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THE NATION'S NEWS | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 | 1A

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Senate Zelenskyy tries to rally

OKs top
military Congress for more aid
nominee
Sudiksha Kochi
and Tom Vanden Brook
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The Senate con-

firmed one military nominee to a new
post on Wednesday and is set to ap-
prove two more, maneuvering around
a monthslong hold by Sen. Tommy Tu-
berville, R-Ala., in protest over a De-
partment of Defense policy.
Military promotions for decades
have been approved at large without
controversy. But Tuberville has held
up about 300 promotions for senior
military jobs since February in protest
of a Pentagon policy that includes
some paid leave and other expenses
for service members traveling to have
an abortion.
In remarks on the Senate floor
Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-
N.Y., criticized Tuberville’s blockade
and said he would seek to advance the
nominations of the chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. C.Q. Brown;
the commandant of the Marine Corps, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks with Sens. Mitch McConnell, left, and Chuck Schumer. Zelenskyy’s
Gen. Eric Smith, and the Army chief of visit included a bipartisan meeting with a group of House lawmakers and an all-senators meeting. JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY
staff, Gen. Randy George.

Sen. Tommy
Tuberville said
Wednesday his
hold will stay in
place as long as
the Pentagon’s
abortion policy
stands. MARK
SCHIEFELBEIN/AP
The Senate confirmed Brown on
Wednesday evening. The upper cham-
ber is also expected to confirm George
and Smith this week.
“These men should have already
been confirmed. They should already be
serving in their new positions,” Schumer
said. “The Senate should not have to go
through procedural hoops just to please
one brazen and misguided senator.”
“Sen. Tuberville’s obstruction is
pushing the Senate down this road and
where it goes from here will depend on
all of us,” Schumer also said Wednesday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin con-
gratulated Brown on his confirmation
as the nation’s highest-ranking officer
and criticized Tuberville for holding up
promotions for hundreds of others.
“Senator Tuberville’s continued
hold on hundreds of our nation’s mil-
itary leaders endangers our national
security and military readiness,” Aus-
tin said in a statement. “It is well past
time to confirm the over 300 other mil-
itary nominees.”
Democrats have put holds on promo-
tions in the past, too. Notably Sen. Tam-
my Duckworth, D-Ill., prevented votes
in 2019 for two weeks over her concern
that then-President Donald Trump had
retaliated against an officer who had
testified in his first impeachment.
Some Republican
lawmakers appear
tired of repeated
appeals for billions
Ken Tran and Francesca Chambers
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Ukrainian Presi-
dent Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday
made his second visit to Capitol Hill in
another pitch to U.S. lawmakers to con-
tinue supporting his embattled nation’s
war effort against Russia’s invasion.
But on the surface, his appearance
looks to have done little to change the
hearts and minds of lawmakers skep-
tical of providing additional assis-
tance to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s stop in Washington,
which included a bipartisan meeting
with a group of House lawmakers and
an all-senators meeting, noticeably
lacked the fanfare he saw when he ad-
dressed a joint meeting of Congress
last December.
See US AID, Page 3A
US Latinos face language shaming
US nonprofits
helping Ukrainian
kids cope with
trauma of war
Terry Collins
USA TODAY
Tears flowed around the room as
Alina Ilchuk’s letter to Ukrainian Presi-
dent Volodymyr Zelenskyy was read
aloud.
The 11-year-old mentioned her fa-
Alina Ilchuk, 11, of Rivne, Ukraine, ther, Serhiy Ilchuck, who was hailed as
wrote a letter to Ukrainian President a hero after being fatally shot by Rus-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy about her sian troops while evacuating around
feelings after her father was killed. 300 Ukrainians near Kyiv about a
PROVIDED BY COMMON MAN FOR UKRAINE month into the war. Alina told Zelen-
skyy that she and her family remain in
deep mourning over her dad.
“We want to help give these “I have a dream that the war will end
because kids are growing up without
kids a voice, give them the their parents, like me. I really want to
power to talk about these see my dad and hear his voice,” said
Alina’s letter translated into English. “I
difficult feelings.” really want to believe that he will come
Susan Mathison
Common Man for Ukraine co-founder See CHILDREN, Page 2A
Many ridiculed for not
speaking Spanish well
Marc Ramirez
USA TODAY

INTERNATIONAL SPECIAL EDITION About half of U.S. Latinos who don’t

This is a special edition of USA TODAY designed and
edited for readers around the world. Additional content speak Spanish well say they have been
and late-breaking news and sports scores can always be shamed by other Latinos for it, a Pew
found at usatoday.com
Research Center survey has found,
though 75% of all Latinos say they can
¡¿H¢\ApB-740313¿+(N)o

speak the language at least pretty well.

Latinos ages 18 to 29 – the least likely
age group to be able to carry on a con-
versation in Spanish – said jokes or
comments about their limited language
ability happen extremely or very often,
significantly higher than all other age
groups.
“It’s really damaging because lan-
guage is a part of your identity,” said
©COPYRIGHT 2023 USA TODAY About half of U.S. Latinos who don’t speak Spanish well say they have been
a division of Gannett Co., Inc.
shamed by other Latinos, a Pew Research Center survey says. GETTY IMAGES See SPANISH, Page 4A
2A ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

Children
Continued from Page 1A

home soon, but it is not true because

now he is in heaven. ... He will not feel
any pain anymore.”
Other Ukrainian kids who lost their
fathers wrote similar grief-stricken and
heartfelt letters to Zelenskyy. It was part
of a healing exercise conducted during a
retreat for 30 Ukrainian kids held last
month by Common Man for Ukraine, a
small New Hampshire-based humani-
tarian aid nonprofit. The organization
funds these monthly trauma counseling
and healing retreats, where about 400
kids have participated in 11 sessions in a
mountainous area in Zakopane, Poland,
since the war started.
“We want to help give these kids a
voice, give them the power to talk about
these difficult feelings,” said Susan Ma-
thison, a Common Man for Ukraine co-
founder. “This too, is a part of the war
that needs to be heard.”
The nonprofit is among the numer-
ous aid organizations big and small
globally that fear for the mental and
physical well-being of a reported more
than 5 million Ukrainian children
who’ve had their lives disrupted be-
cause of the war. Many kids with their
families have fled Ukraine to other
countries, including Poland, Romania,
Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slova-
kia.
Aid workers said they are struggling
to get more resources to help the kids
deal with their grief, emotions, and in
some cases, upheaval. Common Man for
Ukraine said it may run out of funding at
year’s end.
“My thinking is there are about 1.5
million Ukrainian children who need
support,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, co-
founder of the Ukraine Children’s Ac-
tion Project, a New York-based nonprof-
it that also provides humanitarian aid.
“That’s a huge number.”
‘These kids’ pain and suffering’
The actions of these American advo-
cates for Ukrainian kids come as
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska said
recently in a BBC interview that the war
has even taken a toll on her children. Ze-
lenska told the network that she and her
kids don’t live with Zelenskyy because
of the war.
“The family is separated,” Zelenska
said. “We have the opportunity to see
each other, but not as often as we would
like. My son misses his father.”
Zelenska added that the uncertainty
of living with war has come at an emo-
tional cost for her children.
“It pains me to watch that my kids
don’t plan anything. At such an age,
young people. My daughter is 19. They
dream of traveling, of new sensations,
and emotions. She does not have such
an opportunity,” Zelenska said. “There
are limitations in time in what you can
allow yourself, they exist, and we some-
how try to live within them.”
Mathison said the setbacks for Uk-
rainian kids living through the war led
her and three others to create the Com-
mon Man of Ukraine. The nonprofit has
raised nearly $3 million of its $10 million
goal to provide kids with food, relief
supplies and counseling since it formed
last year.
“That’s the collective lens we look
through when we see this war,” Mathi-
son said. “These kids’ pain and suffer-
ing.”
Need ‘overwhelms the capacities’
of small humanitarian aid groups
Earlier this month, Regina De Domin-
icis, UNICEF’s regional director for
Europe and Central Asia, reiterated the
toll the war is having on Ukrainian chil-
dren, this time after a child was report-
edly killed in a market area in the Do-
netsk region of eastern Ukraine.
De Dominicis cited a United Nations
figure that at least 1,715 Ukrainian chil-
dren have either been killed or maimed
since the war. She went on to say that
every attack and life lost, whether it is a
child or their loved ones, “etches lasting
wounds deeper” into their collective
mental well-being.
“This war continues to play out as a
war on children, with repercussions
which could reverberate for genera-
tions,” De Dominicis said. “These at-
tacks have to stop. Children must be giv-
Common Man for Ukraine members have homemade pizza with Ukrainian kids during a retreat in Zakopane, Poland, in May.
The retreats are for kids who have lost a loved one during the war in Ukraine. PROVIDED BY COMMON MAN FOR UKRAINE
en the chance to experience peace. Yet
again, we call on all parties to protect ci-
vilians and civilian infrastructure, and
to abide by their legal and moral obliga-
tions to protect children.”
Both Redlener and Mathison said
their nonprofits are doing what they
can. Redlener said there are about a doz-
en or so similar groups in the United
States alone that he’s aware of assisting
kids in Ukraine. He said those organiza-
tions work closely with overseas aid
groups such as Sincere Heart in Lviv,
Ukraine, the Association of Ukrainians
in Victoria, Australia, Sunflowers Kids
Club in the United Kingdom, and others
in Western Europe and Israel.
“But even if you add up what we are
all doing, it’s not enough,” said Redlener.
“The number of Ukrainian children who
need special services simply over-
whelms the capacities of these organi-
zations that want to take care of them.”
He said “a devastating combination”
of widespread psychological trauma
and education disruption, first because
of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and
now “a war with no end in sight,” has se-
verely wounded Ukrainian kids.
In March, a Ukraine Children’s Ac-
tion Project study revealed about 28% of
children were separated from a family
member in the past year and 24% expe-
rienced some form of shelling or bomb-
ing. The study, which surveyed 2,000
mothers, grandmothers and guardians
across the war-torn country, showed
that of the Ukrainian children not at-
tending school, 60% of their parents
said it was because their kid’s school
was closed and another 37% said they
were afraid to send them.
The study also showed that Ukrai-
nian kids’ mental health sharply de-
clined during the war. About 55% of par-
ents polled reported their children being
bothered by loud sounds, such as
bombs and gunfire, 41% of parents re-
ported their children being irritable or
apathetic and 25% of those parents sur-
veyed said their children showed trau-
matic experiences participating in
games or activities.
And those Ukrainian children who
experienced the death of a loved one in
combat only compound the trauma, Re-
dlener believes.
“This trauma that millions of Ukrai-
nian children are going through may im-
pede their long-term ability to meet
their optimal potential,” said Redlener.
Americans entering the war zone
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine
intensified in early 2022, Mathison,
who lives in Plymouth, New Hampshire,
said she and her partner, Steve Rand,
along with another couple, Alex Ray and
Lisa Mure, asked each other: “What can
we do to help?”
Send food? Clothes? Supplies? Cash?
All four live pretty good lives as
small-town retirees. Mathison spent 30
years with the U.S. Forest Service. Ray
owns a chain of popular family-owned
restaurants called Common Man. Mure
was a longtime public health advocate,
and Rand is a third-generation owner of
a century-old local hardware store.
“We’ve always believed in helping
others and making a social impact,” Ma-
thison said. “This is a calling to us.”
Local Rotary Club leaders Ray and
Rand reached out to a Rotary Club in Za-
mosc, Poland, asking how they could
help. Within days, the four co-founders
of the newly created Common Man for
Ukraine traveled to Poland with sup-
plies and met with 15 Rotary presidents
from the region who had projects under-
way or in development.
Ray then donated $1 million to the
nonprofit and challenged his friends to
help fundraise another $1 million in hu-
manitarian aid. After a couple more
trips to Ukraine and Poland touring
makeshift orphanages and refugee and
counseling centers, Common Man for
Ukraine decided to focus on Ukrainian
children displaced by the war.
Mathison said the on-the-ground ex-
periences, especially seeing kids who
are far from their homes, schools, and
communities, are hard to ignore. Com-
mon Man for Ukraine said it has donat-
ed about 800 tons of food, 10,000 sleep-
ing bags and hundreds of generators to
orphanages and safe houses, as well as
thousands of hours of counseling
throughout western and central Uk-
raine. The nonprofit spends about
$140,000 monthly, Mathison said.
She describes Ukraine as “a complex
puzzle of terror and normalcy” and its
people have “both fear and courage,
along with an unshakable spirit” that
they will win the war.
Mathison said she occasionally gets
asked why is the nonprofit helping Uk-
rainian kids when they could help kids
in the U.S. She usually responds un-
apologetically, mentioning she’s presi-
dent of her local Habitat for Humanity
and each of the co-founders do charita-
ble work domestically as well.
“I say there is enough good to go
around, enough need to go around, you
can do what you can do, and what these
kids are going through (in Ukraine) is
enough for me,” she said.
Mathison said the group is further
committed to Zelenskyy and humane
leaders across the globe in condemning
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s on-
going aggression after hearing Zelen-
skyy speak to the U.N. on Tuesday.
“We’ve sat in the dark, cold Ukrai-
nian orphanages and safe houses with
many of these precious children in hid-
ing – those hoping to avoid the fate of
the thousands of their kidnapped
peers,” Mathison said. “The look in their
eyes – combining both fear and hopeful
resilience – compels us to stand with
these inspiring kids and provide aid for
as long as they need us.”
‘Doesn’t matter what country’ it
comes from, help always welcome
Common Man for Ukraine collabo-
rates closely with Ryszard Luczyn, a Ro-
tary Club Zamość Ordynacki member in
Poland. He helps coordinate the con-
voys of 20 vans delivering tons of food
to orphanages and safe houses. Luczyn
also helps with monthly counseling re-
treats in Poland’s Tatra Mountains for
Ukrainian children.
An insurance company owner, Luc-
zyn told USA TODAY via email that he
appreciates working side-by-side with
the Common Man co-founders. He ad-
mires their 24-hour overseas trips,
which typically include a flight to War-
saw, Poland, then a train ride to Lublin,
Poland, followed by a van ride to Chelm,
Poland.
From there, the co-founders often
spend a day helping Polish and Ukrai-
nian Rotary volunteers load up vans
with supplies to cross to the Ukrainian
border the following day for distribu-
tion.
“Help for children is needed. It
doesn’t matter what country that help
comes from,” Luczyn said about his
Common Man for Ukraine colleagues.
“These four are very involved in giving
aid; they personally participate in con-
voys, and they load and unload cars
with humanitarian aid with their own
hands. They risk their own lives.”
Mathison said their nonprofit wants
to do more than just wire funds. “We
want to do the real work,” she said.
‘These kids will help rebuild
Ukraine one day’
The kids who attend Common Man
for Ukraine monthly retreats share an
unfortunate trait. They lost a loved one
to war. The kids live throughout Ukraine
with their mother or other relatives.
They come either by train or by bus to
Lviv and are then taken by a charter bus
funded by the nonprofit to Poland.
While the retreats consist of hiking,
playing soccer, making arts and crafts
and writing, those activities are weaved
into group and individual therapy ses-
sions. Certified psychologists, volunteer
teachers and Polish Rotary club mem-
bers work with the Ukrainian kids to
share their thoughts, Mathison said.
The goal is to help kids cope with
their grief, Mathison said. But she add-
ed some kids also can’t resist looking at
their phones to monitor the war’s move-
ments (and if they may have lost any
loved ones) through an app that means
“Air Alarm” in English.
“These kids will help rebuild Ukraine
one day,” Mathison said. “They are going
to be future leaders of this country and
will have to know how to deal with ad-
versity. We want to give them the tools
and the strength to be the best they can
be.”
Mathison said the kids enter the re-
treats as strangers, “but leave as broth-
ers and sisters. They create a network of
support we hope will last a lifetime.”
Luczyn said last month he delivered
the children’s letters to the Ukrainian
Consul in Krakow, Poland. He is confi-
dent the letters will reach Zelenskyy’s
office.
Mathison said she looks forward to
her seventh humanitarian aid trip to the
region in October, hopefully, with the
news Zelenskyy has read and respon-
ded to the kids’ letters and more funding
to continue their efforts.
“I think we’re making a small dent in
an enormous problem. Our work is far
from over,” Mathison said. “We’re not
finished.”

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NEWS
US aid
Continued from Page 1A
President Joe Biden in August re-
quested lawmakers to approve anoth-
er $24 billion in additional aid related
to Ukraine.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-
Calif., who has expressed reluctance to
include Ukraine aid in a spending
package to fund the government, de-
clined to commit to putting Biden’s ask
on the House floor on Thursday.
“I think a lot of this doubt lies on
President Biden. He hasn’t made the
case to the American public, what is
victory? What does it take to be able to
win?” McCarthy said. “But I believe
when we’re looking at where we’re go-
ing right now, Zelenskky has answered
a lot of questions for me.”
Ahead of Zelenskyy’s visit, a coali-
tion of 28 GOP lawmakers from the
Senate and House signed a letter op-
posing Biden’s request, arguing the
White House has not done enough to
persuade Congress on the war’s pro-
gress.
“It would be an absurd abdication of
congressional responsibility to grant
this request,” the letter reads.
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, who led the
letter opposing the White House’s re-
quest for supplemental aid, told re-
porters Thursday he did not bother to
attend Zelenskyy’s all-senators meet-
ing and derided his visit as a “farce.”
“I think that the entire thing is a bit
of a farce. Zelenskyy comes and
speaks to us for 45 minutes. I didn’t at-
tend because we were given guidance
this morning that we wouldn’t likely be
given the opportunity to ask a ques-
tion,” Vance said. “So what is the pur-
pose of him coming here if not to allow
the American people’s elected repre-
sentatives to ask him questions.”
The White House on Wednesday
night gave a classified briefing on the
war effort to senators, which Vance
said he did attend, either. He said he
was “actually really disappointed” and
added the briefing offered little chance
for lawmakers to ask questions.
House Republicans’ proposed stop-
gap spending measure to avert a shut-
down – referred to as a continuing res-
olution – noticeably omits Ukraine
aid. McCarthy, who attended the bi-
partisan House meeting with Zelen-
skyy, called the discussion “produc-
tive,” but he raised concerns to the Uk-
rainian president about “accountabil-
ity” and transparency in how the U.S.
is aiding the war-torn country.
McCarthy also confirmed that he
turned down a request to let Zelenskyy
address the American public from the
House floor. He told reporters Thursday
they “don’t have the time” to host a joint
meeting given Congress is still working
to avert a shutdown. He said the re-
quest for a joint session came roughly a
week before Zelenskyy’s visit.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas,
chair of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, said Thursday there was
“universal support” for Ukraine at the
meeting. McCaul, one of House Re-
publicans’ strongest proponents of
continued support for Ukraine, said he
pressed national security adviser Jake
Sullivan to rally stronger support for
the war effort in a closed-door meeting
earlier this month. He laid the blame at
the White House’s feet for falling sup-
port for Ukraine aid among GOP law-
makers.
“This war of attrition is not going to
win. You’ve got to give them everything
they need or get out,” McCaul said. “It’s
been a slow walk and this thing has been
mismanaged and that’s why they’re los-
ing support from my side because they
don’t want to support a losing effort.”
Sullivan said he had meetings with
Republican and Democratic leaders
from both chambers about the Ukraine
war. He argued at a White House news
briefing on Thursday that support for
Ukraine continues to be broad and a
small but vocal minority is holding as-
sistance up.
The White House also announced a
new military aid package on Thursday
that Sullivan said will help Ukraine
through what is likely to be a tough
winter and maintain the gains it has
made in its counteroffensive.
The Senate is seeing mostly biparti-
san support for continued U.S. aid to
Ukraine. Following Zelenskyy’s all-
senators briefing, Sen. Jeanne Sha-
heen, D-N.H., a senior member of the
Senate Foreign Relations committee,
and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., co-chair
of the U.S. Senate NATO Observer
Group, released a joint statement ad-
vocating for Ukraine support.
“The quickest way to end this war is
for Congress to continue to provide
Ukraine with the assistance it needs to
defeat Putin and his unprovoked at-
tempt to overrun a sovereign nation,”
the statement read.
Nine deputies are charged in
death of inmate in Tennessee
Video shows man being
kicked and punched
Lucas Finton, Katherine Burgess,
Micaela A Watts and Krystal Nurse
USA TODAY NETWORK
Nine deputies in Tennessee have
been charged in the death of an inmate
after video showed them punching,
kicking, pepper spraying and eventu-
ally kneeling on the 33-year-old man’s
upper back last October amid a
lengthy struggle.
The charges stem from Gershun
Freeman’s death at the Shelby County
Jail. The county’s sheriff and Mem-
phis mayoral candidate held a news
conference criticizing the charges this
week, making public news of the in-
dictments before the accused were
fully notified.
An autopsy report said Freeman
collapsed after a “physical altercation
with corrections officers.” Freeman
was restrained, had a cardiac arrest
and was given CPR before being pro-
nounced dead.
His manner of death was listed as
homicide, although it “is not meant to
definitively indicate criminal intent,”
the autopsy said.
According to the autopsy, Freeman
had a history of psychosis, which was
considered a possible contributory
cause of his death. He was also healing
from a stab wound in his back at the
time of his death.
Memphis attorney Jake Brown and
civil rights attorney Ben Crump have
filed a lawsuit against Shelby County.
Crump called Freeman’s death anoth-
er “shocking example of police brutal-
ity” in March.
He said the released video showed
Freeman naked and suffering from a
mental health crisis as he alleged offi-
cers brutalized the 33-year-old. The
video is “is visual evidence that at
least 10 officers brutalized and beat
Gershun to death,” the statement says.
According to court records, a grand
jury made the indictments Tuesday,
Teens charged in Vegas hit-and-run death
Journalist harassed
over coverage of case
Cybele Mayes-Osterman
USA TODAY
A 64-year-old Las Vegas resident on
a morning bike ride on Aug. 14 was
struck by a stolen car and killed in
what police say was a deliberate hit-
and-run.
Now, two teenagers have been ar-
rested and charged with murder, a
graphic video of the incident police say
was filmed by the teens has emerged,
and a Las Vegas newspaper’s coverage
of the case has been the subject of a
vicious online campaign spurred on by
Elon Musk.
And the hit-and-run that killed An-
dreas Rene Probst, a retired Bell, Cali-
fornia, police chief, may have culmi-
nated in a string of violence that day:
The two teens also intentionally struck
a 72-year-old bicyclist and another
car, leaving two with non-life-threat-
ening injuries, police say.
What happened when
Probst was struck?
One teen was arrested on Aug. 14
and another was arrested Tuesday by
Las Vegas police in connection with
the fatal hit-and-run of Probst.
A video shot from the passenger
side of the 2016 Hyundai Elantra the
teens were in captures the incident.
Authorities said they obtained the
video from a local school resource offi-
cer who contacted police after it was
shown to them by a student.
In the video, both teens laugh as
they speed down a multilane road.
Seeing Probst riding his bike ahead,
one teen tells the other to “hit” him be-
fore striking the bicyclist. The camera
swivels to show Probst lying on the
side of the road as the car speeds away.
“On Aug. 29th, a school resource of-
ficer was approached by a student who
provided him a video related to the in-
cident which depicted, which we’ve all
seen, a very appalling video which
lacks morality,” Las Vegas Metropoli-
tan Police Department Lt. Jason Jo-
hansson said at a news briefing.
Authorities believe the hit-and-run
that killed Probst was the third such
USA TODAY ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ 3A
with warrants issued Wednesday.
Nashville District Attorney General
Glenn Funk authorized the charges
against Memphis-based Shelby County
Sheriff ’s Office deputies.
Security footage shows deputies,
Freeman in physical confrontation
Security footage released in March
showed officers handing out boxed
meals to inmates on Oct. 5, 2022. When
they reached Freeman’s cell, he ran out
and appeared to grab at an officer. The
sheriff ’s office said Freeman bit one of
the corrections officers when he ran
out.
Officers wrestled Freeman to the
ground and began to punch and kick
him. Freeman gets up and is met by
more officers. In total, 10 officers were
seen in the cell block attempting to re-
strain Freeman. One officer was seen
hitting Freeman with what appeared to
be a canister of pepper spray.
The camera shifted to Freeman run-
ning up escalators. The next angle
showed an officer pushing Freeman
against a wall, and Freeman appeared
to swing at him.
Two more officers arrived and held
Freeman to the ground, attempting to
handcuff him after a few punches. More
officers arrive as Freeman is hand-
cuffed, face down on the ground. He
eventually moved, and one officer ap-
peared to place his knee on Freeman’s
upper back for several minutes before
Freeman was lifted.
A dark red substance was left on the
floor where his body was. Freeman, at
this point, appears to be limp as officers
lift him by his wrists. He is set down,
and his head falls forward between his
knees. Medical personnel arrived near-
ly two minutes later.
Who are the 9 charged officers?
Two corrections officers, Stevon
Jones and Courtney Parham, were
charged with second-degree murder and
aggravated assault while acting in con-
cert with others. Jones was also charged
Andreas Probst’s daughter, Taylor, said, “We ask you to not politicize or use
Andy’s murder to fuel political agendas or to create cultural wars.” TY O'NEIL/AP
incident on Aug. 14. Three out of the four
stolen vehicles driven by the pair had
been recovered, police say. During a
search, officers also recovered clothing
worn by the suspects during the inci-
dent.
USA TODAY has reached out to Las
Vegas police and family members of the
victims for comment.
Who was arrested in the incident?
Jesus Ayala, 17, and Jzamir Keys, 16
have been booked into the Clark County
Detention Center in connection with the
hit-and-run, the Las Vegas Review-
Journal reported. Judges ruled on
Wednesday that the two juveniles will
be tried as adults.
Police arrested Ayala on the day of
the hit-and-run on traffic charges. Keys,
who was reportedly riding in the pas-
senger seat when the two hit Probst, fled
wearing a mask but was later identified
and arrested on Tuesday.
Police believe Keys was driving the
car when it struck another bicyclist ear-
lier in the day.
“In the criminal justice system, if you
are a minor and you are eligible to be
charged with a crime of murder, you are
automatically sent to the adult system,”
Clark County District Attorney Steve
Wolfson said.
with assault causing bodily harm.
Jeffrey Gibson, Anthony Howell, Da-
mian Cooper, Ebonee Davis, Lareko
Donwel Elliot and Chelsey Duckett were
charged with aggravated assault result-
ing in the death of another, according to
court records.
One officer’s name was redacted
from the report but was also charged
with aggravated assault resulting in the
death of another, according to an indict-
ment released Thursday morning.
The corrections officers are all Shel-
by County Sheriff ’s Office employees
and weren’t previously identified.
Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner,
who is running for mayor of Memphis,
said officers are on paid leave and will
“be the first to donate” any fundraising
opportunities for their legal costs.
Attorneys representing Freeman’s
family in a civil lawsuit strongly disput-
ed Bonner’s characterization of the in-
dictments as political.
“He’s responsible,” Timmons said.
He supports his officers. He creates
these policies. He is personally and di-
rectly responsible for the death of Ger-
shun Freeman.”
Sheriff criticizes charges
Bonner blasted the indictments, say-
ing the investigation was political and
that he had requested it be reassigned
from Funk. Funk’s office was chosen by
a panel of district attorneys after Shelby
County District Attorney Steve Mulroy
recused himself from the case.
“Let me be clear, no actions by any
Shelby County Sheriff ’s Office employ-
ee caused Mr. Freeman’s death,” Bonner
said Wednesday. “The medical examin-
er plainly said that he died from a pre-
existing heart condition.”
Freeman’s autopsy report, however,
said Freeman’s heart condition was ex-
acerbated by the physical altercation
with the officers.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Lucas Finton, Katherine Burgess, Mi-
caela A Watts report for Memphis Com-
mercial Appeal. Krystal Nurse reports
for USA TODAY.
Online harassment targets
journalist, newspaper staff
The incident sparked an online fren-
zy of harassment toward a local paper
for its coverage of the story. A post to X
of the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s ini-
tial headline, which read “Retired police
chief killed in bike crash remembered
for laugh, love of coffee,” suggested the
paper had attempted to cover up the fact
that the crash was a deliberate act.
The post gained national attention
when Elon Musk shared it, adding, “An
innocent man was murdered in cold
blood while riding his bicycle. The kill-
ers joke about it on social media. Yet,
where is the media outrage? Now you
begin to understand the lie.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the
Las Vegas Review-Journal for comment.
Sabrina Schnur, who wrote the story,
told the Poynter Journalism Review that
the attacks leveled against her became
increasingly personal. Harassers ac-
cused her of being anti-white.
“Over the past three days, Review-
Journal employees’ social media and
email accounts have been filled with ac-
cusations of every bias you can imagine,
obscenities, racist tirades and wishes of
personal suffering and death,” Review-
Journal Editor Glenn Cook wrote in an
op-ed for the paper.
4A ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
Rift escalates between Canada and India
Death of Sikh separatist
reverberates in 2 nations
Kim Hjelmgaard
USA TODAY
He was known as a prominent Sikh
community leader and human rights ac-
tivist in the Canadian province of Brit-
ish Columbia. He was also wanted in In-
dia, where the government accused him
of masterminding a bombing in the
Sikh-majority state of Punjab, training
terrorists and supporting a banned sep-
aratist insurgency.
When Hardeep Singh Nijjar died at
age 45 on June 18, he was running a
plumbing business in a Vancouver sub-
urb and serving as president of a gurd-
wara, the Punjabi word for Sikh temple.
According to police reports, Nijjar died
outside the temple from multiple gun-
shot wounds while inside his pickup
truck. Police said two heavy-set men, in
face coverings, fled the scene in a silver
2008 Toyota Camry with the help of a
third suspect. All three suspects remain
at large.
This week, an argument broke out
between Canada and India after Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau said his gov-
ernment was aware of “credible
allegations” of India’s involvement in
Nijjar’s slaying, an accusation that if
true, could amount to an extrajudicial
assassination of a private citizen on for-
eign soil.
The argument has had broader global
reverberations. As world leaders, in-
cluding Trudeau and Indian Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi, were gathered at
the U.N. General Assembly in New York
on Tuesday, India expelled a top Cana-
dian diplomat from its country in a tit-
for-tat move after Canada earlier acted
to expel a senior Indian intelligence offi-
cial over its allegations. On Thursday,
India suspended visa services for Cana-
dian citizens.
Here is a look at the people at the
heart of the saga, why it matters to the
rest of the world, and the challenges
Sikhs - members of the world’s fifth-
largest religion - are facing.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Nijjar emigrated to Canada from the
North Indian state of Punjab in 1997, ac-
cording to Indian news reports. There,
he got married and had two sons
while establishing his plumbing busi-
ness. He obtained his Canadian citizen-
ship in 2015, according to Marc Miller,
Canada’s minister of immigration.
Nijjar became president of the Guru Na-
nak Sikh Gurdwara in 2020. The temple
is in Surrey, about 20 miles outside
Vancouver.
Authorities in India had been seeking
Nijjar since at least 2007, when his
name surfaced in connection with the
bombing of a movie theater in Punjab,
Spanish
Continued from Page 1A
Lourdes Torres, a professor of Latin
American and Latino studies at DePaul
University in Chicago. “So when you’re
told that your language is a problem,
what people are telling you is that
there’s a problem with you.”
The Pew survey, conducted in August
2022, collected responses from a na-
tionally representative sample of 3,029
Latinos. While three-quarters of all La-
tinos said they spoke Spanish at least
pretty well, that was true for just 57% of
those born in the U.S. – including 69% of
second-generation Latinos and just 1 in
3 Latinos (34%) who were third-genera-
tion or higher.
Among surveyed Latinos with limit-
ed or no Spanish-language ability, 54%
said family or friends had joked about or
commented on their inability. The por-
tion was slightly higher among those 18
to 49 years old (57%) and highest among
those with college experience (61%).
Language skills in US fade
with younger generations
About 62.5 million Latinos resided in
the U.S. as of 2021.
This summer, an interview with a
young soccer fan conducted by ESPN
Deportes’ Jose Del Valle after Mexico’s
CONCACAF Gold Cup win in Inglewood,
California, went viral after the Latino
boy was unable to understand the re-
porter’s questions. The exchange
prompted criticism of the boy’s parents
for not teaching him Spanish.
At a 2016 Republican primary debate,
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio attempted to
belittle Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’ Spanish
Mourners carry the casket of Sikh community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in
Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar’s death has sparked an argument between
Canada and India. DARRYL DYCK/AP
according to Canadian and Indian news
reports. A 2016 Interpol notice request-
ed by India called him the “mastermind
and key conspirator of many terrorist
acts in India.”
Over the next few years, India added
additional allegations against Nijjar, in-
cluding that he was a member of the
Khalistan movement, which advocates
for an independent Sikh homeland in
the Punjab region. India has banned it
and branded it a terrorist group. Last
year, Indian authorities announced a re-
ward for any information leading to Nij-
jar’s arrest after it accused him of in-
volvement in an alleged attack on a Hin-
du priest in India.
“Western ministers and
officials will be working
hard to try to ensure the
diplomatic row between
Canada and India does
not bleed into other
international relationships.”
James Landale
BBC’s diplomatic correspondent
Nijjar consistently denied all the alle-
gations against him.
“This is garbage – all the allegations. I
am living here 20 years, right? Look at
my record. There is nothing.
“I am a hard worker. I own my own
business,” Nijjar told the Vancouver Sun
newspaper in a 2016 interview.
comprehension, prompting Cruz to re-
spond in Spanish.
While the U.S. has one of the world’s
largest Spanish-speaking populations,
a familiar pattern plays out with immi-
grants, Torres said: Native language
skills are mostly lost within three gener-
ations, with the first generation main-
taining their primary language, the sec-
ond generation becoming bilingual and
the third primarily speaking English.
“It’s a pattern that the U.S. has unfor-
tunately had for decades,” Torres said.
“Linguists refer to the U.S. as a language
cemetery. It’s where languages come to
die.”
While English isn’t officially the
country’s official language, Torres said,
it’s unofficially so.
“There’s a push for people to learn
English as soon as possible,” she said.
“People are shamed if they don’t speak
English well.”
Both types of shaming, she said, il-
lustrate what writer Gloria Anzaldúa
has called “linguistic terrorism” – the
notion that neither their English nor
their Spanish is “good enough.”
“You’re dealing with a situation
where Latinos are continually faced
with questions about their American-
ness,” said Jonathan Rosa, an associate
professor at the Stanford Graduate
School of Education in Palo Alto, Cali-
fornia. “Language is often positioned as
one of the clearest signs…. People are
seen as assimilating too much or not as-
similating enough.”
Political and social pressures
play roles in fueling rhetoric
Such patterns persist because of po-
litical pressures like heightened anti-
immigrant sentiment and the xenopho-
bia perpetrated by rhetoric such as Don-
What is Sikhism? What is
the Khalistan movement?
There are more than 25 million Sikhs
around the world, according to the U.S.-
based Sikh Coalition, which defends
Sikh rights and civil liberties.
The Sikh faith is a monotheistic reli-
gion that was founded on the Indian
subcontinent more than 500 years ago.
“Sikhism preaches a message of de-
votion and remembrance of God at all
times, truthful living, equality of man-
kind and denounces superstitions and
blind rituals,” according to a University
of Cambridge definition.
The vast majority of Sikhs live in In-
dia, where they are a religious minority.
The U.K., Canada and U.S. have the larg-
est Sikh communities - about half a mil-
lion each - outside India.
Sikhs represent the majority of peo-
ple in India’s Punjab state, but they
make up just 1.7% of India’s population
of 1.4 billion people.
In the 1940s, there was a Sikh inde-
pendence movement centered in Pun-
jab that sought to establish an indepen-
dent Khalistan. It turned into a bloody
armed insurgency from the 1970s to
1990s, according to Human Rights
Watch. Thousands were killed. But
there is little evidence that its militant
side is still active today.
However, the Indian government has
warned repeatedly over the years that
Sikh separatists have been trying to
make a comeback, a claim that has coin-
cided with Modi’s Hindu nationalist-led
government, which has cracked down
on both non-Hindu rights movements,
dissidents and opposition media.
In an open letter written to Trudeau
ald Trump’s characterization of Mexi-
can immigrants as rapists and drug run-
ners leading up to his 2016 presidential
bid.
In 2018, for instance, a New York City
lawyer berated a local restaurant’s staff
for not speaking English in a video that
subsequently went viral, accusing them
of living off his money: “I pay for their
welfare,” he said. “I pay for their ability
to be here. The least they can do is speak
English.” The man publicly apologized
after being kicked out of his office space
and drawing the ire of elected officials.
Many Latino immigrant parents who
experienced discrimination and humili-
ation for their limited English skills,
Torres said, choose to raise their chil-
dren to speak English – which is a
shame, she added, given the cognitive
benefits scholars have found in bilin-
gualism.
“They don’t want their kids to suffer
the same harm that they did,” Torres
said. “We’re a country that, despite the
rhetoric, is really hostile to other lan-
guages. Instead of looking at them as an
asset, they’re treated as a negative as-
pect that needs to be eliminated.”
Laura Muñoz, an assistant professor
of history and ethnic studies at the Uni-
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the
major force in generational language
erosion is Americanization. The process
has historically been linked to politics,
she said – for example, in Arizona,
where lawmakers in the early 20th cen-
tury made English proficiency manda-
tory for voting rights.
“You had people who had been politi-
cally active who were essentially disen-
franchised because they could not read
or write English,” she said. “But they
could pay taxes. It’s not just saying you
must speak English in order to be Amer-
ican. It’s about terrorizing people with a
NEWS
in 2016 and published by Canada’s Glob-
al News, Nijjar wrote: “I am a Sikh na-
tionalist who believes in and supports
Sikhs’ right to self-determination and
independence of Indian occupied Pun-
jab through a future referendum.”
When he was killed in June, Nijjar was
organizing an unofficial referendum on
an independent Khalistan among the
global Sikh diaspora with the U.S.-based
organization Sikhs For Justice.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer
and spokesperson for Sikhs For Justice,
has said Nijjar was warned by Canadian
intelligence officials about being target-
ed for assassination by “mercenaries.”
The Canada-based World Sikh Or-
ganization said Nijjar was one of several
prominent Sikh leaders to have died in
targeted killings in recent months in-
cluding in Pakistan and the U.K.
How are Canada and India
reacting? And why it
matters to the West
India has dismissed the allegations it
may have been involved in Nijjar’s death
as “absurd” and politically motivated.
And its foreign ministry has accused
Canada of harboring “terrorists and ex-
tremists.” Suspending visa services for
Canadian citizens was the latest sign of
the deepening rift.
Trudeau has sought to calm the dip-
lomatic clash that erupted at the U.N.
this week, saying Canada is “not looking
to provoke” India.
“We are simply laying out the facts as
we understand them and we want to
work with the government of India to lay
everything clear and to ensure there are
proper processes,” Trudeau told report-
ers Tuesday in New York. “India and the
government of India needs to take this
matter with the utmost seriousness.”
So far, Canada has not publicly pro-
duced evidence to support its allega-
tions.
The White House has said it is “deep-
ly concerned” about the allegations.
And Mélanie Joly, Canada’s foreign
minister, has said that “if proven true,
this would be a great violation of our
sovereignty and of the most basic rule of
how countries deal with each other.”
But James Landale, BBC’s diplomatic
correspondent, brought up another di-
mension to the episode.
“Western ministers and officials will
be working hard to try to ensure the dip-
lomatic row between Canada and India
does not bleed into other international
relationships. The last thing the United
States and other western powers want
now is a row that divides them from In-
dia,” he wrote in an opinion piece Tues-
day. “On the grand geopolitical chess
board, India is a key player. Not only is it
a growing power - the most populous
country in the world, the fifth-biggest
economy. But it is also seen by the West
as a potential bulwark against China.”
Contributing: Associated Press
law to force them to relinquish their lan-
guage.”
Losing family, community ties
When language is lost intentionally
or by assimilation, it also tears at family
and community fabric, Muñoz noted:
Children lose the ability to communi-
cate with their grandparents; people
lose the ability to converse with their
Spanish-speaking neighbors or the
Mexican restaurant owner down the
street.
“If you have a child growing up in
English-speaking society, you want that
child to do as well as possible,” she said.
“Encouraging them to speak English is
part of that. So there’s this massive
pressure on young children of Latino
heritage to abandon their language.”
Rosa said the stigmatization of lim-
ited or imperfect language skills is frus-
trating considering the “incredible dex-
terity” many Latinos have demonstrat-
ed in terms of their multilingual abili-
ties, not just in Spanish and English but
including indigenous languages and
various Spanish forms.
“That gets lost in the discussion
when you’re just focused on what peo-
ple lack or how much English or Spanish
they know,” he said. “We’re talking
about a population that is incredibly lin-
guistically diverse.”
The idea that people should speak
one language or the other is incorrect,
Rosa said: The melding of the two in it-
self can be a mode of maintaining histo-
ry and heritage.
“That’s what you can miss when you
create the idea of a pure standard,” he
said. “It’s not a sign of failure, but a sign
of navigating really challenging politi-
cal, economic and cultural circum-
stances.”
MONEY
USA TODAY | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 | 5A

MONEYLINE
EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP
MURDOCH STEPS DOWN AS
HEAD OF FOX, NEWS CORP.
Rupert Murdoch is stepping down from
his roles as chair of Fox Corporation
and executive chairman of News Corp,
he announced Thursday in a letter.
Murdoch, 92, is transitioning to the title
of chairman emeritus and said he was
in good health. He will officially make
the transition in November. His son,
Lachlan, is set to become the sole
chairman of both companies.
Gen Z builds save-and-splurge
mindset amid economic stress
Claire Thornton
USA TODAY
Young adults are big spenders and
big savers. And even with economic
uncertainty and stress, the Gen Z gen-
eration is not paralyzed by money de-
cisions.
A vast majority (89%) of Gen Z – or
people born between 1997 and 2012 –
said they have saved money on some-
thing in 2023, more than any other
generation, according to a Harris Poll
conducted in May. Yet they’re also not
shy about splurging on items. Seven-
ty-five percent of Gen Z said they
spent a lot on something in 2023, also
more than other age groups.
Many graduated high school or col-
lege during the COVID-19 pandemic, a
time when Americans who were sepa-
rated from family or co-workers had
time and space to think more deeply
about what they valued most. At the
same time, soaring inflation over the
past 21⁄2 years has forced Americans of
all ages to scrimp and save.
Gen Z adults, who range in age from
18 to 26, have been deeply affected by
both phenomena. They’re more likely to
buy less of something if it doesn’t matter “My cats are my children,” 25-year-old
to them and to splurge on the things Jacob Mata told USA TODAY. The San
they say matter most, like luxury pet Francisco political field organizer feeds
food and ski equipment. his cats a human-quality diet of raw
meats he buys from a luxury pet store.
See GEN Z, Page 6A PROVIDED BY JACOB MATA

KRAFT AMERICAN SINGLES

RECALLED FOR RISK OF FILM

More than 80,000 cases of individually

wrapped Kraft Singles of American
cheese slices are being recalled after it
was found that a strip of film may re-
main on the slice even after the wrap-
per has been removed. Food giant
Kraft Heinz announced the recall Tues-
day, saying the recall comes as a pre-
caution after a “temporary issue” with
one of its wrapping machines. A thin
strip of the film may remain on the slice
after the wrapper has been removed.
Approximately 83,800 cases are affect-
ed, according to Kraft Heinz. Several
customers complained about finding
plastic stuck to a slice of cheese, in-
cluding six complaints of customers
who said they choked or gagged.

STARBUCKS ORDERED TO
COURT OVER REFRESHERS
Each of Disneyland’s popular Disneyland After Dark events has a unique theme and event-specific experiences.
Starbucks will have to face a consumer PROVIDED BY DISNEYLAND RESORT
protection lawsuit alleging that its fruit

After-hours events
Refresher drinks do not contain the
fruit advertised, a federal judge decid-
ed Monday. The lawsuit, brought by
Noan Kominis, of New York, and Jason
McAllister, of California, accused the
chain of failing to include fundamental

offer Disney perks

ingredients in its Refresher drinks. They
claimed that the Mango Dragonfruit,
Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade, Pineap-
ple Passionfruit, Pineapple Passionfruit
Lemonade, Strawberry Açai and Straw-
berry Açai Lemonade Refreshers did
not contain mango, passion fruit or
Açai. The plaintiffs claimed in the suit
that they paid a premium for the
drinks, which they would not have
bought had they been aware they were
missing some of the fruits. They al-
leged that the products are made pri-
marily of water, grape juice concentrate
and sugar.
PROVIDED BY ERIKA KRISTAL EUCKER
‘PROBABLY HAUNTED’
FUNERAL HOME FOR SALE
For some guests, they may be best deal for visit to parks
Eve Chen
USA TODAY
There’s a secret to shorter lines at
Walt Disney World and Disneyland,
and it has nothing to do with Genie+.
Limited capacity, after-hours events
at both resorts allow guests to experi-
ence the parks in a completely different
way. Not only are there shorter waits for
rides, but many also offer event-exclu-
sive entertainment, experiences and
snacks after hours.
You do get less time in the parks
than on regular park days, but for many
guests, the perks make it more than
worthwhile.
Here’s what you should know about
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Par-
ty, Oogie Boogie Bash, Mickey’s Very
Merry Christmas Party and new Disney
Jollywood Nights, so you can decide
whether they’re worth it for you.
A Disney Halloween Party returns to
Disneyland Resort. This separately
ticketed, limited-capacity, after-hours
event at Disney California Adventure
Park is a seasonal guest favorite, and
will be held on 25 select evenings
between Sept. 5 and Oct. 31.
CHRISTIAN THOMPSON/DISNEYLAND RESORT
You need a special ticket
Standard tickets won’t cut it for after-
hours events. If you don’t have a ticket
specifically for the event, not only will
you have to exit before it starts, but you’ll
get less park time than usual because
parks close early on event nights.
Hours are limited
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween
Party, Oogie Boogie Bash and Mickey’s
Very Merry Christmas Party are each five
hours long. Disney Jollywood Nights
lasts four hours.
This can be a rude awakening to
guests who don’t plan ahead, even
though both Disney World and Disney-
land post operating hours on their web-
sites months in advance.
See DISNEY, Page 6A

A nearly two century-old funeral home

with rooms “gutted and waiting” for
you is on the market in Massachusetts
with a sign outside the property read-
ing “probably haunted.” The Turgeon
Funeral Home, erected in 1850, rests on
a plot at 56 Main St. in the small town
of Millbury, according to the listing. The
property, listed on MoveWithMedia-
.com for $769,000, is in Worcester
County within Blackstone Valley about
six miles southeast of Worcester. Ac-
cording to the listing by Media Realty
LLC, the 5,188 square-foot property
has three bedrooms, 1 full bath and
two half baths on a .74-acre lot.
Wage gains don’t cover inflation in every home
Paul Davidson
USA TODAY
Since inflation began its climb to-
ward the stratosphere in spring 2021,
David Hewitt’s paycheck has lagged
far behind.
In June of last year, the gap between
the two turned into a chasm. Hewitt’s
pay as a university professor rose 1.5%
from the prior year, a typical bump,
even as consumer prices surged to a
40-year high of 9.1% year over year.
As their restaurant takeout bill bal-
looned from about $70 to $100, Hewitt,
his wife and two kids cut their twice-
weekly meal deliveries in half.
In August, however, inflation clocked
in at 3.7%. Meanwhile, Hewitt is bene-
fiting from a 3.5% pay raise late last year
and looking forward to a bigger bump in
the coming months after his faculty
union and the University of Pittsburgh
reach a new collective bargaining agree-
ment. He’s also teaching an additional
class to bring in extra cash.
So the Hewitts are ordering in more
often, though they haven’t returned to
their previous ritual.
“I’m not seeing the big changes in
prices that happened last year,” Hewitt,
52, says. At the same time, he adds,
“Prices aren’t going down.”
After trailing inflation for more than
See WAGES, Page 6A
6A ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
Gen Z
Continued from Page 5A
Gloria John, a 21-year-old health
screening coordinator in San Antonio,
Texas, said she will shell out as much as
needed to see indie pop singer Lana Del
Rey live but stops buying certain makeup
items if the price rises just slightly.
“I will be so cheap with certain things,
where I’m not even willing to spend an
extra dollar,” she said in an interview
with USA TODAY. “But then there’s other
things that I’m very willing to put money
into because I think it’s worth it.”
Overall, while a majority of people in
Gen Z feel good about managing their
bills each month (73%), that doesn’t
automatically translate into feelings of
long-term security, according to a more
recent Harris Poll conducted exclusively
for USA TODAY in late August. That sur-
vey revealed two-thirds (67%) of Gen Z
doubt they will feel financially secure
anytime soon. And 60% fear they are one
financial emergency away from being
completely underwater.
“There is a little bit of stress there,”
John, of San Antonio, said. “But because
there’s stress, I feel like I’m pretty good at
cutting back where I can.”
The thrifty generation
To lower costs, some unfussy Gen Z
shoppers consider thrifted, or used,
Disney
Continued from Page 5A
After-hours guests may enter their re-
spective parks early, but it still adds up to
less total park time than on non-event
days.
Disney Jollywood Nights guests can
get in 1.5 hours early, while regular guests
are still inside. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary
Halloween Party, Oogie Boogie Bash and
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party let
guests in three hours early.
Not everything is open
While many attractions stay open,
some shutter when the parks close to
regular guests. For instance, Walt Dis-
ney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and Country
Bear Jamboree don’t offer shows during
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
If you want to experience them, you’ll
need to do so during those overlapping
hours when the park is open to all.
Most lines are shorter
The waits for many attractions will be
shorter after hours, so guests can zip
right through them.
Some meet-and-greet lines, however,
can get long, particularly for characters
guests may not normally see in the
parks. Jack and Sally, Elvis Stitch and
the Seven Dwarfs are particularly popu-
lar at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween
Party.
Wages
Continued from Page 5A
two years, average U.S. wage growth
turned the tables in May, outpacing price
increases, giving consumers more pur-
chasing power and bolstering the econo-
my. But while the development means
Americans have a little more breathing
room, most say they still haven’t caught
up to the big run-up in prices and are
spending warily, according to an exclu-
sive Harris Poll survey for USA TODAY
and interviews with workers.
U.S. workers are also grappling with
high interest rates, the cutoff of COVID-
related federal aid and return-to-office
mandates that are boosting daily costs,
like commuting and lunches out.
Whether or not pay hikes continue to
top inflation and encourage Americans
to spend at a healthy clip could help de-
termine if the U.S. dodges a recession
over the next year, says Gregory Daco,
chief economist of EY-Parthenon.
Are wages keeping
up with inflation?
Of the 52% of employees who got a
raise the past year, 70% say it has eased
their financial stress from inflation and
allowed them to make additional pur-
chases, according to the Harris Poll on-
line survey of 2,076 adults conducted
Sept. 8-10. About one-third said it let
them comfortably afford electronics,
household goods, experiences, discre-
tionary purchases and investing.
“It’s really been the driving factor be-
hind (consumer) spending the last six to
clothing to be “new” because it’s new to
them.
“If I buy new things, they’re from
thrift stores,” said Bella Longerbeam, a
23-year-old graduate student and bar-
tender in Seattle. As a result, most of the
clothes in her closet are thrifted, and she
doesn’t buy new apparel from places like
Target or Urban Outfitters, she said.
At a Goodwill store in Raleigh, North
Carolina, 21-year-old Patrick Macalintal
was combing through the entire men’s
section on a recent Friday in a hunt for
pieces made in Italy. “I’d like to say I’m
pretty good with my money,” said Maca-
lintal, an intensive care unit nurse.
Besides shopping for fancy used
clothes, Macalintal said he cooks at
home as much as possible, spends time
in nature to save on leisure activities,
and has an apartment close to work to
cut down on gas costs. He also meticu-
lously cleans his tennis shoes with
toothpaste and a toothbrush to keep
them looking like new. Pointing to the
New Balance sneakers on his feet, he
said he’s been wearing them since 2018.
Everything in moderation
Gen Z consumers said they’d rather
buy less of something, like alcohol and
gasoline, than spend too much. In 2023,
36% of Gen Z respondents opted out of
social events in order to save, especially
when travel was part of the cost, accord-
ing to the Harris Poll taken in May.
Jacob Mata, a political field organizer
Guests can check wait times and
show times on Disney World and Dis-
neyland’s free apps.
There’s special
entertainment and food
The big draws at these events are the
unique entertainment offerings guests
can’t experience regularly, including:
h Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade, Hocus
Pocus Spelltacular show and Disney’s
Not-So-Spooky Spectacular at Mickey’s
Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
h The Frightfully Fun Parade, Mick-
ey’s Trick and Treat show, and Villains
Grove at Oogie Boogie Bash.
h Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas-
time Parade, Mickey’s Most Merriest
Celebration show and Minnie’s Wonder-
ful Christmastime Fireworks at Mickey’s
Very Merry Christmas Party.
h A new musical variety show featur-
ing Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, an
“other-worldy soiree” at The Hollywood
Tower Hotel Courtyard, and the night-
time spectacular Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!
at Disney Jollywood Nights.
Additionally, guests at both Mickey’s
Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Oo-
gie Boogie Bash can load up on candy
while trick-or-treating at those events.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
guests get cookies and cocoa included
with their tickets.
Dressing up is encouraged
Guests are invited to wear costumes
to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween
eight months,” propping up purchases
despite high inflation and interest rates,
Daco says. That’s key because consumer
spending makes up 70% of economic ac-
tivity.
But about one-fifth of those who got a
pay increase said it wasn’t enough to
comfortably afford those kinds of goods
and services. Seventy-eight percent said
they would need another bump to feel
fully confident in their financial health.
Why?
Sure, average wages were up 4.3% an-
nually in August, above inflation’s 3.7%
clip, according to the Labor Depart-
ment’s monthly jobs report and its con-
sumer price index. By comparison, in
June 2022, 9.1% inflation dwarfed
typical pay increases of 5.4% – a robust
figure that reflected pandemic-related
labor shortages but that many Ameri-
cans barely felt because of soaring
prices.
Yet most consumers still don’t feel
whole because they’ve only partly closed
the gap between prices and wages that
began forming in early 2021, according to
a Bankrate analysis.
In the April-to-June quarter, prices
were up 15.8% since early 2021 while
wages had risen 12.8%, according to the
Bankrate study of CPI and another wage
measure called the employment cost in-
dex.
That 3% gap is less worrisome than
the 3.7% divide in the summer and early
fall of last year, but it’s still significant. At
the current pace, workers won’t recover
their lost purchasing power until the end
of 2024, the Bankrate study shows.
“Wages are catching up in the race,
but they’re still lagging,” says Bankrate
analyst Sarah Foster.
in San Francisco, said he doesn’t let him-
self have more than one drink at a bar
any time he goes out. That way, he can
drive himself home.
“I know that an Uber ride would be
just like robbing me,” Mata, 25, said.
Even though he has a car, Mata typi-
cally combines public transportation
with walking and riding his bike.
More than any other generation, Gen
Z also spends in a way that reflects “eco-
conscious values” that align with “bud-
get-conscious values,” said Libby Rod-
ney, chief strategy officer at Harris Poll.
Get that discount
Gen Z shoppers are savvy about how
they cut back, applying online codes and
sorting through coupons to lower the
cost of full-price items, Rodney said.
This summer, when John was shop-
ping for a dress to wear to a wedding, she
wasn’t satisfied with finding the perfect
look at an online retailer. She needed to
get the price down too, she said.
So she turned to TikTok and searched
“coupon code” and the name of the re-
tailer. “I tried as many as I could until I
found one that worked,” she said, and got
15% off.
Big purchases don’t cause stress
While it may seem paradoxical, it
makes perfect sense that Gen Z shoppers
are both savers and spenders, Rodney
said, noting that pinching pennies on ne-
Party and Oogie Boogie Bash. They just
have to follow event guidelines available
online.
Holiday outfits and Christmas paja-
mas are welcome at Mickey’s Very Merry
Christmas Party. Just remember that
Florida can still be toasty in November
and December if you’re thinking of wear-
ing a Christmas sweater. Dapper attire is
encouraged for Jollywood Nights.
Tickets cost about the same
as standard admission
Tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary
Halloween Party started at $109 this year
for adults or anyone over age 9. That’s
less than the $124 starting price for a
standard one-day, one-park ticket to
Magic Kingdom. Disney World tickets
vary by date, park and total number of
park days.
Both Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas
Party and Disney Jollywood Nights
tickets start at $159, which is right in line
with the starting prices of Magic King-
dom and Hollywood Studios tickets dur-
ing the holiday season.
Oogie Boogie Bash tickets are more of
a splurge. Those started at $134. That’s
notably more than a standard one-day,
one-park ticket for Disney California Ad-
venture, which is as low as $104 on some
event dates. But that didn’t keep the pop-
ular event from selling out the same day
tickets went on sale.
Is it worth it?
If you break it down by the hour, reg-
Opening wallets a bit more
Hewitt, an economics professor in
Pittsburgh, says weekly groceries for his
family cost about $300, up from $250
before the inflation spike. And with hotel
prices up about 20%, they scrapped their
annual trip to Erie, Pennsylvania.
Yet he says they’ve loosened the purse
strings somewhat. Inflation has stabi-
lized amid his larger pay increase, and he
sees the prospect of a 5% raise this year,
along with the added income from his
extra class. Besides ordering in more of-
ten, the family plans to take a weekend
trip to Erie this fall.
They took a similar middle-ground
approach when their refrigerator recent-
ly broke, buying a mid-priced model for
$1,600. “We’re not going out and buying
top-of-the-line, but we’re also not find-
ing the cheapest thing we can possibly
buy,” he says.
Other workers are feeling some bene-
fits from the rising or steady wage
growth and slowing inflation.
Adding more to savings
Claudia Miranda, of Lake Mary, Flori-
da, said the insurance company where
she works gave out 8% raises late last
year – well above the 2% to 3% employ-
ees normally receive.
“That actually helped,” says Miranda,
55, a senior risk analyst.
She still pays an extra $30 a week for
groceries and has put off the purchase of
a new crossover to replace her 2006
Honda Fit because the price is several
thousand dollars more than she antici-
pated. But she’s socking away more
money for emergencies and adding an-
MONEY
cessities allows them to splurge on luxu-
ry items.
John uses the cash she saves on
makeup and other staples to buy her
concert tickets. As she completed the
online check-out process for the Del Rey
concert seats, she “didn’t even think
about how much it was going to cost,”
she said.
The 75% of Gen Z who spent freely in
2023 were most likely to do so on luxury
fashion items, high-quality home goods,
or luxury beauty or skincare products,
the Harris Poll in May found.
And don’t forget pets.
“My cats are my children,” Mata said.
“For them, I’m willing to splurge.”
Every meal, Mata’s cats Blue, Piper
and Gwen get to eat human-quality raw
meats that cost him $100 per month.
Gen Z has their eyes on the future
For Mata, feeding his cats raw,
healthy food instead of kibble is a long-
term investment because the special diet
could help prevent the animals from get-
ting kidney disease later in life, leading
to expensive vet bills, he said.
Macalintal said he’ll keep thrifting for
Italian menswear and taking items to the
tailor. With the money he saves, he’s
seen Broadway productions of “The Lion
King,” “Wicked,” “Peter Pan” and “Miss
Saigon.”
“It doesn’t have to be that deep,” he
said. “Sometimes it’s just nice to relax
and be taken on a journey.”
ular park days offer guests more bang for
their buck.
For example, a ticket to Mickey’s Very
Merry Christmas Party on Nov. 14 would
cost $159 for an adult. Assuming you en-
ter Magic Kingdom as soon as possible at
4 p.m. and stay until the event ends at
midnight, that would work out to just
under $20 per hour in the parks.
A standard one-day, one-park adult
ticket to Magic Kingdom for that same
day would cost $154. The park’s regular
hours that day are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., be-
cause of the after-hours event. If you
stayed the whole time, it works out to $17
per hour in the park.
An even better value would be visiting
Magic Kingdom on Nov. 15, when it’s
open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. and a stan-
dard one-day, one-park adult ticket
costs $159. That works out to a little over
$13 per hour in the park.
Does Disney still do After Hours?
Disney World and Disneyland’s sea-
sonal after-hours events aren’t the same
as Disney After Hours events, with a
capital A and H.
Those were held earlier this year and
allowed specially ticketed guests to stay
three extra hours past regular closing.
They didn’t offer any event-exclusive en-
tertainment, but there were free snacks.
Meanwhile, Disneyland offered spe-
cially themed, limited-time Disneyland
After Dark events: Sweetheart Nite,
Princess Nite, Throwback Nite, Star
Wars Nite and for the first time, Pride
Nite earlier this year.
other 1% contribution to her 401(k) ac-
count. “I hope I can retire at 65,” she says.
“That is a priority.”
‘I don’t see any prices going down’
Jessica Zeigerman, of Edgewater,
New Jersey, is required to work in her
company’s Manhattan office four days a
week after toiling remotely since the
pandemic. That change means she’s
paying more than $300 in monthly com-
muting costs and adding to her lunch ex-
penses. She also had to update her ward-
robe after working remotely for 21⁄2 years.
“I didn’t have as many expenses (in
2022) in terms of commuting and taxes,”
says Zeigerman, 44, who coordinates
community investment projects for a
bank. “I’m finding my (condo) fees are al-
ways increasing, property taxes are go-
ing up, my income taxes are going up. …
My commuting fee is going up as of
Oct. 1.”
“I didn’t get any competitive raise this
year that would get close to matching the
cost of living,” adds Zeigerman, who got
her typical 3% bump in pay.
To curtail inflation, the Federal Re-
serve has lifted interest rates by more
than 5 percentage points in 16 months –
its most aggressive campaign in four
decades. However, the additional inter-
est payments themselves are straining
many borrowers.
Kristen Shirer, of Tacoma, Washing-
ton, says her income has grown but “I’m
not making additional purchases.”
“I’m working hard at paying off debt
and putting money away in savings,” she
says. “With interest rates rising, I’m pay-
ing down credit cards and not using
them.”
NEWS
OPINION
I worked as a kid in slave sweatshops
Nasreen Sheikh
Opinion contributor
The footprint of modern slavery can
be found all around us – if only we were
made aware so that we could open eyes
to the problem. The clothes we wear.
The smartphones in our pockets. The
solar panels on our buildings.
These and many other common
goods often carry the taint of forced la-
bor and modern slavery.
Most people have no understanding
that everyday goods are part of a supply
chain that is touched by extreme exploi-
tation. But the question is, if the world
understood just how close we are to
modern slavery, would this change the
way we consume?
Unconscious consumer culture has
long fueled the exploitation of some of
the poorest and most vulnerable
groups. Too often, international human
rights laws are left ignored, while the
need to cut costs for greater profits con-
tinually trumps all other business goals.
50 million living in modern slavery
A new report sheds light on the sur-
prising extent of the problem – and the
culpability of some of the world’s rich-
est nations. According to the 2023 Glob-
al Slavery Index by the human rights
group Walk Free, nearly 50 million peo-
ple are living in modern slavery. Millions
are being exploited because of society’s
desire for cheap goods.
The report shows that an annual
$468 billion worth of goods imported
into the Group of 20 industrial and
emerging-market nations are at risk of
being produced by forced labor.
This includes nearly $150 billion
worth of garments.
These colossal numbers might come
as a surprise to some, but would know-
ing the human cost to our purchases
change the way corporations and buy-
ers behave? And what effect would this
If adult child won’t move out, it may not be bad
Phil McGraw
and Dr. John Whyte
Opinion contributors
Today’s young adults are less likely to
date, marry, have kids and move out of
their parents’ homes than previous gen-
erations. Some people are hitting the
panic button about an epidemic of “pro-
longed adolescence” - and what will
happen if millions of young Americans
don’t assume adult responsibilities.
Will they face health or financial
problems? How will their choices affect
the rest of society?
The complicated reality is not neces-
sarily cause for alarm.
Demographic comparisons between
previous and current generations miss
the ways that institutions such as mar-
riage, family and work have evolved.
Young people’s behavior has altered be-
cause the demands and expectations
placed on them are no longer the same.
And changes that look alarming to older
generations might actually have signifi-
cant upsides.
Consider family formation. It’s true
that more young people are delaying
marriage and child-rearing, and even
opting not to have kids.
In just two generations (since the
1950s), the median age at which men
and women first get hitched rose seven
and eight years to 30 and 28, respective-
ly. And 44% of Americans ages 18-49 re-
port not wanting to have children.
Those who do are having them later
in life - the median age for a woman giv-
ing birth is now 30, up from 27 in 1990.
“USA TODAY hopes to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.” – Allen H. Neuharth, Founder, Sept. 15, 1982
Chairman and CEO Chief Financial Officer:
Gannett Co. Doug Horne
Michael Reed
Nasreen Sheikh, in blue, worked in
illegal sweatshops in the inner-city
slums of Kathmandu, Nepal, and grew
up in forced labor. PROVIDED
have on the environment?
If the latest data from the Global
Slavery Index sounds impossible, con-
sider that behind these numbers is a
story like mine.
I fell prey to the massive organization
of illegal sweatshops in the inner-city
slums of Kathmandu, Nepal, and grew
up in forced labor.
Along with thousands of others, my
childhood was traded for a life of suffer-
ing, malnourishment and industrial
poisoning on a scale unimaginable to
the average consumer.
Ask yourself, if the next time you
were browsing a department store and
the tag told you that this garment was
made using modern slavery, would you
still make the purchase? Would this
make you reflect on how you may be
consuming the suffering of a child or
hurting our planet?
As a child, I worked 12-15 hours a day
in a textile sweatshop, receiving less
than the equivalent of $2 per agonizing
and traumatizing shift – but only if I
completed the hundreds of garments
demanded of me.
Most of the time, the sweatshop
owner paid no one, closed up shop and
moved on to his next group. I ate, slept
and worked my fingers raw, in a work-
station the size of a prison cell.
The overall U.S. birth rate has dropped
20% since 2007.
Many of the reasons behind these
changes are good ones. The biggest con-
tributing factor to the rising median age
of first-time motherhood is a decline in
teen pregnancy.
It fell from 61.8 births per 1,000
females ages 15-19 in 1991 to 15.4 in 2020.
This is a hugely positive development.
Similarly, as opportunities for wom-
en to work and earn income have grown,
they’ve been relieved of some of the fi-
nancial and social pressure that con-
tributed to marrying younger.
Marriage now less driven by need
In 1950, only about 30% of females
older than 15 participated in the labor
force, whereas by 2005, that figure was
60%. Education levels have risen, too: In
1970, 12% of women ages 25-34 held a
four-year college degree. A half-century
later, that figure is 41%.
Meanwhile, Food and Drug Admini-
stration approval of the first contracep-
tive pill in the 1960s radically reduced
unplanned pregnancies, another source
of pressure to marry.
Taking advantage of opportunities to
study, work, make money and control
one’s fertility is hardly a sign of pro-
longed adolescence; it’s a rational re-
sponse to the options available.
Today, marriage is driven less by
need and more by love and desire for
companionship, but it can result in tan-
gible benefits just the same. Research
suggests that married individuals make
more money than single people, and
that may be because married people can
be more selective when job hunting.
They don’t have to take the first job offer
that comes their way, because a working
spouse has their back in terms of house-
hold income.
Chief Content Officer: Editor in Chief,
Kristin Roberts USA TODAY
Terence Samuel
USA TODAY ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ 7A
WANT TO COMMENT?
We’re on Facebook (USA TODAY Opinion) and Instagram and Twitter (@usatodayopinion). You can also
comment directly on columns.
Even then, I knew in my heart that
people would not choose to purchase
these items if they truly understood
where they came from and how they
were made. That is why an economic
system built on transparency is desper-
ately needed on a global scale.
After breaking free from my exploita-
tion, I came to the United States and vis-
ited a large chain store for the first time.
I walked the aisles in disbelief – I had
never experienced this level of both lux-
ury and convenience.
It was horrifying to see – but also a
great revelation to recognize the exploi-
tation and abject poverty attached to
these products. Seeing in my memory
the ghostly faces of children like me,
scattered into the thousands of prod-
ucts around me, brought me to tears.
Scrutinize supply chains
Businesses have increasingly com-
plex global supply chains that lack
transparency of who is working where
and under what conditions. Too often,
this works to the companies’ advantage.
By failing to meaningfully engage with
modern slavery risks, businesses can
turn a blind eye, avoid remediation and
continue to place profits over people.
The sad fact for most companies is
that if they look hard enough for worker
exploitation – or if they even look at all –
they will find it. Supply chain transpar-
ency should be built into business oper-
ations as standard, to guarantee that
products have been made under fair
conditions that uphold ethics and hu-
man rights.
While businesses should willingly
take on the responsibility to ensure that
their supply chains are free of modern
slavery, governments also have a role to
hold them to account and to set a level
playing field for our global economy.
This role includes ensuring businesses
and governments are actively looking
for forced labor in supply chains.
While some governments around the
world are stepping up, there remain se-
rious gaps in legislation that businesses
can exploit. For example, research by
Walk Free finds that most companies
Taking some time before traditional
adult commitments can also mean a
more stable life. Studies show that peo-
ple who marry in their early 30s have the
lowest rates of divorce.
Parents may fear that if their off-
spring never marry, they won’t experi-
ence the psychological benefits of long-
term partnership, such as companion-
ship, emotional support and a sense of
stability. While these advantages are
real, people can find them outside of
marriage.
A sense of belonging and purpose
can come from many places, including
extended family, a religious community,
or even a neighborhood softball team or
local bar.
In other words, the fact that young
people are delaying family formation
isn’t itself the problem.
Rather, it’s that they’re doing so
while also failing to cultivate meaning-
ful social connections elsewhere: 27%
of millennials, born between 1981 to
1996, say they have zero close friends.
Generation Z, born between 1997 to
2012, might have it even worse.
Loneliness is the bigger concern
In total, about 61% of young Ameri-
cans report experiencing “serious lone-
liness,” according to a 2021 Harvard
study. The rate of friendship formation
is at a historic low.
The loneliness epidemic among
young people is a far graver public
health concern than delaying tradition-
al life markers. Studies have repeatedly
shown that close friends play a decisive
role in preventing depression and sui-
cide. Psychiatric researchers estimate
that the health effects of prolonged so-
cial isolation equate to smoking 15 ciga-
rettes a day.
Another conventional marker of ma-
Vice President/Group Editor,
Gannett Opinion
Michael McCarter
are falling at the first hurdle when it
comes to even reporting on the actions
they are taking. Governments must es-
tablish sound policies that do not allow
businesses to exploit the massive loop-
holes that exist in legislation.
The result of the current system is
decades of corporate social responsibil-
ity that is merely voluntary, modern
slavery reporting legislation with no
consequence for noncompliance, and
greenwashing campaigns that could
convince the savviest of consumers that
they are acting ethically.
The unspoken truth
The development of policy to address
modern slavery always will be impeded
as long as it ignores how the issues are
deeply intersected with wider struc-
tures, systems and behaviors. Focusing
on issues in silos will hold us back from
solutions for decades to come.
Modern slavery thrives in the shad-
ows and darkness, the unspoken truth,
the hidden parts of our global society
too ugly or horrific to witness in light.
But truth is the key.
We need radical supply chain trans-
parency and meaningful engagement
from all businesses and corporations.
We need modern slavery legislation that
imposes the duty to protect all workers
in supply chains and ensures the pro-
tection of our planet. We need to hold
companies liable for breaches and inac-
tion, leaving no one behind in the pur-
suit of a thriving global economy.
With 50 million people living in mod-
ern slavery around the world, the time
for meaningful action and renewed
commitment is now.
If not addressed immediately, the
next Global Slavery Index will record an
exponential growth of exploitation built
on the backs of child laborers like my-
self, against a backdrop of a culture of
ignorance in the face of suffering.
Wouldn’t you want to know if I made
the very shirt on your back?
Nasreen Sheikh, survivor leader and
international human rights advocate, is
the founder of Empowerment Collective
and Local Women’s Handicraft.
turity in the United States was “leaving
the nest,” but that, too, has changed.
The percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds
living with their parents has jumped
nearly 50% since 2000.
Today, nearly 1 in 6 of young adults
still lives at home.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
It’s normal in many countries, and it can
help people save money and deepen
connections with parents, siblings and
hometown friends.
Moving toward independence
What’s more concerning is when
young people move out only to later
move back in.
Research suggests that “boomerang-
ing” back to your parents’ house after a
period of independence can lead to
mental health challenges beyond what
might have precipitated the move, such
as a break-up or job loss.
From a mental health perspective,
what matters is that young people are
moving toward residential and financial
independence.
But if young people want to move out
and can’t because of debt or other finan-
cial stressors, that is a reason for con-
cern. Financial stress harms mental and
even physical health.
Symptoms that seem to indicate a
case of generational prolonged adoles-
cence are, upon closer examination,
more complicated.
Most aren’t problems in and of them-
selves. But some draw attention to so-
cial trends that should concern us, and
that we must address soon.
Dr. Phil McGraw, Ph.D., is one of the
most well-known mental health profes-
sionals in the world and the host of one
of daytime TV’s top-rated programs,
“Dr. Phil.” Dr. John Whyte is chief med-
ical officer of WebMD.
Vice President/Executive Editor,
Sports
Roxanna Scott
8A ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
TRAVEL
POCKET GUIDE
GERMANY
10Best Local Experts
take you to the best
spots around Berlin,
Frankfurt, Munich
Andrea Schulte-Peevers
in BERLIN
Robyn Polzin
in FRANKFURT
Mike Richardson
in MUNICH
GO SEE ...
BERLIN
1. Berlin Wall Memorial
The Berlin Wall may be gone,
but it will never be forgotten.
This outdoor museum, which in-
cludes the last remaining stretch
of the wall in its original location,
explains how the barrier divided
a city and its people for 28 years.
Bernauer Strasse 119
+49 30 467 986 666
2. Stasi Prison
Former inmates lead tours of
the prison where the East Ger-
man secret police held suspected
opponents of the regime — most
of them innocent of wrongdoing.
Genslerstrasse 66
+49 30 9860 8230
3. Panoramapunkt
For the best bird’s-eye view of
central Berlin, let Europe’s fastest
elevator whisk you 24 floors to
this lofty perch above Potsdamer
Platz in a mere 20 seconds.
Potsdamer Platz 1
+49 30 2593 7080
4. Schloss Charlottenburg
See how the Prussian kings
who ruled much of Germany un-
til 1918 lived at this mini-Ver-
sailles, framed by a lovely park
perfect for summer picnics.
Spandauer Damm 20-24
+49 30 320 911
5. Humboldt-Box
This multimedia exhibit ac-
companies the ongoing recon-
struction of the city’s Prussian
imperial palace, which was de-
molished by the communists in
1950. Humboldt-Box introduces
the future tenants and explains
how the huge building will fit
within the city’s historic center.
Schlossplatz 5
+49 180 503 0707
6. Pergamonmuseum
This crowd-pleaser wows with
monumental antiquities from
Greece, Rome and the Middle
East. Star exhibits include the ra-
diant blue Ishtar Gate and the in-
tricate facade of a caliph’s palace.
Bodestrasse 1-3
+49 30 266 424 242
Narrow slits
in barriers at
the Berlin
Wall Memori-
al provide
glimpses of
the “death
strip,” where
those fleeing
East Berlin
were often
gunned down.
GÜNTER STEFFEN,
VISITBERLIN
UNEXPECTED
GERMANY
BERLIN
1. Story of Berlin
This museum’s engaging multi-
media trip through the city’s his-
tory culminates with a tour of a
Cold War nuclear bomb shelter.
Kurfürstendamm 207-208
+49 30 8872 0100
2. Tempelhof Park
Tempelhof Airport, site of the
first Lufthansa flight and the Ber-
lin Airlift, closed in 2008. It’s now
open as a beloved city park.
Entrances on Columbiadamm,
Oderstrasse, Tempelhofer Damm
7. Neukölln neighborhood
Catapulted from gritty zone to
vibrant district, Neukölln is per-
fect for DIY exploration. Cafes
like Katie’s Blue Cat invite linger-
ing between stops at vintage bou-
tiques and hipster bars.
Katie’s Blue Cat
Friedelstrasse 31
+49 178 806 9701
8. Jüdische Mädchenschule
A former Jewish girls’ school in
a Bauhaus-era building has
evolved into a cultural hot spot,
featuring cutting-edge galleries, a
museum about the Kennedys and
even stellar restaurants.
Auguststrasse 11-13
+49 030 3300 6070
9. Museum in der
Kulturbrauerei
This exhibit in a former brew-
ery uses original documents, pho-
tographs and objects to peel back
the Iron Curtain on daily life in
communist East Germany.
Knaackstrasse 97
+49 030 4677 7790
PHILIP KOSCHEL, VISITBERLIN
Sunflowers, rather than jets,
aim skyward at Tempelhof.
3. Rembrandt Collection
The 16 Rembrandt works at
the Gemäldegalerie form one of
the world’s largest, most exquisite
collections by this Dutch master.
Matthäikirchplatz
+49 30 266 424 242
MARTINA BERG, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
10. Bikini Berlin
Browse fashion and design at
Germany’s first “concept mall,” in
a 1950s landmark building with
front-row views of the monkey
enclosure of the Berlin Zoo.
Budapester Strasse 38-50
GO SEE ...
FRANKFURT
1. Palmengarten
Established in 1868, this oasis
in the Westend is Germany’s larg-
est botanical garden. Displays in-
clude more than 13,000 tropical
and subtropical plant species.
Siesmayerstrasse 61
+49 69 2123 3939
2. Hauptbahnhof Station
The busiest train station in
Frankfurt consists of a massive
main vestibule and two adjoining
neoclassical halls made of steel
and glass. Inside are a series of
platforms, shops and food stands.
Am Hauptbahnhof
4. Ramones Museum
Avid Ramones fan Flo Hayler
shares his collection of memora-
bilia in this cool east Berlin
shrine to the punk-rock pioneers.
Krausnickstrasse 23
+49 30 7552 8890
FRANKFURT
5. Long Island Summer
Lounge
Relaxing by day and edgy at
night, this beach bar atop an ur-
ban parking garage is a refreshing
antidote for what ails you.
Park House Exchange, Deck 7
+49 151 6150 9889
6. Festhalle
What do Miley Cyrus, Peter
Gabriel and OneRepublic have in
SBORISOV, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
Marienplatz, above, has
been the main square of
Munich since 1158, al-
though New Town Hall
dates only to 1874. West
of Frankfurt lie the ruins
of Rheinfels Castle, left.
3. Museumsufer
A walk along the Main River’s
Museum Embankment is a must.
Twelve museums sit on a single
tree-lined street, the most nota-
ble being the Städel art gallery.
Städel, Schaumainkai 63
+49 69 605098 232
4. Rheinfels Castle
West of the city, this castle’s
ancient stone ramparts rise over
the Rhine at Sankt Goar. The ru-
ins recall the Middle Ages, while
the restaurant and its lovely ter-
race herald the modern day.
Schlossberg, Sankt Goar
+49 6741 7753
5. Goethehaus
Grand wood staircases take
visitors through the reconstruct-
ed timbered house where the
writer Johann Wolfgang von Goe-
the spent his childhood.
Grosser Hirschgraben 23
+49 69 138 800
6. Gerbermühle
After cycling along the Main
River, relax in the garden at this
16th-century flour mill renovated
as a hotel complex.
Gerbermühlestrasse 105
+49 69 689 7779 0
7. Hauptwache Station
This busy rapid-transit station
resembles an underground city
with its street performers, chalk
artists, international markets, dry
cleaners and even an entrance to
the Galeria department store.
An der Hauptwache 17
8. Kleinmarkthalle
This market hall hosts some 60
vendors selling fresh food, wine
and flowers every day except Sun-
day. Locals like a glass of wine in
the outdoor garten upstairs.
Hasengasse 5
+49 69 2123 3696
9. Römerberg
Heart of Frankfurt’s old town,
this charming central square is
common? All have played this im-
pressive neobaroque-style exhibi-
tion hall, which dates to 1909.
Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1
+49 69 1340 400
7. English Theatre
Delight in a memorable perfor-
mance at this gem of a venue in
the city center. Seating 300, it’s
the largest English-language
theater in continental Europe.
Gallusanlage 7
+49 69 2423 1620
MUNICH
8. Bavaria Filmstadt
The famous film studio where
The Neverending Story, the origi-
nal Willy Wonka and the Choco-
late Factory, Das Boot and many
NEWS
lined with reconstructed half-
timbered houses. Be sure to visit
the Zum Römer, where Holy Ro-
man emperors were coronated.
Römerberg, Altstadt
10. Alte Oper
The Italian Renaissance-style
Alte Oper is Frankfurt’s original
opera house. Can’t make a show?
Linger at an outdoor cafe on
Opernplatz, the Opera Square.
Opernplatz 1
+49 69 1340 0
GO SEE ...
MUNICH
1. St. Peter’s Church
Munich’s oldest church, “Alter
Peter” (Old Peter) is recognizable
by its 91-meter tower, offering
some of the best views of the city.
Rindermarkt 1
+49 89 2102 3776
2. Hirschgarten
This used to be part of the roy-
al hunting grounds. Today it’s the
site of a family-friendly beer gar-
den (Bavaria’s largest), serving
top-notch local food.
Hirschgarten 1
+49 89 1799 9119
3. Odeonsplatz
For photo opportunities, it’s
hard to beat this square in cen-
tral Munich. Odeonsplatz, named
for the Odeon concert hall, is bor-
dered by some of the city’s most
significant buildings.
Odeonsplatz 1
+49 89 222 324
4. Viktualienmarkt
From sausages and fish to ex-
otic fruit, Munich’s open-air food
market boasts the highest-quality
gourmet groceries in town. At its
center lies a beer garden with a
lively atmosphere.
Viktualienmarkt 3
+49 89 8906 8205
5. Alte Pinakothek
The former royal collection of
Old Masters paintings resides
here. Dürer, Rembrandt, Peter
Paul Rubens and El Greco are
among those represented.
Barer Strasse 27
+49 89 2380 5216
6. Marienplatz
Munich’s main square since
1158, Marienplatz is abuzz with
activity and a great place for pho-
tos, with the Gothic Revival-style
New Town Hall in the spotlight.
+49 089 2330 0115
7. Residenz
Take a tour of the former main
royal palace of Bavaria, with its
130 rooms and 10 courtyards.
Residenzstrasse 1
+49 089 290 671
8. BMW Museum
From the earliest BMW en-
gines to modern prototypes, the
permanent exhibit here appeals
to the car lover in all of us and
rolls out fun for all ages.
Am Olympiapark 2
+49 89 125 016 001
9. Nymphenburg Palace
This baroque beauty housed
Bavaria’s rulers beginning in
1675. Perhaps more spectacular
than the palace itself are the 490
acres of formal gardens.
Schloss Nymphenburg 1
+49 089 179 080
10. Asamkirche
A rococo gem, Asamkirche was
built as a private chapel for the
brothers who completed it in
1746. Now it’s open to the public.
Sendlinger Strasse 32
+49 089 2368 7989
Want even more great ideas?
Go to 10Best.com for handy
travel lists, cool pics and hot
tips by Local Experts in popular
destinations around the world.
other movies were made offers
tours and a 4-D theater.
Bavariafilmplatz 7
+49 089 6499 2000
9. Eisbach River Surfing
On the Eisbach’s canal next to
the Haus der Kunst, look for the
spot just off the road where peo-
ple surf year-round — in Munich.
Prinzregentenstrasse
+49 089 2339 6500
10. Kartoffelmuseum
The Potato Museum follows
the starchy vegetable and its vari-
ous uses throughout history, with
special emphasis on its ties to
Munich. The museum is free and
worthy of an hour of your time.
Grafingerstrasse 2
+49 089 404050
SPORTS
Wolken column: Nick Saban’s
Italian vacation lesson, 3B
Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons is wreck-
USA TODAY | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 | SECTION B ing opposing quarterbacks in bid for award, 3B
Latest news, results, opinion
24/7 at sports.usatoday.com
Check out our NFL and college football coverage,
plus who’s doing well in MLB and at Solheim Cup

Pac-12 off
to record
success in
what could be
final season
Paul Myerberg
USA TODAY

Eight teams in the US LBM AFCA

Coaches Poll, the most of any confer-
ence in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
An overall record of 29-5 in nonconfer-
ence play. With a 7-3 mark against
Power Five conference teams, the only
league with a winning record against
the best of the best in the FBS.
Home to the biggest story in college
football, the best quarterback, perhaps
the second-best and third-best quar-
terbacks, the most explosive offenses
and the most top-end depth in college
football – the list goes on for the most
impressive conference in the country
Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. through the first three weeks of the
MICHAEL TRAN AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES 2023 season.
The SEC? Big Ten? Good guesses,
but try again. This would be the Pac-12,

LOVE STORY?
which just in time and for the very last
time has re-emerged as a national
player with sights set on reaching the
College Football Playoff and playing for
the national championship.
And not a moment too soon. The

A Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce love tale
(Not really but we can dream)
Mike Freeman
Columnist
USA TODAY
Travis Kelce made his official re-
turn on Sunday and all we can say is he
fit back into Kansas City’s offense like a
perfect rhyme.
August slipped away, and as good as
quarterback Patrick Mahomes is, as the sea-
son opening loss to the Lions showed, he
needs Kelce, because without him, the
castle crumbled overnight. Kansas City
brought a knife to a gunfight. The Lions
took the crown but it’s alright. Then
came the Jaguars.
Mahomes is the best quarterback in
football. Maybe the best player in the sport.
But Mahomes needs his great receiving
counterpart. This isn’t to say Mahomes will
be asking, “Lord, what will become of me,
once I’ve lost my novelty?”
It is to say that when you look throughout
NFL history, some of the best offenses have a
formidable one-two punch. They never had
bad blood, they always had mad love. Not al-
ways. But a lot of the time. There was John-
ny Unitas and Raymond Berry, Joe Montana
and Jerry Rice, Jim Kelly
and Andre Reed, among
others. Mahomes had
that somewhat when
Tyreek Hill was with the
team but he definitely
has it with Kelce.
When Miami signed
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught four
passes for 26 yards and 1 TD in his first game
of the 2023 season Sunday.
NATHAN RAY SEEBECK/USA TODAY SPORTS
Hill, Mahomes made it clear it wasn’t some sit-
uation that needs to be handled. Hill was gone
but Mahomes still had Kelce.
What makes Kelce so good? One word: ex-
plosive. His speed and fluidity allow him to run
like a receiver and also make it impossible for a
linebacker to cover him. Faster corners try, but
at 6-foot-5 Kelce is often too tall for them. Com-
bo and zone coverages often don’t work either
See FREEMAN, Page 2B
GETTY IMAGES
Pac-12 has been ravaged by conference
realignment, with all but two current
members poised to join another Power
Five league in 2024. While remaining
members Oregon State and Washing-
ton State could forge ahead and at-
tempt to remake a new conference un-
der the Pac-12 brand, the two programs
are more likely destined to join an ex-
isting Group of Five league such as the
Mountain West.
“We’re focused with the task at
hand, what is right in front of us,” said
Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith,
adding that he was in agreement with
Washington State coach Jake Dickert
“in regard that Oregon State and
Washington State belonging and com-
peting at the highest level.”
See PAC-12, Page 2B
Southern Cal quarterback Caleb
Williams is the reigning Heisman
Trophy winner.
KIRBY LEE/USA TODAY SPORTS

COMMENTARY

Notre Dame finally has a big-time QB for a big-time game

Tom Noie
Columnist
South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – This week is
why.
Why he decided at age 24 that a sixth
year of college football was doable. Why
he pursued said season in a part of the
country where he’d never lived and
knew no one. And why on a Monday af-
ternoon, instead of a quick lunch and a
lift within the halls and walls of the
Guglielmino Center where he seemingly
eats, works and sleeps every single hour
of every single day, Notre Dame football
quarterback Sam Hartman stood some-
where he’s never stood this season.
That would be in the interview room
of Notre Dame Stadium, a place that,
should everything go to Irish plans, he’ll
have to hit again late Saturday night.
That’s why he’s here. And there. Next
up for No. 9 Notre Dame (4-0) is a big
game, its biggest to date. At home. At
night (7:30 EDT, NBC and Peacock).
Against No. 4 Ohio State (3-0).
Big games are the norm for this pro-
gram, but big games with someone like
Hartman at quarterback? Haven’t seen
that yet. We will for the next month.
Buckle up.
In two of its four losses in 2022 – at
Ohio State to open the regular season,
then at Southern Cal to close it – Notre
Dame didn’t have much of a chance be-
cause it didn’t have much of a quarter-
back. It was Tyler Buchner in Columbus
over Labor Day weekend and Drew Pyne
in Los Angeles over Thanksgiving week-
end. Both are fine fellas, but only to a
certain point. They might be good, but
the position demands great.
Buchner rebounded from early-
Transfer quarterback Sam Hartman has thrown 13 TD passes in his first four
See NOIE, Page 2B games for Notre Dame. MATT CASHORE/USA TODAY SPORTS
2B ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

Pac-12 the top three offenses in the FBS (Wash-

Continued from Page 1B
Yet in this last hurrah, the Pac-12 has
turned back the clock and rediscovered
the personality and offensive ingenuity
that once made the conference impos-
sible to ignore.
“We’ll see how it ends up at the end of
the season,” said UCLA coach Chip Kel-
ly. “But right now there are some teams
that are playing some really good foot-
ball.”
The best and brightest example is
No. 19 Colorado, which has captivated
the nation under coach Deion Sanders.
While without precedent in modern col-
lege football history, the Buffaloes’ surge
from last year’s one-win finish to the
sport’s most popular team – 9.3 million
viewers tuned into Saturday’s late-
night win against Colorado State, mak-
ing it the fifth-most-watched regular-
season game in ESPN’s history regard-
less of time slot – serves as a stand-in
for the Pac-12’s bittersweet resurgence
onto the national stage.
In multiple ways, the Pac-12 has be-
come the league you can’t ignore.
h The Pac-12 has eight ranked
teams, representing two-third of the
league’s total makeup: No. 5 Southern
Cal, No. 8 Washington, No. 10 Utah,
No. 11 Oregon, No. 15 Oregon State, Colo-
rado, No. 24 Washington State and
No. 25 UCLA.
This is the most of any Power Five
league by a wide margin. The SEC and
ACC both have five ranked teams, the
Big Ten has four ranked teams and the
Big 12 has two. The eight ranked teams is
a new Pac-12 record in the Associated
Press media poll, breaking the previous
record of six.
And Kelly thinks the league is still
one short: “Arizona should be ranked,”
he said.
h The Pac-12 is winning reputation-
making games against the Power Five
Defending Pac-12 champion Utah is 3-0 thanks to players such as quarterback
Bryson Barnes. RICK BOWMER/AP
and more. The 7-3 mark against fellow
Power Five competition stands in con-
trast to the league’s 8-19 mark in these
games across the previous three years,
including the postseason.
No other league is better than .500 in
games against the Power Five. The ACC
has gone 8-8 and the Big 12 has gone 6-6,
while the SEC is 5-7 and the Big Ten is
5-8.
The Pac-12 is also a combined 12-1
against the American and Mountain
West, the two top leagues in the Group
of Five.
“I think there’s a lot of great teams in
this conference and I think that’s really
evident with how they’ve performed
outside of the conference,” Oregon
coach Dan Lanning said.
h The league is home to the best of-
fenses in the FBS. The Pac-12 has seven
teams in the top 20 nationally in scor-
ing: USC (59.3 points per game), Oregon
(58), Washington State (48.3), Wash-
ington (46), Colorado (41.3), Oregon
State (41) and UCLA (40.3).
By the even more illustrative metric
of yards gained per play, the Pac-12 has
ington, USC and UCLA) and another
three ranked in the top 15 (Oregon, Ari-
zona and Oregon State). Overall, Pac-12
teams have averaged 38.7 points per
game in nonconference play, with that
average pulled down by Arizona State’s
Power Five-worst average of 13 points
per game.
h And those offenses are led by the
best collection of quarterbacks in the
country. Three quarterbacks are at the
front of the race for the Heisman Tro-
phy, led by last year’s winner, USC junior
Caleb Williams. He’s hit the ground run-
ning in what is expected to his final sea-
son, completing 78.6% of his throws
with 12 touchdowns on an FBS-best 12.5
yards per attempt.
Washington senior Michael Penix Jr.
has thrown for at least 400 yards and
three touchdowns in all three starts, in-
cluding 473 yards and four scores in last
weekend’s rout of Michigan State. The
biggest surprise of all has been Colora-
do’s Shedeur Sanders, who has 1,251
yards and 10 touchdowns to go with last
Saturday’s early Heisman moment in a
98-yard march to tie Colorado State
with under a minute left in regulation.
h There are premier matchups be-
ginning this weekend. The SEC has
long cornered the market on can’t-miss
conference games. But the Pac-12’s deep
slate of ranked matchups will carry
heavy influence on the final playoff
rankings and possibly provide the
league with the benefit of the doubt with
the playoff selection committee when
comparing Power Five champions or
runners-up with similar records.
Saturday’s schedule alone features
three ranked games: Colorado at Oregon
(3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC), UCLA at Utah
(3:30 p.m. EDT, Fox) and Oregon State at
Washington State (7 p.m. EDT, Fox).
“There are some great teams,” Lan-
ning said. “I think we’ll continue to see
that each week. I think we have a really
tough schedule and certainly a tough
opponent coming up here this week.”

Noie It doesn’t matter that he’s never

Continued from Page 1B
season shoulder surgery to beat South
Carolina in the bowl game and Pyne was
at the controls in the win over Clemson,
but you can’t bat .500 in big games at
Notre Dame. Better win ’em all. Other-
wise …
Notre Dame didn’t beat Ohio State
with Buchner. It didn’t beat USC with
Pyne. Somewhere along that bumpy
road, head coach Marcus Freeman and
his staff realized (correctly) that if this
football program is to be taken seriously,
is to maximize its potential, is to experi-
ence a smoother ride, it needed to get
serious at the game’s most critical posi-
tion.
Here is Hartman after five seasons at
Wake Forest. He’s been a nice story, be it
the human interest feature about him
having a rib removed that eventually
was made into a necklace or his jet-
black beard-hair combo or his gaudy
stats through four games.
That’s all fine and a lot of fun but it’s
time to deliver in a game against some-
one other than a service academy
(Navy) or an overmatched “State”
school (Tennessee State, North Carolina
State) or a directional one (Central
Michigan).
Freeman was asked Monday about
what’s different in his second go-round
against Ohio State. He rattled off a few
items, be it the experience of his team
and the identity of his program. He
Sam Hartman has a 71.1 completion
percentage with 64 passes going for
1,061 yards this season, and he’s
earned a 217.8 ESPN QB rating.
MATT CASHORE/USA TODAY SPORTS
didn’t mention the obvious one. The
quarterback.
“This moment,” Freeman said about
Hartman, “won’t be too big for him.”
Notre Dame has a chance Saturday to
take its season in an entirely different
direction because it has Hartman. He
matters that much. He just does. No
longer do the Irish only hope to compete
with the game’s elite – first up, Ohio
State, then USC in a few weeks. Notre
Dame sees unproven Kyle McCord at
Ohio State and reigning Heisman Tro-
phy winner Caleb Williams at USC and
raises each the veteran Hartman.
If not now for Hartman and Notre
Dame, then when?
played in a game featuring two Top 10
teams. It doesn’t matter that he’s never
been under the lights at Notre Dame
Stadium or worn the green uniforms
(jerseys, pants, shoes) that he’ll wear
Saturday. It doesn’t matter that he
stresses he won’t stress over the magni-
tude of the moment.
Hartman’s the Notre Dame quarter-
back, which means Notre Dame could
win Saturday. How about should? Make
a big game that too often has been the
exception the expectation. Time to run
more than last season’s Clemson win on
an endless television loop around the
Irish Athletic Center. Freeman has said
that for Notre Dame to reach its poten-
tial, its stars have to be stars, and no-
body more than No. 10.
This is why he’s here.
When Hartman sat for five media
minutes in the run-up to the Central
Michigan game, you figured that would
be the last anyone would hear from him
for a few weeks. Maybe pre-USC. Or
post-bye week. But the Notre Dame
public relations team, knowing what
Saturday means in a big (national) pic-
ture, had Hartman follow Freeman after
the head coach’s usual Monday media
window. Smart move. Right move.
That’s what this one means.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us,” Hart-
man said. “The road to the finish line
leads through this game.”
The finish line, the Heisman, the
Maxwell, the O’Brien, the College Foot-
ball Playoff and everything else you
could imagine this season could be for
this team. Saturday is the starting point
for Hartman. For Notre Dame. On your
marks ...
You get Hartman in front of the mi-
crophones and the notepads and an-
swer a few questions, because if Satur-
day goes Notre Dame’s way, this season
becomes a whole different rocket ride.
For the Irish. For Hartman. Heisman
hype? Way too early for that nonsense
just yet. But a win Saturday adjusts that
narrative. Why? It’s Notre Dame.
In press gatherings, Hartman plays it
straight down the middle. Think a
screen pass instead of a home-run
heave. No bulletin board material for the
other team. No proclamations about
guaranteeing wins. It’s about his offen-
sive line. His skill guys. It’s about the
coaches and the schemes and confi-
dence and trust in everything and ev-
eryone. It’s certainly not about himself.
He’s dry. He’s monotone. He answers
questions without revealing … well,
anything. He plans to keep his blinders
on this week, to stay focused on what
Freeman preaches in winning the day.
Not worrying about Saturday until Sat-
urday, but he knows.
“It’s a big game,” he said. “To shy
away from that is foolish.”
No fooling. What would a win Satur-
day mean? Let’s put it in the context of
Hartman’s favorite pastime – fishing.
Beating Ohio State would be like Notre
Dame laboring to land an Atlantic blue
marlin off the coast of South Carolina,
where his family now calls home.
This one would be quite a catch.
That’s why he’s here.

Freeman What also makes Kelce a problem for

Continued from Page 1B
because he’s a skilled route runner. He
finds creases in defenses as well as any
receiver in the league and his rapport
with Mahomes makes things even
tougher. Kelce is no Mr. Perfectly Fine.
Defenses, in fact, have a common re-
frain: Sorry, I can’t see facts through all
of my fury.
You saw Kelce’s impact against Jack-
sonville. It wasn’t a huge Kelce day but
he did score a touchdown and the focus
on him from the defense opened things
up for other receivers.
Kelce isn’t just one of the most un-
stoppable forces in the NFL. He’s one of
the most unstoppable in all of sports.
Defensive coordinators tell their
players: You won’t stop him, you can
only hope to contain him. Defensive
players know it’s true, telling coaches
they call up plays again just for Kelce to
break them like a promise, so casually
cruel in the name of being honest.
It’s also fun to watch Mahomes and
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce warms up before his first game of the season
against the Jaguars. NATHAN RAY SEEBECK/USA TODAY SPORTS
coach Andy Reid, two masterminds,
around them the planets and the fates
and all the stars always align. Amazing
how they ended up in the same room, at
the same time.
You also need to understand, Ma-
homes might say, why he lost his mind
when Kelce was gone, and fought the
wars, and why he spent Kelce’s absence
trying to put it in words.
defenses is how Reid schemes him
open. Reid doesn’t take Kelce’s abilities
for granted. Spiderboy, king of thieves,
weave your little webs of opacity, be-
cause part of the game plan with Kelce is
to be as confusing to defenses as pos-
sible.
I’m sure Mahomes, when Kelce was
gone, and the quarterback was looking
back at the Week 1 loss to the Lions,
thought to himself: It takes everything
in me just to get up each day but it’s
wonderful to see that you’re OK.
Kelce is okay. Kansas City is okay. All
is right with the world. The team will be
back on its vigilante stuff again, for all
those who wrote them off after the first
week.
And Kansas City fans are dancing in
their Levis, drunk under a streetlight.
Waiting for another Super Bowl ring.
And if they get burned, well, at least
they were electrified.
(Hannah Yasharoff and David Oliver
contributed to this story by ranking all
of Taylor Swift’s lyrics. They are both
untouchable, burning brighter than the
sun.)
SPORTS
Italian vacation lesson: Dynasty fall never fun
Dan Wolken
Columnist
USA TODAY
Maybe we should have suspected
this was going to be a different year for
Alabama when Nick Saban went on a
real vacation this summer – overseas
and everything – and admitted that it
was actually a nice experience.
“It was for our 50th wedding anniver-
sary, which was really in the past,” Sa-
ban said of his trip to Italy. “But I kept
getting out of going because I really
didn’t want to go and take 10 days to not
be around. But it was a great trip and I
would recommend anybody go.”
As much as Saban’s off-the-charts
work ethic has been part of the story
during his entire coaching career, it’s re-
markable that his singular-focused
compulsion to be on top of every little
thing in his organization wouldn’t even
allow him to consider why millions of
people might enjoy visiting Italy until he
turned 71 and had already won seven
national titles.
And now, after allowing himself a few
days to see the Vatican and the Colosse-
um, it’s all suddenly falling apart?
We joke about this, but you just know
if Alabama loses to Ole Miss this week-
end, there’s going to be some guy in
Leeds or Bay Minette furiously punch-
ing in the “Paul Finebaum Show” hot
line Monday afternoon, ready to put Mi-
chelangelo and da Vinci on blast for dis-
tracting Coach Saban from his mission.
Sound ridiculous? Maybe. But given
how distant any real Alabama football
adversity now feels and how entitled its
fan base has become, the eventual de-
cline of the Saban era is guaranteed to
be theater of the absurd. They’re just
not going to handle it well.
Because of how many times Saban
has pivoted, reinvented and rescued
seasons that seemed a little bit wobbly,
rushing to declare the end of Alabama’s
dominance is fraught with risk. Yet
there’s enough evidence being laid out
by this team to suggest that it’s already
happened.
The reality is how Alabama performs
Saturday will tell us everything we need
to know.
A second loss for Alabama by the end
of September would be unprecedented
in the Saban era, but if it happens this
Cowboys’ Micah Parsons wrecking QBs
Jarrett Bell
Columnist
USA TODAY
ARLINGTON, Texas – After leaving
his fingerprints on another romp with
another monster performance, Micah
Parsons was left to explain himself. This
might seem simple enough: Wreak hav-
oc. Blow up game plans. Kill the quarter-
back.
Yet as he begins his third pro season
with the Dallas Cowboys, Parsons real-
izes that it’s deeper than that.
“I’m just hungry,” Parsons said fol-
lowing the 30-10 beatdown of the New
York Jets at AT&T Stadium, which not
only improved Dallas’ record to 2-0 but
added a layer of reputation to a defense
led by its star edge rusher. “It doesn’t
matter where I’m at, I’m coming. I don’t
care if I’m gassed out, my lungs hurt. It’s
mind over matter. Every time I’m out
there, I seize every opportunity. I take
this extremely to heart.”
It shows. On Sunday, Parsons pun-
ished poor fill-in quarterback Zach Wil-
son with two sacks and four other quar-
terback hits. Three of his four tackles
were for lost yardage. He batted away a
pass. And he stripped Dalvin Cook of
the football while stopping a sweep,
then recovered the fumble.
“He was just a wrecking crew today,”
marveled Cowboys coach Mike McCar-
thy.
Added cornerback Stephon Gilmore:
“He’s special. Like I’ve told you all be-
fore, I’ve never seen nothing like it.”
Through the first two weeks of the
season, Parsons has arguably estab-
lished himself as the front-runner for
Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Sure, it’s way early in this grind. But
with the Cowboys yielding just 10 points
through two games – OK, the Jets of-
fense sans Aaron Rodgers wasn’t exact-
ly the best test – and Parsons being the
alpha dog in that mix it is apparent the
bar is raised.
Alabama QB Jalen Milroe and coach Nick Saban take on 3-0 Ole Miss this
weekend. The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 12. GARY COSBY JR./USA TODAY SPORTS
weekend, would anybody really be sur-
prised?
The entire concept of Alabama’s dy-
nasty ending – an idea that first sprung
up in late 2014/early 2015 – was never
just about going a couple of years with-
out winning a national championship. It
was based more on the aura of this pro-
gram being so overwhelmingly skilled,
well-coached and physically dominant
that beating them seemed like some-
thing almost superhuman.
You can’t watch Alabama lose deci-
sively to Texas, then struggle to put
away South Florida in back-to-back
weeks, and not wonder whether that’s
already taken place.
Because the truth is, Alabama hasn’t
been physically dominant over other
good teams for the last couple of years,
especially on either line of scrimmage. It
hasn’t been exceptionally well-coached,
either, if you look at some key indicators
like penalties, where the Tide ranked
123rd in the country last season and
114th in 2021.
The edge Alabama managed to re-
tain, at least until this year, was a ridicu-
lous stable of skill players. But without
an elite quarterback like Bryce Young
erasing mistakes and bad plays with his
ability to improvise, the Crimson Tide
have looked ordinary. Though it never
seemed like Alabama was in real danger
of losing to South Florida, its sluggish-
ness moving the ball – just 310 offensive
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson gets off a pass under pressure from Cowboys
linebacker Micah Parsons in a preseason game. SAM HODDE/AP
Last year, the top defensive honor
went to Nick Bosa, the San Francisco
49ers defensive end who led the NFL
with 18 1⁄2 sacks. In previous years, the
award has gone to T.J. Watt of the Pitts-
burgh Steelers and his now-retired
brother, JJ. And Aaron Donald, the Los
Angeles Rams amazing D-tackle, col-
lected the hardware so often that he
pretty much owned the trophy for a few
years.
Now Parsons, tied for third in the NFL
with three sacks, seemed poised to join
such company in part because he keeps
getting better. Since the Cowboys draft-
ed him 12th overall from Penn State in
2021, then discovered the pass rushing
gift that his college coaches ignored,
Parsons has demonstrated what all that
hunger can produce. On Sunday, in his
35th game, he matched Shawne Merri-
man and Aldon Smith for most multi-
ple-sack games (10) over that span to
start an NFL career.
It’s part of a larger picture. With de-
fensive coordinator Dan Quinn pushing
the buttons, Parsons has connected
with the right coach at the right time.
Quinn, who once coordinated the Seat-
tle Seahawks’ championship (and
championship-contending) Legion of
Boom defense, has creatively used Par-
sons from various angles all across the
USA TODAY ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ 3B
yards against a lower-rung team in the
American Athletic Conference – was
fairly stunning.
Now here comes 3-0 Ole Miss with a
terrific quarterback in Jaxson Dart, a
swaggering Lane Kiffin and a lot of ways
to push the ball down the field. When
you come into a game like this and it
feels like there’s real mystery about how
it’s going to go, even in Tuscaloosa,
maybe we’re already in the post-dynas-
ty phase.
As it stands, there are three legiti-
mate possibilities for how this game is
going to play out.
The first is that Ole Miss wins, which
will knock Alabama out of the College
Football Playoff conversation before the
season even really gets going and add
rocket fuel to the conversation about
whether Saban is past his prime.
The second is that Alabama squeaks
out another win while once again show-
ing some limitations, keeping its goals
for the season alive but creating more
doubts about its viability as a champi-
onship contender.
And the third is that Alabama’s roster
of former four- and five-star recruits fi-
nally starts playing like blue-chippers,
quarterback Jalen Milroe gets more
comfortable in the passing game now
that he’s got a lock on the starting job
and we get social media memes of a
smirking Saban by the thousands on
Saturday night.
defensive formations. This ignites a big-
play defense that has had led the NFL in
takeaways dating to the 2021 campaign
and currently leads the league with sev-
en takeaways while posting 10 sacks,
tied with Washington for the league
lead. The unit ranks first in the NFL for
fewest yards allowed and first for fewest
points allowed (ahead of the Cleveland
Browns in both categories).
“We’re off to an outstanding start,”
McCarthy said. “The pressure and the
takeaways are at an incredible level af-
ter two games. This group has taken it
up a notch clearly from last year.”
The Cowboys are tweaking their of-
fense with quarterback Dak Prescott
aiming for more efficiency and McCar-
thy assuming the play-calling duties
once held by since-departed coordina-
tor Kellen Moore.
Yet for all of the potential firepower of
the “Texas Coast” offense, the Cowboys
are increasingly carried by the defense.
And there’s no dispute that Parsons
is the best player on that unit, if not the
entire team.
“I went against these guys for all of
spring and into training camp, and it
was not easy,” Prescott said. “So, it’s just
awesome to see the fruits of the labor
coming in and against another team for
those guys.”
Only because of Saban’s track record
for finding solutions do we have to allow
for the possibility that all of these out-
comes are possible. If it were anyone
else, we’d laugh at No. 3 as a Pollyannish
dismissal of all the data that shows how
ordinary this team has been.
What we should all agree on, though,
is that Alabama-in-decline is a story
that is closer to slapping us in the face
than at any other point in Saban’s ten-
ure. And that’s a big deal on its own
when you consider there’s no precedent
in college football for a team being good
enough to contend for national champi-
onships every year from 2008 to 2021.
Until Saban came along, college foot-
ball maintained a sort of equilibrium cy-
cle where the blue bloods would take
turns dominating over a stretch of five
to seven years before falling off. Saban
managed to extend that window, even
double it, because of his ability to moti-
vate and organize, amass elite talent in
huge numbers and then adapt his phi-
losophy to how the sport was evolving.
It’s hard to say there’s something big
that has changed at Alabama recently,
because the entire Saban era has been
about change. Assistants come and go.
Five-star recruits arrive, develop, go to
the NFL and get replaced by a new crop.
The offensive philosophy shifts based
on personnel. But in the end, it always
works.
So why isn’t it working now? The an-
swer probably lies in a whole bunch of
small things eroding the historical edge
Saban enjoyed. If Georgia gets two or
three more five-stars who might have
otherwise gone to Alabama, it chips
away. If NIL and the transfer rules are
spreading out talent even a couple of
degrees more, it chips away. If you make
a questionable personnel decision on a
quarterback or an assistant coach, it
chips away.
Then one day you look up and Ala-
bama isn’t that scary anymore but rath-
er just another good team that has is-
sues like everyone else, and a 71-year-
old coach who is suddenly taking sum-
mer vacations after a lifetime of grind-
ing over film.
If Saban loses this weekend, the re-
criminations are coming, and it won’t be
a pleasant scene in the state of Ala-
bama. But as he surely learned this
summer walking the streets of Florence,
where the House of Medici once
reigned, the fall of a dynasty is rarely
pleasant.
Although the Jets were without
Rodgers (a results-documented Cow-
boys killer), the defense did a number in
shutting down a running game powered
by the 1-2 punch of Cook and Breece
Hall. Last Monday, on the night the Jets
lost Rodgers to a ruptured Achilles ten-
don, Hall rushed for 127 rushing yards
and Cook chipped in with 30. On Sun-
day, they combined for 16 yards on eight
carries.
Parsons saw that as progress, show-
ing a dimension that complements the
pass-rush prowess.
“This offseason, we committed to say
we’re going to make these guys catch the
ball,” Parsons said, mindful that Wilson
passed for just 170 yards with a 38.1
passer rating. “We’re going to force
them to let us rush. When we come
down and set the tone and say, ‘We’re
not going to let you run on us,’ and then
go get our sacks, that changes every-
thing.
“To all of the teams with those game
plans, come on. Run at me, run at who-
ever. We coming.”
No, Parsons didn’t suddenly enter the
transfer portal to join Coach Prime at
Colorado. But like Deion Sanders once
did while starring in the secondary, Par-
sons has brought some special sizzle to
the Dallas defense.
He figures he still has to make strides
to tighten up his total game. Parsons
nearly returned the fumble by Cook for a
37-yard touchdown after collecting the
football, rising to his feet and racing to
the end zone. It would have provided a
signature highlight of a stuff, strip,
scoop and score.
But upon further review, the call was
reversed and Parsons was ruled down
by contact after he recovered the ball.
Parsons got in a rep nonetheless for
streaking to pay dirt.
But even with this, he’s seeking per-
fection.
“I definitely think I’ve still got my
running back skills,” he said. “It’s a little
rusty. I want to be more fluent in my cuts
backs and my jukes, but we’ll take it how
we get it.”
And take it as far as they can go.
LIFE
USA TODAY | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 | 4B
LIFELINE
ETHAN MILLER/ETTY IMAGES
MAKING WAVES
PESO PLUMA CANCELS
Peso Pluma canceled his Tijuana,
Mexico concert in the wake of being
threatened by a cartel. The Mexican
singer, who is currently on his Doble P
Tour, was scheduled to perform at
Estadio Caliente on Oct. 14. On Sept.
12, a banner threatening the
24-year-old was posted on a bridge
in the border town of Tijuana. “It will
be your last show due to your disre-
spect and loose tongue,” the banner
read, in part, and was signed by the
Jalisco New Generation Cartel, re-
ported The Arizona Republic, part of
the USA TODAY Network. On
Wednesday, Pluma’s record label
Prajin Music Group announced the
concert has been canceled, writing
“For the security of everyone in-
volved, we will be canceling our show
in Tijuana. Many thanks to all of our
fans for understanding. We love you.”
IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY
WHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY
Tom Felton is 36. Bonnie Hunt is 62.
Teyonah Parris is 36.
HOROSCOPE | SANCTUARY
More: www.sanctuaryworld.co
Aries (March 21-April 19). A truth may
propel you into your next move.
Standing at the precipice? Daily reality
is ready to shift.
Taurus (April 20-May 20). Trust what
you know. Your heart is speaking loud-
er than ever. The first quarter moon
moves you in that direction.
Gemini (May 21-June 21). You can
finally push past a relationship issue
that’s been lingering.
Cancer (June 22-July 22). Feeling the
pressure? Procrastinating may catch
up with you under the first quarter
moon. Get your head together.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Something that
brings you joy has waited long enough
to get your attention. Value it higher
on your priority list.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). A home
situation can reach a critical point.
Need to take action? The first quarter
moon kicks you into gear.
Libra (Sept.23-Oct. 23). Ready to let
go of an old story? The first quarter
moon urges you to move past an out-
dated mindset.
Scorpio (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your desire
to acquire is a driving force today.
Ready to make this dream a reality?
Get your finances aligned.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). A spark
to achieve is lit. Own your free will
during the first quarter moon. You’re
ready to go places.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Today can
send you on a journey to enlighten-
ment. Searching for the meaning of it
all? Spiritual progress awaits.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Unfinished
business with a friend? The first quar-
ter moon wants to transition what’s
been in limbo. Aim for resolution.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20). Advancing
your career may require partnering up.
Activate alliances under the first quar-
ter moon.
K1
K1
MUSIC STREAMING PREVIEW
Prequel
series tries
to light
the ‘Wick’
Brian Truitt
Columnist
USA TODAY
“The Continental: From the World
of John Wick,” Peacock’s prequel to
the movie series, is a hit-and-miss ef-
fort that digs into the wider universe
of Keanu Reeves’ iconic hitman,
though it proudly leans into the films’
penchant for brutal, bone-crunching
action and a whole lot of guns.
The three-part miniseries (eeEE;
streaming weekly on Fridays) is a
1970s-set origin story for Wick’s chief
ally Winston Scott, the suave man-
ager of a luxury hotel for assassins
played by Ian McShane in the films.
The Continental also is home to some
of the most intriguing “Wick” mythol-
ogy, although the show disappoint-
ingly opts not to concern itself with
much of that.
Instead, the throwback outing
takes its sweet time figuring out what
it should be, and is overstuffed with
supporting characters, subplots and a
mix of genres, from heist flick to po-
lice drama, before finding its groove
courtesy of an extremely violent,
movie-length finale.
David Byrne’s giant suit in Jonathan Demme’s “Stop Making Sense”
became an icon. PROVIDED BY JORDAN CRONENWETH/24
‘Stop Making
Sense’ played
Colin Woodell stars as Winston Scott
to the Heads’
In “The Continental: From the World
of John Wick.” PROVIDED BY KATALIN
VERMES/STARZ ENTERTAINMENT
strong suit
Is it worth sticking around until
then? Depends on how much of a
“Wick”-phile you are.
In the Reeves movies, Winston –
alongside best friend/concierge Char-
Patrick Ryan USA TODAY on (played by the late Lance Reddick)
– runs the posh New York hub of a
NEW YORK – It’s a costume so colossal, it gets its own billing. string of hotels connected to a shad-
owy guild for international killers
h “Mr. Byrne’s Big Suit” is named in the end credits of “Stop Mak- known as the High Table. When “The
ing Sense,” the Talking Heads’ rapturous 1984 concert film. Gail Continental” begins 40 years earlier,
however, Winston (Colin Woodell) is
Blacker’s supersized creation is gloriously on display during “Girl- less powerful and connected, working
friend is Better,” a rollicking showstopper in which David Byrne as a London businessman, when he’s
nabbed by goons and brought back by
shakes and shimmies in boxy gray duds. h “At that point in the force to America.
show, it’s pretty hot under there, so I got the jacket off as soon as I Vicious crime boss Cormac O’Con-
nor (Mel Gibson) is the Continental
could,” Byrne recalls with a laugh. “I didn’t want that whole jacket owner, and a criminal mentor to Win-
to get soaked – that would not be a good look.” ston and his older brother Frankie
(Ben Robson) when they were kids.
Frankie, a Vietnam vet, steals a valu-
The now-iconic outfit – which MTV Video Music Awards. able coin press – which cranks out the
Byrne likens to “those playing cards But even still, “I have no idea why gold pieces used as currency by the
in ‘Alice in Wonderland’” – has been that (suit) became a thing,” Byrne High Table – and Cormac is under
mimicked by everyone from Miley says. pressure from his bosses to get it
Cyrus to Kermit the Frog, with Fall back. So he orders Winston to find
Out Boy rocking similar garb at the See SENSE, Page 5B Frankie and bring back the item, or
else.
At the same time, Winston begins
to put together a crew of folks for a
hostile takeover of the Continental.
Among them: Yen (Nhung Kate),
Frankie’s deadly love interest and a
former Khmer Rouge soldier, and mar-
tial arts siblings Lou (Jessica Allain)
and Miles (Hubert Point-Du Jour).
Unlike other movie spinoffs such as
Disney+’s “Star Wars” series or Net-
flix’s “Karate Kid” sequel “Cobra Kai,”
much of “Continental” ventures too
far afield of the franchise. Granted,
said franchise consists mostly of
Reeves murdering people in balletic
action sequences, but it still deserves
more than a generic crime show. Most
of it might as well be “Law and Order:
’70s Hitmen” if you take out the
movie-related scenes, as when Win-
ston goes to corners of New York City
populated by “Wick” regulars or
Talking Heads members Jerry Harrison, left, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz sparks a relationship with Charon
and Byrne unite at a screening of the 1984 concert film in New York this
month. EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP See CONTINENTAL, Page 5B
LIFE
MUSIC
Estefans, Yatra show legacy of Latin music
Melissa Ruggieri
USA TODAY
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gloria Estefan
remembers during her breakthrough
years with Miami Sound Machine in the
mid-’80s, she was among only a handful
of female pop singers.
“There was Madonna … Cyndi Laup-
er … you could count them,” Estefan
says.
The market for Latina singers was
even smaller – save for Celia Cruz, a
worldwide sensation who managed to
make an indelible mark yet fell short of
breakthrough stardom. Then Estefan
and producer whiz husband Emilio
transformed the mainstreaming of Lat-
in music with early pop smashes “Dr.
Beat,” “Conga,” “Rhythm Is Gonna Get
You” and “Bad Boy.”
Now, fierce females such as Karol G
and Rosalía are following the path
etched by Estefan’s musical heirs Jenni-
fer Lopez and Shakira and storming the
crossover charts. And Estefan couldn’t
be more delighted by their success.
“Their music is very different (than
mine) and they’re doing their own thing.
But I am very proud that they can do
that thing,” says Estefan, who has sold
more than 100 million albums world-
wide. “When I came up, it was wonder-
ful that I had Emilio because women in
the industry, at some point, someone
was going to do something not nice.
Now there is real female power coming
in through music. They still have to fight
for it – it’s still not equal – but I can see
so much more happening.”
RIAA honors the Estefans, Yatra
Estefan, 66, is sitting in a conference
room on Tuesday at the Recording In-
dustry Association of America head-
quarters in Washington, D.C., with Emi-
lio, her partner in all things professional
and personal (they just celebrated 45
years of marriage).
In June, Estefan became the first Lat-
ina inducted into the Songwriters Hall
of Fame, recognition she appreciates
because it showcases the longevity and
intense work that have anchored her ca-
reer.
Sense
Continued from Page 4B
Jumbo jackets are just a small part of
the legacy of “Stop Making Sense” (in
IMAX theaters Friday, everywhere Sept.
29), which has been crisply remastered
and rereleased by A24. Directed by the
late Jonathan Demme (“The Silence of
the Lambs”), the movie is widely con-
sidered “the greatest concert film ever,”
as director Spike Lee declared during a
recent Q&A with the new wave band at
the Toronto International Film Festival.
Captured over three nights in Decem-
ber 1983, the 90-minute film is pure joy
encapsulated. We dare you not to smile
during “Burning Down the House,” as
Byrne buoyantly runs in place with tour-
ing guitarist Alex Weir. Or in “Take Me to
the River,” when background vocalist
Lynn Mabry cracks up midchorus at the
sight of Byrne in his enormous pants.
“It’s just so much fun,” says keyboar-
dist-guitarist Jerry Harrison, 74, seated
with Byrne at an East Village hotel. “We
exude that we’re having fun on stage,
and that comes out to the audience. In a
lot of concert films, it’s interesting to ze-
ro in on a guitar player’s hands, but it’s
not exactly fun. Jonathan did a wonder-
ful thing of capturing the personalities
and the interactions between (us). Also,
the music is just great to dance to.”
Unlike the majority of concert
movies, Demme’s film is not intercut
with interviews or behind-the-scenes
footage. Instead, he allows the perfor-
mance to just play out in its entirety.
“Thank God we didn’t do the inter-
views,” says bassist Tina Weymouth,
72. “That’s the flaw of most ‘rockumen-
taries.’ We speak so much better
through our instruments. With The
Band in ‘The Last Waltz,’ there was way
too much Robbie Robertson. And we did
watch ‘Spinal Tap’ and say, ‘Oh, my God.
I think I said things as stupid as that
once.’ ”
“We were like, ‘We can never take
ourselves seriously again,’ ” jokes drum-
mer Chris Frantz, 72, who is Wey-
mouth’s husband.
Some of the movie’s most hypnotiz-
ing moments are of Byrne, swaying back
and forth with a floor lamp or jogging
laps around the stage. At times, his con-
torting dance moves seem to defy phys-
ics.
“As the show progresses, there’s this
Sebastián Yatra, left, performs with guitarist Toby Tobon at the 2023 RIAA
Honors on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. PHOTOS BY PAUL MORIGI/GETTY IMAGES
“You have to have a certain number of
years that you’ve been around to even
be nominated and also be a songwriter,”
she says. “It wasn’t a fertile ground for
Hispanic women all those decades.”
Gloria and Emilio were feted by the
RIAA with awards for Icon and Industry
Trailblazer, respectively. Burgeoning
superstar Sebastián Yatra was being
honored as Artist of the Year, as well as
Sony Music Latin’s Maria Fernandez as
Executive of the Year and Reps. María
Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., and Veronica Es-
cobar, D-Texas, as Policymaker of the
Year recipients.
Yatra vows to ‘treat people kindly’
Down the hall from the Estefans, the
soft-spoken Yatra is cheerfully recount-
ing his recent exhibition match at the
U.S. Open with hotshot tennis star Car-
los Alcaraz, a fan of the Colombian sing-
er’s “Vagabundo.” Fortunately for Yatra,
he had recently befriended Rafael Na-
dal, who invited him to his tennis acad-
emy in Spain for some training.
“Three months ago I couldn’t even hit
the ball. Now I’m starting to play a little
better,” Yatra says, smiling as he talks
about winning the doubles match
against Francis Tiafoe and NBA star
Tina Weymouth, left, Ednah Holt, Lynn Mabry, David Byrne and Alex Weir
perform in the film “Stop Making Sense.” PROVIDED BY JORDAN CRONENWETH/A24
feeling of surrendering to the groove,”
says Byrne, 71. “It’s a kind of possession;
of letting go of your sense of self, and let-
ting yourself be taken by the music and
the group and the community. And you
get something bigger than yourself in
return.”
Much of the excitement around the
movie’s rerelease has been the unlikely
reunion of Talking Heads. Until this
month, the band’s four original mem-
bers hadn’t all been in a room together
since 2002, when they were inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The
art-funk group first came together in
1975, finding mainstream success with
now-timeless hits including “Once in a
Lifetime,” “Psycho Killer” and “This
Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).”
But after eight albums, the band dis-
solved in 1991. Byrne described it as an
“ugly” split in People magazine and ex-
pressed regret over his controlling,
sometimes unpleasant behavior.
He has since learned to be a better
collaborator, a lesson that’s come with
“time and experience working with oth-
er people,” Byrne says now.
“I’ve got to say, it wasn’t so bad,” Har-
rison chimes in. “It wasn’t so tyrannical.
That didn’t mean I didn’t get pissed off
once in a while, or like, ‘Why didn’t he
listen to me about this?’ But everybody
in the band contributed; there was a real
interplay of ideas. And David’s the sing-
er, so there’s a leadership there that …
USA TODAY ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ 5B
Gloria Estefan accepts her Icon award
at the 2023 RIAA Honors on Tuesday in
Washington, D.C.
Jimmy Butler.
Intensifying his tennis prowess is an
apt analogy for Yatra’s career, which hit
a crescendo in the past year with the 78-
date tour behind his “Dharma” album –
he was surprised at the ceremony with a
plaque celebrating the album as 5x Lat-
in Platinum – and a performance on the
Oscars of “Dos Oruguitas,” from “En-
canto.”
“That was the first time a full Spanish
song was sung by a Spanish person (on
the awards). It shows the evolution of
Latin music and it’s so much more on a
global scale now,” he says. “I was the
it’s not implied, but it’s obvious it
would be there. So I think it can be ex-
aggerated.”
Weymouth and Frantz have been
open about past tensions with Byrne,
calling him “competitive,” “insecure”
and “Trumpian” in previous inter-
views and op-eds. Today, they’re more
diplomatic, as the foursome cordially
promotes the film at various events.
“He’s never going to apologize, but
that’s just not in his vocabulary,” Wey-
mouth says, in a separate sit-down
with Frantz. She repeats just how
“beautiful” the experience of “Stop
Making Sense” was, and how all the
happiness captured on screen was
genuine.
“The press always does love a con-
flict, and we totally understand why
people might be curious about the in-
ner workings (of the band),” Wey-
mouth says. “But for whatever little
family feuds, we had the perfect chem-
istry, musically and artistically. So it
seems foolish, in this world where
there’s so much suffering, to even
dwell on all these petty things.”
And now, Frantz adds, “we all agree
that this rerelease of ‘Stop Making
Sense’ is going to help the legacy of
Talking Heads, and we all agree that
Talking Heads was a unique and really
rocking band and that it’s worthwhile
for all of us to be here. And we’re get-
ting along fine – it ain’t no thang.”
original person who sang the song and I
got to sing it in front of billions of peo-
ple.”
Though Yatra, 28, has been touring
for almost a decade, he acknowledges
learning much from Enrique Iglesias
and Ricky Martin when he joined them
for a tour in 2021.
“They represented so much for me
growing up and when you go on tour and
see their routine and how nice they are
to everybody, that means something,”
Yatra says. “There is a lot of luck in-
volved, but it’s also about being pre-
pared and doing things right and treat-
ing people kindly.”
Yatra, who won two Latin Grammys
in 2022, is nominated this year for best
pop song (“Contigo”), but he demurs
about his chances of winning.
“Shakira is in (that category) with
‘Bzrp Music Sessions,’ so let’s see what
goes on there,” he says with a laugh. “But
it makes me mega-proud. … Your heart
starts to beat fast when they’re about to
announce the winner and if you win,
amazing. But if not, you applaud and are
happy for whoever won this year, be-
cause, you know, it’s a long life.”
The future of Latin music
During the ceremony, RIAA Chair-
man and CEO Mitch Glazier pronounced
Yatra “the future of Latin music.”
It was clear that Yatra, sitting with
the Estefans, was eager to hop on stage
and perform a trio of bilingual hits with
the backing of a guitarist and pianist.
He sat on a stool and closed his eyes to
unleash the ballad, “Un Año” and his
“Encanto” hit, “Dos Oruguitas” before
bouncing up and down a few times to
stir excitement for “Tacones Rojos.”
At the close of the event, Emilio Este-
fan, 70, assumed his favorite place be-
hind the congas for a medley of Gloria’s
songs from their Tony-nominated mu-
sical, “On Your Feet.”
Upon receiving his Icon award, Emi-
lio turned reflective as he recalled the
early days of their careers when record
executives pressed the couple to change
their sound and the name of their group.
“We never changed,” he said. “I want
to leave my kids a legacy of pride.”
Continental
Continued from Page 4B
(Ayomide Adegun), Cormac’s young
right-hand man.
Adegun captures the same emo-
tional complexity Reddick fabulously
brought to the role; Gibson’s perfor-
mance is dull at first before he veers
fully operatic and evil as the biblically
bonkers Cormac; but Woodell falls well
short of McShane’s dangerous charm.
Unlike the movies, “The Continental”
fails to deliver on colorful killers, out-
side of silent sibling weirdos Hansel
(Mark Musashi) and Gretel (Marina
Mazepa). Katie McGrath’s masked Ad-
judicator, an enforcer for the High Ta-
ble, is the series’ coolest-looking per-
sonality, yet she’s underused, and the
series misses an opportunity to reveal
enticing bits about Wick’s enigmatic
foes from the films.
In other ways, “Continental” em-
braces its “John Wick” jam, from
themes of revenge to action-packed
sequences. A few duds, like a lacklus-
ter car chase early on in the show, are
offset by a dynamite phone-booth fist-
fight and a final episode directed by Al-
bert Hughes (“Menace II Society,” “The
Book of Eli”) that’s packed with gnarly
brawls and bloody carnage.
As a bruising and bullet-ridden ret-
ro tale, its aim is true. And if you love
the hits of the ’70s, get ready for all
your favorite needle drops. But as an
essential addition to the “Wick” canon,
“The Continental” is more of a misfire.
Winston Scott (Colin Woodell) runs
into trouble when he’s tasked with
finding his brother in the “John Wick”
prequel series “The Continental.”
KATALIN VERMES/STARZ ENTERTAINMENT
6B ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY
MUSIC
Miller’s box set celebrates ‘The Joker’ at 50
Marco della Cava
USA TODAY
Steve Miller was convinced his career
was about to end.
It was 1973, and the then 30-year-old,
who’d been gigging professionally since
his early teens, already had released a
half-dozen albums and had a smatter-
ing of successes with “Living In The
U.S.A.” and “Space Cowboy.” But the rec-
ord label wanted monster hits – or else.
“This was like a last chance kind of
moment for me. I was on my own, I
wasn’t trying to do anything like anyone
else and didn’t care about hit singles but
just wanted a good album,” Miller tells
USA TODAY of his breakthrough album
“The Joker,” a 50-year-old gem that gets
a massive box-set treatment called “J50:
The Evolution of ‘The Joker.’”
“J50” includes three albums plus a 7-
inch disc as well as a photo-filled book-
let with essays by Miller and rock biog-
rapher Anthony DeCurtis. (The physical
box set is $179.98, available on Amazon
as well as the Steve Miller and Universal
Music Group online music stores. A
digital version also is available on
iTunes.)
“I wish I could say I knew ‘The Joker’
would be a hit single,” Miller says with a
laugh as he prepares for a gig in Seattle.
“But I had no idea.”
In October 1973, “The Joker,” replete
with a quizzical cover featuring Miller in
a kabuki-style mask (the result of him
being shy about photos), landed in
stores just as Miller and his new band –
Gerald Johnson on bass, Dick Thomp-
son on organ and John King on drums –
hit the road.
Initially, Miller slipped “The Joker”
into his opening acoustic set, still un-
convinced of its power. But the rollick-
ing album version was soon in demand
from fans, who found themselves
hooked by its irrepressible opening lyr-
ics: “Some people call me the space cow-
boy, yeah/Some call me the gangster of
love/Some people call me Maurice/
MOVIES
‘Sorry/Not Sorry’ traces Louis C.K.’s fall and return
Marco della Cava
USA TODAY
Louis C.K. is back. Well, sort of. In
some ways, he barely left after a 2017
scandal - and that concerns the film-
makers behind the new documentary
“Sorry/Not Sorry.”
You might remember the schlubby
comedian for his laconic woe-is-me de-
livery, which amused stand-up audi-
ences and powered the successful qua-
si-autobiographical FX series “Louie.”
Or his name might ring a bell as a fea-
tured player in the #MeToo movement,
when The New York Times broke the
news that five women claimed the co-
median had exposed himself and mas-
turbated in front of them.
If you’re someone who wants to
know more about how Louis C.K.’s light-
ning-quick return to the cultural fold
happened, and question whether it
should have, along comes “Sorry/Not
Sorry,”that just premiered at Toronto
Film Festival and has been acquired for
distribution by Greenwich Entertain-
ment.
Louis C.K. could not be reached for
comment.
Here’s a quick rewind on the C.K. sa-
ga and details on the documentary.
Who is Louis C.K.?
Louis Alfred Szekely, 56, grew up in
Massachusetts idolizing comedians
such as George Carlin and eventually
landed writing jobs in the mid-’90s with
Dana Carvey, David Letterman, Chris
Rock and Conan O’Brien.
Although he worked on a range of
movies early in his career, his perfor-
mance breakthrough came in the
mid-2000s with a series of successful
HBO comedy specials, and later, his TV
series “Louie.” C.K. has won numerous
Grammys and Primetime Emmys.
Louis C.K.’s filmography includes
parts in 2013’s “American Hustle,” 2015’s
“Trumbo” and the 2013 Woody Allen
movie “Blue Jasmine.”
Why was Louis C.K. canceled?
In 2017, a number of women ap-
proached a group of New York Times re-
porters who had been working on sto-
ries about sexual predator Harvey
Weinstein, alleging that Louis C.K. had
masturbated in front of them about 10
Steve Miller poses for a studio portrait in 1972 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The
next year he'd release a breakthrough album, “The Joker.”
PROVIDED BY GIJSBERT HANEKROOT/REDFERNS
’Cause I speak of the pompatus of love.”
“Pretty soon it seemed you couldn’t
turn on the radio without hearing it,”
says Miller, still sounding amazed at the
turnaround in his fortunes. “They didn’t
call things viral then, but that’s what
happened.”
Why was ‘The Joker’ such a hit? It
had five hooks, Miller says
What was it about “The Joker” that
clicked? In his liner notes, Miller ex-
plains: “To make a hit record, I thought
Louis C.K., doing stand-up in a Washington, D.C., club got his start writing for
stars such as David Letterman and Chris Rock before breaking out on his own.
PROVIDED BY CARA HOWE/NETFLIX
years earlier. This followed a few years
of reports about the comedian’s inap-
propriate behavior around women,
which he had steadfastly denied.
For some on the comedy circuit, the
revelations sounded familiar. Reports
had surfaced years before on the web-
site Gawker about an unnamed come-
dian, widely thought to be C.K., who had
masturbated in front of a female com-
edy duo in Aspen, and blocked their exit
when they tried to leave. In 2016, Rose-
anne Barr told The Daily Beast that an-
other comedian besides Bill Cosby
would be caught soon for being sexually
inappropriate. She named C.K., citing a
“whisper network” among female co-
medians.
After the Times article was pub-
lished, Louis C.K. issued a contrite re-
sponse, noting that the accusations
were “true” and adding, “The power I
had over these women is that they ad-
mired me. And I wielded that power ir-
responsibly.”
What happened after Louis C.K.
was canceled?
C.K. claimed that the cultural cancel-
it was best to have five hooks. Not one,
not two, not three, not four, but five, if
you really wanted to deliver a hit. ...
Some people call me the Space Cowboy.’
What the hell was that? Then it con-
tinues and it gets your attention again:
the slide guitar, the chorus, the harmo-
ny, the wolf whistle. It all adds up.”
The album of course is far more than
just “The Joker.” Other tunes on Miller’s
lynch-pin recording include the raucous
“Sugar Babe” opener, the syncopated
“Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma” and a live
version of “Evil.” But the real treasure
lation cut deeply emotionally and fiscal-
ly, reportedly costing him upward of $35
million in lost revenue. “I Love You,
Daddy,” a movie he had made just as the
scandal erupted, had its distribution
dropped. The film featured C.K. as well
as an often bikini-clad Chloë Grace Mo-
retz playing his creepily adoring teenage
daughter. The comedian’s appearance
in an HBO comedy special was can-
celed, and his manager and publicist
dropped him.
But it did not take long for C.K. to re-
surface. In 2018, he made largely unan-
nounced comedy club appearances,
some of which were surreptitiously
filmed and distributed online, prompt-
ing a “too soon” backlash. In 2020, C.K.’s
longtime friend, comedian Dave Chap-
pelle, invited him to appear on his series
“An Intimate Socially Distanced Affair.”
In 2022, C.K. took home his third
Grammy Award, best comedy album for
his stand-up show “Sincerely Louis
C.K.,” infuriating some of his accusers.
Later that year saw the release of
“Fourth of July,” a film he wrote and di-
rected. In early 2023, C.K. performed to
a sold-out crowd at Madison Square
Garden.
LIFE
PROVIDED BY UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
trove of “J50” is in the eight unreleased
songs and 27 private tracks that give
fans insights into how an artist comes
up with ideas, workshops them, and ul-
timately commits them to posterity.
By way of example, Miller explains
(in one of a variety of narrated voice-
overs recorded for “J50”) that a song
called “Lidi” was tinkered with repeat-
edly on Miller’s four-track tape recorder
to the point where it wound up contrib-
uting the chords to the chorus of “The
Joker.”
Miller attributes the archival mother-
lode to the exhaustive work done by his
wife, Janice, who “went through 600
hours of audio and video I’d saved and
got it down to 20 hours for me to look at.
I’m amazed at the things she found, like
the home movies of me. I was a kid.”
Miller is no longer a kid; he’s pushing
80 and still on the road, much like his
mentor and godfather Les Paul. He
wouldn’t have it any other way, espe-
cially considering he felt the sun might
be setting on his career a half-century
ago. And then “The Joker” landed.
“The box set is a sweet look back at a
period of timed when I was really
stressed out,” he says. “I thought it was
over. But 50 years later, well, it all
worked out.”
What can you expect to see
in ‘Sorry/Not Sorry’?
The new documentary about Louis
C.K. was directed by Caroline Suh and
Cara Mones and produced by The New
York Times. It kicks off when the come-
dian’s career took a nosedive, and looks
at the allegations leveled against him as
well as the repercussions for the women
who came forward only to see C.K.’s ca-
reer revived.
“There were questions to be asked
and perspectives to be brought forth,”
producer Kathleen Lingo told The Asso-
ciated Press. “What happens when a
woman says the truth? What happens
to her?”
Why has Louis C.K. been able to
make such a rapid comeback?
In interviews to promote “Sorry/Not
Sorry” at Toronto Film Festival, the di-
rectors and a producer said they were
surprised when “every single comedian”
they approached to talk about C.K. and
his fall and quick rise turned them
down.
What stands out for Lingo is how
many women who spoke out about C.K.
around 2017 then declined to talk when
filmmakers approached them several
years later. She called it “a sobering real-
ity” that shows “the bravery of the wom-
en who are in the film,” Lingo told the
crowd at Toronto.
Looking back at the #MeToo move-
ment now, “everyone’s always asking,
‘Are things better? Are things worse?’ ”
she said. “The fact that the women, who
at that moment felt this sense of prom-
ise, to now not feel that anymore, I think
is quite dark.”
Some critics who have seen the docu-
mentary come away feeling that the last
laugh is had by C.K., who has emerged
as much a cultural force as he was be-
fore 2017.
Writes Sam Adams in a review of the
film for Slate, “Now that C.K. is entirely
self-sufficient - even for performances
like the Madison Square Garden gig, he
rents out arenas himself rather than go-
ing through bookers - there’s no check
on his behavior, as long as his fans con-
tinue to support him.
“As one observer in the documentary
puts it, he’s ‘waving the banner for peo-
ple who don’t care,’ and plenty are will-
ing to join the parade.”
LIFE USA TODAY ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ 7B

USA TODAY
USA TODAY CROSSWORD
CROSSWORD
EDITED Amanda Rafkin
Numbers More puzzles: puzzles.usatoday.com
Want solutions? answers.usatoday.com
Feedback: feedback@usatoday.com
BY Matthew Stock

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6. 233 3. 82253 keypad to
decode the I E E the given ©2023 Kubok. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. 9/25/23
7 8 7. 2528837 4. 653 6 operation (in All rights reserved.
clues. B E D R
9. 2326 7. 2699 For example: 7 8 9 any order) to
10. 9273 8. 882 2 could be A, O S T R A I T produce the target numbers in the top-left
B or C ... and
9
5678 could
D O L corners.
9/22

10
be LOST Y T R O P I C
9/25

10
3. Freebies: fill in single-box cages with the
© USA TODAY and Rich Coulter Friday’s solution
number in the top-left corner.

Words BONUS CROSSWORD

FRIDAY’S SOLUTION
WORD
WORD ROUNDUP
ROUNDUP N D H L C R I V E R N H
By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek 9/25 N E L E P H A N T L I N
Find and Circle: K NW H D V I R D M T O
Three types of TV programs ☑☐☐ O V T S Q G P P WN S T
Three flowing bodies of water ☐☐☐
© Andrews McMeel

Three state capitals ☐☐☐ O E R S T R E A M V U S

Three eight-letter mammals ☐☐☐
Two four-letter trees starting with P ☐☐ R R K P I N E H L U A O
Friday’s answer: PORK FORK CORK CORE BORN MORE PORT / B M Y S T E R Y OM N B
FUCHSIA CRIMSON MAGENTA / RAIN SNOW / FIRST SECOND /
MICHIGAN MAINE R M S P O R T S QG G K

QUICKCROSS
QUICKCROSS UP
UP &&DOWN
DOWN WORDS
WORDS
By John Wilmes 9/25 By David L. Hoyt and Russell L. Hoyt 9/25

Remain --> 1. THE

2.
State with three big “C”
cities 3.

--> relaxed 4.
5.
Smooch
6.
© Andrews McMeel

Foot cover 7. ALARM

Clues: Friday’s Answer

Hailing from Bangkok
1. Peter Benchley novel HIGH JUMP
Friday’s Answer 2. 2022 Ben Affleck movie JUMP IN
Troubles 3. Level of H2O IN MEXICO
L A S H 4. Important furniture part MEXICO CITY
“Days” in Hebrew 5. Hamstring, for one CITY HALL
A L O U 6. High-performance vehicle HALL PASS
C E L L QUICKCROSS
7. Auto theft deterrent PASS UP

K E E L ON YOUR PHONE PLAY ONLINE

9/22 puzzles.usatoday.com PUZZLES.USATODAY.COM © Andrews McMeel

© WIGGLES 3D GAMES
DON’T QUOTE ME®
English author Gilbert K. Rearrange the words to complete the quote.
Chesterton offers BUT ENEMIES GOD MAKE NEIGHBOR OUR OUR WE
this thought.
________ MAKE ________ FRIENDS; WE ________ OUR
___________; ________ ________ MAKES ________
NEXT-DOOR ______________.
9/25
Friday’s Answer: “Shopping is better than sex. If you’re not satisfied after shopping
you can make an exchange for something you really like.” - Adrienne Gusoff

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
Unscramble these Jumbles,
Get the free JUST JUMBLE app • Follow us on Twitter @PlayJumble

one letter to each square,

to form four ordinary words.

ARDBN

DMMEO

LONCOY

UFBTEF
Now arrange the circled letters
©2023 Tribune Content Agency, LLC to form the surprise answer, as
All Rights Reserved. suggested by the above cartoon.

(Answers tomorrow)

FRIDAY’S Jumbles: GAMUT SENSE SOCIAL BANNER

Answer: Noah Webster took the selling of his dictionaries
very seriously and — MEANT BUSINESS
8B ❚ MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

WEATHER WEATHER ONLINE

USATODAY.COM

Below 10 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110+
MONDAY’S FORECAST TUESDAY’S FORECAST
RUSSIA
FINLAND

NORWAY SWEDEN KAZAKHSTAN Ulan Bator

Reykjavik St. Petersburg 45/32sh
57/47c Oslo 63/51pc Almaty MONGOLIA Vladivostok
ICELAND Bergen 59/50c Helsinki 68/46s Urumqi 71/58s
61/54sh 62/53c 61/43pc
RUSSIA UZBEK. Beijing N. KOREA
ESTONIA KYRGYZ. 80/61c
Aberdeen Stockholm Pyongyang
65/51pc Gothenburg 60/50c 70/61c
TURKMEN. TAJIK.
SCOTLAND 62/54c S. KOREA JAPAN
Riga LATVIA
Kabul ASIA CHINA
Xian Seoul
Edinburgh 79/56s 65/59r 71/67sh
65/54w 65/44c Tokyo
NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN Osaka 84/71c
IRELAND Newcastle DENMARK Copenhagen LITHUANIA Islamabad Lhasa 89/72r
Galway Belfast 65/48pc IRAN 91/68s Changsha Shanghai
65/55h Minsk Kathmandu 72/48pc 88/71r
65/55w 63/55w 86/74r
IRELAND Manchester 68/42s PAKISTAN 83/66t
67/52pc New Delhi
Shannon Dublin Hamburg NEPAL Dhaka Guangzhou Taipei
94/78s
66/55pc 65/55pcBirmingham 69/48h 95/81t 95/79s 94/77s
Amsterdam Warsaw BELARUS Karachi Hanoi
68/52pc GERMANY Berlin 94/77h Kolkata 93/77t TAIWAN
68/53pc 71/55s BURMA
WALES ENGLAND 71/51c 93/81t Hong Kong
NETH. POLAND LAOS 92/82s
London Brussels Bonn Mumbai Rangoon Da Nang Manila
71/52pc 72/46pc 89/79t INDIA 92/78t
72/55c Krakow THAILAND 86/78t 90/78t
Prague Bangkok VIETNAM
BELGIUM 67/56c
69/50s UKRAINE 92/78t CAMBODIA GUAM
Hagatna
Le Havre LUX. CZECH REP. Phnom Penh Ho Chi Minh City 88/76r
Frankfurt
68/59pc 72/47c Munich Bratislava SLOVAKIA 89/77t 89/78t PHILIPPINES
Paris
73/55pc
75/53pc Zurich 67/42s Vienna SRI LANKA
MALAYSIA
68/44s HUNGARY
EUROPE Salzburg 73/55pc
MALDIVES
69/46s AUSTRIA Budapest Singapore Balikpapan
SWITZERLAND 79/58s ROMANIA 91/80c 90/76h
Bordeaux Venice SLOVENIA
80/55s 78/59s
Lyon Milan CROATIA PAPUA NEW
SERBIA Jakarta INDONESIA
74/51s 78/54s GUINEA
FRANCE Florence Belgrade 98/74h
Santiago de Compostela Marseille BOSNIA
82/61s 77/60pc Sofia Port Moresby
77/58s 79/55s
75/53c 87/75t
ITALY MONT.
Ajaccio Dubrovnik KOSOVO BULGARIA
Rome Cairns
Madrid 78/55s 78/71t Skopje
PORTUGAL 82/59s 82/67r
85/53s 76/54c MAURITIUS Broome
Tirana MACEDONIA
SPAIN Barcelona 79/60t 94/74s
Lisbon 77/63s Naples Alice Springs
ALBANIA
87/65s 76/62s 94/62s
Cagliari Brisbane
Valencia GREECE AUSTRALIA
Palma 80/59pc 79/56s
81/61s
Seville 82/63s Perth
Faro 91/62s 78/58s
Sydney
81/66s Athens
Palermo 71/61pc
85/67s
73/68sh
Algiers Tunis
81/57s Melbourne Canberra
79/67pc 68/47sh 73/47pc
Rabat
79/60s
ALGERIA TUNISIA
MOROCCO

c Cloudy f Fog i Ice r Rain sf Snow flurries sn Snow w Windy Note: The forecast highs are for the 24-hour period of that
dr Drizzle h Haze pc Partly cloudy s Sunny sh Showers t Thunderstorms day. Low-temperature forecasts are for the upcoming night. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather Inc. ©2023

CLOSE-UP FORECAST
AMSTERDAM AUCKLAND BANGKOK BEIJING BERLIN BRUSSELS CAIRO COPENHAGEN DUBLIN FLORENCE FRANKFURT HONG KONG
Clouding Very Mostly Mostly Partly Sunlit, High Partly Sunny, Mostly Shower,
MON TUE TUE T-storms TUE MON MON MON MON MON MON MON TUE
up windy cloudy cloudy sunny hot clouds sunny nice cloudy hot
92/78
68/53 61/53 80/61 71/51 71/52 96/71 65/55 65/55 82/61 72/47 92/82
High Mostly Sunny, High High
TUE WED Windy WED T-storms WED TUE TUE TUE Hot TUE TUE Rain TUE Sunny TUE Sunny WED T-storms
clouds cloudy warm clouds clouds
62/52 90/78 95/73 62/49 85/60 75/50 92/80
72/57 81/55 76/57 72/55 66/59
Partly Very Clouding High Morning Very Some sun,
WED THU Rain THU Rain THU Cloudy WED WED WED Sunny WED WED WED WED THU T-storms
sunny warm up clouds rain warm warm
62/53 90/78 80/55 94/74 89/79
71/59 79/59 73/59 69/60 61/47 86/58 76/55

JAKARTA JERUSALEM JOHANNESBURG LONDON LOS ANGELES MADRID MANILA MEXICO CITY MILAN MOSCOW MUNICH NEW YORK
Sunny, Mostly Stray Sunny, Mostly A little
TUE Hot MON MON Windy MON MON Some sun MON Sunny TUE MON Breezy MON MON MON Sunny MON
warm cloudy t-storm nice sunny rain
98/74 79/37 78/59 85/53 81/53 67/42
87/63 72/55 90/78 78/54 65/45 64/56
Sunny, Sunny, Not as Plenty of High Partly
WED TUE TUE TUE Showers TUE Sunny TUE Sunny WED Rain TUE Sunny TUE TUE TUE TUE Shower
hot warm warm sun clouds sunny
71/52 80/61 84/54 87/78 80/53 64/54
98/75 87/63 69/48 81/57 65/46 71/44
Very Stray Mostly Sun, Stray Mostly Sunlit, Mostly Mostly
THU Hot WED WED WED P.M. rain WED WED THU WED WED WED WED Sunny WED
warm t-storm sunny clouds t-storm sunny warm cloudy sunny
98/75 68/54 73/45
88/65 67/50 82/62 85/56 89/79 80/55 83/59 67/46 65/56

PARIS RIO DE JANEIRO ROME SEOUL SHANGHAI ST. PETERSBURG STOCKHOLM SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO VIENNA ZURICH
Partly Showers A little Some sun, Partly Shower, A P.M. Sunny,
MON MON Humid MON Sunny TUE TUE MON MON Breezy TUE TUE TUE MON Warmer MON
sunny around rain nice sunny hot shower nice
81/74 82/59 60/50 73/55
75/53 71/67 88/71 63/51 72/60 94/77 84/71 68/44
Very Very High Mostly Some sun, Breezy, Cloudy, Sunny,
TUE TUE Humid TUE Sunny WED Warmer WED TUE TUE WED WED WED TUE TUE Sunny
warm warm clouds cloudy nice hot humid warm
82/77 83/60 80/65 72/47
77/56 86/73 64/48 64/50 74/60 94/78 84/74 81/54
Cloudy, Some sun, An A.M. Sunny, Mostly
WED WED Humid WED Sunny THU Humid THU Humid WED WED Showers THU Windy THU T-storms THU WED WED
warm mild shower warm sunny
95/72 82/58 80/58 84/72 65/52 73/56 93/78
77/60 65/53 86/76 81/54 75/50

WORLD FORECAST USA FORECAST

EUROPE MON TUE MON TUE
MON TUE Strasbourg 73/43s 75/46s Buenos Aires, Argentina 61/53w 58/47w Seattle
Aberdeen, Scotland 65/51pc 60/44c Tallin 64/52c 65/49pc Calgary 69/52c 67/45pc 65/55r
Athens 85/67s 81/68s Tirana 79/60t 88/58pc Cancun, Mexico 90/74pc 89/74t
Barcelona 77/63s 78/65s Valencia/Aeropuerto 81/61s 83/63s Caracas, Venezuela 93/75pc 93/75t Portland
Belfast 63/55w 60/48sh Venice 78/59s 82/62s Cozumel, Mexico 90/76c 89/76t 65/56r Boston
Belgrade 77/60pc 80/59pc Vienna 73/55pc 81/54s Fort-de-France 92/76t 94/77t Minneapolis-St. Paul 62/56r
Bergen, Norway 61/54sh 66/54pc Vilnius, Lithuania 65/44s 70/53h Halifax, Nova Scotia 65/44c 63/47pc 67/58r
Bern 69/42s 72/45s Warsaw 71/55s 78/55s Lima, Peru 71/64c 70/63pc
Bilbao 82/58s 75/61pc Montreal 68/47s 66/48s New York
Birmingham, England 68/52pc 67/49sh ASIA / OCEANIA Nassau, Bahamas 88/80c 88/78t 64/56r
Bonn 72/46pc 75/50s TUE WED Philipsburg, St. Maarten 92/81s 92/82pc Chicago
San Francisco 74/62pc
Bordeaux 80/55s 79/59pc Adelaide 71/48s 68/45pc Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 93/79t 94/78t 75/63c
Bratislava 73/55pc 80/55s Alice Springs Airport 94/62s 90/58s Punta Arenas, Chile 49/41w 48/35r Washington
Denver 70/60c
Bucharest 86/60h 84/58w Bali 88/74s 88/76s Quebec 63/42pc 66/45s 84/52s
Cadiz, Spain 89/60s 89/60s Broome Bilingurr 94/74s 93/71s Quito, Ecuador 70/46c 69/42sh St. Louis
Caen 73/58pc 74/54pc Cairns Airport 82/67r 83/68pc San Jose, Costa Rica 84/69r 86/69r 83/64pc
Cagliari 80/59pc 83/62s Changde 83/71pc 85/71pc Santo Domingo 92/76pc 92/75t Los Angeles
Cardiff 66/56c 65/53sh Changsha City 84/73pc 88/73pc Sao Paulo 83/67pc 94/77pc 78/59pc
Dresden 72/47s 78/53s Christchurch 56/40r 52/36sh Toronto 70/58pc 65/55s
Dubrovnik 78/71t 85/67s Colombo 87/78t 84/77r Vancouver 64/55r 62/52r Phoenix Atlanta
Duesseldorf 73/51h 75/54pc Da Nang 86/78t 88/77t Winnipeg 69/54s 72/52s 105/75s 87/69pc
Edinburgh 65/54w 61/46sh Darwin 93/76s 93/75s Dallas-Fort Worth
Faro, Portugal 81/66s 79/67s Dhaka 95/81t 95/81t AFRICA / MIDDLE EAST 89/70pc
Figari 80/45s 82/52s Guangzhou 95/79s 93/78t MON TUE
Geneva 70/45s 73/49s Hagatna, Guam 88/76r 87/76t Abidjan, Ivory Coast 85/76pc 86/78t
New Orleans
Genoa 80/67s 83/69s Hanoi 93/77t 92/77s Abu Dhabi 107/86s 108/87s Houston
90/76pc Miami
Glasgow 64/55w 61/47sh Ho Chi Minh City 89/78t 87/77sh Accra, Ghana 86/76pc 86/76pc 94/73t
90/80t
Gothenburg, Sweden 62/54c 64/53c Hobart 61/35c 66/45c Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 70/54sh 71/55sh
Hamburg 69/48h 71/53h Karachi 94/77h 96/79pc Alexandria, Egypt 90/73s 90/72s
Helsinki 62/53c 64/52pc Kathmandu 83/66t 85/65t Algiers, Algeria 81/57s 81/57s
Innsbruck 73/47s 77/51pc Kolkata 93/81t 94/80t Amman, Jordan 91/68s 91/67s MON TUE MON TUE MON TUE
Krakow 67/56c 77/52pc Kuala Lumpur 90/76sh 92/75sh Ankara, Turkey 87/54s 83/52c Albany, N.Y. 68/49pc 66/46pc Fargo, N.D. 68/54sh 74/55s Philadelphia 66/58r 67/54c
Kyiv 81/58pc 78/55pc Kyoto 91/71r 91/75r Baghdad 111/78h 108/78h Albuquerque 85/61s 83/58s Fort Myers, Fla. 91/77t 90/76t Phoenix 105/75s 105/74s
Las Palmas 83/71pc 83/72pc Lhasa City 72/48pc 72/46c Bahrain 100/86s 100/86s Allentown, Pa. 60/56r 61/45c Grand Rapids, Mich. 72/58c 68/57t Pittsburgh 70/57c 67/55c
Le Havre 68/59pc 70/56pc Macau 89/82t 88/80t Beirut 88/76s 87/74s Anchorage 52/36s 51/38s Greensboro, N.C. 79/61pc 72/58c Portland, Maine 65/47c 62/43s
Lisbon 87/65s 81/61c Mumbai 89/79t 88/79r Cape Town, S.A. 64/49r 68/49s Atlanta 87/69pc 83/67pc Hartford, Conn. 62/53r 67/43c Portland, Ore. 65/56r 67/56r
Lucerne, Switzerland 67/46s 71/50pc Nanchang City 90/77pc 90/77pc Casablanca, Morocco 88/61pc 84/65s Atlantic City 70/62r 66/58w Honolulu 89/76pc 88/76sh Providence 61/55r 61/45c
Luxembourg 67/48pc 70/51s New Delhi 94/78s 95/76s Damascus, Syria 98/61h 96/58s Austin 94/71t 93/67s Houston 94/73t 91/72t Raleigh, N.C. 81/64pc 76/60pc
Lyon 74/51s 78/54s Noumea 79/55pc 74/59pc Dar es Salaam, Tanz. 90/70s 92/72pc Baltimore 69/60c 66/54c Huntsville, Ala. 87/64c 86/66pc Rapid City, S.D. 74/47s 75/48s
Malaga 81/67s 81/65pc Osaka 89/72r 89/76r Harare, Zimbabwe 88/59s 88/65s Baton Rouge 88/72t 90/71t Indianapolis 81/61pc 78/60t Reno 80/49pc 78/49pc
Manchester 67/52pc 65/49c Pago Pago 87/79pc 87/78r Istanbul, Turkey 82/70w 81/70w Billing, Mont. 80/51s 85/51pc Jackson, Miss. 83/68t 88/72t Richmond 74/62c 71/58c
Marseille 79/55s 81/55s Perth 78/58s 90/61s Kabul 78/55s 79/56s Birmingham, Ala. 86/70t 87/68s Jacksonville 94/71pc 85/72t Rochester, N.Y. 70/51c 69/48pc
Milan 78/54s 81/57s Phnom Penh 89/77t 88/78t Kinshasa, Congo 89/72pc 90/74c Boise, Idaho 88/53pc 75/52pc Kansas City, Mo. 83/58pc 82/58s Sacramento 76/60c 82/53pc
Minsk 68/42s 69/45s Pyongyang 70/61c 78/62pc Kuwait 114/81s 112/76w Boston 62/56r 62/53c Knoxville, Tenn. 82/60c 84/64t St. Louis 83/64pc 84/63s
Monte Carlo 75/66s 77/68s Rangoon 92/78t 91/78t Lagos, Nigeria 87/76t 86/76t Buffalo 72/54c 70/50c Las Vegas 93/69s 93/70s Salt Lake City 85/62s 85/60s
Naples 76/62s 84/62s Sapporo 76/62pc 79/63pc Luanda, Angola 82/70pc 82/71pc Cedar Rapids, Iowa 75/57sh 70/57t Little Rock 88/69pc 92/66s San Antonio 95/76t 95/72pc
Nice 77/64s 79/66s Singapore 91/80c 93/81pc Lusaka, Zambia 90/65s 90/68c Charleston, S.C. 90/69s 89/71pc Louisville 84/62pc 85/66c San Diego 74/63pc 74/62s
Oslo 59/50c 61/52c Tianjin 80/61c 80/60h Luxor, Egypt 106/73h 106/76s Charlotte 84/65pc 76/63c Memphis 85/67c 88/67s San Francisco 75/63c 74/58pc
Palermo 73/68sh 77/69pc Vladivostok 71/58s 71/58sh Mecca, Saudi Arabia 107/80s 107/82c Cheyenne, Wyo. 80/48s 82/48s Miami 90/80t 90/80t San Juan, P.R. 93/80c 91/81t
Palma 82/63s 81/63s Wellington 51/46c 54/45r Mombasa, Kenya 87/73s 88/74pc Chicago 74/62pc 73/61t Milwaukee 70/63c 68/63t Sarasota, Fla. 90/75t 89/73t
Prague 69/50s 76/54c Wuhan City 83/71pc 86/71pc Nairobi, Kenya 84/54pc 84/60c Cincinnati 78/59pc 82/61sh Minneapolis 67/58r 69/58pc Savannah, Ga. 92/68pc 89/70t
Reims 72/48pc 74/52h Yokohama 82/71sh 84/72r Nicosia, Cyprus 98/65s 96/67s Cleveland 68/60c 70/58c Mobile, Ala. 91/70c 87/73t Seattle 65/55r 62/53r
Reykjavik 57/47c 55/43c Rabat, Morocco 79/60s 80/63pc Colorado Springs 80/51s 84/50s Myrtle Beach, S.C. 85/69pc 80/65pc Shreveport, La. 87/71t 93/70s
Riga 65/44c 65/52h AMERICAS Tangier, Morocco 85/67s 84/68s Columbia, S.C. 88/65pc 83/66pc Nashville 85/62c 86/65pc Spokane, Wash. 75/51c 64/48sh
Salzburg 69/46s 73/50pc MON TUE Tbilisi, Georgia 77/57pc 77/56pc Columbus, Ohio 72/59c 75/59pc New Orleans 90/76pc 89/74t Syracuse, N.Y. 74/52c 68/45pc
Santiago de Comp. 77/58s 74/54pc Acapulco, Mexico 90/76t 91/75t Tehran, Iran 84/65s 83/64s Concord, N.H. 68/46c 67/40pc Norfolk, Va. 74/67c 71/64c Tampa 91/77t 90/75t
Sarajevo 63/55r 74/47s Belize 90/74t 89/76t Tel Aviv, Israel 88/72s 88/74s Dallas-Ft. Worth 89/70pc 91/70s Oklahoma City 88/61s 90/61s Topeka 86/56pc 85/57s
Sevilla/San Pablo 91/62s 90/63s Bermuda 86/77sh 84/74s Tombouctou, Mail 107/66s 106/78s Daytona Beach, Fla. 89/73t 88/75t Omaha 77/54pc 74/52s Tucson 100/68s 102/69s
Skopje 75/54c 84/53pc Bogota 70/45c 72/46c Tripoli, Libya 82/53s 83/69sh Denver 84/52s 85/52s Orlando 93/75t 89/73t Tulsa 89/63s 89/63s
Sofia Intl Airport 75/53c 76/53pc Brasilia, Brazil 96/66pc 97/69c Tunis, Tunisia 79/67pc 82/70s Detroit 67/60c 69/59c Palm Springs, Calif. 99/72s 101/75s Washington, D.C. 70/60c 67/58c
St. Petersburg 63/51pc 64/48h Bridgetown, Barbados 92/80sh 92/79pc Zanzibar 86/72s 87/75sh El Paso 97/72s 93/66t Pensacola, Fla. 89/73pc 86/73t Wichita 90/60s 88/62s

The point is
hearing the nation on
your morning commute.*