So your home’s not social-media perfect? How to get over ‘house shame’ and invite people in

So your home’s not social-media perfect? How to get over ‘house shame’ and invite people in

By LEANNE ITALIE AP Lifestyles Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Robbie Randolph is a real estate agent and interior designer for the rich, yet even he’s not immune from the anxiety of “house shame.”

That’s the judged, bullied, defeated feeling you can get when Pinterest-perfect syndrome takes over, either in our own minds thanks to social media or fed by the side eye of a friend with impeccable digs.

House shame can make you reluctant to invite people over, and in some cases lead to isolation and despair.

“House shaming is actually how designers kind of get business,” Randolph said. “A client will go over to another home that’s professionally designed and they’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, my house isn’t that nice.’ They then seek out an interior designer.”

Randolph, in Greenville, South Carolina, said interior designers themselves are just as vulnerable. So are exhausted parents with young children, people who just don’t love to clean, those who can’t afford home updates, or folks who really have a lot of books and/or love collectibles.

“I’ll do an Instagram post of an amazing, immaculately decorated house and I go, ‘Wow, my house stinks,'” said Randolph. “And everyone walks into my home and tells me how amazing it is. At the end of the day, I’m still human and I still get trapped by the devil of comparison.”

Remembering one’s humanity in a world where true perfection is elusive goes a long way, he and other experts noted.

The scary side of house shame

Not wanting to entertain at home can simply mean spending time together elsewhere, in restaurants, at the theater or in the homes of others, for instance. But it can also bring on hoarding or other traumatizing behaviors like losing the will to clean.

“I have a friend who refuses to have people over because she’s so ashamed of her house,” Randolph said.

His friend didn’t have the money or the will to fix up the house after her abusive husband moved out.

“I think house shaming is about comparison, but it can also be about a person’s own struggles,” he said.

Speaking of Martha Stewart …

Barbara Fight was a TV producer for Martha Stewart for 12 years before going into home organizing in New York. She said house shame got way worse with the rise of social media and its idealized depictions of homes most people can’t afford or otherwise will never have.

But there are lots of easy, inexpensive ways people can help themselves feel better about their living spaces if they so choose.

The issue is often just too much stuff. She sees a lot of homes with row upon overlapping row of framed photos in ancient (not in a good way) frames. She suggests paring them down to the bare minimum and stashing the rest in a decorative box that can be pulled out for perusal.

Like Randolph, Fight has seen it all: People overloaded with things they’ve inherited from dead relatives. A young woman who wouldn’t bring her fiancé to her parents’ house, “because it’s such a mess.”

Fight suggests: “Take away a third of what’s out.” One client, she said, “had this long, narrow, beautiful table in her living room just filled with stuff. It was the first thing you saw when you walked in. I said to her, ‘It’s going to take me 15 minutes to make this look Instagram-worthy.’ About five pieces stayed on there. About 10 things were thrown out, and we found a different place for the rest.”

Does changing your home feel overwhelming?

Jamila Musayeva is the author of “The Art of Entertaining at Home” and hosts a lifestyle YouTube channel with over 1 million subscribers. She’s also an etiquette coach.

“A home doesn’t have to be perfect to be welcoming,” she said. “It simply has to feel cared for. If you’re worried about how your space might be perceived, start by focusing on what you can control.”

That could mean freshening up an entrance with a lit candle and a small flower arrangement to shift the mood for guests.

“Think ahead about the rooms your guests will actually see. Give those areas some attention rather than overwhelming yourself with the whole house. A clean bathroom with a fresh hand towel, good lighting in the living room and somewhere cozy to sit go much further than expensive décor,” Musayeva said.

Where the memories are made

Wendy Trunz, co-owner of the Long Island home organizing company Jane’s Addiction Organization, said she grew up in the smallest house in her family’s circle of friends and family. Now, with a husband and two kids, she lives in the smallest house among her neighbors and loved ones.

“My mom’s door was always open. Their table always had an extra seat. You just knocked and came in, and my mom just believed the more the merrier, this is where the memories are made and don’t mind the mess. And there’s something great about that,” she said.

Trunz notes that along with social media, the COVID pandemic contributed to house shame by sending millions of people home.

“Even now, five years later, we’re going in and people are still not eating at their dining room tables and not having people over,” she said. “Their husband is still sitting there working and it’s covered with stuff. We come in and clear that table and they call us in tears because for the first time they ate as a family around their dining room table again and not at the counter. It’s amazing. It’s amazing.”

Trunz had a easy solution for a client who had a stuffed front hall closet and felt she couldn’t accommodate the coats of guests.

“We just bought them a rolling rack, as if it’s a fancy thing. Nobody’s going to open the closet,” she said.

And if someone does house-shame you, there’s another easy solution, she said. One of her best friends is a teacher who invited teacher friends over for a meal and made her favorite tuna fish, choosing to focus on the magic of gathering rather than the toil of preparation.

“And one person in the group kept pointing out the fact that she only had one bathroom, and how did she live like that. I asked my friend, ‘What are you going to do about that?’ And she said, ‘You just decide not to have that person over.’ It can be that simple.”

Grant Magdanz, who uses Instagram to chronicle Los Angeles life living with his grandmother, has racked up about half a million likes for a video he posted last September showing off their decades-old furniture, mismatched cups and cluttered dining table.

“Not everyone’s life is themed, curated and made for social media,” a scroll on the video said. “In fact, most people’s aren’t. And we’re happy all the same.”

Prune Cake

Prune Cake

Prune Cake

Prune cake cooling down on a dish.
Photo by Getty Images

Prune cake recipe originally published in WPTF’s “Ask Your Neighbor” Cookbook.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 25 minutes

Serving size: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 20 prunes
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
Prunes for Prune Cake sitting in a basket.
Photo by Getty Images

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a tube pan.
  2. Boil the prunes in water, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes.
  3. Once the prunes are done, rinse them in cold water to cool.
  4. Cut the prunes into small pieces.
  5. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup Wesson oil and 1 cup sugar. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon allspice. Sift this mixture 3 times.
  7. In another bowl, combine 1 cup of buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
  8. Gradually add the buttermilk mixture and the dry mixture to the egg mixture, alternating between each.
  9. Fold in the cut-up prunes.
  10. Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan.
  11. Bake at 325°F for approximately 45 minutes or until done.
  12. Pour some buttermilk icing over the prune cake while it is still hot.
Jars with spices and prunes for Prune Cake
Photo by Getty Images
Trump team tries to project confidence and calm after his tariff moves rattled markets

Trump team tries to project confidence and calm after his tariff moves rattled markets

By BILL BARROW Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Trump administration officials were out in force across the television networks Sunday defending President Donald Trump’s economic policies after another week of reeling markets that saw the Republican administration reverse course on some of its steepest tariffs.

Trump, meanwhile, said on his social media platform that there ultimately will be no exemptions for his sweeping tariff agenda, disputing characterizations that he has granted tariff exceptions for certain electronics, including smart phones, whose production is concentrated in China. Rather, Trump said, “those products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’”

White House advisers and Cabinet members tried to project confidence and calm amid Trump’s on-again, off-again approach to tariffs on imported goods from around the world. But their explanations about the overall agenda, coupled with Trump’s latest statements, also reflected shifting narratives from a president who, as a candidate in 2024, promised an immediate economic boost and lower prices but now asks American businesses and consumers for patience.

A week ago, Trump’s team stood by his promise to leave the impending tariffs in place without exceptions. They used their latest news show appearances to defend his move to ratchet back to a 10% universal tariff for most nations except China (145%), while seeming to grant exemptions for certain electronics like smartphones, laptops, hard drives, flat-panel monitors and semiconductor chips.

Here are the highlights of what Trump lieutenants said last week vs. Sunday:

There are varying answers on the purpose of the tariffs

Long before launching his first presidential campaign in 2015, Trump bemoaned the offshoring of U.S. manufacturing. His promise is to reindustrialize the United States and eliminate trade deficits with other countries.

LAST WEEK

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, interviewed on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” played up national security. “You’ve got to realize this is a national security issue,” he said, raising the worst-case scenarios of what could happen if the U.S. were involved in a war.

“We don’t make medicine in this country anymore. We don’t make ships. We don’t have enough steel and aluminum to fight a battle, right?” he said.

SUNDAY

Lutnick stuck to that national security framing, but White House trade adviser Peter Navarro focused more on the import taxes being leverage in the bigger economic puzzle.

“The world cheats us. They’ve been cheating us for decades,” Navarro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He cited practices such as dumping products at unfairly low prices, currency manipulation and barriers to U.S. auto and agricultural products entering foreign markets.

Navarro insisted the tariffs would yield broader bilateral trade deals to address all those issues. But he also relied on a separate justification when discussing China: the illicit drug trade.

“China has killed over a million people with their fentanyl,” he said.

Speaking before Trump’s Truth Social post disputing the notion of exemptions, Lutnick alluded to that coming policy. “They’re going to have a special focus-type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”

The status of negotiations with other nations, including China, remains fuzzy

LAST WEEK

With the higher rates set to be collected beginning April 9, administration officials argued that other countries would rush to the negotiating table.

“I’ve heard that there are negotiations ongoing and that there are a number of offers,” Kevin Hassett, director of the White House Economic Council, told ABC. He claimed that “more than 50 countries (were) reaching out,” though he did not name any.

SUNDAY

Navarro named the United Kingdom, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Israel as among the nations in active negotiations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Lutnick and other officials.

Greer said on CBS that his goal was “to get meaningful deals before 90 days” –- the duration of Trump’s pause -– “and I think we’re going to be there with several countries in the next few weeks.”

Talks with China have not begun, he said. “We expect to have a conversation with them,” he said, emphasizing it would be between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Trump took an aggressive tone himself Sunday in his social media post, saying “we will not be held hostage by other Countries, especially hostile trading Nations like China, which will do everything within its power to disrespect the American People.”

Navarro was not as specific about Beijing. “We have opened up our invitation to them,” he said. Lutnick characterized the outreach as “soft entrees … through intermediaries.”

Pressed on whether there is any meaningful back and forth, Navarro said, “The president has a very good relationship with President Xi.”

Then he proceeded to criticize several China’s polices and trade practices.

The pitches are different, but confidence is constant

LAST WEEK

Navarro was bullish even after U.S. and global trading markets suffered trillions of dollars in losses.

“The first rule, particularly for the smaller investors out there, you can’t lose money unless you sell. And, right now, the smart strategy is not to panic,” he said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

SUNDAY

Navarro’s optimism did not waver despite another net-loss week for securities markets and rocky bond markets. “So, this is unfolding exactly like we thought it would in a dominant scenario,” he said.

Others confronted some of the more complex realities of trying to achieve Trump’s goal of restoring a bygone era of U.S. manufacturing.

Lutnick suggested the focus is on returning high-tech jobs, while sidestepping questions about lower-skilled manufacturing of goods such as shoes that could mean higher prices because of higher wages for U.S. workers. But some of that high-tech production is what Trump has, for now, exempted from the tariffs that he and his advisers frame as leverage for forcing companies to open U.S. facilities.

Hassett did acknowledge widespread angst.

“The survey data has been showing that people are anxious about the changes a little bit,” he said, before steering his answer to employment rates. “The hard data,” he said, “has been really, really strong.”

Rory McIlroy wins Masters playoff to complete the career Grand Slam

Rory McIlroy wins Masters playoff to complete the career Grand Slam

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The closer Rory McIlroy came to fulfilling his lifetime dream — winning the Masters — the more it kept slipping away. Sunday at Augusta National felt like his last 11 years in the majors, blunders mixed in with sheer brilliance.

A two-shot lead gone in two holes. A four-shot lead gone in three holes with a shocker of a mistake. A 5-foot putt on the final hole to win narrowly missed.

And then McIlroy turned what could have been another major collapse into his grandest moment of all when he hit wedge to 3 feet for birdie in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose to become — finally — a Masters champion and take his place in golf history as the sixth player with the career Grand Slam.

“There were points in my career where I didn’t know if I would have this nice garment over my shoulders,” McIlroy said, that Masters green jacket looking like a perfect fit. “But I didn’t make it easy today. I certainly didn’t make it easy. I was nervous.

“It was one of the toughest days I’ve ever had on the golf course.”

The reward was greater than he imagined, and it showed. He rapped in that final putt, raised both arms in the air and let the putter fall behind him. He covered his head, dropped to his knees, and before long his forehead was on the green as his chest heaved with emotion.

That was 11 years of pent-up emotion from his last major, when he began to carry the burden of getting the final leg of the Grand Slam. It was 14 years of remembering the time he wasted a four-shot lead with an 80 on the final day as a 21-year-old.

“I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” he said.

The thought could have easily crossed his mind during the final round.

What could have been a coronation for McIlroy along the back nine turned into a heart-racing, lead-changing, jaw-dropping finish at golf’s greatest theater that ended with McIlroy sobbing with joy and disbelief.

It ended with more heartache for Rose, who lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2017 and forced this one with a clutch 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole for a 6-under 66. He wound up joining Ben Hogan as the only players to lose twice in playoffs at Augusta National.

“It’s the kind of putt you dream about as a kid, and to have it and hole it, it was a special feeling,” Rose said. “And unfortunately, the playoff, they always end so quickly. If you’re not the guy to hit the great shot or hole the great putt, it’s over. But not really anything I could have done more today.”

The joy on McIlroy’s face never left him from the time that putt dropped — on the green, in Butler Cabin when defending champion Scottie Scheffler first helped him into the green jacket, and during the trophy presentation on the 18th green.

“My dreams have been made today,” McIlroy said.

Moments later, speaking to 4-year-old daughter Poppy, he told her: “Never give up on your dreams. Never, ever give up on your dreams.”

This was shaping up as another horror show for McIlroy, who in 2011 lost a four-shot lead on the final day with a 43 on the back nine, a highlight reel that now can start collecting dust.

“I didn’t make it easy today,” McIlroy said.

Right when it looked as though he would throw away another major, McIlroy delivered two majestic shots when nothing less would do, two birdies that sent him to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead.

That still wasn’t enough. He hit a wedge into the bunker and wound up missing a 5-foot par putt for a 1-over 73 and the first Masters playoff in eight years.

Faced with more failure, McIlroy responded with another booming drive, and this wedge bounced onto the slope of the top shelf with enough spin to trickle down toward the hole, closer and closer, until it stopped 3 feet away.

And when Rose missed from 15 feet, McIlroy finally sealed it.

“I just think all week how I responded to setbacks, that’s what I’ll take from this week,” McIlroy said, though he could have been speaking for the last decade. “Couldn’t be more proud I myself for that and being able to back bounce when I needed to.”

McIlroy went 11 long years without any major, knowing the Masters green jacket was all that kept him from joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as the only winners of golf’s four professional majors.

Nicklaus and Player spoke on Thursday how they thought this was his time. Woods was among those to congratulate McIlroy and welcome him to the club.

So wild was this Sunday at Augusta National that McIlroy set a Masters record as the first champion to make four double bogeys — two in the first round that put him seven shots behind, two in the final round that turned this into a thriller.

U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who beat McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 last June, had the lead after two holes when McIlroy opened with a double bogey. DeChambeau crashed out with a pair of three-putts and two shots into the water on the back nine, closing with a 75.

Ludvig Aberg, a runner-up in his Masters debut a year ago, suddenly had a share of the lead when McIlroy fell apart on the middle of the back nine. He missed a birdie putt from the fringe to take the lead, then finished bogey-triple bogey.

McIlroy and Rose finished at 11-under 277, two shots ahead of former Masters champion Patrick Reed (69). Scheffler, trying to win the Masters for the third time in four years, never got anything going this week and still shot 69 to finish fourth.

Rose had every reason to believe he threw away his chances on Saturday with a 75 that put him seven shots behind, and then two bogeys on the front nine. Even as he steadied himself, he was four shots back and running out of time.

He did his part in a 10-birdie round and that dynamic birdie putt to cap it off.

McIlroy did his part, too.

Nothing was more shocking than the 13th. McIlroy played it safe, leaving himself a big target from 82 yards away and a lob wedge. He missed his mark by some 20 yards, the ball disappearing into the tributary of Rae’s Creek and leading to double bogey.

Rose was on the par-3 16th and hit his tee shot to 4 feet for birdie, and suddenly they were tied. Then, McIlroy hit a weak drive to the right and was blocked by pines. He didn’t reach the green, didn’t make the par putt and no longer had the lead.

But he was resilient as ever — he’s been like that his entire career. Seemingly in trouble left of the 15th fairway, McIlroy hit 7-iron around the trees and onto the green to 6 feet.

He missed the eagle putt — the birdie still helped him regain a share of the lead. Two holes later, facing a semi-blind shot, he drilled 8-iron and chased after it, urging it to “Go! Go! Go! Go!” And it did, barely clearing the bunker and rolling out to 2 feet for birdie and a one-shot lead.

Turns out that wasn’t enough, either. He was 5 feet away from victory and badly missed the putt, leaving him more work to do — another chance to fail.

Not this time. The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland never wavered in what he came to Augusta National to do. He leaves with a green jacket.

Vultures are among the least loved animals. African conservationists are trying to change that

Vultures are among the least loved animals. African conservationists are trying to change that

By GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Vultures have an image problem. Seen as ugly and associated with death, they are among the least loved animals in the world. But conservationists in Africa are trying to change that.

They’ve launched an effort to save endangered vultures by trying to put a dollar figure on their incredible value.

A recent report by the BirdLife International conservation organization estimated that vultures are worth $1.8 billion a year to certain ecosystems in southern Africa, which might surprise anyone not familiar with the clean-up, pest control and anti-poaching work performed by one of the most efficient scavengers on the planet.

Vultures have an image problem. Seen as ugly and associated with death, they are among the least loved animals in the world. But conservationists in Africa are trying to change that. (AP video shot by Alfonso Nqunjana)

“They are not up there on the pretty scale. And they are not popular. But we know they are very useful,” said Fadzai Matsvimbo, an extinction prevention coordinator at BirdLife International.

The report comes at an important time for Africa’s vultures; six of the 11 species found on the continent are listed as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which says vultures are highly threatened in many parts of the world. In Africa, some species have declined by nearly 90%, Matsvimbo said.

Conservationists hope the report will make authorities and the public more aware of the positive impact of vultures.

It focused on research in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and shows how a wake of vultures — the term for a group of feeding vultures — can strip a decomposing carcass in hours, cleaning up ecosystems, reducing the chance of disease spreading and the presence of pests like rats and feral dogs, which has great benefits to communities.

Vultures also have extremely strong stomach acid, don’t get food poisoning and are able to consume and neutralize anthrax, botulism and other bacteria and toxins in carcasses that would kill other animals, removing deadly threats from the environment. Just this week, more than 50 hippos died from suspected anthrax poisoning in a reserve in Congo.

Vultures are nature’s “best sanitation services,” said Matsvimbo. Conservationists have raised the case of the drastic loss of vultures in India over the last 30 years and how that led to a health crisis. A study published last year said half a million people died in India because of the spread of bacteria and infections in the absence of vultures.

Matsvimbo said vultures in Africa are also used as “sentinels” by game rangers because they are often the first to spot a dead animal and can lead rangers to where poachers might be active. They have even proven useful in helping farmers locate dead or injured livestock.

Vultures are unique among land vertebrates in that they only feed on carrion — dead animals. That makes them especially susceptible to poisoning by humans, either intentionally by poachers and others who want to get rid of them, or by mistake when pests are the target. Hundreds of vultures can die from a single poisoned carcass.

Vultures are also regularly killed or maimed in collisions with powerlines in Africa. And they are increasingly being killed for belief-based reasons, said Kerri Wolter, the CEO of the Vulpro vulture rehabilitation center in South Africa, which treats sick and injured vultures to be released back into the wild.

She said because vultures have such outstanding eyesight and instincts when it comes to finding a dead animal they are viewed by some as being clairvoyant and able to foresee death. Their body parts, and especially their head, are used in potions or as charms to predict the future.

“Our work is to change the mindsets of people,” Wolter said. “For them to see vultures and think, wow that is amazing.”

Matsvimbo and Wolter both said vultures have been given a raw deal by moviemakers in Hollywood, where they are almost always shown as evil and sinister. Movies have done for vultures what “Jaws” did for sharks, Wolter said.

“I love watching ‘The Lion King,’ but every time they do the vulture part, my heart breaks,” said Matsvimbo. “Vultures are never portrayed in a positive way. I have a bone to chew with these moviemakers. Or should that be bone to pick?”

Salty Black Licorice

Salty Black Licorice

Salty Black Licorice

Photo by Getty Images

Salty Black Licorice Recipe from Pinch and Swirl

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serving size: 36 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon anise extract
  • flaky sea salt for finishing such as Maldon

Directions

  1. Line an 9 x by 5 x by 3-inch bread loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing parchment to line sides as well as the bottom.
  2. Cut out 36 parchment wrappers, about 3½ inches wide and 2 inches long.
  3. Sift the whole wheat flour into a small bowl and set aside.
  4. In a narrow, heavy saucepan bring the first 6 ingredients heavy cream through salt) to boil and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, for 20-25 minutes, until the mixture reaches 255°F. (Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature)
  5. When the licorice reaches 255°F, remove from heat, stir in whole wheat flour and anise extract. Continue stirring until smooth.
  6. Carefully pour licorice over parchment in pan.
  7. When the licorice is nearly cool, sprinkle with Maldon or other flaky salt.
  8. Cover and refrigerate until cooled completely. Then transfer, with parchment, onto a cutting board.
  9. With a lightly oiled, sharp knife cut licorice lengthwise into 6, ½-inch strips. Then cut crosswise into 6, 1 ½-inch strips.
  10. Place one strip of licorice on the edge of a parchment wrapper and roll up. Twist ends to seal. Repeat with remaining strips. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
North Carolina Supreme Court rules most challenged ballots must stay in election count

North Carolina Supreme Court rules most challenged ballots must stay in election count

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that tens of thousands of cast ballots challenged by the trailing candidate in November’s unresolved election for a seat on the court must remain in the election count.

The decision partially overturns last week’s ruling by a panel of the intermediate-level Court of Appeals that had favored Republican Jefferson Griffin.

But a majority of justices — all registered Republicans — agreed with the lower court that thousands of additional ballots from two other categories that Griffin contested were wrongly allowed in the tally. Some of these voters will still get a chance to provide a photo identification so that their choice in the race will remain counted, the court’s prevailing order said.

The Supreme Court’s order isn’t expected to resolve the close race between Griffin and Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs, who leads Griffin by 734 votes from more than 5.5 million ballots cast in their race. It’s the only 2024 election in the country that is still undecided. Riggs has recused herself from deliberations that led to Friday’s rulings.

The board and Riggs have signaled their plans to return to federal court if necessary should the justices side with Griffin to potentially plead violations of federal elections and voting rights laws.

It’s unclear what Griffin will do next, given that a large portion of the more than 65,000 ballots that he challenged will remain in the final count if the Supreme Court’s ruling remains intact. It’s also unknown whether the outstanding ballots that are ultimately taken out of the count could flip the result to Griffin.

That largest category of voters includes ballots cast by people who registered to vote since 2004 and their records lack a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number.

Friday’s prevailing opinion said the Court of Appeals got it wrong by declaring these ballots shouldn’t have been counted. That’s because, according to the opinion, the blame rests with the State Board of Elections for failing to properly collected those numerical identifiers, not the voters.

Homemade Poutine

Homemade Poutine

Homemade Poutine

Photo by Getty Images

Homemade Poutine Recipe from The Modern Proper

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25minutes

Serving size: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Fries

  • 3 or 4 large russet potatoes ( 3 to 4 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1/3-inch-wide sticks
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

For the Gravy

  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon beef base or 1 beef bouillon cube
  • 1 teaspoon unfiltered apple cider vinegar

For Serving

  • 10 ounces white cheddar cheese curds, at room temperature
  • Minced fresh parsley
Photo by Getty Images

Directions

  1. Make the fries. Place the batons in a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Let soak for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours for crispier fries.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Spread the potatoes out onto large, clean kitchen towels. Dry them off as best as possible. Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheets, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the thyme and salt and add black pepper to taste. Toss to coat evenly, then spread out the potatoes into a single layer.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes, then toss the fries and rotate the pans, swapping the one on the top for the one on the bottom. Increase the oven to 450°F and bake the fries for 10 minutes more.Toss the fries and swap the pans from top to bottom again. Turn on the broiler and cook the fries until they are beginning to brown and crisp, about 5 more minutes. Continue to toss and broil until the fries reach your desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Meanwhile, make the gravy. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic powder and onion powder. Slowly add the chicken and beef broth. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened. Stir in the Worcestershire, beef bouillon, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. To assemble the poutine, divide the fries among 4 plates. Sprinkle it with the cheese curds, drizzle on the gravy, and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.
Supreme Court says Trump administration must work to bring back mistakenly deported Maryland man

Supreme Court says Trump administration must work to bring back mistakenly deported Maryland man

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Trump administration must work to bring back a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to prison in El Salvador, rejecting the administration’s emergency appeal.

The court acted in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who had an immigration court order preventing his deportation to his native country over fears he would face persecution from local gangs.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis had ordered Abrego Garcia, now being held in a notorious Salvadoran prison, returned to the United States by midnight Monday.

“The order properly requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador,” the court said in an unsigned order with no noted dissents.

It comes after a string of rulings on the court’s emergency docket where the conservative majority has at least partially sided with Trump amid a wave of lower court orders slowing the president’s sweeping agenda.

In Thursday’s case, Chief Justice John Roberts had already pushed back Xinis’ deadline. The justices also said that her order must now be clarified to make sure it doesn’t intrude into executive branch power over foreign affairs, since Abrego Garcia is being held abroad. The court said the Trump administration should also be prepared to share what steps it has taken to try to get him back — and what more it could potentially do.

The administration claims Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, though he has never been charged with or convicted of a crime. His attorneys said there is no evidence he was in MS-13.

The administration has conceded that it made a mistake in sending him to El Salvador, but argued that it no longer could do anything about it.

The court’s liberal justices said the administration should have hastened to correct “its egregious error” and was “plainly wrong” to suggest it could not bring him home.

“The Government’s argument, moreover, implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U. S. citizens, without legal consequence, so long as it does so before a court can intervene,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, joined by her two colleagues.

Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said the ordeal has been an “emotional rollercoaster” for their family and the entire community.

“I am anxiously waiting for Kilmar to be here in my arms, and in our home putting our children to bed, knowing this nightmare is almost at its end. I will continue fighting until my husband is home,” she said.

One of his lawyers, Simon Sandoval-Moshenburg, said “tonight, the rule of law prevailed,” and he encouraged the government to “stop wasting time and get moving.”

In the district court, Xinis wrote that the decision to arrest Abrego Garcia and send him to El Salvador appears to be “wholly lawless.” There is little to no evidence to support a “vague, uncorroborated” allegation that Abrego Garcia was once in the MS-13 street gang, Xinis wrote.

The 29-year-old was detained by immigration agents and deported last month.

He had a permit from the Homeland Security Department to legally work in the U.S. and was a sheet metal apprentice pursuing a journeyman license, his attorney said. His wife is a U.S. citizen.

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant DHS secretary for public affairs, said Thursday that the justices’ order for clarification from the lower court was a win for the administration. “We look forward to continuing to advance our position in this case,” she said.

A Justice Department spokesman said the court had “directly noted the deference owed to the Executive Branch” in foreign affairs.

An immigration judge had previously barred the U.S. from deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador in 2019, finding that he faced likely persecution by local gangs.

A Justice Department lawyer conceded in a court hearing that Abrego Garcia should not have been deported. Attorney General Pam Bondi later removed the lawyer, Erez Reuveni, from the case and placed him on leave.

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Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst, Rebecca Santana and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.

House approves budget framework for Trump’s ‘big’ bill after intense wrangling sways GOP holdouts

House approves budget framework for Trump’s ‘big’ bill after intense wrangling sways GOP holdouts

By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans narrowly approved their budget framework Thursday, a political turnaround after Speaker Mike Johnson worked into the night to satisfy GOP holdouts who had refused to advance trillions of dollars in tax breaks without deeper spending cuts.

Johnson stood with Senate Majority Leader John Thune early in the morning at the Capitol to shore up President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” and they committed to seeking at least $1.5 trillion in cuts to federal programs and services. The speaker had abruptly halted voting Wednesday night.

“I told you not to doubt us,” Johnson, R-La., said afterward.

He acknowledged the week’s economic turmoil with the financial markets “a little unstable.” But he said the House vote was a ”big day.”

The 216-214 vote pushed the budget plan forward, one more milestone for Johnson, and next step in a lengthy process to unlock the centerpiece to the president’s domestic agenda of tax cuts, mass deportations and a smaller federal government. A failed vote, particularly as the economy was convulsing over Trump’s trade wars, would have been a major setback for the party in power in Washington. Two conservative Republicans voted against it, as did all Democrats.

Trump, at a black-tie fundraising dinner this week, had admonished Republicans to “stop grandstanding” on the budget.

By Thursday morning, Trump had shifted his tone.

“Biggest Tax Cuts in USA History!!! Getting close,” Trump said.

The action still leaves weeks, if not months, ahead. House and Senate Republicans will have to turn their budget framework into bill text for a final product. Johnson can lose only a few detractors from his slim Republican majority at any vote along the way. Democrats, in the minority, lack the numbers to stop the package, but they promised to fight every step.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said the GOP budget plan was a “toxic scheme” that proposed the largest cuts to the Medicaid health care program and food assistance in the nation’s history, “all in service of enacting massive tax breaks to their millionaire donors, like Elon Musk” — referring to the billionaire businessman who is leading Trump’s cost-cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency.

Jeffries said Democrats will push back until they “bury this budget resolution in the ground.”

Late Wednesday, the outcome was in flux. At least a dozen conservative Republicans, if not more, were firmly against the plan. Several of them, including members of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, made the unusual move of walking across the Capitol to meet privately with Senate GOP leaders to insist on deeper cuts.

As night fell, Johnson pulled a group of Republicans into a private meeting room as House proceedings came to a standstill. They stayed into the night hashing out alternatives, and were back at it in the morning.

Johnson said he spoke with Trump for about five minutes while the GOP meeting was taking place.

“The president is very anxious for us to get this done,” Johnson said.

But House GOP conservatives, including several of those who met with Trump this week, were concerned that the Senate GOP’s blueprint, approved last weekend, did not cut spending to the level they believe necessary to help prevent soaring deficits.

“The Math Does Not Add Up,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, had posted earlier on social media.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., the Freedom Caucus chair, led others to meet with the senators.

In the end, Harris, Roy and almost all the holdouts came on board. They said they were assured by Johnson, Thune and Trump that there would be steep cuts ahead. Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana voted “no.”

“We got as much as we could,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. ”We realized it was bigger than us.”

Before the vote, Thune, R-S.D., tried to assure House conservatives that many GOP senators were aligned with their pursuit of spending reductions.

“We certainly are going to do everything we can,” Thune said.

But the details ahead will matter. Key Republican senators already signaled their disapproval of some $800 billion in House-proposed cuts that could hit Medicaid and other vital programs.

Johnson insisted that the health care and other services that millions of Americans rely on, particularly Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, would be spared. Republicans instead are seeking to impose new restrictions on benefits and cut what they portray as waste, fraud and abuse, following DOGE’s efforts.

A final product is expected later this spring or summer, with more voting to come.

Central to the budget framework is the Republican effort to preserve the tax breaks approved in 2017, during Trump’s first term, while potentially adding the new ones he promised during his 2024 campaign. That includes no taxes on tipped wages, Social Security income and others, ballooning the price tag to some $7 trillion over the decade.

The package also allows for more than $500 billion in budget increases, including some $175 billion to pay for Trump’s deportation operation and as much for the Defense Department to bolster military spending.

The plan would also raise the nation’s debt limit to allow more borrowing to pay the bills. Trump had wanted lawmakers to take the politically difficult issue off the table. With debt now at $36 trillion, the Treasury Department has said it will run out of funds by August.

But the House and Senate need to resolve their differences on the debt limit, as well. The House GOP increases the debt limit to $4 trillion, but the Senate lifted it to $5 trillion so Congress would not have to revisit the issue again until after the midterm elections in November 2026.

To clip costs, the Senate is using an unusual accounting method that does not count the costs of preserving the 2017 tax cuts, some $4.5 trillion, as new spending, another factor that is enraging the House conservatives.

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Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Stephen Groves, Leah Askarinam and Matt Brown contributed to this report.

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