication with the outside world.

Here are some things to know about the election of the 267th pontiff of the Catholic Church, which has 1.4 billion faithful across the world.

White or black smoke signals?

The electors cast paper ballots, and voting continues until one candidate receives a two-thirds majority, or 89 votes. After voting, ballots are burned in a special stove — black smoke signals no decision, while white smoke means a new pope has been chosen.

A first round produced dark smoke that rose into Wednesday’s night sky, sending a disappointed crowd to disperse in all directions.

Electors must be under 80 years old, and are more geographically diverse than ever. They represent Catholicism’s growing presence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as its traditional power base in Europe.

What happens after a new pope is chosen?

Once a candidate receives the necessary votes and accepts, he chooses a papal name and enters the “Room of Tears” — named for the emotional weight of the responsibility ahead — to don his papal vestments.

Minutes later, he is introduced to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica with the proclamation in Latin: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!” (“I bring you tidings of great joy: We have a pope!”)

That will be immediately followed by the revelation of his baptismal name, in Latin, followed by the papal name he has chosen.

Why does the pope matter beyond the Catholic Church?

Though the pope leads a religious institution, his influence extends far beyond it. Pope John Paul II played a pivotal role in supporting the Solidarity movement in his native Poland and encouraging resistance to Soviet domination in Eastern Europe. His moral leadership was credited by many with helping to hasten the end of the Cold War.

Pope Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, became a prominent voice on global issues from climate change to migration and economic inequality. He called for compassion toward refugees, warned against the dangers of nationalism, and urged action to protect the planet — stances that resonated well beyond church walls, and at times put him at odds with political leaders.

A name to signal a papal direction

The first sign of the new pope’s priorities will come in the name he chooses.

A Francis II might signal a new pope’s embrace of Francis’ legacy of prioritizing the poor and marginalized; a Pius would hint at a traditionalist restoration.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

​ Orange County Register 

Angels rally in bottom of 9th for 2nd straight win

• May 8, 2025

ANAHEIM — The Angels’ late-inning magic continued for a second straight night.

The Angels scored three runs on Jorge Soler’s bases-loaded double in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4, on Wednesday night.

The ninth-inning rally lifted the Angels (15-20) to their first consecutive victories since they won three in a row from April 5-8.

Including Jo Adell’s game-winning three-run double on April 20, the Angels have had two bases-loaded, three-run walk-off hits this season, after not having any since 2008.

“It feels great,” Soler said through an interpreter. “It feels great for the team. … The team feels great, especially since we were facing one of the best closers in the big leagues.”

The Angels were facing Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman, a former All-Star who had a 1.10 ERA coming into this series. He had allowed only two earned runs before the Angels tagged him for three on Tuesday night, and then three more on Wednesday.

“He’s a quality closer,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “We got him one night. Usually when those guys come back the next night, they’re on a vengeance. But we were on a vengeance too.”

The rally began with Kyren Paris drawing a walk. Paris, who an inning earlier hit his first home run since April 9, is gradually emerging from a three-week slump, just like the rest of the team.

Zach Neto then singed – running his hitting streak to 12 games – and Nolan Schanuel followed with a single to load the bases.

After Taylor Ward struck out, Soler pulled a double down the left field line. Third base coach Eric Young Sr. was already waving Schanuel around, but he scored easily when the ball got away from left fielder Jonathan Clase in the corner.

The story prior that was a strong start from Yusei Kikuchi, who gave up one run in six innings, and an offense that couldn’t find a big hit.

The Angels struck out five times with a runner at third and less than two outs, including four times in the first five innings.

The lack of early run support meant that Kikuchi would remain winless through his first eight starts with his new team, even though he has pitched well.

Kikuchi now has a 3.83 ERA, including allowing three runs in 11 innings in his past two starts. Those came on the heels of a game in which he gave up four runs on nine hits without making it out of the third inning.

“The last two games I’ve pitched, getting my feeling back,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter. “Definitely throwing more strikes. I feel like I’m being myself.”

Kikuchi threw 76.9% of his pitches for strikes, which was one of the highest rates of his career.

Just after Kikuchi left, the Angels sent Reid Detmers to the mound in a tie game, and it didn’t stay tied for long.

Detmers gave up a leadoff double and then two singles, and was then pulled. One of the singles was a bunt hit from Andres Gimenez, who was clearly trying to give the Angels an out with a sacrifice. Detmers fielded the ball, but wasn’t quick enough with his throw to first.

That was all for Detmers. Both runners he left on base came around to score when Ryan Zeferjahn gave up a Bo Bichette single.

In Detmers’ last three games, he’s faced 13 batters and 12 of them have scored. His ERA in those games has gone from 2.57 to 10.05.

Aside from Detmers’ performance and the early offensive failures, the other negative on this night for the Angels was second baseman Luis Rengifo losing track of the outs in the seventh inning. With one out and runners at first and second, Rengifo fielded a routine ground ball. He didn’t even attempt to get a double play – or at least get the force at second to prevent a runner from getting into scoring position. He casually flipped the ball to first for the second out.

After the inning, Washington removed Rengifo from the game.

“We can’t have that,” Washington said. “Things have been going bad enough for us, if you look at wins and loses. You just can’t have that mental lapse. I just walked up to him and told him he was out of the game.”

​ Orange County Register 

Mater Dei boys volleyball advances to CIF-SS semifinals with win over Edison

• May 8, 2025

HUNTINGTON BEACH — There weren’t many long scoring runs in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal match between the Mater Dei and Edison boys volleyball teams Wednesday at Edison High School.

While neither team could maintain momentum for significant intervals, the Monarchs put together enough scoring bursts to defeat the Chargers, 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19.

Mater Dei (25-12-1) will play St. Francis of La Cañada in the semifinals Saturday at St. Francis High.

Jeremiah Potasi and Dylan Gallagher were the scoring leaders for the Monarchs, finishing with 14 and 13 kills, respectively.

Potasi scored nearly all his points with cross-court kills from the left side.

“For me personally, I was just swinging more deep corner,” Potasi said. “Edison does a good job setting up and a pretty good block, so I was trying to work around the block, going high hands, being smart rather than just going up and just trying to bounce every ball.”

Nathan King had 14 kills and Connor McNally added 11 kills for the Chargers (14-17).

The Monarchs led from the first point and never trailed in the first set. But the second set was arguably the deciding set of the match.

The Chargers led for most of the set but never by more than three points.

Mater Dei’s Beck Schobel served an ace that landed inches inside the back line to make the score 17-17.

Potasi’s kill then gave the Monarchs a one-point lead.

The Monarchs led 23-20 when a block and a kill from King got the Chargers within a point.

Then Potasi’s dump shot and Gallagher’s block clinched the set for Mater Dei.

The third set was similar to the second, with Edison holding on to a slim lead.

But this time, instead of falling behind late, the Chargers hung on to the lead.

Edison led 24-23 and the Monarchs were one point away from forcing overtime.

A kill from Kyle Duffy gave the Chargers the winning point to extend the match to a fourth set.

But in the fourth set, Mater Dei jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never trailed.

While the Chargers tried to fight back, the early setback was too much to overcome.

“We emptied the tank a little bit in the third and then that slow start in the fourth,” Edison coach Eli Perez said. “We had some moments where we were coming back, but when you’re playing a good team like that, four or five points in Division 1 or 2, or Sunset League, that is so hard to come back from. They did good staying consistent and just maintaining that lead.”

​ Orange County Register