The conflict, now in its sixth month, halted most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that previously served as a delivery route for a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas. With global supplies constrained, prices for Brent crude, the international standard, soared from about $70 to above $100 a barrel for much of March, April and May, and at one point reached $126.

The money that oil companies accrued between the beginning of April and the end of June could receive extra scrutiny this year. Gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices climbed sharply during that period, increasing costs for drivers and airline passengers. Supplies ran low in some countries, leading to sporadic fuel rationing in Australia and government office closures in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.53 billion, boosted by record diesel production. The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in $116.02 billion in revenue, up 42% from the same time last year.

Chevron, based in Houston, nearly quadrupled its profits to $12.07 billion and revenue jumped 56% to $70.06 billion.

Six of Europe’s largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than the same time last year.

“There are constituencies around the world who are having a very good crisis, and the oil producers are one of them,” said Patrick Galey, fossil fuels lead at Global Witness. “When you compare that to the hundreds of millions of people who are struggling with rolling blackouts, with electricity curbs, rationing, waiting in line for food queues, or the disruption to fertilizers and the potential impact that that has on food prices, we don’t think that it’s a justifiable price for the rest of the world to be paying.”

Lawmakers propose taxing major oil producers for war windfalls

Energy companies such as Exxon and Chevron do not set the price of American oil, which ricocheted from $68 to $115 a barrel during the quarter. It’s driven by supply and demand, and what traders, refiners and other buyers are willing to pay.

Nevertheless, Democrats in Congress introduced bills in March to tax major oil producers for profits they show from 2026 onward and have the tax proceeds redistributed to consumers.

“It’s fair to put a windfall profits tax on inordinate windfall profits rather than cut off children’s food programs,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who introduced the Senate version of the legislation.

Whitehouse's measure and a companion bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California would amend the U.S. tax code to impose a per-barrel excise tax on companies that produced or imported at least 300,000 barrels of oil per day in 2025. The tax would be 50% of the difference between the oil price at the time of the levy and the average price per barrel last year. Similar proposals failed to pass in previous years.

“We cracked $4 again per gallon last weekend in gas stations that I drove by, and that’s a big expense, particularly for families that get their income from driving around from job to job in the work van or the work truck,” Whitehouse said. “It makes a real difference.”

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S., which was below $3 before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, reached $4.11 Friday. That's about $1 more than the cost of a gallon at this point last year.

Refineries rake in cash while consumers pay more for fuel

Outfits such as Exxon and Chevron, which not only extract oil and gas but also own refineries, are in the best position to profit from the current market conditions, said Tom Seng, assistant professor of energy finance at Texas Christian University.

Refineries turn crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil. Higher prices for those products meant that Chevron’s refineries were six times as profitable as the same quarter last year, despite processing less crude and selling less products.

The global refining market is under-supplied, and with countries such as Russia and China no longer exporting, companies like Exxon and Chevron have to pick it up, said Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital. “The world is going to be short jet fuel, diesel and gasoline, so we’ll probably continue to see higher profits there.”

In late July, refineries planning to buy a barrel of oil for about $80 were looking at potential profits of $50-$60, which is huge compared to the average range of $20-$25, Seng said.

“The return on refining, on a percentage basis, has skyrocketed,” Seng said. “Oil right now is priced what it is priced because of the Iran war. But in the meantime, the refineries are making money hand over fist.”

Globally, not all refineries have been able to get the supply of crude oil they need to meet demand since the conflict began, said Timothy Fitzgerald, a University of Tennessee professor of business economics who studies the petroleum industry.

As a result, refineries that have ample oil to work with, including those in the U.S., are turning high profits, particularly when they make jet fuel and diesel, which is priced about 41% higher in the U.S. than before the Strait of Hormuz was blocked.

"If you’re a company that owns a bunch of refinery capacity, things look pretty good," Fitzgerald said.

American refineries are running at near-full capacity and poised to benefit because some refineries in the Middle East and Russia were damaged, while others in Asia can't get the amount of oil they used to from the Middle East.

“Ultimately, users of the energy services pay,” Fitzgerald said. “Consumers, people like you and me buying retail motor gasoline or diesel fuel or airplane tickets. But it also means that almost everything else we buy has an embedded energy content to it ... and this is where you start to worry about it driving increases in costs.”

Not all oil and gas companies benefit in the same way

In the present geopolitical environment, some companies are winners while others are losers, Fitzgerald said.

“If you’re a company like a U.S. (oil) producer, even a U.S.-based international company like an Exxon or Chevron who’s got lots of production outside the Gulf, things are good. You’re selling your product at a higher price,” he said.

But companies in the Middle East that are not able to benefit from higher prices because they are struggling to get their liquefied natural gas out of the Persian Gulf or have a lot of damaged oil fields or processing facilities have a very different take on recent events, Fitzgerald added.

“Your ability to sell anything and the volume that you may be getting out is so curtailed that your revenues are way down and you’re incurring higher transportation costs and security costs,” he said.

Exxon and Chevron weren’t as profitable in the first quarter due to the way oil is traded; the first real opportunity they had to take advantage of higher prices oil was in April. Companies that had a lot of oil stored in floating tankers and available for spot-market trading, including some European ones, were able to benefit from March’s higher oil prices, Seng said.

In January 2025, after President Donald Trump began his second term, Senator Marco Rubio was named Secretary of State, vacating his Senate seat. Gov. Ron DeSantis then appointed the state’s attorney general, Ashley Moody, to Rubio’s seat. The appointment would last until after the next general election, which is the November 2026 election. The winner of this year’s election will serve the remaining two years of Rubio’s original term.

In addition to Moody, three other Republicans will appear on that party’s primary ballot, and two Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination. The primary winners will be on the general election ballot in November, along with one candidate running without party affiliation.

News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.

Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES

Angie Nixon

Occupation: State Representative District 13, Florida House of Representatives

Age: 42

Family: I am a mom of 5 and now have a blended family with my husband.

Education: University of Florida 2007: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Political Science

Political experience: 2020: Elected to the Florida House of Representatives

2022: Re elected to the Florida House of Representatives

2024: Re elected to the Florida House of Representatives

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Floridians are being crushed by an affordability crisis created by greed and corruption. My focus is on the needs of Floridians, and to create a system that works for the people not against them. No one in the richest country in the world should go bankrupt because they need medical care. Florida’s Families shouldn’t fear losing their home because their insurance doubled overnight.

People deserve a healthcare system that works for them and protects their hard earned benefits such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. Additionally, I will fight to make childcare affordable and accessible because that is an investment in our next generation and has incredibly strong economic returns for parents and local economies.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I was born and raised in Florida, and have spent my life here fighting for the people. As a state lawmaker, I was able to deliver meaningful change on various issues, that impact all of our lives. I understand that my role, first and foremost is to listen then act on behalf of the people of Florida. Too many of our elected officials do not answer to those who give them power, I understand that I answer to you, the people of the Sunshine State.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I hope to be remembered as a fighter who delivered on people’s needs. I want to show that elected officials can be trusted to things that make people’s lives better. I want to leave folks with hope that we can always change things for the better.

Campaign website: angienixon.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | BlueSky

Alex Vindman

Occupation: U.S. Senate Candidate, Former National Security Advisor and Veteran

Age: 51

Family: My wife Rachel and I have a 15 year-old daughter.

Education: Binghamton University (BA), Harvard University (MA), Johns Hopkins University (MAIA, Doctorate of International Affairs)

Political experience: This is my first political campaign after serving more than 21 years in the U.S. Army.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Lowering costs for Floridians is my top priority. As I travel the state to meet voters, everybody tells me that life is unaffordable in our state. We need to lower the cost of housing, groceries, insurance, and health care. I also plan to fight the political corruption catering to special interests that is responsible for this affordability crisis. My campaign has a Florida First agenda to lower costs and crush corruption.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

When I was three years old, my family fled communism as Jewish refugees in search of freedom and opportunity in America. I’ve led hundreds of people in high-pressure situations where lives depended on people devoted to the mission and their people and not to themselves. I served on the battlefield, in U.S. embassies, the Pentagon, and the White House, fighting for what is right and defending the nation that gave my family everything. I will be an independent voice in the U.S. Senate who can fight corruption and make Florida more affordable.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

Working in a bipartisan way to make Florida more affordable and crush corruption.

Campaign website: alexvindman.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Threads | BlueSky

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES

Chris Gleason

Occupation: Technical Consultant, Forensic Researcher, Election Integrity Advocate

Age: 54

Family: Family of 5

Education: B.A. - University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Political experience: 2024 Candidate for Supervisor of Elections, Pinellas County, FL

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Government accountability, Border security, Election Integrity

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

By honest education about the process.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

For being the greatest U.S. Senator in history.

Campaign website: voteforgleason.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | X | YouTube

Ashley Moody

Occupation: United States Senator for the people of Florida

Age: (No response)

Family: Husband and two boys

Education: -Bachelors in Accounting, University of Florida

-Masters in Accounting, University of Florida

-Law Degree, University of Florida

-Master of Laws in International Law, Stetson University College of Law

Political experience: “-Circuit Court Judge (nonpartisan election)

-38th Attorney General of Florida

-Commissioner on the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, under President Trump’s first term

-Chair of Florida’s Statewide Council on Human Trafficking

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

The top three issues are the economy, public safety, and restoring trust and accountability to Washington. On the economy, I am proud to have delivered the largest tax cuts in American history: No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and No Tax on Social Security. I am fighting to expand homeownership through the HELPER Act, which provides mortgage assistance for law enforcement officers, firefighters, first responders, and teachers so the heroes who serve our communities can afford to live in them. I am also working to protect small businesses from burdensome regulations. On public safety, I am bringing my experience as a federal prosecutor, judge, and Florida’s Attorney General to Washington. One of my first acts in the Senate was fighting to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act, and I continue working to secure our border and back the men and women in law enforcement who keep us safe. And on restoring trust and accountability, Florida families balance their budgets every month, Washington should too. I am working to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse so every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely, because government should work FOR the people, not the other way around. That is exactly the Florida playbook I am bringing to Washington.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I bring a record of fighting for Florida families. As a federal prosecutor, a circuit court judge, and Florida’s Attorney General, I’ve spent my career solving problems and delivering results. That experience is already paying off in the Senate: from delivering the largest tax cuts in American history, to securing over $1.7 billion in disaster recovery funding, nearly $1 billion for our military servicemembers and installations, to legislation protecting Florida families. I also bring something else most candidates cannot: a deep, lived knowledge of our beautiful Florida, as a fifth generation Floridian. I was born here, raised here, and I chose to raise my own family here. As the proud wife of a law enforcement officer, I understand firsthand the sacrifices made by the men and women who keep our communities safe. Voters do not have to guess how I will perform in Washington because they can look at what I have already delivered.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I hope to be remembered as a Senator who delivered for Florida families, not one who simply talked about it. I’m honored to have been named one of the most productive Senators and given an award for the best constituent services in the nation. When I make a promise, I intend to keep it. I made a promise to Governor DeSantis and the people of Florida when I took office that I would get things done, and I am doing just that. I want Florida families to look back and know that because of the work I did, they kept more of what they earned, their communities were safer, their kids had an opportunity to live their American Dream, and Washington was a little more accountable to the people it serves. I also hope to be remembered for bringing Florida’s commonsense approach to the rest of the country – proving that conservative leadership focused on results is exactly what restores the American Dream. Most of all, I want the next generation to inherit the same opportunities that made Florida the envy of the nation.

Campaign website: ashleymoody.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram

Neelam Perry

Occupation: Medical Doctor

Age:

Family: 2 sons

Education: M.D.

Political experience: Ran for Florida State House 62- 2016

U.S. Congress d14- 2024

Committee woman

PCREC

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Political influence being used by opposition

Corruption

Voter Deception and Fraud.

The solution is for the people to remove the current swamp out. Do not vote on any “incumbent’

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I have the smarts, the knowledge , skills and experience that the others don’t possess. I know where the shoe hurts and how to find x it

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

Criminal Justice System Reform

Healthcare Reform

Campaign website: vote4perry.org

Campaign social media: Facebook | YouTube

Ernest Rivera

Occupation: Ordained Minister; Nonprofit Founder and Community Leader

Age: 68

Family: Married to his wife since 1983; father and grandfather.

Education: Doctor of Ministry, Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando), 2000; M.A. in Education, New York University, 1990; B.A. in Psychology, University of Puerto Rico (Río Piedras), 1981.

Political experience: Ran for U.S. Senate (Florida) in 2016. Decades of civic and community leadership: statewide hurricane relief director after Hurricane Maria, co-founder of the Protect Our Children Project, organizer of 2,400+ pastors for the First Step Act, and TPUSA co-director in Pasco County.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

1. Cost of living — families are crushed by inflation, housing, and property insurance. I’ll fight to cut wasteful spending, lower taxes, unleash American energy, and pursue federal action to stabilize Florida’s insurance market. 2) Border security and the rule of law — I support securing the border, ending sanctuary policies, and honoring legal immigration. 3) Protecting families and children — defending life, religious liberty, parental rights, and continuing my life’s work against child trafficking and exploitation. I’ll bring a servant’s approach: show up, listen, and deliver.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I’m not a career politician — I’m a servant with nearly fifty years of proven, on-the-ground leadership. I’ve directed statewide disaster relief, co-founded an organization fighting child trafficking, built schools and churches across the Americas, and organized thousands of faith leaders for real reform. I’m bilingual and deeply connected to Florida’s diverse communities. I don’t come from the political establishment, and I don’t answer to it. I answer to Florida’s families.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I’d hope to be remembered as a Senator who put Florida’s families first — who helped make life more affordable, secured our border, protected the vulnerable, and defended our constitutional freedoms. Above all, I’d want to be remembered as a public servant who never forgot that government answers to the people, who told the truth even when it was hard, and who fought to leave Florida stronger and freer for the next generation.

Campaign website: ernie4senate.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram | YouTube

NO PARTY AFFILIATION CANDIDATE

Neil Gillespie

Campaign website: neilgillespie4senate.blogspot.com

Campaign social media: None found

The no party affiliation candidate has not responded to email and telephone invitations to complete the News4JAX candidate questionnaire. If responses are received, they will be promptly posted in this space.

Trump is taking Friday’s Cabinet meeting on the road — to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. It will be the first Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Trump’s second term after an earlier attempt in May was scuttled because of bad weather.

Trump said Thursday he may pull acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination for the full-time post to avoid conceding to Senate Republicans’ demands over a sweeping tax audit immunity deal benefiting the president and members of his family.

Here's the Latest:

Wisconsin Democrats shaken by Mandela Barnes’ exit from governor’s race

The former lieutenant governor’s announcement came Thursday amid news that the state party had reviewed past allegations of inappropriate behavior, further shaking up the race less than two weeks before the Aug. 11 primary in Wisconsin, where independents and moderates are key voters and where Trump won two razor-thin elections.

Democrats must now choose between Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who rejoined the race with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ended her run amid a campaign finance scandal two weeks ago, and insurgent democratic socialist State Rep. Francesca Hong, running far to the left.

The single mother and former line cook has captured the imaginations of liberal Democrats upset with the party establishment, but she’s raised concerns that her past calls for defunding the police will hurt her chances against Trump-backed Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.

▶ Read more

Details on disarmament from the Hamas statement

Hamas said Friday that it’s committed to implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the new roadmap focused on the steps it needs to take to disarm.

The group’s statement says it and other Palestinian factions agreed to the framework as part of a national consensus to protect people in Gaza and help meet their humanitarian needs.

It said Israel must adhere to the ceasefire deal agreed to in October and halt its attacks in order for implementation to move forward, echoing language in the new roadmap released Friday by the Board of Peace.

The agreement calls for Hamas, which ran the government in Gaza, to first turn over all police weapons to a national committee of technocrats responsible for administering the strip. Only later, once the Israeli military withdraws from Gaza, would it be required to decommission and hand over its heavier weapons, according to the text.

▶ Read more

Democratic candidates grapple with ‘defund the police’ baggage

With midterm elections looming, Democrats hope to convince voters that Trump administration lawlessness is the biggest threat to their rights and pocketbooks. The party’s past debates over crime and safety threaten to undermine that pitch.

Across the country, Democratic candidates are facing tough questions about their past calls to “defund the police” by reimagining public safety services or redirecting spending to other social programs — a prominent demand during the protests that followed George Floyd’s death.

Democratic leaders fear the outlier opinions may sink their chances of gaining ground in Congress, governor’s mansions and statehouses as the party’s rising left flank captivates its base, just as Republicans stoke fears about crime, immigration and democratic socialism in their closing midterm message.

▶ Read More

Asian soccer joins Europe and North America in opposing World Cup privatization plan

The Asian Football Confederation, a key ally in Gianni Infantino’s presidency of global soccer, has joined UEFA and CONCACAF in protesting his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors tied to the Trump family.

“Football should never have been placed in such a position,” said the Asian soccer body. Together with Europe and North America, they count 136 of FIFA’s 211 members.

“Some things are simply too important to sell,” UEFA said in a statement Thursday announcing a boycott of FIFA events.

Infantino’s secret proposal revealed Tuesday would spin off its commercial operations in a new $20 billion subsidiary 20% owned by private investors, whose core investor would be a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Trump swings at Cornyn over Blanche nomination

Trump, still frustrated about the status of his attorney general pick, began his Friday morning by going after one of the Republican senators who was holding up Todd Blanche’s confirmation to lead the Justice Department.

Continuing a criticism he began earlier this week, Trump said Texas Sen. John Cornyn had no issue with the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund until after he endorsed his primary challenger, Ken Paxton, for the Senate.

In the post, Trump also continued to defend the controversial fund, which Blanche said in his Senate testimony was dead. Republican senators want him to put that commitment into writing.

“Perhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation’s history,” Trump said. “They are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them.”

Blanche met privately with Cornyn and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis over the issue later Thursday and the sides were working collaboratively, although Blanche’s confirmation prospects still remain unclear.

FIFA adviser on White House’s World Cup panel resigns to protest Infantino private equity plan

Senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro, who represented the soccer body on the White House Task Force for the World Cup, resigned Friday to protest its private equity plan.

“I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs banker, said in a statement resigning as adviser to FIFA President Gianni Infantino that urged other senior FIFA staff to speak out.

Cordeiro often joined Infantino on working visits to meet Trump at the White House in recent years.

“Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” the former U.S. Soccer Federation president said, calling the $20 billion commercial subsidiary “a bad deal for football.”

“Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away” he said. “That is why this proposal should be rejected.”

▶ Read more

The Trump administration is ending a Medicare drug subsidy program. Here’s how it could affect costs

Millions of older adults on Medicare prescription drug coverage could face steeper monthly costs in 2027, after the Trump administration concludes a temporary subsidy program that has helped offset premiums for the past two years.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week announced it would wrap up the program, which was initially implemented by the Biden administration in 2024 to lower patients’ Medicare Part D prescription drug costs in response to the effects of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

While federal officials insist the financial impact on Medicare beneficiaries will be minimal, the decision opens the Republican-led administration to potential political consequences in a high-stakes midterm election year. Voters have identified cost of living as a top concern, and many older adults, who tend to vote in high numbers, are on fixed incomes where every dollar counts. The roughly 25 million Americans with Medicare Part D plans will find out about their 2027 rates in the fall, when they are casting ballots in November’s elections.

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Trump floats pulling Blanche’s nomination for attorney general to avoid conceding to GOP demands

Trump said Thursday he may pull acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination for the full-time post to avoid conceding to Senate Republicans’ demands over a sweeping tax audit immunity deal benefiting the president and members of his family.

After failed negotiations forced the delay of a committee vote to advance Blanche’s nomination, Trump suggested he was holding firm against pressure from Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. They have expressed concerns about the controversial settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, which a judge denounced as an exercise in self-dealing.

The senators said the Justice Department seemed interested in reaching an agreement with them, but the White House wouldn’t budge to aid the confirmation of Trump’s loyal former personal attorney, who has aggressively pursued the administration’s priorities as acting attorney general. Instead, Trump said in a social media post that he might pull Blanche’s nomination and resubmit it after Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year.

▶ Read more

Trump is taking his Friday Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David

Trump told his Cabinet members to meet him at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, a rustic backdrop for the Trump administration sessions that have come to be known for being overly long and consumed by endless praise for their boss.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the 13th such meeting of the Republican president’s second term “will be a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together.”

An earlier attempt in May was scuttled because of bad weather. During his first term, Trump held a Cabinet meeting at the retreat.

The public portion of Trump’s Cabinet meetings has lasted as long as three hours, with the president letting everyone at the table update him on their departments or agencies — with added praise for him personally and his leadership thrown in. In a departure from other presidents, he allows the news media to stay for the duration, a move that Leavitt has said proves his commitment to transparency.

▶ Read more

Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain

A Hamas official said Friday that they did reach an agreement on disarmament, the most crucial part of the ceasefire deal. Israel didn’t give an indication that they had agreed.

Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down the war in the Palestinian territory.

The White House announcement comes nine months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.

▶ Read more

FREE Community Beach Yoga

🗓 Saturday, August 1

🕙 10:00 AM

📍 Hampton Inn Oceanfront – Jacksonville Beach

The event begins Aug. 1 and runs for the entire month.

Before the kickoff, Jax Cooking Studio visited us on The Morning Show to share a couple of their delicious vegan recipes:

• Chana Masala
• Vegan Naan Bread

To take part in the citywide challenge, check out the Jacksonville Vegan Chef Challenge website to get the full list of participating restaurants and their vegan offerings.

Pick any of the inventive featured vegan dishes at a participating restaurant and try it out.

Then rate and review each menu to share your feedback with the chefs and cast your vote for your favorites before the challenge ends on Aug. 31.

The current list of 30 businesses participating in this year’s Vegan Chef Challenge includes:

• Abstrakt Filipino Essence
• Ajua Mexican Kitchen and Bar
• Backyard Buffalo
• Bang’n Bagel Co, Biscottis
• Buddha Thai Bistro
• Bundy Kitchen + Market at Mayo Clinic
• Casey’s Granola
• Coastal Kitchen & Bar
• Dainty Cheesecake Company
• Dreamette Ice Cream Springfield
• Epik Burger
• Gator Ice Cream (both locations)
• Hala’s Mideast Eatery and Market
• Homespun Kitchen (Riverside)
• Irie Diner Caribbean Restaurant
• Josephine Avondale
• Lanjie Hotpot BBQ
• Marry Me Jam
• Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream - Ponte Vedra Beach
• Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream - San Marco
• Moon Dog Pie House
• Murray Hillbilly
• Naked Kitchen
• One Third Asian House
• Plant Pastry
• Refinery Jax Beach
• Seitanic Jax
• Solune Coffee
• University of North Florida Dining Services

For participant updates, visit veganchefchallenge.org/jacksonville.

Winning dishes will be announced in September.

Mark Bond, 22, was arrested July 1 on charges stemming from an alleged incident in February.

On Wednesday, News4JAX learned that all charges against Bond were dropped.

We reached out to the State Attorney’s Office for more details and were told the charges were dropped because of reasonable doubt.

PREVIOUS STORY: Jacksonville man arrested on sexual battery, false imprisonment charges after months-long investigation

Specifically, the state believed it could not prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, with consent being the central dispute and witness statements creating sufficient reasonable doubt.

The state decided not to pursue the case, so the charges were dropped and Bond was released from custody.

News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.

Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE

Ken Cornell

Occupation: Alachua County Commissioner (currently serving in my 3rd term) & Real Estate Broker Associate. I am also a Certified Public Accountant.

Age: 57

Family: I have been married to the love of my life, Angela for 36 years. We have two amazing son’s Connor who is 33 and married to Taylor and Christopher who is 31 and married to Whitney. Over the last two years our family expanded, Caleb James and John Parker were born and they are the two greatest grand babies in the whole wide world! We are also blessed to have two Labradoodles, Angel and Rexx and a 14 year old rescue kitty named Scrabble!

Education: Masters Degree from the University of Florida’s Fisher School of Accounting

Political experience: 11 1/2 years as a County Commissioner

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Infrastructure & Roads

We’ve made historic investments in repairing and upgrading roads, improving stormwater systems and modernizing our infrastructure, and we will continue on this progress.

Fiscal Responsibility

By balancing budgets, practicing sound planning and keeping reserves in place, we’ve maintained strong financial footing while expanding services where they’re needed most.

Environmental Protection

We’ve preserved thousands of acres of rural lands, improved water quality and are advancing circular economy strategies to reduce waste and emissions.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I bring experience, strong values and a proven commitment to protecting our community.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I’m proud of the real progress we’ve made. From historic investments in infrastructure and protecting rural lands to strengthening our fiscal position, I’m running again to build on that momentum.

Campaign website: Cornell2026.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram

NO PARTY AFFILIATION CANDIDATE

Dewayne Baines

Occupation: Social worker

Age: 47

Family: (No answer)

Education: Master of Social Worker

Political experience: Students Government finance chair

Land Conservation board

Rual Concern citizens board

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

The top three issues facing Alachua County are income/infrastructure inequality (particularly in East Gainesville), affordable housing, and environmental/climate resilience.

Addressing these requires community-focused strategies:Economic & Infrastructure Disparities: Tackle massive income disparities by accelerating the county’s Forward Focus economic development plan.

This involves increasing job opportunities and essential services in East Gainesville to eliminate USDA-defined food deserts.

Affordable & Workforce Housing: Utilize the county’s Affordable Housing Trust to fund transitional housing and financial assistance. Align land-use policies with public-private partnerships to increase permanent supportive housing for high-need populations.

Environmental & Climate Resilience: Implement the Climate Action Plan, utilizing the Wild Spaces/Public Places Infrastructure Surtax to protect ecologically functional corridors and expand safe public recreation areas.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

Im running to make positive changes for the community, like grocery stores, supporting small business, fixing our roads, managing the county budget

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

Someone who supports the whole community not just some, bringing resources to the community and bringing unity to the county.

Campaign website: dewayne4community2026.com

Campaign social media: Facebook

The 19-year-old Agbayani, who is the son of former Mets fan favorite Benny Agbayani, is a middle infielder who hit .268 in 10 games for Fort Myers in low Class A this season. The sixth-round 2025 draft pick, a native of Hawaii, has been limited by injuries.

The 23-year-old Amick batted .217 with 23 homers in 86 games for Double-A Wichita this season, playing first and third base. He was a second-round draft pick in 2024.

Minter had a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings with 20 strikeouts and only two walks. He didn't make his season debut until May 26, going more than a year between major league appearances. His 2025 season ended after 13 appearances when he injured his left lat muscle in his back and needed surgery.

Minter signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Mets in 2025. His 2024 season with the Atlanta Braves also was cut short by a torn labrum in his left hip, but when he's been healthy he's been one of baseball's most effective late-game lefties. The 33-year-old, who was a second-round 2015 draft pick by the Braves, has a 3.18 ERA with 456 strikeouts in 382 2/3 innings over 420 career appearances.

Minter likely will be the first of multiple Mets players moved before the trade deadline on Monday. They have the second-worst record in the National League.

The Twins, who started a nine-game road trip at Seattle on Friday, have a 4.92 relief ERA that ranks fifth worst in the major leagues. They lead the American League in runs scored and entered Friday one game out of a wild card spot.

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

In an earlier sentencing hearing, Journee McGrew, 22, told the court that Waduta Woodley, whom she had known since she was a child, molested her multiple times for years, starting when she was in elementary school.

Woodley’s blood-soaked body was discovered by police in the breezeway of an apartment complex on Jacksonville’s Westside in July 2025.

RELATED: Woman describes killing man with hammer, testifies that he molested her for years as a child

McGrew was arrested that same day in connection with the discovery and charged with murder and concealing evidence.

McGrew originally pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. She later changed her plea to guilty in December 2025, and has been awaiting sentencing ever since.

What she claims

McGrew testified during a sentencing hearing in April that she was diagnosed with psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder when she was Baker Acted before the murder.

Watch her full testimony below:

McGrew said she hit Woodley multiple times with a hammer after she lured him to her apartment by saying she wanted to have sex.

McGrew said it wasn’t her plan to have sex or to kill Woodley, but instead to collect evidence of his alleged abuse that could be used against him.

“This was not supposed to happen. I really wasn’t in my right mind when this happened. I’m not violent, and I’m sorry for this situation,” she said in a message to the courtroom.

Woodley’s mother spoke on behalf of her son.

“Everything changed in a second when your only son has been murdered,” his mother said in court. “Yes, this has affected my family, my daughter, my granddaughter [...] We don’t know how to cope.”

When McGrew was asked if she had a message for the family, she responded:

“I am sorry about what I did,” McGrew said. “I know how much I impacted your family and mine. I’m really sorry for what happened.”

The killing

According to her arrest report, Jacksonville police were called to the Cross Creek Apartment complex on July 2, 2025, about a dispute.

When officers arrived, they found Woodley suffering from what appeared to be blunt force trauma to his head and face. Woodley was lying on the ground in front of McGrew’s apartment.

According to the arrest report, Woodley had a white piece of paper on his chest that read, “PEDO Touches Children.” The writing was in green ink from a green highlighter.

Officers ordered McGrew to come out of her apartment, and she complied. As she was being detained, the report said she asked if Woodley was still alive.

After a search warrant was obtained for McGrew’s apartment, police went inside and found bloody footprints leading from the front door to the bathroom.

According to the arrest report, when officers entered McGrew’s bathroom, they found a metal hammer in the sink. Officers discovered blood on the hammer’s handle. The sink drain plug was later found in McGrew’s bedroom. The arrest report states that the liquid found on the drain plug tested positive for blood.

The arrest report also states that police found a pair of pink Crocs slippers covered in blood, along with a tank top and a pair of pants that were also covered in blood. The search also turned up a notebook with loose paper and a green highlighter.

McGrew told investigators that Woodley had been sexually grooming her since she was 8 years old and had sexually assaulted her multiple times, the report said.

The report went on to say that on July 1, she sent Woodley a text, saying that she had been sexually fantasizing about him and regretted treating him poorly. That night, she invited him to her apartment, according to the report.

McGrew told police that by 1 a.m., Woodley pressured her to have sex, which she denied him and asked him to leave. She said as they were leaving the room toward the front entrance, she grabbed a hammer and hid it behind her back.

The report said that when the two got to the front doorway, Woodley grabbed her in a non-forceful manner, and that’s when she began hitting him with the hammer.

Police asked her if she had invited Woodley over with plans to kill him, but her response was redacted from the arrest report.

News4JAX conducted a criminal background check on Woodley and could not find any criminal offenses related to sexually assaulting or abusing children.

McGrew said she never reported the alleged abuse because she lived with Woodley and feared being kicked out. She also testified she told friends when she was young, but didn’t share with her family or doctors until she was in her 20s.

The county is currently managing 44 active road projects with a combined budget of $183.1 million for the year.

CR 210 widening

Good news for families heading back to school. All westbound lanes on County Road 210 are expected to reopen by the end of the day Friday, July 31 — just ahead of the St. Johns County school year, which begins Aug. 10.

A county spokesperson confirmed progress has been made on the westbound side of the project and that all lanes should be open by end of the week (Friday)

State Road 16 widening near IGP

According to county officials, work on the State Road 16 widening project near International Golf Parkway (IGP) and St. Johns Parkway is 60% complete.

Drainage work near IGP is expected to wrap up by Aug. 9.

Meanwhile, a contractor is working on temporary signalization for an eastbound traffic shift from AutoZone through the existing traffic corridor.

That shift is expected to take place after Labor Day.

First Coast Expressway closures

Drivers traveling along County Road 16A should plan ahead for upcoming weekend closures.

As part of First Coast Expressway construction, CR 16A between Timberwolf Trail and River Reach Parkway will be closed during the following windows:

• 8 p.m. Friday, July 31 through 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3
• 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 through 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10

Officials say the closures are necessary to allow for pipe installation across the roadway. During the closures, traffic will detour via State Road 16 and State Road 13.

Drivers can stay informed about lane closures and roadwork by following FDOT District 2 at @MyFDOT_NEFL on X or MyFDOTNEFL on Facebook, or by visiting nflroads.com. Real-time traffic alerts are also available at FL511.com or through the FL511 app.

Hamas also said that laying down its heavy weapons, which would come later in the process, was contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel's current government adamantly rejects.

Israel has not officially commented on the deal, which is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October. That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw, and an International Stabilization Force was to deploy.

But progress stalled, with Israel saying everything hinged on Hamas disarming, and Hamas accusing Israel of violating the agreement by continuing to carry out regular strikes on Gaza.

Disarming would represent a sea change for Hamas, whose founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and which sees its arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, as lying at the heart of its identity.

Israel meanwhile appears unlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough reelection battle, with opponents accusing him of failing to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war.

The deal is set to be implemented in stages

In announcing the latest deal on social media, Trump said it would be carried out in “carefully structured phases.”

“As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors,” he wrote.

A copy of the agreement obtained and verified by The Associated Press said that all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, upon its arrival in the enclave. It’s not clear when that would happen since it is contingent on other steps.

A process to decommission and store heavy weapons, military production sites and tunnels will begin after the arrival of the Palestinian committee and the deployment of international forces. The process will be linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal from the parts of Gaza it controls, according to the agreement.

Israel currently controls around 60% of Gaza, areas that have been mostly destroyed and depopulated. Most of the territory's 2 million Palestinians are in the other part, where hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods.

In a statement Thursday, an Israeli official said that there will be no Israeli withdrawal before the militant group is disarmed and the strip demilitarized. The statement was made on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.

A person with knowledge of the situation said that Israel is fully involved, but it's not a signatory to the deal, which is between Hamas and several countries helping to negotiate and guarantee the ceasefire. The person spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the agreement. The deal's guarantors are the U.S., Turkey, Egypt and Qatar.

It could take years for Hamas to disarm

On Thursday, U.S. and Board of Peace officials, describing the deal to reporters on condition of anonymity under guidelines set by the White House, gave an extremely optimistic assessment. The board was established by Trump to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza.

While Gaza's police force is expected to hand over its arms, that doesn't include the vast majority of Hamas militants, and heavy weaponry is not included in that part of the agreement, according to the officials.

Instead, the surrender of heavy weapons and the decommissioning of Hamas tunnels and other infrastructure are to come later in a process that could take between 200 and 350 days, a Board of Peace official said. That timeline did not appear in the agreement obtained by AP.

The Hamas official and the regional official involved in the process said that Hamas and other groups agreed to “collect and store” arms inside Gaza under the supervision of the Palestinian technocratic committee and that weapons won’t be handed to Israel or non-Palestinian parties.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said this would be a gradual process linked to an Israeli withdrawal.

Israel has been deeply skeptical

A U.S. official said Israel, which has been deeply skeptical about Hamas’ willingness to give up its guns or relinquish control of Gaza, had been consulted at every step of the negotiation.

However, the official said Israel was not being asked to do anything more than what it had initially committed to when it agreed to Trump’s 20-point plan, which essentially involves withdrawing its forces from Gaza and committing to ending airstrikes on the territory.

A member of the Palestinian technocratic committee told the AP on Friday that it was eager to enter Gaza but was concerned Israel will pose challenges. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The person said they didn’t expect to enter Gaza for at least two months.

The committee welcomed the progress Friday, but said the work to restore public institutions and services and rebuild the territory would be immense.

The war in Gaza began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government and is staffed by medical professionals, does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its toll but says women and children make up around half of all deaths.

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Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, Cooper from Phoenix, and Lee from Washington. Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri in New York and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.

Fernandez, who is accused of hiring a gunman to murder Bridegan, his wife’s ex-husband, in a case that has garnered national attention, will now be tried only on first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.

Prosecutors announced during a hearing earlier this week that the other two charges Fernandez had been indicted on -- conspiracy to commit murder and child abuse -- had been dropped.

RELATED: Defense attorneys for Mario Fernandez briefly discussed plea deal with state in Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case

In what is expected to be his final pre-trial hearing, Fernandez and his attorneys are asking Judge Kite to block testimony from a potential witness about a conversation she allegedly overheard between Fernandez and his now estranged wife, Shanna Gardner.

They argue the testimony might be protected by legal privilege and hearsay rules.

Fernandez’s defense is also asking the state to provide more information about potential witnesses, including who might have received immunity, benefits or other considerations in exchange for agreeing to testify.

Jury selection for Fernandez, the first of three defendants to face trial in the case, will begin on Aug. 10.

Fernandez is accused, along with Gardner, of hiring Henry Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez, to fatally shoot Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, in February 2022 in Jacksonville Beach.

Gardner, Fernandez and Tenon are all under indictment for first-degree murder and other charges and have each pleaded not guilty.

Gardner is also expected in court on Friday for a pre-trial hearing.

After initially planning to try Gardner and Fernandez at the same time, defense attorneys and state prosecutors have since agreed that they should face separate trials, with two separate jury selection periods.

Fernandez will go on trial first, with jury selection slated for Aug. 10-14, and his trial scheduled for Aug. 17-28.

Gardner will go on trial after Fernandez, with jury selection from Aug. 31-Sept. 4, and the trial from Sept. 8-25.

Tenon, who is also expected in court on Monday, will go on trial in March.

In 2023, Tenon pleaded guilty and admitted to being the gunman who killed Bridegan, but he has since backtracked, and a judge granted his motion to withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial.

Timeline: How we got here

More than four years ago, Jared Bridegan dropped his then-9-year-old twin children off at the home of his ex-wife, Shanna Gardner, after a “date night” with their dad.

He left Gardner’s Jacksonville Beach home on Feb. 16, 2022, with his 2-year-old daughter, Bexley, strapped in her car seat in the back of his dark-colored SUV. They were headed back to St. Augustine.

But the 33-year-old Microsoft employee never made it home.

Following his normal route through the Sanctuary neighborhood, Bridegan suddenly had to stop in the area of Jacksonville Drive, America Avenue and Sanctuary Boulevard.

A tire was in the road.

When Bridegan stepped out of his SUV, he was ambushed by gunfire. At least one bullet missed Bexley by mere inches in her car seat.

RELATED | Murder-for-hire plot included practice run along Jared Bridegan’s normal route home: prosecutors

Bridegan was left lying in the street next to the SUV with the door wide open, and the shooter seemed to melt into the shadows just as quickly as he had launched his ambush attack.

None of the 911 callers that night mentioned seeing a shooter or a vehicle leaving the scene.

LISTEN: Press play below to hear 911 calls from night of Jared Bridegan’s murder (WARNING: May include graphic content)

But eventually, detectives tracked down the man they say pulled the trigger.

Investigators say that it was all part of a murder-for-hire plot set in motion by Gardner and her second husband, Mario Fernandez. It was a conspiracy that began in November of 2021, according to court documents.

Interactive Timeline

Alleged murder-for-hire scheme

According to detectives, Gardner was tired of sharing custody of her twin children with Bridegan.

Fernandez, she knew, could “take care of him” because of his military background, Gardner told a friend. At least that’s what the friend told investigators as she detailed the strained marriage between Gardner and Fernandez and the contentious ongoing custody battle between Gardner and Bridegan.

RELATED: A friend of Shanna Gardner said she could help in Jared Bridegan’s murder case. Here’s what she told investigators | How investigators say they untangled conspiracy to kill Jared Bridegan

Investigators say that’s exactly what Fernandez did, hiring Henry Tenon, a tenant at one of his properties, to kill Bridegan.

In his initial interview with police in July 2022, Tenon told investigators that he had been renting a home from Fernandez in Jacksonville’s Biltmore neighborhood for several years.

Tenon’s original court records said he became involved in the conspiracy on Jan. 4, 2022 -- just over a month before Bridegan was killed.

Investigators said when Tenon was arrested on an unrelated felony driving charge in August 2022, they questioned him about Bridegan’s murder and a Ford F-150 truck they had been searching for since the shooting.

RELATED | Follow the money: Checks written to Jared Bridegan’s admitted killer connect him to 2 accused in ‘murder-for-hire plot’ | Jared Bridegan’s wife files wrongful death lawsuit against 3 accused in his murder

Tenon was later arrested in Bridegan’s murder, and investigators said the single link between Tenon and Bridegan was Fernandez.

Again, Tenon initially pleaded guilty, but has since withdrawn his guilty plea.

He is now under indictment for some of the same charges as Gardner and Fernandez.

Gardner is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, solicitation to commit a capital felony and child abuse.

Tenon is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, child abuse, possession of a firearm by a felon and accessory after the fact.

State prosecutors initially said they would be seeking the death penalty against Gardner and Fernandez if they were convicted, but they have since taken the death penalty off the table, with the support of Bridegan’s widow, Kirsten, and his family.

The average price of school supplies increased from more than $161 last year to $173 this year. That’s nearly 8% more.

There are a variety of factors driving prices higher. And there’s little relief in sight.

Angela Hanks, Chief of Policy Programs at The Century Foundation, joined us on The Morning Show to discuss the back-to-school affordability issue for parents and how they can better cope and offset these higher costs without going into debt.

An expanding crisis for soccer's governing body reached into Infantino's longtime inner circle when his pick to represent FIFA on the White House Task Force for the World Cup walked away calling the Joshua Kushner-backed $20 billion commercial subsidiary plan “a bad deal for football.”

Carlos Cordeiro is a former Goldman Sachs banker and officially Infantino's Senior Adviser yet revealed he was not involved in the secretive investment plan that has rocked the sport since media reports revealed it Tuesday.

“I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup,” Cordeiro said in a statement formally resigning, just hours after FIFA insisted in a statement: “Nobody is selling football.”

Cordeiro's exit — and call for other senior staff to speak out — intensified scrutiny on Infantino one day after European soccer body UEFA threatened to boycott all FIFA games and events until the plan is dropped. North America's CONCACAF also rejected Infantino’s offer of one-off $20 million payments to each member federation by a mid-September deadline.

Cordeiro often joined Infantino on working visits to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in recent years, and took part in meetings of the administration's World Cup task force led by Andrew Guiliani.

“Let me be clear. I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,” said Cordeiro, the former U.S. Soccer Federation president.

Asia joins Europe and North America

On another seismic day in soccer politics, Asia’s soccer body that has been a key ally in Infantino's 11-year presidency opposed the investor plan and said FIFA must urgently review its management style

The Asian Football Confederation said it “stands in solidarity” with UEFA and CONCACAF, the first two continental bodies to oppose Infantino whose combined 90 FIFA member countries near a majority of the 211 global total.

“Football should never have been placed in such a position,” said the Asian soccer body, which counts 46 of FIFA's 211 members

Infantino has proposed spinning off FIFA's commercial businesses — including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women — into a $20 billion subsidiary with 20% owned by private investors.

The “anchor investor,” described by FIFA, is a New York-based investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“(T)he proposed (FIFA Forward Enterprise) cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward” and must be reconsidered, the AFC said.

The statement did not name Infantino yet criticized FIFA for problems beyond the content of the private equity plan plus failing to consult about the secretive proposal.

“Rather, it has exposed fundamental weaknesses in FIFA’s consultation and decision-making processes that must now be addressed,” said the AFC, whose longtime president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa narrowly lost the FIFA presidential election to Infantino in 2016.

“Accordingly, the AFC calls upon FIFA to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework,” said the organization based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Infantino's job at risk?

Infantino had seemed — 11 days ago after the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey — to have a clear path to being reelected unopposed for a fourth and final term in office through 2031.

FIFA had briefed during the tournament that Infantino had letters of support from about 200 members, despite a furor over letting United States forward Folarin Balogun play against Belgium even though he received a red card in his previous game. Trump acknowledged asking Infantino to review Balogun's mandatory one-game ban.

FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members scheduled next March in Rabat, Morocco.

FIFA blames the media

The Asian statement came hours after FIFA blamed the media and doubled down on pursuing the project which now seems to have a majority of the 211 in opposition.

“Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports,” FIFA said in a statement early Friday. “We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each (member) has the ability to express its vote based on facts.”

The next FIFA event that would be targeted by the threatened European boycott is within weeks — the Women’s Under-20 World Cup hosted by Poland from Sept. 5. The four British federations comprise FIFA’s only bidder to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. That decision is due Nov. 23.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage

The S&P 500 rose 0.7% at the end of a seesaw week that could be its first winning one in the last three. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 179 points, or 0.3%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher.

Tech led the way, including a 13.8% leap for Amazon after it reported much stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Its profit more than tripled from a year earlier, thanks in part to an acceleration of growth in its cloud computing business.

Analysts said that could be a signal Amazon’s huge investments in artificial-intelligence technology are beginning to pay off, and Amazon increased its forecast for how much it will spend on investments this year.

The stock reaction was similar to what Microsoft got a day before, when it soared to its best day in nearly 18 years on signals that its AI investments may also be paying off in terms of higher profits.

Worries had been rising on Wall Street that companies pouring billions of dollars into AI data centers may not get enough profit and productivity to make all the investments worth it. That weighed on the broad U.S. stock market, putting it on track for a losing July, along with worries that prices shot too high for the stocks of companies selling the processors and computer memory that such “hyperscalers” are vacuuming up.

Those chipmakers jumped again on Friday, following their gains on Thursday. Micron Technology rose 5.9%, and Advanced Micro Devices climbed 6%. They were two of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 after Amazon.

The gains for chip stocks were even more extreme in South Korea, whose stock market has been home to some of the world’s wildest AI swings.

Seoul’s Kospi index soared 17.9% for its best day in history. The index is dominated by two tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which both soared at least 26.8% on Friday.

The Kospi, though, still lost 22% in July despite Friday’s historic surge. That’s after it more than doubled in the first six months of the year.

On the losing end of Wall Street was Apple, which fell 9.1% despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. Analysts say it’s almost become an “anti AI” bet among Big Tech stocks because of its more limited spending on the technology versus rivals.

In the oil market, prices swung higher as uncertainty continues about when oil can begin flowing freely from producers in the Middle East to customers worldwide because of the war with Iran.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose 2.1% to $88.68.

That pushes up pressure on inflation, and yields climbed further in the bond market.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped to 4.72% from 4.68% late Thursday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran sent oil prices shooting higher. Its leaps have already sent the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate to its highest level in a year.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

“It’s extremely important to us,” said Itai Nixon, who leads the diaspora department for Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. “We’re the state of the Jewish people, not just Israelis.”

Lesley Sachs, who has protested the current Israeli government and chairs the Israel Movement for Progressive and Reform Judaism, also considers a close relationship with diaspora Jews a “strategic asset” for both Israel and Jews worldwide.

So she’s greatly concerned about diaspora Jews losing the sense that Israel can be a homeland for them, especially as rising antisemitism targets them regardless of political and religious affiliations.

“That was always really, really important that everybody around the world, especially after the Holocaust, knows that there is a country that will always take them,” Sachs said in her synagogue in Tel Aviv. “This is already a few generations after, and this is less prominent in their DNA. And I think that this is really a failure on the part of both Israel and world Jewry, that we have not managed to keep that prominent.”

Since 2000, Taglit-Birthright Israel has brought a million Jewish young adults from the United States and elsewhere for a free 10-day “discovery” tour of Israel. The organization’s CEO says it’s more necessary than ever to show what their connection to Israel could be like beyond controversial politics.

“That really increases the importance of my job to expose people to what they give up on,” said Gidi Mark. “What we give them is a mirror.”

The staunch Israel-US relationship shows some cracks

Israel and the United States have long been staunch allies. U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington earlier this week to discuss the war against Iran they launched together five months ago.

“The United States is perceived as the best friend of Israel in the entire world, and that’s still the case,” said Tamar Hermann, who directs the Israel Democracy Institute’s Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research in Jerusalem.

Divisions over the ceasefire in the Iran war, however, have weakened Jewish Israelis’ belief that Trump prioritizes Israel’s security — from 64% in March to 26% in June — according to the center.

Amid diplomatic tensions, the role of Jewish Americans who historically lobbied for political, military and financial support for Israel gains new prominence, Israelis said. And that deepens the concern that many young progressive Americans, including Jews, now see supporting Israel in any way as irreconcilable with their worldview.

The decline in support for Israel has become particularly stark since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians in southern Israel, and abducted 251 others. Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which was part of the recently dissolved Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities.

That in turn ignited protests across the United States, especially on college campuses.

“Holocaust, refugees, the importance of Israel in times of need abroad, and the fact that Israel is a small country fighting for its existence … that’s history they read in a book,” Sachs said of younger Jewish Americans. “They weren’t emotionally part of it in any way or any form. And so they look at their values and the things that they believe in. And they don’t see it in Israel.”

Jewish Americans have complicated relationship with Israel

Only about 4 in 10 religious Jewish adults under 45 in the United States say that supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important for their Jewish identity, while about half of older religious Jewish adults do, according to the AP-NORC poll.

The survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — also found that only about half of religious adults say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. The number drops to 2 in 10 among Jewish adults without a religious affiliation.

At the same time, about 6 in 10 Jewish adults say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States today.

To many Israelis, safety threats against Jews make it all the more tragic — and dangerous — that young Jewish Americans do not see the state of Israel as a refuge or even an ally.

“Antisemitism sadly helps us to explain why a Jewish homeland is not a bad idea,” said Asaf Zamir, a deputy mayor of Tel Aviv who served as consul general in New York. “Opposing the government is fine, but you cannot understand your history as a Jew without understanding the part of Israel in it.”

Israel reaches out to secular and liberal Jews in North America

In order to promote deeper attachment between Israel and diaspora Jews, both the government and religious organizations are reinforcing exchange programs. For decades, young Israelis have traveled to Jewish summer camps across North America, and non-Israeli Jews get free trips to Israel.

“To see Israel and meet Israelis is the gold standard,” Itai Nixon said of programs bringing teens to the country.

Taglit-Birthright’s Gidi Mark said that since 2023, with multiple wars, tour participants are fewer — and their reactions to touring Israel have also changed. He recalled one participant shouting “Israel! Israel!” outside his hotel just because he felt safe to express himself.

“These people don’t feel free to experience who they are in the places that they are coming from,” Mark said.

These and other initiatives are focusing on secular Jews and adherents to Reform Judaism. The largest branch of the religion in North America, it emphasizes progressive values such as social justice.

Orthodox Jews abroad tend to have stronger ties to Israel — and Orthodox Jews in Israel tend to see themselves as closer to diaspora Jews than do secular Israelis, Hermann said.

Within the Israeli Reform movement, which is a small part of Judaism in the country, there’s a push to send more young Israelis to the United States, including as camp counselors.

“That kind of action is important, that one-on-one connection saying, ‘You know what, we believe in the same things you do. Really, we have the same ideology in general, and we feel we need to change Israel together,'" Sachs said. “We need to be partners in making Israel the country that we all need.”

Alma Edry, 18, is spending two months as a counselor at a progressive Jewish summer camp in Ontario with teens and young adults from Canada and the United States. She said her biggest surprise has been “that Israel is such a big deal for people outside the country.”

“Most of their friends are anti-Israel,” she said of the campers. “This is their chance to celebrate their connection.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Back in 2021, actor Tom Holland starred in “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which was his third time headlining a film in that popular superhero franchise.

The movie shocked and delighted audiences by cleverly including previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield into a multiverse storyline.

The movie was highly entertaining, proving to be both a critical and box office success.

Exiting a franchise on a high note makes good sense, and reports quickly circulated that Holland felt it was the perfect time to hand off his Spidey-suit to a new actor.

Well…not so fast. In the years since, Sony and Marvel Studios have pushed for another film to examine what happens after Peter Parker’s friends have all their memories of him erased.

There was a lot of back and forth that included discussions with Holland and various directors, new scripts, delays due to the Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes, and problems with scheduling conflicts.

But now, five years after the last film, we finally have “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

The film begins with Spider-Man/Peter Parker still fighting crime in New York City, but also quietly keeping tabs on social media on what his friends are up to.

Former girlfriend MJ (played by Holland’s real-life wife, Zendaya) and pal Ned (the also-returning Jacob Batalon) are off at MIT, enjoying the adventures that all three had planned to experience together.

Screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommer (who also wrote the first three films) pepper the script with many bittersweet moments that capture the sacrifice and pain that Peter is going through.

Things start getting complicated when Spider-Man encounters a force that seems to take over the bodies of whoever it chooses and also can jump from one person to another, almost instantly. The force also begins communicating with him.

Spider-Man seeks advice by contacting other Marvel characters, including assassin Yelena Belova, delightfully portrayed with a thick Russian accent by the wonderful Florence Pugh, who previously played the character in “Thunderbolts” and “Black Widow.”

He also meets with Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who is teaching at a university and trying oh-so-hard not to transition into his more violent alter-ego. Anyone want to take bets whether he’s successful or not?

Other notable characters include Jon Bernthal (“The Walking Dead” and “The Bear”) as “The Punisher,” a violent vigilante who has a complicated relationship with Spider-Man. Bernthal has played the role before, but initially goes almost annoyingly overboard with the New Yorker-isms before settling into an interesting and effective performance.

I will avoid giving too much away, but another important character is played by “Stranger Things” actress Sadie Sink. She portrays a woman who has been through an emotional ringer, and her story is very front and center later in the film.

Calling the shots in this movie is Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously directed Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

He has avoided the trap of many superhero directors who deliver overly-long, repetitious fight scenes that can really drag down a film. The action scenes in this movie are original, extremely well staged and exciting. (They were designed by Jackie Chan’s stunt team)

A scene involving a group of martial artists taking on Spider-Man is especially noteworthy, with people flying through the air. And even though we’ve seen our superhero swing through the city many times before in every one of the previous films, the director has managed here to put a fresh take on many of those shots. (Note: If you can, try and see the film in 3D -- it’s impressive.)

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” features far less humor than other films in the series and focuses more on the emotions. There are some really touching scenes between Tom Holland and Zendaya and also with their pal Jacob Batalon. As a result, there’s plenty of room to maneuver for future storylines.

Did we need this Spider-Man film? That might be debatable after the nice wrap-up with the last movie, but Holland and the filmmakers sure delivered a lot with this effort.

Will there be yet another Spider-Man film? If you want an answer, stay to the very end of the movie, after the credits.

“This is the first fire I'm experiencing real-time, and I can tell you it’s vicious," said Pauner, 64. “It’s underground, it comes out at any moment, and no matter how much we try to extinguish it, re-extinguish it, re-extinguish it, it keeps restarting all the time.”

“It’s like a steamroller that’s constantly, constantly rolling,” said Pauner, wearing shorts, boots and sunglasses on a string around his neck on a road through cultivated pine trees, as the ground smoldered in pockets.

Pauner, who has a residence in nearby Lanton, is among the untold numbers of volunteers who have mobilized to support firefighters battling the biggest wildfires in years in France.

“I’m protecting my forest, and my home,” he said, after pouring out his watering can into a smoking ditch as if watering a garden, then huffing in the heat on Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands forced from their homes

The wildfires blazing through cultivated forests on an Atlantic coast also known for towering sand dunes and tourist resorts have devastated 42,000 hectares (about 162 square miles) west of Bordeaux, driving nearly a quarter-million people out of their homes and vacation sites.

Europe is facing an extremely hot summer, fueling wildfires from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean. The United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Greece and Turkey all battled blazes this week.

As cooler, more humid air moved into southwest France this week, authorities have allowed nearly two-thirds of the 224,000 evacuees to return home. But the ground still simmers in many places.

“It’s stabilized, but not totally stopped,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told RTL radio on Friday. “Hot spots remain.”

Volunteers like Pauner — what he calls “little eyes” on watch to report flare-ups to firefighters — do what they can with limited resources: Others have mobilized their trucks and giant jerrycans to help supply fire sites.

Locals point to prolonged drought and climate change for worsening conditions: Pauner said the region endured more than two months without significant rainfall, leaving vegetation exceptionally dry.

On Friday, firefighters were working to control the last hot spots of the massive wildfire that has burned an area four times the size of Paris and forced thousands out of their homes.

TV images showed fire crews using rakes to dig down into the smoldering forest floor so buried embers can be doused with water, a long and painstaking job.

Police and investigators were looking into the origins of France's wildfire, which could have been triggered deliberately — some suspects appeared to be repeat offenders, he said — or through negligence.

As of Friday, Interior Minister Nunez said, a total of 308 people had been arrested in connection with the blazes — including more than 120 minors — and 33 people had either been convicted or were being held pending court rulings on their cases.

Nunez also said in a social media post that Ukraine was to dispatch 70 civil security personnel and 10 vehicles in the coming days to help strengthen the deployment.

Elsewhere in Europe, fires are also burning

Pockets of trouble with fires continued across other parts of Europe.

In England, where half the country has been baking under drought conditions, firefighters battled a wildfire near a nuclear power station for a third day.

The Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said a fire near Leiston on the east coast of England had “stabilized” and there was no concern about it spreading to the Sizewell B power plant, which is just a few miles away.

More than 100 firefighters have been deployed to battle the blaze, which has now burned about 150 hectares (370 acres), in Dunwich Heath.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Henry Griffin told reporters the fire has been stabilized, but because of its scale and unpredictable winds in the area, "I wouldn’t say it is under control.”

Many parts of Greece were listed at high or extreme risk of wildfires on Friday, with strong winds increasing the risk of blazes spreading fast. Three Greek firefighters died fighting fires this week on the southern island of Crete.

On Friday, the coast guard and fire department launched a sea evacuation for people trapped by a wildfire burning out of control on the Greek mainland west of Athens, one of several blazes burning in parts of the country.

The fire, which broke out Friday morning in the Agios Vasilios area of Boeotia, was being tackled by more than 105 firefighters and 29 vehicles, the fire department said.

The blaze was being fanned by gale force winds that were hampering water-dropping aircraft from flying over the area. The air turbulence meant that only one helicopter was able to take on water from the sea to fight the blaze.

___ Macpherson reported from Paris. Danica Kirka in London, Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

The 5th Congressional District was redrawn by the state in 2022 and covers Duval County south and east of the St. Johns River and northern St. Johns County. The state’s 2026 congressional redistricting did not affect District 5.

News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote -- in their own words.

Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically by party and are published exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4Jax staff.

DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES

Rachel Grage

Occupation: Biomedical Engineer

Age: 55

Family: My family reflects a deep commitment to service, learning, and creativity. I’m married to a physician who previously served as a medical officer in the U.S. Army, grounding their household in both medical expertise and military experience. Together we have four children whose paths span science, innovation, and global engagement: two are currently in medical school, one works as an Imagineer at Walt Disney World, and one is teaching English in Poland as a Fulbright recipient. Our family story highlights a shared dedication to education, curiosity, and contributing meaningfully to the world.

Education: Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, with a minor in dance, from Tulane University.

Political experience: I served as an elected president of my homeowner’s association and spent years researching, tracking, advocating and communicating about legislation impacting the lives of Florida families.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

I am deeply passionate about tackling the issues that impact our daily lives—starting with affordable housing and skyrocketing insurance costs, which are placing an immense burden on Florida families.

Public education is also a top priority for me. As a state, we rank near the bottom nationally in education funding, and our teachers and students deserve far better. I’m committed to increasing funding for our schools, raising teacher pay, and ensuring that every child in Florida has access to a world-class education.

Economic development that lifts everyone is key to building a prosperous future. We need to create opportunities for small businesses to thrive, while also fighting for equality and justice across all sectors of government.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

What sets me apart is that I’m not approaching this race as a career politician or someone beholden to party insiders — I’m bringing a grassroots, community‑driven perspective shaped by real experience in the issues North Florida families face every day. I’ve spent years listening to parents, teachers, healthcare workers, small‑business owners, and military families, and I understand how disconnected Washington has become from the practical realities of people’s lives. Because I’m not tied to the political establishment, I can focus on common‑sense solutions instead of culture‑war distractions, and I can work across differences to get things done. My background in STEM, my work in community advocacy, and my family’s deep ties to medicine, military service, education, and innovation give me a broad, real‑world understanding of the challenges facing this district. I’m running to bring compassion, problem‑solving, and independence back to Congress — and that’s something voters won’t get from the usual political voices.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I want to be remembered for restoring something North Florida families haven’t felt in a long time: trust that their government is working for them again. My hope is that when people look back on my time in Congress, they’ll see real progress on the issues that shape their daily lives—lower healthcare and insurance costs, stronger protections for Medicare and Social Security, and a government that is finally transparent and accountable to the people instead of big-money interests.

Campaign website: rachelgrage.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram

Alex Hazen

Occupation: Principal Software Developer for Healthcare Education Simulations (Video Games for BSN nursing students)

Age: 29

Family: I am engaged to Haley, a fourth-generation Jacksonville native, and we plan to start a family here in Jacksonville.

I have one brother who is an ice skating coach and retired parents who live in Wilmington, Delaware.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Game Design and Development from Rochester Institute of Technology

Political experience: I haven’t held elected office, but I’m not new to politics or the political scene. A number of years ago I served as a co-president of an LGBTQIA+ advocacy group.

Within this congressional race we’ve had major successes politically. I testified before the Florida House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting, the campaign qualified for the ballot by collecting 2,890 valid petitions (the most in our race), and earned the most endorsements of any other candidate. We know how to organize, show up, and how to create a strong platform that people can get behind.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Affordability: Everyday Floridians can’t keep up with rising costs. I support expanding affordable healthcare access, including lowering the Medicare eligibility age. We deserve affordable healthcare for all. I’ll fight for smart infill housing development that doesn’t fuel Florida’s overdevelopment crisis. And I’ll push for real homeowner’s and auto insurance reform, because families in Florida pay for some of the highest premiums in the country while insurers keep raising rates and denying claims.

Institutional Reform: Our government no longer represents the people it serves. I support uncapping the House of Representatives so districts reflect actual population growth, term limits to end career politicians, and Supreme Court reforms including term limits for justices and stronger ethics enforcement. I’ll fight to get corporate dark money out of politics and rebuild a government that’s accountable to the people, not donors.

Tech Regulation: AI and social media are reshaping our society without real oversight. We need more people who understand technology in Congress. I support stronger worker protections so AI is used as a tool, not a replacement for people. I’ll push for common sense federal reforms banning social media’s addictive, deceptive design practices. And I support real oversight of hyperscale AI data centers straining Florida’s electrical grid and water, including usage disclosure and community input before they’re built.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I’m a young professional trying to start a family here in this community. My fiancé is a 4th generation Jacksonville native and we plan to start a family together here. We want to raise a 5th generation Jacksonvillian but everyday costs are making that dream, that reality, difficult.

Inflated costs of groceries, housing prices, and medicare costs: they all directly impact us. The issues that everyday Americans face aren’t theoretical. These issues are impacting me and the future I wish to build. I am the only candidate that works, that rents, and that understands the struggles that everyday people are going through.

I also understand technology. I work as a Simulation Developer. Knowledge of technology is important because emerging technology needs regulation (AI, social media, data protections, and flock cameras). We need young people who understand technology in congress.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

The biggest issues I want to tackle for everyday people are common-sense tech regulation and healthcare reform.

For my legislative legacy, I want to be known as a main cosponsor or author of laws that make technology work for people, not against them. I also want to be remembered for proving that being young doesn’t mean you can’t make a real impact in your community and in the institutions that shape it.

Winning this race and serving in office would mean I’d be remembered not just as someone who helped flip a Republican seat, but as someone who brought real, meaningful change to people’s lives here in Northeast Florida through policy.

Campaign website: www.alexhazen.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | YouTube

Mark Heggestad

Occupation: I recently worked at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville as an IT project manager supporting rare disease research and clinical operations. In addition to my professional career, I have been a football official for more than forty years, working high school and college games as well as practices and training camps for the local professional team. Officiating has been a long-standing part of my life, and I’ve remained active in the sport through training, mentoring, and game administration.

Age: 61

Family: We live in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville with my wife, Darlene. Our family includes my stepson Michael, my stepdaughter Brianna, and my son Matthew, and we’ve built a close-knit household rooted in the community. I was born and raised in Dawson, Minnesota, where my early years shaped my work ethic and sense of responsibility. About ten years ago, we moved to Jacksonville, and our family has made Northeast Florida our home ever since, becoming deeply connected to the neighborhoods, church, and community life here.

Education: I hold two undergraduate degrees, one in Management Information Systems and one in Business Management. I am also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a certified Scrum Master, credentials that support my work in technology, operations, and team leadership.

Political experience: My professional experience includes many years as an IT project manager, where I’ve led complex initiatives, coordinated multidisciplinary teams, and worked within structured processes that require planning, accountability, and clear communication. I have also spent more than forty years as a football official, working high school and college games as well as practices and training camps for the local professional team. Officiating has required consistent rule interpretation, impartial decision‑making, conflict management, and maintaining order in fast‑moving situations.Together, these experiences have given me a strong foundation in process discipline, fairness, collaboration, and working within established systems — qualities that translate well to public service and the responsibilities of political office.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Affordability

Affordability is a major concern for families across Northeast Florida and the country. Many people are working full‑time yet still struggle to cover basic expenses such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, and insurance. One part of this challenge is that wages have not kept pace with rising costs. Raising the minimum wage would help strengthen purchasing power so workers can reliably afford monthly essentials and have the ability to save. At the same time, lowering the cost of everyday necessities is critical to ensuring families aren’t forced to choose between basic needs. Improving affordability means creating conditions where people can live securely, plan for the future, and maintain a reasonable standard of living.

Restoring Trust in Government

Public confidence in government has weakened as people question whether institutions operate transparently, fairly, and within their intended roles. Restoring trust requires clear communication, accountability, and predictable processes. A key part of this involves ensuring that the three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. To maintain proper checks and balances so no branch becomes overly dominant. When each branch functions within its constitutional responsibilities, oversight is stronger and decision‑making is more consistent. A balanced system reinforces fairness and helps people feel that government is working as designed.

Healthcare

Healthcare access and reliability remain central to community well‑being. Many individuals face high premiums, gaps in coverage, or the risk of losing insurance when changing jobs. A national healthcare plan that everyone can join would provide a stable, universal option that is not tied to employment. Such a plan could offer essential benefits, preventive care, primary care, mental health services, prescription coverage, and specialized treatment, while ensuring affordability so families can manage healthcare costs without financial strain. Detaching insurance from employers would allow people to switch jobs or pursue new opportunities without fear of losing coverage. Strengthening healthcare access in this way supports long‑term stability, better health outcomes, and greater economic mobility.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

My background combines two disciplines that are rarely found together: decades of experience as a football official and a career in professional project management. As an official for more than forty years, I’ve spent my life studying rules, applying them consistently, and enforcing them impartially in fast‑moving, high‑pressure situations. Officiating requires diplomacy, calm communication, conflict management, and fairness. Skills that translate directly into working within structured systems and making decisions that people can trust.As a project manager, I’ve led diverse teams, defined complex problems, built clear plans, and driven those plans toward successful delivery. This work requires organization, accountability, collaboration, and the ability to bring people with different perspectives together around shared goals.These two experiences, rule‑based decision‑making and structured team leadership which give me a unique combination of skills that can help voters by bringing fairness, clarity, and disciplined problem‑solving to public responsibilities.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I would hope to be remembered for helping restore trust in government and strengthening the relationship between people and the institutions meant to serve them. Ensuring that government operates transparently, predictably, and with proper checks and balances is essential to rebuilding public confidence.I would also hope to contribute to advancing a national healthcare solution that every American can join, one that is affordable, comprehensive, and provides essential care and more. A system that is not tied to employment would allow people to change jobs or pursue new opportunities without risking their coverage. Creating a healthcare structure that families can rely on, and that people are proud of, would be a meaningful long‑term accomplishment.If my service could help move the country toward greater trust in its institutions and a stronger, more accessible healthcare system, those would be achievements worth being remembered for.

Campaign website: www.heggestadforcongress.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES

Mark Kaye

Occupation: Podcaster/Media Personality

Age: 51

Family: Celebrating 25 years with my beautiful wife, two amazing children who were both raised in Northeast Florida. Faithful member of Holy Family Catholic Church, and proud American.

Education: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from NYU (Where Barron Trump goes!)

Political experience: 20 Years in Broadcasting including Political Talk Radio. Worked with Herman Cain, NEWSMAX, and other truly amazing conservatives.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

We must have Term limits for Congress. That is a necessity. Even here in our own district we see how career politicians use public office as a “retirement plan” and personal slush fund. The longer they remain in office, the more they take advantage of their positions and neglect their responsibilities to the folks back home. Congressman is not a lifetime appointment. 6-8 years in service is more than enough. 10 is WAY too many!

Banning Congressional Stock Trading. Again, this is a problem that hits close to home. While prices rise and become unmanageable for First Coast families, our leaders are living large off of money they made from their insider secrets. It isn’t right that you and I would go to jail for the same actions while our Congressional leaders get away with it.

Putting America First! American greatness requires American investment. Too much money and too many resources leave our shores. They should stay within our well-protected borders so they benefit Americans. We have been bearing the brunt of the world’s expenses for too long. When elected, I will make sure that our Government stops wasting our money and our time. America First begins in Florida’s Fifth.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

The other person running for the office is John Rutherford who has only helped himself. He has been unreachable, unreasonable, and unaccountable for ten years. He hasn’t held a single town hall meeting. He sends form letters and generic responses when constituents reach out with personal issues and concerns. Folks in District 5 deserve an attentive and transparent representative who will listen, go to work, and report back. That’s exactly what I will do.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

My legacy will be serving the people of North Florida loudly and boldly with transparency and honesty. I will be remembered for working hard to push conservative, pro-America policies and protecting our beloved Republic from the destructive forces of socialism, communism, and any other dangerous ideology that threatens our way of life.

Campaign website: markkayeforcongress.com

Campaign social media: Facebook

John Rutherford

Occupation: Congressman representing Florida’s 5th Congressional District; former Jacksonville Sheriff and career law enforcement officer.

Age: 73

Family: Married to my High School sweetheart for 53 years, father, grandfather and member of Assumption Catholic Church

Education: Bachelor of Science in Criminology, Florida State University; Graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Political experience: I served three terms (12 years) as Sheriff of Jacksonville and for nine of those 12 years, served as the Legislative Chairman for the Florida Sheriffs Association Legislative Committee representing all 67 Florida Sheriffs. I was then elected to Congress in 2016. I am currently serving my fifth term representing Northeast Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives, where I serve on the House Appropriations Committee.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

First, securing our southern border and enforcing our immigration laws to keep our communities safe. Second, lowering the cost of living by cutting taxes, reducing government spending, and eliminating burdensome regulations that drive up the cost of everyday goods. Third, protecting Northeast Florida’s economy by supporting our military installations, investing in critical infrastructure, and ensuring veterans receive the care and benefits they have earned. I will continue fighting for these priorities in Congress while delivering real results for the people of our district.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

My experience matters. I’ve spent more than 40 years serving this community - as a police officer, Sheriff, and now Congressman. I understand how government works at every level, and I have a proven record of delivering results. Whether it’s helping veterans navigate the VA, bringing federal resources back to Northeast Florida, or passing legislation to make our communities safer, I know how to get things done.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I hope to be remembered as someone who faithfully served Northeast Florida with integrity, protected our communities, stood up for conservative principles, and always put the people I represented first. If I’ve left our district safer, stronger, and better positioned for future generations, then I’ll consider my service a success.

Campaign website: johnrutherfordforcongress.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | X | Instagram

The rocket's upper stage will unintentionally slam into the moon on Wednesday, carving out a crater and sending up a plume of dust and rubble that scientists — and skygazers — are eager to observe.

Space tracking expert Bill Gray predicts an impact of 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) — seven times the speed of sound — near Einstein Crater on the moon’s sunlit western limb. With the action unfolding in the wee hours, the eastern portions of the U.S. and Canada, and much of South America should have the best views.

While scientists are not too concerned about this particular piece of space junk, it highlights the growing threat as more and more items cram into orbit.

“Things are getting crowded up there,” said Gray, who plans to view the aftermath from New Brunswick, Canada.

It was never SpaceX's intent to hit the moon. But space experts said the crash could have been avoided if the upper stage had been nudged into orbit around the sun.

It will be the second dead rocket known to crash into the moon accidentally. A Chinese rocket segment dug out a pair of craters on the lunar far side in 2022.

Lucky for astronomers, the upcoming smashup will occur on the moon’s near side, packing the equivalent energy of three tons of TNT.

The impact flash, lasting less than a second, will probably be too dim to see, according to experts. But the stream of ejected material could stretch for several miles (kilometers) into space and remain visible to telescopes for tens of minutes.

“The gravity on the moon is low and there is no wind to blow the dust away,” said Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Benjamin Fernando, who’s encouraging observations by professionals and amateurs alike.

“Part of the reason for our interest in this event is to figure out how much of a hazard debris impacts pose to future astronauts,” he added in an email.

Fernando anticipates an impact crater nearly 90 feet across and 16 feet deep (27 meters across and 5 meters deep), too small to see from Earth but visible to spacecraft.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and South Korea’s Danuri lunar orbiter will gather before-and-after shots of the crash scene. Danuri will stray within a mile or two (a few kilometers) of the SpaceX rocket just two minutes before impact, according to Fernando and his team.

The abandoned rocket segment — measuring some 40 feet (12 meters) and weighing around 10,000 pounds (4,500 kilograms) — hoisted two private lunar landers on Jan. 15, 2025.

One of them — Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost — became the first private spacecraft to pull off a fully successful lunar touchdown. The other, Japan-based ispace’s lander, wrecked.

With meteoroids and other natural objects offering little if any warning before walloping the moon, scientists said there’s much to learn by observing well-tracked strikes by human-made objects like the one coming up. NASA hurled rocket sections and lunar modules into the moon during the Apollo era for seismic measurements. Decades later, in 2009, NASA intentionally crashed its LCROSS spacecraft and upper stage in search of ice near the lunar south pole.

With the moon as the new travel hot spot, scientists said it’s crucial to improve debris monitoring and traffic control before packs of robots and astronauts arrive.

The United States and China are racing to land astronauts on the moon in the next few years. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are vying to provide the lander for NASA's yet-to-be-named moonwalkers of Artemis IV, who will succeed the 12 Apollo astronauts who strolled the lunar surface.

“This impact will not be a problem,” retired astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said in an email. “But in a future where there are long-term bases on the moon, similar impacts would be an issue and we need not to leave rocket stages in chaotic orbits of this kind.”

___

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.

At least 41 migrants have died attempting the crossing.

“The situation that Ceuta is going through is absolutely unsustainable,” Juan Jesús Vivas told journalists.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Ceuta on Friday and condemned the border breach which he described as “a violation of Spain's territorial integrity.”

Sánchez blamed human smugglers for the crisis, saying they “deceive so many young people, and ultimately lead many of them to their deaths — whether in the ocean or, as in this case, at Spain’s border in the autonomous city of Ceuta.”

Spain’s interior ministry, which had initially refused to share estimates from the border, released its own figures shortly after Vivas’ spoke, estimating that some 50,000 people had crossed from Morocco since Thursday. It added that half had already returned to Morocco, and shared footage of migrants walking back through a border fence door.

The border crisis boiled over with security forces clashing with migrants on the Moroccan side of the border.

Video footage of the border early on Friday showed hundreds of migrants gathered on a hill overlooking Ceuta being dispersed with tear gas by Moroccan forces, while others continued to swim to the Spanish territory.

Rachid Sbihi, who leads a local workers association representing Civil Guard officers, described the situation as a “serious humanitarian crisis,” saying thousands of migrants, including unaccompanied children, were left sleeping in parks and on sidewalks, while others roamed the streets aimlessly. “It’s chaotic.”

Morocco’s Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the migrant figures released by the Spanish authorities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the “images coming from Ceuta are unacceptable.”

“We cannot allow anyone to come to our Union without abiding by our rules,” she said in an online statement on Friday. “Dangerous crossings must stop immediately. Smuggling networks must be dismantled. And returns must be swift, as our rules allow.”

‘People are still coming’

Some of the 41 people who died had drowned, Sbihi said, but some were also killed in a stampede to cross the breakwater fence at Tarajal beach, an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco. The waters near the border fence were littered with buoys, shoes and other belongings left behind.

Ahmed Karim, a 33-year old Moroccan, said he had crossed into Ceuta because of the lack of jobs in his country.

“Many people want to go to Europe, America, but they don’t have the opportunity,” Karim said.

Moroccan police deployed additional personnel, used water cannons and fired warning shots into the air to prevent migrants from crossing into Ceuta, according to rights groups in Morocco.

“Despite the heavy police presence, people crossed through the waterway, while the land border remained closed,” said Achraf Maimouni, a human-rights activist in Fnideq, the Moroccan city bordering Ceuta.

Migrants arrested at the border were taken farther into Morocco, away from Ceuta, “but people are still coming,” he said.

Morocco’s ambassador to Spain expressed hope that those who crossed from Morocco into the Spanish exclave would return. Karima Benyaich described the situation in Ceuta as difficult, saying it had unfolded against Morocco’s wishes.

“We have always prioritized legal, orderly and safe migration for all,” she said. Benyaich did not comment on what prompted the migrants to cross into Ceuta.

To reach Ceuta, located on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 3 miles (5 kilometers) to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.

Border surge linked to Supreme Court ruling

The authorities in Ceuta and Madrid have linked the border surge to a recent decision by Spain's Supreme Court that ruled migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported, unlike those who cross by land or climb the border fence.

Sánchez said migrant smugglers misinterpreted the ruling.

“It appears that this interpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling spread like wildfire over the past few hours through the networks of human trafficking organizations, triggering the kind of mass surge we witnessed yesterday,” Sánchez said.

Some activists in Morocco expressed doubt that the ruling was behind the surge, arguing most migrants would have been unaware of such legal decisions.

Sánchez criticized abroad

Sánchez has bucked the anti-migration trend that has gained ground across Europe and in the U.S.

Earlier this year, his government moved to give residency and work permits to hundreds of thousands of migrants already living in the country without permission.

Sánchez, a Socialist, argued that it would be good for the economy and the demographics of an aging Spain. Migrants who entered irregularly after Jan. 1 this year were not included.

But his critics have jumped the opportunity to attack his policy, saying it encouraged more migrants to come.

“Sánchez allows Spain to be invaded through Ceuta,” Spanish conservative politician Isabel Díaz Ayuso wrote on X.

Sánchez on Friday defended his migration policy and distanced it from the events unfolding in Ceuta.

The chaos had ripple effects abroad. Premier Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy’s open-border Schengen agreement with Spain “to defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens,” even though Italy doesn’t share a border with Spain and is also an entry point for tens of thousands of migrants crossing the Mediterranean each year.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said France would also strengthen border checks with Spain.

“This crisis in Ceuta has nothing to do with the regularization of migrants adopted by the Government of Spain, as is being falsely claimed by some,” the Spanish government said in a statement late Thursday after Meloni's announcement.

Migrants cross into another Spanish exclave

Migrants from Morocco also attempted to cross into Melilla, Spain’s other territory at the tip of North Africa.

There was widespread chaos in Bni Nsar, the Moroccan town bordering the Spanish territory, where migrants clashed with police, throwing rocks and setting police vehicles ablaze, according to local media and rights groups. They reported injuries among security forces and the arrest of dozens of people attempting to cross.

Like Ceuta, Melilla is a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast. Many Moroccans consider both cities to be occupied territory.

Ceuta has been a Spanish possession since 1580. Its mixed population of Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers, lives in relative harmony.

——

Naishadham reported from Madrid, Brito from Barcelona, Spain. AP journalists Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco, and Antonio Sempere in Ceuta, Spain, contributed.

Jessica Treviño, 34, filed a lawsuit through her attorney this week asking a federal judge to intervene.

Treviño and her husband were arrested in December after federal agents followed them and two of their daughters into a Home Depot parking lot in South Texas. Both were deported and are living in Matamoros, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas. Their three children, all U.S. citizens, are living with family on the U.S. side near the border.

After being brought to the country as a child at the age of 7, Treviño subsequently received legal permission at 20 to remain in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Introduced in 2012, DACA does not confer legal status but has allowed hundreds of thousands of people who had come to the U.S. as children to temporarily remain and obtain work permits.

As a DACA recipient, she must maintain a clean criminal record and is not allowed to travel outside the United States.

Her attorney, David Rozas, filed the lawsuit. He noted her status and work permit were most recently authorized until April 2027.

Notice to terminate DACA cites ‘unauthorized travel’

Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sent her a notice of intent to terminate her status for “unauthorized travel outside of the United States on or about March 25, 2026,” the same day she was deported from the country by the Department of Homeland Security.

In a statement, DHS said Treviño's husband was in the country without permission and driving at the time of the arrest. After a collision between the couple's vehicle and an unmarked Homeland Security Investigations vehicle, the couple was arrested. DHS claimed she “knowingly accepted voluntary departure and waived appeal. She left the U.S. on March 25, 2026, and will NOT return.”

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Treviño said she did not sign any forms at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility and did not want to be deported.

Lawsuit seeks restitution of status

Rozas filed a petition asking a federal judge in Brownsville to declare the woman's expulsion was unlawful, order the government to facilitate Treviño's return to the U.S. and allow her DACA status to remain valid.

“The government had no lawful basis to remove her, and we filed this petition to demand she be brought back home,” her attorney added.

An immigration judge under the Justice Department had issued a voluntary departure order for Treviño in February while she was in ICE custody, but a valid DACA status prevents the Department of Homeland Security from deporting her.

“I would be so blessed to be able to go back home, because that’s what I long for most right now. I’m really desperate. It’s been seven months since I’ve been home,” Treviño said Thursday. Her three children are set to start school next month and their mother said she would like to be there.

The current Trump administration has deported 86 DACA recipients and arrested 241 others, according to a DHS letter sent in February to Democratic Sen. Richard J. Durbin of Illinois.

Advocates for DACA recipients say Treviño's deportation is part of a pattern.

“This is what a deliberate, systematic effort to destroy DACA looks like in practice: target recipients one by one, manufacture justifications after the fact, and leave their children to grow up without them,” said Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, a policy organization defending immigration rights.

___

This story has been revised to correct that Treviño arrived in the U.S. at age 7, not 8, later receiving DACA status at 20 years old.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the 13th such meeting of the Republican president's second term "will be a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together.”

It will be the first Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Trump's second term after an earlier attempt in May was scuttled because of bad weather. During his first term, Trump held a Cabinet meeting at the retreat.

The public portion of Trump's Cabinet meetings has lasted as long as three hours, with the president letting everyone at the table update him on their departments or agencies — with added praise for him personally and his leadership thrown in. In a departure from other presidents, he allows the news media to stay for the duration of the meetings, a move that Leavitt has said proves his commitment to transparency.

More recently, however, Trump has commented on how lengthy the meetings have become. He has begun urging speakers to keep their comments brief, and he has limited the number of oral reports.

“Everybody around here has got a lot to say. But we did that once, and it lasted for like four or five hours. It was a little much,” Trump said at the May meeting.

Camp David was established in 1942 during Franklin Roosevelt's presidency and has been used by every president since.

Roosevelt had enjoyed relaxing aboard a presidential yacht, but the military and the U.S. Secret Service began to worry about his safety on open water during World War II. As a result, Roosevelt asked the National Park Service to find sites within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the White House that he could use for rest.

He chose what is now known as Camp David. He gave it the original name of Shangri-La, from James Hilton’s novel “Lost Horizon.” President Dwight Eisenhower renamed it Camp David, after his grandson and father.

Trump spent more weekends at the retreat in his first term but has visited sparingly in his second, most recently in June for Father’s Day.

In 2019, during his first term, Trump announced on social media that he had canceled a secret weekend meeting at Camp David with Taliban and Afghanistan leaders — scheduled for just days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — after a bombing in the capital of Kabul killed a dozen people, including a U.S. soldier.

Presidents throughout history have turned to Camp David when they needed security and privacy for sensitive diplomatic talks with foreign leaders. Jimmy Carter took the leaders of Egypt and Israel there in 1978 for talks that produced the Camp David Accords, a peace agreement between the two countries.

Camp David is also where Carter huddled in 1979 with representatives of a cross-section of American society. He later delivered a nationally televised speech on energy policy that became known as the “malaise” speech — even though he never said the word.

The camp's primary purpose is to provide presidents a place to rest, relax and recharge.

The 180-acre (73-hectare) retreat, which is run by the Navy and guarded by Marines, has a cabin named Aspen that’s reserved for the president, plus about a dozen other cabins for guests. A main lodge has conference rooms, a dining room and an office for the president.

Guests can take advantage of a range of indoor and outdoor amenities, including a fitness center, a bowling alley, a movie theater, a heated swimming pool and tennis and basketball courts. A chapel offers religious services.

New York joins a growing number of states filing lawsuits against Kalshi and other companies in a dispute with President Donald Trump's administration over who regulates the fast-growing prediction market. Kalshi and other platforms argue they are federally licensed and regulated, and states have no authority to govern them.

“It’s sad to see this type of political theater from the leadership in our own state,” Elisabeth Diana, a spokesperson for New York-based Kalshi, said in a statement. “States can’t just shut down a federally licensed exchange. This would also hurt New Yorkers, who would be driven offshore. We love New York, we love New Yorkers, and New Yorkers love our product.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats, announced the lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan.

“New York’s gambling laws protect children from underage betting and help combat gambling addiction,” James said in a statement. “No matter what they call themselves, prediction markets like Kalshi are gambling platforms, plain and simple. By ignoring our laws, Kalshi is running an illegal operation and harming New Yorkers in the process.”

James' office is requesting that Kalshi be ordered to forfeit all illegal gains, pay restitution to consumers who were harmed and pay fines equal to three times the company's gains.

Kalshi had been in negotiations with New York officials in recent weeks over tax and consumer protection issues.

In April, New York filed a similar lawsuit against prediction market platforms Coinbase and Gemini on illegal gambling operation allegations.

State officials say the prediction markets meet the legal definition of gambling “because the outcomes of the events on which its users are betting are uncertain and outside the control of the bettor or hinge on a game of chance.”

New York claims Kalshi has failed to obtain a license from the state Gaming Commission and skirted its obligation to pay taxes like licensed casinos and mobile sports gambling platforms do. The lawsuit also says prediction markets allow users ages 18 to 20, while New York requires mobile sports betting users to be at least 21.

Prediction market platforms say they operate differently than gambling operations, because consumers are trading against other consumers — much like how stock markets work. Prices are based on trading, and the platforms only take a fee from the trading, they say.

The platforms also argue federal law gives the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission exclusive jurisdiction to regulate transactions offered in the prediction market. In February, Trump’s appointee atop the federal commission declared that the agency “will no longer sit idly by” while states aim to regulate or ban prediction markets and “undermine the agency’s exclusive jurisdiction.”

States counter that the vast majority of the business on prediction market platforms is sports betting, which they are empowered to regulate, and that is completely different from the commodities and futures contracts that the commission regulates.

On Monday, a federal judge temporarily blocked Minnesota’s first-in-the-nation law banning prediction markets just days before it was to take effect — dealing a setback for states trying to outlaw or regulate the platforms.

A tangle of lawsuits is growing, as states try to use their gambling laws to shut down Kalshi, Polymarket and other prediction market operators. In April alone, the federal government sued Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois, challenging their efforts to regulate the industry.

Having released her new single “Shotty” on Friday, Reid wants people to meet the less pristine version of herself: a 23-year-old from Atlanta who falls in love, deals with boy problems and is still finding her way.

“I think people might think I have it all together when I really don't,” said Reid, who is known for performances in “ Euphoria, ” “ A Wrinkle in Time ” and “ The Last of Us, ” which earned her an Emmy in 2024. She graduated from the University of Southern California last year.

“I'm a normal girl trying to figure it out,” she continued.

“Shotty” follows Reid’s debut single, “Clean Sweep,” continuing a music journey she has pursued over the past year. So far, she has recorded more than 25 songs.

Reid said she hopes to focus work on her first EP after wrapping production on Teyana Taylor's feature directorial debut “Get Lite,” giving herself time to shape a project that tells a cohesive story. She's releasing music independently through her label, 1720 Music, saying the approach gives her greater creative freedom while leaving the door open to partner with a major label in the future.

“The indie route, you have a little bit more autonomy of what you want to do and how you do things,” she said.

Reid said ownership also gives her an opportunity to create doors for other artists.

“It’s the most powerful thing,” she said. “I want to sign people. I want to sign songwriters and producers and artists, and give them opportunities.”

Music has quickly become as important to Reid as acting, a career she'll continue with upcoming projects including Netflix’s “Roommates” and “Get Lite.” Preparing for Taylor's film pushed Reid outside her comfort zone as a dancer, challenging her to become more comfortable as a performer.

It's a skill Reid hopes will eventually translate to performing her own music.

“It’s as big and as important as acting is,” she said. “It’s something that I want to continue to do and want to continue to grow at.”

Reid said years in Hollywood prepared her for criticism.

“People didn’t feel like I deserved to win an Emmy, but it’s still sitting in my house,” she said. “It’s still in my mama’s house, so I don’t really care what people say.”

Since releasing “Clean Sweep,” Reid said she has largely stayed away from reading online comments.

“I don’t want to get distracted or discouraged,” she said. “Mostly I’ve been so thankful. The sentiments have been really nice and people have been supportive. ... I'm excited and can’t wait for them to hear more.”

For Reid, music has become more about who she's always been.

“Not everything is gonna be perfect. Not everything is gonna be prim, proper and pristine and eloquent,” Reid said. “Like yeah, that’s a part of me, and I can do that, and I can do it really well. But also … this is me too.”

Winfrey opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007 after being inspired by conversations with former South African President Nelson Mandela about the transformative power of educating girls. He was among the guests at the school's opening ceremony.

Winfrey's charitable foundation ran and funded the school, but it was always part of the agreement that the academy campus near Johannesburg be ultimately handed over to the provincial education department, the academy said.

“The dream was never simply to build a school,” Winfrey said in a statement issued by the academy on Wednesday. “It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women. That mission doesn’t end with one campus. It continues in every girl whose future can be transformed through education.”

The academy said Winfrey’s commitment to educating South African girls would continue through an expanded national scholarship program supporting academically talented girls at leading schools across the country.

More than 500 girls have graduated from the academy and some have attended top universities in South Africa, the United States and Europe, according to the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation.

The Gauteng provincial government will take over the 52-acre academy campus, which has 21 classrooms, six science and computer laboratories, a 10,000-volume library and a 600-seat theater. It did not immediately say what the plans for the property were.

Gauteng Provincial Minister for Education Lebogang Maile said those currently enrolled in the school will be able to complete their education with uninterrupted financial support.

The academy drew international attention shortly after opening in 2007 when several students accused a dormitory matron of physically and sexually abusing them.

Winfrey traveled to South Africa to meet with students and parents, publicly apologized, and commissioned an independent investigation.

The matron was acquitted of criminal charges in 2010.

___

This report has been corrected to show Oprah Winfrey’s statement as issued on Wednesday and not Thursday.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Troopers said the man, who is from Eustis, was headed south on I-75 around 6 a.m. when, “for reasons yet to be determined,” his truck drifted across all three southbound lanes and hit the guardrail.

FHP said the impact sent the truck flipping into the oncoming northbound lanes, and the man, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the truck.

He died at the scene.

The crash shut down all of the northbound lanes of I-75 in the area, and traffic was being diverted Friday morning.

The death toll rose to 34, the Kumamoto prefectural government said, as rescuers raced to find those still missing after the quake triggered a mall explosion, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stressed that authorities must secure water supplies by doing “whatever it takes” and called for close coordination with the military and other relevant agencies. The earthquake left thousands of homes without power, but electricity was fully restored by Friday evening. The local power company also said there were no immediate reports of remaining outages.

The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. As search operations entered a fourth day, it wasn’t known how many people remained missing.

More than 1,500 buildings were damaged, including 179 that were destroyed, according to preliminary assessments by Kumamoto officials.

Officials said one more death and its connection to the quake is under investigation. At least 96 people were injured, including six seriously.

Debris collected at a severely damaged century-old Japanese inn

In Yatsushiro City, another hard-hit area in southern Kumamoto, Kinparo, a 116-year old Japanese inn, was severely damaged, with its roofed main entrance collapsed to the ground, white walls cracked and rooftiles fell.

On Friday, three days after the quake, workers were removing parts of the gate, which is part of a registered historic property that needs to be restored.

Started in 1910, the three-story ryokan with traditional architecture and its hot bath have attracted many fans from the region and across Japan.

“The damage is tremendous and it would require significant repairs, and I can’t even think if or how I can do that,” inn owner Keisuke Matsumoto said. “But it’s a valuable family inn that has been handed down for generations since my great-great grandfather built it, so I do hope to preserve it.”

Inside, his mother Misao Matsumoto said she was not injured in the quake but “I’m mentally discouraged. It’s very painful to see parts of what I’ve lived with and enjoyed for decades crumble to that state.” But she said experts of historic buildings will come in to discuss the reconstruction, so “I have to hang in there."

Across the street from the Kinparo inn, a fish cake shop owner unable to resume his business due to the water cutoff was giving away tube-shaped fish cakes while they are still edible.

Signs for the “chikuwa” fish cake hang from the ceiling. “I just wanted to cheer up this neighborhood,” said shop owner Shinichiro Katayama. He says he cannot clean or check his fish cake machine is intact until the water supply resumes. “I don’t even know if the machine still works. When water supply is back that would be my first step toward a recovery.”

Thousands are without water as heat soars

Kumamoto authorities said nearly 80,000 homes remained without water. More than 9,000 people were staying in shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.

Fuel has also become scarce as power outages disabled gas stations and quake damage disrupted deliveries from other regions. Many have resorted to sleeping in their cars for privacy, but with the fuel shortage, they struggle to keep the air conditioning running in sweltering temperatures.

Japan's weather agency and the Ministry of the Environment issued an extreme heat alert for Kumamoto city Friday as temperatures peaked at 36 C (97 F).

Hirokazu Sato, who lost his home in the earthquake, said he and his wife and three children would remain in their car until they can move into temporary housing.

“I don’t know how soon I’d be able to move in,” said Sato. “We need to have the air conditioning on throughout the day and night, which uses up gas.”

Kumamoto is also a major industrial hub, and there are concerns that the quake could possibly disrupt semiconductor and auto-parts supply chains for months to come.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, a global chip giant that operates a lab in Kumamoto, said all personnel were safe and operations were gradually resuming after postquake inspections found the structure was sound, although detailed inspections and impact assessments were still underway.

Searches continue, with the number of missing unknown

Japanese officials had described Friday afternoon as a crucial point for rescue efforts as some experts say survival chances decline after the first three days.

With search dogs, rescuers continued looking for survivors across the Kumamoto area, including at the collapsed Aeon Mall in the town of Kashima, one of the hardest-hit sites. The complex was bustling with thousands of people when the quake happened.

The company said about 3,000 shoppers were evacuated to a parking lot before an explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some staff remained working. The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people. Seven of the 11 rescued were confirmed dead, but officials did not say if anyone else is missing.

A search operation had ended at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in the Yatsushiro city where a chimney collapsed in the quake, officials said. Of the 11 people dug out there, nine were confirmed dead.

Smaller-scale searches continued Friday at the sites of collapsed houses in badly hit towns in southern Kumamoto. Authorities haven't supplied a firm figure for how many people are missing.

____

Ono reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writer business writer Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report.

NOTE: The man’s name and photo have been removed from the story because he is no longer missing.

Though there was no shortage of levity, a sense of urgency filled the Detroit meeting room as Abdul El-Sayed, a former gubernatorial candidate who is running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, began speaking about how his Muslim faith informs his progressive views.

The public health researcher asked the group of faith leaders ahead of Tuesday’s primary, “What does the inspiration of holding yourself accountable to something bigger than you mean for what you do for the people around you?”

El-Sayed added, “If you can’t eat food and I have something to do about it, I better do it.”

Progressive Democratic politicians have won major electoral victories across the country in recent months amid growing frustrations surrounding inequality, affordability and potential threats to job security posed by artificial intelligence. As the economy becomes a flashpoint for the November midterms, many of these candidates and voters who support them are citing religion as a justification for their positions.

“We’re in an era of historical inequality,” El-Sayed told The Associated Press. “Most faith traditions — certainly the Abrahamic faith traditions — put a lot more burden on the wealthy.”

The interfaith roundtable took place days after a high-profile rally for El-Sayed, who has made “Medicare for All” a fixture of his campaign and is running against the more moderate Rep. Haley Stevens. It featured speeches from progressive heavy hitters like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Though not a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, El-Sayed is being endorsed by liberal allies, many of them members of the DSA, while being criticized by Republicans and centrist Democrats for being too far left to be electable in a swing state.

If elected in November, he would be the first Muslim senator in U.S. history.

Representatives for Stevens, who is identified in congressional profiles as a Protestant, did not respond to requests for comment.

Progressive ideologies carry different connotations for different generations

Religious support for progressive economic and labor movements is not new, even if it has ebbed and flowed in the U.S. over the centuries. Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical was in many ways an ode to “Rerum novarum,” Pope Leo XIII’s seminal 1891 text on labor, wages and unions that helped shape Catholic social teaching.

This embrace of religion isn't unique to the Democratic Party's progressive wing. More moderate candidates like James Talarico, the seminarian running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, also highlight their faith. But as left-leaning Democrats and democratic socialists like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is Muslim, score wins in local and national races, Republicans have repeatedly decried the party's progressive wing as communists devoid of religion.

“Republicans and conservatives believe in natural rights that flow from a creator. I think communism rejects that. It espouses a very atheistic, centralized sort of secular view of society,” said Douglas Blair, a spokesperson for Heritage Action for America.

Megan Romer, a DSA national co-chair and ordained ruling elder within the Presbyterian Church (USA), conceded socialism is a troubling concept for some people of faith.

“People’s idea of it is, ‘Oh, that’s when you’re not allowed to have a religion, right?’ Which has been true in some socialist projects,” she said.

But experts say that narrative carries less weight among many younger Americans who have no memory of the Cold War and the anti-religious associations it begot.

Theology informs more than just faith

Though there are more Democrats unaffiliated with religion than Republicans, many people of faith do not see progressive ideologies like socialism as contradictory to their beliefs. They cite Black religious activists who were outspoken critics of capitalism, including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and W.E.B. Du Bois, as models for their thinking about the relationship between religion and politics.

The Rev. Andrew Wilkes, who co-pastors the Double Love Experience Church in New York City, became interested in democratic socialism more than a decade ago after presiding over a funeral for someone whose insurance wouldn’t cover a critical operation. “It was not God that sent him home but an unjustly organized healthcare system and economy,” he said.

“There’s an increasing recognition, I would say, connecting socialism to a sense of a moral compass,” Wilkes said, adding that religion can bring optimism and creativity in a time of pessimism. “There’s a level of world-building that faith can speak to.”

Romer, who joined the DSA in 2018 in part because of Sanders’ unsuccessful presidential run two years earlier, thinks there is a theological component to why Christianity in particular has thrived among conservatives.

“That flavor of Christianity is a very individualistic one. They talk a lot about your personal relationship with God,” she said. “My interpretation of Christianity is one that, I think the early Christians — they were not communists in the modern sense, but they lived in communal situations.”

Attitudes toward capitalism are changing, and religion is playing a role

This faith-driven economic focus is not limited to elections.

Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice is a nonprofit organization that works with congregations throughout Southern California to support workers’ rights. Earlier this month, it facilitated a visit to Live Oak United Church of Christ in Brea, California, to support efforts to unionize a local grocery store chain.

“We just feel very, very overworked,” Luis Cueva, a Mother’s Market employee, told members of the congregation after their Sunday service as he asked for support.

“Jesus was a socialist,” Cueva said after the meeting, citing his teachings about it being difficult for rich people to go to heaven. “It means a lot to know that the church is willing to help.”

About half of U.S. adults have a positive view of capitalism, according to a poll last year from Gallup, down from 61% in 2010. Democrats have driven part of the shift, but favorable views of capitalism have also declined among independents.

President Donald Trump and other Republicans have cast these attitudes and candidates as being fundamentally at odds with religion.

“These are hard core, godless communists,” Trump said recently during a speech to the Faith & Freedom Coalition. “All communists are godless. They don't believe in God.”

Faith can be both a political asset and a liability

Although there are myriad points of contention within the Democratic Party, such as support for Israel, El-Sayed considers economic issues a top issue for his campaign.

“I talk about taking money out of politics because it’s the reason life is not affordable,” he said. “People are realizing that politicians on both sides of the aisle really are being paid off by the same people.”

The son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed is aware that his Islamic faith can be weaponized or misunderstood. But since having a religious experience in college that followed a rebellious childhood, he takes seriously the implications of his faith.

“If you put your morals on a mantel, they’re not morals. They’re just, you know, things that you can admire and then you give yourself the permission to step away from them when it’s convenient,” he said.

As the roundtable concluded, leaders from each faith took turns praying. Their heads lifted, but the Rev. Horace Sheffield chimed in with one last request on behalf of El-Sayed.

“I don’t think y’all were specific enough. So I’m gonna say it real simple,” he said. “Lord, let him win.”

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

None of those initiatives would have passed under a ballot measure getting decided by voters Tuesday.

Missouri's proposed Amendment 4 would make it significantly harder to amend the constitution by requiring citizen initiatives to pass in all eight of the state's diverse congressional districts instead of by a traditional, simple statewide majority. No other state has such a high standard — or has even asked voters to consider it.

“This is a first-of-its-kind,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, a national group that backs progressive ballot initiatives like the ones Missouri's Republican lawmakers are hoping to quelch.

“It would be nearly impossible for citizens to participate meaningfully in any sort of direct democracy,” said Hall, who believes other states could try to copy Missouri's proposal.

Lawmakers seek to rein in citizen initiatives

The Missouri proposal is the culmination of years of attempts by lawmakers in numerous states to raise the bar for citizen-initiated petitions to qualify for the ballot and win voter approval. Some elected officials contend lawmaking is best left to themselves — the people's representatives — because citizen initiatives lack the vetting that comes from the multistep legislative process of public hearings, debates and revisions.

The effort to curtail citizen initiatives on state ballots comes as President Donald Trump pushes for greater restrictions on who can vote and how ballots are cast, asserting the integrity of elections is at stake.

Missouri’s measure “fits into the larger narrative and story around what the future of democracy looks like in the United States,” said Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which supports progressive ballot measures.

Citizen initiatives are allowed only in some states

About one-third of U.S. states allow people to bypass their legislatures by gathering signatures to place proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. Several others allow the process for proposed laws.

In most of those states, a simple majority of voters is all that’s needed to approve constitutional amendments. Colorado requires a 55% vote for most measures, and Florida a 60% vote.

Voters in recent years rejected ballot measures to raise the approval threshold for amendments in Arkansas, Ohio and South Dakota. Still, South Dakota lawmakers have placed a proposal for a 60% approval threshold on the November ballot. North Dakota voters will consider a similar measure, and Utah voters will decide on a 60% requirement for citizen-initiated tax increases.

Missouri’s proposal would apply only to citizen initiatives. Constitutional amendments proposed by the Legislature still would need only a statewide majority. No other state has a dual standard like that.

Missouri proposal requires geographic consensus

Republican state Rep. Ed Lewis, who sponsored Missouri's measure, said he wants to ensure people in all parts of the state have their voices heard. He said activists funded by out-of-state interest groups have run up large majorities in St. Louis and Kansas City to pass controversial initiatives that failed throughout most of the rest of Missouri.

The abortion, marijuana, sports betting and Medicaid initiatives all were placed on the ballot by petitions between 2020 and 2024 after lawmakers declined to act. All passed with 53% or less of the statewide vote.

Requiring “50% in each of our congressional districts is not a difficult barrier for anything that has a consensus,” Lewis said. But “it is a difficult barrier for either a very conservative or a very liberal initiative petition,” he said.

“If you’re going to change the constitution, shouldn’t it be broadly accepted?” Lewis asked rhetorically.

Amendments to the U.S. Constitution require ratification by three-fourths of the states.

Critics say Missouri's proposed amendment could undercut consensus, because an initiative backed by large margins in seven congressional districts still would fail if opposed by a slim margin in just one district.

“It is an astonishing level of unfairness, and it crushes our notion of one person, one vote and majority rule, which we learned about in school as kids,” said Scott Charton, a spokesperson for the Missouri Realtors campaign committees, which have backed previous initiatives.

Republicans are divided over initiative restrictions

Though Amendment 4 was referred to the ballot by Republican lawmakers, people at a recent Republican club meeting in Jefferson City were divided about whether to make it harder for citizens to amend the state constitution.

Rick Kolb said he supports the tougher standards.

“Our country was founded as a republic not a democracy,” he said. When initiatives appear on the ballot, “everybody votes on these things that they haven’t put any thought into it.”

But Jim Bryan said he opposes the amendment, fearing it could allow voters in St. Louis or Kansas City to thwart measures supported by the rest of the state.

“The popular vote is what I want,” he said.

A new petition could fortify citizen initiatives

Regardless of the outcome, Tuesday's vote may not be the last on Missouri's citizen initiatives.

The Respect Missouri Voters coalition submitted more than 300,000 petition signatures — currently being verified by election officials — to try to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot protecting the initiative process. It would reverse the Legislature's amendment by requiring only a statewide majority to pass citizen initiatives. It also would bar the Legislature from increasing the number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot, shortening the time to do so or imposing other requirements that weaken initiative rights.

The measure also would make it harder for the Legislature to reverse or amend voter-approved initiatives by requiring an 80% vote in both the House and Senate instead of a simple majority. That comes after the Legislature last year repealed a paid sick leave law approved by voters and referred a new constitutional amendment to the November ballot to reverse voter-approved abortion rights.

Supporters insist their measure is nonpartisan, noting that Democratic lawmakers also tried to restrict citizen initiatives before Republicans gained control of the Capitol.

“Politicians in power want all the power in their hands,” said Benjamin Singer, co-founder of Respect Missouri Voters. “They don’t want citizens to have a check on their power.”

Troopers said the SUV was headed south on CR 325 near Hampton Villa Drive around 1:45 a.m. when it ran off the road to the left and flipped.

FHP did not indicate why the SUV might have left the road.

Troopers said the driver, who was from Hampton, died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the report.

No other information was provided in the crash report.

The Cyclospora parasite causes extreme diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite, according to the CDC.

The Florida Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report showed 167 cases from Jan. 1 to July 18, but one week later, that number jumped to 264 on July 25, the last date that data is available.

That includes 22 cases in Northeast Florida counties:

• St. Johns: 7
• Duval: 6
• Alachua: 4
• Flagler: 3
• Nassau: 1
• Columbia: 1

Other counties outside Northeast Florida with cases include: Bay, Brevard, Broward, Collier, Escambia, Gadsden, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Jackson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, Volusia, Wakulla and Walton.

In most scenarios, people who get cyclosporiasis will recover on their own. But in some cases, people can have persistent symptoms and relapsing infections over time, so any suspected cases should be tested, officials urge.

Dr. Shalika Katugaha, System Medical Director of Infectious Disease at Baptist Health, said the spike is not unexpected.

“There is no reason to panic,” Katugaha said. “We always knew that cases would increase up till the end of August because this is a seasonal parasite from May to August.”

Once a case is confirmed through testing, a report is sent to the state department of health.

Direct human-to-human transmission is rare, officials say, but if infected, people could shed the parasite into the environment, where it could become infectious again within a week or two, contributing to another outbreak.

Katugaha says the parasite spreads through certain raw fruits and vegetables — particularly those with textured or bumpy surfaces.

“Things that are raw, unpeeled, pre-cut fruit, fresh produce are what you’d like to avoid,” Katugaha said. “So that’s bagged salads, fresh herbs, some berries like raspberries, and then vegetables like snow peas or snap peas. Those are things to avoid. And then with the bagged salads, the shredded lettuce is the big one.”

Katugaha also warns that washing produce alone is not enough.

“The concern is that washing alone doesn’t get rid of the cyclospora, especially if the vegetable — like if it’s a lettuce or raspberry — has a lot of bumps,” she said.

The outbreak was first reported in Michigan on July 1, with other outbreaks later reported in Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, according to the CDC.

While all 50 states have now reported cases, the source of the outbreak is still unknown.

But the CDC is investigating multiple clusters of Cyclospora cases, including one multistate outbreak affecting nine states linked to iceberg lettuce.

What foods are safe to eat?

Not all foods carry the same risk. Katugaha says many options remain safe.

“Animal products are safe to eat — cheese, dairy, meat, all cooked products are safe to eat,” she said. “Vegetables and fruits with a thick rind are fine. So there are lots of options still out there.”

She says the safest approach is to cook your produce, since heat kills the parasite. Fruits and vegetables with thick protective rinds or peels — like bananas, oranges, and melons — are also lower risk. Frozen, canned, or pre-heated processed items offer an additional layer of safety.

Signs, symptoms, and treatment

Cyclosporiasis has a one-week incubation period, meaning symptoms do not appear immediately after eating contaminated food. Watch for:

• Explosive diarrhea
• Abdominal bloating and cramping
• Low-grade fever
• Fatigue

Without treatment, symptoms can come and go.

“It’s relapsing diarrhea,” Katugaha explained. “It may go away for a few days and then it returns.”

If you think you have cyclosporiasis, see your doctor and ask to be tested.

“Most physicians now know to test for cyclosporiasis because it’s in the news,” Katugaha said. “The treatment is actually straightforward. It is an antibiotic that we have named trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, which is also known as Bactrim or Septra, and it’s seven to 10 days of treatment.”

Cases are expected to continue through the end of August. Check the FDA and CDC for the latest warnings on affected produce and restaurants.

It comes as Wolfson Children’s Hospital and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office warn about safety concerns — especially with school starting soon.

Wolfson Children’s Hospital said in a recent Facebook post that its trauma center treated 97 children for traumatic e-bike and e-scooter injuries in the first six months of 2026 — close to the number treated for all of 2025.

Wolfson said the trauma center projects it could reach 194 traumatic injuries by the end of the year if the trend continues.

RELATED: Fernandina Beach unanimously passes new rules for e-bike riders amid safety crackdown

“These aren’t just scrapes and bruises,” the hospital wrote. “We’re seeing concussions, facial fractures and traumatic brain injuries.”

Wolfson’s post urges parents to understand the risks before buying an e-bike or letting a child ride one, warning that what seems like a quick ride around the neighborhood can quickly turn serious.

JSO: What rules apply

In a separate social media post, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it has been getting questions at recent town halls about e-bikes, particularly ahead of the start of school.

JSO’s post says e-bikes are:

• Limited to 28 mph
• No age minimum to ride
• Citations possible if riding recklessly
• Those under the age of 15 must wear a helmet or they’ll receive a citation (we recommend everyone wear a helmet regardless)

JSO also warned about “e-motorcycles,” saying they are not legal, can go much faster than 28 mph, and parents can be cited if a child is caught riding one.

Councilman’s proposal

Councilman Michael Boylan introduced Ordinance 2026-570, which would add new regulations to Jacksonville’s traffic code related to electric bicycles.

“They think they’re invincible,” Boylan said. “And they’re not. And they’re not only putting themselves in jeopardy but the people they come into contact with.”

Among the proposed changes:

• A 10 mph speed limit on sidewalks for e-bikes
• Requirements that riders yield to pedestrians, follow pedestrian traffic signs and signals, and provide an audible signal before passing on a sidewalk
• A minimum age: No one under 11 could operate an e-bike on bicycle lanes, bicycle paths, bikeways, rights-of-way, roadways, sidewalks, or other city-owned property

Equipment, modifications and nighttime visibility

The ordinance would also:

• Require operators or passengers under 16 to wear a properly fitted helmet
• Require e-bikes to display a label with the bike’s classification, top assisted speed and motor wattage
• Prohibit modifying motors to allow higher speeds than designed by the manufacturer
• Require a front white light and rear red light/reflector when operating between sunset and sunrise

Enforcement and penalties

The ordinance states violations would be treated as a civil infraction and says parents or guardians can not authorize or knowingly allow a minor to violate the rules, which could result in fines.

“Enforcement’s not going to be easy,” Boylan said. “I get that. But that still doesn’t mean you can’t put it in place.”

Boylan said he expects the ordinance to head to City Council committees in the coming weeks.

He said they had to go back to the drawing board after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed proposed e-bike legislation that had unanimously passed the Florida Legislature, citing concerns of government overreach and law enforcment surveillance.

Until now, the answer has been a doting home health aide from Haiti named Martha Nelson. But with the Supreme Court sanctioning a White House immigration crackdown, Nelson’s permission to stay in the country appears likely to be yanked within days, leaving French worried.

“She’s with me all the time,” says French. “Life would be impossible.”

As the Trump administration unwinds years of protections for hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti, twin populations of vulnerable people find themselves in the crosshairs: caregivers in jobs to which those immigrants have flocked, and the older adults and disabled people who rely on them.

Around the U.S., care homes and home health agencies are bracing for the loss of workers with TPS, which stands for temporary protected status, even as they continue to reel from other immigration policy changes that have squeezed an already short-staffed industry.

For businesses, it is a predicament that could hurt bottom lines and tax remaining workers. For their clients, it threatens to upend every aspect of their lives.

“They have become like family,” says Katy Sanchez, who lives in a group home for disabled people in Nanuet, New York, run by The Arc Rockland, which stands to lose 19 caregivers with TPS, on top of 20 others it lost in immigration changes last year. “If they are forced to leave, it would be devastating.”

Supreme Court ruling paved the way

The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration last month, saying it could end temporary protected status. The ruling specifically pertained to 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, but immigration advocates and legal observers say it could be applied to a broader group of 1.3 million people from 17 countries.

The justices' move has been met with weeks of confusion. Immigration officials subsequently granted several extensions to TPS holders that carried through Monday. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued guidance Wednesday affirming TPS was over, though some attorneys and labor unions have argued work authorization remains intact until lower courts lift an injunction.

The Department of Homeland Security made light of the TPS expiration, referencing lyrics from a 1998 hit song: “It’s closing time, which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”

Fearful they might be in breach of the law, some employers have begun terminating TPS holders, to the dismay of their clients.

Anna Fischbein grew accustomed to visits to her home in Sunny Isles, Florida, from the same kindly Haitian health aide every week for the past 10 years. But Jewish Community Services of South Florida terminated the aide along with 17 others when their TPS lapsed.

“I lost not only a lady working for me,” the 87-year-old Holocaust survivor says, her voice broken by sobs. “I lost a friend.”

Facilities scramble to come up with replacement workers

Around 1 in 5 workers in the U.S. is foreign born, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but immigrants are overrepresented in caregiving roles. Among home health aides, for example, one-third are immigrants, according to PHI, a nonprofit focused on the caregiving workforce.

In lives upended by age or disability, a cherished caregiver is a lifeline. For someone living in their own home, they may be the last line of defense before institutionalization. For those in a care facility, they may be their strongest advocate, who notices subtle changes before anyone else, ensures small comforts like dollar-store word search books, and brings a sense of humanity to the humiliation of being incontinent.

“They are the first people they see when they wake up in the morning and they’re the last ones that they see before they go to bed,” says Simone Smith, vice president of human resources at Cabrini of Westchester, a nursing home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, where eight Haitians with TPS await word of their fate.

Like similar facilities around the country, Cabrini is prepared to scramble to secure replacement staffers from nursing agencies and plead with remaining workers to take overtime shifts. Cabrini’s workforce is about 75% immigrant. Among those with TPS, Smith senses “almost a hopelessness.”

A Haitian who loses TPS faces an unbearable choice: Attempt to stay in the U.S. and find underground work, tiptoeing through life with fear that authorities will eventually find and remove them. Or return to a country so plagued by gang violence and poverty that many believe it would amount to a death sentence.

“I’m afraid all the time,” says a Haitian man working at a Brooklyn nursing home who asked for anonymity because of concerns for the safety of himself and his family. “I pay tax to the country. I’m a good person. … All I want is to work. When you work, you are a person.”

Families wonder what they will do

Outside a simple brick house in Queens, Nelson stands guard as French steps through her door. On the porch, you might mistake the two for old friends, their bond as much an illustration of what is at risk as it is of how much things have changed.

The women made the same journey, from Port-au-Prince to New York, four decades apart.

French was drawn here in 1970 by the potential opportunities she saw. She built businesses as a hairdresser and seamstress. Her late husband made his way as an electrician and contractor. They bought their home. Their children got good educations. They believed they achieved the American dream.

Nelson came after an earthquake flattened Haiti in 2010. At home, she ran a butcher shop, but after arriving in New York she found work in caregiving roles. She began working for French about three years ago after French fell and broke her hip. Nelson, now 69, has been with her nearly every weekday since.

Both women felt welcomed by the U.S. when they arrived. But French is saddened to see how views on immigrants have evolved.

“America is a good country,” French says, “but it has changed.”

Nelson brings leftovers, tends to French’s chores and is a source of companionship. They watch the news together and talk in Haitian Creole about their families. On weekends, Nelson calls to make sure French has gotten up from bed and nags her to eat.

“On my days off, I think about her,” Nelson says.

French says Nelson has become like family. Nelson agrees, saying she sees French as if she’s her own mother, a show of affection and the source of the pair’s one ongoing dispute.

“You’re not like my daughter,” French protests. “You’re like my sister.”

For now, the two continue their routine, knowing each shift may be Nelson's last. She keeps a copy of her work authorization zipped in a black cloth pouch that she carries everywhere, in case she is stopped. Each Sunday, she sinks to her knees in church, praying for an answer. She worries for herself and for French.

“It makes me feel depressed,” Nelson says. “It could be difficult for her without me.”

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Salomon reported from Miami.

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Matt Sedensky can be reached at msedensky@ap.org and https://x.com/sedensky

For the second weekend in a row, two outside lanes of I-295 North will close Friday night as part of ongoing bridge improvement work.

FDOT posted a message to drivers on social media, alerting them about the closures, while using an emotional hamster meme, with the words “The lanes are closed sorry” written in what appears to be Microsoft Paint.

The northbound double lane closures are scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Friday, July 31, and are expected to reopen by 4 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3.

The ramp from San Jose Boulevard (State Road 13) to I-295 North will also be closed during that time.

Drivers will need to take a detour at Old St. Augustine Road to access I-295 North.

If you can find another route this weekend, you should, or plan for extra travel time.

The closures are part of a larger project to replace finger joints on the Buckman Bridge over the St. Johns River. Work also includes partial coatings and structural steel improvements.

The $5.4 million contract was awarded to Cekra, Inc. Project completion is expected in fall 2026, weather and unforeseen circumstances permitting.

Anthropic, the San Francisco-based AI company behind Claude, posted on its website Thursday that it discovered the three incidents after reviewing more than 141,000 evaluation runs.

It had launched a “large-scale” cybersecurity review which specifically looked for evidence whether its AI models were able to access the internet from within testing environments that should have been sealed off, in response to the OpenAI incident, Anthropic said.

Anthropic said the models involved in the incidents were Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Mythos 5 and an internal research test model. The earliest incidents date to April, the AI company said.

“Claude compromised the impacted organizations’ infrastructure using basic techniques,” Anthropic said, such as exploiting weak passwords.

In all three incidents, the AI models were tasked with a “capture the flag” cybersecurity challenge, which Anthropic said has been one of the ways it assesses a model’s cyber capabilities.

The models were given a fictional scenario and told a piece of secret information, or the “flag,” had been hidden on a different machine on the network with the objective of breaking in and retrieving it, it said.

It added that it had already reached out to the affected organizations, which it did not name. Two of them said they had not previously detected the activity. Anthropic said it was “continuing to reach out to the third.”

Anthropic said it conducted its review with Irregular, which describes itself as the “first frontier security lab.”

“Addressing these risks will require closer cooperation across the AI ecosystem,” Irregular said in a post on X.

Last week, OpenAI said its AI models went rogue during an evaluation of its models, breaking into the servers of AI startup Hugging Face. OpenAI described it as a “significant security incident.”

These incidents have highlighted the vulnerabilities in AI security and controls and raised questions over how AI can be safely kept under human control as the technology’s usage becomes more widespread globally.

Researchers have warned for years about risks from technology and the need for stronger AI defensive engineering.

“Safety testing happens before a model is released precisely because we don’t yet know what it is capable of,” Anthropic said on Thursday on its website.

Kok Tin Gan, co-founder & CEO of cybersecurity firm NyxLab, which specializes in cybersecurity and threat detection, believes there will be more such incidents in the future.

“It is increasingly about governing what agents are available to the AI, what authorities they possess, which actions require approval, and how we ensure they remain within scope,” Gan said.

But the future of AI safety extends beyond just the safety of AI models, he said.

“If we simply give the AI a goal and allow it to decide how to achieve it, we should not be surprised when it takes actions that technically satisfy the objective, but fall outside our intended scope or expectations,” Gan said.

Therefore, stepping up the governance of the organizations and authorities behind these AI models is going to be increasingly important, he said.

Brussels aims to track the use of AI models for violations of its new regulations, like the publishing of sexually explicit material, fake photos and videos, and cyber threats to public infrastructure. When the bloc's AI Act comes into force on Sunday, AI companies will be required to make clear to consumers with labels or digital watermarks that chatbots or imagery are generated with AI.

“As enforcement begins, we are taking an important step towards AI that people and businesses can understand and trust, and whose benefits are shared widely across our society,” said Henna Virkkunen, the EU chief for tech sovereignty, on Friday.

The European Commission said in a statement that new regulations also include “systemic risks” posed by AI like “chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents, loss of control, cyber offense, harmful manipulation and threats to fundamental rights."

The team is the latest move in the 27-nation EU’s “tech sovereignty” strategy that welds landmark digital regulations with economic ambition that has seen over the past week billions of euros in fines on Big Tech companies as well as record investment in AI infrastructure inside the bloc.

The rollout comes on the heels of shocking AI safety failures that rattled the nascent industry. Political leaders worldwide are now weighing control of the technology with market leadership.

Anthropic said on Friday its artificial intelligence models hacked into three other organizations during testing, just days after ChatGPT maker OpenAI raised concerns over AI controls after it disclosed its rogue models hacked another company.

The EU is now expanding its AI Office in Brussels with an additional 38 people who will begin monitoring AI companies, from the new firms to the American and Chinese tech titans like OpenAI and DeepSeek.

Those companies must “document certain information,” said the European Commission, the bloc's tech enforcer, which reserves the right to interview AI company staff during investigations. It has also launched a Whistleblower Tool for tech workers and a Compliance Tool for tech users to confidentially alert authorities to illegal conduct.

If models or other products break the EU's sector regulations, called the AI Act, Brussels can fine the firms or cut off their access to the EU market. Recent gigantic antitrust fines on U.S. tech companies have irked U.S. President Donald Trump.

The EU now clearly sees systemic vulnerability in its deep reliance on American software companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft as well as imports of Chinese industrial goods and critical minerals. While it is seeking protections from AI, it is also keen to catch up in the AI arms race, where it is a distant third behind the U.S. and China.

More broadly, the EU is seeking more independence from both Washington and Beijing by reinvigorating specific domestic industries like manufacturing and defense and forging new trade deals from Brazil to Australia to meet the global rise in economic nationalism spearheaded by Trump.

Efforts were underway to retrieve the bodies of the four climbers despite the harsh weather, according to senior government officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They did not immediately identify which bodies were found.

Bad weather continued to hamper the rescue effort Friday, according to a statement from the Gilgit-Baltistan region's Chief Minister Amjad Hussain.

The climbers lost contact with their base camp after an avalanche struck Broad Peak while they were attempting to scale the mountain, said Karrar Haidri, vice president of the Alpine Club of Pakistan. “The team has been out of communication since Thursday,” said Haidri, adding that army helicopters were part of the search-and-rescue operation.

According to the Alpine Club, the expedition comprised five Nepali climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, Omani climber Nathira, American climber Mallory Geis, a Chinese climber identified only as Wang, and another foreign climber.

On Friday, China’s government said it was trying to verify whether any of its nationals were among the 10 climbers missing.

“We will provide assistance to Chinese citizens in need and are also willing to offer help in accordance with the needs of the Pakistani side,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday in Beijing.

The expedition leader was the renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, a Nepal-born former soldier in the British army widely known as Nims Dai. He climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record 189 days in 2019, an achievement featured in the Netflix documentary, “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.” His record was surpassed in 2023.

Moving Mountains, a travel company based in Pakistan, announced late last month that the expedition team was on its way to the small town of Askole and wished them a safe journey climbing Broad Peak. The company said this was Geis’ first try at an 8,000-meter peak in Pakistan, while it was expected to be Sakhi’s final one.

Sakhi is a guide for the company, as well as a geographer and high-altitude photographer, and has climbed some of the world’s major peaks, according to Moving Mountains’ website.

Geis, 39, lives in San Antonio. She announced on social media earlier this year that she was closing her Pilates studio to take “a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”

Broad Peak, at 8,047 meters (26,401 feet), is the world’s 12th-highest mountain. It lies in Pakistan’s Karakoram range, home to five of the world’s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, attracting climbers from around the globe.

Accidents are common during climbing expeditions in northern Pakistan because of avalanches and rapidly changing weather.

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Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan. AP journalist E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

A few of those storms could pack a punch. Some thunderstorms may produce wind gusts between 40 and 55 mph, fueled by afternoon sea breezes drifting inland from the coast.

Temperatures will be a touch cooler than recent days, topping out in the low to mid 90s. But don’t let that fool you — the air will still feel dangerously oppressive. The “feels-like” temperature is expected to reach 100 to 107 degrees through the afternoon, just under the threshold for an official heat advisory.

Storm activity should taper off after sunset as daytime heating fades. Overnight lows will settle into the low to mid 70s.

Saturday’s Outlook

Saturday brings another round of storm chances.

The sea breeze will push west, sparking showers and thunderstorms across north-central Florida before shifting eastward. Highs stay in the low-to-mid 90s with more cloud coverage.

The rights group said an attack aircraft identified as a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 dropped two munitions on Kyrnia village in the Mopti region on June 15. One strike hit near the home of the village chief, killing his wife and three children. The second hit a nearby cattle market, killing four men. No fighters from the Islamic militant group JNIM, which has controlled the village for six years, were reported among the casualties.

The Associated Press was not able to independently verify the claims by Human Rights Watch.

Mali has been plagued for over a decade by militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, including JNIM, as well as a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north.

Violence escalated in recent months after an alliance of JNIM and Tuareg separatists carried out the largest coordinated attack in over a decade, targeting the airport of the country’s capital, Bamako, the nearby garrison town of Kati, and several northern and central cities.

April’s attacks exposed the weaknesses of Mali’s strategy to combat the rebellion, including relying on Russia, which has partnered with the military-led government after it distanced itself from former allies such as France.

Russian mercenaries have been present in Mali since late 2021 to help its military junta fight militants and separatists. Last year, Africa Corps, which reports to Russia’s Defense Ministry, replaced the private mercenary Wagner Group in the country.

Human Rights Watch said it interviewed 19 people, analyzed satellite imagery, and reviewed a video the Africa Corps posted online describing the strike last month as targeting a “terrorist” gathering. Researchers said roughly 100 JNIM fighters were in the village at the time but were mostly gathered elsewhere, and that the strikes did not appear to target a clear military objective.

The rights group called on Mali’s government to investigate the strike and hold those responsible accountable, saying it could otherwise be complicit in war crimes.

Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Rescuers recovered 32 bodies from the mine on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, and were working to retrieve the remaining two, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority said in a statement.

Mine inspector Ghani Baloch said authorities initially believed 42 people had been inside the mine when the explosion occurred Thursday.

Balochistan’s Minister for Mines and Minerals Shoaib Nosherwani expressed condolences to the victims’ families and announced compensation of 500,000 Pakistani rupees (about $1,800) for the family of each victim. He said authorities would investigate the cause of the explosion and review safety measures at coal mines across the province.

Deadly accidents are common in Pakistan’s coal mining industry, particularly in Balochistan, where many mines lack adequate ventilation, gas-monitoring systems and other basic safety measures.

Despite the dangers and low wages, thousands of workers rely on coal mining for their livelihoods in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least-developed province, where poverty and unemployment remain widespread.

The Dodgers open a three-game set against the Boston Red Sox.

The two-way superstar wanted to play Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, manager Dave Roberts said, but it was the team's decision to rest him. Ohtani told the training staff of renewed soreness after Wednesday night's 4-2 win.

“I appreciate the communication,” Roberts said. “I can’t read minds, the training staff can’t read minds, so just for him to communicate that then allows for us to make a decision.”

Second baseman Tommy Edman went 0 for 3 in Ohtani’s place for the series finale, a 6-2 win.

Ohtani has been dealing with knee soreness since June 11 and hasn't pitched since July 3 while also dealing with a right biceps issue. He skipped the All-Star Game in Philadelphia to stay home and receive a lubricant injection in the knee.

He is still serving as the designated hitter. Ohtani was 5 for 7 combined in his last two games against the Mariners, with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored.

"The last couple days he’s been on base a lot more whereas the last part of the road trip he wasn’t, so there might have been a little something to that,” Roberts said, adding that nothing occurred in the game Wednesday to precipitate Ohtani sitting out the next day.

The Dodgers expect Ohtani to return to pitching this season, but they're not rushing him back to the mound.

“If there was something structural, then we would be much more concerned,” Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, said Wednesday. “The fact that there’s not and the fact that it does keep improving suggests that we’re on the right path.”

For now, the team doesn't have any plans to shut down Ohtani entirely to give him time to recover from his ailments.

"We're talking about this constantly,” Roberts said. “Nothing should be off the table and nothing is set in stone. So I think it’s more of how he feels. With this new information we’ve got to have new conversations.”

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

The White House announcement comes nine months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had largely deadlocked over the implementation of its second phase, including the disarmament of Hamas and the reconstruction of Gaza.

“The agreement will be carried out in carefully structured phases,” Trump said on social media. “As disarmament is completed, Israeli forces will withdraw, and the International Stabilization Force will work with a new Palestinian police force to take responsibility for Gaza being safe for its residents and its neighbors.”

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.

Trump announced what he said was an agreement to realize one of the most difficult portions of the Gaza ceasefire while negotiations have stalled and military attacks have escalated in the war that the U.S. and Israel in February launched against Iran, a key sponsor of Hamas.

On Friday, a Hamas official said they have reached an agreement on disarmament, the most crucial part of the ceasefire deal. Israel didn't give an indication that they had agreed.

Officials offer long or unspecific timelines for Hamas to disarm

U.S. and Board of Peace officials, describing the deal to reporters on condition of anonymity under guidelines set by the White House, gave an extremely optimistic assessment of the agreement that laid out a scenario very similar to the one described by Trump and his top aides when the Board of Peace, an international body established by Trump to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, was first formed.

The officials were unable to offer specific timelines for the disarmament of Hamas or other groups that operate in Gaza, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but said the Gaza police force would turn over weapons to the technocratic Board of Peace-backed Gaza administration in the next two weeks.

The Gaza police force, however, does not include the vast majority of Hamas militants and heavy weaponry is not included in that part of the agreement, according to the officials.

Instead, the surrender of heavy weapons and the decommissioning of Hamas tunnels and other infrastructure are to come later in a process that could take between 200 and 350 days, a Board of Peace official said.

Israel has not responded but has been deeply skeptical

A U.S. official said Israel, which has been deeply skeptical about Hamas’ willingness to give up its guns or relinquish at least behind-the-scenes control of Gaza, had been consulted at every step of the negotiation.

However, the official said Israel was not being asked to do anything more than what it had initially committed to when it agreed to Trump’s 20-point plan, which essentially involves withdrawing its forces from Gaza and committing to ending airstrikes on the territory.

The official said Trump would be “very, very disappointed” if Israel didn't adhere to the agreement. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House on Tuesday, but neither said much about what was discussed in their first face-to-face meeting since launching the war against Iran.

Israel’s U.N. Mission said it had no immediate comment.

The official added that Iran remains a wildcard in the equation because although it counseled Hamas members not to accept a deal, it is also not in a position to offer the group much support because it is preoccupied with the conflict with the United States.

Hamas previously had insisted on implementing the first phase of the ceasefire before moving to discuss its weapons. The group’s founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel, and it has been reluctant to give up an arsenal, including rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosives, that lies at the heart of its identity.

Hamas announced earlier this month, however, that it had dissolved its government in Gaza and was preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of the ceasefire deal.

The war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.

Israel’s military now controls more than half of Gaza, leaving Palestinians confined to squalid tent camps and heavily damaged urban neighborhoods.

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Cooper reported from Phoenix, Amiri from New York and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed from the United Nations.

The 30-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, wept after the verdicts were delivered in the District Court of Western Australia state in Perth.

He had pleaded not guilty to six charges of rape, three charges of assault occasioning bodily harm and one count of choking in a Perth hotel room in September 2024.

The accuser cannot legally be named. She was 20 at the time.

Three days after the jury began deliberating, they found him guilty of only two of the assault charges which relate to him biting the woman. He testified during his eight-day trial that they were “love bites” and denied his victim had complained that he was hurting her.

He was found not guilty on some charges, but he could potentially face a retrial on three charges of rape on which the jury could not reach a verdict.

Despite the convictions, the Colombian-born entertainer remained free on bail until the case returns to court on Aug. 21 to discuss next steps.

Barrientos had been touring Australia and had already performed in Sydney and Melbourne before he encountered his victim in Perth. He was arrested several days later in the east coast city of Brisbane, where the tour was to end.

Prosecutors alleged the woman initially agreed to have sex but withdrew her consent because she feared for her safety.

Photos of the woman with bruising as well as bite marks on her face and neck were shown to the court.

Barrientos has been free on bail since he was charged and was allowed to return to Britain for several months.

The book was returned to the library in the seaside town of Kiama last week by a local Ross Simmons who had found it during recent home renovations inside a tea crate bricked into a sealed fireplace, Kiama Library manager Michelle Hudson said.

“We’ve never had anything that old come back to us,” Hudson said Thursday.

“I follow lots of libraries on social media and often you’ll get things that are maybe 30 or 40 years old when they’re cleaning out estates and stuff like that,” she added.

Ross Simmons, told The Associated Press on Friday he assumed the book was borrowed by his great-great-grandfather John Simmons, who had owned the house where it was found.

“I'm making an assumption. He was in residence in the cottage around about that time and his children were probably too young,” Ross Simmons said.

The library opened in 1872, and the book, “Antiquities of Athens,” published in 1858, was marked as No. 506 in the library’s original collection of around 1,000 books. Hudson suspects the book was lost within a few years of the library opening.

The late return fine would be around 28,000 Australian dollars ($19,500), allowing for inflation, Hudson said. That was calculated on the British three pence-a-week overdue fee that was printed on the inside cover of the book, along with a list of rules that applied when the library opened.

But Hudson said the library's records of borrowers in the 1870s had been lost. “Unfortunately, we have a missing link. There’s nothing in the book that tells us who the last borrower was,” Hudson said.

Library rules in the 1870s stated that a book had to be returned and an overdue debt paid before another book could be borrowed. “Maybe that’s why they never returned it to us,” Hudson said.

Antiquated rules of the day included that up to three books could be borrowed by households in which at least six members were “known to be able to read.” Proof of reading ability is no longer required to use today’s library.

In the 1870s, books were not lent to people who arrived at the library in a “state of intoxication.” Library users are now asked to leave if their behavior impacts others, but the rules are not specific about intoxication.

Ross Simmons said he had no idea why his English immigrant ancestor, who had also served as an alderman in Kiama's municipal government, would not have returned the book.

He said he hadn't been concerned by the prosect of being held liable by an angry librarian for his family's debt.

“I've spent a lifetime dealing with irate customers and being irate with customers himself. Just stick to your guns and say do your worst,” the 77-year-old said.

The returned book will be displayed in the library’s local history collection.

“We’re not going to allow it to go back out again. We don’t want to wait another 150 years for this book to be returned,” Hudson said.

Devers did get a sacrifice fly, but Tatis added on to his impressive list of home run robberies.

Tatis tracked Devers' fly ball and leaped to get his glove high above the short wall in right-center at Petco Park to make the catch. He landed and tumbled onto his backside, but flipped the ball to center fielder Jackson Merrill, who tossed it into the infield.

Merrill helped Tatis to his feet and patted him on the chest. Pitcher JP Sears raised his left arm in celebration.

Tatis was an All-Star at shortstop in 2021 and was moved to right field in 2023, after missing the 2022 season with injuries and a PED suspension. He won the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards in 2023 and 2025.

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

“UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,” the European soccer body said after an urgent online meeting of its 55 member nations.

FIFA issued a statement early Friday saying that “nobody is selling football” and that it plans to continue the consultation process. But it appeared to back off from establishing the public equity move — what it calls the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) — if member countries do not agree.

“FIFA acknowledges and respects feedback and concern aired in public,” it said, while blaming "erroneous reporting in the media” for disruptions to its planned consultation with member associations.

But it said that without the support of FIFA's 211 member associations, “FIFA’s commercial activities would remain unchanged. FFE would not be established.”

"Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain.”

The next scheduled FIFA tournament is within weeks in Europe — the Women’s Under-20 World Cup hosted by Poland from Sept. 5 — and the four British federations comprise FIFA’s only bidder to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. That decision is due Nov. 23.

“Some things are simply too important to sell,” UEFA said in a statement. “The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”

The strategy meeting was called to counter FIFA President Infantino’s offer of $20 million to each of FIFA’s 211 global members that has to be accepted by mid-September.

Later Thursday, the 41-member Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) met and announced it rejected Infantino's plan.

In a statement, CONCACAF said members “expressed deep concerns about the lack of due process surrounding the proposal, the artificially short deadline imposed, and the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies.” It also questioned the need for outside investment "following the most profitable FIFA World Cup in history.”

Infantino’s secret project was revealed Tuesday to spin off its commercial operations in the new $20 billion FFE subsidiary 20% owned by private investors. The core investor would be a New York investment firm created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Infantino wrote Tuesday to the 211 members — already the effective owners of FIFA as a non-profit association under Swiss law — that if they approve FFE their promised $10 million basic funding for the next four years will double to $20 million. He projected their FIFA funding through 2038 would be $86 million each, instead of about $36 million.

“This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA’s duty as the custodian of world football,” said UEFA, where Infantino was a long-time staffer and its CEO-like general secretary when he was first elected to lead FIFA in 2016.

Infantino’s presidency at risk?

Infantino’s high-stakes financial gambit now could threaten his previously secure 11-year presidency of FIFA as anger and frustration with him rises among soccer stakeholders including three of the six continental bodies.

FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for potential candidates to declare in a presidential vote of the 211 members scheduled next March in Rabat, Morocco.

Infantino had seemed — 11 days ago after the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey — to have a clear path to being re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term in office through 2031, despite a furor over letting United States forward Folarin Balogun play against Belgium despite a red card in his previous game.

Soccer officials have said privately Infantino has eyed a lucrative commissioner-like role at the FFE spinoff beyond 2031.

“Game over, Gianni #InfantinOUT,” the Football Supporters Europe group, which advises UEFA on fan issues such as ticket prices, posted after the boycott threat.

Soccer’s concern at investor pressure

UEFA detailed Thursday why soccer officials fear external investors owning a stake of the global game’s biggest events, including World Cups and Club World Cups for men and women.

“The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever,” UEFA said. “Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure.”

Infantino has presented the private equity offer as a chance to “turbocharge” funding development of soccer across the world, where a majority of the 211 FIFA members rely on its funding.

Officials from about 40 UEFA member spoke at the urgent meeting, with anger expressed that FIFA is not using some of its multi-billion reserves to fund extra development programs.

“As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive,” the European soccer body said, “unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.”

Asia adds rare criticism of Infantino

On a seismic day in soccer politics, a traditional bedrock of support in Asia for FIFA and Infantino had earlier Thursday been shaken.

“FIFA’s unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of continental football,” the Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said in a letter to its 46 members of FIFA, warning of risks to their own competitions.

Sheikh Salman, an ally to Infantino since losing the FIFA presidential election to him in 2016, wrote “such an initiative will not succeed without the support of all the confederations, which is not the case now.”

In a video message published Wednesday by FIFA, Infantino insisted spinning off its money-making operations was “an offer, not an obligation.”

A FIFA presentation for its members, co-written with its banking advisors from J.P. Morgan and seen by the AP, set a goal for FFE as “commercial rigor and expertise to better capitalize on broadcast rights, sponsorships and a growing tournament portfolio.”

FIFA squeeze on continental games

That growing portfolio likely would include adding more teams to FIFA competitions like the World Cup and Club World Cup for men and women, and potentially staging them more often than every four years, including in the U.S.

FIFA adding teams, games and competitions would squeeze the value, status and space in the congested global fixture calendar for those that fund and are organized by the six continental soccer bodies like UEFA and the AFC. Those include World Cup qualifying games, continental tournaments and Champions Leagues.

“It is important that the AFC family has a complete understanding,” Sheikh Salman wrote, “of how such an initiative may affect key areas of global and Asian football, including the sustainability of confederation and (domestic) competitions, as well as the organization and commercial landscape surrounding the AFC’s activities.”

UEFA’s previous boycott threat

A threatened World Cup boycott from Europe helped derail Infantino’s plan in 2021 to play World Cups every two years instead of four.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage

Across the country, Democratic candidates are grappling with their previous positions calling to “defund the police” — a prominent demand during the protests that followed George Floyd's death — by either reimagining public safety services altogether or redirecting some police departments’ funds to other social programs. Now, they are facing tough questions about their past positions.

Democratic leaders fear that the outlier opinions favoring police defunding may again tarnish the party's brand and sink its chances of gaining ground in Congress, governor's mansions and statehouses nationwide.

“It was a serious debate in 2020 that arguably cost us some seats that year and caused us to lose on something where we should have had the upper ground, because a few members of our party wanted to have a stylistic debate rather than one on substance,” said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist.

Seawright said to avoid being painted as politically toxic on safety issues, Democrats “have to define the narrative before others define us with the narrative.”

That task may become more challenging as the party grapples with a rising left flank that has captivated its base, just as Republicans move to make warnings about crime, immigration and growing support for democratic socialism core to their closing midterm message.

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate reckons with past ‘defund’ rhetoric

In Wisconsin, a swing state known for razor-thin elections that President Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2024, insurgent democratic socialist State Rep. Francesca Hong has upended the Democratic gubernatorial primary by running far to the left in a state where independent and moderate voters are key in statewide races. A single mother and former line cook, Hong has captured the imaginations of liberal Democrats upset with the party establishment.

But she’s also raised concerns among more moderate Democrats that her past support for defunding the police would hurt her chances in the general election against Trump-backed Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.

“I support defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police,” Hong said in a 2020 social media post after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin. A year later, while serving in the State Assembly, Hong again posted about Blake, writing: “Police exist to uphold white supremacy. Defund then abolish. Reform can’t be an option.”

But as a candidate for governor, Hong had softened her tone while not disavowing her past statements. On Tuesday night, in the only televised debate ahead of the Aug. 11 primary, Hong said she did not support cutting police funding.

“The governor cannot defund the police and I’m not here to govern by slogan,” Hong said. “I’m here to make sure that I am the governor that is most serious about public safety, and that means investing in the things that we know prevent crimes.”

New York, Michigan politicians distance themselves from ‘defund’ calls

In neighboring Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a staunch progressive, has faced questions about his past support for defunding the police. Last November, CNN reported that the public health researcher and Rhodes scholar had deleted scores of posts expressing support for defunding the police. He now says he rejects the idea.

And in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tried to distance himself from his past criticisms of the city’s police department and a previous call to defund the agency. He is at times still dogged by a set of social media posts he made in 2020, at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, where he described the department as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety” and pushed to “Defund this rogue agency.”

Mamdani apologized for the language during his campaign and stressed that he no longer wanted to defund the agency. He has since moved to ease lingering concerns by retaining his predecessor’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, an establishment moderate respected by the city’s business leaders and law enforcement community. That decision angered some of Mamdani’s progressive allies.

The backtracking illustrates how the politics of criminal justice have shifted since 2020, posing dilemmas for Democrats’ midterm strategy and their ability to enact their preferred solutions.

Memphis voters reject ‘defund the police’ but decry National Guard presence

The stakes are life and death for communities caught in the middle of the political debate.

In Memphis, Tennessee, residents are exhausted at being thrust into the national discourse over crime and safety. The president surged the city with National Guard troops last year as part of an “anti-crime” task force. The task force has faced renewed local backlash after federal agents earlier this month killed a man experiencing a mental health crisis and another person during an altercation while agents executed a drug warrant. The city's local Democratic lawmakers claim that the tough-on-crime policies only temporarily reduced crime while troop presence was at its peak.

“They don’t like how it was done, how President Trump and the governor were able to snap their fingers, and all of a sudden we see federal agents flooding our city,” said State Sen. London Lamar, who represents Memphis and has faced tough questions from constituents and her statehouse colleagues about how to address crime in the city.

But Lamar added that outside of frustrated local progressive activists, residents outraged by the administration's anti-crime crackdown were still skeptical of calls to “defund the police.”

“It's not really sticking because, though it's quietly kept, the vast majority of the community still wants law enforcement's presence,” said Lamar. The debate is a useful distraction, Lamar said, from real conversations over how to boost public safety.

“Our challenges are being exploited for political gain,” she added.

The announcement came after local authorities in Ceuta had asked the central government in Madrid for reinforcements to manage a border crisis that boiled over Thursday with large crowds of people breaching the border fence.

Spain’s government said it would send the Armed Forces to help the Civil Guard “maintain security in the city of Ceuta.” It also announced that Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez would join Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a visit to Ceuta on Friday.

“The situation is absolute chaos,” Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers who police the border in Ceuta, told The Associated Press. “It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” he said, adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”

Achraf Maimouni, a member of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights in northern Morocco, described the situation as “exceptional.”

“The Tarajal border was opened under unusual circumstances this morning and people crossed," he said.

Video footage showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach onto local roads. While most appeared to be young men, there were also families with women and small children.

“Viva España!” some shouted to a freelance photographer working for the AP. It was not immediately clear what prompted so many migrants to cross to Ceuta.

Spain’s government delegation in Ceuta said at least nine people died Thursday during the chaos. It did not provide details on the circumstances of the deaths but bodies could be seen floating in the water. Dozens have died this year trying to reach Ceuta, according to local authorities.

Arrivals had been increasing, but reasons are still unclear

The escalation at the frontier between Spain and Morocco comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small exclave, mainly by swimming, on Wednesday.

Moroccan authorities have not publicly commented on the crossings, and Morocco's Interior Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said the Moroccan government was “closely cooperating” with Spain to handle the situation and that Moroccan police are stopping “numerous people” who are trying to cross the border. Both countries agreed to work together “for the return, as soon as possible, of all the people who entered Ceuta illegally.”

The ministry earlier said it would guarantee the safety of citizens and the integrity of the nation’s border but that the Spanish government could not declare a national emergency — as local authorities had asked — over migration concerns.

The chaos had ripple effects in Italy, another key destination for migrants. Premier Giorgia Meloni threatened to suspend Italy's open-border Schengen agreement with Spain “to defend our borders and ensure the safety of our citizens," though Italy doesn't share a border with Spain.

Ceuta authorities had previously linked the surge to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling earlier this month that barred authorities from immediately returning migrants who arrive by sea without due process. The ruling does not apply to migrants who enter Spain by land, including by climbing over the border fence.

But some activists in Morocco expressed doubt that the ruling was behind the surge, arguing most migrants would have been unaware of such legal decisions.

Spain is a main point of arrival into Europe for migrants seeking better economic opportunities or an escape from violence in their home countries.

To reach Ceuta, located on the northern African coast, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.

The scenes of people streaming across the frontier recall the border crisis of May 2021 when more than 8,000 migrants poured into Ceuta in just two days.

At the time, Morocco was accused of easing border controls and allowing migrants to cross into Ceuta after Spain allowed Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali to receive treatment at a Spanish hospital, triggering a diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Madrid. The pro-independence Polisario Front for decades has claimed to be the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people of the Western Sahara. Morocco claims Western Sahara as its own.

Ceuta authorities ask Madrid to declare emergency, send army

Juan Jesús Vivas, the head of Ceuta’s regional government, called for the national government to declare an emergency on grounds of national security, asking for more police and for the army to be deployed on the border “to guarantee the inviolability of the frontier and citizen safety.”

He had warned Wednesday that migrant reception centers were overwhelmed with hundreds of people sleeping on the streets after more than 1,500 migrants entered the territory in the past week. Thousands more crossed overnight and on Thursday.

Spain’s Interior Ministry, which tracks irregular migration, would not confirm the number of migrants who had made it to Ceuta in the last few days but said it would publish its next migration report on Aug. 3. As of July 15, nearly 3,000 migrants had entered Ceuta by land or sea this year, according to ministry figures.

Legislation covering a declaration of national emergencies does not consider migration flows as a risk to national security, according to the ministry, which said government agencies are “coordinating to respond with speed and efficacy to the situation in Ceuta.”

Ceuta, which is perched on a historical isthmus, has been a Spanish possession since 1580. Its mixed population of Christians and Muslims, Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers, lives in relative harmony behind a border fence that many desperate migrants from across Africa attempt to cross for a better life in Europe.

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Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. AP journalists Joseph Wilson in Barcelona and Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco, contributed to this report.

A person familiar with the deal said Samuel agreed on Thursday to return to the 49ers on a one-year contract worth up to $7 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn't been announced.

NFL Network first reported the agreement.

Samuel spent his first six seasons with the 49ers after being drafted in the second round in 2019, helping the team reach the Super Bowl twice and earning All-Pro honors in 2021 when he had 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns.

Samuel was traded to Washington in 2025 for a fifth-round draft pick and had 72 catches for 727 yards and five TDs for the Commanders last season. He became a free agent in March and now will join the Niners to provide reinforcement with Pearsall out.

Samuel has 406 career catches for 5,519 yards and 27 touchdowns and has been one of the most dynamic players after the catch in the NFL. His average of 8.7 yards after the catch on receptions rank first among all receivers with at least 100 catches since 2019. He also has rushed for 1,218 yards and 21 TDs in 97 career games.

The move comes a day after the 49ers announced that Pearsall was sidelined with a knee injury that could require surgery. The team said Pearsall had swelling in the right knee that was related to the posterior cruciate ligament injury that forced him to miss eight games in the 2025 regular season. The Niners are concerned that the knee is still an issue after Pearsall participated in just two practices in training camp and were evaluating all options.

Pearsall has flashed when he is healthy, but has struggled to stay on the field since being drafted in the first round in 2024. He missed most of training camp as a rookie with a shoulder injury and then was shot in a robbery attempt just before the start of that season. Pearsall returned to make 31 catches for 400 yards and three TDs in 11 games.

Pearsall was slowed early last summer by a hamstring injury, but got off to a fast start with 20 catches for 327 yards in his first four games before going down with a knee injury in Week 4. He has 67 catches for 928 yards and three TDs in 20 games over two seasons.

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

Time was running out to find survivors, as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Japan ’s southern main island of Kyushu, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tuesday. The number of people missing was unclear.

Of the deaths given in the latest tally, 25 have been confirmed as related to the disaster, but there were nine more deaths under investigation as likely to be connected, the Kumamoto prefectural government said. The quake left at least 86 people injured, five of them seriously, it said.

Survivors spoke about desperately pulling family members out of the wreckage. Some had suffered injuries and were rushed to the hospital.

Thousands of people spent another night at evacuation centers set up throughout the area at schools and other big spaces. Some homes were still without water or electricity, while others were simply afraid to go back.

Nearly 19,000 homes were still without electricity and more than 9,000 people were staying in the roughly 400 shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning.

Concerns were growing about illness, including from the sweltering heat. The Ministry of Environment sent out a heatstroke alert for the Kumamoto area, with temperatures rising above 33 C (91 F) Thursday.

Some evacuees sleep in cars

In the town of Hikawa, one of the hardest-hit areas in Kumamoto, many residents are without water or electricity, or both, and some were staying inside their vehicles in parks, at the town hall parking lot, or outside their homes. More than 800 of the town of about 4,500 households were destroyed or damaged, officials said.

At the front entrance of the town hall, officials delivered bottled water and packaged instant rice, while the Ground Self-Defense Force service members came with a trolley to provide fresh water.

Hirokazu Sato, a nurse, whose house was destroyed, is staying in his passenger car at the town hall parking lot with his wife and three children, because he worries that his 1-year-old baby could be a nuisance to others if they take shelter at an evacuation center.

“I can't sleep sitting in the car, so sometimes I go out for a walk during the night,” Sato says. “I hope the town will provide temporary housing soon.”

Yoshiaki Nakashima, a 66-year-old resident who came with two bottles and his beloved pet dog to get water, said he is staying in a car because of his reluctance to stay at one of the three evacuation centers in the area. He also said he doesn’t want to sleep at home because aftershocks made him feel uneasy.

“It’s difficult to turn over while sleeping in a car,” he said, but added that living at a shelter is even more difficult.

Akiko Inazaki, another resident in her 30s, is living in a tent set up in the yard of her home, which has been without water and electricity since the quake. Inazaki, who also came to get water, said she will use it little by little.

“Fresh water is so valuable,” she said. Inazaki said she drank so little that she almost had a heatstroke.

Risks of heatstroke are a major concern among officials.

Yutaka Kobayashi, a doctor dispatched from central Japan's Aichi prefecture, said he was touring evacuation centers Thursday to assess the condition of evacuees, especially elderly people and those with injuries as they cope with a harsh environment.

“We have to make sure elderly people are not developing heatstrokes or dehydration,” he said in Hikawa.

While the town parking lot was nearly packed the first night, some residents have moved to three public schools where air-conditioning is running, Hikawa officials said.

A town official, Yuzuru Tamura, said they are starting to run out of emergency food supply, such as canned bread and instant rice.

Emergency personnel search for missing people

The most serious damage was at the Aeon Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, which was bustling with thousands of people when the quake struck in the late afternoon.

The company said some 3,000 customers were evacuated to a parking lot before the explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some people were still working. The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people.

On Thursday, seven people were confirmed to have died at the mall site among the 12 people pulled out of the wreckage, according to Kumamoto authorities.

In the Yatsushiro area, where a chimney collapsed at a Nippon Paper Industries factory, 10 people were rescued, but eight others died, and one remained missing, the Kumamoto prefectural disaster team said.

Footage provided by the Japanese government and military showed rescue workers drilling through the collapsed parts of the building in an attempt to get to anyone who may still be trapped inside.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters the central government will take a lead role in coordinating the various rescue efforts. Restoring electricity, gas and water to stricken areas, while providing a supply of fresh water is key, she said.

“The needs on the ground are constantly changing. To put to rest the people's feelings of uncertainty, we will do all that needs to be done,” she said.

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Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Crowds of eager patrons lined up outside the restaurant on Thursday, ready to experience Jacksonville’s latest addition to the food scene.

The 3,355-square-foot restaurant is located at 14016 Beach Boulevard, east of Hodges Boulevard in the Beach Haven area, which formerly housed Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.

Many Cook Out locations are drive-thru-only, but the Jacksonville location also features indoor seating.

Its menu features chargrilled hamburgers; grilled chicken, chicken breast fillets, chicken strips, wraps and nuggets; hot dogs, corn dogs, chili dogs and bacon cheddar dogs; quesadillas; BLTs; wraps; sides such as fries, onion rings and white cheddar cheese bites; and cheesecake.

Along with traditional beverages, Cook Out offers three dozen flavors of shakes such as banana berry, Orange Push-Up, peach cobbler, Snickers and vanilla.

Will you be stopping by?

Amazon’s fully autonomous Zoox vehicles got approval Thursday to begin charging customers for rides in the specially designed cars that feature four inward-facing seats once they secure state and local approval. Zoox has already been offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco since last year. At least a couple people were waiting at most stops Thursday afternoon for rides up and down the Vegas strip aboard one of the distinctive boxy-shaped vehicles.

“It’s kind of scary at first, but when I just got used to it, it’s really cool and chilling. I really liked the music and how you can adjust the temperature,” Chloe Huu from Ann Arbor, Michigan, said after taking a ride in a Zoox Thursday. But the projected wait time for the ride kept changing, which made it hard to plan.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also proposed a rule last month to allow robotaxis to operate without brake pedals, but that proposal is still pending. Administrator Jonathan Morrison said his agency wants to update the regulations to fit these fully autonomous vehicles while still acting as the “cop on the beat to make sure that this is being done right.”

Most vehicle safety regulations were written decades ago, always with the assumption that there would be a human driver behind the wheel. But Morrison said that things like steering wheels, windshield wipers and side-view mirrors aren't really needed in an autonomous vehicle.

“If you’re going to be developing a standard in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, nobody at that time had this imagination, nobody had a crystal ball that you might have technologies that would enable the vehicle to drive itself,” Morrison said.

Questions remain about robotaxi safety

The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety group raised concerns about Zoox’s plan to operate without a steering wheel or other standard controls because the company didn’t provide detailed evidence to show that its vehicles could operate safely on public roads.

“Lots of promises, lots of glossy language, lots of ‘We believe, we think we’ll do this.’ Yet there really was no data behind the promises, and that’s really concerning to us,” said Peter Kurdock, who is general counsel for the Advocates group.

Morrison said this technology does offer the promise of never driving distracted or drunk like human drivers do, but robotaxis have had some problems. Sometimes they're just weird behaviors like stopping in the middle of the road or struggling to get out of a parking lot. But he said NHTSA responded to the incidents of autonomous cars passing school buses or interfering with first responders, with investigations, recalls and calls to action.

“Sometimes we have seen unsafe behaviors, and we jump on that really quickly again. That’s our job at NHTSA,” Morrison said. But he said Americans shouldn't be terribly worried about the safety of these robotaxis.

“By and large we’re really excited about the promise of this technology and we want to see that promise fulfilled,” he said.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said recently that the limited crash data the government requires autonomous vehicle companies to submit makes it hard to assess the safety record of these robotaxis as they continue to expand across the country.

Most companies don't report how many miles their autonomous vehicles drove, which makes it impossible to calculate a crash rate, according to the IIHS. And there isn't a clear standard for which incidents must be reported. So autonomous vehicle companies are reporting many more minor incidents than human drivers, who tend to only report a crash when there is significant damage or injuries.

Robotaxi industry is expanding quickly nationwide

Zoox and Tesla are working to catch up to the industry-leading Waymo that already operates in multiple cities. Waymo is owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet.

Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said this approval is an important milestone for autonomous vehicles.

“This achievement reflects a shared commitment to enabling innovation while maintaining the highest standards of safety,” Evans said.

Amazon hopes to eventually produce as many as 10,000 robotaxis a year at a plant near Silicon Valley as it works to challenge Waymo. Amazon paid $1.2 billion to acquire self-driving startup Zoox. Initially, Zoox will only be allowed to deploy up to 2,500 vehicles without steering wheels over the next two years as it works to prove the technology is safe. The company said that more than half a million people have already ridden in its vehicles.

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AP Transportation Writer Josh Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.

A Flood Advisory will continue through 9:15 for Union, Alachua and Columbia counties.

Light rain continues over areas of Alachua County with the stronger storms remaining west of I-75 as they dissipate late tonight.

The unsettled pattern continues through Monday, with damaging winds and flooding remaining the main concerns.

Tonight: Cooler, quiet with showers and thunderstorms west of I-75.

Friday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop along the stalled cold front. Rain chances over NE FL will average 50-60 percent, SE GA 30-40 percent. Strong to severe storms will be possible. Lows in the upper 70s to low 80s. Afternoon highs in the mid to upper 90s. Wind: SW 10-15 mph. Cloudy skies overnight.

Weekend: Scattered showers and thunderstorms will blanket northeast Florida and southeast Georgia, with rain chances of 60-80 percent. Lows in the 70s to low 80s. Highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. Wind: SW 5-10 mph.

Looking ahead: Rain chances continue through Monday.

Tropics: Tropical activity is not expected for the next 7 days.

Sunrise: 6:44 p.m.

Sunset: 8:22 p.m.

The changes at the National Jamboree, which ends Friday, reflect shifts made by Scouting America since the organization became a target of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over what he calls “woke” policies. Some scouts who had planned to attend the event in West Virginia said they backed out because Scouting America scrapped the inclusion initiatives it previously celebrated.

Hegseth threatened to end the Pentagon's century-old partnership with Scouting America if it did not make changes including refocusing away from diversity initiatives. The organization, previously known as Boy Scouts of America, rebranded in 2024 to emphasize inclusion and the growing number of girls in the scouting ranks.

“Scouting fundamentally is a safe place for young people to have fun,” said Samuel J. Aronson, an assistant scoutmaster who has organized inclusive events at previous national events. “In the absence of these spaces, we’re denying all that, both the safety and the fun, to thousands of young people.”

Thousands attend the National Jamboree

This year, about 15,000 scouts, leaders and volunteers from across the country are attending the 10-day event in the mountains of West Virginia. In addition to activities including mountain biking and kayaking, the gathering hosts leadership programs and educational sessions.

A Scouting America spokesperson said the organization remains “fully committed to welcoming and serving all youth,” but did not address questions about the changes to the jamboree.

The Pentagon made a deal with Scouting America in February but the two sides have given conflicting accounts of that agreement. This month, a gay rights activist obtained the memo outlining the agreement from the Defense Department after filing a lawsuit, arguing that clarity was of public importance.

The six-page document spells out ways the Pentagon will monitor compliance, including that officials from each organization would have “periodic touchpoints and meet” as needed. It was obtained by James Dale, who was expelled from the Boy Scouts in the early 1990s for being gay and later sued over discrimination. He equated the Pentagon's tactics to the actions of a bully.

“They basically have their thumb on the organization, threatening them under constant pressure,” Dale said.

Deal preserves ties between Scouting America and Pentagon

The scouts and the military have long held close ties; The military provides logistical support for the jamboree and some scout troops meet on or near bases.

Asked about the implementation and monitoring of the deal, a Pentagon spokesperson referred to previous comments by Hegseth.

In February, Hegseth posted a video that said his department would “vigorously review” changes made by Scouting America and would cease the military’s longtime support of the organization if it failed to comply by late August.

Some scouts disappointed by changes to inclusion efforts

John Andrew Segebarth, a 21-year-old college student and Eagle Scout, has been disheartened by the agreement. He joined the scout ranks in first grade and said he had been looking forward to staffing the space for LGBTQ+ and Allied Scouts at this year’s jamboree.

Segebarth, who is gay and was elected by peers as a national officer for scouts in 2024, said the removal of inclusive spaces is a sharp reversal for Scouting America. National scouting events in recent years included community spaces for girls, scouts of color, LGBTQ+ scouts and persons with disabilities, according to Aronson.

“Scouting’s kind of walking back on its values that they told me they believed in,” said Segebarth who, along with Aronson, decided not to attend the jamboree this year.

It was at a community tent that Layla Grace found the first place where she could talk openly about being a transgender female. Now a 21-year-old assistant scoutmaster, Grace had also planned to staff the space for LGBTQ+ and Allied Scouts in West Virginia this year.

When the spaces were canceled, Grace said she almost didn't go to the jamboree but decided she wanted to be there to help those in need. She wound up volunteering at an area dedicated to addressing issues that include mental health, food security and education.

And she's trying to fill the gap left by the removal of inclusive areas.

“I am wearing so many rainbows on me, my right hand has my nails painted in the lesbian flag and my left hand has my nails painted in the transgender flag,” she said. “I am being as loud as I can to do my best to hopefully make up for the lack of community spaces.”

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Associated Press reporter Ben Finley contributed to this report from Washington.

The blast was apparently triggered by a buildup of methane gas and occurred on the outskirts of the Baluchistan provincial capital of Quetta, said government mine inspector Ghani Baloch.

The bodies of seven people were recovered hours after the blast, and emergency responders later found 25 more bodies, officials and a provincial disaster management agency said in a statement. It said the search and rescue operation was continuing, with rescue teams working to locate and recover the remaining trapped miners.

Baloch said rescue operations would continue until all the trapped miners were found, but he added that officials believed the death toll likely would rise further.

“The chances of finding anyone alive diminish after methane gas explosions because oxygen levels drop to zero, and rescuers are also proceeding cautiously inside the mine,” Baloch said.

Authorities were handing over the bodies to their families for burial, while relatives of those still trapped waited anxiously for news, Baloch said.

Baluchistan’s Minister for Mines and Minerals Shoaib Nosherwani said the rescue teams were working under extremely difficult conditions.

Nosherwani expressed condolences to relatives of the victims and said the provincial government would pay compensation of 500,000 Pakistani rupees (about $1,800) to the family of each miner killed in the blast.

He said authorities would conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion, and would review mining safety measures.

A coal miners’ labor union said it suspected negligence led to the explosion and called for action against those responsible. In a statement, the Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation urged the government to strictly enforce safety regulations and take tough action against companies that violate mine safety laws.

Deadly accidents are common in Pakistan’s coal mining industry, particularly in Baluchistan, where many mines lack adequate ventilation, gas monitoring systems and other basic safety measures.

Mine workers and labor groups have long accused mine owners of failing to enforce safety regulations or provide adequate protective equipment.

Despite the risks and low wages, thousands of miners depend on the coal industry for their livelihoods in Baluchistan, Pakistan’s largest but least developed province, where unemployment and poverty remain widespread.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad.

Mayor Katie Wilson's announcement followed hours of speculation about whether Police Chief Shon Barnes would step down, as some of his supporters said he had rebuffed Wilson’s request to resign.

Wilson said she was appointing Deputy Chief Andre Sayles, a law enforcement veteran with more than two decades of experience, as interim chief.

Barnes told The Seattle Times earlier Thursday that whether he remained as chief was “up to the mayor.” He said he was off for the day and spending time with family.

In a written statement, the mayor said she was grateful for Barnes' service. The statement included comments in which Barnes called it an honor to have served the city.

“I hope this transition gives the city and this department the opportunity to return full focus to what matters most, addressing youth gun violence and preventing more tragedies,” Barnes said.

Barnes was out of town at a law enforcement conference when gunfire erupted last weekend at the Bite of Seattle, an annual three-day festival that draws hundreds of food and retail vendors and performers. Three people, including one suspect, were killed, and four people were wounded. One of the injured was a 2-year-old boy.

Dozens of officers were at the event, and at least one saw a 15-year-old suspect firing into a crowd and quickly persuaded him to surrender, according to court documents. Police are still searching for at least one other person.

While Wilson credited the quick police response with potentially saving lives, she acknowledged that the city was slow to communicate in the aftermath.

After an initial social media post announcing the shooting, it took nearly five hours for police to provide any additional information to the public, including whether there was any ongoing threat. The city also failed to send out any notifications through its emergency alert system. In the meantime Wilson announced that two people had been taken into custody, a statement she later retracted.

Assistant Seattle Police Chief Tyrone Davis finally provided an update around 11 p.m. Sunday during a news conference that was also attended by the mayor, Gov. Bob Ferguson and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal.

“What I did not fully understand in that moment was how little information had reached the public or the press since the incident began at 6 p.m.,” Wilson said in a video statement Thursday. “Had I known that, I would have pushed for an immediate briefing, rather than waiting for a press conference to be organized.”

Barnes was the second Black police chief in Seattle.

Several Black community organizations, including the Seattle NAACP and the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, rallied to try to save his job Thursday. In an open letter to the mayor's office, they credited him with improving relations between the department and the community, helping reduce gun violence and strengthening the department's operations.

“Chief Barnes should not be made a scapegoat for the complex challenges of public safety,” the letter said.

At least six City Council members issued statements supporting Barnes. A statement signed by four of them pointed out that the city has had four chiefs in less than three years.

“Our priority must be stability, not further disruption,” it said.

Barnes was appointed by Seattle's previous mayor, Bruce Harrell, in December 2024 after serving as chief of the Madison, Wisconsin, police department.

When Wilson — a democratic socialist who once supported defunding police — won the mayor's race last year, she kept Barnes on as chief. That was a signal to the city's business establishment and community groups that she did not intend to take a radically different approach to public safety.

“Seattle had been on a positive course on public safety with police hiring trending up and crime trending down,” Jon Scholes, president of the Downtown Seattle Association, said in an emailed statement. “It’s imperative the next chief of police is able to maintain progress that’s been made and instill confidence in our community.”

Barnes faced some criticism for spending time in Chicago, where his family lives. Sgt. Patrick Michaud, a department spokesperson, said Thursday that Barnes has made four trips to Chicago this year and spent in total about 18 days traveling there.

The resignation comes as Seattle heads into another big festival weekend. Seafair Weekend Festival 2026 — a boating event, air show and festival — starts Friday.

The U.S. and Iran each fired barrages of missiles Thursday, as the pattern of back-and-forth strikes took hold again. After a brief respite, the risk of a return to all-out war emerged once more, with the fighting threatening to engulf even more countries. Jordan said Thursday it intercepted Iranian missiles for a second day, while Kuwait said a strike in the northern part of the country killed one person.

Most Americans say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, and Trump’s approval rating on Iran has fallen slightly since last month, according to a new AP-NORC poll. The results are a stark repudiation of Trump’s approach to the conflict, which has dragged on far longer than he originally predicted.

Here's the Latest:

Body cameras will start being shipped to ICE offices next week, Maine senator says

Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she met Thursday with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for an update after the deadly shooting of a Colombian native in Biddeford, Maine.

Collins says Acting ICE Director David Venturella confirmed that its policy requires at least one ICE officer to wear a body-worn camera when conducting enforcement interactions, including any vehicle stops.

She says that by the end of August, body-worn cameras will be deployed nationwide and worn by all ICE agents in the field.

Collins, who is the chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, said that Venturella told her that Homeland Security has awarded a contract to purchase additional body-worn cameras, and that they will start being shipped to field offices next week. She said he agreed with her request to prioritize Maine.

Collins helped secure $20 million for the cameras in the department’s funding package Congress approved earlier this year.

Appeals court rejects the administration’s expansion of mandatory detention for immigrants

A federal appeals court says the Trump administration cannot deny immigrants detained inside the United States a chance for release on bond.

The 2-1 decision Thursday by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals deepens a split between federal appeals courts over the administration’s mandatory detention policy.

Under previous administrations, most noncitizens without a criminal record who were arrested inside the U.S. could seek a bond hearing while their immigration cases were pending. Last July, immigration officials issued guidance expanding mandatory detention to immigrants in the U.S. interior.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement it was confident in its legal position on mandatory detention.

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The Trump administration is ending a Medicare drug subsidy program. Here’s how it could affect costs

Millions of older adults on Medicare prescription drug coverage could face higher monthly costs in 2027.

The Trump administration said this week it has decided to end a temporary subsidy program that helped offset premiums for the past two years.

The program was initially implemented by former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2024 to lower Medicare Part D prescription drug costs in response to the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

While federal officials say the financial impact will be minimal, the decision opens the administration to potential political consequences in a high-stakes midterm election year.

Democrats have criticized the move, calling it an attack on healthcare affordability.

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RFK Jr. launches an HHS cooking show

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is known for eating a “carnivore” diet of red meat and fermented foods – but he’s broadening those horizons for a new online cooking show.

He and celebrity chef Andrew Gruel prepared crispy salmon cakes and an arugula, apple and white bean salad in the first episode of “The Real Food Show,” posted Thursday with the branding of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The department says the show will provide examples of nutritious and affordable meals for Americans who want to eat healthier. It comes months after the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines at the start of this year.

Bessent says US expects China to meet rare earth and agriculture commitments

After meeting on Thursday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on social media that the Trump administration expects Beijing “to fully meet its commitments on rare earths and U.S. agricultural products.” Trade representative Greer also attended, Bessent said.

The meeting between finance and trade officials sets the stage for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected meeting face to face in September.

Bessent said the group also discussed implementation of the Trade and Investment Boards as a way to build more “balanced, fair, and constructive U.S.-China economic relationship.”

What to know about Trump’s nearly $1.8B fund to compensate allies claiming political targeting

Back in May, the Justice Department announced that allies of the president who believe they have been wrongly investigated and prosecuted could soon have access to a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” would represent “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.” Blanche’s statement made no mention of how investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents under his watch have exposed the Justice Department to the same claims of politicized law enforcement that he has said he opposed.

The fund was announced as part of a deal to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, but was subsequently scrapped and a federal judge blocked the fund’s creation.

Trump-branded commemorative USA 250 passports to become more widely available

The State Department says its limited-edition Trump-branded commemorative USA 250 passports will soon become available to Americans outside the greater Washington, D.C., area.

Beginning next month, the department’s 27 passport agencies around the nation will start one-day events, offering the so-called “Patriot Passports” that feature a page emblazoned with a stern portrait of Trump. Previously, the commemorative passports were only available at the Washington, D.C., passport office for in-person applicants.

Starting on Aug. 8, passport offices in seven cities including Chicago, New York City and Dallas will offer the Trump passports. More passport offices will be included throughout August. Applicants wanting the special passport must apply to the selected offices in person on the day specified. Those wanting a traditional passport must apply on different days.

A total of 250,000 of the commemorative passports will be available.

Trump wants more military veterans to become commercial truckers

The president hosted an event on the White House campus where he said America’s roads had been “terrorized by unqualified illegal aliens dangerously driving big rigs” and that he would replace these immigrants with “highly qualified American veterans.”

The administration has dubbed the program the “Freedom Haulers Initiative,” under which anyone who has driven a heavy truck for the military would automatically be eligible for a commercial drivers license.

Trump said that 34 states are part of the initiative.

Immigrants account for about 20% of all truck drivers, but all of these non-domiciled licenses for immigrants represent only about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses, or about 200,000 drivers.

State Department says ‘unfortunate error’ led to badly mislabeled map of Africa at AIDS conference

The State Department is taking full responsibility for a badly mislabeled map of Africa that was presented at a global AIDS conference last week in Brazil.

It said that should not take away from the Trump administration’s commitment to fighting the deadly virus.

“This was an unfortunate error caused by a team member who hastily altered the slide deck immediately before the presentation at the AIDS 2026 Conference,” the department said Thursday after photos of the map were posted online by conference participants.

A photo of the map was shared by AIDS activist Emily Bass in a Substack post on Sunday showing six countries mislabeled. Among them, Nigeria was placed in roughly the same location as Niger; Ivory Coast, placed in southern Africa; Mozambique, placed in the Horn of Africa; and Cameroon, placed in what appeared to be the location of Ghana. The State Department confirmed that six countries were misidentified.

Senate rejects another war powers resolution to halt Iran war

Most Senate Republicans voted against advancing the measure in the Democrats’ latest effort to end Trump’s engagement in military action without congressional approval.

“We were told this president would bring peace and lower prices,” said Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New Year, who sponsored the resolution. “What is President Trump doing? Pouring bills of tax dollars into an open-ended war with Iran.”

The tally was 49-50. Three Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, joined most Democrats to advance the measure. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania joined Republicans to oppose.

Since the war began earlier this year, House and Senate Democrats have introduced more than a dozen war powers resolutions. None has passed both chambers.

Democratic senators call on Treasury to move forward with new Tubman $20 bill

Ten Democratic senators are calling on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide more details about whether a longtime effort to place Harriet Tubman’s likeness on the $20 bill has been canceled or merely delayed.

The senators are following up on comments Bessent made to Spectrum News, saying Treasury was “not at present” planning to put Tubman on the $20 bill.

The senators in their letter are calling on Bessent to immediately reconsider and resume plans to create the new bill. They are also asking for a briefing on the matter. Meanwhile, the senators noted that Treasury has prepared the design for a $250 bill featuring Trump.

The effort to place the 19th-century abolitionist leader on the $20 bill began more than a decade ago.

Trump says he may delay Blanche nomination until dissenting senators leave office

Trump says he may withdraw Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general until Republican senators who are seeking concessions from the top prosecutor leave office next year.

Trump doubled down Thursday on choosing his former personal lawyer as the nation’s top lawman, calling him “a STAR.” He said he’ll keep Blanche as acting attorney general until Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis are gone.

Cornyn and Tillis have demanded additional assurances in writing that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is dead and have pressed for clarification on the scope of a tax immunity deal Trump secured by suing the Internal Revenue Service. Cornyn has said he wants the administration to modify that piece of the settlement to make clear that it covers only existing audits and does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.

Trump’s comments came after the Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a planned vote on Thursday to advance Blanche’s nomination.

Senate committee advances nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to be Trump’s CDC director

A Senate committee on Thursday advanced Dr. Erica Schwartz’s nomination to be director of the nation’s top public health agency, setting aside concerns that she won’t stand up to political meddling.

If confirmed by the full Senate, the 54-year-old would become the 22nd director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her resume includes medical and law degrees, a stint as deputy surgeon general, and a leadership position with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Schwartz appeared to be on shaky ground after Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and others questioned whether she would be willing to stand up to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if the health secretary ordered CDC to do something unsupported by science and good public health practice. Cassidy later expressed confidence that “she knows what she’s doing.”

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US-Iran conflict enters new phase as Saudi Arabia helps hit proxies and diplomacy stalls again

The stop-start fighting between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase with Saudi Arabia publicly joining military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies and an already untenable diplomatic effort to end the war faltering once again.

Little is clear about what strategy, if any, American or Iranian officials have for a path forward. The Republican president has vacillated for months between insisting a deal was near to end the war and Tehran’s nuclear program, and using vulgarities and threats to try to get Iran to capitulate.

The stakes for continued U.S. military action have never been higher for Trump and his party as the conflict, unpopular among many Americans, has jolted the world economy months before voters get their say in November. The renewed fighting has killed and injured more American troops and raised concerns about drawing down the stockpiles of key U.S. air defense systems.

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Trump touts his tariffs in Michigan despite rising costs

Flying to a rally at General Motors this week, the president declared that “car companies are doing better than they’ve ever done” thanks to his tariffs, “all because of Trump.”

“It’s amazing what tariffs will do for General Motors,” he said before autographing a white Corvette. “Michigan is thriving,” he told cheering supporters.

That’s not exactly true, according to many metrics. Tariffs have cost businesses in Michigan and across the country billions of dollars while stoking inflation that continues to run hot. Many Americans believe tariffs have pushed prices higher and the war in Iran has increased gasoline prices, hurting consumer confidence in the economy.

There are few places where Trump’s boasts and economic reality are more likely to collide ahead of November’s midterm elections than in battleground Michigan, which holds its primary on Tuesday.

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Opposition to FIFA’s World Cup private equity plan grows

Global opposition is growing to FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan for selling a stake in World Cup revenue to private investors.

The FIFA project would be underwritten by a New York investment vehicle, Thrive Eternal, created by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Infantino has had close ties to Jared Kushner and held secret talks with potential backers in the U.S. about creating the $20 billion FIFA Forward Enterprise subsidiary with $4.2 billion of private equity.

“FIFA’s unilateral actions appear to undermine the very foundations of continental football,” the Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa warned in a letter Thursday to member federations that was seen by The Associated Press.

It circulated as the 55-nation European soccer body UEFA met Thursday to shape a resistance strategy. The 35-member North American soccer body CONCACAF, meanwhile, said it is “deeply concerned by the lack of due process” in Infantino’s project.

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US economy turns in sluggish 1.5% second-quarter growth and inflation remains above Fed target

The U.S. economy expanded at a sluggish 1.5% pace from April through June as rising imports weighed on growth. But consumer spending rose. And the Federal Reserve’s favored measure of inflation grew more slowly last month, by 3.7%, but remained above the central bank’s 2% target.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that growth in U.S. gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — decelerated from 2.1% in the first three months of 2026 and came in below economists’ expectations.

The Fed on Wednesday chose to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the fifth straight meeting. But three regional Fed presidents dissented, saying they wanted to raise rates to combat elevated inflation.

Higher costs have frustrated Americans ahead of November’s midterm elections, which will determine whether Trump’s Republicans keep full control of Congress.

US filings for jobless benefits rise to 197,000 last week, but layoffs remain historically low

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but layoffs remain in the historically healthy range of the past few years.

U.S. filings for jobless aid in the week ending July 25 rose by 9,000 to 197,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The previous week’s figure was revised up by 1,000 to 188,000 but remains the lowest in more than 50 years.

Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 207,000 new applications.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered representative of layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market.

Urban League report says Trump harms Black Americans’ chances at American Dream

The American Dream may not be dead for many Black Americans, but a National Urban League report warns that it’s further away than at any point since the Civil Rights Movement.

The 50th annual “State of Black America” report released Thursday grimly describes Black Americans ’ economic and political prospects as having worsened due to Trump’s policies. A copy obtained by The Associated Press says all Americans should be concerned.

“While they have targeted and focused on Black Americans, these attacks are going to impact broadly working Americans, poor Americans, aspirational middle-class Americans, and this is what this report points to,” said Marc Morial, the league’s president and CEO.

Morial urged concerned Americans to respond at the ballot box and with their pocketbooks. “We cannot be dejected. We cannot be cynical. We must act,” Morial said.

▶ Read more

Most say it’s important to keep gas prices down: AP-NORC poll

Many Americans continue to be concerned about the pocketbook impact of the Iran war, the new poll shows.

About 7 in 10 U.S. adults — 72% — say it’s “extremely” or “very” important for the U.S. to prevent domestic oil and gas prices from rising, up slightly from 67% in March.

A similar share, 70%, say it’s highly important for the U.S. to reach a ceasefire agreement with Iran.

Americans’ goals for the Iran war may not be fully aligned with Trump, who has repeatedly said the war was launched to keep a nuclear weapon out of Iran’s hands.

While about two-thirds of U.S. adults say it’s “extremely” or “very” important to keep Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon — with Republicans especially likely to say this — Americans are more likely to prioritize low gas prices and a permanent ceasefire with Iran.

About two-thirds say the Iran war is not worth fighting: AP-NORC poll

Most U.S. adults say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, according to a new AP-NORC poll. About two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28, has not been worthwhile. That includes the vast majority of Democrats and independents, as well as about 37% of Republicans.

The poll shows little appetite among Americans for a prolonged conflict.

Only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults want to continue military action in Iran, while about 3 in 10 say the U.S. should pause military action and seek a renewed ceasefire through negotiations. About 2 in 10 want to completely stop military action in Iran and roughly one-quarter don’t know enough to say.

Preston Tolth is the only person ever charged and convicted in connection with the 2021 disappearance of Begay, a weaver and grandmother of nine from a remote community on the Navajo Nation who has never been found. He acknowledged stealing her truck, beating her and leaving her on the side of the road.

Her case has become emblematic of the heartache felt across Indian Country when loved ones go missing or are killed. Begay's photo appears at marches. Her name is regularly invoked at rallies calling attention to the crisis.

Phoenix police arrested Tolth, 27, on Tuesday after getting a call about a home break-in. Officers found him about a block away, wearing clothing that matched the description of the suspect and carrying a pocket knife, according to court records.

Tolth was released from federal prison in June, five years to the day Begay vanished and two years earlier than his sentence was scheduled to end. The Bureau of Prisons cited a federal statue that counts time served after the commission of a crime but before sentencing, including on unrelated charges, in releasing him early.

Tolth was sent to a transitional housing facility in Phoenix. Under the terms of his plea agreement in federal court, he was not to commit any additional crimes while on supervised release. He also was barred from possessing dangerous weapons.

He faces a single charge of burglary in Maricopa County. Court records did not have an attorney listed for him, and his public defender in the federal case did not respond to an emailed request for comment Thursday.

Esther Winne, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona, said the office is aware of his arrest.

“There is a process for handling violations,” Winne said in an email Tuesday, declining further comment.

Gerald Foxworth, an employee at Phoenix Oasis where Tolth was staying, said Tolth returned to the facility drunk on July 4 in violation of program rules. Tolth left on his own after refusing to be transported to a medical center, Foxworth said, and the facility informed Tolth's probation officer.

The U.S. Marshals Service had an active warrant out for Tolth’s arrest when he was picked up by Phoenix police.

The Associated Press left phone and email messages with Tolth's probation officer Thursday requesting comment.

Begay's family said they were unaware Tolth left transitional housing. His arrest is the latest frustration in a case they say has offered little in the way of justice or closure. The eldest of Begay's three children, Gerald Begay, said he is relieved no one was harmed in the break-in.

“(Federal officials) made the decision to release this person. Now he’s out here hurting people,” Begay said. “This could have ended far worse.”

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This story is published through the Global Indigenous Reporting Network at The Associated Press.

He just got quite a confidence boost.

Malnati shot a career-best, 9-under 61 to tie a tournament record in the first round of the final Rocket Classic on Thursday, giving him a two-shot lead.

When Malnati stood on the first tee, his caddie suggested leaving the driver in his bag to play it safe and set up a solid start.

Malnati, though, went against the advice and used his driver to put a tee shot in the middle of the fairway that set up his first of seven birdies on the front nine.

“Even in the beginning before I knew it was going to be a special day, I didn’t feel the same level of like anxiety," he said.

With thoughts of a sub-60 round crossing his mind, he made a 55-foot putt for birdie at No. 11 and was nine under through 13 holes before missing some putts down the stretch in a bogey-free round.

Detroit Golf Club underwent a $16 million renovation, including converting a couple of par-5 holes into par 4s and adding a lot of bunkers, in an attempt to restore Donald Ross’ vision for it more than a century ago, while making it more challenging.

“I don’t think I took advantage of a super easy course,” said the 39-year-old Malnati, who has won on the PGA Tour in 2024 and 2015. “I played great.”

He wasn't alone.

Rickie Fowler and Ryan Gerard shot 63s, putting them two shots back and one stroke ahead of Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn.

Michael Brennan surged up the leaderboard after starting 2 over through four holes with eight straight birdies — one shy of the PGA Tour record. He finished with a 65, putting him four strokes back with a pack of players that includes Keegan Bradley.

Despite significant changes at the course, Malnati and many other players still went low at a tournament that has been a birdie fest since 2019, when a Detroit-based mortgage company ended a decade-long drought in Michigan without a PGA Tour stop that dated to Tiger Woods winning the last Buick Open.

The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028, effectively creating two tours and Detroit organizers are taking an exit. The Rocket Classic wasn't interested in continuing to spend $15 million a year to be part of the second tier and didn't want to double the costs to be part of the elite tier.

“It’s definitely been a bummer to kind of come into this knowing it was the last one,” said Fowler, a Rocket Mortgage spokesman and the tournament's 2023 champion.

Malnati will have to hold off a field that is stronger than usual in Detroit.

Some of the top players in the field, though, did not get off to a good start. Cameron Young, the No. 3 player in the world, shot a 1-under 69 and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark was 1 over.

The Rocket Classic and next week's Wyndham Championship are the last two tournaments left before the top 70 advances to the FedEx Cup postseason.

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

Whether Hill — the only player in the NFL's Super Bowl era to amass 1,000 or more yards passing, rushing and receiving — continues to play professional football remains to be seen. He did not announce his retirement.

“I’ve taken time this offseason to think carefully about what comes next for my family and me,” Hill said in a social media post Wednesday night. “I still don’t have a clear answer about what the future holds, but I know that returning to New Orleans is not in the cards."

Hill's announcement was largely anticipated; he sold his New Orleans-area home during the offseason and had not signed an extension with the Saints after becoming a free agent in March.

Soon after Hill's post, the Saints posted a highlight video, narrated by record-setting, Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Drew Brees, thanking Hill for his contributions to the franchise.

On the eve of training camp, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said he had spoken to Hill, but wanted to keep those conversations private for the time being. The uncertainty surrounding those conversations lasted little more than a day.

“As training camp begins, I didn’t want my silence to be misinterpreted," Hill said. "As hard as it is to put into words, I wanted to express my gratitude. To the city of New Orleans: thank you.”

Hill's NFL career began as an undrafted free-agent QB with Green Bay during the 2017 offseason. When he was waived at the end of training camp, the Saints, then coached by Sean Payton, claimed him.

Payton, now coaching the Denver Broncos, initially planed to groom Hill as a possible successor to Brees at QB. But not wanting to let the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Hill's athleticism go to waste, the Saints decided to try him out on special teams as a returner, an upback on punts and covering kicks.

After Hill proved effective in those roles, he became a change-of-pace, running QB who also chipped in at running back, tight end and receiver, earning him the moniker of the Saints' “Swiss Army Knife.”

“You didn't know where they were going to line him up,” said Saints linebacker Kaden Ellis, who played against Hill while with Atlanta the past three seasons. “And then, when he gets the ball, it's a whole other issue.”

Saints coach Kellen Moore said Hill's success led other clubs to explore whether they could incorporate a versatile skill player into their offenses in similar ways.

“Everyone for the last few years has been chasing — let's find the next Taysom — and there's really just one Taysom,” Moore said.

While Hill never won a full-time starting QB job, he started nine times because of injuries. The Saints went 7-2 in those games.

Hill now has career statistics of 2,554 yards and 34 touchdowns rushing; 2,426 yards and 12 TDs passing; and 1,034 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving. In 2023, Hill became the first NFL player in half a century to have 10 touchdowns rushing, passing and receiving.

During his final home game for the Saints, Hill surpassed the career 1,000 yard mark as a receiver and also threw a touchdown pass. He waved goodbye to fans as he left the field after the game, saying he wasn't sure if he'd play in the Superdome again.

If he does, it'll be in a different uniform.

“Taysom’s career to this point as a member of the Saints organization has been remarkable in all facets,” Loomis said in a statement. “His intelligence, unique athletic ability, versatility and unselfishness have benefited this team in many facets for the past nine seasons. Additionally, he’s been a great teammate, excellent leader and mentor."

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

Darnold was asked Thursday if he feels the narratives about him have gone by the wayside. For years, the discourse on Darnold centered around him being a bust, considering his pedigree as a former No. 3 overall pick, and a transient quarterback who hopped from team to team. Darnold’s first year under center for the Seahawks, after all, marked his fifth team in eight seasons.

Despite the scrutiny, Darnold said his confidence in himself has never wavered.

“I don’t allow myself to really pay attention to anything like that,” Darnold said five days into training camp. “If I do catch wind of it, I have my process on how to handle that. Like I said, it’s just about handling my process and doing it my way, so that when I get out there, it’s not about what I’ve done or what I’m going to do, it’s about what I’m doing right now.

“I think if I just continue to have that mindset as we go on, we’ll be just fine.”

What Darnold is more interested in is getting up to speed with the Seahawks’ new offensive scheme.

First-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury and Darnold have some familiarity with one another, though. Fleury spent the last four years as the 49ers’ tight ends coach, and Darnold was San Francisco’s backup for the 2023 season.

Darnold has enjoyed getting to reconnect with the stoic Fleury, who has been tasked with replacing current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak.

“Whether it’s a good play or bad play, his mentality never changes out there on the field, which I already knew about, being in San Francisco with him,” Darnold said. “But, he was always very even keel. Now, getting to spend a lot more time with him as the offensive coordinator, it’s fun to be able to watch him work every single day and see his mentality out there.”

Darnold would also like to keep working on his report with wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, who signed a $51 million, three-year contract in March.

Shaheed, who had 59 catches for 687 yards and two touchdowns last season for Seattle and New Orleans, spent a good chunk of the offseason training with Darnold. The two Southern California natives teamed up at Saddleback College in Orange County, which Darnold imagines will only help Shaheed further get up to speed with the Seahawks ahead of his first full season in Seattle.

“He’s a friendly receiver to throw to,” Darnold said. “... I’m looking forward to him continuing to get more reps and build that chemistry so that we can see him more often getting catches and doing his thing at the receiver position.”

Fans will have plenty of chances to get sneak peaks of Darnold’s and Shaheed’s progress on the HBO show “Hard Knocks”. As the quarterback of the reigning Super Bowl champions, Darnold understands he very well may be one of the focal points of the show.

It’s an impending experience Darnold is prepared for ahead of his ninth NFL season. After a second straight Pro Bowl season, Darnold has proven he belongs among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks after a much-criticized beginning to his professional career.

While Darnold isn’t one to reflect on how far he’s come, coach Mike Macdonald is more than willing to shower praise on his even-keeled quarterback as the Seahawks seek to defend their Super Bowl title.

“The thing I appreciate about Sam – and you can’t speak for everybody — but just every rep is a rep,” Macdonald said. “If it’s in the quarterback room and they’re going over the script, he treats that rep the same as he does here, if it’s practiced online or we’re in a game. It’s all the same. That’s the mental approach that we want all of our guys to take.”

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

The recording, released by Mississippi authorities this week, captures a July 4 call to a private marine towing company requesting assistance for a boat that was taking in water off Horn Island, where Wells was last seen.

“Our bilge pump stopped working. We’re sinking. Can y’all please come?” the caller asks, noting that there were about seven people on board. The dispatcher then speaks with a captain for the towing company, who said a relative of the boat owner reported those onboard had solved the issue and "don't need any help right now.”

The distress call was made to Sea Tow, a private company, and released to media outlets by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. Law enforcement officials have said they were told by witnesses that Wells was not on the boat when it left the island.

Speaking at the National Urban League Conference on Thursday, the civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Wells' family had retained audio engineering experts to review the recording. The legal team is also calling on prosecutors to include outside authorities in the review of phones belonging to friends who traveled with Wells to the island.

A voicemail left with the Jackson County District Attorney’s office was not returned.

Wells' parents also attended the conference, pleading for anyone with information to come forward. “We will not rest until we get answers," said his mother, Christine Wonsley.

Online speculation and suspicion mount

The teenager's death has touched off rampant speculation, deepened in part by uncertainty about his final hours, distrust of law enforcement and Mississippi’s long history of racist violence.

The teenager, who was Black, had traveled to the uninhabited island with a group of friends from high school, all of whom were white. He did not return with his friends to the mainland that evening. His body was found two days later off the island’s coast.

A day after the discovery, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said Wells’ friends were cooperating with authorities and that investigators did not suspect foul play. The sheriff has released few details since but has said the investigation is ongoing.

An independent autopsy commissioned by Wells’ family was inconclusive about the cause of his death. The official autopsy will remain sealed until a grand jury reviews the evidence, which is a standard practice in Jackson County, according to the local district attorney.

In the absence of new information, social media users have seized on videos and photos shared online. Some have made unsubstantiated claims against Wells’ friends, whose attorneys and family members have since reported death threats and doxing campaigns.

Following the release of the dispatch call this week, online sleuths quickly tracked down some of the people mentioned in the audio.

In a statement Wednesday, the parents of a 21-year-old said their son had been doxed and threatened as a result of “outright fabrications” stemming from the audio.

They said he had boarded the malfunctioning boat to help, then briefly towed it a short distance with his own boat. He has since cooperated with law enforcement, provided names of potential witnesses and allowed authorities to inspect his boat and GPS device, the statement added. An attorney for the family said they had already served one person with a cease-and-desist letter for alleged defamatory claims and planned to serve others this week.

Crump defends the attention on the case

On Thursday, Crump rebuffed criticism that his attention on the case could inspire online targeting of others. He noted that Wells’ parents also have faced online attacks.

“We’re not trying to cast aspersions on anybody, we want the truth,” Crump said. “If it was your child, you’d want the same thing."

The attorney was also joined Thursday by relatives of Tyler Smith and Daniel Erving, two Black 18-year-olds who died in recent months, in circumstances that Crump described as “very similar” to Wells' final hours.

Smith, a recent high school graduate from Lexington, Kentucky, died on July 4 from a gunshot wound that police said was accidental and self-inflicted. His family has disputed the determination. Police said the investigation remains ongoing.

Erving drowned in a Texas lake in April after jumping from a railway bridge with two teenage friends, local authorities said. Earlier this month, the two friends were charged with evidence tampering because they had “failed to report the incident and later discarded items belonging to Daniel,” according to a Dallas police spokesperson.

Relatives of both Erving and Smith said their concerns about the investigations had not been taken seriously by local law enforcement.

“Three 18-year-old Black boys all within three months,” Crump said. “We want answers.”

“I can’t wake them up — I can’t get them up!” he frantically told the officers who, along with firefighters and paramedics, gave jurors firsthand accounts on Thursday of the aftermath.

The murder trial has centered on Clancy’s mental state at the time. Her lawyers do not dispute that she strangled the children with exercise bands. But they say she was in the grip of postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth.

Prosecutors say Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, acted intentionally and is criminally responsible for the deaths in January 2023.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: 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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The testimony came after jurors spent two days listening to testimony from Patrick Clancy and his anguished 911 call. He was still on the phone when he discovered the bodies of 3-year-old Dawson, 5-year-old Cora, and 8-month-old Callan, minutes after returning home from an errand his wife asked him to run.

Patrick Clancy has said in interviews that he forgives his ex-wife, whom he viewed as ill rather than evil. The trial marks the first time he has seen Lindsay Clancy since the killings.

She remains paralyzed from the waist down after using multiple methods to try to end her life that night. She says a voice told her, “This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself,” according to her lawyer.

Officers Stephen Hall and Brian Josephine testified Thursday that they were each dispatched separately to the house in Duxbury, a coastal town south of Boston. Hall said they arrived to find Patrick Clancy yelling for help from behind the home.

Patrick Clancy testified earlier this week that his injured wife told him the kids were in the basement, but she didn't say they were dead.

When the officers followed the sound of his screams downstairs, only 8-month-old Callan had a faint pulse, Josephine testified.

“Based on my training experience from previous incidents, I knew it wasn’t going to be good,” Josephine said. They began rendering aid with help from firefighters.

PJ Hussey, a fire department supervisor, arrived in time to glimpse through a basement window as Patrick Clancy unwrapped an exercise band from his child's neck.

“It turned very chaotic very quickly” as more ambulances rushed to the house, Hussey testified. Duxbury firefighter and paramedic Jennifer Stratton said the infant never regained a pulse.

If convicted of murder, Lindsay Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.

In opening arguments Monday, her attorney said she had bipolar disorder, and that antidepressants prescribed after the birth of her third child worsened her condition.

Patrick Clancy testified about his wife’s deteriorating mental health in the months leading up to the killings. He said she told him about intrusive thoughts of harming the children, as well as thoughts of suicide.

She sought care from experts in postpartum mood disorders and was put on multiple psychiatric medications. When nothing worked, she checked into a psychiatric hospital. She killed the children 19 days after she was discharged.

Clancy and her ex-husband accuse her medical providers of failing to properly diagnose, treat and monitor her, according to lawsuits filed earlier this year.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee and cosponsor of the bill, sent out a social media post that said “The cap is a hard cap. Full stop. That loophole is closed.”

But the refusal by the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference to sign off on changes to the Protect College Sports Act during a frenzied week of negotiating is a sign that they do not agree with Cruz's assessment and would like to see stronger language in the bill.

The Senate broke for the weekend late Thursday without taking action on the bill. It goes on vacation next Friday and the likelihood of the bill reaching a vote before then has grown slim.

One of the key concessions made over the past week was the addition of an up to $27.5 million (up from $25 million) “retention pool" that could be used to keep players on rosters. It would be added to the $21.3 million salary cap already in place to make the new number $48.8 million.

The new cap would then presumably include many of the third-party name, image, likeness deals that circumvent the current cap — many arranged by schools' multimedia rights groups. The bill would restrict future third-party deals to what Cruz called truly “open market” deals.

The Senate negotiators say language in the bill already does that.

“Some commissioners want more: bar any company doing business with a school from signing that school’s players,” Cruz said in his post. “So a QB couldn’t sign with Nike because Nike has a separate contract with his university. That’s not protecting a cap. That’s blocking a kid from selling his own name.”

A letter to the conferences from a key negotiator, obtained by Yahoo Sports, spelled out how the language in the bill deals with the commissioners' concerns.

The letter also addressed concerns that the new salary cap would blow past revenue-sharing amounts established in the House settlement, which dictates the terms of paying players.

“To the extent the current House settlement framework or its implementation treats these payments differently, federal statute, and the rules that are protected by it, trump the settlement,” it said.

The letter did not explain how and plaintiffs' attorney Jeffrey Kessler has said he would need to see the legislation before weighing in on how it impacts the settlement.

The NCAA, which has supported the bill, put out a statement from President Charlie Baker acknowledging the shrinking window to get this done.

“While no bill is perfect, I implore college sports leaders and Senators to support this bill now," Baker said. "It is our best chance to deliver the benefits and level playing field student-athletes deserve while providing the protections institutions need to sustain college athletics long-term.”

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

Lettuce prices rose sharply in the first half of 2026 due to hot weather in Arizona, where about one-third of America’s lettuce is grown. Now, restaurants are dealing with the fallout from a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce that has sickened thousands of Americans.

Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, said Thursday that Taco Bell's U.S. same-store sales are down 2% so far in the July-September period due to customers' concerns over the outbreak. That compares to a 7% same-store sales increase in the April-June period.

Federal health officials first tied the diarrhea-causing outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said customers in Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania were also affected.

Taco Bell removed shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms from its U.S. restaurants on July 17. The following day, Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico.

Taco Bell's sales bottomed out the weekend of July 18-19 but have been steadily improving since then, Yum Brands Chief Financial Officer Ranjith Roy said Thursday in a conference call with investors. Over the last four days, Taco Bell's U.S. sales have climbed halfway back to their year-ago level, he said.

Yum Brands CEO Chris Turner said Taco Bell's quick action to contain the issue and its clear communication on social media helped bring diners back. The brand also enticed fans with daily specials like $1 Mexican pizza.

“With respect to the consumer sentiment, we’ve seen real improvement as consumers have understood better the nature of the issue,” Turner said. “They understand that it is not a Taco Bell specific issue.”

Yum Brands shares rose 3.3% Thursday.

Other chains are also feeling some impact from the outbreak even though they haven't been named in government investigations. Chipotle Mexican Grill said Wednesday that it expects its same-store sales to rise only 1% in the July-September period because of lower traffic due to the outbreak. It had previously expected same-store sales to rise 3% in that period.

Foot traffic at Chopt, a salad-focused chain with 105 locations, plunged 24% on July 18 compared to the normal average for a Saturday, according to Placer.ai, a market research company. M Science, another market research firm, found that weekly spending at the salad chain Sweetgreen dropped 10 percentage points compared to last year during the first half of July.

Chopt didn't respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Sweetgreen, which has 285 U.S. locations, did not confirm a drop in sales and said in a statement that its food hasn’t been connected to the current cyclospora outbreak.

“We follow rigorous food safety standards and can trace our ingredients from restaurant to farm,” the company said.

Cyclospora cases have continued to grow. As of July 27, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it has received reports of 6,707 laboratory-confirmed cases. It's investigating multiple clusters, including a new outbreak involving 72 people that was announced last week. As the FDA investigation progresses, officials should get a better understanding of which illnesses are connected and “how complex this outbreak actually has become," said Craig Hedberg, a food safety researcher at the University of Minnesota.

The outbreak came on top of an already difficult year for the lettuce industry and people who love eating salads. The retail price of a pound of iceberg lettuce jumped nearly 20% between January and June of this year, according to government data. Consumers paid an average of 33% more last month for all fresh lettuce compared to a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

Lettuce prices advertised by major grocery stores last week averaged $1.86 for a head of iceberg, 25 cents more than the same week a year earlier, according to the USDA. A head of red leaf lettuce cost 52 cents more at $1.66, and a bunch of romaine had an advertised price of $2.49, which was $1.55 higher, the department reported.

Shoppers caught a break with some types of salad mixes, though, which stores advertised at prices 7 to 24 cents cheaper than a year prior, the USDA said.

Elizabeth Canales, an associate professor of agricultural economics at Mississippi State University, said unusually hot weather in Arizona early in the year caused crops to mature too early. That caused big supply gaps until California production began in late April.

Fuel costs, which increased after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran and Iran blocked most oil tankers from leaving the Persian Gulf, have also been an issue, according to Canales. Lettuce is especially perishable and requires energy for cooling from the time it's picked to the time it's sold, Canales said.

“The cold chain needs to be maintained. Cooling and transporting it is very important,” Canales said.

Lettuce has been linked to multiple food poisoning outbreaks in the past, including two in 2018 involving E. coli linked to romaine lettuce grown in Arizona and California.

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Associated Press Writer Mike Stobbe contributed from New York.

Minnesota IT Services said state officials had yet to identify who was behind the attacks that took place Sunday and Monday. There were no reports that residents had been impacted by the attacks, though one city asked residents to conserve water for a couple hours while they tried to determine what was wrong.

The FBI, which is investigating, has not publicly identified a culprit and a spokesperson declined to say Thursday who the bureau thought might be responsible. The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other agencies warned in an advisory last week that Iranian hackers have been targeting water and wastewater systems and the operational controls other critical infrastructure sectors.

Digital warfare has become ingrained in military conflict, and local water plants or healthcare facilities often lack the funds and know-how to install the latest software patches or take other security steps. That has made them a favorite target, both because of the relative ease of penetrating them and because of the panic such disruptions can cause.

Iran has the “geopolitical motivations” and a recent history of targeting water systems, said Cynthia Kaiser, the former deputy assistant director of the FBI's cyber division who has been closely monitoring threats to critical infrastructure from hackers linked to the country.

“I think most credible researchers and responders would be right to treat it like it’s Iran until proven otherwise,” added Kaiser, who is now the senior vice president of Halcyon’s Ransomware Research Center. “When it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's really important to call it out.”

Iran's interest in the operations of water systems inside the U.S. dates back years. In 2016, the Justice Department charged a group of Iranian hackers in connection with a cyberattack targeting a small dam near New York City.

Minnesota IT Services said that as of Thursday, there were no active requests from Minnesota communities for residents to modify usage of their drinking water. The state agency said most of the confirmed attacks involved technology that water systems use to remotely monitor and control equipment. It said that being impacted meant investigators confirmed there was malicious activity involving the system’s technology and didn’t mean every impacted community had their water service disrupted.

The state agency said there are similarities among the incidents, including timing and the types of technology used, but investigators haven’t determined if the same culprit was behind each one.

For a few hours on Monday, the city of Braham asked residents to minimize water use as they tried to determine why the water plant was offline. The city of about 1,700 people, located about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Minneapolis, said in a news release that the water plant outage was due to a cyberattack, but it didn't cause any issue with water quality.

The city said the attackers shut down the operating controls that shut down the well and water treatment plant. That left the city for a time only able to provide residents with the water held in the water tower.

In Plymouth, a city of about 80,000 located outside of Minneapolis, officials said on social media that their water infrastructure communications had been restored by Tuesday afternoon following a cyberattack. The city said crews were able to continue operating the system during the outage and it didn't have any impact on water levels or quality.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said this week at the Big Ten media days event that any proposed scheduling decisions would have to wait until a final decision comes on playoff expansion. The Big Ten is pushing for a 24-team approach to replace the current 12-team format.

That’s fine with many of the conference’s coaches and athletic directors.

“We’ve talked a lot about scheduling in our AD room and with our coaches about what’s coming next and what’s the right way to do things,” Petitti said. “I will tell you that our focus now is seeing clarity around the playoff and access and how that’s going to work before we make the next decision.”

Scheduling moves by other conferences have left the Big Ten as the lone holdout in this regard. The Big Ten has won the last three national championships, and none of those teams — Michigan in 2023, Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana last year — played a nonconference regular-season game against a Power Four program.

In the past, the Big Ten could point to its nine-game conference schedule as a reason it didn't need to force tougher standards in nonconference scheduling since some other Power Four leagues were only playing eight conference games.

That's no longer the case.

The Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference are adopting nine-game league schedules this year, and the Big 12 already was doing so. Those leagues make their teams have at least one nonconference game against a Power Four team or Notre Dame, though some Big 12 teams are using matchups with Washington State or Oregon State to fill the requirement because those games were scheduled before the previous version of the Pac-12 imploded.

Northwestern’s David Braun and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule said they would welcome a similar requirement, as long as the Big Ten gets its wish regarding postseason expansion.

“If we go into a 24-team playoff, it makes total sense,” Rhule said.

While most Big Ten teams regularly schedule at least one nonleague game against a major conference team, there are exceptions.

For example, this is the third straight season Indiana hasn’t played a nonconference regular-season game against a Power Four team. The Hoosiers host North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky before opening their Big Ten schedule.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said he could foresee college football eventually making changes that allow for a more uniform scheduling strategy among the leagues.

“We play who’s on the schedule,” Cignetti said. “I suspect down the road something will happen with scheduling, sort of standardizing scheduling. You’ve got two conferences (the Big Ten and SEC) that are head-and-shoulders sort of above the rest right now. I think there will be some standardization."

He said it wouldn't surprise him to see it in two or three years.

Other Big Ten teams not playing nonconference games against Power Four members or Notre Dame this season include Nebraska, Penn State, Southern California and Washington. This season is just the second time since World War II that USC hasn’t faced Notre Dame.

Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers and Washington joined Indiana in not scheduling non-Power Four teams last year. New Penn State coach Matt Campbell was asked this week what he’d think about the Big Ten requiring teams to do so.

“There’s been so much going on in our own world that I don’t even know if I can give you an educated answer to that from my standpoint of it … I still think this landscape is constantly shifting around us,” Campbell said. “I think as we settle in, maybe I’ll have a better answer for that when I know what our landscape is.”

That reflects the general lack of consensus among Big Ten coaches regarding whether teams should be required to include a Power Four program in their nonconference schedules.

“Everybody’s going to look at it differently,” said Minnesota's P.J. Fleck, whose team hosts the SEC's Mississippi State on Sept. 12. “I like it because I think playing a team like that prepares you for Big Ten play way earlier.”

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

The Seattle-based company said Thursday that sales in its cloud computing unit called AWS rose 37% during the April-June period, faster than the 28% clip in the previous quarter and marking the fastest rate of growth in 18 quarters.

CEO and President Andy Jassy disclosed to investors on the call that Amazon now expects capital spending to total $220 billion, which also includes outlays on robots, semiconductors and satellites. That's up from the $200 billion investment plan that was announced in February and well above the $128 billion in capital spending for all of last year. Jassy cited the higher cost of memory chips as the main reason for the increase.

Jassy told investors that even at the $220 billion level, Amazon will not have enough capacity to meet all of the demand it has this year.

“I believe this dynamic will also be true in 2027 too,” he added. “In fact, the demand we already have for 2028 is striking.”

Still, shares rose more than 9% in after-hours trading.

Investors had been closely watching Amazon’s quarterly earnings to see if the company’s big spending on AI is starting to pay off.

The Seattle-based company offered a cautious sales outlook for the current quarter.

Amazon was among the last of the tech giants to report its earnings results covering the latest three-month period. The reports offer investors a read on AI spending and cloud computing growth across the industry.

Google parent Alphabet reported better-than-expected revenue for the second quarter last week, fueled by an 82% increase in its cloud business. But the stock tumbled as the tech giant increased its full-year forecast for capital expenditures to a range of $195 billion to $205 billion. That’s up from its previous estimate of $180 billion to $190 billion.

Microsoft, which on Wednesday reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, said growth was strong for its Azure cloud business. The company didn’t announce a big increase in how much it plans to spend on AI investments. That helped to boost shares.

Investors are worried that such spending is eating into companies’ cash flows and may not ultimately be worth it if AI doesn’t deliver as much productivity and profits as promised.

In a statement released Thursday, Jassy said AWS is “booming” and noted that its AI and chips businesses each eclipsed run rates of more than $25 billion. He noted that in stores, the company set record delivery speeds for its Prime members in the first half of the year, noting that 40% more items were delivered either same-day or overnight.

“There’s a lot to be excited about, and we have much more coming for customers in the second half of the year and beyond,” he said.

Amazon’s results from the latest quarter underscored that demand keeps growing for Amazon’s services and technology.

In April, Amazon signed big deals with OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta.

Amazon announced in April what it called a “major expansion” of its partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI one day after the artificial intelligence company said it was loosening its ties to longtime backer Microsoft.

Like other retailers, however, Amazon is experiencing higher tariff costs because of President Donald Trump’s foreign trade policies. Rising shipping costs as the Iran war affects oil and fuel prices also could cut into the company’s e-commerce revenue.

Meanwhile, Amazon has been speeding up order delivery times through a combination of robotics, AI technology and more efficient warehousing. In fact, speedier delivery helped Amazon dethrone Walmart in February from its status as the nation’s largest company by revenue, according to Fortune, which compiles a ranking of the top 500 U.S. corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years.

Amazon announced in May it was rapidly opening small order processing hubs in dozens of U.S. and foreign cities for 30 minute deliveries, catering to people who can’t or don’t want to wait for cough medicine to relieve flu symptoms or tomatoes for tonight’s dinner salad.

The company said Thursday that for the first six months of the year it more than doubled the number of new customers for its online pharmacy service, while same-day prescription deliveries were up nearly five times.

Amazon also pushed up its big four-day sale event known as Prime Day to June from July this year.

Amazon reported net income of $62.65 billion, or $5.75 per share, in the three-month period ended June 30. That compares with $18.16 billion or $1.68 per share, in the year-ago period.

Net sales rose to $200.6 billion from $167.7 billion a year ago.

Analysts were expecting sales of $197.03 billion for the latest quarter.

Amazon said it expects net sales to be in the range of $197 billion to $202 billion. Analysts expect $203.9 billion, according to FactSet.

Dixon was shot outside a home on Susie Street on Monday afternoon. Three other people were also hurt. Friends and family say she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“She’s not here, and she should be here because she spread love and kindness everywhere she went,” said Sean Penna, Dixon’s fiancé.

The two were set to marry in Hawaii and start their next chapter together. Penna said Dixon had endured years of hardship — including foster care, abandonment and physical abuse — and had been coming into her own.

“She just loved everybody. She put everybody before her,” Penna said. “I can’t imagine anybody could say anything negative about her. I mean, she lived on the West Side, so her being over there is not necessarily a suspicious thing.”

Penna said he is still searching for answers about what happened.

“I’m confused about what transpired in this area,” he said.

His mother, Terry Penna, said Dixon went to the home to visit friends she had known for years.

“She was at the wrong place at the wrong time. She went to see some of her friends over there. She’s known them for years,” Terry Penna said. “It’s a shame. She leaves behind children and grandchildren, and she’s way too young to die.”

A pattern of violence at the address

Records obtained by News4JAX show this was not the first time the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had been called to the Susie Street address for a shooting. JSO responded to a prior shooting at the same address in April — just three months before Monday’s deadly incident.

In total, records show 25 calls for service to the home over the past two years. Many were related to drug activity or domestic disputes.

News4JAX spoke with several people who live near the scene. Due to fear of retaliation, many declined to speak on camera.

JSO has released limited details about what happened. A spokesperson said on the day of the shooting that it was unclear how all parties involved were connected.

The names of the three other victims have not been released. JSO has confirmed their ages as 31, 33, and 69 years old.

As the Dixon family continues to search for answers, they are also preparing to lay Christine to rest. The family is asking for the community’s help with funeral costs through a GoFundMe.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact JSO’s non-emergency line at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-866-845-TIPS.

After seven years of saving through her 401(k), an unexpected opportunity allowed her to buy her first home this spring. Even then, she says she never imagined buying a home at her age.

“Insane. Insane, especially at my age,” Gil said. “I don’t feel like many people are here yet, which is sad.”

Her experience is becoming increasingly uncommon.

Click here for more Addressing A4dability coverage.

A Realtor.com analysis found the median age of a first-time homebuyer has climbed to 40, up from 30 in 1990, as rising home prices, larger down payments and higher costs of living make homeownership more difficult for younger Americans.

The report found affordability is no longer just about home prices. It’s about how those prices compare with incomes, how long it takes to save for a down payment and how much longer buyers must wait before they can begin building equity.

Home prices have outpaced incomes

According to Realtor.com, the median U.S. home price has increased from $96,800 in 1990 to $418,000 today, a 332% increase.

During that same period, median household income grew from $31,000 to $85,000, an increase of about 174%.

As a result, the typical home now costs nearly five times a household’s annual income, compared with just over three times annual income in 1990. The price-to-income ratio has increased from 3.1 to 4.9.

Gil said she always expected to buy a home later in life.

“I fully expected to buy a house much later in life when I had settled down a bit,” she said. “Definitely not at 26.”

First-time buyers stretching to qualify

Jason Kindler, president of First Coast Mortgage Funding, said many first-time buyers are finding ways to get into the market with smaller down payments because saving larger amounts has become increasingly difficult.

“What we’re seeing is a huge gap between either someone that’s putting down the 20% and that first-time home buyer,” Kindler said. “First-time homebuyers are either using down payment assistance or they’re putting less than 10% down.”

He said buyers today are taking on significantly more debt than previous generations.

“Our first-time homebuyers are right at about a 49% average debt-to-income ratio,” Kindler said. “Back in 1990, that average was about 30% or 31%. That’s way up.”

Gil purchased her home for $285,000 and put 10% down. Even so, she said she had to bring about $32,000 to the closing table after accounting for taxes and closing costs.

“Closing costs and taxes are so expensive, and I only put 10% down,” she said.

Nationally, Realtor.com found the typical first-time buyer now puts down about $41,800, which is more than five times the typical $8,200 down payment in 1990.

The report also found it now takes an estimated 9.7 years to save for a typical down payment at today’s savings rate. In 1990, it took about 3.2 years.

Young buyers feel priced out

Gil said younger generations are often criticized for not saving enough, but she believes the financial realities they face today are fundamentally different.

“I don’t want to say we work harder, but I think we have to work really hard to make less than what people were making then,” she said. “Everything is more expensive now than it was then.”

When shown that home prices have increased by more than 300% since 1990, Gil said the numbers reflect what many young buyers already feel.

“That’s insane when you look at it that way,” she said. “It’s completely unrealistic for people my age to be able to buy a house at all or even save to buy a house because of the cost of living right now.”

Gil considers herself fortunate to have become a homeowner at 26 but said she doesn’t think it would have been possible without years of saving and the opportunity to use those funds for a down payment.

“I don’t think I would have ever been able to buy this house,” she said. “I was in a super fortunate circumstance.”

Construction crews moved in this week, bringing equipment to the Blanding Boulevard property as the rebuild gets off the ground.

While the inside of the store still bears the scars of last May’s fire, a spokesperson with the location says just getting to this point has been an uphill battle.

Delays tied to permitting, zoning changes and other hurdles slowed the process for months, but those issues have now been cleared and work is moving forward.

For more than 40 years, Hagan Ace Hardware has been more than just a place to pick up tools and supplies; it’s been a cornerstone of the Orange Park community.

Neighboring business owners say they can’t wait to see it return.

“It hit us personally when it caught fire because we know the family. And like I said, we support each other here in Clay. So we’re really excited to see it come back,” said Rebecca Barfield, owner of Be Bella Boutique.

“It was like oh, you got to be kidding me, because we went to Ace Hardware all the time, and we could always depend on it for hurricane season to get the things that we need,” Stevi Smith, owner of Rockin’ It Local said.

“We are very excited to hear that they are going to be opening up and be back in business because Clay County has missed them,” Smith continued.

There is still no official reopening date, but Ace Hardware hopes to welcome customers back sometime next year.

The 33 employees who worked at the Blanding Boulevard location were relocated to other stores following the fire, and many of them are expected to return when the doors reopen.

For continued updates on the project, click here.

At least six city vehicles and a couple of JFRD units were in the parking lot, as officials fanned out across the Volare Apartments on Ricker Road.

A statement from the city’s communications team confirmed the purpose of the visit.

“Building code, municipal code and JFRD conducted a multi-agency inspection at this complex today to investigate the unpermitted subdividing of units at the site. We should have more updates soon,” the statement read.

A JFRD spokesperson explained the department’s involvement, saying, “Our Prevention Division was following up on a complaint,” a spokesperson said.

Residents didn’t hold back when discussing conditions at the complex. One resident said he is living in a former three-bedroom unit that had been split into separate units.

“They’ve got a three-bedroom. There were three bedrooms and they split them and one side’s paying the other person’s electric bill without them knowing it,” resident Sam Young said. “He’s been paying my light bill for a year.”

Another resident also noted ongoing management instability at the property.

“They have had six managers in the last year,” he said.

A visit to the leasing office resulted in a phone number being passed along to another leasing office member, but no immediate response was received.

News4JAX reached out to the registered agent on the LLC linked to the deed. We were forwarded to a voicemail, and no return call had been received at the time of publication.

A separate call to the owner of the LLC drew a “no comment” response.

News4JAX is continuing to work to learn more about the permits and what the city found.

News4JAX is still trying to determine what the next steps are and if the complex will face any consequences or need to make changes.

No one has left the apartments, and no residents have been asked to leave, to our knowledge.

The move follows an earlier, more limited recall. On July 3, supplier Frutas y Hortalizas del Sur S.A., based in San Carlos, Chile, announced a recall of GreenWise Organic Blueberries, 10 oz., Lot Code 60401. After public health officials completed product traceback investigations and reviewed epidemiological data, Publix determined a broader recall was necessary.

From one lot to all lots

What started as a single lot recall has grown to include every lot of two separate frozen berry products sold across eight states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Publix says it acted swiftly once the scope of the contamination became clearer. By the end of June 2026, the company had already conducted an internal stop sale of both frozen GreenWise products. Those items remain off shelves at all store locations.

What’s being recalled

Customers should check their freezers for any of the following products:

• GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries, 10 oz., UPC 41415-06453
• GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries, 48 oz., UPC 41415-12053
• GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries, 10 oz., UPC 41415-06753
• GreenWise Organic Whole Mixed Berries, 48 oz., UPC 41415-12153

E. Coli risks

The contamination in question is a Shiga toxin-producing strain of E. coli that can cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting. Most healthy people recover within a week, but the infection can lead to a life-threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. Young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest risk.

What to do now

Anyone who has purchased the recalled products is urged not to consume them. The items should be discarded or returned to any Publix location for a full refund. Customers with questions can contact Publix Customer Care at (800) 242-1227, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time. For updates on the ongoing outbreak investigation, visit cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/blueberries-07-26/index.html.

Their latest feel-good win added yet more fuel for the front office to be in buy mode this time instead of the massive sell-off last summer.

After being no-hit through six innings by Kansas City's Noah Cameron and shut out until the ninth, Minnesota mounted a thrilling two-out comeback to win 4-3 on Thursday and improve to 10-2-1 in their last 13 series since June 12.

With a hit-by-pitch, a single and a walk, the Twins loaded the bases against Royals closer Lucas Erceg. Matt Strahm relieved and served up an 0-2 slider that Kody Clemens smacked into the flower box above right-center field for the sixth walk-off grand slam in team history.

Clemens, who's second on the team with 19 home runs, was due up sixth in that inning.

“I was still preparing to get ready to hit. This team’s got a lot of fight in us, and we’ve tended to rally like that,” Clemens said. “I was ready.”

The Twins moved back to the .500 mark at 55-55 entering a nine-game road trip that begins on Friday at Seattle. The trade deadline this year is on Monday, when they're off before starting a series in Kansas City on Tuesday. They're in third place in the AL Central, three games behind Chicago and one game behind Cleveland. The wild-card race puts them even closer to postseason contention, one game behind the Guardians for the third and final spot.

Just keep winning series — that's the focus in what has been a close-knit and fun-vibe clubhouse this season.

“We will celebrate this one," said manager Derek Shelton, who turned 56 on Thursday. “We’ll dual celebrate this one on this flight.”

With the deadline approaching, players will inevitably experience some unease. Catcher Ryan Jeffers, who broke up Cameron's no-hitter with a single and took the hit-by-pitch to spark the rally, is on an expiring contract and could be a useful chip toward acquiring pitching help, for example.

But after the stunning series of nine trades a year ago that jettisoned 40% of the major league roster, including four high-leverage relievers, the Twins are satisfied with the way they've performed on a slashed payroll with scant external expectations for success.

“I think it’d be awesome if it was very dramatic just in the other direction. I think it’d be awesome to go get some real big key pieces here,” infielder Royce Lewis said. "Anything you can add to this team, I think it’s going to be a boost emotionally for us on a team that’s already thriving and having so much fun in the clubhouse.”

General manager Jeremy Zoll said this week the goal is to add to the current team and not subtract. Owner Tom Pohlad, who's been working hard to try to restore faith in the club within the fan base, said earlier this month he's not interested in the type of cost-cutting moves initiated last year by his younger brother, Joe Pohlad, when he was the controlling owner.

“We’re going to focus on finding to continue to improve the bullpen and that’ll be a clear focus,” said Zoll, who has the lead role this year after the departure of president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. “Beyond that, we’re going to be open to a variety of creative paths, and you never know what might come about."

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

Human-caused climate change made the hot and dry conditions responsible for Spain's record-sized inferno 20 times more likely to happen, and it doubled the chances of extreme fire conditions for the flames in France, scientists at World Weather Attribution calculated in a rapid analysis Thursday, conducted while fires were still burning. Warming in the past 26 years has tripled the odds of the severe fire risk conditions in Spain and increased the chances in France 40%, the same report found.

At the same time, researchers published a separate study on Thursday — written and edited long before this week's fires began — that found the number of days that Southern Europe's weather reached extreme fire-prone levels has more than doubled compared to decades ago.

Both studies examined changes in the weather that creates fire-prone conditions. The measurements factor in air temperature, drought conditions, humidity and wind.

"The change in these fire weather conditions in Spain is really extremely strong and is, I think, one of the largest changes that I've seen," said Friederike Otto, an Imperial College of London climate scientist who coordinates World Weather Attribution. Spain is having its hottest summer on record, after an incredibly wet January that allowed plants to grow before a severe drought hit, a combination that increased wildfire fuel, the report said.

Spain also had the added problem of land abandonment, which left unmanaged plants and trees to dry out, Otto said. France's Bordeaux region, meanwhile, had thick groves of pines that also burn well when a fire starts, she said.

World Weather Attribution — an international collaboration of scientists who examine extreme events to determine climate change's role, if any — did that study so quickly, the report didn't get peer reviewed, which is the scientific gold standard. But Otto and her colleagues used techniques that are scientifically accepted, and many of their reports are published in peer-reviewed journals later.

Warming world means fires ignite ‘more explosively’

Otto's team calculated how much climate change — from the burning of coal, oil and gas — increased the chances for fires of this intensity to happen. They did so by comparing fire weather severity levels to past measurements for the region and to what they would be if the world was 2.5 degrees (1.4 degrees Celsius) cooler. That is how much Earth has warmed since pre-industrial times.

“This study makes sense and provides numbers to confirm what fire scientists already knew,” said Syracuse University fire scientist Jacob Bendix, who wasn't part of either research. “We have always known that fires ignite more easily and spread more explosively under conditions of extreme heat and drought. And we’ve known for decades that extreme heat and drought are becoming more common due to anthropogenic climate change. So the general outline of these events, if not all the details, was tragically predictable.”

Thursday's other study, in the journal Scientific Reports, finds that there were about 10 extreme fire weather days a year in Southern Europe in earlier decades, but it is now up to around 25 a year, said study author Raúl Cordero, a climate scientist at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. And it is not just more frequent bad fire weather days. Those days are about 50% more intense than they were from 1981 to 2010, his study said.

Fires were decreasing until climate change overwhelmed gains

The number of Southern European fires and amount of land burned had decreased quite a bit from the 1980s to 2018, mostly because of better fire suppression and management techniques, Cordero said. But then things quickly got worse fast because climate change overwhelmed that improvement, he said.

“It doesn't matter how many resources or how much money you have, you just cannot stop the propagation of a fire when the weather is so extreme,” Cordero said. “The climate forcing is so extreme nowadays that it's just amazing.”

University of California Merced fire scientist John Abatzaglou, who also wasn’t part of either research, said, “these findings make clear that climate change is not just a future problem, it’s already here.”

“We need to stop burning fossil fuels,” Otto said. “Because as long as we keep burning fossil fuels, temperatures will increase globally. And that will mean that these fire weather conditions will get worse and worse and worse. And there are hard limits to what we can adapt to.”

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The former lieutenant governor made the announcement in a video posted on his Facebook page as democratic socialist Francesca Hong has garnered strong support from the liberal wing of the party.

Barnes’ decision to drop out came a day after the release of a Marquette Law School poll of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters that found Hong leading Barnes and the other candidates by a significant margin, although about one-third of primary voters remained undecided.

“It's become very clear who our nominee is going to be,” Barnes said.

Barnes’ move came on the same day that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that it had asked him about allegations of inappropriate behavior lodged with the state Democratic Party, local party officials and others against him.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party received an anonymous letter in 2024 and again in 2025 making allegations against Barnes, a person with direct knowledge of the party’s actions told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the review.

The party hired a law firm in 2025 to look into claims that Barnes used his position in the party to seek out inappropriate relationships with young adult women, the person said. The review found nothing actionable because the allegations were anonymous and unspecific, the person with knowledge of the probe said.

Barnes' campaign issued a statement saying, “There are no allegations of misconduct or wrongdoing against Mandela.”

Barnes is the third Democrat to withdraw from the race. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez ended her run amid a campaign finance scandal two weeks ago and former state economic development director Missy Hughes dropped out in June.

After Rodriguez ended her campaign, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley rejoined the race with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers.

Crowley made a direct plea to Barnes' supporters to back him.

“There's a place for you in what we're building,” he posted on social media.

Evers told reporters Thursday that he was surprised by Barnes’ move.

“But he needs to do what he needs to do,” Evers said. “I don’t know why he’s getting out. I have to believe it’s something relatively important.”

Evers said he stuck by his endorsement of Crowley, who worked closely with Evers and Republican lawmakers on a deal to increase funding for local communities. Evers chose to endorse him over Barnes, who served as his lieutenant governor in his first term.

Evers said Crowley was the best candidate “even if Mandela was in.”

Hong did not immediately return a text message seeking comment.

Joel Brennan, a long-shot candidate in the race, said, “It’s unfortunate for voters that this primary has gotten more attention for chaos than the stakes of this election."

The shake-up comes after nearly 128,000 voters have already returned absentee ballots and on the third day of in-person early voting. On Wednesday, a judge rejected a lawsuit supported by the Democratic Party seeking to allow voters who have already returned their absentee ballots to cancel them and vote again.

The winner of the Democratic primary is expected to face U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who faces only nominal opposition in the Republican primary. Tiffany, who has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, said it's become clear the race will be a choice between a “socialist agenda” or “common sense.”

“This election is not about red versus blue,” he said. “It is about whether Wisconsin stays Wisconsin.”

Barnes ending his campaign comes after he benefited from other candidates dropping out in the Democratic primary race for Senate in 2022 to clear the field for him. He ended up losing by under 27,000 votes that year to Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

The National Transportation Safety Board, in a report released Thursday, also found the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of the company, Bering Air, was inadequate.

Both were contributing factors to the February 2025 crash, which was one of Alaska's deadliest plane crashes this century. The NTSB also determined the pilot did not monitor and maintain adequate airspeed, likely because he was trying to manage the plane's ice protection system while preparing to approach the airport in Nome. And it said the plane was overweight for a trip into icy conditions. The airport itself had temporarily closed its runways for de-icing, the agency said.

The Associated Press sent a message seeking comment to Bering Air. The FAA released a statement in response to questions stating it “takes NTSB recommendations seriously and will carefully review them.”

Recommendations made by the NTSB to the FAA include calling for pilot training on preventing and recovering from loss of control in flight for many charter and air taxi operators. The NTSB also raised prior recommendations, such as expanded use of flight data monitoring programs and broader load manifest requirements.

The NTSB said it found a pattern of underreported weights on Bering Air flight manifests and flights operating above weight limits.

The agency said the FAA failed to recognize the air carrier’s “increased operational complexity and rapid growth” after the pandemic and bankruptcy of its largest competitor as factors warranting increased oversight. The report said the FAA's oversight “failed to identify and address the routine operation of overweight flights.”

Jennifer Homendy, the NTSB chair, in a statement said the tragedy “was not the result of a single failure, but a series of preventable breakdowns that eroded critical safety margins.”

The plane was flying as part of a regularly scheduled commuter flight from the community of Unalakleet to Nome, a 150-mile (240-kilometer) trip. Authorities have said that the aircraft went missing about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Nome. The wreckage was recovered from a drifting ice floe.

The department selected investment firm Brookfield Asset Management to develop and operate the data center at the government-owned Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. In March, the department announced a similar project at its Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio.

Both are undergoing extensive cleanup, decontamination and decommissioning after decades of fueling the nation's nuclear weapons and power plants. The project is in line with the Trump administration's efforts to make artificial intelligence superiority over China a top national security and economic priority.

The federal government is transforming former DOE sites into “engines of innovation and economic growth” to “ensure the United States wins the A.I. race,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement Wednesday.

“There will be a lot of new natural gas power plants, a large data center, thousands of jobs and tens of billions of dollars of investment in rural western Kentucky,” Wright said on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends.”

Earlier in July, the Department of Energy said it had picked engineering contractor Amentum to negotiate a lease to develop an AI data center and on-site power plant at South Carolina's Savannah River Site, a massive complex where the federal government once produced materials used in nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium-239.

Real estate, energy and data center services are cornerstones in the investment portfolio of New York-headquartered Brookfield, which reports that it has more than $1 trillion in assets under management.

A Brookfield spokesperson estimated that 30% of the $100 billion in spending would go toward construction of the data center and power components, with the rest of the money being spent on the equipment in the data centers, including servers, routers and semiconductor chips.

Discussions were ongoing with commercial partners to use the data center space, Brookfield spokesperson Simon Maine said.

Other partners in the Paducah project are power generation and transmission giant NextEra Energy and local utilities.

Florida-based NextEra Energy will build and own the power generation components, which are to include 2 gigawatts of natural gas-fired generation, upgrades to transmission networks and 2.6 gigawatts of battery energy storage to support a new 1.8 gigawatt AI data center campus, the department said.

The plant would be the largest gas-fired power plant in Kentucky. A single gigawatt, according to a general industry standard for utilities, can power about 750,000 homes.

A power service agreement must be approved by state utility regulators, and excess electricity would be delivered to the regional grid. Construction was expected to be complete in 2031, the department said.

Cleanup is continuing at the roughly 3,550-acre Paducah plant site, which was on a list of 16 federal sites released last year as locations where the department could invite technology companies to build data management and storage capacity.

It shut down in 2013 and the gaseous diffusion process to enrich uranium is considered obsolete.

The department has projected that cleanup at the Paducah site would be completed in 2065 at a cost of about $17 billion, including demolishing buildings, disassembling uranium converters, removing refrigerant and treating a large plume of groundwater contamination.

In the meantime, the department is working on plans to provide some of the uranium waste being stored for decades at the Paducah site to a pair of companies seeking to use newer technologies to re-enrich it for use in power plants.

Group raises questions about projects

A newly formed group called Protect McCracken County has raised questions about the uranium enrichment and data center projects, saying that the work is being carried out beside a river that 5 million people downstream drink from without an independent study of the impact.

Byron Gary, a senior attorney for the environmental and public health advocacy group Kentucky Resources Council, said any plans to develop the contaminated Paducah site or to withdraw water from the water table underneath it must be carefully executed.

He said the construction of a such a large gas-fired power plant — which emits planet-warming greenhouse gases — would have implications for climate change and that his organization would want to be certain that regular ratepayers are not forced to subsidize the power plants and transmission upgrades there.

Gary also said his organization will want to make sure that the Department of Energy does not circumvent permitting processes as a way to get around environmental protection laws.

“There shouldn't be a justification to get around that and end up potentially dumping a lot more burden on a rural community that can’t afford it,” Gary said.

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Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter.

According to a report from our news partners The Jacksonville Daily Record, the campus is scheduled to open in August 2027, initially serving students in prekindergarten through seventh grade before adding one grade level each year through 12th grade, according to the school.

The Jacksonville-based charter school has been advancing plans for the campus since January, when environmental permitting and site plan reviews were underway for the project about 9 miles east of Interstate 95 at Riverbluff Parkway and Pages Dairy Road. The Nassau County Development Review Committee signed off June 2, ahead of a building permit that has not yet been issued.

Wildlight developer Rayonier, through Wildlight LLC, owns the site.

According to cornerstoneclassical.org, Cornerstone’s curriculum includes a structured, grade-by-grade learning framework; a mathematics approach that emphasizes conceptual understanding and problem-solving; and hands-on science lessons focused on inquiry and fundamentals. 

Read more at jaxdailyrecord.com.

The government opened 10 registration centers across Port-au-Prince in neighborhoods considered generally safe as dozens of hopeful Haitians trickled through.

“This may be the first time that I’m going to vote,” said 34-year-old construction worker Vadley Bernadel.

Haiti hasn’t held general elections in more than a decade, and the country hasn’t had a president since President Jovenel Moïse was killed at his private residence in July 2021.

Gang violence has only surged since then, but Haiti’s unelected prime minister is under pressure to hold elections, with Dec. 13 marking the first round.

“Haiti needs someone with a vision, someone who can lead the country in a better direction,” said Bernadel, who decried his country’s multiple crises.

Armed men still control swaths of land

Gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people, with armed men controlling an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and the main roads that lead to the country’s Central and Artibonite provinces, which also are under fire.

More than 50% of Haiti’s electorate live in those three regions, and it’s unclear whether all those seeking to vote will be able to register, let alone vote, given the violence.

“The country can hold elections in three months if it chooses to. The question is, what kind of elections?” said Diego Da Rin, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

If the government insists on holding elections on Dec. 13, “a large part of the electorate will be left out," he warned.

Da Rin noted that police and a U.N.-backed mission have seized back areas near the National Palace in Port-au-Prince and made other inroads, but powerful gangs still control vast amounts of territory.

“There has been no significant progress,” he said. “The government will not be able to organize elections in territories controlled by gangs.”

Jacques Desrosiers, president of Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council, said he plans to open more voter registration centers in upcoming weeks, including 20 in Pétion-Ville, considered one of the safest areas.

As for the possibility of opening centers in other communities, he said that lies in the hands of the Haitian government.

Haitians fear being killed as country prepares for elections

Lawyer Francky Cavetan said he does not plan to vote because it’s too risky, but he did visit one registration center out of curiosity.

“Elections are not going to happen because the government and electoral council are lying to the population,” he asserted. “They are making people believe that elections will bring security, but they have to have security before elections.”

More than 5,900 people were killed last year across Haiti, and more than 1,600 others from January to March of this year, according to the United Nations. In addition, 5,500 gender-based violent incidents were reported in the first half of the year, with 70% of cases involving rape, many of them gang rapes, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General, recently said.

Cavetan questioned how candidates would even campaign. He was also upset because he believes a large number of Haitians are not aware that they will also be asked to participate in a referendum the same day as the elections as the government pushes to change the country’s Constitution.

“They’re not even explaining to people what they’re planning to change in the Constitution,” Cavetan said.

Da Rin echoed that sentiment, noting that the public still doesn’t know what changes the government is seeking.

His biggest concern surrounding the elections is safety, though.

“The challenge for the authorities right now is to organize elections without having defeated the gangs and to minimize their influence on the elections as much as possible,” he said.

Da Rin noted that longtime links between gangs and certain powerful elites in Haiti are still active.

Gangs have long been used to intimidate voters or convince them to select certain candidates, as well as to destroy ballot boxes when some members of Haiti’s elite believed that their candidates might not win, Da Rin said.

“Gangs have been a very important tool for elites to help their candidates win elections,” he said.

At a registration center in the community of Laboule, only three people had signed up an hour after doors opened.

Victor Valensky, a 38-year-old driver of a colorful bus known as a tap-tap, was one of them.

He said he was angry at his country’s situation but also feared gang violence.

“I want to take part in the elections, but I have to make sure I’m safe,” he said. “If I die now, my wife probably won’t be able to support my two kids by herself. … I’m going to be very careful before I step out on election day.”

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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Apple raised the prices of its Macs and iPads last month, citing a memory-chip shortage brought on by the artificial intelligence boom. The company had called the demand spike an “unprecedented challenge” for the consumer electronics industry. While it hasn't yet raised iPhone prices, analysts and consumers expect that to happen later this year.

The maker of the iPhone and iPad said Thursday it earned $29.79 billion, or $2.02 per share, in the April-June period. That is up 27% from $23.43 billion, or $1.57 per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Revenue grew 16% to $$109.42 billion from $94.04 billion.

Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of $1.89 per share on revenue of $109 billion, according to a poll by FactSet. Tariff refunds of 11 cents per share contributed to the quarter's earnings.

“Today, Apple is proud to report our strongest June quarter ever, with double-digit revenue growth across iPhone, Mac and Services, and in every geographic segment,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. It was Cook's final earnings call. He announced his retirement in April, after 15 years at the helm of the company. John Ternus, Apple’s head of hardware engineering, will assume the role on Sept. 1.

"I couldn't be more confident in his leadership, in the executive team and the extraordinary people at Apple," Cook said.

Apple continues to generate cash without the massive artificial intelligence spending that its Big Tech peers area are dealing with “and that showed across most parts of the operation,” said Thomas Monteiro, an analyst at Investing.com. “As the market grows more worried about free cash flow trajectories elsewhere in Big Tech, Apple keeps standing out as the safe haven in the storm.”

But he cautioned that memory costs — which are continuing to increase — could challenge Apple in the coming quarters. It also won't have the tariff benefit to boost profit margins again. September's iPhone launch and more price increases should “help cushion the hit,” Monteiro said.

Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple, which recently regained its title as the world's most valuable company from Nvidia, fell $7.52, or 2.3%, to $325.91 in after-hours trading.

At least this year, he doesn't need to. He's on the field at camp with the New York Giants, and all eyes are on the No. 1 receiver who is starting to regain his previous dynamic form.

Now 10 months removed from tearing the ACL in his right knee and still on a lengthy road back from the injury, Nabers is not yet a full participant in practice. But the Giants' No. 1 receiver is running routes at full speed during individual drills and sparking optimism that he'll be healthy enough to play in a game sooner than later.

“It felt good," Nabers said Thursday after the second practice of camp in the mountains of West Virginia. “I mean, I might not show it. I like to be a person that you never know my facial expressions. I’m always just smooth and calm. But it felt good to be out there with the guys, get a couple throws, just move around.”

Nabers, who turned 23 on Tuesday, sounded more hopeful about his future than he did in early January, when he walked with the assistance of a cane the previous weekend as a precaution and would not commit to being ready for the season opener. Saying at the time, “If my body doesn’t feel right, then I’m not going to go out there," he began a period of lingering pessimism that began to fade a bit this week when he did not land on the PUP list and was a visible part of the team.

“Every time he’s on the field, everybody knows where he’s at,” quarterback Jaxson Dart said Wednesday. “There’s an aura that he has on the field that is exhilarating. It makes me happy. It makes everybody happy just to see him out there.”

The smiles are everywhere over the situation. But with more than seven weeks to go before New York hosts Dallas on Sept. 13 to begin the season, he and team officials are still reluctant to say if Nabers will be ready to go by then.

“No target dates," Nabers said. "Just continuing to listen to the training staff, and they continue to ask me questions. And when I’m ready, I’m ready.”

Progressing to team practice sessions would seemingly be the next step of a process that included significant rehab and even a second cleanup surgery earlier this year. On the prospect of playing in a preseason game to test the knee, Nabers deferred to new coach John Harbaugh, who praised the wideout's efforts to even get to this point.

“I really am impressed with how hard he’s worked,” Harbaugh said. “I just think he’s worked really hard. He deserves to be out there doing what he (is doing). It’s really cool to see.”

Nabers catching passes from Dart in any setting is a positive, given their limited time together last season. Nabers was injured and sidelined for the rest of the season in the second quarter of Dart's first NFL start.

All the two have really been able to do since is talk and watch video together as a way of advancing their rapport before they can play in a real game together again.

“We’re just going to continue to get him in slowly,” Dart said. “He’s doing a great job with how he’s attacking his recovery. I’ve got all the confidence in the world in him and his approach to the game.”

Nabers acknowledged it has not been easy mentally to be away from football, and he has leaned on Dart, as well as new teammate Odell Beckham Jr. and others, to get through those struggles.

“Overcoming an injury is not easy,” starting left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “If anything, (it is good) just for his mental (state) to be back out here with the guys and running around and catching the ball."

Nabers did take joy in surprising other players on Wednesday with just how smoothly he was running and cutting and catching the ball. But after going through a few weeks of that himself, he did not surprise himself.

“I felt like the training staff did a very good job on getting me ready before I even stepped foot out there,” Nabers said. "Those cuts I’ve been doing with the training staff, those routes I’ve been doing with the training staff, so it wasn’t anything (but) normal to me that I was able to go out there and do it full speed.”

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

Atlantic Beach police said it will cost $800 to replace the three cameras the man is accused of damaging in that city, for a total of $2,400. They charged him with three counts of criminal mischief over $200, but less than $1,000.

MORE | Here’s where Flock cameras have been deployed across Northeast Florida |

Detectives said the man also admitted during an interview to vandalizing two cameras in Neptune Beach, two in Jacksonville Beach and one in Bullock County, Georgia.

The brazen allegations follow a national trend, as the controversial cameras have become targets of criticism, paint and saws.

According to CNN, someone cut down surveillance cameras owned by the company Flock Safety with an electric saw in New York, threw paint on them in California, and rammed a truck into them in Idaho.

According to his arrest report from the Atlantic Beach Police Department, the teen used silver and gold spray paint on the three Flock cameras in Atlantic Beach.

Officers discovered the damage on June 28, after realizing that the three cameras had not issued an alert in several days.

Investigators said that after checking the area around the Flock cameras, they found surveillance video nearby that showed a red Mazda 5-door car parking in a lot near the camera and a man getting out with a ladder before running toward the Flock camera.

Once they identified the car, Atlantic Beach investigators reviewed earlier footage from the Flock cameras that were later vandalized and spotted the same car in the area of the other cameras as well.

They used state records to identify the car’s owner, who was later pulled over by Jacksonville Beach police on July 4.

Jacksonville Beach police booked the man on two counts of felony vandalism for the damage to the Jacksonville Beach cameras, and the Jacksonville Beach investigator said the man “made statements about disliking Flock cameras and (that he) doesn’t trust license plate readers.”

Neptune Beach police interviewed the man when he was in the Duval County jail on the Jacksonville Beach charges, and after he was released, he turned himself in to Atlantic Beach police on the charges there.

Law enforcement agencies have defended the use of the cameras and say they are important investigative tools.

Data from the last two years showed that LPRs had helped find 151 missing persons, recover 597 stolen vehicles, track down 220 wanted people and charge 782 people in St. Johns County.

One notable case involved a Texas man with five warrants who was found in Durbin Village with a missing teen. Thanks to the license plate reader, the teen was saved, and the man was arrested.

In Central Florida, when 13-year-old Madeline Soto was first reported missing in 2024, Kissimmee Police used LPRs to prove her mother’s boyfriend lied about driving the teen to school that morning.

Instead, the LPR data revealed that Stephan Sterns, who was later convicted of raping and murdering Soto, drove his car in the opposite direction of the school.

Information from LPRs and other traffic cameras helped search teams successfully narrow down the location where Soto’s body was found, court records show.

But in one case that highlighted concerns, a Central Florida sheriff suspended Flock cameras after scandal involving a detective who improperly accessed multiple law enforcement databases for personal reasons.

Last week, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office released a video addressing the topic, saying Flock cameras do not identify who’s driving a vehicle.

“They capture a vehicle’s license plate along with characteristics like its make, model and color. That information is available only to authorized personnel for legitimate law enforcement purposes and is governed by agency policy and state law,” the sheriff’s office said.

The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement Friday that the relics were discovered at Gulf Shores International Airport on July 18 after the agent observed what appeared to be a large, opaque item inside a suitcase during an X-ray screening. When he opened the luggage, he found five small cannonballs wrapped in paper towels and notified a supervisor.

“I had never seen anything quite this unique,” TSA Officer Justin Dupree said in a statement from the agency. “I’ve seen inert grenades and training munitions but never an Indiana Jones-esque stolen artifact-type situation.”

The cannonballs — the largest about the size of grapefruits and weighing about as much as a shot put ball — were inactive and didn’t contain any explosive material or active components, the TSA said. Still, cannonballs are artillery munitions and considered prohibited items on planes.

Police eventually determined the cannonballs were stolen from Fort Morgan, based on paint marking applied to the artifacts by fort staff, and that they dated to the American Civil War. The historic Gulf Shores fort played a significant role in several military conflicts, including the Civil War.

The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that a juvenile stole the cannonballs from a storage area in the fort and then placed them in their grandmother’s checked bag. The grandmother told officers she did not know they were stolen.

Spokespersons for Fort Morgan didn't respond to a email seeking comment. The sheriff's office said the institution declined to press charges, and the artifacts were returned to the fort.

Students return to class on Aug. 4, the earliest start of any of our local school districts.

Nothing is normal about what students and families are dealing with in Brantley County — but a return to school could be a chance to bring back a little normalcy.

A community shaken, a girl who brought joy

It was the end of the school year in April when students and families helplessly watched as parts of their community burned.

“We’re Brantley Strong,” said Aleahaa Croft, a young student whose spirit stood out even in the most uncertain moments.

Brantley County School District’s new superintendent, Walker Todd, saw the toll firsthand.

“There were over a hundred something kids displaced at one time,” Todd said.

More than 100 homes burned. Thankfully, Croft’s was not one of them — but we met her family in a raw moment on Highway 82 and State Road 110 West as the area was being evacuated while first responders and planes rushed in.

Back together, months later

Things have changed since the fire. Aleaha and her family met with us in the parking lot of a Family Dollar, where flames once burned not far on Browntown Road. She and her brother had a pretty good summer.

“It was really fun. We’ve been going to daycare Thursdays and Fridays, and they have like water slides there sometimes,” she said.

The last time News4JAX saw Aleaha, she was heading home after her first day back to school before the year ended.

Now, she and her brother, Jason, are heading back for the new school year — Aleaha moving up to a new school, Jason staying where he is.

Aleaha and her brother still have their house, but they know other students were not so lucky.

“Yeah, my friend, his house burnt down,” she said.

When asked what she would say to other kids heading back to school after going through something so hard, Aleaha didn’t hesitate.

“I tell them to just keep praying and everything, and maybe you’ll get a new house and something and just try helping out your parents because you know it’s hard for them too because they’ve probably been to that house their whole life and now, they’ve got to get new money for it and everything, and that’s really hard,” she said.

New superintendent, same mission

Perhaps no one understands the weight of this new school year more than Todd, who is stepping into the role of superintendent for the first time.

“It’s just not knowing if every student is going to be able to make it back into Brantley County,” Todd said.

When asked whether the school district would be ready for families whenever they are ready to return, Todd was direct. He said the doors are open whenever families are ready to walk through them.

“It’s exciting; for 29 years, my 30th year, this is what I’ve been doing. It’s what I love, and I’m just ready to get another year started,” Todd said.

With students set to return Aug. 4, it is a new day, a new year and a new leader — but the same familiar smiles.

“I just want to make sure that our kids know that we’re here for them, we have empathy definitely for what happened but also knowing that school and public education is extremely important and just giving them that opportunity to learn, to do new things, and just to be able to have what they need in order to be successful in life,” Todd said.

And in classic Brantley County fashion, Aleaha and Jason closed it out together.

“We are Brantley Strong!” they said.

Resources for Brantley County families

For those needing help with food, clothing or toiletries, Brantley County Georgia Family Connection has assisted dozens of families in the aftermath of the fire. The organization recently reported that most people who were without homes or displaced are now in campers.

Services include access to toiletries, food, and washer and dryer facilities. Resources and donation information are available on this website.

Cignetti took over a program that had gone 9-27 the three years before his arrival and led it to College Football Playoff appearances in each of his first two seasons, including a 2025 national title.

He wants his program to maintain the same edge it carried while working its way up.

“We have a way of doing things,” Cignetti sad. “We’ve got guys that have been together, and all we do is win.”

Indiana’s stunning two-year run under Cignetti already has allowed the traditional Big Ten also-ran to shed its status as the Bowl Subdivision program with the most losses in history. That dubious honor now belongs to conference rival Northwestern.

The Hoosiers obviously have bigger long-term goals than that.

They want to keep it going without Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who went to the Las Vegas Raiders with the top pick in this year’s draft after his lone season at Indiana. He was one of a school-record eight players drafted.

“We need to make sure that we keep the same blueprint as last year going into this year, and that includes maintaining the same work ethic,” offensive tackle Carter Smith said.

Indiana did a remarkable job of restocking its roster by getting one of the nation’s top collections of transfer portal talent. Indiana’s list of 18 transfer newcomers includes former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover and ex-Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh.

Marsh got an early indication of Cignetti’s no-nonsense approach, as the former Spartans player showed up for a spring practice in gold cleats and got criticized by his new coach. Cignetti has since praised the work habits of Marsh, who caught 100 passes for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Indiana’s chances of earning a third straight playoff bid could depend on Hoover, who threw for 9,627 yards, 71 touchdowns and 33 interceptions over the last three years. He has rather large shoes to fill.

“What separated Fernando was when the game was on the line, those fourth-quarter wins, the last three minutes, four minutes, that’s when he played his best football,” Cignetti said.

Indiana could be on the verge of establishing itself as annual contenders as long as Cignetti sticks around, as the Hoosiers have followed up their portal success by making inroads in high school recruiting. Over the last two weeks, Indiana has gained verbal commitments from 2027 five-star wide receiver Monshun Sales and highly regarded 2028 quarterback Lukas Prock.

Cignetti is more focused now on making sure his current team is prepared for its title defense. Defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker was asked how it felt to enter a season as the hunted rather than the hunter.

“We prepare in a way we wouldn’t think we’re being hunted,” Tucker said. “We’re preparing like we’re predators and we’re hungry. We still have that chip on our shoulder, ultimately.”

Big Ten media may have given Tucker and his teammates some ammo in that regard. A Cleveland.com poll of reporters that serves as the unofficial Big Ten preseason media forecast had the defending national champions finishing third in the conference, behind Ohio State and Oregon.

Cignetti understands the challenge ahead after beating both Ohio State and Oregon on the way to the title last year. Cignetti, who worked as an assistant at Alabama from 2007-10, closed his news conference Thursday by explaining why he believes the Big Ten is college football’s best conference.

“We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest,” Cignetti said. “We believe everything is earned, not given. When we fall short, we say, ‘We fell short.’ We don’t cry a river, whine and complain. That’s why we’re the best.”

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

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week announced it would wrap up the program, which was initially implemented by the Biden administration in 2024 to lower patients' Medicare Part D prescription drug costs in response to effects of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

While federal officials insist the financial impact on Medicare beneficiaries will be minimal, the decision opens the Republican-led administration to potential political consequences in a high-stakes midterm election year. Voters have identified cost of living as a top concern, and many older adults, who tend to vote in high numbers, are on fixed incomes where every dollar counts. The roughly 25 million Americans with Medicare Part D plans will find out about their 2027 rates in the fall, when they are casting ballots in November's elections.

Democrats slammed CMS's move as part of a pattern of federal attacks on healthcare affordability, alongside federal Medicaid cuts and the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies that had reduced premium costs for working-age Americans in that program.

“The Trump administration is actively raising prescription drug costs for 25 million seniors,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X in response to the news, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. “Heartless, cruel, and completely by choice.”

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday said ending the subsidy program would prevent billions of taxpayer dollars from being funneled to insurance companies. It cost the agency an estimated $3.6 billion in 2026.

He said most Medicare beneficiaries would see less than a $10-per-month increase, and some would even see lower premiums than beforehand.

“Every Medicare beneficiary still has access to low-cost plans, and we will continue to lower prescription drug prices for every American patient, from more MFN deals to our policy giving seniors access to GLP-1s for $50 a month,” he wrote on social media.

The federal government also negotiates directly with pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of some of the most expensive drugs in Medicare, through a program created by Congress in 2022.

This week's decision has no impact on the out-of-pocket cap that limits the amount that older adults with standalone Medicare drug coverage spend on their prescription drugs over the course of a year. That was set at $2,100 in 2026 and is projected to rise to $2,400 for 2027.

Part D beneficiaries paid an average of $36 a month this year for their prescription drug premiums with the subsidies in place, according to the healthcare research nonprofit KFF. The subsidies offset the average premium by $16 in 2026, according to the federal Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

It's not yet known how many Americans the change will effect, or how much more they'll pay. Older Americans have the opportunity to shop for plans each year, and prices vary widely between them. CMS has said it will release information about next year's premiums in September.

AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond said her organization, which serves Americans 50 and older, had supported the temporary subsidy.

“While it’s too early to know the full impact of this change, it would be unfortunate if this decision made Part D coverage less affordable, just as we’re beginning to see billions in savings from Medicare drug price negotiation,” she said in a statement.

Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at KFF, said the price increases may be marginal for some consumers but impactful for others when combined with higher prices in other areas, like groceries, gas and housing.

“What's going to matter most for consumers is how much more or less they have to pay at the end of a month, and how much they have left after the bills are paid,” she said. “This could just make it more challenging for some people to make that math work.”

Cameron threw only 72 pitches through six innings with two walks and five strikeouts, with little solid contact by the Twins. Catcher Salvador Perez sprang forward to pick up Ryan Kreidler’s dribbler in front of the plate and make an on-target underhand toss to first base for the second out of the sixth as the 36-year-old tumbled to the grass to keep the feat alive.

But Jeffers delivered a clean single to right-center field on an 0-2 changeup from Cameron.

Cameron still stretched his consecutive scoreless innings streak to 16 by getting the next six outs for his career-long outing with a one-hitter in eight shutout innings. He threw seven shutout frames in relief last Friday after the Royals used an opener in a 2-1 loss at Detroit. This one ended even worse, when Kody Clemens hit a walk-off grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning to give Minnesota a 4-3 victory.

Former Twins right-hander Randy Dobnak pitched seven scoreless innings for the Royals on Wednesday night in a 4-0 victory.

Cameron went 9-7 with a 2.99 ERA in 24 starts last season and finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year award voting. The 27-year-old threw 6 1/3 no-hit innings in his major league debut on April 30, 2025, for a 3-0 win at Tampa Bay.

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

The S&P 500 rallied 1.7% and more than recovered its drop from the day before, which was its worst in seven weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 613 points, or 1.2%. The Nasdaq composite, which is full of artificial-intelligence stocks, rallied 2.8% a day after it fell 9.8% below its record set last month.

Microsoft led the way and leaped 15.5% for its best day in nearly 18 years after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Growth was strong for its Azure cloud business, and CEO Satya Nadella said it reflects how customers are using Microsoft to move into AI.

Perhaps just as importantly for Wall Street, Microsoft did not announce a big increase in how much it plans to spend on AI investments, something that several other Big Tech rivals have done. Worries are high that such spending is eating into companies’ cash flows and may not ultimately be worth it if AI does not produce as much productivity and profits as promised.

Meta Platforms helped demonstrate such fears after falling 8%. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, even though it made slightly more in revenue than expected. It also raised the lower end of its forecasted range for spending on investments this year.

Companies involved in the making of the computer memory and processors that such “hyperscalers” are buying to power their AI efforts rose Thursday, recovering some of the big losses they’ve taken on worries their stock prices shot too high in the euphoria around AI.

Micron Technology jumped 18.4%, for example, to trim its loss for the week to 5%. It was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500 after Microsoft.

Lam Research, a supplier to the semiconductor industry, soared 18% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Chip giant Advanced Micro Devices rallied 13%.

On the losing end of Wall Street was Jersey Mike’s Subs. The sandwich chain’s stock fell 6% in its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 121.48 to 7,437.63. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 613.92 to 52,208.06, and the Nasdaq composite leaped 679.24 to 25,122.18.

In the bond market, longer-term Treasury yields held steadier following their sharp accelerations Wednesday. They had jumped after the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, gave few clues about what the central bank will do with interest rates to combat the painfully high inflation that continues to hurt the country.

Higher rates could keep a lid on inflation, but they can also slow the economy and undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury was 4.67%, the same as late Wednesday. The 30-year Treasury yield ticked up to 5.22% from 5.20%, a day after it shot up from 5.09%. Those yields move with investors’ expectations for inflation and economic growth in upcoming years.

Warsh reaffirmed on Wednesday the Fed wants to get inflation back to 2%, even though the central bank decided not to raise interest rates despite inflation remaining higher than that. He also implied the bond market may already be doing some of the Fed’s work to restrain inflation, and he pointed to how yields have climbed since the central bank’s last meeting six weeks earlier.

That leaves investors questioning whether the Fed is prepared to act if inflation worsens, or whether it is relying on financial markets to achieve the same outcome, according to Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Asset Management.

“If investors conclude that the latter is true, the credibility of the Fed’s inflation-fighting commitment could come under increasing scrutiny. Arguably, it already is.”

President Donald Trump, who nominated Warsh to lead the Fed, has lobbied for lower interest rates even though they could cause inflation to accelerate.

Reports released Thursday suggested the U.S. economy’s growth slowed by more during the spring than economists expected. A measure of Inflation, meanwhile, remained worse last month than the Federal Reserve’s target, but it slowed from May’s level.

In the oil market, prices eased. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.4% to settle at $86.88 per barrel.

It had swung as low as $72 early this month and as high as $102 last week on uncertainty about whether the United States and Iran could reach a deal to allow oil tankers to move freely again from the Middle East to customers worldwide.

In stock markets worldwide, indexes were mixed in Europe and Asia. South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.2%, and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.9% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

Seoul’s market has been at the center of AI’s huge swings because it’s dominated by two tech titans, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. After more than doubling through this year’s first six months, the Kospi has plunged 34% so far in July.

Its drop on Thursday came as Samsung Electronics dipped 0.7%. The tech giant reported a record profit for the spring and said demand for its chips continues to outpace supply, but its earnings nevertheless fell shy of analysts’ high expectations.

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

Following a few days of respite, fears of a wider war have grown, with renewed fighting threatening to engulf even more countries. Jordan said Thursday it intercepted Iranian missiles for the second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike in the northern part of the country killed one person. Also this week, drones caused fires on ships at an Egyptian port, and Saudi Arabia said it came under fire from Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

The war — which in its early days President Donald Trump said would last four to five weeks, although he warned it could take longer — has caused the price of fuel to spike and roiled the global economy. As months have passed, concerns have deepened about using up the stockpile of weapons the U.S. needs to defend its bases and allies.

The war is unpopular among Americans, and a new AP-NORC poll says Trump’s approval rating on Iran has dipped slightly since last month.

The recent pause in fighting, which began over the weekend and spurred hopes among mediators of diplomatic progress, ended with increasing missile and drone attacks across many countries in the Middle East.

“We note with concern that the security situation remains precarious,” said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, whose country has been a key mediator.

Talks “are ongoing to normalize the situation, particularly the situation in the Strait of Hormuz,” he told reporters.

The US and Iran trade strikes

An Iranian strike hit a Chinese firm’s building in Kuwait on Thursday, severely damaging the structure and killing a worker, Kuwait’s military said, hours after Jordan’s air defenses shot down five missiles launched from Iran.

No injuries were reported from Jordan’s interception, the country's state-run Petra news agency said, quoting the spokesman for the country’s armed forces. Both Jordan and Kuwait host American troops.

The attacks came after the U.S. military said it completed “a heavy wave of strikes against Iran” in response to an earlier Iranian missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.

U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces struck dozens of targets belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance and defense sites.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said three people were killed and two were wounded in a strike on the island of Qeshm, which lies off the Iranian mainland in the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial waterway for the world's energy supplies that has been at the center of the conflict.

The latest barrage came after the U.S. partnered with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to strike Iran-backed militias in Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers.

Fires reported on two natural gas vessels at an Egyptian port

Also on Wednesday, British maritime security firm Ambrey said drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the strikes on a U.S.-owned floating storage facility and a Greek-owned tanker. No injuries were reported.

The office of the Egyptian prime minister said initial investigations showed the fires had been caused by a drone. In a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said investigators were able to recover traces of the drone and will try to determine where it came from.

Egypt, a close U.S. ally and regional mediator, has until now been spared direct military action during the war. A strike by Iran or its allies, if confirmed, would mark a significant widening of the conflict. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have denied they were behind the attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi didn't outright deny Iranian involvement but said: “Egypt is an important friend and partner in the region, and its security is of utmost importance to us.”

"We must all be vigilant against Israeli plots and false-flag operations designed to undermine regional peace," he said on X. “The threat is clear, mutual, and fearful of Muslim solidarity.”

The war has wreaked havoc on the global economy

The conflict has wreaked havoc on the global economy as energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have ground to a near halt. Much of the diplomacy around ending the war has focused on reopening the strait, through which 20% of oil and natural gas shipments passed in peacetime.

The already limited traffic through the strait has plunged to wartime lows during the recent exchange of strikes, from 82 ships during the week of July 13-19 to just 39 from July 20-26, Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a shipping data and analysis firm, said in an webinar.

Fighting elsewhere has squeezed energy supplies further.

Saudi Arabia has accused Iraqi militias of firing drones against its oil facilities over the past days. An umbrella group of Iraqi militias initially denied the allegations, while the Houthi rebels said they had attacked Saudi energy facilities as part of a separate but related conflict.

The Houthis have also declared a blockade of Saudi shipping and threatened to choke off another crucial Middle East trade route, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden. That route became even more important during the war, as Saudi Arabia used it to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

While some Saudi oil exports are continuing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait despite the blockade, Lloyd’s List Intelligence said much of that oil now follows an expensive and time-consuming workaround: It travels from Saudi Arabia on tankers to the Egyptian city of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea coast before being pumped overland through a pipeline to the Mediterranean port of Sidi Kerir. Then it's loaded on tankers again.

The Suez Canal is not deep enough to handle the largest and most economical tankers when they are fully loaded with oil.

Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman met Wednesday with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly about the private meetings.

They said the Saudi decision to join the U.S. attacks against the Iraqi militias was meant to send a message to Iran that the kingdom would not tolerate Iran or its proxies targeting the Saudi oil industry and other critical infrastructure. At the same time, the defense minister underscored to Trump and Vance that the Saudis want to see a de-escalation in the war and for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations.

___

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Aamer Madhani in Washington; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Fatma Khaled in Cairo; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.

One of his former teammates is expecting it, too.

Hines-Allen, one of Jacksonville’s longest-tenured players behind punter Logan Cooke, is unquestionably a cornerstone player for the Jaguars. He broke the franchise’s all-time sack record last year and came in ranked as the league’s No. 48 player in the NFL 100 this season.

Hines-Allen expects quite a bit from himself. Opposing players are on board with a big season from Hines-Allen, too.

“I actually got, surprisingly, great text this morning from [Ravens DL] Calais Campbell,” Hines-Allen said. “Right before I went out to practice, man, he said, ‘I love you, Josh. You’re going to lead the league in sacks this year.’ For me, it’s just even more validation that I’m on the right path mentally.”

More Jaguars coverage

Thursday’s training camp notebook

Full interview: Jaguars CB Buster Brown

Full interview: Jaguars S Eric Murray

Sights and sounds from Thursday at training camp

News4JAGs: What we saw and heard at training camp on Thursday

Hines-Allen had 17.5 sacks in a contract year in 2023. His sack totals dipped to eight the following two seasons. But sack totals don’t tell the full picture of Hines-Allen’s effectiveness. His 80 quarterback pressures last year were tied for fourth in the NFL last season. This year, it’s all about finishing those pressures with sacks.

“I always tell the guys, man, football, when you get to a point, pass rushing becomes reactionary,” Hines-Allen said.

“You come in with a plan, you rush with a plan, but if your plan doesn’t work, what is your reaction to it? Because everybody loses, but when that person stops you, what does it look like? How do you respond to that? And I think that’s what kind of makes those split-second decisions a lot faster, so do what you have to do.”

Hines-Allen said that he’s appreciative of his peers from around the league recognizing how much he works on his craft, but that he’s not done ascending just yet.

“I’m appreciative, but I play the game to be the best in the world, so it’s just a step closer I would say. But it’s motivating and I just have to keep it up,” he said.

QB tracker

Trevor Lawrence: 7 for 13, interception.

Nick Mullens: 8 for 12, interception.

Carter Bradley: 1 for 2.

Joey Aguilar: 0 for 2.

RB tracker

Bhayshul Tuten: Seven carries, all with Trevor Lawrence.

LeQuint Allen Jr.: Two carries, both with Lawrence.

Ameer Abdullah: Five carries, all from Nick Mullens.

DeeJay Dallas: Three carries, all from Mullens.

J’Mari Taylor: Two carries; 1 from Carter Bradley and 1 from Joey Aguilar.

Kick tracker

Cam Little: 4-4.

Play of the day

• Offensive standout: Parker Washington was on one. No. 11 was up to his normal antics at this point. Just making big plays. Washington and Lawrence just have a different level of connection. Washington’s best play came on a back shoulder throw from Lawrence that saw Buster Brown all over him in coverage. Washington was able to get back around and make the play.
• Defensive standout: Rayuan Lane came up with an interception off Lawrence. That is an interception on both days of camp so far for QB1. But more importantly for Lane, it was a really nice play. Lane had crazy turnover production in college. Last season, he was a standout on special teams. Now, could he find a way to force his name into the competition at safety? Maybe. If he keeps making plays like that, I wouldn’t sleep on it.
• Injury update: Jack Kiser has a right knee injury, and he will return before the end of camp.
• Worth watching: Ventrell Miller and Caleb Ransaw both got checked on by the trainers at points during practice. Both were able to return to the field, but it is something worth keeping an eye on.
• Ventrell Miller came up with an interception during practice off Nick Mullens. Making plays like that will be huge for Miller. When he has had opportunities to play, it was routine to see him knife into the backfield to make stops in the running game. If he can show he can make plays against the pass as well, that will lock him in as a starter.
• Another day, another Travon Walker sack. Coen challenged Walker to wreck his practice. He hasn’t quite wrecked it, but I would say for sure that he has caused problems.
• One of the biggest unknowns in the Jaguars draft class is Zach Durfee. He was ESPN’s Prospect X. Well, he flashed some pass rush juice. Getting a quick win that would have let him sack Lawrence.

More Jaguars coverage

Thursday’s training camp notebook

Full interview: Jaguars CB Buster Brown

Full interview: Jaguars S Eric Murray

Sights and sounds from Thursday at training camp

News4JAGs: What we saw and heard at training camp on Thursday

News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.

Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.

NON-PARTISAN CANDIDATES

Gregory Pelham

Occupation: Retired from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office after 16 years of service as a Case Manager for Teen Court, Pastor, and 40 years in Ministry

Age: (No response)

Family: Married to Valerie Jones-Pelham, we have 7 children, 12 grandchildren, I have done a great job spoiling them. I am blessed to have 2 sisters and one brother and over 70 nieces, and nephews who have children of their own.

Education: Continuing Education

Political experience: (No response)

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

Finance and Budget, Student Academics, Truancy and Vocational Ed., Teacher Pay, School Closings.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I have over 30 years’ experience in the Education Field, from community involvement to working in schools, participating on many boards working directly with students and staff to facilitate a structure that assists our students to be successful in their future endeavors no matter what their current situation may be.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

Being an advocate for Parents, Students, and Community concerns, to always listen to the concerns that are presented.

Campaign website: None given

Campaign social media: Facebook

Sarah Rockwell

Occupation: I do not have a job outside serving as a school board member. Our school district has my complete focus. Previously, I have worked as a teacher, educational consultant for a DOE grant, adjunct professor, and academic advisor.

Age: 44

Family: My husband, Alex Rockwell, and I have two children. Devin is 16 and starting full time dual enrollment at Santa Fe College. Charlotte is 12 and attending Lincoln Middle School. Both of oir children have disabilities.

Education: I have bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Special Education from the University of Florida, concentrating on early childhood disabilities, reading disabilities, and Autism.

Political experience: I am currently serving on the Alachua County School Board for District 3. Prior to running for school board, I was involved in research, community service, and advocacy, working with Indivisible Gainesville, Babywearing International, and the Council for Exceptional Children.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

My top issue is improving academic achievement. Alachua county has very high racial and disability achievement gaps. We have made strides to narrow these gaps by introducing a science of reading based phonics program in grades K-2 and hiring reading and math specialists to support teachers. We need to continue this work, strengthening our classroom instruction and intervention programs.

Fiscal responsibility is also a critical issue. Increases to public education funding have not kept pace with inflation. In order to invest in students and the staff that directly support them, we must become more efficient and make tough choices. So far, we have saved approximately $2M per year by improving transportation efficiency and rezoning schools. We expect that number to increase to approximately $4M if planned changes continue over the next two years.

Finally, I am focused on advocating for strategic operations. Alachua County Public Schools serves about 25,000 students with a total budget of over half a million dollars. We are not a small district, and we need to stop operating like we are. When I joined the board, the majority of departments lacked standard operating procedures and there was no mechanism to ensure that district-wide initiatives were implemented at every school. In the last year, we have made significant improvements, including developing a district-wide multi-tiered system of supports to identify struggling students and provide them supports in a timely manner. I am committed to continuing this work.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I have a proven track record of increasing the number of A and B schools, decreasing the number of failing schools, and narrowing the racial achievement gap. I am committed to investing $100M into capital improvements in East Gainesville, including Citizen’s Field and Lincoln. My opponent has stated that he is against these projects. I am also willing to make tough choices to direct more of our general fund budget to staff and students.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I want to be remembered as a board member who invested in improving previously neglected rural and East Gainesville facilities. I also want to be remembered as someone who helped close achievement gaps and brought Alachua County back to being an A rated district.

Campaign website: drsarahforschools.com

Campaign social media: Facebook

News4JAX sent a questionnaire to each candidate asking about their background and their views on several issues. Scroll down to read the responses of those seeking your vote in their own words.

Note: Responses are sorted alphabetically and are presented exactly as submitted, with no editing by News4JAX staff.

NON-PARTISAN CANDIDATES

Gerald Beasley

Occupation: Clay County District Schools, Locksmith

Age: (No response)

Family: (No response)

Education: Associate’s degree

Political experience: Very little.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

1. Safety and security of students. 2. Making sure every student has the opportunity to receive the best education possible. 3. Budget.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I have been employed on the support side of the school district for over 14 years. As a locksmith I am in every building, every office and every classroom. I look, I watch and I listen. During the years of my employment with the school district there has never been anyone on the school board from the support or operations side. It is astounding how much money funnels through this side of the district. I want to know where and how it is really being spent. I see things I don’t agree with.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

My number 1 item is Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs offered by our school district. These programs are absolutely wonderful for the students that are not college minded. If utilized, they will prepare the students for wonderful jobs with certain certifications right out of high school. The problem I am seeing is the students are not being properly motivated to look past high school and are not engaging in these programs during their high school years. I have talked with some past students, and they have said they highly regret not taking advantage of the CTE programs. They wish they could go back and do things differently. My goal will be to make sure all students understand what actually happens after high school making sure they are too late for a great career and life.

Campaign website: (None given)

Campaign social media: Facebook

Ashley Gilhousen

Occupation: Registered Nurse and Director of Programs, Seamark Ranch

Age: 41

Family: Husband, Adam, three sons, Aiden, Brantley, and Caleb.

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University of North Florida

Political experience: Elected 2014, 2018, and 2022 Clay County School Board Member District 5

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

I believe the three biggest issues facing our district are financial sustainability, attracting and retaining exceptional employees, and maintaining academic excellence while preparing for continued growth.

Like school districts across Florida, we are facing significant budget constraints driven by inflation and uncertainty in state funding. We must continue making strategic, fiscally responsible decisions that protect classrooms, prioritize student learning, and maximize every taxpayer dollar.

We must also continue investing in our greatest asset—our people. Recruiting and retaining outstanding teachers, support staff, and bus drivers requires competitive compensation, a positive work environment, and reducing unnecessary burdens so employees can focus on serving students.

Finally, as Clay County grows, we must continue improving student achievement while planning responsibly for facilities, transportation, and workforce needs. Our strategic plan provides a strong roadmap, and I will continue using data-driven decision-making, long-range planning, and transparent governance to ensure every student has access to a safe, high-quality education while protecting the financial stability of our district.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I offer a unique combination of experience, professional expertise, and a proven record of results. Over the past decade on the School Board, I’ve helped lead Clay County Schools through periods of growth, financial challenges, and significant academic progress while maintaining a strong focus on fiscal responsibility and student success.

Beyond my board service, my experience as a registered nurse, former classroom teacher, and Director of Programs at Seamark Ranch gives me firsthand insight into the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children and families. Those perspectives help me evaluate decisions through multiple lenses—not just policy, but their real-world impact on students, parents, and educators.

Voters deserve leaders who understand both governance and education. I bring institutional knowledge, strong community relationships, and a demonstrated ability to make thoughtful, data-driven decisions while remaining accessible and accountable to the families I serve. My commitment is to continue building on the progress we’ve made while ensuring Clay County Schools remains academically strong, financially sound, and responsive to the needs of our community.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

When my service is complete, I hope to be remembered for leaving Clay County Schools stronger than I found it. I want to have helped build a district known for academic excellence, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, safe schools, and a culture where teachers feel valued and students are prepared to succeed in whatever path they choose.

I also hope to be remembered as a leader who listened well, made thoughtful decisions based on facts rather than politics, and always put students first. I believe school board members are temporary stewards of a public trust, and our responsibility is to make decisions that will benefit future generations—not just solve today’s challenges.

Most importantly, I hope families look back and say their children received an outstanding education in Clay County because our board had the courage to plan ahead, manage resources wisely, and remain focused on what matters most: helping every child reach their God-given potential while respecting parents as their children’s first and most important teachers.

Campaign website: (None given)

Campaign social media: Facebook

Veronica Powell-Faison

Occupation: I honorably served in the United States Navy for 10.5 years and got out in 2012. Since then, I have been a stay-at-home mom.

Age: 42

Family: My family consists of my husband, Carlos, and our 5 amazing children, ranging in age from 28 to 13. I am a full-time caregiver for my mother, and we have 2 beautiful granddaughters.

Education: I hold an Associate’s in Science in General Studies from City University of Seattle

I hold a Bachelor’s in Business Administration Major in Management from Strayer University (Summa Cum Laude)

I am in pursuit of a Master’s in Business Administration from Western Governors University

Political experience: I have no political experience.

What do you see as the top three issues in this race, and how do you plan to address them?

The three top issues in this race that I see are: students safety, teachers pay and retention, and curriculum transparency/accountability. Here is how I plan on addressing these issues, If elected I will approach every issue with an open mind, a willingness to listen, and a commitment to collaboration. My goal is not to represent one group or one viewpoint, but to serve all students, families, teachers, and all taxpayers across Clay County.

How can you help voters in a way that others running for this office cannot?

I can help voters by being willing to compromise when appropriate, standing firm when necessary, and always keeping the best interests of our community at the center in every decision.

What would you hope to be remembered for accomplishing after serving in this office?

I would hope to be remembered for helping to retain our teachers, for keeping students safe and engaged in a curriculum that benefits their future selves, while remaining as transparent and accountable as possible.

Campaign website: www.v4ccsb.org

Campaign social media: Facebook

We’ll start the day with a mix of sun and clouds and a hot, humid afternoon, with temperatures climbing into the mid-90s.

Most locations stay dry through much of the day, but scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop after 5 p.m. as the sea breeze moves inland.

Some storms could produce frequent lightning, torrential downpours, and gusty winds before gradually winding down overnight.

Looking ahead, the pattern remains typical for late July into the weekend, with highs in the lower to middle 90s, muggy mornings, and daily afternoon and evening thunderstorms becoming increasingly widespread Saturday and Sunday.

Investigators say Jodie Cannon, 26, of Florahome, was arrested July 21 after doctors determined her 6-week-old infant had suffered from medical neglect. Just over a week later, three more adults living in the same home were taken into custody following a search warrant that deputies say revealed deplorable living conditions, including black mold, rotting floors and animal feces throughout the residence.

The initial arrest

The case began July 7, when a Department of Children and Families caseworker called rescue to have Cannon’s infant evaluated after concerns about weight loss and a severe diaper rash. Before rescue arrived, Cannon was asked whether she wanted to take the child to a doctor — she refused.

When rescue personnel arrived at the home, they requested Cannon not ride with them to the hospital due to concerns of neglect.

At the hospital, investigators say doctors found the infant had a low heart rate, low body temperature and dangerously low weight. The child had dropped below the fifth percentile in weight, and doctors determined the infant could have died without medical intervention, according to deputies. Despite being offered help, they say Cannon again declined medical assistance.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Cannon told detectives a pediatrician had advised her to switch formulas, but that the doctor’s office had closed and the baby had not been seen again despite continued weight loss.

A warrant for Cannon’s arrest was issued July 20. She was charged with aggravated child neglect with great bodily harm and child neglect, then booked into the Putnam County Jail.

The infant was released from the hospital into DCF care and is expected to recover, according to investigators.

Search warrant uncovers dangerous conditions: PSCO

On July 29, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office detectives, working alongside the agency’s SWAT team, executed a search warrant on Nettles Road in Florahome — the home Cannon shared with her newborn, two other children, the children’s biological father and her mother, stepfather and another child.

Investigators say what they found inside shocked them.

Detectives described “deplorable living conditions,” including unsafe ceiling repairs painted over to hide visible black mold, water-rotted floors in multiple rooms, animal feces throughout the home and swarms of flies. At the entry of a living room, detectives were told a child had been sleeping on a mattress swarming with flies. Busted pipes had caused floors to rot in several areas, including a bathroom. The room where the children’s biological father stayed had uneaten food on dishes, along with flies and cockroaches.

Putnam County Code Enforcement also responded to the residence during the search.

Three more adults charged

Following the search, detectives charged Melissa Keal, 50, Cannon’s biological mother; John Keal, 52, Cannon’s stepfather; and Jordan Wilson, 30, the biological father of the children, each with child neglect.

Prosecutors with the Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, who had been in contact with detectives throughout the investigation, say they determined all three should be charged as adult household members who failed to provide the child with the care, supervision and services necessary to maintain the child’s physical and mental health.

During Cannon’s initial arrest, detectives said they did not have enough evidence of neglectful conditions to remove an adopted child belonging to Melissa Keal at that time. During the July 29 search warrant, that child was removed by DCF. Following Cannon’s earlier arrest, her three children in her custody had already been removed from the home by DCF.

Deputies say the case remains active and additional charges related to neglect of the other children are possible for all four adults.

‘Words cannot describe the house of horrors’

Sheriff DeLoach did not mince words when describing what his deputies found inside the Nettles Road home.

“Words cannot describe the house of horrors these children were living,” DeLoach said. “Animal feces and urine everywhere, black mold, flies – small children trying to navigate hazardous flooring conditions – and the sad part is they have grown around all of this, not knowing they were dealt the absolute worst conditions I can imagine living in a First World country.”

“I applaud those who have stepped up to show these young children what a safe home, family and love should look like,” DeLoach said. “The children and the foster parents caring for them have a long road ahead of them.”

Animals surrendered

Four dogs and three kittens living in the home were voluntarily surrendered to Putnam County Animal Services. Officials said the animals will be evaluated and placed for adoption in healthy homes. Because the animals were surrendered voluntarily, detectives are not pursuing animal neglect charges.