Mizzou’s Paige Felder (15) attempts to spike the ball against Nebraska defenders (copy)

SHREVEPORT, La. -- Green Oaks beat rival Booker T. Washington in the 2026 Soul Bowl, 20-18, Saturday at Leonard C. Barnes Stadium.

The game between the Giants and Lions was tied at six at halftime.

Green Oaks improves to 3-0 while BTW falls to 2-1.

In a game where the past met the present, Mizzou football didn’t exactly show fans why they should be excited about the immediate future.

The Tigers took on Troy in their final nonconference battle of the season Saturday, and while they won 27-17 at Memorial Stadium, the game was exactly that — a battle. Missouri had to overcome a 10-0 deficit, and even after it took the lead, it never really broke away.

Still, a win is a win, and the Tigers bumped their record to 3-0 with Southeastern Conference play opening for them next weekend at Mississippi State.

The matchup between the Tigers and Trojans featured many exciting moments that had nothing to do with the game itself. From honoring Mizzou’s 1960 team as national champions at halftime to celebrating the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium to watching the Tigers play in throwback uniforms, a lot was going on.

The game featured plenty of action as well. If Missouri fans expected a straightforward game, they didn’t get it. But if Missouri fans expected to see some progress in the run game, they did get that. Running back Jamal Roberts stood out on offense, recording 122 yards and a touchdown.

As he dashed toward the end zone in the second quarter, it was hard not to admire the throwback uniform in motion. The black jerseys featured a classic 'M' logo to represent the 1920s and black, gold and white stripes on the sleeves representing the 1970s. The pants, which were a muted shade of gold, also served as a callback to the 1900s.

The helmets displayed the Block M and the columns, a nod to the Francis Quadrangle and university. However, the university took a back seat to the stadium, which celebrated its 100th anniversary.

The renovation project cost $250 million and produced a new north end zone. The Tigers scored at that very end zone just once against the Trojans by way of a field goal. Some say the north end zone is cursed, as many bad things have happened there. From the flea kicker against Nebraska to multiple missed field goals, the Tigers have experienced their share of heartbreak in the north end zone.

Parts of Saturday's game looked as if Mizzou were playing under a curse. That is until the Tigers broke the spell in the second quarter.

Trailing 10-0, Mizzou fans were pretty quiet, likely due to a mixture of frustration and disbelief. The Tigers looked to be the inferior team for a while against the Sun Belt Conference opponent.

All it took for Memorial Stadium to get back into it was Missouri wide receiver DaMarion Fowlkes returning a punt 68 yards for a touchdown. It marked the longest punt return by a Mizzou player since Luther Burden III took it 78 yards in 2022, and it tied the game 10-10. The Tigers never looked back, scoring 14 more points before halftime to establish control.

The game served as a history lesson, looking back on the accomplishments of Mizzou’s 1960 team at halftime. 

The Tigers have started slowly in recent weeks. In Week 2, they looked dismal against Kansas early. When linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr. came up with back-to-back turnovers, it sparked life. An eerily similar scene unfolded against Troy.

Cornerback Sione Laulea came up with a huge interception to put Mizzou at Troy’s 18-yard line, and shortly after, quarterback Austin Simmons passed it 12 yards to Donovan Olugbode, who scored a touchdown to give the Tigers a 17-10 lead.

Immediately after, Mizzou edge Langden Kitchen forced a fumble with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. The Tigers found themselves with ideal field position again, and they capitalized. Roberts rushed 13 yards for a touchdown, putting Mizzou ahead 24-10.

The Trojans didn’t go away, keeping the pressure on the Tigers. It seemed as if Simmons could feel that pressure, as his numbers did not look good. Simmons logged just 91 yards and a touchdown. He also lobbed several sketchy passes, putting the ball in danger.

Ultimately, he and the Tigers did enough to stave off a Troy win. On Troy’s second play of the game, the Trojans exploded for a 76-yard touchdown. Quarterback Goose Crowder found TK Keyes in the end zone to give Troy a 7-0 lead.

The Trojans scored again on their second offensive drive, but they did it in a very different fashion. Instead of a chunk play, they pieced together a slow and methodical drive, wearing the Missouri defense down. It took 10:32 for the Trojans to add three points to their lead and go up 10-0 courtesy of a field goal by Ethan Head.

The Tigers struggled to contain Troy’s running back duo of Gavin Griffin and Jaheim Merriweather. Crowder got things done in the air as well, finding multiple different targets for positive gains.

But Mizzou’s defense didn’t do itself any favors. Edge Daeden Hopkins committed a face mask on third-and-24, resulting in an automatic first down, and cornerback Chris Graves Jr. was called for pass interference. On top of it all, Mizzou’s Darris Smith was injured on that drive. He did return to the game later.

Mizzou scored its first points of the game thanks to a 35-yard field goal by Blake Craig. He added another, this one from 36 yards out, to put the Tigers ahead 27-17.

The game between Mizzou and Troy may have looked back at the past, but the Tigers are focused on the here and now. They’ll have to flush the win and turn their focus to next Saturday, when they hit the road to take on Mississippi State at 6:45 p.m. in Starkville, Mississippi. There is a lot to improve before then, but right now, they can celebrate not only their past achievements but their current one — being 3-0.

Mizzou volleyball took down Bowling Green with a thrilling, four-set win 25-16, 24-26, 25-20, 25-23 in the Bowling Green/Toledo Invitational at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Freshman Lydia Stahley and Eva Smith had strong offensive outings Saturday, as both posted career highs in kills against Bowling Green. Stahley led the team in kills with 11 and Smith followed right behind with nine.

After a pair of five-set losses in Friday's action which included first-set losses, Missouri started off on the right foot with a dominant first-set win. The Tigers jumped out to a 7-2 lead behind kills from Kimani Johnson and Grace O'Reilly. Both finished with seven kills in the match. Missouri didn't give up the lead once in the set from there, taking the opening set 25-16. O'Reilly and Lauren Larkin recorded three of the Tigers five blocks in the set, and Smith added another two.

The second set was a struggle for MU, as it trailed throughout most of it, and was down 15-7 by the media timeout. A pair of Johnson kills and three straight attack errors from the Eagles got the Tigers back into the set, trailing 20-19. After Bowling Green made it 22-20, a Paige Felder kill and a pair of Stahley kills put Mizzou out in front 24-22, just one point from a 2-0 match lead. From there, though, Bowling Green took the next four points to, instead, tie the match at 1-1.

After the Tigers jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in Set 3, Bowling Green knotted things up at 3-3. Mizzou then went on another 3-0 run. From there, the Tigers didn't surrender the lead once and took the third set 25-20. Stahley made things easy for the Tigers with three aces in the set on top of the three kills she provided.

Mizzou, once again, jumped out to 3-0 lead in Set 4, but Bowling Green didn't make it easy as it got out to an 8-7 lead before a Stahley kill tied it up. The two teams stayed within a point of one another up to a 15-15 tie. The Eagles used a quick 4-0 run to go out in front, 18-15, before a pair of Stahley kills helped the Tigers tie things back up at 18.

Trailing 20-19, the Tigers went on a 4-0 run to make it 23-20. Bowling Green tied it 23-23 and looked to knot the match, but Felder killed that rally and made it 24-23, and a Bowling Green attack error ended the match as the Tigers took the fourth set 25-23.

Mizzou hit .240 as a team with 51 kills. It held Bowling Green under  a .200 hit percentage in three of the four sets, allowing a .238 it percentage in Set 2.

Stahley finished her first real action of the season with four service aces, 11 kills on a .409 hit percentage and two digs. Smith led the team in blocks with six and added nine kills and a service ace. The freshmen duo accounted for 28.5 points.

Senior libero Ainoah Cruz posted another strong outing with 22 digs, holding down the back row with a combined 68 digs during the weekend.

Mizzou heads to Lincoln for the rescheduled match against No. 1 Nebraska at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

(The Center Square) – An Illinois lawmaker is pushing back against U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s comments about immigration terminology and work permits for people who are unlawfully present in the United States.

State Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Dieterich, the Republican spokesperson for the Illinois House Immigration and Human Rights Committee, said the terminology used to describe people who entered or remain in the country unlawfully should not obscure the underlying immigration policy debate.

Niemerg said he supports people immigrating to the United States through legal channels but opposes providing work authorization to people who are unlawfully present without first addressing their immigration status.

“I support illegal immigrants going back to their country of origin and then going through the processes that Senator Durbin laid out for legal immigration,” Niemerg said.

Durbin, D-Ill., was questioned by a reporter in a video circulating online about his support for work permits for people who are in the country unlawfully.

“Is that what you call them?” Durbin asked after the reporter referred to “illegal aliens.”

“Well yeah, I mean…” the reporter responded.

“Oh come on honey, get better. Please don't be such a hater,” Durbin said.

The reporter responded that the term was legally used.

Durbin said people in the United States who are working, raising families and have children who are U.S. citizens “deserve a chance to prove that they can stay.”

“That's not illegal, that's not safe, it is American,” Durbin said.

Niemerg said he believes the terminology debate can affect how the public views the underlying policy question.

“It softens the issue to normalize it for the American people,” Niemerg said. “That's why they use this terminology because they want them to think that, hey, they're not here illegally. They're just here.”

On the question of work permits, Niemerg said he believes people should first return to their countries of origin and then pursue legal immigration options.

“I am for people coming to this country legally in the pursuit of the American dream,” Niemerg said.

Durbin also defended the idea of allowing people who are working and raising families in the U.S. to have an opportunity to remain legally.

“Let's face it, if we're going to be honest about immigration, we should be honest about the people that are affected by these laws,” Durbin said.

The two also differed over the effect of unauthorized workers on the U.S. labor market.

Niemerg rejected the argument that some jobs would go unfilled without unauthorized immigrant labor.

He argued that allowing employers to pay workers less because of their immigration status can put downward pressure on wages and create what he described as a “permanent underclass.”

Durbin, meanwhile, challenged the premise that American workers are being displaced from certain jobs.

“These are jobs that go wanting,” Durbin said. “People don't want to work in the back room of a restaurant.”

Niemerg said immigration policy should focus on legal entry and employment.

“If he wants to agree with me and send these folks back to the country of origin, then go through those processes legally for them to immigrate and to want to work here,” Niemerg said.

The disagreement comes as immigration policy remains a major point of debate in Illinois and nationally, including questions over enforcement, legal status and employment authorization.

(The Center Square) - The fight for control of Congress may be determined by several important congressional races in Florida where one district has tariff policies, taxes and education a dividing issue between candidates.

The Florida legislature passed a new congressional map in April which is expected to yield as many as four seats in favor of Republicans in Congress. Florida’s 22nd congressional district, currently represented by Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., will have new representation as she is now running in the 23rd district.

Pia Dandiya, a high-school principal who was endorsed for the Democratic nomination by Frankel, has focused her campaign on ending President Trump’s tariff policies, lowering prescription drug costs and increasing housing availability.

“Lowering these costs isn’t a choice,” Dandiya’s website reads. “We must make it so people can afford to live, work and raise a family here in South Florida.”

Dandiya also slammed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” for its cuts to Medicaid and tax policies. She said she would work to reverse the cuts to federal welfare programs in the legislation and increase taxes on billionaires and corporations to further support the aid programs.

“The fairest way to keep these programs strong for generations to come is to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share — not to balance the budget on the backs of the people who built this country,” Dandiya’s website reads.

Republican candidate Casey Askar, a Marine veteran, differed on his support for tax legislation. He called for the House to pass a Tax Limitation Balanced Budget Amendment, which would prevent lawmakers from engaging in spending to increase the federal deficit.

Askar said this amendment would force lawmakers to address the rising national debt and keep them from adding to it. The Republican nominee also said he would support eliminating the federal gas tax to address affordability concerns over rising gas prices from the U.S. conflict in Iran.

“So much of our dollars spent at the pump are due to federal taxes,” Askar said in a video posted to social media. “One thing that I’ll push for is abolishing that federal tax.”

Dandiya did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication on the federal gas tax proposal. However, the National Republican Congressional Committee tied Dandiya to congressional Democrats vote against the Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation that would prevent AI data centers from passing on utility bills to households where they are constructed.

“Pia Dandiya’s fellow Democrats are choosing the Green New Deal over lower energy costs for hardworking families,” said Maureen O’Toole, a spokesperson for the NRCC. “While Republicans fight to protect Americans from costly utility bills, Democrats keep defending the policies driving those bills higher.”

Both Dandiya and Askar said they would work to pass legislation banning members of Congress from trading stocks.

“Washington won’t start to work for regular people again until we achieve real transparency and accountability to hold the powerful to the same rules as everyone else,” Dandiya’s website reads.

Dandiya and Askar made education issues central to both of their campaigns. However, the issues in education each candidate chose to focus on are quite different.

Askar called for allowing school voucher programs and mandating civics education in public schools. He also called for preventing biological boys from using girl’s bathrooms in school settings and beyond.

“We must educate our children and not allow them to be indoctrinated by un-American, divisive, and socialist education reforms,” Askar’s website reads.

Dandiya called for implementing a universal preschool program in Florida. The National Institution for Early Education Research estimates that it would cost $12,500 per child to implement high-quality, universal preschool across the United States.

Accounting for 70% of 3-year-old and 4-year-old children across the country would total $70 billion annually.

“We’ll invest in universal pre-K so kids arrive at kindergarten ready to learn, fully fund strong public schools and the teachers who power them, and build the job training and apprenticeship pathways that prepare young people for careers in a fast-changing economy,” Dandiya’s website reads.

Askar edges out Dandiya in campaign funds with more than $2.5 million and $1 million in cash on hand. Comparatively, Dandiya has slightly more than $2.2 million in contributions and $1.2 million in cash on hand.

However, Askar took out $2 million in loans to finance his campaign. He received $7,000 from investor Domenic Ferrante, $1,500 from Mark Gladstein, founder of Glad Holdings LLC and $2,500 from Jordan Balaban, a financial controller at Nextera Energy.

Dandiya received $5,000 from the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, $3,500 from Scott Siff, a consultant at Quadrant Strategies and $1,000 from Jonathan Missner, an attorney at law firm Stein Mitchell, Beato and Missner.

Military and overseas ballots in Florida must be sent out by Sept. 19. Early in-person voting is available from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

For more information, visit the Florida Department of State, at dos.fl.gov. For information on other candidates throughout Florida and results on Election Day, visit thecentersquare.com/florida.

(The Center Square) – The Pentagon is ordering testosterone screening for some 2 million troops without saying what it will cost, and its own clinical guidance says it does not know how many service members it will test or treat.

The screening applies to every active-duty and reserve service member age 30 and older, a population of about 2 million. But the guidance the Defense Health Agency issued this week says the numbers to be screened, tested, diagnosed and treated "are not currently known," and no prior guidance projected them.

The department has not said what any of this will cost. The Center Square asked for a cost estimate in July, when the mandate was announced, and again this week. The Defense Health Agency, which issued the guidance, declined to answer questions about it and referred them to the Pentagon press office, which did not respond to a request for comment this week and did not provide a cost estimate in July. Neither the July memo nor the clinical guidance carries a price tag, or says whether the screening and any resulting treatment will be funded through the existing Military Health System budget or a new request.

The department has framed the program as a readiness measure. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's July 15 memo ordering the screening said that "applying lessons learned from treating Operator Syndrome across the Total Force including targeted testosterone therapy directly optimizes Warfighter readiness," and Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a Sept. 17 statement that the effort would help sustain "a healthy, capable, and decisively dominant fighting force."

The guidance issued under that memo does not support using testosterone to boost performance in healthy troops. It states that testosterone "is not a performance enhancer" and that "guidance premised on performance enhancement rather than on treatment of a diagnosed deficiency is not supportable on the current evidence." The guidance treats testosterone deficiency as a diagnosis to be confirmed and treated, not a fitness edge to be issued across the force.

Dr. Richard Auchus, an endocrinologist at the University of Michigan, told The Center Square the guidance is "largely evidence-based," screening for symptoms before ordering blood tests, an approach "consistent with society guidelines and good clinical practice." He said he was "relieved" the document was "not recommending broadly blood-test based screening everyone over 30."

The guidance also differs from how the program has been described. In July, a Pentagon official told The Center Square that "everyone over 30 years old will be tested annually." But the guidance does not call for testing everyone. It directs providers to screen with a symptom and risk-factor questionnaire and to order a blood test only when that screen is positive or a risk factor is present.

The program's clinical premise traces to "Operator Syndrome," a term coined in 2020 by psychologist Chris Frueh to describe a cluster of health problems, including brain injury, sleep disruption and hormonal dysfunction, in special operations forces. Hegseth's memo cited it as justification for testing across the force. Frueh, who reviewed the new guidance, told The Center Square it was "very good."

The guidance is candid about the limits of what testosterone does. It says the therapy helps sexual function, body composition and bone density, but that the evidence "does not support its use to improve energy, vitality, physical function, or cognition." It notes that the American College of Physicians recommends against prescribing it for those reasons, and that in a major trial, testosterone did no better than a placebo at improving men's energy or how far they could walk.

The House Armed Services Committee's majority and minority offices did not immediately respond to questions Friday about whether they received a cost estimate for the program.

(The Center Square) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has approved reimbursing Texas $7.5 billion for costs incurred by the state's border security operations during the Biden administration's border crisis. 

It's the first time Texas has received such a reimbursement, thanks to a new federal law.

Gov. Greg Abbott said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, “who confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security will be sending Texas $7.5 billion as part of the federal funding to reimburse Texas. 

“Texas held the line when Washington would not. Texas taxpayers spent billions to stop illegal crossings, catch criminals, and seize deadly drugs. This reimbursement is a victory for those taxpayers,” Abbott said, thanking the president and Mullin. 

Abbott also said Texas is also applying to the U.S. Department of Justice for reimbursement for a portion of an additional $3 billion the state spent on border security, which he says will “fully reimburse Texas for costs incurred due to the Biden Administration’s refusal to enforce federal immigration law.”

The DHS reimbursement comes from a State Border Security Reinforcement Fund within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, secured. The governor’s office submitted Texas’ application to DHS for reimbursement in June.

The announcement comes 20 months after Abbott first asked Congress to reimburse Texas for more than $11.1 billion spent on border security efforts, The Center Square reported. Cornyn and his colleagues delivered.

During the Biden administration, the Texas Legislature allocated more than $11.6 billion to border security efforts, the most in the state's history. That’s more than multiple state fiscal year budgets and more than what the Trump administration allocated to federal border security efforts in Texas, The Center Square reported.

Last year, Texas Senate and House budget proposals allocated more than $6 billion to border security efforts over a two-year period, The Center Square reported.

Abbott first launched OLS in March 2021, in response to an unprecedented number of illegal border crossers and crime within the first couple of months of the Biden administration. 

From March 2021 through February 2026, OLS officers apprehended 538,141 illegal foreign nationals, including those referred to Border Patrol. They also deterred 157,112 illegal entries, according to OLS data obtained by The Center Square. 

Through OLS, thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and Department of Public Safety troopers were deployed to the border. Dozens of sheriff’s offices also beefed up operations participating in an OLS Task Force.

OLS efforts include constructing Texas’ own border wall, building concertina wire and marine barriers, expanding technological capabilities to stop illegal crossings and drug interdiction. They also include new brush teams, canine and equestrian units as well as a range of interdiction efforts through targeted traffic enforcement, The Center Square reported. 

These efforts are ongoing. Operation Lone Star is in its fifth year.

Although illegal crossings at the southwest border have dropped by more than 95% under the second Trump administration, crime is ongoing and cartel networks are embedded throughout Texas and nationwide. OLS 2.0 is targeting them and criminal actors designated as foreign terrorist organizations such as Tren de Aragua. 

As TdA crime spread to dozens of states, in September 2024, Abbott expanded OLS operations to eradicate TdA, The Center Square reported. Since OLS began, more than half a million Venezuelan nationals have been apprehended by Border Patrol agents in Texas after they illegally entered the U.S. 

OLS officers are also targeting South American Theft Groups and commercial vehicle crimes statewide. Last September, Texas DPS began suspending issuing CDL licenses in several categories. Targeted CDL enforcement actions are ongoing. 

Since March 2021, OLS officers have record amounts of methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine and heroin and enough fentanyl to kill nearly one tenth of the world’s population, according to data obtained by The Center Square. 

Law enforcement officers argue continued funding for OLS is needed as national security threats persist. Funding is also needed for prosecutors, jails and transportation. 

“Just because the bodies quit coming, we still have this massive cleanup to do,” Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe told The Center Square. “We still need funding for jail facilities and transportation.”

“Many people overlook the fact that successful prosecutions are more important than arrest numbers in achieving justice and creating a deterrence for those who commit crimes,” Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith told The Center Square.

Prosecuting crimes and sending people to jail is the deterrence that is needed to enforce the law, he argued.

“The underlying reason why millions of illegal aliens invaded our country during the Biden administration is quite simple: people do not follow laws unless they are enforced,” Smith said. “The only reason most people obey the law is the deterrence of punishment that results when it is violated. This is the fundamental basis of our legal system.”

A Boone County judge granted temporary restraining orders for two Mizzou women's golfers Friday, allowing them to return to competition.

Addie Dobson and Melanie Walker filed the suit against the NCAA on Monday. After a Friday hearing, judge Joshua Devine ruled in favor of the athletes.

The ruling states: "The court finds that Plaintiffs have shown a likelihood of success on the merits, immediate and irreparable harm for which monetary relief is inadequate and that the balance of equities and public interest favor preserving their ability to compete, pending further litigation."

With the eligibility granted, MU brings back competitors who were critical to its 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships last season.

Dobson qualified for the U.S. Open and recorded two top-10 finishes last year. Walker placed in the top five on three separate occasions in the campaign.

Dobson and Walker enrolled at MU again in the fall and have been practicing with the team while being listed on its roster. The NCAA's defense focused around the athletes previously completing their four years of collegiate eligibility.

"Under new rules that came into effect in August, student-athletes who had not yet exhausted their eligibility may now compete in five seasons," the NCAA said in an opposition to the lawsuit. "But because Plaintiffs already exhausted their eligibility, the rule does not apply to them, and they are ineligible to compete this fall."

The duo is immediately eligible to compete once again for the Tigers. Their home tournament, the Johnnie Imes Invitational, begins Monday at The Club at Old Hawthorne.

The TRO will remain in effect until 5:30 p.m. Sept. 29. There will be a hearing on preliminary injunctive relief, a longer-term order in comparison to the emergency TRO, at 10:30 a.m. the same day.

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Attorney's Office won’t release the subpoenas related to a federal investigation into Gov. Gavin Newsom’s international travel expenses, which The Center Square tried to acquire this week.

“Subpoenas are not public record, and our office never releases them,” Lauren Horwood, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of California, told The Center Square.

The Center Square also could not acquire the subpoenas from federal courthouses.

The Center Square went to two courthouses in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District this week. One, in downtown Fresno, didn’t have anyone in the clerk’s office or the U.S. Attorney’s office there who could look up the subpoenas since there was no case number assigned to those documents. Employees of two judges in that building would not talk to The Center Square.

The main courthouse in the Eastern District of California, in downtown Sacramento, similarly didn’t have anyone in the clerk’s office who was able to look up the subpoenas. Visits to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the courtroom of Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley were equally unsuccessful.

The San Francisco Standard reported last weekend that subpoenas filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California were issued in early September and that communications with Newsom and his associates, as well as six years of records showing Newsom’s international travel and related expenses, be turned over to the U.S. Department of Justice. The records involve the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that pays for the governor’s travel, the Standard reported.

The Standard reported that its review of state records showed Newsom directed more than $7.5 million in donations from outside groups to the foundation. The Standard also said about $5.1 million of that came from two foundations that paid for inauguration costs for Newsom in 2019 and 2023.

The Center Square previously reported that Newsom has reported more than $340 million in behested payments to various organizations since he took office in 2019. Behested payments go to a third party such as a nonprofit a politician likes.

No one was available at the California State Protocol Foundation to answer The Center Square's questions Friday.

“Governor Newsom went after the king — and as he warned in June, the tyrant is now coming after everyone around him,” Tara Gallegos, director of communications for the Democratic governor’s office, told The Center Square via email. “This is what Donald Trump does to his enemies: investigate first, hunt for a crime that doesn't exist second. This is a baseless MAGA conspiracy theory.”

Gallegos added that there is no crime to investigate.

“There is just a sick man in the White House weaponizing the federal government to settle personal scores,” Gallegos wrote. “It’s deeply upsetting to see innocent staff, friends, and family have their names dragged through the mud just because they’re associated with the Governor.”

The Center Square reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice for comment, but did not hear back by publication time.

The Standard also reported that aides, advisers and other people close to Newsom who had their international travel expenses paid by the foundation included Rebecca Prowda, Newsom’s chief protocol officer and wife of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. The subpoenas also requested information about international travel expenses paid by the foundation for Steve Kawa, Newsom’s former chief of staff; Jim DeBoo, former executive secretary for Newsom, and Matina Kolokotronis, COO of the Sacramento Kings, among others.

The Center Square attempted to reach some of the people named in the story by The Standard. None of them responded before press time on Friday. 

(The Center Square) – As the Trump administration continues to pursue ways to quell “birth tourism,” legal scholars are probing potential actions Congress could take to rewrite the common interpretation of the 14th amendment’s citizenship clause.

The clause states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”

That phrase has been interpreted over the last 150 years to guarantee citizenship to any child born in the United States – with a few exceptions – regardless of whether the mother is residing in the country legally.

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that interpretation in June in Trump v. Barbara, with Chief Justice John Roberts stating that the phrase "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" refers to the United States' power to govern anyone living in its territory.

Critics of the court’s ruling disagree, arguing that the clause does not mean territorial jurisdiction, but national jurisdiction, which requires allegiance to the U.S. government

They further argue that the 14th amendment was meant to apply only to American citizens and recently freed slaves, not illegal immigrants or tourists who come to the U.S. explicitly to have children.

“This was an outcome-oriented decision, in my opinion. This is not a decision that was actually grounded in originalism,” Gene Hamilton, president of the America First Legal Foundation, said Friday in a webinar hosted by the Federalist Society.

“It's not a decision that was grounded in anything other than wanting to avoid an awkward political outcome by certain members of the Court.”

“[I]t's weird to me — to put it bluntly — to consider someone being subject to the jurisdiction thereof as implying simply that their mere presence in the United States…means that [they] are a member of the body politic, and [their] children should be citizens, and that there is nothing that could ever change that,” Hamilton added.

As of 2017, an estimated 4.5 million children under the age of 18 born to illegal immigrants were living in the U.S., according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform. An estimated 225,000 to 250,000 were born in 2023 alone, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the Second Circuit Steven Menashi, another guest in the panel, disagreed with Hamilton. He argued that “to understand a rule that is fixed to apply differently under different circumstances is not really an odd result or non-originalist in any way.”

“We say the Second Amendment doesn't just apply to muskets, and so it might also be that the principle in the [citizenship] clause doesn't only apply to the categories to which it applied at the time,” Menashi posited.

Both Hamilton and Menashi agreed, however, that if Congress disagrees with the ruling, lawmakers can likely utilize their legislative powers to either work around the ruling or at least force the court to revisit its interpretation.

“[If the circumstances under which somebody receives citizenship can't be limited, then maybe Congress or the executive branch might try to reclaim some of the authorities about regulating citizenship,” Menashi noted.

“And that's not inconsistent with Barbara, right? Because Barbara is just about who receives citizenship. It's not about the degree to which citizenship could be regulated once conferred.”

“[A]ll that we need is a vehicle to get before the Supreme Court to get them to reconsider the decision,” Hamilton added. “Congress could still pass a law…and ultimately, that's just going to cue up another case or controversy for the Supreme Court to adjudicate and decide. But Congress still ultimately has the power to do whatever it wants.”