Today is Wednesday, Aug. 20, the 232nd day of 2025. There are 133 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 20, 2012, after 80 years in existence, Georgia’s Augusta National golf club (home to the Masters Tournament) invited former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become its first female members; both accepted.

Also on this date:

In 1858, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was first published, in the “Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society”.

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In 1862, the New York Tribune published an open letter by editor Horace Greeley calling on President Abraham Lincoln to take more aggressive measures to free enslaved people and end the South’s rebellion.

In 1866, President Andrew Johnson declared the official end of the Civil War.

In 1882, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” had its premiere in Moscow.

In 1910, a series of wildfires swept through parts of Idaho, Montana and Washington, killing at least 85 people and burning some 3 million acres.

In 1920, the American Professional Football Conference was established by representatives of four professional football teams; two years later, with 18 teams, it would be renamed the National Football League.

In 1940, exiled Communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky was attacked in Coyoacan, Mexico by assassin Ramon Mercader. (Trotsky died the next day.)

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Economic Opportunity Act, a nearly $1 billion anti-poverty measure.

In 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring” liberalization movement.

In 1986, postal employee Patrick Henry Sherrill went on a deadly rampage at a post office in Edmond, Oklahoma, shooting 14 fellow workers to death before killing himself.

In 1989, 51 people died when the pleasure boat Marchioness sank in the River Thames in London after being struck by a dredger.

In 2023, Tropical Storm Hilary struck Baja California, killing three and causing $15 million in damage.

Today’s Birthdays:

Boxing promoter Don King is 94.
Former U.S. Senator and diplomat George Mitchell is 92.
Former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is 90.
Broadcast journalist Connie Chung is 79.
Rock singer Robert Plant is 77.
Country singer Rudy Gatlin is 73.
Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 73.
Actor-director Peter Horton is 72.
TV weather presenter Al Roker is 71.
Actor Joan Allen is 69.
Movie director David O. Russell is 67.
Rapper KRS-One (Boogie Down Productions) is 60.
Actor Colin Cunningham is 58.
Actor Billy Gardell is 56.
Rock singer Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit) is 55.
Actor Ke Huy Quan is 54.
Baseball Hall of Famer Todd Helton is 52.
Actor Amy Adams is 51.
Actor Misha Collins (TV: “Supernatural”) is 51.
Actor Ben Barnes is 44.
Actor Andrew Garfield is 42.
Actor-singer Demi Lovato is 33.

For the past two seasons, it has been a given that somehow, some way, Joe Ryan would find a way to get through five innings.

Save for the game last season in which he left with an injury, you would have to go back nearly two years — Sept. 12, 2023 — to find the last time the starter didn’t complete at least five innings.

So it was a rare occurrence to see Ryan forced out of Tuesday night’s game after just four innings in the Twins’ 6-3 loss to the Athletics in the series opener at Target Field.

“(It was) much shorter than I would have liked,” Ryan said. “That gets frustrating. Try to go out there and get some more innings.”

Ryan gave up five runs, marking just the third time this season that he has allowed more than four. Just two of them were earned, as he was plagued by his defense, particularly in the fourth inning.

Ryan served up a two-out, two-run home run to Shea Langeliers in the third right after issuing a four-pitch walk to Nick Kurtz, turning the Twins’ lead into a deficit, and then found himself in more trouble an inning later.

After Tyler Soderstrom began the inning with an infield single, second baseman Luke Keaschall could not handle a rocket hit toward him, which took a hop and wound up in the outfield. The next batter reached when first baseman Kody Clemens dropped a throw from Royce Lewis. He was charged with an error.

“We want to hold ourselves to a high standard, and we want to make all the plays for our pitchers,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I think there were worlds where we work through that inning and they’re not putting those runs on the board, and then we’re right there in the game.”

The Athletics managed three runs from that opportunity, the first scoring on a shallow sacrifice fly hit to Keaschall, a play that he said he “should’ve thrown” the runner out on. Two more scored as Ryan gave up another pair of hits, allowing four total in the inning as his pitch count quickly climbed.

The Twins scored on a pair of solo home runs — Brooks Lee hit one in the fourth, Ryan Jeffers one an inning later — and a Matt Wallner double in the second inning. But they missed out on a chance to tie the game late with Lewis popping out in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of runners on.

“We could not sync those hits up enough tonight,” Baldelli said. “I think the at-bats were fine, but we certainly needed more on a day where we gave up a few.”

Briefly

The Twins promoted first-round draft pick Marek Houston on Monday to Class-A Advanced Cedar Rapids. The shortstop hit .370 with 20 hits in his first 12 professional games at Class A Fort Myers. … The Twins will send Bailey Ober to the mound Wednesday in the second game of the series. … Over in St. Paul, Connor Prielipp, one of the Twins’ top pitching prospects, gave up two runs in 3 1/3 innings in his Triple-A debut.

Minnesota Twins’ Byron Buxton (25) stands at the plate after striking out to end the bottom of the third inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Minnesota’s starters collectively had a poor offensive night Tuesday, yet the Lynx bench almost rescued the team.

Starting guard Courtney Williams overcame a slow start to finish with a team-high 17 points, and Natisha Hiedeman added 16 off the bench. But the Lynx fell 85-75 to the Liberty in New York.

Lynx reserves outscored the starters 38-37 with DiJonai Carrington and Maria Kliundikova each adding 11 points. None of Minnesota’s other four starters had more than six points.

Jessica Shepard had 10 rebounds and Alanna Smith had nine rebounds plus two blocks to set a franchise record with 69 this season, surpassing the 68 by Vanessa Hayden in 2005.

The league leader in assists at 23.4 per game, the Lynx had a season-low 10 on their 29 baskets. Minnesota was just 6 of 22 (27.3%) on 3-point tries. It leads the WNBA at 36.7% from deep.

“I didn’t think we had the recognition as far as some of their pressure points, getting rid of it quick, getting pass-pass combos. We were one pass and try to make something happen, so we were a little impatient. It’s not like us,” said coach Cheryl Reeve.

All five New York starters ended with double figures, led by 22 from Jonquel Jones, who also grabbed 10 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu had 17 points and 11 assists.

“Their starters played great, and ours did not,” said Reeve, whose team was down by 12 points early. “Courtney got going eventually, but she was a big part of why we didn’t get off to a very good start (zero points and two turnovers in the first quarter). Our bench came in and really kind of buoyed the ship for us.”

“Being a role player, there ain’t nothing wrong with that. You just got to take pride in what you’re doing. I think our team, especially the bench, takes great pride in what we do,” Hiedeman said.

Playing without Napheesa Collier (ankle) for the fifth straight game — although she was listed as “doubtful” vs. “out” — the Lynx saw their six-game winning streak come to an end and fell to the Liberty for the only time in four meetings this season.

The contest ends three consecutive games against New York in a 10-day span.

“We knew that they were going to come out, hit us in our mouth. We battled back,” Williams said.

Down by 12 midway through the third quarter, Williams drained a contested triple over Jones in the waning seconds of the frame to get the Lynx within 66-60.

Williams scored on a mid-range jumper with 4:06 left, and it was 77-72 Liberty. A 3-pointer by Hiedeman got the Lynx within 79-75 nearly two minutes later, but Minnesota did not score again.

Williams missed a pair of jumpers, looking skyward in disbelief after the second with 1:07 left. Ionescu grabbed an offensive rebound and completed a four-point play with 33.8 seconds left to ice the win.

This is the first game in a stretch where the Lynx play four games in six days in four different cities. Minnesota is at Atlanta on Thursday and Indiana on Friday before facing the Indiana Fever at Target Center on Sunday.

Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty reacts with Kennedy Burke #22 after scoring a three-point shot in the final minute of the game against the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center on Aug. 19, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Liberty won 85-75. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

With five candidates officially running and a little more than two months until Election Day, the race for St. Paul mayor is beginning in earnest.

Around a hundred supporters of Rep. Kaohly Her gathered at Lake Monster Brewing Company in St. Paul for a formal launch event for the state lawmaker’s mayoral campaign Monday night, including her current and former Democratic Farmer-Labor-House colleagues.

State Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette, who survived an attempted assassination at their home in June, have also endorsed Her. They didn’t attend the Monday launch but appeared in a video played at the event.

Many in attendance said they had voted for Mayor Melvin Carter in 2017 and again in 2021, but said a change of leadership is needed in City Hall. They pointed to public safety concerns, particularly along the Green Line light rail corridor on University Avenue, and development troubles in downtown St. Paul.

“I appreciate everything that Melvin has done, but after eight years, I think we need someone else with newer ideas, more energy,” said Peter Scott, of the Cathedral Hill neighborhood in St. Paul. “Having Kaohly come in after having worked in state government with that larger perspective — I think it would be very, very helpful for St Paul.”

Carter, who is seeking a third term in office, has pointed to dropping homicide and carjacking rates after the pandemic as a sign of improving conditions in the city, but many point to ongoing issues with addiction and homelessness along the Green Line as a sign of worsening conditions overall.

Scott and others said they hope fresh leadership might help address those problems, as well as rising property taxes, job growth and development challenges in districts like downtown. Scott pointed to the closure of downtown’s only grocery store earlier this year and the closure of the Midway Cub Foods as signs of the city’s struggles.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter

Carter seeks third term

Speaking with reporters after filing for his third term earlier this month, Carter said he’s been working with lawmakers and other local leaders about issues like road reconstruction, addressing a surge in copper wire theft from street lights and redeveloping the city’s struggling downtown.

“Obviously, there’s been a lot of global forces that we haven’t been able to hold off of St. Paul, whether that’s the challenges hitting every downtown (or) some of the results that still are lingering from the pandemic,” he said at the time, adding that he thinks the city is gaining “momentum” on issues like housing.

During his tenure, Cater has pursued a progressive agenda that has included medical debt forgiveness, college savings accounts for newborns, and a new sales tax to fund roads and parks.

Her has said that while she supports those policies, the city of St. Paul should focus on essential services.

“I don’t have a shiny new project that I want to put out there and tell you all look what I’m going to be doing, so that the national stage can look at us,” Her said in a speech at the event. “But what I do have is the grit, the determination, the skill and the ability to dig into doing city correctly.”

Besides friends, community members and former city leaders, former state Rep. Ryan Winkler, a Golden Valley DFLer now running for Hennepin County Attorney was present, as was Her’s current House colleague, Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee.

Other candidates

The three other candidates in the race besides Carter and Her include an engineer, a scientist and a local business owner.

Yan Chen is a biophysicist at the University of Minnesota who ran for St. Paul City Council Ward 1 in 2023.

North End resident and mechanical engineer Adam Dullinger is the most recent candidate to enter the race. He’s a political newcomer

Mike Hilborn runs a power washing, snowplowing and Christmas tree lighting business and ran as a Republican for downtown St. Paul’s state House district in 2024.

In a biography on his campaign website, he describes himself as “a father, an entrepreneur, a second-chance employer.”

Nonpartisan elections

Mayoral elections are nonpartisan, though they often draw strong party interest.

This year will be a little different, however: the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is not making any endorsements in the race as it works to rebuild itself.

This will be the last year a mayoral election happens in an odd-numbered year in St. Paul. In 2024, voters approved a measure to shift the election to even-numbered years when other major contests are on the ballot.

The mayor is typically elected to a four-year term. But because of the change, the next election will be in 2028. The winner of this year’s election will only serve a three-year term.

Under St. Paul’s ranked-choice voting system, voters can rank candidates in order of preference.

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