The announcement Saturday came after U.S. President Donald Trump said the blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program. Tehran had reopened the strait Friday to commercial vessels.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait and further limits would squeeze already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again. Iran’s Friday announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water, through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped, came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.

Despite the escalation, Pakistani officials say the United States and Iran are still moving closer to a deal ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.

Here is the latest:

Lebanese leaders discuss future talks with Israel

The meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam came during a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

According to a statement from Aoun’s office, the pair discussed Lebanon’s “readiness for negotiations” with Israel. Lebanon and Israel have been in a state of war since 1948.

Earlier this week, the two countries’ ambassadors to the U.S. held a meeting, in the first direct talks in decades.

U.S. President Donald Trump has invited Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, although no date has been set yet.

Aoun has said he is ready to go anywhere to “liberate my country, protect my people and save my nation.”

Iran reimposes restrictions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran has reversed course on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, reimposing restrictions on the critical waterway after the U.S. said the move would not end its blockade.

The country’s joint military command said “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces.”

It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.

The announcement came the morning after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.

Pakistani leader heads home from Turkey ahead of U.S.-Iran talks

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has left for home after visiting Turkey, where he attended a diplomacy forum in Antalya.

Whiie there, he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ahead of the second round of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad.

While at the forum, Sharif discussed recent regional developments and ongoing diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington with Erdogan and the Qatari emir.

Pakistan is expected to host the second round of talks between Iran and the United States early next week

Iran announces partial reopening of its airspace

Iran has announced a partial reopening of its airspace after a seven-week hiatus because of the war, state media reported.

The Civil Aviation Organization said air routes over eastern Iran were reopened at 7 a.m. (0330 GMT), according to the state-owned IRAN newspaper. It said flights at the country’s airports would gradually resume but did not give a timeframe.

Iran’s airspace had been closed since the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran on Feb. 28. The partial reopening has come more than a week into a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.

Iranian lawmaker clarifies conditions for transit through Hormuz

A senior Iranian lawmaker said only commercial vessels authorized by the Revolutionary Guard are allowed to transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary National Security Commission, said in a social media post late Friday that commercial vessels must pay “required tolls” before transiting the strait, using a route set by Iran last month.

“The time has come to comply with the new Maritime Regime of the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “These regulations are determined by Iran, not by social media posts!”

He warned that the mechanism could change “if the U.S. attempts to create any disturbance for Iranian ships.”

Strait of Hormuz only open during ceasefire, Iranian military official says

Iran’s Defense Ministry spokesperson said the Strait of Hormuz is only open during a ceasefire and conditionally, two Iranian semiofficial news agencies reported.

Brig. Gen. Reza Talaei-Nik said “military vessels and those linked to hostile forces have no right” of transit, according to the ISNA and Mehr news agencies.

Pakistani army chief leaves Tehran after meeting senior Iranian leaders

Field Marshal Asim Munir has concluded a visit to Tehran, where he met senior Iranian leaders in an effort to ease tensions between Iran and the United States, the Pakistani military said Saturday.

It said the visit reflects Pakistan’s commitment to promoting peace, stability and a negotiated settlement to regional conflicts.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accompanied Munir.

The delegation met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and held talks with Parliament Speaker Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior military officials.

Discussions focused on regional security, ongoing diplomatic efforts and steps to promote lasting peace.

Munir emphasized dialogue, de-escalation and resolving disputes through sustained engagement.

He also conveyed goodwill messages from Pakistan’s leadership and reaffirmed Islamabad’s desire to strengthen longstanding ties with Iran.

Trump rejects notion of tolls by Iran on Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump flatly rejected the idea when a reporter asked about the prospect of restrictions or tolls managed by Iran on the Strait of Hormuz.

“Nope. No way. No. Nope,” Trump said. He said there can’t be tolls along with restrictions. “No, they’re not going to be tolls.”

Leo celebrated Mass at the Yaounde Airport for thousands of people, including President Paul Biya — at 93 the world’s oldest leader. The jostling, joyful atmosphere underscored the joy the third pope to visit Cameroon has brought the former French colony, where around a third of the population is Catholic.

Some people who struggled to walk were brought to the Mass in wheelbarrows pushed by family members.

In his visit to Cameroon, Leo has sought to encourage especially young people to have hope despite senses of disillusionment, and he has demanded elites stop exploiting the land and its people for profit.

In his homily Saturday, delivered in French, Leo said the respect for human dignity was a cornerstone of every society.

“For this reason, every community has the obligation to create and sustain structures of solidarity and mutual aid in which, when faced with crises — be they social, political, medical or economic — everyone can give and receive assistance according to their own capacity and needs,” he said.

A scarred Angola welcomes the pope

After the Mass, Leo was to fly to Luanda, the capital of the southwestern African nation, where he was to meet with President Joao Lourenco and deliver his first speech before Angolan government authorities.

Angola, a southern African country of around 38 million, gained independence from Portugal in 1975. But it still bears the scars of a devastating civil war that began straight after independence and raged on and off for 27 years before finally ending in 2002. More than half a million people are believed to have been killed.

The civil war was for years a Cold War proxy conflict, with the United States and apartheid South Africa backing one side and the Soviet Union and Cuba backing the other.

“I would like to hear a message of peace, a message of reconciliation," said Luanda resident Sergio Jose. "I would also like to hear good political messages and I would also like to hear that the pope would also talk about the upcoming elections in Angola.”

Angola today is the fourth largest oil producer in Africa and among the world’s top 20 producers, according to the International Energy Agency. It’s also the world’s third biggest diamond producer and has significant deposits of gold and highly sought after critical minerals.

But despite its varied natural resources, the World Bank estimated in 2023 that more than 30% of the population lived on less than $2.15 a day.

In Cameroon, Leo had railed against the “chains of corruption” that were hindering development, as well as the “handful of tyrants” who were ravaging the Earth with war and exploitation. He's expected to raise similar points in Angola.

Late former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who led Angola for 38 years from 1979 to 2017, was accused of diverting billions of dollars of public money to his family, largely from the country’s oil revenue, as millions struggled in poverty.

After Lourenco took over as president, his administration estimated that at least $24 billion was stolen or misappropriated by dos Santos. Lourenco's administration has vowed to crack down on corruption and has worked to recover funds allegedly stolen in the dos Santos era.

But critics note Angola still has deep problems with corruption and have questioned if Lourenco’s actions were more aimed at political rivals so as to consolidate his power.

A legacy of slavery awaits the American pope in Angola

Angola, on the southwest coast of Africa, was considered to be the epicenter of the transatlantic slave trade as a Portuguese colony. More than 5 million of the roughly 12.5 million enslaved Africans were sent across the ocean on ships departing from Angola, more than any other country, though not all them were Angolans.

The highlight of Leo’s visit to Angola is expected to be his visit Sunday to Muxima, south of Luanda. It's a popular Catholic shrine in a country where around 58% of the population is Catholic.

The Church of Our Lady of Muxima was built by Portuguese colonizers at the end of the 16th century as part of a fortress complex and became a hub in the slave trade. It remains a reminder of the inextricable link hundreds of years ago between Catholicism and the exploitation of the African continent.

Leo, history's first U.S.-born pope, has Black and white ancestors who included both enslaved people and slave owners, according to genealogical research. He is going to Muxima to pray the Rosary, in recognition of the site becoming a popular pilgrimage destination after believers reported an appearance by the Virgin Mary around 1833.

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Imray contributed from Cape Town, South Africa.

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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.

Iran’s joint military command said on Saturday that “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.

The announcement came the morning after U.S. President Donald Trump said that even after Iran announced the strait's reopening on Friday, the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.

The conflict over the chokepoint threatened to deepen the energy crisis roiling the global economy after oil prices began to fall again on Friday on hopes the U.S. and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement. Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the strait and further limits would squeeze already constrained supply, driving prices higher once again.

Control over the strait has proven to be one Iran’s main points of leverage and prompted the United States to deploy forces and initiate a blockade on Iranian ports as part of an effort to force Iran to accept a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to end almost seven weeks of war that has raged between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.

Iran said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels after a 10-day truce was announced between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking last week’s ceasefire with strikes on Lebanon. Israel had said that deal did not cover Lebanon.

But after Trump said the blockade would continue, top Iranian officials said his announcement violated last week’s ceasefire agreement between Iran and the U.S. and warned the strait would not stay open if the U.S. blockade remained in effect.

A data firm, Kpler, said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran’s approval.

U.S. forces have sent 21 ships back to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, U.S. Central Command said on X.

Pakistan announces progress toward new deal

Despite the escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistani officials say the United States and Iran are still moving closer to a deal ahead of the April 22 ceasefire deadline.

The ceasefire in Lebanon could clear one major obstacle to an agreement. Speaking at a diplomatic forum in Antalya, Turkey, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the ceasefire in Lebanon was a positive sign, noting that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah had been a key sticking point before talks in Islamabad ended “very close” to an agreement last weekend.

Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Tehran, while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Antalya, the military and Sharif's office said. Pakistan is expected to host a second round of talks between Iran and the U.S. early next week.

Questions linger about Lebanon truce

Even though mediators were optimistic, it was unclear to what extent Hezbollah would abide by a truce it did not play a role in negotiating and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.

Trump said in another post that Israel is “prohibited” by the U.S. from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The State Department said the prohibition applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defense.

Shortly before Trump’s post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump,” but that the campaign against Hezbollah is not complete.

He claimed Israel had destroyed about 90% of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.

In Beirut, displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.

The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.

The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.

__ Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Andrew Wilks in Antalya, Turkey contributed to this report.

Soriano pitched two-hit ball into the sixth inning of the Angels' 8-0 victory over the Padres on Friday night, ending San Diego's eight-game winning streak with yet another dominant outing by Los Angeles' right-handed Dominican ace.

Soriano (5-0) has an ERA of 0.28 after allowing just one run in his first 32 2/3 innings this season. He leads the majors with 39 strikeouts while allowing only 11 hits, and he's tied with Milwaukee's Aaron Ashby for the lead with five wins.

Except for occasional control problems, Soriano has been overwhelming every lineup he faces — and Drake Baldwin's first-inning homer for Atlanta on April 6 is still the only run he has allowed all season. His 17-inning scoreless streak is the second-longest in the majors this season, and opponents are batting .104 against his 0.73 WHIP — both the best in baseball.

“It's like a hot knife through butter,” Angels slugger Jo Adell said. “It's pretty crazy. It's really special, and he's a special talent. He's always had the stuff to compete at this level, and he's doing what an ace does. Whatever he's done, just keep doing it.”

And after five straight dominant starts, Soriano has reached rare company.

The most recent pitcher to allow one earned run or fewer in each of his first five starts in a season with at least 15 total innings pitched was the Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela in 1981, when he won the NL Cy Young award in his groundbreaking rookie season. Walter Johnson also did it in 1913 — and nobody else.

Soriano is also the only pitcher in major league history to go at least five innings while yielding one or fewer earned runs and three or fewer hits in each of his first five starts to a season.

“I just feel confident to keep pitching like that,” Soriano said. “I believe in my catcher, and we’re on the same page. I think that’s a big part of the results we’re having.”

While Soriano dazzled his previous two opponents with back-to-back, 10-strikeout outings over 15 combined innings to win the AL Player of the Week award, he actually didn't overwhelm the Padres' veteran lineup.

San Diego drew four walks and forced Soriano to throw 99 pitches. The Padres loaded the bases in the third before Soriano got Jackson Merrill to ground out, but San Diego eventually chased him with a single and a walk with two outs in the sixth.

“The thing that impressed was that to us, he had to grind a little bit tonight,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “I think that's the maturity showing up, where he's learning how to pitch — and I say this lightly — without his best stuff. He learned how to navigate a great lineup over there without his best stuff ... and it was pretty incredible. You can't say enough.”

Soriano has a 99-mph fastball and a sinker that ranks among the best in baseball, but he's also mixing in a curve that has flummoxed his opponents. The combination has been too much for any opponent through his first five starts.

“Knowing him from the past, you always thought of the high-90s sinker, and then he comes in breaking out the curveball,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “That pitch was very impressive from the dugout. Gave our guys trouble at the beginning. It's really hard to lay off that pitch, and it complements his sinker. He did a great job tonight mixing his pitches. ... He's just a really good pitcher.”

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

“It might still go on. It may not,” Kerr said after the Warriors lost in Phoenix and were eliminated from the play-in tournament, marking the fourth time in the last seven seasons that Golden State has missed the playoffs.

He shared an embrace with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the team's two constants from the Warriors' title runs with Kerr, in the final moments of Friday night and appeared to mouth the words “thank you.”

Kerr wouldn't reveal what he said in that moment.

“None of your business,” he said, smiling.

Green and Curry both made clear that they want him back. Kerr's future has been the subject of speculation for some time, fueled in part by him coaching this year on the final season of his existing contract.

“I want Coach to be happy. I want him to be excited about the job. I want him to believe you know he’s the right guy for the job,” Curry said. "I want him to have an opportunity to again enjoy what he does. So, whatever that means for him, you know, everybody’s plan is their own. And I’m not going to try to tell anybody what to do. He knows how I feel about him. That shouldn’t even need to be said.”

Added Green, when asked if he could even fathom the Warriors without Kerr on the sideline: "I just don’t deal with change well. I don’t love it. So, I don’t want to think about that. I hope that’s not the case. but we’ll see what happens.”

The 60-year-old Kerr just finished his 12th season with the Warriors. He's 604-353 in that span, led Golden State to the NBA Finals in each of his first five seasons — and once since then as well — plus guided USA Basketball to Olympic gold at the Paris Games in 2024.

He said he'll meet with Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy eventually, to chart a path for what's next. He suggested that might come in a week or two.

“We'll talk about what’s next for the Warriors, what the plan is this offseason,” Kerr said. "And we will come to a collaborative decision on what’s next. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I still love coaching. But I get it. These jobs all have an expiration date. there’s a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas and all that.

“And, if that’s the case, then I will be just nothing but grateful for the most amazing opportunity any person could have to coach this franchise, in front of our fans in the Bay and to coach Steph Curry, to coach Dray and the whole group.”

The Warriors were 37-45 this season, dealing with injuries the entire way. They rallied Wednesday from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Los Angeles Clippers and move into Friday's play-in finale, but fell short against the Suns.

And now, the Warriors wait to see what's next.

“This was as tough a season as you can have, with the injuries, with all kinds of adversity," Kerr said. "And they battled, and they battled the entire season. They kept going the other night just to, you know, continue the season, to show that kind of fight. And then tonight, we just didn’t have it. But the competitive desire was there. And I’m proud of the group for finishing the season the right way by continuing to fight and trying to win every game.”

Kerr — who won five championships as a player, to go along with his four rings as a coach — has often spoken of his good fortunes within the game. He played for Lute Olsen at Arizona, played with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago, played with David Robinson and Tim Duncan in San Antonio, played for Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich as a pro.

And coaching Curry — the greatest face of a franchise he's ever seen, he said — is another honor, Kerr has insisted.

“The only thing I’ve learned is that I’m the luckiest guy in the NBA’s history," Kerr said.

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

The common factor: Both are being done in the name of Charlie Kirk.

The laws are among the first of what could become multiple state tributes to the conservative activist who was killed while speaking at a Utah university last year. More than 60 Kirk-themed bills have been proposed in over 20 states seeking to promote his ideology, establish official days of remembrance or affix his name to roads and public places, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural.

Just like Kirk, who was known for his provocative campus debates, the measures are not without controversy.

Republican lawmakers in Kansas overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to enact a law that she said would “cause confusion for courts and schools.”

In Tennessee, where Republicans firmly control state government, some Democrats denounced the pro-Kirk legislation by recounting what they described as racist remarks he made about Black pilots and Black women in government positions.

“How many times have we sat here and endured this? The Charlie Kirk Saves America Act, whatever the heck it is? Come on guys. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s move on,” Democratic state Rep. Sam McKenzie said during a committee meeting where Republicans endorsed the “Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act.”

That's not to be confused with Tennessee's “Charlie Kirk Act,” which Republicans also recently passed. That bill addresses campus free speech, including a ban on attendee walkouts that intentionally disrupt a speaker.

The variety of bills in Kirk's name “shows just how deeply his influence is being felt, especially in the fight to restore intellectual diversity and core American values in education,” said Matt Shupe, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, which Kirk founded.

Tennessee touts Christian values in Kirk's name

A Kirk-named law signed this week by Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee extols the historical “influence of Judeo-Christian values on the freedom and liberties ingrained in our culture.”

It gives permission for public schools and higher education institutions to teach about religion's positive role in American history. And it lists 19 examples, beginning with the organization of the Pilgrims as a church and including George Washington's direction for Army chaplains, Benjamin Franklin's appeal for prayer at the constitutional convention and the impact of Christian evangelist Billy Graham.

Tennessee is one of several Republican-led states to partner with Turning Point USA to promote its high school chapters, called Club America. Dozens of club leaders from Tennessee attended a state Senate committee hearing last month to support the religion-in-history legislation.

Ben Mason, a junior from Providence Academy in Johnson City, said Kirk helped him “to understand that America began with Judeo-Christian values.”

“This, of course, does not mean that you must be a Christian or even believe in God to be in America, but you will hear about our roots," Mason told lawmakers.

But Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari raised concerns.

“Our public schools are really not the place to push one religion over another," she said. "I know that is not the stated intent of the bill, but I think that ends up being the result.”

Kansas cites Kirk to promote free speech

Lawmakers turned Kirk's name into an acronym for the “Kansas intellectual rights and knowledge” act, which deems outdoor areas on college campuses as forums for free expression. The bill's preamble praises Kirk and cites a 2024 incident at Kansas State University in which Kirk's microphone was shut off at the end of his allotted time, leading Kirk to wade into the crowd to continue taking questions.

The measure limits security fees charged to student organizations for events and bans designated “free speech zones” that restrict the location of such activities. The attorney general — or any who believe their rights were infringed — can sue an institution seeking damages of at least $500 per violation, and $50 for each day it continues.

The bill is similar to the Campus Free Expression Act, promoted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. About half the states already have campus free-speech laws, according to the foundation.

“Charlie Kirk was assassinated for exercising his right to free speech and introducing young people to conservative values,” Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson said after Kelly’s veto was recently overridden. “His mission and legacy will live on and protect the free speech rights of all college students in Kansas for decades to come.”

Democrats, while decrying Kirk's assassination, were unified in opposing the bill. Democratic state Rep. Jerry Stogsdill said legislators should not honor an activist whose statements promoted “hate, bigotry, misogyny and racism.”

More Kirk bills are pending in state capitols

In Louisiana, Republicans have proposed a bill dubbed the “Charlie Kirk Success Sequence Act.” The measure would require public schools to teach that the keys to success include earning a high school diploma, immediately entering the workforce after high school or college, and marrying before having children.

A Senate committee advanced the bill this week after overcoming objections.

“Why muddy this bill up by putting a controversial political figure’s name on it?” asked Democratic Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, whose attempt to remove Kirk's name failed in the Republican-dominated committee.

“In the last 20 years, I cannot think of anyone that’s had the type of impact on our students, on our campuses and in our cities as Charlie Kirk,” said Republican Sen. Rick Edmonds, who authored the bill.

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Associated Press writers Sara Cline, John Hanna and Jonathan Mattise contributed to this report.

The Suns took the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and will face the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday in Game 1. The Warriors' season is over.

Green shot 14 of 20 from the field, including 8 of 14 on 3-pointers. Jordan Goodwin scored 19 points, had nine rebounds and was a menace on defense with six steals.

Booker and Golden State's Draymond Green were both assessed two technical fouls late in the fourth quarter after exchanging words multiple times and were ejected.

The 38-year-old Curry couldn't get many clean looks and finished with 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Brandin Podziemski led the Warriors with 23 points.

Phoenix led by five at the break and built a 69-53 advantage with 5:12 left in third after a fast-break layup by Royce O'Neale. It was 85-72 with 10:12 remaining.

There was reason to believe the lead wasn't safe. Phoenix blew an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead in a loss to Portland on Tuesday night, while Golden State clawed back from a 13-point fourth-quarter hole to beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, which led to the winner-take-all matchup Friday.

The Warriors looked as if they might have another comeback brewing — Curry hit a 3-pointer that cut the margin to 85-78 with 9:30 left — but the Suns responded with the next seven points.

The Suns avoided becoming the first team to lose both play-in tournament games on their home floor. The current format was established in 2021.

Golden State's Kristaps Porzingis played through right ankle soreness, the result of an injury Wednesday against the Clippers. The 7-foot-3 center played just 15 minutes and finished with 11 points.

The Suns built an early 13-2 lead after the Warriors turned the ball over four times. Phoenix pushed the advantage to 33-15 through one quarter after Golden State shot just 30%, including 1 of 9 from 3-point range.

But the Warriors recovered, cutting it to 50-45 by halftime.

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

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies were greeted by 3 inches of snow that blanketed Coors Field as their four-game series got off to a frigid start Friday.

Dodgers pitcher Emmett Sheehan took advantage of the frosty mid-April day when he came out on the field in shorts to make a snowman about four hours before the game's scheduled first pitch.

The snow stopped about three hours before the game began and Colorado’s grounds crew, which placed a tarp over the infield to shield it from the snowfall, used a plow to clear snow from the outfield. By the first pitch, it was 35 degrees and sunny — with the only remnants of snow on the pine trees behind the wall in center field.

It was the coldest first pitch in Dodgers history.

“It was a dry cold,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said with a laugh after the game.

The bats were back out and the white stuff gave way to green grass after the shovels slugged at the snow, which came one day after the high temperature in Denver was 75 degrees.

In front of a crowd of 28,783, the Dodgers won 7-1 behind a pair of home runs from Max Muncy and a strong outing from starter Tyler Glasnow, who gave up two hits and one run in seven innings.

The start of the game didn’t mark the end of the teams’ weather-related woes. The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for the Denver area that will be in effect from 8 p.m. locally Friday until 8 a.m. Saturday, with sub-freezing temperatures dropping down into the 18-to-24 degree range overnight.

“There was still ice on the field and it was only getting colder, but you can’t complain about it,” Muncy said. “You’ve got to go out there and they have to play through it also.”

The projected high is 57 on Saturday, according to the weather service, and 74 on Sunday before reaching 79 on Monday for the series finale.

The Dodgers come in from wrapping up a six-game homestand on Wednesday in Los Angeles, where the high was 73 on Friday.

“We were told right from the start the game was going to start on time,” Muncy said. “When you know you have to go out there and play, obviously the weather sucks, but if there’s no question of you may not play or may get delayed or you may play a doubleheader, when there’s no question of that, it’s easier to just kind of block out the noise, go out there and get ready. Today was thankfully one of those days.”

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

The Lexington Minutemen are marking the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts on Saturday, as they do every year, and among the soldiers represented will be Prince Estabrook, an enslaved man who joined his white neighbors on Lexington Green in April 19, 1775, as British troops approached. He was wounded that day but went on to serve in multiple deployments throughout the war.

“I wasn’t surprised that we didn’t know about it,” said Price, a 95-year-old Black Korean War veteran who played the role of Estabrook for 50 years. “I was surprised that there was one Black soldier out here.”

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, Estabrook and other patriots of color are being celebrated through programs nationwide that aim to tell a more complete story of the birth of the nation.

Telling the whole story

Museum exhibits, documentary films and lectures have traditionally focused on the white leaders of the American Revolution, such as Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere.

Christopher Brown, a British Empire historian at Columbia University, said the Revolution has long been portrayed as a “simple story and a moral story that celebrates American origins and that looks to the American past in a kind of idealized version of what the present is.”

But in recent decades, “a more accurate view of the past” has emerged that showcases the diverse collection of men and women who played critical roles in the fight for freedom.

“There were Black men in the ranks who were fighting in Concord and Lexington and fought on Bunker Hill,” he said. “They knew all of the work that women were doing to support the revolutionary effort. The fact that we didn’t know that is more of a sign of our lack of curiosity and the need for greater research.”

The National Park Service estimates that by the end of the Revolution more than 5,500 patriots of color — including Black and Indigenous people — served on the colonial side, while many runaway slaves fought for the British.

The stories of Black patriots cannot be told without mentioning slavery, which was legal at the time in all 13 Colonies. Some Blacks who fought were enslaved and others fought in the hopes of gaining freedom. Indigenous soldiers made similar calculations, even as tribes fought for their very survival.

But despite the documented military diversity of that time, efforts to promote such stories are under pressure. The Trump administration has ordered the removal or censorship of some exhibits highlighting the history of slavery and enslaved people, the Civil Rights Movement and the mistreatment of Indigenous people.

Roger Davidson, Jr. an associate professor of history at Bowie State University, said failure to recognize that important part of history can impact communities of color today.

“If you’re not seen as having contributed to society, to the military, to any of it, then people can sort of overlook you,” Davidson said. “It plays into, and I hate to put it this way, but it plays into some people’s biases. Why should we pay any attention to you in the present day, politically, socially, economically, if you have not contributed?”

Remembering patriots of color

MA250 has handed out millions of dollars in grants to commemorate the battles across Massachusetts that helped lead to America's independence. Among the beneficiaries is the Black Heritage Trail in Concord that highlights the lives of Black residents in the town during the Revolution.

Museum exhibitions celebrating Black patriots have also received grants. Among those highlighted is Crispus Attucks, a sailor of African and Indigenous ancestry who died on March 5, 1770, when British troops fired on a crowd in what is known as the Boston Massacre. Another, Salem Poor, was born enslaved but purchased his freedom before fighting at Bunker Hill.

American Ancestors, a nonprofit history and heritage center in Boston that also received MA250 funding, opens its “Patriots of Color” exhibit next week, throwing a spotlight on the lives of 26 Black and Indigenous men and women who played a role in the American Revolution. They include: Prince Ames, a Black and Narragansett man from Andover, who was forced to join the Continental Army in place of his enslaver; and Paul Cuffe, a Black and Wampanoag businessman, who petitioned the Massachusetts government to reject taxation without representation.

Some of their descendants will attend the opening of the exhibition.

“By telling these lesser known stories, we want to highlight that ordinary people made a tremendous difference in the arc of the country’s history,” Ryan Woods, president and CEO of American Ancestors, said.

The details of Estabrook’s life

Records about Prince Estabrook's life are scant, but according to the National Park Service, he was likely born in the Lexington area around 1740. His father was enslaved by landowner Benjamin Estabrook, so Prince was born into slavery.

It is unclear what his life was like before he trained as a soldier in the Lexington militia. The Park Service says he was serving under the command of Colonel John Parker on April 19, 1775, when his left shoulder was struck by a musket ball. He recovered from that injury and went on to serve eight years with the militia and the Continental Army.

After the Revolution, he was granted freedom and returned to Lexington, where tax records from 1790 indicate he joined Benjamin Estabrook’s payroll as ‘a non-white freeman.’ It is unclear if he ever married, had children or owned property.

According to family records, he died in 1830, around the age of 90, and was buried in the same cemetery as Benjamin's son, Nathan, in Ashby, Massachusetts.

Price, who has handed reenactment duties to a younger colleague but still attends the early morning reenactment every year, says it is important to know about the soldier's life.

“Keep the story alive to make sure that everybody knows, everybody that we can get in touch with, everybody knows that Prince Estabrook was here,” Price said. “He was a viable person. He did his role, he did his part in fighting for the country.”

Johnson, one of the top guards in the Atlantic Coast Conference, withdrew her name from the transfer portal and will remain with the Cavaliers for the 2026–27 campaign. Her decision comes after entering the portal amid a coaching change that saw Aaron Roussell take over the program.

A Charlottesville native, Johnson is coming off a standout junior season in which she averaged 19.5 points and 5.9 assists per game while earning first-team All-ACC honors. She also played a key role in leading Virginia to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2000 during the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Johnson’s return is considered an early win for Roussell, who was hired to lead the program after the departure of former coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton. Retaining Johnson, a two-time first-team All-ACC selection and one of the most sought-after players in the portal, solidifies the foundation for Virginia entering the new season.

During the 2025–26 season, Johnson delivered several notable performances, including a 41-point outing against Winthrop and a 28-point effort in a double-overtime NCAA Tournament win over Iowa.

Her decision to return, along with other key players withdrawing from the portal, signals continuity for a Virginia team looking to build on its postseason success under new leadership.

The extension follows a strong 2025-26 campaign for the Flames. Liberty finished 26-8 overall and 17-3 in Conference USA play, capturing its second consecutive regular-season title. The Flames won the league by four games and opened conference play with a 15-0 record. The team also set a program record with 17 straight wins from Dec. 16 through Feb. 19.

McKay was named the 2025-26 Conference USA Gene Bartow Co-Coach of the Year, marking his fourth career conference coach of the year honor. He was also one of 20 finalists for the 2025-26 Jim Phelan Award, presented annually to the top head coach in Division I men’s basketball.

In addition, McKay was a finalist for the 2025-26 Hugh Durham Award and the 2025-26 Ben Jobe Award.

McKay is the winningest coach in Liberty program history, compiling 298 victories over 13 seasons in Lynchburg. The Flames have recorded nine 20-win seasons in the past 10 years, including five seasons with at least 25 wins and a program-record 30 victories in 2019-20.

Over the past eight seasons, Liberty has won four conference tournament titles and seven regular-season or division championships. The program’s 11 titles during that span are tied for the most nationally. The Flames have also posted 203 victories over that stretch, tied for sixth most in the country, and a .755 winning percentage (203-66), which ranks fourth among Division I teams.

McKay has led Liberty to nine postseason appearances, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament, along with two National Invitation Tournament appearances and three CollegeInsider.com Tournament berths.

That all came crashing down days before Thanksgiving 2025, when he and a mutual friend unknowingly took a lethal cocktail of fentanyl and carfentanil they may have mistaken for cocaine.

“I heard the word ‘autopsy’ and I literally just collapsed to the floor,” his mother, Kelley Nalewaja said, recalling the call she received from his wife. “Even if somebody had been there prepared with Narcan — even if somebody had called 911 in time — he was not going to survive.”

Carfentanil, a weapons-grade chemical that authorities say is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, has seen a drastic resurgence across the U.S., killing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users.

The rise coincides with a recent crackdown by the Chinese government on the sale of precursors used to make fentanyl. Those regulations are likely prompting traffickers in Mexico to use carfentanil to boost the potency of a weakened version of fentanyl, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration intelligence bulletins reviewed by The Associated Press.

The surge of a drug so deadly that less than a poppy seed-sized amount can kill a person comes as fentanyl seizures and overall drug overdose deaths continue a multiyear decline.

“You’re talking about not even a grain of salt that could be potentially lethal,” said Frank Tarentino, the DEA's chief of operations for its northeast region, which stretches from Maine to Virginia. “This presents an extremely frightening proposition for substance abuse dependent people who seek opioids on the street today.”

Carfentanil surge

A decade ago, carfentanil exploded into the North American drug supply, causing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users to overdose, only to see a major dip after China banned it, closing a key regulatory loophole in the U.S.

But the situation has shifted dramatically in recent years.

In 2025, DEA labs identified carfentanil 1,400 times in U.S. drug seizures, compared with 145 in 2023 and only 54 in 2022, according to DEA records viewed by AP.

Traffickers in Mexico may be experimenting with producing carfentanil themselves, authorities say, while others could be procuring it from China-based vendors skirting the country's regulations by spamming online forums in other countries with ads for the drug.

Complicating matters for the cartels are the extreme dangers associated with manufacturing carfentanil, Tarentino said.

“You can't just dabble in this,” he said. “This is not some mad scientist on Reddit you’re going to get to go out to a rudimentary laboratory in Mexico to make carfentanil.”

Dip in overdose deaths and fentanyl seizures

U.S. overdose deaths have fallen for more than two years — the longest drop in decades. Experts point to several possible explanations, including the overdose-reversing drug naloxone being more widely available and the expansion of addiction treatment. Some have also tied it to the regulatory changes the U.S. has pressed for in China.

Experts say that even multiple high doses of naloxone might not be enough to reverse an overdose when carfentanil is involved.

Fentanyl seizures, along with several other illicit drugs, have also dipped. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that fentanyl seizures plunged to about 12,000 pounds (5,443 kilograms) in 2025 — less than half the amount seized in 2023.

But even as fentanyl numbers fall, it remains a major focus of the DEA. Just recently, the agency's proposed budget included a $362 million increase centered on cartel-driven fentanyl trafficking.

“Anyone who takes a pill that is not prescribed to them by their doctor is playing a game of Russian roulette with their life,” said Sara Carter, President Donald Trump's drug czar. “But if those terrorists think they can continue this chemical warfare without consequences, they are wrong.”

Researched as a chemical weapon

While the prevalence of carfentanil still pales in comparison to fentanyl, experts are nevertheless alarmed by the increase of a substance researched for years as a chemical weapon and deployed by Russian forces on Chechen separatists in 2002.

The DEA's annual quota for lawfully manufactured carfentanil — veterinarians use it to tranquilize elephants and other large animals — is just 20 grams, an amount that can fit in the palm of your hand.

“It’s like a biological weapon,” said Michael King Jr., founder of the Opioid Awareness Foundation. “If the world thinks we had a problem with fentanyl, that’s minute compared to what we’re going to be dealing with with carfentanil.”

In 2024, overdose deaths involving carfentanil nearly tripled compared to the previous year, with 413 deaths across 42 states and Washington, D.C., according to the most recent data available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Carfentanil definitely has that potential of spreading throughout the United States unless law enforcement really focuses in on carfentanil and they develop intelligence as to how these drug addicts are getting it,” said Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations at the DEA.

In recent months, the DEA has documented several large seizures of carfentanil. In October, the DEA Los Angeles Field Division found 628,000 pills containing carfentanil, while in September, officials seized more than 50,000 counterfeit M30 pills from a person at a gas station in Washington state that turned out to be a mixture of carfentanil and acetaminophen.

‘All about money’

In some cases, frequent drug users have become tolerant to fentanyl and are seeking out carfentanil, despite the danger, because of the sudden euphoria it promises, explained Rob Tanguay, senior medical lead for addiction services with Recovery Alberta, a health agency in Canada. It appeals to the drug market, he said, because so little of it goes such a long way toward supply.

“The toughest part about all of this,” he said, “is that this is all about money.”

After Michael Nalewaja's death, his mother decided against a large funeral.

Instead, she organized a town hall in her hometown of El Dorado Hills, California, bringing together local officials along with mothers who had gone through something similar.

As she grieves her son, an adept salesman full of charisma who had recently gotten a national award by the electrical union, she's pushing for major legislative and judicial changes so others don't go through what she did because of a drug she said was never meant for humans.

“It’s not an OD; it’s not an overdose,” she said. “It’s a murder weapon.”

___

Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed.

Roanoke carried a 1-0 lead into the final period, but Evansville capitalized on special teams to take control and secure a one-game-to-none lead in the series.

After a scoreless first period in which Evansville held a 16-9 shots-on-goal advantage, the Dawgs broke through late in the second. With multiple penalties creating a 5-on-3 advantage for Evansville, Roanoke killed off two infractions before Matt O’Dea exited the penalty box and converted a breakaway opportunity off an outlet pass from Bryce Martin.

O’Dea beat goaltender Khristian Stead glove side with six seconds remaining in the period for a shorthanded goal, giving Roanoke a 1-0 lead at the second intermission.

Evansville responded quickly in the third. Myles Abbate tied the game just 34 seconds into the period with a power-play goal, capitalizing on the remaining time from a Roanoke penalty.

Tyson Gilmour and Aaron Huffnagle added power-play goals later in the period as Evansville finished 3-for-8 with the man advantage. Roanoke struggled on its opportunities, going 0-for-10 on the power play.

The teams entered the semifinals following contrasting first-round performances. Roanoke swept Birmingham in two games, while Evansville advanced with a three-game series win over Pensacola, clinching the series in overtime.

Game 2 of the series will be played Saturday night at the Berglund Center before the matchup shifts to Evansville.

Iran’s Friday announcement about the opening of the crucial body of water, through which 20% of the world’s oil is shipped, came as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said the American blockade “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.

Asked by a reporter Friday night what he will do if there’s no deal when the ceasefire expires next week, Trump said, “I don’t know. ... But maybe I won’t extend it, so you’ll have a blockade and unfortunately we’ll have to start dropping bombs again.” But he also told reporters accompanying him aboard Air Force One to Washington that a deal is “going to happen,” and flatly rejected the idea of restrictions or tolls by Iran on the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump had earlier celebrated the Iranian announcement, posting on social media that the strait was “fully open and ready for full passage.” But minutes later, he issued another post saying the U.S. Navy’s blockade would continue “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that ships would use routes designated by the Islamic Republic in coordination with Iranian authorities, suggesting Iran planned to retain some level of control over the channel. It was not clear if vessels would have to pay tolls.

Iranian officials said the blockade was a violation of last week’s ceasefire agreement between Iran and the U.S. The strait “will not remain open” if the blockade continues, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, posted on X early Saturday.

A data firm, Kpler, said movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran’s approval.

U.S. forces have sent 21 ships back to Iran since the blockade began on Monday, U.S. Central Command said on X.

Trump says new talks could happen soon

Trump imposed the blockade as part of his effort to force Iran to open the strait and accept a Pakistan-brokered ceasefire to end almost seven weeks of war that has raged between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.

The president's decision to continue the blockade despite Iran’s announcement appeared aimed at sustaining pressure on Tehran as the fate of the two-week ceasefire reached last week remained uncertain.

Direct talks between the U.S. and Iran last weekend were inconclusive, as the two nations could not agree about Iran’s nuclear program and other points.

Trump suggested a second round of talks could happen this weekend.

“The Iranians want to meet,” he said in a brief telephone interview with the news outlet Axios. “They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend.”

Oil prices fell Friday on hopes the U.S. and Iran were drawing closer to an agreement . The head of the International Energy Agency had warned that the energy crisis could get worse if the strait did not reopen.

Two Iranian semiofficial news agencies seemed to challenge Araghchi's announcement about the strait.

Considered close with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, the Fars news agency issued a series of posts on X criticizing what it said was a lack of clarity over the decision to reopen the waterway and a “strange silence from the Supreme National Security Council and the negotiating team.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has recently acted as the country's de facto top decision-making body, amid doubts over the status of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly wounded early in the war.

The Mehr news agency also said the decision to reopen the strait needed “clarification” and required the supreme leader’s approval.

Truce in Lebanon could help US-Iran peace efforts

The ceasefire in Lebanon could clear one major obstacle to an agreement between Iran, the United States and Israel to end the war. But it was unclear to what extent Hezbollah would abide by a deal it did not play a role in negotiating and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.

Trump said in another post that Israel is “prohibited” by the U.S. from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The State Department said the prohibition applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defense.

Shortly before Trump's post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump,” but that the campaign against Hezbollah is not complete.

He claimed Israel had destroyed about 90% of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.

Celebrations in Beirut

In Beirut, celebratory gunshots rang out at the start of the truce. Displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.

The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon had reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.

An Israeli strike in the area of Kounine hit a car and a motorcycle, killing one person and wounding three, including a Syrian citizen, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Friday. It was the first airstrike and first fatality reported since the truce took effect.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli army or Hezbollah.

An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking last week's ceasefire with strikes on Lebanon. Israel had said that deal did not cover Lebanon.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.

Israel says it will keep troops in Lebanon

Israel’s hard-line Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would continue to hold all the places where it is currently stationed, including a buffer zone extending 10 kilometers (6 miles) into southern Lebanon. He said many homes in the area would be destroyed and Lebanese residents will not return.

Hezbollah has said Lebanese people have “the right to resist” Israeli occupation and that their actions “will be determined based on how developments unfold.”

Israel and Hezbollah have fought several wars and have been fighting on and off since the day after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel and Lebanon reached a deal to end the earlier fighting in November 2024, but Israel has kept up near-daily strikes in what it says is an effort to prevent the Iran-backed militant group from regrouping. That escalated into another invasion after Hezbollah again began firing missiles at Israel in response to its war on Iran.

Mediators seek compromise on three points

In the Iran war, mediators are pushing for compromise on three main points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

Trump on Friday suggested Iran has agreed to hand over its enriched uranium.

“The USA will get all the nuclear dust,” Trump said in a speech in Arizona. “We’re going to get it by going in with Iran with lots of excavators.”

Nuclear dust is the shorthand Trump frequently uses to refer to the highly enriched uranium that is believed buried under nuclear sites the U.S. bombed during last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

If true, it would be a major concession from Iran and would lock in a key demand of the U.S. to end the conflict. Neither Iran nor countries acting as intermediaries in the conflict have said Tehran has made such an agreement.

Trump said no money would exchange hands to end the war.

___

Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Ben Finley in Washington, Samy Magdy and Amir Rajdy in Cairo, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Abby Sewell in Beirut and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

Works wonders, actually.

Facing elimination and clearly wanting no part of it, the Magic might have put together one of their best performances of the season Friday night. They rolled past the Charlotte Hornets 121-90 in an Eastern Conference play-in game, moving into the playoffs for the third straight season and getting a matchup with top-seeded Detroit as their reward.

“When you play with a sense of desperation and urgency, when you know you’re either going home or extending your season, that’s what it looks like,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “There (are) no second chances.”

Mosley is the first coach to lead the Magic to three consecutive playoff appearances since Stan Van Gundy took Orlando there in five straight years. Van Gundy was at Friday's game as an analyst for Amazon Prime Video.

“I've got to be honest. Charlotte is shrinking from the competition,” Van Gundy said on the broadcast, as the Magic were running away in the second quarter — building what became a 35-point lead shortly before halftime. “They look like they don't want any part of this.”

That's exactly how Orlando wanted it. It was bully ball, and it worked.

“We’re going to need more of that in the playoffs,” Magic forward Franz Wagner said.

Added Magic forward Paolo Banchero: “We were just relentless with that tonight. ... It was just a complete effort from the whole team.”

Charlotte coach Charles Lee, who has engineered quite a turnaround over his first two seasons with the Hornets, said he hopes his team doesn't forget the lessons that Orlando taught them in this one.

“I hope that this fuels us this offseason, because we’ve done a ton of really good things and gave ourselves an opportunity,” Lee said. “You’re one step away from being in the playoffs. I don’t want to discredit that. But this has got to hurt a little bit.”

Orlando dealt with injuries all season, and going 2-8 in a 10-game stretch late in the regular season could have absolutely sunk any postseason hopes. But the Magic — even with a loss in Wednesday's play-in opener at Philadelphia — have now won six of their last eight, heading into a no-pressure matchup against heavily favored Detroit.

“We did what we were supposed to do,” Mosley said. “There’s a reason we can be happy tonight. But at the end of the day, we still have more work to do.”

___

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

The rain showers have helped us out a bit with fire weather concerns, but we are still included in an outlook today.

Wind gusts will remain around 20-30 MPH with dew points in the 50s. Please stay fire weather aware once again today!

Our current pattern still keeps us in our above-average pattern with temperatures around 15 degrees above average. This all changes this weekend with our next cold front.

The hot temperatures we are seeing today will not last for much longer! We are about 15 degrees above average this Friday. However, when a cold front moves through the region Saturday, we will see scattered showers and storms along with a large drop in temperatures for Sunday and the start of next workweek.

Scattered showers and storms are on deck for both days this weekend, thanks to this cold front. Be sure to grab the umbrella for this weekend! Have a great Friday.

However, Trump added that the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Iran reaches a deal with Washington to end the war.

Oil prices dropped 9% and Wall Street rallied to a record after Iran said the strait is open, allowing tankers to resume shipments from the Persian Gulf. Stocks are heading for a third straight weekly gain, on hopes the U.S. and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy.

A 10-day ceasefire in Israel and Lebanon began at midnight and appears to be holding after more than a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah, although the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group is not a party to the deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “not yet finished” with Hezbollah. The militant group said its response will depend on how events unfold.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, nearly 2,300 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.

Here is the latest:

Trump rejects notion of tolls by Iran on Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump flatly rejected the idea when a reporter asked about the prospect of restrictions or tolls managed by Iran on the Strait of Hormuz.

“Nope. No way. No. Nope,” Trump said. He said there can’t be tolls along with restrictions. “No, they’re not going to be tolls.”

More than 20 ships turned back by US blockade

US Central Command says that since the blockade began on Monday, 21 ships returned to Iran at the direction of U.S. forces.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier on Friday that the American blockade of Iranian ports would remain “in full force” until Iran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on its nuclear program.

Australia says opening of Strait of Hormuz is ‘positive news’

“We hope that it certainly holds. This was positive news that we received last night,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Sydney on Saturday.

“But we know that it’s very fragile and we don’t assume the best. What we do is prepare as best we can for the uncertainty which is there,” Albanese added.

Israel experiences first 24 hours without incoming strikes since Iran war started

It’s been more than 24 hours since air raid sirens went off in any part of Israel — and that last time, very early on Friday morning in a small community at the border with Lebanon, turned out to be a mistaken identification.

Since the Iran war started on Feb. 28, Iran, then Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants and eventually the Houthis in Yemen sent barrages of missiles and rockets into Israel, sometimes more than a dozen times a day. Hezbollah kept up firing right until a ceasefire went into effect Friday.

In Israel’s major metropolitan areas of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, but also in villages in the country’s desert south and hilly north, sirens and alerts sent residents to bomb shelters and safe rooms throughout the day and night.

The strikes have killed 23 people and wounded about 600 more, according to Israel’s emergency services.

Iran warns US blockade risks fresh Strait of Hormuz closure

Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf posted on X early Saturday that if the U.S. blockade continued, “the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open.”

On Friday, Iran had said it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but U.S. President Donald Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports would “remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S.

And a data firm, Kpler, said later Friday that movement through the strait remained confined to corridors requiring Iran’s approval.

Trump says US will go into Iran and excavate uranium

“The USA will get all the nuclear dust,” Trump said in a speech in Arizona. “We’re going to get it by going in with Iran with lots of excavators.”

Iran has yet to confirm that its agreed to give up the 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites badly damaged by U.S. military strikes last year.

Giving up the uranium and agreeing to U.S. troops entering Iranian territory would be huge concessions by Iran.

Trump insisted that “no money will exchange hands in any way, shape or form” as part of a potential deal with Iran to end the war.

China willing to take custody of highly enriched uranium from Iran, AP source says

China is open to taking possession or downgrading some 970 pounds (440 kilograms) of enriched uranium that Trump says must be removed from Iran as part of a deal to end the war, according to a diplomat familiar with Beijing’s thinking on the matter.

At the moment, it appears Trump wants the U.S. to take custody of the material that is believed buried under nuclear sites badly damaged in an American bombardment last June.

But China, which is Iran’s biggest trading partner, is signaling it would be open if asked by Washington and Tehran to take the uranium or down-blend to levels that could be used for civilian applications, said the diplomat who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

In 2015, under the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action, Iran shipped approximately 25,000 pounds (11,000 kg) of low-enriched uranium to Russia to meet an essential requirement to fulfill that nuclear deal. — By Aamer Madhani

USS Ford returns to the Middle East

The world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has again entered the waters of the Middle East, two defense officials told the Associated Press.

The Ford, which until recently was operating in the Eastern Mediterranean, transited the Suez Canal, along with a pair of destroyers, the USS Mahan and the USS Winston S. Churchill, and is now operating in the Red Sea, one official said.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

The Ford is returning to the Red Sea after more than a month in the Mediterranean following a major fire in a laundry space that forced the ship back to port for repairs. The carrier also broke the record for the longest aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam war this week.

The Ford’s arrival makes it the second aircraft carrier in the region in addition to the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. The USS George H. W. Bush is also heading towardH.W. Bushn and is currently off the coast of South Africa, according to one defense official.

Vessel movement remains constrained in the Strait of Hormuz

Data firm Kpler said ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz remained confined to corridors requiring approval on Friday evening, hours after the U.S. and Iran announced full reopening of the strategic waterway.

Iran’s state media reported the country’s conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed since the beginning of the war, included that all commercial vessels transiting must go through a route designated by Iran and in coordination with the IRGC Navy.

Kpler said that “markets have responded with cautious optimism” to the reopening decision, but warned that underlying supply dynamics remain tight, and a “full normalization in trade and confidence is likely to take months, not weeks.”

Oil prices fall sharply and Wall Street rallies to a record as Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices dropped back to where they were in the early days of the Iran war, while U.S. stocks raced to another record.

The S&P 500 leaped 1.2% Friday after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is open again for commercial tankers carrying crude.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped as many as 1,100 points before paring its gain and ended with a jump of about 870 points, or 1.8%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%.

A freer flow of oil could take pressure off prices not only for gasoline but also for groceries and all kinds of other products. Oil prices fell 9%.

Iran’s navy chief says Trump’s naval blockade is ‘piracy and maritime theft’

The commander of the Iranian navy, Shahram Irani, said Friday evening that Trump “has blockaded his friends” and not Iran, as the U.S. said its blockade will remain in place after Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial traffic.

In a statement carried by Mizan, Iran’s official judiciary news agency, the navy chief said Trump’s blockade is just “empty words” and that no one is listening to him.

The U.S. military says it has turned 19 ships back to Iran since imposing the blockade earlier this week.

Lebanese president says negotiations are ‘not a weakness’ and the country has reclaimed its sovereignty

President Joseph Aoun struck a defiant tone in his first address since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire took hold, saying he wants Lebanon to chart its own course after weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The president said he wants to see Lebanon “flourishing, not committing suicide.” He condemned Hezbollah’s rocket fire into northern Israel that triggered the latest round of fighting, and criticized Iran’s role in arming and backing the group.

He framed both as violations of Lebanese sovereignty, and again vowed to disarm non-state groups, including Hezbollah.

In a pointed response to Hezbollah’s criticism of Lebanon’s direct talks with Israel and claims that Beirut lacks leverage, Aoun said the country will make its own decisions and stand by demands shared across Lebanese society, not ones dictated by Iran or its allies.

“There will be no concessions to any principle, no infringement of the sovereignty of this country,” he said.

Aoun also reiterated calls for Israel to halt attacks, withdraw troops, release detainees and allow displaced people to return.

US Treasury sanctions Iraqi militias backed by Iran

The U.S. imposed sanctions on seven senior commanders of Iraqi militias that are supported by Iran, including groups like Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, for allegedly planning and carrying out attacks on U.S. personnel and coalition forces in the region.

Officials have said the move is part of a broader effort to counter Iran’s influence in Iraq and deter further violence against U.S. interests.

The action also signifies a U.S. strategy of using economic pressure, not just military force, to target Iran’s network of allies, while warning global banks and firms to stop doing business with anyone tied to these groups.

“We will not allow Iraq’s terrorist militias, backed by Iran, to threaten American lives or interests,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said Friday. “Those who enable these militias’ violence will be held accountable.”

Head of US Central Command says ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz

“We’ll see what this looks like going forward. But I think we should all remain optimistic,” Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters Friday after Iran announced the vital waterway was open to commercial vessels.

US Central Command leader says military will clear mines in Strait of Hormuz

The top commander in the Middle East confirmed that the U.S. military will be working to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz but would offer no details on the scope of the task.

“It’s a mission that we’ve undertaken,” Cooper told reporters on a call Friday before adding that he wouldn’t want to “characterize” the extent to which the critical waterway has been mined by Iran as part of a weekslong conflict with the U.S. and Israel.

Cooper said that it was “well within our ability to remove mines.”

Earlier on Friday Trump said in a social media post that “Iran, with the help of the U.S.A., has removed, or is removing, all sea mines!”

US Central Command chief says military still has ‘eyes on every Iranian port’

The top U.S. military leader in the Middle East said Friday that the American naval blockade of ships tied to Iran will remain in place for as long as Trump “says it will remain in effect.”

Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, told reporters on a phone call that “U.S. forces have eyes on every Iranian port.”

“We are watching every Iranian ship in every port. Period. Full stop,” Cooper said, adding that the U.S. military presence can stay in the region indefinitely.

“We’re well-provisioned. We’re well-manned. We have all the forces necessary to sustain this for as long as necessary,” Cooper said.

Iran threatens ‘reciprocal measures’ if US blockade continues

In comments published by Iranian state media Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei slammed the ongoing U.S. blockade of Iranian ports as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.

He said the Strait of Hormuz remains under the supervision of Iran, which is serious about its commitments. But if the U.S. violates its own commitments, then “Iran will take the necessary reciprocal measures.’’

“No leniency will be shown in this regard,” he said.

First cruise ship transits the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war began

The vessel-tracker MarineTraffic said the Malta-flagged passenger vessel, reportedly sailing without passengers and bound for Oman, departed Dubai on Friday after remaining docked for 47 days.

It said the Celestial Discovery ship is expected to arrive in Oman on Saturday.

Hours earlier, Iran and the U.S. said the strategic waterway, which has been effectively closed since the beginning of the conflict, will be fully open to commercial traffic.

UN chief says opening the Strait of Hormuz is ‘a step in the right direction’

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated the United Nations’ position: “We need the full restAntónio Guterresnational navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz to be respected by all parties,” his spokesman said.

Guterres supports diplomatic efforts “to find a peaceful path forward out of the current conflict in the Middle East,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

“He also hopes that, together with the ceasefire, this measure will contribute to creating confidence between the parties and strengthen the ongoing dialogue facilitated by Pakistan,” the spokesman said.

What exactly did Trump ‘prohibit’ Israel from striking in Lebanon?

The State Department said Trump’s announced prohibition on Israeli strikes inside Lebanon applies only to offensive attacks and not to actions taken in self-defense, and referred to the third point of Wednesday’s agreement by Israel and Lebanon.

That point says “Israel shall preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks.” It adds that Israel “will not carry out any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets, including civilian, military, and other state targets, in the territory of Lebanon by land, air, and sea.”

With the ceasefire only a few hours old, Israel has already launched at least one deadly drone strike in southern Lebanon, according to the health ministry there. During the previous ceasefire, Israel struck what it said were Hezbollah targets almost daily.

Trump suggests a second round of direct US-Iran talks could happen this weekend

“The Iranians want to meet,” Trump said in a brief telephone interview with the news outlet Axios. “They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend.”

Despite the ceasefire, an Israeli drone strike in Lebanon kills 1 person

An Israeli strike in the area of Kounine hit a car and a motorcycle, killing one person and wounding three, including a Syrian citizen, Lebanon’s health ministry said Friday. It was the first airstrike and first fatality reported since a 10-day truce between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah took effect overnight.

The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon had reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of the south in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has maintained that it still has the right to strike in Lebanon in response to perceived threats despite the ceasefire. There was no immediate response from Hezbollah.

Thousands head home as US-brokered truce holds in Lebanon

A fragile calm settled over parts of Lebanon on Friday as a 10-day ceasefire brokered by the United States took hold between Israel and Hezbollah, prompting thousands of displaced families to begin the journey home — even as uncertainty, destruction and Israeli warnings against going back to parts of southern Lebanon clouded their return.

By early morning, cars were backed up for kilometers on the route leading south to the damaged Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River, a key crossing linking the southern coastal city of Tyre to the north. Vehicles piled high with mattresses, suitcases and salvaged belongings crept forward through a single reopened lane, hastily repaired after an Israeli airstrike just a day earlier.

Drivers heading back to their villages along coastal highways cheered each other, flashed victory signs and exchanged blessings.

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Iranian media reports a challenge to the FM’s post declaring Strait of Hormuz open

Two semiofficial news agencies in Iran are casting doubt on an earlier announcement from Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, that the Strait of Hormuz was being opened to global traffic.

Considered close with the powerful Revolutionary Guard, Fars news agency appeared to challenge Iran’s reported decision to open the strait in a series of posts on its X account.

The posts condemned a “strange silence from the Supreme National Security Council and the negotiating team.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has recently acted as the de facto top decision-making body in the country, as doubts swirl over the status of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured early in the war.

Mehr news agency also has said that the reported decision to reopen the strategic waterway needed “clarification” and “requires the (Supreme) Leader’s approval.”

For many students, the weekend is a chance to share their college world with the people back home.

“My dad got here like early afternoon, so I was like walking around, showing him around, we went to the bookstore, basically touring the campus,” said Alyssa Rodgers, a Virginia Tech freshman, “I think it’ll be really fun.”

“Like parents coming and introducing them to the spirit of Tech,” said Meena Kumar, a Virginia Tech freshman.

Virginia Tech cheerleaders say the timing makes it even more special.

“My whole entire family’s coming, including my grandparents, and everyone’s family comes and it’s just a really good time,” said Kylee Christian, a Virginia Tech cheerleader.

Fellow cheerleader Addi Bear echoed that enthusiasm.

“It’s fun to just like bring all of my relatives in and nobody in my family really went to Tech, so it’s really cool to give them the Sandman experience and the whole gameday vibe,” Bear said.

A new era begins

But this year, there’s an added layer of excitement — and expectation.

The spring game marks the first time fans will see the Hokies take the field under Franklin, who was hired to turn around a program that has struggled in recent seasons. That combination of hope and curiosity is drawing fans out in full force.

“It’s been a rough couple years, so we figured might as well come and enjoy one with a lot of hope on the horizon,” said Dan Pultz, a local fan.

Rodgers said the fanbase is ready for a change.

“A lot of people like wanted the old coach gone because, you know, we weren’t doing well, so I think they’re excited to see the changes that the new coach has brought,” she said.

Pultz said expectations are measured — but the energy feels different.

“You never know what it’s gonna look like. I think you just wanna see a level of competency and a level of energy and intensity that maybe has been missing,” he said.

“I think even if we don’t win, it’ll still be fun to see how the team is working with the new coach,” Kumar said.

Christian said the program is ready to move forward.

“I think everyone is really excited for him to come in and hopefully change the program and hopefully start winning more and enjoying the games more,” she said.

Traditions fuel the excitement

With warmer weather and growing crowds, fans say there’s no better way to close out the school year.

“I feel like it’s stress-free, you don’t have to worry about the Hokies losing, so the weather’s gonna be great, the drinks will be cold, the food will be good,” Pultz said.

For Kumar, one tradition stands above the rest.

“Sandman is like the best part of the football games. I definitely miss the tailgates too — that’s fun,” she said.

Bear agreed, pointing to the pregame tunnel entrance as a highlight.

“I mean, just running out to Enter Sandman — nothing beats it — and it’s just so much fun to see all the fans too,” Bear said.

From the sidelines to the stands, fans say it’s that energy — and those traditions — that make this weekend in Blacksburg stand out.

The Magic earned the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Their reward is a matchup with top-seeded Detroit, a best-of-seven that begins Sunday on the Pistons' home floor.

The Magic were physical from the outset, and the Hornets were never in the game. Franz Wagner had 18 points for the Magic, along with seven rebounds and six assists.

Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting, while Desmond Bane scored 13 and Jalen Suggs added 12 for the Magic.

Orlando led by 31 at halftime, the biggest midpoint lead in the play-in tournament’s seven-year history. It has been utilized in this format — four teams qualifying from each conference, playing to decide the final two playoff spots on each half of the bracket — since 2021.

LaMelo Ball — who the NBA said should have been ejected from Tuesday’s season-extending win over Miami for an uncalled flagrant foul against Bam Adebayo -- led the Hornets with 23 points, 21 of them coming in the third quarter.

But the game was long decided at that point. Orlando raced out to a 27-10 lead, stretched it to 68-33 late in the first half, and the Hornets never even got within 20 points the rest of the way.

Miles Bridges, who has played more games than any other active player without a playoff appearance, scored 15 for the Hornets. Brandon Miller scored 14 and Kon Knueppel added 11.

The Hornets, who have now missed the playoffs in 10 straight seasons, were outrebounded 49-34 and shot only 34%. Orlando shot 50%.

The Magic were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two postseasons and have not won a playoff round since 2010. But they went 2-2 against the Pistons this season.

The Hornets, who beat the Magic in their last three regular-season games, have not been in the playoffs since 2016. It's the longest active drought in the NBA.

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

The so-called general license means U.S. sanctions will not apply for 30 days on deliveries of Russian oil that has been loaded on tankers as of Friday. It extended a similar 30-day license issued in March for Russian oil that had been loaded by March 11. The extension underscores how the fallout from the Iran war has boosted Moscow’s ability to profit from its energy exports, which had been restrained since the invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Bessent ruled out extending the license. “We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil, and we will not be renewing the general license on Iranian oil,” he said. The administration did not immediately explain the reversal.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Padres aren't commenting publicly on the process.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the imminent deal with private equity billionaire Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones. The team is expected to be sold at a valuation of $3.9 billion in a record deal for a Major League Baseball team, easily topping the approximately $2.4 billion paid by Steven Cohen for the New York Mets in 2020.

The 53-year-old Feliciano is the co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm based in Santa Monica, California. The firm was part of an investment group that purchased Premier League club Chelsea in 2022, with Los Angeles Dodgers minority owner Todd Boehly becoming the Blues' chairman.

Seidler's family began to explore a sale of the Padres last November, two years after the death of the popular Peter Seidler. His brother, John Seidler, has served as the Padres' chairman since then.

Peter Seidler was part of a group that bought the Padres in 2012 for $800 million, and he became the team's primary owner in 2020. He enthralled San Diego's baseball fans with his free-spending eagerness to win the Padres' first World Series, and general manager A.J. Preller built a series of exciting teams that have reached the MLB playoffs in four of the last six seasons — a first in team history — despite playing in the same division as the dominant Dodgers.

The Padres' current players reacted with excitement about the news of the potential sale to Feliciano — and the reported size of the billionaire's deal particularly caught these millionaires' attention.

“I think it’s special that they went out there and put that number out there for us,” slugger Manny Machado said in Anaheim before the Padres opened a series with the Los Angeles Angels. “Tells you everything they want for the organization. Looking forward to some conversations with them, and what they see for the future of San Diego. ... That’s a big stepping stone, $3.9 billion.”

The Padres' potential sale price reflects their value as San Diego's only franchise in North America's four traditional major sports leagues, leading to a passionate fan base in their attractive home at downtown Petco Park. The Padres have set attendance records in each of the past three seasons, capped last season by drawing a whopping 3,437,201 fans — the second-most in the majors to the Dodgers, who play in their much larger stadium in Chavez Ravine.

“You look at what’s going on in our city and just the state of baseball in general, and this game is in an amazing place,” said infielder Jake Cronenworth, who has been with the Padres since 2020. “For the market that we’re in, and what the team just sold for, I think it shows where the game is. Not only is it close to $4 billion, but for it to break the record is very, very impressive.”

The Padres finished last season with the majors’ ninth-highest payroll at around $217 million, still down significantly from its peak under Seidler.

The current team, which arrived at Angel Stadium on an eight-game winning streak, boasts a lineup anchored by Fernando Tatis Jr., Machado and Jackson Merrill — who are all signed through at least 2033 — along with closer Mason Miller, who has become the most dominant reliever in baseball.

Potential buyers also were clearly not frightened off by the Padres’ relative lack of media revenue. The team is expected to benefit immensely from any new media deal that would accompany baseball's next collective bargaining agreement.

Feliciano was born and raised in Puerto Rico before attending Princeton and Stanford. He co-founded Clearlake Capital two decades ago.

Machado, a Miami native with Dominican ancestry, was excited by the prospect of a second Latino owner in baseball alongside the Angels’ Arte Moreno. Machado holds a minority ownership stake in Major League Soccer's San Diego FC.

“That is unbelievable, having another Latin come and be an owner,” Machado said. “I think that tells you a lot about where baseball is heading. Blessed to have another Latin owner that can bring that Latin culture to San Diego, which is already a big part of the Latin community. I know he’s going to bring a lot of great things to the organization, to the city itself.”

The BlueCo consortium formed to buy Chelsea also owns Strasbourg in France's Ligue 1. Chelsea has been among the Premier League's biggest spenders since Boehly and his partners took over the club, although it has yet to produce significant success.

Any sale of the Padres must be approved by 75% of MLB owners.

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

The actor told Harper’s Bazaar she is “very grateful” to be welcoming a child with partner Tanguy Destable, 45, a French electronic music producer known by his stage name, Tepr.

“Tanguy and I are very excited,” she told the outlet. “I’m just very grateful. I know it’s such a privilege and a miracle.”

The actor shares two older children, son Aleph, 14, and daughter Amalia, 9, with ex-husband Benjamin Millepied. Portman and Millepied divorced in 2024.

A publicist for Portman, Keleigh Morgan, confirmed news of the pregnancy but did not give further details.

Portman has spoken about how she grew up the child of a fertility doctor.

“I grew up hearing about how hard it is to get pregnant,” she told Harper's Bazaar. “I have so many people I love who’ve had such a hard time with it that I want to be respectful around that as well. It’s such a beautiful, joyous thing, and it’s also not an easy thing.”

She also said she is feeling good physically, with “more energy than I thought I might.”

Portman's upcoming projects include Cathy Yan's “The Gallerist,” about an unusual art world caper, and Lena Dunham's “Good Sex” on Netflix.

Lanez, 33, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, filed the federal lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages on Tuesday against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the warden and guards at the prison in Tehachapi where he was being held.

The suit says he was stabbed 16 times in the back, torso, head and face in an “unprovoked life-threatening attack” by inmate Santino Casio, who used a homemade “shank.” Lanez had a collapsed lung and had to be airlifted to a hospital, it says.

Lanez is serving a 10-year sentence for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet after a dramatic and high-profile 2022 trial in Los Angeles.

Prison officials say he was attacked May 12, 2025, by Casio, who is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. Casio had another 2008 conviction for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon and another in 2018 for manufacturing a deadly weapon.

“The choice to house Casio with Peterson was known or should have been a known danger,” the lawsuit says. It alleges that correctional officers' response was slow, and no special measures like flash grenades or smoke bombs were used to stop Casio. It says the institution housed the men together despite the rapper's “high-profile celebrity status,” which made him a target.

There is no record of Casio being charged in the assault. An attorney who represented him previously did not respond to messages seeking comment at the time.

Lanez was transferred to another prison, the California Men's Colony, in San Luis Obispo County.

The lawsuit also says the defendants unlawfully seized his songbooks with unpublished lyrics that are of great future commercial value and refused to return them.

In response to a request for comment, Department of Corrections spokesperson Ike Dodson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit was first reported by TMZ.

Lanez was convicted of three felonies in December 2022: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle; and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

A California court rejected his appeal in November.

Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified at trial that in July 2020, after they left a party at Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills home, Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding.

She had bullet fragments surgically removed from both feet. It was not until months after the incident that she publicly identified Lanez as the person who fired the gun.

The 32-year-old Canadian Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major label albums, two of which reached the top 10 on Billboard’s charts.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, made the ruling late Friday afternoon, finding that eight attorneys general and DirecTV were likely to prevail in their legal bid to stop the merger. The attorneys general, all Democrats, and DirecTV contend the merger will lead to higher prices for consumers, stifle local journalism and that the deal runs afoul of federal laws designed to protect against monopolies.

The deal, announced last year and approved by the Federal Communications Commission, would create a company that owns 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, most of them local affiliates of one of the “Big Four” national networks: ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

That would likely give Nexstar the power to raise the retransmission fees it charges to video programming distributors like DirecTV, which means higher bills for consumers, Nunley wrote. The company also has a track record of consolidating local television news stations when it owns more than one station in a market, the judge said, meaning viewers “will lose options for where to get their local news.”

The deal could also force distributors like DirecTV to comply with Nexstar’s demands for higher broadcast fees or risk leaving subscribers potentially unable to watch things like Sunday NFL football games, the judge said.

Stopping the merger for now is “in the public interest,” Nunley wrote.

Attorneys representing Nexstar and Tegna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nexstar’s attorneys told the court the deal has already been reviewed and cleared by the FCC and the Department of Justice. They said the FCC order commits the company to expand local journalism and programming, not shrink it.

The merger needed the approval of the Republican Trump administration’s FCC because the government had to waive rules that limit how many local stations one company can own. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said in March that the company had agreed to divest itself of six stations.

The judge said the FCC clearance process for the deal was “unusual,” and that the regulatory oversight “did not curb the manifest anticompetitive effects of this acquisition.”

The Department of Justice, which is tasked with conducting antitrust reviews of these types of mergers, announced it was closing its investigation of the deal in March through “early termination,” the judge noted, ending the review process sooner than is normally required by statute.

“In unusual circumstances — with the FCC’s quasi-adjudicatory licensing proceeding still pending — the President himself weighed in publicly in February and urged federal regulators to approve the deal to ‘knock out the Fake News,’” Nunley wrote.

The preliminary injunction is designed to keep things as they are until the lawsuit is fully decided, Nunley said.

New York Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling a “critical victory” in a statement released Friday evening.

“Consolidating hundreds of local TV stations under one corporate owner would mean higher prices and lower quality programming for consumers,” she wrote. She later continued, “We will keep fighting our case to ensure fair competition among local TV stations that serve communities across the country.”

Schmidt’s family said in a statement that he fought a brain tumor for 15 years “with courage, dignity and resilience . . . while remaining a role model of determination, generosity and love of life. Oscar leaves a legacy that transcends sport and inspires generations of athletes and admirers in Brazil and worldwide.”

Schmidt is beloved in Brazil for committing to the national team for 19 years and becoming one of the most prolific scorers in basketball history. He also starred in a historic victory over the United States in the final of the 1987 Pan American Games.

“The biggest player of Brazilian basketball history bids farewell as an absolute symbol of sport, the holder of a trajectory that redefined the boundaries of what was possible in a court,” the Brazil Basketball Confederation said in a statement. “His death closes an era. But his greatness remains.”

Chose Brazil over NBA

Schmidt, who never played in the NBA, began his professional career in 1974 and most of it was at home and Italy, where he became a childhood idol of future great Kobe Bryant.

In 1984 the NBA’s New Jersey Nets drafted him in the sixth round and he trained with them but declined a contract. At the time NBA players were not allowed to play for national teams. Schmidt said he had no regrets at his Hall of Fame induction.

“I was the choice (No,) 144,” he said. His idol Larry Bird laughed next to him. “They came to offer me a no-cut contract to play for the New Jersey Nets. I said thank you very much but if I play one game here I will never again play for my national team.

“Three years later we beat the Americans here in the U.S. Sorry, that was the greatest thing I did in basketball.”

Bird released a statement Friday, saying: “I always admired Oscar and considered him a friend. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It was an honor of a lifetime when Oscar asked me to present him at his well deserved induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. My sincere condolences to Oscar’s family.”

Kerr compares Schmidt to Steph Curry

Golden State coach Steve Kerr said in comments before the Warriors played the Phoenix Suns on Friday that Schmidt “was one of the greatest shooters I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Just no conscience, just a little bit, you know, of a Steph Curry mentality,” Kerr added. "Never, ever thought twice about letting it fly, just a beautiful player with an incredible mentality.”

Kerr played against Schmidt at the 1986 world championships and tore his ACL during the game.

“He literally picked me up, carried me off the floor,” Kerr said. "It was an incredible gesture on his part. And over the next few years, he really exploded.”

"I was so sad to hear about the news today. Only 68 and the guy was absolutely beloved in Brazil. So to all our Brazilian fans, I just want to say my condolences, and from the Warriors, we’re feeling for you.”

Portland Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter and NBA champion Anderson Varejao, two Brazilians in the league, praised Schmidt while passing along their condolences on social media.

Holy Hand

Standing 2.03 meters (6-foot-8), he was a keen 3-point shooter in the 1980s when many coaches advised against it. That earned him the nickname “Mão Santa” (Holy Hand). Schmidt didn’t believe he was worthy of the tag.

“I don’t have a holy hand. I have a trained hand,” Schmidt used to say in interviews.

He debuted for Brazil at 19 in 1977 and made 326 appearances, averaging 23.6 points per game.

He played in a record-tying five Olympics and four World Cups. He’s the all-time leading scorer in both tournaments. He still has seven of the 10 highest scoring games in Olympic history and he holds the single-game records for points scored in the Olympics (55 vs. Spain in 1988) and World Cup (52 vs. Australia in 1990).

“More than results and medals, Oscar represented values that define the Olympic spirit; dedication, resilience and respect to the opponents,” Brazil’s Olympic committee said in a statement.

The 1987 Pan Am Games victory in Indianapolis marked the first time a U.S. team lost a major international tournament on home soil. Brazil won 120-115 and Schmidt led with 46 points.

Schmidt retired in 2003 at 45. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the unofficial career highest scorer and his known tally of 49,737 points for club and country was eclipsed by LeBron James in 2024.

Hall of Fame honors

Schmidt was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

After retirement, Schmidt became one of his country’s most popular motivational speakers. He often talked about his battle with the brain tumor diagnosed in 2011, his love for Brazil and basketball.

Schmidt is survived by wife Maria Cristina Victorino, whom he married in 1981, and two children. One of them, Filipe, spoke about his father’s death on social media.

“Now you rest in peace, dad. You are in the hall of fame of life,” he said.

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AP Sports Writer David Brandt contributed from Phoenix.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The Angels announced Anderson's death Friday morning without immediately disclosing the cause or location.

Anderson reached the majors with the then-California Angels in 1994 and played for the club until 2008, primarily as a left fielder. Known for both his superb swing and his no-nonsense professionalism, Anderson was a fixture in the heart of the Halos' batting order for his entire tenure, becoming the franchise's career leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796), doubles (489) and grand slams (eight).

“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons, and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship. Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable.”

The Angels will wear a memorial patch this season bearing Anderson's initials, the team announced. The club held a moment of silence for Anderson at Angel Stadium before its game against the San Diego Padres, and both teams lined up on the field to watch a video of Anderson's career highlights.

“Been talking to teammates that played with him this morning, and just hearing the great things they said about him,” three-time AL MVP Mike Trout said. “Seeing some of the numbers this morning, it was incredible what he brought. Nothing but great things people were saying about him. The baseball family lost a good one.”

Anderson was a three-time AL All-Star who finished as high as fourth in the AL MVP balloting during his 17-year major league career. He won two Silver Slugger awards, and he memorably won both the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP award in 2003 in Chicago.

His 272 career homers are third in Angels history behind Trout and Tim Salmon. Only Trout has scored more runs in an Angels uniform than Anderson.

“He did everything right,” said Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, whose 16-year career as a major league catcher overlapped with the end of Anderson's playing career. “There was never anything flashy. Everything that he did was just professional. When you have your kids playing the game, for me anyway, that's who I want my kids to model themselves after. Just play the game right, do things right, never bring attention to yourself. And that's the type of player he was. He was phenomenal at it, too.”

In 2002, Anderson batted .306 and drove in a team-leading 123 runs for the then-Anaheim Angels, who won 99 games and earned a wild-card playoff berth. The Halos stormed through the playoffs to this franchise's only championship, overcoming a 3-2 series deficit to Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series.

Anderson was a key factor in the Fall Classic, batting 9 of 32 with six RBIs. He drove in the final three runs of the series with a tiebreaking three-run double in the third inning of the Angels' 4-1 victory over the Giants in Game 7.

Anderson's other baseball accomplishments included a 10-RBI game on Aug. 21, 2007.

Anderson finished his career with Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers before his retirement in 2011. He batted .293 with 2,529 hits, 287 homers and 1,365 RBIs in the majors.

Anderson was inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame in 2016, and he had regularly worked for the team as a television broadcaster on its pregame and postgame shows over the ensuing decade. He lived in coastal Newport Beach with his family.

Anderson was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1972. He attended Granada Hills High School in the suburban San Fernando Valley before the Angels drafted him in the fourth round in 1990.

The Angels said Anderson is survived by his wife, Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, and son Garret "Trey" Anderson III.

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

Maria Medetis Long told defense lawyers involved in the investigation that she was no longer participating in the Brennan investigation. Her departure from the investigation came after she conveyed doubt that there was sufficient evidence for a criminal case against Brennan, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press to discuss internal Justice Department conversations.

The Justice Department did not dispute that Medetis Long was no longer part of the investigation but also did not elaborate on the circumstances of her departure. The department said in a statement that “as a matter of routine practice, attorneys are moved around on cases so offices can most effectively allocate resources. It is completely healthy and normal to change members of legal teams.”

CNN first reported Medetis Long's departure from the investigation. She referred a request for comment to a spokesperson for her office, who did not immediately provide a statement.

Medetis Long heads the national security section at the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of Florida, which for months has been scrutinizing Brennan in connection with one of President Donald Trump's chief grievances — the U.S. government's years-old investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign for the White House.

Brennan served as CIA director under President Barack Obama and was in the position when the intelligence community published a detailed assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The Justice Department last year received a referral from Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asserting that Brennan had given false testimony about the preparation of that assessment — a claim Brennan and his lawyers have vigorously denied.

Investigators who in recent months have issued a flurry of subpoenas have been preparing for additional interviews in the probe, though it remains unclear whether any charges will be brought or what impact Medetis Long's departure will have on the case or on witnesses' willingness to cooperate.

Trump this month replaced Pam Bondi as his attorney general, frustrated by the lack of progress in criminal investigations against political opponents like Brennan.

Her deputy, Todd Blanche, is now acting attorney general and has said that Trump has the right and duty to be involved in seeking investigations against people he has had “issues with.”

Last year, Trump effectively forced out the acting U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, after Siebert did not push forward with criminal charges against two other Trump foes, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. A hastily installed loyalist prosecutor, Lindsey Halligan, subsequently secured indictments against Comey and James but the cases were thrown out after a judge concluded that Halligan was unlawfully appointed.

_____

Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

A senior State Department official met with the grandson of retired Cuban leader Raúl Castro last week during the trip, according to a department official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

The official did not say who from the U.S. met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, whose grandfather is believed to play an influential role in the Cuban government despite not holding an official post. A second U.S. official said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was not part of the delegation that visited Havana.

U.S. officials have previously said Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a longtime Cuba hawk, met the younger Castro in the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis in February.

During last week's extraordinary diplomatic push, which was reported earlier by Axios, the U.S. delegation urged Cuba to make major changes to its economy and way of governing because it would not let the island nation become a national security threat in the region, the State Department official said.

It marked the first U.S. government flight to land in Cuba other than at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay since 2016.

Cuba’s crises have deepened following a U.S. energy blockade, coming as the Trump administration has described its government as ineffective and abusive. In return for easing sanctions, U.S. demands have included an end to political repression, a release of political prisoners and a liberalization of the island’s ailing economy.

Along with those similar topics, the sides last week also discussed a U.S. proposal to provide free and reliable internet to the island through a Starlink satellite connection, the State Department official said.

The talks were revealed after Trump said earlier this week that his administration could focus on Cuba after the war in Iran ends.

“We may stop by Cuba after we finish with this,” he said. He described it as a “failing nation” and asserted that it has “been a terribly run country for a long time.”

In response, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the U.S. has no valid reason to carry out a military attack against the island or attempt to depose him but that the country was ready to fight back if needed.

“The moment is extremely challenging and calls upon us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to confront serious threats, including military aggression. We do not want it, but it is our duty to prepare to avoid it and, if it becomes inevitable, to defeat it,” Díaz-Canel said.

He was speaking during a rally that drew hundreds of people to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the Cuban Revolution’s socialist essence.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment about the talks last week.

Attorneys for the family of Charles Adair renewed their demand Friday that video of what happened be released publicly in announcing the wrongful death lawsuit.

Filed earlier this month, the lawsuit names the Wyandotte County sheriff, the unified government for the county and Kansas City, Kansas, and Richard Fatherley, who was charged last year with second-degree murder in Adair's death.

“The public has a right to transparency when someone dies in custody in this manner,” Ben Crump, an attorney who is representing the family, said in a news release.

Crump and another civil rights attorney, Harry Daniels, were allowed to view video of what happened. The sheriff’s office has declined a records request from The Associated Press seeking the video.

Adair was arrested last July on misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear on multiple traffic violations. At the time, Adair’s leg needed to be amputated and was so badly infected that he was taken straight to the hospital, a Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent wrote in the affidavit.

Before Adair was cleared to return to the jail, he was diagnosed with a type of bone infection that sometimes develops in people with diabetes. A medical screening also found he was schizophrenic, the affidavit said.

The lawsuit said he was incoherent and that deputies believed Adair’s medical condition “was affecting his brain.”

After having his leg rewrapped the following evening, he got into an argument with the deputy who was wheeling him back his cell. Adair ultimately threw himself out of the wheelchair, the affidavit said.

Once he was back in his cell, he was placed on his stomach on the bottom bunk, with his legs and knees on the ground. He repeatedly yelled “Help!” the lawsuit and court records said.

The lawsuit noted that Adair was complying with commands but that Fatherley “pressed his body weight onto Mr. Adair's back.” Other deputies then removed Adair's handcuffs while Fatherley shifted his weight forward.

The lawsuit said none of the other law enforcement officers who were present intervened and that the deputies failed to modify their tactics to account for Adair’s apparent mental health impairment.

The lawsuit also said that Fatherley, who is on administrative leave and free on bond, wasn't cut off from his sheriff's office email after he was charged, allowing him to communicate with other members of the sheriff's office and employees that he knew were witnesses.

Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Kroening said Fatherley's email was deactivated on April 13 after the litigation was filed. He declined to comment further because the litigation is pending. A county spokesperson didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

A status conference in the criminal case against Fatherley is set for next month. His attorney, James Spies, has said that Adair’s death was “a tragic accident” but it was not a result of Fatherley’s actions. A phone message left at Spies' law firm Friday wasn't immediately returned.

The man, Pedro Hernandez, 65, has been behind bars since his 2012 arrest. He is due back in court in June for a status update. A trial date has not yet been set.

Etan vanished on a two-block walk to his school bus stop on the first day his mom let him go unaccompanied. He was among the first vanished kids to be pictured on milk cartons, and the May 25 anniversary of his disappearance became National Missing Children’s Day.

New York Judge Michele Rodney turned away his lawyers' arguments that prosecutors waited too long to charge Hernandez and that he can’t get a fair trial now, after decades of media coverage.

“The court will carefully work, together with the parties, to ensure that jurors are selected who promise to be fair and to consider only the evidence and the law, despite what they have learned about the case from the media,” Rodney wrote.

Hernandez's lawyers declined to comment afterward. Prosecutors had no immediate comment.

Hernandez was a 19-year-old corner store clerk in Etan’s neighborhood, but the man didn't become a suspect until investigators got a 2012 tip that he had told various people in his life years ago that he’d killed a child or young man in New York.

Hernandez then told police — after seven hours of questioning and before being told he had a right to remain silent — that he had strangled Etan in the shop basement after enticing him there with the offer of a soda. Hernandez later was read his rights and recapped his statement on video, telling authorities: “Something just took over me.”

Defense lawyers said all of Hernandez’ admissions amounted to the imaginings of a mentally ill and intellectually limited man, haunted and confused by a highly publicized tragedy that had happened near his workplace.

Hernandez' 2015 trial ended in a jury deadlock, a 2017 retrial yielded a conviction, and then a federal appeals court overturned the verdict. The court said the 2017 trial judge mishandled a jury question about determining the validity of Hernandez’ confessions.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office pledged to retry the case but also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to restore Hernandez’ conviction. The high court isn’t obliged to hear the case and hasn’t yet said whether it will.

Rahm, coming off a rough showing at the Masters, added a 4-under 67 on Friday to his opening 65 to take a one-shot lead at LIV Golf Mexico.

“It takes a lot to win, and you also need a little bit of luck,” Rahm said. “I’m clearly playing good enough, I just need to take advantage of the opportunities I’ve been giving myself.”

Rahm led by one shot over Matthew Wolff (65), Tom McKibbin (65) and Harold Varner III (66) at Chapultepec Golf Club.

Speculation was running rampant on Wednesday that LIV's main source of funding — Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund — was on the verge of drying up. O'Neil said in a memo to staff that the 2026 season would proceed without interruption and at “full throttle.”

Questions remained whether that would last beyond the end of the year, and O'Neil added to the intrigue in an interview with U.K.-based TNT Sports.

“The reality is that you’re funded through the season, and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going," O'Neil said. "But that’s not different from any other private equity-funded business in the history of mankind.”

The interview later was removed from TNT Sports' social media account and replaced with a different version.

In a previous interview with LIV's broadcast team, O'Neil was bullish about the future.

“Given the momentum of this business, we’re really excited about where we are and the position where we are,” O'Neil said.

He said he met with 50 people at the Masters and rolled out a plan that “might surprise people.” LIV Golf has said some of its metrics such as ticket sales and team sponsorships have increased, and O'Neil is projecting 10 of the 13 teams and four of the 14 events will be profitable.

But there is a substantial cost involved with prize funds ($30 million for each tournament) and operations. The newsletter Money in Sport reported in February that LIV Golf already had spent $5.3 billion and was projected to surpass $6 billion by the end of the year.

“This notion of bringing teams to market, I had two calls this morning,” O'Neil said on the LIV broadcast. “This notion of, ‘Do you have to raise money?’ Probably this is business. But if we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time.”

___

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

Authorities have not offered a potential motive for Monday morning's attacks. Among the victims was an auditor for the Department of Homeland Security who was walking her dog near the suspect's home.

The suspect in the shootings, Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old U.K. native, is charged in state court in DeKalb County with two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault and firearms counts. He also is facing a federal firearms charge, along with another man who is accused of buying the gun used in the shootings for him, prosecutors announced Friday.

Adon Abel lived with six others in separate units of a home listed on PadSplit, a platform offering low-cost shared housing. He was granted U.S. citizenship in 2022 while serving in the Navy and stationed in the San Diego area.

Long-running issues inside a communal home

Three roommates told The Associated Press that Adon Abel and a male roommate were screaming at each other late Sunday night over how cold Adon Abel kept the house in Panthersville, a suburb southeast of Atlanta.

“He (kept) the house freezing,” roommate Angela Britton said Friday. "It’s not the first time they got into it about the AC. But that time was a real big argument.”

Another roommate, Lakisha Mckinzie, said the fight scared her so much that she called her mother before bed and asked her to pray for her and her roommates' safety, telling her there had been a lot of “chaos and tension” in the home.

Mckinzie said she had been afraid of Adon Abel ever since he inappropriately touched her last month after asking her on a date. Mckinzie said he frequently knocked on her door late at night, but she never answered. She said she complained to her landlord multiple times, but no action was taken. PadSplit did not respond to a request for comment about whether it knew about Adon Abel's alleged behavior in the home.

After the argument, the roommates said Adon Abel packed up a large duffel bag and drove off shortly after midnight Monday morning.

Around 12:50 a.m., and about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away, 31-year-old Prianna Weathers was fatally shot outside a Decatur-area fast food restaurant, investigators said.

Then, around 2 a.m., a 49-year-old homeless man was shot multiple times while sleeping outside a grocery store in Brookhaven, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of the first attack, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said. The man, whose name hasn’t been released, remains hospitalized in stable but critical condition, authorities said Thursday.

DHS worker Lauren Bullis, who was out walking her dog a few hundred feet from Adon Abel's home, was found around 7 a.m. with gunshot and stab wounds.

Authorities have linked Adon Abel to all three attacks, though it is unclear whether he knew any of the victims — police have said they believe at least one victim was targeted at random.

Georgia State Patrol troopers stopped Adon Abel’s car around 11 a.m. Monday in Troup County, not far from the Georgia-Alabama border. Inside the vehicle, investigators said they found ammunition and shell casings matching those at the scene of Weathers’ killing. Police found the gun and shell casings on the ground near Bullis, Hertzberg said.

Federal charges have now been filed

Adon Abel is now also facing prosecution in federal court for illegally possessing a firearm, officials announced Friday.

He was charged with a firearms violation along with a 35-year-old homeless man, Damon Marquis Yarns. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, the top federal prosecutor for northern Georgia, said Yarns acknowledged buying the gun used in the shootings for Adon Abel and falsely stating on a federal form that he was the owner.

Adon Abel is accused of illegally possessing the gun as a person previously convicted of a felony.

Monday's crimes led Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to issue a statement raising concerns that Adon Abel was granted U.S. citizenship when Joe Biden was president. Mullin has catalogued a litany of the defendant’s previous alleged crimes, but it is unclear whether any of them happened before he became a citizen.

Adon Abel pleaded guilty in October 2024 in San Diego County, California, to charges of assault with a deadly weapon and criminal vandalism over what authorities there said was an attack on two police officers and another person, according to California court records.

Online court records show that someone listed with a similar name and the same birth date pleaded guilty last June in Chatham County, Georgia, to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.

Yarns is accused of buying the 9 mm pistol used in the shootings at a federally licensed firearms dealer in Atlanta on Feb. 20. Hertzberg said that a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives interviewed Yarns on Thursday, and Yarns said he had purchased the gun for a Nigerian or British man he knew only as “Abdul or Obie,” then identified Adon Abel from a photo.

___

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

Rescuers first found her as a kit. She spent her first year of life at the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center before moving to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke.

Because beaver kits typically stay with their parents for roughly two years, wildlife rehabilitators keep them in their care for the same length of time to mirror that natural process. Beavers are very social animals that need to be with others to thrive.

Wildlife experts say raising a beaver is a bit more complicated than many of our other native mammals; not only do they require a semi-aquatic setup, but they also need long-term care! In the wild, baby beavers spend a full two years with their mother before venturing off on their own. Young beavers are also social animals and fare much better if they are raised in a group,

During the beavers stay at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, she also spent time with two younger beaver kits.

Watch their story here.

Staff at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center took the beaver to a pond at an undisclosed location in Roanoke on Thursday to be released.

She was shy at first, but quickly took to the water. She is expected to live out her days back in the wild.

The incident happened Thursday as the soldiers were participating in a “land navigation training event” in Arctic Valley, part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s training area.

The soldiers were receiving medical care as of Friday, a military official told the Anchorage Daily News. Messages sent to base spokespersons were not immediately returned to The Associated Press on Friday.

The soldiers’ conditions were not released pending notification of relatives.

Both soldiers used pepper spray on the bear, the official said. Few other details were available about the incident because it was still under investigation.

“The safety and well-being of our personnel is our highest priority,” Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division, said in an email to the Anchorage Daily News.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is investigating what it says appears to have been “a defensive attack" by a bear that had recently emerged from a den. The area near where the incident occurred has been closed to recreational activity by base officials, the department said.

Samples were collected by investigators with the aim of positively identifying the species and gender of bear involved, the department said.

The base encompasses 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) within the Municipality of Anchorage, where up to 350 black bears and 75 brown bears roam freely.

Runners arriving in Roanoke say the event is as much about the experience as it is the challenge.

“It’s going to be fun. I had about a three-hour drive up here. Think about the 52 miles I’m going to be doing tomorrow, so definitely excited,” said Ryan Dant, a marathon particpiant. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a lot of work. The last lap is going to hurt, but I’m super excited. It’s going to be fun.”

Dant planned to participate in not just the main event starting at 7:35am, but the early morning run of the marathon starting at 2:30am. He said the atmosphere leading up to race day has already stood out.

“Seems like the energy is really, really high, so I’m excited to see that on the course tomorrow and in the after party,” he said.

Race organizers say that energy is part of what keeps runners coming back year after year.

“We have amazing mountains. We have great food — the restaurants get to have all these visitors come. We have amazing music venues,” said Kait Pedigo, event organizer for the marathon. “The Freedom First Down by Downtown Festival is going on at the same time.”

Pedigo said the marathon continues to draw participants from across the country, many of whom return after their first race.

“We get people from at least 40 states every year to come out here and try it,” she said. “It’s kind of a bucket list race, which a lot of people think you would just do it once and then never again, but I do really think the experience is something special.”

She added that community support along the course plays a major role in that experience.

“The people here who are cheering them on and then all the fun that we have at the finish line and all the events — I think that’s what keeps them here,” Pedigo said. “I think they like the community a lot.”

Road Closures

Thousands are set to lace up their running shoes and hit the pavement for this weekend’s Blue Ridge Marathon.

Touted as America’s toughest road race, the competition will kick off on Saturday and bring people from 40 different states to the Star City.

[RELATED: Blue Ridge Marathon brings in runners from over 40 states]

That said, several road closures will be in place to ensure the safety of all runners.

Here’s a look at some of the road closures you should be aware of. The following road closures will be in place on Saturday, with some starting as early as 5 a.m.

JEFFERSON STREET

• 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.: Jefferson Street (from Church Ave to Franklin Rd.)
• 5 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Jefferson Street (from Franklin Rd. to Elm Ave):
• 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Jefferson Street, from Elm to Walnut Ave

FRANKLIN ROAD

• 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Franklin Road (2nd St to Jefferson St.)
• 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.: Franklin Road (Jefferson St to Williamson Rd.)

WALNUT AVENUE

7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.: Walnut Avenue (from Jefferson to JB Fishburn Parkway) - all lanes closed

JB FISHBURN PARKWAY

7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (or when last runner clears the road): JB Fishburn Parkway (road up to Star)

MILL MOUNTAIN PARKWAY

7 a.m. to ~11:30 a.m. (or when last runner clears the road): Mill Mountain Parkway

WILEY DRIVE

8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Wiley Drive (next to Rivers Edge Sports Complex)

LUCK AVENUE

9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Luck Avenue (Eastbound, from 6th Street to 1st Street)

BULLITT AVENUE

5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Bullitt Avenue (Eastbound lane, 1st St to Jefferson St)

ELM AVENUE

7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.: Elm Avenue (1st St to Williamson Rd)

LAUREL STREET

• 7 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Laurel Street (Southbound lane, Riverland Road to Walnut Avenue)
• 7 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Laurel Street (Northbound lane, Camilla to Walnut)

IVY STREET

• 7 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Ivy Street (Northbound lane, Camilla to Walnut Avenue)
• 7 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Ivy Street (Southbound lane, Riverland Rd to Walnut Ave)

CAMILLA STREET

7 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Camilla Street (Eastbound lane, Ivy Street to Sylvan Avenue)

PEAKWOOD DRIVE

8 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Peakwood Drive (The “Uphill” Lane, entire length)

WEST RIDGE ROAD

8 a.m. to 2 p.m.: West Ridge Road (The “Downhill” Lane, Peakwood Dr. to Rosalind Ave)

Note: Cars will be allowed to travel UP West Ridge/Rosalind and DOWN Peakwood. West Ridge from Peakwood to the top will be open.

ALLEYS

9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.: Alleys between Elm and Luck

MILL MOUNTAIN ZOO

The Zoo will open at 12 p.m.

NO PARKING ZONES

• Avenham Avenue (Northbound side from Clydesdale to Broadway)
• S. Jefferson Street (Southbound side from 24th Street to McClanahan)
• Highland Avenue (Eastbound side from Franklin to 5th)
• Highland Avenue (Westbound side from 1st to Franklin)
• Walnut Avenue (Eastbound side from Belleview Ave to Sylvan Rd)
• Several areas downtown

Runners arriving in Roanoke say the event is as much about the experience as it is the challenge.

“It’s going to be fun. I had about a three-hour drive up here. Think about the 52 miles I’m going to be doing tomorrow, so definitely excited,” said Ryan Dant, a marathon particpiant. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a lot of work. The last lap is going to hurt, but I’m super excited. It’s going to be fun.”

Dant planned to participate in not just the main event starting at 7:35am, but the early morning run of the marathon starting at 2:30am. He said the atmosphere leading up to race day has already stood out.

“Seems like the energy is really, really high, so I’m excited to see that on the course tomorrow and in the after party,” he said.

Race organizers say that energy is part of what keeps runners coming back year after year.

“We have amazing mountains. We have great food — the restaurants get to have all these visitors come. We have amazing music venues,” said Kait Pedigo, event organizer for the marathon. “The Freedom First Down by Downtown Festival is going on at the same time.”

Pedigo said the marathon continues to draw participants from across the country, many of whom return after their first race.

“We get people from at least 40 states every year to come out here and try it,” she said. “It’s kind of a bucket list race, which a lot of people think you would just do it once and then never again, but I do really think the experience is something special.”

She added that community support along the course plays a major role in that experience.

“The people here who are cheering them on and then all the fun that we have at the finish line and all the events — I think that’s what keeps them here,” Pedigo said. “I think they like the community a lot.”

The pretrial testimony came as Robinson’s attorneys pressed a Utah judge to ban cameras from his case. They said live broadcasts of the proceedings are tainting potential jurors, by feeding into speculative stories based on Robinson's courtroom demeanor and alleged confessions.

Media organizations, prosecutors and Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, want the court to allow cameras. They argue transparency is the best way to guard against the misinformation and conspiracy theories that concern Robinson’s defense team.

Robinson’s parents sat behind him for Friday's hearing in a half-full courtroom. His father lowered his head and stared down at his hands while the defense played a Fox News clip in which a commentator identified as a former FBI agent opined that Robinson was a sociopath.

“It's turning outside the courtroom into like a reality TV show,” said defense witness Bryan Edelman, a social psychologist with a California-based trial consulting business. “I think it creates pressure on everybody to have cameras in here, from the jury to everyone involved."

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson if he is convicted of aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk. The conservative activist was addressing a crowd of thousands on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem when he was shot in the neck.

Robinson, 23, turned himself in a day after the shooting and has not yet entered a plea. A trial date has not been set. Judge Tony Graf said he would rule May 8 on whether cameras will continue to be allowed.

Cameras moved to the back of the room

Utah County prosecutor Chad Grunander noted that nearly all of the clips shown by the defense as examples of media sensationalism did not include material from the courtroom livestream.

“Mischief lurks in the dark or in secret,” Grunander said. “Let’s shine a light on these proceedings, a bright light, so the public can have confidence in what happens in this courtroom.”

The sensationalism around the case has cut both ways. In a March 30 headline, the U.K.-based Daily Mail reported the bullet that killed Kirk “did NOT match” a rifle allegedly used by Robinson. The story was based on an inconclusive, preliminary finding by ballistics experts and led to speculation about Robinson's possible exoneration. The FBI is running additional tests, according to court documents.

Livestreaming by media outlets tested Judge Graf's patience during earlier hearings when pool camera operators inside the court broke his rules.

During a December hearing, Graf temporarily stopped the livestream after it showed the defendant’s shackles in violation of a decorum order.

A January hearing was interrupted when Robinson's attorneys said close-up shots of Robinson being livestreamed by a local television station could again lead to claims based on lip reading. That, too, was a violation of Graf's order. The judge ordered the camera operator not to film Robinson for the remainder of the hearing.

In recent hearings and again Friday, pool cameras for the media were stationed at the rear of the courtroom, behind Robinson. That sharply limited opportunities to capture video or photos of him in court. Graf also made camera operators come before him to acknowledge they understood the rules.

Mike Judd, a lawyer for a coalition of media organizations including The Associated Press that are fighting to preserve access, said Graf so far has focused on whether his rules inside the courtroom are being followed, not what the media is saying outside of court.

“The court can do all of that in order to try to control what gets fed into that media ecosystem,” Judd said. “You reduce the likelihood of somebody publishing things that you think may be of potentially biasing concern later on.”

Policies on cameras and livestreaming vary among states. Cameras are generally prohibited in federal courts.

“There's Supreme Court precedent that says courts generally need to be open to the public, but that's not an absolute right,” University of Utah law professor Teneille Brown said. “Even if they allow public access, that does not equal a right to broadcast or record.”

Surveillance video and a handwritten confession

A preliminary hearing scheduled for May will allow prosecutors to show they have enough evidence to proceed to trial. Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle.

But the defense argued Friday it cannot proceed with the hearing until federal law enforcement agencies turn over more details about their DNA analysis of evidence.

Prosecutors responded that they have sufficient proof beyond DNA to tie Robinson to Kirk's killing. That includes surveillance video of Robinson near the university from the morning of the shooting wearing the same clothes as when he turned himself in. Robinson left a handwritten note for his romantic partner confessing to the crime, and also confessed to friends on the chat room platform Discord, prosecutors said.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride said.

___

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

“She returned to France this morning. This is a satisfaction for us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told reporters during a visit to the southern city of Montpellier on Friday. Barrot said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods are “not in line” with French standards and are “not acceptable to us.”

Marie-Thérèse Ross entered the U.S. last June after marrying a retired U.S. soldier who had been stationed in her home country in the 1960s, court records show. But after her husband died of natural causes in January, a dispute arose over his estate. Ross' stepson — a U.S. federal employee — allegedly intervened to have her taken into immigration custody, an Alabama judge found.

Federal immigration agents detained Ross in Alabama on April 1 after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She was then held at a detention facility in Louisiana as French officials expressed concern about her well-being.

Ross' son, Herve Goix, told The Associated Press that she had been in the process of applying for a green card when she was taken into custody.

“She’s very tired, she’s not very good, but it’s difficult for her,” Goix said. “We are very, very happy, but we are tired.”

Ross was not given the medication she needed while being held in the Louisiana detention facility, according to her attorney Kim Willingham.

“She does not feel she or other inmates are being treated well within the facility,” Willingham told the AP. “She did everything she was supposed to do with regard to obtaining her green card.”

Ross gave up her pension and moved to Alabama last year to marry William B. Ross, Calhoun County court records show. But after William B. Ross died without making estate plans, his two sons sought to take control of his modest assets totaling less than $190,000 in value, including the home in Anniston, Alabama, where Marie-Thérèse Ross resided.

The sons rerouted mail from the residence, leading their stepmother to miss an immigration-related appointment, Calhoun County Probate Judge Shirley A. Millwood noted in a court order earlier this month. Millwood accused one son — a former Alabama State Trooper who now works as a federal employee — of using his position to prompt the detention of his stepmother days before a hearing over the estate.

Marie-Thérèse Ross was taken into custody in her nightgown and unable to bring her phone, passport and other identification with her, records show.

The stepson denied involvement in his stepmother's arrest in court, but Millwood said evidence indicated he knew in advance of the arrest and received a text message confirming it shortly afterward. His brother then arrived at the home to change the locks shortly after federal immigration agents removed their stepmother.

In an April 10 ruling, Millwood ordered the stepsons to allow Ross to retrieve her clothes, phone, documents and other possessions from her late husband's home.

Millwood also urged the federal government to investigate the circumstances of Ross' arrest “in light of the ongoing national events surrounding the distrust of federal law enforcement officers and the many investigations ongoing of corruption within our government.”

The office of attorney Megan Huizinga, who is representing the two stepsons in the estate dispute, declined to comment.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an emailed statement, the city of Anniston said its police department had “no involvement” in Ross’ arrest.

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Riddle reported from Anniston, AL. Brook reported from New Orleans.

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Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Fitzpatrick was cruising along when his tee shot on the par-3 14th turned hard to the left, headed for sand and trees when it caught what appeared to be the edge of a cart path that sent the ball back down a slope onto the green and headed for the water.

It was slowed just enough by a sprinkler to stay dry, and he holed a 30-footer for a most unlikely birdie. Fitzpatrick birdied two of the next three and completed a bogey-free round.

“Yeah, it was lucky, there's no two ways about it,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes you need that in a week, so it's nice to get, and then even nicer to take advantage of it.”

Hovland had it far tougher in the afternoon when the wind got stronger, and it doesn't take much around tree-lined Harbour Town for players to get indecisive or catch the wrong gust.

Hovland got the right club on the exposed par-3 17th to 12 feet for his eighth birdie of the day and a hard-earned 65. That included a birdie on the par-5 fifth when he was still 205 yards out for his third shot and wound up holing a 30-footer.

“I wouldn’t say I striped it today, but at least I kind of kept the ball in front of me, and that’s what you’re trying to do on this golf course,” Hovland said.

Fitzpatrick, who won the RBC Heritage in a playoff over Jordan Spieth in 2023, was at 14-under 128.

Harris English got the wrong gust on the 11th hole and went from scrambling for par to figuring out how to escape with double bogey from a plugged lie in the sand. He overcame that, had a 68 and was three shots behind.

Scottie Scheffler, who played alongside Fitzpatrick, hit all 14 fairways for only the fourth time in his career — two of those were on the runway-wide fairways of Kapalua — and had a steady diet of birdie chances in the 18-foot range. He managed a bogey-free 67 and was seven behind.

Fitzpatrick and Scheffler both hit the ball so well it looked they were playing a Tuesday money game, with birdie chances on every hole and exchanging birdies early on before the wind acted up.

On the par-4 eighth, Scheffler hit enough of the left corner of the green that it hopped right to 7 feet. Fitzpatrick followed on the same line and was 6 inches closer, and Scheffler looked back at the Englishman and smiled.

But it was Fitzpatrick who surged ahead with a batch of three straight birdies on the front and three straight birdies on the back. The longest par putt he had was 4 feet on the final hole.

He called it a continuation of good iron play that began when he finished one shot behind Cameron Young at The Players Championship, then won the following week at Innisbrook in the Valspar Championship.

Patrick Cantlay, who took a big step last week with consecutive bogey-free rounds at the Masters after opening with a 77, shot 64 and was four shots behind along with Sepp Straka (67) and Ludvig Aberg, who was closing in on Fitzpatrick until three bogeys on the back nine led to a 71.

Robert MacIntyre also was in the mix, three shots behind, until the wind died enough to keep his ball from finding the 17th green, and then he took two to get out of a bunker for a double bogey. That wiped out a lot of good work, and a bogey on the 18th dropped him to a 68, six behind.

There were 20 double bogeys on the day from the 82-man field on 11 of the holes at Harbour Town. Spieth made three of them and scratched out a 73.

Akshay Bhatia had 11 birdies to offset his double bogey in a round of 63.

“Man, it got tricky there on the back nine, as it can here at Hilton Head,” English said. “Gusty winds. You don’t really know what direction it’s coming from.”

Fitzpatrick has a history at Hilton Head Island beyond winning three years ago. His family used to come over on holiday. He suspects his father typed in the words “tennis” and “golf” and “nice weather” and off they went. He recalls going to the tournament, even getting a golf ball signed by Boo Weekley. And now here is, a major champion looking for another plaid jacket for the winner.

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

“I think it's exactly what it was,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen said Friday.

Dallas won 5-4 in that game April 9, when there were 12 roughing penalties — six on each side. Each team won twice in the regular-season series in which both scored 13 goals.

“They got the best of us for sure, but it was a great hockey game for the end of a regular season,” Minnesota forward Matt Boldy said.

Now, the teams that were in second and third place in the Central throughout most of the season behind Presidents' Trophy winner Colorado play a best-of-seven series. Game 1 is Saturday in Dallas.

The Wild missed a chance that night to match the Stars in the standings. Instead, Dallas pretty much locked up home-ice advantage with the second of five consecutive wins to end the regular season.

“We learned some lessons last time we played them," Wild forward Marcus Foligno said. “We know that they’re a really, really good team, and so are we. They have some lethal weapons. We’re just more educated, more experienced going into this series than we were before. We always like our chances. We’re positive.”

40-40 duos for both teams

Both teams have a pair of 40-goal scorers in the same season for the first time. Kirill Kaprizov (45 goals) and Boldy (42) did it for the Wild. Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston, the 22-year-old center already in his fourth postseason, each scored 45 goals for the Stars.

“That’s a legit number,” Stars veteran forward Matt Duchene said.

Injuries and ills

Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen skated with the team Friday for the first time since a lower-body injury sustained when he was knocked hard into the boards by Ryan Hartman in the last game against the Wild.

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Heiskanen, who missed the start of last year's playoffs, made it through practice with no issues and felt good.

“I would think that as long as everything goes good, he should be in,” Gulutzan said. “He means everything on both sides of the puck for us. Power play, penalty kill, he touches all parts of the game.”

Stars top-line center Roope Hintz, who last played March 6, will miss the start of the playoffs after a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury.

Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, who has been dealing with an illness since last playing Saturday, traveled to Dallas on his own Friday after not going with the team Thursday.

“With the illness, I think more rest for him and just not having him on the plane,” coach John Hynes said. “The expectation is for him to play."

Between the pipes

Jake Oettinger is going into his 11th playoff series as the starting goalie for the Stars, and second for the Minnesota native against the Wild — he grew up about 30 miles from their arena. His first playoff series win was in six games against the Wild in the first round of the 2023 postseason.

The Wild are going with rookie Jesper Wallstedt over playoff-experienced Filip Gustavsson, though Hynes emphasized that is a decision for Game 1 and not the entire series.

“His overall body work has been really solid. He's played really well coming down the stretch,” Hynes said of the 23-year-old rookie. “We're confident in both guys.”

Gustavsson made his playoff debut three years ago with 51 saves in a double-overtime win over the Stars during Game 1. Wallstedt made 33 starts in his NHL debut this season, ranking second in the league with a .916 save percentage while setting franchise rookie records with 18 wins and four shutouts.

Tarasenko gives the Wild a wild-card scorer

While the Stars will be plenty focused on trying to keep Kaprizov and Boldy off the scoresheet, the Wild have a trusty scorer on their third line with plenty of playoff experience in Vladimir Tarasenko. The longtime St. Louis star, who has won the Stanley Cup twice in his 14-year career, has 49 goals in 121 career playoff games. Tarasenko had 23 goals and 24 assists in his first season with Minnesota.

“He’s a big-game player," Hynes said. “I think that leadership and the way he plays is certainly a playoff-style of game.”

Some playoff history

The Stars won both previous postseason series against Minnesota in six games, in 2016 and 2023. ... Dallas was the Minnesota North Stars before the franchise moved south in 1993. ... The Wild's 12 postseason appearances in 14 years are the most in the NHL during that span. They have lost nine straight series, since beating St. Louis in the first round in 2015. .... Dallas is in its fifth consecutive postseason, the last three ending in the West final. ... Gulutzan, part of 83 playoff games as an Edmonton assistant, including trips to the Stanley Cup Final the last two seasons, is looking for his first postseason win as a head coach. Calgary was swept in the first round by Anaheim with Gulutzan in 2017.

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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed from St. Paul, Minnesota.

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

Robinson's attorneys on Friday pushed to ban cameras from his Utah courtroom, pointing to sometimes sensationalist media coverage they fear will foster widespread bias against their client as he faces prosecution in last September's shooting death of the conservative activist on a college campus.

Prosecutors want cameras allowed, and suggested they could help dispel conspiracy theories and “distorted narratives” swirling around the case since Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd of thousands.

“Transparency serves as a corrective to misinformation,” Utah County prosecutors said in a court filing arguing in favor of cameras. A trial date has not yet been set.

Popping flash bulbs at the ‘trial of the century’

Cameras appeared in courts long before the man charged with kidnapping and killing legendary aviator Charles Lindbergh’s baby went on trial in New Jersey in 1935.

An earlier photo captured a clutch of mobsters at Al Capone ’s trial holding hats in front of their faces so they wouldn't be recognized. In 1932, a German photographer feigned a broken arm to sneak a camera into the U.S. Supreme Court inside a sling and get a rare picture of justices in session.

Then came the “trial of the century” for Bruno Richard Hauptmann in the killing of Lindbergh's son. It ushered in a new era of criminal trial as visual spectacle.

Hundreds of reporters and dozens of photographers chronicled the proceedings. Popping flashbulbs repeatedly startled witnesses and some photographers reportedly climbed on tables to get their pictures.

Hauptmann was convicted of murder and executed. The chaotic trial provoked a backlash and new judicial ethics rules that kept cameras out of courtrooms for decades.

The swindler and the circus

Whether cameras should be allowed has spurred perpetual disagreement between transparency advocates and defense attorneys eager to shield clients from ignominious publicity that could tilt a jury against them.

In 1962, a Texas state judge allowed news organizations to film the trial of infamous con man Billie Sol Estes on swindling charges.

The case had national notoriety after Estes was accused of looting a federal crop subsidy program, triggering a Washington scandal during President John F. Kennedy’s administration. His attorneys argued against cameras, saying they would prejudice potential jurors. The judge rejected the request and pledged he would not let the media transform his courtroom into a circus.

Court documents later described the scene in the courtroom as “a mass of wires, television cameras, microphones and photographers.” Hearings in the case were broadcast live by radio and television.

Following Estes' conviction, the Supreme Court took up his appeal and said the intense publicity deprived him of his constitutional right to a fair trial. Justices overturned the state court conviction in an opinion that derided “the evil of televised trials.”

“To permit this powerful medium to use the trial process itself to influence the opinions of vast numbers of people, before a verdict of guilt or innocence has been rendered, would be entirely foreign to our system of justice,” justices said.

The ruling was in line with a long-standing prohibition on cameras in federal courts.

Bundy's trial got airtime, but not Trump's

Less than a decade later the Supreme Court decided differently in a case involving two Florida police officers who burglarized a restaurant.

Justices said in an 8-0 ruling that states could allow cameras at criminal trials and there was no “empirical data” to show the presence of broadcast media in the courtroom inherently has a negative effect.

In the years following, cameras gradually came into common use in state and local courtrooms across the nation. High-profile cases that were broadcast included murder trials for serial killers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, the excessive force prosecutions of the Los Angeles Police officers who beat Rodney King, and the murder trial of Jodi Arias in the killing of her ex-boyfriend.

Still, restrictions remain and judges typically retain broad discretion over which parts of a case can be broadcast and who can be filmed or photographed.

Donald Trump's trial and 2024 conviction in a hush money case was closed to cameras while court was in session under a New York state law that sharply restricts video coverage. Media organizations used sketch artists to capture the scene.

The made-for-TV trial

Arguably the most watched televised trial remains the 1995 prosecution of former football player O.J. Simpson in the death of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. It, too, became known as the “trial of the century” and is listed by Guinness World Records as the “most viewed trial” with a daily average viewership of 5.5 million people.

As the case dragged on for months, viewers were inundated with courtroom testimony and analysts opinions. Simpson was acquitted.

The focus on every aspect of the case raised concerns about potential bias to jurors, and also that the lawyers and even the judge were acting differently knowing they were being watched across the nation.

“People were talking about how the judge and the attorneys were playing to the cameras as much as they were playing to the jury,” said Cornell Law School professor Valerie Hans.

Four days of jury selection wrapped up Friday in the case against the former Hollywood powerbroker turned #MeToo pariah. A jury of seven men and five women will be tasked with deciding whether he raped a woman in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to take up to four weeks.

At 73, the Oscar-winning former movie producer has spent much of the last decade fighting sexual assault cases in New York and Los Angeles.

He was convicted in both cities, but his initial 2020 New York conviction was overturned. Then jurors at a retrial last year deadlocked on the rape charge, while reaching a mixed verdict on sexual assault charges pertaining to two other women.

Weinstein denies all the allegations and has appealed his various convictions. He has been behind bars for six years to date.

A White House official, who requested anonymity to discuss the meeting ahead of time, said the administration is engaging with advanced AI labs about their models and the security of software. The official stressed that any new technology that might be used by the federal government would require a technical period for evaluation.

The White House said afterward that the meeting was productive and constructive, as opportunities for collaboration were discussed as well as the goal of balancing innovation and safety.

Anthropic said in a statement that Amodei's meeting included senior administration officials and explored how the San Francisco-based company and the “U.S. government can work together on key shared priorities such as cybersecurity, America’s lead in the AI race, and AI safety.” The company said it was “looking forward to continuing these discussions.”

The meeting came after tensions had run hot between the Trump administration and the safety-conscious Anthropic, which has sought to put guardrails on the development of AI to minimize any potential risks and maximize its economic and national security benefits for the U.S.

President Donald Trump tried to stop all federal agencies from using Anthropic’s chatbot Claude over the company’s contract dispute with the Pentagon, with Trump saying in a February social media post that the administration “will not do business with them again!” When Trump was asked Friday while in Arizona if Anthropic had a meeting at the White House, the president said he had ”no idea."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also sought to declare Anthropic a supply chain risk, an unprecedented move against a U.S. company that Anthropic has challenged in two federal courts. The company said it wanted assurance the Pentagon would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons and the surveillance of Americans. Hegseth said the company must allow for any uses the Pentagon deemed lawful.

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin issued a ruling in March that blocked the enforcement of Trump’s social media directive ordering all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic products.

Anthropic has said the new Mythos model it announced on April 7 is so “strikingly capable” that it is limiting its use to select customers because of its ability to surpass human cybersecurity experts in finding and exploiting computer vulnerabilities.

And while some industry experts have questioned whether Anthropic's claims of too-powerful AI technology were a marketing ploy, even some of the company's sharpest critics have suggested that Mythos might represent a further advancement in AI.

One influential Anthropic critic, David Sacks, who was the White House's AI and crypto czar, said people should “take this seriously.”

“Anytime Anthropic is scaring people, you have to ask, ‘Is this a tactic? Is this part of their Chicken Little routine? Or is it real?’” Sacks said on the “All-In” podcast he co-hosts with other tech investors. “With cyber, I actually would give them credit in this case and say this is more on the real side.”

Sacks said: “It just makes sense that as the coding models become more and more capable, they are more capable at finding bugs. That means they’re more capable at finding vulnerabilities. That means they’re more capable at stringing together multiple vulnerabilities and creating an exploit.”

The model's potential benefits, as well as its risks, have also attracted attention outside the U.S.

The United Kingdom's AI Security Institute said it evaluated the new model and found it a “step up” over previous models, which were already rapidly improving.

“Mythos Preview can exploit systems with weak security posture, and it is likely that more models with these capabilities will be developed,” the institute said in a report.

Anthropic has also been in talks with the European Union about its AI models, including advanced models that haven’t yet been released in Europe, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said Friday.

Axios first reported the scheduled meeting between Wiles and Amodei.

When it announced Mythos, Anthropic said it was also forming an initiative called Project Glasswing, bringing together tech giants such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, along with other companies like JPMorgan Chase, in hopes of securing the world’s critical software from “severe” fallout that the new model could pose to public safety, national security and the economy.

“We’re releasing it to a subset of some of the world’s most important companies and organizations so they can use this to find vulnerabilities,” said the Anthropic co-founder and policy chief, Jack Clark, at this week’s Semafor World Economy conference.

Clark added that Mythos, while ahead of the curve, is not a “special model.”

“There will be other systems just like this in a few months from other companies, and in a year to a year-and-a-half later, there will be open-weight models from China that have these capabilities,” he said. So the world is going to have to get ready for more powerful systems that are going to exist within it.” ___

O'Brien reported from Providence, R.I. AP business reporter Kelvin Chan contributed to this report from London.

Court records show U.S. District Judge James Peterson sentenced Roger Hoffman on Wednesday. He also ordered Hoffman to pay a $150,000 fine. Hoffman's attorney, Mark Maciolek, didn't immediately return a message Friday seeking comment.

Hoffman, a 70-year-old self-employed investor originally from Madison, became a citizen of the Caribbean nation Saint Kitts and Nevis in January 2009, according to a grand jury indictment handed down in 2021. He renounced his U.S. citizenship in July of that year.

But he still moved more than $400,000 to state and federal elections in the U.S. over more than a decade, using an assistant identified in court documents only as M.W. as a conduit to circumvent laws prohibiting foreign nationals from making donations in U.S. elections.

He pleaded guilty in September to a single count of making illegal donations in a deal with prosecutors, agreeing that they would be able to prove he made about $345,000 in illegal federal campaign contributions between 2010 and 2020, according to court records.

Court documents state that Hoffman made donations to federal and Wisconsin candidates and political parties, with most of the dollars directed toward the federal side, but does not list specific recipients. It's not clear which candidates or political parties received money from him.

A message left at the U.S. attorney's office in Madison seeking those details was not immediately returned.

The office said in a news release Friday that Peterson admonished Hoffman during the sentencing hearing for demonstrating “a resolute pattern of dishonesty.”

The superstars met again in 2017 and 2018, and Durant's Golden State Warriors beat James' Cleveland Cavaliers to win Durant's two rings.

The two greatest scorers of this generation are matched up once again in the postseason this weekend when Durant and his Houston Rockets visit James' Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 is Saturday night in the latest chapter of this friendly rivalry, and the basketball world will be watching.

“It’s prime time,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Two of the best, and still doing it at this stage in their careers. And they have had some battles in the playoffs, but not a ton being in the East and the West a lot. So that part alone has a lot of storylines, a lot of history. I’m sure this will add to their chapters.”

The 41-year-old James is the top scorer in NBA history, and the 37-year-old Durant is fifth. While this fourth engagement might turn out to be their final spring meeting — and maybe even James' final playoff appearance, who knows? — they're both thinking mostly about the task before them, not the history behind them.

“It’s always great playing against great players,” Durant said. “You feel their presence on the floor, even if you’re not matched up with them. But it’s just like all basketball players know, it’s much more than just one player. You need a whole group of guys to go out there and win ... but yeah, the matchup is definitely fun. Two great players who’ve been in the league for a long time. But everybody who’s involved in this series knows it’s much deeper than that.”

Indeed, their shared playoff history only underlines the importance of a supporting cast, even for players of their stature.

James' Heatles were too much for a young Thunder group led by Durant, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The Warriors then became arguably the most loaded team in recent NBA history when Durant chose to join Stephen Curry, and it was too much even for James, who moved to the Lakers a few weeks after his Cavs fell to Golden State for the third time in four years.

The importance of a supporting cast is the reason fifth-seeded Houston is the prohibitive favorite in this series, of course.

The Lakers lost NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic and prolific guard Austin Reaves to injuries two weeks ago, and they're both out indefinitely.

So while James is once again attempting to carry an inferior roster to places it would never otherwise go, the hard-working Rockets are healthier around Durant, who wants his first postseason with Houston to be memorable.

“Obviously, we know that’s the head of the snake,” James said of Durant. “But it’s the Houston Rockets, and they have some damn good players on their team. It’s not just a KD team. It’s the whole group. Like I said, KD is gonna do what KD does. He’s a Hall of Famer. We know that. So we have to prepare not only for him, but for the whole group.”

Hanging in

The Lakers aren't publicly predicting when their top two scorers will return, if at all. The injuries to Doncic (Grade 2 hamstring strain) and Reaves (Grade 2 oblique strain) typically take several weeks to heal. The first-round schedule has a few extra days off, but that's no guarantee.

“We’re going try to make this season as long as possible so that we can get those guys back at some point,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “We don’t know what that is, but that’s just our job. And their job is to do everything they can to be in a position to come back at some point. It may not work, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Tough out

Hard-working, resourceful Houston would be a tough matchup even under ideal circumstances for the Lakers, but the Rockets know they're facing a competent opponent playing with extra fire from the widespread perception that this short-handed team can't hang with them.

The Lakers have home-court advantage because they won 53 games, including two in Houston last month.

“Even though they got injuries, we’re not looking at this team like they’re not a good team,” Durant said. “We have to show the proper respect to them as NBA players and then into the game as well. We’ve got to come out and respect these guys, because they can have that impact if we let them.”

Fifth starter?

Udoka wouldn’t say this week who will join Durant, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson as his team’s fifth starter in this series. Down the stretch, Udoka started Tari Eason, Josh Okogie and Reed Sheppard, depending on the matchup. Okogie could be the top option in this series for his defense, but he is averaging just 4.5 points a game, making him a less desirable option offensively than Sheppard (13.5 points a game) or Eason (10.5).

Hit the boards

Redick is aware of the Rockets' historic dominance as a rebounding team, so he addressed it from the first day of practice this week by putting the Lakers through fundamental rebounding and boxing-out drills that reminded his players of junior high.

“Taking care of the basketball and boxing out. That’s the series,” Redick said. “Scheme, personnel, obviously important. But if we don’t take care of the basketball and we don’t box out, we’re not going to win the series.”

Houston led the NBA in total rebounds (48.1 per game) and offensive rebounds (15.0), That proficiency powered much of the Rockets' offensive production, while the Lakers obviously depended on Doncic's brilliance for a big chunk of their scoring.

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AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed.

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

“We had over 400 people vote in person yesterday [Thursday]. We’re expecting that number to be higher today [Friday] and even higher tomorrow,” Jones said.

That momentum is reflected statewide.

Data from the Virginia Public Access Project shows early voting numbers continuing to rise - putting this race on pace with the 2025 gubernatorial election.

With Friday and Saturday numbers still coming in, early voting has already topped 1.1 million - closing in on the just under 1.5 million from November’s governor’s race.

Jones says turnout has been steady- and strong- from the start.

“By close of business today [Friday], we will have already had over 10,000 people cast their ballot in the City of Lynchburg. When we started planning for this election, we were planning for, you know, a 10-15% turnout overall, and we’ve already surpassed that. So we don’t know what to expect Tuesday,” Jones said.

In non-presidential years, and especially in special elections, turnout is typically much lower.

“It’s not typical, but it’s very exciting,” Jones said.

But voters we spoke with say they’re not surprised.

“I think opinions are very strong,” one Lynchburg voter said.

“This is a big vote here, so it’s gonna make a difference either way,” another added.

Now, Jones says they’re preparing for those high numbers to continue into election day.

“I’m glad to see people getting engaged, coming out to vote. We don’t care how you vote, just come and cast your ballot,” Jones said.

Saturday, April 18, is your last opportunity to vote early.

Election day is Tuesday, April 21.

Fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City can expect to shell out $150 for a round-trip train fare for each match, transportation officials confirmed Friday.

That’s nearly 12 times the regular $12.90 fare for the roughly 15-minute, 9-mile (14-kilometer) ride from Manhattan’s Penn Station to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On-site parking won’t be available for most fans, so New Jersey officials anticipate that around 40,000 fans will use mass transit for each match.

The home stadium for both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets is set to host eight World Cup matches, including the tournament final on July 19. Group stage matches for soccer powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany and England, along with other nations, begin June 13.

New Jersey officials said the upcharge was necessary to cover the cost of hosting the World Cup on its return to the U.S. for the first time since 1994.

NJ Transit officials said they planned to spend $62 million transporting fans to and from the stadium over the duration of the tournament. Outside grants had defrayed only $14 million of those anticipated expenses. A fare increase was needed to cover the rest, according to NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri.

“This isn’t price gouging,” he told reporters Friday. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”

Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, called on FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, to cover the transportation costs.

“If it won’t, we will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day,” she said in a statement.

But FIFA has bristled at the suggestion that it should shoulder New Jersey's transit costs. On Friday, it pointed to other U.S. host cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston, that are keeping their transit rates unchanged.

Transit prices in Boston also will be high

One notable exception is Boston, where express buses from various locations to Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will cost $95, officials announced this week.

Thousands of fans have also already snapped up $80 round-trip train tickets from the Massachusetts capital to the commuter rail station near the stadium, which is located in Foxborough, a town some 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Boston. That’s four times the $20 riders are normally charged for a round-trip ticket during game days and other special events at Gillette.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, one-way fares will remain $1.75; in Atlanta, they’re locked at $2.50; in Houston, a single ride will still cost $1.25 and in Philadelphia the base fare for the subway will remain $2.90. Kansas City is running shuttles from locations around the city to Arrowhead Stadium that cost just $15 roundtrip.

Some of those cities have noted that the U.S. government has provided some $100 million in transit grants to provide enhanced bus and rail service during the games.

FIFA says fare hike ‘unprecedented’

The soccer federation on Friday warned that New Jersey's transit pricing could have a “chilling effect."

It argued that no other global event has been asked to absorb the costs of “arbitrarily set” transit prices and noted that the agreements signed with World Cup host cities back in 2018 called for free transportation for fans to all matches.

“Elevated fares inevitably push fans toward alternative transportation options,” FIFA said in a statement. “This increases concerns of congestion, late arrivals, and creates broader ripple effects that ultimately diminish the economic benefit and lasting legacy the entire region stands to gain from hosting the World Cup.”

The huge fare increase has also drawn protest from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me,” the Democrat posted on X earlier this week. The surge pricing was first reported by sports outlet The Athletic.

Few other options

Alternatives to taking the train to MetLife Stadium will also be pricey.

Shuttle buses with a capacity for about 10,000 riders will set off from the midtown Manhattan bus terminal and other locations for $80 roundtrip.

Some 5,000 parking spots at the nearby American Dream Mall are also being sold in advance, currently priced at $225.

MetLife Stadium has a huge parking lot, but for World Cup matches much of that space is being used for a fan village, shuttle buses, a staging area and FIFA staff, officials said.

When the stadium hosted the NFL's Super Bowl under similar conditions in 2014, New Jersey Transit struggled to accommodate an estimated 33,000 passengers leaving the game. Platforms at a train transfer station became jammed with passengers unable to get space on trains. Some waited for hours to get on board.

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Associated Press reporter Mark Long in Gainesville, Florida, contributed to this story.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

The group’s endorsement by Republican governors — at least eight so far — has stirred debate about free speech in America’s schools, with critics arguing many of the same conservative leaders have sought to silence others with measures to restrict what teachers can say on sex education, LGBTQ+ issues and other topics.

Adding to the divisions has been some governors’ invocation of Christian religion in their support of the clubs.

At her news conference last month announcing a partnership with Turning Point USA, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said God had worked through Kirk to grow the conservative group and that she hoped it would spark “the exact type of civic engagement that we want to see” among high school students.

“It’s never too early to learn the values of faith and freedom that power our country,” she said.

For Fayetteville High School student Lily Adler in Arkansas, that crossed a line. Adler, president of the school’s Young Democrats club, said the governor’s endorsement violates the requirement that governments not favor a particular religion.

“We’re a public school,” Adler said. “We shouldn’t be a school — or a state, even — that is telling people what they should believe in.”

At the same high school, Lukas Klaus leads the local Turning Point USA chapter. As he sees it, the Republican governors are ensuring conservative voices like his are allowed to be heard.

“I’ve heard numerous other stories from around the states of Club America chapters trying to get started where they’re having serious problems with the administration straight-up saying ‘no,’ ” said Klaus. He said he has never heard of a public school disallowing a Young Democrats club.

The push gained momentum after Charlie Kirk’s death

In recent months, the Republican administrations of Nebraska, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Montana, Florida, Tennessee and Indiana have each announced partnerships with Turning Point USA to promote school chapters, called Club America, in every high school in those states.

Already, there are nearly 3,400 Club America chapters across the 50 states, according to Turning Point USA, which says it has more state partnerships in the works.

While the partnerships don’t require schools to establish the conservative clubs, they do make clear that efforts to start the clubs can’t be rejected by school administrators.

Turning Point USA got its start in 2012 on college campuses, promoting itself as a hub for young people committed to conservative values. Kirk was the co-founder and the face of the group, known best for his “ Prove Me Wrong ” events on college campuses where he invited students to challenge his conservative views on political and cultural issues. Kirk was killed by a sniper in early September while speaking on a college campus in Utah.

While Kirk was praised by conservatives as a champion of free speech, he was also criticized for comments that many other Americans found hateful toward LGBTQ+ communities, non-Christians, people of color and women.

Some of those critics faced a backlash from Republicans who saw them as dishonoring Kirk, leading to firings by universities, sports teams and media companies. Florida’s education commissioner also promised to investigate teachers over objectionable comments about Kirk. In Texas, a teachers union has sued the state’s education department, accusing it of an improper “wave of retaliation” against public school employees over their social media comments following the assassination.

Critics say governors are elevating Turning Point over other clubs

The governors’ endorsements of Turning Point USA, to the exclusion of other student clubs, has come under criticism from teachers unions and civil liberties groups.

Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, said he could only imagine how Republican leaders would react if a Democratic governor announced they were calling for a democratic socialist club in every high school.

“They would be running to the press to talk about how awful that is,” Royers said. “How is this fundamentally any different?”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas said the state’s support for the clubs amount to “differential treatment based on the content or viewpoint of the clubs, and a problem under the First Amendment.”

Turning Point USA spokesman Matt Shupe called objections from the ACLU hypocritical, noting the civic organization’s mission to protect free speech rights.

“The state of Arkansas is not forming our chapters; they’re not doing our job or our students’ jobs for us, nor are they saying other groups can’t be formed,” Shupe said in an email. “They’re simply stating students cannot be blocked from forming a Club America or a TPUSA college chapter when students want to start one.”

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Akbarzai reported from New York. ___

The Associated Press’ education 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.

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This story corrects the spelling of Lily Adler’s last name.

The Mets' skid is their worst since the 2004 team dropped 11 straight. They’ve been outscored 56-16 during the streak.

Chicago scored in double digits for the third straight game and major league-leading fourth time this season.

Ballesteros made it 4-0 in the first with a three-run homer.

Hoerner had three hits and drove in two runs after setting a career high with five RBIs in Wednesday’s 11-2 win at Philadelphia. His two-run shot in the second against Kodai Senga (0-3) made it 6-3. The two-time Gold Glove second baseman also made a diving stop to rob Bo Bichette of a hit in the fifth.

Happ added a two-run drive in the eighth.

Edward Cabrera (2-0) went six innings, allowing three runs and eight hits, as the Cubs rolled to their third straight win.

Senga got tagged for seven runs in his second straight start.

The Japanese right-hander gave up six earned to go with six hits in 3 1/3 innings after lasting just 2 1/3 in a loss to the Athletics last week. His ERA through four starts is 8.83.

After outscoring Philadelphia by a combined 21-6 in their previous two games, the Cubs jumped on Senga.

Seiya Suzuki singled in a run in the first and Ballesteros made it 4-0 when he drove the next pitch to the left-field basket.

The Mets cut it to 4-3 in the second on an RBI double by Marcus Semien and two-run single by Tyrone Taylor off the center-field wall. Taylor got thrown out at second by Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Up next

The series continues with the Mets sending RHP Freddy Peralta (1-1, 3.86 ERA) to the mound and the Cubs going with RHP Jameson Taillon (0-1, 4.86). ___

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

After a poor first half in which Inter failed to turn its pressure into goals, Cristian Chivu’s men took control during a four-minute period shortly after halftime.

Federico Dimarco’s superb pass left Thuram with a tap-in at the far post, then four minutes later Nicolo Barella lashed in an unstoppable shot from 15 meters out to make it 2-0.

Piotr Zielinski saved the best for last with a superbly struck volley that flew into the top corner.

The result put the champions-elect 12 points clear of Napoli with six games remaining.

Cagliari was in 16th place, six points above the relegation zone.

Como loses again

Earlier, Como fell to a second defeat in a week when it went down at Sassuolo 2-1.

Cristian Volpato and M'Bala Nzola struck in the three minutes before halftime to give Sassuolo a lead against the run of play.

Argentina international Nico Paz pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage time — his third in four games — but Como could not get an equalizer in spite of dominating possession in the second half.

Como’s first away loss in 2026 came after losing at home to Inter 4-3 on Monday. Although Como remained in fifth place, Juventus, two points above it, could go five points clear if it beats Bologna on Sunday.

Cesc Fàbregas’ side went unbeaten in nine away games dating to Dec. 15 when it went down by a single goal at Roma.

Sassuolo was in ninth.

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

Motorists, hoping for relief at the pump, wondered how quickly gasoline prices might fall once oil tankers stuck in the Persian Gulf were moving again. A gallon of regular gasoline cost $4.08 on average in the U.S. Friday, which was 37% more than before U.S. and Israel attacked Iran but down a few cents from a week ago.

But when gas prices spike, they don’t typically drop as quickly as the cost of crude. Even if Iran keeps the waterway open in the face of a U.S. blockade of its vessels, it still could take months for fuel prices to return to levels resembling those enjoyed before the war began Feb. 28, energy experts said.

The slow speed at which oil tankers travel from ports to refineries, lingering security concerns, traffic in the strait and damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East are all playing a role in the elevated price of gasoline.

“The historical observation is that gasoline prices rise quickly but fall slowly, regardless of the particular causes of the increase,” said Mark Barteau, a professor in the department of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University.

“In this case, one has to take into account the time it takes for the steps that have to happen once tankers sail through the straits – for example, sailing time to refineries on other continents, time to ramp up refinery operations, and time to transport some refined products by tanker to the continent where they will be used,” Barteau said. “There is also tendency to hedge bets because of doubts about whether and how quickly that restoration might occur, and whether further disruptions are possible along the way.”

Nevertheless, some energy analysts were optimistic that gas prices would gradually decline.

Hope for lower gasoline prices

Gasoline prices were already falling slightly after last week’s announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, according to motor club federation AAA.

Following the Strait of Hormuz announcement, oil prices fell by $10 to $12 per barrel, which generally translates into a decrease of 25 or 30 cents per gallon of gas, said Michael Lynch, distinguished fellow at Energy Policy Research Foundation, a non-partisan research institution focused on energy and economics.

“That doesn’t happen overnight, but within a week or two, we could be down 50 cents a gallon easily, if this holds,” Lynch said. “And part of it is, there’s a lot of tankers ready to go. And if they all come out, then that balances the market very quickly.”

In the wake of Friday's news, “every state will start seeing gas price decreases accelerate at a pace of probably 1 to 3 cents a gallon for every day or two,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, in a webcast. “And that could continue for at least a couple of weeks.”

DeHaan estimated that the national average for a gallon of regular gas could reach $3.45 to $3.65 by Memorial Day. But he acknowledged that returning to lower prices could take a while.

“It might take until later this year or early next year to really fully normalize and for some of these surcharges and impacts to reverse and disappear," De Haan said.

Traffic and trepidation

If an agreement to end the war is reached, it could take at least four months for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to go back to normal, said Patrick Penfield, professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University.

“Right now, you still have potential mines that have to be removed or detonated, you have over 150 tankers that have been anchored in and around the strait, which is causing a traffic jam, and we still have shipping rates that are still high because of lack of shipping capacity and war rate insurance,” he said.

The leaders of France and the U.K. welcomed word of the strait's reopening but said they would keep pushing for a way to permanently restore freedom of navigation for vessels that rely on the narrow passage off Iran's coast, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil typically travels.

Ship owners would have to be convinced to trust the Americans and Iranians, "and that seems like it’s a hard hill to climb,” Lynch, of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to do it. I wouldn’t wanna be the first ship through or even the first five ships through, but somebody will do it. There’s a lot of money on the table and somebody’s going to grab it.”

If the Iranians are cooperating, the mines should not be a problem, because Iran has a sense of where the mines are, Lynch said.

"Now, that raises the issue, are the Iranians going to cooperate, or what do they want to cooperate?” he asked. “Are they going to demand a couple-million dollars a ship, as is talked about? Or is Trump going to say ‘that’s not acceptable,’ and then what’s the next step after that?”

If the strait remains open, and ships loaded with oil leave the Persian Gulf, it could take weeks for those heavy, slow-moving ships to reach their destinations.

“People think that once the strait opens, it’s fine. We’re done. It’ll be better really fast,” said Richard Joswick, global head of near-term oil analysis at S&P Global Energy. “If you open the strait today to get a ship and bring it around and take it to Europe and run a refinery, turn it into products, you’re talking 10 weeks of a lag time here. It will be two to three months before things can start to get back to normal after the straight re-opens.”

Damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East

Many oil production facilities were damaged in the Middle East, including refineries in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and oil tanker terminals in the United Arab Emirates and Iran. Some repairs has been made, but damage remains.

In addition, some countries slowed down or halted production during the war, because without the ability to ship crude through the Strait of Hormuz, their ships and storage tanks filled up with stranded oil.

“It’s not a light switch. Everyone’s impatient and saying, ‘Go, go go,’” De Haan said. “But it will take time to get these flows of oil through the Middle East fired back up again.”

Once an oil well is turned off, the pressure within the well could change, and it can take time to restart the flow. But that might not be a problem in some Middle East oil fields, where production can be resumed quickly, Lynch said.

“The Saudis have done that a bunch of times. They ramp up by 2 or 3 million barrels a day, almost overnight, and there’s no problem with the wells that have been shut in for months and sometimes years,” Lynch said.

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Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.

The Dream acquired Reese from the Sky on April 6. Chicago obtained first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028. Atlanta also received the right to swap second-round picks with Chicago in 2028.

One of the WNBA's most recognizable stars, Reese led the league in rebounds in each of her two seasons with the Sky.

“I’m always gonna be grateful for that because I did experience a lot of great things,” Reese said Friday of her time in Chicago. “I enjoyed being able to grow within my first two years but I wanted more. I love to win, I love to compete and I wanted to be surrounded by people that can make me better.

“And I am not satisfied with what I am as a player and I felt like being around these kinds of players would help me be better. I can help them in different ways to help them win and that’s all I ever wanted. I don’t care about anything else that comes with it. I want to win and being able to come to an organization that really cared about their players.”

Reese was joined at the news conference by the five players Atlanta has re-signed this offseason. Guard Rhyne Howard said Reese, a two-time All-Star forward, could help Atlanta win a championship.

“Angel, I think is special for us because she could be exactly what we were missing,” Howard said.

Reese averaged 14.7 points and a league-best 12.6 rebounds last season. She joins a team that won a franchise-record 30 games last season under coach Karl Smesko before losing to Indiana in the playoffs.

Atlanta also re-signed Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones, Jordin Canada and Naz Hillmon.

Gray finished fourth in MVP voting last season. Howard became the fastest player in WNBA history to make 300 3-pointers. Hillmon was named Sixth Player of the Year and Jones was an All-Star.

The trade to Atlanta came after Reese expressed frustration late last season, with Chicago on the way to a 10-34 finish. She told the Chicago Tribune the Sky needed to improve their roster and added she “might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me” if that didn't happen. She later apologized to the team for the comments.

The Sky suspended Reese for half a game for comments deemed “detrimental to the team.” The team held her out for its final three games with a back injury, raising speculation about her future in Chicago.

Reese said the interest from the Dream “was mutual on both sides and I was able to choose a destination I really wanted to go to.”

General manager Dan Padover said adding Reese capped a successful offseason.

“When we went into this offseason, we had two main priorities,” Padover said. “That was retain our core. And to remain opportunistic. And over the last week, I’m thrilled to say we did both. Keeping these players in Atlanta was just so important to us. And the most special thing is that they want to stay here.

“And then to have someone like Angel come in and say ‘Hey guys, I love what you’re doing. I love that city. Let me jump in here.’ And to have this whole group as well as the others that are here today come together to try to build something and win a championship. That’s what sports is all about.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

LFD said they were notified of a fire in the 100 block of Kenwood Place just before 3 p.m. on Friday. Upon arrival, crews found heavy fire coming from the back of the home in the basement and spreading to the rest of the structure.

Crews said they began an interior attack but temporarily backed down while the basement fire was knocked down. The fire was under control in about 20 minutes.

Authorities said one occupant escaped through the front door and suffered possible smoke inhalation. A firefighter who assisted the resident was also taken to Lynchburg General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

One dog and one cat died as a result of the fire, and a third was brought to safety. The American Red Cross is now working with the family of the home to find temporary shelter.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. We will update you with more information as it becomes available.

Here is the Governor’s full statement:

In accordance with the authority vested in me as Governor, I hereby order that the flags of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Virginia be flown at half-staff on all state and local buildings in the Commonwealth of Virginia in memory and respect of former Delegate Marian A. Van Landingham. We honor her decades of service to the Commonwealth as an advocate for the arts, legislator, and community servant.

I hereby order that the flag shall be lowered at sunrise on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and remain at half-staff until sunset.

Ordered on this, the 17th day of April, 2026.

Sincerely,

Gov. Abigail Spanberger

Keith Weltens said he recently learned the school does not have a permanent trailer for its band and athletic programs to haul equipment.

“They don’t actually have any permanent trailers for sports or the band or anything else,” Weltens said. “They have to go and borrow our rent one. And then right after the event they have to go and take it back. And so it’s hard on staff, it’s hard on volunteers. It’s just not efficient.”

Weltens said organizers were about $5,500 short of their goal when he left to play in a golf tournament at Auburn Hills Golf Club.

“And when we finally got all the pricing back, I’d let them know on Monday that we were gonna be about fifty five hundred dollars short,” Weltens said. “But I had to go play a golf tournament at 1:00 o’clock, and so that’s how this whole story started.”

During the tournament, Weltens hit a hole-in-one — his first, he said — on a roughly 200-yard shot.

“I’m open to say that I’m the worst on the team,” Weltens said. “I hit the ball. It actually was a really good shot … rolled directly straight and right into the hole.”

Weltens and his playing partners celebrated, but they didn’t immediately realize the shot came with a prize.

“We were just thrilled that it was a hole in one,” Weltens said. “And when we were getting ready to get into our cart, we looked over, and we saw a sign that said $5,000 and boy, we were ecstatic.”

Josh Smith, who was paired with Weltens during the tournament, said the group celebrated twice — once for the ace and again after learning there was money attached.

“Keith hits a hole in one. We celebrate. We didn’t even know that there was a monetary prize,” Smith said. “Everybody celebrates again. And then … Keith is like, hey, I think the right thing to do here is donate this.”

The $5,000 donation went to the Radford City Schools Partners for Excellence Foundation, which is raising money to purchase a custom trailer for Radford High School, according to information shared in the broadcast.

Heather Arnold, a client services coordinator at Ameriprise Financial, said the timing of the prize made the moment even more unusual.

“I was amazed,” Arnold said. “Every time I tell a story I get chill bumps because how rare is that for the hole in one, for one, and then winning $5,000 to make up the difference for two.”

Weltens said he has children who have gone through the school system, and he wanted to help even though his family was not directly involved with the band or football team.

“I’ve never played in the band, I never played on the football team,” Weltens said. “I have kids they’ve gone through the school system, still have one in the system and they’ve never done either of those things. To circle that square for them, it’s great.”

Foundation leaders and school supporters said they are continuing to look for additional ways to help meet other needs.

The deal came just days before nearly 34,000 workers’ contract with an array of private building owners would have expired at midnight Monday. A strike would have been the first in 35 years, and some apartment-dwellers across the city had been bracing to haul trash, postpone renovations and major deliveries and volunteer to staff lobby doors, sort packages and mop hallways.

“Our goals were simple: to raise the wage to a level that our members can live in this city,” to protect health benefits and to improve pensions, union President Manny Pastreich said at a news conference. He called the proposed contract “an incredibly good deal for both sides.”

Workers will vote by May 28 on the tentative agreement, which includes pay raises and a 15% pension boost. Average annual wages for a doorperson or porter, for example, would rise from about $62,000 now to $71,000 in four years, and a new training program would offer future hires a faster route up the wage scale.

Building owners also retreated from proposals to have employees start paying health insurance premiums and to create a new job classification for future hires. The union said the newcomers would be lower-paid.

At the same time, the tentative deal gives building owners a break on some payments into a health fund that has built up a reserve, said Howard Rothschild, the president of the Realty Advisory Board on Labor Relations, which represents the owners.

“Ultimately, both sides thought carefully about the current economic situation and how to make contract improvements that we can all agree with,” Rothschild said at the news conference.

Negotiations had grown tense in recent days, and thousands of union members thronged Manhattan's ritzy Park Avenue on Wednesday to authorize a strike if a deal wasn't reached. The rally drew Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other New York Democratic officials.

The union said then that members were straining to pay New York-area bills, while employers have reaped sharply rising rents for market-rate apartments in buildings that the workers maintain, safeguard and make welcoming.

The Realty Advisory Board said the union was being unrealistic at a time when owners’ costs also are rising and landlords face a potential rent freeze on 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, an idea championed by Mamdani.

The union’s last strike, in 1991, lasted 12 days.

The S&P 500 leaped 1.2% to an all-time high and closed out a third straight week of big gains, its longest streak since Halloween. A freer flow of oil could take pressure off prices not only for gasoline but also for groceries and all kinds of other products that get moved by vehicles. It could even ultimately help people pay less on credit-card interest and mortgage bills.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged as many as 1,100 points before paring its gain to 868, or 1.8%. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%.

The U.S. stock market has jumped more than 12% since hitting a bottom in late March on hopes the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy despite their war. Friday’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which may only be temporary, is the clearest signal yet for optimism, and President Donald Trump said late Thursday that the war “should be ending pretty soon.”

The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude plunged immediately after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, posted on X that passage for all commercial vessels through the strait “is declared completely open” as a ceasefire appears to be holding in Lebanon. He said it would stay open for the remaining period of the ceasefire, and the price for U.S. oil dropped 9.4% to settle at $82.59 per barrel.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 9.1% to settle at $90.38 per barrel. To be sure, it remains above its $70 price from before the war, indicating some caution is still embedded in financial markets.

Several times since the war began, optimism on Wall Street has quickly deteriorated into doubt about a possible end to the fighting. That in turn has caused vicious and sudden swings of prices for everything from stocks to bonds to oil.

Minutes after the Iranian foreign minister’s announcement of the Strait of Hormuz’s reopening, Trump said on his social media network that the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports remains “in full force” until both sides reach a deal on the war. He, though, also suggested that “should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated” and emphasized it by using all capital letters.

Companies with big fuel bills soared to some of Wall Street’s biggest gains following the easing of oil prices.

United Airlines flew 7.1% higher, and Southwest Airlines climbed 5.1%. A day earlier, the head of the International Energy Agency had said that Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of remaining jet fuel supplies.

Operators of cruise ships, which guzzle fuel, also steamed higher. Royal Caribbean Group gained 7.3%, and Carnival rose 7%.

Housing and auto-related companies likewise got some relief from the drop in oil prices.

With less threat of high inflation hurting the economy, a sustained drop in oil prices could convince the Federal Reserve to resume its cuts to interest rates to help the economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 4.24% from 4.32% late Thursday, and lower yields can bring down rates for mortgages and other loans going to U.S. households and businesses.

Builders FirstSource, a supplier of windows and other products, rose 5.5%, and homebuilder PulteGroup gained 5% on hopes that lower mortgage rates will spur more people to buy houses. Carvana climbed 7% because lower loan rates can get more customers into new autos.

A strong start to the earnings reporting season for big U.S. companies has also helped support the U.S. stock market, and more financial companies joined the list delivering bigger profits for the start of 2026 than analysts expected.

State Street rose 2.5%, and Fifth Third Bancorp added 1.7% after both reported better results for the latest quarter than expected.

They helped offset a 9.7% slide for Netflix, which fell even though it delivered a better profit than expected. It did not raise its forecast for revenue growth for the full year, which analysts said may have disappointed some investors.

It also said Reed Hastings, cofounder and chairman of the streaming company, will step down from its board of directors in June when his term expires.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 84.78 points to 7,126.06. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 868.71 to 49,447.43, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 365.78 to 24,468.48.

In stock markets abroad, stock indexes leaped in Europe following Iran’s announcement about the Strait of Hormuz. France’s CAC 40 jumped 2%, and Germany’s DAX returned 2.3%.

In Asia, where trading finished for the day before the announcement, indexes were weaker. Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.8%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9% for two of the bigger losses.

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

The sports power couple announced Friday that they are ending their 10-year relationship and phasing out their popular podcast, “A Touch More.” They dropped the news together on the podcast.

“I hope you all know we put a lot of thought and care into this,” said Rapinoe, who rose to fame as a member of the Women’s World Cup team in 2011, 2015 and 2019. “It’s a decision that we made together. We’re still going to be there for all of you and for each other. It’s just going to look and feel a little bit different.

“We truly are evolving into something new to each other, to ourselves and to all of you, and we just wanted to say thank you for sharing this space with us and giving us this space for us to find ourselves in a different way through this podcast.”

Bird is considered one of the greatest women’s basketball players in history. She won four WNBA championships and was a 13-time All-Star over a 20-year career.

“We have shared so much of our life, so much of our relationship with you, so that’s why we wanted to come on here and share this, too,” Bird said. “These past 10 years have given us so much, and launching this podcast and sharing this space has been one of our favorite things that we’ve done together.”

Rapinoe is planning to start her own podcast, and Bird is committed to a second season of her own venture, “Bird’s Eye View.”

“It’s gonna look a little bit different moving forward,” Rapinoe said. “Obviously, our relationship was such a huge part of this podcast for you guys, but also for us. … We are both really sad to be losing this space. It’s been so meaningful to us, especially post-retirement, to be able to have this space to share, not just together, but with you as well.”

Bird said they will host six more special episodes of “A Touch More” as a “farewell to you all and to this space.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

In Nov. 2025, construction began to replace three bridges and improve infrastructure.

The project took around $1 million using “funds set aside over several years for Parks and Recreation improvements,” the county said.

Police found both dead in their home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale, Virginia, early Thursday. They believe Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife and then killed himself. They were going through a divorce and Justin Fairfax had been ordered by a judge to move out of the house by the end of the month.

Cerina Fairfax, 49, ran a thriving family dentistry practice in the nearby city of Fairfax. A profile page on its website described her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practice yoga, go on trail runs with her Vizsla-breed dogs and “spend time with her wonderful family.”

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who knew Fairfax through her husband's campaign and the time he spent in office, said their two teenaged children were “the people she cherished most.”

“Cerina Fairfax was a loving and dedicated mother and the rock at the center of her large family," McClellan wrote in a statement.

Terron Sims II, a friend and patient, remembered her as a quiet and caring friend, whose dentistry was more than a profession.

“It was an expression of love and compassion,” Sims told WUSA-TV. “It was her way of service to others.”

Fairfax was recognized in 2015 as the Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade by the Virginia Commonwealth School of Dentistry. Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, the interim dean of the dental school, wrote that her loss is deeply felt by many who knew her.

“As a clinician and alumna, Dr. Fairfax embodied the ideals of our profession — dedication to her patients, commitment to growth, and a deep sense of purpose in her work each day," Johnson wrote. "I know she was a mentor, role model, and friend to many in our school.”

Leaders in the state’s dental community also praised her accomplishments and commitment to patients.

“In addition to being a beloved practitioner in her community, Dr. Fairfax loved giving back through volunteer work and contributions to local charities focused on helping those in need,” said Ryan Dunn, CEO of the Virginia Dental Association, in a statement. “As we remember Dr. Fairfax, we honor the impact she made and the connections she helped build within the VDA and her community.”

Cerina and Justin Fairfax met as undergraduates at Duke University and married in 2006.

Justin Fairfax unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2013, then won the race for lieutenant governor in 2017. He was considered a rising star in the Democratic Party until two women came forward accusing him of sexually assaulting them years earlier, before he and Cerina were married. He denied the allegations and wasn’t charged. He left office at the end of his term in 2022, following an unsuccessful run for governor.

Cerina Fairfax said in court filings that they separated nearly two years ago. But they were still living in the same house with their children, who police said were both home at the time of their deaths.

The judge overseeing the divorce had told Justin Fairfax to move out by the end of April, writing “it is clear tensions in the Fairfax home have been extremely high for an extended period of time.” He also noted in a March 30 court order that Cerina “has been the undisputed primary caregiver to the children in all aspects of their lives,” and that she had been “a port in a storm for her children.”

“Their remarkable resilience and early success in life is down to what can best be described as Mother's grit,” Judge Timothy McEvoy wrote.

Amy Spain, Cerina Fairfax’s attorney, said her client’s death “leaves an immeasurable void in the lives of all who knew and loved her.”

“Above all else, Cerina was a devoted mother to her beautiful children, who were the very center of her world,” Spain said. “She embodied the true meaning of motherhood through her unconditional and unwavering devotion to her children, providing a constant source of love, protection, and guidance.”

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Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

“This project reflects our commitment to keeping our parks not only active and vibrant, but safe. By placing AEDs at high-use facilities, we’re improving emergency readiness across our system.”

Paul Chapman, Director, Franklin County Parks & Recreation

The grant is part of T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant program, which has contributed over $450,000 in Virginia.

“Youth sports participation continues to grow in Franklin County. Having AEDs readily available gives our coaches and families added confidence that we’re prepared when seconds matter.”

Nikki Custer, Youth Athletic Manager,Franklin County Parks & Recreation

An event was held on Tuesday to commemorate the event in Rocky Mount.

Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, instead promoting fossil fuels that he says are essential to American energy dominance. The Associated Press and Grist collaborated on a project to analyze how federal policy changes on energy are affecting farmers.

They found that two programs critical for renewable energy growth — a rural-focused initiative called REAP and a clean energy tax credit — have been sharply rolled back. In the fiscal year that started Oct. 1, they found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t awarded a single dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Grist and The Associated Press.

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Some takeaways from their reporting:

A longstanding renewable energy program is gutted

Through the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, the USDA issues grants and loans to farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses interested in renewable energy — like installing solar to lower utility costs. REAP has backed tens of thousands of renewable energy and efficiency projects, with grants totaling more than $1.8 billion, since it began nearly two decades ago.

The program was supercharged by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and had bipartisan support up until then.

But the Grist-AP analysis of USDA data found the program hasn't committed a single dollar in renewable energy development since September. It has never reopened REAP’s grant application cycle though it said it would do so last October. Its loan guarantee program — geared toward larger farm and rural business projects — has remained open, but the analysis found that the agency has awarded no new agreements this fiscal year.

And on March 31, the USDA announced a suspension of all REAP grant awards so it could update regulations to comply with a Trump executive order issued in July.

A USDA spokesperson said the suspension was temporary but didn't say for how long.

A tax credit begun under Bush is tightened, killing projects

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush, enacted a 30% investment tax credit for large-scale clean energy projects, boosting the solar industry. The tax credit was extended for eight years under President Obama and later extended under Trump in 2020.

When President Joe Biden signed the 2022 landmark climate bill, the tax credit was extended again through 2032 or when specific emissions targets were reached. But under Trump’s tax bill passed by Congress last year, the timeline for getting credits was moved up. Now, commercial solar projects have to be under construction by July 2026 or in service by the end of 2027 to be eligible for the credit.

The Grist-AP analysis found at least 126 solar projects proposed since 2024 — all of them on or near farmland — are awaiting regulatory approval. Together the projects would supply about 20 gigawatts of renewable electricity, enough to power about 4.5 million homes.

Some developers are abandoning projects because they say they can't meet the deadlines.

What all this means for farmers

Daniel Bell, a Kentucky sheep farmer, is earning extra money by running his flock on land owned by a commercial solar operation. The sheep keep the grass down beneath solar arrays. With an expanding flock, now he needs a new barn, and he wanted to power it with rooftop solar — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively stopped the grants that would have made it possible on his own property.

Bell said for him it's an issue of the freedom to do what he wants in a way that lowers his bills.

Robert Bonnie, who was undersecretary for farm production and conservation at the USDA under the Biden administration, said the retreat from funding renewables will be felt throughout rural America. Part of the USDA’s role has been to invest in rural areas while making rural prosperity part of the climate agenda.

“In places like Iowa and Texas, renewables matter, not just for additional power, and lower power bills, and clean energy, but also matters for farmers’ pocketbooks,” said Bonnie. “Anything you do to pull back on that is hugely problematic.”

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This story has been corrected to show that new commercial solar projects can be eligible for a tax credit if they are under construction by July 2026 or in service by the end of 2027, not necessarily both.

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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.

According to RPD, 35-year-old Demetrius Cooper is charged with first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in the 2005 shooting death of 18-year-old Calvin Mack of Roanoke.

Cooper was 15-years-old at the time of the incident. On Dec. 30 2005, at 3:23 p.m., officers responded to the 2400 block of Staunton Ave. NW for the report of a person down. Upon arrival, officers located a man with gunshot wound injuries in the yard of a residence. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives initated a homicide investigation, but despite extensive efforts, the case eventually became inactive.

On March 14, 2024, the case was reopened and assigned to RPD Cold Case Unit, over the next year and a half detectives developed new information. Their findings were presented to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and later to a grand jury, which returned a true bill of indictment for Cooper. Cooper was formally charged on April 10.

Cooper is currently incarcerated at a Virginia state prison on unrelated charges.

The swarm shut down an exit of Interstate 40 in Knoxville, said Mark Nagi, Tennessee Department of Transportation regional spokesperson. There were no injuries, he said.

“The ramp from I-40 East to Henley Street is back open but the truck is destroyed and the bees are… well… buzzing," Nagi posted, along with a photo of a person in beekeeper garb. "Unless you are dressed in this outfit please stay in your vehicles in this area.”

Later Friday, Nagi confirmed that all of the bees had been moved from the area and the truck was removed.

What could not be as easily quelled were the puns.

“So, this is the buzz around town?" U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett wrote on social media. "This stuff just writes itself.”

The Virginia Department of Transportation commiserated on social media. Its northern division reminisced about a 2018 crash that similarly released a swarm of bees on Interstate 495, prompting the advice, “Please roll up your windows.”

Crude oil prices plunged Friday after Iran's foreign minister said tankers and other commercial vessels could again pass unimpeded through the narrow waterway off the country's coast that serves as a conduit for about one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas.

President Donald Trump cheered the announcement but then said the U.S. would continue its blockade of Iranian ships entering or leaving the strait until Washington and Tehran reached a deal to end the war, which started Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

The oil market is expected to take months to recover from shipment disruptions, and fuel prices typically take longer to fall than prices for crude. In a sign of the conflict's ongoing repercussions for airlines and their passengers, Air Canada said Friday it was canceling service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport between June and October due to surging jet fuel costs.

Jet fuel — a refined kerosene-based oil product — is airlines' biggest cost, making up about 30% of overall expenses, according to the International Air Transport Association. And jet fuel prices have roughly doubled since the war began. Shortages could start next.

In an exclusive Thursday interview with The Associated Press, International Energy Agency Director Fatih Birol said Europe had “maybe six weeks” of remaining jet fuel supplies. In general, some European countries hold several months’ worth of jet fuel inventory at a time, according to an IEA report released this week

Airline officials have largely reacted with caution, acknowledging potential fuel issues but working to reassure customers. Still, some carriers have already passed costs on to consumers by increasing fees for baggage and other add-ons, embedding costs into ticket prices, or raising fuel surcharges.

Here's a look at how jet fuel supplies work and how consumers might see effects.

How does jet fuel get to the plane?

Jet fuel is made from crude oil at refineries, which also create gasoline and diesel.

Airlines generally buy jet fuel from refineries or fuel companies, similar to drivers buying gasoline from stations, but on a much larger scale. Jet fuel travels on ships and through pipelines and is stored by airlines at airports.

Purchasing is handled by airlines. If fuel supplies are running out in a region, that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be no flights. Some airlines might have more stored than others.

But remaining flights are likely to be expensive, reflecting fuel costs.

Larger airlines have advantages in regions with shortages. They have the financial means to deal with high prices, said Jacques Rousseau, managing director at financial firm Clearview Energy Partners.

In Europe, a number of countries are now relying on less than 20 days of coverage in their fuel supplies, according to this week's IEA report. Supplies haven’t dropped below 29 days since 2020, the report said.

If that falls under 23 days, physical shortages may emerge at some airports, resulting in flight cancellations and lower demand, the report warned.

“Every passing day that the Strait of Hormuz remains shut, Europe is edging closer to supply shortages,” said Amaar Khan, head of European jet fuel pricing at Argus Media. “The strait accounts for around 40% of Europe’s jet fuel imports, but no jet fuel has passed the strait since the war broke out.”

Which regions could feel pain?

Asia-Pacific countries are the most reliant on oil and jet fuel from the Middle East, followed by Europe, Rousseau said.

Most of Europe’s jet fuel is produced by European refiners, but about 20-25% of its supply is missing because of the war, Rousseau said.

To fill some gaps, the U.S. increased its exports of jet fuel to Europe considerably, sending about 150,000 barrels per day in April, or about six times the normal level, Rousseau said.

Availability of jet fuel is less of an issue in the U.S., a major oil producer, he added.

"It’s just going to cost more here, whereas in different parts of the world you could actually get to a point where there’s just no fuel,” Rousseau said.

How much is the world supply of jet fuel lagging?

The world is losing 10 million to 15 million barrels of oil a day due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, said Pavel Molchanov, senior investment strategist at investment firm Raymond James & Associates.

Even though the IEA has released 400 million barrels of oil from members' emergency reserves, that won't help in the short term, Molchanov added.

“It could take until the end of the year to get all of those barrels onto the market,” he said.

How will my travel be affected?

Christopher Anderson, a professor of operations, technology and information management at Cornell University, said travelers should prepare for more than just higher airfares.

“This is no longer just a fuel-price story. For airlines, it is now a network-planning story,” he said. “Higher fuel costs matter, but so do longer routings, reduced scheduling flexibility and greater uncertainty about what demand will look like even a few weeks out.”

Travelers might see “a market with later booking patterns, more schedule volatility and fewer low-fare options if this disruption lasts into the core summer season,” he said.

What are airlines doing?

Dutch airline KLM and U.K. budget carrier easyJet told AP they weren't experiencing current fuel shortages and didn't comment further on the IEA’s warning.

Still, KLM said Thursday that it would cut 160 flights next month — about 1% of its total European routes. The airline cited “rising kerosene costs” and said a number of flights were “no longer financially viable to operate.”

EasyJet said it expected to see a pretax loss of 540 million to 560 million pounds (about $731 million to $758 million) for the first half of the 2026 fiscal year. Still, CEO Kenton Jarvis said demand for flights remained strong overall.

Lufthansa said Thursday that labor disputes and high fuel prices are forcing it to immediately shut down feeder airline CityLine, earlier than planned, and take its 27 older, less fuel-efficient planes out of service. The decision accelerates a shutdown that had been expected for next year.

U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines — which frequently flies to European destinations — said on Thursday that it was “aware of the potential jet fuel supply issue” on the continent and monitoring the situation. Delta, which bought a refinery in Philadelphia in 2012 to manage its largest expense, said it doesn’t expect any “near-term impact to our operations.”

How are prices affected?

Other airlines have sounded the alarm about rising fuel prices, with some already passing along new costs to travelers, often embedded into ticket prices and add-on fees.

U.S. carriers Delta, United, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue have all increased checked baggage fees, for example, in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific recently bumped fuel surcharges by roughly 34% across all routes, while Air India added up to $280 in fees to some flights earlier this month. Emirates, Lufthansa and KLM have also adjusted fees or fares to keep pace with the price volatility.

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AP writer David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, contributed to this report.

The projects leverage $9.5 million in local, private, and institutional investments and are projected to deliver substantial economic impact, including training more than 6,000 Virginians, creating more than 600 new jobs, supporting business growth, and strengthening Virginia’s position in high-demand industry sectors.

“GO Virginia investments are a win for families, a win for local communities, and a win both for the businesses who call Virginia home — and the companies looking to expand in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger. “By equipping Virginians with the skills they need to find jobs in high-demand fields, we can help set them on a course for life-long success and make sure Virginia leads the way in the competitive industries shaping the future.”

Since its inception in 2017, GO Virginia has strengthened regional economies through strategic collaboration across 131 localities, according to officials.

Here is a list of implementation grant applications in our area:

AM2 Initiative to Grow Advanced Manufacturing | $4,230,160

Regions 2 (Lead) and 3: Counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Botetourt, Campbell, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Pulaski and Roanoke; Cities of Covington, Danville, Lynchburg, Martinsville, Radford, Roanoke and Salem; Towns of Bedford, Rocky Mount and Vinton

The AM2 Initiative is a multiregional effort to scale advanced manufacturing through coordinated investments in talent development, innovation infrastructure, and business support. The project will establish an industry consortium; develop training and credentialing programs; and provide resources for prototyping, commercialization and workforce development. By aligning education, industry, and regional strategy, the initiative will strengthen Virginia’s manufacturing ecosystem and support business growth across multiple regions.

Randolph College Mechanical Engineering Program Expansion | $686,340

Region 2: Counties of Amherst, Appomattox and Campbell; City of Lynchburg

Randolph College will expand its mechanical engineering program to address workforce demand in the advanced manufacturing sector. The project includes the development of new laboratories, applied learning spaces and industry-informed curriculum, along with expanded opportunities for dual enrollment, internships and undergraduate research. By aligning training with employer needs, the initiative will strengthen the regional talent pipeline and prepare graduates for high-demand engineering careers.

AI Mobile Unit for Workforce & Education | $1,079,109

Regions 6 (Lead) and 9: Counties of Fauquier, King George, Nelson, Orange, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania and Stafford

The AI Mobile Unit project will expand access to artificial intelligence training and certification across rural and underserved communities through mobile learning labs. The initiative will deliver hands-on instruction to students, educators and workforce participants, while also creating dual enrollment opportunities and industry-recognized credential pathways. This approach ensures broader access to emerging technology skills and strengthens the region’s workforce readiness.

“Today’s investments reflect a clear commitment to addressing current needs and building a foundation for Virginia’s future economy,” said Emily O’Quinn, Chair of the GO Virginia State Board. “By aligning talent and innovation through regional collaboration, we are ensuring Virginia remains competitive in the industries driving our future.”

The decision could have broad implications in one of the nation’s most prominent battleground states, which will have several high-profile races this fall. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has been roiled by election conspiracy theorists ever since President Donald Trump lost the state to Democrat Joe Biden during his bid for reelection in 2020.

Justin Heap, the Republican recorder in Maricopa County, sued the predominantly Republican county board of supervisors last summer alleging it had illegally taken control of certain aspects of election administration. Heap claimed the board transferred funding, IT staff and some key functions — including management of ballot drop boxes and establishing early voting sites — away from his office through an agreement negotiated with his predecessor, whom he had recently defeated in a GOP primary.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney mostly sided with Heap's office in his ruling, which was filed Thursday but appeared on the public docket Friday. The board of supervisors “acted unlawfully and exceeded its statutory authority by seizing the Recorder's personnel, systems and equipment and refusing to return them” to the recorder, he wrote.

Blaney also ruled that the recorder's office is responsible for overseeing in-person early voting, among other duties, while the board is responsible for other operations, such as selecting Election Day voting locations, supplying polling locations and hiring poll workers.

“The Board's assertion of plenary authority over election administration through its general supervisory powers is inconsistent with Arizona law,” the judge wrote.

Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee said the board will consider an appeal.

“I disagree with other portions of the ruling, and I will explore all options with the Board of Supervisors, including an expeditious appeal,” McGee, a Republican, said in a statement. "From day one, the Board of Supervisors has provided Recorder Heap the resources and staffing needed to fulfill his statutory duties. We will continue to do so because voters always come first.”

In a statement, Heap praised the ruling as a “clear and decisive victory for the rule of law and for the voters of Maricopa County.”

“The court confirmed that the Board cannot override state law, use funding as leverage, or take control of election duties assigned to the Recorder,” Heap said. "This ruling restores both the authority and the resources necessary for my office to do its job.”

Heap, a former Republican state lawmaker, was elected in 2024 after unseating incumbent Stephen Richer in the GOP primary and defeating a Democratic candidate in the general election. In the past, Heap has stopped short of repeating false claims that the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen, but has said voters don’t trust the state’s voting system and that it’s poorly run.

False claims of fraud since the 2020 presidential election led to threats of violence against Richer and others in the Maricopa County elections office. Richer blamed Heap for contributing to an atmosphere of distrust and vitriol directed toward the office.

“He catered to the really ugly stuff that the people in that office had to live through,” Richer said of Heap, in an interview last month. “And he allied with people who were very much in the eye of the storm in terms of creating it.”

Once he took office, Heap terminated a previous agreement that was reached between Richer and the board that had revised how election operations were divided between the two offices. Heap filed his lawsuit with the backing of America First Legal, a conservative public interest group founded by Stephen Miller, now a deputy chief of staff in the White House.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been announced.

The extension includes $134 million in guaranteed money.

The $50 million per year Anderson will earn surpasses the $46.5 million per year defensive end Micah Parsons got when he signed a four-year extension with the Packers after a trade from Dallas last year.

Anderson started each game last season and had 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss — both career highs — to lead a Houston defense that was among the best in the NFL.

The Texans selected Anderson with the third pick in the 2023 draft, trading up to nab the Alabama standout after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud second in that draft.

In three seasons with the Texans, Anderson has piled up 30 sacks and 136 tackles, including 46 for loss. He also has 64 quarterback hits in his career and has forced four fumbles and recovered three.

The Texans exercised his fifth-year player option earlier this month so this deal will keep him in Houston through the 2030 season.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

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

The pardon order applied to more than 4,500 prisoners, but it was not immediately clear how many people imprisoned for opposing military rule were included and there was no sign that 80-year-old former leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed.

Win Myint is Suu Kyi’s longtime loyalist and was elected as president in 2018. He served as president while Suu Kyi led the government as state counsellor because the military-drafted constitution barred her from holding the presidency.

He was arrested on Feb. 1, 2021, the same day the military seized power and detained Suu Kyi. He was later given 12-year combined prison sentences for several offenses, which were reduced to eight years in 2023.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres took note of the amnesty and underscored "the need for meaningful efforts to ensure the swift release of all those arbitrarily detained” including Suu Kyi, his spokesperson said.

The U.N. chief stressed that a political solution must be found, based on an immediate cessation of violence and "a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, adding that this requires an environment where the people of Myanmar can “freely and peacefully exercise their political rights.”

State-run MRTV television reported that Win Myint, who was in a prison in Taungoo township in Bago region, had received amnesty.

Outside Insein Prison in Yangon, buses carrying prisoners were welcomed by relatives and friends who had been waiting since early morning. Among those released was filmmaker and journalist Shin Daewe, who was sentenced to life imprisonment under a counterterrorism law in January 2024.

The amnesty comes a week after Min Aung Hlaing was sworn into office following an election that critics say was neither free nor fair and was orchestrated to keep the military's iron grip on power.

Suu Kyi expected to be transferred under house arrest

State media said in addition to the 4,335 Myanmar prisoners pardoned, nearly 180 foreigners would be released and deported.

If the freed prisoners reoffend, they will have to serve the rest of their original sentences in addition to any new sentence, according to the terms of their release. A separate report said death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment, life sentences were reduced to 40 years and prison terms of less than 40 years were cut by one-sixth.

Under that measure, Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence would be reduced by 4 1/2 years, leaving her with 22 1/2 years still to serve.

A senior military officer from the capital, Naypyitaw, told The Associated Press on Friday that Suu Kyi will be transferred to house arrest as part of the clemency. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release information.

Suu Kyi has been serving a prison term on a variety of criminal convictions at an undisclosed location in Naypyitaw and has been moved to house arrest at least once in April 2024.

In his inauguration speech last week, Min Aung Hlaing said his government would implement amnesties that contribute to social reconciliation, justice and peace and support the country’s overall development.

Prisoner releases are common on holidays and other significant occasions in Myanmar.

Since the 2021 army takeover, nearly 8,000 civilians have been killed and some 22,170 political detainees, including Suu Kyi, remain jailed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring group. Total deaths in the ongoing conflict are estimated to be much higher.

Many political detainees have been held on incitement charges, a law widely used to arrest critics of the government or military and punishable by up to three years in prison. Others have been prosecuted under a counterterrorism law that carries a potential death penalty and has been used to target political and armed opponents, journalists and other dissenters.

The human rights advocacy group Burma Campaign UK said in its statement on Friday that the slow, staged release of political prisoners is designed to gain positive publicity while making no real reforms.

“These people should not have been arrested in the first place," the group said. "The Burmese military could stop arresting activists and could repeal all repressive laws. They haven’t done that.”

U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy sided with Rhode Island's top election officials and civil rights advocates, writing that federal law does not permit the U.S. Department of Justice “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here.”

In an emailed response, the Justice Department said it would not comment on ongoing litigation.

McElroy's decision is similar to other rejections by federal judges across country since the Justice Department began seeking detailed voter data from the states. The information includes dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

Federal officials say they need the voter data to ensure election security, but Democratic and some Republican officials have objected to the requests and said such a demand violates state and federal privacy laws.

“The executive branch seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states,” Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore said in a statement. "But the power of our democratic republic, built on three, coequal branches of government, is clearer than ever before.”

Some election officials have raised concerns that federal officials will use the sensitive data for other purposes, such as searching for potential noncitizens. Those concerns were raised again after the DOJ's attorneys acknowledged in the Rhode Island case that the department was seeking unredacted voter roll information so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check citizenship status.

At least 12 states have either provided or promised to provide their detailed voter registration lists to the department, according to the Brennan Center: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

Meanwhile, the DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force release of the data. In addition to Rhode Island, judges have rejected those attempts in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Oregon. In Georgia, a judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit because it had been filed in the wrong city, prompting the government to refile elsewhere.

In Rhode Island, McElroy sided with the federal judge's decision in Oregon. That ruling said the federal government was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists containing sensitive data and said the Justice Department had failed to identify a basis or a purpose for requesting the voter records.

“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” McElroy wrote.

The measure cleared the Senate by voice vote Friday, without a formal roll call — the same way it was approved hours earlier in the House — as Congress raced to meet a Monday deadline and send it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune gave a nod to the political difficulty ahead as they assess options when the temporary extension expires at the end of the month. “We’ll be preparing accordingly,” the South Dakota Republican said.

It’s all setting up another showdown, in a matter of weeks, as Congress dives into the surveillance tool that pits Americans’ privacy rights against what U.S. officials have long said is a uniquely effective program for the security of the country.

The stopgap came after House Republican leaders hurriedly unveiled an ambitious five-year extension late Thursday with revisions to appease skeptics of the surveillance program — a sharp pivot from the clean 18-month renewal Trump and GOP leaders had pushed all week. But both those Republican bills collapsed, failing to advance, forcing leaders to pivot.

Early Friday, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a longtime critic of the surveillance system, stalled further action in the Senate as he pressed for changes.

Wyden said he has never seen this level of support on both sides of the political aisle — and in both chambers of Congress — for real revisions to the surveillance tool, although he did not stand in the way of a short-term extension, for now.

“It’s not making a choice between security and liberty. That’s garbage,” Wyden said. “We’re going to show that the two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Chaotic, late-night House votes end in failure

Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the White House had spent the week trying to line up support for an 18-month renewal of the spy tool with no changes. But holdouts held firm, forcing a late-night scramble.

GOP leaders in the House rushed lawmakers back into session late Thursday for a series of back-to-back votes that fell apart before pivoting to a stopgap to keep the program from expiring Monday.

First, they came out with a new plan that would have extended the program for five years, with revisions. Among the changes were new provisions to ensure that only FBI attorneys could authorize queries on U.S. people, and to require the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to review such cases, said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., during the debate.

That plan also would enhance criminal penalties on those who unlawfully conduct such inquiries or disclose the surveillance information, Scott said. It provides a way for members of Congress and certain staff to access the proceedings of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court, which handles such requests.

But the final product, a 14-page amendment, did not go far enough for some holdouts in either party.

GOP leaders then tried to salvage a shorter 18-month renewal that Trump had demanded and Johnson had previously backed. It failed as well, with some 20 Republicans joining most Democrats in blocking its advance.

Shortly after 2 a.m., they quickly agreed to the 10-day extension.

“We were very close tonight,” Johnson said after the late-night action.

But Democrats assailed the middle-of-the-night voting as amateur hour. “Are you kidding me? Who the hell is running this place?” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., during a fiery floor debate.

Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus that helped stall votes throughout the week, said the outcome was predictable after the procedural votes fell short.

“We warned them that this was gonna happen,” Ogles said. “Unfortunately, here we are at 2 in the morning.”

Surveillance program fight is a debate over privacy and security

At the center of the standoff is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. In doing so, they can incidentally sweep up communications involving Americans who interact with foreign targets.

U.S. officials say the authority is critical to disrupting terrorist plots, cyber intrusions and foreign espionage.

Extending the program is a recurring fight, as lawmakers weigh civil liberties concerns against intelligence officials’ warnings about national security risks.

“There are a lot of opinions,” Johnson said Thursday. “We want to make sure that we have this very important tool for national security, but we also do it in a way that jealously guards constitutional rights.”

Opponents of the surveillance tool point to past misuses. FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when searching intelligence related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order.

Trump and his allies had lobbied aggressively all week for a clean renewal of the program, without changes.

A group of Republicans traveled to the White House on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe spoke directly with GOP lawmakers. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Thursday there had “been negotiations late into the night with the White House and some of our members.”

“I am asking Republicans to UNIFY, and vote together on the test vote to bring a clean Bill to the floor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this week. “We need to stick together.” They didn't.

In a federal court filing Friday, Trump asks a judge to pause the case for 90 days while the two sides work to reach a settlement or resolution.

“This limited pause will neither prejudice the parties nor delay ultimate resolution," the filing says. "Rather, the extension will promote judicial economy and allow the Parties to explore avenues that could narrow or resolve the issues efficiently.”

Tax and ethics experts say the lawsuit raises a plethora of legal and ethical questions, including the propriety of the leader of the executive branch pursuing scorched-earth litigation against the very government he oversees.

Earlier this year, Trump filed a lawsuit in a Florida federal court, alleging that a previous leak of his and the Trump Organization’s confidential tax records caused “reputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light, and negatively affected President Trump, and the other Plaintiffs’ public standing.”

The president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are also plaintiffs in the suit.

In 2024, former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn, of Washington, D.C. — who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a defense and national security tech firm — was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to leaking tax information about President Trump and others to two news outlets between 2018 and 2020.

The outlets were not named in the charging documents, but the description and time frame align with stories about Trump’s tax returns in The New York Times and reporting about wealthy Americans’ taxes in the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica. The 2020 New York Times report found Trump paid $750 in federal income tax the year he first entered the White House, and no income tax at all some years, thanks to reported colossal losses.

When asked in February how he would handle any potential damages from the case, Trump said, “I think what we’ll do is do something for charity."

“We could make it a substantial amount," he said at the time. "Nobody would care because it’s going to go to numerous very good charities.”

Several ethics watchdog groups have filed friend-of-the-court briefs challenging the president’s lawsuit.

The watchdog group Democracy Forward's February filing states that the case is “extraordinary because the President controls both sides of the litigation, which raises the prospect of collusive litigation tactics," and “the conflicts of interest make it uncertain whether the Department of Justice will zealously defend the public fisc in the same way that it has against other plaintiffs claiming damages for related events.”

The unanimous procedural decision gives the companies a new day in federal court after a state jury ordered Chevron to pay upward of $740 million to clean up damage to the state’s coastline, one of multiple similar lawsuits.

Backed by the Trump administration, the companies said the work in Louisiana started as an effort to quickly increase the supply of aviation gasoline for the U.S. government during World War II and so should be heard in federal court.

The justices agreed. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the 8-0 court, noted Congress has long allowed lawsuits against the government and its contractors to be heard in federal court. This suit, he wrote, is clearly related to Chevron’s wartime efforts to bolster the U.S. aviation fuel supply. Federal courts are seen as a friendlier venue for the companies.

Louisiana’s coastal parishes have lost more than 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) of land over the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which has also identified oil and gas infrastructure as a significant cause. The state could lose an additional 3,000 square miles (7,770 square kilometers) in the coming decades, its coastal protection agency has warned.

The litigation over the role of oil and gas companies has crossed typical political lines in Louisiana. The hefty jury award came from a community in one of the most conservative, pro-energy parts of the state, said Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a longtime oil and gas industry supporter, also backed the lawsuits when he was attorney general. Local Louisiana leaders remain determined to keep the litigation alive despite the setback, said attorney John Carmouche.

“Simply changing where the case will be heard, as has happened, will not deter our efforts to have Big Oil held accountable for the damages they caused and the enormous restoration they owe the people of Louisiana,” Carmouche said.

Anne Rolfes, the director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade environmental group, said the decision is a “bump in the road” in efforts to hold the industry accountable for pipelines and canals carving up the natural coastline that have left residents more vulnerable to hurricanes.

Chevron, on the other hand, applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, saying the claims are related to work that the companies did under federal supervision. “Chevron looks forward to litigating these cases in federal court, where they belong,” the company said in a statement.

The company denies responsibility for land loss in Louisiana and argues it’s wrong to sue over work done before state environmental regulations were in place.

The companies appealed to the high court after jurors in Plaquemines Parish — a sliver of land straddling the Mississippi River into the Gulf — found that energy giant Texaco, acquired by Chevron in 2001, had for decades violated Louisiana regulations governing coastal resources by failing to restore wetlands impacted by dredging canals, drilling wells and billions of gallons of wastewater dumped into the marsh.

The case is one of dozens of lawsuits filed in 2013 alleging oil giants, including Chevron and Exxon, violated state environmental laws for decades. Friday’s ruling overturns a 2024 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. It will affect about a quarter of the dozens of lawsuits filed against various oil companies, Carmouche said.

The energy industry group Grow Louisiana said the decision should spell the end of the litigation. “These lawsuits have cost Louisiana billions, killed jobs and padded trial lawyers’ pockets," Executive Director Marc Ehrhardt said. “Enough is enough. Stop these lawsuits.”

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry called the decision “an important win for legal clarity.”

Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from the case, pointing to financial ties to ConocoPhillips. He's previously recused himself from other cases due to his stock holdings.

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Brook reported from New Orleans.

The sale will be held June 5, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Friday. It would be the first in the region under a law passed by Congress last year calling for four lease sales in the refuge's coastal plain over a 10-year period. But it would be the third in the refuge overall, following one held near the end of President Donald Trump's first term that has been tangled in litigation and another in early 2025, shortly before then-President Joe Biden left office, that yielded no bids.

Drilling supporters, including Alaska political leaders, argued last year's sale was too meager an offering to draw interest.

The upcoming sale also would be the third federal oil and gas lease sale this year alone in Alaska under an aggressive push by the Trump administration to expand development in the state. There were no bidders in a sale last month for the aging Cook Inlet basin, while a lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska — where the large Willow oil project is under development — drew hundreds of bids despite pending legal challenges to the sale.

Bill Groffy, the land management agency's acting director, in a statement said the success of last month's petroleum reserve sale signaled a “robust and continuing demand for Alaskan energy, underscoring the need for more opportunities like the Coastal Plain sale.”

Leaders from Gwich’in villages near the arctic refuge and conservation groups vowed to continue fighting efforts to open the refuge's coastal plain to drilling. The Gwich'in consider the coastal plain sacred, as it provides calving grounds for a caribou herd they rely on. The plain, bordering the Beaufort Sea in northeast Alaska and featuring rolling hills and tundra, also provides habitat for wildlife including muskoxen and migratory birds.

“The Trump Administration’s relentless push to auction off this sacred land despite overwhelming public opposition and industry that has already signaled they are not interested makes clear that this administration values corporate interests over the rights and lives of Indigenous peoples," Galen Gilbert, first chief of Arctic Village Council, said in a statement. “We will continue to fight with every tool available to protect the Coastal Plain for our children and all future generations.”

Debate over drilling in the region spans decades.

Leaders of Kaktovik, an Iñupiaq community within the refuge, consider responsible development key to their region’s economic well-being and have welcomed efforts by the Trump administration to open more lands for drilling.

The Bureau of Land Management has said the coastal plain could contain 4.25 billion to 11.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil, but there is limited information about the amount and quality of oil. Meanwhile, conservation groups see the refuge as the crown jewel of the country's refuge system and a place that should be off-limits to development. The refuge itself is the largest in the country, covering an area roughly the size of South Carolina.

Andy Moderow, senior director of policy at Alaska Wilderness League, said the planned sale “simply runs counter to common sense.”

“Any oil and gas company that is even thinking about buying these leases should know that, if they do, they will be sending a clear message to the American people that no place in Alaska is too sacred to drill in a quest for corporate profits,” he said in a statement urging companies to sit out the sale.

Luther Davis had convinced investors the money was for a player in the NFL, and he used the wig and make up to impersonate the athlete. The ruse worked.

The detailed allegations are included in a criminal complaint filed against Davis last month by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta.

Federal prosecutors say Davis would go on to don disguises — a wig once, and a do-rag-style head covering another time — again in March and July to impersonate two other NFL players on video calls and bilk millions more in loans. The complaint does not say exactly how the wigs and do-rag helped Davis assume the three different players' identities.

It also only identifies the NFL players by their initials.

Davis and CJ Evins, who prosecutors say executed the scheme with Davis, are charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. They both pleaded not guilty in March, but they are scheduled to return to court on April 27 to enter a guilty plea, according to court filings.

An email and call to Davis' attorney, Gabe Banks, were not immediately returned. Evins' attorney, Benjamin Alper, confirmed his client is scheduled to plead guilty, but he said he had no additional comment.

The complaint says none of the NFL players had authorized Davis and Evins to obtain loans. In addition to wearing disguises, prosecutors say Davis used fake driver's licenses with photos of the players that could be found online.

The scheme brought in nearly $20 million from at least 13 fraudulent loans that Davis and Evins used to buy real estate, jewelry and cars, according to the complaint.

Davis was a national champion with the Crimson Tide in 2010.

Fires used to die down or even die out at night as temperatures dropped and humidity increased, but that's happening less often. The number of hours in North America when the weather is favorable for wildfires is 36% higher than 50 years ago, according to a study Friday in Science Advances.

Places such as California have 550 more potential burning hours than the mid-1970s. Parts of southwestern New Mexico and central Arizona are seeing as much as 2,000 more hours a year when the weather is prone to burning fires, the highest increase seen in the study, which looked at Canada and the United States. The research looked at times when conditions were ripe for fire, but that didn't mean fires occurred during all that time.

Recent big fires in LA and Hawaii burned at night

Fires that surge at night are tougher to fight and included the Lahaina, Hawaii fire in 2023, the Jasper fire in Alberta in 2024 and the Los Angeles fires in 2025, the study said. Maui's fire ignited at 12:22 a.m.

It's not just the clock that is getting extended. The calendar is too. The number of days with fire-prone weather increased by 44%, which effectively added 26 days over the past half century.

It's mostly from warmer, drier nighttime weather, with a bit of extra wind, the study authors said.

“Fires normally slow down during the night, or they just stop,” said study co-author Xianli Wang, a fire scientist with the Canadian Forest Service. “But under extreme fire hazard conditions, fire actually burns through the night or later into the night.”

And Wang said Earth's warming atmosphere means it's like to get worse.

Tougher to fight fires at night

Fires that don't “go to sleep” get a running start the next day, making it harder to knock them down, University of California Merced fire scientist John Abatzoglou, who wasn’t part of the study, said in an email.

“Nights aren't what they used to be — that is, more reliable breaks for wildfire," he added. "Widespread warming and lack of humidity is keeping fires up at night.”

Wildland firefighter Nicholai Allen, who also founded a firm that makes home fire prevention tools, said it's very difficult to fight fires at night.

“You have to understand that you have snakes and bears and mountain lions and all the stuff you have in daytime,” Allen said, noting a colleague was bitten by a bear. “But at night, they're really scared and they're running away from the fire.”

The Canadian researchers analyzed nearly 9,000 larger fires from 2017 to 2023 using a weather satellite and other tools to get hour-by-hour data on atmospheric conditions during the fires, such as humidity, temperature, wind, rain and fuel moisture levels. They created a computer model that correlated weather conditions and fire status and applied to historical data in Canada and the United States from 1975 to 2106.

Nights are warming faster than days

Scientists have long said heat-trapping gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas make nights warm faster than days because of increased cloud cover that absorbs and re-emits heat down to Earth at night like a blanket. Since 1975, summers in the contiguous U.S. have seen nighttime lowest temperature warm by 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit (1.4 degrees Celsius), while daytime highest temperatures have gone up 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Humidity at night “doesn't rebound” from its daytime dryness like it used to, said study lead author Kaiwei Luo, a fire science researcher at the University of Alberta.

Wildfires often coincide with drought, especially extreme drought, which means not only drier air, but hotter drier air that sucks up more moisture from the ground and plants, making fuels for fire more flammable, Wang said. In a drought, there's often a vicious circle of drying and when it is quite dry, a warmer atmosphere has more power to suck moisture out of fuels.

Just as warmer nights especially in heat waves don't let the body recover, the warmer nights are not allowing forests to recover, Wang said. It can take weeks for dead fuel to recover their lost moisture and be less fire-prone, he said.

“It's just a stress to the plants,” Wang said. “That also increases fuel load and make fire-burning more easily.”

From 2016 to 2025, wildfires in the United States on average burned an area the size of Massachusetts each year, slightly more than 11,000 square miles (28,500 square kilometers). That's 2.6 times the average burn area of the 1980s, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Canada's land burned on average for the last 10 years is 2.8 times more than during the 1980s, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

Syracuse University fire scientist Jacob Bendix, who wasn't part of the research, called the study a sobering reminder of climate change's role in driving "increased fire potential across almost all of the fire-prone environments of North America.”

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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 only question surrounding the Heisman Trophy winner is when he’ll make his debut.

Mendoza, who led Indiana to its first national championship, is an overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1-overall pick in the NFL draft next Thursday. He won’t be in Pittsburgh to hear NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announce his name, choosing instead to celebrate his big night with family and friends in Miami.

The intrigue starts with the second pick. Ohio State edge rusher Arvell Reese was widely considered the choice for the New York Jets but Texas Tech edge David Bailey has gained momentum.

Here’s the third edition of the AP’s 2026 mock draft in order of picks:

1. Las Vegas Raiders: FERNANDO MENDOZA, QB, INDIANA

Mendoza is a precise pocket passer with prototypical size, poise and maturity. The Raiders have some playmakers — Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty — and spent more than a quarter-billion in free agency. Cousins gives Mendoza a mentor in the QB room. Part-owner Tom Brady can provide Mendoza with valuable advice. The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since losing the Super Bowl following the 2002 season and have only reached the postseason twice in that span. They need Mendoza to be a franchise QB.

2. New York Jets: ARVELL REESE, EDGE RUSHER, OHIO STATE

We’re sticking with Reese. He’s a freak athlete — he ran a 4.47 40-yard dash — who played off-ball linebacker and standup edge. He has the talent to be an elite edge rusher who can make an immediate impact for the Jets.

3. Arizona Cardinals: DAVID BAILEY, EDGE RUSHER, TEXAS TECH

Bailey is another immensely athletic edge with elite upside. The Cardinals could trade down to add more draft assets or look at bolstering the offensive line. Bailey would join Josh Sweat to give Arizona two pass rushers who can create havoc.

4. Tennessee Titans: JEREMIYAH LOVE, RUNNING BACK, NOTRE DAME

The Titans reloaded in free agency, revamping the secondary and adding depth on defense along with another target for Cam Ward in wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. They have a tough choice here between Love or giving new coach Robert Saleh a star on defense: edge Rueben Bain Jr. and linebacker Sonny Styles. If general manager Mike Borgonzi sticks with the best available player, it’s Love.

5. New York Giants: SONNY STYLES, LINEBACKER, OHIO STATE

Styles’ impressive combine performance helped him soar into the top five on many draft boards. Protecting Jaxson Dart is a priority for the Giants so they’d have their choice of best offensive lineman in the draft at this spot but Styles is a supremely gifted defensive player.

6. Cleveland Browns: CARNELL TATE, WIDE RECEIVER, OHIO STATE

Tate is a consistent route runner with excellent hands and enough speed to be a top playmaker. The Browns added three veteran offensive linemen but still could target a tackle. Tate gives them a No. 1 receiver that’s hard to pass up.

7. Washington Commanders: MANSOOR DELANE, CORNERBACK, LSU

Delane is the best cover corner in the draft. He’ll provide a significant boost for a defense that’s thin in the secondary.

8. New Orleans Saints: RUEBEN BAIN JR., EDGE RUSHER, MIAMI

Bain is a versatile rusher who can line up on the edge or inside against guards, creating mismatches. He’ll be a huge asset for the Saints.

9. Kansas City Chiefs: FRANCIS MAUIGOA, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, MIAMI

Mauigoa is a three-year starter at right tackle who would replace Jawaan Taylor and provide Patrick Mahomes more protection. Getting Mahomes a playmaking receiver is also an option. So is an edge rusher. But Mauigoa is strong value slipping to this spot.

10. Cincinnati Bengals: CALEB DOWNS, SAFETY, OHIO STATE

Downs is an elite, versatile playmaker who strengthens a porous defense that has held the Bengals back in recent years. Downs has top-five talent but only slips because of potential value.

11. Miami Dolphins: MAKAI LEMON, WIDE RECEIVER, USC

After trading Jaylen Waddle and releasing Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins need to get Malik Willis a top receiver. Lemon is an elite playmaker who creates matchup nightmares for defenses in the slot.

12. Dallas Cowboys: AKHEEM MESIDOR, EDGE RUSHER, MIAMI

Mesidor is an older prospect at age 25 but his talent is clear on video. He’ll generate pressure from the outside and is solid against the run, which Jerry Jones emphasized last year after trading Micah Parsons.

13. Los Angeles Rams: JORDON TYSON, WIDE RECEIVER, ARIZONA STATE

He’s an exceptional route-runner with speed who catches the ball in traffic. The Rams were interested in some high-profile wideouts so drafting Tyson upgrades a dynamic group that includes All-Pro Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

14. Baltimore Ravens: OLAIVAVEGA IOANE, GUARD, PENN STATE

Ioane fills a big need for the Ravens on the interior of their offensive line and fits their run-blocking scheme nicely.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: KELDRIC FAULK, EDGE RUSHER, AUBURN

Scouts rave about Faulk’s leadership and he has obvious talent. The Buccaneers need a standout pass rusher and Faulk’s the type of player who fits general manager Jason Licht’s character criteria. A trade down to add more picks also is a possibility.

16. New York Jets: DENZEL BOSTON, WIDE RECEIVER, WASHINGTON

Boston is strong, fast and has elite ball skills. He has the frame (6-foot-4, 212) of receivers that new offensive coordinator Frank Reich has relied on in his system. The Jets could trade down and still get Boston or Omar Cooper Jr. and stockpile even more picks.

17. Detroit Lions: KADYN PROCTOR, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, ALABAMA

Proctor started at left tackle as a freshman and allowed just two sacks in his three seasons. He has great size — 6-foot-7, 352 pounds — and plenty of athleticism. Proctor even had five runs for 16 yards.

18. Minnesota Vikings: DILLON THIENEMAN, SAFETY, OREGON

Thieneman had an impressive combine, running a 4.36 40-yard dash that was faster than some of the NFL’s best receivers. A three-year starter, he’ll step right into Brian Flores’ defense.

19. Carolina Panthers: KENYON SADIQ, TIGHT END, OREGON

The Panthers improved their defense in free agency by adding edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. If Sadiq is available, they’d get the best tight end in the draft at this spot, giving Bryce Young a potential favorite target.

20. Dallas Cowboys: JERMOD MCCOY, CORNERBACK, TENNESSEE

McCoy is a consistent corner with outstanding ball skills often mocked to the Cowboys at No. 12. Dallas gets a defensive back who can anchor the secondary.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers: MONROE FREELING, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, GEORGIA

Freeling has elite athleticism and is considered a potential top-10 pick. He just needs more experience after starting one season on the right side. Freeling has the athletic ability to adapt to a new spot.

22. Los Angeles Chargers: PETER WOODS, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, CLEMSON

Woods is a powerful, versatile defensive lineman who fits the type of player coach Jim Harbaugh wants on defense.

23. Philadelphia Eagles: BLAKE MILLER, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, CLEMSON

Miller started 54 games in college and can step in right away and play if the Eagles need him. He provides an eventual successor to right tackle Lane Johnson.

24. Cleveland Browns: T.J. PARKER, EDGE RUSHER, CLEMSON

Parker’s production dipped after big numbers in 2024 but he’s a strong, powerful edge with potential to flourish. He makes it three straight Clemson players in this mock.

25. Chicago Bears: ZION YOUNG, EDGE RUSHER, MISSOURI

The Bears lost several starters in the secondary and adding a defensive back is an option but a strong rusher also helps significantly. Young is a disruptive force who brings energy and leadership.

26. Buffalo Bills: CASHIUS HOWELL, EDGE RUSHER, TEXAS A&M

Despite acquiring D.J. Moore, another playmaking receiver is an option. Edge also is a priority and Howell has proven he gets to the quarterback and finishes.

27. San Francisco 49ers: K.C. CONCEPCION, WIDE RECEIVER, TEXAS A&M

Concepcion is a speedy, elusive wideout who gives Brock Purdy and the 49ers a top target and another playmaker on offense. Despite signing Mike Evans in free agency, San Francisco can’t pass up a confident player who already declared he’s the best receiver in the draft.

28. Houston Texans: KAYDEN MCDONALD, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, OHIO STATE

McDonald is another Buckeyes player going in the first round. He’s a natural run defender who’ll clog the middle of the line.

29. Kansas City Chiefs: OMAR COOPER JR., WIDE RECEIVER, INDIANA

After giving Mahomes a blocker with the ninth pick, the Chiefs add a potential top target late in the round. Cooper is a versatile playmaker who is known for getting yards after the catch.

30. Miami Dolphins: AVIEON TERRELL, CORNERBACK, CLEMSON

Terrell is an athletic cornerback who is projected higher in the draft. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is a possibility if he’s still available but the Dolphins signed Malik Willis.

31. New England Patriots: MAX IHEANACHOR, OFFENSIVE TACKLE, ARIZONA STATE

Iheanachor is an athletic former basketball player with ideal size who will need time to develop but projects as a potential starter right away.

32. Seattle Seahawks: JADARIAN PRICE, RUNNING BACK, NOTRE DAME

Price replaces the departed Super Bowl MVP and provides the Seahawks with a natural runner in the backfield. With Kenneth Walker III gone and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a knee injury, Price fills a need. Seattle could trade out of the first round, add more picks and potentially get Price early in the second.

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

Her focus is simple. Whether it’s trying to improve on a third-place finish at last year’s West Virginia state track meet or ignoring naysayers who don’t want a transgender girl on a girls' sports team, the Bridgeport High School sophomore just wants to enjoy time with her friends.

Anything else that might deflect her attention gets set aside. And, for now, that means not worrying about what the U.S. Supreme Court will decide by early summer in a case where she's the centerpiece over whether trans girls can compete.

“I’m not here to get an advantage,” Pepper-Jackson said. “I’ve been like pushed down and have people that just look at me nasty my whole life. And I’ve learned that that’s just something I’m going to have to deal with."

A plaintiff at age 11

In 2021, Pepper-Jackson took a stand by challenging a newly signed law in West Virginia banning trans athletes from competing in female sports in middle and high schools and colleges. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 allowed Pepper-Jackson to continue competing in middle school while the lawsuit continued.

Now she's in high school, and the lawsuit is nearing the finish line. In January, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which has repeatedly ruled against transgender Americans in the past year, signaled it would rule the state bans don’t violate either the Constitution or the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.

The justices heard arguments in a second case from Idaho, where Lindsay Hecox sued over the state’s first-in-the-nation ban for the chance to try out for the women’s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University. She didn’t make either squad.

Pepper-Jackson is the only trans person who has sought to compete in girls sports in West Virginia. If the court rules that state bans are legal, her current track season will be her farewell tour. It’s not something she thinks about.

“I can’t make their decisions for them, so I just have to wait and see what they’ll say,” she said. “I try not to look at it if this could be my last season."

West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey said he's confident the state will prevail.

"West Virginia’s law does not exclude anyone; it simply says biological boys will compete against boys, and biological girls will compete against girls," McCuskey said in a statement. "On the athletic field, biological sex matters — gender identity does not."

She identified as a girl from an early age

Pepper-Jackson has publicly identified as a girl since she was 8 years old and long before that at home.

Her mother, Heather Jackson, said Becky wasn’t like her two older brothers.

“I noticed immediately that Becky was different,” Jackson said. “When she was old enough to say what she wanted, toys or clothing or anything, she was very profound in her opinion.”

It started with her asking for — and getting — a makeup kit for Christmas at age 3. She also started wearing her mom’s shirts as dresses.

“She would be very opinionated on what she wanted to wear,” Jackson said. “I just followed her lead from the very beginning.”

At the onset of puberty, Pepper-Jackson started taking puberty-blocking medication.

“Becky did not undergo male puberty,” said Aubrey Sparks, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union’s West Virginia chapter. “And so when you hear, 'Well, this is unfair. Trans kids have an advantage.’ That’s just not the case here.”

In sixth grade, Pepper-Jackson heeded her girls' track coach’s advice to switch from highly competitive distance running to field events. As a high school freshman last year, she took third place in the discus and eighth in the shot put at the state meet.

Detractors have followed her closely, including Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

In 2024, five athletes from a rival school refused to compete alongside Pepper-Jackson. The five received a standing ovation at a news conference a week later in Charleston, where Morrisey, then as the state's attorney general, announced the state would challenge a federal appeals court ruling favoring Pepper-Jackson.

At the 2025 state meet, a female sprinter stood victorious on the podium wearing a T-shirt that read, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports."

It’s been quieter so far this season. Pepper-Jackson has won both the discus and shot put in her first two meets and has cheered on teammates competing in other events.

“There’s a lot of core lessons you learn from being in sports that you don’t get anywhere else, like teamwork, sportsmanship,” she said.

Off the field, she plans to pursue music in college and a career as a band director.

Others before her

Pepper-Jackson has paid attention to other trans girls who have excelled nationally in high school track.

AB Hernandez won gold in the girls high jump and triple jump at last year’s California state high school meet. Hernandez is now a senior at Jurupa Valley High School. Verónica Garcia won back-to-back 400-meter titles in Washington state in 2024 and 2025, and Ada Gallagher won the 200 meters at the Oregon state meet in 2024.

“I think it’s very inspiring,” Pepper-Jackson said.

The success of Hernandez renewed calls by some parents’ groups and conservatives, including President Donald Trump, for the state to ban trans girls from competing against other female athletes. California has a law on the books allowing students to participate on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, regardless of their sex assigned at birth.

When Hernandez qualified for three events last year, it sparked backlash that led the meet's governing body to let an additional girl compete and medal in events in which Hernandez was participating. It may have been the first of its kind rule-change in the nation.

A solid support system

Pepper-Jackson's biggest supporter is, of course, her mom. After a recent practice, the pair danced together, and Heather Jackson scooted across the grass to retrieve the discus after some of the athlete's throws.

Jackson said her daughter has handled the attention and scrutiny of her case “with astounding grace and intelligence and education, which is more than I would have been able to do at that age."

Pepper-Jackson said others have told her they look up to her, a notion she doesn’t understand because “I don’t see the gravity of this court case. I think it’s just common knowledge: Transgender girls should be able to be on the girls' sports team. I think that’s simple.”

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Associated Press writer Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California, and AP videojournalist Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos in Clarksburg, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

The two women runners swapped their bibs with the two men, who both finished within the top 10 in the women’s half-marathon at the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town last Sunday, initially denying those slots to two female runners.

But the cheating was discovered by a marathon board member, and the men were disqualified from their 7th and 10th place finishes. Two women were belatedly recognized instead.

Larissa Parekh was accused of having Luke Jacobs run on her behalf, and Tegan Garvey was accused of having Nic Bradfield run on her behalf, marathon board member Stuart Mann said. All four runners face disciplinary action that could include two-year bans from the event, Mann said.

The annual Two Oceans race is one of South Africa’s iconic marathons and includes a 56-kilometer (34.7-mile) ultramarathon and a 21.1-kilometer (13.1-mile) half-marathon. The event attracts over 16,000 participants and finishing among the top 10 is a significant achievement for most runners.

Race board member calls swapping bibs unethical

Mann said exchanging bibs has become more common, and can be risky, “Not only is it considered unethical, but it also poses health and medicals risks in case of an emergency, as wrong medication may be administered to a wrong person,” Mann said.

Various motivations are at play, Mann explained. Some runners give their bib to a stand-in if they have a last-minute injury or some other unexpected reason why they can't run in a race they have registered for. Others do so to deceptively earn faster times than they otherwise could achieve, to qualify for future races, he said.

Online photos led to the discovery

Mann was tipped off to one of the swaps after Jacobs posted pictures of himself at the race on social media and people noticed that his bib displayed the name “Larissa.”

Jacobs said in a written apology: “I made an error in judgment and did not consider the consequences. I should not have taken part."

Parekh did not provide any clear explanation of how Jacobs ended up with her bib, Mann said. But Garvey admitted she gave hers to Bradfield, saying in a written statement that she had suffered a hip problem before the race.

“The day before, my hip gave in completely, leaving me unable to even walk. I felt bad as to give up my race entry so my friend ran in my place,” Garvey said.

Mann said both women have apologized.

Jones is scheduled for back-to-back plea change hearings on April 28 in separate cases charging him with profiting from rigged poker games and providing sports bettors with non-public information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, according to court filings.

On Friday, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn provided the judge with a copy of Jones’ proposed plea agreement, including information on his possible punishment. It has yet to be made public. Jones remains free on bail.

Jones, 49, previously pleaded not guilty in both cases to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Both charges carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison.

Messages seeking comment were left for his lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery. He told a judge at Jones’ arraignments in November that they “may be engaging in plea negotiations.”

Jones, a onetime teammate of James, was arrested last October along with Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and others, including a sports bettor accused of cashing in on injury information.

Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes. He remains free on bail.

A native of Galveston, Texas, Jones earned more than $20 million playing for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008 and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach for James’ Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.

According to prosecutors, Jones sold or attempted to sell non-public information to bettors that James was injured and wouldn’t be playing in a Feb. 9, 2023, game against the Milwaukee Bucks, texting an unnamed co-conspirator: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out.”

James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ injury report at the time of the text message, but the NBA’s all-time scoring leader was later ruled out of the game because of a lower body injury, according to prosecutors, and the Lakers lost the game 115-106.

On Jan. 15, 2024, prosecutors said, sports bettor Marves Fairley paid Jones approximately $2,500 for a tip that Davis, the Lakers’ forward and center at the time, would see limited playing time against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an injury.

Fairley then placed a $100,000 bet on the Thunder to win, prosecutors said, but the tip was wrong. Davis played his usual minutes, scored 27 points and collected 15 rebounds in a 112-105 Lakers win, prompting Fairley to demand a refund of his $2,500 fee, prosecutors said.

In the poker scheme, according to prosecutors, Jones was among former NBA players used to lure unwitting players into poker games that were rigged using altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table.

According to the indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a game in the Hamptons where he was instructed to cheat by paying close attention to others involved in the scheme. His instructor likened those people to James and NBA All-Star Steph Curry, prosecutors said. When in doubt, Jones was told to fold his hand, prosecutors said.

In response, according to prosecutors, Jones texted: “y’all know I know what I’m doing!!”

The poker scheme often made use of illegal poker games run by New York crime families that required them to share a portion of their proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families, according to prosecutors.

Members of those families, in turn, also helped commit violent acts, including assault, extortion and robbery, to ensure repayment of debts and the continued success of the operation, officials said in court documents.

A hot hand from outside the three-point arc, Jones once proclaimed himself in an interview with insidehoops.com as “the best shooter in the world.” He played in every regular season game for three consecutive seasons from 2003 to 2006.

After his playing days, he worked as a “shooting consultant” for the Cavaliers and was an assistant coach when the team, led by James, won the NBA championship in 2016.

The late Wednesday morning pursuit began when the victim reported the theft. The officer — whose name has not been released — and his horse quickly took up the chase that was captured on his bodycam and also by a television news crew that happened to be in the area for an unrelated story.

The officer repeatedly screamed at the suspect to stop running, but she refused while denying she had taken the purse. The brief hoof chase went along sidewalks, under scaffolding, between parked cars and across streets before the woman was stopped by a pedestrian and then detained by the officer.

The woman was charged with larceny and providing false information. Authorities said she had been convicted of murder in the April 2000 fatal shooting of a cab driver and had served time in prison before being released. She is currently on lifetime parole.

No injuries were reported in the chase.

The filing by parent company QVC Group, which also owns HSN, formerly the Home Shopping Network, arrives as long-running TV shopping networks struggle to adapt to the rapid shift by consumers now tuning in to livestreams on TikTok, or online marketplaces like Shein.

QVC Group, which filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, said that its international operations are not included in the process. It has more than $1 billion in cash on hand and said that it has ample liquidity to meet its business obligations.

QVC Group added that all of its brands are operating as usual, including customer-facing operations in the UK, Germany, Japan, and Italy. It will continue to serve its customers across all channels and platforms for QVC, HSN, and Cornerstone Brands.

“Bankruptcy may allow the necessary restructuring to give QVC the room to operate with better financials. However, it does not solve the need to reinvent and become relevant,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said in a statement.

QVC Group has attempted to revive flagging sales for some time, which in 2024 were down almost 30% compared with its peak of more than $14 billion in 2020. Shares in QVC Group, which went for over $900 a decade ago, were trading for less than $3 earlier this week.

The company is looking to emerge from bankruptcy protection in about 90 days.

Leo highlighted two of the big problems facing the continent during a Mass and a meeting with students and faculty at the Catholic University of Central Africa: the corruption that keeps countries in poverty and the brain drain of their brightest children who leave rather than fight the corruption at home.

They’re themes Leo has highlighted during his visit to Cameroon, a mineral-rich Central African nation which has been ruled since 1982 by 93-year-old President Paul Biya, who last year secured an eighth consecutive term with a disputed election.

Friday marked the half-way point in Leo’s 11-day tour of four African nations. He leaves Saturday for Angola, another country blessed with oil and other natural resources, but where a third of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day.

“Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption,” Leo told the university students and their teachers in the capital Yaounde.

“The greatness of a nation cannot be measured solely by the abundance of its natural resources, nor even by the material wealth of its institutions,” he said. “No society, in fact, can flourish unless it is grounded in upright consciences, formed in the truth.”

A big Mass to start the day

Leo began the day celebrating Mass in the port city of Douala, Cameroon’s financial and economic hub on its western coast. The Vatican had expected as many as 600,000 would attend, but only around 120,000 made it.

Cameroonian organizers suggested that security limitations and closed roads may have prevented many people from getting to the field, which was located well outside of town next to the Japoma sports stadium.

Some of those who did make it had spent the night on the ground, battling mosquitoes. But they said they were willing to make the sacrifice for the pope.

“I wanted to offer this effort to the pope, to show him that what he is doing and what he wants to accomplish should truly come to life,” said Alex Nzumo, who arrived at the Mass on crutches.

The field was nevertheless buzzing with people singing, swaying and dancing as an announcer shouted “Habemus Papam!” (We have a pope!). The Latin phrase is used to announce the election of a new pope but in this case joyfully announced Leo’s arrival at the field, where young people ran to keep up with his popemobile as he looped through the crowds.

In his homily, delivered in French and English, Leo urged young people to look beyond the poverty and disillusionment many experience and instead look to the future with hope.

“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” he said. “Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work.”

With a population of 29 million, Cameroon is an overwhelmingly young country, where the median age is 18. Catholics represent about 29% of the population, and the country is a major source of growth and priestly vocations for the church.

An attention to young people

Leo had already offered words of encouragement to Cameroon’s youth, including in his opening speech to Biya, in which he demanded the “chains of corruption” in Cameroon be broken. But with Biya entrenched in power, Cameroon perhaps represents the most dramatic example of the tension between Africa’s youth and the continent’s many aging leaders.

Despite being an oil-producing country experiencing modest economic growth, young people say the benefits have not trickled down beyond the elites.

According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate in Cameroon stands at 3.5%, but 57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 works in informal employment.

The dire economic outlook in Cameroon has led to significant brain drain and has strained an already understaffed health sector, as many doctors and nurses are leaving the country for more lucrative jobs in Europe and North America.

In 2023, about a third of trained doctors who graduate from medical school in Cameroon leave the country, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.

Pope urges young people to stay, and humanize artificial intelligence

In his remarks at the university, Leo urged the students to resist the temptation to leave and to instead use their educations to improve life for themselves and their fellow citizens at home. Africa, he said, needs them.

“In the face of the understandable tendency to migrate — which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found — I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens,” he said.

Among the most pressing issues they must address, he warned, is the advance of artificial intelligence and how it is altering the very relationship of people with the truth. As digital environments replace human encounters, people resort to self-referential bubbles where polarization, conflict and fear can spread.

“What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth," he warned.

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Associated Press writer Mark Banchereau in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

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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.

“I’m grateful to be here healthy with a team that’s looking forward to trying to do some big things,” he said. “(What) a difference a year can make and I’m just grateful to be back in this position. I don’t want to take any moment for granted.”

In his first season in Houston after this summer’s blockbuster trade from Phoenix, Durant leads the young Rockets into the playoffs where they’ll open their first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

The 37-year-old Durant missed the last seven games of the regular season last year with an ankle injury as the Suns went 1-6 to fall out of playoff contention.

This season he finished second in the league by playing 2,840 minutes despite being in his 19th NBA season.

And he can’t wait to play more — hopefully a lot more.

“When you get on the court and you get a chance to be healthy you want go out there and take advantage of that opportunity,” he said. “So, I’m looking forward to it.”

Durant led the Rockets this season by averaging 26 points a game as he became the oldest player in NBA history to score at least 2,000 points in a season.

Coach Ime Udoka said Durant has brought so much to his team since the trade but most importantly is that the Rockets knew they could always count on him.

“Just the availability on a night-to-night basis,” Udoka said. “Being able to play this many games at this stage in his career and the efficiency that he does it with … just the fact that he’s durable and available with the injuries in his past, is very impressive.”

The Rockets are aiming for their first title since winning back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. They’re in the playoffs for a second straight season after being eliminated by the Warriors in the opening round last year in their first postseason appearance since 2020.

Durant is the fifth-leading scorer in league history, a two-time NBA champion, a 16-time All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist. He brings a championship pedigree to a team where the four other players in the starting lineup have all made just one playoff trip.

So, with all he’s accomplished, how much does the prospect of winning another championship motivate him?

“Winning every day is the most important thing,” he said. “Obviously the main objective is to win a title, but you can’t do that unless you take care of each day first.”

That’s a lesson that has been invaluable to Durant’s teammates this season. Twenty-three-year-old Amen Thompson said he’s tried to mirror Durant in everything he does, from his work in the gym to how he takes care of his body.

“He’s great and I want to be great,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that want to be great, so just having that as something to look at every day and just being teammates with him is good.”

Durant’s mentorship and positivity have also been a boost to the Rockets. Alperen Sengun, who is also 23, said before Durant joined the team he would get down on himself when he’d struggle offensively.

“I used to care a lot when I used to miss shots,” Sengun said. “But when I miss shots now, he’s already screaming in my ear: ‘It’s gonna come.’ So, he’s helped with a lot of things, but the big thing is confidence, especially confidence.”

While Durant has often encouraged his teammates and given them advice throughout the season, he doesn’t plan to impart any words of wisdom to them as the playoffs commence.

“Nope,” he said. “Just jump in the fire and let’s see what happens, man. We can all get advice and words of encouragement from everybody in our lives and it’s not going to be like actually being in that action.”

He’s confident that the Rockets are ready for the challenge after they ended the regular season by winning nine of 10 games.

“It’s the biggest stage of basketball and there’s a lot that comes around the game, but at the end of the day, when that ball’s tipped up, it’s just basketball,” he said. “So, we all know how to play at this level, and we all know what it takes to win basketball games. We’ve just got to do that consistently.”

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

History’s first American pope is visiting the continent against the backdrop of his calls for peace that have sparked a feud with U.S. President Donald Trump over the war in Iran.

Currently in Cameroon after first visiting Algeria, Leo’s visit to the continent is so dizzying in its complexity it recalls some of the globe-trotting odysseys of St. John Paul II in his early years.

In meeting with leaders and with Africa's young population, which is set to double by 2050, the pope has also focused on themes including Christian-Muslim coexistence, the overexploitation of the region’s natural and human resources, corruption and migration.

Here’s a country-by-country look at each destination and highlights of the itinerary:

ALGERIA: April 13-15

In Algeria, Leo walked in the footsteps of his spiritual father, St. Augustine, making a pilgrimage to the archaeological ruins in Algeria where the fifth-century titan of early Christianity lived, died and wrote some of the most important works in Western thought.

The Algeria stop clearly carried the most personal importance for Leo, given his ties to St. Augustine, the inspiration of his Augustinian religious order.

Migration and Christian-Muslim coexistence were other top themes in Algeria, a former French colony which is a majority Sunni Muslim nation on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast. Leo also paid homage to migrants killed in shipwrecks trying to reach Europe and also visited the Great Mosque in Algiers.

In Annaba, the modern-day Hippo, Leo met with a small community of Augustinians and celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine, the 19th century basilica overlooking the ruins of Hippo where thousands of pilgrims including Muslims visit every year.

CAMEROON: April 15-18

A major highlight of Leo's visit to Cameroon were his remarks at a “peace meeting” in the western city of Bamenda, the epicenter of Cameroon's separatist conflict. There, he blasted the “handful of tyrants” who are ravaging Earth with war and exploitation.

Although the remarks were directed at the separatist conflict, considered one of the world’s most neglected crises, Vatican officials have said the pope's Gospel-mandated message of peace on this trip transcends borders and is meant for all those responsible for the wars and exploitation ravaging Earth.

On Wednesday, his first day in Cameroon, Leo met with both religious and political leaders including Cameroon's 93-year-old president, Paul Biya, the world's oldest leader. He called for an end to the “chains of corruption” and for upright leadership.

Biya has been accused of using corrupt means and the targeting of critics and the opposition to remain in power.

Cameroon sits atop significant reserves of oil, natural gas, cobalt, bauxite, iron ore, gold and diamonds. The extractive sector accounts for nearly a third of the country’s exports, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. But revenues from extraction rarely reach rural and Indigenous communities and mostly benefit only foreign companies and a small national elite, activists say.

The pope also visited an orphanage that caters to children taken off the streets after suffering abandonment or maltreatment from their parents.

On Friday, he met with students at the Catholic University of Central Africa. And he celebrated a Mass before thousands of people in the economic hub of Douala, where he urged youths to resist temptation of corruption that has stifled their country's development.

ANGOLA: April 18-21

In Angola, where around 58% of the population is Catholic, Leo will pray at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a Marian shrine that has become one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Angola.

The church was first built around the end of the 16th century by the Portuguese after they established a fortress at Muxima. It became a key point in the Portuguese trans-Atlantic human trade as a place where enslaved people were baptized before they were sent on ships to the Americas.

Angola today is the fourth largest oil producer in Africa and among the world’s top 20 producers, according to the International Energy Agency. It’s also the world’s third biggest diamond producer and has significant deposits of gold and highly sought after critical minerals.

But despite its varied natural resources, the World Bank estimated in 2023 that more than 30% of the population lived on less than $2.15 a day.

The country of around 38 million gained independence from Portugal in 1975, but still bears the scars of a devastating civil war that began straight after independence and raged on and off for 27 years before finally ending in 2002. More than half a million people are believed to have been killed.

In Angola, Leo will address young people especially to offer a message of hope and healing, the Vatican said.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: April 21-23

The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s transformed Equatorial Guinea’s economy virtually overnight, with oil now accounting for almost half of its GDP and more than 90% of exports, according to the African Development Bank.

Yet more than half of the authoritarian petrostate’s population still live in poverty, the World Bank reported last year.

The former Spanish colony is run by Africa’s longest-serving president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979 and is accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.

Several rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have documented how revenues have enriched the ruling Obiang family rather than the broader population, where at least 70% of the country’s nearly 2 million people live in poverty.

The country’s government also faces rampant accusations of harassment, arrest and intimidation of political opponents, critics and journalists.

In addition to the negative impacts of the extraction industries, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Leo would raise issues of corruption and the proper role of governing authorities during the trip.

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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.

Starmer says he was not informed that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of security officials in early 2025 not to give Peter Mandelson the job. Many considered Mandelson a risky appointment because of his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and alleged business links to Russia and China.

Starmer said he was “absolutely furious” that he had been kept in the dark, calling it staggering” and “unforgivable.” He said he would “set out all the relevant facts in true transparency” to Parliament on Monday.

The top Foreign Office civil servant, Olly Robbins, took the fall for the decision and resigned.

The PM's job is in peril

The prime minister's job has been endangered by his fateful decision to appoint Mandelson, a trade expert and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, as envoy to the Trump administration. It was a calculated risk that backfired spectacularly, and could bring down the prime minister.

Opposition politicians expressed disbelief that Starmer could have been unaware Mandelson had failed security vetting. Starmer said he only found out on Tuesday of this week.

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, said Friday that “the recommendation was to not appoint Peter Mandelson to the role,” and that the Foreign Office ignored it. He said that was “astonishing,” but within the rules.

He said no government minister had been told of the security assessment. People familiar with the process said that is standard practice because of the sensitive personal information involved.

Jones said the checks, carried out by a department known as U.K. Security Vetting, “go through financial, personal, sexual, religious and other types of background information, and that is why it is kept extremely private on a portal that only a few people have access to.”

Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said claims the prime minister didn’t know were “completely preposterous.”

“This story does not stack up. The prime minister is taking us for fools,” she told the BBC. “All roads lead to a resignation.”

Ed Davey, the leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, said Starmer “must go” if he misled Parliament and lied to the British public. The Lib Dems asked the prime minister's ethics adviser to investigate whether Starmer broke the government code of conduct by misleading Parliament.

Starmer has repeatedly insisted that “due process” was followed in the appointment, which was announced in December 2024. Mandelson took up the Washington post in February 2025, after undergoing security vetting.

Mandelson had known Epstein links

Mandelson’s expertise as a former European Union trade chief was considered a major asset in trying to persuade the Trump administration not to slap heavy tariffs on British goods, and seemed to pay off when the countries struck a trade deal in May 2025.

But documents released by the government in March, after being forced to by Parliament, showed Starmer ignored red flags raised by his staff about the appointment. He was warned that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, exposed the government to “reputational risk.”

Starmer fired Mandelson in September 2025 after evidence emerged that he had lied about the extent of his links to Epstein.

The release of millions of pages of Epstein-related documents by the U.S. Department of Justice in January reveled more and showed Mandelson’s relationship with the financier continued even after Epstein’s conviction in 2008 for sexual offenses involving a minor.

Emails suggested Mandelson had passed on sensitive, and potentially market-moving, government information to Epstein in 2009 after the global financial crisis.

British police subsequently launched a criminal probe. Mandelson was arrested on Feb. 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

He has been released without bail conditions as the police investigation continues. Mandelson has previously denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged. He does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

King Charles III’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, is also under police investigation over his friendship with Epstein. He, too, has been arrested but not charged.

Starmer's recent setbacks

The prime minister has apologized to the British public and to Epstein’s victims for believing what he has termed “Mandelson’s lies.”

The Mandelson revelations are among a string of setbacks Starmer has faced since he led the Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024. He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and has been beset by missteps and U-turns.

The prime minister defused a potential crisis in February, when some Labour lawmakers called for him to resign over the Mandelson appointment. But he could face a leadership challenge after local and regional elections on May 7, in which Labour is expected to do badly.

Despite his struggles on the homefront, Starmer has been praised for his work on the world stage. He has played a key role in maintaining European support for Ukraine, and was in Paris on Friday to host a summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the oil shipping route choked off by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

“Big Red Rebuild," as the project is called, would be funded by a mix of $250 million in philanthropic support and $350 million in private bond financing. Completion is targeted for the start of the 2028 football season. University regents will consider the proposal at its meeting in Lincoln next Friday.

“Memorial Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in all of college sports and this project ensures that our stadium is well-positioned for future generations," athletic director Troy Dannen said. "We have listened intently to Nebraska fans and are building a best-in-class fan experience that will also drive revenue for the University of Nebraska, create exciting new year-round programming for Nebraskans, create new opportunities for our student-athletes, and position Nebraska to compete and lead at the highest level in a rapidly evolving college athletics landscape.”

The Cornhuskers have played at Memorial Stadium since 1923 and will enter this season with an NCAA-record sellout streak of 410 games dating to 1962.

The proposal would upgrade amenities throughout the stadium and create a 360-degree main concourse connecting the east and west sides. Capacity would be 80,000, including 20,000 new chairback seats.

Officials said the stadium would host concerts and other events year-round and annual stadium revenue would increase 40%, to an estimated $95 million.

Construction would begin after the 2026 football season.

Incremental stadium improvements have been made over the years, including luxury suites in 1999 and an expansion to more than 85,000 seats in 2013. A $450 million renovation was approved in 2023 but did not go forward because school leaders wanted to review the scope, strategy and costs.

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The agenda item - listed as 7C - officially reads as “Approval of an encroachment permit for the installation of gunshot detection devices for the Roanoke Police Department within the public right-of-way at various locations throughout the City of Roanoke.”

Roanoke Police Department calls the cameras called “Raven audio detection devices.” They will be placed around 75 locations across the city of Roanoke.

Similar gunshot detection devices were used in Martinsville but were phased out in late 2025 due to performance issues.

10 News reached out to the Roanoke Police Department for comment, and they provided us with the following statement:

The Roanoke Police Department is working to install 75 Raven audio detection devices that detect gunshots and other potential indicators of crime in strategically selected, data-driven high-crime areas throughout the city. This technology, provided by Flock Safety, will assist local law enforcement in responding more swiftly to imminent emergencies and conducting effective investigations related to a broad spectrum of crimes, including shootings, car break-ins, assault, street racing, and more. By using automated alerts, first responders can locate and assist victims more effectively, preserving vital evidence in the process.

The technology will cover a 1.75 mile radius of the city to detect audio only based on a triggered audio event (e.g. gun shot, screeching tires, repetitive distress cries for help, car collision, fireworks, and other disruptive community events). Flock Gunshot and Audio Detection is event-triggered and policy-governed. It activates only when it detects an acoustic signature of interest, such as a gunshot, ensuring RPD remains compliant with legal and privacy standards. All collected data is securely stored and automatically deleted pursuant with state law, unless retained as evidence for a criminal investigation. Furthermore, Flock Safety employs robust security measures, including encryption throughout the data lifecycle.

Flock’s Audio Detection is not a continuous recording device, does not monitor conversations, and cannot be used to listen in on private communications. The system is designed to “wake up” only when it detects an audio signature tied to a potential safety event, like a gunshot, and similar to how common home voice-activated devices respond only to specific trigger sounds. Once activated, it captures only brief, relevant clips that help identify and verify legitimate public safety incidents. Once an alert is triggered, public safety agencies can then review that brief recording to determine whether a response is needed.

The locations of these sensors are still being determined but will include both government buildings and private buildings with permission from the owner(s).

The technology is paid for by a two-year Federal Byrne Grant in the amount $57,040.00. There are no additional costs to the city beyond this grant funding.

Roanoke City Council will be meeting on April 20th at 2:00 PM at the City Council Chamber located at 215 Church Avenue SW.

But there is little of that energy so far in 2026. Even though Democrats may have a better shot at winning, there is far less attention and money as their candidates compete for the nomination in next month's primary.

Their struggles raise the possibility that the Democrats could miss another chance to win the Georgia governor's office for the first time since 1998.

National Democrats say they are not going to let that happen. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, said Georgia is “in play” and the money will be there for the party's eventual nominee.

“We’re going to make sure the Democratic candidate in Georgia has the funding they need to compete,” Beshear told The Associated Press on Saturday as he visited Atlanta to keynote a party dinner.

While Republicans have flooded the state with nearly $100 million in advertising, Democrats have spent only $1.24 million. Most observers believe no Democrat will win a majority in the rapidly approaching May 19 primary, prolonging the party's uncertainty.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms could be headed toward a June 16 runoff, thanks to superior name identification and being the only Black woman running in a party that has historically relied on support from Black women. But the scramble for a second spot appears wide-open, with likely contenders including former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves and former state labor commissioner and CEO of suburban DeKalb County Mike Thurmond.

Democrat could face big Republican money

On the Republican side, health care billionaire Rick Jackson has already spent or pledged $50 million toward his bid, twice as much as any previous primary candidate for Georgia governor. There is also Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump; Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; and Attorney General Chris Carr.

It is a contrast to 2022, when Abrams outraised Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. She ended up losing the race, her second defeat to Kemp.

But Democrats say they are not worried this year even if they are outspent.

“I'll still win,” Bottoms said after a campaign event Monday, echoing other Democrats who say money can't paper over voter discontent with Republicans.

She argues that she is a “battle-tested leader” who gained national experience in President Joe Biden's administration. Like other Democrats, she cites expanding health care, affordable housing and better education as among her top issues.

“When given the opportunity to lead, I led on behalf of not just the city of Atlanta, but people across the state, and I am ready to go and fight for all of our communities to make Georgia a better place for our children,” Bottoms said Wednesday.

The Democratic race doesn’t feature notable policy splits along the lines of the progressive-moderate fissures that have opened around the country. It is not even a clear-cut contrast on style like in the Texas Senate primary that James Talarico won over Jasmine Crockett. Only Esteves, who started nearly unknown statewide, has been willing to attack the other candidates.

The noncombative nature of the other candidates was on display Wednesday night in a televised debate that included only Bottoms, Duncan and Thurmond. Duncan made only the most oblique criticisms of Bottoms' record as mayor. After Thurmond blamed Duncan for supporting a bill allowing people to carry guns more widely, he said in a postdebate interview that the criticism wasn't aimed at Duncan directly.

Esteves tries to go from unknown to contender

Esteves is banking on a late surge to propel him to the runoff. He has spent about $1 million on a burst of advertising, the only significant spending by any Democrat thus far. The 42-year-old, who is Black and Puerto Rican, argues he can build the “multiracial, multigenerational coalition" needed to win the young and diverse electorate in Georgia.

He often references his experience as a middle school teacher and small business owner in addition to his time as a lawyer, school board member and state senator.

“A lot of the challenges that Georgians are facing, I am facing in real time,” Esteves said in a Wednesday interview. “They’re looking for someone who not only wants to solve their issues, but can identify personally with their issues.”

Esteves is the only Democrat attacking Bottoms on how she managed crime, disorder and the COVID pandemic as mayor before her surprise decision not to seek a second term.

“The fact that she did not run for reelection confirmed people’s belief that when the going gets tough, she stepped out on the city,” Esteves said.

Bottoms defends her stewardship and says she declined to run again “based on what was best for me personally and my family."

Esteves has also repeatedly taken aim at Duncan, saying Duncan “oversaw some of the passage of the worst bills” while lieutenant governor, including Georgia’s ban on abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected. Although dozens of state lawmakers are backing Esteves, his top surrogate has been Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, a woman who died in a suburban Atlanta hospital in 2022 after taking abortion pills and developing an infection.

New Democrat Duncan seeks ‘trust’

Duncan is best known for opposing Trump's attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. He has spent the past year apologizing for his Republican past and argues he is the only Democrat who can win over enough moderate voters to give his new party a win. In recent weeks, Duncan has begun to pick up some endorsements from moderate Democrats and unions.

“I don’t want to only earn your vote, I want to earn your trust,” Duncan said in Wednesday night's debate.

Thurmond calls himself a “throwback” and says his experience in state and local government, including leading the state child welfare agency, serving as labor commissioner and helping to bail out the DeKalb County school district as superintendent, would let him move quickly to enact Democratic priorities.

“I have a track record of service to the people of Georgia, and I believe this election would turn not on promises, but on performance,” Thurmond said in an interview after Wednesday's debate.

He has been trying to knit together a coalition of rural voters and older Democrats. Among those backing him are Roy Barnes, the last Democratic governor, and Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta and one of the last surviving leaders of the 1960s Civil Rights movement. ___ A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Jason Esteves' father is Puerto Rican and his mother was Black. His father is Puerto Rican and Black, while his mother was Puerto Rican.

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, which Starmer said will be deployed “as soon as conditions allow.” They said military planners will meet in London next week.

Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries and international organizations, Macron said “we all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.”

As the meeting was underway, U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister declared the strait open to commercial vessels. Oil prices plunged after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that passage for commercial vessels would remain “completely open” for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

Trump in an all-caps social media post said that the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships and ports would remain in force “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

Starmer cautiously welcomed the announcement, but said it must become “both lasting and a workable proposal.”

The Paris meeting is part of attempts by sidelined nations to ease the impact of a conflict they didn’t start and haven’t joined, but that has sent the global economy reeling. Petroleum prices soared after the war started on Feb. 28, when Iran effectively shut the narrow strait through which a fifth of the world’s oil usually passes.

The U.S. is not part of the planning for what has been branded the Strait of Hormuz Maritime Freedom of Navigation Initiative, which Macron said would be “a neutral mission, entirely separate from the belligerents to escort and secure the merchant ships transiting the Gulf.”

Starmer, facing political troubles at home, was greeted by Macron in the courtyard of the Elysee presidential palace on Friday afternoon. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni also attended in person. Others, including the prime ministers of Australia and Canada, the South Korean and Ukrainian presidents and representatives of China and India, joined by video.

Military planning underway

In an echo of the “coalition of the willing” assembled to provide security for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in that war, Starmer said that along with France, the U.K. will lead a multinational mission to protect freedom of navigation as soon as conditions allow.

“This will be strictly peaceful and defensive, as a mission to reassure commercial shipping and support mine clearance," he said.

He said more than a dozen countries had agreed to contribute assets, far fewer than in the wider Hormuz coalition.

Britain has discussed using mine-hunting drones, deployed from the ship RFA Lyme Bay.

The war has highlighted the shrunken state of the Royal Navy, which has deployed just one major warship, the destroyer HMS Dragon, to the eastern Mediterranean. France, which has the EU’s most powerful military, has sent its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the region, alongside a helicopter carrier and several frigates.

Meloni said she had expressed Italy’s “willingness to make its naval units available," while Merz said Germany could contribute mine clearance and maritime intelligence capabilities to such a mission, but would need parliamentary support and a ″secure legal basis″ such as a U.N. Security Council resolution.

He said Germany, ″if possible, would also like to see the United States of America participate; we believe this would be desirable.″

That's a departure from Macron, who has said the mission will involve countries not involved in the conflict.

Macron's office said roles for members of the coalition could include “intelligence, mine-clearing capabilities, military escorts (and) communication procedures with coastal states.”

Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow in sea power at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said mine-clearing and creating a warning system for maritime threats were more likely roles for the coalition than warships escorting commercial tankers through the strait.

“You need huge numbers of vessels for that sort of thing, which nobody has,” he said.

Trump dismisses NATO as ‘paper tiger’

Iran expert Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said mine-clearing is an area where European countries and their partners could play a role.

“They would be a better party to do this than the United States, because once you have U.S. military doing this and lingering on Iranian shores, it creates a potential arena for Iran and the U.S. to have miscalculations and get back into a sort of military tension,” she said.

The operation is partly a response to Trump, who has berated allies for failing to join the war. The president has called allies “cowards,” said NATO “wasn’t there when we needed them” and telling Britain: “You don’t even have a navy.”

Kaushal said European countries were likely trying “to demonstrate the ability to provide security in a way that’s distinct from, if not completely separate from, the U.S. and which also demonstrates a capacity for independent action.”

“How many states actually have spare capacity to offer to this is a pretty open question.”

Trump appeared dismissive of European offers of help, though he referred to NATO rather than the Franco-British-led coalition.

“Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL," he posted on social media.

“They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!”

___

Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

The cause of death was not immediately known. A press release from the Grand Ole Opry described it as a sudden illness.

The two-time Grammy Award winner was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. “I will never be able to believe that I deserve this, unless I receive it as a representative of my family, my mentors, my collaborators, my promoters and my friends,” Schlitz said in 2017, when he learned of the Country Music Hall of Fame honor. “That’s the only way I can deal with this.”

Schlitz made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2017 and was later inducted in 2022. He is the only non-artist to receive the honor in the Opry’s 100 years. The historic venue's Saturday night show will be dedicated in his honor.

He was named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four consecutive years, from 1988 through 1991. He also wrote music and lyrics for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” the 1999 Broadway musical.

Schlitz's songs are widely considered some of the most unwavering in country music, and have been recorded by such hitmakers as Kenny Rogers (“The Gambler,” “The Greatest”), Randy Travis (“On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen”), The Judds (“I Know Where I’m Going”), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“I Love Only You,”) Tanya Tucker (“I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,”) Mary Chapin Carpenter (“He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”) and many others.

He also wrote “You Can’t Make Old Friends” for Rogers and Dolly Parton; their first duet since 1983's “Islands in the Stream.”

Schlitz, a North Carolina native, was born in 1952 and raised in Durham before packing his bags and heading to Nashville. His first recorded song, “The Gambler,” is perhaps his most enduring hit and the tent-pole of his legacy. The song, which was recorded by Rogers in 1978 and certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), opened doors for country music in the '70s, a track that was not only a huge genre hit but also a pop crossover one.

As Rogers said when he inducted Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, “Don doesn’t just write songs. He writes careers.”

“We are heartbroken by the news of the passing of Don Schlitz. Don loved his family, his home state of North Carolina, and above all, songs and songwriters. He carried that love into every room, every stage and every lyric he ever wrote,” Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, wrote in a statement Friday. “Not long ago, we shared a dinner, and as we were leaving, Don picked up a guitar and began to play. That is how I will always remember him, smiling and with a guitar in his hand. His legacy lives on through his music and the many artists and writers he inspired. He will be deeply missed.”

“Don Schlitz’s place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written ‘The Gambler’ or had he only written ‘The Gambler,’” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, wrote in a statement Friday. “Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”

Schlitz is survived by his wife Stacey, daughter Cory Dixon and her husband Matt Dixon, son Pete Schlitz and his wife Christian Webb Schlitz, grandchildren Roman, Gia, Isla and Lilah, brother Brad Schlitz and sister Kathy Hinkley.

Alcaraz, ranked No. 2, withdrew from the Barcelona Open in midweek after undergoing a test on his right wrist, and the fourth-ranked Djokovic is nursing a shoulder injury.

On Friday, Alcaraz said it “hurts” to announce that he'll miss the Madrid Open for a second straight year. The tournament starts on Monday.

Alcaraz's withdrawal in Barcelona came a day after he called for a trainer and had his wrist treated during his opening match, a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Otto Virtanen.

Djokovic hasn't competed since the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He missed the Miami Open because of a right shoulder injury and also skipped the Monte Carlo Masters.

“Madrid, unfortunately I won’t be able to compete at the Madrid Open this year,” he wrote Friday on his social media accounts. "I’m continuing my recovery in order to be back soon. Hasta pronto!”

Djokovic is a three-time champion in Madrid.

The tournament said in a statement: “We hope to see you back here as soon as possible so we can enjoy your tennis as we have done so many times in the Caja Mágica.”

Alcaraz and Djokovic's next tournaments are the Italian Open and the French Open. Alcaraz won both of those titles last year.

___

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

By early morning, cars were backed up for kilometers on the route leading south to the damaged Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River, a key crossing linking the southern coastal city of Tyre to the north. Vehicles piled high with mattresses, suitcases and salvaged belongings crept forward through a single reopened lane, hastily repaired after an Israeli airstrike just a day earlier.

Drivers heading back to their villages along coastal highways cheered each other, flashed victory signs and exchanged blessings.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war displaced more than a million people. Despite warnings from Lebanese officials that they should not immediately attempt to return to their homes, many began moving toward southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire was declared. The truce appeared to be largely holding overnight.

Israel and Hezbollah have fought several wars and have been fighting on and off since the day after the start of the Gaza war. Israel and Lebanon reached a deal to end that war in November 2024, but Israel had kept up near-daily strikes in what it says is an effort to prevent the Iran-backed militant group from regrouping. That escalated into another invasion after Hezbollah again began firing missiles at Israel in response to its war on Iran.

Lebanese return to rubble after intense strikes

In southern villages like Jibsheet, a trickle of residents returned to flattened apartment blocks and streets littered with chunks of concrete, twisted aluminum shutters and dangling electrical wires.

“I feel free being back,” said Zainab Fahas, 23. “But look, they destroyed everything — the square, the houses, the shops, everything.”

Many did not believe that their ordeal was really over.

“Israel doesn’t want peace,” said Ali Wahdan, 27, a medic walking on crutches over the rubble of the emergency services’ headquarters in Jibsheet. He was badly wounded in an Israeli airstrike that hit the building without warning during the first week of the war.

“I wish it were different," he said. “But this war will continue.”

In the neighborhood of Haret Hreik in Beirut’s southern suburb, entire buildings had been reduced to rubble after weeks of intense Israeli strikes. Ahmad Lahham, 48, waved the yellow Hezbollah flag standing on a mountain of rubble that used to be his apartment building, which had also housed a branch of Hezbollah’s financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan.

“We are at the service of the fighters," said Lahham, pledging his loyalty to the group.

He praised Iran, saying Tehran's pressure in its talks with the U.S. led to the truce, and condemned Lebanon’s direct talks with Israel.

“Only the Iranians stood with us, no one else,” he said, calling Lebanon’s leaders “the leadership of shame.”

A local government official in Haret Hreik said Israel struck the neighborhood 62 times over the last six weeks.

“We’ve been able to clear up the rubble of the partially damaged buildings, but for those destroyed, we will need special equipment,” Sadek Slim, the neighborhood’s deputy mayor, told a press briefing.

The area was gridlocked with traffic, with people coming back to check on their homes and Hezbollah supporters zooming on scooters, waving the group’s flag. Cars packed with families, with their possessions strapped to the roof or bursting from open trunks, were sitting in traffic for hours Friday afternoon on the highway south as a dust storm filled the air. Aid workers passed out much-needed bottles of water to those stuck in traffic.

Wounded continued to arrive at a hospital

Meanwhile, in Al-Najda al Shaabiya Hospital in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, officials said Thursday was one of the heaviest days of Israeli strikes since this latest Israel-Hezbollah war began.

Hospital Director Mona Abou Zeid said the wounded continued arriving from nearby Israeli strikes until around an hour after the ceasefire took effect at midnight.

Among those wounded in the bombardment on Nabatiyeh Thursday was 33-year-old Mahmoud Sahmarani, who said he stepped outside his home to buy some charcoal for his shisha water pipe when an Israeli strike hit his five-story building, killing his father and cousin as they were peeling potatoes for lunch. All that remains of his apartment is rubble, leaving him and the rest of his family homeless.

“Israel should have withdrawn from Lebanon,” he said from his hospital bed, his left eye swollen shut and his head swaddled in bandages. “If we don’t get them out, they will continue to kill us.”

Many still hesitant to go home

In downtown Beirut, tents still line some areas as some families begin to leave, while others wait, weighing the risks of returning south.

A tricycle piled with mattresses weaves through the camp, signaling the first departures after a fragile ceasefire.

“Our homes in the south are gone, destroyed,” said Ali Balhas, from Siddiqeen town in the Tyre province. “Israel is deceptive. You never really know its policies or how it will act toward people."

“I have six children here, and I can’t leave that quickly. Once there is more safety, we will try to take the children and go back" to our village he said.

Amira Ayyash, a woman from Qaaqaiat al-Jisr in the Nabatiyeh province, decided to wait and assess the situation before returning home.

“We do not know at what hour they might strike us, for they are treacherous. So we decided to take it slowly,” she said.

Ahmad Ramadan, 42, a father of three stuck in the bottleneck, said he initially planned to wait out the ceasefire at his cousin’s now-crowded apartment in Beirut. But the desire to see what had become of his house in the southern city of Tyre overcame him.

“We are going to check on our house, just quickly, and come back. We just need to know if there’s damage,” he said. “Even if we’re waiting for hours here it’s worth knowing what happened.”

It wasn’t the Iran war, nor the partial government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding. He was focused on a monumental issue of a different kind, hoisting artist renderings of the $400 million White House ballroom he’s building, complete with hand-carved “top-of-the-line” Corinthian columns.

“I’m so busy that I don’t have time to do this. I’m fighting wars and other things,” Trump said before extensively detailing plans for “the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world.”

His divided attention has become a Democratic point of attack and a concern for some Republicans who worry he’s not spending enough time on issues that voters care most about ahead of November’s midterm races.

The contrast was on full display Thursday, when, as Trump flew to Las Vegas to discuss tax cuts for Americans earning tips, his administration was pushing ahead with another of his splashy projects: Plans to build a 250-foot Triumphal Arch near the Lincoln Memorial replete with a Lady Liberty-like statue and a pair of golden eagles.

The president’s ability to speak to the concerns of working people has always seemed incongruous with his biography as a billionaire real estate developer. Yet his populist policies and emphasis on the economy during his 2024 campaign helped catapult him back to the White House.

Republican strategist Rick Tyler noted that, when Trump first ran for president in 2016, his wealth was a selling point.

“While other people, like Mitt Romney, played down how rich he was, Trump was giving free helicopter rides at the Iowa State Fair,” Tyler said. “People loved it.”

Still, Trump’s preoccupation with some of the gilded trappings of the presidency, as more Americans worry about bills, has drawn accusations that he’s a modern-day Marie Antoinette.

“‘Fighting wars’ and surging gas prices, yet Trump has time to brag about his billionaire backed ballroom,” Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, responded on X to Trump’s Air Force One presentation.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential hopeful, has been more direct in comparing Trump to the last queen before the French Revolution, who has come to embody extravagant opulence — even posting an AI-generated image of Trump's face on her body on social media.

“TRUMP ‘MARIE ANTOINETTE’ SAYS, ‘NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!’” Newsom wrote in October 2025, at the start of last fall's 43-day government shutdown.

White House says Trump's success benefits all Americans

Asked about opponents invoking Marie Antoinette, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump “is going to go down in history as the most successful and consequential president in our lifetime.”

“His successes on behalf of the American people will be imprinted upon the fabric of America and will be felt by every other White House that comes after him," Ingle said in a statement.

The president faced similar critiques during his first term. But lately he's been unabashed about accusations he’s disconnected from Americans' worries about high costs, which could leave Republicans with an uphill battle to retain control of Congress.

Republicans have been loath to question Trump, though notably there has been little criticism of a federal judge’s ruling that work on the project must stop until it has congressional approval. The GOP-controlled House and Senate also haven’t prioritized legislation to move the ballroom project forward.

“I’m not much into architecture,” Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said last fall.

About two-thirds of Americans said Trump is “out of touch” with the concerns of most people in the United States today, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll from February, though the same percentage said the same about the Democratic Party.

Presidents are usually removed from voters, separated by layers of security and surrounded by adoring subordinates. In her book “Why Presidents Fail And How They Can Succeed Again,” Elaine Kamarck argues that presidents get too focused on their own political narratives rather than the public's concerns. Yet, when it comes to Trump, “All of this stuff is frankly unique to him.”

She pointed to the ballroom as well as Trump's other White House renovations, soon adding his signature to paper currency and renaming the Kennedy Center after himself.

“It's a reflection, I think, of his own background as a businessman and somebody who made his fortune selling his name," said Kamarck, who worked in Bill Clinton’s White House.

While Trump focuses on the ballroom and other Washington projects, some public work projects in other parts of the country have languished.

Joe Meyer, the former mayor of Covington, Kentucky, spent years pushing for critical improvements to the Brent Spence Bridge connecting his town with Cincinnati, a project listed as a top federal priority dating back to Trump's first administration.

Federal funds for improvements were approved under President Joe Biden but held up by a Trump-ordered review. Work is now finally set to begin later this year, though delays will likely limit design options and slow the project, Meyer said.

“The ballroom is Washington inside-baseball,” Meyer said. “The bridge is just a wreck. It’s frustration that we’ve been dealing with forever.”

A $100 tip and a golden tractor

Trumpeting new tax deductions for tips, Trump staged ordering McDonald's to the Oval Office — which he has adorned with gold flourishes — and tipped the grandmother making the delivery $100. When she described large medical bills from her husband’s cancer treatments, Trump said she should bring him to an upcoming UFC fight on the White House lawn.

When hundreds of farmers were invited to the White House for an agricultural policy speech, they stood on the South Lawn beside a tractor that had been painted gold. It drizzled, but Trump stayed dry, addressing them from a covered second-floor balcony.

“You don’t mind rain,” the president told the farmers below.

He then flew to Miami for a conference of Saudi investors who, the president noted, were too rich to be impressed by U.S. families scrounging to save up $5,000.

“I know they’re looking like, ‘What the hell is $5,000?’" Trump joked. "Their shoes cost them more than $5,000."

When asked in February, meanwhile, for his message to young people wanting to buy a home, Trump replied: “Save a little longer. Wait a little longer."

Members of the Cabinet have also fed the perception that Trump's promised “ Golden Age ” may not be arriving for everyone. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. advised Americans to buy liver instead of beef.

“If you go and buy a steak, it’s still pretty expensive. But if you buy the cheaper cuts, it’s great meat. And it is very, very affordable. Or liver, or, you know, all these alternatives,” he told podcast host Joe Rogan.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said people could still afford meals consisting of “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla and one other thing.”

Texas-based Republican consultant Brendan Steinhauser said he thinks that Trump “can kind of get away with" building a ballroom because voters have come to expect that from him as a brash dealmaker and businessman.

But Steinhauser said he worries that dramatic increases in gas prices and a potentially weakening economy could resonate with voters. Ahead of the midterms, Steinhauser said, Democrats could score points “trying to make it more about Trump and his oligarch friends.”

___

Associated Press writers Linley Sanders in Washington and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

Sánchez and Lula have been outspoken in their criticism of the decision by the U.S. and Israel to attack Iran that has caused energy prices to soar. Both spoke in favor of peace, while not naming U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened both with punitive tariffs in the past, during a one-hour news conference after their summit.

“We want to double our efforts to work for peace and for a reinforced multilateral order. While others open wounds, we want to mend them and cure them,” Sánchez told reporters.

Sánchez’s government declared its airspace closed to U.S. planes being used in the Iran war, and said it is not allowing the U.S. to use jointly operated military bases in southern Spain for actions related to the war. Earlier this week, Lula released a video message expressing “deep solidarity” with Pope Leo XIV following public criticisms made by Trump after the pontiff slammed the Iran war.

Lula and Sánchez are among the few progressive leaders who have withstood a shift to the right and remain popular in their countries while defending multilateral agreements, human rights, environmental protections and gender equality — all bugaboos of Trump, Lula's neighbor in Argentina, Javier Milei, and Europe's far right.

The meetings come amid a busy week for Sánchez, who just returned from meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, his fourth trip to Beijing in just over three years.

Lula and Sánchez, along with ministers from their cabinets, signed 15 agreements ranging from trade and satellite connections to the exploitation of rare earths needed for industry when they met inside a former royal palace in Barcelona.

Their bilateral meeting was a prelude for Saturday's double dose of gatherings when Lula and Sánchez confer with other leaders inside a sprawling conference center in Spain’s second city.

“Brazil and Spain are side by side in the trenches together,” Lula said. “We are an example that it is possible to find solutions to problems without giving into the empty promises of extremism.”

In that vein, Lula said that the aim for Saturday was to discuss how “democracy must go beyond just voting and bring real benefits to people’s lives.”

A growing group

The first gathering on Saturday is the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy. The event was launched by Brazil and Spain in 2024 as a forum to exchange ideas aimed at combating the “extremism, polarization and misinformation” that undermines participatory democracy, the organizers say. The first two editions of this event were held at the United Nations and the previous one was in Santiago, Chile, last year.

This edition will include the presence of European Council President António Costa, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and the leaders of other countries from Uruguay and Lithuania to Ghana and Albania.

“If the president of Mexico and South Africa are coming, that means our group is growing,¨ Lula said about how he sees the tide could be turning to favor progressive and middle-of-the-road political parties.

Sheinbaum’s participation comes after Spain’s King Felipe VI ironed out a longstanding diplomatic dispute regarding Spain’s colonial past when he recently acknowledged the Spanish conquest of the Americas had led to the “abuse” of native peoples.

Rallying the Left

Many of the leaders from the first event will stay put for the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization, a gathering of left-leaning politicians and policymakers, being held at the same venue later on Saturday. The format was launched after Sánchez and former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, who is now president of the Party of European Socialists political grouping, discussed the idea at a meeting of European Socialists last year.

Sánchez and Lula will both give speeches at the event, which is expected to have 3,000 attendees, including U.S. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, and feature round tables dedicated to issues ranging from wage inequality to how to improve election results for progressives.

Middle powers mingle

Pol Morillas, director of the Barcelona-based foreign affairs think tank CIDOB, said that the gatherings are meant to be a show of force by traditional democratic leaders who have seen how the populist far-right has successfully forwarded its messages of anti-migration and economic nationalism through international gatherings.

Morillas also sees the meetings in the context of the speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that shook the Davos economic forum in January on the importance of so-called “middle powers” seeking out new strategies to deal with a world of aggressive superpowers.

Lula, Sánchez and other leaders at the events “share the understanding that the world is not just for the great powers,” Morillas told The Associated Press.

____

AP writers Megan Janetsky in Mexico City and Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo, Brazil, contributed.

Kosovo's Parliament on Friday overwhelmingly approved in a 89-0 vote an earlier government decision to send the troops to the International Stabilization Force under a U.S.-backed initiative following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last year.

The ISF is yet to deploy to help maintain peace and assist in rebuilding Gaza under U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which Kosovo has joined. Indonesia, Albania and Kazakhstan are among other countries that have promised to participate in ISF.

In Kosovo, contributing to the international force is seen as proof of how far the country has come after declaring independence from Serbia in 2008, a split which Belgrade still does not recognize.

Belgrade's brutal crackdown on Kosovo's separatist rebels prompted a NATO intervention in 1999 that forced the Serb troops out of the territory and paved the way for the peacekeepers' deployment under a KFOR mission.

"Our country has been a security consumer, meaning NATO countries have contributed to the security of the Republic of Kosovo," Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci told The Associated Press. “Today we are entering a phase where we are becoming a provider, or exporter, of security.”

Maqedonci said the Kosovo contingent will consist of several dozen officers, including from demining units. The troops will be tasked with providing humanitarian support, security assistance and other duties determined by the mandate of the Gaza force, Maqedonci added.

“We are currently in the final preparations phase," Maqedonci said. He said a U.S. representative has helped with the preparation, including vaccination of troops, issuing of visas and other technical arrangements.

Kosovo currently has a security force of some 4,000 personnel that is being trained to become a small, professional military aligned with NATO.

Musician Milot Hoxha, 43, hailed the plan to participate in the Gaza mission.

“We ourselves have gone through such a transition and every small help for us has been very significant,” he said. "I believe it will be the same for them, that any kind of help will be positive. I strongly support this decision.”

Tensions with Serbia have been simmering ever since the war, with occasional violent incidents. The European Union has mediated negotiations aimed at normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina but these efforts have stalled recently.

The United States and most EU countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent state, while Russia and China have backed Serbia's claim on the territory.

At about 10:30 a.m., State troopers were called to Lovers Lane, at the intersection of Fork Lane, for the crash.

Authorities say a 2011 Ford Escape didn’t yield the right-of-way while making a left turn onto Lovers Lane from Fork Lane and was hit by a 1997 Honda Accord.

The driver of the Ford, 88-year-old Jackie Deumont Gray, of Vinton, died at the scene.

The 18-year-old driver of the Honda was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation.

“Everybody in America, on average, sleeps less than the recommended amount of sleep. The normal amount for an adult human being is from seven to nine hours. If you’re getting less than that, then it’s probably not enough sleep. Can you survive? Yeah, you probably do fine, you scrape by, you’ll be okay. But that’s not the optimum amount of sleep for you to feel good and be efficient and productive the next day,” explained Brian Chen, MD, sleep specialist at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Chen said that’s not the only way people sabotage their sleep.

Many of us are also guilty of using screens up until the minute we go to bed.

He explains that the blue light from our cellphone and TVs can disrupt our melatonin production, which can in turn make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep.

He recommends no screens in the hour or two leading up to bed.

The same goes for exercising and eating.

“If you could cut all that off, screens are off, you’re done exercising, you’re done eating, you’re done for the day. However, don’t just lay in bed, do something relaxing. That’s a great time for cleaning, reading, journaling, setting out things that you need to do for the next day and being ready, preparing your body for the next day,” he said.

Dr. Chen said one other factor that could play a role with poor sleep is something called ‘social jet lag.’

That’s when a person stays up late on the weekends and then has trouble going to bed earlier during the week.

He said, if possible, it’s best to keep your sleep schedule consistent.

Energy drinks are everywhere these days. Many of them look like sports hydration drinks and taste like candy.

“They have flavors like Jolly Rancher flavor and sour gummy worms,” said Lisa Gill, a Consumer Reports Investigative Reporter. “It’s so easy to just pop open a cold can and chug it.”

But inside that can is often a jolt of caffeine that can be far from harmless.

Consumer Reports found that many drinks contain 2 to 3 times the daily caffeine limit recommended for teens: 100 milligrams.

Too much caffeine has been linked to insomnia, anxiety, jitters, and heart-related symptoms, and teens may be especially vulnerable.

To find out exactly what’s in these drinks, Consumer Reports tested 23 popular energy drinks and shots.

“We wanted to see how much caffeine is on the label versus how much caffeine is actually in the product,” Gill said.

The results? CR found most drinks came close to or matched their labels, but some had up to 16 percent more caffeine than advertised.

The American Beverage Association, an industry trade group says, “parents should be in the driver’s seat when it comes to what their children have for beverages.”

So what can parents do?

Check labels, track total caffeine from all sources, and pay attention to sleep, because using caffeine to fight fatigue can create a cycle that’s hard to break.

The bottom line: when it comes to energy drinks and teens, even one can be too much.

Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the 2026 cars' reliance on electrical power and the compromises it forces drivers to make on track. He's even suggested it could be his last season in F1.

Russell is an old rival of Verstappen and has his best shot yet at the title thanks to Mercedes' strong start to the season. He trails teammate Kimi Antonelli by nine points ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in two weeks.

“Formula 1’s bigger than any driver. You wouldn’t want to lose Max because I think we all enjoy racing against Max,” Russell said Friday, and suggested some of Verstappen's criticism might be because he and Red Bull aren't among the title contenders.

“The complaints that he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren because we’re at the front end of the grid.”

Russell said Verstappen's interest in forays into other events like endurance sportscar racing might be linked to having “not really much more for him to achieve” in F1.

“My goal now is to become a Formula 1 world champion. If I had four of them (titles) under my belt, I’d probably be doing the same," Russell said. "He’s in a very different stage of his career and I think you’d understand if he stayed and you’d understand if you went.”

Russell eyes changes

Russell said potential rule changes have been a focus for him during the unexpected mid-season break caused when the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off.

Russell wants to bring back a “flat-out” feel to qualifying with less need to lift off the throttle and generate electrical power and says that's helped by an improved relationship between the drivers and the governing body, the FIA.

“The FIA have been in a lot of comms with a handful of drivers, and that’s been collective. And at least from the FIA technical standpoint, it’s probably the closest relationship we’ve had with them in numerous years, so that’s very positive to see,” he said.

Antonelli shrugs off pressure

After winning two of the opening three races and becoming F1's youngest standings leader, it's all about keeping the momentum going for Antonelli.

The 19-year-old Italian has been working on his fitness and says he feels more relaxed than he did in his rookie season last year.

“Obviously, George is super strong and competitors will get closer, so I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, just trying to raise the bar little by little,” he said.

Being the first Italian in 20 years to win an F1 race means a lot more attention back home, but Antonelli says it won't affect him.

“I am aware of obviously the increase of support and following after, especially my first wins, which has been very nice to see. But I don’t feel more pressure,” he said Friday. “I know expectations from people are higher now because obviously I’m coming off two wins and from a strong start of the season. But at the end of the day I keep my focus on the process, on what I have to do.”

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

Victor Wembanyama has met every expectation. Except, perhaps, his own.

He came to the San Antonio Spurs three years ago as the No. 1 draft pick and hoping to lead a revitalization, one where a perennial title contender that got stuck in a rebuilding cycle would finally rise again. So far, so good — the Spurs just finished their best season in a decade, going 62-20.

And now, the really good stuff — the playoffs — awaits.

“How ready? As ready as you can be,” Wembanyama said when asked about his level of preparation for his first look at the NBA postseason. “These moments, it’s really what you work on all year, but also your whole career. We’re dreaming of playoffs as kids before we come here.”

History says these second-seeded Spurs, who open the Western Conference playoffs at home against No. 7 Portland on Sunday night, could be poised to make a deep run.

Of the other 15 clubs in franchise history that finished with a winning percentage of .700 or better, 14 won at least one playoff series, 10 made the NBA’s final four, six went to the NBA Finals and five won championships.

The core then: Gregg Popovich as coach, leading names like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The core now: Mitch Johnson as coach, leading names like Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama — who seems to make all things possible.

“He’s embraced the city and the city’s embraced him, the stepping foot into the community,” Johnson said. “And it’s been genuine and it’s been authentic. ... It's pretty cool to witness upfront.”

To say Wembanyama — who is at least 7-foot-4, and somehow has other 7-foot men in the NBA gawking about how tall he seems — is unique is somehow an understatement. How many other 21-year-olds in the NBA draw headlines for spending part of their summers at a Buddhist temple (as he did last summer) as part of basketball training, bring books to read at the All-Star Game (to the disbelief of some fellow All-Stars) and can show off math skills during press conferences (as he did of late while debating the NBA's 65-game rule)?

Not many.

“He's unique,” Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said, knowing he was stating the obvious.

Wembanyama’s numbers this season: 1,600 points, 736 rebounds, 199 assists, 197 blocked shots, 122 3-pointers. Nobody in NBA history has ever finished a season with those totals, and the blocked shots are the biggest factor in why he stands alone there.

So, take the blocks out. Grade him in history on points, rebounds, assists and 3s for a season. Do that, and here's the full list of players to reach his totals in just those categories in one season: Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins, Karl-Anthony Towns (twice), Nikola Vucevic, Julius Randle and Nikola Jokic. That's it.

“He's a 7-5 guy that can handle the ball, shoot, guard the rim, guard the perimeter, all the little things,” said Portland coach Tiago Splitter, who went to the NBA Finals as a player on some of the great San Antonio teams and was part of the Spurs' most recent championship in 2014. “It's not a secret. He's a very good player.”

Oddsmakers say San Antonio is the second choice behind only defending champion Oklahoma City — the West's No. 1 seed — to win the NBA title. That means there is an expectation, and a realistic one, that Wembanyama's playoff debut might not just be a smashing success but might wind up bringing the ultimate success.

He was rookie of the year two years ago. He was on his way to winning defensive player of the year last season before his year got cut short by a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis. He's eligible for all the big NBA awards this season, and basketball fans seem like they simply cannot get enough info about everything he does.

Now, the NBA's biggest stage awaits San Antonio's biggest star. He's played for Olympic gold before, so he knows what extremely high-stakes basketball is like, but his first chance to compete for an NBA championship is finally here.

“I can’t really help but dream about it, of course,” Wembanyama said. “But we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment. And before even thinking about Game 1, I have to think about showing up the right way. Practice, doing all my stuff, preparing, being locked in on the scouts. But yeah, I dream about it every day.”

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