Mission BBQ will do this from May 11 through May 16, and on Saturday, May 16, in observance of Armed Forces Day, Mission BBQ will host “Lunch with the Heroes” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Officials extend the invitation for active duty military and veterans to enjoy a free sandwich and a live singing of the National Anthem. Mission BBQ said that it is indebted to the sacrifices that all service members have made to our country and wishes to pay tribute to each branch of the military throughout this momentous week.

Cole Tomas Allen was handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform when he appeared in federal court for his arraignment. Allen didn’t speak during the brief hearing. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.

Allen’s lawyers are asking U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the event when Allen ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, authorities said. In a court filing last week, Allen’s attorneys argued that it creates at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case.

McFadden, a Trump nominee, didn’t rule from the bench on that question but asked Allen’s attorneys to elaborate on the possible scope of their recusal request. Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said the defense likely would seek to disqualify Pirro’s entire office from involvement in the case. Ohm acknowledged that a bid to disqualify the entire Justice Department would be unlikely.

“That would be quite a request,” the judge said.

McFadden gave prosecutors until May 22 to respond in writing to the defense's request. The judge asked the government to specify whether it believes Pirro and Blanche could be considered victims in the case.

“That might add some clarity here,” McFadden said.

In their filing, Allen's attorneys suggested that the appointment of a special prosecutor might be warranted.

Allen is scheduled to return to court on June 29.

A Secret Service officer was shot once in a bullet-resistant vest during the April 25 attack at the Washington Hilton hotel, which disrupted and ultimately prompted an early end to one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital. The officer fired five shots but didn't hit anybody, authorities said.

Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was injured but was not shot.

Besides the attempted-assassination count, Allen also is charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone.

Allen was placed on suicide watch after his arrest, but jail officials removed him from that status after several days. Allen’s attorneys complained that he had been unnecessarily confined in a padded room with constant lighting, repeatedly strip searched and placed in restraints outside his cell.

Allen told FBI agents that he didn’t expect to survive the attack, which could help explain why he was deemed to be a possible suicide risk, a Justice Department prosecutor has said.

Allen was outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife when he took a photo of himself in his room at the hotel just minutes before the attack, according to prosecutors. In a message that authorities say sheds light on his motive, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of actions by Trump's Republican administration.

Authorities have alleged that Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Hilton where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train cross-country from California, checking himself into the hotel a day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend.

Trump was rushed off the stage by his security team at the Saturday night event and appeared at the White House two hours later, still in his tuxedo, to talk about the attack and the suspect.

“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” the president said. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”

The lawsuit comes after state authorities disclosed that ChatGPT gave information to the shooter about what time and location would maximize victims on campus, as well as the type of gun and ammunition to use. Authorities say he was also told that an attack can get more media attention if children are involved.

“OpenAI knew this would happen. It’s happened before and it was only a matter of time before it happened again,” Vandana Joshi, whose husband Tiru Chabba was one of two people killed, said in a statement Monday. Six people were also wounded.

The lawsuit, filed Sunday in federal court, says OpenAI should have built ChatGPT with guardrails to let someone know that police may need to investigate “to prevent a specific plan for imminent harm to the public.”

OpenAI has denied any wrongdoing in what it called a “terrible crime.”

“In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity,” Drew Pusateri, a spokesman for the company, said in an email to The Associated Press.

Separately, in April, Florida’s attorney general said there was a rare criminal investigation into ChatGPT over whether the AI tool offered advice to Phoenix Ikner that enabled the April 2025 shooting in Tallahassee. The 21-year-old has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and several counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty.

Investigators said Ikner, a Florida State student, was on campus for an hour before he walked in and out of campus buildings and green spaces while firing a handgun. The shooting took place on a weekday just before lunchtime near the school's Student Union, which has food and shops. The lawsuit says Ikner asked ChatGPT about the busiest times there.

Joshi's husband, a 45-year-old father of two from Greenville, South Carolina, was a regional vice president of the food service vendor Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. The other man who was killed, Robert Morales, 57, was a campus dining coordinator at Florida State.

OpenAI “put their profits over our safety and it killed my husband. They need to be responsible before another family has to go through this,” Joshi said in a statement released by her lawyer.

OpenAI is currently valued at $852 billion.

Several lawsuits have sought damages from AI and tech companies over the influence of chatbots and social media on loved ones’ mental health.

In March, a jury in Los Angeles found both Meta and YouTube liable for harms to children using their services. In New Mexico, a jury determined that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

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Associated Press reporter Ed White in Detroit contributed.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 2.9% to settle at $104.21 after President Donald Trump said the U.S.-Iran ceasefire was on “life support” after he rejected Iran's latest proposal to end their war. The rejection raises the stakes for Trump’s trip this week to China, where he could urge President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran into making concessions. Xi has leverage because China is the biggest buyer of Iran’s sanctioned crude oil.

The war has already sent the price for a barrel of Brent up from roughly $70 and delivered a blast of painful inflation through the global economy. That’s because it has shut the Strait of Hormuz and kept oil tankers stuck in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers worldwide.

Still, the U.S. stock market has been setting records recently on hopes that the war will not keep oil prices high for very long. Companies are meanwhile producing even bigger profits than analysts expected, while signals suggest the U.S. economy is holding up even though households are feeling discouraged by expensive gasoline and tariffs.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 added 0.1% to its record set Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 14 points, or less than 0.1%, with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged from its own all-time high.

Mosaic helped drag on the market after the fertilizer company reported much weaker results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company is benefiting from higher prices for its products, but it’s also contending with much higher prices for sulfur and other raw materials because of logistics snarls created by the war with Iran.

Mosaic’s stock fell 1.7%.

Stocks of companies whose customers have the least cushion to absorb higher gasoline prices struggled, and Dollar General fell 7.3%. Businesses with big fuel bills likewise had some of the market's sharpest losses, including drops of 3.9% for Carnival and 3.2% for Southwest Airlines. More stocks within the S&P 500 sank than rose.

Helping to offset that was Fox, which climbed 6.8% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

More than four out of every five companies in the S&P 500 index that have reported their results for the latest quarter so far have topped profit expectations, and they're on track to deliver overall growth of nearly 28%, according to FactSet. If that turns out to be the case, it would be the best growth since the end of 2021.

It's not just U.S. companies muscling through analysts' profit expectations. Globally, companies are on track for their strongest growth in more than four years, according to Deutsche Bank strategists led by Binky Chadha. The boom in artificial-intelligence technology has helped corporate profits rise at a faster rate than overall economies.

Outside of earnings reports, Beazer Homes USA soared 35.4% after Dream Finders Homes offered to buy it in a deal valued at roughly $704 million. A combination would create the country’s seventh-largest homebuilder, and Dream Finders is asking Beazer’s shareholders to push its management and board to OK the deal after making several attempts itself.

Dream Finders rose 3.5%.

Tech stocks were also strong, continuing their big run amid the AI boom. Gains of 2.3% for Nvidia and 8% for Micron Technology were the two strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia. France’s CAC 40 fell 0.7% for one of the world's bigger losses, while South Korea’s Kospi soared 4.3% thanks to gains for Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and other tech stocks benefiting from AI.

In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher. The 10-year yield rose to 4.40% from 4.38% late Friday.

Yields had moderated a bit this month, but they remain well above where they were before the war began. Higher yields can raise rates for mortgages and other kinds of loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which in turn can slow the economy. Higher yields also tend to push downward on prices for stocks and other kinds of investments.

A report on Monday said the pace of sales for previously occupied U.S. homes was weaker last month than economists expected.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

In a lawsuit filed Monday, The Cultural Landscape Foundation said the administration's moves to repaint the bottom of the Reflecting Pool blue without undergoing relevant reviews ran afoul to federal preservation laws governing historic sites. The group argued that the changes at the Reflecting Pool are part of President Donald Trump's broader effort to push through dramatic renovations in Washington without proper reviews and undermine the tone of the area.

"The design intent, to create a reflective surface that is subordinate, is fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial,” said Charles A. Birnbaum, the group's president and CEO, said in a statement. “A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.”

Trump has taken a personal interest in the project, calling the area “filthy” before workers repainted the Reflecting Pool a color he has called “American flag blue.” His motorcade was driven over a drained and repainted Reflecting Pool last week to give him a chance for a firsthand review of the project.

The suit was filed against the Interior Department and the National Park Service, which oversee much of the renovations underway in Washington. Katie Martin, an Interior Department spokeswoman, said in a statement that Trump “has done more to make our nation’s capital a shining beacon than any other president in the history of this country.”

“The Department is proud of the work being carried out by our Park Service to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed for not only our 250th, but for many generations to come,” she said.

Over the past year, Trump has bulldozed the East Wing to make way for a ballroom. His name was added to the facades of the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center, which he plans to close for a two-year renovation. His face adorns a banner at the Department of Justice’s headquarters, among others. He is pushing for a triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery and has closed parks, including Lafayette Square across from the White House, for a rehab.

Many of those projects are also subject to litigation.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: The Netflix true crime documentary “The Crash,” pop-punk paragons The All-American Rejects return with their fifth studio album and Season 2 of Stanley Tucci's gastronomic tour “Tucci in Italy” lands on Disney+

New movies to stream from May 11-17

— Théodore Pellerin slyly infiltrates the inner circle of Archie Madekwe’s pop musician Oliver in the psychological thriller “Lurker,” streaming on HBO Max on Friday, May 15. The film explores the parasocial relationship of internet fandoms, and the power dynamics within the entourage of an on-the-cusp star. It was written and directed by Emmy-winner Alex Russell (“The Bear,” “Beef”), who looked to “obsessive thrillers” like “Whiplash” and “Black Swan” for inspiration.

— The Netflix true crime documentary “The Crash” looks into a 2022 car crash in Ohio, in which 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla slammed her car into a brick building at 100 mph, killing her boyfriend and his friend, and the conflicting narratives around that night. It begins streaming Friday, May 15. Also coming to Netflix? “Black Phone 2,” streaming on Saturday, May 16, which sees the return of Ethan Hawke’s The Grabber (who, yes, was killed in the first movie) who is intent on getting revenge against Mason Thames four years later.

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

New music to stream from May 11-17

— On Friday, May 15, a new collection from the Colombian superstar Maluma, titled “Loco x Volver,” drops. It’s a celebration of his culture and then some: from the reggaetón/dancehall hybrid “Pa’ la seca” with Ryan Castro to “Con El Corazón” with the late great Yeison Jiménez and everything in between, these are songs that celebrate his roots while modernizing folkloric sounds.

— Pop-punk paragons The All-American Rejects are back, preparing to release their fifth studio album and first full-length in nearly 15 years, since 2012’s “Kids in the Street.” It’s called “Sandbox.” Expect what they’re known for: Big hooks, big chords, big choruses and bigger fun.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from May 11-17

— “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” has a new home for its second season. The game show, hosted by Colin Jost, makes the jump to Netflix beginning Monday, with a new episode dropping each weekday through June 5. Sample categories include “bummer movie endings,” “Broadway on the big screen” and “TV of the 2010s.” If trending topics make up your FYP on TikTok, this one’s for you.

— Stanley Tucci is fresh off a world tour to promote “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and now he’s taking us to Italy for season two of “Tucci in Italy.” In the new episodes, the actor visits regions like Sicily, Campania and Sardinia to meet with locals and eat food native to those areas. Travel along on Disney+ and Hulu beginning Tuesday.

— Fans have to wait until 2027 for a new season of “Heated Rivalry” but there’s another series available in the hockey romance genre. “Off Campus” debuts its first season on Prime Video on Wednesday. It’s about the love lives of a group of college hockey players. Each season follows a different relationship. The leads of Season 1 are Belmont Cameli and Ella Bright, while Season 2, starring Antonio Cipriano and India Fowler, begins filming very soon.

— Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser’s long-awaited “Yellowstone” spinoff debuts Friday, May 15, on Paramount+. “Dutton Ranch” takes place one year after the events of the series finale of “Yellowstone” and characters Beth and Rip have relocated to Texas. They’ve got a new ranch now but if we’ve learned anything from the other shows, owning land can be very dangerous. Annette Bening and Ed Harris also star.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from May 11-17

— U.K. developer Supermassive Games has built its reputation on horror gems like “Until Dawn” and “The Quarry” that evoked classic movies like “Friday the 13th.” For its latest thriller, “Directive 8020,” the inspiration appears to be “Alien” and “The Thing.” You are 12 light years from Earth when your colony ship crashes on Tau Ceti f. The organisms there aren’t happy to meet you, and they are quite adept at imitating their prey. Can you trust your crewmates? Can you prevent the predators from hitching a ride when you try to return home? Things start getting squishy Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

— Lou Kesten

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s response to his latest proposal was “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”

Also, Trump will travel to Beijing this week for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But Beijing’s deep economic ties to Iran, as well as trade tensions over tariff threats stretching back to Trump’s first term, could crimp the meeting, even though the Republican president has for years effusively praised Xi.

Trump also said Monday that he would indefinitely suspend the federal gas tax, though Congress needs to approve the move. The war continues to send fuel prices skyrocketing and rattle world markets. After Trump’s comment on the weakness of the ceasefire, the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 2.9% to $104.18.

Here's the latest:

White House says 17 CEOs will travel to China as part of the US delegation

Executives who are scheduled to join Trump in Beijing this week represent American tech, finance and agricultural companies, according to a White House official.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the executives include Apple’s Tim Cook, Blackrock’s Larry Fink, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, Cargill’s Brian Sikes, Citi’s Jane Fraser, Cisco’s Chuck Robbins, Coherent’s Jim Anderson, GE Aerospace’s H. Lawrence Culp, Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon, Illumina’s Jacob Thaysen, Mastercard’s Michael Miebach, Meta’s Dina Powell McCormick, Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon, Tesla/SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Visa’s Ryan McInerney.

—- Aamer Madhani

Satellite images appear to show oil slick drifting south of Iran’s Kharg island

The images from Monday reviewed by The Associated Press appear to show an oil slick drifting in the Persian Gulf southward from the island, Iran’s primary crude oil terminal.

The slick is believed to be the same one observed last week off the western side of Kharg Island.

The slick was first observed a week ago through Satellite images. It’s unknown whether the spill was caused by a malfunction, an airstrike or something else.

On Monday, it looked like the slick had spread out, apparently dissipating. It is currently 47 miles (75 km) wide and appeared to be 28 miles (45 km) south of Kharg Island.

US warns banks to watch for suspected Iranian money-laundering networks

The Treasury Department wants U.S. banks and other financial institutions to monitor for suspected Iranian money laundering networks that use their funds to smuggle sanctioned oil through shell companies and crypto networks.

The move, which effectively deputizes the global financial system to help disrupt Iran’s sanctions-evasion infrastructure, comes as the U.S. and Iran reached another impasse over how to end their war while their ceasefire has grown increasingly shaky.

The Trump administration is calling on banks to flag certain customers who may launder funds for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — including newly formed companies moving unusually large amounts of money, firms that route payments through multiple intermediaries or transactions connected to Iranian crypto firms, among other indicators.

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Trump to sign executive orders on beef supply

The two orders, according to a White House official, are meant to address short-term supply issues in the U.S. beef market.

The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the orders in advance of their signing, said the plans will expand beef imports and support the renewal of America’s domestic cattle herd.

The orders were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

—- Seung Min Kim

Officials tout new website for mothers

Trump administration officials shared more details Monday about the website they stood up in time for Mother’s Day, at the URL moms.gov.

“It is one-stop shopping for IVF, for prenatal care, for postnatal care, for nutrition, for baby formula, and of course, for TrumpRx,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the Oval Office.

The website centralizes government-led guidance on nutrition and health surrounding pregnancy and links out to Trump’s website for discounted drugs, TrumpRx.

The site also prominently displays a link to a pregnancy center resource called Option Line run by the anti-abortion group Heartbeat International. It signaled the administration staking out its side on the abortion debate as the Supreme Court weighs whether to restrict access to abortion pills by mail nationwide.

Trump likens Jimmy Lai to Comey as he plans to discuss case with Xi

The U.S. president said he’ll bring up the plight of Jimmy Lai in China this week but he compared the pro-democracy activist to one of his most detested foes.

“Jimmy Lai, you know, he caused a lot of bedlam,” Trump told reporters Monday. “It’s like saying to me, ‘if Comey ever went to jail, would you let him out?’ That might be a hard one for me.”

Trump is referring to former FBI director James Comey, whom he fired in 2017 over his handling of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The Justice Department is now prosecuting Comey on charges of making threats against the president. Its first indictment of Comey was dismissed.

“Jimmy Lai, he caused lots of turmoil in China. He tried to do the right thing. He wasn’t successful, went to jail, and people would like him out,” Trump said. “And I’d like to see him get out too.”

Asked about hantavirus, Trump says ‘I hope it’s fine’

Trump made the comment Monday in the White House as countries around the world repatriated passengers from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak.

“I hope it’s fine. All I can do is everything that a president can do, which is something — which is actually somewhat limited,” Trump said.

Among the cruise ship passengers who tested positive were a French woman and an American. Some experts have said U.S. authorities were slow to respond, but Trump said he thought the response was, “I think fine.”

“The one thing with this one is that it’s much harder to catch,” Trump said. “It’s been around for a long time, people are very familiar with it.”

What is a gas tax holiday?

A gas tax holiday is a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax, currently set at 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. That does not include state taxes, which often are higher.

The tax provides more than $23 billion per year in revenue for federal highway and public transit programs.

The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own. Congress would have to approve the move.

Both the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans.

Trump says he’ll suspend federal gas tax

Trump answered yes when asked if he would suspend the federal gas tax amid higher prices stemming from the war with Iran.

He said the price of oil and gas would drop “like a rock” as soon as hostilities are over. Asked how long the suspension would last, he said “until it’s appropriate.”

The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own. Congress would have to approve the move.

The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Trump says Iran went back on allowing the US to remove its highly enriched uranium

Trump claims that Iran told his administration that it would allow the U.S. to come in and help extract its highly enriched uranium but went back on that in its latest ceasefire proposal.

“They changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper,” he said.

Trump added that besides taking the uranium, the U.S. wants Iran to “guarantee no nuclear weapons for a very long period of time and a couple of other minor things, but they just can’t get there. So they agree with us and then they take it back.”

Iran has not publicly agreed to give up its enriched uranium and insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

Trump says Iran ceasefire is on ‘life support’

President Trump on Monday said the Iran ceasefire is on “life support” after he rejected the country’s latest proposal for not including a nuclear concession.

Asked if the ceasefire was still in place, Trump said he’d say it’s “unbelievably weak” and on “life support.”

“I would call it the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us,” Trump said during an unrelated appearance in the Oval Office. “I didn’t even finish reading it.”

Democrats vow to fight $1 billion Senate security proposal for White House ballroom

Republicans returning to Washington on Monday are facing questions about a $1 billion Senate security proposal that could help pay for President Trump’s ballroom as Democrats say they’ll try to defeat it.

Senate Republicans added the money for White House security to a spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies Democrats have blocked since February. The steep security proposal was put forward after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month.

Republicans are using a partisan budget maneuver to push the spending legislation through Congress without any Democratic votes. But in a letter to colleagues Monday morning, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will fight it in other ways, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom security money from the budget bill and offering amendments forcing Republicans to vote on it.

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Trump administration announces new rule establishing a fertility benefit

Trump held an event in the Oval Office on Monday to announce that the Labor Department was issuing a new regulation to formally create a fertility benefit option for employers that could be offered to workers outside normal health insurance plans.

The Trump administration said in October that it had struck a deal with a drugmaker to reduce the cost of fertility medication.

Trump asked his guests at the event to speak quickly because generals were waiting for him to discuss the war in Iran.

Two regional diplomats say one issue frustrating Trump is Iran’s demand for war damages

They noted that, traditionally, reparations are paid by the defeated side and Trump is wary of the term “reparations” appearing in Iranian proposals, as agreeing to it could be seen as acknowledging defeat.

Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the ongoing negotiations.

One diplomat added that Pakistan is working to broker a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war and maintaining broader dialogue on unresolved issues.

He said Islamabad has support from other regional countries, and that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have been in contact with both sides, as well as regional governments, to help ensure the ceasefire holds, the war ends and the parties agree to in-person talks next week.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— Munir Ahmed

Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz?

Maritime experts say granting Iran exclusive sovereignty over the strait — or allowing it to collect tolls on ships passing through — would violate a basic and enduring principle of international maritime trade: freedom of peaceful navigation. It’s an ancient idea that was codified by the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea, which took effect in 1994.

Before the war, the strait was an international waterway through which ships were meant to pass freely.

Agreeing to Iranian sovereignty would cement the country’s control over the waterway — eroding the freedom of navigation on which global trade depends and potentially making other global choke points subject to geopolitical power plays.

Suspect’s lawyers seek to have Justice Department officials recused from the case

Cole Tomas Allen’s lawyers are asking U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner when Allen ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, authorities said. Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said the defense likely would seek to disqualify Pirro’s entire office from involvement in the case.

McFadden didn’t rule from the bench on that question but asked Allen’s attorneys to elaborate on the possible scope of their recusal request.

Allen is scheduled to return to court on June 29.

Man charged in White House correspondents’ dinner attack pleads not guilty

The California man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with guns and knives has pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill President Trump and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer who tried to stop the attack.

Cole Tomas Allen was handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform when he appeared in federal court for his arraignment Monday.

Allen didn’t speak during the brief hearing. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.

▶ Read more

Oil prices rise after Trump rejects Iran’s latest peace proposal, but US stocks hold steady

Oil prices are rising as the war with Iran threatens to drag on for longer, but the U.S. stock market is nevertheless holding near its record heights.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 1.7% to above $103 Monday after President Trump blasted Iran’s latest proposal to end their war as totally unacceptable. The rejection keeps the two sides in an uneasy limbo, one that’s already driven the price of Brent up from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

But the S&P 500 slipped just 0.1% from its record. The Dow fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.2%.

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Voter confusion and headaches for election officials follow hasty GOP push to redraw US House seats

Thousands of Louisiana voters have already cast early ballots for congressional candidates in what soon could be the wrong districts. Alabama’s primaries are a week away, but the state could force a do-over for voting on U.S. House races. A new congressional map in Tennessee upended races that had been underway for months.

Republicans’ rush to gerrymander congressional districts across several Southern states after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling hollowed out the Voting Rights Act is confusing voters and creating logistical headaches for local election officials. The changes are hitting while primary season is in progress.

The chaotic upheaval to an election season that could determine which party controls the U.S. House is the latest fallout from an intensely partisan gerrymandering battle initiated by President Trump last year to protect Republicans’ slim majority.

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Trump’s deal making with Xi may determine Hong Kong jailed activist Jimmy Lai’s fate

Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai once hoped Trump could help stop the imposition of a controversial national security law. The law not only took effect but was also used to sentence him to 20 years in prison.

Ahead of an anticipated trip by Trump to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, Lai’s son said his family is now hoping that Trump can help secure his father’s release.

Lai, a prominent critic of Beijing, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that was shut down during a crackdown following the city’s massive anti-government protests in 2019.

Trump is expected to discuss trade, the Iran war and Taiwan with Xi. But he said he is also planning to bring up Lai, telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, “there’s a little bitterness, I would say, with him and Jimmy Lai.”

Lai’s son says his family is hopeful that Trump could help, adding that it’s easier to resolve than many of the other complex geopolitical issues the leaders will discuss.

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World shares are mixed and oil rises after Trump rejects Iran’s response to ceasefire proposal

World shares were mixed Monday after Wall Street set more records, and oil rose more than 2% following U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of Tehran’s response to the latest U.S. proposal on ending the war in Iran.

U.S. futures edged less than 0.1% lower.

In early European trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 10,253.99. Germany’s DAX fell less than 0.1% to 24,328.17, and France’s CAC 40 lost 0.8% to 8,049.31.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.5% to 62,417.88 after briefing reaching another record high in intraday trading at above 63,300. Technology-focused investment holding company SoftBank Group, one of Japan’s largest stocks, fell more than 6%.

South Korea’s Kospi gained 4.3% to 7,822.24. It also hit an all-time intraday high, led by gains from tech-related stocks including Samsung Electronics and memory chipmaker SK Hynix.

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Iran war could make Trump’s trip to China a bit chillier than his first-term visit

Long before this week’s trip to China, Trump was already predicting on social media that Xi Jinping would “give me a big, fat hug when I get there.”

But Beijing’s deep economic ties to Iran, as well as trade tensions over tariff threats stretching back to Trump’s first term, could crimp the good feelings when Trump flies to Beijing this week — even though the Republican president has for years effusively praised Xi, making it clear he sees China’s leader as a competitor strong enough to warrant his respect and admiration.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that Beijing is willing to work with the U.S., based on equality and mutual respect, to expand cooperation, manage differences, and add stability to a turbulent world. The diplomacy between the leaders “plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role” in the bilateral relation, he said.

There will be plenty of ceremonial splendor, but the grandeur is not expected to rival Trump’s first visit to China in 2017, which Beijing dubbed a “state visit-plus.”

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Trump-Xi summit comes with high stakes for Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its own

Trump, in his return to the White House, has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an approach that is raising questions ahead of this week’s summit with Xi Jinping about whether the U.S. leader could be open to dialing back support for the island democracy that Beijing views as its breakaway province.

Trump in December authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan — the largest weapons sale ever to the island — but has not yet moved forward with delivery and even acknowledged that he’s discussed the sale with Xi. He’s groused that Taiwan “stole” America’s semiconductor business and called on Taiwan to pay the U.S. for protection.

All the while, Trump has, with the threat of hefty tariffs, prodded Taipei to agree to massive investments in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas and crude oil.

His rhetoric is fueling speculation in Beijing, Taipei and Washington about America’s commitment to help the island defend itself.

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Iran and the US are at an impasse ahead of Trump’s China trip

Iran and the United States reached an impasse again Monday over how to end their war while their ceasefire grew increasingly shaky, with the two sides exchanging fire in recent days, ships and Gulf states being targeted, and fighting flaring between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The volatility could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict, with Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and America’s blockade of Iranian ports still in place. Trump is expected to use a trip this week to China to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran into making concessions and end the current limbo. Beijing is the biggest buyer of the Islamic Republic’s sanctioned crude oil, giving it leverage.

Trump said Sunday that Iran’s response to his latest proposal was “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Ending the blockade before discussing Iran’s nuclear program would eliminate a major point of leverage for Trump in the talks.

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Rodríguez was speaking at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the final day of hearings in a dispute between her country and neighboring Guyana over the massive mineral- and oil-rich Essequibo region.

“We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” said Rodríguez, who assumed power in January following a U.S. military operation that ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela is “not a colony, but a free country,” she added.

Speaking to Fox News earlier on Monday, Trump said he was “seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st US state,” according to a post by Fox News' co-anchor John Roberts on social media. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Trump has made similar comments about Canada.

Rodríguez went on to say that Venezuelan and U.S. officials have been in touch and are working on “cooperation and understanding.”

Before addressing Trump's comments, Rodríguez defended her country’s claim to Essequibo at the United Nations' highest court, telling judges that political negotiations — not a judicial ruling — will resolve the century-old territorial dispute.

The 62,000-square-mile territory, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana, is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. It also sits near massive offshore oil deposits currently producing an average 900,000 barrels a day.

That output is close to Venezuela’s daily production of about 1 million barrels a day and has transformed one of the smallest countries in South America into a significant energy producer.

Venezuela has considered Essequibo its own since the Spanish colonial period, when the jungle region fell within its boundaries. But an 1899 decision by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States drew the border along the Essequibo River largely in favor of Guyana.

Venezuela has argued that a 1966 agreement sealed in Geneva to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the 19th-century arbitration. In 2018, however, three years after ExxonMobil announced a significant oil discovery off the Essequibo coast, Guyana’s government went to the International Court of Justice and asked judges to uphold the 1899 ruling.

Tensions between the countries further flared in 2023, when Rodríguez’s predecessor, Maduro, threatened to annex the region by force after holding a referendum asking voters if Essequibo should be turned into a Venezuelan state. Maduro was captured Jan. 3 during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

Rodríguez did not address the referendum in her remarks, but she told the court that the 1966 agreement is designed to allow negotiations between Venezuela and Guyana to resolve the territorial dispute. And she accused Guyana’s government of undermining the agreement with the “opportunistic” decision to ask the court to address the dispute.

“At a time when the mechanisms established in the Geneva agreement were still fully in force, Guyana unilaterally chose to shift the dispute from the negotiating arena to a judicial resolution,” she said. “This change was not accidental; it coincided with the discovery in 2015 of the oil field that would become world-renowned.”

When hearings opened last week, Guyana’s foreign minister, Hugh Hilton Todd, told the panel of international judges that the dispute “has been a blight on our existence as a sovereign state from the very beginning.” He said that 70% of Guyana’s territory is at stake.

The court is likely to take months to issue a final and legally binding ruling in the case.

Venezuela has warned that its participation in the hearings does not mean either consent to, or recognition of, the court’s jurisdiction.

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Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City.

Trump in December authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan — the largest weapons sale ever to the island — but has not yet moved forward with delivery and even acknowledged that he's discussed the sale with Xi. He's groused that Taiwan “stole” America’s semiconductor business and called on Taiwan to pay the U.S. for protection.

All the while, Trump has, with the threat of hefty tariffs, prodded Taipei to agree to massive investments in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas and crude oil.

The president during an Oval Office exchange with reporters on Monday said that he expected Xi would ask him to hold back on arming Taiwan.

“I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi,” Trump said about China's strong opposition to the U.S. providing weapons to Taiwan. “President Xi would like us not to, and I’ll have that discussion.”

Trump's rhetoric is fueling speculation in Beijing, Taipei and Washington about America’s commitment to help the island defend itself and whether the Republican president could be persuaded to cede ground on the long-standing U.S. posture toward the island.

Taiwan’s backers are concerned that Taipei will be “on the menu” when Trump and Xi sit down for talks, said retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery.

“I do worry that we have a transactional president and a transactional opportunity could arise, and then we would have a challenge,” said Montgomery, now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that supports robust U.S. backing of Taiwan.

Rubio says US policy is unchanged

The Chinese have signaled they intend to make Taiwan a central part of the talks. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised Taiwan during a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prepare for the trip, and urged the United States to “make the right choices” about its policies toward the island in order to safeguard “stability” between the two nations, according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

But Rubio said U.S. policy has not changed. “We don’t want to see any forced or compelled change in the situation,” he told reporters in Rome on Friday, saying it “would be destabilizing to the world.” He noted that Taiwan would not be “a feature of our trip, but it’ll certainly be an item that’s discussed.”

White House officials have underscored that Trump, who also approved $330 million in aircraft parts for Taiwan's military in November, has already approved more in military sales for Taiwan in the first year of his second term than the roughly $8.4 billion that Democratic President Joe Biden approved over his four years in office.

Taiwan has been under pressure from the Trump administration to increase its defense spending, and on Friday its lawmakers broke months of gridlock to approve $25 billion in arms purchases. It was significantly less than the $40 billion proposal put forward last year by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. A senior Trump administration official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said it was disappointing that the parliament did not fully fund Lai's proposal.

Taiwanese government officials have expressed concern about China's rhetoric ahead of the summit, though they've also taken some comfort from Rubio's measured comments.

“(China) may attempt some maneuvering during the talks, but the U.S. has repeatedly reiterated, through both public and private channels, that its policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged,” National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen told reporters.

Xi may look to loosen US-Taiwan ties

The key question, China experts say, is just how far Xi will try to go in his effort to prod Trump closer to Beijing's view.

China sees the self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province, to be annexed by force if necessary. It prohibits countries it has diplomatic relations with from having formal ties with Taipei. Since establishing diplomatic relations with modern China in 1979, the U.S. has managed to stay within the framework of Beijing’s demands while maintaining informal support for Taiwan and providing it with arms.

As part of the U.S. ambiguity on Taiwan, Washington acknowledges Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China but does not explicitly endorse it. The U.S. has also historically stated it “does not support” Taiwan’s independence and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo between Taiwan and China.

But analysts say Xi could seek to persuade Trump — who already has demonstrated a willingness to blur the lines of traditional diplomacy — to loosen ties with Taiwan through curbs on U.S. arms sales or with informal limits on visits by prominent U.S. officials to the island. In February, Trump suggested he broke from longstanding U.S. policy and consulted with Xi on arms sales to Taiwan.

“Even if we don’t see something as dramatic as a formal shift in declaratory policy, this time around, there is always a risk that President Trump may make an off-the-cuff remark given he’s not necessarily somebody who appreciates the nuances of longstanding policy language,” said Patricia Kim of the Assessing China Project at Brookings Institution in Washington.

White House sits out Japan-China rift

A row between U.S. ally Japan and China has also raised speculation about the strength of Trump's commitment to Taiwan. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan was of concern to the region and could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan, requiring the use of force.

Trump made back-to-back calls with Takaichi and Xi that same month, though he's remained largely silent about the spat.

“I know they have a little bit of an edgy relationship,” Trump said as he hosted Takaichi for talks in March.

Additionally, Trump’s backing of Taiwan faced scrutiny after the 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy omitted direct mention of the island.

The best-case scenario for Taiwan

One card Taiwan holds is its robust semiconductor sector, the world’s largest, which the U.S. relies on to maintain an edge in its advanced-technology race against China.

“Trump at the very least realizes the role that Taiwan plays in the U.S.’s economic growth,” said Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University. “So I think that is sort of the main silver lining in thinking that nothing drastic will change in terms of policy toward Taiwan.”

While Trump is known for his transactional nature, his administration has not viewed difficult aspects of the U.S.-China relationship as “fungible” issues that can be traded, said Edgard Kagan, a former senior State Department official who served under Trump and Biden on East Asia policy issues.

“The president understands leverage. My experience of being in meetings with him, he has a very, very acute sense of how to use it,” said Kagan, who is now the China Studies chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “And so I think that the idea that there’s going to be a trade where the president sort of sacrifices U.S. interests in Taiwan in order to get other things — I think it’s unlikely based on my own experience of how he operates.”

In the end, whether the island comes out of the Xi-Trump summit on a stronger or weaker footing will likely be judged by the leaders’ public statements.

Trump on Monday reiterated that he's confident that Xi won't take military action against Taiwan under his watch.

“I think the best-case scenario Taiwan can hope for is that Taiwan is not talked about publicly or, at the very least, in a minimal way,” Nachman said.

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Mistreanu reported from Taipei. Associated Press writer Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.

The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own. Congress would have to approve the move.

Lawmakers from both parties have pushed for a gas-tax suspension, saying it would provide much-needed relief for families and businesses that rely on their cars and trucks to get to work and school and run everyday errands.

As of Monday, the average national gas price was $4.52 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club, 50% higher than the average price of just under $3 a gallon before Trump began the war against Iran.

What the gas tax supports

The federal tax is currently set at 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel, an amount that does not include state taxes, which often are higher. The tax provides more than $23 billion per year in revenue for federal highway and public transit programs.

Asked by reporters at the White House how long the tax should be suspended, Trump said, “Until it’s appropriate.” While the tax is only a small percentage of the price of gas, “it’s still money,” Trump said.

As gas prices have spiked, the Trump administration has released millions of barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve and temporarily lifted sanctions on some Russian and Iranian oil shipments already at sea. The U.S. is negotiating with countries reliant on Middle East crude to join a coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil normally flows.

Trump needs Congress — and they're beginning to react

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said on social media Monday that he will introduce legislation to suspend the gas tax. Democrats have previously sponsored similar legislation.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also said in a post on X that she will introduce a bill “to suspend the federal gas tax in light of Trump’s recent remarks.”

The ongoing spike in gas prices has set off alarms among some Republicans that it could hurt the party's chances in the midterm elections. Trump has previously said higher fuel prices are worth paying to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

That hardline message appeared to soften Sunday as Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the Trump administration was “open to all ideas,” including a suspension of the gas tax, during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

A bill sponsored by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Mark Kelly of Arizona would suspend the federal tax through Oct. 1. A similar measure was sponsored in the House by Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.

"Trump’s war of choice with Iran is driving up gas prices across the country — and Americans shouldn’t have to bear the additional economic burden of Trump’s reckless decision making,” Blumenthal said in introducing the bill.

Several states, including Indiana and Georgia, have recently suspended their taxes to alleviate high prices amid the war. Kentucky and Utah have reduced their state tax. Other states are weighing similar suspensions or tax reductions.

There are drawbacks, industry group says

The gasoline tax is the single largest source of revenue for federal highway and public transit programs.

While proposed bills would offset any lost Highway Trust Fund revenue with general funds, the tax suspension could raise the federal deficit and jeopardize the long-term sustainability of investments for highway and public transit programs, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, which represents the transportation construction industry.

The group cites studies showing that many retailers do not pass on the full amount of the gas tax reduction to consumers. Research also suggests that state and federal gas taxes are just one component of a complex pricing scheme that includes the global price of oil and other factors.

Before he spent Sunday “just carving everyone up” in his second consecutive win at Watkins Glen International, the knives were playfully out for the Trackhouse Racing driver.

“My mates were all giving me (guff) yesterday about how I’m getting too old,” van Gisbergen said after his second consecutive win on the road course in New York. “I don’t feel old. I felt like that’s one of the best races I’ve driven. It was pretty cool.”

His seventh career Cup win might have featured his most impressive drive yet.

After giving up the lead with 24 laps remaining, van Gisbergen made up 23 spots and nearly 30 seconds in 17 laps. With his first victory since last October, he tied Chase Elliott for most road and street-course wins among active Cup drivers.

“We have a race car driver that is at a level that I don’t think this sport has ever seen before on these road courses,” said Trackhouse Racing founder and co-owner Justin Marks, who gave the driver nicknamed “SVG” his chance at NASCAR with a ride in the inaugural Chicago Street Race three years ago.

The three-time champion of Australia’s Supercars responded by becoming the first driver to win his Cup debut in 60 years. He has since been nearly unbeatable on road and street courses — winning six of the past seven races on the tracks with left and right turns.

The question now becomes whether van Gisbegen can achieve the same excellence on the ovals that dominate the Cup Series circuit.

The Watkins Glen win moved him up three positions into the 16th and last provisional spot in the NASCAR Chase. He is six points ahead of Chase Briscoe and 38 in front of three-time Cup champion Joey Logano, but van Gisbergen isn’t locked into the 10-race championship run as he was for last year’s playoffs, which have been overhauled this season.

With the end of the “win-and-in” format, van Gisbergen will need to stockpile points through consistently solid finishes in his second full year of racing full time in NASCAR’s top series.

“I really want to earn my way in this year, and that’s what you have to do,” he said. “I know that we need to get a lot better as a team, and I still need to improve a lot as a driver.”

Trackhouse also has work to do — teammates Ross Chastain (19th in points) and Connor Zilisch (32nd) are ranked well outside the Chase.

“It’s been easy to see that we’ve certainly been behind,” Marks said. “We’ve been working harder behind the scenes than we have ever in the history of this company because the way that we started this season, it’s unacceptable to us.”

Marks said there was “some light at the end of the tunnel” with the speed of the Trackhouse Chevrolets two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway. Chastain and Zilisch qualified in the top 20 while van Gisbergen was a disappointing 30th.

“I feel like I went backward a bit going to Texas,” he said. “It’s a track I haven’t been to much, and I’ve still got so much to learn there. Other tracks, I’m really getting to know them and what I want the car to feel like.”

Of the 14 races left in the regular season, there are 12 ovals, a road course (Sonoma) and a street course (the inaugural race in San Diego). If he can match his early performance (four top 15s in the first six ovals), van Gisbergen believes he can return to the Chase and solidify a NASCAR career that he would like to take into the next decade.

“I still enjoy it and still feel like I’m learning a lot, especially the last couple of years,” he said. “It’s probably more than I’ve ever learned, and I don’t feel like I’m getting any slower. I’ll keep doing it as much as I can.”

Marks on Project 91

Marks discovered van Gisbergen through the team’s Project 91 program, which aims to put international racing stars in one-off Cup rides.

After fielding van Gisbergen, Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen and four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, Project 91 has been on hiatus since the 2025 Daytona 500 but isn’t out of commission. “I would say don’t forget about Project 91,” Marks said Sunday when asked about its status. “That’s all I’ll say right now.”

Extension for Stenhouse

Hyak Motorsports announced a multiyear contract extension Monday with 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who has been with the team since 2020.

“Ricky has been a huge part of what we’re building at Hyak Motorsports, and we’re proud to continue this partnership for years to come," team owner Gordon Smith said in a statement.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Starmer said he would “face up to the big challenges” and restore hope to the country, in part by forging closer ties with the European Union, six years after the U.K.'s acrimonious departure from the bloc.

“I know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will,” Starmer said during a speech in London intended to kickstart his fightback against detractors.

It did not appear to have the intended effect. In the hours after the speech a steady stream of Labour lawmakers spoke to the media or posted on social media saying Starmer should resign, either now or soon.

Several of those calling for him to go were ministerial aides, in an apparently coordinated move aimed at putting pressure on Starmer's Cabinet to deliver an ultimatum.

Labour despondent at election losses

Labour has been plunged into gloom by heavy losses last week in local elections across England and legislative votes in Scotland and Wales. The elections have been interpreted as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he swept to power in a landslide less than two years ago.

Starmer's government has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps and policy U-turns on issues including welfare reform. He has been further hurt by his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

Last week’s elections saw Labour squeezed from both right and left, losing votes to both Reform UK and the “eco-populist” Green Party. The result reflects the increasing fragmentation of British politics, long dominated by Labour and the Conservatives.

Starmer hopes to regain more momentum with an ambitious set of legislative plans to be set out in a speech Wednesday by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

In Monday's speech, he vowed to prove to millions of people “tired of a status quo that has failed them” that the government is on their side.

He said Labour is in “a battle for the soul of our nation,” and warned Britain will go down “a dark path” if Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, comes to power.

Starmer told an audience of party lawmakers and activists that the government will take control of Britain's energy, economic and defense security and make the country fairer. He announced plans to nationalize what is left of the once-mighty British Steel, a move that could save some industrial jobs in an area where working-class voters have deserted Labour for Reform UK.

Starmer also pledged to put Britain “at the heart of Europe” and forge closer ties with the 27-nation EU. Farage, who spearheaded the Brexit campaign, and Reform UK oppose any move to get closer to the EU.

Brexit has been a drag on the British economy, and President Donald Trump's “America First” economic and foreign policy has spurred Britain to seek closer defense, security and economic cooperation with its European neighbors.

Starmer’s government has already moved to ease trade restrictions with the EU, and he said he will secure a youth mobility deal so young people can spend a few years working across the continent.

Labour supporters are largely anti-Brexit, which failed to deliver the benefits its backers promised. But Starmer has been reluctant to reopen a debate that bitterly divided the country. He has ruled out seeking to reenter the EU, or to rejoin the bloc's customs union or single market, things that would make a big economic difference.

Rivals weigh making a move

British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

None of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers to Starmer — including former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham — has yet called for him to resign.

Rayner did not explicitly call for Starmer to quit, but accused him of presiding over “a toxic culture of cronyism” and said the government must “stay true to Labour and social democratic values” and ease the cost of living for working people.

Labour lawmaker Catherine West, who had vowed to trigger a leadership challenge if Monday's speech didn’t mark a major turning point, said she would hold off for now, though she urged Starmer to resign by September.

More than 50 other lawmakers also urged him to announce a departure date, with the number ticking up in the hours after the speech.

“I don’t think we saw a plan from the prime minister this morning in order to implement the kind of change that this country needs, and I therefore think it’s time for us to look for new leadership," lawmaker Chris Curtis told Sky News.

But some who attended Starmer's speech said kicking out the man who led them to victory in 2024 would be counterproductive.

“You can't be changing prime ministers two years in,” said Kevin Craig, a former local councilor in London. “It's really important we stay grown-up now.”

Missouri’s football program announced in a statement that Hardy was shot early Sunday morning and that the All-America running back underwent surgery for the gunshot wound later that day.

WJTV 12 News reported Hardy was shot in the upper leg, according to police, and the Laurel (Mississippi) Leader-Call reported the shooting happened at an outdoor concert at a bike club in Laurel.

“There had been a scheduled concert there of some rappers, or maybe a couple of different rappers,” Laurel police Sgt. Macon Davis told the Leader-Call. “It drew a large crowd, and then gunshots rang out at the end.”

Three people of interest were in custody, Davis told the Leader-Call. He described the scene as a “melee," saying at least two people were injured and it was a miracle others were not.

The Associated Press left Davis a voicemail requesting more information.

Missouri said it would provide more information on Hardy’s status as it becomes available.

“Ahmad is deeply loved by his teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans,” the statement said. “We will continue to stand beside him and his family through this difficult time, offering our love, prayers, strength and support. A timeline for his return to football activities is unknown at this time.”

Hardy earned first-team Associated Press All-America honors last season and was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award given annually to college football’s top running back. He rushed for 1,649 yards to rank second among all Bowl Subdivision players.

Hardy is from Oma, Mississippi. He started his college career at Louisiana-Monroe but transferred to Missouri before the 2025 season.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Behind the scenes, it’s been Jessica Pegula, the 2024 U.S. Open runner-up, organizing the top tennis players in their protest with the Grand Slams over the share of tournament revenues devoted to prize money.

It comes naturally to Pegula, who grew up in a household of sports managers: Her parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.

“I think it maybe does (come naturally) just because I feel like I’ve taken on a bit of a leadership role with it,” Pegula said.

Already this year, No. 5-ranked Pegula was named to lead a new 13-person panel to suggest changes to the women’s tennis calendar, rankings points rules and the requirements about competing in certain events. Now she's taking on the prize money issue, too.

“I’m not afraid to go up to any type of player and go like, ‘Hey, are you interested in this or not?’" Pegula said. "Some players, they don’t care, sometimes they’re not worried about it. Sometimes they’re like, ’Yeah, for sure, I’m 100% in.' I’ve been reaching out to players on the men’s and women’s side.”

Sabalenka said last week the players should consider a boycott for a bigger slice of tournament revenue, while Sinner said there’s a lack of respect.

“At the end of the day the players are the ones that have the big voices,” Pegula said. “It’s been nice to see Aryna and Jannik kind of step out. I know a lot of other players feel the same way. But to have the two No. 1s very outspoken about it, that’s kind of what it takes to get them to listen.”

Players' share dropped in Paris

Whereas in the NFL and NHL athletes take home about 50% of the revenues, at most tennis events the number isn’t even half of that. The upcoming French Open is allegedly devoting under 14.9% to the players — down from 15.5% in 2024, according to a players’ protest statement issued last week.

Roland Garros organizers announced last month they were increasing overall prize money by about 10% for an overall pot of 61.7 million euros ($72.1 million), with the total amount up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players’ said that the the underlying figures tell a very different story.

“It’s crazy. It’s an insane difference. Obviously they’re different sports. They’re run differently," Pegula said, comparing tennis to the NFL. "But tennis has been a very old-school sport. I think it’s one of the things that needs to change. Sometimes change is good. Sometimes that means fighting for things.”

The same group of players sent a letter a year ago to the heads of the four Grand Slams seeking more prize money and a greater say in decision-making. Wimbledon increased its 2025 total pot by 7%, the U.S. Open by 20% and the Australian Open this past January by 16%.

Still, the players say the Grand Slams don’t match the rate of 22% at regular ATP and WTA Tour events.

“The slams have kind of just gotten away with paying not that much because we’re a very individual sport,” Pegula said. “It’s hard to get players to come together. We’re not on a salary where football players or basketball players can afford not to play.”

Organizers at the French Open, which starts in less than two weeks, have not responded to requests for comment.

Wimbledon is due to announce its prize money next month and Pegula said the players have not had a response from the All England Club.

“We’re just going to kind of continue to talk amongst ourselves,” she said.

One of the big issues affecting tennis governance is that there are seven organizing bodies: The four Grand Slams, the ATP, the WTA and the International Tennis Federation.

“That’s what makes it so hard is that our sport is super fragmented. Hard to get everybody on the same page,” Pegula said. “That’s why it’s been huge to actually have the top 10 men and women really come together. I’m hoping that will get the Slams’ attention.”

Pegula advances in Rome

Before she gets to Paris, Pegula has been perfecting her clay-court game at the Italian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over Anastasia Potapova on Monday. She routed Rebeka Masarova 6-0, 6-0 in the previous round.

Pegula will next face three-time Rome champion Iga Swiatek or four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.

Sabres' playoff run

In between her matches and prize money activist duties, Pegula has been struggling to watch the Sabres’ run to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years due to the time difference between the U.S. and Europe.

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Sabres 6-2 in Game 3 on Sunday night to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round playoff series.

“My gosh, I am so upset that I have not been able to see any of the games,” Pegula said. “I would give anything to just be at a playoff game. … I love it so much. It’s my favorite thing.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Sanctions were also slapped on seven centers suspected of indoctrinating the children or training them to serve in the armed forces, either for Russia or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine.

Over 130 people and “entities” are now under EU travel bans and asset freezes over the abductions.

EU headquarters said the measures target “those responsible for the systematic unlawful deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination and militarized education, of Ukrainian minors, as well as their unlawful adoption and removal to the Russian Federation and within temporarily occupied territories.”

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, about 20,500 children have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territories in eastern Ukraine.

EU officials say many of the children are stripped of their Ukrainian identity and culture, given Russian passports and put up for adoption. Some are forced into schools for indoctrination or into military camps.

“Russia is trying to erase their identity,” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said Monday at a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels, where the sanctions were endorsed. “When you look at the Genocide Convention, it’s one of the features of the genocide crime. So, it’s very serious.”

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions.

Around 2,200 children have been returned, but identifying them is complicated. Those taken at a young age can be difficult to recognize just a few years later. Getting them home is a harrowing task, and while Ukraine has reintegration structures in place some may face a long period of adaption when they return.

The EU on Monday was hosting, alongside Canada, a meeting of the 47-country International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia and rally support for work to verify and trace those who are taken.

“War has really many faces, but stealing the children is really one of the most horrific,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said ahead of the gathering. “We should stop this, and Russia should pay.”

The officials targeted by Monday’s sanctions include the heads of children’s camps, government representatives and military officers in charge of youth training.

One of the 16 named was Lilya Shvetsova, head of the “Red Carnation” camp in occupied Crimea. The EU said she supervised “activities aimed at shaping the political and ideological views of children present at the facility, including Ukrainian children.”

Like others on the list, she was determined to be “supporting and implementing actions and policies contributing to the deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination, or militarized education of Ukrainian minors.”

Passengers from the ship began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands. Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, an effort that continued Monday.

Three cruise ship passengers have died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the World Health Organization. The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said Monday.

Health authorities say the risk to the broader public is low from the first-ever hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. While there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates.

The ship's captain, Jan Dobrogowski, issued a video message Monday praising passengers and crew for their courage and perseverance, and he called for respect for their privacy.

“I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike,” he said.

New cases in France, United States

The French woman who tested positive for the hantavirus is in intensive care in stable condition at a Paris hospital, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Monday. He said four French passengers who returned Sunday have tested negative but remain in isolation at the same hospital.

One of 18 evacuated passengers flown to the U.S. also tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing symptoms, while another had mild symptoms, U.S. health officials said.

After landing early Monday, 16 American passengers — one of them a British-U.S. dual citizen — were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which has a federally funded quarantine facility and a biocontainment unit for treating people with highly infectious diseases. They were being assessed to determine if they had close contact with any symptomatic people and their risk levels for spreading the virus.

An American who tested positive for hantavirus on the cruise chip was taken to the Omaha campus' biocontainment unit and will be tested again. The passenger “is doing well and not having symptoms at this time,” said Dr. Angela Hewlett, the unit's medical director.

The others taken to Nebraska will be monitored in quarantine for several days. They arrived “in good shape, good spirits,” said Dr. Michael Wadman, the quarantine unit's medical director.

Two additional American passengers, a couple, arrived Monday at a medical facility at Emory University in Atlanta. One of them has mild symptoms and will be tested for hantavirus.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean, just because someone has symptoms, that they’re going to end up having this illness,” said Dr. Brendan Jackson of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Some public health experts have accused the U.S. government of being slow to respond to the hantavirus outbreak. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rejected the notion that cuts at his agency had left the U.S. less prepared.

“We have this under control," Kennedy said Monday, “and we’re not worried about it.”

WHO recommends close monitoring of former passengers

The evacuation of passengers from Tenerife was due to wrap up on Monday, with 22 of the 54 passengers and crew remaining on the ship set to disembark. The remaining 32 will remain on the ship as it returns to the Netherlands.

South African health authorities said on Monday that the condition of a British man admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg and being treated for hantavirus was gradually improving. He was evacuated from the ship on April 27 after becoming ill.

The Hondius left the southern Argentine port of Ushuaia on April 1 and a Dutch passenger died on board April 11. It wasn’t until early May that the WHO said it was reacting to a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the ship, which by that time was off the West African island nation of Cape Verde.

The Dutch couple who presented the first two cases had traveled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay before boarding the ship, the WHO said. They visited sites where the species of rat known to carry Andes virus was present.

Health officials say risk to public is low

Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms — which can include fever, chills and muscle aches — usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday that the general public should not be worried about the outbreak. “This is not another COVID. And the risk to the public is low. So they shouldn’t be scared, and they shouldn’t panic.”

WHO is recommending that passengers’ home countries “have active monitoring and follow-up, which means daily health checks, either at home or in a specialized facility,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.

Numerous countries have said their people will be quarantined or hospitalized for observation.

The ship's captain, Dobrogowski, said his thoughts “are with the ones that are no longer with us, and whatever I say will not ease this loss, but I’d like you to know that they are with us every day in our hearts and our thoughts.”

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Corder reported from the Hague, Netherlands. AP journalists Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Mike Stobbe in New York and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed reporting.

Apple Corps Ltd, the company founded by the Fab Four, announced Monday that it will open a new seven-floor fan experience at the company's early headquarters. The building is the place where the band's “Let It Be” album was recorded and its rooftop was the site of the Beatles' last public performance on Jan. 30, 1969.

The attraction in central London will allow fans access to the rooftop, studios and extensive Beatles archives.

“It was such a trip to get back to 3 Savile Row recently and have a look around. There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready,” Paul McCartney said in a statement announcing the attraction.

“Wow, it's like coming home,” Ringo Starr said in a statement.

An opening date for the attraction has not yet been announced.

Interest in the Beatles remains high, with four biopics in production. Peter Jackson's 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back,” relied heavily on footage filmed during the “Let It Be” recording sessions and of the farewell rooftop performance.

In 2023, artificial intelligence helped create the final Beatles recording, the song “Now and Then,” which relied on recordings by the original Beatles.

The stalled diplomacy and recent exchanges of fire could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict. Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil and gas shipments, and America is blockading Iranian ports.

Asked at the White House if the ceasefire was still in effect, Trump said it’s on “life support.”

“I would call it the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us,” Trump added. “I didn’t even finish reading it.”

Trump also said he supported a suspension of the federal tax on gasoline — just over 18 cents per gallon and 24 cents for diesel. Congress, which is controlled by Republicans, would have to approve. The tax brings in more than $23 billion each year.

His pledge came after fuel prices surged past $4.50 a gallon last week. Trump predicted that the price of oil and gas would drop “like a rock” as soon as hostilities are over.

The two sides remain far apart

Trump has demanded a major rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities, while Iran is pushing for a more limited agreement that would reopen the strait and lift the blockade ahead of further negotiations.

On Monday, Trump claimed that Iran had said it would allow the U.S. to come in and help extract its highly enriched uranium but went back on that in its latest ceasefire proposal. “They changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper,” he said.

Iran has not publicly agreed to give up its uranium, saying it has a right to enrich and that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

Two regional officials told The Associated Press that Iran has offered to dilute part of its highly enriched uranium and transport the rest to a third country. Russia has previously offered to take it. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.

Trump is expected to use a trip this week to China to urge President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran. Beijing is the biggest buyer of Iran’s sanctioned crude oil, giving it leverage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Trump on Feb. 28, has also demanded that all of Iran's highly enriched uranium be removed from the country.

He told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday that if that can't be accomplished with negotiations, Israel and the U.S. agree “we can reengage them militarily.”

Iran's proposal included far-reaching demands

Iran's proposal asked that the U.S. recognize its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, formalizing its control over the international waterway. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the start of the war, allowing only a small number of ships to pass and charging tolls.

But experts say such an arrangement would likely violate international law that provides for freedom of navigation. That proposal is also likely to be widely rejected by the international community. The strait was open to international traffic before the war.

Iran is also demanding war reparations from the U.S., the lifting of international sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets held abroad and an end to the war between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to Iranian state TV.

Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange blows, mainly in southern Lebanon, since a nominal ceasefire took hold last month.

“We did not demand any concessions — the only thing we demanded was Iran’s legitimate rights,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday. “The American side still insists on its one-sided views and unreasonable demands.”

Pakistan still trying to negotiate a deal

Two regional diplomats familiar with the ongoing talks said that Pakistan was continuing its efforts to broker a compromise.

One of the diplomats said Pakistan was trying to arrange a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and paving the way for a broader dialogue on issues where the two sides remain divided.

Pakistan had hoped to help finalize the memorandum last week, but the effort did not materialize, and mediators are still working on various proposals, the diplomat said.

The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the behind-the-scenes diplomacy, added that Islamabad is receiving support from other regional countries in its peace efforts.

Iran keeps up its executions

Meanwhile, Iran executed another man it accused of spying for both the CIA and Israel's Mossad intelligence service. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Erfan Shakourzadeh had worked on satellite communications and relayed classified information to those intelligence services.

Iran has carried out a string of executions since nationwide protests swept the country in January. Activist groups have long accused Iran of carrying out closed-door trials during which defendants are unable to fully defend themselves. Iran's judiciary chief has repeatedly said that Tehran would increase the speed with which it carried out hangings to fight back against its enemies at home and abroad.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Kim from Washington. Associated Press reporter Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed.

Nearly half of American business economists who responded to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics say that the conflict has negatively impacted their operations, according to a report released Monday, and most (54%) say they've been affected by rising energy prices. More than two-thirds reported steeper material expenses over the last three months, the highest level NABE has seen since July 2022.

The Iran war, which began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, has plunged the world into an energy crisis. Crude oil costs continue to rise amid Washington and Tehran's ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz — worsening price spikes for companies and households around the globe. As fuel gets more expensive, transportation costs are eating further into businesses' everyday operations. Supply disruptions for a range of other necessities, including fertilizer, are also causing growing strain.

Consumers are footing more and more of that bill as businesses pass higher costs to their shoppers, beyond the immediate sticker shock at the gas pump.

Nearly half (48%) of NABE's survey respondents — who are economists from businesses, trade associations and academia — indicated that their firms were passing on at least some cost increases to customers, which is actually down from 60% in January. But NABE found that a growing number (16%) also expect to raise prices over the next six months, while none plan to lower prices.

Most of the respondents say their firms are seeing strong sales now and have stable profit outlooks. That falls in line with what traders are more widely feeling on Wall Street, where eye-catching earnings from companies ranging from tech to big oil have helped propel markets to near-record highs recently.

Still, only 13% of the NABE survey's respondents said they expect their profits to rise in the near future. NABE says that's the lowest share it's seen since 2023.

Employment and spending could see more impacts soon. Nearly a quarter of NABE survey respondents said they plan to scale back investment and hiring in the next six months.

“Sales over the past three months were steady, but materials costs increased and profit margins declined,” Martha Moore, chair of the NABE’s survey, said in a prepared statement — noting that expectations had “softened” across several indicators, while the outlook for prices continues to accelerate.

Moore, who is also chief economist and managing director at the American Chemistry Council, pointed to rising recession concerns. Half of the survey's respondents see a more than one-in-four chance the U.S. falls into a recession within the next year, up from 44% of respondents who projected such a likelihood in January, NABE found.

The move, which effectively deputizes the global financial system to help disrupt Iran’s sanctions-evasion infrastructure, comes as the U.S. and Iran reached another impasse over how to end their war while their ceasefire has grown increasingly shaky.

President Donald Trump on Monday said the Iran ceasefire is on “life support” after he rejected Tehran’s latest proposal to end the war.

The Trump administration is calling on banks to flag certain customers who may launder funds for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — including newly formed companies moving unusually large amounts of money, firms that route payments through multiple intermediaries or transactions connected to Iranian crypto firms, among other indicators.

As part of the U.S. initiative to monitor Iranian oil sales, banks are being asked to watch out for oil labeled as “Malaysian blend” to disguise its Iranian origin, missing or falsified shipping documents or ship-to-ship oil transfers that obscure where cargo came from.

A Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network report released Monday says oil firms linked to Iran conducted roughly $4 billion in transactions in 2024.

And dozens of shipping companies based in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong — all connected to transporting sanctioned Iranian oil — processed about $707 million through U.S. accounts in 2024.

Along with a bombing campaign in Iran, the Trump administration has turned toward an economic-focused effort aimed at choking Tehran into submission, through sanctions and the threat of secondary sanctions on Iran's allies.

In April, Treasury sent a letter to financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Oman threatening to levy secondary sanctions for doing business with Iran and accusing those countries of allowing Iranian illicit activities to flow through their financial institutions.

The Astros said Monday that Cárdenas died Sunday at his home in Houston.

Cárdenas joined the Dodgers when they moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958. He was part of the first Spanish broadcast of the World Series in 1959 and the All-Star Game two years later.

“We mourn the passing of René Cárdenas, who in 1958 with the Dodgers became the first full-time Spanish-language broadcaster in MLB history and would ultimately spend 21 years behind the mic for Los Angeles,” the Dodgers said Sunday in a social media post.

The expansion Houston Colt .45s hired Cárdenas in 1961 for their inaugural season of 1962. He spent 14 seasons with a franchise that was renamed the Astros in 1965, when they moved into the Astrodome.

“With yesterday’s passing of Rene Cardenas, we lost a true legend and pioneer in broadcasting,” the Astros wrote Monday in a statement on social media. “As the franchise first Spanish broadcaster, Rene had a tremendous impact on the success of the Colt .45s/Astros in Houston’s large Hispanic community and beyond. We send our heartfelt condolences to Rene’s family and loved ones.”

Cárdenas returned to his native Nicaragua in 1975 before coming back to MLB in 1981, when he was the first Spanish broadcaster for the Rangers, according to retired Rangers public relations executive John Blake.

A second stint with the Dodgers lasted nearly two decades starting in 1982. He also returned to the Astros, becoming the first to call games in Spanish on television for Houston in 2008.

After retiring, Cárdenas wrote for the Astros’ Spanish-language website and for La Prensa, a Nicaraguan newspaper.

Cárdenas also called high-profile events in other sports, including the Muhammad Ali-Jimmy Ellis heavyweight boxing match at the Astrodome in 1971.

He was inducted into the Nicaragua Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. He was inducted into the Broadcasters Wing of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2002. He was inducted into the Astros Baseball Media Wall of Honor in 2013.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league did not publicly release any details of its evaluation and investigative process.

Wembanyama will be eligible to play Game 5 on Tuesday in San Antonio. The series is tied at two games apiece.

Wembanyama was ejected from the Spurs-Timberwolves game on Sunday night because of the elbow, which he threw early in the second quarter after getting tangled with Reid and Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels while grabbing a rebound. Wembanyama swung his arms and his elbow struck Reid in the face.

Officials looked at the play and upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2, which comes with automatic ejection. Wembanyama was seen on the bench after the decision was announced, appearing to ask teammates what a Flagrant 2 means.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game that Wembanyama “gets hit on every play."

“At some level, you have to protect yourself,” Johnson said. “Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on him. I get it. We get it. That's part of the game. ... At some stage, he should be protected and if not, he's going to have to protect himself. And unfortunately, stuff like that happens.”

It was the first ejection of Wembanyama's career and, according to Sportradar, it was only the third flagrant foul for the French center — this season's unanimous pick as Defensive Player of the Year and an MVP finalist.

The NBA reviews all plays and typically exercises the right to upgrade, downgrade or rescind flagrant fouls and technical fouls after the fact. In this case, the person with knowledge said, Sunday's play will stand as called.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Spring Commencement for Virginia Tech looks like it will be quite nice for all outdoor ceremonies (all ceremonies on the 13th are indoors, but you’ll probably need an umbrella on the way to and from!). If you’re heading to Blacksburg, it could be a bit chilly for some of the morning ceremonies, but otherwise looks like the weather will be phenomenal. University Commencement is May 15 at 8:30 AM.

James Madison University

If you’re heading up I-81 to Harrisonburg to JMU, it appears there will be lots of sunshine for the Spring 2026 Commencement. Temperatures are expected to gradually climb as the week progresses, so it could be quite warm by Saturday! Winds will be pretty calm as well.

University of Virginia

It’s going to be a warm weekend for the University of Virginia’s Final Exercises and Graduation Ceremonies for Spring 2026. Expect temperatures to climb into the 80s if you’re heading to Charlottesville. It may even get into the 90s by Sunday. Certainly a preview of summer to wrap up the semester for the Class of 2026!

Longwood University

Heading down 460 to Farmville for Longwood’s 2026 Spring Commencement? Well, expect lots of sunshine and dry weather. Hole in one conditions continue from Friday and into Saturday, with a bit of a warmer day in the 80s for the Undergraduate Ceremony.

From a statewide perspective, the weather appears quite favorable for graduation ceremonies this week. Regardless, of where you are, you’ll definitely need sunscreen for any outdoor ceremonies with the abundance of sunshine.

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

Existing home sales edged up 0.2% last month from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. Sales were unchanged compared to April last year.

The latest sales figure fell short of the roughly 4.12 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

Sales have been hovering close to a 4-million annual pace now going back to 2023, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

And home prices continued to rise nationally last month, albeit at a slower rate. The U.S. median sales price increased 0.9% in April from a year earlier to $417,700, an all-time high for any April on data going back to 1999, NAR said. Home prices have risen on an annual basis for 34 months in a row.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low. They have remained sluggish so far this year, declining from a year earlier through the first three months of this year.

“This spring homebuying season, so far all the way through April, we can say we are not predicting any increase compared to one year ago,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

While average incomes are now rising at a faster pace than U.S. home prices, affordability remains a major hurdle for aspiring homeowners.

Years of soaring home prices, especially in the early part of this decade when rock-bottom mortgage rates fueled a buying frenzy, have left many would-be homebuyers frozen out of the market. And a chronic shortage of homes for sale nationally, due partly to years of below-average new home construction, has helped prop up home prices even in a multiyear sales slump.

Homes purchased last month likely went under contract in February and March, when the average rate on a 30-year mortgage ranged from 5.98% — its lowest level in three and a half years — to 6.38%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. The average rate was at 6.37% last week.

While the average rate has remained below where it was a year ago, it has been fluctuating since the war with Iran began, as surging energy prices fuel anxiety about higher inflation.

Those who can afford to buy are benefiting from more properties on the market, although home inventory levels remain well below historical norms.

There were 1.47 million unsold homes at the end of April, up 5.8% from March and up 1.4% from April last year, NAR said. That’s the most homes on the market for the month of April going back to 2019, when the month-end inventory stood at 1.83 million homes.

That’s still short of the roughly 2 million homes for sale that was typical before the COVID-19 pandemic.

April’s month-end inventory translates to a 4.4-month supply at the current sales pace. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

“We really need to see 30% growth in inventory, but we’re not really seeing that,” Yun said.

One factor helping boost the supply of homes for sale is many properties are sitting on the market longer. Properties typically remained on the market for 32 days last month before selling, down from 41 days in March, but up from 29 days in April last year, NAR said.

As homes take longer to sell, asking prices have started falling in many metro areas, especially in the South and Midwest. The national median home listing price was down in April from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com.

APD said they initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle around 8:53 p.m. on Friday for an equipment violation. During the stop, a narcotics detection K9 conducted a free-air sniff around the vehicle and alerted law enforcement to the possible presence of drugs.

Authorities said they then searched the vehicle and seized the following:

• suspected cocaine
• suspected methamphetamine
• assorted pills
• marijuana
• ammunition
• multiple cellular phones
• scales
• an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency

As a result, 32-year-old Robert Barbour of Lynchburg was arrested on the following charges:

• Distribution of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance
• Distribution of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance involving 10 grams or more of methamphetamine
• Possession of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance (crack cocaine)
• Possession of Ammunition by a Convicted Felon

Barbour is currently being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail Authority in Rustburg without bond.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact Altavista Police Department at 434-369-7425.

Out the door forecast of course requires the umbrella with those showers lasting through the second half of the day.

Clear skies return to the region around 4 to 5 p.m. as rain wraps up. Cloud cover clears rapidly overnight and into Tuesday when high pressure fills in quickly.

The amount of rain expected from this system isn’t enough to break the rainfall deficit of nearly 5.8″ however, we will take anything that we can get at this point!

High pressure controls the region briefly on Tuesday before another weather-maker moves in on Wednesday. Have a great week!

Republicans' rush to gerrymander congressional districts across several Southern states after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling hollowed out the Voting Rights Act is confusing voters and creating logistical headaches for local election officials. The changes are hitting while primary season is in progress.

The chaotic upheaval to an election season that could determine which party controls the U.S. House is the latest fallout from an intensely partisan gerrymandering battle initiated by President Donald Trump last year to protect Republicans' slim majority.

The Supreme Court's decision last month severely weakening the Voting Rights Act required Louisiana to reconsider a map drawn in 2024 with two majority minority congressional districts that elected Black representatives. The GOP-controlled Legislature could eliminate one or both in a state where roughly 30% of the population is Black.

The ruling also encouraged Republicans in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee to consider eliminating four Democratic districts among them, three represented by Black lawmakers. Florida has a new map meant to cost Democrats four of their eight seats, out of 28.

In Louisiana, 66-year-old New Orleans resident Sallie Davis voted early last week. Her ballot allowed her to vote for Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, but a sign at her polling booth showed his race crossed off with a ballpoint pen. She was confused and frustrated — especially when a poll worker told her to go with what the sign seemed to convey. She's now worried that her entire ballot will not be counted.

"I was supposed to believe a piece of paper with an X on it marking out the person I wanted to vote for,” she said, her voice breaking as she recounted her experience later. “I think I have been disenfranchised. I think my vote, that I just voted on, it's not going to count or something. I think it's illegal.”

Primaries postponed, deadlines compressed

Louisiana's primary is Saturday, and a week of early voting there began May 2, two days after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry declared an emergency and suspended congressional primaries to give lawmakers a chance to draw a new map.

The Louisiana secretary of state's office said nearly 179,000 primary ballots had been cast as of Friday, including about 53,000 absentee ballots returned by mail. The ballots included U.S. House races, but votes in those contests won't be counted.

In a “60 Minutes” interview that CBS aired Sunday, the governor started to say, “It's not a big deal,” but didn't complete the word “deal.”

“If anyone has a grievance, take it to the United States Supreme Court,” he said.

In Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, Republicans said new maps for increasing GOP seats would better reflect their states' conservative values. Alabama lawmakers passed legislation Friday allowing a do-over of congressional primaries.

Alabama’s primary is May 19, and voting in congressional races will occur then as planned, but with the old districts. Those votes would end up not counting if a court allows the switch to different districts.

Mississippi held its primaries in March, but a federal court has ordered it to redraw its state Supreme Court districts, and Trump is pushing Republicans to redraw the state's four congressional districts.

A special session of its Legislature is set for May 20. Renovations of the House chamber will force members to meet at the Old State Capitol, where, decades ago, Mississippi lawmakers passed Jim Crow laws suppressing Black voting.

“Modern-day voter suppression relies on election administration errors and chaos, and that’s what we’re going to see play out in all of these states,” said Amir Badat, a Jackson, Mississippi, voting rights attorney and activist.

Tennessee continues yearlong fight

Tennessee was the first state to enact a new map since the U.S. Supreme Court decision, but Trump's push for redistricting started in Texas last year. Democrats countered in California and tried but ran afoul of the courts in Virginia.

Tennessee’s new map divided Memphis among three congressional districts. Before its enactment last week, the state’s elections coordinator told county officials in a memo that it would mean reprogramming election systems, retraining poll workers and possibly adjusting precinct boundaries, meaning some voters’ polling places could change.

Tennessee's congressional primaries will go forward Aug. 6 as planned, with candidates required to qualify by Friday.

In South Carolina, lawmakers could move all the state's June 9 primaries to August, or just the congressional races. While mail balloting is limited because the state requires an excuse, more than 6,800 mail ballots already had been sent to voters — with 260 returned — as of Friday, the state Elections Commission said.

A separate election for congressional primaries would cost $3 million and the time for preparations would be compressed, Conway Belangia, the commission's executive director, told lawmakers Friday.

“It will be difficult, but it will be possible,” he said.

Activists see problems ahead for voters

Michael McClanahan, the NAACP's Louisiana State Conference president, is hearing “total confusion” as voters call him and ask, "Is there an election?”

“People say, ’I ain’t going to vote because the governor’s suspended the election,'" he said. "But he didn’t, he only suspended one aspect of it.”

In Alabama, Senate Democratic leader Bobby Singleton said he has been fielding calls from confused public officials.

“These are the people who are the head of elections,” he said. "They don’t know what to do.“

Voting rights activists see a harbinger for Memphis voters in problems that arose in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2022, when Republican legislators divided the state's capital city into three congressional districts to take a seat from Democrats. A state report said more than 3,000 Nashville-area voters were assigned to incorrect districts and more than 430 cast ballots in the wrong races in the November 2022 election.

“It’s going to be really hard for the election commissions to be able to keep up with this short timeline,” Matia Powell, executive director of the voting rights nonprofit Civic TN, said during a conference call Friday with other voting rights activists in the South.

Some fear confusion will lead to distrust and apathy

Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values, which provides support to voting and civil rights groups, said people will lose trust in elections if they believe the rules can change every two years.

“Once people stop believing that the process is stable and fair, disengagement is going to increase, and that's one of the biggest dangers here,” she said. “Democracy doesn’t just depend on voting systems existing but really on people believing that their participation matters.”

At least a few Democratic voters who went to the Louisiana Capitol on Friday to protest the gerrymandering expressed doubt about whether they still have a political voice.

Davis came to the State Capitol in Baton Rouge and had a bullhorn with her for a protest in which she yelled, “Whose vote? Our vote!”

David Victorian, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran from Baton Rouge, said: “I’m concerned for the survival of the democracy that we’re supposed to be living in.”

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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kan. Associated Press writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., and Kim Chandler, in Montgomery, Ala., contributed.

The top-ranked Sinner set the tone when he broke 60th-ranked Popyrin in the opening game.

Sinner is heavily favored to win the Rome tournament with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a right wrist injury.

Sinner hasn’t lost since Feb. 19, to Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals. He’ll next face a fellow Italian, qualifier Andrea Pellegrino, who beat Frances Tiafoe.

If Sinner raises the trophy in Rome, he’ll become the second man after Novak Djokovic to triumph at all nine Masters 1000 events. Djokovic has won each event at least twice.

Sinner has won five straight Masters events and has the second-most consecutive wins at that level with 30. Djokovic has the record of 31.

Gauff saves match point

Earlier, Coco Gauff saved a match point in the second set of a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 victory over fellow American Iva Jovic to reach the quarterfinals.

Gauff also survived in the previous round from falling behind by two breaks in the third set against Solana Sierra.

Gauff reached the Rome final last year and is preparing to defend her French Open title.

Roland Garros starts on May 24.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

The House, which is dominated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s allies, voted 257-25 with nine abstentions. The two impeachment complaints against Duterte, which will now be elevated to the Senate for a trial, mark an initial setback to her plan to seek the presidency in 2028.

Shortly before the impeachment vote in the House, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who had vowed to immediately put the vice president to trial, was ousted by 13 of 24 senators, including supporters of the vice president and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

It's not immediately clear how the vice president's impending impeachment trial would be affected by the Senate leadership change, but Sotto told reporters that he and his allies would insist that the proceedings against the vice president should be immediately taken up once submitted.

A standoff in the Senate

A tense standoff ensued when Sen. Roland dela Rosa, an ally of former President Duterte — who is facing trial before the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands — suddenly appeared in the Senate after months of absence. National Bureau of Investigation officers tried to run after dela Rosa but failed to reach him as he dashed into the Senate's plenary hall and sought the protection of fellow senators.

Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in March last year and detained in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity. The charges are in connection with deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he ordered while he was in office.

Dela Rosa once served as the national police chief under Duterte, and was the first to enforce the bloody campaign against illegal drugs that left thousands of mostly petty suspects dead. Philippine police officials have summoned dela Rosa to appear before them for an investigation into his role in the Duterte-era killings.

In The Hague, the ICC on Monday unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa for the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” allegedly committed between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, when he headed the national police.

It remains unclear how the warrant would be enforced as dela Rosa remained in the Senate’s protective custody.

Duterte had survived an impeachment bid last year

The vice president has generally denied any wrongdoing without answering the criminal allegations against her in detail. Her lawyers said Monday they were ready to defend her in a trial.

“While questions of constitutional significance remain pending before the Supreme Court, we are fully prepared to defend the vice president before the Senate,” the lawyers said in a statement, adding that “it is incumbent upon the prosecution to discharge the burden of proof.”

She has repeatedly accused Marcos, his wife and his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, of corruption, weak leadership and attempting to muzzle her because of speculation she may seek the presidency in 2028 when Marcos’ six-year term ends.

Last year, she was also impeached by the House but survived by successfully petitioning the Supreme Court to declare the impeachment bid unconstitutional on a technicality.

Rep. Gerville Luistro, who heads the House Justice Committee, said the impeachment complaints included several criminal allegations, like huge bank transactions over the years that Duterte has not declared as required by law and misuse of confidential funds of her office as vice president and as education secretary, a post she once held under Marcos.

Luistro also cited threats made by the vice president during an online news conference in 2024 to have Marcos, his wife and Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself was assassinated, as their political disputes escalated. The vice president then warned that her threat wasn’t a joke.

The vice president later said she wasn’t threatening him but was expressing concern for her own safety. Her threatening remarks set off a criminal investigation and national security concerns.

“These are matters that go into the integrity and accountability and fitness of a public official occupying the second highest position in our government,” Rep. Leila de Lima, who endorsed one of two impeachment complaints against Duterte, told fellow lawmakers.

“Impeachment is not political persecution,” de Lima said in response to allegations by Duterte's followers.

The vice president's husband, Manases Carpio, has filed criminal complaints against Luistro and other legislators and officials after government records of the couple’s bank transactions were made public in a recent House hearing. They said that violated the country’s bank secrecy law.

The vice president remains popular, based on independent surveys. Sara Duterte and President Marcos were running mates in a whirlwind alliance in the 2022 election but have since had a bitter falling out.

She has accused Marcos of allowing the ICC to carry out what she described as the “kidnapping” of her father in violation of Philippine laws.

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Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.

Senate Republicans added the money for White House security to a spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies that Democrats have blocked since February. The steep security proposal was put forward after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month.

Republicans are using a partisan budget maneuver to push the spending legislation through Congress without any Democratic votes. But in a letter to colleagues Monday morning, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will fight it in other ways, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom security money from the budget bill and offering amendments forcing Republicans to vote on it.

“The Republican-controlled Congress is preparing to answer this moment with a deficit-busting, party-line bill that pours billions more taxpayer dollars into a rogue ICE operation and a billion-dollar ballroom, while doing nothing to end the illegal war in Iran or ease the Republican affordability crisis bearing down on working families,” Schumer wrote in the letter.

It’s unclear if the security money will even have enough backing among Republicans. The House has not released its bill yet, but the Senate is expected to start voting on its version of the legislation this week.

While most GOP lawmakers have remained quiet on the proposal as they spent their recess out of Washington, some have publicly questioned whether they would support it.

“I’m going to look at it very carefully and make sure those things are in the national interest,” said Rep. Rob Wittman, a Virginia Republican who was in the Capitol last week to briefly gavel in a pro forma session of the House.

“I want to know the exact nature of the expenditures that would go there for security. So I think it’s a little premature to look at that and say, you know, yes or no to it," Wittman said.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., also said he wanted to hear more details about the proposal. He asked colleagues to recognize the “volatile times” and the need to ensure the president, members of Congress and guests can gather in a safe location.

"If Republican and Democratic members can take a step back and say this is a real security issue, then maybe it will get done. But if Democrats dig in, it’ll be really challenging to pass that, as you can only imagine,” Haridopolos said.

Trump has said the ballroom's construction would cost $400 million and use private funds, but he had not proposed a number for security costs.

The Senate bill would designate the money for the U.S. Secret Service, including for “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project, which Trump and other Republicans have been pushing since Cole Tomas Allen was charged with storming the April 25 media dinner at the Washington Hilton with guns and knives.

The legislation says the money would support enhancements to the ballroom project, “including above-ground and below-ground security features,” but specifies it may not be used for non-security elements.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle praised Republicans last week for including the money for the “long overdue” project, saying it would “provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.”

The White House has said in court documents that the East Wing project would be “heavily fortified,” including bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom. Trump has said it should include bulletproof glass and be able to repel drone attacks.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to block construction of the project, but a federal appeals court said last month that it can continue in the meantime.

The issue of how match officials deal with jostling between players at set-pieces was brought into full focus on Sunday when West Ham was denied a stoppage-time equalizer against title-chasing Arsenal.

In what has been described as the most significant video review in Premier League history, it was adjudged that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was being impeded by the flailing arm of West Ham player Pablo as they competed for the ball at a corner during a chaotic penalty-area scene where players from both teams were grabbing and pulling each other.

On many other occasions, similar levels of physical contact have gone unpunished, with Premier League officials seemingly having a high tolerance before intervening in a season when English soccer has gone back to basics with its tactics.

Pascal Zuberbühler, the former Switzerland goalkeeper who is the co-ordinator for FIFA’s Technical Study Group at the upcoming World Cup, acknowledged the need to be on top of the issue of grappling at corners “from the beginning” of the tournament.

“This is a trend — yes, of course — but I’m sure for our World Cup, we have the best referees there and the referees will be a key part of this situation,” he said on a video call with reporters.

“It’s difficult for the referees because a little foul on the goalkeeper in between so many people around you, it’s not easy to see this. But I’m very, very sure we, at FIFA, have the best referees anyway and we will deal with this in a very good way.”

For many, it was ironic that Arsenal — which wound up beating West Ham 1-0 to stay on course for a first Premier League title since 2004 — benefited from the controversial call.

Under manager Mikel Arteta, the Gunners have become the most dangerous team in England at corners and free kicks, embracing a designated set-piece specialist coach in Nicolas Jover and setting up specific patterns in dead-ball situations to cause maximum chaos.

Gilberto Silva, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002 and a Premier League champion with Arsenal in 2004, is also in the FIFA technical group and said dominating set plays was a “very strong weapon” for his former team.

However, he added: “I’m not so sure if the World Cup’s going to be the same way because you don’t have so much time to prepare the team for this tournament.

“Of course it can be a weapon to be used, and they have to use this, but not as a main one.”

The Premier League will be sending dozens of players to the World Cup — being held from June 11-July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico — as well as two of a total of 52 referees, and they'll have to adapt to a different threshold than the one they’ve been under for the previous nine months.

West Ham unhappy as debate continues to swirl

The late VAR call at the West Ham-Arsenal game remained a source of great debate into Monday, given its ramifications.

Not only did it propel Arsenal closer to the title, it also plunged West Ham closer to what would be a costly relegation from the lucrative Premier League.

With two games remaining, West Ham is in third-to-last place — the final relegation spot in the 20-team league.

The BBC reported Monday that the Hammers were set to contact English soccer’s referees’ body to raise its concerns about the decision and request further explanation. There was no official comment from the club, though its players and manager Nuno Espirito Santo were unhappy after the game.

Nuno said match officials had become confused.

“Even the referees don’t know what is a foul and what is not a foul — it creates doubt,” he said.

“You look at every corner in the Premier League and something like this is happening, not just today, but on all the pitches. I am talking about the lack of consistency.”

Arteta praised the match officials –— on-field referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Darren England, neither of whom are going to the World Cup — for having the “clarity … to make the right call” under so much pressure.

“Because,” he said, “you’re talking about a moment that can decide the history, the course, of two massive clubs that they are fighting with their lives to achieve their objectives.”

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann, who ran the line in the 2010 World Cup final, said on the BBC that England “stepped up to the plate, he made the right decision and it’s the biggest VAR call in Premier League history.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

The Knicks swept the Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 on the road Sunday behind another impressive offensive performance, tying the NBA postseason record with 25 3-pointers in a 144-114 rout.

New York's 19.4 point-per-game margin of victory is the largest through the first two rounds of the NBA playoffs since the league expanded to 16 teams in 1984.

The Knicks have won seven straight.

“It’s just us being very locked into the moment,” Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns said.

New York awaits the winner of the Cleveland-Detroit series, which the Pistons lead 2-1.

The win gives the Knicks multiple days to rest up, get healthy and focus on avenging last season's disappointing 4-2 series loss to the Indiana Pacers in the East finals.

The Spurs were winning by two when Wembanyama was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul for throwing an elbow. Minnesota took advantage and Anthony Edwards had 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter for a 114-109 win.

On Monday, the Thunder will look to sweep the Los Angeles Lakers and return to the Western Conference finals. Detroit is at Cleveland in the earlier game.

Monday's schedule

— Game 4, Detroit at Cleveland, 8 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)

Series: Detroit, 2-1.

Odds: Cleveland by 3.5.

The Cavaliers are favored in their home arena, where they are 5-0 in the playoffs. Detroit could be thin in the backcourt as Caris LeVert (right heel contusion) and Kevin Huerter (left adductor strain) are questionable.

— Game 4, Oklahoma City at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. EDT (Prime Video)

Series: Oklahoma City, 3-0.

Odds: Oklahoma City by 10.5.

Things don't look promising for Los Angeles in what could be LeBron James' last game in a Lakers uniform. The Lakers have lost all three games by least 18 points — and OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn't even played all that well. Luka Doncic is still out and Austin Reeves hasn't been productive since returning from an oblique injury.

Tuesday's schedule

— Game 5, Minnesota at San Antonio, 8 p.m. EDT (NBC, Peacock)

Series: Tied, 2-2.

Odds: San Antonio by 9.5.

Victor Wembanyama will look to control his emotions — and flying elbows — and the Spurs hope to regain the upper hand in the series when the return home.

Sunday's recap

— Knicks 144, 76ers, 114 to sweep the series 4-0. The Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference finals.

— Timberwolves 114, Spurs 109 to even series at 2-2. Victor Wembanyama gets ejected.

— Washington has the first pick in the NBA draft in what many view as the most talented class in years.

Spurs coach calls out officials after Wembanyama ejection

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson wasn't upset at Wembanyama for getting ejected on Sunday for a flagrant 2 foul for throwing an elbow — in fact, quite the contrary.

Johnson said Wembanyama needs to “protect himself,” while adding that officials are not doing enough to look out for the 7-foot-4 league MVP finalist as teams get physical with him.

“The level of physicality that opponents have been trying to impose on him since his first days in the league, combined with the lack of protection from the referees, is really disappointing,” Johnson said. “And to a certain extent, it’s starting to become downright nauseating."

Wembanyama finished with four points, four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes.

Awards watch

A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:

— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.

— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.

— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.

— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.

— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.

— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.

— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.

— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.

— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.

Among the announcements still to come:

— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver's Nikola Jokic.

— Coach of the Year: Johnson, Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.

Betting odds

Defending champion Oklahoma City (-165) is favored to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.

The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+350), New York (+650), Detroit (+1800), Minnesota (+5000), Cleveland (+6000) and the Los Angeles Lakers (+50000).

Key dates

— Monday through May 17: NBA draft combine.

— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.

— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.

— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).

— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft.

— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft.

Quote of the day

“I used to think Philly was a sports town, I don’t know if it is anymore,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said after the 76ers and the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers were both swept out of the second round.

Stats of the day

— Minnesota's Anthony Edwards (302 points) became the sixth player in the play-by-play statistical era (1997-98) to record 300-plus fourth quarter points in the postseason before turning 25. The others are Kobe Bryant (625), James (493), Jayson Tatum (388), Kevin Durant (388) and Dwyane Wade (357).

— The Knicks' 144 points were most in franchise history in a postseason game.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

BCSO said on Thursday, they were conducting part of an ongoing drug investigation. As a result, Kelly Ayers Bailey of Moneta was arrested and charged with the following:

• three counts of Felony Child Abuse and Neglect
• Possession of Schedule I Controlled Substance
• Possession With Intent to Distribute Schedule II Controlled Substance
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule II While in Possession of a Firearm

Bailey is currently being held at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail with no bond.

That's the message from a leading pediatricians group, which just released the first new guidance in 13 years about this unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected.

The updated policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics comes after years of shrinking recesses and worsening children’s health.

The group “has always supported play – free play for kids – but it’s been increasingly threatened over time,” partly by the drive for higher test scores, said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author. “It has a very powerful benefit if it’s used to the fullest.”

The new guidance, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, is similar to the previous policy statement but cites the latest research on why these breaks are essential for kids’ academic success and mental, physical, social and emotional growth.

For example, new evidence shows that kids need pauses between concentrated bouts of learning so the brain can hold and store the information. Researchers also say recess gives kids a chance to navigate relationships and build confidence, which is just as important for older kids as younger ones.

Murray and his colleagues also stressed the importance of physical activity in preventing obesity, a condition that now affects about 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens.

Given these benefits, they recommend that recess be protected and never withheld for academic or punitive reasons, as sometimes happens in schools.

“If the child is disruptive or rude and disrespectful, recess is one of the things that teachers use to punish kids,” Murray said, adding that students struggling with behavioral issues or grades are often the ones who need recess most.

But those students aren’t the only ones losing out. Recess has been waning for all kids. Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts nationally have reduced or eliminated recess, according to data from the group Springboard to Active Schools in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today, the duration of recess varies widely across U.S. schools, ranging from less than 10 minutes to more than an hour a day, the pediatrics group said. Older kids generally get less time than younger ones.

Ideally, studies show, kids should get a minimum of 20 minutes a day and multiple breaks. In other countries such as Denmark, Japan and the United Kingdom, students get breaks after every 45 minutes to 50 minutes of classroom instruction.

“They should get a long enough period of time where they can de-stress and blow off steam and prepare for the next class,” Murray said.

Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, a childhood obesity expert at Mass General Brigham for Children in Boston, said she’s glad about the updated recess recommendations. She’s seen the importance of recess as both a doctor and mother of two. She recalled how her 8-year-old son learned how to play basketball at recess and now loves the game.

Fiechtner, who wasn’t involved in creating the guidance, agrees with the recommendation that middle and high school students need recess, too.

“As kids get older, they’re more on their screens. So it’s really helpful, I think, for outdoor activity and recess to be happening,” she said. “Recess is great. We all kind of need recess.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Historians are eligible for the award but also anyone from teachers and filmmakers, to podcasters and leaders of a cultural organization.

“The Rubenstein Prize will pay tribute to those who strive to tell an accurate and engaging national story, helping Americans understand who came before them and fostering a deeper appreciation for the responsibilities of citizenship,” Rubenstein said in a statement released Monday. “By studying history, we are better able to see what worked and how to avoid the mistakes of the past.”

The inaugural judges panel will include Pulitzer Prize winners Annette Gordon-Reed, Jon Meacham and Beverly Gage. The winner will be announced in the fall.

Naz Reid took the fateful elbow to the neck from a frustrated Wembanyama and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to help the Timberwolves finish strong after some shaky stretches.

“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” Reid said. “That’s it.”

Edwards hit a 27-footer to bring the Wolves to within 94-91, turning to shout at the crowd for some help down the stretch. His catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the wing with 5:12 left put them up 98-97, their first lead since midway through the third quarter.

Then the big men went to work without Wembanyama patrolling the paint. Rudy Gobert, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds, converted a three-point play with 3:02 left off a high-low feed from Reid and later threw down a dunk for a 107-101 lead with 1:56 to go after a slick pass from Julius Randle.

Reid’s follow shot with 40 seconds left gave the Wolves a seven-point lead, before Dylan Harper had a rebound, a drawn foul, a steal and two free throws to help the Spurs pull within three.

After managing to corral a full-court baseball toss from inbound passer Jaden McDaniels as De'Aaron Fox undercut his leaping catch and caused a loose ball, Ayo Dosunmu drew a foul and sank two free throws with 9.8 seconds left to put the game out of reach and tie the series at two games apiece.

San Antonio hosts Game 5 on Tuesday, with Wembanyama’s status to be determined by the league following the Flagrant 2 foul call and automatic ejection he was levied for the excessive contact to Reid.

Harper and Fox each scored 24 points and Stephon Castle added 20 as the Spurs guards unflinchingly took the baton from their 7-foot-4 superstar and turned the rest of the night into a midrange clinic with an array of pull-up jumpers in and around the paint.

“Just trying to be what the team needed me to be,” said Harper, the second overall pick in the NBA draft last year. “I think I did OK. Obviously the main goal is to win. We didn't get that done.”

The crowd at Target Center went wild when Wembanyama walked off the floor with Minnesota leading by two, but the Wolves never fully took advantage of the gift created by his absence. They've long had a tendency of losing their edge, particularly defensively, when an opponent's star player is missing.

“When every team is missing their best player, everybody plays free. They get more shots, more confident,” Edwards said. “So I think it was a lot harder on us.”

After committing six turnovers in a 20-point third quarter, the Wolves found themselves in another eight-point hole early in the fourth following Fox's 3-pointer before delivering another clutch finish.

“We have a resilient group of guys. No matter the circumstances, we are going to keep fighting and give everything we have and keep trusting one another,” Gobert said. “Just making the right play. That’s who we are. We might not be always consistent with that, but I feel like when it matters, we raise our level.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Freddie Hendricks, a middle school theater teacher at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Georgia, and who founded the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, is getting the special Tony Award that honors educators.

“It feels really great to know that they’re succeeding on that level and that I had a little to do with it,” he told The Associated Press ahead of the announcement on Monday. “It’s just a beautiful thing.”

Hendricks has been an arts educator for more than 30 years and was an honorable mention for the special Tony in 2023 and 2024. He estimates between 20 and 30 of his students have gone on to Broadway, including Tony-nominated Saycon Sengbloh, and one, Kenan Thompson, who is a household star on “Saturday Night Live.”

“I’ve always had a passion for theater. I’m an actor myself and when I got into teaching years and years and years and years ago, it became my passion," he says.

Ellington, who has earned his third Tony nomination for “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” credits Hendricks as “the first person to show me the importance of storytelling in theater.” Ellington watched as shy kids who started quiet at the beginning of Hendricks' class were by the end the featured singer or performer.

Hendricks graduated from Lincoln Memorial University in 1976, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts. He created “Soweto, Soweto, Soweto: A Township is Calling!” and has also taught in Europe and South Africa.

He is artistic director, writer and teacher for the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, which is comprised of students ranging from 11-20. At Utopian, Hendricks trains students in a “rigorous, ensemble-based program of acting, movement and storytelling.”

“A lot of kids these days, they don’t love themselves,” he says. “They don’t know who they are, for one thing. And I just kind of start with that and then go with loving themselves for who they are and letting them know up front, ‘In here, this is a safe space. You’re loved in here. You’re accepted in here. This is your home.’”

Hendricks is known for encouraging his students to come up with topics they care about — poverty, gun violence, teen pregnancy, apartheid or AIDS — and building performances around their ideas from their perspective.

“That just empowered these kids so much,” says Ellington. “Not only empowered them from an internal place of owning who you are, but empowering them as storytellers and showing the importance of storytellers.”

The annual Excellence in Theatre Education Award bestowed by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University recognizes U.S. educators who have “demonstrated exemplary impact on the lives of students and who embodies the highest standards of the profession.”

The award includes a $10,000 prize for Utopian Academy and a pair of tickets to the June 7 Tony ceremony and gala in New York City. Hendricks' students will also receive a visiting master class taught by Carnegie Mellon drama professors.

A panel of judges comprised of the American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League, Carnegie Mellon and other leaders from the theater industry selects the winner, from candidates submitted by the public.

Hendricks imparts the importance of theater skills — like collaborating, listening, interpreting, storytelling, checking your ego, taking criticism — even if his pupils go on to careers outside the arts.

“I just want to let them know that life is great out there and the key to success is to never stop the pursuit of it. Whatever you want, keep going. It’s not going to happen tomorrow. It’s not going to happen next year. Or if it does, you may lose it, but it will come again if you continue to pursue whatever it is that you desire.”

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More on the Tony Awards: https://apnews.com/hub/tony-awards

Google shared limited information about the attackers and the target, but John Hultquist, chief analyst at the tech giant’s threat intelligence arm, said it represents a moment cybersecurity experts have warned about for years: malicious hackers arming themselves with AI to supercharge their ability to break into the world’s computers.

“It’s here,” Hultquist said. “The era of AI-driven vulnerability and exploitation is already here.”

It comes at a time of leaps in AI's abilities to find vulnerabilities, including the Mythos model announced a month ago by Anthropic. Among those trying to bolster their defenses is President Donald Trump's White House, which has shifted its approach in how it plans to vet the most powerful AI models before their public release.

After following through with a campaign promise to repeal Democratic President Joe Biden's guardrails around the fast-developing technology, the Republican administration and its allies are now sending mixed signals about the government playing a larger role in AI oversight.

“Some people don’t want there to be a regulatory response to this and others do,” said Dean Ball, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation who was previously a White House tech policy adviser and a lead author of Trump’s AI policy roadmap last year.

“I don’t like regulation,” Ball said. “I would prefer for things not to be regulated. But I think we need to in this case."

Google says it found evidence of AI helping in cyberattack

Google said it observed a group of prominent “threat actors” planning a big operation relying on a bug they had found. The vulnerability allowed them to bypass two-factor authentication to access a popular online system administration tool, which Google declined to name.

The company called it a zero-day exploit, a cyberattack that takes advantage of a previously unknown security vulnerability. “Zero-day” refers to the fact that the security engineers have had zero days to develop a fix for the vulnerability.

Google said it notified the affected company and law enforcement and was able to disrupt the operation before it caused any damage. But as it traced the hackers' footprints, it found evidence they had used an AI large language model — the same technology that powers popular chatbots — to discover the vulnerability.

Google didn't reveal which AI model was used in the cyberattack, only that it was most likely not Google's own Gemini or Anthropic's Claude Mythos. Google also didn't reveal which group it suspected in the attack but said there was no evidence it was tied to an adversarial government, though the company said groups tied to China and North Korea have been exploring similar techniques.

Hultquist said that compared with government spies who typically work slowly and quietly, criminal hackers have some of the most to gain from AI's “tremendous capability for speed” in finding and weaponizing security bugs.

“There’s a race between you and them to stop them before they can essentially get whatever data they need to extort you with, or launch ransomware,” he said in an interview. “AI is going to be a huge advantage because they can move a lot faster.”

Anthropic's Mythos has sparked a panic and call for regulation

Trump's Commerce Department announced last week that it signed new agreements with Google, Microsoft and Elon Musk's xAI to evaluate their most powerful AI models before their public release, building on previous agreements the Biden administration made with Anthropic and ChatGPT maker OpenAI. But the announcement later disappeared from the Commerce Department website.

It was the latest example of jumbled signals from the Trump administration in the month since Anthropic announced a new model it called Mythos that it said was so “strikingly capable” at hacking and cybersecurity work that it could only release it to a small group of trusted organizations.

Anthropic created an initiative called Project Glasswing bringing together tech giants including Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, along with other companies like JPMorgan Chase, in hopes of securing the world’s critical software from “severe” fallout that the new model could pose to public safety, national security and the economy. But its relationship with the U.S. government was complicated by a public and legal fight with the Pentagon and Trump himself over military use of its AI technology.

Its top rival, OpenAI, has since introduced a similar model. The company said Friday it was releasing a specialized cybersecurity version of ChatGPT that would only be available to “defenders responsible for securing critical infrastructure” to help them find and patch vulnerabilities in their code.

Ball said he's optimistic that, over the long term, AI tools that are increasingly good at coding will make us safer from the routine cyberattacks afflicting hospitals, schools and other organizations. In the meantime, however, he said there are “untold trillions of lines of software code” supporting the world's computing systems that are at risk if AI tools are unleashed to exploit all of their bugs.

It could take years to harden all of that software — a process that Ball believes would be aided by coordination from the U.S. government.

In the meantime, Ball predicts a “transitional period" where cybersecurity risks rise significantly and “the world might actually be more dangerous.”

The event series announced Monday is called “SI Beyond the Pitch,” which will bring concerts and VIP fan experiences to Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and New York during the global soccer tournament. Additional performances will include Diplo and Gordo.

The Los Angeles kickoff event is scheduled for June 12 at the Hollywood Palladium with Nelly headlining. Dallas will host a June 20 event at SILO featuring Gordo, while Miami’s June 26 stop at DAER will feature The Chainsmokers. The series concludes July 18 at Cipriani Wall Street with performances from 50 Cent and Diplo.

The series marks one of Sports Illustrated’s biggest pushes yet into live entertainment and experiential events surrounding major sports moments.

“This isn’t just a tournament; it’s the most significant sporting event of a generation to hit American soil,” Joe Silberzweig, founder and CEO of Medium Rare, said in a statement. The series is an expansion of the brand’s growing presence in premium live events tied to major sports weekends and cultural moments.

“We are leaning into that energy to introduce the most high-octane nightlife experiences the global soccer community has ever seen,” he said.

The announcement follows the recent success of SI The Party during Super Bowl weekend, which featured performances from The Chainsmokers and Ludacris alongside celebrity guests including Justin Bieber, Travis Kelce and Ciara.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Here are the dates when the top teams are scheduled to name their 26-man rosters for the tournament being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11-July 19.

FIFA expects to announce the official squad lists on June 2.

France

May 14

Belgium

May 15

Brazil

May 18

Portugal

May 19

Morocco

May 21

Germany

May 21

England

May 22

Spain

May 25

Netherlands

May 25

United States

May 26

Argentina

May 30

Mexico

June 1

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

But Paris is expected to use the two-day Africa Forward Summit, which it is co-hosting, to push a new Africa policy that focuses more on English-speaking countries and offers what it calls a “partnership of equals." Its new defense agreement with Kenya marks the direction it hopes to go.

France has long maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway over its former colonies dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region. But after years of criticism from leaders and opposition parties in those countries over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach, France has been forced to withdraw most of those troops.

The summit — France's first in an English-speaking African country — will be attended by more than 30 heads of state and government, including from Francophone countries. On his arrival Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France may disagree with West African governments but “never disagrees with the people.”

Kenya’s newly ratified defense agreement with France has been criticized by civil society groups for granting too much immunity from local law to French troops, a sensitive issue in a country where a similar agreement with the United Kingdom has left a trail of hard-to-prosecute crimes against locals.

At a time when many African nations, particularly in the Sahel region, are reducing or expelling foreign military presences in what they say is a quest to reclaim their sovereignty, Kenya is hosting a growing international military presence.

The Kenya-France Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed on Oct. 29, 2025, by Kenya’s Defense Minister Soipan Tuya and French Ambassador to Kenya Arnaud Suquet and ratified by parliament on April 8. The same month, it also ratified defense agreements with countries including the Czech Republic, China and Italy.

While defending the defense agreements, parliament defense committee chair Nelson Koech said Kenya's treaties with advanced militaries provide training and intelligence-sharing opportunities that will make its defense stronger.

Koech said the agreements were not a “surrender of sovereignty,” adding that newer agreements guarantee that foreign troops will be tried in Kenya in the event of serious crimes such as murder.

A month ahead of the summit, a contingent of around 800 French troops arrived in Kenya aboard a navy ship.

The agreement grants visiting French forces primary jurisdiction over their personnel for on-duty offenses, echoing broad legal protections in past UK pacts that shielded British soldiers from Kenyan courts amid scandals like the 2012 murder of a young woman named Agnes Wanjiru and the deadly 2021 Lolldaiga ranch fire.

A British soldier is due to be extradited after Kenyan courts found him answerable for the 2012 death of Wanjiru, who was last seen alive in his company near the British troops’ training grounds in Nanyuki, central Kenya.

His African American studies professor lectured about what is known today as the Tulsa Race Massacre — the days in 1921 when white mobs carried out a scorched-earth campaign against an outnumbered Black militia protecting the fabled Black Wall Street, a prosperous all-Black community.

“I actually told a teacher, ‘I’m from Tulsa. That’s not true,’” Solomon-Simmons recalled. “And of course, I was wrong.”

That day planted a seed for the then-aspiring attorney, who went on to lead a reparations campaign for the living survivors of the massacre and their descendants. Nearly 105 years later, no one has been compensated for what they lost, and none of the culprits have been held accountable.

That fight for reparations is the subject of Solomon-Simmons’ first book, “Redeem a Nation: The Century-Long Battle to Restore the Soul of America,” which is intended as a blueprint for justice in historic atrocities that Black Americans endured but never received reparations for. The book hits shelves Tuesday.

After the massacre, more than 35 city blocks of the neighborhood known as Greenwood were leveled in fires, an estimated 191 businesses were destroyed, and roughly 11,000 Black residents were displaced. The state of Oklahoma declared the death toll to be only 36 people, although many historians and experts who have studied the event put the death toll between 75 and 300.

Greenwood, founded in 1906, had been a bustling city within a city, with Black-owned grocery stores, soda fountains, cafes, barbershops, a movie theater, music venues, cigar and billiard parlors, tailors and dry cleaners, rooming houses and rental properties.

“If you can ignore Greenwood, which was the beacon of Black prosperity and Black progress in the history of this country, then you can ignore Black people in general,” Solomon-Simmons recently told The Associated Press. “I think that’s why people around the nation are so focused on the work that we’re doing, because they understand what it means to all of Black America.”

Solomon-Simmons’s book comes just months before the United States will mark 250 years since its founding in 1776. That was 89 years before the institution of chattel slavery — meaning an enslaved person was held as legal property of another — was abolished. The civil rights attorney questions the idea that Americans can truly celebrate the country's accomplishments when it has yet to pay reparations, which historians say informs modern day disparities in wealth between Black and white people.

“We cannot talk about what America has been and will be, without making sure that these issues are discussed and we get reparatory justice for both” slavery and the Tulsa massacre, Solomon-Simmons said.

'America has never had a soul'

In 343 pages, Solomon-Simmons does more than recite the history of the massacre or make a legal thriller out of his reparations campaign. For him, securing justice for the survivors and descendants of the massacre is also about healing a nation whose earliest promises of equality for all rang hollow.

“When I speak of repairing America’s soul, I do not mean restoring something that was once whole,” Solomon-Simmons writes in the book. “America has never had a soul. … There was no moral center to recover.”

He suggests that America's soul cannot be repaired if it is forced to choose between rebuilding the nation or repairing Black America. They must do both, he says.

“The struggle for justice in Greenwood is not about returning to a mythical past. It is about proving whether America can build a soul at all through truth, through justice, through repair.”

Reparations for slavery and other historical racial injustices has been debated in the U.S. since Reconstruction, through the Civil Rights Movement and for much of the 21st century. Jennifer L. Morgan, a professor of history at New York University, said such debates are complicated by the question of exactly who pays the reparations and exactly who receives the payment.

“I don’t think that we’re talking about individuals who owe anybody else reparations. I think we’re talking about states, about institutions, about the nation,” Morgan said. “America is still grappling with reparations because America is still grappling at the legacy of slavery, racial discrimination, Jim Crow, and violent exclusion of Black people from the body politic.”

Some opponents of reparations argue there are no living culprits or direct victims of enslavement, much less people with verifiable claims of harm that can be presented in a court of law.

Solomon-Simmons disagrees.

“We know who did the massacre — the perpetrators are still living in Tulsa,” he said referring to the city and the chamber of commerce, which plaintiffs alleged had a hand in obstructing Greenwood's recovery.

There is one remaining massacre survivor involved in the reparations lawsuit: 111-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle.

“If we cannot get her reparations while she’s alive, for the massacre, it’s gonna make it that much harder for us to get reparations for enslavement, Jim Crow, redlining and all those things that we are owed,” Solomon-Simmons said.

Fight for Tulsa reparations continues

In the book, Solomon-Simmons reflects on what committed him to the reparations fight.

While in law school, he was introduced to high profile civil rights attorneys working for the Reparations Coordinating Committee — the late Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree Jr., who mentored Barack and Michelle Obama; and the late Johnnie Cochran, who is widely known for defending O.J. Simpson during his trial for murder of his ex-wife. Solomon-Simmons became a law clerk for the committee.

After witnessing Ogletree argue a Tulsa reparations case in federal court in 2004, Solomon-Simmons said the practice of law stopped being just a credential for speaking, writing, or teaching. It became a calling.

In 2020, Solomon-Simmons led a lawsuit on behalf of 11 plaintiffs, including the last three known living survivors of the massacre, against the City of Tulsa and seven defendants. The suit was the first of its kind in state court and the first to get far enough to see a judge. In 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit. In the final days of the Biden administration, the Justice Department released a report saying it had determined there is no longer an avenue for criminal prosecution over the massacre.

But the fight continues, Solomon-Simmons says, for cash payment to Randle and other descendants, as well as the return of land stolen after the massacre and during a period of urban renewal in Tulsa.

In 2025, the city’s first Black mayor, Monroe Nichols, endorsed a broad proposal dubbed Project Greenwood, which calls for financially compensating Randle, funding a scholarship program for descendants of victims, and designating June 1 as Tulsa Race Massacre Observance Day.

Solomon-Simmons also runs the nonprofit Justice for Greenwood, which he founded a year before the community marked the centennial of the massacre in 2021.

“One thing I’ve learned from this work, and as a lawyer in general, is that people want justice,” he said. “People want reparations, but people (also) want acknowledgment. They want to be seen. They want people to understand that something happened to them and their family, and they want an apology.”

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Aaron Morrison is the race and ethnicity news editor at AP.

Let's explain: Winger, the president of Monumental Basketball, was the Wizards' representative inside the sequestered room where the NBA draft lottery was taking place Sunday. The first ball was 4, the second ball was 2.

“I knew it was us,” Winger said.

He was right. The third ball — 1 — made it official. The fourth ball was a 13, which meant nothing. The 4-2-1 combination ensured that the Wizards had won the lottery and earned the right to pick No. 1 in next month's draft, a huge step forward for a team that finished with the league's worst record this season. And for the next 45 minutes, before the rest of the world found out during a television broadcast, Winger was essentially stone-faced.

“I could have celebrated by myself, looking around for somebody to high-five,” Winger said. “There wouldn't have been anybody there.”

The celebrations came later. Winger, Wizards great John Wall, vice president of player personnel Travis Schlenk, coach Brian Keefe and assistant coach David Vanterpool posed on stage after the lottery ended, all smiles. There haven't been a lot of moments worth smiling about in Wizards-land over the last three years. That may be changing.

“It’s our fans that have endured the most," Winger said. "And to me, this No. 1 pick is for them. It's a reward for hanging in there with us. It’s a reward to continue to support us despite sometimes really bad basketball. They knew and they supported a multiyear teardown, a multiyear reinvention of the franchise.”

It will be Washington's first time with the No. 1 pick since they chose Wall in that spot in 2010. Wall was the Wizards’ on-stage representative for the lottery.

“They could be a team that I feel should be in playoff contention next year,” Wall said.

Washington had a 14% chance of winning the No. 1 pick, tied with Brooklyn and Indiana for the best odds. The Wizards had basically a 50-50 chance of getting either a top-four pick or the No. 5 spot.

But three consecutive years of losing — the three worst seasons in the franchise’s 65-year history — paid off for a team that went 17-65 this season and even allowed Miami’s Bam Adebayo to score 83 points for the league’s second-highest single-game total ever.

The Wizards swung deals to land All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis earlier this year, and now they can add whichever college player they want.

“This is another step in our journey," Keefe said. "Obviously, it’s a great day and we’re looking forward to going through the process and finding who we’re going to take with that pick, but I’m just thrilled for everybody that works with the organization and most importantly the community.”

Winger brought a photo of his family with him into the lottery room, perhaps the bit of luck he needed. And there is a certain symmetry to how the 4-2-1 combination was what delivered for the Wizards; those numbers add up to 7.

“The day I was born,” said Keefe, born April 7, 1976.

Utah will pick No. 2, Memphis will pick No. 3 and Chicago will pick No. 4.

The Los Angeles Clippers got the fifth pick — via a trade with the Pacers, who were shut out of the draft entirely — followed by No. 6 Brooklyn, No. 7 Sacramento, No. 8 Atlanta, No. 9 Dallas, No. 10 Milwaukee, No. 11 Golden State, No. 12 Oklahoma City, No. 13 Miami and No. 14 Charlotte.

The draft begins June 23 in New York. The draft combine in Chicago starts on Monday.

No. 1 pick possibilities

There are four candidates that generally are considered front-runners to be the No. 1 pick, all coming out of college after one year.

— BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, who led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game.

— Duke’s Cameron Boozer, the AP player of the year who averaged 22.5 points and 10.1 rebounds.

— Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, who averaged 20.2 points in 24 games.

— North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson, who averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds on 58% shooting.

“Obviously we’re going to find out on June 23 where I’m going to land," Dybantsa said. "I’m betting on myself to be a No. 1 pick. I think I’m very adaptable, I can play anywhere.”

It's now possible that Boozer could be selected by the Bulls or the Jazz — two teams that his father, Carlos Boozer, played for in his NBA days.

“It could be surreal, for sure," Cameron Boozer said.

Last of this format (probably)

This was the eighth, and likely final, year of this version of an NBA draft lottery, with the worst teams having a 14% chance of winning.

Framework fell into place last month on changes meant to further discourage tanking, and the league’s Board of Governors is expected to ratify that plan in the next few weeks — with general managers meeting in Chicago on Tuesday to discuss them presumably for one last time.

The three worst teams, starting next season, would have a 5.4% chance of winning — with the next seven teams all having an 8.1% chance of winning. The lottery would grow from 14 to 16 teams if the plan, as expected, is approved.

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AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman and freelance reporter Scott Held contributed to this report.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Cox died in Marietta, Georgia, according to the Atlanta Braves. He had a stroke in 2019 and heart issues that complicated his recovery.

“Bobby was the best manager to ever wear a Braves uniform. He led our team to 14 straight division titles, five National League pennants, and the unforgettable World Series title in 1995. His Braves managerial legacy will never be matched,” the Braves said in a statement.

Cox took over a last-place team in June 1990 and led the Braves to a worst-to-first finish in 1991, losing the World Series to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. That was the start of what was to become a record 14 consecutive division titles, a feat no professional team in any sport had accomplished.

He managed the Braves for 25 years and led Atlanta to its first World Series title in 1995, retired after the 2010 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

Cox ranks fourth all-time with 2,504 wins, fifth with 4,508 games, first with 15 division titles including a record 14 in a row, first with 16 playoff appearances and fourth with 67 playoff victories. Only Connie Mack, John McGraw and Tony La Russa had more regular-season wins than Cox.

“He was the first one to the park every day," Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said of Cox. "He’d have his spikes on at 12 o’clock. I never saw a manager wear spikes, but that was one of Bobby’s trademarks. He just loved the game. He loved the game, and he loved leading a group of men trying to win a championship.”

Cox also was first in being ejected from 158 regular-season games. Weiss, who called Cox instrumental in bringing him back to the Braves as a bench coach, was asked if he might get tossed in Cox's honor.

“It’s a different game now, you know, a very different era,” Weiss said. "Nobody can do it like Bobby, believe me.”

Cox's death came four days after that of fellow Atlanta icon Ted Turner, who as owner of Braves lured Cox back to the team in 1990.

The Braves retired Cox’s No. 6 jersey in 2011, when he joined the team’s Hall of Fame.

“RIP my second father,” Andruw Jones wrote on social media. The 10-time Gold Glove winner with Atlanta in July will become the sixth who played for Cox with the Braves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Cox spent 29 seasons as a major league manager, including four with Toronto. He managed 16 postseason teams. He brought an old-school approach to the dugout. He always wore spikes and stirrups, and his fatherly demeanor inspired loyalty from his players.

Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux said players around the league always wanted to know what it was like playing for Bobby Cox: “The first word that comes to mind is respect. He had that from players. When Bobby talked, we listened. We wanted to play for him.”

Cox was the first NL manager to win at least 100 games in a season five times. He was Manager of the Year four times and the only one to win in consecutive years (2004, 2005). He also had close ties with his successors, Fredi González and Brian Snitker.

He regularly attended games and spring training before a stroke in 2019 that affected his speech and movement. Cox recovered enough to visit the Braves later that season, watching a game from the press box level. His wife, Pam, said in 2020 that heart trouble slowed his recovery from the stroke.

His long marriage survived a 1995 confrontation in which he was accused of hitting his wife in the face. He was charged with simple battery and in custody for an hour. The following day, Bobby and Pam appeared at a news conference and each denied he hit her in the face.

Cox said the couple would seek counseling. The charge was eventually dropped.

Despite all his regular-season success, Cox won only the one World Series title in five tries. He led the Braves to Atlanta’s first major professional sports championship in 1995, beating the Cleveland Indians in six games to win the World Series. Cox said critics usually focused on the World Series losses instead.

The Braves lost in 1992 to Toronto in six games and in 1996 in six to the New York Yankees before being swept by the Yankees in 1999.

“It’s a game of breaks when you get down to a four-game, must-win series,” Cox said. “We’ve played well. We’re proud of what we’ve done. They always ask that, though. It is irritating, to be honest with you.”

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 21, 1941, Cox graduated from Selma High School in California in 1959 and attended nearby Reedley Junior College before signing with the Dodgers for a $40,000 bonus.

He spent seven years in the Dodgers’ farm system before being traded to the Braves’ organization, playing one year at Richmond (1967). He was traded to the Yankees for Bob Tillman and Dale Roberts and played third base for his only two seasons in the majors (1968-69) before bad knees forced him to retire at age 30.

Cox began the first of six years as a minor league manager in 1971. He returned to the majors in 1977 as a first base coach for the Yankees, who went on to win the World Series.

His first major league managerial job came with the Braves in 1978. The best season of his first stint in Atlanta was an 81-80 finish in 1980, and he went 266-323 in four seasons.

The Toronto Blue Jays hired Cox in 1982, and he led them to their first American League East championship in 1985, in his fourth and final year there. He was lured back to the Braves as general manager by Turner, their outrageous owner and visionary media mogul, in 1986.

As GM, his Atlanta teams never had a winning season. Cox did develop players key to the Braves’ success in the ’90s: Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Jeff Blauser, Mark Lemke, Dave Justice, Javy Lopez and Ron Gant. He also had two No. 1 draft picks who excelled, Steve Avery and Chipper Jones.

Cox returned as field manager on June 22, 1990, after Russ Nixon was fired.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman played the first 12 seasons of his career with the Braves. He recalled Cox giving him 80 plate appearances in spring training when he was 19. Freeman has a jersey signed from Cox saying, “To Freddie, keep on hitting.”

“He lived a great life,” Freeman said. "Everyone loved him in baseball. Braves country loved him.”

Cox usually shied away from the limelight and was uncomfortable when talking about himself.

“Honestly, I’m just doing my job. I let everything else fall where it may,” he said.

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AP freelance writer Dan Greenspan contributed from Los Angeles.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

The league on Monday announced the Week 1 matchup of NFC East rivals at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The full schedule will be released Thursday with other games revealed in the coming days.

This is the eighth time in the past 15 years the Cowboys and Giants are opening the season against each other.

Dallas is always a national television draw as “America's Team,” and New York could get more prime time exposure with Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh coaching and Jaxson Dart established as the franchise quarterback coming off his eventful rookie year. It is set to be Harbaugh's Giants debut.

If healthy, it would also be the first meaningful game between Dart and Dak Prescott. While each started the season finale on Jan. 4, the teams were eliminated from playoff contention by then.

This also could be the NFL debuts for a pair of former Ohio State teammates: Giants linebacker Arvell Reese, taken with the fifth pick, and Cowboys safety Caleb Downs, drafted not long after at No. 11.

Dallas at New York also means neither of those teams will be the visitor at Seattle on Wednesday night, Sept. 9, when the defending champion Seahawks unveil their Super Bowl banner and kick off the season. Chicago, Arizona, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers or a title-game rematch against New England are the remaining possibilities.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Students who are already on buses will be provided breakfast at school once they arrive, and then dropped off back home.

“Thank you for your patience as we address these maintenance repairs,” the school district said.

The gap between young and older Americans' views of the job market now is greater than in any other country among the 141 surveyed, according to the Gallup World Poll. In the United States, 43% of those aged 15-34 believe it’s “a good time” to find a job in the area where they live, well below the 64% of those aged 55 and over who say the same.

Around the world, it's the opposite. Globally, the median share of younger people who say it’s “a good time” to find work in their local job market is 48%, compared with 38% among older people.

The findings reveal a generational rift in Americans' views of economic opportunity, with young people feeling increasingly downtrodden about job prospects, while older people still largely think it's a good time to find work. The schism is likely to continue fueling generational divides in politics, where younger voters have focused on economic issues such as housing costs and have registered less faith in institutions.

“It’s an incredibly new phenomenon,” Benedict Vigers of Gallup said of young Americans' pessimism. He added that last year was the first time in Gallup’s decades of polling that young Americans were more pessimistic about the job market than their peers in other developed countries. “Has this happened in most other advanced economies? The answer is a resounding no.”

Younger and older Americans differ on how easy it is to find a new job

Young people, with fewer physical limitations and family responsibilities — along with an ability to adapt more quickly than older counterparts — normally are more optimistic about their ability to land work.

But the new Gallup analysis finds the U.S. is one of only five countries where younger people are at least 10 points more pessimistic about the availability of work than older ones, joining China, Hong Kong, Norway, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the 141 countries surveyed, younger Americans ranked 87th in job market expectations. Even that is striking, Vigers said, because young Americans have long stood out globally for their optimism about job opportunities. Other countries, such as New Zealand and Canada, had lower levels of optimism among the youngest group, but there was no significant generational divide.

The divergence between younger and older Americans happened suddenly. Every U.S. age group registered a drop in confidence in the job market after 2023 — following a post-COVID rebound in 2021 and 2022 — but those 34 and younger saw the largest decline in recent years. The share of younger Americans saying it was “a good time” to find a job plunged by 27 percentage points from 2023 to 2025. That's comparable to the rate of decline for young people during the 2008 global financial crisis, which also saw a drastic drop in confidence for older Americans. But that hasn't happened in the last few years. In fact, older Americans’ views have barely dropped.

Older Americans also have a sunnier view of the economic landscape more generally, according to recent AP-NORC polling. About 8 in 10 adults under 35 describe the U.S. economy as very or somewhat poor, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in April. Only about 6 in 10 adults 55 and older say the same, although a majority still see the U.S. economy negatively.

John Della Volpe, a pollster who regularly surveys U.S. youth for the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics, said young people are frequently frustrated at how prior generations don't understand their current economic challenges.

“It's just another thing that drains their mental health — 'my parents don't understand that their pathway at this stage in life that I'm in was so much easier,'” Della Volpe said.

Job market optimism among younger adults approaches Great Recession levels

Younger Americans’ job market views now register close to the level they did in 2010, when the country was still deep in the Great Recession. This is not the first Gallup poll to find striking levels of pessimism among young Americans — they also register notably high levels of anxiety about pocketbook issues compared with people their age in other countries.

A separate Gallup survey on perceived U.S. job prospects found pessimism emerging at the end of 2024 and continuing into 2025. That coincides with the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term and the rise of artificial intelligence, which many fear will transform the labor market and eliminate many entry-level jobs.

The new poll finds the most frustrated groups of young people are those who haven’t secured a first job yet, college graduates and young women. But the heightened pessimism spreads across all subgroups of younger Americans, including men and those who haven't attended college.

“Whoever they are, they are more pessimistic than they were three years ago,” Vigers said of young Americans.

The older Americans who have a less dire view of the job market are themselves more likely to be retired and not looking for work. They’re also more likely to own their own homes, a longtime building block of American prosperity that has increasingly seemed out of reach to younger people.

Day-to-day financial concerns were a key issue in the 2024 election, particularly for younger voters, and Trump improved on his previous performance among this group as he ran on a platform of economic prosperity, fighting inflation and affordability. But like other groups that were important parts of Trump's 2024 coalition, some younger Americans have soured on the president as inflation continues, recent AP-NORC polling finds.

About 8 in 10 adults under 35 disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy and the cost of living, the recent AP-NORC poll found, compared with about 6 in 10 older adults.

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The Gallup World Poll results are based on telephone interviews conducted among approximately 1,000 U.S. adults from June 14 to July 16, 2025. The margin of error is ±4.4 percentage points for the U.S. sample.

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Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.

One of the more notable matchups in Nebraska’s state primary on Tuesday features two Democratic contenders for U.S. Senate who accuse each other of being “fake” candidates with no intention of competing to win the general election. The outcome could impact whether Nebraska has a competitive general election for the seat.

Voters in the Cornhusker State also will choose nominees for a full slate of contests ranging from governor to state Legislature and local offices.

Topping the ballot is the U.S. Senate race, where Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts is seeking a full term, following his 2023 appointment and 2024 special election victory to replace Republican Ben Sasse.

Although Ricketts faces four Republican primary challengers, he’s already looking ahead to an expected general election contest against independent candidate Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who came within 7 points of defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 reelection bid.

The Democratic nominee will be either pharmacy technician and community college instructor Cindy Burbank or pastor Bill Forbes.

The Nebraska Democratic Party supports Burbank for the primary and Osborn for the general election. The party originally had planned not to field a general election candidate to coalesce support behind the independent Osborn. Forbes’ last-minute candidate filing, along with past statements and political positions, has prompted allegations from party leaders that he entered the primary so that a Democrat would be on the fall ballot, siphoning votes away from Osborn and helping Ricketts.

Forbes denies the allegation. State records indicate he is a registered Democrat.

Burbank was also a late entrant to the race, and she cites keeping Forbes off the November ballot as a major priority of her campaign. On her website, she says Osborn “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts.”

Nebraska’s Republican Secretary of State, Bob Evnen, had Burbank tossed from the ballot in March following a complaint filed by the Republican Party of Nebraska alleging she was not running in good faith. The Nebraska Supreme Court ordered Burbank back on the ballot.

The primary contest will not break any fundraising records. Burbank received about $4,300 for her campaign as of April 22, while Forbes reported zero monetary contributions to his.

Republicans have held both of Nebraska’s U.S. Senate seats since the 2012 election, and the state is not a top target for Democrats looking to retake the chamber in 2026. But an upset over Ricketts or even a competitive race could give the party more breathing room as it looks to flip Republican seats in Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio.

In the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen faces five primary challengers, while former state Sen. Lynne Walz and frequent candidate Larry Marvin compete for the Democratic nomination. Marvin has previously run for U.S. Senate four times since 2012.

In the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District, six active candidates are running for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon. Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding is unopposed for the Republican nomination. The seat is critical to Democratic hopes to retake the chamber.

There are also 11 primary elections for Nebraska's unicameral state legislature. The races are nonpartisan, but many candidates run as Republicans or Democrats. Each race will have two winners advance to the general election, though voters can vote for only one candidate.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Nebraska falls within both the Central and Mountain time zones, but all polls close simultaneously at 9 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state and state Legislature.

Who gets to vote?

Nebraska voters registered with a political party may vote only in their own party’s primary. In other words, Democrats can’t vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. The state Democratic and Libertarian parties allow independent or unaffiliated voters to vote in their primaries. The state Republican and Legal Marijuana NOW parties allow independent or unaffiliated voters to vote in federal contests only. Voter ID is required.

How many voters are there?

As of May 1, Nebraska had about 1.3 million registered voters, about 621,000 Republicans and about 328,000 Democrats.

How many people actually vote?

About 219,000 votes were cast in each of the two Republican U.S. Senate primaries in 2024, which was about 18% of registered voters at the time. Pillen’s Republican primary for governor in 2022 had about 270,00 total votes cast, or about 22% of registered voters. The Democratic gubernatorial primary that year had about 100,000 votes, roughly 8% of registered voters.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 39% of the Republican primary vote and about 65% of the Democratic primary vote was cast before Election Day in both the 2022 and 2024 primaries.

As of Thursday, about 56,000 Republican primary ballots and about 49,000 Democratic primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

More than three-quarters of Nebraska’s 93 counties tend to release all or nearly all of their early and absentee vote results in the first vote update of the night, often before any results from in-person Election Day results are available. Nearly two-thirds of counties tend to release no or relatively few in-person Election Day results in their first report, including the most populous counties of Douglas and Lancaster.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In Ricketts’ last U.S. Senate primary in 2024, the AP first reported results just as polls closed statewide at 9 p.m. ET. About 90% of the vote had been counted by 12:10 a.m. ET, with the final vote update of the night a little more than an hour later at 1:35 a.m. ET with about 98% of the total vote counted. The AP declared Ricketts the winner at 9:10 p.m. ET.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts are automatic in Nebraska if the vote margin is 1% of the total vote or less in races where more than 500 votes are cast. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 175 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

He chose to be an infertility specialist to help people. Thirty years later, scientific advancements made that easier than ever but created more ethical dilemmas.

As co-director of a fertility clinic in suburban Washington, D.C., Gordon grew troubled over helping create surplus embryos, which would often languish in storage or be discarded. With the expansion of genetic testing, couples could choose the sex of their baby. They could screen out painful or fatal diseases, but also milder impairments like hearing loss.

“It’s too morally problematic,” Gordon thought. “I don’t know where you draw the line.”

In 2018, his wife pushed him to change how he practiced. They both believed in the sanctity of embryos as part of their Christian faith. But as Allison Gordon looked around the home where they had raised four children, their comfortable life now seemed bought by “ill-gotten gains.”

John Gordon soon bought a practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, and aligned it with his evolving faith-based views. His Rejoice Fertility clinic does not discard viable embryos, genetically test them or donate them to science. It also limits how many embryos it creates.

His career pivoted alongside a growing debate over in vitro fertilization. Recent legal decisions have prompted questions about IVF, from the U.S. Supreme Court ending federal abortion rights to the Alabama Supreme Court designating embryos as children. IVF remains popular in polling though, and President Donald Trump has taken steps to expand access.

Trump’s conservative Christian base is less supportive of IVF. The Catholic Church has long opposed IVF, and evangelicals are increasingly grappling with it. In 2024, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, called for IVF restrictions when it destroys “embryonic human life.”

Gordon believes his practice addresses many moral concerns. He was 55 when he made this intimidating shift: “I don’t like changing toothpaste brands.”

But, he said, “I need to practice in a way that I can live with the decisions I’m making.”

The discarded embryo dilemma

Rejoice draws patients from around the country. Evangelical brochures and a wooden cross sit in the waiting room. Outside the recovery area, a Bible verse reads: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In January, Maggie and Cade Lichfield, Latter-day Saints in Knoxville, held an ultrasound photo, their second since a pregnancy was confirmed after three failed embryo transfers. They understand IVF’s controversies but appreciate that Rejoice does not genetically test or discard embryos.

“You’re still letting God be God,” Maggie Lichfield said. “He is in control.”

Domenic and Olivia D’Agostino thought they would forgo IVF for religious reasons until they found Rejoice, nearly two hours by car from their Tennessee home.

They didn’t know a non-discard facility existed. “That was the biggest one for me because in my eyes there’s not much difference between discarding an embryo and abortion,” Domenic D’Agostino said. “We just weren’t really willing to do that.”

It felt providential. Gordon shares the couple’s interest in Reformed theology and the idea that God is sovereign over all things — including the vagaries of fertility treatments.

“My favorite thing that he does is he prays with us before transfers,” Domenic D’Agostino said. “He focused in on the sovereignty of God in it and submitting to God’s will in this process.”

A conversion experience

Gordon was raised Jewish outside Boston, the son and grandson of physicians. He received a premier education: prep school followed by Princeton, then medical school at Duke and residency at Stanford.

He met his wife at Duke, where she earned a doctorate in engineering. Allison Gordon grew up Christian in a small North Carolina town. A minister and a rabbi presided at their wedding; for years they maintained an interfaith marriage.

It wasn’t until their oldest son was in third grade and hospitalized with a life-threatening ailment that Gordon had a conversion experience. “I got down on my knees, and I said, ‘OK, you’ve got my attention, Lord.’”

After their son recovered, the couple joined a mainline Presbyterian church, where Gordon was baptized in 2000. Today they are part of the conservative evangelical Presbyterian Church in America. Elders of their church, Christ Covenant, support Rejoice’s mission.

Rejoice does not require employees or patients to share Gordon’s religious beliefs. Sarah Coe Atkinson, Rejoice’s senior embryologist, said, “I don’t necessarily believe in everything he believes in, but I believe in what we’re doing in terms of helping these embryos become lives.”

She oversees the lab, which accepts almost any embryo, no matter its condition. “Sometimes the ugliest embryos make the prettiest babies,” she likes to say.

When a couple received a donated embryo that had been frozen for nearly 31 years, Rejoice provided their care. The child, born in 2025, broke what is believed to be a record for the longest-frozen embryo to result in a birth.

To train others, Atkinson created a library of antiquated embryo storage devices and how to open them, cataloged in a binder with plastic sheet protectors. Instructions for an old glass ampule recommend a face shield with the warning: “Might explode.”

A Christian approach to IVF

Medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are stored in the U.S., though advocates say that number could be higher.

Gordon strives not to add to that. He tailors treatments around patients’ ideal family size. He specializes in offering IVF cycles with less fertility medication, which is more affordable and generally results in fewer eggs. Patients can also fertilize fewer eggs. Other clinics offer these options but Rejoice is unusual in prioritizing them.

The downside is if patients go through their small number of embryos and need another IVF cycle, which typically costs between $8,000 and $10,000 at Rejoice. Despite that expense, Gordon said his patients largely want to create fewer embryos because of their beliefs.

Emily Martin is haunted by the handful of embryos she has in storage. “I would wake up in the middle of the night just like, ‘Oh, what have we done?’ And just this heaviness,” she said.

An anti-abortion Christian in Knoxville, she wishes she had found Rejoice before making more embryos than she would use at another clinic. “That portion is something that’s not being talked about enough,” she said.

In rare cases when his patients have unused embryos, Gordon asks them to be placed for adoption. Embryo donations are known as embryo adoptions within conservative Christian circles, which view embryos not as property but as children.

The clinic recently launched Rejoice Embryo Rescue, which Gordon calls an “orphanage.” Rejoice stores donated embryos and works with agencies, most of them Christian, that specialize in coordinating embryo adoptions.

Adrienne and Colby McKnight had considered traditional adoption before they heard about adopting embryos through their homeschooling community in Augusta, Georgia.

They adopted an embryo they named Gloria, which had been frozen 11 years. When the embryo transfer did not end in pregnancy, they grieved but remained grateful.

“Really it’s just giving her a chance at life and just freeing her from being frozen,” Adrienne McKnight said. “Either way she gets to continue on. She gets to be with the Lord.”

Through Rejoice, they recently adopted two more embryos.

Bridging the worlds of IVF and religion

“It’s hard to be torn between your faith and your work,” Gordon said. Invoking a biblical passage, he said Christians are called to show “faith through our works.”

Rejoice has allowed him to reconcile those two things, though it’s been challenging. His relationship with the physician he bought the clinic from deteriorated, resulting in legal disputes.

Gordon has also faced criticism from other Christians and anti-abortion activists who believe any form of IVF is unethical.

“He’s moving in the right trajectory,” said Matthew Lee Anderson, a Christian ethicist at Baylor who opposes IVF. “It’s impressive that he’s taken the steps that he has to change how he is doing business, and I hope for more.”

Gordon does not regret starting over and plans to bring on more doctors.

One Sunday after church, he was back at the clinic. In the lab, Atkinson prepared a North Carolina couple's frozen embryo so it could be transferred that afternoon.

As the embryo thawed, it unfurled in a culture dish, its cells plumping with rehydration. There in the lab was a chance at life, soon to be sent off with hope — and at Rejoice — a prayer.

Four weeks later, there was welcome news: The patient was pregnant.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

The reelection bid caps an eventful 12 months for Baraka. The contest takes place almost a year after he was arrested at a protest outside a federal immigration detention center. The charges were later dropped, and he sued the federal prosecutor at the time, alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution.

Baraka later placed second against then-U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the Democratic primary for governor. Sherrill went on to win the general election. Baraka is a Democrat, but the office of Newark mayor is nonpartisan, and candidates do not run under a party label.

The candidates challenging Baraka are artist Tanisha Garner, developer and contractor Noble Milton, community organizer Sheila Montague, community activist Debra Salters, former Newark Municipal Court administrator Nasheedah Singleton, tech entrepreneur Jhamar Youngblood and Douglas “Rodney” Davis, whose campaign platform includes ending “casual Fridays” in City Hall.

Montague placed a distant second behind Baraka in the 2022 mayoral race, receiving about 17% of the vote. In 2024, she and Salters sought the Democratic nomination to replace the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Payne. They placed 7th and 11th, respectively.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a June 9 runoff election.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare a winner in the Newark mayoral race.

Who gets to vote?

Any registered voter in Newark may participate in the mayoral election.

How many voters are there?

There were about 159,000 registered voters in Newark in the 2025 general election.

How many people actually vote?

About 18,000 votes were cast in the 2022 mayoral election.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 16% of vote in the 2022 mayoral election was cast before Election Day.

As of Thursday, about 2,700 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, almost all of them from Democrats.

When are early and absentee votes released?

In Essex County, for which Newark is the county seat, the first vote report of the night typically includes nearly all results from early and absentee voting, with no results from in-person Election Day voting.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

The timing of vote releases for past elections is available for Essex County but not for Newark specifically. In the 2025 general election, the AP first reported results in Essex County at 8:06 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 10:10 p.m. ET, with about 93% of total votes counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts are very rare in New Jersey. The state does not have automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 28 days until the June 9 mayoral runoff, if needed.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

Zbigniew Ziobro was a key figure in the government led by the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party that ran Poland between 2015 and 2023. That administration established political control over key judicial institutions by stacking higher courts with friendly judges and punishing its critics with disciplinary action or assignments to faraway locations.

Ziobro announced in January that he had been granted asylum in Hungary, then led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

On Sunday, Ziobro told right-wing Polish broadcaster Republika that he had arrived in the United States the previous day — coinciding with the inauguration in Budapest of Orbán's successor, Péter Magyar, who defeated the longtime leader in an election last month. He said that he was using a document granted to him along with his right to asylum, Polish news agency PAP reported.

Current Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government came to power in late 2023 with ambitions to roll back the judicial changes made by its predecessor, but efforts to undo them have been blocked by two successive presidents aligned with the nationalist right.

In October, prosecutors requested the lifting of Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity to press charges against him. They allege among other things that Ziobro misused a fund for victims of violence, including for the purchase of Israeli Pegasus surveillance software.

Tusk’s party says Law and Justice used Pegasus to spy illegally on political opponents while in power. Ziobro says he acted lawfully.

On Monday, the national prosecutor's office said in a social media post that it was investigating the whereabouts of Ziobro, and looking into whether other individuals assisted him in "fleeing and evading criminal liability, thereby obstructing the investigation into the justice fund."

Current Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said in a post on X Sunday evening that Poland had invalidated Ziobro's travel documents, including his diplomatic passport, and that Warsaw will ask the U.S. and Hungary about the legal basis for Ziobro to leave Hungarian territory and enter the United States.

Ziobro's travels raise the possibility of tension between Warsaw and Washington.

Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór told The Associated Press that “we don’t want this issue to become political."

“Our relationship with the U.S. goes much deeper than what happens with Ziobro," he said. "But we do want our citizen to eventually return to Poland and face justice.”

K-9 Knox died in the line of duty last year after he was accidentally hit by a police vehicle while pursuing a suspect involved in a stolen vehicle incident. He was a 3-year-old German shepherd and had served as a narcotics detection and patrol apprehension K-9 for the Roanoke Police Department since May 2023.

The memorial service will include a wreath-laying ceremony and will be held at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., at 1 p.m. The event will open with a musical performance by Frank Ray, and the guest speaker will be Deputy Jared Hahn of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.

The San Antonio Police Department Blue Line Choir will sing the national anthem, and the Emerald Society Pipes & Drums band will also perform.

Ukrainian authorities said Monday that Russian drones, bombs and artillery shelling struck civilian areas of the northeastern Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions, killing at least two people and wounding seven others, including a 14-year-old boy.

Russia’s Defense Ministry insisted the military has “strictly observed” the ceasefire and accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating the agreement.

Similar ceasefires announced since Russia invaded its neighbor more than four years ago also have failed to stop the fighting, and U.S.-led diplomatic efforts over the past year have come to nothing.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said data from NASA observations indicated military activities decreased but did not stop after U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy had accepted his request for a ceasefire running Saturday through Monday.

The move was meant to mark Victory Day, the Russian celebration marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The ISW noted late Sunday that “ceasefires without explicit enforcement mechanisms, credible monitoring, and defined dispute resolution processes are unlikely to hold.”

Russia and Ukraine prepare to exchange prisoners of war

Trump had said there would also be an exchange of prisoners, declaring that the break in fighting could be the “beginning of the end” of the war. Zelenskyy said the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side is being prepared.

There are no signs that the two sides are ready to budge from their key negotiating positions, however.

Putin wants all of the Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, even though his army hasn’t completely captured it, but Zelenskyy says he won’t surrender it. Zelenskyy has offered a ceasefire and a face-to-face meeting with Putin, which the Russian leader has ruled out until a negotiated settlement is almost finalized.

Putin suggested at the weekend that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who has had close business ties to Russia, could act as a mediator. But German and European officials scotched that possibility even while accepting that the European Union could take a more significant role in peace efforts after being largely sidelined by Washington over the past year.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who has a friendly relationship with Trump, said in comments published Monday that Europe needs to engage directly with Moscow.

“It’s time to start talking to Russia,” Stubb was quoted as saying in Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas cautioned the bloc must get its objectives straight before attempting to negotiate with the Kremlin.

“Before we discuss with Russia, we should discuss amongst ourselves what we want to talk to them about,” she told reporters in Brussels.

US remains engaged in diplomacy to end the war, Zelenskyy says

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha joined EU foreign ministers for the Brussels meeting. “We have mainstream peace talks under the leadership of the U.S., and we need this track and we need U.S. leadership. But Europe could play also its role,” Sybiha said.

Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine has “nearly daily communication” with Trump administration representatives. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief, in recent days met with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the United States, according to Zelenskyy.

“Importantly, America remains engaged in diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Sybiha noted that in recent months Ukraine has improved its performance on the battlefield, reducing the bigger Russian army to a slow and costly slog on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line, while using its domestically developed long-range drones and missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia.

“We have a new reality on the battlefield … Ukraine became stronger after the most difficult winter,” Sybiha said.

Almost 20 countries seek Ukraine's drone technology

Cutting-edge drone technology has been one of the main drivers of success for Ukraine's short-handed army. It has also drawn other countries' attention, enhancing Ukraine's international standing.

Zelenskyy said nearly 20 countries in the Middle East and the Gulf, the South Caucasus and Europe are at various stages of entering into deals with Ukraine for battle-tested drones. In return, Ukraine is getting fuel and money.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was the latest senior European official to visit Kyiv, arriving Monday on an unannounced visit set to focus on furthering defense cooperation between the two countries.

Germany has become the world’s top provider of security assistance to Ukraine, accounting for roughly one-third of all aid the country receives, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Monday, according to Ukrainian media.

Germany has helped provide an “unprecedented package” of air defense missiles for Ukraine, Fedorov said, and has begun financing the production of medium- and long-range strike drones, which he described as critical for deep-strike operations.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Macy will address the recent Virginia Supreme Court decision overturning the redistricting vote, as well as other topics related to the 6th District campaign.

The former Roanoke Times reporter and “Dopesick” author officially announced her run for Congress in November 2025.

“I have spent my entire professional career giving a voice to the voiceless, giving a face to the forgotten and holding those who abuse power to account. Those of us in the Sixth District, or whatever it may become, will fight for all the people in the region,” Macy said previously.

The event will be held near Elmwood Park at the corner of Jefferson Street and Franklin Road, rain or shine.

This notice applies to the following areas:

• West Indian Valley Road
• Gilliam Street
• Wood Street
• Gum Avenue
• Plum Avenue
• South Pitzer Ridge Road
• Wildwood Drive

The boil water advisory will stay in place until further notice. City officials say you might experience low water pressure or even a complete loss of water. If that happens, be sure to boil your water before using it, at least until crews have finished repairs and tested the water.

Don’t drink or cook with tap water without boiling it first, as it could contain contaminants and may not be safe. For now, stick to boiled or bottled water for drinking and preparing food.

If you have questions, you can call the City of Covington Public Works at 540-965-6321.

They will be in the counties of Botetourt and Roanoke between mile markers 143 and 150 beginning Monday, May 11. There is a 30-day warning period for drivers to make them aware.

After that, drivers seen going over the posted limit in the work zones may receive a civil citation by mail.

“The cameras are just like an officer sitting in the work zone, but they’re getting everybody instead of just one at a time. The goal is to slow people down so the contractors and VDOT can work on the roadways safely,” VSP Sergeant Rick Garletts said.

There will be signage indicating the cameras are present along the roadways. The associated fine will be $100 with no impact on the person’s driving record or insurance.

Any fines collected will go to the Virginia Literary Fund.

City leaders have proposed a $421.5 million budget for the 2027 fiscal year, an increase of about $13 million over last year. As previously reported, the proposal will include job cuts, smaller annual pay raises and changes to capital projects, all in an effort to avoid raising taxes.

Council members finalized the budget in mid-April and announced plans to cut more than 100 city positions, scale back raises, and pull about $50 million in capital projects from the five-year plan. Among the projects impacted are Fishburn Mansion, the Belmont Library and several park improvements.

The final budget is scheduled for adoption Monday at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers, 215 Church Ave., on the fourth floor.

That connection leads us to May’s Education Impact Award honoree: Marie Levine, an art teacher at Staunton River Middle School.

It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, an art project may well articulate many times that number of thoughts.

[NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE EDUCATOR HERE]

“Art is just a way of expression that is so important for middle school students. In a world where we’re expecting these kiddos to grow up so quickly, and sometimes they just get lost, and when they do, I’m hoping they turn to art. It’s always just a way that we can improve. We can communicate. We can show our feelings, show our passions, and it’s amazing how much I learn about each one of my kids through just their artwork alone.”

Currently Staunton River Middle School’s Teacher of the Year, Levine finished in the top three for all of Bedford County. She has taught art for a dozen years, and her passion is eclipsed only by her connections with her students, connections, like sculptures in granite, that stand the test of time.

“They are excited to be in our class, not just because of art and the passion that they share for art, but also because of the connection that they have with her,” said Staunton River Middle School Principal Jessica Geyer. “They’re super excited to see her, and they truly do trust her, and you see that because we’ve got students that are getting ready to graduate at the high school level, and they continue to come back to see Mrs. Levine. She serves as a mentor to many of our students and our student-athletes as well.”

With the school’s golden eagle leading the way for Blue Eagle Credit Union’s Laurissa Thompson, we landed in Ms. Levine’s classroom for this month’s Education Impact honors.

“To stretch those boundaries, to think outside the box, to color outside the lines. I love that she’s instilling that in these students,” said Blue Eagle Credit Union Senior Brand Specialist Laurissa Thompson.

Before teaching art, Ms. Levine taught seventh-grade pre-algebra and fifth grade in both Bedford and Roanoke counties.

And nobody has even been drafted yet.

If there is one characteristic that the players expected to be at the very top of next month's draft share, it is confidence. They know they're good, and they don't mind telling you that they're good. And for the teams now in position to get those top players — Washington at No. 1, Utah at No. 2, Memphis at No. 3 and Chicago at No. 4 — the next few weeks are going to be teeming with promise.

“Since I’m in this draft class, I’m going to say we’re one of the best draft classes,” said Dybantsa, who led Division I men's college basketball in scoring this past season. "We’ll see how that pans out and how our careers pan out, but if you ask me right now, I think we’re one of the best draft classes.”

Fair enough.

An unforeseen trade or something popping up in the medical exams that will take place over the next few weeks could change things, but for now, it seems like the first four names Commissioner Adam Silver will call on June 23 will be BYU's Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.

They are not the only four good players in this draft. Far from it, it seems. But there does seem to be a significant amount of star power at the top, which made Sunday's draft lottery feel perhaps a bit more consequential than others.

“I feel like it can be the best ever," Wilson said when asked how good the Class of 2026 can be. "We have a deep draft and I feel like everybody wants to play hard and prove themselves. And it’s just a matter of time before we can do that.”

Indiana was devastated not to get a pick after having the league's second-worst record this season. The Pacers — who made the NBA Finals a year ago — surrendered the No. 5 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers to help pay off the trade made this season for center Ivica Zubac, who surely is going to help Indiana when Tyrese Haliburton returns from his torn Achilles.

But to miss out on grabbing some of the talent available this year, put simply, that hurt Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard.

“Today, it stings,” Pritchard said. “But wait ‘til next season. Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship, because they've proven they can do it.”

Wizards President Michael Winger likes to get into the math of things, and he knows a 14% chance isn't exactly great. But it was as good as anyone else in that draft lottery, and in the end it was good enough to get Washington that No. 1 pick.

But why?

“I don’t have a compelling answer for that. I think that ultimately it was just our time. I think it was time to get that pick," Winger said. "Whether it’s because there’s a special athlete at the top of the draft that we want or organizationally we’re ready for a player like that, whatever the case may be ... the basketball gods decided that this was our year.”

The Wizards were the big winner. They weren't the only winner.

Oklahoma City gets a lottery pick in this draft because of the years and years and years that general manager Sam Presti spent on collecting both good players and draft capital. That means the reigning champions — maybe back-to-back champions by draft time — will only get even better.

The Clippers got a top-five pick, Memphis gets a No. 3 pick, Chicago's rebuild will see the Bulls land an extremely good player, and Utah — which was fined $500,000 this year for sitting some players in the fourth quarters of games — is sitting at No. 2.

“Agree to disagree,” is what Jazz owner Ryan Smith famously wrote when the NBA hit him for the half-million-dollar fine. The credo now might be wait and see; the Jazz have a lot of young talent, and now will get even deeper on that front.

Jazz guard Keyonte George was at Sunday's lottery. He said the Jazz are keeping the receipts — his way of saying yes, Utah has taken note of all the tanking talk that dogged the team this season.

“We’re going to make sure we go at our own pace, understand we’re a new group and we’re on our journey to something special," George said. "But yeah, as a group, we’ll have a chip on our shoulder for sure.”

There's a lot of basketball left to be played this season. New York is in the NBA's final four already, awaiting Cleveland or Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. Oklahoma City can get back to the Western Conference finals on Monday, and if the Thunder get there they'll be waiting for either San Antonio or Minnesota.

But draft talk is picking up speed. And given how much talent is out there, that's understandable.

“A lot of people are saying we’re the best class in the last 10 years,” Peterson said. "So, we’re going to try our best to be that.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

The American League has been taking it on the chin.

By the end of the night Sunday, only three AL teams had a winning record, and one of them was the Athletics, who were only two games above .500. The Rays (26-13) and Yankees (26-15) are the only junior circuit teams that have been really impressive, and the latter ran into quite a roadblock against the NL Central's Brewers.

If the season ended now, the last two AL wild cards would be the White Sox and Rangers, who are both 19-21.

Eleven AL teams are under .500. That's the most through May 10 of any league in the divisional play era, according to Sportradar. The 2019 AL and the 2012 and 2010 NL each had nine teams under .500 at this point in the year.

Part of what makes this scenario possible is the proliferation of interleague play. The NL is 107-82 against the AL this season for a .566 winning percentage. The best interleague season was when the AL had a .611 winning percentage against the NL in 2006. But there were only 252 interleague games that whole year. There have already been 189 this season.

The more interleague games, the further one league can move ahead of the other. And even at the top of the AL East, the Rays are 8-10 against the NL and 18-3 against the AL.

Crucial stretch

Despite the soft AL playoff race, Orioles fans have become increasingly ornery as their team sputters at the start of a second straight season. Baltimore is 18-23, just 1 1/2 games out of a postseason spot, but May has already included a four-game sweep in the Bronx in which the Orioles were outscored 39-10.

Now the Yankees come to Baltimore for a three-game set, and the Orioles host the Rays in a series that starts Memorial Day. The big question in Baltimore is whether the Orioles can simply stay afloat for the rest of the month and avoid digging too big a hole.

Motown mess

It was a rough week for the starting rotation that was supposed to be such a strength in Detroit. Tarik Skubal was scratched from his start Monday and could be out a while because of loose bodies in his elbow. Then Framber Valdez was shelled by Boston on Tuesday and hit Trevor Story with a pitch, drawing a five-game suspension.

Jack Flaherty hasn't been good either and Justin Verlander has made only one start.

The Tigers are 19-22, although that means they're only a half-game out of a wild card and 1 1/2 out of first place in the AL Central.

Trivia time

Milwaukee's Aaron Ashby is already 7-0 in relief this season. Pittsburgh's Roy Face holds the modern single-season record for relief wins with 18 in 1959. But who has the career mark?

Performance of the week

Andy Pages had three homers and six RBIs for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 12-2 win over Houston on Wednesday. It's been Pages — not Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman or Kyle Tucker — making an outsized offensive contribution early this season for the two-time defending champs. Pages is hitting .333 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs.

Comeback of the week

Down to their last out Sunday, the San Diego Padres tied the game against St. Louis on Nick Castellanos' two-run homer. Then they won 3-2 in 10 innings on Manny Machado's walk-off sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals had a win probability of 95.4% in the bottom of the ninth, a ccording to Baseball Savant.

San Diego already has four walk-off victories this season, second to the Chicago Cubs' six. Neither has a walk-off defeat.

Trivia answer

Hall of Fame knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm earned 124 of his 143 wins in relief.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

As of Monday, May 11, the AAA states that the average price for regular gasoline in Virginia is $4.300 per gallon. Premium is averaging $5.141 per gallon, while diesel sits at $5.596.

In our region, drivers in Botetourt County are paying the most for gas in Southwest Virginia, with an average price of $4.327, the AAA reports. Additionally, drivers in Highland County are also seeing prices around $4.449 for regular gas, and in Nelson County, prices at the pump are approximately $4.396.

Some of the lowest gas prices in Southwest Virginia are in Carroll County, with the average price for regular gas sitting at $4.107 per gallon. Drivers can also find low gas prices in the Lynchburg area. Those in the Hill City are seeing an average price of $4.167, and $4.132 in Appomattox County.

There are still some deals if you know where to look.

According to GasBuddy:

• The lowest price for regular gas in the Roanoke area is $3.91 per gallon at BJ’s on Hershberger Road, as well as Sam’s Club on Towne Square Boulevard. BJ’s is offering premium gas for $4.29 per gallon and diesel for $5.33; Sam’s Club has premium gas for $4.29 per gallon.
• In Lynchburg, you can find the lowest price for regular gas at Royal Farms on Wards Road, where it’s $3.89.

Across the Commonwealth, some of the highest gas prices are found in the D.C. area. For regular gas, you’ll spend about $4.379 per gallon.

Count on 10 News to bring you the latest price at the pump every morning.

To find out where the lowest fuel prices are near you, visit GasBuddy’s website.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war against Iran on Feb. 28, the cost of crude oil, the main ingredient in gasoline, has spiked and swung rapidly. That’s because the conflict has caused deep supply chain disruptions and cuts from major oil producers across the Middle East.

Turns out, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

“A host of factors can affect how much water you need, including age, metabolism and whether you have any chronic medical issues,” explained Neha Vyas, MD, a family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic.

With so many factors at play, Dr. Vyas said it’s best to simply listen to your body.

Drink when you’re thirsty but also watch for signs you may not be getting enough fluids, like having dark urine or dry mouth.

For a general guideline, try to drink about eight to 12 glasses of water a day.

It’s especially important to stay hydrated when you’re exercising or spending time outside on a hot day.

Dr. Vyas said making the effort to get enough water is important for our overall health and offers many benefits.

“Drinking water keeps your organs flushed and perfused. It also helps you maintain a good metabolic status, so you don’t get dehydrated or sluggish. Water keeps your kidneys hydrated as well, helping prevent issues like kidney failure and kidney stones,” Dr. Vyas said.

Dr. Vyas added that coffee, tea and other drinks can contribute to your daily fluid intake.

But moderation is key here, and remember water is the best choice to stay hydrated.

But Beijing’s deep economic ties to Iran, as well as trade tensions over tariff threats stretching back to Trump’s first term, could crimp the good feelings when Trump flies to Beijing this week — even though the Republican president has for years effusively praised Xi, making it clear he sees China’s leader as a competitor strong enough to warrant his respect and admiration.

Trump lately isn't very fond of long plane rides or extended stretches away from the White House or his properties in Florida and New Jersey. He arrives in Beijing on Wednesday night and the next morning will take part in a welcome ceremony and meet one-on-one with Xi before the two leaders tour the Temple of Heaven — a religious complex dating to the 15th century symbolizing the relationship between Earth and heaven.

Trump will attend a state banquet on Thursday evening and then have a tea and working lunch with Xi on Friday before leaving, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Sunday. She said they will discuss creating a new Board of Trade to keep their countries talking on economic issues, as well talking up key industries like energy, aerospace and agriculture.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Monday that Beijing is willing to work with the U.S., based on equality and mutual respect to expand cooperation, manage differences, and add stability to a turbulent world. The diplomacy between the leaders “plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role” in the bilateral relation, he said.

There will be plenty of ceremonial splendor, but the grandeur is not expected to rival Trump's first visit to China in 2017, which Beijing dubbed a “state visit-plus.”

“Even before this whole conflagration with Iran, they weren’t going to go state visit-plus like last time, just because things are tense,” said Jonathan Czin, a former director for China at the National Security Council during the Biden administration.

Xi's ‘better understanding’ of Trump

On Trump's first-term trip, China rolled out the red carpet for his arrival, with a band playing military music and children waving flags and chanting “Welcome.”

Xi offered a tour of the Forbidden City. Trump and first lady Melania Trump even had a private dinner there. Trump was the first foreign leader since the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949 to experience what was once reserved for emperors.

The following morning brought another welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People and featured a military parade. There also was a state banquet in Trump’s honor with video highlights from the Chinese leader’s previous visit to Florida and a clip of Trump’s granddaughter Arabella singing in Chinese.

Ali Wyne, senior U.S.-China research and advocacy adviser for the Washington nonprofit the Crisis Group, said the “Chinese delegation will likely do its utmost to ensure that Trump leaves Beijing believing that he has just concluded the most extraordinary state visit of his two presidencies.”

But, he said, the “pomp and circumstance would serve a different role now than they did when he first visited Beijing” because “Xi has a much better understanding of Trump, and the administration’s own national security strategy and national defense strategy recognize China as a near-peer.”

Expectations for what gets accomplished could be lower this time, said Czin, now a fellow at the Brookings Institution. He predicted that the Chinese may not offer major breakthroughs on trade or anything else because they are “working backward from our midterm elections” with the theory that the closer they get to Election Day “the more leverage they are going to have.”

The GOP is focused on retaining control of Congress, even as polling shows most Americans are unhappy with Trump’s economic policies and believe that the United States went too far in Iran. Still, the White House argues that Trump's previous firm hand with Beijing on tariffs — which the Supreme Court subsequently struck down — means the U.S. will remain in a strong position.

“President Trump cares about results, not symbols,” Kelly said. “But even still, the president has a great relationship with President Xi, and the upcoming summit in Beijing will be both symbolically and substantively significant.”

Trump and Xi may see a lot of each other this year

Trump could meet with China's leader four times in eight months.

After his visit to Beijing, Trump plans to host Xi at the White House. Trump might also attend the November Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Shenzhen, China. And Xi could come to the Group of 20 summit the following month at Trump’s resort in Doral, Florida.

Czin noted that Xi also is not very fond of travel, meaning not all of the planned encounters may happen. He said China's leader also does not “do personal connections” like the kind Trump relishes, noting Xi led a Chinese military purge in January that included replacing officials with long-standing personal ties to his family.

Wyne, though, said Xi also “appreciates that he is unlikely to deal with another U.S. president who admires him as greatly and embraces as narrow a view of strategic competition.”

That means Xi may “attempt to pocket as many economic and security concessions from Trump as possible,” Wyne said.

Trump has long praised Xi

Trump told The Wall Street Journal's editorial board in 2024 that Xi “was actually a really good … I don’t want to say ‘friend.’ I don’t want to act foolish. ‘He was my friend.’ But I got along with him great.”

Trump even suggested at the time that military force might not be required to ensure that Chinese troops do not encroach on Taiwan, simply because China’s leader “respects me,” despite Trump more recently discussing potentially selling arms to Taiwan.

Trump has continued to praise the bilateral relationship since returning to the White House, even after his Beijing visit, originally scheduled for March, was postponed due to the early stages of the Iran war.

He unsuccessfully prodded China to get involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian forces choked it off and disrupted global economies. But China did use its leverage as the largest purchaser of Iranian oil to encourage Iran to agree to what has been a fragile ceasefire.

The White House says it expects Trump to apply pressure on China with regards to Iran. Beijing has strong economic ties to Tehran, and the war could hurt its economy, which was already projected to grow more slowly. If China can help establish lasting peace, though, that might boost its standing in negotiations on trade issues with the Trump administration.

Trade issues a sticking point

During his 2017 visit, Trump announced $250 billion in nonbinding trade deals, some of which never materialized. A round of trade deals announced in 2020 and worth $200 billion mostly never came to fruition before Trump's first term ended.

More recently, Trump’s announcement last year of steep global tariffs prompted China to cut off purchases of U.S. soybeans and clamp down on exports of rare earth minerals needed by American factories.

Tensions have eased somewhat since the U.S. reached a trade truce last fall that has limited tariffs on both sides. The White House says there have been more recent discussions about extending the trade truce, and that both sides support doing so.

Trump “doesn’t travel anywhere without bringing deliverables home to our country,” according to Kelly. “Americans can expect the president to deliver more good deals for the United States while in China,” she said.

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Associated Press writer E. Eduardo Castillo contributed from Beijing

San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge at the eponymous Andon Café in the Swedish capital. While human baristas still brew the coffee and serve the orders, the AI agent — powered by Google’s Gemini — oversees almost every other aspect of the business, from hiring staff to managing inventory.

It is not clear how long the experiment will last, but the AI agent appears to be struggling to turn a profit in Stockholm’s competitive coffee trade. The cafe has made more than $5,700 in sales since it opened in mid-April, but less than $5,000 remains from its original budget of $21,000-plus. Much of the cash was spent on one-time setup costs, and the hope is that it eventually levels out and makes money.

Many cafe patrons have found it amusing to visit a business that's run by AI. Customers can pick up a telephone inside the cafe and ask the agent questions.

“It’s nice to see what happens if you push the boundary,” customer Kajsa Norin said. “The drink was good.”

Experts worry about AI's role going forward

Experts say ethical concerns abound, ranging from technology's role in humankind's future to conducting job interviews and judging employee performance.

Emrah Karakaya, an associate professor of industrial economics at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, likened the experiment to “opening Pandora’s box" and said putting AI in charge can cause many problems. What might happen, he said, if a customer gets food poisoning? Who’s to blame?

“If you don’t have the required organizational infrastructure around it, and if you overlook these mistakes, it can cause harm to people, to society, to the environment, to business,” Karakaya said. “The question is, do we care about this negative impact?”

Founded in 2023, Andon Labs is an AI safety and research startup that says it focuses on “stress-testing” AI agents in the real world by giving them “real tools and real money.” It has worked with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Claude’s Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Elon Musk’s xAI, and the startup says it is preparing for a future where “organizations are run autonomously by AI.”

The Swedish cafe is billed as a “controlled experiment” to explore how AI might be deployed going forward.

“AI will be a big part of society in the future, and therefore we want to make this experiment (to) see what ethical questions arise when we have AI that employs other people and runs a business,” said Hanna Petersson, a member of Andon Labs’ technical staff.

The lab previously held pilots that put Anthropic’s Claude AI in charge of a vending machine business and a San Francisco gift store. The vending machine simulation revealed some worrying traits: The AI agent told customers it would issue refunds but never did, and it also intentionally lied to suppliers about competitor pricing to gain leverage.

AI agent struggles with inventory orders

Mona got to work after it was prompted with some basic instructions, Petersson said. The team told it to try to run the cafe profitably, be friendly and easygoing, and figure out operational details by itself but ask for new tools if needed.

From there it set up contracts for electricity and internet, and secured permits for food handling and outdoor seating. The agent then advertised for staff on LinkedIn and Indeed, and set up commercial accounts with wholesalers for daily bread and bakery orders. It communicates with the baristas via Slack, often messaging them outside of working hours, which is a workplace no-no in Sweden.

Other problems have arisen, particularly related to inventory.

The AI agent has placed orders for 6,000 napkins, four first-aid kits and 3,000 rubber gloves for the tiny cafe — plus canned tomatoes that aren’t used in any dish the cafe serves.

And then there’s the bread. Sometimes the agent orders far too much, while other days it misses bakeries’ daily deadlines, forcing the baristas to strike sandwiches from the menu.

Petersson said the ordering issues are likely due to the AI assistant’s “limited context window.”

“When old memory of ordering stuff is out of the context window, she completely forgets what she has ordered in the past,” Petersson said.

Barista Kajetan Grzelczak said he isn’t worried about being replaced by AI just yet.

“All the workers are pretty much safe,” he said. “The ones who should be worried about their employment are the middle bosses, the people in management.”

“I think we upgraded a couple years ago and connected the computer to a TV,” Quinn says. “I wouldn’t want to do it any different.”

Quinn has good reason to keep any good luck charm. In all six of those awards ceremonies, Neon has won the Palme, the prestigious top honor of the Cannes Film Festival. It’s an unparalleled streak for one of the most sought-after prizes in movies, second only to the best picture Oscar. No other studio has ever come close to anything like it.

“No one ever believes it, but we’ve never gone to Cannes thinking we were going to win the Palme d’Or,” Quinn says. “It’s been a surprise every single year.”

When the 79th Cannes Film Festival gets underway Tuesday, Neon — a 60-person company founded in 2017 — rides in as an unlikely heavyweight. It’s backing more than a quarter of the 22 films in competition for the Palme. Its odds of making it seven in a row are good. Some of the most hotly anticipated titles — including Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi's “All of a Sudden,” Korean auteur Na Hong-jin's “Hope” and James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” — are Neon’s.

Altogether, the indie distributor has nine films in Cannes. All, Quinn notes, they signed on for before the films' Cannes invite.

“I hate to break it to everyone but don’t hate us for our good taste,” says Quinn. “Who’s chasing who here? Thierry (Frémaux, Cannes artistic director) is going to make up his own mind and we’re going to make up our own mind. It just so happens that we agree.”

Big studios are absent at Cannes, but Neon is everywhere

When Frémaux announced the lineup of this year’s festival, he lamented the almost nonexistent presence of Hollywood’s major studios. “When the studios are less present in Cannes, they are less present full stop,” he said.

While studio releases like Warner Bros.’ “One Battle After Another” and Universal’s upcoming “The Odyssey” can be major Oscar players, a wide swath of the most original movies of the past decade have been released by specialty labels like Neon and A24.

Both have risen to prominence at international film festivals like Cannes and at the Oscars by focusing on filmmakers, not IP.

“It’s not rocket science and there’s nothing secret about it,” says Quinn. “It’s pursuing the directors and films we want to be a part of.”

Quinn had worked at Samuel Goldwyn Films and Magnolia Pictures before, in 2011, launching Radius, a boutique label with Harvey Weinstein. Though, at Neon, Quinn expected A24 to be his chief competition, he found himself often bidding against Netflix, on movies like Neon’s first acquisition, the Margot Robbie-led “I, Tonya” and Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.”

“We did not outbid them but we out-passioned them,” says Quinn.

Neon does produce films (like the upcoming “I Love Boosters”), but it largely sticks to distributing movies in North America, often with awards campaigns attached to their releases. It has boarded its Palme d’Or winners — “It Was Just an Accident,” “Anora,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Titane” and “Parasite” — in a variety of ways.

Some were acquired in Cannes. Some, like “Parasite,” Neon boarded at the script stage. Quinn signed up for the body horror freak-out “Titane” even though the script made no sense to him. He just believed in its writer-director Julia Ducournau. In that way, Neon is the ultimate anti-algorithm studio.

And yet faith in filmmakers and good taste have carried Neon to the greatest heights of Hollywood. Both “Parasite” and “Anora” won best picture at the Academy Awards after winning the Palme. Neon nearly swept the best international Oscar category last March, with four of the five nominees: the winning “Sentimental Value,” “Sirāt,” “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident.”

Breaking subtitle barriers

“Parasite” famously became the first non-English-language film to win best picture — a triumph for the “1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” as Bong Joon Ho noted in his acceptance speech.

Neon, majority owned by Dan Friedkin’s 30West, is far from competing with studio blockbusters at the box office. (Its biggest ticket seller thus far was Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs,” with $75 million.) But Neon has proved there’s a larger audience than many would have expected for daring, often international cinema.

They are, Quinn says, “agnostic” about where its titles come from, and the company’s small size means they can give each movie a bespoke rollout. And by the end of the year, Neon will gather its releases into a DVD box set, even though many voters don’t have DVD players anymore.

“Audiences are desperate, desperate for creativity,” Quinn says. “Films are not packaged goods. The idea that this art form that is so subjective is treated as a P & L (profit and loss statement), I don’t know how you can make good creative decisions when you’re dealing with billions of debt looming at your door.”

Neon’s slate in Cannes is typically wide-ranging. Also up for the Palme is Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord,” with Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve; Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Sheep in the Box”; and “The Unknown,” by “Anatomy of a Fall” cowriter Arthur Harari. It also has Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Her Private Hell”; Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri’s “Clarissa” and William and David Greaves’ already lauded documentary, “Once Upon a Time in Harlem.”

Some of the movies that escaped Neon’s grasp still irk Quinn. He missed out on Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters,” the Palme winner in 2018.

“The idea that we would have won seven Palmes in a row is completely outlandish,” Quinn says. “But that’s a huge regret.”

With one frustrated swing of his right elbow on Sunday night, Wembanyama changed the course of Game 4 — and perhaps the series.

Ejected after striking Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the throat early in the second quarter, Wembanyama was confined to watching his teammates admirably overcome his notable absence before fading down the stretch in a 114-109 defeat that evened the series at two games apiece.

“It was a whole lot of grabbing and pushing and shoving, but that’s a part of the game,” said Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, who matched his career high with 24 points. “The next man has got to step up. I think we all did a great job of controlling what we can control.”

Wembanyama was swarmed by Reid and Jaden McDaniels after grabbing an offensive rebound following a missed 3-pointer. With McDaniels tugging on his left arm, Wembanyama snapped and jabbed his right arm back toward Reid — and struck him square in the neck.

Television replays showed Harper behind the scrum with a stunned expression, his mouth agape. McDaniels quickly bearhugged Wembanyama to try to avoid escalation, and the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama took a seat on the bench while the officials reviewed the video with the fans at Target Center chanting, “Kick him out!”

The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck. That penalty triggers an automatic ejection, immediately swinging the balance of a pivotal game in the series toward the Timberwolves. The Spurs had the lead after their 115-108 win in Game 3 on Friday.

When the penalty was announced, Wembanyama appeared to ask teammate Harrison Barnes, "What does that mean?” He slapped hands with each of his Spurs teammates on his way off the floor, with the arena sound system blaring Michael Jackson's “Beat it!”

Wembanyama finished with four points, four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes.

“I’m glad he took matters into his own hands. Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid — by all means, being very clear about that,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I'm glad Naz Reid is OK, and I didn’t want him to elbow him, but he’s going to have to protect himself.”

Johnson raised a concern beyond simply how the Timberwolves have been playing Wembanyama, who was the first overall pick in the 2023 draft.

“The level of physicality that opponents have been trying to impose on him since his first days in the league, combined with the lack of protection from the referees, is really disappointing,” Johnson said. "And to a certain extent, it’s starting to become downright nauseating.”

With Reid, Julius Randle and McDaniels in their frontcourt, the Timberwolves have had plenty of muscle and tenacity to send at Wembanyama, even if he's been good enough offensively to overcome it. He had 39 points on 13-for-18 shooting from the floor in Game 3.

“You never want anyone to get hurt, but you could see the frustration. I could see where he's coming from,” Harper said. “We've got his back, and I think he can learn from that, and he just knows not to do that again.”

Now the series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday, with the league certain to assess the play for potential further punishment, but Johnson dismissed any concern about a suspension.

“There was zero intent," he said. "I think it would be ridiculous.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

One the 17 American passengers evacuated from the MV Hondius tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing any symptoms, U.S. health officials said late Sunday.

Earlier, one of the five French passengers developed symptoms on their flight home, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a statement, and all were put into strict isolation with plans to be tested.

Passengers were evacuated off the MV Hondius following its arrival in Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago off the West African coast.

Earlier, officials from the Spanish Health Ministry, the World Health Organization and the cruise company Oceanwide Expeditions had said none of the more than 140 people who were then on the Hondius had shown symptoms of the virus.

The aircraft carrying the Americans was due to arrive in Omaha, Nebraska, early Monday.

The Americans would first be taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which has a federally funded quarantine facility, to assess whether they have been in close contact with any symptomatic people and their risk levels for spreading the virus.

The medical school also has a special unit for treating people with highly infectious diseases that was used early in the pandemic for COVID-19 patients and previously for Ebola patients.

“One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring. The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms,” said Kayla Thomas, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Medicine hospital that will help care for the passengers.

From the ship, all of the passengers were escorted to shore by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks. Spanish passengers were the first to leave, flown to Madrid and taken to a military hospital. Hours later, a plane that evacuated French passengers landed in Paris, where it was met by emergency vehicles.

The planes arriving in Tenerife were to fly out passengers from more than 20 countries in an evacuation effort that was expected to last until Monday.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry said a Japanese national arrived in Britain on a chartered flight arranged by the British government and will be under health monitoring by British authorities for up to 45 days.

Three people have died since the outbreak began, and five people who left the ship earlier are infected with hantavirus.

Health officials say risk to public is low

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reiterated that the general public should not be worried about the outbreak.

“We have been repeating the same answer many times," he said. "This is not another COVID. And the risk to the public is low. So they shouldn’t be scared, and they shouldn’t panic.”

Even so, those disembarking and workers at the port of Granadilla in Tenerife wore protective gear during the evacuation process, including hazardous-materials suits, face masks and respirators. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed passengers on the tarmac donning similar suits and being sprayed with disinfectant.

Passengers were relieved to be on their way home, another WHO official said. “It’s been great seeing all the buses coming out and people really happy to be on land again and being repatriated,” said Diana Rojas Alvarez, the WHO health operations lead, who is on Tenerife.

Authorities have said the disembarking passengers and crew members will be checked for symptoms and will be forbidden from having any contact with the local population. They were to be taken off the ship only when evacuation flights are ready. Tedros and Spain’s health and interior ministers are supervising the operation in Tenerife.

Hantavirus usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings, and the disease is not easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

Passengers and disembarking crew members left behind their luggage and were allowed to take only a small bag with essentials, a cellphone, a charger and documentation.

Some crew, as well as the body of a passenger who died on board, will remain on the ship, which will sail on to Rotterdam, Netherlands, where it will undergo disinfection, Spanish authorities said.

The journey to Rotterdam takes about five days, the cruise company said.

Passengers will be monitored

The WHO is recommending that passengers' home countries "have active monitoring and follow-up, which means daily health checks, either at home or in a specialized facility,” said Maria van Kerkhove, the organization's top epidemiologist.

“We are leaving this up to the countries themselves to actually develop their own policies,” she added. “But our recommendations are very clear.”

Numerous countries have said their people will be quarantined or hospitalized for observation.

In the U.K., for example, authorities have said passengers will be hospitalized for 72 hours of quarantine, followed by six weeks of self-isolation.

The French had planned a similar protocol, but after Sunday's flight, the prime minister said the five passengers would be kept in the hospital "until further orders."

A Dutch evacuation plane touched down Sunday evening in the Netherlands city of Eindhoven, with disembarking passengers wearing masks and carrying belongings in white plastic bags. The 26 aboard included eight Dutch citizens, as well as people from India, Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, Guatemala, the Philippines and Montenegro, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

The Dutch citizens were being taken home by medical transport and will self-quarantine for six weeks. Local health services were arranging quarantine locations for others.

The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, said Americans would first be flown to the University of Nebraska. After that, he told CNN’s “State of the Union,” they will be given the choice of staying in Nebraska or going home, where their conditions would be monitored by state and local health agencies.

He made the comments before the report one passenger had tested positive.

He noted that seven Americans who left the cruise have been in the U.S. for roughly two weeks, and they are living across the country.

Australia is sending a plane, expected to arrive Monday, to evacuate its people and those from nearby countries, such as New Zealand, and unspecified Asian countries, said Spanish Health Minister Mónica García, who added that the evacuation flight was expected to be the last to leave Tenerife.

Norway sent an ambulance plane to the island with personnel trained to transport patients with high-risk infections, its Directorate for Civil Protection told public broadcaster NRK.

British medics parachute into remote territory

Elsewhere, British Army medics parachuted onto the remote South Atlantic territory of Tristan da Cunha, where one of the 221 residents has a suspected case of hantavirus.

The patient was a passenger on the MV Hondius and disembarked last month.

The U.K. Defense Ministry said a team of six paratroopers and two medical clinicians jumped Saturday from a Royal Air Force transport plane, which also dropped oxygen and medical equipment.

Tristan da Cunha is Britain’s most remote inhabited overseas territory, about 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the nearest inhabited island, St. Helena. The group of volcanic islands has no airstrip and is usually accessible only by a six-day boat voyage from Cape Town, South Africa.

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Naishadham reported from Madrid. Associated Press writers Angela Charlton in Paris, Jill Lawless in London and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.

Virginia Tech secured its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Pete D’Amour and will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the LSU Regional. The Hokies, the No. 2 seed in that regional, will open play against South Alabama Friday at 4 p.m. Tech enters postseason play with a 46-10 record after advancing to the ACC championship game before falling 2-1 to Florida State on Saturday.

The regional field includes No. 16 national seed LSU, South Alabama and Akron. Virginia Tech will look to build on a season that featured one of the nation’s top pitching staffs and another 40-win campaign under D’Amour.

The Hokies reached the ACC title game behind dominant performances from pitchers Emma Mazzarone and Bree Carrico, including a 5-0 semifinal victory over Duke and a quarterfinal win over Virginia.

While Virginia Tech would have like the opportunity to host a regional, the team is ready to take its talents on the road.

“We are prepared to host.We’re prepared to go on the road. So I’m confident that we had the strategy to host here, and we’re not,” said head coach Pete D’Amour. “So we’re going to go to plan B and go on the road and see what we can do.”

“I think it’s exciting, but it’s part of the reason I committed to Virginia Tech, knowing that there is this standard of excellence here,” said Hokies utility player Kylie Aldridge. “So, making the tournament and just going out there and competing is something that we do year in and year out under Coach Pete.”

Meanwhile, Virginia earned its third straight NCAA Tournament bid and will head to Knoxville, Tennessee, as the No. 2 seed in the Knoxville Regional. The Cavaliers will join host and No. 7 national seed Tennessee, Indiana and Northern Kentucky in the four-team field.

Virginia, which finished the regular season with 38 wins, continues one of the strongest stretches in program history. The Cavaliers previously reached the regional championship round in Knoxville during the 2024 tournament and now return seeking the first super regional appearance in school history.

Led offensively by standout hitter Macee Eaton and anchored in the circle by Appomattox County grad Courtney Layne and Rustburg grad Eden Bigham, Virginia positioned itself for an at-large berth despite a loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC quarterfinals.

The NCAA Tournament begins Friday with 16 regional sites across the country. Regional winners will advance to the super regionals May 21-24, with the Women’s College World Series scheduled for May 28 through June 5 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

The 53-year-old father of four fears the strain will worsen if the war drags on, saying long hours waiting for fuel have sharply cut his income and made it increasingly difficult to support his family in Dhaka, the nation's capital, including a daughter at university and a son in college.

“My family was managing fairly well through ride-sharing," he said. “But after the fuel shortage began, I would buy fuel one day and run the bike for two days. As a result, I had to sit idle for one day, which reduced my income.”

The strain in Islam's household reflects a broader squeeze in Bangladesh, heavily dependent on imported fuel, where energy shortages have disrupted daily life, slowed industrial output and raised concerns about economic growth as global tensions push up costs and strain supplies.

Conditions have eased slightly in recent days, with shorter queues at fuel stations after the government increased supplies, but concerns persist across sectors.

Across Asia, governments are facing similar strains as the war-driven surge in energy prices rattles economies dependent on imported oil and gas.

The continent is exposed because it relies on imported fuel, much of it passing through the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and natural gas trade.

Higher fuel costs are leading to inflation and squeezing household budgets, while industries from manufacturing to transport are facing rising operating costs and supply disruptions.

The Asian Development Bank in late April cut growth forecasts for developing Asia and the Pacific, warning that war-driven energy disruptions would slow economies and fuel inflation. It now expects growth of 4.7% in 2026, with inflation rising to 5.2% as oil prices climb and financial conditions tighten.

Many are hoping for a quick end to the conflict and a return to normal.

“If this situation continues, we will have to move back to our village and find some other way to earn a living,” Islam, the struggling father said. It is not possible to survive in Dhaka by doing ride-sharing under these conditions.”

Energy crunch weighs on Bangladesh’s economy

Rising energy prices are also expected to strain Bangladesh’s finances, with the government likely to spend an additional $1.07 billion on LNG subsidies in the April-June quarter alone if global prices remain high.

Bangladesh has sought supplies from its big neighbor India, which has responded positively as it has diversified sources, including Russia, of fuel.

Already, authorities have imposed austerity measures to manage the crisis as global lenders warn of slower growth in the nation of more than 170 million people. Gas and diesel shortages have triggered more frequent power cuts in industrial zones.

The government has also shut fertilizer factories to divert gas to power plants, restricted evening hours for shopping malls and introduced fuel rationing.

The World Bank said in April it expects growth in Bangladesh to slow to 3.9% in the fiscal year ending in June 2026, warning that a prolonged Middle East conflict could fuel inflation, widen the current account deficit and strain public finances through higher energy subsidies.

Jean Pesme, the World Bank’s division director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, said the economy already faced “pre-existing vulnerabilities and challenges, in particular on the economic and employment front.”

The rising costs now are “obviously making the fiscal situation more difficult.”

He also warned that authorities should be cautious in raising fuel prices, saying higher costs could hurt farmers and agriculture.

Bangladesh garment industry is hit as exports slow

The energy crunch is also driving up costs and threatening Bangladesh’s garment exports, the backbone of its economy, business leaders say.

Anwar-Ul Alam Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries, said exports to Europe and the U.S. could face a significant setback. Shipments have fallen between 5% and 13% in recent months, he said. He worries that customers could lose confidence in Bangladesh’s ability to deliver and that competitor nations such as India, Vietnam and Cambodia could gain market share if the crisis persists.

Chowdhury said factory output has dropped by 30% to 40% for various reasons and that the situation has worsened since the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran, while business costs have risen by about 35% to 40%.

Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter after China, earns about $39 billion annually from the sector, which employs around 4 million workers, mostly women from rural areas.

Alvi Islam, director of Arrival Fashion Limited, said manufacturers are facing higher costs for petroleum-based materials such as sewing threads, poly bags — plastic bags used in packaging — and cartons, while spending more on diesel generators to cope with frequent power cuts.

His company, which exports products worth about $40 million annually, now runs generators at least four hours a day during production.

“For that reason, the cost of doing business for exporting garments has increased quite significantly in past one month,” he said.

Workers worry about livelihoods

Garment worker Mosammet Runa, 35, said she fears for her family’s future if the war continues.

“Millions of people like us depend on this industry. It is how we survive,” said Runa, who, along with her husband, earns about $400 a month to support their family of six.

She said a prolonged conflict could wipe out jobs and called for an end to the fighting.

“We are innocent people. The world should not make us victims," she said.

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AP journalist Al Emrun Garjon contributed to this report.

A crowd of about 300 supporters and political allies gathered outside the Klong Prem Central Prison to greet the 76-year-old billionaire populist.

Thaksin was a telecommunications magnate who founded his own political party in 1998 and served as prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in 2006 while he was abroad. His ouster triggered nearly two decades of deep and sometimes violent political polarization, while his political machine staged several comebacks even as Thaksin himself stayed in self-imposed exile to escape what he said was political persecution through the courts.

His three children, including former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and other family members also arrived early to welcome him.

Thaksin emerged from the prison gate in a white polo shirt and blue pants and was embraced by his family. He smiled brightly as he walked around to greet his supporters who chanted “we love Thaksin,” and gave red roses to him. He then left without speaking to reporters.

He arrived at his residence in western Bangkok about an hour later. In a video streamed by Thairath News, Thaksin was seen rolling down the car window to greet a small group of supporters waiting at his home, responding to reporters' shouted questions that “I was in hibernation, I can't remember anything now.”

Thaksin was the first elected prime minister in Thai history to serve a full four-year term. Policies like a national healthcare scheme and projects to build roads in less developed parts of the country drew devoted support from the poorer segments of society, particularly in the rural north and northeast, but his popularity and sometimes high-handed style created deep fractures between his base and the country’s urban elites, royalists, and military.

He was charged with abuse of power over allegations including using his position to benefit his own business interests and illegally approving a state lottery project that caused losses to the government.

Thaksin was convicted in absentia, but returned to Thailand to be sentenced in 2023 as the Pheu Thai Party, his most recent political vehicle, formed a government. He was widely believed to have reached a secret accommodation with the traditional royalist establishment. He was originally sentenced to eight years in prison, but it was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, which he was granted permission to serve from a suite in Bangkok’s Police Hospital on medical grounds.

After protests that he had received unwarranted special treatment, the Supreme Court in September 2025 ordered Thaksin to serve his sentence in prison.

A Justice Ministry panel agreed last month to grant him parole as part of a review of more than 900 eligible prisoners’ cases, citing his good behavior in prison, his age and the low risk that he would repeat his offense.

After his release, Thaksin will be on probation for four months, during which he must reside at his declared home in Bangkok, wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, and report regularly to probation officials.

Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn became the country’s youngest prime minister in 2024 but was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in August 2025 after a recording was released of a compromising phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.

The Pheu Thai party managed only a third-place finish in this year’s general election.

On the men’s side, the Generals led 8-4 at the break, but the Captains outscored W&L 9-4 in the second half and netted the game-winning goal in the closing seconds to secure the comeback victory.

Washington and Lee finished the season with a 15-5 overall record, while Christopher Newport advances to the national quarterfinals at 18-2.

Earlier in the day on Sunday, the 11th-ranked W&L women’s team dropped an 8-7 overtime decision to No. 22 Christopher Newport at Watt Field.

The Generals controlled much of the contest and held a 6-3 halftime advantage before building a 7-4 lead late in the third quarter. Christopher Newport responded with four unanswered goals, including the overtime winner with 2:40 remaining, to complete the rally.

Kelly Polacek and Lara Baki each scored two goals for Washington and Lee.

The loss ended the women’s team season at 15-5 overall and marked Christopher Newport’s first NCAA postseason victory over the Generals after four previous tournament defeats.

PCSO said they received information regarding a possible homicide in the 5800 block of Cascade Road around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday. Upon arrival, investigators found 39-year-old Mayra Gonzales Galvin dead at the scene. In addition, a child was found inside the home unharmed.

The sheriff’s office said they identified a person of interest from their preliminary investigation and issued an all-points bulletin. Soon after, the person of interest’s vehicle was stopped by Martinsville Police Department, with PCSO soon responding to the scene.

As a result, 25-year-old Luis Jaime Ocasio-Padilla was arrested and charged with the following:

• First Degree Murder
• Armed Burglary with the Intent to Commit a Felony
• Use of a Firearm in the Commission of Murder

Ocasio-Padilla is now being held at the Pittsylvania County jail pending arraignment in the Pittsylvania County Juvenile Domestic Relations Court.

Authorities said Child Protective Services was immediately notified and is coordinating with law enforcement to place the child with immediate family members following the incident.

In addition, PCSO has confirmed that the suspect and the victim have a child in common.

This investigation is still ongoing. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office at 800-791-0044

Iranian state television reported that Tehran rejected the U.S. proposal as amounting to surrender, insisting instead on “war reparations by the U.S., full Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, an end to sanctions, and the release of seized Iranian assets.”

Washington’s latest proposal addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the strait and roll back Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump's rejection of the Iranian response included no details. In an earlier post, he accused Tehran of “playing games” with the United States for nearly 50 years, adding: "They will be laughing no longer!"

Trump is giving diplomacy “every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told ABC earlier.

Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard publicly since the war began, “issued new and decisive directives for the continuation of operations and the powerful confrontation with the enemies” while meeting with the head of the joint military command, the state broadcaster reported, with no details.

Drone attacks target Gulf Arab nations

The fragile ceasefire was tested when a drone ignited a small fire on a ship off Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported drones entering their airspace. The UAE said it shot down two drones and blamed Iran. No casualties were reported, and no one immediately claimed responsibility.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry called the ship attack a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region." The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center gave no details about the ship's owner or origin.

Kuwait Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al Otaibi said forces responded to drones but did not say where they came from.

Iran and armed allied groups such as the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group have used drones to carry out hundreds of strikes since the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Iran says it's on ‘full readiness’ to protect nuclear sites

Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. Iran has largely blocked the strategic waterway that's key to the global flow of oil, natural gas and fertilizer since the war began, rattling world markets.

The U.S. military in turn has blockaded Iranian ports since April 13, saying it has turned back 61 commercial vessels and disabled four. On Friday, it struck two Iranian oil tankers it said were trying to breach the blockade. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy says any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy assault” on U.S. bases in the region and enemy ships.

In an interview posted late Saturday, an Iranian military spokesperson said forces were on “full readiness” to protect sites where uranium is stored.

The U.N. nuclear agency says Iran has more than 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons grade.

“We considered it possible that they might intend to steal it through infiltration operations or heli-borne operations,” Brig. Gen. Akrami Nia told the IRNA news agency.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with CBS that aired Sunday said the war isn't over because the enriched uranium needs to be taken out of Iran. “Trump has said to me, ‘I want to go in there,’ and I think it can be done physically,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow’s proposal to take enriched uranium from Iran to help negotiate a settlement remains on the table.

The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely at its Isfahan nuclear complex, the International Atomic Energy Agency director-general told The Associated Press last month. The facility was hit by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes in the 12-day war last year and faced less intense attacks this year.

Iran warns against French-British effort in the strait

Iran's deputy foreign minister warned against a planned French-British effort that aims to support maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities are over.

“The presence of French and British vessels, or those of any other country, for any possible cooperation with illegal U.S. actions in the Strait of Hormuz that violate international law will be met with a decisive and immediate response from the armed forces,” Kazem Gharibabadi said on social media.

French President Emmanuel Macron responded by saying it won't be a military deployment but an international mission to secure shipping once conditions allow.

Several attacks against ships in the Persian Gulf have occurred over the past week, and a U.S. effort to “guide” ships through the strait was quickly paused.

South Korea announced initial findings from an investigation that said two unidentified objects struck the South Korean-operated vessel HMM NAMU about one minute apart while it was anchored in the strait last week, causing an explosion and fire. Officials have yet to determine who was responsible.

Netanyahu denies telling Trump the war would cause regime change

In the interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the Israeli prime minister denied New York Times reporting that he made a hard sell for Trump to start the Iran war by saying it would bring about regime change.

“We both agreed, you know, that there was both uncertainty and risk involved,” Netanyahu said. “And I remember that we — I said and he said — that the danger, there’s danger in action, in taking action, but there’s greater danger in not taking action.”

Asked whether he said in that February meeting that Iran would be so weakened it could not choke off the Strait of Hormuz, he said “the problem” of the vital oil shipping corridor “was understood as the fighting went on.”

“I don’t claim the perfect foresight," he said.

Netanyahu also said he wants to “draw down to zero” the military aid provided by the U.S., which he said now stands at $3.8 billion per year.

Israel has been a leading recipient of U.S. military aid for decades, but the war in Gaza, with its high number of civilian casualties, has caused that aid to come under greater scrutiny as American public support for Israel declines.

Netanyahu, however, offered an extended timeline, saying he wants to see the aid cut off over the next decade.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

In all, the SEC got 12 of its 15 teams into the field.

Regional play starts Friday, with the top 16 seeds hosting. The eight teams that get through super regionals the next week will play in the Women's College World Series, which starts May 28 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

Alabama (49-7) didn't catch a break in the seeding — the Crimson Tide could face Belmont superstar pitcher Maya Johnson in regional play. Johnson leads the nation with a 0.66 earned run average and was the No. 3 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft.

Texas (42-10) returns pitcher Teagan Kavan, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Women's College World Series last year and led the Longhorns to the SEC Tournament title this season. The Longhorns beat Alabama in the SEC championship game.

Oklahoma (48-8) is the No. 3 overall seed, despite losing in its opening game at the SEC Tournament. The Sooners have won four of the past five national titles and reached the semifinals last year. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso, also the USA national coach, has won eight national championships.

Nebraska is seeded fourth. The Cornhuskers (46-6) beat UCLA to win the Big Ten tournament title on Saturday. Nebraska's Jordy Frahm led Oklahoma to a national title in 2023 as Jordy Bahl before transferring, then later getting married and changing her name.

The SEC has Arkansas (42-11) as the No. 5 seed, Florida (48-10) at No. 6 and Tennessee (42-10) at No. 7.

UCLA (47-8) is the No. 8 seed. Megan Grant just set the single-season record with 38 home runs. Jordan Woolery, who bats behind her at third in the lineup, has 107 RBIs and was the Big Ten Player of the Year.

Florida State (49-8) is No. 9 overall. The Seminoles won the national title in 2018 and were runner-up in 2021 and 2023.

Texas Tech fell all the way to No. 11 overall, despite a 52-6 record. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady led the Red Raiders to the championship series last year. She has more help this year, including pitcher Kaitlyn Terry.

The other top 16 seeds that will host include No. 10 Georgia (38-18), No. 12 Duke (39-14), No. 13 Oklahoma State (38-15), No. 14 Oregon (40-12), No. 15 Texas A&M (36-17) and No. 16 LSU (37-17).

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Here's a more substantial number than four for the Knicks: Try winning in the playoffs by almost 20 points a game.

Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns — you too, Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet — have stretched New York's steamroll through the postseason into the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year.

The 76ers were but a pesky speed bump for the Knicks as they rolled to a series sweep and their seventh straight postseason win overall under coach Mike Brown.

Perhaps the only drawback from the Knicks soundly thumping the 76ers 144-114 on Sunday is the expected lengthy layoff before New York gets a crack at either Cleveland or Detroit in the conference finals. Detroit leads Cleveland 2-1 in the series with Game 4 set for Monday.

“Yeah, you like the rhythm that you're in,” Brown said. “But if we expect to be who we're capable of being, we'll find a way to stay consistent with what we're doing, whether it's the energy level, the effort level, or embracing-slash-focusing on the details that we have to be able to understand in order to get a win.”

The Knicks, as the kids say, understood the assignment and refused to let Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the rest of a Sixers team brimming with confidence after rallying from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round to beat Boston ever pose a serious threat at pulling off a second straight upset.

As for the time off, the Knicks could use a few extra days of rest, especially for injured forward OG Anunoby. Anunoby missed Games 3 and 4 with a strained right hamstring and remained day to day. The 6-foot-7 Anunoby, who is considered the Knicks’ top defender, is averaging 21.4 points in the postseason.

That type of monster production is tricky to replace and in the long haul — of which the Knicks expect to be part of this season — it just may be if Anunoby misses a serious amount of time. In a short sample size, the Knicks thrived, especially against a emotionally flattened Sixers team on the brink of a sweep.

McBride, once known for his defense but who has since blossomed into a reliable outside threat, started for Anunoby and essentially won the clincher in the first quarter. McBride hit seven 3-pointers, going 4 for 4 in the first quarter when the Knicks sank 11 of 13, and scored 25 points overall. With Knicks fans on their feet and exclaiming “Deuuuce,” McBride hit one, two, three, four — four! — 3-pointers in succession for a 20-6 lead and the South Philadelphia arena rocking like it was Madison Square Garden.

“I definitely knew the Knicks had crazy fans,” McBride said.

The hype of the Knicks' fans takeover in Philadelphia was very much real and reached fever pitch levels in Game 4.

Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet were among the A-list Knicks fans that had tickets to Friday night's game in Philly. In Game 4, fans found their way around the Sixers' supposed ticket-buying barriers about as easily as the Knicks hit 3-pointers and passed the eye test of taking up the overwhelming bulk of the 19,746 fans inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Embiid's pleas ahead of the series for Sixers fans not to sell their tickets to Knicks fans fell on deaf ears and led to deafening roars for New York. Knicks fans amusingly printed off photos of Embiid getting posterized by Mitch Robinson on a Game 3 dunk. Knicks fans waved the photos at the oft-injured Embiid while he shot free throws, and they yelled at him “Mr. Glass,” a fictionalized movie character with brittle bone disease.

“I used to think Philly was a sports town, I don’t know if it is anymore,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said.

Home-court edge, even on the road, only means so much in the playoffs.

What really matters can often be found in the box score.

The Knicks had 33 assists on 49 baskets in Game 4 and added to their streak of turning close-out games into blowout games. After beating Atlanta by 51 points to clinch their first-round series win, they led by as many as 44 points in Game 4 against the Sixers and won by 30.

The Knicks’ 19.4 point-per-game margin of victory is the largest through two rounds since the playoffs went to 16 teams in 1984.

The Knicks haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 1999 and haven’t won the championship since 1973. Yet, they've turned the postseason into their playground and are listed as the favorite to emerge from the East and are behind only defending champion Oklahoma City and San Antonio to win the title.

“We're still writing out story,” Brunson said.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia-based Aramco said it successfully shifted some oil exports to a pipeline to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, which has been disrupted by the war.

On Sunday, the price of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 2.58% to to $103.91 per barrel. That’s below its heights above $119 during the war, but it’s still much more expensive than its roughly $70 level from late February before the fighting began.

Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser said the company's East-West Pipeline, which runs across Saudi Arabia from its Eastern oil fields to the Red Sea, is now operating at its maximum capacity of 7 million barrels of oil per day. Nasser said the pipeline is “helping to mitigate the impact of a global energy shock and providing relief to customers.”

Still, that’s only a fraction of Aramco’s typical production. Aramco produced 11.1 million barrels of oil per day in the fourth quarter of 2025, for example.

Aramco reported a profit of $32.5 billion for the quarter ending March 31, up 25% from the same period a year ago. The state-owned company reported a 12% decline in annual profits in 2025.

Before the war, 20% of the world’s traded oil typically flowed through the strait every day, as well as large supplies of natural gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products. Iran effectively seized control of the critical waterway after the U.S. and Israel attacked it on Feb. 28. A U.S. naval blockade imposed last month also complicates its use.

“Recent events have clearly demonstrated the vital contribution of oil and gas to energy security and the global economy, and are a stark reminder that reliable energy supply is critical,” Nasser said in a statement. “Despite these headwinds, Aramco remains focused on its strategic priorities and is leveraging both its domestic infrastructure and its global network to navigate disruption.”

He never followed through, instead sticking with his goal of winning tournaments.

He's glad he did.

The 28-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Norway shot 2-under 69 on Sunday to earn a two-shot win over Rickie Fowler and Nicolai Hojgaard at the Truist Championship for his first victory on the PGA Tour.

Reitan, who chose golf over soccer at a young age, won twice previously on the European Tour but this week proved to be his breakthrough moment. He finished at 15-under 269.

“I don’t have any words, to be honest,” Reitan said. “This is way more than I expected and for it to happen this quickly is just unreal. Yeah, a dream come true.”

Reitan said stepping away from the game for a bit after losing his DP Tour card helped him gain perspective.

“It helped me find my game again,” Reitan said. “It helped me discover my talents again. Yeah, that was something really important to me, which I try to remind myself of every single day. So that was definitely a huge thing for me getting back and starting to play some good golf again.”

Alex Fitzpatrick, the third-round leader, finished three shots back after shooting 73.

Reitan started the round one shot behind Fitzpatrick, but was even par for the day after 13 holes and one shot behind Fowler, who had surged to the lead after shooting 30 on the front nine.

“The first nine was ‘let’s go have a good day,’ and back nine was, ‘hey, we actually are in a spot where we can go win this,’” Fowler said.

But Fowler, who started the day seven shots behind, couldn’t sustain the momentum.

Playing four groups ahead of the leaders, Fowler missed a 6-foot birdie putt on 16, opening the door for Reitan, Fitzpatrick, and Hojgaard to pull into a four-way tie for the lead after all three made birdie.

Reitan took the lead for good when he hit his iron on the par-5 15th onto the green and two-putted for birdie.

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick’s wedge got caught up in the thick rough and his chip barely made the fringe, leading to a par and dropping him back one shot.

Hojgaard made bogey on 16 to fall two back.

Fowler’s chances ended when his approach shot on the 18th hole landed in the deep rough on the left side of the green and his chip came out short leading to bogey. He finished with a round of 65.

Fitzpatrick was the last man standing in Reitan's way, but he faltered again on 17 as his chip from the deep rough never made the green and he made double bogey.

Reitan played the final three holes of the Green Mile in even par and secured the win with a par on 18.

Reitan’s best previous finish was a tie for second last month at the Zurich Classic when he and playing partner Kris Ventura lost by one stroke to Fitzpatrick and his brother, Matt.

When he was young, Reitan had two loves — soccer and golf.

He realized pretty quickly he was better at golf, and his parents would take him to Spain every Christmas to give him a place to practice. On Sunday, he thanked them for making that investment in him.

“They have made golf a very, very high priority in our household,” Reitan said. “They have definitely made a great, great effort to at least help me get to the place I am today and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

It was a disappointing day for Cameron Young, the world's No. 3 player.

Looking for his second straight PGA win after a victory last week at Doral, Young started the day just two shots off the lead but had a double bogey on the second hole and never recovered with just one birdie the rest of the day.

He finished with a 74 and tied for 10th, six shots behind.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Deuce McBride started in place of the injured OG Anunoby and hit seven 3-pointers, going 4 for 4 in the first quarter when the Knicks had another record with 11, and scored 25 points. Brunson had 22 points and Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 17 in the Knicks' latest lopsided playoff victory.

The Knicks' 19.4 point-per-game margin of victory is the largest through two rounds since the playoffs went to 16 teams in 1984.

“It's just us being very locked in to the moment,” Towns said.

The Knicks advanced to the East finals for the second straight season and will play the winner of the Cleveland-Detroit series. The Pistons lead 2-1.

The Knicks last season reached the conference finals for the first time in 25 years before losing to Indiana. The Knicks then fired coach Tom Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown, who has guided them to seven straight playoff wins, starting with the last three games against Atlanta.

“Our guys tried to take it to another level with their focus on the details and their energy and effort level,” Brown said. “That's a lot of the reason why we're playing pretty good basketball.”

Knicks fans made a habit of scooping up tickets by the thousands at the Sixers' arena for playoffs games over the years, and in Game 4, they may have made the loudest statement yet. They raised brooms outside the arena and waved “Always Knicks” towels once inside, all while noisily neutering the few Sixers fans that didn't make a few extra bucks on the secondary market and stuck around.

The 76ers' franchise failed to stop Knicks fans in their effort to buy tickets.

The 76ers were greater failures in trying to stop the Knicks on the floor.

Game 4 was a laugher from the tip, with the Knicks using the 3-point arc as a starting point for their personal pop-a-shot game.

With Knicks fans on their feet and exclaiming “Deuuuce," McBride hit one, two, three, four — four! — 3-pointers in succession for a 20-6 lead and the Sixers were already on their heels. McBride became the first Knick (since play-by-play tracking began in 1997) to hit four 3s in the first quarter of a playoff game.

New York's 3-point records were just heating up.

Brunson added two in the period (six total) to help make the Knicks 11 of 13, which tied the NBA mark for most makes in a quarter.

The Knicks totaled 18 3s in the first half to score 54 points off the long ball, compared to 57 total for the 76ers. Overall, that was an 81-57 lead and helped power the Knicks toward their first best-of-seven series sweep since the 1999 East semis against Atlanta.

The Knicks scored 80-plus points in the first half twice in five road playoff games this season.

The second half was a mere formality, and the Sixers are headed home after a gutsy 3-1 series comeback to beat Boston in the first round.

“The energy was a big gap between their energy and our energy, I thought," Sixers coach Nick Nurse said.

Joel Embiid ended another injury-riddled season with 24 points, Tyrese Maxey had 17 and the Sixers still have not advanced out of the second round since 2001.

“I came into this year not knowing where I was going to be (with health), how long I was going to play, if I was even going to play based on how the knee was the last few years,” Embiid said. “I came in just hoping for the best and I feel like we're in a position where we figured out the knee. It hasn't been an issue.”

Towns had 10 assists. Hart hit four 3-pointers and celebrated by stripping off his jersey and tossing it to a woman in Sixers gear.

“My right hand remembered that the goal was to make 3s,” Hart said. “Happy to have her back.”

If the sweep and the Knicks' fan takeover didn't saddle the Sixers with enough bad news, there was one final cutting blow to the ego — Philadelphia's two first-round 2018 draft picks are still playing: Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet, of course, for the Knicks.

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But the Trackhouse Racing driver was in another league Sunday, schooling the stars of the Cup Series at Watkins Glen International.

Starting from the pole position, van Gisbergen scored his seventh Cup Series victory — all on road or street courses — and his second consecutive on the 2.45-mile track by leading 74 of 100 laps in his No. 97 Chevrolet.

“We weren’t very good in practice, and then qualifying was amazing, and then today, what a race car,” van Gisbergen said. “And then (crew chief) Stephen (Doran) made great calls. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, and then to run them down like that, it's very, very special to do two in a row.”

Pitting from the lead under green with 24 laps remaining, van Gisbergen emerged in 24th and was nearly 30 seconds behind leader Ty Gibbs.

Extending his Cup record of wins by a driver born outside the United States, the New Zealand native needed only 17 laps to retake the lead from Gibbs, winning by 7.288 seconds over Michael McDowell.

“He’s made it pretty clear, especially at these tracks, he likes to be on offense, so we put him there and just let him go do his thing,” Doran said of the call to make a late stop for four tires instead of pitting earlier and conserving fuel as many others did.

Gibbs finished third, followed by Chase Briscoe and points leader Tyler Reddick.

McDowell, who started second, also had to charge through the pack after falling to 27th on his last pit stop. He occasionally thought he could keep pace with the race winner but soon realized van Gisbergen was playing possum.

“It felt like he was just pacing himself off me, and he’d take back off,” McDowell said. “We still got a little work to do, but it’s a good building block.”

Dating to Mexico City last June, van Gisbergen has now won six of the past seven races on road or street courses in Cup.

“It’s not easy,” van Gisbergen said. “Everyone’s really good. McDowell was good. Connor (Zilisch) was good. Tyler Reddick. There were some really good guys and a lot of pressure. So just stoked to execute every facet of our game. And speechless. This is so cool.”

Trackhouse sweep

The win by van Gisbergen came a day after a win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series by rookie teammate Zilisch, who finished 20th Sunday after a tire problem late in the race. It still was a strong showing for Trackhouse, which qualified all three of its cars in the top five after compiling only four top-10 finishes in the first 11 races.

“Just frustrating because we had a really good day going,” Zilisch said. “At worst, we were going to get ourselves our first top five and walk out of here with something. But congrats to Shane, Trackhouse and everybody who makes this happen.”

Stumping for his uncle

Chase Elliott is known for avoiding public stances on NASCAR topics, but the eight-time Most Popular Driver concluded a Saturday media availability by volunteering a strong opinion.

With the vote on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027 set for May 19, Elliott made an impassioned plea to elect his uncle Ernie Elliott, who built engines for Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, Chase’s father. Ernie Elliott is on the ballot for the first time this year.

“I don’t talk about this stuff a lot, but you don’t have to dig very far into the Elliott racing story to recognize how much of a family effort it was,” Chase Elliott said. “I don’t think the story has the same ending, throughout the course of the 1980s and even leading into my career, without Uncle Ernie and what he meant to all of us. He’s meant a lot to my career. There are a lot of very, very deserving names on the list, but he is one of the very deserving that doesn’t get talked about enough for the credit that he deserves.”

One and done

The first May race at Watkins Glen might mark the only time that NASCAR runs the road course in the spring. NASCAR has already announced a September 2027 return to the Glen on a date to be determined. The 2024 race was held Sept. 15, and the other 42 Cup races at Watkins Glen were held in July or August.

NASCAR won’t unveil next year’s schedule for a few more months, but new CEO Steve O’Donnell reaffirmed on the Fox prerace show that Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will take over from Phoenix Raceway as this season’s finale, likely will be the final race in 2027.

Up next

The All-Star Race will make its debut May 17 at Dover Motor Speedway. Christopher Bell is the defending winner of the exhibition event, which was held the past three years at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.

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Mother’s Day will be warm and pleasant, with highs reaching the low to mid 80’s. We will see sunshine for the majority of the day, with a possibility of some scattered showers forming later in the afternoon.

Clouds will increase this afternoon as scattered showers start moving in around 4 to 5 pm. Not everyone will see rain, but a few brief and scattered downpours are possible.

Virginia is still dealing with severe drought conditions, with some areas needing nearly a foot of rain to fully recover. Even with a couple of rain chances this week, much more rainfall is needed to make a real dent in the deficit.

Temperatures this afternoon will climb into the 70’s and 80’s across the region. That’s a few degrees above average for this time of year, bringing an early summer-like feel to the area.

After a warm Mother’s Day, widespread rain chances return for Monday and Wednesday. Temperatures cool slightly early in the week before warming back into the upper 70’s by next weekend.

No data center is currently proposed for Franklin County, but a draft zoning rewrite has locals paying close attention. Data centers are already slated to come to both Botetourt and Pittsylvania counties, and some Franklin County residents want to know if their community is next.

What the draft would change

Under the proposed rewrite, future data centers could be banned from using private wells, face stricter limits on cooling-system noise and be limited to certain zoning areas.

Supporters say clearer rules could make Franklin County more attractive to large employers. Opponents, however, say the rewrite appears designed to market to data center clients.

A viewer who reached out to 10 News said in part: “Franklin County Board of Supervisors is actively advertising for and pursuing data center clients who might wish to locate in the new Summit View Industrial Park. This is taking place while they are proposing a major re-write of the current rezoning regulations, which many residents feel is specifically to accommodate these data centers.”

What residents are saying

Residents in Rocky Mount were split on the issue. Some said the changes wouldn’t directly affect them. Others said data centers could boost economic development in the area. Still many expressed concern about what increased water and electricity demands could mean for Franklin County long-term.

Franklin County resident James Carter said the stakes are high.

“The data center takes a lot of water, a lot of consumption there, so I think they really have to take heat and understand what they’re really dabbling into here,” Carter said.

Carter added that the community’s future needs to be part of the conversation.

“You really got to think about the people first before you get these data centers going. It’s a great thing, it brings in revenue, brings in jobs, I get that. But in long-term effects, 15, 20 years down the road, 30 years down the road with our kids coming behind us, are we going to sustain having environmentally sustained environment for those folks?” Carter said.

What’s next

The proposal is still in the discussion stage, with residents expected to voice their opinions before any final Board of Supervisors vote this summer.

Franklin County’s Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will hold a joint session Wednesday, May 13, at 5 p.m. Comments can be emailed to planning@franklincountyva.gov. Wednesday’s meeting is a work session not involving a public hearing, but residents can comment in person according to schedule below.

According to Franklin County, the current zoning schedule is:

• May 13 - Joint Work Session with Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors
• June 9 - Planning Commission public hearing
• July 21 - Board of Supervisors public hearing

Her transfer comes after days of pleading by her family and others who described her condition as critical. Her foundation said she has been granted a prison sentence suspension on bail. It was not clear for how long her sentence is suspended, the foundation said.

Mohammadi had been imprisoned since December in Zanjan prison. She lost consciousness twice and was transferred to a local hospital on May 1.

A statement from her foundation, shared with The Associated Press, said the suspended sentence is not enough and that Mohammadi needs “permanent, specialized care.”

The statement added that “we must ensure she never returns to prison to face the 18 years remaining on her sentence. Now is the time to demand her unconditional freedom and the dismissal of all charges.”

Mohammadi’s Iran-based lawyer Mostafa Nili said on social media the transfer order was issued following the decision of the Legal Medicine Organization — government-appointed medical examiners — “which stated that, due to her multiple illnesses, she needs to continue treatment outside prison and under the supervision of her own medical team.”

There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.

Mohammadi’s brother Hamidreza Mohammadi, who is based in Oslo, Norway, had said medical examiners previously recommended her transfer to Tehran but the decision was blocked. He blamed Iran’s intelligence agency.

“I’m relieved now. I can breathe lightly,” her brother told the AP in a message.

The 53-year-old rights activist and champion of women’s rights was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her current imprisonment began when she was arrested in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.

Mohammadi’s family said her health had been deteriorating in prison, in part because she was heavily beaten during her arrest. She had a heart attack in March and has a blood clot in her lung since before her imprisonment that needs blood thinners and monitoring to manage it.

Since being taken to the Zanjan hospital’s cardiac care unit, Mohammadi’s blood pressure had been swinging between extremely low and extremely high, and she was receiving oxygen to breathe and can’t talk, according to her brother.

The Nobel committee had called on Iranian authorities to immediately transfer Mohammadi to her dedicated medical team in Tehran, saying that “without such treatment, her life remains at risk.”

Barcelona beat Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou just a few hours after the club announced the death of Flick’s father.

“I will never forget this day," Flick said. “It was a tough day for me. It starts with this (news that) my father passed away, but here, my team is fantastic.”

Flick's father reportedly died overnight. The club did not give any additional details.

“FC Barcelona and the entire blaugrana family wish to send all our love to Hansi Flick after the passing of his father,” Barcelona said in a statement. “We share in your sorrow and our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.”

Barcelona and Madrid players wore black armbands and there was a moment of silence before kickoff.

Barcelona entered the last clasico of the season leading Madrid by 11 points with four rounds remaining in La Liga. It comfortably defeated Madrid with first-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres.

“Flick has been very important for us,” midfielder Frenkie de Jong said. "He has very clear ideas, but inside there is a lot of freedom for the players. This way we can show our quality.”

Barcelona players threw Flick up in the air during the title celebrations.

“This is like a family and they gave everything today and I’m really proud,” Flick said. "It’s amazing, in this stadium, and also in the clasico against Real Madrid, to win La Liga.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Starting from the pole position, the Trackhouse Racing driver scored his seventh Cup Series victory - all on road or street courses - by leading 75 of 100 laps in his No. 97 Chevrolet on the 2.45-mile track.

Pitting from the lead under green with 24 laps remaining, van Gisbergen emerged in 24th and was nearly 30 seconds behind leader Ty Gibbs.

The New Zealand native needed only 17 laps to retake the lead from Gibbs, winning by 7.288 seconds over Michael McDowell. Gibbs finished third, followed by Chase Briscoe and points leader Tyler Reddick.

Dating to Mexico City last June, van Gisbergen has now won six of the past seven races on road or street courses in Cup.

Chase Elliott is known for avoiding public stances on NASCAR topics, but the eight-time Most Popular Driver concluded a Saturday media availability by volunteering a strong opinion.

With the vote on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2027 set for May 19, Elliott made an impassioned plea to elect his uncle Ernie Elliott, who built engines for Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, Chase’s father. Ernie Elliott is on the ballot for the first time this year.

“I don’t talk about this stuff a lot, but you don’t have to dig very far into the Elliott racing story to recognize how much of a family effort it was,” Chase Elliott said. “I don’t think the story has the same ending, throughout the course of the 1980s and even leading into my career, without Uncle Ernie and what he meant to all of us. He’s meant a lot to my career. There are a lot of very, very deserving names on the list, but he is one of the very deserving that doesn’t get talked about enough for the credit that he deserves.”

The first May race at Watkins Glen might mark the only time that NASCAR runs the road course in the spring. NASCAR has already announced a September 2027 return to the Glen on a date to be determined. The 2024 race was held Sept. 15, and the other 42 Cup races at Watkins Glen were held in July or August.

NASCAR won’t unveil next year’s schedule for a few more months, but new CEO Steve O’Donnell reaffirmed on the Fox prerace show that Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will take over from Phoenix Raceway as this season’s finale, likely will be the final race in 2027.

The All-Star Race will make its debut May 17 at Dover Motor Speedway. Christopher Bell is the defending winner of the exhibition event, which was held the past three years at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.

Pulisic felt a problem in Friday’s training session and it was determined on Sunday that it was too serious to even have him on the bench. Italian media reported Pulisic will undergo medical tests on Monday.

The 27-year-old is a doubt for Milan’s penultimate match at Genoa next weekend but could be back for the final game of the season, at home to Cagliari, the following week.

Pulisic hasn’t scored in a career-high 17 league matches since Dec. 28. He has also gone scoreless in eight games for the U.S.

Milan lost 3-2 at home to Atalanta on Sunday — and was 3-0 down until the 88th minute — to leave it at risk of not qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

The Rossoneri are fourth, the final Champions League qualifying berth, level on points with fifth-place Roma and just two above Como.

Pulisic is not thought to be a doubt for the World Cup.

The U.S. has friendlies against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6, then starts Group D against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California. The Americans play Australia a week later at Seattle and conclude the group stage on June 25 back at SoFi Stadium against Turkey.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Goals by Marcus Rashford in the ninth minute and Ferran Torres in the 18th gave Barcelona the victory and an insurmountable 14-point advantage over its fierce rival with three rounds remaining in La Liga.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was in the dugout for Sunday’s clasico following the death of his father, which Barcelona announced hours before kickoff. Players from both teams wore black armbands and there was a moment of silence before kickoff.

A draw would also have been enough for the Catalan club to seal its third league title in four seasons.

Madrid, which remains the most successful club in the league with 36 trophies, is ending a second consecutive season without a major title. Sunday’s defeat at Barcelona capped an embarrassing week for Madrid, marked by altercations between players in training that led the club to fine Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni 500,000 euros ($589,000) each.

Rashford opened the scoring for the hosts with a wonderfully taken free kick, curling the ball over the wall and into the top corner. Torres added to the lead from inside the area after a flick from Dani Olmo.

‘This is like a family’

Flick’s father reportedly died overnight. The coach celebrated Barcelona’s goals and looked emotional after the final whistle.

“I will never forget this day. It was a tough day for me. It starts with this (news that) my father passed away, but here, my team is fantastic,” Flick said. “I really love it, this is like a family and they gave everything today and I’m really proud. It’s amazing, in this stadium, and also in the clasico against Real Madrid, to win La Liga.”

There was a brief scuffle between players in the 51st minute after Olmo confronted a Madrid player. Olmo was shown a yellow card.

Madrid’s Jude Bellingham had a goal disallowed for offside in the 63rd.

Brazil forward Raphinha replaced Rashford in the 64th to return from a long injury layoff.

Barcelona has been playing the final league games without the injured Lamine Yamal, its biggest star. Yamal was on the field lifting the trophy along with his teammates.

No Mbappé

Madrid was without the injured Kylian Mbappé, the league’s leading scorer with 24 goals. The France forward failed to recover from a left-hamstring ailment that has kept him sidelined since late April.

Mbappé last week addressed a fresh wave of criticism of him in Spain, insisting he was fully committed to the club and to recovering from his latest injury. Some Madrid fans had expressed concern that the France forward was saving himself for the upcoming World Cup. He posted a story during Sunday’s game while it was being shown on a television, along with supporting words for the club and a white heart.

Madrid was also without Valverde, who hurt his head in the altercation with Tchouaméni after allegedly accidentally knocking his head on a table. It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training last week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.

Arbeloa under fire

The loss in Sunday’s clasico is likely to increase criticism of coach Álvaro Arbeloa, who was promoted from Madrid’s reserve team when Xabi Alonso was fired in January. The rumors of a possible return of José Mourinho to the club were only likely to increase.

“There's not a lot we can say," Arbeloa said. “We understand how frustrated and dissatisfied that the fans must be. The only thing we can do is work and look to the future, learn from everything that we have done badly this year. Real Madrid is always back, we have fallen many times and we have risen many times.”

Singer-songwriters Olivia Rodrigo and Nathy Peluso were among the celebrities at the stadium. Rodrigo, an American multi-Grammy winner, had her logo appearing in the team’s jersey as part of the club’s partnership with Spotify.

Barcelona this season also won the Spanish Super Cup. It has won 11 consecutive games in the league.

Concerns over Nico Williams

Spain forward Nico Williams had to be substituted before halftime in Athletic Bilbao’s 1-0 loss to Valencia at home, prompting more concerns ahead of the World Cup.

Williams appeared to suffer a hamstring injury, and was replaced by brother Iñaki Williams in the 37th minute.

Nico Williams had already been sidelined for several weeks earlier this year because of another injury.

Athletic did not immediately release details about Sunday’s injury.

The 23-year-old forward has been a regular in Spain’s squad, playing in attack along with Yamal.

Other results

Also Sunday, Mallorca stayed two points clear of the relegation zone after a 1-1 draw at home against third-place Villarreal.

Last-place Real Oviedo moved closer to returning to the second division after a 0-0 draw with Getafe at home.

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Pitching two years and a day after his mother, Jina, died following a nearly eight-year battle with colon cancer, the 23-year-old Tolle wore his pant legs near his knees showing his pink socks on Mother’s Day.

When his start was rained out Saturday, Tolle had a lot more time to think about what pitching the next day would be like.

“This week is really tough for me. I’m not going to lie to you,” he said, holding back tears after Boston’s 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. “It’s a tough weekend. I think yesterday would have been just as hard. I try to … it’s tough.

“So, I try to get away from it as much as I can but at the same time it’s life,” he said. “It’s part of it. Some things are bigger than baseball in that aspect.”

Jina died on May 9, 2024, at 48 and Payton had a song in mind that he was holding for a certain day.

He took the mound, warming up for his start with the song “Mother” by the band Danzig playing in the background. He’s changed his song many times before he’s pitched but decided this was the one to honor his mom.

“There’s a little of a joke with my dad,” he said, cracking a bit of a smile. “Just that song, I’ve had it in the back pocket for a long time, so I think it’s a pretty good walk-out song. You’ve got to roll with it.”

Tolle (1-2) gave up three runs in five innings, with seven hits and four strikeouts. He was coming off his first big league victory in his previous start, when he gave up a hit and struck out eight at Detroit on Monday.

What would his mom say after this start?

“Suck it up and do better,” he said, smiling.

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Betts hasn’t played since April 4, when he was hurt in a 10-5 win at the Washington Nationals. Manager Dave Roberts said he would have Betts hit second or third in the batting order though he was batting .179 with two home runs and seven RBIs in eight games before the injury.

Roberts did not say who would be sent down to free up a roster spot for Betts, a four-time World Series champion and the 2018 American League MVP. Hyeseong Kim, Alex Freeland and Santiago Espinal have platooned effectively to help fill out the middle infield in Betts’ absence.

“It’s a good problem in a sense of where we’re at, but it’s a potential tough conversation,” Roberts said Sunday before the finale of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.

Betts completed a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, going 2 for 5 with a walk in two games.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

The International Court of Justice in The Hague is holding a series of hearings with the South American neighbors which both claim ownership of Essequibo — a territory of nearly 62,000 square miles rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources, located near massive offshore oil deposits.

Venezuela has considered Essequibo its own since the Spanish colonial period, when the jungle region fell within its boundaries. But an 1899 decision by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States drew the border along the Essequibo River largely in favor of Guyana.

Venezuela argues that a 1966 agreement sealed in Geneva to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the 19th-century arbitration.

The final court hearing, with Rodríguez's appearance, will take place on Monday. The court is likely to take months to issue a final and legally binding ruling in the case.

After landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, Rodríguez — who assumed power in January following a U.S. military operation that ousted Nicolás Maduro — said her country has "demonstrated at every historical stage what our territory has meant since we were born as a Republic.”

The case of Essequibo was brought to the ICJ in 2018 by Guyana to confirm before international authorities that the 1899 ruling — and not the 1966 agreement — is the one drawing the border lines. Venezuela has warned that its participation in the hearings does not mean either consent to or recognition of the ICJ’s jurisdiction.

At the opening of the hearings, Guyanese Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd told the international judges that the dispute “has been a blight on our existence as a sovereign state from the beginning” and indicated that 70% of Guyana’s territory is at stake.

Held for the first time in an Anglophone country, the summit is expected to draw reactions to the withdrawal of French troops from West Africa that was completed last year amid France's waning regional influence in recent years.

Since the independence of France's former African colonies, France had maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region. But leaders in those countries — and opposition figures — have often criticized France over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach to the continent.

Macron’s host, Kenyan President William Ruto, said both leaders expect the summit to be a “turning point” toward a better partnership.

Macron commented on the changing geopolitical landscape, saying France can “disagree” with West African governments but “never disagrees with the people.”

The two-day summit, which starts on Monday, is expected to welcome 30 heads of state. Ten have arrived so far.

Kenya’s opposition leader Kalonzo Musyoka slammed the choice of Kenya as a venue, describing it as country where democracy remains under threat, the opposition is under attack and human rights are being violated even as it prepares for the 2027 general election.

“There will be an air of pretense that we are a cohesive nation," Musyoka said. "We know that is far from the truth.”

Ruto on Sunday said Nairobi seeks to nurture a wide array of relationships and was “neither looking East nor West” but “looking forward.”

Also Sunday, Kenya and France signed 11 agreements involving investments in various sectors, including an ambitious nuclear energy plant, modernized transport, and sustainable agriculture.

Macron said the investments were aimed at strengthening “human capital,” in line with the summit’s focus on innovation and Africa’s growing young population.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia was neither observing the truce nor “even particularly trying to,” adding there had been no calm in front-line areas despite a lull in large-scale attacks and pledged that Ukraine would retaliate to any aggression shown by Moscow.

“Yesterday and today, Ukraine refrained from long-range retaliatory actions in response to the absence of large-scale Russian attacks,” Zelenskyy said in evening statement, stressing Ukraine's increasing ability to hit targets far inside Russia.

“We will continue to respond in the same mirrorlike manner, and if the Russians decide to return to full-scale warfare, our response will be immediate and significant,” he said.

Ivan Fedorov, head of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, said one person was killed and three others wounded by Russian artillery and drone attacks in the last 24 hours. Another 16 people were also wounded in attacks across other regions of Ukraine, local officials said.

Russia's defense ministry, meanwhile, accused Kyiv of committing more than 1,000 ceasefire violations, state media reported, citing a daily briefing. The ministry said Ukrainian forces had attacked civilian targets in several Russian regions and carried out strikes against Russian military positions on the front line.

Russia's military had “responded in kind” to the ceasefire violations, the ministry said.

Two people were injured by Ukrainian shelling in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, the area’s Moscow-installed leader Vladimir Saldo said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Russia and Ukraine had bowed to his request for a ceasefire running Saturday through Monday to mark Victory Day, the Russian celebration marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Trump said there would also be an exchange of prisoners, declaring that the break in fighting could be the “beginning of the end” of the war.

Zelenskyy, who had said Russian authorities “fear drones may buzz over Red Square” during the May 9 parade in Moscow, followed up on Trump’s statement by mockingly declaring Red Square temporarily off-limits for Ukrainian strikes to allow the Russian parade to go ahead. The Kremlin shrugged off the comment as a “silly joke.”

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Sunday he expects U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner — who have both taken a leading role in negotiations to end the war — to visit Moscow “soon enough.”

However, he stressed that Moscow would not move from its demand that Kyiv's troops withdraw from Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. “Until (Ukraine) takes that step, we can hold several more rounds, dozens of rounds (of negotiations), but we’ll be stuck in the same place,” Ushakov was cited by the state news agency Tass as saying.

Previous ceasefires, most recently at Orthodox Easter, have failed to produce any tangible results amid deep mistrust between Moscow and Kyiv more than four years after Russia launched its invasion of its neighbor. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war have also largely stalled.

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The remains were those of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer who was one of two U.S. soldiers who fell off a cliff during a recreational hike in Morocco while off duty. He was 27 years old.

The two were reported missing May 2 after participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise held in Morocco.

“A Moroccan military search team found the Soldier in the water along the shoreline at approximately 8:55 a.m. local time May 9, within roughly one mile of where both Soldiers reportedly entered the ocean,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement.

The two went missing around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, a terrain characterized by mountains, desert and semidesert plains, according to the Moroccan military.

Their disappearance triggered a search-and-rescue operation involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco and other military partners. The operation deployed frigates, vessels, helicopters and drones.

Search efforts will continue for the missing second soldier, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to speak publicly on the issue.

The official said a U.S. contingent remained in Morocco after the war games ended Friday to provide command and control and to continue search and rescue operations.

Key was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, the army said. His decorations include the Army Achievement Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

He entered military service in 2023 as an officer candidate and earned his commission through Officer Candidate School in 2024 as an Air Defense Artillery officer. He later completed the Basic Officer Leader Course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, according to the statement.

African Lion 26, is a U.S.-led exercise launched in April across four countries – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – with more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations. Since 2004, it has been the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa.

In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured during a helicopter crash in Morocco’s southern city of Agadir while taking part in the exercises.

The plane, which was heading to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” according to a post on the airport’s official X account.

Passengers were evacuated via slides, and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. An airport spokesperson said 12 passengers received minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals.

Concerns about evacuation

Some people on board expressed concern about the evacuation, including being stuck in the plane for several minutes as smoke filled the cabin and left on the tarmac in the cold once they were out. Video also showed some passengers coming down the slide with what looked to be their carry-on bags.

“We are gathering information about the emergency evacuation to determine if it meets criteria for a safety investigation,” NTSB spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said early Sunday, adding that the agency might have more details in a few hours.

Frontier Airlines didn’t respond early Sunday to a request for information about the evacuation.

Unanswered questions

A spokesman for the Denver Police Department said Sunday the investigation into the incident was ongoing and that the identity of the person on the runway will be confirmed and released by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.

The CEO of the Denver airport, Phil Washington, said he “knows” there are questions still to be answered.

“As this is an active investigation with numerous other agencies involved, it is going to take some time as we are still confirming what information we can share at this time,” Washington said in a statement. “This was a horrible and preventable tragedy that has affected many due to the actions of one person who apparently trespassed at an airport and lost their life as a result.”

Two minutes after jumping a fence, the person crossed the runway and was hit. The only details the airport has released was that they do not believe the person was an airport employee.

Pilot alerts control tower

“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement that flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the collision.

The airline said the plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members.

“We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,” the airline said.

Passengers detail chaotic scene

Passengers said panic took hold on the flight after an engine caught fire and the cabin began filling with smoke.

“Honestly, I thought I was going to die,” passenger Mohamed Hassan told Colorado’s 9NEWS.

“A lot of people next to me were screaming and crying. I just closed my eyes,” he said. "At that time, you’re not really thinking of anything, you know? Because we were just about to take off and I heard that boom, so I wasn’t sure what happened. I just thought something really, really bad happened.”

Passenger Nikil Thalanki told local media outlets that he felt “this jerk” as the plane was about to take off, adding that it felt like the wheels had left the ground but then came back down.

“There was fire on the engine. There was lots of sparks that are happening. Immediately came to a stop,” Thalanki said. "As soon as we saw the sparks on the flight, smoke filled the cabin completely. It was super hard to breathe.”

Kimberly Randle said passengers were panicking and desperate to get off the aircraft.

“In a few minutes, they finally opened the door. People were running to get out of the plane," he said. "It was chaos everywhere.”

Evacuations on NTSB radar

The NTSB has for years expressed concerned about evacuations, especially passengers leaving with their carry-ons. In an April report on the evacuation aboard a United Airlines flight at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the NTSB described a troubling scene.

Passengers were evacuated via slides and stairs last year from the jetliner after an engine problem during takeoff caused smoke and fire on the right wing.

Despite the flight attendant telling passengers to remain seated, several began shouting, “fire on the engine, let me get out!” That trigged “widespread panic" and prompted many passengers to get up and start retrieving their belongings. Some climbed over seats and began obstructing the aisle.

Three large men insisted the evacuation occur, pushing past a flight attendant and going down a slide before it had fully deployed — causing it to deflate and become unusable.

“Cabin crew training emphasizes assertive command presence and passenger control during evacuations; however, this event demonstrates how rapidly escalating passenger behavior can affect evacuation dynamics even in the absence of confirmed fire or smoke conditions,” according to the report.

The incident in Denver came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident or the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. “We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

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AP reporter John Raby contributed from Charleston, West Virginia.

The son of Ohio State football coach Ryan Day announced his decision this weekend on social media.

"Excited for the next step and ready to get to work," Day posted in a message thanking coaches and family.

Chip Kelly is the offensive coordinator on coach David Braun’s staff at Northwestern after serving in that role under Day when the Buckeyes won the national championship in the 2024 season. Kelly was also the offensive coordinator when Ryan Day played QB at New Hampshire and set nine school records.

RJ Day plays at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

The ADL said in a statement that it “deeply mourns the loss of our longtime national director,” without providing details about where and when Foxman died.

Over 28 years as head of the ADL before retiring in 2015, Foxman counseled presidents and diplomats, CEOs and celebrities. He took on prominent figures over antisemitic remarks or representations and accepted any ensuing apologies on behalf of an entire community.

“Abe’s voice was heard –- and listened to -– by popes, presidents, and prime ministers, a voice he used wherever Jews were at risk,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL's current director, said in a statement. “Abe Foxman spoke on the global stage with moral authority and clarity and was relentlessly dedicated to his pursuit of a world without hate.”

Born in 1940 to Polish Jews in what's now Belarus, Foxman survived the Holocaust after a nanny had him baptized as a Catholic to conceal his Jewish identity. He was reunited with his parents after the war and the family moved to New York.

After earning a law degree, Foxman joined the ADL as a staff lawyer. He spent his entire 50-year career with the group, becoming a leading national voice against antisemitism and hate. He was named the organization's national director in 1987.

Upon his retirement, Foxman told The Associated Press that he worried that the internet was giving bigots a way to spread their beliefs “not only anonymously but at the speed of light."

The ADL was founded in 1913 with a mandate to fight antisemitism and all bias. But the emphasis differed over time depending on who was in charge and the issues of the day.

Foxman faced criticism that the ADL put too many resources into non-Jewish issues. Under him, the organization built a formidable research arm into white supremacists and other extremists, advocated for immigrant and gay rights, conducted diversity training for law enforcement and developed programs for schools on issues ranging from the Holocaust to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to the impact of bullying.

Foxman long endured objections that he overreacted to perceived slights against the Jews and was too quick to condemn. Yet he was also chided for too easily forgiving and embracing those who repented their anti-Jewish remarks.

Foxman said it was essential to accept apologies, especially from those who can serve as prominent allies for Jews.

“If you don’t let them change, then you become the bigot.”

A 1-0 win over relegation-threatened West Ham restored Arsenal’s five-point lead over second-place Manchester City and came with a huge dose of controversy.

Leading thanks to Leandro Trossard’s 83rd-minute goal, Arsenal looked like it would be throwing away two crucial points — and losing its slim advantage in the title race — when West Ham substitute Callum Wilson lashed a shot over the line following a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Arsenal’s players complained and there was a long video review, which spotted West Ham player Pablo had his left arm across the face of David Raya as the Arsenal goalkeeper attempted to get to the ball after the corner was swung in.

The referee, Chris Kavanagh, looked at the incident on the pitchside monitor and chose to rule out the goal.

“I saw the replay now,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said, “and I think it's an obvious decision.”

West Ham's players felt aggrieved, with Tomas Soucek complaining that video reviews were only brought in to look for “big errors.”

“For football, this is a disappointing moment,” Soucek said, “and for every fan this is not what we want — we want goals, we want celebrations. Not to wait 10 minutes for a small foul.”

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen added: “I get that you can’t wipe a goalkeeper out and there’s arms there but the keeper’s come out to try and grab the ball so ... he’s got to expect some contact. It’s a corner kick, it’s physical, it’s the Premier League — there’s going to be contact and tussles.”

It was a big call with huge ramifications.

It left Arsenal two wins from a first league title since 2004, with games to come at home to already-relegated Burnley and, in the final round, away to a Crystal Palace team that might field a weakened lineup due to having the Conference League final three days later.

It also left West Ham a point adrift of safety, in third-to-last place with two games remaining, while guaranteeing another season in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest and Leeds.

Fourth-to-last Tottenham can move four points clear of West Ham with a win over Leeds on Monday. It's now a two-team fight for survival between West Ham and Tottenham.

Man City's chances fade

It was a huge blow to City, which has three games left — against Palace at home on Wednesday, Bournemouth away on May 19 and Aston Villa at home on the final day.

Even three wins might not be enough for City to pull off a seventh title success in Pep Guardiola's 10-year reign.

Arsenal is still in sight of a Premier League- Champions League double, having reached the final of Europe's top competition against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30.

For Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, beating West Ham under so much pressure was a “big moment for us.”

“We had to dig deep — to try and try and try — and we got there in the end,” he said.

Villa not sure of top-five spot yet

Aston Villa still has work to do to secure Champions League qualification after being held 2-2 at already-relegated Burnley.

That kept Villa in fifth place, behind Liverpool on goal difference and four points above sixth-place Bournemouth in the race to finish in the top five and get into Europe's top competition.

All three teams have two games left, with Villa and Bournemouth still having to play Man City.

Villa's players have another possible route into next season's Champions League: By winning the Europa League.

If they do that and finish fifth in the league, then the team that places sixth — currently Bournemouth, though Brighton is only two points further back — would also qualify.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Constance Rhodes has been found and is safe, Radford City Police Department said.

ORIGINAL STORY:

The Radford City Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating a missing 70-year-old woman who may need medical attention.

Police say Constance Rhodes was last heard from around 1 a.m. on May 10.

Investigators say Rhodes left her home in Radford and told someone she was near Christiansburg experiencing vehicle trouble.

Authorities say Rhodes is believed to be driving a black 2004 Chevrolet Blazer with Virginia license plate “INS4U.”

Police say Rhodes has a medical condition that requires medication and may need medical attention.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, possibly a white T-shirt, and multiple pieces of jewelry.

Anyone who has seen Constance Rhodes or has information about her whereabouts is asked to contact the Radford City Police Department at 540-731-3624 or contact their local law enforcement agency.

Now the Hurricanes — the only undefeated team left in the NHL playoffs — are set for another a lengthy wait to get started in the third round.

Carolina beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night, becoming the first team to sweep through the first two rounds since the league went to best-of-seven series in all four rounds in 1987. That has them back in the conference final for the third time in four seasons and fourth time in the current eight-year playoff run under coach Rod Brind'Amour.

The Hurricanes will face the Montreal-Buffalo winner, a series running through at least Thursday. The East's top seed had nearly a full week off after sweeping Ottawa in Round 1.

“I think it's probably going to be an even longer break this time,” veteran forward Taylor Hall said after Saturday's win in Philadelphia.

“The big positive is we're on to the third round relatively unscathed and healthy. You don't want to see injuries per se, but we hope these series go far and these teams have battles. That's the advantage we're going to have. ... Rod, our strength staff, all of our staff, do a good job of making sure that we're ready athletically to play. And from there, we get our footing pretty quickly.”

The Hurricanes have done exactly that since winning the first game of the NHL playoffs on April 18. They already have proven they can start quickly after a long break, opening the Flyers series with a dominating first period on the way to a 3-0 win.

“We had a plan, and clearly it was OK,” Brind'Amour said, "so we can follow that and run with it."

Time to recharge

Carolina’s game plan relies on grinding effort and energy: an aggressive forecheck to pressure opponents into mistakes, possessing the puck in the offensive zone and staying there and firing chances at goaltenders and chasing rebounds — all of which minimizes scoring chances going the other way.

That's why the benefit of fresh legs and recharged minds has mattered more than the risk of rust so far.

Consider veteran goaltender Frederik Andersen. The 36-year-old Dane had started 32 playoff games for Carolina the past three years and the question lingered as to how much to lean on Andersen with 31-game winner Brandon Bussi also available.

But Andersen has been the best goaltender of the playoffs so far, with a 1.12 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage. He has two shutouts and has faced 25 or fewer shots in five of his eight games. Now he'll get another break to stay fresh.

As Andersen put it: “You don't really want to add extra games if you can avoid it.”

Or there's the case of defenseman Sean Walker.

It was in the hours after Thursday's Game 3 road win that he got the call from wife Taylor back in North Carolina that their first baby was on the way. So, he hopped an early morning flight home for the arrival of a daughter just in time for Mother's Day. He ate his pregame meal in the hospital cafeteria, then flew to Philadelphia around 2 p.m. Saturday ahead of the 6:15 p.m. puck drop.

“I didn’t want to get on the boys and tell them we better win tonight, but I’m really appreciative that everybody dug in,” Walker said. “The sweep's huge for everybody. But to take this time to just be with my family is going to be really special.”

Familiar roadblock awaits

Carolina has been elite on the penalty kill, a recurring strength, shutting down 38 of 40 chances (95%) while getting a shorthanded goal in Game 3 at Philadelphia. Offensively, the second line of Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake has been dominant, with 14 goals and 31 points through eight games.

That's more than offsetting a quiet start for the Sebastian Aho-Andrei Svechnikov-Seth Jarvis top line, as well as a power play that is just 5 of 37 (13.5%) in the playoffs after ranking fourth in the regular season at 24.9%.

Still, the Hurricanes never trailed in their first five postseason games, and have won their last five games with a chance to close out an opponent.

Next comes a familiar roadblock.

Boston swept a happy-to-be-here Carolina team in the 2019 East final after the Hurricanes ended a nine-year playoff drought in Brind'Amour's first season. Florida swept Carolina in 2023 with four one-goal wins, then beat Carolina in five games last year.

Now the Hurricanes get another shot.

“The season is so long and there's that 82-game season we talk about that no one really gives much credit to, and yet this team’s played well for eight months," Brind'Amour said. "They didn’t just get hot at the end. It’s been night in, night out like this. And that’s the biggest takeaway for me. Probably the thing I’m most proud of about this group is that.

"And now, here we are. We've got to find a way to get that next step.”

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

RPD said they responded to the intersection of Grand Avenue and Forest Park Boulevard NW around 12:39 a.m. on Sunday after receiving a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found a man and a woman inside a car with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Authorities said that a preliminary investigation shows the shooting occurred at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Golfside Avenue NW.

This investigation is still ongoing. If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Roanoke Police Department at 540-344-8500.