Sega of America workers in Irvine file for union election

• April 28, 2023

Workers with Sega of America in Irvine have voted to unionize and have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election as they lobby for higher wages, improved benefits and increased staffing.

If approved, the union — comprised of 144 employees across the video game and entertainment company’s various departments — will be called  Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS) and would be aligned with the Communications Workers of America (AEGIS-CWA) as they seek improved workplace conditions.

In a statement, the newly created union noted that “nearly a third” of Sega’s long-time workers are still not working full-time and lack paid time off, proper training and bereavement leave.

The Sega employees are calling for:

Higher base pay with raises tied to the cost of living and inflation
Improved healthcare benefits
Increased opportunities for advancement
Balanced workloads and scheduling
Clearly defined responsibilities for all positions
Adequate staffing to avoid “patterns of overwork”

“We have built bridges with fellow workers from across our company in an effort to understand our shared issues, and those that are unique to each department,” the fledgling union said.

In a letter sent to employees on Wednesday, April 26, Sega of America President and Chief Operating Officer Ian Curran said Sega is investigating and considering the options available to the company.

“Some of you may support unionization and some not,” Curran said. “That is your legal right. No SOA employee will be treated any differently whether they support or do not support unionization.”

Curran touted the company’s culture and said Sega has a “strong commitment to working together as a team.”

Two workers who spoke to The Verge said they haven’t experienced any anti-union sentiments from Sega management.

Sega is known among gamers for popular offerings such as “Streets of Rage 2,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” “Phantasy Star IV” and “Castlevania: Bloodlines,” among others.

In an interview posted on CultureSlate.com, AEGIS-CWA member Mohammad Saman said a unionized workforce would give the Irvine staff a say in decisions that shape employee working conditions, while also ensuring job security.

“It’s been so exciting to see that through organizing, we can make this work a sustainable long-term career,” he said. “We’re excited to protect what already makes Sega great, and help build an even stronger company, together.”

CWA has participated in similar unionizing efforts at Blizzard Albany, a division of Irvine-based video game developer and publisher Blizzard Entertainment, and ZeniMax, another video game maker based in Rockville, Maryland.

Many workers in the video game industry have pushed for unionization in recent years, including Raven Software quality assurance employees. And Microsoft signed a neutrality agreement with CWA, saying it will take a neutral approach to any employee unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard studios, should deals go through.

​ Orange County Register 

Analysis: NFL QBs drafted 1-2 often don’t both have success

• April 28, 2023

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bryce Young was walking to an interview after being picked first in the NFL draft when he heard C.J. Stroud was selected second.

Young celebrated with a loud scream and a big smile.

The two childhood friends from Southern California became the ninth pair of quarterbacks picked 1-2 overall since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 and the first Black signal-callers. They shared a hug after the Carolina Panthers took Young first and rejoiced when Stroud went next to the Houston Texans.

“C.J. is like a brother to me and hearing him selected was amazing,” said Young, who starred at Mater Dei High before a spectacular career at Alabama. “He is a great player and person and to be going through this process together is surreal.”

History says it’s a longshot that both QBs will have successful careers.

Young and Stroud, who starred at Rancho Cucamonga High, already have defied the odds getting here so they’re up for the challenge. So is Anthony Richardson, who was chosen at No. 4 by the Indianapolis Colts.

“The city of Houston hasn’t seen a franchise quarterback in a long time,” Stroud said. “I definitely think I can become a franchise quarterback. I got to put in a lot of work.”

Of the previous 16 quarterbacks selected 1-2, only Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl for the team that drafted him. Jim Plunkett was picked No. 1 by the New England Patriots in 1971, but he won two Super Bowls for the Raiders years later. Carson Wentz was 11-2 as a starter for the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, but a knee injury forced him to miss that team’s Super Bowl run.

Other QBs in that group have produced wide-ranging results.

Archie Manning was the second pick behind Plunkett. He had a lengthy career mostly with the New Orleans Saints, but was 35-101-3 and never had a winning season.

Drew Bledsoe, the No. 1 pick in 1993 by New England, was a four-time Pro Bowl pick in 14 seasons. He also won a Super Bowl backing up Tom Brady in 2001. Rick Mirer, chosen second in that draft by Seattle, played a decade in the league but was 24-44 as a starter.

The greatest contrast between two players picked 1-2 was Manning and Ryan Leaf in 1998. Manning is a Hall of Famer and Leaf is one of the draft’s all-time biggest busts.

In 1999, the Cleveland Browns took Tim Couch at No. 1 and the Philadelphia Eagles selected Donovan McNabb second. Couch lasted five seasons, going 22-37. McNabb was a six-time Pro Bowl pick who helped the Eagles reach the NFC championship game five times with one Super Bowl appearance.

Thirteen years later, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went 1-2. Luck was on a Hall of Fame path with the Colts until he abruptly retired before the start of the 2019 season. Griffin was the AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, but a serious knee injury hindered his career.

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were the first two picks in 2015. They’ve had moderate success and now are backups. Winston is on his second team and Mariota is with his fourth.

Jared Goff was picked ahead of Wentz in 2016. He led the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance before he was traded to Detroit for Matthew Stafford. Goff revived his career with the Lions last season and made his third Pro Bowl. Wentz is a free agent seeking his fourth team in four years.

Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were the first two picks in 2021. Lawrence led the Jacksonville Jaguars to a playoff win in his second season. Wilson has lost his starting job with the New York Jets to future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.

Young and Stroud have tremendous potential but there are plenty of question marks.

Young wasn’t a sure-fire No. 1 pick like Lawrence, Joe Burrow and Luck. His slender size is a legitimate concern. Though he dominated at Alabama where he won the 2021 Heisman Trophy, it’s fair to wonder whether he could handle the rigors of the NFL.

“There’s a lot said about the size,” Panthers coach Frank Reich said. “At the end of the day, there’s a lot of factors that go into it but we’re coaches, we’re scouts, we watch the tape and when you watch the tape, Bryce Young is the best player.”

Stroud wasn’t even sure he’d be picked in the top 20 because of reports that he scored poorly in the S2 Cognition test came out recently. He spoke candidly in a media tour for Tidal and Lockerverse hours before the draft and cried after he got the call from the Texans.

“I think I’m battle-tested,” Stroud said. “I think God has put a lot of trials and tribulations in my life. It’s not for no reason. It’s to lead people to him and get me ready for what I have to go through. I wear the armor of God and I’m scarred up. But that’s what you want. You want somebody who has been through adversity and somebody who will persevere through issues. I’m not really worried about the talk. People are going to talk good, bad, ugly, sad. I’m just going to continue to be myself and be a man of God.”

The dynamic, dual-threat Richardson has the biggest upside of the three QBs but also the most bust potential. He threw only 393 passes in his career at Florida so he’s raw and needs time to develop.

“I’m willing to work harder than anybody,” Richardson said. “God blessed me with physical abilities that not every quarterback has. People see me, they don’t think I’m a quarterback. I’m not an average quarterback, and I can do things other QBs can’t do. So I definitely take pride in that. And then I’m also willing to learn. I’m willing to be just as good or, if not, better than all these quarterbacks in the draft or all the quarterbacks in the league.”

Time will tell how the 2023 QB draft class will be judged.

Related Articles

Former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud celebrates after being selected second overall by the Houston Texans during the NFL draft on Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo. The former Rancho Cucamonga High star is expected to compete for the starting job right away. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

​ Orange County Register 

‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ review: A real-live adventure this time from Disney’s recycling bin

• April 28, 2023

You could say “Peter Pan & Wendy,” the latest voyage to the Disney+ recycling bin, is an unexpectedly strong movie. But it’s not unexpected, so really, you shouldn’t call it that.

The director and co-writer David Lowery has made nothing but interesting features, six so far, and while his latest (co-written by Toby Halbrooks) turns into a bit of a Lost Boy here and there in its brooding investigation of why Captain Hook, played by a happily camp-averse Jude Law, got that way, it’s a stirring adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s fantasy, now streaming.

“Peter Pan & Wendy” starts where it ought to, in London at night. In Lowery’s film, the Darling family (Molly Parker and Alan Tudyk appear as Ma and Pa in the bookend sequences) is about to send a trepidatious Wendy off to boarding school. Like the eternal boy she’s been hearing about in stories most of her young life, she prefers not to grow up too quickly.

The magical arrival of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, and the whisking of the eager Darling children off to Neverland, changes the itinerary. Director Lowery and his digital-effects army deliver a quite-good initial flight (straight through Big Ben, into a kind of time-warp thingie up in the stars) and Neverland is played by the Faroe Islands between Iceland and Norway, plus Newfoundland and Labrador and bits of British Columbia. It looks like a place you’d actually love to visit, as opposed to, say, Steven Spielberg’s soundstage-bound “Hook,” which I still wake up screaming about sometimes.

“Peter Pan & Wendy” relates directly in visual terms to Lowery’s knack for real-world landscape amid fantastical wonders in films such as “Pete’s Dragon” and, more recently, “The Green Knight.” All the Barrie basics, and ideas cooked up in the 1953 Disney animated feature, remain in this version. Peter vs. Hook. Tiger Lily and the Lost Boys. The crocodile. The reluctance to grow up. Sword fights, pirates, flying, you know the drill. But “Peter Pan & Wendy” goes its own ways. Peter, played by Alexander Molony with a determinedly low-key touch, isn’t sidelined, exactly, but Wendy’s in the forefront. As Ever Anderson plays her, she’s a vibrant protagonist on her own quest. The Lost Boys and Hook’s pirates give us a multiethnic array of actors, which is the sort of thing we don’t really even have to note these days.

The narrative stalls periodically in its devotion to Hook’s vicious obsession with Peter, and the story behind that (no spoilers here). “Show me a child who truly knows the difference between right and wrong,” Hook says at one tense point, “and I’ll show you a man who can’t remember why it mattered in the first place.” Some of this psychodrama works; some of it works too hard. But Lowery invests the whole of it with a mood both grave and warm, with serious dramatic stakes.

A scene still from Disney’s live-action “Peter Pan & Wendy,” exclusively on Disney+. (Disney Enterprises, Inc/TNS)

The crocodile has grown: It’s more of a Kraken-dile in size, though Lowery wisely keeps the scares largely in check. It’s a delicate balance, maintaining Barrie’s childhood fantasies and fears while going for the right kind of humor and action. Notably, there’s very, very little in the way of wearying sarcasm or self-referential clutter here. And that, among other reasons, is why the film works.

Show of hands: How many of you like Disney’s business plan, based on the recent animation-to-live-action evidence and the remakes perpetually coming soon? It’s a simple plan, posing a simple rhetorical corporate question: Why chart a course for destinations unknown when there are so many known destinations to revisit?

Don’t love it myself. But hiring creatives who are truly creative doesn’t hurt.

———

‘PETER PAN & WENDY’

3 stars (out of 4)

Rated: PG (for violence, peril and thematic elements)

Running time: 1:46

How to watch: Disney+

Ever Anderson as Wendy in Disney’s live-action “Peter Pan & Wendy,” on Disney+. (Disney Enterprises, Inc/TNS)

©2023 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

‘Culture war’ erupts over mortgage fee hikes for borrowers

• April 28, 2023

The news landed like red meat at a conservative political rally.

Acting “in the dark of night,” the narrative goes, the Biden administration is raising mortgage fees for low-risk borrowers to pay for discounts on riskier borrowers with lower credit scores.

Critics say the change, effective Monday, May 1, penalizes sensible, middle-income borrowers to help low-income and minority households buy homes.

“This is left-wing, socialist ideology,” said Fox News business commentator Larry Kudlow, a Trump Administration economic advisor. “This is an outrage. This is an attack on the American dream.”

On Wednesday, 18 GOP senators sent a letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, calling the fee revision a shortsighted policy that “punishes hardworking Americans for their fiscal prudence.”

The FHFA pushed back, adamantly denying that low-risk borrowers are subsidizing fee cuts for higher-risk borrowers.

“Higher-credit-score borrowers are not being charged more so that lower-credit-score borrowers can pay less,” FHFA Director Sandra Thompson said in a statement Tuesday. “The updated fees, as was true of the prior fees, generally increase as credit scores decrease.”

Meanwhile, real estate industry groups weighed in, complaining that fee hikes are bad because they put homeownership — already unaffordable due to high prices and high interest rates — even further out of reach.

“I think, unfortunately, a debate about a housing policy issue became very politicized and is clearly being used … as an opportunity to beat up on the FHFA and Freddie and Fannie,” said Dave Stevens, a former Mortgage Bankers Association CEO who served as Federal Housing Administration commissioner during the Obama Administration. “A simple debate over a housing policy issue has now clearly become wrapped up into a kind of culture war.”

Upfront fees

For more than half a century, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ensured there was adequate cash in the housing market by buying “conforming” mortgages from banks and other lenders, freeing them up to lend more money to additional buyers. It’s also part of their “statutory mission” to make homeownership affordable, Thompson said.

The two enterprises accounted for 52% of U.S. mortgage volume since 2019, according to figures from Black Knight. The combined value of those new loans totaled nearly $7.3 trillion over the past 4 ¼ years.

As compensation for guaranteeing their loans, the two lending agencies charge upfront fees that vary based on the borrower’s down payment and credit score.

Lenders pay Fannie and Freddie the upfront fees when selling the loans, then pass them on to the consumer, typically as a bump in their mortgage interest rate.

Starting in January 2022, the FHFA began announcing a series of changes to those upfront fees, known at Fannie Mae as “loan-level price adjustments,” or LLPAs, and as credit fees at Freddie Mac.

The FHFA said the changes were part of a long-overdue recalibration designed to strengthen Fannie and Freddie’s “safety and soundness.”

Some of the changes, FHFA added, seek to help first-time homebuyers and low- and moderate-income borrowers. Among those changes:

— Elimination of upfront fees for moderate- to low-income first-time homebuyers as well as the elimination of fees for borrowers participating in affordable mortgage programs like HomeReady, Home Possible and HFA Advantage loans.

— Higher upfront fees for second-home loans, high-balance loans (ranging from $726,201 to $1.089 million) and cash-out refinances — loans that aren’t part of Fannie’s and Freddie’s “core mission.” Customers for these types of loans have other alternatives in the marketplace, The FHFA said.

— A new upfront fee for borrowers with debts exceeding 40% of their income. (An outcry over the so-called debt-to-income or DTI fee prompted FHFA to postpone implementation until Aug. 1.)

— A new fee structure that raises fees for some borrowers and lowers it for others. FHFA said it’s designed to improve Fannie’s and Freddie’s capital position while also helping households “limited by wealth or income” to buy homes.

“These actions … create a more resilient housing finance system,” Thompson said.

‘Misperceptions’

Among the misperceptions, the FHFA says, is a claim that those with lower credit scores will pay smaller fees than better-performing borrowers under the new plan.

Not true, the agency said.

While fees will go up for some good-scoring borrowers and down for others with lower scores, those with poorer credit still will pay more overall. However, the gap between the two will be smaller.

For example, a borrower with a score of 640 putting 20% down on a $500,000 mortgage will see his or her fee drop to $11,250 under the new plan, down from $12,500.

For a borrower with a score of 740 making that same down payment on that same loan, the new fee will rise to $4,375, up from $2,500 before the change. Despite the increase, this borrower’s fees still are lower than the borrower with lower credit scores.

According to the FHFA, the new fees typically translate into a 0.05% percentage point increase in a borrower’s mortgage rate.

For someone buying a Southern California home with a median price of $705,000, that’s equivalent to an $18 increase in his or her monthly mortgage payment, or $6,480 over the life of a 30-year loan.

Credit risk

While the FHFA maintains it merely is updating its pricing framework to protect Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac against credit risk, critics argue it’s doing just the opposite.

“FHFA … willfully ignores the realities of creditworthiness in an effort to push Americans into homes they may be ill-suited to afford,” said the GOP letter, spearheaded by Sen. Roger “Doc” Marshall, R-Kan., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “The fact that a proposal flaunting credit risk is being openly pushed by FHFA just a decade-and-a-half after the housing-led 2008 financial crisis is staggering.”

The FHFA denies there’s an increased risk of a 2007-style mortgage meltdown because underwriting standards remain unchanged.

And it disputes claims the new fee structure subsidizes bad credit scores at the cost of good credit scores.

There is a subsidy in the new framework, but it’s coming from fee hikes on second-home loans, high-balance loans and cash-out refinances, not from borrowers with higher credit scores, the FHFA said.

Nevertheless, some industry leaders dispute FHFA claims there’s no subsidy coming from higher-scoring borrowers.

“It’s quite the opposite of risk-based pricing,” said Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, calling the new matrix “income distribution.”

Stevens, the former FHA commissioner, said he knows better after four decades in the mortgage industry, including almost a decade running the single-family business for Freddie Mac.

“I know LLPAs and their history,” Stevens said. “These are significant adjustments. And it wasn’t just a pure risk-based price adjustment based on some new view of risk.”

In a statement issued Wednesday, National Association of Realtors President Kenny Parcell praised the fee cuts contained in the new matrix. But he criticized fee hikes, calling them unnecessary and saying they impact both trade-up borrowers and middle-wealth Americans affected by rising home prices and higher mortgage rates.

“These borrowers face the same surge in financing costs as entry-level homebuyers experienced over the last year,” Purcell said.

Taken together, the fee reforms are “a mixed bag,” said the NAHB’s Howard.

“It potentially will provide people with homeownership opportunities they wouldn’t have had. And that’s important,” Howard said in a phone interview. “(But) unless there is some really strict monitoring and underwriting, you are allowing a more risky borrowing pool into the market. … Robbing Peter to pay Paul is a nice political maneuver to appeal to the base that the administration wants to appeal to, but it is not a fix for the problem.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Wendy’s ‘beloved’ chili to be sold in grocery store cans this spring

• April 28, 2023

Karu F. Daniels | New York Daily News

Wendy’s famous homestyle chili will be coming to grocery store aisles later this spring.

The fast food chain announced a partnership this week to package its signature comfort food in a can that will hit shelves across the country.

According to the company, each can will contain 29 grams of protein, and be made with “savory all-natural beef, and the perfect mix of peppers, beans and a rich tomato-based sauce.”

“Wendy’s Chili has been a beloved menu item since our beginnings in 1969,” marketing chief Carl Loredo said in the announcement. “We’re thrilled about the partnership with Conagra Brands and to have the opportunity to bring our brand’s iconic chili flavor to even more fans. When the Wendy’s chili craving hits, you now have two delicious ways to get your fix — at retail stores or in our restaurants.”

Conagra Brands’ portfolio of grocery store brands include Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Healthy Choice and Marie Callender’s.

Juliette van de Walle, an executive at the Chicago-based company, said: “We worked closely with Wendy’s culinary team to ensure we brought through the indulgent flavors and delicious ingredients of the chili that has been a long-time staple on the Wendy’s menu.”

Wendy’s — known for its freshly prepared square-shaped burgers and chocolate Frosty shakes — was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Their moderately priced chili has been on the menu since the early days when its enterprising owner reportedly came up with the idea to cut down on waste from leftover hamburger meat.

The chili will have a suggested retail price of $4.99 per can.

©2023 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Abortion bans fail in conservative S. Carolina, Nebraska

• April 28, 2023

By Margery A. Beck and James Pollard | Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. — Abortion bans in Nebraska and South Carolina fell short of advancing in close votes amid heated debates among Republicans, confounding conservatives who have dominated both legislatures and further exposing the chasm on the issue of abortion within the GOP.

In Nebraska, where abortion is banned after 20 weeks of pregnancy, an effort to ban abortion at about the sixth week of pregnancy fell one vote short of breaking a filibuster. Cheers erupted outside the legislative chamber as the last vote was cast, with opponents of the bill waving signs and chanting, “Whose house? Our house!”

In South Carolina, lawmakers voted 22-21 to shelve a near-total abortion ban for the rest of the year. Republican Sen. Sandy Senn criticized Majority Leader Shane Massey for repeatedly “taking us off a cliff on abortion.”

“The only thing that we can do when you all, you men in the chamber, metaphorically keep slapping women by raising abortion again and again and again, is for us to slap you back with our words,” she said.

The Nebraska proposal, backed by Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, is unlikely to move forward this year. And in South Carolina, where abortion remains legal through 22 weeks of pregnancy, the vote marked the third time a near-total abortion ban has failed in the Republican-led Senate chamber since the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last summer.

Katie Glenn, the state policy director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, characterized the failure of both proposed abortion bans as disappointing.

“It’s a sign that legislating is hard, and there’s a lot of pieces and parts that all have to come together,” Glenn said.

The bans’ staunchest supporters have promised political retribution.

Since the fall of Roe, both states have become regional havens of sorts as they’ve watched neighboring states enact stricter abortion bans. Conservative lawmakers have bitterly made that observation in Nebraska, which has a long history as a leader in abortion restrictions. In 2010, it was the first state in the nation to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Most aggravating to some Republicans is that the pushback is coming from inside the house. The Nebraska bill on Thursday failed when Republican Sen. Merv Riepe, an 80-year-old former hospital administrator, refused to give it the crucial 33rd vote needed to advance. Riepe was an original co-signer of the bill but later expressed concern that a six-week ban might not give women enough time to know they were pregnant.

When his fellow Republicans rejected an amendment he offered to extend the proposed ban to 12 weeks and add an exception for fatal fetal anomalies, Riepe pointed to his own election last year against a Democrat who made abortion rights central to her campaign. His margin of victory dropped from 27 percentage points in the May primary election, which occurred before the fall of Roe, to under 5 percentage points in the general election.

“Had my opponent had more time, more money, and more name recognition, she could have won. This made the message clear to me how critical abortion will be in 2024,” he said. “We must embrace the future of reproductive rights.”

Riepe and some Republicans across the country have noted evidence pointing to abortion bans as unpopular with a majority of Americans. An AP VoteCast nationwide survey of the 2022 electorate showed only about 1 in 10 midterm voters — including Republicans — believe abortion should be “illegal in all cases.” Overall, a majority of voters said abortion should be legal in all or most cases. That includes nearly 9 in 10 Democrats and about 4 in 10 Republicans.

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in July showed Republicans are largely opposed to abortion “for any reason” and at 15 weeks into a pregnancy. But only 16% of Republicans say abortion generally should be “illegal in all cases.”

Even so, Republican politicians who buck party leadership on abortion can find themselves targets of political retaliation. The backlash against Riepe was swift, with public reprimands from the governor and fellow Republican lawmakers. Anti-abortion groups demanded his immediate resignation. And the Nebraska Republican Party issued a statement warning that Riepe would be censured.

“The entities and individuals who aided in the defeat of a Core Republican Value have been duly noted by the leadership of this party. ‘The Watchfulness in the Citizen’ applies now more than ever,” the statement reads.

Riepe did not return a message Friday seeking comment on the backlash.

Likewise, some of the South Carolina Republican holdouts shared last week that they received anatomical backbone figurines from an anti-abortion group urging them to “grow a spine” and pass a ban starting at conception.

The South Carolina vote came with days left in a session that began shortly after the state’s highest court struck down a 2021 law banning abortion when cardiac activity is detected, about six weeks into pregnancy. Since then, both chambers have advanced abortion bans at differing stages — a disagreement that Massey, the Senate majority leader, hoped to resolve by considering the stricter House bill.

Frustrated after his last-ditch effort to break the impasse, Massey issued a warning for the ban’s fiercest Republican opponent.

“The response to Sen. Senn will be in 2024,” Massey told reporters after the vote, referring to elections next year.

Fourteen states have bans in place on abortion at all stages of pregnancy. Four other states have bans throughout pregnancy where enforcement is blocked by courts. The majority of those bans were adopted in anticipation of Roe being overturned, and most do not have exceptions for rape or incest.

In Utah, a judge on Friday heard a request from Planned Parenthood to delay implementing a statewide ban on abortion clinics set to take effect next week. Planned Parenthood argues a state law passed this year will effectively end access to abortion throughout the state when clinics stop being able to apply for the licenses they’ve historically relied on to operate.

In North Dakota, Gov. Doug Burgum signed a ban Monday that has narrow exceptions: Abortion is legal in pregnancies caused by rape or incest, but only in the first six weeks of pregnancy. Abortion is allowed later in pregnancy only in specific medical emergencies. The North Dakota law is intended to replace a previous ban that is not being enforced while a state court weighs its constitutionality.

And on Friday, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee reversed course and signed off on softening the state’s strict abortion ban. That change came after several high-profile Republican lawmakers warned early in the session that doctors and patients were facing steep risks under Tennessee’s so-called trigger law, arguing that the statute did not include clear exemptions when a physician may provide abortion services.

Pollard reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro contributed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. James Pollard is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

​ Orange County Register 

Galaxy’s young defenders gain vital on-job experience

• April 28, 2023

The Galaxy has undergone an in-season makeover on the defensive backline.

It isn’t common for a team to send out most of its defensive back four with no first-team MLS experience, but this is the path the Galaxy has chosen.

Jalen Neal, 19, has already settled in as a key component from the start of the season. Lucas Calegari, 21, joined from Fluminense and Julian Aude, 20, has recently moved into the starting lineup after coming over from Argentina.

The fourth member, Martin Caceres is the elder of the group at 36.

“When you look at Calegari, he’s 20-21, but he’s also played 70 matches in (Brazil) Série A. … he was an under-20 in Brazil, so he’s got experience. Even though he’s young, he has experience. The second we saw him in training, we’ve seen him in the games, we could tell right off the bat that he’s got a good education for the game,” Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said.

“Jalen (Neal) has proven himself through preseason and through the early games. … and Julián (Aude) is another guy … I’ve watched Julián for a couple years. I’ve actually seen him play for a couple of years and he’s played through difficult times of Lanús and through good times of Lanús. He’s had to play through some of those tough moments.”

The Galaxy (1-4-3, six points) will visit Orlando City SC on Saturday (4:30 p.m., Apple TV+), looking to build off last week’s 2-0 win over Austin FC.

Cáceres, aside from a two-yellow card game against Houston that led to a one-game suspension against LAFC, has tried to guide the young trio.

“Lucas and Julian are players that have played for important national teams like Brazil and Argentina and you have Jalen who also played international matches with the national team. They have great careers ahead of them,” Caceres said.

The Galaxy added another young defender last week, bringing back former Academy product Mauricio Cuevas.

Cuevas, 20, joined the Galaxy Academy at 16 in 2019. He made his was up to Galaxy II before leaving to join Club NXT, the Belgian-based youth academy of Club Brugge.

“It’s been an ongoing discussion,” Vanney said of the process of signing Cuevas. “We never wanted him to leave to begin with because we liked his game and we like his trajectory, so it’s just an opportunity that made sense for everybody on all sides.

“He gives us more depth, more competition, more future. He and Lucas (Calegari) are both obviously pretty young guys and that gives us two guys we can look toward the future.”

The Galaxy signed Cuevas to a three-year contract through 2025 with two option years through 2027.

Cuevas will likely join the U.S. U-20 national team for the upcoming FIFA World Cup (May 20-June 11).

Costa makes his way back

Like Caceres, Costa sat out the LAFC game, serving a one-game suspension for a red-card incident against the Houston Dynamo. He returned last Saturday against Austin FC and was greeted to loud boos from the fans at Dignity Health Sports Park.

In his limited time (20-plus minutes), he was credited with creating three chances. Vanney believes this is where Costa has to work to regain the fans’ trust.

“He made a silly mistake (against Houston) and that lost some momentum that he was picking up and maybe in that he lost a little bit of trust of some people, whether it’s fans or whatever,” Vanney said. “He’s been around the block a time or two, so he knows that he has to get out there and perform. I thought he put in a great shift and he knows that’s what he has to do game in and game out. Put in the proper shift and his talent will take care of itself.”

GALAXY AT ORLANDO

When: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Where: Exploria Stadium, Orlando

TV: Apple TV+ (MLS Season Pass)

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​ Orange County Register 

Quick Fix: Tortilla strips a colorful addition to taco salad

• April 28, 2023

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service

Here’s a new take on one of America’s very popular Tex-Mex dishes: the taco salad. It has the flavors of a handheld taco but with a new twist. Instead of using tortilla chips, I use tortilla strips. When I found multicolored ones ready-made at the market, I decided they would make a colorful, crunchy addition to a salad. A dressing made with salsa mixed with yogurt adds a little extra spice.

I use shrimp in this salad, but you can use chicken, beef or even any leftover protein you might have on hand.

Helpful Hints:

— You can use broken tortilla chips instead of tortilla strips.

— You can use any type of cheese.

— If your chili powder or ground cumin is more than 6 months old, it’s best to buy new ones.

— You can use any type of salsa.

— Place frozen corn kernel in a strainer and run hot water over them to quickly defrost them.

Countdown:

— Assemble all ingredients.

— Mix dressing together and set aside.

— Make salad.

Shopping List:

To buy: 1 jar salsa, 1 container nonfat plain yogurt, 1 bag washed, ready-to-eat lettuce, 1 bottle chili powder, 1 bottle ground cumin, 3/4 pound peeled shrimp, 1 ripe avocado, 1 container frozen corn kernels, 1 container cherry tomatoes, 1 bag tortilla strips, 1 bag shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese and 1 bunch fresh cilantro.

Staples: canola oil.

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TACO SALAD

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

3 tablespoons salsa

1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

4 cups washed, ready-to-eat lettuce

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 pound peeled shrimp

1 ripe avocado

2 cups defrosted corn kernels

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup tortilla strips

1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Mexican-style cheese

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Mix salsa and yogurt together and set aside. Divide the lettuce between two dinner plates.Drizzle half of the yogurt dressing over the lettuce. Heat oil in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chili powder, ground cumin and shrimp. Saute 3 to 4 minutes until the shrimp turn pink. Divide the cooked shrimp in half and place on one corner of the lettuce. Peel the avocado, remove the pit and cut the avocado into cubes. Place them next to the shrimp. Place the corn next to the avocado and the tomatoes next to the corn. The toppings should cover the lettuce.

Sprinkle the cheese over the toppings and drizzle the remaining dressing over the all the toppings. Sprinkle the tortilla strips on top along with the cilantro leaves.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 538 calories (37% from fat), 22 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 8 g monounsaturated), 286 mg cholesterol, 45.6 g protein, 46.6 g carbohydrates, 10.6 g fiber, 48 mg sodium.

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