Game 2 is Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

Barbashev took advantage after officials did not call icing, which didn't sit well with Ducks coach Joel Quenneville, who was clearly upset on the bench.

Vegas' Brett Howden extended his goal streak to a career-long four games, his fifth over that span. Mitch Marner, who also assisted on Howden's goal, added a 162-foot empty-net goal with 6 seconds left and Carter Hart made 33 stops.

Mikael Granlund scored for Anaheim, and Lukas Dostal recorded 19 saves.

Vegas’ penalty kill continued to shine, extending its stretch to 14 straight without giving up a goal by keeping the Ducks off the scoreboard on four chances. Anaheim converted 8 of 16 power plays in the first round against Edmonton. The Golden Knights are 19-of-20 on penalty kills.

Golden Knights center William Karlsson, out since a lower-body injury Nov. 8 against the Ducks, returned to the lineup. The crowd roared when Karlsson was shown on the video board after taking the ice less than three minutes into the game.

The Ducks dominated the early action, outshooting Vegas 11-6 in the first period and then controlling the puck to open the second. But the Golden Knights scored first with their first shot on goal in the second when Marner made a pinpoint pass from the right circle to Howden, who scored easily from the left side of the net.

It didn’t appear the lead would last long when Ducks top-line center Leo Carlsson made a dazzling spinning move to set up teammate Jackson LaCombe for an open-net goal. But LaCombe inexplicably passed up the shot for a pass, and the Golden Knights survived what appeared would be a sure Ducks goal.

Just as time was running out in regulation on the Ducks, they didn’t waste their next opportunity. LaCombe made up for his previous gaffe by walking in on Hart before delivering a pass to Granlund, who was open in the right circle.

The advantage didn’t last long, with Dorofeyev passing to Barbashev to put the Golden Knights ahead for good.

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

Wembanyama had 11 points and 15 rebounds and set an NBA postseason record with 12 blocks. He's the third player to get a triple-double in the playoffs including blocks since the league began tracking blocks in 1973-74.

San Antonio cut the deficit to 104-102 on a steal by Devin Vassell and layup by Dylan Harper with 31 seconds remaining. Following a miss by Minnesota's Julius Randle, Julian Champagnie couldn't connect on a 3-pointer at the buzzer as San Antonio suffered only its second loss in its last 17 series openers at home.

Randle finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Harper scored 18 points and Champagnie and Stephon Castle had 17 each for the Spurs.

Edwards was expected to miss at least the first two games of the series after suffering a bone bruise and hyperextending his left knee on April 25 during Game 4 of Minnesota’s opening-round series against Denver. Instead, Edwards worked diligently to return with guards Donte DiVincenzo (torn right Achilles tendon) and Ayo Dosunmu (right calf soreness) out with injuries.

After draining a step-back 3-pointer early in the game, Edwards looked toward the Spurs bench and screamed: “I’m back! I’m back!”

He definitely was.

Edwards did not start, entering the game with 6:53 remaining in the first quarter and the Timberwolves trailing 11-8. He finished 8 for 13 in 25 minutes.

Game 2 is Wednesday in San Antonio.

Wembanyama had seven blocks in the first half. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year opened the game by blocking a pair of driving layups from Terrence Shannon Jr. on consecutive possessions. Two minutes later, he blocked Gobert’s driving layup just under the rim.

Wembanyama missed Bones Hyland’s floater with his left hand, but recovered in mid-air to swipe it with his right for his 10th block late in the third quarter.

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

Beyoncé left the cowboy hat at home and dazzled in a custom Olivier Rousteing sculptural skeleton dress with a cream and dust blue feathered train fitted with a diamond crown for “Queen Bey.” The Grammy winner and her husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy stopped to pose together on the Metropolitan Museum of Art steps.

Osaka stunned in a edgy Robert Wun white sculptural fitted dress featuring exaggerated shoulders and adorned with red feathers and a matching headpiece. To complete her show-stopping look, Osaka wore two-toned red gloves. A similar look by Wun sits inside the Met's Costume Institute exhibit, “Costume Art.”

On the carpet, Osaka opened her dress and removed her headpiece for a grand reveal underneath. She wowed in a sleek red beaded gown embellished with the human anatomy.

Chamberlain arrived in a breathtaking Mugler by Miguel Castro Freitas hand-painted dress. The star was dipped in a rainbow of colors from her décolletage down to the spiral train of her body-hugging dress with fringe falling down the cuffs of the long-sleeve gown.

With all the fanfare around the “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” Met Gala co-Chair Anna Wintour opted for a cool mint ensemble — not the trendy cerulean blue from the first film. Wintour’s look featured a feathered cape and a beaded dress by Matthieu Blazy for Chanel that she classically paired with her signature bob and oversized sunglasses.

Other co-Chairs of the evening Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams chose more subdued glamorous looks. Williams wore a sparkling black off-the-shoulder gown with a dazzling Swarovski neckpiece in homage to a painting of herself done by Robert Pruitt for the National Portrait Gallery. Event sponsor Lauren Sánchez Bezos arrived in a form-fitting Schiaparelli gown, which she told Vogue was influenced by John Singer Sargent’s 1884 painting “Madame X.”

Artistic references

When guests were not wearing art, they were making references to it. Head of Editorial Content for US Vogue Chloe Malle wore an apricot orange Colleen Allen dress inspired by Sir Frederic Leighton’s “Flaming June” painting. Actor and author Lena Dunham collaborated with Valentino designer Alessandro Michele for her red feathered dress to depict his interpretation of “Judith Slaying Holofernes.” As a child, Dunham told Vogue, she would visit the Met museum on Sundays and admire the paintings in the Renaissance section.

“One of my favorite painters from that era is Artemisia Gentileschi, who was one of the only women painting professionally in that moment,” she told Vogue. “So I sent some of the images to Alessandro, and because he’s a genius, instead of dressing me like her, he said, ‘You are actually the blood spatter as ... Judith cuts the neck off a man.’”

Stars also celebrated the dress code with their accessories. Actor and fashion muse Gwendoline Christie playfully covered her face on the carpet with a mask of her own face while pop star Katy Perry opened and closed her fencing-like mask on the carpet to smile at the cameras.

Venus Williams was not the only guest to break the fourth wall with an artistic reference to herself. It was a trend of the night, with gala host committee members Amy Sherald in a Thom Browne look inspired by her own work of art and singer Sabrina Carpenter wearing a Dior dress designed with film strips from the 1954 movie “Sabrina.”

Fashion as canvas

Some guests brought out their artistic side as they transformed their dresses into works of art. TikTok followers watched along as Jessica Kayll, who designs colorful silk robes, finished painting her dress in the days leading up to the gala. Kayll painted her own take on the famous Monet water lily scene right on top her dress for the gala.

While her “The Devil Wears Prada 2” castmates kept it classic in black, Anne Hathaway made a statement in her custom Michael Kors Grecian-inspired strapless dress, which was hand-painted with a dove of peace.

“She is the goddess of peace,” Kors told Vogue.

Performance art

Madonna makes any carpet her stage. A group of women circled around her in colorful dresses as they held onto sheer fabric wrapped around her pirate ship headpiece on the carpet.

Janelle Monáe also knows how to stand out. The performer delivered a message with her sculptural art piece that featured cords overtaken by moss wrapped around her form with moving animatronic butterflies.

“Remember what made you human,” Monáe told The Associated Press. “Nature is talking to us."

Dressed body

Rather than wear art, models showed off their toned bodies as part of "Costume Art" exhibit's theme celebrating artistic representations of the body. Supermodels Gigi Hadid and Irina Shayk both wore revealing looks on the carpet.

Bad Bunny went full costume, carrying a cane and dressing up as an older version of himself with gray hair and special effects makeup to add years to his face. The artist joked with Vogue that it took 53 years to finish the look. Supermodel Heidi Klum, known for taking her Halloween costume to new heights, brought that same dedication to the Met Gala as she arrived as a draped statue.

Instead of opting for a body-hugging gown, Kim Kardashian wore a bright orange metallic body plate from the '60s designed by Allen Jones.

The physical form was modeled throughout the night with body parts draped over gowns or overlaid on garments in printed form in a trompe l’oeil. Theatre producer and performer Jordan Roth had a 3D figure looming behind him as part of his velvet Wun getup while other celebrities had carefully placed sculpted hands attached to their gowns.

For her first Met Gala, Chase Infiniti donned a colorful sequined Thom Browne gown with the female form embellished with sequins on the front and back of her dress.

In typical fashion, singer and fashion powerhouse Rihanna shut down the carpet as the final guest to arrive, much earlier than in years past. Dressed in a metallic jewel-encrusted cocoon-like dress, Rihanna emerged onto the carpet with her partner A$AP Rocky.

“I feel like a pearl out of an oyster,” Rihanna said to reporters on the carpet.

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AP reporter John Carucci contributed to this report live from the carpet.

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This story has been updated to correct that Infiniti wore Thom Browne, not Alexander McQueen.

The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September and killed at least 188 people in total. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Despite the Iran war, the series of strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks, showing that the administration’s aggressive measures to stop what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the Western Hemisphere are not letting up. The military has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.

The attacks began as the U.S. built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.

In the latest attack Monday, U.S. Southern Command repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It posted a video on X showing a boat moving along the water before a massive explosion engulfs the vessel in flames.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

Critics, meanwhile, have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.

In neighboring Ohio, primaries for U.S. Senate and governor will lock in the candidates for two major races with national implications.

And in Michigan, voters in a bellwether district will fill a vacancy in the state Senate, a race with implications for the balance of power in a battleground state.

Here's what to watch for.

How strong is Trump's grip on the Republican Party?

Trump is taking aim at seven Republican state senators in Indiana who opposed his plan to redraw congressional district boundaries to help the party gain seats in the U.S. House.

Groups allied with the president have spent millions on advertising, an extraordinary flood of cash and attention into races that are typically low profile.

The races are a test of Trump's enduring grip over his party as Republicans grow increasingly anxious about the midterm elections in November.

The results will signal to Republicans everywhere about how big a price they'll pay with their voters if they distance themselves from Trump even as his popularity fades. And it will show the president whether he can still credibly threaten consequences for Republicans who cross him.

The Trump-targeted state senators all represent districts he carried in 2024, mostly by 20 percentage points or more.

The key races to watch are districts 1, 11, 19, 21, 23, 38 and 41.

Ohio races get started in earnest

The state's primary is the wind up to the big show. Although Ohio has become increasingly conservative, Democrats believe their path back to a U.S. Senate majority runs through the state.

They're putting their hopes behind former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost Ohio's other Senate seat to Bernie Moreno in 2024.

He's expected to face off with Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed last year to fill the vacancy created when JD Vance became vice president.

The race is a special election to fill the last two years of Vance's term.

In the campaign for governor, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy has parlayed his national name recognition, tech industry connections and alliance with Trump into a record fundraising haul. He's largely ignoring Republican rival Casey Putsch, focusing his rallies and television ads on the general election.

An engineer and vehicle designer who calls himself “The Car Guy,” Putsch has attracted fans with provocative YouTube videos that troll Ramaswamy and criticize national Republicans over their handling of the Epstein files, positions on energy-guzzling data centers and support for Israel.

Amy Acton, Ohio's former public health director, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination. She played a key role in the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Will Democrats sweep another special election?

The special election for a state Senate seat in central Michigan carries outsized importance.

It's another test of enthusiasm in a series of special elections that have swung almost universally toward Democrats since Trump returned to the White House. It also could affect the balance of power in the Michigan State Capitol. A Democratic victory would give the party a firm majority in the state Senate, while a Republican win would deadlock the chamber in a 19-19 tie.

The district is closely matched. Democrat Kamala Harris beat Trump there by less than 1 point in the 2024 presidential election.

The seat has been vacant for more than a year, since Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet resigned to take a seat in Congress.

Democrats are showing surprising strength in special elections and off-year contests across the country, winning races in unexpected places and significantly narrowing the gap, even when they fall short.

There's no guarantee the trend will continue through the midterms, when turnout will be much higher, but it has nonetheless energized Democrats and spooked Republicans worried about keeping their congressional majorities.

She is among a number of Mexican American business owners who've become more vocal about also honoring Mexican history and the significance of the holiday, as a way to combat anti-immigrant sentiments amid heightened immigration enforcement efforts that have targeted Latino communities.

Mendoza, owner of Cuernavaca’s Grill in Los Angeles, said she prefers a celebration that reflects “everything that as a community we’re enduring today.” So, Mendoza will host Cinco de Mayo festivities at her restaurant that, along with traditional mariachi and Mexican cuisine, will include a nod to Mexican perseverance over the French in the Battle of Puebla over 160 years ago.

“Just looking at how much they did with very little resources,” she said. “It just showed resilience. So, on Cinco de Mayo we always make it a testament of our resilience.”

Restaurants owners aren't the first Latino community leaders to reclaim Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. — moving away from a flattening of Mexican culture toward highlighting history and community. This year, the celebrations are noticeably embracing traditional Mexican culture and focused on preservation, said Sehila Mota Casper, director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation.

“These are just incredible moments of educating and knowledge sharing,” Mota Casper said. “The more we educate, the more knowledge we share, the better a community and people we become.”

Restaurants emphasize authenticity over tequila shots

Hispanic-owned firms accounted for 8.4% of 5.9 million U.S. employers in 2024, according to the Census Bureau's annual survey of businesses. They also were approximately 18% of all restaurant businesses in the United States last month, according to the National Restaurant Association, which uses census data.

U.S. revelers hoping to crowd restaurants and toss back shots of tequila may find more wholesome and intentionally planned offerings, said Raul Luis, who owns the Birrieria Chalio Mexican Restaurant, with locations in Los Angeles and Fort Worth, Texas. On Cinco de Mayo, he wants his customers to eat and drink the types of “guisados” — traditional Mexican braises or stews served as taco filling — that one would eat when invited into a Mexican family's home.

Well-made, traditional cooking will keep customers coming back, even if they aren’t Hispanic, Luis said.

“It’s the ultimate opportunity for restaurants to take advantage of that moment and bring them in and entice them to authentic Mexican food,” Luis said.

What Cinco de Mayo celebrates

Cinco de Mayo marks the anniversary of the 1862 victory by Mexican troops over invading French forces at the Battle of Puebla. The triumph over much larger French troops who were better-equipped was an enormous emotional boost for Mexican soldiers led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza.

In Mexico, historical reenactments are held annually in the central city of Puebla to commemorate the victory. Participants dress as Mexican and French troops and as Zacapoaxtlas — the Indigenous and farmer contingent that helped Mexican troops win.

In the U.S., May 5 is seen as a day to celebrate Mexican American culture, stretching back to the 1800s in California. Festivities typically include parades, street food, block parties, mariachi competitions and baile.

Folklórico, or folkloric ballet, features whirling dancers in bright, ruffled dresses and their hair tied with shiny ribbons.

The day often is mistaken for Mexican Independence Day, which is on Sept. 16.

Latino activists and scholars say that disconnect in the U.S. is bolstered by the hazy history of Cinco de Mayo and marketing that plays on stereotypes that include fake, droopy mustaches and gigantic, colorful sombreros.

A testament to Mexican resilience

Since returning to the White House in 2025, President Donald Trump has continued to label Mexican immigrants as criminals and gang members, and Latino communities have been a target of his hard-line immigration tactics. Memes shared from official White House social media accounts perpetuate negative stereotypes about Latinos, while a federally led English-only initiative and ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs all seem to target communities of color.

All together, it's generated a great deal of fear in Latino communities.

Mendoza, the Los Angeles restaurant owner, said it’s also been a hard time for the restaurant industry because of rising costs. But in spite of it all, Cuernavaca’s Grill will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

As part of the restaurant's Cinco de Mayo festivities, she'll invite customers to contribute to a food and toy drive meant to support those who are struggling in the current climate.

“This is a testament of our resilience,” Mendoza said. “It’s a testament of our hard work. It is pride to our community and everything that we’ve accomplished.”

The Knicks became the first team in NBA history to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points, continuing a wave that began midway through the first round against Atlanta by shooting 63% from the field and leading by 40 points.

“We’re playing well, but it doesn’t mean anything if we can’t find a way to get three more wins,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. “So, we've just got to stick to the task at hand.”

OG Anunoby added 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting, while Towns and Mikal Bridges both had 17, with Towns adding six rebounds and six assists in just 20 minutes.

After trailing 2-1 against Atlanta, the Knicks have won four straight games by a total of 135 points. They are the first team since detailed play-by-play began in 1996-97 to lead three straight playoff games by at least 30 points, according to Sportradar.

Brunson said the Knicks' focus and attention to detail have been better since they fell behind.

“Yes, it’s turned into obviously big wins, but those attention to detail things are going to help us in the close ones as well,” Brunson said.

Game 2 is Wednesday night before the series shifts to Philadelphia — with Joel Embiid already pleading with 76ers fans not to sell their tickets to Knicks fans when it does.

But the 76ers didn't exactly give their fans much reason to want to keep them Monday.

Paul George scored 17 points for Philadelphia. Embiid shot just 3 for 11 for his 14 points and Tyrese Maxey had just 13, not making his first basket until five minutes into the second quarter.

The 76ers had just one full day off after winning in Boston on Saturday night to complete the NBA's 14th comeback from a 3-1 deficit. But they looked more like the team that lost twice by 32 points in the first four games to fall into that deficit.

The Knicks had a much easier first round — and finished it with one of the easiest games in NBA playoff history. They crushed Atlanta 140-89 on Thursday in Game 6, setting a postseason record by building a 47-point halftime lead.

There were long stretches Monday that looked similar.

“They were obviously picking us apart, moving a lot better than we were,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.

The Knicks scored eight straight points midway through the second quarter to extend a 10-point lead to 57-39, and Brunson scored their final 11 points, capped by a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining, to make it 74-51 at halftime.

Towns' 3-pointer made it 90-60 about five minutes into the second half and it was mostly reserves from there. Brunson played only 31 minutes, perhaps the only reason he didn't reach 40 points for a fourth straight playoff game against the 76ers.

He averaged 35.5 points in a first-round series against the 76ers in 2024 and closed it with three straight 40-point games, including a franchise playoff-record 47 in Game 4.

The 76ers still haven't figured out a way to stop him.

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

Vance, who is seen as one of the GOP’s strongest potential candidates for president in 2028, is making the trip to campaign on behalf of Republican Rep. Zach Nunn, who faces a competitive race to keep his Des Moines-area seat in the November midterms.

But the visit offers Vance an opportunity to test his reception before Iowa’s voters, whose leadoff caucuses give them an outsized role in determining the next presidential nominee. Campaigning for a local congressman in his role as the sitting vice president gives him an opening chance to make an impression on Iowa Republicans, seasoned evaluators of those who seek the nation’s highest office before the campaign begins in earnest.

Vance’s appearance comes days after Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is also considered a possible 2028 candidate, spoke to a group of evangelical Christians who are influential in Iowa’s GOP contest.

Des Moines-based Jimmy Centers, a Republican political consultant, said the 2028 contest is “light-years away,” but said the Republicans who hear Vance speak on Tuesday will be evaluating how he might measure up in an election for the White House.

“I certainly think, as of right now, Vice President Vance would probably be a straw-poll winner of Iowa Republicans for 2028. But I don’t think anyone is saying, ‘We won’t consider anybody else,’” Centers said.

Vance visit comes as higher prices for gas, fertilizer hit Iowans

Vance, who has not said whether he will run for the presidency in 2028, is scheduled to appear with Nunn at a manufacturing facility in Des Moines. His office did not comment on the trip's impact on Vance's political future.

The vice president’s visit follows a trip President Donald Trump made in January to tout the administration’s tax cuts, part of a string of stops they’re making this year on economic issues ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

But Vance’s visit comes at a time when his own political prospects — and the message he’s expected to deliver on the economy — have been complicated by the war in Iran.

The vice president, who has long been skeptical of foreign military interventions, has seemed a reluctant defender of the nine-week-old war for which Trump has struggled to find an off-ramp. Iowans, like much of the rest of the country, are grappling with higher gas prices because of the conflict. But the state’s farmers are also feeling the pinch of high fertilizer costs from the war and have been hurt by the tariffs Trump has imposed.

While Iowa’s farmers have steadfastly supported the president, they have been looking to the White House for assurances that the current troubles won’t last.

Vance’s visit to Iowa was originally scheduled for last week, but the timing shifted because the House moved to pass a sweeping farm bill that Nunn was due to vote on.

The vice president also had been slated to appear last week at an Iowa State University event with Turning Point USA, but the organization said it was not able to reschedule the event with the university until sometime in the fall.

It's ‘awfully, awfully early’ in the road to 2028

Kim Schmett, a longtime Iowa GOP activist, said the presidential cycle starts “deceptively slow.”

Republican figures testing the waters often drop by the Westside Conservative Club, which Schmett hosts, but he said it's still too far out from the caucuses, which are typically held in January of the presidential election year.

He said Trump’s Make America Great Again political movement “is very alive and going here” in Iowa, which would benefit Vance — as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also thought to be another potential candidate.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of MAGA support,” he said. “And Vice President Vance and Marco Rubio seem to be the recipients of where that is going at the moment.”

But Schmett cautioned, “it’s awfully, awfully early in the process.”

On the Democratic side, at least half a dozen presidential prospects have been making visits to the states with the earliest presidential primary contests, including recent visits to Iowa by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin.

Meanwhile, potential Republican presidential candidates “are treading very lightly,” said GOP strategist Alex Conant, who worked on Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.

“I think Republicans are going to be very reluctant to get in Trump’s way until Trump gives the green light for the campaign to start,” Conant said.

That means much of the groundwork to meet with donors or activists or recruit political staffers might happen slowly and subtly – for now.

After the midterms? Conant said: “It’ll be irresistible.”

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Price reported from Washington.

Friday’s ruling from a federal appeals court restricted mail access to mifepristone prescriptions, one of the most common abortion methods around the country, in the biggest shift to federal abortion policy since the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision allowing states to enforce abortion bans.

The Supreme Court then temporarily restored broad access to the drug on Monday while it further considers the case, setting the stage for a potential decision that could have wide-ranging consequences for patients and providers.

It’s too early to say whether the latest rulings will affect the outcome of races this year, when issues around affordability are expected to take top billing for voters. But advocates on both sides of the issue are hoping it will sway voters their way.

Some abortion rights groups already are strategizing ways to reach voters they think may be more motivated to turn out for Democrats because of the possibility of further restrictions. Meanwhile, abortion opponents who say the GOP-led federal government hasn’t done enough to ban the pills are warning their typically loyal Republican voters could sit out future elections, with a leading anti-abortion advocate calling it “a five-alarm crisis” for the GOP.

Democrats say the abortion issue presents an opportunity

After the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, several states voted to enshrine abortion rights into their own constitutions, driving historic turnout that sometimes contributed to Democratic wins elsewhere on the ballot.

But Democratic pollster Celinda Lake believes the issue had lost some of its potency among voters, not because Democrats don’t care, but because they have a sense that the “damage has been done.”

Though Friday’s ruling has been temporarily halted, it reminded voters that their access to abortion medication through telehealth isn’t guaranteed, even in states where abortion rights are, Lake said. That created a tremendous but “horrific” opportunity to tell voters what could be at stake in this year’s midterms, she said.

Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All, said outreach to voters about the volatility of abortion access will be part of her group’s strategy in the midterms. That includes contacting voters who supported Trump but also abortion rights in their state elections in 2024.

“The only way for us to really stop this back and forth is to have abortion access be legal in all 50 states,” she said. “The only way we do that is through federal legislation, which makes the midterm elections even more urgent.”

Republicans face fracturing over abortion politics

The Republican coalition, meanwhile, is contending with an increasingly agitated right flank of abortion opponents who expected Trump to fulfill his promise to be the “most pro-life president in history” but say they haven’t seen it yet.

Most urgently at issue is a Food and Drug Administration safety review of mifepristone that anti-abortion groups hope will result in further restrictions, including blocking its prescribing via telehealth platforms. Anti-abortion groups have urged FDA commissioner Dr. Marty Makary to complete the review sooner, while the administration says it “is taking care to do this study properly and in the right way.”

On Monday, the anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America further ratcheted up its messaging, calling for Makary's firing over the issue.

“This is a five-alarm crisis for the pro-life movement and for the GOP,” the group's president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “The GOP cannot win without its base and simply will not get the enthusiasm that drives turnout without leadership from the top.”

Trump, whose first-term nominations set the stage for the Supreme Court that voted to overturn Roe, has taken some steps that abortion opponents have cheered, including an effort to withhold funds from Planned Parenthood and launching investigations into states that require state-regulated health insurance plans to cover abortion.

But he has also often sought to steer clear of the abortion issue, saying he thinks it should be left to the states. The president publicly supported abortion rights until he entered politics in 2015, and his wife, Melania Trump, announced her broad support for abortion rights in 2024.

Abortion opponents say they have no plans to let Trump avoid the issue for the remainder of his term. Marc Wheat, general counsel at former Vice President Mike Pence’s political advocacy group Advancing American Freedom, said his group will increase pressure on the administration. That will include urging the FDA to speedily release documents about mifepristone that it owes the group through a lawsuit.

“President Trump thinks that pro-life is a loser,” Wheat said. “He might see that the pro-lifers may not turn out in the numbers that he needs.”

Americans largely oppose a nationwide ban on mifepristone

Even as Trump and the Republican-led Congress face mounting pressure from the right to restrict access to medication abortion, Republicans around the country are far from united in taking that position.

About two-thirds of Americans opposed nationwide bans on mifepristone, according to a KFF poll conducted late last year. Most Democrats and independents objected to such bans, while Republicans were more split.

Americans’ overall opinions on abortion remain complex, with about two-thirds of U.S. adults saying abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to AP-NORC polling. Relatively few think abortion should be illegal in all cases.

At least one abortion opponent, Americans United for Life CEO John Mize, said he is focused on incremental victories over the sweeping changes that some of his allies are calling for. While he wishes the FDA would move faster on its safety review, he recognizes that not all Americans are in the same place that he is.

“I think there is advancement being made in a positive direction,” he said. “While it might not meet the pace that many in the pro-life movement want to see, I think it meets the acceptable place of where we're at culturally."

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

International Youth Service, the agency that matched us up 40 years ago, has long since folded, but other pen pal programs have survived — or even began during — the internet age. And even though New Zealand's postal system has reduced home delivery days, Denmark has stopped delivering letters altogether and Canada is moving in that direction, some see signs of a letter-writing resurgence.

“The hunger is there,” said Rachel Syme, a writer for The New Yorker magazine who created a pen pal program during the COVID-19 pandemic and later published a book encouraging others to take up handwritten correspondence.

More than 15,000 people signed up for Syme’s Penpalooza project in 2020, and she still gets hundreds of takers when she coordinates a new round of matchmaking every few months. She also gets requests for pen pals at book signings for “Syme’s Letter Writer – A Guide to Modern Correspondence,” and the stationery stores she frequents in New York City are always crowded with customers.

“People are very interested in physical, analog things right now,” she said. “I think it really has an appeal especially to a younger generation who grew up with a phone glued to their hand, to do something that’s more tactile, slower, more intentional, more mindful, but also just disconnected from the internet in every way.”

“Yours (hopefully)”

I was still 10 years away from connecting to the internet when I opened my first aerogramme from New Zealand, a sheet of pale blue paper that served as both writing surface and envelope adorned with a 45-cent stamp. That missive ended with a formal “Yours (hopefully) Molly Nunns,” but within a year, she was signing off with “Lots and lots of love” or “Your friend forever.”

In letter after letter, Molly drew little hearts on the tails of y’s in both of our first names, asked for updates on my middle school crushes and shared stories about her classmates and family. I could clearly picture her life, though it was hard in snowy New Hampshire to imagine celebrating Christmas during the summer.

“I am thinking of you heaps and I wonder what you are doing because you’re a SUPER pen friend and I hope that we never stop writing to each other and that one day we will get to meet each other,” she wrote in early 1986.

Julie Delbridge, 65, fostered similar friendships after joining International Pen Friends as a teenager in 1979. Writing to pen pals in more than a dozen countries from her home in Australia was such a positive experience that she began working for the organization as an adult and took over as its president in 2001. While she loved sharing photos, postcards and treats with her pen friends, it also was a therapeutic experience at a time when her parents were going through a bitter divorce.

“It was a pastime that I totally immersed myself into in a positive way and gained a lot of enjoyment from,” she said. “There was an abundance of non-judgmental friendship, fun and different perspectives.”

Over its 59-year history, IPF has provided pen pals to more than 2 million people ages 8 to 80+, she said. Membership peaked in the late 1990s but surged again during the pandemic, and this year, there’s been an increase in people ages 21-26 joining.

Pen pals in the classroom

In 2021, the U.S. Postal Service sent cards and envelopes to 25,000 elementary school classrooms for a pen pal project, but older students also are putting pen to paper.

In Texas, a group of medical students created an anonymous pen pal program to promote peer support and personal reflection. At Villanova University, professor Kamran Javadizadeh requires students to send letters to each other as part of a literature class called “Letters, Texts, Twitter” that examines different forms of epistolary communication in literature.

“I make them put pieces of paper in envelopes and take them to the post office and send them to each other even though they could just as easily hand it to the person in class,” he said. “Something is lost when you have instantaneous communication. So I’m interested in the relationship between synchronous kinds of intimacy and asynchronous forms of intimacy.”

Gordon Alley-Young, dean of communications at New York’s Kingsborough Community College, believes letters are like vinyl records — they’re coming back into fashion as young people explore a tangible medium from the past. He has both studied the history of letter writing and used it to teach students empathy.

In an interpersonal communication class, he noticed that students analyzing case studies about relationship problems offered matter-of-fact, almost insensitive diagnoses. But when he re-wrote the case studies in the form of letters from friends and had students respond in kind, they began sharing their own feelings and offering more open-ended advice.

“We really want students to connect to what they’re looking at,” he said. “And letter writing encourages that.”

Pen pals in the digital age

An app called Slowly seeks to combine modern technology with the old-fashioned anticipation inherent to the pen pal relationship. Users send messages digitally, but delivery is delayed from an hour to several days to mimic snail mail.

“This delay naturally encourages longer, more thoughtful messages because you wouldn’t just say ‘hi’ if you know you have to wait days for a reply,” said cofounder JoJo Chan.

Since 2017, the app has gained 10 million users in more than 160 countries, most in their 20s and 30s. One user said he was curious about pen pals after hearing about them from his grandparents, Chan said.

“Slowly offers a convenient way and a modern way for them to try that experience,” she said.

Syme, however, is all about the tangible aspects of letter writing. Her book includes advice on paper and pens plus all kinds of goodies that can be tucked into envelopes.

“There is joy to be had once you fully embrace the medium’s outdated extravagance,” she writes.

But letter writing, she said in an interview, is like a swimming pool, both shiny and deep. The frippery and embellishments don’t matter in comparison to what you actually put on the page.

“That’s where I think it can get very real, very quickly,” she said.

A special connection

Molly and I had been writing for 15 years by the time we met in person, spending a day together in New York when she toured the U.S. in May 2000. We crossed paths in London a few years later, and in 2018, she and her family visited New Hampshire.

“Who would have thought when we started writing in 1985 that one day you’d be sitting here? It’s quite amazing,” she said during my recent visit. “We’ll always have a special connection, I’m sure.”

In addition to the sunglasses, I also gave Molly a bound book of 200 pages of her letters that I scanned and printed. At age 13, I never could have imagined that someday I’d have searchable PDFs of our teenage scribblings that could be summarized in 10 seconds by artificial intelligence. But what amazes me more is the depth of the connection I felt during our tearful airport goodbye.

We will for sure meet again. Until then, lots and lots of love, Holly.

Attendance zones are the geographic boundaries that assign a child to a specific school based on their home address. District officials say the updates are necessary to address overcrowding at elementary schools, with a goal of keeping each school at 85 to 90 percent capacity — relieving current crowding while preserving space for future growth.

“These proposed adjustments will help us to rebalance enrollment so that our schools are not stretched beyond their capacity and so they also have room to grow,” said Superintendent Verletta White.

Phase one targets north side elementary schools

The district held its first public town hall Tuesday night, virtually walking families through the proposed changes. During the meeting, officials went into detail on the proposed addresses that would be impacted. You can also find those addresses through the Monday night presentation.

Phase one would affect families zoned for Preston Park, Monterey, Round Hill, Lincoln Terrace and Fallon Park elementary schools — all located on the city’s north side.

The changes are tied to the opening of the new Preston Park Elementary School in fall 2026, which will create additional capacity in the area.

“We’re starting in Northeast because that’s where we’ve had the largest population enrollment increases, and then we’re going to rotate through — counterclockwise — through northwest, southwest, then into southeast,” said Chris Perkins, chief operations officer for Roanoke City Public Schools.

District officials also noted that the rezoning could affect staffing at some schools, though the exact impact won’t be known until final student enrollment numbers are confirmed.

Three-phase plan spans next several years

This is the first of three phases expected to roll out over the next three to five years, marking the first major redrawing of attendance zone maps since 2009 — 17 years ago.

Phase two is expected to begin in 2027, with phase three following in 2029. To ease the burden on families, the district says it plans to limit elementary students to no more than one boundary change throughout the entire phased process, so no child would have to switch schools more than once.

Parents voice concerns over student transitions

Not all families are embracing the changes. Some parents raised concerns during the town hall about the disruption of switching schools.

One parent commented, “I am against this. My son will be changing his school for one year, 5th grade, then turn around and change school for 6th grade. So 2 different schools within 2 years? How will this affect him?”

District leaders say they understand the frustration and plan to offer transition support for students and families.

“We do know that some of our students will be impacted and we do understand that change is always something that can be challenging,” White said.

“We’ll have counselors’ assistance and will be communicating regularly to ease student transitions,” Perkins added.

How to get involved before the vote

The district is encouraging community members to complete an ongoing survey open through May 18. You can find more information and the survey here.

A school board presentation is scheduled for May 12, with a formal vote set for May 26.

If the changes are approved, parents will be notified directly after the vote if their child’s school assignment is affected.

For those who missed Tuesday’s town hall, the district will hold another in-person meeting Wednesday, May 6, at the new Preston Park Elementary School from 6-7:30 p.m.

The latest state to jump on the redistricting bandwagon is Tennessee, where a special legislative session is to begin Tuesday, a day after a similar session kicked off in Alabama. In Louisiana, lawmakers are making plans for new U.S. House districts after the Supreme Court last week struck down the state's current map.

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

Its impact on congressional representation, specifically for Black Americans, is threatening to undo decades of progress to ensure minority voting rights.

President Donald Trump has been encouraging more states to join in redistricting as Republicans seek to hold on to their narrow House majority in this year’s elections.

Alabama special session draws protests

Several hundred people protested on Monday shortly before Alabama's special session began, including some carrying signs declaring “No new map” and “We fight back! Black Voters Matter.”

Opponents of the redistricting session gathered across the street from the historic Alabama Capitol, where the Confederacy was formed in 1861 and where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a crowd of thousands after the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.

“Much blood, sweat and tears was shed in an effort for us to gain the right to vote,” said Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who as a child participated in the 1965 Bloody Sunday voting rights march in Selma. “In 2026, there are still people who are still not exercising that right to vote, and we are still fighting today, even in an effort to keep our right to vote.”

Republican Gov. Kay Ivey called legislators into a special session to consider contingency plans for special primary elections in hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will let Alabama switch congressional maps ahead of the November midterms.

A three-judge federal panel previously ordered Alabama to use a court-selected map — with a second district that has a substantial number of Black voters — until a new map is drafted after the 2030 Census. Alabama appealed that decision and has asked the court, in light of the Louisiana ruling, to let it revert to a 2023 map drawn by Republican state lawmakers. That map could give Republicans a better chance of winning at least one of the two seats currently held by Black Democratic lawmakers.

“This is the voice of the people,” Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said while promoting the Republican plan. “We had three judges determine how five million people were supposed to vote, and I don’t think that’s the way.”

At a town hall held by a pro-Democratic group, Doug Jones, a former U.S. senator who is running for governor as a Democrat, said Alabama was “ground zero for voting rights, and we are going to be ground zero to make sure we retain those voting rights.”

Tennessee plan targets Memphis district

Republican Gov. Bill Lee called Tennessee lawmakers into a special session to consider a plan that could break up the state’s lone Democratic-held U.S. House district, centered on the majority-Black city of Memphis. The move comes after pressure from Trump.

The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, and the primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6. Lee had said.

Clergy members concerned about plans to split Memphis’ congressional district came together Monday to denounce the move.

“This latest attempt at redistricting is not just about lines on a map. It is about misrepresentation,” said the Rev. Earle Fisher, a pastor at the Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church and the founder of Up the Vote 901, referring to the Memphis area code. “It’s about whether the voices of Black people in this state will be heard or hidden.”

Advocates urge Louisiana voters to cast ballots

After last week’s Supreme Court decision, Louisiana moved quickly to delay its May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts.

Louisiana state Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, a Republican who chairs a Senate committee tasked with redistricting, told The Associated Press that his committee plans to hold a public hearing Friday on congressional redistricting. Kleinpeter said lawmakers are still weighing their options, including bills that would eliminate one or both of the state’s two majority-Black Congressional districts

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

A national redistricting battle expands

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

Florida became the eighth state to enact new House districts ahead of the midterm elections when Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Monday he had signed a redrawn map passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature. It could help Republicans win as many as four additional House seats. The new map was immediately challenged in court as a partisan gerrymander that violates a Florida constitutional provision against drawing districts that favor one political party over another.

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

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

The Election Commission of India released partial results Monday showing the Bharatiya Janata Party won at least 124 seats in the 294-member West Bengal assembly and was leading in 83 others.

Modi’s party has never governed West Bengal and had tried for years to dislodge the All India Trinamool Congress government led by state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She is one of Modi’s most prominent critics and has held power in the politically influential state since 2011.

Opposition parties have sharply criticized the polls in West Bengal after the Election Commission removed millions of voters from electoral rolls.

Governments were ousted in two other states and Modi's party retained power in another that held elections in April.

India has more than 1.4 billion people in 28 states and eight federal territories, and elections are staggered with several states and territories voting each year.

India’s opposition faces a setback

The outcome in West Bengal was expected to boost Modi’s standing and strengthen his position midway through his third term in office. The 2024 national election forced his ruling party to rely on regional allies to form a government. He is expected to run for a record fourth term ​in 2029.

Addressing supporters at BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Modi said the results pointed to the party’s widening appeal in a state where it had historically struggled.

“A new chapter has been added to Bengal’s destiny," Modi told a cheering crowd.

India’s opposition has struggled to mount a unified and sustained challenge to the BJP’s dominance nationwide.

Banerjee had emerged as one of Modi's most prominent national rivals, particularly after positioning herself as a key leader to unite regional parties against the BJP. Her defeat was likely to weaken her leverage within an opposition bloc already divided by regional power struggles.

Film star-turned-politician scores breakthrough win

In the southern state of Tamil Nadu, popular movie star Joseph Vijay, who launched the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam party only two years ago, ousted the ruling DMK party. Tamil Nadu, one of India’s most developed states, has a history of electing movie stars to the top office.

In Kerala, another southern state, the Indian National Congress-led opposition defeated the ruling communist government, ending leftist rule in one of its last remaining strongholds.

Modi’s party also returned to power in the northeastern state of Assam for a ​third consecutive term.

China’s official news agency Xinhua said the blast occurred at a fireworks plant in Changsha city of Hunan province on Monday afternoon. State media China Daily said the plant was operated by the Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co. in the Changsha-administered, county-level city of Liuyang, a prominent fireworks powerhouse.

Aerial footage from state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday showed white smoke still billowing in certain areas of the site, with facilities collapsed or damaged.

Nearly 500 rescuers were deployed to the scene and residents in danger zones were evacuated by authorities, citing high risks from two black powder warehouses near the explosion site, the Xinhua report said.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the blast and police have detained the person in charge of the company, Xinhua said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts” to search for people who are still unaccounted for and save the injured. He called on authorities to investigate the cause swiftly and pursue serious accountability, the report said. Xi also ordered effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.

To prevent other accidents during the operation, rescuers adopted measures such as spraying and humidification to eliminate potential hazards.

They also deployed three robots to help with the search and rescue operation.

Liuyang has a long history of fireworks production. The Guinness World Records organization said the first accurately documented firework, the Chinese firecracker, was attributed to Li Tian, a monk who lived near Liuyang during China’s Tang dynasty dating to around 618 to 907 C.E. Li discovered that putting gunpowder in enclosed hollow bamboo stems created loud explosions and bound crackers together to create the traditional New Year firecrackers to drive out evil spirits, Guinness said.

In February, China reported two deadly explosions at fireworks shops around the Lunar New Year period.

Hall took a short feed from Sean Walker and carried the puck in on the left side before being knocked to his knees near the top of the crease. But Hall hopped up as Jackson Blake battled for the loose puck, corralled it and beat Vladar to cap a night that saw the Hurricanes fall behind 2-0 quickly for their first deficit of the postseason.

Afterward, Hall said he didn't even realize he had fallen down until he watched a replay afterward.

“When you score in overtime, it seems like parts of your memory kind of go,” Hall said, adding later: “I was in another time zone there for a second.”

The series shifts to Philadelphia for Thursday’s Game 3.

Seth Jarvis had the third-period goal that forced overtime for Carolina, while Nikolaj Ehlers also scored. Frederik Andersen finished with 34 saves to help the Hurricanes improve to 6-0 in the postseason.

Still, this one was anything but easy compared to the smothering first-period that paved the way to a 3-0 win in Monday's Game 1. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet had talked about the need for his players to react quicker against Carolina's aggression and speed, and carry the puck more into the tough areas of the ice.

The Flyers did that early, with Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier scoring in a 39-second span of the first period for the Flyers. And they outshot Carolina 15-8 in the overtime in a much more assertive showing, but the Flyers couldn't beat Andersen again after that flurry in the first 5 minutes.

Vladar had 40 saves, including twice stopping Carolina's Eric Robinson on second-period breakaways. He also got a timely bit of help in that period from Travis Sanheim, who cleared a loose puck that had slipped behind Vladar in the crease to deny Carolina a tying score.

Tocchet felt more energy from his Flyers — in their first postseason since 2020 — in the aftermath of the Game 1 loss.

“I thought the young guys competed,” he said. “I'm really proud of these guys. They just made the play at the end, that's it.”

Ehlers' one-timer on the power play got Carolina on the board in the first. Then Ehlers fed a trailing Jarvis to beat Vladar from the right side midway through the third period, ultimately forcing OT.

It was a penalty-filled night with the teams combining to go 2 for 13 with the man advantage, which derailed either team from getting in much of a 5-on-5 rhythm and leaving Vladar and Andersen to come up with big stops the entire night.

“Goaltending was not the issue tonight for any team,” Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said.

Philadelphia played a second straight game without regular-season goals leader Owen Tippett due to an undisclosed injury, while Carolina defenseman Alexander Nikishin took warmups but didn't play as he continues his recovery from a concussion suffered in the clinching game of the first-round sweep of Ottawa.

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

The Bruins were on the board quick thanks to a two run shot from Sam Szefc, his fourth of the season. He would follow up his home run with a third inning double to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead, which they’d later make 5-0.

Lord Botetourt would even the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the third though thanks to a high powered offensive attack.

The game remained tied until the 7th when Blacksburg put up four runs in the top of the inning to secure the victory.

Blacksburg looks to make it a three-game winning streak when they take on Cave Spring on Friday at 5 p.m. while Lord Botetourt will try to get back in the win column on Tuesday at Staunton River at 7 p.m.

While there’s a chance for a sporadic shower Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday appear to have much better odds of widespread rainfall.

That rainfall arrives mostly in the early morning hours on Wednesday and continues until midday Thursday.

The weekend brings in a couple more rainfall chances, but there’s a bit more uncertainty with rainfall totals.

We would need steady rainfall to really make a dent in this drought, as heavy rain in short timeframes is more likely to yield flooding and runoff, due to the ground being so dry.

Temperatures this week are largely in the 60s and 70s, but we could see some areas hit the 80-degree margin on Tuesday.

The U.S. military said two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the strait on Monday as part of a new initiative.

The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran. Authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said one drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals. The British military reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE.

Tehran did not outright confirm or deny the attacks but early on Tuesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that both the U.S. and the UAE “should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire.”

In similarly vague terms, Iranian state television earlier quoted an anonymous military official as saying Tehran had had “no plan” to target the UAE or one of its oil fields.

"The incident resulted from U.S. military adventurism to create an illegal passage,” the official said about the oil facility attack, apparently referring to U.S. President Donald Trump 's latest efforts to reopen the the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy.

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

Shipping companies, and their insurers, are unlikely to take such a risk, given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to keep doing so. Iran has said the new U.S. effort is a violation of the fragile ceasefire that has held for more than three weeks.

US says it has reopened a lane through the strait

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

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

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

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

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

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

Missile alerts in the UAE for the first time since ceasefire

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

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

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

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

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

Iran seeks to maintain its grip on the strait

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

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

South Korea said Tuesday that a fire on a South Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz has been fully extinguished and that none of the 24 crewmembers were hurt.

Officials earlier said an explosion and fire broke out Monday evening on the Panama-flagged ship operated by South Korean shipping company HMM and that the cause was not immediately known. The vessel had been anchored near the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of Hormuz, and the fire affected its left-side engine.

Trump said in a social media post that Iran had “taken some shots” at vessels including a South Korean cargo ship, without elaborating. South Korean officials have not yet commented on Trump’s call for Seoul to “join the mission” in the strait.

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

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

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

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

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

Little progress seen in negotiations

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

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

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

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

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Finley reported from Washington and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press journalists Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Fatma Khaled in Cairo; Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul; Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

The Pulitzer board recognized AP journalists Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau and Aniruddha Ghosal, along with contributor and independent journalist Yael Grauer, for what it called “an astonishing global investigation into state-of-the-art tools of mass surveillance” that also included a story about the expansion of license plate surveillance of drivers in United States by the U.S. Border Patrol.

AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Julie Pace said “this complex and difficult reporting, done by journalists across several continents, embodies the true spirit of the AP: leveraging our global footprint and deep expertise to tell important, impactful stories. It comes at a critical time when the immense and growing power of U.S. tech companies — and their increasingly complex relationship with governments — is in the spotlight and of immense public interest.”

The AP's investigation spanned three years, thousands of pages of documents and numerous interviews. It found that the foundations of the system used by the Chinese government to monitor and police its citizens over recent decades was laid down with the help of American companies. Some of the companies went so far as to use their tech's surveillance capabilities as a selling point.

“This was sweeping and deeply impactful reporting, the kind of work that highlights the unique strengths of AP’s global, multiformat newsroom,” Pace said in an email to staffers. She is among the Pulitzer Board’s new members.

Other stories included a look at how across presidential administrations, the U.S. government allowed tech companies and China to skirt regulations intended to bar that country from access to certain materials like advanced computer chips.

A piece looking at surveillance in the United States found that the Border Patrol was secretively using an intelligence program that used license plate information to track drivers' travel patterns, and not just for border crossings. Drivers whose patterns were deemed suspicious by an algorithm could then find themselves stopped and even arrested.

The AP highlighted the difficulty of undertaking the project, and said in its statement that journalists dealt with harassment and off-the-record pushes to keep the project from publishing.

The visually compelling project included multiple photographic and video elements, with notable contributions from AP photographer David Goldman and visual journalists Marshall Ritzel and Serginho Roosblad.

Other contributors included Michael Biesecker and Sam Mednick on a story that focused on how U.S. tech giants quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services. And it fueled fears that these tools contributed to the deaths of innocent people.

Global investigations editors Mary Rajkumar and Jeannie Ohm led and edited the “Made in America, Watched Worldwide” project. Investigative editor Tom Berman also contributed.

The Packers announced Monday they had added Taylor and released quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Green Bay needed to find a new backup quarterback after Malik Willis joined the Miami Dolphins on a three-year, $67.5 million deal with $45 million guaranteed. The release of Ridder leaves Taylor and Kyle McCord as the two quarterbacks behind Love on the depth chart.

Taylor, who turns 37 on Aug. 3, has made 62 starts over 15 seasons. He made four starts last season with the New York Jets.

He also has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and New York Giants. The Ravens selected Taylor out of Virginia Tech in the sixth round of the 2011 draft.

He has completed 61.8% of his passes for 13,033 yards with 73 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He also has rushed for 2,424 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Taylor reached the Pro Bowl with Buffalo in 2015.

Last season, Taylor went 80 of 134 for 779 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions for the Jets. He rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown.

The Packers opted for Taylor over Ridder, who started 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons from 2022-23 and made one start with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024. The Packers had signed Ridder to their practice squad on Dec. 31 and put him on the active roster a week later.

Green Bay’s other backup option is McCord, who spent last season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad after they drafted him in the sixth round in 2025.

Fisher died on Saturday surrounded by her family, a Gap spokesperson confirmed on Monday. The San Francisco-based company did not specify a cause of death.

The couple co-founded The Gap after a frustrating shopping experience when Don Fisher couldn’t find a pair of jeans that fit, according to the retailer. The Fishers opened one small store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco. Initially men’s Levi’s jeans and record tapes were the only items for sale. But the brand became the foundation for a global retail empire and reshaped American fashion with a focus on simple casual looks from khakis and jeans to T-shirts and sweater sets.

The chain eventually expanded to other nameplates — Banana Republic and Old Navy — and now generates more than $15 billion in sales globally.

Fisher was the company’s fashion merchandiser for nearly four decades, while her husband focused on the business side. The company said that she came up with the company’s name, specifically to bridge the “generation gap” between parents and children. Don Fisher died in 2009.

“There is simply no equal to Doris Fisher,” Gap's CEO and President Richard Dickson said in a statement issued Monday. “In Gap-speak, she was a true original. Doris was a full partner in Gap Inc.’s founding and a path-breaking entrepreneur at a time when that was highly unusual for women. She understood firsthand the value of self-expression, diversity, and inclusion.”

Dickson, who has been spearheading a turnaround after several years of a sales malaise, also said that Doris Fisher “worked tirelessly to ensure that Gap Inc. always did more than sell clothes.” Gap hired Dickson in July 2023.

Gap noted that Doris Fisher’s influence extended beyond merchandising and store design. She helped shape the cultural tone of Gap advertising and product development, while maintaining a “steadfast” presence in the company’s expansion and pushing the company to focus on the customer's needs. Gap went public in 1976.

The Fishers also were involved in philanthropic endeavors. The couple amassed one of the largest private collections of modern and contemporary art in the country, Gap said. In 2009, the family pledged more than 1,100 works to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, one of the largest gifts of its kind.

Doris Fisher was also an advocate of educational opportunities for disadvantaged students. She served on the board of Knowledge Is Power Program, known as KIPP, a network of high-performing charter schools aimed at creating opportunity for underserved students.

Born in San Francisco in 1931, Doris Feigenbaum grew up in a family “steeped in values of enterprise, culture, and community service,” according to Gap. She graduated from Stanford University in 1953, where she studied economics.

She is survived by her three sons — Robert, William, and John — all of whom have carried forward the family’s business and philanthropic commitments with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, KIPP, Stanford University, The Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the San Francisco Symphony, and The Gap Foundation.

She is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren, the company said.

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

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

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

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

The body of one of the passengers who died — a German — remains on the ship, according to an Oceanwide Expeditions statement. A 70-year-old Dutch man died onboard April 11, and his 69-year-old wife died later in South Africa after leaving the ship, officials said. Her blood later tested positive for the virus, making two confirmed cases, South Africa's health minister said.

Among the 87 remaining passengers, 17 are Americans, 19 are from the U.K. and 13 from Spain, according to Oceanwide Expeditions. Sixty-one crew members also are onboard.

Cruise operator says 2 ill crew members urgently need care

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

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

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

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

Oceanwide said it would consider moving to one of the Spanish islands — Tenerife or the port of Las Palmas — if it can't evacuate passengers in Cape Verde.

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

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

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

The cruise started in Argentina

The ship left Ushuaia in southern Argentina on April 1, according to Argentine provincial authorities. Health officials there said they confirmed no passengers had hantavirus symptoms when the Hondius departed.

But because symptoms can appear up to eight weeks after exposure, “the passengers could have been incubating the disease if they acquired it within the country or elsewhere in the world,” Juan Facundo Petrina, director of epidemiology for Tierra del Fuego province, told AP in an interview from Ushuaia.

He noted that the province hasn't historically seen hantavirus cases, but infections have broken out in other Argentine provinces, leading to 28 deaths nationwide last year, according to the health ministry.

For the rest of the Hondius' trip, Oceanwide Expeditions didn’t specify an itinerary. The company advertises 33-night or 43-night “Atlantic Odyssey” cruises on the vessel.

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

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

His wife was transferred to South Africa; she collapsed at a Johannesburg airport and died at a hospital, the South African Department of Health said. On Monday, South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told national broadcaster SABC that her blood was tested posthumously, with a positive hantavirus result.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

———

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taken by surprise

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

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

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

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

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

NATO seeks clarity

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

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

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

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

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

Iran and trade trouble

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Milei's government defends itself

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Journalists in Argentina face government hostility

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

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

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

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

Nearly every day, he posts the slogan “We don’t hate journalists enough" on X.

Late Monday, he took to social media to castigate those who “accuse us of censorship and violations of freedom of speech.”

In an ideal free market, the libertarian leader wrote, “society itself would take care of cleaning the system by bankrupting media outlets that constantly publish falsehoods.”

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

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

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

Starting during down years with Dallas Green and Bucky Dent in the dugout and Don Mattingly trying vainly to push the Yankees back to glory, Sterling entertained fans through the dynasty days of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and into the Aaron Judge era.

During a game against Boston on June 10, 2023, Sterling was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Boston's Justin Turner, said “Ow! Ow! Ow! It really hit me. I didn't know if it was coming back that far," and without pause continued his game commentary.

“He brought that New York theater to the ballpark,” Judge said. “He was almost a kid up there in the broadcast talking about the game.”

Sterling called 5,651 games — 5,426 in the regular season plus 225 postseason — including 5,060 in a row from September 1989 through July 2019. He retired in April 2024 just after the season's start, citing fatigue, then returned to broadcast Yankees games during the 2024 postseason.

“One of a kind,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “The soundtrack for so many New Yorkers and Yankee fans over the years.”

Boone pays tribute to Sterling's mellifluous baritone at the start of each postgame celebration.

“My coaches look at me like I’m nuts,” he said. “I don’t even know if they know what I’m doing, but as soon as that final out is made and I go I get up to shake players’ hands I go: “Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theee Yankees win!”

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

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

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

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

Suzyn Waldman, his broadcast partner for his final two decades, had no advance word of the home run calls.

“Sometimes I’d have to turn the sound off because I’d be laughing so hard," she said Monday. “Players started to come to him and said: 'I want one.' Remember Nick Swisher? He called him once Jolly Old Saint Nick. And up comes Swisher to the back of the plane and said, `I don’t like that. I’m not Jolly old Saint Nick.' That’s where Swishalicious came from."

He also was known some viral bloopers: home run calls on balls that were caught, catches that weren't, fair balls that were foul and other foibles. Waldman said criticism stung.

“John had no guile,” she said. “He didn’t understand it when people were mean to him because he could never be mean to anybody.”

Waldman and current Yankees television broadcaster Michael Kay placed flowers on home plate during a tribute before Monday night's game against Baltimore, and stadium organist Ed Alstrom played Broadway show tunes — Sterling's favorite — throughout the game. New York players had “JS” stitched on the backs of their caps and the Bleacher Creatures included Sterling in their start-of-game Roll Call.

When Judge homered in the first inning, Kay called the action on the YES Network using Sterling's exclamation: “A Judgian blast! Here comes the Judge!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I was his update person on WFAN in 1987 and he was doing a talk show,” Waldman said. “He stood up and he cupped his hand over his ear and he talked standing up for four hours and I said this must be a really interesting person and he could talk about anything. ... He also was a pretty nasty talk show host. People think it was nasty then —- John would really yell at people and call them stupid.”

Sterling was seldom in the clubhouse and dressed in Brooks Brothers suits even though he was on the radio. A voracious reader, he would peruse a few pages during between-innings breaks.

He partnered with Jay Johnstone (1989-90), Joe Angel (1991), Michael Kay (1992-2001), Charley Steiner (2002-04) and Waldman (2005-24). Sterling and Waldman were inducted into the New York State Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2016.

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

Sterling was proud of his unique style.

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

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

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

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

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

Meta has vowed to appeal the jury verdict and warned that it could eliminate service in New Mexico entirely if forced to comply with impractical mandates and multibillion-dollar remedies.

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

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

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

Trial could alter algorithms that define social media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meta asserts free speech protections

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

In opening statements, Meta attorney Alex Parkinson disputed the idea that there is a public right to social media under nuisance laws.

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

The company also argues that its platforms are being singled out among hundreds of apps that teens use with less robust protections, while invoking concerns about restrictions on free speech.

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

Parkinson said prosecutors are making unworkable demands to change apps only for New Mexico users — an assertion disputed by the attorney general.

“To geo-fence New Mexico users into that version of the apps, new apps for New Mexico, that is not feasible, technologically,” Parkinson told the judge.

Influence could be far-reaching

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

Torrez said he envisions a broad public education campaign to help parents and children navigate social media safely, with new public service warnings on Meta apps.

“All of those kids need help, they need counseling, they need therapy," Torrez said at a news conference Monday, accompanied by parent advocates for social media reforms.

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

“The state is asking you to develop from scratch a completely new regulatory regime that far exceeds anything in Europe, in Australia, anywhere,” Parkinson said in reference to a bevy of recent and planned restrictions on children’s online activities beyond the U.S.

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

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

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This story has been updated to correct the wording in the quote from Judge Bryan Biedscheid.

Winners announced Monday include two books rooted in the country's founding. Jill Lepore's “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution” won for history, and Amanda Vaill's “Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution” was the winner for biography. Yiyun Li’s “Things in Nature Merely Grow,” her blunt account of the suicides of her two sons, was cited for memoir-autobiography. “There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America,” by Brian Goldstone, won for general nonfiction.

The poetry prize went to Juliana Spahr's “Ars Poeticas,” and the music award was given to Gabriela Lena Frank for “Picaflor: A Future Myth,” a symphonic work inspired by Andean legend and California wildfires.

The 50-year-old Kraus has had a diverse and prolific career quite unlike the average Pulitzer fiction winner. He has written horror, science fiction, graphic novels and books for kids. He has collaborated with filmmakers George Romero and Guillermo del Toro, whose Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water” was conceived with Kraus' help. He has received numerous prizes over the years, including the Bram Stoker Award for horror, but had never imagined he'd win a Pulitzer. When he began receiving texts Monday — that included such messages as “Wow!” — he worried that he had somehow gotten himself in trouble.

Pulitzer officials praised “Angel Down” as “a stylistic tour-de-force that blends such genres as allegory, magical realism, and science fiction into a cohesive whole, told in a single sentence.” Kraus said that he at first used a conventional narrative but found that abandoning traditional punctuation better suited a story of war that seemingly had no end.

“It's like you have the feeling of being locked into the book forever,” he told The Associated Press during a telephone interview.

Wohl’s memory play collects second-wave feminists from all walks of life as they tackle misogyny, internalized homophobia, domestic abuse and gender roles. The play navigates between past and present, and six of the actors disrobe for the Act 2 opening scene. The win comes a day before the Tony Award nominations, when “Liberation” is expected to be named in the best new play category.

Lepore is a New Yorker staff writer and Harvard University professor whose Pulitzer helps confirm her as one of the country's most prominent historians. Her previous honors include the Bancroft Prize for “The Name of War” and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for “New York Burning.” In 2023, she contributed an introduction to Paul McCartney's book of Beatles photos, “1964: Eyes of the Storm.”

Goldstone is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic and other publications. Spahr is a poet, critic and editor whose prize-winning collection is a statement of poetry's vitality during the darkest times, and Frank is a Grammy-nominated artist known for combining influences ranging from Latin American folklore to Western classical music.

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Associated Press Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy contributed.

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

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

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

Planes fly low when landing

Anyone who drives that section of Interstate 95 near the airport is likely used to seeing planes coming in low and crossing over all the lanes of traffic as the planes get ready to land, but never this low.

Dashboard camera video from inside the truck showed the driver singing happily to himself, then glancing out his window with a slight look of concern as the sound of the jet's whining engines begins on the recording.

A moment later, part of the plane zooms into view out the driver's side window. The video also shows the moment of impact. Typically, semitrucks are 13.5 feet (4.1 meters) tall, so the plane was quite low.

Chuck Paterakis, the vice president of the bakery company H&S Family of Bakeries, said the company is “relieved that everyone is safe, as that is our top priority.” The bakery is cooperating with investigators.

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

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

Witnesses were alarmed by the sight

Patrick Oyulu, of Edison, New Jersey, was among those on the turnpike when the plane struck the truck. He posted a short video showing the aftermath of the collision as the huge plane barely cleared the road and landed on the runway.

“The plane seemed to come in almost directly over the highway,” Oyulu recounted in a message to The Associated Press. He said the truck appeared to swerve sharply and smoke could be seen coming from it after the aircraft apparently made contact.

“I never expected a plane that low, and never expected I would see the undercarriage of a plane of that magnitude bearing overhead, with such noise and gust of wind,” Oyulu said.

Investigation will look at variety of factors

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

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

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

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

Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, said investigators will likely also look at whether fatigue could have been a factor after the long flight from Italy.

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

In 1985, Delta Flight 191 was coming in to land at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport when a microburst of wind during a thunderstorm sent the plane down into the ground, striking a vehicle. The plane then plowed into airport water tanks. A total of 137 people died in that crash, including the vehicle's driver.

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Associated Press reporter Philip Marcelo contributed to this report from New York.

Authorities were continuing to search for suspects Monday in the shooting that critically injured at least three of those hurt. No arrests have been made.

It wasn’t clear how many of the injured had been shot, police said Monday in a statement. It provided few answers about what had happened.

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

Jeremiah Smith estimated 250 people showed up at the party. He said the trouble began when a group of girls started arguing over boyfriends. “It just started a whole bunch of chaos,” he said.

“Everybody got scared, dudes was panicking, women was panicking, people seeing their friends fight,” Smith said.

The 18-year-old said he heard shots ring out in different directions for several minutes as he ran toward the lake. Those hit included two of his friends, he added.

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

Police in Edmond said Monday that the party had been promoted across social media, drawing a large crowd of mostly young adults from across the Oklahoma City area.

Edmond Mayor Mark Nash said the shooting took place at a public park where spaces can be reserved for large gatherings. “To our knowledge, there was no reservation through the parks department,” he said.

Nash declined to answer questions about the shooting, saying police were handling the investigation.

“We’re already taking steps to review and strengthen park operations, permitting processes and security measures,” the mayor said.

Some of those injured were transported for medical attention while others sought treatment on their own, authorities said.

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

OU Health said it received five people at its trauma center but didn't elaborate.

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

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

Arcadia Lake is dotted with picnic pavilions, campgrounds, a fishing pier, and swimming beaches. Built in the 1980s for outdoor recreation and flood control, the lake also provides water to the city of Edmond, a suburb of about 100,000 residents.

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

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

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Associated Press reporters Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Corey Williams in Detroit, Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Edwards was expected to miss at least the first two games of the series in San Antonio, but the 6-foot-4 guard expedited his rehabilitation to play in the opener.

“He's in,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said 90 minutes before scheduled tipoff.

Finch said Edwards will be on a minutes restriction, but said he was unsure if the 24-year-old will start or come off the bench.

‘Obviously, the way he’s moving and just what percentage of himself does he look like," Finch said in regards to the player's minutes. “Of course, obviously, but he’s looked really pretty good and I’m sure he’ll be a little winded at times, but I know he’s excited and we’re proud to have him back.”

Edwards was cleared to participate in team activities Saturday and upgraded to questionable on Sunday's injury report. He was a full participant in the morning shootaround and was cleared to play following pre-game workouts Monday.

“It will be fun to compete against him,” San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson said. “I’m glad he’s playing.”

Edwards suffered a bone bruise, in addition to hyperextending his left knee, on April 25 during Game 4 of Minnesota’s opening-round series against Denver.

The Timberwolves also lost Donte DiVincenzo in Game 4 to a torn right Achilles tendon, but won the next two games against the Nuggets to advance.

Edwards was not in attendance during Game 6 while receiving treatment for his injury.

“He loves to play the game,” Finch said. “We dodged a bullet when it happened. He’s done an incredible job. Our medical staff has done an unbelievable job of getting him to this point. And he was super motivated by the fact that we were able to get that first series. I think that was kind of a little bit of an inspiration for him too, just gave him something to work towards.”

Edwards averaged 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 61 games during the regular season. He averaged 36.7 points, 4.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds in three games against San Antonio this season.

The Spurs were preparing to play against Edwards leading up to the series opener, even though his status was in doubt.

“A player that level in a way takes a lot of the thinking out because you know there is only a handful of players in this league to that level, so you know their game,” Johnson said.

The Timberwolves were 2-1 against the Spurs during the regular season.

San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, named the Defensive Player of the Year on April 20, missed the opening game against Minnesota during the regular season with a left calf strain. Wembanyama averaged 34 points and 8.0 rebounds in two games against the Timberwolves, including 39 points in a 126-123 victory on Jan. 17 in the regular-season finale between the clubs.

San Antonio will be without rookie forward Carter Bryant, who sprained his right ankle during practice leading up to the series.

Minnesota will be without Ayo Dosunmu, who is out with right calf soreness.

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

The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee on Monday approved the Southeastern Conference's request to implement a challenge system for balls and strikes for each game of the 2026 SEC Tournament. It will be similar to the system used in Major League Baseball.

Teams can challenge an umpire’s strike or ball call via an automated ball tracking system that monitors the exact location of each pitch, relative to the specific batter’s zone.

“The introduction of this challenge system at the SEC Tournament reflects our continued commitment to innovation,” Commissioner Greg Sankey said. “This addition represents a continued step forward for our game, aligns more closely with the professional level and supports the development of our student-athletes as they prepare for success at the next level.”

Each team will have three challenges to start the game. If a challenge is successful, the team will retain the challenge. If the original call is confirmed, the team will lose the challenge.

Upon a challenge, the pitch location will be compared against the electronic strike zone. The result will then be displayed on the stadium videoboard and broadcast.

The SEC baseball tournament will be played May 19-24 in Hoover, Alabama.

The Automatic Ball-Strike system would be allowed for other conference tournaments if a conference wanted to use it and followed the same protocols as the SEC.

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

A special legislative session responding to the court ruling began Monday in Alabama and is to start Tuesday in Tennessee. Louisiana lawmakers, who already are in session, also are looking at how to redraw their congressional districts. The Supreme Court on Monday essentially gave them a green light to proceed by approving a request to expedite the court's formal judgment.

Civil rights activists have countered with rallies, protests and lawsuits challenging the new redistricting efforts. Several hundred protesters gathered outside the Alabama Statehouse on Monday, carrying signs declaring “No new map” and “We fight back! Black Voters Matter.”

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

Trump on Sunday encouraged more states to join in redistricting, saying in a social media post that Republicans could gain 20 House seats. But South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s office on Monday said the Republican would not call a special session to redraw the state’s only Democratic-occupied House seat.

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

As Republicans forge ahead, U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries touted a redistricting effort in his home state of New York. But that isn’t expected to result in a new map until 2028. To adopt new districts, New York lawmakers must pass a constitutional amendment twice in two years, and voters would also have to approve it.

A national redistricting battle is expanding

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

On Monday, Florida became the eighth state to enact new House districts ahead of midterm elections, as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he had signed a redrawn map passed by lawmakers last week that could help Republicans win as many as four additional House seats. The new map was immediately challenged in court as a partisan gerrymander that violates a state constitutional provision against drawing districts that favor one political party over another.

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

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

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

Alabama plans for a potential primary change

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

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

Redistricting opponents rallied Monday across the street from the historic Alabama Capitol, where the Confederacy was formed in 1861 and where the Rev. Martin Luther King addressed a crowd of thousands after the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.

“Much blood, sweat and tears was shed in an effort for us to gain the right to vote,” said Sheyann Webb-Christburg, who as a child participated in the 1965 Bloody Sunday voting rights march in Selma. “In 2026, there are still people who are still not exercising that right to vote, and we are still fighting today, even in an effort to keep our right to vote.”

Tennessee pushes for a new House map

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

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

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

Clergy members concerned about plans to split Memphis’ congressional district came together Monday to denounce the move.

“This latest attempt at redistricting is not just about lines on a map, it is about misrepresentation,” said the Rev. Earle Fisher, a pastor at the Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church and the founder of Up the Vote 901, referring to the Memphis area code. “It’s about whether the voices of Black people in this state will be heard or hidden.”

The candidate qualifying period in Tennessee ended in March, and the primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6.

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

“When I walked into the locker room afterward with the coaches, you are just shaking your head, thinking five more seconds, you couldn’t keep it in for five more seconds,” Auriemma said in his first news conference since then.

“You just feel dumb for the way that it played out,” he added. “We are all human and we all do dumb (stuff).”

Auriemma sparked a firestorm of criticism after he went over to Staley in the final seconds of South Carolina’s 62-48 victory at the Final Four in Phoenix and appeared to chastise her.

Coaches from both teams had to separate them. When the game finally ended, Auriemma walked off the court to the locker room without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina.

Auriemma said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. He later apologized with a written statement.

“I didn’t see a lot of it, but that is to be expected,” Auriemma said of the backlash. “I think maybe some of it was warranted and some of it was people have been lying in the weeds waiting for that moment. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done for the game; it is what you just did.

"Unfortunately, that is the world that we live in today and it usually is one-sided. The people who understood what it was all about in a different light, they are not going to go on the air and say it. They are not going to write about it because now they are going against a major internet or media frenzy; they are not going to do that. I brought the criticism on myself. I didn’t bring the (stuff) that came after it on myself.”

Auriemma compared the backlash to what might have happened if social media had been around in 1998, when he arranged for an injured Nykesha Sales to make a basket so she could set the program’s career scoring record.

“Immediately, it was the worst thing to ever happen to the game of basketball and to sports in general,” Auriemma said.

“These things that happen, you take them all with a grain of salt, understand them. I did what I did, I apologized for it and I moved on.”

His focus now is on the 2026-27 season. Despite the loss of two starters, including WNBA No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd, the Huskies figure to be one of the top title contenders again.

Transfers Serah Williams and Kayleigh Heckel played pivotal roles for the 38-1 UConn team in the 2025-26 season. He opted not to add any transfers and rely on the returning players, led by national player of the year Sarah Strong and two incoming freshmen.

“People have to get better,” Auriemma said. “You want your players to get better and improve from one year to the next. Blanca (Quinonez) going from playing 17 minutes a night to playing 27-30 minutes a night, I think changes the dynamic of the team. Sarah (Strong) probably getting more touches, probably playing 30 minutes per game.

Auriemma said that Strong has declined opportunities to play for USA Basketball this offseason to recover from inflammation in her leg that kept her out of most practices during the postseason.

“The new kids that are coming in are going to give us a little bit of a different look than we had. We have really good guards on our team but none of them are exactly what Jovana (Popovic) is; our big kids are going to get better. Olivia (Vukosa) is a little different than what we have right now. We will look a little different, but the core of the team is back.”

UConn also brings back Morgan Cheli, who played at least 15 minutes nine times as a freshman before missing all of last season with an ankle injury.

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Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn said plainclothes agents spotted the man around 3:30 p.m. in the area near the White House complex and saw the imprint of the weapon on him. The agents followed him briefly and contacted the uniformed officers.

The unidentified man attempted to flee when uniformed officers with the Secret Service approached him. Quinn said the man fired at the officers, who returned fire.

The alleged gunman was transported to a local hospital. Quinn said he had no information on the suspect's condition.

Quinn said emergency personnel also transported a minor who was shot but not seriously injured. Quinn said he could not say definitively that the bystander, who also was taken to a hospital, was struck by shots from the suspect's gun. “We’ll let the doctors figure that out,” he said, though he noted that “investigators believe he was struck by the suspect.”

Quinn said the Washington, D.C., police would investigate the officer-involved shooting.

The Secret Service encouraged people to avoid the area as emergency crews responded to the shooting not far from the White House, where President Donald Trump was holding a small business event.

The White House was briefly locked down as authorities investigated the incident. The Secret Service ushered journalists who were outside into the briefing room, and Trump continued his event without interruption.

The incident drew a large police presence, coming just over a week after a gunman tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives. Cole Tomas Allen has been charged in that incident, in which a Secret Service officer was shot, although he was wearing body armor and was not seriously injured.

Quinn said it was not known yet whether the Monday incident was related to Trump. “I’m not going to guess on that,” Quinn said. “Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know, but we will find out.”

In a year when several prize-winning projects zoomed in on the Trump presidency, the Post's coverage illuminated the administration's fast-moving, sometimes opaque drive to reshape the national government and what the cuts and changes meant for individual Americans.

The Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown was given a special citation for her reporting, nearly a decade ago, that drew attention to Jeffrey Epstein ’s abuses. The New York Times won three of the coveted prizes, the Post and Reuters each won two, and less widely known outlets ranging from The Connecticut Mirror to the podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” also were recognized in a challenging year for American journalism.

“This is always a day of celebration in our communities, but perhaps never more so than today as we face tremendous political and economic pressures,” prize administrator Marjorie Miller said in a livestream announcement.

In the last few months, the Post cut a third of its staff, CBS News announced it would shutter its nearly century-old radio service, The AP offered buyouts to over 120 journalists and some regional newspapers also publicly struggled. CBS parent Paramount’s acquisition of CNN has raised questions about what’s next for those networks. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump continued to bash, and sometimes sue, outlets whose coverage he finds objectionable.

‘Sweeping and deeply impactful reporting’

Spanning three years, thousands of pages of documents and numerous interviews, the AP project found that American companies help lay the foundations of the Chinese government’s system for monitoring and policing its citizens.

“This was sweeping and deeply impactful reporting, the kind of work that highlights the unique strengths of AP’s global, multiformat newsroom,” executive editor Julie Pace said in an email to staffers. She is among the Pulitzer Board's new members.

Some of The Washington Post's winning work was by reporter Hannah Natanson, whose home was searched and devices were seized in what federal authorities say was an investigation into a Pentagon contractor’s handling of classified documents. The Post says the seizure violated the First Amendment.

Two winning entries focused on Trump's pulverizing approach to norms and constraints. Reuters, which won for national reporting, looked at how Trump has used the federal government and his supporters’ influence to expand presidential authority and target foes, the award judges noted. The Times took the investigative reporting prize for exploring the Republican president’s boundary-pushing approach to the notion of conflicts of interest.

Joseph Kahn, executive editor of the Times, said its reporters have been threatened over their work. “We have not, and will not” bow to the pressure, he said in a statement.

Reuters' reporting on scam ads, AI chatbots and the social media giant Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — won the beat reporting prize, last given two decades ago.

Reuters' wins spotlighted "fearless, deeply reported, original work that holds powerful institutions to account,” editor-in-chief Alessandra Galloni said in a statement.

Visual journalism honors included a graphic novel

The prize for breaking news went to The Minnesota Star Tribune’s coverage of last year’s deadly mass shooting during Mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school. Judges praised the thoroughness and compassion of the newspaper’s reporting on a scene of carnage in its hometown.

“To me, it’s really a moment to appreciate the power of local journalism,” Kathleen Hennessey, the Star Tribune's editor and senior vice president, said in an interview. One Tribune reporter who lives in the neighborhood heard the gunshots and called 911 before running to the scene, she noted; an editor at the paper has children who attend the school.

“It feels really gratifying to be recognized, but for this newsroom, this is also just still a really painful event,” Hennessey said.

The San Francisco Chronicle received the award for explanatory reporting, which means work that makes a complex topic comprehensible to everyday readers and viewers. The Chronicle's series laid out how insurers, aided by algorithmic tools, undervalued and denied rebuilding claims for fire-destroyed homes, the judges said.

In visual journalism, The Times got a breaking news photography award for depicting devastation and starvation in Gaza resulting from Israel's war in the territory. The Post won the feature photography prize, for a visual essay on a family welcoming a firstborn as the child’s father grappled with terminal cancer. The award for illustrated reporting and commentary — a category that includes editorial cartoons and more — went to Bloomberg for a graphic novel about online scams that threaten “digital arrest.”

In a statement, Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait called it "deeply reported public service journalism, published in an inventive format.”

While several prizes reflected the year’s biggest news stories, others highlighted work that wasn’t pushed to everyone’s phones.

One of two local reporting awards went to The Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica for a series on how towing companies profited off Connecticut laws, at the expense of poor car owners; the state soon changed the laws. The Chicago Tribune also was honored for its coverage of the Trump administration’s intense immigration crackdown in the Windy City.

A 'pioneering' live podcast investigation

Texas Monthly won the feature writing award for an editor's first-person story of flooding that killed his toddler nephew and swept his home away. Also in Texas, The Dallas Morning News' architecture critic won the criticism award; judges praised Mark Lamster's wit and expertise. The New York Times' M. Gessen won the opinion writing award for essays on authoritarianism.

The audio award went to “Pablo Torre Finds Out” for probing financial arrangements between Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard and an environmental startup in which the team owner invested. The judges called the project a “pioneering and entertaining form of live podcast journalism.” It's produced by Meadowlark Media and licensed by the New York Times Co.-owned sports site The Athletic.

The Pulitzer announcement — usually followed by a dinner later in the year — came little more than a week after an armed man rushed a security checkpoint and exchanged gunfire with Secret Service agents outside another big event for U.S. journalists, the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington. The man is now charged with trying to assassinate Trump, who was attending the event for his first time as president.

Separately, Monday’s awards also honored books, music and theater.

The prizes were established in newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer’s will and were first awarded in 1917. Winners receive $15,000, and the public service award carries a gold medal. Decisions are made by the Pulitzer Board, based at Columbia University in New York.

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Associated Press writer Sarah Raza contributed from Canton, Michigan.

Jamila Adams, who goes by Mila, testified that Diggs came into her bedroom at his house and “smacked me with an open hand” before wrapping his arm around her neck and choking her, leaving her struggling to breathe. The alleged attack came hours after the two had exchanged a series of angry texts over Adams being left off a trip to Miami where Diggs was taking his entourage for a week.

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

Defense attorneys attempted to chip away at Adams' credibility, challenging her over amounts she wanted to charge Diggs for cooking and alleging she left out details in her police report. They also got Adams to confirm that there were no photos or video of the the assault and presented video of her visiting New York in the hours and day after the attack. They showed her smiling in one video and dancing in another.

Adams countered that she didn't take any video or photos showing the redness she said could be seen on her neck and chest because she was busy trying to figure out her next steps. “I was in shock,” said Adams, noting that the pair had once been in a sexual relationship, so she didn't understand how someone she loved would “put hands on me.”

In his opening statement, Diggs’ attorney, Andrew Kettlewell, insisted his client did nothing wrong and said no one in the house at the time of the alleged attack saw or heard anything out of the ordinary. He also said there were no medical records detailing the assault.

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

The 33-year-old four-time Pro Bowl player has pleaded not guilty to a felony strangulation charge and a misdemeanor assault and battery charge stemming from the December incident. A jury was selected earlier Monday and received its instructions.

Kettlewell also suggested Adams had a financial motive, telling jurors they would hear evidence that she sought money from Diggs a day after charges were filed in late December. The request, he said, started at $19,000 and increased over time to “quite a bit more.”

“She was furious and she wanted Mr. Diggs to pay in every sense of that word,” he said.

Kettlewell urged the jury not to be influenced by the fact Diggs was a famous football player. “Just like any other person in this country, rich or poor, Mr. Diggs sits here an innocent man,” he said.

Diggs declined to speak to reporters as he arrived at Norfolk County District Court in Dedham, a Boston suburb. He also said nothing as he left court for the day.

Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Drew Virtue told jurors in his opening statement that Adams would testify that Diggs slapped her and put her in a headlock that made it difficult to breathe before throwing her onto a bed.

“It’s your job to determine what happened on Dec. 2,” Virtue said.

Judge Jeanmarie Carroll, at times, instructed jurors to disregard portions of Adams’ testimony that went beyond the scope of the questions.

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

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

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

Diggs has yet to sign with another team.

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Willingham reported from Boston.

The project includes construction of a new hangar for local flight programs and a shared aviation training facility for Averett University and Danville Community College. Officials say the upgrades are designed to address workforce shortages while supporting economic growth in the region.

Danville Transportation Services Director Marc Adelman said the investments are intended to strengthen both the local economy and the airport’s long-term viability.

“The projects that have been planned and are underway are going to help with workforce development opportunities,” Adelman said. “They’re going to help with economic development opportunities as well as growing the airport.”

At the center of the initiative is Danville Community College’s aviation maintenance technology program, which aims to train about 50 students annually in aviation maintenance technology and prepare them for training and certification by the Federal Aviation Administration. Program manager Marcio Couto said the region has a strong pipeline of pilots but lacks certified maintenance technicians.

“We have a lot of pilots in the area. Averett generates a lot of pilots,” Couto said. “We do have a lot of aircraft around here. We don’t have a lot of trained technicians approved and certified by the FAA in this area.”

Graduates of the program could earn between $65,000 and $70,000 annually, providing access to stable, well-paying jobs, Couto said.

Averett University also expects the new hangar to support continued growth in its flight program. Chief Flight Instructor Travis Williams said the expanded space will allow the university to accommodate more aircraft and students.

“As our program continues to grow, our fleet of aircraft is also growing,” Williams said. “So having this nice, large corporate hangar is going to help the program expand overall.”

Aviation training opportunities are also expanding into local schools, including George Washington High School, as part of a broader push to build a regional talent pipeline.

Williams said the combination of new facilities, academic programs and local support is helping establish Danville as an emerging aviation hub in Virginia.

“Danville is turning into a bit of a hub in aviation,” he said. “We just see that the city is going to continue having growth in aviation.”

City officials say that growth could eventually include commercial passenger service. Adelman noted that the airport’s primary runway is already capable of supporting regional jet operations, a key requirement for smaller-market commercial service.

However, infrastructure challenges remain — particularly parking capacity.

“We have a terminal area plan study that’s going to start this summer that will address parking issues as well as what we’d need to accomplish commercial air service,” Adelman said.

The expansion project is expected to be completed within the next year.

Clouds will decrease this evening with any lingering showers ending quickly. It will a milder night with lows in the low-to-mid 50s.

Tuesday will start with sunshine but will end with more cloud cover. However, even when we have additional clouds later on Tuesday, we will still be dry. And it will be a very warm day with highs in the lower 80s.

Changes come into the forecast mid-week...

Rest of the week’s forecast

A cold front will impact the area on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing with it a better chance for occasional showers and storms. The rain will likely come in a few waves, so it will not be wet for 48 straight hours. But needed rain is on the way, as we could see anywhere from 0.25-1″ of rain. Temperatures will stay warm on Wednesday, climbing into the mid-to-upper 70s. However, we will cool down on Thursday and Friday..falling into the upper 60s.

We will dry out and see more sunshine on Friday as high pressure briefly moves in.

Looking ahead to the weekend

The weekend will again see more cloud cover rolling in. And a few showers will be possible too. But we are not talking about washouts here. Temperatures will warm a bit, reaching the low-to-mid 70s.

Have a great week, and if you snap spring photos pin them at https://www.wsls.com/pinit/ for a chance to be featured.

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

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

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

Here's the latest:

Tehran doesn’t outright confirm or deny the attacks

But early on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that both the U.S. and the UAE “should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire.”

In similarly vague terms, Iranian state television earlier quoted an anonymous military official as saying Tehran had had “no plan” to target the UAE or one of its oil fields.

“The incident resulted from U.S. military adventurism to create an illegal passage,” the official was quoted as saying about the oil facility attack, apparently referring to Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the strait, a critical waterway for global energy.

UAE says over a dozen missiles, drones launched from Iran

The United Arab Emirates said it had engaged a number of missiles and drones launched from Iran on Monday.

In an update posted on X, the defense ministry said its air defense systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones. The attacks moderately injured three people.

Oman says a residential building was targeted

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hegseth and Caine to hold news conference, Trump says

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

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

Trump urges South Korea to send ships to Strait of Hormuz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Israel closely watching developments in Gulf

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

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

—- Melanie Lidman

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

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

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

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

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

UAE airspace nearly empty as warning sirens blare

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

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

UAE condemns Iranian attacks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three Indian nationals injured in Fujairah attack, says authorities

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Supreme Court restores access to the abortion pill mifepristone

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trump’s vision: DIY defense in Europe

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

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

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

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

What to know about the US defense posture in Europe

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

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

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

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

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White House to hold a summit for small businesses

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Among them: President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and two of Giuliani's successors, former Mayor Eric Adams and current Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

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

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

Giuliani, a Republican, later unsuccessfully ran for president and was an adviser to Trump, spearheading his efforts to stay in office after his 2020 election loss.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The costars turned courtroom adversaries settled the civil case two weeks before they were to go to trial in New York on Lively’s claims that Baldoni conspired with publicists to preemptively destroy her reputation after she privately accused him of sexually harassing her on the movie set.

“Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind," Lively and Baldoni said in a joint statement issued through their lawyers.

"It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online."

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Lively, 38, sued Baldoni, 42, and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, at the end of 2024. Weeks later, Baldoni sued Lively, accusing her, her husband — “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds — and their publicist of defamation and extortion.

Baldoni, who directed the dark romantic drama and starred in it with Lively, had denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. He’d claimed the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie.

Monday's settlement came after a federal judge in Manhattan tossed some of each actors' claims.

Last June, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s defamation and extortion lawsuit. In April, he threw out Lively’s sexual harassment claims, ruling that she couldn’t pursue them under federal law because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee on the movie set.

In their joint statement, the parties said they recognize that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard” and that they ”remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments."

The trial, now no longer necessary, had been scheduled to begin with jury selection on May 18.

“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a relationship devolving into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded box office expectations despite criticism that it glorified abuse. Lively and Baldoni's fractious falling out took attention away from the film, overshadowing its message and success.

“The end product — the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” Lively and Baldoni said in their statement.

Lively said in her lawsuit that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries while filming a love scene, and pushed for nudity — against Lively’s wishes — during a scene in which her character was giving birth.

Baldoni denied doing anything outside the realm of the normal creative process of making a movie.

The judge, in the decision tossing out the sexual harassment claims, acknowledged the complexity of the matter, noting that creative artists “must have some amount of space to experiment within the bounds of an agreed script without fear of being held liable for sexual harassment.”

The trial was to focus on Lively’s claim that Baldoni and the studio retaliated against her sexual harassment complaints by hiring publicists to turn the public against her. Her lawyers said that campaign including hiring a “digital army” to post bogus negative content about Lively on social media platforms, and feeding “manufactured content to unwitting reporters.”

The lawsuit said the purpose was to “retaliate against Ms. Lively by battering her image, harming her businesses, and causing her family severe emotional harm.”

Baldoni’s lawyers have claimed it was Lively who was strategically manipulating Baldoni’s public image, partly by leveraging help from her famous friends.

Lively appeared in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including “The Town” and “The Shallows.”

Baldoni starred in the TV comedy “Jane the Virgin,” directed the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart” and wrote “Man Enough,” a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.

Installed at the end of April, the Trinket Trade Box is a tiny swap spot where people can drop off small treasures and take one in return. The box quickly drew online buzz and visitors from around town.

View this post on Instagram

According to a direct message to 10 News Community Journalist, Isa Gonzalez-Montilla, Savanah found the box littered with trash and inappropriate notes this morning. She stopped by to clean it up.

On Sunday, a group of people took a large amount of items, tossed it all on the ground around, and left the box nearly empty.

Savanah’s message

Savanah runs the Trinket Trade Box’s Instagram, @roanoketrinkettrade.

She says she started the project because “times felt heavy” and she wanted to bring “lightness and fun” back to the community.

She told followers the box has grown thanks to people “participating with kindness and care,” and she’s asking everyone to respect the project’s simple rule: “only take what you replace” so the box “remains full, fun, and magical for everyone”.

View this post on Instagram

How you can help

Savanah is asking the community to respect the box and follow the rules.

Suggested items to trade and clear guidelines on what’s not allowed are below.

What NOT to trade...

• Sharp objects.
• Food/drink.
• Liquids of any kind.
• Trash/broken items.
• Offensive/adult content.
• Political media.
• Illegal/unsafe items.
• Medications of any kind.
• Cash/coins/gift cards/etc.
• Clothing items.

What to trade:

• Pocket-sized treasures.
• Handmade items.
• Jewelry, charms, and keychains.
• Pins (be sure to fasten before trading).
• Figurines/small toys.
• Tiny art, stickers, and collectibles.
• Mini books, zines, notes with kind wishes.
• Crystals, stones and shells.
• Origami and paper crafts.
• Mini stationery.
• Anything small that brings a smile.

DO NOT...

• Alter the box in any way.
• Kindly leave the box, pot, and pole as they are.
• Remove anything that has been glued in place.
• Climb, lean on, or sit on the setup.
• Disturb the area/surrounding businesses.

If you find something cool in the Trinket Box, send us a photo of what you found and left at igonzalezmontilla@wsls.com.

Torre's show — which has three episodes each week — has reported on several major stories since its debut in 2023. Topics include Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to Harvard, Madison Square Garden’s use of facial recognition software at games and team collusion in the NFL.

“We are honored to have been named the winner of the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Audio Reporting!” the podcast’s official X account posted.

Last September, a report by Torre alleged that the Clippers violated NBA salary cap rules involving a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and the now-bankrupt California-based sustainability services company called Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC. The report led to an ongoing NBA investigation.

The Pulitzer judges called the project a “pioneering and entertaining form of live podcast journalism.”

Leonard has denied any wrongdoing, saying he didn’t receive all of the money he was owed from the company.

The Clippers have strongly denied that any rules were broken and said they welcomed the league’s investigation, which is being run by an outside firm.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer made a $50 million investment in Aspiration, and the company and the team announced a $300 million partnership in September 2021. That was about a month after Leonard signed a four-year, $176 million extension with the Clippers.

The team ended its relationship with Aspiration after two years, saying the contract was in default. Aspiration’s co-founder, Joseph Sanberg, agreed to plead guilty in August after facing federal charges of wire fraud. Prosecutors said he defrauded investors and lenders out of $248 million, adding that “Aspiration’s financial statements were inaccurate and reflected much higher revenue than the company in fact received.”

Torre's podcast is produced by Meadowlark Media and licensed by The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times Company. The 40-year-old Torre also has worked for Sports Illustrated and ESPN.

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

“The good news is I'm responding really well to meds and treatments and I'm improving every day,” the 80-year-old country superstar said in a short video posted to her official Instagram account. “Now the bad news is, it's going to take me a little while before I'm up to stage-performance level because some of the meds and treatments make me a lit bit swimmy headed, as my grandma used to say.”

“And of course, I can’t be dizzy carrying around banjos, guitars, and such on five-inch heels — and you know that I’m going to be wearing them,” she joked. “Not to mention, all those heavy rhinestone outfits, the big hair, my big … uh, personality. Lord, those — that would make anybody swimmy headed!”

She didn’t share too many details about her health but clarified that she’s always “had problems with my kidney stones,” and that her immune system and digestive system “got all out of whack over the past couple three years and they’re working real hard on rebuilding and strengthening those.”

She also clarified that her doctors have assured her “that everything I have is treatable, so I'm going with that.”

She said that she is still working on opening her museum and hotel in Nashville as well as her forthcoming Broadway musical, “Dolly: A True Original Musical,” opening in New York later this year.

Parton's previous health challenges

In September, Parton announced her first Las Vegas residency in 32 years was going to be postponed due to “health challenges.” She was scheduled to perform six shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace for “Dolly: Live in Las Vegas” in December, overlapping with the National Finals Rodeo. Her dates were moved to this September, before being canceled on Monday.

“Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” she said at the time of the postponement. “But I believe he is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures with all of you.”

Last September, Parton also was unable to attend the announcement of a new ride at her Tennessee theme park Dollywood due to health issues. “I had a kidney stone that was causing me a lot of problems, turned out it’d given me an infection, and the doctor said, ‘You don’t need to be traveling right this minute, so you need a few days to get better,’” Parton said in a video announcement at the time.

The following month, Parton posted a video to social media joking that she “ain’t dead yet,” following public speculation about her health.

“There are just a lot of rumors flying around. But I figured if you heard it from me, you’d know that I was OK,” she said in a two-minute video posted on Instagram. “I’m not ready to die yet. I don’t think God is through with me. And I ain’t done working.”

Parton performs on occasion but hasn’t toured since her “Pure & Simple Tour” ended in 2016.

A representative directed The Associated Press' back to Parton's video message when asked for comment.

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

There is no immediate timetable for his return, though similar injuries usually require a two-to-three month recovery period. The phrase “loose bodies” often refers to pieces of bone or cartilage that break off and float in the joint space, though the specifics of Skubal's case are unclear.

“From my understanding, you just go take it out,” Skubal told MLB.com. “I think length of the rehab is probably just getting your spring training buildup up again, getting your volume up. But the procedure itself I think is pretty simple as far as what I’ve been explained.”

Skubal pitched for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic this spring but was careful with his workload, throwing in just one game before returning to spring training with the Tigers. He won a record salary arbitration case in February and is being paid $32 million this season, far exceeding the team's $19 million offer.

Skubal has a 3-2 record with a 2.70 ERA over seven starts this season, striking out 45 over 43 1/3 innings. The Tigers are currently tied for first place in the AL Central with an 18-17 record.

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

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

The two-time All-Star won the AL Cy Young award in each of the last two seasons. He had an 18-4 record with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 2024 and was 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts last year.

He's also been effective in the postseason with a 2-1 record, 2.04 ERA and 56 strikeouts over six starts.

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

The draw ended a run of three consecutive wins for City and left it five points behind the London club.

City has a game in hand but the loss at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium meant the title was now Arsenal’s to lose. The Gunners have three games to play.

“It’s painful now," Doku said. “There’s a lot of games to go, everything can happen. We lost two points today but we will keep on fighting.

“We know that one point can still be important in the end.”

City has four games left and knew it needed a win to keep the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side. But although it dominated possession in the first half it struggled to create real chances and it wasn’t until the 42nd minute that Doku found space in a crowded penalty box to curl in a peach of a strike and break the deadlock.

Everton, though, came out a different side in the second half and struck three times in 13 minutes.

City defender Marc Guéhi’s short back pass was intercepted by substitute Thierno Barry, who slipped it past an incredulous Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Five minutes later, the City defense was all at sea again as Jake O’Brien rose at the near post to glance home a corner from James Garner.

Barry made it 3-1 in the 81st when a shot deflected into his path, giving him the simplest of finishes.

But just as City fans were beginning to stream out of the stadium, many returned when Erling Haaland stormed forward and clipped his 25th goal of the season over Jordan Pickford.

City threw everything forward and in the seventh minute of stoppage time Doku curled in a sublime strike with almost the last kick of the match.

It was a killer blow to Everton, which is still hopeful of securing a European place. A win would have lifted it within two points of seventh but instead it was 10th, tied on points with Fulham and Chelsea.

“We let ourselves down, we defended the second goal so poorly and that was the main reason (for the draw)," Everton coach David Moyes said.

“But at halftime we’d have taken this result because we were hugely outplayed in the first half. Getting a point against Manchester City’s not a bad result but when you’re 3-1 up, you’re thinking you’re in with a great chance of winning.”

Forest beats Chelsea

Earlier, Chelsea slumped to a sixth straight Premier League defeat and saw its Champions League qualification hopes virtually disappear after losing to Nottingham Forest 3-1.

Taiwo Awoniyi scored two either side of earning a penalty converted by fellow striker Igor Jesus, inspiring a heavily rotated Forest to the brink of safety. Forest was six points above the relegation zone with three rounds left.

Joao Pedro's overhead kick in second-half stoppage time ended Chelsea's scoreless run in the league stretching back almost two months but proved to be only a consolation.

On a humiliating day for the London club and interim coach Calum McFarlane, Cole Palmer had a penalty saved in a 14-minute period of first-half stoppage time — required after 18-year-old Chelsea winger Jesse Derry, making his first Premier League start, needed lengthy treatment following a clash of heads with Forest’s Zach Abbott at a corner.

Both had to leave the field, Derry on a stretcher as Stamford Bridge fell quiet and his teammates looked concerned.

Reaching the FA Cup final last week has failed to rouse Chelsea's players, who were booed by their own fans at halftime and fulltime, amid their dreadful run of form in the league that has plunged the team to ninth place and out of contention for a top-five finish.

Sixth place could yet earn qualification for the Champions League, but only in the specific scenario of Aston Villa — currently in fifth place — finishing in that position and also winning the Europa League. Chelsea is four points behind sixth-placed Bournemouth.

Villa is 1-0 down to Forest after the first leg of Europa League semifinals. The second leg is at Villa Park on Thursday, prompting Forest manager Vitor Pereira to field virtually a second-choice lineup that still had too much for Chelsea.

In-form playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White was one of Forest's top players starting on the bench. He came on, set up Awoniyi for the third goal in the 52nd minute, and then was forced off with a bandage around his head after a clash of heads with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who also had to be substituted.

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Details regarding the value and length of the extension were not released by the Pistons when they announced the deal on Monday.

The Pistons have gone 104-60 in regular-season games under Bickerstaff and made two playoff appearances since he took over for Monty Williams at the start of the 2024-25 season.

Detroit lost in the first round a year ago. This season, the Pistons had the best record in the Eastern Conference at 60-22 and on Sunday defeated Orlando 116-94 to close out a playoff series victory for the first time since 2008.

In the fall of 2024, Bickerstaff took over a Pistons franchise that had posted the NBA's worst record in each of the previous two seasons, including a 14-68 record in 2023-24.

Before Bickerstaff arrived, Detroit finished with the worst record in the NBA in consecutive seasons.

Detroit opens a second-round playoff series at home on Tuesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers — a team Bickerstaff coached from the end of the 2019-2020 season through the 2023-24 campaign.

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The week runs from May 3 to May 9 and it is dedicated to building healthier families and preventing substance misuse in kids and teens through education, outreach and connection.

There will be events all week long to bring the community together and help raise money for a local nonprofit, the Roanoke Prevention Alliance, which works year-round to raise awareness and bring resources directly into the community. Organizers say events like these help break stigma and open the door to important conversations. They’re also encouraging everyone to get involved.

“Resilience to me is what makes people really strong and what makes people unique,” said Leah Bartholomew, prevention and wellness specialist with Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare.

“Prevention is not possible without buy-in from the community,” said Sarah Kate Brownmiller, director of the Roanoke Prevention Alliance.

There are also easy ways to support the cause.

A Chipotle fundraiser is happening Monday, May 4 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Towers location off Colonial Avenue. A portion of the proceeds will go toward supporting the Roanoke Prevention Alliance’s work. Customers can participate by mentioning the Roanoke Prevention Alliance or showing the event flyer.

More events are planned throughout the week, including Resiliency Bingo on Wednesday, May 6 from 5-7 p.m. at the Melrose Library.

On Thursday, the Roanoke Prevention Alliance is partnering with Hoot and Holler to host RISE UP: Stories of Roanoke Resilience at the Grandin Theatre.

The event will feature stories shared by Roanoke leaders and youth, to highlight their personal strengths, lived experiences, and contributions that they bring to the Roanoke community. That event starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now.

Shortage strains families, system

The district held a hiring event this past weekend in hopes of attracting new candidates, but the need runs deep.

“We’re seeing a shortage and we’ve been seeing a shortage across the nation and in this area,” said Josh Cornett, executive director of school administration for Bedford County Public Schools.

The shortage means missed routes, last-minute cancellations and growing reliance on substitute drivers — placing added stress on a system already stretched thin.

Amanda Bryan, a Bedford County Public Schools parent, said the problem is nothing new.

“Parents in the district have known we’ve been having trouble with buses, and I’ve been a parent here for three years, we’ve had trouble running bus route regularly,” Bryan said.

When a route goes unfilled, school leaders say younger students and working parents bear the cost — sometimes missing work or missing school altogether. The shortage also affects attendance and access to before- and after-school programs.

“I very frequently hear about bus routes either being very delayed or canceled at the very last minute,” Bryan said.

Cornett was direct about what the district needs most.

“We need folks, to get kids to and from school every day consistently,” he said.

What it takes to become a bus driver

The path to becoming a school bus driver is more accessible than many might expect.

Jacquelyn LaRue, a bus trainer for Bedford County Public Schools, said candidates start the process on their own before district training even begins.

“They come to us. They already have their learners license, and we go about three to five weeks of training, it includes classroom training and on the road training,” LaRue said.

According to the Virginia DMV, applicants need a CDL Class B license, roughly 33 hours of behind-the-wheel and classroom time, plus background checks and safety clearances. Once candidates commit, LaRue says the path is attainable — but the county needs more recruits, not just a trickle of candidates.

LaRue, who has driven school buses across multiple districts for decades, says the job offers something unexpected for those willing to give it a chance.

“I’ve driven the bus for over 20 years for different school systems,” LaRue said. “I think each day is a different challenge and each day helps you and it also helps the kids grow.”

District responds, eyes next school year

When asked for specifics on how many drivers are needed, the district did not provide a number. Instead, officials released this statement:

“We’re always looking for reliable, safety-focused bus drivers to join our team. There are ongoing opportunities to drive for BCPS, and as the current school year comes to a close, we’re actively preparing for the upcoming year. Our goal is to ensure we’re fully staffed with well-trained drivers and substitute drivers so we can operate as efficiently and effectively as possible.”

The district says the job offers predictable schedules, competitive pay and a clear training pipeline — along with support for new drivers to help them stay past their first year. Without a steady roster of drivers, school officials warn that disrupted learning and added costs for temporary coverage will continue.

Cornett said the district’s message to potential recruits is simple.

“We’re always looking for good folks to come and serve our kids and serve our community,” he said.

School leaders say this is about more than filling shifts — it’s about keeping kids safe and classrooms full.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Brockman, who also said he did not personally invest any money in OpenAI, was testifying Monday in the trial that centers on the company's 2015 founding as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Elon Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

Brockman's disclosure would put him on the Forbes list of the world's richest people, with wealth comparable to Melinda French Gates.

The civil lawsuit accuses Altman and Brockman of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind Musk's back.

Late Sunday, OpenAI lawyers tried to admit as evidence a text message Musk sent to Brockman two days before the trial began. According to a court filing — which did not include the actual text exchange — Musk sent a message to Brockman to gauge interest in settlement.

When Brockman replied that both sides should drop their respective claims, Musk shot back, according to the filing, “By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be."

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the trial, did not admit the text exchange as evidence.

State Farm violated the law hundreds of times in a sampling of 220 cases, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said. The maximum penalty amount allowed by law would be around $4 million if State Farm is found to be “willful” in violating state law. Regulators may also temporarily suspend the company's license, effectively prohibiting the state's largest home insurer from writing new policies for a year in California.

The two fires were devastating — they led to the deaths of 31 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.

State Farm said in a statement it rejected any suggestions it “engaged in a general practice of mishandling or intentionally underpaying wildfire claims" and called the state's insurance market “dysfunctional.” The company said it has paid out more than $5.7 billion on 13,700 auto and home insurance claims related to the fires.

“The threat to suspend State Farm General’s ability to serve customers over primarily administrative and procedural errors is a reckless, politically motivated attack that could ultimately cripple California’s homeowners insurance market," the statement said.

The legal action comes as California struggles with an ongoing insurance crisis, where companies are boosting rates, limiting coverage or pulling out completely from regions susceptible to wildfires and other natural disasters. In 2023, several major insurance companies, including State Farm, either paused or restricted new coverage in the state. They said they can’t truly price the risk on properties as wildfires become more common and destructive due to climate change.

The state now gives insurers more latitude to raise premiums in exchange for issuing more policies in high-risk areas. That includes regulations allowing insurers to consider climate change when setting their prices and allowing them to pass on the costs of reinsurance to California consumers.

Lara last year also approved State Farm's request to raise premiums by 17% for homeowners to help the company avoid a financial crisis after the LA fires. State Farm also agreed to not cancel any new polices this year in an agreement with the department and a consumer group in March.

Lara launched the investigation last June after survivors of the Palisades and Eaton fires said that State Farm was delaying and mishandling claims regarding damage to their homes and possible contamination from smoke.

“Our investigation found that State Farm delayed, underpaid, and buried policyholders in red tape at the worst moment of their lives. That is unacceptable, and we are taking decisive action to hold them accountable,” Lara said in a statement.

The department looked at 220 random claims filed to State Farm and found roughly 400 violations. They included underpayment and slow or inadequate claim processing. State Farm handled about one third of all residential claims filed after the fires, state officials said. The department said thousands of people might be affected by the unlawful behaviors.

In one case, State Farm waited nearly three months before starting to investigate a claim, according to the state. In another, the company delayed paying a customer for months while internally acknowledging the payment should have been approved. The company also caused confusion for a customer after assigning a dozen claim adjusters to the case within four months.

State Farm also illegally denied payments for hygienic testing for toxins in smoke damage claims, the legal filings said.

State Farm is the second insurer to face legal actions from the state over its handling of LA fire claims. The department is also seeking remedies against the FAIR Plan for denying smoke damage claims. The plan is an insurance pool that all the major private insurers pay into, and the plan then issues policies to people who can’t get private insurance because their properties are deemed too risky to insure.

Legislative voting districts typically are redrawn based on census data after the start of each decade. But an unusual spate of mid-decade redistricting broke out after President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to reshape U.S. House districts to give the party an edge in the midterm elections. Democrats in California countered with their own political gerrymandering. More states followed.

Eight states have already adopted new House maps, and several more are considering it. So far, Republicans believe they could win up to 13 additional seats from new districts in Texas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Democrats, meanwhile, think they could gain up to 10 seats from new districts in California, Utah and Virginia.

But those tallies presume past voting patterns hold in November. Historically, the president's party tends to lose seats in the midterms. Democrats need to gain just a few seats in November to wrest control of the House from Republicans, which would give them greater power to oppose Trump.

Where new House districts are proposed

Lawmakers in at least three states are meeting to consider plans for new U.S. House maps.

Louisiana

Current map: two Democrats, four Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Jeff Landry has postponed the May 16 congressional primary to allow lawmakers to revise U.S. House districts in response to an April 29 Supreme Court ruling striking down a majority Black congressional district.

Challenges: Several lawsuits have been filed in federal and state court asserting that Landry lacked authority to suspend the primary elections.

Alabama

Current map: two Democrats, five Republicans

New map: Republican state officials hope to revert to a U.S. House map passed in 2023 — but not previously used — that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: The current map was imposed under a court order and is supposed to be used until after the 2030 census. State officials have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside that order in light of its ruling in the Louisiana redistricting case.

Tennessee

Current map: one Democrat, eight Republicans

New Map: Republican Gov. Bill Lee has called lawmakers into special session to consider a new U.S. House map that could carve up a Black-majority district in Memphis and improve Republican chances of winning an additional seat.

Challenges: The candidate qualifying period already has ended for the primaries, which are scheduled for Aug. 6.

Where new House districts were approved

New U.S. House districts have passed in eight states since last summer. Six took up redistricting voluntarily, one was required to by its state constitution and another did so under court order.

Texas

Current map: 13 Democrats, 25 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a revised House map into law last August that could help Republicans win five additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in December cleared the way for the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It has since overturned a lower-court ruling that blocked the new map because it was “racially gerrymandered.”

California

Current map: 43 Democrats, nine Republicans

New map: Voters in November approved revised House districts drawn by the Democratic-led Legislature that could help Democrats win five additional seats.

Challenges: The U.S. Supreme Court in February allowed the new districts to be used in this year’s elections. It denied an appeal from Republicans and the Department of Justice, which claimed the districts impermissibly favor Hispanic voters.

Missouri

Current map: two Democrats, six Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a revised House map into law last September that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A Cole County judge ruled the new map is in effect as election officials work to determine whether a referendum petition seeking a statewide vote complies with constitutional criteria and contains enough valid petition signatures. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit claiming mid-decade redistricting is illegal. It’s scheduled to hear arguments in May on claims the new districts violate compactness requirements and should be placed on hold pending the potential referendum.

North Carolina

Current map: four Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: The Republican-led General Assembly gave final approval in October to revised districts that could help Republicans win an additional seat.

Challenges: A federal court panel in November denied a request to block the revised districts from being used in the midterm elections.

Ohio

Current map: five Democrats, 10 Republicans

New map: A bipartisan panel composed primarily of Republicans voted in October to approve revised House districts that improve Republicans’ chances of winning two additional seats.

Challenges: None. The state constitution required new districts before the 2026 election, because Republicans had approved the prior map without sufficient Democratic support after the last census.

Utah

Current map: no Democrats, four Republicans

New map: A judge in November imposed revised House districts that could help Democrats win a seat. The court ruled that lawmakers had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters when adopting the prior map.

Challenges: A federal court panel and the state Supreme Court, in February, each rejected Republican challenges to the judicial map selection.

Virginia

Current map: six Democrats, five Republicans

New map: Voters approved a constitutional amendment on April 21 authorizing new U.S. House districts backed by Democrats that could help the party win up to four additional seats.

Challenges: The state Supreme Court allowed the referendum to proceed, but it has yet to rule whether the effort is legal. The court is considering an appeal of a Tazewell County judge’s ruling that the amendment is invalid because lawmakers violated procedural requirements.

Florida

Current map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

New map: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on May 4 that he had signed revised U.S. House districts that improve the GOP’s chances of winning four additional seats.

Challenges: A court challenge contends the new map violates a state constitution provision prohibiting districts from being drawn with intent to favor or disfavor a political party.

While an agreement was announced Saturday, it still must be approved by the board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, then ratified by a member vote. If both those things happen — as they're expected to — the industry will avoid a repeat of the 2023 actor and writer strikes that seriously shook the entertainment industry. This year's negotiations were drama-free, and more strikes never really appeared to be in the cards.

The tentative deal was announced in a joint statement from SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents a coalition of Hollywood's major studios, streamers and production companies.

The statement said no details would be made public until the union's board has had a chance to review them.

A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that the agreement was for a four-year contract instead of the long-standard three. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The union's main priorities going into talks included bolstering protections against the use of artificial intelligence creating synthetic performers or recreating likenesses of real actors. Also on the actors' agenda was securing improved long-term payments for re-aired shows, known in the industry as residuals.

In an interview with the AP shortly before talks began, actor and SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said the union had to fight to protect the gains made in the strike.

“There is no going back,” he said.

Astin said the studios were “sending signals of wanting stability, of wanting to work as partners.”

The studios also appeared cautiously optimistic that a fair deal would be reached.

It took about six weeks of talks for the two sides to reach the agreement. The negotiations began Feb. 9 but were interrupted while studios took a break from the actors' talks to negotiate with writers, who also reached a four-year agreement instead of their usual three-year deal.

The current SAG-AFTRA contract is set to expire June 30. Even in years without strikes, negotiations often come up to the brink or even go past the deadline.

With the actor talks completed, AMPTP negotiators are free to begin contract talks with the Directors Guild, the first under new president Christopher Nolan. Those are set to begin May 11.

The capital club moved into fifth place, just one point behind Juventus.

Gianluca Mancini headed home the opener from a corner kick after 13 minutes and Wesley added a second five minutes later to put Gian Piero Gasperini’s side in the driving seat.

Mario Hermoso added the third after great set up work by Manu Kone, and Niccolò Pisilli completed the scoring early in the second half.

It was the first league defeat for Fiorentina in eight games. La Viola still need a point to guarantee their Serie A survival and remain in 16th, nine points clear of the relegation zone.

Lazio beats Cremonese

Cremonese relinquished a first-half lead in losing at home to Lazio 2-1, missing a chance to grab crucial points in its fight to avoid relegation.

Cremonese has won only one of its last 21 league matches. It remained third from bottom, four points adrift of safe and 17th-placed Lecce with three games to play.

The home side took the lead in the first half when Federico Bonazzoli’s left-foot shot squirmed under the body of Lazio goalkeeper Edoardo Motta.

Gustav Isaksen brought Lazio level in the second half, and Tijjani Noslin curled in the winner two minutes into stoppage time.

Jamies Vardy made a substitute appearance for Cremonese after missing four games with a muscle strain but he made no difference.

Lazio moved into eighth, two points above Bologna and Sassuolo.

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The S&P 500 sank 0.4%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 557 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%.

The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude leaped 5.8% to settle at $114.44. It jolted higher after the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. ally, said it came under attack by Iran for the first time since the ceasefire took hold in early April. The attacks appeared to be in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

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

Trump said Sunday that the United States would guide ships through the strait, which could get oil flowing again and bring down its price. But prices instead climbed with uncertainty about what would happen next.

The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz. It also said that it sank six small boats as it set up an “enhanced security area” for ships crossing the strait.

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

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

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

It sold less beef than it did a year ago, but it did so at prices that were 11.5% higher, so its total beef revenue edged up. It also sold more chicken and pork than a year earlier, at slightly higher prices. Its stock rose 8% and helped limit Wall Street’s losses.

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

The cruise operator said some “execution missteps” also have bookings below where it would like, and its stock fell 8.6%.

UPS and FedEx dropped even more for some of the market’s sharpest losses after Amazon announced a move that could cut into their businesses. The online giant said it’s begun allowing Procter & Gamble, 3M and other big companies to use its logistics services to move inventory, fulfill orders and deliver packages directly to shoppers.

UPS dropped 10.5%, and FedEx fell 9.1%, while Amazon rose 1.4%.

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

GameStop said it has already built a 5% stake in eBay and sees opportunities to cut $2 billion in annual costs quickly. GameStop, whose stock briefly soared to market-shaking heights during the meme stock craze of 2021, fell 10.1%, while eBay rose 5.1%.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 29.37 points to 7,200.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 557.37 to 48,941.90, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 46.64 to 25,067.80.

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

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

In the bond market, Treasury yield jumped with the price of oil. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.43% from 4.39% late Friday. It was at just 3.97% before the war began, and the rise has made mortgages and other kinds of loans for U.S. households and businesses more expensive.

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AP Business Writers Matt Ott, Anne D’Innocenzio and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in response said his country would observe a truce beginning at 12 a.m. on Wednesday and respond in kind to Russia's actions from that moment on. He did not put an end date on the truce.

The announcements on Monday come as Russia prepares to celebrate its most important secular holiday with a traditional military parade on Moscow's Red Square pared down due to what officials say are concerns over possible Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine has been launching drone attacks deep inside Russia to counter its more than 4-year-old invasion.

They also follow a familiar pattern of previous attempts to secure ceasefires — most recently around Orthodox Easter — that had little to no impact.

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

Zelenskyy responded by saying that while Kyiv has not received any official requests for a truce, in the time left until midnight on Wednesday “it is realistic to ensure” that a ceasefire takes effect. He urged the Kremlin “to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.”

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

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

Speaking at a summit with European leaders in Armenia on Monday, Zelenskyy said that the Russian authorities “fear drones may buzz over Red Square” on May 9. “This is telling. It shows they are not strong now, so we must keep up the pressure through sanctions on them,” he said.

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

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

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

Fico will attend the parade this year, as well.

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

Last week, Putin floated the idea of a ceasefire for Victory Day this year, too, in a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Russian media reported Monday that the country's cellphone operators have begun to warn their customers of cellphone internet restrictions in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the coming days.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Those practices had been permitted for several years until a federal appeals court imposed new restrictions last week.

The latest order will remain in effect for another week while both sides respond and the high court considers the issue more fully.

Most abortions use pills rather than procedures

The majority of abortions in the U.S. are obtained through medications. Some Democratic-led states have laws that seek to give legal protection to those who prescribe the drugs via telehealth to patients in states with bans.

Those prescriptions have blunted the impact of abortion bans that most Republican-led states have sought to enforce since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. One recent report suggested that in the 13 states where abortion is banned at all stages of pregnancy, more women obtained abortions with pills prescribed by telehealth last year than by traveling to other states.

Louisiana sued to roll back the Food and Drug Administration's rules on how mifepristone can be prescribed, asserting that the policy undermines the ban there. The case also questioned the safety of the drug, which was approved 25 years ago and has repeatedly been deemed safe and effective by FDA scientists.

That lawsuit is the furthest along of several efforts by abortion opponents to curtail access to mifepristone.

Restrictions would not end telehealth abortions

Mifepristone is usually taken with a second drug, misoprostol, for abortions. According to the FDA label on mifepristone, the combination completes medical abortion 97.4% of the time.

Misoprostol can also be used alone for terminating pregnancies, with some studies putting its effectiveness at around 80% or higher.

In countries where mifepristone is banned or unavailable, misoprostol is frequently used alone.

Unlike mifepristone, misoprostol has never been formally approved by the FDA for abortion. The drug is most commonly used to treat stomach ulcers, but it has been adapted by doctors for use in medication abortions. Because the FDA never cleared the drug for ending pregnancies, it has faced far less scrutiny from anti-abortion groups.

Several groups that prescribe abortion bills by telehealth made the switch over the weekend to misoprostol only, a regimen that can cause longer-lasting side effects.

Dr. Angel Foster, founder of The Massachusetts Abortion Access Project, said her organization was prepared to send misoprostol only on Monday afternoon but was able to switch back to the two-drug combination.

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

Rapid rulings have created confusion

Foster said her organization spent the weekend guiding different groups of patients: those who were sent mifepristone but had not received it yet; those who had been approved for the drugs but had not paid or been sent them; and those who reached out with initial requests.

For now, she said, they are asking patients to approve being sent pills with or without mifepristone — in case of another change.

Monday's ruling offers more time to figure out a course of action in case mifepristone prescriptions are curtailed again.

“We have a little bit more time to navigate this new landscape with the stay,” said Julie Burkhart, the founder of Wellspring Health Access, a Wyoming abortion clinic that provides roughly 100 abortions a year through pills prescribed by telehealth.

Elizabeth Ling, associate director of legal services at If/When/How, which provides legal guidance for people considering abortion, said that wherever the legal battle goes next, there’s one thing women need to understand: “The outcome is not going to make it a crime for people to access care.”

None of the state laws currently include any punishment for women who obtain abortions.

The court fight continues

Anti-abortion groups vowed to continue the legal battle.

Monday's ruling “is a temporary procedural step that leaves unresolved the very real concerns about the safety of these drugs and the decision under the Biden administration’s FDA to recklessly remove longstanding safeguards," Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said in a statement.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who filed the lawsuit against the FDA along with a woman who says her boyfriend coerced her into taking abortion pills to end a pregnancy, criticized drug companies for their role in the case.

“Big abortion pharma claims they need an emergency stay because they will lose massive amounts of money if they can’t kill more babies quickly and efficiently by mail without medical oversight," Murrill said in a statement. "The administrative stay is temporary, and I am confident life and the law will win in the end.”

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Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey. Associated Press Writer Matthew Perrone contributed to this article.

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

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Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

VADOC stated that Gov. Abigail Spanberger has proclaimed May 4-9 as Correctional Officers Week in an effort to honor the officers serving in the commonwealth.

“Representing more than half of the agency’s workforce, correctional officers are integral to the success of the agency. They work diligently to keep our communities safe, while also supporting rehabilitation efforts that assist incarcerated individuals in their progress towards successful reentry. Importantly, they prioritize the safety and well-being of both corrections team members and the population they serve. It is a privilege to work with them, and I ask that you join me in honoring their courage and professionalism and in thanking them for their commitment to public safety.”

Joseph W. Walters, Director of Virginia Department of Corrections

VADOC is also informing residents that there are multiple openings in the department, which you can find more on here.

For more information about Correctional Officers Week, click here.

Surrey, one of the most successful teams in England, is encouraging hybrid workers to come and do their jobs at The Kia Oval, the 180-year-old ground just south of the River Thames.

Over the winter, it upgraded the Wi-Fi and set aside work areas with desks, access to power and clear views of the game. “Work From Oval,” it's been dubbed.

It pondered whether it is the “best home office in the country” and crucially assured would-be-workers that “we won’t tell your boss.”

Over the three home four-day County Championship matches it has hosted this season, hundreds have taken up the chance to work at the Oval.

England's premier competition has been mocked for decades for its relatively low attendances — one man and his dog is a regularly voiced description, however unfair.

That certainly wasn't the case at The Kia Oval on Friday when Surrey hosted Sussex on the first day of their match. Over 6,000 attended, the crowd swelled by the glorious weather and the prospect of a full-day — more than seven hours — of cricket ahead.

Though the ground has a capacity of around 27,500, that's really not a bad crowd during a work day. The Oval does sell out for England test matches against other nations and for Surrey's short-format games.

Harry Ashton, director of Elite Finance Solutions, usually works from a coworking space in nearby Wimbledon. He jumped at the chance of working at the Oval for just 15 pounds ($20).

“It’s not quite as good as Lytham Cricket Club,” he quipped, referencing his local club in the northwest of England.

Ashton was joined later by some friends, and after a few hours of work, they enjoyed a beer or two. It was Friday, after all, and the start of a three-day weekend as Monday is a public holiday in the U.K.

In recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been evident that many people at the Oval have their laptops to hand. Arguably, the shift toward hybrid work has become the main legacy of the pandemic.

Though more and more firms are forcing their staff to come into the office, more than a quarter of working adults in the U.K. work remotely part of the time, according to the Office for National Statistics. Critics argue that hybrid working is negatively impacting productivity, an individual's work ethic and the wider economy as a whole.

All the evidence on this particular Friday was that the dozens or so working at the ground were doing just that. Numbers were crunched and Zoom calls were held.

“I have great belief in life generally, if you treat someone like an adult, they will behave like an adult,” said Neil Munro, owner of Munron Consulting Ltd. “I don’t see any downside provided everyone treats it with respect.”

Matthew Balch, a freelance marketing consultant and a keen club cricketer himself, thinks Surrey's example should be taken up by others.

“I think all of the counties should lean into the remote worker-freelancer market to grow attendances,” he said.

Some workers were a bit more coy.

One 46-year-old woman working for a global company insisted on maintaining her anonymity, voicing concerns about how she would be perceived.

There's still a stigma.

Any teacher with a valid I.D. is eligible to receive a free breakfast sandwich during the normal McDonald’s breakfast hours: 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.

While Tuesday is National Teacher Appreciation Day, the rest of the week is also National Teacher Appreciation Week. It is celebrated from May 4 to May 8.

You can find more information on how McDonald’s is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Evidently, there wasn’t enough winning.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The fire is still under investigation.

ORIGINAL STORY:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘It can’t help but be chaos’

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

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

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

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

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

Envy and paranoia bloom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Filming in Malaysia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Land rights in the Black Hills

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

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

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

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

Impacts on Pe'Sla

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

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

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

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

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

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

Groups sue over the project

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The festival runs May 12-23.

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

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

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

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

Where there are fewer eyes, AI looks for fires

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

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

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

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

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

A technology driven by worsening blazes

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

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

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

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

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

Challenges and limitations

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

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

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

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

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

Pascua says the technology complements Cal Fire’s work.

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

AI firefighting assistance is not limited to detection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Millions work with little protection

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Low-wage laborers are the most vulnerable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For many, going home isn't an option

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not in Game 1.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hynes insisted he never considered pulling his goaltender.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Products affected include:

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

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

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

The most common symptoms caused by Salmonella poisoning are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday's schedule

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

Odds: New York by 7.5 points.

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

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

Odds: San Antonio by 12.5.

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

Tuesday's schedule

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

Odds: Detroit by 3.5.

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

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

Odds: Oklahoma City by 15.5.

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

Sunday recap

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

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

Awards watch

A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:

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

— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.

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

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

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

— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.

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

— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.

— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.

Among the announcements still to come:

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

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

Betting odds

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

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

Some neighborly rivalries await

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

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

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

Key dates

— Monday and Tuesday: Conference semifinals begin.

— May 10: NBA draft lottery.

— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.

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

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

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

— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft

— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft

Quote of the day

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

Stats of the day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you there!

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

Where is the location?

Our location is at the Berglund Center.

Which entrance should I use for shredding?

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

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

How can I identify the entrance?

Look for the WSLS banners and tent.

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

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

What should I do if there is a line?

Please be patient. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

How long will the event last?

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

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

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

Eugene Naughton, President of The Dollywood Company

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Michigan’s mandatory recount law does not apply to state Senate races. Instead, candidates may request and pay for a recount, with the payment refunded if the recount changes the outcome. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

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

What’s on the ballot?

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

Who gets to vote?

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

How many people actually vote?

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

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

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

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

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

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

When are early and absentee votes released?

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

How long does vote-counting usually take?

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

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 91 days until the Aug. 4 state primary and 182 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And still is after already getting another victory.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Munetaka Murakami has certainly provided that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Trivia time

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

ABS impact

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

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

Performance of the week

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

Comeback of the week

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

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

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

Trivia answer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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This version corrects the company name to Dubai Ports World.

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

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

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

“EBay has the second largest commerce franchise and there’s a big opportunity to do something much larger,” Cohen said in a CNBC interview Monday.

GameStop's bid is $125 per share in cash and stock. The equity value of the proposed deal is $55 billion on paper.

EBay confirmed the huge bid on Monday and said that it has had no talks with GameStop or received any outreach from the company before it received the proposal.

The company's board, along with financial and legal advisors, will review the offer and determine what course of action to take, eBay said.

GameStop said that it started accumulating shares in eBay beginning in February and currently has a 5% stake.

The company is looking to lower costs at eBay, saying that the online seller spent $2.4 billion on sales and marketing in fiscal 2025 while only adding 1 million net active buyers. GameStop says it will achieve $2 billion in annualized cost cuts within a year of the proposed transaction's closing.

Cohen, who owns about 9% of GameStop, would serve as CEO of the combined company. He would only be compensated based on the combined company's performance.

Cohen became CEO of GameStop in 2023. At the time the position had become a rotating door with the company trying to survive as streaming upended the gaming industry. GameStop became one of the most well-known meme stocks to create a frenzy among retail traders on Wall Street. The company’s shares took off in 2021 after a band of smaller-pocketed investors helped boost its stock by 1,000% in two weeks.

GameStop shares have fallen since then, but are still up more than 30% this year.

Shares of eBay jumped more than 7% in premarket trading, while GameStop's stock declined nearly 3%.

In a series of social media posts, Trump has lobbed various insults at the incumbents, calling them incompetent, RINOs — Republicans in name only — or losers.

In 2025, Trump urged Republicans in several states to redraw their congressional maps to help the party maintain control of the narrowly divided U.S. House. Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio answered the call, but the effort to create new GOP seats in Indiana failed when more than half the state’s Republican senators sided with Democrats to defeat the plan backed by Trump. Eight of those state senators are up for reelection in 2026, and Trump has targeted all but one for defeat.

Voter-approved maps favoring Democrats in California and Virginia have offset some expected Republican gains in other states, but a new plan in Florida, as well as last week’s Supreme Court decision to weaken the Voting Rights Act of 1965, have given Republicans a boost in their effort to reshape the electoral landscape heading into November.

The Trump-targeted Indiana state senators all represent districts he carried in 2024, mostly by 20 percentage points or more. The most competitive was District 1, near Lake Michigan and just southeast of Chicago. Trump won with about 53% of the vote and a margin of about 7 percentage points over Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris. His best performance of the seven targeted districts was in District 19, on the Ohio border, where he received about 68% of the vote and a margin of about 39 percentage points.

Only one of the incumbents, state Sen. Spencer Deery of District 23, faced a contested primary in 2022. He won with about 31% of the vote against a four-candidate field that included Paula Copenhaver, Trump’s pick to oust him this year. Another Trump-targeted incumbent, state Sen. Greg Goode of District 38, filled a vacant seat in 2023 and has not previously faced a full districtwide election.

Half of Indiana’s 50 state Senate seats and all 100 state House seats are up for election in 2026. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.

Indiana voters will also choose nominees for the U.S. House under the existing boundaries, although none of the state’s nine seats is expected to play a key role in the effort to win control of the chamber in November.

Among the notable contests is the Democratic primary in the 7th Congressional District, where U.S. Rep. Andre Carson faces three challengers in his bid for renomination to a 10th full term. George Hornedo is an attorney and political consultant. Destiny Wells is an attorney, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and the 2024 nominee for state attorney general. Denise Paul Hatch, a former Center Township constable, is appealing her 2024 felony conviction for official misconduct.

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

There are no automatic recounts in Indiana, but the losing candidate may request and pay for a recount regardless of the vote margin. The costs may be partly or fully refunded depending on the results of the recount. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

All polls in Indiana close at 6 p.m. local time. Polls in most of the state are in the Eastern time zone and close at 6 p.m. ET, but some polls are in Central time and close at 7 p.m. ET. State Senate District 1 is the only Trump-targeted seat where polls close at 7 p.m. ET. The last polls in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th Congressional Districts also close at 7 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for the U.S. House, the state Senate and the state House. Republican incumbents face Trump-backed challengers in state Senate Districts 1, 11, 19, 21, 23, 38 and 41.

Who gets to vote?

Indiana does not register voters by party, so registered voters are asked to select the primary ballot for the party of their choice. Voter ID is required. An unusual provision in state law requires voters in a party’s primary to have voted for a majority of that party’s candidates in the last general election or plan to do so in the next general election if they didn’t vote in the last election. This is essentially unenforceable, but voters whose party affiliations are challenged at the polls must vote by provisional ballot unless they sign an affidavit aligning themselves with the party.

How many voters are there?

There were about 4.8 million registered voters in Indiana as of the November 2024 general election. Registration totals in the state’s nine congressional districts ranged from about 442,000 in District 7 to about 505,000 in District 5.

How many people usually vote?

Most of the targeted state Senate races did not have a contested primary in 2022, but those that had a contested general election ranged from about 32,000 to 45,000 total votes.

About 34,000 votes were cast in the 7th Congressional District Democratic primary in 2024, the most of any district. That was about 8% of registered voters. About 25,000 votes were cast in the Republican primary.

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

About 29% of the 2024 primary vote was cast before Election Day.

As of Friday, more than 175,000 ballots had already been cast in the Democratic and Republican primaries combined.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Absentee ballots in Indiana may be processed once they are received, and counting may begin before the polls close on Election Day. This leads to relatively quick counting of absentee ballots. Elections officials from more than three-quarters of Indiana’s 92 counties have indicated they tend to include all or nearly all the results of absentee and early voting in their first vote update of the night.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In 2024, the AP first reported results in the Republican presidential primary at 6:06 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed in most of the state. The last vote update of the night was at 11:34 p.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.

The last election night vote update for each congressional district with a contested primary was much earlier. The earliest was 9:10 p.m. ET in the 5th Congressional District, and the latest was 11:34 p.m. ET in the 1st District. The last vote update of the night in the 7th District Democratic primary was at 10:04 p.m. ET.

The first vote result in the state Senate District 23 primary was at 6:59 p.m. ET, almost an hour after polls closed in the district. The last update was at 11:11 p.m. ET, with more than 99% of the total votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 182 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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

Ohio is expected to play a high-profile role in the midterm elections, with a prominent ally of President Donald Trump vying for an open seat for governor and competitive races for the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House that could decide control of both chambers for the final two years of the Republican's presidency.

In the race to replace outgoing GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, tech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy faces auto racing engineer and internet personality Casey Putsch for the Republican nomination.

Ramaswamy has endorsements from Trump and the Ohio Republican Party and entered the final stretch of the primary campaign with a $31 million war chest, including $25 million from his personal funds. Putsch raised about $123,000 and had about $8,700 in his campaign account as of the most recent filing in April.

A third candidate, Heather Hill, was disqualified from the race after her running mate withdrew from the ticket in an acrimonious split. Their names will still appear on the ballot, but votes cast for them will not be counted.

The winner will face Dr. Amy Acton, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Acton was director of the Ohio Department of Health during the early days of the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response until her resignation in June 2020.

In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown is running to reclaim his old job in Washington. A Brown victory in November is again pivotal to Democratic hopes of winning control of the Senate, as was the case in 2024, when his loss to Republican Bernie Moreno helped secure a GOP majority.

Brown faces Ron Kincaid for the Democratic nomination. Brown had an enormous fundraising advantage over Kincaid as of mid-April.

The Republican nominee will be Sen. Jon Husted, who faces no primary challengers. Husted was lieutenant governor when he was appointed to fill the Senate seat JD Vance vacated to become vice president. The seat will be up again for a full term in 2028.

Among the notable U.S. House races, a crowded Republican field is competing to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the 9th Congressional District. The 22-term incumbent narrowly won reelection in 2024 over Republican Derek Merrin in one of the final races to be called that cycle.

Merrin is again running for the GOP nomination against a field that includes former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, state Rep. Josh Williams and two others.

Lucas County, home to Toledo, is by far the most influential in the 9th Congressional District primaries. It contributed more than one-third of the total vote in the 2024 Republican U.S. House primary. Merrin and Williams are from Lucas County, while Sheahan’s home base is Ottawa County.

Franklin and Cuyahoga counties, home to Columbus and Cleveland, respectively, are the state’s most populous and play big roles in both Democratic and Republican statewide primaries, as do Hamilton, Montgomery and Summit counties.

Trump’s endorsement should be a boost to Ramaswamy. Trump carried every county in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Recounts in Ohio are automatic if the margin is less than 0.25% of the total vote in statewide races or 0.5% in congressional district races. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is eligible for a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, the state Supreme Court, the state Senate and the state House.

Who gets to vote?

Any registered voter in Ohio may participate in any party’s primary. Ohio does not register voters by party, but voters who participate in a party’s primary will be considered affiliated with that party.

How many voters are there?

As of Friday, there were about 7.9 million registered voters in Ohio.

How many people actually vote?

The 2022 Republican primaries for the U.S. Senate and governor each had about 1.1 million total votes cast, which was roughly 14% of registered voters at the time. The Democratic U.S. Senate primary had about 518,000 total votes cast, and the Democratic gubernatorial primary had about 509,000 votes cast.

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

About 17% of the vote in the 2022 primaries was cast before primary day. About 25% of the vote was cast before primary day in the 2024 presidential primary.

As of Friday, more than 153,000 Democratic primary ballots and about 122,000 Republican primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

All 88 counties in Ohio tend to release all or almost all of their early and absentee voting results in the first vote update of the night, in most cases before any in-person Election Day results are released.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 Ohio presidential primary, the AP first reported results at 7:36 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed. About 90% of the vote had been counted by 10:19 p.m. ET, and the last vote update of the night was at 1:28 a.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 182 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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

Fifteen people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at the celebration on Bondi Beach in December. Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram are accused of carrying out the massacre with guns they owned legally, in a country with tight controls on firearms. The attack, which followed a wave of separate antisemitic crimes in Australia, was inspired by the Islamic State group, authorities said.

The mass shooting prompted a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, the highest form of inquiry in Australia, that began public hearings in Sydney on Monday. The two-week sitting is due to scrutinize the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in Australia’s institutions and society.

Further hearings this year will examine other topics before the commission publishes its final report in December.

“The sharp spike in antisemitism that we’ve witnessed in Australia has been mirrored in other Western countries and seems clearly linked to events in the Middle East,” said Commissioner Virginia Bell. “It’s important that people understand how quickly those events can prompt ugly displays of hostility toward Jewish Australians simply because they’re Jews.”

Bondi attack followed a surge in hate crimes

All witnesses called to give evidence Monday were Jewish Australians who recounted their experiences of hatred, some speaking under pseudonyms out of fear for their safety. The daughter of one of those killed in the Bondi attacks said that a year earlier she was verbally abused while carrying her baby in a Sydney shopping mall by a man who spotted her Star of David necklace.

“I felt shocked, exposed and unsafe,” said Sheina Gutnick. “There were many people around me but no one intervened.”

Her father Reuven Morrison, 62, hurled a brick at one of the gunmen who attacked the gathering at the popular Sydney beach in December, before Morrison was shot and killed. Gutnick said she was cautious of attending events with her family in public places or traveling to certain parts of Sydney.

Australian Jews told the hearing Monday that the Bondi attacks followed a surge in antisemitic incidents since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023. In the following year, more than 2,000 episodes were reported to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which tracks such figures, compared to a previous record of just under 500 the year before.

Jewish Australians recount assaults and abuse

Such escalation has also been reported in Britain and elsewhere. But Australia's small Jewish population was particularly shocked because its members had not registered such a volume of serious threats before, witnesses said Monday.

“Now everyone is scared all the time,” said Toby Raphael, vice president of Sydney’s Newtown Synagogue, which was daubed with swastikas during a wave of antisemitic crimes in the city in 2025.

Raphael said he had once told congregants there was no need for security at the synagogue, but the ramp-up in hate-fueled attacks had changed that. He added that he was part of a parent security group at his son’s Jewish school, which is also protected by professional guards carrying guns.

“Why do kids have to go to school like that?” Raphael said. “This is the world that the Jews of Australia live in now and it needs to change.”

Antisemitism in Australia was growing in profile before the Bondi shooting because of a spate of attacks on Jewish schools, businesses and places of worship. Australia’s government in August said Iran had orchestrated at least two of the crimes and cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Some of those giving evidence to the inquiry on Monday cited these episodes when they said they were considering leaving Australia or already planned to move abroad.

Others spoke of being verbally or physically attacked or having crowds of pro-Palestinian protesters arrive at their synagogues. Alex Ryvchin, a Jewish group leader whose house was targeted by arson in 2025, said he believed Australia was “on a path to catastrophe,” after the crime at his home and he warned reporters that someone would die.

“This was January, and by December there was a horrific massacre which has transformed us permanently,” he told Monday’s hearing.

The hearings follow a report urging gun reform

The massacre roiled Australia, where serious gun crime has been rare since controls were tightened after a mass shooting in Tasmania 30 years ago. Australia’s federal and state governments are now considering further reforms.

An interim report from the Royal Commission released in April, which examined the capacity of Australian law enforcement and the security services to respond to antisemitic crimes, recommended that Australia’s leaders prioritize enacting nationally consistent gun laws and a weapons buyback.

Sajid Akram was shot dead by police at the crime scene. He was a licensed shooter who legally owned the guns used.

His son was wounded but survived. Naveed Akram has been charged with committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder. He has entered no pleas.

Republican Donald Trump may have won the state by double digits in the last presidential election, but growing dissatisfaction with his leadership and rising costs from the Iran war could help set the stage for Democrats to make previously unattainable gains.

Iowa Democrats plan to have 60 field organizers on the ground by June, nearly double from eight years ago during the midterm elections of Trump's first term. Another two dozen people will staff a coordinated campaign that's intended to support candidates for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, among others.

“Iowa is still, in my view, a purple state," state party chair Rita Hart said in an interview. "We just haven’t given them an opportunity to show that lately.”

Republicans insist that Iowa will remain red, but White House travel plans suggest there may be some concern. Vice President JD Vance is visiting on Tuesday to support Rep. Zach Nunn, who represents Des Moines, its suburbs and the state's rural center. Trump also chose Iowa as his first stop when he began his midterm campaigning earlier this year.

Iowa has an unusual number of competitive races for open seats this year, with Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst both opting out of reelection bids.

Leading what Hart called “the best statewide ticket we’ve had for a generation" is Rob Sand, the state auditor running for governor. He ended last year with $13 million in his campaign account, and he often highlights his rural roots, Christian faith and bowhunting prowess, as well as a disdain for partisan politics, to try to appeal to Iowans of all backgrounds.

Josh Turek and Zach Wahls, both state lawmakers, are seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the June 2 primary. The party is also targeting three of the four Republican-held U.S. House seats.

Democrats focus on cost of living

Democrats believe a populist economic message could resonate in Iowa when farmers are squeezed by tariffs and face higher prices for fertilizer and diesel fuel. In addition, hundreds of people have lost jobs as factories and meat processors shut down, and rural residents are driving further to see doctors as healthcare clinics close.

This year's candidates are also willing to take swings at their own party, even though they will likely benefit from campaign spending by national organizations.

Turek and Wahls say Democrats have abandoned the rural and small-town voters who placed hope in Trump to change the status quo. Turek, who calls himself a “prairie populist,” says there are too many millionaires in Congress who don’t know what it is to live paycheck to paycheck. Wahls, endorsed by several labor unions, says corruption in politics benefits corporate interests over working people.

Christina Bohannan, who is running for a third time to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in a southeast Iowa district, said both major political parties “have failed to really fight for working people.”

“Everybody’s talking about affordability,” she said. “I don’t want it just to become a catchphrase that people can kind of just brush aside as political rhetoric. This is real.”

Sand targets the entire political system, which he said "helps incumbents get reelected, rather than actually forcing them to solve our problems.” He recently introduced policy proposals, including term limits, bans on stock trading while in office, and open primaries.

Republicans say Democrats remain out of touch

Before Trump’s dominance in the region, it wasn’t uncommon to find Democrats representing the Midwest and Plains states in governors’ mansions or in Congress. Trump’s promises to resurrect American manufacturing jobs and “drain the swamp” won over voters who traditionally supported populist Democrats, said Iowa Democratic strategist Jeff Link.

“Because the knee-jerk reaction to Trump is to be the opposite of Trump, we went away from economic populism to our detriment,” Link said. “By just being anti-Trump, it is being condescending towards people that chose him three times.”

Tom Harkin, a former Democratic senator from Iowa, said Trump’s stumbles have created an opportunity for change.

“I think a lot of people wanted to get things shaken up a little bit," he said. "But I don’t think they wanted them shaken up like this."

Harkin said his party has an opportunity to rebrand itself.

“I think Democrats in the Midwest especially got painted with this broad brush, and we didn’t fight back well enough," he said. "We became more defensive.”

Republicans argue that Democrats' left-wing positions remain out of touch with Iowans' values.

“You can’t have political born-again experiences,” said Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. He said tweaking the message and running away from the national party is not going to “erase your history in one election cycle."

Kaufmann acknowledged that the cycle wouldn’t be easy but said Iowans trust Trump’s long game, knowing that he intends for tariffs to protect Iowa farmers and war with Iran to eliminate the country’s nuclear threat. But, he said, it took years for Democrats to lose the Iowa communities that flipped from supporting Barack Obama to backing Trump.

“It’s going to take a long time for them to build it back up again,” Kaufmann said.

Democrats try to rebuild

The political environment for Democrats has been bleak since Obama won the state in 2008 and 2012. Republicans have had total control in the Iowa state government for nearly a decade. All six members of the federal delegation are Republicans.

Democrats also lag Republicans by roughly 200,000 registered voters statewide and run at a deficit in each of the four congressional districts.

Iowa Democrats said 7,000 people have signed up over the past year to volunteer for Democratic candidates, and the state party will hold volunteer training sessions. The party has signed leases on eight field offices with plans to open at least seven more, including in blue-collar areas in eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River that supported Obama before pivoting to Trump.

“We’re investing so much in these organizers and in our county parties and supporting and training our volunteers,” Hart said. “It’s through these kinds of conversations where we build trust with voters.”

Senior leaders expect their spending this cycle to be on par with presidential years, reaching the high seven figures. They’re also pivoting from text messages and digital advertising to face-to-face conversations.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve really struggled with getting back to the basics with person-to-person communication," Hart said, adding, “We’ve got to get back to that.”

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

“If you scripted that one," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said, “I don’t know how you do. I can't explain it."

Cale Makar scored twice in the third period after returning from an earlier injury and the Avalanche overcame blowing a three-goal lead to beat the Minnesota Wild 9-6 on Sunday night in a wacky Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

Makar, who left in the first period with an undisclosed ailment, scored his second goal of the game with 2:54 remaining to make it 8-6. Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-net goal with 2:08 remaining to seal it.

This was the 10th playoff game ever with at least 15 combined goals and just the second since 1994. There were five goals in each period.

“Just a weird game,” Makar said. “I don’t think we’re going to see that again. It’s probably a one-off, but glad we were able to stick with it and find a way to win.”

Who figured this? A high-scoring affair between two of the stingiest teams in the league with two elite goaltenders. There were 14 different players who notched a goal in a game that turned into a track meet. It's tied for the second-most in a playoff game.

“It’s nice to be able to win games like this,” captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “Not necessarily a coach’s dream or a player’s dream — we don’t want to give up six goals. It’s good to win this one but we’ve got lots of things to clean up.”

The Avalanche improved to 72-1 since moving to Colorado in 1995-96 when leading a playoff game by three or more goals. The lone loss was Game 5 against St. Louis in a season they went on to win the Stanley Cup.

A well-rested Colorado team led 3-0 with 6:47 left in the first period. But the Wild steadily climbed back and took a 5-4 lead on a short-handed goal from Marcus Foligno late in the second.

Devon Toews tied at 5-apiece in the second period. It was just the fourth Game 1 in playoff history with both teams scoring five or more goals through two periods.

“Listen, the game was helter-skelter,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “We lost the game. There are certain areas we've got to clean up and be ready to clean up. If you lose a game, you’ve got to take the lessons out of it, move on.”

Both goalies struggled, but made some timely saves, too. Scott Wedgewood, who had the league's best goals-against average this season, allowed one more goal than he did in the entire sweep of the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1.

He made 30 saves while Jesper Wallstedt stopped 34 shots.

“He’s great. He’s going to bounce back,” Marcus Foligno said of Wallstedt. “He’ll be fine next game. He’s a beast. This wasn’t on him. I mean, there’s a lot of things, (but) we got to play a little bit faster for him.”

Game 2 is Tuesday night in Denver.

The Wild were without forward Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin. They've been ruled out of Tuesday's game as well.

Makar took a scary hit along the boards from Foligno early in the first period. The Avalanche defenseman's right leg flew into the air before falling to the ice. Makar tested out his skating with some twirls at the end of the first and returned for the second. He had an assist on Nick Blankenburg's goal.

“I was just trying to get back and feel good,” Makar said. "It’s not fun when you kind of tweak something, but it happens. Got to be ready for it. Had to check a couple things out, make sure it was good to go.”

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AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed.

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

Against this backdrop, there has been a long-running discussion about the role that religion can play in enhancing personal well-being and lowering the risk of mental health problems.

A positive view of religious faith’s relation to mental health is shared by several prominent U.S. mental health organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America.

“Religion gives people something to believe in, provides a sense of structure and typically offers a group of people to connect with” those with similar beliefs, according to NAMI. “Research suggests that religiosity reduces suicide rates, alcoholism and drug use.”

The American Psychological Association takes a nuanced approach, reflecting the views of several experts who shared theirs with The Associated Press. The APA says its Handbook of Psychology, Religion and Spirituality “sheds light on the many purposes religion serves, the rich variety of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, and the capacity of religion and spirituality to do both good and harm.”

At St. John Fisher University — a Catholic school in Rochester, New York — visiting psychology instructor Timothy Powers says he sees that duality in his own counseling practice.

“While faith community participation can confer real and well documented protective benefits, those same communities can also be sources of shame, spiritual bypass, trauma, and significant barriers to seeking help,” Powers said via email. “Clinically, both realities show up in the counseling room, sometimes in the same person.”

“The task for therapists is to approach the subject without assuming that religion/spirituality is a resource or that it is a wound, to be open to ambiguity, and to ask rather than presume,” Powers added.

Charles Camosy, a professor of moral theology and bioethics at The Catholic University of America, also shared nuanced thoughts.

“We expect on the one hand that being faithful will bring with it good things in this life,” Camosy said in an email.

Yet “living out the Gospel doesn’t lead to healthy, flourishing lives for everyone. People still get sick, including mentally ill,” he added. “Christians, and especially faithful Christians who are salt and light in a world full of violence and injustice, are not promised mental health as a reward for faithfulness in this life.”

On Monday, there was a new contribution to the discussion, a report assembled by a team of professors and researchers for the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University. The institute describes as its basic mission: “Research-supported work that fortifies the core institutions of the family, religion, and constitutional government.”

Citing an analysis of hundreds of previous studies, the report says that committed religious involvement — corresponding to at least weekly attendance at worship services — was linked to lower suicide risk, better stress management, reduced substance misuse, and higher levels of hope.

“Although harmful or coercive forms of religion do exist, the overall pattern across the best available studies is clear: religious belief and practice are overwhelmingly associated with better mental and emotional well-being,” the report said.

The executive director of the American Humanist Association, Fish Stark, said he had no quibble with the assertion that religious engagement may have psychological benefits. But he stressed that nonreligious people had ways to fare equally well.

“If you have a strong secular, atheist identity, and actively participate in a nonreligious community, you get the same benefits,” Stark said.

“The key is whether you have core convictions and participate in social groups,” he added. “Those with strong religious identities and strong secular identities are equally happy.”

Sociology professor Ellen Idler, director of Emory University’s Religion and Public Health Collaborative, suggested that the effect of religion on mental health should not be measured solely among those who attend religious services regularly.

“Those who have been, or perceived that they have been, harmed by religion will stay away, leaving those less troubled in the pews,” she said, citing people who had been sexually abused by clergy as children or were stigmatized by their congregations because they were LGBTQ+.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.