Latest news with #SamBaker
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Sam Baker in focus
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Sam Baker in focus The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 79 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we take a look at former USC All-American offensive lineman Sam Baker. Position: Offensive line Years played at USC: 2003-2007 Career highlights: After redshirting his first year on campus in 2003, Baker started the next four seasons for the Trojans at left tackle. In 2005, 2006, 2007, he earned first-team All-American honors. Baker is one of four USC players to be named an All-American three times, along with Richard Wood, Matt Leinart, and Taylor Mays. During Baker's time on campus, USC won two national championships, three Rose Bowls, an Orange Bowl, and five Pac-10 titles. Baker blocked for two Trojan Heisman winners: Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005. After USC: Baker was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He spent all seven seasons of his NFL career with the team. However, his career was hampered by injuries, as he appeared in just 70 games over that stretch, making 61 starts. After missing the entire 2014 season with a knee injury, Baker was released by Atlanta in 2015.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Dorset charity raises record breaking funds at motor show
Dorset charity raises record amount of money following motor show. The Dorset Blind Association has raised over a staggering £37,000 following its ninth annual Motor Show. This follows an almost equally as impressive year in 2024 when over an impressive £29,000 was raised. The Motor Show welcomes together a wide range of vehicles plus entertainment all in the aid of charity. More than 6,000 guests visited Lulworth Castle last week to enjoy a brilliant display of vehicles, entertainment, local food and drink and over 50 retail and charity stalls. The Dorset Blind Association raised over £37,000 (Image: Yuugen Visuals) It was a record-breaking event in other ways as 280 vehicles from vintage and classic models to luxury supercars made an appearance at the show, drawing in motoring enthusiasts from all across the south. Sam Baker, the event organiser and community relations officer at Dorset Blind Association, said: 'We are absolutely blown away by the response to this year's Motor Show. 'The atmosphere was electric, and the support we've had from volunteers, car owners, sponsors and the local community has been overwhelming. These funds will help us continue providing vital services to blind and partially sighted people across Dorset.' The Motor Show's continued success is aided by generosity from its supporters including Platinum Sponsors, Blue Sky Financial Planning and supercar sponsors, Daizun, whose contributions were 'vital' to the event's success. Also playing a key role in this year's show were Porsche Centre Bournemouth who partnered with Blue Sky to bring an incredible line-up of Porsches to the display field, adding to the show's prestige and excitement. Some of the entertainment on offer (Image: Yuugen Visuals) Alongside the impressive collection of vehicles on display was entertainment from a variety of singers and performers including Jitterbug Jive, the Just Sing Choir, The Land Girls, Miss Lisa Locarno and the Bournemouth Carnival Band, as well as circus fun and children's activities provided by Jamie Jigsaw. Following the success of 2025, the Dorset Blind Association Motor Show for 2026 is already in the pipeline with the date to be announced soon. You can support the Dorset Blind Association and read about their work by visiting the website:
Axios
15-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
As Big Law folds to Trump, some D.C. firms are fighting
Several big D.C. law firms targeted by President Trump are fighting back, while many of their counterparts are folding. The big picture: Some of America's most prestigious law firms have agreed to provide almost $1 billion worth of legal work to Trump — and that total will probably grow, according to Axios' Sam Baker. Trump announced deals with five firms last week. He's now gotten the giants of Big Law to pledge a combined $940 million in pro bono legal services for conservative causes. Catch up quick: Trump began this process by signing executive orders targeting firms that had employed or represented his critics, including two major firms headquartered in the District: Covington & Burling, targeted for representing former special counsel Jack Smith, and WilmerHale, which employed former special counsel Robert Mueller. Chicago-based Jenner & Block had previously employed Andrew Weissmann, a member of Mueller's staff and a prominent Trump critic. Paul, Weiss — which has an office in D.C. — was the first firm to cut a deal. They argued that $40 million in pro bono work was a small price to pay compared with the money, clients and even top talent it could have lost if it chose to fight. As more firms have capitulated, Trump has been able to extract significantly bigger concessions using significantly less leverage, even from firms with which he appears to have no personal grievance. Four recent agreements came from firms that were placed under investigation for their internal diversity policies — a less severe threat than Trump's early tactic of revoking lawyers' security clearances. The other side: WilmerHale and two other prestigious law firms targeted by Trump — Jenner & Block and Perkins Coie, both of which have offices in downtown D.C. — have opted to fight his threats in court rather than make a deal. Others, like D.C. firms Covington and Arnold & Porter, have signed an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie and others seeking permanent injunctions against Trump's executive orders. The intrigue: None of the law firms that have capitulated to Trump are headquartered in D.C., though many, like Skadden, have large footprints. State of play: Legal news site Above the Law created the " Biglaw Spine Index." The spreadsheet of 200 of the largest firms in the U.S. (based on Am Law's 2024 ranking) tracks their responses to Trump, DEI efforts, and more. While the response to Trump by some is capitulation versus action, most firms fall into the "silence" category. "A lot of firms are trying to keep their heads down," Kathryn Rubino, a senior editor at Above the Law, tells Axios. Their thinking: "If they do nothing, maybe they won't be noticed by the administration." Between the lines: Rubino says the head-in-sand strategy isn't particularly effective "given the most recent round of capitulations, which seemed less about retaliation and more about building [Trump's] pro bono war chest." Though the administration hasn't publicly stated a financial goal, Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller told NYT last week: "The numbers are adding up." What we're watching: It remains unclear what millions of dollars of pro bono work will entail — Trump has hinted at everything from helping the coal industry to fighting antisemitism — whether he can legally force firms to undertake projects, and what it means reputationally for the firms that folded. As is often the case with Trump, firms are in uncharted territory. The American Lawyer points out, Trump's definition of pro bono significantly differs from the legal norm. As one legal ethics professor told the publication: "What President Trump is talking about is more accurately described as free legal work for the government. He has been talking about these agreements like he has received hundreds of millions of dollars of free work in his personal piggy bank." Meanwhile, applications to law schools at Georgetown, Howard and elsewhere are skyrocketing. Some students say the current political climate is a factor — and many in the legal world and beyond are taking note of where firms land on Trump's tactics and those that acquiesce.
