South Florida Local News

Quick thoughts from South Florida Sun Sentinel staffers on the Miami Dolphins‘ selection of edge rusher Chop Robinson in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Chris Perkins, Dolphins Columnist

I like the selection of an edge rusher. This is a solid pick, but unspectacular. Chop Robinson is regarded as someone with a quick first step but his immediate impact remains a question. Still, Miami needed an edge rusher and it got one. No argument here.

David Furones, Dolphins Writer

Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has said edge defender is his favorite position — a bit of a shocking admission for the offensive whiz. But it proved true as the Dolphins went edge rusher first in the opening round in Chop Robinson, even as they have outside linebackers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb under contract but both rehabbing from serious injuries. Miami could’ve easily gone offensive line or selected the first cornerback in the draft, but even with the draft’s top three edge rushers — Laitau Latu, Dallas Turner and Jared Verse — taken, the Dolphins took the fourth player at that position.

Steve Svekis, Sports Senior Content Editor

The Dolphins desperately needed a pass-rush addition with neither Jaelan Phillips (ruptured Achilles on Nov. 24) nor Bradley Chubb (torn ACL on New Year’s Eve) likely to be at 100 percent until late in the season, if at all in 2024, and the team having lost Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency. This was the Dolphins’ most glaring hole, and it was addressed.

MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has said edge rusher is his favorite position in football, despite having an offensive background.

True to form then, the Dolphins selected Penn State edge defender Chop Robinson with the No. 21 pick in Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft.

“I’m honestly just blessed and happy to be a Dolphin,” Robinson said in a web conference call with reporters shortly after being picked, adding he had plenty of contact with the organization between the NFL scouting combine and his pro day.

It was the first time the Dolphins picked in the draft’s opening round in three years, the last being Jaelan Phillips, the former Miami Hurricane edge rusher who was the Dolphins’ selection with the No. 18 pick in 2021 after they picked wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at 6 that year. So, the last two first-round picks for the Miami Dolphins have now been pass rushers.

“He was a player that we kind of identified early that we liked,” general manager Chris Grier said late Thursday night. “He was someone that we felt could impact our team and had some traits we liked, both as a person and a player.

“He plays hard. He plays his ass off, and that’s what we like. And then, obviously, the athletic traits and what he has. You see a first-step quickness, the explosion, his ability to bend.”

Added McDaniel: “If you have a player contributing in pass rush, those are things that you feel very fortunate to not pass up. As passing games become more and more of a focus, those players are a really big part of the driving force of your defense.”

With Phillips (Achilles) and fellow outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (knee) rehabbing from season-ending injuries this offseason, Robinson gives Miami a security blanket at the position if either does not quite return to form or is delayed in recovery. He can also work into a pass-rushing rotation with Phillips, Chubb and veteran signing Shaquil Barrett when all are healthy.

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“I feel like that’s going to be a great situation for me,” said Robinson, who added he has never been to Miami before, “coming in and learning from those guys, competing every day, being able to take things from them and put it into my game.”

The Dolphins lost outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel in free agency to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, so there was already a void, and the team likely wanted to stock up on edge rushers after having so many injuries at the position last season.

Robinson, who is 6 foot 3, 254 pounds, was the draft’s fourth edge defender taken behind Laiatu Latu, Dallas Turner and Jared Verse. The Dolphins got the fifth defensive player selected in the draft, benefiting from the first 14 picks going to offense, with six of the first 12 being quarterbacks.

Robinson is an athletic, quick player at his size, running a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He had four sacks last season for the Nittany Lions and 5 1/2 in 2022.

“For us, it’s an important part, but we always talk about the ability to rush the passer,” Grier said about Robinson’s sack numbers that don’t exactly jump off the page. “Working the analytics, watching him, what he does, what he contributes … we think a lot of his traits and things he does on film translate.”

Robinson said he feels improving his hand placement will help him increase his sack numbers as a pro.

Putting together a high pressure rate, though, Robinson has drawn comparisons to another standout Penn State pass rusher, Micah Parsons, for his athleticism.

“Robinson might not be as fast as Parsons, but he’s close,” wrote NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein in a scouting report. “He’s ultra-twitchy with the explosiveness to get on top of blockers and overwhelm them in an instant. However, he will need to level up his hand skills and attack angles to reach his potential against NFL tackles. Robinson’s electric athletic traits alone should give him a floor as a good NFL starter.”

Last season, Robinson was carted off the field with an undisclosed injury from a helmet-to-helmet collision with an offensive lineman against Ohio State in October.

Robinson’s name, Chop, comes from the nickname “Pork Chop” because he was 11 pounds at birth. With a first name of Demeioun, the nickname was later shortened to “Chop.”

With the pick, Miami passed up the opportunity to take one of several offensive linemen available: Duke’s Graham Barton, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson or Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton among them. They also could have taken the first cornerback of the draft with an array of talented defensive backs on the board or Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton.

Grier said Miami was active on the phones seeking trades throughout the first round, including trying to get back into the opening round for another player.

“There were a couple players at the end we were excited for,” Grier said, “so we were active in trying to get back in to get another one here in the late first.”

The Dolphins enter Friday with a second-round pick, No. 55 overall, as Rounds 2 and 3 of the draft take place, with the fourth through seventh rounds Saturday. Miami is currently slated to be without a third-round pick Friday, one that was stripped from the team for its tampering violation penalty handed down in August 2022, along with a first-rounder last year.

1984: DL Stefan Humphries, Chicago Bears (71st selection, third round, Michigan)

1988: WR Michael Irvin, Dallas Cowboys (11th selection, first round, Miami)

1991: K Richie Andrews, Detroit Lions (151st selection, sixth round, Florida State)

1991: WR Slip Watkins, Detroit Lions (285th selection, 12th round, Louisiana State)

1993: DE Sterling Palmer, Washington (101st selection, fourth round, Florida State)

1997: LB Twan Russell, Washington (148th selection, fifth round, Miami)

1997: DB Daryl Porter, Pittsburgh Steelers (186th selection, sixth round, Boston College)

2006: S Nate Salley, Carolina Panthers (121st selection, fourth round, Ohio State)

2008: LB Tavares Gooden, Baltimore Ravens (71st selection, third round, Miami)

2010: S Major Wright, Chicago Bears (75th selection, third round, Florida)

2010: DT Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals (120th selection, fourth round, Georgia)

2010: T Sam Young, Dallas Cowboys (179th selection, sixth round, Notre Dame)

2011: WR Leonard Hankerson, Washington (79th selection, third round, Miami)

2011: T Marcus Gilbert, Pittsburgh Steelers (63rd selection, second round, Florida)

2012: S Christian Thompson, Baltimore Ravens (130th selection, fourth round, South Carolina State)

2012: T Andrew Datko, Green Bay Packers (241st selection, seventh round, Florida State)

2013: RB Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals (37th selection, second round, North Carolina)

2014: S Dezmen Southward, Atlanta Falcons (68th selection, third round, Wisconsin)

2014: OL Brandon Linder, Jacksonville Jaguars (93rd selection, third round, Miami)

2014: RB James White, New England Patriots (130th selection, fourth round, Wisconsin)

2014: DB Lamarcus Joyner, St. Louis Rams (41st selection, second round, Florida State)

2015: WR Phillip Dorsett, Indianapolis Colts (29th selection, first round, Miami)

2015: WR Rashad Greene, Jacksonville Jaguars (139th selection, fifth round, Florida State)

2015: OL Bobby Hart, New York Giants (226th pick, seventh round, Florida State)

2016: DE Joey Bosa, San Diego Chargers (Third selection, first round, Ohio State)

2016: QB Jake Rudock, Detroit Lions (191st selection, sixth round, Michigan)

2019: DE Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers (Second selection, first round, Ohio State)

2019: RB Jordan Scarlett, Carolina Panthers (154th selection, fifth round, Florida)

2020: CB Damon Arnette, Las Vegas Raiders (19th selection, first round, Ohio State)

2021: WR Elijah Moore, New York Jets (34 selection, second round, Ole Miss)

2021: CB Asante Samuel Jr., Los Angeles Chargers (47th selection, second round, Florida State)

2021: WR Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers (77th selection, third round, Tennessee)

2022: LB Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos (64th selection, second round, Oklahoma)

2023: G Tyler Steen, Philadelphia Eagles (65th selection, third round, Alabama)

2023: S Jordan Battle, Cincinnati Bengals (95th selection, third round, Alabama)

2024: EDGE Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings (17th selection, first round, Alabama)

About the time Boston fans began leaving quietly into the night with less than a minute left, the small smile of accomplishment began flickering on Miami Heat players. Tyler Herro, at the free-throw-line, offered a quick grin to Bam Adebayo, who offered one back before finishing their night’s work.

Caleb Martin, as the clock ticked toward zero, smiled at Jaime Jaquez Jr., before walking off the court by the stone faces of Boston Celtic players and the stunned looks of their fans.

What had they done in pulling off a 111-101 win in Game 2 of their playoff series? Was this a one-off kind of wonderful night that reversed a 20-point loss in Game 1 and rewarded their resolve?

Or was it a step toward something more surprising? Erik Spoelstra stood amid his players in the locker room afterward, as shown on TNT, and amid the talk of a “very productive” game and caution to rest up on Thursday planted the seed of something interesting.

“We understand, you know, that this is still a long series,’’ he said.

No one outside the Heat expected a long series. No one really thinks an injured, eighth-seeded Heat can pull off what would be the biggest playoff upset in NBA history by beating top-seeded Boston. It would be the greatest story ever dribbled.

The Heat start a rookie, a 20-year-old, an undrafted veteran who was out of a job when the Heat signed him and two mid-level, first-round picks who have three All-Star appearances combined (all three by Adebayo). Four of Boston’s five starters have played in multiple All-Star games.

You can make a sensible case that Boston is better in every area than the Heat except, strikingly, the coaching. This was another night that told you everything about Spoelstra.

“I’m going to give Coach Spo a lot of credit for giving those guys the confidence that they can win,’’ TNT’s Kenny Smith said.

Start there in explaining Game 2. The young Heat were run off the court from the start of Game 1 and lost by 20 points. So, Spoelstra not only had to emotionally help his players regroup but strategically give them something to believe in.

He did both by insisting they take the 3-point shots Boston was leaving open to them. “Take them and keep taking them,’’ as he said. And as TNT’s Smith said, “What player doesn’t like a coach to have confidence in you and tell you to take shots?”

The Heat shot more 3-pointers (43) than regular field goals (32) in Game 2. Somehow, they didn’t seem forced at all. Seven players made at last one. Every starter scored in double digits, even the 20-year-old, Nikola Jovic, who had 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Heat pitched a perfect game Wednesday in that regard, getting help from everyone, everywhere. Herro ran the offense much of the night had had 24 points and 14 assists. Adebayo hit shot after shot when Boston tried to draw close in the fourth quarter and finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

In so doing, Herro and Adebayo answered some nagging questions about their games. Next question: Can they do that again? And again?

Boston has the health advantage, the 64-win team advantage, the nine-point favorite advantage, the All-Star-talent advantage and. perhaps, the motivational advantage of the Heat having stolen their season last year in Game 7.

Or maybe that last one is a Heat an advantage? Has it planted the seed of doubt in Boston’s minds? Or maybe the Celtics are just in their own heads?

Jayson Tatum is Exhibit A. He felt the need to flop in an off-the-ball bump with the Heat’s Duncan Robinson in the third quarter. He got that call, but didn’t a couple of others and soon had lost the composure that defines great players in big games.

Tatum scored 28 points in Game 2. Sidekick Jaylen Brown had 33. But they combined for an insignificant nine points in the fourth quarter. Kristaps Porzingis, their big offseason addition, was 1 of 9 shooting.

A bad night at the office for Boston? Or did the Heat unmask a front-running fraud?

“Especially with that team, it’s never going to go how people expect it to go,’’ Tatum said afterward of the Heat.

Sounds like the scars of last season haven’t healed.

It’s still a long way from being the long series Spoelstra talked to his team about afterward. Game 3 will tell us more.

“You don’t realize the Heat culture they have there,’’ Shaquille O’Neal said on TNT.

Game 2 was a win for Heat culture, a testament to Spoelstra’s ways and the kind of surprise that’s the best part of sports. The question now is whether there’s more coming.

 

General Daily Insight for April 25, 2024

It’s easy to get overwhelmed. The sensitive Moon faces off with expansive Jupiter and shocking Uranus, making it difficult to reckon with change — whether it’s looming in the near future or weighing us down in the recent past. We can breathe a sigh of relief as communicative Mercury stations direct at 8:54 am EDT, eliminating confusion and easing communication. Finally, the Moon enters Sagittarius, taking us from a deep, sensitive emotionality to a more adventurous and bold inner voice. Rise above the turbulent emotions!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Overarching changes can make your ongoing journey feel unfamiliar in both exciting and frightening ways. Uncertainty is one of your main enemies today, so it’s crucial that you keep up a brave attitude and make an effort to understand your emotions. Do this before attempting to lead others, because nervous confusion will muddy the waters of authority. The more that you clearly communicate your vision to others, the more capable you’ll be of guiding everyone along the path to mutual success.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You might be rethinking recent changes that you’ve made to your life. Regardless of how resolute you were in the beginning, in the light of the present, you’re realizing that some tweaks need to be enacted. It’s possible that this isn’t what you wanted at all. This can be confusing, but look at it as a window to clarity that you couldn’t have seen until this moment. You still have time to begin the necessary edits, so listen to your heart and make them!

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

You may be unsure of how to feel about someone. Your feelings toward this peer might not be consistent — or perhaps it’s their actions that aren’t consistent. They’re a delight one moment, but the most irritating person you know in the next! Of course, you can’t entirely control anyone else’s behavior, but it is up to you to decide if they have a place in your life or not. If they can’t respect your boundaries, they may not continue the journey with you.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Abrupt changes in your community or friend group could throw you off course. You might not have expected someone in your life to have chosen so speedily or taken such a bold risk, but now that everything’s in motion, you’re forced to adapt to the shifting tide of their choices. The people involved may make this a difficult situation to navigate, and they’re probably paying close attention to how you react to the whole tangle. Think carefully before taking your next step.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Your feelings inside may be wildly different from your true emotions. You may be trying to spare someone’s feelings, so rather than spill your guts, you’re stuffing down any impassioned emotions that are coursing through your veins. Sometimes you have to be congratulatory when you don’t feel like it or pretend that you’re confident even when you’re down in the dumps. Moments like that aren’t easy. Do your best, but don’t beat yourself up about it if the truth shines through.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Healthy self-expression may not be your strong suit, Virgo. You might struggle admitting when you need a boost, as you probably prefer to be the person who’s providing the help rather than receiving it. Nevertheless, a little rain falls into everyone’s life — sometimes you simply have to share someone else’s umbrella. It’s not always easy to be the one reaching out for another’s hand, but odds are, you’ve supported people in the past and they’ll be glad to uplift you in return.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

You’re learning to express yourself with bold confidence. It might have been easier to let others speak over you or for you in the past, but nowadays, you’re realizing just how important it is to have a seat at the table where your voice will be heard. You’re not meant to sit back and let others shape the world while you sit back and listen! You have a valuable approach to life and more to offer than just a body filling a seat.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Someone in your life might not appreciate the new you. Regardless of how much you like yourself and the person you’re becoming, a friend or loved one could be too attached to the old you. Whoever you used to be is someone that should be honored and treasured, but isn’t a persona that you have to be forever. Give yourself the room that you need to evolve into the best version of yourself, and if they don’t like it, then that’s a them problem!

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

You may need to create more structure in your life. At present, you’re more likely to notice when a lack of structure is holding you back from achieving everything that you want to achieve. No matter how smart you are, if you aren’t consistent, it’ll be practically impossible to meet your goals. While you don’t have to get completely organized overnight, and you’ve probably taken some positive steps already, make an effort to line things up more reliably for the sake of your goals.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Risks that you’re taking could have an effect on the people around you. You might feel that it’s okay if you don’t get enough sleep at night or spend time with reckless people who chase adrenaline highs, but be careful. At this time, small gambles can add up to much bigger hazards before you know it! Be aware of what you’re bringing into your life. Check in with yourself and ask if continuously playing with this fire is worth the potential of getting burned.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Your head and your heart may have opposing opinions. Keep in mind the idea of a false dichotomy — if it seems like you have to pick between two bad options, there is almost always a third path or compromise that you could choose instead. Talk to others and see what they think, because decision paralysis is the last thing that you want to deal with at present. Be honest about what kind of a compromise would make both your mind and soul respond positively.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

It might be difficult to meet other people where they’re currently at. Remember — others can’t see everything the way that you do. While conflicting viewpoints are bound to arise sooner or later, the discussion about them can be civil. You’re strong enough to hold your opinion without condemning others, although some stances will be more of a struggle to empathize with. Try to open your heart to their viewpoint, but if they’re unwilling to do the same for you, re-evaluate the debate before continuing.

By BILL TROCCHI (Associated Press)

ATLANTA — Michael Harris II doubled home Ronald Acuña Jr. in the 10th inning and the Atlanta Braves edged the Miami Marlins 4-3 after blowing a two-run lead in the ninth Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.

The Marlins had tied it in the ninth with two runs off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, who blew his first save in eight chances this season, but saw their chances to take a lead with no outs quickly collapse.

Luis Arraez, Bryan De La Cruz and Jazz Chisholm Jr. all singled to load the bases. Braves first baseman Matt Olson committed a fielding error on Josh Bell’s grounder that allowed two runs to score and tied the game at 3. With Marlins then on second and third, however, Iglesias retired the next three batters to get out of the ninth.

A.J. Minter (4-1) struck out Chisholm with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 10th to earn the win for the Braves, who have won nine of their last 10.

“Every game is not going to be pretty,” Harris said. “I’m just glad our defense just gave us a chance to just need one run at the end. It was clutch of Minter to get those outs with runners on. (Austin) Riley made a nice play at third. Defense was great.”

Riley threw out Nick Gordon at the plate with one out in the 10th, and Orlando Arcia threw out Chisholm at home with one out in the ninth to preserve the 3-3 tie both times.

“You like the fight to battle back in the ninth against a really good closer and one of the best teams in the National League,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “It’s a tough loss. We’ve had a few of those this year. We had chances. We just couldn’t get the big hit.”

The Braves threatened in the ninth, but Acuña grounded into a double play with two men on to end the inning.

Tanner Scott (0-4) took the loss for the Marlins, who have been swept three times this season.

Braves starter Reynaldo López allowed one run and three hits in seven innings, walked two and struck out six. He has given up two runs in 25 innings for a 0.72 ERA in his first four starts with Atlanta.

“The greatest thing you can have in this sport is really strong starts and we’ve had a bunch of them lately,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He was really good again.”

Harris was 3 for 5 with a run scored and the winning RBI. Marcell Ozuna went 3 for 4 with two RBIs to give him an MLB-best 29.

Sixto Sánchez, starting for the first time since 2020, gave up three runs in 2 2/3 innings for the Marlins.

Jesús Sánchez snapped a 21-inning scoreless streak for the Marlins with a 430-foot home run off the roof of the Chop House in right field in the second inning.

Acuña opened the game for the Braves with a walk and stolen base, the eighth straight game he has reached base to lead off a game. He reached third on a single by Harris, then scored on a balk. Ozuna then singled home Harris for a 2-0 lead.

Ozuna knocked in Olson in the third with a single after Olson doubled to right. The hit snapped an 0-for-25 stretch for Olson.

UP NEXT

Marlins: LHP Jesús Luzardo (0-2, 6.58) will open a four-game series at home against Nationals RHP Trevor Williams (2-0, 2.91) on Friday.

BOSTON — Observations and other notes of interest from Monday night’s 111-101 NBA playoff victory over the Boston Celtics:

– No, it’s not as simple as Erik Spoelstra assembling his players at Tuesday’s practice and Wednesday morning’s shootaround at TD Garden and telling them to make 3-pointers.

– (Typically coaches do not demand, “Do not miss!”)

– But in this series, to be competitive while shorthanded, the Heat need to junk it up.

– Typically, that has the Heat trying to play in the mud, the type of slow-paced defensive grind that makes you wonder what else is on.

– This time, they recognized they had to win over the top.

– With over-the-top 3-point shooting.

– Or at least an over-the-top total of 3-point attempts.

– So they turned TD Garden into a launch pad.

– And injected life into the series.

– It’s almost as if it makes you want them to invite Glen Rice, Jason Kapono, Daequan Cook, James Jones and Ray Allen to Saturday’s Game 3 to throw up ceremonial pregame 3-pointers.

– OK, maybe not Ray Allen.

– That’s too complicated.

– But without Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier, it is the longball by necessity.

– So when it comes to Wednesday night’s approach — wash, rinse and repeat.

– Hope is located at the 3-point arc.

– For better or worse.

– The Heat again opened with Bam Adebayo, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Caleb Martin and Tyler Herro. Jovic had been on the injury report earlier in the day due to back spasms.

– Martin was booed on his first touch.

– The series clearly has its villain.

– And no 14-0 Celtics run to open this time.

– Instead the Heat took a 3-2 lead on a Jovic 3-pointer.

– Setting the tone for what would follow.

– Haywood Highsmith and Duncan Robinson entered together as the Heat’s first reserves.

– Delon Wright and Kevin Love later entered together, making it nine deep.

– Before the game, Spoelstra brushed off a media question about heightened intensity.

– “You guys always ask me about how I feel about the team,” he said. “It really comes down to your habits. And you just continue to work your habits. We have a bunch of competitors.”

– As the series transitions to Miami, Adebayo said it still is a series.

– “It’s first one to four,” he said. “You’ve got to have that mentality.”

– Spoelstra was asked pregame about how the playoffs could help in the development of Jovic and Jaquez.

– He said it was not the moment for that.

– “It’s a matter of contributing to winning right now,” he said. “They’ve put in the time, they’ve earned these opportunities. Now it’s about impacting winning against a very good team.”

– Both played well in this one.

– Of getting Herro going, Spoelstra said going in, “We need to get a little bit more intentional in our actions to try to shake him free. They’re a very good defense, so there is a balance.”

– They did just that.

– Spoelstra continues to stress that the Heat’s zone is not viewed internally as a panacea.

– “It’s not going to save us,” he said. “The offensive shooting ability they have and the guys that can bring two defenders in certain instances is always going to be there. So we have to scramble. We have to make those multiple efforts.”

– He added, “Schemes can’t save you.”

– Spoelstra also took time ahead of Game 2 to praise Celtics guard Derrick White.

– “He’s one of the most underrated players in the league, because he does it at both ends,” Spoelstra said. “He eats defensively, and offensively, very solid, efficient decision-maker. When the ball’s in his hands, he makes a lot of the right plays. But when he’s off the ball, he’ll make you pay if you’re not aware where he is.”

– As for Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, Spoelstra had similar praise.

–  “He really does it at both ends, because of the size, also at the rim defensively,” he said. “Offensively, he helps them spread the floor, and even if you’re there, he’s big enough to get his threes off, can post mismatches. Look, that’s the deal. You have to find a way to conquer these challenges within the game.”

– Wright said there is a certain reality to the series, “They’re a good team. Our room for error is not as high as theirs.”

– Robinson, on playing through his back issue, “At this point, it’s just all about trying to find solutions and put your best foot forward to try to compete and ultimately win.”

– Spoelstra addressed the Celtics’ 3-pointers after Boston’s shooting exhibition in Game 1.

– “We have to do a better job,” he said. “I mean, we’ve never been only-protect-the-paint-rim at all costs. This is more dynamic than you typically see, because of the number of guys that can hurt you from beyond the 3-point line.”

– Of his candidacy for Defensive Player of the Year, as one of the three finalists, Adebayo said, “You can put your center on anybody on the court, star player, role players, big men, whatever the case may be, I feel like that’s a luxury to have.”

– Herro extended his streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 36, dating to the regular season. Herro’s longest such streak is 53 combined regular-season and playoff games, a run that ended March 2, 2021.

BOSTON — The Miami Heat, at least this injury-depleted version of the Miami Heat, could not have asked for more, could not have scripted it better.

There were 3-pointers falling at a record pace, silky Bam Adebayo mid-range jumpers nestling through the net when relief points were needed, Tyler Herro sizzling as both set-up man and scorer, and a defense that reminded what Erik Spoelstra’s team can look like at its best.

And, through it all, still a fight to the finish.

Going against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum can have that effect.

So no humbling Game 2 rout in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference opening-round playoff series like the 20-point mauling the Celtics put on the Heat in Sunday’s series opener.

Instead, the Heat fighting their way to a 111-101 victory Wednesday night at TD Garden, finding a way even  amid the injury absences of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier.

“In the playoffs,” Heat forward Caleb Martin said, “it’s great to have a short-term memory.”

And even better to be able to keep the faith.

“For me and my team,” Adebayo said, “it’s like why lose faith now? A lot of people think we’re going to buy into that we can’t get it done. It’s different; our guys believe.”

So now No. 8 seed and No. 1 seed 1 tied 1-1, with the No. 8 seed stealing homecourt advantage.

“These series are potentially long and they’re tough,” Spoelstra said, “and you have to stay emotionally and mentally stable throughout all of it.”

While the Celtics got 33 points from Brown and 28 from Tatum, the Heat’s attack was more balanced. There were 24 points and a season-high 14 assists from Herro, 21 points and 10 rebounds from Adebayo, as well as 21 points from Martin, 14 from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and 11 from Nikola Jovic.

Of Adebayo, Spoelstra said, “He was great when we needed to be settled.”

The Heat closed 23 of 43 on 3-pointers, two conversions shy of the all-time NBA playoff record.

“We decided to come in and just let it fly,” Martin said.

The series now shifts to Kaseya Center for Saturday’s Game 3 and Monday’s Game 4, before now returning next Wednesday to TD Garden for a Game 5.

“They put together a good game plan for them and they feel confident,” Brown acknowledged afterward. “I just thought they made a lot of shots that we normally feel comfortable with.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Wednesday night’s playoff game:

1. Closing time: The Heat led 28-27 after the first quarter, with the Celtics then taking a 61-58 lead into halftime.

From there, the Heat pushed to a 12-point lead in the third quarter, before Boston closed within 85-79 going into the fourth.

Later, the Heat went up 102-91 with  4:12 left, before the Celtics drew within 102-96 with 3:16 to play, forcing a Heat timeout.

“Knowing them, they’re going to come back.” Spoelstra said of the Celtics’ late push.

A Martin 3-pointer and Herro driving layup followed for a 107-96 Heat lead, with the Heat holding on from there.

2. The long ball: The 3-point emphasis was clear for the Heat from the outset, with 15 of their first 19 attempts in the first quarter from beyond the arc.

That included a pair of 3-pointers apiece in the opening period from Jovic, Herro and Jaquez.

The Heat kept launching from there.

“In terms of the threes,” Spoelstra said, “you have to take them based on how they were playing us the first two games. That may change Game 3. There’s always going to be adjustments.”

The Heat then moved to 13 of 24 on 3-pointers at halftime, their high on 3-pointers in a half this season and most for a playoff half.

Through three quarters, the Heat were 19 of 33 from beyond the arc, at that stage one shy of their playoff single-game record.

“That always looks better when you make some shots,” Spoelstra said. “But those are the ones that were available.”

The Heat’s 20th 3-pointer also gave them the most by a Celtics opponent in the playoffs.

“Guys that we want shooting the ball was hitting them,”  Brown said “and we couldn’t get them to miss. We thought they were decent closeouts.”

3. The villain: After his hard foul against Tatum at the close of Game 1, Martin was jeered from his first touch.

He countered the noise by opening 4 of 5 on 3-pointers, evoking memories of what he did against the Celtics in last season’s Eastern Conference finals, when he finished as runner-up for MVP of that series to Butler.

“He’s the ultimate X-factor,” Spoelstra said of Martin. “He’s the X-factor of X-factors.”

Martin went 0 for 4 on 3-pointers in Game 1.

“I really knew I was going to come in and let it fly,” Martin said, “stop being passive and just play the game.”

4. Herro ball: Praised earlier in the day by Spoelstra for his playmaking, Herro played was artful and adept as the Heat’s primary ballhandler.

He was up to 18 points and eight assists going into the fourth quarter, a stage he also was 6 of 9 on 3-pointers.

“Obviously it’s a luxury to have a guy who can do both,” Adebayo said.

With Butler and Rozier out, it largely remains Herro or bust when it comes to shot creation for the Heat, be it for himself or for teammates.

“Just trying to make the right play, read the game, read the context of the game,” Herro said of Wednesday night’s playmaking.

5. The Jovic factor: The question of where the Heat first might find more 3-point shooting was somewhat answered early, with Jovic converting a pair of 3-pointers in the opening 2:30.

Jovic had been added to the injury report earlier in the day due to back spasms, but again was in the Heat starting lineup.

Jovic, who continually pushed the ball on bustout dribbles after defensive rebounds or Celtics turnovers, was up to 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists going into the fourth quarter.,

Jovic’s play largely kept Kevin Love out of the Heat rotation.

By JACQUES BILLEAUD, JONATHAN J. COOPER and JOSH KELETY (Associated Press)

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump ‘s chief of staff Mark Meadows, lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 16 others for their roles in an attempt to overturn Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

The indictment released Wednesday names 11 Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring that Trump won Arizona in 2020. They include the former state party chair, a 2022 U.S. Senate candidate and two sitting state lawmakers, who are charged with nine counts each of conspiracy, fraud and forgery.

The identities of seven other defendants, including Giuliani and Meadows, were not immediately released because they had not yet been served with the documents. They were readily identifiable based on descriptions of the defendants, however.

Trump himself was not charged but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator.

With the indictments, Arizona becomes the fourth state where allies of the former president have been charged with using false or unproven claims about voter fraud related to the election. Heading into a likely November rematch with Biden, Trump continues to spread lies about the last election that are echoed by many of his supporters.

“I will not allow American democracy to be undermined,” Democratic state Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a video released by her office. “It’s too important.”

The indictment alludes to Giuliani as an attorney “who was often identified as the Mayor” and spread false allegations of election fraud. Another defendant is referred to as Trump’s “ chief of staff in 2020,” which describes Meadows.

Descriptions of other unnamed defendants point to Mike Roman, who was Trump’s director of Election Day operations; John Eastman, a lawyer who devised a strategy to try to persuade Congress not to certify the election; and Christina Bobb, a lawyer who worked with Giuliani.

A lawyer for Eastman, Charles Burnham, said his client is innocent. Bobb did not respond to a text message seeking comment, nor did a lawyer who is representing Roman in a case in Georgia.

George Terwilliger, a lawyer representing Meadows, said he had not yet seen the indictment but if Meadows is named, “it is a blatantly political and politicized accusation and will be contested and defeated.” Giuliani’s political adviser, Ted Goodman, decried what he called “the continued weaponization of our justice system.”

The 11 people who had been nominated to be Arizona’s Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were “duly elected and qualified” electors and claiming that Trump carried the state. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored.

Biden won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes. Of the eight lawsuits that unsuccessfully challenged Biden’s victory in the state, one was filed by the 11 Republicans.

Their lawsuit asked a judge to de-certify the results that gave Biden his victory in Arizona and block the state from sending them to the Electoral College. In dismissing the case, U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa said the Republicans lacked legal standing, waited too long to bring their case and “failed to provide the court with factual support for their extraordinary claims.”

Days after that lawsuit was dismissed, the 11 participated in the certificate signing.

The Arizona charges come after a string of indictments against fake electors in other states.

In December, a Nevada grand jury indicted six Republicans on felony charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument in connection with false election certificates. They have pleaded not guilty.

Michigan’s Attorney General in July filed felony charges that included forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery against 16 Republican fake electors. One had charges dropped after reaching a cooperation deal, and the 15 remaining defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Three fake electors also have been charged in Georgia alongside Trump and others in a sweeping indictment accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally overturn the results. They have pleaded not guilty.

In Wisconsin, 10 Republicans who posed as electors settled a civil lawsuit, admitting their actions were part of an effort to overturn Biden’s victory. There is no known criminal investigation in Wisconsin.

Trump was indicted in August in federal court over efforts to cling to power after his defeat, including the fake electors scheme. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday will hear arguments on his claim in that case that he can’t be prosecuted for acts he committed while serving as president.

In early January, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said that state’s five Republican electors cannot be prosecuted under the current law. In New Mexico and Pennsylvania, fake electors added a caveat saying the election certificate was submitted in case they were later recognized as duly elected, qualified electors. No charges have been filed in Pennsylvania.

In Arizona, Mayes’ predecessor, Republican Mark Brnovich, conducted an investigation of the 2020 election, but the fake elector allegations were not part of that examination, according to Mayes’ office.

The so-called fake electors facing charges are Kelli Ward, the state GOP’s chair from 2019 until early 2023; state Sen. Jake Hoffman; Tyler Bowyer, an executive of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA who serves on the Republican National Committee; state Sen. Anthony Kern, who was photographed in restricted areas outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack and is now a candidate in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District; Greg Safsten, a former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party; energy industry executive James Lamon, who lost a 2022 Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat; Robert Montgomery, chairman of the Cochise County Republican Committee in 2020; Samuel Moorhead, a Republican precinct committee member in Gila County; Nancy Cottle, who in 2020 was the first vice president of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women; Loraine Pellegrino, past president of the Ahwatukee Republican Women; and Michael Ward, an osteopathic physician who is married to Kelli Ward.

In a statement, Hoffman accused Mayes of weaponizing the attorney general’s office in bringing the case but didn’t directly comment on the indictment’s allegations.

“Let me be unequivocal, I am innocent of any crime, I will vigorously defend myself, and I look forward to the day when I am vindicated of this naked political persecution by the judicial process,” Hoffman said.

None of the others responded to either phone, email or social media messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

___

Associated Press writers Gabe Stern and Scott Sonner in Las Vegas, Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

Joseph Wilkinson | New York Daily News

Hamas released Wednesday a propaganda/proof of life video of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

The 24-year-old was one of the hundreds of people taken hostage in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. He’s one of 133 hostages remaining in Gaza, though dozens of them are believed to be dead.

In the heavily edited video, which is also clearly scripted, Goldberg-Polin criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

“Think of us detainees in underground hell, without water, food or sun, without the treatment I (have needed) for so long,” Goldberg-Polin says.

At the end of the video, he directly addresses his family and tells them he loves them.

The video is not dated, but Goldberg-Polin notes the beginning of Passover on Monday and mentions being held by Hamas for “almost 200 days.” Wednesday marked exactly the 200th day since the Hamas attack.

Hamas has released hostage videos in the past, including one of French-Israeli woman Mia Schem less than two weeks after the assault. Schem, 21, was one of the 105 hostages freed during a temporary ceasefire in November.

Of the 133 hostages still held by Hamas, Israel believes 97 are still alive. The country considers all unreturned people to be hostages, whether alive or dead.

Goldberg-Polin was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and also lived in Richmond, Va., before moving to Israel with his family when he was in elementary school. He was attending the Re’im music festival in southern Israel when Hamas attacked the event.

During the assault, Goldberg-Polin and others gathered in a bunker. Hamas fighters threw grenades into the bunker, and part of Goldberg-Polin’s left arm was blown off in the explosion.

While Goldberg-Polin has been held captive by Hamas, his mother, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, has become a leading voice calling for the hostages’ release. In November, she met with Pope Francis, and last week Time magazine named her one of the world’s 100 Most Influential People.

“It’s as if it’s Oct. 8” in Israel, she told the magazine. “It cannot move forward. The country is in such reeling.”

“I cannot digest that Passover is next week,” she continued. “It’s actually perverse to even start to think about the holiday of freedom from captivity. I just said today, and I was not kidding, ‘Is there a way, could I find any doctor that could put me in an induced coma for the week?’ Like, I don’t want to be conscious. It will be so acutely painful.”

_____

©2024 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Running off at the typewriter …

Back in 2017, the college football establishment — including many of my FSU buddies — got a big laugh out of UCF self-proclaiming its undefeated football team as national champions and even handing out national-title rings to drive home the point. Now it’s UCF fans who are laughing at FSU after the Seminoles recently unveiled ACC championship rings that are inscribed with “Unconquered” and “13-0.”

The problem is that FSU was neither 13-0 nor unconquered. The Seminoles got thrashed 63-3 by Georgia in the Orange Bowl in the most lopsided bowl loss in college football history.

Don’t get me wrong, I wrote at the time that the Seminoles got robbed by the College Football Playoff Committee back in December when they became the only undefeated Power 5 conference champion in history to be left out of the playoff. And, yes, the Orange Bowl was a meaningless afterthought because quarterback Jordan Travis was injured and most of FSU’s star players had opted out of the game.

However, the Orange Bowl was still played and you just can’t conveniently omit the result.

In fact, you could say that UCF’s 2017 national championship claim is  more legit than FSU’s 13-0 claim. History will always reflect that FSU’s record last season was 13-1, but the NCAA record book does actually recognize two national champions for the  2017 season — Alabama (based on its victory in the College Football Playoff title game) and UCF (based on its No. 1 final ranking in the NCAA-recognized Colley’s Bias Free Matrix Rankings).

In hindsight, the Seminoles should have made a statement by refusing to play in the Orange Bowl. It would have saved them the embarrassment of getting throttled by Georgia and it would have made the inscription on their championship rings resonate and stand up to scrutiny. …

Short stuff: If the Orlando Magic keep shooting this horribly in their series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team is going to have to change its playoff mantra from “Everybody In” to “Nothing’s Going In.” … Since Reggie Bush is getting his Heisman Trophy back because paying players is now allowed, shouldn’t the Gators get their 1984 and 1990 SEC titles back as well? Just sayin’.  … For all those NFL fans who are giddy about their team taking a quarterback in Thursday’s QB-heavy draft, just remember that only one of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2021 draft remains with his original team — and that’s Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, who was picked No. 1 overall and hasn’t exactly been great. The other four — Zach Wilson (No. 2 pick), Trey Lance (No. 3), Justin Fields (No. 11) and Mac Jones (No. 15) — all have been traded. … Did you see where Jim Harbaugh got a “15-0” tattoo on his arm to commemorate the Michigan Wolverines’ undefeated record and national title? He should have gotten a tattoo of designated sign-stealer Connor Stalions wearing a Groucho Marx disguise while looking through a pair of high-powered binoculars! …

With Caitlin Clark being drafted by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and her rookie salary of $76,536 being widely reported in the national media, there has been the requisite amount of indignation from those who don’t know any better. Whoopi Goldberg railed on The View that women athletes “have the headlines, they have the fans, they have the viewers. When the hell are they going to get paid?” Tweeted President Biden in regard to Clark: “Women are not paid their fair share.” The main complaint, of course, is that WNBA players don’t make a fraction of what NBA players make. Why? Here’s a quick economics lesson: The NBA generated $10.6 billion last season and made a $3 billion profit. The WNBA generates $60 million and relies on funding from the NBA to stay financially afloat. In a perfect world, yes, WNBA players would make as much per game as NBA players, but the WNBA has to start creating more interest and making more money for that to happen. Hopefully, Caitlin Clark can further that process. As for those worried about Clark being underpaid, she just signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Nike. I think she’s gonna be just fine. …

And while we’re on the subject of salaries for female athletes, shouldn’t Whoopi and President Biden also go to bat for Nelly Korda, who just became the third LPGA golfer in history to win five times in a row? Korda won a combined $2.4 million for winning those five tournaments while Scottie Scheffler made $16.25 million for winning four of his last five men’s golf tournaments. If you’re scoring at home, Scheffler has made more than twice as much money in his last five tournaments than Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus combined to make during their entire PGA Tour careers. … As if he were dealing with a bad marriage, a Tallahassee judge has ordered FSU and the ACC to try to settle their issues through mediation. Coming soon: ACC accuses FSU of infidelity (having an affair with the SEC) while FSU argues that it should not have to pay child support to Wake Forest, Boston College and Syracuse. … Question: When is Whoopi Goldberg going to rail against MLS players making five times less money than English Premier League players? … Tweet of the Week comes from former NFL player Ross Tucker, who lampooned the ridiculousness of the NFL media speculation heading into the draft: “BREAKING: Just found out there’s a team open to trading down YET looking to trade up BUT don’t be surprised if they just stand pat and make a pick.” … My state of Florida mock draft: Jaguars, with the 17th pick, take Terrion Arnold (CB, Alabama); Dolphins, with the 21st pick, take Graham Barton (OL, Duke); Buccaneers, with the 26th pick, take Brian Thomas Jr. (WR, LSU). …

Last word: From William “Refrigerator” Perry, on NFL Draft Day in 1985: “I’ve been big ever since I was little.”

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

 

A two-year investigation of a gang that has operated in Riviera Beach for more than two decades culminated in 12 of its members facing racketeering charges, law enforcement officials said, several who are already in state or federal custody on other charges.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office announced at a news conference Tuesday the charges against members of the Broadmoor Gang that came of the investigation dubbed “Operation U.” The gang was named after a U-shaped apartment complex by the same name in Riviera Beach, giving investigators the name of the operation, Violent Crimes Division Capt. Laurence Poston said.

Members of the gang have been committing “a laundry list of crimes” in the county and surrounding areas, Poston said, ranging from murder and conspiracy to commit murder to aggravated assaults on law enforcement to burglaries, firearm violations and others.

One of the 12 people facing charges is Kemarcio Mitchell, 29, of Riviera Beach, who is currently facing a separate federal charge in connection with the February shooting at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens.

“These guys were very violent, very prolific and would stop at nothing to further their gang’s initiatives,” Poston said.

Among the others accused of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering are:

• Xavier Baa, 25, of Mangonia Park.
• Zaquan Baa, 22, of West Palm Beach.
• Cynthia Bristol, 34, of West Palm Beach.
• Devonte Durden, 30, of Riviera Beach.
• Jerome Fields, 30, of Riviera Beach.
• Jaylon Griffin, 29, of West Palm Beach.
• Lawrence Hardwick, 34, of Riviera Beach.
• Deshawn Houston, 34, of Lake Park.
• Kevin Monroe, 33, of West Palm Beach.
• Anthony Thurston, 37, of Riviera Beach.

One person who will face the same charges has yet to be arrested, and Sheriff’s Office officials did not publicly identify the person Tuesday.

Twelve people who the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said were members of a gang in Riviera Beach are facing charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

The investigation began in 2022 after a string of shootings and murders tied to the gang throughout the county after the leader of the gang, Monroe, told members to “go out and eradicate and take out their rivals,” Poston said.

The gang has continually operated in Palm Beach County since at least 2012, but members have been meeting up in various parts of Riviera Beach since 2004, according to a probable cause affidavit. People rose in the ranks as their criminal records and arrests increased, and the group has associated itself with national gangs, the affidavit said.

The gang mostly operates in Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach and unincorporated areas of the county. Its members and associates also created a company called “UUE,” or Up Under ‘Em, which sells pure-bred pitbulls, according to the affidavit.

The men and women accused of the racketeering charges have been arrested in recent years for a range of offenses, including drug- and weapon-related charges, fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, resisting officers without violence, robbery and burglary with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm and others. The affidavit alleges their previous offenses were “a pattern of racketeering activity” done in “furtherance” of the gang.

Xavier Baa, Zaquan Baa, Fields and Hardwick were arrested on Monday and booked into the jail.

Bristol, Houston, Monroe, and Thurston are currently in state prisons, Florida Department of Corrections records show. It was not clear Wednesday afternoon who the three currently in federal custody are.

Luther Campbell, the rap artist, coach and civic activist, has filed paperwork setting up a campaign to challenge Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in the Democratic primary.

He hadn’t made a formal announcement as of Wednesday afternoon. But he filed a document dated Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission establishing the Luther Luke Campbell for Congress campaign organization.

He has until noon Friday to qualify for the Aug. 20 primary ballot. Cherfilus-McCormick qualified for the ballot earlier this week.

The two will compete in the Broward-Palm Beach County 20th Congressional District in what promises to be a contentious, attention-grabbing contest over the next four months.

As he’s made the rounds testing the waters for his candidacy, Campbell has been sharply critical of the incumbent on social media. At one point, he asked, “what the (heck) has this lady done” — using an expletive instead of heck.

Cherfilus-McCormick, who was previously CEO of a home health care agency, has spent heavily from her own pocket when she faced tough campaigns. She was first elected in a January 2022 special election, and is serving in her third year in Congress.

Neither Campbell nor Cherfilus-McCormick immediately responded to a request for comment.

Campbell had promised a decision would come on Wednesday, but as of late afternoon none of his multiple social media accounts said anything about his running.

The website Florida Politics, which first reported Campbell’s federal filing reported that “sources close to Campbell said his mind is still not made up yet about running, largely because of concerns about financial disclosures related to his music career.”

Voter records show neither Campbell nor Cherfilus-McCormick live in Florida’s 20th District. Both are registered to vote in Miramar — in the district represented by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston.

Members of Congress are required to be residents of the state they’re representing or seek to represent, but aren’t required to live in the district.

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Campbell, 63, is known as Luke Skyywalker and later Uncle Luke from his career as a rap artist. As the leader of 2 Live Crew, he was acquitted by a Broward County jury of obscenity charges for an appearance in Hollywood decades ago. A federal judge in South Florida declared the lyrics of its platinum-selling album “Nasty As They Wanna Be” were obscene, a ruling eventually overturned by an appeals court.

He has since become a youth and school coach, and a political activist. In 2011, he unsuccessfully ran for Miami-Dade mayor.

Cherfilus-McCormick, 45, is the only Haitian American member of Congress and has been outspoken on policies aimed at resolving the nation’s turmoil. She most recently was strongly critical of the Biden administration’s decision to resume deportation flights to Haiti amid the gang-fueled violence in the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince.

Campbell’s brother, Stanley, will also be on the ballot in August. He qualified this week as a candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate. He’ll face former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and at least two other candidates for the nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.

The 20th Congressional District is one of the most heavily Democratic in the nation, virtually guaranteeing that the primary winner will win the November general election. The district takes in most of the African American and Caribbean American communities in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Post.news.

General Daily Insight for April 24, 2024

Create stability by beating chaos. When the emotional Moon experiences discomfort with intellectual Mercury, expressing ourselves will be more complicated than normal. We’re in danger of reading too much or too little into what other people are saying. Later on, the Moon harmonizes with dedicated Saturn at 6:52 pm EDT, enabling us to be more self-reliant and self-disciplined. This creates a stable state of mind where we can emotionally develop, even if we can’t express what we’re going through. We can do it!

Aries

March 21 – April 19

How you see yourself can get jumbled up with fear. It may be difficult to figure out the way forward at this time, especially if you have important information that anxiety is stopping you from sharing. Study any sense of confusion that arises in the clash of any harsh words or long-standing grudges from others against your knowledge of your true self. Don’t let naysayers tell you who you are, even if it means that you must stand alone in this moment.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You might not know how you feel today. Someone could be asking you to make a decision quickly or give them an answer on something they say is urgent. Unfortunately for them, you just may not have a full response prepped yet. You don’t exist on their timeline — you exist on your own. Whether it’s convenient for them or not, you’ve got to move at your own pace. Rushing for the sake of others will not serve your highest good at the moment.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

You may notice that other people are reading too much into what you’re saying. They might be doing this out of sincere ignorance, but they could also be purposefully misreading you in a form of weaponized incompetence — they probably want you to assimilate to their way of doing things or quiet down altogether. Don’t hesitate to fight for how you feel! People who aren’t in your corner shouldn’t dictate your future. You can depend on yourself to complete the necessary work.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

What you mean and how you’re seen might currently be two different things. You’re meant to speak with intention, so be wary of saying too much or too little. Small gestures can make a huge difference in how others see you, and you need to take charge of the narrative. If you say too much, they may flip things you’ve said for their own agenda — too little, and they could start drama regarding your silence. Be genuine by saying only what’s true.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Peers may appreciate a window into your current feelings. Even if you generally prefer to protect your heart with a Lion’s ferocity, you’re likely someone who is truly sensitive beneath it all. At any moment, someone could catch a glimpse of your emotional core before you’re able to cover it back up. Don’t feel as though you have to be a robot in order to be respected — let your emotions flow. Just make sure that you don’t wallow in them for too long.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Relying on someone else too much could come back to bite you without warning. It’s wonderful to have a business partner, dependable pal, or love interest, but watch out — when the scales start to tip too much, the other person might become resentful of the imbalance. It could be that you’re the one who’s giving too much while the other takes incessantly. Either way, you should remedy this quickly. The more even any relationship is, the better the outcome is likely to be.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Relationships can be hard for you to navigate at the moment. Even if you normally finish each other’s sentences, your regular conversations may feel strange, as though you hardly know this person. Opposingly, it’s possible that you’re the one who isn’t quite acting like your usual self. It’s important to make sure you’re talking about your feelings, because keeping everything inside can lead to stress felt by both parties. Silence isn’t the answer.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

You may wonder if getting your feelings off of your chest would actually be worth it. Someone could be encouraging you to open up, but you’re unsure if they simply crave gossip or if you can genuinely trust them with your deepest emotions. Make an effort to explain yourself in a way that will strengthen your connection without giving everything away — you can always share the details later. If they press you, consider telling a journal or an already trusted friend instead.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

You might be reading too much into what other people are saying. There’s a strong chance that your mind is exaggerating things, so be wary of causing misunderstandings and miscommunication between you and the people that you care about. It’s important to have a sense of self-reliance and avoid depending on someone else for everything, but if you need help, then you’re allowed to ask for it. Try not to force loved ones to read your mind — just ask them for what you need.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Family might not understand your dreams. You could be trying to show them your vision for your life, but instead of hyping you up, you have to fend off tons of pointed questions or overbearing instructions that may not be relevant to your future. Instead of trying to get away from your family to avoid them and their concerns, look for the kernels of truth in their words. You could also gently remind them that you can only handle so much advice at once.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You can express yourself in a very public way today. It’s possible that you’ve been keeping something inside for a long time and you’re finally ready to tell the world, or someone may be speaking falsehoods about you in a way that forces you to clear your name in order to move forward. It can be difficult to tell hard truths about yourself or your life and your journey, but others should be more respectful and helpful once you share what you’re really going through.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Security may not come as easily as it used to. You may have once had strong job security or friendly connections, or maybe you overcame something smaller, like a shifting schedule at work or a past physical insecurity. Either way, when faced with a lack of belonging in the places where you want to spend time, giving up may sound like the least painful option. Keep going, Pisces! As long as you respect the local culture, you can build a place for yourself anywhere.

By TIM REYNOLDS

SUNRISE — Sergei Bobrovsky stopped a shot with his mask, then made a diving, no-look save that they’ll remember in Florida for a long time.

And Carter Verhaeghe made sure his goalie’s highlight-reel work came in a win.

Verhaeghe — making some history of his own — lifted a backhander just under the crossbar 2:59 into overtime, and the Florida Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Tuesday night for a 2-0 lead in their NHL first-round playoff series.

“It just takes one shot in these moments,” Verhaeghe said.

He knows that better than most. Verhaeghe became the sixth player in NHL history with at least five overtime gamewinners. This one came on a play where Matthew Tkachuk got the puck to Anton Lundell — who found Verhaeghe. He waited for Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to commit, then put the puck over him to end it.

Sam Bennett, who left with an injury in the second period when he appeared to get hit by teammate Brandon Montour’s slap shot, and Vladimir Tarasenko scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots, including some highlight-reel saves.

Braden Point and Steven Stamkos scored for Tampa Bay, which got two assists from Victor Hedman. Vasilevskiy stopped 34 shots.

“Both goalies made some amazing saves,” Stamkos said. “Game could have ended a lot earlier, probably.”

Bobrovsky had two wild saves in the second period — one off his mask, the other a no-look dive that he got basically with his back to the play to deny Lightning defenseman Matt Dumba and preserve what was then a 2-2 tie.

And it stayed that way, all the way until the sudden end.

“It’s a big, big win for us,” Bobrovsky said.

It was 2-0 Florida after one, with Bennett scoring at 6:16 — the Lightning unsuccessfully challenged that goal for goaltender interference — and Tarasenko connecting nearly nine minutes later. The Panthers controlled the opening 15 minutes, just like they did in Game 1, outshooting the Lightning 12-1 and the two-goal lead held up going into the second period.

That’s when the Lightning — who boast a roster loaded with Stanley Cup hoisters — showed their postseason poise.

“Unfortunately for us, we’re finding ourselves behind in both games,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “It’s a tough league to come back in, especially in the playoffs.

Point scored 48 seconds into the second to cut the lead in half. Stamkos — who was an inch away from a power-play tally in the opening period — got one at 5:48 of the second to tie the game. It was his patented one-timer, just like the one he took a period earlier that got past Bobrovsky’s glove but hit the goalpost with such force that the rebound skipped all the way out of the zone.

So, Florida had lost two things — the lead, and Bennett. He left early in the second period, seeming to hold his wrist, and went directly toward the Panthers’ locker room as soon as he got off the ice. He did not return, with the Panthers calling it an upper-body injury.

But the Panthers found a way to take a 2-0 lead, after going 2-8 in their two previous playoff series with their in-state rivals — who now head home needing to protect home ice.

“There’s a ton of resiliency in that group,” Cooper said.

UP NEXT

Game 3 is Thursday in Tampa.

By HALELUYA HADERO (AP Business Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that’s expected to face legal challenges and disrupt the lives of content creators who rely on the short-form video app for income.

The TikTok legislation was included as part of a larger $95 billion package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel and was passed 79-18. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said in a statement immediately after passage that he will sign it Wednesday.

A decision made by House Republicans last week to attach the TikTok bill to the high-priority package helped expedite its passage in Congress and came after negotiations with the Senate, where an earlier version of the bill had stalled. That version had given TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, six months to divest its stakes in the platform. But it drew skepticism from some key lawmakers concerned it was too short of a window for a complex deal that could be worth tens of billions of dollars.

The revised legislation extends the deadline, giving ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok, and a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress. The bill would also bar the company from controlling TikTok’s secret sauce: the algorithm that feeds users videos based on their interests and has made the platform a trendsetting phenomenon.

TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday night.

The passage of the legislation is a culmination of long-held bipartisan fears in Washington over Chinese threats and the ownership of TikTok, which is used by 170 million Americans. For years, lawmakers and administration officials have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok.

“Congress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok or any other individual company,” Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said. “Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.”

Opponents of the bill say the Chinese government could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through commercial data brokers that traffic in personal information. The foreign aid package includes a provision that makes it illegal for data brokers to sell or rent “personally identifiable sensitive data” to North Korea, China, Russia, Iran or entities in those countries. But it has encountered some pushback, including from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the language is written too broadly and could sweep in journalists and others who publish personal information.

Many opponents of the TikTok measure argue the best way to protect U.S. consumers is through implementing a comprehensive federal data privacy law that targets all companies regardless of their origin. They also note the U.S. has not provided public evidence that shows TikTok sharing U.S. user information with Chinese authorities, or that Chinese officials have ever tinkered with its algorithm.

“Banning TikTok would be an extraordinary step that requires extraordinary justification,” said Becca Branum, a deputy director at the Washington-based Center for Democracy & Technology, which advocates for digital rights. “Extending the divestiture deadline neither justifies the urgency of the threat to the public nor addresses the legislation’s fundamental constitutional flaws.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat who voted for the legislation, said he has concerns about TikTok, but he’s also worried the bill could have negative effects on free speech, doesn’t do enough to protect consumer privacy and could potentially be abused by a future administration to violate First Amendment rights.

“I plan to watchdog how this legislation is implemented,” Wyden said in a statement.

China has previously said it would oppose a forced sale of TikTok, and has signaled its opposition this time around. TikTok, which has long denied it’s a security threat, is also preparing a lawsuit to block the legislation.

“At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge,” Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, wrote in a memo sent to employees on Saturday and obtained by The Associated Press.

“This is the beginning, not the end of this long process,” Beckerman wrote.

The company has seen some success with court challenges in the past, but it has never sought to prevent federal legislation from going into effect.

In November, a federal judge blocked a Montana law that would ban TikTok use across the state after the company and five content creators who use the platform sued. Three years before that, federal courts blocked an executive order issued by then-President Donald Trump to ban TikTok after the company sued on the grounds that the order violated free speech and due process rights.

The Trump administration then brokered a deal that had U.S. corporations Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok. But the sale never went through.

Trump, who is running for president again this year, now says he opposes the potential ban.

Since then, TikTok has been in negotiations about its future with the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a little-known government agency tasked with investigating corporate deals for national security concerns.

On Sunday, Erich Andersen, a top attorney for ByteDance who led talks with the U.S. government for years, told his team that he was stepping down from his role.

“As I started to reflect some months ago on the stresses of the last few years and the new generation of challenges that lie ahead, I decided that the time was right to pass the baton to a new leader,” Andersen wrote in an internal memo that was obtained by the AP. He said the decision to step down was entirely his and was decided months ago in a discussion with the company’s senior leaders.

Meanwhile, TikTok content creators who rely on the app have been trying to make their voices heard. Earlier Tuesday, some creators congregated in front the Capitol building to speak out against the bill and carry signs that read “I’m 1 of the 170 million Americans on TikTok,” among other things.

Tiffany Cianci, a content creator who has more than 140,000 followers on the platform and had encouraged people to show up, said she spent Monday night picking up creators from airports in the D.C. area. Some came from as far as Nevada and California. Others drove overnight from South Carolina or took a bus from upstate New York.

Cianci says she believes TikTok is the safest platform for users right now because of Project Texas, TikTok’s $1.5 billion mitigation plan to store U.S. user data on servers owned and maintained by the tech giant Oracle.

“If our data is not safe on TikTok,” she said. “I would ask why the president is on TikTok.”

__

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt O’Brien contributed to this report.

By PAUL NEWBERRY

ATLANTA — Max Fried pitched a three-hitter for Atlanta’s first nine-inning complete game since 2022, Adam Duvall had a two-run homer and and the Atlanta Braves blanked the Miami Marlins for the second night in a row, 5-0 on Tuesday.

After a rough start to the season, Fried (2-0) looks like himself again. It took just 1 hour, 54 minutes for the left-hander to mow down the hapless Marlins, who were shut out for the second night in a row by the Braves and have gone 20 innings without a run.

“I was just trying to get back to being who I am,” Fried said. “Get ground balls, be on the attack.”

Fried retired only two hitters in his first start of the season, giving up three runs at Philadelphia before he was lifted, and surrendered 10 hits and seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his next appearance vs. Arizona.

Since then, the left-hander has beaten the Marlins twice, giving up just one earned run in 15 1/3 innings, and lowered his ERA to 4.97 after it stood at 40.50 after his first outing.

“I was looking in the seventh inning and his pitch count was where it should be in the fifth,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I had a good feeling he could go nine.”

Fried was so dominant the Braves didn’t have anyone in the bullpen even bother warming up — a far cry from the workload he put on the relievers in his first two starts.

“I had to pay them back,” Fried said.

The left-hander used his slider more than he had all season, conceding that “it’s a really good pitch that I had forgotten about a little bit.” The strategy worked to near-perfection as he needed only 92 pitches — 69 of them strikes — to dispatch the free-swinging Marlins.

Fried fanned six and didn’t walk anyone in the major leagues’ fourth complete game this season.

Fried had Atlanta’s previous complete game last April 28 against the Mets, but that one lasted only five innings before it was called because of rain. The last Braves starter to go the full nine innings was Bryce Elder in an 8-0 victory over Washington on Sept. 26, 2022.

The Marlins remained 0-for-Atlanta after getting blanked 3-0 in the series opener Monday. With a week still to go in April, Miami is already 11 1/2 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

Emmanuel Rivera singled for the Marlins leading off the third but was quickly erased by a double play. Bryan De La Cruz reached on an error by third baseman Austin Riley, but he too was wiped off the base paths by a double play.

Luis Arráez had a pair of singles to account for Miami’s other baserunners.

Duvall hit his second homer of the season in the sixth, capping a three-run inning that stretched Atlanta’s lead off Trevor Rogers (0-3).

Riley used a nifty, head-first slide to score on Travis d’Arnaud’s sacrifice fly before Duvall golfed a low pitch from Rogers over the Marlins bullpen in left field.

The Braves scored a pair of unearned runs in the second.

With Marcell Ozuna at first after a walk, Duvall hit an easy grounder to third baseman Otto Lopez, who was so focused on turning a double play that he bobbled the ball twice before firing late to first.

Michael Harris II brought home Ozuna with a double down the right-field line and David Fletcher, filling in for injured Ozzie Albies, drove one deep enough to score Duvall on a sacrifice fly.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: LHP Josh Simpson was having surgery to repair the ulnar nerve in his elbow. He was recently transferred to the 60-day injured list and is expected to miss at least three months.

Braves: Riley was hit on the left arm by a pitch in the seventh inning and hopped around in a bit of pain, but he was able to stay in the game. … Albies (fractured toe) should be ready to come off the injured list when he’s eligible Friday, manager Brian Snitker confirmed, just in time for a weekend series against the first-place Cleveland Guardians.

UP NEXT

RH Reynaldo López (2-0, 0.50 ERA) looks to keep up his strong start with the Braves when he faces the Marlins on Wednesday. Signed as a free agent and converted back into a starter, Lopez has allowed just one earned run and 11 hits over his first three appearances for Atlanta, with 18 strikeouts in 18 innings. RH Sixto Sánchez (0-1, 6.14) gets the nod for the Marlins, making his first start of the season after seven relief appearances.

By EDITH M. LEDERER (Associated Press)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations called Tuesday for “a clear, transparent and credible investigation” of mass graves uncovered at two major hospitals in war-torn Gaza that were raided by Israeli troops.

Credible investigators must have access to the sites, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, and added that more journalists need to be able to work safely in Gaza to report on the facts.

Earlier Tuesday, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said he was “horrified” by the destruction of the Shifa medical center in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis as well as the reported discovery of mass graves in and around the facilities after the Israelis left.

He called for independent and transparent investigations into the deaths, saying that “given the prevailing climate of impunity, this should include international investigators.”

“Hospitals are entitled to very special protection under international humanitarian law,” Türk said. “And the intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are ‘hors de combat’ (incapable of engaging in combat) is a war crime.”

U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel on Tuesday called the reports of mass graves at the hospitals “incredibly troubling” and said U.S. officials have asked the Israeli government for information.

The Israeli military said its forces exhumed bodies that Palestinians had buried earlier as part of its search for the remains of hostages captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. The military said bodies were examined in a respectful manner and those not belonging to Israeli hostages were returned to their place.

The Israeli military says it killed or detained hundreds of terrorists who had taken shelter inside the two hospital complexes, claims that could not be independently verified. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., Canada, and EU.

The Palestinian civil defense in the Gaza Strip said Monday that it had uncovered 283 bodies from a temporary burial ground inside the main hospital in Khan Younis that was built when Israeli forces were besieging the facility last month. At the time, people were not able to bury the dead in a cemetery and dug graves in the hospital yard, the group said.

The civil defense said some of the bodies were of people killed during the hospital siege. Others were killed when Israeli forces raided the hospital.

Palestinian health officials say the hospital raids have destroyed Gaza’s health sector as it tries to cope with the mounting toll from over six months of war.

The issue of who could or should conduct an investigation remains in question.

For the United Nations to conduct an investigation, one of its major bodies would have to authorize it, Dujarric said.

“I think it’s not for anyone to prejudge the results or who would do it,” he said. “I think it needs to be an investigation where there is access and there is credibility.”

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, said after visiting Israel and the West Bank in December that a probe by the court into possible crimes by Hamas fighters and Israeli forces “is a priority for my office.”

The discovery of the graves “is another reason why we need a cease-fire, why we need to see an end to this conflict, why we need to see greater access for humanitarians, for humanitarian goods, greater protection for hospitals” and for the release of Israeli hostages, Dujarric said Monday.

In the Hamas attack that launched the war, terrorists killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says Hamas is still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

In response, Israel’s air and ground offensive in Gaza, aimed at eliminating Hamas, has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, around two-thirds of them children and women. It has devastated Gaza’s two largest cities, created a humanitarian crisis and led around 80% of the territory’s population to flee to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave.

Departing Superintendent Peter Licata could leave the Broward school district with some severance pay, but it should not be the full 20 weeks that’s possible under his contract, School Board members said Tuesday.

The board member discussion also suggested that the exit negotiations, which start Friday between Licata and Board Chairwoman Lori Alhadeff, could be contentious. Board member Daniel Foganholi warned the initial agreement may be “ripped to shreds.”

The discussion came after the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Monday that Licata could leave the district with more than $190,000 in severance and other pay, even though he’s voluntarily retiring due to health reasons and has only been in the district for nine months.

That’s because the School Board voted April 16 to immediately terminate its contract with Licata and replace him with Deputy Superintendent Howard Hepburn, even though Licata announced he wasn’t retiring until Dec. 31. The quick transition has raised questions about how much Licata, whose annual salary is $350,000, is entitled to be paid for the rest of the year.

Under a provision in his contract called “termination without cause,” Licata would be given 60 days’ notice ($57,534) and 20 weeks’ severance pay ($134,615). A lower amount can be negotiated but it must be agreed to by Licata.

Asked Friday whether he’d seek the full severance package, Licata told the Sun Sentinel, “That is for my legal team to discuss at the negotiations.”

Alhadeff asked the board if they would support a proposal to increase his 60 days’ notice to 90 days ($86,301) and offer no severance. She also asked if board members would be willing to pay severance, and if so, how much.

Board members were not all in agreement

• Debbi Hixon said she would support 90 days’ notice but not 20 weeks of severance. Any severance “should be more in line with how long he was here.”
• Allen Zeman and Brenda Fam said they’d like Licata to stay until Dec. 31 as an adviser to the school district.
• Sarah Leonardi said she doesn’t support 20 weeks’ severance but would support a severance package of about seven weeks or Licata staying as long as Dec. 31.
• Nora Rupert said she’d support giving him 90 days’ notice or seven weeks of severance.
• Jeff Holness said he could support 90 days’ notice or “at least 10 weeks” of severance.

Alhadeff didn’t discuss what she would prefer. Torey Alston and Foganholi said they didn’t think it was a good idea to discuss potential offers ahead of time.

Alston asked General Counsel Marylin Batista, “Is that your legal advice that we should openly talk strategy today because you and the chair will lose some of that strategy on Friday?”

Batista said state law doesn’t allow the board to discuss negotiation strategy behind closed doors for the superintendent.

Hixon said she felt the guidance was needed. She negotiated Licata’s employment contract last year and many provisions were changed by the board after negotiations.

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“When I negotiated what I thought was a good contract, it was ripped apart in public and it made the superintendent look bad, it made us look bad and it put us in a weird spot,” she said. “I think it makes more sense to give some direction to our chair.”

During the July vote on Licata’s three-year contract, the board lowered Licata’s pay by $10,000 over what Hixon negotiated and took out a provision that said a supermajority of six votes was needed to fire him. The board also added a requirement that he must move from Palm Beach to Broward County.

The board rejected an amendment by Alston to pay no severance to Licata if he lasted less than a year.

Foganholi,the only dissenting vote to immediately replace Licata with Hepburn, voiced concerns about the April 16 transition, which he said looked staged and was designed to hire a superintendent without a public process. While the April 16 meeting was publicly noticed, there was no mention that the board may sever ties with one superintendent and appoint another.

“I’m not a fan of the process, not a fan of how this is happening,” he said. “I was the lone no vote. Due to the comments and where this is going, I feel like it’s a hell no. This whole process is wrong to me.”

He said Alhadeff can do her best to negotiate a separation agreement but “it’s going to be ripped to shreds regardless.”

He also criticized the board choosing Hepburn so quickly.

Foganholi, who wanted the board to hire longtime administrator Valerie Wanza as superintendent last year, said Licata was selected in an open process that involved the public, but that didn’t happen this time.

With Hepburn, “it’s going to be a person that was given the job and didn’t earn it.”

Rupert fired back, saying superintendents can be appointed in different ways and some counties elect them. She also noted that two members on the board, including Foganholi, were appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis while others were elected.

“I’m of the mind of respecting the person in the [superintendent] seat just as I am with colleagues appointed to their seat. There is no difference in my mind,” Rupert said. “It doesn’t make them other. It makes them my colleague and they represent that district, even though the public didn’t vote for them.”

Basketball coach Todd Golden’s roster overhaul picked up the pace, highlighted by the arrival of  FAU guard Alijah Martin. Billy Napier’s first week in the transfer portal was quieter, but time remains for the Gators to fill some gaps. The real drama involved former quarterback recruit Jaden Rashada, who is on the move again. Meanwhile, slugger Jac Caglianone is moving up the school’s all-time home runs lists, while serving as a bright spot for Kevin O’Sullivan’s struggling squad. During the latest Swamp Things, Edgar and Mark step up to the plate to deliver insight and opinion on a cornucopia of topics.

• Men’s basketball: NBA dreams ended (:51)
• Intrigued by latest transfer (6:51)
• Boozer twins visiting (10:41)
• Football: Jaden Rashada back on market (13:07)
• Future of transfer portal (15:09)
• In need of receiver help (19:08)
• Big and physical up front (21:39)
• Billy Napier on Graham Mertz (24:03)
• Napier on play calling (28:50)
• Baseball: Any hope for Sully’s squad? (39:17)
• Jeremy Foley’s Corner (42:29)