Lance Twiggs, who was also defendant Tyler Robinson’s romantic partner, said in an interview with law enforcement that the interaction with Robinson happened in their apartment in southeastern Utah, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from where Kirk was shot.

Later that same day — and only about an hour before turning himself in — Robinson posted "it was me at UVU yesterday,” in a chat room on the Discord social media platform, according to investigators and messages shown by prosecutors.

Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the fatal shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump credited with helping galvanize young voters for the Republican in the 2024 election.

Ammunition found in the gun used to kill Kirk had engravings that included “Hey Facist! Catch!” and “If you Read This, You Are GAY,” prosecutors said.

Robinson appeared to furrow his brow and smirk when text messages he sent to Twiggs about engraving bullets were displayed in the courtroom Thursday.

His family sat behind him and Robinson's mom cried as the Discord messages were read aloud. She rubbed the shoulder of one of Robinson’s brothers, who listened with his head bowed.

Defense attorneys unsuccessfully fought the public release of the statements from Twiggs and the chat room messages. They argued prosecutors would characterize the material as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial.

But after prolonged debate that included an attorney for Kirk’s family arguing for the material to be publicly released, state District Judge Tony Graf allowed a redacted version of the video interview to be played. Some parts were blacked out, with only audio.

Notes and text exchanges were reviewed in court

Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note to Twiggs that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” In that note, shown in full for the first time Thursday, Robinson added that he was “likely dead or facing a lengthy prison sentence,” prosecutors said.

Robinson separately sent a text to Twiggs allegedly saying he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”

State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis recounted the messages exchanged between Twiggs and Robinson under questioning by a prosecutor Thursday. Included were texts from Robinson worrying about leaving fingerprints on a rifle that belonged to his grandfather, which authorities believe he used to shoot Kirk. Other messages discussed engravings on bullet casings.

Twiggs spoke to authorities on Sept. 12 — two days after Kirk was assassinated while speaking to a crowd of thousands — and again on April 20, Davis said. He was given immunity for the statements, meaning what Twiggs said cannot be used against him in a potential criminal case.

Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on claims by prosecutors that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.

Twiggs said in the April interview that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including Trump. But Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ rights, Twiggs testified.

Graf will decide at the conclusion of this week’s preliminary hearing if prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial.

Robinson’s attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence but have sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.

Lawyers for Kirk's widow wanted all of Twiggs' statement made public

Charlie Kirk’s parents and widow, Erika Kirk, sat a few rows back from Robinson's family on Thursday. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, also was in attendance.

Attorneys for the Kirks and the media urged the judge to make Twiggs' statements and other evidence public.

Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman said they had waited 10 months for the hearing but at times had been denied the chance “to meaningfully observe” it. Neiman asked that all evidence against Robinson be displayed openly and in real time during this week's hearing.

The judge responded that not all evidence would be openly displayed and he needed to protect the rights of both victims and the defendant.

Investigators say Robinson went to a rooftop near where Kirk was speaking and shot him once through the neck as the activist was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

Investigators found the suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle with one spent round — wrapped in a towel in a wooded area near where Kirk was shot.

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Mbappé's goal in the 60th minute was the 20th of his World Cup career and came in his 20th match at the tournament, moving him one behind Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Dembélé scored his fifth goal of the tournament in the 66th.

Mbappé was taken down in the 76th minute and was taken off for a substitute a minute later. He was then shown sitting on the bench with an ice pack on his right ankle.

After the match and with both shoes on, Mbappé ran and jumped in celebration with his teammates.

France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals in Dallas on Tuesday.

France beat Morocco by the same score in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar when the Atlas Lions became the first African team to make it that far. France now remains on track to become only the third nation to play in the final of three consecutive World Cups.

Mbappé got his goal with a perfectly placed shot just inside the far post after Morocco failed to clear the ball. He received the ball just outside the area, took a couple steps forward and then sent his shot sailing into the net. He extended both arms and ran to the sideline to celebrate with his teammates.

France's second goal came after Mbappé took a pass and tapped it back for Dembélé. Mbappé kept running forward and took defenders with him, opening space for Dembélé's shot.

France held a 21-4 advantage in shots on goal and 8-1 edge in shots on target for the game.

Mbappé also had the first shot on goal of the game, just missing wide right in the fourth minute. Then, in the 25th, he was running up the left side when he was chopped down in the box by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. Referee Facundo Tello quickly pointed to the penalty spot.

Mbappé lined up waiting for his attempt but was held up by a lengthy video review. He was finally cleared to shoot in the 28th minute, but after a hesitation, Mbappé’s shot toward the right corner was corralled by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who guessed the direction of the shot correctly.

Mbappé made his only other penalty attempt at this year's World Cup in France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16.

Still, France was by far the more active team offensively in the first half, holding a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal.

Morocco’s best opportunity came just before the halftime whistle when Achraf Hakimi sent a free kick from just outside the box past the right post.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The U.S. launched new airstrikes against Iran hours after President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn’t stop. Iran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Kuwait and Qatar and accused the U.S. of striking near its sole nuclear power plant.

Back-and-forth attacks have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday’s appeared bigger all around. And Trump’s mixed messaging — approving back-to-back military strikes while insisting they don’t mean a return to full-scale war — is fueling uncertainty about what comes next.

Whether it’s a negotiation tactic or a signal of further escalation, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal. The inflamed tensions could also spell trouble for Republicans in November’s midterm elections if gas prices stay high.

Here's the latest:

A bitterly divided Iran grapples with Khamenei’s legacy as he is laid to rest

The funeral for Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was designed to showcase unity in a country that is bitterly split over his decades-long rule. Supporters thronged the streets for a leader they view as a martyr who defied the West and Israel.

But Khamenei’s long rule left large sectors of Iranian society disillusioned as he oversaw increasingly bloody crackdowns, economic stagnation and the empowerment of the Revolutionary Guard. Anger and despair run deep after a January crackdown killed thousands.

The war launched by the United States and Israel brought more suffering while leaving the government intact, deepening the feeling of hopelessness among its opponents.

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How a push to disarm Hezbollah is deepening divisions in Lebanon and raising fears of civil war

A deal between Lebanon and Israel was billed as paving the way for peace. But in Lebanon, it is deepening longtime divisions and raising fears of political paralysis or even a return to civil war.

The U.S.-brokered deal envisions an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon and an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment. But the agreement says a full Israeli withdrawal will happen only after Hezbollah is disarmed, infuriating the Iran-backed militant group.

The tensions have stirred up memories of Lebanon’s devastating 1975-1990 civil war and reminded many of more recent clashes between Hezbollah gunmen and pro-government fighters in 2008. They also have raised deep questions over whether the U.S.-brokered deal will be able to get off the ground.

A resumption of the war between the U.S. and Iran would further complicate the deal’s prospects and raise the risk of renewed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

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Stocks recover losses, and oil prices ease as calm returns to financial markets worldwide

Stocks rose, and oil prices eased Thursday as financial markets calmed in the wait to see what will come next after President Donald Trump raised doubts about the temporary truce in the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% and more than recovered its loss from the day before, even though the United States launched new airstrikes against Iran, which responded by targeting U.S. allies in the Middle East. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 139 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.3%.

In the oil market, prices gave back much of their jumps from the day before. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2.2% to $76.30. That’s down from $78.02 the day before though still above its $71.80 price from the end of last week.

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Trump speaks with Netanyahu, and raises ‘security concerns’ about Turkey

The Israeli prime minister’s office posted on the social platform X that the pair spoke on Thursday and that Netanyahu “raised the severity of the statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his people against the existence of the State of Israel.”

After this week’s NATO summit in Turkey, Trump indicated he may be ready to have the U.S. sell F-35 fighter jets to Erdogan’s country -- but he also says he’s not yet fully made up his mind.

Turkey and Israel have acrimonious relations. Netanyahu has urged Trump not to sell the jets to Turkey, saying it would put Israel in danger.

The statement from Netanyahu’s office also said Trump had updated the prime minister on American moves in the Persian Gulf.

South Florida’s Palm Beach airport renamed President Donald J. Trump International

A South Florida airport has officially changed its name to the President Donald J. Trump International Airport.

Signs for the Palm Beach International Airport have been removed, while new signs were unveiled Thursday.

“Trump Force One,” a Boeing 757 owned by The Trump Organization, was the first plane to arrive at the airport under its new name, shortly after 5 a.m. The president’s son, Eric Trump, was one of the passengers.

The Trump family regularly uses the West Palm Beach airport when they visit Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in nearby Palm Beach. A stretch of road from the airport to Trump’s estate was renamed Donald J. Trump Boulevard earlier this year.

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Deal between Israel and Lebanon is moving forward, US official says

After weeks of stagnation, an American official said Thursday that the U.S.-brokered framework agreement soon will shift to technical discussions in Rome.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic details, said “pilot zones” that both sides had agreed to will launch in the coming days while additional zones are mapped out and planned.

The zones will be where the Israeli military is to turn over control to the Lebanese army after clearing the areas of any Hezbollah presence. U.S. Central Command is coordinating with Israel and Lebanon on the zones, the official said.

The dates of the meetings and the location of the zones were not yet clear. A State Department spokesperson said they were not previewing those details yet.

— Farnoush Amiri

Iran’s foreign minister speaks to regional leaders about the escalating tensions with the US

Abbas Araghchi said on his Telegram channel on Thursday that he spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Oman. He also spoke with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been one of the main mediators in the war.

Araghchi repeated Iran’s assertion that the U.S. has violated the interim peace deal reached last month. The U.S. says Iran violated the deal by firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The diplomatic outreach suggested efforts may be underway to reduce tensions.

Tarps go up as part of Trump’s restoration project to the front of the White House

Crews have draped tarps over the towering stone columns on the north side of the White House, where work is underway to scrape away decades of paint.

The new tarps on the building’s façade are partially see-through. They feature images of columns designed to cover the actual ornate stone columns beneath.

Scaffolding went up several days ago for work on the columns. It is the latest in dozens of projects Trump has led to remake the White House to his own tastes – including a massive ballroom and helipad on the South Lawn.

The White House hasn’t provided details on what is being done to the columns or how much it will cost. But Trump said on Monday: “We’ve taken about 150 years of paint off of the columns” and added that, “If you don’t strip the paint off, it gets worse and worse and worse.”

Ships are still going through the Strait of Hormuz but the situation remains volatile

Bridget Diakun, senior risk and compliance analyst for maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence, said in a news briefing that ships were still passing through the strait as of Wednesday, but Lloyd’s is still reviewing the numbers since some passages are “dark,” when ships stop broadcasting signals that show their location.

“The situation does remain really volatile,” she said.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence said preliminary data shows there were at least 576 transits in June, up from 233 in May, but down from 3,131 in June 2025.

Non-Iranian traffic in June included 264 outbound vessels and 137 inbound ships.

Outbound ships included bulkers, crude oil tankers and product tankers. Inbound ships included crude oil tankers, product tankers, bulk carriers and gas carriers.

In June, there was an even split between “dark” transits and online transits that broadcast their locations.

Germany reaches a deal with the US to buy long-range Tomahawk missiles, Merz says

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the agreement on the long-range cruise missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, was reached this week on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey’s capital, Ankara.

“This will close an important strategic gap in our defense, and at the same time, we will work to develop our own European systems and station them in Europe,” Merz told parliament after returning from the two-day summit.

The deal struck with the Trump administration amounts to broader export of American know-how to some of its major allies in Europe, whose security posture has been upended by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Former Olympian pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case after Trump alleged vandalism

The former Olympic canoe racer pleaded not guilty Thursday to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a politically charged case that his defense attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided as an abuse of prosecutorial power.

David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea during his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted last Thursday on a single felony count of property destruction.

Trump ordered a multimillion-dollar renovation of the Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary this month, but the project has been plagued with problems. Workers have used chemicals to curtail an algae bloom. Trump has said the pool likely would need to be drained again for liner repairs after chunks of blue coating were seen floating at the surface.

Trump has claimed without substantiation that vandals dumped fertilizer into the pool and slashed the coating with a box cutter.

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Ukraine says its Patriot production will take months

During Wednesday’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the U.S. will meet a longstanding request from Ukraine and give it a license to make the Patriot air defense systems. He also praised Zelenskyy for doing “an amazing job” — a sharp change in tone from past criticisms of the Ukrainian leader.

But setting up domestic production of the mobile, surface-to-air systems will take many months, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister.

A production license would typically come with technical process documentation, training for specialists, supplier contacts and foreign consultants to help launch manufacturing, Beskrestnov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The main obstacle would be time, rather than Ukraine’s technical or organizational capacity, he added.

Eswatini receives 11 people deported from the US as part of migration crackdown

The southern African kingdom of Eswatini has accepted a fourth group of people deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement to host third-country nationals, with 11 people arriving this week, the government said Thursday.

Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the group, predominantly from African countries, would remain in the kingdom temporarily while their rights were protected.

“The government reaffirms that, during their temporary stay in the Kingdom, the fundamental rights of the third-country nationals will be respected and protected in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Kingdom’s international obligations,” Mdluli said in a statement.

Under a series of often-secret agreements that are part of a broad U.S. crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say.

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Global markets are mixed and oil prices rise as Iran and US launch new attacks

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.1% before the opening bell Thursday, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1%. Nasdaq futures were up 0.5%.

Oil prices inched up again Thursday, with Brent crude, the international standard, rising 64 cents to to $78.66 per barrel. It briefly topped $80 on Wednesday. Before the Iran war began, Brent oil was trading at around $72 a barrel. Earlier optimism over an interim peace deal recently brought it back to prewar levels.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 54 cents to $74.06 a barrel.

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New attacks raise questions about what comes next in the Iran war

President Donald Trump says he believes the ceasefire with Iran is over. He says he’s not sure he wants a deal anymore and says the U.S. should “finish the job.” But he also insists continued attacks don’t mean a return to war or long-term action.

The confusion and uncertainty in Trump’s mixed messaging and his approval of back-to-back military strikes leave major questions about what comes next in the conflict, just weeks after difficult diplomacy to reach even an initial deal between the longtime adversaries.

The whipsawing rhetoric could be a strategy to increase the pressure on Tehran to stop attacking ships transporting oil and natural gas in the Strait of Hormuz and bend to U.S. demands on its nuclear program — something Trump has tried before.

Whether it’s a negotiation tactic or a signal of an escalation in fighting, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal and the actions risk further inflaming tensions.

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The conservation request applies to all residential and commercial customers across the authority’s service area, including the City of Roanoke, Roanoke County, Franklin County, Botetourt County, and the towns of Boones Mill and Vinton.

Reservoir levels fall as drought tightens grip on region

Carvins Cove Reservoir is currently 14.7 feet below full pond, a level that automatically triggered Stage 1 Voluntary Conservation measures under the authority’s established plan.

The Virginia Drought Monitor currently classifies the region as being in D2 Severe Drought.

Since October 2025, the Roanoke area has received 40 to 60 percent less rainfall than normal, leaving the reservoir lower than typical for this time of year.

Authority takes proactive approach to water supply

Western Virginia Water Authority spokesperson Sarah Baumgardner emphasized that the move is intended to get ahead of a potential shortage, not respond to one.

“This is just a really proactive step. We’re taking steps now to make sure that we have plenty of water going forward for your drinking water needs, your sanitation needs, fire protection,” Baumgardner said.

The authority’s Drought Contingency Plan uses specific reservoir levels as trigger points to guide its response. When levels fall to a defined threshold, Stage 1 — voluntary conservation — automatically kicks in.

“We have trigger points that when we get to a certain level, it triggers an action. And that action is voluntary conservation right now,” Baumgardner said.

Despite the dry conditions, Baumgardner said the region is not in immediate danger of a water shortage.

“We don’t anticipate getting into mandatory conservation with this drought. We have multiple water sources and we are well prepared to handle this,” she said.

What customers can do now

Laura Schirmer, also with the Western Virginia Water Authority, said the lack of precipitation is what prompted the conservation push.

“Because we have really had a lack of precipitation, the region has seen a 40 to 60 percent decline in rainfall this year,” Schirmer said.

“We are asking customers to voluntarily conserve their water using simple ways — turning off the faucet while they’re brushing their teeth, reducing their outdoor water use,” she added.

The authority is recommending the following steps for residents and businesses:

• Limit outdoor watering to before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m., when evaporation rates are lowest
• Sweep driveways and sidewalks instead of hosing them down
• Turn off ornamental fountains
• Identify and repair leaks
• Turn off the tap while brushing teeth, washing hands or shaving
• Reduce shower time and take baths with less water
• Only run full loads of laundry and wait until the dishwasher is full before running it

Many residents in the valley are already practicing water-wise habits daily. Officials say even small changes can make a meaningful difference as dry conditions persist.

Steady rain needed to recharge reservoirs

Officials say a single heavy storm won’t be enough to bring reservoir levels back to normal. It will take several rounds of steady rainfall to fully recharge the region’s water supply.

Even so, the authority believes that conservation now can help ensure mandatory restrictions are never needed.

For a full list of water conservation tips, information about voluntary conservation measures, or to access the Drought Contingency Plan, visit westernvawater.org/waterwise or read more about the authority’s conservation announcement.

It was Smith's first time on the LA Metro in a decade, and the experience exceeded his expectations.

“Seems like a very functioning transit system, which is somewhat surprising given its reputation,” he said.

That is the reaction Metro officials were hoping for as they used the 2026 FIFA World Cup's eight LA games to introduce — or reintroduce — people to the region's public transit system, often an afterthought in car-centric Los Angeles. It is an early test run of sorts for the 2028 Olympics, which organizers have billed as a “no car” Games where there will be no parking for attendees at any of the venues. Spectators will have to rely on transit and shuttles to get to events.

Nearly 50,000 rides were taken on rail lines for the July 2 Spain-Austria game that Smith and his son attended. There is no train that runs directly to SoFi Stadium in the LA suburb of Inglewood, but Metro has added 15 shuttle lines to transport people there from major rail stations and transit centers — the farthest route taking one hour and 15 minutes. More than 30,000 rides were taken on those shuttles for that game alone, the agency said.

The Metro will take a similar approach for the Olympics because many venues don't connect directly to the system. For the World Cup, the agency borrowed about 200 buses to meet the increased demand. Officials have said they will need to borrow 3,000 buses for the Olympics.

Officials work to overcome safety fears

For many residents, public transit isn't baked into everyday life in Los Angeles, the nation's second most-populous city, quite the same way it is in other major urban centers like New York and Chicago. LA Metro estimates the system provides about 1 million rides each day — roughly the same as Chicago, a smaller city. In New York, meanwhile, it is well over 3 million on the average weekday.

Many view LA's rail and bus system as unreliable at best and unsafe at worse. Certain high-profile violent incidents, such as a 67-year-old woman who died from being stabbed on a Metro train in 2024, have driven those perceptions. Some riders are also concerned about drug use, cleanliness and the presence of homeless people.

In June, Metro opened applications for its police force, which it hopes to have fully deployed by 2029 to replace the LAPD. The agency hopes having its own sworn officers working along with homeless outreach and crisis response teams will help riders feel safer on its trains and buses.

Metro has also touted data that showed a decline in violent crime over the past two years, with a 13.6% decrease in overall crime in March 2026 compared to a year before.

Martha Banuelos used the transit system sporadically before but generally preferred to “avoid it like the plague.” She started riding the trains again recently to get into the city from North Hollywood for World Cup watch parties.

“It’s a lot cleaner and smells way better,” she said.

Officials see World Cup as an opportunity

Metro has partnered with FIFA to host fan zones and watch parties at key transit hubs — where thousands of fans from around the region gathered to drink, dance to DJ sets, and cheer for their favorite teams. Metro has advertised limited edition tap cards for different countries and leaned into social media to promote public transit during the games.

The system also upgraded its payment options before the World Cup to allow riders to pay directly with a credit card like other cities that have done away with tap cards.

Those efforts worked to draw in new riders like Yasmin Cortez, a 32-year-old who took the train for the first time ever to attend the official FIFA Fan Festival at the LA Memorial Coliseum to watch matches, volunteer for FIFA, and soak in the World Cup spirit. A week later, she took the rail again to root for Uruguay at the Union Station Fan Zone, from Cerritos about 16 miles (26 kilometers) southwest of LA.

“Especially with gas prices now, yeah I should be taking the Metro,” she said. “There’s a lot to explore, and I bought some new walking shoes.”

Looking ahead to 2028 Olympics

During the last Summer Games, Paris was lauded for how accessible the Games were, with nearly every venue reachable by Metro, commuter train, tram or bus.

LA, long known for congested roadways, is hard at work to expand its own transit options as the Games quickly approach.

Transit enthusiasts rejoiced at the long-awaited extension of the D line in May, which runs east-west connecting downtown LA to Koreatown, and now further west, where popular tourist attractions like the Grove shopping mall, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the La Brea Tar Pits are.

It marked the first opening of a heavy rail expansion project in the U.S. since 2020. Four more stations are under construction to extend the line to the University of California, Los Angeles campus, which will serve as the official Athlete Village for the 2028 games.

“LA is a transit city,” said Jennifer Vides, Metro's chief customer experience officer. “People want to try to say that it’s not. Obviously we have a lot more expansion to do and we’re working on it. But people really want transit.”

David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea through one of his attorneys during his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted last Thursday on a single felony count of property destruction.

Before the country's 250th independence celebrations, President Donald Trump launched a multimillion dollar renovation project for the Reflecting Pool, which was plagued by problems, including damage to its new coating. Trump, without providing evidence, has alleged the damage was caused by vandals.

Hearn has said he reached inside the pool to examine the peeled sealant and let go of a chunk when he was told to by a park worker. He is accused of causing more than $1,000 in damage.

“Every American should be alarmed about this prosecution,” defense attorney Norm Eisen said after the hearing. “It is not a crime to touch the Reflecting Pool.”

At least three other people have been charged in the same court with misdemeanors for allegedly removing pieces of paint from the Reflecting Pool, according to online court records. All three pleaded not guilty during their initial court appearances Wednesday, records show.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, said vandalizing the nation's monuments and public spaces is “an affront to our shared history.”

“The law applies equally to everyone, and when it is broken, there are consequences," she said in a statement on Thursday.

Defense says prosecutors' evidence is ‘weak’

In front of a packed courtroom, D.C. Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean did not require Hearn to be supervised by the court while he is free awaiting a trial. A status hearing was scheduled for Aug. 5.

A prosecutor, Kevin Reddington, said the government wasn’t seeking any court supervision for Hearn, but just a “stay-away order” without specifying in court where it wanted to keep Hearn away from.

Mary Dohrmann, one of Hearn’s attorneys, urged the judge not to impose any conditions of court supervision, calling Hearn an “upstanding citizen and member of the community.”

“The government’s evidence is weak,” she added.

Supporters cheered after the hearing

Dozens of supporters, many carrying homemade signs, gathered outside the courthouse and chanted “Davey!” as Hearn left after the hearing. Hearn joined his attorneys in front of a bank of cameras and smiled to supporters but did not speak. He raised his right hand and pumped his fist as he left.

Adam Van Grack, who chaired the U.S. Olympic national governing body for canoe and kayak sports, joined the throng of supporters who cheered for Hearn after the hearing. Van Grack said Hearn has spent decades voluntarily maintaining National Park Service property that the canoeists used as a training course along the Potomac River.

“This is a person who has devoted his life to representing the United States on an international stage, caring for the community and protecting and caring for National Park Service property,” Van Grack said. “So the idea that he is a malicious destroyer of federal property shocks the conscience and makes no sense to anybody who’s ever known Davey Hearn.”

Hearn previously told The Associated Press that he was detained by National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police for five hours after stopping by the pool during a 64-mile (103 kilometer) bike ride on June 19. He said he reached in to examine newly peeled coating and briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool, but obeyed a park worker who told him to let go of it.

Pool project has been plagued by problems

The pool's renovation has been riddled with problems. Workers have used devices called nanobubblers to curtail an algae bloom. The devices infuse ozone into the water to kill algae and bacteria. Officials have said the pool most likely would need to be drained again for liner repairs after chunks of blue coating were seen floating at the surface.

Trump has claimed without substantiation that vandals dumped fertilizer into the pool and slashed the coating with a box cutter. Pirro, a former Fox News host who was appointed by Trump, said last week that six other people were arrested on misdemeanor charges related to the $16 million pool project.

Pirro accused Hearn of causing more than $1,000 in damage by ripping up recently installed sealant from the pool and acting belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop.

Hearn’s attorneys have said the charges against him are based on a “concocted narrative” and “should be alarming to every American.”

“This indictment reflects the administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures,” the lawyers said in a statement. “The justice system exists to determine facts, not to provide political cover.”

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Associated Press writer Matthew Daly and AP video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

The demand for help comes as the United Nations launched an appeal for roughly $300 million to assist 1.3 million people in urgent need of aid in the South American country where nongovernmental organizations until recently were targets of government repression. Mobile kitchens and clinics as well as field hospitals now dot public spaces in the northern state of La Guaira, where most of the devastation occurred.

“It is clear at displacement sites that, particularly after two weeks, that people are turning up because they haven’t been able to get their other treatments,” U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher told The Associated Press during his visit to Venezuela. “So, they’re not turning up with just the fractures now, they’re turning up with those longer-term health needs. And it’s vital that we’re there for them.”

Doctors treating people in that state’s Catia La Mar community on Thursday reported an increase in skin conditions and diarrheal diseases, as well as of requests for medications for the treatment of chronic illnesses, including diabetes and high blood pressure. The emerging diseases can be tied to crowded living spaces and poor water and sanitation conditions, which in many communities predate the earthquakes.

Irma Echarri showed up at a mobile unit on a sidewalk across the street from a church with the boxes of the eyedrops and pain reliever she usually takes, hoping that doctors there could give her new ones. She also wanted to be seen for the pain she developed in her nose after the June 24 earthquakes.

“It hurts a lot,” Echarri, 67, said while waiting to be seen. “It hurts because it hurts.”

Echarri’s home was not damaged, but many of her neighbors are living in temporary shelters or outdoors after 190 buildings collapsed and 856 others were damaged, according to Venezuelan officials, in the back-to-back earthquakes that killed 3,889 people.

The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez has estimated that the earthquakes left about 18,000 people without a home. The displaced are now living in schools, sidewalks, parks, plazas and other public spaces.

Fletcher, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told AP the United States has so far provided most of the earthquake-response aid. Much of the assistance on the ground is being delivered by local groups that have partnered with global humanitarian organizations.

Among the displaced is Zulbey Reyes, who went to the clinic ran by the Venezuela-based organization Paluz in partnership with the global relief agency International Rescue Committee. Reyes, who was also robbed by the earthquakes of her job as a nanny, sought treatment for the onset of chest pain.

“I thought it was my heart that was sick,” Reyes, 41, said after being diagnosed and receiving medication. “But it’s a nerve that became inflamed after the screams that day.”

Armando Denegri, representative in Venezuela of the Pan-American Health Organization told reporters Thursday that “50% of the health professionals in La Guaira were directly affected" by the earthquakes.

"Some disappeared, some died, others were severely affected by the crisis, impacting their families,” Denegri said without giving further details.

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has estimated direct physical damage to housing and infrastructure around $37 billion.

The widespread presence of nongovernmental organizations in the country and the freedom with which the government is allowing them to operate contrasts with the repression and persecution to which they were subjected in recent years. While Rodríguez served as vice president to former President Nicolás Maduro, organizations were repeatedly accused of anti-government activities and the U.N. local human rights office expelled.

“When you have a crisis of this magnitude, people put the politics to one side and are able to focus on saving as many lives as possible, and that’s what I’m seeing so far in this response,” Fletcher said.

Murakami made two rehab appearances with Triple-A Charlotte, going 2 for 7 with a double. Following Chicago's 2-1 loss to Boston on Thursday, White Sox manager Will Venable said Murakami would be in the starting lineup for the opener of the team's weekend series against the Athletics.

“He’s ready to go,” Venable said. “He was challenged running the bases, defensively, had a really long game yesterday. So feel good about the workload, recovered well today so he’s ready to go.”

Murakami got hurt during a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on May 29, grabbing his right hamstring after beating a throw to first on a fielder’s choice in the third inning. At the time of the injury, the Japanese rookie ranked among the major league leaders with 20 homers, 41 RBIs, 43 runs and a .947 OPS.

Chicago (47-45) is in a virtual tie with Cleveland (48-46) for the lead in the sluggish AL Central. But the White Sox have dropped three in a row and six of eight overall. They managed just two runs and 15 hits in the three-game set against the Red Sox.

White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi said getting Murakami back right now is huge.

“Obviously, he’s a presence in the lineup,” he said. "He’ll bring the energy, I think. It seems like the vibe in here is kind of down right now but I’m sure seeing him tomorrow will spark it back up.”

The 26-year-old Murakami signed a $34 million, two-year contract with Chicago in December. The White Sox went 17-18 while he was on the injured list.

“We understand the impact he makes on the field and in the clubhouse so to activate him is going to mean a lot for our group,” Venable said. “Really excited about him.”

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

Funk died Wednesday at her apartment in an assisted living facility in the Dallas and Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine, Texas, Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell said Thursday. O'Dell, who described herself as Funk's caregiver, said she was by Funk's side. Funk had fallen a couple of times recently and had an infection in her leg.

“It took its toll,” O'Dell said in a phone interview.

Funk was one of 13 female pilots who went through the same tests as NASA’s all-male astronaut corps in the early 1960s but never made it into space with that agency. In 2021, she got her chance aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket.

At the time, the 82-year-old was the oldest person to go into space, though the record was later broken by “Star Trek” actor William Shatner and Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate. They were both 90.

Bezos chose Funk as an “honored guest” to ride alongside him and two others on an up-and-down hop from West Texas.

In a post on X, Blue Origin said Funk was a “pioneer in every sense of the word.”

“We were humbled to be part of her journey,” the post said.

O’Dell said Funk was the “most eternally optimistic person” she had ever met.

“She was told by many, many, many men, ‘No, you can’t do this. No you can’t do that,’ ” O’Dell said. “And she never got mad about it. She just was more determined.”

Funk was the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, according to a brief biography released by the City of Grapevine.

In the 1960s, she and other female pilots went through astronaut training in the Mercury 13 program, but they were not allowed to become astronauts.

“Wally Funk never stopped believing that one day she would reach space. Her passion for flight, perseverance, and love of exploration will continue to inspire generations of Americans. Godspeed, Wally,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted Thursday on X.

Mbappé made up for missing a first-half penalty in France’s 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Morocco on Thursday by scoring a goal in the 60th minute. It was his eighth goal of the tournament, equal with Messi for the tournament lead and one ahead of Norway forward Erling Haaland.

Norway plays England in the quarterfinals on Saturday, and Messi will lead Argentina against Switzerland later that night.

Mbappé had a chance from the spot after drawing a foul from Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui in the box in the 28th minute. But goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly, diving to his left to stop the attempt.

The Real Madrid forward delivered in the second half for the two-time World Cup champions when he dribbled into the area and let loose a rocket that went just inside the post.

Ousmane Dembélé scored six minutes later to give France a 2-0 lead. Mbappé was taken off in the 77th minute, turning and waving with both hands to the Gillette Stadium crowd as he walked off the field for a substitute.

Mbappé also moved one behind Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring list, with 20 goals in 20 matches. Messi has 21 goals in 31 career World Cup matches over six tournaments, breaking the record of 16 that had been held by Germany striker Miroslav Klose.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Justice Department prosecutors said they learned Thursday morning that Rahmanullah Lakanwal was rushed to a hospital overnight “for medical treatment necessary to preserve his life.” The U.S. Marshals Service notified prosecutors last month of concerns that Lakanwal was at risk of long-term health consequences, including death, due to his “refusal to consume adequate nutrition for an extended period,” the filing says.

The filing doesn’t elaborate on the circumstances of Lakanwal’s refusal to eat, but prosecutors noted that courts have held that prison officials can involuntary feed “hunger-striking prisoners” to save their lives.

The judge presiding over Lakanwal's case convened an emergency hearing related to the defendant's medical condition while he remains in federal custody. At the end of the hearing, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta instructed prosecutors to submit a proposed order that would give them access to Lakanwal's recent medical records.

Defense attorney Shelli Peterson and a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office declined to comment after the hearing.

Lakanwal, an Afghan national, has pleaded not guilty to charges including first-degree murder in the November 2025 shooting that killed West Virginia National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.

Beckstrom, 20, and Wolfe, 24, were deployed from West Virginia to Washington, D.C., for the surge of federal law-enforcement patrols that began last summer in the nation's capital at President Donald Trump’s direction.

Lakanwal is accused of driving to the nation’s capital from Bellingham, Washington, while in possession of a stolen firearm and ambushing the two Guard members outside a subway station three blocks from the White House. Another National Guard member heard gunshots and saw Beckstrom and Wolfe fall to the ground as Lakanwal fired a gun and screamed, “Allahu Akbar!” according to a police report.

Lakanwal was shot during the confrontation and appeared remotely by video from a hospital bed in December for his first hearing before a judge. A trial date for his case hasn’t been scheduled yet.

The county formally joined the Roanoke Regional Partnership, a move that adds Bedford to a larger team marketing the entire region to companies looking to expand or relocate.

What the partnership means for Bedford

For Mark Zimmerman, owner of Zimmerman’s Restaurant in Bedford, the news is straightforward: more visibility means more foot traffic.

“I think it’s amazing; I think the best thing is that people in Roanoke are hearing about small town Bedford and coming to Bedford, and vice versa,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman says every bit of exposure helps, especially when visitors discover what Bedford already has to offer.

“Every little bit helps. If people are coming in, that’s good, and word of mouth, people hear about it, and they come in here and find out that we have a restaurant and an antique store, find out about others, I think it’s great,” he said.

A practical focus on jobs, investment

County and partnership leaders say the focus is practical: recruit new employers, support businesses already operating in the area and bring in investment that translates into local jobs. In the coming weeks, teams will begin folding Bedford into the partnership’s regional marketing and project pipeline — meaning when prospects look at the Roanoke region, Bedford is now fully in the mix.

The partnership points to a track record of results and plans to add tourism and outdoor recreation to its pitch to investors. For residents, that could mean more job announcements and local investment over time, though details and timelines are still developing.

Zimmerman says anything that keeps Bedford on the map is a win — and he’s already thinking about what the partnership could mean for small businesses like his.

“I think we need to be closed one day a week, which is Monday, in which a lot of places in Bedford are. As far as being open, I think we have a good schedule and we’re going to role with it,” Zimmerman said.

Who’s in the partnership

The Roanoke Regional Partnership now includes the cities of Covington, Roanoke and Salem; the counties of Alleghany, Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke; the town of Vinton — and now Bedford County — all working together on one regional growth message.

Back-and-forth attacks, including a day earlier, have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire. But Thursday’s appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, and missiles targeting Kuwait and Qatar.

Sirens sounded Thursday afternoon in Jordan as well, where the U.S. has stationed troops and aircraft.

An Iranian official accused the U.S. of launching an airstrike later Thursday targeting the area around Iran's sole nuclear power plant, and other explosions were reported elsewhere in the country during the afternoon.

The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of a fragile ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn't stop. That raised concerns that the region could tip back into a war that would engulf several countries and could halt energy shipments through the strait that are crucial for the global economy.

In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14 people and wounded another 78, Iran’s Health Ministry said Thursday. Most were reportedly members of the armed forces.

In Kuwait, the military said falling debris wounded one person as the nation shot down three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones. Bahrain said it shot down incoming fire, without elaborating, and Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said all incoming fire from Iran had been intercepted. Iranian state TV said the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard fired missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan.

There was no immediate word of damage in Qatar.

US strikes hit more targets

The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.

The U.S. said the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Traffic has picked up somewhat since a tentative deal last month included opening the waterway. Maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence said Thursday that preliminary data showed at least 576 ships passed through the strait in June, compared to 233 in May. More than 3,100 transited the strait in June 2025.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and southern port cities. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ehsan Jahanian, a local official in Bushehr, as accusing the U.S. of striking near the plant around noon, hours after Central Command said it had ended its latest round of strikes. Asked for comment on Bushehr, Central Command referred to a press release that detailed targets but made no mention of the nuclear power plant.

For the first time since April, U.S. strikes also appeared to target Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran’s northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges were attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials planned to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.

Trump issues another warning to Iran if attacks on shipping happen again

After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote Wednesday, a day after three tankers were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in lengthy military action.

Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric and desalination plants, and to seize Kharg Island, through which some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: If you strike, you’ll get hit.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on Telegram that he spoke by phone with his Saudi, Turkish and Omani counterparts and with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been one of the main mediators in the war. The outreach suggested efforts may be underway to reduce tensions.

Strikes raise fears that war could resume

Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying Wednesday that the interim ceasefire agreement was “over.” He said he would allow negotiations to continue but thought negotiators were “wasting their time.”

Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the dayslong funeral for Khamenei, who was killed in the war’s first moments.

The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

Democrats need to pick a candidate to replace Platner on the ballot by July 27, according to state law. Whoever is selected will have less than four months before facing longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election. Potential candidates had already been teasing their interest before Platner, who denies the allegation, announced he intends to drop out. Platner is expected to file paperwork to formally withdraw on Monday, the deadline to do so.

But a growing number began formally launching their campaigns Thursday.

The Maine Democratic Party has said it will hold a nominating convention to choose the replacement. The party says the convention will involve hundreds of delegates from across the state, but how and when that’ll take place remains unknown.

Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats are desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular.

Gov. Janet Mills, who sought the nomination during the primary campaign and suspended her campaign in late April, has not indicated if she's interested in running.

These are some of the people who have shown interest in the Maine Senate race:

Troy Jackson

Jackson is Maine’s former state Senate president. He unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic nominee for governor earlier this year with the backing of Platner and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Shortly after Platner said he would quit the Senate race, Jackson launched his campaign, arguing that Mainers want “a progressive fighter." Our Revolution, the organization founded by Sanders, has since said it would back Jackson, 58.

Jackson released a statement with dozens of endorsements, many from current and former state and local officials, on Thursday.

Nirav Shah

Shah, former director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced Thursday he was vying to be the next Democratic Senate candidate. He came in second in this year’s Maine Democratic governor's primary and was seen as more of a moderate candidate compared with Jackson while running for governor. Shah held a news conference Thursday in which he encouraged Platner supporters to join him.

“You have an important place in this campaign and we welcome your voices,” Shah said. “This campaign represents the values that we all care about.”

Dan Kleban

The co-founder of Maine Beer Company, Kleban also confirmed his candidacy on Wednesday after Platner's announcement. Kleban briefly entered the Senate race last year before dropping out when Mills announced her candidacy. Kleban, 49, endorsed Mills, who later dropped out of the Democratic primary.

“I'm ready to fight for Mainers and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington,” Kleban said.

Shenna Bellows

Bellows is Maine's secretary of state. She announced Thursday that she's running for the seat, saying she's spent her career “taking on tough fights and doing the right thing," where she's served as a former civil liberties advocate and sparred with President-elect Donald Trump over ballot access.

This wouldn't be her first time running for political office. Bellows, 51, placed fourth in the state’s Democratic governor's primary in June. And in 2014, Bellows ran against Collins as the Senate Democratic nominee and lost in a landslide.

Jordan Wood

Wood, 36, initially attempted to run in the Maine Democratic Senate primary last year but dropped out to run in the state's 2nd District. He lost that race, coming in third to state Auditor Matt Dunlap. He's since said he's interested in running for the Senate again, and announced on Thursday.

“To beat Susan Collins, we need a candidate who can provide a true contrast and run an unapologetically progressive campaign: Passing Medicare for All. Stopping ICE terrorizing our streets,” Wood wrote on social media on Tuesday.

Paige Loud

Loud filed paperwork to run for the Senate seat earlier this week. The 29-year-old social worker also ran in the state's 2nd District Democratic primary, but came in last during the state's first round of ranked choice voting.

Valli Geiger

Geiger, a previous Platner supporter and a state Democratic lawmaker, is another potential candidate. She hasn't announced her candidacy, but in an interview with MS NOW on Wednesday, Geiger, 70, said she would hire Platner's staff, whom she described as “deeply impassioned and confident young people.”

David Costello

Costello ran in the June primary and finished third behind Platner, who won, and Mills, who was still on the ballot despite having suspended her campaign. Costello announced Thursday that he is back in the race. He said in a social media post that he believes he is the right candidate because his “lived experiences are rooted in the same challenges countless Mainers face every day.”

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Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

It does not necessarily mean that the trade is off. The Raptors said they still want Leonard, and the Clippers, in a statement sent to multiple outlets including The Associated Press, again insisted that they are not guilty of any wrongdoing related to an endorsement contract between Leonard and a now-bankrupt California-based digital bank that touted itself as environmentally friendly.

But the probe, as detailed by the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, could lead to penalties that include a substantial fine, the loss of draft capital — and, potentially, even the voiding of a player contract — if the league finds there was a deliberate circumvention of cap rules.

“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said. “In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”

There is no timetable for the conclusion of the NBA's probe, which is being performed by outside counsel — Wachtell Lipton, a New York-based firm. Commissioner Adam Silver said in recent weeks that he'd like to see a conclusion.

“My instruction to them is we can’t be investigating forever. At some point you have to wrap it up,” Silver said last month at the NBA Finals. “But at the same time, the most important thing is that we get it right."

Through a spokesman, the NBA said Thursday that it doesn't “have a specific timeline for the conclusion of the investigation but expect the firm to finalize its work in the coming weeks”

The NBA opened an investigation back in September into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy in 2025 — broke league rules, following a report by journalist Pablo Torre. Last month, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million.

“At the heart of this investigation are Joe Sanberg and Aspiration,” the Clippers said Thursday in a statement. "We did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration. Like many sophisticated investors, financial institutions, and business partners, we were victims of a fraud initiated by Sanberg, who has been convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

“We recognize the uncertainty this has created and the impact it has had on our team, our fans, the Raptors organization, their fans, and the players whose futures remain affected while this process continues. We remain confident that, when the facts are evaluated fairly and thoroughly, the NBA will confirm exactly what we have said from the beginning: We have not done what we are accused of doing.”

For its part, Toronto reaffirmed that it still wants to acquire Leonard.

“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,” the Raptors said.

The Raptors and Clippers struck a deal on June 30 on a trade that would send Leonard back to the city that helped win the 2019 NBA championship.

The Raptors agreed to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and pick swaps to the Clippers for Leonard — who spent one season in Toronto, and that was the year the Raptors won their lone title.

He turned 35 earlier this month but is coming off the highest-scoring season of his career, averaging 27.9 points for the Clippers in 65 games.

Leonard is a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, a two-time NBA champion (also winning in 2014 with San Antonio) and is generally considered one of the game’s top defensive players. He has said there was no wrongdoing.

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

We do have a bit of a breeze that is offering some relief from the heat. Winds will continue to gust around 15-20 MPH Thursday afternoon and evening.

Muggy morning conditions will lead to a stormy afternoon for portions of Southwest Virginia. We are now under a Marginal Risk for most of the region, barring the southern Southside and southern NRV Zones. The threats for any strong storms that form this afternoon will be damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall. With abundant humidity in the atmosphere, any storms that form will tap into that moisture and bring us some much-needed rainfall.

Futurecast shows the coverage of these storms to be hit or miss, but this is typical of the summertime convective storms. These will be short-lived but still require our attention given the severe risk. Please stay weather aware!

Our stormy and active pattern will last through Sunday, with just a few sparse remaining showers on Monday. Have a great Thursday and try to stay dry!

Spencer Forsling, 22, was crossing the intersection of North Main and Roanoke streets in downtown Blacksburg at around 2 a.m. on Dec. 3, 2025, when Officer Allil Barnes’ vehicle hit and killed him. Barnes was responding to a fire at the time, with his lights and sirens active. According to the lawsuit, Barnes was traveling 74 mph in a 20 mph zone.

No criminal charges filed

In April 2026, Montgomery County Commonwealth’s Attorney Mary Pettitt reviewed videos, reports, and other evidence and determined no criminal offense could be pursued.

Lawsuit alleges Barnes made no attempt to slow down

Forsling’s mother filed the wrongful death complaint in recent weeks. The complaint alleges a “conscious disregard of the risks to, and rights of, Forsling and others” on Barnes’ part, and states that “there is no indication that Officer Barnes attempted to brake or slow down while approaching the intersection.”

The complaint names both Barnes and the Town of Blacksburg as defendants.

WSLS reached out to members of the Forsling family and the Blacksburg town attorney. Both declined to comment publicly.

No court date has been set.

The 37-year-old Irishman is also convinced he'll have his way with Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

The two will meet in a welterweight bout, as McGregor will compete for the first time in more than five years.

“Hallelujah!” McGregor exclaimed on Wednesday. “The Mac is back.”

McGregor earned a unanimous decision over Holloway in a featherweight clash in 2013, when neither was an MMA megastar.

In the blink of an eye, McGregor’s star rose.

On Wednesday, he admitted he got caught up in his own stardom after winning UFC belts in two weight classes and becoming one of the biggest names in combat sports.

“I launched an Irish whiskey,” McGregor said. “I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, at that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, thousands upon thousands of bottles (are) in my garage.

”‘Sell this, Conor.’ OK, I’d leave my property with two bottles under my arm, and that was it. I was caught. And I wasn’t used to it. And that’s it. God gave me these lessons. That’s it. I was trapped and caught, and it is what it is.”

Easier said than done, perhaps, as the controversial former champion has navigated in and out of multiple controversies and legal issues over the past several years, including a rape case in which he was found civilly liable in 2024.

Prosecutors declined to charge him criminally, and McGregor doubled down on Wednesday that he will be vindicated.

“I’m an innocent man, and I’ll stand for my innocence until the day I go out,” he said. “That is still a situation where I fight. There’s a reason it didn’t go where it went and went to a civil trial. It is what it is. It stings deep. I continue to fight.”

Saturday, McGregor (22-6) will face his biggest fight in years against a vengeful Holloway (27-9), whose last fight ended with a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Charles Oliveira on March 7.

McGregor, who last fought on July 10, 2021, spoke confidently about his comeback.

“Weight’s on point, body’s on point, mind’s sharper than ever, plan is laid set, and I’m ready to go to war,” he said. “I plan to contort Max’s body into such uncomfortable positions and have my way with him.”

McGregor suffered a horrific broken leg in his last match, his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier, and then withdrew from his scheduled fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 due to a broken pinky toe.

Meanwhile, Holloway has fought eight times since McGregor’s last fight, is out to avenge his loss to Oliveira, and is still thinking about exacting revenge from 2013.

“I’m going to go in there and put paws on him,” the 34-year-old Holloway said. “I’m going to make him wish that he didn’t come back.

"Actually, no. I’m not going to make him wish that. I’m going to make him think he can do it one more time, so we can rematch at the end of the year.”

Co-headlining the card is Benoit Saint Denis (17-3-0) and Paddy Pimblett (23-4-0) in a battle of top-10 lightweights, both of whom are hoping to position themselves for a title shot.

Saint Denis, 30, has turned in consecutive stoppage wins over Kyle Prepolec, Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush and Dan Hooker. The Frenchman is 9-2 in the UFC lightweight division. Pimblett, meanwhile, opened 2026 with a loss to new champion Justin Gaethje in their interim title clash that headlined UFC 324 in January. It brought an end to the 31-year-old Liverpool native’s nine-fight winning streak.

The main card will get underway in the lightweight division with King Green (35-17) facing Terrance McKinney (18-8). Former title challenger Brandon Royval (17-9) will meet Lone’er Kavanagh (10-1) in a flyweight match. Cory Sandhagen (18-6) and Mario Bautista (17-3) will be a battle of top-10 bantamweights.

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AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts

The National Capital Planning Commission voted to approve preliminary site and building plans for the 250-foot (76-meter) arch the Republican president wants to build on a traffic circle at the Virginia end of Memorial Bridge from Washington.

Agency staff had recommended preliminary approval along with a series of revisions to the project to comply with a federal law that limits building heights in Washington, but the commission voted to continue deliberating the height issue.

“This is a complex project,” Chairman Will Scharf said before the vote. A final vote could come at the commission's next meeting, in September.

Commissioners heard a summary of the staff report and its recommendations and heard from several dozen people who had signed up to testify about the project, one of a handful being pursued by Trump to reshape the nation's capital to his liking.

Some of those who testified against the project said they opposed building a celebratory arch so close to the solemn burial ground of Arlington National Cemetery.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal agency, approved the design for the arch in May. The National Capital Planning Commission oversees construction on federal land in the city and began reviewing the arch plan in June.

Opponents of the project argue that the arch is too big for the skyline and would disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery that were meant to symbolize the reunification of the North and the South after the Civil War.

But the opposition has done little to influence the members of either commission, both of which include some of Trump's closest allies. Trump appointed Scharf, a top White House aide, to lead the planning commission.

A group of veterans and a historian have sued the Trump administration in federal court to block the arch construction over concerns about disruptions to the sightline.

The arch would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters) tall, and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, at about 555 feet (169 meters) tall.

Trump had said last year that the arch could be paid for with unused funds from the hundreds of millions of dollars he said he has raised from corporations, donors and other wealthy people to pay to build a new $400 million ballroom at the White House.

But, as it turns out, some public money will be used for the ballroom project, as well as the arch. The White House has not released a cost estimate for the arch.

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This story has been corrected to show that the arch's height is planned for 250 feet, not 260 feet.

Judge Christopher Wagner said Thursday the NCAA eligibility rules have been applied to 2022 high school graduates in an arbitrary and capricious manner, adding the plaintiffs would suffer “irreparable injury” without an injunction.

“We hope the NCAA reconsiders its position and allows all other similarly situated athletes from the high school class of 2022 to compete for remaining roster spots in all sports,” attorney Ryan Downton said.

Wagner's ruling allows the athletes in the lawsuit an opportunity to enter the transfer portal. He scheduled a conference for Aug. 4 to prepare for a trial.

“While we will seek to overturn this ruling, it is now apparent that Congress must act swiftly to restore stability, uniformity, and fair competition in college athletics,” the NCAA said in a statement.

The Protect College Sports Act has moved forward with Senate committee approval in June. However, the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences oppose the bill designed to stabilize college sports and are seeking revisions.

Downton has filed similar lawsuits against the NCAA on behalf of nearly 30 men's and women's basketball players.

The lawsuit in Cincinnati was filed shortly after the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a monumental change in eligibility rules last month.

“When each plaintiff completed their fourth season of competition during the 2025-26 academic year, they had every reason to know it was the end of the line and time to make way for the next generation of college athletes,” the NCAA wrote in a filing.

The plaintiffs are seeking to be eligible to play a fifth year during the upcoming season, representing athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 and began their college sports careers that autumn and never redshirted.

“Each plaintiff was harmed each time he or she competed in a basketball game against a fifth or sixth-year player without being offered the same opportunity to compete in a fifth season themselves,” Downtown wrote in a filing.

The NCAA now allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.

The move will all but eliminate waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. Extensions will no longer be considered for athletes who are injured.

Athletes whose eligibility expired by spring 2026 under the traditional model — four years of competition over five years — will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under the new rules that go into effect this fall.

The Division I Cabinet has said in a statement posted on X that it was aware of legal action challenging its decision and that “we do not intend to change course.”

Three basketball players, including Xavier forward Filip Borovicanin of Serbia, and three coaches, including Xavier coach Richard Pitino, along with an agent testified at a hearing in Cincinnati earlier this month, while the NCAA did not call any witnesses.

Wagner appeared to be critical of the NCAA in his written ruling, saying the governing body resembles “a highly profitable professional sports league," more than its argument of being a voluntary association.

“The court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that plaintiffs will suffer irreparable injury if the preliminary injunction is not granted,” Wagner said.

The NCAA said the decision was wrong.

“We will immediately seek all avenues for reversal, including a stay of the court’s order pending appeal,” the NCAA said. “The court disregarded over a century of precedent and substituted its own judgment, on a limited factual record, for the collective expertise of the nation’s leading higher education institutions.”

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% and more than recovered its loss from the day before, even though the United States launched new airstrikes against Iran, which responded by targeting U.S. allies in the Middle East. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 139 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.3%.

In the oil market, prices gave back much of their jumps from the day before. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2.2% to $76.30. That’s down from $78.02 the day before though still above its $71.80 price from the end of last week.

The worry is that a return to full-blown war will block oil tankers from the Strait of Hormuz and prevent the delivery of crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That could worsen inflation, which economists expected would ease with oil prices, and in turn force the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates.

Higher rates can keep a lid on inflation, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for all kinds of investments.

But Trump also said Wednesday that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in “long-term” military action, raising uncertainty about just what will happen.

The swings for oil prices halted what had been a steady decline in gasoline prices, and the cost for a gallon climbed a nickel overnight, according to motor club AAA. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.85 Thursday, up 68 cents from a year earlier.

In the meantime, renewed strength for makers of computer chips and other winners of the boom around artificial-intelligence technology helped to support stock markets worldwide.

In South Korea, whose stock market is dominated by two companies that make semiconductors, the Kospi index rose 0.6% after tumbling 5.3% the day before. SK Hynix, which is preparing to sell shares of its stock that will trade in the United States, jumped 5.3% in Seoul.

On Wall Street, Micron Technology’s climb of 4.5% was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. Micron cited “surging demand for memory in the AI era” as it gave a progress update on construction in central New York of what it says is the largest semiconductor manufacturing site in U.S. history.

Such stocks have become some of Wall Street’s most influential after growing so big in the euphoria around AI. But AI stocks have also come under pressure recently because of worries their prices shot too high and that AI may not create enough productivity and profits to make all the investments in chips and data centers worth it.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 60.93 points to 7,543.64. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 139.02 to 52,487.41, and the Nasdaq composite rose 336.24 to 26,206.89.

Stocks broadly got some help from falling yields in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.54% from 4.56% late Wednesday.

It had been climbing on worries about high oil prices and the potential for higher interest rates, which cranked up the pressure on stocks and prices for other investments.

Besides the war with Iran, another big event for Wall Street is the upcoming start of earnings reporting season for companies. Next week, the biggest banks are set to unveil how much profit they made from April through June. Companies across industries will need to report strong growth to justify the big moves their stock prices have made.

PepsiCo fell 3.3% even though it reported slightly better revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Numbers released by the company behind Gatorade and Doritos showed weakening trends in its North American food and drinks businesses.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia.

Besides Seoul’s climb, stock indexes rose 1.7% in Shanghai and 0.9% in Paris.

On the losing end was Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, which slipped 0.7% as shares of Apple supplier Luxshare fell 1.5% in its trading debut.

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

There is a “continual battle” against threats online, said Vicki Evans, a senior national coordinator for counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police, and police need help from technology companies because “it's not something we can do alone.”

Islamic extremism remains the biggest threat but over the past five years, threats from far-right groups and hostile states have significantly grown, said Laurence Taylor, head of counterterrorism police.

According to Evans, the threat from hostile states is the “most rapidly escalating mission” for counterterrorism police.

Threats from hostile countries are increasing

In July, two Romanian men were jailed over the stabbing of a journalist from a Persian-language television station, which the judge said was carried out on behalf of Iran's government.

In June, a Ukrainian man and Romanian man were jailed for their role in setting fire to property linked to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer — a plot which fits the description of Russian state-backed sabotage. And in May, a U.K. border official and former Hong Kong police officer were convicted of spying for China.

Evans said that in 2025, there were more than 20 Iranian-backed plots, including assassinations, kidnappings and other serious crimes against the U.K. Additionally, police are still investigating whether arson attacks against Jewish sites earlier in the year have a link to Iran.

Russia has been organizing a “constant stream of surveillance plots” against people and institutions in Britain, aiming to target people Russian officials believe are enemies, “infiltrate” ordinary life and identify people who will “peddle” Russian narratives or carry out proxy work on behalf of the Russian state, she added.

Across Europe, Russia has recruited dozens of people on apps like Telegram to carry out vandalism or set fires — including at a warehouse in London that stored communications equipment meant for Ukraine.

Dylan Earl, the ringleader of that plot, was recruited on Telegram by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization acting on behalf of Moscow that has been designated a terrorist group by the U.K. government.

Evans also said that teenagers as young as 15 have been arrested by police in relation to proxy plots. The challenge for law enforcement, she added, is that “anyone could be targeted,” especially online.

"This isn’t something that’s happening elsewhere,” Evans said, speaking to journalists at New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police headquarters. “It’s happening here. This risk is in our neighborhoods, in our online spaces and in our workplaces.”

The threat of far-right extremism is rising

Taylor said that the threat level in the U.K. was raised in April from “substantial” to “severe,” partly because cases linked to extreme far right ideologies are “growing substantially.”

Police have noted an increase in “vile” content, particularly online, which creates a “cocktail of racism, misogyny and extreme homophobia,” he said.

Extreme views, he said, appear to be being challenged less and less and so conditions have been created where previously unacceptable views are now more prevalent.

As an example, he gave the case of an 18-year-old woman, Alina Burns, who was imprisoned for almost 20 years in May after attacking a stranger with an ax — an attack that Taylor said was motivated by her extreme right-wing mindset.

Children are increasingly radicalized online

Alfie Coleman — a 22-year-old sentenced on Wednesday for 13.5 years for trying to buy a gun from an undercover MI5 officer — was radicalized online from the age of 14, Taylor said.

Evans said that those behind the exploitation are specifically designing online content to attract young people by blending it with propaganda and gaming footage, historical images and music. The young are then prompted to carry out violent acts — such as being asked to “recreate” in real life horrific attacks from video games, she said.

In some cases, Evans said, “sadistic online groups,” ask people to compete against each other to cause harm online and offline — by using cyberattacks, extremism, serious violence or even child sexual abuse or terrorism.

The extent of “lawful but awful” content online, including extreme violence and gore, she said means that some people now have a skewed sense of what is normal or acceptable. Those people are particularly vulnerable to manipulation, including by state actors, she said.

Although the government has said that Britain will ban social media for those under 16, that is not enough, said Evans, adding that pressure needs to be put on technology companies to help curb harmful content online.

Laws and policies regulating harmful content online quickly go out of date while social platforms have powerful mechanisms to push content to young people, she said.

“The tipping point is very swift and steep,” for some people who are drawn into harmful content online, she said.

According to officials, members of the RPD responded to the 1300 block of Patterson Ave. SW in reference to a past robbery by a person on Wednesday.

The victim sustained minor injuries that did not require medical treatment. A suspect was observed on camera conducting the offense and was described as a black male with a bald head and a short in length black beard.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Roanoke Police Department at (540) 344-8500.

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Seven years after her breakthrough at Wimbledon, the American player was on the verge of reaching her first final at the All England Club.

All she needed to do was execute what appeared to be a manageable put-away on her first match point.

The thing is, it's never that simple in a Grand Slam semifinal, especially toward the end of a decisive super tiebreaker on Centre Court — the sport's most hallowed venue.

Gauff fluffed a forehand drop-shot attempt into the net and her opponent Karolina Muchova went on to see out a drama-filled tiebreaker to win 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10) on Thursday.

On the match point, Gauff hit a well-placed serve down the T on the ad court and Muchova’s weak forehand return bounced before the service line — right in Gauff's attack zone. But Muchova’s shot had some topspin on it and kicked up higher than Gauff was anticipating.

“The bounce kind of caught me off guard,” Gauff said. “I just panicked a little bit.”

After the miss, Gauff ran her non-hitting hand over her face and practiced a full-swing forehand that perhaps she would have preferred in hindsight.

“People who don’t watch tennis are going to be like, ’Why did you do that?” Gauff said. “At the end of the day, that’s the choice I made. Was it the right one in that moment? Maybe not. But then also, if I make it, everyone’s going to say how clutch of a shot that was.

“That’s just tennis. You lose some points off margins.”

A ‘roller coaster’ for Muchova

Muchova also lost a match point before she came out on top when Gauff hit a forehand into the net.

“It was such a big fight,” Muchova said. “It was a roller coaster.”

Muchova will meet Linda Noskova in an all-Czech final on Saturday after Noskova beat Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4.

Clearly flustered after her miss, Gauff called for a ball to serve again before she realized it was time to change ends since it was 9-9.

“I’m going to think about it tonight,” Gauff said.

“I look at Roger (Federer, in the 2019 final) lost match points here, Jannik (Sinner) obviously at Roland Garros (in last year’s final). Every great champion has this happen in their career," Gauff added. "Maybe this is something I need to be on their level.”

Tracy Austin suggested on the BBC that Gauff looked like “she changed her mind three times as to where to hit that ball.”

But Gauff said, “Honestly, I didn’t change my mind too much. I feel like if I had to do it over, I probably would have gone for a slice forehand down the line.

“It’s a learning experience,” Gauff added. “I know I can do better and improve on that, and going with a higher-margin shot in a pressure moment, for sure.”

Diving like Boris Becker

On the point after Gauff's miss, Muchova produced a lob winner to set up her first match point, which she lost when she slipped to the grass and a passing shot from Gauff sailed by her.

But Muchova quickly set up another match point and produced a series of shots to the corners. Gauff, on the full run, reached the last ball but her forehand response landed in the net and Muchova covered her hands in disbelief.

“You’re up and down in 10 seconds. You have a match point, then match point down. It’s no time to think, but very nerve-wracking,” Muchova said. “I’m really kind of shaking and trying to sink it in.”

Earlier in the tiebreaker, Muchova produced a diving forehand volley winner at full stretch that brought back memories of the way three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker used to play. She ended up face down on the grass, her racket lying next to her, as the crowd roared.

There will be a third Czech champion in four years after Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.

Gauff's Wimbledon history

For Gauff, it was still her most successful Wimbledon. Previously, the seventh-ranked American had gone only as far as the fourth round three times – including as a 15-year-old in 2019 in her Grand Slam debut.

Gauff had had won six of her seven previous matches against Muchova.

But Muchova has been nearly unbeatable on grass this year and extended her record this season on the surface to 11-1 after a title in Bad Homburg, Germany. Her only loss on grass this year came against Madison Keys in the Berlin Open round of 16.

Muchova beat Gauff for the first time in April on clay in Stuttgart, Germany.

It was another hot day in London with the temperature soaring to 91 degrees Fahreinheit (33 Celsius), prompting spectators to fan themselves in the stands in an attempt to keep cool.

Muchova appeared to be struggling physically as the match wore on, bending over in exhaustion after one long rally and holding her abdomen in apparent pain during the final game.

“I’m OK,” Muchova said. “I just was trying to catch a breath.”

The men’s semifinals on Friday feature top-ranked and defending champion Jannik Sinner against seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic and French Open champion Alexander Zverev against British wild card Arthur Fery.

Mixed doubles

In the mixed doubles final, second-seeded Marcelo Arevalo and Jelena Ostapenko beat Marc Polmans and Storm Hunter 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

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Associated Press writer Mattias Karén contributed to this report.

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

The Ducks announced their decision Thursday on the 21-year-old Carlsson, who is now the NHL's highest-paid player under the five-year, $90 million deal extended by the Flyers one week ago.

“It’s going to be a special feeling, having this pressure,” said Carlsson, who wasn’t told the Ducks were matching the offer sheet until shortly before the decision was made public. “I always wanted to be a Duck. It’s my home, too. I’m just super excited to be back.”

Carlsson signed the Flyers' offer sheet as a restricted free agent after a year of fruitless negotiations with Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek, whose hardline approach in contract talks with his restricted free agents backfired tremendously this time.

Carlsson's new contract is worth much more than the league expected the Swedish youngster would get as a restricted free agent, and the $18 million average annual value is significantly more than he had already indicated he would accept. The deal surpasses the salary of Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, who would have been the NHL's highest-paid player at $17 million.

Verbeek acknowledged he was shocked by the Flyers' aggressiveness, and he admitted the entire experience could change the way he conducts business.

“Did we expect the offer sheet to be this high? No. We did not see that one coming,” Verbeek said. “But we’re very confident in the sense that with the cap going up and the ability of Leo to make great strides of improvement and become an elite player, we feel confident that this contract will be a good one in the end.”

Carlsson's first significant contract negotiations landed him a record payday — and he might have affected the NHL's entire salary structure going forward with this new benchmark for young talent amid a rising salary cap. Carlsson emerged from the experience with excitement and no hard feelings toward Anaheim about the way everything went down.

“It’s a lot of business in hockey,” Carlsson said. “I knew it, obviously, but it’s more business than I thought. (The details are) something for my agent to answer more on, but (the offer sheet) was just too good to pass on. I think everybody understands that. I talked to my teammates a lot, and everybody was just happy for me and super-supportive with the decision I made.”

The Flyers failed to land their long-sought No. 1 center by swiping Carlsson, but the attempt showed general manager Danny Briere’s determination to improve his roster at all costs. The Ducks would have received four first-round draft picks from Philadelphia if they hadn’t matched.

Future negotiations will reveal whether Briere forever altered the hockey talent market. The structure of Philadelphia’s offer sheet also front-loaded Carlsson’s contract with enormous signing bonuses in another departure from most NHL contracts.

Fortunately for the Ducks, billionaire owner Henry Samueli eagerly made that hefty financial commitment, calling it “an easy decision” in a statement issued by the team.

Still, that decision wouldn't have been necessary if Verbeek had done a deal at any point in the previous year. The general manager claimed he made “serious and fair” offers last September to young cornerstones Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and defenseman Jackson LaCombe, who took an eight-year, $72 million deal.

Verbeek continued negotiations with Carlsson's agent this spring, but felt he was “getting slow-walked to July 1," when the offer sheet could be signed.

“It was surprising, to say the least,” Verbeek said. “I actually feel flattered in a sense that Philadelphia wanted such a great player. It means we’re doing a good job on our end. ... Players like Leo don't come along very often.”

Although the Ducks retained their most important young player, Verbeek’s inability to get a deal done before he was forced into it by Philadelphia seems almost certain to compromise Anaheim’s roster-building efforts for years to come. The Ducks are having a rough summer after ending their seven-season playoff drought with a second-round run that stamped them as a future contender.

Along with losing four veteran defensemen and hoping to replace them from within, Verbeek still hasn’t re-signed 41-goal scorer Gauthier, who isn't eligible to receive an offer sheet. Anaheim signed Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year, $36 million deal last week, again going well over the expected market rate for a defenseman who isn’t on Carlsson’s level of talent, but was widely rumored to be on the verge of signing an offer sheet.

This pricey deal for Carlsson is the latest chapter in Verbeek's history of antagonistic negotiations with Anaheim's free agents. Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale and Mason McTavish all held out of training camp in recent years when they couldn’t get a deal done with Verbeek, who eventually traded all three.

Verbeek said he has “2 1/2 months to figure out” how to fit Gauthier under the cap, possibly by dumping a veteran's salary.

“Certainly we are going to have to do business in a different type of manner moving forward, and so we will make the adjustments that we have to make,” Verbeek said.

Carlsson was the No. 2 choice in the 2023 draft behind Connor Bedard, and he has emerged as one of the NHL’s top young playmakers. Although he didn’t produce points at a rate commensurate with his new salary during his first three seasons, almost everyone believes Carlsson can become one of the best centers in hockey, so Verbeek might be correct that this deal will eventually look reasonable on paper.

Carlsson scored 67 points in 70 games last season despite being limited for a lengthy stretch by a leg injury that kept him out of the Olympics. He added 11 points in 12 games during his first postseason experience.

“I’m going to grow as a player, too,” Carlsson said. “I’ve done that every year so far. Trying to get away from these slumps I’ve been having during seasons. Trying to stay at the highest level I can all season long.”

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

That means Quansah will miss England's quarterfinal match against Norway in Miami Gardens on Saturday and also the semifinals if Thomas Tuchel's team advances.

Quansah was sent off in the second half of England's 3-2 victory against Mexico on Sunday for a dangerous foul on Jesus Gallardo.

FIFA confirmed the two-match suspension for serious foul play.

England forward Bukayo Saka said the decision was “incredibly frustrating.”

FIFA’s handling of red card punishments has come under intense scrutiny after its disciplinary committee suspended the one-game penalty of star United States striker Folarin Balogun after President Donald Trump intervened and contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Infantino defended the independence of FIFA’s disciplinary committee and insisted the Balogun case was properly handled.

“We’re not here to complain, we just need to adapt and pick a team that’s ready to beat Norway,” Saka said.

Right back saga continues

Quansah’s prolonged extension is the latest issue for Tuchel to contend with at right back.

First choice Reece James has not played since England’s second game of the tournament against Ghana due to a hamstring injury.

His backup Tino Livramento was sent home before England even kicked off its campaign after injuring his calf. Tuchel opted to call up a center back in Trevoh Chalobah as his replacement, rather than going for a specialist right back.

It meant Quansah, who usually plays in central defense, has taken on the role of deputy to James.

Tuchel faced questions before the World Cup for leaving out Real Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is widely regarded as one of the top players in Europe.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

They are among the co-leaders of five different task forces announced by Fed Chair Kevin Warsh last month. The other leaders are a mix of public officials and business leaders.

Warsh called for “regime change” at the Fed last year while he was under consideration by the Trump administration to replace former chair Jerome Powell. Warsh has sought to communicate less about the Fed's thinking on interest rates and has said he wants to reduce the central bank's roughly $6.7 trillion in holdings of government bonds.

Yet it's not yet clear how transformative the task forces will be. Most of the directors announced Thursday are leading figures in economics and business, rather than longtime Fed critics. Warsh's use of task forces, Fed-watchers say, suggest he wants to persuade his fellow Fed officials of any changes rather than impose them.

“The U.S. economy has changed significantly over the last generation, and never more so than right now,” Warsh said in a written statement. “Each task force will carefully consider whether policymakers’ means and methods, analytical tools and policy approaches can be improved upon.”

The five task forces will each have three co-leaders and will be supported by Fed staff, the central bank said.

One of the task forces will focus on how artificial intelligence and other new technologies will affect productivity and jobs. Warsh has repeatedly said he expects AI to bring about fundamental changes to the U.S. economy.

To oversee that task force, Warsh has turned to executives from firms developing AI, including Marc Andreessen, a major investor in crypto firms and AI technology. Asha Sharma, an executive vice president at Microsoft and CEO of its Xbox unit will also co-lead that task force. Charles Jones, an economist at Stanford currently on leave with Anthropic, will act as the third co-chair.

Chetty, a Harvard economist, will co-lead a task force on evaluating the data sources used by the Fed. Chetty has broken ground by using huge data sets to track families' economic fortunes over decades and evaluate which areas of the country have seen the most economic mobility.

Doug McMillon, the former president and CEO of Walmart, and Kevin Murphy, an economics professor at the University of Chicago, will co-lead the data task force.

A third task force will examine the Fed's balance sheet, which has ballooned in size since the Great Recession in 2008-2009. Raghuram Rajan, a former leader of the Reserve Bank of India, and Harvard economist and former Treasury official Karen Dynan will co-lead the task force, along with Jeremy Stein, a former Fed governor.

Greg Mankiw, a top economist in the George W. Bush administration and Thomas Sargent, a Nobel laureate at New York University, will co-lead a task force on inflation frameworks. King, the former Bank of England governor, will be one of the leaders of the task force on communications.

Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded “an all-out search and rescue effort," urging a swift investigation of the incident and “strictly hold those responsible accountable.”

The blaze started in a factory at Huiteng shoe company in the city of Jinjiang, the city’s fire department said in a statement. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Jinjiang is a major manufacturing hub for sports shoes.

There were 237 factory workers and two visitors in the building when the fire broke out. Authorities pulled out 213 people, two of whom were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital. Another 26 missing people were later confirmed dead, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.

Xinhua said the factory’s owner and others in charge have been taken into custody and the company’s accounts have been frozen.

Video by CCTV shows the facade of a building of several floors charred black and covered in white smoke. Earlier footage shows fires were burning on multiple floors and the building shrouded in thick, black smoke.

The fire started on the first level of a five-floor concrete-structured building, where a workshop and a warehouse were located. The burning materials included shoe components, which are highly flammable and helped the fire spread quickly, according to CCTV.

A local fire department official said in an interview with the state broadcaster that sole material piled up in stairwells made it much harder for the firefighters to reach the flames and put them out.

CCTV also said the fire department sent 183 people and 35 vehicles to the factory and that open flames were extinguished after about four hours. Xinhua later said more than 500 people joined the rescue and search operation.

Work safety has been a persistent problem in China. In May, an explosion at a fireworks plant in the city of Changsha in the central province of Hunan killed at least 37 people. In 2024, a fire at a refrigeration facility under construction killed 39 people in the city of Xinyu in the southeastern Jiangxi province.

Authorities have repeatedly ordered businesses to screen for workplace hazards. Official data show that 18,261 people died in nearly 20,000 workplace accidents across the country in 2025, down from the previous year.

According to RCPS, on Monday evening, someone trespassed on the practice field at Patrick Henry High School, drove a vehicle onto it, and caused damage to the field.

Roanoke City Public Schools issued the following statement:

Our facilities staff pride themselves on the excellent upkeep of our fields, ensuring our students have safe, high-quality spaces for athletics. It is disappointing that someone in the Roanoke community thinks it is okay to trespass and cause damage, diverting taxpayer resources that should go toward our students and programs.

If you have any information that could help the investigation, or recognize this vehicle, please contact the Roanoke Police Department at (540) 344-8500. And, it should go without saying, but please treat our facilities appropriately and do not trespass. We appreciate our community’s support.

Roanoke City Public Schools

All Nolan films are epics in their own ways. But for “The Odyssey,” he knew he had to do something fitting of the Homeric poem and its foundational place in Western culture, something worthy of the biggest screens and the resources it would require. The goal was to make something accessible and realistic, which meant going to far flung locations, using real ships on real seas, and taking audiences into the cave with the Cyclops, inside the Trojan Horse and to the bleak expanse of Hades. Opening in theaters worldwide on July 17, it’s also the first feature to be shot entirely on IMAX film.

“We all know the title, we all know what it means, we know what it promises and hopefully for the audience coming to see the film, they’ll feel we made good on that promise because that’s the fun of ‘The Odyssey,’” Nolan said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “It’s the ultimate adventure story.”

“This is going to be really hard”

The journey would require a deep dive into Greek mythology, Bronze Age scholarship and many translations, a monthslong scouting expedition and a 91-day shoot spanning six months and six countries during which the cast and crew endured all manner of challenging weather, landscapes and the treachery of the open seas.

“The Odyssey” was an epic undertaking — the hardest film anyone involved had ever made. Matt Damon, who stars as Odysseus, said that Nolan warned him as much before they started filming.

“He told me it was going to be hard, which I kind of, I blew off at first. I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s going to be hard. And he said ‘no, no, this is going to be really hard,'” Damon said. “He did not disappoint.”

That was by design.

“I mean, it’s ‘The Odyssey,’” Nolan said. “This should be a difficult film to make, and it was.”

Unlike Odysseus’s extended journey home, the production was also efficient: They finished nine days early.

Making ‘The Odyssey’ relatable, and rejecting Hollywood tropes

When Hollywood movies take on the ancient world, they often fall back on familiar tropes — using accents, elevated language, 19th century orchestral scores and neoclassical touchstones to convey antiquity. Nolan wanted to do something different and found inspiration in the text of the poem, in which he observed an earthy sensibility that stood in contrast to the grandeur of the story.

“You want to question people’s assumptions about how things should be portrayed in movies and what those are based on,” Nolan said. “There’s a challenge to that and a risk to that.”

That meant making some bold choices, including colloquial language, American accents, and blending elements from various stories, including “The Iliad,” “The Aeneid” and “Agamemnon,” to give the audience more clarity. His Trojan Horse, which he’s been thinking about since he was briefly attached to direct “Troy” over 20 years ago, does not have wheels.

For the score, he challenged composer Ludwig Göransson to use bronze gongs, aulos and the lyre to create a new kind of soundscape, and to come up with a four-note theme where the last would be the pluck of a bow.

And paramount to this story of homecoming and coming-of-age, his characters needed to be relatable.

“The movie has so much scale,” said Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus’s son Telemachus. “There are times where it feels like you’re on this kind of action-adventure roller coaster, but he doesn’t sacrifice any of the heart and the intimacy between our characters.”

Among the large ensemble cast are many famous names: Anne Hathaway is Odysseus’s wife Penelope, Zendaya is the goddess Athena, Charlize Theron is the nymph Calypso and Lupita Nyong’o is Helen, and her twin sister.

Robert Pattinson, Nolan said, is “unleashing his inner Alan Rickman” as the villainous suitor Antinous.

“He’s continually saying to Telemachus, ‘I’m going to be your stepdad, I’ll be your daddy,’” Nolan said. “It was such a fascinatingly creepy and amusing basis for villainy.”

Leading the charge was Damon, an actor Nolan knew he liked working with after “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer. ”

“You need somebody who will take the audience on this journey,” Nolan said. “With Matt, he’s able to combine that iconic sort of superhero thing with a very, very emotionally accessible and comprehensible person.”

Finding the real; Grounding the fantastical

The film begins with the words “a time of apparent magic,” a promise of what’s to come in this mythical world of gods, monsters, superstitions and natural phenomena. The pursuit of the real led them all over the world. Troy was constructed in Morocco, the cave of the Cyclops was found in foothills of Greece, Iceland’s black sands, shot in the midnight sun, are used for Hades and the island of Favignana, near Sicily, played Ithaca, where much of the cast and crew hiked 45 minutes every day before work to reach a 15th-century castle, 1,030 feet (313.9 meters) above sea level.

On the seas, they used a real ship, the Draken, a reconstruction of a 1,000-year-old Viking ship that production modified slightly to make it look more of the Mycenaean era. The actors learned to row. The ship’s crew played extras.

But Nolan’s love of in-camera effects doesn’t mean he rejects other kinds. “Tenet,” “Interstellar” and “Inception” all won Oscars for visual effects, after all. And in “The Odyssey” there are things that can’t be found in the natural world, from the six-headed Scylla to the Cyclops, the design of which was inspired by the Francisco Goya painting “Saturn Devouring His Son.” Bill Irwin, who brought the robots to life in “Interstellar,” delivered the performance.

“We knew we were going to need every trick in the book, from animatronics to puppetry to computer graphics,” Nolan said. “But I knew I needed a performer … He doesn’t treat the Cyclops as just a monster.”

What it adds up to is something that, miraculously for a 3,000-year-old tale, feels fresh.

“Chris has created something that’s totally new,” said Hathaway. “That’s a remarkable achievement.”

Odyssey-fever

Nolan productions always inspire a certain amount of hysteria, but excitement for “The Odyssey” reached a fever pitch. Initial screenings for the 70 mm IMAX showings — his favorite format — sold out in under an hour a year in advance. When all showtimes went on sale last month, ticketing sites crashed. High profile locations like the AMC Lincoln Square in New York and AMC CityWalk in Los Angeles are virtually sold out for weeks, and scalpers on eBay are attempting to sell tickets for more than $500. But the 70 mm IMAX screens account for only about 32 theaters out of thousands in North America — there are other ways to see the film, including 70 mm, digital IMAX and other large format presentations.

For Nolan, the audience is the north star; Entertaining is a responsibility he takes seriously. In fact, he said, a film isn’t really done until it reaches the audience: They’re the ones who finish the piece.

“The audience tells you what it is,” Nolan said. “And that means that for us, this is an exciting moment, but a very frightening moment, because it’s real. There’s nothing to hide behind. We made this film for a theatrical audience, and it goes out in the world as that. And we’ll see what the world makes of it.”

In his first Balenciaga couture show — and the fashion house's biggest statement since it revived its haute couture line in 2020 — Piccioli sent out ballooning gowns and hooded feather cocoons on Wednesday, then closed with model Gigi Hadid engulfed in rooster feathers.

For his bow, he walked out flanked by his entire atelier in white coats, to a standing ovation.

The debut capped a four-day season ending Thursday that came down to three things: flesh, fantasy and the machine.

Across 30 houses, five showing for the first time, designers bared the body and made it vanish, fled into make-believe as a heat wave gripped the city, and reached for particle accelerators and lab-grown silk while insisting couture still belongs to the human hand.

Couture — handmade, made-to-measure clothing that can cost as much as a house and reaches only a few hundred clients worldwide — is the industry’s laboratory and its loudest advertisement, a halo for the perfumes, handbags and ready-to-wear that pay the bills.

It matters more than usual this year: Luxury is clawing out of a two-year slump, and major houses are betting on newly installed designers — Piccioli, Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel and Silvana Armani at Armani Privé — to re-energize it.

Cate Blanchett opened the celebrity run at Armani Privé, while Pedro Pascal and Tilda Swinton sat front row at Chanel.

Bodies are covered, armored or erased

The first question was what couture could do to the figure: expose it, armor it, inflate it or make it disappear.

Silvana Armani, showing her second Armani Privé collection since her uncle Giorgio died last September, titled the show “Boudoir” but sidestepped the obvious.

Rather than join the sheer-everything trend, she played cover against reveal: embroidered teddies under tuxedo jackets, a bomber unzipping from the hem to expose a strip of midriff, animal prints muted until they read as texture.

At 57 looks — about half the founder’s usual count — it was the week’s most restrained take on skin. Blanchett signaled it on arrival, in a plunging velvet suit beside Lou Doillon, Rosamund Pike and Anna Wintour.

Daniel Roseberry pushed further at Schiaparelli at the Petit Palais under the title “The Call of the Void.”

He treated flesh as raw material: corsets molded into lifelike torsos, silicone gills up a bare back, a latex jacket rigged with inflating tentacles.

The techniques came from a workshop that makes lifelike silicone infants for films barred from using real newborns.

Models walked a runway where even the prettiest look, a prom dress beaded in putty-pink pearls, carried an edge of menace.

Piccioli and Iris van Herpen went furthest, erasing the body outright.

At Balenciaga, it meant 3D body scans to build new mannequins, leather and cashmere molded by hand, volume inflated until the wearer became pure outline, from balloon-hemmed gazar to a strapless gown carrying 24,150 shreds of gazar.

Van Herpen dissolved the figure into some 30,000 hand-blown glass beads on sheer tulle.

Fairy tales in a heat wave

The second fixation was make-believe. The shows unfolded against a Middle East conflict, jittery markets and the heat wave outside.

Elie Saab staged a masked ball, drawing on Truman Capote’s 1966 black-and-white bash and the old-Hollywood glamour of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

As luxury shoppers drift toward casual clothes, Saab pushed the other way with velvet corseted gowns, New Look waists, and tuxedos and capes cut for women as well as men, part of a menswear line the house is expanding.

Zuhair Murad took fantasy into a darker garden, with velvet roses, night larks, butterflies and feathered capes moving through deep green, burgundy and black.

Stéphane Rolland turned the mood to mourning.

He staged his show at the Olympia, the Paris hall where Dalida performed, and dressed the collection almost entirely in white in tribute to the singer nearly four decades after her death — satin macramé, ostrich feathers, agate and diamonds.

At Chanel, Blazy turned the Grand Palais into a fairy tale: beanstalks rising through the floor, heels shaped like pea pods and golden eggs.

At Dior, Anderson built a sculptural fantasy around American artist Lynda Benglis: crushed pleated hats, sheer tasseled fans and a wedding-gown finale trailing feathery fronds.

Hand versus machine

The third preoccupation was technology — and what survives of the handmade in an era when software can generate any image.

Schiaparelli made the case in the materials themselves: baked fish scales, pools of paint set into sheets and silicone shaped by hand, a collection that read as an argument for the made-by-hand against the machine-made.

Van Herpen went literal. She sent a dress through a particle accelerator, froze it and planned for the model to discharge lightning on the runway.

The charge escaped early, burning branching channels through the fabric before the show.

Balenciaga paired lab-grown Amsilk silk, which the house says is stronger than steel, with its all-human, white-coated bow to end the show.

By Thursday, the pattern was clear: couture in 2026 wanted the impossible — a body without a body, fantasy with commercial purpose, and machines that still bowed to the hand.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco's announcement Thursday morning further escalated tensions with the United States, as Mexico's government has sharply criticized the treatment of its citizens under U.S. President Donald Trump's push to increase deportations.

The request, which carries no legal weight, will be submitted to state prosecutors’ offices and the U.S. Department of Justice, asking them to consider criminal charges against those responsible for the deaths.

It will be accompanied by civil lawsuits against the companies that operate the detention centers in an effort to put an end to human rights violations in those facilities, Velasco said.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that Mexico decided to “move beyond diplomatic channels” and escalate its complaints after an ICE agent killed Mexican citizen Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston this week. Sheinbaum said the killing “is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.”

“We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent” in the face of the deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.

Salgado Araujo had been living in the country for decades. He was transporting a work crew to a housing construction site when he was shot. His family demanded a thorough investigation into what happened.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, agents were pursuing him because he was living in the country without legal authorization. Salgado Araujo, the department added, was shot after disregarding orders and attempting to ram an agent, who fired his weapon in self-defense.

According to the Mexican government, 14 Mexicans have died while in ICE custody and 3 during ICE operations.

Until now, the Mexican government had supported the victims’ families, sent diplomatic notes to Washington demanding investigations, and raised the issue with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Sheinbaum earlier this year ordered consulates to regularly check in with ICE detainees, and her government even lodged a complaint with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Mexico's latest request adds to an already strained relationship with the Trump administration. Sheinbaum has cracked down more fiercely than her predecessors on organized crime in the wake of mounting threats by Trump to take military action against cartels. She has also sought to keep an amicable relationship with her U.S. counterpart as the countries renegotiate the decades-old free trade agreement. At the same time, she's taken a strong stance on immigration enforcement and the rights of Mexican citizens in U.S. custody.

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Judge has not played since May 31 and went on the injured list June 5 with a stress fracture of his right rib after a CT scan, an MRI and a meeting with a specialist.

“I don’t think we want to put him at risk of coming back while still injured,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Thursday. “He should be asymptomatic before we turn him loose. If he’s asymptomatic and not feeling anything and (medical images) are showing healing, then it’s probably appropriate to get him going again. But we don’t want to, because the schedule is what it is, put him in a position where we’re putting him in jeopardy where it somehow gets worse.”

The Yankees were 14-19 without Judge entering their series finale against the AL-East leading Tampa Bay Rays.

Cashman said the injury has restricted Judge’s ability to work out his upper body because he can’t put stress on his rib cage. The new images will give a better understanding of where he stands in his rehab process.

Cashman said slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn't played since April 24 because of a right calf injury, injured the calf again, setting back his return. Cashman said the injury was a new strain to the calf. Stanton has resumed running.

Infielder George Lombard Jr., the Yankees' top prospect, is hitting and throwing again after spraining two fingers on his left hand last month. He's expected to resume playing in the minors around the All-Star break.

Right-hander Carlos Lagrange, another top prospect, will not throw for six weeks after suffering a right capsule strain. The team was getting Lagrange ready for a relief role before the injury.

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

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.49% from 6.43% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.72%.

When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing their purchasing power.

Mortgage rates have remained elevated after the average rate on a 30-year loan briefly dropped below 6% in February for the first time since late 2022. It then climbed in May to its highest level in nine months. The uptick in mortgage rates has weighed on home sales this year.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate increased to 5.82% from 5.79% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.86%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Expectations of hotter inflation amid higher crude oil prices have pushed up long-term bond yields relative to where they were before the war with Iran began in late February, causing mortgage rates to trend higher.

The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.55% at midday Thursday on the bond market, up from 4.49% a week ago. It was just 3.97% in late February, before the war broke out.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now back to where it was two weeks ago.

While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, uncertainty about their trajectory amid the war with Iran has kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Through the first half of this year, seasonally adjusted sales of existing U.S. homes are up only 0.7% compared to the same period in 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Still, sales of existing U.S. homes continue to hover close to a 4-million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

“I found that in the previous iteration of the shell, I was having to wear protective earplugs quite a lot,” the cellist said. “There was a desire to make the stage clearer and a bit softer for us.”

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's summer home, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the city, starts its season Saturday night with chief conductor Marin Alsop leading a program with pianist Yunchan Lim and flutist Lizzo. A crowd of up to 12,758 can fill the pavilion and lawn in Highland Park, Illinois.

Venue has hosted music for more than a century

Ravinia opened in 1904 and its first pavilion was built the following year. That one burned down in 1949 and was replaced the following year by a structure used through 2024 with only modest modifications.

A geometric Arts and Crafts style pattern found in the windows of the Martin Theatre, which dates to Ravinia’s opening, inspired the design of the stage ceiling and walls made of rigid foam clad with 3M vinyl. Threshold Acoustics consulted with Taylor and flute and piccolo player Jennifer Gunn.

“The 1950 pavilion is iconic, particularly the roof line,” Ravinia president Jeffrey Haydon said. “And so we want to have audiences return to the renovated pavilion feeling like it’s the new model version of the classic pavilion that they love.”

A total of 335,500 tickets for all events were sold for the 2025 season and 94 programs are scheduled for this summer.

The pavilion's capacity was lowered from 3,350 to 2,840 as wider seats were installed and made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. LED lights have lowered the stage temperature, and nine ventilation fans were installed to push hot air through the ceiling.

Alsop also hoped for a cooler sound.

“The amplitude — is that the right word? — of sound on stage can get very, very hot. It’s really loud sometimes and it’s especially loud in the area of the brass,” she said. “One of the big acoustical improvements that I hope they’ve addressed is trying to spread out that.”

Alsop first conducted at Ravinia in 2002 and became chief conductor in 2020. At the first rehearsal Wednesday, she led Mahler's Sixth Symphony, a work the CSO will perform on July 23. Acoustical panels over the stage were folded up midway through the practice session, softening the brass. Overall sounds were more diffused than before, when there were hot and cold spots.

“Ravinia Festival offers their patrons many different kinds of performances from classical music to big rock bands, recitals, occasionally movie nights with the orchestra playing along,” said Michael Barnes of Lohan Architecture, the design architect for the pavilion renovation. “The stage has to be very flexible in terms of how it is configured for those different kinds of performances. So the stage walls, some of them move.”

Outdoor venues have a more relaxed atmosphere

Haydon, who became Ravinia's president in 2020, planned the reconstruction with ideas he learned from previous outdoor venues where he worked, including the Aspen Music Festival, the Ojai Music Festival and the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. A women's locker room was built for the orchestra along with piano storage, practice rooms, offices and a new music library.

“We actually dug underground,” he said. “We expanded underneath the audience area, and we also dug out the crawl space of the adjoining administrative building to grab more space.”

A private concert was scheduled for this Friday for an audience of construction workers, the design team, elected officials, donors and staff of the festival and the CSO.

Ensconced in auditoriums for much of the year, orchestras experience a different vibe when they head outdoors for the summer.

“It’s more family oriented,” Alsop said. “People come with their picnics and a lot of the musicians bring their families with them to picnic. So I think it’s a much more relaxed and receptive attitude.”

On the day nominations opened in the election to replace Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Burnham secured the support of 322 of the 403 Labour members of Parliament, far exceeding the 81 needed to run.

That makes it almost impossible for another legislator to get enough support to challenge him, a prospect that was already unlikely.

Burnham said on social media that he was “deeply grateful” for the support of Labour MPs, which “reflects a shared belief that Britain needs a new approach to politics.”

Throughout the day, lawmakers trudged up a narrow staircase to a Labour office in the Parliament building to sign nomination papers for Burnham, who has gone from being mayor of Greater Manchester to leader-in-waiting in the space of a few weeks.

“It's all starting to feel very real,” Burnham said in a social media video, confirming that he had nominated himself.

Nominations remain open until July 16. Burnham is highly likely to be announced as Labour's new leader the following day, and become prime minister after a meeting with King Charles III on July 20.

Britain's parliamentary democracy allows governing parties to change leaders, and thus prime ministers, without the need for a general election. The next national election does not have to be held until 2029.

Other potential contenders have all ruled themselves out. Former Defense Minister Al Carns, who had been considering a run, confirmed late Wednesday that he will not challenge Burnham.

“I’d hoped a leadership contest would give us the opportunity for a proper debate,” Carns said in a statement. “But months of internal Labour politics isn’t what the country needs right now. We’ve got to get on with the job. Andy Burnham’s earned this and he’s got my full backing.”

Starmer announced last month that he would resign as soon as his center-left party chose a successor. He was elected in a landslide in July 2024, but quit after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.

Burnham spent almost a decade running Greater Manchester, in northwest England, before returning to Parliament by winning a special election last month.

He’s promising sweeping change, vowing to reverse almost two decades of low growth since the 2008 financial crisis through an approach dubbed “Manchesterism” — harnessing private and public money to invest in areas like transport, housing and infrastructure.

But he will face many of the same political and economic challenges as Starmer, including a sluggish economy, overstretched health care and welfare systems and a cost-of-living squeeze.

He also promised continuity in foreign policy, and that the government’s “commitment to NATO and the U.K.’s nuclear deterrent will remain absolute.” Writing in The Times of London on Thursday, he said Britain will remain a firm ally of the United States and a strong supporter of Ukraine.

But in an implicit criticism of Starmer, Burnham later said Labour “didn’t get it right” at the start of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. In a video message, Burnham condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel by Hamas militants, who killed around 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.

Burnham also said the British government had been “too slow to call for a ceasefire” in the conflict that has left 73,110 Palestinians dead, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals who maintain detailed records viewed as generally reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts.

He said the U.K. would consider “further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza, but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements.”

Dozens of Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves from around the world have descended on Denmark's fourth-largest city for the Nordic nation’s annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition for decades.

First staged at an amusement park near Copenhagen in 1957, the congress moved to Aalborg on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula two years ago. This year, the Santa suits looked a little stifling under the Danish summer sun.

The event, which marks its 70th anniversary next year, was created to entertain children, but became a popular gathering for Santas who appear in stores and shopping malls during the Yuletide season.

The gathering offers a chance for professional Santas — not the real one, of course! — to swap stories, compare beards, sharpen their craft and compete in lighthearted contests months before anyone checks naughty-or-nice lists for the Christmas rush.

The packed agenda features events like gingerbread eating, gift wrapping, balloon modeling, and several noisy parades.

“The grandmas say: ‘Oh, it’s too early to come here’," said organizer Peter Gislund, himself a Santa Claus in Aalborg during the Christmas season. “The kids say: 'Hooray! Santa’s here already'.”

Christmas as a state of mind, not just a season

Over the years, the annual four-day gathering has attracted Santas and Mrs. Clauses from as far away as Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States.

Most of the three dozen or so Santas and Mrs. Clauses at the congress this week hail from Scandinavia, but some flew in — like Paradise Yamamoto from Tokyo.

“This is very fun, so many children … Ho, ho, ho!” said Yamamoto with a laugh after parading through Aalborg waving a Japanese flag and dancing to the song "Feliz Navidad” — one of many Christmas classics played during the event.

Robert Hercz, a 64-year-old Norwegian Santa from Oslo, said that despite their different nationalities, all Santas on hand share “a gene” — for generosity and spreading joy.

“You have it or you don’t,” said Hercz, who was attending the congress for the first time. “We have the true Santa spirit. And it’s all about giving, sharing, and putting a little bit of joy in people’s hearts.”

It’s not all ho-ho-ing and belly rubs.

“When Santas are together, they always mingle and talk a little bit,” said Gislund. “Maybe I put a little bit of sparkle in the beard and so on. That’s the good part of meeting some Santas from all over the world.”

For Simon Brøns, a 33-year-old Danish Santa, the event is proof that the festive spirit isn’t just for Christmas.

“Christmas is not a season. It’s a feeling you have in your stomach," he said with a smile. "So if you want, you can have Christmas the whole year.”

The newspapers allege the ChatGPT maker is hiding evidence important to what could be a landmark copyright infringement trial over how OpenAI and its business partner, Microsoft, built their AI technologies using millions of news articles. At issue is whether AI chatbots are unfairly competing as an information source, siphoning off web traffic without doing the journalistic work involved in gathering the news.

A filing Thursday in a Manhattan federal courthouse alleges OpenAI “chose obstruction” over releasing datasets and ChatGPT logs that could show how the AI system used copyrighted news content. The plaintiffs are asking the judge to penalize the company for "discovery misconduct” that could distort evidence, saying the recent deposition of an OpenAI employee contradicts the company's earlier claims.

New York Daily News attorney Steven Lieberman said OpenAI has been "making misrepresentations" for two years about its ability to search for copyrighted content in its AI training datasets and logs.

“This motion asks the court to punish OpenAI for hiding and destroying evidence showing how ChatGPT was trained on stolen journalism,” said Lieberman, who represents the Daily News and seven of its sister papers.

OpenAI has described its limitations in sharing ChatGPT logs as a measure to protect user privacy.

“As the Times’ case weakens and they’ve been forced to drop claims against us, they’re persisting with their efforts to invade the privacy of people who have nothing to do with this case, including by making these blatantly false allegations,” said a statement Thursday from OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri. "We’ll continue defending our users’ privacy and the long-established principles of fair use.”

The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in late 2023, about a year after ChatGPT's debut sparked a commercial AI boom and began changing the way people search for information online. The threat to news publications became even more apparent when Google in 2024 introduced AI-generated summaries at the top of online search results, cutting off the advertising dollars that come when people click a link to the information's original source.

The Times has since been joined by other news organizations, including MediaNews Group-owned newspapers the Daily News and the Chicago Tribune, digital media publisher Ziff Davis and the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting.

OpenAI and other tech companies have argued the process of training their AI systems on digitized books, online articles and other writings found on the internet is protected by the “fair use” doctrine of U.S. copyright law. It's a theory being tested in dozens of lawsuits as visual artists, novelists, music record labels and other creative industries take AI companies to court, with mixed results.

In the case involving the biggest copyright settlement so far, OpenAI rival Anthropic agreed to pay book authors $1.5 billion for training its chatbot Claude on their pirated works — an amount that represents a small fraction of Anthropic's $965 billion market valuation as it prepares to become publicly traded.

The New York Times' arguments are different from those brought by book authors. In its original lawsuit and an amended complaint filed last month, it focused on the unfair competition of companies that “seek to free-ride on The Times’s massive investment in its journalism by using it to build substitutive products without permission or payment.”

The Times has already spent more than $28 million on fighting AI companies in court, according to filings with financial regulators that disclose its litigation costs. The costs include another lawsuit the newspaper filed last year against AI company Perplexity. Among the sanctions sought by the newspapers Thursday are attorney fees that would pay for the efforts to secure “improperly withheld” evidence.

The mounting costs come as a growing number of media organizations have signed licensing deals with OpenAI and other AI companies such as Google and Facebook parent Meta that typically pay the outlet a fee to be able to train AI systems on their news feeds or archives. The Associated Press was the first to announce such a deal with OpenAI in 2023.

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O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

United said the new stadium would be situated around 350 meters northwest of its existing Old Trafford stadium.

As part of a wider stadium district, the Premier League club said the entire project would create 48,000 local jobs, 15,000 new homes and potentially generate 7.3 billion pounds ($9.8 billion) a year for the UK economy.

“Together with our partners, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a destination that creates lasting benefits for supporters, local communities and the wider region for decades to come,” Collette Roche, CEO of United’s new stadium development, said. “We are committed to building a world-class stadium with our supporters, not simply for them.”

United's part owner Jim Ratcliffe has made it a mission to deliver the “world’s greatest” soccer stadium.

When plans were first unveiled last year it was estimated it would cost around 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) to build a stadium to surpass Wembley as the biggest in the United Kingdom, with completion in time for the 2030-31 season.

Initial stadium drawings included a structure with three spires. The final design has not been determined.

Wembley is currently the biggest stadium in the U.K., with a capacity of 90,000, and is home to England’s national soccer teams.

Old Trafford is the country’s biggest dedicated soccer stadium with a capacity of just over 74,000, but is dated in comparison to the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, which regularly hosts NFL games.

Old Trafford, which was bombed during World War II, has been home to United since 1910.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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

Signs for the Palm Beach International Airport have been removed, while new signage goes up.

“Because an entire airport transformation doesn’t happen overnight, you’ll notice a combination of both our classic look and our new brand elements coexisting while traveling through the terminal over the next several weeks,” airport officials said in a Facebook post.

“Trump Force One," a Boeing 757 owned by The Trump Organization, was the first plane to arrive at the airport under its new name, shortly after 5 a.m. The president's son, Eric Trump, was one of the passengers. The Trump family regularly uses the West Palm Beach airport when they visit President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in nearby Palm Beach. A stretch of road from the airport to Trump’s estate was renamed Donald J. Trump Boulevard earlier this year.

“There is no person who has done more for Florida and our country, and no one more deserving of this incredible honor,” Eric Trump posted on X. “As a son, and someone who flies out of this airport nearly every day, I will forever be proud to see the initials ‘DJT’ on my boarding pass.”

While the name change took effect Thursday, the three-letter airport code will change from PBI to DJT on Aug. 18.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation earlier this year that made the name change possible. Changing the airport’s name is expected to cost as much as $5.5 million for new signs, branding and other updates.

Keegan Collett, who was departing the airport Thursday morning on his way to Cincinnati, said he was surprised to see the new name. He said he doesn't think Trump deserves to have an airport named after him but isn't necessarily bothered by it.

“At the end of the day, it’s just the name of an airport,” Collett said. "There’s bigger things. I feel like it’s just more of a distraction. Why even worry about it?"

In Dandridge, Tennessee, on Thursday morning, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty and Representative Tim Burchett attended a ceremony to rename the I-40 Bridge in East Tennessee to the Donald J. Trump Bridge.

Bessent said ahead of the ceremony that “no one is more deserving” of the honor of a bridge renaming than Trump.

Trump received 82% of the vote in Jefferson County, where Dandridge is located, in the 2024 general election.

A top Ukrainian official, meanwhile, cautioned that it could take a year or more for the country to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.

The Kremlin said the license deal reflected what it called Washington's “ambivalence” but noted it appreciated Trump’s efforts to help broker a peace deal to end the war, which Russia launched over four years ago.

Ukraine's drone strikes on oil refineries and other infrastructure across Russia have triggered a widespread fuel crisis with gasoline shortages and rationing in multiple regions and motorists waiting for hours to fill their tanks. Moscow has responded by intensifying its bombardment on Kyiv and other cities, exposing Ukraine's vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the latest strikes on Russia's infrastructure as part of Kyiv’s campaign of “long-range sanctions” carried out in response to Moscow's refusal to halt the fighting.

“We have long proposed that Russia end this war, and every day of delay should bring the feeling of war to where it all began — to Russia,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine hits oil depots in western Russia and tankers at sea

A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in the western Russian city of Tver, according to acting Gov. Vitaly Korolyov. Oil reservoirs also were set ablaze by drones in Vyazniki, in the southern Stavropol region, said Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov, forcing the evacuation of nearby apartment buildings.

In the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers on fire, according to Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar, who said one of the ships was still burning and its crew evacuated.

It was the latest in a series of strikes on oil tankers in recent days, part of Ukrainian efforts to cut fuel supplies to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

In addition to the Stavropol and Tver facilities, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces hit fuel infrastructure deep inside Russia, including one in Ufa, as well as an oil-loading terminal in the Rostov region closer to Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its defenses downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday into early Thursday.

Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 94 long-range strike drones and two ballistic missiles. While 72 drones were jammed or intercepted, 19 drones and both missiles damaged 13 locations, it said.

Ukraine says its Patriot production will take months

During Wednesday’s meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the U.S. will meet a longstanding request from Ukraine and give it a license to make the Patriot air defense systems. He also praised Zelenskyy for doing "an amazing job” — a sharp change in tone from past criticisms of the Ukrainian leader.

But setting up domestic production of the mobile, surface-to-air systems will take many months, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister.

A production license would typically come with technical process documentation, training for specialists, supplier contacts and foreign consultants to help launch manufacturing, Beskrestnov wrote on his Telegram channel.

The main obstacle would be time, rather than Ukraine’s technical or organizational capacity, he added.

Recent media reports pointed to two likely bottlenecks: the long production cycle for some subcontracted components, which could take 12 to 24 months, and limited global output of key parts, including components from Boeing and L3Harris, Beskrestnov added.

The Pentagon had signed contracts to expand production capacity, he said, but added that the timeline for those contracts to translate into increased output remained unclear.

“America has recognized Ukraine as a country that is ready to do this,” Zelenskyy said Thursday, answering reporters' questions on WhatsApp. "Now, after our agreement with the president, our teams, our diplomats, the foreign ministries and defense ministries need to agree on all the remaining technical details. The sooner we reach those agreements, the sooner we will be able to produce Patriots.”

Germany also has a license to produce Patriot systems, and in 2022, Raytheon and MBDA Deutschland announced they planned to manufacture Patriot GEM-T missiles in the country, according to a news release at the time. The goal was to produce them in a German facility and ultimately provide them to other European allies.

The facility is expected to open in September with its first missiles scheduled to be delivered next year, with Ukraine as the first recipient, according to Defense Express, an online Ukrainian military-oriented publication.

The Kremlin says Ukrainian strikes won't hasten peace

Commenting on Trump’s statement about the Patriot licenses, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered a vague response, saying Moscow is aware of the U.S. military support for Ukraine but appreciates Washington’s declared commitment to help achieve peace.

“The U.S. position is somewhat ambivalent,” Peskov said in a call with reporters. “Still, unlike the Europeans, the United States maintains a desire to facilitate a move toward a peace process. They may be misguided or mistaken at times, but we see that desire as sincere. We welcome it, and we hope that once the Americans manage to resolve the situation regarding Iran despite the significant complications involved their efforts on the Ukrainian track will resume.”

Asked about Trump’s comment that Ukrainian attacks inside Russia could hasten a peace settlement, Peskov reaffirmed that the more strikes Kyiv launches, the broader “security zone” Moscow will seek to carve out in Ukraine via what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation.”

“It’s a mistake to think that escalation and military pressure could pave the way to a peaceful settlement,” he said. “Further escalation may prolong the special military operation, we can’t say precisely to what extent, but it will force us to create a larger security zone, a larger buffer zone.”

Ukraine has urged the U.S. and other allies to provide binding security guarantees as part of any prospective peace deal, including the deployment of NATO forces. Russia has strongly warned against the presence of any NATO troops in Ukraine, saying it would view them as legitimate targets.

Asked Wednesday if he would be ready to enact a no-fly zone over Ukraine as part of security guarantees, Trump responded by saying “if it’s necessary, yeah,” but he argued it might not be needed if a peace deal is reached.

“When we have a deal, we’re going to have a deal, security guarantee or no security guarantee,” Trump said as he sat next to Zelenskyy.

Commenting on the issue, Peskov warned that an attempt to establish a no-fly zone would amount to “NATO military forces being active on the territory of Ukraine -- exactly what the special military operation is being waged against.”

Peskov said President Vladimir Putin is “open to dialogue” and ready for another phone call with Trump.

Pulisic has a bone bruise and a microfracture of his tibia and fibula, the U.S. Soccer Federation said Thursday. The diagnosis was made after an X-ray and MRI on Tuesday.

He would not have been able to play during the remainder of the tournament had the U.S. advanced.

Pulisic is expected to resume training before AC Milan's Serie A opener at Torino on Aug. 23.

Pulisic hit a leg of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot in the 52nd minute of Monday's 4-1 round-of-16 loss at Seattle. He remained in the game but was hobbling and Sebastian Berhalter replaced him in the 59th minute.

Pulisic failed to score in the World Cup, missing one of the Americans' five matches because of a calf injury and leaving two other games early. He has 30 goals in 90 international appearances.

Pulisic, who turns 28 in September, is entering his fourth season with Milan.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

One traveler breezes through a priority security lane and heads straight to an invite-only lounge for craft cocktails and a chef-prepared meal before boarding early. A flight attendant offering a glass of champagne and a warm hand towel welcomes the passenger to a spacious seat at the front of the plane.

The other traveler stands in a line at every step — security screening, a café selling $16 sandwiches, a crowded gate — then boards with one of the final groups, hoping there’s still room for a carry-on in the overhead bin before folding into a cramped middle seat. After the cabin lights dim, sleep comes in fragments, and a travel pillow does little to ease a stiff neck.

The contrasting journeys are no accident. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest U.S. airlines have pulled out all the stops to court premium passengers who are willing to pay for comfort, convenience and exclusivity. Budget-conscious travelers may notice a widening gap between the back of the plane and up front as the carriers increasingly build their businesses around selling first-class, business-class and premium-economy seats.

“We can’t win by trying to provide the cheapest. We have to be able to win by providing the best," Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in a recent Fortune podcast interview.

The strategy embraced by Delta and rivals American Airlines and United Airlines marks a notable evolution for an industry that spent decades making air travel more accessible. Now, the nation's largest carriers are reconfiguring aircraft to expand premium seating, designing new fleets with larger premium cabins and investing billions in amenities that extend the top-tier travel treatment beyond their jetliners.

But United CEO Scott Kirby has pushed back on the idea that the industry has become solely focused on chasing big spenders. He said United’s premium investments are part of a broader strategy to boost the experience of every traveler, pointing to initiatives such as seatback entertainment and improvements to the airline’s mobile app.

“We’re investing nose to tail for all customers,” Kirby said last month on financial firm Morgan Stanley’s Exceptional Leaders podcast.

Premium cabins have become airlines’ most valuable real estate

The premium playbook didn’t emerge overnight.

Airlines used to fill empty first-class seats mainly by giving their most loyal frequent flyers free upgrades. Delta rewrote the rules in the early 2010s by using sophisticated pricing tools to offer more of those seats to coach passengers who were willing to pay a little more, said Henry Harteveldt, president of travel advisory firm Atmosphere Research Group.

The strategy unlocked demand airlines hadn’t fully recognized and encouraged more travelers to trade up, laying the groundwork for today’s broader premium push.

“Travelers could and would pay for noticeably more comfort, noticeably better service, noticeably more amenities — if the price was right,” Harteveldt said.

Then came the pandemic. When business travel collapsed and Zoom replaced many corporate trips, airline analysts wondered whether carriers would once again have to lure travelers with cheap fares. Instead, eager leisure travelers proved willing to splurge on premium seats and perks, convincing airlines that demand extended well beyond the traditional business road warrior, Harteveldt said.

Premium demand is now a fixture of investor calls, with airline executives regularly touting premium revenue as they compete for higher-spending travelers.

“When you think about what’s different and what’s changed over the last 10 or 15 years, the premium products used to be loss leaders, and now they’re the highest-margin products," then-Delta President Glen Hauenstein said last summer. “That’s really the headline.”

Analysts say premium cabins — a category that expanded with the introduction of premium economy seats featuring more legroom and amenities — now generate a disproportionate share of revenue compared with the space they take up on commercial aircraft.

On heavily trafficked transatlantic routes, business-class tickets alone can bring in nearly as much revenue as the much larger economy cabin, according to an analysis by consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Airlines are competing with chef-designed menus and high-end skin care

The premiumization of air travel has become impossible to miss, even for travelers who only get a glimpse through an airport lounge door or while walking down an airplane aisle.

Delta’s newest lounges resemble upscale restaurants, with open kitchens plating dishes such as hamachi crudo, cocktail bars serving made-to-order drinks, soundproof relaxation pods and outdoor decks overlooking the tarmac.

American has partnered with the James Beard Foundation to refresh its lounge menus. For long-haul international flights, the airline redesigned its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners around business-class compartments featuring sliding privacy doors, lie-flat seats longer than a standard twin mattress and amenity kits that can include a celebrity facialist’s brand of sheet masks and under-eye patches.

United’s newest business-class cubicles add 27-inch entertainment screens, caviar service and multi-course dining on long-haul international services. The airline said its revamped menus “feature flavors and dishes” inspired by cities across its network.

“Marie Antoinette would feel very comfortable on any of the big three airlines these days,” said William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation at the American Economic Liberties Project. “But instead of saying, ‘Let them eat cake’ in the back of the plane, she would say, ‘Let them eat Biscoffs.’”

Air travel is getting more stratified as fuel costs increase fares

As airlines look for more ways to make money from premium cabins, their push to attract higher-paying passengers shows no loss of momentum. On board Delta’s next-generation Airbus A350-1000 aircraft arriving in 2027, nearly half the cabin will be devoted to premium seating. American has said it plans to expand premium cabins by 50% by the end of the decade.

That push is also changing how airlines sell those seats. Delta announced Wednesday new “basic” fares for its premium cabins that offer a lower-priced way into the front of a plane but require travelers to forgo perks like seat selection and lounge access. United rolled out similar tiered fares in its premium cabins earlier this year.

Yet the new era of luxury in the skies is unfolding alongside a very different reality for other U.S. travelers as broader inflationary pressures have added to the strain on household budgets.

New York-based travel advisor Mary Auteri said more of her clients are “experiencing sticker shock” as fares and add-on fees have gotten more expensive since the Iran war broke out and pushed up the price of jet fuel, one of the largest operating costs for airlines.

A group of friends in their 20s recently asked Auteri to price out flights to the sugar-white sand beaches of Punta Cana, a resort town in the Dominican Republic. After she sent them an itinerary, they said they had found what looked like the same flights on Google Flights for more than $100 less.

But the cheaper fares were basic economy tickets that excluded seat assignments, checked bags and flexibility to change plans. Once those costs were added back in, the trip no longer fit their budget.

Add-on costs fall heaviest on economy travelers, McGee said. For wealthier travelers, those fees may amount to little more than an inconvenience. For others, they can determine whether a trip happens at all.

“The idea that we’re all created equal? Not in the airlines’ eyes," McGee said. “Not by any means.”

We did see improvements in the Richmond Metro area, which was expected given the several showers and storms that seemingly stalled out over the region, which led to numerous flash flood alerts.

For us however, we didn’t see any notable improvements. If you look at major bodies of water such as Carvins Cove, you’ll see vastly lower conditions than what is normal. The Western Virginia Water Authority actually implemented voluntary water conservation measures for the Roanoke Valley to account with this. Areas under these measures include the City of Roanoke, Counties of Roanoke, Franklin, and Botetourt, and the Towns of Boones Mill and Vinton.

There is some hope though for slight improvement, as rain from the last two days will certainly help next week’s outlook, as will the chances of rain for the next few days

Johnson died Monday at his home in downtown Chicago. A cause of death was not released.

Johnson and his late wife and high school sweetheart, Joan, started Johnson Products Company in 1954 on Chicago’s South Side after securing a $250 loan. It grew into a hair care empire catering almost exclusively to Black people, with brands like Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen.

People who remember Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen in their heyday also remember the brands’ marketing campaigns and their association with the “Black is Beautiful” movement, which promoted cultural and racial pride among Black people. The iconic 1970s commercials, which featured variations of the “Watu Wazuri” (“Beautiful People”) jingle, have enjoyed a resurgence on social media in recent years.

The commercials aired primarily during the hit music-and-dance television show “Soul Train," which his company was a national sponsor of and once owned.

“It was just a wonderful opportunity for Don Cornelius to be able to go national. He wouldn’t have been able to do that without George Johnson’s partnership,” said John W. Rogers, the founder of Chicago-based Ariel Investments who was a mentee of Johnson. “And so, to see it work out for everyone and for our community all together was part of his genius.”

A legacy worth celebrating

During its annual gala in November, the Chicago Urban League celebrated Johnson as the Edwin C. “Bill” Berry Civil Rights Award honoree, named for the League’s iconic leader. Berry joined Johnson Products when he left the organization, according to Karen Freeman-Wilson, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. She said the honor was a full-circle moment for Johnson, who was a longtime board member.

"Just 12 or 14 days ago, he was standing with Barack Obama in the presidential library, dedicating a room for he and my mother," Eric George Johnson, the eldest of Johnson's four children, told The Associated Press. “It's a wonderful life to celebrate.”

Johnson's trajectory started from humble beginnings.

He was born in 1927 in Richton, Mississippi. Johnson’s mother, Priscilla Dean Johnson, was just 18 when she left her husband, took her children to Chicago and found a job at a local hospital, said Hilary Beard, a Philadelphia-based author who worked with Johnson on his memoir.

Their move occurred during what’s known as the First Great Migration, between 1910 and 1940, when tens of thousands of southern Black people moved to northern and Midwestern cities for jobs and to escape racial oppression.

“There was just enough money for food, clothing and shelter, but not for anything extra,” Beard said.

Johnson and his older brother, John, would collect cigarette packages, peel out the aluminum linings, roll them into balls and sell them to people who collected junk for resale, Beard said. Johnson also shined shoes, cleared tables in eateries and set up pins in a bowling alley.

A source of pride and inspiration

As an adult, Johnson worked for the Black-owned Fuller Products Co. in Chicago. Beard said Johnson met a barber who was distraught because he couldn't convince Fuller to back a product he was developing that straightened men's hair. The drawback was the product burned the scalp.

Johnson worked with Fuller's chemist to revamp the barber's formula and started his business after ultimately convincing a bank he needed a $250 loan to take his wife on a vacation, Beard said. That business would become Johnson Products.

Johnson's company offered above-market salaries, profit-sharing for its workers, healthcare and other benefits at a time when many companies didn’t provide such perks, Beard added. Johnson Products was sold in 1993 to a pharmaceutical firm in a deal worth more than $60 million.

Johnson later founded Independence Bank and became the first Black person to serve on the board of directors of the Illinois electric utility Commonwealth Edison. The George E. Johnson Educational Fund awarded more than 1,000 college scholarships.

Rogers remembers his father taking him to Independence Bank to open a checking account and being awed that Johnson owned it.

“That was just so impressive to me that he would start the largest Black bank in the country" which helped Black entrepreneurs, homeowners and anyone who needed assistance as they were building their lives, Rogers said.

The Golden Rule

Though Johnson is gone, the lessons he imparted continue to shape the family’s future.

Eric Johnson, who served as CEO, left Johnson Products Company in 1992. He said he purchased Baldwin Ice Cream in 1997, intending to keep the company in the family for generations to come. Eric Johnson officially retired from Baldwin Richardson Foods on May 9 after successfully transitioning ownership to his daughters, Erin Tolefree and Cara Hughes.

“He saw his children come along and be successful, and now his grandchildren being successful,” Eric Johnson said.

Eric Johnson isn't the only one who sees that legacy continuing. Rogers points to the company’s third generation of leadership as evidence.

“Eric’s positioned his kids who are now running the business day-to-day. So it’s a third generation, which is remarkable. They’re doing so well," Rogers said.

Johnson’s memoir, “Afro Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from Soul Train to Wall Street,” was published in 2024.

Being fair and treating people the way you want to be treated was Johnson's golden rule, according to his son. And it's a cherished piece of advice that Eric Johnson said his father instilled in him.

"And it’s a foundation that was established in him as a child by his mother, that he established in all of us,” he said.

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This story has been updated to restore the first reference to John W. Rogers.

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Williams reported from Detroit.

The Wonder Room, a brand-new multipurpose space designed for kids to tap into their creative side, will open to the public on Saturday, July 18. Located on the second floor of Center in the Square, it takes over the former STARCADE space.

Supported by a $10,000 grant from COX Charities, The Wonder Room will offer SOL-aligned field trips, camps, themed family experiences, special events, and educational opportunities for children across the Roanoke Valley.

The grand opening kicks off with the Royal Bubble Bash on July 18 from 10 to 11 a.m. The event features a visit from a mermaid princess and a variety of activities, including:

• Wand design lab
• Giant bubble experience
• Mermaid treasure hunt
• Bubble science stations
• Underwater dance party
• Photo opportunities with the princess

“We are thrilled to introduce families to the new Wonder Room through an experience filled with pure summer magic,” says Felicia Branham, executive director of Kids Square. “The Royal Bubble Bash is just the beginning of what we envision for this space, a place where imagination, creativity and unforgettable experiences come to life. With bubbles galore and our incredible mermaid princess, we can’t imagine a more magical way to open the doors!”

After the Bubble Bash, families are invited to Kids Square for two hours of museum play. Non-member tickets are $36 per child and $11 per adult; member pricing is $30 per child and includes up to two adults. Space is limited and advance registration is required at this link.

The 24th-ranked Iwai had eight birdies and no dropped shots in the sun-splashed lakeside town that three weeks ago hosted the G7 summit of world leaders.

Japan's Iwai made birdies at three of the last four holes, including the par-5 18th, and led by two shots from Perrine Delacour, whose 6-under 65 included an eagle at the par-5 15th and a pair of bogeys toward the end of her round.

A group of five players with 5-under 66s included the winner of the Women’s PGA Championship two weeks ago, Haeran Ryu, and world No. 5 Charley Hull, who started the week as a guest in the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

Hull had two early bogeys before making the turn at level par, then came home in just 31 shots capped by an eagle at the par-5 18th. Also on 5 under were Mao Saigo, Maja Stark and Jin Hee Im.

Korda struggles

It was a tough day at Evian Resort Golf Club for Korda, who won the first two majors this season — the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Korda was 11 shots back with a 3-over 74, including a doubly bogey six at the first hole, which she played as her 10th.

Celine Boutier, the 2023 champion at Evian, had a bigger problem at No. 1. She started with a triple bogey 7 and later made back-to-back double bogey 6s on Nos. 10 and 11. Boutier birdied the 18th to card a 5-over 76.

The Evian Championship has been the fifth women's major since the 2013 edition and now has a $9.1 million prize money fund.

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

Arthur Fery honed his game by playing three years of college tennis for Stanford University, where he was a two-time All-American.

Now he's the first former Stanford player to reach the last four at Wimbledon since John McEnroe's eighth and final Wimbledon semifinal in 1992, when McEnroe was beaten by eventual champion Andre Agassi.

Stanford University coach Paul Goldstein flew in for the occasion and was watching inside Centre Court when Fery eliminated French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli in straight sets in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

“Arthur always displayed an emotional maturity and a wisdom beyond his years,” Goldstein told The Associated Press. “When I worked with him at school, it always felt like it was as much of a peer-to-peer relationship as it was coach-to-student relationship with a 25-year age gap between us.”

As a sophomore in 2021-22, Fery became Stanford’s first No. 1 ranked singles player since Bob Bryan nearly quarter century before him.

Before Fery signed for Stanford, Goldstein came over to see him play in the Wimbledon junior tournament in 2019. Fery reached the third round in singles and the semifinals in doubles.

“Just a highly intelligent person, certainly plays the game with a high tennis IQ as well,” Goldstein added. “His game was at an elite level from an early age. A very independent thinker, he just approached the game with a high level of professionalism from the time he got to school.”

Still, Fery’s 58-16 singles record over his three years at Stanford didn’t make anyone think he would make the jump to a Grand Slam contender.

In what has been labeled a “Ferytale,” Fery faces French Open champion Alexander Zverev on Friday for a spot in the championship match — with Sunday’s final to be played on Fery's 24th birthday.

Ranked No. 114, Fery is the outlier in the semifinals among No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner — who will meet seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic (No. 8) in the other semifinal — and No. 3 Zverev.

“What you’re seeing on display this week is a level of poise and composure that is beyond words,” Goldstein said. “Pick your superlative and multiply it by 100.”

Fery is now coached by Jeroen Benard and Benoit Foucher.

“Full credit to Arthur and his team for what they are accomplishing this year,” Goldstein said. “I am privileged to be an observer. And supporter.”

Academics led Fery to Stanford

Fery, who was also an Academic All-American at Stanford, said he selected the school in Palo Alto, California, because of the academics.

“Because it was going to give me a great backup plan if tennis didn’t work out,” Fery said. “It was just a great mix between academics and a super-strong tennis program.”

Fery majored in science, technology and society at Stanford.

“It helped me mature, gave me a bit of time without too much pressure," Fery said. "Just develop personally more than tennis-wise."

Fery doesn’t need to worry about his tennis career fizzing out anymore. He's the first wild card to reach the men’s singles semifinals at the All England Club since Goran Ivanisevic’s run to the Wimbledon title in 2001.

Bryan brothers

Bryan and his identical twin brother, Mike, developed into the sport’s best doubles team after their time at Stanford during the late 1990s. They credit Stanford with preparing Fery to handle the pressures of playing on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

“When we went to the University of Georgia, there were 6,500 barking dogs eating us alive,” Bob Bryan said. “We went to Spain (for Davis Cup) and played in front of 30,000 in a soccer stadium, it wasn’t that bad. So college tennis prepares you for these environments.”

The Bryans and Goldstein were teammates at Stanford as players, winning two national championships together. Bob Bryan beat Goldstein in the 1998 NCAA singles final.

The Bryans — who have a total of four Wimbledon titles between them — got Goldstein a last-minute pass into Wimbledon when he came over.

“We’ve met Arthur a few times in Palo Alto,” Bob Bryan said. “We compared him a little bit to (former U.S. Open finalist Kei) Nishikori: Same build, beautiful backhand, can change direction. He was a quiet leader at Stanford. But all the players really respected him and they knew his ability. I don’t think it’s a big surprise to anyone that knows Arthur."

Critical time for college tennis

Fery’s breakthrough coincides with several college tennis programs being cut in recent months as Division I schools choose to redirect resources to fund direct payments to athletes in football and basketball.

With elite D1 tennis programs populated by foreigners, there’s also a debate about introducing regulations to reserve spots on teams for American players.

There were 36 players in this year's men’s and women’s singles at Wimbledon with college experience.

“This is another validation and example of how college tennis is being played at the highest level,” Goldtsein said. “More and young people are globally seeing this as a viable pathway towards making an impact at the professional game.”

Added Bob Bryan, “The level is off the charts. There’s definitely a place for college in between the (World Tennis) juniors and pro tennis. I think anyone coming out of the juniors should go test their level collegiately and to see if they’re ready for the pros.”

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AP Sports Writer Ken Maguire contributed.

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This story has been corrected to show that Fery's quarterfinal opponent was Flavio Cobolli.

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

The 24-year-old is the fifth player announced for the competition, joining Boston's Willson Contreras, Kansas City's Jac Caglianone, Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero and the New York Yankees' Ben Rice. The other three participants haven't been announced.

Walker is a first-time All-Star who is having a breakout season and his 21 homers rank fifth in the National League. The 2020 first-round draft pick is batting .294, has an .889 OPS and leads the big leagues with 70 RBIs.

He'll be the eighth Cardinals player to compete in the competition, joining Jack Clark (1985), Ray Lankford (1997), Mark McGwire (1998-99), Jim Edmonds (2003), Albert Pujols (2003, 2007, 2009, 2022), Matt Holliday (2010-11) and Carlos Beltran (2012).

A Cardinals player has never won the derby.

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

Trump deposited the money in an account shortly after a jury ruled against him in 2023. The U.S. Supreme Court recently let the civil verdict stand, clearing the way for Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to release the money. The initial $5 million award has grown with interest.

The jury found Trump attacked Carroll in 1996 in the dressing room of a luxury Manhattan department store, and defamed her after she described it publicly in a 2019 memoir, during his first term as president. Trump called her allegations false and said “ she’s not my type ” in an interview.

Trump’s lawyers said Wednesday they would continue to appeal and accused his political opponents of using the legal system against him. They argued in appellate papers that Kaplan’s decision shouldn't be allowed to take effect because Trump has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.

Late Wednesday, Judge Eunice C. Lee of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their request to stop the money from being transferred to Carroll.

“It is time for this case to come to an end,” Carroll’s lawyers wrote in a filing with the appellate court.

“Carroll has waited more than three years for a jury’s verdict to be paid,” they wrote. “She should not have to wait any longer.”

The jury had reached its verdict — in a trial that Trump did not attend — after Carroll testified that their flirtatious and friendly chance encounter at the department store turned violent.

Trump insisted he never knew Carroll, now 82, a former advice columnist. He accused her of trying to sell books at his expense and of having political motives.

Carroll sued Trump after New York changed its laws to give sexual abuse survivors a fresh chance to sue over attacks that happened in the distant past.

Trump “has been stalling this case for years,” Kaplan wrote in a memorandum detailing his decision. “It is time for him to ‘do equity’ and pay the judgment.”

Trump is also appealing $83 million in defamation compensation granted to Carroll by a separate Manhattan jury after a 2024 trial where Trump briefly testified.

At that trial, Kaplan required the jury to accept the findings of the previous jury and only determine how much money, if any, Trump owed Carroll for comments he made about her while he was president.

Trump's lawyers complained that the judge, in setting rules for the damages trial, had barred Trump and his defense team from telling the jury that the encounter with Carroll never happened.

When the 2nd Circuit declined to let all of its judges rehear an appeal of the $83 million award, Circuit Judge Denny Chin wrote that Trump had said multiple times over many years that Carroll lied for political and financial gain and had suggested she was too unattractive for Trump to have sexually assaulted her.

“As a result of Trump’s statements, Carroll was harassed and humiliated, subjected to death threats, and feared for her physical safety for years,” Chin said.

“And Trump showed no remorse, continuing his attacks against Carroll during and after two federal trials, and even proclaiming two days into the Carroll I trial that he would continue to defame her ‘a thousand times.’”

The singer, best-known for her chart-topping power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. She had been placed in an induced coma for a period but was reportedly improving last month.

Some notable reaction:

Catherine Zeta-Jones

“My heart is broken with the news that our dearest Bonnie Tyler has passed away. Bonnie was married to my cousin and has been such a part of my life. We are photographed here together the night before my wedding. So sang and rocked it at my wedding. An extraordinary woman with vocals to match. A one of kind artist, who so easily could have been a comedian because she was one of the funniest people I ever met. Thank you Bonnie for the joy you brought so many. Sleep tight beautiful lady. We shall forever ‘Keep A Welcome In The Hillsides’ of Wales for you. Sending my love to Robert and the family. God Bless” — on Instagram

Rod Stewart

“We shared similar styles of vocalizing. She was a good pal, a true soul stirrer. I sing ‘It’s A Heartache’ every night on tour. I’ll miss you darling Bonnie.” — on Instagram

Bryan Adams

“Dear Bonnie Tyler passed today, she had such a great voice and I’ll always be grateful of her beautiful version of Straight From The Heart. Thanks Bonnie. RIP” — on X

Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves

“I'm so sad for Robert, Bonnie's extended family and the whole world who loved Bonnie Tyler. She was incredibly fun to tour with, always laughing, warm hearted and effervescent. There will never be a voice so instantly recognisable and distinctive. She will be so missed but like Bonnie, her iconic sons will be in our hearts forever.” — on Instagram

Kevin Bacon

“One of the great voices of rock. … I could not imagine chicken racing a tractor to any other song. RIP” — in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, referencing the use of Tyler's “Holding Out For a Hero” in his iconic 1984 film, “Footloose”

Tony Hadley

“So sad to hear about Bonnie Tyler. She was an incredible woman, so kind and friendly to me as a young artist. Over the years, we met several times and she was always the same Bonnie. Her voice was truly amazing and standing next to her you really got to feel her power. A beautiful legend. My sincere condolences to her lovely husband Bob, her family and her wonderful band at this very sad time.” — on Instagram

Sir Cliff Richard

“Another wonderful friend gone too soon. Bonnie’s infectious zest for life entertained so many around the world, and to be a good friend to all, including me. It is shocking news to wake up to you this morning and I send my love to her family at this very sad time. RIP Bonnie…. Cliff xx” — on Facebook

The confusion and uncertainty in Trump’s mixed messaging and his approval of back-to-back military strikes leave major questions about what comes next in the conflict, just weeks after difficult diplomacy to reach even an initial deal between the longtime adversaries.

The whipsawing rhetoric could be a strategy to increase the pressure on Tehran to stop attacking ships transporting oil and natural gas in the Strait of Hormuz and bend to U.S. demands on its nuclear program — something Trump has tried before.

Whether it is a negotiation tactic or a signal of an escalation in fighting, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal and the actions risk further inflaming tensions — which could spell problems for Republicans in November’s midterm elections if gas prices stay high.

Trump warned Wednesday that a new round of U.S. attacks was coming, even as he attempted to shrug off suggestions of a return to full-scale war. Hours later, the military announced it was carrying out new attacks on Iran that were meant to “further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said earlier. “We’re not looking for a long time.”

Officials rush to save the ceasefire

A regional intelligence official involved in the mediation efforts said the conflict had reached a critical stage as mutual mistrust rises. But high-level communications are happening around the clock to salvage the ceasefire, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate behind-the-scenes negotiations.

The foreign ministers of Pakistan and Qatar, as well as Egypt’s intelligence chief, are leading the efforts, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — whose country hosted the NATO summit that wrapped Wednesday — and leaders from Saudi Arabia are also involved, the official said.

The U.S. is upset about ships being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and accuses Iran of slow-playing discussions on curtailing its nuclear program, the official said. Nuclear talks were a major next step to try to turn the interim deal announced last month into a lasting end to the war.

Tehran, meanwhile, says Washington is the one violating the agreement regarding the strait and failing to ensure that a ceasefire in Lebanon, including an Israeli withdrawal, is being implemented, the official said.

Michael Eisenstadt, a former U.S. military analyst who now directs the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that “we’re still in negotiating mode, no matter what the president says."

"This is part of negotiating, and declaring that the MOU is over is part of the negotiation as well,” Eisenstadt said, referring to the memorandum of understanding that the ceasefire was built on.

Trump, though, has been explicit in public comments, saying he's lost interest in preserving the ceasefire: “I think it's over.”

“We can play games, but I’m not sure I want to make a deal,” he said during the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, adding that the U.S. military might “just finish the job.”

Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s lead negotiator, said the Trump administration had repeatedly violated the terms of the initial pact, forcing the country to respond appropriately.

“The era of bullying and extortion is over," Qalibaf posted on X. “It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”

Trump says ‘we’ll probably hit them hard again'

Pakistan, which helped broker the ceasefire, said renewed conflict is in "no one’s interest” and urged both sides to uphold their commitments.

“There is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy to achieve shared goal of peace in the region,” its Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Trump, nonetheless, dismissed Tehran's leaders, calling them “scum" and “sick people." Just last month, Trump said Iran’s leadership was “very rational” and "nice to deal with,” while also calling the country's leaders “smart people.”

Speaking at an event in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance, who led U.S. efforts to reach the initial deal with Tehran, said Iran was “well behaved for about a week.” He added that lately the country had begun attacking the strait and said, “If they shoot at ships, we’re going to knock the hell out of them.”

Could this be another negotiating tactic?

Before the U.S. and Iran reached their first, two-week ceasefire in April, Trump intensified his threats, pledging that American forces would bomb Iranian bridges, roads and power plants. He even posted online, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again."

He repeated dire threats before the tentative 60-day deal to end the war was reached last month.

Trump likes to seek ways to negotiate from a position of strength, and he could be looking for more leverage with new strikes. But being unequivocal about the end of the ceasefire also could free up Iran militarily — which could again roil oil prices and financial markets.

Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group, argued that escalating threats may be a riskier maneuver this time around, given the domestic and international stakes for the U.S.

“It certainly looks like an effort to turn up the military heat without yet closing the diplomatic door," Vaez said. “But coercive bargaining is a dangerous game: At some point, a pressure campaign can acquire a momentum of its own and become the war it was ostensibly meant to avoid.”

He added, however, that Iran still has every reason to return to the table because it desperately needs the economic relief that was promised under the interim deal.

Trump also has sent mixed signals about the fallout.

He long insisted that rising gas prices for Americans didn't factor into his calculations on Iran — only to say that part of the reason he agreed to the interim deal was to avoid an “economic catastrophe." He has since touted the falling price of oil after the deal was reached.

Elections ahead could scramble Trump's political calculus

The president again resumed his past threats to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure, possibly including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island.

“We may take over Kharg Island," he said. "There’s not a thing they could do about it.”

Still, the midterm elections — when Republicans hope to retain control of the House and Senate — are now less than four months away. Oil prices rising again amid greater uncertainty about the war means Americans will likely continue to see higher prices at the pump.

The president tried to play down such concerns, saying, “Any time we hit them, it goes up a little bit — $2.” In fact, U.S. oil futures jumped far higher and may keep climbing — even as Trump acknowledged, "As oil goes, so goes everything else.”

He argued that an increase in oil prices was worth it to bar Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “It's all right.”

___

Amiri reported from New York and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

In a 4-3 decision, the council decided to table the measure for now and get more public comments on the matter.

The decision means the current zoning rules, first passed in March 2024 and re-adopted in September 2024, remain in effect. That ordinance allows townhomes, cottage courts and small apartments in single-family neighborhoods, effectively eliminating single-family-only zoning across Roanoke.

The measure will now go back for more public comment.

“We basically directed the planning commission to take a look at what the citizens group is proposing and in order to better represent what the community has told us that they would like to see,” Councilman Nick Hagen said.

“It feels very much to me that we’re just rolling a lot of that back by sending this back for a fourth time. I’ve heard overwhelming support from the community, you know with some concerns and questions about the direction that we took,” Mayor Joe Cobb said.

In a separate vote Monday, the council unanimously approved zoning changes related to vape shops and data centers.

Zoning Amendment timeline so far:

• February 2024: City holds open houses on major zoning changes.
• March 2024: Council votes 5–2 to allow townhomes, cottage courts, and small apartments into single-home neighborhoods.
• April 2024: Homeowners file lawsuit against the city, claiming lack of proper notice, limited input, parking concerns, increased density, and potential drops in property values.
• June 2024: Council votes to reconsider and sends the amendments back to the Planning Commission, restarting the public process.
• Planning Commission: Votes not to recommend the changes.
• September 2024: Council rejects that advice and readopts the zoning amendment with no major changes.
• August 2025: A motion is made to repeal the amendments. Residents pause their lawsuit “to facilitate open discussion.”
• December 2025: Roanoke City combines zoning text amendments with vape ordinance and Evans Spring.
• February 2026: Roanoke City holds community meetings to hear feedback from the public.
• April 2026: Roanoke planning commission voted to move the three ordinances forward to City Council for final decisions.
• July 2026: Roanoke City Council votes 4-3 to table the 2024 zoning amendment, sending the amendment back for public comment and review.

The conceptual artist, who died at the age of 83, first created the Pindakaasvloer, or peanut butter floor, in 1969. The work was unveiled on Thursday at the Depot offshoot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam for a two-month show.

Schippers was a beloved non-conformist character in the Netherlands, where he also voiced Ernie and Kermit the Frog in the Dutch version of “Sesame Street,” and created absurdist and silly works that challenged conventional ideas about the meaning of art.

“Isn’t it fantastic that we are all standing here looking at peanut butter?” Schippers told journalists gathered at the Central Museum in Utrecht in 1997 where Pindakaasvloer was on display for the second time.

Schippers created the work as part of a Floor Covering Series, which also included floors covered with glass shards and salt.

The aroma, redolent of breakfasts and lunch boxes, is what lingers with many who experience the work first hand. Museum staff directed visitors for the opening to “follow the smell” which was wafting by the ticket counter, three floors below where the artwork is laid out.

“The thing I remember is the smell,” Mieke Weismann told The Associated Press. The food photographer and writer saw the 1997 exhibition as a teenager.

The art installation may not be for everybody. A sign at the museum's entrance warns visitors with peanut allergies that they might not want to enter the space.

It took two employees of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen several days to spread 40 buckets of peanut butter across a 25-square-meter (270-square-foot) hexagon last week.

“It was a lot of work,” Leon Duenk, one of the two men who installed the artwork, told AP.

The pair used drywall trowels to smear the peanut butter to a thickness of 2 centimeters (0.8 inch).

Prior to his death the museum and Schippers discussed how to recreate the work in the future, producing a 20-point plan that included the requirement to apply the peanut butter “as smoothly and boringly as possible” and that “no one is supposed to stand in, or lie down on the peanut butter.”

Schippers did not specify the size or shape of the work, but he did say it needed to be smooth peanut butter and that he preferred the Dutch peanut butter brand Calvé. The company donated 40 tubs of peanut butter for the work.

Multiple visitors stepped into the sticky artwork when it was on display in 2011. In 1997, the work was “vandalized” when a group of people placed 12 slices of bread and several bags of hagelslag — chocolate sprinkles commonly eaten on bread at breakfast in the Netherlands — on the floor.

“It doesn’t look bad,” Schippers told Dutch newspaper Volkskrant at the time. “The sprinkles have been applied with a sense of proportion and a skillful hand.”

———

Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed.

For decades, 10 News anchor John Carlin has been the trusted voice bringing stories that matter to Central and Southwest Virginia. His dedication and passion have shaped our community, making a real difference in the lives of many.

Thank you so much for all that you do – you have certainly left your mark.​

What are your favorite memories of John Carlin? Let us know in the comments!

Pogacar, who first wore the yellow jersey after winning at Les Angles earlier this week, made the most of the first big mountain trek of this year's Tour in the Pyrenees to stamp his authority, sending a clear message to his rivals that he remains in a class of his own.

The two-time world champion covered the final 43 kilometers (around 27 miles) alone, crossed the Stage 6 finish line 2 minutes, 38 seconds ahead of his main challenger, Jonas Vingegaard, and reclaimed the coveted jersey.

“I would say this one goes in the top five of my Tour de France victories," Pogacar said. “This is an incredible victory, and one of the sweetest for sure. I was not calculating seconds or minutes, I just wanted to go full gas all the way to the finish.”

Pogacar's teammate, Isaac del Toro, was third, 2:57 off the pace, ahead of Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas. Overall, Vingegaard lags 2:42 behind Pogacar, with del Toro in third place.

With his latest show of force, the UAE Emirates-XRG leader took a big step toward a record-equaling fifth Tour victory. Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have won five Tours.

Scorching heat and iconic ascents

The stage started in scorching heat and was marked by several unsuccessful attempts of breakaways early on. Pogacar's teammates, along with those of Vingegaard in Visma-Lease a Bike, set a fast tempo even before the day’s biggest climbs.

The last stage in the Pyrenees took riders through two iconic ascents, the Col d’Aspin and the Tourmalet.

Once Ben O’Connor managed to get away, he was allowed some freedom because he was not a threat in the general classification. He was first at the foot of Aspin and was caught with about 5 kilometers of the climb left.

Riders then tackled the grueling 17.1 kilometer ascent up the Tourmalet, the first HC climb of the 2026 Tour — which means Hors Catégorie (beyond classification), because it is the hardest level.

Overnight leader Torstein Træen was dropped before del Toro accelerated with his leader on his wheel about 4.5 kilometers from the summit. Træen later crashed on the descent and was assessed by the race's medical team before resuming his effort.

Pogacar then went solo, with Vingegaard digging deep to limit his losses. Pogacar reached the summit first, and Vingegaard tried to claw back his 30-second deficit in the downhill. But tucked into an aerodynamic position, his rival took the same risks and was even faster.

Pogacar had a lead of more than a minute as he tackled the final climb up to the finish line in the town of Gavarnie-Gedre. He never looked back and the gap kept increasing.

“I woke up at 7 this morning and my mind was going crazy,” Pogacar said. “I was really excited for today. I knew it was going to be a good day.”

___

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

But the way popular AI notetakers accomplish those tasks makes some people avoid using them. The technology turns everything said during meetings into data. Confidential personnel information, corporate strategies, trade secrets and remarks that could later be seen as incriminating — all of it could end up in the wrong hands.

“There are huge risks to the organization on AI notetakers,” Amy Dufrane, the chief executive of human resources training and certification provider HRCI, said. “I don’t think companies should use it at all.”

An AI notetaker is a software application or device that uses artificial intelligence, speech recognition and large language models to record, transcribe and summarize conversations. The tools are intended to save time and improve participation, but professionals in a number of fields say there are reasons to be wary.

Chief among them is uncertainty about where the collected data is stored and for how long. Privacy advocates worry the companies behind the AI notetakers are creating voiceprints without consent. Voiceprints — a type of biometric profile similar to a fingerprint but tuned to the unique intonations and characteristics of one’s voice — can be used to access restricted or confidential information, including the contents of bank accounts.

Some tech companies resell data from the notetaking tools they created or use confidential meeting transcripts and recordings to train their AI models. There’s also the risk that conversations between an attorney and client could become fair game in legal proceedings; a New York federal judge in February ordered a criminal defendant to provide prosecutors with documents he created for his lawyers because it already had been shared with a third party, which was Anthropic's Claude.

“People who use AI notetakers, they don’t always know where the data goes,” said Justin Daniels, an Atlanta-based corporate attorney at law firm Baker Donelson. “And in my context, if the data goes anywhere else and they’re not aware of it, that attorney-client-privileged conversation may not be attorney-client-privileged anymore.”

Here are some tips on the etiquette of kicking an AI notetaker out of a meeting, the risks of using one and how to protect yourself.

The first step when you join a meeting is check for bots

When you join a meeting, make it a habit to check whether an AI notetaker is present. It might appear as a meeting attendee, often labeled as an AI notetaker, or a pop-up message on the screen informing participants the meeting is being recorded. The latter could signal the presence of an AI notetaker.

Virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet let users know when recording is underway, but some meeting software does not make it clear when a notetaker is present, according to Thorin Klosowski, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's senior security and privacy analyst.

Participants also may use personal notetaking devices that are separate from the meeting platform, in which case the other attendees wouldn’t necessarily know a discussion was being recorded and transcribed.

“You hope the other person would tell you that they’re doing that,” Klosowski said. “Asking everyone for consent before doing a sensitive meeting would be the most polite approach to take.”

If you're unsure whether someone has deployed an AI notetaker, you can ask. You can also state at the beginning that a meeting is not authorized for recording.

A polite way to establish such a boundary is to say, “Our company policy is that this meeting cannot be recorded," Dufrane suggested. This relieves the employee, such as a salesperson who wants to make a good impression, of having to be the “bad guy,” putting the onus on the company instead, she said.

Another option is to allow the notetaker for part of the gathering but turn if off at the end to dedicate time for more delicate topics.

“I won’t start talking about anything substantive until it’s shut off, because I just don’t want to take the risk,” Daniels said.

Assert your privacy rights to protect voiceprints

Many AI notetakers determine unique acoustic signatures, or voiceprints, for each speaker in the room, said Chris Pluymers, associate attorney at The Dillon Law Group in East Lansing, Michigan. That’s how the companies distinguish one speaker from another, labeling them with monikers “Speaker 1” or “Speaker 2.”

One way voiceprints are used is to verify the identities of bank account holders over the phone. If bad actors got ahold of a person’s vocal signature, they could use it to access files, commit fraud or take over accounts, he said.

Laws in some states govern how voiceprints can be created and stored and provide rights that individuals can assert to object to the use of an AI notetaker during meetings they attend.

In Illinois, voiceprints are considered biometric identifiers, similar to fingerprints, and are covered under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires written notice and informed consent before an AI notetaker or other agent collects voiceprints. The law also mandates a documented data retention schedule and destruction policy, Pluymers said. But most companies using the tools have none of those systems in place, Pluymers said.

“In the world of AI, the world of data and privacy, the world of biometric identification, I don’t think you can have such a lax approach to it,” Pluymers said. “I think getting out ahead of it is crucial.”

Under the Illinois law, employees can say they don't want to attend a meeting with an AI notetaker until they have assurances of where and why the data is being stored, and when it will be deleted, Pluymers said. They can also ask if there is a policy and written consent form to sign.

If an AI notetaker shows up at a meeting unexpectedly, a participant could say, “I prefer we keep this meeting without AI recording or transcript tools and I’d be happy to take my own notes and share a recap if that’s helpful,” Pluymers suggested. “Just being warm and genuine about it and asking them to respect your wishes.”

Know where your data goes

When working with AI notetaking apps, find out whether the companies that built them retain recordings, transcripts or metadata indefinitely or use them to train AI models, said Danielle Kays, a partner at Fisher Phillips who represents businesses on privacy and employment law matters.

“If there is some sort of speaker ID or voice recognition, really understand what that is and how it works,” Kays said.

Even when content is deleted, metadata about meetings can remain stored with the vendor, meaning sensitive business information could influence how the model behaves and in some cases could be memorized or reproduced, she said.

AI notetakers generate text, and that’s easier for outsiders to search through than video or audio files, according to EFF.

“Storing a bunch of video isn’t easy, it’s costly and hard to look through, but text is much easier to search and cheaper to store,” said Klosowski of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

___

Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

The Danville Police Department has arrested two people in connection with the copper thefts that resulted in power outages on one of the hottest days of the year.

Both 36-year-old Justin Troy Moore and 30-year-old Korey Connell, both of Danville, have been charged with the following:

• Two counts of felony damage or trespass to public services or utilities or critical infrastructure
• Two counts of grand larceny
• One count of felony possession of burglarious tools, etc.
• Two counts of misdemeanor trespass on posted property

Moore and Hogan are currently being held in the Danville City Jail with no bond.

ORIGINAL STORY

A copper theft left a transformer damaged and resulted in a widespread power outage in Danville, Danville Police Department said.

DPD said they are investigating a copper theft that occurred in the 100 block of Hereford Lane on Saturday. Upon arrival, officers found holes cut in a fence around the substation. They found that 40 grounding wires of 4-gauge copper wire were removed from the infrastructure piers, as well as grounding wires from the large power transformers at the substation.

The loss of the grounding wires resulted in serious damage to the transformer, which led to an outage.

This incident is still under investigation. If you have any information regarding this copper theft, please contact the Danville Police Department by doing one of the following:

• contact 911
• contact patrol at 434-799-6510, option 4
• contact investigations at 434-799-6508 option 3, and option 1 again
• contact Crime Stoppers at 434-793-0000
• approach any officer you see
• email crimetips@danvilleva.gov
• use the crime tips app CARE here

The hotel on a tropical island off the country’s coast, owned by the country’s powerful President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is being used to house 17 migrants from countries including Angola, Mauritania and Ethiopia under an opaque third-country deportation deal with the Trump administration.

According to a statement from a coalition of international lawyers and interviews with two of the deportees, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, a man suspected of having Ebola was brought to the hotel last week by medical personnel in hazmat suits, and placed on a floor below the detainees.

The central African nation of Congo is currently battling a rare Ebola virus that has killed over 600 in an outbreak first announced in May. Cases have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda, but so far no cases — or even suspected cases — have been reported in Equatorial Guinea, which shares no border with Congo and is roughly 1885 miles (1,425 km) away.

However, two deportees told The Associated Press that they were told by a doctor in English that the man was a suspected Ebola patient and that they should be careful, but that they were provided no further details.

The lawyers group said in a statement that they had received “disturbing reports from multiple detained individuals that a person with a suspected case of Ebola was recently brought under quarantine into the same hotel complex where they are being held.”

One of the deportees said that a woman also was brought to the quarantine floor on Sunday and that medical staff had identified her as a suspected Ebola patient as well.

The AP saw videos showing medical personnel in full protective equipment appearing to transport patients to the hotel, which also served as an isolation center during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Things are getting worse every day,” one of the detainees said in an interview. “It’s very confusing, no one is coming to talk to us. No one is informing us of anything. The hygiene is unimaginable.”

Apart from those present at the moment, the detainees were provided with no masks, disinfectants or other basic protective supplies, nor informed of any measures to reduce the risk of exposure, lawyers and detainees said.

Under a series of often-secret agreements, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people it has deemed to be in the country illegally to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say, as part of a broad U.S. crackdown to deter illegal immigration.

Immigration lawyers said the Trump administration uses deportations to third countries as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum seekers back to their home countries. Equatorial Guinea is one of at least eight other African nations that the U.S. has struck such agreements with.

Following an $7.5 million deal with Equatorial Guinea, President Obiang has turned a hotel owned by his family in Malabo on Bioko island into a detention center.

There are currently 4 women and 13 men held in the hotel, according to the lawyers. All of them have received orders from U.S. judges that should have protected them from being removed to their home countries, the lawyers said.

Earlier this month, rights lawyers filed a case against Equatorial Guinea before Africa’s top human rights body, accusing the central African nation of forcing deportees from the U.S. back to their home countries in violation of their rights.

The lawyers’ coalition said on Thursday that they also received “multiple reports that individuals with serious medical conditions are being denied adequate medical care while detained in government custody.”

Equatorial Guinea is one of the richest countries in Africa thanks to its oil resources. It is also rife with corruption and human rights abuses, according to U.S. officials.

There are virtually no critical voices in Equatorial Guinea, where the government has been accused by rights groups and the U.S. State Department of detaining, torturing and even killing those that dare to speak out.

The country’s largest foreign investors are U.S. businesses, and its military receives funding for training from the U.S. government.

“I think the consumer is worse than what we had anticipated, and it’s driven mainly by gas prices,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said Thursday during a conference call with investors.

PepsiCo's shares fell 4% in morning trading Thursday.

The food and beverage giant said its net revenue rose 6.4% to $24.2 billion for the April-June period. That was better than the $23.9 billion Wall Street expected, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

PepsiCo began cutting prices on value brands like Santitas last year as U.S. customers grew increasingly exasperated after years of price hikes. In February, ahead of the Super Bowl, PepsiCo slashed U.S. prices on Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Tostitos chips by up to 15%, which boosted snack demand in the first quarter.

But in the second quarter, as gas prices rose, PepsiCo’s snack sales volumes were flat in North America, while its beverage volumes fell 4%. Laguarta said impulse purchases at gas stations and convenience stores were particularly hard hit.

Laguarta said the company is working with those stores to entice customers with more affordable pack sizes and meal bundles.

“Will it change in the coming months? It all depends on the price of gas. So clearly that’s something that is beyond our control,” Laguarta said.

Americans’ attitudes toward the economy have improved slightly as gas prices declined, but their outlook remains mostly negative. And hostilities in Iran have begun to escalate again, driving gasoline prices higher over the past two days.

Sales were stronger overseas, and its overall snack volumes rose 3% while beverage volumes rose 2%. World Cup -themed products, including limited-edition Lay's flavors like Portuguese Chorizo and Onion, boosted sales, particularly in Europe, the company said.

PepsiCo, based in Purchase, New York, said it will continue to invest in making its products more affordable. The company is also trying to meet consumer demand for healthier products. In March it introduced Doritos Protein and Gatorade Lower Sugar, which has no artificial flavors or colors.

The company said it's working with retailers to add shelf space for its products, which should help boost sales in the second half of this year.

Net income more than doubled in the second quarter to $2.98 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned $2.20 per share, ahead of analysts' forecast of $2.19.

Existing home sales fell 2.4% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. Sales rose 2.8% compared with June last year.

The latest sales tally fell short of the roughly 4.21 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

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

Sales have remained sluggish as mortgage rates have mostly trended higher in the months since the war between the U.S. and Iran started. Expectations of higher inflation amid surging oil prices have pushed up the long-term bond yields that lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans, causing mortgage rates to climb. Still, mortgage rates remain below where they were a year ago.

Despite the lackluster sales, home prices continued to rise nationally last month. The U.S. median sales price increased 1.8% in June from a year earlier to $440,600, an all-time high on data going back to 1999, NAR said. Home prices have risen on an annual basis for 36 months in a row.

First-time buyers accounted for 33% of home purchases last month, down from 35% in May and up from 30% in June last year. Historically, they made up 40% of home sales.

“Without a doubt, the affordability is a major challenge for people who want to become homeowners, which is the reason why we need more supply,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low.

Through the first half of this year, seasonally adjusted sales of existing U.S. homes are up only 0.7% compared to the same period in 2025.

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

Many of the homes purchased last month likely went under contract in April and May, when the average rate on a 30-year mortgage ranged from 6.23% to 6.53% -- the highest level going back to late August, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac.

Those who can afford to buy at current mortgage rates or pay all cash are likely to encounter buyer-friendly trends in many markets. In June, median list prices fell 2.5% from a year earlier, the steepest annual drop on data going back to 2017, according to Realtor.com.

Still, housing market pricing trends vary widely regionally and locally. Consider, since peaking in 2022 at $449,000, list prices have come down 7.3% in the West and 3.5% in the South, but are up 10% in the Midwest and 12.6% in the Northeast, according to Realtor.com.

Meanwhile, home shoppers have more homes on the market to choose from than this time last year, although home inventory levels remain well below historical norms.

There were 1.56 million unsold homes at the end of last month, down 0.6% from May and up 1.3% from June last year, NAR said. That’s still well short of the roughly 2 million homes for sale that was typical before the COVID-19 pandemic.

June’s month-end inventory translates to a 4.6-month supply at the current sales pace. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

“We need to see 30%-40% growth in inventory,” Yun said. “We’re not seeing that, so inventory (is) still remaining relatively tight.”

According to the Congolese health ministry, suspected cases have now been recorded in the provinces of Tshopo and Haut-Uele, signaling the continued spread of the disease beyond the epicenter in Ituri.

A Congolese government report, published late Wednesday, said two new cases were suspected in Kisangani, in Tshopo province. The minister did not say how many cases were suspected in Haut-Uele. The total number of confirmed cases across the country has now reached 1,759.

The report said one of the two suspected cases in Tshopo was linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported, while the other case “has no apparent geographical connection to known outbreaks.” Authorities were investigating.

The Africa Centre for Disease Control said on Thursday that the latest outbreak is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on the continent.

The Congolese authorities declared a fresh Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the disease had been transmitting for weeks without official detection, according to the World Health Organization. The latest outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Last week, clinical trials for treatment began after researchers launched a highly anticipated study in the hope of fighting the virus.

Efforts to contain the virus have also been hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, and an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.

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Justin Kabumba reported from Goma, Congo.

Now Francesca Hong, a single mother who has worked as a dishwasher and line cook, is trying to do the same with her campaign for governor in Wisconsin, a swing state known for razor-thin election margins where winning over moderate, independent voters is crucial.

Hong's candidacy has turned the Democratic primary on Aug. 11 into the latest test of just how far left voters are willing to go in the November midterms.

“We do this in Wisconsin, we’re going to change politics across the country,” the 37-year-old Hong said as she headed into the final month of campaigning. "People who are frustrated and have a lot more to lose — and I’m one of those people — are ready to coalesce around someone they can believe in.”

John Ravdabaugh, an undecided independent voter, came away impressed after hearing Hong speak at the retirement home where he lives. Even though the democratic socialist label concerns him, Ravdabaugh said he would consider voting for Hong.

“Every system reaches a point where change is necessary,” he said.

Whoever wins the primary will advance to almost certainly face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, one of the most conservative members of the House, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Tiffany has only token opposition in the primary.

The governor's race is integral to Democrats’ hopes of earning full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010, and it will send a signal about where the country's politics are headed by shaping a key political battleground that helps decide presidential campaigns.

Trump-backed Republican d

erides Democratic rivals as ‘crazy’

Tiffany has focused much of his criticism on Hong and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, another Democratic candidate for governor.

“This November, the choice is common sense or crazy,” Tiffany posted on social media in June. Tiffany included screenshots of a Barnes post where he voiced support for cutting prison populations by half and Hong's posts where she advocates for defunding and abolishing the police.

As a candidate, Hong has not backed away from her calls to defund and abolish the police. Hong also supports increasing taxes on the wealthy and creating a state-owned bank to help pay for free health care and free child care, a $20 minimum wage, and a moratorium on data center construction.

Hong dismisses concerns that she’s too liberal to win over key independent voters in a state Trump carried twice and narrowly lost a third time.

“I worry that’s a miscalculation of where voters are at in our state, that we’re underestimating what people want,” Hong said in an interview.

There's a history of socialism in Milwaukee

Last month, democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, setting herself up to clinch the office in November.

Then three congressional candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another democratic socialist, defeated establishment-backed politicians.

And just last week, democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the Colorado primary, a stunning victory for the 29-year-old, first-time candidate against an incumbent who took office before she was born.

But those victories have been in either congressional or mayoral races in large urban centers, a far different landscape than Wisconsin.

In 1910, during socialism’s heyday in the United States, Milwaukee sent the first socialist to Congress and was the first major American city to elect a socialist mayor. Milwaukee elected two more socialist mayors before 1960.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, perhaps the best known democratic socialist, won all but one county in Wisconsin in the 2016 Democratic primary. In 2023, two state lawmakers from Milwaukee revived the socialist caucus in the Legislature, which had been dormant since 1935.

Hong, the first Asian American elected to the state Assembly in 2020, is one of four members of that caucus.

Barnes, 39, served four years in the state Assembly before his four years as lieutenant governor under Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. In 2022, Barnes came within 27,000 votes of ousting Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

“I’ve been around longer than anybody fighting these fights,” said Barnes, who grew up in Milwaukee and is vying to become Wisconsin's first Black governor.

He played down the idea that democratic socialists are surging.

“People aren’t looking for labels, necessarily,” he said. “People are looking for bold solutions.”

Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, who is not working for any of the Democrats running this year, said Barnes has an advantage as the most well-known candidate in the race.

“I have believed from the day since Mandela Barnes got into the race, he's the favorite,” Zepecki said. “It is his race to lose.”

Hong rival leans into electability argument

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a former nurse and health care executive who is also running for the Democratic nomination, said she'll have broader appeal in November. She cites her experience in the private sector and her flipping of a state Assembly seat in a conservative Milwaukee suburb, and she emphasizes her ideas for lowering costs for working people.

“I’m not worried about other candidates in this race,” Rodriguez said in an interview. “What I’m worried about is making my argument to Wisconsinites about why I’m the best person to lead the state, how I am going to fight for them."

She launched a $1 million television ad campaign this week that features her in nursing scrubs talking about taking on Tiffany and lowering health care costs.

Other Democratic candidates are state Sen. Kelda Roys, who has the endorsement of the statewide teachers union, and Joel Brennan, a former top aide to Evers.

Missy Hughes, the state’s former economic development director, dropped out of the race in June and endorsed Rodriguez. David Crowley, the top elected official in Milwaukee County, dropped out this week and also backed Rodriguez.

Mainstream Democrats worry about winning in November

More moderate Democrats worry that nominating Hong could hurt them in the general election, especially in Wisconsin where independent voters are key in statewide races that are often decided by tiny margins.

Neera Tanden, who leads the Center for American Progress, said "it’s especially important in the age of Trump” to select viable candidates.

“In Wisconsin, whoever wins the general election will be the person overseeing elections in 2028 and whether people are seated in 2029.”

Evers won his two races for governor by just over 1 percentage point in 2018 and just over 3 points in 2022. Trump won Wisconsin by less than a point in 2024, and lost by less than a point in 2020.

Dave Smith, 72, a retired doctor from Madison who heard Hong speak Tuesday, said the democratic socialist label will be tough for voters of his generation to accept.

“The platform, much of that resonates well,” said Smith, who is undecided whom he will vote for in the Democratic primary. “My vote will likely go to who is the most electable in the fall.”

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Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

The show, premiering Thursday and set in the late 1800s, follows the Ingalls family led by Charles and Caroline and their two daughters Mary and Laura — as they settle in the American frontier. It's adapted from a series of semi-autobiographical books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her own family's pioneer life. In 1974, Michael Landon co-created the TV series based on the books where he played Pa alongside Melissa Gilbert as Laura. It aired for nine seasons. In the new version, Luke Bracey plays Pa and Alice Halsey is Laura.

Sonnenshine says the same frontier spirit from back then is baked into how Americans see themselves, even today.

“This idea of rugged individualism is the cornerstone of American mythos,” Sonnenshine says. “It's still manifesting in our lives constantly … We're real go-getters.”

In “Little House,” we see the Ingalls family seeking land and opportunity as they move west. In real life, Sonnenshine says, those settlers often didn't understand what they were part of.

“There was no CNN or up-to-date newspapers, telling you” what was really happening, she says. “They did not understand the politics of land ownership or these treaties that have been made or these reservations,” she said. In the show, we see Charles begin to grasp the politics at play as the family encounters the Osage Nation and their new neighbors — and keeps some of that to himself. Sonnenshine says “it's not out of malice, exactly” but because “knowledge did not flow as freely as it does now.”

Writers made keeping key events from originals a priority

As the Ingalls family builds their new life, we're introduced to various neighbors who help them do it. That includes an Osage family adjusting to their own new way of life as settlers claim parts of their land. Laura strikes up a friendship with an Osage girl, and there's a mutual respect among Charles and the Osage family patriarch.

“A lot of what this show is about is getting to know people that are not like you, all kinds of different people, because once you get to know people, that’s where all the change happens,” said Sonnenshine.

Mr. Edwards, a fan favorite from the books and series, helps Pa build the family's cabin. He's a rugged Civil War veteran with a heart of gold — grieving the loss of his own family, finding a new one in the Ingalls.

Staying true to characters like Edwards and including key events from the source material was a priority for Sonnenshine. She and her writers made a list of “iconic moments” with a checklist to follow. “We just crossed them off as we went along. ‘OK, we’ve found a way to incorporate this' or ‘Ma gets a chair,' which is very important, or 'great Pa builds a door.’” Building a door, says Sonnenshine, is “a whole chapter in a book.”

Trip Friendly, whose father Ed co-created the series with Landon and was an executive producer, controls the overall rights to the Laura Ingalls Wilder stories. He's an executive producer on the remake, and Sonnenshine says Trip is “very passionate about telling the story of the books.”

Pa is good but not perfect

Landon's portrayal of Pa made him arguably one of the most popular TV dads in the history of the medium. He was a devoted family man with strong morals and compassion for others.

Bracey had never watched the original which he says was beneficial to creating his own interpretation of the character.

“I didn't feel that burden,” said Bracey. “The intimidating factor has come after making it. When I’ve told people what I’ve done, and I’ve been told how important it is to them. That’s where it’s got intimidating.”

Bracey said it's refreshing to play a genuinely good person, who makes mistakes, but is good.

“There’s very few really good people in television and movies. I feel lots of times they have to have a dark secret or a checkered past or whatever,” he said.

Crosby Fitzgerald, who plays Ma, says that goodness is present off-screen too. “Working with Luke is incredible. He actually is like Pa in person. Just really lifted me up all the time. It's impossible to work on a set like this, especially with this legacy, and not be uplifted by the vibe.”

Sonnenshine says Season 1 is also about Laura learning that neither of her parents are perfect, particularly Pa. She comes to understand that “he does make mistakes and that’s OK.' And even Charles talks about that. I think that’s a more honest portrayal of fatherhood.”

Second season will add Laura's rival

Sonnenshine most recently wrote the adaptation for the hit film “The Housemaid” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried and is writing its sequel. She was also a writer on “The Boys,” which was known for its explicit language and sex and graphic violence. It's not an exaggeration to say that writing for “Little House,” even on a streaming platform, is different.

“This is the first time I’ve ever written without using any curse words,” said Sonnenshine.

“I’ve usually done, like much darker material. So I always say, well, I’m in my family era right now.”

Filming on the show's second season is underway. Netflix recently confirmed the addition of another popular character from the originals. Willa Dunn has been cast as Laura's rival Nellie Oleson, whose father owns the general store.

“She’s here and she’s acting up a storm,” said Sonnenshine. “It’s really fun. People love that character. I think we’re doing a slightly different take on the character, which is also really fun. The book is our sort of touchstone and then building upon that for her and her family has been — it brings a new dynamic to the Ingalls family.”

World Athletics excluded all athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus from its international events in March 2022, days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

It kept that suspension in place at a council meeting last week. Since then, the International Olympic Committee has eased its restrictions on Russia ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — something the Kremlin hailed as an “important step” — and recommended other sports bodies do the same.

“Russian Athletics notes that World Athletics’ decision affects the fundamental interests of athletics in Russia and restricts Russian athletes’ right to compete, on grounds that Russian Athletics considers discriminatory," the Russian track federation said in a statement.

"Russian Athletics continues to pursue all available legal measures to protect the interests of Russian athletes.”

World Athletics vowed to defend the case.

“We take note of the Russian athletics federation’s appeal to CAS, and we will be strenuously defending our position," it said in a statement. CAS confirmed it has received “a request for arbitration” without giving details of when it could be heard.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said last week his organization discussed options for “a conditional pathway back into international competition” for Russian and Belarusian athletes, but opted against.

“We presented options for the council to consider on this matter, however, the original decision remains on the sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialized,” he said.

Russia hasn't competed under its own flag at a world athletics championships since 2015, when the Russian track federation was suspended over widespread doping.

A program allowing its athletes to compete under a neutral flag was ended in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine. World Athletics' original doping suspension was lifted in 2023.

No Russians competed in Olympic athletics at the 2024 Paris Games because the qualification system is overseen by World Athletics, even though the IOC allowed neutral athletes in other sports.

Volleyball changes policy

Volleyball became the first major Olympic team sport to welcome Russia back since the IOC decision. Its governing body, the FIVB, said in a statement Wednesday that it plans to allow back Russian teams and players at all levels.

“This approach reflects the FIVB’s commitment to protecting the fundamental right of athletes to access sport regardless of their nationality,” it said. It's not yet clear if those teams will play with Russian national symbols, though.

“The display of the Russian flag, anthem, colors or any other identifications will be at the discretion of the FIVB and the European Volleyball Confederation and decided in due time in consultation with the relevant international sports organizations to guarantee the full participation of the athletes,” the FIVB added.

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

Starting Thursday, July 9, the Authority will roll out water conservation measures as part of its Drought Contingency Plan, marking the first time the plan has been implemented in its 22-year history. The conservation efforts will take place in service areas in the City of Roanoke, Roanoke, Franklin and Botetourt counties, as well as the towns of Boones Mill and Vinton.

While there aren’t any mandatory water restrictions right now, officials are urging everyone to look for ways to save water and use it wisely. The Authority says these measures won’t interrupt water service or affect water quality.

The Drought Contingency Plan is triggered by water levels in the Carvins Cove Reservoir, which are currently 14.6 feet below full pond level.

“The declining reservoir level due to continued lack of significant precipitation has triggered Stage 1: Voluntary Conservation,” the Western Virginia Water Authority said.

The Western Virginia Water Authority provided these water-saving tips:

Outdoors:

• Use water only before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m., when evaporation rates are lowest.
• Cut back on watering lawns.
• Sweep driveways and sidewalks instead of hosing them off.
• Limit washing vehicles.
• Use a bucket for watering plants instead of a hose when possible.
• Turn off ornamental fountains.

Indoors:

• Find and fix leaks.
• Turn off the tap while shaving or brushing your teeth.
• Shorten showers to five minutes or take baths with less water.
• Run the clothes washer and dishwasher only with full loads.
• Store water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap to get it cold.
• Install water-saving devices like low-flow toilets and shower heads.

“Stage 1 Voluntary Conservation represents the first phase of a long-established drought response plan that is intended to be implemented early, allowing the community to conserve water before mandatory restrictions become necessary,” the Western Virginia Water Authority explained. “These actions help extend existing water supplies while maintaining reliable water for drinking, fire protection, sanitation and recreation.”

This move comes shortly after the Town of Pulaski urged residents to limit non-essential water use amid the drought.

For further information on the Authority’s Drought Contingency Plan, click here.

No transfer portal needed, either. Just some savvy drafting by a college fantasy football team owner.

Yahoo Sports is expanding more into college fantasy football this season by launching leagues that feature players from Power Four conferences along with Notre Dame.

So fill that QB1 slot with Heisman Trophy favorites Manning or the Fighting Irish's CJ Carr. Grab Marshall or LJ Martin of BYU to round out the RB spots. Pick up Smith or Cam Coleman of Texas at receiver.

These stars of the college game today could help you win a fantasy title later this fall. Down the road, maybe even help your NFL fantasy team.

“This will be an interesting opportunity to really develop fandom not just of the sport, but also the players and the schools,” Ryan Spoon, president of Yahoo Media Group, said in an interview before Thursday's launch of the leagues. "The content ... is now available to make a really robust, awesome experience.”

There have been sites with college fantasy football leagues before. This takes it even more mainstream in this era of name, image and likeness. Yahoo is coming off a season in which it set all-time highs for most fantasy football users and teams.

“It's understandable to all fans," Spoon said, "not just the mega-college fan.”

A lot like NFL fantasy football, only not quite

The college fantasy format is similar to the NFL version. It starts with the draft, of course, and then head-to-head matchups (scoring begins Sept. 3).

The 18-player rosters feature the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC, along with Notre Dame. There’s another wrinkle, too, with an “offense” position in play. Go ahead and draft, say, Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin along with the Ohio State “offense.” That means bonus points for team TDs, total yards, field goals and a win, along with deductions for losses.

It’s a way to spice things up.

“We’ve run millions of permutations,” Spoon said of testing formats and game structure. “The variability is the awesome part of this.”

Iowa State running back Aiden Flora knows whom he would pick in a college fantasy draft.

“Might as well trust myself,” Flora said at Big 12 media days. "I feel like it's a thing that a lot younger people would love to do, even though I feel like a lot of them (would) just try to get the guys that they are cheering for.”

It’s also a way to keep up with players in this ever-changing college football landscape that includes the volatile transfer portal.

Martin, the AP Big 12 offensive player of the year last season, rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs. He figures to be a high selection.

“I’m trying to go out there," he said, “and get as many yards as I can every time.”

A word of caution

One thing Brody Ruihley, a professor of sport leadership and management at Miami University (Ohio), cautioned was to keep in mind these are college students, first and foremost.

This is just fun and games.

NFL players have reported being contacted by fantasy football owners through social media in all sorts of ways.

“We need to remember that the college athlete is accessible in class, on campus, at poorly secured practices/games, and pretty much anywhere on a college campus. They are young adults still finding their way just like non-athlete college students," Ruihley wrote in an email. "Protection is and should be a primary function for state agencies when collegiate fantasy sport or sports betting is in play.”

Scrutiny has almost become part of the territory — no matter the level.

“If somebody drops the game-winning catch, you’ve got to know they’re going to hear about,” Arizona State running back Kyson Brown explained. “We’ve been kind of going through the same things those guys have been going through.”

Gambling in college football made headlines over the saga of former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The Red Raiders had planned to let Sorsby play even after the Cincinnati transfer admitted he placed bets on Indiana games when he was a freshman with the Hoosiers. Sorsby ultimately abandoned a legal effort to regain his eligibility and is expected to enter next year’s NFL draft.

This is gameplay

Spoon stressed this was gameplay.

“Obviously, there’s a subset of users, which is much larger today than it was five years ago, that is choosing through other operators to also place wagers or predictions, whatever those might be. That’s not us,” Spoon said. “Every passing year college (football) becomes bigger and more interesting and fandom increases.”

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AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins and Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

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

Tyler died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday in a statement on her website. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. She had been placed in an induced coma for a period but was reportedly improving last month and expected to make a good recovery.

“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” her family said.

Tyler earned three Grammy nods and in 2013 represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in 19th. She was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II, thanks mainly to “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017 and 2024.

The song spent four weeks at No. 1, and when Stereogum reevaluated it in 2020, the music outlet declared it an “extinction-level event rendered in musical form.”

“It’s pop music as heart-pounding, chest-thumping, blood-gargling, heavens-falling passion explosion. It’s sheer spectacle. It’s fireworks and lasers and lightning and thunder. It soars and swoops and barrel-rolls,” the site said.

The song has never really gone away: it was covered by the English singer Nicki French in 1995, and the band Westlife in 2006. Cate Blanchett sang it while hitting Billy Bob Thornton with her car in 2001’s “Bandits,” it appeared in a wedding scene in 2003’s “Old School” and One Direction sang it in 2010 on a U.K. version of “The X Factor.”

Early life

Tyler was born — as Gaynor Hopkins — a coal miner’s daughter in public housing with an outside toilet in Skewen, Wales, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) outside Swansea. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers.

She adored the Beatles and her first album was “A Hard Day’s Night.” The first song she bought, at 13, was “Hippy Hippy Shake” by the Swinging Blue Jeans and she watched “Top of the Pops” religiously, according to her memoir, “Straight From the Heart.”

She would record “Top of the Pops” on a reel-to-reel two-track recorder and write down the lyrics of songs she loved. Her favorites were by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.

“I used to sing them into my hairbrush for hours and hours, and that’s how it all started for me. I fell in love with singing just from doing that. Looking back, even then my voice had a husky tone to it, but I didn’t think much of it. I thought everyone’s voices were different from each other’s,” she wrote.

In 1976 she had to have surgery to remove nodules on her throat, leaving her with that trademark vocal sound. Changing her name to Sherene Davis, she was fronting a soul band when she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell, who brought her to London for demo sessions. Then she waited for a label until RCA said it was interested.

Under her new RCA-sanctioned name Bonnie Tyler, her debut album “The World Starts Tonight” in 1977 contained her first chart hit, “Lost in France,” and she was nominated for a breakthrough artists award at the Brit Awards. She then had a No. 3 hit in 1978 with “It’s a Heartache,” but soon drifted. She then signed with Sony and saw Meat Loaf perform “Bat Out of Hell” on the BBC. Impressed, she requested to work with Meat Loaf songwriter and producer Jim Steinman.

‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’

Steinman introduced her to his song “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which would become the debut single for her fifth studio album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” He borrowed one of the song’s lyrics — “Turn around, bright eyes” — from his 1969 musical “The Dream Engine,” written when he was a student at Massachusetts’ Amherst College. He told her the song was from a prospective musical version of “Nosferatu.”

“Jim liked to put down a basic rhythm track, do nine takes of the song, choose the best one and then put the kitchen sink on there, like Phil Spector used to,” Tyler told The Guardian in 2023. “He gave me a cassette to listen to in my hotel and we both preferred take two.”

Featuring E Street Band members Roy Bittan on piano and Max Weinberg on drums, “Total Eclipse” is a rumination on lost love: “Once upon a time there was light in my life/But now there’s only love in the dark,” she sings.

The video, a staple of early-days MTV, was shot in a frightening gothic former asylum in Surrey, where the guard dogs apparently wouldn’t set foot in the rooms downstairs where they used to give people electric shock treatment. The visuals included slow-motion tossed doves, candles, dancing ninjas, dancing greasers, Tyler in frighteningly big shoulder pads, fencers, gymnasts, wind machines and shirtless boys wearing swim goggles being doused with water.

“Faster Than the Speed of Night” earned a Grammy nomination for best rock vocal performance — losing to Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” — and Tyler got another nod for “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the best pop vocal performance category, losing to Irene Cara’s “Flashdance — What a Feeling.”

After the ‘Eclipse’

Tyler never reached such dizzying heights again but stayed current with such movie soundtrack singles as “Holding Out For a Hero” — from 1984’s “Footloose” — and “Here She Comes” from “Metropolis” also in 1984.

Her 2019 disc “Between the Earth and the Stars” featured duets with Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi, and she ended that year performing a Vatican Christmas concert before Pope Francis.

In 2013, she switched gears to make a country-flavored record in Nashville, “Rocks and Honey,” which included the Vince Gill duet “What You Need From Me” and a little ballad called “Believe in Me,” written by American songwriter Desmond Child and British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. “Believe in Me” was picked to represent the United Kingdom at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.

“It was an absolutely wonderful atmosphere there,” she told the San Francisco Examiner in 2023. “I was being interviewed every 15, 20 minutes, and when I walked out onstage behind the British flag, I thought the roof was going to come off! It was awesome, just awesome!”

In 2017, she joined Joe Jonas’ band DNCE for a performance on the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas as part of a “Total Eclipse Cruise.” When the moon passed in front of the sun, they played “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

Tyler was married to property developer and former Olympic judo competitor Robert Sullivan.

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Associated Press writer Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Tyler was honored by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, not 2023.

In its monthly update, NOAA said this year's El Nino, a natural warming of the equatorial Pacific that alters weather patterns across the globe, has an 81% chance of becoming “very strong” — the top category available — by fall. It should rank among the most intense El Ninos since the weather agency started tracking them in 1950.

Its biggest impacts — from droughts to downpours to heat waves — are likely to be most felt in the fall and winter, meteorologists said.

This El Nino, which formed only last month, already zipped past the weak stage and is now considered moderate with no indications of slowing its strengthening, the government forecast said. Ocean temperatures in key parts of the Pacific that help indicate the El Nino's strength are at or near record highs for this time of year, partly because it comes on top of ocean warming from human-caused climate change, meteorologists said.

“It's pretty extreme,” said Emily Becker, a University of Miami scientist who works with the NOAA El Nino forecast team. “Not unprecedented, but very unusual.”

Becker said it will rival the 1997-1998 El Nino, while other meteorologists predict this one could be even stronger. The World Bank said the El Nino that started in 1997 led to 23,000 deaths in weather disasters, increased poverty rates in some countries and cost governments as much as $45 billion.

“This is not a run-of-the-mill El Nino,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Not only is it already breaking records for the time of year, but unlike past super El Ninos, it is on top of considerable background warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. “We might not expect to see the exact same impacts from this event as we have seen in historical ones.”

A very strong El Nino — based on ocean temperatures in parts of the Pacific — does not translate to even more intense extreme weather, but makes those conditions more likely, Becker said.

It increases the chances for most of the southern U.S. to be rainier in the winter, Becker said. It also boosts the likelihood of a warmer winter conditions for the northern United States and Canada.

El Nino usually dampens Atlantic hurricane season. Colorado State University, which pioneered hurricane season forecasts, on Wednesday dramatically reduced its prediction for number of storms “due to increased confidence in a strong or very strong El Nino.” The forecasters predict overall hurricane activity in the Atlantic will be “well below normal.”

Global impacts made more likely include a drier Indonesia and a warmer and wetter eastern Pacific, Becker said.

“El Nino also acts as a 'thermostat' for global climate by liberating years’ worth of accumulated heat stored in the subsurface tropical Pacific Ocean and dumping it into the atmosphere, where it eventually dissipates–but not before warming the entire planet in the meantime,” Swain wrote in a blog post.

Many climate scientists are predicting that 2027 — because of pent up heat — will break the 2024 global high temperature record set by the last strong El Nino.

“A strong El Nino would raise the odds of dramatic new climate records over the next 6 to 12 months,” said Zack Labe, a climate scientist at Climate Central. It could give a taste of an even warmer world to come, he said.

___

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.

U.S. applications for jobless aid in the week ending July 4 ticked down by 2,000 to 215,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 220,000 new applications.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market.

In its more comprehensive June jobs report last week, the government reported that employers pulled back on hiring in June, adding only 57,000 jobs. That’s less than half the previous month’s total and a sign that companies remain cautious. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though that decline is mostly because many out-of-work people gave up looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.

June’s tepid hiring comes after a relative surge in job gains the previous three months, countering concerns that the war in Iran could trip up an already wobbly labor market.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

Among the companies that have trimmed their workforce recently are Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks and Walmart.

Earlier this week, Microsoft said it was cutting 4,800 jobs, about 2.1% of its global workforce, including a large number of workers at its Xbox video game business.

Thursday’s layoffs data showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which softens some of the week-to-week swings, fell by 3,750 to 218,750.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending June 27 rose by 8,000 to 1.81 million, also a historically healthy figure.

Work location: Detroit, MI

Description

The Director of Digital Sales leads Graham Media Group’s digital sales strategy across all markets, driving revenue growth and collaboration between station sales teams and digital specialists. Reporting to the Senior Director of Sales, this role owns the total digital revenue goal for the company and oversees a team of six Digital Sales Strategists (DSS) embedded within GMG stations. The Director of Digital Sales ensures every market has the tools, training, and leadership to develop and close high-value, multi-platform deals that deliver measurable client outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of six Digital Sales Strategists across GMG markets.
• Own the overall digital revenue goal for the company, ensuring accountability and strategic focus on growth.
• Partner with station leadership and Account Executives to identify, strategize, and close high-dollar, multi-platform opportunities.
• Oversee category strategies, pricing, packaging, and inventory management across all digital products (display, OTT/CTV, social, audio, video, search, etc.).
• Collaborate with internal teams and vendors to enhance product offerings, improve margins, and maintain consistent execution quality.
• Use data, pacing, and forecasting tools to monitor performance and adjust sales strategy accordingly.
• Drive a culture of collaboration between traditional and digital sellers, ensuring shared accountability for total revenue goals.
• Represent GMG in strategic vendor meetings and industry events to maintain awareness of emerging platforms and opportunities.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree in related field preferred; or equivalent work experience.
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in digital media sales, with at least 3 years in leadership or senior sales capacity.
• Proven success leading digital sales teams or strategists across multiple markets.
• Strong understanding of digital advertising products, campaign strategy, and performance metrics.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and motivational skills.
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to interpret and act on performance metrics and trends.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and negotiating partnerships.
• Ability to travel up to 75% of the time.

Contact: Shosh Abromovich, Senior Director of Sales

sabromovich@grahammedia.com

Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

Consumer Reports tested rotisserie chickens from 10 retailers, including Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Whole Foods, Wegmans, and several other regional grocery stores. CR evaluated the chickens for taste and nutrition, and also tested both the packaging and the meat for chemicals associated with plastics, including phthalates and bisphenol A.

In CR’s taste tests, Sam’s Club took the top spot for flavor. Consumer Reports nutritionist Amy Keating says the Sam’s Club chicken was consistent from bird to bird, with moist, juicy meat and a deep roasted flavor.

Costco, Stop & Shop, Walmart, Wegmans, and Whole Foods also made Consumer Reports’ “best overall” list.

Consumer Reports also looked at potential chemical exposure from the packaging. Tests did not find PFAS in any of the chicken or packaging. However, CR did find phthalates in every chicken tested except ShopRite.

For most brands, the levels weren’t concerning. But Costco and Walmart had the highest levels, and CR’s experts say adults should have no more than 6 ounces and children no more than about 2 ounces a day of these chickens.

For food safety, Consumer Reports recommends eating rotisserie chicken within two hours of bringing it home or removing it from the plastic packaging and refrigerating it. Do not reheat the chicken in its original container.

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. After that, toss them—or freeze the chicken within four days and use it within four months for the best taste and texture.

A rotisserie chicken can still be a convenient dinner option, but Consumer Reports says choosing carefully and handling it safely can help you get the most out of this quick meal solution.

“It’s actually quite difficult to find out the root cause because unlike the bacteria that infect the gut, such as E. coli or salmonella, this is a parasite. So, it mutates quite quickly and it is very hard to trace back to the original source,” explained Neha Vyas, MD, family medicine physician at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Vyas said the parasite, officially known as Cyclospora, has previously been found in berries, bagged salad mix, pre-cut vegetables, and fresh herbs, such as basil and cilantro.

While anyone is at risk for getting sick, those who are immunocompromised are especially vulnerable.

It can take up to a week for symptoms to develop, which can include diarrhea, severe cramping, bloating, nausea and fatigue.

In severe cases, a person may need antibiotics.

However, most people can recover at home with plenty of rest and water.

“If your symptoms are not getting better, if you feel worse, if you’re unable to keep down any fluids, if you have severe abdominal pain, your fever doesn’t go away, or you’re vomiting, you should seek medical attention,” she advised.

Dr. Vyas said the best thing you can do for prevention is to thoroughly wash your fruits and vegetables under running water before eating.

You should also wash your hands before and after preparing any food.

The move comes as data centers continue to expand across Southwest Virginia, including a major Google facility in neighboring Botetourt County. City leaders say they wanted clear guidelines in place before a developer ever comes knocking.

The new ordinance limits data centers to certain zoning districts and sets construction standards covering landscaping, building design and noise. It also requires an analysis study examining potential impacts to the electrical grid, water supply and transportation.

Misty Vickers, a Roanoke City mother and member of the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance, welcomed the vote — but said it doesn’t go far enough.

“This is a step in the right direction, this is far from where it should be,” Vickers said.

What is a data center — and why the concern?

Data centers are large facilities filled with servers that power online services. They can bring heavy power and water demands, along with local environmental impacts — concerns that have drawn scrutiny from residents and advocacy groups across the region.

Roanoke City Mayor Joe Cobb said before Monday’s vote, the city had no rules in place for these facilities at all.

“We need to make sure that we have clear policy and guidelines in place as a city,” Cobb said. “We’re very limited in terms of how much land and capacity we have. These centers typically need a large amount of land to function, and Roanoke City just doesn’t have much of that. And we’re very conscientious as a city about protecting the green space that we do have.”

AI growth drives urgency

Cobb also pointed to the rapid growth of artificial intelligence as a reason the city needs to act now.

“With AI growing exponentially, how do we best manage that as a local government?” Cobb said. “The more we can be ahead of the game in looking at policy and what parameters we can set, the better we position ourselves to deal with it.”

Members of the Southwest Virginia Data Center Transparency Alliance pushed for stronger measures, including more public notice and disclosure requirements during Monday’s meeting.

“I was a little disappointed,” Vickers said. “With that being said I am grateful that they’ve started to put some kind of restrictions.”

The city passed the ordinance without the alliance’s recommendations but said it will look at adding additional provisions down the line.

City leaders confirmed no data center has been proposed in Roanoke yet. The new ordinance, they say, simply sets the process for if — and when — that day comes.

It’s been spotted in the area of Allendale Street Southwest and Clydesdale Street Southwest.

Police want you to know that you should not approach this bear, as it has been seen to be particularly aggressive and should be considered dangerous.

So if you see the bear, be sure to:

• Stay a safe distance away.
• Keep children and pets indoors or under close supervision.
• Do not attempt to feed, approach, or follow the animal.
• And call 911 immediately to report its location.

An infectious disease specialist shares simple steps you can take to help lower your risk of illness when traveling.

“When we’re talking about infection prevention while traveling, the first thing to focus on is hand hygiene. Make sure you’re washing your hands frequently, especially before you eat,” said Donald Dumford, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic.

When washing your hands, Dr. Dumford said you should scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds before rinsing.

Wiping down commonly used surfaces like airplane armrests and tray tables can also be helpful.

Dr. Dumford stressed that keeping your immune system healthy is important as well.

He suggests prioritizing good sleep, regular exercise and a balanced diet to keep it functioning at its best.

Another thing to think about before traveling is vaccines.

“You want to be up to date on all your routine vaccines, and right now it’s especially important to make sure you’re protected against measles, mumps and rubella,” Dr. Dumford said.

If you’re unsure about your vaccine status or which ones you need, Dr. Dumford recommends checking in with your doctor before taking off.

On Cow Appreciation Day, on July 14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., every customer who dresses like a cow can receive one free entree from the following list:

• Breakfast: Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit (Original) or 4-count Chick-n-Minis
• Lunch/Dinner: Chick-fil-A® Chicken Sandwich (Original or Spicy); 8-count Nuggets (Original or Grilled); or 3-count Chick-n-Strips.
• Kids: A free entrée and kids’ prize will be available for kids 12 and under, while supplies last. Check with your local Restaurant to confirm specific offerings.

Plus, now through July 13, you can also win a free medium-sized waffle fry order by playing the limited-time “Spot the Cows” game in its mobile app. Keep in mind that you can’t redeem the reward beyond July 13.

You will need to place your order in person, as this deal will not be available for the Chick-fil-A App or delivery orders. It also can’t be combined with other offers or Chick-fil-A One rewards.

The fire broke out around 8:15 p.m. on Seay Street. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke pouring from the house and could barely see inside. Fortunately, they did not find anyone inside after searching the home.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries but has since been released.

Authorities say the house was badly damaged, and the person who lived there is now getting help from the Red Cross. Fire crews stayed on scene for about two and a half hours, with help from Danville Life Saving Crew, the Danville Electric Department and Danville Police.

The Danville Fire Marshal’s Office also responded and has started a preliminary investigation into what caused the fire.

As of Thursday, July 9, the average price of regular gas per gallon in Virginia is $3.74, according to AAA. Premium averages $4.64 per gallon, while diesel averages $4.84 per gallon.

Taking a closer look at our region, here’s a look at the average price of gas for localities in our area:

• Roanoke:
• • Regular: $3.58
  • Mid: $4.05
  • Premium: $4.47
  • Diesel: $4.83
• Lynchburg:
• • Regular: $3.59
  • Mid: $4.08
  • Premium: $4.50
  • Diesel: $4.81
• Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford (New River Valley area)
• • Regular: $3.60
  • Mid: $4.06
  • Premium: $4.45
  • Diesel: $4.74

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.

Most of the deaths were in Hengzhou, where the partial collapse of a reservoir dam sent torrents of water into the city and claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the vice mayor of Nanning city, which has jurisdiction over the area. Nine people remained missing in the broader Guangxi region.

Tropical Storm Maysak brought record rainfall to Guangxi starting Saturday, breaching reservoirs and stranding people for days in homes and other buildings. The previously announced death toll on Tuesday was six people.

A second storm, Typhoon Bavi, was at sea on a northwest track that would take it over some remote Japanese islands and then just north of Taiwan before making landfall in China's Fujian or Zhejiang province on Saturday. Fishing boats could be seen tightly packed at ports in northern Taiwan on Thursday in anticipation of heavy rain hitting the island of 23 million people.

Bavi, which brought violent winds to Saipan and other U.S. territories earlier this week, was downgraded Thursday from super-typhoon strength but still had maximum sustained winds of 184 kilometers (114 miles) per hour, according to Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration. Classes were suspended in several cities and towns in the Philippines and ships prohibited from leaving northern ports as the typhoon passed east of the northern island of Luzon.

In southern China, military rescue teams finished bringing out more than 10,000 trapped students and teachers from a cluster of schools in Guigang city, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Hengzhou. Video on state broadcaster CCTV showed the students, wearing bright orange life vests, clambering onto boats that took them away from the surreal scene of school buildings rising out of a lake of muddy water.

Animals were also stranded or swept out by the floodwaters.

A zoo in Guigang said more than 100 animals were missing, including two zebras, four porcupines and dozens of tropical birds. In Hengzhou, encounters with snakes that reportedly escaped from a farm prompted authorities to stock up on antivenom and advise residents what to do if they were bitten.

An animal shelter operator in Binyang country, about 75 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Hengzhou, struggled in recent days to rescue about 200 cats and dozens of dogs, bringing the dogs two at a time through deep water. The cats climbed up to the rafters as the water level rose.

Drones and some 5,700 boats have been used in a massive relief and rescue operation to deliver drinking water and other supplies and bring out trapped residents. About 130,000 people have been evacuated.

Ding said the floodwaters are receding but more rain is expected in some areas in the next two days. Crews have been deployed to clear mud and debris and disinfect several towns in Hengzhou.

Road repairs are ongoing and electricity has been restored to more than 60,000 homes, Ding said at a news briefing.

Heavier-than-expected rain battered southern Guangxi for days, with cumulative rainfall of 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 inches) in some areas and more than 90 centimeters (35 inches) in hard-hit areas, the national meteorological center said.

Severe weather also hit central China this week, leaving 11 dead and many others homeless in Hubei province after thunderstorms and tornadoes on Monday night.

Elsewhere in Asia, landslides caused by monsoon rains have killed at least 13 Rohingya refugees in camps in Bangladesh this week. Authorities were moving refugees to safer areas on Thursday.

___

Associated Press video producers Wayne Zhang and Olivia Zhang in Beijing, videojournalist Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, and writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.

Levin has learned from recent experience that being identified as a Jew, especially one who lived in Israel, can trigger uncomfortable questions from fellow Democrats. Or worse. So, she introduces herself by her middle name, Shelly, which she said feels safer.

“I don’t really feel comfortable in leftist circles anymore,” said Levin, a former librarian. “I just want to be a Jewish American who has a connection to Israel. But I feel like I can’t do that. And it’s very frustrating. And sometimes a little scary.”

Nearly three years after the war in Gaza began with Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023, intensifying criticism of Israel within the Democratic Party has left Levin feeling “politically homeless.”

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Jewish adults don't feel well represented by political leaders at a troubling moment for many in their community. Most Jewish Americans, 63%, say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the U.S. At the same time, few believe that either party is doing a good job supporting Jewish people in the United States.

The new survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — offers a rare detailed accounting of a key demographic that sits at the very center of some of the nation’s most divisive political debates.

It indicates that many Jewish adults feel isolated at a moment when antisemitism is a growing concern across the political spectrum and support for Israel has become a flash point in both parties. The survey found that many Jewish adults, 36%, say supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important to their Jewish identity, while another 26% say it's “somewhat” important.

Just 15% of Jewish adults say that the Democratic Party supports Jewish people in the U.S. “extremely” or “very” well, while another 33% say the party supports them somewhat well. About 41% say the Democratic Party supports the Jewish community “not very well” or “not well at all.”

Jewish adults even feel worse about President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, although not by much — a noteworthy finding considering that Jewish Americans overwhelmingly identify as Democrats. About half of Jewish adults say Trump and Republicans don't support Jewish people in the U.S. well.

The poll also suggests a sense of isolation. Despite the Jewish community's widespread concerns about antisemitism, Americans overall are far less concerned, with only 38% of U.S. adults saying prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem.

Some Jewish adults feel ‘lost politically'

Nearly three years after the war in Gaza began, it's not just Jewish Democrats who are re-examining their political loyalties.

Max Sacher, a 27-year-old Jewish Republican from Austin, Texas, said he was generally pleased with Trump’s support for the Jewish community until he saw the president’s latest diplomatic attempt to end months of conflict with Iran. Trump launched the war in partnership with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It’s one of the most embarrassing documents I’ve read. It basically cedes everything to Iran,” said Sacher, who is a graduate student in finance. “I feel very lost politically. I used to have a home. Now I feel like I’m on an island in modern-day politics.”

Jewish voters made up 3% of the 2024 electorate, according to AP VoteCast. They overwhelmingly voted Democratic, with 66% casting ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris and 33% for Trump.

On some key questions, Jewish adults see things differently than Americans overall.

U.S. adults in general are more likely than Jewish adults to see Trump as “extremely” or “very” supportive of Jewish people in the United States. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump is highly supportive of Jewish people, compared to about 2 in 10 Jewish adults.

Most Jewish adults, 77%, say there is more prejudice against Jewish people compared with three years ago, before the Hamas attack.

Ellen Kuberski, a 72-year-old Jewish Democrat from Chicago, scoffed when asked about Trump. She described a “general disgust and hatred” for the Republican president. But she’s also upset with the Democratic Party, which she says has been much more supportive of the Palestinians than Israel or American Jews in recent years. She was especially upset when progressive activists were protesting against Israel even when the Israeli hostages were still captive in Gaza.

“I tend to be more in line with the far left in just about everything else. But now the far left is attacking the Jewish community," she said. “There’s enough antisemitism in the world that we don’t need politicians on what’s supposed to be on our side coming out with that crap.”

Jewish Americans are split on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Trump

The Jewish community is divided over some of the people at the forefront of the Israel debate. However, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is a vocal critic of Israel, is more popular among Jewish adults than Netanyahu or Trump, who promised to be "the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.”

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults, 44%, view Mamdani “somewhat” or “very” favorably, while a similar share, 39%, view him “somewhat” or “very” unfavorably. About 2 in 10 Jewish adults don’t know enough to say.

Kylle Epstein, a 24-year-old Jewish Democrat from Clearwater, Florida, cheered Mamdani and like-minded Democrats who have won recent congressional primary elections in New York.

“I think Mamdani is absolutely phenomenal. He makes Democrats think,” Epstein said, calling for "new blood in the party."

On Netanyahu, only about one-third of Jewish adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable opinion of the Israeli prime minister, while about 6 in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable view, including 42% who have a “very” unfavorable opinion. About 1 in 10 don’t know enough to say.

Jewish adults have a slightly more negative view of Trump than Netanyahu, with a similar share, 29%, saying they view Trump favorably.

Meanwhile, the poll found that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of the nation's most prominent Jewish Democratic officials, is still unknown by many Jewish adults.

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable opinion of the Democratic governor, while about 2 in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable opinion. About 4 in 10 don’t know enough to say.

Many think the US is too supportive of Israel

In interviews, many Jewish adults indicated that their Jewish heritage does not mean they want the U.S. government to provide unconditional support of Israel.

In fact, about 4 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “too supportive” of the Israelis, similar to U.S. adults overall, although about 3 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “not supportive enough” of Israel, compared to only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults.

At the same time, about 4 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “not supportive enough” of the Palestinians, similar to U.S. adults.

The issue is salient for Jewish adults in a way that it's not for many Americans. About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say Israel is an “extremely” or “very” important issue to them personally, compared to only 35% of U.S. adults.

“Jews and Israel are connected, but they’re not synonyms,” said Levin, the former librarian from Los Angeles.

She said that the lack of understanding on both sides has fueled a rise of antisemitism, even in a city packed with Democrats.

She was walking along Los Angeles' famed Olvera Street with her husband last month when they came across a spray-painted sign on the sidewalk that read, “Death to Zionists," alongside an upside down triangle that has been associated with Hamas.

Levin said it's getting harder and harder to support Democrats, although she doesn't think she could vote Republican.

“I mostly shake my head a lot and try to breathe,” she said.

___

Sanders reported from Washington.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

The AP-NORC poll of 3,040 adults was conducted June 11-17 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The poll included interviews with 1,022 Jewish adults. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points and the margin of sampling error for Jewish adults is plus or minus 5.0 percentage points.

Thirteen of the 25 nominations for HBO Max's drama about a Pittsburgh ER went to its actors in one of the great achievements for a cast in Emmy history.

In its rookie season last year, “The Pitt” got just three acting nominations but it won all three: best actor in a drama for star Noah Wyle, best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa and best guest actor for Shawn Hatosy. The trio was nominated again, but this time had a ton of company.

“It feels really exciting to have more of my colleagues up on the board,” LaNasa told The Associated Press on Wednesday during a break in the shooting of Season 3. “You’re happy when you get acknowledged, but you kind of know that you’re only there because of everybody else. So the more people that are getting acknowledged, the better it feels.”

She said that like her character, Nurse Dana, she has a “motherly feeling” toward her colleagues, who are nearly all first-time nominees.

“I’m very wanting them to have this experience as well," she said.

LaNasa was joined in the supporting actress category by doctor-portrayers Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi, who played a new attending physician reckoning with a seizure disorder that is returning in the stress of the ER.

Hatosy, whose night-shift leader Dr. Jack Abbott won a big fan base and was the object of many crushes in Season 2, was bumped up from the guest actor category to supporting actor, where he's joined by Gerran Howell and Patrick Ball.

The 13 nominees will be competing against one another so much that there are only five acting Emmys they can win. That's one for every drama category except best actress, where it didn't submit anyone. The show makes only Wyle a lead.

In the guest acting categories, Brittany Allen and Jeff Kober both pulled off the coup of getting nominations from self-submissions of their portrayal of patients with heartbreaking arcs. Ernest Harden Jr. got a guest nod for playing the ER's constant presence and struggling alcoholic Louie Cloverfield.

And Tal Anderson, an autistic actor who has been an advocate for neurodivergent performers and portrayals, got her first Emmy nomination for playing Becca King, the younger sister of Dearden’s Dr. Mel King who is striving to be treated as an adult.

“Besides the fact that I get to have a small role in this giant, amazing show with so many talented people in the cast and on the crew, it means so much to me to be able to help this character, Becca, be seen and to have a voice,” Anderson told the AP. “As a disabled person myself, it’s such an honor to be able to, through this role, call attention to issues that are so important to the disabled community. It’s everything to have the opportunity to do that.”

LaNasa's Nurse Dana was already among TV's most beloved characters, but went even deeper on the drama in Season 2, in which she gives a rape kit and emotional counseling to a sexual assault victim.

Nurse Dana went meme-able with her loud pronouncements about the ER's “Baby Jane Doe.” The child also provided a pivotal and heart-wrenching scene for Wyle's Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch that may well win him a second best actor trophy at the September ceremony.

With the numbers “The Pitt” pulled in, it was almost surprising to find the many babies that played Baby Jane Doe didn't get nominated.

___ AP video journalist Brooke Lefferts in New York contributed.

The totals give HBO Max the top spot for both drama and comedy, with “Hacks” breaking the record for most nominations for a comedy series held jointly by “The Studio” last year and “The Bear” in 2024. HBO Max led all outlets with 122 overall nominations and has three shows up for both best drama and best comedy series.

The nominees announced for 118 Primetime Emmy categories included the late Rob Reiner for his guest acting on “The Bear,” Bad Bunny for his Super Bowl halftime show, and newlywed Taylor Swift for “The Eras Tour - The Final Show” concert special.

‘Hacks’ gets a special send-off and ‘The Pitt’ grows up

Emmy voters love a departing show, and have loved the tension-between-comedy-generations “Hacks” since its first season, allowing it to run up the numbers as a fifth-year senior. Star Jean Smart has won best actress in a comedy for all four previous seasons, and it would be stunning if she didn’t claim a fifth.

Her sidekick throughout the series Hannah Einbinder, who last year broke through and won supporting actress in a comedy in her fourth nomination, got a fifth. Her castmate, the show’s co-creator Paul W. Downs, got three nominations, for acting, writing and producing.

The day-in-the-life emergency room series “The Pitt” was a rookie upstart last year with big wins including best drama series, best actor for Noah Wyle and best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa.

Already a beloved veteran show, it owned this year’s acting categories. Wyle was nominated again for best actor (along with nods for his directing and producing) as was LaNasa. Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi also got nominations, with “The Pitt” taking four of the seven supporting actress spots and three supporting actor slots.

In an era when major Emmy contenders — like 2025’s top drama nominee “Severance” — take years off between seasons, “The Pitt” came right back for another round. And its claim on the acting categories was helped by the between-seasons absence of “The White Lotus,” and its elite ensembles.

A solid showing for Apple TV

Two new shows from Apple TV, the one-woman-against-the-hivemind drama “Pluribus” and the horror comedy “Widow’s Bay,” both scored big in their first seasons.

“Pluribus,” from “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan, got 18 nods. They included best actress in a drama for its only lead cast member Rhea Seahorn, considered the favorite to win.

“Widow’s Bay” got 19, including best actor for star Matthew Rhys, who was also nominated as a producer and for his acting in the limited series “The Beast in Me.”

Two other Apple TV shows are also up for best comedy, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” whose stars Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer got acting nominations, and “Shrinking.”

The “Shrinking” nominations included best supporting actor in a comedy for Harrison Ford. The force could be with Ford, with many prognosticators saying this will be the year the Hollywood legend finally wins an EGOT-tier award. His castmate Jason Segel is up for lead actor.

Big day for Bateman, Short and Brunson

Many close observers also think this will be the year the perennially nominated Martin Short wins best actor in a comedy for “Only Murders in the Building.” He was nominated for three trophies, including nods for his producing of “Only Murders in the Building” and hosting “The Match Game.” A Netflix documentary about him, “Marty, Life is Short,” also got two nominations.

Jason Bateman got four nominations, for his performing and producing on both “Black Rabbit” and “DTF St. Louis.”

ABCs “Abbott Elementary” remained a rare bright spot for the traditional broadcast networks that have been marginalized in top categories by cable and streaming shows. Creator, star and two-time Emmy winner Quinta Brunson was nominated for three more, and the show got seven.

Reiner, Swift, Bunny and Fox are among the notable nominees

The vast range of Emmy categories brings unexpected stars and beloved figures into the mix.

Rob Reiner, who was killed along with wife Michele Singer Reiner in December, has a chance at his third Emmy. He was nominated for guest actor for “The Bear,” about 50 years after winning two for his acting on “All in the Family.”

Five-time Emmy winner Michael J. Fox, also got a nomination in the same category for playing a patient with Parkinson’s disease, which the actor was diagnosed with in the 1990s, on “Shrinking.”

The Super Bowl halftime show is nearly always nominated, but this year's featuring Bad Bunny on NBC went above and beyond with nine nominations.

Swift's “Eras Tour” concert special got five nominations days after her marriage to Travis Kelce, one of them for the singing superstar herself as producer. She has one previous Emmy, for interactive media in 2015, to go with her 14 Grammys.

And after a year of targeting from the Trump administration for late-night hosts and their shows, the now-off-the-air “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” got nine nominations and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” got six.

‘Beef’ and ‘Euphoria’ are back in the mix

Netflix’s “Beef” was tops in the limited or anthology series categories with 16 nominations. “Beef” had a dominant first season in 2023, and the anthology’s all-new grudge holders, Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac and Charles Melton, all got nominations.

“Euphoria” made its Emmys return after a long absence and got seven nominations. Zendaya, who won best actress in a drama for the first two seasons in 2020 and 2022, got a nod for the recently aired third season.

Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller announced the nominees at the Television Academy in Los Angeles. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing on NBC, will be held Sept. 14. Mariska Hargitay, the longtime star of NBC's “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” will host and is a double nominee for directing and producing the documentary “My Mom Jayne.”

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the joint announcement after a meeting in Melbourne.

The leaders didn't immediately supply details of how much uranium would be sold, or when. Exports of Australian uranium to India stalled after an agreement to do so in 2014, because of concern that the material could be used to make weapons.

Australia has the world's largest known uranium resources, but the country doesn't use any nuclear power or weapons and all uranium is exported. India, which has a population of 1.4 billion people and a growing middle class, wants to install 100 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2047 — enough to power nearly 60 million Indian homes a year. But obtaining uranium hasn’t been simple.

India has doubled the amount of nuclear power installed in the country in the last decade, but that still makes up just 3% of its electricity.

India isn't a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which recognizes only the United States, China, Britain, France and Russia as nuclear weapons powers. Australia, which is a signatory country, refuses to sell uranium to non-signatories.

India says the treaty is discriminatory because it recognizes as legitimate nuclear weapon states only those that tested nuclear devices before January 1967, which would would disqualify it permanently. The country was hit with international technology sanctions and uranium trade bans after it conducted nuclear tests in 1998.

The Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries, which includes the U.S., in 2008 granted a waiver allowing India to buy uranium from its members and Delhi has since pursued bilateral pacts to permit sales of the material. It inked such a deal with Canada in March.

Australia's leaders historically ruled out doing the same until Delhi signed the treaty. Canberra's position has eased, however, and it agreed to allow exports in 2014, subject to International Atomic Energy Agency Safeguards and “separation of the Indian civilian and military nuclear programs,” according to a government website.

Thursday's administrative agreement was expected to remove obstacles to enacting the earlier deal.

Modi is visiting Australia for an annual leaders' summit between the two countries. In their joint statement, Modi and Albanese also pledged greater defense and security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, “reflecting a step‑change in the depth and ambition” of the relationship, the text of the statement read.

The pledge for closer cooperation on regional security came days after Australia criticized China for test firing a long-range ballistic missile from one of its nuclear-powered submarines into the South Pacific Ocean, an area protected by an anti-nuclear treaty.

The two leaders did not cite China when they announced the bolstered strategic ties, and didn't take questions from reporters after their statements Thursday. Thousands of people turned out in the city of Melbourne in hopes of seeing India's Prime Minister during his visit.

India is Australia’s fifth largest trading partner, with two-way trade in goods and services valued at 54.4 billion Australian dollars ($37.7 billion) in the 2024-2025 financial year, according to Australian government figures.

Earlier this week, Modi visited Indonesia and on Friday he'll travel to New Zealand for his first visit to the country. India and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement in April.

The court upheld an April ruling by the Seoul High Court that found Yoon guilty of infringing on Cabinet members’ right to deliberate before he declared martial law, falsifying the official proclamation to cover up the lapse before later destroying the document, and deploying presidential security forces to illegally resist law enforcement efforts to arrest him weeks after his impeachment.

Martial law lasted only hours before lawmakers broke through a blockade of heavily armed soldiers and police at Seoul’s National Assembly and voted to repeal it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift the measure.

Yoon remains in detention and did not attend the ruling, which is final. He is still standing trial in other cases, and he has appealed the life sentence he received for the most serious conviction against him, on the charge of rebellion.

In a statement, Yoon’s legal team expressed “deep regret” over the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying the justices concluded a significant case without sufficient review.

The ruling aligned with the views of the Constitutional Court, which, in removing Yoon from office in April 2025, found that his martial law decree lacked legal grounds and failed to follow required procedures.

While Yoon called 11 Cabinet members to his office shortly before declaring martial law on late-night television on Dec. 3, 2024, several participants, including then- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, have testified that Yoon unilaterally informed them of his decision rather than inviting deliberation. The Seoul High Court said Yoon also violated the rights of nine other Cabinet members by failing to call them to the meeting or notifying them too late.

Though brief, Yoon’s martial law declaration plunged South Korea into a political crisis, paralyzing politics and high-level diplomacy while rattling financial markets. The turmoil eased only after his liberal rival, Lee Jae Myung, won an early presidential election in June 2025.

In addition to appealing his life sentence for rebellion, Yoon is appealing a 30-year prison term in a case accusing him of ordering drone flights in 2024 to deliberately heighten tensions with North Korea and create justifiable conditions for martial law at home. Yoon’s lawyers said the drone flights were a response to North Korea flying thousands of trash-carrying balloons into the South.

At some moments, the scene turned chaotic, with mourners swarming the coffin, forcing pallbearers to lower it to avoid losing control.

The ceremonies began on Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran, Iran's capital, as throngs commemorated the life of the man who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West. His body was later taken from Najaf to Karbala before it is to be returned to Iran.

Khamenei was killed in late February in wide-scale U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that started the war. The 86-year-old supreme leader was among several senior Iranian leaders killed in strikes during the war.

Talks on ending the war between the United States and Iran appear to be on hold until after the burial.

However, strikes from both sides in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday and into Wednesday raised risks that the interim agreement to end the monthslong conflict that engulfed the Middle East could completely break down.

The U.S. military attacked Iran early Wednesday after it said Tehran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then launched retaliatory strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.

Khamenei's body arrived on Tuesday in Najaf, considered one of the holiest of cities for millions of Shiite Muslims worldwide. Mourners holding portraits of Khamenei welcomed the body and senior officials escorting it, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The body was placed in a casket draped in the Islamic Republic’s flag and encased in glass.

Some supporters performed self-flagellation on the streets, while others waved Iranian as well as red and black flags symbolizing mourning and revenge.

Muhammad Taqi al-Hakim, a senior scholar at the Najaf seminary, led the funeral prayers at the Shrine of Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law.

As the coffin was carried into the shrine, large crowds pushed and shoved their way to get close to it. Some threw themselves onto the casket, as attendants struggled to control the crowd, urging the pallbearers to carry it closer to the ground for fear it might fall.

“We, the people of Iraq, will remain a thorn in the eyes of the enemies,” said Jaafar Jawad, a funeral attendee. “(His body arriving here) is the greatest possible honor, and God willing, we will be loyal and repay a little of his debt in the holy city of Najaf.”

The body later arrived in Karbala, also a holy city for Shiites, where Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet, was killed in 680 AD. Thousands of supporters gathered in the desert heat in and around the shrine while Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaei, a representative of Iraq's top Shiite religious authority, led the prayers there.

In Karbala, also, crowds repeatedly swarmed the coffin, which nearly fell several times in the journey between two shrines. Inside the Imam al-Abbas Mosque, organizers decided to lower the coffin in an attempt to stop people who were pushing forward to seek blessings or to participate in carrying it.

Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance at the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.

The facility will be built in Sturgeon County, Alberta, and powered by a natural gas-fired plant being developed by a consortium that includes Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Ltd.

Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish called the project “a big deal for Alberta,” saying the province had created a regulatory framework to attract data center investment.

Alberta has been courting hyperscale data centers as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure surges. But the rapid growth of AI has fueled concerns about the vast amounts of electricity and water such facilities require, as well as their strain on power grids and nearby communities.

Because Alberta’s electricity grid cannot support multiple large AI data centers, the province is prioritizing projects that build or secure their own power generation, as Meta plans to do.

Meta said the data center will use a closed-loop cooling system that won’t draw water from surrounding sources. The company also plans to invest US$42 million in local infrastructure, including roads and water systems.

Last week, Pembina Pipeline, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Kineticor Asset Management announced they would proceed with the Greenlight Electricity Center in Sturgeon County. Meta was identified Wednesday as the customer. The 932-megawatt power plant is expected to begin operating in the second half of 2030.

Stevens flipped a Republican-held House seat in suburban Detroit in 2018 and hasn’t lost since, including surviving a bruising primary against a fellow Democratic incumbent after redistricting in 2022. She says it's what sets her apart from her opponent in the Aug. 4 primary, progressive Abdul El-Sayed.

“It is not a hypothetical that I beat Republicans,” Stevens told The Associated Press after a campaign stop in West Michigan this week. “I win tough races. I have had Republicans throw everything at me and still managed to win.”

Holding Michigan’s Senate seat is essential to any Democratic path back to the Senate majority this fall. That imperative only grew this week after Democrats' nominee in Maine, Graham Platner, said he planned to drop out after he was accused of sexual assault, threatening another seat the party had hoped to keep competitive. While no Republican has won a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan since 1994, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers came within 20,000 votes of doing so in 2024.

That calculation has led Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and influential Michigan Democrats, including former Sen. Debbie Stabenow, to rally behind Stevens, arguing she gives Democrats their strongest chance in November against Rogers, who is running again.

But if electability is the party establishment’s top priority, it’s an open question whether Democratic primary voters agree.

“Democratic leadership should think more in terms of what we want to accomplish, and less about, ‘We’ve got to make it appeal to everybody,’” said Dave Burdick, 71, of Douglas, Michigan. He's backing El-Sayed, who has surged by arguing that Democrats don’t have to run to the middle to win.

El-Sayed has built his campaign around bold policy proposals, rejecting corporate PAC money and casting himself as an alternative to the status quo of the Democratic Party.

“People don’t want a moderate. They want somebody who’s going to come in and effect change,” Burdick added.

Stevens makes the case for retail politics

On a summer afternoon in South Haven, a community along Lake Michigan, Stevens walks into a pet supply store with the ease of a seasoned campaigner. Within minutes, she's chatting with the owner about the area, greeting reporters by first name and striking up conversations with customers. She slips easily between small talk and campaign mode, asking about customers’ lives before mentioning legislation she’s championed and asking for their vote.

“I thought she was great fun,” said owner Roxanne Leder. “She was energetic and had a positive outlook.”

It’s the kind of campaigning Stevens’ allies say has defined her political career. They acknowledge she lacks the viral progressive moments that have fueled El-Sayed’s rise, but say she’s at her best in small rooms, union halls and local businesses — which they say is where elections are won.

Stevens has leaned into that contrast herself.

“Unlike my opponent, I’m not running at the first mic or camera I see,” Stevens said during a debate Tuesday. “We do not need a celebrity senator. We need a workhorse.”

It’s also a style familiar to Michigan Democrats. From former Gov. Jennifer Granholm to current-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, successful statewide candidates have often paired an upbeat, personable campaign style with a pragmatic message centered on economic issues.

But unlike Granholm or Whitmer, Stevens has yet to generate the kind of broad grassroots enthusiasm that defined their statewide campaigns. El-Sayed, meanwhile, has packed rallies with progressive supporters and high-profile endorsers.

Stevens has leaned more heavily on tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, which could become one of Stevens’ biggest liabilities in the primary. Outside groups have spent more than $30 million to boost her candidacy, dwarfing the spending behind El-Sayed. The largest spender, United Democracy Project, the super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, has spent more than $13 million on Stevens’ behalf and reserved another $7 million before the primary.

For Burdick, the 71-year-old El-Sayed supporter, that spending is disqualifying. He said he would not vote for Stevens in the general election because of her support from AIPAC.

Leder, by contrast, said she expects to vote for Stevens in August because she’s far more familiar with the congresswoman than with El-Sayed. She said she still plans to do more research before making a final decision.

“I'm just a Democrat,” said Leder. “Please, please no Mike Rogers.”

Michigan has a populist streak

El-Sayed is running on Medicare for All, campaign finance reform, abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and ending all U.S. weapons sales to Israel. He’s also a Muslim who has never held elected office.

To many Democratic leaders in Washington, that makes him a risky nominee in a battleground state often viewed as moderate and centered on manufacturing.

But Michigan has repeatedly rewarded candidates who cast themselves as outsiders challenging the political establishment. In 2016, Sen. Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary Clinton in the state’s Democratic presidential primary by running against party leaders. Donald Trump later built his own anti-establishment coalition, carrying Michigan in 2016 and again in 2024.

Burdick, a self-described “old white guy living in rural Michigan” who is a democratic socialist, said Trump and Sanders resonated with voters because they were upset.

“Well, you know what? They’re still mad,” he said. “They portray people like Abdul as unrealistic, but I think it’s unrealistic to think that we can continue the way that we’re heading.”

A two-person race changes the calculus

On Sunday, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign. It prompted establishment Democrats to jump off the sidelines and back Stevens, including Democratic group EMILY’s List and Attorney General Dana Nessel.

“Haley is wicked smart, has won multiple highly competitive races, and she connects with people on a level so sincere and genuine that everyone who meets her feels truly seen and heard,” Nessel said in a statement.

El-Sayed has also built support among labor groups that have played an influential role in Democratic politics, including an endorsement from the United Auto Workers.

Fems for Dems, an influential Democratic grassroots group in the state, is not endorsing in the primary. But its founder, Lori Goldman, told AP in an interview that she planned to vote for El-Sayed.

“I personally am not going to have business as usual when I go to the ballot box. I want to vote for people, candidates that are going to go there and fight on our behalf,” she said.

Goldman, who founded the group 10 years ago in the politically important Oakland County, acknowledges the changing dynamics of Democratic primaries.

“Who would the natural choice be 10 years ago? Haley Stevens, right? Because we just followed the party line,” she said.

“People are breaking away from the party line. People want change.”

By evening drive time, a few storms will still be scattered throughout the region, so you’ll want to grab the umbrella on the way out the door to have for later this afternoon!

A few storms this afternoon could be on the stronger side, bringing the chance for damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall. Be sure to stay weather aware! We are all included in the marginal outlook for that flash flood risk from the Weather Prediction Center.

Futurecast shows the coverage of these storms to be very isolated. Storms will form around 12-1 PM this afternoon and warp up between 8-9 PM this evening. This won’t be a washout of a day, but with the on and off isolated showers some will see a quick pop-up storm with others staying totally dry today.

This pattern won’t break until later this week when a cold front pushes the stationary boundary out of the way. That will bring dry conditions back into the picture on Tuesday. Have a great Hump Day!

Mallory has been located safe, according to VSP.

Original:

The Virginia State Police issued a CODI alert on behalf of the Roanoke City Police Department for a missing 15-year-old on Wednesday night.

According to VSP, the Roanoke Police Department is looking for 15-year-old Tyree Mallory. Mallory is described as a 5′8 black male with brown hair and brown eyes. VSP says Mallory weighs 130 pounds, and his clothing description is unknown.

Mallory was last seen on July 7 at 8 p.m. on Laura Road Northwest in Roanoke. He is possibly riding a black and green bicycle and may have a gray backpack.

VSP said the disappearance poses a credible threat to his health and safety as determined by the investigating agency.

For further information, contact RPD at 540-853-2212 or visit https://alerts.vsp.virginia.gov.

If you’re looking to get a discounted wristband and help a good cause, bring in two pairs of new socks to benefit the Rescue Mission of Roanoke and Mrs. Dorsey’s Clothes Closet in Salem!

The ride wristbands cost $27 with two new pairs of socks. The wristbands are $32 without a new pair of socks.

For all Salem Fair wristband specials, click here. For more info on the fair, click here.

For Sock Night, 10 News Anchors John Carlin and Abbie Coleman will be in attendance, as will 10 News Meteorologist Edward Shaw.

The eighth annual Dream Big Basketball Camp will feature additional camp sessions and, for the first time, a three-day Dream Big Weekend beginning Friday, July 31. The expanded event will include a golf tournament to kick off the weekend before the free youth basketball camp continues.

Daniels said the goal has always been to give back to the community that supported him throughout his basketball career, but he wanted to broaden the event beyond the court.

“We’re kind of keeping the same thing that we have going as far as providing the basketball camp, but I wanted to provide a weekend just to kind of touch base and bring the community together,” Daniels said. “I think that’s the biggest thing.”

The former William Fleming and VCU standout said he challenged his team to create something different that would appeal to a wider audience.

“I just kind of told my team, I said, ‘I don’t care the timeline. I don’t really care what it takes. Let’s just kind of change it up a little bit and be a little different and try something out and see if we can bring the community together and have a great time,’” Daniels said.

The addition of the golf tournament is intended to bring together people from across the Roanoke community, including local elected officials and professionals.

“Adding that golf feature to it helps bring the community out,” Daniels said. “Have people from Roanoke City Council come play, some bankers, some realtors, some lawyers.”

The Dream Big Basketball Camp has become an annual tradition for Daniels, who has consistently returned to his hometown to provide free opportunities for young athletes while encouraging them both on and off the court.

Daniels is also set to be inducted into the William Fleming High School Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, recognizing a career that included starring at William Fleming before continuing at VCU and spending seven seasons in the NBA.

For more information on Dream Big Weekend and how to register, click here!

Supreme Court judges in London held a hearing Wednesday on a landmark human rights case that could decriminalize gay sex in the eastern Caribbean nation, potentially setting a precedent for the largely conservative Caribbean region.

The case was filed in February 2017 by Jason Jones, who argues that so-called “buggery” laws in the twin-island nation that prohibit gay sex, dating from when the country was a British colony, are unconstitutional. Those found guilty could receive up to five years in prison.

Jones is represented by lawyers including Anand Ramlogan, the former attorney general of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Who are we to volunteer that gay people should starve because we don’t like the meat that they eat?” Ramlogan told the panel of judges. “Constitutional rights exist precisely because majorities are not always right. They ensure that the dignity and equality of every citizen are not left to the changing tides of public opinion.”

A move to protect colonial laws is under scrutiny

Opposing Jones are Trinidad and Tobago’s government, backed by the country’s Council of Evangelical Churches and its largest Hindu organization, Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha.

The case has wound its way through several courts. In April 2018, Trinidad’s High Court found the laws unconstitutional, but a local appeals court partially reversed that ruling in March 2025. Four months later, Trinidad's Court of Appeals allowed Jones to seek a ruling from the final court of appeals in England.

Attorneys representing Trinidad and Tobago's government are seeking a decision that upholds the March 2025 ruling. A majority of justices in 2025 found that the High Court erred by allowing judges to change a law. A provision in some Caribbean constitutions protects colonial laws from legal challenges, including in Trinidad and Tobago.

The case, which is now before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, is being closely watched by activists across the Caribbean.

Trinidad and Tobago is an independent country but also a republic within the British Commonwealth, so the Privy Council is its final court of appeals. The country has pushed for the Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice to replace the Privy Council.

In an October 2023 speech, Justice Adrian Saunders, former president of the Caribbean Court of Justice, argued for that change, noting that the provision protecting pre-independence laws is especially tricky in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Caribbean judges being naturally ‘closer to the ground’ than their British counterparts in the (Privy Council) may well be keener to be more sensitive to and proactive in remediating the debilitating consequences of constitutional or legal provisions that deprive Caribbean people of the full enjoyment of their human rights,” he said.

In 1991, the Bahamas decriminalized homosexuality, while the U.K. government repealed such laws in 2001 in Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Elsewhere in the Caribbean, judges have recently struck down similar laws in Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda.

Gay sex remains a crime in Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines — all former British colonies. In the U.K., gay sex was decriminalized in 1967, more than 400 years after buggery laws were passed during the reign of King Henry VIII, with the last executions associated with the crime occurring in 1835.

“Jason Jones asks for no special privilege. He asks that the Constitution protects him as it does every other citizen,” Ramlogan said.

Supreme Court president warns of a complex legal case

Jones, 61, who has been openly gay since age 16, left Trinidad and Tobago in 1996 because of what he described as homophobic violence and discrimination.

“His experience is part of a wider picture,” LGBTQ groups supporting Jones said in a recent court filing. “(He) is unable to fully express his sexuality without being branded a criminal.”

Jones argues that criminalizing gay sex is a moral stance, asserting that “Trinidad and Tobago is a secular society and a multiracial one. Christian morality is neither universal nor superior.”

While the country’s so-called buggery laws have not been enforced in recent history, attorneys and activists say they still send a message.

“A law of this kind operates not only through arrest and conviction, but through the stigma, fear, concealment and exclusion,” according to a recently filed written argument by activists in favor of Jones.

It asserted that criminalizing gay sex “compounds stigma at precisely the stage at which young people may be forming identity, seeking support, accessing education and healthcare, and deciding whether it is safe to disclose abuse, bullying or self-harm risks.”

It's unclear when the Privy Council might issue a ruling. Justice Robert Reed, president of the Supreme Court, said at the end of the hearing that the case is “of great concern to many people on both sides of the debate” and that it raises some very complex legal questions.

The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The U.S. struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday following Iran’s targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.

But Thursday's attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait’s military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.

Military officials said in a social media post that the latest strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran's ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike killed a firefighter at an airport.

For the first time since April, it also appeared the U.S. strikes targeted Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran's northeastern Golestan province. The Guard said two bridges had been attacked on the way to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday. It wasn't clear if the Golestan attack was the same one mentioend by the Guard.

Trump warns that ‘it will get much worse’ if attacks on shipping happen again

After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.

Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in “long-term” military action.

“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said, though he also suggested the U.S. military might “just finish the job.”

Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island.

After three tankers were hit Tuesday, the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, and Iranian forces retaliated by targeting American military sites in the Persian Gulf.

Iran has asserted that the interim ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit.”

Strikes raise fears that war could resume

Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was “over,” although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.

Attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire, but Trump's comments added new uncertainty, and oil prices shot up after he spoke. A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait.

“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that U.S. representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome. “They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, retorted on X that Trump's remarks “are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure” of U.S. policy toward Iran.

Trump has made other threats to seize Kharg Island, including last month, when he also questioned whether the U.S. “has the stomach for it.” Some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass through the island.

The new attacks on ships in the strait, despite the negotiations, could reflect a divide among Iran's leadership. Hard-liners seek lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.

Negotiations to reach a final deal had been due to start after the funeral for Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war’s first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.

The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

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Kim reported from Ankara, Turkey. Toropin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Najaf, Iraq; and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

Trout, reinstated just in time for the All-Star Game next week in his beloved Philadelphia, missed 17 games with a strained right hamstring suffered while running the bases in a game on June 17. He marked his return with a home run in the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers. This was the 15th anniversary of his major league debut for the Angels at age 19.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki had Trout batting second as the designated hitter.

“We’re going to obviously see how he feels. Maybe in the beginning, I take it out of his hands. Not really sure how I’m going to handle it yet, but he is ready to go," Suzuki said before the game about his willingness to send Trout back in the field.

Trout, who grew up 40 miles from Philadelphia in Millville, New Jersey, was elected by fan voting as a starter for the American League team at the All-Star Game next week at Citizens Bank Park.

The 12-time All-Star has not been able to participate in the showcase event since 2019, having been sidelined by injury after his selections from 2021-23. Trout, the three-time AL MVP and two-time All-Star Game MVP, has enjoyed a bounce-back season with 18 homers in 75 games.

The Angels designated infielder Donovan Walton for assignment to make room on the roster.

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

The video showed Robinson standing in a room at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office wearing a T-shirt and baseball cap. There was no audio, but an investigator said he spoke to Robinson that night to get his name and date of birth.

The short clip played as state District Judge Tony Graf sought to keep a weeklong preliminary hearing on track and said he wanted to give both sides time to present their cases.

Instead, much of Wednesday was consumed by arguments over whether prosecutors can play a recorded law enforcement interview with Robinson's roommate and romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, in court.

Graf indicated he would allow prosecutors to play redacted audio of those statements Thursday. The judge will decide after the hearing if prosecutors have enough evidence to bring Robinson to trial on an aggravated murder charge in Kirk’s Sept. 10 shooting on the campus of Utah Valley University.

Robinson has not yet entered a plea and his attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence. They have, however, sought to get the death penalty taken off the table, so far unsuccessfully.

Robinson’s lawyers said they were concerned about his right to a fair trial if Twiggs’ statements were played in open court and then broadcast by media outlets. They said prosecutors would attempt to portray Twiggs’ statements about what Robinson allegedly told him as a confession from Robinson, which could bias potential jurors.

Attorneys for Kirk’s family and the media had urged the judge to make Twiggs' statements and other evidence public.

“To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system,” Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman told Graf.

Prosecutors allege Robinson sent a text to Twiggs saying he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”

Twiggs was interviewed twice as part of the investigation, State Bureau of Investigation Agent Brian Davis testified Wednesday. He was given immunity for the statements, meaning what Twiggs said cannot be used against him in a potential criminal case, Davis said.

DNA analysis described by expert as ‘the gold standard’

Robinson's lawyers have questioned the reliability of DNA testing used to link the defendant to the suspected murder weapon.

A member of Tyler Robinson’s defense team interrogated a DNA analyst from the FBI about the techniques she used to connect Robinson to a towel wrapped around a rifle found at the college campus, where Kirk was shot while speaking to a large crowd.

Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst’s conclusions.

“She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,” Burt argued.

Forensics expert Lawrence Quarino said law enforcement agencies use “extremely reliable” tests to determine the probability that a person matches with DNA found at a crime scene.

DNA testing “is the gold standard in forensic science,” said Quarino, a professor and director of the forensic science program at Cedar Crest College in Pennsylvania.

FBI analyst Amanda Bakker said that after Twiggs provided a DNA sample for comparison, she was able to rerun her tests and attribute all of the DNA to two people.

Investigators found the towel and suspected murder weapon — a bolt-action rifle with one spent round — in a wooded area near where Kirk was shot.

DNA on the towel matched to two people, Jennifer Faumuina with the State Bureau of Investigation testified. One was Twiggs and the other was very likely Robinson, she said.

Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for Twiggs that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

The defense team pushes back

Investigators say Robinson went to a rooftop near where Kirk was speaking and shot him once through the neck as the activist was taking questions from a crowd of several thousand people. Kirk was declared dead after being taken to a hospital.

Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on the prosecution’s claim that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.

Robinson’s defense team has pushed back on the idea that he was hostile to Kirk’s politics. Defense attorney Richard Novak sought to block prosecutors from introducing a statement describing the traditional Christian values of Turning Point USA.

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

The IMF now expects the global economy to expand by a sluggish 3% in 2026, down from 3.5% last year and from the 3.1% it had forecast for this year back in April. The fund expects worldwide growth to rebound to 3.4% next year.

Iran responded to U.S. and Israeli attacks Feb. 28 by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas passes. Energy prices soared, squeezing businesses and consumers. The IMF now expects oil prices to be up nearly 32% this year and for global consumer prices overall to increase 4.7% in 2026. That would be up from 4.1% in 2025 and would mean that two years of progress against inflation has stalled.

The IMF forecasts assume that the Strait of Hormuz reopens later this month — even though U.S. strikes on Iran resumed and President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that a ceasefire with Iran was over. They also assume that commerce through the strait returns to normal by next March.

“The world economy has weathered the shock from the war better than feared,″ Petya Koeva Brooks, deputy director of the IMF's research department, told reporters Wednesday. The economic damage from the energy shock has been limited partly because countries could draw on existing oil stockpiles and because oil-exporting countries outside the Persian Gulf stepped up production.

Countries that produce and export their own energy and that benefit from AI investment are insulated from the war's economic damage. Among them is the United States. The IMF expects the U.S. economy — the world's largest — to grow a solid 2.3% this year, up from 2.1% in 2025 and unchanged from the April forecast. President Donald Trump's 2025 tax cuts, big gains in productivity and a strong stock market are also giving the American economy a lift.

The 21 European countries that share the euro currency, hit hard by higher energy prices, are collectively forecast to grow just 0.9% this year, down from 1.4% in 2025.

China, the world's No. 2 economy, is expected to expand 4.6% this year, down from 5% in 2025 but a bit faster than the IMF had expected in April. Weighed down by higher energy prices and a property market collapse, the Chinese economy is getting offsetting help from public works spending, a surge in high-tech manufacturing and booming exports.

India is once again forecast to be the world's fastest-growing major economy, advancing at a 6.4% clip (down from a sizzling 7.7% last year) on strong consumer spending.

The IMF is a 191-nation lending organization that works to promote economic growth and financial stability and to reduce global poverty.

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This story has been corrected to show that China’s economy expanded 5% in 2025, not 2026.

Platner’s exit could exacerbate divisions between the party’s moderate and progressive factions, as Democrats debate who should replace him on the ballot and struggle to unify ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats were desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Republican Sen. Susan Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular.

In an 11-minute video posted to social media, Platner said the process to replace him needs to be "open, transparent and democratic” and to reflect the will and values of people who supported him. He also lashed out at Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C.

“People in D.C. need to stay in D.C.,” Platner said. “Decisions should not be made by people in places of political power.”

At times scratching his beard and looking off camera as he spoke, Platner seemed to become emotional as he announced his plans, seated on what appeared to be a wooden deck as the noise of nearby traffic whizzed by. He also stressed that his decision was not an admission of guilt.

Although Platner had never before held elected office, progressive leaders promoted him over Gov. Janet Mills, who was favored by the Democratic establishment. Mills dropped out of the race in late April as Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, consolidated support from primary voters who were eager for a more combative candidate and were willing to overlook his checkered past, which included a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol and online postings dismissive of sexual assault.

Shortly before Platner clinched the Democratic nomination in the June 9 primary, there were reports that he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with other women while married and that he had become physical with a previous girlfriend during an argument.

But Platner’s support didn’t crater until Monday, when Politico reported that a woman said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop.

Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner but cut off contact with him after that night in 2021 and told him the encounter wasn’t consensual. In a CNN interview, she said she had been raped “by definition.”

After the story was published, Platner in a video released on social media denied the allegation as “categorically false” but said he would be “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward” for his campaign. High-level backers pulled their support, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said the next day that he spoke with Platner and that “in light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

State law includes a provision for Democrats to replace Platner before the general election. The state Democratic Party held an emergency meeting Wednesday, where more than 100 state committee members signed off on holding a nominating convention, in the event of Platner’s withdrawal.

Platner announced he would do just that less than an hour later.

According to the statute, party officials may select a new nominee if a candidate who won the primary withdraws by 5 p.m. on July 13. The replacement candidate must be named by July 27.

Democrats must net four Senate seats to gain control of the 100-member chamber, and party leaders viewed Maine as a critical piece of the puzzle, along with Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina.

Nazi tattoo, Reddit posts and more had already been challenges for Platner

Platner has faced difficult questions almost from the moment he started his campaign last year. News outlets uncovered years-old comments on Reddit that appeared to endorse political violence, dismiss rape in the military, criticize rural Americans and use anti-gay slurs.

There was another controversy over the skull-and-crossbones tattoo, which is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, on his chest. He said he was unaware of the history and chose the tattoo while drunk and on leave with fellow Marines in Croatia. He covered the tattoo after becoming a candidate, and he said in an Oct. 21 interview with the Pod Save America political podcast that he was “not a secret Nazi.”

“Skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard military thing,” Platner added.

However, a former girlfriend told The New York Times that Platner joked about the tattoo being a Nazi symbol and called it “my Totenkopf.”

The revelations about the tattoo and the online comments stirred concern among Democrats that Platner had been poorly vetted as a political candidate and demonstrated questionable judgment. Some party leaders despaired over Platner’s chances to win even before allegations about previous relationships began to surface.

Platner drew progressive buzz and support

Before Politico’s story was published, Platner canceled some town halls planned around the state. Such events were a calling card for his campaign, which prided itself on a willingness to go anywhere to rally voters. Volunteers hosted happy hours and trivia nights that helped generate enthusiasm for a generational shift from Collins, 73, to Platner, 41.

At a time when Democrats have grown dissatisfied with the party establishment, Platner seemed like an appealing alternative. His deep voice could command a room, and voters were drawn to his gruff populism and focus on economic inequality.

They were also willing to look past controversies as Platner portrayed himself as a regular person who had made mistakes and was striving to better himself and his community. Sometimes he talked about his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he focused on the power of redemption.

Before the sexual assault allegation became public, some voters said they also wouldn’t want to be judged on their worst moments, such as drunken behavior or crude comments.

Platner was backed by progressives including Rep. Ro Khanna of California, but that support quickly eroded after Racicot’s allegations.

“I’ve been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line,” Khanna said Monday. “These allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out from the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.”

Sonja Birthisel, a Democrat and data analyst in Orono, Maine, voted for Platner in the primary. But she said he did the right thing by dropping out.

“My hope for the future of our democracy is that we can hold all of our elected officials to higher standards,” she said.

But the 38-year-old said she rejects the idea that the race is a proxy battle between moderate and progressive forces nationwide.

“Maine is a big small town,” she said. “I’d really love to see out-of-state influence and out-of-state money keep out of our beeswax as much as possible.”

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Ali Swenson contributed reporting from New York City.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.