Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said Monday that State Farm violated the law hundreds of times.

Lara launched the investigation last June after survivors of the Palisades and Eaton fires said that the state’s largest home insurer was delaying and mishandling claims regarding damage to their homes and possible contamination from smoke.

The department looked at 220 random claims filed to State Farm and found nearly 400 violations. They included underpayment and slow or inadequate claim processing.

The final amount of penalties will be recommended by an administrative judge and finalized by Lara.

State Farm didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.

The four-time Pro Bowl wideout has pleaded not guilty to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from the December incident. A jury was selected earlier Monday and received its instructions.

The 33-year-old Diggs declined to speak to reporters as he arrived at Norfolk County District Court in Dedham, a Boston suburb.

Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue said the chef, Mila Adams, would testify how Diggs had entered her bedroom, slapped her and put her in a headlock that made breathing difficult before throwing her on the bed.

“It's your job to determine what happened on Dec. 2,” Virtue told the jury in his opening statement.

Diggs' attorney, Andrew Kettlewell, insisted that his client did nothing wrong and that he never attacked his chef. Kettlewell said that no one in the house at the time of the alleged attack saw or heard anything out of the ordinary and there was no evidence of the attack. There are no medical records nor photos or video documenting the attack.

“The assault that the Commonwealth described in their opening statement never happened. It did not happen,” Kettlewell said.

Instead, Kettlewell described a brewing dispute between Adams and members of Diggs' entourage that came to a head on Dec. 2 when Adams learned she would not be part of a week-long trip the wideout was taking to Miami. He also alleged that Adams demands for money increased in the weeks after she filed a police report and urged the jury not to be influenced by the fact that Diggs was a rich football player.

“Just like any other person in this country rich or poor, Mr. Diggs sits here an innocent man and any preconceptions or feelings you have about athletes, wealth or anything else has to be put aside and not let interfere with the oath you just took as jurors” Kettlewell said.

Adams took the stand and recounted how Diggs came into her room and attacked her after the two had exchanged a series of angry texts earlier in the day. She said Diggs “smacked me with an open hand” and then choked her.

“When I went up to block him, he took his arms and came around my neck and he began to choke me,” said Adams, who grew emotional as she described what she called an “assault.”

Judge Jeanmarie Carroll repeatedly told the jury to disregard parts of her testimony that she deemed went beyond the scope of the questions asked.

According to court records, the chef told officers that she and Diggs had argued about money he owed her for work. During the Dec. 2 encounter at his home in Dedham, Massachusetts, she said, he “smacked her across the face” and then “tried to choke her using the crook of his elbow around her neck,” leaving her feeling short of breath. She told officers she had trouble breathing and felt she could have blacked out.

Diggs signed a three-year, $69 million contract with New England last year and was a key target for quarterback Drake Maye during the Patriots’ AFC East title run. Before joining the Patriots, Diggs was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 and played for the Buffalo Bills before a brief stint with the Houston Texans in 2024.

Diggs’ 1,000-yard season with the Patriots marked the seventh of his career. It helped complete a successful career revival after a season-ending knee injury derailed what turned out to be a one-year stay with the Houston Texans in 2024.

Diggs, who led the team with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in his only season with the Patriots, was released by the team in March. Diggs posted a goodbye on social media, thanking the Patriots for the season and saying: “We family forever.”

Diggs has yet to sign with another team.

It wasn’t clear how many of those injured had suffered gunshot wounds, according to a statement released by police Monday. No arrests had been made.

The shooting broke out Sunday night during a party near a campground at Arcadia Lake, a popular swimming and boating spot in Edmond, just outside Oklahoma City, said Edmond police spokesperson Emily Ward.

At least 18 people were treated at hospitals in the Oklahoma City area. One healthcare system said the victims it treated ranged in age from 16 to 30. It said three people were in critical condition and four were listed as serious.

Jason Hearne told ABC News that he was nearby when the shooting started and saw people who had been shot in the legs and one young woman with a head wound who was still breathing.

“These kids came out to have a, probably a good time, and for this to break out, I know that wasn’t what they expected, and it’s just tragic,” he said.

Police in Edmond said Monday that the party was not a permitted or reserved gathering and had been advertised across social media, drawing a large crowd of mostly young adults from across the Oklahoma City area.

“There is no reason to believe there is an ongoing threat to the public,” police said in a statement.

Some of those injured were transported from the scene while others sought treatment on their own, police said.

Integris Health said it treated 13 people at its hospitals in Edmond and Oklahoma City. Seven remained in Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, including three in critical condition.

OU Health said it received five people at its trauma center but provided no other details.

While police did not provide more details about the party, a flyer circulated on social media after the shooting suggested that an event called Sunday Funday was scheduled at a pavilion near the lake until midnight.

It advertised food, drinks, music and “good vibes, good people.”

Arcadia Lake sits just north of Oklahoma City and is dotted with picnic pavilions, campgrounds, a fishing pier, and swimming beaches.

It was built in the 1980s for outdoor recreation and flood control and also provides water to the city of Edmond, a suburb with about with about 100,000 residents.

Forty years ago, Edmond was the site of one of the deadliest workplace shootings in U.S. history. On Aug. 20, 1986, postal worker Patrick Sherrill shot 20 co-workers, killing 14 of them. He then killed himself.

Over the weekend, another shooting at a party in the Texas Panhandle left two people teenagers dead and 10 others wounded. Police in Amarillo said two people opened fire at an apartment complex early Saturday.

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Stengle reported from Dallas. Associated Press reporters Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

It was Orlando’s third consecutive first-round playoff exit, and easily the most disappointing. Not only did the eighth-seeded Magic lose all three chances to upset the top-seeded Pistons, but one of those games saw Orlando have a 24-point second-half lead at home and still lose. Orlando missed 23 consecutive shots in that Game 6 loss on Friday, getting booed by fans when it was over.

That loss probably was the one that sealed Mosley’s fate, even though the loss in Game 7 at Detroit on Sunday was the one that ended the season.

“That’s a gut punch and that’s going to remain with our team this summer,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “We know a lot of our season will be filtered through that lens. I think what happened is we were up 3-1 against the No. 1 seed in the East that won 60 games and Franz (Wagner) got hurt and it altered the series. We still had two chances to put them away in Games 5 and 6. There’s a lot to be taken away from that. I don’t want to overreact to the second half of Game 6 the same way I don’t want to overreact to the first half of Game 6 when we were up 22 points. It’s our job to step back and look at the big picture of what works, what doesn’t work.”

Mosley is the third-winningest coach in Magic history, his 189 wins behind only Brian Hill (267) and Stan Van Gundy (259). He inherited a team that was in the early stages of a rebuild, with Wagner and Jalen Suggs entering the league as rookies in his first season and then the Magic winning the lottery to draft Paolo Banchero No. 1 overall before Mosley’s second season.

Orlando won 22 games in Mosley’s first season, improved to 34-48 in Year 2 and has been .500 or better in all three seasons since — 47-35 in 2023-24, 41-41 last season and 45-37 this season.

“That’s an organizational matter,” Weltman said about three straight first-round exits. “That’s not on one person but it just seems like it’s time for a new perspective, a fresh voice and for all of us to get a different vantage point on what’s going on with our team.”

The Magic are one of 10 teams — Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma City are the others — to have not finished below .500 in any of the last three seasons.

It wasn’t enough. And with much of the team’s core — Banchero, Wagner, Suggs, Desmond Bane and more — under contract for the foreseeable future, the Magic clearly felt the best way to shake things up was to bring in a new coach.

“It has been an incredible five-plus years, and this organization and city will always mean so much to me and my family,” Mosley said. “In my heart, I truly hope that during our time here we were able to impact the players, staff, and the Magic organization in a meaningful and lasting way. I want to sincerely thank the DeVos family for the extraordinary opportunity to serve as head coach of the Orlando Magic. To our fans, there is nothing but love in my heart.”

It is a roster in need of upgrading in some ways, shooting perhaps foremost among them after Orlando was only 27th in the 30-team league in 3-point percentage this season. Injuries have also been a major issue for the Magic, including in the playoffs — with Wagner unable to play in the final three games, all losses, against Detroit.

Mosley’s job security was a talking point for much of the season, especially amid reports that he and Banchero were not on the same page. In March, Banchero acknowledged that were some moments of conflict — but thought Orlando was better for going through that.

“We’re both competitors,” Banchero said when asked then about his relationship with Mosley. “There were times where I was frustrated and I wasn’t playing as well as I think I should be. But it never became me pointing the finger at him or being disrespectful. It was all constructive; he’s talking to me, I’m talking to him. And winning, it cures everything.”

Evidently, there wasn’t enough winning.

Mosley had two seasons left on an extension that he and the Magic agreed on in March 2024. The team lauded his “preparation, work ethic, ability to connect with the players and passion he brings to the job every day brings positive results, both on the court and off” when announcing that deal.

Barely two years later, he and the Magic were parting ways.

Only seven coaches have been in their current jobs longer than Mosley was with Orlando — Miami’s Erik Spoelstra (hired in 2008), Golden State’s Steve Kerr (2014), the Clippers’ Tyronn Lue (2020), Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault (2020), Minnesota’s Chris Finch (2021), Indiana’s Rick Carlisle (2021) and Dallas’ Jason Kidd (2021).

Mosley spent 15 years as an assistant in Denver, Cleveland and Dallas — and was often mentioned as a candidate for head-coaching jobs around the league over that span — before Orlando hired him. He had a long relationship with Weltman, who first took note of Mosley when they worked together with the Nuggets.

Mosley was the 14th coach in Magic history, the 15th if counting Billy Donovan — who accepted the job in 2007, then had second thoughts and returned to the University of Florida. Donovan just left the Chicago Bulls after six seasons as their coach, which sparked speculation that he could be the front-runner in Orlando if the Magic indeed would be moving on from Mosley.

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

The sleek black whales, which weigh as much as a midsized bulldozer, are critically endangered and their numbers have declined sharply in recent decades. Environmental groups say reducing deaths and injuries caused by people is essential to the species' recovery.

The whales give birth off Florida and Georgia before making a long migration north to feed off New England and Canada. Protected areas of ocean aid them on their journey, but scientists have said they have strayed from those zones in recent years in search of food as the oceans have warmed.

A proposal by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, would push back new federal protections for right whales to 2035, and allow time to craft regulations that are less burdensome to the fishing industry. The White House released a memo Friday saying it “strongly supports” the plan and that President Donald Trump’s senior advisors would recommend he sign it into law if it passes Congress.

The proposal comes as the government already paused any new federal rules about right whales until 2028.

According to Golden, Maine's iconic lobster industry would've been crushed by the now-paused regulations, which he said were "based on flawed science and hypothetical scenarios rather than the reality on the water.”

A longer delay would give the government time to “get the science right” about threats to whales, Golden said in a statement Friday.

The U.S. lobster and crab fishing industries are worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the docks.

“This legislation is critical to ensuring the long-term stability of American fisheries for generations to come,” said John Drouin, vice president of the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association.

Environmental groups like California-based In Defense of Animals have pushed back against efforts to weaken whale protections. They cite how the whales’ population fell by about a quarter from 2010 to 2020, and recent years of recovery have been slow.

Some signs about the whale’s population have been encouraging. This year’s birthing season produced 23 mother-calf pairs, the most since 2009, the New England Aquarium said in a statement.

The whale, which has been federally protected for more than 50 years, remains critically endangered, the aquarium said. They were once abundant off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling.

Special legislative sessions responding to the court ruling are to start Monday in Alabama and Tuesday in Tennessee. Louisiana lawmakers, who already are in session, also are looking at how to redraw their congressional districts. And President Donald Trump has urged more states to join in redistricting.

Civil rights activists have countered with rallies, protests and lawsuits challenging the new redistricting efforts.

Last week’s Supreme Court decision striking down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana has unleashed “a wave of nefarious actions” across states that threatens to disenfranchise Black voters, Alanah Odoms, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, said Monday.

But Trump on Sunday encouraged more states to join in redistricting, saying in a social media post that Republicans could gain 20 House seats.

“We should demand that State Legislatures do what the Supreme Court says must be done,” Trump said.

The high court's ruling said Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating a second Black majority House district as it attempted to comply with the Voting Rights Act. The ruling significantly altered a decades-old understanding of the law and provided grounds for Republicans in various states to try to eliminate majority-Black districts that have elected Democrats to Congress.

A national redistricting battle is expanding

Legislative voting districts typically are redrawn only once a decade, after a census, to account for population changes. But Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to redraw U.S. House districts to give the party an advantage. Democrats in California responded by doing the same, and then other states joined in.

On Monday, Florida became the eighth state to enact new House districts ahead of the midterm elections, as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he had signed a redrawn map passed by lawmakers last week that could help Republicans win as many as four additional House seats.

All told, Republicans think they could gain as many as 13 seats from new congressional districts in five states, while Democrats think they could pick up as many as 10 seats from new districts adopted in three states. The newly proposed redistricting in southern states could add to the Republicans' tally.

After last week's Supreme Court decision, Louisiana moved quickly to delay its May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts. But Republicans have yet to unveil their planned revisions to district lines.

Democrats and civil rights groups have filed several lawsuits challenging the election suspension, including another suit filed Monday in federal court. They are encouraging people in Louisiana — where early voting already is underway — to go ahead and cast votes in the congressional primaries in case courts later allow them to be counted.

Alabama plans for a potential primary change

Rather than canceling the state's May 19 primaries, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has called legislators into a special session to consider contingency plans for special primary elections in hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will let the state switch congressional maps ahead of the November midterms.

Federal judges previously ordered Alabama to use a court-selected map — with a second district that has a substantial number of Black voters — until a new map is drafted after the 2030 Census. But Alabama appealed that decision and has asked the court, in light of the Louisiana ruling, to let it revert to a 2023 map drawn by Republican state lawmakers. That map would substantially alter the district now represented by Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat.

Democrats sharply criticized any attempt to change the House districts ahead of the looming elections.

“This special session is a blatant power grab by Republican leadership in Montgomery to eliminate seats held by Black Democrats,” said former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a Democratic candidate for Alabama governor.

Tennessee pushes for a new House map

In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee also announced a special session starting Tuesday for the GOP-controlled Legislature to break up the state’s one Democratic-held House district, centered on the majority-Black city of Memphis.

The move comes after a pressure campaign by Trump and other Republicans to reconfigure the state’s 9th Congressional District. Previous precedent in Voting Rights Act cases had prevented Republicans from spreading the district’s Democratic voters among neighboring conservative districts and making it winnable. But the law may no longer be an impediment.

“We owe it to Tennesseans to ensure our congressional districts accurately reflect the will of Tennessee voters,” Lee said.

The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, and the primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6. Democrats noted that in 2022, the state Supreme Court checked additional redistricting because it was too close to an election. They argued that the court is their best hope this time around, too.

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Loller reported from Nashville and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press writers Jack Brook in New Orleans and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

The 44-year-old pop star, who recently completed a stint at a rehabilitation facility, didn’t appear in Ventura County court. But her lawyer, Michael A. Goldstein, pleaded guilty on her behalf to what’s commonly called a “wet reckless.” That allowed her to be sentenced to one day in jail that the judge said she served when she was booked, one year of probation, a required DUI class and state-mandated fines.

The plea offer was standard for defendants with no DUI history, no crash or injury on the road, and a low blood-alcohol level, the county district attorney’s office said. And it’s especially common for defendants who have shown motivation to address their problems and seek treatment, as Spears did when she voluntarily checked in to a substance abuse treatment center last month.

“I don’t think anybody’s happy about pleading guilty to anything, but under the circumstances, to get this behind her, I think everybody is pleased with the result,” Goldstein said after the hearing. “We appreciate the district attorney recognizing the positive steps that Britney is taking to help herself.”

Goldstein said Spears returned home after recently completing her rehab stint, and that reports that she left early were “absolutely false.” Asked what’s next for her, he replied, “I don’t know, I’m sure a lot.”

During the brief hearing, Spears received summary probation, which is informal and doesn’t involve mandatory meetings with a probation officer. She temporarily yielded her Fourth Amendment search and seizure rights if she is pulled over, meaning she must automatically yield to searches and sobriety tests. At Goldstein's request, the judge ruled this would not apply to her home.

District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said after the hearing that Spears had taken “full responsibility,” but he emphasized that DUI is a “serious crime” and said it was essential that she follow the requirements agreed to in court, which include continued substance abuse treatment, weekly visits with a therapist and monthly visits with a psychiatrist.

“We do not want Miss Spears to reoffend,” Nasarenko said.

She was charged Thursday with one misdemeanor DUI count, which meant she was not required to appear in court for her arraignment. But her representatives hadn’t said whether she would appear, and the hearing drew an unusually heavy media turnout for Ventura, a seaside city of about 110,000 people roughly 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of downtown LA.

After her March 4 arrest, a representative called her actions inexcusable and said that ideally, the arrest would lead to overdue change in her life.

She was pulled over for driving her black BMW quickly and erratically on U.S. 101, the California Highway Patrol said. She appeared to be impaired, took a series of field sobriety tests, was arrested and was taken to jail, the CHP said.

Authorities said in the criminal complaint that Spears had alcohol and drugs in her system, but they didn’t specify which drugs or list her blood alcohol content.

Spears grew to superstardom in the 1990s and 2000s with hits including “Toxic,” “Gimme More” and “I’m a Slave 4 U.” Most of her nine studio albums have been certified platinum, with two diamond titles: 1999’s “… Baby One More Time” and 2000s “Oops! … I Did It Again.”

She became a tabloid obsession in the early 2000s and a source of intense public scrutiny as she battled mental illness and paparazzi fought to document the details of her private life.

In 2008, Spears was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship, run primarily by her father and his lawyers, that would control her personal and financial decisions for well over a decade. It was dissolved in 2021.

Since then, she has married, divorced, and released a bestselling memoir, “The Woman in Me.”

The Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday that it hoped Ukraine “will follow suit” on the ceasefire for Russia’s most important secular holiday. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.

Authorities last week decided to pare down the traditional military parade on Moscow's Red Square, citing concerns over possible Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine has been launching drone attacks deep inside Russia to counter its more than 4-year-old invasion.

The Defense Ministry said if Ukraine attempts to disrupt Saturday's celebrations, Russia will carry out a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv.” It warned the civilian population there and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of "the need to leave the city promptly.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week floated the idea of a ceasefire for Victory Day in a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump.

For years, the Kremlin has used the pomp-filled Victory Day parade to showcase its military might and global clout, and it has been a source of patriotic pride.

But the parade in the Russian capital will take place without tanks, missiles and other military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades. Some of the smaller parades that are held elsewhere across the country have also been pared down or even canceled for security reasons.

World War II remains a rare point of consensus in Russia's divisive history under Communist rule. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what it called the Great Patriotic War in 1941-45, an enormous sacrifice that left a deep scar in the national psyche.

Putin, who has ruled Russia for over 25 years, has turned Victory Day into a key pillar of his tenure and has tried to use it to justify the war in Ukraine.

Last year’s parade on the 80th anniversary drew the most global leaders to Moscow in a decade, including high-profile guests like Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Putin had declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting May 7, 2025, and authorities blocked cellphone internet in Moscow for several days to avert Ukrainian drone attacks.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters that the left-hander felt pain in his elbow on Sunday, less than a week after an injury scare against the Atlanta Braves. The 29-year-old — set to become a free agent next offseason — underwent tests that showed the loose bodies. The surgery hadn't yet been scheduled.

There is no immediate timetable for his return.

Skubal initially felt pain in his elbow last week against the Braves but stayed in the game. He rubbed his left arm after a 2-2 pitch to Matt Olson, drawing a visit from the trainer and Hinch. Skubal threw one warmup pitch, decided he was OK and struck out the side to end his night.

He allowed five hits, fanned seven and didn’t walk anyone.

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

The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office said damages from the fire are estimated to be around $500,000.

The fire is still under investigation.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Two people were displaced following a house fire that occurred in Hollins on Sunday, Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department said.

RCFRD said they were dispatched to a home on Deputy Drive around 6:25 p.m. on Sunday. Upon arrival, they found a residence engulfed in flames. The call was upgraded to a working fire with “extremely heavy involvement.”

Authorities said they received assistance from Roanoke Fire-EMS, along with Salem Fire and EMS, and knocked the fire down in around 30 minutes. No one was injured as a result, but two residents have been displaced and are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.

The Roanoke County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause. We will update you with more information as it becomes available.

The blaze, which began in an electrical room, caused “substantial damage” to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, according to New York Fire Department Assistant Chief David Simms. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

“Everyone has been safely removed from the theater,” the theater’s owner, ATG Entertainment, said in a statement. “We will keep all parties abreast of this developing situation.”

It wasn’t immediately clear how long the 1,108-seat theater would be out of operation. A spokesperson for “The Book of Mormon” did not immediately respond to messages. The show’s next scheduled performance is Tuesday.

Simms said the damage was largely confined to the fourth floor area and a backroom containing lighting equipment and dangling chandeliers. There was some water damage as well, he said.

Firefighters initially struggled to knock down the flames due to catwalks and rigging in the theater, but were eventually able to bring it under control, he said. One firefighter suffered minor injuries.

“The Book of Mormon” is among Broadway’s longest running shows, with more than 5,000 performances since opening at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in 2011.

The theater, which opened in 1925, has previously hosted productions of “Sweeney Todd,” a revival of Tennessee Williams’ “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and the rock musical “Spring Awakening,” among many other performances.

“A major catastrophe was avoided by feet,” said safety expert Steve Arroyo, who landed on that same short runway many times during his career at United. “Had it been another five feet lower, eight feet, I mean, no more than 10 feet, that plane would have been all over the New Jersey Turnpike.”

The driver of the bakery delivery truck was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, and the Boeing 767 flying in from Venice, Italy, with 231 people aboard was able to land safely. No one on the plane was hurt. Air traffic control audio suggests the incident may have created a hole in the side of the plane, but the airline and the National Transportation Safety Board haven't confirmed that.

The NTSB said Monday afternoon that it has reclassified the incident as an accident because of the extent of the damage to the plane, but it didn't provide any details.

Anyone who drives that section of Interstate 95 near the airport is likely used to seeing planes coming in low and crossing over all the lanes of traffic as the planes get ready to land, but never this low. Dash camera video from inside the truck shows the moment of impact and appears to show the truck toppling onto its side. Typically, semitrucks are 13.5 feet (4.1 meters) tall, so the plane was quite low.

The pilots’ damage report wasn’t recorded because the crew opted to call the tower on the phone after landing instead of broadcasting the details over the radio.

But air traffic control audio posted by ATC.com revealed a discussion between an air traffic controller and a ground vehicle more than half an hour after the incident. “They felt something over the threshold and there's a hole in the side of the airplane,” the controller said.

NTSB investigators arrived on scene on Monday to interview the flight crew and begin working to figure out how and why this happened. But the NTSB may not offer many details about what happened until it publishes its preliminary report roughly a month from now. The agency does not plan any news conferences on this accident.

Runway 29, where the plane landed, is the shortest runway at the airport at 6,726 feet (2,050 meters), and it is generally only used when there are strong winds like there were on Sunday afternoon. The other two Newark runways are 11,000 feet (3,353 meters) long. An air traffic controller told pilots at the time that the winds were gusting up to 31 mph (50 kph).

Arroyo said that investigators will definitely look at how well the United crew planned for the contingency that they would have to land on Runway 29 and exactly what data they had entered into their flight control system and navigational aids in the cockpit. He said those systems can help keep pilots on track in the glidepath before they have to take the controls and complete the landing visually.

“It’s one of the most challenging approaches in the world,” Arroyo said. “The margin of error is extremely low.”

Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, said he can't think of another accident when an airliner has struck a vehicle. It has happened with small planes before, but not airline jets. He said that investigators will likely also look at whether fatigue could have been a factor after the long flight from Italy.

The NTSB directed United to preserve the cockpit voice and flight data recorders for investigators to examine. The airline said the pilots have been put on leave while the accident is investigated.

Giuliani, 81, remains in critical but stable condition at a Florida hospital and is being monitored as a precautionary measure, spokesperson Ted Goodman said.

Goodman said Giuliani’s condition was exacerbated by restrictive airway disease attributed to his exposure to dust and toxins from the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.

Giuliani’s hospitalization, near Palm Beach, Florida, came after he was heard coughing Friday on his nightly online talk show and hoarsely told viewers that his voice was “a little under the weather.”

“This condition adds complications to any respiratory illness, and the virus quickly overwhelmed his body, requiring mechanical ventilation to maintain adequate oxygen and stabilize his condition," Goodman said in a statement.

He described Giuliani as “the ultimate fighter” and said, “he is winning this battle.”

Giuliani’s family and primary medical provider are by the former mayor's side, Goodman added. He said they thanked well-wishers for an “outpouring of love and support.”

“The mayor believes in the power of prayer, and we are feeling that strength today,” Goodman said.

Giuliani’s eight-year tenure as the mayor of the nation's largest city was punctuated by the 9/11 attack just months before he left office. He became celebrated as “America’s mayor” for his leadership, knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and named Time magazine’s Person of the Year.

Giuliani, a Republican, later made an unsuccessful run for president and was an adviser to President Donald Trump, spearheading his efforts to stay in office after his 2020 election loss.

Last year, Trump said he was awarding Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Giuliani coughed as he began his nightly online show "America’s Mayor Live” on Friday. As he spoke, he sounded more raspy than usual. Before launching into a commentary on the Iran war, he remarked: “My voice is a little under the weather, so I won’t be able to speak as loudly as I usually do, but I’ll get closer to the microphone.”

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Giuliani “a True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR.”

“What a tragedy that he was treated so badly by the Radical Left Lunatics, Democrats ALL — AND HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!" Trump wrote Sunday. "They cheated on the Elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did anything possible to destroy our Nation, and now, look at Rudy. So sad!”

As Trump’s personal attorney and adviser, Giuliani became a vocal proponent of the president's allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.

Two former Georgia election workers later won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani. As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets.

Giuliani ultimately struck a deal that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers.

Giuliani was previously hospitalized last September after suffering a fractured vertebra and other injuries in a car crash in New Hampshire.

A native New Yorker, Giuliani was elected mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile federal prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.

He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000 but abandoned his race against Hillary Rodham Clinton after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In 2007, Giuliani ran for president. Buoyed by his post-9/11 popularity, he started as the front-runner for the Republican nomination. But that was short-lived. He withdrew from the race after struggling in the primaries amid GOP concerns about his past support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, and questions about his personal life and business ties to the Middle East.

He toyed with running for other offices before pivoting to political commentary.

In 2016, Trump leaned on Giuliani’s political acumen and loyalty and put him to work as a surrogate leading attacks on Clinton, his Democratic rival. After Trump won, Giuliani continued as his attack dog, even traveling to Ukraine to seek damaging information about Biden’s son Hunter.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 528 points, or 1.1%, as of 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower.

The action was even stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude leaped 5.6% to $114.21. It jolted higher after the United Arab Emirates said it came under attack by Iran for the first time since the fragile ceasefire took hold in early April. The attacks appeared to be in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s closure of the strait has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

Trump said Sunday that the United States would guide ships through the strait, which could get oil flowing again and bring down its price. But prices instead climbed after Iranian news agencies claimed Monday that Iran had struck a U.S. Navy vessel southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing it of “violating maritime security and navigation norms.”

The U.S. military rejected the claim and then said that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz.

Even with all the uncertainty about how long the war with Iran will last, the U.S. stock market has managed to power to record after record. Hope is still high on Wall Street that the global economy can avoid a worst-case scenario because of the war. And in the meantime, companies continue to deliver big growth in profits. That's key because stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.

The strength so far this reporting season has been broad-based and not confined to just the Big Tech superstars that dominate the market. The median stock in the S&P 500 is tracking for the best growth since 2021, according to Savita Subramanian, a strategist at Bank of America.

Tyson Foods joined the list Monday of those topping analysts’ expectations for both profit and revenue during the latest quarter.

It sold less beef than it did a year ago, but it did so at prices that were 11.5% higher, so its total beef revenue edged up. It also sold more chicken and pork than a year earlier, at slightly higher prices. Its stock rose 3.9%.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings likewise delivered a better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But it’s feeling the effects of the war, which has not only raised pressure on fuel prices but also pushed some customers to think twice about travel plans, particularly to Europe.

The cruise operator said some “execution missteps” also have bookings below where it would like, and its stock fell 9.2%.

GameStop slumped after it said it wants to buy its eBay for $125 per share in cash and stock. Coming into the day, eBay had a total market value that was nearly quadruple GameStop’s.

GameStop said it has already built a 5% stake in eBay and sees opportunities to cut $2 billion in annual costs quickly. GameStop, whose stock briefly soared to market-shaking heights during the meme stock craze of 2021, fell 7.8%, while eBay rose 5.7%.

Several Big Tech stocks were strong, continuing a big run for companies involved in artificial-intelligence technology. Micron Technology gained 5.8% for one of the biggest gains in the S&P 500. Oracle rallied 5.7%, and Sandisk climbed 4.4%.

In stock markets abroad, gains for tech stocks helped indexes jump 5.1% in South Korea and 1.2% in Hong Kong, while markets were closed in mainland China and Japan for holidays.

European indexes fared worse, and France’s CAC 40 fell 1.7%.

In the bond market, Treasury yield jumped up as oil prices climbed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.45% from 4.39% late Friday. It was at just 3.97% before the war began, and the rise has made mortgages and other kinds of loans for U.S. households and businesses more expensive.

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AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

Two American-flagged merchant ships have “successfully transited” through the critical waterway, the U.S. military said. Separately, the U.S. military denied Iran’s claims that it struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates on Monday said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility in Fujairah, a key pipeline hub used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Shortly after the report, the British military said a cargo ship off the coast of the Emirates was ablaze. The UAE issued its first three missile alerts on Monday since the shaky ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. took hold almost four weeks ago.

Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he’s “not satisfied” with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal’s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.

Here's the latest:

Oman says a residential building was targeted

A residential building housing employees in Oman was targeted Monday, officials said, though did not provide details of the incident.

The defense ministry said in a statement on X, citing an unidentified security source, that the building housed workers of a company in the Tibat district of the town of Bukha. Two foreigners were moderately injured, four vehicles were damaged and windows in a nearby house were shattered.

Bukha is a town on Oman’s Musandam peninsula, an enclave on the southern edge of the Strait of Hormuz that is separated from the rest of the sultanate.

Authorities did not say whether the incident was the result of an attack or identify its source, adding that an investigation is underway.

US, Gulf states to propose diplomatic measure for safe passage over Strait of Hormuz

U.S. envoy to the U.N. Mike Waltz told reporters Monday that the U.S. will be co-drafting a Security Council resolution with Bahrain and its Gulf allies that would “hold Iran to account” for its monthslong chokehold over the critical waterway.

The unreleased draft would require Iran to stop laying sea mines in the strait and halt all tolling efforts. It would also require the disclosure of the number and locations of the mines it has placed. It’s unclear what enforcement mechanism, if any, the resolution will have to ensure any of these demands.

But it is the latest diplomatic effort by the U.S. and its Gulf allies after a similar resolution was vetoed by China and Russia hours before a temporary ceasefire was announced in early April.

Hegseth and Caine to hold news conference, Trump says

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, will hold a news conference on Tuesday, Trump said in a social media post on Monday.

Trump released no other details. But the news conference will come a day after the U.S. military launched an effort to defend commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks.

Trump urges South Korea to send ships to Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump has urged South Korea to “come and join the mission” in the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. military is defending commercial ships from Iran.

Trump said in a social media post that Iran had “taken some shot” at a South Korean cargo ship, though did not elaborate.

UN reiterates need for freedom of navigation in Strait of Hormuz but opposes military activity

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations is “still trying to fully understand” exactly what U.S. statements saying the vital Strait of Hormuz is open.

Reports of an exchange of fire in the strait, which had carried about 20% of the world’s crude oil and the United Arab Emirates intercepting Iranian missiles are “concerning,” he said.

“There’s not much clarity at this point, but what we do not want to see is a return to outright kinetic activity in this area,” Dujarric said.

“We need to see a return of what has been centuries of practice of common law, which is freedom of navigation in these waters,” he told U.N. reporters on Monday.

Israel closely watching developments in Gulf

Israel’s military is closely monitoring the developments in the Gulf and remains on high alert, according to a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines.

The official added that there are currently no changes expected in guidelines for Israel’s civilians, including limitations on the size of gatherings, that are implemented during times of war.

—- Melanie Lidman

Cooper does not offer details about whether US was protecting sites that came under Iranian attack

Asked whether the U.S. was protecting sites in the United Arab Emirates that came under Iranian attack, Cooper said he didn’t want to go into details.

The head of U.S. Central Command told reporters Monday that the “UAE has exceptional capability. They’re well-positioned to defend themselves.”

Authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals. The British military also reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE.

Cooper says the Fujairah attack was “under their national jurisdiction” and not part of the new American effort to get commercial ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

UAE airspace nearly empty as warning sirens blare

The airspace over the UAE was nearly empty Monday night as the country faced multiple sirens warning of incoming drones, according to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Just days ago, the airport, which is among the world’s busiest, had announced it had mostly returned to full operations.

UAE condemns Iranian attacks

The United Arab Emirates condemned what it called “renewed treacherous Iranian aggression” targeting civilian sites that left three people injured, and called for an immediate halt to the attacks.

“These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable violation,” the UAE’s foreign ministry said in a statement on X, adding that the UAE reserves the right to respond in a way that protects its sovereignty and security.

Cooper says Iran ‘initiated aggressive behavior’ in Strait of Hormuz

In his call with reporters, Cooper declined to say whether the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. was over or not, but noted that it was Iran that “initiated aggressive behavior” in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Cooper said the U.S. military is serving as a defensive force “to give a very clear defense to commercial shipping, to allow them to proceed out of the Arabian Gulf.”

“That’s what we’re focused on,” Cooper said. “What we saw this morning was Iran initiating aggressive behaviors. We are simply going to respond to that.”

US military clears pathway in Strait of Hormuz that is free of Iranian mines

Cooper said the U.S. military has been able to clear a pathway in the Strait of Hormuz that is free of any Iranian mines in an effort to allow commercial vessels to transit the narrow waterway.

Cooper said U.S. military also has set up a “defensive umbrella” that includes American helicopters and fighter planes to protect the freighters leaving the strait.

US military says it sunk 6 Iranian small boats that were targeting civilian vessels

Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads U.S. Central Command, said U.S. military helicopters have sunk six Iranian small boats that were targeting civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

It is the latest test of the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.

US military says Iran has launched missiles, drones and small boats at ships the US is protecting in Strait of Hormuz

Iran has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at ships the U.S. military is protecting, a top commander said Monday.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, said during a news conference that “each and every one” of the threats had been defeated.

Three Indian nationals injured in Fujairah attack, says authorities

Authorities in Fujairah said an Iranian drone that sparked a fire at an oil facility left three Indian nationals injured.

The authorities said in a statement they suffered medium wounds and were transferred to the hospital.

Cargo ship on fire off the coast of the UAE as the nation warned of incoming attacks from Iran

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center announced the fire on the ship, saying it was in the vessel’s engine room. It said the ship’s crew was accounted for.

UAE’s eastern emirate of Fujairah says an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility

Fujairah is the terminus of a pipeline the United Arab Emirates has used to avoid shipping some of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz in the Iran war.

The UAE on Monday issued its first three missile alerts since a ceasefire took hold.

Iran’s military command says ships passing through the strait must coordinate with them

“We warn that any foreign military force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB on Monday.

UAE issues another missile alert as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz

The United Arab Emirates issued the alert without saying what prompted it.

It was the second such alert Monday, after there had been none in recent weeks following the Iran ceasefire.

Authorities haven’t provided further details on either alert. An all-clear signal was issued minutes after the first alert. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

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Judge in dispute over Washington golf course tells Trump officials not to cut trees without notice

The federal judge told the U.S. government Monday not to cut down more than 10 trees without first providing notice amid a legal dispute at a historic Washington golf course President Trump plans to renovate.

U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said during a remote hearing that she wasn’t going to issue a temporary restraining order just yet in the case brought by the DC Preservation League. She also told the National Park Service that it should first discuss any plans with government lawyers if it was going to cut down more than 10 trees.

Monday’s hearing came after the plaintiff’s emergency petition seeking to stop work at the course, citing news reports that major renovations were to begin Monday.

Kevin Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks for the Park Service, said during the hearing there was no plan to begin such work Monday but added that a safety assessment was underway.

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Supreme Court restores access to the abortion pill mifepristone

The Supreme Court’s order Monday blocks a ruling that had threatened to upend one of the main ways abortion is provided across the nation.

The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito temporarily allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor.

Those rules had been in effect for several years until a federal appeals court imposed new restrictions last week.

The majority of abortions in the U.S. are obtained through medications, usually a combination of mifepristone and a second drug, misoprostol. Their availability has blunted the impact of abortion bans that most Republican-led states have started enforcing since a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed for state bans.

Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.

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Sen. Steve Daines travels to China, ahead of planned state visit by Trump

He announced Monday that he’ll lead a bipartisan congressional delegation on a visit to China this week, when the group of five senators will be visiting tech businesses in Shanghai and Beijing and meeting Chinese officials.

The trip will come just about a week before President Trump is scheduled to visit China for the first time since he took office. It also will be the first state visit by a U.S. president since 2017.

Traveling with Daines are fellow Republican Sens. Deb Fischer, Mike Lee and Jerry Moran as well as Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Trump’s vision: DIY defense in Europe

As part of its National Defense Strategy announced in January — a sweeping document laying out a vision on everything from deterring China to defending against cyberattacks to disrupting Iran’s nuclear ambitions — the Trump administration said Europe must do more for its own defense.

While “we are and will remain engaged in Europe, we must — and will — prioritize defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China,” it said.

Among other things, the document noted that Europe’s economic power, while shrinking in relative terms globally, remains significant, and said Germany’s economy alone “dwarfs that of Russia.”

“Fortunately, our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia — it is not even close,” it said, noting a recent commitment among NATO allies to raise national defense spending to 5% of GDP in total, a push led by Trump.

What to know about the US defense posture in Europe

The U.S. European Command, created in 1947 and known as EUCOM, is one of 11 combat commands within the Defense Department, and covers some 50 countries and territories.

In addition to more than 36,000 troops in Germany, Italy hosts more than 12,000 and there’s another 10,000 in the United Kingdom, according to Pentagon numbers from December.

The Pentagon has offered few details about which troops or operations would be affected in the drawdown announced Friday.

The U.S. increased its European deployment after Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine four years ago. NATO allies like Germany have expected for over a year that these troops would be the first to leave.

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White House to hold a summit for small businesses

The event in the East Room will bring together more than 130 small business owners as the president highlights his administration’s policies benefiting them.

“Our nation’s 36 million small businesses now have the confidence to hire, reinvest and expand, unleashing an historic era of sustained growth,” Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler said ahead of the event. “America is open for business again.”

The gathering is meant to mark this year’s National Small Business Week and the owners represent manufacturing, food production, defense, energy and retail businesses, among other areas, according to the White House.

European leaders see Trump’s troop drawdown from Germany as new proof they must go it alone

European leaders on Monday said President Trump’s snap decision to pull thousands of U.S. troops out of Germany came as a surprise but is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security.

The Pentagon announced last week that it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters Saturday that “we’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

He offered no reason for the move, which blindsided NATO, but his decision came amid an escalating dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, and Trump’s anger over European allies’ reluctance to get involved in the conflict in the Middle East.

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Wall Street hesitates and oil prices climb with uncertainty about the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. stock market is holding tentatively near its record heights Monday, while oil prices climb with uncertainty about when oil tankers can resume crossing the Strait of Hormuz and restore the world’s flow of crude. Dueling claims about a possible Iranian strike on a U.S. Navy vessel in the strait heightened the tensions.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit the Vatican this week as Trump-Pope tensions rise

Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.

The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who’s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump’s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.

“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.

Iran stands firm on its grip of the strait

The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.

Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy.

U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.

US claims progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying two merchant ships have transited

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran’s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.

The announcement came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new initiative to help guide ships through the critical waterway for global energy. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel started the war Feb. 28, rattling the global economy.

The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center has advised ships to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it set up an “enhanced security area.” U.S. Central Command didn’t say when the Navy ships arrived or when the merchant vessels departed.

It was unclear whether shipping companies, and their insurers, will feel comfortable taking the risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so.

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British author William Golding predicted not good things in his harrowing 1954 classic novel “Lord of the Flies,” and a new powerful, kinetic TV adaptation makes an inspired case that he was probably right.

The Netflix series premiering Monday follows more than two dozen British boys in the mid-1950s stranded on a tropical island after a plane crash as they descend into tyranny and violence, making an indictment about the fragility of democracy and the shallow veneer of civilization.

“We’ve advanced socially or we’ve advanced technologically, but those issues are still there,” says David McKenna, who plays a sensible boy nicknamed Piggy. “I would say put 40 boys on a tropical island today, and the same thing would probably happen, sadly.”

‘It can’t help but be chaos’

The series is adapted by Jack Thorne, the writer behind the stage play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and the Emmy-winning TV series “Adolescence,” and directed by his longtime collaborator, Marc Munden.

“A lot of the time it was utter chaos and we tried to film some of that chaos as well,” says Munden. “It can’t help but be chaos when you’ve got 36 boys under the age of 12.”

Thorne’s four-part adaptation brings a different character to the forefront in each episode, starting with the rational Piggy, coming to consciousness after the crash and offering a voting-based system that allows everyone a voice. “What we need to do is get a sense of exactly what we know,” he says.

He meets the cheerful and friendly Ralph (played by Winston Sawyers), and they gather the rest of the castaways, including a group of choirboys led by the volatile Jack (Lox Pratt) and the soulful Simon (Ike Talbut). There's also a whole raft of very young boys, dubbed “littluns.”

“I think all of the boys really represent an aspect of the human condition. Jack obviously represents some of the darker aspects,” says Talbut. “Ralph is the charismatic leader, but I think Simon really represents civility and kindness.”

Envy and paranoia bloom

What begins as a plucky, we’re-all-in-this-together spirit — Piggy sings Groucho Marx’s giddy “Hello, I Must Be Going” as he pushes through thick vegetation, still wearing his schoolboy suspenders and tie — soon gets darker as envy and paranoia bloom, rivalries deepen and one of the boys reveals his murderous instincts.

“Playing it nice — it’s boring,” says Jack who comes off here less as a simple narcissist than as an entitled boy with a fragile ego. “An adventure island, what do we do on it? Nothing but boring things. Toilets. Water. Hut building. Boring.”

Munden calls it in many ways a political fable that mirrors current struggles: “One faction led by the dutiful Democrats versus the entitled bully leading another faction.” Talbut sees it as a message about the dangers of groupthink and populism.

Thorne has made a few changes to the text, including flashbacks to the boys’ pre-island past to give viewers an insight into their home lives, and a scene in which the survivors come across suitcases from the crash.

Unpacking the suitcases — one is Simon’s, which contains his diary — and the other contains women's clothes — allows the filmmakers to explore the complex relationship between Jack and Simon as well as chart the increasing unanchored nature of the boys.

One lad slips on a hoop skirt, another pulls a pair of pantyhose over his face, both playing with drag. As the members of the choir smear mud on their faces to be hunters, the look is tribal and quirky. Munden was inspired by the images of Liberian child soldiers in the early 2000s who held Kalashnikovs and edgy costumes to confuse their enemies.

“The idea was that this drag becomes sort of perverted in some sort of way and becomes like another form of armor,” says the director. “I just thought it was a little bit more freaky. I wanted to sort of challenge the audience a little bit more with that.”

Filming in Malaysia

Munden studs the episodes with stark images of animals — winged raptors, ants, caterpillars, hermit crabs — grounding the series in the muddy, lush, insect-heavy tropical world, which in this case was the Malay Archipelago, the largest group of islands in the world.

Filming — which took place over five months from July to December in 2024 — wasn’t easy, with daily speedboat trips to uninhabited islands, dodging monsoons and extreme heat. The older boys were permitted to work only five or six hours a day, while the littlest boys only three. The crew weren’t allowed to shoot at night, so used cinematic trickery to turn sunshine into moonlight.

For the characters on the island, it was harrowing. For the actors, however, it was a bonding experience and, for many, their first professional acting gig.

“The best five months of my life,” Talbut says, adding everyone was “just the loveliest person ever.”

There was a safety net for the cast — including child psychologists, tutors and chaperones — that freed the actors to go deeper.

“You can delve as far as you like into the drama and the horror of it because you know at the end of the day you’re all just going to get in a van, get back to the hotel and jump in the pool.”

The ending actually has a sweetness — not the adaptation, but the filming: It turns out many of the older boys have stayed friends and share a group chat. Sawyers just met up with Pratt, enemies on the island now remade as pals in real life.

“We’re all still really, really close and we still have that connection because we spent those months together in that place doing that thing,” says Sawyers.

The attacks appeared to be in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the strait, a critical waterway for global energy. The U.S. military said two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the strait on Monday as part of a new initiative.

The UAE Defense Ministry said Iran had launched four cruise missiles, with three shot down and one falling into the sea. Authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals. The British military reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE.

Breaking Iran’s chokehold on the strait would ease global economic concerns and deny Tehran a major source of leverage. But such efforts also risk reigniting the full-scale fighting that erupted when the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran on Feb. 28, prompting it to close the strait.

Reports of new attacks raised doubts as to whether shipping companies, and their insurers, would take such a risk given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so. Iran has said the new U.S. effort is a violation of the fragile ceasefire that has held for more than three weeks.

US says it has reopened a lane through the strait

Iran’s effective closure of the strait, which runs between Iran and Oman, has caused a spike in worldwide fuel prices and rattled the global economy. The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center had advised ships Monday to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it had set up an “enhanced security area.”

Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters that American forces have successfully opened a passage through the strait that is free of Iranian mines. He said Iran launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at civilian ships under the U.S. military’s protection.

U.S. military helicopters sank six of the small boats, Cooper said, adding that “each and every” threat had been defeated.

“The U.S. commanders who are on the scene have all the authority necessary to defend their unit and to defend commercial shipping -- as we saw and demonstrated earlier today,” Cooper said.

Trump had warned Sunday that Iranian efforts to halt passage through the strait “will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”

He described “Project Freedom” in humanitarian terms, designed to aid stranded seafarers on hundreds of ships that have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency called the effort part of Trump's “delirium.”

Missile alerts in the UAE for the first time since ceasefire

The UAE condemned what it called “renewed treacherous Iranian aggression” and called for an immediate halt to the attacks.

Four missile alerts were issued Monday urging UAE residents to find shelter — the first such alerts since the ceasefire began nearly a month ago. Commercial planes bound for the UAE — home to the global travel hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi — turned around midair.

The extent of the attack on Fujairah was unclear, but it is the terminus of a pipeline the UAE has used to avoid shipping some of its oil through the strait. The emirate on the Gulf of Oman is home to extensive oil storage facilities and is the UAE’s main sea access outside the strait.

“These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable violation,” the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.

In Oman, authorities said a residential building near the strait “was targeted,” resulting in two foreign workers wounded, four vehicles damaged and nearby windows shattered. The report carried by state-run media did not provide further details.

Iran seeks to maintain its grip on the strait

Iran’s military command has warned that ships passing through the strait must coordinate with them.

“We warn that any foreign military force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,” Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB.

The South Korean government said an explosion and fire had broken out aboard a South Korean-operated ship anchored in the strait off the UAE. No injuries were reported. It was not immediately known if the vessel was one of the burning ships reported by the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center.

Trump said in a social media post that Iran had “taken some shot” at a South Korean cargo ship, without elaborating.

The UAE accused Iran of targeting a tanker linked to its main oil company with two drones as it navigated the strait. It did not say when the attack occurred. No injuries were reported.

The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait.

The U.S. has meanwhile enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling at least 49 commercial ships to turn back, according to Central Command.

The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. U.S. officials have expressed hope that the blockade will force Iran to make concessions in talks on its disputed nuclear program and other longstanding issues.

Little progress seen in negotiations

Iran’s latest proposal for ending the war calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions, ending the blockade, withdrawing forces from the region and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semiofficial Nour News and Tasnim agencies, which have close ties to Iran’s security apparatus.

Iranian officials said they were reviewing the U.S. response, though Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters Monday that changing demands made diplomacy difficult. He did not give details.

Iran has claimed its proposal does not include issues related to its nuclear program and enriched uranium — long a driving force in tensions with the U.S. and Israel.

Iran wants other issues resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire. Trump expressed doubt over the weekend that the proposal would lead to a deal.

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Finley reported from Washington. Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press journalists Jon Gambrell in Dubai, Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea; and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed.

The Broadway Cruise — heading roundtrip from Miami to Cozumel and Great Stirrup Cay from April 15-20, 2027 — will also feature Tony nominees Norm Lewis, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Laura Bell Bundy, Micaela Diamond and Kerry Butler.

In addition to performances, the cruise will offer multiple interactive theatrical events, Q&As, workshops, discussions on how to create a show and dance classes.

There will also be full performances of “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now!,” with Winokur, Bundy and Butler, who met starring as Tracy, Penny and Amber in “Hairspray” and reunite to sing Broadway hits and share behind-the-scenes stories.

Tony-winning composer Marc Shaiman — fresh off publishing his memoir “Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner” — will be onboard, as well as three-time Tony-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, behind such shows as “Kinky Boots” and “La Cage aux Folles.”

“This isn’t just a fan experience, it’s Broadway without walls, an all-access experience at sea where fans and legends collide. For five extraordinary nights, the ship becomes the stage, the backstage, and everything in between. Nothing else comes close,” said Jeff Cuellar, CEO at Sixthman, in a statement.

This will be the fourth Broadway Cruise, which borrows the Norwegian Jewel for its themed trips.

The MV Hondius, a Dutch ship on a weekslong polar cruise from Argentina to Antarctica and several isolated islands in the South Atlantic, had requested help from local health authorities Sunday after making its way to the island of Cape Verde, off the West Africa coast. But no one has been allowed to disembark, Netherlands-based operator Oceanwide Expeditions said.

Cape Verde's Health Ministry said Monday that for now, it will not allow the ship to dock because of public health concerns and that it would stay in open waters close to shore.

Hantavirus is a rodent-borne illness spread by contact with rodents or their urine, saliva or droppings. WHO says that while it is rare, hantavirus may spread between people.

It was unclear how an outbreak could have started, and the WHO said it was investigating while working to coordinate the evacuation of two sick crew members. Another sick person — a British man evacuated to South Africa on April 27 — is the only one to have tested positive for the virus, authorities said. He is in critical condition and isolated in intensive care, according to local health officials.

The body of one of the passengers who died — a German — remains on the ship, according to an Oceanwide Expeditions statement. A 70-year-old Dutch man died onboard April 11, and his 69-year-old wife died later after leaving the ship, officials said.

Among the 87 remaining passengers, 17 are Americans, 19 are from the U.K. and 13 from Spain, according to the company. Sixty-one crew members, including the two who are ill, also are onboard.

Cruise operator says 2 sick crew members urgently need medical care

Two sick crew members — one British, one Dutch — have respiratory symptoms and need urgent medical care, Oceanwide said in its statement.

Cape Verde has sent a medical team of two doctors, a nurse and a laboratory specialist to the ship over three trips, said Dr. Ann Lindstrand, a WHO official in Cape Verde.

She told The Associated Press in an interview that they were planning for medical evacuations, in which passengers would be taken from the ship via ambulance to an airport and flown out of Cape Verde.

“It’s been very tricky for Cape Verdean authorities,” Lindstrand said. “What they have to deal with is a public health event. And of course, they have been thinking about the protection of the population here.”

But Oceanwide said it was still awaiting permission from local authorities in Cape Verde to evacuate passengers and crew members and it would consider moving to one of the Spanish islands of Las Palmas or Tenerife.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry said it was also looking into evacuating some people from the ship.

WHO said it was working with local authorities and Oceanwide to conduct a “full public health risk assessment.”

“Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations,” WHO said. “Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew.”

WHO said that while only one case was confirmed through tests, the other five cases — the three deaths and two ill crew members — were suspected to be hantavirus.

Lindstrand told AP there was a possible new case on the ship, in a person showing mild fever symptoms, but health workers were still assessing.

The cruise started in Argentina

The ship left Ushuaia in southern Argentina on April 1, according to Argentine provincial authorities, for its cruise to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and other isolated islands in the South Atlantic.

While Oceanwide Expeditions didn’t specify this trip's itinerary, the company advertises 33-night or 43-night “Atlantic Odyssey” cruises on the Hondius.

The ship has 80 cabins and a capacity of 170 passengers, and it typically travels with about 70 crew members, including a doctor, the company said.

The Dutch man was the first victim, and he presented with fever, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea, officials said. His body was taken off the vessel nearly two weeks later on the British territory of Saint Helena, some 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) off the African coast, and was awaiting repatriation.

His 69-year-old wife was transferred to South Africa at the same time but collapsed at a Johannesburg airport and died at a hospital, the South African Department of Health said.

The ship then sailed on to Ascension Island, an isolated Atlantic outpost about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) to the north, where the sick British man was taken off the ship and evacuated to South Africa on April 27. He later tested positive for hantavirus.

South African officials have started contact tracing but say there's no need to panic

There was no information from authorities on the possible source of the suspected outbreak. A previous hantavirus outbreak in southern Argentina in 2019 killed at least nine people. It prompted a judge to order dozens of residents of a remote town to stay in their homes for 30 days to halt the spread.

South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases was conducting contact tracing to identify whether people were exposed to infected cruise ship passengers. The 69-year-old woman who died was trying to catch a flight home to the Netherlands at Johannesburg’s main international airport, one of the busiest in Africa, when she collapsed.

But the health department urged people not to panic, saying WHO was “coordinating a multicountry response with all affected islands and countries to contain further spread of the disease.”

Hantavirus has no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.

Hantaviruses cause two serious syndromes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, affecting the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, affecting the kidneys.

“While severe in some cases, it is not easily transmitted between people,” Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said in a statement Monday. “The risk to the wider public remains low. There is no need for panic or travel restrictions.”

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AP journalists Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; Michelle Gumede and Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg; Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Annie Risemberg and Mark Banchereau in Dakar, Senegal contributed.

Opening statements began Monday in the three-week bench trial to decide whether the platforms of Meta, which also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, pose a public nuisance under state law.

In the first phase, jurors ordered $375 million in civil penalties against Meta, determining that it knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

Prosecutors are now asking a judge to impose fundamental changes aimed at reining in addictive features, improving age verification and preventing child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and closer oversight.

Meta has vowed to appeal the jury verdict and warned that it could eliminate Instagram and Facebook service in New Mexico if forced to comply with impractical mandates.

“The fact that we’re having a trial on nuisance is itself a remarkable outcome,” said Eric Goldman, co-director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law in California. “That theory is not well accepted as applied to the internet, and that theory doesn’t really fit the internet.”

A the trial reconvened Monday, state District Court Judge Bryan Biedscheid addressed concerns that the court might overreach its authority.

“I’m probably not the easiest sell on the idea where I would become a one-person legislator, judge and executive branch enforcer,” he said.

Trial could alter algorithms that define social media

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the jury verdict punctured the aura of invincibility protecting tech companies from liability for material on their platforms under Section 230, a 30-year-old provision of the U.S. Communications Decency Act.

A Los Angeles jury separately found both Meta and YouTube liable for harms to children, validating long-standing concerns about dangers of social media.

New Mexico prosecutors are demanding that Meta help remedy a mental health crisis among children through a series of safeguards and changes, including a redesign of algorithms that make content recommendations so they no longer prioritize constant engagement.

New Mexico prosecution attorney David Ackerman outlined a $3.7 billion proposal for Meta to remedy harm to children that “recognizes the scope of the public nuisance that Meta has caused.”

“Across New Mexico, across the country, children are begging for help," he said. “It is thorough and it is necessary. There are items in this abatement plan for public education, to assist schools, to assist law enforcement, to assist mental health providers."

Prosecutors are also targeting other app features linked to compulsive use such as “infinite scroll,” which continuously loads content; push notifications; and default settings that show tallies for “likes” and sharing. Their lawsuit also seeks improvements to age verification and other steps aimed at curbing child sexual exploitation.

And New Mexico wants child accounts on Meta platforms to have an associated parent or guardian, as well as a court-supervised child safety monitor to track improvements over time.

Meta asserts free speech protections

Executives have said the company continuously improves child safety and addresses compulsive use and that many demands from prosecutors are redundant.

In opening statements, Meta attorney Alex Parkinson disputed the idea that there is a public right to social media under laws against public nuisance, and that New Mexico's proposed remedies would be unprecedented in the U.S.

“Are bars a public nuisance because drinking alcohol is undeniably associated with car fatalities?” Parkinson said. “If individual users have been hurt, they have a remedy -- personal injury cases to cover the mental health care or any other care that they need. And that is what is happening in other lawsuits right now.”

He said the state’s $3.7 billion plan goes too far and would “reshape the way all mental and behavioral healthcare is delivered to New Mexico teens.”

Meta plans to call an array of technical experts as witnesses in arguing that the demands are impractical if not impossible and would force it to “disregard the realities of the internet.”

The company also argues that its platforms are being singled out among hundreds of apps that teens use, leaving children vulnerable on platforms with less robust protections. The company is invoking free speech protections that have shielded social media for decades.

“The state’s proposed mandates infringe on parental rights and stifle free expression for all New Mexicans,” Meta said last week in a statement.

Influence could be far-reaching

The case is the first to reach trial among lawsuits filed by more than 40 state attorneys general on allegations that Meta contributes to a youth mental health crisis. Most are pursuing remedies in U.S. federal court.

Torrez, the state attorney general, said that puts the case in a unique position not only “to try and change the paradigm of how this company does business, but also how Big Tech generally is expected to do business going forward.”

Goldman said prosecutors may be venturing into uncertain legal waters just in seeking age verification mandates.

“In practice a court order saying that Facebook had to impose age authentication would have no Supreme Court textual support,” he said. “The Supreme Court might bless it. We don’t know.”

The first phase of the trial saw six weeks of testimony from witnesses including teachers, psychiatric experts, state investigators, top Meta officials and whistleblowers who left the company.

Sterling had a heart attack and bypass surgery this winter and had returned to his home in Edgewater, New Jersey, where he was cared for by health aides. He died Monday at Englewood Hospital, according to his former wife, Jennifer.

“John Sterling breathed life and excitement into Yankees games for 36 years while wearing his passion for baseball and the Yankees on his sleeve,” the team said in a statement. “He informed and entertained generations of fans with a theatrical and unapologetic style that was uniquely his own. John treasured his role as the voice of the New York Yankees, and his enthusiasm for the art of broadcasting perfectly complemented our city and our fans. The symmetry between John and his audience was both undeniable and magical, and his signature calls will resonate for as long as we put on pinstripes — especially after every Yankees win.”

He had called 5,631 games — 5,420 regular season plus 211 postseason — when he retired in April 2024 just after the season's start, citing fatigue. Sterling broadcast 5,060 consecutive games from September 1989 through July 2019 after beginning with the Yankees as a pregame host. He came out of retirement to broadcast Yankees games during the 2024 postseason.

Sterling's call for a player’s home run became as treasured a part of a Yankees identity as an initial set of pinstripes or a championship ring. As rookies prepared for debuts and former opponents arrived in trades, fans speculated how he would label the newcomer's first longball.

From “Bernie goes boom! Bern, baby, Bern!” for Bernie Williams, to “It’s a Jeter jolt!” for Derek to “It’s an A-bomb from A-Rod!” for Alex Rodriguez, “The Giambino!” for Jason Giambi and ”A thrilla from Godzilla!” for Hideki Matsui, Sterling created personal stamps resonating from the clubhouse to the bleachers.

“It wasn’t meant that way. I just happened to do something for Bernie Williams. He hit a home run and I said, `Bern, baby, Bern!′ And it kind of mushroomed from there," Sterling said at the time of his retirement. "But it never was intended for every player, because, frankly, I’m not smart enough to do something for every player. But I did the best I could, and it’s amazing what started out as — became so big.”

“I did say `A-bomb from A-Rod!′ when he hit a home run and I did say: `Robbie Canó, don’t you know,′ and I think those were pretty good,” Sterling said of calls for Rodriguez and Robinson Canó.

Born Josh Sloss on July 4, 1938, Sterling grew up in Manhattan and left college to work for radio stations. He had wanted to be a broadcaster since hearing “The Eddie Bracken Show” in the 1940s.

“I didn’t want to be Eddie Bracken. I wanted to be the guy who says: `Live from Hollywood!’” Sterling said. “And I knew that maybe a year or two later, but before puberty I knew I was going to be on the air. And it really helped me because I didn’t worry about school, because I knew what I was going to do. And it was a good thing because I was a terrible student — terrible."

He started his radio career in 1960 at a station in Wellsville, New York.

“I was preparing this all my life. It was easy,” he said. “I could always open my mouth and talk."

Sterling cited Mel Allen, Russ Hodges and Jim Karvellas as influences. He wound up joining Allen in the history of memorable Yankees broadcasters along with Red Barber, Phil Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer.

Sterling announced the NBA’s Washington Bullets and Morgan State football in his early years and gained notoriety for shrieking “Islanders goal! Islanders goal!” during the hockey team’s games from 1975-78. He broadcast for the NBA’s Nets from 1975-80.

Sterling’s first connection with the Yankees was during WMCA pregame radio talk shows from 1971-78. He moved to Atlanta and worked for the Braves from 1982-87 and Hawks from 1981-89 before switching to the Yankees, where he replaced Hank Greenwald.

Sterling was seldom in the clubhouse and dressed in Brooks Brothers suits even though he was on the radio.

He partnered with Jay Johnstone (1989-90), Joe Angel (1991), Michael Kay (1992-2001), Charley Steiner (2002-04) and Suzyn Waldman (since 2005). Sterling and Waldman were inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016.

He was married to the former Jennifer Contreras from 1993 to 2004. In addition to her, he is survived by triplets Bradford, Derek and Veronica, and daughter Abigail.

Sterling was proud of his unique style.

“Harry Caray told me some years ago," he recalled in 2024 of the famous Chicago Cubs and White Sox broadcaster, “and he says, 'John, all the guys are great. We just have different styles.' And no one has a more different style than I have.”

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Most journalists said that they could enter the Casa Rosada — or the Pink House, Argentina’s equivalent of the White House — for the first time since April 23. But authorities denied entry to two credentialed TV channels without explanation and introduced new restrictions on reporters' physical movement within the Casa Rosada on Monday, shuttering corridors and installing frosted glass on windows.

Last month's closure of the press room used for decades by reporters with credentials to cover the president added to a list of attacks and reprisals against news organizations by Milei, whose hostility toward the press mirrors the aggressive approach of his ally and powerful backer, U.S. President Donald Trump.

Journalists and their advocates rebuked the move as an attack on press freedom in Argentina. Condemnation poured in from business chambers, the Catholic Church and politicians across the spectrum.

Milei's government defends itself

Milei’s Cabinet chief Manuel Adorni fired back at critics in a rare news conference on Monday in which he said he aimed “not to welcome anyone, but to restore the (press) room’s operations.”

“We are fully in favor of press freedom ... but we will not in any way allow acts endangering national security to be committed behind its back,” he told reporters.

Authorities justified the restrictions for the roughly 60 members of the Casa Rosada press corps as a necessary security measure after they accused a local TV channel of espionage for using smart glasses to film parts of the headquarters without authorization.

The channel, Todo Noticias, insists it received official permission to capture the footage and that the images of corridors and meeting spaces aired in the TV segment have long been accessible to the public.

When asked why colleagues from Todo Noticias and Channel 13, another leading network, were still blocked from the Casa Rosada on Monday, Adorni said that he wasn't aware of the issue and that, “in principle, there shouldn't be any limitations."

On the new restrictions, which included extensive security checks at the entrance, hastily erected barriers blocking stairwells and hallways, frosted glass obscuring views of the balcony and the insistence that journalists hand over their press passes with authorities upon leaving the building, Adorni said the government was “simply enforcing the regulations.”

“This is not censoring freedom of expression,” he said.

Journalists in Argentina face government hostility

Over the past two years, Argentina’s ranking has plummeted on a press freedom index maintained by Reporters Without Borders, the group reported last week. It fell from 66 to 98 — among the biggest drops of any country in South America.

In a report released last week, the group said it had recorded a “rise in government hostility toward and pressure on the press” from Trump’s most vocal Latin American supporters, Argentina's Milei and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele.

“Insults, defamation, and threats from Javier Milei’s administration toward journalists and media critical of his government have become commonplace since he took office,” it added.

At odds with the press to a degree unseen since the 1983 restoration of Argentine democracy, Milei has escalated his media-bashing in recent weeks as his flagship campaigns against corruption and inflation falter.

Nearly every day, he posts the slogan “We don’t hate journalists enough" on social media. As he entered Congress last Tuesday to support Adorni in his defense against allegations of illicit enrichment, Milei hurled insults at the journalists peppering him with questions about the scandal.

“You're the corrupt ones,” he shouted.

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A small group of opponents has been demonstrating at the drilling location and at the mining company's headquarters in what they call a land defense effort since they learned ground was broken on the drilling project in late April.

The tribes filed their federal lawsuit Thursday in South Dakota against the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging the agencies violated federal law by greenlighting a project near a site called Pe’Sla, a meadow in the central Black Hills used for tribal ceremonies, prayer and youth camps year-round. Buffalo regularly graze at the site, the suit said, adding the project poses a threat to wildlife.

Graphite has many industrial uses, including in batteries, lubricants, certain auto parts and in blast furnaces, according to website of the European Carbon and Graphite Association.

Land rights in the Black Hills

The project is the latest point of tension between tribes and mining interests in the lush pine and spruce-covered Black Hills, which encompass over 1.2 million acres (485,000 hectares), rising from the Great Plains in southwest South Dakota and extending into Wyoming.

The region is a yearly destination for millions of tourists boasting such attractions as Mount Rushmore and wildlife-filled state parks. Yet for even longer, it has been sacred to Sioux tribes who call the area He Sapa and consider it “the heart of everything that is,” according to the complaint.

Some of the landscape was altered by an 1870s gold rush that displaced Native Americans. And more recently, a new crop of miners driven by rising gold prices have sought to return to the landscape.

The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie granted the Sioux Nations rights to the Black Hills, but the U.S. broke the treaty after gold was discovered. Though the Supreme Court ruled the Sioux were owed compensation, they have not accepted it and consider it unceded territory.

Impacts on Pe'Sla

The complaint said the project by Rapid City-based mining company Pete Lien & Sons would impact the use of Pe’Sla for traditional, cultural and religious purposes by the tribes, and that the Forest Service did not consult with the tribes before approving the project.

Tribes bought parts of Pe'Sla in 2012, 2015 and 2018, and an agreement between the tribes and the Forest Service established a two-mile (three kilometer) buffer zone on public lands around the site, according to the complaint.

Because Pe'Sla was not included as an affected area and no environmental review was conducted, the approval violates the National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act, the lawsuit alleges.

Pete Lien & Sons, which supplies materials like limestone, sand and gravel, did not return phone or email requests for comment Thursday, Sunday and Monday.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said in a statement that the lawsuit is “a historic demonstration of unity" between the nine tribes. The tribes are separate, distinct federally recognized tribes sharing cultural and linguistic roots, but each with its own government and land base.

“We as Lakota people have been coming and praying and holding ceremony at these places for over 2,000 years,” said Wizipan Garriott, president of Indigenous advocacy group NDN Collective and a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “And so us being here is a continuation of countless generations before us. And it’s important that these sacred places be protected for future generations to come.”

Groups sue over the project

The Forest Service granted a permit to the project in February without an environmental review because the agency said it qualified for a categorical exclusion by having a duration of less than a year and not posing impacts to environmental and cultural sites.

But tribal opponents disagree that those requirements were met and said drilling projects are often a first step leading to future mines.

Besides the lawsuit from the tribes, NDN Collective and other environmental groups have also sued to stop the project.

Some of the drilling pads are in the buffer zone around the site, according to NDN Collective. The project calls for the company to drill up to 18 holes down some 1,000 feet (300 meters) to collect samples.

On Thursday, opponents demonstrated with signs reading “Protect Pe'Sla” and “Sacred ground not mining bound” near two drilling pads to block access. NDN Collective said the Forest Service told them drilling was paused for the rest of the day and the contractors were sent home.

The Forest Service said it had no comment on the project because it is the subject of active litigation.

The NDN Collective said it will continue actions at the sites as needed to protect Pe'Sla.

“As Lakota, we pray as long as we need to,” Garriott said.

Colin Angle unveiled a four-legged prototype of that artificial pet, called the Familiar, on Monday. Imagine a creature the size of a bulldog with doe-like eyes and bear cub ears and paws, extending itself into a greeting stretch that invites you to pat its touch-sensitive fake fur.

“We chose a form factor that’s not a human, not a dog, not a cat, because we wanted to steer away from all of those preconceptions,” said Angle, who leads the startup Familiar Machines & Magic and before that was longtime CEO of Roomba maker iRobot.

This kind of lifelike machine — powered by the latest artificial intelligence technology — would not have been possible when Angle co-founded iRobot in 1990 or launched the first Roomba in 2002.

It's hardly the first effort to build a pet-like household robot. Japanese electronics giant Sony, for one, famously introduced a small plastic robotic dog called Aibo in the late 1990s and rebooted the concept in 2018. But Angle believes the Familiar achieves something that “simply hasn’t existed before.”

“The challenge is to make something that’s not a watch-me toy,” Angle said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is about having something that you want to hug, you want to pet. When it’s happy, that makes you happy. And it is large enough or mobile enough to follow you to the kitchen or drag you off the couch and take a walk.”

Angle said the robot will make emotive, animal-like sounds but won’t talk. But, mimicking a real pet, it has audio input “ears” and an AI system that can understand and learn from what you say to it. It benefits from the advances in generative AI sparked by chatbots like ChatGPT and can gradually adapt its behavior as it learns from the people around it.

“I couldn’t have done this six months ago,” Angle said.

Angle led iRobot for a quarter century as it turned Roomba into the first widely adopted home robot. Intense competition, especially from China, later threatened its success. Angle stepped down as CEO and chairman in 2024 after Amazon dropped its plan to buy the struggling Massachusetts company.

Familiar Machines was born soon after and remained in “stealth” mode in Woburn, Massachusetts until Monday, when Angle brought one of his Familiar prototypes to New York for The Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything conference.

It could take a while before Angle starts selling the machines, but one target demographic is retired people who are past the peak age of pet ownership.

“Not because people suddenly stop enjoying pets, but the fear and obligation of caring for them are such that people are very reluctant to get new pets at older ages,” Angle said.

While most robot engineers take inspiration from science fiction, the idea of a familiar has deep roots in folklore, from a witch's cat and wizard's owl to the animal companions in Philip Pullman's “His Dark Materials” fantasy novels.

“It’s an archaic, ancient word,” Angle said. To his surprise, he could also trademark it.

Angle has pulled together a number of prominent robotics advisers, including Marc Raibert, a pioneer of robot locomotion who founded Boston Dynamics, maker of the four-legged Spot robot; and Cynthia Breazeal, who invented the robot head Kismet and later the tabletop speaker robot Jibo, early attempts at imbuing robots with social expressions.

Many researched together at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and share skepticism for the current fad of sleek humanoid robots that are designed to walk and move around like people but can't yet do much useful physical work.

One of those advisers is Maja Matarić, a computer science professor at the University of Southern California who 25 years ago co-founded the field of socially assistive robotics — with the aim of designing robots that could give people social and emotional support.

When she first saw Angle's prototype, she said she “immediately got down on the ground near it and had to hug it and pet it, then started to play with it to see what it would do.”

That people perceive the robot as adorable and not creepy will be key. Matarić said decades of research into human-robot interactions have shown that a robot that is “cute, personalized and vulnerable is much more appealing and lovable than the alternative.” It could be particularly useful in nursing homes or providing emotional support for mental health, she said.

Matarić said AI advances have also made it easier to broaden the impact to the general population.

“Before generative AI, robots could not readily understand what people were saying,” she said.

The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito temporarily allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor.

Those rules had been in effect for several years until a federal appeals court imposed new restrictions last week.

The majority of abortions in the U.S. are obtained through medications, usually a combination of mifepristone and a second drug, misoprostol. The availability of those drugs has blunted the impact of abortion bans that most Republican-led states have sought to enforce since a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.

Some Democratic-led states have laws that seek to give legal protection to those who prescribe the drugs via telehealth to patients in states with bans.

Alito's order will remain in effect for another week while both sides respond and the court more fully considers the issue.

Manufacturers of mifepristone filed emergency appeals asking the Supreme Court to step in.

Kristan Hawkins, president of the anti-abortion group Students for Life, decried Monday's decision.

"Pill pushers receive every benefit of the doubt, including today, as Justice Alito allows pill traffickers and big pharma to operate temporarily while arguments are sent to the Court,” she said in a statement.

After Friday's ruling from the appeals court, some groups that prescribe abortion pills by telehealth had planned to switch to misoprostol-only regimens.

Dr. Angel Foster, founder of The Massachusetts Abortion Access Project, said her organization was preparing to send misoprostol only on Monday afternoon but was able to switch back.

“Regardless of what happens with this regulatory issue, we and other groups will continue to provide high-quality abortion care to patients in all 50 states,” she said.

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Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey.

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A previous version of this story had a typo in a quote from Dr. Angel Foster.

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In a statement that ran as the newspaper’s front page on Sunday, the board of directors said that the affected members first learned they had been stripped of their visas to enter the U.S. from reports in pro-government media.

La Nación has long been a thorn in the side of outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump who has agreed to accept up to 100 third-country deportees a month as part of the Trump administration's efforts to ramp up deportations.

The newspaper, which Chaves has berated since it published allegations of sexual harassment during his 2022 presidential campaign, said that the U.S. gave no reason for the visa revocations.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We fully recognize that the United States, like any sovereign state, has the power to determine the terms of entry into its territory,” La Nación said. “However, it is unprecedented in Costa Rica’s recent history for visas to be revoked from members of the board of a general-interest and independent newspaper.”

The move appeared to mark the latest instance of the Trump administration deploying immigration restrictions to punish its political foes, and prompted sharp criticism from political opposition and press freedom organizations in Costa Rica, which demanded that Costa Rican and U.S. authorities provide an explanation for what happened.

“If this decision is based on their critical stance toward this government, it would be yet another troubling signal for our democratic system," the organizations said in a statement, adding that failing to provide transparent information would “constitute an unacceptable form of complicity.”

Mauricio Herrera, journalist and former Costa Rican communications minister from 2015 to 2018, went a step further, saying “there is no doubt that the cancellation of visas for its board of directors is in response to a request from the Costa Rican government.”

"The sanction seeks to intimidate those who dare to dissent and exercise their freedom of expression,” Herrera told The Associated Press.

A string of high-profile individuals have had their visas canceled in Costa Rica, where the aggressive governing style of conservative President Chaves has drawn criticism for eroding democratic norms.

Last year, the U.S. revoked the visa of Nobel laureate and former Costa Rican President Óscar Arias, an outspoken critic of President Trump, as well as that of his brother, then-legislative president Rodrigo Arias, who said he believed the U.S. decision was made at the request of Chaves.

Opposition lawmakers — like Francisco Nicolás from the centrist National Liberation Party and independent Cynthia Córdoba, both known for their vocal criticism of Chaves — also had their U.S. visas canceled in recent months, as did Constitutional Court Judge Fernando Cruz, an advocate for migrant rights who last month found himself unable to travel to the U.S. to receive an award from Northwestern Law School.

Chaves, who has cooperated extensively with the Trump administration to receive deportees from other countries and extradite suspected drug traffickers to the U.S., will leave office on Friday and hand over power to his successor, President-elect Laura Fernández.

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Associated Press writer Isabel Debre in Buenos Aires, Argentina contributed.

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Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, has pleaded not guilty to starting what became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. It began Jan. 7, 2025, in hillside neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Malibu and killed 12 people. Prosecutors say Rinderknecht started a fire on Jan. 1 that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up a week later.

Rinderknecht’s trial is set to begin June 8. His attorneys say he is being used as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the earlier blaze.

An outline of the prosecutors' strategy — with details about the defendant’s alleged state of mind on the night before the first fire began — appears in an April 29 pre-trial memo filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Witnesses reported that Rinderknecht had been driving erratically while on Uber routes around the Palisades on New Year's Eve, said prosecutors. His passengers described him as “angry, intense, driving erratically, and ranting about being ‘pissed off at the world,'" the memo said.

According to court filings, Rinderknecht ranted to passengers about accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, capitalism and vigilantism. In an interview with investigators on Jan. 24, when asked why someone might commit arson in the Palisades, Rinderknecht “responded that it would be out of resentment of the rich enjoying their money as ‘we’re basically being enslaved by them,’” and again referenced Mangione’s alleged crime, the documents said.

In addition, prosecutors said Rinderknecht was distraught over a failed relationship and upset about thwarted plans for New Year's Eve.

“My client maintains his innocence as he has from the beginning and we look forward to clearing his name at trial," Rinderknecht’s attorney Steve Haney said in an email Sunday. “The offered motive that my client started a fire on NYs Eve because he did not have date speaks for itself.”

Haney held a news conference in March to call for Rinderknecht's release from jail in light of evidence he said shows he is not responsible for the blaze. Haney pointed to a deposition in which a firefighter testified that he noticed the ground was still smoldering from the fire on Jan. 2 and alerted a supervisors that there were hot spots. That testimony was gathered as part of a lawsuit filed by fire victims against the city.

A battalion chief had testified that he walked the perimeter of the burn area four times throughout the day and ensured all hot spots were out.

Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore, who was appointed in October, has said he is concerned about the differences in the firefighters’ testimonies and commissioned an independent report on how the Jan. 1 fire was handled.

Haney has said this evidence was not available to the defense when Rinderknecht was indicted.

The call letters from the fictional radio station featured in a CBS sitcom were adopted in time for Monday's morning drive, and co-owner Jeff Ziesmann described listeners as “stoked.”

“Our phones have been mobbed this morning, as I'm sure you can imagine,” Ziesmann said.

Three stations in Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Dayton, Ohio, simulcast the station's programming and listeners are now hearing them all identified as WKRP. They will continue to follow the adult-hits format — music from the ‘60s to the ’80s, with an emphasis on the 1970s — they’ve had under “The Oasis” brand.

The owners obtained the call letters by making a donation to a North Carolina nonprofit whose low-power radio station had them since 2014. Ziesmann said a full-power station like his can use the same call letters because WKRP-LP in Raleigh is considered a separate class of station under federal regulations.

He said the nonprofit donation wasn't a direct purchase of the call letters — it was a purchase of the right to apply to the FCC for the call letters with the North Carolina group's cooperation.

The show “WKRP in Cincinnati” ran from 1978 to 1982 and starred Loni Anderson, Howard Hesseman, Tim Reid and Richard Sanders as bumbling newsman Les Nessman.

Sanders provided a very Nessman-like comment by email, with the actor saying: “I have spoken with Les Nessman regarding the resurrection of WKRP in Cincinnati. After the failure of his dream to replace Walter Cronkite on the CBS evening news, he is hopeful that he can resume his duties as the News, Sports, Weather, Traffic, and Farm Report Director at WKRP.”

“I think we can all hope that WKRP will return to the airwaves with more music and Les Nessman," Sanders said, echoing a running joke on the comedy series.

Just about a week before the 79th Cannes begins May 12, organizers unveiled the nine-member jury that will deliberate on the films in competition at the annual French Riviera festival. As already announced, South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is president of the jury.

Along with him, Moore, Zhao and Skarsgård, the jurors are: Irish-Ethiopian actor Ruth Negga, Belgian director and screenwriter Laura Wandel, Chilean director and screenwriter Diego Céspedes, Ivorian American actor Isaach De Bankolé and Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty.

Moore and Skarsgård have both in recent years co-starred in films at Cannes that ultimately earned them Oscar nominations. Moore's “The Substance” premiered at the festival in 2024. Last year, “Sentimental Value,” with Skarsgård, launched at Cannes.

The festival runs May 12-23.

One of dozens of AI cameras installed for the utility Arizona Public Service had spotted early signs of what came to be known as the Diamond Fire. Firefighters raced to the scene and contained the blaze before it grew past 7 acres (2.8 hectares).

As record-breaking heat and an abysmal snowpack raise concerns about severe wildfires, states across the fire-prone West are adding AI to their wildfire detection toolbox, banking on the technology to help save lives and property.

Arizona Public Service has nearly 40 active AI smoke-detection cameras and plans to have 71 by summer's end, and the state’s fire agency has deployed seven of its own. Another utility, Xcel Energy in Colorado, has installed 126 and aims to have cameras in seven of the eight states it serves by year's end.

“Earlier detection means we can launch aircraft and personnel to it and keep those fires as small as we can,” said John Truett, fire management officer for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Where there are fewer eyes, AI looks for fires

ALERTCalifornia is a network of some 1,240 AI-enabled cameras across the Golden State that work similar to the system in Arizona.

Human intervention keeps the risk of false positives low and trains the technology to become more accurate, said Neal Driscoll, geology and geophysics professor at the University of California, San Diego, and founder of ALERTCalifornia.

“The AI that’s being run on the cameras is actually beating 911 calls,” he said.

In Arizona, California and beyond, the technology is mostly used in high-risk areas that are sparsely populated, rural or remote, where a blaze might not be quickly spotted by human eyes.

“It’s just the ones where we won’t get a 911 call for a long time, it is extremely helpful to have that AI always monitoring that camera,” said Brent Pascua, battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. “In many cases, we’ve started a response before 911 was even called, and in a few cases, we’ve actually started a response, went there, put the fire out, and never received a 911 call.”

A technology driven by worsening blazes

Pano AI, whose technology combines high-definition camera feeds, satellite data and AI monitoring, has seen a growing interest in its cameras since launching in 2020. They've been deployed in Australia, Canada and 17 U.S. states, including Oregon, Washington and Texas. Its customers include forestry operations, government agencies and utilities, including Arizona Public Service.

Last year, its technology detected 725 wildfires in the U.S., the company said.

“In many of these situations, we hear from stakeholders that the visual intelligence, the time, really, really gives them a head start and some of these could have taken off into hundreds if not thousands of acres,” said Arvind Satyam, the company’s co-founder and chief commercial officer.

Cindy Kobold, an Arizona Public Service meteorologist, said the technology notifies them about 45 minutes faster on average than the first 911 call.

Satyam said development of the technology was driven by the lack of hardened solutions to combat worsening wildfires. Climate change — caused by burning oil, gas and coal — is warming the planet and fueling dry conditions that supercharge infernos, making them burn hotter, faster and more frequently. The technology helps firefighters to safely and effectively respond while protecting communities and infrastructure, he said.

Challenges and limitations

One of the biggest obstacles to implementation is the price tag; Pano AI, for instance, charges around $50,000 annually per camera. The cost also includes fire risk analysis and 24/7 intelligence center.

False alarms present a challenge, which can be costly in terms of time and attention, said Patrick Roberts, a senior researcher with the nonprofit research group RAND who recently finished a project on accelerating innovation in wildfire management.

And when the AI accurately detects a fire, it doesn’t tell stakeholders the best course of action.

“Do you send help right away? Do you monitor? Should you worry about it? Where do you send help? Do you think about evacuation? All this still requires people and decision support systems,” said Roberts.

In highly populated areas, people tend to spot and call in fires pretty quickly, and the tech is not so useful when extreme weather events, such as hurricane-force winds, intensify and rapidly shift the flames, as happened in Los Angeles last year.

Pascua says the technology complements Cal Fire’s work.

“As the fire moves and shifts around, that’s where the human factor comes in and decides which tactics are best in fighting the fire. AI can only do so much,” he said. “It just provides that real time information where we can make better decisions on the fire ground.”

AI firefighting assistance is not limited to detection

AI can also be employed to identify the best places to thin vegetation and burn cool fires, and even to monitor air quality for signs of smoke, just like your home's carbon monoxide sensor, said Roberts, but “1,000 times more sensitive.”

At George Mason University in Virginia, professor Chaowei “Phil” Yang is working with researchers from California State University of Los Angeles, the city of LA and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to create a system that forecasts where a fire will burn and which communities will be hardest hit by smoke pollution.

The idea is to give agencies real-time maps so they can make quick, life-saving decisions about evacuations, school and road closures, and send out early air quality warnings. Yang said they hope the technology will be operational in three years.

“AI in wildfires, it’s no longer just speculative. It’s really being used,” said Roberts, and it's use will only continue to grow.

“The future is AI everywhere,” he said, “and the lines will blur between AI wildfire detection and just wildfire detection as the lines will blur in other areas of our life.”

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For 15 years, Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun worked in Saudi Arabia, sending money home to his family in one of the poorest areas of Bangladesh. This year, he had planned to return, build a larger house with his savings and spend time with the child he barely knew.

Then, on March 8, a missile struck his workers’ camp. He suffered severe burns and later died. He was among more than two dozen foreign workers killed across the Middle East after the United States and Israel went to war with Iran in February.

Tens of millions of foreign workers have helped build the Gulf Arab states' modern, oil-fueled economies — with many not fully sharing in their prosperity. Now they face an even sharper dilemma: Keep working in the Mideast, where wages are far higher, hoping that a shaky ceasefire endures; or return to already poor countries where prices have soared because of the conflict.

Mamun's choice was made for him. He arrived home in a coffin earlier this month.

“We don’t know what we will do next,” said his widow, Sadia Islam Sarmin.

Millions work with little protection

Migrant workers make up a majority of the population in many Gulf Arab states. Westerners, Arabs and Indians dominate business and finance, while laborers from poor countries in Asia and Africa toil for long hours in scorching temperatures at oil facilities and construction sites — often with few protections.

The Coalition for Labor Justice for Migrants in the Gulf, an advocacy group, says few had access to bomb shelters and many were stranded by the conflict. It says attacks killed at least 24 foreign workers in the Gulf and four in Israel as Iran and allied armed groups launched waves of missile and drone strikes. Their count includes eight mariners killed at sea.

On Monday, three Indian workers were moderately injured in the United Arab Emirates when an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility. It was the first time the UAE came under attack since a fragile ceasefire took hold in early April.

“It’s a very precarious situation for migrant workers,” said Udaya Wagle, who studies labor and migration at Northern Arizona University.

Though the ceasefire has mostly held, negotiations to end the war have repeatedly stalled. Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil and gas, and says it will only reopen it if the war ends and the U.S. lifts its blockade.

The resulting spike in the price of gas, fertilizer and other goods has hit Asian countries particularly hard.

Remittances from the Gulf make up about 1% of the gross domestic product of India, 3% to 5% of the GDP in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; and nearly 10% in Nepal. Now they are more vital than ever, as household incomes are strained and governments seek foreign currency to buy oil and gas.

The Gulf economies also face a bleak outlook, with exports bottled up and key energy facilities in need of repair after missile strikes. The fighting could resume, as Iran rejects U.S. President Donald Trump's demands.

Low-wage laborers are the most vulnerable

Mamun's family awoke on March 9 to phone calls saying the 35-year-old had been hurt. Video footage shot by another worker showed him sitting in the open, badly burned and bleeding, crying out for help.

“He never imagined he would be hurt. That a missile would fall on him,” said Maruf Hasain, his younger brother.

Workers like Mamun are the most vulnerable since they do the “most dirty, dangerous and difficult” jobs, said Shariful Islam Hasan of the Bangladeshi development organization BRAC.

In Qatar, a 27-year-old Bangladeshi factory worker labored through 12-hour shifts as missiles flew overhead. Shrapnel from one strike fell near his living quarters. When alarms sounded, he said, workers went to a designated room.

He earns less than $400 monthly and sends two-thirds home. “We have no choice but to keep working,” he said on condition of anonymity for fear of angering the authorities.

Qatar enacted several reforms in the run-up to hosting the 2022 World Cup, including the partial dismantling of a system that tied workers to their employers. But activists say abuses are still widespread and that workers have few avenues to pursue justice.

Ahmed al-Aliyli, a taxi driver in Qatar, has not sent money home to his family in Egypt for two months. He once earned as much as $3,000 a month, but his income has plunged to a third of that as the war has disrupted travel. “We are the collateral damage of this war,” he said.

A slowdown in key sectors like real estate and construction will hit migrant workers directly, said Hasan, of BRAC. Workers from Bangladesh and Pakistan are especially vulnerable, as they are often employed informally and without fixed contracts, he said.

Despite reforms in some countries, work permits are also often tied to a single employer and, in some cases, workers are effectively stranded, according to the labor coalition. It warned that some employers may use the conflict to withhold wages, deny leave or carry out arbitrary dismissals.

For many, going home isn't an option

When the war began, Mamun’s mother, Shahida Khatun, urged him to come home.

He had been saving up since November. In his last call home, he promised his younger brother and sisters he would pay for their studies, that he would build a larger house for his parents and return for good this spring.

Now, his family is struggling to recover his wages and piece together a life without him.

“The pain of losing a child. There are no words to describe the agony,” Khatun said.

For many workers, going home would mean giving up a steady income and much higher wages.

Marlene Flores, a Filipina worker in Qatar, said she felt the shudder each time a missile was intercepted. But the tax-free pay and health insurance made it feel safer — in a way — than the Philippines, which has declared a "national energy emergency.”

“It’s not easy for me to say,” she admitted. “But I would really stay here.”

Israel also has a large population of foreign workers. Filipino caregiver Jeremiah Supan continued caring for his two elderly charges despite near-daily missile alerts, sometimes dashing out for food or medicine despite the danger. He questions whether his own family could survive if he returns to the Philippines.

“I know that in the blink of an eye, one can die,” he said. “But what life shall we return to?”

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Shahida Khatun's last name on second reference.

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Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines. Associated Press writers Al Emrun Garjon in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sam Magdy in Cairo and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The Pentagon announced last week it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters on Saturday the U.S. plans on “cutting a lot further.”

Trump offered no reason for the move, which blindsided NATO. But his decision came amid an escalating dispute with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the U.S. has been humiliated by Iran in talks to end the war it launched with Israel on Feb. 28. Trump has also expressed anger over European allies’ reluctance to get involved in the conflict.

European leaders meeting at a summit in Yerevan, Armenia, sought to both downplay the impact of 5,000 fewer troops in Germany while acknowledging that it provides a useful nudge for the continent to step up its role within NATO.

“I do not see those figures as dramatic, but I think they should be handled in a harmonious way inside the framework of NATO,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “there needs to be a stronger European element in NATO, I have no doubt about that.”

Tensions within NATO have mounted since the second Trump administration came into office last year warning that European allies would have to defend themselves and Ukraine in the future. Talks on ending the war there, now in its fourth year, have bogged down as the U.S. focuses on Iran.

Taken by surprise

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the timing of Trump's announcement came as a surprise, even though there has been “talk about withdrawal of U.S. troops for a long time from Europe."

Asked whether she believes Trump is trying to punish Merz, Kallas said: “I don’t see into the head of President Trump, so he has to explain it himself.”

Merz did not attend the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, which included about 30 European leaders, plus Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

At a military exercise in northern Germany, the country's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said Berlin has not yet received “official confirmation of when and how this is supposed to happen, on what scale.” The reduction of U.S. troops “would not put into question NATO’s deterrence capability," he added.

European countries and Canada have increased defense spending and military recruitment efforts over the last year in response to Trump’s threats.

NATO seeks clarity

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also played down the significance of fewer U.S. troops in Germany, while acknowledging U.S. “disappointment" about the level of European support for the Iran war.

France and the U.K. have given U.S. forces limited use of bases on their territories to attack Iran. Spain has outright denied U.S. forces the use of its airspace and bases.

Rutte, who has championed Trump’s leadership at NATO despite the U.S. president’s criticism of a majority of the allies, said: “I would say the Europeans have heard a message.”

European allies and Canada have known since early last year that Trump would pull some troops out of Europe — and some were pulled out of Romania in October — but U.S. officials had pledged to coordinate any moves with NATO allies to avoid creating a security vacuum.

NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said over the weekend that officials at the 32-nation military alliance “are working with the U.S. to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany.”

Iran and trade trouble

With the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran looking shakier, Rutte said European nations “have decided to pre-position assets, key assets, close to the theater for the next phase.” He provided no further details.

European leaders have insisted their countries would not help police the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy trade route, until the war is over.

“If the United States is ready to reopen Hormuz, that’s great. That’s what we’ve been asking for since the beginning,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. But he underlined that Europeans are not ready to get involved in any operation “that does not seem clear.”

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Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a Catholic who with this trip will have visited Italy or the Vatican at least three times as the Republican president's top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday. The Vatican announced that Rubio would meet with Leo, the first American pontiff, on Thursday.

“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere,” the department said. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”

The trip comes as Trump has criticized Leo for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and as the president has drawn pushback for posting a social media image likening himself to Jesus Christ.

Trump lashed out at Leo on social media last month, saying the pope was soft on crime and terrorism for comments about the administration's immigration policies and deportations as well as the Iran war. Leo then said God doesn't listen to the prayers of those who wage war. Then, Trump posted the Christ-like image of himself.

Trump has refused to apologize to Leo and has sought to explain away the now-deleted social media post by saying he thought the image was of him as a doctor.

The tension has spilled over into Italian politics, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a long-time Trump ally, taking exception to Trump's comments about the pope. Trump in return also criticized her as his ire against NATO allies expands over what he sees as a lack of support for the Iran war — most recently with the Pentagon planning to pull thousands of troops out of Germany in the coming months.

Rubio has often been called on to tone down or explain Trump’s harsh rhetoric as it relates to Europe, NATO and the Middle East, but the dispute with the pope has domestic political implications in the U.S. with midterm congressional elections approaching.

Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, has said he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the Iran war and other conflicts around the world.

Rubio has already traveled to Italy twice in his official capacity as secretary of state since last year. The first trip in May 2025 included Leo's inaugural mass and a private meeting with the pontiff and Vice President JD Vance. The second, in February, was also with Vance when they both attended the opening of the Milan Winter Olympics and met with American athletes.

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This story has been corrected to show that Rubio will have visited Italy or the Vatican at least three times when this week’s trip is included.

Habanero, an adult male, was euthanized Saturday to prevent further suffering at the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. He had been taken there for rehabilitation along with a dozen other sloths given up by Sloth World, a tourist attraction planned for Orlando's tourism district that never opened, zoo officials said.

Another sloth, Bandit, died last week after being transferred to the zoo.

“When the sloths arrived, all were underweight and are being treated for gastrointestinal (GI) issues, requiring intensive, specialized care,” the zoo said in a statement. “Habanero initially showed encouraging signs of stabilization, including eating and drinking regularly under the close supervision of the zoo’s veterinary and animal care teams. In recent days, however, his condition worsened.”

A criminal investigation into the sloths' treatment under Sloth World's care is underway by state and local authorities.

Inspection reports by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission revealed 31 deaths between December 2024 and February 2025.

The wildlife agency said 21 sloths imported from Guyana died at an Orlando facility called Sanctuary World Imports at the time in December 2024 when temperatures dropped into the 40-to-55 degree Fahrenheit (4.4 to 12.8 degrees Celsius) range. Sloths are unable to regulate their body temperature as well as other mammals and do best in the 68-to-85 degree Fahrenheit (20 to 30 degrees Celsius) range.

The tourist attraction later ordered 10 sloths from Peru, which arrived in February 2025. Two were dead on arrival. The rest appeared emaciated and died of what the report termed “poor health issues," according to the state agency's report.

There was no answer Monday at a phone number listed for the tourist attraction in the wildlife agency's report.

Not in Game 1.

A whopping 14 players scored Sunday night, Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood gave up a half-dozen goals — one more than he allowed in his team's sweep of the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1 — and yet the Avalanche prevailed 9-6 after Jesper Wallstedt surrendered a career-high eight goals before an empty-netter completed the madness.

“It was a weird one,” said Avalanche star Cale Makar, the only player to score multiple goals in the opener of a series that resumes Tuesday night at Ball Arena with both teams pledging to tighten up their defense.

“Weird game for sure,” Wild defenseman Jake Middleton concurred. “I mean, it’s the playoffs, you can’t be too surprised with what transpires.”

It was downright shocking to see so many goals, Avs center Nazem Kadri said.

“We did not expect that kind of game at all,” Kadri said. “In fact, quite the opposite.”

The Avalanche, who surrendered the fewest goals in the regular season, jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the almost-as-stingy Wild less than seven minutes into the game only to have to sweat it out and forge a comeback themselves after Minnesota scored five of the next six goals.

“It felt like the puck, the puck just had eyes today for them,” Wallstedt said.

There were five goals scored in each of the three periods.

“Yeah, it's nothing either of us wants,” Wedgewood said. “Obviously we want a couple of them back on both sides. But you’ve got to give credit offenses. It’s playoff hockey.”

The Avs, who won the President’s Trophy with the league’s best regular-season record, opened the playoffs with a pair of 2-1 nail-biters over the Kings. And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.

“Versatility,” Kadri said. “That’s what we always talk about, whether we’ve got to go high-flying offense or lock-down defense, I certainly feel comfortable in both scenarios and I know this team does as well.”

Kadri looked at the bright side of the 15-goal slugfest, which he figured shouldn’t have been entirely unexpected given the Avalanche’s week off after sweeping LA while the Wild needed six games to dispatch Dallas in a competitive first round.

“You’ve got to win different ways come playoff time,” Kadri said. “I think we were a little loose and a little rusty defensively, but we’ll get that tightened up. I think it’s just being off for a little while and defensively trying to get engaged in the game took a little longer than expected for us.

“But at the end of the day, we found a way to win. On the flip side, the offensive side was going.”

Colorado captain Gabe Landeskog said that although both teams are touted for their defense, “we’ve got some really good shooters on both teams,” and that once it became a slugfest, it was all about surviving the onslaught.

“You have to find ways to win,” he said. “We took the lead and they tied it back up and then they took the lead and we tied it back up, it was just back and forth, you’re just trying to find a way to win the hockey game, you’re trying to find a way to stop the bleeding. And you’re just trying to settle into the game.

“It’s nice to be able to win games like this, not necessarily a coach’s dream or a player’s dream. We don’t want to give up six goals. So, it’s good to win this one, but we’ve got lots of things to clean up.”

Makar opened the third period with an unassisted goal to break a 5-all tie, and his wrist shot with 2:54 remaining — the fifth by an Avs defenseman — made it 8-6. This, after missing 17 minutes of the first period with a lower-body injury.

“That's Cale Makar doing Cale Makar things,” Landeskog said.

“Yeah, I mean, there's a lot to unpack in this one,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “Was a bit of a helter-skelter game. Obviously you can tell by the score. We’ll take a look at some things and take some lessons out of this one. Be ready for Game 2.”

Hynes insisted he never considered pulling his goaltender.

“No, I thought Wally played ... look what the score was,” Hynes said. “And their guy was in for a lot of goals against, too.”

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The ministry confirmed a report aired Sunday by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, which said Austrian authorities suspected the three diplomats of engaging in spying activities using antennas on the roofs of the Russian Embassy in Vienna and a diplomatic compound in the Donaustadt district.

The installations allowed Russia to intercept data transmitted by international organizations based in Vienna via satellite internet, ORF reported.

Austria hosts several U.N. agencies, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

“Espionage is a security problem for Austria. In this government, we have changed course and are taking decisive action against it,” Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said in a statement.

“We have made this unequivocally clear to the Russian side, also with regard to the array of antennas at the Russian embassy. One thing is clear: it is unacceptable for diplomatic immunity to be used to engage in espionage."

Western European nations and Russia have expelled each others’ diplomats on several occasions since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Austria, a European Union member with a policy of military neutrality, was initially hesitant to take such action but has recently expelled more Russian diplomats.

According to ORF, the Russian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in April over the diplomats' activities. The Russian side was asked to lift their immunity in order to allow prosecutors to pursue an investigation, but it refused, leading to the expulsions, ORF reported. They have already left Austria, it said.

In her statement, the foreign minister said that Austria was currently tightening the espionage law to prevent such cases. The legislation now in place punishes espionage by foreign services only if it targets Austrian interests. According to the Austria Press Agency, changes proposed by the government would call for the similar protections when it comes to international organizations.

The Russian Embassy said in a statement on Monday that it had taken note of Austria's “outrageous” decision concerning its employees.

Moscow will respond strongly, the statement said, adding, “Vienna bears full responsibility for the further deterioration of bilateral relations, which are already at a historical low.”

Just 300 miles (500 kilometers) or so across, this mini Pluto is thought to be the solar system's smallest object yet with a clearly detected global atmosphere bound by gravity, said lead researcher Ko Arimatsu of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

“This is an amazing development, but it sorely needs independent verification. The implications are profound if verified,” said Southwest Research Institute's Alan Stern, the lead scientist behind NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto and beyond. He was not involved in the study.

The finding offers fresh insight into our solar system’s farthest, coldest objects in a region known as the Kuiper Belt. Researchers used three telescopes in Japan to observe the object in 2024 as it passed in front of a background star, briefly dimming the starlight.

“It changes our view of small worlds in the solar system, not only beyond Neptune,” Arimatsu said in an email. Finding an atmosphere around such a small object was “genuinely surprising," he added, and challenges “the conventional view that atmospheres are limited to large planets, dwarf planets and some large moons.”

This so-called minor planet — formally known as (612533) 2002 XV93 — is considered a plutino, circling the sun twice in the time it takes Neptune to complete three solar orbits. At the time of the study, it was more than 3.4 billion miles (5.5 billion kilometers) away, farther than even Pluto, the only other object in the Kuiper Belt with an observed atmosphere.

This cosmic iceball’s atmosphere is believed to be 5 million to 10 million times thinner than Earth’s protective atmosphere, according to the the study appearing Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

It’s 50 to 100 times thinner than even Pluto’s tenuous atmosphere. The likeliest atmospheric chemicals are methane, nitrogen or carbon monoxide, any of which could reproduce the observed dimming as the object passed before the star, according to Arimatsu.

Further observations, especially by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, could verify the makeup of the atmosphere, according to Arimatsu.

“That is why future monitoring is so important," he said. "If the atmosphere fades over the next several years, that would support an impact origin. If it persists, or varies seasonally, that would point more toward ongoing internal gas supply” from ice volcanoes.

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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.

The American-owned team used the Miami Grand Prix, the fourth race of the F1 season, as its homecoming. Its two cars were drenched in a bespoke livery that said “USA,” the merchandise tents were packed with fans trying to purchase Cadillac gear and the mood was festive as Americans finally have a team they can embrace.

The trick now for Cadillac is persuading its new fan base to stick with the team as it makes a slow crawl through the F1 season. The results sheet aren't all that impressive, but the finishing positions aren't too important right now.

Instead, Cadillac is focused on showing progress made from race to race, and even though Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas finished near the bottom of the running order Sunday, it was still a successful day.

Perez was 16th and Bottas was 18th — last of the cars still running in a 22-driver field — but the key statistic was that both cars finished the race for the third consecutive grands prix. Both cars also completed all the laps in the Saturday's sprint race.

“I’m proud of the team this weekend. The pressure of racing for the first time on home soil, with our first significant upgrade package, has been huge, but the team and drivers have performed well," said Dan Towriss, CEO of the team. "We’re showing some real flashes of progress, which just makes us hungry for more.”

The team was just finding some momentum after the Japanese Grand Prix in March when F1 canceled a pair of races in the Middle East because of the Iran war. It led to an unexpected five-week break that allowed Cadillac to make significant upgrades to its two cars ahead of Miami.

But all the teams did the same, so it was really a matter of how much improvement a new program could make versus seasoned organizations that have been racing at motorsports' top level for years.

For team principal Graeme Lowdon, Miami was “a positive step forward” based on both cars finishing on both Saturday and Sunday. He was pleased with the pace shown by Perez and Bottas.

“We also know there are areas we need to refine and improve so there is more to come from us,” Lowdon said. “We’ve increased the amount of data that we have access to by a huge amount and we will look to make another step forward in Montreal.”

Towriss is focused more on progress than results for both the F1 team and reserve driver Colton Herta, who is competing in F2 this season to earn the points he needs for a super license to race in the top series. Herta, in a wet race Sunday morning, moved as high as second in the running order before eventually finishing eighth.

“I don't know that F2 performance, per se, is really going to be a barometer for F1 readiness,” Towriss said. "It's really going to be more what is he like in FP1s and SIM time and things like that. We'll see what his comfort level is. But it's not like, ‘Oh, this race went well, it’s looking good,' or ‘This race didn’t go well.'

“It's not really the barometer we're looking at. There will be a body of work that we'll look at to judge his readiness.”

Towriss likened the Cadillac venture to the journey the NASCAR team he co-owns has been on since he bought into Spire Motorsports. The team last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway celebrated its first victory under Towriss majority ownership when Carson Hocevar scored his first Cup Series win. Hocevar followed it with a Friday night victory at Texas Motor Speedway and won the pole for the Cup race at Texas.

“That upward progression, we talk about it here with Formula 1, you see it at Spire in NASCAR,” Towriss said. "You see it at Andretti (in IndyCar) in terms of the changes that they're making. It’s just doing all those small things better than everyone else, and it’s building culture. It’s bringing in the right people. And that results happens over time.

“Spire didn’t get better overnight. You know, there are charts that show this slow progression over the last four years — four years of building and adding a person, adding that person, changing this, this process and building. And there’s suddenly that breakthrough. But there are a lot of things along the way, it wasn’t flat and then jumped up overnight. It’s really been this slow progression over many years to earn that progress.”

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

Products affected include:

• Mama Cozzi’s, Biscuit Crust Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Pizza (Produced between Feb. 17 and Feb. 26)
• Mama Cozzi’s Biscuit Crust Cooked Pork Belly Crumbles, Cooked Bacon topping, Pepper and onion breakfast pizza (Produced between Feb. 17 and Feb. 26)
• Pork King Good, Sour Cream and Onion Pork Rinds (Produced between Dec. 30, 2025, and Feb. 12)
• Pork King, Party Size Sour Cream & Onion Pork Rinds (Produced between Jan. 7 and Feb. 10)
• Culinary Circle, Ultra Thin Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch (Produced on Feb. 19)
• Great Value, Thin Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch (Produced on Feb. 11 and March 12)
• Great Value, Stuffed Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch (Produced on Feb. 28, March 1, and March 8)
• Great Value, Stuffed Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch (Produced on April 13)

More info on the products can be found here. You can also find information on labels here.

At this time, there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions in connection with these products.

The most common symptoms caused by Salmonella poisoning are:

• Diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps
• Fever within 6 hours to 6 days after eating the contaminated product. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Most people recover without treatment.

FSIS expects additional products will be identified as this ingredient recall progresses.

If you have any food safety questions, you can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, and the second leading cause for children under 14.

To help combat these troubling statistics, the YMCA offers programs like Y Splash and Riptides Swim School, which are designed to ensure children have the necessary skills and confidence they need to stay safe in and around water. The YMCA says enrolling children in swim lessons can reduce their risk of drowning by up to 88%.

“Our Y teaches more than just swimming, we teach safety, confidence, and life-saving skills,” said Matthew Reedy, Aquatics Director at the Botetourt Family YMCA. “Plus, our Y Splash program gives thousands of local second graders a free, foundational water safety education that could save their life or the life of a friend.”

One of the most important rules for preventing drowning? Never let your child swim unsupervised.

“Always keep children within arm’s reach when they’re in or near water,” said Reedy. “Even confident swimmers can get into trouble quickly. Bathtubs, pools, lakes—any body of water requires attention.”

Safety gear is also essential. The YMCA recommends using properly fitted life jackets and making sure children know how to use them.

“If your child is still learning to swim or not confident in the water, a Coast Guard-approved life jacket is a must. It’s not just about safety—it gives them peace of mind.”

Welcome to Round 2 of the NBA playoffs — which isn't lacking for star power.

Perennial All-Stars, Olympic gold medalists, past, present and likely future MVPs, they're all in the conference semifinal round that starts Monday with two games: Philadelphia at New York and Minnesota at San Antonio.

The other pair of Game 1s will be played on Tuesday: Cleveland at Detroit, and the Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City.

Monday's schedule

— Game 1, Philadelphia at New York, 8 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)

Odds: New York by 7.5 points.

It's the fifth time (including the Syracuse era for the 76ers) that the teams have met in a conference semifinal series. Philadelphia won each of the previous four, going a combined 14-2 in those games.

— Game 1, Minnesota at San Antonio, 9:30 p.m. EDT (Peacock/NBCSN)

Odds: San Antonio by 12.5.

The Spurs beat the Timberwolves 3-1 in the first round of the 1999 and 2001 playoffs. The teams haven't had a playoff series since, until now.

Tuesday's schedule

— Game 1, Cleveland at Detroit, 7 p.m. EDT (Peacock/NBCSN)

Odds: Detroit by 3.5.

Both teams are coming off seven-game grinds in Round 1, and will have to refocus quickly. At least it won't be a long trip for the Cavaliers; by air, their flight to Detroit is just 96 miles.

— Game 1, LA Lakers at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)

Odds: Oklahoma City by 15.5.

A team with LeBron James, as a 15.5-point underdog, in a playoff game? The only thing that has come close to that in the last 15 years is when James and Cleveland were 12.5-point underdogs to Golden State in an NBA Finals game in 2018.

Sunday recap

— Pistons 116, Magic 94 to win series 4-3. Orlando fired Jamahl Mosley.

— Cavaliers 114, Raptors 102 to win series 4-3. A tough end for Toronto,

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: Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio's Mitch Johnson or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.

Betting odds

Defending champion Oklahoma City (-140) is favored to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.

The Thunder were followed by San Antonio (+350), New York (+900), Detroit (+1700), Cleveland (+2000) and the Los Angeles Lakers (+2500). Philadelphia (+3500) is next, followed by Minnesota (+10000).

Some neighborly rivalries await

Expect plenty of fans of visiting teams in the stands around the NBA during Round 2, especially in the Eastern Conference.

By car, it's only 100 miles between the arenas in Philadelphia and New York and only 168 miles between the arenas in Detroit and Cleveland. That means it'll be relatively easy for fans who want to hit the road to do some cheering.

The West series, they're not exactly drive-able. It's 1,248 miles between arenas in San Antonio and Minneapolis, and 1,330 miles between the ones in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City — but Lakers fans are everywhere, so it surely won't be all Thunder fans in OKC.

Key dates

— Monday and Tuesday: Conference semifinals begin.

— May 10: NBA draft lottery.

— May 10-17: 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

“It's frustrating, being in the same spot three years in a row and getting the same result.” — Orlando's Paolo Banchero, after the Magic were ousted in Round 1 for the third consecutive season.

Stats of the day

— It took 48 games to complete Round 1 of the playoffs, third-most in league history. The first round in 2014 lasted for 50 games and the opening round in 2003 lasted for 49 games.

— The league has had seven different champions in the last seven seasons, and of those franchises, only two are in Round 2 this year — the Lakers and Thunder, who will meet in a West semifinal.

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

U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said during a remote hearing that she wasn't going to issue a temporary restraining order just yet in the case brought by the DC Preservation League. She also told the National Park Service that it should first discuss any plans with government lawyers if it was going to cut down more than 10 trees.

Monday's hearing came after the plaintiff's emergency petition seeking to stop work at the course, citing news reports that major renovations were to begin Monday.

Kevin Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks for the Park Service, said during the hearing there was no plan to begin such work Monday but added that a safety assessment was underway.

Reyes told the parties she didn't want to play the role of the “Parks and Rec” department, an allusion to the sitcom, but said she also didn't want trees being bulldozed.

“I'm no Amy Poehler," she said referring to the show's star.

At one point during Monday's hearing, the judge said she was made aware that closure signs had been put up at the site, which led to Griess asking someone to check. He later reported that there were no such signs. Reyes asked that if any such signs were found that the government's attorney be told.

The complaint filed against the Department of the Interior argues that the Trump administration’s reconstruction of East Potomac Park, including the East Potomac Golf Course, would violate the congressional act that created the park in 1897. The roughly 130-year-old act established the park for the “recreation and the pleasure of the people.” The course itself opened in 1919.

Trump, an avid golfer, also plans on renovating a military golf course just outside of Washington that has been used by past presidents going back decades.

10 News is working for you to help protect your identity.

To ensure you are not a victim of identity theft, you’ll want to dispose of sensitive information in the safest way.

If you have personal documents, you can safely dispose of them on Saturday, May 30, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Berglund Center.

Listed is everything you need to know if you’re planning to attend. We’ve provided a list of commonly asked questions and answers below.

If you’re looking for a way to give back and support local families in need, WSLS 10 is encouraging you to bring canned goods and other nonperishable food items for our food drive. Donations will help support Feeding Southwest Virginia.

See you there!

Thank you to the Berglund Center, Commonwealth Document Management, First Bank, Appalachian Power, Feeding Southwest Virginia, and MKB REALTORS for their contributions and for making this possible.

Where is the location?

Our location is at the Berglund Center.

Which entrance should I use for shredding?

The Rutherford Entrance is the ONLY Shred entrance. It is located across from McDonald’s and Virginia Credit Union.

We strongly recommend coming in from Orange Avenue, south on Williamson Road. You will NOT be able to access the WSLS Shred area if you enter the Berglund Center at the main entrance.   

How can I identify the entrance?

Look for the WSLS banners and tent.

Is there a limit on the number of bags I can bring?

Yes, there is a limit of 3 bags per person. Please respect this limit so we can efficiently help as many folks as possible. It’s preferred that bags are not cinched closed or are only lightly cinched.

What should I do if there is a line?

Please be patient. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

How long will the event last?

The event will begin promptly at 8 a.m. and last until noon.

Eugene Naughton, President of The Dollywood Company and a RU alumnus, delivered an address to this year’s graduates. During the ceremonies, Naughton showed a special video message from Dolly Parton congratulating the students.

“As you pack up your belongings and leave Radford University, please remember this. Adventure isn’t a destination, it’s a mindset. It means waking up every morning, ready to learn something new, to laugh and to lead others. It is, as Dolly says, figuring out who you are and doing it on purpose.”

Eugene Naughton, President of The Dollywood Company

In addition to the message, all the graduates in attendance received two complimentary tickets to Dollywood. Over 1,400 degrees were awarded.

Michigan Democrats won a state government trifecta in 2022 — control of the governorship and both chambers of the state Legislature — but lost the state House in 2024 and cling to a 19-18 state Senate majority. A Republican victory on Tuesday would deadlock the body at 19 senators each.

While the state constitution allows Democratic Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II to break ties, Republicans could still block measures by withholding votes and preventing Democrats from reaching the 20-vote threshold required to pass legislation.

The nominees for the seat are Democrat Chedrick Greene, Republican Jason Tunney and Libertarian Ali Sledz.

Greene, a firefighter and former state Senate aide to McDonald Rivet, received 60% of the vote in the Feb. 3 Democratic special primary against five others. Tunney, an attorney and former executive at his family’s roofing company, won the GOP special primary with 51% of the vote against three opponents. Sledz, a graduate student and Army spouse, received the Libertarian Party nomination at a local party convention in January.

State Senate District 35 includes parts of Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties and borders Lake Huron. Although Republican Donald Trump carried all three counties in the 2024 presidential race, the portions of the counties that fall within District 35 are more competitive. McDonald Rivet won the seat in 2022 with 53% of the vote. Democrat Kamala Harris barely edged Trump in the district in 2024, 49.7% to 48.9%, on the strength of her 17-percentage-point lead in the Saginaw portion of the district. Trump posted smaller leads in the parts of the district in Bay and Midland counties. District voters also preferred Democrat Joe Biden over Trump in the 2020 presidential race by a slightly larger margin.

McDonald Rivet vacated the seat in January 2025 following her election to Congress. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced in August 2025 that the special primary would be held Feb. 3 and the special election on Tuesday.

The winner will complete the remaining eight months of the term. Both Greene and Tunney have filed to run in the Aug. 4 primaries for nomination to a full term.

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.

Michigan’s mandatory recount law does not apply to state Senate races. Instead, candidates may request and pay for a recount, with the payment refunded if the recount changes the outcome. 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.

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 in Senate District 35 close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare a winner in the state Senate special election. Three candidates are on the ballot. Write-in votes are not permitted for this election, since no write-in candidates filed the necessary paperwork with election officials.

Who gets to vote?

Any voter registered in state Senate District 35 may participate in the special election. Voters may register on Election Day.

How many people actually vote?

Nearly 46,000 voters cast ballots in the Feb. 3 special primary in District 35. There were slightly more than 17,000 votes from Saginaw County, just shy of 17,000 from Bay County and about 11,000 from Midland County.

In the regularly scheduled 2022 general election, about 116,000 ballots were cast in the district, with the share of votes from each county about the same as in the special primary.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

In the Feb. 3 special primaries, early and absentee votes made up about 43% of the total Democratic primary vote and about 29% of the Republican vote.

By comparison, about 60% of the vote in the 2024 presidential general election was cast before Election Day.

As of Friday, about 32,000 ballots had already been cast in the special election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties tend to release a relatively small amount of the vote in their first vote update, both in terms of advance votes and in-person Election Day votes. Bay County tends to release results from pre-Election Day voting at the end of the vote tabulation process, while Midland and Saginaw counties release them throughout the night along with results from in-person Election Day voting.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

The last time this seat was up, in 2022, the AP first reported results in state Senate District 35 at 8:53 p.m. ET, or 53 minutes after polls closed. About 89% of the vote had been tallied by 2:23 a.m. ET, with the last vote update of the night at 5:33 a.m. ET, with about 99.9% of total votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 91 days until the Aug. 4 state primary and 182 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/.

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which oversees many of Berlin's museums, announced Monday that the museum will reopen on June 4, 2027.

The museum's centerpiece is the 2nd-century B.C. Pergamon Altar. Decorated with a marble frieze, it was built between 197 and 156 B.C. in what is now Bergama, Turkey.

The Pergamon Museum has been closed altogether since October 2023. The part of the building containing the Pergamon Altar has been closed for far longer, since 2014.

Some parts will remain closed for work even after next year's reopening, notably the wing containing Babylon's Ishtar Gate. The museum is slated to reopen fully in 2037.

The museum is being restored as part of a long-term plan to overhaul the neoclassical Museum Island complex, which was built between 1830 and 1930 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Parts of the island were badly damaged during World War II, and cash-strapped communist East Germany never fully restored it. Work on three of the five museums has already been completed and a new entrance building for the complex, the James Simon Gallery, was opened in 2019.

After first winning at Martinsville at the end of March, the most popular driver in the series opened May in Victory Lane at Texas. That 1 1/2-mile track is growing on Elliott after he had not been much of a fan of the repave and reconfiguration done there nine years ago.

“I think having a win early at Martinsville ... I said it to you guys then and there, it’s not like, oh, hey, the pressure is off, we have a win,” he said Sunday at Texas after another 1-2 finish ahead of Denny Hamlin. “It’s man, we have a lot longer period of time to build on that. That’s genuinely where my mind was at.”

And still is after already getting another victory.

Elliott has the two wins and five other top-10 finishes this year, and Alex Bowman has consecutive third-place finishes for Hendrick Motorsports after missing four races because of vertigo. And it was Bowman who provided the decisive push for his teammate on the final restart with four laps left Sunday.

When crew chief Alan Gustafson came on the radio at the end of the race proclaiming Elliott a two-time Texas winner, the driver's initial feeling was, “I’ll be damned. I’d have never thought.”

Now 30 years old and 11 races into his 12th Cup season, Elliott joined five-time winner Tyler Reddick as the only drivers with multiple wins this year. The soonest before that Elliott had two wins in a season was 17 races into 2022, when he went on to match the career-high five wins he had during his 2020 championship season.

“I knew it right at Martinsville, we've never won a race this early, much less to now have two this early,” Elliott said. “I'm proud of our team for that, because anytime you can check off new boxes in this sport when you've been doing it for 10-plus years is cool, and it's hard to do. ”

Elliott led a race-high 87 of the 267 laps at Texas for his 23rd career victory. That came two years after ending a 42-race winless streak in the No. 9 Chevrolet with an overtime victory there.

“The 9 just performed flawlessly,” said four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, now vice chairman of the Hendrick team.

“One of our strongest races that we've had in quite some time,” Elliott said.

Elliott moved up a spot to third in the season standings, only eight points behind Hamlin but still trailing Reddick by 117. The other two Hendrick drivers, Kyle Larson (eighth) and William Byron (10th), are in the top 10 while Bowman is stuck in 34th after the four missed races.

On the final restart Sunday, Elliott had control and chose to start on the inside of Hamlin. Bowman was behind his teammate, and gave him the push of momentum onto the backstretch to clear for the lead he kept to the checkered flag.

That winning move came through Turns 1 and 2, the part of the track where the banking was reduced and racing surface widened during the repave in 2017. Turns 3 and 4 were left in their original form, making the ends of the track different for the first time since Texas Motor Speedway opened in 1997. Elliott is far from the only driver to express his displeasure about those changes.

“Yeah, you know, I’ve trashed this place for years, and I didn’t like what they did to the racetrack in reconfiguring Turns 1 and 2. ... I thought it was a really strong track (for me), and then it turned into not a strong track at all,” Elliott said. “Those things combined I think just put a bad taste in my mouth.”

Two wins in three trips to TMS certainly have eased that feeling for Elliott.

“When you run better, it grows on you little by little,” he said. “For as hard of a time as I’ve given (the track), for some reason it likes me. It loved me back. I didn’t like it, but it liked me. So I’m learning to come around a little bit.”

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

Munetaka Murakami has certainly provided that.

The 26-year-old infielder from Japan is tied with Aaron Judge for the major league lead with 13 home runs. That accounts for nearly half of Murakami's hits so far this season. He has 14 singles and no doubles or triples.

This type of all-or-nothing production would be quite rare if it continues for an entire season. So far, 48.1% of Murakami's hits have been homers. The single-season record — among players who qualified for the batting title — is 46.8% by Barry Bonds. He did it during his famous 2001 season, when he slugged a record 73 home runs and had 156 hits.

Next in line are two of Mark McGwire's best years. He had 70 homers on 152 hits (46.1%) in 1998, and 65 homers on 145 hits (44.8%) in 1999. Only nine players have homered on at least 40% of their hits, but not all of them needed stratospheric home run totals to do it. Joey Gallo hit 41 home runs on 94 hits (43.6%) in 2017, finishing with a .209 average. That might be a more reasonable comp for Murakami, who is batting .223.

Following Murakami's lead, the White Sox rank 28th in the major leagues in batting average and ninth in home runs. Colson Montgomery is hitting .227 with nine homers. It was an encouraging week for Chicago, which had a chance to reach .500 on Sunday but lost to San Diego — the end of a five-game winning streak.

Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million contract in the offseason to come over from Japan and join the White Sox. Montgomery, meanwhile, is 24 and under team control for a while. On the pitching side, left-hander Noah Schultz has made his debut this season and is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA.

And the White Sox also have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft.

Trivia time

Who holds the single-season record for the White Sox in percentage of hits for a home run?

ABS impact

So far there doesn't seem to be a huge correlation between success with the automated ball-strike system and winning. The teams with the most successful ABS challenges are the Twins (52), Rockies (50), Marlins (46), Athletics (45) and Royals (44). Only the A's are above .500 from that group.

On a percentage basis, the teams with the best success rate have been the Diamondbacks (64.3%), Padres (62.3%), Royals (62%), Tigers (60.7%) and Reds (59.6%). San Diego, Detroit and Cincinnati have winning records.

Performance of the week

Ranger Suarez struck out 10 in eight one-hit innings for the Boston Red Sox in a 5-0 win over Toronto on Monday night. That was a third straight victory for the struggling Red Sox, but they've dropped four of five since. Suarez left Sunday's start after four innings because of hamstring issues.

Comeback of the week

The Atlanta Braves scored seven runs in the last three innings to beat Colorado 8-6 on Friday night. The Braves were down 6-1 in the seventh. They scored a run that inning and then four more in the eighth, with Mauricio Dubón's bases-loaded triple the highlight. Michael Harris II's two-run homer in the top of the ninth put Atlanta ahead.

The Rockies' win probability peaked at 97.7% according to Baseball Savant.

After sweeping three straight at Colorado, the Braves have an 8 1/2-game lead in the NL East. Atlanta also has the best run differential in baseball at plus-81.

Trivia answer

Adam Dunn hit 41 homers on 110 hits (37.3%) in 2012, finishing with a .204 average. That also was the year he set the American League record by striking out 222 times.

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

Dozens of dancers in vivid oranges, greens and blues stomped, leaped and collapsed into the sand of the sun-baked village of Toubab Dialao, an hour from the capital Dakar.

Founded in 1997, the African Dance Biennial has spent nearly three decades rotating across African cities — most recently Maputo, Mozambique, in 2023 — with the aim of raising the visibility of choreographic work on the continent.

The three-day event, which closed late Sunday, was held at the École des Sables, or School of Sands, in Toubab Dialao.

The school has become the continent’s most prominent professional dance training institution in recent years. It was founded in 1998 by Germaine Acogny, who is widely regarded as the mother of African contemporary dance.

Its open-air sand studio, a hallmark of Acogny’s nature-rooted teaching philosophy, has drawn dancers from dozens of countries for intensive courses blending her original contemporary technique with traditional West African and Black modern dance styles.

The École des Sables gained international attention in recent years as the home of the first African production of Pina Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring,” which toured globally from 2021 to 2025.

The biennial comes as the school faces an uncertain future. A billion-dollar deep water port project overseen by Dubai Ports World, under construction just south of the fishing village, threatens to expropriate surrounding land, including property the school acquired to protect its natural ecosystem.

Arts institutions in the area have formed an association to resist the development.

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This version corrects the company name to Dubai Ports World.

The county’s director of Public Safety, Chris Key, told 10 News that the ban will remain in effect until further notice. This applies to burning leaves, brush and/or other vegetation. Once the county sees significant rainfall, the burn ban will be lifted.

Violators could face up to 12 months in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

The national gaming retailer said that its approximately 1,600 U.S. stores could become drop-off and shipping locations. One proposal includes live sales broadcasts from GameStop locations featuring eBay products.

“EBay has the second largest commerce franchise and there’s a big opportunity to do something much larger,” Cohen said in a CNBC interview Monday.

GameStop's bid is $125 per share in cash and stock. The equity value of the proposed deal is $55 billion on paper.

EBay confirmed the huge bid on Monday and said that it has had no talks with GameStop or received any outreach from the company before it received the proposal.

The company's board, along with financial and legal advisors, will review the offer and determine what course of action to take, eBay said.

GameStop said that it started accumulating shares in eBay beginning in February and currently has a 5% stake.

The company is looking to lower costs at eBay, saying that the online seller spent $2.4 billion on sales and marketing in fiscal 2025 while only adding 1 million net active buyers. GameStop says it will achieve $2 billion in annualized cost cuts within a year of the proposed transaction's closing.

Cohen, who owns about 9% of GameStop, would serve as CEO of the combined company. He would only be compensated based on the combined company's performance.

Cohen became CEO of GameStop in 2023. At the time the position had become a rotating door with the company trying to survive as streaming upended the gaming industry. GameStop became one of the most well-known meme stocks to create a frenzy among retail traders on Wall Street. The company’s shares took off in 2021 after a band of smaller-pocketed investors helped boost its stock by 1,000% in two weeks.

GameStop shares have fallen since then, but are still up more than 30% this year.

Shares of eBay jumped more than 7% in premarket trading, while GameStop's stock declined nearly 3%.

While there’s a chance for a sporadic shower Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday appear to have much better odds of widespread rainfall.

That rainfall arrives mostly in the early morning hours on Wednesday and continues until midday Thursday.

The weekend brings in a couple more rainfall chances, but there’s a bit more uncertainty with rainfall totals.

We would need steady rainfall to really make a dent in this drought, as heavy rain in short timeframes is more likely to yield flooding and runoff, due to the ground being so dry.

Temperatures this week are largely in the 60s and 70s, but we could see some areas hit the 80-degree margin on Tuesday.

In a series of social media posts, Trump has lobbed various insults at the incumbents, calling them incompetent, RINOs — Republicans in name only — or losers.

In 2025, Trump urged Republicans in several states to redraw their congressional maps to help the party maintain control of the narrowly divided U.S. House. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio answered the call, but the effort to create new GOP seats in Indiana failed when more than half the state’s Republican senators sided with Democrats to defeat the plan backed by Trump. Eight of those state senators are up for reelection in 2026, and Trump has targeted all but one for defeat.

Voter-approved maps favoring Democrats in California and Virginia have offset some expected Republican gains in other states, but a new plan in Florida, as well as last week’s Supreme Court decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act of 1965, have given Republicans a boost in their effort to reshape the electoral landscape heading into November.

The Trump-targeted Indiana state senators all represent districts he carried in 2024, mostly by 20 percentage points or more. The most competitive was District 1, near Lake Michigan and just southeast of Chicago. Trump won with about 53% of the vote and a margin of about 7 percentage points over Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris. His best performance of the seven targeted districts was in District 19, on the Ohio border, where he received about 68% of the vote and a margin of about 39 percentage points.

Only one of the incumbents, state Sen. Spencer Deery of District 23, faced a contested primary in 2022. He won with about 31% of the vote against a four-candidate field that included Paula Copenhaver, Trump’s pick to oust him this year. Another Trump-targeted incumbent, state Sen. Greg Goode of District 38, filled a vacant seat in 2023 and has not previously faced a full districtwide election.

Half of Indiana’s 50 state Senate seats and all 100 state House seats are up for election in 2026. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.

Indiana voters will also choose nominees for the U.S. House under the existing boundaries, although none of the state’s nine seats is expected to play a key role in the effort to win control of the chamber in November.

Among the notable contests is the Democratic primary in the 7th Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Andre Carson faces three challengers in his bid for renomination to a 10th full term. George Hornedo is an attorney and political consultant. Destiny Wells is an attorney, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and the 2024 nominee for state attorney general. Denise Paul Hatch, a former Center Township constable, is appealing her 2024 felony conviction for official misconduct.

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.

There are no automatic recounts in Indiana, but the losing candidate may request and pay for a recount regardless of the vote margin. The costs may be partly or fully refunded depending on the results of the recount. 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.

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?

All polls in Indiana close at 6 p.m. local time. Polls in most of the state are in the Eastern time zone and close at 6 p.m. ET, but some polls are in Central time and close at 7 p.m. ET. State Senate District 1 is the only Trump-targeted seat where polls close at 7 p.m. ET. The last polls in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th Congressional Districts also close at 7 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for the U.S. House, the state Senate and the state House. Republican incumbents face Trump-backed challengers in state Senate Districts 1, 11, 19, 21, 23, 38 and 41.

Who gets to vote?

Indiana does not register voters by party, so registered voters are asked to select the primary ballot for the party of their choice. Voter ID is required. An unusual provision in state law requires voters in a party’s primary to have voted for a majority of that party’s candidates in the last general election or plan to do so in the next general election if they didn’t vote in the last election. This is essentially unenforceable, but voters whose party affiliations are challenged at the polls must vote by provisional ballot unless they sign an affidavit aligning themselves with the party.

How many voters are there?

There were about 4.8 million registered voters in Indiana as of the November 2024 general election. Registration totals in the state’s nine congressional districts ranged from about 442,000 in District 7 to about 505,000 in District 5.

How many people usually vote?

Most of the targeted state Senate races did not have a contested primary in 2022, but those that had a contested general election ranged from about 32,000 to 45,000 total votes.

About 34,000 votes were cast in the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary in 2024, the most of any district. That was about 8% of registered voters. About 25,000 votes were cast in the Republican primary.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 29% of the 2024 primary vote was cast before Election Day.

As of Friday, more than 175,000 ballots had already been cast in the Democratic and Republican primaries combined.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Absentee ballots in Indiana may be processed once they are received, and counting may begin before the polls close on Election Day. This leads to relatively quick counting of absentee ballots. Elections officials from more than three-quarters of Indiana’s 92 counties have indicated they tend to include all or nearly all the results of absentee and early voting in their first vote update of the night.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In 2024, the AP first reported results in the Republican presidential primary at 6:06 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed in most of the state. The last vote update of the night was at 11:34 p.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.

The last election night vote update for each congressional district with a contested primary was much earlier. The earliest was 9:10 p.m. ET in the 5th Congressional District, and the latest was 11:34 p.m. ET in the 1st District. The last vote update of the night in the 7th District Democratic primary was at 10:04 p.m. ET.

The first vote result in the state Senate District 23 primary was at 6:59 p.m. ET, almost an hour after polls closed in the district. The last update was at 11:11 p.m. ET, with more than 99% of the total votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 182 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

Ohio is expected to play a high-profile role in the midterm elections, with a prominent ally of President Donald Trump vying for an open seat for governor and competitive races for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House that could decide control of both chambers for the final two years of the Republican's presidency.

In the race to replace outgoing GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, tech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy faces auto racing engineer and internet personality Casey Putsch for the Republican nomination.

Ramaswamy has endorsements from Trump and the Ohio Republican Party and entered the final stretch of the primary campaign with a $31 million war chest, including $25 million from his personal funds. Putsch raised about $123,000 and had about $8,700 in his campaign account as of the most recent filing in April.

A third candidate, Heather Hill, was disqualified from the race after her running mate withdrew from the ticket in an acrimonious split. Their names will still appear on the ballot, but votes cast for them will not be counted.

The winner will face Dr. Amy Acton, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Acton was director of the Ohio Department of Health during the early days of the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response until her resignation in June 2020.

In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown is running to reclaim his old job in Washington. A Brown victory in November is again pivotal to Democratic hopes of winning control of the Senate, as was the case in 2024, when his loss to Republican Bernie Moreno helped secure a GOP majority.

Brown faces Ron Kincaid for the Democratic nomination. Brown had an enormous fundraising advantage over Kincaid as of mid-April.

The Republican nominee will be Sen. Jon Husted, who faces no primary challengers. Husted was lieutenant governor when he was appointed to fill the Senate seat JD Vance vacated to become vice president. The seat will be up again for a full term in 2028.

Among the notable U.S. House races, a crowded Republican field is competing to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the 9th Congressional District. The 22-term incumbent narrowly won reelection in 2024 over Republican Derek Merrin in one of the final races to be called that cycle.

Merrin is again running for the GOP nomination against a field that includes former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, state Rep. Josh Williams and two others.

Lucas County, home to Toledo, is by far the most influential in the 9th Congressional District primaries. It contributed more than one-third of the total vote in the 2024 Republican U.S. House primary. Merrin and Williams are from Lucas County, while Sheahan’s home base is Ottawa County.

Franklin and Cuyahoga counties, home to Columbus and Cleveland, respectively, are the state’s most populous and play big roles in both Democratic and Republican statewide primaries, as do Hamilton, Montgomery and Summit counties.

Trump’s endorsement should be a boost to Ramaswamy. Trump carried every county in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

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.

Recounts in Ohio are automatic if the margin is less than 0.25% of the total vote in statewide races or 0.5% in congressional district races. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

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 7:30 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, the state Supreme Court, the state Senate and the state House.

Who gets to vote?

Any registered voter in Ohio may participate in any party’s primary. Ohio does not register voters by party, but voters who participate in a party’s primary will be considered affiliated with that party.

How many voters are there?

As of Friday, there were about 7.9 million registered voters in Ohio.

How many people actually vote?

The 2022 Republican primaries for the U.S. Senate and governor each had about 1.1 million total votes cast, which was roughly 14% of registered voters at the time. The Democratic U.S. Senate primary had about 518,000 total votes cast, and the Democratic gubernatorial primary had about 509,000 votes cast.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 17% of the vote in the 2022 primaries was cast before primary day. About 25% of the vote was cast before primary day in the 2024 presidential primary.

As of Friday, more than 153,000 Democratic primary ballots and about 122,000 Republican primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

All 88 counties in Ohio tend to release all or almost all of their early and absentee voting results in the first vote update of the night, in most cases before any in-person Election Day results are released.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 Ohio presidential primary, the AP first reported results at 7:36 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed. About 90% of the vote had been counted by 10:19 p.m. ET, and the last vote update of the night was at 1:28 a.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 182 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

Fifteen people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at the celebration on Bondi Beach in December. Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram are accused of carrying out the massacre with guns they owned legally, in a country with tight controls on firearms. The attack, which followed a wave of separate antisemitic crimes in Australia, was inspired by the Islamic State group, authorities said.

The mass shooting prompted a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, the highest form of inquiry in Australia, that began public hearings in Sydney on Monday. The two-week sitting is due to scrutinize the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in Australia’s institutions and society.

Further hearings this year will examine other topics before the commission publishes its final report in December.

“The sharp spike in antisemitism that we’ve witnessed in Australia has been mirrored in other Western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East,” said Commissioner Virginia Bell. “It’s important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility toward Jewish Australians simply because they’re Jews.”

Bondi attack followed a surge in hate crimes

All witnesses called to give evidence Monday were Jewish Australians who recounted their experiences of hatred, some speaking under pseudonyms out of fear for their safety. The daughter of one of those killed in the Bondi attacks said that a year earlier she was verbally abused while carrying her baby in a Sydney shopping mall by a man who spotted her Star of David necklace.

“I felt shocked, exposed and unsafe,” said Sheina Gutnick. “There were many people around me but no one intervened.”

Her father Reuven Morrison, 62, hurled a brick at one of the gunmen who attacked the gathering at the popular Sydney beach in December, before Morrison was shot and killed. Gutnick said she was cautious of attending events with her family in public places or traveling to certain parts of Sydney.

Australian Jews told the hearing Monday that the Bondi attacks followed a surge in antisemitic incidents since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023. In the following year, more than 2,000 episodes were reported to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which tracks such figures, compared to a previous record of just under 500 the year before.

Jewish Australians recount assaults and abuse

Such escalation has also been reported in Britain and elsewhere. But Australia's small Jewish population was particularly shocked because its members had not registered such a volume of serious threats before, witnesses said Monday.

“Now everyone is scared all the time,” said Toby Raphael, vice president of Sydney’s Newtown Synagogue, which was daubed with swastikas during a wave of antisemitic crimes in the city in 2025.

Raphael said he had once told congregants there was no need for security at the synagogue, but the ramp-up in hate-fueled attacks had changed that. He added that he was part of a parent security group at his son’s Jewish school, which is also protected by professional guards carrying guns.

“Why do kids have to go to school like that?” Raphael said. “This is the world that the Jews of Australia live in now and it needs to change.”

Antisemitism in Australia was growing in profile before the Bondi shooting because of a spate of attacks on Jewish schools, businesses and places of worship. Australia’s government in August said Iran had orchestrated at least two of the crimes and cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Some of those giving evidence to the inquiry on Monday cited these episodes when they said they were considering leaving Australia or already planned to move abroad.

Others spoke of being verbally or physically attacked or having crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters arrive at their synagogues. Alex Ryvchin, a Jewish group leader whose house was targeted by arson in 2025, said he believed Australia was “on a path to catastrophe,” after the crime at his home and he warned reporters that someone would die.

“This was January, and by December there was a horrific massacre which has transformed us permanently,” he told Monday’s hearing.

The hearings follow a report urging gun reform

The massacre roiled Australia, where serious gun crime has been rare since controls were tightened after a mass shooting in Tasmania 30 years ago. Australia’s federal and state governments are now considering further reforms.

An interim report from the Royal Commission released in April, which examined the capacity of Australian law enforcement and the security services to respond to antisemitic crimes, recommended that Australia’s leaders prioritize enacting nationally consistent gun laws and a weapons buyback.

Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the crime scene. He was a licensed shooter who legally owned the guns used.

His son was wounded but survived. Naveed Akram has been charged with committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder. He has entered no pleas.

Republican Donald Trump may have won the state by double digits in the last presidential election, but growing dissatisfaction with his leadership and rising costs from the Iran war could help set the stage for Democrats to make previously unattainable gains.

Iowa Democrats plan to have 60 field organizers on the ground by June, nearly double from eight years ago during the midterm elections of Trump's first term. Another two dozen people will staff a coordinated campaign that's intended to support candidates for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, among others.

“Iowa is still, in my view, a purple state," state party chair Rita Hart said in an interview. "We just haven’t given them an opportunity to show that lately.”

Republicans insist that Iowa will remain red, but White House travel plans suggest there may be some concern. Vice President JD Vance is visiting on Tuesday to support Rep. Zach Nunn, who represents Des Moines, its suburbs and the state's rural center. Trump also chose Iowa as his first stop when he began his midterm campaigning earlier this year.

Iowa has an unusual number of competitive races for open seats this year, with Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst both opting out of reelection bids.

Leading what Hart called “the best statewide ticket we’ve had for a generation" is Rob Sand, the state auditor running for governor. He ended last year with $13 million in his campaign account, and he often highlights his rural roots, Christian faith and bowhunting prowess, as well as a disdain for partisan politics, to try to appeal to Iowans of all backgrounds.

Josh Turek and Zach Wahls, both state lawmakers, are seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the June 2 primary. The party is also targeting three of the four Republican-held U.S. House seats.

Democrats focus on cost of living

Democrats believe a populist economic message could resonate in Iowa when farmers are squeezed by tariffs and face higher prices for fertilizer and diesel fuel. In addition, hundreds of people have lost jobs as factories and meat processors shut down, and rural residents are driving further to see doctors as healthcare clinics close.

This year's candidates are also willing to take swings at their own party, even though they will likely benefit from campaign spending by national organizations.

Turek and Wahls say Democrats have abandoned the rural and small-town voters who placed hope in Trump to change the status quo. Turek, who calls himself a “prairie populist,” says there are too many millionaires in Congress who don’t know what it is to live paycheck to paycheck. Wahls, endorsed by several labor unions, says corruption in politics benefits corporate interests over working people.

Christina Bohannan, who is running for a third time to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in a southeast Iowa district, said both major political parties “have failed to really fight for working people.”

“Everybody’s talking about affordability,” she said. “I don’t want it just to become a catchphrase that people can kind of just brush aside as political rhetoric. This is real.”

Sand targets the entire political system, which he said "helps incumbents get reelected, rather than actually forcing them to solve our problems.” He recently introduced policy proposals, including term limits, bans on stock trading while in office, and open primaries.

Republicans say Democrats remain out of touch

Before Trump’s dominance in the region, it wasn’t uncommon to find Democrats representing the Midwest and Plains states in governors’ mansions or in Congress. Trump’s promises to resurrect American manufacturing jobs and “drain the swamp” won over voters who traditionally supported populist Democrats, said Iowa Democratic strategist Jeff Link.

“Because the knee-jerk reaction to Trump is to be the opposite of Trump, we went away from economic populism to our detriment,” Link said. “By just being anti-Trump, it is being condescending towards people that chose him three times.”

Tom Harkin, a former Democratic senator from Iowa, said Trump’s stumbles have created an opportunity for change.

“I think a lot of people wanted to get things shaken up a little bit," he said. "But I don’t think they wanted them shaken up like this."

Harkin said his party has an opportunity to rebrand itself.

“I think Democrats in the Midwest especially got painted with this broad brush, and we didn’t fight back well enough," he said. "We became more defensive.”

Republicans argue that Democrats' left-wing positions remain out of touch with Iowans' values.

“You can’t have political born-again experiences,” said Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. He said tweaking the message and running away from the national party is not going to “erase your history in one election cycle."

Kaufmann acknowledged that the cycle wouldn’t be easy but said Iowans trust Trump’s long game, knowing that he intends for tariffs to protect Iowa farmers and war with Iran to eliminate the country’s nuclear threat. But, he said, it took years for Democrats to lose the Iowa communities that flipped from supporting Barack Obama to backing Trump.

“It’s going to take a long time for them to build it back up again,” Kaufmann said.

Democrats try to rebuild

The political environment for Democrats has been bleak since Obama won the state in 2008 and 2012. Republicans have had total control in the Iowa state government for nearly a decade. All six members of the federal delegation are Republicans.

Democrats also lag Republicans by roughly 200,000 registered voters statewide and run at a deficit in each of the four congressional districts.

Iowa Democrats said 7,000 people have signed up over the past year to volunteer for Democratic candidates, and the state party will hold volunteer training sessions. The party has signed leases on eight field offices with plans to open at least seven more, including in blue-collar areas in eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River that supported Obama before pivoting to Trump.

“We’re investing so much in these organizers and in our county parties and supporting and training our volunteers,” Hart said. “It’s through these kinds of conversations where we build trust with voters.”

Senior leaders expect their spending this cycle to be on par with presidential years, reaching the high seven figures. They’re also pivoting from text messages and digital advertising to face-to-face conversations.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve really struggled with getting back to the basics with person-to-person communication," Hart said, adding, “We’ve got to get back to that.”

Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

“If you scripted that one," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said, “I don’t know how you do. I can't explain it."

Cale Makar scored twice in the third period after returning from an earlier injury and the Avalanche overcame blowing a three-goal lead to beat the Minnesota Wild 9-6 on Sunday night in a wacky Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

Makar, who left in the first period with an undisclosed ailment, scored his second goal of the game with 2:54 remaining to make it 8-6. Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-net goal with 2:08 remaining to seal it.

This was the 10th playoff game ever with at least 15 combined goals and just the second since 1994. There were five goals in each period.

“Just a weird game,” Makar said. “I don’t think we’re going to see that again. It’s probably a one-off, but glad we were able to stick with it and find a way to win.”

Who figured this? A high-scoring affair between two of the stingiest teams in the league with two elite goaltenders. There were 14 different players who notched a goal in a game that turned into a track meet. It's tied for the second-most in a playoff game.

“It’s nice to be able to win games like this,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “Not necessarily a coach’s dream or a player’s dream — we don’t want to give up six goals. It’s good to win this one but we’ve got lots of things to clean up.”

The Avalanche improved to 72-1 since moving to Colorado in 1995-96 when leading a playoff game by three or more goals. The lone loss was Game 5 against St. Louis in a season they went on to win the Stanley Cup.

A well-rested Colorado team led 3-0 with 6:47 left in the first period. But the Wild steadily climbed back and took a 5-4 lead on a short-handed goal from Marcus Foligno late in the second.

Devon Toews tied at 5-apiece in the second period. It was just the fourth Game 1 in playoff history with both teams scoring five or more goals through two periods.

“Listen, the game was helter-skelter,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “We lost the game. There are certain areas we've got to clean up and be ready to clean up. If you lose a game, you’ve got to take the lessons out of it, move on.”

Both goalies struggled, but made some timely saves, too. Scott Wedgewood, who had the league's best goals-against average this season, allowed one more goal than he did in the entire sweep of the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1.

He made 30 saves while Jesper Wallstedt stopped 34 shots.

“He’s great. He’s going to bounce back,” Marcus Foligno said of Wallstedt. “He’ll be fine next game. He’s a beast. This wasn’t on him. I mean, there’s a lot of things, (but) we got to play a little bit faster for him.”

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Denver.

The Wild were without forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin. They've been ruled out of Tuesday's game as well.

Makar took a scary hit along the boards from Foligno early in the first period. The Avalanche defenseman's right leg flew into the air before falling to the ice. Makar tested out his skating with some twirls at the end of the first and returned for the second. He had an assist on Nick Blankenburg's goal.

“I was just trying to get back and feel good,” Makar said. "It’s not fun when you kind of tweak something, but it happens. Got to be ready for it. Had to check a couple things out, make sure it was good to go.”

___

AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Surrey, one of the most successful teams in England, is encouraging hybrid workers to come and do their jobs at The Kia Oval, the 180-year-old ground just south of the River Thames.

Over the winter, it upgraded the Wi-Fi and set aside work areas with desks, access to power and clear views of the game. “Work From Oval,” it's been dubbed.

It pondered whether it is the “best home office in the country” and crucially assured would-be-workers that “we won’t tell your boss.”

Over the three home four-day County Championship matches it has hosted this season, hundreds have taken up the chance to work at the Oval.

England's premier competition has been mocked for decades for its relatively low attendances — one man and his dog is a regularly voiced description, however unfair.

That certainly wasn't the case at The Kia Oval on Friday when Surrey hosted Sussex on the first day of their match. Over 6,000 attended, the crowd swelled by the glorious weather and the prospect of a full-day — more than seven hours — of cricket ahead.

Though the ground has a capacity of around 27,500, that's really not a bad crowd during a work day. The Oval does sell out for England test matches against other nations and for Surrey's short-format games.

Harry Ashton, director of Elite Finance Solutions, usually works from a coworking space in nearby Wimbledon. He jumped at the chance of working at the Oval for just 15 pounds ($20).

“It’s not quite as good as Lytham Cricket Club,” he quipped, referencing his local club in the northwest of England.

Ashton was joined later by some friends, and after a few hours of work, they enjoyed a beer or two. It was Friday, after all, and the start of a three-day weekend as Monday is a public holiday in the U.K.

In recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been evident that many people at the Oval have their laptops to hand. Arguably, the shift toward hybrid work has become the main legacy of the pandemic.

Though more and more firms are forcing their staff to come into the office, more than a quarter of working adults in the U.K. work remotely part of the time, according to the Office for National Statistics. Critics argue that hybrid working is negatively impacting productivity, an individual's work ethic and the wider economy as a whole.

All the evidence on this particular Friday was that the dozens or so working at the ground were doing just that. Numbers were crunched and Zoom calls were held.

“I have great belief in life generally, if you treat someone like an adult, they will behave like an adult,” said Neil Munro, owner of Munron Consulting Ltd. “I don’t see any downside provided everyone treats it with respect.”

Matthew Balch, a keen club cricketer himself, agrees.

“I think all of the counties should lean into the remote worker-freelancer market to grow attendances,” he said.

Some workers were a bit more coy.

One 46-year-old woman working for a global company insisted on maintaining her anonymity, voicing concerns about how she would be perceived.

There's still a stigma.

Against this backdrop, there has been a long-running discussion about the role that religion can play in enhancing personal well-being and lowering the risk of mental health problems.

A positive view of religious faith’s relation to mental health is shared by several prominent U.S. mental health organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America.

“Religion gives people something to believe in, provides a sense of structure and typically offers a group of people to connect with” those with similar beliefs, according to NAMI. “Research suggests that religiosity reduces suicide rates, alcoholism and drug use.”

The American Psychological Association takes a nuanced approach, reflecting the views of several experts who shared theirs with The Associated Press. The APA says its Handbook of Psychology, Religion and Spirituality “sheds light on the many purposes religion serves, the rich variety of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, and the capacity of religion and spirituality to do both good and harm.”

At St. John Fisher University — a Catholic school in Rochester, New York — visiting psychology instructor Timothy Powers says he sees that duality in his own counseling practice.

“While faith community participation can confer real and well documented protective benefits, those same communities can also be sources of shame, spiritual bypass, trauma, and significant barriers to seeking help,” Powers said via email. “Clinically, both realities show up in the counseling room, sometimes in the same person.”

“The task for therapists is to approach the subject without assuming that religion/spirituality is a resource or that it is a wound, to be open to ambiguity, and to ask rather than presume,” Powers added.

Charles Camosy, a professor of moral theology and bioethics at The Catholic University of America, also shared nuanced thoughts.

“We expect on the one hand that being faithful will bring with it good things in this life,” Camosy said in an email.

Yet “living out the Gospel doesn’t lead to healthy, flourishing lives for everyone. People still get sick, including mentally ill,” he added. “Christians, and especially faithful Christians who are salt and light in a world full of violence and injustice, are not promised mental health as a reward for faithfulness in this life.”

On Monday, there was a new contribution to the discussion, a report assembled by a team of professors and researchers for the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University. The institute describes as its basic mission: “Research-supported work that fortifies the core institutions of the family, religion, and constitutional government.”

Citing an analysis of hundreds of previous studies, the report says that committed religious involvement — corresponding to at least weekly attendance at worship services — was linked to lower suicide risk, better stress management, reduced substance misuse, and higher levels of hope.

“Although harmful or coercive forms of religion do exist, the overall pattern across the best available studies is clear: religious belief and practice are overwhelmingly associated with better mental and emotional well-being,” the report said.

The executive director of the American Humanist Association, Fish Stark, said he had no quibble with the assertion that religious engagement may have psychological benefits. But he stressed that nonreligious people had ways to fare equally well.

“If you have a strong secular, atheist identity, and actively participate in a nonreligious community, you get the same benefits,” Stark said.

“The key is whether you have core convictions and participate in social groups,” he added. “Those with strong religious identities and strong secular identities are equally happy.”

Sociology professor Ellen Idler, director of Emory University’s Religion and Public Health Collaborative, suggested that the effect of religion on mental health should not be measured solely among those who attend religious services regularly.

“Those who have been, or perceived that they have been, harmed by religion will stay away, leaving those less troubled in the pews,” she said, citing people who had been sexually abused by clergy as children or were stigmatized by their congregations because they were LGBTQ+.

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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 Miami Grand Prix was the first under changes which slightly limited the role of the electrical power which has redefined racing this year. The president of the governing body, the FIA, said in Miami he wants traditional V8 engines back in a few years' time.

F1 started the year with some of the biggest changes in its 76-year history, headlined by a 50-50 split in power between a traditional engine and the onboard battery pack.

There were only three Grand Prix races under those new rules before a package of tweaks was introduced which curbed the influence of the electrical power. They answered driver criticism by promoting pure driving skill over electrical recharging, especially in qualifying. Discussions on further changes for 2027 could continue that trend.

Sunday's race in Miami was one of the most wide-open in recent F1 history with drivers from four different teams leading before Kimi Antonelli took his third win of 2026 for Mercedes.

V8 engines would take F1 back to the future

When FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem first proposed a return to big, noisy traditional engines last year, some F1 figures thought it was an election tactic, and it fizzled out in a meeting with manufacturers.

Now with Ben Sulayem in office for another term, and following a backlash to electrical power from some key drivers and fans, his push for V8 engines by 2030 or 2031 seems much more serious. The F1 world typically plans out new regulations years ahead of time.

“You get the sound, you get less complexity and then you’ve got the lighter weight, you hit all the boxes,” Ben Sulayem said Saturday in Miami. “You will hear about it very soon and it will be with a very, very minor electrification, but the main one will be the engine.”

F1 has used V6 engines with electrical hybrid power since 2014 and a big step up in the amount of electrical power for this year has made it central to how drivers go racing. Timing the electrical boost and recharging is the key to tactical racing. Four-time champion Max Verstappen loathes it so much he's questioned his future in F1.

A return to bigger V8 engines would be a nostalgia trip for older drivers and fans, with a distinctive screaming engine noise. They're relatively rare in modern vehicles outside of expensive sportscars.

Using sustainably-sourced fuel, as F1 does already from this season, would be one concession to environmental goals.

FIA says automakers can't take sport ‘hostage’

There's a lot of politics behind the decisions on F1's future, from the White House to the racing paddock.

Electrical vehicles no longer seem as certain to dominate the roads in key F1 markets as they did when the FIA and teams began drawing up the regulations in the early 2020s.

The Trump administration has put tighter rules on the charger network that electric vehicles depend on, and the European Union is rethinking a planned ban on new internal combustion-powered cars from 2035.

“The political landscape has changed,” the FIA's top F1 regulations official Nikolas Tombazis told reporters last week. “Back when we discussed the current regulations, the automotive companies, who were very involved, told us that they’re never going to make another internal combustion engine again, a new one, that they were going to phase out and by whatever year they were going to be fully electrical. Obviously, this hasn’t happened.”

Ben Sulayem said the FIA would need engine manufacturers' agreement to push for V8 engines for 2030, ahead of the agreed five-year schedule for the current cars, but would be more free to act without their agreement for 2031.

The F1 world has long appealed to automakers by promising innovation relevant to their road cars but now the FIA seems less keen for F1 cars to resemble daily drivers. The boom in F1's popularity around the world over the last decade could give it more leverage.

“We do need to protect the sport from the world macroeconomic situation, meaning we cannot be hostage to automotive companies deciding to be part of our sport or not,” Tombazis said.

“We want them to be a part of our sport, absolutely. That’s why we’ve worked so hard to secure new ones to participate. But we can also not be in this position where if they decide they don’t want to be, we’re simply left vulnerable.”

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Alanis Thames in Miami Gardens, Fla., contributed to this report.

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

But if caught early, it has a 99% cure rate.

“The longer a melanoma has to grow, the harder it is to treat. During this time, it has a greater chance of spreading throughout the body or metastasizing,” said Jennifer Lucas, MD, a dermatologist for Cleveland Clinic.

While those with fair skin and a history of melanoma are at an increased risk, anyone can develop the disease.

That’s why Dr. Lucas said it’s important to establish care with a dermatologist and flag any spots that are uneven, have irregular borders or vary in color.

A spot that’s bigger than the tip of a pencil eraser or evolving in some way also raises concern.

Along with your skin, check your nails for any dark streaks or changes.

Dr. Lucas recommends monthly self-checks as well as taking proactive steps to help protect yourself from skin cancer.

“You want to remember your sunscreen. Sunscreen should be part of your daily routine. In the morning, just like you brush your teeth, put that sunscreen on. It doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy or sunny – all of that exposure is going to put you at risk,” Dr. Lucas said.

In addition to sunscreen, Dr. Lucas said sun-protective clothing, hats and sunglasses can help.

As of Monday, May 4, the average price for regular gasoline in Virginia is $4.178 per gallon, according to AAA. Diesel is averaging about $5.624 per gallon, while premium gasoline sits at $4.991.

Looking closer at our region, AAA reports that drivers in Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are still paying the most for regular gas, with an average of $4.115 per gallon. Premium is averaging $4.87, and diesel is at $5.55. AAA says drivers in Lynchburg will find the least expensive gas in the area. The average price there for regular gas is $4.07 per gallon, but you’ll pay more for premium gas: $4.846 per gallon.

In Roanoke specifically, average gas prices have risen 17.8 cents per gallon in the last week, to $4.06 per gallon today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 155 stations. Prices in Roanoke are 16.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.13 per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased by 21.3 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $5.621 per gallon.

The cheapest station in Roanoke was priced at $3.84 per gallon on Sunday, while the most expensive was $4.29 per gallon, according to GasBuddy price reports.

Statewide, the highest prices are in Washington, D.C., where regular gas averages $4.258 per gallon.

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.

Two teams which produced a 5-4 instant classic last week will take center stage on Wednesday for the second act of their Champions League semifinal.

The return game in Munich surely cannot reach the same height of drama as the waves of finessed attacks — and overwhelmed defenses — reached in Paris.

Still, coaches Luis Enrique and Vincent Kompany will aim for the stars.

“More, even more,” Kompany said in Paris, when asked about his main message to Bayern's players for the decisive second leg.

Arsenal hosts Atletico Madrid on Tuesday with the score 1-1.

The rewards for a semifinal victory are a place in the final on May 30 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.

Stellar semifinals

Champions League semifinals are often more memorable than the title matches.

One year ago, an exciting Inter Milan-Barcelona contest was widely praised like the PSG-Bayern opener has been. A 3-3 first leg in Barcelona was just an appetizer for Inter’s roller coaster 4-3 win in extra time at San Siro.

In 2022, Real Madrid somehow rallied in stoppage time of the second leg to deny Manchester City victory. Two Rodrygo goals forced extra time that was settled by Karim Benzema’s penalty for a 3-1 win. The wild first leg had finished 4-3 to City in Manchester.

A vintage knockout phase in 2019 was capped by astonishing comebacks on back-to-back nights in the semifinal second legs by Liverpool against Barcelona and Tottenham at Ajax.

It is perhaps eight years since a truly compelling back-and-forth final, when substitute Gareth Bale’s goals — the first an iconic bicycle kick — lifted Madrid to a 3-1 win over Liverpool in Kyiv.

While PSG excelled in the final last year, the 5-0 rout of Inter was never competitive.

Arena of entertainers

Munich was the scene of PSG's finest game last season against Inter to fulfill its Qatari owners' quest to become European champion for the first time.

The Allianz Arena is also where six-time champion Bayern won all six home games in the Champions League this season, scoring 20 goals including four past Real Madrid in a quarterfinals, second-leg thriller three weeks ago.

Munich is the only candidate to host the Champions League final again in 2028. UEFA should confirm that decision in September.

Atletico in England

Coach Diego Simeone takes his Atletico team to north London for a third game this season. Third time lucky?

Atletico lost 4-0 at Arsenal in a league-phase game in October and survived a 3-2 loss at Tottenham in the second leg of the round of 16 that easily could have been a bigger margin. Atletico also started this Champions League campaign in England in September — and lost, 3-2 at Liverpool.

It all adds up to five games lost by Atletico in its 15-game Champions League campaign so far, while Arsenal has the last remaining unbeaten record.

Neither team has been European champion. It's 10 years since Atletico played in the last of its three finals, losing to Real Madrid, and 20 years since Arsenal lost its only final, against Barcelona.

Penalty debates

All four semifinalists were awarded, and scored, a penalty kick last week. A fifth was awarded to Arsenal but then overturned after the referee was sent to his pitchside monitor to review replays.

Since the Video Assistant Referee system made its World Cup debut in 2018, the trend in top-tier games has been to award ever more spot-kicks.

None of the five decisions last week was universally praised, and the two handball incidents showed how UEFA’s view differs to many coaches, players and fans.

UEFA’s director of refereeing Roberto Rosetti has previously said “we don’t like soft penalties” and cautioned against “microscopic VAR interventions” — which seemed to be happening last week.

For each handball, the ball first deflected from the body of, respectively, Bayern’s Alphonso Davies and Arsenal’s Ben White before contacting an arm which was not held tight to the side of their bodies. That is typically not a penalty in the English Premier League but almost certainly is in UEFA competitions.

Rosetti plans to meet soon with refereeing officials from Europe’s main leagues to seek more clarity and consistency next season.

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

The South’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said in a statement Monday that the Pyongyang-based Naegohyang Women’s FC is expected to face Suwon FC Women on May 20 in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League in Suwon, south of Seoul.

The Korea Football Association, South Korea’s soccer body, said the AFC notified it that the North Korean team submitted a list of players and staff set to come to Suwon. The KFA said North Korea would be fined by the AFC if the team failed to compete in the semifinals.

North Korea’s state media has not reported on the soccer club’s expected trip.

North Korea last sent athletes to South Korea in December 2018 for a table tennis event, continuing a period of diplomatic engagement highlighted by the participation of North Korean athletes alongside a high-level delegation at the Winter Olympics in the South earlier that year. North Korea also sent its national women’s soccer team to the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, which was the last time its female soccer players competed in the South.

North Korea's women's teams have had recent success in international youth competitions, and are the defending Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup champions.

In the continental club tournament, Naegohyang Women’s FC defeated Suwon FC Women 3-0 in the group stage in Myanmar last November, before beating a Vietnamese club in the quarterfinals in March. The winners of the May 20 semifinals will meet in the final three days later in Suwon, with Melbourne City FC and Tokyo Verdy Beleza facing off in the other semifinal.

While athletes from North and South Korea have previously competed on combined teams and marched together in Olympic ceremonies during periods of warmer relations, sports exchanges have since faded as relations deteriorated, with no inter-Korean activities for years.

North Korea has shunned talks with South Korea and the U.S. since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's broader nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 over disagreements on U.S.-led sanctions on the North.

Tensions have been rising lately as Kim ramps up his nuclear and missile program targeting Asian U.S. allies and the U.S. mainland and hardens his stance toward South Korea. Kim has labeled South Korea as his most hostile adversary and has shown sensitivity to South Korean soft power, pushing aggressively to block the influence of South Korean culture and language among his population.

A new poll out Monday, as AAPI Heritage Month begins, from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that about one-quarter of AAPI adults have personally experienced a hate crime or incident in the past year, such as verbal harassment or physical assault. That's consistent with a survey conducted last summer, but down from an October 2023 poll where 36% said they were victims of an act of abuse tied to their race or ethnicity over the prior year.

Preliminary FBI data also reflects a decline as the pandemic receded into the background. Based on information submitted by law enforcement agencies, anti-Asian hate crimes and bias crimes overall fell between 2024 and 2025.

However, about 3 in 10 AAPI adults in the new survey think it’s “extremely" or "very” likely that they’ll be a victim of discrimination based on their race or ethnicity in the next five years.

“The key is there's been a decline but a stabilization. So, it hasn't declined since last year, ” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, founder and executive director of AAPI Data. “Both hate crimes and hate incidents are still an issue in our community.”

Racial discrimination and rhetoric amplified in anti-immigrant climate

The poll finds that fewer AAPI adults report experiencing verbal assaults compared to the survey from two years ago.

About 1 in 10 say they have been called a racial or ethnic slur in the past 12 months, down from roughly 2 in 10 in October 2023. Around 15% say they have been verbally harassed or abused by another person in the past year because of their race or ethnicity, down from 23% in 2023.

Advocates report that the tone of the rhetoric has shifted away from COVID-19-related tropes toward anti-immigrant sentiments.

“We're seeing things like ‘Go back to China’ still. But, it's more like ‘ICE is going to deport you,'” said Stephanie Chan, data and research director at Stop AAPI Hate. “The rhetoric that’s being used to justify very harsh and aggressive immigration enforcement, all of this is also feeding into anti-AAPI hate persisting.”

Being made to feel like a foreigner is something Ambar Capoor, 52 and India-born, has encountered even in his diverse Los Angeles neighborhood. Last year, while waiting in line at a restaurant, a white man pushed him unprovoked to get to the front.

Capoor said the man told him: “You don’t belong here. You should go back to your country."

Capoor, who is a naturalized citizen and has lived in the U.S. for 26 years, tries to shrug off these racist interactions.

“None of this stuff normally bothers me,” he said. “If somebody starts an altercation, that I’ll walk away from.”

But Capoor, a Democrat, thinks the divisive political climate has emboldened people to openly say racist things.

Nosheen Hamid, 36 and a stay-at-home mother with a toddler, has lived in Salt Lake City since 2009. In her native Pakistan, her family was considered a minority because of their Catholic faith. In her community in Utah, which is mostly white, she says she gets racially profiled, too.

A couple of months ago, a door-to-door salesman approached her home and seemed surprised she lived there.

“He was like, ‘Are you renting here?’ He asked me a few times and it got to me for just a second,” Hamid said. “People didn't expect me to be in the space that I was, work-wise, school-wise.”

Dealing with discrimination and economic stress

With inflation and higher gas prices as the Iran war continues, AAPI adults are much more preoccupied with economic concerns than discrimination. Around 4 in 10 say personal finances are a “major source" of stress. And about 2 in 10 say the same thing about health concerns and relationships with family or friends. In contrast, only about 1 in 10 say discrimination is currently a major source of stress in their lives. Around half don't see discrimination as a source of stress at all.

John Magner, 58, is half white and also of Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry. He says he actually faces more discrimination from Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders around his home of West Jordan, Utah, who don't believe he is part Hawaiian. The state is home to around 60,000 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, according to U.S. census data.

Last year, a Pacific Islander customer at the hardware store where Magner works called him "cracker and a little wannabe Pacific Islander.”

But he doesn't dwell on those interactions. He is more focused on juggling family expenses, working and getting a master’s degree in counseling.

“I work full-time but we’re struggling,” Magner said. “Inflation and then also some family stuff that's gone on, having to pay medical bills. It's just bills.”

Ramakrishnan, from AAPI Data, also considers whether there is less scapegoating of immigrants of color because people understand that it has no bearing on the current economy.

“The likely reasons for those economic struggles have nothing to do with race or immigration,” he said. “They have to do with other factors, like tariffs, war on foreign policy, AI data centers. Those are all the things that people see that are driving up costs.”

Rise in hate incidents within some Asian groups

Hate crimes and incidents are often underreported, and experts note that some groups under the AAPI umbrella may be experiencing incidents at a higher rate than others.

"If you look at it in the longer term, (hate incidents) are still really high compared to what it was like pre-pandemic, Chan said, referring to the FBI data.

There has recently been a rise in incidents among South Asians, according to FBI data and Stop AAPI Hate. The largest spikes tend to occur “in moments of South Asian visibility,” such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s election, Chan said.

Between the current political climate and being Indian, Capoor has been carrying his U.S. passport card on a lanyard for the past six months.

“After seeing all the reports of actual white folk getting arrested and thrown into camps and taking them like three days to get out of it,” Capoor said. “I don’t have friends in high places. I don’t have the correct skin color.”

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The poll of 1,228 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted March 23-30, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, which are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 22 points and James Harden added 18 in a series in which the home team won all seven games.

Cleveland, the No. 4 seed, will visit top-seeded Detroit on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the second round. The Central Division rivals split their four regular-season meetings.

“I think we’ve already moved on (to focusing on Detroit),” Mitchell said on the court immediately after the final buzzer. “We understand we won this game, but we play in a couple days.,”

Scottie Barnes had 24 points and nine rebounds and RJ Barrett scored 23 for the Raptors, who were in the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

All-Star forward Brandon Ingram missed his second straight game with a bruised right heel.

“We gave it all, everything we had today," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. "Our guys were awesome. We made it hard on them.”

Allen had 14 points and 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, as Cleveland went on a 49-21 run during a 15-minute span over the second and third quarters where it turned a nine-point deficit into an 19-point advantage.

One of Allen's baskets during the third quarter was a fast-break dunk after Max Strus stole the ball from Barnes to make it 74-59.

Cleveland was 17 of 33 from the field, including five 3-pointers, during the run while converting seven of Toronto's turnovers into 14 points. The Raptors shot 6 of 23 and were 1 of 8 behind the arc.

The Cavaliers also had a 25-8 rebounding advantage during the spurt, and converted 10 offensive boards into 14 points.

“They were scoring in transition, getting some offensive rebounds," Barnes said. “The offensive rebounds were giving them extra possessions. That really hurt us, giving them momentum.”

Toronto led for most of the first half and had a 10-point lead midway through the second quarter before Cleveland began its comeback.

The Cavaliers were down 47-38 with 2:58 remaining before going on a 11-2 run to close the half and tie it at 49. The Cavs were 4 of 17 on 3-pointers before Harden, Strus and Jaylon Tyson connected from beyond the arc.

“Sam (Merrill) said this whole series, we haven’t closed out the second quarter. We all took that to heart. We all looked at ourselves and decided that now was the time to do it,” said Allen, who had his 11th double-double in a playoff game. “I think the defensive stops, rebounds and the offense is still shaky in some areas, but I think when we rebound the ball and get stops, that just translates to the offense so much better and transition and open shots for everybody.”

Cleveland took the lead with nine straight points to open the third quarter as Mitchell scored five and Mobley added four.

“In the first half, we were forcing it too much, driving down tunnels and forcing it to the basket," coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Sometimes you have to move the defense. We just kept hammering that message.”

The Cavaliers are 6-5 in Game 7s, including unbeaten in five home games. Toronto fell to 3-4 in Game 7 and 0-2 on the road.

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

Days after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, Simon feared what the decision would mean not just for Black Americans like himself but an entire country where the political guardrails seem to be coming apart.

Simon, who leads the Shelby County Democratic Party in Tennessee, said the court's conservative majority set a precedent that if you're “not in the in-crowd group, they can just erase us.”

By weakening a requirement that states draw congressional districts in a way that gives minorities an opportunity to control their own fate, the court escalated the nationwide redistricting war that has seen Democrats and Republicans casting aside decades of tradition in hopes of gaining an edge over the competition. New sessions are scheduled to begin this week in two Republican-controlled states to eliminate U.S. House districts represented by Democrats, and there's more on the horizon.

It's the latest example of how the American democratic experiment has been pushed to the breaking point in the decade since Donald Trump rose to power. Extreme rhetoric has become commonplace. There's been a spike in political violence and a rash of assassinations. Five years after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Trump's allies are trying to harness the same falsehoods about voter fraud to reshape elections.

The rules and norms that once helped smooth over an unruly country's vast differences have given way to a race for power at all costs.

“I’ve never subscribed to the idea we’re in a civil war, but the gerrymandering wars and the recent decision from the Supreme Court do not make the United States more united,” said Matt Dallek, a political scientist at George Washington University. “It speeds up the hyperpartisan force and atmosphere that people feel on both sides.”

'No more rule of law'

Trump ignited the conflict over redistricting last year by urging Republicans to redraw congressional maps to reduce the likelihood that his party loses the U.S. House in the November midterm elections.

It was an unusual step, since redistricting normally only takes place after the once-a-decade census to accommodate population shifts. But in 2019 the Supreme Court ruled federal courts cannot prevent partisan gerrymandering, and Trump saw a chance to push the limits.

Once Republican-led states like Texas started shifting district lines, Democratic-led states like California countered. The fight was heading for a draw until the Supreme Court's conservative majority issued its long-awaited decision in Louisiana v. Callais.

The court weakened the last remaining national impediment to gerrymandering — the Voting Rights Act's requirement that, in places where white people and outnumbered racial minorities vote differently, districts be drawn to give those minorities a chance to elect representatives they prefer.

The ruling opened a new set of political floodgates.

Republicans in Tennessee plan to erase the only Democratic congressional district, which is majority Black and centered in Memphis, by splitting it up among more conservative suburban and rural white communities. More than a dozen other majority-minority districts, mainly in the South, could face the same fate.

Louisiana moved to postpone its congressional primaries, set for May 16, to have a chance to redraw two majority-Black Democratic seats it was required to maintain before the recent ruling. Alabama is trying to get the Supreme Court to let it redraw its two majority-Black seats.

"We should demand that State Legislatures do what the Supreme Court says must be done,” Trump wrote on social media on Sunday. “That is more important than administrative convenience.”

He said Republicans could gain 20 seats through redistricting.

Democrats have threatened to retaliate by splitting up conservative bastions in states like New York and Illinois, which would reallocate Republican voters to more liberal, urban districts.

With fewer limits — either legal or self-imposed — people expect the issue to become a perpetual race to squeeze every possible advantage out of legislative maps.

“It’s hard to know where it ends,” said Rick Hasen, a law professor at UCLA.

Partisans gleefully shared color-coded maps of California with all 54 House seats drawn for Democrats, or southern states with only a couple of blue districts. Most agreed that eventually it will be very hard for Democrats to get elected to the House in any Republican-run state, even if there are large swaths of blue-leaning terrain, and vice versa for Republicans in Democratic-run states.

That seems un-American, said Jonathan Cervas, a political scientist at Carnegie Mellon who’s redrawn maps on behalf of judges reviewing redistricting litigation. The country's system, he said, “was founded on this idea that it’s majority rule with minority rights.”

“There is no more rule of law in redistricting,” Cervas said. “There have to be some constraints, somewhere. Otherwise we don’t really have elections.”

Politicians' best tool to game elections

The arcane art of drawing legislative lines is the most powerful tool that politicians have for gaming elections. They can make districts an almost guaranteed win for their side by drawing lines that scoop up a majority of their voters and just enough of the opposition's supporters to ensure the other party cannot win that seat or the one next door, either.

Lawmakers have used the trick since the country's founding. Democratic gerrymanders helped the party hold onto the House through the Reagan revolution. After the 2010 midterms, Republican majorities in state legislatures allowed the GOP to draw districts to lock up control of the House even during President Barack Obama's reelection two years later.

However, that didn't prevent the “blue wave” in 2018, during Trump's first term, when Democrats retook the House. It was a reminder that even the most partisan gerrymanders may stifle shifts in public opinion but eventually crack as political tides turn.

“When you try to get every last ounce of blood from the stone you can end up shooting yourself in the foot,” said Michael Li of the liberal Brennan Center for Justice in New York.

Political coalitions also change, and voters that a party thinks will be reliable can switch sides. That's what's happened in the Trump era, as Democrats have expanded their support among wealthier and suburban voters and Republicans among Blacks and Latinos.

Although Republicans won't be able to exploit the full force of the Supreme Court ruling until after the November midterms, it will be challenging for Democrats to find enough seats to counter those gains.

Sean Trende, a political analyst who has drawn maps for Republicans, agreed that the court decision is likely to lead to partisan gerrymandering run amok. He said it's been hard to find neutral arbiters to rein in politicians who draw lines to benefit themselves.

The coming storm, Trende said, will be more of a symptom of polarization than its root cause.

“All our institutions are broken. We don't speak a common political language,” Trende said. “This is what you get.”

The question of whether fashion is art has long been topic of conversation for fashion insiders, and this first Monday in May the dress code is leaving nothing up for debate.

The dress code for the starry fundraising event calls for guests to “express their relationship to fashion as an embodied art form."

Fashion has long drawn inspiration from works of art, leaving guests with no shortage of artistic references to show off.

Embodying art

But will guests pull from the fashion archives on Monday or wear custom artistic creations from fashion houses?

Archival fashion looks have become a red carpet phenomenon with fashion savvy stars wanting to get their hands on some of the rarer pieces of fashion history.

Designer Elsa Schiaparelli famously collaborated in 1937 with Spanish artist Salvador Dalí to design a white silk dress with a lobster printed on the front. Years later, Yves Saint Laurent would design shift dresses filled with Piet Mondrian’s blocks of color in 1965, and more recently, Marc Jacobs collaborated with artist Takashi Murakami in 2002 to add his designs to Louis Vuitton.

Monday’s carpet is also chance for celebrities to deliver their own performance art.

The late designer Alexander McQueen was heavily regarded by fashion insiders as an artist. He closed his Spring 1999 show with a piece of performance art when machines sprayed Shalom Harlow’s white dress with black and yellow spray paint as she posed on a rotating turntable.

Past Gala dress codes have honored designers and pulled from literature. Last year, the art of tailoring was center stage with the dress code “Tailored for you.” The high-profile event raises money for the museum's Costume Institute, and each year the dress code for the gala takes cues from the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition.

On display this Spring, the “Costume Art” exhibit will “examine the centrality of the dressed body.”

The relationship between fashion and art has not always been embraced. Art historian and author Nancy Hall-Duncan writes in her book, “Art X Fashion: Fashion Inspired by Art” that in the 19th century, art was perceived as classical and fashion was frivolous.

When Yves Saint Laurent held the Met’s first fashion exhibit in 1983, the exhibit was met with heavy criticism. Since then, the museum has held countless fashion exhibits throughout the years with museums around the world following suit. The Louvre put on its first fashion exhibition “Louvre couture” last year.

The dress code set by Wintour and the Met's Costume Institute curator, Andrew Bolton, is the final seal of approval that fashion is art, Hall-Duncan told The Associated Press.

“Isn’t that a giant step?” she said. “It will indeed change perceptions.”

How to watch the Met Gala carpet and celebrity looks

Didn't snag one of the pricey tickets or a spot on the ultra-exclusive guestlist?

The red carpet spectacle is available for all to watch online with the Vogue livestream. Ashley Graham, La La Anthony and Cara Delevingne will be hosting the livestream starting at 6 p.m. with Emma Chamberlain interviewing guests throughout the night.

The Associated Press will have a livestream of celebrities leaving a pair of New York hotels on their way to the gala beginning at 4:30 p.m. on APNews.com and YouTube. It's the first chance to see what attendees will be wearing before they hit the gala's carpet.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Sam Raimi’s movie “Send Help” starring Rachel McAdams, a TV series based on the unassuming, oft-forgotten Jane Austen sister Mary leads “The Other Bennet Sister” and country star Ashley McBryde heading into the “Wild” on her latest album.

New movies to stream from May 4-10

— “The Drama,” starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson, arrives Tuesday on premium on demand after a much-talked-about run in theaters. The film, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, recently became the fifth A24 release to clear $100 million at the box office. Pattinson and Zendaya play a couple whose wedding engagement is derailed after a disquieting revelation. In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote that the film “wastes two of the planet’s most gorgeous people and will surely get everyone involved in trouble for using a current American tragedy as a plot point.”

— In Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” a woman (Rachel McAdams) and her overbearing boss (Dylan O’Brien) are stranded on an deserted island after a plane crash. Raimi’s comic survivalist thriller grows increasingly unhinged as their roles reverse. After a theatrical run earlier this year, it debuts Thursday on Hulu.

— The Netflix adaptation “Remarkably Bright Creatures” (streaming Friday, May 8) turns Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel into a film starring Sally Field as a widow working at an aquarium. There, she develops a healing bond with a giant Pacific octopus. Lewis Pullman co-stars.

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

New music to stream from May 4-10

— The synth-pop group MUNA will release their fourth studio album on Friday, May 8. “Dancing on the Wall” arrives just in time for the approaching warmth — and hedonistic decision-making — of summer. It’s tank top party-pop for the once-heartbroken, now-victorious crowd (like what is found on “So What” and the familiar sounds of the title track) and whoever is the object of affection on the too-fun “Wannabeher.”

— Also on Friday: Country star Ashley McBryde heads into the “Wild” on her latest album. It is her most personal and most rock ‘n’ roll collection yet, embodying McBryde’s fiery spirit found on “Lines in the Carpet,” a cutting treatise on domesticity, the heartfelt mission statement of the title track and everywhere in-between. The record opens with four barnburners fans will recognize as staples of her live show — “Rattlesnake Preacher,” “Arkansas Mud,” “Water in the River” and “Creosote” — and diversifies from there. Expect big feelings and a playful, wizened heart.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from May 4-10

— If you're a Jane Austen devotee who loved “Pride and Prejudice,” you'll recall that Elizabeth and Jane aren't the only two daughters in the Bennet family. A new series called “The Other Bennet Sister” follows the introspective and awkward but adorable Mary, played by Ella Bruccoleri. Mary steps out of the shadows of her other siblings and finds romance and independence. The show is already a hit in the UK and on social media. Mary gets her time to shine beginning Wednesday on BritBox.

— From the backwoods lakes of the Ozarks to the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys, Bill Dubuque, a co-creator of “Ozark,” has created a new series set against the drug world called “M.I.A.” In this crime drama, a daughter who wants nothing more than to separate herself from her family's drug-running business is pulled into a quest for vengeance after it's destroyed. All nine episodes drop Thursday on Peacock.

— Dan Stevens is wrongfully committed to a mental hospital where he must battle both supernatural and psychological demons in “The Terror: Devil in Silver.” This “Terror” is the third season of a horror anthology. Besides Stevens, the series features an impressive cast including CCH Pounder, Judith Light and John Benjamin Hickey. It premieres Thursday on both Shudder and AMC+.

— Another classic gets reimagined in the new “Amadeus” limited-series starring Will Sharpe and Paul Bettany. Sharpe plays superstar composer Amadeus Mozart and Bettany is Antonio Salieri, also a successful composer of the time whom history has cast as the lesser talent. Salieri becomes increasingly obsessed with achieving the respect and acclaim that Mozart enjoys. It premieres on Starz on Friday, May 8.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from May 4-10

— Annapurna Interactive’s Mixtape includes tunes by Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Cure, Smashing Pumpkins, Roxy Music and Devo — the kind of alt-rock you might expect in a movie like “Sixteen Candles” or “Dazed and Confused.” So, yes, we’re back in the 1990s, with three teenagers seeking adventure on their last night of high school. That means skateboarding, sneaking beers, making out, looking for trouble, running from trouble and, to judge from the trailer, floating through space. You can press play Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 or PC.

— The soundtrack to Wax Heads is more diverse, but all the bands are completely made up. You’ve landed a job at a gnarly store called Repeater Records, and you get to deal with an assortment of eccentric customers who may or may not know what they want. The result is a kind of puzzle game in which you have to sort through their suggestions to track down the perfect vinyl. Patattie Games, the two-person U.K. studio behind Wax Heads, calls it “cozy-punk.” Drop the needle Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch or PC.

— Lou Kesten

But the actor-comedian, currently starring in the Fox comedy “Going Dutch” and best known as the voice of Diego in the “Ice Age” movies, needed more donations for his Leary Firefighters Foundation. He came up with what he called a “crazy idea” to host a “Firefighter for a Day” event and teamed up with the Fire Department of New York and The FDNY Foundation to make it happen, in honor of International Firefighters Day celebrated every May 4.

Since 2016, the foundation’s Denis Leary FDNY Firefighter Challenge has been the only day each year when the FDNY Fire Academy on Randall’s Island in New York City is open to non-firefighters, who get a rare, hands-on opportunity to experience some of the training needed for emergency response.

“It was exciting from the get-go,” Leary told The Associated Press. “Now, 10 years in, it just gets better and better every year. It’s truly amazing.”

The participants train with actual firefighters and rush into burning buildings, carry in fire hoses to extinguish the flames, and search for survivors. They also rappel down buildings to safety.

Leary, who has long been connected to firefighters through the foundation and the long-running firehouse FX drama “Rescue Me,” said participants aren’t required to do anything they don’t want to. But once they see the teamwork and expertise involved, they often take on more than they planned.

He laughs when he remembers how “The Good Wife” star Julianna Margulies came one year, planning on being a coach rather than a participant when he left her with her new team.

“Maybe two hours later, I went over by the high-rise simulator and she was coming out in full bunker gear and she’s like, ‘I just rappelled down the side of the building!’” Leary said. “And I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ She’s like, ‘I know! I overcame all my fears.’”

Fire departments ‘fighting for every $100’

Because of Leary, the event draws a lot of actors, as well as athletes and corporations looking to lend their support. Each year, the event raises enough money for the foundation to make several additional grants to fire departments across the country to purchase new equipment or receive additional training they would otherwise not be able to afford, said David Morkal, retired FDNY battalion chief and a member of the Leary Firefighters Foundation board of directors.

“When we started this 10 years ago we were giving out maybe $200,000 in grants a year and now we’re giving out $850,000,” said Morkal, adding the foundation hopes to reach $1 million in grants this year. “There are volunteer fire departments out there that are fighting for every $100 they can get.”

The criteria for the gifts, Morkal says, remains the same today as it was when Leary started the foundation in 2000, following the tragic fire in Worcester, Massachusetts, that killed six firefighters, including Leary’s cousin and a childhood friend.

“His mission is to provide them with all the equipment and training that (firefighters) need to walk away from a fire after it’s out and go home to their families,” Morkal said. “That’s the kind of stuff we’re doing. We’re giving them training and equipment.”

John Tyson, assistant fire chief at the Talladega Fire Department in Alabama, said the forcible entry trainer that his department received from Leary’s foundation is used almost every day.

The equipment, which enables firefighters to quickly breach locked doors, makes the department more effective when it answers emergency calls, but it paled in comparison to high-priority items in the department’s always-tight budget, Tyson said. Having spent decades as both a firefighter and a paramedic, Tyson said he believes people appreciate the fire service, but they don’t always recognize that first responders often need support.

“We’re a small department in rural Alabama,” he said, adding how grateful he was that Leary’s foundation wanted to help. “It’s touching to me that someone who has achieved the success he has still wants to give back.”

Leary's foundation fills ‘the giant void’ of budget shortfalls

International Association of Fire Fighters General President Edward A. Kelly said he wished that the Leary Firefighters Foundation wasn’t needed, that fire departments were able to afford the equipment and training they need without philanthropic help.

“When you think about the core role of government, first and foremost, it is to protect its citizens and that’s what fire departments do every day,” said Kelly, whose union represents 360,000 firefighters and first responders in the U.S. and Canada. “We have a problem where fire departments in the United States are on budgets where they’re competing with a multitude of other demands on city government -- whether it’s the schools or new bridges or parks or anything that’ll get a politician reelected. That’s a flawed system.”

Kelly said Leary’s foundation stands in “the giant void,” trying to address the shortfalls created by the system. He adds that most fire departments in the country have equipment donated by the foundation, after its 26 years of gifts.

“We owe a great debt of gratitude to Denis and to all the people that have helped support the Leary Foundation,” he said. “Whatever will fill the gap that will prevent the next tragedy is well worth the investment.”

Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Leary hoped the federal government would make his foundation unnecessary.

“There was a brief moment about six months later when we thought, ‘Is the government gonna step in?’” he said. “It was the tiniest glimpse of hope but we realized, ‘No, of course not.’ But that’s OK. I love doing this.”

Leary said he is following the example of his friend Boston Bruins hockey great Cam Neely, now the team’s president, and his work supporting cancer patients at Tufts Medical Center.

“He was the first person I saw where I thought, ‘Wow, somebody famous can really make a difference,’” Leary said. “So by the time I had to do something, I had a good example of what you can use fame for.”

_____

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits 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. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Trump gave few details about what could be a sweeping attempt to help hundreds of vessels and some 20,000 seafarers. Iran quickly denounced the move as a ceasefire violation.

Trump said in a social media post on Sunday that “neutral and innocent” countries have been affected by the Iran war, and “we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”

“Project Freedom” would begin on Monday morning in the Middle East, Trump said, adding that his representatives are having discussions with Iran that could lead to something “very positive for all.”

U.S. Central Command said the initiative would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members. The Pentagon did not immediately answer questions about how they would be deployed.

Iran’s effective closure of the strait, imposed after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, has shaken global markets.

Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began. Crew members have described to The Associated Press seeing intercepted drones and missiles explode over the waters as their vessels run low on drinking water, food and other supplies. Many sailors come from India and other countries in South and Southeast Asia.

“They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote, and described the effort as a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran.” But he sounded a warning: “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency called Trump's announcement part of his “delirium,” and Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of Iran's parliament, said on X that any interference in the strait would be seen as a ceasefire violation.

Trump spoke hours after Iran said it was reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal to end the war and made clear these are not nuclear negotiations. The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.

Cargo ships attacked near the strait

Earlier Sunday, a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz said it was attacked by multiple small craft, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported, while another ship was hit by “unknown projectiles.” They were the latest in at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since the Iran war began, and a reminder of the risks if the new U.S. effort goes forward.

No injuries were reported.

They were the first reported attacks in the area since April 22. Tehran has effectively closed the strait by attacking and threatening ships, and the threat level in the area remains critical.

The first ship was an unidentified cargo ship traveling north near Sirik, Iran, east of the strait, the British monitor said. Iranian officials have asserted that they control the strait and that ships not affiliated with the United States or Israel can pass if they pay a toll, challenging the freedom of navigation guaranteed by international law.

Iran denied an attack, the semiofficial Iranian outlets Fars and Tabnak reported, and said a passing ship had been stopped for a documents check as part of monitoring.

Iranian patrol boats, some powered only by twin outboard motors, are small, nimble and hard to detect. Trump last month ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats that deploy mines in the strait.

The second ship was a tanker that reported being struck around 11:40 p.m. Sunday while off Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

The British military monitor also said Sunday that ships near Ras al-Khaimah, the northernmost emirate in the United Arab Emirates and close to the strait, reported receiving radio warnings to move from anchorages. It was not clear who sent the VHF messages.

Iran reviews US response to its latest proposal

Tehran is reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal to end the war, Iran’s judiciary Mizan news agency cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying.

But “at this stage, we have no nuclear negotiations,” Baghaei said. Iran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium have long been the central issue in tensions with the U.S., but Tehran would rather address it later.

Iran’s proposal wants other issues resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to Iran’s state-linked media. Trump on Saturday said he was reviewing the proposal but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal.

Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing forces from the region and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semiofficial Nour News and Tasnim agencies, which have close ties to Iran's security organizations.

Pakistan's prime minister, foreign minister and army chief continue to encourage the U.S. and Iran to speak directly, according to two officials in Pakistan who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Pakistan hosted face-to-face talks last month and has passed messages between the two sides.

Iran stands firm on Strait of Hormuz

Trump has offered a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of the world’s trade in oil and natural gas typically passes, along with fertilizer badly needed by farmers around the world and other petroleum-derived products.

Tehran “will not back down from our position on the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its prewar conditions,” Iran’s deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, said earlier Sunday.

The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran in any form, including digital assets, to transit the strait safely.

Meanwhile, the U.S. naval blockade since April 13 is depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. The U.S. Central Command on Sunday said 49 commercial ships have been told to turn back.

“We think that they’ve gotten less than $1.3 million in tolls, which is a pittance on their previous daily oil revenues,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Sunday. He said Iran's oil storage is rapidly filling up and "they’re going to have to start shutting in wells, which we think could be in the next week.”

___

Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Elliott stayed ahead of Denny Hamlin for the closing four laps after a final restart at Texas on Sunday for his second victory this year. He finished just ahead of Hamlin in both of those wins.

On that final restart at the 1 1/2-mile Texas track, Elliott took the bottom line and had teammate Alex Bowman behind him. He cleared Hamlin going onto the backstretch and remained in front to the checkered flag.

“I just felt like, man, if I didn’t get clear off of (Turn) 2, I was going to be in a lot trouble,” Elliott said. “So fortunately Alex gave me a great push. I was able to execute Turns 1 and 2, get clear, and then just kind of manage the last few laps.”

Elliott, voted NASCAR’s most popular driver each of the past eight seasons, got his 23rd career win and his second at Texas, where two years ago he ended a 42-race winless streak. He led five times Sunday for a race-high 87 laps, finishing 0.407 seconds ahead of Hamlin, closer than the 0.565-second margin when they finished 1-2 at Martinsville in late March.

Bowman, whose spin brought out a caution on lap 93, finished third. Tyler Reddick was fourth after winning five of the first 10 races this season for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing.

Hamlin said the late push Elliott got from his teammate was the difference in Texas.

“It was just enough to slow my momentum and pick his momentum up,” Hamlin said. “Good, decent day, just one (spot) short.”

Elliott, who started 14th, had already taken the white flag when John Hunter Nemechek wrecked in the back of the field after contact with Kyle Busch. The caution flag never came out since Nemechek was able to get his car to the apron.

Chris Buescher was fifth, his first top-10 finish in 17 starts at track less than an hour from his hometown of Prosper.

Carson Hocevar, the polesitter at Texas for the second year in a row, finished seventh, a week after his breakthrough win at Talladega. He also won the Truck Series race in the Lone Star State on Friday night. He finished a spot behind Daniel Suarez, his Spire Motorsports teammate.

Hocevar led the first 22 laps last year, three more than he did at the start of this 267-lap race, though he did get back in front for 18 more laps later Sunday.

Corey Heim, in only his third start this year for 23XI Racing, led 69 laps, but with 11 laps left brought out the final caution of the day, the fourth because of a single-car spinout. The 23-year-old Heim was the Truck Series champion last year.

Christopher Bell, an Oklahoma native who considers Texas his home track, led 22 laps and was still near the front on lap 69 when he got clipped by Todd Gilliland, who spun ahead of him.

Bell bobbled and then slammed hard into the outside wall along the frontstretch, doing significant damage to the front right of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He finished last in the 38-car field.

“I thought that I could shoot the gap on the bottom,” said Bell, who had led only six laps total his first seven starts in Texas. “I thought I did shoot the gap on the bottom but I got clipped.”

Joey Logano, who won at Texas last year, was going about 180 mph when he just avoided hitting the spinning car of Byron on lap 93.

Going much slower on the ensuing yellow-flag stop, the front left of Logano’s car was crushed when he was unable to avoid contact when Cole Custer stopped on pit lane with Ty Gibbs pulling out ahead of him. That knocked out Logano, whose winless streak is now 36 races.

During that same round of stops, Chase Briscoe got damage to his front right when pulling out of his box and getting hit by Kyle Larson. Hamlin was pulling out when he had a close call with Connor Zilisch.

The 2.45-mile road course at Watkins Glen in upstate New York, where last year Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing became only the third driver to win four consecutive Cup races on road or street courses. In the first road race this year, Reddick held off van Gisbergen to win at the 2.4-mile Circuit of the Americas on March 1.

The Generals men’s team captured its second straight ODAC title and 14th overall, rolling past Lynchburg 18-8 in the championship game at Wilson Field. Washington and Lee seized control early, building a 7-1 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.

A balanced offensive effort powered the Generals, with multiple players scoring at least two goals in the decisive victory. The win secured back-to-back conference crowns and reinforced Washington and Lee’s position atop the league after also claiming the regular-season title.

On the women’s side, the Generals extended one of the most remarkable streaks in Division III lacrosse history, edging Randolph-Macon 8-6 to claim their 16th consecutive ODAC championship.

Washington and Lee broke a 6-6 tie midway through the fourth quarter when Lara Baki converted a free-position opportunity, and Hannah Van Son added an insurance goal in the final minutes to seal the victory.

The tightly contested game featured multiple momentum swings, with both teams tied at halftime and again entering the final period. The Generals’ defense held firm late, limiting Randolph-Macon’s chances down the stretch.

The title marked the program’s 26th ODAC championship overall and its 16th straight, continuing a run of conference dominance that spans more than a decade.

The spokesperson, Ted Goodman, didn't say what sent Giuliani, 81, to the hospital, how long he's been there or what his prognosis is.

“Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak,” Goodman said in a statement. He said that Giuliani “remains in critical but stable condition."

Giuliani’s eight-year tenure as the mayor of the nation's largest city was punctuated by the 9/11 attack in his final months in office, and he became celebrated as “America’s mayor” for his leadership after the 2001 al-Qaida terrorist attack that felled the World Trade Center twin towers.

Giuliani later made an unsuccessful run for president and was an adviser to President Donald Trump, spearheading his efforts to stay in office after his 2020 election loss.

Last year, Trump said he was awarding Giuliani the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Giuliani coughed as he began his nightly online show "America’s Mayor Live” on Friday. As he spoke, he sounded more raspy than usual. Before launching into a commentary on the Iran war, he remarked: “My voice is a little under the weather, so I won’t be able to speak as loudly as I usually do, but I’ll get closer to the microphone.”

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Giuliani “a True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR.”

“What a tragedy that he was treated so badly by the Radical Left Lunatics, Democrats ALL — AND HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!" Trump wrote. "They cheated on the Elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did anything possible to destroy our Nation, and now, look at Rudy. So sad!”

As Trump’s personal attorney and adviser, Giuliani became a vocal proponent of the president's allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.

Two former Georgia elections workers later won a $148 million defamation judgment against Giuliani. As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets.

Giuliani ultimately struck a deal that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers.

Giuliani was previously hospitalized last September after suffering a fractured vertebra and other injuries in a car crash in New Hampshire.

A native New Yorker, Giuliani was elected mayor in 1993 after serving as one of the nation’s highest-profile federal prosecutors, taking on mobsters and crooked Wall Street traders.

He ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000 but abandoned his race against Hillary Rodham Clinton after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In 2007, Giuliani ran for president. Buoyed by his post-9/11 popularity, he started as the front-runner for the Republican nomination. But that was short-lived. He withdrew from the race after struggling in the primaries amid GOP concerns about his past support for abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, and questions about his personal life and business ties to the Middle East.

He toyed with running for other offices before pivoting to political commentary.

In 2016, Trump leaned on Giuliani’s political acumen and loyalty and put him to work as a surrogate leading attacks on Clinton, his Democratic rival. After Trump won, Giuliani continued as his attack dog, even traveling to Ukraine to seek damaging information about Biden’s son, Hunter.

___

Weber reported from Los Angeles.

The airline said none of the passengers or 10 crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 169 were injured.

The New Jersey State Police said a landing tire and the underside of the plane also hit a truck, and the light pole then struck a Jeep that was on the highway. The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and was released, said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Boeing 767 aircraft landed safely after it “came into contact with a light pole” on its final approach to Newark.

Aircraft landing on one of the main runways at Newark come sailing in, low, over multiple lanes of traffic on the Turnpike, which is one of the most congested parts of Interstate 95. The runway begins a stone’s throw from the edge of the highway.

Officials with the port authority confirmed that an object was struck and that a delivery truck on the turnpike at the time also was damaged. Minor damage to the aircraft was observed, airport staff inspected the runway for debris and normal operations were quickly resumed, according to the port authority.

United said its maintenance team was evaluating damage to the aircraft and that the crew was removed from service while it conducts a “rigorous” flight safety investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board said an NTSB investigator would arrive in Newark on Monday and that it had directed United to provide the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder for the investigation.

A preliminary report was expected within 30 days, the NTSB said.

Alex Newhook broke a tie with 8:53 left and Montreal — with only nine shots on goal — outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 7 on Sunday night to end the thrilling first-round series.

The Canadiens will face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round after finishing off their first series victory since losing the Stanley Cup Final to Tampa Bay in 2021. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Buffalo.

Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes made 28 saves and Nick Suzuki got his first goal of the series for Montreal. The Canadiens are the first team to win a playoff game with fewer than 10 shots on goal since shots were first tracked in the 1959-60 season.

“Sometimes you win the game and not the score,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “When it's Game 7, there's no moral victory.”

Each game of the series was decided by one goal and four went to overtime. The score was tied or within one goal for all but six minutes in the seven games.

“It's a tough building to play in, it's a chaotic environment out there,” Suzuki said. “We've been a good road team all season. We knew we had to come in here and anything can happen in a Game 7.”

The Lightning were eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight season after falling two wins short of a Stanley Cup three-peat in 2022.

Tampa Bay’s tough defense held the Canadiens without a shot for nearly 27 minutes from the first period into the third and just four through two periods. Brandon Hagel made an outstanding, sliding stick save with an open net in the final minute but the Lightning couldn't get the tying goal during a 6-on-5 and 6-on-4 for the final six seconds.

Montreal got a couple lucky bounces to score twice on its first eight shots on goal.

After Lane Hutson fired a slap shot that went wide and bounced back out, Newhook backhanded the puck out of the air and in off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s pad and his backside.

“Great hand-eye coordination by Newy,” Suzuki said. “He's been a big-game player. I'm definitely happy for him.”

Playing in front of their 461st consecutive sellout crowd and hundreds more fans watching from Thunder Alley outside Benchmark International Arena, the Lightning lost for the 11th time in their last 13 playoff games at home, including three times in this series.

“You can't lose three at home,” Hagel said.

The Canadiens didn’t have a shot on net in the second period despite two power-play chances. They became the first team to have zero shots in a playoff period since Pittsburgh in Game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals against Nashville.

Dominic James tipped in Charle-Edouard D’Astous’ one-timer from just inside the blue line to tie it at 1 on a power play in the second period.

Suzuki opened the scoring 1:21 left in the first. After scoring 29 goals in the regular season, Suzuki needed a lucky bounce to get one. His redirection of Kaiden Guhle’s slap shot was heading wide but the puck hit Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser and went in.

Montreal’s Martin St. Louis, a Hockey Hall of Famer whose No. 26 is retired by the Lightning, became the fifth player to appear in a Game 7 for a team and coach against them in another.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Cunningham averaged 32.4 points for Detroit, which last won a postseason series by beating Orlando in the second round in 2008. The Pistons advance to play the winner of Sunday night's Game 7 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors. Game 1 will be Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena.

“We were pushed to the limit," Cunningham said. "And it made us really reflect on how we were playing, what got us to this position and what made us win as many games as we won in the regular season. And it got us back to playing the basketball that we knew we were capable of.”

The Pistons became the 15th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and the second in the last two nights, after the Philadelphia 76ers came back to eliminate Boston.

“I mean, it's expected,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his team's resiliency. “And that's the amount of belief that we have in this group. This is a special group. And you can't count us out. No matter the circumstances, no matter the situation, I like our chances to fight our way back.”

They trailed by 24 points in Game 6 in Orlando before rallying to take the series at home. Orlando only scored 113 points in the final six quarters of the series — an average of 18.8 per period.

Cunningham and Harris became the first Pistons teammates to score 30 points in a playoff game since Bob Lanier (33) and Howard Porter (30) against the Golden State Warriors on April 17, 1977.

“We really bonded this season," Cunningham said. "This group is super tight. We think we can do anything. We've had our backs against the wall at times in the regular season, but we stuck together and we found our way out of it.”

Paolo Banchero scored 38 for the Magic.

Each team needed a second scoring option in Game 7. Cunningham had carried the Pistons while Banchero was Orlando's only weapon after Franz Wagner was injured in Game 4.

Harris filled that role for Detroit, but Orlando only had one other player reach double figures in the first three quarters, as Desmond Bane had 10.

“We just couldn’t find the basket,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We were playing well on defense, but we couldn’t put the ball in the hole.”

The Pistons also got a big game from All-Star center Jalen Duren. He was outplayed by Wendell Carter Jr. in the first six games, but put up his first double-double of the series with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

Harris scored 17 points in the second quarter as the Pistons finished the half on a 9-2 run to take a 60-49 lead.

The Pistons' surge continued into the second half, as they opened the third quarter with a 11-2 run to go up 71-51. Nine of the points came from Cunningham and Harris.

The Magic finished the third quarter with 15 points — the third time in their last five periods they couldn't reach 20 points.

Daniss Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Detroit a 83-64 lead going into the fourth, and the Magic never threatened down the stretch.

“They fought and battled the whole way," Mosley said. "We just didn’t get the job done.”

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

In a statement to The Associated Press, WHO said an investigation was underway but that at least one case of hantavirus had been confirmed. One of the patients was in intensive care in a South African hospital, the U.N. health agency said, and it was working with authorities to evacuate two others with symptoms from the ship.

The Dutch company that operates the cruise said the ship was now sitting off the coast of Cape Verde, an island nation off Africa's west coast, and local authorities were assisting but had not allowed anyone to disembark. It said the two sick people onboard requiring urgent medical care were crew members.

Hantavirus infections are spread mainly by rodents

Hantaviruses, which are found throughout the world, are a family of viruses spread mainly by contact with the urine or feces of infected rodents like rats and mice. They gained attention after the late actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from hantavirus infection in New Mexico last year.

Hackman died around a week later at their home from heart disease.

Hantaviruses cause two serious syndromes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe disease that effects the lungs, and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, a severe disease that affects the kidneys.

While rare, WHO said hantavirus infections can be spread between people. There is no specific treatment or cure, but early medical attention can increase the chance of survival.

“WHO is aware of and supporting a public health event involving a cruise vessel sailing in the Atlantic Ocean," the organization said. "Detailed investigations are ongoing, including further laboratory testing, and epidemiological investigations. Medical care and support are being provided to passengers and crew. Sequencing of the virus is also ongoing.”

The weekslong cruise started in Argentina

South Africa's Department of Health said the ship, the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, had left Argentina around three weeks ago for a cruise that included visits to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and other stops. It was due to ultimately head to Spain's Canary Islands on the other side of the Atlantic.

The first victim was a 70-year-old man who died on the ship and whose body was removed in the British territory of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, the South African health department said in a statement. The man's wife collapsed at an airport in South Africa trying to take a flight to her home country of the Netherlands, the department said. She died at a nearby hospital.

The department identified the patient in intensive care in a hospital in Johannesburg as a British national. It said that person fell ill near Ascension Island, another remote island in the Atlantic, after the ship left Saint Helena and was transferred from there to South Africa.

Around 150 passengers were onboard

Around 150 tourists were onboard at the time of the outbreak, South Africa's health department said. Several online tour operators said the Hondius, which is described as a specialist polar cruise ship, usually travels with around 70 crew members.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the company that runs the cruise, said the third victim's body was still onboard the ship in Cape Verde and its priority was to ensure the two crew members who were ill received medical care.

“Local health authorities have visited the vessel to assess the condition of the two symptomatic individuals,” the company said. “They are yet to make a decision regarding the transfer of these individuals into medical care in Cape Verde.”

WHO said it was working with national authorities and the ship's operators to conduct a “full public health risk assessment” and provide support for those still onboard.

South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases, meanwhile, was conducting contact tracing in the Johannesburg region to identify if other people were exposed to the infected passengers in South Africa.

Elliott stayed ahead of Denny Hamlin for the closing four laps after a final restart at Texas on Sunday for his second victory this year. He finished just ahead of Hamlin in both of those wins.

On that final restart at the 1 1/2-mile Texas track, Elliott took the bottom line and had teammate Alex Bowman behind him. He cleared Hamlin going onto the backstretch and remained in front to the checkered flag.

“I just felt like, man, if I didn’t get clear off of (Turn) 2, I was going to be in a lot trouble,” Elliott said. “So fortunately Alex gave me a great push. I was able to execute Turns 1 and 2, get clear, and then just kind of manage the last few laps.”

Elliott, voted NASCAR's most popular driver each of the past eight seasons, got his 23rd career win and his second at Texas, where two years ago he ended a 42-race winless streak. He led five times Sunday for a race-high 87 laps, finishing 0.407 seconds ahead of Hamlin, closer than the 0.565-second margin when they finished 1-2 at Martinsville in late March.

Bowman, whose spin brought out a caution on lap 93, finished third. Tyler Reddick was fourth after winning five of the first 10 races this season for Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing.

Hamlin said the late push Elliott got from his teammate was the difference in Texas.

“It was just enough to slow my momentum and pick his momentum up,” Hamlin said. “Good, decent day, just one (spot) short.”

Elliott, who started 14th, had already taken the white flag when John Hunter Nemechek wrecked in the back of the field after contact with Kyle Busch. The caution flag never came out since Nemechek was able to get his car to the apron.

Chris Buescher was fifth, his first top-10 finish in 17 starts at track less than an hour from his hometown of Prosper.

Carson Hocevar, the polesitter at Texas for the second year in a row, finished seventh, a week after his breakthrough win at Talladega. He also won the Truck Series race in the Lone Star State on Friday night. He finished a spot behind Daniel Suarez, his Spire Motorsports teammate.

Hocevar led the first 22 laps last year, three more than he did at the start of this 267-lap race, though he did get back in front for 18 more laps later Sunday.

Corey Heim, in only his third start this year for 23XI Racing, led 69 laps, but with 11 laps left brought out the final caution of the day, the fourth because of a single-car spinout. The 23-year-old Heim was the Truck Series champion last year.

Bell rung out of the race

Christopher Bell, an Oklahoma native who considers Texas his home track, led 22 laps and was still near the front on lap 69 when he got clipped by Todd Gilliland, who spun ahead of him.

Bell bobbled and then slammed hard into the outside wall along the frontstretch, doing significant damage to the front right of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He finished last in the 38-car field.

“I thought that I could shoot the gap on the bottom,” said Bell, who had led only six laps total his first seven starts in Texas. “I thought I did shoot the gap on the bottom but I got clipped.”

Pit road crashes

Joey Logano, who won at Texas last year, was going about 180 mph when he just avoided hitting the spinning car of Byron on lap 93.

Going much slower on the ensuing yellow-flag stop, the front left of Logano’s car was crushed when he was unable to avoid contact when Cole Custer stopped on pit lane with Ty Gibbs pulling out ahead of him. That knocked out Logano, whose winless streak is now 36 races.

During that same round of stops, Chase Briscoe got damage to his front right when pulling out of his box and getting hit by Kyle Larson. Hamlin was pulling out when he had a close call with Connor Zilisch.

Up next

The 2.45-mile road course at Watkins Glen in upstate New York, where last year Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing became only the third driver to win four consecutive Cup races on road or street courses. In the first road race this year, Reddick held off van Gisbergen to win at the 2.4-mile Circuit of the Americas on March 1.

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

GFD said they responded to the 1900 block of Millstone Road in the Woodlawn area around 8:28 a.m. on Sunday. Upon arrival, they found a fully invilved single family residence. They said their notification was delayed due to the area having “zero cell service.”

Authorities said units from Hillsville and Cana assisted, but the home was a total loss.

The fire department said all five family members escaped the fire, and the American Red Cross is assisting the family as they stay with relatives.

We will update you with more information as it becomes available.

The sheriff’s offices of Alleghany County, Carroll County, Franklin County and Wythe County have said they have received multiple calls regarding the following scam over text:

If you receive one of these text messages, do not respond, do not click any links, do not scan any QR codes found in the image, and do not give any personal information.

Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office said law enforcement agencies will not contact you via text message or email. If you have any concerns regarding a legal or court matter, contact the court directly using a trusted phone number or the court’s website. Do not use any of the contact information listed in the scam text.

The Virginia average has surpassed $4 a gallon, according to AAA, part of a broader surge that analysts tie to rising tensions connected to the Iran conflict. The spike marks a four-year high for gas prices, and experts warn relief may not come quickly.

“And now I feel like I got to budget a little bit more to save more money,” said Wafeeq Ali, a local resident.

Global conflict, local pain

The problem extends well beyond Virginia — or even the United States.

At the center of the issue is the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea lane through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil passes. When tensions rise in that region, global supply tightens and pump prices follow.

A viewer who wrote to 10 News captured the contrast in stark terms.

“Although I don’t like the increases, our gas prices are not as high as international prices other than oil-producing countries,” the viewer wrote. “In Europe, regular gas is in between $7-$10 a gallon.”

Some European nations are already responding by temporarily cutting fuel taxes to ease the burden on drivers. In parts of Asia, governments are purchasing and storing extra oil reserves and signing emergency supply deals to hedge against further disruptions.

Trump weighs in

President Donald Trump acknowledged the pressure at the pump while defending his administration’s approach to Iran.

“We are really doing well. Now, gasoline is high. Other prices are way down, but gasoline is high,” Trump said. “But when this is over, you’ll have a world without a nuclear weapon with Iran. If you allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, the world would be in great jeopardy.”

U.S. oil production offers cushion — but not immunity

The United States produces more oil than any other country, which provides some insulation from global shocks. However, American prices remain tied to international markets.

Higher overseas demand and record U.S. exports are shrinking the supply available for domestic consumers — a dynamic that is keeping prices elevated even at home.

“We’ve already lost a billion barrels of oil due to the shutdown, and now U.S. exports of oil and products are also hitting new records as countries start buying our oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

What comes next

Analysts say how long prices remain elevated will depend largely on whether tensions overseas ease and global oil supply stabilizes. Until then, drivers and air travelers around the world will likely continue to feel the financial strain.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday after a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals that he believes in his star to “come out of it at some point.”

“He certainly has high standards,” Roberts said. “We all do of him. I know he’s frustrated, but you can’t tell from his demeanor."

Ohtani’s 0-for-3 day pushed him to 0 for 14 over his last four games, his longest hitless streak since going 0 for 12 over five games with the Los Angeles Angels from May 24-28, 2022.

Ohtani’s struggles have mirrored those of the team around him. The Dodgers have not homered in six straight games for the first time since going homerless in eight straight from July 10-21, 2014.

Freddie Freeman went 2 for 4 and drove in a run in Sunday’s win that snapped a four-game losing streak in which the Dodgers scored two runs or fewer in every game.

“Offensively, we just haven’t been very good the last week,” Freeman said. “Just call spade a spade sometimes. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. We just haven’t been very good, and we’ve got to be better.”

Ohtani drew a walk in the third inning to snap a streak of ten straight plate appearances without reaching base, and his 12 hitless at bats versus the Cardinals are his most in a single series in his career.

“There’s a little bit of a mechanics part that he’s been talking about, and I thought we kind of figured that out at home,” Roberts said. “This series, I don’t think he felt great, in between a little bit on the pulled grounders, getting beat with the fly balls to the big part of the field, so a little in between, I think. But, safe to say, fair to say that he’ll figure it out soon.”

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

The game remained tied through four innings before Virginia Wesleyan, who entered the game 41-0, pushed across three runs in the fifth and added another in the sixth to eliminate Roanoke from the ODAC tournament.

Roanoke pitcher Baylee Compton held the undefeated Marlins in check early, tossing a complete game and keeping the contest scoreless into the middle innings.

Virginia Wesleyan’s Emma Adams turned in a dominant performance in the circle, allowing just three hits over seven innings without issuing a walk while striking out two.

The loss ends the season for Roanoke (22-20), which had built momentum entering Sunday after winning 12 of its final 19 games. The Maroons advanced in the tournament with victories over Guilford and Lynchburg a day earlier.

Edwards will be listed as questionable for Monday night’s series opener, the Timberwolves said.

The All-Star guard, who averaged 36.7 points in three games against San Antonio this season, has been “cleared for on-court basketball activities,” the Timberwolves said Sunday.

Edwards was hurt in Game 4 of Minnesota’s first-round series against Denver and diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise.

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

While we are enjoying a beautiful Sunday, an unsettled weather pattern looks to set up for us for about the next week or so.

Our first chance for passing showers and storms lies Wednesday into Thursday, with another chance for rain next weekend. We need the rain and it appears as though we should see 0.5-1.5″ of rain (estimate) over the 7 days (through next Sunday).

After a cool weekend, temperatures will go up soon. Monday through Wednesday will all be warm, with Tuesday looking to be the warmest (some 80s in the forecast).

Behind a cold front mid-week, we will cool down a bit by week’s end.

Cold weather alerts are still in place this morning for the majority of the viewing area, barring Lynchburg and Southside. These are extremely warranted as temperatures have taken a dive into the 20s and 30s. You’ll for sure need the big coat as you step outside this morning.

We are in good company with those below-average temperatures stretching as far west as New Mexico! With our next pattern change, we warm up a bit, but this will not be a long-standing change.

Looking at the CPC outlook, our overall temperatures will remain below average through mid-May. Don’t put the jacket away just yet!

Today’s forecast remains dry and cool, but that changes Monday! More rainfall is on deck, starting with widely scattered showers Monday morning. Don’t forget the umbrella as you’re headed out the door!

Temperatures warm up mid-week with another chance for showers and storms arriving Wednesday and Thursday. This will also bring the chance for much-needed rain. Have a great day!

The two players who have been at the heart of Inter Milan's success in recent seasons carried the club to the Italian league soccer title with a 2-0 victory over visiting Parma on Sunday.

Inter, which needed only a draw to secure the trophy, moved an unassailable 12 points clear of 2025 champion Napoli with three rounds remaining.

It’s Inter’s 21st Serie A title, trailing only the record 36 held by Juventus, and third in six years. But Inter hadn’t sealed the title before its home fans at the San Siro since the 1989 title — nearly four decades ago.

When the game was over, there were fireworks, dancing and plenty of celebrations.

Thuram scored just before the break with an angled shot placed just beyond the reach of Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Then 37-year-old Henrikh Mkhitaryan added another in the 80th after taking a pass from Serie A scoring leader Lautaro, who came off the bench to mark his return from an injury layoff.

Thuram was born in Parma while his father, Lilian Thuram, played there.

“Since I arrived at Inter, it’s been a team that loves to stay together — on and off the field — and that’s our strength,” Thuram said.

For Cristian Chivu, Inter’s first-year coach, the trophy was secured against the club he coached last season — having helped Parma avoid relegation.

Chivu, who was hired to replace the departed Simone Inzaghi nearly a year ago, played on the Inter team that won a treble under José Mourinho in 2010.

In the running for two trophies this season, Inter will face Lazio in the Italian Cup final in 10 days.

The domestic success has come in sharp contrast to Inter’s ouster from this season’s Champions League playoffs by tiny Norwegian club Bodø/Glimt. Last season, Inter was routed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.

Still, it’s an improvement from last season’s Serie A when Inter finished one point behind Napoli.

"(Chivu) did so well bringing fresh energy, enthusiasm," Lautaro said. “After four great years with Simone, perhaps we needed a change of scenery after that Champions League final. Chivu made sure everyone felt involved and could even train with a smile. That really helped.”

Inter midfielder Nicolò Barella was reminded how he was a leader on the Italy team that failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

“That’s football and life. There are difficult moments,” Barella said. “For example, last season we came so close to everything and won nothing. In life you’ve always got to get back up on your feet.”

AC Milan and Juventus at risk

While Inter was celebrating, AC Milan and Juventus were at risk of losing their Champions League places.

Milan was reduced to 10 men and beaten 2-0 at Sassuolo for its fourth loss in seven matches. Then Juventus drew 1-1 with relegated Hellas Verona.

Third-placed Milan was left only two points ahead of fourth-placed Juventus, which is just three points ahead of fifth-placed Como, which is trying to get into the top four and secure a Champions League spot.

Three rounds remain in the Italian league.

Domenico Berardi scored early on for Sassuolo for his 12th career goal against Milan and Fikayo Tomori was sent off before Armand Lauriente doubled the advantage after the break.

Milan has scored only one goal in its last five matches.

Christian Pulisic, who came on in the second half, extended his goalless streak to a career-high 17 league matches.

Vlahovic equalizes for Juventus

Juventus also dropped points at home against Verona but extended its unbeaten run to nine matches.

Kieron Bowie put Verona ahead after intercepting a pass from Juventus defender Gleison Bremer then Dusan Vlahovic equalized for Juventus with a free kick around Verona’s wall for his first goal since October.

Also, Bologna was held 0-0 by Cagliari in a regional derby.

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

“They started within an hour or so coming up to us, wanting attention. Some crawled in people’s laps. Every single one of them are super sweet,” Lauree Simmons, president and founder of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, said Sunday. “I think they are loving the attention. I just know they know they’re safe.”

Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy negotiated a confidential agreement to purchase the 1,500 dogs for an undisclosed price from Ridglan Farms, where police used tear gas and pepper spray to repel activists trying to take beagles from the facility last month. Protesters also broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs. Sixty-three people were referred by the sheriff’s department to the district attorney for potential charges related to that break-in.

Talks to purchase the animals began months before the April disturbance, and Simmons said her group wasn't connected to the protests. Now, Big Dog Ranch Rescue is working with partners all over the country to find homes for 1,000 of the dogs, while the Center for a Humane Economy is taking the rest.

Simmons said her group has received over 700 adoption applications, but it might take some time before the hounds are ready for their new homes as the organization screens potential dog parents, moves the animals to shelters around the country and ensures the beagles are housebroken.

The first 300 dogs were taken from Ridglan on Friday, with more scheduled for removal over the next week. The animal groups have set up a staging area with play yards in Wisconsin, where the dogs are being vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered and prepared for transport, Simmons said. Big Dog Ranch Rescue has already started moving dogs to its location in western Palm Beach County, Florida.

“The younger dogs will adjust quicker, and the older dogs will take time,” Simmons said. “A lot of them are more willing to accept love and want to be with people.”

Ridglan Farms didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Beagles are the most common breed of dog used for animal testing, primarily because of their smaller size and gentle temperament, Simmons said.

“A Belgian Malinois is not going to put up with being tested on, being confined in a kennel their whole life,” Simmons said of the athletic shepherd dogs commonly used by police and the military. “Beagles are just so trusting and docile and calm and forgiving, so they are the most chosen dogs for animal testing. And so we’re going to take one of the sweetest, kindest, most trusting breeds and abuse them? This is wrong. This needs to stop.”

Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.

About 1,000 activists from across the country came to Ridglan Farms in the rural village of Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Madison, on April 18 in an attempt to take the beagles. They were met by police who used tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department said 29 people were arrested and five face felony burglary charges.

Activists have filed a federal lawsuit in Wisconsin alleging that police used unnecessary force. Ridglan has said those who tried to break in were a “violent mob” who launched “an assault on a federally licensed research facility.”

He called a one-stroke penalty on himself while playing the par-4 second hole, after he caused his ball to move in the fairway. And then he made par anyway.

It was that sort of week: Young was unflappable and unbeatable. He went wire-to-wire alone on the lead at the Cadillac Championship, a final round of 4-under 68 getting him to 19 under for the week and six shots clear of world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (68).

“When the golf course is difficult, when the conditions are difficult, that tends to make it easier for me mentally,” Young said.

With President Donald Trump in place to watch most of the round at Trump National Doral, Young picked up $3.6 million for the second-biggest payday of his career. He made $4.5 million earlier this year for winning The Players Championship.

Trump arrived with several members of his family — including granddaughter Kai Trump, who plans to play at the University of Miami when she enrolls later this year — shortly after noon and remained until the tournament was over. He stood for the ovation as Young walked up the 18th hole, as a number of fans in attendance were allowed to move into the fairway for a look at the final putts of the week.

And when it was over, Young got a thumbs-up from Trump, followed later by a quick handshake.

“It’s very unique. He’s nothing if not a very, very interesting man,” Young said. "He’s very powerful and it’s an honor to get to play in front of him.”

A bit more than an inch of rain fell on the course in the early morning hours Sunday, delaying a planned 7:30 a.m. start (which had already been rescheduled Saturday in anticipation of bad weather) to the final round by two hours. And the Blue Monster was no longer a monster, not with everything softened by the rain.

The average scores in the first three rounds were between 71 and 71.6. The average score Sunday, with preferred lies, was 69. There were nine birdies — total — on the par 18th in the first three rounds and 12 at the finishing hole on Sunday alone.

Scheffler finished second for the third consecutive start, after finishing a shot behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters and losing a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick at Hilton Head. Those were near-misses; this one wasn't.

That's how good Young was. Even the best player in the world never had a real chance on Sunday.

“Some good takeaways from this week,” Scheffler said. “Cam played fantastic golf all week. I played with him three out of the four days and he was hitting a lot of quality shots and making putts from anywhere. He was going to be to be a tough man to beat this week.”

Young called the violation on himself with his ball in the middle of the fairway on the second hole — it moved at address, something he said has happened to him before — and said he didn't hesitate to do the right thing.

“Your heart sinks when you see it move,” Young said. “But it moved. That's part of what's golf about. There's no one who's going to give me a penalty there but myself.”

Ben Griffin (68) was third at 12 under, while Si Woo Kim (70), Sepp Straka (66) and Adam Scott (64) tied for fourth at 11 under.

Scott likely clinched a spot in the U.S. Open — which would be his 100th consecutive major start, assuming he starts in the PGA Championship later this month — after shooting 66-64 on the weekend. Scott finished at 11 under, meaning he should remain comfortably inside the top 60 in the world ranking and qualify for the U.S. Open.

“To win a major I’m going to need to put four days together, not just a weekend coming from behind,” said Scott, who was the winner of the World Golf Championships Cadillac Championship — until this week, the most recent PGA Tour event at Doral — in 2016. “I feel like my game is there. I’m doing all the things that I think I need to do to be in that kind of contention.”

Young can say the same. The world's No. 4 player was 67th in those rankings at this time last year, and is already over the $11 million mark in earnings in 2026.

“I think the self-belief just continues to build,” Young said.

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

Good luck with that. One way or another, the Knicks know the New Yorkers are coming.

The 76ers and Knicks begin the Eastern Conference semifinals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, which is expected to be packed with Knicks fans, from the celebrities in the front row all the way to the die-hards way up top.

Both teams already are looking ahead to what happens when the series moves to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4.

When they met two years ago in the first round, Knicks fans swarmed Philadelphia and Embiid pleaded with fans not to let it happen again.

“Last time we played the Knicks it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East. So we’re going to need the support,” Embiid said. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys. The atmosphere we’ve had the last couple games in Philly, especially the last one pushing it to Game 7, I mean, we need all of it."

The 76ers are trying to do their part. A message on their website reads: “Xfinity Mobile Arena is located in Philadelphia, PA. Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of Greater Philadelphia area. Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside Greater Philadelphia area will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”

Even if that works, there's nothing that can prevent big-spending backers of the Knicks from buying from Philadelphia fans who choose to sell.

“Good thing about New Yorkers, man, they’re persistent. They don’t care, bro. They're going to do it, man,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said. “And for a lot of people, everything revolves around money. So, you know, if they get a good price for those tickets, they’re going to sell them.”

Hart, who played in college at Villanova, noted that it's less than a two-hour drive from New York to Philadelphia — even quicker by train — and that it's likely far cheaper to buy tickets for the road games.

Embiid was disappointed in 76ers fans during the 2024 series, when Jalen Brunson received raucous “MVP! MVP!” chants while scoring 47 points as the Knicks won Game 4 in Philadelphia. Embiid said afterward that: "I don’t think that should happen. It’s not OK.”

Sixers owners then bought and gave away more than 2,000 tickets to people who serve the Philadelphia community when the Knicks returned for Game 6.

If any Philadelphians are looking to sell, Embiid is ready to buy.

“Knicks fans, they travel," he said. "There’s going to be some people that need the money and probably going to sell tickets, but don’t do it. We need you guys. We’ve got a pretty good chance. We’re going to need our support. We’re going to need them to be extremely loud and if you need money, I got you.”

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

Sinner beat the third-ranked Zverev 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday for his 23rd straight win. He had already won Master 1000 tournaments in Monte Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells this year, and in Paris last year.

“I think there is a lot of work behind it,” Sinner said. “A lot of dedication and sacrifice I put in every day. Obviously, it means a lot to me, seeing these results."

Zverev lost to Sinner in the semifinals of each of those tournaments. He won in Madrid in 2018 and 2021, and was runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in 2022.

“He’s very good, of course. But I think today I would have lost to anybody, to be very fair. I think today I played an awful tennis match,” Zverev said.

Sinner converted all four break points he earned and did not face any break points himself in a comfortable win over Zverev at the Caja Magica tennis complex in Madrid. Sinner had not been past the quarterfinals in three previous appearances in Madrid.

“I’m very happy that I’ve continued to believe in myself," Sinner said. "I’m showing up every day, at every practice session, trying to put in the right work with the right discipline. To do so, you need to have the right team behind you, which I have. I’m very happy about me, but also the team, and this means a lot to all of us.”

Sinner next plays in Rome with a chance to lift the trophy in the only Masters 1000 tournament he is yet to win. The 24-year-old Italian is looking to join Novak Djokovic as the only man to complete the Career Golden Masters. The Serbian won all nine tournaments twice.

“It’s quite simple," Zverev said. "I think there’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else.”

In the women's final on Saturday, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine beat Mirra Andreeva of Russia 7-5, 6-3.

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

A 3-2 win against Liverpool on Sunday confirmed United's return to European club soccer's top competition after a two-year absence.

Kobbie Mainoo settled a thrilling Premier League clash at Old Trafford with his first-time strike from the edge of the area after defending champion Liverpool had fought back from two goals down.

The victory saw head coach Michael Carrick achieve the target he was set in January when he was handed the job until the end of the season. Rescuing United's season from freefall, he has led the club to third in the standings and produced statement wins against Arsenal, Manchester City and now Liverpool.

Victory will strengthen calls for Carrick to be given the role on a permanent basis.

“When Michael comes, he came with magic. Alex Ferguson vibes," United forward Matheus Cunha said with reference to the club's iconic former manager. "At the end of the day, this is just the start of the journey. It’s the beginning, a beautiful beginning.”

Ferguson had planned to watch the match at Old Trafford but left the stadium and went to the hospital as a precaution when feeling unwell before kick off.

The fact United secured a Champions League return against its fiercest rival Liverpool only added to the scenes of celebration after the final whistle. It was the first time United has completed a league double of home-and-away wins against the Merseyside club since the 2015-16 campaign.

United is six points ahead of fourth-placed Liverpool with three rounds of the season to go. It marks a significant improvement on last term when it was 42 points behind Arne Slot's title-winning team.

‘A good run’

Since Carrick was hired on Jan. 13, United has picked up 32 points from 14 games - more than any other team in the top flight.

“It’s been a good run. We’ve beaten some very, very good teams and it’s been challenging,” he said. “I love doing what I’m doing. It’s a great position for me to be in and it feels pretty natural if I’m totally honest.”

United gave Carrick the job until the end of the season in order to allow the club time to weigh up coaching candidates after Ruben Amorim was fired in January. The 20-time English champion has not won the title since Ferguson retired in 2013 and has had six permanent managers or head coaches since then.

Carrick has repeatedly shied away from discussing his future beyond the end of the campaign.

His team is doing the talking for him on and off the field.

“You want to follow him, you want to fight for him, you want to die for him on the pitch," Mainoo told Sky Sports.

United's latest win came after a flying start - Cunha opening the scoring after six minutes with a left-footed strike from inside the box. Benjamin Sesko doubled the lead in the 14th when bundling in from close range.

United's dominance should have produced more goals with Bruno Fernandes wasting a good chance to add a third.

But the game was turned on its head after the break as Dominik Szoboszlai pulled one back for Liverpool two minutes into the second half and then a mix-up in United's defense allowed Cody Gakpo to equalize in the 56th.

United regained its composure and Mainoo's strike saw Old Trafford erupt in celebration.

Defeat means Liverpool is still not guaranteed a place in the Champions League next season with three rounds to go.

“The reality at this point is that it’s been a very disappointing season, below the standards of Liverpool," captain Virgil van Dijk said. "We shouldn’t accept it, but it is the reality. We have to get Champions League football for next year. After the World Cup we have to build to a much better - a much better - season than we’re having.”

Crucial win for Tottenham

Tottenham climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

It's back-to-back league wins for Spurs for the first time since the opening two games of the season. The latest victory saw Roberto Di Zerbi's team move a point above relegation rival West Ham and out of the drop zone.

Conor Gallagher and Richarlison scored both of Spurs' goals in the first half to continue De Zerbi's positive impact on the club since he was hired in March. Substitute Emiliano Buendia pulled a goal back for Villa in stoppage time.

Having failed to win a league game in 2026 before De Zerbi's arrival, Tottenham has picked up seven points from a possible nine.

Bournemouth's Champions League bid

Bournemouth earlier strengthened its unlikely push for Champions League qualification with a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace.

Bournemouth is sixth in the standings, with the top five guaranteed to qualify for the Champions League. That could be extended to the top six if Villa wins the Europa League and finishes fifth.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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

In a post on X, Lai said he arrived in Eswatini — Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa — to “affirm our longstanding friendship.” He said that Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that China considers part of its territory, “will never be deterred by external pressures.”

Lai was originally scheduled to visit the southern African country from April 22, but Taiwanese officials said that flight permits were revoked by Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar over “strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion.”

In a separate Facebook post on Saturday, Lai wrote that the visit was made possible following careful arrangements by his diplomatic and national security teams. He said the trip will further deepen the friendship between Taiwan and Eswatini through closer economic, agricultural, cultural and educational ties.

“Our resolve & commitment are underpinned by the understanding that Taiwan will continue to engage with the world — no matter the challenges faced,” Lai wrote on X. Taiwan did not announce latest plans of Lai's Eswatini visit prior to his arrival.

A spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement shortly after Lai posted on social media about his visit that he was “performing a laughable stunt in front of the world,” and referred to him being “smuggled” out of Taiwan.

Lai's “undignified act” and visit “will always be a losing cause and nothing will ever change the fact that Taiwan is part of China,” the ministry said. “We urge Eswatini and some other individual countries to see where the arc of history bends and stop serving as the prop of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists.”

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry hit back, saying Lai's trip was conducted “in accordance with international law, international norms, diplomatic practices” and Taiwan’s regulations.

Lai's arrival in Eswatini was only announced after he landed safely, the ministry said in a written statement, a precaution which it said had numerous international precedents.

China has not ruled out using force to take control of Taiwan and has sought to block other countries from maintaining formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.

In 2023, Tsai Ing-wen was the most recent previous Taiwanese president to visit Eswatini, the small, landlocked nation with a population of around 1.2 million. Eswatini became the only African country excluded from tariff-free access to China's market because of its ties to Taiwan.

On Friday, Taiwan’s government expressed concern after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that Taiwan is the “biggest risk” when it comes to relations between Beijing and Washington.

One week after Korda crushed the field at The Chevron Championship for her third career major, she left everyone feeling hopeless at El Camaleon with precision that carried the No. 1 player in women's golf to another dominant victory.

Korda went 60 consecutive holes without a bogey, a streak that ended when it no longer mattered.

She had a six-shot lead playing the 18th when she sent her drive to the right and deep into the tropical bushes, never finding the golf ball. She hit a provisional into a bunker, the next one into the gallery and finished by making a 20-foot putt for bogey, only her second of the tournament.

Korda stretched out her arm and casually threw her right fist with whatever energy she had left.

She finished at 17-under 271, four shots ahead Arpichaya Yubol of Thailand, who celebrated her 24th birthday with a 70 to finish alone in second. Yu Liu of China (69) was another shot back.

None had much of a chance against Korda, who became the first player since Annika Sorenstam in 2001 to start a season with nothing worse than a runner-up finish through six events.

Korda started with a three-shot lead, and then it was over. She holed a 12-foot eagle putt from the collar of the par-5 fifth hole, followed with a 10-foot birdie putt from the fringe on No. 6 and then hit a lob wedge to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 seventh.

She didn't need to do anything more the rest of the way, following with 10 straight pars until taking her hands off the wheel on the final hole.

Asked if she was playing the best golf of her career, Korda demurred.

“I’m just enjoying myself and I love the competition. I love traveling to places like Mexico, all over the world. I’m just having fun,” she said.

Starting times were moved up to avoid thunderstorms moving along the coast of Mexico that looks out across the Caribbean Sea. It was still steamy, and Korda doused her head with a bottle of water as she walked off the 16th tee. Nothing could cool her off.

Korda could only laugh at her blunder on the final hole that kept her from matching or surpassing her largest margin of victory, set last week with her five-shot win in Houston at a major.

“On the last hole here I was humbled by golf,” she said. “I had a pretty smooth day and on the last hole just kind of like humbles you a little bit. You put in the work. Everyone out here puts in the work. Sometimes it works out.”

She now has 18 wins on the LPGA, making the 27-year-old the youngest American with 18 titles since Nancy Lopez at age 23 won her 18th in 1980.

Arkansas senior Maria Jose Marin, who delighted the crowd with her Augusta National Women's Amateur title last month, had a 69-69 weekend to finish fifth. The top 10 would make her eligible for next week at the Mizuho Americas Open, but she has finals.

Korda also is skipping next week after two straight wins. She had talked about lacking energy this week, but also making sure she was working instead of on vacation at a Mexican resort.

“I'll enjoy a few days off,” Korda said.

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

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said last week there was no evidence the agent was hit by friendly fire during the incident at a Washington hotel on April 25, but she went beyond that Sunday in saying a shot from one of Cole Tomas Allen's weapons hit the officer's bullet-resistant vest.

“We now can establish that a pellet that came from the buckshot from the defendant’s Mossberg pump-action shotgun was intertwined with the fiber of the vest of the Secret Service officer,” she told CNN's “State of the Union.” “It is definitively his bullet."

Allen, who remains behind bars for now pending his trial, was injured during the attack but was not shot. The officer survived.

His attorneys on Sunday filed a document with the court saying they learned he was no longer on suicide watch and sought to withdraw a motion formally seeking to remove him from such supervision.

On Thursday, Pirro posted a video on social media showing the moment that authorities say a man with guns and knives attempted to storm the media gala. Questions have lingered about whose bullet struck the officer as the suspect ran through security with a long gun toward the ballroom packed with journalists, administration officials and others.

A phone call to lawyers representing Allen went unanswered on Sunday.

Allen has been charged with attempted assassination of the president, as well as two additional firearms counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

Allen, 31, is from Torrance, California. He worked as a part-time tutor for a test preparation company and is an amateur video game developer.

Getting an official invitation checked off one detail for DeVaux, who on Saturday became the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. Golden Tempo's Preakness fate could be answered later this week as DeVaux monitors the horse's recovery from a remarkable yet demanding rally from last place that won the 152nd Derby at Churchill Downs by a neck as a 23-1 long shot.

“As long as he's in tip-top shape, we'll talk about it,” said DeVaux, who vanned Golden Tempo over to Keeneland in Lexington, Kentucky, the morning after the race. “It is on the table, but it's really up to him.”

The usual post-Derby dilemma for trainers and owners is whether their horses are up for the two-week turnaround at the Preakness. This year, the race is at Laurel Park on May 16 while the traditional Pimlico Race Course is rebuilt. The Triple Crown’s middle jewel will go off at a shorter 1 3/16-mile distance with a presumably smaller field.

Some entrants will be rested from skipping the Derby altogether or being scratched in the days leading up to the "Run For The Roses." In either case, it’s a tough ask of Saturday’s competitors.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday that second-place Renegade “came back in good order” after a “tough beat,” which also involved a rally from the back. He will take the colt and his other Kentucky horses to Saratoga in New York, the site of next month's Belmont Stakes, on Tuesday.

Whit Beckman said third-place Ocelli, a 70-1 long shot who rallied to lead at the 1/16 pole before finishing 3/4 lengths behind Renegade, was “doing fine,” but offered no indication about the Preakness. Trainer Bill Mott said a trip to Maryland isn't in the cards for Chief Wallabee, who finished fourth.

“Nobody talks about the Preakness,” the Hall of Famer Mott said. “The Belmont at Saratoga; we need to discuss that. (Co-owner) Kay Kay (Ball) was thrilled with the way he ran (Saturday). He has done a lot since the first of the year.”

The focus nonetheless remains on Golden Tempo and a possible encore to his gutsy Derby run with jockey Jose Ortiz.

Dead last of 18 horses early on and mostly off the radar, the bay colt weaved through traffic to find space outside and then hit overdrive to outrun the field and edge Renegade in a wild finish with just one length separating the top three. Golden Tempo earned his third win in five career starts, (placing third in his two losses), and collected $3.1 million.

Golden Tempo appeared at ease in the Sunday chill, occasionally sticking his head out of his stall to munch on feed. Meanwhile, DeVaux was trying to regain her bearings from a whirlwind 12 hours that involved a celebratory family dinner at a local steakhouse and just a few hours of sleep.

She still has congratulatory phone messages to answer along with fulfilling media requests. As packed as DeVaux's immediate future will be, her priority is helping determine if Golden Tempo's sixth start comes sooner or later.

“There is a lot of racing in him,” she said. “I really am grateful that he’s the horse that you can just do what you need to do and he responds well and kind of just does whatever.

“We’re all just absorbing this and we have to have a lot of conversations. ... Factors like that are not what’s at the forefront of our minds. We want to do what’s best for the horse.”

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

It was the third consecutive victory for Antonelli, the current points leader who is proving early this season to be a legitimate championship contender.

“It is just the beginning, the road is still long, but we're working super hard,” Antonelli said. “The team is doing an incredible job and without them I wouldn't be here. I'm going to enjoy this one and then get back to work.”

The Italian and teammate George Russell have won the first four races of this season for Mercedes and all four poles to date. They were blocked from the podium in Saturday's sprint race, which was a 1-2 finish for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren in the only thing the Mercedes drivers have not won this season.

“Kimi, that was very, very impressive. You know I like to complain, but there was nothing to complain about today,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told his young driver. “Very good."

Antonelli holds a 20-point lead over Russell in the championship standings.

Antonelli started from the pole but had a slick start on a damp surface at the Miami International Autodrome. Threats of heavy rain led F1 to move up the start of the race by three hours, and there was an early morning thunderstorm with lightning strikes directly over the Hard Rock Stadium, but it cleared by the time the event began.

Still, the first 25 laps were attacked by the drivers as if the rain could return at any moment, and that led to early chaos, even for Antonelli.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari had a spectacular start from third and surged to the lead when Antonelli went wide off course trying to defend. A split-second later, Max Verstappen spun trying to hold off Leclerc when the two cars made contact.

The contact caused Verstappen, who started a season-best second, to plummet to ninth after the spin.

Antonelli recovered and reclaimed the lead on the fifth lap, and the leaders briefly swapped positions as Leclerc moved back to the front before reigning world champion Norris took over on Lap 14.

Verstappen worked his way through the field and briefly took the lead as others pitted, but Antonelli beat Norris off pit lane and reclaimed the lead for good once everything cycled out.

Norris finished second, 3.2 seconds behind Antonelli.

“A mixed bag, really. We just got undercut (in the pits). There's no excuses other than that,” Norris said. “We should have boxxed first. Kimi did a good job. Hats off to Merc and Kimi. They drove a good race.”

Leclerc was poised to finish third until Oscar Piastri of McLaren passed him on the final lap. Leclerc spun and settled for sixth.

Russell was fourth and Verstappen finished a season-best fifth for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari was seventh.

Cadillac, in its first race in the United States, had an unimpressive weekend on the track even as it splashed its way through Miami with appearances and events. Sergio Perez finished 16th and Valtteri Bottas was 18th — the last car to finish in the 22-driver field.

Messy start

Isack Hadjar had been disqualified after qualifying and started last, but his race lasted five laps before he drove his Red Bull into the wall. Hadjar was openly angry at the result as he pounded his helmet before climbing from his car and angrily stomping away.

Seconds later, Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson made contact that caused Gasly's car to do a full rollover. The Frenchman's car ended stuck with its rear tires atop a barrier and he climbed from the half-suspended BMW on his own.

Up next

The Canadian Grand Prix is next for F1 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal on May 24. That date was traditionally held by the Monaco Grand Prix but a tweak to the schedule shifted it to Canada, and F1 will no longer be the opener for what had traditionally been the most prolific day in motorsports.

The F1 race typically opened the morning ahead of the Indianapolis 500 and then NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. Because the race is in Canada and not Monaco, it has a late afternoon start time and will follow the Indy 500 and end during the NASCAR race.

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AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one

The shelves once laden with goods during his childhood sat nearly empty in late April, with barely anything to offer the 5,000 clients who depend on the state-run store for subsidized food.

Government ration books that once provided for a healthy diet and kept families fully fed for a month are now shrinking.

As the economy collapses and prices soar, a growing number of Cubans find themselves unable to afford alternatives to state-run stores and struggle to subsist on meager salaries in a socialist country of nearly 10 million where basic goods increasingly are sold in U.S. dollars.

“No Cuban can truly survive on the products from the ration book anymore,” Amate López said.

‘Living

off air’

Revolutionary leader Fidel Castro established the ration book — “la libreta”— in the early 1960s. It offered heavily subsidized goods ranging from milk to fish and even cigarettes. Cubans knew their assigned bodega would be stocked with everything they needed by the first of the month.

The ration book shrank during the “Special Period,” when Soviet aid plummeted in the 1990s and deprivation hit Cuba. During that time, Cubans lost an average of 5% to 25% of their body weight, according to one study published in a medical journal, with goods including bread, milk, eggs and chicken in scarce quantities.

Even so, many Cubans who lived through that period say the current situation is worse.

Amate López recalled that his assigned bodega was so full decades ago “you could barely walk.”

It’s now an empty room with dusty old posters detailing the prices and amounts of nearly two dozen goods no longer available, including yogurt, pasta and bars of soap. Two industrial freezers once packed with meat and chicken serve only to keep Amate López’s water bottle cold. In April, the only items he had available to sell were rice, sugar and split chickpeas.

Cuban teens turning 15, a landmark birthday in Latin America, used to receive cake and several cases of beer. Now they only get 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds) of ground beef. The government recently opted to celebrate those turning 65 by awarding them sardines, a bar of soap and a package of toilet paper. But Amate López said he doesn't have those items.

Havana resident Ana Enamorado, 68, said she only was able to buy split chickpeas and 2 pounds (1 kilogram) of sugar at her assigned bodega in April.

She struggles to buy the remaining basic goods at small, privately owned stores known as “mipymes” with her salary and pension totaling some 8,000 Cuban pesos ($16) a month.

A carton of 30 eggs costs roughly 3,000 pesos ($6), 2 pounds of meat hash are nearly 900 pesos ($2) and 1 pound of cornmeal is roughly 200 pesos (50 cents).

“There’s hardly anything in the ration book,” she said. “We’re practically living off air.”

Her lunches and dinners are a rotation of rice, seasoned ground meat and cornmeal, or sometimes nothing at all. She recalled once upon a time being able to eat pork, lamb, fricassee, fried plantain slices and red beans and rice.

“Now we have to cut back, have one meal a day and live on memories,” Enamorado said.

Subsidizing people in need instead of goods

Cuba imports up to 80% of the food it consumes, including goods offered at state stores that are increasingly unavailable given a lack of government resources.

“They just don’t have the money to do it anymore,” William LeoGrande, a professor at American University who has tracked Cuba for years, said about the government running out of funds. “Things come in an ad hoc way.”

LeoGrande said the government “bungled” the 2021 merging of two Cuban currencies and the resulting inflation has persisted because the state spends far more money than it takes in.

The government has to stop printing money and balance its budget without drastically cutting social services, a challenge since the bulk of state funds is spent on health, education, social welfare and food imports, he said.

“Any major cuts in state spending are going to have a profound social impact, which is why they haven’t done it,” LeoGrande said, adding that the government’s investment in tourism is “way higher” than the demand for tourism, which has plummeted.

In recent years, Cuba’s government has talked about subsidizing people in need instead of goods. That would free up money to import fuel, medicine and other items, LeoGrande said.

But many Cubans still depend on their ration books while the island's crises deepen as severe power outages, petroleum shortages and a U.S. energy blockade persist.

Cuban comedians have spoofed the ration book, creating a character named “Pánfilo" who sings a rhyming chorus in a recent video posted online: “Place the notebook in a cemetery, because it's ready to be buried.”

Struggling to buy basic goods

On a recent sunny afternoon, Lázaro Cuesta, 56, stood in line to receive a daily allowance of two small bread rolls for him and his wife.

“Before it was 80 grams and cost 5 (Cuban) cents. Now it’s 40 grams and costs 75 cents,'' he said. “And the quality is worse.”

Cuesta works in food preparation and earns 6,000 Cuban pesos ($12) a month. His wife, a retired nurse, receives 4,800 pesos ($10) in monthly pension. They also receive $200 a month from her brother and daughter who live abroad.

The remittances allow them to eat avocados, eggs and red beans and rice, Cuesta said.

“If not for the remittances,” he said as he grabbed his neck with his right hand, “hang yourself.”

Roughly 60% of Cubans on the island receive remittances, but Rosa Rodríguez, 54, of Havana is not one of them.

“Everything is scarce here — everything — even that wretched bread they give us,” Rodríguez said. She earns 4,000 Cuban pesos ($8) a month, which she said isn’t a bad salary for Cuba, but “no matter how hard you work, it’s simply not enough.”

Rodríguez said the only product she obtained at her assigned bodega in April was a donation of 4 pounds (1.8 kilograms) of rice, while she struggles to buy other basic goods.

“If you buy beans, then you can’t buy sugar,” she said, noting that most of her salary is spent on a large carton of eggs. “If I retire, I die.”

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Follow the AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Neither player made the trip to Denver. Wild coach John Hynes said the team is still “making a couple decisions on the lineup" ahead of Game 1 on Sunday night.

The Avalanche will be without defenseman Josh Manson, who missed the series clincher against the Los Angeles Kings last Sunday with an upper-body injury. Avs coach Jared Bednar said Nick Blankenburg will slide into Manson's place. The team acquired Blankenburg in a deal with Nashville on March 4.

“He's played good in the time he's been with us,” Bednar said. “We got him for a reason — like the way he moves, like the way he moves the puck. He plays with a little bite. He’s got to stay within himself. It’s going to be a challenge for him tonight, because the thing we'll miss with (Manson) is the size, the strength, the physicality."

Eriksson Ek had three goals and two assists in the Wild's first-round series win over Dallas. He finished with a 56.4% faceoff win rate. Danila Yurov and Hunter Haight could be possibilities to take Eriksson Ek's place.

“Ekky's a big part of the team," Hynes said. "When you lose a guy that plays that many situations, you have to do it collectively as a group, and it’s not all on one guy.”

Brodin didn't play in Game 6 against Dallas.

Hynes said given the break between Games 2 and 3 — the teams play Tuesday and not again until Saturday — that “both those guys will be reevaluated and see where it goes from there.”

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Mountaga Tall’s home in the capital, Bamako, was stormed shortly before midnight on Saturday, his relative Mahmoud Touré told AP. The men did not identify themselves, nor did they say why they were seizing Tall, but Touré said they were from the armed forces.

“They did not explain why and did not present an arrest warrant,” he said. “The soldiers mistreated Mountaga Tall’s wife and took his phone.”

Tall served as Mali's education and science minister from 2016 to 2017 and is the president of the National Congress for Democratic Initiative, a political party opposed to the military government. As a lawyer, he represents politicians and other individuals who have been arrested for criticizing the junta.

Mali was struck on April 26 by one of the biggest coordinated attacks on its army in Bamako and several other cities by jihadis and rebels who seized several towns and military bases. Several people were killed in the attack including the defense minister, Sadio Camara.

The Islamic militant group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist group, jointly launched the heaviest attack on the government since 2012.

On Friday the military government said it had evidence that soldiers collaborated with the groups to launch the attacks. It has since carried out a wave of arrests.

Tall's family said they have filed a complaint “regarding kidnapping and disappearance” with the security forces. The government has not commented on the arrests.