Politics
Under the dome and on the diamond
If life imitates art, then the Congressional Baseball Game imitates Capitol Hill.
On the field, as in the Capitol, the sides are divided. In the House and Senate chambers, the Republicans sit on one side, Democrats on the other. At the Congressional Baseball Game, Republicans occupy the first base dugout. Democrats take up residence in the third base dugout.
The teams play hard. For keeps even. They challenge their opponent across the aisle — or diamond. They try to score political points. In this case, runs.
The annual, bipartisan baseball tilt at Nats Park is emblematic of what unfolds daily under the Capitol Dome up the street. It’s just that, for one night a year, lawmakers take it outside, under the lights. They wear cleats. They don New York Mets and University of Texas at San Antonio jerseys. Lawmakers even encounter protesters like they do in the halls of Congress.
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Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, face off in the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at Nationals Park June 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Only these demonstrators don’t surface in the Cannon Rotunda. They vault a fence near the left field foul pole only to be tackled in the grass by U.S. Capitol Police. Similar to what sometimes goes down in Congress.
Minus the left field foul pole.
Congress is often criticized for doing a lot of running around without accomplishing much.
A single play encapsulated this on the field Wednesday night.
Republicans were pounding the Democrats, 21-6, in the bottom of the sixth inning of a seven-inning game. But the Democrats had the bases loaded and were threatening to tighten the score.
Unlike in a Major League Baseball game, there are a lot more wild pitches and passed balls.
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., went deep into the game for Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, the Republican skipper and former Atlanta Braves farmhand. But Williams switched pitchers later, bringing in Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, in relief.
Pfluger is the GOP “fireman.” He entered the game sporting a microscopic 1.11 ERA, reminiscent of Bob Gibson’s astonishing 1.12 ERA when he won the Cy Young Award in 1968.
In the bottom of the sixth, a breaking ball from Pfluger popped off the mitt of Republican catcher Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, for a passed ball. The runners didn’t advance as Pfluger charged in to cover the plate.
But baserunning — and congressional hijinks — ensued a couple of pitches later.
Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. was at bat. Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., was on first. Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., was on second. Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., occupied third.
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And then Pfluger uncorked a wild pitch that went all the way to brick backstop. The ball caromed across the grass in foul territory toward Lutrell.
Barragan creeped down the line halfway as Goldman wildly gyrated his arms, waving Barragan home.
However, Lutrell recovered the ball cleanly as Pfluger raced to cover the plate. Lutrell tossed it to Pfluger. It would be a no-no for Nanette to score on this one. The California Democrat retreated to the third base bag.
But that’s where trouble started.
Kennedy is not only a freshman but a rookie. In both Capitol Hill and congressional terms. Just called up to the big club from Buffalo. Not the Buffalo Bisons, the Toronto Blue Jays’ AAA affiliate. But Congress. He’s only represented Buffalo since early May, after winning a special election to succeed former Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y.
It’s customary for junior lawmakers not to upstage more senior lawmakers. But, at this stage, Kennedy was bearing down on third as Barragan tried to hustle back to safety. There were about to be two runners on third base. A conference committee. So, Kennedy reversed course, faster than a member halfway to Reagan National Airport on a congressional getaway day when the House calls an unexpected vote. Pfluger fired down to second, getting Kennedy in a rundown and the most press he’s ever garnered in his young congressional career. Now, Kennedy is trapped. He can’t head back to second because Pat Ryan, the runner on first, was legging it toward second.
Members of the Republican team stand during the singing of the national anthem during the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at Nationals Park June 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
So, to help Kennedy, Ryan makes a motion to recommit to first base just as the Republicans throw the ball away. The GOP had Kennedy in a true pickle. But he escaped.
And just like on Capitol Hill, you sometimes get a second chance.
Kennedy’s baseline filibuster allowed Barragan to score. Kennedy advanced safely to third.
This turn of events for both clubs made the Bad News Bears look like the ’75 Cincinnati Reds.
But after the errant throw in the Kennedy rundown, Ryan was now running again toward second base.
Most strange things in Congress seem to emerge “from left field.”
But, on this night, it came from right field.
Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Texas, likely deserves the most alert play of the game.
Ellzey crept all the way in from right field to back up the rundown of Kennedy between second and third. Ellzey then fielded the wayward throw and bolted in an utter sprint, running directly at Ryan.
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The New York Democrat was hung up between first and second, the third rundown in this bizarro sequence of events. Ellzey clenched the ball in his right hand, stretching toward Ryan and tagged him directly with the ball.
Ryan was out.
Ellzey is a graduate of the Naval Academy and flew missions as a fighter pilot. Ryan is a graduate of West Point and wore a Golden Knights jersey for the game.
Ellzey catching Ryan in the footrace was a true “Go Navy, beat Army” moment.
So, only one run scored amid all of that. And one out.
But like what often happens often in Congress, there are errors on both sides. And a lot of running around without much to show for it, even though Democrats eked out a run.
The play ended the bottom of the sixth inning in the seven-ining affair.
Members of the Democratic and Republican teams shake hands after the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity at National’s Park June 12, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Republicans then went on to drop a ten spot on the Democrats in the top of the seventh and cruised to a staggering 31-11 victory.
“Biggest margin of victory since 1909,” gloated House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “I think it’s an omen about the election cycle. We’re looking for more of that in November.”
As for the Democrats, they need to dig into their farm system for some pitching.
“We have some opportunities that are out there in terms of additional talent,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We made it competitive during the early part of the game and laid a foundation for the great Democratic comeback in 2025.
Just like daily politics on the Hill. Republicans banking on big victories this fall.
Democrats looking to reclaim control of the House.
No different under the Dome. Or on the diamond.
Politics
OpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT
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A new report from the Wall Street Journal revealed that employees at Open AI, the artificial intelligence company known for creating ChatGPT, raised alarm about transgender Canadian mass shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar’s interactions with its chatbot but did not alert authorities.
Around a dozen employees reportedly were aware of the concerning interactions months before Van Rootselaar killed multiple family members and school-aged kids in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The interactions, first flagged by an automated review system, included violent scenarios involving gun violence over the course of multiple days, people familiar with the matter indicated to the Wall Street Journal.
OpenAI’s policy is only to alert law enforcement if there is an imminent threat of real-world harm or violence, and some of the employees reportedly wanted to go to the police. But, in the end, the company opted not to contact authorities.
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A photo shows a smartphone and a laptop displaying the logos of the artificial intelligence OpenAI research company and ChatGPT chatbot. (MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)
On Feb. 10, Van Rootselaar, 18, gunned down his mother and step-brother at their home in British Columbia, before heading to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where the deranged teen shot and killed five students and a teacher before turning the gun on himself. Twenty-five others were reportedly injured.
Authorities later revealed Van Rootselaar, who had dropped out of the school he attacked, was biological male who had been identifying as female since he was 6.
Police were aware of Van Rootselaar’s mental health struggles, as they had reportedly made visits to his house on multiple occasions in the past due to various incidents.
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Police tape surrounds the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and other buildings in Tumbler Ridge, Vancouver, British Columbia, on Wednesday, a day after a mass shooting there. (Jesse Boily /The Canadian Press via AP)
The teen killer was found to have had an obsession with death, being an avid poster on a website that hosts videos of people being murdered, according to the New York Post. Van Rootselaar’s social media footprint included images of him with firearms and content about hallucinogenic drugs. Van Rootselaar’s mother expressed alarm at his actions in a Facebook parent’s group in 2015, the New York Post also reported.
A spokesperson for the company told Fox News Digital that the company banned Van Rootselaar’s account in June 2025 for violating its usage policies, but determined the activity did not rise to the level where it needed to be alerted to law enforcement. They noted that the company is compelled to weigh privacy concerns, adding that being too trigger-happy with police referrals can create unintended harm.
OpenAI’s chatbot model is made to discourage real-world harm when it senses dangerous situations, Fox News Digital was told.
A screengrab from a video shows students exiting the Tumbler Ridge school after deadly shootings, in British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Jordon Kosik via AP)
The company reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) after the incident, and is supporting their investigation with information on Van Rootselaar’s chatbot activity, the spokesperson indicated.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy,” the company said in a statement following the incident. “We proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information on the individual and their use of ChatGPT, and we’ll continue to support their investigation.”
The most prestigious board ever put together.
That is how the president of the United States, a man convicted of fraud, described his new team focused on international relations. A team that does not include representatives from our closest neighbors — Mexico and Canada — but did save room for leaders accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
Now, we do not know whether President Trump created his “Board of Peace,” which this week held its first meeting, specifically to undermine the authority of the United Nations. But we do know that the president has pledged $10 billion in tax dollars to the board’s mission while still owing the U.N. half that amount in back payments. We do not know whether Trump, who is indefinitely the leader of this peace board, intends to relinquish that power after he leaves the White House. But we do know he is still trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Whether the “Board of Peace” is the most prestigious panel ever assembled is debatable. What is not debatable is that it was conceived by an adjudicated sexual abuser who is referenced in the released Epstein files some 38,000 times.
That is not my take.
That is simply what is happening.
Which is why the president encourages his supporters to ban books and reject journalism. He doesn’t want voters to pay attention. He doesn’t want voters to understand his actions.
Ten years ago this month — after his Nevada caucus victory speech — Trump said, “I love the poorly educated.” And his reliance on this base is why, over the past decade, he and other conservatives have purposely misconstrued the term “woke” as a catch-all slur toward progressive and far-left policies. It used to mean “aware” and “informed.” The term was not born out of modern politics but rather the need to understand the history of the social economic systems we all are living in. The alternative is to be blindly led by an unscrupulous leader most concerned with his own well being.
Being “woke” is why the Boston Tea Party happened in 1773; it is why Thomas Paine published “Common Sense” in 1776; it is why Republicans formed the Wide Awakes to help get Abraham Lincoln elected in 1860. When voters understand the context in which decisions are made, we are better equipped to address shortcomings at the ballot box and in our daily lives.
Trump’s self-proclaimed love for the poorly educated has nothing to do with progressive policies or college degrees and everything to do with whom he can convince to believe him. And by making “woke” an insult, Trump and other conservatives have politicized the very tool necessary to help the country fulfill its promise: information.
This threat is the reason his administration attacks, and even arrests, journalists; the reason he refers to reports he doesn’t like as “fake news”; the reason he fired the labor statistics chief after an unflattering jobs report last year. He’s waging a war on information.
The reason 2025 marked the worst nonrecession year for job growth since 2003 isn’t that the country was “woke.” It’s because of shortcomings in leadership.
When Trump returned to the White House, he made lowering the U.S. trade deficit a key component to his economic policy. In 2024, the deficit was $903.5 billion. In 2025, it was $901.5 billion — and America’s families paid $230 billion more for goods because of his yo-yo tariff policies.
He told his supporters that other nations would be paying for the tariffs he enacted — obvious nonsense to anyone who attended a day of Econ 101. And we know that as a result of his reckless and ignorant policies, farmers in particular suffered. It’s not clear whether that financial burden was a consideration when the Supreme Court on Friday declared the president’s sweeping tariffs to be illegal. What we do know is before Trump entered politics, his businesses filed for bankruptcy six times — so perhaps he was never the economic savant he claimed to be.
Just as the saga of the Epstein files reveals he is not the protector of women and young girls that he claimed to be.
Just as his recent attacks on the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 14th Amendments show he was never the defender of the Constitution he took an oath to be.
Acknowledging the laundry list of untruths tied to his promises and presidency is not political or a symptom of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” It’s simply having information: the one thing that helps voters understand why things are the way they are. The one thing the president hopes his supporters never wake up to see for themselves.
YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow
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L.A. Times Insights delivers AI-generated analysis on Voices content to offer all points of view. Insights does not appear on any news articles.
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Perspectives
The following AI-generated content is powered by Perplexity. The Los Angeles Times editorial staff does not create or edit the content.
Ideas expressed in the piece
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The Board of Peace, while described by the president as the most prestigious ever assembled, excludes the country’s closest neighbors in Mexico and Canada while creating space for leaders accused of war crimes by the International Court[2][3].
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The administration is pledging $10 billion in tax dollars to the board’s mission while the United States still owes the United Nations $5 billion in back payments, raising questions about priorities and institutional commitment.
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The board represents a potential threat to the UN’s authority and the multilateral international order, with the president positioned to lead indefinitely without a clear succession mechanism independent of his personal tenure.
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The use of the term “woke” as a political slur by the president and conservatives serves to discourage informed and critically aware voters from engaging with factual information and journalism, undermining democratic participation.
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The administration’s economic policies have demonstrably failed, including tariff strategies that burdened American families with $230 billion in additional costs while the trade deficit marginally decreased from $903.5 billion to $901.5 billion, a result inconsistent with promised outcomes.
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The president’s record of attacks on the press, dismissal of unfavorable reporting as “fake news,” and removal of officials for releasing unflattering data represents a broader assault on the free flow of information essential to accountability.
Different views on the topic
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The Board of Peace represents a vital step in implementing the president’s 20-point plan for Gaza, which was endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and initially received broad international support from Western democracies[1][3].
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More than two dozen nations have signed on as founding members of the board, with member countries pledging $5 billion toward Gaza’s reconstruction, demonstrating substantial international engagement with the initiative[2].
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The Executive Board comprises leaders with expertise across diplomacy, development, infrastructure, and economic strategy, positioning the mechanism to provide strategic oversight and mobilize international resources for Gaza’s stabilization[1].
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The board functions as an overarching body designed to implement demilitarization and reconstruction efforts through subsidiary mechanisms including the Gaza Executive Board and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, with operational structures intended to deliver governance and development outcomes[1][3].
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The initiative was conceived as a focused mechanism to support stabilization and reconstruction in Gaza within the framework of the UN-endorsed 20-point plan, anchoring its original purpose in internationally recognized diplomatic processes[3].
Politics
Campus Radicals Newsletter: Teacher who lost job over 2-word post breaks silence, Chicago ‘racial segregation’
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