WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday on his social media site that “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China has restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry.

Trump suggested that he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves.

“One of the Policies that we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States of America,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “There are many other countermeasures that are, likewise, under serious consideration.”

Athan Kaliakmanis was marshaling the Rutgers offense toward the Gophers’ student section in the fourth quarter of the Sept. 27 game at Huntington Bank Stadium.

In his return to Minnesota, the former Gophers quarterback had the Knights pointed toward the same group of fans he taunted after throwing a second-quarter touchdown pass.

A perfect scene for revenge was set.

Facing a second and 10 from Minnesota’s 26, fans at Huntington Bank Stadium got louder. Amid the din, Kaliakmanis tried to change the play at the line of scrimmage. Not everyone was got the memo.

The center snapped the ball to an unsuspecting Kaliakmanis. It went between his legs and the senior scrambled to recover it for a 15-yard loss. With field position ruined, a 56-yard field goal attempt with 20 seconds left sailed wide and the Gophers won, 31-28.

“That felt like a night game against the top five team in the country-type atmosphere in terms of how loud it was,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. “I can’t thank our fans enough. That’s the home-field advantage that you want to create for your team.”

The student section has been the driving force in the stadium’s less-than-capacity crowds. The Gophers have increased the amount of student season tickets sold from under 6,000 in 2017 — Fleck’s first year — to more than 8,000 this season.

“Huge jump,” Mike Wierzbicki, deputy athletics director, told the Pioneer Press. “It’s not just season tickets. Many more students coming on a single-game basis. We can generally get up to about 10,000 in there. For most games, we’re hitting that number or we’re getting very close to it.

“You go back to (2016), ’17, ’18, we were rarely getting anywhere close to that,” he added. “So there’s no doubt: what (Fleck’s) seeing and feeling is accurate in the data.”

The uptick in student attendance really ticked up post-pandemic and fans returned to the venue for the 2021 season.

“I think part of that is just students wanted to come back together,” Wierzbicki said.

Keeping ‘em

Fleck credited Wierzbicki and his staff for boosting the game-day environment. Wierzbicki, in turn, credited Mills Armbruster, the U’s assistant AD for marketing, as well as campus partnerships with the Office of Student Affairs and Fraternity and Sorority Life.

The Gophers want students in the stadium early — which, again, they do better than the general fan base. The U tries to entice students with giveaways such as the rally towel at the Rutgers win and the upcoming “Row” hats for the Nebraska game next Friday.

“We’ve done different things that I think students see value in,” Wierzbicki said. “It leads to attendance. … They’re still 18- to 22-year-old kids, whether it’s this cool hat or this towel.”

It’s not just coming early that matters, but more so staying late and not heading out to, say, that big Saturday night party.

Before the pandemic, the Gophers, with the help of an autonomous donor, started a Row The Boat scholarship giveaway. The first 5,000 students at each home game receive a cardboard oar and two $1,000 scholarships are given away in the fourth quarter.

“It’s not just coming to games,” Wierzbicki said. “It’s staying for games, staying engaged.”

Head coach PJ Fleck leads the Gophers onto the field at Huntington Bank Stadium in front of a packed student section ahead of the Gophers’ season opener against Buffalo on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. (Brace Hemmelgarn / Gopher Athletics)

‘Letting it rip’

The night before each home game, the Gophers stay in a suburban hotel and travel to the stadium via coach busses. Along University Avenue, they pass the frat row.

“I really, really love our student body,” Fleck said. “I mean, our student section has improved so much since Day One. I can’t thank them enough. This is what college is all about. It’s what the student experience is all about, coming to football games in the fall. It’s tailgating.”

Hours before the Gophers’ 11 a.m. kickoff against Rutgers, Fleck and players could see fans’ pregame routines on the frat’s front lawns and porches.

“They are lettin’ it rip; that’s for sure,” Fleck said. “This was eight in the morning. I can’t imagine what they were like at night.”

The Gophers hope everyone in attendance Saturday is tuned up the homecoming game against Purdue kicking off 6:30 p.m. The U is encouraging fans to “stripe out” the stadium in maroon and gold.

12th man

Gophers defensive coordinator Danny Collins called the crowd at the Rutgers game “a major factor” in the thrilling win. Wierzbicki said they didn’t have an official decibel level to gauge how loud they truly got.

“They are a part of us,” Collins said Wednesday. “They are a part of that defense. I know the (players) love it and they feed off that energy, as well. They were huge in that moment (versus Rutgers) and (we) can’t thank our crowd enough. That is tremendous.”

During pregame warmups, Gophers starting linebacker Maverick Baranowski likes to engage with two fans in particular in the student section.

“They’re always like, ‘Hey, what up, Mav?’ ” Baranowski relayed. “I squirt ‘em with a water bottle. They’re always juiced up, fired up. It gets us juiced up, as well. A fun little tradition.”

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Councilmembers and unions on one side, housers and the Charter Commission on the other. Two sides of the debate over new ballot measures have different ideas of how to secure affordable housing in New York.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, union members and lawmakers at a press conference on the housing-related ballot proposals Tuesday. (William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit)

The fight over housing-related measures on New Yorkers’ general election ballot is heating up with under four weeks until Election Day.

Tuesday, City Council leaders rallied with influential labor unions against ballot measures two, three, and four, which would “fast track” affordable housing in certain neighborhoods, reduce public review of modest housing projects, and establish an appeals board that could override Council decisions on income-restricted development.

Supporters of the ballot measures argue hey will help get affordable housing built in New York faster. The City Council says that the measures will undermine its role in the land use process, which lawmakers say helps them secure critical benefits for their districts.

The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, building workers union 32BJ SEIU, and the District Council of Carpenters argued those agreements also help them get new members and secure benefits.

“We all know we are in a housing crisis. We support housing. But these ballot proposals aim to exploit New Yorkers’ real concern and hide what they actually do. The proposals would move decision power away from those that are closest to the community,” said 32BJ president Manny Pastreich in a press conference Monday.

Simultaneously, a group formed in September to support the measures, “YES on Affordable Housing,” raised $3 million, according to the New York Times.

Public figures like Comptroller Brad Lander, incoming Comptroller Mark Levine, Brooklyn Borough President Antionio Reynoso and others have signaled their support for the ballot measures, which they argue will make it easier and faster to produce affordable housing.

The Charter Commission is also fighting two lawsuits, one led by conservative City Council members and another from the City Club of New York. Last month, the Council attempted to get the measures thrown off the ballot by appealing to the Board of Elections that they were misleading. The board declined.

Here’s what else happened in housing this week —

ICYMI, from City Limits:

For the first time, housing code violations issued by the city at NYCHA properties are now publicly available—what advocates say is a win for transparency, giving public housing residents information about their buildings that tenants in privately-owned properties have long had access to.

Environmental groups are pressing Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that would eliminate the 100-foot rule, which requires utility companies add new gas hookups at any building within 100 feet of an existing gas line. They argue the rule keeps New York hooked on fossil fuel infrastructure while passing on the costs to residents via ever-increasing home energy bills.

ICYMI, from other local newsrooms:

New York Democrats are rallying around Tish James in the wake of what they say is a politically motivated indictment by the Trump administration, which accuses the attorney general of fraud related to a mortgage for a home she bought in Virginia. “What we’re seeing today is nothing less than the weaponization of the Justice Department to punish those who hold the powerful accountable,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said, according to Politico.

An update on the four downstate casino proposals still standing, via The City.

The Adams administration’s proposal to rezone more than 200 blocks in downtown Jamaica to spur more housing passed two Council committee votes this week, now with a lower target on the number of new units, and more funding for community groups, the Queens Eagle reports.

A newly passed bill will require New York City homeless shelters to disclose when they lack air conditioning, according to Gothamist.

A “housing league” formed by local elected officials last year has been working behind the scenes to “support a pro-housing agenda,” The Real Deal reports.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Patrick@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post Ballot Measures Fight Enters Final Month, and What Else Happened in Housing This Week appeared first on City Limits.

CHICAGO — Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, a nun who became a national sports icon for cheering on the Loyola men’s basketball teams during their NCAA Tournament runs, died Thursday, the school said. She was 106.

Sister Jean, as seemingly everyone on campus and later the sports world knew her, had served as the team chaplain since 1994 until her retirement this summer. For decades she was a fixture at Ramblers games, offering pregame prayers with players and fans.

She became nationally adored as Loyola made a seemingly miraculous Final Four run in 2018 as her wheelchair was pushed onto the court after each victory and Loyola players greeted her with gentle hugs as they exited the floor.

“In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff,” Loyola President Mark C. Reed said in a statement. “While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy. Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us.”

At 5 feet tall, Sister Jean stood out at Loyola games often wearing a letterman’s jacket or a maroon and gold scarf along with a pair of Nikes. She lived in a freshman dormitory on campus and had an office in the student center, where young adults struggling with studies or homesickness would often pop by for a chat.

She also was competitive.

When former coach Porter Moser was hired in 2011, Sister Jean left an envelope filled with scouting reports on his desk for him. She would email players words of encouragement after games but also advice on how to improve.

She called her 98th year of life “fun.”  Sports celebrities such as Charles Barkley, Bill Walton and Dick Vitale requested a chance to meet her. She was approached frequently by fans for selfies.  She made headlines nationally — and as she was often quick to remind reporters, also “internationally” — and was interviewed on “Good Morning America” and CNN.

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In 2018, Loyola made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1985 and its first Final Four since 1963. The Ramblers qualified for the tournament again in 2021 and 2022.

But Sister Jean was no newcomer to sports.

She was born on Aug. 21, 1919, in San Francisco to a family of sports fans. During high school from 1933-37, she played on the girls basketball team. For girls at that time, the court was divided into three sections, and only the forwards could shoot.

“I was a very short girl, so I didn’t shoot,” she told the Tribune in February 2018.

In 1939, Sister Jean said, a rule changed allowed girls to play half-court. She became a teacher and coach, and “at noon, during lunch on the playground, I would have the boys play the girls. I told them, ‘I know you have to hold back because you play full court, but we need to make our girls strong.’ And they did make them strong.”

Sister Jean said she knew she wanted to become a nun in third grade when she was inspired by her teacher. After high school, she left for Iowa to join the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent. In 1941 she returned to teach in California, where her students included actor/comedian Bob Hope’s children.

In 1961 she accepted a teaching job at Mundelein College, an all-women’s school near Loyola. She attended athletic events at both schools and drove some Mundelein teams to competitions.

Mundelein merged with Loyola in 1991, and Sister Jean retired from the education department around that time. She told the Tribune she served as a “booster shooter,” checking up on athletes’ studies but not acting as an adviser.

The basketball team’s chaplain retired and asked if she would like to take the position.

“I wanted to be their friend first of all and be sure to encourage them,” she told the Tribune. “They know they can talk to me any time they want.”

Sister Jean missed few games in her tenure as chaplain, but was sidelined for nine home games during the 2017-18 season after breaking her hip. Even in the hospital, she tracked the games online and emailed players.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt says her pre-game prayer in the huddle before a Loyola Ramblers basketball game, March 2, 2013, at the Gentile Center. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

She insisted on traveling with the Ramblers to watch them win that season’s Missouri Valley Conference tournament in St. Louis, and then trekked to NCAA Tournament sites Dallas, Atlanta and San Antonio.

Sister Jean said shortly before her 99th birthday the following August that she had a health setback with her right leg.

Her birthday celebration was attended by students, athletic staff members and coaches at the campus student center. Her cake included 99 candles and Moser presented her with a Ramblers No. 99 jersey.

Sister Jean in 2019 celebrated her 100th birthday.

Her secret to a long life?

“I eat well and sleep well,” she said at the time. “And hopefully I pray well.”

Shannon Ryan is a former Chicago Tribune sports writer.