Omar King USA TODAY Thursday 20240321

Georgia District Attorney Fannie Willis may still prosecute Donald Trump and others for election fraud, as long as the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, steps down. Trump and the defendants have filed an emergency appeal to overturn the decision. The court will decide whether to hear the appeal within 45 days. Legal experts believe the outcome of the case could impact the upcoming election. The prosecution plans to use the RICO statute against Trump and the alleged co-conspirators. If the appeal is granted, trial preparations could be stalled for months. Defense lawyers are also claiming forensic misconduct. Willis has a large staff of experienced prosecutors working on the case. If McAfee's decision is overturned, the case could be thrown out or given to another DA's office. Willis will face challenges and accusations of impropriety throughout the case. Other defendants have pled not guilty, and some are cooperating. This program is intended for a print and paired audience and is brought to you by the Georgia Radio Reading Service, GARS. Welcome to our reading of the USA Today. I'm Omar King for the Georgia Radio Reading Service. Today is Thursday, March 21st, 2024. Our first article comes to us from the front page. From the politics section, Fannie Willis thrown off Trump case, election fraud charges dismissed, a look at the key Georgia case by Josh Meyer of the USA Today, published March 20th, 2024. The saga of whether Fulton County District Attorney, Fannie Willis will be disqualified from prosecuting Donald Trump and 14 others for allegedly trying to steal the 2020 election in Georgia is far from over. And whether the case will go to trial before the next election this November is anybody's guess. A judge ruled Friday that Willis could keep her control of the election fraud case against the former president if special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, with whom she had an affair, stepped down. Wade did so hours later, allowing the sweeping racketeering case to go forward. On Monday, Trump and seven other defendants filed an emergency appeal, asking the presiding judge, Scott McAfee, to allow them to go right to the Georgia State Court of Appeals to overturn his decision instead of waiting until after the trial. An eighth defendant joined soon after, and on Wednesday, McAfee approved the emergency request, allowing Trump and the others to again make the case that Willis and the entire election case have to go. In their request, asking McAfee to grant a certificate of immediate review, the lawyer said his decision didn't go far enough. They not only want Willis and her entire office thrown off the case, but the charges dismissed altogether as some of them petitioned in their initial court motions back in January. An order of mendacity remains on the case. McAfee found that the defendants failed to meet their burden of proving that Willis created an actual conflict of interest through her personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor. However, an order of mendacity remains, McAfee wrote, saying Willis and Wade had severely damaged their credibility while on the witness stand. As a result, he said reasonable questions remain over whether they had testified untruthfully about the timing of their relationship, which they said began after Wade joined the case. So what happens next? Legal experts disagree about whether Willis will manage to bring the case to trial anytime soon, especially now that Trump's appeal will go before the higher court. But one thing they agree on is that McAfee's decision and whether it is upheld on appeal are not merely procedural questions. They are two $50 million questions right now on which arguably the history of the world depends, Clark Cunningham, a professor of law and ethics at Georgia State University of Law told the USA Today. Whether or not there is a televised trial of Donald Trump in Fulton County before the election could affect the election result. And what happens right now could very much affect the question of whether we have a Trump trial right before the election, Cunningham said. So that's why these seemingly procedural matters are, I think, of potentially historic importance. Here are some key things to watch for. Under Georgia law, McAfee himself needed to approve the defendant's emergency request to seek a review by the state appellate court. According to Cunningham, Trump and the other defendants now have 10 days to ask the higher court to permit their appeal. The appeals court would have 45 days to decide whether to hear it. So theoretically, the process could last 65 days before we even know whether there's going to be a discretionary appeal, Cunningham told USA Today, or it could happen more quickly, of course. For now, the case remains intact, although more narrowly focused because of McAfee, a Fulton County Superior Court judge, dismissed six charges last week in a move unrelated to his decision over whether to disqualify Willis. Trump and the other defendants are charged with conspiring to overturn President Joe Biden's narrow 2020 win in the Peach State. Among those charged, Trump White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, former New York mayor and Trump lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and Trump 2020 campaign staffer, Michael Roman, who first disclosed Willis' romantic relationship with Wade in a bombshell January 8th motion. So far, no trial date has been set, but Willis made it clear in recent months that she wanted to get one on the judicial calendar so she could ramp up pretrial preparation. She hasn't commented on her plans since Friday's ruling, and a spokesperson had no comment on how Willis will respond to the emergency appeals seeking her ouster. Cunningham accurately predicted that McAfee would approve of the emergency appeal going forward. McAfee is sort of the epitome of judiciousness. He's very objective, he's very patient, he seems almost modest as a judge, and I think he might say, look, I shouldn't stand in the way of Trump getting a second opinion on this question, Cunningham said, but Cunningham is less convinced that the court of appeals will take the case given what he says is its history of deferring to the judgment of the trial judge. Either way, he said, whoever loses almost certainly will appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court, making it even less likely that Trump and others will sit before a jury before election day on November 5th. If McAfee rejects the new request, the defendants have no recourse and the prosecution will move forward, Chris Timmons, and former prosecutor in neighboring Cobb County, and Cunningham both said. Willis and the DA's office haven't commented on what behind-the-scenes trial preparations they've been making over the past 10 weeks while fighting the motion to dismiss, but it's likely that much of it has been deferred. Usually, that involves preparing witnesses and fine-tuning legal strategy. That's especially necessary with such a complicated prosecution, such as this one, in which Willis plans to use the Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statute against Trump and the other alleged co-conspirators. If the appeal of McAfee's ruling goes forward, and any appeal by the losing side could easily stall trial preparations for many months more, but as part of his ruling Wednesday, McAfee said that unless directed otherwise by the appellate court, he will allow some aspects of the case to move forward. The court intends to continue addressing the many other unrelated pending pretrial motions, McAfee wrote, regardless of whether the petition is granted by the Fulton County Superior Court. Further complicating matters is that defense lawyers led by Stephen Sadoe for Trump in the appeal aren't just seeking to oust Willis in her office because of the alleged professional conflict of interest stemming from her personal relationship with Wade. They're also claiming forensic misconduct, which Cunningham describes as making improper and potentially prejudicial statements. In the filing, Sadoe cites a sermon-like speech Willis gave at a historically black church in Atlanta, January 14, in which she complained that she and Wade were being attacked on the basis of their race. In his decision, McAfee said Willis' speech was legally improper, but denied the defendant's request of her to be disqualified on the basis of it because Georgia law was unclear. That prompted Sadoe, in a statement speaking of all eight appealing defendants, to argue that the lack of clarity or precedent under Georgia law was another reason why McAfee's order is ripe for pretrial appellate review. Willis has a large staff of prosecutors, including some very experienced trial litigators, Timmons said. He singled out Michael Scott Carlson, the executive district attorney in charge of the Major Crimes Division. She also used two prominent Georgia attorneys on the case who are all well-versed in complex prosecutions, Anna Cross and John Floyd. Cross was one of a handful of lawyers who argued the case against disqualifying Willis before Judge McAfee. Floyd, who Willis hired as a special prosecutor, just like Wade and Cross, is a renowned expert in using RICO to go after broad conspiracies like the one alleged in the election fraud case. When Willis was a line prosecutor before becoming DA, she used Floyd to help her win a career-defining RICO case against dozens of Atlanta public school educators accused in a cheating scandal. If Trump and the other defendants managed to overturn McAfee's decision, the underlying case could be thrown out entirely or given to another DA's office in the state to start from scratch, Cunningham said. Even if Willis prevails, she faces the daunting task of navigating the complex legal terrain surrounding Trump's alleged election interference while also dealing with accusations of impropriety. She is likely to face a flurry of motions questioning her leadership of the case, too, as it proceeds to trial, as well as a variety of other legal challenges. Other defendants include former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark, former Georgia state senator and former state Republican chairman David Schaffer, and others in Georgia charged with intimidating election workers or working to illegally alter votes from Biden to Trump. All have pled not guilty. Four others have pled guilty and are cooperating in the case, including former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis and legal advisor Sidney Powell. This concludes the first article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today. From the politics section, Fannie Willis thrown off Trump case, election fraud charges dismissed, a look at the key Georgia case by Josh Meyer of the USA Today, published March 20th, 2024. Our second article comes to us from the nation section, Alabama becomes the latest state to pass bill targeting diversity and inclusion programs by Victor Hagan, written for the USA Today network, published March 20th, 2024. Alabama became the latest state on Wednesday to pass a measure targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Authored by Republican state senator Will Barfoot, the bill prohibits certain public agencies from maintaining offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion, sponsoring DEI programs and promoting, endorsing, and affirming certain divisive concepts in certain public settings. It also requires higher education institutions to designate restrooms on the basis of biological sex. At least six other states have signed anti-DEI bills into law, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported, and over a dozen states are considering similar measures. Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed the bill into law Wednesday. My administration has and will continue to value Alabama's rich diversity. However, I refuse to allow a few bad actors on college campuses or whatever else, for that matter, to go under the acronym of DEI, using taxpayer funds to push their liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe, Ivey said. The Alabama Senate gave final approval to SB129 on Tuesday, a bill restricting the teaching and funding of topics deemed divisive concepts in workplaces and educational settings. It also allows for penalties for violations, but specific penalties were not listed. The bill does not prohibit institutions of higher education from performing research, collecting data, engaging in recruiting or outreach programs, offering academic support services, engaging in clinical trials, or providing medical or mental health care targeted to support individuals of any specific demographic. Students from universities across the state have opposed the legislation, even holding a rally against the bill March 6th outside of the statehouse. They say the bill was anti-DEI and went against progress in the state. The American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama denounced the bill in a statement Tuesday. This is a blow for civic groups, students, and everyday Alabamians who showed up to oppose these bills, but our work doesn't stop here, said Jaton Bosby Gilchrist, executive director of ACLU of Alabama. Whether it's in the courts, through community action, or continued lobbying, we won't stop fighting for the rights of freedom of all Alabamians. We hope you stay in the fight with us for the long haul. Dr. Melvin J. Brown, superintendent of Montgomery Public Schools and other state educators also spoke out against the bill earlier this month. Diversity and inclusion provides an educational experience that allows students to explore a range of perspectives and cultures worldwide. We must create a culture of belonging for every student, no matter their background, preferences, or socioeconomic status. As educators, it is our job to ensure we cultivate environments that allow students to feel safe and prepare them for an evolving world. Introducing a bill that limits this interaction is detrimental to the success of our students' futures, Brown said in a statement. Similar measures in other states have drawn sharp rebuke from advocates. Last week, the NAACP urged black student athletes to reconsider attending Florida colleges after some state schools slash DEI programs. In February, students in Nebraska voiced support for DEI initiatives at a committee hearing as the state considered legislation to cut funding from such programs to public universities. A coalition of students in Texas also condemned a bill prohibiting DEI offices in the state's public colleges and universities that Governor Greg Abbott signed in June. This concludes the reading of our second article from our March 20th reading of the USA Today from the nation section. Alabama becomes the latest state to pass bill targeting diversity and inclusion programs by Victor Hagan for the USA Today Network, published March 20th, 2024. Our third article comes to us from the money section. Mortgage rates unlikely to dip after Fed meeting leaves rates unchanged by Zach Wichter for the USA Today, published March 20th, 2024. The Federal Reserve's announcement for no immediate rate changes and three cuts before the end of the year is unlikely to bring relief to homebuyers. The mortgage market already incorporated that, Lawrence Hume, Chief Economist of the National Association of Realtors, told USA Today. Consumers who may be looking for rates of 3% and 4%, I don't think it's going to happen, or even 5%. Consumers need to recognize the new normal. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage stood at 6.9% on Wednesday afternoon and is unlikely to dip below 6% before the end of the year. I don't expect a ton of relief this year in terms of lower mortgages, Stishen Van Neuwerberg, the Earl W. Kazis and Benjamin Shore Professor of Real Estate at Columbia Business School in New York, told USA Today. He said that the longer the Fed keeps overall borrowing rates up, the less likely it will be for 30-year mortgages' rates to decline. Although the Fed doesn't directly control mortgage rates, its policies influence the price of borrowing across the economy. Given that we already are an historically expensive market for homebuyers, it certainly doesn't mean there's immediate relief forthcoming, Van Neuwerberg said. The national median home price in the last quarter of 2023 reached $417,700, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank. After a 20% down payment, homebuyers would need to take out $334,160 mortgage to finance a home at that price. At 6.9% interest, the monthly payment on that mortgage would hit $2,200 before taxes. Despite relatively high mortgage rates, there's still strong competition for small and mid-sized homes, Yoon said. Multiple offers are still happening on mid-priced homes and below, he said, implying there's not enough supply, but some positive signs have emerged for homebuyers. Yoon said the housing supply is slowly picking up in 2024, spring buyer's season, or even summer buying season, and consumers will have more choices this year compared to last year. He said, adding that going forward, even more relief could come in 2025, when mortgage rates could be closer to 6%. This concludes the reading of our third article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today from the money section, Mortgage Rates Unlikely to Dip After Fed Meeting Leaves Rates Unchanged, by Zach Wister of the USA Today, published March 20th, 2024. Our fourth article for our March 21st reading of the USA Today comes to us from the business section. Unilever announces separation from ice cream brands Ben & Jerry's and Popsicle, 7,500 jobs to be cut. Ben & Jerry's, Popsicle, and other ice cream brands, such as Magnum, will become a separate company for current parent Unilever as part of the London-based consumer goods makers efficiency plan. Story by Mike Schneider of the USA Today, published March 19th, 2024. Unilever, which makes everything from Axe Body Spray to Vaseline, is scoping Ben & Jerry's and its other ice cream brands out of its lineup and cutting 7,500 jobs as a part of an ongoing growth plan. The London-headquartered multinational conglomerate, one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, said Tuesday it will spin off its ice cream brand, including Ben & Jerry's, Magnum, Walls, and Popsicle into a standalone business. The separation, which will begin immediately and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, will help Unilever increase its focus on its other brands. Unilever made it clear it was open to a sale of its ice cream brands in its announcement. Separating out ice cream is being served up as part of Unilever's action plan, which the company announced in October, 2023, to drive growth and unlock potential, the company said at the time. Unilever will eliminate 7,500 jobs, predominantly office-based roles globally, the company said Tuesday, after identifying additional efficiencies that can now be accelerated as part of the action plan. So why does Unilever want to ditch Ben & Jerry's and other ice cream brands? The separation of ice cream and the delivery of the productivity program will help create a simpler, more focused, and higher-performing Unilever, said Unilever Chair Ian Meekins in a statement. It will also create a world-leading ice cream business with strong growth prospects and an exciting future as a standalone business. Ice cream accounted for 13% of Unilever's sales in 2023 at $8.6 billion, the lowest amount of its five product units. The company said in February it also had lowest sales growth of 2.3% over the year. In comparison, sales grew more than 8% for Unilever's Beauty and Wellbeing, Dove and Pond's Beauty products, and Personal Care, Soaps, including Lux, and Lifebuoy units. Unilever's other two remaining core businesses groups will be Home Care, Comfort, and Surf Detergents, and Nutrition, Hellman's Mayonnaise, and Noor Soups. So what are Unilever's ice cream brands? Ben & Jerry's, Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry's in 2000. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened their first ice cream store in 1978 in a renovated Vermont gas station. Breyer's, the venerable ice cream brand started in Philadelphia in 1866, became part of Unilever when it acquired Kraft's ice cream division in 1993. The company named its Frosty Treat division the Good Humor Breyer's Ice Cream Cream Company. Good Humor, chocolate-coated Good Humor bars on a stick debuted in Youngstown, Ohio in 1920. Unilever's Thomas J. Lempton division acquired Good Humor in 1961. Klondike Bars, acquired in 1993, Klondike began in Switzerland in the early 1900s. The Islay family began making Klondike Bars in the 40s in Ohio and Pennsylvania, taking the brand national in 1982. Unilever acquired the Islay Klondike Company in 1993. Magnum, created in Denmark by Unilever Frisco and the Belgian chocolate-coated treat, was launched in 1989. It is part of Unilever's Heart brand ice cream portfolio, which originated from the Lever Brothers' acquisition in 1922 of UK's sausage and ice cream company, Walls. Popsicle, Unilever acquired the Popsicle brand patent in 1923, along with the Fudsicles, too, in 1989, to put an end to the competition between Good Humor and Popsicle. Salente, the gelato and sorbet maker, founded in Dallas in 2003, became a part of Unilever in 2014. This concludes the fourth article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today from the business section. Unilever announces separation from ice cream brands, Ben & Jerry's, Popsicle, 7,500 jobs to be cut. By Mike Schneider of the USA Today, published March 19th, 2024. Our fifth article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today comes to us from the money section, best places to work in 2024. Here's what US employees had to say about their employers, written by the USA Today and published March 20th, 2024. Two mortgage lending companies, a certified public accounting firm, a staffing business, and a credit unit are among the top workplaces in the USA. The rankings are a part of the fourth annual survey, co-sponsored by Intergage and USA Today. The top workplaces USA awards offer recognition to midsize and large organizations, including those with operations in multiple markets. Employers with at least 150 employees are eligible. Winners are identified solely based on employee feedback gathered through the Intergage Employee Engagement Survey. The companies were chosen based on the results of surveys taken over 12 months in 2023. The top five winners among organizations with 2,500 employees are Fairway Independent Mortgage Company a mortgage lending company based in Madison, Wisconsin, Plante Morin, a certified public accountants and consultings firm in Southfield, Michigan, Aya Healthcare, a travel nursing staffing firm based in San Diego, and the New American Funding and Mortgage Lending Firm in Tustin, California. Five, Mountain American Credit Union, headquartered in Salt Lake City. There are also winners in three other categories. Companies with 1,000 to 2,499 employees, organizations with 500 to 999 employees, and organizations with 150 to 499 people on staff. The Intergage ranked the top 100 employers in each of the four categories and then listed the remaining winners in alphabetical order. More than 7,000 employers nationwide were invited to take the challenge. And 2,227 followed through with an employee survey process. Ultimately, 1,531 employers received recognition. A top workplace award brings a company's cultural strengths to the national stage, helping them differentiate in a fiercely competitive landscape, said Eric Rubino, Intergage CEO. It's a morale-boosting honor for the workforce and an effective magnet for attracting top-tier talent. This concludes the reading of our fifth article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today from the Money section, Best Places to Work in 2024. Here's what U.S. employees had to say about their employers, published March 20th, 2024. Our sixth article comes to us from the Sports section related to the L.A. Dodgers. Dodgers fire Shohei Ohtani's interpreter after allegations of theft to pay off gambling debts. Story written by Gabe Lacks of the USA Today, published March 20th, 2024. In a startling development involving baseball's biggest global superstar, Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, training partner and constant companion was allegedly taking significant sums of money from him in an effort to settle gambling debts. Ipe Musuzara, who has been by the two-way superstar's side since Ohtani's major league baseball career began in 2018, was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, just hours after Ohtani's regular season debut with the club in Seoul. Ohtani is beginning a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers after spending six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, during which he grossed nearly $40 million in salary and an endorsement income exceeding nine figures. Yet, the Los Angeles Times discovered that Ohtani's name emerged in a federal investigation of an Orange County resident allegedly tied to illegal bookmaking, and Ohtani's legal team investigated Musuzara's actions after learning of their client's tie, the Times reported. Citing two sources seeking anonymity, the Times reported that the sum Musuzara is accused of stealing was in the millions of dollars. ESPN reported that Musuzara's debt totaled at least $4.5 million. In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities. Burke Brettler, LLP, the attorney's representing Ohtani, said in a statement to USA Today Sports and other media outlets. The article breaks with a photo of Shohei Ohtani as he stands next to his interpreter, Ipe Musuzara, at an introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. In a pair of ESPN interviews conducted before and after the news of interpreter's firing emerged, Musuzara's characterization of the flap and that of Ohtani's camp shifted. Musuzara initially said Ohtani agreed to pay off his debts. Musuzara admitted to gambling on several sports, but not baseball, and that he promised to stop, but he declined comment after Burke Brettler's statements framing Ohtani as a theft victim. Ohtani, 29, and the Angels hired Musuzara shortly after he signed with the club before the 2018 season. Ohtani has maintained a tight inner circle in his seven seasons in the MLB, but Musuzara was dutifully by his side, interpreting news conferences or mound visits and serving as wingman whenever Ohtani roamed in a ballpark. After Ohtani signed with the Dodgers, Musuzara joined them as well, accompanying his countrymen up the freeway from Anaheim to Los Angeles. Ohtani, with Musuzara, alongside in his dugout, made his Dodgers debut Wednesday in South Korea, signaling twice in the club's five to two victory over the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers are aware of media reports and are gathering information, the team said in a statement. The team can confirm that the interpreter, E.P.A. Musuzara, has been terminated. The team has no further comment at this time. Federal investigators have been conducting a sweeping probe of illegal bookmaking that stretches back more than a decade and has ensnared former Dodgers star Yasiel Puig. Former minor league pitcher Wayne Nix was at the center of one of the investigations and pleaded guilty in April 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business. The Times reported that the same investigative team pursuing Nix's alleged network is also targeting Orange County resident Matthew Bauer, the reported connection to Musuzara. ESPN interviewed Musuzara Tuesday, during which he claimed he amassed significant gambling losses that Ohtani was displeased, but offered to pay off his friend's debt. Musuzara said, I learned my lesson the hard way and I will not do sports gambling again. The outlet reviewed wire transfer payments, it said, were from Ohtani account to buy your associate. Wednesday, however, Musuzara told ESPN Ohtani had no knowledge of Musuzara's gambling debt and did not transfer money on his behalf. This concludes the reading of our sixth article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today. Dodgers fire Shohei Ohtani's interpreter after allegations of theft to pay off gambling debts by Gabe Lacks for the USA Today, published March 20th, 2024. The seventh article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today comes to us from the college football section. Deion Sanders responds to story about his unique recruiting style. I'm Coach Prime. The Colorado football coach explained why he doesn't go on the road to recruit players by Brent Shortenborough, written for the USA Today, updated March 20th, 2024. Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders on Wednesday responded to a USA Today sports story last week that documented his highly unusual recruiting style of not making a single home visit or off-campus contact with recruits since his hiring in Boulder in early December, 2022. Coach Prime brought it up at the end of his first news conference in Boulder since his team finished four and eight in his first season on the job. He didn't dispute the story, which he detailed another way Sanders has approached his job differently than others in the changing game of college football. But he did explain why he does it that way and instead relies on recruits and their families coming to campus to see him instead of him going to see them at their homes as well. USA Today sports attempted to get his explanation of it nearly a week before publication, but didn't hear back from the university. On Wednesday, he gave a short speech about it that he said he wanted to get off my chest. There was an article that came out that said I don't go on visits, Sanders said at a news conference about spring football practice. Okay, my approach is totally different than many coaches approach. I'm a businessman as well. So I try to save our university money every darn chance I get. By contrast, many other coaches bring recruits to campus while also going on the road to their high school and or homes. Former Michigan head coach, Jim Harbaugh made 145 off campus contacts with recruits or their families since December 1st, 2022. Texas coach, Steve Sarkazian made 128 and former UCLA head coach, Chip Kelly made 55 during that time, according to records obtained by USA Today sports from public records requests. The University of Colorado confirmed Sanders hasn't made any recruiting visits since his hiring. The parents, I love them. I want to show them Boulder, he said. I want them to see this and how beautiful it is and why I'm so eager and how much I love this city and this state and this team. I want them to see that because guess what? That's why the kids is coming. The kid coming here, going there is just showcasing for me. That's just blowing money. It's just blowing a bag. Don't make sense. I can't do things other coaches can do. You know why? I'm coach prime and I didn't stutter when I said it. The university previously confirmed to USA Today sports that Sanders and his staff have not used a private air travel service for recruiting despite the fact the university budgeted $200,000 annually for it in its employment contract. Sanders, 56, suggested that one reason he hasn't used it is that his fame would cause too much of a stir at a recruits home or school. He also noted he has relied heavily on recruiting transfer players out of the transfer portal of high school players. As the previous USA Today sports story noted, transfer recruits are older players who have moved out of home and don't necessarily need to be wooed by a home visit from another prospective coach. We target mostly guys that's in the portal, he said. When do you make visits to portal guys' homes? Anybody do that? Do they do that? Anybody? Have you guys heard of that? It does happen, though likely not as often as with high school recruits. Earlier this year, Ohio State coaches went to see Alabama safety Caleb Downs before he transferred to Ohio State, among other examples. Either way, his approach works for him according to several metrics. His class of transfer recruits last year ranked number one in the nation. He's recruiting class for 2024 ranks number 22 overall, including only seven high school recruits according to 24-7 sports. I think when a guy is in his 20s and he has one or two more shots, he don't give a darn about the picture, Sanders said. He don't give a darn about the parade that you want to take him on. He wants to know, okay, how you want to use me? How can you help me get to the league, the NFL? And what I got to do to get paid, that's it. That's the world we live in now. And I have never heard one guy say, I chose this college because the coach came by my crib. Have you? It's different now. His fame as a pro football Hall of Famer and celebrity pitchman sets him apart from other coaches on the recruiting trail, allowing him to become known to more potential recruits while also making it harder to travel in certain respects. Let's just say I'm going to Florida and I'm visiting whatever school, IMG Academy, Sanders said. You don't think the coaches are gonna be a little upset if I don't come by the school down the street? You don't think it's gonna be pandemonium? Or I'm gonna get naysayed if I don't get another 45 minutes? Then if I go to one of them and they go, why didn't I come to that school? Now the coach is mad, so he's not gonna let the kid come because he's mad because I chose to go to that school over that school. Other coaches, they can do that, but I can't, he said. I can't. I've really almost done a personal survey. I really, truly, and all my heart believe that parents don't want me at the house. They want to come see my house. They want to see how I live, how I get down. They want to see what I've got going on, what God has done in my life. Sanders recalled his own recruitment as a player in the 1980s before he landed at Florida State under head coach Bobby Bowden. I know when I was in college, I did not want Bobby Bowden in my house because I knew at the seven o'clock it was gonna be rats and roaches on parade doing their thing, he said with a laugh. That was just straight. Honestly, I didn't, so that never transpired. That never happened for me. This concludes the reading of our seventh article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today from the college football section. Deion Sanders responds to story about his unique recruiting style. I'm Coach Prime by Brent Schottenborough written for the USA Today, updated March 20th, 2024. The eighth article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today comes to us from the opinion section of the sports section of the USA Today. NFL's bid to outlaw hip drop tackles is a slippery slope by Nate Davis, updated March 20th, 2024. The look on Logan Wilson's face said it all. His Cincinnati Bengals has been whipped by the Ravens in Baltimore in front of a primetime Thursday night audience last November. Joe Burrell was injured during that season turning 34 to 20 setback and a pall was already settling over a locker room. They clearly understood the Cincinnati quarterback wouldn't be coming back until 2024. Adding insult to injury, injuries, Wilson, a linebacker, was being approached by reporters who were summarily shooed away by the Bengals' public relations staff. They proceeded to clue him into the hubbub at his stall and you could see Wilson's eyes widen and jaw drop as he pointed to his chest with an increasingly quizzical expression. Then he asked the question, what's a hip drop tackle? It's a query players and fans have been uttering with increasing frequency, but the volume, both the amount and noise, is likely about to escalate with the NFL trying to legislate hip drop tackles out of the game. The league announced Wednesday that its competition committee is recommending an amended rule that bars the tackling technique. Players who employ it would incur a 15-yard penalty and automatic first down for the opponent. Owners will vote on it at next week's league meeting in Orlando, Florida. Here's the specific language. It is a foul if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground. A, grabs the runner with both hands or grabs the runner with both arms and B, unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner's legs at or below the knee. Got it? Wilson didn't get it back in week 11 when he seriously injured Raven's tight end, Mark Andrews, and temporarily hurt quarterback Lamar Jackson with tackles that would likely qualify as hip drops. The one on Andrews, probably a textbook example. The article breaks with the video of Mark Andrews being injured by the hip drop. The article continues. But here's the rub. Players appear to be just about universally against the proposal. The NFL Players Association issued a statement Wednesday that read, the players oppose any attempt by the NFL to implement a rule inhibiting a swivel hip tackle. The NFLPA remains committed to improvements to our game with health and safety in mind. We cannot support a rule change that causes confusion for us as players, for coaches, for officials, and especially for fans. We call on the NFL again to reconsider implementing this rule. NFL Executive Vice President of Player Health and Safety, Jeff Miller, said at the annual scouting combine that the league had reviewed approximately 20,000 tackles from recent seasons and concluded that the hip drop tackles, particularly when defenders swivel around the hips of a ball carrier and land on his legs, result in an injury rate of 20 to 25 times higher than a normal tackle. Miller also contended that the frequency of hip drop tackles has been climbing significantly and that roughly one player per week was being hurt sufficiently that it leads to lost time. Clearly no one wants to see these guys get injured and I don't want to be the get off my lawn guy who just spews put flags on them already. But this seems to be like a slippery slope. Yes, players and coaches usually adapt as they did when the league vigorously began attempting to reduce concussive hits more than a decade ago. And while head injuries have dropped, many players have continued to bemoan the fact that their brains may be better off, yet they pay a higher price, often literally, and face shorter careers when their legs are consequently targeted instead. Yet they also accept and celebrate the fact that football is an inherently risky sport and that it already has become hard for defensive players to do their job. They can't hit high, they get hurtled or even knocked in the head themselves way too often if they go low. Now they have to think twice while attempting to wrap around the waist of a ball carrier who's already trying to evade them while doubtless moving in different directions. I think it really compromises the quality of the game on multiple levels, the Washington Commander's Austin Eckler said during Super Bowl week. One is the officials. It puts another gray area involving the officials. Was that a hip drop tackle? Was it not? Was it a 15-yard penalty? And maybe it was, and maybe it wasn't. And then the fines associated with that as well. That's another thing that we're trying to figure out, how to make that system better. By the way, Eckler plays running back and would enjoy more protection from the suggested rule than most of his peers. He's also a vice president on the union's leadership team as informed as anyone regarding the issue and underscoring potential unintended consequences. Like you're on the goal line and you're trying to pull someone back away from the goal line, Eckler said, so there's multiple levels that I think that it compromises the quality of play. To the fact where I'm like, are they really serious about this? I just, it just seems so ridiculous to me that this is something that they're really putting on the table. I know especially my body gets twisted and turned and I'm all over the place. And it's because you kind of lay out. You're at full speed. Both guys are going with all out energy. Your body is gonna end up in different types of places and different types of situations. I think it's honestly detrimental to the game that you try to move forward with it. The proposal also comes at a time when the players feel the league is being hypocritical about their safety, putting a spotlight on the issue. But so far, unwilling to push for uniform, high quality grass playing fields at stadiums and training facilities when so many injuries have occurred on artificial surfaces. That issue will continue to fester and could be a sticking point in future collective bargaining negotiations. As for the hip drop, enforcement, both its frequency and accuracy could ultimately be key. Years ago, the NFL did away with the dangerous horse collar tackle, though those are fairly easy to see, define and adjudicate. As Eckler notes, hip drops are going to be a lot tougher to identify. And just wait until the late goal line stand in a playoff game is nullified by a hip drop flag when the infraction is far less clear than say Wilson's takedown on Andrews. A lot of rules that were put in place over the last 10 plus years that made the game a lot safer were big adjustments for players. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell, another NFL PA leader who just completed his 16th season said at the Super Bowl, I feel like this particular rule changed. I don't understand how you can police it the right way and allow us to do our job. One that's apparently about to become that much tougher. This concludes the reading of our eighth article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today from the sports section. NFL's bid to outlaw hip drop tackles is the slippery slope by Nate Davis for the USA Today, updated March 20th, 2024. Our ninth article comes to us from the life section. US marriages surpassed 2 million for the first time in years as divorce rates declined, CDC. By Mary Rehworth Holdridge for the USA Today, published March 18th, 2024. Americans have been getting married a lot more in the years since the pandemic. According to new data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data on marriage rates via its National Center for Health Statistics on Friday, noting that the US has seen a significant uptick in the number of marriages since 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the wedding industry. Couples who had their nuptials planned for 2020 faced an unexpected and unprecedented disruption to the pandemic, throwing a wrench in countless celebrations. Data released the following year found that 82% of weddings worldwide set to take place in April 2020 alone were postponed and an additional 10% were canceled altogether, according to Statista. Since then, it seems people have been catching up. In the first two years following the arrival of COVID in the US, marriages bumped up to a rate of 6.2 per 1,000 people in 2022, from just 5.1 in 2020, the lowest in 20 years. In addition to more marriages, the country is also experiencing a decrease in divorce rate, the CDC said. In 2022, the US saw a total of 2,065,905 marriages, the first year since 2019 to surpass the two million mark, likewise, 6.2 per 1,000 population rate is the highest since 2018, when it was 6.5, with 2,132,853 marriages. While the overall rate across the country has experienced a steady incline, the story is more varied state by state. Between 2021 and 2022, 31 states and the District of Columbia saw an increase in marriages at various rates, whereas 12 states saw a decline. New York saw the most substantial increase during that time as marriages increased by 21%. The District of Columbia followed at 14%, trailed by Hawaii at 13%. However, the CDC does note the data reflects where the marriages took place and not necessarily the resident state of those marrying. The five states with the highest marriage rates in 2022, each number represents the rate of marriage per 1,000 total population. Number one, Nevada, 25.9. Number two, Hawaii, 14.4. Number three, Montana, 9.9. Number four, Utah, 9.9. Number five, Arkansas, 7.9. The District of Columbia also had one of the highest rates at 8.3. While Nevada remains the state with the most marriages, it actually saw a decline of 1% between 2021 and 2022. The CDC likewise noted that divorces were down in the same timeframe, a trend that has remained consistent since at least 2000 when the rate was 4.0 per 1,000 population. The rate of divorce in 2022 was 2.4 at 673,989 divorces and annulments, a slight decrease from 2021 when the rate was 2.5, representing 695,509 such divorces and annulments. The CDC notes that divorce data excludes California, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Mexico in national numbers. This concludes the reading of our ninth article coming to us from the Life section. U.S. marriages surpassed 2 million for the first time in years as divorce rates decline, CDC. By Mary Beth Raworth-Holdrech via the USA Today, updated March 18th, 2024. The 10th article from our March 21st reading of the USA Today comes to us from the Health and Wellness section. Yes, authentic wasabi has health benefits, but the version you're eating probably doesn't. By Daryl Austin via the USA Today, updated March 20th, 2024. Though wasabi is most commonly served alongside Japanese dishes like sushi and sashimi, the paste is also a popular garnish or ingredient in some unexpected foods. Along with apple cider vinegar, wasabi is sometimes included in spicy vinaigrettes or to enhance the flavor of creamy salad dressings. It's used to improve the taste of condiments like mayonnaise as a sandwich spread, and it can be added to mashed potatoes or soups to give them a little kick. Wasabi is also sometimes substituted for horseradish to make cocktail sauce extra spicy. In addition to being useful as a unique and heated flavor enhancer these ways, wasabi, Eastern form, has many known health benefits, though the variety of wasabi that most Americans are eating does not. The first thing to understand is that authentic wasabi is the version farmed and cultivated in Eastern countries while an imitation wasabi is mass-produced in the West. This version, sometimes called fake wasabi, usually consists of nothing more than grated horseradish, mustard powder, and green food coloring. Nearly all of the wasabi used and consumed in the United States is the imitation version of the product. Since both versions of wasabi come from different sources, each has varied health benefits. Authentic wasabi, for instance, has antimicrobial benefits and contains isothiocyanate, and they may protect against harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, both of which can cause food poisoning, says Leslie Bonkai, MPH and RDN, a sports dietician for the Kansas City Chiefs and founder of Active Eating Advice. She points to recent research out of Japan that shows that these active compounds may also improve cognition in older adults. Isothiocyanates have also been associated with lowering one's cancer risk. Genuine wasabi can support a healthy immune system as well and contains a lot of vitamin C, which is an antioxidant that protects your cells from free radical damage. Authentic wasabi is also known to have anti-inflammatory properties, says Audra Wilson, MS, bariatric dietician at Northwestern Medicine Del Nor Hospital. Authentic wasabi also has compounds that research shows contain anti-inflammatory properties, which may reduce pain and inflammation in the body. As encouraging as such benefits are, it's important to note that they are associated with authentic wasabi only. Julia Zopano, a registered dietician at Cleveland Clinic Center for Human Nutrition. This information also clears up some confusion surrounding wasabi being good for weight loss. While one study that's often cited shows that wasabi can affect one's metabolism and reduce obesity, Zopano explains that the supportive research was conducted on rats, not humans, and that only authentic wasabi was tested. There are no human studies that provided proven clinical benefits associated with wasabi and weight loss, she says. Wilson says the same applies to other studies that suggest that wasabi can help with healthy weight management by impacting fat cell growth and formation. But even when one is consuming genuine wasabi, it's not all good news. Zopano cautions that consuming large amounts of wasabi can irritate one's nose, stomach, or mouth, or increase risk of bleeding or bruising. Therefore, she says, one shouldn't eat wasabi if taking blood thinners within two weeks of any surgery. When eating either imitation wasabi or authentic, anyone with acid reflux may find it can be an irritant, explains Bonci. Eating too much wasabi can also cause side effects like nausea, a sick stomach, or diarrhea, problems often exacerbated, and people with digestive issues, says Zopano. Because of this, she advised to moderate wasabi consumption for those with stomach ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, or other inflammatory conditions of the digestive system. This concludes the reading of our 10th article from the Health and Wellness section, Yes, Authentic Wasabi Has Health Benefits, But the Version You're Eating Probably Doesn't, by Daryl Austin, published March 20th, 2024. That concludes our reading of the USA Today. This has been Omar King for the Georgia Radio Reading Service. Thank you for listening to GARS.