After his personnel staff unloaded 10 regulars in a series of trade deadline moves from July 28-31, Twins president Derek Falvey flew to Cleveland, where the remaining players — and a few new ones — were ready to start a three-game series against the Guardians on Aug. 1.

The task for Falvey was to meet with players and coaches and explain why he and general manager Jeremy Zoll did an about-face on the roster they built to contend for a division title this season.

Because he has been rehabbing a shoulder injury in Minnesota, Pablo Lopez was not at that meeting. So, it was several days later that the veteran right-hander heard the gist of that talk one-on-one with Falvey in Minneapolis.

Lopez acknowledged that he was a little confused when Falvey told him that trading away players such as Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Willi Castro and Ty France was a step toward building around “younger talent that’s ready to display their set of tools and abilities, and we’re still gonna be a really good, competitive team.”

“Obviously,” Lopez added, “when you hear that after what transpired, you’re kind of like, ‘OK, 2 and 2 doesn’t, like, add up.’ ”

But Lopez, who had a successful, two-inning simulated start against live batters before Friday night’s game against Detroit at Target Field, said he quickly came to a separate peace with the moves.

Lopez might not understand the business decisions behind the sell-off, nor does he necessarily want to. But he and remaining veterans such as Byron Buxton, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers decided they could use the change to stimulate winning within the clubhouse.

“I don’t understand the business side, so it’s hard to buy into that fully until you really understand it,” Lopez said. “But what we can buy into right now is what we really have in this clubhouse, which is the talent, which is the opportunity to really reshape and do our own rebuilding of the culture.”

“Culture,” he added, “is one thing we’ve been lacking the last couple of years.”

Despite fielding what was largely the same team that advanced to the American League Division Series in 2023, the Twins missed the playoffs last season and are on a pace this year that will likely see them eliminated from contention before the season actually ends.

Before Friday’s game against the division-lead Tigers, Minnesota was fourth in the Central, 13 games out of first place and seven games out of the third wild card spot. That’s roughly where they were at the July 21 trade deadline, when they still had all-stars Correa and Castro, closer Duran, set-up man Jax, lights-out lefty Danny Coulombe and starting first baseman Ty France.

What’s left is in-house young talent such as infielders Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis, power-hitting outfielders Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach, a former first-round draft pick, and starting pitchers Simeon Woods Richardso, Zebby Matthews and David Festa.

Now management has added prospects from other organizations such as pitchers Mick Abel (acquired from Philadelphia for Duran) and Taj Bradley (acquired from Tampa Bay for Jax), as well as outfielder James Outman and Alan Roden, who started immediately with the big-league club.

“We have an opportunity here to take this clubhouse and say, ‘Hey, let’s take this opportunity to create the culture that we’ve been lacking the last couple years,’ the culture that prevents good teams from losing a lot of games, a good culture where instead of losing five games, you lose two and the guys pick themselves up so fast that it’s like, ‘Hey, we lost two; let’s back in the winning column.’

“That is something we’ve discussed as a group, like, ‘Hey, let’s reshape the philosophy and culture of who the Twins are: We hold each other accountable, we play hard, we compete and we don’t take anything for granted. We’re happy to be here. You’re fortunate and blessed enough to wear this (uniform), but you also have to play hard. Just being up here doesn’t fully cut it.”

Lopez, 29, has two years left on an extension signed in April 2023. He acknowledged wondering about whether he still might be moved ahead of next season but added that it doesn’t occupy him.
“The front office, the business side, has their vision and their thing to figure out,” he said. “And we also have things to figure out and we’re on it. We’re on it and on the way to creating that (winning) culture.”

Related Articles

Twins get to Detroit ace Skubal, but only briefly, in 4-3 loss to Tigers

Twins’ Rocco Baldelli managing to win: ‘We’re trying to contend’

Joe Ryan dominant in Twins’ win over Yankees

Shipley: No sale, no change for stuck-in-time Twins

Pohlads end search for Twins buyer, will add limited partners

A Ramsey County probation officer’s random check this month of a Level 3 sex offender led to a disturbing discovery in his St. Paul apartment: a naked and unconscious woman in a bathtub with multiple injuries, according to charges filed Friday.

Officers soon arrived at the West Side apartment of 60-year-old Anthony DeWalt and found the woman unresponsive with a weak pulse. An officer began CPR and administered Narcan, the medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. She had bruises throughout her body and was missing a nipple, which appeared to have been cut or torn off, the criminal complaint says.

Anthony DeWalt (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Paramedics arrived on scene and transported her to the hospital. A St. Paul police spokeswoman said Friday the woman is in her 40s.

DeWalt is on intensive supervised release for a 2005 first-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction in Wright County. A 17-year-old girl testified at his trial that he dragged her from a porch during a late-night gathering in Rockford, Minn., and violently attacked her, according to court records. She was ultimately able to flee and ran for help. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2009.

Court records show he was convicted twice for assaulting a corrections employee while he was imprisoned. Later, while at the Wright County Jail, he was convicted of fraud after he sent his SNAP benefits card from the jail to his sister in Illinois. He was released from custody in 2023.

DeWalt’s criminal history includes a murder conviction in Illinois in 1987, according to Friday’s complaint.

Probation officer’s visit

The complaint gives the following account of the Aug. 5 incident:

DeWalt’s probation officer visited his apartment, located in the 500 block of Stryker Avenue, just after 3 p.m. He answered the door naked, and the probation officer told him to put on clothes. DeWalt closed the door, and returned wearing boxer briefs. Blood was on his chest.

The probation officer stepped inside the apartment, “where it appeared another person was present,” the complaint states. DeWalt has several conditions as part of his probation, including no visitors at his residence without preapproval from his probation officer.

The probation officer told DeWalt to have the other person come out, to which he responded that his friend was in the bathtub and unable to do so.

The probation officer glanced into DeWalt’s bedroom and saw a black knife with blood on it. A pipe, commonly used to smoke methamphetamine, was on the end of the couch near the bathroom. When the probation officer asked DeWalt if he had used meth, he didn’t answer.

The probation officer had DeWalt open the bathroom door and saw the woman in the bathtub. Cold water was running from the faucet.

No one else was in the apartment.

Related Articles

MN GOP senators demand transparency in Stillwater prison closure

St. Paul firefighters find one dead during apartment fire

Minneapolis man charged with shooting gun inside St. Anthony Cub store

Maplewood state senator arrested on suspicion of second DWI

Woman shot in St. Paul while daughter, 2, was in backseat says ‘mom mode’ took over

When officers arrived at the apartment, DeWalt refused to let them inside through the locked door, while repeatedly yelling, “I’m ready for you.” Officers forced open the door and he raised his hands as if he was preparing to fight, the complaint says.

The woman was intubated at the hospital, and medical staff believed she “may have been sexually assaulted due to the injuries to her body,” the complaint states.

A sexual assault examination revealed she had suffered multiple injuries, including extensive bruising to the labia majora, groin, buttocks, breasts and upper chest; abrasions to both sides of her neck “consistent with bite marks” and lacerations to both nipples also consistent with bite marks and “inconsistent with the use of a knife, the complaint says.

Forensic swabs were collected during the exam and have been submitted to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for testing and analysis; results are pending.

The woman began to regain consciousness during the examination. She later spoke with police, saying her chest and arms hurt but did not know the extent of her injuries. She had no memory of the alleged assault or the events leading up to it.

Said she was a friend

Police spoke with DeWalt on scene. He said the woman was a friend who stopped by his apartment from time to time. He said she arrived at his place about 2 p.m. that day and wasn’t feeling well so she got in the bathtub. At one point he thought she was having an asthma attack, he said.

As police were talking with DeWalt, his probation officer obtained an arrest warrant for him based on the alleged probation violations, including possession of a dangerous weapon, possession of narcotics and the unauthorized visitor.

Later, in an interview at the jail, DeWalt said the woman was a friend who helped him clean and cook, and they had no sexual involvement. Before police arrived, he said, she had been at his place for an hour or two. She went to use the bathroom. After a period of time, he checked on her and found her unresponsive, he said, adding he thought she was dying so he poured water on her to revive her.

He underwent a suspect sexual assault examination on Aug. 8; forensic samples are pending.

During a search of his apartment, a breast nipple with jagged edges was located in a bucket with a mop in the kitchen. Blood smears were discovered on multiple areas of a mattress in the bedroom, along with a knife. Fentanyl and cocaine in two clear baggies were found in his shoe by his bed.

Related Articles

New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide relationship with bodyguard

Minneapolis man charged with shooting gun inside St. Anthony Cub store

Maplewood state senator arrested on suspicion of second DWI

Prosecutors seek death penalty against Zizian member charged with murdering Vermont border agent

Woman shot in St. Paul while daughter, 2, was in backseat says ‘mom mode’ took over

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged DeWalt with second-degree sexual assault and first-degree assault causing great bodily harm.

At a first appearance on the charges, Judge Reynaldo Aligada Jr. denied a request for a conditional release from jail. He set bail at $200,000, adding he considered the nature and circumstances of the allegations, his prior criminal history “and the fact that Mr. DeWalt appears to have been on supervision at the time of these allegations.”

DeWalt, who remained jailed Friday, is due back in court Sept. 10. A message seeking comment on the charges was left with his public defender assigned to the case.

By STEPHEN GROVES

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal budget deficits caused by President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law could trigger automatic cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported Friday.

Related Articles

Bad diets, too many meds, no exercise: A look inside the latest ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report

New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide relationship with bodyguard

FACT FOCUS: No, taxpayers will not receive new stimulus checks this summer

President Trump ramps up takeover of Washington’s police department. Here’s what to know

What is redistricting? Your questions about maps, California’s feud with Texas and more, answered

The CBO estimates that Medicare, the federal health insurance program for Americans over age 65, could potentially see as much as $491 billion from 2027 to 2034 if Congress does not act to mitigate a 2010 law that forces across-the-board cuts to many federal programs once legislation increases the federal deficit. The latest report from CBO showed how Trump’s signature tax and spending law could put new pressure on federal programs that are bedrocks of the American social safety net.

Trump and Republicans pledged not to cut Medicare as part of the legislation, but the estimated $3.4 trillion that the law adds to the federal deficit over the next decade means that many Medicare programs could still see cuts. In the past, Congress has always acted to mitigate cuts to Medicare and other programs, but it would take some bipartisan cooperation to do so.

Democrats, who requested the analysis from CBO, jumped on the potential cuts.

“Republicans knew their tax breaks for billionaires would force over half a trillion dollars in Medicare cuts — and they did it anyway,” said Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, in a statement. “American families simply cannot afford Donald Trump’s attacks on Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare.”

Hospitals in rural parts of the country are already grappling with cuts to Medicaid, which is available to people with low incomes, and cuts to Medicare could exacerbate their shortfalls.

As Republicans muscled the bill through Congress and are now selling it to voters back home, they have been highly critical of how CBO has analyzed the bill. They have also argued that the tax cuts will spur economic growth and pointed to $50 billion in funding for rural hospitals that was included in the package.

By COLLIN BINKLEY

WASHINGTON (AP) — Teachers, social workers, nurses and other public workers would be cut off from a popular student loan cancellation program if the Trump administration finds their employer engaged in activities with a “substantial illegal purpose,” under a new federal proposal released on Friday.

Related Articles

Bad diets, too many meds, no exercise: A look inside the latest ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report

New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide relationship with bodyguard

FACT FOCUS: No, taxpayers will not receive new stimulus checks this summer

President Trump ramps up takeover of Washington’s police department. Here’s what to know

What is redistricting? Your questions about maps, California’s feud with Texas and more, answered

The Education Department took aim at nonprofits or government bodies that work with immigrants and transgender youth, releasing plans to overhaul the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Opponents fear the new policy would turn the loan forgiveness benefit into a tool of political retribution.

The proposal would give the education secretary the final say in deciding whether a group or government entity should be excluded from the program, which was created by Congress in 2007 to encourage more college graduates to enter lower-paying public service fields. The proposal says illegal activity includes the trafficking or “chemical castration” of children, illegal immigration and supporting foreign terrorist organizations. “Chemical castration” is defined as using hormone therapy or drugs that delay puberty — gender-affirming care common for transgender children or teens.

President Donald Trump ordered the changes in March, saying the loan forgiveness program was steering taxpayer money to “activist organizations” that pose a threat to national security and do not serve the public.

The public will be given 30 days to weigh in on the proposal before it can be finalized. Any changes would take effect in July 2026.

Under current rules, government employees and many nonprofit workers can get their federal student loans canceled after they’ve made 10 years of payments. The program is open to government workers, including teachers, firefighters and employees of public hospitals, along with nonprofits that focus on certain areas.

The new proposal would exclude employees of any organization tied to an activity deemed illegal. The Education Department predicts that fewer than 10 organizations would be deemed ineligible per year. It doesn’t expect a “significant reduction” in the percentage of borrowers who would be granted forgiveness under the program, according to the proposal.

Yet the agency acknowledges that not all industries would be affected evenly. Schools, universities, health care providers, social workers and legal services organizations are among those most likely to have their eligibility jeopardized, the department wrote.

It did not give more specifics about what “illegal” actions those groups were taking that could bar them from the program. But the proposal suggests that performing gender-affirming care in the 27 states that outlaw it would be enough.

If a state or federal court rules against an employer, that could lead to its expulsion from the program, or if the employer is involved in a legal settlement that includes an admission of wrongdoing.

Even without a legal finding, however, the education secretary could determine independently that an organization should be ejected. The secretary could judge whether an organization participated in illegal activity by using a legal standard known as the “preponderance of the evidence” — meaning it’s more likely than not that an accusation is true.

Once an organization is barred from the program, its workers’ future loan payments would no longer count toward cancellation. They would have to find work at another eligible employer to keep making progress toward forgiveness. A ban from the Education Department would last 10 years or until the employer completed a “corrective action plan” approved by the secretary.

Critics blasted the proposal as an illegal attempt to weaponize student loan cancellation. Kristin McGuire, CEO of the nonprofit Young Invincibles, which advocates for loan forgiveness, called it a political stunt designed to confuse borrowers.

“By using a distorted and overly broad definition of ‘illegal activities,’ the Trump administration is exploiting the student loan system to attack political opponents,” McGuire said in a statement.

The Education Department sketched out its plans for the overhaul during a federal rulemaking process that began in June. The agency gathered a panel of experts to help hash out the details — a process known as negotiated rulemaking. But the panel failed to reach a consensus, which freed the department to move forward with a proposal of its own design.

The proposal released on Friday included some changes meant to ease concerns raised by the expert panel. Some had worried the department would ban organizations merely for supporting transgender rights, even if they have no direct involvement in gender-affirming care. The new proposal clarifies that the secretary would not expel organizations for exercising their First Amendment rights.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.