Trout Creek Academy Principal Katie O’Connell was put on administrative leave with pay as of May 20.

According to newly obtained documents from the school district, the investigation began after the Fetty Wap lyric, “Everybody hatin’, we just call them fans though” from the song “Trap Queen,” was printed on the first page of Trout Creek Academy’s 2025-2026 yearbook.

The documents included interviews with the yearbook teacher and editor at the academy and O’Connell, emails from other staff members, and letters to O’Connell regarding the conditions of her leave.

In a letter from a concerned parent to St. Johns County Superintendent Dr. Brennan Asplen, the parent attributed the quote directly to O’Connell, calling it inappropriate and citing it as a defensive response to parental criticism.

Dear Superintendent,

I am writing as a concerned parent regarding a quote included in the K-8 school yearbook by Principal Mrs. O’Connell that stated: “Everybody hating, we just call them fans though.”

While some may view it as humorous, many parents feel this was inappropriate and unprofessional coming from a school leader responsible for setting the tone and example for young adults.

A principal represents leadership, maturity, and professionalism. Referring to criticism or concerned parents as “haters” in a school publication sends the wrong message to children and families. In a K-8 environment especially, many of us expect communication and conduct that reflects respect, accountability and positive leadership.

This may seem minor to some, but it reflects a broader concern about professionalism and the culture being modeled within the school. I hope the district will take parent concerns seriously and address whether this type of messaging is appropriate in official school materials moving forward.

Letter from a concerned parent

In an email from the yearbook teacher, she defended O’Connell, noting that the principal was “not aware that the quote was going to be used.”

To whom it may concern, Please be advised that as yearbook teacher and editor for the Trout Creek Academy Yearbook class, | want it on record that Katherine O’Connell was not aware that quote was going to be used in the 20 25-20 26 school yearbook.

Upon proofreading, a quote was not on the final proof of the book. Miss O’Connell gave us recommendations for the final draft of the book. I can only assume the students noticed there was no quote and added what they thought was best. Ms. O’Connell wasn’t aware that quote was used until the yearbooks arrive yesterday. | can assure you that Ms. O’Connell had no intent whatsoever of causing issues to upset her students and the community.

I will try to locate my notes of what was proofed to show that the quote was not in the yearbook upon her final review and provide them if needed. On behalf of the yearbook students and staff | would like to take this information into consideration as we feel the yearbook turned out very well this year and the students and other staff have been providing positive feedback.

Letter from yearbook teacher

When the yearbook teacher was asked, “Why did [the quote] not make it into the proof that Ms. O’Connell viewed?”

She responded, " The quote may not have been there. When Ms. O’Connell reviewed it with me, she mentioned her quote was not there. | mentioned it to the students who must have then put it in."

She also said she was unaware of the quote being included.

“I did not know anything about the quote,” she said in the interview.

Trout Creek Academy’s assistant principal also defended O’Connell in an email sent on May 20.

The assistant principal said on April 9 (the day before the yearbook’s submission), an administrator was asked to help proofread the yearbook for grammar. While other errors were flagged, she said the quote was not on the first page during proofreading and appeared only after printing, adding that O’Connell’s signature was incorrect.

On April 9th, the day prior to submission, just after lunch, admin was asked to assist with the grammatical proof reading of our yearbook. Errors were found with spelling, with pronouns and incorrect verb tenses. We specifically edited several instances of “Ms. versus Mrs.”

The quote on the first page, which was present after printing, “Everybody hatin, we just call them fans though” was not there during the proofreading done on April 9th. On this quote, it is signed “Mrs. O’Connell”. This is not how Ms. O’Connell signs her name, she always uses, “Ms. O” as is evident in her weekly communications with families and messages/posters around the school. Had the quote been there at the time of admin editing; it would have been corrected.

Email from assistant principal

Jannik Sinner had won everything there was to win in tennis over the past three months: five straight Masters 1000 titles — three of them on clay — and 30 straight matches.

And with Carlos Alcaraz, his biggest rival, out due to an injured right wrist, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that Sinner would raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy and complete a career Grand Slam.

That’s why Sinner’s meltdown amid the Paris heat wave was so stunning Thursday — especially after he came within just one game of concluding his second-round match in straight sets when he led 5-1 in the third.

The top-ranked Sinner struggled with dizziness and was beaten by 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 after wasting two chances to serve for the match.

“I didn’t feel very well on court,” Sinner said. “I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy, very low on energy. ... In the beginning, I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just kind of hit the wall.

"I didn’t have energy, really. I was very, very flat. The whole body. I don’t remember last time I felt this weak,” Sinner added.

Sinner said that when he woke up on Thursday he “didn’t feel very well.”

Sinner bent over on the clay court in apparent exhaustion multiple times and was hardly even running for shots as the match wore on, resorting to drop shots and serve-and-volley tactics to try and shorten the points.

He attempted to cool himself with a hand-held fan on changeovers and put bags of ice around his neck.

The temperature at the start of the match was 29 degrees C (84 F) and rose to 32 C (90 F).

“It was warm but not crazy warm,” Sinner said. “I feel like it was quite OK to play. Really it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens.”

Cerundolo didn’t celebrate too much when it was over, just producing a little wave to the crowd.

“It’s tough for him,” Cerundolo said. “I couldn’t win more than three games by set. So I think I was a little bit lucky. … He was deserving to win in this match. But then I don’t know what happened. … I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers.”

When Sinner served for the match a second time at 5-4 in the third set, he bent over at 0-40 and then walked to his chair. He asked for assistance and left the court. His entire light blue outfit was soaked through with sweat.

After losing the set 7-5, Sinner received medical attention and left the court. Minerals were added to his drink when he returned but Sinner wasn't able to recuperate.

Sinner lost 18 of the last 20 games. Asked if he considered retiring before the match ended, Sinner said that in the “fifth set we all know everything can happen. I was in a tough spot."

Sinner's previous loss came Feb. 19 in the Qatar Open quarterfinals. He had won five straight Masters titles while dropping just three sets.

“We’ll definitely do some tests to be sure of what happened today," he said.

“Let’s hope we’re ready for Wimbledon,” Sinner added. “To be ready there, we need to recuperate well and do things right now.”

But Sinner has a history of struggling in the heat. He admitted he was lucky at the Australian Open in January against Eliot Spizzirri when the roof was closed and the third-round match swung his way. And he had to retire from a match in Shanghai in October that was contested amid extreme humidity.

“Shanghai was very tough. Humidity very high. Australia was very, very warm,” Sinner said. “Here, I mean it was warm, but it was OK. It was not like I was dying because of the heat. I think today was completely different scenario.

“It’s tough to accept, of course, because of the position where I’ve been in and everything considered,” added Sinner, who sportsbooks had listed at around -300 to win the tournament.

On the same Court Philippe Chatrier last year, Sinner wasted three match points against Alcaraz and lost an epic final.

French teenager advances, Shelton loses

In other matches, 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame became the youngest man to reach the third round of a Grand Slam since Rafael Nadal was also 17 at 2003 Wimbledon. Kouame beat Adolfo Daniel Vallejo 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8).

Felix Auger-Aliassime — at No. 4 the highest-seeded player left in the top half of the draw after Sinner's exit — beat Roman Andres Burruchaga 4-6, 6-0, 7-5, 6-1.

Fifth-seeded Ben Shelton was upset by 62nd-ranked Belgian opponent Raphael Collignon 6-4, 7-5, 6-4; and Frances Tiafoe required nearly five hours to overcome Hubert Hurkacz 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-4.

Also, Cerundolo’s older brother, Francisco, beat Hugo Gaston 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1.

In women’s action, Naomi Osaka put on another fashion show for her walk-on before beating Donna Vekic 7-6 (1), 6-4.

Defending champion Coco Gauff beat Mayar Sherif 6-3, 6-2; and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka — the runner-up last year — defeated Elsa Jacquemot 7-5, 6-2.

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AP Sports Writers Samuel Petrequin and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.

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

In the latest edition of their fierce rivalry, Canada's victory ended the Americans' quest to retain the trophy that they had won for the first time since 1933.

Thursday's quarterfinal came three months after the Milan Cortina Olympics gold-medal game, which the Americans won 2-1 in overtime.

Canada remains on course for its 29th title at the worlds. It will play Finland in the last four.

Celebrini scored his sixth goal at the worlds, Crosby got his first, and Dylan Holloway and Connor Brown also scored. Mark Scheifele had two assists, and Greaves turned away every shot he faced.

“He is calm and tonight came up with the big save when we needed it,” forward John Tavares said of Greaves. “He was the best player on the ice tonight, for sure.”

The 19-year-old Celebrini broke the deadlock with 1:29 remaining in the opening period on a power play with a shot from the slot to beat U.S. goalie Devin Cooley.

Earlier, Canada wasted a five-minute major penalty for Ryan Lindgren’s illegal check to the head of defenseman Evan Bouchard and game misconduct.

Holloway doubled the advantage midway through the middle period on a rebound off his own shot from the right circle.

The Americans pulled Cooley with 2:22 left in the third before Brown and Crosby finished the scoring with a couple of empty-net goals.

In their most-recent matchup at the worlds, Canada won 4-2 in the semifinals in 2021 and went on to capture gold. The U.S. took bronze.

Matthew Tkachuk lost a chance to become the first American in hockey’s Triple Gold Club. He won the Stanley Cup back-to-back with the Florida Panthers and claimed the Olympic gold in Milan.

"In the third period we played really, really good and their goalie made some incredible saves,” Tkachuk said. “They ultimately were better for most of the game and so deserved to win.”

Led by the teenage captain Celebrini, Canada is powered by an NHL-laden roster with established forwards such as Tavares and Ryan O'Reilly. The Canadians cruised through the preliminary stage with seven wins and topped their group.

The Americans had a much younger, less-experienced team and only made the last eight by beating Austria 4-1 in the final group-stage game.

Finland, Switzerland, Norway advance

In Zurich, Finland beat Czechia 4-1 in a game between the 2022 and 2024 champions, respectively, to set up a semifinal against Canada.

Finland was 2-0 up after the opening period on goals from Sakari Manninen and Anton Lundell. In the second, Konsta Helenius made it 3-0 before Filip Hronek scored for the Czechs on a two-man advantage. Lenni Hameenaho closed out the scoring in the third.

Also in Zurich, Switzerland came from a goal down to knock out Sweden 3-1 at a packed Swiss Life Arena with tennis great Roger Federer in attendance.

Roman Josi started the rally with a goal and assisted on the other two — from Denis Malgin and Calvin Thurkauf.

The Swiss will next face Norway, which dispatched Latvia 2-0 to make the last four for the first time.

The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday.

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

“It is an extraordinary demonstration of power and coercion directed at disfavored editorial voices which sends a clear warning to every broadcaster in America,” WABC in New York wrote in an objection that accompanied paperwork filed to comply with the FCC's demand for early applications to renew licenses.

ABC-owned stations in seven other markets filed similar objections. The FCC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The objection is part of a mounting confrontation between the FCC and one of America's most prominent broadcast networks. Under Chairman Brendan Carr, the agency has launched probes of ABC touching on everything from its diversity practices to the network's moderation of a 2024 presidential debate to guests booked on “The View.” President Donald Trump has also repeatedly called for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired.

But the FCC's move in April to begin early reviews of the broadcast licenses of ABC-owned stations in eight local markets attracted particularly close attention. The licenses for stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia as well as Fresno, California, and Durham, North Carolina, were initially slated to come up for renewal between 2028 and 2031.

Commissioner Anna Gomez, the FCC's sole Democrat, has called the reviews an “egregious assault on the First Amendment." On Thursday, she said she was glad to see the stations “expose the FCC's actions as nothing more than naked political retribution and an unlawful assault on free speech and a free press.”

In its objection, WABC said the “ultimate injury here is not to the station or its parent company.”

“It is to the public,” the station said. “When a broadcaster must weigh regulatory retaliation before making editorial decisions, the public loses access to journalism that is free from government influence.”

That reflects a stark shift in ABC's approach to political scrutiny in Washington. In the weeks before Trump returned to the White House, the network paid a controversial $15 million defamation settlement, a move that did little to quell criticism from Trump and his allies in the coming years.

The network mounted a more robust defense of free speech in a filing last month responding to an FCC review of whether “The View” was subject to equal time rules. The agency argued that the law encouraged more speech but ABC warned that open political discussion was being chilled by the Trump administration.

“The Commission’s actions threaten to upend decades of settled law and practice and chill critical protected speech, both with respect to The View and more broadly,” according to a filing on behalf of both KTRK-TV and ABC.

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Associated Press writer Jocelyn Noveck in New York contributed to this report.

“You know, I never thought I would run for governor, so I guess I should know better than to say any of it. Never say never,” Whitmer said when asked about the remarks during a one-on-one session Thursday afternoon at Michigan’s annual Mackinac policy conference.

“At this juncture, I’ve got nothing to announce,” she added.

Whitmer has long been viewed by some Democrats as a possible White House contender after her decisive election victories in the closely contested state that Republican Donald Trump has carried twice in presidential votes. Whitmer is term-limited and will be done after this year.

For months Whitmer had offered only cautious answers about her political future. She seemed to put an end to the speculation during an interview earlier Thursday, telling Fox 2 Detroit that “I think there will be a robust group of people running for president. I will not be one of them in 2028."

But she backtracked later in the day, saying she wanted to “correct the record.” Whitmer said she was answering the “100th question of the morning about it” and said she wasn't making any plans.

“I guess I’ll smile and say, ‘I’m going to stay focused’ and leave it at that for now," Whitmer said.

Whitmer has previously said she plans to take time before deciding on her next move politically.

“I don’t know that I’ll put my name on the ballot again. I’m just not sure,” Whitmer said at an April breakfast in Detroit. “But I also am 54 years old. I got a lot of gas in the tank.”

The Mackinac conference has become a hub of presidential speculation, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Elissa Slotkin — both considered possible 2028 contenders — also in attendance.

“If there was someone I believed in, I'd be all in,” Slotkin told The Associated Press. “But I'm not taking it off the table because I want to be a part of that next generation of leaders.”

Day and Young MC issued statements on social media disputing Freedom 250’s announcement on Wednesday. Scheduled performers also include “Milli Vanilli,” the pop duo from the 1980s who were discredited after it was revealed that their frontmen, Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan, were only lipsyncing. One of the actual singers, Jodie Rocco, told The Associated Press that neither she, her sister Linda Rocco, nor any of the studio vocalists who performed under the group’s name after the scandal had been asked to come.

“My sister and I were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli’, as one of the performers,” Jodie Rocco wrote in an email.

Milli Vanilli won a Grammy in 1990 for Best New Artist, but the award was rescinded after the scandal broke. Pilatus and Morvan released a 1993 album under their own names, “Rob & Fab,” that sold poorly. Pilatus died in 1998, while Morvan has attempted a solo career and published a memoir, “You Know It’s True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli,” that brought him a Grammy nomination for “Best Audiobook, Narration, and Storytelling recording.”

Efforts to reach Morvan and determine whether he will perform at the National Mall were not immediately successful.

A Freedom 250 spokesperson did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment. Freedom 250, which Trump launched late last year, describes itself as a “national, non-partisan organization leading the celebration of our Nation’s 250th birthday.” Trump appointed Keith Krach, who served as an under secretary of state during his first term, as the organization’s CEO.

Trump and his supporters have long had a contentious relationship with the music community; Celine Dion, Elton John and Guns ’N Roses are among the many artists who have objected to their music being played at Trump rallies.

In an Instagram post, Young MC questioned whether the National Mall shows would be nonpartisan. “The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” he wrote, adding that he hoped to “perform in D.C. in the near future at an event that is not so politically charged.” Day posted on Instagram that “Contrary to rumor, Morris Day & The Time will not be performing at the 'GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR.”

Young MC and Milli Vanilli were among those on the roster for an “I Love the 90s” concert on June 26. Day was listed for June 27. Other performers announced include the Commodores, Flo Rida and Martina McBride. The Great American State Fair is scheduled to run June 25-July 10.

At least one “I Love the 90s” act will be there: Vanilla Ice.

“He is proud to help celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary!” a representative for the “Ice Ice Baby” rapper wrote in an email to the AP. “Everyone is welcome to attend and celebrate USA’s Birthday and our Freedom!”

Baseball owners hadn’t proposed a firm cap since 1994. Their effort prompted a 7 1/2-month strike that forced the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years.

MLB's proposal would cap spending in 2027 at $245.3 million, using figures for luxury tax payrolls that include $20.1 million for benefits and the pre-arbitration bonus pool, and establish a payroll floor of $171.2 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball's biggest spenders, had a $415.2 million payroll on opening day this year — around $170 million over the proposed cap.

“The cap is pretty much a nonstarter,” Pittsburgh outfielder Bryan Reynolds said.

Owners said they would discuss a phase-in schedule that would give teams like the Dodgers time to comply with the cap and an escrow system with the union as part of a proposed seven-year deal, that all current contracts would remain guaranteed and there would be no prohibition of guaranteed contracts under the cap system.

MLB said it would centralize local media revenue from the 30 teams equally and give players a 50-50 split as part of a proposal that would eliminate the current revenue-sharing plan among the clubs.

“Our salary cap and floor proposal levels the playing field while sharing baseball revenue with the players 50/50 as we grow the game together,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement. “Further, by sharing media revenue equally as part of our proposal, we can address another top fan concern of local TV blackouts.”

Baseball’s current five-year deal, agreed to in March 2022 after a 99-day lockout, expires Dec. 2. While a lockout next winter is expected, talks are not likely to intensify until late February or early March 2027, when the possibilities of losing regular-season games and revenue near. If regular-season games are lost, negotiations may become a standoff of which side can tolerate the most economic loss.

“Billionaire owners are not seeking to cap their profits or asset values, only player salaries,” union head Bruce Meyer said in a statement. “This isn’t out of generosity or a desire to protect the game’s well-being. It’s a play to control costs, increase profits and maximize franchise values — all at the expense of players past, present and future.”

Based on 2026 opening day figures, eight teams would have to cut payroll to get under the cap. The teams over are the two-time reigning World Series champion Dodgers, New York Mets ($379.2 million), New York Yankees ($339.6 million), Toronto ($319.5 million), Philadelphia ($315.2 million), Boston ($263.7 million), San Diego ($260.1 million) and Atlanta ($247.9 million).

Twelve teams would be required to increase payroll by a total of $617 million based on 2026 numbers: Miami ($81.8 million), Cleveland ($95.7 million), Tampa Bay ($108.2 million), the Chicago White Sox ($108.6 million), St. Louis ($114.4 million), Washington ($119.1 million), Pittsburgh ($122.6 million), Minnesota ($125.6 million), Milwaukee ($130.9 million), the Athletics ($139.2 million), Colorado ($142.2 million) and Cincinnati ($148.8 million).

Owners and the union agreed to a luxury tax in 2003 designed to slow spending, but teams feel it has had little or no impact on the Dodgers and Mets in recent years. The last small-market MLB club to win a World Series was Kansas City in 2015, although Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee all lead their divisions as of Thursday, while the Mets and Red Sox are in last place.

MLB said its revenue has grown by 247% since 2003 and player payroll has increased by 149% in that span.

Deputy commission Dan Halem and MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword presented the cap plan to players during a bargaining session at the commissioner's office, one day after the union made its economic proposal. Owners say a cap is needed to improve competitive balance and restrain wealthy teams from assembling starrier rosters than their smaller-market brethren.

Players want expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights along with almost doubling the major league minimum, increasing the money high-revenue teams share with the less-wealthy clubs and establishing penalties for teams that drop below payroll floors. The union said MLB's proposal did not address those issues.

Other U.S. major sports leagues operate under a cap. The NBA had a cap in its initial season in 1946-47, then dropped that and began its modern version in 1984-85. NFL players and owners adopted a cap for the 1994 season, and the NHL did so in 2005-06 after a lockout wiped out the entire 2004-05 season.

The Dodgers shattered MLB's spending record with a combined $515 million in payroll and luxury tax last year en route to their second straight World Series title. Los Angeles' total was seven times the $68.7 million payroll of the Marlins, the lowest-spending team, and more than the payrolls of the bottom six clubs combined.

Players say a cap would hurt them and enrich owners, and they say they will never agree to one. Without a cap, MLB stars have landed lucrative, guaranteed contracts that outpace what the biggest stars in other U.S. sports leagues make. Juan Soto's $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets is believed to be the biggest ever in team sports and is far greater than the largest deals in the NFL (Patrick Mahomes at $450 million over 10 years) and NBA (Jayson Tatum at $314 million over five years).

MLB's last salary cap proposal in 1994 offered players a 50-50 split of revenue in a system that would have forced teams to maintain payrolls of 84-110% of the average. Salary arbitration would have been eliminated and the threshold for free agency would have been lowered from six years’ major league service to four — with the provision that a player’s former club could match any offer until he had six years.

MLB's offer came on June 14 that year, and players struck on Aug. 12. MLB withdrew the cap proposal the following Feb. 6 after pressure by the National Labor Relations Board. The strike ended on March 31 after U.S. District Judge Sonia Sotomayor — now a Supreme Court Justice — issued an injunction restoring the work rules of the expired labor contract. Two days later, owners accepted the union's offer to return to work without an agreement. A deal wasn't reached until 1997.

“For generations, our members have fought against cap systems because they harm players at all levels, erode or eliminate contractual guarantees, pit player against player, lead to more work stoppages, not less, and get worse for players over time,” Meyer said. “Caps don’t lower ticket prices for fans, eliminate tanking or ensure teams are run with equal competence. They suffocate competition by offering owners an all-purpose excuse for inaction and mediocrity.”

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AP freelance writer John Perrotto contributed to this report.

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

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop daily with locally heavy rain possible through next Wednesday. Sea breeze showers and thunderstorms will sweep across the area, mainly after 12 p.m., before slowly fading late in the evening.

Rainfall totals through next Wednesday will average 3.0 to 5.0 inches across the area. That is roughly 0.50 - 0.80 of an inch per day. Locally, heavier amounts are possible, which could lead to flooding in low-lying and flood-prone areas.

While the risk of severe storms will remain low, there will be the potential of flooding due to stronger thunderstorms.

Tonight: Scattered showers with thunderstorms this evening.

Friday: More rain is on the way! Scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms, some locally heavy, 60-80 percent. Lows in the 60s to 70s. Highs in the 80s to 90s inland, 80s along the beaches. Scattered showers with thunderstorms will be possible as early as noon, becoming widespread after 2 p.m. Partly cloudy overnight, showers possible.

Weekend: The pattern continues with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon and continuing through late in the evening. Additional rainfall totals of 1 - 3 inches will be possible.

Looking ahead: Scattered showers with isolated thunderstorms continue through next Wednesday.

Sunrise: 6:26 p.m.

Sunset: 8:23 p.m.

The American love affair with French luxury goods and their cultural cachet and craftsmanship has spanned the younger country's history, and a new exhibit explores the story of how these treasures shaped a cultural exchange that marks 250 years of Franco-American relations.

Among the standouts in the exhibit’s cabinet of curiosities: the Givenchy coat worn by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy; a Cartier lunar module replica from Apollo 11; and a medal commissioned by Benjamin Franklin at the “Hidden Treasures” exhibit at The Shed in Manhattan.

The organizers behind the exhibit, Comité Colbert, represent the top French luxury “maisons,” or houses — including fashion, perfume, jewelry, hospitality and spirits. They asked 65 luxury maisons and cultural institutions to excavate archives and unearth pieces that embodied the Franco-American bond.

The exhibit, which runs through the end of May, comes at a time when American consumers account for a major share in the demand for French luxury goods. Those luxury houses are taking notice — and expanding in the United States.

“American people love French elegance — the ‘je ne sais quoi’ of French luxury,” said Bénédicte Épinay, president and CEO of Comité Colbert. “It’s a deep link starting at the 18th century and still alive.”

France was a ‘dominant’ culture when the US was born

Just as Comité Colbert is honoring France’s bond with the U.S., the U.S. is celebrating its own 250 milestone — its semiquincentennial.

“The U.S. is a relatively young country,” said James Burroughs, professor of commerce at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce. “For much of our existence, we were a relatively modest economy. We were overshadowed by dominant cultures like France.”

The link between the two countries can be seen in perhaps the most renowned American symbol, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France dedicated in 1886. But even before that — and even before French historian Alexis de Tocqueville famously wrote his epic work about U.S. democracy in the 1830s — Americans turned to France as arbiters of taste.

To commemorate France’s support during the Revolutionary War, one of America’s Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, turned to French artists and the Paris mint to commission the Libertas Americana medal in 1782. Exhibit attendees can get an up-close look at the medal's design. Each item on display was presented in shipping containers to symbolize the trans-Atlantic voyage between both countries.

In an effort to market French luxury goods to U.S. audiences, one French Champagne company’s unique approach is on display at the exhibition. An ad from Champagne giant Veuve Clicquot from 1964 shows how the company paired its Champagne with hamburgers to appeal to American audiences and to break away from the image of saving a glass of Champagne for special occasions.

“Luxury," Burroughs said, “is always about status and signaling.”

Fashion, unsurprisingly, has been front and center

Much like its role in the French luxury sector, fashion brought the star power to the exhibit.

Givenchy offered Kennedy Onassis’s pink, brushed-cashmere wool coat from her 1961 visit to France for the exhibit. Madonna’s revealing pinstriped Jean Paul Gaultier dress from his 1992 runway show to benefit AIDS research is also on display.

French luxury houses are catering to their American audiences by bringing their designs to the United States as well. The French fashion maisons from Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chanel have all staged their runway shows in the U.S. in recent months.

“European luxury goods companies are in the process of getting deeper into the USA,” Luca Solca, luxury goods senior analyst at Bernstein, said in an email. “In the past, only the two coasts and Las Vegas had luxury stores. American consumers are step by step warming up to European luxury. In a similar vein to what Chinese consumers did many years ago.”

These brands are not only holding extravagant runway shows in the U.S. but are expanding their businesses across the U.S. Hermès opened a new location in Nashville last year.

“What the French have done really well ... in the last 15 years, is that they have opened up their range of products to create offers that are very relevant to the mass American consumer,” said Thomaï Serdari, New York University marketing professor and director of the luxury and retail MBA.

French jewelry brand Boucheron featured a dramatic diamond Belle Époque style necklace at the exhibit replicated after the necklace the brand sold to Irish-American couple Marie-Louise Mackay and her husband, John William Mackay in 1899. The couple, who amassed their fortune through silver mines, commissioned 50 pieces from the house.

Looking to capture a new generation of collectors, the brand now has three U.S. stores under its umbrella since opening on Madison Avenue in 2024. Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, Boucheron's CEO and incoming president of the Comité Colbert, told The Associated Press that the brand has plans to open a fourth store in the United States before the end of the year.

After increased growth from spending during the pandemic, the luxury sector is now grappling with tariffs from the Trump administration and economic uncertainty. The European Commission agreed to a deal with President Donald Trump on a 15% tariff on goods last year before the Supreme Court ruled against Trump’s call in February.

For the luxury houses, Épinay said, tariffs are in the past.

“Politics and economics, it’s up and down," she said. "We’re here to celebrate this strong cultural link between us.”

An alleged victim of 31-year-old Brett Pincomb contacted the News4JAX I-TEAM and shared flyers that friends distributed at the Pointe Meadows apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Southside. The flyer reads, “Attention, your neighbor is a rapist.”

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Pincomb later confessed to sexually assaulting at least five women at his apartment. Police said he met the women online through “Skip the Games,” which investigators described as an escort/prostitution website.

In each incident, Pincomb produced a knife or a stun gun, police said, and either attempted to or forced the victims to have sex with him.

In a newly obtained police report, investigators described one alleged assault in which the suspect restrained the victim and threatened her.

Police said Pincomb sexually assaulted four women over three days. After the most recent reported assault, the victim contacted police, according to investigators. Others distributed flyers around the complex warning residents before Pincomb was arrested.

One resident, who asked not to be identified, said she did not receive a flyer and questioned its credibility because it did not include a name or source.

“If this flyer had been on my door in my mailbox, I’d say, where does it come from? Because there’s no ID, any information here that tells you, is it true?” she said.

The resident said she was familiar with Pincomb and described him as seeming “odd” during brief encounters around the neighborhood.

“He would come out in the neighborhood and walk pretty regularly any time of the year,” she said. “He would saunter, not walk. There was something different about his gait.”

She said apartment management held a meeting with residents after the arrest and told them the situation was an isolated incident handled by police. She also described seeing emergency vehicles at the complex early one morning.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office told News4JAX it was aware of the flyers and said they helped investigators identify another alleged victim.

Thomas Banks, 48, was booked into the Pretrial Detention Facility on May 26 on charges of aggravated manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon as a convicted felon.

Victim found outside apartment on Christmas morning

According to the arrest warrant, JSO officers went to an apartment complex on Dunn Avenue in the early morning hours of Dec. 25, 2024, after receiving a call about a person who appeared to have been stabbed.

Officers arrived to find a 41-year-old Lisa Santos lying on the ground. Investigators later determined she had not been stabbed but died after she was shot once in the chest.

Inside Santos’ apartment, investigators found a black 9mm handgun on the kitchen counter and a spent shell casing on the floor nearby, according to police. Detectives say they also found a bullet strike on the refrigerator door and a projectile on the kitchen counter.

Witness was on phone during shooting

A key witness told investigators she had known Santos for approximately 10 years and had been on the phone with her at the time of the shooting.

According to the arrest warrant, the witness said she received two missed calls from Santos between 4:09 a.m. and 4:18 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2024, and called her back, fearing an emergency. The witness said Santos placed the call on speakerphone so Banks could also speak with her.

The witness said she heard muffled noises and then, minutes later, heard a dog barking — followed by JSO officers announcing themselves as they entered the apartment.

She told investigators she spent the rest of the morning calling local hospitals to check on the victim’s condition and later learned she had died.

Friends described relationship as violent, ‘toxic’

Santos’ ex-boyfriend of more than 13 years contacted investigators the day after the shooting and described Banks’ relationship with her as extremely violent.

The ex-boyfriend told detectives he had personally observed bruises on Santos’ body on multiple occasions and said Santos had purchased a handgun approximately four months before her death to protect herself from Banks.

A close friend of the victim echoed that account, describing the relationship between Santos and Banks as “toxic” confirmed he was aware of domestic violence between the two, though he said he had not personally witnessed it.

That friend also told investigators Santos had purchased a handgun from an unknown pawn shop about four months before her death, specifically to protect herself from Banks.

Medical examiner ruled death a homicide

An autopsy was performed and the medical examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide and determined the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigation spanned more than a year

The investigation into the victim’s death stretched across more than a year and involved multiple agencies, including the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Investigators got a cell site search warrant for Banks’ phone and sent the data to the FBI for analysis and mapping. The Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield semiautomatic pistol recovered from the scene was sent to FDLE for functionality and trigger pull testing.

In September 2025, investigators served a DNA search warrant on Banks. His DNA was collected and sent to FDLE to be compared against DNA swabs taken from the firearm recovered at the scene. A report from FDLE regarding those DNA results was received by investigators on Feb. 28, 2026, though the specific findings are redacted in the publicly available arrest report.

Banks also submitted a written affidavit through his attorney in lieu of a second in-person interview, providing a chronological account of his interaction with the victim on the night of the shooting. The contents of that affidavit are redacted in the publicly available document.

Banks turned himself in after warrant issued: JSO

An arrest warrant was issued on May 22.

According to his arrest report, Banks was notified by his attorney that the warrant had been issued. Four days later, police say he turned himself in at the JSO District 3 Substation.

Banks was booked on charges of aggravated manslaughter, a first-degree felony, and carrying a concealed weapon as a convicted felon, a second-degree felony. Bond was set at $750,003 on the manslaughter charge and $100,003 on the weapons charge.

Resources

If you or someone you know is or has been a victim of domestic violence or abuse, here’s a list of resources available:

• Hubbard House Hotline (904) 354-3114 or Textline (904) 210-3698
• The Florida Domestic Violence Hotline, which will direct you to the nearest shelter, is 1-800-500-1119.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline is open 24 hours a day. The number is 1-800-799-SAFE.
• The Micah’s Place (Nassau County) Domestic Violence Help Hotline is 904-225-9979.
• The Quigley House (Clay County) hotline is 904-284-0061. https://www.quigleyhouse.org/.
• The Betty Griffin Center (St. Johns County) can be reached at 904-824-1555.

Iran did not immediately confirm any deal, and the official noted that President Donald Trump has yet to sign off on it.

The emerging memorandum of understanding came as the fragile ceasefire in the war between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be wavering. The latest flare-up in fighting happened less than a day earlier, when Kuwait intercepted missiles fired from Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.

Proposal addresses Strait of Hormuz

The memorandum makes clear that Iran will not be able to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran will have to remove all mines from the vital waterway within 30 days, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

During the war, Iran has effectively closed the strait, which had been the conduit for about a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas. Its closure has sent oil prices skyrocketing around the world. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted Thursday at a news briefing that the cost of oil could “come down very quickly” once a deal is finalized.

Iran has said it's letting some commercial vessels pass — about two dozen daily in recent days, compared with more than 100 a day before the war — but the Islamic Republic also has charged tolls for at least some ships. It set up a formal gatekeeper agency earlier this month, spurring a new round of U.S. sanctions this week.

Under the tentative agreement, the U.S. would gradually lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and would also agree to relax sanctions, allowing Iran to sell more of its oil.

Yet even as word of the potential deal emerged, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions on the Iranian military's oil sales arm. The new penalties, first reported by The Associated Press, extend the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic.

A second U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private diplomacy, said the broad outlines of an agreement have been reached but stressed that until Trump signs off on it, there is no deal. The official said there still are questions about whether Trump will accept the proposal.

Details of the tentative pact were first reported by the news outlet Axios.

Nuclear issue remains unresolved

Among the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day ceasefire is what will happen to Iran’s highly enriched uranium, the first official said. The Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran has not publicly committed to giving up the stockpile. It is believed to buried under a trio of nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. airstrikes last year.

Nuclear analysts have said that Iran might consider China or Russia, which have close relations with Tehran, to be a potential acceptable third party to take possession of the enriched uranium. But Trump said Wednesday that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with such a plan.

Iran also has insisted that any deal must include an end to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Tensions deepened Thursday in Lebanon as Israel conducted an airstrike on a southern suburb of the capital, Beirut, and other strikes in the southern coastal city of Tyre. At least 14 people were killed across the country’s south.

Kuwait reports an attack

Kuwait announced that its air-defense systems intercepted incoming missiles and drones on Thursday, without detailing what had been targeted. Iran said it had retaliated for strikes earlier in the week by firing on a U.S. base in a Gulf state it did not name.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry condemned Iran for what it called “blatant aggression," and U.S. Central Command called the attack on one of America’s top allies in the Persian Gulf an “egregious ceasefire violation.” Kuwait repeatedly came under fire from Iran and Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq before the April ceasefire began.

The exchange took place after U.S. officials said late Wednesday that American forces launched more strikes on Iran, shooting down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the strait and hitting an Iranian ground-control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged the attack around Bandar Abbas International Airport and said via the state-run IRNA news agency that it launched a retaliatory attack on the air base that launched the assaults. The Revolutionary Guard did not specify whether the response targeted Kuwait, which houses U.S. Army Central’s forward headquarters, air bases and a naval base.

On Monday, the U.S. said it conducted what the Pentagon called “self-defense” strikes on missile launch sites and minelaying boats in southern Iran.

Although they have traded strikes and accusations of ceasefire violations, Washington and Tehran have not returned to full-scale hostilities and keep negotiating.

Later Thursday, Iran's defenses destroyed “a hostile aircraft” around the southern city of Jam, the area's governor, Masood Tangestani, told state broadcaster IRIB. No other information was immediately available.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Jennifer Peltz and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

The fight has gone mostly in Carroll's favor, with one jury finding Trump liable for attacking her and a second awarding her tens of millions of dollars in damages for Trump’s public attacks on her credibility.

But now Trump's Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether Carroll lied under oath during the civil litigation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing inquiry. The investigation is related to things Carroll said during a deposition when asked about who was paying her legal fees.

Here's a look at the history of the legal fight between Carroll and Trump.

Carroll's allegations and Trump's denials

Carroll first went public with her story about being sexually assaulted by Trump in June 2019, when an excerpt from her soon-to-be-released memoir “What Do We Need Men For?” was published in New York magazine.

In the book, she described bumping into Trump while shopping at Bergdorf Goodman, flirting with him, then physically fighting him off after he sexually assaulted her in a dressing room.

The claims drew angry denials from Trump.

“I've never met this person in my life. She is trying to sell a new book — that should be sold in the fiction section," he said in a statement.

“Number one, she's not my type. Number two, it never happened," he said in another statement.

Carroll sues Trump for defamation

In 2019, Carroll filed a libel lawsuit against Trump, saying his claims that she made the story up had “smeared her integrity, honesty and dignity — all in the national press.”

That legal claim wound up being bogged down for years over the legal question of whether, in denying the allegations, Trump had been fulfilling his duties as president. Trump claimed that as a federal employee carrying out his job, he was shielded from the defamation lawsuit.

At the time Carroll filed the legal claim, she was barred by law from suing him over the alleged sexual assault because so many years had passed.

New York changes the law

In 2022, New York changed its laws to give sexual abuse survivors a fresh chance to sue over attacks that happened in the distant past. Carroll was one of the first people to take advantage, filing a new legal claim against Trump alleging that he had raped her. She also sued over things he had said about her after leaving the White House.

That lawsuit moved more quickly through the courts. It went to trial in New York City in 2023.

Trump chose not to attend, leaving his lawyers to argue the case on his behalf.

The jury found that while Carroll had not proved she had been raped, under New York’s definition of that crime, Trump had sexually abused her. It also found that he had made some false statements about her that had damaged her reputation. Jurors awarded Carroll $5 million.

A second trial

Months later, in January 2024, a federal judge held a second trial to determine whether other things Trump had said about Carroll were defamatory.

Its purpose was narrow. Since a jury had already found that Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll, the testimony was limited to how badly Carroll's reputation had been damaged by his comments assailing her credibility and denying the alleged attack.

This time, Trump attended the proceedings and testified for about three minutes.

“She said something that I considered to be a false accusation,” he told the jury, later adding, “I just wanted to defend myself, my family and, frankly, the presidency.”

Carroll testified that she faced a stream of death threats after Trump repeatedly attacked her story.

The new jury sided with Carroll again, awarding her more than $83 million in damages.

Appeals continue

Carroll has yet to receive any of the money while Trump's appeals of the two verdicts have moved through the courts.

Ruling in one of those appeals, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also addressed the issue of whether Carroll had been honest about who was paying for her legal representation.

Trump's lawyers had accused Carroll of hiding the fact that her lawyers had received money from an organization backed by Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn. The judges ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that Carroll was involved in that funding arrangement or had purposely lied about it when she was asked during a deposition in 2020 whether anyone was paying her legal fees.

“It showed that Ms. Carroll simply was not involved in the matter of who was or was not funding her litigation costs,” the appeals court said.

A lawyer for Carroll declined to comment through a spokesperson on Thursday.

__

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

Dozens of firefighters searched through the smoldering rubble of the building on the outskirts of downtown Dallas Thursday afternoon, even as colleagues continued to drench the blackened debris.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but Assistant Chief James Russ of Dallas Fire-Rescue told a news conference that the blaze broke out after someone reported a gas leak. Neighbors said they heard a loud boom like an explosion.

Russ said at least four people were taken to a hospital with injuries and that “it is unknown how many possible fatalities we may have.”

Firefighters rushed to the scene as flames and black smoke billowed into the sky. Some trained their hoses on piles of smoking debris while others removed lumber and other burned wreckage to look for anyone trapped underneath. Little more than a blackened shell of the original building remained.

“The fire is contained, but our members are still working on the scene to do primary searches,” Russ said.

A nearby street was lined with firetrucks, ambulances and police vehicles with their lights flashing.

Julie Jensen said she was at home less than a block from the burning building when she heard a noise like an explosion that left her ears ringing.

“I was sitting on my couch watching TV — stuff flew off our walls,” Jensen said.

Jensen said she saw rising smoke and neighbors running when she looked out the window. She grabbed her family’s cat and left, finding a nearby parking lot to wait until she knew it was safe to return.

Sal De La Rosa was at work at a nearby auto repair shop when “all of a sudden we just heard and felt this huge boom.”

“We felt where the building kind of shook a little bit,” Del La Rosa said.

He said a co-worker went outside and saw thick, black smoke rising into the air.

___

Associated Press journalists Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed.

The Palm Beach County Sherriff's Office said Thursday that deputies responded just after 3 a.m. to the scene of an apparent suicide at a furniture store showroom in Lake Park, Florida. The sheriff's office said the victim was believed to be Lemieux.

The NHL Alumni Association announced Lemieux’s death in a post on social media.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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Just three days ago, Lemieux was the Montreal Canadiens’ torch bearer prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Bell Centre. Former teammate Chris Nilan reposted a photo of him, Lemieux and Sergio Momesso from the arena with the message: “You never know when you’re going to see someone for the last time. Rest in Peace, Mon Ami.”

“Today is a dark day for the Canadiens family and the entire hockey community," Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. “A fierce competitor who rose to the occasion in big moments, Claude was a relentless, courageous and tenacious player who led the team to the highest honors. He embodied the very essence of being a Montreal Canadiens player. Today we mourn the untimely passing of one of our champions. Our thoughts are with his family on this difficult day.”

As a player, Lemieux was a mix of talent and abrasiveness, not afraid to cross the line in the name of competition.

He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after scoring 13 goals in 20 games for the New Jersey Devils to help them win their first championship in 1995.

A year later with the Colorado Avalanche, he was suspended for two games for a hit from behind on Detroit's Kris Draper that fueled one of the nastiest rivalries in the history of the NHL. Lemieux returned to score the first goal in Game 3 of the final against Florida on the way to the Avalanche sweeping the Panthers to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in their first season since moving from his native Quebec.

Darren McCarty, a truculent member of the Red Wings who had multiple fights with Lemieux, posted a broken heart emoji on social media and heard the news from Draper. McCarty said Lemieux the person was totally different than the player, and the two later met for an interview with smiles about their clashes.

“Sad day: another brother gone," McCarty said in a video message posted to YouTube. "If you’re struggling out there, no matter what, just reach out for some help. It can never be that bad. It’s a sad day, no matter what. Rest in peace, Claude.”

Lemieux also won the Cup with Montreal in 1986 and returned to the Devils to be a part of their title run in 2000. He played 1,449 regular-season and playoff games with six different teams from 1983-2009, finishing with Phoenix, Dallas and San Jose.

His 80 career playoff goals rank ninth in league history. Commissioner Gary Bettman called Lemieux “one of the greatest big-game players in hockey history.”

Lemieux had become an agent in the years since his playing career ended and represented Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, New Jersey's Timo Meier, Detroit's Moritz Seider and Boston's Hampus Lindholm among more than a dozen clients in the NHL.

Part of a hockey family, Lemieux's brother Jocelyn and son Brendan also played in the league. Brendan's feisty style over more than 300 games most resembled his father's.

At a gathering in December to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Colorado's '96 Stanley Cup championship, Lemieux said of winning, “When it’s happening, when you’re in the middle of it, you don’t quite appreciate it as much as you should.” Late former teammate Chris Simon was represented during the on-ice ceremony by his children. He died in 2024 at 52.

“It’s very difficult, and especially with Chris passing at such a young age,” Lemieux said. “We have to count our blessings — be grateful for the days that we have and enjoy and appreciate those times when we get together.”

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Associated Press writer David Fischer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and AP Sports Writers Pat Graham in Denver and Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

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

Paul Askew, 46, faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set, according to United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe.

Court documents allege that beginning on or about July 10, 2023, and continuing through on or about Jan. 31, 2024, Askew conspired with a professional track and field athlete and at least one other person to provide the athlete with testosterone — a banned substance — to improve the athlete’s performance at major international track and field competitions.

The doping was ongoing during the athlete’s competitions at the 2023 Ed Murphey Classic in Memphis, Tennessee; the 2023 Xiamen Diamond League in China; and the 2023 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon.

Although the conspiracy was uncovered before the athlete could compete in additional events, court documents indicate Askew and the athlete also intended to use illegal testosterone injections to boost the athlete’s performance at the 2024 American Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, the 2024 United States Olympic Trials, and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

The case was investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Lt. Chris Stephens with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit said officers responded just before 4 a.m. to Exodus Way after reports that someone had been stabbed.

Stephens said the officers found a man suffering from a potential stab wound, and paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he died.

Stephens said officers kept looking around the area and found another man and a woman at a nearby home, both dead from potential stab wounds.

Stephens said the three adults are related, and it appears a fight might have happened in the home, and then one of the men tried to get to a neighbor’s home for help.

That’s when police were called, he said.

A neighbor captured a cideo that shows the blood smeared on a porch, door, and doorbell.

Stephens said one of them was in his late 40s, the other was in his 30s and the woman was in her 20s.

“I’m in a lot of shock, to be honest, my mind is blank,” Misty Garcia said. “I feel so much guilt for not being able to open the door for that person. I have medical training, I could’ve done something.”

A neighbor who asked not to be identified told News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee the deadly incident has him on edge.

“It’s sad because my wife comes in and out. I don’t drive anymore, but I’m to the point now -- I just told her this morning when she leaves here and then she’s coming back that night, I want to know what time she’s coming in where I can be standing at the door with my gun,” he said. “I want to protect her. I don’t want nobody to hurt her.”

Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

Resources

If you or someone you know is or has been a victim of domestic violence or abuse, here’s a list of resources available:

• Hubbard House Hotline (904) 354-3114 or Textline (904) 210-3698
• The Florida Domestic Violence Hotline, which will direct you to the nearest shelter, is 1-800-500-1119.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline is open 24 hours a day. The number is 1-800-799-SAFE.
• The Micah’s Place (Nassau County) Domestic Violence Help Hotline is 904-225-9979.
• The Quigley House (Clay County) hotline is 904-284-0061. https://www.quigleyhouse.org/.
• The Betty Griffin Center (St. Johns County) can be reached at 904-824-1555.

Jacob Baker, 36, of Pahoa, Hawaii, was described by police as “armed and extremely dangerous,” and Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna said authorities were deploying “significant resources and personnel” in trying to find him.

Authorities said they believe he is involved in the deaths of three men: a 69-year-old man found partially submerged in a cement pond, a 79-year-old man who was found just 400-500 feet ( (122 to 152 meters) away, and a third man, also 69, whose body was found about 19 miles (31 kilometers) away. The causes of death were not immediately disclosed.

“These are a tragic series of events and our thoughts are with those who are grieving at this time,” Mahuna said at a news conference Wednesday. “The Hawaii Police Department understands the fear and concerns incidents like this bring to our community.”

Authorities said they had not identified a motive but were confident Baker was involved in all three homicides. Mahuna did not release information on how police identified Baker as a suspect or what evidence may connect him to the killings. He said investigators had not identified any connections among the victims, other than two of them lived near each other.

Women accuse Baker of threats and harassment

The slayings happened just days after two women had requested temporary restraining orders against Baker, saying he had threatened and harassed them at a farm; one woman was staying there and the other co-owned it. A judge denied both applications, saying there was not enough proof of harassment provided.

One of the women claimed in her petition that Baker had threatened to kill several women who were staying on the property, and had caused a number of them to move or end their stays. She included a link to a video that allegedly captured at least one threat, but the link had either been removed or was incorrect as of Thursday.

The other woman alleged in her petition that Baker had threatened women and a disabled man, and said he would trespass on the property, take things that didn’t belong to him and say his intention was to squat on the property.

No attorney was listed for Baker, who had 20 other cases in the court record in the past two decades, many of them traffic infractions. There were also a handful of criminal or administrative citations including letting a dog wander, failure to appear in court and simple trespassing.

In most of those cases, Baker represented himself.

Three men found dead over two days

On Monday at around 8 p.m., police found a 69-year-old man at a residence partially submerged in a cement pond, Mahuna said. Police did not initially know whether foul play was involved, but preliminary autopsy results showed the death was a homicide, the chief said.

On Tuesday, the 79-year-old man was found dead with apparent blunt force injuries shortly after 12:30 p.m., Mahuna said.

Later Tuesday, at around 10 p.m., police responded to a property about 19 miles (31 kilometers) from the other two killings on a welfare check request and found a 69-year-old man dead with injuries, Mahuna said.

Mahuna said guns were not used.

Local resident says Baker seemed ‘kind of angry’

Stephen Shaffer said Baker had lived on his ex-wife's property in Puna, where they grow 50 kinds of fruit, and Baker climbed coconut trees for her. But after several months, he said, she sought a temporary restraining order against Baker. Shaffer said he didn't know details of their falling out, only that his ex-wife felt threatened by Baker and wanted him to move out.

“He just seemed to me, kind of angry,” said Shaffer, who lives on the same property as his ex but in a separate dwelling. He added that others who lived in the area were concerned about Baker, but Shaffer didn’t elaborate.

Shaffer said police have been by the property numerous times as they hunt for Baker; it's not immediately known where or when Baker was last seen on the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island. The island is the largest in the Hawaiian chain at more than 4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometers).

“There’s a lot of tension in the air here,” Shaffer said. "We’re still in shock, trying to figure this out.”

He added, "We’re being very vigilant. I know there’s a possibility he could come back this way.”

An account on Threads that appeared to belong to Baker had gone silent between mid-December and early May, when he began posting what appeared to be older content from months or even years before. Between May 4 and May 20, he posted more than 40 videos, many with him talking directly to the camera about various topics including harvesting coconuts. None appeared to threaten violence.

Puna, on the eastern side of the island, is a rural but fast-growing area known for affordable housing prices. It's also an area where lava flows have wiped out entire communities over the years. The landscape is lush and tropical mixed with barren lava fields.

Officials were asking the public to report any information about Baker and any suspicious activities in the areas of the homicides to police, and urged people not to approach Baker.

____

Collins contributed from Hartford, Connecticut, and Lauer contributed from Philadelphia.

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who has said President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store 30 years ago, lied during the course of civil litigation against the Republican president, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Also, a federal judge has declined to halt Trump’s executive order, creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm elections.

Here's the latest:

US sanctions more Iranian oil sales despite officials saying tentative deal has been reached

The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday announced additional sanctions on Iran’s military oil sales even as one U.S. official said that Tehran and Washington had reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire and start nuclear negotiations.

The latest penalties -- first reported by The Associated Press -- are part of the Trump administration’s sprawling and ever-growing economic pressure campaign to get Iran to capitulate to its demands. But both Republican and Democratic administrations have levied countless sanctions against Iran for decades to no avail.

The action puts additional sanctions on Sepehr Energy Jahan -- the oil sales arm of Iran’s armed forces -- which facilitates the shipment of millions of barrels of Iranian crude oil to China. In a news release, Treasury claimed that Iran’s military generates revenue through these sales “via an array of front companies to help fund its reconstitution and threaten its neighbors.”

“The Treasury Department will continue to increase pressure on Iranian oil sales to deprive the Iranian regime and its military of the financial resources it needs to threaten U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East,” Secretary Scott Bessent said.

Acting AG says there’s ‘no limit’ on who can apply for payments from Trump administration settlement

Todd Blanche said there’s “no limit to who can apply” for the Trump administration’s new $1.776 billion settlement fund to pay individuals who believe they were targeted politically.

The acting attorney general, attending a law enforcement symposium in Dallas on Thursday, declined to rule out payments to people who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“You have to define something and then stick to it,” Blanche told The Associated Press at the symposium. “So that’s something I’ve been hesitant to try to do because it’s very fact intensive.”

He said “the example that comes to mind” of someone who might receive a payment is a parent who is pushed out of a school board meeting and charged with assault.

Blanche is facing questions about the fund from the Senate. GOP leaders have put a Homeland Security funding bill on hold until the administration agrees to some parameters on the settlement money.

About 8% of the country lacked health insurance in 2025, new data shows. That could rise next year

The proportion of Americans without health insurance held steady at around 8% of the population in 2025, according to new findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The national survey results published Thursday show the uninsured rate has stayed down from where it was a few years ago.

However, changes from the Trump administration could increase this rate in the years ahead. Massive changes to Medicaid and the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies may lead to more uninsured individuals. Around 5 million fewer people are expected to enroll in those plans in 2026 compared with 2025, according to the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.

The survey also indicates a possible increase in the percentage of insured Hispanic Americans, which could be due in part to immigration changes.

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Milli Vanilli and Morris Day say they won’t perform at Trump-linked Freedom 250’s DC shows

A day after the Trump -affiliated Freedom 250 announced the “first wave” of performers for “The Great American State Fair” shows on Washington’s National Mall in June and July, Milli Vanilli and Morris Day are among the scheduled acts who have said they will not be appearing.

Day and Young MC issued statements on social media disputing Wednesday’s announcement from Freedom 250, while Milli Vanilli singer Jodie Rocco told The Associated Press that neither she, her sister Linda Rocco, nor any of the other group members had been asked to come.

“My sister and I were shocked to see our name, ‘Milli Vanilli’, as one of the performers,” Jodie Rocco wrote in an email.

Freedom 250 has not responded to requests for comment.

Other scheduled performers include the Commodores, Flo Rida and Martina McBride.

The president launched Freedom 250 last year to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. The organization describes itself as nonpartisan.

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FACT FOCUS: Trump says Obama and Biden spent ‘hundreds of millions’ on reflecting pool. They did not

Trump has claimed that the administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden spent “hundreds of millions of dollars” to fix the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and alleged that renovations he is currently overseeing will be much more economical. This is false.

The Obama administration spent at least $34 million on a massive, two-year reconstruction project that ended in 2012. No major repairs to the pool were done during the Biden administration.

Trump has repeatedly said that his administration’s work on the pool will cost only $1.5 million, but records show that at least $14.8 million in contracts have been awarded for the project so far.

The reflecting pool, which is more than 2,000 feet long, was originally built in the 1920s. It sits between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument and is one of the most iconic sites in Washington.

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Immigration lawyers raise concerns about new green card policy

Attorneys from the American Immigration Lawyers Association are warning that they don’t think anyone should assume they’re safe from a new green card policy announced last week.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Friday that immigrants applying for a green card would have to do so in their home countries except in “extraordinary circumstances.”

In later statements, the agency has said the policy wouldn’t affect people who provide an “economic benefit” or “skilled professionals who have followed the law.”

Immigrants and lawyers have been trying to assess how broadly the new guidance will be applied and who might get a green card in the U.S.

AILA lawyers said during a news conference Thursday that they didn’t think anyone, including those in the country on the highly coveted employment-based H-1B visa, should assume that the new policy wouldn’t affect them.

The association provides legal education to its 18,000 members.

Bessent says Americans could be saving less because of optimism

The Treasury Secretary responded to a question about a report earlier Thursday showing Americans are saving the smallest proportion of their paychecks in about two decades, outside the pandemic. He said it could be because wages aren’t going as far, which he termed a “doomer” view, or because they are more optimistic about the economy and the stock market.

Consumers do step up their spending when they are more confident of their job and income prospects. But consumer confidence surveys show Americans have a decidedly gloomy outlook on the economy right now, and their perception of the job market is also negative.

Thursday’s report showed that after-tax, inflation-adjusted incomes have fallen 1.1% from a year ago, a key reason consumers were forced to dip into savings to maintain their spending. Credit-card balances have also jumped as gas prices have spiked.

Bessent won’t confirm that the tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire is in place

The Treasury secretary was repeatedly peppered with questions about reports that U.S. and Iranian negotiators have agreed to a memorandum of understanding.

But Bessent claimed that he hadn’t spoken with Trump on the matter before taking part in the White House briefing with reporters.

“It’s always a mistake to get out ahead of the president,” he said. “So, it is all going to be the president’s decision.”

Bessent, however, underscored that Trump has made clear that there can be no deal without Tehran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, dispose of its highly enriched uranium and pledge to never have a nuclear weapons program.

Bessent says he doesn’t have presidential aspirations

During his session with reporters in the White House briefing room, it was noted that the Treasury secretary was following Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the podium -- both of whom are widely expected to run for president in 2028.

Asked to laughs about his own aspirations to be president, Bessent responded with a dose of humor himself.

“No,” he said with a smile, “I just think it just means they’ve run out of things on the food chain.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave, and Vance, Rubio, and now Bessent have taken turns holding weekly briefings in her absence.

Treasury secretary and Oman ambassador discuss Strait of Hormuz

Bessent told reporters at a White House briefing that he spoke with Oman’s ambassador to Washington, Talal Alrahbi, earlier on Thursday, and the Gulf envoy assured him that his country had “no plans for tolling the strait.”

Trump, during a Cabinet briefing on Wednesday, warned Oman, a U.S. ally, not to enter into any agreement with Iran to share control of the strait or the U.S. will “have to blow them up.”

Bessent downplayed the president’s rhetoric.

“I think the president wanted to punctuate freedom of navigation in the strait,” he added.

Bessent says he had first meeting with new Fed chair

The Treasury secretary said he had breakfast Thursday with Kevin Warsh, the new chair of the Federal Reserve, who was just sworn in last week to replace former chair Jerome Powell.

Bessent provided some cover for Warsh by not repeating the Trump administration’s calls for him to immediately cut the Fed’s short-term interest rate, which Trump regularly demanded of Powell.

Instead, Bessent said, “I believe he will do the right thing to balance inflation and growth.” Such phrasing suggests the Fed should consider addressing inflation, which it typically does by keeping rates elevated or even raising them. Financial markets increasingly expect the central bank to raise its key rate, rather than cut it, by early next year.

Treasury secretary says the $250 bill with Trump’s picture is up to Congress

Speaking at the White House, Scott Bessent did not take a personal position on the idea of a new $250 bill with Trump’s picture.

He said it’s up to Congress, where legislation to allow a new currency note has stalled.

Bessent affirmed that the Treasury Department does “prepare things in advance.” That’s a tacit confirmation of a Washington Post story that reported said the agency has produced a mockup of a new $250 bill. The design has Trump’s picture and a 250th anniversary logo celebrating the nation’s founding.

The secretary noted that, at least for now, U.S. law does not allow a living person to appear on currency. A bill by Rep. Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina, would provide an exemption allowing Trump’s image to appear.

“It’s all up to Capitol Hill,” Bessent said. “We will stick to the law.”

Bessent says oil prices may fall ‘very quickly,’ cites UAE leaving OPEC

Asked about rising oil prices, the U.S. Treasury secretary told reporters that a large number of ships are waiting to “come out of the gulf.”

He said that, once an agreement has been reached between the U.S. and Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, “I think the oil market is going to be very well supplied on the other side.”

“We could see prices come down very quickly,” Bessent said, also noting that prices could further ease because “we saw the UAE leave OPEC.”

US Treasury secretary touts Trump accounts at the opening of White House press briefing

Scott Bessent called Trump’s benefit for newborns “the most important benefit for young people since the GI Bill.” He said almost 6 million children have been signed up for the accounts, which will launch on July 4.

The accounts are meant to give $1,000 to every newborn whose parents open an account. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the child can access the money when they turn 18.

Bessent is part of a rotating cast of Cabinet members leading White House press briefings while press secretary Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave.

Trump officials: Kenya facility for Americans exposed to Ebola abroad to be operational this week

A new camp in Kenya where the Trump administration plans to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola abroad will be operational with 50 quarantine beds starting Friday, according to a senior administration official.

The government is still working on bringing in additional isolation and biocontainment units for Americans who may contract the disease, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss details of the facility with reporters on Thursday.

While no Americans have yet been identified to be sent to the facility, 30 members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps have so far been trained and deployed to staff the camp at Kenya’s Laikipia Air Base, the official said.

The U.S. government has been in conversation with Kenya’s president on the establishment of the facility, said another senior administration official on the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity to brief reporters.

Trump approval still pending, US official says

Another U.S. official said the broad outlines of a tentative deal have been reached but stressed that until the president signs off on it, there is no deal.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private diplomacy, said there are still questions about whether Trump will ultimately accept the agreement.

US and Iranian negotiators reach tentative deal to extend ceasefire and launch nuclear talks

U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and launch talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trump still needs to sign off on the emerging memorandum of understanding.

The tentative agreement worked out by the two sides comes at a moment when the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be wavering.

The U.S. military earlier on Thursday accused Iran of violating the ceasefire after Kuwait reported coming under attack following an American strike against the Islamic Republic. It was the latest flare-up of fighting to threaten ongoing negotiations to end the war.

Details of the tentative agreement were first reported by the news outlet Axios.

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Vance tells Air Force graduates to use AI but ‘never submit to it’

In his commencement speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Vance said technology is evolving faster than military institutions have been accustomed to. He endorsed Pope Leo XIV’s recent message warning against outsourcing moral decisions to technology.

“If the warfare of the future is to live up to the moral values of our ancestors, decisions over life and death must be made by humans and not machines,” Vance told graduates Thursday at a ceremony in Colorado Springs.

Vance said he was confident in the class of 2026, saying they will follow in the footsteps of service members who pulled off a daring rescue of two aviators whose fighter jet was downed by Iran in April.

“Your Air Force, your future force, went in there and did the impossible,” he said.

Iran’s UN envoy calls US action against Venezuela, Iran and now Cuba `dangerous’

Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, told the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that the U.S. actions reflect a pattern “of coercion, intimidation and interference” which violates the U.N. Charter, threatens the countries’ sovereignty and independence, and endangers international peace and security.

U.S. forces arrested Venezuela’s president and the Trump administration now oversees the country, and it’s pressuring Cuba by blocking the delivery of oil.

Iravani defended Iran’s right to respond to the U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran on Feb. 28 and to close the Strait of Hormuz, accusing unnamed countries of ignoring the root causes of the current situation in the region and unfairly shifting the blame to Iran.

“Iran’s actions are lawful and consistent with international law,” Iravani said. “Iran could not allow such a critical waterway to be used as a corridor for hostile action and military aggression against its sovereignty, territory and vital interests.”

Trump’s DOJ sues 4 Democratic-run states over denying undercover license plates for federal agents

It’s the latest front in the wider struggle between the White House and Democratic-led states over the Republican president’s immigration crackdown.

The Department of Justice alleges in separate lawsuits filed Wednesday that Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington state are imposing unconstitutional restrictions it says impede law enforcement and threaten agents’ safety.

“By denying undercover license plates to DHS components, including ICE, while issuing them to their own state agencies, these governors are pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies against federal law enforcement,” said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a statement.

“These actions undermine federal immigration enforcement, allow dangerous criminals to escape justice, and terrorize American communities,” Blanche added.

The Justice Department filed individual suits in U.S. district courts in the respective states. The four state governments are accused of trying “to obstruct the Federal Government’s immigration enforcement efforts, even though control over immigration and the nation’s borders is an exclusive federal power.”

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US boosts Ebola response aid to Congo and Uganda by $80M

The Trump administration says it’s boosting its Ebola response assistance to Congo and Uganda by $80 million, bringing the U.S. contribution to those efforts to more than $112 million over the past two weeks.

The State Department said Thursday the additional money would pay for personal protective equipment for health care workers, Ebola test kits, supporting health screening at airports and other points of entry into Central and East Africa, and contact tracing of potential virus victims in the Congo and Uganda.

The U.S. has been criticized for massive reductions in assistance since Trump began his second term, including dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. But current officials say the new aid procedures are more effective and less costly.

In addition to the bilateral assistance it has pledged, the State Department said it also committed $50 million to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to fund up to 50 Ebola clinics and has earmarked $300 million through the agency for regional humanitarian initiatives.

Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she won’t run for president in 2028

She put to rest speculation about a potential 2028 presidential bid, saying Thursday that she won’t join what’s expected to be a crowded primary field after leaving office at the end of this year.

Whitmer has long been viewed by some Democrats as a possible White House contender after her decisive election victories in the closely contested state Trump has carried twice in presidential votes. For months, however, Whitmer had offered only cautious answers about her political future.

But she delivered her clearest response yet in an interview Thursday with Fox 2 Detroit.

“I think there will be a robust group of people running for president. I will not be one of them in 2028,” Whitmer said.

Her comments came during Michigan’s annual Mackinac policy conference, where Whitmer is set to be honored and deliver remarks later Thursday.

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Justice Department scrutinizing statement Carroll made that no one else was paying her legal fees

It later became public that a Chicago-based organization backed by Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, had helped fund Carroll’s case.

Trump’s lawyers in the civil case accused Carroll of concealing that information, which they said called into question whether the case was politically motivated.

Oil prices climb, but US stocks hold near their records

Oil prices are clawing back some of their sharp drops from earlier in the week Thursday, but U.S. stocks are remaining near their records as companies like Dollar Tree, Snowflake and Hormel Foods keep piling up profits.

The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1% from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 219 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower after both indexes also set records the day before.

Stocks appear to be less beholden to swings in the oil market, where prices climbed Thursday following the latest threat to the ceasefire in the United States’ war with Iran. U.S. Central Command said Kuwait had intercepted missiles launched by Iran late Wednesday night, following earlier “defensive” strikes by the U.S. military on missile launch sites and minelaying boats in southern Iran.

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Trump says he’s been invited to watch the Knicks play in the NBA Finals

Trump told reporters Wednesday that New York Knicks owner James Dolan has invited him to the NBA Finals, when the Eastern Conference champion Knicks host either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs next month at Madison Square Garden.

New York, which is riding an 11-game postseason winning streak after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals, is scheduled to host Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10.

Trump, a New York native, said he initially planned to attend Game 5 of the conference finals at MSG before the Knicks finished off the Cavaliers in four games. The president called Dolan a “great guy” and marveled at New York’s run.

Trump called the club’s return to the finals for the first time since 1999 “great to see.”

Trump has routinely dropped in on prominent sporting events during his time in politics. He’s taken in the College Football Playoff championship and caught a prime-time NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets just days before the 2024 election.

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Texas Tech (58-7) will play Tennessee on Saturday. Mississippi State (43-20) will play the Texas in an elimination game on Friday. Tennessee defeated Texas 6-3 on Thursday.

The Red Raiders took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when leadoff hitter Mia Williams was hit by a pitch and Lis followed with a home run. Texas Tech added two more in the second inning on RBI doubles from Lauren Allred and Williams.

The Red Raiders scored four runs in the fifth inning on a single by Lis for her third RBI of the game, an RBI-single by Kaitlyn Terry, and a one-out single by Mihyia Davis in which two runs scored invoked the run rule with one out.

Canady (26-6), the two-time national pitcher of the year, allowed two hits and struck out five in four innings. Terry pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning.

For Mississippi State, Alyssa Faircloth (16-8) allowed four runs in 1 1/3 innings. Peja Goold gave up four runs, three earned, in three innings.

This is the first time since 2007 that neither Oklahoma nor Florida has been in the WCWS. Mississippi State eliminated Oklahoma in the Super Regional round and Texas Tech defeated Florida in another Super Regional.

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

The Democrat's performance ultimately proved to be his undoing as he campaigned for reelection by amplifying concerns about whether the then-81-year-old could serve a second term. He ultimately dropped his bid under pressure from within his party and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who lost to the Republican Trump.

In “View from the East Wing,” a memoir about her White House years that's being published next Tuesday, she said she still doesn’t know why her husband performed so disastrously that day.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the book's 274-page manuscript, which includes her first public comments about the debate and the ensuing chain of events that sent Joe Biden back to private life in Delaware sooner than he had envisioned.

The book also covers his prostate cancer diagnosis after leaving office and their son Hunter's federal trial on gun charges, among other issues during Joe Biden's term, along with how she juggled the added responsibilities of being first lady with her teaching career.

Jill Biden writes that her husband “looked bleary” in their hotel suite in Atlanta before the debate. She was confident he would do well, she said, because big events energized him. But when the CNN-sponsored event began, “I immediately noticed that Joe didn't look good. He didn't seem himself from the opening.”

A few minutes in, he said something out of turn about “we finally beat Medicare.”

“Is he short-circuiting? I thought,” she wrote. “Is this a stroke? It felt like we were watching an AI hologram of the man we knew, and the hologram was glitching.”

She wondered if he had been drugged or was experiencing a medical emergency.

He improved as the debate went on, “but not enough to reassure me or anyone watching that he was okay. He clearly wasn't,” Jill Biden said. “I'd never seen that look on his face before in my life.”

As they walked off stage afterward, he used colorful language to whisper to her that he had messed up, which she took as a “sign of his having returned to himself.”

But "to this day, I still don't know what happened," she wrote. They attended a post-debate rally and dropped in at a Waffle House before traveling to North Carolina for a next-day appearance.

The official explanation at the time from the White House and others close to the president was that he was suffering from a cold. But Jill Biden said she wonders if they should have acknowledged what millions of people saw — “that he looked very unwell in that debate.”

“The biggest lesson for us, I think, was that if you don't explain something well enough then the question won't go away,” she wrote. “There was never a satisfying enough explanation offered for Joe's debate performance, and a lot of people never got over it.”

Biden’s performance in the debate crystallized the concerns of many voters that he was too old to continue serving as president. It sparked a fresh round of calls for him to consider stepping aside as the party’s nominee as fellow Democrats feared a Trump return to the White House if Biden remained as their candidate.

The drumbeat of calls for him to leave the race started before the debate had ended and, “in the days to come, it would grow louder and louder,” Jill Biden wrote.

The state court in Wiener Neustadt, south of the capital, found the 21-year-old defendant, an Austrian citizen known only as Beran A. in line with Austrian privacy rules, guilty on multiple charges including those related to the concert.

The concert plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still canceled Swift’s three performances in August 2024.

His defense attorney said Beran A. admitted to the charges related to the concert plot during the opening day of the trial last month.

In short final words to the court before it adjourned to consider a verdict on Thursday, Beran A. said: “I would just like to say that I am sorry.”

Beran A. allegedly planned to target people outside the Ernst Happel Stadium with knives or homemade explosives. Tens of thousands of Taylor Swift fans, known as Swifties, had traveled to Austria to attend the performances of the American singer’s record-setting Eras Tour. Devastated by the cancellations, many gathered in central Vienna to trade friendship bracelets and commiserate.

Beran A. also allegedly networked with members of the Islamic State group ahead of the planned attack. Prosecutors have said they discussed purchasing weapons and making bombs, and that the defendant also sought to illegally buy weapons in the days ahead of the performance, as well as swearing allegiance to the militant group.

Authorities searched his apartment on Aug. 7, 2024, and found bomb-making materials. The concerts were scheduled to begin the next day.

“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating,” Swift wrote in a statement posted to Instagram two weeks later. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

He was tried alongside Arda K., another 21-year-old whose full name also has not been made public. They, along with a third man, Hasan E., who was arrested and remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia, allegedly planned to carry out simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan 2024 in the name of IS.

Only Beran A. was charged in connection with the concert plot. The two defendants were found guilty of charges including traveling and training for terrorist purposes, and being part of a terrorist organization, the Austria Press Agency reported.

The court also found the pair guilty of contributing to attempted murder, a charge linked to Hasan E.'s alleged stabbing of a security officer in Mecca in March 2024. Hasan E. also attacked and wounded three other officers and a woman before he was arrested, according to prosecutors.

Beran A. and Arda K. did not carry out their alleged plans in the UAE and Turkey. Beran A. returned to Vienna and later allegedly began plotting to attack the Swift concert there.

Arda K. was given a 12-year sentence. The two men listened stoically to the verdict and the sentencing, APA reported.

Beran A.'s lawyer, Anna Mair, said after the verdict that she would discuss with her client in the coming days whether to accept the verdict.

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Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Executive producer Tanya Simon will be leaving about a year after being named to the job following 30 years at the venerable Sunday evening program. The moves cap a period of turmoil for the venerable newsmagazine that premiered in 1968 and is known for its ticking stopwatch.

In a memo to staff Thursday, Weiss and CBS News President Tom Cibrowski said their goal was “building a show that thrives in the 21st century.”

“That requires a new approach,” Weiss and Cibrowski wrote, defining it as "expanding ‘60 Minutes’ beyond a one-hour television broadcast, deepening its role across CBS News, and holding everything we produce to the ambition, fairness, and fearlessness that have defined ‘60 Minutes’ at its best.”

Bilton, they said, “embodies the energy and ambition that animated the founders of the show. We cannot imagine a better fit.” Bilton is also a former New York Times technology columnist.

Others let go as well

Also let go, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on anonymity: correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi, whose segment about Trump administration deportees in a Salvadoran prison was abruptly pulled by Weiss, running a month later; and Cecilia Vega.

Sweeping actions like those announced Thursday had been widely expected from Weiss, founder of the Free Press website. Since she was hired in October by CBS parent company Paramount Global’s new management, she has fast become a headline-maker and polarizing figure in journalism.

In his own lengthy memo to staff, Bilton, who comes to his new post without traditional broadcast experience, said “60 Minutes” was “without exaggeration, the most important television journalism brand this country has ever produced.”

“The fact that this show has remained a fixed point in a culture is part of why this show still matters as much as it does,” he wrote. “I don’t want to lose that. But the world we are reporting on, and the world we are reporting to, where people consume their news, has moved. And if we don’t move with it, in the ways that matter, we won’t be here for the next sixty years. I want to do everything humanly possible to ensure that we are.”

A bumpy period for ‘60 Minutes’

In July of last year, to the dismay of many at the show, Paramount settled with President Donald Trump out-of-court after he sued “60 Minutes” for how it had handled an interview with Kamala Harris, his 2024 election opponent.

In December, the show, at Weiss' direction, held off at the last minute showing Alfonsi's report about the deportees, saying greater effort was needed to secure an interview with administration officials. Alfonsi complained privately that the decision was political. The story aired a month later with additional administration comments, but no on-camera interviews with officials.

The episode, and others, has had critics watching to see if Weiss is moving the network in a Trump-friendly direction. Since her appointment, Trump administration officials have been more visible on CBS News, in interviews that she sometimes helped arrange. The president himself was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell on “60 Minutes” on Nov. 2.

In February, Anderson Cooper exited the show, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family, but raising questions about whether it had anything to do with Weiss's leadership. Cooper had contributed stories to “60 Minutes” as part of a job-sharing arrangement with CNN, where his prime-time “Anderson Cooper 360” has aired since 2003.

“It just takes a little bit of water,” Scott said, adding that 3 feet of water can make a house impassable and 6 feet can be deadly. “You have to take care and prepare yourself. You’re putting yourself at risk to die if you don’t.”

Scott spoke at a news conference with local and state officials, including Rep. John Rutherford, Sheriff Rob Hardwick and St. Johns County Fire Chief Sean McGee. The officials emphasized communication, planning and supplies as first lines of defense.

Rep. Rutherford said staying informed is critical and urged people to maintain battery-operated radios or other means of receiving emergency information if power fails. He also warned that freshwater flooding is the leading killer in hurricanes.

McGee urged residents to know their evacuation zones and have a family plan and “go packs” ready with documents, medications and other essentials. He noted that fire stations located in evacuation zones may be evacuated and that those who stay do so “at your own risk.”

Scott criticized expectations that federal agencies will provide first-response resources, saying FEMA’s primary role is financial assistance. “They write checks,” he said, urging residents and state officials to prepare for the immediate life-saving response locally.

Officials advised households to stockpile seven days of food and water, gather medicines and important documents, and videotape their homes before a storm to document possessions for insurance claims.

Sheriff Hardwick praised local preparedness and partnerships among law enforcement, fire and county officials, saying Saint Johns County residents generally “heed the warnings” and that the county is conducting exercises at the emergency operations center.

Scott closed by urging residents to prioritize safety. “You can rebuild that house. You can’t rebuild a life,” he said.

She practices yoga. She performs free flow dance. And while she works, she frequently listens to house music tuned to 432 hertz, a frequency lower than typical concert pitch.

Music recorded in 432 hertz (cycles per second) is taking off on social media platforms and music streaming services, where users can find an increasing number of tracks and playlists employing the alternate tuning, everything from meditation soundscapes to reggae songs recorded by Ziggy Marley.

Scientists say there’s no robust evidence that music tuned to 432 hertz has any special benefits or healing properties. Some musicians and listeners say it helps them connect with nature, relax or concentrate.

“There are frequencies going on right now that are higher than what we can hear and lower than what can hear. And they’re not special because they’re one of the billions and billions of frequencies that we’re receiving right now,” said Susan Rogers, a Berklee College of Music professor emeritus who worked as Prince’s sound engineer during the 1980s. “To set one aside and say that it is the frequency of the universe is, as far as the science community is concerned, nonsense.”

To Sanchez, who provides telehealth services for a healthcare management organization in California, it doesn’t matter if the feelings she has while listening to 432 hertz music have a scientific explanation.

“It helps me focus and be engaged with the patient I’m assisting, and it also helps me relax,” she said. “When it comes to music, it could activate different feelings in people, the vibrations of it. It’s not like a one-size-fits-all."

The story behind 440 and 432 hertz

Throughout history, as people sang or played music together, they tuned their instruments to the same pitch to create a harmonious sound. Singers and musicians often chose a musical note — typically the A above middle C on a piano — as a reference point.

The music genre known as “432 Hz” is characterized by its tuning, in which the A above middle C is pitch-adjusted to vibrate at 432 hertz instead of the standard 440 hertz. The lower frequency is noticeable to the naked ear, sounding like slightly lower notes. Some people feel the alteration produces a warmer, more harmonious sound that resonates with the human body and the natural world.

Most orchestras and musicians now tune their instruments to 440 hertz. But that wasn't always the case.

Until the 19th century, musicians tuned instruments according to local standards, which varied from one country to the next, said Fanny Gribenski, a music historian at New York University. “For most of music history, people are just singing within their own vocal range,” she added.

Eventually, there were orchestras and musical groups tuning to higher frequencies, and some composers became concerned that singers would be unable to perform music from the past, Gribenski said.

“The idea that it should be mainly a lower frequency than the ones that were in use at the time is really the cultural concern for protecting music from the past, protecting the voices of singers,” she said.

At the same time, as international travel became more widespread, the desire for a common tuning frequency grew. In 1939, representatives from multiple European countries and the U.S. agreed to accept 440 hertz as the international standard.

Artists continued to experiment with pitch over the decades that followed. In the 1980s and ’90s, sound engineers sometimes took a recorded song and sped it up or slowed it down to achieve a brighter or slower sound, moving away from the frequency of 440 hertz, Rogers said.

But Rogers doubts that retuning a whole band or orchestra to 432 hertz would improve its sound since many modern instruments were designed sound prettiest while tuned to 440 hertz.

“Some of those instruments might sound a little sweeter, but it’s likely that most won’t,” she said.

Higher pitch generally means more brilliance, or perhaps a little more power in some instruments, Gribenski said. For those listeners who appreciate the lower 432 hertz music, “I wonder if there is a sense of deceleration, slowing down slightly, and also taking one step down from the bright sounds of modernity,” she said.

Working and 432 hertz music

Fans of working while accompanied by a 432 hertz soundtrack cite a variety of reasons.

Amelia Beamer, who handles marketing at the North Carolina pharmacy her parents own, Andrews Apothecary, says she thinks taking work breaks to listen to music tuned to 432 hertz helps with her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. She's noticed that she feels more focused if she listens before she starts a project.

Beamer works for 25 minutes, takes a five-minute listening break and then returns to the task at hand. She also listens to other frequencies, such as music tuned to 528 hertz.

“It definitely helps me feel more grounded and more centered,” Beamer said of 432 hertz music. “It helps me slow down and to take some intentional space and time for myself.”

Diana Wolf Torres, who creates videos and writes a newsletter about robots, frequently gets migraines and is sensitive to noises. If a gardener is using a leaf blower next door, she has difficulty ignoring it. Listening to music tuned to 432 hertz or other sounds such as white noise while wearing noise-canceling headphones helps.

“I just want to be there and get it done and feel like I’m doing my best writing possible, and anything that keeps me in the zone is a fantastic tool,” Torres said.

Torres doesn't think there's any science or special properties behind 432 hertz music but that “maybe some people find this lower tuning more soothing.” She noted that most listeners won't know if music labeled 432 hertz on social media is labeled accurately.

“What does it matter? If you're getting an effect, are you really going to check the resonance? Do you care?” Torres asked.

Sanchez, the telehealth worker, also enjoys listening to tunes fixed to other alternative frequencies, such as 528 hertz and 963 hertz.

“It’s something worth exploring and finding out for yourself whether it has any benefits or not,” Sanchez said. “For me, I find that grounding is beneficial to my overall wellbeing, so I see how it helps my livelihood."

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If they can get four more wins — and get them quickly — they would take their place up near the Lakers of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, or the Stephen Curry-Kevin Durant Warriors, among the NBA's dominant postseason powerhouses.

If they fall to Oklahoma City or San Antonio in the NBA Finals, they risk being remembered as a team that feasted on a weak East, that won a bunch of games right up until the ones that mattered most.

They returned to practice Thursday for the first time since sweeping Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals, vowing to continue ignoring any type of noise, whether it's how great they have been or that their opponents were not very good.

“When there’s negative things being said about you, it’s important to ignore them. When there’s positive things about you it’s easy to be able to read them to make you feel good, but you can’t do one and not the other,” Jalen Brunson said. “So just block out as best you can.”

The Knicks are 12-2 in the postseason, with a victory margin of 19.4 points per game, and have won 11 straight games. That's tied for the third-longest winning streak within one postseason.

The 2001 Lakers are one of the teams that also won 11 straight on their way to a 15-1 record that year, just shy of Golden State's 16-1 finish in 2017 as the best in league history. Count O'Neal, the MVP of that Lakers championship run and now an ESPN analyst, as a believer in these Knicks.

“They are so good I owe the whole state and all five boroughs of New York an apology," he said during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

“They are really good. They have it. It reminds me of that Detroit team that beat us my last year there (in 2004). They just got a bunch of guys that are just together.”

Those who aren’t convinced would point to a road to the NBA Finals that opened up in such a way that the Knicks had no choice but to look imposing.

Start with the final day of the regular season, when Atlanta rested its starters and blew a chance to finish with the No. 5 seed. Instead of facing Toronto or Orlando, tougher defensive teams who could have finished in the No. 6 spot and might have physically taxed them a bit, they Knicks ended up with the Hawks, who were far more finesse than force.

The Knicks took the final three games of that series to win in six games, then found their good fortune was just beginning.

Boston blew a 3-1 lead against Philadelphia, so instead of opening on the road against the second-seeded Celtics, the Knicks drew the No. 7 76ers, who came to New York with just one full day of rest and looked finished right from the start. The Knicks crushed them 137-98 in Game 1, Joel Embiid was too sore to play in Game 2, and it was over soon after.

When Cleveland knocked off Detroit in the Eastern Conference semifinals, it gave the Knicks home-court advantage against another tired team. Instead of facing the top-seeded Pistons, who easily beat them in all three meetings during the regular season, the Knicks welcomed the No. 4 Cavaliers — who played two straight seven-game series — and then had the same one full day off as the 76ers.

The Cavs noted their fatigue almost as much as the Knicks' talent in their remarks after the series, when James Harden couldn't explain if New York was even the better team.

“Obviously they dominated us 4-0 but I don’t know if I can necessarily answer that question just because genuinely I do feel like we are the better team, but series-wise it didn’t show it,” he said.

The Knicks will have another rest advantage in the finals, but not nearly as significant. They will have to open on the road against a team that will be considered the favorite. Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, while revisiting her previous comments about the 6-foot-2 Brunson that a team couldn't win a championship led by a small player, said the “two best teams are probably in the West, but I’m up for being proven wrong.”

The finals will truly be the final answer.

“Lot of questions, lot of talk about how great we are, how great we’ve been. All that doesn’t matter,” guard Mikal Bridges said. “We’ve just got to worry about being ourselves and stay locked in and go win.”

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Speaking after training Thursday, Pochettino said he and U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson discussed the possibility of staying on during dinner Sunday at Jean-Georges, a highly rated and pricey restaurant in New York.

“He asked if we are open to listen (to) the project of the federation for the next four years,” Pochettino said. “And we said: Of course that we are open. Do you think that if we have a commitment with another people, we are going to waste time to listen?”

Pochettino agreed in September 2024 to a contract through the World Cup. He said until Sunday “we didn’t have (any) idea about if the federation was happy with us or not happy, wanted us for the future.”

Pochettino said it was good that his name was linked to big clubs, it means “we are doing something good.”

“The problem is ... the opposite, no one asks for you," he said.

Pochettino maintained not much significance should be made of AC Milan's discussions.

“My representatives, maybe, possible, because they need to do their job," he said. “Do you think all the people that represent different coaches have no conversation with different clubs?”

Pochettino avoided revealing whether he was personally involved in a meeting.

“If I met someone, what happened? What is going to change if I met someone?” he said. “We have friends everywhere and my representative works for me into trying to find the best possibility for the future. That is normal.”

Discussion of Pochettino's future isn't impacting players.

“I think I’m someone that lives in present day and right now he’s here and we’re working with him,” winger Tim Weah said. “It’s an amazing feeling having such a prestigious coach coaching us.”

Batson was unfazed by Pochettino's job talks.

“He had standing offers from other places to come and he wanted to be here,” Batson said. “There has been a longer list of outreach than what has even been reported."

Pochettino, 54, was hired after coaching at Espanyol, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

Batson wouldn't say whether the USSF has reached out to Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp, two high-profile coaching free agents.

Matt Crocker, who as USSF sporting director recommended Pochettino be hired to replace Gregg Berhalter, quit last month to take a job with the governing body of Saudi Arabian soccer. Batson said a single sporting director in charge of both the men's and women's programs might not be hired.

“The men’s and women’s soccer ecosystems in the U.S. and around the world are different and so we need to think about how we’re structured to reflect that,” Batson said. “I would not expect a like-for-like sporting director going forward.”

Lineup tentatively set for World Cup opener

Pochettino said he decided last winter on his starting lineup for the World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 12.

“The only thing that can change is because watching them in training,” he said.

Asked when he decided on the lineup, he responded: “before March.”

Pulisic’s scoring drought

Pochettino is confident of a turnaround by Christian Pulisic, the top U.S. player. Pulisic ended his AC Milan season scoreless in 19 games since Dec. 28 and has gone eight U.S. matches without a goal since November 2024.

“He is going to score in World Cup. Yes, I really trust in that,” Pochettino said. “He has very good attitude, very good commitment. He’s trying so hard to get his best level and I think he will achieve it for sure.”

Pulisic skipped last year's CONCACAF Gold Cup, wanting to take vacation time. He offered to play in last year's pre-tournament friendlies but Pochettino turned him down.

“I was disappointed with him,” Pochettino said. "He was disappointed with our decision not to include him in the two friendly games.”

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Ross Butler was taken into custody outside AdventHealth Palm Coast after detectives learned he had been admitted to the hospital and located him following his release, the sheriff’s office said. He is wanted by the Chesterfield County Police Department on charges that include first-degree murder, abduction, felony homicide and strangulation in the Dec. 2021 death of his wife, Ashlee Butler, officials said.

Chesterfield County detectives have been investigating the case for more than four years. Although the death was initially reported as a suicide, investigators say the scene and the victim’s injuries were inconsistent with suicide and that the scene appeared to have been staged. A grand jury in Chesterfield indicted Butler on murder and strangulation charges on May 18.

“Thanks to cooperation between our Criminal Intelligence Unit, Fugitive Apprehension Unit, the Chesterfield County Police Department, and the Flagler Beach Police Department, he’s hiding out no longer and will soon be headed back to Virginia to face justice,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a news release.

After an interview with Chesterfield County detectives at the FCSO, Butler was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. He is being held without bond pending extradition to Virginia. Butler has prior arrests in Flagler County for charges that include driving while license suspended, DUI and possession of marijuana.

Chesterfield County Police continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call the department’s nonemergency number at 804-748-1251 or Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660.

The S&P 500 added 0.6% to its all-time high set the day before after drifting between small gains and losses in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 24 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.9% as both indexes also set records.

Stocks turned higher after oil prices gave back most of their own morning gains following reports of the tentative U.S.-Iran agreement, which still needs President Donald Trump’s approval. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil settled at $88.90 after regressing from an overnight high above $92.50.

Oil prices have been swinging as hopes rise and fall that the United States and Iran may reach a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get crude flowing again from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. They have climbed enough that a report on Thursday showed a measure of U.S. inflation accelerated last month to its worst level in three years, roughly matching economists’ expectations.

Even with worries about expensive oil and high inflation, the U.S. stock market has run to records largely because U.S. companies keep making more money. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term, and companies have been routinely topping analysts’ expectations for the first three months of 2026.

Dollar Tree’s stock soared 17.9% after it became the latest to report fatter profit than analysts expected. CEO Mike Creedon said improved store conditions helped the retailer make more profit off each $1 in sales during the latest quarter despite tariffs adding to its costs. The company also gave a forecast for profit over the full year that topped analysts’ expectations.

Kohl’s rallied 20.6% after the retailer reported better results for the latest quarter than analysts had feared, while Best Buy climbed 15.8% following its own better-than-expected profit report. Hormel Foods climbed 12.5% after a strong performance for its Jennie-O ground turkey and exports of Spam luncheon meat helped it report a better profit than analysts expected.

Snowflake rose 36.5% after saying artificial intelligence continues to be a strong driver for its business, and profit and revenue for the latest quarter exceeded expectations.

They helped offset a dip for Salesforce, which fell 0.8% even though it also reported a better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its stock has been under pressure because of worries that AI-powered rivals could steal away its business, even as Salesforce touts its own AI offerings.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 43.27 points to 7,563.63. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 24.69 to 50,668.97, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 242.74 to 26,917.47.

In the bond market, Treasury yields eased after oil prices gave up much of their gains and reduced the upward pressure on inflation.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.45% from 4.48% late Wednesday.

High yields in bond markets worldwide recently have threatened to slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments. High yields have already forced the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate to its most expensive level in nine months, and they could curtail companies’ borrowing to build the AI data centers that have supported the U.S. economy’s growth recently.

A report on Thursday said the pace of sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly slowed last month, as higher mortgage rates weighed on the housing market.

In stock markets abroad, indexes dipped across much of Europe and Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.3% for one of the world’s larger losses.

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AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

A vote by the league's Board of Governors made the plan official for the next three seasons. The “3-2-1 Lottery” proposal expands the event to 16 teams, flattens odds of winning the No. 1 pick and will try to deter teams from tanking by lowering lottery chances for teams that have the worst records.

They can still win the lottery, but they’ll have to buck odds to do so. The three worst teams will have 5.4% odds of winning, while teams that finish with the fourth- through 10th-worst records will all have 8.1% chances of winning.

“Since October, the league office has met with key stakeholders to discuss current competitive incentives and solicit ideas aimed at discouraging tanking,” the league said Thursday in announcing the move. “That process led to the creation of the 3-2-1 Lottery.”

ESPN reported the vote was 29-1, with Memphis casting the lone dissenting ballot.

The vote on Thursday fulfilled a promise from Commissioner Adam Silver, who vowed that the league — which has changed the lottery system about a half-dozen times in the last 40 or so years — would strongly address the tanking issue before next season.

Starting with next year’s lottery, the 16 participating teams will all get somewhere between one and three lottery balls — the 3-2-1 part — awarded in this manner:

— The losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in games in both conferences will get one lottery ball each.

— The No. 9 and No. 10 seeds going into the play-in tournament will get two lottery balls each.

— The remaining 10 teams that miss the playoffs and the play-in will all get three lottery balls — with the exception of the three worst teams in the standings. They will enter “draft relegation” and have one of their lottery balls taken away, which is the anti-tanking part of the plan.

Tanking was a huge — and from the league standpoint, regrettable — talking point this season. The Utah Jazz were fined $500,000 “for conduct detrimental to the league” over the way two top players were held out of the fourth quarter of a pair of games, one of which the Jazz actually won. The Jazz had reason to limit their win total this season; too many victories would have meant risking a chance to have a top-eight pick in next month’s draft, a pick that Utah wound up securing.

Utah was among five teams — draft lottery winner Washington, Indiana, Memphis and Brooklyn were the others — that had winning percentages below .180 after the All-Star break. There had never been a season where so many teams lost so regularly after the break, until now.

Under the new plan, the teams that finish with the three worst records cannot fall below the No. 12 pick. But the best odds of winning No. 1 would go to the other seven teams that miss the play-in and the playoffs.

The No. 9 and No. 10 play-in seeds would also have a 5.4% chance of winning the lottery, and the losers of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in games would both have a 2.7% chance.

There are other caveats within the new plan, including that no team can win back-to-back No. 1 picks and that the NBA will now have “expanded disciplinary authority” to address tanking — with potential moves including lowering teams’ lottery odds or even changing draft positions.

The new rules will be in effect through 2029. The Board of Governors will have to vote again, at some point, to either extend the new plan or come up with a different one before the 2030 lottery.

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

The national survey results, released Thursday, show the all-ages uninsured rate has stayed significantly down from where it was several years ago, but the ranks of the uninsured could soon expand as the Trump administration’s sweeping changes to the health landscape begin to take hold.

Massive changes to Medicaid, the government’s safety-net health program for low-income Americans, passed into law last year could result in 10 million more uninsured individuals over a decade, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.

And the expiration this year of certain Affordable Care Act subsidies — which had offset premium costs — is also contributing to reduced participation in marketplace health programs. Around 5 million fewer people are expected to enroll in those plans in 2026 compared with 2025, according to the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.

The government has multiple programs for tracking Americans’ insurance status, which can give different numbers depending on factors like timing and question wording. Many researchers consider the U.S. Census Bureau to be “the official scorekeeper,” said David Howard, an Emory University health policy and management professor.

But the CDC survey results tracks closely with that, and they offer the first complete data for all of 2025 — the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

The Trump administration has sought to expand access to low-premium catastrophic health insurance plans and lower drug prices for Americans who don’t have health insurance. It has also suggested that projected insurance enrollment declines indicate a drop-off of fraudulent and ineligible enrollees, rather than eligible Americans.

Although the share of insured and uninsured stayed roughly the same in 2025 as the year before, the number of uninsured grew by about 800,000 — 300,000 of them children. The growth of the overall U.S. population helps explain that.

The survey results also suggest a possible increased insured rate among Hispanic Americans. But that may in part reflect the effects of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, if uninsured members of that group left the country, Howard said.

Most Americans 65 and older have health insurance through the federal Medicare program. It's different for younger Americans, many of whom are covered through a patchwork of public and private insurance programs.

The percentage of Americans under 65 who were uninsured rose in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s — from 12% in 1980 to more than 18% in 2010. It fell following passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which expanded Medicaid programs and enacted measures to make affordable health insurance available to more people.

By 2016 it dropped nearly to 10%, before rising to 11 to 12% during Trump’s first administration, according to historical survey data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw the rate of uninsured fall again, as a result of government policies put in place to preserve coverage as people faced disruptions related to the pandemic. The rate hit an all-time low in 2023, falling below 9%.

It’s not clear yet how big the increase in uninsured Americans will be this year, but experts agree it will likely rise in the coming years as a result of changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.

“The decisions being made now — in Congress, state legislatures and state Medicaid agencies — will determine what happens next," Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, said in a statement Thursday.

“Policymakers should act immediately to protect and expand access to affordable coverage, strengthen Medicaid and maintain pathways that make coverage and care accessible,” she said. “Without deliberate action, including reversing dramatic cuts to coverage, uninsured rates will continue to rise, putting quality health care further out of reach.”

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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 announcement vaults Anthropic ahead of its chief rival, ChatGPT maker OpenAI, both in market value and in reported revenue. Anthropic said it's now making annualized revenue of $47 billion from selling its technology to people and organizations using Claude to write code and do other work and personal tasks on their behalf.

Anthropic was formed in 2021 by ex-OpenAI leaders and now both AI firms, along with Elon Musk's rocket and AI company SpaceX, are all expected to become publicly traded. All three are also still losing more money than they make, fueling concerns of an AI bubble.

San Francisco-based Anthropic said the new round of funding was led by investment firms Altimeter Capital, Dragoneer Investment Group, Greenoaks Capital and Sequoia Capital.

“This funding will help us serve the historic demand we are experiencing, stay at the research frontier, and bring Claude to more of the places where work happens,” said a written statement from Anthropic's chief financial officer, Krishna Rao.

Anthropic also on Thursday launched its newest AI model, called Claude Opus 4.8, boasting that it is even better at coding and other professional work than previous models.

Anthropic’s meteoric rise and Claude’s growing popularity have left OpenAI playing catch-up despite its early lead in making ChatGPT a household name that sparked a commercial AI boom.

OpenAI last reported in March it was heading toward a $852 billion valuation after a $122 billion fundraising round. SpaceX was valued at $800 billion last year, but its value grew to $1.25 trillion after the space exploration company merged with Musk's xAI in February. Musk recently announced plans for one of the biggest stock sales ever and will be able to pitch the offering to investors as soon as next week.

OpenAI also cleared a major hurdle toward its initial public offering ambitions after a federal court last week dismissed a lawsuit from Musk, an OpenAI co-founder and early donor, after a weeks-long jury trial over whether the company had betrayed its original nonprofit mission. Musk has said he plans to appeal.

Despite its newfound success, Anthropic has also faced obstacles this year — particularly a bruising legal fight with President Donald Trump's administration over how AI tools like Claude can be used in warfare. Trump in February ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Claude and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared the company a supply chain risk after an unusually public clash between the Pentagon and CEO Dario Amodei. Anthropic sued in a dispute that is still working its way through two federal courts.

At the same time, Anthropic has been in talks with the White House over the cybersecurity capabilities and risks of its most powerful model, Mythos, which is not yet widely available to the public.

Anthropic also had an influential role at the Vatican ahead of Pope Leo XIV 's call Monday for robust regulation of AI and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit.

The sweeping manifesto called “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), Leo’s first encyclical, repeatedly blasted the concentration of power and data in the hands of so few people in the private sector as a danger.

Cody Campbell’s response to that talk: You broke it, we’re trying to fix it.

“My take is, it’s pretty rich for these people who created the problem in the first place to say that all of the sudden, they have the solution to the problem,” he said.

The billionaire head of the Texas Tech board of regents spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday, a day after Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., presented a bipartisan bill they hope can put teeth behind a lot of rules already in place to guide college sports through its multibillion-dollar metamorphosis.

While leaders of conferences and the NCAA said they would review the bill to decide whether to support it, critics emerged almost as quickly. Among them were Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who wants more limits on coaching salaries; and Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., who want to see language that outlaws athletes from becoming employees of the schools.

A players group also expressed skepticism and the AP spoke to experts who predicted the bill would face a tough climb to get 60 votes in the Senate and a majority in the House.

“It's turning back the clock two to three years, and I don't think that's realistic,” said Michael LeRoy, a labor and sports law professor at Illinois, speaking to the realities of how much more expensive payrolls have become since name, image and likeness payments became allowable. “Players are getting paid in the millions of dollars. The underlying premise is to get a more uniform ceiling. That certainly is needed, but collective bargaining would do that.”

Schools have used third-party NIL deals to blow past the $20.5 million in revenue sharing that some envisioned as a “salary cap” when terms of the lawsuit settlement that set rules for college sports were approved.

Bill could address issues that trigger growing calls for collective bargaining

The spiraling spending has led some big names, including Tennessee athletic director Danny White, to suggest a collective-bargaining agreement between players and — schools? leagues? the NCAA? — could solve problems by bringing cost certainty to the industry while also giving it the antitrust protection it so desperately seeks.

It could also open the door to athletes becoming employees of the schools, which many view as a backbreaking financial burden that would invite the demise of Olympic and women's sports in college, and maybe football and basketball themselves.

Campbell, who was part of a group formed by President Donald Trump to tackle problems in college sports and has long been a strong voice in trying to shape its next chapter, says the Cruz-Cantwell bill provides many of the same benefits as collective bargaining, including limited antitrust protection.

“We created something that could actually be passable on a bipartisan basis,” Campbell said. “And while it's not perfect, and it never will be, there are many, many good elements in it. I think that college sports should be universally pleased with the outcome.”

Campbell said he views one of the bill's most divisive elements — a provision that would provide conferences the option to pool their media rights — not as a threat but as a genuine option for the leagues. The Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences are against media pooling, arguing that the numbers don't add up.

Campbell said the proposal addresses long-running concerns about out-of-control coaches salaries but also suggested the language in the 111-page bill could be amended to make the legislation even tougher.

He said it gives the year-old College Sports Commission the legal authority to approve and reject third-party NIL deals and would shield it from lawsuits that could come under the current system.

Campbell also said he has little time for the increasing conversation coming out of the SEC — headlined by Georgia president Jere Morehead and its football coach, Kirby Smart — that suggests those leagues might be better off splitting away from the system completely, making their own rules and playing games among themselves.

“If this was the solution, why didn't they come up with it over the last several decades as this thing started to crumble?" Campbell said. "If you created this mess, I don't see how you can stand up and say you're the one who's going to fix it.”

Despite bipartisan nature, bill faces an uphill climb

The AP spoke to a handful of legal experts familiar with college sports, none of whom predicted an easy road for the Cruz-Cantwell bill.

“It might be trying to bite off too much at this point to get passed this year,” sports attorney Mit Winter said.

Cantwell acknowledged to the AP in an interview that she knows despite its bipartisan nature, the bill is hardly a slam-dunk to pass.

Among those who gathered with Campbell to help draft the legislation were Condoleezza Rice, Yankees President Randy Levine and Gerry Cardinale of the private equity firm Redbird Capital. It was a group, according to a Yahoo Sports report, that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was referencing when he said “it's interesting in Washington where the voices of influence come from.”

Campbell, however, views it as a smart group that doesn't have as many conflicting interests as the leagues and NCAA themselves.

“And if we can’t get it done," he said, "then they can have their way and let chaos continue to persist.”

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AP Sports Writer Eric Olson contributed to this report.

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Groups of demonstrators, many wearing gas masks and other face coverings, linked arms in a human chain in front of Delaney Hall in Newark on Wednesday night, videos and photos posted on social media show.

Some used trash cans, old mattresses, umbrellas and other materials as makeshift shields and barricades as they confronted U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement officers. Others attempted to block people and vehicles from entering and exiting the building or threw orange traffic cones and other objects in the direction of the ICE officers lined at the entry gate.

The group chanted, “You will hang!” and, “Every cop, every fed, shoot yourself in the head," and other taunts at the officers, many of whom wore helmets and tactical vests.

The ICE officers used pepper spray to try and disperse the protesters, according to videos posted to social media. Some used their batons to beat and push back protesters as the officers attempted to clear the roadway for vehicles.

At least one truck driver got out of his vehicle to vent his frustration when some protesters tried to block vehicles driving on the road in front of the detention center. People detained inside could at times be seen waving to protestors from Delaney Hall's windows.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said about six demonstrators were arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers.

“Assaulting and obstructing ICE law enforcement is a crime and felony,” the agency said in a statement. “Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

On Thursday, demonstrators again returned to Delaney Hall.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill also said state health department officials were “denied full access” to the facility for a health inspection. The Democrat said the officials were only allowed to inspect a limited part of the facility as she called on ICE to “de-escalate” the situation.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, refusing to provide full access raises serious questions about what ICE is trying to hide from public view,” Sherrill said in a statement that also repeated her calls to shut down the facility outright.

Earlier Wednesday, Democratic members of Congress from New York City toured the facility as part of an oversight visit. A private prison company runs the detention center, which sits along an industrial stretch of Newark Bay.

Reps. Jerry Nadler, Daniel Goldman and Adriano Espaillat, who all represent Manhattan, described dire conditions where people held in the facility are fed small portions of often spoiled food and their varied medical needs are ignored.

DHS spokespersons have denied any hunger strike, abuse or poor conditions inside the center and dismissed criticism from opponents as political posturing.

Zelenskyy said he hasn’t yet received a reply to a letter he sent earlier this week to U.S. President Donald Trump and Congress asking for more of the American-made ammunition. He warned that deliveries to Ukraine are falling dangerously short as the Iran war diverts and depletes U.S. stocks.

“I believe (the U.S.) must act quicker. We are being very persistent,” Zelenskyy told reporters during a visit to Sweden.

Zelenskyy is keen to secure more deliveries of foreign weaponry that it can’t produce itself as it battles Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. In exchange, he's offering to share the cutting-edge drone expertise that Ukraine has built up during the war.

Russia has used its long-range ballistic missiles to damage Ukraine’s power grid and hammer cities.

The Ukrainian capital is bracing for further heavy bombardments. But no foreign diplomats are known to have heeded Moscow’s recommendation to leave Kyiv before what the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier this week would be upcoming “systemic strikes” on Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that all diplomatic missions in the capital have continued operations.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Ukraine later Thursday that the current escalation and intensification of attacks risks getting out of control, with “unknown and unintended consequences.” He said that more civilians have been killed in the first four months of this year than in the same period in the past three years.

Guterres called for more diplomacy, immediate de-escalation and “a full and unconditional ceasefire.”

Sweden's advanced fighter jets

Ukraine plans to buy 20 advanced Gripen fighter jets from Sweden for 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion), with Sweden also donating 16 older Gripen models once the purchase goes through, Zelenskyy announced on his trip to Sweden.

The money for the jets will come out of a 90 billion-euro ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine that the European Union recently approved, Zelenskyy said during a trip to Sweden.

The combat aircraft will be especially helpful in stopping Russian planes that launch powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, he said at an aircraft hangar standing in front of Gripen jets alongside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Ukraine will get the older models early next year and the new models from 2030, Kristersson said. The planes will be equipped with weaponry, and Sweden will provide maintenance and training, he said.

Ukraine eventually wants 150 Gripen jets, Zelenskyy said.

Meanwhile, Sweden is “extremely eager” to learn from Ukraine’s drone warfare experience, Kristersson said.

Ukrainian drones limiting Russian advances, analysts say

Zelenskyy says Ukrainian specialists have helped countries in the Middle East — specifically the Gulf Arab region — strengthen their air defenses during the Iran war. They have helped at American military bases in the Middle East as well, he says.

Ukraine has also entered into joint drone production agreements with countries in the European Union, which fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin has military ambitions beyond Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones that patrol the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line and strike deeper at supply routes have pinned back Russia's bigger army.

“Ukraine’s successful midrange and front-line drone strike campaigns are limiting Russia’s ability to transport personnel to the front line and to supply and sustain front-line positions,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in an assessment late Wednesday.

Russia has occupied about 20% of Ukraine so far. That includes the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014. The cost of capturing that land has been huge, with the head of the U.K. intelligence agency GCHQ saying Wednesday that almost 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Francesca Charles, 28, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Her sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Court documents say that in February 2025 officials in the Dominican Republic seized 18 rifles, five handguns, firearms magazines, more than 36,000 rounds of ammunition and a silencer from a container shipped from Miami that was destined for Haiti. The shipping manifest listed household goods, not weapons.

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations determined that Charles and two others, identified in court papers as Jacques Pierre and Jeff Pierre, were the purchasers of at least 20 of the 23 firearms seized from the container.

Investigators say the defendants bought at least 46 firearms between May 2024 and February 2025, most matching the make and model of weapons recovered from the shipment. Thirty-seven of those purchases occurred between Aug. 9, 2024, and Feb. 10, 2025. Charles is accused of buying at least 24 of the 46 firearms.

Records also show Jacques Pierre purchased two Barrett .50-caliber rifles — heavy-duty, military-style weapons often mounted on vehicles and used by gangs and cartels. One of those rifles was recovered in the February 2025 seizure; the second was recovered in November 2025 during a clash between Haitian police and an armed gang, the documents say.

Travel and shipping records allegedly show the co‑conspirators arranged a shipment to Haiti soon after buying a large number of firearms and traveled to Haiti around the time the shipment was due to arrive. The records also indicate the defendants traveled to the Dominican Republic three days before the container was intercepted.

In related proceedings, Jacques Pierre, 32, and his brother, Jeff Pierre, 34, both Haitian citizens living in Florida, have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle goods and unlawfully ship firearms, smuggling goods from the United States and unlawfully shipping firearms. If convicted, each faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

O’Brien, who graduated from Harvard in 1985 and led The Harvard Lampoon humor magazine, quipped that the university had produced “more Nobel laureates or white-collar criminals” than any other in the country. “So whether you choose good or evil, know that you are among the very best.”

While he joked about “Justice Department spies” being in attendance, he also defended international students — which the Trump administration has attempted to block Harvard from hosting — and criticized what he described as a broader erosion of compassion in American public life.

“Our current leadership in Washington believes that empathy is a weakness,” O’Brien said.

He returns to campus during one of the most fraught periods in Harvard's recent history. The school faces mounting legal and financial pressure from President Donald Trump 's administration, which sued the school in March over accusations its leadership failed to address antisemitism on campus.

Months earlier, a judge sided with Harvard in another lawsuit and ordered the administration to reverse billions of dollars in funding cuts. Harvard says it was being illegally penalized for refusing to adopt the Trump administration’s views.

O'Brien joked that he too was suing the university over everything from uncomfortable dorm furniture to his “less-than-spectacular undergraduate sex life,” claims he said had “more merit than those filed by the president of the United States.”

Reflecting on how his Harvard background shaped the way people perceived him early in his comedy career, he urged grads not to let Harvard define them.

“Maybe my wish for you is not that Harvard becomes the last thing people know about you,” O’Brien said, “but instead that Harvard become the least important thing people know about you.”

Student speaker Andrew O’Donohue, who completed a doctorate studying democratic institutions and judicial independence, described how federal funding tied to his research was wiped out by Trump administration cuts before Harvard stepped in.

“When students self-censor, when professors fear being punished, when scientists worry that research funding is allocated based on politics,” O’Donohue said, “our universities will not produce the next great artist, doctor, scientist, educator, lawyer, entrepreneur, public servant, or innovator.”

Recent Harvard commencements have grown much more political.

Last year, students cheered speakers who defended diversity and international students in the face of Trump administration attacks. The year before was marked by walkouts and chants of “Free Palestine” after weeks of campus protests over the war in Gaza.

This year, graduate workers who are on strike picketed in Harvard Yard, blaring vuvuzela horns, drums and cowbells whenever an administrator spoke. More than 4,000 grad workers want higher pay, stronger protections and an independent process for harassment and discrimination complaints, among other issues. Dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators silently held signs condemning the university's “Complicity in Palestinian Genocide.”

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Associated Press writer Leah Willingham in Boston contributed.

The 26-year-old Rice was booked into the Dallas County jail May 19 after testing positive for THC. He is due to be released on June 16, which means he will miss all of the Chiefs' voluntary workouts along with their mandatory three-day minicamp beginning June 9.

Making matters worse: Rice had surgery about a week before he was sentenced to jail to clean up debris in his right knee, which had been causing some inflammation. The latest legal trouble means he's had to continue his rehab work while incarcerated.

“We think he'll be ready for camp as we go forward. We'll just see how it goes,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Thursday, after the third and final voluntary workout of the week. “He knows the rehab he can do there, and I think they're keeping an eye on him as far as any possible infection goes.”

Rice was suspended for the first six games of last season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, which stemmed from the original crash in 2024 on a Dallas highway. It’s unclear whether he will be subject to more discipline for violating his probation.

“We're moving forward as normal as we go here,” Reid said. “When he gets back, we've got to get him caught up in doing what he needs to do, and make sure he gets it. It's not an easy thing he's going through.

“Life lessons are important,” Reid added, "but we're all given chances to learn, and he's in that position now.”

Rice has been in that position before, though. During training camp ahead of last season, the former SMU standout said he “completely changed” and had grown from his experience with the car crash, and that “you have to learn from things like that.”

“I've learned and taken advantage of being able to learn from something like that,” Rice said.

Rice is expected to be a major part of the Kansas City offense as it tries to rebound from a 6-11 record last season.

The Chiefs did little to upgrade their wide receiver room in the offseason, pinning their hopes instead on continual improvement from Rice — who is going into the final year of his rookie contract — and young players such as Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals.

Rice has been good when available, catching 156 passes for 1,797 yards and 14 touchdowns and helping the Chiefs win the Super Bowl in the 2023 season. But he's missed games to both suspension and injuries, resulting in just 28 games played over three seasons.

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

More than 20 people were injured in the strikes, according to Shifa Hospital. Video from the scene showed flames pouring from an upper-floor window of a building, while bystanders rushed to carry wounded people, including children, to ambulances.

Mohammed Shawish, who was wounded and lost his wife in the strikes, broke down in tears as he held her body at the hospital morgue, saying, “I married my wife for love. For God’s sake, I chose her because of love.”

The strikes took place on the first day of Eid al-Adha, or the “Feast of Sacrifice,” an Islamic holiday celebrated by millions of Muslims worldwide. The Israeli military said Wednesday evening it had launched strikes in the northern Gaza Strip targeting two Hamas militants.

Among those killed was Hamas fighter Imad Isleim. On Thursday, mourners carried his body wrapped in a white shroud with a Hamas flag draped over it. His death came as a “shock” to the family, even though they knew it could happen at any time, his cousin Nidal Isleim said.

The strikes came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel was expanding its control in Gaza.

“Right now we are tightening the grip on Hamas," Netanyahu said Thursday at the Jordan Valley Conference in the occupied West Bank. “We are now in 60% of the territory of the Gaza Strip. You know that? We were at 50%, we moved to 60%."

He said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel “tightening the grip" on Hamas "from every direction.”

“We will deal with the remnants,” Netanyahu said. "But the most important thing is to continue leveraging our power, to increase it.”

The conference was part of a broader discussion on the war, Iran, Hezbollah, Gaza and regional strategy.

"There is still more work. What is happening right now is truly a global change. There is no doubt about that,” Netanyahu added.

Earlier this week, an Israeli strike killed Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed leader of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, less than two weeks after his predecessor was also killed.

Across the Gaza Strip, 16 people were killed and 39 others wounded over the past 48 hours, Gaza’s health ministry said in an update on Thursday. The ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but is staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

Since a fragile ceasefire came into effect last October, 922 people have been killed in Gaza and 2,786 others injured, according to the ministry.

Bessent said at the White House that authorizing the new currency will be up to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but that “we've created the bill” because “we have to be prepared.”

The secretary downplayed the idea that the administration is pushing the matter, despite Trump's penchant for infusing his name and likeness across the nation's capital and into the observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Yet he also insisted there is nothing inappropriate about Trump's visage being part of the seminal national celebration.

“The president doesn’t do it; the House and the Senate have to do it,” Bessent said at the White House, referring to legislation, introduced by Representative Joe Wilson, R-S.C., that would direct the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to put Trump’s face on the new bill to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

A Treasury Department spokeswoman said the agency has carried out “appropriate planning and due diligence” to implement a potential congressional mandate “to produce a $250 commemorative note which will appropriately recognize the 250th Anniversary of our great nation.” The spokeswoman did not mention Trump.

If passed and signed into law by Trump, Wilson's bill would mark an extraordinary recognition for a sitting U.S. leader and comes as Trump has sought to place himself at the center of this year's seminal Independence Day commemorations. The Department’s preparation for the languishing legislation suggests some enthusiasm for the idea on the part of the Trump administration.

Report: Trump ally has pushed to expedite the new currency

The agency's explanation follows a Washington Post report stating that U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, a Trump appointee, has been pushing the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to expedite the process for a new currency note. The paper also reported that the former BEP chief, Patricia Solimene, was reassigned after pushing back.

The Treasury spokesperson declined to comment on Solimene's current status but confirmed that Michael Brown, a top Beach aide, became acting director of engraving and printing on May 18.

Beach did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

Wilson's legislation, which so far has languished in Congress, is intended to create an exception to existing law that bars any living person from appearing on U.S. currency; the bill would allow current and former presidents to be featured.

Bessent confirmed the measure is designed for one person.

“Donald J. Trump,” he said emphatically, repeating the full name that the president himself often uses in the third person.

According to the Post report, Beach last fall provided the Bureau of Engraving and Printing with the design for the new bill. It featured Trump's portrait — the same one that adorns banners hanging on some federal buildings in Washington — and a 250th anniversary logo. Trump's signature also was included, a design element that would differ from other paper money.

British artist Iain Alexander told the Post he designed the bill and said he'd discussed it with the president. Alexander did not respond to an AP request for comment.

The newspaper also reported that the Solimene resisted pressure from Beach and Brown and stressed to them the lengthy legal and procedural process required to issue new currency. Solimene was reassigned against her will, the Post reported, paving the way for Brown to oversee the bureau.

Trump has aggressively spread his name and likeness

A new currency note would be the latest example of Trump expanding his personal brand in his official capacity since returning to the White House in 2025.

Beach and Bessent already streamlined approval of a commemorative 250th anniversary coin featuring Trump. The Treasury Department has asserted that those special coins fall outside the prohibition on living presidents appearing on money. In 1926, the nation's 150th anniversary, then-President Calvin Coolidge appeared on a commemorative half-dollar coin that was official legal tender.

The Trump administration has had banners featuring his portrait hung on the Department of Justice and other federal buildings. And his slate of appointees to the Kennedy Center governing board added his name to the national performing arts facility that Congress originally designated as a memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy. That renaming is being challenged in court because of the federal law establishing the center as the official memorial to the 35th president.

Bessent noted that unless Wilson's exception passes, current law sets just two conditions for him to consider on currency: that “In God We Trust” in some place and that only deceased individuals be depicted, with their names described below their portraits.

“It’s all up to Capitol Hill,” Bessent said. “We will stick to the law.”

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Barrow reported from Atlanta.

Springsteen and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello announced the festival Wednesday while performing together at Nationals Park in Washington as Springsteen winds down his Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour.

At the concert Wednesday, Springsteen played many of his most political songs, including “American Skin (41 Shots)” about a fatal police shooting and “Streets of Minneapolis,” in response to the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. “The Gestapo tactics of this president and this administration will not stand here,” Springsteen said.

“This American tragedy can only be stopped by the American people: you. There is no one coming to save us. We’ve got to do it ourselves,” he said. “So join us and let’s fight for the America that we love. Do you hear me, Washington?”

The one-day, two-stage Power to the People festival is set for Oct. 3 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, and is being billed as about "freedom, justice, equality and rock ’n’ roll.” A portion of the proceeds from all ticket sales will benefit the organizations VoteRiders and HeadCount.

“It’s about the power everyday human beings have when they come together through music, art, community and action," Morello said in a statement. "We’re honored to bring this incredible lineup to the DC area for a day that celebrates the spirit of activism, creativity, and hope.”

The festival will also include Dropkick Murphys, Jack Black, Serj Tankian, Killer Mike, Taylor Momsen and the Linda Lindas, among others.

Springsteen has long criticized President Donald Trump, who in turn has called for a boycott of Springsteen’s shows, calling him a “total loser who spews hate.”

On Wednesday, Springsteen led the crowd in an “ICE out!” chant, encouraging the audience to make their voices heard all the way to the White House.

“Our democracy, our constitution, our rule of law are being challenged right now as never before by a reckless, racist, incompetent, treasonous president and his ship of fools administration,” said Springsteen.

“God bless Alex Pretti, God bless Renée Good, God bless you and God bless America,” he said before launching into the final song of the night, “Chimes of Freedom.”

___ This story has been corrected to show that Springsteen mentioned Alex Pretti before Renée Good.

A white cargo plane with aid donated by the European Union delivered masks, gloves, boots and medications — all of which are in short supply — to the northeastern town of Bunia at the heart of the outbreak in Congo's Ituri province. U.N.-branded forklifts lifted several cases into trucks.

Health workers with scant supplies have been struggling to contain an outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, a kind of Ebola that has no approved treatment or vaccine. In some areas, doctors have resorted to wearing expired medical masks while treating suspected patients.

Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for dealing with the bodies of victims, which clash with local burial rites. Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers in Ituri province.

Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said that during outbreaks people in remote communities can feel overwhelmed by an incoming flood of information and people.

“We’ve seen in every epidemic that there’s always resistance,” Kamba said. "Communities always ask themselves, ‘What’s going on?’ And in epidemics like this one, it is really risk communication and community engagement that ultimately change perceptions.”

Aid donated by the EU is expected to arrive in batches over the next eight days, Jérôme Kouachi, head of emergency operations at UNICEF in Congo, told The Associated Press.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was on his way to Congo to see the efforts first-hand. The WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, in the hope of ramping up aid.

The United States on Thursday said it is increasing its aid to Congo and Uganda by $80 million, bringing its commitment to more than $112 million since the outbreak.

The additional money would pay for personal protective equipment for health care workers, Ebola test kits, support for health screening at airports and contact tracing, the U.S. State Department said.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Africa Centres for Disease Control director-general, said that the organization on Monday believed it had secured funding pledges of nearly $500 million toward Africa’s emergency response, but that as of Thursday afternoon the amount had dwindled to $290 million as partners withdrew or reduced pledges.

He also said that the Africa CDC hoped to have treatments and a vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus by the end of the year, and that there were some vaccine candidates already in the works.

The Congolese government has confirmed more than 1,000 suspected cases, with at least 220 deaths, since it declared an outbreak on May 15. But the virus had been spreading undetected for weeks, and the WHO suspects it is much larger than what has been reported.

The virus has also reached neighboring Uganda, which has confirmed seven cases and one death.

On Wednesday, the Congolese government said the first survivor to recover from the virus had left a health center.

“We are trying to catch up,” Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said earlier this week. “It is a race against the clock.”

The response on the ground has been hampered by multiple challenges, including customs' red tape, insufficient storage facilities, bad roads and weak telecommunications, humanitarian agencies said in a report on Thursday.

Tedros on Wednesday called for a ceasefire in a region where armed groups have staged violent attacks for decades. “We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling,” he said.

Tucked in the northeastern part of Congo close to the Ugandan border, Ituri province has been reeling from attacks by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias. In early May, the ADF killed at least 40 people and burned several homes in Ituri.

The illness has also been reported in two Congolese provinces south of Ituri — North Kivu and South Kivu, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels have reported two cases. The region’s main airport in Goma, which doubles as a staging ground for humanitarian efforts into the region, has been closed since January 2025, when M23 seized the city.

The conflict has precipitated one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with at least 7 million people displaced in eastern Congo.

—-

Ope Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria. Mathew Lee contributed from Washington and Mogomotsi Magome contributed from Johannesburg, South Africa.

The person who confirmed the existence of the investigation was not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing inquiry and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The perjury investigation is being led by the federal prosecutors’ office in Chicago, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has had no involvement because of his prior work as Trump’s personal attorney, the person said.

A lawyer for Carroll declined to comment through a spokesperson on Thursday.

It’s the latest in a series of investigations that Trump's Justice Department has opened into perceived adversaries of the Republican president. The actions, including securing an indictment last month against former FBI Director James Comey, have raised alarm from Democrats and former officials that an institution meant to make prosecutorial decisions independent of the White House is being weaponized against the president's political enemies.

Carroll has said a flirtatious, chance encounter with Trump in 1996 at Bergdorf Goodman’s Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan ended violently. She said Trump slammed her against a dressing room wall, pulled down her tights and forced himself on her. Trump has called the allegations a “made-up scam," and he has attacked her motivations, saying they were politically driven or arose from a desire to promote her memoir.

A jury in 2023 found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll and defaming her, and she was awarded $5 million. The following year, another jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million in a defamation case related to Trump's social media posts about her.

The Justice Department is scrutinizing a statement Carroll made in the course of the civil litigation that no one else was paying her legal fees. It later became public that a Chicago-based organization backed by Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, had helped fund Carroll's case. Trump's lawyers in the civil case accused Carroll of concealing that information, which they said called into question whether the case was politically motivated.

A month before the first trial in 2023, then-Trump lawyer Alina Habba sought to delay it, saying in court papers that new revelations about Hoffman partially funding Carroll’s case “raises significant questions as to Plaintiff’s credibility, as well as her motive for commencing and/or continuing the instant action.”

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a Dec. 30, 2024, ruling, upheld the $5 million jury award from 2023. The court addressed Carroll’s credibility after Trump accused her of lying, during a deposition, about how her case was funded.

The court cited Carroll’s explanation that when the question about Hoffman's contributions was first posed to her in 2022, she had forgotten about “the limited outside funding” received in September 2020.

“It showed that Ms. Carroll simply was not involved in the matter of who was or was not funding her litigation costs,” the appeals court said.

Hoffman has defended the financial assistance, saying in a social media post that “supporting women fight for progress and justice in philanthropy, politics and business has been a longstanding priority of mine, as is supporting America against the threat of Trump.”

A court entry earlier this month said Trump will not have to pay the award until the U.S. Supreme Court gets a chance to review the case or reject an appeal. The appeals court agreed to a request by one of Trump’s lawyers that it let Trump delay the payment to Carroll, though he was required to post a $7.4 million bond to cover any additional interest costs, a request Carroll’s attorney had made.

The Carroll investigation was first reported by CNN.

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Associated Press reporter Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.

Mahomes did individual work and participated in 7-on-7 drills on Thursday, the third day of organized team activities but the first that reporters were allowed to observe. He wore a black brace extending across his knee, where the ACL and LCL were repaired, and while he was able to jog around well, there were times when Mahomes would need to stop to adjust it.

He'll certainly take that given it was just five months ago that Mahomes underwent surgery to repair the injury.

“It's good to be back on the field and just be with the guys, more than anything,” Mahomes said. “Some of those days you're rehabbing with yourself, or with a couple of guys, and you get a little juice when the other guys are out there.”

The Chiefs are being careful of the amount of juice, though.

Mahomes still has not been cleared by Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas-based orthopedist who performed the procedure, nor the Kansas City training staff to participate in full-team drills. He also is not supposed to run or sharply cut on the knee quite yet.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was reluctant to place a timeline on the return of his star quarterback, though Mahomes has insisted all along he will be ready when Kansas City plays the Denver on Sept. 14 in a Monday night matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.

The bigger question is whether Mahomes will be ready for the start of training camp in about two months.

“It's kind of, ‘We’ll see,'” Mahomes said. “You have these week-to-two week checkpoints that I have to get to. The biggest thing for me now is to get to the running and cutting. ... Until I'm able to protect myself and get out there, they're going to keep me safe. But if I can continue to do things the right way, that's the hope for me at least.”

Mahomes typically spends the early portion of the offseason at his home in Texas, where Chiefs wide receivers and tight ends tend to congregate for workouts run by him. But he has spent almost every day since surgery last December — the day after he was hurt in a game against the Chargers — doing the rehab work under the watchful eye of one of the Chiefs' trainers, Julie Frymyer.

His typical schedule involves arriving at the training facility early, doing rehab work, then going through the usual team meetings. On-field work began this week, after which comes a recovery period and then another round of rehab work.

“Then I go home and chase kids around until I fall asleep,” Mahomes said.

“I think everybody is different in how you go about it,” Reid said, "but I wouldn't put it past where he's at, and I don't judge it. People say, ‘Is he ahead of schedule?’ Well, who made the schedule? Everybody is different. The way he goes about it is different. He and Julie have spent a ton of time working together, and she's tough on him. She puts him through the ropes. And he's willing to come back.

“Half the battle on that, besides the healing part, is trusting the person doing the rehab with you, and then showing up the next day.”

The Chiefs have another round of voluntary workouts next week — Reid said participation was near total from the team, despite their optional nature. Then comes a mandatory three-day minicamp beginning June 9, followed by a break before training camp.

The Chiefs have yet to announce the date for their arrival in St. Joseph, Missouri, but it is typically around July 21. That would give Mahomes just under two more months to continue his rehab before the real ramp-up to the regular season begins.

“The first step was getting to 7-on-7, and for me, it was more seeing the defense. It's been a long time since I've been out there, seeing the plays develop,” Mahomes said. “The next step will be getting with the team and getting under center and stuff like that. But we will progress to that. And then it will be going out there live with the guys, and then we'll be playing games.”

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

The top three candidates competing for the nomination in the Aug. 4 primary are debating on Thursday at the state party’s annual policy conference. It is one of their first big opportunities to sharpen contrasts before a statewide audience.

With the primary season wrapping up across the country, the contentious race in Michigan is increasingly seen as a test case for where the party and its base are headed into the November election and beyond.

Appearing on the Mackinac Island stage and seeking to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters are U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed. The Republican nominee is Mike Rogers, a former congressman who lost the 2024 Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. No Michigan Republican has been elected to the U.S. Senate since 1994.

Here’s where things stand in the race:

Messy primary or clarifying vision?

The race's first widely televised debate did not go off without fireworks. The candidates all spent time taking shots at each other, with El-Sayed being the most aggressive in his criticism of the other two candidates.

“Messages are great and you actually need to know how to deliver them,” McMorrow shot back at El-Sayed.

The crowded primary could help Democrats clarify a path forward, giving voters a chance to decide among three distinctly different visions for the party’s future. But a bruising primary also carries risks, as candidates sharpen attacks against one another in ways that could leave the eventual nominee weakened.

“I think primaries can be good. As long as folks aren't too chippy. Unfortunately, people are getting a little chippy in the race,” Peters said. “But as long as you have a primary that's civil, you get a stronger candidate coming out of the primary that's ready to take on the general election."

Stevens, a fourth-term congresswoman representing a district just outside Detroit, is seen as the more moderate, establishment-aligned candidate. She has endorsements from senators in battleground states, including Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. Stevens has described herself as a “staunchly pro-Israel Democrat.”

El-Sayed has taken the progressive lane, earning early backing from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. El-Sayed has called for “Medicare for All” and higher taxes on the wealthy and has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide.” He has drawn criticism, including from within the party, for campaigning with controversial streamer Hasan Piker.

McMorrow was first elected to the Michigan Senate in 2018 and gained national attention for speeches rebuking Republicans She has carved out a position somewhere between her two main rivals. She has criticized the Democratic establishment and said she would not support New York's Chuck Schumer to be Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate again.

One issue the candidates aligned on during Thursday’s debate was eliminating the filibuster, the longstanding Senate rule that effectively requires 60 votes to advance most legislation in the 100-member chamber. Trump has repeatedly urged Senate Republicans to eliminate it, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune has made clear there is not enough support within the GOP conference to do so.

Peters and Slotkin both told The Associated Press on Thursday that they were not planning to make an endorsement in the primary. They said had become more contentious than they had hoped.

“It is messy. Messier than I would have liked. I think it's important in any primary that the candidates focus more on what they want to do and their positive affirmative plan,” Slotkin said.

Winner will face Rogers

Rogers lost to then-U.S. Rep. Slotkin by fewer than 20,000 votes in a state that Republican Donald Trump carried on his way to a second term.

This time, Rogers will not benefit from having Trump atop the ballot. But Rogers heads into the general election with advantages of his own, including an uncontested primary.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Rogers acknowledged the difficulties in the last campaign, saying the financial disadvantage he faced after a tough primary “made it really difficult” to win the general election.

But he said this year is different.

“This is a change election. People want to talk about Washington. This is about Michigan,” Rogers said.

It may prove difficult to localize a race shaped by national issues such as tariffs and gas prices, both of which are hitting Michigan hard. Outside spending is expected to climb into the nine figures. The Republicans’ U.S. Senate campaign organization has reserved $45 million in ads, compared with $20 million by Democrats.

“They're going to spend a lot of money trying to make you not like me. We're going to spend our money trying to tell people what we're going to do for them and make their lives in our state better," Rogers said.

Busch had been experiencing symptoms of bacterial pneumonia for “days to weeks” before sepsis set in, according to the certificate obtained by The Associated Press in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.

The manner of death was listed as “natural.”

The death certificate also said Busch, who was 41, was cremated in Mooresville, North Carolina, following an autopsy.

His family had announced Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch had been plenty busy leading up to his death despite being sick.

He was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

But he continued racing and won the Truck Series race at Dover before finishing 17th in the All-Star race, five days before his death. He also attended the opening of a go-kart track with his 11-year-old son, Brexton, last week.

Busch was preparing for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway when the family announced he would not be competing due to a “severe illness."

Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on May 20 when he became unresponsive and was taken to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told the AP. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because those details had not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.

An unidentified caller on an emergency 911 call placed late that afternoon told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

Busch was taken to a hospital, where he died the following day.

He was a two-time Cup Series champion who won a record 234 races across NASCAR's top three national series.

Most of his success came with Joe Gibbs Racing before he moved on to join Richard Childress Racing.

NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell called Busch a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer and said there was some conversation about adding him to this year's class even though the selection process had already been completed.

No public memorial has been announced for Busch.

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

The move Wednesday by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine comes as tax breaks for energy-hungry AI data centers are increasingly playing a role in state budgets and the industry is under pressure to pay the full costs of the vast network of its computing warehouses needed to power AI.

The size of Ohio's tax break skyrocketed, dwarfing previous projections, as opposition to data centers is sweeping through cities, suburbs and towns there and prompting lawmakers to form a committee to study the impact.

In the meantime, residents are trying to bypass the GOP-controlled Legislature and get a referendum on November's midterm election ballot that's designed to permanently ban hyperscale data centers, likely the strictest such statewide ban under consideration in the U.S.

DeWine's office cited the rising utilization of the tax break and the state Legislature's new research undertaking to declare a “pause” in granting it to new applicants.

"The governor felt it was the right time to let the citizens know, let businesses know that we're going to pause on new offers of this tax incentive while that process plays out," DeWine's spokesperson, Dan Tierney, said Thursday.

DeWine has stressed that he supports data centers — calling them a critical component in today’s economy — and that the roughly $37 billion in data center-related investments in 2024 and 2025 in the state has been worthwhile.

The state, in 2024, had used previous history in projecting that the exemption would total $136 million in fiscal 2025 and $142 million in fiscal 2026. It was $554 million in 2024 and nearly $1.6 billion in 2025, the state reported.

The resumption of Ohio's tax break — should it resume — could happen under a new governor: DeWine is term-limited and the race is on to replace him. The Republican nominee, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy — an Ivy League-educated biotech billionaire — likes to talk about turning the Ohio River Valley into the next Silicon Valley.

However, Ramaswamy and Democratic nominee Amy Acton could share the midterm ballot in November with the citizen-led drive to ban the construction of data centers across Ohio. It faces a July 1 deadline to gather more than 400,000 voter signatures.

State tax breaks for the massive data center industry are facing growing criticism by governors and lawmakers.

The cost is likely rising as data center and AI-related investments drive higher consumer spending in the U.S. and tech giants keep boosting their spending commitment to hyperscale data centers.

In Virginia, negotiations between the state House and Senate have been hung up for months on a bid by Senate Democrats to eliminate the roughly $1.6 billion annual tax break.

Thirty-eight states have some form of a sales tax break for data centers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Many were approved more than five years ago, when data centers were a small, but growing part of the economy, and well before the late 2022 debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT launched an intensifying buildout of increasingly large data centers.

Ohio's exemption is fairly broad, applying not only to construction materials, but to the expensive equipment — such as server racks and cooling systems — used in data centers. Operators might buy new server racks every couple of years as the technology improves.

DeWine's order was a surprise.

Dorsey Hager, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, where union members spend much of their time on data center projects, said he was upset with DeWine and trying to understand the governor's reasons.

He worried, he said, that developers that were in the midst of trying to finalize plans or permits for a project might have second thoughts.

Lawmakers acknowledged the opposition in announcing their joint data center committee on May 13.

“We’re well aware of initiatives to limit Ohio data center development during this critical point in America’s history,” state Rep. Adam Holmes told a news conference. “This public concern has become a priority issue for us and could have dramatic impact on Ohio and American’s future.”

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Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter

Harper shared his morning routine — appropriately captioned, “Moring Y'all” — to more than 600,000 followers on TikTok and one part or his oral care stopped even his most diehard fans right in their shower shoes.

The Philadelphia Phillies slugger squeezed toothpaste straight from the tube into his mouth, rather than applying it first onto his toothbrush.

Next came the brushback pitch.

“Actually diabolical toothpaste application,” one TikTok follower wrote on the post.

Harper's outrageous oral hygiene was trolled on the videoboard as a “fun fact” by the Padres, left fans “horrified,” per British tabloid The Daily Mail, and generally had social media followers — more than 2.7 million views on Jomboy Media alone — befuddled at his brushing.

“It kind of happens when you post a little bit, right?” Harper told Phillies Nation on Wednesday inside the visitors’ clubhouse at Petco Park. “But yeah, I’ve done it forever.”

Well, the American Dental Association saw the video and its advice to potential emulators is simple: please don't.

“It is not suggested to do it that way,” said Ohio dentist Andrew Zucker, a consumer advisor for the association.

Zucker watched the video and thought Harper — more known for his brush with greatness as a two-time NL MVP — was kidding.

But no, Harper explained to the website, it's just the way he's always brushed his teeth.

“I don't think there's anything to be gained,” Zucker said on Thursday. “The only thing to be lost is just wasting a whole bunch of toothpaste.”

Zucker added: “Just put a little pea-sized bit of it on a toothbrush and that's all you need.”

The Padres had some fun with Harper's toothbrushing tip when he came to hit on Tuesday night. His fun biographical fact was listed as: “SQUIRTS TOOTHPASTE INTO HIS MOUTH INSTEAD OF ONTO A TOOTHBRUSH WHEN BRUSHING HIS TEETH.”

“I mean, it’s gone viral, so I’m happy about that,” Harper told Phillies Nation. “It always helps with my videos when it goes viral, so if that’s what makes it go viral, then I’ll take it.”

It's also quite uncommon.

Zucker's father is a dentist, his mother is a hygienist and he's 45 years old and the only time he saw the squeeze technique was “my 3-year-old and it was because he was trying to eat it. But no, I've never seen an adult brush their teeth this way."

Harper's method has worked for him, and he's flashed his pearly whites over 376 career home runs and eight All-Star appearances.

“If I help half a person a day, changing an ingredient or letting them know there are better quality products out there that they can use or that’ll make them feel better, then I won that day,” Harper said.

So what's the harm in the tube-to-tongue technique?

“My only concern would be, you have a lot of germs in your mouth,” said dentist Maria Ryan, chief clinical officer at Colgate-Palmolive. “When you're putting your mouth on the toothpaste tube, you get those germs on there. Sometimes people share toothpaste and things like that, so I worry about that a little bit.”

But here's the positive takeaway, now that Harper can't put the toothpaste TikTok back in the tube.

Bryce Harper, star slugger, the Phillie Phanatic's best friend, and baseball hero to children of all ages, brushes his teeth. Perhaps there's a fussy Phillies fan in footy pajamas who balks at the twice-daily ritual but might be more inclined to brush because Harper does it, as well.

“I was glad he was brushing his teeth,” Ryan said. "I see he's gotten a lot of views. It's good he's telling people you need to brush your teeth, which is very important for preventing cavities and gum disease.

“But it's a unique way of doing it, for sure. So, I probably wouldn't do it that way or instruct my patients to do it that way.”

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

The strike hit an apartment building, but the target of the attack wasn't immediately clear. White smoke billowed from a residential neighborhood in the suburb of Choueifat, close to Beirut's international airport.

Tensions have been increasing in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops recently crossed the strategic Litani River, which the Israeli military has used as a de facto boundary. Large areas to the south are under Israeli military control, despite the Washington-brokered ceasefire from April 17.

This was the first attack close to Beirut since May 6, when an Israeli strike killed a military official with Hezbollah militant group’s elite Radwan Forces in another southern suburb.

Overnight, Israeli forces pounded Tyre, Lebanon's fourth-largest city, and killed at least 14 people across the south of the country in their ongoing military escalation against Hezbollah before the Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington.

Five women and children and a Lebanese soldier were among those killed in the strikes. Dozens of others were wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry and the state-run National News Agency, or NNA.

The Israeli military said, meanwhile, that one of its soldiers was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the widespread attacks on Tyre and Nabatiyeh, describing them as “onslaughts” and calling the ongoing displacement “collective punishment.”

“This only strengthens our resolve for the necessity of an immediate ceasefire, working toward a complete Israeli withdrawal from our land,” Salam said in a social media post.

Lebanese minister seeks end to Tyre attacks

On Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military issued another evacuation warning for Tyre and its suburbs.

Considered one of the oldest metropolises of the world, Tyre has several archaeological sites, some of them submerged. The city was officially declared a UNESCO World heritage site in 1984.

Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said in a statement Thursday that he's been following “with deep pain and profound concern” the ongoing Israeli attacks on Tyre.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday announced an expansion of the Israeli military's attacks in Lebanon, apparently sparked by Hezbollah's use of fiber-optic exploding drones that have struck Israeli troops in Lebanon and reached some of Israel's northern border towns. The Israeli military said that it has launched hundreds of attacks targeting what it said were Hezbollah military assets.

Lebanese and Israeli military officials will hold their first security talks on Friday in Washington. Despite the nominal ceasefire, Israeli attacks have recently intensified, while largely sparing Beirut.

Hezbollah has dismissed the talks, and has repeatedly called on Lebanon's leadership to withdraw from them. The militant group believes that Beirut doesn't have the leverage to stop the war and have Israel withdraw its troops.

“The ruling authority persists in pursuing a downward trajectory, compromising both sovereignty and rights under the pretext that it is compelled to continue direct negotiations with the enemy,” Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc said in a statement Thursday.

The group instead endorsed its key ally Iran, which has made ending the war in Lebanon a condition for its own talks with Washington brokered by Pakistan.

“Yet, instead of seizing this opportunity, the Lebanese authorities are attempting to undermine it — actively working to obstruct it, even at the cost of their own people’s blood,” the statement said.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said that Netanyahu instructed the military “to deepen our operation in Lebanon” to protect the communities of Israel’s north.

Mencer said that Israel would continue U.S.-mediated negotiations with Lebanon in Washington, saying that the talks aim to disarm Hezbollah and reach “a peace agreement that will strengthen security and stability in our region and promote prosperity and peace."

Further north in the city of Sidon, an Israeli drone struck an apartment building where some displaced families lived, killing five people and wounding 21 others, among them five children.

Mohammad Al-Gharbi, who lived across the street from the building in Sidon, woke to the sound of the explosion.

“I was in my room when part of the wall and shattered glass fell on me, and everything was thrown into chaos,” he said. “This building that was hit had six apartments occupied by poor families who had fled from the south to escape the attacks there, only to be hit here.”

In the nearby coastal town of Adloun, an Israeli drone struck a car with a family that was fleeing, killing six people, of which four were two children and their parents, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Another drone strike that came without warning killed two people on a motorcycle near Tyre. The target of the attack wasn't immediately clear, NNA reported.

Elsewhere near the city of Nabatiyeh, the Lebanese military said that a soldier was killed in an Israeli drone strike while he was riding his motorcycle.

Hezbollah attacks target Israeli forces

The Israeli military said Thursday that a soldier in northern Israel was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack and two reservists were wounded.

Hezbollah says it has carried out dozens of drone and rocket attacks targeting Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israel. The group said Thursday that it launched several attacks on Israeli troops and tanks that have crossed the Litani River into the town of Zawtar al-Sharqieh near Nabatiyeh, as close-range fighting continues.

More than 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war, which was sparked when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, two days after the Iran war began.

At least 3,269 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the war, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, with more than 9,800 wounded.

According to Netanyahu’s office, at least 23 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, the vast majority by drones.

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Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Koral Saeed in Abu Snan, Israel, and Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, contributed to this report.

The sanctioning body announced Evanna Daneen Howell’s punishment in its weekly penalty report Wednesday for a “behavioral” incident.

According to Cabarrus County court records, Howell, 35, was arrested Saturday and charged with assaulting Dennis Manchester at the track. Incident details were not immediately available, but court records show Judge Matthew Black found probable cause that the defendant “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did assault Dennis Manchester with golf cart used to assault the victim deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury.”

Howell was released on a $125,000 bond following her first appearance Tuesday, court records show. She has retained attorney Harold Cogdell Jr., who did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press for comment.

Officials at 23XI Racing and NASCAR also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Howell lives in Charlotte and is a senior account manager for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by Jordan and Denny Hamlin. According to her LinkedIn profile, Howell has been with the race team since 2021.

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

Some want more help from law enforcement, and one Second Amendment attorney says Florida restrictions banning repo drivers from carrying guns are unlawful.

According to family members, Oliver Lopez was the tow driver who police say was attempting to repossess a vehicle at the Sanctuary Walk apartment complex on East 21st Street, a few blocks east of Phoenix Avenue, around 10 p.m. Tuesday, when he was shot.

Police said an argument started between Lopez and the vehicle’s owner, and then a man came outside and fired multiple shots, hitting Lopez, who died at the hospital.

The shooter has not been caught.

Police have not released a description of the suspect and have not indicated any possible relationship between the suspected shooter and the person involved in the repossession dispute.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by phone at (904) 630-0500 or by email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org, or via CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS.

Safety concerns

Lopez’s death has others in the industry voicing serious safety concerns.

One repo driver who asked to remain anonymous told News4JAX that he’s been threatened with violence while on the job.

"I’ve had handguns pulled out on me. I didn’t even know he pulled it out on me until I felt it in my stomach. I mean, that was a long time ago," the driver said.

That driver said he believes security has gotten worse in the last five years or so, and he’s advocating for police to step in to help.

“How hard would it be? I mean, you may have an officer in the area or maybe two or three Maybe one of them is on a stop or one of them is doing something,” said the driver, who would like to see officers perform drive-bys for repossessions when possible.

JSO responded to that idea, saying drivers can always call the non-emergency line if they need help, which is 904-630-0500. Of course, if you’re in immediate danger, call 911.

Drivers can’t carry firearms

According to Florida state statute, repo agents can’t carry guns on private property or while repossessing a vehicle.

Eric Friday, a general counsel and gun rights advocate who represents Florida Carry, explained that the statute is not criminal, but agents could be subject to administrative punishment if they’re caught with a weapon.

“It’s not a criminal offense if they break this rule or break this law, but it is an administrative offense that would require the department to either discipline them by revoking their license, suspending their license, or taking some type of administrative action,” Friday said.

But he added that he thinks the law shouldn’t be in place.

“The fact is, I don’t think it’s constitutional,” he said, adding why he thinks it could be beneficial for repo agents to carry guns. “My belief and the belief of Florida Carry is that an armed society is a polite society.”

Family & friends mourning

Lopez’s family was too devastated to speak with News4JAX on Wednesday, but a cousin shared this statement: “Oliver was a very hard-working guy and a great friend, a great brother and a loving father.”

Lopez owned Oliver Towing for over two years, and a friend who also drives a tow truck shared this statement with News4JAX about the dangers of the job:

“The recent loss of a fellow repossession agent is a tragedy that reaches far beyond our industry. Behind every tow truck is a hardworking professional who faces risk, hostility, long hours, and difficult situations simply for doing a job that most people never fully understand. Today, we remember not only a coworker and friend, but also the sacrifices made every day by men and women in the repossession industry.

Repossession agents are often portrayed negatively in movies, television, and online discussions. What many people fail to recognize is that repossession is not about punishment or cruelty. It is part of a larger financial system that helps keep lending possible for millions of Americans. Without collateral recovery, banks, credit unions, and finance companies would face significantly greater losses, leading to higher interest rates, stricter lending standards, and fewer opportunities for consumers to obtain vehicles, equipment, and other financed assets.

In simple terms, the repossession industry helps stabilize credit markets. When lenders know there is a lawful process to recover collateral after repeated nonpayment, they are more willing to extend financing to everyday working people. That financing helps families purchase transportation to get to work, allows small businesses to acquire equipment, and supports economic activity nationwide.

Repo agents operate under strict laws and regulations. Most professionals in this field prioritize safety, compliance, and respect during every recovery assignment. Yet despite this, agents routinely face verbal threats, physical confrontations, and dangerous working conditions. Many perform recoveries late at night or in isolated areas to reduce conflict and avoid public disruption. They do so knowing that every call carries uncertainty.

The death of a repossession agent should remind the public that these workers are human beings with families, children, and communities that depend on them. They are fathers, mothers, veterans, neighbors, and small business owners. They deserve the same dignity and safety afforded to any other profession.

This tragedy also highlights the need for greater public understanding of what repossession truly is: a lawful and necessary part of the financial ecosystem. While nobody wants to lose property, repo agents do not create the financial agreements—they simply carry out court-recognized rights and contractual obligations that exist within our economy.

At its core, the repossession industry protects the balance that allows commerce and lending to function. Without it, the economic consequences would affect everyone, from lenders to consumers to local businesses.

As our industry mourns the loss of one of our own, we ask for something simple: respect for the professionals who perform this difficult work and recognition of the important role they play in keeping America’s financial system operating.

To the family, friends, and coworkers affected by this loss, the repossession community stands beside you. Your loved one’s work mattered, and their sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

Animals use various techniques to navigate including following the stars and remembering key landmarks. Birds, fish and turtles orient themselves using Earth's magnetic field as a compass. But it's not yet clear how exactly they do this.

Pigeons are a well-known group of frequent flyers that can traverse hundreds of miles (hundreds of kilometers) in a single day. For thousands of years, humans have used them to carry news, notes and military messages.

Scientists have long tried to untangle how pigeons travel without getting lost. Some think the birds detect magnetic cues using light-sensitive molecules in their eyes, while others suggest it happens in the beak or inner ear.

“The magnetic sense has been this mystery for almost 100 years,” said Martin Wikelski with the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany.

In a new study, Wikelski and other researchers decided to draw back the curtain on pigeons' navigational secrets. They searched for magnetic clues in the birds' organs and found a strong signal in an unexpected place: the liver.

Specialized immune cells in the pigeon's liver break down red blood cells and store iron. When scientists temporarily stripped pigeons of those immune cells and let them fly, the birds “just couldn't find their way,” said Christian Kurts with the University of Bonn in Germany. That suggested the iron-rich liver cells might play a role in their sense of direction.

The birds' magnetic compasses only got scrambled on overcast days. That's because they also use the sun as a navigational guide.

Scientists have previously wondered whether immune cells could be involved in magnetic sensing, but the new study published Thursday in the journal Science is the first to present a full-fledged theory.

“I would never have guessed it, but once it was explained to me, it makes sense,” said behavioral ecologist Albert Kao with the University of Massachusetts Boston, who had no role in the study.

The immune cells are located near nerve fibers in the liver. That might be how they transmit their “magnetic sense” to the brain “and help the pigeons to navigate,” said study co-author Clivia Lisowski with the University of Bonn.

The researchers think other birds and animals like mice could operate using a similar magnetic GPS. But outside experts say more work is needed to verify the pigeons navigate this way and to firm up how these signals get to the brain. While the researchers found the strongest magnetic signal in the pigeons' livers, such immune cells have also been spotted in other areas including the beak and spleen.

It's possible this magnetic puzzle doesn't have a single answer, wrote veterinary pathologist Simon Spiro and biologist Hal Drakesmith in an accompanying editorial. The birds could use different techniques to sense magnetic fields depending on the task, be it traveling long distances or finding a specific destination.

“Indeed, it could be prudent to have more than one way of getting home in the dark,” they wrote.

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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 fire happened at the Utumishi Girls School, which has more than 800 students, in the Gilgil area of central Kenya, Education Minister Julius Ogamba said, adding that 79 students were injured in the disaster.

Detectives were questioning students to determine whether any wrongdoing triggered the fire, and Ogamba said authorities were trying to find out whether the school's fire safety manual had been adhered to.

The victims were not yet been identified, a source of anger and frustration for parents who gathered outside the ruined dormitory. Some of them angrily confronted police guarding the site, demanding to see the remains of still-uncollected victims.

Bernard Omwandho, a representative of the parents’ association, urged calm as the police investigation continued.

“Most of the parents who are still here are those whose daughters are being questioned,” he said, adding that he hoped that those being questioned will be “able to at least shed some light or give us a hint on what really transpired.”

The school is located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi. The government-owned secondary school is managed and sponsored by the Kenya Police Service. Many of the students are the daughters of police officers.

Elizabeth Rioba, a mother of two girls at the school, said she was relieved to see her daughters but expressed concern because one of the girls saw her friend get stuck while trying to jump out of a window.

“She’s very traumatized, but I’m relieved she’s OK and I’m sad for all these children who have died,” she told The Associated Press.

The Kenya Red Cross said several students were evacuated and are receiving treatment in various hospitals. The group said it sent psychological support teams for students and their families.

Kenyan President William Ruto expressed his condolences in a statement. “No words can truly ease the pain of losing young lives filled with promise, hope, and dreams for the future,” Ruto said. “As a nation, we mourn with the parents, guardians, teachers, and fellow students who are enduring this unimaginable tragedy.”

Fires at schools have been a cause of concern for education officials in East Africa, where classrooms and dormitories are often crowded, and there’s usually no firefighting equipment in place. Officials sometimes cite poor electrical connections as sparking blazes.

In 2024, 21 students burned to death in a school fire in central Kenya. Ruto declared three days of mourning.

Kenya’s deadliest school fire in recent history occurred in 2001 when 67 students died in a dormitory fire in Machakos County.

In 2017, 10 students died in a school fire in Nairobi. A student was charged with murder.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, late Wednesday rejected the request by Democrats and civil rights groups that had argued Trump’s order would likely be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. Nichols agreed with the Republican Trump administration's contention that it was too early to block the order because it has yet to be implemented.

Nichols' ruling leaves the door open for further challenges when the Trump administration moves to implement the president's directive. A separate lawsuit seeking to block the executive order is underway in Boston. No matter how rapidly the administration acts, no voting changes are expected during primary elections, which continue into next month.

“The Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects Plaintiffs or their members, or that the Government may develop State Citizenship Lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized flaws,” Nichols wrote. “Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur. Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.”

The Trump administration has yet to formally issue lists of eligible voters, and those who filed the initial request for a temporary halt said they'd be back if the administration moves in that direction.

“We are ready to resume the fight if and when the administration takes those next steps,” said Juan Proaño, chief executive officer of the League of United Latin American Citizens, one of the organizations that sought the stay from Nichols.

Democratic party organizations that sought the order issued a joint statement with similar promises. “We are confident we will prevail in the end when this illegal and completely unworkable executive order is fully adjudicated,” the statement said.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump issued the order in March after a bill he supported to overhaul voting stalled in Congress. The order would have had the federal government create a list of eligible voters and then directed the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to those on the list. Election officials argued it was ripe for abuse and could cause chaos, and the postal union has objected to the idea of mail carriers policing ballots.

Since his 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump has groundlessly claimed mail voting is rife with fraud and has launched a federal investigation into that year's vote, even though repeated audits and investigations, including ones run by Republicans, found it was free of widespread fraud. Trump also has said he wants to “take over” election administration in Democratic areas.

Democrats and civil rights groups argued it was urgent that Nichols issue a restraining order in the midst of primary season and with states already gearing up for the fall midterm elections.

This was Trump's second executive order seeking to overhaul elections and voting. His initial election executive order, issued just months after he took office in his second term, has been blocked by multiplefederal judges. That order sought to require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, among other changes.

Altmire, now president and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities and co-author of the new book Trade Up, describes a paradox in the labor market: “record numbers of college graduates that can’t find jobs,” happening at the same time as “a record numbers of employers that can find skilled workers to fill high demand roles.”

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He argues the stakes go beyond paychecks. “We have an enormous workforce shortage,” Altmire said. “It harms our American competitiveness. It is literally a national security issue that we can’t find the workers to do the building that is necessary in the future.”

That “building,” he said, includes everything from AI data centers and chip manufacturing to long-overdue work on aging infrastructure. But Altmire says cultural attitudes helped shrink the pipeline, especially the idea that a four-year degree is the only path to success.

“If you took the other path and moved into the trades, it was because you couldn’t hack it,” he said. “You weren’t good enough to go to a four-year college.”

Altmire also points to demographics: an aging workforce and fewer young people entering the labor pool. And while AI is poised to disrupt jobs across the economy, he says the pattern may flip compared to past technological shifts.

“The interesting thing about AI is that affects white collar workers for the most part now,” Altmire said, noting tasks tied to “research” and “writing” are among those likely to be automated first.

For students considering career schools, he says outcomes should drive decisions. “It is publicly available data to know the outcomes of your school,” he said. “And that includes job placement rates… graduation rates, and how much money you’re making on the other side.”

Locally, Altmire pointed to Northeast Florida programs ranging from Florida State College at Jacksonville to specialized training in welding and nursing. Those are careers, he says, can offer strong pay and stability.

The shooting occurred at the conclusion of the “Pack da Park” event — a family-oriented community gathering. Investigators say a disagreement escalated into gunfire as the event was wrapping up, sending attendees into a panic.

The victim has been identified as Troy D. Williams-Jordan, known to many as “Mush.” He was transported for medical treatment but later died at UF Health Shands Hospital.

Sheriff Kevin Chaney says his investigators are committed to finding those responsible.

“This was a senseless act of violence that occurred in the presence of families and children,” Chaney said. “Our investigators are working diligently, but we need the community’s help. If you saw something, heard something, captured video, or know any detail that may help this investigation, we ask that you come forward.”

Pastor Timothy Bessent Sr., president of the NAACP of Camden County, is also urging community members to speak up — for the sake of the victim’s family.

“Our hearts continue to grieve over the tragic death of Troy Williams Jr.,” Bessent said. “Troy’s children deserve answers, and his family deserves peace. We urge anyone who may know something about this case to please come forward and speak with law enforcement. No piece of information is too small. Your voice could help bring healing to a hurting family and community.”

The investigation remains active, with multiple law enforcement agencies assisting in interviews, evidence collection and investigative follow-up.

Detectives are asking anyone who attended the event to review cell phone videos, photographs and social media content that may help establish what happened before, during or after the shooting.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Camden County 911 Center non-emergency line at (912) 729-1442. Anonymous tips — including information, photos, videos and chat messages — can also be submitted through the CityProtect Anonymous Tip Form online.

For her walk-on before a second-round win at the French Open, the tennis star wore a metallic gold bomber jacket over her sequined gold playing dress, offset by an ivory train in a look that mixes sportswear with couture.

“The inspo was, I don’t want to say Victorian, but you know the ladies that have the dresses with the poof in the background?" Osaka said. “(It's) so terrible of me to not know the correct term of that.”

The term Osaka was looking for is likely bustles, which were padded undergarments used to add fullness to dresses in the mid to late 19th century.

After the walk-on, Osaka took off the train and jacket and handed the garments to a ball kid to remove them before the match against Donna Vekic on Court Simonne-Mathieu on Thursday.

“I like to keep people on their toes and I think it’s really fun,” Osaka said in her post-match interview on court, refusing to reveal if she has a new outfit for every possible match of the tournament. “There’s a community I feel like that’s been built over my on-court outfits. So I just like to just keep you guys guessing.”

Osaka won 7-6 (1), 6-4 to reach the third round at Roland Garros for the first time since 2019.

“It means a lot,” she said. “I just feel so grateful. It’s another milestone.”

For her opening match two days earlier, Osaka walked on in a ceremonial black skirt and sleeveless beaded bodice before revealing her gold dress, which she said reminded her of the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night.

“Athletes are in show business,” Osaka said after beating Laura Siegemund in her opener. “Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I’m an entertainer.”

Osaka's opponent says walk-ons ‘problematic’

Siegemund said Osaka’s walk-ons were “yet another example of big names being treated differently” in tennis.

Siegemund told Eurosport Germany she didn’t mind the outfits but found it “a bit problematic” that it took Osaka so long to get ready and lesser-known players were under pressure to unpack their gear as fast as possible to avoid time violations.

“I came here to play tennis, not to put on a fashion show," Siegemund added after losing to Osaka. "If other people want to do a fashion show, they can do that. It’s fine for me.”

Vekic had no issues.

“It’s just something different,” Vekic said. "Some people take tennis way too seriously. Just relax. It’s just an outfit. It’s no big deal. She has an opportunity to do that so why not.”

___

AP Fashion Writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

___

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

By a 5-4 vote, the justices sided with Terry Pitchford, who was sentenced to death for his role in the killing of a grocery store owner.

“In this case, whether due to confusion, oversight, an overly hurried jury selection process, or some other cause, things broke down,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court. Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s three liberal justices joined with Kavanaugh.

There were 11 white jurors and one Black juror in a trial with similarities to that of another Black man on Mississippi’s death row, whose conviction the high court overturned seven years ago.

It’s unclear what happens next in Pitchford's case. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who dissented, suggested the state still could argue Pitchford’s conviction should be sustained. If his conviction is overturned, the state could seek to retry him.

“Mr. Pitchford is now entitled to a fair trial in the state court,” Joseph Perkovich, who argued the case for Pitchford at the Supreme Court, wrote in an email.

Doug Evans, a now-retired prosecutor with a history of dismissing Black jurors for discriminatory reasons, had excused four other Black people at Pitchford's trial. Black people make up more than 37% of Mississippi’s population.

The Supreme Court ruled 40 years ago in Batson v. Kentucky that jurors could not be excused from service because of their race and set up a system by which trial judges could evaluate claims of discrimination and the race-neutral explanations by prosecutors.

Pitchford’s case focused on whether his lawyers did enough to object to Judge Joseph Loper’s rulings and whether the state Supreme Court acted reasonably in ruling they had not.

Pitchford’s lawyers made the necessary arguments and the state high court acted unreasonably, Kavanaugh wrote.

In dissent, Gorsuch wrote that Pitchford had to show that no fair-minded judge could rule as the Mississippi court did and that the record in the case was crystal-clear in his favor.

“As I see things, Mr. Pitchford has failed to satisfy either of these standards,” Gorsuch wrote, joined by Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett and Clarence Thomas.

In 2019, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence and conviction of Curtis Flowers, because of what Kavanaugh then described as a “relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of Black individuals.” Evans was the prosecutor in that case, and Loper presided over the final two of Flowers’ six trials.

Pitchford, now 40, was 18 when he and a friend decided to rob the Crossroads Grocery, just outside Grenada in northern Mississippi. The friend shot store owner Reuben Britt three times, fatally wounding him, but was ineligible for the death penalty because he was younger than 18. Pitchford was tried for capital murder and was sentenced to death.

The case has been making its way through the court system for 20 years. In 2023, U.S District Judge Michael P. Mills overturned Pitchford’s conviction, holding that the trial judge did not give Pitchford’s lawyers enough of a chance to argue that the prosecution was improperly dismissing Black jurors.

Mills wrote that his ruling was partially motivated by Evans’ actions in prior cases. A unanimous panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling.

Evans did not respond to The Associated Press' attempt to reach him for comment when he retired.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Here are the tools you need:

• Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide
• Hurricane preparedness: What experts want you to do right now
• Shop now, before a storm: Building your family’s hurricane kit
• How to prepare your home for hurricane season before a storm threatens
• Emergency ready in Florida: What to pack in a ‘financial go bag’ before hurricane season
• Hurricane season prep: JEA urges Jacksonville customers to trim trees, build supply kits

And here’s a look at this season’s forecast -- and what could be coming in the future:

• NOAA releases 2026 hurricane outlook predicting below-normal season
• Are hurricanes getting stronger? What the science — and AI — say about the future of storm forecasting

Also, this season marks 10 years since Hurricane Mathew struck the First Coast. Meteorologist Jenese Harris takes a look back with local survivors:

• 10 years later: Recalling the impact of Hurricane Matthew on Northeast Florida

“You want make sure you have copies of all of your important papers,” said Christian Smith, regional CEO of the American Red Cross North & Central Florida.

MORE: Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide

The financial go bag: What to pack

Smith says the traditional go bag — stocked with first aid supplies, headlamps, food and batteries — is still essential. But in today’s digital age, a second layer of preparation is just as critical.

Experts recommend organizing what they’re calling a “financial go bag,” a collection of key personal and financial documents. That includes passports, Social Security cards, birth certificates and driver’s licenses — anything that establishes identity.

Insurance policies, bank statements, utility bills and credit card account information should also be included, along with contact numbers for family members and emergency contacts.

One often-overlooked tip: Shoot a home inventory video of everything inside your home, and consider storing it on a flash drive.

And when it comes to cash — don’t skip it.

“Cash is king. That’s a statement,” Smith said.

Smith recommends a couple of hundred dollars as a safe starting point for a small family.

Why paper still matters

While digitizing documents to a cloud service, email or sharing them with family members is ideal, having physical copies stored in a waterproof bag remains a practical backup — especially when you need to speak with local officials or access accounts immediately after a disaster.

The need to move fast is real, Smith says — and it’s not just hurricanes that demand it.

“Your go kit is not just for a hurricane. It could be for a wildfire. This is that time of year, so somebody might come [to] your door. The department will be there and you have five minutes to evacuate, and they’re going to tell you, ‘Grab yourself and go,’” Smith said.

For Cindy and Art Druhl, the idea of a financial go bag hits close to home — particularly in an era where identity theft is a growing concern.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Art said. “Especially with identification being able to falsify so easily now.”

The couple admits they don’t have a survival kit yet — but say they’re open to changing that.

“If circumstances change, if it made sense to do that, we absolutely would,” Art said.

Florida Health’s emergency supply kit guidelines align closely with recommendations from the American Red Cross, which also suggests keeping local maps and evacuation routes on hand in case GPS is unavailable, along with cell phone chargers and backup batteries.

O’Hara was an outsider brought in with a mandate to reform the police department after the 2020 killing of George Floyd, which led to federal and state investigative findings of excessive force and racist policing practices. O’Hara had spent most of his career in Newark, New Jersey, where he instituted changes after that department was put under a federal consent decree for patterns of excessive force and unconstitutional stops and searches.

The challenges in Minneapolis were clear before O'Hara arrived in late 2022. For a time, it had seemed the department itself might not survive. In 2021, more than 43% of voters supported disbanding the department as the city reeled from Floyd’s killing and the massive protests and widespread rioting that followed.

O'Hara was faced with a daunting challenge

Policing experts had noted the monumental task that faced the city’s next police chief, who would have to rebuild community trust and a department whose morale had dipped so low that it was hemorrhaging officers.

“I don’t think there was a bigger challenge to any American city than what Minneapolis faced when he arrived,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of a Washington think tank, the Police Executive Research Forum. “They had gone from 850 to 500 officers, violent crime was significantly up, trust with the community was broken, a police station had burned down and a federal consent decree would face the next chief. Then you had the politics of Minneapolis.”

Coming in as an outsider to lead a large department is daunting, even without being asked to reform and rebuild, said Renée Hall, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives who moved from Detroit to lead the Dallas Police Department from 2017 to 2020.

“It’s extremely challenging to walk into an organization, where you don’t even know where the light switches are, where the bathrooms are. And that’s just the basics,” Hall said. “You have to learn the officers, the community, the politics of that particular city, and try to learn and navigate the existing relationships, like unions or officer associations and who is tied to whom and who is fighting for whom.”

Hall said outside hires can face resentment from those within an organization who supported internal candidates. They also have to earn the trust of the community, which she said takes time.

Local politics muddy the chief's departure

After the police disbandment measure failed, O'Hara joined the bureaucracy of a deeply progressive city that is regularly buffeted by political battles between the mayor and the City Council, and among council members.

Those battles were on full display Wednesday, when a City Council news conference about O'Hara's resignation quickly turned into an opportunity for the council's resolute progressives to attack Mayor Jacob Frey, who has long portrayed himself as a “pragmatic progressive.”

The resignation “is a symptom of a much larger problem, which is simply that Mayor Frey continues to be unable to effectively manage the Minneapolis Police Department,” said Council member Robin Wonsley, a cornerstone of the council's progressive bloc.

Frey, who just weeks ago pushed to have O'Hara reappointed as chief, fired back at criticism that he didn’t move aggressively enough when allegations of the chief's potential misconduct emerged.

“I don’t make decisions based on rumors and anonymous complaints,” he said in a statement, adding that he would work with the council to find a replacement. “I took action promptly after receiving the investigative report. … Decisions this serious have to be grounded in facts, evidence and completed investigations. Anything less would be irresponsible.”

O'Hara did not return a message seeking comment Wednesday. His attorney, Doug Kelley, released a statement touting successes during O'Hara's tenure, including diversifying and increasing the department's ranks, the decreasing violent crime rate and mitigating violent clashes during the immigration crackdown.

“The circumstances of Chief O’Hara’s departure should not define his service," Kelley wrote. "He was proud to serve Minneapolis, remains grateful to the officers and community partners who did difficult work under extraordinary pressure, and hopes the city continues moving forward. He understandably looks forward to returning to his young family in New Jersey.”

O'Hara's tenure was tumultuous

The resignation came just months after Minneapolis was plunged into the national spotlight amid a federal immigration surge that left three civilians shot, two fatally. O'Hara faced criticism he hadn't done enough to stop the crackdown.

Violence plagued the city in 2025, including deadly attacks on state politicians in the Minneapolis suburbs; gunfire that erupted at a popular city picnic spot; and a shooting during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation that left two children dead and more than a dozen people injured. O’Hara called the church attack a “ truly unthinkable tragedy. ”

Critics say dozens of complaints were filed against O'Hara, from accusations that he was rude to the public to the recent investigation into an ultimately unproven allegation he had a sexual relationship with a city employee. Most of the complaints have not been made public, and 17 complaints are still being investigated. Investigators closed 17 more without any disciplinary actions.

An independent investigator did not find evidence to substantiate the alleged sexual relationship with a city employee, but a second report released this week said O'Hara likely deleted the employee's contact from his phone during the investigation and that he talked to another employee about the probe despite being told it was not to be discussed.

That recent report led to a written reprimand; Frey told O'Hara he would be disciplined and that he could be terminated. Frey said O'Hara chose to resign instead.

Frey appointed an interim chief Tuesday from inside the department, and he has 30 days to nominate a successor under the city's charter. ___

Lauer reported from Philadelphia.

Though voting began in early May ahead of the June 2 primary, Democrats have been returning their ballots at a slower pace than normal after a chaotic campaign full of surprises. Unlike recent races for governor, there's been no clear front-runner or political superstar (think Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger or Democrat Jerry Brown).

“I’m kind of pinching my nose and voting this go-around rather than being excited,” said Colin Culver, a 21-year-old San Diego resident who ultimately voted for Tom Steyer, a billionaire former hedge fund manager turned climate activist.

Democrats have been particularly perplexed given the state's top-two primary system, which places all candidates on a single ballot regardless of party. There are roughly 60 candidates vying to succeed termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. They include six major Democrats and just two prominent Republicans.

With the large number of Democrats running, party leaders feared months ago that the two leading Republicans, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, could advance, locking out Democrats. That scenario has grown less likely after former Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race after being accused of sexual assault, but the scandal further rattled anxious Democrats. President Donald Trump endorsed Hilton in April, which may have coalesced GOP support behind him and decreased the odds of a Republican upset in a state that hasn’t had a Republican governor since 2011.

But the fear among voters remains. Some Democrats are waiting to cast their ballots to see if one candidate breaks away from the pack in the final days, relying on polling to help make their decision. Others have struggled to make up their minds, reluctantly choosing a candidate after being unimpressed with the field.

Voters are returning their ballots later than normal

Even Democrats who typically have a high turnout in primary elections — often older, white voters — have been slow to drop off their ballots, said Paul Mitchell, a Democratic strategist tracking ballot returns.

“My joke is: Call your Democratic parents and tell them to turn in their ballot,” he said. “They are holding onto the ballot because they have seen this kind of topsy-turvy governor’s race. They’re waiting to make sure they’re making the right choice.”

About 11% of the state's roughly 23 million voters had voted as of Wednesday night, according to Mitchell's tracker. That includes about 15% of Republicans, 11% of Democrats and 8% of voters registered with no or another party. That breakdown is unusual because Democrats in recent years have tended to vote early while many Republicans wait until Election Day.

Democrats toggle between candidates

Former state attorney general and federal Health Secretary Xavier Becerra and Steyer are among the top Democrats voters are weighing.

A poll conducted in mid-May by the Public Policy Institute of California found that Becerra and Hilton each have the support of about 2 in 10 likely California primary voters. Steyer, Bianco and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter each drew the support of between 10% and 15% of likely voters in the survey. No other candidates were polling in double digits.

Support for Becerra has increased from only 5% in a PPIC poll conducted in late March and early April, when Swalwell was still in the race.

Some voters aren't relying on the polls to make their choice. That includes San Francisco native Mary O’Neal, who voted for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa because she liked his record leading the city from 2005 to 2013. Although he's been on the debate stages, he's failed to generate significant support.

Fresno native Alexa Duran, 22, a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, said she’s leaning toward Becerra, despite her concerns about his refusal as attorney general to investigate the killing of a Latino man by an officer in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020.

“I know he has tons of political experience, but I’m just not sure if he’s the right candidate,” Duran said.

David Murayama, a 29-year-old attorney in Los Angeles, said that although Steyer was an appealing candidate at first, he felt like he couldn’t trust a billionaire to follow through on his promises. He ended up voting for Becerra, the candidate he considered the “lesser evil,” he said.

Amber Larson, 41, a judicial analyst for the state living in Chico, likes Ramsey Robinson, a socialist candidate. But casting her ballot for him would be a “waste” because of his slim odds, she said.

She doesn't want to support a longtime politician — Becerra — and she's skeptical of billionaires — Steyer.

“Are we at a point where only a billionaire can beat an establishment, career politician?” Larson said, referencing Steyer spending millions to largely self-fund his campaign.

She planned to go with Steyer anyway because she likes his energy affordability plans and since he's one of the leading candidates.

“I don’t want to throw my vote away,” she said.

___

Associated Press journalists Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Terry Chea in San Francisco contributed to this report.

It’s unclear whether prosecutors had implicated Rodríguez in any crimes or whether investigators were moving toward an indictment. A Justice Department spokesperson said in an email “there was never an investigation into her to shut down.”

But DEA records obtained by The Associated Press earlier this year show she consistently surfaced on the radar of federal law enforcement dating to at least 2018, though she has never been criminally charged in the U.S. like several other senior Venezuelan officials.

The directive to pause scrutiny into Rodríguez was meant to avoid upsetting the administration’s efforts to stabilize Venezuela after the capture of her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, among other reasons, a current official said. It was not clear whether the White House, which deferred comment to the Justice Department, was involved in the decision.

“Everybody has been told to stand down,” one of the former officials said.

The former officials, who had been briefed on the development, as well as the current official all spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations.

Rodríguez, a U.S. attorney representing her, and the Venezuelan Communications Ministry didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The move eases pressure on Rodriguez

Removing the threat of potential indictment, even temporarily, eases pressure on Rodríguez as the Trump administration seeks to work with the acting leader to stabilize Venezuela after Maduro’s ouster and open the country to U.S. investment.

President Donald Trump praised Rodríguez as a “terrific person” shortly after the U.S. military took Maduro and his wife to New York to face federal narcotics charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.

In recent months, the U.S. has lifted sanctions against Rodríguez and recognized her as Venezuela's sole head of state, allowing her to re-establish ties with western banks and more freely work with U.S. investors seeking to tap into the world's largest petroleum reserves. As ties between the two governments have deepened, some have held out the Venezuelan playbook — characterized by oil blockades, indictments of top leaders, and threats of military intervention — as a model to drive regime change from within as the U.S. pressures other longtime adversaries in Iran and Cuba.

Rodríguez and her brother, Jorge Rodríguez, the head of the National Assembly, were hit with U.S. sanctions during Trump’s first term for their role in undermining Venezuelan democracy and cementing Maduro's authoritarian rule.

Rodríguez “is doing a great job,” Trump wrote on social media in early March. "The Oil is beginning to flow, and the professionalism and dedication between both Countries is a very nice thing to see!”

In recent months, Rodríguez has hosted ceremonies with a steady stream of American oilmen, some of them partaking in high-profile delegations led by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.

Election talk deferred amid Trump's praise

Missing in all the mutual backslapping is any talk of elections, even as Rodríguez last month blew through a 90-day limit set by Venezuela's high court to fill Maduro's position on a temporary basis.

“I don’t know,” she responded in English when a visiting U.S. journalist earlier this month shouted out a question about her time frame for holding elections. “Some time.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has demanded the administration explain its favorable treatment of Rodríguez, calling her a “central figure in Nicolás Maduro's repressive regime.”

“Sanctions have been lifted on Ms. Rodríguez without any indication that she has taken concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order,” Sheehan, joined by Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent last week.

Rick de la Torre, a former CIA chief of station in Caracas, said that the decision to shield Rodríguez fits well with the Trump administration’s foreign policy goals in Venezuela.

“She’s a lifelong Marxist and was a senior leader of one of the world’s most corrupt regimes but the U.S. is providing her with breathing space and carrots to lay the foundation for democracy and U.S. investment,” said de la Torre, the CEO of Tower Strategy, which advises companies on Venezuela.

“There’s a shelf life to her utility, however. At some point she will face justice.," he added.

Rodríguez has been on DEA's radar since 2018

The DEA had amassed a detailed intelligence file on Rodríguez dating to at least 2018, and has received allegations about her ranging from drug trafficking to gold smuggling, the AP reported earlier this year. One confidential informant told DEA in early 2021 that Rodríguez was using hotels in the Caribbean resort of Isla Margarita “as a front to launder money,” the records show.

Her name has surfaced in nearly a dozen DEA investigations — several of which remained ongoing as recently as this year — involving field offices from Paraguay and Ecuador to Phoenix and New York. She had even been linked to Maduro’s alleged bag man, Alex Saab, whom U.S. authorities first arrested in 2020 on money-laundering charges, the records show.

Rodríguez deported Saab this month as part of a purge of insider businessmen who are accused of having enriched themselves through corrupt dealings with Maduro.

It's unclear in which Miami investigations Rodríguez's name surfaced. Two of the former officials said Rodríguez has also come up in meetings with investigators in Tampa tasked last year by former Attorney General Pam Bondi with looking into financial crimes in Venezuela.

At the time, Rodríguez was serving as Maduro's vice president. Justice Department policy requires the attorney general to personally approve the charging of any foreign head of state, who are normally immune from prosecution under international and U.S. law.

Halting high-profile criminal probes of foreign leaders

The pausing of the investigations into Rodríguez comes as the Trump administration has similarly tapped the brakes on ongoing federal investigations into another prominent Latin American leftist, Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

The DEA had also designated Petro a “priority target” over alleged ties to drug traffickers that had been probed for months by federal prosecutors. The New York Times reported in March that U.S. officials recently assured the Colombian government Petro does not face charges in those cases.

Duncan Levin, a former prosecutor who worked for the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn, said it would be “deeply troubling” for law enforcement to be “told to stand down from a legitimate investigation for political or transactional reasons.”

“The White House cannot use criminal enforcement as a diplomatic light switch,” Levin told AP. “DOJ decisions are supposed to be based on law, evidence, policy and public safety — not on whether a foreign official is useful to the administration at a given moment.”

___

This story was first published on May. 27, 2026. It was updated on May. 28, 2026 to make clear that the details attributed in the original story to an unspecified official were shared by a current official.

___ Durkin Richer reported from Washington and Mustian from New York. AP Writer Regina Garcia Cano in Mexico City contributed to this report.

___

This story is part of an investigation that includes the FRONTLINE documentary “Crisis in Venezuela,” which aired Feb. 10, 2026, on PBS. Watch the documentary at pbs.org/frontline, in the PBS App and on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel.

Officials said at 7:49 a.m. on Wednesday, they were notified that the inmate, Benjamin Todd Daley, 46, was taken to the hospital on Tuesday after being found in medical distress. He was under the hospital’s care until he died.

JSO said that Daley was arrested on March 19, 2026, for Battery on a Person 65 Years of Age or Older and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The investigation continues and JSO said it is waiting for the Medical Examiner to give Daley’s cause of death. No foul play is suspected at this time.

Alexis Quiva told News4JAX she was billed for about 95,000 gallons of water, which is enough to fill roughly six average-sized swimming pools.

“I was freaking out. I was not expecting that,” Quiva said.

Quiva said she has dealt with plumbing leaks before, but nothing close to this amount.

“I’ve had a leak here before previously, and it was about $200, but $900, I thought I was filling up someone’s swimming pool,” she said.

According to the utility bill, Quiva’s home used about 95,000 gallons of water. By comparison, the average residential swimming pool holds about 17,000 gallons.

Quiva said she hired multiple plumbers to inspect the property, but neither found a clear explanation for the unusually high usage.

“The first plumber said that he saw no signs of a leak,” Quiva said. “The second plumber, he went ahead and gutted my toilets. He said that the flappers on my toilets looked good. So he said it was very unlikely that that was the cause of it.”

As she disputed the bill with the utility authority, Quiva said her water service was eventually shut off, forcing her to pay the balance to restore service.

“Truthfully, it’s put us behind our bills,” she said.

In a statement to News4JAX, the utility authority said meter data showed “a steady flow of water over several days,” which officials say explains how usage reached nearly 95,000 gallons during a single billing cycle.

The authority said the data reflected continuous water consumption and was not the result of a meter error or incorrect reading.

But plumbing officials who reviewed the case disagreed with the utility’s conclusion.

One plumbing official wrote that “it is unreasonable to hold the customer responsible for this charge without further investigation.”

The plumber who inspected the property stated there were “no visible leaks anywhere on the property” and said that with a water bill that large, “it would have been noticeable through continuous running water, which was not observed.”

Quiva said no one from the utility authority physically inspected her property or meter.

Despite the utility authority’s explanation, Quiva said she still believes the bill was improper. She also has concerns that she did not receive an alert about high usage.

“Still, to this day, I still don’t know what caused it,” she said.

Quiva said she now worries it could happen again.

“The most I can do is just hope that it doesn’t happen again,” she said. “I had to ask one of the representatives what direction would I take if this were to happen again and the most she said that we could do is hope.”

The utility authority said after Quiva submitted documentation showing plumbing repairs had been made, the agency applied a $400 adjustment to the account under its leak adjustment policy.

However, because Quiva’s water service had already been disconnected, she was also charged a $30 reconnection fee. In total, she said she still paid about $430 for her April water bill.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the utility said, “Notifications of unusual water use are available within the customer’s online account and do not require any sign-up. A visible notification banner appears on the account dashboard when customers log in, indicating elevated or continuous water use.

Email or text notifications are optional, as those require customer consent. Customers can sign up for those alerts by logging into their online account portal, navigating to the Smart Meters section, and enabling their preferred alert settings.

We understand that high bills can be concerning, and we encourage customers to contact us as soon as they notice unusual usage so we can assist in reviewing their account and identifying possible causes."

The complexes, Arbor Oaks Apartments and Virginian Arms Apartments on Jammes Road, are tied to landlord Jarek Tadla, whose companies have operated under names including People’s Choice Apartments, Legacy Family Communities and Jacksonville Rental Properties.

The News4JAX I-TEAM has spent months investigating complaints tied to Tadla-owned or affiliated properties, where residents have reported poor maintenance, neglected living conditions and difficulty reaching management. Public records show all 14 Jacksonville apartment complexes tied to Tadla are currently facing foreclosure lawsuits.

“We don’t know who to talk to. We don’t know who to pay. We don’t know who’s over us,” one resident told News4JAX. “And then all of a sudden on a Saturday morning, there’s a knock on the door and you’re getting a packet this thick.”

The foreclosure filings list dozens of tenants individually as parties in the lawsuits, something residents said added to their confusion and fear.

“I’m not a lawyer. I’ve never been evicted. I don’t know how to read these papers,” she said.

The resident, who asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation, said she has lived without working central air conditioning since moving into the complex in March.

“No AC, no communication,” she said. “We haven’t had an office in two months. Nobody, it’s completely cleaned out. You can’t face-to-face talk to anyone.”

The resident said receiving legal paperwork without explanation only intensified concerns about where families would go if they were forced out.

“Do I have somewhere to stay? I have a child,” she said. “We’re not going to be homeless for anybody.”

News4JAX repeatedly attempted to contact management at Virginian Arms but received no response. At neighboring Arbor Oaks, a man who came outside told News4JAX the property was not connected to People’s Choice Apartments and identified the property manager as Jacksonville Rental Properties LLC.

According to public business records, Jarek Tadla is listed as the title manager for Jacksonville Rental Properties LLC.

Residents also disputed that claim.

“It’s a lie,” one tenant said. “He’s telling a bold-faced lie. But now you see exactly what I’m saying. We can’t get answers from anywhere. And we’re supposed to just be here like sitting ducks, wondering if we have to move. I’m trying to understand court papers when I didn’t go to law school.”

Board-certified real estate attorney Zach Roth said tenants being named in the foreclosure cases does not mean they are immediately facing eviction.

“They are actually naming them as parties to the lawsuit,” Roth explained.

Roth said federal protections under the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act generally allow renters with legitimate leases to remain in their homes through the end of their lease terms, even after a foreclosure.

“Basically it says that when you foreclose a residential dwelling, bona fide leases essentially have to be allowed to remain in place until they expire when there’s a written lease,” Roth said.

Court records show foreclosure proceedings for Virginian Arms were finalized in April, and a sale of the property is scheduled for July.

At Arbor Oaks, the foreclosure case remains in its early stages. Summonses have been issued to both tenants and the property owner.

An attorney involved in the Arbor Oaks foreclosure told News4JAX that tenants are not being evicted as part of the current proceedings. The attorney said lease agreements could eventually be impacted if ownership changes after foreclosure, but any decisions regarding lease renewals or extensions would ultimately be up to a future owner.

Baker and Mal’i are from Iowa and were in town to help Baker’s son move into an East Arlington apartment as he begins serving in the Navy in Jacksonville.

But when Mal’i was briefly outside around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, she was hit by a truck outside the Lux Apartments near Kernan and Atlantic boulevards, and she ran off.

Baker was able to keep up with her until he lost sight of her near the Cinemark theater on Atlantic Boulevard.

That’s when he put the word out to the Jacksonville community, asking for help to find Mal’i.

And he said it was a tip from someone in the community that helped bring the brown and tan American Staffordshire Terrier home to her family.

Someone messaged Baker with security camera images, asking if the dog in them was Mal’i. Once Baker confirmed it was her, he was able to go to the area and found her, wearing a ripped tank top -- and her big smile.

“Thank you to the Jacksonville Community for your love, support, and dedication. This was a team effort. This would not have been possible without each and every one,” Baker wrote in an update on social media.

Baker previously told News4JAX that he shares a special bond with Mal’i.

“When I’m having an episode, and she wakes me up to let me know that she’s there, and right now I can’t sleep,” Baker said. “She’s not a service dog for anyone else but me. She knows what I need when I need it and why. And that’s why I need her back because I can’t live without her.”

Baker said in his update about finding Mal’i that he’ll be getting her fully evaluated Thursday with a veterinarian and will be staying in town for a bit so the community that helped find her can meet her.

“Those steps,” he said, laughing. “We didn’t have much time to rehearse on them. I’m like, can you imagine? I want to dance, and it’s just tap, tap, tap all the way down. I was just trying to keep my eyes up the whole time.”

Fortunately for Henry, his footing onstage remains steady eight performances a week. That consistency has helped make him one of Broadway’s standout performers this season, with acclaim continuing to build around his turn as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in Broadway’s revival of “Ragtime.” An even bigger moment may lie ahead at the Tony Awards ceremony on June 7.

He missed hearing his Tony nomination live

Henry did not hear his own nomination announced live. The morning after the May 4 Met Gala, Henry and his wife, Cathryn, were back at the hotel FaceTiming their children at home.

“Mommy and Daddy got to go,” Henry told them, but the kids wanted to hear more about the night before.

“They wanted to talk about the gala opening number, and so we logged off from the FaceTime and then we missed my category, which was the first category for best leading actor in a musical.”

That moment felt fitting for Henry, who says becoming a husband and father reshaped how he sees success, patience, and gratitude. The four-time Tony nominee credits his wife and three sons as his grounding force.

That perspective also informs his work in one of Broadway’s most demanding roles. Playing Coalhouse Walker Jr., the Black pianist whose life is upended by a racist attack, remains a challenge.

Henry's rise from ‘Scottsboro Boys’ to ‘Ragtime’

Henry credits the late Terrence McNally for crafting a powerful book based on E. L. Doctorow’s novel, along with the sweeping score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.

“What they did so well is they showed people at their extremes. They show them when they’re on the verge of making a huge choice, just like America was on the verge in 1908 of making a huge choice and asking itself more questions about its identity than ever, not unlike this moment,” Henry said.

He believes that sense of emotional connection continues to bring audiences back to the show.

“They’re seeing themselves as Americans and seeing their journeys individually.”

That journey becomes even more notable considering the musical opened during one of Broadway’s more complicated seasons, where rising costs, tight competition for audiences, and pressure on weekly box office numbers have made sustainability difficult. Even critically acclaimed shows can struggle to maintain momentum.

“They really do. Especially if you open in the fall. And we were one of the first to open in the season. So, you know, we thankfully got extended a couple times.”

That success stands in sharp contrast to Henry’s first starring role on Broadway in “The Scottsboro Boys,” a musical inspired by the real-life case. Henry played a young Black man falsely accused of a crime who becomes one of the story’s emotional centers as he refuses to sign a confession in exchange for parole.

The 2010 production earned strong reviews and multiple award nominations but struggled commercially. Even so, the production became an important chapter in Henry’s career, placing him alongside another rising performer, Colman Domingo.

The production earned both actors their first Tony nominations.

Now, Henry finds himself leading the second Broadway revival of Ragtime. Starring opposite Nichelle Lewis, Henry has stepped into a role originally made iconic by Brian Stokes Mitchell, while Lewis follows Audra McDonald in the role that earned McDonald the first of her record-breaking six Tony Awards for acting.

Having both legends attend opening night was especially meaningful for Henry. He recalled listening to the original cast recording as a young performer and hoping that he could someday move audiences the same way. Years later, after working alongside McDonald and Mitchell, Henry says their warmth and encouragement gave him a deeper sense of belonging within the Broadway community.

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For more coverage of the 2026 Tony Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/tony-awards.

Lt. Chris Stephens with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit said officers responded just before 4 a.m. to Exodus Way after reports that someone had been stabbed.

Stephens said the officers found a man suffering from a potential stab wound, and paramedics rushed him to a hospital, where he died.

Stephens said officers kept looking around the area and found another man and a woman at a nearby home, both dead from potential stab wounds.

Stephens said the three adults are related, and it appears a fight might have happened in the home, and then one of the men tried to get to a neighbor’s home for help.

That’s when police were called, he said.

Stephens said one of them was in his late 40s, the other was in his 30s and the woman was in her 20s. He did not indicate how the three were related.

A neighbor who asked not to be identified told News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee the deadly incident has him on edge.

“It’s sad because my wife comes in and out. I don’t drive anymore, but I’m to the point now -- I just told her this morning when she leaves here and then she’s coming back that night, I want to know what time she’s coming in where I can be standing at the door with my gun,” he said. “I want to protect her. I don’t want nobody to hurt her.”

Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call JSO at 904-630-0500 or CrimeStoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

Resources

If you or someone you know is or has been a victim of domestic violence or abuse, here’s a list of resources available:

• Hubbard House Hotline (904) 354-3114 or Textline (904) 210-3698
• The Florida Domestic Violence Hotline, which will direct you to the nearest shelter, is 1-800-500-1119.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline is open 24 hours a day. The number is 1-800-799-SAFE.
• The Micah’s Place (Nassau County) Domestic Violence Help Hotline is 904-225-9979.
• The Quigley House (Clay County) hotline is 904-284-0061. https://www.quigleyhouse.org/.
• The Betty Griffin Center (St. Johns County) can be reached at 904-824-1555.

In a complaint unsealed in New York, authorities identified the employee as 36-year-old Michele Spagnuolo — an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland who has worked for Google since 2014. Under the online name “AlphaRaccoon,” they alleged, Spagnuolo used the company's 2025 "Year in Search" data before it was published to enter Polymarket wagers about the most trending Googled people of last year.

This week's charges “reinforce a decades-old message: corporate insiders cannot use confidential business information to turn a profit in our markets,” Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Wednesday. “Insider trading compromises the integrity of our markets, and the American people want this greed-driven conduct investigated and prosecuted.”

Spagnuolo allegedly made new Polymarket trades as Google’s internal search data evolved, from October into December of last year. For example, per the complaint, Spagnuolo initially wagered that Kendrick Lamar — who headlined the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show — would top search trends for people last year. But after internal Google data showed that alt-pop singer D4vd was later leading the influx of searches, he placed new bets. D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, was charged last month with murdering 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Using the prediction market’s “yes” or “no” wagers, Spagnuolo also made a series of Polymarket trades about other individuals who would or wouldn't rank in Google's 2025 search trends, the complaint said. And after the data was published on Dec. 4, the AlphaRaccoon account soon pocketed sizeable profits. An FBI investigation later traced its cryptocurrency payments.

An attorney for Spagnuolo was not immediately identified. California-based Google confirmed to The Associated Press it had placed its employee on leave.

“The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement — adding the company was working with law enforcement and “will take the appropriate action.”

Polymarket reiterated it too worked closely with authorities. A spokesperson also touted that the company “is the only prediction platform to date whose cooperation has led to insider trading charges in the United States” — and maintained blockchain trading, which Polymarket uses, is “transparent, traceable, and bad actors leave footprints.”

Spagnuolo isn't first person to face insider trading charges spanning from Polymarket trades. Last month, the government also charged a special forces soldier who made over $400,000 from Polymarket trades betting on the downfall of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The solider allegedly used classified information ahead of January's U.S. military operation, which he was a part of.

Such scandals have put the spotlight on a murky (and growing) world of speculative, 24/7 transactions now filling the internet. Prediction markets sell event contracts — so they're also categorized and regulated differently from traditional forms of gambling. That's raised concerns about consumer protections, and legal battles over government oversight.

President Donald Trump’s administration has already thrown its support behind company operators — and sued several states over their regulation efforts. Meanwhile, the industry is scrambling to assure the public with new guardrails. Polymarket recently rewrote its rules to clearly state users cannot trade on contracts where they might possess confidential information, or could influence the outcome of an event.

Spagnuolo is being charged with violating the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act, wire fraud and money laundering. He could face years of prison time.

The new nonprofit, Stop AAPI Hate Action, will be a political and advocacy arm dedicated to getting more Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders registered to vote — and to mobilize current voters, ensuring they make it to the polls. The initiative was sparked in part by President Donald Trump's pressure — and moves by Republican lawmakers — to redraw voting maps and strip parts of the Voting Rights Act.

The organization announced Thursday that this initiative will build on Stop AAPI Hate's name recognition and reputation for elevating conversations about racism, discrimination and allyship. It's a major step for the group, which has also done policy work and advocacy over the past six years, Manjusha Kulkarni, the organization's co-founder, exclusively told The Associated Press.

“Those pieces — alongside what we're seeing from our community in terms of data — really motivated and inspired us to make this move," Kulkarni said. "Because we see how our communities are being harmed and exactly what needs to be done to address the harm, and prevent it in the future.”

Stop AAPI Hate Action will be established as a social welfare organization that can get involved in political campaigns.

Trump's immigration policies fuel more anti-Asian racism since COVID-19

A majority of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders believe President Donald Trump has done more harm than good on immigration and border security in his second term, according to an AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll.

Stop AAPI Hate's annual report — released in May, AAPI Heritage Month — found roughly half of AAPI adults said they or someone they personally know were negatively impacted by immigration policies or anti-immigrant attitudes in 2025. Last year, Trump signed an order restricting H-1B visa holders — thousands of whom come from Asian countries — and added a $100,000 annual fee for highly skilled foreign workers.

Plus, Chinese nationals face a plethora of anti-China laws in various states.

Navia Gutta, 28, was rattled by an encounter last summer at a Chipotle restaurant in Atlanta, where a woman approached her and a friend, calling the two — who are Indian American — “murderers” and “rapists." It escalated and she threatened to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport them “back” to India, which the woman called a “dirty country.” Both of them were born in the U.S.

“Our hands were shaking and we full-on cried in the car,” Gutta said. “It made me realize that I grew up still very privileged, and I felt like I lived in a bubble up until then, because nothing like that had ever happened to me."

She later shared the experience with Stop AAPI Hate, and after talking at great length with a staff member was emboldened to volunteer with the group.

“It made me realize I would love to be a part of this solution,” Gutta said. “I would love to educate people. I would look at these issues and continue educating myself further because I think politics can be really scary.”

Reaching AAPI voters in red states, too

Stop AAPI Hate Action is ready to dive head first into the November midterms. That does not mean blindly advocating for all Democratic candidates, Kulkarni said. The group's main goal is to support candidates who share core values on immigration policies and civil rights.

“It is really, at its core, about harnessing the pain felt at an individual level and turning it into a collective power,” Kulkarni said. “This really has been an existential threat to our community."

The nonprofit is also not trying to compete or duplicate other AAPI-focused civic engagement organizations. The group is looking beyond blue states and swing states. A primary goal is to flip red districts with a significant presence of Asian American voters and turn them blue. There are areas in Republican-run states “that deserve to be reached out to,” said Andy Wong, Stop AAPI Hate Action managing director of advocacy.

“The ones in Iowa and Nebraska and Alaska and other places where there are competitive purple districts — many of them with GOP incumbents," Wong said. “We are going to reach voters in those places,” by enlisting phone bank volunteers who speak Korean, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin.

That effort starts in July, and they plan to focus on reaching people who only turn out to vote in big general elections. To help build rapport, they also plan to match volunteers with voters of the same ethnicity.

Building longevity as a voting bloc

This new political entity is not a one-and-done operation, Stop AAPI Hate staffers say. The Asian American and Pacific Islander community is one of the fastest growing populations in the U.S., which means with each election year, there's potential for new voters.

But the political parties have overlooked this fact, and failed to invest in voter outreach and other civic engagement, Kulkarni said. “We’ve really been an afterthought. We're 24 million people."

Stop AAPI Hate sees the next few years not just as an opportunity to win over voters but also to increase AAPI power as an entire voting bloc. Kulkarni says some data indicates Latino, Black and Asian Americans who moved somewhat to the right during the 2024 election are edging back to the left.

“Where you see that especially is the South Asian or Indian American community specifically. You've seen that in some of the other (Asian American communities)," she said. "How do we harness that?”

The group needs to build an infrastructure to get people involved not just when there's a major election, Wong said. They also hope to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who are already doing the work to become leaders in their patches.

“They're putting in the phone calls. They're showing up at public hearings, delivering comments,” Wong said. “It’s about building long-term civic and political power.”

There’s a fairly easy way to change all that. Adopting positive habits.

In fact, “The Power of Positive Habits” is the name of Jon Gordon’s latest book.

The best-selling author and motivational speaker joined us on The Morning Show to share how negativity in your life can lead to disconnection.

Gordon said employing some simple strategies can help you reconnect in a positive way.

Women are the primary driver of that growth.

TNT Sports reported female viewership is up 66% and ESPN reported a 106% increase, with plenty of that audience coming from 18-to-34-year-olds tuning in to hockey at its most exciting time of year.

“We see the numbers up everywhere,” ESPN VP of production Linda Schulz said. “(Hockey) is a particular challenge because sports fans tend to follow something that they themselves have participated in and hockey is one that is not as commonplace for people to have actually strapped on skates. I approach it with, if I get a new fan coming to hockey, what is going to keep them."

What's bringing fans in, Schulz and other executives said, is a result of a handful of factors. The success of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last year, the Olympics in February when the U.S. men and women won gold, the quality of play, an influx of young talent and the viral popularity of the “Heated Rivalry” and “Off Campus” hockey romance shows have combined to bring more women to the sport.

“It’s not any one thing,” TNT Sports executive VP and chief content officer Craig Barry said. “It’s the collective of the planets aligning that has shown dramatic increases in the female audience.”

The NHL says the playoffs are averaging 1.4 million viewers, up 63% from last year and up 24% from the previous high set in 2024. Some of the increase can be attributed to a change in how Nielsen is counting viewers, causing bumps across the board, though hockey has been seeing an upward trend in viewership predating that.

That began after the 4 Nations, which NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said caused a viewership increase late in the 2024-25 season and into the playoffs. The Olympics built off that, with the Milan Cortina Games drawing huge ratings.

"The Olympics was a cultural moment," NHL chief operating officer Stephen McArdle said. “We know that Olympic viewership does appeal to those demographics, to that female demographic, and so I think the Olympic bump that we saw was really in part influenced by that female Olympic audience.”

How big a role “Heated Rivalry” plays is difficult to measure. Schulz, who grew up as a sports fan in the Boston area, said it does not enter her mind, but the networks and the league are well aware of the conversation going around it.

“We know that the fictional series are a gateway to our sport,” McArdle said. “We know that it opens doors to an interest in the sport of hockey, and it’s incumbent upon us to make sure that new audiences that are coming through those doors feel welcomed as they come in, and also that we help them find their way through the door.”

Schulz said technology helps with that, pointing to aerial sky cams that highlight the speed and physicality of the game, and the addition of a camera person on the ice to capture emotional moments like a player expressing frustration after getting called for a penalty.

“It is incredible how that emotional draw, to me, is the real way to pull in a casual fan,” Schulz said. “It’s that balance of getting the feel of the ice through something like your aerial coverage and the feel of the player or the emotion of the player.”

McArdle said the NHL has also leaned into TikTok, where many of the top videos were viewed by more women than men. A clip of Carolina's Jordan Martinook losing a skate blade particularly stood out as something that was popular beyond highlight-reel goals, saves and hits.

Social media has drawn in more young fans, men and women, and promotion of broadcasts on ESPN, ABC, TNT, TruTV and on HBO Max has gotten them to watching live on one platform or another.

"That’s why it’s so important to meet them where they are," Barry said. “That’s why our kind of strategy is put it everywhere in a simulcast capacity, so regardless of where you are consuming and digesting your content, in this particular case, NHL games, it’s there for you.”

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

The National Assembly voted 254-0 — a rare show of unanimity — to adopt a bill repealing Code Noir, or Black Code, the 1685 decree King Louis XIV signed to govern slaves across France’s colonies.

The law turned human beings into chattel, allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped and murdered.

And the realization that France never formally did away with it left many aghast. Debate in the chamber turned raw on Thursday.

Steevy Gustave — a lawmaker descended from enslaved people on the Caribbean island of Martinique, now a French overseas department — told colleagues that the repeal was necessary, “but no vote alone can repair centuries of shattered lives.”

“We are not descendants of slaves,” he said, bursting into tears. “We are descendants of human beings born free, then reduced to the worst — reduced to slavery.”

The code’s reach was total. Article 44 declared the enslaved “movable property” — assets a master could acquire like real estate. Those who fled faced branding, the amputation of their ears, and even death. The word of an enslaved person counted for nothing.

Code Noir’s 60 articles “should never have survived the abolition of slavery” in the 19th century, President Emmanuel Macron said last week.

“The silence, even the indifference, that we have maintained for nearly two centuries toward this Black Code is no longer an oversight,” Macron said. “It has become a form of offense.”

Like French presidents before him, Macron stopped short of an apology.

France ran the third-largest slave trade, shipping about 1.4 million Africans to plantations whose sugar wealth built the French cities of Nantes and Bordeaux. The French empire later spanned four continents.

Others see the repeal as something more telling — a symptom, they argue, of a country that has yet to reckon fully with that past, one of many slow steps along the way.

Calls for France to face its past

In law, officially eliminating it is the easy part, observers say. Code Noir lost all authority in 1848, when France abolished slavery.

France didn't relinquish its slave colonies: the four oldest — Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Réunion — were made full French overseas departments in 1946. That means they're governed from Paris like any other.

Their roughly 1.9 million people, most descended from the enslaved, are French citizens.

Despite being fully part of France, the overseas departments remain among its poorest territories. Unemployment runs roughly double the mainland rate, and more than three-quarters of households in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte live below the national poverty line.

Shocked to find the law wasn't annulled

Before he discovered the truth, the French lawmaker who put forward the proposal to repeal the law didn't know it still existed.

Max Mathiasin, from Guadeloupe, had bought copies of the text over the years and left them on his shelf.

“As the great-great-grandson of people who were enslaved, I had never been able to read it in full,” he said. “This was made by human beings — against human beings.”

For him, the vote is “a way of restoring our ancestors, restoring our humanity” before a France whose motto is liberty, equality, fraternity. “It means living up to the Republican promise.”

That promise, he says, is still unkept at home.

“In Guadeloupe,” Mathiasin said, “in the most important positions, in the structures of the state, they are white.”

A colonial exception that never ended

The Foundation for the Memory of Slavery is chaired by a former prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, and its deputy director is Pierre-Yves Bocquet — both white men.

Bocquet calls Code Noir the birthplace of France’s “colonial exception” — the principle that the French Republic’s founding rights could be suspended for those under its rule.

The principle outlived the empire, he said: “Even today, we accept that people in the overseas territories can have fewer rights than in mainland France.”

France is hardly the only country still holding fragments of empire — the United Kingdom, the United States and the Netherlands still have overseas territories.

But what sets France apart, observers say, is that it made its slave colonies equal departments of the Republic, not dependencies it governs from afar.

The state insists that the overseas departments are France like anywhere else, even as the people who live there say they are treated as less.

Most major colonial powers, including Britain, Spain and Portugal, had laws governing slavery in their colonies. In each case, those laws fell away when slavery itself was abolished, leaving no single text to repeal.

France’s Code Noir was different, experts say: a single, named royal law that no one ever formally erased, even after France abolished slavery.

France is 'still in a form of apartheid’

For Max Relouzat, 81, president of the Association for the Memory of Slaveries, the repeal matters, because so little else has.

His African ancestor had no name under the law, only a number and a registration code — the family that lived in Martinique was given the name Relouzat at emancipation, likely after Nelouzat, a village in the Auvergne region of central France.

What galls him, he said, is what the symbolism leaves untouched: systemic racism in France.

“Under the cover of departmentalization, a colonial system was maintained,” Relouzat said. “If the overseas departments are part of France, why is there a ministry for the overseas?”

In France, he said, “we are still today in a form of apartheid … a form of colonial continuity.”

‘Racism is the legacy of slavery itself’

For some who have fought longest, Thursday isn't the milestone it appears.

For Florence Alexis, a slavery expert and daughter of the Haitian writer Jacques Stephen Alexis, the real turning point came 25 years ago. In 2001, the Taubira law made France the first country to call the slave trade, and slavery, crimes against humanity.

“That is what changed my life,” Alexis said.

For her, racism is the legacy of slavery itself, not of one edict.

“When I was a child at school, they called me the little monkey,” she said. “People made animal cries when I walked past — as they still do in football stadiums today.”

Paris-born Élodie Léon, 29, whose family is from French Guiana, welcomes the repeal, but resents the delay.

“Symbolic neglect is also neglect,” she said.

“It shocks me,” said Muriel Jean-Baptiste, a Paris-born nurse whose parents are from Martinique. “A law that treated Black people as property was left sitting there.”

The history of reparations

At the Taubira law’s 25th anniversary on May 21, Macron floated the idea of reparations — something that France has long stayed away from addressing.

He called it “a question we must not refuse,” but one on which “we must not make false promises.”

He committed no money, instead defining repair first as truth-telling, education and historical work.

The wealthiest of France's plantations were in Saint-Domingue, in the Caribbean, where the enslaved rose up and won independence in 1804 as Haiti. France then forced the freed to pay reparations for the loss of their masters — a debt cleared only in 1947.

France isn't alone. In the United States, federal reparations legislation has stalled for decades. California approved an apology, but no cash.

But the timing of Macron's latest speech was awkward. Two months earlier, France abstained when the U.N. General Assembly voted 123-3, with 52 abstentions, to call the trans-Atlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity.

And this month at the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya, days after declaring himself a “pan-Africanist,” Macron seized a microphone and ordered the room to quiet down.

“As soon as he sets foot on the African continent,” French opposition lawmaker Danièle Obono said, “he can’t help but behave like a colonizer.”

The repeal of the nCode Noir, said Bocquet, “will have no direct effect.” Whether it helps France fight racism and inequality in its overseas territories, he said, “remains to be seen.”

“It is easy for the French authorities, and for Macron, to do this,” Alexis added. “Because it commits them to nothing.”

The state party chairs of five Democratic parties wrote a letter Thursday to the Democratic National Committee calling on party leaders "to do everything in your power to ensure South Carolina continues to serve as the indispensable first proving ground for Democratic presidential nominees." The DNC is currently debating the order in which states will vote in the next round of presidential primaries.

The state should hold the first presidential balloting in 2028, they argued, in part because it “is not simply a geographic starting point. It is a moral and political compass for our party and our nation.”

The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting this week, hearing presentations from the dozen states seeking to lead off its 2028 calendar. Other southern states, including Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, are in the mix.

South Carolina chair Christale Spain, who is set to make her argument on behalf of the state later Thursday, has said she believes her state has “more to offer than other states do,” including “the role of Black folks.”

“The fight for voting rights is no longer just a courtroom battle, it is an electoral one,” the Democratic chairs from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia wrote in the letter, provided to The Associated Press ahead of its release. “And it begins in South Carolina.”

“Any effort to diminish South Carolina’s role in the primary process would be a step backward for the Democratic Party’s stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” they wrote. “It would signal to Southern Democrats and to Black voters in particular, that their loyalty to this party is taken for granted. We refuse to accept that, and we will stand firmly against it.”

In a separate letter to DNC leaders, Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus Institute — which has partnered with the South Carolina Democratic Party on several presidential debates in the past — reiterated those sentiments.

“To remove or diminish South Carolina’s standing in the primary calendar would send precisely the wrong message to Black voters and to every voter who has been told their voice does not matter until after the outcome is already decided,” Thompson wrote.

For years, South Carolina has held one of the earliest Democratic primaries in the country. As the first southern state to hold its primary, South Carolina has been the initial gauge of a candidate’s ability to appeal to Black voters, who play an outsized role among the state's Democratic voters.

In 2020, Joe Biden's ability to make that appeal — along with a coveted endorsement from Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state's lone congressional Democrat and for a time the top Black Democratic lawmaker on Capitol Hill — helped him revive a flagging primary campaign, win a resounding victory in South Carolina, and go on to secure the nomination.

For the 2024 cycle, Biden led a DNC effort to have South Carolina go first overall in the party’s primary, citing the state’s more racially diverse population compared to the traditional first-in-the-nation states of Iowa and New Hampshire, which are overwhelmingly white. New Hampshire, which rejected the DNC’s plan, held a leadoff primary ahead of South Carolina anyway, and Biden — who didn’t campaign or have his name on the ballot — still won by a sizable margin after supporters mounted a write-in campaign on his behalf.

Biden, who also handily won South Carolina's 2024 contest, pushed for a revamped primary calendar that saw Nevada go second. He also pushed the Democratic primary in Michigan — a large and diverse swing state — ahead of the expansive field of states voting on Super Tuesday, the date in early March when multiple states hold primaries and the largest number of delegates needed to win the nomination are up for grabs.

Although the calendar won't officially be set until later this summer, Democrats likely to be among their party's 2028 have been making the rounds in South Carolina for months. ___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

“It’s been so eye-opening to see who my people are,” Adler said. “I feel the love, I feel the compassion, the care — it’s nice to have a family again.”

Adopted by an American family when he was 9 months old, the 36-year-old is one of thousands of children who were stolen from Chilean families during the 17-year dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet and among hundreds who have been reunited with their birth families thanks to DNA tracing and organizations that are helping Chilean adoptees investigate their pasts. Others are also working toward justice for the families ripped apart.

The American family that adopted Adler in 1990 raised him in an affluent Chicago suburb.

“My parents didn’t steal me; they didn’t name me Kyle out of malice. They saw me as who they wanted me to become, and there’s a lot of love that was put into that,” Adler said of his adoptive parents Mike and Connie Adler. Adler believes neither of them knew the circumstances surrounding his adoption. He said neither were initially supportive of his decision to find his birth mother before they died in 2022.

He grew up to be an overachiever who in adulthood wanted more meaning to his life, he said.

“Suddenly now I found myself where I didn’t know what to do. I knew I was adopted and at that point, I was just like, I need to find my mom.”

The day he was taken

Adler’s biological mother, Ana Maria Navarrete, was a 19-year-old single parent working nights at a fish shop in the seaside city of Coronel, some 533 kilometers (331 miles) south of the capital. She had named him Marcos Antonio Navarrete.

She could only afford a room for herself, so she hired a woman who took Adler into her home as a baby and looked after him. Navarrete told The Associated Press she visited him whenever she was not working.

One day, the caregiver told her he was taken by an American couple after a local priest made arrangements for a baby “in need of a family.”

“And she let them have him,” Navarrete told AP, furious and ashamed. The AP could not independently verify all the details of what occurred.

A police investigator told her the baby had likely been taken as part of a wide-reaching counterfeit adoption network that involved adoption agencies, immigration officials, judges, nurses and even doctors.

No one was held accountable, Navarrete said, and “those years afterward were some of the worst years of my life.”

Lacking family support, she said she eventually surrendered the idea she would get her son back.

No justice

“Justice for the poor did not exist in Chile and it still does not,” said Constanza Del Rio, founder and executive director of Nos Buscamos, a nonprofit organization with online data for thousands of cases. The government estimates more than 20,000 children were stolen from families.

Children of the poor and Indigenous populations were targeted during the Pinochet regime from 1973 to 1990, said Jimmy Lippert Thyden González, who was also illegally adopted and became a human rights lawyer.

“It was an effort to eliminate and eradicate the poor class. It was a way of eradicating the Indigenous population, the uneducated population,” he said.

Uncovering the past

In early 2017, Adler came across the Nos Buscamos Facebook group while Googling the term “Chilean birth mom search” online, he said. And that’s when he messaged Del Rio.

Within three months, Del Rio had confirmed Adler's origin story and organized a virtual reunion.

Initially, Adler felt crushed to find out he was adopted illegally, sending him into an identity crisis that led to years of therapy.

Then last year, Adler finally felt ready for answers.

A DNA test provided by genealogy platform MyHeritage, a global family history company based in Israel, confirmed a match between Adler and 56-year-old Navarrete of Santiago and “made it official,” he said.

MyHeritage partners with both Nos Buscamos and Connecting Roots, and other nonprofits doing similar work, to provide free at-home DNA testing kits for distribution to Chilean adoptees and suspected victims of child trafficking.

Tyler Graf, the founder and CEO of Connecting Roots, traveled with Adler.

Graf had also reunited with his birth mother Hilda Quezada Godoy decades after he was taken from her, and said it is now his mission to track others taken from families in Chile.

“Now it’s time to mend these families and bring everyone back home so they can see where they came from,” Graf told the AP.

Fighting for justice for the families that were separated

Lippert Thyden González sued the Chilean government two years ago and hopes to lead the fight all the way to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He also founded the organization Grafting Hope, a nonprofit focused on educating U.S. lawmakers and fighting for the rights of survivors of counterfeit adoptions.

The Chilean government didn’t immediately respond to several messages seeking comment from AP.

“I want justice. Not just for me, but also for him because I don’t know the type of life he had,” Navarrete told AP days after reuniting with her son.

Navarrete is working with a law firm and hopes those involved will get jail-time.

The reunion

“My birth mom’s just been wanting me to be alive,” Adler said ahead of boarding the flight from Miami in February.

The two were reunited two days after her 56th birthday on Valentine’s Day and an AP team was with them in Miami and Chile.

Tears flowed as Adler exited the international arrivals gate in Chile. Both mother and son were wearing white as Navarrete ran to embrace him. The tall, dark-haired son bent over to bury his face in his mother's hair.

“I’m so happy to be finally meeting him, my dream has finally come true,” Navarrete said.

The emotional reunion led to a fruitful week together visiting the beach in Coronel, the hospital where Adler was born and the house where he was taken from. They recovered a copy of his original birth certificate, and he met one of his four siblings. In Miami, he had previously met another sister and her daughter.

Back in Santiago, the two enjoyed keepsakes Adler brought with him as gifts: A framed graduation diploma, childhood photographs and a pair of baby shoes his adoptive parents had kept.

Adler is not a Spanish speaker so Connecting Roots provided a translator. These days, translation apps help them continue the conversation.

Navarrete said the time spent with her son was joyful but it also made her relive much of the pain of the past 35 years.

“It took me so long to find him. And then to spend a week together only to have him leave,” Navarrete said amid tears, “it's like I found him but I've now lost him all over again.”

She said she's hopeful the family will reunite in December. For Adler, the road to forgiveness continues but he hopes Navarrete is able to let go of the trauma.

“I’m not just the son that you lost, I’m the son that you found. I’m back to being your son,” he said.

___

The story has been updated to correct that Lippert Thyden González sued two years ago, not three years ago.

Although it serves the country's biggest Mexican community, all 53 Mexican consulates in the U.S. provide services that make Mexican people's lives easier — just like the nine U.S. consulates in Mexico improve the lives of Americans south of the border.

The U.S. State Department, though, has launched a review that might lead to the closure of an unknown number of Mexican consulates. Although it hasn't said why, the review is happening against the backdrop of the immigration crackdown, some thorny bilateral issues and far-right theories that the consulates have been interfering in U.S. politics and encouraging Mexicans to migrate northward.

Azucena Aviles, a 33-year-old mother who drove more than an hour to the LA consulate this month to renew her Mexican passport and get one for her daughter, said consular services are invaluable, especially in California, which is home to nearly 13 million people of Mexican descent, including an estimated 1.7 million who are in the U.S. illegally.

“It wouldn’t be fair if they messed with the Mexican people, especially with our support systems, which come from the Mexican consulate and which, in some way, help or protect our fellow Mexicans,” she said.

Strained relations

Trump has been exerting growing pressure on Mexico, with questions looming over issues including human rights, national sovereignty and regional diplomacy.

His administration, though, has given only the broadest of explanations for launching its review.

“Department of State is constantly reviewing all aspects of American foreign relations to ensure they are in line with the President’s America First foreign policy agenda and advance American interests,” Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, wrote in an email.

Among the possible reasons for the review is that it could somehow fit into the Trump administration's immigration efforts to deport people in the U.S. illegally. The largest contingent of such people — an estimated 4.3 million, according to the Pew Research Center — are Mexican.

Relations between the two countries could also play a role, with Trump increasing pressure on Mexico in the run-up to free trade negotiations important to both nations’ economies, taking a more aggressive approach toward the U.S.'s southern neighbor and even threatening to take military action against Mexican cartels.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has avoided head-on conflicts with Trump and instead relied on diplomacy, including sending top officials to Washington and seeking to maintain a strong relationship with the Trump administration by cracking down on Mexican cartels. Sheinbaum and her predecessor have also been key allies in slowing migration to the U.S. and speeding up the deportation of other Latin American migrants.

But Sheinbaum has taken a firmer stance in regards to the deaths of Mexicans in U.S. immigration detention centers, calling them “unacceptable” and saying the conditions in such lockups were “incompatible with human rights standards and the protection of life.” She instructed Mexican consulates to visit detention centers daily to help ensure detained citizens are being held in safe conditions.

Relations rapidly deteriorated in recent weeks after the U.S. indicted several Mexican officials on drug trafficking charges, and two CIA officers died following an anti-narcotics operation in northern Mexico — American involvement that Sheinbaum said her government hadn't authorized. That drug raid raised uncomfortable questions in Mexico about the extent of U.S. involvement in domestic security operations. And years of tit-for-tat tariffs between the two countries have also added strain.

A review of foreign consulates is “usually a sign that a bilateral relationship is in a very, very rocky moment,” said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the U.S. In Mexico’s case, it comes at “the worst moment of the U.S.-Mexico relations” in decades, given all the current points of contention, he said.

Further straining relations is a theory being amplified by Peter Schweizer, a writer with a following among Trump loyalist who has claimed that Mexican consulates interfere in U.S. politics and encourage migration to the U.S. Experts say that although a few Mexican consulate officials may have sought to influence politics back home, there is no evidence of them interfering in U.S. elections.

In response to the State Department review, Sheinbaum said the idea that Mexican consulates are “playing politics in the United States is completely false.” She said the job of consulates anywhere is to “always protect” citizens.

Sarukhan, too, said that although consulates defend the rights of Mexican citizens, there is no evidence that they are interfering in U.S. elections.

Worries about possible closures

Whatever the reasons for the consulate review, it has stoked worries.

During a weekly public forum at the LA consulate, a woman who didn't give her name and whose husband had been in U.S. immigration detention asked for help finding him a lawyer, highlighting one crucial service consulates provide for their citizens.

An older man, meanwhile, said he had heard about the review and asked about possible closures.

Carlos González Gutiérrez, Mexico’s top diplomat in Los Angeles, responded that, as Sheinbaum said, there would be “no reason whatsoever” for the U.S. to close a Mexican consulate.

Indeed, closing consulates “would have significant, devastating effects for Mexican immigrants,” especially in isolated areas, Ariel Ruiz Soto, a senior policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, told The Associated Press.

Every day, consular officials go to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding center in downtown LA to identify and interview as many detained Mexican nationals as they can.

González Gutiérrez, 62, begins every weekly public forum by noting how many detained Mexicans consular officials have interviewed since last June's Los Angeles immigration crackdown. At that May 11 meeting, the figure stood at 1,940. Nearly half had deep roots in the U.S., he said. About 46% have been deported, 35% have children born in the U.S., 69% entered the country through a port of entry, 6% overstayed a visa, and 2.5% requested asylum. Most were men, and many worked in construction, agriculture, gardening and the service industry.

He also disputed the claim that Mexican consulates are interfering in U.S. politics.

“We are guests of this country’s government, just as U.S. consuls are guests of the Mexican government. In that sense, we are neither activists nor spies,” said González Gutiérrez, who has held similar roles at other Mexican consulates in the U.S. “We carry out our work openly, within a pluralistic and democratic society.”

___

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

New data compiled through the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida’s “Catalyst” data hub shows Duval County’s population age 65 and older has grown dramatically over the last decade, increasing from 104,968 residents in 2014 to 156,682 in 2024 — a 49% jump.

At the same time, affordable housing options for older adults are shrinking.

“There’s been some alarming data points,” Callan Brown, senior vice president of development for the Nonprofit Center, said. “We know that more than half of our older adult renters are now spending 30% of their income on rent.”

The Catalyst data found 53% of older renter households in Duval County now spend at least 30% of their income on housing, while 26% spend more than half of their income on rent.

For many seniors, the financial strain has become overwhelming.

“They raised it by $300 and there was just no way I could afford it,” one senior connected with ElderSource said. “I’m on a fixed income. I have no other means of support.”

Organizations serving older adults say those stories have become increasingly common as rents rise and incomes fail to keep pace.

Since 2014, median gross rent in Duval County has increased 57%, rising from $941 to $1,475 a month, according to Catalyst data. During that same period, median income for older adults increased by 43%, from $37,680 to $54,085.

“It helped validate what we see every day through our helpline,” said Tameka Gaines Holly, chief operations officer for ElderSource. “To see the increase in calls for housing-related needs, we were able to see that demonstrated in the data that the Catalyst program put together.”

ElderSource operates a helpline for seniors and caregivers across Northeast Florida, helping connect residents with housing assistance, food, prescriptions and utility support.

“They’re calling about rent, rent increases,” Gaines Holly said. “A lot of times their rent is increasing and so they are at risk of being evicted and displaced.”

She said many seniors are also struggling to cover essentials because so much of their income is going toward housing.

“They are needing monies for prescriptions, for food, for utilities,” Gaines Holly said. “You’re dealing with a population that has fixed incomes. So as the prices go up, their income is staying the same.”

The data also shows that renting among older adults is becoming increasingly common in Northeast Florida.

In 2024, more than 23,000 households led by adults 65 and older were renters in Duval County, a 71% increase from 2014. By comparison, older homeowner households increased 42% during the same period.

Brown said that the shift creates new challenges for seniors competing in an already expensive rental market.

“Older adults are moving towards renting instead of owning their own homes,” Brown said. “And we know also that access to rent in this area, Northeast Florida, is very competitive.”

Advocates also point to a troubling increase in homelessness among older adults. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of people age 64 and older experiencing homelessness in the Jacksonville area rose from 71 to 94, according to the report.

“It’s someone’s grandmother, someone’s mom,” Gaines Holly said. “You have people that are at work in the business community that have to think about what’s going to happen with my mom if she loses where she lives.”

Nonprofits, including the Nonprofit Center, ElderSource, Habitat for Humanity, the Center for Independent Living and Sulzbacher are now working together to identify solutions to address the growing crisis.

Advocates say solving the issue will require more investment from local and state governments in affordable housing designed for seniors living on fixed incomes.

“We need the government behind us to understand where the priorities are for investing city dollars, state dollars, to help us build communities that are available for older adults who are income-constrained,” Gaines Holly said.

Click here for more information about ElderSource. ElderSource’s helpline can be reached at 1-888-242-4464.

The proposal is widely popular in Brazil ahead of presidential elections in October, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sponsored the move and has repeatedly promoted it. The amendment approved late Wednesday, which must now also pass the Senate, is part of a push within the region that has been lauded by labor rights groups but highly criticized by the business sector.

Currently, Brazilians work five eight-hour days and four hours on a sixth day for 44 hours total. The amendment would end the six-day workweek without reducing pay for at least 37 million people and establishes a 40-hour weekly work limit. It would guarantee two consecutive 24-hour rest days each week, preferably Saturdays and Sundays.

“People who have this workweek from Monday to Saturday are the ones that have to work the hardest and are paid the least,” lawmaker Paulo Pimenta, Brazil’s government whip in the lower house, told his peers as they voted. “We need to be brave and do justice.”

Many opposition lawmakers voted for it after months of pressure from their constituents, but some continued to criticize the initiative.

“I don't care if this is an election year. I think we need to be responsible. This will be a problem for many companies," lawmaker Kim Kataguiri said. “We are doing this in a rush and workers should know they might end up worse than they are now if business leaders stop hiring.”

The amendment would give businesses 14 months to adapt, which was a key point in negotiations. Many business leaders and lawmakers wanted the changes to be made gradually over 10 years.

“This was built with a lot of responsibility, thinking about workers and families in Brazil,” said lawmaker Leo Prates, who drafted the amendment in the lower house. “We need to accomplish this for the Brazilian people.”

The lower house votes late Wednesday sent the amendment to the upper house. Brazil’s Senate has not set a date for its vote and could make changes before Lula’s approval for the constitution to be amended.

Lula's main rival in the election, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, wants to replace the current workweek system with a more flexible payment-by-the-hour strategy, which so far seems to be popular only among some business leaders.

Other Latin American nations have also recently shortened the workweek.

In February, Mexican lawmakers approved a proposal by President Claudia Sheinbaum to trim the 48-hour workweek. Working hours will be shortened gradually to a 40-hour workweek by 2030.

Chile in 2023 passed the so-called 40-Hour Law, which reduced its workweek to 40 hours as of last year. It applies to all workers under Chile’s Labor Code, without reducing pay.

But Argentina has bucked that trend under libertarian President Javier Milei and may extend its 48-hour workweek. A labor overhaul package passed earlier this year extends the maximum workday from eight to 12 hours and scraps overtime pay, among other measures that Argentine labor unions say favor companies over employees.

___

AP journalists Megan Janetsky, Isabel DeBre and Nayara Batschke contributed to this report from Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Santiago, Chile.

___

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

One of the first things JEA recommends homeowners do is look up - loose branches and declining trees are among the leading causes of power outages during storms.

The utility company works year-round to reduce that risk across its entire service area.

“JEA crews work throughout the year, trimming trees throughout our entire service territory,” said Karen McAllister, JEA’s Public Information Officer. “We ask customers to join us in that effort, make sure that they’re trimming trees on their property and maintaining vegetation.”

JEA says it pruned 1,383 miles of trees to reduce, replaced 3,300 utility poles and installed 5,983 transformers.

Beyond tree maintenance, JEA recommends customers gather supplies for a hurricane preparedness kit, write a review plan for their family or business, and trim trees on their property — keeping vegetation away from power lines and weather heads.

JEA also recommends registering any power generators and providing the most up-to-date contact information.

The driver, identified by family members as Oliver Lopez, was attempting to repossess a vehicle at the Sanctuary Walk apartment complex on East 21st Street, a few blocks east of Phoenix Avenue, around 10 p.m. Tuesday when he was shot.

Police said an argument started between Lopez and the vehicle’s owner, and then a man came outside and fired multiple shots, hitting Lopez, who died at the hospital.

Police have not released a description of the suspect and have not indicated any possible relationship between the suspected shooter and the person involved in the repossession dispute.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office by phone at (904) 630-0500 or by email at jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org, or via CrimeStoppers at 866-845-TIPS.

Family & friends mourning

His family was too devastated to speak with News4JAX on Wednesday, but a cousin shared this statement: “Oliver was a very hard-working guy and a great friend, a great brother and a loving father.”

Lopez owned Oliver Towing for over two years, and a friend who also drives a tow truck shared this statement with News4JAX about the dangers of the job:

“The recent loss of a fellow repossession agent is a tragedy that reaches far beyond our industry. Behind every tow truck is a hardworking professional who faces risk, hostility, long hours, and difficult situations simply for doing a job that most people never fully understand. Today, we remember not only a coworker and friend, but also the sacrifices made every day by men and women in the repossession industry.

Repossession agents are often portrayed negatively in movies, television, and online discussions. What many people fail to recognize is that repossession is not about punishment or cruelty. It is part of a larger financial system that helps keep lending possible for millions of Americans. Without collateral recovery, banks, credit unions, and finance companies would face significantly greater losses, leading to higher interest rates, stricter lending standards, and fewer opportunities for consumers to obtain vehicles, equipment, and other financed assets.

In simple terms, the repossession industry helps stabilize credit markets. When lenders know there is a lawful process to recover collateral after repeated nonpayment, they are more willing to extend financing to everyday working people. That financing helps families purchase transportation to get to work, allows small businesses to acquire equipment, and supports economic activity nationwide.

Repo agents operate under strict laws and regulations. Most professionals in this field prioritize safety, compliance, and respect during every recovery assignment. Yet despite this, agents routinely face verbal threats, physical confrontations, and dangerous working conditions. Many perform recoveries late at night or in isolated areas to reduce conflict and avoid public disruption. They do so knowing that every call carries uncertainty.

The death of a repossession agent should remind the public that these workers are human beings with families, children, and communities that depend on them. They are fathers, mothers, veterans, neighbors, and small business owners. They deserve the same dignity and safety afforded to any other profession.

This tragedy also highlights the need for greater public understanding of what repossession truly is: a lawful and necessary part of the financial ecosystem. While nobody wants to lose property, repo agents do not create the financial agreements—they simply carry out court-recognized rights and contractual obligations that exist within our economy.

At its core, the repossession industry protects the balance that allows commerce and lending to function. Without it, the economic consequences would affect everyone, from lenders to consumers to local businesses.

As our industry mourns the loss of one of our own, we ask for something simple: respect for the professionals who perform this difficult work and recognition of the important role they play in keeping America’s financial system operating.

To the family, friends, and coworkers affected by this loss, the repossession community stands beside you. Your loved one’s work mattered, and their sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

DeSantis has consistently pushed for a state-level amendment that would greatly reduce or even eliminate homestead property taxes.

“You pay all these taxes to acquire that property, and then year after year, you’re just having to write a check just for the privilege of being able to maintain ownership of something that is supposedly yours,” DeSantis said during Wednesday’s announcement.

WATCH: Press play above for a replay of the governor’s news conference (Note: because of signal difficulties, a short portion of the full news conference is missing)

Several property tax proposals were brought forward during the Legislative session earlier this year, but each of them ultimately fizzled out.

Now, DeSantis is charging lawmakers with passing an amendment that can go to voters on the November ballot.

“Property tax revenue collected by local governments has nearly doubled in the past seven years (from $32 billion to $60 billion) and is expected to reach an astounding $83 billion by 2032,” DeSantis said in a post on X. “Florida homeowners need relief. Now is the time to stand up for taxpayers, enact a historic reform, and save the home of every Floridian.”

Today in Tampa, I outlined the Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes plan that will eliminate taxes on homesteads. 

Property tax revenue collected by local governments has nearly doubled in the past seven years (from $32 billion to $60 billion) and is expected to reach an… pic.twitter.com/3ZcexD9L7X

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 27, 2026

DeSantis wants an amendment that would increase the homestead property tax exemption to $250,000 initially and then grow the exemption from there until eventually, homestead property taxes would be eliminated.

DeSantis said the schedule of how quickly the exemption would grow would have to be worked out if taxpayers approve the amendment.

He argued that the initial $250,000 limit would apply to about 60% of Florida homeowners, and once it gets to $500,000, that would include about 92% of homeowners in the state.

“I think this bottom up approach is a better approach,” DeSantis said. “This is something that can actually get done. I think it could be meaningful.”

RELATED: ‘Here we come!’ DeSantis reveals when Florida lawmakers may tackle property taxes

According to DeSantis, property tax revenue collected by local governments has nearly doubled in the past seven years (from $32 billion to $60 billion) and is expected to reach $83 billion by 2032.

DeSantis claims his proposal would:

• Exempt homestead properties from taxation: Begins by exempting the first $250,000 of a homestead’s value from taxation and requiring, through law, a schedule for full elimination.
• Ensure funding for core services: Requires local governments to use remaining property taxes solely for core public needs, including public safety, education, infrastructure, and natural resources.
• Protect small businesses: Limits future property tax assessments on businesses and creates a more stable tax environment for local businesses.
• Ensure fairness for Florida residents: Requires any person who establishes Florida residency after Jan. 1, 2027, to maintain Florida residency for up to five years prior to receiving the increased homestead exemption.
• Create a state trust fund to assist with core local services: Establishes a trust fund to provide grants to local governments to assist with the continuation of core local services.

“Obviously, you know, you got to run services, but all the time the taxpayer is having to pay more and more for basically the same level of services that they would have gotten 10 years ago when their property tax bill was a lot less,” DeSantis said.

No matter what the governor wants, it will be up to the Legislature to decide what the final amendment or amendments look like. Then at least 60% of voters would need to approve any amendments for them to take effect.

Dong Guangping, 68, was aboard a 3.3-meter (10.8-foot) rubber boat in the waters off a western South Korean island on Monday night when he was detained by South Korea's coast guard for allegedly violating the country’s immigration law.

The coast guard sought a warrant to formally arrest him, but a local court on Thursday refused, saying it's “difficult to recognize sufficient grounds and necessity” for his arrest. The coast guard said later Thursday it will hand him over to an immigration office but will continue to investigate him.

Dong's prospects are unclear. Investigative authorities could pursue his arrest again or indict him without his physical detention. If Dong applies for refugee status, South Korea’s Justice Ministry said it will review it.

While Dong's possible submission of evidence of his political oppression in China could increase his chances for getting refugee status, observers still note that South Korea's acceptance rate for refugee status applications has been less than 2% in recent years.

Dong, a former police officer in China, had previously been detained in China several times for his activism. He was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for “inciting subversion of state power” and spent more than eight months behind bars after being arrested in 2014 for participating in a memorial for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, according to past statements from Amnesty International.

It is his fourth known attempt to flee China. Appearing at the court hearing Thursday, he told reporters that he hopes to go to Canada via South Korea to reunite with his wife and daughters, who already resettled there, according to South Korean media.

He previously escaped to Thailand and Vietnam, but authorities there deported him back to China. Dong also unsuccessfully tried to swim to a Taiwanese island.

In a post Wednesday on X, Sheng Xue, a Chinese Canadian activist, praised Dong's braveness. She said Dong had discussed fleeing by boat with her, though she felt it was too dangerous. She said she talked again to Dong through Messenger, after he arrived in South Korea.

“Dong Guangping said that when he reached Korean waters, he was already in a state of unconsciousness. He hadn’t slept for over 50 hours and had been blown by sea winds for over 30 hours,” she said.

A local coast guard office handling Dong's case said he had no major health issues when he was detained. The office said Dong told investigators that he came from Weihai city in China’s eastern Shandong province though he’s refused to respond to most other questions.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, asked about Dong's case at a regular briefing Wednesday, answered that she was “not familiar with that.”

South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Il told reporters Thursday that Dong's case would likely be handled in line with the local law, though he referred questions to immigration authorities at the Justice Ministry.

Danielle Hickey, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, told The Associated Press in an emailed statement that the department could not comment on individual cases but that the country has a “proud tradition of protecting refugees and supporting their resettlement with compassion, respect, and dignity.”

Dong is not the first Chinese dissident to flee to South Korea by boat, though such an incident is highly unusual. In 2023, Kwon Pyong, another Chinese dissident, reached South Korea on a jet ski, saying he was trying to escape persecution in China for mocking its communist leadership. He was initially detained in South Korea but later reportedly moved to the U.S. to seek asylum.

___

Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

___

This version corrects the pronoun referring to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson to “she.”

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Inflation jumped to 3.8% in April compared with a year ago, the Commerce Department said Thursday, up from 3.5% in March and the highest since May 2023. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.4%, down from the 0.7% jump in March but still higher than the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve would prefer.

Thursday’s inflation report also showed that in addition to gasoline, prices for groceries, clothing and electricity are also on the rise, indicating that inflation may be growing more entrenched. Inflation is notably above the Federal Reserve's target of 2%, which means Fed policymakers may decide to forego any cuts to their key short-term interest rate this year. Some officials have signaled that the central bank's most substantial move under new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh could be a rate hike, rather than a cut.

Yet Trump and some his top officials are showing little concern about higher prices and the impact of the Iran war on Americans' financial health. Consumers have a dim view of the economy and have soured on the Trump administration's economic policies. Thursday's report showed that Americans' after-tax, inflation-adjusted incomes fell for the third straight month, while spending, adjusted for inflation, barely rose.

Trump has said that increases in gas prices — up more than 50% since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran — amount to “peanuts.” He previously said he does not consider Americans’ personal finances “even a little bit” when mulling his options on the war.

And on Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said higher prices would be “transitory,” reviving an ill-fated term used by former Fed Chair Jerome Powell to describe the 2021-22 inflation spike that became a forceful political tailwind for Trump in his campaign for a second presidential term.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inflation rose to 3.3% in April from 3.2% the previous month. It is the highest core figure since October 2023. One positive sign in the report: Core prices rose just 0.2% in April from March, down from 0.3% the previous month.

Dan North, senior economist at Allianz Trade North America, acknowledged the core price increase isn't “huge,” but added, “it’s the wrong way, and we think it will continue in the wrong way because there are so many inflation pressures in the pipeline.”

Americans' incomes were unchanged in April from March, in part because farm incomes fell after a large government aid package ended last month. Adjusted for inflation, personal income actually slipped 0.1% last month.

Spending rose 0.5% in April from March, though most of that reflected price increases. Adjusted for inflation, spending rose just 0.1% in April, down from 0.3% the previous month.

“Signs of stress are building inside the American household across the economy,” Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, a tax advisory firm, said. “Inflation-adjusted spending, disposable income ... point to a slowing in May spending as inflation approaches a peak on the back of a historic supply shock."

The U.S. economy grew at a modest 1.6% annual pace from January through March, according to a separate report from the Commerce Department Thursday. The country’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded from a lackluster 0.5% expansion the last quarter of 2025 when growth was hobbled by the 43-day federal government shutdown.

The first-quarter growth, which covered the first month of the Iran war, was a downgrade from the 2% expansion Commerce initially reported.

Resilient consumer spending — mostly by upper-income households — and ongoing investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure are helping propel modest growth.

Growth in consumer spending, which accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, slowed to 1.4% in the first quarter from 1.9% at the end of 2025 and was down from the 1.6% preliminary first-quarter estimate. But business investment, likely driven by spending on artificial intelligence, rose at a 7% pace.

Gas prices averaged of about $4.50 a gallon nationwide for three weeks this month before slipping to $4.43 on Thursday, according to the AAA motor club. Gas averaged $2.98 a gallon the day before the Iran war began.

Yet the cost of many other goods and services have picked up in recent months, raising concerns among many Fed officials that inflation is being pushed higher by tariffs and other factors in addition to the war. The cost of services such as dental visits, car repairs and veterinarian visits have been rising sharply, and clothes, toys, and groceries are also seeing outsize price gains.

Rapid investment in artificial intelligence centers also appears to be driving up the cost of computer equipment and software, adding to inflationary pressures. Electricity prices have also spiked from a year ago.

State-run Yemeni TV said that he died at his residence in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, but gave no other details.

Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the Presidential Leadership Council — the leadership body of Yemen’s internationally recognized government — said Hadi believed in the Yemeni people’s “right to a just state, freedom and human dignity.”

“He led the battle to defend the republican system," al-Alimi said on X.

The government announced three days of mourning, during which flags will be flown at half-staff.

Hadi's presidency

Hadi became president in 2012 after the resignation of longtime leader Ali Abdullah Saleh during the Arab Spring uprisings. Backed by the United States and Gulf states, Hadi emerged as a compromise candidate in a one-person election meant to guide Yemen through a political transition.

But his presidency soon got bogged down in unrest.

During his first years in office, Hadi tried to implement wide-reaching reforms, including the unification of the country’s various armed factions.

His opponents accused him of favoring the country’s eastern oil-rich provinces at the expense of the mountainous heartlands dominated by Houthis, the Iran-aligned movement.

Another challenge came from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, long considered one of the global network’s most dangerous branches. The group carried out a bombing in Sanaa in 2012 that killed more than 100 people.

The defining moment of Hadi’s presidency came in 2014, when Houthi fighters swept south from their northern strongholds and captured Sanaa amid growing public anger over economic hardship and political instability.

With support from forces loyal to Saleh, Houthi forces took control of Yemen’s presidential palace in January 2015. Hadi resigned and escaped to Aden. But he later withdrew his resignation, and a Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in March 2015 in a bid to restore Hadi’s government.

Although Hadi remained the internationally recognized president, much of the real decision-making was influenced by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the coalition's main players.

His authority weakened further as divisions emerged in the anti-Houthi alliance.

Tensions with the UAE deepened after Hadi dismissed senior Emirati-backed figures, including Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who led the separatist Southern Transitional Council, or STC.

The STC eventually took control of Aden and parts of southern Yemen, leaving Hadi’s government confined to exile in Riyadh and to scattered territories in the east.

While the STC stopped short of openly demanding Hadi’s removal, it refused to place its forces under his command and accused his government of accommodating Islamist factions linked to the Islah party, Yemen’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. The STC was dismantled earlier this year.

Hadi spent his final years in office largely out of public view in the Saudi capital. In April 2022, shortly after a U.N.-brokered ceasefire was announced, he transferred power to al-Alimi, who began leading the newly formed presidential council backed by Saudi Arabia.

His rise as a military officer

Mansour Hadi was born Sept. 1, 1945, in Yemen’s coastal Abyan province at a time when the southern of the half country was a British protectorate. His family was part of the influential Al-Fadl tribe, one of the largest and most established in the south.

After completing school, Hadi pursued a career in the army, graduating from the United Kingdom's Sandhurst military academy. His early military years saw him serve in Egypt and Russia, before returning to Yemen.

Hadi was a senior officer when civil war erupted in 1986, following a fallout between rival factions of Southern Yemen’s then governing Socialist party. He sided with President Ali Nasser Mohammed, fleeing with him to northern Yemen, then an independent state.

In the immediate years after Yemen’s reunification in 1990, Hadi was promoted first to the rank of general and later to defense minister by Saleh. As a reward for leading numerous successful military campaigns against southern separatists in 1994, Saleh appointed Hadi as vice president of the new republic.

Hadi is survived by his wife, Hala, and six children. Funeral arrangements weren't yet known.

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Fatma Khaled reported from Cairo. Jack Jeffery provided reporting for this story from Cairo before leaving The Associated Press.

A high-wind storm can easily turn loose fence panels into dangerous airborne projectiles or leave your yard entirely exposed. To help homeowners protect their property before the winds pick up, Zach with Superior Fence and Rail shared three essential tips to ensure your perimeter is ready for whatever the season brings:

•Check for Loose Boards and Posts: Walk your fence line now while the weather is clear. Look for any leaning posts, loose boards, or rusted hardware. Take the time to secure and reinforce those weak spots immediately; a single loose panel gives the wind a foothold to tear down an entire section of your fence.

•Block Your Gate Closed: Gates are often the most vulnerable part of a fence during a storm because they are designed to move. To prevent a gate from swinging violently and tearing off its hinges, you can drive a sturdy metal pipe or stake deep into the ground on both sides of the gate to lock it firmly in place.

•Get on the Repair List Early if Damage Occurs: If a storm does take down part of your perimeter, timing is everything. The post-storm rush for fence repairs can lead to long wait times. Homeowners should call or text right away to secure a spot on the schedule. In fact, some proactive customers even text photos of their damaged fences during the tail end of a storm so crews can prioritize them the moment it is safe to hit the roads.

Don’t wait until a tropical system is spinning in the Atlantic to think about your backyard’s security. Taking a few proactive steps today can save you thousands of dollars in property damage tomorrow.

To learn more or to reach Superior Fence and Rail visit https://www.superiorfenceandrail.com/

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move was not being announced.

Reworking Thomas' deal comes in the middle of offseason workouts and with No. 5 pick Arvell Reese still not yet signed to his rookie contract. The rest of the draft class, including No. 10 pick Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa, is all signed.

The Giants now have just under $12 million in salary cap space, according to the NFL Players Association’s public accounting. Reese's contract is expected to take up a big chunk of that, so more maneuvering could take place in the coming months before the season begins in September.

Thomas, 27, is one of the team's highest-paid players and the anchor of an offensive line that showed improvement last season from previous years. New coach John Harbaugh said Thomas was dealing with foot and shoulder injuries that led the staff to limit use on the field during organized team activities.

“They have a nice ramp-up planned for me,” Thomas said last week. “Just a precautionary thing. Obviously, what we care about is September, being ready, so I’ve been trusting that. It’s definitely tough sometimes because I want to push it and I want to get better, but I’m trying to trust the process to make sure I’m ready to go when it counts.”

Thomas had surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury in his right foot in October 2024 and missed the first two games of last season before returning Sept. 21. A hamstring injury caused him to miss the final two games, but now it's a lingering shoulder problem that is being managed.

“Something that I’ve been dealing with,” Thomas said. “I think I’m in a good place.”

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

In two international studies, about 1 in 5 patients given the experimental drug saw their virus reduced to levels low enough for the immune system to keep in check.

“We have not had a treatment which has come to this level of cure,” Dr. Seng Gee Lim of the National University Health System of Singapore, who helped lead the GSK-funded studies, told reporters before presenting the findings at a scientific meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

The data also was published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Chronic hepatitis B can cause liver cancer or liver failure, and kills about 1.1 million people around the world each year. Improvements to today’s lifelong therapy, which can be hard to stick with or to access in some countries, have been sought for decades.

The new findings “represent a major step,” Dr. Anna Lok, a hepatitis expert at the University of Michigan who wasn’t involved in the research, wrote in the journal. But she cautioned that more study is needed to see how long that remission-like state lasts.

The drug is bepirovirsen, nicknamed “bepi” and developed by GSK and Ionis Pharmaceuticals. It is under fast-track review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with a decision expected in October. Regulators in Japan, China and Europe also are considering the drug.

Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection spread through contact with blood or other bodily fluids, including childbirth. A highly effective vaccine can prevent it. For people who are infected, many have an “acute” illness that lasts several months. But for some — about 1.7 million people in the U.S. and more than 250 million worldwide — it becomes a chronic form that gradually damages the liver.

Standard treatments, including daily pills, reduce levels of the virus and prevent liver damage. But a true cure is elusive because hepatitis B has an unusual ability to hide in the body, ready to rebound if therapy stops.

The new drug attacks hepatitis B by binding to its genetic components, suppressing viral replication as well as a key protein, the “S” or surface protein, and stimulates the immune system, said GSK vice president Melanie Paff.

The trials included 1,838 patients assigned to get either a bepi shot or a dummy shot weekly for six months, in addition to their regular pills. If the virus was undetectable for six months after stopping the shots, they could stop their regular pills, too. In about 20% of the bepi recipients, the virus remained undetectable for six more months after they stopped all treatment — that “functional cure” — something no patients given the dummy shots achieved, the researchers reported.

Bepi recipients who started the study with lower levels of that S protein were slightly more likely to achieve a functional cure, Lim said. He is doing additional research to try to determine why only some people respond.

As for how long the functional cure lasts, GSK has tracked a small number of patients from earlier-stage studies and found most still faring well up to three years later, Paff said.

Lim said side effects included mild injection-site redness or pain and a temporary rise in enzymes that can indicate liver stress.

Lok, the Michigan hepatitis expert, noted the trials didn’t include patients with cirrhosis, high S protein levels or other complicating factors.

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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 World Meteorological Organization also forecasts an overheating Arctic that warms nearly 3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.66 degrees Celsius) between now and 2030 and a dangerous drought with potential wildfires for the Amazon, a crucial part of Earth's natural defenses to lessen human-caused climate change. A hotter globe from the burning of coal, oil and gas means more extreme weather including floods, droughts and heat waves, scientists said.

The projections by the U.N. climate agency and the United Kingdom's Meteorological Office said there's a 75% chance that the average global temperature between 2026 and 2030 will be more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) higher compared to pre-industrial times. That threshold is the agreed-upon limit of warming — averaged over 20 years — set in 2015 by the Paris climate agreement.

A U.N. science report a few years later detailed how exceeding that 1.5 mark means more likely death, danger and species loss. Even though it's only a few tenths of a degree, some of the planet's ecosystems, such as coral and glaciers, can't handle the strain.

Passing warming limit has consequences, but no cliff

There’s a 91% chance that at least one of the next five years will shoot past the 1.5 degree threshold and an 86% chance that one of those years will smash the record for Earth’s hottest year set in 2024, the WMO report said. The WMO projects each year between now and 2030 to be between 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 degrees Fahrenheit) and 1.9 degrees Celsius (3.4 degrees Fahrenheit) since the late 1800s.

“It’s important to note that (1.5) is not kind of a cliff edge that we’re going to fall off,” said report co-author Melissa Seabrook, a climate scientist at the U.K. Meteorological Office. “Every kind of 0.1 of a degree has more and more severe impact.”

She pointed to unprecedented May heat in Europe this week.

An entire year or more above the 1.5 degree mark “means a whole range of extreme weather events, probably many so hot/wet/dry that it exceeds anything we’ve experienced in the past and thus crucially, anything our city planning, agriculture etc. has anticipated,” Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto, who wasn’t part of the report, said in an email. “This will mean many people will lose their lives, we are in for a lot of food price shocks, and more intense wildfires.”

Nearly all the shorter-term forecasts call for a strong El Nino — a natural warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather worldwide and spikes global temperatures — to form soon. The WMO report said it could stretch all the way to 2028. Because of that, Seabrook said 2027 will likely break the 2024 heat record.

And if the next five years do average more than 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times, that means Earth will have warmed a quarter of a degree Celsius (0.45 degrees Fahrenheit) in a decade, which is faster than the previous rates of warming. Those were closer to two-tenths of a degree Celsius per decade.

Climate scientists are debating whether global warming is accelerating, “which obviously is quite scary,” and if these projections come true it would give additional evidence to those who see a speeded up rate of change, Seabrook said.

Accelerating warmth forecast in the Arctic

The projections, based on the averaging of about 200 runs of computer simulations using 13 different climate models from various countries, show warming in the Arctic rising 3.5 times faster than the rest of the globe, because there's less ice and snow that had been reflecting solar radiation to space, Seabrook said. It becomes a vicious cycle.

“As the temperature warms, more sea ice melts, the worse this makes it,” Seabrook said.

Winters in the Arctic from 2020 to 2025 on average were 2.1 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 1991-2020 average. The WMO projects the next five winters will average 5.1 degrees Fahrenheit (2.8 degrees Celsius) warmer than that recent normal, Seabrook said.

The report also forecasts Arctic sea ice to continue to shrink in the summer.

Amazon may get drier, sparking fire worries

The report calls for even warmer and unusually dry conditions in the Amazon basin, and that could be devastating for both local residents and the planet as a whole, Seabrook said.

People rely on the Amazon for water and the hotter, drier conditions should increase wildfire risk, Seabrook said, threatening to turn the Amazon, which now sucks heat-trapping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, into a region that worsens the problem.

Africa's Sahel area, which has been extra dry, is likely to get more than normal rain and that could lead to flooding, Seabrook said.

United Nations officials said efforts to curb climate change haven't been enough.

“Despite the progress of recent years, it’s clear that global heating is still outpacing global efforts to contain it, and the baking temperatures in Europe, India and elsewhere show yet again the brutal human and economic impacts of humanity still burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas,” U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said about the WMO report.

“Whether it’s extreme heat, mega-storms, floods, massive wildfires or droughts hitting food supply and prices,” he said, “every nation is already paying a huge price from this global climate crisis.”

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

Reyna and Scally are old friends who've had a blast playing together this season at German club Borussia Moenchengladbach and both made the U.S. roster for the World Cup this week.

“The chemistry’s there and it will always be there,” Reyna said this month in a joint media availability with Scally.

“We’re already close, but it feels like we’ve gotten even closer, which felt impossible, but it's been a good year together,” Reyna said.

He added his wife is friends with Scally's fiancee and even their dogs are buddies.

Reyna told the Associated Press last year his friend was the “cherry on top” in his decision to join Gladbach to revive his career this season after injuries and a controversial time at the 2022 World Cup.

Scally argues their bond brings on-field benefits.

“On the training field, in the locker room, in the car rides every day, I think we’ve definitely enjoyed every day because we know it doesn’t last forever,” Scally said. “I think we understand each other very well on the field. We want to play together more than we have. In the time that we do play together, something good normally comes out of it.”

The 23-year-olds were youth players together at New York City FC a decade ago and have both made their names in Europe but the on-field similarities end there.

Scally is a versatile, reliable defender who rarely misses a game. Reyna’s a creative, unpredictable attacking midfielder who can make a sudden impact in games but has been repeatedly sidelined with fitness and injury issues for large parts of the last few seasons.

It's the second World Cup appearance for Scally and Reyna and follows a dispute which overshadowed Reyna's time with the team in Qatar in 2022.

Reyna played only twice off the bench and then-U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said after the tournament that an unnamed player, later identified as Reyna, was nearly sent home for a lack of effort in training.

Reyna’s parents — Claudio and Danielle Reyna, both former national team players — lobbied the U.S. Soccer Federation for more playing time for Gio and contacted the USSF about a three-decades-old domestic violence allegation involving Berhalter and the woman who later became his wife — Danielle’s former college roommate.

Reyna told the AP last year he’d now handle the 2022 incident differently “in certain ways” and his actions stemmed from frustration, but the dispute wasn’t “completely” his fault or that of his family.

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

The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims were up to 215,000, up from 210,000 the week before. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose by nearly 6,300 to 209,000.

“Initial claims are still impressively low, near historic lows,” Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a commentary. “The uptick from last week to this week is trivial in a labor market of 159 million workers.″

The number of Americans signing up for unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs — has stabilized in a low range of mostly 200,000 to 250,000 a week since the U.S. economy emerged from a brief but nasty pandemic recession in 2020.

The total number of people collecting jobless aid rose by 15,000 to 1.79 million the week that ended May 16.

The persistently low number of claims suggests that most U.S. companies have not resorted to layoffs. But even if they’re not cutting jobs, employers haven’t been adding many either. Last year, companies, nonprofits and government agencies added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month, weakest hiring outside recession years since 2002.

Job creation has picked up a bit so far this year — to an average of 76,000 a month from January through April. By contrast, employers added 122,000 a month in 2024 and averaged nearly 400,000 a month from 2021 through 2023 as the economy roared back from COVID-19 lockdowns.

But the United States now needs fewer jobs to keep the unemployment rate from rising. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and ongoing Baby Boomer retirements means that the monthly “break-even rate″ of monthly hiring may be as low as zero. And the unemployment rate — 4.3% in April — has, in fact, remained low by historic standards.

The Iran war has clouded the economic outlook as higher energy prices squeeze consumers and businesses. Iran responded to U.S. and Israeli attacks by turning to economic warfare — closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes, and causing the biggest disruption of global oil supplies in history. In response, U.S. gasoline prices have surged to an average of $4.43 a gallon from an average $2.98 a gallon on the eve of the conflict, according to AAA.

A day before Major League Baseball is expected to make a salary cap proposal, the union outlined its initial economic proposals during a bargaining session at the players' association office in Manhattan. It included what it called a “competitive integrity tax” that would penalize teams dropping below a payroll floor and called for the luxury tax threshold to rise to $300 million next year.

Baseball’s labor contract expires Dec. 1 and MLB is expected to institute a lockout, management’s equivalent of a strike under federal labor law. Players have vowed they never will accept a salary cap.

“Attendance, viewership, interest — by any measure you want to use, our game is moving in a positive direction,” Baltimore pitcher Chris Bassitt, a member of the union's eight-man executive subcommittee, said in a statement. “We’ve put forward proposals designed to continue that trend. Support, incentivize, and reward clubs who are committed to competing, especially small-market clubs. Compensate players fairly for the work they are doing.”

MLB clearly is not in favor of what the union presented and maintains the players' plan would decrease revenue sharing.

“We understand their proposals are designed to benefit players. Unfortunately, they do not address and in fact exacerbate the competitive balance problem our fans are telling us we must address,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement. "The MLBPA’s proposal would reduce the amount transferred to lower-revenue clubs, weaken the competitive balance tax and lead to even more payroll disparity than exists today. For example, under the union’s proposal, the Dodgers would pay less in luxury tax payments, giving them an additional $70 million to spend on payroll.”

Marcus Semien and Sean Manaea of the Mets and Eugenio Suárez of Cincinnati attended the session while other players participated online.

“The players’ proposals provide increased revenue sharing initially guaranteeing every small-market club a minimum of $240 million in revenue every season,” interim union head Bruce Meyer, who replaced Tony Clark in February, said in a statement. “This enhanced revenue sharing includes added protections to ensure clubs prioritize winning over profiteering.”

According to details obtained by The Associated Press:

— The luxury tax threshold, which starts at $244 million this season, would rise to $300 million in 2027 and then increase by $15 million annually. Penalties such as moving back a team’s pick in the amateur draft would be eliminated. Surcharge levels, currently as much as 110%, would drop to 10% above the preceding level.

— Free agent eligibility, which has been six seasons of major league service since the 1976 agreement would drop to five for players who have reached age 30 by Nov. 1. A team could retain the player by making a qualifying offer. If a player in that group refuses the qualifying offer, he would become arbitration eligible.

— The minimum salary would rise from $780,000 this year to $1.5 million next season, $1.65 million in 2028, $1,825,000 in 2029, $2 million in 2030 and $2.2 million in 2031.

— Salary arbitration eligibility would expand and teams would have to offer at least $3 million to eligible players. The threshold increased from two years to three years in 1986 and the so-called super 2 class with those of two to three years began in 1991 at 17% and it increased to 22% in 2013. The union proposed it be expanded to 44%. In addition, salaries in cases decided by arbitration panels would be guaranteed and the union asked that some salaries used for comparisons be given 120% of their value.

— The pre-arbitration bonus pool, established at $50 million in the 2022-26 deal, would increase to $180 million next year and then rise by $15 million annually. Players coming up to the major leagues for the first time who sign multiyear deals either before opening day or during the first 21 days of the season would become ineligible.

— The qualifying offer for players with six years of service would be eliminated. It has diminished the markets of some free agents since it began after the 2012 season because of penalties on signing teams.

— The amateur draft lottery would expand from six teams to eight.

— Rules instituted in 2022 designed to decrease service time manipulation would be expanded, such as ensuring a full year of service to eligible prospects who finish among the top five in MVP voting.

— Lower-revenue teams who lose players as free agents would get increased benefits and low-revenue teams would get more draft selections.

— A competitive integrity tax would be imposed on teams who do not reach 50% of the lowest tax threshold and teams further below would face surcharges. Teams would be penalized for not spending revenue-sharing money they receive on payrolls.

— Each small-market team would be guaranteed at least $240 million in revenue annually and teams would keep more ballpark-related revenue.

— Low-revenue teams with winning records or reaching the playoffs would get more revenue sharing money and local media revenue would be shared among teams more extensively.

A five-year deal was reached on March 10, 2022, the 99th day of a lockout, preserving a 162-game regular-season schedule. That was the sport’s ninth work stoppage and first since a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 caused cancellation of the World Series for the first time since 1904.

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

Trump told reporters on Wednesday that New York Knicks owner James Dolan has invited him to the NBA Finals, when the Eastern Conference champion Knicks host either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs next month at Madison Square Garden.

New York, which is riding an 11-game postseason winning streak after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals, is scheduled to host Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10.

Trump, a New York native, said he initially planned to attend Game 5 of the conference finals at MSG before the Knicks finished off the Cavaliers in four games. The president called Dolan a “great guy” and marveled at New York's run.

“Boy, what a team,” Trump said. “They have some really great players.”

Trump called the club's return to the finals for the first time since 1999 “great to see.”

“The Knicks have really suffered for years," Trump said to laughter. “They're doing (well) right now.”

Trump has routinely dropped in on prominent sporting events during his time in politics. He's taken in the College Football Playoff championship and caught a prime-time NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets just days before the 2024 election.

The Knicks have a history of having high-profile celebrities sit courtside at MSG, including filmmaker Spike Lee, who has clashed with Trump in the past.

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

The conference is the nation’s primary forum for hurricane education and training, and brought together meteorologists, emergency managers, and officials from across the country to share best practices and new tools heading into hurricane season.

National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan said preparation starts with the basics.

“Now’s the time to start gathering that emergency supply kit,” Brennan said. “Have seven days of food, water, medicine, batteries, any other kind of critical needs you might have.”

MORE: Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide

Know your zone before a storm forms

One of the first things every household should determine is whether they live in an evacuation zone — and if so, where they would go.

Brennan emphasized that evacuating does not mean driving hundreds of miles. A safe shelter could be just a few miles away, but it still requires a plan made well in advance.

“If you’re going to be asked to leave, then you have to at least have some plan to go somewhere else — to a friend or neighbor, a loved one that lives outside of that evacuation zone, or have a plan to go to a shelter,” Brennan said. “You can go to your county emergency management website, find out where shelters are, find out how to deal with your pets.”

For residents in newer homes built to current codes, sheltering in place may be an option — as long as they are outside of storm surge, evacuation, and flood zones.

“If you’re in a well-built home, a modern home that’s up to code, a lot of those can be your hurricane shelter,” Brennan said. “If you have your shutters and your roof up to code, a lot of people can shelter in their homes, and that can really be the basis of your plan.”

Build your kit over time

A seven-day hurricane supply kit for a family of four carries a real cost.

Brennan said the key is to start small and build steadily.

“You buy three or four things a week, you can start to chip away at that list,” he said. “And then by the time you get into the hurricane season, you’re in pretty good shape. And then you kind of refresh and restock the supplies as we go from June, July into the peak months of September, October and beyond.”

Hurricane cone redesigned for 2026

This year, the National Hurricane Center updated its forecast cone to include inland wind and flood risks — not just coastal threats. The change follows storms like Hurricane Helene, which produced destructive winds deep into Georgia and the Carolinas.

Warning Coordination Meteorologist Robbie Berg said the update addresses a longstanding gap in how the cone communicated risk.

“For so many years, the cone only showed the watches and warnings on the coast — we were kind of leaving people out,” Berg said. “Starting this year, you’ll find coastal and inland watches and warnings all painted together.”

Berg said residents should also resist the urge to focus only on where a storm is projected to make landfall.

“Don’t follow that skinny black line on the cone,” Berg said. “A hurricane is not a point. A hurricane is big. It can cause a lot of weather outside the cone itself. You need to be understanding what your risk is of wind, storm surge, heavy rainfall, and tornadoes.”

Preparedness is a community effort

Dr. Brennan closed with a reminder that hurricane readiness extends beyond a single household.

“If you do have that experience within your community, help those new neighbors, the friends you meet, help them understand what they need to do to prepare,” Brennan said. “Hurricane preparedness is really a community effort. In the aftermath of a very high-end event, you’re going to be relying on your friends and neighbors to help you survive those first few days before the help can arrive from outside sources.”

Here’s an area-by-area look at where to start.

MORE: Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide

Start at the front door

Your front door is more than an entry point — it’s one of your home’s most vulnerable spots during a hurricane or tropical storm. If the door fails, wind and water can push inside, and that pressure buildup can lead to roof damage.

A few ways to reinforce it:

• Upgrade to a hurricane-rated door for maximum protection
• Install a heavy-duty deadbolt and reinforced hinges
• Seal gaps around the door frame with weatherstripping and exterior-grade caulk for smaller openings

Don’t overlook the garage door

The garage door is the largest opening in most homes — and one of the biggest risks during a storm. Wind that forces its way through a compromised garage door can cause serious structural damage throughout the rest of the house, including roof damage.

Two options to consider:

• Impact-resistant garage doors, which can cost around $1,000
• Door bracing kits, a less expensive alternative — though they can still run a few hundred dollars

Protect your windows — and seal the whole house

Window protection requirements vary depending on where you live and when your home was built, since state building codes set different impact ratings.

Hurricane shutters are one option. Boarding up windows with plywood is another common approach homeowners take when a strong storm is approaching.

Beyond the windows themselves, check the entire exterior of your home for gaps:

• Seal any openings around window frames with caulk
• Check vents, outdoor electrical outlets, and garden hose faucets
• Seal anywhere cables or pipes pass through an exterior wall

Secure your patio

One of the most important steps is also the simplest — and it’s completely free. Walk around your patio and backyard and secure any furniture, planters, or other loose items before a storm arrives.

Strong winds can turn outdoor furniture into a projectile, potentially damaging your home or putting your family or neighbors at risk.

Before a storm threatens, take a few minutes to bring items inside or tie them down. It could make a significant difference.

At the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando this spring, Warning Coordination Meteorologist Robbie Berg and Senior Hurricane Specialist John Cangialosi discussed rapid intensification, artificial intelligence, and what a deep dive into the historical record is revealing about storms we thought we already understood.

MORE: Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide

Are hurricanes getting stronger?

It is a question many people ask — and the honest answer, according to Berg, is that the science is still evolving.

“I don’t think we know for sure,” Berg said. “What we do know is that some storms are strengthening more quickly. We’re having more episodes of rapid intensification, where storms go from a depression or a tropical storm to even a major hurricane in a very short period of time. And that’s dangerous because it gives people less time to get ready.”

A second look at historic storms

The National Hurricane Center has a reanalysis team that uses modern technology to take a fresh look at hurricanes from decades past. The findings have offered a mixed picture.

Cangialosi said some storms have been upgraded after further review, while others have been downgraded.

“Andrew, for example, they upgraded to a Category 5 after the fact,” Cangialosi said. “And they’ve downgraded some, too — some in the Northeast.

He explained that some storms that had been thought to be stronger were not as strong in the new analysis.

“There’s no obvious trend in the reanalysis yet. Some are going up and some are coming down,” Cangialosi said.

AI is improving hurricane forecasts — but it is not infallible

Artificial intelligence is playing a growing role in hurricane forecasting, particularly in predicting rapid intensification. Berg pointed to Hurricane Melissa as an early success story.

“Hurricane Melissa last year down in Jamaica was a perfect example,” Berg said. “We saw that possibility days in advance, partly because of some of the new technologies, artificial intelligence that we’re seeing come online, that helped us make that forecast. Again, we’re not perfect all the time, but we’re getting better and better year after year.”

But Berg also noted that AI has not been reliable in every case.

“There were some storms last year that gave us a little bit of pause in AI. Imelda was an example. It was just off the east coast of Florida,” Berg said. “AI modeling at that time actually didn’t do very well. And so what we have to do is evaluate a lot of storms over a couple of years to see how the model’s going to behave and how much we can actually trust it.”

Human expertise remains essential

Despite AI’s promise, Cangialosi said seasoned forecasters are not being replaced.

“In my opinion, I think AI is going to take us to the next level in advancing our predictions,” Cangialosi said. “I don’t think it’s going to take away from people. You know, it still feels like a little bit of a black box to me in terms of how we use it, because it really helps us figure out the track, and it helps in the intensity, but we can’t assess the environment. We can’t really figure out ahead of time if it’s going to be right or wrong. So the traditional approaches are still there too.”

Christian Smith, regional CEO of the Red Cross of North and Central Florida, helped explain some of the key parts of a hurricane kit and shared some valuable lessons, as we shopped at a hardware store and then at a grocery store.

“I think the best thing to do first is to think about what kind of container we want to put everything in,” Smith explained.

MORE: Download & Save The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide

She said the size of the container will depend on the size of your household and how much you need in the kit, adding that a container with wheels - such as a large, heavy-duty trash can, is best.

Some of the essentials that you can pick up at the hardware store include:

• Battery-operated radio and extra batteries
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Work gloves
• General tools
• Duct tape
• Plastic sheeting and tarps

When it comes to buying groceries for your hurricane kit, Smith said that shopping trip is a great opportunity to bring your kids along.

“You’re like, ‘I don’t want my kids in the grocery store,’ but... if you have a purpose, and everybody’s got their own - and give them a role - then this is perfect for them,” Smith said.

Smith also emphasized the importance of buying foods that your family already likes -- with the lesson that if you don’t like something now, you’re not going to want to eat it in a hurricane.

At the grocery store, a great place to start your shopping is with canned items, as they have a long shelf life and can be eaten right out of the can. Some options there include:

• Soups
• Beans
• High-protein items, such as canned chicken and canned tuna
• Pastas (like Spaghetti-Os)
• Fruits

While some of these canned items may have a pop-top, others will require a can opener, so it’s important to make sure a manual opener is part of your kit.

Staples like peanut butter and jelly make for easy sandwiches in a hurricane, but hold off on stocking up on the bread until closer to when you will need it.

Snack bars and similar items are another great element for a hurricane kit, providing energy and comfort. But some of those items may have a shorter shelf life, so be sure to check expiration dates.

Water is another crucial part of your kit. You’ll want one gallon of water, per person, per day, for at least three days. That water is used not only for drinking, but also for cooking, cleaning, and flushing toilets.

While you may think of just stocking up on one-gallon jugs, Smith explained that buying some of your water in smaller bottles can make things easier.

She also emphasized that not all of your water supply needs to be purchased: “Fill up your bathtubs and your sinks so that you can use that water to flush your toilet.”

If your family includes babies or pets, that requires special consideration.

• Baby items: Formula, diapers, bottles, wipes, and medications
• Pets: Medication, food, water, kitty litter

The hurricane kit also needs a first aid kit, which you can either assemble from supplies you already have, or purchase as a pre-packaged kit. Essentials include bandages, gauze, antibiotic ointments, and other supplies, as well as over-the-counter medicines. Be sure to check expiration dates on things like ointments and medicines.

If you want a printable list you can take with you to the store as you check items off, check out page 18 of The Weather Authority’s Hurricane Survival Guide.