Zelenskyy said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in their overnight attack on the southeastern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia, where local officials said six people were killed and 19 wounded.

A further three people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed by Russian drones and artillery in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, local authorities said.

Russia has received additional ballistic missiles from Pyongyang and is preparing to deploy more North Korean troops, Zelenskyy said late Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement just over two years ago. It vows mutual aid if either country faces aggression.

Kim has sent thousands of troops and huge supplies of weapons to support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Some experts say the engagement with Moscow is helping improve North Korea’s military capabilities, and Zelenskyy warned that the battlefield experience would help Pyongyang menace other countries in its region.

Ukraine says Russia is scaling up its production of ballistic missiles, aiming to exploit Kyiv’s critical shortage of Patriot air defense interceptors that can stop them, and claims Moscow is readying an increase in recruitment for a new push on the front line that stretches 1,250 kilometers (775 miles) along eastern and southern Ukraine.

“Every step Russia takes — increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilization — all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war have fizzled as Washington grew frustrated with the lack of progress toward a settlement and its attention turned to the Iran war.

“The Kremlin will not enter serious negotiations or make meaningful compromises on its demands as long as Putin believes that he has a viable military path to achieving his full objectives,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in an analysis late Monday.

“Ukraine’s Patriot shortages offer Russia an opportunity to cause very serious damage to Ukraine over the coming winter and will therefore contribute to delaying meaningful negotiations and protracting the war,” it said.

Russia hits the grounds of a Kyiv children's hospital

Russian forces also struck parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, overnight, according to officials. One strike hit the grounds of a children’s hospital, leaving two craters and shattering windows, the State Emergency Service said. Children and medical workers were in bomb shelters and nobody was hurt, it added.

At another location in the capital, a Russian strike started a fire in a warehouse that spread across about 1,200 square meters (nearly 13,000 square feet), according to emergency officials.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces overnight struck “military industrial facilities and transport and logistics centers” in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia with “ground-based precision weapons.”

It said in a statement Tuesday that it hit civilian storage facilities in Kyiv that were housing drones and a metallurgical plant in the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Russia targeted Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv with Zircon anti-ship missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles, while launching 120 long-range strike drones of various types across the country, Ukraine’s air force said.

Russia's biggest e-commerce company hit again

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defenses overnight intercepted almost 400 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions and occupied Crimea.

Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, said in a statement that its logistical facilities in the Voronezh region on the border with Ukraine came under attack and caught fire, but it said the fire has been extinguished. It said goods stored at the facilities were “largely undamaged.”

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Wildberries warehouses and has also bombarded Russian oil facilities in what it says is a strategy to compel Putin to negotiate an end to the invasion.

Ukraine’s General Staff said that overnight, its forces struck the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia’s Orenburg region, about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine’s border, causing a fire.

The refinery, which has an annual processing capacity of about 44 million barrels of crude oil, produces gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, among other petroleum products. The extent of the damage was being assessed, the military said.

___

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

For the first wave highlighted in orange closest to Africa:

A tropical wave is expected to move off the west coast of Africa today. Gradual development will be possible and a tropical depression could form during the second half of next week while the system moves westward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.

Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 30 percent.

Formation chance through 7 days...medium...70 percent.

For the second wave west of the wave mentioned above:

A broad area of disturbed weather associated with a tropical wave is located a few hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Some gradual development is possible during the early to middle part of next week while the disturbance moves westward across the central tropical Atlantic. Upper level winds are expected to become much less conducive for development later in the week when the system approaches the Lesser Antilles.

Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.

Formation chance through 7 days...low...20 percent.

For the third wave closest to the United States...

A trough of low pressure located a few hundred miles west-northwest of Bermuda is producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. Some development of this system is possible during the next couple of days while it moves quickly eastward, well to the north of Bermuda across the western and central subtropical Atlantic. The system is forecast to reach cooler waters later this week, ending its chances of formation after Wednesday.

Formation chance through 48 hours...low...10 percent.

Formation chance through 7 days...low...10 percent.

The next named 2026 storm will be Cristobal. Hurricane season ends on November 30.

2026 Update

On August 6, NOAA released their 2026 hurricane season update, which downgraded their initial predictions from May. Read here.

He loved family bike rides, Mario Kart race nights, silly games, creative rainy day projects, spontaneous trips to Disney World and ice cream cake on his birthday.

But his youngest daughter, London, won’t get to experience those memory-making moments with her father. She was just 6 months old when Bridegan, 33, was killed two days after Valentine’s Day in 2022.

Her sister, Bexley, who was 2 years old at the time, was with their dad when he was ambushed and shot while driving home from dropping off his two oldest children at their mother’s home in Ponte Vedra Beach.

In the years since, prosecutors have described the deadly shooting as a murder-for-hire plot, which they say was orchestrated by Bridegan’s ex-wife and her second husband.

As the first of three trials in the case gets underway with jury selection this week, News4JAX wanted to highlight what family members and friends have shared about who Jared Bridegan was before that fateful February day.

His widow, Kirsten, has publicly shared memories of Jared on the JusticeforJaredB Instagram page since his death, and we have leaned heavily on those posts and information from his obituary in this report.

View this post on Instagram

“I want people to know WHO Jared was,” Kirsten Bridegan wrote. “I want his memory to live on. I want his life to mean something for those who didn’t get the chance to know him like we all did.”

Early life

Jared Galen Bridegan was born on June 29, 1988, as the youngest of four siblings to Gaylord and JoAnn Bridegan in Warrensburg, Missouri.

As a child, Bridegan moved with his family to Jacksonville, and he graduated from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in 2007. He later attended Utah Valley University, earning a bachelor’s degree in digital media in 2014 with an emphasis in cinema production.

While he was studying in Utah, Bridegan met and married his first wife, Shanna Gardner, in 2010. They had twin children, a boy and a girl, and divorced in 2015.

NOTE: For privacy reasons, we will refer to Bridegan’s eldest daughter as A.B. and her twin brother as L.B.

Two years later, when the twins were 4 years old, Bridegan met his second wife, Kirsten, on a dating app. They married in October 2017 and had two daughters together by 2021. In one of her posts, Kirsten reflected on the short time she had with her husband.

View this post on Instagram

“If I could have known what would happen 5 short years after meeting you, I’d still say yes,” she wrote.

Professionally, Bridegan had a longtime interest in videography and became an accomplished user experience designer. He worked as senior UX designer at Canopy, director of UX at Web.com, chief technology officer at Clean Simple Eats, and, at the time of his death, was a senior design manager at Microsoft.

‘The best dad’

Jared Bridegan’s highest purpose was at home in his role as husband and father.

“Jared was quiet, full of love, and one of the best fathers you can imagine,” his father, Gaylord, said in a 2023 statement.

Jared and Kirsten lived with their daughters in St. Augustine, while Gardner and her second husband, Mario Fernandez, lived in Ponte Vedra Beach with the twins when they had custody.

In interviews with News4JAX in the weeks after the shooting, Kirsten Bridegan said Jared built his life around his children.

“The minute you met him you just fell in love with the kind of guy he was,” she said in March 2022.

In one of her Instagram posts, Kirsten shared a video of L.B. on Jared’s last birthday in June 2021, describing what he liked about his dad as little Bexley sat on his lap and he fed her Jared’s traditional ice cream cake birthday treat.

“If I try to take apart something or if it doesn’t work, he always cheers me up and either turns it into something better than I thought or he would cheer me up and make me feel better,” L.B. said. “He is also very kind to others, and when people are mean to me, he would always stand up for me.”

In another post, Kirsten shared a video from a previous Father’s Day that shows Jared reading A.B.’s “Fun Facts About Dad.” A.B. wrote “I love my dad because he’s the best,” and said cuddling was her favorite thing to do with Jared.

Bexley also had a special relationship with Jared and “followed him around everywhere.”

“She was a total daddy’s girl and soaked up every second she got to spend with him,” Kirsten wrote.

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A post shared by Justiceforjaredb (@justiceforjaredb)

But love wasn’t all about snuggles for Jared. It was also about learning.

The do-it-yourself “jack of all trades” poured hours into projects meant to give his children a place to imagine and be kids – like a laser tag arena in the garage -- and he often got the children involved.

When Kirsten mentioned she wanted to grow fresh strawberries and vegetables, Jared built her garden boxes, then pulled in the twins so they could learn and work beside him.

“This is the kind of Dad Jared was,” Kirsten wrote on Instagram. “They loved working in the garage with Dad.”

Then, there was the playhouse.

Jared created the labor of love from the ground up -- dropping a handful of rare curse words along the way. It took countless hours over a few weeks and lots of trips to the yard during breaks between work meetings.

Jared built the frame, hauled and hung cement siding and got cuts on his hands from the roofing materials. And after it was done, he had to cut the roof off when the family’s HOA complained that “the beautiful pitched roof popped over our fence by less than a foot,” Kirsten wrote.

“But, he wanted to give his kids a place to imagine, to create, to be kids - so he did it. He changed the roof, he hung pictures inside, he let me paint the door blue and ‘girly it up’ a bit. He even put house numbers on it and a welcome mat outside the door,” Kirsten shared. “When I say he was ‘the best dad’ it’s because I mean it. He was. Nobody did more for their children than him, me included.”

But the projects weren’t just for the children, he also made handcrafted wooden beams for a master bedroom ceiling, built a custom fireplace and office desk, shiplapped walls and more.

Kirsten and Jared loved tackling home projects together, often with country music or old-school punk playing. When they built that custom fireplace in 2020, they left a note on the studs before closing the wall.

And Jared wasn’t shy about offering his skills to his neighbors.

“He was also the guy in the neighborhood who would loan you his tools and then show up to help you with your project,” his obituary said.

Focus on faith

Those closest to him said faith shaped the way Jared Bridegan tried to live -- and parent.

In a note shared on social media and in his obituary, his family described priorities that guided his decisions: his relationship with his Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, his marriage to Kirsten, and the privilege of being a father.

“Jared found joy in serving others and teaching his children to do the same,” Kirsten wrote.

He also served as a Sunday School teacher in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, teaching 11- and 12-year-olds.

His obituary said youth expressed gratitude for the fun he brought through creative object lessons and humorous stories as he taught them about his faith.

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A post shared by Justiceforjaredb (@justiceforjaredb)

He shared those same lessons with his own children.

In a note to A.B. just months before he was killed, Jared wrote:

“Every good thing in my life has come the closer I follow Christ. Follow him and you’ll always be happy.”

“He took every opportunity to teach his kids about the power of Jesus Christ and encouraged them to make decisions in life based on His teachings,” Kirsten wrote in the post sharing Jared’s note to A.B. “Every good thing in life he credited to his Savior and tried to be better every day as a result.”

That faith has been something his widow and children have clung to in the years since Jared’s murder.

Kirsten often shares about the comfort of the family’s belief that “we will see him again.”

“We’re all looking forward to that reunion,” she wrote.

But she acknowledged that explaining to her young daughters why their dad isn’t here with them has been difficult.

She wrote that shortly after Jared was killed, Bexley asked: “Why is Daddy with God?” and “Why couldn’t Daddy get better?”

Worst nightmare

Again, Bexley was with her father on Feb. 16, 2022, when he was shot and killed while driving home after dropping the twins off at Gardner’s Ponte Vedra Beach home.

Kirsten recalled what it was like that night in a previous interview with News4JAX, saying when Jared hadn’t arrived home by 8:30 p.m. like usual, she tried to reach him, but he wasn’t responding to her calls or texts.

She had a gut feeling something wasn’t right, so she started driving his route to see if maybe he’d been in an accident with Bexley.

“I took the route we normally take to get to the beach,” she said. “And I kept calling his phone. And then one of the policemen answered it. And that’s when I knew my gut feeling was right and something was really wrong.”

The officer didn’t answer her when she asked if Jared was OK. He just told her Bexley was alright and waiting for her at the Jacksonville Beach Police Station.

“Details of that night are still so vivid,” Kirsten wrote on Instagram. “I remember finally seeing Bexley at the station - wrapped in a blanket a bystander had given her and coloring at a table with an officer. Other than a small toy and a coloring book, there wasn’t much for her to do or eat and drink. Stations just aren’t equipped with that.”

Thanks to Kirsten and Bexley’s efforts, a growing number of them now are, but more on that later.

View this post on Instagram

Investigators have since explained that Jared’s route home through the Sanctuary neighborhood in Jacksonville Beach was interrupted by a tire left in the road. When he got out of the SUV to move it, he was shot at close range near the driver’s door.

Police said it was “a miracle” that Bexley, who was strapped into her car seat in the back, was not hit.

In interviews with other news outlets, Kirsten said Bexley described the loud noise of the gunfire, calling it “the boom.”

“She says, “Boom! Boom! Boom! Daddy on the ground,’” Kirsten explained.

Neighbors’ surveillance cameras from the Sanctuary subdivision caught the sound of those gunshots just before 8 p.m.

Kirsten said it was several minutes after the gunfire when bystanders found Jared on the ground by the black Volkswagen Atlas and Bexley still strapped into her car seat.

A kind stranger pulled the little girl out of the SUV and wrapped her in a blanket.

“She was terrified and so, so confused,” Kirsten wrote on Instagram.

‘Light always wins’

Bexley’s experience in the aftermath of her family’s gut-wrenching loss led Kirsten toward a purpose, and “Bexley Boxes” were born.

Each curated kit, designed like a large toy box with a hinged lid, includes simple toys, blankets, snacks, diapers and other necessities to make sure that stations are equipped to comfort children when the unthinkable happens.

A local social worker helped Kirsten add a card for the underside of the lid that gives first responders quick tips for interacting with traumatized children.

“I know that will make such an impact on their experience,” Kirsten wrote.

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A post shared by Justiceforjaredb (@justiceforjaredb)

The initiative, which began as a simple social media ask, blossomed into The Bridegan Foundation, which has placed dozens of boxes across Florida and in other states.

Kirsten’s goal now is to get a box in every station in the country and to make sure they’re resupplied as needed.

“Being able to find something good in this horror is such a blessing to our family” Kirsten wrote. “This is what Jared would’ve wanted. He would want us to smile, to spread happiness, to help others.”

Earlier this year, just before what would have been Jared’s 37^th birthday, the community dedicated a Japanese maple tree and a plaque in his honor in the Sanctuary neighborhood where he died.

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“A place once marked by tragedy now testifies of healing,” Kirsten wrote.

She also highlighted the addition of streetlights in 2023 to the stretch of road where Jared was killed.

“They not only light up the once dark stretch of road, but stand as a symbol of what happens when people choose to stand up and stand together. Of how we can respond when something breaks,” she wrote. “Of how light always wins.”

U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement alongside representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Postal Service.

“This is a killer blow to this organization,” Kehoe said.

The charges

The indictment includes charges of racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, firearms offenses, murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and retaliating against a witness.

Kehoe identified Brian Gregory Breitman — also known as “Boss Hog” and “Slime God” — as the leader of the enterprise. Breitman’s gang has operated under several names over the years, including Pearl World, BB4L (Black Burners for Life) and K4T (Killers for Telly). According to Kehoe, Breitman created K4T following the 2019 death of his brother, Telly Simmons, as a vehicle to retaliate against those he held responsible.

According to Kehoe, the gang operated primarily in the Northside and Oceanway neighborhoods of Jacksonville, generating income through the trafficking of marijuana, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Prosecutors outline a timeline of violence

Prosecutors outlined a series of violent acts dating back to at least 2019:

August 2022: Breitman allegedly solicited gang members Raymond Cash and Devin McFadden to murder a rival gang member. The murder was carried out successfully.

October 2022: Investigators say Breitman solicited another Slime member to kill a different rival gang member. Law enforcement intervened and thwarted the attempted murder.

November 2022 and December 2022: Law enforcement say they intercepted Breitman attempting to transport 70 pounds of marijuana before it could be sold in Jacksonville.

December 2022: Breitman allegedly arranged a marijuana deal and then had fellow Slime members Raymond Cash and Gary Harris rob the buyers at gunpoint at one of the gang’s trap houses.

November 2023: Investigators say Breitman solicited Slime member Jacob Goodman to murder an associate of a rival group, both to avenge the death of a Slime member and to intimidate rivals. The murder was carried out, according to Kehoe.

January 2024: Kehoe says Breitman and another Slime member assaulted a low-level drug dealer to collect a debt owed to the gang.

April 2024: Investigators say Breitman solicited Slime members Devin Rivers and Tavares Watson to murder a rival gang member in retaliation for a previous shooting against a Slime member. The intended victim was killed, along with a second, uninvolved individual who Kehoe described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

December 2024: Slime members Devin Rivers and Terrence Williams shot and attempted to kill a rival gang member, according to Kehoe.

Also in 2024: Investigators say Slime member Blake Baker forced his way into a drug dealer’s home over an alleged drug debt and assaulted both the dealer and the dealer’s domestic partner.

December 2025: Kehoe says Slime member Andre Drinks solicited a physical attack on a person he believed was providing evidence to law enforcement against the gang.

How the gang operated according to investigators

The Slime Enterprise used so-called trap houses — locations used to store and sell drugs — throughout Jacksonville, several of which Kehoe said Breitman had taken over from rival dealers. Among them was a mobile trap house: a trailer Breitman drove around the city to conduct drug sales.

“Protecting and expanding their territory and enforcement of their entire enterprise was of paramount importance,” Kehoe said.

Members of the organization were consistently armed, Kehoe said, adding that Breitman kept firearms in hidden compartments inside at least one of his trap houses.

Multi-agency effort

DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Whitley described the investigation as a years-long, multi-agency undertaking.

“This was essentially a seven-year crime spree that plagued the city of Jacksonville and its surrounding communities,” Whitley said. “We’re talking about crimes ranging from the trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine to murder, all in furtherance of a violent criminal enterprise.”

Nassau County Undersheriff John Hooper said the gang’s reach extended beyond Jacksonville city limits.

“During the course of this investigation, it was determined that Brian Gregory Breitman and members of his organization were supplying illegal narcotics into Nassau County,” Hooper said. “Their distribution network extended beyond Jacksonville and into our communities.”

Hooper emphasized that cross-jurisdictional cooperation was essential to the case.

“Criminal organizations don’t operate according to jurisdictional lines,” he said. “And neither can we.”

Kehoe said 12 of the 13 defendants are in custody. The 13th — identified from context as Jacob Goodman — is being actively sought by police. Kehoe described Goodman as dangerous and urged the public not to approach him.

“If, God forbid, you happen to run into Mr. Goodman, I would suggest that you just call law enforcement and stay away,” Kehoe said.

Kehoe said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges or defendants tied to other jurisdictions are possible.

“That’s not to say, as this investigation continues, that other tentacles may come up throughout the United States or throughout the state of Florida,” he said. “We don’t want to preclude that possibility.”

Another 100 jurors -- 50 in the morning and 50 in the afternoon -- will be brought in on Tuesday as the selection process continues for the first of three defendants to head to court in the Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case.

NOTE: News4JAX will live stream what we can from court during jury selection. What we can show from this stage is limited, and the stream may end abruptly.

Fernandez, along with his now-estranged wife, Shanna Gardner, is accused of hiring Henry Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez, to shoot and kill Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022.

Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, was Gardner’s ex-husband. They were in ongoing custody disputes over their twin children.

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

Along with individual conversations with Judge London Kite about potential hardships or knowledge about the case, juror candidates are being asked to fill out a questionnaire to narrow the jury pool.

Kite said that Phase 2 of jury selection will begin on Wednesday with all the jurors who have not been dismissed.

News4JAX spoke last week with Shannon Schott, a local attorney not affiliated with the case, about what can be expected from Fernandez’s jury selection.

“I don’t think it’s going to be difficult for them to empanel a jury,” Schott said. “I do have questions about the type of person that will be empaneled since they are going to have to have no connection to local news, local news media, social media.”

On Monday morning, Kite introduced the potential jurors to the parties involved in the case and read a list of witnesses to see if any of the jurors might have a conflict during the trial.

Only a few potential jurors said they knew about the case or the people involved. Judge Kite took those jurors aside, along with any who believed they might not be able to commit to the two-week trial, to question them privately with the attorneys.

In the meantime, Kite has explained to the jurors that they can not look up anything about the case.

As part of the preparation for trial, Kite previously ordered that the seated jurors’ names be kept anonymous until 60 days after the trial, which is typical in high-profile cases.

RELATED | ‘A lot of decisions could be made’: Attorney weighs in on new evidence in Bridegan murder case

Despite initially being indicted on four charges, Fernandez will now be tried only on first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony in the case that has garnered national attention.

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

NEW INFORMATION: Prosecutor drops bombshell in Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case: Accused gunman was not alone on night of shooting | RELATED: Defense attorneys for Mario Fernandez briefly discussed plea deal with state in Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case

After originally 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 will go on trial in March 2027.

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.

Prosecution bombshell

While arguing a motion at a recent hearing, Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi revealed information about the case that was new to the public.

Speaking for the prosecution, Mizrahi said the state has evidence that multiple people were involved in the ambush shooting that killed Bridegan in February 2022 in Jacksonville Beach.

Previously, the state had only said that Tenon, the alleged hired gunman, was at the scene and fired the fatal shots after leaving a tire in the road to force Bridegan to get out of his SUV.

Now, the state has indicated that Tenon was not alone at the shooting scene.

“When the victim was killed, there is a person that fled on foot and a person that fled in a vehicle. We know that Henry Tenon left his DNA behind on that tire. And we know that Henry Tenon was not driving the pick-up truck that fled the scene,” Mizrahi said, arguing that this was proof of a deeper conspiracy in the case.

It’s unclear if the state is implying that Fernandez was driving the truck that night or if it was someone else.

“If we go back to the time that Jared Bridegan was murdered, we know there were so many questions about who could’ve done this,” Schott said. “We know there are months and months and probably pages of data that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was able to gather about why and how Jared Bridegan was murdered.”

During the hearing, Mizrahi pointed to the landlord-tenant relationship between Fernandez and Tenon as evidence that the two were connected, but said the state also has evidence of communications between the two in the days, weeks and “on the day of the particular crime.”

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.

The state has since said that the shooter ran off on foot and someone else drove away from the scene in a pick-up truck.

Prosecutors also said they have Tenon’s DNA on the tire that was left in the road.

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

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.

A heat advisory today from Noon until 7 p.m., with more advisories possible through Friday because of feels-like temperatures from 102-110 degrees. Sea breeze showers and thunderstorms will be possible.

Along with the Gulf breeze and daily rain chances, we will be watching three potential areas of development in the Atlantic. None of them will affect our forecast and only one of them could likely become a tropical feature in the Atlantic.

The heat continues this weekend with isolated showers and thunderstorms possible during the afternoon and early evening.

Today: HOT with isolated showers and thunderstorms through this evening.

Tomorrow: Hot and humid. A heat advisory with heat indices up to 110 degrees. Isolated showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m., 20-30 percent. Wake up temperatures in the 70s. Afternoon highs in the 90s inland, upper 80s to low 90s along the beaches.

“There was no place where we could guarantee that you could go in and hear it,” he told The Associated Press. “So, we had to establish that.”

Freeman and his business partners, then-Mayor Bill Luckett and Howard Stovall, were inspired to open a juke joint in Clarksdale called Ground Zero Blues Club. Then, much more recently, they created “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience,” a touring ensemble of blues musicians who marry the beloved Southern genre with classical, symphonic compositions. On Friday, they'll release an album under the same name.

The legendary actor is a producer and narrator on the release, not a performer. That's left up to the professionals: all-star acts like Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Shemekia Copeland, Tiernii Jackson, the Stax Music Academy Choir, the Chineke! Orchestra out of London, and many more.

“I like the blues. I like music. I cannot claim to be an aficionado. That’s not my place,” says Freeman. “I’m an enthusiast, but that’s a necessity.”

From live performances to a full-length record

Before the album, the “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” traveling performances were born out of a simple idea: How could Freeman and his team bring this music to the world?

“Blues is an important American story birthed in the Mississippi Delta out of hardship but obviously resonates with people and cultures on a global basis, both for how good it sounds, but also the message underneath it,” said Eric Meier, Freeman's partner and co-producer on the project who joined the actor's blues club in 2018. “We conceived of this concept to really take this music to new geographies and new audiences.”

Turning the live performance into an album meant cutting down a nearly two-hour show to around 45 minutes across 12 tracks, while still honoring the format. It includes video vignettes as well as “cinematic narration,” courtesy of Freeman, recorded at the club in Clarksdale.

“We offer a musical story, a 100-year arc from the 1930s to modern day, so the evolution of blues music,” says Meier.

Freeman's idiosyncratic voice opens the record, describing the genre with a real poetry, delivered atop a haunting rendition of Blind Willie Johnson's 1927 gospel blues classic, “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground.”

“This is music that gave voice to a people, to their pain, their hope and their resilience,” Freeman recites. “Music isn't just melody, you know. It's memory, it's history wrapped in ribbon, the echoes of lives lived and lost, heartache and hope all tangled together. And nowhere is that truer than in the blues.”

Freeman wants to keep the blues alive

The last song on “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” sees singer-songwriter Muddy Waters' great-nephew Keith Johnson covering Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Göransson's “I Lied to You” from the Oscar-winning 2025 film “Sinners.” It brings the 100-year story of blues to its coda, but it also serves as a reminder of the film's ability to bring the genre into mainstream conversation.

That's something Freeman hopes to accomplish, too. He wants to make sure blues is not forgotten.

“It is a responsibility that we’ve taken on. And the hope is that it, like everything else that catches on, takes root, as it were. You know, the blues is actually America’s music,” he says. “So, it’s incumbent upon us to water it, nurture it, keep it alive, keep it going.”

Meier adds that their album project predates “Sinners” — he says director Ryan Coogler told him the film's juke joint was partially inspired by Ground Zero Blues Club; the film is set in Clarksdale after all — but it has been “a wonderful coincidence” that both works have the power to bring the blues to the masses.

And maybe one day, “Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience” will receive the same kind of critical praise given to “Sinners.” The album is eligible for the 2027 Grammy Awards.

“We will be submitting in multiple categories,” says Meier. “You got room on your trophy shelf, Morgan?”

“Yeah, yeah. I want it,” Freeman smiles.

Adding Grammy Award-winner to his Academy Award-winner title? “Sounds pretty good to me.”

Super 6 independent football rankings

Ranking, team, last season, league

1. West Nassau (12-2), Sunshine State Athletic Association

This week: at (4) Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Why they’re here: Warriors are the unquestioned top independent team. The ground game is wicked tough and returns multiple playmakers. SSAA state title game or bust for the Warriors.

2. Fernandina Beach (7-6), Sunshine State Athletic Association

This week: at Keystone Heights.

Why they’re here: The Pirates are positioned for another step forward. Aydin Poe (Charleston Southern commit) is a problem on both sides of the ball. Beckham Rohe is another rising star.

3. Union County (2-8), Sunshine State Athletic Association

This week: vs. Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

Why they’re here: The Tigers could be a sleeping giant, thanks to the return of coaching legend Robby Pruitt. He led Union County to three state championships and a state record 52 consecutive victories between 1994-96.

4. Paxon (7-5), Sunshine State Athletic Association

This week: vs. (1) West Nassau, 6:30 p.m.

Why they’re here: RB KJ Palmer returns after rushing for 2,262 yards and 19 TDs last season. He’ll be the focal point of this offense.

5. Episcopal (7-4), Sunshine State Athletic Association

This week: vs. Westminster Academy.

Why they’re here: The Eagles are coming off a solid season in the FHSAA, but make the move to the SSAA this season. ATH Brayden Wessinger had 14 TDs last year (12 receiving) and returns as Episcopal’s biggest threat.

6. Providence (4-7), Florida High School Athletic Association

This week: vs. Fort White, 6:30 p.m.

Why they’re here: The Stallions were a playoff team last year in state series play so expect head coach Maurice Williams to put another solid product out on the field. Providence should push for a deep playoff run in the FHSAA’s new independent bracket.

The sentences at the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus are the first against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family's five decades in power came to an end 20 months ago.

“Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,” said judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan during a court session that was aired live on state TV.

Also sentenced to death in the same case was Assad’s maternal cousin Atef Najib, who was convicted of overseeing a crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that led to the uprising and later the civil war.

Amid tight security, Najib stood inside a cage wearing a prisoner’s uniform as the judge read the sentence. A crowd of people gathered outside the courthouse in central Damascus to hear the verdict.

Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia after the government's fall in December 2024 and received political asylum. Syria's new rulers have asked Russia to hand the Assads over.

Najib, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in April 2011, was later detained and is one of the highest-ranking officials to be put on trial.

Najib is a former Syrian army brigadier general who was head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province under Assad in 2011.

During his tenure, more than a dozen teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured. The case became a catalyst for mass protests against the repressive policies of Assad’s security forces.

The protests were met by a brutal government crackdown and spiraled into a 14-year civil war that ended with Assad’s ouster in a lightning rebel offensive.

Maher Assad was a former commander of the Syrian military’s 4th Armored Division — which Syrian opposition activists have accused of killings, torture, extortion and drug trafficking, in addition to running its own detention centers.

___

This story has been edited to correct that Bashar and Maher Assad fled to Russia following the collapse of their government in December 2024, not December 2014.

Iran's foreign minister, meanwhile, underscored Tehran's stance against reopening the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. meets its conditions, in comments that came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was now demanding compensation from Iran “for all of the people that they have killed” in the past.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Houthis hit targets in central Yemen and Red Sea port city

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and other areas of the country, deepening fears over threats to strategic shipping routes and a potential return to civil war.

Yemen's military said the rebels targeted both Mokha and the central province of Marib with missiles and drones but did not provide further details.

The Houthis struck Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout last week, killing dozens of government troops and civilians. They hit Mokha with missiles and drones over the weekend and killed at least seven people, including three troops, according to the Yemeni military.

Mokha is a main port under Yemen’s internationally recognized government and has been renovated to handle shipping to avoid the Houthi-held port of Hodeida.

The strikes came as part of a recent escalation by the Houthis against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the internationally recognized Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait at Yemen's southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil to open oceans.

The Houthi attacks could reignite Yemen’s civil war after a four-year hiatus following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Iranian foreign minister underlines Tehran's demands

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Iran that the country had “astonished the whole world” in the war against the United States and Israel, proving “that it is a tough and invincible power.”

Iran has refused to back down on its demands that the U.S. end its blockade of Iranian ports and fulfill other conditions before Tehran will consider reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran shut down the strait after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28. The closure of the key waterway — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war — has kept energy prices a major focus of U.S. politics ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Araghchi said on his Telegram channel that in a call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul late Monday, he had “emphasized that making the Strait of Hormuz secure requires an end to the United States’ aggressive actions and unlawful interventions, including the naval blockade and other violations of U.S. obligations.”

Wadephul said on X that he had emphasized “the Strait of Hormuz needs to be opened unconditionally ensuring free and safe navigation for all.”

Trump said in a social media post he was directing his negotiators to include “compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts.” That was after Iran demanded compensation for the devastation caused to the country by the U.S. and Israeli bombardment over the past five months.

The U.S. president also claimed Monday in an Oval Office exchange with reporters that the U.S. has “100% control” of the Strait of Hormuz, but that the situation remains complex.

He said the U.S. Navy’s blockade of the strait is preventing Iran from selling its oil on the international market, a move that is effectively choking the Iranian economy.

“Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they’re broke,” Trump said. “They have no money. You know, Iran is broke, totally broke. And they’re not paying their soldiers.”

Former Syrian President Assad sentenced to death in absentia

In Syria, a court sentenced former President Bashar Assad along with his younger brother to death for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria’s 14-year conflict that left about half a million people dead.

Assad and his brother Maher, who fled to Russia after insurgents marched into Damascus in December 2014, were sentenced in absentia.

The drone hit a gasoline tank at the Zawiya oil refinery in the Mediterranean town of Zawiya on Monday, about 47 kilometers (about 30 miles) west of capital Tripoli, the state-run National Oil Corporation said.

The attack ignited a massive blaze at gasoline-storage tank that burned through the night and was still burning as of Tuesday noon, according to the Civil Defense, a first responders’ agency.

There were no reports of casualties, the health authorities said.

No group has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on oil facilities in Zawiya, or the car bomb in the eastern city of Benghazi on Monday.

Footage aired by local media showed massive flames and fireballs erupting from the tank, with black and orange smoke rising in the sky as firefighters spray what appears to be foam or water in efforts to quench the intense fire.

As they fought the flames, another drone hit close to a key oil tank nearby but did not cause casualties or damage, the company said.

The company said the tank, which held 4.5 million liters of fuel when it was hit, collapsed, and declared a state of maximum emergency at the facility.

Monday’s strikes were the latest in a series of drone attacks on oil infrastructure in Zawiya, which houses critical energy infrastructure including the country’s largest oil refinery, an export terminal and a power plant. The drone strikes come as Turkish Foreign minister Hakan Fidan is set to arrive in Libya for a visit. He is due to visit both Tripoli and Bengahzi.

Over the weekend, the oil company said drone strikes had hit a fuel tank and a desalination plant linked to the oil facilities in Zawiya. It said the tank was damaged.

The attacks come as tensions are rising between the government of western Libya and a warlord who controls the city of Zawiya.

Much of western Libya is ruled by local militias loosely allied to Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah's government in Tripoli.

Jalel Harchaoui, an analyst affiliated with the Royal United Services Institute in London, said warlord Mohamed Bahroun has been cornered by the government and his forces “are likely to resort to desperate measures.”

Separately, a senior military officer with the forces of powerful commander Khalifa Hifter was killed in a car bomb Monday evening in the eastern city of Benghazi, authorities said.

Maj. Gen. Fawzy al-Mansouri, director of the military intelligence of Hifter’s self-styled Libyan National Army, was killed when an explosive-laden vehicle exploded into his car in the Sayyida Aisha neighborhood in Benghazi after, the LNA said.

The LNA is allied with one of Libya’s two rival governments, which controls the country’s eastern and southern parts.

The attacks underscored the fragility of security in the oil-rich country. Libya, a largely lawless Mediterranean country, has been plunged into chaos and division following the 2011 uprising-turned-civil war, which toppled and later killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Amid the chaos, militias grew in wealth and power, particularly in Tripoli and the western part of the country.

The county has been divided for years between rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Currently, it is governed by Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah’s government in the west and by the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad in the east.

Government data published overnight into Tuesday showed the outbreak has recorded a total of 4,381 confirmed cases, including 2,011 deaths. A total of 704 patients are in admission and isolation.

The outbreak was declared on May 15 but health authorities say sequencing showed it began months earlier, in February.

While it took about nine weeks for the outbreak to record the first 1,000 deaths, it’s taken just around three weeks for the figure to double, an evidence that the health crisis is moving faster than efforts to track and manage it.

It's already the second-largest outbreak in history, only behind the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that recorded more than 28,000 cases including over 11,000 deaths.

The Ebola outbreak is unlike most previous ones because the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments. Clinical trials for those have begun in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, in eastern Congo.

Aid workers say the outbreak continues to outpace response that’s been expanding across the five eastern provinces affected. Many health workers have gone on strike to protest lack of payment for their work since the outbreak was declared. And WHO has said most new cases are still being recorded outside of contacts being monitored, showing that transmission remains out of the control of health workers.

Ebola can be caused by different types of virus. Although the type responsible for the 2014-2016 outbreak is considered the deadliest, government data shows this Bundibugyo outbreak has killed a higher percentage of people as care and support are not getting to patients quickly enough. Many cases are reporting symptoms late or not at all.

The ongoing outbreak has so far had a case fatality rate of 45.9%, more than the 39.6% rate recorded in the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak.

“In the absence of an effective vaccine, control (for the outbreak) rests on identifying cases and then nursing them in secure facilities until they recover or sadly perish,” said Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the U.K.

In a remote region like this with an ongoing conflict and interrupted communications, routine surveillance can be very difficult and “identifying cases early enough to prevent spread can be impossible,” said Hunter.

The World Health Organization said on Monday that at the onset of the outbreak in one of Congo’s most remote and vulnerable areas, some cases were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid, and that early testing was conducted for the more common type of Ebola.

The WHO regional director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, told a news conference that officials are “chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us.”

The first Ebola virus to be identified was in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now Congo. The current outbreak is the 17th — and largest — the Central African nation has faced.

Clay and Bradford counties head back to school on Tuesday, and Union County students will be back in class on Wednesday.

For families sending their students off for the first day of school this week, we’ve got some important information you need to know.

You can also find all of our back-to-school coverage at this link.

Buses & transportation

• County-by-county: Who to call, where to find information if you’re having issues with your child’s school bus
• Important reminders for drivers about when to stop for a school bus as new year begins
• School bus driver shortage hits home. Here’s what it’s like behind the wheel
• DCPS: Over 5,200 school bus stop-arm violations in 2 months. What drivers are doing wrong
• Before your student rides to school, know the e-bike laws in St. Johns County
• Superintendent: Nassau County students must pass safety course before riding e-bikes on campus
• St. Johns County is dozens of drivers short for school bus routes as new year begins. What your family needs to know
• Duval County Public Schools rolls out 26 new electric buses ahead of upcoming school year

Health & safety

• State Data: A Duval County school ranks No. 1 in Florida for most fights; 2 other schools are in the top 10
• DCPS superintendent addresses OIG report on cafeterias & administrator pay scrutiny ahead of new school year
• DCPS expands traffic gardens as Jacksonville ranks among most dangerous U.S. cities for pedestrians
• Vaping in Northeast Florida schools: Hundreds of incidents reported in Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties

The district announced the delay at 3:50 p.m., citing an abundance of caution as the reason for holding elementary school buses. Officials warned that middle school bus service would likely be impacted as well.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we delayed bus service for elementary school students due to inclement weather,” the district said in an alert. “As a result, bus service for middle school students will likely be delayed as well. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work to ensure every child is transported home safely.”

Each year, 860 buses transport approximately 48,000 students on more than 3,600 daily trips to Duval County Public Schools.

The bus companies that contract with DCPS are Durham School Services and Student Transportation of America (STA).

Families can contact the bus companies for general questions such as the location of a bus or estimated time of arrival at a bus stop. You can find the contact info for each bus company, organized by which area of town the bus route serves, at www.duvalschools.org/page/busvendor.

The DCPS Transportation Department is open from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. After-hours emergency calls are available from 6 a.m.-7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

The main phone number is 904-858-6200.

The board is evaluating an application by Zen Cropscience for the confined field trial in northern Perak state that involves a genetically modified version of the MR219 rice variety that is tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate and resists diseases caused by bacteria and fungi.

The coalition of 61 organizations said Tuesday it had submitted a formal objection as part of a public consultation process that ended last week. The groups said the project is similar to one submitted for a field trial in Perlis state in 2019 that was later abandoned, and that they are renewing their earlier objections.

The groups said their main concern is the potential for genetically modified material to contaminate conventional and wild rice through cross-pollination or other means. They said Malaysia’s biosafety law has insufficient legal protection and compensation mechanisms for farmers who could suffer economic losses from accidental contamination of their crops.

Farmers also worry that the genetic modification could encourage greater use of glyphosate, potentially accelerating the development of herbicide-resistant “super weeds” that would require farmers to apply more herbicide to control them. They warned glyphosate residues could remain in harvested rice and enter the food supply.

The integration of a gene for fungal resistance is worrying as it could potentially compromise food safety by altering nutritional values or increasing allergenic and toxin levels, the coalition said.

Abdul Rashid Yob, who heads a farmers association representing 200,000 members nationwide, pointed to previous negative experience with the herbicide-tolerant Clearfield rice. While production initially improved, weeds quickly developed resistance, forcing farmers to use higher doses of herbicides, which raised production costs and degraded soil fertility, he said.

“GM rice will be much worse. It is not the answer,” he said.

Malaysia relies heavily on imported rice, with domestic production meeting only about half its national consumption needs, according to official data.

The National Biosafety Board has said the proposed trial would be carried out within an insect-proof contained net house on industrial land, far from agricultural areas. It has said the risk of cross-pollination is low and acknowledged the toxicological data for GMO rice hasn't been ascertained. It is unclear when the board will make a final decision.

Although the application is for a confined field trial rather than commercial cultivation, the coalition said the research should be canceled because GMOs cannot be completely controlled once released into the environment.

“There is no need for such a trial. We don't want GM crops,” said Mageswari Sangaralingam, from the Consumers Association of Penang.

The coalition said farmers have alternatives to genetically modified crops for managing weeds and disease, such as the use of robotic technology from Japan that could swiftly remove weeds.

The World Health Organization’s cancer research agency classified glyphosate in 2015 as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” based on limited evidence of cancer in humans and sufficient evidence from animal studies.

Other health and regulatory agencies have reached different conclusions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said glyphosate is “not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,” while the European Food Safety Authority said in 2023 that its review found no critical areas of concern regarding human, animal or environmental health.

The Post said the operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president as he began his journey back to Washington from the annual gathering of NATO country leaders.

The Post cited material reviewed by the newspaper, a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the president’s travel. The Associated Press has not independently confirmed the report.

Trump had flown to the summit in a new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet. But ahead of departing Turkey, he said he would fly partway home on an older-model baby blue Air Force One plane instead.

The president at the time said the new luxury jet was being flown out ahead of his departure from Ankara to give some U.S. troops based in eastern England a chance to check out the new Air Force One.

In Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras ahead of the plane flying to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.

However, according to the Post report, after boarding the legacy Air Force One jet, he was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane — an Air Force C-32A — via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies. Trump flew to Mildenhall on that smaller jet.

The White House did not respond directly to questions about the Post report of the secret operation to whisk Trump out of the country on a third aircraft, or the reported elaborate ruse to make it appear he was on the baby blue Air Force One jet flying to Mildenhall.

“As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.

The U.S. Secret Service declined to comment. The Air Force, which maintains the fleet of executive travel aircraft, referred questions to the White House.

There have been questions about the safety of the new Qatari-gifted plane

While Trump was in Turkey, the U.S. military conducted a series of large strikes in Iran in retaliation for its attacks on merchant shipping in the region.

The New York Times and CBS News reported last month that intelligence officials had raised concerns about a potential attack on the president or his jet, triggering additional precautions and the decision not to use the newly inaugurated aircraft gifted to Trump by Qatar for the first leg of Trump’s trip home from Ankara.

The swap had spurred questions about the security of the Qatar-provided aircraft, and Trump said last month after the trip that it would undergo additional upgrades.

Cheung on Monday maintained that the new, Qatari-gifted plane was “a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff.”

The new Post report on clandestinely putting Trump on a third aircraft and quietly whisking him out of the country adds a fresh layer to just how seriously concerned U.S. security officials were about the threat against Trump during the ongoing war with Iran.

Paul Eckloff, a former special agent with the Secret Service, said such an unusual move could either reflect actionable intelligence or an abundance of caution given volatility in the region with the wars in Iran and Ukraine.

“I would not say unprecedented, but it is an unusual occurrence,” Eckloff told The Associated Press.

The Post reported that to exit that plane without being seen by those uninvolved in the operation, Trump and several aides stepped aboard an airport catering truck, which was elevated planeside using hydraulics and positioned at a door on the opposite side of Air Force One’s entrance.

The small group of reporters who thought they were traveling with Trump were advised to lower their window shades ahead of takeoff.

After arriving at Mildenhall, news photographers captured images of Trump getting off the presidential plane — suggesting he reboarded Air Force One out of sight of the pack of journalists who thought they were traveling with him.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called for a congressional investigation.

“It is unprecedented and it is surreal,” he said Monday on CNN, calling the incident “downright scary.”

After the brief visit to the base at Mildenhall, Trump boarded the new Air Force One aircraft to fly the rest of the way to Washington.

During a gaggle with reporters aboard the aircraft, Trump was asked directly if there was any credible threats on Air Force One by Iran.

“Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list before you,” Trump said. He added to the traveling reporters, “But if I go, you go.”

___

AP writers Josh Boak, Aamer Madhani and Konstantin Toropin contributed reporting.

U.S. futures edged lower.

Oil prices rose after U.S. President Donald Trump scoffed at demands from Iran that the U.S. pay for devastation caused by five months of war as one condition for reopening the strait.

Brent crude oil gained 2.4% to $89.80 a barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude picked up 2.6% to $84.28 a barrel.

Brent surged 5% on Monday. It swung between $72 and $102 last month as hopes rose and fell that the United States and Iran could reach an agreement that would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Middle East again to deliver crude worldwide.

In early European trading, the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.2% to 8,708.85, while Germany's DAX also fell 0.2%, to 26,272.81. In Britain, the FTSE 100 lost 0.2% to 10,840.84.

The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 0.1% lower.

Stocks wavered in Asia after the U.S. market edged away from its all-time highs.

South Korea's Kospi gained 0.7% to 6,345.53 as shares in market heavyweight Samsung Electronics jumped 4.1%. Memory chipmaker SK Hynix advanced 0.4%.

The wild swings of recent weeks, driven by waxing and waning hopes for a lasting boost to corporate profits from artificial intelligence, have abated in the past several days.

“Broadly, for the Korean memory chipmakers, the past year’s chip mania could well be over, even though Korean chipmakers will continue to benefit from the massive AI build out,” Ipek Ozkardeskaya, a senior analyst at Swissquote, said in a commentary.

Markets in Tokyo were closed for a holiday.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng lost 1.1% to 25,652.82, while the Shanghai Composite index gave up 0.8% to 3,934.09.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.2% higher to 9,250.60 after the Reserve Bank of Australia opted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 4.35%.

Taiwan's Taiex rose 0.4% and the Sensex in India shed 0.5%.

On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1% from its record set on Friday. The Dow dipped 0.1% and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%.

The recent rally powered by soaring profits for U.S. companies has slowed. Reports are on track to show earnings per share leaped 50% in the spring from a year earlier for companies in the S&P 500, according to FactSet. That would be the best growth since five years ago, when the economy was roaring out of the chasm created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Berkshire Hathaway, famous for buying stocks at what it considers low prices, gained 1.5%. It is one of the latest companies to deliver a stronger profit for the last quarter than analysts expected.

Intel fell 4.1% after saying it may sell $15 billion of its stock. That would dilute its shareholders' ownership stakes. Intel said it would likely use the cash for investments in the huge spending related to AI technology.

The main event for Wall Street this week will likely be Wednesday’s update on U.S. inflation in July. Economists expect it slowed to 3.4% from 3.5% in June, and that would relieve pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but they would also slow the economy by making it more expensive for U.S. households and companies to borrow money. They would also undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

In other dealings early Tuesday, the U.S. dollar rose to 159.35 Japanese yen from 159.30 yen. It has been inching higher despite a recent rate intervention in the markets by Japan and the U.S. to help raise the yen's value against the dollar.

The euro fell to $1.1539 from $1.1544.

The price of gold, often used as a hedge against risk in times of uncertainty, added 0.3% to $4,434.20 an ounce.

“Your country is in big trouble. You’re not winning,” Trump said, dressing down Zelenskyy in front of the world’s media. “You don't have the cards.”

The blowup in February 2025, three years into the war, was more than just a heated public exchange: The Ukrainian delegation was asked to leave the White House, and Washington briefly suspended intelligence sharing with Kyiv. In the ensuing months, as Russia made slow but steady gains on the battlefield, Trump warmly welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and seemed ready to push Ukraine into an unfavorable peace deal, including forcing it to give up territory.

But even as Zelenskyy sat next to Trump, his forces were preparing an operation that would reveal Ukraine’s ability and ambition to take the war to Russia: Months later, drones smuggled into the country attacked Russian bombers, destroying or damaging planes worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Since then, Kyiv has ramped up a campaign of longer-range strikes inside Russia and in areas Moscow has seized, increased production of weapons, targeted Russian air defenses, and hit oil infrastructure and the warehouses of a major retailer in a bid to ensure ordinary Russians feel the impact of the conflict.

In an embarrassment to Putin, Ukrainian drone strikes sent thick plumes of smoke billowing over St. Petersburg shortly before the opening of an international economic forum in June. Concern over Ukraine’s attacks led Russian authorities to scale down the May 9 military parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany. Strikes on oil refineries have caused a summer fuel crisis.

By the time Trump and Zelenskyy met at a NATO summit in July, the American president said the Ukrainian leader had “been very effective” in the war. “We’ve actually developed a good relationship,” Trump added.

But as Ukraine’s strikes have intensified, so have Russia’s — and Kyiv faces major challenges in defending against them because of shortages of American Patriot air defense missiles.

In the first six months of the year, 1,396 civilians were killed in Ukraine, according to the U.N. Meanwhile, the world body said Russian authorities reported 250 civilians killed in the same period. On Monday, a strike that Ukraine said hit an oil refinery in Russia killed 13 people, according to local officials.

And while Ukraine's effort appears to have shifted the narrative about the war in Washington, it's still not clear if it will be able to push Putin toward the negotiating table.

Ukraine’s strikes are aimed at undermining the idea that Russia can afford to “just let this roll,” said Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at the London-based RUSI think tank.

The question of whether it will succeed depends on how much pain Ukraine can exact. “Logically, above a certain threshold, it does work but whether they can reach that threshold is an interesting question” — and one that depends at least partly on factors outside Kyiv's control, like continued European financial support, he noted.

Ukraine brings the war to Russia

While most of Ukraine's strikes have a range of less than 200 kilometers (125 miles), its longer-range attacks have increased dramatically this year. It launched three times as many of those strikes in July as it did in January, according to data from ACLED, an independent conflict monitor. Repeatedly hitting deep into Russia has forced its military to stretch air defenses over a larger area.

Many of its strikes have focused on four key categories of targets, according to an Associated Press analysis of hundreds of Ukrainian attacks this year — compiled from statements by Russian officials and state media and the Ukrainian military.

As the Iran war pushed up energy prices, leading the U.S. to ease sanctions on Russian oil, Kyiv ramped up strikes on oil infrastructure to deny the Kremlin revenue from fuel exports and force shortages on ordinary Russians. It is also striking defense manufacturing to damage Russia’s long-term ability to produce weapons, targeting air defenses to clear a path for its own arms, and hitting retail warehouses to bring the effects to ordinary Russians.

— As part of the campaign against oil infrastructure, Kyiv said it hit Russia’s largest oil refinery, more than 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) from Ukraine.

— Kyiv has also targeted defense manufacturing centers. It hit a factory making navigation systems multiple times, including with its own Flamingo missile.

— In July and August, Ukraine struck Wildberries warehouses. Kyiv said the company helps supply the Russian military. Moscow denies that.

— Many of Ukraine’s strikes on Russian air defenses and radar are around Russian-held Crimea and are often carried out with drones.

Maj. Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, the commander leading Ukraine’s drone war, told the AP its strikes in Crimea are also aimed at rendering the peninsula unusable as a staging ground for Russian forces.

Starlink gives Ukraine an advantage — for now

It’s not always clear if Ukraine’s attacks are effective — and some may have resulted in minimal or no damage. In May and June, Ukraine said it hit several satellite, reconnaissance or signals intelligence facilities in Russia, but satellite images analyzed by AP did not show major damage.

Still, Ukraine has one advantage that can help it strip back Russian air defenses and make its drone strikes more precise.

It has access to Elon Musk’s satellite communications service Starlink — which means its operators can control drones in real time in Russian-held Ukrainian territory. Russia has been blocked from using Starlink.

But Russia is also building its own version of Starlink, and is installing jamming systems that hamper Starlink connectivity, Brovdi said.

Ukraine is investing heavily in weapons production

Even before the Oval Office meeting, Ukraine scrambled to invest in new weapons — but that moment was “a real wake-up call," said a European military official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the front-line situation in detail. It became clear that U.S. support could be stopped “from one day to the next.”

Ukraine doubled down on production, churning out a growing array of weapons in larger numbers and shortening traditional research and production cycles from decades to years or even months.

Even so, Ukraine is still not able to produce as many missiles as it needs. It also took Ukraine time to make systems that could target facilities precisely enough that Kyiv felt comfortable using them to strike deep into Russia, Watling said.

And while Ukraine has begun to resolve navigational issues with its missiles, such as the Flamingo, those weapons are still not as accurate — or as stealthy — as their Western analogues. That often means hundreds of drones must be fired to overwhelm Russian air defenses to allow a missile to get through.

It's an expensive and time-consuming way to wage war since only 5% to 9% of what Ukraine fires gets past Russian air defenses, according to Watling.

But, although Russia's weapons are more powerful, Zelenskyy suggested at the NATO summit that Putin is “losing the initiative” in the war as Ukraine has moved the fight from the stalled battlefield to the sky.

Sitting next to Trump at the summit, the Ukrainian leader even cracked a joke, demurring when Trump asked him if he would accept Moscow as a venue for peace talks, as Putin has suggested.

“There are a lot of Ukrainian drones in the air," Zelenskyy said. "It would be dangerous.”

Skubal still intends to be much better than he was while allowing three runs on four hits over five innings Monday night in the Dodgers' 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

“I thought I competed well and gave our team a chance to win, and our offense picked me up big-time, defense picked me up big-time, and the bullpen was outstanding tonight,” Skubal said. “So all in all, a good team win, especially when I don’t feel like I performed up to my standard.”

Skubal left trailing 3-2 in the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner's decent, if unspectacular, first start in the home whites. His fastball command was decidedly lacking, and he was unable to get ahead early in most counts during an outing in which he managed just one 1-2-3 inning. The fireworks came instead from the Dodgers' slumbering offense, which awoke with Max Muncy's three-run double and Freddie Freeman's RBI single after Skubal departed.

Although he struck out six, Skubal didn't live up to manager Dave Roberts' pregame prediction of “an electric night” for the vaunted left-hander and his slumping club, which had lost eight of nine heading into this homestand.

“I thought he fought well,” Roberts said. “Tarik didn't have his best stuff, but he didn't relent. He kept going, and he gave us what he had for tonight.”

Even after everything he accomplished while becoming one of the majors' top starters with the Tigers, Skubal was particularly amped up for this debut in front of 51,799 fans eager to cheer their team's biggest trade-deadline addition in its bid to win three straight World Series titles. When Skubal was announced in the starting lineup for the first time, Dodgers fans responded with loud cheers and a serenade of “Skuuuuuu!”

“This one was special to me, so the nerves run a little bit higher,” Skubal said. “But it just means you care, so I think that’s all positive stuff. I was excited to go out there and pitch in front of the Dodger fans. It was a ton of fun to play the game today.”

Skubal threw 95 pitches against the Royals, and Jac Caglianone tagged two of them for a two-run homer and an RBI single. Skubal also issued two walks and hit a batter with a pitch in just his second career appearance at Dodger Stadium, taking the mound nine days after the defending champions acquired him from Detroit in the biggest trade of the deadline.

Los Angeles gave up three promising prospects for what might be a short-term rental of the 29-year-old Skubal, who will likely reap the benefits of free agency this winter.

Skubal made his Dodgers debut at Wrigley Field last Tuesday, pitching six innings of two-run, four-hit ball with six strikeouts in his new team’s 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs.

The back-to-back champions had the farm talent and the impetus to go out and get the AL's best pitcher over the past two seasons — and Skubal's reception at Chavez Ravine showed their fans still don't take their deep-pocketed team's winning mentality for granted.

But after that warm pregame reception, Skubal yielded two soft singles and a run to Kansas City’s first three batters, with Bobby Witt Jr. stealing second and scoring on Caglianone’s dribbler up the middle.

Nick Loftin then doubled in the third before Caglianone hit his 21st homer of the season to right, smashing a hanging slider for a 410-foot shot that induced grumbles from the stands.

Skubal retired six straight Royals after Caglianone's shot, but he got into trouble again in the fifth, hitting Loftin with a pitch and walking Witt with two outs. Skubal dug in and struck out Caglianone to end the inning, getting him with his signature changeup on his final pitch.

“Tarik Skubal — it’s nice to have him on our mound,” said a grinning Freeman, who drove in Shohei Ohtani with the go-ahead run. “I’m sure he wants to go deeper than five innings, but I like that every five, six days that he’s going to be on the mound for us.”

Los Angeles probably hoped for a more dominant beginning to Skubal's tenure, but it cares most about the games he'll pitch in October, when the champs expect to make their 14th consecutive playoff appearance.

Roberts is uncommonly impressed by Skubal after just more than a week together.

“This guy, he’s as different as anyone I’ve ever been around in this short period of time,” Roberts said. “He’s special in every way. ... He’s just built differently. The mind, the body, the focus, the humility, the willingness to serve, to help. He puts himself out there. He’s different than any player I’ve ever been around, really. Again, it’s a small sample, but I’ve dug in on him. I've got a pretty good gut. This guy is something like I’ve never seen.”

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

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Trump demands Iran pay for decades of US military deaths

Trump's social media post Monday came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stressed that Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. meets its conditions.

Tehran wants the U.S. to end its blockade of Iranian ports, lift economic sanctions and release Iran’s frozen assets. It also said the U.S. must pay compensation for war damage.

“It is up to the U.S. side to stop and make amends for its illegal and destructive actions,” Baghaei said.

Trump responded that he is now demanding “compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts.”

The U.S. government has blamed Iran-backed militants for the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Americans over several decades. They include a 1983 bombing that killed 241 U.S. military personnel at a Marine compound in Beirut and the deaths of at least 603 U.S. troops in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.

Trump said he also wants Tehran to compensate the families of Iranian protesters who were killed.

“I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations,” Trump said in his post.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war — has kept energy prices as a major focus of U.S. politics ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Iran's supreme leader is said to want unity amid signs of division

Iran’s president said the country’s supreme leader is calling for “unity and cohesion” as the Islamic Republic faces economic hardships and sanctions stemming from its war with the United States.

President Masoud Pezeshkian described a nearly seven-hour meeting with Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei in an interview with Iranian state television that aired amid apparent tensions among the Islamic Republic’s leaders.

Pezeshkian told the state-run IRIB that he and Khamenei discussed “people’s livelihoods, the state of the market, employment, people’s housing,” as well as “problems that are now being created as a result of the (U.S.) sanctions.” He didn’t say when or where they met.

Most important, he said, was Khamenei’s emphasis on unity.

“All of the enemy’s plans are aimed at creating division,” Pezeshkian said. “What we have to do is prevent divisions from emerging.”

It is only the second time the Iranian president has said he has met with the new supreme leader since Khamenei was appointed in March following a U.S.-Israeli strike that killed his father. Khamenei, believed to have been wounded in the same attack, has not appeared in public since then.

Iran names former Revolutionary Guard leader to top security post

Iran on Sunday appointed Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser to its new supreme leader, to head its powerful Supreme National Security Council.

Rezaei commanded Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard from 1981 to 1997, a period that includes Iran’s 1980s war with Iraq. The 71-year-old hard-liner last week threatened American forces with “serious risks and casualties” if the U.S. did not lift its blockade of Iranian ports.

Rezaei replaces Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who will become a political adviser to Khamenei.

While Rezaei appears willing to negotiate with the U.S. to “secure Iran’s maximalist aims, including control of the Strait of Hormuz,” he has also been “unwilling to present any Iranian concessions,” wrote the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank.

Israel declares closed military zone in Taybeh

Israel's military said Monday it had declared a Christian-majority town in the occupied West Bank a closed military zone to keep out Israeli settlers and other non-residents.

The new tactic is designed to keep Israelis out of Taybeh, which has been subject to arson, vandalism and settlers coming onto private and village property. The army said Palestinian residents and journalists would be allowed unless soldiers determine their presence poses a threat. The army said its troops would detain suspects and disperse gatherings to keep the peace.

The designation comes after months of the army and police struggling to maintain order throughout the territory, where at least 87 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers in 2026, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Health Ministry.

Yemen says the Houthi attack on a Red Sea town Sunday killed 7

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Red Sea port town controlled by government forces on Sunday, killing seven and injuring 30 people. Yemen’s Defense Ministry — which operates under its internationally recognized government — said four military personnel and three civilians were killed.

Clashes continued Monday near the village of Taiz. The Houthi group said a 13-year-old child was killed by artillery shelling and another child was injured.

The attack on Mokha is the latest in one of the largest waves of Houthi strikes on Yemeni military positions and areas held by the Saudi-backed government since a 2022 truce. It comes as threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait at its southern tip.

VinSpace will launch its satellites on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission run by Elon Musk’s company, which carries satellites from multiple customers on a single rocket to share launch costs, it said in a statement.

The satellites, which VinSpace said it will develop and operate, will test the company’s technology in orbit and support future commercial applications.

VinSpace is part of Vietnam’s Vingroup conglomerate and was established in November 2025. The company said in April that it planned to develop and launch its first satellites in 2027.

Founded by tycoon Pham Nhat Vuong, Vingroup is Vietnam’s largest privately owned company. It has a sprawling business empire that touches many aspects of daily life, from real estate and retail to healthcare, education and tourism.

It is going global as it invests heavily in high-tech industries such as electric vehicles, space, artificial intelligence and robotics, sectors central to Vietnam’s ambition to become Asia’s next tiger economy.

Vietnam has sought to build its aerospace capabilities for several decades but remains a relatively small player in the global space industry. It launched its first telecommunications satellite in 2008, followed by another in 2012, according to official documents.

In March, it inaugurated a major space science and technology center in Hanoi’s Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, aimed at expanding the country’s satellite development and use of space-based data. Vietnam aims to become a mid-level space power in Southeast Asia by 2030.

In February, Vietnam allowed SpaceX to launch its Starlink satellite internet service in the country. This was seen by some analysts as an effort by Vietnam to avoid U.S. tariffs. Starlink has since begun accepting orders in Vietnam.

VinSpace said the agreement with SpaceX is part of its plan to become a full-service aerospace company, developing capabilities ranging from satellite design and manufacturing to launch management, satellite operations and space-based data services.

“Reliable access to space is fundamental to turning satellite innovation into operational missions,” VinSpace CEO Thu Vu said in a statement.

VinSpace did not disclose the value of the contract or the number or specifications of the satellites.

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Monday's 7.4 magnitude earthquake rattled Cali, Quibdo, Pereira and numerous other cities and towns. Around 1,600 buildings were reported damaged or collapsed. Soldiers, rescue personnel and families picked through the rubble, removing and passing large pieces of concrete by hand down lines of volunteers.

President Abelardo de la Espriella said Monday afternoon at least 111 people had died.

Families posted information about missing loved ones on citizen-run websites. By Monday night, more than 2,700 people had been reported missing.

Dana Carolina Zamora posted an image of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zamora, cradling his dog. The farmer was living in a rural area of El Cairo, not far from the epicenter of the quake in San Jose Del Palmar.

Local authorities said 80% of El Cairo, a town of about 7,000 people, was damaged. Zamora said she worried because her uncle lived in a traditional but fragile house made of sticks and mud.

“We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him,” Zamora said.

Choco, the region surrounding the quake's epicenter, is one of the poorest and most neglected regions of Colombia, often beset by warring armed groups. Much of Choco is accessible only by boat, through the jungle or by airplane. Little was known about the extent of the damage there.

De la Espriella traveled to Choco's capital, Quibdo, on Monday night to assess the damage and announced he had mobilized “the entire military and police apparatus” to respond, deploying engineers, rescue workers and search dogs. He announced rental subsidies for those whose homes were damaged while they undergo repairs.

“Choco will never again be the ‘land of the forgotten,'” he said.

The earthquake presents the first major test for de la Espriella, who was sworn in as Colombia's leader on Friday. De la Espriella is a divisive figure because of his pledge of an all-out crackdown on criminal groups.

The U.S. State Department announced it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food and other aid. Governments across Latin America also lined up to help.

The earthquake left many in the Andean nation unnerved after two back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people.

Many Colombians were only beginning to grapple with the disaster's longer-term consequences.

Mónica Sánchez owns a small company that makes work uniforms. Her home city, Pereira, was one of the worst hit, and a wall inside the factory collapsed. Sánchez and her 12 workers were able to get outside just in time.

“It was shocking — the city fell down around us,” she said.

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Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Whoops!

Rookie teammate Carson Benge had already tossed it into the Atlanta crowd.

Recently shifted to a short-relief role in his fourth major league season, Senga closed out New York's 8-5 victory over the Braves with a scoreless ninth inning Monday night. Mauricio Dubón flied out to Benge in right field for the final out, and he turned toward the stands looking to send a fan home with a souvenir.

Senga, well aware of his achievement, held out his arms in disbelief with his mouth agape while watching the whole thing transpire. In a funny scene, he raised both hands trying to grab Benge's attention as Senga and Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez both called for the baseball in vain.

A sheepish Benge, when he realized what happened, put both hands on his head — and Senga doubled over in laughter.

After the game, Senga was asked if Benge ever managed to retrieve the ball for him.

“I think Bengie is trying to tell me I should have just punched him out,” a smiling Senga said through an interpreter.

Senga got the save opportunity in the ninth because the Mets placed closer Devin Williams on the 15-day injured list earlier in the day. Interim manager Andy Green was non-committal before the game about who would be his closer, but with New York leading 8-5 he called on Senga. The right-hander is 0-8 with an 8.12 ERA in eight starts and eight relief appearances this season.

Senga struck out Matt Olson and Michael Harris II to open the ninth, then issued a walk to Ozzie Albies before retiring Dubón.

Senga has not allowed a run in his last three appearances out of the bullpen. He came over from Japan and signed a $75 million, five-year contract to be a starter for the Mets before the 2023 season. He went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts that year, making the NL All-Star team and finishing runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting and seventh in Cy Young Award balloting.

But he's largely struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness since, other than a strong stretch early in the 2025 season.

The last-place Mets are 6-1 on a nine-game trip following a significant selloff ahead of last Monday's trade deadline that depleted their bullpen.

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

In Wisconsin, state Rep. Francesca Hong, a self-described democratic socialist, is the front-runner for the party's nomination for governor in a swing state where winning the governor's mansion is central to Democrats' hopes for 2028 and beyond. In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is running for the nomination for an open Senate seat against centrist Democratic Rep. Angie Craig.

The left vs. center theme is on display in Democratic primaries in multiple states voting Tuesday, with other significant races in places like Alabama and South Carolina.

Here's what to watch Tuesday night.

Does the left keep surging in swing states?

Left-leaning candidates have consistently won primaries, capitalizing on Democratic voter frustration at party leadership. Most wins came in reliably liberal urban areas, ranging from New York Cityto Denver. But last week, progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed broke new ground by winning the party's nomination for a competitive Senate race in swing state Michigan.

Now Hong and, to a lesser extent, Flanagan are trying to claim even more purple terrain for the left.

President Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2024 and its state legislature has long been in the hands of the GOP, but Democrats have been bullish about reversing that trend. Hong has maintained a steady lead in public polls against Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, despite his endorsement by the state's current governor, Democrat Tony Evers. Hong is also helped by the presence on the ballot of multiple more traditional candidates who will split votes against her, including former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who dropped out of the race late last month.

Hong has a trail of controversial statements, including vocal support for defunding the police in 2020, a position she now disavows. Prominent Democratic strategists fear that she can win the primary by appealing to the party's base but is a risk in the general election. The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.

The stakes are high in the race for Democrats nationally, not just Wisconsin residents. Democrats are hoping to win control of the state legislature, and the governor's mansion would give them an ability to redraw Wisconsin's map to counter the edge the GOP built up in this year's mid-decade redistricting. Without that, their path to a House majority in 2028 becomes challenging.

Democrats will also likely need to win Wisconsin to retake the White House in 2028, and the governor will have a key role in certifying the winner of the election. In 2020, Trump tried to claim Wisconsin despite it being won by Joe Biden, only to be blocked in part by Evers. Tiffany, who has been endorsed by Trump, supported the president's attempt to overturn the election.

Democrats have reliably won Minnesota during the Trump years, but by shrinking margins, and Republicans believe they have a shot at claiming the open Senate seat given the primary battle there. Craig represents a swing district and has taken more moderate stances, and Flanagan has slammed her for being supported by establishment Democrats and being too accommodating to Trump, especially on immigration.

Lamont won as an insurgent. Now he's establishment

When the Democratic establishment was worrying about insurgents from the left a generation ago, it fretted about the man who is currently Connecticut's governor, Ned Lamont.

A wealthy former entrepreneur, Lamont was an obscure Greenwich selectman when he mounted a primary challenge against the state's senior senator, Joe Lieberman, in 2006. Lamont argued that the centrist Lieberman, who had been the party's vice presidential nominee in 2000, wasn't a loyal enough Democrat and leaned too far to the right.

Lamont won that primary, but Lieberman ran in the general election as an independent and kept his Senate seat. Lamont kept running for office and eventually was elected governor in 2018. Now 72, Lamont is being challenged from the left by State Rep. Josh Elliott, 41, who alleges the governor hasn't fought Trump hard enough and that the solidly Democratic state deserves better than Lamont's fiscally moderate approach.

For months, Lamont largely ignored Elliott and focused on burnishing his own image. But in a sign of a potentially tightening race, he's begun to advertise against his challenger.

An incumbent cast as too old and too tied to big money

Also in Connecticut, Rep. John Larson faces his first primary challenge after 14 terms in the House from former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin.

The race follows familiar contours, as Bronin, 47, argues that Larson, 78, is too old and too tied to big money donors. Larson argues his experience and seniority put him in the best position to deliver for his voters.

There is also a growing list of longtime Democrats upset by younger challengers. Will one more name get added on Tuesday night?

In a Wisconsin House district, a rematch is likely

Democratic voters in a swath of western Wisconsin are expected to renominate Rebecca Cooke to face two-term Republican Rep. Derek Van Orden in Wisconsin’s 3rd District, setting up a rematch for one of the more competitive seats in the U.S. House.

In 2024, Cooke, a nonprofit executive and small business owner, lost narrowly to Van Orden, who was elected in 2022 and has been a devout supporter of Trump.

The district is a mix of Wisconsin farmland where Republicans have improved over the past decade and mini-metros with state universities giving them small but influential Democratic bases.

Cooke, of Eau Claire, faces Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge on Tuesday, but Cooke has Democratic institutional support, including from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Cooke has also raised roughly $8.6 million, far exceeding Berge’s roughly $729,000.

Van Orden is unopposed in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

In South Carolina, it's a famous name vs. experience

For a state with little mystery expected in November, South Carolina is again in the spotlight, this time holding primaries to nominate candidates for a special U.S. Senate election.

South Carolina voters voted on June 9 for nominees to statewide office, and then cast ballots in the June 23 primary runoffs for contests where no candidate reached 50% of the vote. And there were several, including GOP nominations for governor and nominations for several congressional seats.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death on July 11 at age 71 of an aortic rupture to his heart ensured South Carolina voters were not finished deciding who would be on the November ballot. Voters on Tuesday will be deciding who will succeed the four-term Graham as the Republican nominee in the GOP-heavy Southern state.

They will be choosing from Graham’s sister Darline, who was appointed to fill the vacancy by Gov. Henry McMaster and who has been endorsed by Trump, as well as U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, former Rep. Mark Sanford and six other candidates.

If no one reaches 50% of the vote Tuesday -- that’s right -- there will be another runoff, this one on Aug. 25.

Graham's sister, Darline Graham, a political unknown tapped to serve out the final months of her brother's term, is trying to overcome skepticism about her lack of experience in her campaign to replace him. She picked up President Donald Trump's swift endorsement though the rare open Senate seat has attracted a broad field, including some of the state's top Republicans.

For decades, South Carolina voters have reliably returned Lindsey Graham to Washington despite periodic primary challengers who accused the dealmaker and foreign policy hawk of being insufficiently conservative.

Tuesday's contest features one of Lindsey Graham’s foes from earlier this year, as well as two U.S. House members as well as Mark Sanford, the former governor and congressman who is seeking a political comeback in a field crowded with familiar faces.

Will goodwill toward Lindsey Graham boost his sister at the polls?

Lindsey Graham suffered a tear in his aorta at his Washington home and died on July 11.

Before funeral observances for Lindsey Graham in Washington and South Carolina had even concluded, the campaign was on. State law proscribes a compressed timeline that forced candidates to navigate the decorum of mourning the senator's death while also jockeying to replace him.

A day after Graham’s death was announced, his sister accepted Republican Gov. Henry McMaster’s appointment to succeed her brother in an interim capacity. She was sworn in with her family and late senator’s staff standing behind her.

A week later, Darline Graham launched into the campaign herself, encouraged to run and then endorsed by Trump.

While the millions in the president's campaign account aren’t funds that Darline Graham could directly access in a run of her own, there was no limit to how much could be transferred to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is already paying for advertising to support her.

In addition, a super PAC that once supported Lindsey Graham said it would spend $900,000 backing Darline Graham's candidacy, including mailers touting her as “President Trump's choice” and saying she's “Prepared to Carry on Lindsey's Legacy.”

Two congressmen are among those seeking the nomination

More familiar to South Carolina voters in their own right are two U.S. House members in the race, one of whom already has a statewide profile.

Fresh off an unsuccessful primary run for governor, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman entered the Senate contest and has snapped up endorsements from other lawmakers, including Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, as well as South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace.

One of the most conservative members in the House, Norman is well-known across South Carolina for being a fiscal conservative. At times, however, he's been at odds with Trump and backed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the 2024 presidential primary.

Also in the running is Rep. Russell Fry, who appeared poised to gain Trump's backing after Lindsey Graham's death. Despite lacking the president's endorsement, he announced his own candidacy and has been trying to boost his name recognition beyond his pro-Trump district in the Myrtle Beach area.

Mark Sanford seeks another political comeback

The former South Carolina congressman and governor whose political ascendency was stalled by a 2009 extramarital affair is making yet another attempt to return to public office.

Sanford’s Senate bid comes just three months after he ended a bid to retake his former U.S. House seat, saying then he was quitting the race to set up a nonprofit to address the national debt, his signature issue.

Sanford had entered that contest on the last day of filing, when the race already was full of other Republican candidates, many of whom had spent months laying the groundwork for their campaigns. He's been crisscrossing South Carolina in his Senate bid, reintroducing himself to voters after more than a decade out of statewide office.

Mark Lynch, a Greenville businessman who tried to oust Graham in the regular Republican primary last month, swiftly relaunched his campaign following Graham’s death. Calling himself an “America First” candidate, Lynch has campaigned as a Trump supporter, but during the June primary, the president on social media called him a “lunatic” and a “disaster for the Republican Party.”

Who is the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat?

Dr. Annie Andrews, a Charleston physician, won her party’s primary in June outright. Having set up her entire campaign based around challenging Graham, Andrews has been forced to pivot to a broader critique of the Republican contenders.

No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat here in decades. And when Graham last ran in 2020, he defeated his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, by a 10 percentage point margin.

That contest was the most expensive in state history, and among the country’s most expensive congressional races, ever.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

At home he averages seven hours. The first night away — with or without earplugs and regardless of the bed's quality — his smartwatch tells him he gets about five.

“I feel normal, you know, no stress, nothing, but it’s just I notice I wake up continuously,” said Leoni, a sales director for a tech company who travels once or twice a month for work.

He is a victim of what sleep specialists call the first-night effect. The phenomenon has been confirmed by dozens of studies and is believed to have evolutionary roots, said Anna Wick, a senior sleep researcher at the University of Freiburg in Switzerland.

“It’s assumed to be an adaptation response that the sleeping brain remains vigilant in this unfamiliar environment,” Wick said.

You stay alert while sleeping

Ahmad Mayeli, a psychiatry professor and sleep researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, said most people experience it, and even those who may not notice it probably do on a small level. On average, people sleep about 20 to 30 minutes less in a new environment.

His research found that the frontal lobe, an area associated with the deepest stage of sleep, was more active, indicating a sense of alertness. In other words, not only do people sleep less, but also less deeply.

“They are saying that, like in dolphins, part of the brain is awake when you are sleeping,” Mayeli said. “It’s not exactly like dolphins, but still, studies show part of the brain is sleeping less.”

He noted that age makes a difference. The effect is more pronounced in children, adolescents and older adults, and it typically worsens with age. Those in their 20s are the least affected.

“Maybe it’s the sweet spot,” he said.

Anxiety can play a part

Mayeli suspects that the brain may be wired to be wary of new places because, historically, they were the most dangerous to rest.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a Marriott hotel or it’s the savannah,” he said. “Your brain hasn’t gotten the memo that this place is completely safe.”

Wick said evidence suggests the effect fades after the first night.

Lisa Strauss, a psychologist specializing in cognitive behavioral treatment of sleep disorders, said several factors can impact sleep in a new place beyond evolutionary vigilance.

Travel itself can have a negative effect, even within the same time zone. Environmental factors may get in the way, like a flashing smoke alarm light in a hotel room. Relational tension, perhaps while visiting family members you're not close with, could also contribute.

Strauss noted that some people may sleep better the first night if they’re tired after a long day of travel or if the location provides a sense of disconnection from daily stressors. And people who have trouble sleeping at home might fare better because they don’t associate the new place with a history of difficulty sleeping.

While anyone can experience the first-night effect, Strauss said those who are more anxious at baseline are especially vulnerable. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy — the worry about whether they can sleep is what keeps them awake.

Leoni acknowledged there are times he goes into the first night thinking about how he'll sleep.

“Sometimes the thoughts come automatically,” he said. “You talk with your colleague, and you say, 'I’m going back to the room, but I’m not going to sleep anyway.’”

How to sleep better on the first night

Strauss recommends general sleep hygiene practices such as going to sleep in a cool, dark room at the same time every night, following a nighttime routine and turning off screens well before going to bed. Those are especially helpful if you start (or restart) doing them in the days or weeks before an important trip.

She suggested people try to make the environment their own by spending a little extra time in the new bed. They could read or do another peaceful, familiar activity to make the experience less novel. They could also bring familiar objects, like a favorite pillow or blanket.

For someone who is particularly anxious, Strauss recommended they visualize themselves in a safe, familiar environment out in nature, such as on a favorite hike or beach. They should notice the anxiety they're feeling, then repeat positive phrases to help lower feelings of hypervigilance. Her suggestion: “May you know that you are safe. May you know that you are loved. May you be at peace.”

Mayeli said the first-night effect is not really anything to worry about, and people can easily make up for missing an hour or two of sleep for one night. But he recommends arriving a day early to acclimate if you have an important meeting or event.

“If tomorrow matters, get there a night early,” he said, “so you’ll sleep like yourself when it counts.”

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Albert Stumm writes about wellness, food and travel. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com

The Trump administration is hoping that months of bombing have pushed Iran’s economy to a breaking point that will force its leadership to cave to demands to end its nuclear program and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.

The president on Monday said that since Iran is seeking compensation as part of any peace talks, he now intends to demand the same for the U.S. side. It's part of a larger pivot this weekend by Trump to argue that Iran is now on the cusp of financially collapsing, even though it has already endured decades of financial sanctions, which are often a longer-term strategy rather than an immediate tool of warfare that can halt a conflict.

The shift comes as U.S. stockpiles of key weapons have dwindled and as stop-start talks seem again to have stalled. But Trump insists the pressure can lead to a breakthrough.

“Yeah, they can make trouble, but they’re broke,” Trump told reporters. “They have no money. You know, Iran is broke, totally broke. And, they’re not paying their soldiers. They have inflation of 300%.”

Inflation is running high in Iran, although Trump's estimates were higher than what administration officials have been citing to reporters. But the prospect of a longer war also carries inflation risks for other nations, including the U.S. — where the war and higher gasoline prices are unpopular.

Crude oil prices climbed on Monday as investors interpreted Trump’s comments as a sign that fewer ships would be traversing the Strait of Hormuz, continuing to limit global supplies of gasoline, jet fuel, natural gas and other forms of energy. The Iran war largely closed the waterway involved in shipping roughly 20% of global oil supplies before the conflict — and attempts to reopen the strait have been short-lived as it has become a source of leverage for the Iranians in negotiations.

Iran does not appear to be publicly intimidated by the prospect of more financial sanctions.

“Whenever Washington proves itself incapable of pursuing diplomacy, it retreats into sanctions; and whenever those sanctions fail to produce results, it simply increases the dose,” said Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, on social media. “The real risk is that American politicians, clinging to this bad habit, will instead strangle their own remaining chances of a less humiliating exit from a crisis of their own making.”

The White House has called this ‘Operation Economic Fury’

The president didn’t say what additional financial pressure would be applied, but the administration has since April 16 been engaged in what it calls “ Operation Economic Fury ” against Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called this component the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign as the countries that buy oil from Iran or bank with it could be sanctioned.

But one problem with this pivot is that the sanctions are unable to bite as quickly as the impact of the largely shuttered strait, said Richard Nephew, a senior research scholar at Columbia University who helped direct Iran sanctions strategy in the Obama administration.

Nephew stressed that the value of sanctions as a tool is limited because Trump has not articulated clear strategic goals for the war, at times stressing that it can't have a nuclear weapon, then emphasizing the strait and then talking about ballistic missiles. Instead, Trump has engaged in a massive series of aerial assaults and a level of destruction that has not produced the quick end that he initially promised.

“Economic pressure is a possible element in his strategy, but he’s yet to explain the purpose,” Nephew said. “Trump has systematically weakened his own hand through his inadequate use of force, inarticulate elucidation of an objective, and vacillation on negotiations.”

Still, the sanctions and the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports give the U.S. economic and financial leverage, said Juan Zarate, a deputy national security adviser in the George W. Bush administration. Zarate said the U.S. sanctions threatening third-party countries doing business with Iran also have an impact. But these things take time, he noted.

“The ultimate question will be how far the United States is willing to go to constrict Iran’s oil trade and threaten third countries with severe sanctions -- and whether it has the patience to test whether the economic pain will change the regime’s behavior,” Zarate said.

Past presidents used sanctions. Trump has said they didn't go far enough

Trump's latest pivot to economic issues with Iran is something of a flip-flop. Trump has long derided past presidents who used sanctions to limit Iran’s economic ability to pay for its military and nuclear development. In a speech last week in Las Vegas, he defended the bombing, missiles and drone attacks that began on Feb. 28 by indicating that the sanctions from previous administrations that date back to November 1979 had failed to succeed.

“It’s been 47 years, but really, it’s been 50 years because they’ve been saying 47 for three years, it’s been 50 years,” Trump said. “And no other president has done what you should have done a long time ago, because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, can’t have it.”

The Iranian economy has suffered gravely because of the war, with the International Monetary Fund estimating the overall economy shrinks by 5.4% and the Iranian government recently reporting an annual inflation rate of 88.6%. The U.S. Treasury Department said average loadings of Iranian oil have decreased from 1.8 million barrels per day before the war to less than 500,000 barrels per day over the past month.

The U.S. economy — the world’s largest — has continued to grow, but inflation is elevated and borrowing costs have risen in ways that have hurt Trump’s popularity and led to disapproval of the Iran war.

A senior U.S. official, insisting on anonymity to discuss strategy, said the U.S. military has set back Iran’s ability to produce, sell and ship oil and other energy resources. The administration sees the naval blockade of the strait and sanctions as effective and views Trump as having additional options that can be cranked harder in the weeks and months ahead.

Trump is essentially arguing that U.S. voters are better able to tolerate any economic inconveniences than Iranians, who have been in a state of economic hardship for years.

“It’s not just what the military can do — we’ve got the most powerful economy in the world as well," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday in a joint appearance with Bessent. "And when you’ve got a motivated treasury secretary who can pull a lot of levers because he knows how to do it, you can put a lot of pressure on adversaries.”

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AP White House reporter Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

Now it's getting back to its roots.

In a conference call with investors Monday, the company behind Truth Social said it will be unwinding much of its expansion and doubling down on its original media business by selling a form of White House access, a move that has raised big ethical questions among Democrats and government watchdogs.

Trump started Truth Social after he was kicked off Twitter and Facebook, but the two reinstated him more than three years ago, so the company has had to transform itself. Instead of a “free speech” forum, it now acts more like a “hear it here first” site, a second White House press office where people get scoops from the president on everything from the Iran war to tariffs to the future of the U.S. central bank.

But shares of the parent company, Trump Media & Technology, kept falling so it decided to become more than a media company, and branched into unrelated industries like online betting, finance, investment funds, buying and storing bitcoin and nuclear energy.

Now it's returning to its original mission, with a twist: It's offering a special new service that grants fast access to President Trump's posts for a fee.

The new business could double or triple revenue

In a conference call with investors, the company's new chief executive, Kevin McGurn, said it had already signed up several high speed trading firms, each paying between $60,000 and $100,000 a month.

“We’re in the early innings,” said McGurn, noting that the potential market included data center companies, news organizations and developers of large language models, not just traders, and he was talking to them all.

McGurn has rejected the idea that the new business is an ethics quagmire as good-government groups have said, noting that other social media companies provide a similar service. As for the White House, it denies conflicts even exist between Trump the president and Trump the businessman where his private interests may influence his public policy.

Traders on Wall Street can make big money if they get White House news faster and so are signing up — 10 in the week since the service began, which may seem like a tiny number but translates into a major boost for the company. The monthly customers collectively are paying as much as $7 million and $12 million annually — two to three times the revenue the company took in for all its businesses last year.

Trump Media needs the money — and a lot more.

It's lost more than $1 billion since the start of last year, and its earnings report released Monday for the three months ended June 30 showed relief is not on the horizon. It lost another $238 million, though much of that was due to paper losses from the plunging value of its bitcoin holdings.

Time is running out

The clock is ticking to fix the company.

Trump Media depends partly on outside funding, specifically $1 billion raised from lenders with a special agreement that allows them to get paid back early. They can demand the company buy back their convertible notes on Nov. 30, 18 months before the loans mature.

That cashout date is just after the November midterms, which could impact the company should Democrats get control of Congress. Several current members, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, say they will hold formal investigations of Trump's businesses, including Trump Media, should they take over.

A third deadline is farther out, but the most consequential — the end of Trump's presidency.

Trump is a big draw for the platform's users, but it's not clear how many will read his posts after he leaves office, much less why traders will pay as much $1.2 million a year for sneak peeks at his posts if he's no longer able to declare on the site that the Strait of Hormuz is open or that he's hiking tariffs on dozens of countries.

Would Vance in the White House help Truth Social?

The special, high-speed service, called Truth API, includes posts from other top posters on the site, but no one comes near the president in popularity. He has 13 million followers. The second biggest poster, his son, Donald Jr., has 7.5 million.

Other heavily followed posters include Trump administration members who also may fall in popularity once out of office, including FBI director Kash Patel and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A wild card is JD Vance, who will be out of his vice presidential job in 2028 but, if he runs for president and wins, may continue to post on the site where he has five million followers.

The other business line that McGurn is choosing to hold onto is nuclear fusion, a technology still not commercially available but that is getting a big boost by the current administration.

The U.S. government has a helping hand

In June, the U.S. Department of Energy released a “road map” committing to government funding to speed the development of nuclear fusion as a national priority and calling for public-private partnerships.

Despite the help, investors still aren't convinced Trump Media has a rosy future.

After closing at about $62 shortly after it went public in 2024, the stock has plunged into the single digits, wiping out billions in stock market value.

On Monday, Trump Media dove again, down 8% to $9.39 a share.

The winner will advance to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November in an open race that could test the limits of progressives' appeal in a critical battleground state.

Democrats are hoping to capitalize on low approval ratings for President Donald Trump in a state he won in 2016 and 2024 to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.

In other races, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s 26-year-old son-in-law Michael Alfonso is trying to win a five-way primary in Duffy’s old seat in the U.S. House. And Democrat Rebecca Cooke is looking to emerge from the primary to force a rematch with Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the state’s most hotly contested and narrowly divided congressional district.

Democratic socialist shakes up Wisconsin race, fueled by national movement

Single mother and former line cook Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, has tapped into Democratic anger with the party’s mainstream and Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement.

The 37-year-old known for sprinkling her comments with profanity and leaning into her edgy and sometimes humorous social media profile excited the liberal wing of the party. Hong called for free childcare and healthcare and a moratorium on data center construction. But she also wrestled with her past support for defunding the police, saying at the race’s only debate that she would not support cutting law enforcement funding.

She also drew criticism for past social media posts where she called for canceling Thanksgiving because “we should stop celebrating colonialism" and disparaged Valentine’s Day as “another day capitalism tells you how to show love.”

Hong has since downplayed the posts as her attempt at making jokes.

Hong supporter Dan Jakubek, 44, of Marshall, dismissed concerns over Hong's past statements and said her message of affordability is resonating across generations.

“I've never seen so many young, out of high school, college students revved up for change,” he said.

Establishment Democrats worried that a Hong win would make it easier for Tiffany to win in November, as her platform would be a tougher sell among moderate and independent voters who are critical in the swing state known for razor-thin election margins.

Gov. Tony Evers endorsed Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, saying he has the best chance of beating Tiffany in November.

Crowley told supporters at a Sunday night rally that they must come together after the primary to beat Tiffany.

“Our ultimate goal is to make sure we don’t have a MAGA extremist occupying the governor’s office,” Crowley said.

Hong said she would welcome Evers' support after the primary.

“We have to come together to beat Tom Tiffany," she said Monday.

Hong voter Kelly McClurg, 40, of Sun Prairie, rejected concerns that Hong can't beat Tiffany.

“She can win if people let her,” she said, referring to Democrats who raise electability concerns.

Crowley voter Susan Uraneck, of Madison, said she wished that Evers had gotten involved sooner.

“I hope for the best,” she said. “As I say, it is what it is.”

Hong is the first Asian American elected to the state Assembly in 2020. She is looking to become Wisconsin's first female governor and first Asian American governor. Crowley would be the state's first Black governor.

Chaotic Democratic primary saw candidates drop, come back in

Evers’ decision not to seek a third term created an open race for governor that initially had seven Democrats file to run.

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez appeared to be making a move to consolidate mainstream Democratic support in July, but she dropped out in the middle of the month amid a campaign finance scandal. That led Crowley, who had dropped out a week earlier and endorsed Rodriguez, to get back in the race, this time with Evers' backing.

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who was seen as an early front-runner after nearly beating Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in 2022, bowed out less than two weeks before the election amid questions about inappropriate behavior.

Sean Duffy’s son-in-law looks to win back Duffy’s old congressional district

Alfonso is looking to become the youngest member of Congress by winning Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, a seat previously held for nine years by his father-in-law before Duffy stepped down in 2019.

He secured Trump’s endorsement, who called him a “MAGA warrior,” to separate him from the field that also includes Kevin Hermening, a Trump supporter and longtime Republican operative in the congressional district.

Trump spoke on a telephone rally for Alfonso on Monday night, calling him “a fantastic young guy who’s going to be a star in Washington.” It was the second event Trump hosted for Alfonso in the primary.

Alfonso’s candidacy drew blowback from some longtime Republican leaders in the district who said he was too young and inexperienced for the job, especially compared to Hermening.

Democrat Cooke looks for repeat race against Rep. Derrick Van Orden

Cooke, a former Democratic fundraiser and small business owner, faces a challenge from former Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge in Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District. Berge ran an underdog, insurgent campaign against Cooke, who was more well-known and better financed.

Cooke narrowly lost to Van Orden in 2024 and also ran in 2022 but lost in the Democratic primary that year.

Van Orden is one of Trump’s biggest supporters but will face a tough reelection bid in a narrowly divided district in a year where Trump’s approval ratings are low in Wisconsin.

The festival, founded in 2011, drew hundreds to Francis Field downtown performances by international and U.S. Celtic bands, authentic Highland Games and Celtic artisans. It also featured heritage food, whiskey tastings, workshops, lectures, and other family activities.

“This festival has always been about more than entertainment,” said Albert Syeles, President of Romanza-St. Augustine, Inc. “It has been a celebration of heritage, friendship, volunteer spirit, and the extraordinary story of St. Augustine as America’s Oldest Celtic City.”

The festival helped shine a spotlight on St. Augustine’s unique Celtic legacy, including the city’s claim to the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the now-United States in 1600 and the first recorded St. Patrick procession in 1601.

Romanza-St. Augustine, Inc. says the difficult decision is a result of lack of state grants for arts and culture events since 2024, declining support from local government, difficulties with U.S. work visas, increased costs of supplies and labor, and other adverse developments.

Despite the events ending, Romanza-St. Augustine says it remains committed to supporting arts, culture, music and heritage programming that enriches the community and honors the city’s remarkable history.

A spokesperson for the Meta CEO also said the crew didn't immediately hear the radio call for help and by the time it did, another nearby ship had already rendered assistance.

The Aug. 3 incident gained attention in recent days after a passenger on the cruise ship posted on social media that the captain had said Zuckerberg’s yacht “refused” to respond.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the 21-foot Hewescraft vessel first hailed it for assistance at approximately 9:32 p.m., using a radio frequency all boats are expected to monitor. About 25 minutes later, the Coast Guard determined the vessel was not in distress and issued an assistance request. The skiff was able to make it safely to Farragut Bay after the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship towed it there, and helped it refuel.

When another ship is in distress, everyone in the area is obligated to respond as long as doing so doesn't put their own ship at risk. But maritime law expert Ian Ralby said this situation appears different, and the crew of Zuckerberg's yacht wouldn't face that legal obligation.

“It’s the difference between calling AAA and 911. You need an ambulance on site, that’s a distress call. You need somebody to give you a jump or to tow your car, you call AAA,” said Ralby, who is president of the nonprofit Auxilium Worldwide that focuses on promoting sustainable development and ocean governance, among other goals. It is a big difference in terms of the emergency type, he said. "Both concerning, both needing assistance, but the legal obligations to respond are very different.”

No obligation to help a ship that ran out of gas

Zuckerberg and his family were not on the 387-foot Launchpad yacht when this happened, according to his spokesperson, who didn't specify what the yacht was doing at the time.

“As the Coast Guard noted, the boat was not in distress, and by the time the crew reviewed the Coast Guard contact on a different radio channel from the one they were operating on, the assist was already underway. We’re grateful all parties are safe," Zuckerberg's spokesman Brian Baker said.

Retired Coast Guard Captain Aaron C. Davenport, who spent three decades with the branch of the military responsible for rescues on the water, said running out of gas simply isn't considered an emergency, and the Launchpad wasn't obligated to help.

“If Zuckerberg’s ship is there and this vessel just ran out of fuel, they’re under no obligation whatsoever to assist them. Zero,” said Davenport, who led rescues in the Bering Sea during his career. “Is it that common courtesy to help other mariners out? Yes, because someday you’re going to need assistance.”

The Coast Guard also isn't going to automatically deploy ships when a ship runs out of gas, but Davenport said that in the harsh environment of Alaska a ship that ran out of gas could become an emergency if it drifts into some rocks or a storm is brewing. The fact that this cruise ship responded saved the Coast Guard a trip.

“Alaska is a remote place so it could easily go from non-emergency to emergency and very quickly,” said Davenport, who worked as a consultant on security and maritime issues for several years before retiring.

Cruise ship passenger's post drew attention to this incident

The Alaska Beacon first reported on what happened after Michael Love, who said he was a passenger on the Wilderness Legacy cruise ship, posted on Bluesky on Aug. 5.

“Our boat rescued a stranded vessel last night and apparently we did that after the Coast Guard radioed Mark Zuckerberg’s yacht — which was closer — and they repeatedly refused to respond. (There was near unanimous booing when the captain announced this),” he said.

Coast Guard determined the skiff wasn't in distress

The Coast Guard said in a statement that they determined within half an hour of when the skiff radioed in that the small ship wasn't in distress. A marine assistance request was broadcast on their behalf, and the Wilderness Legacy responded, reaching the 21-foot vessel about an hour later.

Ralby said it's a little unusual that the Launchpad crew missed the call for help because it is common practice for ships to always be monitoring channel 16 on their radios and keep it as the default frequency to hear any distress calls or emergency notices. But typically the Coast Guard tries to keep channel 16 as free as possible so they might announce an emergency on that channel and ask anyone who can help to switch to a different channel to hear the details.

“The situation was resolved without any harm to life," said Ralby, who is a maritime lawyer with experience in more than 100 countries. "It does not seem that there was any immediate issue in terms of threat to life of mariners or concerns for the marine environment, which are the two main things that lead to that urgent distress call where all mariners no matter who they are legally obligated to try and respond.”

James Davis says his kids were at the bus stop and ready to be picked up at their scheduled time of 8:15 a.m. — but the bus never came on time.

“They were at the bus stop prepared to be picked up at 8:15 like they were supposed to be. And then no communication, no bus. 32 minutes later, the bus arrives. But at that point, I’d already picked them up at 8:30,” Davis said.

Davis says he met all the requirements the school asked of his family — and expected the same in return.

“We got them up, we got them dressed, we get them ready. You know, they met all the expectations that the school is asking them to do. And then unfortunately, the school failed to meet the expectations on their end,” he said.

After dropping his children off at school himself, Davis attempted to call the district but says he couldn’t reach anyone until around 10 a.m.

“So they did say that to expect this for the coming days this week. We were also given the reason that it was a new bus driver so we should have some grace,” Davis said.

District responds

Brad Underhill, director of Nassau County Schools Transportation, confirmed that buses were running approximately 25 minutes behind schedule on the first day of school.

“So depending on where they’re at in the morning, so those buses are gonna pick up elementary kids first and then they bring them to the elementary school and unloaded and then come back,” Underhill said.

Underhill acknowledged the delays and says the district expects to work through the issues as the week progresses.

“It’s the first week of school, buses are gonna be running late. Be patient. It’s just so much with trying to get in and out of the traffic at the school till it settles down. That’s the biggest problem — the ones that are on island, we’re gonna go on island, drop the kids off and then come back off island,” Underhill said.

Parent staying positive

Despite his frustration, Davis says he is not looking to assign blame — just hoping for improvement.

“I think that we have to look at it as a learning opportunity. We’re not outraged, we’re not mad. We just have, again, there’s certain levels of expectation that parents and children are held to. So there’s the reciprocation that they’re held to the same standard,” Davis said.

Nassau County Schools says it has enough bus drivers to cover all routes but is actively hiring additional drivers. Interested applicants can apply on the school district’s website.

The parent tracking app for school buses is transitioning from Here Comes the Bus to StopFinder during the 2026-27 school year. StopFinder is a more secure application that works very similarly to HCTB.

You must have a working email in FOCUS on your primary account to use StopFinder. An email will be sent to that address with sign up instructions.

HCTB will continue to work while the district transitions to the new program to give you time to verify and/or update the primary email you have in FOCUS. Please call your child’s school to update your email.

Please check your bus stop times frequently as school starts, as there are many changes daily.

If there is no bus stop information on your FOCUS account transportation page or in the HCTB app, then the district does not have you registered as a bus rider. Submit a bus stop request.

You will need your child’s student ID# and the district’s school code, 76491, to sign up for the StopFinder app.

In an “open letter to the football family” revealed Monday, UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC also said that “when trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned.”

UEFA runs soccer in Europe, CONCACAF is the confederation for North, Central America and the Caribbean, and the AFC governs the sport in Asia.

The letter was co-signed by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, AFC president Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani and the general secretaries of the those continental governing bodies.

“Football is the world’s greatest shared passion. It belongs to no individual and no institution. It belongs to the players, the fans, the clubs, the member associations and every institution entrusted with safeguarding its future,” the open letter said. “It is in that spirit, as confederations representing its members, that we speak collectively today.”

Infantino is facing a revolt after his failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors.

“It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him,” the letter said. “These are not the qualities football deserves in its leadership. That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve.”

Infantino got some support from outside the game, with U.S. President Donald Trump defending the FIFA leader in a social media post Monday night.

“FIFA would be making a terrible mistake if, for any reason, they even considered replacing President Gianni Infantino,” Trump posted. “He is fantastic, having just presided over the most successful World Cup, by four times, ever presented. If he is gone, it will never be as successful or profitable again! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”

UEFA previously issued a threat to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions despite the governing body abandoning and apologizing for its failed plan.

Norway’s soccer federation called for Infantino to step down, while England's Football Association has also withdrawn its support for Infantino’s re-election next March.

“Football’s strength has always been its unity. We call for that unity to be honored now,” the letter said. “For leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it.”

Last Wednesday, FIFA said it had apologized for errors made over the failed plan but that senior staff at a crisis meeting in Morocco “reaffirmed their full support” for Infantino's presidency.

However, the nature of the meeting was also met with criticism.

“FIFA’s own letter also confirms that only one elected official was present at the leadership meeting in Morocco,” the open letter from the sport's three continental federations said. “No FIFA Council members or Member Associations were invited to participate. Only the management committee, composed of FIFA-employed senior staff, was present.”

FIFA was also urged to go further than just acknowledging mistakes were made.

“It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment,” the letter said. “There remains no recognition that attempting to sell an interest in the FIFA World Cup was a profound failure of judgment — not just a procedural misstep, but a fundamental breach of trust with the very institutions FIFA exists to serve.”

In a statement released Saturday, FIFA defended Infantino against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of the organization.

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

Three days after defense attorneys filed a motion for release, prosecutors filed their response in Miami federal court, where a hearing on Thursday will determine if the brothers should stay in jail or be released during what could be a monthslong extradition process.

The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

The detention hearing is likely to be the first time the Tates leave the Federal Detention Center in Miami since making a brief court appearance two days after their July 18 arrest. The Tates have become among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities with their promotion of wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire. The new allegations are the latest in the Tates' long-running international legal saga spanning the U.S., Britain and Romania.

Prosecutors claim a ‘heightened risk of flight’

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office filing, the Tates should be detained pending their extradition hearing because they cannot overcome the strong presumption against bail in international extradition cases.

The serious pending U.K. charges involving human trafficking and violent rapes and assaults against multiple victims, along with allegations in Romania that the Tates attempted to intimidate witnesses, present a clear public safety concern, prosecutors say.

“That the Tates also claim to maintain multiple passports and identities, have access to excessive wealth and influence in numerous countries, and are stridently unwilling to voluntarily return to face prosecution in the United Kingdom, collectively demonstrate a heightened risk of flight that no amount of bond could overcome,” the filing says.

The defense motion filed Friday acknowledges there is a presumption against bond in extradition proceedings but argues that release can be granted in special circumstances. It says the Tates’ high profile makes it nearly impossible for them to flee, and that they regularly post updates about their locations on social media.

While prosecutors call the brothers a flight risk, their attorneys said they have proved they are not by complying with all pretrial restrictions in Romania, where they are accused of luring women for sexual exploitation.

The U.K. has until mid-September to provide evidence to the State Department to support extradition, meaning the brothers could spend months in FDC Miami before the proceedings are resolved, the defense motion says. No date has been set for an extradition hearing. They are being held in a special unit for their own protection.

Legal troubles follow the Tate brothers

The brothers have long claimed that their violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.

The former professional kickboxers, who have dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship, have millions of social media followers and are vocal supporters of President Donald Trump. The White House has said the brothers shouldn't expect any help from the president.

British prosecutors said the new charges relate to four new accusers and were brought after authorities received evidence from police in Bedfordshire, in southeastern England. The allegations, which span from 2010 to 2017, include rape, assault, trafficking and offenses relating to “indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.”

The brothers are already charged with rape, bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain relating to three other accusers in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015.

The brothers moved to Romania in 2016 and were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations, and the Romanian case hasn't moved forward due to legal and procedural problems.

The Tates' attorneys have said the Romanian court has granted a U.K. request for extradition that will take effect after Romanian proceedings conclude.

Andrew Tate, 39, became famous a decade ago when he was a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother.” He was ejected from the show when a video appeared to show him assaulting a woman.

He has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from other platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, for violating hate speech guidelines. He has made widely condemned comments, such as saying women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for the attacks and sharing graphic descriptions of how he might attack women.

Tristan Tate, 38, has worked with his brother on multiple businesses, including the production of online webcam pornography.

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Search teams and civilians picked through the remains of destroyed buildings in the country’s third-largest city, Cali, passing large pieces of concrete and other rubble down a long line of volunteers.

“Our building has basically been left in ruins, and the building next to ours? Completely collapsed,” said Álvaro López, who cradled his dog as he watched the search. The desperate scene recalled the searches still ongoing in neighboring Venezuela weeks after that country was devastated by two powerful earthquakes.

Besides Cali, the quake ravaged cities across western Colombia, including Pereira, Quibdo and Manizales, and was felt in neighboring Ecuador and Panama. The epicenter was in San Jose del Palmar, a community of about 4,800 people in the Choco region about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Bogota, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella said at least 87 people were injured and around 1,600 buildings were damaged, including at least 61 that completely collapsed. He declared an emergency to expedite funding for the quake recovery.

“We aren’t going to leave people alone. They are in our hearts and we are going to tend to people with our full determination,” he said.

Most powerful quake recorded in Colombia this century

Colombia’s Geological Service said Monday's quake was the country's strongest recorded “in the 21st century,” and that it was followed by several aftershocks.

Colombia’s Pacific region around the epicenter lies along the “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. The Pacific, particularly the Choco region, is one of Colombia's poorest, nestled in dense jungle. Much of Choco is only reachable by boat or plane, which may pose difficulty in assessing the wider toll.

Local authorities said the death toll included at least 40 people who were killed in the Risaralda region, where Pereira is located, and 27 people in the Valle del Cauca region, where Cali is located, including three children. Authorities also confirmed nine people killed in Choco, two in the Caldas region and a 73-year-old in the Antioquia region. It was not immediately clear where the other 32 people died.

The earthquakes left many in the Andean nation unnerved after two back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people.

By Monday afternoon, people had begun reporting their loved ones missing on digital databases just as civilians did following Venezuela's earthquakes. One database had more than 2,000 people, mostly in Cali and Pereira, with the number steadily climbing.

Photos of the missing included a young mother and her baby in Pereira; another showed an 80-year-old woman in Cali whose family was desperately looking for details after her building collapsed.

Cities left devastated

Jorge Moncayo, a 64-year-old taxi driver in Cali, said he saw plumes of dust shoot up across the city as buildings collapsed. Residents and rescue workers were searching the rubble for survivors. The local government said that people remained trapped in a number of the city's 380 damaged buildings.

“My entire house shook. I’ve never lived through such a powerful earthquake,” he said. “We’re thanking God we’re alive.”

Little was known about the extent of the damage in Choco, a remote region where officials reported dozens of injured people and damaged buildings but few other details. Phone signals were out in many parts of the region's capital, Quibdo. The town closest to the earthquake’s epicenter, San Jose del Palmar, has no airport, and is located on top of a mountain ridge along a highway linking the cities of Cali and Pereira.

In Pereira, further south in the coffee-producing mountains of Colombia, photos and videos on local media showed pieces of the airport ceiling falling onto travelers taking shelter and screaming. People ran through rubble and plumes of dust, and residents said collapsed stores, residential buildings and homes lined the city. Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar told a local radio station there were at least 15 collapsed buildings where people were feared trapped.

In nearby Manizales, one of the towers of the neo-Gothic cathedral collapsed and fell on the nave. Mayor Jorge Eduardo Rojas asked residents to stay outside in case of aftershocks. Authorities said flights were suspended at the airports in Manizales, Quibdo, Armenia, Cartago, Buenaventura and Pereira as they assessed damage.

Offers of aid pour in from across the Americas

Small earthquakes, known as “temblores,” are common in central and western Colombia, but those above 6.0 magnitude are rare. In 1999, a 6.2 magnitude quake near the city of Armenia killed more than 1,100 people.

Response to the earthquake presents the first major challenge for de la Espriella, a Trump ally who was sworn in as president over the weekend. A divisive figure because of his pledge of an all-out crackdown on criminal groups, de la Espriella said he had personally taken charge of the government’s response to the emergency.

On Monday night, the U.S. State Department announced it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food and other earthquake response aid. Governments across Latin America also lined up to help.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — whose countries were among the largest providers of aid to Venezuela following its recent crisis — said they were ready to assist Colombia.

“From El Salvador, we are in communication and ready to provide immediate support with our rescue teams, medical personnel, paramedics, supplies, or any other assistance that our Colombian brothers and sisters deem necessary,” Bukele said.

Chilean President José Antonio Kast said Chile, one of the region’s most earthquake-prone countries, “knows the pain and the challenge left by earthquakes” and pledged help.

___

Suárez reported from Bogotá and Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press journalists Manuel Rueda in Bogotá, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Mock led Clay County Fire Rescue for more than 16 years. His career as a first responder spanned more than 40 years, including 27 years with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, where he held senior leadership roles in fire operations and emergency management. He joined Clay County Fire Rescue in 2009.

The county says it is seeking candidates with executive leadership experience in a complex fire rescue organization, covering areas such as fire suppression, emergency medical services, emergency management, labor relations, strategic planning, fiscal management, and organizational development.

“Chief Mock has fundamentally strengthened Clay County Fire Rescue and prepared the department to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community,” said County Manager Howard Wanamaker. “This nationwide search reflects both the importance of the position and our commitment to finding an exceptional leader who can build upon the strong foundation Chief Mock and the members of Clay County Fire Rescue have established.”

A legacy of innovation, growth

During Mock’s tenure, Clay County Fire Rescue expanded its capabilities, modernized facilities and equipment, and developed new approaches to emergency medical care and community health. Notable achievements include a comprehensive mental health program for first responders and the department’s award-winning Community Paramedicine program, which addresses opioid addiction and expands public access to automated external defibrillators and NARCAN.

In 2024, the Board of County Commissioners approved $65 million in financing for new and replacement fire stations, a fire training facility, and public safety communications infrastructure. The program incorporates modern firefighter health protections, including contaminant-control areas, vehicle exhaust systems, and spaces designed to support the mental and physical well-being of personnel.

Among the completed projects is Fire Station 20 in Green Cove Springs, which opened in 2025. The state-of-the-art facility is also home to Clay County’s first 9/11 Memorial, featuring structural steel recovered from the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Additional stations and public safety facilities are currently under construction or in development across the county.

Mock’s focus on responsible stewardship also led to cost-saving equipment decisions. In 2025, Clay County Fire Rescue acquired Heavy Rescue 15 - a specialized technical-rescue vehicle - for approximately $700,000 less than the anticipated cost of a comparable new apparatus, while avoiding an estimated 18- to 24-month manufacturing delay.

Honors, accolades for outgoing chief

The Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association named Mock the 2024 recipient of the Frank A. Babinec Lifetime Achievement Award in Firefighter Safety and Health. The award recognizes fire service professionals who have made an extraordinary impact on the well-being of firefighters and the public, citing Mock’s work in mental health, Community Paramedicine, opioid response, domestic security, and health-conscious fire station design.

Mock has also served on Florida’s Domestic Security Oversight Council, chaired the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association Domestic Security Resource Committee, and developed an emergency management course for the Association’s Executive Services Leadership Institute.

“It has been the honor of my career to serve the citizens of Clay County and to work alongside the dedicated men and women of Clay County Fire Rescue,” Mock said. “The accomplishments of this department belong to the firefighters, dispatchers, emergency management professionals, support staff, county leadership, and community partners who work every day to protect our communities. I am proud of what we have built together and confident that the department is positioned for continued success.”

What comes next

Clay County says it will use a structured, multiphase selection process that includes minimum-qualification screening, an executive review, standardized candidate evaluations, panel interviews, and on-site assessments. The county manager will retain final appointment authority.

The county aims to select a new fire chief by mid-to late December, followed by a 30- to 60-day onboarding period and a structured transition with Mock.

Click here to view the application. The county will accept applications through September 25.

Kendall, a West Point graduate who served as President Joe Biden's head of the Air Force, said on CNN Monday that he'll sue the administration, noting it has a history of retaliating against critics by stripping their clearances. “As my mother taught me years ago, you stand up to bullies,” said Kendall, who has denied disclosing classified information.

Mark Zaid, a prominent national security attorney who sued the administration after his own clearance was revoked by the Trump administration, confirmed in a post on X that Kendall had hired him. "More to come,"" Zaid wrote.

Zaid specializes in helping a variety of military and civilian clients maintain security clearances in the face of investigations.

Last year he became a target of the Trump administration’s efforts to strip security clearances from people they perceived to be enemies when he was named among 14 other people in an executive order signed by Trump. In a March 2025 executive order, Trump named former President Joe Biden and members of his family, Biden-era Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and New York state Attorney General Letitia James as being unsuitable to retain their clearances because it was “no longer in the national interest.”

In August 2025, Trump revoked the security clearances of 37 more current and former national security officials, some of whom worked on matters that have long infuriated Trump, like the intelligence community assessment that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election on his behalf.

Trump has tried to squelch reports of problems with the jet that Qatar gifted him last year, which he intends to use as Air Force One for the remainder of his term. His Justice Department last month subpoenaed New York Times reporters who wrote about security concerns with the jet, which lacks the advanced anti-missile technology of its predecessor. After being criticized by a federal judge for sloppy legal work, the government grudgingly withdrew the subpoenas.

A hot week ahead with daily rounds of showers and thunderstorms.

Possible heat advisories Tuesday through Friday with Feels Like temperatures hovering around 102- 110 degrees. Sea breeze showers and thunderstorms will be possible as the wind switches to the southwest.

Along with the Gulf breeze and daily rain chances, we will be watching three potential areas of development in the Atlantic. None of them will affect our forecast and only one of them may become a tropical feature in the Atlantic.

The heat continues this weekend with isolated showers and thunderstorms possible during the afternoon and early evening.

Tonight: Isolated showers and thunderstorms through sunset.

Tuesday: Hot and humid. Possible heat advisories with heat indices up to 110 degrees. Isolated showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m., 20-30 percent. Wake up temperatures in the 70s. Afternoon highs in the 90s inland, upper 80s to low 90s along the beaches. Wind: SW 5-10 mph.

Wednesday - Friday: The heat continues with possible heat advisories. Lows in the 70s, highs in the mid to upper 90s inland, upper 80s to 90s along the beaches. Wind: SW/S.

Tropics: Three areas to watch. None will have an impact on our area. www.news4jax.com/weather/2026/08/10/lets-talk-about-the-tropics/

Sunrise: 6:51 p.m.

Sunset: 8:12 p.m.

Twenty years ago, British driver Andy Green set the land speed record for a diesel-powered car, reaching 350.092 mph (563.4 kph) at Utah’s famous Bonneville Salt Flats. Green will return to the lunarlike landscape Tuesday and try to beat that mark, this time with a hydrogen-powered car.

The retired Royal Air Force fighter pilot aims not only to win another accolade but to showcase the power of hydrogen as a clean-energy alternative. It's the “fuel of the future,” Green told The Associated Press in a July interview.

Green will be driving the 32-foot (9.75-meter) JCB Hydromax, the brainchild of British construction equipment manufacturer JCB. The car is bright yellow, long and slim, resembling a pencil. It's powered by two hydrogen internal combustion engines with a combined 1,600 horsepower, which were adapted from engines used in the company’s construction machinery. They mix pressurized hydrogen gas with air and ignite it to create bursts of power.

In targeting the diesel-powered record, Green also hopes to easily clear the world land speed records for hydrogen internal combustion engines (185.5 mph/298.5 kph) and electric vehicles (341.3 mph/549.2 kph).

Green hit a new top speed of 368.347 mph (592.797 kph) in practice last week, but to officially earn the hydrogen record, he’ll have to do it Tuesday in front of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the international governing body of motor sports.

“What the peak speed is, I can’t say. We just don’t know,” he said. “Part of the adventure here is we’re going to find out.”

One thing Tuesday’s attempt will assuredly not do is approach the supersonic speeds Green reached with jet power three decades ago.

Green had already been flying supersonic military aircraft when he spotted a newspaper ad that read: “Wanted: High-speed driver to break the sound barrier,” according to the Guinness World Records. In 1997, he traveled faster than the speed of sound and set the outright land speed record — 763.035 mph (1,227.98 kph) — in a car powered by twin jet engines. His runs in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert produced sonic booms that shook the nearby town of Gerlach.

Now 64 years old, Green said he thought he was done racing but came out of retirement when JCB approached him with plans for the new car. The company has invested more than $134 million into hydrogen-powered engines that it says emit no carbon dioxide from the tailpipes.

“If you’re serious about emissions, you have to be serious about hydrogen, and a land speed project is the perfect way to prove it,” JCB Chair Anthony Bamford said at the car's unveiling in May. Bamford has also argued that hydrogen can better handle the demands of heavy industries than electric power.

But hydrogen is only as clean as its source, and the vast majority is currently produced from fossil fuels. JCB signed a deal to buy green hydrogen, which is created using renewable energy but makes up a tiny fraction of global hydrogen production.

Hydrogen combustion engines also present unique safety challenges due to the pressure and flammability of the gas.

“We're managing the risks very carefully,” Green said. The car endured rigorous testing, and Green said he spent months learning how it responds to the elements, how the engines work in tandem and how to deploy a parachute to slow the car on the low-friction salt crust.

Since the first race there in 1914, the glassy surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats has drawn generations of drivers seeking to set new land speed records. A remnant of a prehistoric lake bed, the salt flats are about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Salt Lake City and sit atop an aquifer that cools the car tires.

Spectators must stand about a quarter of a mile (400 meters) from the course's straightaway, which is 10 miles (16 kilometers) long, and often watch through wide-angle binoculars.

The expanse on the border of Utah and Nevada has been a backdrop for movies including “Independence Day” and “The World’s Fastest Indian,” and the series finale of “Mad Men.”

Green will start just after sunrise to beat the desert heat. His attempt comes a year after a driver died trying to set a land speed record at Bonneville's annual Speed Week. Chris Raschke lost control of his rocketlike vehicle called the Speed Demon last August and died from his injuries.

___

Rico reported from Atlanta. Video journalist Serge Cartwright contributed reporting.

Elbridge Colby, an undersecretary of defense, made the remarks at a forum in the Philippines, his first stop in Southeast Asia, where he will also visit Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. He renewed Washington’s assurances that the U.S. is not backing away from Asia despite its current preoccupation with the Iran war and the Middle East.

“America is definitely not disengaging from Asia — to the contrary. Our vital national interests dictate our enduring presence here,” Colby told an audience that included foreign diplomats, generals, business executives and journalists.

“We are not leaving; in fact, we are digging in, to ensure a favorable balance of power where it matters most,” the Pentagon’s top policy adviser said. “We see Asia as of paramount importance.”

Colby stayed away from the usual U.S. tirade against China's growing aggression in the region, including in the disputed South China Sea. Washington has often expressed alarm over Beijing’s increasingly hostile actions against Philippine coast guard and naval forces in recent years.

Washington has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships or aircraft come under armed attack, including in the South China Sea.

China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, have been locked in territorial standoffs in the disputed waters, a key global trade route, for decades. Beijing virtually claims the entire waterway and has rejected a 2016 ruling in an arbitration case initiated by the Philippines that invalidated its expansive claims.

Colby repeated a vow by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a speech at the Shangri-La defense conference in Singapore in May that the U.S. will build and sustain a strong defense in the Western Pacific "that ensures aggression is infeasible, escalation unattractive and war deemed irrational.”

Colby said the U.S. is committed to ensuring “we can sustain combat-credible power where it matters most. Yet this defense architecture cannot rest on American shoulders alone. It must be upheld by a network of highly capable, sovereign nations that have modernized their own forces and stepped up to secure their own territory — transforming our relationships into true partnerships of equals.”

He added: “When we ask our allies and partners to step up, to invest more in their own defense and to take responsibility for their own sovereign security, we are not signaling abandonment. We are looking for partners, not protectorates.”

Colby praised efforts by the Philippines, which holds large-scale combat exercises with U.S. forces each year, to strengthen its defense capabilities and cited similar efforts by Thailand, Indonesia and other security allies in Southeast Asia.

Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports canceled more than 900 flights, or about 40% of those expected, after about 1,300 were canceled the day before, according to Shanghai Airport Group.

Shanghai also suspended some of its metro lines on Monday, and China Railway Chengdu Group suspended 115 trains, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Authorities warned of risks of severe flooding and landslides in some areas. State broadcaster CCTV reported that authorities in Yueqing, a city in Zhejiang province, searched for people trapped in flooded homes.

The China Meteorological Administration said Dolphin was moving northwest at 15 to 20 kilometers per hour (9 to 12 mph) and was expected to continue weakening.

Dolphin made landfall Sunday evening in Taizhou in Zhejiang province with winds of 151 kph (93 mph), after bringing heavy rain to northern Taiwan over the weekend.

Dolphin had forced at least 760,000 people to preemptively relocate, including over 390,000 people in Taizhou. Authorities in Shanghai and Fujian Province evacuated more than 210,000 and 160,000 people, respectively, from riskier areas.

Authorities in Zhejiang's capital city, Hangzhou, temporarily closed its iconic West Lake scenic spots as well as temples, parks and museums and will reopen on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Chan-hom was heading toward Japan’s Pacific coast. The storm had 83 kph (51 mph) winds Monday morning and was forecast to strengthen slightly before landfall Tuesday into Wednesday, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Storm intensified monsoon in the Philippines

Dolphin did not directly hit the Philippines, but it helped intensify seasonal monsoon rains that set off flooding and landslides on the main northern island region of Luzon.

A landslide buried three houses Sunday night in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio, killing 10 people whose bodies were dug out in two days of frantic search by rescuers. Three people were rescued with injuries and brought to a hospital, Baguio officials said.

The deaths from the mudslide raised the death toll in nearly a week of torrential rains, floods and a tropical storm last week in the northern Luzon region to 19, the government’s Office of Civil Defense said.

More than a million people were affected by the heavy monsoon rains and floods, including about 98,000 who were displaced from homes.

Jones had a heart attack in his home Sunday in Washington, Virginia, as he was waiting to watch his beloved Atlanta Braves play baseball, his wife, Alma Viator, said on social media. Rappahannock County Sheriff Connie Compton confirmed his death.

Jones' fame came from his role as Cooter Davenport, the mechanic who got the Duke boys out of jams as they tried to do the right thing and fight the corrupt Boss Hogg in the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia.

After playing Cooter for all seven seasons of the series from 1979 to 1985, Jones turned to politics and was elected to the U.S. House from a district near Atlanta in 1988. The Democrat served two terms before he was redistricted out of the seat.

Jones was born in North Carolina and in college got involved in acting and civil rights, he wrote in his autobiography "Redneck Boy in the Promised Land: The Confessions of ‘Crazy Cooter.’"

Acting took over his life. Jones performed in numerous stage productions and had a few minor TV and movie roles in Atlanta during the 1970s before his life-defining break came on a TV show Jones defended as a modern-day morality tale and a fine example of Southern values.

For seven seasons, Jones was one of a small band of friends and family helping Bo and Luke Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard.” The cousins were on probation for running moonshine and were constantly trying to clear their names and stop the crooked and powerful Boss Hogg from stealing or cheating.

The Duke boys drove a modified 1969 Dodge Charger called the General Lee with a Confederate flag on its roof. Cooter owned “Cooter's Garage” in the town square. Nearly every episode involved a car chase with jumps and stunts and a patrol car badly in need of repairs.

Cooter was often on the CB radio in his pickup truck saying “Breaker one, Breaker one. I might be crazy but I ain’t dumb. Crazy Cooter coming at you."

“The Dukes of Hazzard” was a hit for CBS and its popularity never waned. It went into syndication and later became a prominent fixture on cable's The Nashville Network.

Jones also credited the series with pulling him out of a self-destructive, alcoholic lifestyle that led to the failure of several marriages.

″It was like being in a Beatles movie,″ Jones said. ″Our lives changed.″

Tom Wopat, who played Luke Duke, said Jones was an integral part of making the series work.

“Ben Jones was a fine friend and a fierce advocate of all the best things we can offer in the entertainment business. He will be sorely missed,” Wopat wrote on Instagram.

After “The Dukes of Hazzard,” Jones went into politics. He kept his aw shucks personality, but took the issues seriously. In his four years in Washington, Jones was known as a Democrat who could buck his party. He was liberal on social issues and conservative on economics.

But even in politics, he made a splash. After losing in 1992 in his redrawn district, Jones ran for Congress again in 1994. He lost to Newt Gingrich in the elections that elevated the Republican to the Speaker's Office.

Jones would file an ethics complaint that Gingrich used tax-deductible donations to fund his partisan college course leading to a House reprimand and Gingrich's decision to leave the body.

Jones always embraced his role as Cooter. After moving to Virginia, he would open at least three “Cooter's” country stores in Nashville and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and near his home. They sold plenty of T-shirts, key chains and insulated tumblers and included Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia like one of the 300 or so General Lee cars used and abused in the TV series.

The show and Cooter lived on because it was funny, had plenty of action and car chases and had a good, family-friendly heart, Jones told the Richmond Times-Dispatch at a 2001 car show where he played in a band, signed autographs and met fans.

“The show reflects the values of the heartland of America. The good guys always win,” Jones said.

___

This story has been updated to correct that Bo and Luke Duke were cousins, not brothers.

Trump Media & Technology, the company behind the Truth Social platform, said Monday that it lost $238 million in the three months through June as it branched into businesses unrelated to media, including crypto. That was more than 10 times the loss from a year earlier. The per-share loss widened to 86 cents from 8 cents.

In a conference call after the earnings release, the new chief executive, Kevin McGurn, said a yearlong effort to expand by branching into several new industries including online betting and crypto would now be largely abandoned as he refocuses the business on its social media mission.

“We made the disciplined choice to pivot in order to invest more time and resources in our most important initiatives,” McGurn said. “We will say no to things or change course as warranted.”

Trump Media stock fell slightly in after-hours trading following the earnings report. The stock had fallen 8% in regular trading.

Key to McGurn's plan is a service called Truth API that offers early access to Wall Street trading firms to top posters on the Truth Social platform. That includes the user with most followers, President Donald Trump, who often moves markets by breaking major U.S policy shifts on the site.

Trump Media has been attacked by good government watchdogs from the start of Trump's second term as a vehicle for him to profit off the presidency. The new service has only heightened those concerns, with Democrats vowing to investigate the paid service if they get control of Congress in the midterms.

McGurn has dismissed such concerns, noting that other companies sell special, fast access to traders.

“Providing licensed real-time public data through commercial APIs is a well-established business practice across the technology, financial information and media industries,” he said. “This is no different.”

One previously announced new venture, nuclear fusion, will continue. McGurn said Trump Media hopes to close a previously announced merger with energy company TAE Technologies by the end of the year.

“We continue to believe it’s the single most important driver of long-term value for this company,” McGurn said of the fusion business.

Much of the damage last quarter was due to unrealized paper losses from the falling values of Trump Media's holdings of bitcoin and a crypto token called Cronos.

Excluding those paper losses as well as taxes, interest and other items, so-called operating losses still increased, but much less than the unadjusted results — a $164 million loss from a $44 million loss a year earlier.

The new Truth API service is charging $60,000 to $100,000 a month, McGurn said, adding that Trump Media has already signed up 10 customers, mostly so-called high frequency trading firms that buy and sell in milliseconds.

“We’re in the early innings,” said McGurn, noting that the potential market was much bigger than traders, including data center companies, news organizations and developers of large language models.

Ten customers translates into a big new revenue source for Trump Media, possibly bringing in between $7 million to $12 million a year, or roughly two to three times the company's entire revenue last year.

In the second quarter, Trump Media posted $1.7 million in revenue, more than double from a year earlier.

The company has $1 billion in debt from special convertible notes that don't come due until 2028, but the lenders have an option to demand they be cashed out in November, a possible hit to finances though the company appeared to have ample cash.

At the end of the quarter, Trump Media had more than $400 million in cash and short term investments. It also had $1.2 billion in bitcoin and bitcoin-related assets.

——

This story corrects that Trump Media took in $1.7 million in revenue last quarter, not $1.7 billion.

The criticism stems from fans getting their first full experience inside the $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium during the Bills annual Blue and Red practice on Saturday night. Though the Bills said a majority of the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, a few complaints arose, which team president Pete Guelli termed as coming from less than 1% of the personal seat licensing holders.

One of the larger concerns were seats with obstructed views, with several photos emerging on social media.

The team said at least one photo taken by The Associated Press was from seats that were not placed on sale for football games. The seats were in the last row of the Section 417 of the northwest corner of the stadium, and the view of the far end zone was mostly blocked by the outcropping of the press box.

A team official said those seats could be used for other events taking place in the stadium, such as concerts, where the view would not be obstructed.

Other photos showed seats where views were partially obstructed by railings and staircases.

In selling the seats, prospective ticket buyers were given a virtual tour of the stadium that included visuals what their view of the field would resemble.

The team said it will review each complaint and use “the next six weeks to refine any details,” in leading up to the Bills regular-season home-opener against Detroit on Sept. 17.

Next up for the Bills are two home preseason games, starting with the team hosting Carolina on Saturday.

The stadium’s design was influenced by that of soccer’s Premier League Tottenham Hotspur’s home, which also hosts NFL games in London.

Bills owner Terry Pegula was impressed by noting that there are very few bad seats in the Hotspur stadium. The same, the Bills said, would apply to Highmark Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 60,108.

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

Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland reports that 13,968 votes have been cast as of August 10. That brings the total number of votes cast through vote‑by‑mail and early voting to 28,393. The turnout percentage is 4.40%.

Early voting in Duval County ends Sunday, August 16. Polling locations are open daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Click here to find the dates and times for the polling location closest to you.

If you have questions about Early Voting for the Primary Election and the Special First Unitary Election, please visit duvalelections.gov or call the Duval County Elections Office at 904-255-VOTE (8683).

Click here for more Vote 2026 coverage.

The lawsuit names the Duval County School Board, the superintendent, several district employees, the bus company and the bus driver as defendants. It also points to past controversies over how the district has handled sexual-misconduct allegations.

Student describes 3 incidents, including prolonged assault

In a 42-page federal lawsuit, the victim — identified only as “Jane Doe” — says she was a ninth grader at Stanton College Preparatory School when another student began sexually harassing her on the school bus.

The lawsuit describes three incidents, culminating in what attorneys say was a prolonged sexual assault Sept. 30, 2024, alleging the bus driver failed to intervene.

According to the attorney, during the assault, the accused student asked the bus driver for his thermos. The driver handed it to him and, according to the lawsuit, looked directly at him. The alleged assault then resumed.

Surveillance video not retrieved until mid-November, according to lawsuit

Doe reported what happened to school administrators Oct. 17. Her family later asked the district in writing to preserve surveillance video from the bus. The lawsuit says that video was not retrieved until mid-November.

Lawyers allege that after Doe reported the assault, school officials required her to sit at the front of the bus near the driver. The male student accused of assaulting her was later arrested and pleaded guilty to felony battery.

Former prosecutor weighs in on strength of case

Former federal prosecutor Curtis Fallgatter, who is not associated with this case, says he expects defense attorneys to argue the bus driver’s primary responsibility was watching the road — not monitoring every interaction between students.

“The fact that is fairly, fairly weak. The perpetrator has been brought to justice. The claim on a bus driver is based on a man and the young man, a thermos. I don’t see how you connect the dots on that. Obviously, the school administrators have no clue about what’s going on the bus. And so it appears the school board has acted timely and correctly in addressing the issues,” Fallgatter said.

Lawsuit points to broader pattern of alleged DCPS misconduct

The victim’s attorney also argues this case fits into what they describe as a broader history of reporting and oversight problems within DCPS, saying previous cases involving sexual assault at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts were underreported, misclassified and mishandled.

Fallgatter says he is not convinced those past cases will carry much weight in court.

“The fact there may have been some lapses in the past, they don’t relate directly to this young lady. And of course again, like I said, it’s a huge school district. But the second thing is that whatever failure to handle the prior cases can be asserted — doesn’t appear they can be asserted here because, again, as we see from the complaint, the young man that committed this alleged act ended up getting prosecuted,” Fallgatter said.

The lawsuit is asking for damages and is calling for changes in reporting practices within the Duval County School District. The district has not responded to the lawsuit.

The primaries come a week after Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s divisive and costly U.S. Senate primary. El-Sayed's victory has energized the left while stoking fears among Democratic Party leaders that the shift to the left, particularly in battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin, will make it more difficult to win in November.

Wisconsin's chaotic primary pits progressive against governor's pick

In Wisconsin, democratic socialist Francesca Hong is trying to win a four-way Democratic primary for governor where her top opponent has been endorsed by popular Gov. Tony Evers, who isn't seeking a third term.

Evers got behind Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley on July 18, the same day Crowley reentered the race after dropping out 10 days earlier. Crowley rejoined after the candidate he backed, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, ended her candidacy amid a campaign finance scandal.

Evers and Crowley were crisscrossing the state together in the last days before final ballots are cast Tuesday.

“I feel like we caught lightning in a bottle,” said Crowley, standing next to Evers at a stop to thank campaign volunteers in Madison on Monday. “Momentum is just growing and growing and growing.”

Evers and more establishment Democrats were hoping to finally coalesce around Crowley in the final days of the chaotic primary that saw two other candidates drop out, most notably former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes on July 29.

Barnes and Rodriguez, who were both seen as potential front-runners, remain on the ballot and absentee votes already cast for them can’t be undone.

Republicans are spending to influence the Democratic primary

Republicans are putting money behind Hong, thinking she will be the better matchup for Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November. The Republican Governors Association has spent nearly $3.6 million through its Right Direction Wisconsin PAC on ads contrasting Hong with President Donald Trump and playing up her liberal policies.

Crowley and other Democrats argue the ads are meant to bolster Hong's standing in the primary because Republicans see her as the easier opponent.

Evers projected confidence at a rally that attracted hundreds of people in Hong’s hometown of Madison on Sunday night, saying Crowley was the best chance Democrats had to defeat Tiffany.

“We’re going to win this thing,” Evers said, telling the Crowley supporters that Tiffany would be “the worst governor in the history of Wisconsin.”

“If Tom Tiffany wins in November that will be like electing Donald Trump as governor of the state of Wisconsin,” he said.

Crowley urged Democrats to come together after the primary to beat Tiffany.

“Our ultimate goal is to make sure we don’t have a MAGA extremist occupying the governor’s office,” Crowley said.

Hong, speaking to supporters Monday afternoon, said the coalition she built isn't just about winning the primary.

“We have to come together to defeat Tom Tiffany,” she said, adding that she would welcome Evers campaigning with her after the primary.

“This is about uniting,” she said.

Tiffany, one of the most conservative members of Congress, is endorsed by Trump.

The president called Hong a communist in remarks on Wednesday, where he mentioned a 2020 social media post by Hong calling for Thanksgiving to be canceled. Asked about the post this week, Hong reversed herself and said that Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday.

Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 and 2024, and Republicans have held majorities in both chambers of the Legislature since 2011. Holding onto the governor's office is key to Wisconsin Democrats' effort to gain full control of state government for the first time in 16 years.

In the race to replace Tiffany, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's son-in-law Michael Alfonso is in a five-person Republican primary. Alfonso, who is trying to represent Duffy's old congressional district, has Trump's endorsement.

The president joined a telephone rally for Alfonso on Monday night, calling him “a fantastic young guy who’s going to be a star in Washington.”

Minnesota primary comes in wake of immigration enforcement surge

In neighboring Minnesota, voters are choosing between moderate U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a Democratic U.S. Senate primary that’s playing out in the aftermath of Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement surge in the state.

The race has been shaped by the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, confrontations that were caught on camera and fueled a backlash to Trump’s immigration policies.

Both Craig and Flanagan spent the weekend traversing the Twin Cities metro area.

In a driveway in suburban Eagan on Sunday, Craig spoke to the angst among Democratic primary voters who feel that Washington isn’t working for them. Members of Congress need to stop trading stocks and becoming lobbyists when they leave office, she said, and the U.S. needs to restrict the flood of corporate campaign spending.

“But the only way we pass any of the progressive policies that all of us here support is by winning elections and taking damn majorities,” she said.

Unlike in Wisconsin, where the incumbent governor has endorsed a candidate in the race to succeed him, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has not gotten involved in the Senate primary. But his wife, Gwen Walz, has endorsed Craig and campaigned with her on Sunday.

Flanagan campaigned Saturday with U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, who helped her make the case that Washington needs a shake-up to root out the deep-pocketed forces propping up a broken status quo.

“It is big corporations, it’s special interests who are putting their thumb on the scale in our elections across the country,” Flanagan said. “And it’s not just Republicans. It’s Democrats, too.”

The race has been one of the most expensive Minnesota has seen, with millions of dollars backing both candidates, but disproportionately falling in Craig’s favor.

Whoever wins the primary will be the front-runner to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith in November. Minnesota voters haven’t elected a Republican to a statewide office since 2006.

Mike Lindell, the founder of MyPillow, is a top Republican candidate in the governor's race. He's endorsed by Trump, and he was a prominent promoter of falsehoods about election fraud. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is in a six-person primary on the Democratic side.

Democratic struggles also on display in other states' primaries Tuesday

Two veteran Democratic incumbents in Connecticut face challenges from the left.

Moderate Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont is running for a third term but faces progressive state Rep. Josh Elliott. The Democratic nominee will face Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio in November.

Longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. John Larson, 78, is running for a 15th term and his age and health have been major issues in the four-person race.

Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin narrowly won the party's endorsement at its state convention in May. Other candidates are Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune and state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest.

In Vermont, two Democrats are running in for a chance to take on Republican Gov. Phil Scott.

Former child advocacy organization CEO Aly Richards boasts endorsements from former Democratic Govs. Howard Dean and Madeleine Kunin. She faces economist Amanda Janoo.

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

His determination to press on with his reelection campaign is creating headaches for a Republican Party that had not planned to devote attention to defending the seat in this year's midterm elections. His Democratic challenger, union ironworker Brian Poindexter, seized on Miller's controversies by appealing to voters with a promise to “serve with honor.”

Monday presented the last chance for Republicans to replace Miller on the general election ballot in Ohio, leaving the congressman in what is increasingly seen as a competitive race.

Democratic groups supporting U.S. House campaigns have been closely watching the race for Ohio's 7th Congressional District, just south of Cleveland, to see if they want to ramp up their support for Poindexter.

President Donald Trump won the GOP-leaning district comfortably two years ago. Miller won it with just 51% of the vote two years ago in a three-way contest that included former congressman and presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, who ran as an independent. Under Ohio's current maps, the district leans 55%-44% Republican, according to Dave's Redistricting.

Miller, 37, has said he is confident he can pull out a win, given those odds and the goodwill he said he has built with constituents over his two terms. While both of Ohio's senators, including his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, called on him to drop out of the race, Trump never did.

The Republican president called Miller “a good person” and said his legal dispute with Emily Moreno is best left to the families to figure out. Miller was a senior aide to Trump during his first term as president.

In a CNN interview last week, Miller said the president told him that if he stayed in, “it’s going to be a tough race.” Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters suggested the party would back Miller but stopped short of saying it would spend on his campaign.

“We're going to support our nominees. Everybody has to prove they are capable of winning," Gruters said during a Sunday appearance on NewsMax. “We'll see. I hope that he can.”

It was unclear Monday if Republican groups invested in House races, such as the National Republican Campaign Committee or the super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund, would spend on Miller's behalf.

Miller last week said he was prepared to spend more of his own money on his campaign.

“I know there are people that are concerned about my ability to win this race right now, but I don't share that,” Miller said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal for a report on him infusing $1 million of his own money into the campaign. “I am invested in this election in every way, and I will invest the resources into my campaign to win."

Democratic groups such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC were debating Monday whether to include the race among their midterm spending priorities

The race has been drawing increasing attention over the past month amid scrutiny of previous abuse allegations made against Miller by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, and at least two other women. Some of his attempts to defend himself also have drawn backlash.

At the same time, Democrats have been heartened by Poindexter's prospects. The 46-year-old Brook Park city councilman has campaigned on pocketbook issues and won union endorsements from the Ironworkers International, United Auto Workers, AFSCME, Ohio AFL-CIO and others.

Poindexter on Monday sought to capitalize on Miller's controversies by welcoming voters across the political spectrum to support his campaign.

“It’s unfortunate that Miller has chosen to keep putting his ex-wife and her family through this nightmare in the public spotlight," he said in a statement. “But let me be perfectly clear. I got into this campaign to fight for my neighbors and for working people across this district.”

Miller did not return messages seeking comment.

Miller was the first person Trump endorsed as he sought to punish fellow Republicans who voted in favor of his impeachment over the Jan. 6, 2021, violent assault on the U.S. Capitol or blocked his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. The then-32-year-old jumped in to challenge Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a popular former professional football player, who ultimately dropped out.

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Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

The boat’s pilot, Manuel Hernandez, was charged with causing the deaths of 5-month old Antonella Garcia and 27-year-old Sara Sanchez through misconduct or neglect.

Hernandez wasn’t licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard, wasn’t aware of basic safety rules and told investigators he had borrowed his friend’s personal vessel for the excursion in New York Harbor, prosecutors said.

Antonella wasn't wearing a life preserver because the boat didn't have any for small children, prosecutors said. Instead, Hernandez told Sanchez she needed to wear a life vest and hold the infant throughout the hourslong tour, a violation of federal regulations, prosecutors said.

Hernandez, 46, of Manville, New Jersey, wiped his eyes as he arrived for his initial appearance in Manhattan federal court. He was not required to enter a plea and was released on $50,000 bail. He and his lawyer, Amy Gallicchio, declined to comment as she led him to a waiting vehicle.

The tour was organized through Zeus Luxury Rental Inc., which had a boat catch fire last year during a birthday charter cruise on Long Island Sound. A Coast Guard investigator said in Hernandez’s criminal complaint that the company does not appear to have applied for Coast Guard licensing.

Messages seeking comment were sent to a phone number and email address listed on Zeus Luxury’s website. The voicemail box for the phone number was full, according to an automated recording.

Charter company had a boat burst into flames last year

Authorities said the 21-foot Yamaha AR210 had 14 people aboard — well over its 10 person capacity — when it swamped and sank around 10:20 p.m. Saturday as Hernandez made a U-turn in choppy waters possibly caused by the wake of a larger vessel.

The boat was later pulled from the water and taken to a New York Police Department facility.

Zeus Luxury advertises its services on social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, marketing itself as “one of the leading companies in limousine, party bus, and yacht rentals in the tri-state area” and touting a fleet of vehicles including such high-end brands as Mercedes, Hummer, Rolls-Royce, and Cadillac.

According to his criminal complaint, Hernandez told investigators he had worked for Zeus Luxury on a freelance or contract basis since last year, starting as a limousine driver. He said that twice recently he used his personal boat, a slightly larger Yamaha AR250, but used a friend’s boat on Saturday because his needed repairs, the complaint said.

In June 2025, a boat on a company-organized charter cruise burst into flames near the Bronx. All 22 passengers survived. Some were pulled from the water and others swam to safety on nearby Hart Island. Three passengers were injured, authorities said. Loriann Garcia went into cardiac arrest and is now suing the company. Two others had severe burns.

The pilot of that boat, Joshua Brito, was indicted on charges including vehicular assault, reckless endangerment and operating a vessel while intoxicated. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bail.

“This is just a fly-by-night company,” Garcia’s lawyer, Rose Day, said. The vessel Garcia was on didn’t have life preservers and Zeus Luxury wasn't properly insured, she said.

“Here we are, same thing, one year later. Same company, same reckless acts,” Day said. “It’s shocking that this has happened and sickening at the same time.”

A mother and daughter gone, a partner and father left grieving

Saturday's tour began around 7 p.m. and the vessel capsized more than three hours into its journey. Hernandez tried to accelerate to pass through the swell, but water swamped the bow and the boat immediately capsized, prosecutors said.

Hernandez admitted to investigators that had never sought required licensing and claimed he was unaware it was needed, according to the complaint.

Hernandez said he capped trips using his personal boat at 12 passengers, but that he did not know the maximum capacity for the boat he used on Saturday. Hernandez said he thought there would be 12 passengers on the tour but ended up agreeing to take 13, the complaint said.

An online campaign to help Sanchez's partner, Andres Garcia, pay for funeral and other expenses had topped $25,000 by Tuesday afternoon. Garcia also was on the boat.

Sanchez's neighbor, Diego Naranjo, said he first met her last spring when her son threw a ball into their Queens backyard. After recovering the ball, Naranjo invited her son to play on a trampoline with his children.

“They were really nice people," Naranjo said. “You can see when a person is noble.”

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This story has been updated to correct that the boat was a Yamaha, not a Bayliner.

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Turbay reported from Little Rock, Arkansas

The seating is for the upper and lower club risers in the East and West Clubs at the Downtown stadium.

“In order to maximize capacity for our fans in 2026, we are in the process of adding temporary seating in the West and East Club patios and in a few other areas that have been modified during construction,” Jaguars Business Communications Director Lyndsay Rossman said in an email Aug. 7.

“The build is similar to what one would find at the Florida-Georgia football game,” she said.

InProduction, which has 10 locations around the country, is shown as the contractor. The company provides seating systems for venues that include stadiums, amphitheaters, golf courses, auto sports and more.

Read the full article at JaxDailyRecord.com.

The contract includes $101 million guaranteed and will be added to the two years on his existing deal. The $35.3 million annual average on the extension is second among defensive tackles to Jalen Carter of NFC East rival Philadelphia.

The lucrative extension could keep Williams with the Cowboys through 2030 after they traded for him during the 2025 season. Dallas gave up one of the two first-round picks acquired in the shocking trade that sent star pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers just a week before the opener last year.

Executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones said at the opening of training camp the club was working with Williams' agents on an extension. Just shy of two weeks later, an agreement was in place.

“It’s a big part of all the moving parts that went with our trade last year,” Jones said on the team's website. “I think this kind of, at the end of the day, puts a bow on top in terms of knowing that we’re going to have Q here for the next five years long term.”

The addition of Williams from the New York Jets provided an initial boost to one of the NFL's worst defenses a year ago. The Cowboys won their first three games after the trade before a 44-30 loss to Detroit that started a season-ending run of four losses in five games as Dallas missed the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The Cowboys had one of the league's best offenses while finishing 7-9-1 in coach Brian Schottenheimer's first season, and they spent the offseason overhauling the defense while believing Williams would be a centerpiece among the many changes.

Dallas hired defensive coordinator Christian Parker to replace Matt Eberflus, who was fired after one season when the Cowboys allowed the most points (511) with the fewest interceptions (six) in franchise history.

The Cowboys traded with Green Bay again to get pass rusher Rashan Gary, drafted safety Caleb Downs and defensive end Malachi Lawrence in the first round and added cornerback Cobie Durant and safeties P.J. Locke and Jalen Thompson in free agency.

Dallas also targeted linebacker, drafting Michigan pass rusher Jaishawn Barham with the belief he could play off the line of scrimmage and acquiring Dee Winters in a trade with San Francisco.

Williams is part of a returning group that includes fellow defensive tackle Kenny Clark — acquired in the Parsons deal — along with second-year defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, cornerbacks DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr. and safety Malik Hooker.

The 28-year-old Williams was the third overall pick by the Jets in 2019 and was an All-Pro three years later despite the Jets' 7-10 finish. Williams has yet to play on a winning team, and the former Alabama standout was quick to remind everyone after the trade that he's still waiting for his first NFL playoff game.

“You’re just happy about it for a guy like that,” defensive line coach Marcus Dixon said. “Like he’s been rewarded for his hard work, the way he approaches the game, how he is with his teammates, his love for the game, how he’s always trying to perfect his craft. But he wants to win, and he’ll tell you that.”

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

Zuckerberg detailed his ambitions for the technology in a 6,500-word essay published online where he also outlined why he favors open-source AI technology, in which developers make key components accessible for anyone to examine, modify and build upon.

In a document derided by critics as fantastical, Zuckerberg said his company is working toward an era where everyone will have the tools to create new businesses, receive Ph.D.-level tutoring and provide personalized lifestyle tips. His 8-year-old daughter, he wrote, can already code her ideas and quickly produce videos.

“Everyone will soon have invention superpowers,” Zuckerberg wrote.

Zuckerberg warned of risks if control of advanced AI is concentrated with a select few companies, institutions or governments. On Monday, Meta also announced the release a new open-source AI model, Muse Glimmer, which can run on a personal computer, and Zuckerberg said the company would also would provide a way for developers to access a more powerful AI model, Muse Spark 1.2.

Meta makes AI models, like several other tech companies, and uses them to power platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. The Menlo Park, California, company also makes them available to developers who can create their own apps and features.

Skeptics urge a slower pace of AI development

Critics said Zuckerberg was not reckoning fully with the risks inherent in AI's rapid development.

Noting recent incidents where AI models, including Meta’s own, hacked other companies on at least three separate occasions, Anthony Aguirre, president and CEO of the AI safety nonprofit Future of Life Institute, asked “what on Earth makes Meta think they — or anyone — could control something exponentially smarter, faster, and more capable?"

“Meta’s chosen path is ultimately one of human replacement and disempowerment, but there is an alternate, pro-human path -- one that brings about individual flourishing and scientific breakthroughs with controllable AI tools. What’s urgently needed now is for governments to facilitate a pause on advanced AI development and steer us onto the pro-human path — before it's too late,” Aguirre said.

Meta chief says AI should be broadly distributed

In his essay, Zuckerberg outlined why he thought open source is a better path for fair development of AI. He warned that if control of AI “superintelligence” is too concentrated, it will lead to less favorable outcomes for everyone else. The key, he wrote, is finding a balance that ensures advanced AI is “broadly distributed" to empower billions of people equitably.

Meta has long been a proponent of open-sourcing its AI models, but has struggled to keep up with rivals such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google that have not taken the same approach.

Zuckerberg made what could be a veiled reference to Meta's rivals without naming specific companies.

“Most other labs are focused on building AI for companies, governments, or other institutions, so if those labs lead, then the balance of power will favor larger institutions over individuals,” he wrote.

Zuckerberg also included policy recommendations for keeping the U.S. ahead of rivals, including China. The United States and its allies need to speed up building energy capacity and infrastructure to stay competitive, he said.

Zuckerberg called for authorities to reconsider their position on “ distillation,” which involves training a less capable model on the outputs of a stronger one. The Trump administration has vowed to crack down on Chinese AI companies using distillation to extract technical features from U.S. AI models. Anthropic earlier this year accused China's DeepSeek of using distillation.

"Some have tried to frame distillation as harmful, but I think it is important to protect the principle that you can learn from anything you can observe," Zuckerberg said. “This is how the world works, and the U.S. will not be able to lead if we restrict ourselves on this front.”

Critics see a self-serving message from Meta

Matt Lane, senior policy counsel at the nonprofit digital rights advocacy group Fight for the Future, called Zuckerberg “annoyingly out of touch on his best day,” but said the CEO is right about the importance of open-source AI.

Shared access to open-source AI systems is important for protection in a world where AI can be used to hack into electronic systems, like voting systems and benefits infrastructure, he said.

But he said only Meta will benefit if everyone were to use Meta-designed AI systems, even if they are fully open-source. "Open source AI needs to be supported beyond these corporate interests. We, unlike Zuckerberg, hope for as much competition as possible,” he said.

Officials say the lifeguard was operating a rescue buoy in the water when the shark grabbed the flotation device and pulled him approximately 5 to 6 feet below the surface. He was able to free himself from the strap attached to the buoy and swim safely back to shore.

A bystander reported seeing the rescue buoy launch approximately 6 to 8 feet out of the water shortly after the lifeguard began swimming back to shore. Shark expert John Chisholm with the New England Aquarium reviewed the reported activity and corroborated the encounter.

The lifeguard was then able to swim to shore. Scarborough Beach State Park closed to swimming for about an hour following the encounter while lifeguards and public safety personnel assessed the situation and monitored the surrounding waters.

Officials say a significant number of white sharks have been observed in the waters off Scarborough Beach State Park and Higgins Beach. Recent sightings have included multiple sharks moving through nearshore waters and sandbar areas.

What beachgoers should know

The Scarborough Public Safety Team is urging beachgoers to use caution when entering the water, noting that shark activity remains an ongoing concern in the area.

Officials are asking people to pay close attention to lifeguards and posted beach advisories and to immediately exit the water when instructed. Swimmers are also advised to avoid areas near schools of fish, seals or where birds are actively feeding, and to avoid swimming alone.

The town reminds the public that shark activity can occur close to shore and in relatively shallow water. Any shark sightings should be reported to lifeguards or local public safety personnel.

The Town of Scarborough says it will continue to monitor shark activity and provide additional information as conditions warrant.

Tracking Great White Sharks

OCEARCH tags and studies sharks around the world.

They’re able to collect previously unattainable data on the sharks’ movements and behaviors.

The group has a home base in Mayport and a partnership with Jacksonville University.

OCEARCH’s shark tracker has data on dozens of sharks around the world. Some feed back information constantly, and others will only show you their last known location.

You can track great white sharks by clicking here.

Public health experts have raised concerns that spacing out shots as Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit.

Trump swore in Todd Blanche, his old personal lawyer, as attorney general Monday. Meanwhile, Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the United States lifts its blockade on the strait, pays compensation for months of war damage, lifts economic sanctions and releases Iran’s frozen assets. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly rejected Trump's proposed exit strategy for Gaza.

Here’s the latest:

Trump spokesperson suggests separating MMR vaccine could help instill trust in the vaccines

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Monday that Trump’s call for the development of separate, single-disease measles, mumps and rubella vaccines for U.S. children will help generate trust in vaccine hesitant parents.

“President Trump is one of countless parents who have voiced questions and concerns about the combined MMR vaccine,” Desai told The Associated Press, saying the separate vaccines will “give parents more options on timing and frequency for their children, which ultimately will increase vaccination rates for all three diseases.”

The White House didn’t provide new scientific evidence supporting the move. Studies of babies and toddlers in the U.S. have shown that the use of combination shots increased the likelihood of completing all recommended vaccinations by the age of 2.

Pediatricians say executive order spreads confusion about vaccines, which are safe

Doctors from the American Academy of Pediatrics said the executive order spreads uncertainty and confusion.

Dr. Aaron Milstone, pediatric director of infection prevention at Johns Hopkins Health System, said doctors want to reassure parents there are “many, many, many years of scientific data highlighting the safety of vaccines in children.”

The timing of vaccines has also been well-studied, he said.

“We give vaccines to children even when they’re young because we know that’s safe and because we know it’s the best time for their body to respond to that vaccine in a good way and to make their body stronger to fight off an infection if they’re exposed to that,” Milstone said.

The potential link between vaccines and autism has also been studied exhaustively — in more than 40 well-designed studies in more than seven countries involving over five million children, said Dr. Andrew Racine, president of American Academy of Pediatrics.

“I’m not sure that there is anything that has been as thoroughly looked at as this question about whether or not there is a link between autism and vaccines,” he said. “And the answer is unequivocally no.”

Republican senator blasts Trump executive order on vaccines

Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, is strongly rebuking Trump’s executive order on vaccines.

“I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes,” Cassidy said in a social media post on X. “Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.”

Cassidy chairs the Senate committee with oversight responsibilities for healthcare agencies. He went on to say that children will have to get more shots to get the same protection. It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe.

“Parents should listen to their child’s pediatrician about vaccines rather than listening to an inaccurate executive order. This is so wrong,” Cassidy said.

Trump did not provide new evidence of a claimed link between vaccines and autism

The National Institutes of Health started funding research teams over a year ago charged with unearthing the cause autism, a portion of them assessing vaccines’ claimed role.

Scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link between childhood vaccines and autism.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the head of the institute, spoke at Trump’s executive order signing and said that “science takes time” and “you don’t get answers immediately.”

Still, Bhattacharya was more tentative about claiming an evidence-based link between autism and vaccines, generally avoiding the suggestion altogether.

“What we’ve done in this administration,” he said, “is we’ve given permission to scientists to honestly answer this question, to find the link for the first time.”

12 medical groups previously endorsed the childhood influenza vaccine. Trump’s executive order did not

In January, the American Academy of Pediatrics put out their 2026 childhood vaccine guidance, which included a jab for influenza, that got the green light from groups including the National Medical Association and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

The AAP said in a press release at the time that over 80% of childhood deaths related to influenza were with unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated patients, adding that children under 5 years old are particularly vulnerable.

Trump said the vaccine is “no longer recommended for all children.”

Trump says Iran can still cause trouble but argues that it’s feeling financial squeeze

The president was dismissive of Iranian officials’ demands after Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stressed that Iran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until the U.S. meets its conditions, including paying reparations for the five-month-old war.

Trump during an Oval Office exchange with reporters claimed that the U.S. has “100% control” of the strait, but that the situation remains complex. He made the case that the U.S. Navy’s blockade of the strait is preventing Iran from selling its oil on the international market, a move that is effectively choking the Iranian economy.

“Now, can they make trouble? Yeah, they can make trouble, but they’re broke,” Trump said. “They have no money. You know, Iran is broke, totally broke. And they’re not paying their soldiers.”

With measles raging, vaccine proponent said it’s no time for an ‘anti-vaccine agenda’

At a time when the U.S. is facing its worst measles outbreak in more than 30 years, “we should be making it easier to protect children from preventable disease, not harder,” said Northe Saunders, president of American Families for Vaccines.

He said “RFK’s anti-vaccine agenda” shouldn’t pressure state leaders to abandon protections that work for their communities.

“States have long played a central role in setting school immunization requirements,” he said. “and parents, educators, healthcare professionals, and state leaders should be able to make decisions about protecting children without political interference from the federal government.”

In late July, the number of measles cases in the U.S. has surpassed the record-breaking tally for all of 2025. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has logged more than 2,318 cases of measles this year.

Trump’s childhood vaccine recommendations contradict medical establishment

The president, at an executive order signing on new childhood vaccine recommendations, said that, “very importantly,” jabs for hepatitis B, COVID-19 and influenza “are no longer recommended for all children.”

Those vaccinations, however, are still recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics, among other medical groups.

While the latter organization recommends childhood vaccines for 18 diseases, Trump’s executive order limits that to prioritizing just 11.

Public health officials have raised concerns over some of Trump’s recommendations

That includes the presidents recommendation announced Monday to space out childhood vaccine shots instead of getting all of them on the same visit.

Public health officials say that could lead to children becoming infected with a vaccine-preventable disease in the periods between jabs.

Doctor urges parents to listen to medical experts about shots

Michael Osterholm, executive director of the Vaccine Integrity Project, said parents should continue to rely on vaccine recommendations developed by trusted medical and public health experts, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, when making decisions on shots for their kids.

“Today’s Executive Order does not change the underlying scientific evidence supporting childhood immunization. That data has been built over decades — through large clinical trials, real-world effectiveness studies and continuous safety monitoring involving millions of children,” he said in a statement.

“Parents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance about how to protect their children, not competing recommendations issued through political processes. When families receive conflicting messages, confidence in vaccination suffers, and children ultimately bear the consequences.”

Trump overstates dangers of vaccines

In announcing his executive order on vaccines, President Donald Trump said “bad things happen” when children get the combined MMR vaccine.

“I’ve seen proof of it, where they have a vaccination that looks like the size of a bottle of soda poured into a little child’s body, and bad things happen in, many cases-in too many cases,” he said.

But experts say the risk of serious side effects is extremely low and years of real-world data proves the vaccine is safe and effective. Common side effects include soreness and a mild rash or redness at the injection site, a fever, and temporary pain or stiffness in the joints.

Decades of studies have concluded there’s no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Decades of autism research have found no single cause

Besides genetics, scientists have identified various possible factors, including the age of a child’s father, the mother’s weight, and whether she had diabetes or was exposed to certain chemicals.

Any concern that vaccines could be linked to autism has been long debunked, according to scientists and leading advocacy groups for people with autism.

Childhood vaccines — and how and when to give them in combination — go through rigorous studies, and safety tracking continues for years as the shots are used.

Trump proposes new childhood vaccine recommendations, though power in schools rests with states

Trump, who suggested connections between autism and vaccines despite a scientific consensus that there isn’t a link, issued new guidance for childhood vaccines that space out shots and limit the number of recommended routine jabs.

Still, the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren rests with state governments.

Trump to sign executive order calling for spacing out childhood shots

President Donald Trump on Monday will sign an executive order calling for revamped childhood vaccine recommendations that promote his long-held belief that shots should be spaced out into separate medical visits, according to a White House fact sheet.

The order will recommend administering each vaccine in its own visit and separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different shots and direct the nation’s health department to improve vaccine research, says the fact sheet, first reported by The Daily Caller. Separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines for children are not available in the U.S.

Public health experts have raised concerns that spacing out shots as Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit.

▶ Read more

CBO says this year’s deficit will be larger than previously predicted, mostly because of smaller-than-expected tariff revenue

The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that this fiscal year’s deficit will be $2.1 trillion, about $200 billion more than what it predicted in early February.

The major reason for the change has to do with less revenue coming into the Treasury than projected as a result of the Supreme Court finding that the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed under an emergency powers law were unconstitutional.

The fiscal year runs through September 30.

Revenue totaled $4.5 trillion through the first 10 months of the fiscal year. That’s about 3% more than during the same period a year ago.

Meanwhile, spending increased about 5% from last year, rising to $6.3 trillion. Spending in the federal government’s major healthcare programs, Medicare and Medicaid, each increased by about 8%.

Trump signs waiver letting foreign trips carry oil and other goods among US ports for 90 days

Trump on Monday extended a waiver for 90 days for foreign ships to transport goods, including oil, fertilizers and other fossil fuel products, among U.S. ports.

The president first waived the Jones Act on March 17 so that it would be easier to transport oil and refined fuels among ports, reducing price pressures after the start of the war with Iran.

The extension will take effect on August 17.

Unlike previous extensions, the Pentagon will consult with the Maritime Administration to decide which voyages are exempt from the 1920 law containing the Jones Act. The waiver will only apply to cargo are sources of energy and commodities related to agriculture and food, such as soybean oil.

Ex Air Force secretary talking to lawyers after Trump admin revokes security clearance

Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Monday that he’s talking to lawyers after the Trump administration revoked his security clearance last week.

Kendall, who has been critical of the administration, said in a post on LinkedIn that he’s “talking to lawyers and will have more soon.” He said he’s had his clearance for 60 years and was careful to say nothing classified.

The Pentagon revoked Kendall’s “eligibility” to access classified information and barred him from holding “any sensitive position,” alleging Friday that he disclosed sensitive information about Air Force One’s capabilities to the media.

It follows reporting last month, including from The New York Times, on security concerns over the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One, including that it lacked the advanced antimissile capabilities of its predecessor.

US military base in South Carolina renamed after late Sen. Lindsey Graham

A U.S. military base in South Carolina was renamed after the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham Monday, with Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth praising Graham’s dedication to the military and for “taking on a radical leftist ideology” in the armed forces.

Joint Base Charleston is now Joint Base Lindsey Graham, which includes an Air Force base and a Naval Weapons Station. Graham, who died last month, served in the Air Force, Air National Guard and reserves.

Hegseth praised Graham’s support of President Donald Trump’s historic $1.5 billion defense budget proposal. In praising Graham, Hegseth also employed the Trump administration’s strategy of linking Democrats to communism.

“The hard left declared war on our own military,” Hegseth said, adding that “it seems that many people have forgotten the reality of what communism looks like.”

Trump dismisses Iran’s call for war reparations

Trump is scoffing at the Iran’s call for reparations for devastation caused to the country by the U.S. and Israeli bombardment over the last five months, a demand he said hadn’t been raised by Tehran’s negotiators until now.

The Republican president, in a social media post, added that in response to the Iranian demand he’s directing negotiators to include “compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts.”

The U.S. government says Iran-backed militants have been responsible for the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Americans over the last several decades, including the 1983 bombing on a Marine compound in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. military personnel, the 1996 truck bombing of a U.S. Air Force housing complex in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 U.S. troops and wounded hundreds more, and the deaths of at least 603 U.S. troops in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.

Trump announces staff secretary Will Scharf will be his new White House counsel

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his new White House counsel will be Will Scharf, the staff secretary who as the Trump-appointed head of the National Capital Planning Commission helped secure approval for the $400 million ballroom project.

Trump said that, beginning Sept. 1, Scharf will be replacing David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Trump noted that Scharf previously served as a federal prosecutor and represented him in a number of cases, including at the Supreme Court.

“Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!”

The shakeup in the White House counsel’s office comes at a critical juncture — just months ahead of the midterm elections, where Trump’s Republican Party will be fighting to hold on to control of Congress. Democrats have vowed to pursue investigations into Trump and his administration if they are successful in November.

▶ Read more

Trump officials propose new scrutiny of food additives and ingredients

U.S. health officials on Monday proposed a rule change that would require food manufacturers to notify regulators before introducing new ingredients or additives into processed or packaged foods.

The proposal would change a decades-old policy that advocates have called a regulatory loophole, blaming it for allowing thousands of unvetted ingredients into the U.S. food supply.

Under the proposed rule from the Food and Drug Administration, companies would have to document and submit their safety findings for new ingredients, giving regulators the opportunity to investigate if they see a potential safety risk. Currently companies can decide for themselves if an ingredient or additive is “generally recognized as safe” and there is no requirement for companies to notify or submit evidence to the FDA, although some do.

▶ Read more

State Department says it has revoked more 175,000 visas since Trump took office

The revoked visas had been granted to more than 175,000 foreigners who have endangered American citizens, broken laws or threatened U.S. national security, according to a statement issued Monday by the State Department.

The statement says most were revoked “due to law enforcement encounters for a range of criminal activity,” including assault, child abuse, drunken driving, drug violations, and embezzlement. It doesn’t say how many of those visa holders had been convicted of such crimes.

Some of the revocations involved “foreign nationals who celebrated the assassination of Charlie Kirk, including one who stated ‘when fascists die, democrats don’t complain’ and another who said he ‘died too late’, the statement said.

Veteran Democrats face strong challenges in Connecticut’s primary

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s try for a third term must first clear a challenge by state Rep. Josh Elliott. And U.S. Rep. John Larson faces his first primary challenge in nearly 30 years, from former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, Hartford Board of Education member Ruth Fortune and state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest.

Both contests could help redefine the Democratic brand by replacing old guard figures with younger alternatives. Tuesday’s primaries also could extend a progressive winning streak in New York City, Colorado and the Michigan U.S. Senate primary.

Larson turned 78 in July. Concerns over his health and age arose last year after he suffered a seizure while delivering a speech on the House floor.

Leonel Armando Bolivar Linares, 29, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while on his way to work. Linares came to the United States legally from Venezuela in 2023 and worked as a custodian at a St. Johns County school.

His mother, Diana Linares, said her son does not deserve what is happening to him.

“I feel very sad because my son is going through something he doesn’t deserve,” she said.

The Department of Homeland Security described Linares as an “illegal alien of Venezuela” and said he overstayed his legal status following changes involving Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

TPS is a federal program that allows eligible nationals of certain countries to remain temporarily in the United States because of conditions in their home countries that make it unsafe to return.

The case comes after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the federal government to terminate the 2023 TPS designation for Venezuela.

Immigration attorney Renata Castro, of USA 4 ALL, said Linares’ case illustrates how immigration enforcement can affect people who have not been accused of a crime.

“It is heartbreaking, but as a practicing attorney, I am not surprised,” Castro said.

“Immigration enforcement in Jacksonville has always been very stern, even prior to the current environment that we’re living in immigration-wise,” she said. “It just goes to show that currently, you don’t need to be a criminal to be treated as such.”

Castro said she believes the case should serve as a warning to other immigrants with pending immigration matters.

She said immigration detention in Florida has increased, including among people without criminal records who have pending immigration cases.

Castro also said she believes ICE wants cases like this to draw attention.

“This case, if you think about it, hard-working man, no criminal record, pillar of the community, working in a local school,” Castro said. “ICE wants to send a message that no one is safe. You don’t have to be committing a crime to be a target.”

What happens next?

Linares remains in immigration detention while his case moves through the legal system.

Castro said his attorney could seek relief in federal court through a habeas petition, along with asking for an immigration bond.

She estimated the legal process could take at least 45 to 60 days and said the family could face between $15,000 and $20,000 in legal fees for a habeas petition and bond proceeding.

If Linares is granted bond, Castro said he could potentially continue fighting his immigration case outside of detention.

But if he is not granted bond, she said the risk of deportation increases significantly.

“If he doesn’t get that bond, then the likelihood that he will be deported is very high,” Castro said.

The case underscores the importance of understanding changes to immigration status, particularly for people who have relied on temporary protections such as TPS.

Castro recommends that immigrants with pending cases seek qualified immigration counsel and make sure they understand their current legal status.

News4JAX has reached out to federal officials for additional information about Linares’ case and will continue to report on any developments.

The order advocates separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different single-disease shots and administering all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever possible. It also directs the nation's health department to improve research on vaccines, which are already extensively studied, and present a plan to offer separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines for children, since that is not currently an option in the United States.

The renewed focus on vaccines marks a departure from the Trump administration’s recent efforts to emphasize less controversial health policies related to healthy eating, drug price negotiations and medical fraud crackdowns ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Public health experts have raised concerns that spacing out shots as Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit. Childhood vaccines — and how and when to give them in combination — go through rigorous studies, and safety tracking continues for years as the shots are used.

Trump called the announcement a “major victory for parents rights, religious and constitutional rights, and for the gold standard science.”

Speaking about the order at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder, even as scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link. The order also includes several changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that his health department has already attempted, but that have been blocked by a federal judge. A White House official who insisted on anonymity to brief reporters said Trump was within his right to provide his own recommendation through the executive order and said the lawsuit blocking the health department's schedule was a separate issue.

Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the announcement spreads uncertainty, fear and confusion where “there doesn't need to be any of that.” He disputed Trump's recommendations and said previous ones should stand.

“Science about vaccines and their efficacy has not changed,” he said. “The distribution of viruses and other pathogens in our environment has not changed. Children in this country have not changed in the last 48 hours."

Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Senate health committee, slammed the executive order in a social media post, saying vaccines are safe and do not cause autism.

“I'm a doctor. This executive order is wrong,” the Louisiana senator wrote. “The President does not have the expertise to make these changes.”

Who is in charge of vaccine policy?

Even as the order calls for revised vaccine recommendations, states, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. The order advises states with school vaccine mandates to consider updating their laws to reflect the administration's preferred schedule, according to a White House fact sheet.

Last December, Trump ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising U.S. guidance accordingly. The department responded by cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child, a move that has since been blocked in court.

Changes to federal childhood vaccine recommendations customarily require approval from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The newly Senate-confirmed CDC director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, oversaw policies promoting vaccination of service members while in a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.

However, public health law expert Lawrence Gostin at Georgetown University said the Supreme Court's interpretation of Trump's power may allow him to supersede Schwartz if she does not agree to new recommendations.

“This is clearly the first test for Dr. Erica Schwartz,” Gostin said in an email. “The President is placing her in an untenable position.”

Asked on a call with reporters why the president was advocating splitting MMR into three single-disease vaccines, the White House official did not provide any studies supporting the decision. They said that was Trump's long-held view and that some countries provide individual measles vaccines in certain circumstances.

Kush Desai, a Trump spokesperson, told The Associated Press that the president is “one of countless parents who have voiced questions and concerns about the combined MMR vaccine" and said the plan to develop single-disease vaccines would “give parents more options on timing and frequency for their children,” ultimately increasing vaccine uptake.

Studies of babies and toddlers in the U.S. have shown that the use of combination shots for childhood vaccines, rather than single ones, increased the likelihood of completing all recommended vaccinations by the age of 2.

Announcement follows other Trump administration vaccine actions

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist before he entered politics, set out to overhaul immunization guidance at DHS in the first year of Trump’s term. He fired an entire 17-member vaccine advisory committee, installing replacements who made far more restrictive recommendations that have since been halted by a federal judge. He also personally directed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism, without supplying any new evidence to support the change.

Throughout his second term, Trump has been fixated on connecting autism to vaccines. He has recently ramped up pressure on Kennedy to identify the cause of autism, something Kennedy had pledged to do with new research unveiled last year. Trump publicly prodded the health secretary for an update on autism research in a Cabinet meeting last month.

“How are you doing on the autism research?” Trump asked.

“We will have an answer for you,” Kennedy said.

Scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link between childhood vaccines and autism. Racine reiterated that point on Monday, noting that the potential link had been studied in “over 40 methodologically well-designed studies in over seven countries involving over 5 million children.”

“I'm not sure that there is anything that has been as thoroughly looked at as this question," he said. “And the answer is unequivocally no."

In the Oval Office, Kennedy repeated his assertion that he believes an unknown environmental factor is to blame for rising autism diagnoses and said that his department will deliver research findings “as soon as they are ready.”

Monday's order comes as students are returning to classrooms around the country and the nation contends with a measles outbreak that experts say could result in the U.S. losing its measles elimination status.

Doctors have raised concerns that Trump's falsehoods on vaccines could stoke vaccine hesitancy. Federal data shows U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have been dropping, with the share of children with exemptions rising to an all-time high in the 2024-25 school year.

___

Associated Press writers Laura Ungar and Mike Stobbe contributed to this report. Swenson reported from New York.

Carrington came from behind and hit the Fever's Sophie Cunningham in the head and neck on a fast-break layup, knocking her to the court as the shot went in. The play was reviewed and upgraded to a Flagrant 2 after the referee said there was windup, impact and follow-through on the foul.

Carrington is Black and Cunningham is white. After Carrington was ejected, she posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on social media and tagged the Fever.

Responding to a clip of former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho criticizing her reaction, Carrington posted on X that she “never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege.”

“Try exercising your critical thinking skills, I know you studied psych. Furthermore, I’m the LAST thing from ignorant or asinine when it comes to speaking on “white privilege”, do ya research on that one,” Carrington wrote. "I actually went to school, one of the top universities might I add, to educate myself on this exact subject.

“I would never use that term as a rhetorical weapon knowing the historical and social weight it holds without having the proper evidence to substantiate it.”

The 28-year-old Carrington played for Stanford for four years before spending her final season of college ball at Baylor.

There has been no word from the WNBA on any additional punishment for Carrington for the hard foul. The Sky visited the Seattle Storm on Monday night.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Week 0

Thursday, Aug. 13

Ribault at Rickards

Ridgeview at Gainesville, 6 p.m.

Tocoi Creek at Orange Park

Friday, Aug. 14

Atlantic Coast at Beachside

Baldwin at Middleburg

Bishop Snyder at Port Orange Atlantic

Camden County at Bolles

Christ’s Church Academy at St. Joseph

Clay at Bishop Kenny

Columbia at Oakleaf

Creekside at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Crescent City at Bayside, 7:30 p.m.

Daytona Beach Seabreeze at Matanzas

Dunnellon at Baker County

Eagle’s View at Old Plank Christian

Ed White at Nease

Fernandina Beach at Keystone Heights

First Coast Christian at Harvest Community

Flagler Palm Coast, Fleming Island at Bartram Trail

Fletcher at Yulee

Fort White at Providence, 6:30 p.m.

Hamilton County at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Impact Christian at Taylor County

Interlachen at Trenton, 7:30 p.m.

Jackson at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Joshua Christian at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Lafayette at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Madison County at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Menendez at Bradford

NFEI at Father Lopez

Palatka at North Marion

Raines at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

St. Augustine at Ponte Vedra

Sandalwood at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Stanton at Duval Charter

Trinity Christian at Bradenton Manatee, 7:30 p.m.

University Christian at Trinity Catholic

West Nassau at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Westminster Academy at Episcopal

Westside at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

OFF: Zarephath Academy

TBA: Hilliard, Cornerstone Classical.

Week 1

Friday, Aug. 21

Atlantic at Crescent City

Baker County at Clay

Beachside at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Bishop Kenny at NFEI

Charlton County at West Nassau

Columbia at Bolles

Cornerstone Classical at Bishop McLaughlin, 6 p.m.

Creekside at Nease

Duval Charter at Old Plank Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Eagle’s View at Branford, 7:30 p.m.

Eastside at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Englewood at Bishop Snyder

Episcopal at Providence

First Coast at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

First Coast Christian at Christ’s Church Academy

Fleming Island at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Fletcher at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Harvest Community at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Hilliard at All Saints Academy

Impact Christian at Chiles

Jackson at Orange Park

Keystone Heights at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Leon at Fernandina Beach

Mandarin at McArthur (Broward County Showcase)

Matanzas at Flagler Palm Coast

Menendez at Middleburg

Parker at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Paxon at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Raines at Oakleaf

St. Augustine at Palatka

Suwannee at Crystal River

Tocoi Creek at Bartram Trail

Trinity Christian at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Union County at Rutherford, 7:30 p.m.

University Christian at Ponte Vedra

West Port at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Westside at Ridgeview

Young Kids in Motion at Joshua Christian

Yulee at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Zarephath Academy at IMG Academy White

OFF: St. Joseph.

Week 2

Thursday, Aug. 27

Duval Charter at Harvest Community

Friday, Aug. 28

Baldwin at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Bartram Trail at Middleburg

Bell at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Bishop Snyder at Oak Hall

Bolles at Archbishop McCarthy

Bradford at Baker County

Bronson at Cornerstone Classical

Eagle’s View at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Episcopal at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Fernandina Beach at NFEI

First Coast Christian at Hilliard

Fleming Island at Creekside

Fort White at Chiefland, 7:30 p.m.

Geneva at St. Joseph

KIPP Bold City at West Nassau

Lafayette at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Lakewood at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Mandarin at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Matanzas at Clay

Menendez at Ridgeview

Nease at St. Augustine

Orange Park at Oakleaf

Palatka at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Paxon at Christ’s Church Academy

P.K. Yonge at Keystone Heights, 7:30 p.m.

Plant City at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Ponte Vedra at Bishop Kenny

Providence at Umatilla

Ribault at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Riverside at Flagler Palm Coast

Sandalwood at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Tocoi Creek at Daytona Beach Seabreeze

True Institute at Joshua Christian

University Christian at Trinity Christian

Wolfson at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Yulee at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Zarephath Academy at Santa Fe

Saturday, Aug. 29

Halifax Academy at Impact Christian

OFF: Beachside, Crescent City, Old Plank Christian, White.

Week 3

Thursday, Sept. 3

Young Kids in Motion at St. Joseph

Friday, Sept. 4

Atlantic Coast at Orange Park

Baldwin at Baker County

Beachside at Tocoi Creek

Bishop Kenny at Bartram Trail

Bluffton at NFEI

Christ’s Church Academy at Old Plank Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Clay at Palatka

Creekside at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Daytona Beach Mainland at Nease

Deltona at Matanzas

Englewood at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Episcopal at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Fernandina Beach at Yulee

Flagler Palm Coast at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Gainesville at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Harvest Community at Cornerstone Classical

Interlachen at Crescent City, 7:30 p.m.

Jackson at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Keystone Heights at Hilliard, 7:30 p.m.

Lecanto at University Christian

Madison County at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Merritt Island at Ponte Vedra

Middleburg at North Marion

Oakleaf at Fleming Island

Paxon at Williston, 7:30 p.m.

Providence at Eagle’s View

Raines at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Riverside at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

St. Augustine at Menendez

Sandalwood at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Trenton at Impact Christian

Trinity Christian at Tallahassee Lincoln

True Institute at Joshua Christian

Zarephath Academy at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Bishop Snyder, Bolles, Duval Charter, First Coast Christian, Fort White, Mandarin, Ribault, Ridgeview, Union County, West Nassau.

Week 4

Friday, Sept. 11

American Heritage Plantation at Trinity Christian

Baker County at Yulee

Bartram Trail at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Bell at Harvest Community

Bishop Kenny at Bolles

Bronson at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Brookwood at Bishop Snyder

Christ’s Church at Duval Charter

Columbia at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Cornerstone Classical at Seven Rivers Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Ed White at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

First Coast at Flagler Palm Coast

First Coast Christian at Eagle’s View

Fort White at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Impact Christian at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Mandarin at Nease

Matanzas at Ocala Forest

NFEI at Providence

Orange Park at Clay

Palatka at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Ponte Vedra at Beachside

Raines at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Ridgeview at Fleming Island

St. Augustine at Middleburg

St. Joseph at Old Plank Christian

Sandalwood at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Stanton at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Taylor Pierson at Crescent City

Tocoi Creek at Creekside

Trinity Catholic at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

University Christian at Madison County, 7:30 p.m.

West Nassau at Bayside

Westside at Episcopal

Wolfson at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Young Kids in Motion at West Oaks Academy, 6 p.m.

Zarephath Academy at Dixie County

OFF: Englewood, Fernandina Beach, Hilliard, Jackson, Keystone Heights, Menendez, Oakleaf.

Week 5

Thursday, Sept. 17

Beachside at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Young Kids in Motion at Christ’s Church Academy

Friday, Sept. 18

Baker County at Palatka

Bartram Trail at Creekside

Bishop Kenny at Merritt Island

Bradford at Tocoi Creek

Clay at Fernandina Beach

Columbia at Trinity Christian

Crescent City at Orangewood Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Duval Charter at First Coast Christian

Eagle’s View at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Ed White at Camden County, 7:30 p.m.

Fletcher at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Hamilton County at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Harvest Community at Bronson

Hilliard at St. Joseph

Interlachen at Citrus, 7:30 p.m.

Jackson at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Joshua Christian at Cottondale

Keystone Heights at Bell, 7:30 p.m.

Mandarin at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Menendez at Matanzas

Newberry at Middleburg

NFEI at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Oakleaf at Bolles

Old Plank Christian at Cornerstone Classical, 7:30 p.m.

Orlando Evans at St. Augustine

Parker at Orange Park

Ponte Vedra at Fleming Island

Providence at Impact Christian

Ribault at Ridgeview

Santa Fe at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Stanton at Bishop Snyder

Union County at First Coast Christian

Westside at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Yulee at West Nassau

OFF: Atlantic Coast, Episcopal, Flagler Palm Coast, KIPP Bold City, Nease, Zaraphath Academy.

Week 6

Thursday, Sept. 24

Beachside at Nease

Clay at St. Augustine

Flagler Palm Coast at Tocoi Creek

Friday, Sept. 25

Atlantic at Keystone Heights

Baker County at Godby

Baldwin at Bolles

Bell at Eagle’s View

Bradford at Madison County, 7:30 p.m.

Bronson at Joshua Christian

Cornerstone Classical at Aucilla Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Creekside at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Crescent City at Branford, 7:30 p.m.

Englewood at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Episcopal at Duval Charter

First Coast at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Fleming Island at Orange Park

Fletcher at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Halifax Academy at Harvest Community

Impact Christian at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

KIPP Bold City at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

McKinney Christian (Texas) at Christ’s Church Academy

Menendez at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Middleburg at Ridgeview

Parker at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Pine Ridge at Matanzas

Ponte Vedra at Bartram Trail

Providence at Seffner Christian

Riverside at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Scintilla Charter at Hilliard

Seven Rivers at Old Plank Christian, 7:30 p.m.

St. Joseph at Bishop Snyder

Stanton at First Coast Christian

Suwannee at Wakulla

Taylor County at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Trinity Christian at NFEI

West Nassau at Fernandina Beach

West Port at Oakleaf

Westside at Palatka

Young Kids in Motion at Jefferson County

Yulee at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Zarephath Academy at West Oaks

OFF: Bishop Kenny, Interlachen, Paxon, Raines.

Week 7

Thursday, Oct. 1

Beachside at Port St. Lucie Legacy

Trinity Prep at Harvest Community

Friday, Oct. 2

Atlantic at Cornerstone Classical

Bradford at Gainesville Eastside, 7:30 p.m.

Branford at St. Joseph

Christ’s Church Academy at Oak Hall

Columbia at Manatee, 7:30 p.m.

Duval Charter at Halifax Academy

Ed White at Oakleaf

Englewood at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Fernandina Beach at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Flagler Palm Coast at Orange City University

Florida High at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Gadsden County at Impact Christian

Gainesville P.K. Yonge at First Coast Christian

Keystone Heights at Crescent City, 7:30 p.m.

KIPP Bold City at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Lake Highland Prep at Bishop Snyder

Lake Mary at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Lake Weir at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Mayo Lafayette at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Menendez at Bishop Kenny

NFEI at Episcopal

Old Plank Christian at Hilliard, 7:30 p.m.

Parker at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Paxon at Ridgeview

Riverside at Nease

Trinity Christian at Carrollwood Day

Union County at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Venice at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

West Nassau at Providence

Wolfson at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Zarephath Academy at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Baker County, Bartram Trail, Bolles, Clay, Creekside, Eagle’s View, First Coast, Fleming Island, Fletcher, Matanzas, Middleburg, Orange Park, Palatka, Ponte Vedra, Sandalwood, St. Augustine, Tocoi Creek, Union County, Yulee.

Week 8

Thursday, Oct. 8

Bishop Snyder at Faith Christian

Harvest Community at Christ’s Church Academy

Joshua Christian at Duval Charter

Friday, Oct. 9

Atlantic Coast at Creekside

Aucilla Christian at Hilliard

Baker County at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Bartram Trail at Beachside

Bradford at Newberry, 7:30 p.m.

Clay at Fleming Island

Crescent City at Halifax Academy

Dixie County at Keystone Heights, 7:30 p.m.

Eagle’s View at Keswick Christian

Ed White at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

First Coast Christian at Port Orange Atlantic

Fort White at Madison County, 7:30 p.m.

Foundation Academy at Providence

Gainesville Buchholz at Matanzas

Halifax Academy at Crescent City, 7:30 p.m.

Impact Christian at Hamilton County, 7:30 p.m.

Jackson at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

KIPP Bold City at Bolles

Mandarin at Ponte Vedra

Menendez at Palatka

Nease at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Oak Hall at Old Plank Christian

Oakleaf at Ocala Forest

Orange Park at Middleburg

Palatka at Menendez

Paxon and Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

P.K. Yonge at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Raines at Bishop Kenny

St. Augustine at Ridgeview

St. Joseph at West Oaks Academy

Sandalwood at Flagler Palm Coast

Stanton at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Tocoi Creek at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Union County at Fernandina Beach

University Christian at Williston

Wolfson at Episcopal

Yulee at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10

West Deptford (NJ) at West Nassau

OFF: Columbia, Cornerstone Classical, Parker, Trinity Christian, Zarephath Academy.

Week 9

Thursday, Oct. 15

Episcopal at Eagle’s View

Friday, Oct. 16

Atlantic Coast at Tocoi Creek

Bolles at Trinity Christian

Christ’s Church Academy at True Institute

Columbia at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Cornerstone Classical at Duval Charter

Creekside at Flagler Palm Coast

Englewood at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Father Lopez at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

First Coast Christian at Joshua Christian

First Coast at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Fletcher at Ponte Vedra

Fort White at Baker County

Harvest Community at Taylor Pierson

Hilliard at Dixie County, 7:30 p.m.

Impact Christian at Menendez

Interlachen at Wildwood

Jackson at West Nassau

Keystone Heights at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

KIPP Bold City at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Mandarin at Beachside

Matanzas at Oakleaf

Middleburg at Fleming Island

Nease at Bartram Trail

Old Plank Christian at Bishop Snyder

Orange Park at St. Augustine

Palatka at Newberry

Providence at Fernandina Beach

Ribault at Yulee

Ridgeview at Clay

Riverside at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

St. Joseph at Oak Hall

Taylor County at NFEI

Umatilla at Crescent City

University Christian at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Wolfson at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Zarephath at Bishop Kenny

OFF: Suwannee, Westside

Week 10

Thursday, Oct. 22

Ridgeview at Orange Park

Friday, Oct. 23

Baldwin at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Bartram Trail at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Beachside at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Bishop Kenny at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Bishop Snyder at Seven Rivers Christian

Bolles at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Bronson at Old Plank Christian

Crescent City at Trenton, 7:30 p.m.

Duval Charter at First Coast Christian

Ed White at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Fernandina Beach at Episcopal

First Coast at Creekside

Flagler Palm Coast at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Fleming Island at St. Augustine

Halifax Academy at Eagle’s View

Hamilton County at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Hilliard at Cornerstone Classical

Impact Christian at Trinity Christian

Interlachen at Atlantic

Middleburg at Clay

Oakleaf at Buchholz

Palatka at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Ponte Vedra at Nease

Raines at Cocoa

Ribault at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

St. Joseph at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal

Sandalwood at Tocoi Creek

Suwannee at Godby

Union County at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Wakulla at Baker County

West Nassau at Keystone Heights, 7:30 p.m.

West Port at Matanzas

Westside at Menendez

Young Kids in Motion at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Yulee at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Zarephath Academy at Umatilla

OFF: Christ’s Church Academy, Harvest, Providence, Stanton, University Christian.

Week 11

Thursday, Oct. 29

University Christian at Calvary Christian

Friday, Oct. 30

Atlantic Coast at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Baker County at West Port

Baldwin at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Belleview at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Buchholz at Bolles

Clay at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Creekside at Ponte Vedra

Fleming Island at Bishop Kenny

Fort White at Palatka

Halifax Academy at Providence

Hilliard at Taylor Pierson, 7:30 p.m.

Land O’ Lakes at Bartram Trail

Matanzas at Palm Bay

Middleburg at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Nease at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Oakleaf at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Orange Park at Flagler Palm Coast

Ridgeview at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

St. Augustine at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Sunlake at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Suwannee at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Tocoi Creek at Menendez

Trinity Christian at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Westside at Beachside

Zarephath Academy at Yulee

Saturday, Oct. 31

Ribault at Raines, 2 p.m.

OFF: Bradford, Impact Christian, Wolfson

TBA: Cornerstone Classical

TBA, SSAA playoffs: Bishop Snyder, Christ’s Church Academy, Duval Charter, Eagle’s View, Episcopal, Fernandina Beach, First Coast Christian, Harvest, Interlachen, Keystone Heights, Old Plank Christian, Paxon, St. Joseph, Stanton, Union County, West Nassau.

For more than a decade, nature lovers watched via an online video feed as Jackie and her partner Shadow tended to their nest each year atop trees near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles.

The nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley installed the nest camera in 2015 and documented the successes and failures of each breeding season. In 2024, Jackie diligently sat on her eggs for more than two and a half days straight after a winter storm blanketed the nest with snow.

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation’s San Dimas Raptor Rescue team found Jackie on July 17 following reports that the bird had been involved in a fight with two other eagles and was found to be ill.

Jackie had been receiving medical treatment for three weeks at the Ojai Raptor Center, where she was treated for a variety of ailments including anemia. Despite undergoing a blood transfusion and oxygen therapy, her condition worsened and the center announced the animal's death Monday.

“We know this news will be deeply felt by the many thousands of people around the world who have followed her journey, hoped alongside us, prayed for her, and supported the people caring for her,” the center's statement said. “Our team is heartbroken. It has been an extraordinary privilege to care for her.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is caring for the remains.

Among those who enjoyed monitoring Jackie's nests from afar was biologist Kelly Sorenson, executive director of the Ventana Wildlife Society in central California. While his group was not involved with the Big Bear eagles, he sees their breeding as emblematic of the comeback the species has made in the state over the past decades.

American bald eagles teetered on the brink of extinction until the pesticide DDT was banned in the 1970s and other protections were established, leading the species to rebound and be removed from the federal endangered list.

“You want to see a success story like that,” Sorenson said Monday. “Having access to a live cam to see the nesting first hand is very powerful. It brings people in on an emotional level.”

The two-time Olympic champion from Norway hadn’t raced since having surgery early this year to clean up scar tissue on the protective sheath around his left Achilles tendon.

Down the stretch, Ingebrigtsen was in third place before accelerating in the final 50 meters to pass Florian Bremm of Germany and cross the line in 13 minutes, 15:29 seconds. Bremm was second followed by France’s Etienne Daguinos.

“Coming from the lowest of lows to be European champion again means the world to me,” Ingebrigtsen said. “Not even I believed it could happen coming here. Only with 600 meters to go I knew I would win.

“I am starting to feel more like myself,” he added. “I doubted myself every day coming in to this and every minute leading up to the last lap today, but I’m always hoping to do my best. I’ve tried my best, and the last three weeks was very smooth.”

The Norwegian's rivals could only marvel at his abilities. Daguinos called him “a legend of our sport.”

Bremm said he looked to both sides “and I thought, ‘Oh yes I have it for sure,” before Ingebrigtsen passed him.

“He proved he’s faster than everyone else even after the injury,” Bremm said.

Ingebrigtsen is not racing in the 1,500 meters in Birmingham. He’s won both the 1,500 and 5,000 at the past three European championships.

The Achilles problem seemed to be a factor in Ingebrigtsen’s performance at last September’s world championships in Tokyo, where he failed to advance out of the first round of the 1,500 and finished 10th in the 5,000 final.

Amy Hunt wins tight 100m

Amy Hunt of Britain got just enough separation to win the women's 100 meters in 11 seconds, edging Poland's Ewa Swoboda (11.02) and Belgium's Delphine Nkansa (11.06). Hunt's teammate Dina Asher-Smith (11.10), the defending champion, was fifth.

Hunt won silver in the 100 at the Commonwealth Games two weeks ago. She was also the silver medalist in 200 at the world championships last September.

Three-peat for Schilder in women's shot put

Netherlands star Jessica Schilder made it three in a row in the shot put, taking gold with a throw of 20.73 meters at Alexander Stadium.

The reigning world champion's teammate Jorinde van Klinken (19.64) won silver, and 2024 Olympic champion Yemisi Mabry (19.50) of Germany was third.

“I will never get tired of this feeling, I will never get bored of winning these medals,” Schilder said. “I had the confidence going into this that even though I was competing with an injured finger I was capable of doing well here. It was a little bit about battling and pushing through the pain today.”

Schilder is the only woman this decade to surpass 21 meters when she threw 21.09 at the Shanghai Diamond League in May.

Schilder won gold at the past two European championships: 2024 in Rome and 2022 in Munich. She called this one the “easiest” of the three.

“There was quite a gap with the other competitors,” she said.

For the men's shot put, Leonardo Fabbri defended his title with a throw of 22.31, and his Italian teammate Zane Weir took silver. Sweden's Wictor Petersson was third.

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

Of course the Miami Dolphins first-year head coach does not want his players missing assignments, lining up offsides or running the wrong routes on game days. But he has stressed to his young team the importance of pushing beyond their comfort zones during training camp, even if that means getting things wrong.

“Some guys get so comfortable, right?” Hafley said Monday. “And they’re so scared to make a mistake that they play things safe. How do you grow if you’re going to play things safe? That doesn’t make any sense to me because you’re comfortable or you don’t want to look bad? It’s not about looking bad.”

Hafley has taken that approach himself, testing out different snap counts for quarterbacks and living with pre-snap penalties if they come early on. Similarly, the former defensive coordinator wants players to test different techniques and learn what works for them. During a recent practice, that meant encouraging a cornerback to use his hands and length more during team drills.

"Like step out of your comfort zone. Don’t worry about the results," Hafley said. "That’s what practice is for. That’s why I get mad in practice. I think bad coaching is when a guy gets beat and you just go up and you yell at him. No, ask him, ‘What did you do? What did you see? What did you try? Did it work? Let’s go back and watch it on film.’ If a guy’s not running to the ball or he’s (showing) lack of effort or physicality then yeah, yell at him. But this is where these guys get paralyzed in their minds, and I just don’t want that to happen.

“So when I see a long corner and I get a flashback, ‘You’re not using your length. Step and punch and try something different.’ I think that’s huge for everybody on our team, and it’s just how we need to coach these guys.”

That approach will be tested this week as the Dolphins prepare for Wednesday's joint practice against Washington ahead of Friday's preseason opener.

Hafley hasn't said whether starters like quarterback Malik Willis or running back De'Von Achane will suit up, but the coach said Monday everyone on the team “needs to be ready to play.”

“You never know what to expect, but you kind of just go out there, and it’s like a regular practice. You just start,” said tackle Patrick Paul, whose brother, Chris, is an offensive lineman for the Commanders. “There’s no like pre-anything. It’s just from the jump you’re going. It’s going to bring the best out of a lot of people because you’re going against new competition. These aren’t your teammates. These are people you’re about to play, so you need to go out there and compete."

Making Moves

The Dolphins agreed to acquire offensive tackle Caedan Wallace and a 2029 seventh-round pick from the New England Patriots on Monday in exchange for a 2028 sixth-rounder. That deal is pending a physical.

Wallace, a third-round pick out of Penn State by the Patriots in 2024, has played in 10 games with two starts over the past two seasons.

Also Monday, the Dolphins placed kicker Zane Gonzalez on injured reserve and signed cornerback Nick McCloud as they deal with injuries in their secondary.

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

NOTE: News4JAX will live stream what we can from court during jury selection. What we can show from this stage is limited, and the stream may end abruptly.

Fernandez, along with his now-estranged wife, Shanna Gardner, is accused of hiring Henry Tenon, a former tenant of Fernandez, to shoot and kill Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach in February 2022.

Bridegan, a 33-year-old father of four, was Gardner’s ex-husband. They were in ongoing custody disputes over their twin children.

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

Fernandez was back in court with his attorneys last week as Judge London Kite finalized some defense motions and settled on the wording of the juror questionnaire that will help narrow the jury pool, which begins with 50 jurors Monday morning and another 50 on Monday afternoon.

News4JAX spoke with Shannon Schott, a local attorney not affiliated with the case, about what can be expected from Fernandez’s jury selection.

“I don’t think it’s going to be difficult for them to empanel a jury,” Schott said. “I do have questions about the type of person that will be empaneled since they are going to have to have no connection to local news, local news media, social media.”

On Monday morning, Kite introduced the potential jurors to the parties involved in the case and read a list of witnesses to see if any of the jurors might have a conflict during the trial.

Only a few potential jurors said they knew about the case or the people involved. Judge Kite took those jurors aside, along with any who believed they might not be able to commit to the two-week trial, to question them privately with the attorneys.

In the meantime, has explained that the jurors that they can not look up anything about the case.

As part of the preparation for trial, Kite previously ordered that the seated jurors’ names be kept anonymous until 60 days after the trial, which is typical in high-profile cases.

RELATED | ‘A lot of decisions could be made’: Attorney weighs in on new evidence in Bridegan murder case

Despite initially being indicted on four charges, Fernandez will now be tried only on first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony in the case that has garnered national attention.

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

NEW INFORMATION: Prosecutor drops bombshell in Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case: Accused gunman was not alone on night of shooting | RELATED: Defense attorneys for Mario Fernandez briefly discussed plea deal with state in Jared Bridegan murder-for-hire case

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 will go on trial in March 2027.

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.

Prosecution bombshell

While arguing a motion at a recent hearing, Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi revealed information about the case that was new to the public.

Speaking for the prosecution, Mizrahi said the state has evidence that multiple people were involved in the ambush shooting that killed Bridegan in February 2022 in Jacksonville Beach.

Previously, the state had only said that Tenon, the alleged hired gunman, was at the scene and fired the fatal shots after leaving a tire in the road to force Bridegan to get out of his SUV.

Now, the state has indicated that Tenon was not alone at the shooting scene.

“When the victim was killed, there is a person that fled on foot and a person that fled in a vehicle. We know that Henry Tenon left his DNA behind on that tire. And we know that Henry Tenon was not driving the pick-up truck that fled the scene,” Mizrahi said, arguing that this was proof of a deeper conspiracy in the case.

It’s unclear if the state is implying that Fernandez was driving the truck that night or if it was someone else.

“If we go back to the time that Jared Bridegan was murdered, we know there were so many questions about who could’ve done this,” Schott said. “We know there are months and months and probably pages of data that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was able to gather about why and how Jared Bridegan was murdered.”

During the hearing, Mizrahi pointed to the landlord-tenant relationship between Fernandez and Tenon as evidence that the two were connected, but said the state also has evidence of communications between the two in the days, weeks and “on the day of the particular crime.”

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.

The state has since said that the shooter ran off on foot and someone else drove away from the scene in a pick-up truck.

Prosecutors also said they have Tenon’s DNA on the tire that was left in the road.

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

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.

In questioning Dr. Jennifer Tufts, defense lawyer Kevin Reddington spotlighted her use of 25-minute video appointments with limited time for talk therapy, the computerized forms that documented her observations, and the series of pharmaceuticals she recommended as Clancy reported various side effects, symptoms and concerns about taking medications.

Reddington portrayed Clancy’s care not as common practice in U.S. mental healthcare, but rather as inadequate and indifferent treatment of a deteriorating patient. At one point, Reddington implied that the doctor was a box-checking “robot.”

“What did you do? You had a woman who was telling you she felt hopeless,” he asked as they discussed an appointment about two months before the killings.

“I told her that this was something we could address, that there was hope, that there are treatments, that there are different types of programs,” Tufts said, “so she knew that she still had options and a reason to hope.”

“Did you ever suggest to her that ‘maybe you should come in and see me, rather than on the computer?’” Reddington asked.

“Talking to her over the video didn’t seem like an issue. It didn’t seem like there was something I was missing,” Tufts replied.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

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Clancy's camp says she tried everything to get help

Clancy, 35, has pleaded not guilty to murder charges in the deaths of Callan, Dawson and Cora Clancy, who ranged from 8 months to 5 years old. They were found in the basement of the family’s home in coastal Duxbury, Massachusetts, where their mother was lying in the yard. She had jumped out a second-story window and remains paralyzed from the waist down.

Prosecutors argue that the former labor and delivery nurse was an intentional killer who connived to get her husband out of the house, then strangled the children with exercise bands on Jan. 24, 2023. Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham has urged jurors not to view the trial as “a public debate about women’s mental health and how the medical system treats women.”

Clancy's attorneys don't dispute that she killed the children. But they say she shouldn't be held criminally responsible because she was mentally ill, believing that she heard voices ordering her to take the children's lives and her own.

The defense contends that she was in the grip of bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis, a rare postpregnancy condition that can alter women's sense of reality. A forensic psychiatrist diagnosed her with those conditions after the killings.

Her attorneys say Clancy did everything she could to seek help: She turned to multiple outpatient providers, tried various drugs they prescribed, called a suicide hotline, went to an emergency room, and approached but wasn't accepted into a hospital-based, full-day treatment program for women with postpregnancy mental health problems. Clancy then even checked herself into a psychiatric hospital for several days.

Rather than improving, her condition worsened on the ever-remixed cocktail of psychiatric medications, some of them problematic for bipolar patients, her attorneys and family say. Tufts noted that it can be difficult to tell whether such conditions as depression are continuing because of a medicine or despite it.

Psychiatrist says Clancy never indicated she'd harm her kids

Tufts saw Clancy, via video, from September 2022 until the day before the killings. Her diagnosis: generalized anxiety disorder and an adjustment disorder with depressed mood.

The psychiatrist testified that Clancy never told her about manic episodes, a criterion for bipolar diagnoses, nor about hearing voices or having other signs of psychosis.

Clancy at times said she was “close” to feeling suicidal, hopeless or like she was going to die, Tufts recalled. But she said Clancy denied having a plan to take her own life or harm anyone else and never revealed — as the defense says she did to her husband — that she had thoughts about harming the children.

“I would have been very concerned if I had heard that,” Tufts said.

Clancy is suing Tufts and other practitioners in civil court.

“I do not believe that I’ve been negligent,” Tufts testified in the criminal trial Monday as Reddington questioned how much experience she had treating postpregnancy conditions before Clancy came to her. Tufts finished her psychiatric residency training in July 2022 and joined a private practice the month before Clancy's first appointment.

Nurse-practitioner testifies about treating Clancy

As Tufts left court after two days of testimony, Clancy sat still in her wheelchair with her knitted hands to her face, looking downward at the defense table.

Prosecutors went on to question psychiatric nurse-practitioner and nurse midwife Julie Paul, a pregnancy and postpregnancy specialist whom Clancy consulted briefly in November 2022. Their interactions spanned about 10 days, as Paul was leaving for another job.

Paul testified that Clancy came to her with concerns about medications she'd been using for sleep, and that led to a few reshufflings as Clancy continued reporting various symptoms and seeking new solutions by the day. Trial-and-error switching isn't unusual in psychiatry, said Paul, who also said Clancy never told her of any thoughts of harming herself or her children or having any hallucinations.

Reddington will have his chance to question Paul on Tuesday.

If convicted of murder, 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.

Police have not indicated whether they consider the 29-year-old Black woman’s death suspicious, saying only that they are actively working “to determine the circumstances surrounding the death.”

A week after Fortune’s body was found, a pink and white memorial honoring her life stood as a bright spot Monday in the otherwise overgrown backyard of the abandoned house in Jackson.

Feet from where rainbow pinwheels, white flowers and teddy bears surrounded a photograph of Fortune, empty chip bags and discarded plastic bottles littered the ground. Nearby, an entrance to the home gaped open, a tarp, foam pad and other debris scattered outside.

Jackson police officers responded to the home on Aug. 3 and discovered a body hanging in the backyard. Hinds County chief medical examiner investigator Jeremiah Howard later confirmed the identity as Fortune.

Her body is now in the custody of the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause and manner of death.

Here's what we know so far about Fortune's death:

What was Fortune doing when she was last heard from?

Christy Spivey, Fortune's mother, told ABC News on Sunday that she last saw her daughter on July 26. Fortune, a mother of four who had lived in Mississippi for more than 10 years, had traveled to Kentucky for a family reunion.

She described her daughter as a loving mother who was not behaving out of the ordinary.

“She did not do this to herself," Spivey told the outlet. "I know my daughter, and she did not do this to herself.”

On Wednesday, Jackson City Councilman Kenneth Stokes wrote a letter to Mississippi U.S. Attorney Baxter Kruger asking for assistance in the case. In the letter, Stokes referred to Fortune as a murder victim.

Do authorities have any suspects?

Jackson police have commented very little on Fortune's death. They have not identified any suspects or person of interest.

Local media report that a man interviewed by investigators said he had argued with Fortune but had no involvement in her death. Police have not disclosed how the man, who was arrested last week on an unrelated charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, is acquainted with Fortune.

Where were the other hangings in Mississippi?

Fortune's death comes less than a year after the hanging deaths of 21-year-old Trey Reed, a Black student at Delta State University in Cleveland, and Cory Zukatis, an unhoused white man in his 30s, in Vicksburg.

Police in Cleveland concluded Reed's death was a suicide. Autopsy results were consistent with a preliminary examination of the body by the Bolivar County coroner, which found no evidence of foul play.

Reed's family and their attorneys called for an independent autopsy and for authorities to share security camera recordings.

The Mississippi State Medical Examiner determined Zukatis died by suicide.

Why are the Mississippi cases attracting interest?

How law enforcement agencies in Mississippi, a state with a tumultuous civil rights history, handle death investigations of Black residents has drawn extreme interest in recent weeks with the case of Nolan Xavier Wells.

The 18-year-old joined friends on a Fourth of July boat excursion to an island off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast but did not return with them. His body was found two days later.

Wells’ parents say how their son died remains a mystery and there have been conflicting stories and missing details.

Spivey, Fortune’s mother, told ABC News she “does not want her name associated with” the death possibly being racially motivated.

Bernice King, daughter of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., cautioned people to “not rush to conclusions.” At the same time, Fortune's death is triggering.

“We also cannot dismiss the fear and painful history these circumstances evoke for Black communities, especially in Mississippi," she said in a statement. “That history makes transparency, thoroughness, and truth essential." ___

This story has corrected the spelling of Bernice King's first name.

___ Tang reported from Sunnyvale, California.

More than 41,000 students will make their way back to more than 50 schools Tuesday. Monday, families made final preparations before the bell rings.

For some families, the final stop before school starts is a familiar one: grabbing last-minute supplies, a few more notebooks, a new pack of pencils and maybe something special to make the first day feel a little more exciting.

“We got PJs,” Hailey Potter, a student said.

“We forgot some index cards and more pencils,” said Jacqueline Adamson, a mother.

“Different types of vitamins and stuff that she has to take to make sure she stays awake for school,” said Jennifer Cogdon.

While parents may be ready for those early mornings and more structure, their kids have mixed feelings.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to go to school,” said Jahara Adamson, an incoming 5th grader.

But not everyone is dreading it.

“I’m ready to go back to school, see all my friends, meet my new teachers and meet a lot of the new kids too,” said Eliana Lewis, an incoming 7th grader.

Many parents told us they’re simply ready to see their children get back to doing what kids do best: learning, growing and being around friends.

“I’m excited for them. They do soccer too, so it’s just a routine. And we’re excited to get back on the grind,” said Deanna Wilson, a mother of three. “We’ve had the whole summer just to travel and have fun.”

And for some parents, the return to school can’t come soon enough.

“We’re excited for her to go back so we can get a break,” Congdon said.

Superintendent David Broskie says families should expect the typical first-week adjustment period, noting that traffic and logistics tend to smooth out after the opening two weeks of school.

For more information on school start times, bus routes and first-day safety tips, click here.

July averaged 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit (24.94 degrees Celsius) across the Lower 48 states, eclipsing the Dust Bowl’s July 1936 by an eighth of a degree. Records go back to 1895.

“It’s not good when you’re breaking records from the Dust Bowl, which we are in this case,” said meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections. “And that was a crazy sort of situation where you put tens of millions of people in motion. You had this great migration because of the drought and the heat that hit the center of the U.S. — just a cataclysmic event in U. S. history. If we’re exceeding records from The Dust Bowl, that says that we’re in deep trouble.”

Although it was unusually cool in Alaska, hotter-than-normal conditions blanketed the Lower 48, with the most excessive heat in the Mountain West, Southwest, Northern Plains and Southeast. The heat was so widespread that every one of the Lower 48 states was at least 1 degree Fahrenheit (nearly 0.6 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 20th century average, said Russ Vose, chief of monitoring at NOAA's National Center for Environmental Information.

The heat in the Dust Bowl years was more concentrated in parts of the Midwest and was aggravated by agricultural practices at the time, Vose said.

What's happening now is due to the burning of coal, oil and gas, scientists said.

"Extremely high temperatures across the continental U.S. this summer, along with intense drought and fire conditions, are absolutely consistent with the climate change signal,' said Katharine Jacobs, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona.

The biggest driver of the record heat was nighttime lows that smashed the old mark for hottest minimums by 0.7 degrees, NOAA said. Hotter nights are a classic sign of human-caused climate change, according to scientists and several studies in peer-reviewed literature. NOAA's calculation is based on averaging 24 hours of temperature, not just highs or lows.

“If you’re talking heat waves, that nighttime low is incredibly important for determining total heat stress,” Masters said. "So if it doesn’t cool off at night, your body doesn’t have time to readjust to all the heat.”

As nighttime temperatures increase, more people die and lose sleep, studies show.

The years 2021 and 1936 tie for America's hottest summer, which is June through August. Through July, 2026 is a shade cooler than 2021, which was powered by record heat in June.

Because of climate change, Masters said, “this may be one of the coolest years we’re gonna experience for the rest of our lives.”

What's needed, Masters said, is "to stop burning so many fossil fuels. We also need to be spending money to adapt to the new climate that we’ve put in place.”

___

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.

Top priority property slips away

The property, located near the Matanzas River in the southeastern part of the county, was LAMP’s No. 1 acquisition target for 2025. Known informally as the Deltona property, the land ultimately sold for $12 million — well above what LAMP could offer.

According to our news partners at the Jacksonville Daily Record, 50 acres was sold along the Matanzas River to Ashley Homes on July 30^th.

“Absolutely, it was number one on the lamp list for the 2025 year,” said Ryan Mauch, St. Johns County’s staff liaison to the LAMP board.

The county appraised the property at roughly $6.8 million and secured approximately $7 million in grant funding and offered to the seller, but Mauch says they declined.

“It’s a willing seller program. So the property owner, you know, already it’s, it incumbent upon them to submit an application and they, they, they want to have to sell it to the County,” Mauch said. “If people get better offers then they go for that and we try again for the next property.”

The site held strong ecological significance. Mauch said it represented “the most northerly mile of marsh coast left” in the southeastern part of the county and would have created a connected conservation corridor linking to Moses Creek Conservation Area to the south.

Mauch said it was disappointing.

“Again, we acknowledge that is a willing seller program.”

What LAMP does, how it works

LAMP, which launched around 1999-2000, is St. Johns County’s dedicated conservation land acquisition program. It paused during the 2008-2009 economic downturn and was restarted in 2021. Over the past three to four years, the program has acquired several new properties.

The program’s goal is to preserve ecologically valuable land — particularly forested wetlands and properties that connect to existing state conservation corridors — while also creating opportunities for passive recreation such as hiking trails, kayak launches and paddling trails.

LAMP owns 13 properties, according to its website.

“We want to link in with those properties and that provides really good value,” Mauch said. “You have the ecological side of things. You have passive recreation as well.”

LAMP currently holds approximately $5 million in available acquisition funds, with additional funding potentially available through state and federal grant programs.

“We have a pot of money, but then we also have additional pots of money out there through the state, as well as federal programs that we could potentially manage,” Mauch said.

Current priority list

With the Deltona property off the table, LAMP’s priority list now looks like this:

1. Bailey family ranch property — Bishop Estates Road (~70 acres)
2. Adams family property — County Road 13, Elkton area (~94 acres)
3. Christina Drive/Shores Boulevard property (~2.8 acres)
4. Glidden family property — County Road 13 North, Picatata area (~2.8 acres)
5. McCullough Creek area property — County Road 13 South (~18 acres)

Property tax reform puts program on pause

Beyond the competitive real estate market, LAMP faces a broader challenge: the program has been directed to halt all new acquisitions while St. Johns County assesses the potential budget impact of Florida’s state property tax reform legislation.

“We’ve been asked to sort of have a hiatus on any new acquisitions at this time,” Mauch said.

The pause came earlier in 2026 as county officials began evaluating the fiscal year 2027 budget amid unknowns surrounding the reform’s funding implications.

“Everything is still status quo at this time,” he said. “It’s basically just to say, hey, we’re still evaluating the impacts to our budget because of it.”

Mauch said the program continues to evaluate incoming applications in the meantime.

JSO Chief Mike Shell with the Homeland Security Division said the incident began just before 6:30 a.m. Monday when officers got a call from a mom who’d found a note from her son expressing suicidal thoughts.

She said her son had left the home and was armed with a handgun.

Press play below to watch the full news conference:

Officers found the teen in the parking lot of the Regal movie theater on Philips Highway. At one point while they were talking to him, the teen pulled a handgun out of his waistband, Shell said.

That’s when one of the officers deployed his Taser and the other fired his service weapon multiple times. Both missed the teen, who ran off.

Officers found him again in another part of the same parking lot, and the SWAT Team and the crisis intervention team were called out around 8 a.m., Shell said.

The crisis team made contact with the teen over the phone and stayed on the phone with him until the incident ended.

“We’re not going to put them in a position where they’re in harm’s way. So we’re not gonna get them within line of sight where someone that has a firearm can harm them,” Shell said. “But in this situation, they’re working, were able to get in contact with the subject on the phone and be in a safe position to add their skill set to this situation. And while they were speaking with him, they were being coached by a member of our Negotiations Unit.”

The SWAT team surrounded the teen around 9:15 a.m with armored cars to protect people in the surrounding businesses.

Shell described the situation, saying the parking lot is about 600 yards long and 150 yards wide with two nearby strip malls that were filled with employees and customers.

“So the goal is obviously to try to prevent any of those citizens from being in harm’s way, but the easiest way to do that is to get a piece of armor between them,” Shell said. “Just given the volume of the number of businesses there, the number people coming and going from that parking lot, the ability to actually control that in real time is challenging.”

Shell said that while the crisis team was speaking with him, JSO was trying to back the teen toward the rear of the theater, where SWAT officers were waiting to subdue him, but when they launched pepper balls at the ground near him to force him backward, the teen shot himself in the head.

He survived and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

“Obviously, if there are people in distress, we want them to reach out and get help and get resources. And this isn’t the goal that anyone has,” Shell said. “It’s difficult for those involved on the family side. I feel terrible for them. It’s difficult for the officers involved. All the way around, it is a terrible situation.”

JSO said the teen’s name will not be released because of his age, and the names of the officers will not be released for 72 hours because of a recent change in Florida’s Marsy’s Law.

JSO did say the teen had a previous history of mental health issues, including a threat toward Mayport Middle School that DCPS says got him expelled in 2023.

Resources

Here is a list of mental health resources available in Florida.

• UF Health St. Johns Behavioral Health Resource Center - open  24/7 with clinicians on staff and available to assist during a crisis. No appointment is needed.
• EPIC Behavioral Health Rapid Response Team – 24/7 service for individuals 26+, dial 988, and a response will occur within 60 minutes of the request.
• EPIC Access Support Center – Walk-in services for mental health at their North Campus, Northwest Campus, and Flagler Campus. If this service is needed, walk-in during hours or call (904) 495-7001.
• Mobile Response Team – 24/7 service for individuals 5-25 years old. Dial 988 or 911 and a response will occur within 60 minutes of the request.
• Vinson Foundation - A support group for St. Johns, Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, and Orange Park, for families who lost someone to suicide.
• St. Augustine Youth Services: 904-829-1770
• Call 211 - Local experts are available 24/7 to help. Calls to 211 are confidential and can be anonymous.
• Hope for Healing Florida - Hope for Healing navigates the many ways Floridians can access help for mental health and substance abuse

These resources can be accessed nationwide.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - Call or text 988 for help. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you or someone you know.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides resources for issues with mental health, drugs, or alcohol.
• Veterans Crisis Line - Text 838255 or call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1
• Crisis Text Line - Text “Home” to 741741
• Teen Line - Text “Teen” to 839863

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue serving our city and building on the momentum that Mayor Deegan has created,” said Smith. “It’s an honor to be part of a team that is working to make Jacksonville safer, healthier, and more affordable for everyone.”

Earlier this year, Smith retired from Florida Blue after over 30 years with the company. He served as North Florida Market President and was responsible for market growth and community involvement across 36 North Florida counties.

Smith also serves on the boards of the Sulzbacher Center, Cathedral Arts Project, First Coast YMCA, LIFT JAX, JAX Chamber, JAXUSA Policy Council, United Way of Northeast Florida, A.L. Lewis Black Opportunity and Impact Fund, and Blue Zones Jacksonville.

“Darnell is the rare type of leader who brings decades of executive experience combined with genuine humility and an unending desire to help people,” said Mayor Deegan. “Jacksonville is a city on the rise, and we’ll only climb higher with Darnell returning to lead our talented team.”

Smith fills a role that’s been vacant since December 2025, when former Chief of Staff Mike Weinstein moved to the role of Chief Administrative Officer. Weinstein replaced former CAO Karen Bowling, who resigned in October 2025. She now serves as the CEO of WareWorks Skilled Trades Institute.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% from its record set on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 60 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%.

Momentum slowed for stocks following a rally powered by soaring profits for big U.S. companies. Reports are on track to show earnings per share leaped 50% in the spring from a year earlier for companies in the S&P 500, according to FactSet. That would be the best growth since five years ago, when the economy was roaring out of the chasm created by COVID.

Berkshire Hathaway is one of the latest companies to deliver a stronger profit for the last quarter than analysts expected, and the company built by legendary investor Warren Buffett said over the weekend that it’s also invested some of its massive pile of cash into stocks under its new CEO, Greg Abel.

Berkshire Hathaway has been famous for buying stocks at what it considers low prices, and criticism has been high that U.S. stocks generally look too expensive. But when they report strong profits, it helps them look less pricey.

Berkshire Hathaway’s stock rose 1.5%.

MarineMax jumped 46.1% after the retailer, marina operator and superyacht services provider said it agreed to sell itself for about $1.5 billion in cash to a portfolio company of Blackstone.

Varex Imaging leaped 48.8% after Teledyne Technologies said it would buy the maker of X-ray imaging components for $18.90 per share in cash.

But Intel helped offset such gains and fell 4.1% after saying it may sell $15 billion of its stock. Such a move would dilute the ownership stakes of shareholders, and Intel said it would likely use the cash for investments to take advantage of the huge spending underway on artificial-intelligence technology.

All told, the S&P 500 slipped 4.53 points to 7,753.11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 60.95 to 53,975.98, and the Nasdaq composite sank 85.26 to 26,605.36.

In the oil market, the price for a barrel of Brent crude rose 5% to $87.72. It had swung between $72 and $102 last month as hopes rose and fell that the United States and Iran could reach an agreement that would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Middle East again to deliver crude worldwide.

But hopes are turning toward caution again, and the price of Brent is back to where it was earlier this month, as well as in mid-July, mid-June and in the first week of the war in March.

Higher oil prices push inflation upward, and the main event for Wall Street this week will likely be Wednesday’s update on how bad inflation was last month. Economists expect it to show inflation slowed to 3.4% from 3.5% in June.

A slowdown would mean less pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but they would also slow the economy by making it more expensive for U.S. households and companies to borrow money. They would also undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

A report on Friday showing unexpectedly weak hiring across the United States lowered Wall Street’s expectations for an upcoming hike to interest rates. But traders still see a nearly 52% chance the Fed will raise its main interest rate at its next meeting in September, according to data from CME Group.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.70% from 4.65% late Friday. That’s up from 3.97% before the war with Iran, and the climb has already sent rates for mortgages and other kinds of loans significantly higher.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe after rising in much of Asia. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 2.1% for one of the world’s bigger moves.

___

AP Business Writers Michelle Chapman and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Varsity 4 Independent coaches poll

Rank, school, record last year, points, (first-place votes)

1. West Nassau (12-2), 126, (9)

Warriors are coming off a state runner-up finish in the Sunshine State Athletic Association championship game.

2. Union County (2-8), 80, (2)

Tough season for the Tigers, but iconic coach Robby Pruitt is back in charge at a place he led to three consecutive state titles during his first tenure there.

3. Fernandina Beach, 73

Pirates have turned things around under head coach Blake Willis and expect to be playing late in the SSAA season.

T4. Providence (4-7), 52, (1)

The Stallions went to the FHSAA state playoffs last year. Head coach Maurice Williams always puts a quality product on the field.

T4. Paxon (7-5), 52

KJ Palmer was electric last season. He may wind up as the top independent player in 2026.

6. Christ’s Church Academy (8-4), 40

The Eagles are going to be tough on both sides of the ball.

Also receiving votes: Episcopal, 37; St. Joseph, 35, (1); Old Plank Christian, 19; Interlachen, 10, (1); Duval Charter, 7; Zarephath Academy, 7; Eagle’s View, 6; Stanton, 6.

Legislators voted 468-88 in favor of the measure that would only come into effect after Turkish authorities have verified that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has fully disarmed.

The PKK announced last year that it is ending its decades-long armed campaign against the Turkish state, declaring a decision to dissolve itself as part of the peace effort. The move came in response to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.

The group then staged a symbolic disarmament ceremony in northern Iraq, where it is based, and announced that it was withdrawing fighters from key locations in Turkey to Iraq.

Law could have regional implications

The measure, which is a step toward ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, could have implications beyond Turkey’s borders, leading to closer Turkish-Iraqi ties. It could also support the Syrian government’s efforts to integrate areas that were under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, affiliated with the PKK.

It also offers Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to court the support of the pro-Kurdish DEM party to help him remain in office beyond the presidential two-term limit. Erdogan could run again if parliament calls an early election during his current term.

The 12-article legislation outlines the procedures for the group’s disarmament and the rehabilitation of thousands of PKK members.

It will suspend some prison sentences for convicted PKK members and postpone ongoing investigations and trials against others for five or 10 years, depending on the severity of the alleged offenses. If no terror-related crime is committed within the time frame, the cases will be dropped.

Militants convicted of intentional killings and those sentenced to life terms before 2005 are excluded from the bill’s provisions. This applies to Ocalan and other senior PKK figures.

The proposal also sets up ministerial and parliamentary committees to monitor the disarmament process. The measures will come into effect only after Turkey’s National Security Council confirms that the group has disbanded and surrendered all weapons.

Those wanting to benefit from the law will have six months to apply after the National Security Council’s decision is published in the official gazette.

Media reports have said exiled PKK members and those in Iraq and Syria are expected to benefit.

“With the armed organization laying down its arms and dissolving itself, we will build a new era in which peace, brotherhood, and solidarity will prevail,” Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus told reporters following the vote.

PKK says the legislation is a start but many things are missing

The PKK-linked ANF news outlet carried a statement from the group in which it said that the Turkish legislation is a “beginning” to resolving the outstanding issues but has “serious shortcomings and deficiencies.” It called for Ocalan’s release from prison, saying that the peace process can move forward only if he “lives and works freely.”

It also said that the legislation failed to address demands for democratic reforms and Kurdish rights, adding that PKK fighters would not give up their weapons and return to Turkey “if, upon returning to Turkey, they are unable to engage in democratic politics on the basis of freedom of thought and freedom of association, and if they are prosecuted and imprisoned because of their views or the organizations they establish.”

“The people of Turkey, who have paid a heavy price for many years, now have an opportunity to consolidate peace and build democracy,” Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit, of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, told parliament.

“Of course, the proposal has shortcomings, and we now have a responsibility to address these shortcomings,” she added, in an apparent reference to demands for greater rights for Kurds and for democratic reforms.

Musavat Dervisoglu, the leader of the center-right nationalist Good Party, which opposes the bill, said it “would pave the way” for Erdogan to stay in power.

Ocalan's release is not in the cards, but conditions might improve

DEM has lobbied for Ocalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, to be granted official status to coordinate the transition process, leading to his release.

The current proposal, however, makes no mention of Ocalan’s status or possible release.

Media reports have suggested, however, that Ocalan’s conditions in his island prison off Istanbul will likely be improved, giving him broader visiting conditions and communication with the outside world.

The PKK has waged an armed insurgency since 1984 that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and spilled into Iraq and Syria. It has been designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

The group initially sought an independent Kurdish state but later shifted to demands for autonomy and expanded rights in Turkey.

Previous peace efforts between Turkey and the PKK have failed, most recently in 2015.

__

Stella Martany contributed from Irbil, Iraq.

The Falcons announced the signing before Sample participated in Monday’s practice in full pads.

Sample, 26, is a native of Snellville, Ga., near Atlanta. He was a fourth-round draft pick by Cincinnati in 2021 and signed a one-year deal with San Francisco on April 13 before he was released last week.

Sample had 85 tackles and seven sacks in four seasons with the Bengals. He missed the 2024 season with an Achilles tendon injury. He returned to start in two of 14 games with Cincinnati last season and had 17 tackles, two sacks and one forced fumble.

Walker was one of the team's two edge rushers selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. Adding to the uncertainty at edge rusher is the possibility the NFL could impose discipline on the other 2025 first-rounder, James Pearce Jr., the team’s sacks leader as a rookie.

Pearce faced three felony charges stemming from what police called a domestic dispute on Feb. 7 with his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson, near Miami.

On April 23, one of Pearce’s attorneys, Jacob Nunez, said Pearce agreed to enter a six-month pretrial intervention program which would allow him to resolve the felony charges.

Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday there has been no update from the NFL on possible disciplinary action with Pearce, including a suspension.

Pearce had 10 1/2 sacks last season and his 45 quarterback pressures set a Falcons rookie record. Stefanski said Pearce is “doing a nice job” in training camp.

“I appreciate the work that he’s putting into it,” Stefanski said. “We’ll continue to roll guys in at all positions. We've got a lot of injuries now at the edge in particular, so we’re gonna ask everybody to do a little bit more. But he’s continuing to do everything we’re asking him to.”

The Falcons also activated right tackle Jawaan Taylor from the physically unable to perform list. Taylor, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal on April 9, had been recovering from elbow and triceps injuries that shortened his 2025 season with Kansas City.

Taylor is a candidate to start at right tackle. Kaleb McGary announced his retirement after missing the 2025 season with a lower left leg injury.

Defensive tackle Zach Harrison, who ended the 2025 season on injured reserve with a knee injury, practiced on Monday after being cleared late last week.

The Falcons also waived long snapper Philip Florenzo and waived/injured offensive lineman Jack Nelson.

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

But a mission that seemed temporary has been extended through January 2029. Residents and a new cadre of local officials see in it an unacceptable attempt by the federal government to restrict the heavily Democratic city's autonomy and, a year in, still question why having troops on the streets of the nation's capital is necessary.

“There’s a deep irony that here we are in the capital of the free world, and our president is treating it like a police state,” said Scott Michelman, legal director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia. “D.C. residents have lived with our National Guard troops in our neighborhoods for about a year, despite the absence of any genuine emergency and really any reason for them to be here.”

The continued deployment will be a major test for a new batch of political candidates expected to take office after the midterms this fall. Residents will look to them to push back on the Republican president's encroachment into the city's affairs — although they're limited in what they can do to counter it.

Temporary deployment goes on and on

On Aug. 11, 2025, Trump announced he was launching a federal law enforcement surge in Washington aimed at fighting crime. As of Aug. 4, more than 4,600 military personnel from D.C. and 24 states and territories were still deployed alongside unknown numbers of less visible federal law enforcement officers. Some are expected to be withdrawn toward the end of the summer.

Small groups of armed guard members have become a routine presence on the streets. They have supported arrest operations but are also seen patrolling tourist areas, such as along the Tidal Basin during the Cherry Blossom Festival and in neighborhoods such as Georgetown where violent crimes are rare. They've helped with medical emergencies, snow removal and beautification projects — initiatives that have received support from some residents.

Extending the deployment into 2029 will cost about $1.4 billion, the Defense Department estimates. Exact figures on what's been spent so far are unavailable, but the Congressional Budget Office projected in a report earlier this year the total cost for the first year of the deployment would be around $660 million, based on a monthly troop level of about 2,900, a figure that's fluctuated throughout the mission.

“President Trump has transformed D.C. from a crime-ridden city into a safe and beautiful haven for residents and visitors alike,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in an email.

Figures released Monday by the U.S. Marshals Service showed over 16,000 arrests have been made since the surge began, including 35 homicide suspects and 3,200 narcotics arrests. Authorities also have seized nearly 2,000 illegal firearms.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the arrests and weapons seizures "mean safer neighborhoods and lives protected."

Crime, which was falling before the surge began, continues to drop. Metropolitan Police Department statistics show overall crime was down 20% through Friday, compared with the same period in 2025. That includes a 32% drop in homicides, from 97 to 66.

But there’s a debate over how much of that success is owed to Trump’s mission or to yearslong local efforts to chip away at the crime rate.

What's certain is locals feel the weight of the deployment and don't see a clear way to push back against it. National Guard deployments to other cities have been blocked by courts, and a lawsuit challenging the deployment is pending, but critics of the surge aren't hopeful.

“The fact that we still have the National Guard walking our streets a year later with no end in sight is really demoralizing,” city council member Brianne K. Nadeau said.

Autonomy is a top priority for newly elected candidates

Because Washington is a congressionally established federal district, Trump has much greater influence over the police and D.C. National Guard, which he controls directly, including its commander.

The Home Rule Act, passed in 1973, allows residents to vote for local leaders, including the mayor and council members. Congress has oversight over the local budget and review authority of all laws passed and the ability to summon district officials to the Capitol routinely to explain themselves. The D.C. delegate to Congress is a nonvoting position.

The city’s governmental structure under home rule made it easy for Trump to do what he has done, Nadeau said.

“There isn’t really any political liability for national leaders to mess with D.C. because nobody really cares,” outside of those directly impacted, she said.

The law enforcement surge played a major role in Democratic primary elections in June, which elevated candidates who have made Washington's autonomy and statehood top priorities.

Janeese Lewis George, a democratic socialist who in the overwhelmingly Democratic city is likely to be its next mayor, has already rankled Trump. He threatened to put the city under federal control if she wins.

Robert White Jr., another pro-statehood candidate, won the Democratic primary for the city's seat in Congress.

And while they are hamstrung by the city's status, both hope they have strategies that can help fight back against the president and the deployment.

White told The Associated Press he plans to build “an army of residents” and allies to target swing districts and work at “un-electing" people critical of the district and “electing those who do support D.C.”

The action is similar to one a former D.C. congressional delegate, Walter Fauntroy, successfully pursued in 1972, mobilizing Black voters and allies against a South Carolina Congress member who had long opposed D.C.'s independence.

“He didn't deploy that strategy a bunch of times, but it sent a signal to people to lay off of D.C.,” White said.

The city's outgoing mayor, Muriel Bowser, avoided the kind of biting rhetoric and personal attacks typical of other high-profile Democratic leaders, despite the unprecedented intervention into her city. A major part of that was to avoid raising Trump’s ire and threaten what independence the city has.

In a statement Monday, Bowser called the surge an “unprecedented federal intervention" that highlighted D.C.'s lack of "statehood and autonomy.”

She credited her actions during the surge, including working with the federal government, with protecting home rule and keeping the federal emergency that gave control of the local police to the president from being extended.

“Still, unmitigated ICE activity in American cities and out-of-state National Guard troops in D.C. remain problematic," she said. "Like all Americans, Washingtonians deserve local control and accountability. My North Star remains clear: protect Home Rule, protect D.C.’s autonomy, and protect D.C. residents.”

Concerns over troops in the city during elections

Donna Powell, who is living part time in the city, said she and her husband walk and metro everywhere. “We’re already safe and beautiful,” she said. “We don’t need all these National Guard here.”

The money could be better spent “on healthcare and food for families that need it.”

The National Guard deployment has raised concerns among some over what the upcoming midterms and the 2028 presidential election will look like with troops on the streets.

“The last time this president was supposed to come out of power, Jan. 6 happened," said Alex Dodds, co-founder of FreeDC, an activist group that has protested the deployment by following and filming National Guard troops in quiet areas of the city far away from crime concerns. "Imagine if that happens again but this time he has 5,000 troops standing at the ready to be part of that situation. You know, that’s our worry.”

The 30-year-old McCaffrey had participated in every practice so far this summer for the 49ers as the team altered its schedule for training camp this year to eliminate stretches of three straight full practices.

Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said McCaffrey was “doing fine” and the team was managing his workload.

“Christian always kind of has his rep count in any camp,” offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said. “You guys are aware of the adjustments we’ve made to our schedule to kind of keep them from having too many off days. But in terms of his rep load, we’re right on track where we want to be. He’s a veteran player, so you got to monitor him and get him ready for the first week.”

San Francisco is hoping to find a reliable backup for McCaffrey to lighten his workload after he led the NFL with 413 touches from scrimmage in the 2025 regular season.

But the team has been short-handed at running back with the top three projected backups to McCaffrey also out with injuries. Rookie Kaelon Black has been sidelined by an adductor injury, second-year back Jordan James broke his ribs early in training camp and third-year player Isaac Guerendo has been sidelined by a torn pectoral muscle suffered earlier in the offseason.

Patrick Taylor Jr., Sincere McCormick and Khalil Herbert handled most of the load at running back on Monday.

“It sucks because you want those young guys out there who we drafted and who we want to see compete and want to see get better,” Kubiak said. “Those guys will get back out there. They’re not far away. But it’s given guys opportunities to get better, too.”

The Niners did bring back receiver Deebo Samuel earlier in training camp and he has been getting work as a running back as well.

“When he has the ball in his hand, there’s nobody more explosive, more dynamic on the field,” Kubiak said. “In terms of managing his load, Deebo has got to be able to affect the game in a lot of ways. That’s our plan with him.”

Defensive end Nick Bosa also was out, missing his fourth straight practice with what the team described as soreness. Bosa is working his way back after going down with a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3 last year.

Bosa had only participated in individual drills early in camp before being held out but coach Kyle Shanahan has said the team isn't overly concerned about his status.

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

Expect a mix of sun and clouds through the morning with temperatures climbing quickly, reaching the lower 90s this afternoon. With plenty of humidity in place, it will feel more like 103° to 107°, so take the heat seriously if you’ll be outside for any length of time.

The hottest stretch of the day will be from roughly noon through 6 p.m.

A few scattered thunderstorms will also be possible later this afternoon into the evening, particularly as the sea breeze gets going. These will be the typical summertime variety—hit-or-miss, but capable of producing brief heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds.

And this is really just the beginning of the hotter stretch.

The National Weather Service is highlighting the potential for Heat Advisories later this week, with Jacksonville’s heat index forecast around 106° today, 107° Tuesday and Wednesday, then near 109° Thursday and Friday and potentially 110° Saturday.

Remember, a Heat Advisory becomes possible once those “feels-like” temperatures reach around 108° or higher.

Stay hydrated, take frequent breaks in the shade or air conditioning, and of course never leave children or pets inside a vehicle.

Anderson, 33, made the announcement on Monday.

“I fought for the last two, three years. You know, I trained and I just couldn’t get the body to operate like it used to,” Anderson said. “So I mean, I’m not one of those guys that’s going to just continue to try to get back to somewhere where I just, you know, I couldn’t get it back there.”

Anderson hit .276 with 98 homers, 350 RBIs and 122 steals in 991 games. He played for the White Sox for eight seasons before finishing his career with short stints with Miami and the Los Angeles Angels.

Anderson hasn't appeared in a major league game since May 25, 2025, with the Angels.

“I want to be open as I can, but the game (brought) a lot of pain, a lot of great moments,” he said. “But just throughout playing, it definitely was a lot of dark moments. ... And it just got to the point where I really couldn’t enjoy it. Just being in that setting, it just wasn’t the same.”

Anderson played with a heavy heart after a close friend was shot and killed in Alabama in 2017. During an interview on “The Pivot Podcast” in 2023, Anderson acknowledged having a child out of wedlock and going through therapy with his wife, Bria.

The White Sox said they will honor Anderson before their Sept. 17 game against Detroit. As part of the tribute, the team will wear its Nike City Connect “Southside” uniforms for the only time this season. The black-and-white uniforms with Gothic script and pinstripes were worn by Anderson and the White Sox when they won the AL Central in 2021.

Anderson said he's in a good spot now.

“I get to wake up and do whatever I want to. And that makes me happy,” he said. “But as far as thinking about baseball, man, it’s just, it’s a lot.”

Anderson was selected by Chicago with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2013 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 2016 and quickly became one of baseball’s bright young stars.

He hit a major league-best .335 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs in 2019. With the Alabama native sparking the lineup from the leadoff slot, Chicago made the playoffs in 2020 and 2021. But the team was never able to deliver on its potential.

Hampered by a sprained left knee and right shoulder soreness, Anderson hit .245 with one homer and 25 RBIs in 123 games with the White Sox in 2023. He also was suspended by Major League Baseball after he got into a fight with Cleveland slugger José Ramírez.

After Chicago finished with a 61-101 record in his final year with the team, Anderson had a $14 million option that was declined by the organization.

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

Brosnan succeeds Val Ackerman, who announced her retirement in April after serving as commissioner for 13 years. Brosnan brings years of experience in media, sports and business. His tenure begins on Sept. 1.

St. John's president, the Rev. Brian J. Shanley, led the charge as the head of the search committee. He said in a statement that the conference prioritized finding someone with extensive experience in revenue generation.

“Over the course of his career, Tim Brosnan has shown to be a smart, highly-respected leader with high personal and professional values rooted in his dedication to the service of others," Rev. Shanley said in a statement. "His track record of forging highly successful partnerships will be critical in this new era of college athletics.”

Brosnan has significant experience in the professional ranks, bringing a 24-year stint with Major League Baseball from 1991-2015. He served in various executive roles as well as CEO of Major League Baseball Enterprises before leaving to run a sports media consultancy.

“The Big East is one of the most iconic brands in college sports, and I am grateful and deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead the conference into its next chapter,” Brosnan said in a statement.

Brosnan's ties to the Big East date back to his college years, where he was a four-year letter winner on Georgetown's baseball team.

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

Another former Trump attorney — Emil Bove, now a federal appeals court judge — administered the oath of office to Blanche at the White House following early Saturday's Senate confirmation vote by the narrowest of margins. Shortly after, the newly sworn-in attorney general arrived at Justice Department headquarters to cheers from employees lined up along the entrance.

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor in New York, is officially taking command of a Justice Department he has been leading in an acting capacity since Pam Bondi's firing in April.

With the confirmation battle behind him, Blanche now faces the challenge of having to navigate the demands of a president who has made no secret his desire to use the law enforcement agency to target his political foes. Blanche will do so with an agency that has been hollowed out by resignations, firings and voluntary departures while also confronting mounting pushback from the courts.

Blanche was confirmed in a 50-49 vote, opposed by two Republicans who cited concerns about what they described as increased politicization of the department under Trump.

Under deputy attorney general and later as acting attorney general, Blanche has overseen the investigations of numerous Trump foes, including former FBI Director James Comey, whom the Justice Department indicted in April for a second time since Trump returned to the White House last year.

Blanche has strongly defended the Trump administration against accusations that it has weaponized the Justice Department. Blanche has said he feels no pressure to placate Trump and insists he sees no problem with the president's interest in Justice Department matters, calling it the president's “right” and “his duty.”

Blanche entered the president's orbit when he left his law firm in 2023 to represent Trump against multiple criminal cases, including two brought by the Justice Department under Democratic President Joe Biden. Blanche has said that experience afforded him a firsthand look at what he contends was the weaponization of the criminal justice system against Trump.

Blanche's defenders say the close relationship he developed with Trump as his defense lawyer can make him more successful than Bondi was at pushing back on the president's demands.

Blanche's nomination was almost scuttled over bipartisan concerns about Trump's controversial settlement of his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. His nomination only moved forward after he confirmed in writing, under pressure from Republicans, that the administration was rescinding plans to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were wronged by the department.

The WHO regional director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, told a news conference that sequencing indicated the outbreak's start. He said some cases early on were wrongly attributed to other diseases, including malaria and typhoid.

“So we are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us,” Janabi said.

Dr. Thierno Balde, WHO's incident manager for the Ebola response, said the genetic sequencing was conducted under the leadership of Dr. Steve Ahuka, head of the virology department at Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research.

Confirmed cases of Ebola in this outbreak have reached 4,200, including over 1,900 deaths, according to the latest government figures.

WHO assesses the global risk of spread as low because Ebola does not travel through the air, making it much harder to spread than respiratory viruses. Cases detected outside the affected region have so far been quickly identified and contained without leading to sustained transmission, according to the agency.

The outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous ones for Ebola because the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments. Early testing was conducted for the more common type of Ebola, contributing to delays.

The outbreak is unfolding in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, with strikes by some unpaid health workers, threats by rebel groups, anger from long-traumatized communities and misinformation asserting that Ebola isn’t real. Health teams travel remote, unpaved roads and have reported shortages of protective gear, while a vast population of displaced people struggles to find reliable water sources for washing hands.

This Ebola outbreak has killed more people at a quicker rate than any other, including the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa that is considered the worst on record with over 11,000 deaths out of at least 28,000 cases. That one took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.

Ebola is rare but highly contagious and can be contracted from bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.

Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said Ebola is spreading faster than efforts to fight it. New cases are doubling in some hot spots, Tedros said on X after meeting with officials in the capital, Kinshasa.

Health authorities have said between 60% and 70% of new cases are recorded outside of contacts being monitored, and that the outbreak is spreading at an “alarming” rate.

Access to healthcare in the region already had been challenged by years of rebel conflict in one of Congo’s most remote and vulnerable areas, near the borders of South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. Now some pregnant women and others are avoiding health centers for fear of the virus, at risk to their lives.

Several past Ebola outbreaks have also been declared weeks or months late, including the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. That outbreak was declared in March 2014, although the first human case later was found to have occurred in December 2013.

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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

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This version corrects the second reference to the WHO director-general to Tedros.

Tight end Hunter Henry confirmed Monday that he signed a two-year extension to remain in New England through the 2027 season.

ESPN and the NFL Network reported that the extended pact has a base value of $16 million with incentives that could push it up to $20 million.

It ends a period of limbo for Henry, who was about to enter the final season of the previous three-year extension he signed in 2024.

“It means a lot,” Henry said. “They Kraft family has taken me in. They’ve been so good to me and my family, giving me a chance kind of in the middle of my career and we’ve just appreciated it kind of the whole time.”

Signed as a free agent in 2021 following his four-year run with the Los Angeles Chargers, Henry has seen both ends of the success spectrum during his run with the Patriots.

In his first season in New England, Henry was part of former coach Bill Belichick’s final playoff appearance with the team, which ended with a quick wild-card round exit.

He then endured a three-year postseason drought that included back-to-back 4-13 finishes. Last season, Henry was a big part of the reason Maye finished second in MVP voting during New England’s run to the Super Bowl under new coach Mike Vrabel.

Henry led the team with seven receiving touchdowns in 2025 and his 60 catches and 768 yards were second only to Stefon Diggs.

Along the way Henry developed a close relationship with Maye off the field, a major factor in him wanting to remain in New England.

“I mean, that definitely helps,” Henry said. “Drake is a good friend of mine, obviously a great quarterback. Just excited to continue to build with him.”

Maye almost immediately reposted the team’s Instagram announcement showing Henry signing his new contract.

“We kind of talked about it a little bit,” Henry said. “That’s my guy and just a special person. Just a guy that, we’ve grown really close to over the last few years and excited to kind of build that relationship off the field, but also on the field.”

Henry’s durability almost certainly was a factor in the Patriots wanting to keep him around. He started 16 regular season games in 2024 and all 17 last season plus four playoff games.

Off the field, the extensive work he and his wife Parker did as advocates in the fight against human trafficking — along with work for organizations such as Special Olympics — earned Henry the team’s NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination.

Now at age 31, Henry will have at least two more seasons with a Patriots team poised to add to the franchise’s collection of Lombardi trophies.

“I feel like I came here and kind of retooled myself, just my body, my mindset, just different things like right around the middle of my career,” Henry said. “It’s just been really fun to just be able to be consistent and just try to be that consistent guy out there that, no matter what, (that) my guys can (depend on) being out there. ... I’m trying to make plays and just do my job on a day-to-day, on a play-to-play basis is obviously the biggest goal, too.”

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

The president first waived the Jones Act on March 17 so that it would be easier to transport oil and refined fuels among ports, reducing price pressures after the start of the war with Iran.

The latest extension will take effect on August 17 and suggests that the U.S. might be preparing for continued price pressures as the Strait of Hormuz, a primary waterway for shipping oil and natural gas, remains effectively closed because of the war.

Unlike previous extensions, the Pentagon will consult with the Maritime Administration to decide which voyages are exempt from the 1920 law containing the Jones Act. The new waiver will only apply to cargo that are sources of energy and commodities related to agriculture such as fertilizers and soybean oil.

Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said the administration extended the waiver “to ensure our military and key industries maintain uninterrupted access to critical resources.” Rogers added that the waiver has increased domestic deliveries of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

The proposal would change a decades-old policy that advocates have called a regulatory loophole, blaming it for allowing thousands of unvetted ingredients into the U.S. food supply.

Under the proposed rule from the Food and Drug Administration, companies would have to document and submit their safety rationale for new ingredients, giving regulators the opportunity to investigate if they see a potential risk. Currently companies can decide for themselves if an ingredient or additive is “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, and there is no requirement to notify or submit evidence to the FDA, although some firms do.

“Shifting to a mandatory notification system closes a decades-old information gap, giving the FDA the comprehensive visibility needed to enhance postmarket safety,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas told reporters on Monday.

The FDA will take comments on the proposal for 120 days.

Susan Mayne, former director of FDA's food program, said the new requirement would give the FDA a clearer picture of the vast number of ingredients on the U.S. market, though only a small portion would actually undergo review.

“This is a reasonable first step towards a more complete inventory, but most self-affirmed GRAS ingredients will still not be reviewed for safety by the FDA, with food ingredient safety continuing to be risk-based,” said Mayne, who is now a public health expert at Yale University.

The FDA also plans to publish a list of company-submitted ingredients. Mayne said Americans should understand that “inclusion on the list would not mean FDA thinks the ingredient is safe.”

Scrutiny of ultraprocessed food continues, but with few details

In a separate move, the FDA said it has completed work on the federal government's first-ever definition of ultraprocessed food, but did not release any details or the proposed language. The agency said it submitted the definition to the White House for further review.

Health advocates consider an official definition of ultraprocessed food a key step toward bringing greater scrutiny to meals that are blamed for multiple chronic health problems afflicting Americans. A government-backed definition could pave the way for more federal research and, eventually, possible warning labels or other restrictions.

Neither of Monday's announcements are likely to immediately impact American diets, which are packed with fats, sodium and sugar and are blamed for a host of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. But both initiatives are top priorities for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who entered government vowing to crack down on artificial colors, additives and other ingredients.

“These two actions will change how the federal government oversees what’s in our food and how we understand the foods that Americans eat,” Kennedy said at an event Monday at HHS headquarters.

Ultraprocessed foods are made using industrial processing and additives, colors, preservatives or other ingredients not found in home kitchens. The foods include sugary cereals, sodas, chips, frozen pizzas and other grocery items.

Scientists have been working to define and classify processed foods for well over a decade. But sweeping definitions come with downsides. They can be applied to foods like whole grain bread, yogurt and granola that are all highly processed but still considered nutritious. Some recent efforts to define ultraprocessed foods include carve-outs for foods that meet nutrition standards, despite having processed ingredients.

FDA proposal would bring new insights on additives used by food companies

In the U.S., an estimated 10,000 additives are allowed in food, including thickeners, preservatives and packaging ingredients.

Consumer advocates have long argued that many of those ingredients have never been properly vetted because of the FDA's policy allowing manufacturers to certify for themselves that additives are “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS.

FDA's Diamantas stressed Monday that the new policy would not require all new ingredients to undergo FDA review. He said mandatory reviews would need to be enacted by Congress.

“What we’re doing is requiring companies that utilize the pathway to notify us of their conclusions so that we have greater visibility,” Diamantas said.

Under the proposal, the FDA would be expected to review new ingredient submissions within 180 days. If regulators had safety concerns they could request additional information or ask the company to delay introducing the ingredient.

Consumer advocates who have long pushed for changes said FDA’s proposal should require more than giving advance notice.

“It must also include strong, science-based safety standards and thorough, independent FDA review before chemicals are allowed in our food,” said Melanie Benesh of the nonprofit Environmental Working Group.

Kennedy said the Trump administration would ask Congress to grant FDA additional powers over ingredients.

“Congress needs to give FDA the additional tools it needs to keep pace with the changing food supply and protect the American people,” Kennedy said.

A rule change in the 1990s created what advocates call a loophole

Any substance intentionally added to food is supposed to undergo formal review — unless the additive is considered safe. Since the late 1950s, the government recognized that many common ingredients in foods, such as spices and vinegar, were widely consumed and understood to be safe for consumption.

The FDA policed the GRAS exemption for years, but it took time and resources. Starting in 1997, the FDA began allowing companies to independently determine that a new additive is safe based on publicly available scientific evidence and the consensus of qualified experts.

However, the list of products deemed GRAS by companies grew to include many synthetic and natural additives, all incorporated into the food supply without independent review.

The process has created a “secret GRAS loophole,” according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest and other health groups.

Food industry officials contend their internal reviews of additives are as rigorous as the FDA’s own process.

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

The Supreme Court annulled the registration of Yabloko — which is Russian for “apple” — after an appeal from a pro-Kremlin party. Last month, the Central Election Commission had initially allowed Yabloko on the ballot along with 10 other parties.

Once a leading liberal voice in parliament and often critical of the government, Yabloko later lost its bloc of seats in the State Duma as the Kremlin tightened its grip on Russian politics.

In recent years, Yabloko was the only registered opposition party that opposed sending troops into Ukraine.

Its campaign slogans included “For a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy and peace!” “Our goal is to prevent nuclear war!” and “For a Russia free from fear and political repressions!”

Veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky, who co-founded Yabloko in the 1990s and chairs its political committee, deplored the ruling and said the party would appeal it.

“Barring Yabloko from the election means a refusal to engage in dialogue with those who ask questions that make the authorities uncomfortable,” Yavlinsky said in an online statement. “We hope the authorities will heed the public demand for peace, freedom, and life without fear, and change their policy.”

Yabloko's platform draws strong support

Many Russian opposition figures in exile had urged voters to back Yabloko, including Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, and politicians Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza.

“I believe it’s morally and politically right to support the Yabloko party,” Navalnaya said in an Aug. 6 statement on Telegram, noting the party’s anti-war stance.

Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov, who was in the courtroom Monday, sought to distance the party from what he described as unwarranted support from Navalnaya and other Kremlin foes living abroad in an apparent attempt to prevent its removal from the ballot.

In the meantime, social media buzzed with videos supporting Yabloko. Many didn't contain political slogans but instead showed young men and women holding apples when asked their voting preference for the Sept. 18-20 election or dancing to Russian songs that referenced apples.

Rybakov told the court the party wasn't paying for the videos, saying that people who posted it were backing Yabloko “simply because they want to live in Russia and don't want to get killed.”

The authorities likely initially allowed Yabloko on the ballot to give Russians an outlet for their discontent while also showing, through the party’s traditionally low vote count, that few people support its stand on Ukraine, said Nikolay Petrov, senior research fellow at the NEST Centre, founded by exiled Russian tycoon and opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

But Yabloko’s campaign for peace struck a chord and upended the Kremlin’s calculations.

Now “the Kremlin is facing a rather difficult task, to come out of the situation with minimal losses,” Petrov said, because kicking the party off the ballot is effectively “demonstrating that they’re afraid of what Yabloko stands for.”

Yavlinsky said the court’s ruling “speaks volumes about the importance of our platform — far more than any official election results ever could.”

He added that “the public demand for peace and freedom today has proven far stronger than the authorities anticipated.”

Kremlin-aligned parties bash Yabloko

Several Kremlin-aligned parties have assailed Yabloko for its stance on Ukraine, and some even urged authorities to investigate it.

Sergei Mironov, head of A Just Russia Party, called on the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Justice Ministry to “look closely” at Yabloko and “give a legal assessment to their actions.”

“A party that openly opposes the special military operation, promises a shameful peace, and supports foreign agents is running for the State Duma,” Mironov said, using the Kremlin’s term to describe the 4-year-old conflict.

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said Yabloko is not supporting President Vladimir Putin’s policies and has not helped “those suffering, those fighting on the front line.”

The Motherland Party filed the lawsuit with the Supreme Court demanding Yabloko’s removal from the ballot. It accused Yabloko of copyright infringement and exceeding campaign spending limits. The party also viewed Yabloko’s stance on Ukraine as unlawful and tantamount to calling for the violation of Russia’s territorial integrity.

Rybakov and lawyers representing the party in the Supreme Court on Monday rejected the accusations.

A crowd of supporters greeted Rybakov and other Yabloko representatives with applause as they entered the courthouse in central Moscow.

Yabloko members faced a Kremlin crackdown

Yabloko has faced increased pressure in recent years as the Kremlin ramped up its crackdown on dissent to levels unseen since the Soviet era.

Several prominent Yabloko members were jailed or designated as “foreign agents” — a label that brings additional government scrutiny and aims to discredit the recipient. As a result, its most prominent members were not on the ticket.

Maxim Kruglov, a deputy chairman and former member of the Moscow city council, was convicted in June of spreading false information about the Russian army and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Another senior member of the party, Lev Shlosberg, is on trial for similar charges in his native city of Pskov, facing up to 10 years in prison if convicted. It’s the third criminal case brought against Shlosberg in the last two years. He has also been designated a “foreign agent.”

That designation was also slapped on Boris Vishnevsky, another Yabloko deputy chairman, in 2024. The designation forced Vishnevsky to step down from the St. Petersburg city council after legislation was adopted later that year, barring “foreign agents” from participating in elections or holding public office.

William Albert Lippold was arrested on Aug. 1 and charged with premeditated first-degree murder after deputies found his 87-year-old wife fatally shot at their home, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies responded to a St. Augustine Shores home after his son, David Lippold, called 911 and said his father had killed his mother, the sheriff’s office said. When deputies arrived, William Lippold and his son came out of the home.

Deputies say William Lippold spontaneously said, “It’s not complicated, I shot my wife.”

Investigators found his wife, identified as Mary Lippold, dead on a bed in the master bedroom with a firearm, a shell casing and a note nearby, the report said. A neighbor at a nearby address told detectives they heard what sounded like a gunshot late July 31.

Detectives said William Lippold admitted he had planned the killing for about a month, telling investigators his wife was blind and had severe Alzheimer’s disease and that he was her sole caregiver.

He told detectives he had promised not to place her in a nursing home and described exchanging messages with his adult children about the stress of caring for his wife.

William Lippold said he bought the gun recently, practiced at a shooting range and had planned to suffocate himself after the shooting but was unable to do so, the report said.

Neighbors who spoke with News4JAX described the couple.

“But they were a really nice couple, and everybody’s heart broke,” neighbor Bill Meyers said. “Everybody in the neighborhood’s heart broke because we all loved the guy and we’d do anything for him.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline anytime.

You can also find a list of local suicide prevention resources at this link.

This is in response to a water sample taken on Aug. 6, 2026. The public should exercise caution in and around this area.

Residents and visitors are advised to take the following precautions if near the affected area:

• Look for informational signage posted at most public beaches and/or check current water quality status at Protecting Florida Together.
• Do not wade or swim in or around red tide. Red tide can cause skin irritation, rashes, and burning/sore eyes.
• Wash your skin and clothing with soap and fresh water if you have had recent contact with red tide, especially if your skin is easily irritated.
• Remain cautious and stay away from this location, especially if you have chronic respiratory conditions.
• Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner. Make sure the air conditioner filter is maintained according to manufacturer’s specifications.
• Do not harvest or eat molluscan shellfish or distressed or dead fish from this location. If caught alive and healthy, finfish are safe to eat as long as they are filleted, and the guts are discarded. Rinse fillets with tap or bottled water.
• Red tide can cause illness and death of other animals, such as pets and livestock. Keep animals away and out of the water and sea life and away from dead marine life. If your pet swims in waters with red tide, wash them with soap and water as soon as possible.

What is Red Tide?

Red tide is caused by high concentrations of a toxin-producing dinoflagellate called Karenia brevis (K. brevis), a type of microscopic algae found in the Gulf of Mexico.

Red tide typically forms naturally offshore, commonly in late summer or early fall, and is carried into coastal waters by winds and currents.

At high enough concentrations, K. brevis can discolor water and give it a red or brown hue. To learn more about the appearance of red tide, visit Protecting Florida Together.

Is Red Tide harmful?

K. brevis produces potent neurotoxins (brevotoxins) that can be harmful to the humans, pets, fish, and wildlife.

Wind and wave action can break open K. brevis cells and release toxins into the air. This is why you should monitor conditions and use caution when visiting affected water bodies.

People can experience varying degrees of eye, skin, and respiratory irritation from red tide. Sensitive individuals (e.g., children, the elderly, those who are immunocompromised, and those who have chronic respiratory conditions) may be at risk of experiencing more severe symptoms.

For additional information on potential health effects of algae blooms, visit the Florida Department of Health’s harmful algae blooms webpage.

Where can I find current water status information?

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission routinely collects and analyzes red tide samples from around the state.

Current information about Florida’s water quality status and public health notifications for harmful algae blooms and beach conditions is available at Protecting Florida Together.

You can subscribe to receive notifications when water quality changes in your area.

To hear a recording about red tide conditions throughout the state, call the toll-free hotline at 866-300-9399.

For local licensed shellfish harvesting status, visit the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Where can I report issues related to Red Tide?

• Human Health: Report symptoms from exposure to a harmful algae bloom or any aquatic toxin to the Florida Poison Information Center by calling 800-222-1222 to speak to a poison specialist.
• Animal Health: Contact your veterinarian if you believe your pet has become ill after consuming or having contact with red tide contaminated water.
• Fish Kills: Dead, diseased, or abnormally behaving fish or wildlife should be reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission online or at 800-636-0511.

If you have other health questions or concerns about red tide blooms, please call DOH-Duval at 904-253-1280.

Location: Remote in one of GMG’s markets Detroit, MI; Houston or San Antonio TX; Jacksonville or Orlando, FL

About the Role

This position is responsible for all aspects of the accounts receivable functions at Graham Media Group for designated stations. Credit processing and approval, daily program log reconciliation, invoice processing, and cash application will all be maintained by the GMG Credit and Accounts Receivable Specialist team. The position is responsible for communication of discrepancies to local or national staff for resolution. This is a position that reports to the Graham Media Group VP/CFO.

Job Responsibilities:

• Process and Approve Credit Applications
• Create and Maintain Client Profiles
• Approve Orders Associated with Credit Inhibits
• Daily program log reconciliations
• Handle spot issues with Traffic Hub
• Process weekly billing, along with electronic invoicing.
• Maintain Client Payment Portal
• Initiate, Track and Post Receivable Sales Adjustments and Client Refunds
• Posting and application of cash receipts
• Credit Card, ACH, and Wire Processing
• Generating and distributing cash workbook
• Maintain and manage accounts receivable.
• Work with Collection Companies on uncollectable accounts.
• Process approved Credit/Debit Memos and Bad Debt Write Offs
• Generating Account Receivable Collections Report for Sales Management
• Review incoming Department emails for appropriate follow-through.
• Communication with Business Managers and Sales Managers, Account Executives and Sales Support
• Month End Reporting
• Special Projects as assigned.
• Providing back-up support for other Credit and Accounts Receivable Specialists

Experience:

• 5+ years of Accounts Receivable and/or Credit experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong Microsoft Excel, Outlook, and Word Skills
• Ability to work independently with little supervision to accomplish daily responsibilities and departmental goals.
• Broadcast and/or Wide Orbit experience a plus

Requirements:

• Proficient in Microsoft office applications and experience with accounts receivable applications, Wide Orbit traffic experience a plus
• Industry experience a plus
• Ability to meet assigned deadlines.
• Highly detail oriented and organized.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to act and operate independently with minimal daily direction from manager to accomplish directives.
• Associate degree in accounting or business preferred or equivalent experience.

Applicants can send resumes to kparker@grahammedia.com

Additional Information:

Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

Clark picked up her eighth technical of the season on Saturday, the number that triggers a one-game suspension, but league officials quickly rescinded it.

New York has won four straight games and seven of its last eight thanks to strong play from its top three players Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu. The trio has been taking turns leading the Liberty during the recent hot streak that's bumped them up to seventh place in the standings — but just two games behind third-place Las Vegas.

The Liberty are coming off a 40-point win over the defending champion Aces on Sunday. The Aces rested stars A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young as it was the second half of a brutal back-to-back for Las Vegas.

“It doesn’t matter who’s playing on the other side, we understand we needed to win,” Ionescu said. “It doesn’t matter, we wanted to go out. We wanted to execute, we wanted to play our brand of basketball, knowing every game is important and this game isn’t going to have an asterisk by it because those players didn’t play. It’s going to show up as a win or a loss.”

New York lost by 20 to Indiana just before its current hot streak, so the Liberty would love to get some revenge.

Power poll rankings

Minnesota held onto the top spot in the power poll this week, although the Lynx weren't unanimous. No. 2 Golden State received two votes and third-ranked Washington got one. Las Vegas, Indiana and New York were next. Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago followed the Liberty. Portland was 10th and Los Angeles 11th. Phoenix, Connecticut, Toronto and Seattle rounded out the poll.

Taskforce meeting

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo to all the teams that there will be a meeting this week to continue discussions around transgender athletes in women’s basketball. The memo, sent Friday afternoon, said the topic will be discussed further by a task force of team presidents and general managers at a previously scheduled meeting next week.

Record shooting performance

Kayla McBride had a record-setting game Sunday, scoring a career-high 43 points and hitting a league-best 10 3-pointers in a win over Dallas. McBride made 10 of 14 shots from behind the arc.

“Minneapolis has become home for me and I want to give my best,” she said. “Whether the ball goes in or doesn’t, I just feel so much love. I think that’s why I can come out here and do my thing. I feel so loved and appreciated for who I am and I just love the game. I want to win. So I’m grateful for these fans, this organization. I’m just overcome with joy, and when I have opportunities like that I want to give it back.”

Player of the week

Shakira Austin of Washington was the AP player of the week for the second consecutive week. The forward averaged 22.3 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks to help the Mystics win all three of their games last week. Other players receiving votes included Breanna Stewart of New York, Bridget Carleton of Portland, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana and Kayla McBride of Minnesota.

Game of the week

Washington at Las Vegas, Tuesday and Thursday. The Mystics will try to extend a seven-game winning streak when they visit the Aces for a pair of games. A win Tuesday would tie the franchise record of eight consecutive victories by Washington, matching the 2018 team.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Disturbance 1: 10% Chance of Development

A broad area of showers and thunderstorms is moving across the central tropical Atlantic, roughly halfway between the west coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles.

The area of disturbed weather could gradually become better organized through midweek as it moves quickly westward.

However, conditions are expected to become less favorable later this week as the system approaches the Lesser Antilles.

Development chances:

• Next 48 hours: 10%
• Next 7 days: 10%

Disturbance 2: 60% Chance of Development

This is the area the National Hurricane Center is watching most closely.

A small area of low pressure a few hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.

The system is expected to move slowly westward, where it could merge with another tropical wave currently moving off the west coast of Africa.

Conditions will become more favorable for development by midweek. A tropical depression could form later this week as the system heads west to west-northwest across the central Atlantic.

Development chances:

• Next 48 hours: 20%
• Next 7 days: 60%

For now, there is no named storm associated with this system, but it has the highest development potential of the three areas being monitored. The next name on the list is Cristobal.

Disturbance 3: 10% Chance of Development

A trough of low pressure several hundred miles northwest of Bermuda is also producing showers and thunderstorms.

Some development is possible over the next couple of days as the system races eastward, staying well north of Bermuda.

The window for development will be short. The system will reach cooler waters later this week, which will limit any further development.

Development chances:

• Next 48 hours: 10%
• Next 7 days: 10%

What factors could limit intensification? Wind shear is a big one and this is a measure of the change in wind speed with height.

The higher the wind shear, the more difficult it is for a storm to develop. In the example above for a hurricane, the system weakens due to the center being exposed. The same can be said for a tropical disturbance that has yet to have a defined core.

Wind shear is high for a large part of the Atlantic basin which will help to prevent significant development. Regardless, we will continue to monitor and will let you know if anything changes.

Kiel Baitinger-Peterson, a white officer with nearly 11 years' experience in law enforcement, fired the shots that killed Corey Ruiz on July 22, the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation said in a statement. Baitinger-Peterson was one of four officers who surrounded Ruiz, who was on a bike, in response to calls about someone who was checking out parked cars and an alleged burglary attempt, police said.

The shooting sparked days of protests and calls from the Black community for Madison to address racial justice issues.

Baitinger-Peterson did not reply to an email seeking comment.

Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, which is the state’s largest police union and represents Madison officers, responded on behalf of Baitinger-Peterson.

“I am deeply concerned for the safety and privacy of him, his family, and the other officers involved,” Palmer said.

He said those concerns are being taken seriously and “appropriate precautions” are in place.

“I urge everyone to allow the investigation to proceed and to refrain from prejudging the officers or placing them and their families at further risk,” Palmer said.

Baitinger-Peterson and the other three officers who interacted with Ruiz that day have been placed on paid administrative leave while the state investigates the shooting.

There is no timeline for when the state Justice Department investigation will conclude. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne will review the findings before deciding whether to file charges against Baitinger-Peterson.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Ruiz's family, has called for the officer to be charged.

While bystanders captured the confrontation on video, there is no body camera footage because Madison police officers don't wear them.

The state Justice Department said two officers attempted to use a Taser on Ruiz but weren't successful. Ruiz “brandished a knife and injured” Baitinger-Peterson, it said. Law enforcement agencies haven't divulged the extent of the officer's injuries. They did release an image of a fixed-blade knife that was recovered at the scene.

The protests over the shooting led to several nearby community events being canceled or postponed.

Bieniemy was greeted by a handful of fans as he walked down the long hill to the fields at Missouri Western State University, where the Chiefs hold camp. Then he jumped right into his first practice since Mia Bieniemy was shot the evening of July 26.

“It was good to have EB back, back in full. I don't think he missed a snap he was out there,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Listen, I was talking to him several times a day. I knew when he was coming back. The primary thing is that Mia is stable, that she's doing well.”

Elijah Bieniemy has been charged with malicious wounding, the use of a firearm in commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm inside a dwelling. His court appearances have been delayed pending a mental health evaluation.

Eric Bieniemy, who returned to the Chiefs earlier this year, had been staying in touch with Reid and the rest of the staff, and had been watching streams of some practices. In one case, he called Chiefs manager Brett Veach — who was sitting next to Reid — and asked him to hand over the phone, then proceeded to tell the head coach a point of instruction for a running back.

“It was great to have him back out there. Everybody was glad to see him," Reid said. “I think once you start going, then you're going. It is like a game. Once you're in the game, you're in the game. But he always brings the energy.”

Bieniemy was part of coaching staffs that helped Kansas City reach three Super Bowls and win two of them. But because Reid is the primary play-caller, Bieniemy left to serve as the offensive coordinator with the Washington Commanders, where he would be able to call his own plays and perhaps better position himself for a head coaching job in the NFL.

The Commanders struggled in his lone season there, though, and Bieniemy and the rest of the staff were let go. He spent a season with UCLA and last season coached the running backs with the Chicago Bears before returning to Kansas City as the offensive coordinator.

He replaced Matt Nagy, who was hired as the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants.

“Obviously it's great to have him back. We missed him and prayed for his family when he was out,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said. “But to have a guy like that come back to the field, man, a competitor — it brings out the best in us.”

NOTES: WRs Rashee Rice (knee) and Cyrus Allen (bone bruise) both participated in 11-on-11 work during the padded practice. ... DE Ashton Gillotte (hamstring), CB L'Jarius Snead (knee) and LB Drue Tranquill (back) worked off to the side. ... RG Trey Smith (hip) was still out of practice, pushing rookie OL Khalil Benson from tackle to guard. Jaylon Moore took first-team reps at tackle.

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

“It’s always been fascinating to me to see the origins of things,” Dersch said. “It’s a fun challenge to debug and repair. You can understand the entire system from top to bottom.”

Dersch is part of a growing community of vintage computer collectors who are preserving the classic machines that helped launch the digital revolution. While Silicon Valley has since moved on to shaping the future of artificial intelligence, these hardware enthusiasts are intent on saving the Atari, Commodore and IBM machines that are ancestors to today’s laptops, wearable devices and smartphones.

Where others see junk, people like Dersch see artifacts of computer history that are worthy of attention and respect. They delight in hearing the beeps and chimes of their childhood and firing up a low-def game of “Pong” or “Space Invaders.”

“The enthusiasm for the history of computers and all the stuff around it is growing,” said Erik Klein, president of the Vintage Computer Federation, which organizes an annual festival at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Vintage computer festivals bring collectors together

This year more than 3,500 people attended the two-day Vintage Computer Festival in early August that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Apple, founded in 1976 in nearby Cupertino, Calif. It featured a panel with co-founders Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne reminiscing about the company’s early days as a scrappy startup led by the late Steve Jobs.

More than a dozen such gatherings have since sprung up in cities across North America, South America and Europe.

Growing interest is reflected in more demand for vintage computers in online marketplaces, Klein said. Rare, iconic computers like the Apple-1 — the company’s first product — can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Collectors exhibited the computer systems that they have painstakingly restored to their original working condition, allowing attendees to play with the computers built long before the internet, social media and AI transformed the world.

Restoring the ‘grandfather of the modern computer’

Dersch drove down from Seattle to showcase the pride of his collection: the Xerox Alto. He spent years restoring what's considered “the grandfather of the modern computer,” which was developed at the pioneering Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s.

The Alto was one of the earliest computers to move beyond text on screen and use the mouse and graphical user interface — such as windows, icons and cursors — that became the industry standard. The model famously inspired Jobs and Bill Gates to incorporate the technologies in their early products.

Dersch’s exhibit featured a fully functioning Xerox Alto workstation with its boxy vertical monitor, chunky keyboard and mouse, as well as pizza-sized spinning disks that store tiny amounts of data by modern standards.

“It’s fun to share what I’ve done with people. It’s fun to share in what other people have done,” Dersch said. “Also, there’s a consignment area where I can buy more junk to take home with me, so that’s always fun.”

Klein, a Silicon Valley software engineering manager, was a passionate collector until his hobby overwhelmed his home and family life. He had as many as 150 computer systems — complete with accessories, documents and packaging — crammed into his closets and garage.

He said his beloved collection had become an “albatross” and he worried about burdening his family. So he started selling and giving away his machines until he only had a few favorites left at home.

Similar events for collectors spread around the world

Now Klein channels his passion for vintage computers into organizing festivals, repair workshops, swap meets and other events as president of the Vintage Computer Federation.

“So it’s really about evangelizing that history and evangelizing this hobby of maintaining, collecting and enjoying this vintage technology,” Klein said.

Sellam Ismail is thrilled to see the collector community develop and mature since he organized the first festival in 1997, drawing about 150 hobbyists to a venue east of San Francisco. He ran the events for a decade.

He later co-founded the Vintage Computer Federation, which runs festivals in the US and Canada. He’s helped other groups launch similar festivals in Argentina, Germany and Switzerland.

“The community grew up. More and more people started getting old computers, started collecting them,” said Ismail, who once had a massive collection he stored in a warehouse. “Next year is the 30th anniversary. And I expect this to continue and grow even bigger.”

Romaine, an international keynote and motivational speaker, recently became the first female to win the Les Brown Motivator Award since the Black National Speakers Association became an official NSA chapter — a prestigious honor named after one of the most widely recognized motivational speakers in the world.

For Romaine, the moment carried a weight that went far beyond the award itself.

“I still even feel it right now. I think about legacy,” she said. “For me, it went even beyond Les Brown for me. It went to my mother.”

Romaine grew up in the Arlington area, graduating from Terry Parker High School before finding her footing through the world of radio. Listening to local disc jockeys helped shape the voice and presence she carries today.

" I started honing in my craft, and I realized — wait, things are pivoting a little bit," she said.

That pivot led her to launch her own consulting business, JazzCellence LLC — a nod to her personal motto, “Jazz it up.”

Through her company, Romaine coaches top business professionals on branding and communication, and she even authored her own book, “Speak to Profit.”

“I love to teach them how to speak with confidence, how to have clarity in their message,” Romaine said. “One of the things that I see when it comes to business owners and even professionals is that they have a message, but sometimes it’s very, very broad.”

But for Romaine, success isn’t measured by a bottom line. She says her deepest joy comes from watching others unlock their own potential.

“I believe that if you speak life to individuals, you just give them life by opportunities can come forth,” she said.

And as she reflects on the journey from the River City to the global stage, her message for others is simple — and powerful.

“Small beginnings can end you to a greater story, and that story can create impact.”

Jones came into the weekend 18th in the standings, 44 points behind 16th-place Austin Cindric for the final spot in The Chase that determines the series champion. The 350-lap race Sunday was the first of the final four races of the regular season, and Jones was running out of time.

“One more bad week where we lose any ground, and it’s going to be pretty insurmountable,” Jones said.

Then Jones, who started 10th, got taken out four laps in when Tyler Reddick’s car slid into him, sending both cars into the wall and ending the day for both drivers.

Reddick knew the damage he had done.

“If I’m going to take myself out, that’s one thing,” Reddick said. “But I took out a (Toyota) teammate who needed a good day.”

Such is life in the closing stretch of the regular season, where one bad finish or one good finish can change fortunes.

Denny Hamlin leads the standings with 923 points, 103 points ahead of Ty Gibbs, who won Sunday's race just ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell.

Only four drivers have wrapped up Chase spots: Hamlin, Gibbs, Ryan Blaney (813) and Reddick (803).

Cindric has 526 points. Ryan Preece is the first driver below the cutline at 497 points. Ross Chastain jumped three spots after his seventh-place finish at Iowa, moving into 18th place at 479 points. Brad Keselowski is one point behind Chastain.

Other than maybe the last one or two spots, the biggest scramble now in this final month could be for seeding. Points for the top 16 drivers will reset after the Aug. 29 regular-season finale at Daytona. The regular-season champion will be the top seed and start The Chase with 2,100 points, the second seed will have 2,075 points and the third seed will have 2,065, with a five-point drop for each seed after that.

“You have all these other little battles going on, like the battle from sixth to 11th or 12th right now is really, really tight and that’s exciting,” said Blaney, who finished third Sunday. “Those guys are dogging it out right now. That’s a lot of points from sixth down to 11th or whatever. So I think it creates a lot of exciting things through the regular season.”

Some of the biggest changes in the standings came in that middle group. Chase Briscoe rose three spots to fifth place with 663 points. He's four points ahead of Bell, who climbed four spots with his second-place finish.

A crash ended Kyle Larson’s day and he finished 33rd to drop four spots in the standings to 10th.

The crucial jump of the day, though, belonged to Gibbs, who went from fourth to second.

“We’ve scored a lot of points in the last couple races,” Gibbs said. “To be able to finish it off today was awesome. I think the difference between the leader and 16th is 100 points, isn’t it, when the playoffs start? So it puts you in a better shot for the title at the end of the year.”

Jones’ early exit dropped him to 20th place, 50 points behind Cindric and four drivers to climb over to get on the good side of the cut line.

“At this point, we’ve got three races,” Jones said. “We got to just go try to win and run the best we can. It’s not over until it’s over, but it’s a tall mountain.”

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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing

And then, a cut. The documentary, which follows the Blink-182 drummer from 2017 to 2026, is a celebration of Barker's life before and after the life-altering accident, a central event in a career full of them. The film began as a mirror of his memoir, 2015's “Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums,” but became something else entirely after a producer suggested it end with the image of Barker, then still unable to fly due to post-traumatic stress disorder, walking toward a plane.

Ending on that note, “where this thing still has power over me,” didn’t sit well with him. Instead, he boards a plane at the end, but the documentary’s final images are a slide show of family photos, including his wife Kourtney Kardashian and kids.

“I almost died,” he says. It “could be helpful to share my life.”

An elastic artist

Barker's resume is long, and a two-and-a-half-hour documentary can only cover so much of it. The film hits most of the big notes, quickly establishing Barker as a rebellious kid with a supernatural drumming ability from age 4, when he got his first kit, to now, at 50.

And that's with many projects in-between: From the SoCal punks Feeble, which he joined while working as a trash collector, to his stint in the ska band The Aquabats and multiplatinum, pop-punk legends Blink-182 — the band that skyrocketed Barker into superstardom.

Also covered? His love of skateboarding and car culture, his clothing brands, side-projects Box Car Racer and +44, turntable duo TRV$DJAM, various experiments and collaborations in hip-hop (Bun B, Lil Wayne ) and beyond.

But it all began with drumming, and hilariously enough, Animal from “The Muppets” — his first drumming hero — until he discovered cross-genre greats like jazz legends Buddy Rich, Dennis Chambers and Elvin Jones as well as Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee.

“Where drumming got really serious for me was after my mom passed, so it was therapy,” he says, reflecting on his childhood. “It’s like my life. It’s like oxygen to me.”

It's also a kind of sport. Barker has long been a dedicated, athletic percussionist, and he likens it to a boxer's meditative state. “It’s like when you see a fighter and he just goes for broke the first round. There’s sometimes where I just feel like that,” he says. “Something just takes over my body.”

Many events in life threatened that euphoria, but none quite as physically as the plane crash. “I was in a burn center for six months on morphine and I had 30 surgeries,” he recounts. “Seventy percent of my body was burned.” At one point, he didn't only fear if he would be able to drum again — even walking was a question mark.

Lessons from tragedy

Even before the crash, Barker's life — as marked with musical triumphs as it has been — offered lessons in resiliency.

“Whether it was my mom passing away or my plane crash, I learned — and through watching friends of mine and just living life — I’ve seen traumatic experiences either destroy someone or define them,” he says. “Every loss I had, or every everything I took to the chin, it made me stronger. At the time, I can’t realize it, right? I can't like really wrap my head around it. But ... that’s why I went so hard and I was so determined to play music and so determined to succeed. Plan B was only making Plan A work. You know? There was no Plan B.”

The same tenacity can be applied to his sobriety and dedication to flying again — a journey emboldened by his family. “I fly all the time now and I feel turbulence and I can’t even tell you what’s going on in my head. And I just look over and my wife’s perfectly OK,” he says. “My son loves airplanes and plays with airplanes and it’s so innocent. It’s so beautiful.”

“They’ve been my greatest joy,” he says of his children, who grow up on screen across the film's near-decade of filming.

As someone who has lost a lot and thought about what it would be like to lose even more, when it comes to the topic of legacy, Barker has a simple dream. “I think I’d want to be remembered for my music and my drumming and being a great father, husband, and son and brother,” he says.

As for the doc? “Maybe my story helps somebody,” he pauses. “I don’t love how everything happened. I don’t like the losses that happened. But I like how hard I had to work. I like that I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I liked that I had to navigate and find my way. And the journey was awesome.”

Varsity 4 top 25 player countdown

5. Kyren Caldwell

Position/school: WR/Columbia.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-2, 180.

Recruiting: Committed to Maryland.

Why he’s here: Consensus three-star prospect who is rated between the No. 39 (Rivals) and No. 75 (ESPN) player in the state. Holds offers from numerous Power Four programs including a trip over the summer to Alabama. Had 48 catches for 701 yards and eight TDs in junior season for Tigers. Boosted numbers from solid sophomore season (32 catches, 547 yards, 5 TDs). Quick and good hands. Poised for another major step in his progression this season.

6. Clayton Lee

Position/school: OL/West Nassau.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-7, 315.

Recruiting: Committed to South Carolina.

Why he’s here: Consensus three-star prospect by the four major recruiting services. Lee is positioned to be West Nassau’s biggest college OL prospect since Clay Hartley in 1998. Hartley signed with Georgia Tech. Lee is a mountain of a player who helped set the tone for the wicked rushing attack of the Warriors, who have emerged as a power in the Sunshine State Athletic Association. West Nassau averaged 9 yards per carry last year, often running right behind Lee. He averaged 10 pancakes a game for 12-2 West Nassau, earning second team All-News4JAX honors. Lee may play for a smaller independent program, but he’s got SEC/Big Ten size.

7. Adrian Williams

Position/school: OL/DL/Trinity Christian.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-3, 295.

Recruiting: Committed to Georgia Tech.

Why he’s here: A consensus three-star prospect by the four major recruiting services. All-News4JAX first-team selection last year at offensive line. Played significant amount on both offensive line and defensive line for the Conquerors during their run to the state semifinals. Williams fits the Trinity mold to a T. He’s a player with positional versatility. On defense, he had 28 tackles, eight for loss and three sacks. But his future at the next level is as an offensive lineman.

8. Desmond Malpress

Position/school: Edge/Atlantic Coast.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-3, 205.

Recruiting: Committed to Clemson.

Why he’s here: A consensus four-star recruit, Malpress is the top local player by industry rankings in the Class of 2027. He’s a top 155 player nationally by ESPN, On 3 and Rivals and will thrive once he gets into the system at Death Valley. He may have the highest college ceiling among local 2027 players. Malpress is very effective off the edge and gets into the backfield to change plays better than many edges locally. He had 10 tackles for loss last season. Malpress is poised for a far greater statistical output this year for the Stingrays, especially while being coached up by former Jaguars players Reggie Hayward and Tony Gilbert at Atlantic Coast.

9. Za’khari Greene

Position/school: CB/Trinity Christian.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-0, 160.

Recruiting: Uncommitted.

Why he’s here: A consensus three-star recruit, he’s ranked No. 274 nationally in a blockbuster Class of 2028. Greene is sticky in coverage and a true lockdown player in the secondary. He led Trinity with four interceptions and seven passes defensed during the team’s run to the state semifinals. Added 20 tackles. Expect a greater presence in the secondary this year from Greene and the young and hungry Conquerors. They’ve reached the state semifinals the last three seasons, two of those with very young teams. This could be the payoff season.

10. Caleb Mattison

Position/school: RB/Bishop Kenny.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 5-10, 200.

Recruiting: Uncommitted.

Why he’s here: A three-star recruit by two of the four major recruiting outlets (247 Sports, Rivals), Mattison has produced from the moment he set foot on Bishop Kenny’s campus. Has rushed for 3,863 yards, 51 TDs in three seasons. Should be able to reach the 5,000-yard career rushing mark, a level reserved for the best backs in area history. Has nearly doubled rushing TD total by the season (from 7 to 16 to 28). Added 225 receiving yards, three TDs. First-team All-News4JAX selection last year and a third-teamer as a sophomore. Kenny will use his skills on defense this year, too.

11. Troy Butler

Position/school: Edge/Raines.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-2, 250.

Recruiting: Uncommitted.

Why he’s here: A Rivals three-star prospect who comes in ranked as the state’s No. 119 overall player. Had 69 tackles and 25 tackles for loss during the Vikings 14-0 season. Had five tackles, two for loss and a sack in that championship game win, 23-22 over Miami Northwestern. That sack was his 10th of the season. Forced five fumbles and recovered one to earn All-News4JAX first-team honors. Early commitment to Liberty but decommitted.

12. JC Wessel

Position/school: TE/Bolles.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-6, 227.

Recruiting: Uncommitted.

Why he’s here: A bit of a projection here. Wessel transferred to Bolles from Frederica Academy in Saint Simons Island. Had 18 catches for 338 yards, three touchdowns last year. Made 16 tackles on defense and picked up a sack. Consensus four-star prospect by the major recruiting services. In top seven consensus of national tight end rankings. As Bolles breaks in a largely new offensive line, Wessel will lend some much-needed size and blocking in the ground game. Former first-round pick Hayden Hurst is coaching tight ends at Bolles now, so expect Wessel to take a major step forward at the position.

13. Terrell Pinkney II

Position/school: ATH/Trinity Christian.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-4, 196.

Recruiting: Committed to USF.

Why he’s here: A three-star prospect by Rivals and 247 Sports, Pinkney’s recruiting picked up major steam after the 2025 season. He’s a safety/linebacker/corner hybrid for the Conquerors but can line up anywhere, even on offense, if needed. Pinkney showcased in a playoff win over University Christian last year that he can play corner very well, too. Pinkney intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart a UC drive and added a pick-six in that game as well.

14. Zion Green

Position/school: ATH/Raines.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-4, 170.

Recruiting: Uncommitted.

Why he’s here: A major recruit in the Class of 2028 who has excellent size for a player in the secondary. Likely a cornerback or safety at the next level. He’s an On3 and 247 Sports four-star recruit and a three-star by ESPN and Rivals. Green is a top 160 national recruit by 247 Sports. He was a spot receiver last year and produced. Had just 12 catches for 269 yards and turned four of those grabs into TDs. Had four tackles last year. Really picked up recruiting steam after the Vikings’ 14-0 season that ended with a Class 3A state championship. Will be counted on to deliver far greater on both sides of the ball as a junior.

15. Knox Annis

Position/school: QB/Mandarin.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-3/210.

Recruiting: Committed to Miami.

Why he’s here: Annis was thrown to the fire as he unexpectedly began his varsity career just six quarters into his freshman season due to an injury to starter Tramell Jones Jr. The results were difficult. But Annis took a greater step forward last season, boosting his completion percentage by nearly 20 points. He’s coming off a 22-TD passing season. This is a huge growing season for Annis. He committed to Miami, and a school like that creates its own set of expectations. But he is poised to take another step in his journey.

16. Marcus Small

Position/school: OL/First Coast.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-7, 290.

Recruiting: Committed to Syracuse.

Why he’s here: A consensus three-star recruit, Small is ranked between the 51st (ESPN) and 120th (Rivals/On3) player in Florida this year. He’s not only big but he’s very versatile for the Buccaneers and head coach Jarvis Parker. Small can flip to left or right tackle and earned All-Gateway and first-team All-News4JAX honors last year. As Small goes, so will the First Coast offense.

17. Omari Lawson

Position/school: Zarephath Academy.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-6, 260.

Recruiting: Committed to Syracuse.

Why he’s here: Zarephath is a younger program, so seeing a player listed may be a bit of a shock. But Lawson is a talent who can’t be looked over just because of school size. Power Four programs across the country have zeroed in on Lawson. He’s a four-star prospect at tackle and may wind up being the area’s fifth-best recruit in a blockbuster 2028 class. Come next year, this ranking could seem laughably low.

18. Camden Tietze

Position/school: WR/Bolles.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-1, 180.

Recruiting: Committed to Marshall.

Why he’s here: A Rivals/On3 three-star prospect who came on strong during his first season with the Bulldogs. Had 35 catches for 689 yards and 11 TDs playing alongside electric playmaker Naeem Burroughs. Will open this season as the No. 1 target for QB Luke Toland. As a sophomore at Ponte Vedra, had 599 yards receiving and seven TDs.

19. Aiden Phifer

Position/school: QB/Nease.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-0, 190.

Recruiting: Committed to Northwestern.

Why he’s here: Phifer burst on the scene last year by passing for 2,003 yards and 20 TDs. He was a threat to break off a run, too. Phifer scored nine rushing TDs. He did it by going 9-3 against a tough schedule that included powerhouse Buchholz (twice), St. Augustine and Oakleaf. A Rivals/On3 three-star recruit, Phifer should continue to ascend as a dual-threat QB.

19. Julius LaRosa III

Position/school: DL/ University Christian.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-2, 260.

Recruiting: Committed to NC State.

Why he’s here: A multiyear force on the defensive line for the Christians, he’s got 24 career sacks and 43.5 tackles for loss. Recovered two fumbles and blocked a punt last year. Had 59 tackles last season and is up to 171 for his career. A consensus three-star recruit by the four major recruiting services and a top 140 player in Florida by those outlets.

21. Kindrid Outland

Position/school: DL/Mandarin.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-2, 270.

Recruiting: Committed to USF.

Why he’s here: He was all over the field last year for the Mustangs, earning a second-team All-News4JAX selection after racking up 62 tackles, 21 for loss, and 5.5 sacks. A three-star recruit by 247 Sports and Rivals/On3, Outland has serious muscle and pocket-busting interior presence.

22. Kyree Wilson

Position/school: ATH/University Christian.

Class: Senior.

Height/weight: 6-0, 190.

Recruiting: Committed to Toledo.

Why he’s here: Wilson has thrived as the No. 1 player at a small school (Christ’s Church) where he racked up 3,019 rushing yards and 32 TDs and added 74 combined tackles during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Wilson, a Rivals three-star prospect, spent his junior year at Mandarin in a two-back system and absolutely scorched teams when given the opportunity (9.1 yards per carry). He’s got 3,807 career rushing yards and 38 rushing TDs, and could join the exclusive 5,000-yard rushing club with a strong season. Factor in his work on defense in the secondary and he’s going to put up numbers all over the field for the Christians.

23. Kash Kolbow

Position/school: S/WR/Nease.

Class: Senior.

Height/weight: 6-1, 180.

Recruiting: Committed to UCF.

Why he’s here: He was a little bit of a do-it-all player on Nease’s defense in 2025. Kolbow had 68 total tackles and a couple of interceptions. He was sticky in coverage (23 passes defensed) and forced two fumbles. With as big graduation losses as the Panthers had on defense, Kolbow’s production is no doubt bound to keep ticking up.

24. King Boylston

Position/school: QB/Ed White.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-1, 195.

Recruiting: Uncommitted.

Why he’s here: Boylston isn’t rated by any of the major recruiting services, but he’s a player who should see his stock rise over the course of the year. He accounted for 38 TDs last season, passing for 25 and scampering for 13 more. Boylston passed for 2,091 yards and rushed for 712 more to help lead the Commanders to the mantle as the highest-scoring regular season team in state history.

25. Noah Ash

Position/school: Kicker, Ponte Vedra.

Class: Senior.

Height/weight: 5-11, 190.

Recruiting: Committed to Auburn.

Why he’s here: A placekicker among the area’s top players? You got that right. Ash is the area’s best player at his position, and one of the top recruits in the nation. He booted 11 field goals for the state semifinalist Sharks last year and had 74 touchbacks in 85 chances. Depending on the recruiting outlet, Ash ranks between fourth (247 Sports Composite) to sixth (Rivals/On3).

The Ukrainian military said it hit an oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, which is about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) east of the Ukrainian border and has a population of about 240,000.

Russian officials didn't say what the drones targeted, but the city is home to two refineries and a petrochemical plant. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities with long-range drones almost daily in recent months. The campaign has caused fuel shortages in Russia, eaten into its refining capacity and unsettled the population.

Previous Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil with high death tolls have come in the border region of Belgorod. In December 2023, Ukrainian shelling of the region’s capital, also called Belgorod, killed 25 people and wounded over 100, local officials said. Five months later, a Belgorod apartment building partially collapsed after shelling, killing at least 13, according to Russian authorities.

Also on Monday, several Ukrainian drones sparked a fire at an industrial facility in the Tyumen region of western Siberia, said Gov. Alexander Moor, without offering any details.

Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces damaged part of a petrochemical complex in Tobolsk, in the Tyumen region. The plant produces rocket fuel components, aviation fuel, composite materials for drones and high-octane gasoline, it said in a Telegram post.

Last month, Ukrainian drones hit a refinery in Tyumen, more than 2,400 kilometers (about 1,500 miles) east of the border with Ukraine.

Ukraine says its strikes aim to push Russia into peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country is trying to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and stop his full-scale invasion, launched in 2022. Russia is one of the world’s biggest energy producers.

Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck a Taneco oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, starting a fire.

The city came under a “massive” drone attack targeting industrial and civilian facilities, according to the press service of Tatarstan’s head, Rustam Minnikhanov.

One of the drones hit a hostel, killing nine of the 13 victims, including citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, officials said. Uzbekistan’s consular office in Tatarstan said seven of its nationals were killed.

A child was among the dead, along with the 75 injured, the press service said, adding that Monday was declared a day of mourning in Tatarstan.

It was not possible to independently verify either side’s claims.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry urged foreign governments and international organizations to condemn Ukraine for the attacks.

Russia has also regularly battered Ukraine from the air using missiles, powerful glide bombs and drones, hitting civilian areas and causing thousands of civilian casualties, according to the United Nations. In the first six months of this year, 1,396 civilians were killed and 7,978 injured in Ukraine, the U.N. office in Kyiv said last week. That was a 37% increase from the same period last year, it said.

A Russian glide bomb struck the city of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, injuring 24 people, authorities said Monday. The city is the capital of a region of the same name that is partly occupied by Russian forces.

The World Health Organization’s European office said that one of its warehouses in the central Dnipro region of Ukraine was hit twice in less than 24 hours. The attacks destroyed emergency supplies worth an estimated $500,000 that were intended for front-line health facilities, it said in a statement. No casualties were reported.

Ukraine's drones have struck deeper inside Russia

Ukraine’s domestically developed long-range drones have flown increasing distances deep inside Russia, with some now reaching Siberia, around 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the border.

“We do deliver entirely justified responses, and every Russian strike will be met with our response. Russia’s war will be felt more and more at their own home -– in Russia,” Zelenskyy said late Sunday on social media.

“The only reason this is still continuing is Russia’s unwillingness to end this war.”

As part of a parallel campaign to disrupt Russian military supply lines leading to the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, Kyiv's forces struck road, rail and pontoon bridges in six regions last month, the Defense Ministry said Monday.

By repeatedly striking routes for fuel, ammunition and reinforcements, Ukrainian commanders say they have made Russian logistics slower, costlier and hard to organize. That has helped stall Russian advances and enabled Ukrainian counterattacks, they say.

Repairing the stricken refineries also is complicated for Russia. Ukraine’s attacks have damaged specialized equipment that is often imported, making repairs time-consuming and expensive as workarounds or replacements are sought by evading international sanctions.

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

Scores of firefighters, backed by 43 helicopters, have been deployed to battle wildfires that have burned more than 107,000 hectares (264,000 acres) of forests and other land across the Southeast Asian nation as of Monday, said Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago. Strengthening El Nino conditions have raised the risk of more forest and land fires during the peak dry season, he said.

East Java authorities said the largest blaze is burning in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java province, where about 743 hectares (1,836 acres) have been scorched. Authorities have closed the park to visitors until further notice.

It said the fire has burned large areas of dry grassland, vegetation and protected edelweiss flowers as flames have spread to the Penanjakan area, a popular viewpoint for tourists visiting the volcanic landscape of Mount Bromo, one of Indonesia’s best-known attractions. No injuries or evacuations have been reported.

Cloud-seeding has been ruled out because of weather conditions

Chaniago said weather-modification, or cloud-seeding, operations are considered one of the most effective ways to help firefighters combat wildfires by inducing rainfall through the dispersal of salt particles into suitable clouds.

However, the effort would be difficult to carry out because scientific monitoring “found no rain-bearing clouds suitable for weather-modification operations through Aug. 18,” Chaniago told a news conference Monday. He spoke after a meeting with related ministers and agency chiefs dealing with wildfires in the capital, Jakarta.

With cloud-seeding ruled out because of unfavorable weather conditions, “we are relying solely on water bombing and ground firefighting teams,” said Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni while visiting Mount Bromo on Sunday. He urged the public to avoid activities that could spark new blazes, including discarding cigarette butts and clearing land by burning.

Wildfires have been reported in several of Indonesia’s most fire-prone regions, including 48,890 hectares (120,800 acres) of peatland that have burned in the provinces of Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra on Sumatra island, and Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan on Borneo island, forcing regional authorities deployed over 48,000 firefighters and disaster personnel, the National Disaster Management Agency said.

The blaze has scorched about 540 hectares (1,300 acres) of peatland in Jambi alone, causing choking haze in some areas and raising concerns about worsening air quality. The largest fire has been reported in the village of Sungai Gelam in the Muaro Jambi district, where dozens of hectares (acres) of palm oil plantations owned by local residents have been destroyed.

More than 5,800 firefighters have been deployed to battle the fire in Jambi. Officials said deep peat soil, limited water supplies, difficult access and strong winds have complicated efforts, even with three helicopters conducting aerial firefighting operations.

Air quality deteriorates in neighboring Malaysia

Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighboring countries.

Malaysia has reported unhealthy air-quality levels in parts of Sarawak state on Borneo island, with officials saying winds were carrying smoke from hot spots in neighboring areas. In Singapore, authorities have warned that prevailing southeasterly winds could carry smoke toward the city-state, with dry conditions expected to prevail.

“We must uphold the nation’s credibility by showing that we can bring these fires under control,” Chaniago said.

Indonesia’s Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysical Agency said August and September are expected to be the most critical months as dry vegetation and strong winds create favorable conditions for fires to spread rapidly.

Wildfires in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, are often started illegally by plantation owners or traditional farmers to clear land for planting.

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Karmini reported from Jakarta. Associated Press writers Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.

The announcement comes a few weeks after Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to a multistate cyclospora outbreak that has sickened people across the U.S.

Taylor Fresh Foods said that it was pulling some products including jalapenos from stores shelves after finding out that Coast Citrus Distributors was voluntarily recalling fresh jalapeños due to a potential salmonella contamination.

Guacamole, pico de gallo and taco dip are some of the prepared foods included in the recall. The list of recalled products were distributed by Taylor Farms in multiple states with a “Best If Used By” date up to and including Aug. 16, 2026. The products were sold at stores including Kroger, Stop & Shop, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Walmart.

Taylor Fresh Foods said that the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were working with state and local partners to investigate illnesses in a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections linked to fresh jalapeños supplied by Coast Citrus Distributors. The company said that a grower in Sinaloa, Mexico, a supplier to Coast Citrus Distributors, was identified as the potential source in the outbreak.

Taylor Fresh Foods said that it is no longer sourcing products from the farmer and will be filling orders from alternative suppliers. The company is currently not aware of any reported illnesses linked to its products containing jalapeños.

Consumers who have any recalled product are advised to discard it immediately and not eat it. Refunds are available at the location of purchase.

Consumers with any questions can contact Taylor at 855-455-0098 Monday through Friday from 8am-5pm PT.