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House lawmakers on Thursday grilled TikTok’s CEO about national security concerns that the Chinese government is a hidden hand behind the short-form video app that is uploaded and used by an estimated 150 million Americans, including children.

Lawmakers from both parties questioned CEO Shou Zi Chew about potential Chinese government influence during a House hearing in which members of Congress were bluntly skeptical in reaction to TikTok assurances that U.S. users’ data would be protected and that Beijing could not use TikTok or its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to manipulate the content Americans see (The Wall Street Journal).

The Biden administration has threatened a possible U.S. ban if ByteDance doesn’t sell its stake in the popular platform. Hours before the House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, China said it would oppose any forced sale and that a TikTok divestiture would involve exporting technology, which Beijing must approve (The Wall Street Journal and The Hill). Federal employees and workers in some states are banned from accessing TikTok on government-owned devices because of security concerns.

Bloomberg News: U.S. regulator warns about data security during TikTok hearing.

Chew, 40, who has led the company since 2021, said the Chinese government doesn’t have access to TikTok users’ data via ByteDance. He promoted TikTok’s ongoing efforts to protect U.S. user data and said he has “seen no evidence that the Chinese government has access to that data; they have never asked us. We have not provided it.”

Responding to the heat from Congress, the former Goldman Sachs banker stuck to his assertions.

“I have looked in — and I have seen no evidence of this happening,” Chew repeated. “Our commitment is to move their data into the United States, to be stored on American soil by an American company, overseen by American personnel. So, the risk would be similar to [that of] any government going to an American company, asking for data.”

On Twitter following the hearing, a TikTok spokeswoman and the company assailed lawmakers for a hearing the communications executive said “felt rooted in xenophobia” and the company described in a tweet as “political grandstanding” (The Hill).

The Hill: Four key takeaways from the TikTok hearing.

One lawmaker quipped partway through the hearing that the TikTok chief executive was addressing “the most bipartisan committee in Congress” because of the unusual consensus on both sides of the aisle during testy exchanges.

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) called TikTok an “extension” of the Chinese Communist Party while Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) questioned whether the platform used content moderation tools to remove posts about the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group or the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Multiple members voiced support for legislation to ban the video-sharing app in the U.S., something the Biden administration has weighed. House members on Thursday argued that China’s official resistance to a sale was an indication that the Chinese Communist Party owns the company, which TikTok has repeatedly denied (The Washington Post).

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union and 15 other organizations sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers not to place a nationwide ban on the platform, arguing it would have “serious ramifications for free expression.”

Lawmakers on Thursday were animated in a more partisan fashion over the task of budgeting for the year that begins Oct. 1. GOP Rep. Rob Wittman (Va.), speaking at an event hosted by The Hill, said President Biden’s proposed defense budget falls short, citing a threat posed by China (The Hill). Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who testified before the House Appropriations Committee, rejected any budget cuts that would endanger U.S. security and reduce the nation’s war-fighting capabilities (The Hill).

In their most extensive public comments yet on potential budget reductions, Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, criticized an agreement reached earlier this year among more conservative House Republicans to cap all discretionary spending at fiscal 2022 levels.

House Republicans have yet to unveil the conference’s official budget proposal, but Democrats have filled in the blanks with their versions of conservative budget ideas (The Hill). Democrats tout budget analyses crafted by federal agencies to describe what they see as at stake for everything from Social Security benefits and veterans’ assistance, to help for families with children.

The White House is trying to use the budget to shore up Biden’s vulnerabilities, for example, taking aim at Republicans over security at the U.S. southern border. The president’s team assails budget ideas endorsed by the House Freedom Caucus to try to flip the script about ways to tackle an influx of migrants into the United States (The Hill). 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who testified Thursday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was prepared to discuss his department’s budget proposals. He was pounded by Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) for information sought by the panel as part of its investigation into Biden’s troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 (CNN).  

“I’m going to give you until the close of business on Monday to produce that [U.S. embassy] dissent cable to this committee and this Congress so the American people can see what the employees at the Embassy in Kabul were thinking about your policy that they dissented from,” McCaul said.

“This committee and the American people — after what happened, for God’s sake after what happened in that dreadful August — need to see this cable,” he continued. “We need you to respond, and if you fail, I am prepared to serve you with the subpoena.”

Blinken suggested the department could not hand over a cable document itself, but he offered “to make the relevant information in that cable available, including through a briefing or some other method.”

Related Articles

▪ The Hill: The House on Thursday failed to override Biden’s first veto, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to revive the resolution targeting an administration rule related to investing with environmental, social and governance considerations.

▪ CNBC: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Thursday said the Treasury Department is ready to take “additional action if warranted” to stabilize banks.

▪ The Hill: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday brushed aside the idea of turning to a discharge petition to force a floor vote on a clean debt limit increase, arguing it is up to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to avoid national default.  

▪ Reuters: Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser on Wednesday said “this is not a credit crisis” in remarks about U.S. bank failures.  

▪ The Hill: ​​Democrats who believe the party’s chances in next year’s elections turn on the state of the economy are pushing back against the Federal Reserve’s decision to continue raising interest rates. 

LEADING THE DAY

➤ POLITICS

The Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about former President Trump’s role in paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels won’t take action this week, The Wall Street Journal reports. While grand jurors met Thursday, it was to hear another matter unrelated to Trump; it’s common for grand juries in New York to hear multiple cases at a time. 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) on Thursday called demands from House GOP leaders to force his testimony an “unlawful incursion” on his ongoing probe into Trump’s role in the scandal. His comments come as lawmakers, led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), demanded the DA turn over all documents and communications about the case (The Hill and Reuters).

The move “is an unprecedent[ed] inquiry into a pending local prosecution. The letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene,” Bragg wrote. “Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry.”

▪ The Washington Post: N.Y. prosecutor rebuffs GOP demand for documents related to Trump investigation.

▪ The Hill: Trump calls for removal of every top official investigating him.

▪ The New York Times: Trump investigations present a stress test for justice in a polarized nation.

The New York case isn’t the former president’s only legal issue; Trump faces three other serious criminal inquiries in Washington, D.C., and Georgia as he seeks the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. On Friday, his lawyer Evan Corcoran is expected to testify to a federal grand jury in Washington that is hearing evidence in a Department of Justice probe of Trump’s retention of classified government records at his Florida residence after leaving the White House. The DOJ is also investigating Trump for his efforts to reverse his 2020 Electoral College loss to Biden. And an Atlanta grand jury is eyeing Trump and his allies for pressuring Georgia officials to undo his loss to Biden in the state’s popular vote that year (CNN). 

▪ The Hill: Judge orders anonymous jury in Trump sexual battery trial.

▪ The New York Times: Court action underscores peril for Trump in documents investigation.

Democrats, meanwhile, are expressing some frustration that the New York indictment of Trump may come before other investigations seen as looking into more serious crimes, write The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Rebecca Beitsch, specifically the Justice Department probes, a continuation of the laggardness they perceived as the committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol met. 

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s agenda includes new restrictions on abortion and further loosening gun laws, stances that may help him in his expected run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but could hurt his chances of actually being elected (Reuters).

▪ Politico: DeSantis has one very big problem: Trump.

▪ The Hill: The Senate Select Committee on Ethics on Thursday formally admonished Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for soliciting campaign funds during a Fox News interview conducted in a Senate building.

Ahead of his anticipated announcement as a 2024 presidential candidate, Biden, joined by his already announced reelection running mate and members of his Cabinet, next week kicks off a 20-state, three-week itinerary under the guise of official events with a decided political tilt to remind voters about policies enacted on his watch. On Tuesday, the president will visit North Carolina to launch what he’s calling the “Investing in America” tour (CNN). Championing federal backing for infrastructure, electric vehicle manufacture, silicon chip manufacture, support for high-speed internet and economic growth, Biden, Vice President Harris and members of the Cabinet will include stops in battleground states. Appearances are scheduled in California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico, according to the White House.    

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) is slamming Democrats, or as she put it, “old dudes eating Jell-O,” Politico reports. As the newly Independent senator races to stockpile campaign money and post an impressive, statement-making first-quarter fundraising number, she has used a series of Republican-dominated receptions and retreats to belittle her Democratic colleagues, shower her GOP allies with praise and, in one case, quite literally give the middle finger to Biden’s White House.

➤ ADMINISTRATION

Biden is in Ottawa today to bolster the U.S.-Canada alliance on issues such as the war in Ukraine, migration and climate change, writes The Hill’s Brett Samuels. While in the Canadian capital, he will meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and address parliament, marking the first time a U.S. president has visited Canada since 2018 when Trump abruptly left a Group of Seven gathering while criticizing Trudeau amid a rift over tariffs. 

Ahead of the trip, the neighbors reached an agreement that will allow both countries to turn away asylum seekers at their borders at a time when migration has surged across the hemisphere, The New York Times reported Thursday. The deal, which is set to be announced today, will allow Canada to turn back immigrants at Roxham Road, a popular unofficial crossing point from New York for migrants seeking asylum in Canada.

Canada, meanwhile, will provide a new, legal refugee program for 15,000 migrants who are fleeing South and Central America, lessening the pressure of illegal crossings into the United States from Mexico. The announcement is set to remove one of the relatively few disputes between Trudeau and Biden ahead of their meetings.

▪ The Globe and Mail: Biden heads to Ottawa to urge Trudeau to do more, faster on defense and continental security.

▪ The Hill: Four things on the agenda for Biden’s first trip to Canada as president.

▪ Politico: Biden and Trudeau to mix thorny issues with niceties.

▪ Reuters: Biden to have brief meeting with Trudeau political rival on Canada visit.

The vice president and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will depart on Saturday for a three-nation trip to Africa, where Harris will meet with the presidents of Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. Harris’s visit is set to build on the recent U.S-Africa Leaders Summit that Biden hosted in Washington in December, as the White House continues to push its agenda on the continent amid global competition, notably with China (PBS NewsHour).

▪ All Africa: What Harris’s visit means to Tanzania.

▪ The Hill: The White House is seeing stars, with visits from the cast of “Ted Lasso” to chart-topping singers and actors like “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus — but some critics are questioning whether sharing the spotlight with Hollywood heavyweights is the best image for Biden to project while wars rage on abroad and the nation copes with post-pandemic inflation. 

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

➤ INTERNATIONAL 

Ukrainian troops will launch a long-awaited counterassault on Russia “very soon” after months on the defensive, now that Moscow’s huge winter offensive is losing steam without taking Bakhmut. The Thursday announcement from Ukraine’s top ground forces commander was the strongest indication yet from Kyiv that it is close to shifting tactics, having absorbed Russia’s onslaught through a brutal winter and prevented Moscow from claiming its first victory since last August (Reuters).

▪ The New York Times: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the Kherson region in his second straight day traveling to a frontline area.

▪ The Wall Street Journal: The U.S. will send aging attack planes to the Middle East and shift newer jets to Asia, Europe.

Workers across France walked off their jobs and took to the streets in the first organized nationwide demonstration against raising the retirement age since President Emmanuel Macron pushed his pension overhaul through parliament, bypassing the body by invoking a special provision of the French constitution (The Wall Street Journal).

▪ The Washington Post: Deadly Marburg virus outbreaks reported in East and West Africa.

▪ The Wall Street Journal: Big Oil eyes new deals in North Africa amid rising energy demand.

▪ The Atlantic: Why Latin America keeps talking about a common currency.

▪ The New York Times: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu digs in on court overhaul in the face of mass protests.

▪ Reuters: After Iran, Saudi Arabia will re-establish ties with Syria, sources say.

▪ NBC News: U.S. contractor killed, five service members and contractor wounded in suicide drone strike in Syria.

OPINION

■ What really broke the banks, by James Surowiecki, contributor, The Atlantic. https://bit.ly/3Z5Phpr 

■ We need an AI rights movement, by Jacy Reese Anthis, opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/3lEjEW4

WHERE AND WHEN

📲 Ask The Hill: Share a news query tied to an expert journalist’s insights: The Hill launched something new and (we hope) engaging via text with Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack. Learn more and sign up HERE.

The House will convene at 9 a.m. 

The Senate meets on Monday at 3 p.m. and will resume consideration of a measure to repeal authorizations for use of military force against Iraq. 

The president is in Canada where he will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9 a.m. Biden will attend a welcome ceremony and book signing at 11:10 a.m. at Parliament Hill. He will participate in several bilateral meetings with Trudeau before noon.Biden will address the Canadian parliament at 2 p.m. He and Trudeau plan to take questions from the news media at 3:45 p.m. The president and first lady Jill Biden will attend a gala dinner in their honor at 6:15 p.m. at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. Biden and the first lady will depart Ottawa to arrive in Delaware late tonight. They will remain there through the weekend. 

The first lady’s itinerary in Ottawa includes a morning program to watch curling with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and to join a discussion about youth wellness and mental health. Both spouses at midday will visit the National Gallery of Canada for an exhibit celebrating Canadian women artists.   

The vice president will ceremonially swear in Eric Garcetti as U.S. ambassador to India at 1 p.m. (Harris and her husband begin a three-nation trip to Africa beginning on Saturday.) Emhoff this morning speaks during an event hosted by the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace and Security and supported by the governments of Sweden and Romania and International IDEA. 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will chair a meeting this morning of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. 

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will travel to Silver Spring, Md., for a joint community service event at 3:50 p.m. with the Howard University Men’s Basketball Team to highlight HHS and the team’s commitment to improving Black maternal health outcomes. 

The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health begins at 11 a.m. led by White House domestic policy director Susan Rice, with pre-recorded remarks from Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and participation from Becerra, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and other city and state participants. Webinar registration information is HERE. A fact sheet on policy initiatives is HERE.

ELSEWHERE

➤ HEALTH & PANDEMIC 

Women, overweight people and those above age 40 are among the groups that have a greater risk of developing long COVID-19, according to a new report published in the journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) of Internal Medicine. Researchers also found that patients with preexisting conditions like asthma, diabetes and even anxiety or depression were more likely to develop long-lasting COVID-19 symptoms. Those who were previously hospitalized or admitted to intensive care for COVID-19 also were at higher risk.

The authors wrote that the emerging evidence suggested that vaccination reduced the risk of long-term symptoms “even in individuals with other risk factors, such as older age or high BMI” (The New York Times and Bloomberg News).

The New York Times: Autism prevalence rises again, a new study finds. The pandemic may have disrupted the detection of autism spectrum disorder in young children.

Transgender Americans experience stigma and systemic inequality in many aspects of their lives, including education, work and health care access, according to a new,  wide-ranging Washington Post-KFF poll. Yet the survey, which encompasses one of the largest randomized samples of U.S. transgender adults to date, found that most trans adults say transitioning has made them more satisfied with their lives.

“Living doesn’t hurt anymore,” said TC Caldwell, a 37-year-old Black nonbinary person from Montgomery, Ala. “It feels good to just breathe and be myself.”

The Washington Post has compiled six key takeaways from the survey, as well as the personal stories of four transgender Americans.

▪ CNN: Mental health struggles are driving more college students to consider dropping out, survey finds.

▪ Kaiser Health News: The policy and politics of Medicare Advantage.

Information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots can be found at Vaccines.gov. 

Current U.S. COVID-19 deaths are 2,060 for the most recent week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Data is reported on Fridays.)

THE CLOSER

And finally … 👏👏👏 Congratulations to this week’s Morning Report Quiz winners! We explored some navigationally historic trivia about the nation’s capital and savvy readers made all the correct turns! 

Here’s who aced the puzzle: Paul Harris, Richard Baznik, Patrick Kavanagh, Harry Strulovici, Benjamin Osborne, Mary Anne McEnery, Jaina Mehta, Pam Manges, Kathleen Kovalik, Terry Pflaumer, Anita Bales, Robert Bradley, Randall S. Patrick, Stan Wasser, Lou Tisler, Ki Harvey, Jay Morgan, Steve James and Rick Dupre.

They knew that building codes in the District of Columbia prohibit structures from being taller than 130 feet, as per the Height of Buildings Act of 1899 (amended in 1910).

The District returned some land (retrocession) to Virginia in 1847 that had been ceded to the federal government in 1790 for the purpose of creating the nation’s capital city.

Although D.C. streets that run east-west are identified with letters of the alphabet, there is no “J Street.” 

All roads really do lead to the U.S. Capitol when viewing the quadrants in the nation’s capital on a map.  TikTok boss in DC hot seat Defense chiefs push back on cuts, raise alarm over Russia-China meeting

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BST Hyde Park’s final day cancelled as Jeff Lynne’s ELO pulls out of headline slot

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BST Hyde Park's final day cancelled as Jeff Lynne's ELO pulls out of headline slot

BST Hyde Park festival has cancelled its final night after Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra pulled out of the headline slot.

Lynne, 77, was due to play alongside his band on Sunday but has been forced to withdraw from the event following a “systemic infection”.

The London show was supposed to be a “final goodbye” from ELO following their farewell US tour.

Organisers said on Saturday that Lynne was “heartbroken” at being unable to perform.

A statement read: “Jeff has been battling a systemic infection and is currently in the care of a team of doctors who have advised him that performing is simply not possible at this time nor will he be able to reschedule.

“The legacy of the band and his longtime fans are foremost in Jeff’s mind today – and while he is so sorry that he cannot perform, he knows that he must focus on his health and rehabilitation at this time.”

They later confirmed the whole of Sunday’s event would be cancelled.

“Ticket holders will be refunded and contacted directly by their ticket agent with further details,” another statement said.

Stevie Wonder played the festival on Saturday – now its final event of 2025.

Read more from Sky News:
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland record hottest days of year
Tennis star in tears after Wimbledon final drubbing

US rock band The Doobie Brothers and blues rock singer Steve Winwood were among those who had been due to perform to before ELO’s headline performance.

The cancellation comes after the band, best known for their hit Mr Blue Sky, pulled out of a performance due to take place at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena on Thursday.

ELO was formed in Birmingham in 1970 by Lynne, multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan.

They first split in 1986, before frontman Lynne resurrected the band in 2014.

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: The field is set! Who is the slugger to beat?

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: The field is set! Who is the slugger to beat?

The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.

Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.

On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.

With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.

Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more


2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet

Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.

Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.


2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.

Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.


2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet

Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.

Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.


2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet

Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.

Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.


2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet

Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.

Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.


2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet

Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.

Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.


2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.

Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.


2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet

Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.

Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.

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On Buxton bobblehead day, All-Star hits for cycle

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On Buxton bobblehead day, All-Star hits for cycle

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton admitted to feeling a little added pressure before Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was his bobblehead day, meaning the first 10,000 fans to walk through the gates at Target Field would receive a replica of Buxton doing his “Buck Truck” home run celebration.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous before the game started, just knowing it was bobblehead day,” Buxton said. “Obviously you want to come out and do something good.”

Buxton did more than something good. He became the first player to hit for the cycle at Target Field since the ballpark opened in 2010, helping ignite the Twins to a 12-4 win over the Pirates.

It was the 12th cycle in Twins history and the first since Jorge Polanco had one in 2019.

Buxton had three hits through three innings — a single in the first, a triple in the six-run second and a double in the third. After singling again in the fifth, he had one more opportunity in the bottom of the seventh.

Buxton, who will participate in next week’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta, crushed a 427-foot solo homer off Pirates reliever Andrew Heaney with two outs in the seventh to make it an 11-3 game and complete the cycle. That brought the Target Field crowd to its feet, with many fans celebrating with Buxton bobbleheads.

With his team holding a comfortable lead, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli almost took Buxton out of the game before his final at-bat, he admitted afterward. Thankfully for Baldelli — and Buxton — a few coaches reminded the skipper what was at stake.

“He was 4 for 4 at the time. But with everything going on during a game, sometimes I’ll be the one that might miss on a hitting streak or something that’s going on with a particular player,” Baldelli said. “But once they reminded me of that, he was going to stay in the game. He was going to get another at-bat, regardless of the score, and give him a chance to do something great.”

The homer was Buxton’s 21st of the season, tied for fifth most in the American League. With two runs driven in Saturday, Buxton now has 55 RBIs on the season — just one shy of his single-season high. He boasts an OPS of .921 and is 17 for 17 in stolen bases.

“It’s one of the greatest first halves I’ve ever witnessed,” Baldelli said.

Buxton was replaced in center field after the seventh inning, but not before getting a standing ovation curtain call from Twins fans. He also received a Gatorade bath courtesy of teammate Ty France, who was headed to the clubhouse before realizing that nobody had doused Buxton yet after the game.

“It’s special,” Buxton said. “To be able to come out on bobblehead day like this and have a day like this is something I won’t forget.”

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