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Trump endorses ‘MAGA warrior’ for RNC chairman after Whatley launches Senate campaign

President Donald Trump issued a full-throated endorsement of Florida state Sen. Joe Gruters for the role of Republican National Committee chair after pre-endorsing him for the role last week.

‘He will be a wonderful Chairman!’ the president declared in a lengthy Truth Social post.

Gruters is currently listed as the RNC’s treasurer.

The president endorsed RNC national committeewoman from New York Jennifer Saul-Rich to take on the Treasurer post.

‘She will be a FANTASTIC Treasurer!’ he declared in the post on Friday.

Current RNC Chairman Michael Whatley announced that he is running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Trump has endorsed his campaign.

‘Michael Whatley has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!’ the president said in a Friday post on Truth Social.

Last week, Trump pre-endorsed Whatley and noted that he would back Gruters to helm the RNC.

‘Fortunately, I have somebody who will do a wonderful job as the Chairman of the RNC. His name is, Joe Gruters, and he will have my Complete and Total Endorsement,’ Trump noted in the post last week. ‘So, should Michael Whatley run for the Senate, please let this notification represent my Complete and Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!’

Since GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced earlier this year that he will not seek re-election, the Senate contest will be an open race.

Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is also running for the Senate seat.

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Ex-Cy Young winner stays put at MLB trade deadline. Good for them.

After the typically furious last couple of hours before Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, it only takes a few minutes for the air to clear and the silence to amplify those untraded stars who stayed with their teams.

And in a mild upset, Sandy Alcantara is still a Marlin. Good for them.

Hey, perhaps it’s just a byproduct that in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner simply hasn’t been that good most of the season. He’s toted a 6.36 ERA through his first 21 starts, and his strikeouts per nine innings are down from 8.1 in 2022 to 6.7 this year.

Yet there are a few factors that would make Alcantara more than easy for a contender to gobble up.

First, his contract: Alcantara is signed for two more seasons, at a reasonable $17.3 million next season with a $21 million option for 2027.

And second, his past two starts have been far better – 12 scoreless innings, including a seven-inning, four-hit outing against the San Diego Padres.

It would be a minimal risk and a fair leap for a team to bet on Alcantara’s arrow continuing to go up. And it’s fair to assume the Marlins would have dealt the erstwhile ace had they received a proposal that knocked them over.

But let’s examine the overlooked party in a universe where trade rumors tend to begin somewhere in the Northeast, acknowledging the rest of the world only to serve their roster need.

What about the Marlins?

Simply, there has been no better team in baseball since June 13, after which the Marlins have gone 27-14, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers. They have won five series in a row and 10 of their past 13.

They are 52-55 and while they’re seven games out of a wild card spot, they will bring into August a rotation that posted a majors-best 2.82 ERA in July.

Sure, there was at least a partial concession on July 31, when they dealt outfielder Jesus Sanchez to Houston. Yet two years of injury recovery from the likes of Alcantara and fellow right-hander Eury Perez and deft maneuvering by GM Peter Bendix have elevated the Marlins.

Minus a Juan Soto-like return for Alcantara, there’s no sense strip-mining the roster yet again, not when there’s pieces like All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers to build around.

In short, 2026 could look pretty good in Miami. And the Marlins don’t simply exist for the entertainment of bigger markets to poach, even if Trade Deadline Brain has consumed a significant amount of baseball fandom.

Despite all that, Sandy Alcantara is still a Marlin. And that’s a good thing.   

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MLB makes announcement on who will host 2027 All-Star Game

Wrigley Field will host the 2027 MLB All-Star Game on July 13, 2027.
This will be the fourth time the Cubs have hosted the All-Star Game at Wrigley Field.
The American League has won all three previous All-Star Games played at Wrigley Field.

Wrigley Field, the home field of the Chicago Cubs, will host the 2027 All-Star Game, Major League Baseball announced Friday.

The 97th edition of the Midsummer Classic will be played Tuesday, July 13, 2027. The 2026 game is set for Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 14, 2026, and will be broadcast nationally by FOX.

‘I applaud the Ricketts family, the entire Cubs organization, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Sports Commission for presenting an impressive vision for 2027 All-Star Week,’ MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. ‘The hard work put in to transform all of Wrigleyville into an outstanding destination deserves to be celebrated and shared on a national stage. We look forward to bringing the Midsummer Classic back to historic Wrigley Field and working alongside the Cubs, city and state officials, and the local organizing group to bring an extraordinary experience to the baseball fans of Chicago.’

The 2027 game will be the fourth time the Cubs host the All-Star Game and Chicago’s eighth time playing host to the game. Wrigley Field was the site of the game in 1947, 1962 (the second of two All-Star Games played that year), and 1990, and it will become the third stadium in history to host the All-Star Game for a fourth time, following Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium and the old Yankee Stadium in New York.

The American League has won all three of the previous All-Star games over the National League played at Wrigley Field. The Junior Circuit won 2-1 in 1947, 9-4 in 1962, and 2-0 in 1990, with the NL being held to just two hits in that game. The AL leads the all-time series 48-44-3.

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Liberty add former WNBA Finals MVP to help title defense

The defending WNBA champions have officially added a former WNBA Finals MVP to their roster with fewer than six weeks to go until the playoffs.

The New York Liberty announced on Friday, Aug. 1, that they have signed Belgian star Emma Meesseman, who is returning to the WNBA for the first time she was an All-Star in 2022 with the Chicago Sky. The versatile 6-foot-4 forward led Fenerbahçe in Instanbul, Turkey to two EuroLeague championships, led the Belgium national team to two EuroBasket titles and won three-consecutive EuroLeague MVPs during her hiatus from the WNBA.

Meesseman, 32, is expected to make her debut with the Liberty on Friday in the first of two-consecutive regular season games against the last-place Connecticut Sun. Her addition brings another well-known playmaker to a roster that already featured Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones.

“Emma Meesseman’s return to the WNBA is a tremendous moment for our league, and the fact that she chose New York for her next chapter speaks volumes,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said in a statement. “She is one of the most skilled, intelligent and unselfish players in the world and her presence elevates everyone around her. Emma brings invaluable experience, championship pedigree and a unique versatility that fits seamlessly into our group as we continue our relentless pursuit of a title in 2025.”

Meesseman averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game over the past three seasons in club and international competition and should help immediately with Stewart currently out indefinitely with a bone bruise in her knee. Meesseman averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 2022 with the Sky.

She was drafted by the Washington Mystics in 2013 and won WNBA Finals MVP during the franchise’s championship run in 2019. Current Liberty guard Natasha Cloud was also a member of that title team.

The Liberty, who are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, have 18 regular-season games remaining and sit in second place behind the Minnesota Lynx. The Liberty lost to Minnesota in their most recent outing on Wednesday, July 30.

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China’s growing nuclear arsenal aims to break US alliances and dominate Asia, report warns

China is no longer building nuclear weapons solely for deterrence — it’s using them to fuel its ambitions as a dominant power in Asia, seeking to intimidate U.S. allies and undermine American influence across the region, according to a new report. 

The Hudson Institute warns that by the mid-2030s, China is expected to become a nuclear peer of the United States in both quantity and quality, fielding a modern, survivable and diverse arsenal that includes over 1,000 warheads, a fully developed nuclear triad and tactical nuclear capabilities.

However, Beijing’s goal isn’t to win a nuclear war, the report argues. It’s to manipulate and degrade trust in America’s nuclear umbrella, particularly among U.S. allies in East and Southeast Asia. By sowing doubt that Washington would defend them in a crisis, China hopes to pressure countries like Japan, the Philippines and South Korea into strategic passivity, giving Beijing more room to act — including a potential move on Taiwan — without triggering a broader allied response.

‘The purpose of amplifying uncertainty is to manipulate notions of risk to China’s advantage,’ the report states. ‘This is primarily about exacerbating hesitancy among U.S. allies by exploiting persistent fears of abandonment and doubts regarding America’s commitment.’

China’s military strategy blends rapid nuclear modernization with psychological operations and information warfare. The country is investing in advanced technologies such as hypersonic boost-glide vehicles and fractional orbital bombardment systems — space-based platforms that can deliver nuclear strikes from low-Earth orbit with little warning. Its warheads can now be launched from silos, submarines, road-mobile launchers and aircraft.

The report urges the U.S. to ‘abandon the false hope of arms control’ with China and instead embrace a doctrine of strategic ambiguity and instability, one that deters Beijing through strength and unpredictability rather than bilateral disarmament.

President Donald Trump has expressed interest in future arms control talks with both China and Russia, but analysts say Beijing has shown little genuine interest in limiting its nuclear forces.

The Hudson report devotes case studies to three key allies — the Philippines, Japan and South Korea — and how China uses nuclear intimidation differently in each case.

Philippines 

While Manila is more concerned with gray-zone conflicts in the South China Sea, China may increasingly use implied nuclear threats to dissuade it from hosting U.S. missile systems like the Typhon launcher, which can strike deep into Chinese territory. China has already begun deploying messaging via state-linked outlets that hint at targeting Philippine-based assets.

Japan 

Heavily dependent on the U.S. nuclear umbrella but constrained by strong domestic anti-nuclear sentiment, Tokyo faces an information campaign from Beijing designed to shake confidence in U.S. commitments. China applies psychological pressure to prevent Japan from building counterstrike capabilities or assisting in a conflict over Taiwan.

South Korea 

Seoul remains narrowly focused on North Korea’s nuclear threat, not China’s. It has been reluctant to fully align with U.S. efforts to deter Beijing, and it’s unclear whether South Korea would permit U.S. forces to use its bases in the event of a Taiwan contingency. China, the report says, is working to keep Seoul compartmentalized and disengaged from the broader East Asian conflict.

The report outlines four core recommendations: 

Abandon arms control illusions: China’s opacity and doctrine of ambiguity make traditional arms control agreements unworkable.
Avoid allied nuclearization: U.S. allies like Japan and Australia should resist calls to build their own nuclear arsenals, which could backfire strategically.
Double down on conventional deterrence: Strengthen and modernize allied conventional forces to raise the cost of Chinese aggression.
Fight fire with fire in the information domain: Expose China’s nuclear coercion publicly and link allied military buildups directly to Beijing’s behavior.

READ THE REPORT BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE

‘Washington and its allies must show that China’s buildup is backfiring — leading not to fear and passivity, but to renewed resolve and regional rearmament,’ the report says.

The report lands ahead of the Pentagon’s forthcoming global force posture review, expected later this year. The Department of Defense is widely expected to announce a shift in forces from Europe to the Indo-Pacific, reflecting the Biden administration’s—and potentially Trump’s — emphasis on great power competition with China.

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Kavanaugh cites 3 presidents in explaining Supreme Court’s ballooning emergency docket

As President Donald Trump has faced an onslaught of legal bids to block his agenda during his second term in office, Trump-nominated Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh spoke at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit judicial conference on Thursday, according to reports.

‘Executive branches of both parties over the last 20 years have been increasingly trying to issue executive orders and regulations that achieve the policy objectives of the president in power,’ Kavanaugh said, according to the New York Times.

‘And I think presidents, whether it’s President Obama – I think the phrase was ‘pen and phone’ – or President Biden or President Trump, have really done more of that, and those get challenged pretty quickly in court,’ he said, according to CNN.

Unlike regular Supreme Court rulings that fully explain the rationale behind the decision, decisions on the high court’s emergency docket may go unexplained.

‘We’ve been doing certainly more written opinions on the interim orders docket than we’ve done in the past,’ Kavanaugh said, according to CNN.

Though he noted that issuing written opinions may pose the ‘risk’ of ‘lock-in effect’ in which that opinion does not ‘reflect the final view,’ reports indicate.

Kavanaugh described the court’s ‘collegiality’ as ‘very strong,’ noting that the nine members on the bench ‘look out for each other’ and consider one another ‘patriots’ and ‘good people,’ according to reports.

Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court during his first term in office. 

He also nominated Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, meaning he chose one third of the current justices.

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MLB trade grades: Who won the biggest deals on deadline day?

Padres and Astros made jaw-dropping trades at MLB trade deadline.
Twins had an epic fire sale, trading 10 players in 24 hours.
Mason Miller gives the Padres MLB’s best bullpen – at a huge cost.

Major League Baseball’s 2025 trade deadline featured a flurry of big deals, including some genuinely stunning swaps like Carlos Correa returning to the Houston Astros and the San Diego Padres adding Mason Miller to their bullpen.

The Minnesota Twins traded 10 players from their 26-man roster in the span of 24 hours, while the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles were also big sellers at the July 31 deadline.

In addition to the deal for Miller, the Padres got Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano from the Orioles, two of the top bats available as they seek to chase down the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. The New York Yankees remade their bullpen with separate trades for relievers David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird.

We break down all the deals from deadline day:

Carlos Correa trade grades

Houston Astros receive INF Carlos Correa, $33 million; Minnesota Twins receive LHP Matt Mikulski

Astros grade: B+

Houston brings Correa home after a few years apart, getting the Twins to eat a huge chunk of the two-time World Series champion’s salary. He’ll move to third base with his one-time replacement Jeremy Peña at short and while Correa hasn’t performed consistently since departing, it’s a lower-risk move for the Astros in a deal that should make everyone happy.

Twins grade: A-

This was Minnesota’s one and only chance to get out of the Correa contract. Kudos to them for seizing the opportunity, a pure salary dump that admits defeat on the once-marquee free agent signing.

Mason Miller trade grades

San Diego Padres receive RHP Mason Miller, LHP JP Sears; Athletics receive SS Leo De Vries, RHP Braden Nett, RHP Henry Báez and RHP Eduarniel Nuñez

Padres grade: B

It’s quite a coup getting both the game’s most dominant closer and a guy with four years of club control remaining after this season. Miller, 26, is generally untouchable in the ninth inning and in two seasons as A’s closer has nailed down 48 of 54 save opportunities, an 89% conversion rate on par with Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. 

The cost? It’s huge. De Vries is the most significant international signing the Padres have had this decade, no small honor, and he’s consistently been challenged – and succeeded – at levels where the average player is four to five years older than him. Put simply: Not many 17-year-olds flash power and speed in stateside A ball and go on to the Arizona Fall League, as De Vries did in 2024.

While Miller’s controllable years mean the Padres can flip him in future seasons for either immediate help or to galvanize their system, it still stings to trade a potential (likely?) franchise player for a reliever.

Athletics grade: A

The deal begs one dark question: Will any of their young stars make it to Las Vegas, should they ever complete their ballpark there?

It’s yet another step back at the big league level for the A’s in a five-year cycle of utter desiccation that hastened their move from Oakland. And it’s perhaps not a coincidence that Miller was dealt months before he entered the first of four years of salary arbitration.

– Gabe Lacques

Camilo Doval trade grades

New York Yankees receive RHP Camilo Doval; San Francisco Giants receive Jesus Rodriguez, Trystan Vrieling, Parks Harber, Carlos De La Rosa

Yankees grade: A-

Doval is having a nice bounce-back season and is under team control through 2027, completing a complete overhaul of the Yankees’ bullpen beyond 2025 after adding David Bednar and Jake Bird earlier in the day.

Giants grade: B-

Definitely could have gotten more for the 2023 National League saves leader if they had waited until the winter – unless he tailed off down the stretch.

Griffin Jax trade grades

Tampa Bay Rays receive RHP Griffin Jax; Minnesota Twins receive RHP Taj Bradley

Rays grade: B

Tampa Bay officially gives up on Bradley, one of the top prospects in baseball a few years ago, after giving him a pretty shot in the rotation over the past two years. Jax hasn’t looked like himself this year, but he’s a proven high-leverage arm the Rays need in the AL wild-card race.

Twins grade: B+

Bradley is only 24 years old, under team control through 2029 and hasn’t been bad by any stretch of the imaginaton. Pretty decent gamble here.

Merrill Kelly trade grades

Texas Rangers receive RHP Merrill Kelly; Arizona Diamondbacks receive LHP Kohl Drake, RHP David Hagaman, LHP Mitch Bratt.

Rangers grade: A-

With Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and now Kelly, watch out if the Rangers get into the playoffs. Kelly, who played in Korea from 2015-2018, is having the best season of his career at age 36 and brings some postseason pedigree having gone 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in four starts across Arizona’s run to the World Series in 2023.

Diamondbacks grade: B+

Holding a ton of trade chips this month, Arizona has been frustrated by the slow market. Having already unloaded Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez, the Diamondbacks get three prospects in exchange for Kelly, a free agent at the end of the season. Drake was the Rangers’ No. 5 prospect and has a 3.10 ERA in 16 minor-league games this season.

Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano trade grades

San Diego Padres receive 1B/OF Ryan O’hearn, OF Ramon Laureano; Baltimore Orioles receive RHP Boston Bateman, INF Brandon Butterworth, INF Cobb Hightower, INF/OF Victor Figueroa, RHP Tyson Neighbors and RHP Tanner Smith.

Padres grade: A

San Diego dramatically improved its lineup with the deal for two of the top bats on the market, having already acquired catcher Freddy Fermin from the Royals earlier in the day. The Padres really should push the Dodgers in the NL West over the next two months and have to be considered one of the top World Series contenders

Orioles grade: A

Rather than finding separate buyers, the Orioles packaged two of the top bats on the market and received six prospects in return – all of whom were just drafted in 2024.

José Caballero trade grades

New York Yankees receive INF/OF José Caballero; Tampa Bay Rays receive OF Everson Pereira and PTBNL or cash.

Yankees grade: B+

Caballero, who led the AL with 44 steals in 2024 and has 34 this year, is a nice addition for a Yankees team that ranks in the middle of the pack for stolen bases. The trip to join his new teammates was an easy one with the Rays already in the Bronx, Caballero merely switching clubhouses.

Rays grade: B

Tampa Bay has enough guys who can run and the roster spot was helpful as the Rays made deals on deadline day.

Jake Bird trade grades

Yankees grade: A-

Hours after agreeing to a deal with the Pirates for closer David Bednar, the Yankees further fortified their bullpen with with the 29-year-old Bird, under team control through 2028. With a 4.73 ERA this season and even career home-road splits away from Coors Field, Bird doesn’t have quite the upside as other relievers on the market this week, but the Yankees acquire a reliable – and cheap – arm to the middle relief corps.

Rockies grade: C

Colorado is in a race to avoid the worst record in MLB history, but decided to trade its best relief pitcher who currently costs just about nothing. They’ll save a few million in Bird’s arbitration years, but dealing the right-hander was definitely not somethign the Rockies needed to do.

Jesús Sánchez trade grades

Houston Astros receive OF Jesús Sánchez; Miami Marlins receive RHP Ryan Gusto, INF Chase Jaworsky, OF Esmil Valencia

Astros grade: B+

The AL West leaders needed outfield help and find it in the 27-year-old, already a veteran of six seasons. Sánchez presumably will step into the strong side of a left field platoon in Houston, which had been giving regular outfield starts to Taylor Trammell. Doesn’t look like a huge move now, but can’t you picture Sánchez lacing an RBI double at Daikin Park in October?

Marlins grade: B

Good move from a fiscal perspective with the outfielder making $4.5 million and scheduled for an annual raise through 2027.

Phil Maton trade grades

Texas Rangers receive RHP Phil Maton; St. Louis Cardinals receive LHP Mason Molina, RHP Skylar Hales, international slot money.

Rangers grade: B+

Texas bolsters its bullpen with the veteran right-hander who has enjoyed a fine 2025 season as a high-leverage arm in St. Louis.

Cardinals grade: B

Two prospects and the international money is a nice return as they’ve fallen out of contention.

Cedric Mullins trade grades

New York Mets receive OF Cedric Mullins; Baltimore Orioles receive RHP Raimon Gomez, RHP Anthony Nuñez, RHP Chandler Marsh.

Mets grade: B+

Adding Mullins is nice for the Mets, giving them a plus defender in center field to phase out the glove-first Tyrone Taylor. He’s a rental but with his power-speed combination, Mullins could be a huge contributor down the stretch as New York tries to fight off Philadelphia for first place in the NL East.

Orioles grade: B+

Mullins’ time with the Orioles ends 10 years after the club drafted him in the 13th round. It’s certainly not the way Baltimore wanted to say goodbye to their longtime outfielder, but the Orioles got two of the Mets’ top 30 prospects in Nunez (No. 14) and Gomez (No. 30).

David Bednar trade grades

Yankees receive RHP David Bednar; Pittsburgh Pirates receive C/1B Rafael Flores, C/1B Edgleen Perez, OF Brian Sanchez.

Yankees grade: A

The Bombers bolster their bullpen for the stretch run and beyond, landing the two-time All-Star reliever who will be under team control through 2026. The 30-year-old’s addition is huge considering Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are free agents at the end of the season.

Pirates grade: C+

Holding one of the last relievers remaining on the market in the hours leading up to the deadline, you might have expected the Pirates to get more in this deal for a controllable All-Star. Flores ranks as the Yankees’ No. 8 prospect according to MLB.com, but he’s already 24 years old and has struggled since his promotion to Class AAA (.677 OPS in 10 games). Perez is 19 years old and has had a tough season in Class A (.209 average in 301 AB) but scouts hope his bat will catch up with his glove behind the plate.

Harrison Bader trade grades

Philadelphia Phillies receive OF Harrison Bader; Minnesota Twins receive OF Hendry Mendez, RHP Geremy Villoria.

Phillies grade: A-

Philadelphia gives up basically nothing to get one of the game’s better defensive center fielders, who should provide some pop for an outfield that desperately needs some. Bader has an .809 OPS in 31 career postseason games.

Twins grade: B+

Might as well get a couple of projects in exhange for a rental outfielder. The 21-year-old Mendez ranked as the Phillies’ 12th-best prospect and has an .808 OPS in 85 Class AA games this season. Signed as an international free agent this past winter, Villoria is just 16 years and old and recently made his pro debut with 19 strikeouts through five starts.

Kyle Finnegan trade grades

Detroit Tigers receive Kyle Finnegan; Washington Nationals receive RHP Josh Randall, RHP R.J. Sale

Tigers grade: B+

Finnegan isn’t Mason Miller or Jhoan Duran or Ryan Helsley, but the 33-year-old is a great addition to Detroit’s bullpen as a veteran with ninth-inning experience, saving 86 games over the past three seasons for the middling Nationals. An All-Star in 2024, Finnegan has only given up three home runs in 34 games this season and could take some save chances from Will Vest, who has 2.53 ERA in 16 saves for the Tigers in 2025.

Nationals grade: B

The least-sexy closer on the market, Finnegan netted the Nationals a pair of pitchers with Randall ranking as Detroit’s No. 15 prospect, according to MLB.com

Shane Bieber trade grades

Toronto Blue Jays receive RHP Shane Bieber; Cleveland Guardians receive RHP Khai Stephen.

Blue Jays grade: A-

Toronto is going for it! Bieber, the 2020 Cy Young winner, still hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery early in 2023 and hit some speedbumps in his rehab but the Blue Jays get a high-upside starter who is under team control through next year. Bieber has a $16 million team option (with a $4 million buyout) for 2026, which could end up looking like a steal.

Guardians grade: B+

Bieber gets traded before making his Cleveland return, a huge bummer for fans 30-year-old right-hander who was drafted by the organization in 2016. A second-round pick last year, Stephen was considered one of the Blue Jays’ top five prospects and is 9-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 91 ⅔ innings across three levels this season, currently in Class AA. Unfortunate that the Guardians had to let him go, but a nice return in the one-for-one swap.

Paul Sewald trade grades

Detroit Tigers receive RHP Paul Sewald; Cleveland Guardians receive player to be named later.

Tigers grade: B+

Sewald is injured and expected to return in September, so this is a move the Tigers are making for October. The 35-year-old had a 4.70 ERA in 18 games this season, but his underlying numbers look better than that with a 4.07 FIP, 1.174 WHIP and 4.5 strikeouts per walk.

Guardians grade: B

PTBNL for an injured reliever? Why not.

Eugenio Suárez trade grades

Seattle Mariners receive 3B Eugenio Suarez; Arizona Diamondbacks receive 1B Tyler Locklear, RHP Juan Burgos and RHP Hunter Cranton.

Mariners grade: B+

They got the top hitter available and it’s telling that the Mariners liked Suárez enough to bring him back after less than two years apart – despite his struggles in Seattle. That puts a ton of pressure on the slugger who is a free agent after the season. Mariners third basemen have totaled just five home runs and 35 RBIs this season, bottom-five in the majors in both categories, so it’s a move they had to make.

Diamondbacks grade: B+

Pretty good return, plucking three of Seattle’s top 20 prospects in Locklear (No. 9), Cranton (16) and Burgos (17). Locklear, 24, will likely find himself getting a run-out in Arizona’s lineup sooner rather than later. The first baseman made his big-league debut last season and has nothing left to prove in the minors (.316/.401/.552, 19 HR, 82 RBis in Class AAA).

Jhoan Duran trade grades

Philadelphia Phillies receive RHP Jhoan Duran; Minnesota Twins receive C Eduardo Tait, RHP Mick Abel

Phillies grade: A

Dave Dombrowski seized on his opportunity to get 2½ years of one of the best relievers in baseball in exchange for just a pair of prospects. It’s a huge addition for the Phillies, with Duran presumably assuming the ninth-inning role and taking a ton of pressure off the club’s other high-leverage guys. Philadelphia has the 27-year-old flamethrower under team control through 2027.

Twins grade: C-

It’s hard to believe that this is the best return the Twins could have gotten for the most desirable reliever on the market. That said, Tait is only 18 years old and rising fast on prospect boards, while Abel is a good candidate for a post-hype bounce back.

Ke’Bryan Hayes trade grades

Cincinnati Reds receive 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes; Pittsburgh Pirates receive LHP Taylor Rogers, SS Sammy Stafura

Reds grade: C+

Surprising move for Cincinnati, which is buying fairly low on Hayes, who remains one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Maybe Hayes will benefit from a move to Great American Ball Park, one of MLB’s most hitter-friendly parks? It’s certainly a lower-risk move for the Reds taking on the remainder of Hayes’ salary – $30 million from 2026-2029 plus a $6 million buyout for 2030 – but third base isn’t usually a position that you’re willing to sacrifice offense at.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said Hayes ‘might be the best defender in baseball,’ but wasn’t as bullish on his new third baseman’s bat. ‘We know where the hitting has been,’ Francona said. ‘Sometimes a change of scenery − I don’t want to get too far ahead because I’ve barely talked to him but he seems excited and we’re excited to have him and see where it goes.’

Pirates grade: B

It’s naive to believe the Pirates will seriously reinvest the Hayes savings into winning games in the years to come, but the club cleared itself of a long-term deal with a guy who didn’t turn out to be what they expected. Credit where it’s due for Pittsburgh investing in Hayes with an eight-year, $70 million extension back in 2022 – and maybe they’re giving up too early on the 28-year-old at a low annual cost – but the deal nets $36 million in savings after the 2025 season. That said, the Pirates probably could have gotten a better return this winter.

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Trump ally Bukele’s party amends El Salvador constitution to allow indefinite presidential re-election

Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele’s New Ideas Party has paved the way for him to potentially retain power in the Central American nation by overhauling the country’s electoral system.

The new bill extends presidential terms to six years and allows for indefinite presidential re-election.

The country’s presidential terms were initially five years long and immediate re-election was prohibited. However, in 2021, the country’s Supreme Court — packed with justices picked by Bukele’s party — ruled that the president could seek a second term, The Associated Press reported. 

Critics said Bukele’s re-election in 2024 was unconstitutional.

Members of New Ideas and their allies in the Legislative Assembly used their supermajority to pass changes to five articles of the country’s constitution and passed the measure in a 57–3 vote on July 31. According to The Associated Press, New Ideas lawmaker Ana Figueroa’s proposal also included a provision to eliminate the second round of elections in which the top two candidates go head-to-head.

‘This is quite simple, El Salvador: only you will have the power to decide how long you wish to support the work of any public official, including your president,’ Figueroa said, according to Reuters. ‘You have the power to decide how long you support your president and all elected officials.’

Meanwhile, other lawmakers expressed their frustration with the bill, with one lamenting the death of democracy.

Nationalist Republican Alliance legislator Marcela Villatoro declared to her fellow lawmakers that ‘Democracy in El Salvador has died!’

‘You don’t realize what indefinite reelection brings: It brings an accumulation of power and weakens democracy … there’s corruption and clientelism because nepotism grows and halts democracy and political participation,’ Villatoro said, according to The Associated Press.

Bukele, who was first elected in 2019, has become somewhat of a polarizing figure as his crackdown on crime has made him popular with voters, while critics worry that he is trying to consolidate power. While Bukele’s tough-on-crime policies have caused homicides to plummet, human rights groups say that innocent people were caught up in mass arrests.

Human Rights Watch issued a report in July 2024 in which it found that approximately 3,000 children had become victims of the crackdown, which began in 2022. In the report summary, the group tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who was arrested without a warrant and eventually forced to plead guilty to collaborating with the notorious MS-13 gang, something she denied.

Last year, Bukele told Time magazine that he would not seek a third term, though he could change his tune following the constitutional reforms.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
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Business

JPMorgan marks 1,000th branch opening since 2018 expansion plans

JPMorgan Chase has built 1,000 new branches in seven years. That’s more locations than most of its competitors operate in total.

The bank is marking the milestone opening in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday where Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon is attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The firm has roughly 5,000 branches, the most of any American bank, according to Federal Reserve data from March.

“It’s a great marker for us to be able to say, you can see our commitment over time and we’re on a marathon with regard to this expansion,” said Jennifer Roberts, the CEO of Chase Consumer Banking, in an interview. “A thousand [branches] is significant — a thousand is bigger than many regional competitors have at all.”

In 2018, JPMorgan operated bank branches in 23 states and said it would expand into as many as 20 new markets over the following five years with about 400 new locations. By 2021, the firm said it had branches in all 48 lower states. And last February, JPMorgan announced a new, multibillion-dollar investment to open another 500 new locations by 2027.

JPMorgan said over the past seven years, Chase has opened more bank branches than all of its large bank peers combined. However, many of JPMorgan’s competitors have recently announced plans to expand their own footprints as the quest for deposits heats up.

Bank of America recently announced a branch expansion, with plans to open 150 new centers by 2027. And Wells Fargo plans to add branches, especially now that it’s fulfilled a regulatory consent order that had been constraining its growth.

The industry-wide growth plans could help reverse a trend dating back to the 2008 financial crisis in which the U.S. has seen the net number of bank branches plummet. The combination of fewer overall banks and the advent of online banking has broadly made brick-and-mortar locations lower priority. However, in recent years, especially amid the population migration during and after the pandemic, banks have been reorienting their footprints to capture more deposits.

Expanding in Charlotte puts JPMorgan head-to-head with rival Bank of America, which is headquartered there and has 71% market share in the city, according to KBW and S&P Global Market Intelligence data.

Roberts said after this latest opening, Chase will have about 75 branches in North Carolina. She said that the bank is expanding there due to its “young, fast-growing population” and that there’s a “lot of wealth coming into that area” as well.

JPMorgan said at its investor day in May that its newer branches are expected to ultimately contribute more than $160 billion in incremental deposits. The firm said each new branch breaks even within four years.

JPMorgan said when its expansion is complete, Chase will have added more than 1,100 branches, renovated 4,300 locations and entered 80 new markets. It also expects that 75% of the U.S. population will be able to reach one of its branches within an “accessible drive.”

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS
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Roger Goodell emotional during first interview since NYC shooting

On Thursday, an emotional Roger Goodell gave his first interview since a gunman killed four people Monday in a targeted attack on the NFL’s Manhattan office.

Goodell spoke remotely by video to NBC’s Mike Tirico from New York. The 66-year-old, who opted not to attend the NFL’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, instead attended the funeral of slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam.

Goodell outlined feeling a sense of ‘tremendous loss’ at the funeral, despite noting it was a ‘heartwarming service.’

‘[He’s] somebody that we see outside the building most every day when we come in,’ Goodell said of Islam. ‘And it hits home, the unnecessary and unexplainable loss. It’s something that all of us as New Yorkers feel a great pride in the NYPD and the first responders. It was a difficult, emotional afternoon.’

Goodell also acknowledged it was difficult to grapple with the reality that the NFL was specifically targeted in the attack, and the pain it has brought to the league’s employees.

‘It’s a difficult thing, particularly when you’re dealing with a senseless act like this,’ Goodell said. ‘There are no excuses for the senseless acts. They’re hard for all of us to understand. When it inflicts pain on people you know and people you care about and people you deal with on a daily basis, that’s particularly hard.

‘But as you know, these acts of senseless violence are happening in our country and around our world far too often. In churches, and schools and synagogues and other places that this should just not be happening. We all have to continue to be vigilant and continue to protect ourselves. The NFL is going to continue to do that with our employees and our people.’

Goodell also provided another positive update on the NFL employee injured in the shooting. The 66-year-old said he visited the victim in the hospital, who is ‘stable and improving,’ and got to speak to his family.

But overall, Goodell’s tone was reserved and somber as he addressed the mass shooting.

‘This is an attack on humanity,’ Goodell said. ‘This is an attack on our communities. This is an attack on New York. This is an attack on our way of life.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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