Washington Commanders new stadium: D.C. Mayor Bowser concerned about RFK deal

Washington Commanders new stadium: D.C. Mayor Bowser concerned about RFK deal

While theWashington Commandershope to one day make the RFK Stadium site home again, it's the D.C. Council that is playing games on that famed plot of land. Nothing ever comes easy in politics, especially when the nation's capital is involved. The case involving the Commanders is no different as budget battles and political one-upmanship are on full display – setting up a fight between Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council, with the team caught in between. On July 1, the mayor appeared onThe Team 980 with Kevin Sheehan, where she was asked about her feelings surrounding the deal, which has not yet been approved. "I'm concerned right now that everybody buckle down and get to work," Bowser said. "I'm not concerned about our deal. Our deal is solid. It pays off for D.C. And at the end of the day, I think everybody wants the same thing." Sheehan pushed Bowser to put her level of concern on a scale of zero to five, with five being the most concerned. "I would put my level of concern – because when you're a big city mayor you're concerned about everything – I'll put it at a four," Bowser said. The Commanders have been targeting a stadium opening date in 2030, allowing them enough time to host some big events in the future – notably games in the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup. Without approval soon, the team claims those plans will be put in danger, forcing the D.C. area to miss out on those marquee dates. As illustrated in the currentdeal that was announced on April 28, the city would provide $1.1 billion in public funds to help build the stadium on the old RFK site. The Commanders would contribute $2.7 billion in what figures to be a nearly $4 billion project. Washington's team leadership held a dinner on Monday night for councilmembers to discuss the situation, which needs seven votes to approve.According to the Washington Post, there are currently four councilmembers in favor of the deal. There is currently aJuly 15 deadline in place as outlined in the exclusive negotiating window. With public hearings set for July 29 and 30, it appears the council is in no rush to move the legislation forward. More importantly, the council is slated to go on recess from August until mid-September, meaning no deal on the intended date could put the project in danger of falling apart. Fox 5 Washington DCreported on July 1 that Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has heard talks of a potential Plan B from the Commanders, which could include going to PresidentDonald Trumpand members of Congress to make the deal happen in time. This comes on the heels of a decision by Mendelson to separate the stadium deal from the 2026 budget process. ACommanders spokesperson released a statementin response to the news on June 25: TheWashington Commandersare committed to working with the Council around the clock to keep this project on schedule and deliver a world-class stadium for the District by 2030. This is about more than just a stadium: it's an investment in families, local workers, and long-term economic opportunity that will transform this community, District, and the region. Any substantive delays will jeopardize D.C.'s ability to attract premier concerts, global talent, and marquee events—including the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup. Most importantly, it will slow new jobs at a time when the District needs them the most. We are hopeful the Council will continue to work in an expedited way to approve this deal and deliver a significant win for the people of D.C. Mendelson has indicated there will be no vote while the council is on recess, which could delay the project's fate until September or later. "It would be incredibly extraordinary to call the Council back in August,"Mendelson said, via NBC4 Washington. "I can't think of one time in 50 years of home rule that we have called the Council back." He also would not commit to a vote in early September. "I'm not gonna budge from this, and that is that we are working well with the Commanders and as diligently as possible to try to get to a point where the Council can vote as quickly as possible," Mendelson continued. The Commanders franchise left the RFK Stadium site in 1996 for FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland – where they still currently play home games at what is now known as Northwest Stadium. While there is no indication that the Commanders would leave and relocate to another city like other NFL teams have done when faced with similar issues from local officials, there is always a chance they could opt for another site in the surrounding area. Maryland, where the Commanders currently play, and Virginia have shown interest in a new stadium for the team in the past. For now, the goal remains focused on making the return to RFK a reality. All the NFL news on and off the field.Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Commanders new stadium: Washington D.C. mayor concerned RFK site deal

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July 01, 2025

Washington Commanders new stadium: D.C. Mayor Bowser concerned about RFK deal

Washington Commanders new stadium: D.C. Mayor Bowser concerned about RFK deal While theWashington Commandershope to one day make the RFK Sta...

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Coco Gauff is out in the first round of Wimbledon with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 loss to Dayana Yastremska

Coco Gauff is out in the first round of Wimbledon with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 loss to Dayana Yastremska

LONDON (AP) —Coco Gauffbecame just the third woman in the Open era to lose in the first round atWimbledonright after winning the championship at the French Open, eliminated 7-6 (3), 6-1 by unseeded Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine on Tuesday night. TheNo. 2-ranked Gauffmade mistake after mistake at No. 1 Court, finishing with just six winners and a total of 29 unforced errors that included nine double-faults. "Dayana started off playing strong," Gauff said. "I couldn't find my footing out there today." She joined another highly seeded American, No. 3Jessica Pegula, in bowing out on Day 2 of the tournament. In all,23 seeds— 13 men and 10 women — already are gone before the first round is even done, tying the most at any Grand Slam tournament since they began seeding 32 players in each singles bracket in 2001. It was just a little more than three weeks ago that Gauff was celebrating her second Grand Slam title by getting pastNo. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the finalon the red clay of Roland-Garros. The quick turnaround might have been an issue, Gauff acknowledged. "I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," said the 21-year-old Gauff, "so I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it." She didn't think it mattered Tuesday that their match location was shifted from Centre Court to Court No. 1 or that she was told about a new start time only about an hour before the contest began. Even though Gauff's big breakthrough came at the All England Club at age 15 in 2019, when she beat Venus Williams in her opening match and made it all the way to the fourth round, the grass-court tournament has proved to be her least-successful major. It's the only Slam where Gauff hasn't made at least the semifinals. Indeed, she has yet to get past the fourth round and now has been sent home in the first round twice in the past three years. The transition from clay to grass has proven tough for most players, and the last woman to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season was Serena Williams a decade ago. Still, since the Open era began in 1968, only Justine Henin in 2005 and Francesca Schiavone in 2010 went from holding the trophy in Paris to exiting immediately in London. Gauff was never quite at her best Tuesday against Yastremska, who had lost all three of their previous matchups and currently is ranked 42nd. A particular problem for Gauff, as it often is, was her serving. She managed to put only 45% of her first serves in play, won 14 of her 32 second-serve points and had all of those double-faults, including a pair in the tiebreaker and another when she got broken to open the second set. "When I can serve well, and some games I did, it's definitely an added threat," Gauff said. "I didn't serve that well." Yastremska's best Grand Slam result was making it all the way to the semifinals on the Australian Open's hard courts last year, although she entered this event with a record of only 10-11 in first-round matches at majors. Gauff, by contrast, was 20-3 at that stage, including a loss to Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon in 2023. Yastremska's deepest run at Wimbledon was making the fourth round in 2019, although she did get to the final of the junior event in 2016. "I was really on fire," said Yastremska, who accumulated 16 winners. "Playing against Coco, it is something special." She recently reached her first tournament final on grass, at a smaller event in Nottingham, which she said gave her confidence heading to the All England Club. "I love playing on grass. I feel that this year we are kind of friends," Yastremska said with a laugh. "I hope the road will continue for me here." ___ More AP tennis:https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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July 01, 2025

Coco Gauff is out in the first round of Wimbledon with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 loss to Dayana Yastremska

Coco Gauff is out in the first round of Wimbledon with a 7-6 (3), 6-1 loss to Dayana Yastremska LONDON (AP) —Coco Gauffbecame just the third...

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Marlins extend winning streak to 8, 1 shy of club record, with a 2-0 victory over the Twins

Marlins extend winning streak to 8, 1 shy of club record, with a 2-0 victory over the Twins

MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Stowers homered and the Miami Marlins stretched their winning streak to eight, one shy of the club record set in 2008, with a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Edward Cabrera (3-2) struck out six and only allowed two hits and one walk in seven innings, the longest start of the season by a Marlins pitcher. He struck out Byron Buxton to end the third for his 400th career strikeout, becoming the third-fastest to reach the mark in franchise history. Stowers gave Miami a 1-0 lead in the second inning with his 14th home run of the season. He initially took first base after appearing to get hit by a pitch. But Minnesota challenged and the call was overturned. Anthony Bender pitched a perfect eighth and Ronny Henriquez struck out back-to-back batters to begin the ninth to help secure his fourth save. Minnesota starter Joe Ryan (8-4) also went seven innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits. The Twins, who wereshut out by the Tigerson Sunday, were blanked for the seventh time this season. Key moment Miami added an insurance run in the eighth. Jesús Sánchez sent a shot to deep center field and Buxton made a leaping attempt at the wall to keep the ball in play. Sánchez hustled to third and a review showed it was not a home run. Otto Lopez was intentionally walked to put runners on first and third but Nick Fortes hit a single down the left-field line for a two-run lead. Key stat The win was Miami's fifth shutout of the season. Up next RHP Janson Junk (2-0, 3.73 ERA) is set to face the Twins for the first time in his career on Wednesday night against RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (3-4, 4.63). ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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July 01, 2025

Marlins extend winning streak to 8, 1 shy of club record, with a 2-0 victory over the Twins

Marlins extend winning streak to 8, 1 shy of club record, with a 2-0 victory over the Twins MIAMI (AP) — Kyle Stowers homered and the Miami ...

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North Koreans swim and play at a beach resort touted as a boost for tourism

North Koreans swim and play at a beach resort touted as a boost for tourism

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Koreans swam, rode water park slides and enjoyed other water activities at a newly openedmammoth beach resort,state media reported Wednesday, as the country largely maintains a ban on the entry of foreign tourists. The Wonsan-Kalmaeastern coastal tourist zone, which North Korea says can accommodate nearly 20,000 people, is at the heart of leader Kim Jong Un's push to boost tourism as a way to improve his country's struggling economy. But prospects for the resort, the biggest tourist complex in North Korea, aren't clear, as the country won't likely fully reopen its borders and embrace Western tourists anytime soon, observers say. The official Korean Central News Agency reported the Wonsan-Kalma area began service Tuesday, drawing a large number of North Koreans who enjoyed open water swimming, slides and other attractions at a water park and various water activities in the area. "The guests' hearts were filled with overwhelming emotion as they felt the astonishing new heights of our-style tourism culture blossoming under the era of the Workers' Party," KCNA said in a typical propaganda-driven dispatch. Photos released by North Korean state media showed children with tubes and inflatable balls dipping into the sea, while others in colorful swimsuits beamed while sitting beneath red-and-white parasols. Kim said at the opening ceremony last week the site would be recorded as "one of the greatest successes this year" and called its opening "the proud first step" toward realizing the government's policy of developing tourism. State media said North Korea has plans to build similar tourist zones around the country. North Korea, however, hasn't said whether and when it would fully resume international tourism that is key to their success. Since 2022, North Korea has been slowly easing the curbs imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic andreopening its bordersin phases. But Chinese group tours, which made up more than 90% of visitors before the pandemic, remain stalled while there are questions about ties between the two socialist neighbors. In February this year, North Korea allowed a small group ofinternational touriststo visit its northeastern border city of Rason, only to stop that tour program in less than a month. Since February 2024, North Korea has been acceptingRussian touristsamid expanding military cooperation between the countries. But Russian government records seen by South Korean experts show a little more than 2,000 Russians, only about 880 of them tourists, visited North Korea last year, a number that is too small to revive North Korea's tourism. Russia's Primorsky region, which borders North Korea, said last week that the first group of Russian tourists to the Wonsan-Kalma resort will depart on July 7 for a eight-day trip that includes a visit to Pyongyang. ___ Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.

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July 01, 2025

North Koreans swim and play at a beach resort touted as a boost for tourism

North Koreans swim and play at a beach resort touted as a boost for tourism SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Koreans swam, rode water park sl...

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Trump's big tax bill is a win. It could also be a big problem for GOP

Trump's big tax bill is a win. It could also be a big problem for GOP

Sen. Thom Tillis was fed up, and took to the Senate floor to unload on PresidentDonald Trump's megabill. As the bill cleared a key hurdle, Tillis issued a warning. He attributed his rise to U.S. senator from North Carolina to blowback against former President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law,the Affordable Care Act, which fueled crushing Democratic losses across the country. Republicans won control of the U.S. House, stopping Obama's legislative agenda in its tracks. The GOP is now rushing into similarly perilous territory, Tillis implied, by cutting more than $1 trillionfrom Medicaid. "Republicans are about to make a mistake on health care andbetraying a promise," he said. More:Medicaid 'churn': How working Americans could lose coverage under Trump tax bill The speech capped a consequential 24 hours for Tillis. He came out against Trump's legislation because of deep cuts to the federal health insurance program for low-income Americans, prompting the president tothreaten a primary challenge. Tillis thenannounced he wouldn't seek reelection in 2026. Tillis' experience sums up theexplosive politicssurrounding a nearly 1,000-page bill that has deeply divided the GOP. Many Republicans are touting it as a landmark achievement, but others are worried the unpopular measure hurts vulnerable people, goes against the party's working-class outreach, balloons the deficit and could cost Republicans dearly in the next election. Elon Musk, the multibillionaire former Trump adviser, is threatening to primary GOP lawmakers and even start a new political party over his deficit concerns. Looming over the debate is a president who threatens retribution against those who oppose him, and is pushing to have the legislationon his desk by July 4. Term-limited and free from facing voters again, Trump is looking for a legacy achievement. His supporters predict the bill will prove out over time. Sen.Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, compared the controversy to someone sticking their hand in a bucket of water and jerking it out. More:Thom Tillis, key Republican holdout on Trump's tax bill, won't seek reelection "The water's turbulent for a little while but then it'll just settle right out," he told USA TODAY. "That's what I think will happen." The bill narrowly cleared the Senate by a 51-50 vote on July 1 - three Republicans and every Democrat opposed it ,and Vice PresidentJD Vancehad to break the tie in a dramatic flourish - after a different version earlier passed the House. It now heads back to the House for final approval, where lawmakers have expressed concerns that the spending cuts either go too far, or not far enough. Trump said July 1 it would be "wise" for Republicans to get on board. "It's a great bill," Trump said, adding: "Great for the border, great for low taxes, and I would say that they have to do it." Despite some of the GOP resistance, bucking the president is politically perilous – as Tillis experienced − and Trump appears poised for a major legislative victory. The billwould enact key campaign promisesinto law – including cutting taxes on tipped wages and overtime pay and greatly expanded deportation efforts, which would receive a massive funding increase. It also makes permanent the sweeping tax reductions Trump passed in 2017, cementing his record as a big tax cutter. Trump launched his second term with an aggressive policy agenda, but hasrelied on executive ordersthat can easily be undone if Democrats reclaim the White House. His megabill – dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act - is a more lasting achievement, one that will help define his legacy. Yet like other major policy proposals from past presidents, the politics of the legislation have been difficult to navigate. Obama's health care bill divided Democrats, with 34 voting against it in the House. To help offset lost tax revenue, Trump's bill makes big cuts,most notably to Medicaid. That has some Republicans nervous. Any political victory from the bill could be short lived if it results in major blowback in the 2026 midterms. The legislation could complicate the GOP's pitch to blue collar voters. "This is a debate over the soul of the Republican Party," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri. "Are we going to be a working class party or not?" More:Religious leaders protest GOP tax, Medicaid bill: 'It hurts working people' Democrats are eager to run against the bill, casting it as a largely benefiting the wealthy while hurting the poor. "The different ways in which this bill bites working families over and over is going to make it a problem for Republicans in the House and the Senate all the way through November of 2026 and beyond," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, told USA TODAY. An analysis of the House bill released last month by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the poorest households would lose about $1,600 a year under the legislation, largely because of cuts to Medicaid and food aid. The wealthiest households would gain about $12,000 a year,according to the CBO. The Senate bill has more aggressive cuts than the House. The CBO estimatesthat nearly 12 million people would lose Medicaid under the Senate bill, with the program facing roughly $1 trillion in cuts. More than250 people protestedthe deep cuts across from the Capitol at the steps of the Supreme Court on June 30, surrounded by dozens of caskets covered with statistics of how many people would lose Medicaid and food assistance in each state. The crowd chanted "you will not kill us and our people without a fight." Warren said criticism of the bill is resonating not just in blue states, but also red states, pointing to polling showing it's broadly unpopular. She recently drew 1,500 people to atown hall in Tennesseeblasting the legislation. "When people know anything about the Republican tax bill they hate it," she told USA TODAY. Republican lawmakers have largely rallied around Trump, accusing Democrats of misrepresenting the legislation. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said individual elements of the bill poll well but conceded the GOP has some "work to do" to sell the legislation. Trump ran a populist campaign that targeted blue collar voters with proposals such as tax cuts on tips and overtime, and Republicans have pointed to those provisions in the bill to counter criticism that it benefits the wealthy. But some Republican lawmakers worry cutting Medicaid could undermine GOP inroads to the working class. "You cannot be a working-class party if you are taking away healthcare for working class people," Hawley said over the weekend. Yet Hawley still supported the legislation, a sign of how intense the pressure is to deliver for Trump, who also is facing resistance from fiscal conservatives over projections the bill will increase the federal budget deficit by $3.3 trillion. Deficit hawks in the Senate ultimately caved and voted for the bill, and now attention turns to the House, where critics of the legislation's fiscal impact are being egged on by billionaire Elon Musk. "It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!"Musk wrote in a June 30 post on X. "Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people." Muskthreated primary challengesagainst GOP lawmakers who support the bill. Trump, meanwhile, is urging his party to fall in line and lashing out at dissenters such as Tillis and Rep. Thomas Massie, who voted against the legislation in the House. In the process, some lawmakers are bowing out. In addition to Tillis,Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate Nebraska Republican who has criticized Trump's megabill, announced he won't seek reelection. Losing lawmakers with bipartisan appeal could make it harder for the GOP to maintain their majorities. The North Carolina Senate race already was a toss up before Tillis resigned, noted University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato. It's even more competitive now, he said in a social media post. "Dems should send Trump a fruit basket of thanks,"Sabato said. Contributing: Sarah Wire This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump's big bill is a win. But it could also be a big problem for GOP

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July 01, 2025

Trump's big tax bill is a win. It could also be a big problem for GOP

Trump's big tax bill is a win. It could also be a big problem for GOP Sen. Thom Tillis was fed up, and took to the Senate floor to unloa...

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