By MICHAEL R. SISAK and CHRIS MEGERIAN

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump started Friday by warning that more of his enemies will face prosecution, shaking the foundations of the American justice system by treating it as a tool of political retribution.

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And then he jetted off to the Ryder Cup to enjoy the rest of the day as the golfer-in-chief, watching the U.S. compete against Europe as the sun shined and the crowd cheered.

It was the latest example of how Trump seizes the attention that comes along with high-profile sporting events, putting his personal imprint on activities that have existed for generations as largely nonpartisan affairs.

Standing on the tee box in white golf shoes and a dark suit, the Republican president led spectators in a “USA!” chant a day after James Comey, the former FBI director, became the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump’s chief grievances to face prosecution. Trump had demanded the prosecution out of anger over Comey’s role in the Russia investigation during his first term, and even replaced an experienced U.S. attorney in Virginia to ensure the case moved forward.

A warm welcome for Trump

Even as he pushes the bounds of the presidency in his second term, Trump still found a warm welcome at the Ryder Cup. The crowd, many of whom endured lengthy security delays, chanted “USA! USA!” as Air Force One flew low over the closing holes at the Bethpage Black course, a show of force that he used on the campaign trail with his private plane and has continued with his government-issued ride.

When Trump stepped away from the course after watching the afternoon fourball matches tee off, some people in the stands behind him chanted “48,” a suggestion that they want the 45th and 47th president to serve an unconstitutional third term.

“He’s doing a hell of a job for the country,” said Phil Dunn of Pittsburgh. “He’s trying to bring people together.”

As for Comey, Dunn said, “it was treasonous what he did.” After prosecutors targeted Trump while he was out of office — for keeping classified documents, for trying to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election and for paying hush money to a porn star — “this is what you get back,” Dunn said.

Comey is charged with making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. He said he will fight the charges, describing them as a consequence of standing up to Trump.

Golf has always been something of a refuge for Trump. He owns several courses and visits often on the weekends to play and hold meetings. On the day the 2020 election was called for Joe Biden, he played a round in Virginia, ensconced in a bubble of adulation despite voters’ rejection.

The ‘People’s Country Club’

This year’s Ryder Cup represented a synthesis at the heart of Trump’s political appeal as a billionaire with populist tastes. Although golf has a reputation as an elitist sport, Bethpage, on Long Island, is known as the “People’s Country Club,” and it’s one of the few public courses to host professional tournaments. The course is about 27 miles east of Manhattan, in a suburban county that Trump won in 2024.

The Ryder Cup draws a patriotic scene since it pits American players against Europeans. Over-the-top attire — red-white-and-blue overalls, bald eagle shirts and even tricorner hats — are common sights.

“Now Watergate does not bother me,” Lynyrd Skynyrd sang over the loudspeaker. “Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth.”

The president arrived through a tunnel beneath the grandstand, an announcer heralding his arrival. The crowd roared and broke into more “USA!” chants. European fans countered with “Ole!” but were quickly drowned out. Trump saluted as New York City firefighter Bryan Robinson sang the national anthem. The crowd erupted again as a quartet of military jets raced across the sky.

He then watched from behind a glass barrier near the first tee and the 18th green as the day’s second round of matches got underway.

Trump left his perch to greet U.S. captain Keegan Bradley, who gave him a thumbs-up and bowed to him. Bradley also did an imitation of the arm-pumping dance that Trump made famous on the campaign trail and several players, including U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, followed suit.

Trump has often harnessed the platform of sports to broaden his reach in American culture. His armored limousine led drivers on two ceremonial laps at the Daytona 500, and already this month he mingled with the New York Yankees in their locker room and attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Sports will become more central to Trump’s presidency

Sports will only become more central to his presidency. The U.S. is hosting the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the World Cup next year, along with Canada and Mexico. Trump has suggested reshaping the schedule for the soccer tournament to mesh with his political agenda by moving matches away from U.S. cities that he deems unsafe.

Some of the cities, he said recently in the Oval office, are “run by radical left lunatics,” and he’s proposed expanding deployments of National Guard troops. He added that “if I think it isn’t safe, we’ll move it to a different city.”

Little of these controversies were on people’s minds at Bethpage on Friday.

Jody Erwin, of Houston, wore a Captain America costume and a red American flag hat from Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. Erwin played the course on Wednesday, his first time there, and was excited that Trump was attending the Ryder Cup.

“He supports golf. He loves golf,” Erwin said. “That’s his whole deal.”

Erwin brushed off the idea that golf has been a safe space for someone like the president, saying, “I don’t think he can ever relax.”

Peter Bruce, who attended from London while decked out in Europe’s blue-and-yellow colors, was less enthusiastic.

“It’s not about him, it’s about those 12 players for each team out there,” Bruce said. “It would be better if he decided not to come.”

David Ferraro of Babylon, New York, wore a “Make America Great Again” hat to the tournament and wanted to sit as close to Trump as possible.

“The more times you can see the president, the more access you get to a president, the better,” Ferraro said.

AP Ryder Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup

A big ‘thank you!’ to Farm Aid performers

I was surprised by the varying, and at times very negative, critiques (in the Sept. 21 Pioneer Press) of the performers who generously donated their time to perform at Farm Aid 40. My family and I were at this event and we had a very different vantage point.

We chose this concert because it was such a special event and a great cause. Not only did we get to hear amazing music from new artists, but also from living legends, like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Willie Nelson. The experience for our family was one of community, and bringing together people to support a greater cause, the family farm and the workers who provide food for our tables. I saw audience members (many Minnesotans and folks from outside the state), of all ages and backgrounds, singing, dancing, smiling and nodding their heads in unison to the tunes. While the artists brought different energy levels to the stage, this wasn’t a bad thing. Quite the contrary. It was the beauty of Farm Aid. Artists and the community coming together to celebrate and raise funds for an important cause.

Every artist should be given a great big Minnesota Nice “Thank You!” for donating their time and talents to Farm Aid 40! It was something special!

Nina Frost, North St. Paul

Don’t trivialize these terms

I work out regularly at the local YMCA and often see those individuals with “special needs” exercising. In 1933 Adolf Hitler passed a law authorizing the forced sterilization of hundreds of thousands of people deemed “hereditary ill.” In 1939 he initiated the Aktion T4 euthanasia program, a systematic campaign of mass murder targeting those German citizens he deemed disabled or mentally ill.

Today we live in a free and open society, one in which EVERYONE can participate. However, in today’s political climate, the terms “facism” and “naziism” are loosely bandied about.  We should never forget the true — and horrific — meaning and origin of these terms so that they are not trivialized and never again become reality.

Richard M. Ryan, Woodbury

Oh, good

I want to give a shout out and a big thank you to the Ramsey and Hennepin County Attorneys. Every year I dread spending the hundreds of dollars to purchase vehicle tabs.  Now, the proclamation that those laws will no longer be enforced, that is a big money saver for our family.

If they would also be so kind as to publish a list of all the other laws and ordinances that are not enforced, I would like to see what else I can circumvent that will make my life equal to everyone else.

Michael Miller, St. Paul

All that strategy

I’m sure that other readers, like me, were heartened to read, in the same issue announcing Ramsey County’s proposed property tax increase of 9.75% in 2026 and 7.5% in 2027, that the county has named Michael Soto as director of Policy and Administrative Strategy (“Soto to lead policy and strategy division,” Sept. 24). There we learned that “Soto will oversee county strategic planning and support strategic alignment in policy development and performance management.”

According to Maria Sarabia, Ramsey County chief of staff, “Michael brings a unique combination of strategic insight, technical expertise and collaborative leadership. His experience driving people-centered data strategies and building strong teams will enhance our ability to shape policies that reflect community needs.”

This appointment will help address an area that I’ve long found lacking — namely, strategy. Michael Soto sounds like just the guy we need for strategic planning and strategic alignment and strategic insight and data strategies. I think other county residents will agree that when it comes to spending our money, you can’t have too much strategy.

David Healy, St. Paul

A good and decent person

Growing up, watching television from our home in south central Minnesota always centered around the news of the day. I was so interested as I went to college in the mid-1960s that my double major was political science and speech/communications.

In my junior year, I landed a job as a dispatcher, listening to multiple police and fire radios while working out of a basement newsroom at WCCO-TV; I even met Walter Cronkite once.

For four years, I was a writer on my weekly college newspaper.

Upon graduation, I began to work for Republican political organizations within state government and the private sector and, by age 28, I was elected chair of the Republican party (the youngest in the country) with an outreach program to appeal to political independents.

Soon, I began submitting thought pieces to various editorial pages, mostly to dailies in Minnesota, and appearing on various radio and TV news programs.

Along the way, I struck up a friendship with a fellow my age who liked to ask questions about what was really going on in our mostly DFL state government. I was happy to oblige.

Stan Turner, who grew up in St. Louis Park and graduated in journalism from the University of Minnesota ,had begun his own career at the same time in various radio news assignments before beginning as a reporter/anchor at Hubbard Broadcasting KSTP-TV in St. Paul for over three decades. His work eventually included teaching at the University of St. Thomas, working at Minnrsota Public Radio and serving as president of the Minnesota Press Club. He was elected to the prestigious Pavlak Broadcasting Hall of Fame 16 years ago.

Particularly in the mid 1970-80s, Turner would contact me for face-to-face dialogue at early morning breakfasts, after news conferences or otherwise. Rarely on the phone, he liked to look a person in the face and ask the tough questions. He could also learn things “off the record” without compromising anyone.

The two of us met for early morning breakfasts for a number of years. For the last two decades or so we pretty much went our own ways.

When I learned that Stan had been battling cancer since 2022 and that he passed away at age 81 on Sept. 21, I paused and reflected on a good and decent person who lived his busy life with genuine decency and honor.  Like so many others, I will miss him.

Chuck Slocum, retired owner of The Williston Group, a management consulting firm

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By LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — Retired financier Howard Rubin was arrested Friday on sex trafficking charges for allegedly trafficking dozens of women, including former Playboy models, to be sexually and physically assaulted during encounters in his Central Park penthouse in a soundproofed room described in court papers as “The Dungeon.”

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Authorities announced the arrest of Rubin and his former personal assistant, Jennifer Powers, on charges in an indictment unsealed in Brooklyn federal court.

Rubin was arrested Friday at his rental home in Fairfield, Connecticut, while Powers was arrested at her home in Southlake, Texas, authorities said. Rubin was expected to be arraigned later on Friday.

Messages for comment were sent to multiple lawyers for both of them.

During a three-decade career, Rubin worked at various financial firms, including Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns and Soros Fund Management.

Prosecutors said Rubin and Powers abused the women between 2009 and 2019 after recruiting them to fly to New York to engage in sex acts with Rubin in exchange for money.

They said Rubin and Powers targeted women who were desperate, including women who had previously been sexually abused, along with women who were financially desperate or who suffered from addiction. Once they were in New York, the women were encouraged to use drugs or alcohol to prepare for their sexual encounters, and they sometimes engaged in conduct beyond the scope of their consent, prosecutors said.

During the encounters, women suffered significant pain, including bruises and psychological trauma, and sometimes required medical treatment, according to court papers.

Rubin and Powers spent more than $1 million of Rubin’s money to recruit the women to participate in commercial sex acts involving bondage, discipline, dominance, submission and sadomasochism, according to a letter submitted to a federal judge in which prosecutors sought detention for Rubin and a significant bail package for Powers.

Prior to 2011, the commercial acts usually occurred at luxury hotels in Manhattan, but from 2011 to 2017, the encounters usually occurred in a two-bedroom penthouse near Central Park, the letter said.

The penthouse contained “The Dungeon,” a soundproofed room painted red that had a lock on the door and was outfitted with bondage and discipline instruments, prosecutors said.

They said Powers maintained the dungeon, cleaned it between uses and restocked the equipment, while also recruiting women, arranging their flights and managing fallout from complaints about the sessions with Rubin.

Rubin and Powers required the women to sign nondisclosure agreements and pledge that they were not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they signed the agreements, prosecutors said.

According to court papers, Rubin has funded virtually all aspects of Powers and her family’s lifestyle since 2012, including rent on their Manhattan apartment; her children’s private school tuition; and the down payment and mortgage on their Texas-based home after the Powers’ moved to Texas in 2020.

Prosecutors said Rubin and Powers were sued for civil sex trafficking in November 2017, but a jury found at trial that they were not liable. The case has been appealed.

If convicted, Rubin and Powers each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.

Ryan Sever was a 210-pound freshman linebacker in 2022. And early in fall camp, despite a wealth of talent at the position, St. Thomas head coach Glenn Caruso recognized the Benilde-St. Margaret’s alum as someone the Tommies needed to get on the field.

Playing a backup role on defense and starring on special teams — with three blocked kicks — Sever was a major contributor on the season, which saw the Tommies win in the Pioneer Football League title while going undefeated.

Three years later, Sever is a 230-pound stalwart on the Tommies’ defense, aiming to end his collegiate career with a bang. A second league title would come with the added payoff of qualifying for the FCS postseason in the school’s first season of eligibility.

All of which has Sever and his teammates razor-focused for Saturday’s league opener in San Diego against the Toreros. Buoyed by a 2-1 non-conference schedule that included a competitive loss at nationally-ranked Idaho, the Tommies know a win on Saturday against the team picked to win the league in the preseason coaches’ poll could be the start of something memorable.

“It’s been in the back of our minds the whole offseason,” Sever said. “A lot of the games we lost last season are still stuck in our minds, as well. So this offseason (there was) a lot of motivation, a lot of juice. The opportunity we have is huge; it’s something this university has never done.”

Offered Caruso: “I think what our players have shared and we’ve shared collectively as our goals for the season that this game is as big as it gets.”

Sever, who’s second on the team in total tackles (19), is one of the Tommies’ emotional leaders. To that end, he plans to address the team before taking the field on Saturday — not that he expects his teammates to need much help to get ready to play.

“I feel we’re a very mature team,” Sever said. “There’s a lot of leadership in that locker room. I think everyone understands (what’s at stake). We’ve been relaying the same messages for a long time now.”

Whether on the field or on the sideline, Caruso is confident in Sever’s ability to do the right thing.

“His energy and his passion are totally infectious,” Caruso said. “When you can be like that and be a highly productive player, that’s pretty special. He’s one of the more passionate players I’ve ever coached in my life, and there’s been a lot of them over 30 years.”

For Sever, it’s simply been a case of doing what comes naturally.

“I’ve been an emotional player — in anything I do — my whole life,” he said. “When I reflect on the sacrifices others have made to help me and the sacrifices I have made, I think it would just be a total waste to not bring the best I can every single day.

“Just so blessed and thankful for coach Caruso and the staff believing in me. And my teammates, as well. They’re the ones that get me out of bed in the morning, because I want to do this for them and for those people who believed in me.”

The Toreros (2-2) also played a challenging non-conference schedule. They opened with a loss to Cal Poly, beat No. 24 Southern Utah, lost to No. 4 Montana State and won last weekend at Princeton.

“The talent level is elite,” Caruso said. “They’re fast, they’re long, they’re athletic — what you would expect from a team that bases its recruiting in California. I think where they’ve grown in the last couple of years is their attention to detail on the defensive side of the ball.

“Coach (Brandon) Moore has done a great job of dispersing the talent appropriately.”

Adding another new wrinkle, the Toreros have put an emphasis on running the ball this season.

“Trying to slow that down is certainly going to be part of it,” Caruso said of the keys to the game. “And when we’ve been at our best against San Diego, we’ve been able to get first downs and moved the chains to win the field-position battle.”

That effort will be bolstered by the return of starting running back Gabe Abel and fullback Cam Miller, who will make their season debuts after sitting out due to injuries.

There’s good news on defense as well; both of the Tommies’ starting cornerbacks, Den Juette and Branden Smith, will be back in the lineup.

Coming off a bye week, the Tommies appear poised to give the Toreros their best shot. While the first three games brought plenty of success, Caruso noted there’s something else he would like to see.

“We’ve been very mentally tough and stalwart throughout each of the games,” he said. “But it sure would be nice to start out more productive in the first quarter. If given the choice of only one of those things I’d take the mental toughness and the growth.”

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