• DMA3 (Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke, Wythe): DWR tested 2,158 deer in 2025-26 and found 11 CWD-positive deer.
• • Floyd County: 7
  • Montgomery County: 2
  • Pulaski County: 1
  • Roanoke County: 1
• DMA4 (Bland, Smyth, Tazewell): DWR tested 231 deer and found no new CWD detections.
• Looking ahead: DWR says it does not expect changes to DMA boundaries for the 2026-27 deer hunting season.

Virginia wildlife officials say more than 7,800 deer were tested for chronic wasting disease statewide during the 2025-26 surveillance period, resulting in 126 positive detections.

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources reported the results from four chronic wasting disease Management Areas, or DMAs, along with surveillance across the rest of the state.

In DMA1 — Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah and Warren counties — the department sampled 562 white-tailed deer since July 2025 and confirmed 83 infections. That included 60 positive deer in Frederick County, 10 in Clarke County, nine in Shenandoah County and four in Warren County, according to the department.

In DMA2, which includes Arlington, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock and Rockingham counties, officials sampled 2,883 deer over the past year and confirmed 32 infections. Loudoun County had 11 positive detections, Fauquier had seven, Madison and Rappahannock had four each, Culpeper had three, Fairfax had two and Page had one, DWR said.

The department said the Page County detection is the county’s first and followed a report of an adult female deer showing symptoms consistent with late-stage chronic wasting disease.

In DMA3 — Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Roanoke and Wythe counties — DWR said it sampled 2,158 deer and confirmed 11 infections, including seven in Floyd County, two in Montgomery County and one each in Pulaski and Roanoke counties.

In DMA4, which includes Bland, Smyth and Tazewell counties, DWR said it tested 231 deer and reported no new detections.

The department said it does not expect changes to any DMA boundaries for the 2026-27 deer hunting season.

Outside the disease management areas, DWR said it tested 2,001 deer across the rest of the commonwealth and did not confirm any additional positive detections.

Chronic wasting disease has been detected in 37 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces, according to DWR. In Virginia, officials say 488 deer from 18 counties have tested positive since 2009.

The disease affects deer, elk and moose and is described as a slow, progressive neurologic disease that is fatal to infected animals. The disease-causing agent, known as a prion, can spread through the urine, feces and saliva of infected animals, DWR said.

Symptoms can take 16 months to two years to appear and may include staggering, abnormal posture, lowered head, drooling, confusion and significant weight loss, the department said.

While DWR said there is currently no evidence the disease can be transmitted naturally to humans, pets or livestock, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises hunters to test deer harvested from known CWD-positive areas and to avoid consuming any animal that tests positive.

DWR thanked hunters, commercial deer processors and taxidermists for helping with surveillance efforts, noting those partnerships helped collect more than 5,000 samples during the most recent season.

Additional surveillance data, descriptions of regulations pertaining to CWD, maps of DMAs, and more information about CWD can be found on the DWR website.

Feeding Ban Areas

Administrative code section 4VAC15-40-285 prohibits feeding of deer and elk year-round within twenty-five miles of a CWD detection. The map below highlights all the counties that have a year-round cervid feeding ban because of CWD detections or due to inclusion in the Elk Management Zone. No additional counties are being added in 2026.

Leroy Dean McGill, 63, was pronounced dead at 10:26 a.m. PDT following a lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Florence. McGill was convicted of murder in the death of Charles Perez, who was attacked with his girlfriend in a north Phoenix apartment on July 13, 2002.

It was the first lethal injection carried out this year in Arizona, and McGill didn’t appear to be resisting at any point during the procedure. After a lethal dose of pentobarbital began flowing, he began breathing heavily and made a snoring sound. And, about 21 minutes after the IV insertion process began, he was pronounced dead.

While the state was criticized for having difficulty in inserting IV lines during executions in 2022, it took just one attempt on each of McGill’s arms to successfully insert IVs.

“Today’s process went according to plan,” said John Barcello, deputy director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. Barcello quoted McGill’s last words as: “I just want to thank everyone for being so accommodating and nice.”

Before the injection began, McGill looked at the witnesses, smiled and nodded. Media witness Josh Kelety from The Associated Press said he heard McGill at one point say: “I’m going home soon.”

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, whose office pressed for the execution to be carried out, said her thoughts were with the victims.

Media witness Sean Rice from Phoenix television station KPN said the execution was carried out smoothly.

"I didn’t see any issue at all finding a vein on either arm,” he said. Rice said he also observed a slight twitching on the right side of McGill’s head about four minutes before the inmate was pronounced dead.

Authorities said that in 2002 McGill threw gasoline at Perez and Perez’s girlfriend, Nova Banta, as they sat on a sofa in the apartment, setting them on fire. Perez and Banta had accused McGill of stealing a gun from the apartment before the attack. At the time, McGill was using methamphetamine and hadn’t slept in several days.

Banta survived, but Perez died.

Twelve people have been executed so far this year in the United States. Tennessee and Florida each are scheduled to carry out an execution Thursday.

At the Arizona trial, Banta testified that McGill had told her and Perez not to talk behind people's backs. Before they could respond, McGill lit them on fire, authorities said.

Perez and Banta ran out of the apartment. Another man who lived in the apartment used a blanket to put out the flames on Banta, who suffered third-degree burns over three-quarters of her body. Perez died later at a hospital in extreme pain, prosecutors said.

Banta identified McGill as the attacker at trial.

Jurors deliberated for less than an hour before convicting McGill of murder in Perez’s death in October 2004. He also was convicted of attempted murder for attacking Banta, arson and endangerment of people who escaped without injuries when the fire forced them to flee the apartment and a nearby unit where flames spread.

McGill’s lawyers had argued for leniency by presenting evidence about abuse he suffered as a child as well as mental impairment and psychological immaturity. The jury ultimately returned the death sentence.

This spring, McGill’s lawyers made a last-ditch bid to get him resentenced, but a lower-court judge rejected it. The Arizona Supreme Court also declined a request from McGill’s lawyers to postpone the execution.

McGill, who declined an interview request from The Associated Press, waived his right to seek clemency.

Arizona last applied the death penalty in 2025, executing Richard Kenneth Djerf for the 1993 killings of four members of a Phoenix family and Aaron Gunches for the 2002 fatal shooting of his girlfriend’s ex-husband.

The state carried out three executions in 2022 following a nearly eight-year hiatus brought on by difficulties obtaining execution drugs and by criticism that a 2014 execution was botched. In that 2014 execution, Joseph Wood was injected with 15 doses of a two-drug combination over two hours, leading him to snort repeatedly and gasp hundreds of times before he died.

The state’s current execution protocol calls for administering two syringes of pentobarbital, a powerful sedative.

With McGill’s death, Arizona now has 108 prisoners on death row. ___ Billeaud reported from Phoenix.

The indictment was related to Castro’s alleged role in the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba's defense minister at the time. The charges included murder and destruction of an airplane.

“For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in Miami at a ceremony to honor those killed. “They were unarmed civilians and were flying humanitarian missions for the rescue and protection of people fleeing oppression across the Florida straits.”

Asked to what lengths American authorities would go to bring Castro to face charges in the U.S., Blanche said: “There was a warrant issued for his arrest. So we expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way.”

The federal government, he said, indicts people outside the United States “all the time” and uses a variety of methods to bring them to justice.

A grand jury in Miami returned the indictment in late April before it was unsealed Wednesday, Blanche said. Five other people were also charged, including three Cuban military pilots.

Asked what will happen next for Cuba, President Donald Trump said, "We’re going to see.” He added that the U.S. is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to a “failing nation.”

The charges pose a real threat, observers said, because former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted on drug-related charges before he and his wife were seized by U.S. special forces in the Venezuelan capital in January.

“He’s going to have to keep his head pretty low from now on,” said Peter Kornbluh, a senior analyst and specialist on the U.S.-Cuba relationship at the National Security Archive. “They’re going to have no choice but to take this threat extremely seriously.”

Cuban president condemns indictment

While it remains unclear whether Castro will ever step foot in a U.S. courtroom, the murder and conspiracy charges carry the potential for life in prison or the death penalty upon conviction.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the indictment and accused the U.S. of lying and manipulating the events of 1996. He called it “a political action without any legal basis" that only seeks to "bolster the case they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”

Díaz-Canel wrote on X that Cuba acted in “legitimate self-defense within its territorial waters after repeated and dangerous violations of its airspace by notorious terrorists.”

He said U.S. officials at the time had been warned about the violations but allowed them to continue.

Marlene Alejandre-Triana, whose father, Armando Alejandre Jr, was among those who died, said the charges were “long overdue.” She said her father only wanted to bring freedom to his Cuban homeland.

Over the years, she spoke to multiple federal investigators about charging Castro. She referred to him as “one of the main architects of the crime.”

In Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, Peter Hernandez, whose family owns a fruit and vegetable market, said he would welcome the U.S. sending its military to arrest Castro.

“He’s a criminal,” said Hernandez, whose parents moved from Cuba to South Florida before he was born. ”I think we should do that with all criminals, especially if they’re hiding behind a country that consistently has been proven that they are on the wrong side of our national security efforts and ideology.”

Trump has threatened military action for months

Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since U.S. forces captured Maduro, the Cuban government’s longtime patron. After ousting the Venezuelan leader, the White House ordered a blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island.

Since Maduro's capture, Trump has ratcheted up talk of regime change in Cuba after pledging earlier this year to conduct a “friendly takeover” of the country if its leadership did not open its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.

Trump’s first administration indicted Maduro on drug-trafficking charges and used that to justify removing him from power and whisking him to New York to face trial.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged the Cuban people to demand a free-market economy with new leadership that he said will chart a new course in relations with the U.S.

“In the U.S., we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people,” Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said in a Spanish-language video message. “Currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.”

Raúl Castro believed to wield power behind the scenes

Castro took over as president from his ailing older brother Fidel Castro in 2006 before handing power to a trusted loyalist, Díaz-Canel, in 2018.

While he retired in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes, underscored by the prominence of his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, who previously met secretly with Rubio.

Last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana for meetings with Cuban officials, including Castro’s grandson. Two other senior State Department officials met with the grandson in April.

The investigation into Castro stretches back to the 1990s

Starting in 1995, planes flown by members of Brothers to the Rescue, a group founded by Cuban exiles, buzzed over Havana dropping leaflets urging Cubans to rise up against the Castro government.

The Cubans protested to the U.S. government, warning that they would defend their airspace. Federal Aviation Administration officials also opened an investigation and met with the group’s leaders to urge them to ground the flights, according to declassified government records obtained by George Washington University’s National Security Archive.

But those calls went unheeded and on Feb. 24, 1996, missiles fired by Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets downed two unarmed civilian Cessna planes a short distance north of Havana just beyond Cuba’s airspace. All four men aboard were killed.

Raúl Castro faced earlier indictment

Guy Lewis, who was a federal prosecutor, uncovered evidence linking senior Cuban military officials to cocaine trafficking by Colombia’s Medellin cartel. Following the shootdown, the investigation expanded, and prosecutors pursued charges against Raúl Castro for leading a vast racketeering conspiracy by Cuba’s armed forces.

In the end, the Clinton administration indicted four individuals, including the MiG pilots involved in the downing of the planes. The shootdown led the U.S. to harden its position against Cuba, even though the Cold War had ended and the Castros’ support for revolution across Latin America was a fading memory.

But Castro himself was spared as the Clinton administration raised concerns about such a high-profile indictment.

___

Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters David Fischer in Miami; Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Meg Kinnard in Houston; Will Weissert in Washington; Michael Weissenstein in New York; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.

Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that it would limit the number of A grades awarded to undergraduates, adopting one of the most ambitious efforts by a major university to curb grade inflation. The decision was made by faculty vote earlier this month.

The move comes after top grades became so common that some Harvard faculty argued they no longer reliably distinguished exceptional work. More than 60% of all grades awarded to undergraduates in recent years were in the A range, according to university data cited by faculty members who supported the measure.

“The Harvard faculty voted to make their grades mean what they say they mean,” members of the faculty subcommittee that proposed the changes said in a statement.

They said the reform would ensure that “a Harvard A grade will now tell students, as well as employers and graduate schools, something real about what a student has achieved.”

Harvard is not the first elite university to confront grade inflation. Princeton University adopted a policy in 2004 to limit A-range grades to 35% of those awarded, though it abandoned the system a decade later after criticism that it disadvantaged students in competition for jobs and graduate school admission.

Nationally, grade-point averages at four-year public and nonprofit colleges rose more than 16% between 1990 and 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Amanda Claybaugh, Harvard’s dean of undergraduate education, called grade inflation a “complex and thorny issue” and a “problem that many people have recognized, but no one has solved” in a statement Wednesday.

Steven Pinker, a cognitive scientist and Harvard psychology professor who has long criticized grade inflation, said in an email to The Associated Press that he was “delighted” by the result.

For too long, Pinker said, professors “who held the line with challenging material and high standards would see their enrollments plummet.” Failure to address the issue turned “universities into national laughingstocks.”

“Grade inflation forced a race to the bottom,” he said, adding that the problem could only be solved through a university-wide policy.

Beginning in fall 2027, instructors in letter-graded courses at Harvard College will be allowed to award A grades to no more than 20% of students in a class, plus four additional students. Other letter grades, including A-minus, will not be subject to a limit.

Faculty also approved a proposal to use average percentile rank rather than grade-point average when comparing students for honors, prizes and awards.

A separate proposal that would have allowed courses to opt out of the A-grade cap by switching to a satisfactory/unsatisfactory system with a new SAT+ designation for exceptional performance failed.

The new policies will be reviewed after three years. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is Harvard’s largest school, comprising 40 academic departments. It is the home of Harvard College, Harvard’s undergraduate program, and all of Harvard’s Ph.D. programs.

Max Abrahms, a political science professor at nearby Northeastern University who studies terrorism and international security, was among those outside Harvard who applauded the decision.

“When everyone gets an A there is no signal,” he wrote on X, calling Harvard’s vote “a huge win for higher education.”

Pressured by the White House, Republicans have tried to add the money to a roughly $70 billion bill to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. But the security proposal has met with backlash from some GOP lawmakers who are questioning the cost and the lack of detail from the White House and U.S. Secret Service about how the taxpayer dollars would be used.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Wednesday that the bill was “back to square one” without the security money because “the votes are not there.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said the effort to add the security package to the bill was a “bad idea” and he does not think there is enough backing to pass it, even if it were reduced.

The text of the bill has not yet been released. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged “ongoing vote issues” as leaders try to measure Republican support, as well as “ongoing parliamentarian issues” as they try to figure out what will be allowed in the bill under the chamber's rules.

The wrangling comes as Democrats have criticized Republicans for trying to fund Trump’s ballroom when voters are concerned about basic affordability issues — and as some GOP lawmakers have grown increasingly frustrated with Trump. Several have spoken out against the administration’s $1.776 billion settlement fund designed to compensate Trump’s allies, and many were upset by the president’s endorsement Tuesday of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the party primary runoff next week against Sen. John Cornyn.

“There’s always a consequence with taking on United States senators,” Thune said. Trump “obviously has his favorites and people he wants to endorse and that’s his prerogative. But what we have to deal with up here is moving the agenda, and obviously that can become slightly more complicated.”

Republican opposition blocks Secret Service request

Under the Secret Service request, about $220 million would pay for security improvements related to the ballroom. The rest would go for a new screening center for visitors, training and other security measures.

Tillis said the bill should not have included the other security improvements “because it’s just giving everybody the ‘billion-dollar ballroom.'"

"They need to explain to me why we need this,” Tillis said, noting that Trump had originally said private money would cover the project.

Several other Republicans in the House and Senate have questioned the request, and senators left a briefing with the director of the Secret Service last week saying they needed a lot more information.

People “can’t afford groceries and gasoline and healthcare, and we’re going to do a billion dollars for a ballroom?” asked Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost reelection in the GOP primary on Saturday after Trump endorsed one of his opponents.

Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., said he is supportive of the security money and thinks it is necessary to protect the president. But he acknowledged that the optics are not very good for Republicans, and that they have not communicated about it well.

“We’ve got people out there who are worried about how in the world they’re going to have enough gas to get home,” Justice said.

Tensions rise between Senate and White House

As Republicans challenged parts of his agenda, Trump unloaded on the Senate in a social media post.

He urged Republicans to fire the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who said over the weekend that parts of the $1 billion security proposal cannot remain in the ICE and Border Patrol bill. Trump renewed his long-standing calls for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, a Republican bill that would require all voters to prove U.S. citizenship, and to end the Senate filibuster.

“Republicans play a very soft game compared to the Dumocrats,” he wrote. “It is their single biggest disadvantage in politics.”

Trump said Democrats would eliminate the filibuster “on the First Day” if they ever get full power in Washington again and that Republicans need to “get smart and tough” or “you’ll all be looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible!”

Republicans have been loyal to Trump on most issues, but they have resisted his repeated calls — even in his first term — to kill the filibuster, which triggers a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

Hanging over the growing GOP rift is Trump’s surprise endorsement of Paxton. That intervention has Republican senators privately fuming that it could cost them their majority in November as they view the incumbent, Cornyn, as the better candidate in the November general election.

Democrats test Republicans on settlement fund

As Republicans move forward on the immigration enforcement legislation, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Democrats plan to force a vote on Trump’s proposed settlement fund.

Democrats have an opening because Republicans are trying to pass the immigration enforcement bill through a complicated budget process that requires a long series of amendment votes. Democrats are considering multiple amendments potentially to block that new fund outright or to ban any payments to Trump supporters who harmed law enforcement officers in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Those amendments, along with others, could pass as a growing number of Republicans speak out against the fund and other parts of Trump’s agenda.

Thune said he was “not a big fan” of the new fund, which the administration announced as a part of a settlement that resolves the president’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. Cassidy called it a “slush fund” and said “you can’t just make up things.”

Tillis said he thinks it is a “real risk” that some of the rioters charged — and later pardoned by Trump — in the Jan. 6 attack could get compensation through the fund. He said that would be “absurd.”

On Wednesday, two police officers who helped defend the Capitol in the 2021 assault sued to block the payouts. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, a personal attorney for Trump before joining the Department of Justice in Trump’s second term, would not rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 would be eligible for compensation when he testified in a Senate hearing this week.

Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters,” the way National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dealt with the activists was “not in line with Israel's values and norms.”

Ben-Gvir released videos Wednesday showing him walking among some of the approximately 430 detainees. In one, activists with their hands tied behind their backs are kneeling, their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area and on the deck of a ship.

“Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” says Ben-Gvir, waving a large Israeli flag. One handcuffed activist shouts “Free Palestine” as Ben-Gvir walks by and is immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel.

In another video, Ben-Gvir says the activists “came here all full of pride like big heroes. Look at them now,” while appealing to Netanyahu to grant him permission to imprison them.

Israel's leader calls for quick deportation of activists

“I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu, give them to me for a long, long time, give them to us for the terrorist prisons,” Ben-Gvir said.

Netanyahu said he's given instructions that the activists be deported “as soon as possible.”

Ben-Gvir drew the ire of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who publicly chastised his fellow minister on X, saying “you knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display.”

“No, you are not the face of Israel,” Saar wrote.

Ben-Gvir shot back at Saar in the Israeli parliament, accusing him of “bowing to the terrorists” and that any Israeli apology to the activists would send a message of “weakness,” “submission” and “surrender.”

Israel accused of humiliating activists

An Israel-based legal advocacy group, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, accused Israeli authorities of “employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists.”

Adalah's statement said this followed similar patterns of ill-treatment by Israeli authorities against activists in previous flotilla missions “for which Israel faced zero accountability.”

Adalah lawyer Suhad Bishara told The Associated Press a group of 11 lawyers who visited the detainees is aware of at least two activists who were hospitalized after being shot with rubber bullets “for no reason, without any justification.” Bishara said the activists will be brought before a judge Thursday who will decide on when their deportation will begin.

Flotilla spokesperson Rania Batrice said Ben-Gvir posts such videos because the world hasn't held Israel to account.

“If they’re doing that to Europeans and Americans and people from South Africa and all over the world, imagine what they’re doing to the Palestinian people,” Batrice told the AP in an online interview.

Batrice urged governments to step up their response. “Strongly worded letters are not what we need right now. We need more action."

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the video “violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity" in how people should be treated and demanded an explanation from Israeli authorities.

Italy condemned the detained activists' treatment as a violation of human dignity and called Ben-Gvir's videos “unacceptable.” It also summoned Israel’s ambassador in Rome to protest the treatment of Italian detainees and demand their immediate release. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she’s directed her officials to summon the Israeli ambassador to Ottawa.

Both Turkey and Greece condemned Israel's treatment of the activists. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the behavior “openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mindset” of Israel's government. The Greek Foreign Ministry called Ben-Gvir's actions “unacceptable and entirely condemnable” and said it had lodged a formal protest.

Palestinian militant group Hamas called out Ben-Gvir for the “scenes of abuse and humiliation” of the activists, saying they show Israel's “moral decadence and sadism.”

Israel intercepts all remaining flotilla boats

Israeli forces on Tuesday boarded the last of the flotilla boats that tried to challenge the blockade — the latest effort to highlight the grim conditions for nearly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.

Flotilla organizers claimed Israeli soldiers fired on five boats during the interdictions, causing some damage. Israel's Foreign Ministry said no live ammunition was fired and that “nonlethal means” were aimed at the vessels as a warning, but without targeting or injuring protesters.

Israeli forces had begun stopping the flotilla, which had departed last week from Turkey, around 268 kilometers (167 miles) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website.

Israel has called the flotilla “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas” with no real intent to deliver aid to Gaza. The boats carry a symbolic amount of aid.

On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped 41 boats from the flotilla in international waters off Cyprus and detained those on board.

More than a dozen Irish nationals were aboard the flotilla, including Irish President Catherine Connolly's sister. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has called Israel’s interception of the boats in international waters “absolutely unacceptable.”

The U.S. Treasury, however, imposed sanctions against several European activists aboard the flotilla, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “pro-terror.”

Gaza's coast blockaded for nearly two decades

Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authorities intensified it after the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023.

Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment. Israel says it's intended to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Egypt, which has the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war has killed more than 72,700 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn't give a breakdown between civilians and combatants. It is staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

___

Hadjicostis reported from Nicosia, Cyprus. Associated Press journalists Areej Hazboun, Isaac Scharf and Ibrahim Hazboun in Jerusalem; Samy Magdy in Cairo; Giada Zampano in Rome; Andrew Wilks in Ankara, Turkey, and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.

But President Donald Trump is facing his own pressure at home for shipping to resume through the vital corridor off Iran's coast. Fellow Republicans in Congress are battling political headwinds ahead of November's midterm elections as gasoline prices skyrocket and global energy markets churn.

Meanwhile, the Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation seeking to force Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of Republicans defying the president in the 50-47 vote.

U.S. Central Command said on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian port. It’s at least the fifth commercial vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April, several days into a ceasefire, to pressure Tehran into opening the strait and accepting a deal to end the war.

The military boarded the tanker after Trump said Monday he had called off renewed military strikes on Iran in an effort to make progress in negotiations to end the war. Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” for Tuesday but put it off, saying America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal.

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Before the U.S. blockade, Tehran had allowed some ships perceived as friendly to pass while charging considerable fees, leading to accusations it is holding the global economy hostage.

The U.S. military recently said that 1,550 vessels, from 87 countries, are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf.

Nearly three months since the war began with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, Iran maintains a chokehold on the strait, while the U.S. military has enforced its blockade on Iran's ports as well as Iranian-linked ships that are far away from the Middle East.

Last month, U.S. forces boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. A couple days later, the U.S. seized another tanker associated with smuggling Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

In early May, Trump said the U.S. military would begin to “guide” stranded ships from the Iran-gripped strait. The next day, he announced that the effort to protect ships was paused to see if an agreement could be reached.

Days later, U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers after exchanging fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said the tankers were trying to breach the blockade. The day before, the military said it thwarted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in response.

Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters sued Wednesday to block anyone — including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters — from receiving payouts from a new nearly $1.8 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The lawsuit’s filing comes a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, during his congressional testimony, wouldn’t rule out the possibility of fund payouts for rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6.

Also, Trumpscored another win Tuesday against a Republican rival, dislodging Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s primary and knocking out one of his most outspoken critics on Capitol Hill. Massie has been a particularly difficult thorn in Trump’s side, pushing for the release of the Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year.

The U.S. government will permanently drop tax claims against Trump, according to a settlement document made public Tuesday, in an extraordinary use of executive power that could effectively help shield the president from further examination of his finances and legal conduct. As part of the settlement deal, the U.S. is “forever barred and precluded” from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump organization’s current tax examinations.

Here's the latest:

Trump calls the indictment of Raúl Castro ‘a very big moment’

“I think this is a very big day, very important day,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac, after flying back from Connecticut.

Asked what will happen next for Cuba, he said “We’re gonna see” and that the U.S. is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to a “failing nation.”

Trump also said the CIA has a presence in Cuba, and Rubio has been involved in discussions with the island’s leadership.

But Trump added of applying more economic pressure to Cuba, “There won’t be escalation. I don’t think there needs to be.

Trump says he may release his tax returns

Trump has long cited ongoing IRS audits as his reason for not releasing his past tax returns. But that could change now that his legal team has forged a deal with the Justice Department this week that includes permanently dropping tax claims against the president, his family and associates.

“I may even release my current returns,” the president told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after a trip to Connecticut.

As part of the settlement deal meant to resolve Trump’s $10 billion l awsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns, the U.S. is “forever barred and precluded” from examining or prosecuting Trump, his sons and the Trump organization’s current tax examinations, according to a one-page document posted to the Justice Department’s website on Tuesday.

The settlement also includes the creation of a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted.

Blanche says he expects Castro to appear in US on charges

Asked to what lengths the U.S. would go to bring Castro to face charges in this country, Blanche said the federal government indicts people outside the United States “all the time” and uses a variety of methods to bring them to justice.

“There was a warrant issued for his arrest,” Blanche said of Raúl Castro. “So we expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way.”

Blanche went on to say investigations like this one are “never over” when asked whether additional charges would be brought.

Castro should take the indictment as a real threat, observers said

That’s because former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted on drug-related charges before he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized by U.S. special forces in the Venezuelan capital in January

“He’s gonna have to keep his head pretty low from now on,” said Peter Kornbluh, a senior analyst and specialist on the U.S.-Cuba relationship at the National Security Archive.

“They’re going to have no choice but to take this threat extremely seriously.”

Top Communist Party leader praises Raúl Castro, says Cubans will defend his legacy ‘at any cost’

Roberto Morales Ojeda, a senior Communist Party leader, praised Army Gen. Raúl Castro on Wednesday, saying he “embodies the most genuine essence of the Cuban Revolution thanks to his ability to lead with modesty and personal example. His career has been an uninterrupted lesson in loyalty to Cuba and Fidel.”

He also said Raúl Castro has cultivated “an exceptional human sensitivity” and the ability to examine the “revolutionary endeavor,” rectify errors and open spaces for dialogue.

“For all these reasons, the Cuban people are absolutely certain that they will defend Raúl’s physical and ethical integrity and his legacy at any cost,” Morales Ojeda wrote on X. “Defending his legacy means embracing the continuity of the Revolution, updating the economic model without losing its socialist essence, training new generations, and the fundamental lesson: that one can be a revolutionary with firmness, constructive criticism, and unwavering loyalty to the people.”

In Miami, one Cuban American expresses approval of Castro’s indictment

Peter Hernandez, whose family owns Los Pinareños Fruteria in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, said it’s about time for the U.S. to do something about Castro.

“The piracy in that country, Cuba, it has been going on for a very long time,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez, whose parents moved from Cuba to South Florida before he was born, said he doesn’t have a problem with the U.S. sending its military to arrest Castro.

“He’s a criminal,” Hernandez said. ”I think we should do that with all criminals, especially if they’re hiding behind a country that consistently has been proven that they are on the wrong side of our national security efforts and ideology.”

Cuban president condemns Castro indictment

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the indictment of Raúl Castro and accused the U.S. of lying and manipulating the events of 1996. He called it “a political action without any legal basis” that only seeks to “bolster the case they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”

Díaz-Canel wrote on X that Cuba acted in “legitimate self-defense within its territorial waters after repeated and dangerous violations of its airspace by notorious terrorists.”

He said U.S. officials at the time had been warned about the violations but allowed them to continue.

Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since U.S. forces captured the Cuban government’s longtime patron, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. After ousting Maduro, the White House ordered a blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island.

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The US has also accused Cuban military pilots of downing the planes

Lt. Col. Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez of Las Tunas is among the Cuban military pilots accused of downing the civilian planes in 1996.

The others include José Fidel Gual Barzaga and Lt. Col. Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, whom the U.S. indicted in November 2025 on charges including fraud and misuse of visa and permits.

At the time, former U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said: “This man’s past as a longtime military pilot for the evil Castro regime — which has wrought untold suffering on the Cuban people — should have been front and center in his immigration file.”

González-Pardo Rodríguez was accused in part of falsely claiming he had never received any weapons or military training on an application to register for permanent residence or adjust status.

The others accused are Emilio José Palacio Blanco and Raul Simance Cárdenas.

The penalties in the indictment against Castro

The murder and conspiracy charges Castro is facing carry a maximum sentence of the death penalty or life in prison upon conviction. However, it is unclear whether Castro will ever step foot in a U.S. courtroom.

Castro is charged alongside five other defendants. One of them, Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez, is in U.S. custody awaiting sentencing later this month in a case alleging he made false statements in an immigration document, according to the Justice Department.

Sen. Moody applauds Trump administration’s ‘accountability’ in Castro charges

Speaking at Wednesday’s event, Sen. Ashley Moody decried what she described as previous administrations’ relaxed attitudes toward Cuba, including moves to “relax our banking restrictions” or “coddle them into freedom.”

But with actions like the Castro indictment, the Florida Republican said the Trump administration is taking “the bold step of actually bringing accountability.”

Trump tells Coast Guard graduates they will ‘be tested’ in their military careers

President Donald Trump has returned to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to give the commencement address at the Connecticut school.

He told cadets on Wednesday that they show “unbelievable heroism and exceptional selflessness” but will “be tested further” as they embark on their military careers.

Trump’s remarks to the class of 2026 were the first time he has given a commencement speech at one of the nation’s military academies after sending U.S. troops to fight the war with Iran. Trump also spoke at the academy’s graduation in 2017 during his first term.

During his address, Trump quickly touched on the war with Iran, now in its 12th week, as a sign of U.S. success from “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”

“The only question is, do we go ahead and finish it up or are they going to be signing a document? Let’s see what happens,” Trump said.

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Trump referenced ‘shores of Havana’ in remarks earlier Wednesday

He did not directly address Raúl Castro or any potential indictment, but Trump mentioned Cuba earlier Wednesday in a commencement address.

“From the Gulf of America to the frozen waters of the Arctic, from the shores of Havana to the banks of the Panama Canal, we will drive out the forces of lawlessness and crime and foreign encroachment, just like we’ve been doing,” Trump said to graduates at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut.

Charges against Castro include murder

The indictment charges Castro with murder, conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and destruction of aircraft.

A grand jury in Miami returned the indictment late last month, and it was unsealed on Wednesday, acting Attorney General Blanche said.

Blanche explains why Raúl Castro charges announced in Florida and not Washington

Many major Department of Justice cases are announced in Washington, but Blanche said Wednesday that it was important to discuss the Castro case in Florida instead.

“The community here, you all, understands the history of the Cuban regime better than anyone in America,” Blanche said. “Many families here know the cost of oppression.”

Crowd applauds as Raúl Castro indictment announced

Attendees rose to their feet, pulled out cell phones and broke into loud shouts as acting Blanche announced the charges against Castro.

The acting U.S. attorney general and other top Justice Department officials were in Miami on Wednesday for a ceremony to honor those killed in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes.

US indicts former Cuban President Raúl Castro over downing of planes in 1996

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged former Cuban President Raúl Castro with ordering the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles, a major escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle seven decades of single-party rule in the Caribbean island.

Castro, now 94, was Cuba’s defense minister when the planes operated by a Miami-based exile group were shot down, killing four people.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been ratcheting up talk of regime change in Cuba after pledging earlier this year to conduct a “friendly takeover” of the country if its leadership did not open up its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.

Cuban president dismisses Rubio remarks, blames hardships on US sanctions, energy blockade

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel pushed back on Wednesday following claims by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the suffering of the Cuban people is the fault of the socialist government.

“They lie again and again without any shame, with alarming audacity, without presenting a single shred of evidence to support their claims,” he wrote on the social platform X. “The blame lies with those who order the closure of all access to material and financial resources.”

He noted that the U.S. executive order penalizing any country that supplies Cuba with fuel remains in effect.

“Only the most twisted minds could deny before the world this collective punishment being inflicted upon an entire people, which is already becoming an act of genocide,” Díaz-Canel wrote.

Progressive youth group launches digital campaign highlighting absent congressman

Voters of Tomorrow, a group focused on mobilizing young voters, launched a website highlighting Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s absence from Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday said he expects the New Jersey Republican to return “soon” after dealing with a “personal medical issue.” Kean has been missing from Capitol Hill since early March. His family and staff say that he is battling an undisclosed illness.

Santiago Mayer, Voters of Tomorrow’s executive director, said that Kean had “ghosted” Congress, adding that the issue of congressional absences was especially salient to young voters.

The digital ads depict doctored “Missing” posters with an image of Kean and the text “Have U Seen This Man?” The campaign’s accompanying website includes a voter registration pledge.

Kean’s absence from House votes comes as Republicans face a razor-thin majority, complicating the party’s legislative agenda. Democrats have faced their own challenges in maintaining stable margins, as some members have died while in office.

Trump gives the Coast Guard commencement address in relentless heat

The president called graduates of the Coast Guard Academy “the living standard bearers of America’s first fleet” and suggested danger is “a statement you live by.”

Trump said graduating together would build lifelong camaraderie , saying “You’re always going to be friends with each other. Hopefully with me.”

As he spoke, many in the crowd faced scorching heat with little shade available against the 85-deegre heat and a UV index of 9.

At least one person required medical attention after passing out. Others pleaded with organizers that elderly attendants be allowed to sit under tents.

Chilled water bottles were distributed, but quickly became warm.

Officers’ lawsuit claims government’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ is an illegal slush fund

And the lawsuit says President Trump will use it to “finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.”

It describes the fund’s creation as “the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century.”

One of the attorneys for the officers is Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department prosecutor who handled Jan. 6 cases.

Officers who defended Capitol from rioters sue to block payouts from $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of Trump supporters sued Wednesday to block anyone — including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters — from receiving payouts from a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions.

The officers’ attorneys filed the federal lawsuit a day after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund’s creation during a congressional hearing. Blanche, a personal attorney for Trump before joining the Justice Department, wouldn’t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 would be eligible for fund payouts.

More than 100 police officers were injured during the Capitol riot. Over 1,600 people were charged with Jan. 6-related crimes, but Trump used his pardon powers to erase all of those cases in a sweeping act of clemency last year.

The plaintiffs suing Trump over the fund are Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who’s running in Maryland for a seat in Congress.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump’s endorsement is ‘most powerful’

The Republican leader said he spoke with the president late after Tuesday’s primary elections and the defeat of Rep. Thomas Massie, a once popular GOP lawmaker.

“We talked about how his endorsement is the most powerful in the history of politics,” Johnson of Louisiana said at the Capitol.

The speaker insisted there’s room in the Republican Party for those who cross Trump.

“We don’t demand loyalty to the president,” he said.

“I never ask anybody to violate a core principle,” he said, but “you have to give up on some of your personal preferences sometimes.”

Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez blasts US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

He called Rubio “the mouthpiece of corrupt and vindictive interests, concentrated in South Florida.”

Rodríguez wrote on X that Cuba hasn’t rejected $100 million in humanitarian aid the U.S. has offered, adding that the “cynicism is evident to anyone given the devastating effects of the economic blockade and the energy embargo.”

In late January, President Trump threatened tariffs on countries that supply or sell oil to Cuba, which recently announced that its oil reserves have run dry.

Rodríguez also criticized Rubio for releasing a video message Wednesday in which he calls on Cubans to reject their government and demand new leadership and a free-market economy.

“He takes advantage of the infamous date of May 20th,” Rodríguez wrote. The date marks Cuba’s independence, but the socialist government rejects that date, saying true freedom began with the 1959 Revolution.

Days after Trump visit, Putin and Xi hail their friendship and growing energy trade at meeting

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed their strategic ties and growing energy trade as they met in Beijing on Wednesday only days after a visit by President Trump to China.

Putin and Xi oversaw the signing of more than 40 cooperation agreements in areas such as trade, technology and media exchanges. They stressed their growing trade, particularly in oil and natural gas, and declared themselves aligned on international relations.

The countries’ ties have reached “the highest level in history,” Xi said after the signing ceremony, speaking to members of the delegations and journalists. The two sides also agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001.

Putin told those in the room that “the driving force behind economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese collaboration in the energy sector.”

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US sanctions hit alleged Sinaloa cartel fentanyl network, including a Chihuahua restaurant

The U.S. imposed sanctions Wednesday on more than a dozen people, a Mexican restaurant and a security firm linked to Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel and its fentanyl trafficking activities.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas, a fugitive known as Chuy Gonzalez, who’s alleged to be involved in trafficking narcotics into the U.S. and laundering funds for the cartel. The State Department has been offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest since 2024.

Additionally, Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, who allegedly helps launder the proceeds of fentanyl and other drugs on behalf of the cartel, has also been hit with sanctions.

A restaurant in Chihuahua, called Gorditas Chiwas — controlled by sanctioned businessman Alfredo Orozco Romero — was hit with sanctions.

The sanctions cut them off from the U.S. banking system, cut off their ability to work with Americans and block their U.S. assets.

Trump has repeatedly offered to send the U.S. military after the cartels and his administration designated the Sinaloa cartel as a terrorist group in 2025.

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Trump says ‘I’m in no hurry’ on making an Iran deal

Asked about it before boarding Air Force One to fly to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut to deliver a commencement address, Trump suggested he might be willing to accept a smaller scale deal with Tehran that would simply open the Strait of Hormuz but potentially not address larger goals.

Trump said of such a deal, “The strait would have to open immediately.”

But he added, “I’m in no hurry.”

He shrugged off suggestions that GOP performances in November’s midterm elections could increase the political pressure to make a deal, but also said: “We could do it another way.”

21-year-old Jovaun Adrian Lee, of Washington, D.C., is described as a 5′11 black male who weighs 165 pounds and was last seen wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans.

According to officials, the incident occurred at 1:03 a.m. in the 2500 block of Memorial Avenue when officers responded to the reports of shots fired inside a gaming establishment.

Upon arrival, officers located one man who had been struck by gunfire. The victim was transported by the LFD to Lynchburg General Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and is reported to be in stable condition.

Through the course of the investigation, officers learned that the suspect attempted to rob the victim, and a physical altercation occurred.

Lee is wanted on the following charges:

• Armed robbery
• Aggravated malicious wounding
• Use of a firearm in commission of a felony
• Reckless handling of a firearm
• Willfully discharge a firearm in a public place
• Prohibition of wearing masks in certain places

LPD says at this time Lee is considered armed and dangerous and remains at large.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Bond at (434) 455-6161 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900. Enter an anonymous tip online at http://p3tips.com or use the P3 app on a mobile device.

Ujiri also said he wasn't referring to the trade of Luka Doncic, or anyone connected to the February 2025 deal that ended up being a huge setback for the franchise.

“Honestly, that trade has played no part in how I have thought about anything,” Ujiri said at a news conference Wednesday. “I’m in no position to criticize or blame or even really investigate some of the things that happened then. We have to figure out a way to slowly move on from this, and I have to hold myself accountable for doing this.”

Ujiri said he spent plenty of time talking to Kidd since he was hired two weeks ago. He declined to share details of those conversations.

“Being transparent with everybody, I think a new slate was a good way to look at this,” Ujiri said. “I feel sometimes in this organization we needed clarity in where we’re going. We need to really work in one direction and how we build this team and how we create winning.”

Dallas made two deep playoff runs with Kidd and Doncic, reaching the NBA Finals in 2024, two years after a loss to Golden State in the Western Conference finals.

The Mavericks traded Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024-25 season, getting Anthony Davis as their centerpiece in return. Dallas missed the playoffs that season and again in 2025-26, during which the oft-injured Davis was traded while sidelined with an injury.

Kidd, the Hall of Fame point guard who led the franchise to its only championship as a player in 2011, finished with a .500 regular-season coaching record (205-205) with the Mavs. In two of the three years Dallas missed the playoffs under Kidd, it was clear the club was focused on draft positioning as the seasons ended.

“What he’s done for this organization we truly respect, so this was a very, very tough decision,” Ujiri said. “I have to be accountable with a decision like this. I also have to be very active in how I look at the organization from top to bottom.”

Ujiri has already touted building around Cooper Flagg, the 19-year-old who won Rookie of the Year after being the top draft pick last summer following a standout one-and-done season at Duke.

Flagg still hasn't had a chance to play with fellow Duke alum Kyrie Irving, who thrived under Kidd before tearing the ACL in his left knee in March 2025 and missing all of the 2025-26 season.

When Irving arrived in Dallas, he was coming off tumultuous tenures in Boston and Brooklyn. He enjoyed a career renaissance while teaming with Doncic on the run that ended with a five-game loss to Boston in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Now the 34-year-old awaits word on Kidd's replacement.

“Kevin Durant once told me that there’s only one Kyrie walking around in the world,” Ujiri said. “I think we have to figure out a way, how Kyrie fits with our program. And I’ve had those conversations with Kyrie. And I think Kyrie will fit. As I said it before, there’s a huge curiosity in our minds to see how Kyrie fits playing with Cooper Flagg.”

Ujiri hired Mike Schmitz as general manager three days after he was introduced, and confirmed Wednesday that former co-interim general manager Matt Riccardi is leaving the organization.

Ujiri said discussions continue on a potential role for Michael Finley, the former Dallas player who was promoted alongside Riccardi in November when Nico Harrison, the engineer of the Doncic trade, was fired as general manager.

Moving on from Kidd was expensive for the Mavericks, who had signed him to multiyear extensions during the playoffs in 2024 and again last year after denying the New York Knicks permission to talk to him about their head coach opening.

“I am going to sit here and take responsibility for any of the decisions that we are going to make,” Ujiri said. “It’s not about being defensive. We’re just going to have a vision here that we are going to follow.”

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

Instead of hearing the warm, roaring cheers like other great IndyCar champions and popular personalities, Palou has started hearing a different chorus from the crowd, boos. No, it's not an overwhelming sentiment, yet, but the Spaniard got a first-hand glimpse of what could lie ahead during the parade lap of this month's Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Of course, the four-time series champion understands why it's happening — fans are weary of seeing him reach victory lane race after race — even though Palou isn't tired of winning.

“It was the first time I heard the boos like from multiple sections and I was like, 'All right,’” he said during practice for the sold-out Indianapolis 500. “I think till now, it's been very friendly and now it's getting like more toward boos. But I think it's good, you need to have that. We're getting booed for being successful and for doing the right thing.”

The quick transition from champion to villain is nothing new in sports.

Dynasty teams or even top athletes such as Tom Brady, LeBron James, Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson have all experienced — and embraced — the boos reserved for only the best of the best. Right now, Palou certainly fits the definition.

But in the relatively friendly confines of IndyCar racing, he's a rarity.

Palou has won three straight series titles and holds a 27-point lead in this year's standings thanks to three win in the season's first six races. He owns 11 wins in IndyCar's last 23 events, and just when it appeared Palou's success may finally be waning with an unlucky decision relegating him to fifth place in the Indianapolis GP, Palou's pole-winning qualifying run has made him the betting favorite to win the 500 again.

For Palou, it's a strange place to be. Here, in Indianapolis, he's a big hit on the defending winner's appearance circuit and many fans clamor for photos with the 2025 Indy champ. At the same time, many others want to see someone else win if only to add some intrigue to the championship chase.

Yet in many ways, it appears Palou can do no wrong.

Despite drawing a late spot in the qualifying line on a hot, windy Pole Day and nearly missing the 12-car pole shootout on his first four-lap attempt, Palou somehow surprised himself by delivering on the bold pre-qualifying prediction of Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull by putting his car at the front of Indy's first row. Palou's teammates, six-time series champ Scott Dixon and 21-year-old Kyffin Simpson, couldn't pull that off.

Dixon, the 2008 Indy winner, is starting 10th. Simpson qualified seventh, the inside of Row 3 and now they, like everyone else are find themselves chasing Palou.

“It’s something I’m absolutely, like, ‘How is he doing that week in, week out?’” 2018 Indy champ Will Power said recently. "Well, it’s one, he’s qualifying well. Two is he executes in the race and three is the pit stops, you know, top notch, there’s no mistakes in there. And he’s fast. So that’s what it takes when you’re driving out there.”

Just how dominant has Palou been lately?

He has two top-five finishes to his three wins this year, bringing his three-year totals to 14 victories and an additional 17 top fives in 41 races. His remarkable run of success is even more surprising because he's doing it in a spec series that is supposed to be relatively even.

Palou didn't reach this place by happenstance.

“They (the three drivers' teams) work so well together,” Hull said. “They help each other. We’re able to map the racetrack pretty quickly as well as collectively. That’s been a big deal for us. That’s always what our culture has emphasized.”

Hull's comment may explain why Palou and Dixon have combined to win seven of the last 11 series crowns for Ganassi.

But it doesn't explain why Palou is so far ahead of teammates such as Dixon, who has spent 5 1/2 seasons pursuing a record-tying seventh series title only to watch Palou take the crown four times. Only A.J. Foyt has more all-time series championships than Dixon.

Palou has a difficult time explaining the secret of his success, too.

“I just try to prepare as much as I can before going out on the track,” he said. “Then you have a list of things you need to do as a driver, like hitting references or just following the workload the engineer and mechanic have and that keeps you focused.”

In Palou's case, it's all about being first in practice, qualifying or on race day.

He's less concerned with what fans think though he certainly reveled in the warm, post-qualifying celebration fans gave him after winning the pole with a four-lap average of 232.248 mph. Or whether he'll hear more cheers — or jeers — on Sunday if he becomes the seventh driver in race history to win back-to-back 500s.

“You need to win again. Obviously, that's what they pay us to do as drivers,” Palou said. “We all need to be fighting for wins and winning things. Getting the first (500 win) is probably the toughest or the thing you chase the most, so I feel a little bit of a relief there. But I still want to win more.”

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

This legislation aims to ensure more than one million workers who currently lack access to paid sick days can take care of themselves and their families without sacrificing their wages.

The new law requires employers to provide workers with one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to five paid sick days per year, and extends these protections to both full-time and part-time employees.

“Virginia is making clear that a fair day’s work comes with the dignity of being able to stay home when you are sick or need to care for a sick family member,” said Governor Abigail Spanberger.“When working families are forced to come to work when they are sick or choose between caring for a sick child and losing a paycheck, it’s bad for them, their families, their colleagues, and the businesses that depend on healthy, reliable employees. Today, we are changing that. This law will protect workers, strengthen Virginia businesses, and make our Commonwealth a place where people can build the kind of stable, secure lives they deserve.”

“I am proud to sign this law, and I thank the members of the General Assembly who fought to make paid sick leave a reality for many years. While I proposed amendments that would have eased implementation of this law and provided greater clarity to employers, I look forward to continuing to work with the General Assembly to further support the clear and optimal implementation of this policy in advance of its July 2027 start,” Gov. Spanberger said.

“I have carried a paid sick day bill for the past three years because I believe that Virginia workers deserve to be treated with dignity. That means being able to take time off to see a doctor when you are sick without the fear of losing a job and sacrificing the ability to support your family,”saidSenator Barbara Favola, Chief Patron SB199. “I am incredibly proud that Governor Spanberger signed this bill into law, because it recognizes the people who power our economy. I look forward to continuing to work with the Governor on matters important to Virginia workers and Virginia families.”

“For too long, Virginia workers have had to make a nearly impossible choice between their health and their paycheck,” said Delegate Kelly Convirs-Fowler, Chief Patron of HB5. “I am proud to have helped deliver this protection for working families across the Commonwealth, and grateful to Governor Spanberger for her commitment to making it law today.”

“Look, you don't own me. I don't need to play tape of you to have a successful TV show,” he warned an image of Trump. “Someone on television should have a modicum of dignity and it could be me.”

Over the next 11 years, Colbert couldn't curb his appetite for making Trump barbs, often turning his show into a full-throated rebuke of MAGA policies. Trump would call him a “dead man walking.”

The on-air feud between the two men seemingly ends Thursday as Colbert's top-rated late-night TV program goes off the air for the final time, effectively silencing a high-profile White House critic.

“The legacy of this show needs to be that we remember it as the show that was canceled because a presidential administration wanted it off the air,” says Heather Hendershot, a professor of communication studies and journalism at Northwestern University. “We haven’t connected every single dot on that, but it’s very clear that this was a political decision. And I think 20, 30, 40 years later, that is going to be strongly remembered about this show — that this was a moment of authoritarian triumph.”

When comedy and politics collide

When CBS announced last summer that Colbert’s show would end in May, the network said it was for economic reasons but others — including Colbert — have expressed skepticism that Trump’s repeated criticism of the show had nothing to do with it.

The cancellation came after CBS parent company Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview, as Paramount's sale to Skydance Media awaited the Trump administration’s approval. Colbert had called the settlement a “big fat bribe.”

Trump rejoiced over the cancellation in a Truth Social post, writing “I absolutely love” that the host “got fired.” He followed it with: “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.” Just two months later, ABC, buckling to pressure from Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chair and affiliate networks, temporarily suspended Kimmel — the host of its own late-night show — following his remarks about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

TV experts said there are not many other examples of a hit show being shuttered due to political pressure. In 1969, CBS abruptly canceled “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” which had aired comedy bits in opposition of the Vietnam War and in support of civil rights.

Colbert, a “Daily Show” alum, spent nine years playing a buffoonish, conservative commentator on Comedy Central's “The Colbert Report.” He was not universally welcomed to “The Late Show” by those he had lampooned, with Rush Limbaugh saying “CBS has just declared war on the heartland of America.”

Through Democratic and Republican administrations, Colbert and other late-night comedians have offered their take on the day's events that offered something different from traditional news media.

“In given moments, like when something big happened, you really do want that perspective that says, ‘Here’s another way to look at it,’” says Dustin Kidd, a professor of sociology at Temple University. “Or when it feels really overwhelming, you want that reminder that there’s still some way to laugh at it. And so the more you lose those ways to laugh at it, the more we all decline.”

Colbert put his own spin on late night

“The Late Show” had celebrities, musical guests and jokes about Arby’s and Spirit Airlines, like other late-night shows. But Colbert put his own spin on things, like wearing his Catholic faith and his adoration of his wife and frequent guest, Evie McGee Colbert, on his sleeve.

After the monologue, he had oddball segments like “Meanwhile,” a look at global affairs in “What’s Going On Over There?,” technology with “Cyborgasm” and youth slang in “Stephen Colbert Presents: That’s Yeet. Dabbing on Fleek, Fam!”

“The Late Show,” which began in 1993 with host David Letterman, won two Emmys under Colbert, as well as a Peabody Award. Come Friday, the 11:35 p.m. time slot goes to “Comics Unleashed,” a talk show that host Byron Allen has vowed will eschew politics.

“There’s just going to be a huge void,” says Lisa Rogak, the author of the 2011 biography “And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert.” “And I don’t think anybody’s going to really want to step up and fill it.”

Among those sorry to see Colbert go is astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, a frequent guest. Johnny Carson used to book scientists, but Tyson notes wryly that not many TV hosts do these days. Colbert even had a segment highlighting new discoveries called “The Sound of Science.”

“Science doesn’t have many opportunities to access centerline pop culture,” says Tyson.

In a departure from the infighting of decades ago, other late-night hosts have rallied around Colbert. Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Seth Meyers — who hosted the “Strike Force Five” podcast with Colbert during the Hollywood strikes — visited “The Late Show” recently.

NBC's “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” which typically air against “The Late Show,” will instead broadcast reruns on Thursday.

Catholics and Tolkien fans mourn, too

Catholics will also mourn the loss of a late-night host who could quote Psalms by heart and who brought up issues of faith with guests and even what happens when we die with “The Colbert Questionert.”

“We’re losing a very well-known Catholic and someone who shares his religious ideas freely and intellectually, too,” says Stephanie Brehm, author of “America’s Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself): Stephen Colbert and American Religion in the Twenty-First Century.”

She pointed to poignant moments like Colbert's chat with then-Vice President Joe Biden about the death of his son, his discussion of grief with Anderson Cooper and his exploration of the relationship between faith and comedy with Dua Lipa.

Brehm saw Colbert make himself into a sort of moral authority and lean into the social justice camp of progressive Catholics: “He is playing up that moral quality by standing up for American moral values like freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and he’s doing it with a Catholic jargon, with Catholic language.”

Then there are devotees of author J.R.R. Tolkien. Colbert is a superfan of “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” and championed Tolkien in skits, references and competitions, memorably smoking James Franco in a few throwdowns.

“I think if you step back and reflect on his career, everything he’s done is for the betterment of the community,” says Duane Cronkite, head of live programming for the Fellowship of Fans forum and news site.

Timothy Lenz, part of the leadership committee of The Mythopoeic Society, a group dedicated to the study and appreciation of Tolkien, says Colbert inspired new readers.

“Stephen Colbert is easily the most enthusiastic celebrity fan of Tolkien’s works,” he says. “That sort of public, unapologetic enthusiasm for stories that in Colbert’s youth would have been considered like nerdy and uncool, that really helps to encourage fans of all ages to let their geek flag fly.”

Tolkien, fittingly, offers a next step for Colbert after his show goes dark. He's co-writing a new “Lord of the Rings” movie.

“He’s living the fan dream right now,” says Lenz.

The Roanoke County Police Department issued an update to the barricade incident that occurred early Wednesday morning.

According to officials, at 8 a.m., officers responded to the 5100 block of Yellow Mountain Road in reference to a disturbance call.

While officers were en route, the male subject, 54-year-old David Lawhorn, of Roanoke, called into the Roanoke County Communication Center and made threats to bomb.

Officials said once officers arrived on the scene, Lawhorn refused to exit his residence while escalating his behavior and aggression towards officers. SWAT responded to the scene and Lawhorn was eventually taken into custody without further incident.

Lawhorn is charged with threats to bomb, disorderly conduct, abuse of 911, and obstruction. He is being held without bond.

UPDATE

The Roanoke County Police Department says the man is now in custody.

ORIGINAL STORY

Roanoke County Police are working to serve an arrest warrant in the 5000 block of Yellow Mountain Road at a local trailer park.

Authorities say the individual has barricaded himself inside a home, and SWAT is on scene working to resolve the situation safely.

Multiple units are responding, with Roanoke County Fire and Rescue on scene as well to assist law enforcement.

Stay with 10 News as this breaking news story continues to develop.

Broadcaster Jim Nantz handled emcee duties, and country star Eric Church sat in the front row of a news conference that was more a celebration of landing the biggest event in Tennessee sports history. NFL owners voted unanimously Tuesday to award Nashville the 2030 Super Bowl.

Nantz, who has called seven Super Bowls for CBS and now calls Nashville home, said Music City knows how to host big events.

“We are, among many things, we’re in the entertainment business, and I don’t have a doubt that we’re going to entertain the people that travel to our city and our state to the greatest experience they’ve ever had at a big event,” Nantz said. “That’s what we do, and now we get to show them.”

Weather permitting, a party also was open to the public Wednesday night on Lower Broad, anchor of the 2019 NFL draft with music, a special guest or two and even a drone show.

The bid committee helping Nashville land this Super Bowl included comedian Nate Bargatze, Church and another star in Tim McGraw.

Questions already are flying about who will handle the halftime show, with Taylor Swift a popular suggestion.

Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business as well as international and league events, recalled a big thunderstorm barreling toward 200,000 people during the 2019 draft only to split and go around the town. O'Reilly called that a bit of Nashville magic.

Nashville finished with record-setting attendance, helping reset the standard for host cities since. O’Reilly expects Nashville to do it again.

“Super Bowl 64 in 2030 is going to be a game-changer for the Super Bowl,” O’Reilly said. “Super Bowl 64 in 2030 is going to be a game-changer for the NFL.”

The same people that helped Nashville put on the 2019 draft are still around. Burke Nihill, the Tennessee Titans’ president and CEO, said they will be involved with planning as Nashville puts its Music City stamp on everything up to and including the Super Bowl itself at the new Nissan Stadium.

“Let’s not start with a base understanding of how it’s always been done," Nihill said of going beyond the NFL's expectations. "How can we create something new that’s very different?”

Nantz also is the co-chair of Nashville's Super Bowl host committee with Bill Haslam, a former Tennessee governor and majority owner of the NHL's Nashville Predators. Nantz made clear he believes 2030 will be just the first Super Bowl played inside Nissan Stadium, which opens in 2027.

Deana Ivey, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp, said she is focused on 2030 first.

“I haven’t asked that question,” she said. "I’m focused on the first time.”

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

Fox has indicated it likes the 24-team idea, but embedded within that equation is the critical calculation of how much that network, or any broadcast partner, would pay for a new set of games involving second-tier teams that might not garner the same TV ratings as some of the biggest programs in the sport.

“The answer is ‘less,’ but not nothing,'" said Ed Desser, a former NBA executive and media rights expert who co-authored a paper about the value of college football on TV with former ESPN executive John Kosner. “There will be perceived value. It becomes a question of, on the margin, can you create good, meaningful games that enhance the value of the playoff? Or are you just kind of making people wait longer for the entree, for the game they really want?”

The CFP deal that starts this season with ESPN is worth $7.8 billion over six seasons. That network would have first dibs on the first two games added to any package. The rest are up for grabs.

“I want to see whoever is committed to making it work,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said this week when asked which TV partner he'd like to see jump in. “I think it's about whoever has the commitment to scheduling it right and who's going to bring the right resources.”

Figuring the size of the playoff is a puzzle that continues to confound the sport. On one side is the Southeastern Conference, which has held steady to the idea of not expanding past 16 teams though commissioner Greg Sankey teased that some might come around to 24 at meetings next week.

On the other is the Big Ten, which now also has backing from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences for a move to 24.

The SEC’s idea would more or less keep the overall schedule where it is, including preserving the conference championship games that Petitti estimated to be worth a combined $200 million to the four power conferences.

Sankey has said the league has contracts for its title game and it has to honor those contracts; Petitti didn't seem as tied to the title games, saying he thought the Big Ten could “undo our championship games” as soon as the 2027 season if needed.

A 24-team playoff would eliminate automatic qualifiers and render conference title games virtually meaningless. According to many in the Big Ten, they would give all programs what they crave — more access to the playoff, and a reason for fans and boosters to keep bankrolling all those player salaries.

“I think if we went to 24 teams, there might be 24 teams that could win the national championship,” said Illinois coach Bret Bielema, who is on the board of the American Football Coaches Association that also recently voiced support for the expanded field. “I don’t know if that was true 10 years ago.”

There is still the issue of paying for it.

While popular, college football only captures a fraction of the viewers as the NFL.

The 30.1 million who tuned into last season’s college final between Indiana and Miami would have ranked fifth on the NFL’s list of most-watched regular-season offerings. The Super Bowl drew more than 125 million viewers.

For the weeks when the CFP goes against NFL regular-season games – first-round contests the past two years have taken place opposite NFL games on Saturdays – the NFL games have drawn between 2.5 times and 5 times the viewers. Part of this is because the NFL games are over-the-air on Fox and the college games were on cable, TNT/TBS/TruTv.

There is also the issue of how much networks or streamers will have to spend.

The NFL's recent move into streaming and adding new broadcast windows — for example, Christmas Day and the days before and after Thanksgiving — has led to thoughts that the league will press for sooner renegotiations of its own deals that currently have an opt-out clause in 2029.

While the league controls all its games, college football's rights are spread out among the individual conferences and the CFP.

“We don’t feel that the current Balkanized state of college football lends itself to maximizing (revenue) across the board,” Kosner said. “Nor do I think that just doubling the CFP at this stage is going to be such a revenue motherlode that it's going to make a difference."

Pettiti views filling the gaps from the lost title-game revenue differently. He sees an influx of on-campus games, which generate $6 million or more in ticket sales and other receipts, as part of the equation.

The SEC, once seemingly in the majority in seeking a move to 16 teams, is now in the minority. Sankey said the league will have to do its own research to see how a bigger expansion would impact the college football calendar, the title games and, of course, the financial bottom line.

“I think there's going to be a lot of pressure on the commissioners to help make it happen," Kosner said. "I would kind of be surprised if, within two years, it hasn’t happened. But I’d also be surprised if it winds up being the sort of business boom that they might hope that it would be.”

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

Carmen Lineberger, who worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida and managed its Fort Pierce branch, faces charges including theft of government property and concealment of government records. She pleaded not guilty during a court appearance in West Palm Beach. Her attorney did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Prosecutors allege that while serving as a Justice Department prosecutor last December, Lineberger sent a copy of the report that special counsel Jack Smith and his team had prepared, recapping their investigation into Trump’s retention of top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, to her personal email account.

The indictment alleges that Lineberger sought to conceal her actions by altering the original file name of the report to “Bundt_Cake_Recipe.pdf” before saving the re-titled file on her government computer and emailing it to her personal email account.

Several months earlier, according to the indictment, Lineberger created on her computer a document consisting of portions of internal Justice Department messages, along with portions of an internal memorandum with header and footer markings that indicated it was for official use only. She sent the material to her personal email address via an attached file titled “chocolate_cake_recipe.pdf,” prosecutors say.

The indictment does not explain why Lineberger may have wanted to send the report, which prosecutors say she had access to in her professional capacity as a prosecutor, to her own email account.

The volume detailing Smith's findings in a criminal investigation once seen as posing significant legal peril to Trump has never been seen by the public. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon sided with Trump’s lawyers, who argued that releasing the report would be unfairly prejudicial after Smith abandoned the case following Trump's 2024 election victory.

Lineberger worked in the same judicial district where Smith's case against Trump was filed. That case accused Trump of illegally retaining at the Mar-a-Lago property dozens of classified records from his first term and obstructing government efforts to get them back.

The Philadelphia school district shifted to remote learning for students at 57 schools, saying that while it has made progress, a number of schools continue to have inadequate air conditioning.

The National Weather Service said another day of record heat was expected from the mid-Atlantic to New England before a cold front brings rain later in the week. Daily high temperature records were broken Tuesday in Portland, Maine, at 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) and Boston, at 96 degrees (35.5 degrees Celsius).

In Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, officials at one high school set up fans, passed around bottled water and allowed students to wear shorts and T-shirts instead of their usual uniforms.

“The heat outside feels like it’s manageable because of the wind but inside it feels just tight and burdening because we also have to go through quizzes, exams, there is no excuse,” student Ariolainy Baez told CBS News.

A heat advisory was in effect for portions of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island through Wednesday evening.

In New York City, city officials opened cooling centers to help residents find relief.

“Just as New Yorkers look out for one another through the coldest days of winter, we must do the same through the hottest days of the year,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

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Associated Press writer Holly Ramer contributed from Concord, New Hampshire.

“This is it,” Rodgers said Wednesday when the four-time NFL MVP was asked if this would be his final year.

The 42-year-old did not expand on why he came to that conclusion when making his first public comments since signing a one-year deal to return to the Steelers on Monday.

Rodgers instead is leaning into the present, including his reunion with first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy. The two spent 13 seasons together in Green Bay earlier in their careers, and Rodgers pointed to McCarthy's hiring as Mike Tomlin's replacement as a major factor in his decision to run it back one last time.

“It is like a (bunch of) ‘pinch me’ moments that have happened in the last few days,” he said following the second day of Pittsburgh's voluntary organized team activities.

McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay after the 2010 season, and they remained in frequent contact over the winter and into the spring as Rodgers weighed whether he wanted to put his body through the rigors of a 17-game season.

Rodgers ultimately landed on yes, hoping for the rarest of exits: one he can dictate on his own terms.

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

The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% toward its first rise in four days and pulled closer to its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 603 points, or 1.2%, as of 2:36 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher.

Stocks got a lift from easing yields in the bond market, a relief following rapid climbs that had rattled stock markets worldwide recently. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.57% from 4.67% late Tuesday, which is a significant move for a market that measures things in hundredths of a percentage point.

The 10-year Treasury yield had been rising from less than 4% before the war with Iran began, along with other yields around the world, because of worries that the fighting will keep oil prices high, among other factors. The inflation worries not only seemed to eliminate the chances that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates this year, they also heightened the risk that central banks may have to raise rates in 2026.

High yields slow economies and weigh on prices for stocks, cryptocurrencies and all kinds of other investments. Besides driving up rates for mortgages, they could also curtail companies' borrowing to build the artificial-intelligence data centers that have been supporting the U.S. economy's growth recently.

Yields eased Wednesday as oil prices pulled back some more. The price for a barrel of Brent crude fell 5.3% to $105.36, though it remains well above its roughly $70 level from before the war. Prices have been yo-yoing on rising and falling hopes that the United States and Iran can reach an agreement to allow oil deliveries to fully resume from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

A report showing less bad inflation in the United Kingdom than economists expected also helped calm yields worldwide.

With the easing of yields, technology stocks helped lead Wall Street higher.

Nvidia rose 1.6% and was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500. It's set to report its latest quarterly results after trading ends for the day, which will likely be the market's main event. The chip company has routinely blown past analysts’ profit expectations each quarter thanks to voracious demand for AI, and how it does could determine whether AI stocks and the larger U.S. market can maintain their record-setting rally.

Other tech stocks leading the market Thursday included Advanced Micro Devices, up 7.3%, and Intel, up 6.7%.

Smaller companies can feel even bigger relief from lower yields than their bigger rivals because many need to borrow to grow. The Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks jumped 2.2%, more than double the gain of the S&P 500, which measures the biggest U.S. stocks.

Also helping to drive the market was the company behind TJ Maxx, Marshalls and other stores, which climbed 5.7% after delivering stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. TJX's CEO, Ernie Herrman, said the current quarter is off to a good start, and the off-price retailer raised its forecasts for revenue and profit this year.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers jumped 20%, and Cava Group rallied 4.1% following their own better-than-expected profit reports. Such results raise hopes that households can keep spending and driving the economy, even though they’re contending with high gasoline prices and widespread discouragement about economic conditions.

Most big U.S. companies have likewise reported better profits for the start of 2026 than analysts expected, which has helped stocks run to records. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term.

On the losing side of Wall Street was Target, which fell 5.7% even though the retailer reported better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. A new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, is trying to turn around the company and boost its revenue.

Expectations may have been even higher for the company’s performance after Target’s stock came into the day with a gain of more than 30% for the year so far, quadruple the S&P 500’s gain.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rallied in Europe following weaker finishes across Asia. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.2% as the yield on the 10-year Japanese government bond slipped but remained near its highest level since 1997.

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AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

The moves toughen the environment in Brazil for giants like Google, Meta and TikTok, who have long tried to dissociate themselves with crimes online committed by users.

The first decree makes key adaptations to government regulations to align them with a decision by Brazil’s Supreme Court making big tech companies liable if they refuse to remove content by judicial order. It also enables the country’s national agency of data protection to investigate those cases. The second decree establishes guidelines for the protection of women in the digital environment.

Brazil’s government said in a statement that from now on platforms must analyze any complaints, and if the content is deemed criminal, remove it immediately, while communicating the decision to the person responsible. Possible penalties for non-compliance include warnings, fines and temporary suspension.

Big tech companies have not commented on the decision by Brazil’s government.

Patricia Peck, a council member of Brazil’s Data Protection Authority and author of 46 books on law and technology, said the country’s executive and judicial branches have pushed for big techs to be proactive against crimes online despite evident stagnation of the debate in congress.

“We don’t have specific legislation to hold these platforms responsible, we are taking a side road,” Peck told The Associated Press. “Those who develop these technologies must think about it with perspective of ethics, privacy, and security as a standard.”

Since the Brazilian Supreme Court ruling last year, these companies have had to actively monitor content that involves hate speech, racism and incitation to violence and act to remove it.

Lula’s move also expands the current law’s capacity to address the growth of digital fraud, online scams and new forms of online violence.

Mattheus Puppe, an expert on Brazil’s digital law, says the decrees seek to stop platforms from profiting from illegal publications and reinforce the country’s Supreme Court’s decision. But he has doubts on whether the government’s initiatives will indeed hinder online crime.

“It is not clear how well this will work because the agency that was chosen to investigate cases can barely do its job now,” Puppe said. “But it is true that it shouldn’t be up to companies to know what is lawful and what is not.”

Brazil’s approach to big techs is increasingly similar to that of the European Union, which has sought to rein in the power of social media companies and other digital platforms.

But it has unsettled the relationship between the South American nation and the U.S. government. Critics expressed concern that the move could threaten free speech if platforms preemptively remove content that could be problematic.

Earlier this year, a law that seeks to shield minors from addictive, violent, and pornographic online content took effect. The legislation requires minors under 16 to link their social media accounts to a legal guardian to ensure supervision and prohibits platforms from using addictive features such as infinite scroll and the automatic play of videos.

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The 2026 list, announced Wednesday, marks America's 250th anniversary with the foundational principle that everyone is created equal as the theme, said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization. The 11 sites offer examples of how, over time, Americans have fought against injustice and for equality, she said.

“We wanted to think about those ideas, especially this notion that all human beings are created equal and find places, sometimes unsung places ... that not all Americans routinely think about," Quillen told The Associated Press.

The sites are spread across the United States — from New York and California on the East and West Coasts, to Alabama and Texas in the South, to Michigan in the Midwest and the Four Corners of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah in the Rocky Mountain West.

At least three of the sites — Stonewall, the El Corazon church in Texas and President's House in Philadelphia — have been endangered by Trump administration actions.

“We want to save these places," Quillen said, “not just because the bricks and mortar is important but because the stories these places hold are important."

For the first time since the list debuted in 1988, each site on the 2026 list will receive a one-time $25,000 grant to help highlight their connections to the principle that all people are created equal and address the threats they face.

The 11 sites are:

Montgomery, Alabama: Ben Moore Hotel

The hotel was a refuge for Black people living under laws that enforced racial separation in the South. Prolonged vacancy has caused structural deterioration and the historic Centennial Hill neighborhood surrounding it faces pressure from development. The hotel housed key players from the Civil Rights Movement, including the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. The Conservation Fund announced in November that it would help preserve the hotel.

Modoc County, California: Tule Lake Segregation Center

Initially known as the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, it was set up as a camp but later became a segregation center where Japanese Americans who were thought to be disloyal to the United States were imprisoned. The site is now a national monument managed by the National Park Service. Only 37 acres of the 1,100-acre site is protected. Most of it is at risk of permanent alteration from a proposed nearby construction project.

California: Angel Island Immigration Station

It was the largest immigration port on the West Coast between 1910 and 1940, particularly for immigrants from Asia and the Pacific. Hundreds of thousands were processed, detained and/or interrogated there because of their race. The station currently is threatened by physical, environmental, political and economic factors. Additional funding is needed for structural repairs and programming to increase awareness.

Somerset, Massachusetts: Swansea Friends Meeting House

Recognized as the oldest surviving Quaker meeting house in the state, it was built in 1701 to serve as a refuge by a congregation fleeing religious persecution and looking for a safe place to worship. The building has been closed for years and needs significant rehabilitation.

Michigan: Detroit Association of Women's Clubs

Founded in 1921, the association was one of the first Black organizations in Detroit to own their headquarters building, which was purchased in 1941. But the building has been closed since 2024, when water pipes burst and damaged the interior. Money is needed to help the association reopen the building.

New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah: Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape

The landscape is an ancestral homeland sustained for over a millennium by the Pueblo and Hopi people, but is threatened by changes to federal land policy that could open up significant portions to oil and gas development. Permanent protections and tribal consultation are needed to protect its cultural integrity.

Seneca Falls, New York: Women's Rights National Historical Park

The park tells the story of the first Women's Rights Convention, held in Seneca Falls, in July 1848. It faces a deferred maintenance backlog of over $10 million. Additional funding and support are needed to help preserve the park as a place to teach visitors about the history of women's rights.

New York: Stonewall National Monument

The first and only U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history was the subject of administration actions that saw the rainbow Pride flag removed from its flagpole earlier this year before it was restored. The National Park Service had removed the flag in February, citing federal guidance that limited the agency to displaying only the American, Interior Department and POW/MIA flags. But the administration reversed course in April as it agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by advocacy and historic preservation groups that sought to block the flag's removal at the Manhattan site.

After Trump returned to office, he ended diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and many references to transgender people were excised from the Stonewall monument’s website and materials. The Republican administration similarly has put national parks, museums and landmarks under a messaging microscope, aiming to remove or alter materials that it says are “divisive or partisan” or “inappropriately disparage Americans.”

Philadelphia: The President's House Site

The administration abruptly removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president, who lived there when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. The exhibits were taken down as part of a broad effort by the administration to remove from federal properties information it deems “disparaging” to Americans. The issue is currently the subject of litigation between the city and federal government.

Heath Springs, South Carolina: Hanging Rock Revolutionary War Battlefield

The Battle of Hanging Rock was a key battle in the Southern Campaigns of the Revolutionary War and is considered a Patriot victory that helped boost morale and ultimately weaken British control in South Carolina. Only portions of the core battlefield are protected and open to the public, with the area anticipating population growth and increasing development pressures.

Ruidosa, Texas: El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus

The more than century-old adobe church served as a refuge and place of worship for Mexican and Mexican American farming communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River. Vacant since the 1950s, the structure has benefited from continued restoration provided by the nonprofit Friends of the Ruidosa Church but remains threatened by proposed construction of a U.S. border wall that could come within a few hundred yards of the property.

Frank died late Tuesday, according to Jim Segel, Frank’s former campaign manager and close friend.

After representing broad swaths of Boston's suburbs in Congress for 32 years, Frank and his husband moved to Ogunquit, Maine. He entered hospice there in April with congestive heart failure and is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, and sisters, the longtime Democratic strategist Ann Lewis and Doris Breay, along with brother David Frank.

A self-described “left-handed gay Jew,” Frank was known for his acerbic wit, combative style and focus on marginalized communities. He represented the party's left wing while keeping close with Democratic leaders who sometimes frustrated progressives.

He is best known as a pioneer for LGBT rights. After decades of grappling with his sexuality, he publicly came out as gay in 1987, the first member of Congress to do so voluntarily. With his 2012 marriage to Ready, he became the first incumbent lawmaker on Capitol Hill to marry someone of the same sex.

But in an April interview as he entered hospice, Frank said he hoped he would be remembered for advocating a brand of politics that embraced progressive ideals without forcing them on voters prematurely. It is an approach he feared was being rejected as Democrats prepare for what could be a rollicking primary as they hope to retake the White House in 2028 and move past the Trump era.

“I hope I made the point that the best way to accomplish the improvements in our society that we need, particularly in making it less unfair economically and socially, is by conventional political methods,” Frank said. “The main obstacle to our defeating populism and going further in the right direction is that mainstream Democrats have to make it clear that we oppose that part of the agenda of our friends on the left that is politically unacceptable. They're right about a lot of things but you have to have some discretion.”

“You should not take the most unpopular parts of your agenda and make them litmus tests," he added. “And that's what my friends on the left have been doing.”

Frank's path to public life

Born in 1940 in Bayonne, New Jersey, Frank wrote in his 2015 memoir that he was drawn to public life after Emmett Till, a Black 14-year-old from Chicago, was lynched by white men in Mississippi. Frank would volunteer in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964, though he acknowledged the fast-talking style was a challenge in the Deep South.

“My direct organizing of Mississippi voters was limited by the fact that my accent (to this day more New Jersey than New England), my poor diction, and my rapid speech, especially when I got excited, rendered me largely incomprehensible to rural Mississippians of both races,” he wrote.

He entered politics in 1968 as an aide to Boston Mayor Kevin White before winning a seat in the Massachusetts House in 1972. Frank was elected to Congress in 1980, an otherwise dismal year for Democrats as the party lost dozens of seats in the U.S. House and Republican Ronald Reagan won the White House.

Frank's pragmatic style surfaced early in his congressional career. He joined the liberal Democratic Study Group to help push then-Speaker Tip O'Neill, D-Mass., to respond more aggressively to the Reagan administration. But Frank said he found himself more often agreeing with O'Neill's less confrontational approach.

Years later, as Congress prepared to pass a massive tax overhaul package, Frank intended to vote “no,” opposed to the bill's lowering of top tax rates. He changed his mind, however, when he worked out a deal boosting affordable housing tax credits.

“I was happy to sacrifice my ideological purity to improve legislation that was going to become law with or without me,” he wrote.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat and former House speaker, called Frank an “idealist to the nth degree.”

“The goals, the vision, the promise of it all,” she recalled in an interview. “Nobody could ever surpass what he brought to the table in that regard.”

Making history in Congress

Through his early years in Washington, Frank led something of a double life.

Privately, he socialized in the city's gay circles and had relationships but did not publicly acknowledge his sexuality. The media at the time rarely reported that someone was gay unless that person was involved in a scandal. When Frank in 1987 invited a reporter to his office to formally ask whether the congressman was gay, Frank responded, “yeah, so what?”

Other elected leaders, perhaps most notably San Francisco's Harvey Milk, had come out years before. Members of Congress, including Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass., were previously outed through scandal.

Frank's approach made him the most prominent gay leader in national politics for much of the 1980s and 1990s. He helped secure AIDS funding and pressed the Democratic Clinton administration, unsuccessfully, to lift a ban on gays serving in the military.

But there were low points, too, most notably an overwhelming 1987 House vote to reprimand him for poor judgment involving a male prostitute he hired in 1985. Rep. Newt Gingrich of Georgia, the Republican whip at the time, pressed for the more severe punishment of censure, which was rejected by a large margin.

Frank became something of a punch line among conservative Republicans, with House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, calling him “Barney Fag” in 1995. Armey said he misspoke and later apologized from the House floor.

Along the way, Frank became known as one of the most quotable lawmakers in Congress.

Regarding abortion, he said Republicans believed “life begins at conception and ends at birth,” criticizing the party's push to curb social programs. After Ken Starr released a report describing President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky in sometimes intimate detail, Frank said it required “too much reading about heterosexual sex.”

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., entered Congress the same year as Frank and he recalled his former colleague: “You may get a blow, but it was softened by the humor that came with it."

To Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, Frank's "one-liners were wicked and wickedly funny. Barney delivered for working people, and the world is a poorer place without him.”

Presiding over a financial overhaul

By 2007, Frank was the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, where he would leave his lasting policy mark as the U.S. economy careened toward collapse. He worked with the Republican Bush administration to pass a rescue package, providing vital support to financial institutions but spurring a populist revolt that still courses through American politics.

Once the initial crisis eased, Frank helped develop the most significant reform legislation since the New Deal. Working with then-Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., the Dodd-Frank Act would enhance consumer protections, impose new capital requirements for banks and boost the ability of regulators to monitor risk.

“Barney and I shared a fantastic relationship," Dodd said. "I had many good moments in those 36 years in Congress, but none more significant, joyful, or productive than those almost two years working with Barney on our banking bill.”

During President Donald Trump's second term, his Republican administration has worked to roll back many of the legislation's provisions, arguing they were too onerous.

Frank faced his toughest reelection campaign in years in 2010 as the tea party wave swept over American politics. He opted against running again in 2012, though remained engaged in politics long after leaving Congress, including spending time as a contributor to the conservative Newsmax network.

He remained a fierce critic of Trump. Asked for his prediction on who might succeed the president, Frank said “unfortunately I won't get to vote for it.”

It hasn't always been easy. For instance, there were challenging economic times through the 1980s and various degrees of drought affecting his yield through the years. But this season feels different.

“All in all, it’s not going to be a good year,” said Williams, 76.

Record-setting drought and hotter-than-average temperatures mixed with sharp drops have impacted much of the U.S. early this year, including the Plains region. Drought conditions have worsened the spread of the wheat streak mosaic virus and barley yellow dwarf virus, which impact the potential of the crop. Combined with climbing input costs related to fertilizer, diesel fuel and tariffs, longtime wheat farmers say they are feeling a lot of pain.

“It’s kind of a double whammy,” Williams added.

Crop estimates underscore just how bad the situation is. Growers will see their smallest wheat crop in terms of production since 1972, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture; 1.56 billion bushels this year, down 21% from 2025. That’s especially harmful to Kansas, one of the top overall producers of wheat in the U.S.

Only in five of the past 40 years has Kansas' wheat crop been in such a bad state, an analysis of USDA data shows, with 58% of the crop rated as “poor” or “very poor” as of May 17. The last time the fields were in as bad a condition was during a severe drought in 2023.

“It’s very tough conditions that growers are faced with right now,” said Kansas State agronomist Romulo Lollato. And he said that affects consumers, “whether it is through going to a bakery and having higher bread prices, or whether it’s through losing some of the international market out there for the U.S.”

With this year so bad, many wheat growers have been forced to file for crop insurance or consider whether they can lean on other crops to withstand the uncertainties.

Williams saw close to 100 bushels of wheat per acre irrigated last year, but this year might only have 30 to 40. He splits his wheat crop between irrigated and dryland — for which farmers depend on rainfall and soil moisture — and there, he might only see 10 to 15 bushels per acre.

Williams and other farmers said they know they'll lose money this year. “I guess my attitude is: Stay the course. Don’t make any new purchases,” he added. “And forget your wants and just do your needs.”

The weather is unpredictable, and farmers' costs are adding up.

Climate change, caused by the burning of gas, oil and coal, has made farming a number of crops increasingly challenging over the years, experts say, and wheat is no exception. Several wheat farmers described worsening extremes this year, including the winter's intense and unseasonable heat, late freezes and an ongoing shortage of rain.

The U.S., meanwhile, has lost ground in the global wheat market to Russia and the European Union; national wheat acreage has dropped over the past several years for a variety of reasons, said Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist.

“There’s certainly a downward trend for wheat in the Great Plains and elsewhere in the U.S. based on a number of factors, and certainly the weather challenges over the last couple of decades have been a big part of that,” Rippey said.

Still, wheat is the nation’s third field crop as planted acreage, production and gross farm receipts after corn and soybeans, according to the USDA. The U.S. is one of the world’s largest producers by volume of wheat each year, and it’s a major exporter of the crop.

Thousands of U.S. farmers rely on wheat as an important livelihood, and factors outside of their control have made their work more difficult.

The dry conditions sped up how fast the crop grew, USDA data show, not a positive sign for the quality of the harvest.

By the end of the first full week of May, 86% of wheat crops in Kansas had produced a seed head, while 61% was typical in the previous 10 years at the same point in the season. The plant is “genetically programmed” to produce a head before dying, Rippey said, but if they do so too early, the result will often be poor quality.

Only 32.4 million acres (13.1 million hectares) of wheat were planted this year to begin with, and harvested acreage hit just 22 million, marking abandonment, which is when farmers stop tending to a crop before harvesting, at slightly above 32% of this year's wheat crop, according to USDA estimates.

Except for the 2022-2023 cycle, there have only been a handful of other years in history where U.S. winter wheat abandonment has been higher, Rippey noted.

In Kansas, about 17% of the crop is being abandoned this year.

“Rain makes grain,” said Mike Nickelson, a wheat and corn farmer in western Kansas. “That's the whole key. We can do the very best we can do and then if we don't get the rain, then it makes it pretty tough.”

Forecasters are predicting a substantial El Nino, a cyclical and natural process in which patches of the equatorial Pacific warm and alter the world’s weather patterns, including rainfall. Because in the U.S., that is expected to mean warmer-than-normal temperatures this summer, it could be months before there is any drought relief.

“It seems like we’re the ones out trying to feed the world and we’re the ones suffering the most,” Nickelson, 60, added. “My son is here farming with me, and I’d really like to transition him to help take over the farm. I’m like, really, do I want him to have to do this? I mean, it’s a great life, but man, right now it’s just tough.”

The war in Iran, meanwhile, has sent fuel prices soaring. Williams, the Montezuma farmer, said he drives 150 to 200 miles (240 to 320 kilometers) a day, and diesel is up nearly $2 per gallon from one year ago.

The cost of seed, fertilizer and more is rapidly adding up, too. Some growers bought fertilizer ahead of time for this season, but they worry about the year ahead. Farmers already have been navigating the consequences of the Trump administration’s rocky trade policy.

Nickelson said urea, a type of fertilizer for agriculture, previously cost $400 a ton. He is now paying between $600 and $700 a ton. “You hope to break even, but I’m not sure we’re gonna do that,” he said.

There aren't many options for farmers to make up for losses.

For Ben Palen, a fifth-generation farmer and farming consultant, solutions are tough, and relief feels minimal.

Crop insurance to account for the losses only go so far. The Trump administration has offered one-time bridge payments for qualifying farmers of a variety of crops to aid their increasing costs amid trade disruptions and inflation, but those funds are also limited.

Allowing the wheat to fallow — essentially leaving it unused to prep land for the next crop — or planting something unplanned aren't viable options, either. It's not just a matter of adding more water to the land to try to get wheat to stick, and it's difficult for farmers to change course to another crop at this point in the year.

“It’s a little late now to try to plant something on say, a wheat crop that’s failed on a particular farm,” Palen, 70, said, “because we just don’t have soil moisture to get another crop started.

“This is probably about as challenging of a time to be a farmer that I can recollect,” he added. “It’s a pretty serious situation.”

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This story has been updated to correct that wheat production is forecast to be down 21% from 2025, not down to 1.05 billion bushels that year. This story also corrects the spelling of the Kansas State agronomist's surname; his name is Romulo Lollato, not Romulo Lolloto.

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St. John reported from Detroit. Associated Press journalists Alyssa Goodman in New York and M.K. Wildeman in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

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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.

High pressure in the Atlantic will continue to funnel moisture into the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, which means we will have plenty of fuel for some showers and storms over the next several days.

Combine that with a front that’s expected to pass through and stall, and you get a very unsettled pattern that could lead to multiple rain chances.

With that being said- let’s walk through what to expect.

Rain We Don’t Have

The drought monitor will update again on Thursday, which will take into account all rain we’ve seen since last Tuesday. I don’t expect any significant changes with the update, but the rainfall we have on the way could make a huge difference in next week’s update.

The hardest hit part of the state remains the Piedmont region and Southside. This includes major areas such as Lynchburg, Appomattox, Danville, and Martinsville. Parts of the New River Valley are also starting to experience extreme drought.

Rain We Need

One of the most frequent questions asked about this drought is “how much rain do we need to end it?” Well, to end this drought in one month’s time, we’d need 9-13 inches from a statewide perspective, depending on what part of the state you’re in.

As a side note- this map is divided into six Climate Divisions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. These divisions are determined based on monthly and yearly temperature and precipitation averages.

Rain We Could Get

Back to the pattern I mentioned earlier... We’ll have daily rain chances through the rest of this week and into next week as well. Not everyone will see rain every single day, as most of these showers and storms will be relatively scattered.

As for how much rain we could receive, it’s difficult to tell based on the spatial extent of where any showers and storms pop up. Currently, most models are indicating around 1-2.5″ falling over the course of the next 7 days. This is a VERY generalized number, and higher totals could be possible anywhere a thunderstorm with heavy rain pops up.

We need a substantial amount of rain to get us out of this drought, but safe to say, we likely have at least SOME relief on the way. This is great news for agriculture, rivers and lakes.

The lawsuit challenges the state's practice of assigning students to schools based solely on where they live, which can lead to patterns of housing segregation being replicated in school systems.

The case is the latest example of efforts to address segregation and funding inequities through state-level litigation. Even before the Trump administration began taking steps to release districts in the Deep South from court-ordered desegregation efforts, integration efforts had fallen far from their peak decades ago when the federal government intervened in school systems around the U.S.

The plaintiffs include nine students and four community organizations from segregated school districts across Massachusetts, including Springfield, Holyoke, Boston, Lawrence, Brockton, Lynn, and Worcester. The districts border more affluent, predominantly white districts where the plaintiffs are unable to enroll.

In response to the lawsuit, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said it does not have the authority to change school district boundaries, nor the power to compel schools to allow students from other districts to enroll. It said in a written statement the state has invested in efforts to reduce gaps in graduation rates, and sought additional investments for high-poverty districts.

“Massachusetts leads the nation in student achievement, and we are committed to building on this progress to strengthen our education system for every student in our state,” spokesperson Jacqueline Reis said.

Plaintiffs argue the state is failing Black and Latino students

A 2024 state advisory council report found that 63% of all schools in Massachusetts are segregated or intensely segregated, and that the state education department had fallen short in its oversight duties. Schools that have higher concentrations of students of color saw worse outcomes on metrics like graduation and college matriculation.

While the state constitution guarantees students a right to an adequate education and equal protection under the law, it has failed to do so in practice for Black and Latino students, said Jillian Lenson, senior attorney at Lawyers for Civil Rights, which filed the suit with Brown's Promise.

“It's not student potential, it's the conditions of their schools that drive these disparate outcomes, conditions that the state has maintained and perpetuated for decades,” Lenson said.

The lawsuit filed in Massachusetts state court in Suffolk County asks to compel the state to address the disparities that emerge from rules assigning students to schools in areas where they live.

GeDá Jones Herbert, chief legal counsel at Brown's Promise, said the lawsuit is not seeking mandatory integration, but rather an investment in evidence-backed practices that benefit all students.

Those include expanding regional magnet programs and investing more in under-resourced schools. The state has regional vocational schools and voluntary inter-district transfers, but a complex system of opt-outs and the small size of most programs prevent equal access, the plaintiffs said.

“Black and Latino students are blocked out of access to those opportunities, and that's unconstitutional,” Jones Herbet said.

Advocates are seeking segregation remedies at the state level

Other recent examples of state-level litigation also have focused on addressing residential segregation.

In 2018, the Latino Action Network and the New Jersey chapter of the NAACP, among other plaintiffs, filed a suit arguing that the state’s system of assigning students based on their residence has created racially segregated schools. And in Minnesota, a 2015 lawsuit asserted that the segregation of schools in Saint Paul and Minneapolis led to inadequate and unequal educations for students of color.

Both cases have been winding their way through state courts, with no decisive resolution.

The state cases come amid shifts in federal enforcement of desegregation in schools. By the early 2000s, a series of Supreme Court cases had significantly limited the tools available to districts to meaningfully integrate schools on the basis of race.

State constitutions, which often have clauses enshrining equality and education, can serve as a pathway for challenges to segregation that results from economics and housing patterns, said Robert Williams, a professor of law emeritus at Rutgers University.

“The government knows about it, but it’s not the government that did it directly,” Williams said. “These cases argue that having so many different school districts that align with housing patterns and having laws that say that you have to go to school where you live, all of those things sort of amount to government segregation.”

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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.

Sixteen known moons circle Neptune, our solar system’s eighth and most distant planet. Neptune’s biggest moon, Triton, barged in from the solar system’s frigid outskirts billions of years ago, scattering the planet’s original moons and putting them on destructive collision courses.

A team led by the California Institute of Technology used NASA’s Webb Space Telescope to study Nereid. Their observations suggest that Nereid is no party crasher like Triton and likely survived by escaping into its extreme, elliptical orbit around Neptune.

“What we know about Nereid is very limited. For its size, Nereid is extremely understudied,” said study author Matthew Belyakov, of Caltech.

Neptune has only been visited by one spacecraft, NASA’s Voyager 2 in 1989. Nereid was discovered 40 years earlier by Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper, who named the moon after the sea nymphs in Greek mythology.

Roughly 220 miles (350 kilometers) across, Nereid has an extremely eccentric orbit for a moon. It takes practically an entire Earth year for Nereid to orbit Neptune, with the moon passing less than 1 million miles (1.4 million kilometers) from the giant icy planet at one end of its egg-shaped loop and as far as 6 million miles (9.6 million kilometers) at the other end.

Like so many other moons in the outer solar system, Nereid was long suspected of migrating to Neptune's neighborhood from the frigid outlying expanse known as the Kuiper Belt. But using the Webb telescope, scientists determined that Nereid’s composition was inconsistent with Kuiper Belt objects — it had too much ice. That suggests it was part of Neptune's system all along.

“We don’t have all that much evidence left around Neptune — the system doesn’t have very many moons left,” Belyakov said in an email. But the latest observations “strongly rule out” that Nereid wandered by like so many others and got ensnared by planetary gravity.

The findings appear in the journal Science Advances.

This is “an exciting result," said Carnegie Science planetary astronomer Scott Sheppard, who was not part of the study.

The observations show for the first time that Nereid’s peculiar orbit matches “the history we might expect from a moon that originally formed close to Neptune and was later pushed outward from the capture of Triton,” Sheppard said in an email.

Neptune's innermost moons likely formed out of the shattered remains of the originals that were Triton's casualties, according to Belyakov and his team.

All three of the solar system’s other giant planets have more moons, with Saturn topping the charts at 292.

A visiting spacecraft could clinch the Neptunian system's origin story, according to scientists, although none are currently planned.

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

Castro was charged for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was defense minister at the time.

President Donald Trump has been escalating talk on regime change in Cuba after the military action in Venezuela early this year resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. In addition, a White House-ordered economic blockade has led to blackouts, food shortages and a collapse in economic activity across Cuba.

The indictment comes amid rising tensions between Trump's administration and Cuba’s government. Meanwhile, the U.S. is in the midst of an uneasy ceasefire in the U.S. war against Iran.

Here’s a closer look at developments over the year between Cuba and the U.S.

Jan. 4

A day after the operation in Venezuela that captured Maduro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Cuba's government was “in a lot of trouble," as the president renewed calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland.

Jan. 11

Trump fired off a warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braced for potential unrest after Maduro was deposed. Trump called for the Cuban government “to make a deal BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."

Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, responded, “Those who turn everything into a business, even human lives, have no moral authority to point the finger at Cuba in any way, absolutely in any way.”

Jan. 30

Trump signed an executive order to impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple the island.

Feb. 27

A day before the war in Iran began, Trumpsaid the U.S. was in talks with Havana and raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba,” though he didn't offer any details.

Trump said Rubio was in discussions with Cuban leaders “at a very high level.”

Trump didn’t clarify his comments but seemed to indicate that the situation with Cuba, among Washington’s bitterest adversaries for decades, was coming to a critical point.

Sometime in February

Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of Castro known as "Raúlito," secretly met with Rubio on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community summit in St. Kitts in February.

March 13

Díaz-Canelsaid Cuba and the U.S. held talks, marking the first time the Caribbean country confirmed widespread speculation about discussions with the Trump administration amid an energy crisis.

He said the talks “were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated these exchanges.”

March 31

A sanctioned Russian oil tanker arrived in Cuba, the first time in three months fuel reached the island.

April 9

Diaz-Canel said he would not resign.

April 10

Two senior State Department officials — Jeremy Lewin, who is in charge of all U.S. foreign assistance, and Michael Kozak, the top U.S. diplomat for Latin America — led a delegation to Havana and met with Rodríguez Castro, according to one U.S. official familiar with the meetings.

April 12

Díaz-Canel said in an interview he would not step down and that the U.S. has no valid reason to carry out a military attack against the island or to attempt to depose him.

Speaking in the interview on NBC's “Meet the Press,” the president said an invasion of Cuba would be costly and affect regional security.

April 16

Díaz-Canel spoke during a rally that drew hundreds of people to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the Cuban Revolution’s socialist essence.

“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.

April 17

News emerged that an American delegation recently met with Cuban government officials, marking a renewed diplomatic push. This was at least the third meeting with Rodríguez Castro.

A senior State Department official met with Rodríguez Castro earlier in the month, according to a department official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

The official did not say who from the U.S. met with 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 Rubio was not part of the delegation that visited Havana.

April 23

A Cuban diplomat speaking at the United Nations said Havana will not abide by any American “ultimatums” to release political prisoners as part of new talks.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Cuban Ambassador to the U.N. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán said internal issues regarding detainees “are not on the negotiating table.” The release of political prisoners was a key U.S. demand as the longtime adversaries held discussions in Cuba for the first time in a decade.

April 28

Senate Republicans rejected legislation from Democrats that would have required Trump to end the U.S. energy blockade on Cuba unless he receives approval from Congress.

The vote on the war powers resolution showed how Republicans continue to stand behind Trump as he acts unilaterally to exert American force in a range of global conflicts, including Venezuela, Iran and Cuba — one of the U.S.’s closest neighbors.

May 7

U.S. officials said the United States was not looking at imminent military action against Havana despite Trump’s repeated threats that “Cuba is next” and that American warships deployed in the Middle East for the Iran conflict could return by way of the island.

The officials involved in preliminary discussions with Cuban authorities also told the AP that they are not optimistic the communist government will accept an offer for tens of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid, two years of free Starlink internet access for all Cubans, agricultural assistance and infrastructure support.

But they said Cuba had not yet outright refused the offer, which came with conditions that the government has long resisted, even after the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Havana.

May 14

U.S. and Cuban officials said CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raúl Castro’s grandson during a high-level visit to the island.

Ratcliffe met with Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services, and discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues. A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP.

May 15

The Justice Department was preparing to seek an indictment against Castro, three people familiar with the matter told the AP.

One of the people said the potential indictment was connected to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was defense minister at the time.

All three people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The Cuban government did not respond to a request for comment on the potential indictment, which was reported earlier by CBS.

May 18

The State Department imposed a new layer of sanctions on several Cuban government agencies, including the Interior Ministry and National Police and Intelligence Directorate, as the Trump administration continued to ratchet up pressure against the island.

May 20

Federal prosecutors announced a grand jury indictment against Castro in connection with the shootdown of the two Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that two planes, not four, were shot down in 1996.

But the gutsy (in more than one way) Vought Cinematic Universe is not coming to an end, with two spinoffs on the horizon at Amazon's Prime Video: “Vought Rising” and “The Boys: Mexico.” “Vought Rising” is due out in 2027 and traces the origins of the titular corporation's “supe” program, bringing back fan favorite Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles).

“I mean, look, you hope it’s received well. We don’t necessarily know just yet, my fingers are crossed,” Ackles said at “The Boys” series finale's premiere Tuesday in Los Angeles, praising “The Boys” cast and crew for building a remarkable fanbase. “So, I’m hoping that we can just capitalize on that as much as we can and that they will go with us on this new journey.”

How last season of ‘The Boys’ came together

Showrunner Eric Kripke said the final season — in which Homelander essentially takes control of the United States — was based on history but developed “unsettling” parallels to current events. The show, which premiered in 2019, is adapted from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book series, which ran from 2006-2012.

“We were looking at what happens in countries that have authoritarian creep, like what happens in Eastern Europe or South America or Germany,” Kripke said, pointing to leaders building statues of themselves, asserting they're ruling by divine right and building internment camps. “And the fact that all of these things happened before we even aired, we genuinely thought we were doing something a little out there. And it ended up sort of becoming reality in a way that’s not great for reality.”

He does see an upside to on-the-nose satire.

“I actually feel like if there’s any silver lining to get out of this dumpster fire, it’s that especially young people might see a golden statue of Trump and say, ‘Oh wait, I saw something like that on “The Boys” and it was so ridiculous that this is completely ridiculous,’” he said. “I think there’s real value in that kind of satire of just pointing out how silly it all is.”

Daveed Diggs felt “very privileged” to join the show as Oh Father, a supe leading a church that evangelizes Homelander as God.

“People aren’t leaning on satire as much as I think we should in these times. You know when stuff gets the hardest, the darkest, when fascism is the most present, that’s when satire is really supposed to kick off,” he said.

For those who have been there from the start, saying goodbye to their characters was emotional. Karen Fukuhara, who plays the regenerating supe Kimiko, said her final scene was with Erin Moriarty and Karl Urban (who plays Billy Butcher, leader and sometimes bane of The Boys).

“I got anxious and it’s hard for me to let go,” she said — so the assistant director had to trick her into thinking it wasn't the final shot so she wouldn't cry during the take.

Moriarty plays the supe Starlight/Annie January — a former member of the Homelander-led group The Seven who joins The Boys in the resistance — and strove to maintain the character's humanity throughout the show.

“I’ll just miss playing this badass female who has this level of strength that is totally defined by her humanity and her flaws, as opposed to... being this invincible superhero. It’s the definition of the humanity behind that superhero that really makes her who she is,” she said.

The wildest stunts and the memes

Emotions aside, it wouldn't be “The Boys” without out-there, gross-out stunts and profane lines just waiting to be turned into memes.

At the season's March premiere in Rome, Jack Quaid — who plays the eminently normal Hughie Campbell, a gadget-store employee who gets pulled into the vigilante group after his girlfriend is thoughtlessly killed by a supe — described the show as a “funhouse mirror, distorted slightly, version” of the world.

“As much as we try to do our best to add a little bit of what our art can do to influence reality, reality is still crazier than fiction. Reality still out-crazies us, and we’re a crazy show,” Laz Alonso, who plays The Boys member Marvin/Mother's Milk, said in Rome. Some of that crazy?

“What am I doing with my life?” Jessie T. Usher, who plays superspeeder A-Train, thought to himself in Season 1 while filming a scene where his girlfriend sucks on his toe.

“I just remember sitting there and it’s like a whole thing and like the makeup team is coming in in between takes and they got wet wipes and they’re wiping my toe down. And I was just sitting there and I was like, ‘Where did I go wrong in my life? I felt like I was on the right path and now they’re prepping my toe to be sucked,’” Usher recalled in March. “I hate foot stuff.”

And what about the big man himself, Antony Starr, who plays the seemingly all-powerful but curiously stunted Homelander? He made a discovery about himself on “Gen V,” the college-set spinoff that was recently canceled after two seasons.

"It was on ‘Gen V’ when he (Kripke) put me up in the air, 80 feet or whatever it was. And I found out that I’m actually terrified of heights. Swore like a truck driver,” Starr recalled during the March junket.

Starr's Homelander — a far cry from the brown-haired New Zealander with his blond hair, American flag-themed suit and perpetually twitching (laser-enabled) eyes — delivered a bounty of memes, something that Starr encouraged Kripke to incorporate into the show.

“Ant had this idea of, like, ‘Let’s have memes be the real thing that get to me.’ He pitched it. I was like, ‘That’s hilarious,’” Kripke said in March.

“The real problem is memes,” Starr said.

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Jaleru reported from London. Associated Press journalists Paolo Santalucia in Rome and Mallika Sen in New York contributed reporting.

Giovanni Galizia has been the cover shot for the so-called sexy priest calendar for many of the last 23 editions. In the same photo used year after year, Galizia wears a clerical collar and flashes an enigmatic smile worthy of the Mona Lisa against the granite wall of a church in his native Palermo.

“It was the smile of an embarrassed kid, because I saw all my friends in front of me laughing out loud because I was dressed like I was a priest,” Galizia told The Associated Press during an interview Wednesday in his Verona living room.

For Galizia, the shoot was a lark that left no mark on his life, until a story in the Rome daily La Repubblica this week revealed that the “sexy priest calendar” could be more accurately called “the fake priest calendar,” drawing nationwide attention.

The calendar is not affiliated with the Vatican, which declined to comment.

A popular souvenir with 12 black-and-white portraits

Now a 39-year-old flight attendant for a Spanish airline, Galizia was just 17 years old when mutual friends put him in touch with photographer Piero Pazzi, who has also created a calendar featuring Venetian gondoliers and has founded museums in Budapest and Montenegro on the history of cats.

Officially named Calendario Romano, each edition features 12 black-and-white portraits of men mostly in clerical attire — many of which are recycled year after year. Galizia only knew one of the other subjects, a French man who also was not a priest.

Pazzi told the AP that at least one-third of those pictured in the already released 2027 calendar are actually priests but provided no details.

Galizia said he has never been stopped on the street, though his cousins once gave the calendar to their grandmother as a gift, “and they all died laughing.”

The calendar was intended as art, not deception

Galizia sees the photographs depicting priests as part of an artistic tradition, noting that no one watching a TV drama involving priests believes they are actually played by clergy.

“Of course, it winks a bit at the dynamic between the sacred and the profane, because it is clear that seeing a world that is distant and in some ways so lofty as the ecclesiastical world, with such a fresh-faced young man, creates a kind of dissonance,” he said.

But he also said he doesn't understand why the black-and-white close-ups have been interpreted as sexy. Pazzi also said that was not the point.

“There’s a tendency to confuse what is beautiful with what is sensual, because nowadays, especially in today’s world, which is quite sexualized, beauty is expressed only through sensuality,” Galizia said.

“That said, I appreciate the observation and take it as a compliment — because managing to be sexy in a priest’s collar is no small feat.”

It has the blessing of at least one real priest

Pazzi won’t say how many of the Roman calendars have been sold — but estimates several thousand a year. While Pazzi says he receives royalties, Galizia, who signed a release form when the photo was taken, said he has never sought payment.

The calendar sells for around 8 euros (around $9.30) in shops that surround the Vatican and crowd Rome’s historic center. One shop clerk, Hassam Mohammad, said he sells a handful of them every day.

Pazzi includes a page of information about the Vatican in the calendar, but its production is independent and unrelated to the Holy See.

A priest from South Korea walking near the Vatican this week said that the calendar is well known in his home country, especially among young people who view the calendar with humor.

“They often think priests are stiff and distant,” said the priest, who identified himself informally as Father Domenico. “But looking at this calendar, they think priests are more familiar, and priests can be funny. I think in Korea this calendar is very famous, and it is OK.”

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Barry reported from Verona, Italy. Giada Zampano in Rome and Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed.

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

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

An outline of the prosecutors’ strategy — with details about the defendant’s alleged state of mind on the night before the first fire began — appeared in an April 29 pretrial memo filed by the U.S. attorney’s office. Prosecutors will claim he was upset that he didn't have plans for New Year's Eve and ranted about being angry at the world before the initial blaze was sparked.

Rinderknecht’s attorney Steve Haney has maintained his client's innocence. Haney held a news conference in March pointing to a deposition in which a firefighter testified that he noticed the ground was still smoldering from the fire on Jan. 2 and alerted a supervisor that there were hot spots despite the fact that crews had left the scene. That testimony was gathered as part of a lawsuit filed by fire victims against the city.

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

“It’s truly sad and painful because we’ve already been through a security crisis, and now Ebola is here too,” said Justin Ndasi, a resident of Bunia, site of the first known death that was announced last week after what experts call a worrying delay in detecting the virus.

The response unfolds in a region long threatened by armed groups that have kept a large part of the population on the run and control a major city where Ebola cases have been confirmed, complicating health workers’ catch-up efforts to trace the outbreak. The World Health Organization, which noted a low risk globally, has said “patient zero” has not been found.

In Bunia, where tons of health supplies have been airlifted, residents said masks are harder to find and some disinfectants that previously sold for 2,500 Congolese francs (about $1) now cost four times more.

‘He started bleeding and vomiting a lot’

At a treatment center in Rwampara, healthcare workers in protective gear handled the bodies of suspected Ebola victims, in silence.

Families who tend to wash loved ones' bodies themselves watched helplessly as workers disinfected them and placed them into coffins for secure burial sites. Some relatives burst into tears.

The disease struck suddenly, they said, describing a rapid deterioration after symptoms were mistaken for illnesses such as malaria.

“He told me his heart was hurting, and I thought it was his stomach,” said Botwine Swanze, who lost her son. “Then he started crying because of the pain in his stomach. After that, he started vomiting. Then he started bleeding and vomiting a lot.”

The Ebola virus is highly contagious and spreads in the human population through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding.

‘The scale of the epidemic is much larger’

WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, and expressed worry over its “scale and speed." The WHO head in Congo says it would last at least two months.

The rare type of Ebola, known as the Bundibugyo virus, spread undetected for weeks following the first known death while authorities tested for another, more common Ebola virus and came up negative.

Investigations continued into where and when the outbreak started, but “given the scale, we are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago," said Anaïs Legand, a technical officer in the WHO emergencies program.

So far, 51 cases have been confirmed in Congo’s northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, and two cases in Uganda, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. There are 139 suspected deaths and almost 600 suspected cases.

But "the scale of the epidemic is much larger,” he said.

The London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis estimated that cases have been substantially undercounted and actual number could already exceed 1,000. “The true magnitude remains uncertain,” the research group said in a statement.

This is Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak, and the WHO has said its health ministry has experienced staff and capacity to respond. Most outbreaks, however, were of the more common Ebola type.

Any potential vaccine is months away.

Dr. Vasee Moorthy, a special adviser in the office of the WHO chief scientist, said a vaccine to address Bundibugyo would not be available for at least six to nine months.

He cited two candidates: A version of the Ervebo vaccine for the Ebola virus that would be specifically designed for the Bundibugyo virus, and another shot based on a vaccine developed by Oxford University.

Eastern Congo already faced “immense pressure from conflict, displacement and a collapsing health system,” said Dr. Lievin Bangali, senior health coordinator for the International Rescue Committee in Congo, adding that years of underfunding have weakened the response.

The outbreak highlights the effects of the Trump administration’s deep cuts in foreign aid. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the administration set a priority on funding 50 emergency clinics in affected areas. The U.S. pledged to contribute $23 million.

‘We have no protection’

Schools and churches remained open in Bunia. Some residents wore masks. At health centers, anxiety grew. In Bambu General Hospital elsewhere in Ituri province, suspected Ebola patients shared a ward with others injured or ill.

A Doctors Without Borders team identified suspected cases over the weekend at Bunia's Salama hospital but found no available isolation ward in the area, Trish Newport, an emergency program manager, said on social media.

“Every health facility they called said, ‘We’re full of suspect cases. We don’t have any space.’ This gives you a vision of how crazy it is right now," she said.

In Mongbwalu, where the body of the first known death was taken, the nearby border with Uganda remains open and gold mining continues, said Chérubin Kuku Ndilawa, a civil society leader, highlighting the difficulty of containing the virus.

“There’s no panic. People continue with their normal lives, but they’re also starting to spread the word,” said Ndilawa, and noted a lack of public handwashing stations.

At Mongbwalu General Hospital, Dr. Didier Pay said it was treating around 30 Ebola patients, and a student from the local medical technology institute died on Wednesday.

“The patients are scattered here and there in rather unusual conditions,” said Dr. Richard Lokudu, the hospital’s medical director. “We hope for the proper triage and isolation facilities to be installed today, and if that doesn’t happen, we will be completely overwhelmed.”

They are understaffed and not trained to handle suspected cases, he said, and if confirmed cases surge, “we have no protection.”

In the Ebola-affected city of Goma, meanwhile, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are in control. “Indeed the situation is complicated there,” Dr. Anne Ancia, WHO representative in Congo, has said.

An American with Ebola is in isolation in Germany

A U.S. national who tested positive in Congo arrived in Berlin on Wednesday and was in a special isolation ward. A “comprehensive examination” was taking place to determine treatment, German Health Ministry spokesperson Martin Elsässer said.

He wouldn’t comment on the patient’s condition, whom German authorities and the U.S. CDC have not identified. The ministry later said it was taking the patient's wife and three children at the request of U.S. authorities. It was not clear whether any were infected.

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Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Jean Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, Wilson McMakin in Dakar, Senegal, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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 officers' attorneys filed the federal lawsuit a day after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the fund's creation during a congressional hearing. Blanche, a personal attorney for Trump before joining the Justice Department, wouldn't rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 would be eligible for fund payouts.

The lawsuit claims the government's “Anti-Weaponization Fund" is an illegal slush fund that Trump will use to “finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.” It describes the fund's creation as "the most brazen act of presidential corruption this century" and calls for dissolving it.

“No statute authorizes its creation, the settlement on which it is premised is a corrupt sham, and its design violates the Constitution and federal law,” the suit says.

The fund stems from a settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. It’s designed to compensate those who believe they were mistreated by prior administrations’ Justice Department. Decisions on payouts will be made by a five-member commission appointed by the attorney general.

More than 100 police officers were injured during the Capitol riot. Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Jan. 6-related crimes, but Trump used his pardon powers to erase all of those cases in a sweeping act of clemency last year.

The plaintiffs suing Trump over the fund are Metropolitan Police Department officer Daniel Hodges and former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who is running in Maryland for a seat in Congress. Hodges and Dunn both testified before Congress about their harrowing experiences on Jan. 6. Videos captured a rioter ripping a mask off Hodges as he was pinned against a door during a fight for control of a tunnel entrance.

The officers claim the fund “encourages those who enacted violence in the President’s name to continue to do so.”

“Dunn and Hodges already face credible threats of death and violence on regular basis; the Fund substantially increases the danger,” the suit alleges.

On Tuesday, members of Congress peppered Blanche with questions about the fund. He described it as “unusual” but not unprecedented. Blanche failed to acknowledge that Trump’s Justice Department has investigated and prosecuted some of the Republican president’s political enemies, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also are named as defendants in the officers’ lawsuit. Spokespeople for the Justice and Treasury departments didn't immediately respond to requests for comment on the suit.

One of the attorneys for the officers is Brendan Ballou, a former Justice Department prosecutor who handled Jan. 6 cases.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that nearly 1,600 people, not over 1,600, were charged with Jan. 6-related crimes.

Coach Jared Bednar announced after the morning skate that Makar was out and called the standout blueliner “day to day.”

“I think he's doing a lot better,” Bednar said. “He's on the ice again this morning, feeling pretty good.”

Makar left the ice holding his right arm following a collision late in Game 5 against Minnesota last Wednesday but returned as Colorado won the game in overtime. He also briefly left Game 1 after taking a hit along the boards, with his right leg flying into the air before he fell to the ice.

Makar's absence is a blow for the Avalanche, who are 8-1 in this postseason. This is the first time Makar has missed a playoff game for the Avalanche with an injury. He was suspended one game for interference during a series against Seattle in 2023.

The Norris Trophy finalist has four goals and an assist while averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time through the opening two rounds. Makar also is an integral part of Colorado's special teams.

“Best defenseman in the world,” Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor said. "He’s not going to be easily replaced. There’s not one guy that’s going to be able to do it. I think the advantage we have with the group we have in the game tonight is a lot of guys can be minute-munchers for us.

“Cale presents a dynamic ability that is super-unique in the league. No one’s going to replicate that tonight, but it’s on the D-core as a whole, and our group as a whole, to try and pick it up when we can.”

Bednar said defenseman Jack Ahcan will step into the lineup. Ahcan made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 4 against Minnesota and played limited minutes in Game 5. Ahcan also skated in four Calder Cup playoff games this season with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League.

Forward Artturi Lehkonen is expected to be in the lineup as well. Lehkonen missed the final two games of the Minnesota series with an upper-body injury.

“He touches every aspect of our game, five-on-five, power play, penalty kill," Bednar said. "He’s a big-time playoff performer, a great two-way player, so just helps us slot all of our lines where we need them in order to play a team like Vegas.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Preparations will take place elsewhere after an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, which is thought to have killed more than 130 people and caused nearly 600 suspected cases.

The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern.

Congo is scheduled to play World Cup-warmup games against Denmark in Liege, Belgium on June 3 and Chile in southern Spain on June 9. Both matches are going ahead as planned, team spokesman Jerry Kalemo told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

“There were three stages of preparation: in Kinshasa to say goodbye to the public, Belgium and Spain with two friendly matches against Denmark in Liege and Chile in Spain, and the third stage from June 11 in Houston, United States. Only one stage was canceled – the one in Kinshasa,” Kalemo said.

All of the Congo players and the team’s French coach, Sébastien Desabre, are based outside of the central African country with most of them playing in France.

Some team staff who are based in Congo “are leaving in the next hours,” Kalemo said.

Soccer's governing body FIFA issued a statement that “it is aware of and monitoring the situation regarding an Ebola outbreak and is in close communication with the Congo DR Football Association to ensure that the team are made aware of all medical and security guidance.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week that the U.S. would ban entry of all foreign nationals who had been in Congo, Uganda and South Sudan within the past three weeks. The ban lasts for 30 days.

A U.S. official said the Congolese World Cup team would not be affected by the CDC entry ban because it had been training in Europe for the past several weeks. That means team members, coaches and other officials who have not returned to Congo in the past three weeks would not be subject to the entry ban, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the policy has not been publicly announced.

Those members of the Congolese World Cup delegation who did return to Congo during the 21-day period will be subject to the same quarantine requirements as U.S. citizens seeking to return from affected countries, according to the official. That exception will not apply to Congolese fans who want to attend the World Cup, the official said.

The White House World Cup task force, housed under the Department of Homeland Security, stressed that it is “coordinating closely” with various agencies on health and security matters and that the government is “closely monitoring” the outbreak.

Congo, which qualified for the World Cup after winning a playoff tournament in Mexico, has been drawn in Group K. It faces Portugal for its opening game in Houston on June 17.

The Leopards then face Colombia in Guadalajara on June 23 before playing Uzbekistan in Atlanta for their final group game on June 27.

Congo's first World Cup qualification since 1974, when it was called Zaire, sparked scenes of jubilation across the nation, which has been battered by decades of conflict.

___ Associated Press writers Matt Lee and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

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

The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.

“They'll be able to make adjustments way before they get anywhere close,” said Thomas Hall, director of operations for San Francisco Bay Ferry. “It will also allow us to track data over time and see where the whales are camping out so we can adjust our routes during whale season to avoid those areas completely.”

The effort comes amid an alarming rise in gray whale deaths in the bay. Last year, 21 dead gray whales were found in the wider Bay Area — the highest number in 25 years, according to The Marine Mammal Center — with at least 40% killed by ship strikes. At least 10 more have died in the Bay Area so far this year.

Scientists say those figures likely underestimate the true toll as many whale carcasses sink or are swept back out to sea before they are ever found or reported.

Gray whales have long migrated along the California coast on their roughly 12,000-mile (19,300-kilometer) journey between breeding lagoons in Mexico and feeding grounds in the Arctic.

But instead of simply passing offshore, increasing numbers are now diverting into San Francisco Bay and lingering for days or even weeks inside the crowded estuary — a shift scientists increasingly link to climate change. Warming temperatures and shifts in sea ice in the Arctic are disrupting the food web gray whales rely on during summer feeding months, according to a 2023 study in Science, leaving many malnourished during migration.

Many whales now concentrate in a high traffic corridor between Angel Island, Alcatraz and Treasure Island, directly overlapping with ferry routes and shipping lanes.

“It’s the worst place possible in terms of all the ship traffic,” said Rachel Rhodes, a project scientist at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory who led the initiative. There have been so many collisions that “the teams responding to strandings said they ran out of places to even land dead whales.”

The eastern North Pacific gray whale population was once hailed as a conservation success story after rebounding from commercial whaling and being removed from the Endangered Species Act in 1994. But numbers have since plummeted, decreasing by half over the last 10 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Just 13,000 remain.

“They may not be getting the quality or quantity of food they’re used to in the Arctic,” Rhodes said. “That means they’re starting this incredibly long migration at a disadvantage.”

The thermal camera system provides real time alerts to mariners

Artificial intelligence automatically flags potential whale sightings, which are then verified by trained marine mammal observers before alerts are sent via radio to ferry operators, vessel traffic controllers and posted publicly on the Whale Safe website.

WhaleSpotter systems are already used on vessels and fixed installations such as lighthouses and coastal towers in the United States, Canada and Australia. But researchers say the San Francisco Bay network is the first to directly integrate land-based and vessel-mounted detections with official mariner alerts, allowing whale sightings to be relayed in near-real time to ships navigating the bay.

The first hours of testing produced an immediate flood of detections.

“Suddenly to have a full sense of how much whale activity is in this space honestly put me a little bit on edge,” said Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff lab. “But we're going to use that data and we're going to be smart about how we use that space and share it with the whales.”

Researchers say the system’s biggest advantage is constant monitoring. Unlike human observers, thermal cameras can operate through the night and in many foggy conditions common in the bay.

One camera was installed on Angel Island and a second will soon be fixed aboard a ferry traveling between downtown San Francisco and Vallejo to create what Rhodes described as a “moving data collection platform.” Scientists hope additional cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz could eventually expand coverage across the bay.

Warming oceans are also threatening humpbacks

A severe marine heat wave lingering off the California coast is shrinking the band of cold, nutrient-rich water where krill, anchovies and sardines thrive. As offshore waters warm, humpback whales are increasingly following that prey closer to shore, where California’s Dungeness crab fishery operates.

The fishery uses tens of thousands of vertical lines that connect traps on the seafloor to surface buoys, creating entanglement hazards for whales migrating and feeding along the coast.

This spring, regulators again closed parts of the fishery off central California to conventional gear, a measure that has become increasingly common in recent years as warming waters increase whale overlap with crab fishing seasons.

While grey whales are also at risk, humpbacks are most vulnerable.

“Humpbacks are curious and they’ll scratch their backs on the gear,” said Kathi George, director of cetacean conservation biology at The Marine Mammal Center. “If they get a line caught on their body, they’ll breach and they’ll roll and end up entangling themselves.”

Whales can drag heavy gear for months, unable to dive or feed properly, leading to starvation, infection and drowning.

Thirty-six whales were confirmed entangled off the West Coast in 2024 — the highest number since 2018, according to NOAA — though scientists caution most cases go undocumented.

California approved commercial use of ropeless pop-up crab fishing gear for the first time this spring, which will allow fishermen to continue harvesting through the end of the season.

Instead of floating surface buoys tethered to traps, the system stores ropes and buoys on the seafloor until fishermen return and trigger an acoustic release that brings the gear to the surface.

Supporters say the technology allows fishermen to continue harvesting crab while dramatically reducing the risk to whales.

As climate change reshapes ocean conditions and whale migration patterns, scientists expect the overlap between whales, ships and fishing gear to persist.

“We will have to continue to be adaptive and science driven in terms of our management to reduce wildlife risk and keep fishermen on the water,” said Caitlynn Birch, Oceana’s Pacific campaign manager and a marine scientist. “California has been a national leader in developing whale-safe fishing technologies and we hope that model can help guide other fisheries on the West Coast and nationally.”

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Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram: @ahammergram.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

Trump's remarks to the class of 2026 were the first time he has given a commencement address at one of the nation’s military academies after sending U.S. troops to fight a new war.

He told the cadets that they will be America's “first defenders” and “first responders.”

“You’ve all been tested. You’ll be tested further and probably at higher levels as your career goes on,” Trump said.

During his address, Trump quickly touched on the war with Iran, now in its 12th week, as a sign of U.S. success from “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”

“The only question is, do we go ahead and finish it up or are they going to be signing a document? Let’s see what happens,” Trump said.

The Republican president had threatened to launch renewed strikes on Iran this week as talks with Tehran seemed to have stalled and a fragile ceasefire appeared to be teetering. But Trump on Monday said he was giving Iran a few more days because “serious negotiations” were underway.

He has not offered details and has in the past backed away from following through on threats to Iran, citing breakthroughs in talks that have not publicly materialized.

Earlier Wednesday, he told reporters that he's “in no hurry” to strike a deal to wrap up the war because of political concerns and the November midterm elections.

The commencement was held on a day with scorching heat and there was little shade available as the crowd waited for the ceremony to begin.

At least one person required medical attention after passing out. Others pleaded with organizers for elderly attendants to sit in the shade under tents. Chilled water bottles were distributed freely but quickly became warm.

Trump, who spoke at the academy’s graduation in 2017 during his first term, said he was proud to be the first president to give two commencement addresses at the school.

“We’re going to have to try it maybe a third time, too, to keep that record intact,” Trump said Wednesday.

Trump told the cadets that they were graduating at “an incredible, exciting time for our nation,” a time he described as resurgence of national strength, morale and confidence.

As he declared “America is back,” the president departed from what is traditionally a nonpolitical speech by the commander in chief to military graduates and shifted to critiques of his predecessors, saying the country had been “run by foolish politicians.”

He promoted his tariff policies and immigration crackdown and said that "under this administration, we don’t apologize for American power or wealth.”

“What we do really is we want to maximize it. We take advantage of it,” he said. “We unleash it, and we wield it to pursue our country’s glorious destiny and our beautiful American Dream.”

The president and vice president traditionally speak at one of the military service academies every year. Vice President JD Vance is set to give the commencement address on May 28 at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Before he flew to Connecticut, Trump told reporters that his message to the cadets would be, “Just enjoy your life.”

“You know, you don’t really realize how important Coast Guard is until you have a hurricane,” Trump said as he praised the maritime service.

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Price reported from Washington.

Unfortunately for them, Botswana's government said a notice announcing they could have the day off Wednesday in celebration was fake news.

The government posted the so-called official statement on X with the words "FAKE" in red across it. The government posted: “No, there is no holiday for Arsenal fans.”

The fake statement circulating online — complete with a Republic of Botswana coat of arms and a stamp from the office of the president — said President Duma Boko had rewarded Arsenal fans for their “passion, loyalty and unwavering support.”

Eagle-eyed fans, however, might have noticed that the fake statement was dated May 17: Sunday. Arsenal's triumph was only confirmed on Tuesday after nearest rival Manchester City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth.

One X user speculated jokingly that the fake statement was issued by a Manchester United fan.

An emergency announcement from the military urged people in the region of Vilnius, the country's capital, to “immediately head to a shelter or a safe place.”

The alert, which lasted for about an hour, also led to the closure of the airspace over Vilnius Airport. President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene were taken to shelters, and there was also an evacuation order at Lithuania's parliament, the Seimas, the BNS news agency reported.

It was the first major alert that sent residents and political leaders in a European Union and NATO capital rushing to shelters since Russia’s invasion of neighbor Ukraine in February 2022.

It came hours after a NATO jet shot down a Ukrainian drone over southern Estonia. Ukraine apologized for that “unintended incident,” without specifying what had happened.

In another sign of heightened tensions, Britain’s military said Wednesday that two Russian jets “repeatedly and dangerously” intercepted a Royal Air Force spy plane over the Black Sea last month. The Ministry of Defense said one Su-35 aircraft flew close enough to trigger emergency systems on the unarmed RAF Rivet Joint plane and disable its autopilot.

The ministry said the British plane was in international airspace as part of operations to secure NATO's eastern flank.

NATO chief praises response to drone incursions

Lithuania borders Russia-allied Belarus to the east and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave to the west. Wednesday’s alert came after the military said it detected drone activity in Belarus, but no drones were sighted over Lithuania.

“Based on the parameters we saw, it’s most likely either a combat drone or a drone designed to deceive systems and lure targets,” Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Center, said in a news briefing. It wasn't possible to ascertain whether the drone had a warhead, he said.

Belarus reported the potential drone to Lithuania and neighboring Latvia, according to Brig. Gen. Nerijus Stankevicius, commander of the Lithuanian Army’s Land Forces.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte commended the alliance’s reaction to several drone incidents in recent days, saying Wednesday in Brussels that they had been met with “a calm, decisive and proportionate response.”

Vilnius residents sought shelter

Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.

“I and my colleagues, we went downstairs and waited probably for 30 minutes" before the all-clear notification came, she said. “We were unprepared and we didn’t know what we should do. And even now, we don’t know what really happened.”

Another Vilnius resident, Iuliia Dudkina, said she wasn't scared because her friends live in Israel and frequently have to head to shelters. She said her husband had a different reaction.

“He was actually very worried and asked me to take our dog and go downstairs to the underground garage. So I did it," Dudkina said. “There were no people except me. So I guess no one really got very scared.”

Drones crossing borders heighten tensions

In recent months, Ukrainian drones aimed at Russia have crossed or come down in NATO territory on numerous occasions. Western officials have blamed what they say is likely Russian electronic jamming of the drones. Russia, meanwhile, has renewed threats that it would retaliate if Ukrainian drones are launched from Baltic countries or if those countries are complicit in their use against Russia.

“Russia is deliberately redirecting Ukrainian drones into Baltic airspace while waging smear campaigns” against Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said late Tuesday. “It’s a transparent act of desperation — an attempt to sow chaos and distract from a simple reality: (Ukraine) is hitting the Russian military machine hard.”

Last week, Latvia’s government collapsed following a dispute over the handling of multiple incidents involving stray drones suspected to be from Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine hammer each other with drones

In a recent escalation of aerial attacks, Russia and Ukraine have sometimes fired hundreds of drones a day at each other.

Ukraine’s air force said Wednesday that it shot down 131 out of 154 drones that Russia launched overnight. The ones that got past air defenses killed three civilians and wounded 18 others, including two children, officials said.

Ukraine, meanwhile, continued its aerial campaign against Russia’s vital oil industry, with the General Staff reporting its drones struck a major Russian oil refinery and a pipeline pumping station overnight.

Russian media reports also indicated that a chemical plant in the southern Stavropol region was hit and caught fire, although local officials didn’t confirm any direct hit.

Russia gets some relief from oil sanctions

The U.K. government, a strong supporter of Ukraine's war effort, loosened sanctions Wednesday on Russian oil refined into diesel and jet fuel in third countries as prices rise and fears grow about supplies due to the Iran war.

That step comes two days after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Washington was granting a 30-day extension for countries to import Russian oil that is already in tankers at sea.

The move, designed to reduce the oil supply shortages, marked a continued policy reversal by the Trump administration, which had previously said the sanctions on Russian oil would resume. Originally announced in early March, the temporary waiver on the sanctions was first renewed in April.

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Associated Press journalists Siarhei Satsiuk in Vilnius, Lithuania; Geir Moulson in Berlin; Lorne Cook in Brussels; Jill Lawless in London; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine; Kostya Manenkov in Tallinn, Estonia, and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

It is already warm outside and will jump into the 80s by 10 a.m., with our hottest conditions coming around 4 p.m.

Temperatures seem to cool off relatively quickly as we creep toward nightfall; this is due to an approaching cold front that will bring a big change for Thursday.

The cold front is expected to arrive around dinner time on Wednesday evening. With this, isolated storms are expected, some of which could be severe.

These cells have the potential to have damaging winds and produce hail, so make sure you stay weather aware!

These showers and thunderstorms will last through the night, with another spread-out round coming around 9 pm.

By roughly 2 am tonight, most of the rain will be done and we will be left with some thick cloud cover; but this dry spell is temporary for more showers come Thursday.

Storms are not the only thing we will see from this frontal passage, temperatures will also go back to more of a normal.

Highs will return into the 70s, with Friday being the exception.

Friday the temperatures will temporarily drop into the 60s, but are anticipated to spring back up into the 70s in time for Memorial Day weekend.

There are lots of weathermakers on the way, most days having the most likelihood of having afternoon thunderstorms with accompanying scattered showers throughout.

ACSO said an investigation found that 63-year-old Robert Cobb of West Virginia communicated with someone whom he believed to be a minor. He then agreed to meet her in Covington.

Officers said they approached Cobb, but he attempted to flee the scene on a motorcycle; however, he was quickly stopped and detained by the Alleghany County Regional Emergency Response Team

The sheriff’s office said they, with assistance from the ACRERT and the Covington Police Department, arrested Cobb on four counts of Use of Communication Systems to Facilitate Certain Offenses Involving Minors. He also has outstanding warrants for similar offenses in West Virginia. In addition, Cobb was served with an outstanding capias for Failure to Appear.

“This is just another example of why parents need to be monitoring every move that their children make on social media. We are glad that we were able to arrest this predator.”

Alleghany County Sheriff Kyle Moore

In August 1972, William Greaves assembled as many artists, writers, poets, musicians and organizers from the Harlem Renaissance as he could. They came for a cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse. There, they talked about the seminal 1920s cultural movement: what they remembered, who not to forget, what it all meant.

“My father would say, ‘Capture the life that’s happening,’” David recalls.

It took more than half a century for the result to see the light of day. But 54 years after that gathering, “Once Upon a Time Harlem” screened this week at the Cannes Film Festival.

No movie in Cannes had a longer road to get here. William Greaves died in 2014 having never finished what he felt would be his most enduring work. With David ultimately stepping in as director, his family saw it through.

“It’s not the film he was thinking of in his mind,” David Greaves said in an interview by the beach in Cannes. “But it’s definitely the film he would have wanted.”

It was fitting that “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” got its moment in Cannes. William Greaves’ 1968 opus, “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One,” was rejected at the time by the festival. The experimental documentary would nevertheless grow to become revered by filmmakers, and in 2015 it was added to the National Film Registry.

Given that history, it was hard for David Greaves to summarize what it felt like to be at the festival, bringing his father’s work finally to cinema's global stage.

“It feels magical,” he said, his eyes welling up. “Even surreal.”

Now, “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” might be the nonfiction movie event of the year. Following its premiere earlier this year, Neon acquired it and is planning an awards campaign. It will play at top fall festivals. After seeing an unfinished cut of the film last year, The New Yorker’s Richard Brody called it “a film for the ages.”

Gathered that day in Harlem was a spectrum of Harlem Renaissance luminaries including the poet and novelist Arna Bontemps; the artist Romare Bearden; the actor Leigh Whipper, then 96; Ida Mae Cullen, the widow of the poet Countee Cullen; the musician Eubie Blake, the poet and painter Richard Bruce Nugent; the scholar John Henrik Clarke.

Together, they take turns reminiscing about the flourishing in Harlem — laughing, arguing over and celebrating their place in Black history. In the 1970s, it wasn’t as widely recognized. Now, the film arrives at a time when African American history is increasingly under siege in America.

For David Greaves, the definition of the Harlem Renaissance is simple: “It’s the wellspring.”

“People say: How can there be a renaissance? People without history arriving here?” he says. “I first wanted to open the film with a history stretching back to Africa. Everyone was like, ‘OK, OK, where’s the party?”

Instead, the documentary opens with a poem that Greaves felt expressed it all: Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.”

William Greaves’ original purpose with the footage was to use it for the 1974 film “From These Roots.” But he instead opted to use archival photographs. Over the years, he would return to the 1972 footage in Harlem but never shaped it into a film.

After he died in 2014 at the age of 87, his widow, Louise Archambault Greave, took up the project. She died in 2023 but not before securing funding for the restoration.

“Louise was a lock protecting the footage. She told the Smithsonian, who asked for a copy, ‘No!’” David Greaves says, laughing.

Though he was raised assisting on his father’s films, David Greaves didn’t remain in moviemaking. He co-founded and ran the progressive Brooklyn community newspaper Our Time Press. It was years before he stepped forward to direct. His daughter, Liani, is a producer.

“Louis was talking about directors. ‘Who could we get?’ I just sat there and said, ‘I don’t know,’” David Greaves says. “Then it came to a point in the editing room after she had passed, (adviser) Marcia Smith said, ‘Who’s going to direct this? Are you going to direct it?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ I couldn’t imagine anyone else directing this film. I just couldn’t do it.

David Greaves barely remembers what he shot in 1972. He's seen fleetingly in a mirror at times. But it was too long ago to really remember — longer than the time span from the Harlem Renaissance to that townhouse meeting. “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” is a luminous artifact of the past, twice over.

“Usually after seeing a movie, people say ‘Congratulations,’” says Greaves. “Here they say, ‘Thank you.’”

Greaves can hardly get the words out before the tears come streaming again. He wipes them away, lifts his head and smiles.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals was both. The Knicks wouldn't have been able to charge all the way back without Cleveland collapsing.

The Cavaliers led 93-71 with under eight minutes to play before the Knicks outscored them 44-11 the rest of the way to win 115-104 in overtime. The only bigger fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the last 30 years was when the Clippers rallied from 24 down to beat Memphis in Game 1 in 2012.

“We should’ve won the game," Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell said. “We didn’t.”

A look at some of the reasons they didn't.

The turning point?

Impossible as it became to imagine a few minutes later, James Harden made a good defensive play on a then still-struggling Jalen Brunson with the Cavs leading by 20 with 7:04 to play. Harden blocked Brunson's shot on a drive, but Karl-Anthony Towns came up with the ball to extend the possession and kicked it out to Landry Shamet, who made a 3-pointer. After a Cavaliers turnover, New York took a timeout with 6:41 to play. The lead was still 93-76, but as players walked off the court with Shamet pumping his fist to urge on his teammates, the Knicks suddenly looked like they had life for the first time in a while.

“If you’re going to make a run, that’s when you’ve got to do it. So might as well throw your best punch at that point and try to do what you can,” Shamet said.

“You've got to leave it all out there especially at this time of the year and that’s what we did. We had a group that didn’t flinch at that deficit and made some effort.”

Hunting Harden

The Knicks' game plan over the next few minutes was basic basketball. Whoever Harden was guarding when Brunson brought the ball up the court — usually either Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby — would come set a pick on Brunson's defender, so Harden would then have to switch onto Brunson. Brunson then attacked Harden off the dribble, creating angles for a series of floaters and bank shots that he has mastered to become an All-Star.

Brunson made four straight Knicks baskets that way, before eventually making a 3-pointer that cut it to 94-89 with 3 1/2 minutes to go.

Take a timeout?

Moments before Brunson lined up that 3-pointer, ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson noted that the Cavaliers might want a timeout if the Knicks scored.

But was it perhaps too late by then? Cleveland had multiple possessions to see the Knicks were running one thing at them and could have halted play before then to set up a defensive scheme that might've changed things.

“I like to hold my timeouts,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson explained afterward. "I didn’t want to get one timeout at the end of the game, a one- or two-point game. I try to hold them.”

Bad bounces

The game perhaps never gets to overtime if the Cavaliers had gotten a little luckier on a pair of 3-point attempts.

Mitchell had one with 3:47 to play that was inside the rim and then spun out. That would have extended Cleveland's lead to 11. Instead, Brunson hit his 3-pointer 17 seconds later that cut it to 94-89.

Then, not long after Shamet hit a tying 3-pointer that bounced off the rim first before falling in, the Cavaliers had the ball on the final possession of regulation and got it to Sam Merrill from straightaway. His shot looked so perfect that play-by-play man Mike Breen appeared to be beginning his signature “BANG!” exclamation with the ball inside the rim. But he got out only the “BA!” before having to switch to “In and out! That one halfway down!"

“We got a little unlucky," Atkinson said.

The numbers

Counting the last 12:49 of the game — the end of regulation and then all of overtime — Brunson outscored the Cavaliers himself, 17-11. Anunoby nearly did; he had 10 points in that span.

A look at some of the numbers:

— Field goals: New York .750 (15-20), Cleveland .222 (4-18).

— 3-pointers: New York .750 (6-8), Cleveland .182 (2-11).

— Free throws: New York .800 (8-10, all of that from Anunoby), Cleveland .250 (1-4).

— Rebounds: New York 13, Cleveland 2.

— Brunson shot 8 for 10 in those minutes, while Shamet and Bridges were a combined 5 for 5 (all on 3-pointers).

— Harden (1-5) and Mitchell (0-5) were a combined 1 for 10 in the collapse.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

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

New law requires quick removal of non-consensual intimate images

A new federal law aimed at combating deepfakes and non-consensual intimate images takes effect today.

The “Take It Down” Act requires online platforms to remove reported content, whether real or AI-generated, within 48 hours.

Platforms that fail to comply could face fines and other penalties.

The Federal Trade Commission will oversee enforcement and has already put platforms on notice about the new requirements.

Google rolls out major AI-powered search update

Google is launching a big update to its search bar, powered by its Gemini 3.5 Flash model.

The redesign allows for more complex, conversational searches and lets users create commands to track topics over time, such as an athlete’s merchandise drop or a musician’s tour dates.

Users can also build custom “mini apps,” like personalized fitness trackers.

The new search bar will be gradually introduced in the Chrome browser and Google app.

Schlitz beer to brew final batch after 177 years

It’s last call for Schlitz Beer, ending a 177-year run.

Brand owner Pabst announced that one final batch will be brewed this weekend by Wisconsin Brewing Company, using a recipe that dates back to 1948.

The farewell batch will be available for pre-order starting Saturday and in stores on June 27.

Schlitz nearly disappeared in 1981 before Pabst revived it in 2008, but the brand never regained its former popularity, leading to its retirement this week.

Stay tuned for more updates on the stories that matter most to your money.

The renegade Republican who rose to prominence as an idiosyncratic yet consistent outlier in his party, popular in the Kentucky district that repeatedly sent him to the House, lost his primary bid for reelection Tuesday after a vicious and costly attack by President Donald Trump.

The stunning outcome caps a career like few others and shows the extent of the president’s ability to badger, badmouth and eventually boot out his political adversaries — and that no lawmaker is apparently safe. Massie's defeat comes after the Trump-led ouster of Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana over the weekend and the president's endorsement Tuesday of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his challenge to Sen. John Cornyn, which sent chills and anger through the Senate.

Trump had reserved his fiercest attacks for Massie, a quirky conservative who had become among the most powerful rank-and-file Republicans in the House because of his willingness to vote as he pleased, rather than as the party demanded. And now he's been toppled like so many other Republicans who crossed the president.

Massie was undaunted after losing to Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL handpicked by Trump.

“If the legislative branch always votes with the president, we do have a king,” Massie told cheering supporters Tuesday night. But if lawmakers follow the Constitution, he said, “we have a republic.”

Massie also teased that his political career may not be over quite yet during the closing moments of his concession speech, as a raucous crowd broke into chants of “2028!” and “President!”

“You’ve made a compelling argument,” he replied. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Trump said of Massie’s defeat: “He deserves to lose.”

Massie's rise from backbench to prominence to defeat

Massie rose from the House Republican backbench, charting his own path and showing again and again he was willing to buck his party and the president.

He voted against Trump’s big tax cuts bill last year, worried the several trillion-dollar costs would add to the nation’s deficits.

He rejected Trump’s military forays against Iran and Venezuela, opposed to U.S. intervention overseas, and he routinely voted against U.S. foreign aid, including to Israel, drawing millions of dollars against him from pro-Israel interest groups.

And perhaps most remarkably, Massie, in partnership with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, persisted in a long-shot effort to force the Justice Department’s release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

It was his work on the Epstein files, perhaps more than any of his repeated votes against spending bills and other party priorities, that elevated Massie's profile.

Khanna said on X that Massie “lost because he had the guts to stand up to the Epstein class and against the war.”

Trump lashed out at the “lowlife” Massie as the congressman pushed the issue last year, prolonging a political concern for the White House — a phrase the president repeated Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters as he prepared to travel to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to deliver a commencement address, Trump celebrated the “great number of victories."

“Not just Massie. Massie’s a low life,” Trump said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he wasn't surprised that Massie lost, noting the power of the president's endorsements.

“We don't demand loyalty to the president,” said Johnson, R-La. But he said the GOP needs people “who are not, you know, trying to carve out their own lane.”

Off the grid and into Congress

First elected in 2012, at the tail end of the GOP tea party wave before Trump’s Make America Great Again movement burst onto the scene, Massie stood out from the start.

An engineer by training, Massie designed several patents — some on display in his office — as well as a debt calculator that blinks in flashing red numerals as the nation’s deficits pile up. He often wears a miniature version of the debt calculator as a lapel pin.

He married his high school sweetheart, Rhonda, and joined her at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They raised their four children living largely off the grid in a solar-power home he designed himself, making him something of a legend among a generation of do-it-yourselfers. He raised cattle, drove an early Tesla and drank raw milk.

Inspired by fellow Kentuckian Rand Paul after having put up lawn signs for the senator’s election, the libertarian-leaning Massie ran for office himself.

Once he won his own House seat, Massie declined to join the newly forming Freedom Caucus, his own far-right views not fully aligning with the conservative coalition. He voted against Johnson, at the start of this session, for House speaker.

Trump attacked Massie early and often

Trump set his sights on Massie in 2020 during his first presidential term, when the congressman dared to object to a $2.2 trillion aid package to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time, Massie refused to allow the COVID-19 package to be approved without a formal roll call, forcing hundreds of lawmakers back to the Capitol. Trump called him a “third rate Grandstander.”

Trump did not let up his criticisms, even after Massie's wife died in 2024. Massie announced in 2025 that he had remarried, after proposing to Carolyn Grace Moffa, a former Paul staffer, on the steps of the Library of Congress. He said they planned to live on the farm.

The president suggested that Massie got remarried too quickly, writing on social media that “his wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!”

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Associated Press reporters Michelle L. Price in Washington and Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa contributed to this report.

While many people across the U.S. lost their jobs over social media comments about Kirk’s death, Larry Bushart’s case stood out as a rare instance in which such online speech led to criminal prosecution. The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October.

During his time in jail, Bushart lost his postretirement job and missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter, according to a federal lawsuit Bushart filed in December against Perry County, its sheriff and the investigator who obtained the arrest warrant.

“I am pleased my First Amendment rights have been vindicated,” Bushart said in a statement announcing the settlement Wednesday. “The people’s freedom to participate in civil discourse is crucial to a healthy democracy. I am looking forward to moving on and spending time with my family.”

Perry County Mayor John Carroll did not immediately respond to a Wednesday message left with his office seeking an interview.

Bushart was arrested in September after he refused to take down Facebook memes that joked about Kirk’s killing, which had prompted an outpouring of grief among conservatives, including in Perry County, which is near Bushart's home and which held a candlelight vigil.

The meme Bushart posted that prompted his arrest read: “This seems relevant today...” and featured President Donald Trump and the words, “We have to get over it.” That quote, the meme explained, was said by Trump in 2024 after a school shooting at Iowa’s Perry High School.

Perry County Sheriff Nick Weems told news outlets that most of Bushart’s “hate memes” were lawful free speech, but residents were alarmed by the school shooting post, fearing Bushart was threatening a local school, also called Perry County High School, even though Weems said he knew the meme referred to a school in Iowa.

“Investigators believe Bushart was fully aware of the fear his post would cause and intentionally sought to create hysteria within the community,” Weems said in a statement to The Tennessean last year.

Bushart's bail was set at $2 million before he was released as the case drew national attention.

“It’s in times of turmoil and heightened tensions that our national commitment to free speech is tested the most,” said Cary Davis, an attorney for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which helped represent Bushart. “When government officials fail that test, the Constitution exists to hold them accountable. Our hope is that Larry’s settlement sends a message to law enforcement across the country: Respect the First Amendment today, or be prepared to pay the price tomorrow.”

Customers spent money across all of Target’s main merchandising categories and helped deliver better-than-expected sales. Comparable sales — those coming from stores and digital channels operating for at least 12 months, rose 5.6% in the three-month period ended May 2. It was the biggest gain since early 2022, and the first positive read after three consecutive quarters of negative comparable sales.

Target raised its annual revenue outlook, saying it expected momentum to continue the rest of the year. Yet the upgraded sales expectations were still below the pace of the first quarter and investors reacted negatively.

Shares fell 5% Wednesday.

CEO Michael Fiddelke, a 20-year company veteran who took over in February, said he remained guardedly optimistic given where the company is in its operational overhaul.

“We’re encouraged to see a strong guest response so far,” Fiddelke said, adding: “We’re maintaining a cautious outlook given the work we know we have in front of us and ongoing uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment.”

In March, Fiddelke unveiled a $6 billion plan to reverse three straight years of sales declines. Target said it would remodel stores as part of an attempt to reclaim its reputation for stylish clothing on a budget, while it improved staffing and worker training.

New collaborations with labels like Roller Rabbit, an apparel and home goods brand known for its whimsical, block-print designs, resonated with shoppers, according to Target.

Target is one of the first big retailers to report financial results and industry analysts are watching closely to determine whether surging gasoline prices due to the Iran war have altered consumer behavior.

The chain was struggling long before the U.S. and Iran attacked Iran in February, however. Customers complained of disheveled stores that lacked the fashionable yet affordable niche that had earned Target the nickname “Tarzhay.”

Fiddelke reshuffled the leadership team at Target and on Tuesday, Target named a former Walmart executive as its new head of supply chain, another problematic area.

Some of Target's problems were self-inflicted. Its decision to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives led to protests and boycotts. And this winter, Target stores became another flashpoint with a federal immigration crackdown in its own hometown of Minneapolis.

Fiddelke acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press in early March that boycotts had taken a toll, but said this week that increased store traffic in the first quarter was broad-based. He noted that more shoppers are picking Target more often, and “that’s a positive sign.”

Analysts, however, say Target's first-quarter performance offers a positive sign for the company.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, wrote that the results “represent an early win for Michael Fiddelke and his team.”

Saunders believes Target's lackluster sales had more to do with failing on execution than being caught up in cultural crosshairs like DEI.

“As important as that matter is, and as much as it does have some impact, it has never been the main issue,” Saunders wrote.

Target posted first-quarter earnings of $781 million, or $1.71 per share, for the three-month period ended May 2. That easily topped the $1.47 per share that analysts had expected, according to FactSet, but it was down from $1.04 billion during the same time last year.

Net sales rose 6.7% to $25.44 billion, also topping expectations.

For the full year, Target said it expected earnings per share near the high end of $7.50 to $8.50, the guidance it offered in March. Analysts are expecting $8.12 per share for the year, according to FactSet.

Target said it now expects net sales growth to be up 4% for the year, up from the previous forecast of 2%. That would bring sales to $108.97 billion.

According to officials, at 9:03 p.m., units were dispatched to a residential structure fire in the 800 block of Staunton Ave. NW. Crews on Engine 3 C-Shift were the first to arrive and reported flames showing from the rear corner of the structure.

The call was upgraded to a working fire, and teams went to work searching the residence to ensure everyone was evacuated and extinguishing the flames.

Officials says the fire was marked under control at 9:23 p.m. and one person was evaluated on scene.

Roanoke Fire and EMS says that five people have been displaced and the cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.

The San Antonio Spurs — and this season's unanimous Defensive Player of the Year pick in Wembanyama — are headed to Europe next season for a pair of regular-season games. They'll play the New Orleans Pelicans, first in Paris on Jan. 14 and then in Manchester, England, on Jan. 17.

Wembanyama and the Spurs played a pair of games in Paris in January 2025, with tickets for those matchups against the Indiana Pacers getting snapped up quickly.

“Always looking forward to expanding the game and being part of the cool process of being able to play outside the country," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said this week when asked about his team returning to France next season.

Wednesday's announcement comes with the NBA and FIBA, the sport's global governing body, deep into plans for a new league that could start play in Europe as early as the fall of 2027. Paris and Manchester are on the list of cities expected to have teams in that league.

The Spurs, tapping into the massive global appeal that follows Wembanyama, have maintained a near-constant presence in France since landing the 7-foot-4 center with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.

Earlier this season, the team debuted "Spurs Week Paris” to bring elements of its business and fan experience from San Antonio directly to French fans, with a retail pop-up shop, a court renovation, free youth clinics, a professional development program for French women working in sports and a watch party.

This trip for the Spurs and Pelicans will include similar elements, with plans for those days in Europe already scheduled to include youth basketball clinics, coach and referee development programming and interactive fan events.

And it will be the second visit for a New Orleans team to Paris in a three-month span. The NFL's Saints will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris on Oct. 25, that league's first regular-season game in France.

“Together with the Saints playing in Paris next season, the opportunity for the Pelicans to play internationally in Paris and Manchester represents another significant step in strengthening our organization’s cultural and economic ties in these regions," said Pelicans governor Gayle Benson, who also owns the Saints.

The NBA revealed last year that it planned to play at least six regular-season games in Europe over three seasons. That started with a pair of games between the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic this past January, in Berlin and London. The games in the 2027-28 season will take place in Berlin and Paris, with teams to be announced.

Jamahl Mosley coached Orlando in those Grizzlies-Magic games; he'll return to Europe next season, this time as the coach of the Pelicans.

“Playing games in Paris and Manchester reflects the strong momentum we’re seeing for basketball and the NBA in France, the U.K. and across Europe,” George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s managing director for Europe and the Middle East, said in a statement.

“As interest in the game continues to grow across the continent, we look forward to working with the Pelicans, the Spurs and our partners to deliver unique experiences for fans, aspiring players and the local communities.”

The NBA will be playing a regular-season game in Paris for the sixth time and playing in France for the 16th time since 1991. The league is going to Manchester for the second time — the first for a regular season game — and to England for the 20th time since 1993.

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

They accounted for 35% of all homebuyers in their generation, while single Gen Z men represented 18%, according to survey data from the National Association of Realtors.

NAR surveyed people who bought a home between July 2024 and June 2025. The survey included homebuyers from several generations, from Gen Z, ages 18-26, to the Silent Generation, ages 80 to 100. No other generation had a bigger share of single women homebuyers than Gen Z.

Overall Gen Zers, which the survey defines as those born between 1999 and 2011, still only made up 4% of all homebuyers during the survey period. And at the time of the survey, the share of U.S. homes bought by first-time buyers of all ages sank to the lowest level on record going back to 1981.

First-time buyers often don’t have equity from a previous home to put toward a down payment. That was the situation for Bri LaFluer. After years of socking away half her pay, working two jobs and aided by a slowing housing market, she bought her own home in 2023 at the age of 24.

“I’ve always been a really independent person and I just wanted my own place to have peace and quiet by myself,” said LaFluer, now 27.

Her home search began in 2021, but historically low mortgage rates made the market ultra competitive, which turbocharged prices. Two years later she finally landed a house in Baldwinsville, N.Y., about 15 miles from Syracuse, that was built in 1900 and has three bedrooms and 1.5-baths and a big yard. She got it for $175,000.

“I feel like it was meant to be and this just ended up being the perfect house for me and my dogs,” she said.

A content creator for a video game company, LaFluer lived with her mom and paid a modest rent, which helped her save up faster for the $20,000 down payment.

The NAR survey data are the latest sign that single women overall are becoming homeowners at greater rates than single men. Gen Z homebuyers are much more likely than homebuyers in all other generations to be unmarried. But single women across the generations made up a quarter of all homebuyers in the July 2024-June 2025 period, according to NAR. Single men, meanwhile, accounted for 11% of all home purchases.

This has been a longstanding trend going back at least to 1981. In 2006, at the height of the mid-2000s housing boom, the share of homes bought by single women peaked at 22%, according to NAR. For single men, their share of homeownership peaked at 12% in 2010.

Experts say there is no one-size-fits-all answer to why across the generations single women outnumber single men as homeowners.

Women now are outpacing men in college attendance, which can lead to higher incomes, said Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist.

They tend to have a strong desire for homeownership as a way to secure their independence, something they historically could not easily do alone.

“It wasn’t until the 1970s where women were legally protected to have a mortgage on their own,” Lautz said. “And they have embraced this and been very strongly embracing this.”

Aspiring Gen Z homeowners face a number of challenges to affording a home: They’re typically just getting started in their careers, with their best income-earning years ahead. They are unlikely to be married and may have student loans to pay off.

Their median annual income of $76,000, as of 2024, also was the lowest compared to homebuyers from all other generations, according to NAR.

Years of soaring home prices have further stretched the limits of affordability. While home price growth has slowed and prices have fallen in many metro areas, prices are mostly still rising. The median U.S. home sales price stood at $417,700 last month, up 0.9% from a year earlier, according to NAR.

Still, Gen Z homebuyers are also more likely to receive financial help from family, and many are savvy about looking into community grants or other payment assistance programs for first-time homebuyers. And 1 in 10 tapped their 401(k) retirement savings plan to put toward their down payment, according to NAR.

Other home shoppers have no recourse but to save up on their own.

That's what Mariah Berry focused on when many of her fellow college grads were going out and living it up.

“I did not go out and was driving an old beat-up car,” said Berry, a social media content creator. “It was not fun.”

The penny-pinching paid off in 2023, when Berry bought her two-bedroom, one-bath home in Charleston, Tennessee, a small town about 45 miles outside of Chattanooga. She was just 23.

Berry had always wanted to be a homeowner, but the goal took on more urgency after a period when she and her boyfriend were bouncing between living in short-term rentals or couch surfing with friends.

Berry got her home, one of two units in a ranch-style duplex, for $218,000. She financed the balance after making a $7,000 down payment with a 30-year mortgage at 6% interest.

“I do think it’s pretty frickin’ awesome that I’m a homeowner and that I became a homeowner at 23,” she said. “I will say that after I put in the offer, I wanted to puke. I was like, ’Oh my God, did I do the right thing?'”

Berry's now looking at the possibility of buying the other half of the duplex some day.

“That could be a good opportunity for us to have and like rent out half of it," she said.

Putin and Xi oversaw the signing of more than 40 cooperation agreements in areas such as trade, technology and media exchanges. They stressed their growing trade, particularly in oil and natural gas, and declared themselves aligned on international relations.

The countries’ ties have reached “the highest level in history,” Xi said after the signing ceremony, speaking to members of the delegations and journalists. The two sides also agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001.

Putin told those in the room that "the driving force behind economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese collaboration in the energy sector.”

“Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of resources, while China remains a responsible consumer of these resources," Putin added, an apparent reference to the U.S. war in Iran.

Xi stressed the need for a “complete cessation of hostilities” in the Middle East, according to Chinese state media.

“An early end to the conflict will help reduce disruptions to energy supply stability, the smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, and international trade order,” Xi said.

In the evening, Xi and Putin had a conversation over tea in the Great Hall of the People, where the Chinese leader expressed confidence in continuing to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, according to state media. Putin later left for the airport and departed on his official plane.

A growing trade relationship

China became Russia’s top trading partner after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.

China is also the top customer for Russian oil and gas supplies, and Moscow expects the war in Iran to increase the demand. There was no visible progress, however, on the prospective Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline that Russia has pushed to boost exports to China.

A Russian presidential aide said earlier that Russia’s oil exports to China grew by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is one of the biggest exporters of natural gas to China.

Bilateral trade between the two countries reached around $228 billion in 2025, according to Xinhua news agency.

Xi said trade in areas like energy served as "stabilizing pillars” of the relationship and pledged to accelerate cooperation in other areas, like artificial intelligence, the digital economy and technological innovation.

Xi and Putin show a united front on international affairs

The trip comes just days after Trump’s own visit to Beijing -– in a sequence that is meant to cement China’s image as an influential superpower, experts say.

“The message is clearly one that China maintains friendship and strategic partnership with whichever power it likes, and the USA is just one of them,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.

Putin also described China and Russia’s cooperation in foreign policy as “one of the key stabilizing factors on the international stage.”

“In the current tense situation on the international stage, our close cooperation is particularly in demand,” he said.

Xi also repeated criticisms of “unilateralism and hegemonism,” in what appeared to be a veiled reference to U.S. actions. He said “the world faces the danger of reverting to the law of the jungle.”

In February 2022, just weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia announced a “no limits” partnership during a trip by Putin to Beijing.

Beijing says it is neutral in the conflict, though in practice it supports Moscow through frequent state visits, growing trade and joint military drills. China has also ignored demands from the West to stop providing high-tech components for Russia’s weapons industries.

Putin invited Xi to visit Russia in 2027 and said he would take part in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November in southern China.

Xi and Putin praise each other as ‘friends’

Both Putin and Xi continued to praise their close personal ties.

“My dear friend,” Putin said as he greeted Xi. “We are truly delighted to see you. We keep in constant touch, both personally and through our aides in the government.”

Xi also addressed Putin as “my longtime friend” at the start of their talks and said it was important to build upon “the foundation of mutual trust” between the countries. The two leaders have praised each other profusely in the past, with Xi at one point describing Putin as his “best and most intimate friend.”

Putin and Xi both need to use their close ties in order to prop up their images at home, said Willy Lam, a senior China fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.

Putin “needs to tell his countrymen and the world that Russia has China’s support in terms of buying its oil and gas and other tangible and intangible financial support,” Lam said.

Meanwhile, for Xi, having both Trump and Putin visit in such close succession is a major source of credit with the country’s top Communist leadership.

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Mistreanu reported from Bangkok.

The announcement was made after a last-minute government-mediated negotiation with management over how much bonus payouts must be provided to employees to reflect soaring profits fueled by the global boom in artificial intelligence.

Union leader Choi Seung-ho told a televised briefing that the union agreed not to go ahead with an 18-day strike that he earlier said would start from Thursday. He said union members will vote on the tentative agreement from May 22-27.

“We would like to express our apologies to the people for causing concerns due to our internal conflicts,” Choi said. “The agreement is the result of our all-out struggle spanning about six months.”

Choi’s negotiating partner and senior Samsung official, Yeo Myounggoo, told the briefing that the company hopes that the agreement will be a starting point for more stable relations with the union.

“The company will faithfully implement the terms of this agreement and will make its utmost efforts to promote labor–management cooperation,” he said.

Government officials earlier had threatened to invoke rarely used emergency powers to force a settlement at Samsung, as its union’s strike was feared to rattle global semiconductor supplies and the country’s trade-dependent economy. The union represents more than 70,000 workers.

Earlier Wednesday, the union and the management held each other responsible for a failure to reach a deal, after their previous round of negotiation ended without a breakthrough. Choi accused management of refusing to accept a government-mediated proposal whose details he refused to disclose. The management accused the union of calling for excessive compensation packages for workers at loss-making units.

Samsung and its cross-town rival, SK Hynix, together produce about two-thirds of the world’s memory chips, which are seeing surging demand driven by AI. Samsung said last month its operating profit for the January-March quarter jumped eightfold to a record 57.2 trillion won ($38 billion).

Union leaders have demanded a compensation structure in which Samsung would commit to spend 15% of its annual operating profit on employee bonuses and scrap bonus caps, which are currently set at 50% of annual salaries. The company says the demands are excessive, citing the highly cyclical nature of the semiconductor business.

Samsung and union leaders did not immediately confirm the details of their tentative agreement. Yeo suggested that the company had agreed to union demands to extend bonuses beyond its lucrative memory division to less profitable units.

“For example, we need to invest in the future of both our memory and foundry businesses. These engineers all work in semiconductor production, and we discussed ways to better motivate them,” he said.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, the government’s No. 2 official after President Lee Jae Myung, said in a televised statement Sunday that the strike could cause up to 100 trillion won ($66 billion) in economic damage by disrupting Samsung’s highly complex semiconductor manufacturing processes.

The planned strike could potentially have had a major global impact.

Given that supply in the global memory semiconductor market is struggling to keep up with demand, the Samsung strike would have been expected to further drive up prices and push back AI infrastructure investments in other countries, said Lee Jun, an expert at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.

The strike could have hurt operations of Samsung’s production of smartphones and other consumer electronics as well, observers say.

A local court on Monday partially granted the company’s request for an injunction against the planned strike, ruling that the union must maintain certain staffing levels to prevent damage to facilities and materials and ensure safe operations. The Suwon District Court also barred unionists from occupying key facilities and offices.

A trade license that came into effect Wednesday permits the import of Russian oil that has been refined into jet fuel and diesel in third countries such as India and Turkey. The U.K. announced in October that it would ban imports of those products.

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory grip on the strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil usually passes, has sent fuel prices soaring around the world and sparked concerns about a shortage of jet fuel.

Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused the British government of “choosing to buy dirty Russian oil.”

But Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government is phasing in the sanctions package announced in October and has issued a “targeted short-term” license for the refined products to protect British consumers in a volatile situation.

“So, these are new sanctions being phased in. This is not a question of lifting existing sanctions in any way whatsoever,” he said in the House of Commons.

The licenses have no end date, but the government said they would be reviewed regularly.

Britain has been one of Ukraine's strongest allies since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, and the government insists its sanctions against Russia remain among the toughest in the world.

But lawmaker Emily Thornberry, who chairs Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said Ukrainians would “feel very let down” by the move. She said Ukraine’s allies should keep squeezing Russia’s oil industry because it “is absolutely crippling their economy.”

A senior Ukrainian official said the Kyiv government was “clarifying the details” with U.K. officials.

“There is currently very active communication between our diplomats, the office (of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) and the British side,” the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to comment publicly.

The U.S. has also eased Russian sanctions. Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent extended a 30-day sanctions waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil shipments already at sea.

On Tuesday, finance ministers from the U.S., Britain and the other Group of Seven wealthy nations issued a joint statement reaffirming “our unwavering commitment to continue to impose severe costs on Russia in response to its continued aggression against Ukraine.”

John Lough, an associate fellow in the Russia program at the Chatham House think tank in London, said that while the sanctions carve-outs were likely to be temporary, “it has a symbolic effect because it does look as though the sanctions regime is weakening.

“If you’re looking at this from Moscow, you would say, well, this is welcome news, because it shows that when push comes to shove, Western countries are really not that committed to a sanctions regime,” Lough said.

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Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London and Susie Blann in Kyiv contributed to this story.

A group have already targeted the upcoming clay-court tournament for reducing players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at other ATP and WTA events.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No.4 Coco Gauff were among leading players who threatened a boycott of the Slams earlier this month if they don’t start receiving more compensation.

L'Equipe newspaper reported Wednesday that many players competing at Roland Garros, which begins Sunday, are planning to limit their conversations with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday's traditional pre-tournament media day.

The French tennis federation (FFT), which organizes the French Open, said in a statement to The Associated Press that it regrets the players' initiative “which penalizes all stakeholders involved in the tournament: the media, broadcasters, federation staff and the entire tennis community that enthusiastically follows each edition of Roland Garros.”

Sabalenka and fellow No. 1 Jannik Sinner were among leading players — most of them ranked in the top 10 — who earlier this month issued a statement expressing “deep disappointment” over French Open prize money.

The players are also seeking better representation, health options and pensions from the four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.

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

The FFT said it will continue to maintain an open dialogue, adding that it proposed a meeting expected to take place Friday with the players and their representatives.

“The FFT is ready for direct and constructive discussions on governance issues, with the aim of giving players a greater role in decision-making, contributing to players’ social protection, and evolving the distribution of value, and it put forward several proposals in this direction during the meeting,” it said.

The players claim their share of Roland Garros revenue has declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026. They say the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.

“With estimated revenues of over 400 million euros for this year’s tournament, prize money as a percentage of revenue will likely still be less than 15%, far short of the 22% that players have requested to bring the Grand Slams into line with the ATP and WTA Combined 1000 events,” the players said.

The Australian Open this year increased the players’ compensation by 16%, and the U.S. Open prize money last year went up by 20%.

The singles champions at Roland Garros will each receive 2.8 million euros, an increase of 250,000 euros compared with 2025.

“Beyond the prize money, a Grand Slam tournament like Roland Garros offers players exceptional exposure, generating indirect income through sponsorships, partnerships, exhibitions and appearance fees,” the FFT said.

“This year the French Tennis Federation also chose to direct a significant portion of these increases toward players eliminated in the early rounds of the main draw and qualifying rounds, with increases of more than 11%, in order to better support those who depend most on tournament earnings to finance their season.”

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

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas, a fugitive known as Chuy Gonzalez, who is alleged to be involved in trafficking narcotics into the U.S. and laundering funds for the cartel. The State Department has been offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest since 2024.

Additionally, Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, who allegedly helps launder the proceeds of fentanyl and other drugs on behalf of the cartel, has also been hit with sanctions.

A restaurant in Chihuahua, called Gorditas Chiwas — controlled by sanctioned businessman Alfredo Orozco Romero — was hit with sanctions.

The sanctions cut them off from the U.S. banking system, cut off their ability to work with Americans and block their U.S. assets. Its unclear how embedded the sanctioned individuals and firms are in the U.S. financial system.

Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement that Treasury, “will continue to target terrorist cartels and their fentanyl trafficking networks to protect our communities and Keep America Safe.”

Fentanyl, a powerful opioid, is the deadliest drug in the U.S. today. A tiny amount, 2 milligrams, ingested into the body can be fatal.

And while drug overdoses dramatically increased over the last two decades, with the number of deaths increasing approximately 520% from 1999 to 2023, drug overdose deaths are beginning to decline — by nearly 3% from 2022 to 2023, according to the latest CDC data.

Mexico and China are the primary sources for fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked directly into the U.S., according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which is tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking. Nearly all the precursor chemicals that are needed to make fentanyl come from China. And the companies that make the precursors routinely use fake return addresses and mislabel the products to avoid being caught by law enforcement.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly offered to send the U.S. military after the cartels and his administration designated the Sinaloa cartel as a terrorist group in 2025.

The Government of Mexico’s financial intelligence unit worked with Treasury and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to identify targets for Wednesday's sanctions.

The win locked Naegohyang into another match in South Korea, a final Saturday against Tokyo Verdy Beleza, which defeated Melbourne City 3-1 in the other semifinal of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League.

“I trusted our team’s strength. If all of us stay united firmly as one, neither the semifinals nor the final would be a problem for us,” said Naegohyang goal-scorer Choi Kum Ok.

While athletes from North and South Korea have previously competed on combined teams and marched together in Olympic ceremonies during periods of warmer ties, such exchanges have largely disappeared in recent years as relations between the rivals deteriorated over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Naegohyang has drawn intense media attention since its 39 players and staff arrived in South Korea on Sunday on a flight from China.

North Korea last sent athletes to the South in December 2018 for a table tennis event, part of a brief period of diplomatic engagement that included the participation of North Korean athletes and a high-level delegation at that year’s Winter Olympics in the South.

The brief period of inter-Korean detente collapsed after U.S.-led negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program broke down in 2019 amid disputes over international sanctions.

Since then, North Korea has conducted a flurry of weapons tests aimed at expanding its nuclear arsenal and rejected South Korean and U.S. efforts to revive diplomacy.

Hundreds show up in rain-soaked match

The liberal government of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, which has pushed for improved ties with North Korea, said it would financially support civic groups that had planned to organize a 3,000-member squad to cheer both sides at Wednesday’s match.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether that many people showed up for the rain-soaked match, although at least hundreds filled the stands in raincoats, pounding balloon sticks and loudly chanting “Naegohyang” to drumbeats, appearing especially enthusiastic about the North Korean team.

Some held signs reading “We welcome the Naegohyang Women’s FC team” and other similar messages.

Ri Yu Il, Naegohyang’s coach, brushed aside questions about South Korean supporters cheering for his team, saying at a Tuesday news conference that he and his players were focused “solely on tomorrow’s match and the match after that.”

North Korea is a powerhouse in women’s soccer and the defending Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup champion. While Ri’s team defeated Suwon 3-0 in the group stage in Myanmar in November, Wednesday’s match was much more closely contested and forced his team to stage a comeback.

North Koreans rally

Naegohyang played aggressively out of the gate, pressing Suwon’s defense early with long passes and runs on the flanks, but struggled to finish and had an offside goal disallowed in the fourth minute.

Suwon responded with counterattacks as the North Koreans struggled to clear crosses into the box, with a header from home forward Haruhi Suzuki bouncing off a post in the 21st.

Teammate Milena Barreto de Oliveira squandered another chance in the 30th when her close-range attempt also struck the post.

Suzuki gave Suwon the lead in the 49th, pouncing on a deflected ball in the box and chipping it past Naegohyang goalkeeper Pak Ju Gyong.

Naegohyang equalized five minutes later when Choe Kum Ok headed in from a set piece, then grabbed the lead in the 67th after Kim Kyong Yong collected a high-arching clearance from a Suwon defender to nod home.

Suwon had an opportunity to tie the match in the 79th but Ji So-Yun's penalty went wide.

Naegohyang will return to the Suwon Sports Complex on Saturday for the final.

— Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. AP writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed from Seoul.

— AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

In a Republican-led Congress defined by deference to President Donald Trump, there's a small but steadily growing cohort who have found themselves more willing to break with the White House. Although the president maintains a firm grip on Republican voters, the expanding club could hinder his agenda on everything from the Iran war to immigration funding at a moment when his party holds a tenuous majority on Capitol Hill.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is the newest member of the club. Just days after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, Cassidy on Tuesday reversed himself on legislation involving the war in Iran and voted with Democrats to rein in U.S. military action.

“The way our Constitution is set up, Congress should hold the executive branch accountable,” he told reporters the day before.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas could be next after Trump endorsed Ken Paxton, Cornyn's rival for the Republican nomination in next week's runoff.

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is perhaps a founding member of the YOLO caucus — slang for “you only live once,” used to punctuate unbothered or even foolhardy behavior. He frustrated Trump since the president's first term, and his status was solidified after losing his primary on Tuesday to a Trump-backed challenger. Massie has enraged Trump by voting against his signature tax and spending bill and by pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

He hinted there's more to come before he leaves office.

“I got seven months left in Congress,” Massie said with a grin during his concession speech as the crowd erupted.

More Republicans feel free to shrug off Trump

Other similarly situated Republicans include Sen. Thom Tillis, who was a fierce critic of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and has more recently turned his attention to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. There’s also Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who joined Democrats last week in a bid to curb Trump’s war powers in Iran. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky have voted against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks. And in the House, Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska has pushed to reclaim congressional power over tariffs.

“If the legislative branch always votes with the president, we do have a king,” Massie said in his concession speech Tuesday.

This hardly amounts to a revival of the Never Trump movement that some Republicans unsuccessfully hoped would curb the president's excesses during his first term or block him from returning to office. Many in the party, including Trump's occasional detractors, have either stood by or been unable to block the president as he launched the war in Iran and presided over an aggressive immigration enforcement operation and the dismantling of the federal workforce.

Today's unencumbered Republicans don't fit into an ideological box. But they are united by a sense of emboldening that can only be attained in a few ways in Trump's Washington.

Many, like Tillis, McConnell and Bacon, have decided to retire and can cast votes knowing they'll never again have to face Republican primary voters. Others like Collins and Murkowski have more leeway because they represent states that tend to reward political independence. And some like Massie banked on the idea that voters could support both Trump and someone who occasionally crossed him.

It's a paradox for Trump. As he demands total loyalty and pushes out Republican dissenters, he's left with a growing cohort who, for one reason or another, owe Trump nothing.

Democrats look to capitalize

That could be a problem for Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who are already governing with threadbare majorities. Shifting loyalties of even a few Republican lawmakers could dramatically complicate the ability for either chamber to pass substantial legislation ahead of the November midterm elections.

Thune called Cornyn a “principled conservative” and “very effective senator” on Tuesday.

“None of us control what the president does,” he said.

The next tests could come later this week as Thune pushes a funding package for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection designed to pass on a party line basis.

Democrats are eager to pounce.

Speaking at an event in Washington on Tuesday sponsored by the Center for American Progress, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he would aim to drive a wedge between Republicans by using a so-called discharge petition to bring issues directly to the floor for a vote.

That tactic has been successful in securing House passage on issues ranging from the Epstein files to temporary protection of Haitian immigrants.

“When we're disciplined and when we're focused and when we put pressure in particular on the so-called swing seat Republicans, they have been breaking with us,” Jeffries said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters on Tuesday that Trump's endorsement of Cornyn's rival was a sign that his political power lies within the Republican base — not the American public at large.

“He’s showed the only influence he has, and that’s an outsize influence within the base of the party,” the potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender said. “Otherwise he’s shown little to no influence with the American people.”

Counting the votes

That leaves Republicans gaming out how they might cobble together the votes needed to pass legislation.

Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota called Cassidy a “good friend” and said the loss was “tough for him.” He said Cassidy “will always vote in line with what he thinks is best” but doubted he will become a less reliable Republican vote.

His fellow Louisianan, Sen. John Kennedy, said Cassidy deploys power “rationally and maturely” and “will continue to do the same thing.”

Cassidy repeatedly rejected the notion that he will spend his final months in Washington as a troublemaker for Trump, saying he's going to do “what's good for my country and my state.”

Yet the independent streak that ended his political career quickly resurfaced. A week after Trump visited China, Cassidy spoke of a western alliance that's “totally falling apart” and will be unable to “push back on the threat China represents.” He seemed stunned that the administration would create a nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who they believe have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted.

“I just came off the campaign trail,” he said. “People are concerned about making their own ends meet, not about putting a slush fund together without a legal precedent.”

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Associated Press writer Stephen Groves in Washington contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that the fund intended to compensate Trump allies is valued at nearly $1.8 billion, not nearly $1.8 trillion. It's also been corrected to reflect the proper name of Customs and Border Protection.

The bird dropped a surprise from above, hitting the king's suit jacket and splattering others around him, including members of the press.

“It’s well it didn’t land on my head,” the king quipped, according to Irene Marting, who witnessed the incident and met the composed king shortly afterward.

“Being hit by a seagull, it’s supposed to be good luck,” Marting said. “We’re so thrilled he’s come to Northern Ireland to see us and it’s really nice to see him in Newcastle.”

Charles was visiting the southeast coastal town on the second day of a three-day visit with Queen Camilla. The queen was spared the spectacle because she was making a separate visit to Royal Hillsborough, where she tried her hand at pouring a pint of Guinness at a pub.

The king seemed to foreshadow his fate earlier in the day during a visit to a food pantry when he picked up a roll of toilet paper and said, “very important.”

About 6 in 10 Republicans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That's down from about 8 in 10 in February, before the war began.

The poll comes as the war with Iran fuels higher gasoline prices, while the U.S. and Iran struggle to move toward a permanent ceasefire. Trump’s hold on the GOP remains strong, as he demonstrated on Tuesday when his handpicked candidate defeated Rep. Thomas Massie, a Trump critic, in a primary election challenge. The findings highlight Trump's continued strength within the Republican Party, even as economic frustration grows.

Ariel Gutierrez, a 55-year-old Republican in Wisconsin, usually requires his teenage children to pay for their own gas. But with spiking gas costs, he’s helping out his 15-year-old, who’s just learning how to drive.

“The whole Iran issue has just exacerbated it,” he said. “Maybe we were seeing it in groceries before, but now — with this push on gas and travel and all that — that is how people want to live the leisure part of their lives ... and it is directly impacting us there now. And yes, that is, I believe from Trump’s policies, not from his predecessors.”

Trump remains unpopular outside his base. Most Americans continue to disapprove of Trump’s approach to both Iran and foreign policy. His overall approval rating in the new poll stands at 37%, up slightly from 33% in April. Nearly all Democrats disapprove of his performance as president, as do about 7 in 10 independents.

The economy remains a struggle

About one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy. That’s in line with an AP-NORC poll conducted in late April, but down slightly from the start of his second term, when 40% of U.S. adults approved.

The economy was a strength for Trump in his first term, but he's struggled with skepticism about his handling of the issue ever since he reentered the White House last year, after repeatedly promising to bring prices down. His second-term economic approval has fallen among Republicans, in particular. While a majority, 63%, still approve, that’s down from 79% in February, a few weeks before the war with Iran began.

Richard Baumgartner, a 77-year-old Republican from Las Vegas, believes higher costs are a necessary side effect of the war, which he supports.

“Unfortunately, because of the war, the economy is a little bit off kilter,” Baumgartner said. “I think it’ll fall back into place after things resolve over there. Temporary price increases — it’s unfortunate, but it’s something that has to be confronted in a situation like this where you have a very serious problem.”

Trump regains some strength on immigration

While economic promises were pivotal to Trump’s reelection, so were his goals of stricter immigration enforcement — and this issue may be reemerging as an asset.

Immigration emerged as one of Trump’s strengths early in his second term, with about half of U.S. adults saying they liked his approach, but approval of his handling of the issue dipped to 38% in January and February, after months of aggressive immigration enforcement that led to the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

Now, just under half of U.S. adults, 45%, approve of how he is handling that issue.

Brenda Theiss, an independent from Cullman, Alabama, doesn't like everything Trump is doing. But she gives him credit for being willing to disrupt the status quo to reduce the flow of immigrants who are in the country illegally compared to Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

“I liked Obama; I voted for Obama — but Trump was the only one that did something. All of the other presidents sat back and went, ‘Well there’s nothing we can do,'” the 73-year-old said. “He's closing the border. He did it. Biden didn't do it. For that, I give him one hundred.”

Over the past few months, the Trump administration has appeared to recalibrate its approach on immigration, moving in many ways away from aggressive, public-facing tactics toward a quieter approach to enforcement.

Immigration remains one of Trump’s stronger issues among Republicans. About 8 in 10 approve of his handling of the issue, which is roughly 10 points higher than the share that say he’s doing a good job as president.

Few approve of Trump on Iran or issues abroad

Trump's handling of the war with Iran remains unpopular.

Only about one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling Iran. Roughly two-thirds of Republicans approve, though an AP-NORC poll conducted last month found that younger Republicans are more likely to disapprove of Trump's performance on the issue than older ones.

Similarly, about one-third of Americans approve of Trump’s approach to foreign policy. Though Trump has zeroed in on a more aggressive international approach this year — including capturing the leader of Venezuela and threatening Cuba — Americans’ views of his overall handling of foreign policy have not shifted significantly in recent months.

Amanda Wylie, a 22-year-old who lives in Athens, Georgia, says Iran is one of the few issues where Trump doesn't have her support.

“I feel like we’re wasting resources over there at this point and not for the benefit of the American people,” said Wylie, who identifies as a Republican-leaning independent. “Especially if everyone is worried about gas prices and the ultimate goal of this is to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Yes, that’s important, but at what cost?”

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,117 adults was conducted May 14-18 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

“Minotaur,” which debuted Tuesday night at the French festival, was one of the most anticipated selections at this year's Cannes. The film rewarded those expectations, receiving one of the festival's most enthusiastic responses and putting the Russian filmmaker squarely in the mix for the Palme d'Or.

While “Minotaur” is outwardly centered around a married couple, its story has obvious political reverberations. Dmitriy Mazurov plays the chief executive of a large shipping company who, as Russia's military mobilizes for the all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, is asked to contribute a quota of 150 workers to the mounting war effort.

At the same time, Mazurov begins investigating the suspected infidelity of his wife, played by Iris Lebedeva. As “Minotaur” evolves, their family drama takes on darker symbolism for the deceptions and savagery of Putin's war.

“It was important for me to make this film given the current Russian context,” Zvyagintsev told reporters on Wednesday. “It was a perfect pretext to say some important things.”

For Zvyagintsev, it was a long-in-coming triumph. His previous two films — “Leviathan” (2014) and “Loveless” (2017) — were both critically acclaimed Oscar nominees. But during the pandemic, illness forced Zvyagintsev into an induced coma for 40 days. Recovering in a German clinic, he had to relearn how to walk and hold utensils. A year later, in 2022 and still in a wheelchair, he moved his family to Paris.

“It’s one of the greatest things that’s happened to me over these last nine years,” Zvyagintsev said of returning to Cannes, where his previous two films debuted. “Coming back after such a lengthy absence to the Cannes Film Festival is an absolutely incomparable event.”

Zvyagintsev had previously worked in Russia, and while his films resisted overt political statement, their critiques of Putin's government weren't hard to infer. Russia’s Cultural Ministry, which had partly funded “Leviathan,” was highly critical of the movie, saying it “openly spit on” the government.

“Minotaur” is the first film made by Zvyagintsev outside Russia. He shot it in Latvia.

“I perhaps lost a link when I left Russia six years ago, but I know what I’m talking about,” he said. “I know how the people think, how they react, how they go about things. I know a lot about corruption, too, which has developed in the country.”

While Zvyagintsev didn't make many direct statements about Russia on Wednesday, he explained how he sees politics filtering into his filmmaking.

“I didn’t want to make the most of the politics because that would discredit what you hear,” the director said. “It was better to indulge in silence and rely on gestures.”

The broad outlines of “Minotaur” were inspired by Claude Chabrol's 1969 film “The Unfaithful Wife.” Zvyagintsev first began working on it years ago. But after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine transpired during his recovery, the film began to shift. As in his previous movies, geopolitics seeped into a family drama.

“There’s nothing more interesting than studying a couple,” he said. “Each member of a couple have to make choice, choices which call the relationship in the family into question. A family is like a battlefield.”

Splashed beneath his portrait is the slogan, “Happy Birthday America!”

About 100 auto-rickshaws carrying large images of Trump and the Statue of Liberty have appeared across the Indian capital in recent weeks. In a city where the backs of thousands of three-wheelers are routinely covered with ads for little-known fertility clinics, English-speaking courses and herbal remedies, the American branding stands out.

The unusual advertising campaign was unveiled last month by Sergio Gor, the U.S. ambassador to India. It is part of a broader push by the U.S to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, with celebrations, cultural events and public outreach campaigns planned in several countries.

Announcing the initiative on social media last month, the U.S. Embassy posted, “Freedom is on the move … literally!”

And it urged people in the capital to flag down the auto-rickshaws, saying, “Catch them if you can — they’ll be popping up all over Delhi soon.”

Washington is seeking to stabilize relations with India after ties soured over Trump’s tariff policies, which raised duties on several Indian exports. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected to visit New Delhi this weekend.

For many auto-rickshaw drivers, though, the campaign carries little meaning.

Driver Ganesh Kumar, whose vehicle carried one of the Trump posters, said he initially refused when organizers approached him.

“I told them I didn’t want it,” Kumar said. But he relented after organizers offered him a valuable inducement.

“They said, ‘Please let us put (the poster). We’ll give you a packet of tea,’” he said.

Another driver, Pradeep Kumar, said he agreed to carry the poster mostly because the canopy of his auto-rickshaw was torn and needed covering.

Asked if he knew what the advertisement said, Kumar replied: “I know he is Trump. Don’t know much other than that.”

At ballparks across the country, groups consisting of mostly young men are joining in on the “Tarps Off” trend that's loud, goofy, infectious and new to the baseball world. Joining in on the fun is simple: Go to the section where the party is happening, take off your shirt and start twirling it above your head.

Soccer-like chants or singing usually follows — injecting a jolt of energy for a sport that occasionally is chided for its lack of energy inside the stadium.

After getting its start in St. Louis last Friday, it has spread across the league to places like Detroit, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Seattle and Anaheim.

Chad Bitzer, who has been coming to Mariners games for about 13 years, was among the shirtless fans in Seattle. His reasoning was simple: “Cause everyone else was taking it off. Why not?”

“It’s fresh. It’s a beautiful night. Take it off," Bitzer said. "Great Northwest night. We live for the summers. We live for the good weather.”

Ground zero for the shirtless outbreak was in St. Louis last Friday, when a club baseball team affiliated with Stephen F. Austin State University was in Alton, Illinois, for the National Club Baseball Division II World Series. The Cardinals offered tickets to the team, and 17 players attended.

That group started the fun, dozens of others joined and suddenly there were a couple hundred fans creating a ruckus in right field that helped propel the Cardinals to a 5-4 victory in 11 innings over the Kansas City Royals. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol loved the energy so much that he bought tickets for the shirtless revelers for Saturday's game and they returned.

“It’s hard not to have fun when the fans are like that,” Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn said Friday. “We’ve got the best fans in the world, but it seems like the younger generation makes it more like a college atmosphere.”

Even Cardinals mascot Fredbird joined in on the fun.

Now it might be the start of a tradition — more shirtless fans cheered for the Cardinals in Tuesday's game against the Pirates. It certainly seems to be a boost for the club's home-field advantage: Ivan Herrera hit a three-run homer to lift the Cardinals to a 9-6 win in 10 innings.

A similar outbreak of shirtless fans broke out at a Tampa Bay Rays game Monday and again Tuesday. Another small group celebrated in Philadelphia as the Reds and Phillies played in the rain. Angels fans celebrated with a mix of joy and irritation, chanting for owner Arte Moreno to sell the team.

MLB certainly won't complain about the attention. Attendance is up at big league stadiums so far this season, averaging roughly 1,000 more fans per game than a year ago through Monday's contests.

If the trend continues, baseball could average 30,000 fans per game for the first time since 2016.

More and more, they might just be shirtless.

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AP Sports Writer Andrew Destin in Seattle and AP freelance writer Warren Mayes in St. Louis contributed to this report.

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

If thrown in the trash, they can take up to hundreds of years to degrade in landfills and release harmful microplastics into the environment. Over 3 million tons (2.7 metric tons) of plastic bags, sacks and wraps in the United States went to landfills in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Grocery bags dumped in curbside recycling bins, on the other hand, can create problems for recycling.

“Once they get shredded or even before, a lot of times they just clog recycling equipment,” said Delaware-based chemical engineering expert and science communicator Erha Andini.

Learning how to manage such plastics is worthwhile, as there likely won't be a slowdown in production anytime soon: negotiations for a global plastic treaty have stalled in recent years, with the U.S. and other oil-producing countries resisting any limits on the production of plastics, which are made predominantly from oil.

Disposing of these flexible products, known as plastic films, can differ based on which ones you have and where you're located.

While it's difficult to live a plastic-free life, there are simple ways to get rid of the most common culprits, as well as other ways you can make a difference.

“It’s a problem of volume,” said Gary Dusek, founder of Precious Plastic NYC. “So literally the tiniest thing definitely moves the needle.”

Here are some tips:

How to identify plastic films

There are many different plastics, from harder kinds like water bottles and takeout containers to softer plastic films. Experts say the best way to describe plastic films is with examples: think bread bags, plastic cereal bags and overwrap for bulk items like toilet paper.

To identify a plastic film, you can also look for the classic three-arrow logo with a number inside it. That logo identifies what kind of plastic an object is made of — not whether it's recyclable in a curbside bin.

Many plastic films are labeled with the numbers two or four, meaning they are made of either high or low-density polyethylene. These can be dropped off for recycling at some designated local grocery or convenience stores.

Items without these numbers may be more complex and made with multiple kinds of plastic layered together. For example, the plastic wrap that keeps meat fresh at the grocery store, Andini said, can be made of up to five or more film layers, depending on the packaging design.

Putting such films in general recycling bins with the hope they’ll end up in the right place — a concept known as wishcycling — can make it harder to process other plastics, so it's worth considering other options.

Don't put plastic bags in household recycling bins

Instead of stashing plastic films with household recycling like cardboard or cans, leave them in the specific drop-off bin at a grocery or convenience store. Once dropped off, the bags are given to recyclers who reprocess them into materials for new things like furniture.

The company Trex makes outdoor decking out of recycled plastic films and has a locator on its website to find drop off points by zip code, said Stephanie Hicks, the organization's materials and recycling manager.

Grocery bags and soft plastics labeled with the numbers two and four are generally accepted at these bins. To figure out what other kinds of plastic you can bring, look up recycling regulations for the specific store and your area.

Before dropping something off, make sure it's not covered in food residue or too degraded. Such plastics aren't good candidates for recycling and should go in the trash. Don't forget to remove stray items like receipts from plastic bags.

Some grocers have eliminated in-store drop-off programs over concern that the stretchy plastics end up in landfills instead of getting recycled. If that's a concern, other organizations in your area might also accept plastic donations.

NOVA Creative Reuse Center in Virginia repurposes donated bubble wrap for artwork. Precious Plastic NYC melts plastics to make clipboards and clothes hangers and accepts donations by appointment. And online tutorials offer at-home inspiration, like making plastic yarn out of old grocery bags to crochet new totes.

“All we're really trying to do is take this stuff out of the environment, and put it into something where we know what it is,” said Dusek, with Precious Plastic NYC.

Eliminate some plastic films from everyday life

If it's tough to drop plastic films off for recycling, consider reducing your reliance on them. Opt for reusable grocery and product bags at the store and avoid plastic packaging where possible.

Plastic wrap is an important component of food safety, as it keeps certain products like cucumbers fresh for longer, said plastics engineering expert Meg Sobkowicz with the University of Massachusetts Lowell. But it's still possible to make small swaps, like grabbing individual apples from a grocery stand instead of selecting wrapped bunches.

You can also shop locally and secondhand to avoid the plastic packaging used in shipped products.

Reuse the bags you already have

It's also possible to give new life to that bag full of plastic bags stashed under the sink. Using the same plastic bags for multiple grocery runs or for bathroom trash cans can prolong the life of plastic films, allowing you to get more use before they head to waste management.

You can also use the bags newspapers are delivered in to scoop dog poop, or use other bags to hold wet clothes and sandals at the beach.

Some things may still eventually end up in the trash, and that's okay. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, Sobkowicz says. Small swaps and changes are better than nothing, and your local recycling plant will still be grateful.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP's climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The 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

Or at least, it's nearby. World Cup games will be hosted in the small town of Foxborough — about 30 miles south of “Beantown” — for the first time since 1994, when the now-demolished Foxboro Stadium hosted eventual runner-up Italy’s 2-1 win over Spain in the quarterfinals.

Boston/Foxborough also hosted Women’s World Cup matches in 1999 and 2003, the latter at the current Gillette Stadium, which opened in 2002 and is home to the NFL’s New England Patriots.

Gillette Stadium (renamed Boston Stadium for the World Cup in accordance with FIFA regulations) also is no stranger to some of soccer’s biggest stars. Lionel Messi played here during the 2016 Copa America Centenario and in MLS matches for Inter Miami in 2024 and 2025. Other notable stars include Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets.

Landmarks/Places to See

Massachusetts was one of the original 13 colonies for what would become the United States. So, Boston is rich in American history. Top tourist spots include American Revolution-themed sites like the Boston Tea Party ships, as well as the Old North Church and Paul Revere’s house. Sports venues like Fenway Park and TD Garden are also popular.

Food Scene in Boston

There’s a little bit of everything in Boston. It starts with the North End for all things Italian. Seafood is also huge, where lobster rolls and clam chowder are staples, particularly downtown near the wharf and Boston Harbor. There are also several Michelin Star restaurants in Boston, Cambridge and surrounding cities.

Fan Zones

Official FIFA Fan Festival events will take place June 12–27 at Boston City Hall Plaza, in the heart of downtown.

High Street Place will become Boston’s House of Soccer and feature a giant outdoor screen for fans to watch World Cup action between June 11-July 19.

The city of Revere is also hosting free watch parties beginning June 12 for the USA vs. Paraguay match and continuing on June 13, 19, 24, 27 and July 14, 15 and 19.

Transportation Options

The Metro Boston Transit Authority, known locally as the “T”, has set train prices at $80 round trip from Boston to Foxborough for tournament games. There also is an express bus option that will depart from various Boston-area locations, which will cost $95 round trip.

Stadium Tips

Tailgating will be allowed prior to matches, but space will be severely reduced from what is normally available for NFL games. There are about 20,000 parking spots available for Patriots games, but there will be only around 5,000 for public use during the World Cup.

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

Police have located a suspect vehicle involved in the shooting that occurred on Sunday, which left one injured, the Roanoke Police Department said.

Authorities say there was no one inside, and the investigation continues.

If you have any information regarding the location of this vehicle or any additional information regarding this incident, please contact the Roanoke Police Department at 540-344-8500.

Original:

A man was shot after a fight led to a shooting in Roanoke on Sunday, Roanoke Police Department said.

RPD said they responded to the 2600 block of Peters Creek Road NW around 2:13 a.m. on Sunday after receiving reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found a man with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Authorities said they soon found that a fight between multiple men began in the parking lot, which then led to the shooting incident.

Law enforcement said they have not yet identified a suspect in this investigation.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Roanoke Police Department at 540-344-8500.

Despite rising premium costs, there are ways to save. Consumer Reports reveals some proven ways to whittle down your monthly bill.

You don’t have to live in a disaster-prone area for your homeowners’ insurance bill to make you feel like you do. Over the last three years, home insurance premiums increased by an average of 24 percent.

“Your best bet is to find an independent local insurance agent who can sit down with you and find every single policy available in your zip code and make sure you get the coverage you need,” said Lisa Gill with Consumer Reports.

Second, bundle coverage. Purchasing your homeowners and auto insurance from the same company can cut costs by as much as 30 percent.

Third, consider a higher deductible. The more you are willing to pay out of pocket on a claim, the lower your premium usually will be.

“Going to a $1,000 deductible from $500 could save you up to 25 percent,” explained Gill. “But going to a $2,500 deductible could save you even more.”

Home repairs can go a long way. Start with the roof. From leaks to fire damage, that is often where costly problems begin. And for older roofs, some insurers could add a surcharge of 10 to 20 percent or more.

Other upgrades can help, too. Replacing old plumbing, adding a security system, or installing gas and water-leak detectors could trim your premium.

Finally, slash your home insurance bill by picking your pets and pursuits wisely. Certain dog breeds cost more, and some insurers might even deny coverage altogether because of bite liability.

The same goes for features like pools and trampolines, which can raise your premium because they are seen as potential safety concerns.

Consumer Reports says it’s also a good idea to clean up your credit, since credit scores often impact premiums. Poor credit could result in a premium twice as high as for good credit.

Some advice: don’t take on too much credit card debt before shopping for insurance, and pay your bills on time.

Here are six common ways taxpayers get off track and the questions they should ask themselves during the tax year.

Don’t assume the answer is the same as last year

Taxpayers often default to “same as last year” thinking. But tax outcomes depend on variables that shift constantly, like income, markets, tax laws, interest rates, and personal circumstances.

Consider these examples:

1. Home office deduction: The calculation method can vary. One approach is based on square footage, but allocating based on number of rooms might be better. The method chosen last year may not be optimal this year.

2. Vehicle expenses: The choice between standard mileage and actual expenses can change if driving patterns or vehicle costs change.

3. Standard versus itemized deduction: This should be calculated every year. Taxpayers can — and should — choose the better option annually. For example, a year with significant charitable giving, mortgage interest, or taxes paid may favor itemizing, while another year may not.

The question to ask is: “Given my situation this year, what approach produces the best tax outcome for me?”

Don’t think about taxes only in April

By the time a return is prepared, most tax outcomes are already decided. Tax efficiency is not a once-a-year exercise; it’s an ongoing discipline.

Key areas where year-round planning matters:

4. Retirement contributions –Rothversus traditional: Choosing between a Roth 401(k) and a traditional 401(k) is fundamentally a tax decision: Should you pay taxes now (Roth), or defer taxes (traditional)? The right answer depends on both current and expected future tax rates.

5. Charitable-giving strategy: The tax benefit depends heavily on how you give. Donating appreciated securities instead of cash can eliminate capital gains tax. Bunching contributions into a single year can increase the likelihood of itemizing—at least every other year.

6. Bonus and supplemental income withholding: Bonuses are often withheld at flat rates that may not reflect actual tax liability. This can create either cash flow drag or underpayment risk.

7. Investment decisions: Realizing gains, harvesting losses, and holding periods all affect after-tax returns.

The question to ask is: “What decisions throughout the year will improve my after-tax outcome?”

Don’t confuse refunds with good tax planning

Many taxpayers still equate a tax refund with success. In reality, a refund simply means you paid more than you should have, and that you gave an interest-free loan to the government. That capital could have been invested or deployed elsewhere during the year.

The question to ask is: “Am I aligning my tax payments with my actual liability?”

Efficient cash flow is part of overall good tax planning.

Don’t let the tax tail wag the dog

Tax considerations should inform decisions, not drive them. A deduction reduces the cost of an expense, but it doesn’t eliminate it. Spending $1,000 to save $300 in taxes still results in a net outflow of $700.

This is particularly relevant for charitable contributions and investment decisions made for tax reasons rather than economic merit.

The question to ask is: “Does this decision make sense on its own, before considering taxes?”

Don’t assume doing it yourself always saves money

Tax software has improved accessibility, but it hasn’t replaced expertise.

For taxpayers, complexity often includes:

8. Capital gains and losses coordination

9. Multi-account asset location

10. Timing decisions across tax years

11. Interactions between income, deductions, and credits

Errors or missed opportunities can be subtle but costly over time.

The question to ask is: “What is the long-term cost of suboptimal tax decisions?”

Don’t hesitate to ask—even if the answer is no

Some of the most valuable tax strategies begin with simple questions, many of which initially seem unlikely.

For example, can I deduct my pet expenses? Usually no. But in specific cases, such as a legitimate service animal, these expenses may qualify as medical deductions.

The key is not whether a question leads to a “yes,” but whether it uncovers possibilities or clarifies boundaries.

The question to ask is: “Is there any situation where this could apply to me?”

The bottom line: Maximize wealth

For taxpayers, tax planning is not about chasing deductions or minimizing a single year’s bill. It’s about maximizing after-tax wealth over time.

The most valuable questions:

12. Challenge assumptions

13. Focus on strategy, not just transactions

14. Integrate taxes into broader financial decisions

A simple shift from “What can I write off?” to “How should I plan?” can materially improve long-term outcomes. And that’s where thoughtful tax planning delivers its greatest value.

_____

This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance.

Sheryl Rowling, CPA, is an editorial director, financial adviser for Morningstar.

Related Links:

5 Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund: https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/5-smart-ways-use-your-tax-refund

3 Big Questions to Ask Your Aging Parents: https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/3-big-questions-ask-your-aging-parents

5 Money Questions Every Couple Should Ask: https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/5-money-questions-every-couple-should-askespecially-before-valentines-day

Uthmeier sent the subpoena to the NFL on May 13 as his office investigates whether the league has committed potential civil rights violations related to the Rooney Rule and the league’s other employment practices, policies and programs.

“I think we have been very clear about our programs, and we obviously evaluate them all the time, not just for how they get better, but also to make sure that they’re consistent with the law,” Goodell said Tuesday during league meetings in Orlando, Florida. "We’re engaging with the Florida attorney general and will continue to. We’ll share everything we’re doing with them. We think it’s certainly within the law, but also something very positive.”

Uthmeier threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.

Uthmeier said in a letter to Goodell that the Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”

The subpoena orders the league to appear at the attorney general’s office in Tallahassee, Florida, on June 12. It asks the league to produce extensive documents, including “all diversity reports, coaching census data, or demographic surveys that reflect the race and sex of coaching staffs of the teams from 2017 to the present."

Among the programs being reviewed by Uthmeier's office is the accelerator program, which the league created in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to increase diversity among coaches and front office executives.

The accelerator program gives participants an opportunity to connect with owners and team executives, and attend informative sessions designed to equip them for future interviews.

The NFL held its revamped accelerator program on Monday and Tuesday in Orlando after pausing it last May. It now includes nonminority participants and nearly half of this year’s group were white men.

“There are a lot of candidates up there that are diverse, that are getting the opportunity to improve themselves and to get exposure, to get an opportunity,” Goodell said. “So, the people that are up there are the best of the best and they are a very diverse group, but they are the best of the best. And what we’re trying to do here is to make them even better and to give them opportunities. And that’s what I heard is that one, they appreciate the opportunity; two, it was helpful in that.”

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

The NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact voted Tuesday to recommend that Divisions I, II and III add a national collegiate flag football championship as soon as the spring of 2028.

Although not official yet, it's a giant step toward NCAA championship inclusion for women's flag football. In order to be recommended, 40 schools need to sponsor it at the varsity level. More than 100 schools have been planning to compete during the next academic year, according to the NCAA.

“Today is a landmark day for collegiate athletics, as women’s flag football officially becomes an NCAA championship sport,” said Marion Terenzio, chair of the Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact Emerging Sport Subcommittee and president at SUNY Cobleskill. “This step recognizes a sport whose growth, competitiveness and national momentum have been impossible to ignore. Elevating flag football to championship status affirms that progress and opens new doors for women to compete at the highest level."

The next steps for adding an NCAA flag football title game include each division reviewing the recommendation and sponsoring a proposal by July 1. Should that occur, the divisions will vote in January 2027, with all three divisions required to approve for a championship to be held. There would also be the formation of a committee to oversee NCAA women's flag football.

Women's flag football is looking to join a list of sports that have gained NCAA championship status through the Emerging Sports for Women program. That includes rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003), beach volleyball (2015), wrestling (2025), acrobatics and tumbling (2026) and stunt (2026).

“The momentum behind the game reflects the passion of athletes, coaches, administrators and partners across the country who have embraced flag football and invested in creating more opportunities for female athletes,” said Izell Reese, founder and CEO of RCX Sports, the official operator of NFL FLAG. "We’re excited to continue working alongside the NCAA, NFL and school leaders to help accelerate that growth and build sustainable pathways for the next generation.”

Jacqie McWilliams Parker, chair of the Committee on Access, Opportunity, added: “Girls want to play. Whenever you give access and opportunity to an easier way to play, the better the success and numbers in participation you see.”

The International Olympic Committee voted in 2023 to include flag football, along with cricket, baseball-softball, lacrosse and squash, on the Olympic program for Los Angeles.

The participation in flag football on the female side is skyrocketing. More than 20 states have now sanctioned it as a girls' high school varsity sport and NFL clubs voted in December 2025 to support the launch of a professional flag football league.

It's filtering down to all ages, too. The number of girls ages 6 to 12 playing flag football has increased by 283% from 2015 to 2024, according to USA Football research.

"This is great news for flag football,” USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck said. “Growing the game is central to our mission, and the potential for women’s flag football to have a fully recognized NCAA championship does exactly that.”

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

The new strategy comes even as President Donald Trump's administration has singled out the Soros family, accusing them of supporting violence and fostering division. Those attacks are part of a broad effort rolled out in 2025 by Trump and his allies to influence nonprofits and charitable funders through executive orders, by withholding funding or by threatening investigations.

“We are continuing our work unabated. We will not be intimidated into silence,” said Laleh Ispahani, managing director for the U.S. at Open Society Foundations, when asked about the administration’s attacks on the Soros family.

The president's allies in Congress have also asked the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice to investigate nonprofits they accuse of supporting domestic terrorism, illegal immigration or climate programs that they disagree with. In December, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered law enforcement to investigate nonprofits that support antifa, an umbrella term for far-left-leaning groups that Trump has designated a domestic terrorist organization.

When asked if the Justice Department was looking into Open Society, a DOJ spokesperson said the department does not comment on investigations.

In the past year, Ispahani said OSF has provided grants to organizations working to defend the rule of law and to push back on policies that seek to deter parts of the U.S. population from participating in public life. The foundations' new strategy aims to improve people’s economic well-being and deepen civil rights protections, which she said are often handled separately rather than seen as two sides of the same struggle.

OSF will look for state-level policies that strengthen protections for vulnerable groups, which could be replicated in other states, Ispahani said, and for policies that help create a fair economy for the working class.

“You can’t address the racial wealth gap without tackling core, working class economic issues like living wages, affordable child care and housing,” she said.

OSF has already committed $20 million of the $300 million to be used this year for organizations working to defend rights and the rule of law through strategic litigation, nonprofit sector defense, and efforts to track government corruption in the U.S.

The new democracy strategy is the first new program that works solely in the U.S. that OSF has approved under the leadership of Alex Soros, one of George Soros’ sons, who has overseen a yearslong restructuring of the foundations and major layoffs.

"Guaranteed rights and freedoms are just as critical as broad economic prosperity and are the strongest defense we have against a closed society,” Alex Soros, chair of the Open Society Foundations, said in a statement. “Our new investments will tackle these twin challenges.”

OSF’s previous U.S. democracy strategy had poured at least $220 million into building a multiracial, multifaith, pro-democracy alliance, which had included five-year grants to community-based groups led by people of color and women.

Giving to democracy from large foundations has increased

For many years, few large philanthropic foundations saw a role for themselves in supporting democracy in the U.S.

Charitable foundations are restricted from directly supporting candidates or political parties, but they can fund a wide range of nonpartisan activities like voter registration, civic education, journalism, policy development or government accountability.

Near the end of President Barack Obama’s second term and through Trump’s first term, large philanthropic foundations started allocating more resources toward democracy-related activities, according to research from Kristin Anne Goss, a professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

Drawing from a data set of grants from the largest 1,000 philanthropic foundations, Goss also found that among the very largest foundations, giving to democracy as a percentage of their overall giving increased significantly between 2013 and 2020. She said these trends suggest that for some funders focused on traditional issues like health and education, democracy became a higher priority.

David Wolcheck, the lead data analyst for research at the nonprofit Candid, which tracks charitable grantmaking, drew on a different data set but found that foundation support for democracy-related activities tripled between 2016 and 2020. It then dropped by a third the following year. He said further research was needed to determine exactly why.

However, many of these foundations themselves say in their grantmaking strategies that they seek to counter authoritarianism and to support progress toward social equity. These funds certainly also include support for policies and organizations that have different values and visions for the future of the U.S., Goss said.

But she added, “If you’re looking at these numbers and these trends, the vast, vast, vast majority of it is going toward a vision of society that is inclusive,” and supports the rule of law and civil liberties.

Funders take a range of approaches to supporting democracy

Other major foundations have also announced large commitments related to democracy in the past year, but comprehensive data about grantmaking in this area won't be available publicly for several years.

The Ford Foundation is the largest funder of democracy in the U.S. among private and community foundations, according to Wolcheck's research. Under the leadership of its new president, Heather Gerken, Ford Foundation said in a statement that it is "providing substantial funding to organizations across the political spectrum doing nonpartisan work to safeguard our democracy and protect the rule of law.”

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation pledged $100 million between last year and this year to protect voting rights, civil rights and improve the capacity of democracy to deliver for people. In March, the Minnesota-based McKnight Foundation approved spending an additional $20 million from its endowment in 2026, some of which will go toward efforts to increase civic engagement and participation among people with different views.

Another campaign led by the nonprofit Democracy Fund urges philanthropic funders to support free and fair elections and to allocate funding to nonprofits who do that by the end of April. This is the second round of the “ All by April ” campaign, which responds to requests from nonprofits that participate in nonpartisan voter registration and turnout to fund those activities well in advance of Election Day. The campaign also recommends making grants to protect nonprofits and their leaders from government intimidation and other extraordinary threats.

The diversity of these commitments reflects the dual call for philanthropic funders to respond quickly and decisively to anti-democratic policies and to provide long-term support for nonprofits that seek to broaden political participation and improve governance.

The range of approaches may also point to the difficulty of knowing what will work to protect and strengthen democracy through nonpartisan funding.

“A lot of the things that they’re working on, especially around democracy, it’s really hard to measure impact," Goss said of foundations. "Because they're trying to intervene in things that are deep and long standing and often in the political sphere or having roots in the global economy and other huge, huge structures.”

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

“22 long years for the Arsenal,” Starmer posted on X soon after the title was clinched late Tuesday. "But finally, we’re back where we belong.

“Champions!”

For Starmer, a lifelong Arsenal fan, the victory was rare good news at a time when he is clinging to power after woeful results for his Labour Party in local and regional elections on May 7.

Dozens of Labour lawmakers have called for him to resign, a member of his Cabinet has quit, and a popular rival, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, is running for a seat in Parliament so he can potentially challenge Starmer for the party leadership.

On this occasion, London got the better of Manchester, with Arsenal outlasting big rival Man City to win the biggest prize in English soccer for the first time since 2004.

The new champions and thousands of Arsenal fans celebrated into the night, with midfielder Eberechi Eze posting pictures on his Instagram account up to 5 a.m. local time.

One showed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard leaning his head back with an Arsenal-branded bottle in his mouth, likely a nod to those critics who accused the team of being “bottlers” — a British term for collapsing under pressure — after three straight runner-up finishes in the Premier League and no major trophy since 2020.

Odegaard will be lifting the Premier League trophy after the away match against Crystal Palace on Sunday, the final day of the league season. Arsenal's players will parade the trophy in north London on May 31 — the day after competing in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, making it a possible double celebration.

There was footage on social media of many Arsenal players, including Eze, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber, walking around the club's Emirates Stadium home as the sun came up early Wednesday.

Members of the squad had earlier gathered at the club's training ground to watch the Bournemouth-City match. When it was confirmed Arsenal was the new champion, Saka and Timber headed to a blacked-out Premier League trophy that Arteta had installed at the training base and which would light up only when the Gunners won the title.

“Light that up,” Saka said in a video posted by Timber on Instagram. “Let me tell you something — 22 years, 22 years. There was laughing. There was joking. They aren't laughing anymore.

"Look, it's going to be shining, it's going to be shining bright.”

Former Arsenal players were soaking it all in, too.

Ian Wright was seen popping Champagne outside the Emirates surrounded by fans on Tuesday night.

Thierry Henry, a member of the club's last league title-winning team — the “Invincibles from 2004,” thanked the new generation.

“Finally," Henry wrote, ”now my kids saw us winning the league."

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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this story.

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

Valley Metro General Manager Kevin Price says ridership is up 7% over the last 90 days, a trend he attributes directly to rising fuel costs.

“As gas prices continue to increase, Valley Metro will always be there and we encourage you to take advantage of that,” Price said. “As of today, our ridership is up 7 percent over the last 90 days.”

For more information about Valley Metro fares, routes offered, and how to ride the bus, you can read past coverage here.

What riders are experiencing

A first-hand look at the system revealed just how much planning a daily commute by bus can require. A single delay can turn a short trip into a much longer one — something riders experience regularly. Some routes run only once per hour, meaning a missed bus can mean a 60-minute wait for the next one.

That reality isn’t lost on transit advocates, who say the system’s potential is being held back by infrastructure gaps and coverage limits. Sharon Fritz, a board member for Bus Riders of Roanoke, pointed to one of the most visible examples — a lack of basic amenities at stops.

“The air conditioning on the bus is great, but when I was standing there, there’s no shelter and there’s no bench,” Fritz said.

Fritz and other advocates say the community needs to invest in making the system more accessible if it wants more riders to make the switch — and that means thinking beyond city limits.

“The economics of this area don’t stop at the city limits,” Fritz said. “We need the buses going to the county because people live and work there.”

Fritz added that improvements at stops would go a long way toward making the system more usable.

“We can help with accessibility by having curb cuts and sidewalks and shelters and bus signage you can read,” she said.

Calls for more frequent service

Dr. Monique Bishop, also a board member for Bus Riders of Roanoke, says the agency should prioritize busier corridors first.

“The routes that are heavily populated, having express service so having a bus that runs every 30 minutes instead of every hour,” Bishop said.

That call aligns with what Valley Metro’s own rider surveys found. According to the agency’s Transit Strategic Plan, 63% of riders said longer service hours would help them the most, while nearly half of the broader community — 46% — said they want more frequent service. Only 7% of riders surveyed said expanding to new geographic areas was their top priority.

Valley Metro’s 10-year plan

Valley Metro already has a roadmap for addressing many of those concerns. The agency’s Transit Strategic Plan, covering fiscal years 2025 through 2034, lays out a decade of phased improvements across service, infrastructure, and technology.

Price says stop upgrades are one of the most concrete near-term projects in the pipeline.

“We have a project that will replace all 800 stops, new signs with enhanced information,” he said.

Mobile ticketing is also on the horizon — a change Price says will remove a key barrier for riders who currently have to travel downtown to purchase tickets.

“Our most challenging project will be mobile ticketing, so you won’t need to come downtown to buy your ticket,” Price said.

Looking further out, Price acknowledged that finances and economics shape the timeline.

“We’re always looking at ways we can be more efficient with city routes so not in that order, but those are things we’re looking to do in the next 9 years,” Price said.

What the plan includes, and when

Valley Metro’s strategic plan breaks improvements into short-, mid-, and long-term phases. In the short term — within the next three years, pending funding — the agency plans to expand its MetroFLX on-demand service to include early morning hours. MetroFLX launched in late January 2024 and logged 900 reservations in its first full month of operation, with Sundays accounting for half of all trips.

In the mid-term, years four through seven, the plan calls for restoring 30-minute service frequency on the system’s highest-performing routes — an improvement that would cost roughly $1 million per year. A dedicated MetroFLX mobile app and a new farebox system are also planned for that phase.

Long-term goals include three new fixed routes: the Brandon Avenue Connector, Route 93 Salem and an Electric Road Corridor that would extend partially into Roanoke County. MetroFLX service to the Hollins, Peters Creek and Plantation Road area — also in Roanoke County — is part of that longer-range vision as well.

The agency’s annual operating budget is projected to grow from roughly $14.8 million in fiscal year 2025 to approximately $23 million per year by 2034 if all planned improvements are implemented.

“They’re just so angry,” Gosling once sighed.

And yet, marking its upcoming 10th anniversary this month, “The Nice Guys” has established itself as one of the most beloved comedies of the last decade — a decade in which Hollywood studios largely left the genre for dead. A 1970s-set comic noir directed and co-written by Shane Black, “The Nice Guys” paired Gosling and Russell Crowe as private eyes in a Los Angeles crime caper that, a decade later, keeps getting better.

“There’s a lot of interest in ‘The Nice Guys’ today that wasn’t there when it opened. And the box office will attest to that,” Black deadpanned in a recent interview. “But people find these things. I think there’s kind of a joy of finding a movie on streaming or rental and then suddenly kind of realizing: How did I miss this? And ‘The Nice Guys’ was easy to miss.”

Now, “The Nice Guys” is almost always on, in reruns on cable or streaming services. Whenever it’s on Netflix, it ranks among the most viewed on the platform. As more have become familiar with the comic talents of Gosling, in “Barbie” or “Project Hail Mary,” fans inevitably ask: “But have you seen ‘The Nice Guys?’”

Black has known box-office smashes; he originated the “Lethal Weapon” movies. But he’s come to view films of his that didn’t make money as his favorites. In 2005, he made another cult favorite in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” which helped revive Robert Downey Jr.’s career. (Downey makes a cameo as a corpse in “The Nice Guys.”)

“There’s something to being the king of the midnight movie,” says Black. “It’s not the most lucrative thing in the world.”

Comedies go dark

Earlier in the 2000s, comedy was a moviegoing staple. The films of Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow and Melissa McCarthy were some of Hollywood’s most lucrative. Movies like “The Hangover,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Bridesmaids” helped define the era.

But as the franchise film grew, and international ticket sales took on greater importance, the big-screen comedy began falling out of favor right around the time Warner Bros.’ “The Nice Guys” (with a $50 million budget) reached theaters, earning about $71 million worldwide at the time. Tastes were also changing. Horror took comedy’s place as the genre of the day.

There are signs that trends may be shifting. This year, “Project Hail Mary” and the just-launched “The Devil Wears Prada 2” have put comedies in front at the multiplex. But over the last decade, funny movies have largely migrated to streaming (Netflix’s pact with Adam Sandler was an early coup) or turned into the stuff of easy-to-miss cult.

Black's initial germ for the film, writing with Anthony Bagarozzi, was inspired by detective stories like those of William Campbell Gault and Brett Halliday. He’s read so many of them, he says, that “it’s almost a superpower.”

“I thought: There’s so much joy here,” Black says. “There’s so much fun in plot and twists and capers. You light a fuse and these guys go on this wild caper, and in the end, it’s just these two guys that are important. You can’t really remember the caper but it was there to service the idea, the shape of: These guys are at it again.”

If “Chinatown” is a detective tale about a Los Angeles private eye without a car, “The Nice Guys” is about a gumshoe who can’t smell. Gosling’s Holland March reluctantly joins with Crowe’s Jackson Healy, an enforcer, on a missing girl case. The movie is bright and colorful but set against a seedy LA and the adult film industry. With Holland also is his young but wise daughter, Holly (a preternaturally good Angourie Rice).

An heir to ‘Midnight Run’

“The Nice Guys” had an expansive cast, including Kim Basinger, Keith David and, in one of her first big roles, Margaret Qualley. But the heart of the movie is Gosling and Crowe. Neither was especially known for their comic skills at that point. Crowe was coming off the not-exactly-hysterical biblical epic “Noah.” But Black, a believer in the Lowell Ganz-Babaloo Mandel school of comedy (“Splash,” “Parenthood”), had an instinct they’d work well together.

“The thing is, Ryan is just a good actor,” says Black. “He’s funny in everything he does. But he didn’t do a lot of outright comedies. For this, the character was not like a ‘Talladega Nights’ or ‘Step Brothers.’ It’s not that kind of comedy where everything is pushed. It was a story that an actor could do and basically play a real character.”

They key for Black is centering the comedy on grounded characters, like the classic buddy movie “Midnight Run,” which paired Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. That approach may have gone missing in a decade where most of the few studio comedies that got made went for high-concept laughs. (See “Tag,” a 2018 comedy about adult friends playing tag.)

But “The Nice Guys,” sleazy and silly, gave Gosling a jumping-off point for some of the most sublime pratfalls in recent memory. Gosling had shown a knack for comedy before, but “The Nice Guys” is his coming-out party. No one has ever had his arm broken, or reached the same high-pitched squeal of pain, like Gosling does in the film. In another scene, on a toilet, he tries to balance a pointed gun and a lit cigarette while lifting his pants and repeatedly kicking the stall door open. It's a ballet worthy of Buster Keaton.

“My favorite that he walked in with one day was where he said, ‘I saw this movie last night with Abbott and Costello where they meet Frankenstein,’” Black recalls. “He said, ‘I’d like to maybe give that type of energy a try.’ When he said that, what he really meant was: I’m going to do a pitch-perfect Lou Costello impression sitting next to a tree for 60 seconds.”

What about a sequel?

Black is most proud of how much Gosling and Crowe were anxious to do anything that made them look cowardly or stupid or inept. “They wanted to be antiheroes,” says Black. Crowe has spoken fondly of his experience on the film, crediting Gosling as his only co-star to ever regularly get him to break character.

Thus the inevitable question: So why not a sequel?

“It’s one of the most common questions I get,” says Black. “The answer, unfortunately, is nebulous.”

“You’re saying to a studio: Hey, we want to get these two big stars. It’s going to cost even more this time. You’re going to spend maybe twice the money on a sequel to a movie that didn’t get you what you wanted back,” says Black. “It’s a tough sell to take a movie that bombed and make a sequel.”

But would he do it, if he could?

“Of course,” replies Black. “This was designed for that. Like I said, it’s a caper. There’s these two and they get in a bunch of trouble and here they go again. You want to see them do it again. There’s a whole bunch of mystery capers you could throw at these guys. You could make a grounded, potentially very interesting, touching movie set not in the ’70s but perhaps in the ’80s.”

In 2016, Gosling called the London premiere of “The Nice Guys” a momentous occasion.

“I wasn't at the premiere of ‘The Godfather’ or ‘Apocalypse Now,’ but I got a feeling it felt pretty much the same as it does today,” Gosling said. “You're looking down the barrel of cinematic history.”

Gosling, of course, was kidding. But cinematic history? Maybe.

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This story has been updated to correct the release year of “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” It released in 2005.

“We see more homes being remodeled during the summer, which can generate lead dust inside the home. With the nicer weather, people are also going in and out of their homes more and opening the windows. This creates repeated friction on what could be older lead paint around windowsills and door frames – causing that paint to deteriorate and create additional lead dust,” explained Roopa Thakur, MD, a pediatrician with Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

While there’s no safe level of lead exposure for anyone, Dr. Thakur said children under age 6 are at the greatest risk.

Because their brains are still developing, lead poisoning can cause irreversible damage in this age group, leading to issues like developmental delays and behavioral problems.

Dr. Thakur said exposure mainly comes from ingesting or inhaling dust from deteriorating lead-based paint from older homes – especially those built before 1978.

If you notice lead paint that’s chipping, clean the area with a damp cloth and mop, then safely cover or repaint it to prevent further exposure.

Dr. Thakur said the risk from lead paint extends outside the home as well.

“When kids play outdoors, especially on bare soil without grass or mulch, they risk being exposed to lead that may be in the soil around homes. Lead can be found in the soil up to 10 feet from a house that has deteriorating lead paint, so it’s important to make sure kids are playing in safe areas,” Dr. Thakur said.

Dr. Thakur added that children with lead poisoning often have no symptoms.

That’s why it’s important to check with your pediatrician to see if your child should be tested.

As of Wednesday, May 20, the AAA states that the average price for regular gasoline in Virginia is $4.309 per gallon. Premium averages $5.136 per gallon, while diesel averages $5.541 per gallon.

In our region, some of the highest gas prices are still in Botetourt, Highland and Nelson counties, where drivers are paying $4.33, $4.499, and $4.431 per gallon for regular gas, respectively.

However, there are still some deals throughout Virginia to keep on your radar.

According to GasBuddy:

• In Roanoke, the Sheetz at 3353 Orange Avenue has regular gas at $3.98 per gallon, premium at $3.78, and diesel at $5.05. Additionally, GasBuddy shows that the BP on Williamson Road, the Kroger on Hardy Road and the BJ’s on Hershberger Road all have regular gas for $3.99 per gallon. Walmart on Dale Avenue has Super for $4.19.
• Traveling to the Southside area, GasBuddy is reporting regular gas for $3.87 per gallon, premium for $4.69, and diesel for $4.98 at the Sam’s Club at 215 Piedmont Pl in Danville.
• Lynchburg drivers can get regular gas for $3.97, premium for $4.77 and diesel for $4.89 at Sam’s Club on Wards Road. And remember, you have to be a member to take advantage of these prices. You can also save money at the Sheetz on Wards Road, where regular gas is $4.04.

Count on 10 News to bring you the latest price at the pump every morning.

To find out where the lowest fuel prices are near you, visit GasBuddy’s website.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint war against Iran on Feb. 28, the cost of crude oil, the main ingredient in gasoline, has spiked and swung rapidly. That’s because the conflict has caused deep supply chain disruptions and cuts from major oil producers across the Middle East.

Hyundai gave its 2026 Palisade a big makeover, complete with new styling, new technology features, and a newly available hybrid powertrain for mpg in the mid-30s. Kia has done much of the same for its just-released 2027 Telluride. But there are subtle differences between these two SUVs that you’ll want to know about. Edmunds’ auto experts have tested and compared the Telluride and Palisade to help you decide which one is the better SUV for your needs.

Interior space and conveniences

The Palisade and Telluride share the same general exterior dimensions but differ inside. The Palisade offers more front legroom, enough that you can order an optional front passenger seat with deep reclining angles and a footrest that mimics the functionality of your living room lounge chair. These lounge-style seats are also available as second-row captain’s chairs. The Telluride is certainly roomy and nice inside, but it doesn’t quite match the Palisade’s potential for royal poshness for its front and second-row passengers.

On paper, the Telluride offers more cargo space behind the third row. But in Edmunds’ testing, we found it couldn’t handle our hard-sided luggage without obstructing the liftgate. Here, the Palisade’s available power-sliding and reclining third row gave it an advantage, moving the seats forward enough to fit our suitcases.

Interior quality and ambience are evenly matched. The Telluride’s interior design has a linear and angular theme. The Palisade, meanwhile, looks to the past with soft curves and rounded edges that recall midcentury modern design. Both offer standard synthetic leather and available high-end leather upholstery. You’ll undoubtedly have your favorite, but we think the Palisade has a slight edge here for its superior daily utility and no-compromises luxury.

Winner: Palisade

Power and mpg

The Telluride comes standard with a 274-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine, while the Palisade starts with a 287-horsepower V6. The V6’s added power looks good on the spec sheet, but we’ve found in our testing that the four-cylinder Telluride actually feels stronger and quicker for urgent highway merging and passing. At the Edmunds test track, the Palisade needed 8.8 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph. The Telluride was quicker with its 8.1-second sprint.

Both models also offer an optional hybrid powertrain that combines a turbocharged four-cylinder and hybrid componentry to produce 329 horsepower and superior fuel economy. The front-wheel drive Telluride Hybrid is capable of an EPA-estimated 35 mpg combined, and the Palisade Hybrid is just a bit behind at 34 mpg. Notably, the hybrid versions are quick, too. Both hybrids accelerated from zero to 60 mph in around 7 seconds in Edmunds’ testing.

Winner: Telluride

Technology features

The Telluride and Palisade both nod to the future with a tour de force of displays, charging and connectivity. Both feature adjacent dual 12.3-inch displays, one for digital gauges and one for touchscreen infotainment and cabin controls. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity comes standard in both, but the Telluride offers the benefit of two standard wireless phone chargers, making it more convenient for you and the front passenger to charge at the same time.

Driver assistance and safety tech is nearly identical. Both models come with standard blind-spot alert, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, and lane centering for relaxed highway cruising or crawling in heavy traffic. The driver still needs to keep hands on the wheel, but these SUVs can easily make highway driving less fatiguing.

Winner: tie

Price and value

The Hyundai Palisade starts at $41,035, including the destination fee. The hybrid costs an additional $4,725. The Telluride starts at $40,735 including destination, with a $7,300 premium to get into the hybrid. While the regular Telluride is slightly more affordable than its rival, the price gap between the entry-level hybrid trims is significant.

The Palisade Hybrid costs less and comes with standard second-row captain’s chairs, with optional bench seats for eight-passenger seating. The Telluride Hybrid is limited to seven passengers with its standard captain’s chairs. Both SUVs are backed by a five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and an eight-year powertrain warranty.

Winner: Palisade

Edmunds says

Bold styling, great value and available hybrid mpg contribute to the Palisade and Telluride both being excellent picks for a family-friendly three-row SUV. But as you’re likely buying just one or the other, we think the Palisade’s richer luxury feel and more affordable hybrid give it a slight edge.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Dan Frio is a contributor at Edmunds.

Weapons are now regularly brandished in Tehran, an increasing show of defiance as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens he could restart the war with Iran should negotiations break down and the Islamic Republic refuses to release its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

The weapons displays reflect the genuine threat Iran faces: Trump has suggested American forces could seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium by force and previously said that he sent arms to Kurdish fighters to pass onto anti-government protesters.

But they also offer reassurance and motivation to hard-liners and provide rare entertainment at a time of great uncertainty, when Iranians are facing mass layoffs, business closures and spiraling prices for food, medicine and other goods. Suggesting more hard-liners will be armed could also help suppress any new demonstrations against Iran's theocracy, which violently put down nationwide protests in January in a crackdown that activists say killed over 7,000 people and saw tens of thousands detained.

“This is necessary for all our people to get trained because we are in a war situation these days," said Ali Mofidi, a 47-year-old Tehran resident at a weapons training Tuesday night. "If necessary, everyone should be available and know how to use a gun.”

Iran has repeatedly sought to project strength during the war

For months, state television and government-sponsored text messages have bombarded the public with calls to join the “Janfada,” or the “ones who sacrifice their lives.” At one point, hard-liners encouraged families with boys as young as 12 to send them to the Revolutionary Guard to work checkpoints — which Amnesty International denounced as a war crime.

Government officials say more than 30 million people in Iran — home to a population of some 90 million — have volunteered via an online form or at public gatherings to lay down their lives for Iran's theocracy. There is no way to confirm that figure and there's been no sign of a mass mobilization yet, like the one that Ukraine underwent in the days before Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion, in which officials handed out rifles and people banded together to make gasoline bombs.

But there have been several public announcements and presenters have appeared armed during live programs on state TV, as part of efforts to feed the fervor.

“Looking back at the moment I registered my name, I realize I wasn’t truly contemplating the dangers of fighting on the front lines. In that moment, like everyone else, my thoughts were solely on Iran,” wrote journalist Soheila Zarfam in a column for the state-owned Tehran Times newspaper. “My life might end, but Iran would endure, and that was all that truly mattered.”

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has criticized the public weapons demonstrations, particularly footage of young boys handling assault rifles, saying: “Scenes like these are reminiscent of child hostage-taking and arming by groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria, and militias in Sudan and Congo.”

Weapons training, once unusual, becomes a norm

A recent government-organized demonstration by nomads in Iran saw them carrying everything from bolt-action Lee–Enfield rifles of the British Empire to a blunderbuss, a predecessor of the shotgun more familiar to the age of pirates on the high seas.

But during weeks of an unsteady ceasefire, most of the weapon demonstrations appear focused on Tehran, not the rural areas where there is a tradition of keeping rifles and shotguns at home.

At a demonstration Tuesday night in Tehran, male and female participants divided into separate classes. Hadi Khoosheh, a member of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force and trainer, demonstrated how to handle a folding-stock Kalashnikov-style assault rifle.

“At the end of the training those who completed the course will receive a card titled 'Janfada,' proving they have received basic and preliminary training for this type of gun and they are able to use it if, God forbid, something happens to our country," Khoosheh said.

However, the weapons training was rudimentary at best for the young boys and older men gathered. One struggled to insert the rifle's magazine and inadvertently pointed the barrel of the unloaded weapon at others — a major safety breach that people are taught to avoid in basic firearms training.

“Definitely we will stand against (the Americans) and won’t give up even an inch of our soil," said Mofidi, the man at the training. "No matter if they come from the sea or land, we will stand by our flag.”

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Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

Children’s Hospital Colorado suspended medical treatments for transgender patients under 18 in January after it said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services opened an investigation into its treatments following a series of clashes between President Donald Trump's administration and advocates over transgender health care for children.

The hospital said in a statement that it is reviewing Monday's court ruling and considering its next steps. It previously said it would continue to provide mental health treatment for minors and also medical treatment for patients aged 18 to 21.

Four transgender girls, ranging from age 10 to 17, sued the hospital, through their parents, alleging that the hospital was violating the state’s antidiscrimination law by refusing to provide them treatment both because of their gender identity and their disability, gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is the distress caused when someone’s gender expression doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth.

The girls said they feared not being able to get medication and monitoring to prevent them from undergoing puberty and developing male traits. And they cited mental health fallout, including depression and suicidal ideation.

The court sided with the girls in a 5-2 ruling, finding that the decision to shutter the services for minors violated a state antidiscrimination law. In the majority opinion, Justice William Wood III said, “We conclude that the actual immediate and irreparable harm to petitioners outweighs the speculative harm CHC may face if the federal government further acts against it.”

In a dissent, Justice Brian Boatright said the hospital didn't make its decision to stop the case because of the gender identity of the patients. Rather, he wrote, “It was a decision driven by the direct threat to the viability of the entire hospital.”

A Kansas judge also sided with transgender minors in a ruling last week.

The Colorado hospital’s TRUE Center, which focuses on gender-affirming care, is one of the largest programs in the country and the only comprehensive care center in the Rocky Mountain region, according to the lawsuit.

Children’s Hospital Colorado said the HHS opened the investigation of the hospital after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a declaration that called treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries unsafe and ineffective for children and adolescents experiencing gender dysphoria, or the distress when someone’s gender expression doesn’t match their sex assigned at birth.

An Oregon-based federal judge ruled in March for Colorado and 20 other states that Kennedy's declaration went too far.

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Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Lai is marking two years in office, the halfway point of his term, under growing pressure from China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be retaken by force if necessary. Trump's recent narrative on Taiwan also raised concerns about the United States' longstanding support for the island democracy.

Lai said if he could talk to Trump, he would emphasize that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was crucial for global security, alleging China was the “destroyer” of the strait's peace.

Lai said he also would tell Trump that Taiwan's increasing defense budget was a response to threats, and purchases of U.S. arms would be an essential means to safeguard the strait's stability. Lai said he believes “only strength can bring peace.”

“No country has the right to annex Taiwan,” Lai said he would tell Trump. “Democracy and freedom should also not be seen as provocation.”

Lai added he looks forward to more cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. and other democratic countries in promoting peace in the strait.

Lai says Taiwan's future can't be determined by outsiders

In his speech, Lai said democracy “is not a gift from the sky.”

“Taiwan’s future cannot be decided by external forces, nor can it be held hostage by fear, division, or short-term interests,” he said, without specifying who the external forces are.

He added that Taiwan was willing to engage in healthy and orderly exchanges with China under the principles of equality and dignity, but firmly rejects tactics that “package unification as peace.”

Xi warned the US over Taiwan

Chinese President Xi Jinping last week issued a strong warning to the U.S., telling Trump during their Beijing summit that the “Taiwan question” is the most important issue in ties between China and the U.S., and that the two nations will “have clashes and even conflicts” without proper handling.

Trump in December approved a record-breaking, $11-billion arms package to Taiwan. In an interview aired Friday on Fox News as the U.S. president wrapped up his visit to China, Trump said his approval of a new $14 billion arms package to Taiwan depended on China, describing the deal as “a very good negotiating chip.”

Trump later told reporters he needed to talk to the person who is running Taiwan, without naming Lai, who Beijing deemed a separatist.

The United States has formal diplomatic ties with China, not Taiwan. Trump and Lai holding talks likely would anger China, which typically responds strongly to Taiwan visits by U.S. politicians.

Beijing slams Lai

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters that China’s opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan is clear, urging the U.S. to abide by the “One China” principle and take concrete actions to safeguard the China-U.S. relationship and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

“Attempts to seek independence by soliciting foreign support or through military means are ultimately nothing but wishful thinking," he said.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said that Lai's remarks were filled with lies, deception, hostility and confrontation, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.

Chen accused Lai of stubbornly insisting on Taiwan independence, calling him a “destroyer of cross-strait peace” and saying Lai was pretending to be sincere when he vowed to promote cross-strait dialogue in an attempt to deceive the Taiwanese and fool international public opinion, the report said.

No matter who was elected and how the election was held in Taiwan, “it cannot break the unchangeable rule that Taiwan’s future can only be decided jointly by all Chinese people, including Taiwan compatriots,” Chen said, according to Xinhua.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949 when the Communist Party rose to power in Beijing following a civil war. Defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, which later transitioned from martial law to multiparty democracy.

The U.S. and Taiwan had formal diplomatic relations until 1979, when President Jimmy Carter’s administration recognized and established relations with Beijing. Still, the U.S. is required by law to ensure Taiwan can defend itself.

In his speech on Wednesday, Lai also said he would roll out a $3.1 billion plan to accelerate the upgrading and transformation of small and medium-sized businesses and traditional industries and to have the tech industries drive traditional sectors.

Taiwan is a major manufacturer of artificial-intelligence servers, computer chips and precision instruments. The AI boom has propelled Taiwan’s leading technology companies to record profits and revenues. But observers worry the island’s heavy reliance on computer chipmakers and other technology companies carries risk if the AI craze becomes a bubble.

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Leung reported from Hong Kong.

Although the Israeli company had been producing large set pieces and other designs for the likes of Disney, DreamWorks and Netflix, the opportunity to instead quickly churn out large drone parts for the military was too good to ignore.

“I stopped thinking about Hollywood sets,” Azarzar said. “The entertainment industry is a nice customer — defense is a necessity."

Business has been booming for the Israeli arms sector, despite widespread criticism of the country’s conduct in its wars in Gaza, with Hezbollah and with Iran. Countries that have vowed to shun Israeli weapons makers are nonetheless quietly placing orders, according to industry officials. And manufacturers, including some like Massivit with no previous military know-how, can show that their innovations are being continually combat-tested and improved.

According to Israel’s Defense Ministry, Israeli weapons sales have more than doubled over the past five years, with a record high of nearly $15 billion in 2024. While the ministry hasn’t released overall 2025 figures, leading Israeli weapons makers, including Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries, both reported double-digit sales growth last year.

More than half of the Israeli arms industry's sales are for missiles, rockets and air-defense systems. For the first time, Israel has surpassed the United Kingdom in its share of global arms exports, making it the world’s seventh-biggest supplier, according to a March report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

“This tremendous achievement is a direct result of the successes of the (army) and defense industries. ... The world sees Israeli strength and seeks to be a partner in it,” said Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz.

Solid sales, despite public criticism

This year's Defense Tech Expo in Tel Aviv reflected the growing international interest in Israeli weapons, with manufacturers promoting arms and other equipment shaped by the country’s recent conflicts. But it also highlighted the tension between showcasing the military technology and the political debate surrounding its use, with event protesters decrying the widespread destruction of Gaza as a testing lab for Israeli weapons.

Last year, Spain canceled a deal for anti-tank missile systems sold by an Israeli company’s subsidiary. Slovenia, meanwhile, announced it would ban the import, export and transit of all weapons to and from Israel in response to the country’s actions in Gaza. After Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 others hostage, Israel retaliated, killing more than 72,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between fighters and civilians. Some countries and human rights groups have accused Israel of war crimes.

Israel’s Defense Ministry says it uses its equipment to defend the country and its people, and denies that it uses battlefields as testing grounds.

Human rights advocates, though, say Israel has deployed new weapons and technology during the war in Gaza, including in AI, big data and targeting.

“The regional war has drawn heavily on Israel’s deadly playbook and provided a boon to Israeli and other defense and technology companies able to parlay the use of their products in Gaza to attract more business,” said Omar Shakir, the executive director of DAWN, a U.S.-based group founded by murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi that pushes for human rights in the Middle East.

Despite criticism that Israel's weapons sector is profiting off technologies being used and improved on the battlefield, it's hardly alone, according to experts.

“Countries have had to dramatically increase defenses because of the proliferation of global conflicts and they need systems that will work. And most countries don’t have the time right now to build their own defense systems locally and quickly,” said Seth J. Frantzman, an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who has covered Israel’s arms industry for a decade and wrote the book “Drone Wars.”

A lot of countries are looking to Israel because they’re seeing in real time that these are munitions and systems that work, he said.

High interest in Israeli technology

For Massivit, sales have soared since it pivoted to making drone parts for the military, including a 200% rise in inquiries from interested buyers since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran at the end of February, according to Azarzar.

The company’s unique 3D printing technology allows it to make large parts for military drones within days instead of weeks. In addition to selling to the Israeli military, the company's technology has drawn interest from the defense and aeronautical sectors in Europe, the U.S., Southeast Asia and India, he said.

Business has also been good for other defense contractors.

Tomer Malchi, co-founder and CEO of ASIO, said Israeli army orders for the company's rugged smartphone unit, the Orion, have surged by 400% since the war in Gaza started.

The phones use maps, augmentation and artificial intelligence to help soldiers plan missions, navigate and respond to real-time battlefield threats. ASIO recently signed a deal with a major U.S. defense company and is in talks with about 20 other countries, Malchi said.

One area Israel’s Defense Ministry says will be a future priority for innovation is taking down drones, which has proven challenging during the war with Iran. Drones are hard to pinpoint on radar systems calibrated for spotting high-speed missiles and can be mistaken for birds or planes.

Israel Weapon Industries, a local weapons maker, has developed a system to help soldiers more accurately shoot down tactical drones. At a shooting range in central Israel, an IWI instructor fired rounds at a makeshift drone to show how the system works. A computer chip embeds into a soldier’s rifle, providing more accuracy and efficiency and significantly reducing the influence of fatigue and other factors by allowing the trigger to remain pressed.

The system, known as Arbel, came to market in 2024 and now has more than two dozen countries using it, said Semion Dukhan, head of Europe for IWI.

Among IWI’s buyers are countries that have said publicly that they won’t do deals with Israel, Dukhan said, though he wouldn’t name them.

“People and politicians say things they need to say ... what they say is not necessarily what is going on underneath the surface,” he said, noting that at the end of the day, countries want to equip their people with the best gear.

Daronte Jones is making sure he’s ready for a promotion.

Both defensive coordinators were among 34 participants in the NFL’s revamped coaching and front-office accelerator program that was held Monday and Tuesday at a posh resort just a few miles from Disney World.

“I would like to hope that people don’t judge me 100% off of that experience because it is challenging but, at the same time, I learned a lot, although it was not necessarily my team and my culture and my staff,” Ulbrich said about going 3-9 with the 2024 Jets after replacing Robert Saleh.

“I loved all the members of that team, both players and coaches alike, but I did learn the responsibilities and the things that come across that desk that I had no clue of. I think we make assumptions that we know and until you actually sit in it, it was eye-opening to say the least.”

The league created the accelerator program in 2022 as an extension of the Rooney Rule to increase diversity among coaches and front office executives.

Participants get an opportunity to connect with owners and team executives, and attend sessions designed to equip them for future interviews. The program was paused last year and now includes nonminority participants. Nearly half of this year’s group were white men, including Ulbrich.

Other participants included former Dolphins coach and now Chargers OC Mike McDaniel; former Giants interim coach and now Lions assistant Mike Kafka; Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy; and Vikings assistant Josh McCown.

“I get caught in my defensive-minded silo in that I don’t think about potential coaching staffs, I don’t think about the global vision of a team necessarily as often as I should,” said Ulbrich, who enters his second season with the Atlanta Falcons. “This is that opportunity to step away from your club and step away from your primary role that you’re currently serving and really look at it from that perspective. There’s a ton of power in that because it’s not your job until it’s your job, and to think that you’re just gonna follow into it and have success, you’re setting yourself up for a real failure that way. This is definitely preparing us in a way that we wouldn’t otherwise be prepared. So I’m very grateful to the NFL for having this and providing this for us.”

Jones is in his first season with the Washington Commanders after working two stints in Minnesota. He was the Vikings' defensive backs coach in 2020, spent 2021 as the defensive coordinator at LSU and returned to Minnesota from 2022-2025.

“It’s been great, the perspective of challenging who you are as a person and self-awareness, fear and how that can kind of tap into things and just identify things so it’s been very informative that way,” Jones said about his experience at the accelerator.

“I’m very thankful for having this program. Just the amount of information and resources that was allotted to us these last 48 hours has been huge so I’m just thankful and grateful to be a part of this. You’re getting so much information you want to share it to others and you’re like, man, I wish other people could hear this and it’s just been very valuable.”

One head coach (Aaron Glenn) and two general managers (Ran Carthon and Ian Cunningham) were hired after participating in the original iteration of the NFL’s accelerator program.

The league has been under scrutiny for its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Last week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a subpoena to the NFL as his office investigates whether the league has committed potential civil rights violations related to the Rooney Rule and the league’s other employment practices, policies and programs.

Uthmeier threatened possible enforcement actions against the league in March if it didn’t suspend the 23-year-old Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach, general manager and coordinator positions. At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for the quarterbacks coach position.

Uthmeier said in a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that the Rooney Rule amounts to “blatant race and sex discrimination.”

“I think all of our policies, all of our programs need to be looked at because the challenges are different,” Goodell said. "And so as we’re looking at every single one of our programs, we did that, whether it’s the accelerator program or any one of the policies. It’s one of the things we spent time on today, is how do we continue to look at our policies in scheduling? How do we look at policies in international? All of those things are hoping to make our game better, make it more accessible to our fans. And that doesn’t happen without a lot of work and refocus. You can call it innovation, I think it is in many ways, but it’s a desire to get better.”

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

And it won't get better anytime soon. He's going to do a lot of screaming on Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, win or lose. It's inevitable, provided that he wants his team to have a chance of hearing anything that he says.

It's not five-on-five when teams come to play at Paycom Center, the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder. It's like 18,005-on-five. It's loud in there. No, really. It's LOUD in there — with decibel levels routinely somewhere around 110, which is roughly the equivalent of a jackhammer. The T-shirts handed out for Game 1 read “Oklahoma City Loud," and no, it's not just a saying. It's who Thunder fans are.

“I would say anytime you play a team that is having or has had the level of recent success as the Thunder have, the fans follow," Johnson said. "There's people that get enthusiastic and bring energy to support. I would say that this would be probably one of the higher-end fan bases and arenas in terms of what the environment is like.”

Crowd noise is a major part of Thunder games. The fans know exactly what to do and when to do it, and in those moments they clearly aren't afraid to take a deep breath and make as much noise as humanly possible.

Starting lineups get announced? Noise. Thunder score? Noise. They even have signs to coax a certain volume from fans during some timeouts — the levels being loud, louder and loudest, and the difference is more than a little bit noticeable.

Obviously, the home team has to exist in that environment as well.

There was a moment in Game 1 on Monday night when Thunder coach Mark Daigneault had something to say to one of the referees, so he started shouting and got no response. He took a few steps down the sideline; again, no response. A few more steps; still nothing. Finally, one of the referees noticed him — but it took until Daigneault was two or three steps over midcourt, maybe a bit closer to the Spurs' bench than his own.

“It's the loudest basketball arena I've ever been in. ... I think it's just a testament to how much the community cares, how much this city cares about basketball and this team,” Thunder guard Alex Caruso said during last season's playoff run.

How loud does it get? “Deafening,” Caruso said.

Every NBA building is loud on some level, particularly when things are going well. The four left in these playoffs — Paycom in Oklahoma City, the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Rocket Arena in Cleveland and Madison Square Garden in New York — all can get quite raucous.

“Some of these arenas, the timeout and the music’s playing and you’re like, ‘I’m not even going to say anything until the music (is over).’ It’s crazy,'" Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said.

The Cavs had MSG quiet on Tuesday night, until they didn't. The Knicks rallied from 22 points down in the fourth quarter and won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in overtime. The Garden was not quiet in any way, as would be expected.

Paycom was quiet at the end Monday night, when the Spurs were finishing off their double-overtime victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. That is the remedy: If visiting teams don't want to hear it, they simply have to win.

“It really puts emphasis on the players to echo calls and communicate with each other because there’s no way anyone on the sideline, let alone myself or whoever’s coaching, is going to be able to get all five guys’ attention at times," Johnson said of the challenge of coaching on the road in very loud places. "And with that being said, I hope there’s also a level of competitiveness and enjoyment of being in an environment like that.”

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie gave Thunder fans quite the compliment Tuesday when he described their volume level.

“I was trying to talk on defense,” Champagnie said, “and I couldn't hear myself.”

That's what made the quiet at the end even sweeter. The silence was proof of a job well done.

“That means you're doing something right," Champagnie said.

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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney and AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed.

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

The Italian divers had been exploring the cave in Vaavu Atoll on Thursday when they disappeared. The body of their Italian diving instructor was recovered outside the cave and the Finnish recovery divers brought the bodies of two of the divers to the surface Tuesday.

Presidential spokesperson Mohameed Hussain Shareef said the last two bodies were recovered by three Finnish divers supported by the Maldives coastguard and police.

The bodies were taken to a morgue and identified as Muriel Oddenino and Giorgia Sommacal. On Tuesday Monica Montefalcone and Federico Gualtieri were brought out, government spokesperson Ahmed Shaam said. The instructor, Gianluca Benedetti, was found near the mouth of the cave on the day the divers disappeared.

Montefalcone and Sommacal were mother and daughter.

“After that we will coordinate with the Italian government and start the procedure to repatriate the bodies,” Shareef said. He thanked the Finnish divers, praising them for their professionalism and leadership.

The four bodies were located Monday at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet), twice the legal depth for recreational diving in the island nation. The search had been temporarily suspended after a local military diver died during a perilous retrieval attempt.

The Maldives government said the recovery divers spotted the bodies in the cave’s innermost area. Shaam said the four bodies were found “pretty much together.”

The cave has been explored in the past by local experts and foreign divers, presidential spokesperson Shareef told The Associated Press earlier.

While the Italian divers had a permit, authorities didn’t know from their proposal the exact location of the cave they were exploring, and at least two of the dead were not on the list of researchers that had been submitted, “so we didn’t know they were part of the expedition,” Shareef said.

He described the conditions deep in the cave as “challenging” with difficult terrain, strong currents and poor visibility.

An alert had also been issued due to bad weather and investigators must determine whether the divers took adequate precautions, Shareef said.

The Divers’ Alert Network Europe, which deployed the Finnish divers, described them as technical and cave divers with experience in search and recovery missions, including operations in “deep overhead environments, confined spaces and high-risk scenarios.”

The rescue team used closed-circuit rebreathers, a system that recycles exhaled breathing gas and removes carbon dioxide through a chemical scrubber, allowing for “significantly longer dives,” the organization said.

The cause of death of the Maldivian military diver was still under investigation, but colleagues have suggested he may have died from nitrogen narcosis or decompression at depth.

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Francis reported from Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The wind-driven Sandy Fire was reported Monday in the hills above Simi Valley, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles.

By Tuesday morning, it had consumed more than two square miles (five square kilometers) of dry brush and destroyed at least one home, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

The flames were initially pushed by gusts that topped 30 mph (48 kph), but firefighters were aided by calmer winds overnight, said department spokesperson Andrew Dowd.

“We've made a lot of progress against this fire with those improved weather conditions,” Dowd said. Crews hoped to make further progress before winds increased again, he said.

The fire was 5% contained. The cause is under investigation.

Evacuation orders and warnings were still in place for several neighborhoods in Simi Valley, a city of more than 125,000 people that was shrouded in smoke as aircraft made water drops.

Meanwhile, firefighters were battling a 23-square-mile (59-square-kilometer) blaze on Santa Rosa Island, off the Southern California coast. The fire destroyed a cabin and an equipment shed and forced the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees.

There was no containment as of Tuesday morning.

Santa Rosa, a popular destination for camping and hiking, is home to island foxes, spotted skunks and elephant seals.

His Aston Villa team faces Freiburg in Istanbul later on Wednesday when he can further enhance his remarkable record in the competition.

Having won Europe's secondary trophy three years running with Sevilla from 2014-16, he then lifted it again with Villarreal in 2021.

Spot a pattern?

If his club's fans are looking for a lucky omen, this is the third team with Villa in its name that Emery has guided to the Europa League final and perhaps the third that he will lead to glory.

Not that the Spaniard, who has been a serial winner during his coaching career, is taking anything for granted.

“I am not a ‘king’ in this competition," he said during his pre-match news conference on Tuesday. "I am now, again, with Aston Villa in a new chapter. Everything I did is done, and of course, it’s there in that moment.

“I need to win tomorrow with the players we have now, with Aston Villa now, with the opponent we will face tomorrow now. It’s a new way, a new moment, and hopefully a new era.”

Villa, which is fourth in the Premier League and guaranteed to qualify for next season's Champions League, is favorite to beat a Freiburg team that is seventh in the Bundesliga and 10 years ago was playing in Germany's second division.

This is its first European final.

“It is very special," Freiburg coach Julian Schuster said. “I have so much confidence in my team, and they give me that belief because there’s so much quality. I am not nervous, we have the confidence we need to play a great team and a great coach tomorrow.”

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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

The American's strategy heading into the French Open — the clay-court major that starts Sunday and which she won a year ago — goes something like this: Don't think about it as defending something.

“I realize that the ‘defending’ means nothing in a way,” Gauff said. “I don’t really look at it as defending anymore."

Gauff’s first Grand Slam title defense at the U.S. Open two years ago ended in the fourth round with 19 double faults.

“At the U.S. Open I was like, ‘I need to defend, defend.’ When you’re playing a tournament that you didn’t win, what is it called?” Gauff said recently in Rome. "That’s why I just say now it’s just another tournament: ‘I won it last year. I’ll try again to do it this year.’ I’m not going to be able to defend every year. I’m not Rafa.”

Rafa, of course, would be Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time French Open champion.

Gauff’s first Roland Garros title came with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final a year ago.

Just like last year, Gauff was the runner-up at the Italian Open — a major clay-court warmup for Roland Garros.

“There’s a lot of positives I can take from this tournament and a lot I can learn from,” Gauff said after losing the final in Rome to Elina Svitolina. "This week I experienced all the ups and downs of a tournament...I’ve been down, had the lead, lost the lead, I’ve been in the final, been down match point. I think I’ve experienced every scenario that can prepare me for Roland Garros.

“Hopefully I can actually learn from each scenario and do better.”

Gauff sees improvement in her serve

Another big lesson that Gauff will take from Rome is a positive vibe on her serve after years of struggles.

In two of her wins at the Foro Italico, she committed only one double fault. She then had seven in the final, though.

“I think it’s a real improvement,” Gauff said after getting 78% of her first serves in against Sorana Cirstea in the semifinals. “It’s the first time in my career I feel like I’m really stable with that shot.

“It’s been an up-and-down process. I obviously don’t want to jinx anything, but I think we found the recipe to making it more consistent. Now it’s focusing on how to make it more of a weapon, how to serve smarter.”

Gauff also discussed what she’s doing better technically on her serve.

“I’m tossing a bit more consistent. My weight is a little bit better. Also just the trust, the confidence in it is a lot better,” she said. “Because my confidence in it is better, then I’m actually consistently tossing the ball in the right spot, having my technique be the same on each serve regardless where my target is. That’s the biggest difference.”

Sabalenka struggling on clay

While Sabalenka remains unbeatable at times on hard courts – see her “Sunshine Double” this year with titles in Indian Wells, California and Miami – she is still perfecting her game on clay.

She was upset by American Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarterfinals and then the No. 1 player was beaten in the third round at the Italian Open by 36-year-old Cirstea.

Sabalenka appeared visibly bothered by lower back pain in Rome.

Elena Rybakina, ranked No. 2 and this year’s Australian Open champion, is another player who excels on hard courts and has achieved mixed results on clay.

Iga Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, lost to Svitolina in the Rome semifinals and is still reshaping her game under a new coach, Francisco Roig, who used to work with Nadal.

Swiatek's 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended in the semifinals last year with a loss to Sabalenka.

Ukraine contenders

Marta Kostyuk won the Madrid Open and then withdrew from the Italian Open due to hip and ankle issues.

Svitolina, who is from Ukraine like Kostyuk, claimed the Rome title for her first WTA 1000 trophy in eight years — and is back in the top 10 after a maternity leave. But she's never been past the semifinals of a Grand Slam — and never past the quarterfinals at the French Open.

Mirra Andreeva is only 19 but already performing on all surfaces. The Russian won a title on clay in Linz, Austria, and then reached the Madrid final before losing to Gauff in three sets in the Rome quarterfinals.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Cirstea is having a breakthrough season at age 36 with a run to the Rome semifinals. She plans to retire at the end of the year.

Jessica Pegula, the No. 5 player, suggested that there's a long list of possible title contenders.

“Especially on clay, it’s always like that,” Pegula said. “There’s a lot more chances for people.”

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

After a record-setting run through the first two rounds, the Knicks were going nowhere for 40 minutes against the Cavs, trailing 93-71 with 7:52 to play. But Brunson relentlessly attacked James Harden to spark an 18-1 run that made it a ballgame, and he tied it at 101-all on a basket with 19 seconds remaining in regulation.

Before that, Brunson said the message for the Knicks was just to finish strong so they would have momentum for Game 2, even if they lost the opener.

“Just keep fighting,” he said. “Keep chipping away. We’re not going to get it back in one possession.”

The Knicks then opened overtime with a 9-0 run as a delirious crowd in Madison Square Garden danced and screamed in the aisles. The Knicks moved within three wins of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.

Mikal Bridges added 18 points and three Knicks scored 13, including OG Anunoby, who came on late after struggling most of the way in his return after missing two games with a strained right hamstring.

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for the Cavaliers, who seemed well on their way to a third straight road win before their late collapse. The Knicks outscored them 44-11 after their 93-71 lead.

“We played great basketball tonight for three quarters. Unfortunately, the fourth quarter — they dominated us in the fourth quarter,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said.

The Knicks won their eighth straight game and will host Game 2 on Thursday.

The Knicks had outscored Atlanta and Philadelphia by a combined 194 points, the largest margin ever through a team’s first 10 postseason games. But after not playing since May 10, when they finished their second-round sweep of the 76ers, the Knicks misfired most of the night, looking like the rust hurt more than the rest helped.

They were 4 for 23 on 3-pointers through three quarters and then had a horrible start to the fourth. But a year after coughing up a 14-point lead in the final minutes of regulation and losing to Indiana in OT in Game 1 of the conference finals on their home court, the Knicks found their offense just in time.

“But it was our defense that has always been special in these playoffs and that has carried us in this playoffs, that showed up in the fourth quarter and in overtime,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “It allowed us to be sitting here with a win against a really great team.”

The only bigger fourth-quarter playoff comeback in the last 30 years was when the Clippers rallied from 24 down to beat Memphis in Game 1 in 2012.

“That can’t happen. But it did," Mitchell said. "We play in two days. We can’t sit here and let it kill our momentum, kill what we’ve been doing. It’s not a good loss.”

The Knicks came from 20 points behind three times last year in the postseason. Those were their largest comebacks on record since 1969-70, when they won their first of two NBA titles.

Evan Mobley had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Cavs. Harden also scored 15 points, but was just 1 for 8 on 3-pointers and had more turnovers (six) than field goals (five).

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Pages finally connected on the ninth pitch from Miller, driving the 101.5 mph fastball just far enough to score Los Angeles' tiebreaking run in the ninth inning of a stirring 5-4 victory over the Padres.

That was much more than just a sacrifice fly to the Dodgers, who handed Miller (1-1) his first loss in a San Diego uniform.

Pages proved once again that the World Series champions can handle anything their closest geographical rivals can throw their way — even if it's coming at 101 mph.

“That was one of the greatest at-bats I've ever seen in person,” Freddie Freeman said. “And I've been playing a long time. That was incredible.”

The Dodgers know they'll be matched up with Miller for years to come, and they've faced the reliever known as “The Reaper” in each of the first two games in their first series of the season against the Padres.

After Miller pitched his way out of a jam on Monday, the Dodgers manufactured an unearned run Tuesday to beat the star of San Diego's impressive bullpen. The Dodgers needed help from an ABS challenge and a hard-luck throwing error by Miller, but the hardest work was done by Pages, the Cuban center fielder who has been playing like a superstar this season, his third in the majors.

“Good plate appearance from Pages,” Miller said. “Good, long at-bat, and just barely got it done. Unfortunate, for sure.”

The RBI was Pages’ 42nd of the season — 17 more than four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, and much more than World Series hero Freeman or big-money acquisition Kyle Tucker.

“The work he’s put in showed itself there, but I think at the end of the day, it was just fight,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It was just will. Determination. Not worrying about mechanics and this and that. It’s just me versus you, and it was him versus Mason Miller, and he wasn’t going to lose that battle. Mason is the best in the game right now, and Andy willed himself to do something productive in that at-bat. ... It’s a fight, and Andy is a tough kid, and he’s hungry.”

The rally started with a one-out walk when Max Muncy successfully challenged a called third strike. Pinch-runner Alex Call should have been picked off first moments later — but Miller committed the first error of his MLB career on his throw to first when Ty France got a glove on it, but let it get by him.

“Sped up on me a little bit and yanked it,” Miller said. “Probably threw it a little harder than I should have, too. Obviously want it back, but it is what it is.”

Pages dug out of an 0-2 count in impressive fashion and eventually drove his fly ball 275 feet to right. Fernando Tatis Jr.’s throw home was cut off by Sung-mun Song, giving Call just enough time to slide home.

“The most important thing is to win,” Pages said through an interpreter. “To win at any cost. Doing that against a pitcher of that caliber is obviously really good, but I felt very confident the whole time through.”

The loss was Miller’s first since May 17, 2025 — a year and two days ago, while he still played for the Athletics. He hadn’t lost a decision or blown a save since last Aug. 5 in his second game after joining the Padres, who swung an audacious trade headlined by teenager Leo De Vries, one of the top prospects in baseball.

Miller likely has been the best reliever in baseball this season, leading the position by most WAR measurements and converting all 15 of his save opportunities to lead the majors. He was the NL reliever of the month for March/April, when he struck out 53.7% of the batters he faced and allowed one run and six hits across 15 appearances.

“We all know how good Miller has been, so having (Pages) grind it out, battle, spoil pitches — it was tremendous,” Call said. “Incredible job by Andy and the guys tonight.”

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

State broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday five deaths and 11 people missing in Shimen County of Hunan province in central China after rain battered the region. A rescue operation is underway. By Tuesday evening, more than 19,000 had been relocated, Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported.

Xinhua said the county recorded a cumulative rainfall of 339 millimeters (about 13 inches) within a 24-hour period ending at 7 a.m. on Monday. One of its towns once received a rainfall of 240 millimeters (about 9 inches) within just a few hours, breaking historical records, it said.

In nearby Hubei province, some streets were turned into rivers and rescuers had to deploy inflatable boats to help stranded residents. Some houses were flooded or collapsed, Xinhua reported. Three people were killed and four others were missing as of Tuesday morning, it said.

CCTV on Tuesday also reported that heavy rain and floods have caused four deaths and left five others missing in Guizhou Province in southwestern China. In some areas, houses flooded, roads were damaged, and communications were disrupted, it said. One area had to relocate more than 3,700 people, Xinhua added.

Flood-induced casualties are common in China. Last July, rains and flooding killed dozens of people in Beijing.

Separately, 10 people were killed after a pickup truck fell off a bridge in the southern region of Guangxi on Saturday, Xinhua reported.

Democrats had raised the state gas tax by 6 cents a gallon and increased a series of fees to help pay for road improvements and plug a hole in the state’s transportation budget. Republicans responded by launching a successful referendum campaign to refer the tax and fee increases to voters.

Republican state Sen. Bruce Starr, who helped lead the referendum campaign, said he was “not surprised at all that Oregonians have rejected a completely unpopular tax increase.”

“Oregon voters will not be ignored. Oregon taxpayers will not be ignored,” he told The Associated Press Tuesday night.

Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley easily won their primaries Tuesday, while state Sen. Christine Drazan won the GOP gubernatorial primary to face Kotek. But much of the Election Day drama centered less on candidate races and more on the referendum to repeal the bill passed last fall by the Democratic-controlled Legislature to raise the state gas tax and a range of fees.

The failure of the gas tax was no surprise to Democrats, who acknowledged the timing of the vote was against them. The tax increase also ran counter to national Democrats’ strategy of focusing on affordability concerns in the hopes of winning back control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections.

Republicans sought to counter Democrats’ affordability messaging by portraying the tax and fee increases as further fueling the high cost of living. Democrats, meanwhile, said the root cause of the spike in gas prices was President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran.

The legislation was Democrats' answer to help Oregon's transportation budget as the state projects a decline in gas tax revenue from the shift to more fuel-efficient, electric and hybrid vehicles. The gas tax is the largest funding source for fixing roads and upgrading highways.

The referendum, known as Measure 120, landed on the ballot as the cost of gas is spiking nationwide.

Gas tax increase backfired on Democrats' affordability messaging

Republicans began circulating a petition to repeal the tax and fee increases soon after Kotek signed the legislation. It didn’t take them long to gather more than three times the number of signatures required to place the measure on the ballot.

With the referendum going before voters at a time when gas prices are skyrocketing, Republicans turned the tables on national Democrats’ messaging about affordability and lowering the cost of living during this year’s midterm elections.

Trump, for his part, recently said he will move to suspend the federal gas tax of 18 cents a gallon, which would need to be approved by Congress.

Portland voters divided on tax increase

Late Tuesday afternoon, a steady stream of voters arrived at a Portland library serving as a ballot drop site. Even in the progressive hub, Democratic voters were divided on the measure.

“I feel like the roads need to be repaired as a bicyclist, so I voted yes,” said Gail Watnick, a 56-year-old who arrived by bike wearing a bright yellow helmet.

David Trujillo, 25, said he voted for Kotek in the primary but voted against the gas tax increase.

“I think at the moment, with the gas prices being up and with the war that is occurring, it’s very difficult for folks to get around,” he said. “If the gas prices were to rise, I think that would be a huge barrier for more of our community members.”

A Jan. 6 defendant and an ex-NBA player were among Republicans running for governor

Republicans had a crowded primary field of 14 candidates vying to run against Kotek in November.

Drazan lost to Kotek in the 2022 general election and faces an uphill battle to win the governor's office. Democrats appear energized around the country this year, and Oregon hasn’t elected a Republican governor in over 40 years.

The Republican primary also included Chris Dudley, a former NBA player whose career included time with the Portland Trail Blazers and who narrowly lost a previous bid for governor in 2010, and David Medina, a conservative influencer who was among those charged after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and pardoned by President Donald Trump last year. Medina faced charges that included obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, and several misdemeanors that included destruction of government property and disorderly and disruptive conduct.

Few competitive seats for US House and Senate

Voters also cast ballots in primaries for U.S. Senate and the state's six U.S. House seats, five of which are held by Democrats.

In Oregon's 5th Congressional District, considered its most competitive, incumbent U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum won the Democratic primary and will face Republican Patti Adair, a county commissioner.

The district was flipped by Republicans for the first time in decades in 2022 but reclaimed by Democrats in 2024. The district stretches from southern Portland across the Cascade Range to Bend.

The other U.S. House seats are considered largely safe for the current incumbents.

Seven Republicans were running in the primary to challenge Merkley in the fall. That was too early to call with three candidates — state Sen. David Brock Smith, Jo Rae Perkins and Brent Barker — locked in a tight race.

The report by the Board of Peace, an international body set up by U.S. President Donald Trump and tasked with overseeing the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, is expected to be discussed by the Security Council on Thursday when it meets on the situation in the Middle East.

“At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation (of the ceasefire) remains Hamas’ refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza,” the report said.

Hamas in a statement rejected the report and said it contains “fallacies.”

A diplomat familiar with the report confirmed its authenticity, speaking on condition of anonymity because it has not been made public.

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on Hamas to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave after more than two years of war.

Board of Peace head has said the ceasefire has stalled

Last week, the head of the Board of Peace, former U.N. Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov, acknowledged that the truce had stalled since taking effect in October, saying the deadlock over disarming Hamas had paralyzed progress.

“Reconstruction cannot commence where weapons have not been laid down,” the board’s report to the Security Council says. “The critical variable — the single factor that unlocks every other element of the plan — is the conclusion of an agreement on the Roadmap for the full implementation of the plan that includes full decommissioning by Hamas and all armed groups in Gaza.”

The Palestinian militant group, which led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, has accused Israel of failing to meet its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire and has sought to link any demilitarization to Israeli troop pullbacks. Israel’s military has expanded its control of Gaza since the truce took effect and now controls some 60% of the territory.

The new report calls on the Security Council to “reiterate publicly, clearly and consistently that the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza is not merely a requirement (of the UN’s resolution to end the war) but critical for reconstruction to begin, for a timebound Israeli forces withdrawal, and for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood to be pursued.”

The Security Council endorsed the Board of Peace in a resolution in November.

Hamas says the report tries to derail the ceasefire

Hamas said the report “contains a number of fallacies that absolve the occupying government of its responsibilities for the daily violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.”

The group said the report ignored Israel’s “failure to uphold the majority of its commitments” in the ceasefire deal, including the continued restrictions on crossings into the Palestinian territory and preventing the entry of material and equipment needed to repair basic infrastructure and shelter for the largely displaced population.

“The report’s adoption of the occupation’s conditions regarding disarmament is a dubious attempt to muddy the waters and derail the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas said in a statement.

It called on the Security Council and Mladenov to compel Israel to fulfill its commitments under the ceasefire' deal's first phase, "foremost among them the cessation of the daily aggression against our Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The ceasefire has seen numerous violations

The report noted near-daily ceasefire violations, “some of which are serious, and their human consequences — civilians killed, families living in fear, and continued impediments to humanitarian access — cannot be minimized.”

Israel’s military still carries out airstrikes in Gaza despite the ceasefire and has pushed deeper into the territory, where it now controls more than it was granted under the ceasefire agreement. Living conditions are dire, with most of the territory’s 2 million people living in tent camps lacking basic services.

Mladenov last week said his office is addressing violations by both sides on a daily basis. But he repeatedly cited the disarmament issue as a central sticking point, saying Hamas’ obligation to give up its arsenal is “not negotiable" and that progress on all other issues was being held up.

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Becatoros contributed from Athens, Greece. Joseph Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Massie has been a particularly difficult thorn in Trump’s side. He pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposed the war with Iran and voted against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year. He lost to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein following the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.

While Trump has racked up several wins this primary season, this one perhaps sends an even more forceful message to the president's Republican critics. Massie was entrenched in his deep-red Kentucky district before his feud with Trump exploded, cutting short a congressional career that began in 2012.

Still, Massie will remain in Congress until his term ends in January, and without a Republican primary on the horizon, he now has a freer hand than ever to antagonize Trump.

Massie’s defeat is another sign that Republicans give their politicians vanishingly little leeway to cross Trump, who is bent on retribution and has persuaded his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again.

Here are takeaways from primaries in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

Trump’s endorsement continues to carry the day

Gallrein was boosted by significant spending from AIPAC and pro-Israel groups, which provided about half of the money benefiting his candidacy, according to AdImpact.

However, there's no question Trump was the key factor. He has repeatedly shown that Republican primary voters will follow his lead, even as his popularity wanes with the broader electorate.

Before Massie's loss, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana failed to even make a runoff on Saturday, unable to repair his relationship with Trump five years after voting to convict him during his second impeachment trial. And earlier this month, Trump successfully dislodged five of seven Indiana Republicans he targeted for voting against his redistricting plan.

Trump is flexing his influence in other places Tuesday.

In the race for Georgia governor, Trump backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in an unexpectedly ugly battle for the Republican nomination. Jones, who comes from a wealthy Georgia family, has given his campaign $19 million. But billionaire Rick Jackson, a healthcare tycoon, has put more than $83 million of his fortune into the race. Trump’s endorsement power has rarely been tested against that level of lopsided spending, and Jones and Jackson are heading for a June 16 runoff.

Trump stayed on the sidelines of Georgia’s Senate race, leaving a crowded field of hopefuls seeking to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who’s running unopposed for his party’s nomination. But in Alabama, Trump endorsed Rep. Barry Moore for Senate to replace Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor.

After staying on the sidelines of a Senate runoff in Texas that's taking place next week, Trump on Tuesday endorsed Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.

Shapiro succeeds in Pennsylvania primaries

While Trump had a big night on the Republican side, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro showed some political strength of his own.

Shapiro, who may look to succeed Trump in the White House, endorsed four Democrats running for Congress, three of them in contested primaries. And all four won their primaries.

Shapiro’s endorsed candidates included Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton; Bob Brooks, president of the state firefighters’ union; Bob Harvie, a Bucks County commissioner; and Janelle Stelson, a former television news personality who narrowly lost two years ago.

It was a relatively low bar in some cases — Cognetti ran unopposed — but Shapiro did not show any weakness as he plows toward a November reelection in swing-state Pennsylvania that is expected to launch him into the 2028 presidential contest.

Shapiro may have an even stronger case if the four Democrats he picked Tuesday succeed in flipping Republican seats in the fall.

Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party chairman Eugene DePasquale told an election night crowd that “no one” is more invested in flipping seats and “taking back the country” than Shapiro.

Trump opponents became politically homeless in Georgia

Georgia offered a case study in just how bad it can get for Republicans who defy Trump — especially those who push back on his false claims of election fraud.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan were among the few Republicans to speak out against Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 loss. They were on the ballot for governor on Tuesday — Raffensperger as a Republican and Duncan as a Democrat.

Both lost decisively.

Raffensperger spent millions of his own money trying to reintroduce himself to Republicans by reminding them of his long career in conservative politics before defying Trump. Duncan, meanwhile, tried to convince Democratic voters that they can trust him after renouncing his prior opposition to abortion rights, gun control and the expansion of Georgia’s Medicaid program.

It didn't work.

The president has continued to falsely insist that he only lost the 2020 election because of fraud, and he's spread baseless fears about the upcoming November midterm elections.

But the results for Raffensperger and Duncan may remind Republicans of the risks of pushing back.

The leading Republican candidates in the governor’s race, Jackson and Jones, have both questioned or denied the 2020 election outcome. Jackson actually ran a political ad in the weeks leading up to the primary attacking Raffensperger for defying Trump’s effort to overturn 2020.

Votes were voided in Alabama

More than 100,000 people cast ballots in four of Alabama’s seven congressional districts that may not count.

That’s because Republican Gov. Kay Ivey moved just last week to postpone the primaries until Aug. 11, emboldened by the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that hollowed out the Voting Rights Act. Republicans across Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee are now scrambling to redraw congressional boundaries to eliminate some majority-Black U.S. House districts to maximize their political advantage.

Over the weekend, thousands of civil rights activists rallied in Alabama against the changes, but the redistricting plan is moving forward. That means ballots cast Tuesday in primaries for Alabama’s 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional districts will be voided, the secretary of state says, while state officials restore a previous set of Republican-drawn district boundaries.

However, the district lines remain the subject of litigation as the NAACP Legal Defense Find and other groups try to stop the use of the new map. If they are successful, the Tuesday primaries will determine the party nominees.

You’d be excused for being confused. Alabama voters still chose nominees Tuesday as planned for the 3rd, 4th and 5th congressional districts, as well as for U.S. Senate and a full slate of state and local offices.

Americans are in no mood for higher gas prices

Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejected a 6-cent gas tax increase proposed by the state's Democratic lawmakers.

The measure was failing by huge margins in every county, crossing every political divide — liberal and conservative, urban and rural, prosperous and struggling.

Tax proponents may have fallen victim to bad timing, with the vote coming as Americans already feel stretched by high gas prices brought on by the war in Iran.

Oregon legislative Democrats voted last year for the tax increase and a series of related fee hikes to help pay for road improvements and plug a hole in the state’s transportation budget. Republicans responded by launching a successful referendum campaign to put the issue before voters.

The failure of the gas tax was no surprise to Democrats. It also ran counter to the party’s national strategy that relies on channeling voter angst about the high cost of living to win back control of Congress.

Rep. David Scott's death is a reminder of Democratic gerontocracy

The late Rep. David Scott, D-Ga., was the fourth Democrat to die in office this term, fueling a growing restlessness on the left over the party's aging leadership. Scott, who was 80 when he died, was seeking a 13th term.

Scott's name appeared on the ballot alongside five other candidates running in the Democratic primary, but votes for him will not be counted.

State Rep. Jasmine Clark won the nomination Tuesday night, and she is almost certain to win the general election in a district that tilts overwhelmingly toward the Democrats.

Young Democrats have been challenging their elders in primaries around the country. Although some have fallen short, the races have channeled angst that an aging generation of lawmakers is unable or unwilling to mount a bare-knuckles opposition to Trump.

The Senate runoff will feature former college football coach Derek Dooley and Rep. Mike Collins, while Rep. Buddy Carter was knocked out of the race. The winner will go up against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in one of the most closely watched campaigns in the November midterm elections.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson advanced to the runoff in the Republican primary for governor, extending their bruising and expensive campaign battle. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms clinched the Democratic nomination on Tuesday.

With about a month to go until the June 16 runoff, Republicans will spend more time and money competing among themselves before they turn their attention to their Democratic opponents in key races.

Ossoff is the only Democratic senator in the country seeking reelection this year in a state that President Donald Trump won two years ago, making him a tempting target for Republicans as they defend their Senate majority.

Bottoms hopes to become the first Democrat to win a Georgia governor's race since 1998. She received a rare endorsement from former President Joe Biden after serving in his administration, and she said Tuesday night that she wanted to make sure “every Georgian has an opportunity to succeed.”

“It means stopping Donald Trump every time his policies hurt Georgia, and also taking action here to make life better for people across the state,” she said.

US Senate race will help determine Capitol Hill control

Ossoff, 39, had no opposition in Tuesday's primary. This is his first reelection campaign. He has positioned himself as a critic of political corruption, targeting Trump and his sons for business dealings that have enriched the first family.

Meanwhile, the Republican primary has been a test of fealty to the president, who did not endorse a candidate. Collins, Dooley and Carter each said they would be the best person to advance Trump's agenda in Washington.

In addition, Collins faced attacks over a House ethics complaint accusing him of abusing taxpayer funds by paying the girlfriend of a top aide for work she allegedly didn't perform. The Office of Congressional Conduct, after an initial inquiry, has referred the matter to the House Ethics Committee.

“If taxpayers can’t trust you to properly steward their money, how can they trust you to be a U.S. senator?” Carter asked Collins in a primary debate.

“Buddy,” Collins shot back, “I can tell through your voice that you know how the polling is going out there.”

Collins sponsored the Laken Riley Act, a 2025 law that requires immigrants be detained when charged with certain crimes. Republicans believe the issue damages Ossoff because he initially voted against the measure before supporting it after Trump returned to the White House.

“You can replace a Democrat with an actual conservative,” Collins said Tuesday night.

Huge sums in Republican governor's race

More than $125 million has been spent on advertising in the Republican primary for governor, with more than $66 million of that spent by Jackson’s campaign, according to the latest figures from ad-tracking firm AdImpact. By contrast, Democrats running for governor have only spent about $4 million.

Jones argues that his conservative record as a state senator and lieutenant governor, combined with Trump's endorsement, should make him the clear choice for Republican voters.

“I think Georgia just spoke, y’all,” Jones said at his election night party. He added, “I could not leave this stage without thanking President Donald J. Trump.”

A win from Jones would boost the president’s influence in Georgia after a string of setbacks. Trump failed to dislodge Gov. Brian Kemp and others in 2022, and he backed Herschel Walker’s losing campaign against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock that year.

However, Jackson is betting that his outsider pitch will win over antiestablishment conservatives. On Tuesday night, he called Jones a political insider who is “working inside the system for his own benefit.”

“I cannot be bought, and I will not back down,” Jackson said.

US House primaries

Democrat Jasmine Clark won her party’s nomination on Tuesday to succeed Rep. David Scott for a two-year term representing Georgia’s 13th Congressional District after Scott died in April while seeking another term.

Clark is a state representative, microbiologist and a lecturer at Emory University who has promised to prioritize science in Congress. Her candidacy was boosted by more than $2 million in outside spending by cryptocurrency interests, but Clark said she did not court the support.

Clark will be the odds-on favorite to succeed Scott for a full term starting next January, with Jonathan Chavez unopposed to become the Republican nominee.

In the 11th District northwest of Atlanta, Loudermilk announced his retirement and endorsed staffer Rob Adkerson, who advanced to a runoff against neurologist John Cowan.

In the 10th District east of Atlanta, state Rep. Houston Gaines is the top Republican seeking to take the departing Collins' seat. Jim Kingston, the son of longtime U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, is the top Republican to take Carter's seat in coastal Georgia's 1st District.

In northeast Georgia's 9th District, three-term Republican incumbent Andrew Clyde fended off primary challenges from former Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon and Hall County Commissioner Gregg Poole.

Democrats fell short in judicial races

Tuesday was the general election for Georgia's judgeships. The posts are technically nonpartisan, but eight of the nine justices on the state Supreme Court were appointed by Republicans governors.

Democrats hoped strong turnout could produce the first defeat of an incumbent justice since 1922. However, Justice Sarah Hawkins Warren won over Democrat-supported former state Sen. Jen Jordan, and Justice Charlie Bethel defeated Democrat-support Miracle Rankin. A third justice, Ben Land, is unopposed for a six-year term.

The state Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates allegations of wrongdoing by judges, said in statements dated Sunday that Jordan and Rankin violated rules of judicial conduct by publicly endorsing each other and making statements supporting the restoration of abortion rights.

The commission said it reached its conclusions, which are not a final determination, after receiving and reviewing a complaint about each candidate.

State Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey called the commission's statements “a cynical attempt by a mere bureaucratic arm of the Georgia Republican establishment to hide the truth about this race from Georgia voters.”

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Amy is a former Associated Press reporter. Associated Press reporter Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, contributed.

The redistricting plan, urged on by President Donald Trump, would reshape the state's only Democratic-held U.S. House district to the Republicans' advantage as part of a broader national effort to retain the party's slim House majority in the fall.

Four Republicans voted against the bill after a 14-hour session that included reading the bill and all the Census data creating the maps for over three hours.

The bill now heads to the more skeptical state Senate, where some Republicans have questioned whether redistricting could backfire — making districts competitive enough for Democrats to gain seats instead of securing all seven for the GOP.

Trump had urged South Carolina to redraw its congressional districts ahead of November amid a fast-closing window to complete the work. Early primary voting starts May 26. If the proposal ultimately becomes law, South Carolina would delay its U.S. House primaries until later in the summer and spend at least $3 million on another statewide election — and likely face lawsuits against a new map.

“To President Trump," said Republican Rep. Luke Rankin who sponsored the bill. "I have your back and South Carolina Republicans have your back.”

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, whose seat is targeted, has said he will continue running for an 18th term even if his district gets changed.

During Tuesday's debate, Democrats praised Clyburn's work on behalf of the state and repeatedly objected to plans to reshape his district. Republicans repeatedly rejected their amendments.

“What you all are doing is wrong,” said Democratic state Rep. JA Moore, adding: “You can justify it, rationalize it, but it’s wrong.”

Republican state Rep. Melissa Oremus accused Democrats of “fear-mongering” for raising concerns about the potential impact on Black voters, asserting: “People are not being blocked from voting because of the color of their skin.”

To buy time for any new map to be implemented, the South Carolina legislation would remove U.S. House races from the June primaries and instead set a special primary election in August to select candidates. Some absentee and overseas military votes that already have been cast for Congress would be tossed out.

Other Southern states have pursued a similar approach as they rush to redraw U.S. House districts following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down a majority-Black district in Louisiana as an illegal racial gerrymander and significantly weakened Voting Rights Act protections for minority districts.

Louisiana’s congressional primaries, scheduled for last Saturday, were postponed until later this summer by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry to allow time for new districts to be drawn.

Primary election ballots were being cast Tuesday in Alabama. But the state plans to void the results in four of the seven U.S. House districts and instead hold special primaries Aug. 11 for those districts under different boundaries. The revised districts could help Republicans win an additional seat in November.

Redistricting ramifications are widening

All told, Republicans think they could win as many as 15 additional seats from revised US. House districts in seven states so far, while Democrats think they could gain up to six seats from new House districts in two states. That tally could change, though, as litigation continues in several states. Voters ultimately will decide whether those projections hold up.

The ramifications could extend beyond government and politics.

The NAACP on Tuesday called on Black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.” The campaign specifically calls out Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas — though new voting districts have not yet been enacted in all of those places.

Democratic state Rep. John King echoed the boycott call from the House floor, urging Black athletes to instead attend one of the South Carolina's historically Black colleges.

“You cannot gerrymander away Black political power on Monday, then expect Black athletes to sell out your stadiums on Saturday,” King said.

After Democrats had debated the proposed changes for hours on Monday, the Republican-controlled chamber changed the rules for Tuesday by limiting members to only one amendment and setting time limits for speeches.

Republicans swiftly dismissed Democratic amendments. They asked almost no questions before voting down proposals for voter education about moving primaries, to have the state pay all local costs for a rescheduled congressional primary, to move the general election back two weeks, and nearly three dozen other proposals.

During his 10 minutes of allotted speech time, Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson talked about his grandfather, a Black soldier in the Army who was willing to die for his country but came home to a society where he was shamed and mistreated because of the color of his skin.

“We are far beyond a lot of atrocities that my grandfather faced. But I believe in 2026 we have manifested new ways of keeping people down,” said Johnson, who is running for the open governor’s seat.

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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.

The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead to lose Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals to the New York Knicks in overtime on Tuesday night, and Harden's struggles at each end of the court played a big part in the collapse.

Brunson scored on several possessions in a row off the dribble with Harden guarding him. Brunson had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the fourth quarter alone.

“He made some tough ones, but we obviously all know he’s a great 1-on-1 player,” Harden said. “Anybody on an island, it’s going to be difficult, so we’ve got to do a better job of making sure he sees bodies. On the other hand, they do a good job at supporting him and helping him when he’s on an island. He made some tough ones, but we’ve got to do a better job as a team.”

Knicks coach Mike Brown put the ball in Brunson’s hands and trusted his point guard to exploit the matchup against Harden.

“There is no secret: We were attacking Harden,” Brown said. “Sometimes you’ve got to do what the game dictates, and they were trying to do the same thing with Jalen, so we said, ‘OK, we feel like we can play that game.’ We try not to play that game much, but we feel like we have a guy that we can play that game with in Jalen.”

Brunson only had 14 points at halftime, and Cleveland's defense switching defenders on him paid dividends until he got 1-on-1 with Harden to spark the comeback.

“Jalen was a little bit more aggressive,” Harden said. “We just allowed him to be aggressive, and he made shots and he continued to make shots.”

Coach Kenny Atkinson said he and his staff made adjustments, but nothing worked.

“We started sending two at him, getting the ball out of his hands, full rotating,” Atkinson said. “James was good most of the game. Listen, we weren’t great defensively in the fourth quarter.”

Playing 48 hours after blowing out Detroit in Game 7 of the second round, Atkinson said he never considered taking Harden off the court defensively.

“Listen, he’s been one of our best defenders and a big player in the playoffs,” Atkinson said. “I trust him. He’s smart, great hands.”

Trading for Harden, an 11-time All-Star, in February helped propel the Cavaliers to this point. But the 36-year-old struggled Tuesday night with the ball in his hands, too.

Harden shot 5 of 16 from the floor, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range, and turned the ball over six times.

Donovan Mitchell, who led Cleveland with 29 points, said he and his teammates could have done a lot more collectively to slow down Brunson and did not put the blame for the improbable defeat on Harden’s shoulders.

“Ultimately, this isn’t on him — it’s on all of us,” Mitchell said. “It’s not just on one person. He’s been around the league long enough. He understands that.”

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

In Kentucky, Trump’s handpicked candidate Ed Gallrein defeated Rep. Thomas Massie in a primary election challenge. Trump sought to unseat Massie after the eight-term representative broke with him on issues, including the release of the Epstein files.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic voters have picked nominees they hope can flip Republican-held seats seen as critical for the party to retake the U.S. House. The races showed Gov. Josh Shapiro’s influence in the state, with all three candidates he endorsed in contested races winning.

In Georgia, Republicans will have two runoffs on June 16. Mike Collins and Derek Dooley will compete for the chance to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. In addition, Burt Jones and Rick Jackson advanced to the runoff for governor. Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for governor.

In Oregon, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek defeated nine primary challengers and she will face off in November against Republican Christine Drazan. Voters also rejected a gas tax increase as prices at the pump soar with the war in Iran.

In Alabama, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore advanced to a runoff for the Republican nomination to replace Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who won the GOP nomination for governor and will face Democrat Doug Jones.

The Latest:

Christine Drazan wins GOP primary for Oregon governor

The victory by the state senator sets up a rematch for November, when she will again face Democrat Tina Kotek. Drazan ran against Kotek in 2022 and lost.

Drazan advanced from a crowded field of 14 GOP primary candidates that included a fellow Republican legislator and a former NBA player.

Oregon Republicans welcome the defeat of the gas tax increase

“I’m not surprised at all that Oregonians have rejected a completely unpopular tax increase,” Republican state Sen. Bruce Starr, who helped lead the gas tax referendum campaign, told The Associated Press Tuesday night. “Oregon voters will not be ignored. Oregon taxpayers will not be ignored.”

US Rep. Barry Moore advances to a runoff for Alabama’s GOP Senate nomination

He’s a three-term congressman and member of the House’s conservative Freedom Caucus who has said Alabama deserves a “Trump conservative” in the Senate.

Trump has called Moore “a totally reliable MAGA Warrior!” During a brief telephone rally Monday night, Trump said: “Barry is going to do a fantastic job. He will fight for you in the Senate.”

Patti Adair wins GOP primary for Oregon’s lone competitive US House seat

Adair, a county commissioner in central Oregon’s Deschutes County, beat one opponent to win the Republican primary for the state’s 5th District.

The state’s lone competitive U.S. House district stretches from southern Portland across the Cascade Range to Bend, which is in Deschutes County.

Adair will face off against the incumbent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Janelle Bynum, in November’s general election. Republicans are hoping they can win the seat back from Democrats after briefly flipping it for one term in 2022 for the first time in decades.

Derek Dooley still celebrating with supporters — and his mother

The Georgia Republican is still making the rounds at his watch party after qualifying for a June 16 Senate primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Mike Collins.

Different from many other candidates, Dooley has been milling about most of the night, starting soon after polls closed. Among his happiest supporters: his mother, 86-year-old Barbara Dooley.

Derek’s late father, Vince Dooley, was the longtime University of Georgia football coach and athletic director.

Barbara Dooley ran for Congress in 2002 and lost a Republican runoff. Vince Dooley considered a gubernatorial bid as a Democrat in 1990 but opted against it.

The legendary coach died in 2022, shortly after endorsing his former player, Republican Herschel Walker, in a failed Senate bid.

Keisha Lance Bottoms vows to stop Trump when policies ‘hurt Georgia’

Speaking at her celebration after winning the Democratic nomination for Georgia governor, Lance Bottoms vowed to stand up to the president.

She also said Georgians showed their voices would “never be silenced” and promised to make sure every resident had a chance to succeed.

“It means stopping Donald Trump every time his policies hurt Georgia, and also taking action here to make life better for people across the state,” she said.

Oregon voters reject raising the state’s gas tax

The Democratic-controlled Legislature passed the contested gas tax increases last year when it also raised a series of other fees to help fix roads and close a gap in the state’s transportation budget.

Republicans launched a referendum campaign to refer it to the ballot and give voters the final say on whether to raise the tax by 6 cents to 46 cents a gallon.

The rejection of the tax is a win for Republicans. Democrats didn’t organize efforts to campaign for the gas tax increase, noting it was coming before voters as the Iran war causes prices at the pump to skyrocket. Some party members said in the lead-up to the primary that they anticipated voters would reject it.

Rep. Mike Collins and Derek Dooley make GOP runoff in Georgia’s US Senate race

They will compete in a June 16 runoff after neither candidate received at least 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary.

Collins, 59, represents a district east of Atlanta. Dooley, 58, is a lawyer and former football coach running for office for the first time.

Another candidate, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, did not qualify for the runoff.

The winner will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

Dakarai Larriett and Everett Wess advance to Democratic runoff for US Senate in Alabama

The seat is being vacated by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor.

Oregon’s Democratic governor wins her primary

Incumbent Tina Kotek beat nine opponents to win the Democratic primary. Political experts had expected her to win, as her challengers had raised little to no money and didn’t have experience in elected office.

Kotek will face off in November against whoever advances from a crowded Republican primary field of 14 candidates.

Chris Rabb wins the Democratic primary for open US House seat in Philadelphia

A self-described “proud troublemaker,” Rabb is a member of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, where he made a name for himself by backing left-wing causes. He will almost certainly go to Washington next year to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans since no Republican filed to run in the majority Black district.

Rabb was endorsed in the four-way primary by progressive stalwarts including U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and online streamer Hasan Piker.

He fended off Sharif Street, a state senator and former state party chair who had prominent establishment backers and a familiar name as the son of John F. Street, the city’s former two-term mayor. Rabb also beat Dr. Ala Stanford, a pediatric surgeon who was backed by millions of dollars from 314 Action, a left-leaning political action committee aimed at electing scientists to Congress.

Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Democratic nomination for Georgia governor

The former Atlanta mayor hopes to win a seat that has eluded her party for more than two decades.

Bottoms’ pitch to voters was that she was “battle-tested” after a mayoral term in which she had to manage crime and the COVID-19 pandemic before her surprise decision not to seek reelection.

Like other Democrats, Bottoms cites expanding healthcare, affordable housing and better education as among her top issues.

Democrats have not won the Georgia governor’s office for 24 years.

Collins looks ahead to general election fight against Ossoff

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins criticized Ossoff during remarks Tuesday night, aiming to link him to Democrats in California and New York.

He talked up his support for the Laken Riley Act and his longtime support for the president. Although he must first clear a runoff vote for the Republican nomination for Senate, he looked ahead to the general election and cast the choice between Ossoff and the GOP as a stark choice.

“You can replace a Democrat with an actual conservative,” he said.

Shapiro-endorsed candidates go 3-for-3 in contested congressional primaries

The wins in the Pennsylvania votes come as Democrats assemble their slate for a fall contest in which they’ll try to capture a U.S. House majority.

Those three swing districts are held by Republican U.S. Reps. Scott Perry, Brian Fitzpatrick and Ryan Mackenzie.

For Shapiro, the election year is an opportunity to show his political strength in a premier battleground state should he decide to run for president in 2028.

Georgia GOP governor runoff will test Trump again

The president has been on a Republican primary winning streak. In a matter of weeks, his preferred candidates nearly swept Indiana state Senate races, knocked off Louisiana U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and ousted Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie.

But the Georgia Republican runoff for governor will be something different.

Sure, Trump has his loyalist in Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was one of the president’s fake electors in the 2020 scheme to overturn the presidential election. He was a state lawmaker then.

But Jones will match up against a billionaire, Rick Jackson, who has made clear he’ll spend as much as it takes. He’s already plowed $83 million of his fortune into the contest.

That’s no guarantee Jackson can buck recent trends. But it does mean that Jones and Trump won’t be able to control the narrative.

Rep. Mike Collins advances to Republican runoff for US Senate in Georgia primary

The two-term congressman is the owner of a family trucking business. He represents a district east of Atlanta. He has made immigration enforcement a focus of his candidacy.

Georgia Republicans are looking for a challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. Collins and Buddy Carter are playing up their conservative records on Capitol Hill, while former college football coach Derek Dooley pitches himself as a political outsider.

Massie supporter calls him ‘courageous’; Gallrein supporter likes that he’s ‘authentic’

Jeanine Thomas, a Massie supporter who was at the congressman’s watch party, said she appreciated his integrity.

“He and Trump had the same campaign promises, and he stuck with them,” Thomas said. “He was courageous enough to not toe the line when it was going against what he had promised his constituents that he would do, and unfortunately he was punished for it.”

Meanwhile, Kim Dees was attending Gallrein’s event. She said she was “ecstatic” that Gallrein won the primary.

“He’s very authentic. He’s not a politician. So that’s kind of follows what the Founding Fathers had,” she said. Dees said Gallrein is “a man of honor” who was called to serve and stepped up.

Dees said there should be term limits for politicians, noting that if Massie had won it would have been his eighth term.

Bob Harvie wins Democratic primary in Pennsylvania to challenge GOP US Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick

The Bucks County commissioner will face Fitzpatrick, a perennial target of Democrats.

Harvie was backed by Shapiro and the House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

He beat first-time candidate Lucia Simonelli.

Fitzpatrick is one of just three Republicans who won their 2024 House race in a district also won by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Shapiro says the only way to hold Trump accountable is to flip the US House

The Democrat considered a potential White House contender in 2028 spent a considerable amount of his primary night speech attacking the president.

The Republican Congress is weak and only serves the will of Trump, Shapiro said. That includes giving Trump a free pass on wrongdoing and corruption, Shapiro said.

“The only way we can expect to change this is to win in November and bring some accountability back to our nation’s capital,” Shapiro said.

Former US Sen. Doug Jones wins Democratic nomination for Alabama governor

Jones was the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Alabama and is seeking a political comeback with a bid for governor.

He won a special election to the U.S. Senate in 2017, buoying the hopes of Democrats in the Deep South state. However, he was defeated three years later by Tommy Tuberville to reclaim the seat for Republicans.

Tuberville won the Republican nomination for governor, setting up a rematch between the two political rivals.

Before running for office, Jones, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney, was best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen responsible for Birmingham’s infamous 1963 church bombing.

Police lockdown at polling place to delay reporting of election results in Georgia’s Fulton County

A judge ordered two precincts at Ison Springs Elementary School in suburban Atlanta to stay open until 11:02 p.m. because the school was placed on lockdown just before noon and remained closed until 4 p.m. over an incident that was unrelated to the election, the Secretary of State’s office said.

County officials said they decided to hold election results until the closure of all polling places after reviewing state law and State Election Board rules and consulting with attorneys. The secretary of state’s office had earlier said the rest of the county’s election results would not be delayed.

Most polls in Georgia closed at 7 p.m. ET.

Where Gallrein and Massie got their votes

Gallrein’s victory over Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District Republican primary was powered by his performance in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties in northern Kentucky across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio, and in Oldham County in the Louisville suburbs.

At the time the AP called the race, Gallrein had a lead in all four counties, which collectively make up the bulk of the district vote. Massie was ahead in his home base of Lewis County, but his sizable lead there was still significantly behind the lead he had there in his last contested primary in 2022.

Trump and allies celebrate Massie defeat

“He was a bad guy. He deserves to lose,” Trump told reporters following Massie’s defeat, another sign of Trump’s enduring grip on the Republican base.

Trump allies quickly celebrated the victory online. Chris LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager, posted a photo of Trump raising his middle finger and tagged Massie in the post.

“Do not ever doubt President Trump and his political power,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote on social media.

Shapiro urges Democrats on in contests for control of the state Legislature

The Pennsylvania governor urged the crowd at his primary election rally to help the party’s candidates win control of the state Legislature for the first time in more than three decades.

Josh Shapiro, who is putting his clout on the line in congressional and legislative races, said he will advance a stronger agenda with Democratic control in Harrisburg.

“Give me a Democratic majority in the Senate and we will fully fund mass transit, we will build more housing, and we will codify abortion rights into state law,” Shapiro said.

US Sen. Tommy Tuberville wins Republican nomination for Alabama governor

The former college football coach entered politics with his election to the U.S. Senate in 2020. Tuberville opted not to seek a second term and instead launched a bid for governor.

During his time in the Senate, Tuberville was closely aligned with Trump, who endorsed Tuberville in 2020 and has also backed his bid for governor. “Tommy Tuberville has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of the Great State of Alabama – COACH TUBERVILLE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote on social media.

During the primary, opponent Ken McFeeters accused Tuberville of not meeting the legal requirement to have lived in the state for seven years. Tuberville maintains he meets the residency requirement, and the Alabama Republican Party dismissed McFeeters’ challenge.

Burt Jones thanks Trump and says he delivered on promises

Jones emphasized his previous political victories in his speech after advancing to the Georgia governor runoff. He said he cut taxes and regulations and was tough on public safety and election integrity.

He acknowledged the president, who endorsed him, during his roughly 10 minutes of remarks.

“I could not leave this stage without thanking President Donald J. Trump,” he said.

Rick Jackson says he ‘beat the odds’ after advancing to Georgia governor runoff

Jackson took shots at Burt Jones after advancing to a June 16 runoff, saying Jones “was all talk and no results.”

And while Jones was endorsed by Trump, Jackson said he would be Trump’s “favorite governor.”

“As governor, I’ll be like Trump but with a southern tongue,” said Jackson.

Massie hints at money poured into the race from pro-Israel groups

In announcing that he conceded defeat to Gallrein, Massie also made a jab at his opponent over the millions of dollars poured in to the race by pro-Israel groups to try to defeat the incumbent.

“I would have come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv,” Massie told the crowd.

Massie has voted against U.S. aid to Israel and faced accusations of antisemitism. He has denied the charges, arguing that he is generally against all foreign aid.

The race drew in millions of dollars against Massie from pro-Israel interest groups, including from the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund

Janelle Stelson wins Democratic primary in Pennsylvania to challenge US Rep. Scott Perry

Stelson, a one-time local TV anchor and personality, lost in 2024 to Perry by barely a percentage point in the right-leaning 10th District.

Stelson was backed by Shapiro and the House Democrats’ campaign arm, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Stelson beat progressive challenger Justin Douglas for the right to challenge Perry again in the Harrisburg-area district.

Gallrein wraps short speech, vowing to advance president’s agenda

After unseating Massie with strong backing from Trump, Gallrein pledged to take the party’s agenda to Washington and work closely with the president. His victory speech lasted around five minutes.

“We have a saying on the family farm that it’s a contact sport,” Gallrein said. “I can tell you that campaigning is one as well folks.”

Burt Jones and Rick Jackson advance to the Republican primary runoff election for governor in Georgia

Trump-endorsed Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was the frontrunner for much of the lead-up to tonight’s gubernatorial primary, until health care executive and billionaire Rick Jackson entered the race just a few months ago.

Jackson spent millions of his own dollars to flood the state with campaign ads.

Many candidates backed by the president have enjoyed comfortable victories in their elections this primary season, but few have been up against a candidate with such a large campaign budget. Jones and Jackson have advanced to a June 16 runoff election.

Massie says his race ‘started out as an election, turned into a movement’

The Kentucky congressman claimed in his speech after his defeat that young voters were still on his side.

“People that want somebody that will go along to get along, I’ve never heard of that strategy but that seems to be what the voters want,” Massie said. “But not the young voters.”

The crowd was still energetic despite Massie’s loss, and started a chant of “No more wars!” that the congressman joined in on. Massie’s speech meandered through different topics and touched on other politicians before another chant started of “America First!”

“We stirred up something. There is a yearning in this country for someone who will vote for principles over party,” Massie said.

Shapiro wins Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary for governor

Gov. Josh Shapiro was uncontested in Tuesday’s primary. He’s seeking a second term in the fall and puts his clout on the line in the battleground state ahead of a potential 2028 bid for the White House.

The 52-year-old has made his opposition to Trump’s agenda a central focus of his reelection campaign.

Shapiro is on track to break his own fundraising record. He’s working to flip important Republican-held U.S. House seats and deliver the first Democratic-controlled state Legislature in more than three decades.

Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity ran uncontested for the GOP’s nomination.

Trump celebrates Gallrein’s win over Massie on Truth Social

The president, who had waged his own social media campaign against Massie, posted a photo showing him and Gallrein under the words “Ed Gallrein Wins! Endorsed by President Trump!”

Stacy Garrity wins Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for governor

The two-term state treasurer was uncontested in the GOP primary.

Garrity is running as a strong backer of Trump’s agenda as she attempts to be the first Republican to win the office in Pennsylvania since 2010.

Shapiro ran uncontested for the Democratic Party’s nomination to seek a second term.

Garrity lagged badly behind Shapiro in fundraising after winning two relatively low-profile races for treasurer.

Trump-backed Ed Gallrein defeats Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie in GOP primary

The result showed the president’s persisting influence over GOP voters, adding to a growing number of Trump-backed primary challengers to defeat Republican lawmakers who angered him in his second term.

Massie, who has served in Congress since 2012, fell into Trump’s crosshairs in part by pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and denouncing the war in Iran.

Gallrein, a former Navy Seal who avoided making public appearances on the campaign trail, ran on his military service and loyalty to the president. He accused Massie of forsaking Trump and the party.

Gallrein is expected to win the general election in the deeply red district.

Polling place in Georgia’s Fulton County to stay open 4 extra hours after police manhunt

The Georgia secretary of state’s office said that won’t delay reporting for the rest of the county’s results.

A judge ordered a precinct at Ison Springs Elementary School to stay open until 11:02 p.m. because the school was placed on lockdown just before noon and remained closed until 4 p.m. over an incident that was unrelated to the election, the Secretary of State’s office said.

Sandy Springs police said officers responded to a call about a man dressed in military-style gear and reports of possible gunshots fired in the area. After an extensive manhunt, a suspect was taken into custody, police said.

Eleven Cobb County precincts were also staying open late, with delayed closures ranging from six minutes to an hour.

US Rep. Andy Barr wins GOP primary for Senate in Kentucky

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, who was endorsed by Trump, beat Daniel Cameron, a former state attorney general who leaned into his Christianity on the campaign trail.

The winner in November will replace U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down in a generational changing of the guard for Republicans.

Trump swayed the race not just through his endorsement but by offering a third challenger, Nate Morris, an ambassadorship just over two weeks before Election Day. Morris, who fashioned himself as the MAGA candidate, withdrew from the race and encouraged his backers to support Barr.

Barr was first elected in 2012 in the 6th Congressional District. He is expected to win the general election in the Republican-dominated state.

Several polling places to stay open late in Georgia because of Election Day issues

Eleven polling places in Georgia’s Cobb County, in the Atlanta suburbs, will be staying open late because of issues that arose during the day.

Blake Evans, who oversees elections for the secretary of state’s office, said the precincts were staying open because of problems with the electronic poll pads that are used to to check in voters. The extensions range from six minutes at one location to an hour at another, according to a judge’s order.

Deputy Secretary of State Matt Tyser said they are waiting on an order from a Fulton County judge to extend voting at a precinct in Sandy Springs, just north of Atlanta. That’s because a “law enforcement issue” that was unrelated to the election forced the closure of the polling place for several hours.

Most polls in Georgia are set to close at 7 p.m. ET.

Dream 34 Elite, based in Danville, is competing in the inaugural Uncle Drew Circuit, a new grassroots basketball platform founded by NBA champion and All-Star Kyrie Irving. The program is the only team from Virginia selected to participate in the circuit.

The roster features players from across Southwest and Southside Virginia and is coached by Reginald Jeffries, a former mentee of the Wendell Scott Foundation. The team recently traveled to Dallas for the opening session of the circuit, posting a 3-1 record against national competition.

Jeffries said the opportunity has been a major step forward for the young program and the athletes involved.

“Gets no sweeter than hopping into AAU for your first year and being able to hop into a major circuit that just so happens to be endorsed by Kyrie Irving and the Deuce brand,” Jeffries said. “We’re just blessed to be able to find these unique opportunities for the people in the community and especially for the kids.”

Jeffries said the experience extended beyond competition, as players had opportunities to interact directly with Irving throughout the event.

“To not only meet Kyrie Irving, but have a chance to play in front of him and to be represented by his brand and by his gear and bring it back home and kind of be exclusive — you can’t ask for nothing more,” Jeffries said.

According to Jeffries, Irving spoke with the team on several occasions during the Dallas event and was courtside for many of Dream 34 Elite’s games. Jeffries said Irving was impressed with the level of talent coming from Southwest and Southside Virginia.

Dream 34 Elite is scheduled to continue play on the Uncle Drew Circuit with stops in Las Vegas and New Jersey in mid-July.

Jeffries’ full conversation will be featured on the upcoming season premiere of “Around the Way with EJ,” which is set to be released later this evening.

It was not clear whether the International Criminal Court is mulling an arrest warrant for the minister, Bezalel Smotrich. The Hague court said it keeps requests and plans for warrants confidential.

But the ICC already has issued arrest warrants for other Israeli figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to face war crimes charges connected to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. Israel does not recognize the court's jurisdiction but the warrants could make international travel difficult.

Smotrich, who heads a far-right religious party and has led an aggressive expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, did not say whether he had been formally informed by the court of the warrant or whether he was merely responding to media reports. Nevertheless, he said attempts to arrest him marked a “declaration of war."

"From today, any economic or other target that I have the power to harm within the framework of my powers as Minister of Finance and as a minister in the Ministry Defense will be attacked," he said.

He said his first target would be Khan Al-Ahmar, a village of Palestinian Bedouins long caught up in a legal battle to remain on their land. Smotrich, who oversees West Bank settlement policy, signed a directive calling for the immediate evacuation of the village.

It was not clear if the order could be legally challenged and when it would take effect. Israeli media reported that the order still requires approval by Israel's security cabinet. But past attempts to empty the village and relocate its inhabitants have been challenged in court. An anti-settlement watchdog group, Peace Now, said that demolition of village structures could take place within weeks.

“Minister Smotrich seeks to take revenge on The Hague and the international community at the expense of one of the most vulnerable communities, which for years has struggled simply for the right to live on the small piece of land in its possession," Peace Now said. It called the destruction of the village “part of a broader government plan to take control of the entire central West Bank area" and remove Palestinians from the area.

Khan Al-Ahmar lost its legal protection in 2018 when the Israeli Supreme Court rejected an appeal to block its demolition, sparking massive international outcry.

Israel says that the hamlet, home to nearly 200 Palestinians and an EU-funded school, was built illegally on state land. But critics say it is nearly impossible to get a construction permit from Israel, and that the village’s demolition and the removal of its residents is a ploy to clear the way for new Jewish settlements.

The village lies in a tract of land where Israel's government is establishing a new settlement bloc called E1, a project that is particularly controversial because Palestinians and rights groups say its strategic location would make it virtually impossible to establish a viable and contiguous Palestinian state.

Israel has already published a tender for the development of the area.

Smotrich was sanctioned by Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in June 2025, along with Israel's hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for “inciting extremist violence” against Palestinians in the West Bank.

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AP writer Molly Quell contributed reporting from The Hague.

The pair “didn’t discriminate on who they hated,” Mark Remily, the lead FBI agent in San Diego, said Tuesday.

The writings, obtained by The Associated Press, include hateful rhetoric toward Jewish people, Muslims and Islam, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women, and both the political left and right. Both express beliefs that white people are being eliminated, and one writes about mental health struggles and being rejected by women.

Investigators also found at least 30 guns, ammunition and a crossbow at two residences after Monday's attack in San Diego and were trying to uncover whether the shooters had broader plans, Remily said. The shooters, Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, killed themselves, according to police.

Family of the two teens could not immediately be reached for comment.

Authorities praised the three men they killed — including Amin Abdullah, a beloved security guard — for slowing the attackers at the Islamic Center of San Diego and preventing them from reaching 140 schoolchildren just steps away.

Imam Taha Hassane said Abdullah engaged the suspects in a gunbattle and called for a lockdown on his radio. He “sacrificed his life to stop them from getting inside the classrooms.”

The shooting was the latest in a string of attacks on houses of worship and comes amid rising threats and hate crimes targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities since the beginning of war in the Middle East, forcing increases in security.

Writings show shooters' broad hatred

Authorities have said there was no specific threat against the Islamic center, which is the largest mosque in San Diego and also houses a school, police said. In Cain's writings, he calls for Muslims to be “exterminated.”

The document includes symbols long associated with white supremacists and Nazis. The two referred to themselves as “Sons of Tarrant,” an apparent reference to the white supremacist who attacked mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, killing 51 people.

Muslim American organizations noted that anti-Muslim rhetoric has been on the rise across the U.S.

The two suspects met online before discovering they both lived in the San Diego area, the FBI said. “In terms of how the radicalization occurred, we’re still digging into that,” Remily said.

James Canning, a spokesman for San Diego Unified School District, said Clark had been attending school online since 2021 and was set to graduate next month. In 2024, he was a member of the wrestling team at Madison High School. Canning said Clark had no record of disciplinary issues in high school.

Neighbors Marne and Ted Celaya said they last saw Clark a few hours before the shooting and that he waved as he got into a car alone and drove away. They described the family as good neighbors and recalled watching Cain grow up.

“It's unbelievable,” Marne Celaya said of the shooting. “He's helped me bring in my groceries.”

The victims were pillars of the mosque

Police said the security guard opened fire when the shooters arrived at the Islamic Center and tried to barge inside.

As the shooters made their way into the lobby, they wounded the guard, who kept firing at them, forcing them back outside, where the attackers fatally shot him, Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

The pair went back inside and searched through rooms that were emptied during the lockdown, Wahl said. They exited into the parking lot, where they fatally shot Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad, according to police. The men drew the attackers farther away from the building, Wahl said.

Kaziha, known as Abu Ezz, “was everything” to the Islamic Center, Hassane said. “He was the handyman. He was the cook. He was the caretaker,” Hassane said.

Abdullah had worked at the mosque for more than a decade.

“He wanted to defend the innocent so he decided to become a security guard,” said family friend Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq.

Hassane cried as leaders of different faiths embraced him at a vigil Tuesday evening to honor the victims. He told the hundreds who had gathered at a park next to the center that they were there to celebrate the community’s unity.

“We are here to celebrate the patience, the resilience of the Muslim community,” he said. “We are here to honor our heroes, our martyrs.”

Mosque leaders were used to hate mail

The Islamic Center sits in a neighborhood with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. It includes Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, its website says.

Josie-Ana Edenshaw, who has been going to the mosque for three years, said it was especially welcoming to new Muslims.

“They’ve always opened their doors, even to people who aren’t Muslim, they invite people to Ramadan dinners,” Edenshaw said. “Every person at that masjid will smile at you,” using the Arabic word for mosque.

The center's imam said Tuesday that the mosque and its community wasn't immune to threats over the years.

“We have never ever expected such things to happen at the Islamic Center of San Diego,” Hassane said. “I mean we are used to receiving hate mails, hate messages, people driving by and cursing and all that stuff. But such horrible crime, we have never expected this.”

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Nadir Awad's first name. It's Nadir, not Nader.

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Biesecker reported from Washington and Seewer from Toledo. Eric Tucker in Washington; Mariam Fam in Winter Park, Florida; Jaimie Ding and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; Javier Arciga and Gregory Bull in San Diego; and Gene Johnson and Hallie Golden in Seattle also contributed.

Today we will experience much of the same, with temperatures remaining around 15-20 degrees above average. This is all because of the ridge that we were tracking out towards the west around this time last week!

Our 10 to 10 forecast shows another quick warm-up with temperatures reaching the 80s by 10 AM and our high of 93 degrees by 2 PM. This is certainly unusual for this time of year, and it has been a while since we have seen this kind of heat! Be sure to hydrate and take frequent breaks if you are outdoors for longer periods of time today.

Our next weather-maker arrives tomorrow afternoon. A cold front will pass through during peak daytime heating, meaning we could see a few stronger thunderstorms develop. Be sure to stay weather aware on Wednesday.

Tomorrow kicks off an active pattern with showers and storms in the picture through next Monday. Our heat wave will also break Thursday in the wake of the cold front. Have a great day today and try to stay cool!