THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Powerful back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening killed at least 32 people and injured at least 700, the nation's acting president said, as communities across the South American country sustained damage.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez warned the toll was expected to rise as rescuers search collapsed buildings and emergency crews reach devastated areas after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck shortly after 6 p.m.

Rodríguez declared a state of emergency in an address to the nation late Wednesday and said the quakes caused damage in several states. The casualty figures released early Thursday excluded the state of La Guaira, which Rodríguez described as a “disaster zone” and the area hardest hit.

“Dozens of buildings have collapsed there, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of Caracas, and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives,” she said.

The earthquakes, among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, roiled the region, with buildings evacuated in cities and areas impacted as far as Brazil’s Amazon about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Venezuela's capital Caracas.

The earthquakes damaged and closed Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas, the country’s main airport, Rodríguez said, adding that subway and natural gas services in Caracas were canceled. She urged Venezuelans to report any damages through a government app.

Rodríguez said school classes would be canceled for several days. The Ministry of Education said some school buildings would be used as shelters and donation centers.

“We urge our population to remain calm,” said Rodríguez, who asked health care professionals to report to hospitals to assist the injured. “We urge unity.”

Country hit twice by large quakes

The U.S. Geological Survey initially said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, later revising that to 7.2. Its epicenter was west of Morón on the country’s Caribbean coast about 168 kilometers (104 miles) west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 22 kilometers (13.6 miles).

The USGS reported an even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake just a minute later. The second quake had a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) with an epicenter 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Morón.

In the coastal state of Falcon, Gov. Víctor Clark said 32 people had been hospitalized and there were 15 people trapped in the hours after the earthquake.

International assistance offered

Offers of help were made by various governments including the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama and Uruguay.

Jeremy P. Lewin, the U.S. undersecretary of state for foreign assistance, said the State Department had mobilized a disaster assistance team and task force to coordinate aid including search-and-rescue teams, medical and humanitarian supplies and other resources in coordination with the interim Venezuelan government.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, once diametrically opposed to Venezuela’s government, said in a post on X Wednesday night that he had offered aid.

“We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,” Bukele wrote.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said he had ordered the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to help respond to the emergency.

“Ecuador will respond with the speed and commitment this moment demands because, despite our enormous differences, humanity must always guide the actions of a leader,” Noboa wrote.

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, who less than a week ago declared a state of emergency in his country following weeks of anti-government protests, said his country stood ready to provide any needed assistance.

The administration of Brazil President Luiz Inácio da Silva expressed solidarity and said no Brazilians reported being injured

‘We all had to leave our houses'

Television broadcasts Thursday showed images of rescue workers using power tools on collapsed structures.

During the quakes, people evacuated swaying buildings in Caracas, many visibly shocked as they saw collapsed walls that left furniture visible from the street. Dust columns could be seen in two capital neighborhoods with typically busy restaurants and other businesses.

People remained on the streets for hours, some sitting on the ground hugging pets as dust gathered around them. Collapsed buildings, toppled electric poles and debris blocked streets. Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone signal.

“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.

Roberto Gamas, another Caracas resident, said the building he was in “really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong.”

The lack of cellphone signal in parts of Venezuela deepened the distress of many families, particularly those among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country during its protracted crisis.

Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado, in exile after leaving Venezuela in December, took to X to send prayers and wish strength to Venezuelans.

“May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult time,” she said on X.

Impact felt throughout Venezuela

Venezuela Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states and asked motorists to give way to ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said, urging people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage structures. “Be very careful with children and the elderly. Call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”

Earthquakes impact the region

Buildings in Manaus, Belem and Macapá in Brazil's Amazon were evacuated, according to reports on TV Globo. The quakes also were felt in Colombia’s Caribbean and northeast regions, but there were no reports of damages or injuries.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued several tsumani alerts in the wake of the earthquakes that were quickly lifted.

Strong earthquakes are unusual in Venezuela. While the country sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates make earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.

Earthquakes are frequent along the Pacific coast, including in Mexico and Chile, which both sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the Ring of Fire, an area that the USGS said is responsible for 90% of earthquakes.

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Garcia Cano reported from Bogota, Colombia. Associated Press writers Clara Preve in Buenos Aires, Astrid Suarez in Bogota, Colombia, Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo and Anna-Catherine Brigida, Megan Janetsky and India Grant in Mexico City, Cristina Fuentes in Madrid and Maria Teresa Hernandez in Beijing contributed to this report.

The Swiss got goals from Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi to beat Canada 2-1 on Wednesday and win Group B. Switzerland will get a week of rest before returning to Vancouver to face one of the eight best third-place finishers on July 2.

“I think that we deserve to be where we are right now,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said. “In three days from now, we will know the opponent of the next match, and now we have the possibility to watch this tournament, and to watch the matches, and we will take what we will get.”

Canada dropped to second place in the group and will play in the knockout round for the first time in team history. But the Canadians had been hoping for a win or a draw on Wednesday so they would play their round-of-32 match on home soil.

Instead, Canada will travel Inglewood, California, to play Sunday against South Africa, which beat South Korea 1-0 Wednesday night in Monterrey, Mexico, to finish second in Group A.

“We wanted to be here in Vancouver, but we still have a massive opportunity ahead of us to find a way to still electrify the nation, even though it’ll be from Los Angeles,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch said.

After Manzambi came off the bench and scored two goals in Switzerland’s 4-1 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday, he earned a spot in the starting lineup against Canada. The 20-year-old midfielder became the youngest player to score two goals off the bench in the World Cup and is among the breakout young stars of the tournament.

Vargas broke through for Switzerland about 40 seconds into the second half with a strike that sailed past sliding Canada goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, hit the post and went into the net.

Breel Embolo then crossed the ball to Manzambi, whose shot went through the hands of Crépeau to put the Swiss up 2-0 in the 57th minute. The goal quieted the red-clad sellout crowd, which included Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani.

Canada pulled a goal back in the 76th. Promise David scored with a volley on his first touch of the game about a minute after he came on as a substitute. But despite a flurry of chances, the Canadians couldn't find the second goal to keep them at home.

Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka had a chance in the scoreless first half but his free kick in the 37th minute and sailed over the net as he let out a yell.

Ali Ahmed had one of Canada’s best attempts of the first half in the 42nd minute, but his shot to the near post was smothered by Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

On Thursday, Canada won its first World Cup match, 6-0 over Qatar, and put itself in position to advance. But the historic victory was bittersweet because Ismaël Koné was stretchered off with a broken left leg. Koné was at Wednesday’s game on crutches.

The Swiss opened the World Cup with a lackluster 1-1 draw against Qatar before they routed Bosnia with a flurry of late goals. Considered the favorite in Group B, Switzerland has played at the last five World Cups and advanced to the round of 16 in the past three.

“We needed some time to get really into this tournament, for many nations that was the case,” Yakin said. “There were big teams who won against small countries, so we really needed to get into this tournament fast, and the way we play football now, I’m very happy with that.”

Canada, making its third World Cup appearance, opened the tournament with a 2-2 draw against Bosnia.

“We have to give our team a lot of credit. We’ve had a lot of injuries, we’ve had a lot of adversity, we’ve had a lot of injuries, we’ve had to manage a lot of different situations,” Marsch said. “We still got a really good point in the first game, we had a fantastic performance against Qatar and on another day, even though we go down 2-0, maybe we get a goal and maybe we win the group. It was just a matter of fine margins.”

Bosnia beat Qatar 3-1 in the other Group B match Wednesday and could still advance as a third-place team. Qatar was eliminated.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Arnold, 23, is accused of being the “primary conspirator” before three men in their late teens were held at gunpoint, battered and pistol-whipped in February in Tampa, the city's police department said in a statement. Some of their belongings were stolen, police said.

Arnold is facing four counts of a weapon-related charge and four more counts of a charge related to kidnapping, harming or terrorizing, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrest records.

Tampa police had already arrested six others suspected of being part of the targeted armed robbery. Two of them have pleaded guilty and the other four are being held without bond, according to the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.

Denise White, CEO of EAG Sports Management, which represents Arnold, said he denies being involved.

“There is no credible evidence linking Mr. Arnold to these allegations," White said in a statement. “Instead, the government appears to be relying on testimony from multiple convicted felons who have admitted their own involvement and may have substantial incentives to shift blame in an effort to lessen their sentences.”

In early February, Arnold and a few of his friends had reported more than $250,000 worth of their property being stolen from an Airbnb in Largo, police said.

Arnold believed that two men in their late teens had been behind it, although investigators later determined this was not the case, police said.

Hours after reporting the theft, Arnold orchestrated the kidnapping and robbery, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Arnold and his friends worked to get the men, along with another, to an apartment on Feb. 4, police said. Initially, two of Arnold’s friends held them at gunpoint and hit them, while another streamed it to Arnold, police said. Later, when the assault was still going on, Arnold also came to the apartment, police said. His other friends stole some of the victims’ belongings, police said.

The victims reported the robbery to police.

“No one has the right to take the law into their own hands," State Attorney Suzy Lopez said in a statement. "A dispute over missing property does not justify kidnapping, violence, or retaliation."

Arnold is a starting cornerback for the Detroit Lions who was a first-round pick in the 2024 draft after playing at the University of Alabama. He is from Florida.

The Lions said in a statement Wednesday night that they were aware of the situation but would not be commenting at this time.

“Arnold is facing multiple felony charges which carry a potential sentence of up to life in prison,” according to the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.

Arnold turned himself in to law enforcement on Wednesday. He is expected to make his first appearance in Hillsborough County court Thursday afternoon, according to the State Attorney’s Office.

Mateo Chávez and Julián Quiñones scored in a six-minute span early in the second half, and Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 on Wednesday to complete wins in all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time.

The 22-year-old Chávez, in his first World Cup, opened the scoring in the 55th minute and Quiñones scored his second goal of the tournament in the 61st. Alvaro Fidalgo added a goal in stoppage time.

“It was something very beautiful, and I’ll take it with me to the grave,” Chávez said of his goal. “I imagined it many times; I dreamed of this.”

Mexico's previous best group-stage performance was two wins and one draw, done in 1986 and 2002 and both featuring Javier Aguirre, the first as a midfielder and the second as El Tri's coach. Aguirre is back as coach this year, his third stint leading the national team.

After topping Group A, Mexico will play again at Estadio Azteca on Tuesday in a round-of-32 match against an opponent to be determined.

“Now comes the knockout stage; statistics and data don’t matter. We’re achieving things, but what lies ahead is what counts,” Aguirre said. “Neither the players nor I dwell on what we’ve just done; we’re thinking about what’s next.”

Mexico is undefeated at nine World Cup matches at the massive stadium, which was packed with 80,824 fans on Wednesday. El Tri has only two losses at Azteca, most recently in World Cup qualifying against Honduras on Sept. 6, 2013.

The match Wednesday included nods to Mexico’s past and future. Gilberto Mora, at 17, became the youngest Mexico player to start in a World Cup. And 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa entered in the 77th minute, joining Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to appear in six World Cups.

Mora said “it’s like a dream come true after everything I’ve worked for.”

“Now we have tough opponents ahead,” he added. “We’re going to keep working to stay on this path. We want to keep advancing because the Mexican national team can become champion.”

Mexico's triumph was marred, however, by the return of a homophobic chant by fans that has previously led to fines and other sanctions against its soccer federation. The chant, a one-word slur, was heard near the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick.

The Czech Republic was eliminated, finishing with one point in three games.

Mexico is unbeaten in 11 games dating to a friendly loss against Panama last November. And Aguirre has made the most of his roster, using 25 of 26 players in the tournament. Chávez was one of five starters Wednesday who didn't start in the previous win over South Korea.

“Twenty-five of the 26 have played — that is no small detail — nor is it a small detail that everyone celebrates the goals,” Aguirre said.

Ochoa makes history in his likely farewell

Ochoa, who wears No. 13, played the last 13 minutes in regulation, plus stoppage time, in what's likely to be his last appearance for Mexico. He turns 41 on July 13 and plans to retire from international competition after the World Cup.

“Life — football — had this farewell in store for me, to cap it all off perfectly. For my part, I’ve left it all out there; I gave everything,” Ochoa said. “I leave with nothing left because I poured it all into my teams and the national squad.”

He was a substitute in the 2006 and 2010 tournaments and started for Mexico in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

“I felt Memo had to play (but) for how long? I never knew until I said, ‘This is the moment,’” Aguirre said. “These are coaching decisions, but it was a night for Mexico to honor its legend, Memo.”

Raúl Rangel is the starter this year, stepping in for the injured Luis Ángel Malagón, who helped Mexico win the CONCACAF Nations League and Gold Cup last year. Malagón's injury opened the door for Ochoa's return.

Ochoa became the oldest Mexican to play in the World Cup. The previous record holder was Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who was 37 when he played in South Africa in 2014.

After the match, the veteran goalkeeper kissed the goal post before kneeling down and was hugged by the rest of the squad.

“Regarding Memo’s appearance, we don’t know if he’s going to say goodbye or not, but it was a nice tribute for his six World Cups,” added Aguirre. “He is a legend — he is Mexican.” ___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Thapelo Maseko scored in the 63rd minute off a precise cross from Tshepang Moremi and South Africa finished in second place in Group A behind Mexico, which won all three of its group-stage games.

South Africa will take on Canada, the second-place finisher in Group B, in a knockout game Sunday at Inglewood, California.

Maseko had five total shots in the match and leads South Africa with eight shots in the tournament.

When Maseko was asked what he would tell his younger self about his accomplishment, the Mamelodi Sundowns forward said: “The one thing I would say is ‘keep dreaming.’”

South Africa had opened its World Cup with a 2-0 loss to Mexico before using a late goal to earn a 1-1 draw with Czech Republic. It entered its final group-stage needing to defeat South Korea in order to advance. Bafana Bafana had failed to advance from the group stage in 1998, 2002 and as host in 2010.

South Africa head coach Hugo Broos described the faith he had in his team despite the difficult start to the tournament.

“The mentality in this group is amazing,” Broos said. “Everybody is working for everybody. We are not afraid of other teams.”

Sphephelo Sithole, who received a red card in the opening game against Mexico, also earned a start and helped South Africa keep a clean sheet.

“In the first two, three days, it wasn’t easy,” Sithole said. “I needed to pick myself up. I’m very proud of myself because I did.”

Maseko, who plays for South African club Mamelodi Sundowns, missed two big chances early in the match before scoring the winner.

The 22-year-old received the ball from a cross on the right side of the box — cut inside — and struck the ball low with his left foot through a defender’s legs and into the bottom corner.

South Africa’s bench players ran across the sideline to celebrate with Maseko for his first World Cup goal.

When the final whistle was blown, the bench stormed the field and the players embraced each other.

“(The final whistle) for me was a rush of emotions not only because we won the game, but also because it will probably be one of the last games of my career,” the 74-year-old Broos said. “When you can end a career in this way, I think every coach dreams of it.”

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo raised some eyebrows when he decided not to start Son Heung-min, and instead bring him in as a substitute. He said that he preferred to bring Son onto the field when the South African defenders were lower on energy.

“If I knew the result beforehand, I probably would have made some different choices.” Hong said. “On the world stage like this, the responsibility is ultimately down to the head coach.”

South Korea opened this World Cup with a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Czech Republic and lost to Mexico 1-0 in its second game. The Taegeuk Warriors could still advance in the tournament, pending the results of other games this week.

South Korea became the first Asian team to reach the knockout round in 2002, when it finished fourth overall. The Taegeuk Warriors also advanced out of the group stage in 2010 and 2022, both times reaching the round of 16.

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Maya Koluder-Ramirez is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Trump harangued GOP senators face to face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to a halt. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure.

Hours later, though, Cassidy was invited to receive a personal briefing on the war at the White House from Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff. Cassidy then returned to the Capitol to vote against a separate but nearly identical war powers resolution.

“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns,” said Cassidy, who lost reelection last month after Trump endorsed his opponent, in a post on X.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who has repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, voted present this time “to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace,” he said on X. The measure failed 47-50-1 just before midnight on Wednesday, and the Senate then left town for a two-week recess.

It's unclear whether the move will be enough to appease Trump, who had called the Republicans “losers" for voting against his war and had called Cassidy a “lunatic” at the lunch after their tense exchange. But the vote was a clear signal to the president from Republican senators who still want to placate him, despite increasing tensions in recent weeks and his decision Wednesday morning to reverse himself and delay signing a housing bill that received overwhelming bipartisan support.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and a small group of his Senate GOP colleagues called Trump after the vote. Thune told reporters that the president was “pleased with the outcome."

Trump later thanked Thune in a social media post and noted that Cassidy and Paul had switched their votes. “This vote puts Iran on notice!” he wrote.

The war powers measure blocked by the Senate on Wednesday was on a separate track from the nearly identical resolution adopted on Tuesday, which had also been passed by the House. Both votes were largely symbolic, and the measures do not carry the full force of law.

Cassidy had sharp words for Trump

Invited by Florida Sen. Rick Scott to speak at a GOP luncheon in the Capitol, Trump had signaled ahead of time that he would use the closed-door meeting to push senators to pass his proof-of-citizenship voting bill. But the conversation was more focused on Tuesday’s vote on war powers.

Most Republicans stayed quiet. But Cassidy stood up and defended his vote.

“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy told reporters after the meeting. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.”

The two men “went back and forth,” Cassidy said, and he “matched his tone and volume." Cassidy said that he eventually de-escalated, but he did not want to be bullied.

“I am voting for war powers until I get a briefing,” he said afterward.

Trump repeatedly told Cassidy to sit down, according to a person familiar with the private meeting who was not authorized to discuss it. At one point, the president called the senator a “lunatic."

Publicly, Trump said afterward that they had “a really great meeting." But he hinted at the discord.

“We like everyone in the room," Trump told reporters on his way out. "I don’t like a few people, but that’s OK.”

The luncheon capped weeks of friction between Trump and Senate Republicans and added a new layer of frustration as Tuesday's vote was the first time the Senate had adopted a war powers resolution on the Iran war. Trump made clear he was in no mood to compromise before it even started, calling off a scheduled signing ceremony on a housing bill that passed both chambers overwhelmingly this week and that GOP lawmakers were touting as an election-year achievement.

Trump reverses on housing bill

Republican senators were eager for a conciliatory meeting with the president after escalating tensions in recent weeks. But Trump upended their plans when he declared on social media just beforehand that he wouldn't sign the legislation until they send him the SAVE America Act, his bill to require proof of citizenship for all voters.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he doesn't know why Trump is holding the housing bill “hostage” for the voting bill that “will never pass in this Congress.”

“It makes no sense to me,” Tillis said as he walked into the luncheon.

Thune said the housing legislation, which aims to lower costs, is “an affordability issue,” and that ”eventually I hope he finds a way to sign it.”

It's unclear if Trump might veto the legislation or if the late Wednesday night vote will change his outlook. But by rejecting a public bill signing, Republicans worry that Trump is indicating a level of indifference to voters’ affordability concerns heading into November’s midterm elections.

Trump and Senate Republicans have been at odds

Trump's move on the housing bill is his latest reversal after weeks of being at odds with Senate Republicans.

Trump has blocked the Senate from confirming one of his own nominees, asked them to fund parts of his White House ballroom project despite opposition and forced them to defend the Iran war even as they question the strategy and endgame.

Trump has also helped whittle down his own support in the Senate after endorsing primary challengers to two GOP incumbents who were previously reliable votes for his agenda — Cassidy and Texas Sen. John Cornyn. Both men have become more critical of Trump since losing reelection.

“If we’re going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,” Cornyn said ahead of the meeting. “We’re not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.”

Trump pushes Thune on SAVE America Act

Trump has pressed Republicans for months to kill the Senate filibuster and focus on the proof-of-citizenship voting bill, even though Thune has repeatedly told him that neither has the votes.

While Thune remains popular in his conference and cordial with the president, he has spent much of his time lately telling Trump what he doesn’t want to hear. Thune said Tuesday that while Trump and some in their conference want to see the voting bill pass, “it’s just not realistic.”

Thune devoted weeks of floor time to the voting bill earlier this year and has said he supports it. But he has repeatedly said there aren’t enough votes to scrap the filibuster that triggers a 60-vote threshold to pass most bills in the 53-47 Senate. And Democrats are uniformly opposed to the bill.

“I think people at some point have to come to grips with that,” Thune said.

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Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

Oil prices fell more than $1, bringing them closer to where they were before the war with Iran started.

Qualcomm’s share price surged 12% in afterhours trading after the company announced it had raised its forecast for revenue this year to $40 billion from $22 billion. It also announced a new computer chip for data centers called Dragonfly C1000 CPU that Meta plans to use.

Micron Technology's shares jumped nearly 16% in afterhours trading after it upgraded its forecast and exceeded analysts' estimates.

In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index surged 4.1% to 71,995.59 as traders snapped up shares in technology companies. Chipmaker Tokyo Electron's shares gained 7.1%, while chip testing equipment maker Advantest's shares soared 13.4%.

South Korea's benchmark, the Kospi, hit a new record, surging 5.9% to 8,968.22. Samsung Electronics's shares gained 5.4% and SK Hynix leaped 11.6%.

Elsewhere in Asia, gains were more modest.

Taiwan's Taiex climbed 0.8% and the Sensex in India was up 0.6%.

The Shanghai Composite index picked up 0.4% to 4,125.76, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1.4% to 23,090.27.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 8,768.20.

On Wednesday, stocks wavered to a mixed close on Wall Street as losses for several tech giants including Microsoft weighed on the market. The S&P 500 fell 0.1% to 7,358.22. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is less weighted with tech stocks, rose 10.4% to 51,848.90.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 0.4%, to 25,476.64.

Microsoft lost 2.3% and Oracle slumped 4.6%.

Many large tech companies have been behind Wall Street’s record-setting run throughout the year, but analysts have warned their valuations may have become stretched.

Google’s parent company Alphabet slipped 0.2%. The company is replacing Verizon in the Dow on Monday. Its inclusion in the S&P 500 means more to investors, however, because 401(k) accounts are much more likely to include an S&P 500 index fund than anything tied to the Dow.

Alphabet will become the fifth Magnificent 7 tech company to join the Dow. The others are Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Nvidia.

Oil companies had some of the biggest losses as prices fell while the U.S. and Iran negotiate a possible end to their war. Exxon Mobil fell 2% and Chevron lost 2.6%. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 3.8% to $73.87 a barrel. It has been trading below $80 in recent days but is still above the roughly $70 per barrel it was trading at in late February before the war began.

U.S. crude prices fell 3.9% to $70.34 a barrel.

Early Thursday, Brent was down 1.3% at $72.90, while U.S. benchmark crude lost 1.4% to $69.37.

Some of the bigger winners on Wall Street included homebuilders following approval of legislation beneficial to the industry. KB Home surged 16.7% and D.R. Horton jumped 6.7%.

The Federal Reserve will get an update on inflation later Thursday, when its preferred measure for prices is released. Economists expect the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, or PCE, to show that prices rose 4.1% in May. That would be the highest level in three years.

The Fed is worried over inflation, which has been rising as tariffs raise costs for many goods. It worsened as the war pushed energy and shipping prices higher and that impact is expected to linger even as oil and gasoline prices fall.

In other dealings early Thursday, the U.S. dollar fell to 161.75 Japanese yen from 161.79 yen. The euro rose to $1.1368 from $1.1359.

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AP Business Writers Damian J. Troise and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

Annual day of Ashoura commemorations are observed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram in the lunar-based Islamic calendar. In Shiite communities, Ashoura is viewed as a symbol of struggle against injustice and tyranny.

This year, Muharram and Ashoura follow the war in Iran, where the population is overwhelmingly Shiite, and an interim deal to end it. In Lebanon, many Shiites have been marking Muharram after the devastation inflicted during the war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

“The gathering every year and the reaffirming of collective memory and collective grief allows every year for the story and the message to adapt to its current context,” said Noor Zehra Zaidi, an assistant professor of history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County who focuses on Shiite Islam.

A period of mourning, remembrance and deep resonance

Shiite Ashoura commemorations mark the death of Imam Hussein, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala, in present-day Iraq. He fought against the army of then Caliph Yazid, to whom Hussein had refused to pledge allegiance.

Hussein’s killing is seen as having cemented the schism between Sunnis and Shiites, which stems from the early days of Islam and arguments over Muhammad’s successors as caliph, or leader. The Shiites wanted the caliphate to descend through Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law and Hussein’s father.

To Shiites, who make up the second-largest branch of Islam after the Sunni majority, the killing holds deep religious and historical resonance and plays a key role in shaping identity.

Gatherings, processions and grief rituals

In the U.S., many Shiites of various racial and ethnic backgrounds gather for assemblies where they typically listen to recitations of the Quran, elegies, lamentations and lectures.

"In many communities, emotional lamentation and weeping are considered acts of devotion because they express solidarity with the suffering (of) the Prophet’s household,” Zaidi said.

U.S. communities embody a lot of the diversity of rituals seen across the Shiite world, she said.

“Our community comes to life. It pulsates with a beautiful group unity, where everybody comes together,” said Adam Almaleky in Michigan. “It’s a program of self-development, self-purification, gaining closeness to God through Hussein.”

In Texas, 23-year-old Sakina Ali attends the gatherings, which are also held in other parts of the world, with four generations of her family. “We learn and we mourn,” she said, adding the atmosphere gives her goose bumps.

Around the world, mourning rituals of Muharram and Ashoura can include rhythmic chest-thumping or beating in unison and public processions. Some Shiites self-flagellate and draw their own blood in public mourning practices that are controversial, fervently upheld by some while shunned or opposed by other Shiites.

In Iraq, pilgrims converge on the holy city of Karbala, site of the battle and home to a shrine to Hussein. Large volunteer service stations there feed pilgrims, Zaidi said, adding that distributing food and drink is one of the most universal practices.

“One of the remarkable enduring features of Ashoura commemorations is the way that rituals and communities reflect local cultures, traditions and languages while still remaining centered on Karbala,” she said.

Some donate blood

As part of the Texas team of Who is Hussain, a London-based charity with teams in dozens of cities around the world, Ali has been helping organize a blood drive during this year's Muharram commemorations.

“It’s to save lives. It’s to do good in the name of Hussein,” she said. “Since this is such an emotional time and the community is coming out from everywhere … the impact is much bigger.”

Hussein, she said, "sacrificed his life … for morality and for justice,” adding, “If he did all of that, I can do good in my community as well, following his example.”

These blood drives happen elsewhere in the U.S. and beyond. Mustafa Jafri’s mosque in New Jersey has been organizing them for many years.

“We do it really to honor Imam Hussein and his companions and his family,” said Jafri, a physician and a board director at Masjid-e-Ali. “He gave his blood to stand against injustice and so we resonate and want to give our blood to save lives.”

It’s a practical way, he said, to translate some of Hussein’s values into action and to give back. The drives, he said, often also attract some non-Muslims from the community to donate blood.

Zaidi said the blood drives are a more modern phenomenon in Shiite commemorations.

Many say they draw inspiration and lessons from Hussein’s legacy

Jafri said it’s a time to reflect on how to better oneself and on "tackling injustices that are all throughout the world.”

Almaleky, team leader with Who is Hussain in Michigan, said that from Hussein, “I learn altruism. I learn principle. I learn dedication."

Even following tragedy, he added, “we continue to draw energy as a community, and no matter how difficult this world becomes, it doesn’t compare in the difficulty that the family of Hussein ibn Ali faced and Hussein and his companions faced.”

___

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

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Wednesday morning he couldn’t rule out a trip to the injured list for Soto, who exited a 9-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs after the fourth inning Tuesday night because of a tight back and did not play Wednesday

Mendoza said Soto, who was shown on SNY wearing a wrap around his back in the dugout Tuesday, was “getting checked out” before Wednesday’s doubleheader, though he said following the opener that Soto hadn't undergone imaging yet.

Mendoza said Wednesday morning he hoped Soto could be available at some point in the day but acknowledged a level of concern for the superstar outfielder, who is in the second season of a 15-year, $765 million deal.

“We’ve got to wait,” Mendoza said. “Obviously not ideal when a player like him comes out of a game. Those guys are tough and they know how important they are, and they take pride on being in the lineup everyday and posting.

“I just didn’t like how he looked yesterday. We’ve got to wait.”

Soto’s injury may delay his reunion with Lindor, who was activated prior to Wednesday’s nightcap, when he went 0 for 5 with an error. The 32-year-old shortstop has been sidelined since suffering a strained left calf while running the bases against the Minnesota Twins on April 22 — the same day Soto returned from an 18-day stint on shelf due to a strained right calf.

Lindor played in his third rehab game Tuesday, when he was 2 for 5 while scoring twice for Triple-A Syracuse. He made the four-hour trip back to New York following the game, which factored into the Mets’ decision to hold off on activating him.

“My job is to play shortstop as best as I can and to be the best version of myself to help the guys and just feed off each other,” Lindor said.

Mendoza said the Mets will proceed cautiously with Lindor following the longest injured stint of his 12-year career. Lindor, who missed just 15 games the previous four years, will likely sit out Thursday’s game and will also see more time than usual at designated hitter.

Lindor and Soto have played just nine games together this season for the last-place Mets, who haven’t recovered from the 12-game losing streak they endured during Soto’s absence. New York, which hasn’t finished in last place since 2003, is nine games behind in the race for the final National League playoff spot.

“I’m just worried about Soto,” Mendoza said. “I’m not thinking about Lindor back, Soto out. It is what it is, right? Hopefully we can get those two in the lineup for a long time here for the rest of the season and we can make a run at it.”

Mendoza also announced beleaguered starter Kodai Senga has been shifted to the bullpen. Senga gave up seven runs over 3 2/3 innings Tuesday as his ERA rose to 10.08. He hasn’t earned a win since June 12, 2025, when he suffered a hamstring injury covering first base against the Washington Nationals.

Senga, a noted creature of habit, has made just one relief appearance for the Mets. He threw the final 1 2/3 innings of Game 6 of the 2024 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We’re going to adjust his routine, he’s going to have to adjust his routine,” Mendoza said.

___

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

News4JAX had Amber Milton capture the day in this photo gallery. Click through the images above to check out action from the day.

Swanson had a go-ahead RBI triple and four RBIs to cap the monster doubleheader and lead the Cubs to a sweep of the reeling New York Mets with a 10-5 win.

Swanson hit a three-run homer and a grand slam in the Cubs’ 10-3 victory in the opener. The 11 RBIs in a doubleheader are a franchise record, breaking the mark of 10 set by Hall of Famer Ron Santo on July 6, 1970.

The only other player in team history with a nine-RBI doubleheader is also a Hall of Famer — Billy Williams, who did it on Aug. 21, 1968.

“A dream come true, just being able to have your name next to those guys,” Swanson said. “It’s amazing and special.”

The 11 RBIs are tied for the third-most in a doubleheader. Nate Colbert had 13 RBIs for the San Diego Padres on Aug. 1, 1972, a mark equaled by the St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark Whiten on Sept. 7, 1993.

“Dansby had an incredible day of baseball offensively, for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s fun to see.”

Swanson also homered Tuesday night and has three homers and 15 RBIs in the first three games of the series, which is slated to conclude Thursday night.

The 15 RBIs are the most ever by a Cubs player in a series of four or fewer games since 1920, when the RBI became an official statistic, and are the most by a Chicago player in a series of any length since Kiki Cuyler, another Hall of Famer, had 15 RBIs in a five-game set in 1932.

The 15 RBIs over the last three games are also the most ever by a shortstop, breaking the mark of 14 RBIs set by Nomar Garciaparra with the Boston Red Sox from May 10-12, 1999. The only other Cubs player with at least 15 RBIs in a three-game span is Sammy Sosa, who had 16 RBIs from Aug. 10-12, 2002.

“I couldn’t tell you a game that I’ve had like this,” Swanson said. “It’s one that you honestly dream about.

“Just very, very grateful.”

The three-game surge snapped a lengthy slump for Swanson, who entered Tuesday hitting .178 with three homers and 14 RBIs in his last 48 games dating back to April 24. Swanson is batting just .202 with a .688 OPS this season — down considerably from his career marks of .251 and .732, respectively, entering 2026.

“You say process, process, process and stick to it, but every player is aware of how they’re producing and helping the team,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “He’s been so consistent and persistent. That doesn’t guarantee results, but man, does it feel good when those come through.”

Yet with 11 homers and 46 RBIs through 80 games, Swanson is more than halfway to his fifth 20-homer season and almost halfway to his career-high of 96 RBIs, set during his final season with the Atlanta Braves in 2022.

“That’s why the game sometimes, like, drives you crazy,” Counsell said. “Because if you probably look at Dansby’s season right now, it’s kind of a normal season for Dansby. Maybe the batting average is a little bit low, but probably all the other numbers are right around where he’s been the last couple years. It’s just been peaks and valleys for him.

“The good times, you’ve got to take advantage of them. And when you have days like that and you’re kind of the primary driver of offense, that’s going to win your team games.”

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

For the past month and a half, due to life circumstances, the 54-year-old has been living in her car, surrounded by clothes, blankets, and the two things she says matter most: a framed photo of her son, and a box of his ashes.

“My baby comes with me everywhere,” Higgins said.

Higgins is the mother of Anthony Elrod, the 25-year-old worker who died May 9 at BAE Systems, an international ship repair company with a shipyard in Jacksonville. She says she hasn’t heard from the company about what happened to her son. Higgins was living in her car prior to Anthony’s death.

A mother still searching for answers

Elrod was working on a self-propelled modular transporter when he died. Higgins says a coworker who was nearby that day described what happened.

“He was crying. He was crying. ‘What’s on my chest? What’s on my chest?’” Higgins recalled. “And apparently the rim had hit him on his chest and his abdomen.”

She says she still doesn’t know her son’s official cause of death — and BAE Systems has not reached out to her.

“I just want him. And I can’t have my baby back,” she said.

Senator Sanders weighs in

Elrod’s death drew national attention when U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote a letter to BAE Systems CEO Tom Arsenault on June 12. In it, Sanders accused the company of “negligence” and said Anthony was “forced to work a job that he was not properly trained to do.”

Sanders also accused BAE of trying to bust a union that Jacksonville workers were attempting to form, allegedly by laying off up to 200 employees.

RELATED: BAE Systems lays off nearly 200 Jacksonville workers

BAE Systems strongly denied those accusations, calling Sanders’ claims “inaccurate.” In a statement, the company said: “We are concerned that drawing conclusions at this stage, while the investigation continues, does a disservice to the people involved with this tragic accident.”

The company opened a $250 million shiplift at its Jacksonville shipyard last year, a facility designed to lift vessels out of the water for repair work.

‘I’m 54, living in my car’

Higgins says she she didn’t see her son often, but she loved him. She was hospitalized last week after she couldn’t stop vomiting. She keeps some of her belongings in a storage unit and stays in a motel when she cans, but says she often feels hopeless.

“I’m 54,” she said. “Living in my car.”

Still, she keeps her son close. She takes his ashes with her wherever she goes.

“Whenever I can get a room. In the car — we eat, we sleep, we talk to each other,” she said.

Her one request of BAE Systems is simple.

“I want to know what’s going on. I want to know why it blew. Why it was his time to go,” she said.

Democratic leaders aren't so sure that's a good thing.

As progressives cheered across the nation, some of the most powerful Democrats in the country, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, downplayed the impact of Mamdani's victories on Tuesday, when the 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor's slate of congressional candidates defeated three establishment favorites — including two incumbents — in primary contests. He had even more victories in state legislative races, where he successfully backed five other candidates.

It was a stunning sweep for Mamdani, just six months into his first term, that will expand his influence in Washington and Albany. The mayor said Wednesday that he hopes to export his policies and politics to other states, while demanding major changes across the Democratic Party.

“Working people are struggling across the country," Mamdani said. He added that he hopes to help “write a new chapter in our party’s history, where working people are back at the heart of that struggle. And I I believe that will be key in not just the midterms coming up in November, but also in the years to come."

The mixed reaction from Democratic leaders as they grappled with the fallout from Mamdani's success exposed the depth of the divide between the party’s progressive and establishment wings, who are at odds over how Democrats should govern — and how to win elections — over the final two years of the Donald Trump presidency.

Indeed, Democrats hope to avoid an all-out intraparty civil war ahead of the November midterms, especially with Republicans fighting amongst themselves over Trump's war in Iran, how to address the affordability crunch and the president's costly efforts to build a massive White House ballroom.

Democrats aren't sure which direction to take

The Mamdani resistance from senior Democrats was not subtle.

“The effort to nationalize New York is going to fail,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. “What’s happening in New York will be really irrelevant by the time of the elections in November.”

Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas, a vice chair of the New Democrat Coalition, was similarly dismissive, saying progressives were playing checkers while moderates were playing chess.

“No one in DSA is trying to win in a red-to-blue seat, or in a tough general election matchup,” Veasey said, referring to democratic socialist candidates.

Democrats' left flank said the party's latest nominees should be welcomed with open arms.

“What I would like to see, and what I think would be actually productive and beneficial, is a congratulations to these people, a commitment to welcome them in, to understanding the perspectives that they bring,” said Rep. Summer Lee, a 38-year-old progressive from Pennsylvania.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who campaigned alongside Mamdani and his allies last week, said New York's results sent a clear message.

“The American people, in New York and increasingly all over the country, are sick and tired of status quo establishment politics,” he said. “I think you’re gonna continue to see it.”

Trump saw an opportunity to stir the pot from the Oval Office, telling reporters that the Democrats were “going radical left” and Mamdani's choices are “really communist.”

He marveled at the defeat of Rep. Dan Goldman, a former top lawyer during Democrats' first impeachment of Trump. Goldman was defeated by Brad Lander, an ally of Mamdani.

“When they go more liberal than Dan Goldman, they’re really into Never Neverland,” he said.

‘Voters are just pissed off’

Mamdani backed three anti-establishment congressional challengers in a political gamble that his own team acknowledged was risky. He won them all.

Goldman, a two-term incumbent, was swiftly defeated by Lander, a former city comptroller.

U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was toppled by Mamdani’s most polarizing pick, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.

Antonio Reynoso, the handpicked successor of U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, lost to another democratic socialist, Assembly Member Claire Valdez.

The entire Mamdani slate promised to “abolish ICE,” condemned Israel's “genocide” in Gaza and vowed to “tax the rich."

“Voters are just pissed off," Lander said in an interview. "They want people who show who they’re fighting for, and really get out and fight for things that matter in the lives of working people.”

Cheering the extent of Mamdani's success, progressive leaders called on the Democratic Party's leadership in Washington — and its next crop of presidential candidates — to adopt meaningful changes in the weeks and months ahead.

Indeed, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a potential presidential candidate, said it would be “silly” for his party not to draw meaningful conclusions from New York's results.

“The voters are clearly telling us they want us to be bolder — bolder in the policies we’re proposing and bolder in the tactics we use to fight authoritarians," he said.

And yet the Mamdani critics within the party were not hard to find.

Jeffries, who is in line to become the next House speaker if Democrats win the House majority this fall, reiterated his opposition to Mamdani’s slate in repeated interviews and media appearances.

“He’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward,” Jeffries, the No. 1 House Democrat jabbed, even as he said they have a good working relationship.

Republicans are paying attention

Giddy House Republican operatives vowed to weaponize Mamdani and his slate to undercut the Democratic brand in competitive midterm elections across the country, while other Republican officials warned their party to pay attention to this pivotal moment in the nation's politics.

“Republicans need to wake up. What we saw last night in New York can only be called one thing: a socialist uprising sweeping the Democrat Party,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio. “If Republicans don’t act now, we will lose this country as we know it.”

Meanwhile, Trump seemed to worry more about Mamdani’s growing national profile than his democratic socialist policies.

“Mayor Mamdani pulled through 3 solid Communists, and has received loud and universal applause from the Fake News Media. Congratulations Mr. Mayor!” the Republican president wrote on social media. “I went 16-0 last night, helping to elect wonderful American Patriots, and the Media doesn’t say a word.”

Meanwhile, Mamdani dismissed broader concerns that his success would undermine the Democratic Party's fight to win control of Congress this fall.

“We’ve heard from Republicans time and again that they’re going to try and make these candidates the face of the Democratic Party. To them, I say that we are ready for that," he said. “For far too long we have been told that it is not possible to fight for working people and win. These candidates have shown that they can.”

And yet some Democrats were clear-eyed about the work that lies ahead to bring the party together as new divisions flared in the wake of Mamdani's success.

“We have to respect the voters. They made their decision,” said Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont.

“The challenge that we have,” he continued, “is to build the different points of view together, all in service of helping people who are struggling to pay their bills to get more economic security. The challenge of unity is enormous. But that’s our challenge.”

___

Brown reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Steven Sloan contributed to this report.

Trump harangued GOP senators face to face earlier in the day for allowing a vote to block his war in Iran on Tuesday, further escalating a feud that has diverted GOP efforts to focus on election-year affordability issues and brought much of the chamber’s business to a halt. He exchanged particularly harsh words with Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure.

Hours later, though, Cassidy received a personal briefing on the war at the White House from Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff and returned to the Capitol to vote against a separate war powers resolution. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who has repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, voted present this time “to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace,” he said on X. The measure failed 47-50-1.

“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns,” said Cassidy, who lost reelection last month after Trump endorsed his opponent, in a post on X.

It's unclear whether the move will be enough to appease Trump, who had called the Republicans “losers" for voting against his war and had called Cassidy a “lunatic” at the lunch after their tense exchange. But the vote was a clear signal to the president from Republican senators who still want to placate him, despite increasing tensions in recent weeks and his decision Wednesday morning to reverse himself and delay signing a housing bill that received overwhelming bipartisan support.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and a small group of his Senate GOP colleagues called Trump after the vote. Thune said the president was “pleased with the outcome."

Trump later thanked Thune in a social media post and noted that Cassidy and Paul had switched their votes. “This vote puts Iran on notice!” he wrote.

Cassidy had sharp words for Trump

Invited by Florida Sen. Rick Scott to speak at a GOP luncheon in the Capitol, Trump had signaled ahead of time that he would use the closed-door meeting to push senators to pass his proof-of-citizenship voting bill. But the conversation was more focused on Tuesday’s vote on war powers, a mostly symbolic measure that allows Congress to rebuke the administration’s military actions. The House had passed its own version of the resolution earlier this month.

Most Republicans stayed quiet. But Cassidy, who lost reelection in his primary last month after Trump endorsed an opponent, stood up and defended his vote.

“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy told reporters after the meeting. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.”

The two men “went back and forth,” Cassidy said, and he “matched his tone and volume." Cassidy said that he eventually de-escalated, but he did not want to be bullied.

“I am voting for war powers until I get a briefing,” he said afterward.

Trump repeatedly told Cassidy to sit down, according to a person familiar with the private meeting who was not authorized to discuss it. At one point, the president called the senator a “lunatic."

Publicly, Trump said afterward that they had “a really great meeting." But he hinted at the discord.

“We like everyone in the room," Trump told reporters on his way out. "I don’t like a few people, but that’s OK.”

The luncheon capped weeks of friction between Trump and Senate Republicans and added a new layer of frustration as Tuesday's vote was the first time the Senate had adopted a war powers resolution on the Iran war. Trump made clear he was in no mood to compromise before it even started, calling off a scheduled signing ceremony on a housing bill that passed both chambers overwhelmingly this week and that GOP lawmakers were touting as an election-year achievement.

Trump reverses on housing bill

Republican senators were eager for a conciliatory meeting with the president after escalating tensions in recent weeks. But Trump upended their plans when he declared on social media just beforehand that he wouldn't sign the legislation until they send him the SAVE America Act, his bill to require proof of citizenship for all voters.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he doesn't know why Trump is holding the housing bill “hostage” for the voting bill that “will never pass in this Congress.”

“It makes no sense to me,” Tillis said as he walked into the luncheon.

Thune said the housing legislation, which aims to lower costs, is “an affordability issue,” and that ”eventually I hope he finds a way to sign it.”

It's unclear if Trump might veto the legislation or if the late Wednesday night vote will change his outlook. But by rejecting a public bill signing, Republicans worry that Trump is indicating a level of indifference to voters’ affordability concerns heading into November’s midterm elections.

Trump and Senate Republicans have been at odds

Trump's move on the housing bill is his latest reversal after weeks of being at odds with Senate Republicans.

Trump has blocked the Senate from confirming one of his own nominees, asked them to fund parts of his White House ballroom project despite opposition and forced them to defend the Iran war even as they question the strategy and endgame.

Trump has also helped whittle down his own support in the Senate after endorsing primary challengers to two GOP incumbents who were previously reliable votes for his agenda — Cassidy and Texas Sen. John Cornyn. Both men have become more critical of Trump since losing reelection.

“If we’re going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,” Cornyn said ahead of the meeting. “We’re not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.”

Trump pushes Thune on SAVE America Act

Trump has pressed Republicans for months to kill the Senate filibuster and focus on the proof-of-citizenship voting bill, even though Thune has repeatedly told him that neither has the votes.

While Thune remains popular in his conference and cordial with the president, he has spent much of his time lately telling Trump what he doesn’t want to hear. Thune said Tuesday that while Trump and some in their conference want to see the voting bill pass, “it’s just not realistic.”

Thune devoted weeks of floor time to the voting bill earlier this year and has said he supports it. But he has repeatedly said there aren’t enough votes to scrap the filibuster that triggers a 60-vote threshold to pass most bills in the 53-47 Senate. And Democrats are uniformly opposed to the bill.

“I think people at some point have to come to grips with that,” Thune said.

___

Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

Ashoura commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D. Imam Hussein was killed with his family and companions after refusing to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate.

The event cemented the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam and remains a powerful symbol of resistance against oppression and injustice.

This year, Ashoura comes after months of war in Iran and Lebanon, homes to two of the world’s largest Shiite populations. Iran and the U.S. this week launched talks aimed at finalizing a fragile ceasefire agreement.

On the first day of the war on Feb. 28, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. The 86-year-old Khamenei was not just Iran’s top political leader. He also had a final say on all religious matters and was revered by millions of Shiites worldwide. Ashoura comes just days before his funeral procession.

The war also spilled over into Lebanon, where Iran’s key ally, the Hezbollah militant group, has been battling Israeli troops for months.

Hezbollah entered the fighting days into the war by firing rockets into northern Israel in solidarity with Tehran. That sparked widespread Israeli aerial bombardment and ground invasion that decimated large swaths of predominantly Shiite areas in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Ashoura comes as many of the more than one million displaced Lebanese people are trying to return to their villages in southern Lebanon. Cities and towns had held sermons and events in the buildup to the holy day surrounded by buildings reduced to rubble and ruins.

Ashoura is the holiest day on the Shiite calendar, marked by traditional mourning rituals that include chest-beating, elegies, and lamentations. It is held on the 10th day of the month of Muharram.

Families in the Lebanese coastal city of Tyre who lost relatives fighting with Hezbollah or working as paramedics wept during a sermon on the third day of Muharram. A cleric, who sat between portraits of current Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem, compared the struggles the modern-day leaders faced in the war to that of Hussein and his companions in Karbala.

Banners in red and black bearing Hussein’s name were hung on every street.

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, many flocked to the grave of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in September 2024.

Elsewhere, Pakistan deployed thousands of police and paramilitary personnel across the country following intelligence reports warning of possible militant attacks on Shiite Muslims, a minority in the predominantly Sunni country.

Although most Sunnis and Shiites live peacefully alongside one another, militant groups have repeatedly targeted Shiite communities, mosques, and religious gatherings in sectarian attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives.

As members of Pakistan’s Shiite minority prepare to take part in mourning processions, mobile phone services in some areas are expected to be suspended temporarily to help prevent attacks.

“Imam Hussein is a symbol of the highest struggle and sacrifice,” said Saadia Shah, 33, as she entered a congregation hall in the eastern city of Lahore with her two children. “His name gives us the courage to stand up to tyranny, to say what is right and oppose what is wrong.”

—

Associated Press journalist Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

The poll, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in February, highlights the obstacle course that U.S. adults navigate daily as they screen calls, ignore messages or try to puzzle out if that urgent request from their cellphone provider is legitimate.

A separate survey conducted by Gallup and the Stop Scams Alliance that was provided exclusively to the AP found that last year alone, about 1 in 10 U.S. adults said they or someone else from their household was deceived by a scammer into losing money or providing access to a financial account, with nearly half saying they lost more than $500.

That leaves many Americans feeling like they’re constantly at risk of falling for a scam, often without a sense of recourse. In both surveys, few victims said they reported the scam to the federal government or local law enforcement. Many victims didn't report the scam, Gallup found, because they didn't think it would make a difference in getting money back.

“You've got to be pretty sophisticated these days,” said Adam Pratter, 42. He has run into problems on dating apps — and once ended up sending money to a person who claimed they were overseas because of a military deployment and needed money to buy food. He realized it was a scam when the requests didn't stop.

Pratter thinks banks and social media companies have a responsibility to help people who have been scammed, but also believes the government needs to do more.

“If federal regulation wanted to step in and make deals with these companies to get these people their money back, they could,” he said.

For many Americans, scam attempts are constant

Americans are flooded with scam attempts, according to both surveys. More than half, 58%, of U.S. adults in the AP-NORC poll said they receive daily text messages, phone calls, emails, online messages or online advertisements that they suspect are scams, while the Gallup survey found last year that about 4 in 10 experienced attempted scams on a daily basis.

Porschel Smith, 22, gets multiple scam calls every day, and receives even more scam emails. Some of the scams are easy for her to identify. “They mention different types of programs that I know are nonexistent,” she said.

But sometimes she ends up engaging with the scammer before realizing that something is wrong. “Some of them hack your account and pretend as if they're someone that you know,” she said. “But then I get to asking questions and realize they're scams.”

Older people are more likely to say they receive scam attempts daily, according to the AP-NORC poll. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults ages 60 and older say they are contacted by a suspected scammer at least once a day, compared to about 4 in 10 Americans under 30.

Among those who have received suspected scam attempts, the AP-NORC poll found that outreach involving package shipments or banking were among the most common methods. About 4 in 10 people who were contacted by scammers say at least one of the attempts they received over the past few years were through Facebook or Facebook Messenger, while about 2 in 10 said they were on WhatsApp, and a similar share said they were on Instagram.

Around 30% of US adults say they've been scammed personally

The impact of scams is far-reaching. About half, 51%, of U.S. adults know someone personally — such as a friend or family member — who has ever lost money as the result of a scam, the AP-NORC poll found, while about 3 in 10 U.S. adults say they have personally been scammed into giving away money or personal information.

The Gallup survey found that about 1 in 10 U.S. adults said they or a member of their household was scammed out of money in 2025, with 6% saying they had been personally scammed.

About half of people whose household experienced scams last year reported losing between $125 and $2,000, according to Gallup.

About 1 in 10 U.S. adults have been scammed multiple times, Gallup found.

“It's not easy. They know what they're doing," said Towonna Harris, 50. Her son was once contacted by scammers who promised to give him money for tuition if he authorized a nominal credit card charge, which quickly spiraled into a much bigger set of charges.

She's experienced other kinds of scams on a smaller scale, too. “I ordered some stuff. I never got it,” she said. “I thought it was a legitimate company. And then I saw all these reviews saying it was a scam.”

Few scam victims report to law enforcement

Virtually all U.S. adults believe that scams pose a “major” or “minor” threat to individuals in the U.S., but few think the government is doing enough to solve the problem. About 8 in 10 Americans say the government is “definitely” or “probably” doing too little to prevent scams, according to the Gallup survey, including large majorities of Republicans and Democrats.

When people are scammed, both surveys found that victims are much likelier to reach out to financial institutions than the federal government or local law enforcement. About half, 55%, of people who were scammed last year reported to a bank, credit union or other financial institution, the Gallup poll found, but only 18% contacted state or local law enforcement, while 13% reported to either federal law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.

Many victims don't make a report because they don't think it will help, or don't know where to go, Gallup found. Among people who were scammed in 2025, 75% said they didn't report because they thought it wouldn't make a difference in getting their money back, while 58% were uncertain where to report.

More broadly, Americans express very low confidence that they'd know how to report a scam to the government if they needed to. According to the AP-NORC poll, most Americans, 55%, say they are “extremely” or “very” confident that if they were scammed, they’d know how to report it to banks or credit card companies, but only about one-quarter are similarly confident that they’d know how to report to federal or state law enforcement.

Only about one-third of U.S. adults said they would know where to make a report if they lost $5,000 in a scam today, Gallup found.

Max Anderson, 23, said that his parents are small business owners who were the victims of a costly and complex scam. “A scammer successfully imitated one of their employees and changed their direct deposit information. This went on for about 3 months. It went to $15,000,” he said.

Eventually, Anderson's father got help from the FBI, he said.

“I do like that the government stepped in with my parents, and I feel like that's the way it should be,” he said. “It's a big enough problem at this point that it falls to the government and companies to do something about it.”

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Associated Press reporters Mary Rajkumar, Juliet Linderman and Erika Kinetz contributed to this report. Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism student Molly Wallace contributed to this report.

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The AP-NORC poll of 1,133 adults was conducted Feb. 19-23 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.

The Stop Scams Alliance-Gallup poll of 5,173 adults was conducted Jan. 8-Feb. 18 using a sample drawn from Gallup's probability-based Gallup Panel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.

Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke for the 1992 stabbing death of his wife Karen.

If carried out, this would be Florida’s ninth execution to date this year following a record 19 executions in 2025. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The previous record was set in 2014 with eight executions.

Court records show Spencer was arrested after choking and threatening to kill Karen Spencer in December 1991. While in jail, Dusty Ray Spencer called his wife and warned her that when he got out, he was going to finish what he started.

On Jan. 18, 1992, Spencer beat his wife's teenage son with a clothes iron when the boy tried to stop Spencer from attacking his mother, officials said. Then about a week later, the son responded to a commotion outside their home and found Spencer hitting his mother in the head with a brick, according to officials.

Court records show the teen tried to shoot Spencer with a rifle, but the gun misfired. Spencer threatened the teen with a knife, and the boy ran away to get help. When police arrived, they found Karen Spencer dead with several stab wounds to the chest.

Spencer was initially sentenced to death in 1992 after being convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated battery. In 1994, the Florida Supreme Court ordered a new sentencing after finding that the trial court had mishandled evaluating aggravating and mitigating circumstances. Spencer was resentenced to death the next year, and subsequent appeals have been denied.

Last week, the state Supreme Court rejected Spencer's appeals. His attorneys had argued that he has health issues such as liver disease that pose a heightened risk of pain and suffering and argued that executing him at his advanced age would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

A final appeal was still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for second with five executions each.

Another execution is scheduled in Florida for July 14. Dennis Sochor, 74, was convicted of killing a woman just hours into 1982 after meeting her at a New Year’s Eve party.

All Florida executions are carried out by lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

Jones, a 2022 graduate at Fletcher, had an excellent season with the Seminoles and played himself into the draft conversation. He was the 54^th overall pick, and the first selection from a Gateway Conference program since James Collins went to the Clippers at pick No. 36 in 1997. Collins also played at Florida State after a career that ended with a Mr. Basketball selection at Jackson.

Jones’ arc was far more subtle. He spent his freshman season at Tarleton State before going to Barton Community College as a sophomore, where he thrived. Then came a stop at St. Bonaventure, where he averaged 10.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game as a junior. From there, James transferred to Florida State, where he averaged 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds a game for the Seminoles.

The 6-7 guard can shoot it from 3 (33% last season) and drive to the basket.

Area players selected in the NBA draft

Player, Local tie, NBA team, Round, Pick, Year

Kwame Brown, Glynn Academy, Washington Wizards, 1, 1, 2001

Roger Strickland, Bishop Kenny/JU, LA Lakers, 1, 7, 1963

Dee Brown, Bolles/JU, Boston Celtics, 1, 19, 1990

Grayson Allen, Providence, Utah Jazz, 1, 21, 2018

Udoka Azubuike, Potter’s House, Utah Jazz, 1, 27, 2020

Truck Robinson, Raines, Washington Bullets, 2, 22, 1974

James Collins, Jackson, LA Clippers, 2, 36, 1997

Norris Coleman, Paxon, LA Clippers, 2, 38, 1988

Otis Smith, Forrest/JU, Denver Nuggets, 2, 41, 1986

Lajae Jones, Fletcher, Golden State Warriors, 2, 54, 2026

* Was selected in fourth round of 1962 draft by Boston but did not sign

No injuries were reported in the fire, but the home is a total loss. At one point, the blaze burned so intensely that firefighters had to evacuate the two neighboring homes. Residents say the community’s lack of fire hydrants made a bad situation worse.

“The number one fear of anybody is fire,” said neighbor Edward Raffaniello. “Hurricanes, storm damage — you can rebuild. Fire destroys everything.”

Firefighters Struggled to Find Water

Residents say the nearest fire hydrant to the home is roughly two blocks away. A drive from the fire scene revealed only one hydrant in the surrounding area.

Raffaniello said firefighters on the scene were visibly frustrated. “Our neighbors fortunately got out of the house, but the firemen were struggling to put water on it because of the lack of fire hydrants out here,” he said. “I won’t repeat some of the language they were using, but they were not happy with not having water pressure.”

Resident Jon Hunt, who started the petition, said the fire revealed a vulnerability many neighbors had overlooked. “We all knew that we didn’t have fire hydrants in this area,” Hunt said. “I don’t think any of us realized the impact a fire would have and how difficult it would be for the fire department to get water on the flames.”

Hunt added that firefighters had to travel far just to access water — and even then, the pressure fell short. “What we heard from firemen on the scene indirectly was that they were very frustrated that they had to go so far to get water. And then when they got here, the pressure was so poor, they were ineffective in putting water on the flames.”

County Says Infrastructure Predates Current Standards

St. Johns County’s Utility Department responded to a request for comment with a written statement:

The St. Johns County Utility Department has received several inquiries from residents regarding fire protection in the Vilano Beach and Porpoise Point area following the residential fire on June 16.

The water infrastructure serving this community was constructed prior to current County standards, which require fire hydrants to be installed at intervals of no more than 660 feet. In addition, the County recently acquired the area’s water system from a private utility operator.

The existing water lines in the area are smaller than those typically needed to support fire hydrants and do not have the capacity to deliver the large volumes of water required for firefighting operations.

In response to community concerns, the Utility Department is evaluating the existing water system and conducting an engineering analysis to identify potential infrastructure improvements that could enhance fire protection capabilities in the future.

The engineering analysis is expected to be completed within approximately six weeks. Upon completion, the Utility Department will share its findings and recommendations with area residents.

St. Johns County Utility Department

Residents say that response has not been enough. Raffaniello noted that the community runs on wells, septic tanks, and private utility connections. He believes that impact fees collected in the area have not been reinvested locally.

“We may have a million dollars plus out here in impact fees, but it hasn’t been spent out here,” he said. “All we’re asking for is the basic needs of fire hydrants.”

Residents Want Answers — and a Timeline

Both Hunt and Raffaniello say they have yet to receive direct communication from the county beyond the public statement.

“I just wish we’d at least get an acknowledgement — hey, we got your email, we’ll get back with you,” Raffaniello said. “We haven’t gotten anything. Are they just forgetting us again? Are they gonna wait until somebody dies in a fire before they do something?”

Hunt echoed that frustration, saying the community needs a clear plan.

“We just need more support out here, and I’m sure the county wants to do that, but we haven’t heard much from them about how and when that process will begin.”

The petition has more than 200 signatures. Neighbors plan to bring it before the St. Johns County Commission in the near future.

He clearly didn't listen.

Vinicius has four goals now in this tournament — only Lionel Messi, with five, has more — and the flashy Brazilian got two on Wednesday night in his team's 3-0 win over Scotland.

“Faith that I was going to improve, for the talent that I have … I was sure that at the right moment I would shine again with the Brazilian team shirt,” Vinícius said.

He wasn't wrong and is tied for second with France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, right behind Messi.

“Nothing is better than going back to the World Cup, to the place where I always dreamed of being,” Vinicius said. “To be able to represent my family, to be able to represent a country as important as Brazil, I believe that there is nothing better.”

He also became the fifth member of an exclusive club of Brazilians to score in all three group stage games, and the first to do so since Ronaldo and Rivaldo both did so in 2002.

“There were always times when I couldn’t show my football,” Vinícius said. “It brings a certain relief."

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti coached Vinícius at Real Madrid from 2021 to 2025. While guiding Vinícius to global stardom along the way, Ancelotti — who Vinícius calls the best coach in the world — won two Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey in that span.

And while wearing Brazil colors for Ancelotti, Vinícius has been completely reinvigorated. In 39 games for Brazil under previous coaches, Vinícius netted just six goals. In just 13 under Ancelotti, he has scored seven.

“I had no question in my mind of how far or well he’d come to this World Cup,” Ancelotti said. “It makes him happy to play for the national team. He’s doing a brilliant job.”

After his goal against Haiti in Brazil’s second World Cup game, Vinícius joked that he needs to listen to Ancelotti more.

“For sure when we get to the dressing room, he’ll say he knows a lot about football,” he said.

But so does Vinícius. And he promises to get even better.

“I will also evolve and improve in the competition,” he said. “And the hope only increases between us, between our fans and between our family.”

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Zach Pascuzzi is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Just hours after refusing to sign a bipartisan housing bill that Republicans hoped would boost their election-year prospects, the president was attending a private lunch Wednesday with the Senate GOP. Trump wondered aloud how anyone could have voted for a war powers resolution a day earlier that seeks to block further U.S. military action against Iran.

Cassidy, one of the four Republicans who backed the measure, was ready with an answer.

“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what's going on,'” Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, recounted to reporters afterward. “This is supposed to last four weeks. It's lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.”

Things deteriorated from there.

When Cassidy told Trump he would continue voting for war powers resolutions until there's a congressional briefing on developments in Iran, the senator recalled that Trump “did not particularly care for my comments” and “raised his voice.”

Trump repeatedly told Cassidy to sit down, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private meeting. At one point, the president called the senator a “lunatic," the person said.

Cassidy acknowledged losing his temper, which he said was “not appropriate.”

“But I again matched his tone and volume," Cassidy said, before recalling that he eventually sat down. “And so I sat down and tried to de-escalate. I guess my point is, though, that the American people need to know more than we're being told.”

Within hours, Cassidy was invited to the White House to receive the briefing he had requested with Vice President JD Vance and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. Cassidy then stood down, returning to the Capitol and casting a late-night vote against a similar war powers resolution. This time, Republicans blocked the measure.

“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran,” Cassidy posted on X. “I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.”

A remarkable exchange between a GOP senator and Trump

Still, the back-and-forth was a remarkable exchange between a two-term Republican senator and a president from his own party. It's a departure from the posture many congressional Republicans have adopted during Trump's second term as they mostly avoid criticizing him in public while expressing frustration in private.

And the comments reflected the growing unease among congressional Republicans about the durability of their thin majorities on Capitol Hill in this year's elections, particularly in the turmoil of the Iran war. And it reflected the long-festering enmity between Trump and Cassidy that came to a head this year.

Trump effectively ended Cassidy's political career by backing a Republican rival in Louisiana's Republican primary. Cassidy last month became the first incumbent senator in 14 years to lose a primary, driven largely by his vote to convict Trump in the impeachment trial for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Cassidy said Trump brought up his election defeat as they argued. He described the president's comments as part of “whatever comes to mind as to demean another person.”

Before his losing the primary, Cassidy spent much of his time trying to make amends, largely supporting the president's policies and nominees. He has taken a tougher stance since losing his primary, freed from having to face Republican voters who remain loyal to Trump.

“It does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of (the Iran war) is going the way that we were told,” Cassidy said. “And so I make no apologies for standing up to the president, if you will, trying to demand that more information be shared with the Senate, and more information be shared with the American people.”

Republicans try to play down the episode

Cassidy's colleagues didn't offer robust support, with Trump in the room, though Cassidy said they didn't have much of a chance.

“The president just kind of talked and talked and talked and talked and talked,” Cassidy said.

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment on Cassidy’s characterization of the meeting and some Republicans tried to play down the clash.

“Y'all act like no one ever yelled at each other,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, told reporters.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican and former college football coach, described the encounter as “halftime talk” in the aftermath of the senator's defeat.

“Probably needed to be said, end of the day,” he said. “I think they got a lot of — both of them — got a lot off their chests.”

Others noted dryly that the meeting had been advertised as a chance for Trump and the Republicans to get on the same page.

“That was quite a unity message,” said Sen. John Cornyn, the Texas Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger just weeks after Cassidy.

Asked if he was being sarcastic, Cornyn stepped into an elevator and let the doors close.

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Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes roiled the region, with buildings evacuated in cities as far away as Brazil’s Amazon, about 1,700 kilometers (1,050 miles) from Caracas.

In a brief address to the nation late Wednesday, acting President Delcy Rodríguez said the earthquakes caused damages in several states, but she did not give any figures on the number of homes and buildings affected, or on injuries or fatalities.

The earthquakes damaged the country’s main airport, Simón Bolívar International Airport, severely enough to lead to its closure, she said, adding that classes were being canceled for several days.

“We urge our population to remain calm,” Rodríguez said. “We urge unity.”

Rodríguez also asked all health care professionals in the country to report to hospitals to assist anyone who was injured. The Ministry of Education late Wednesday said some schools would be used as shelters and donation centers.

In the coastal state of Falcon, Gov. Víctor Clark said 32 people had been hospitalized and more than four hours after the earthquake there were still 15 people trapped.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially said the first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, later revising that to 7.2. Its epicenter was west of the community of Morón, located along the country’s Caribbean coast, about 168 kilometers (104 miles) west of Caracas. The quake had a depth of 22 kilometers (13.6 miles).

The USGS reported an even larger 7.5-magnitude earthquake just a minute later. The second quake had a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and its epicenter was 16 kilometers (10 miles) southwest of Morón.

The quakes, among the strongest to strike Venezuela in more than a century, struck shortly after 6 p.m. People evacuated swaying buildings in the capital Caracas, many visibly shocked as they saw entire walls that had collapsed, making furniture visible from the street. Dust columns could also be seen in two neighborhoods of the capital, where restaurants and other businesses are typically busy.

‘We all had to leave our houses'

People remained on the streets for hours, even after sunset. Some sat on the ground hugging their pets as dust gathered around them. Collapsed buildings, toppled electric poles and debris blocked streets. Parts of the capital lost power and cellphone signal.

“It started off gently and then gradually grew, and in the end, we all had to leave our houses, go outside and gather together,” Caracas resident Hector Ricci said.

Rodríguez, who declared a state of emergency, said subway and natural gas services in Caracas were canceled. She also urged Venezuelans to report any damages through a government app.

The lack of cellphone signal in parts of Venezuela deepened the distress of many families, particularly those among the more than 7.7 million people who have left the country during its protracted crisis.

Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado, in exile after leaving Venezuela in December, took to X to send prayers and wish strength to Venezuelans.

“May strength, serenity, and solidarity prevail among us in the face of this difficult time,” she said on X.

Impact felt throughout Venezuela

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the quake could be felt in several states. The Altamira neighborhood in Caracas had “alarming situations” with collapsed homes and buildings, he said, suggesting people were injured in the earthquake and asking motorists to give way to ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

“We understand that some people may be desperate, but we are acting according to protocols to activate aid and rescue efforts to help those who need it most,” Cabello said on state television. “Be very careful with children and the elderly; call each other and check that no one has been harmed.”

He also urged people to remain outside as aftershocks could further damage some structures.

“The building really shook from side to side. Unreal. The force was incredibly strong,” Caracas resident Roberto Gamas said. “We were walking and it was tossing us around. Everything in the apartment fell. Well, thank God we were able to get out.”

Expressions of support posted on social media

Reaction poured in swiftly on social media, with offers of help from various governments including the United States, Chile and El Salvador.

“The US stands with the Venezuelan people in the aftermath of this evening's devastating earthquakes,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said on X. “We're in touch with the authorities and mobilizing assistance.”

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, once diametrically opposed to Venezuela’s government, said he had offered aid Wednesday night on a post on X.

“We send you all our solidarity and our prayers. Stay strong, Venezuela,” Bukele wrote.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and said he had ordered the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to help respond to the emergency.

“Ecuador will respond with the speed and commitment this moment demands because, despite our enormous differences, humanity must always guide the actions of a leader,” Noboa wrote.

Earthquake impacts the region

Buildings in Manaus, Belem and Macapá in Brazil's Amazon were evacuated, according to reports on TV Globo.

The quakes also were felt in Colombia’s Caribbean and northeast regions, but there were no reports of damages or injuries.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued several tsumani alerts in the wake of the earthquakes that were quickly lifted.

Strong earthquakes are unusual in Venezuela.

While Venezuela sits near multiple fault lines, its position straddling the South American and Caribbean plates make earthquakes much less common than in other parts of Latin America.

Along the Pacific coast — in Mexico and Chile, for example — earthquakes are frequent. Those two countries sit along the seismically active tectonic belt known as the Ring of Fire, which is responsible for 90% of earthquakes, according to the USGS.

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Garcia Cano reported from Bogota, Colombia. Associated Press writers Clara Preve in Buenos Aires, Astrid Suarez in Bogota, Colombia, Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo and Anna-Catherine Brigida and Megan Janetsky in Mexico City contributed to this report.

“We basically have passed the point of doing real fundamental LLM research," Castricato said. “Now it’s just applications.”

The researcher quit his doctoral studies at Brown University and started a new company, called Overworld. Its ambition is in its name: AI that can understand and navigate a world, not just words.

There's still plenty of money to be made from AI chatbots — investors are counting on it as they commit trillions of dollars to leading developers like Anthropic and OpenAI. But a growing number of AI entrepreneurs are dedicating themselves to what they see as the next frontier: “world models” that teach AI systems, and sometimes robots, how to react in a physical environment.

They include some of the field's most prominent scientists, such as “Godmother of AI” Fei-Fei Li, who describes the concept of a world model as “one of the most important and most overloaded terms in AI today."

Scientists are applying AI in new dimensions with ‘world models’

At the heart of world model research is the idea that AI can't be truly intelligent if it can only read a book. It also needs to read the room.

“Where language models learn the statistical structure of text, world models learn the statistical structure of space and time: how light falls on a surface, how a garden looks from an angle no camera has captured, how objects respond to force and follow the laws of physics,” wrote Li, founder of the San Francisco startup World Labs, in an essay published this month.

Another proponent is AI pioneer Yann LeCun, who quit his job as Meta's chief AI scientist last year to start Paris-based Advanced Machine Intelligence Labs.

“World model is quickly becoming a buzzword,” LeCun said on a recent “Unsupervised Learning” podcast. He said he views it as something that enables an AI agent "to predict the consequences of its own actions."

There are multiple ways of defining world models, often based on the technologies someone hopes to build with it — be it robots or a more interactive video game.

Robots can't learn much from AI models trained on books

Training on all of humanity's books, news articles and visual media, as AI language models have done, has led to AI assistants that are changing the nature of office-based work and some creative fields. But some proponents see limitations in generative AI models that work by repeatedly predicting the next word or pixel to produce new dialogue, images or lines of code.

Chatbots can't pick up a coffee mug, notes Martial Hebert, dean of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.

“There’s all the geometry of the world, the dynamic of how I move my hand, the physical interaction of the contact with the cup,” Hebert said. “This is much more complex than just predicting the next word in a sentence.”

For scientists like Hebert, who has spent more than four decades researching robotics, the most useful application for world models is as a faster and cheaper path to “physical AI" — another tech industry buzzword.

“Some people may have different definitions, but physical and embodied AI are kind of the evolution of what we used to call robotics,” Hebert said in an interview. Some of the AI advances that have made chatbots so useful can also be applied to building AI with a broad enough awareness of its environment to work like a robot’s brain, he said.

“In your body and spinal cord you have a very general model of how to balance, how to walk around, and you can adapt to your knee hurting in the morning, so you now walk a little differently," he said. "You don’t need to think about that. You have a general model somewhere in your nervous system and brain that allows your body to adapt very quickly.”

Simulated worlds are drawing interest from investors

Smarter robots aren't the only end game for world models. Castricato started Overworld last year and the tiny Rhode Island-based startup is now building video game worlds where a scene, say, of a spooky forest, can adapt as a virtual character moves through it and interacts with the objects in it.

“There’s no other world model where you can just walk through doors or where you can interact with a detailed environment like this,” he said in an interview. “We optimize for interaction above anything else.”

While the near-term applications aren't as readily apparent as AI coding tools, world model makers are attracting interest from venture capitalists like Steve Jang, co-founder and managing partner at Kindred Ventures.

The firm is investing in Overworld and other world model-focused companies, including Causal Labs, which is building AI models for weather prediction, and Extropic, which is building specialized computer chips suited to world models.

“I think that the future is many different types of models with many different philosophies and architectures," Jang said. "I don’t think that it’ll be one large, dense model to rule them all.”

In her recent essay, Li sought to create a “taxonomy of world models” to help sort out the confusion about the competing visions.

“A video model that produces gorgeous but physically impossible flames, a language model improvising a playable game, and a physics engine that faithfully simulates combustion all go by the same name,” she wrote.

She divided world models into three categories. The most commercially viable today are “renderers” that prioritize the visual fidelity of the virtual worlds they create but can't be trusted to teach robots much.

Then, there are “simulators” that create virtual training grounds that faithfully represent the physical structure of a world; and “planners” that try to predict what an AI agent or robot should do in an unstructured world.

“A robot that can plan is a robot that can work, and the entire industry is racing to be the one that gets there first,” she wrote.

Like Jalen Brunson, the guy marching through Manhattan with the Larry O'Brien Trophy in his arms last week during a joyous championship parade celebration. And Willis Reed, the guy who limped onto the floor before and during the early minutes of Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to lift the Knicks to their first championship.

So when the NBA draft resumed on Wednesday night in Brooklyn with the Knicks on the clock with the No. 31 pick, every team had hope of finding someone who can be a key piece of a title team.

They drafted Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, but had already agreed to trade the rights to the pick to Houston by the time NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum announced the selection.

Thornton was given a Knicks hat when his name was announced. He was wearing a Rockets one by the time he arrived for his interviews and said he was just happy to get to the NBA, even if it was in Texas and not with the new champions.

“Somebody said I got the wrong hat. I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’” Thornton said. “Then I heard it’s the Houston Rockets. I’m like, no state tax, so that's even better.”

The first round, which began with Washington selecting AJ Dybantsa, finished late Tuesday night.

The end of it and the second round has become a process of wheeling and dealing, with teams like the Knicks, who traded back from the No. 24 spot and eventually out of the first round entirely, sometimes moving multiple times. That was part of the reason teams wanted to stop doing the entire draft in one night and break it into two, given them more time for evaluation.

That makes things hard for players such as Duke's Isaiah Evans, who was in the green room at Barclays Center on Tuesday but wasn't selected. He didn't return Wednesday to hear his name called with the No. 33 pick that is owned by Minnesota after a trade with Brooklyn.

It's not as bad for players who weren't expecting to be selected on the first night or understood patience, something Meleek Thomas said he learned playing for John Calipari at Arkansas.

“The most important lesson I learned from Coach Cal this year was: Your time is coming. Don’t worry about when. Don’t worry about how," said Thomas, who was selected by Sacramento with the No. 34 pick and dealt to Cleveland.

In a much different NBA with a different draft format, Reed was the No. 8 pick in the 1964 draft, which made him the first pick of the second round. The Hall of Famer went on to lead the Knicks to championships in 1970 and 1973 and was the NBA Finals MVP both times.

Brunson was the No. 33 pick in the 2018 draft, taken early in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks. The Knicks signed him as a free agent in 2022 and the franchise has been on the rise ever since, culminating with their five-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month when Brunson was MVP of the series.

German guard Jack Kayil, whose rights were acquired by the Knicks with the No. 39 pick, not surprisingly named Brunson as the player he was hoping to learn from.

“We play kind of in a similar position,” Kayil said. “We are also in kind of the same position of the draft. He was also second round. So I think I can learn a lot of stuff, how he started getting into the NBA, into the league, getting in touch with that.”

The Knicks also acquired the rights to Tyler Nickel, the No. 47 pick from Vanderbilt, with their moves.

Among the other well-known names taken in the second round Wednesday were Richie Saunders, Dybantsa's BYU teammate who was selected at No. 32 by Memphis; Purdue's Braden Smith, the NCAA's career assists leader who was taken at No. 38 with a pick belonging to Indiana; Kentucky's Otega Oweh, with the No. 41 pick acquired by Oklahoma City; and Emanuel Sharp from Houston at No. 45 to Sacramento.

The Wizards also had the 60th and final selection of the draft but dealt it to Milwaukee. The Bucks took Malique Lewis, a forward from Trinidad and Tobago who was playing most recently in Australia.

___

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

The All-Star guard has been dealing with a back issue this season and left with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter. She went back to the locker room and didn't return.

Clark appeared to tweak her back in the second quarter when she was fouled shooting a 3-pointer in the second quarter. She fell to the ground and was rubbing her back as she stood up. In the first quarter she went back to the tunnel and returned to the bench wearing a wrap around her back.

She finished the game with 19 points and eight assists in 20 minutes.

The two teams met Monday night and there were six technical fouls called and one ejection. Clark picked up her fifth technical in that game. The team is petitioning the league to have it rescinded. The physical play continued on Wednesday. On one play in the second quarter, Clark fell to the court as she drove and as players went for the loose ball, Phoenix's Alyssa Thomas appeared on video to put her fist into Clark's neck.

No foul was called on the play, but the league could review it for a flagrant foul.

“It was egregious. The fact that it was a no-call … You got to call it," said Fever coach Stephanie White. "You’re coming in here aware of what happened two nights ago and that (expletive) still happens? Absolutely unacceptable.”

Clark has been listed on the injury report for most of the season with a back injury after she missed one game because of it. The Fever hadn't given her any injury designation for the game she didn't play and were warned by the league for not doing that.

Clark is currently second in All-Star fan voting that was released Wednesday behind teammate Aliyah Boston.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The president hosted a rally on Washington's National Mall, including a series of booming flyovers by stealth bombers, music from military bands, and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA.”

“There has never been anything like the United States of America, and together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before,” Trump said.

He said he'd restored the country to greatness, proclaiming, ”Nobody's laughing at us anymore."

As he does in all rally speeches, Trump championed his crackdown on the U.S.-Mexico border and opposition to transgender rights. However, perhaps in a nod to the anniversary celebrations, he was far less critical of Democrats than usual — at least to a point.

“The American Dream is alive again. It’s something that nobody thought they’d be saying when you went through that last four years of incompetence,” Trump said.

The president also mentioned his tumultuous effort to revamp the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial and build a ballroom at the White House.

Surprisingly, Trump wrapped his speech in less than half an hour — making it one of the shortest rally addresses of his second term and perhaps his entire political career. Just Tuesday, while addressing workers at a truck factory in Pennsylvania, Trump spoke for well over an hour.

Still, he found time to note that he'll again be addressing a Washington rally on July Fourth, imploring, “Your favorite president will be speaking so please show up.”

For Wednesday's speech, the crowd was contained to a segment of the National Mall that was nearly full. From the stage, Trump could likely see the neon colors of the giant Ferris wheel erected in front of the Capitol.

Rally comes as midterms begin looming

Trump is working to convince Americans ahead of critical November elections that he's put the unpopular Iran war in the rearview mirror, with oil prices easing as the Strait of Hormuz has started to reopen in the wake of an interim deal to end the war with Tehran.

The rally launched weeks of celebrations about America and its 1776 founding as part of “The Great American State Fair” on the mall, the national park that stretches from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.

But Trump’s appearance was only announced after several musicians — including Young MC, Martina McBride and the Commodores — canceled their concerts because of concerns the event had become politicized.

Instead, among those addressing the crowd was Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who slammed the musicians who backed out while declaring that Trump is “the greatest president that’s ever existed in this country since George Washington.”

The president himself told the crowd, “This is the beginning of the golden age of America." He congratulated himself for ousting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — but made no mention of the earthquakes that rocked that country Wednesday night.

Organizers distributed rectangular cardboard American flags that some attendees used for shade before the sun went down and Trump took the stage.

On the menu for the crowd: burgers, sausages and turkey legs. The program felt like a summer concert, except for the variety of American flag-themed outfits, from overalls to skirts to hats. There were also plenty of “Make America Great Again” hats.

Attendees included Karen and Brian Ontrap, who drove 500-plus miles from northwest Ohio with their children. They planned the trip in January to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary and, for some in the group, see Washington for the first time.

Karen Ontrap said the pair support the president “100%.”

Trump is pressing the case that he's made America better

The president has struggled to deliver the presidency that he advertised to voters — causing his approval rating to dwell at a low 37%, according to the most recent Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling.

Democrats say his botched repairs to the reflecting pool and the resulting algae outbreak are a sign that he’s spending taxpayer money on vanity projects instead of the nation's legacy.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., said the Trump-affiliated group organizing the 250th anniversary was selling access to special interests and redrafting the nation's founding to the president's liking, based on documents he presented at a congressional hearing earlier this year.

“It should be about bringing us together,” Huffman said. “He's trying to make this 250th celebration all about him.”

Only 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's economic leadership, with favorability at 40% on immigration and 34% on Iran.

Trump's rallies can only help so much without improvements on inflation

Inflation is still higher than what Trump inherited and it has been outpacing wage growth. The budget deficit remains on a path upward that keeps interest rates high. Investments in artificial intelligence are driving growth, but they come with fears of middle-class job losses such that the construction of data centers needed for America’s tech economy have become controversial politically.

Still, for many, Trump was the main attraction.

Jacob Wankasky and his family, traveling from Buffalo, New York, peeled off a day early from their trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, when he and his wife, Jennifer, realized they could see Trump before their planned visit Thursday to the State Fair with their children, ages 4 and 6.

“It’s a once in a lifetime chance,” Jacob Wankasky said. In a bright red “America Is Back” cap, the 42-year-old antique mall owner said Trump’s return to the White House was a relief in a time of “insanity.”

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Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Haya Pajwani in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked the state’s attorney general to examine whether the agency’s actions violated New Mexico law, an extraordinary challenge to a federal law enforcement agency at a time when fentanyl remains one of the country’s deadliest public health threats.

The request follows an AP investigation that found DEA agents repeatedly allowed major fentanyl shipments to continue moving through New Mexico between 2023 and 2025 rather than seize them immediately, as agents sought to build cases against higher-ranking traffickers. The governor’s call for a criminal review turns a debate over drug enforcement tactics into a question of whether federal agents themselves crossed legal lines while pursuing larger trafficking organizations.

Current and former DEA agents told AP the strategy amounted to a gamble with public safety in a state ravaged by the fentanyl epidemic and may have violated U.S. Justice Department rules intended to safeguard the public from a drug the White House last year designated as a “ weapon of mass destruction.”

“There are no words to describe how reckless and dangerous these decisions were,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway.”

The DEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the governor’s statement. The agency has contended it would not be plausible to seize every drug shipment and previously told AP in a statement “the investigative decisions at issue were lawful, reasonable under the circumstances and consistent with Department guidance.”

“Public descriptions suggesting that DEA knowingly permitted fentanyl to reach communities are false and fundamentally mischaracterize the facts,” DEA spokesperson Amanda Wozniak wrote in an email.

Alex Uballez, who served as U.S. attorney in New Mexico from May 2022 until February 2025, told AP that drugs went unseized at times due to his office’s limited resources and his belief that prosecuting larger organizations has a bigger impact than intercepting every suspected drug transaction.

It is not clear whether any fatal overdoses in the state can be directly attributed to the DEA strategy. While overdose deaths nationwide fell 14% last year, government data show New Mexico tallied a 21% spike.

“New Mexican lives are not the federal government’s cost of doing business,” the governor wrote in her statement. “I plan to hold the federal government accountable for this disaster and will explore every possible avenue of action against the federal government to right these wrongs.”

The AP investigation cited three current and former agents and government records, including an internal report of a 2023 delivery of 74,000 pills the DEA surveilled — but did not seize — at a mobile home park in Albuquerque.

DEA whistleblower David Howell, who filed a complaint drawing attention to the unseized fentanyl, spoke Wednesday with congressional staffers. Empower Oversight, a whistleblower advocacy group representing Howell, has asked the Senate Judiciary Committee and Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General to investigate the agent's allegations.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, a Ohio Republican, called Howell's revelations “a scandal of the highest order” and said in a post on X he plans to find out how many American lives were lost due to the DEA's inaction.

Meanwhile, victims groups also spoke out about DEA's inaction, saying its approach in New Mexico contradicts the agency's prominent “One Pill Can Kill” campaign that warns as little as a few milligrams of fentanyl can cause a fatal overdose.

“Knowing the Justice Department had guidelines to seize the opioids whenever practical — and the fact these were ignored — is truly heartbreaking,” said Michael Glownia, who lost his daughter to fentanyl in 2023 and founded a nonprofit organization to support families suffering similar losses.

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Mustian reported from Miami.

The slur, which literally means male prostitute in Spanish, could be heard at the Azteca stadium toward the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar took a goal kick.

The chant has cost Mexico hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines levied by FIFA. It rose to popularity roughly 25 years ago and is used to intimidate goalkeepers when they take goal kicks.

It went viral in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was heard again in Russia during the 2018 World Cup and four years later in Qatar. It has persisted despite attempts by the Mexican soccer federation to stop it.

Mexico had already advanced to the knockout phase as Group A winners ahead of the match against the Czech Republic.

___ AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

More than 30 House representatives, both Democratic and Republican, streamed into the reception at the Longworth House Office Building to show their support, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D.-California; Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and Ted Lieu, a California Democrat who serves as the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

"I love Taiwan," declared McCaul, as he welcomed Han. “It’s very important to me to say that the United States supports you, Mr. Speaker."

“The support for Taiwan is bipartisan and bicameral — both houses, both parties,” Pelosi said. “It’s about peace. It’s also about commerce in terms of keeping the ships able to travel here.”

Han, who is leading an eight-person parliamentary delegation, arrived in the nation's capital on Tuesday night after a stop in Phoenix, Arizona, where the chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is building new fabs and producing advanced chips crucial to powering the A.I. boom. TSMC is the poster child of Taiwan's importance to the U.S. economy.

The delegation met seven Democratic senators earlier Wednesday, including New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It wasn't clear if Republicans senators also met the visiting lawmakers.

The Democrats called on the Trump administration to move ahead with the $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan without further delay. “We remain committed to maintaining close and friendly relations with Taiwan, providing Taiwan with arms for self-defense and supporting deterrence against growing coercion from the People’s Republic of China,” they said in a statement.

Taiwan, which Beijing claims to be part of the Chinese territory and vows to seize by force if necessary, is a highly thorny issue in U.S.-China relations. Washington is obligated by a domestic law to provide the island with sufficient hardware to fend off any invasion from the mainland. President Donald Trump, after his May trip to Beijing, has said he would be reviewing the $14 billion arms sales package, which Beijing strongly opposes. Trump also has suggested that the arms sales package could be a bargaining chip. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the U.S. policy on Taiwan remains unchanged.

On Wednesday, several U.S. lawmakers showed their support for the arms sales package.

“I'm here today ... to affirm in the strongest terms that Taiwan is not a bargaining chip. It is an island of freedom. And we need to do all we can to preserve it,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D.-Texas. “ I believe we need to make available every weapon that Taiwan needs in its defense as quickly as it becomes possible.”

Lieu criticized the Trump administration for holding up the $14 billion package. “I urge the administration to reverse that and to allow their arms sale to proceed," he said.

Han, who is a member of Taiwan's opposition KMT party, in his speech complimented the U.S. for its achievements in the past 250 years and said the island, like the U.S., cherishes the value of freedom and democracy and that both sides shoulder the responsibilities of safeguarding the democratic system and of maintaining regional stability and peace.

Han touted the robust trade between Taiwan and the U.S. The island of 23 million people has surpassed Germany as the fourth-largest trading partner of the U.S., largely driven by the demand for Taiwan's advanced chips and other tech hardware.

Han also urged the U.S. to help Taiwan gain more international space. No country can have diplomatic ties with both Beijing and Taipei because of China's territorial claim over the island. Only 12 governments, including the Holy See, still recognize Taiwan's statehood. Beijing also has kept Taiwan out of many international organizations, including the World Health Organization.

“On the international stage, Taiwan feels very lonely in its heart," Han said. “I am here asking Taiwan's good friends in Congress ... to help us participate in global activities.”

Han is scheduled to leave on Friday for the inaugural nonstop flight by the Taiwanese carrier EVA Air between Washington Dulles International Airport and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, which has also been touted as proof of deepening U.S.-Taiwan ties.

News4JAX anchor Jenese Harris sat down with Albert J. Ferraro, the city’s Blight Initiative Manager, one day after two brothers on Melba Street went public about a garbage battle with neighbors they say have been dumping on their land since January 2025.

“If somebody has anything dumped on their property, they should at least first reach out to the sheriff’s office because a crime is being committed,” Ferraro said.

The Watson brothers filed a complaint in November 2025, but were still fined more than $7,000 through a nuisance lien. According to the brothers, the city told them there was no way to prove who was responsible — but the trash still had to be cleaned up. They say they hope the fine will be removed.

A city email from March 6 detailed just how serious the situation had become at the neighboring property on Chestnut Street. The email read in part, “I have received more than five calls and emails about this location since 10:00 AM.”

The email also noted that 620 Chestnut St. had been preparing for a site clearance contractor, but that process stalled after ownership changed, and the property was placed under an estate following an earlier citation issued in 2025.

For anyone dealing with a similar situation, Ferraro outlined several steps residents can take:

• Call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Illegal dumping is a criminal offense.
• Call 630-CITY or use the myJax app to report the issue to the city.
• Document what you see. If someone is dumping, try to get the license plate number or the name of the company involved.
• Know your rights of way. If the city spots trash in a public right of way, it will be picked up.

Ferraro also said the city is preparing to install surveillance cameras to catch illegal dumpers in the act.

“We are going to be putting out the cameras — we purchased them — and we are going to start hopefully catching some of these people who are doing illegal dumping,” he said.

And the consequences for those caught could be severe.

“If somebody is illegally dumping on your property, then it needs to be handled as a crime,” Ferraro said.

The Watson brothers say they plan to fight their case.

The state awarded the funds to support demolition, redesign and initial construction of park improvements but denied reimbursement after finding a “severe lack of documentation,” missing progress reports and an untimely payment request, the report said.

The city’s payment request was submitted Feb. 7, 2025 — 222 days after the grant expired on June 30, 2024, the report said.

Background on the grant

The grant was pursued under the previous administration and awarded by the State of Florida in early 2022 for work in James Weldon Johnson Park, including design development, the first phase of construction and removal of the remaining Confederate monument base. In May 2023, the grant expiration date was extended to take place under the current administration.

What the OIG found

The OIG review found the city did not submit required quarterly progress reports, a Final Report within one month of the grant’s end, or sufficient documentation of allowable expenditures through the Division of Arts and Culture’s DOS Grants portal, as required by the Grant Award Agreement.

The contract manager assigned to the project had not received formal training in grant or contract management, the review said, contributing to missed deadlines, confusion about deliverables and improper submission attempts, including emailing documents after being locked out of the state portal.

Email exchange sheds light on confusion

Emails provided by the Parks Department show the city’s grant manager, Lauren Chappell, and state Financial Administrator Teri Abstein had an ongoing back-and-forth about final deliverables in the weeks leading up to the grant’s expiration.

In a July 15, 2024, email — just 15 days after the grant expired on June 30 — Abstein wrote to Chappell: “As long as the expenditures are paid out, we shouldn’t need to do an extension.”

City officials say the grant manager was operating under that direction. The outstanding deliverable — an executed Restrictive Covenant — required legislative approval before it could be filed with the County Clerk, a step Chappell had flagged for the state in her communications.

“I am double checking whether the restrictive covenants are going to have to go through legislation to be signed, and will let you know the timeline on that process,” Chappell wrote to Abstein on July 15, 2024.

The city says that once the legislation was approved, Chappell submitted the final deliverable. However, by that point, the grant’s reimbursement window had long passed.

City’s response

In a written response included with the report, city management said the Parks Department grant manager provided the final deliverable when it became available and was acting on written guidance from the state that a contract extension was not needed.

The city also outlined steps already taken or planned to improve grant oversight. Those steps include requiring formal, documented communications — letters, memos and meeting summaries — rather than relying on email or phone; completing training courses such as the National Recreation and Park Association’s Grant Success: From Application to Award and the U.S. Department of Education’s Discretionary Grants Administration and Allowable Costs and Activities; reviewing the state grants website and tutorial materials annually; entering Outlook calendar reminders for deadlines; and having department management review grant requirements annually.

The transformation of James Weldon Johnson Park continues and is fully budgeted for in the Capital Improvement Plan, the city said.

OIG recommendations

The OIG recommended the city adopt mandatory, standardized training for all personnel who manage grants or contracts, covering reporting obligations, documentation standards, expenditure eligibility and proper use of the DOS Grants portal.

The report (No. 2026-0027) says structured training is needed to reduce the risk of future financial loss and ensure compliance with state and federal requirements.

James Phillips, 51, of Jacksonville, is charged with one count of conspiracy to provide contraband in prison. That charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

Prosecutors allege the operation relied on coordination between people outside prison walls and inmates on the inside — including the use of contraband cell phones to schedule drone drops so packages could be quickly retrieved.

“The most sophisticated and sprawling criminal enterprise using drones to introduce contraband into the federal prison system ever charged by the Department of Justice,” U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes said at a press conference Wednesday.

The alleged scheme

The 17-count federal indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, alleges the conspiracy began in September 2023 and continued through May 2026.Investigators say 12 defendants used six drones to drop contraband at least 38 times into 10 federal prisons across eight states.

Court documents say the operation was based out of a former daycare center in Macon, Georgia, that the defendants referred to as “The Lab.”Prosecutors allege the ringleader was Ira Christopher Jackson, 42, of Macon — also known as “Chris,” “CJ,” “Action” and “Action Jackson” — and that he used the property to store drones and coordinate drops.

The contraband allegedly delivered during the conspiracy included methamphetamine, marijuana, K-2, suboxone, cell phones, tobacco and saw blades described in the indictment as being “designed and intended to be used as weapons and to facilitate escape.”

“And this contraband was intended for the prison population, threatening the safety of all,” Keyes said.

How federal agents tracked the drones

According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Prisons had a drone detection system that flagged drones flying near prison properties. The system tracked information including the drone’s make, model and identification number, along with launch locations, flight paths and altitudes.

Five of the six drones used in the operation were allegedly activated at or near “The Lab” in the days before prison drops, court documents say.

Jacksonville connection

Prosecutors allege Phillips is a former inmate at Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Jesup in Georgia, FCI Talladega in Alabama, and other Bureau of Prisons facilities. They say he used a contraband cell phone to help schedule drone drops of illegal items into those prisons.

Who is charged

Along with Phillips, the indictment names 11 other defendants, most based in Macon:

• Ira Christopher Jackson, 42, Macon — conspiracy leader facing a maximum of life in prison
• Kenna Middleton, 45, Macon — accused of flying drones and communicating with inmates; facing life in prison
• Leviticus Blash, 42, Macon — accused of traveling to prisons to assist with drone flights; facing life in prison
• Chrystal Dunn, 37, Macon and Greenville, South Carolina — accused of providing transportation and acting as a lookout; facing life in prison
• Jeff Richardson, 23, Macon and East Point, Georgia — accused of flying drones; facing life in prison
• Tysean Richardson, 23, Macon and East Point, Georgia — accused of flying drones; facing life in prison
• Glenn Middleton, 70, Macon — accused of storing contraband at his home; facing a maximum of 20 years
• Aaron Hubbard, 37, BOP inmate — charged with conspiracy to provide contraband; facing a maximum of 30 years
• Xavier Maxwell, 30, Macon — accused of preparing and packaging contraband; facing a maximum of 20 years
• Lametheus Douglas, 47, BOP inmate — charged with conspiracy to provide contraband; facing a maximum of five years
• Robert Lee Whisby Jr., 51, BOP inmate — charged with conspiracy to provide contraband; facing a maximum of five years

Prisons targeted in the operation

The 10 federal prisons allegedly targeted span eight states:

• FCI Atlanta (Georgia)
• FCI Beckley (Beaver, West Virginia)
• FCI Jesup (Georgia)
• Federal Medical Center Lexington (Kentucky)
• FCI Manchester (Kentucky)
• FCI Memphis (Tennessee)
• Federal Correctional Complex Petersburg (Hopewell, Virginia)
• FCI Pollock (Louisiana)
• FCI Talladega (Alabama)
• FCI Yazoo City (Mississippi)

All 12 defendants are in federal custody. Initial appearances are scheduled in U.S. Magistrate Court in the Middle District of Georgia.

The Americans have already won Group D to lock up a spot in the knockout stage and will face winless Turkey in Inglewood, California, on Thursday.

Christian Pulisic returned to training after missing a 2-0 win over Australia, but coach Mauricio Pochettino has to decide how much to use his star player in a game that's meaningless in the standings and the knockout stage right around the corner.

There are similar decisions to make with Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson. They're all on yellow cards and would miss the first knockout round game if they picked up a second against Turkey.

The U.S. has won consecutive World Cup matches for the first time since 1930. Its six goals in the first two matches are one short of the team record for a World Cup.

Turkey has yet to score a goal in its first World Cup in 24 years and is already eliminated.

Thursday will be the second day with six matches, including Germany looking to win its third straight game, Ivory Coast aiming to make the knockout stage for the first time and Ecuador needing a win to escape the group stage.

What to watch on June 25

— Curacao vs. Ivory Coast , 4 p.m. EDT in Philadelphia (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Ecuador vs. Germany, 4 p.m. EDT in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Japan vs. Sweden, 7 p.m. EDT in Arlington, Texas (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Tunisia vs. The Netherlands, 7 p.m. EDT in Kansas City, Missouri (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Paraguay vs. Australia, 10 p.m. EDT in Santa Clara, California (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Turkey vs. United States, 10 p.m. EDT in Inglewood, California (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

Ecuador faces must-win against Germany

Ecuador arrived at the World Cup on a 19-game winning streak.

It could face an early exit if it can't find a way to beat Germany in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Ecuador opened the World Cup with a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast on Amad Diallo's goal in the 90th minute and played to a scoreless draw against Curacao, the smallest nation in the World Cup.

That leaves Ecuador trailing both Germany and Ivory Coast in Group E with one point and needing to beat the Germans, who have already clinched the group but will be without defender Nico Schlotterbeck for the rest of the World Cup because of an ankle injury.

Ivory Coast on the cusp of knockout stage

Ivory Coast has a chance to make history in its fourth World Cup.

With a win already under their belt, the Elephants can clinch a spot in the knockout round for the first time with a win over Curacao in Philadelphia.

Ivory Coast pulled off a 1-0 win over Ecuador and had a halftime lead over Germany before losing 2-1. Ivory Coast's previous best chance to reach the knockout stage came in Brazil in 2014 when it opened with a win over Japan before losing the next two games.

Curacao still has an outside shot of reaching the knockout round, needing a win and some goal-differential help from Ecuador. Curacao has a goal differential of minus-6, thanks to an opening 7-1 loss to Germany.

Group F winner still up in the air

The Netherlands and Japan will be playing for the top spot in Group F on Thursday night — the Dutch play Tunisia, the Japanese face Sweden — but both teams have said they want no updates on each other as their games are progressing.

“You have to focus on making sure you win the match,” said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman, whose team has a record World Cup unbeaten streak of 14 matches, excluding penalty shootouts. “We would love to be first in the group and of course the result will have an impact on that, but that’s not the most important thing. Playing this game is the most important thing.”

The Netherlands and Japan both have four points and a plus-four goal differential. Sweden is at three points with its 5-1 loss to Dutch.

To finish first in the group, Sweden has to win and have the Netherlands do no better than a draw.

“It’s literally my first rodeo in terms of a World Cup so it’s going to be new to me,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said. “But yeah, it’s best for us to try to get the positive results and focus on that.”

Paraguay, Australia play for second in Group D

There’s plenty at stake in the final Group D match between Australia and Paraguay.

The Australians will clinch second place in the group and a spot in the knockout round with either a win or draw. Paraguay clinches second place with a win and is almost assured advancement as a third-place team with a draw. The situation will be more tenuous with a loss for either team, with goal differential likely deciding the fate.

The game is a bit of a full-circle moment for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic, who played his final international game as a player against Paraguay in a friendly 20 years ago when he scored his eighth international goal.

“I didn’t score many so I have to remind you of that,” Popovic said. “It was a special way to end my international career. To think that all these years later I’ll be the head coach and we’re up against Paraguay is special. That was a great day and hopefully tomorrow will a special day for Australia against Paraguay once more.”

Australia will be without defender Jacob Italiano and forward Mat Leckie, who are dealing with injuries.

Paraguay will be without midfielder Miguel Almiron, who is suspended after getting a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation against Turkey. Mauricio will start in his place, coach Gustavo Alfaro said.

More World Cup news

— Switzerland wraps up first place in Group B at the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Canada

— Bosnia-Herzegovina boosts chances of advancing at World Cup with 3-1 win over Qatar

— Vinícius Júnior scores 2 goals as Brazil beats Scotland 3-0 to win its World Cup group

— Soufiane Rahimi and Gessime Yassine help Morocco rally to beat Haiti 4-2 at the World Cup

— Qatar’s Assim Madibo banned for 5 games after breaking the leg of Canada’s Ismaël Koné at World Cup

— 'Our idol is back': Neymar debuts in this World Cup as a sub for Brazil against Scotland

— Turkey coach Montella says he won’t resign after winless World Cup start, admonishes heckling fans

— Ivory Coast eyes knockout stage of World Cup with striker Elye Wahi expected back amid investigation

— Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha seeks new club after World Cup stardom, doesn’t rule out Brazil move

— Day 14 of the World Cup, in photos

Stats of the day

Switzerland has qualified for the knockout phase for the seventh consecutive time in major tournament football (World Cups and UEFA Euros).

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AP sports writers Dave Skretta, Josh Dubow and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

The Shincheonji Church has denied the accusations against Lee Man-hee, 95, a self-proclaimed messenger of Jesus who founded the congregation in the 1980s. The church says it has about 200,000 followers.

Since January, a special team of prosecutors and police has been investigating alleged ties between religious groups such as Shincheonji and the Unification Church and politicians. The inquiry is part of broader investigations under South Korea’s current liberal government into the presidency of former conservative leader Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted from office and convicted of rebellion over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024.

Walking with a cane and assisted by a church official, Lee didn't respond to reporters’ questions as he appeared at the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday afternoon for a hearing on whether to grant prosecutors’ request for his arrest.

In issuing the arrest warrant on Wednesday night, the court cited Lee as a threat to destroy evidence. The church in a statement Thursday morning expressed “deep regret” over Lee’s arrest, saying he had fully cooperated with the investigation and raising concerns about his age and health.

Lee has been suspected of using the church’s regional branches to pressure more than 50,000 followers to join the People Power Party, or PPP, from 2021 to 2024 in hopes of influencing the party’s presidential and legislative primaries. Investigators suspect the campaign, which allegedly included efforts to support Yoon’s presidential bid, was aimed at winning favorable treatment for the church, including permits to expand its facilities.

Lee’s arrest came months after the arrest and indictment of Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han over allegations that she instructed church officials to bribe Yoon’s wife and a conservative lawmaker close to him in an effort to secure business favors. Han, widow of the church’s founder Sun Myung Moon, has denied the allegations.

An appeals court in April sentenced Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, to four years in prison after convicting her on various charges, including receiving luxury gifts from a Unification Church official.

Yoon was removed from office in April 2025 after being impeached over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024 following a standoff with the liberal-led legislature. Arrested in July 2025, Yoon is facing multiple trials and has appealed a life sentence for rebellion and a separate 30-year prison term over charges that he ordered drone flights over North Korea’s capital to stoke tensions and justify martial law at home.

Liberal President Lee Jae Myung, who won an early presidential election last year after Yoon’s removal from office, has authorized multiple investigations into Yoon’s martial law imposition and other allegations involving his administration and wife.

Lee Man-hee established Shincheonji in 1984, using a word meaning “new heaven and new earth.” He has been accused by other Christian groups as a false prophet or a cult leader. The church describes Lee as “the Promised Pastor,” an attendant of Jesus sent to testify what he claims are the fulfilled prophecies from the Book of Revelation.

Han is the top leader of the Unification Church, officially called the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, which her husband, Moon, founded in 1954.

Moon — a self-proclaimed messiah who preached new interpretations of the Bible and conservative family values — built the church into an international movement with millions of followers and extensive business interests. The church is widely known for mass weddings, pairing thousands of couples who often are from different countries.

Whether you’re into cryptocurrency yourself or trying to help an older friend or loved one protect their money, investigators with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office say they’re seeing more cases where victims are pressured into feeding cash into crypto ATMs and sending it straight to criminals.

Detective Lea Tiota with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Property Crimes Unit says scammers often hook people by pushing intense emotions. He says victims are frequently manipulated through fear, the promise of quick financial gain, or embarrassment — and once the scammer has control of the conversation, they guide the victim step-by-step.

To show how it works, detectives met with News4JAX at a cryptocurrency kiosk.

Detectives say the process can be as simple as entering a phone number or scanning a QR code. That inputs the “address” where the money is supposed to go. Then the victim inserts U.S. cash, and the kiosk generates a receipt showing where the cryptocurrency was sent.

That’s also why deputies say one of the biggest warning signs is being told to use a crypto ATM to pay someone.

“If anybody’s telling me to come here and send them money, that’s a huge red flag,” News4JAX’s Joy Purdy asked.

Detectives agreed — and said people should never be sending money to someone they don’t know through cryptocurrency. They also warned scammers sometimes tell victims to throw away the receipt or not take one at all, because that receipt can help investigators start tracking where the money went.

Detectives say these scams don’t just target business owners or tech-savvy people — they’re also seeing many seniors becoming victims.

Scott Herrington with Florida’s Seniors vs. Crime Division says when cases involve criminal financial crimes, law enforcement handles them, but if the situation turns out to be a civil issue, Seniors vs. Crime can help older adults navigate the process and look for solutions.

Herrington says his office is seeing a range of scams aimed at seniors, including romance scams, construction scams and other financial fraud. He says some victims have even been convinced to send gift cards to people they believed were celebrities — after being manipulated into thinking they were in an online relationship.

Detective Bobby Fultz with the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office says loneliness can play a major role.

“You’re living by yourself. You get bored, you get lonely, you want somebody to talk to,” Fultz said, adding that scammers are often skilled at gaining trust because they’re “very good listeners.”

Herrington also shared red flags seniors should watch for when hiring a contractor, including anyone who demands all the money up front, won’t provide a business address, or refuses to give a written contract. He also warned against signing anything on a tablet without reviewing it carefully.

What you can do

• Never pay someone through a cryptocurrency kiosk if they contacted you unexpectedly.
• Don’t let anyone rush you or threaten you into sending money.
• Always keep the receipt from any crypto transaction — it can help investigators.
• If you think you’ve been targeted, contact law enforcement right away.

Seniors vs. Crime works closely with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, but the program falls under Florida’s Attorney General’s Office.

More resources:

• Elder Source: myeldersource.org/info@myeldersource.org
• St. Johns County Council on Aging: coasjc.org
• Florida Attorney General - Senior Protection Team: myflfamilies.com
• CHARITY Navigator - charitynavigator.org

The event comes after a day of tense meetings between Trump and Republicans in Congress over the Iran war, and a decision by a federal judge that sets back Trump’s agenda to overhaul U.S. elections. Trump’s role as the anniversary event’s headliner emerged after several musicians canceled their appearances, citing concerns the event had become politicized.

Also Wednesday, a federal judge permanently barred the Trump from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The judge agreed that the states and Congress have constitutional authority over elections, deeming Trump’s requirements a violation of the separation of powers.

And at a luncheon, Trump met with GOP senators who have grown increasingly frustrated by his diversions from the party’s agenda and his unclear Iran war strategy. Republican senators had hoped to use the housing bill Trump abandoned to show voters they care about affordability ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Latest:

It was just like a Trump rally — except it was much shorter

There was Christopher Macchio, the American tenor who has sung at a number of Trump’s events across the country. And Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the U.S.A.” as the president took the stage, a Trump staple.

But the president himself spoke for only 28 minutes, a mere fraction of his political rally speeches, which often go on for 90 minutes or more.

Unlike “the weave,” a speech style Trump has said he uses to intersperse anecdotes into policy pronouncements, Trump stuck mostly to a script that bookended second-term accomplishments with a bit of American history.

Earlier Wednesday as he met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump held forth for 45 minutes — talking for 12 minutes alone about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’s problems and crime-related issues.

Trump gives rundown of what’s to come for summer’s celebrations

Promising that the multiple flyovers seen Wednesday are only a “little tiny” bit of what’s to come in terms of military aircraft display, the president previewed other events coming to Washington this summer.

The showpiece, he said, will be a Fourth of July fireworks display “10 times larger than any that we’ve ever done in Washington or in the United States.”

Trump said he will speak that day as well and asked the crowd to “please show up.”

He also mentioned a rodeo — adding, “I love rodeo, I don’t know how they do it” — the Patriot Games and a Grand Prix race through Washington.

Trump highlights US raid in Venezuela, doesn’t mention earthquakes

Praising the U.S. military, the president described a “flawless and breathtaking” operation that led to the capture and arrest of President Nicolás Maduro in January.

He didn’t immediately mention the back-to-back earthquakes that hit Venezuela on Wednesday, including a 7.5-magnitude quake that collapsed buildings in Caracas.

The earthquakes hit roughly three hours before Trump took the stage for his rally.

Trump describes his ballroom project as new monument for 250th anniversary

The president has tried out a number of arguments to make the case for his proposed ballroom at the White House. Now he’s describing it as a monument to honor the country’s founding.

He put it in a lineage of other U.S. monuments created around national anniversaries, including the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument and the National Air and Space Museum.

“We are likewise building new monuments to American greatness to serve every future president and first lady,” Trump said at his rally on the National Mall. “We’re building the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world, right at the White House.”

Near the Reflecting Pool, Trump tells National Mall how it was ‘gruesomely vandalized’

Ten minutes into his National Mall remarks, the president was back on one of his favorite topics of late: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

“It’s been gruesomely vandalized by thugs, bad people,” he said, adding that suspects had “largely been caught and are being prosecuted.”

Earlier in the day, he took a 12-minute detour during an Oval Office meeting with NATO’s secretary general to talk about the “sick people” he said sliced portions of the lining.

Trump’s troubled $14-million-plus rehabilitation project for the century-old pool has become a visceral flashpoint over law enforcement, aesthetics and environmental concerns ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The Reflecting Pool has been drained, painted and plagued with algae bloom, with pieces of the new coating appearing to peel off the bottom.

Trump swiftly pivots to Iran war

After a brief introduction honoring America’s founding, Trump quickly turned the topic to the Iran war.

Trump brought up an agreement last week that will extend a ceasefire while the U.S. and Iran negotiate over how to end the war.

Even as important details remain unsolved, Trump framed it as a victory.

“We signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz and accomplish what no president has ever been able to accomplish before,” Trump said to cheers.

Trump gives ‘a very big hello to America’ in National Mall remarks

The president took the stage as Lee Greenwood, a staple at his political rallies and other events, sang his signature song, “God Bless the U.S.A.” He shook hands with the president as he hit the closing portion.

Trump greeted the crowd by recalling how the Founding Fathers “changed the world forever and ever with a thing called the Declaration of Independence.”

The president swiftly moved into recounting the strengths of the American economy and military.

Before Trump takes the stage, the lawn is almost full

From where Trump will stand on stage, he may be able to see the giant Ferris wheel alit in neon colors in front of the Capitol.

People are standing shoulder to shoulder filling up most of the lawn as the sun starts to set. Most have their phones out to record.

Retired Navy SEAL recounts American ‘will to win’ its freedom

Author and podcaster Jocko Willink walked attendees on the National Mall through the colonies’ underdog fight against the British during the American Revolution.

That victory, he said, “unleashed a force which to this day has been completely unmatched in the world.” He went on to enumerate hard-fought privileges including “the freedom to speak, to protest, to worship, the freedom to protect ourselves, our families and our property.”

Something Willink didn’t mention was the contribution of the French, whose military forces and funds helped make significant strides toward Britain’s defeat.

All about the flyovers

Hattie Harris was visiting her uncle in northern Virginia when her niece who works on Capitol Hill told her of Wednesday’s event.

Harris, a Montessori teacher from Mesa, Arizona, had no idea what the program included — besides one thing.

“I came for the flyovers,” she said. “I will drop everything for flyovers.” The military aircraft buff didn’t even know Trump was expected to speak.

At that moment, she pointed overhead and cried, “Look!” The stealth B-2 bomber cruised overhead, drowning out the U.S. Marine Corps Band.

Asked her thoughts about the evening’s featured speaker — after she learned it was Trump — Harris shrugged.

First responders and victims of 9/11 are remembered at rally

The rally shifted from up-tempo pop performances to a more somber moment as Frank Siller, CEO of Tunnel to Towers, asked the crowd to remember firefighters and other first responders who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.

Siller’s nonprofit was founded in honor of his brother, Stephen Siller, a New York firefighter who died on 9/11.

“As I look out at this incredible gathering of families celebrating everything that makes this country so great, we must remember the extraordinary sacrifices of ordinary people,” Frank Siller said.

It was one of the first moments of the rally focused on important events in U.S. history.

Trump is frustrated gasoline prices don’t mirror oil’s decline. Experts say it’s not that simple

U.S. gasoline prices decreased an average of 49 cents a gallon in the last month as expectations rose for an end to the war with Iran. But they’re not falling fast enough for Trump.

Trump, who wants to stave off the economic fallout of the war ahead of midterm elections, is now pointing at oil companies as the culprit. The president said on social media early Wednesday that he had tasked the Justice Department with investigating whether “customers are being ’gouged.’”

“The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post published just after midnight. “Gasoline prices better start going down a lot faster than what I’m seeing!”

Crude oil is the main ingredient in gasoline, and its cost makes up the bulk of what consumers pay. Even after crude prices come down, it can take weeks or longer for market changes to reach consumers, experts said.

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The grassy area is starting to fill in

About an hour before Trump’s speech, the grassy area on the National Mall was about half full.

The crowd cheered as the U.S. Marine Corps Band was drowned out temporarily as two fighter jets roared overhead.

A chance to see the president

Jacob Wankasky and his family, from Buffalo, New York, peeled off a day early from a trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, when he and his wife Jennifer realized they could see Trump before a planned visit Thursday to the State Fair with their children, ages 4 and 6.

“The fact that we can be here with our kids. It’s a once in a lifetime chance,” Wankasky said as his wife and children sat in the sun-splashed grass of the National Mall listening to the Marine Corps Band’s rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever.”

“It’s unpurchasable,” he said.

Wearing a bright red “America Is Back” cap, Wankasky, a 42-year-old antique mall owner, said Trump’s return to the White House was a relief in a time of “insanity.”

“I don’t know if our country could have taken another four years of Biden or whoever,” he said. Trump “stopped a freight train.”

Some see the event as a chance for the country to come together

While some on the National Mall traveled many hours to get there, Joe and Natalie Cox took the metro from Arlington, Virginia. They came “out of curiosity and to mark an historic occasion,” Joe said.

The couple said the event was an opportunity to take stock of “the necessary sea change” that Trump’s return to the White House represents.

“We could hardly skip it,” Natalie said. “We live 4 miles away.”

Joe, a retired Army officer and military contractor, and Natalie, who worked for 30 years at the Red Cross, suggested the events were a time for the country to come together.

With Frankie Valli pouring from the stage speakers, Joe, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he approved of the war against Iran.

“It had to be done,” he said. “I’ll be glad to no longer hear ‘Death to America.’”

VIPs are on chairs near the stage

The lead-up to the program had very much the feel of an outdoor summer concert.

The rows of chairs nearest to the stage filled up with VIPs, as the grass slowly populated with attendees sitting on blankets.

All sorts of flag-themed outfits, from overalls to skirts and hats, were common, as well as the “Make America Great” hats that have become the unofficial uniform of Trump’s political rallies going back a decade

The scene at the National Mall ahead of Trump’s rally

Karen and Brian Ontrap drove more than 500 miles from northwest Ohio with their children, having planned the trip in January to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary and, for some in the group, see Washington for the first time.

The rally on the mall “was a bonus,” said Karen Ontrap, a 51-year-old customer service representative for an aluminum casting company.

Standing in the shade near the stage where Trump was to speak, she said the pair support the president “100 percent.”

They were among the early arrivals to the section of the National Mall that was cordoned off, with a concert-style stage festooned in U.S. flags at one end and a mock White House exterior at the other.

Trump refuses to sign bipartisan housing bill into law. What does that mean for homebuyers, renters?

A sprawling legislative package aimed at lowering the cost of housing and spurring more home construction won bipartisan approval from Congress this week. But it hit a major roadblock in becoming law: President Donald Trump.

The White House supported the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, but on Wednesday Trump canceled the signing ceremony for the bill, saying he would not sign the measure until Congress passes legislation that would require proof of citizenship for all voters.

The measure is the culmination of months of negotiations by lawmakers who combined dozens of bills meant to address how housing affordability for both renters and aspiring homeowners in the U.S. has grown increasingly out of reach for many Americans.

The bill would reduce federal regulations, streamline environmental reviews, speed up the construction process and curb the influence of corporate landlords by limiting their ability to purchase single-family homes.

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Pentagon restores mandatory flu shots for all recruits as boot camp outbreak sickens nearly 300

The Pentagon said Wednesday that boot camps for all the military services are once again requiring the flu vaccination for all recruits after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the shot optional for the military at the end of April.

The development, confirmed to The Associated Press by a Pentagon official, comes amid a growing, weekslong, flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force’s boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base that has sickened nearly 300 people. However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not cleared for public release, maintained that the permission to mandate the vaccinations was unrelated to the outbreak.

When Hegseth first announced the repeal of the flu vaccine mandate in April, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom, he allowed the services to ask for exceptions — or permission to keep the vaccine mandatory — within 15 days of the rollout.

— Konstantin Toropin and Mike Stobbe

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Showing off the Trump flattery he’s famous for, Rutte praises the president as tough on defense contactors

The NATO chief said of the contractors: “You have been very harsh with them a couple of weeks ago.”

“I had one of them over in my office. He was still trembling,” Rutte said. “And I said, this is good. This is exactly what I need.”

The president has held a series of meetings with Pentagon officials and leading military contractors at the White House in recent days, discussing ways to increase munitions production after the war in Iran raised concerns about the U.S. eating into its stocks of missiles.

Rutte met with Trump in the Oval Office and, as he usually does, praised Trump in hopes that he won’t make good on threats to pull the U.S. out of NATO.

Vance says he’s working with the Pentagon to ensure Turkey can legally get F-35 jets

“There are certain things that we have to certify have happened that have happened in order to comply with American law,” the vice president said.

“We’re running the traps and confirming that it’s happened. This is really a congressional thing and ensuring that Turkey has complied with American law so they can get the F-35s.”

On the Iran school strike, Trump says, ‘I don’t think it’s gonna be us’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the findings of a Pentagon investigation into a missile strike on an Iranian primary school on Feb. 28, the first day of the war with Iran, would be released “when the appropriate time is right.”

But Trump said he’s “seen nothing to lead me to believe it was us.”

Trump called the incident “horrible” but said: “I don’t know that they’re ever going to solve that problem in terms of whose fault was it, because there were missiles flying all over the place.”

Trump says major oil companies are ‘possibly gouging’ on prices

The president fleshed out his plans for a Justice Department investigation into why gasoline prices have not fallen as quickly as oil futures after the signing of an interim deal for talks to end the Iran war.

“The oil companies are possibly gouging,” Trump said. “I hope they’re not. Otherwise they’re going to be in big trouble. They’re going to be in big trouble. We’re not going to play games.”

The president indicated that his targets for any inquiry would be some of the world’s leading energy companies, including firms he has hosted at the White House.

“So it’s ExxonMobil, it’s Chevron, it’s Shell, it’s BP,” he said. “It’s a lot of them.”

Pressed on what he wants NATO allies to do, Trump says: ‘Just be loyal’

“We don’t need their money we don’t need anything,” the president said during his meeting with NATO’s chief. “We have the most powerful military in the world by far. But I just want loyalty.”

He added: “We’re always fighting for them.”

Trump has sharply criticized NATO and renewed his threats to leave the alliance after complaining that its members did not do enough to support the U.S. during the war with Iran.

Trump says Zelenskyy is ‘doing pretty well’

Calling Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy “courageous,” the president also acknowledged ongoing losses among both Ukrainian and Russian forces in the war, now in its fifth year.

“He’s holding his own at least,” Trump said. “A lot of people dying on both sides, but I think he’s doing pretty well.”

Ukraine’s General Staff said Wednesday that its forces struck a major natural gas processing plant and two key satellite communications centers in the latest nighttime attacks on Russia.

Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons to fight Russia’s invasion.

In response, Zelenskyy has said Moscow has ordered redeployment of some air defense systems from Russian regions to the capital and to Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, a crucial link for supplying Russian troops.

Trump says he’s only going to NATO summit in Turkey ‘out of respect’ for its host

He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan phoned him and asked him to attend the defense alliance summit in the capital of Ankara in July.

“He said, ‘Please, I have it in Turkey. You got to be there. The United States has to be there,’” Trump told reporters. “And so I’m going out of respect to President Erdogan.”

Trump said of Erdogan: “I like him. He’s a friend of mine.”

He said he was glad Turkey stayed out of the war with Iran.

A reporter asked Trump if he would come to Turkey with a “gift bag” of fighter jets for Erdogan.

“I think so,” Trump responded. “I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy.”

White House asks Congress for $87.6 billion for Iran war, aid to US farmers and responding to Ebola crisis

The White House has formally requested the funding mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the war against Iran.

It submitted the request to Congress at a politically difficult time, as a majority of lawmakers have objected to any further military action.

The Office of Management and Budget sent the supplemental spending request Wednesday.

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Trump suggests that, until recently, visiting NATO chief would have been mugged in Washington

Talking up his deployment of National Guard troops in the city, the president pointed to Rutte and said that had the NATO chief come two years ago, “you had a good chance of being mugged, although you’re a very big guy.”

“They would have mugged him up. They would have beaten the hell out of him,” Trump said to laughs.

He further suggested that going to dinner two years ago, Rutte might have been “robbed when he got into the restaurant.”

The president has bragged for months about troops dramatically lowering Washington’s crime. Their presence has had little demonstrable effect on reducing the kinds of violent crime Trump warned Rutte about, however.

As Rutte looks on, Trump takes 12-minute detour to talk about Reflecting Pool and crime

Saying “sick people” used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining, Trump said Wednesday that part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool would be drained again for repairs.

He wasn’t sure if that would come before or after the July 4 holiday, during which thousands of people will be in the area.

Trump said six people have been arrested over damage, which he characterized as a “350-foot gash” in the lining.

The troubled $14-million-plus rehabilitation project has become a visceral flashpoint over law enforcement, aesthetics and environmental concerns ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The century-old Reflecting Pool has been drained, painted and plagued with algae bloom, with pieces of the new coating appearing to peel off the bottom.

Trump asked about cancellation of housing bill signing

Asked on Wednesday if he’d be willing to work out a deal to get the housing bill signed, Trump pushed for the lowering of interest rates and also reiterated his push for a measure to introduce new voter identification requirements.

“Lower the interest rates, you can have all the housing you want,” Trump said.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump said he had called off a planned signing for a bipartisan measure to increase home construction until passage of the SAVE America Act.

The cancellation was awkward for Capitol Hill Republicans, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who had just described the measure as a “really important bill to lower housing costs” before Trump called off the signing.

Sanders says election results show voters reject ‘establishment politics’

Bernie Sanders recently campaigned in New York alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The Vermont senator said Tuesday’s victories by Mamdani-backed candidates prove Americans are “saying enough is enough.”

“You want a government that represents ordinary people, not just the rich,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill. “That’s what last night was about. That’s what we’ve seen for the last number of months. I think you’re going to continue to see it.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from neighboring Connecticut, said voters are “clearly telling us they want us to be bolder,” but also cautioned against reading too much into the results.

“Obviously, in New York, the mayor and AOC have enormous power inside the Democratic Party today,” he said. “I’m not sure that election would reproduce itself; those results would reproduce themselves in every other state.”

Vinícius scored two goals — one of them practically into an empty net to open the scoring — and five-time World Cup champion Brazil beat Scotland 3-0 on Wednesday, advancing to the knockout stage as the Group C winner.

Vinícius — who has a goal in all three of Brazil's group matches — scored in the seventh minute and again just before halftime, tying Norway's Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé with of France with four goals, one behind Lionel Messi of Argentina.

Matheus Cunha also scored for the Seleção, who reached the knockout rounds for the 15th consecutive World Cup. Morocco finished second in the group and also advanced, rallying to beat Haiti 4-2.

After a lackluster 1-1 draw against Morocco in its opener, Brazil — facing pressure to win its first World Cup title since 2002 — followed with a 3-0 win over Haiti, and coach Carlo Ancelotti said he saw gradual improvement from his team during the group stage.

“We are working to play the best that we can,” he said. “But the goal is not to play well. We know that playing well is easier to win, but the goal is to win. ... If we win the World Cup, we played well. If we don't win the World Cup, we played really bad.”

Taking advantage of an early Scotland mistake on Wednesday, Vinícius received a pass from 19-year-old striker Rayan and took a quick touch to get by goalkeeper Angus Gunn for an easy finish and a 1-0 lead. He capitalized on another miscue by the Scots later in the first half with a header from close range.

“It’s always important to be scoring goals,” Vinícius said in Portuguese. “It’s important to be playing great matches, and I managed to do that. I was able to perform very well and improve. Throughout my years with the national team, there were times when I couldn’t quite show my true game.”

Neymar entered as a substitute in the 76th, making his debut after a right calf injury sidelined him for Brazil's first two matches. The majority-Brazilian crowd at Hard Rock Stadium began chanting his name midway through the second half as he got off the bench and began doing warmup sprints on the sideline — and fans roared as he trotted onto the pitch.

“I think he deserved the opportunity to play, which is why I gave him the opportunity to play,” Ancelotti said through an interpreter. “I think he did well even though he played for just a few minutes.”

Neymar is Brazil’s career scoring leader with 79 goals in 130 international appearances. The 34-year-old forward appeared in each of the past three World Cups for Brazil, scoring eight goals.

Scotland is playing in its first World Cup since 1998 and has become one of the more interesting teams of the tournament. Its dedicated fans, known as the Tartan Army, brought a party atmosphere to the Boston and Miami areas ahead of their team's matches.

Scotland hasn't advanced past the group stage in nine tries.

“We knew they were a top side,” Scotland’s Nathan Patterson said. “They have massive threats. We were trying to nullify the threats — and obviously giving them easy goals is not what you need.”

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Like numerous others from his home state of Odisha in eastern India, Pradhan works in a power loom factory that produces polyester cloth in Surat, among the largest hubs for synthetic fabrics in the world. The 35-year-old is among the millions of workers in South Asia who endure appalling living conditions combined with hot, humid, poorly ventilated and incredibly loud factory floors as climate-driven extreme heat is only becoming worse across the region.

“I’m a poor person. I have come to Gujarat from Odisha, which is 2,000 kilometers away (1,242 miles), to work. We are poor people; we have to work to survive," says Pradhan.

As soon as he’s up, Pradhan uses the little free time he has to place a video call to his wife and two kids in Odisha. A few minutes later, after praying in front of a small picture of his god posted in a corner of the tiny room, he walks down a dark, narrow hallway to join others lined up to use the toilets and bathe with a bucket. Two toilets and a few taps and buckets are shared by up to 100 people each day.

Over 200 workers live on two floors that are essentially huge halls divided into plywood cubicles that each house up to 10 people. There is little ventilation apart from a few ceiling fans. Temperatures have already reached 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) this summer, making both the factories and the workers' housing feel stifling.

A few quick splashes of water later, Pradhan is on his way to the factory where he works, since arriving late might mean a cut in his daily wage.

Poorly cooled factory floors add to workers’ stress

At the factory, Pradhan's work includes placing polyester yarn on power looms, making sure the threads are not broken, checking that the bobbins that hold the yarn are in place and ensuring uniform fabric quality. Pradhan oversees up to 15 machines at a time, moving between them constantly in the deafening noise.

Pradhan says the sweltering heat means he works only in a sleeveless undershirt and shorts. He constantly drinks water and periodically squeezes sweat from his shirt, or else it gets heavy.

All the while, workers must remain vigilant around the fast-moving, heavy machinery.

“Even if we're tired, we have to be careful as sometimes people's fingers have been cut by the machine,” Pradhan says, adding: “If something happens to us, we will have to bear all the costs and we will also lose wages for the days that we can't work."

The noise is constant. Power looms can be as loud as 130 decibels, which is comparable to a firearm discharging nearby or a full-speed train passing a few feet away.

Most factories have little ventilation and only ceiling fans to cool the machines and workers. As temperatures outside soar, the workers whose shifts last as long as 12 hours say they sometimes experience dizziness, headaches and chronic fatigue.

Worker illnesses and even deaths due to heat and dehydration are common, says Siba Malik, a member of a power loom worker’s union in Surat. Reliable statistics can be hard to find, with experts saying that the nationwide toll of heat deaths is likely undercounted due to how death certificates are recorded.

Climate pressures driving internal migration

Most of Surat’s textile workers are migrants, and a large portion come from Odisha’s Ganjam district, among the most vulnerable regions in India to climate-driven disasters. Farming has become unreliable in Ganjam because of cyclones, floods and erratic weather, workers in Surat’s factories said. Water shortages and lack of infrastructure further limit their work options, driving them to move for factory jobs.

A 2023 report by a nonprofit estimates there are as many as 800,000 workers from Ganjam in Surat.

“There is nothing to do in our village,” says Seemanchal Sahu, another factory worker who has been in Surat for over 15 years. “If we had work there, we wouldn’t come here.”

Malik, a former worker, says the workers lack health insurance and other benefits, leaving them leaving them especially vulnerable. If they fall ill or get injured, their income stops immediately. He has been trying to organize workers to seek benefits and other rights as a group.

Malik says workers feel compelled to endure challenging conditions because they need the money. He says workers are typically paid either by how many meters of fabric they produce or a daily wage ranging from about 600 to 750 rupees ($6–8).

Nighttime heat and poor living conditions stifle workers

After finishing his shift around 7 p.m., Pradhan walks back to his room, but there is little relief. Nighttime temperatures in Surat have hovered around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Just as Pradhan comes back, some workers are getting ready to head out for the night shift. If the bathrooms are not too crowded, he typically tries to take another quick bucket bath. A dinner of lentils, white rice and vegetables such as eggplant or potato is served around 8:30 p.m. at the canteen below his room. Fish is available once a week.

After eating quickly, Pradhan spends some time with other workers outdoors. Most nights, he sits at one of the tea stalls selling drinks and snacks outside his building, as sitting inside can be hot and stuffy. Eventually, he returns to his cubicle to try and sleep.

“It’s hot in our room also,” said Pradhan. “We are unable to sleep properly. We wake up three or four times at night.”

Despite these conditions, Pradhan can often spend one-fifth of his earnings on rent and food. He manages to send about 6,000 rupees ($63) every month to help with his family's expenses back home.

For Pradhan, who works seven days a week, every day in Surat follows a similar routine. He gets a rare break from the drudgery on holidays such as Diwali or the Odiya New Year when he travels back to Odisha.

In spite of the hardships, Pradhan hopes he can provide a different life for his children. He said he wants them to study and find stable jobs.

“I know how hard this work is,” he said. “I will not send my children to do this.”

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Follow Sibi Arasu on X at @sibi123.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The featherweight pair — orbiting a star 1,110 light-years away — are the biggest exoplanets found to have less density than cotton candy.

That makes them the lightest known planets of their size, said the University of Oxford's George Dransfield.

“These two planets have densities comparable to a nice blob of shaving foam, fresh from the can,” Dransfield said in an email. She and her team reported their findings Wednesday in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Dransfield suspects these fluffy, wispy worlds are probably white or blue, depending on whether the skies there are cloudy — no shades of cotton-candy pink. The planets are probably mostly hydrogen and helium, although it will take follow-up observations by NASA's Webb Space Telescope to confirm their chemical makeup.

Detected by NASA’s Tess satellite over the past decade, these two especially puffy-puffs orbit a star in the southern constellation Volans, known as the flying fish. The researchers studied the planets' orbits using telescopes on Earth to determine their density, from 1,110 light-years away. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (9.7 trillion kilometers).

Jupiter, by comparison, is as much as 35 times denser than these two lightweights.

Considered rare in the cosmos, super-puffs are thought to form around the disk of gas and dust around a newborn star where there is more gas than dust. They shed much of the material over time, stripping down even more.

NASA's tally of worlds outside our solar system currently stands at nearly 6,300 confirmed. Fewer than 40 are super-puffs, according to Dransfield.

“Ultimately, by studying exotic systems containing rare planet types, we add further pieces to the puzzle of planet formation and learn more about our place in the cosmos," she said.

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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.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate demanded answers about the saga that's been highlighted in the news cycle for weeks, even as the White House has repeatedly blamed — without evidence — unidentified vandals for peeling paint and other problems. Six people have been arrested, President Donald Trump said, without providing details, and a local wildlife nonprofit conducted necropsies on dead ducks found near the Reflecting Pool. The president has said the pool may need to be drained once again for additional repairs.

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, challenged the Trump administration over no-bid contracts for work on the Reflecting Pool, saying they were awarded to vendors with previous relationships to Trump.

National Park Service projects undertaken at Trump’s behest in the Washington area “have been marked by blatant corruption, a shocking lack of transparency, disregard for legal requirements and apparent incompetence,” Blumenthal wrote Wednesday in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Jessica Bowron, the acting Park Service director.

“Rushed no-bid contracts given to unqualified vendors with previous relationships to the president resulted in a reflecting pool more covered with algae than before, with freshly painted chunks of paint peeling from the bottom to float on the pool’s surface,” Blumenthal said.

The nation's capital “will now celebrate America's 250th birthday with an empty reflecting pool, a testament to incompetence and corruption,” he added.

Two contracts for Reflecting Pool repairs

Ohio-based Green Water Solutions was given a $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the Reflecting Pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.

Both contractors have ties to Trump entities, said California Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

“Donald Trump’s disastrous renovation of our national reflecting pool is his latest failed vanity project,” Garcia said, calling the projects a waste of taxpayer money.

Trump pledged to beautify the century-old Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation's 250th birthday celebrations, draining its water and directing the bottom to be painted a color he dubbed “American flag blue.” But since the site was restored, its water has been plagued by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom.

Without evidence, Trump has repeatedly blamed the peeling paint on vandalism, including a “350-foot gash” in the liner, as the administration faces a self-imposed deadline to complete the renovation before July 4th. Trump also has said the federal government would release images to substantiate his claim.

Trump said Wednesday that “sick people” had used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining. He wasn’t sure if the pool draining would come before or after the July 4 holiday, during which tens of thousands of people will be at the National Mall.

The U.S. Park Police posted surveillance footage Wednesday evening and asked for help “identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation.” The grainy, 30-second video appears to show a person kneeling down, reaching into the reflecting pool and removing something from the water. Police said it was taken Friday afternoon.

A White House spokeswoman it’s “a shame that Democrats do not think the capital of the greatest nation in the history of the world deserves to be safe and beautiful.”

Trump “generously spearheaded the restoration of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has long been plagued with algae and leaked 16 million gallons of water per year. The president’s efforts to beautify our nation’s capital are supported by Americans across the country and should be praised by both Republicans and Democrats,″ spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.

A spokeswoman for Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, said Wednesday the company uses devices called nanobubblers to infuse ozone into the water to kill algae and bacteria. The process is “functioning perfectly” and the water looked clear and blue Wednesday, after rain muddled it Tuesday, spokeswoman Erin Kramer said.

“The water is clear. What is visible is the sediment on the pool floor, a natural part of the remediation process when the algae dies,” she said. In a lake or river, that sediment is absorbed, but in a pool it needs to be vacuumed, she said.

The company is owned by John Cafaro, a Trump donor who lives near Mar-a-Lago, the president’s private club in Florida.

Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which spread blue sealant across the pool’s concrete floor, is owned by Curtis “Eddie” Wood. The company said this week it has identified some areas in the Reflecting Pool that require repairs, adding that the work will done once the pool is drained. It was unclear when that will happen.

What's next for Reflecting Pool remains murky

Amid the calls for investigations, Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado called for Trump to personally reimburse American taxpayers for the pool renovations, which he called “a national embarrassment.”

Americans expect their tax dollars “to fix roads, support schools and protect our public lands,” Hickenlooper wrote in a letter to Trump. “They do not expect to bankroll failed presidential vanity projects. The bill for this fiasco should only belong to you, Mr. President.”

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Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard contributed to this story.

Kevin Singh, 48, faces felony charges for stalking and intimidation, as well as a misdemeanor harassment charge. He was arrested Tuesday, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

Cunningham, a player with the Indiana Fever, told investigators she had been staying at home more and having nightmares because of Singh’s continued messages, according to the affidavit. She was first made aware of Singh’s alleged online conduct in February, she said.

Singh's online behavior escalated that month and his conduct “became increasingly threatening after he was contacted by team security," the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release.

According to an affidavit, Singh allegedly sent numerous messages — including explicit messages — on the social media platform X in April. One of the messages featured the text, “You're literally down the street from me!” After Cunnigham's team sent Singh a cease-and-desist letter on April 30, Singh sent more messages on X, making explicit and threatening comments, according to the affidavit.

In September 2025, Singh hand-delivered a package addressed to “Sophie” at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indiana Fever’s home arena, containing a letter and a Guns N' Roses T-shirt sprayed with men's cologne, according the affidavit.

“The internet has made it easier than ever to target, harass and intimidate others. Threats of violence, whether face-to-face or behind a keyboard, will be taken seriously,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement. “Coming forward is never easy, regardless of a person’s position or public profile. The victim is setting an example by speaking out."

A phone call to a number listed for Singh wasn't answered. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney yet.

Singh is currently on probation in Hendricks County, Indiana, after he pleaded guilty in July 2025 to two felony counts of invasion of privacy, the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said.

The incident comes after Cunningham's teammate, WNBA star Caitlin Clark, was the victim of stalking and harassing by a different man from Texas who was sentenced last year to 2 1/2 years in prison.

The Capitals got Tuch in a sign-and-trade Wednesday, getting him after the Sabres inked him to an eight-year $84 million contract and dealt him for a 2027 third-round pick and the rights to pending free agent forward David Kampf. Tuch will count $10.5 million against the salary cap through the 2033-34 NHL season.

“Alex was a highly coveted player, and we are pleased that he chose to come to Washington,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said. “Alex is a top-six offensive forward who brings size, versatility and the ability to contribute in all situations.”

Tuch, 30, essentially orchestrated the deal by agreeing to go and benefited from the way the trade went down by getting an eight-year contract, as opposed to the limit of seven had he hit the open market next week.

It is Washington's second big addition in two days after acquiring winger Jordan Kyrou from St. Louis for the No. 16 pick in the draft, prospect Milton Gastrin and forward Connor McMichael. It is also Buffalo's second subtraction from its roster after sending defenseman Bo Byram to Chicago in a trade the Sabres acquired the No. 4 pick in the draft they're hosting this weekend.

The Sabres locked up an important player for the long term by signing Zach Benson to a seven-year contract worth $52.5 million. GM Jarmo Kekalainen called getting a deal done with Benson a priority after the 21-year-old agitating winger's productive playoff performance.

Also Wednesday, Nashville and Colorado made another swap, with the Predators getting Jack Drury, prospect Chase Bradley and a 2029 third-round pick for fellow forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov. It's the second trade between the teams since Chris MacFarland left his post as Avalanche GM to take over control of the Preds' hockey operations department in early June.

“Jack Drury is a hard-working, reliable, full-sheet of the ice center who can handle the tough assignments while being elite in the faceoff circle,” MacFarland said. “His addition to our forward group bolsters our depth in the middle of the ice, and we’re thrilled to have him."

More moves are expected in the leadup to the first round of the draft Friday and with free agency on the horizon next week.

“Sunday, the ball started to roll and now everybody’s on the treadmill,” Blue general manager Doug Armstrong said on a call with reporters. “It’s gone from a nice leisurely 2.5 walk (to) probably a 4.5 walk today and there’ll probably be a 6 jog tomorrow and an 8 run on Friday.”

San Jose GM Mike Grier, whose trading of young forward William Eklund to Ottawa for the No. 9 pick suggests the Sharks are not done dealing, observed that there is a lot of movement happening around the league. The salary cap is increasing to $104 million.

“The cap's going up: Teams have money to spend, for the most part, for the first time in a while,” Grier said. “On top of that, I think free agent market, the free agent class, this year might not excite a lot of people, so I think that’s leading to a lot trades and people being open to trying to improve their teams in different ways. There’s some good players out there, but prices are high."

Kekalainen said there had been no progress in contract talks with Tuch, who is coming off a season with 33 goals and 33 assists. The sign-and-trade allowed Tuch to get an eight-year deal, whereas he would have been limited to seven in free agency.

Like Tuch, Kekalainen said there was no movement with Byram, who he said expressed no interest in wanting to remain with the Sabres after his current contract expired next summer.

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Whyno reported from New York.

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

From winning the U.S. Women's Open in California to playing in a pair at the Dow Championship in Michigan to brand-building for the sport in New York, the 27-year-old Korda has had little time for retreat.

If this is the price of stardom, well, she's willing to lean into it.

“I feel like in everything that you do in life — if you’re in the finance world, if you’re doing this — the more you put yourself into that position the more comfortable you get,” Korda said on Wednesday at Hazeltine National Golf Club. “I think the biggest change that I told myself I’m going to make is I’m just going to be authentic and be who I am. Either that comes across great or it doesn’t, but I just want to be genuine.”

Korda, whose prize money has passed $5.3 million this year, has won four of the nine tournaments she has entered with only one finish outside of the top 10. She leads the Vare Trophy race for the lowest scoring average on the LPGA by an average of 1.15 strokes over Hyo Joo Kim.

The only women to win the first three majors of a season are Inbee Park in 2013 and Babe Zaharias in 1950, when there were only three on the schedule. Now the final two majors are in Europe: the Evian Championship in France from July 9-12 and the Women’s British Open in England from July 30-Aug. 2.

With the Chevron Championship win in April already on her scorecard, Korda pulled out a one-stroke victory over Charley Hull and Gaby Lopez at the U.S. Women's Open this month. Fulfilling her commitment to playing with partner Olivia Cowan at the Dow Championship the following week required some self-discipline.

“I was very tired. Honestly, I couldn't go to sleep, and every single morning I woke up I didn't want to wake up,” Korda said. “I'm still a little tired from it.”

Then she was whisked away to New York for a whirlwind media tour on behalf of the LPGA, before heading home last week to recharge and refresh.

“It’s fun to be on a different stage in front of different people doing something that helps the game of golf and kind of puts us on a broader stage,” Korda said.

From a cameo on the "Today' show to a visit to the New York Stock Exchange to an appearance at Times Square, Korda relished last week the opportunity to show the lighthearted and self-described “dorky” side of her personality to more mainstream audiences.

“These are the types of things we need our athletes to do in order to have transcendent stars that cut through sports and find their way into culture,” LPGA Tour Commissioner Craig Kessler said. “She did it. She’s doing it.”

The major that was last held at Hazeltine on the suburban prairie southwest of Minneapolis in 2019, has a $13 million purse this year that's the largest in the history of women's golf.

“To see the evolution of where the women’s game was to what it is now, it is quite incredible,” Korda said. “You see that across every sport. You see that in tennis, right now in basketball, too. It is amazing to see the investment in women’s sports, and we are just really grateful for our partners continuously raising the bar.”

Hannah Green returns to Hazeltine in reflection on her 2019 win

Hannah Green, who's currently eighth in the world ranking, got her first tour victory at age 22 with a wire-to-wire win at the Women's PGA Championship when it last visited Hazeltine. That remains her only major title.

“There is definitely shots that I remember. I also remember some of the bad shots as well, which is sometimes not a great thing,” Green said. “But it’s nice to kind of relive those moments in the practice round. I do hit a lot further than I used to do back then.”

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

After winning hearts across social media, supporters had launched an effort urging organizers to allow the beloved bird to attend the match alongside his family. In less than two weeks, Merlín went from waddling through the streets of Mexico City during Mexico's opening victory to visiting the presidential palace. But on Wednesday, his proverbial flight was cut short.

Merlín was granted access to the Azteca Stadium grounds to film a segment with Televisa, one of Latin America’s largest television networks. Under strict security protocols, Merlín traveled comfortably inside a transport crate, accompanied by owner Carla Gómez and her son Cristian, as curious fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the tournament’s most unexpected star. However, he could not remain for the match, as FIFA regulations prohibit animals from entering venues in order to safeguard their well-being.

A FIFA tournament spokesperson confirmed Merlín was permitted to enter the perimeter but not the stadium, and did not offer further comment.

“These last few days have been crazy, we’ll never stop being grateful for what we’ve experienced,” Gómez told The Associated Press. “Everyone is truly amazed by Merlín.”

Since his first appearance, Merlín has grown into a social media phenomenon and an international celebrity. Wearing a green Mexico jersey and proudly accompanying his family as they sell drinks throughout the city, the 2-year-old duck has become a familiar sight in the capital. Along the way, he has participated in interviews, visited television studios, mingled with supporters at the fan fest in Mexico City’s Zócalo, and even paid a visit to Netflix.

“He’s become our unofficial mascot for Mexico and the World Cup,” said Daniel Krauze, a fan outside the stadium who sported a duck hat. “I feel proud to wear Merlín the duck.”

Merlín has also found himself at the center of a trademark dispute, when at least two applications before Gómez's sought the rights to his name for exclusive commercial use. The registration was ultimately granted to Gómez.

Now, following hundreds of requests from fans, the family will finally be able to watch Mexico's national team live. Gómez described the occasion as a “very powerful emotion.”

And although the duck darling will not be cheering from the stands, she is convinced that Mexico’s most famous feathered supporter will still be bringing luck to El Tri: “Merlín is a lucky charm, and I know that, with him, the Mexican national team will win again today.”

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Pulisic played a dynamic first half in the Americans' historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to open their home World Cup nearly two weeks ago, but the AC Milan midfielder came off at halftime after an injury from training stiffened up.

Pulisic said he nearly played in the U.S.' 2-0 victory over Australia last Friday but was held out to get closer to full fitness for the games ahead. He has returned to practice with his teammates this week after working out on his own last week before the trip to Seattle.

“I'm hoping to play a part in (the match against Turkey), for sure,” Pulisic said before the U.S. training session Wednesday at Great Park. “I’ll discuss that with my coaches and the medical staff. Obviously not a good chance I’ll probably go and play 90 (minutes) right away after you come back and miss a game, but we’ll see.”

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino didn't reveal his plan Wednesday for Pulisic in the match against Turkey, which is meaningless for both teams. The Americans are locked into first place in their group, while Turkey has been eliminated from knockout-round contention.

"Pulisic is talking with the medical (staff)," Pochettino said in an afternoon news conference at SoFi Stadium. “We have to decide if it’s possible to play from the beginning, or maybe play from the bench and play the second half.”

Pochettino did indicate that his players who have already received yellow cards — Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson and Tyler Adams — are unlikely to play, at least as starters.

“For the guys that have yellow cards, it’s not necessary to take another yellow card and not be available for the next stage,” Pochettino said. “It’s a normal, easy answer not to play with them from the beginning.”

Pulisic hopes the plan includes at least some playing time for him as the U.S. ramps up for its Round-of-32 match in Santa Clara, California, on July 1. While Pulisic's calf injury robbed him of one chance on the World Cup stage, he felt certain he wouldn't be out for long.

“I never feared anything worse,” Pulisic said. “I was pushing, and I was really close to trying to be available for the last game, for sure. I did feel a little something (against Paraguay), but I definitely was able to push through in the first half and just get me through. But yeah, it wasn’t quite ready, but it wasn’t anything where I feared anything worse than what it was.”

With no stakes for the U.S. against Turkey, Pochettino seems likely to provide some rest to key players in his starting lineup while giving a few of his reserves possibly their only opportunity to hit the field. That sounds great to Richards, who thinks some time off wouldn't be a hindrance.

“Our trainings are pretty intense," Richards said. "I think fitness won't be an issue. I don't think sharpness will be, either. Obviously it's good to keep into some sort of rhythm, but I think these guys deserve it if they get the chance (Thursday). I think we'll be fine when it comes to the next game.”

Pulisic was visibly excited as a spectator during the Americans' win in Seattle, celebrating along with his teammates as they capably handled a second straight opponent for their team's first consecutive World Cup victories since 1930. The U.S. offensive performance without its most accomplished attacking player, particularly in the first half against Australia, pleased Pulisic greatly.

“It’s not surprising to me,” Pulisic said. “I see what this team can do. We have depth. We have really strong players in a lot of positions. I don’t need to do everything. It’s such a strong team. These guys, everyone has each other’s backs. That’s what so fun about it, and to see the way the team performance that we’ve put in, especially the way we’ve started the games, has been fun to watch.”

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/FIFA-World-Cup

The Office of Management and Budget sent the supplemental spending request on Wednesday. It arrived just hours after President Donald Trump assailed Republican senators during a private lunch — engaging in a shouting match with one — over their votes to approve a war powers resolution that would halt further hostilities.

The request is mostly for expenses incurred by the Defense Department as part of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led attack on Iran. But it also includes a range of other items, including $11.1 billion toward economic assistance for American farmers, $1.4 billion for the Ebola virus outbreak in Central Africa and $500 million to support ongoing efforts “to complete restoration and construction projects in and around Washington, D.C.”

“I urge the Congress to take action on these important and urgent requests as soon as possible,” said OMB Director Russ Vought in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, “President Trump is asking taxpayers to clean up his messes, to the tune of $87.6 billion.”

“After dragging America into a reckless war, he now wants Congress to hand him tens of billions more to paper over the damage — while families are still paying higher prices.”

There may not be enough support in Congress to pass war funds

It’s unclear how quickly the House and Senate could act on the White House’s request, or if Congress takes up the matter at all. The funding faces a difficult path because many lawmakers could view any votes as a reflection of test of their support for the war effort.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday briefing House GOP lawmakers from the conservative Republican Study Committee on the Pentagon’s budgetary needs. The White House is seeking as much as $1.5 trillion in defense spending in this year’s budget, a nearly 50% increase over previous levels.

But many lawmakers have complained they have yet to receive any formal briefing from the administration on the Iran war, nearly four months after it was launched, and as Trump’s team is now working to secure a fragile ceasefire and bring an end to the conflict.

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the request is not merely to pay for “the president’s disastrous war, but an attempt to secure tens of billions of additional dollars for unrelated Pentagon priorities.”

Murray said she would review to ensure servicemembers are taken care of, “but I will not rubberstamp tens of billions more for this disastrous war of choice.”

Yet the White House was clear to include provisions to interest lawmakers from various regions, including $1 billion to assist “the final design and construction of a modernized Penn Station in New York City,” which would be of interest to Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Ca., who chairs the panel’s subcommittee on Defense, said in a joint statement, "President Trump’s request reflects the reality that our defense strength must be maintained, not merely demonstrated.”

Money for farmers, the Ebola outbreak and other needs included

The bulk of the request, $67 billion, is to replenish the Pentagon from the Iran war. The largest portion of that defense funding, $21 billion, would go to weapons and munitions, with another $17.3 billion for operational costs and $12.1 billion for other classified programs. Funds are also requested to cover fuel costs, drone manufacturing and cybersecurity.

The money for farmers would provide $10 billion in economic assistance to row and specialty crop farmers and $1.1 billion specifically to Florida agriculture producers who suffered losses from this past year’s winter storms.

The package also includes a collection of policy proposals that the administration strongly supports, and which are certain to raise interest among lawmakers.

Among them, the package proposes revisions to federal regulations of hemp products that have long been in dispute, changes to the year-round sales of renewable fuels and lifting of restrictions around federal investment support in Venezuela.

The administration is also requesting $550 million to prevent and detect the Ebola virus in Congo, where an outbreak has killed more than 250 people. Another $800 million would go to provide humanitarian assistance to the region.

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The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded to the vessel around 12:18 p.m. All six individuals suffered minor injuries.

Naval Station Mayport did not release specifics on the nature of those injuries.

A Mayport spokesperson also said the fire broke out around 11:30 a.m. and Mayport Fire and Emergency Services and the ship’s crew responded immediately and quickly extinguished the localized fire.

All six personnel have since been treated and released, returning to the ship following their hospital visits, according to Mayport officials.

The cause and location of the fire aboard the ship are still under review, the Mayport spokesperson said.

“Taxpayers who required assistance from the IRS often struggled to get it," said Erin M. Collins, who leads the independent watchdog agency of the IRS.

Collins earlier this year warned that the 2026 tax filing season was likely to present challenges for taxpayers who encounter problems with filing their taxes given the exodus of IRS workers since the start of the Trump administration.

The IRS started 2025 with about 102,000 employees and finished with about 74,000 after a series of firings and layoffs brought on by the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk. Last year, IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season were not allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until after the taxpayer filing deadline. This year, many of those customer service workers have left.

Collins in a report released Wednesday, said that overall, the IRS performed better than she expected. “The vast majority of taxpayers filed their returns successfully and received their refunds without significant delay.”

Technology improvements and automation helped prevent a total meltdown during the tax season, according to the report. The IRS said in a statement that expanded self-service options and other tech improvements allowed IRS staff to assist taxpayers with more complex cases.

However, the agency fell short in answering phones, the report said. Some 59% of calls on major accounts management lines were answered, but taxpayers on compliance lines got through only 34% of the time, and the line that handles identity theft victims got through only 19% of the time.

Identity theft victims overall have to wait nearly two years for help from the IRS, the report said. This is a long-standing issue at the agency.

The taxpayer advocate report says more than 500,000 identity-theft victims continue to face average case resolution times of roughly 20 months, with average processing times approaching 600 days.

We will see a mix of sun and clouds on Thursday with highs in the mid to upper 90s. Scattered showers and storms will develop later in the day.

Activity will be most widespread in the afternoon and evening. Heavy rain, frequent lightning and gusty winds are possible in any storm.

Storm coverage will become more isolated later in the week into the upcoming weekend, but it will be hot and humid with highs in the mid to upper 90s.

Regarding the drought, the latest drought monitor reflects some improvement across our area. Several areas have been downgraded to a severe drought which reflects the rainfall we saw over the past week.

While we are still in a deficit, rainfall will once again lead to more improvement in the next outlook.

TONIGHT: Partly Cloudy. An Isolated Storm Early. Low 77.

THURSDAY: Partly to Mostly Cloudy. Scattered Rain & Storms. High 94, Low 76.

FRIDAY: Partly to Mostly Cloudy. Isolated Rain & Storms. High 95, Low 77.

SATURDAY: Sun & Clouds. Mainly Dry. High 95, Low 77.

SUNDAY: Sun & Clouds. Mainly Dry. High 96, Low 76.

MONDAY: Sun & Clouds. Scattered Rain & Storms. High 95, Low 74.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement issued a missing child alert for the 15-year-old girl on Wednesday.

Police said the teen was last seen around 3 a.m., leaving her home on 110th Street near Seaboard Avenue in the Wesconnett area.

Around 5:30 p.m., JSO reported that the teen was found safely.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston effectively converts a preliminary injunction she issued a year ago, in which she temporarily blocked many of Trump’s efforts to overhaul elections, into a permanent ban.

Casper rejected the Republican administration’s argument that the lawsuit to block the changes brought by Democratic state attorneys general was premature because the rules had yet to be put in place. Instead, she agreed that the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to regulate elections, and that Trump’s requirements violated the separation of powers.

The Constitution "does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” wrote Casper, who was nominated by former Democratic President Barack Obama.

Among other proposed changes, Trump’s order would have required people to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote, prevented mail ballots from being counted if they arrive after Election Day, even if they were postmarked by then, and punished states that failed to comply by withholding certain federal grants, including those intended to beef up election security.

Democrats see order as a constitutional overstep

In a statement, New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was grateful the court had blocked Trump's "unconstitutional attempt to seize control of our elections" and would continue to defend voting rights in this year's midterm elections.

“Generations of Americans fought tirelessly for the right to vote, and we honor their legacy by protecting that right against anyone who tries to undermine it," said James, a Democrat.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose state was the lead plaintiff in the case, said the ruling reaffirmed the constitutional principle that it's up to the states and Congress to set election rules.

“While we are proud of this result, we are clear-eyed that President Trump’s attacks on voting rights and our elections show no signs of slowing down,” Bonta, a Democrat, said in a statement. "So let me be clear: we will keep fighting back every step of the way.”

In a statement, a White House spokeswoman said the Republican president wants to ensure that Americans are confident in the way elections are administered. The administration can appeal Wednesday's ruling if it chooses.

“The President’s executive order lawfully protects our elections, and we are confident that we will ultimately prevail in its implementation,” spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said.

Trump also is trying to enact voting changes through Congress

The ruling was the latest in a series against the elections executive order Trump signed just months after taking office for his second term. He has since signed another executive order on elections that seeks to create a national voter list and limit mail balloting. That directive also faces multiple legal challenges.

Last fall, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., overseeing a separate challenge to the first election executive order by civil rights and Democratic Party-aligned groups blocked the government from taking steps to include the proof-of-citizenship requirement on the federal voter registration form. That judge later barred Trump's defense secretary from requiring documentary proof of citizenship when military personnel register to vote or request ballots.

In an apparent nod to the difficulty of implementing a proof-of-citizen requirement by executive order, Trump is pushing legislation in the Republican-controlled Congress to create such a mandate. The SAVE America Act has passed the House but has stalled in the Senate, leading Trump to advocate for eliminating the filibuster that is blocking the legislation.

On Wednesday, he abruptly canceled the expected signing of a bipartisan housing bill, saying he would not sign legislation until Congress passes his proof of citizenship requirement for voting.

Documents need to prove citizenship not always easy to obtain

Enacting a proof-of-citizenship requirement to vote can be complicated, especially if it's done on the eve of a major election with little time for states or voters to adjust.

A 2025 University of Maryland study estimates that 21.3 million Americans who are eligible to vote do not have — or don't have easy access to — documents to prove their citizenship. That includes nearly 10% of Democrats, 7% of Republicans and 14% of people unaffiliated with either major party.

Only about half of Americans have a passport, which can take four to six weeks to obtain and cost around $165. And the processing time for an online birth certificate can take anywhere from a few days to 12 weeks. Married women who have changed their names might need additional documentation, such as a marriage certificate.

A proof-of-citizenship requirement that passed in Kansas 15 years ago ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote before the law was halted by the courts.

The president and many of his Republican allies have been promoting the narrative that voting by noncitizens is a major problem, when in fact it's quite rare. The federal voter registration form already requires people to attest that they are U.S. citizens. Violating that is punishable as a felony that can lead to prison or deportation.

In another major voting case, the U.S. Supreme Court is due to issue an opinion soon on whether mail ballots must arrive by Election Day. That could immediately change the rules in 14 states that allow grace periods ranging from days to weeks if the ballots are postmarked by Election Day.

Lawyers for Live Nation told the court on Monday that Trump and the company’s CEO, Michael Rapino, spoke about the antitrust lawsuit in February, but didn’t discuss “substantive terms” of any potential settlement.

They also said that White House lawyers were involved in some of the numerous in-person meetings, videoconferences, telephone calls and written communications between the company and the Justice Department in February and March.

Just days into the March trial, the Justice Department announced a settlement that most states refused to join, saying it did not go far enough to curb the company’s dominance over concert venues and ticketing for live events though Ticketmaster.

The trial continued, and a jury concluded several weeks later that the company was a monopoly that cost concertgoers and sports fans.

The White House declined to comment on Live Nation's disclosure, referring questions to the Justice Department, which didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The revelation comes as the Justice Department has faced criticism that its independence has been threatened by substantial oversight or interference from the White House and the president.

The Justice Department and dozens of states originally teamed up to bring the antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation.

Among other things, the jury in New York found Ticketmaster’s anticompetitive practices led to people in 22 states paying an extra $1.72 per ticket, which the judge could order the companies to pay back.

State attorneys general who sued Live Nation said the verdict could potentially lead to lower ticket prices for music fans.

The federal government's settlement deal included a cap on service fees at some amphitheaters, plus some new ticket-selling options for promoters and venues — potentially allowing, but not requiring, them to open doors to Ticketmaster competitors such as SeatGeek or AXS.

In April, Live Nation said in a statement that the verdict “is not the last word on this matter.”

Former Police Chief John Powell and former Assistant Chief Brian Scott filed the 64-page lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, Brunswick Division. The suit names 13 defendants and seeks $20 million in damages along with a jury trial.

The lawsuit alleges that Glynn County Sheriff Neal Jump and former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jacquelyn “Jackie” Johnson led a years-long effort to eliminate the Glynn County Police Department — which has operated independently from the sheriff’s office since 1919 — and consolidate all county law enforcement power under the sheriff’s office.

Powell and Scott claim the criminal indictments brought against them in 2020 for alleged oath-of-office violations were not the result of legitimate law enforcement concerns, but rather “the culmination of a deep-seated conspiracy by high-profile law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and others” to remove them from their positions and destroy the department’s reputation.

In addition to Jump and Johnson, the lawsuit names:

• James C. Proctor, former Camden County Sheriff — now employed by Jump at the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office
• Stephen D. Jessup, McIntosh County Sheriff
• Jordan Daniel Lowe, Jr., Colonel with the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office
• Michael W. Lawson, former Glynn County Sheriff’s Deputy
• William V. Daras, former Chief Investigator for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit DA’s office — now employed by Jump at the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office
• Liberty A. Stewart a/k/a Liberty Gendron, former Assistant District Attorney, Brunswick Judicial Circuit
• John Dustin Simpson, Glynn County Police Department officer — currently assigned as a lieutenant overseeing internal investigations
• Elzaver “Dustin” Davis, Glynn County Police Department officer
• Joseph Mulholland, special prosecutor, South Georgia Judicial Circuit
• Banks Thomas Smith, Assistant District Attorney, South Georgia Judicial Circuit
• Mark Randall, reporter, DeSoto Times-Tribune, Mississippi

Background: A Department Created to Prevent Corruption

The Glynn County Police Department was established in 1919 by the county’s governing body specifically because of corruption by Glynn County sheriffs at the time. The lawsuit notes the department has operated independently from the sheriff’s office for more than 100 years.

According to the complaint, Jump openly announced his desire to disband the GCPD and consolidate all county law enforcement under his office from the beginning of his tenure as sheriff in 2013. The lawsuit alleges Johnson, who served as district attorney from 2010 to 2020, facilitated multiple grand jury reviews of consolidation between 2013 and 2019.

The Cory Sasser Case: The Alleged Turning Point

The lawsuit identifies the handling of a 2018 domestic violence case involving former GCPD Officer Cory Sasser as the moment Powell and Scott became targets.

According to the complaint, Sasser — one of two officers involved in the 2010 shooting death of unarmed Glynn County resident Caroline Small, a case Johnson declined to prosecute — committed domestic violence against his estranged wife in May 2018. Powell and Scott arrested Sasser and sought to keep him jailed.

The lawsuit alleges Jump intervened, bringing a judge to the county jail after hours to facilitate Sasser’s immediate release. A judge was allegedly overheard saying, “Cory is a good boy, I’m not going to allow him to spend one night in jail.” That judge, according to the complaint, had previously represented Sasser as a private attorney in the 2010 Caroline Small case.

Powell contacted the FBI and ATF for help getting Sasser back into custody. On June 28, 2018, Sasser murdered his estranged wife, Katie Sasser, and her friend John Hall, Jr., in McIntosh County before taking his own life. The lawsuit alleges Jump and Johnson’s offices were aware Sasser was in the area and never notified Powell or the GCPD.

The complaint states that Powell and Scott’s handling of the Sasser case — their refusal to give him special treatment — was the inflection point that made them targets. “In order for the Jump/Johnson system of cronyism to survive in Glynn County, both Powell and Scott had to be eliminated,” the lawsuit states.

Powell and Scott were indicted on February 28, 2020, for alleged oath-of-office violations — specifically, that they violated Brady v. Maryland by failing to conduct internal investigations of their officers.

The indictments came the same week Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, was shot and killed while jogging in a Glynn County neighborhood. Powell worked a half day after Arbery’s death and never returned to the department.

The lawsuit alleges Jump and Johnson capitalized on the public outrage over the perceived mishandling of the Arbery investigation, publicly blaming Powell for the delayed arrest — even though, according to the complaint, Powell was no longer leading the department at the time and had no role in the investigation.

Four Years of Prosecution — Ended by the Georgia Supreme Court

Johnson recused herself and her office from the case in May 2020, after the indictments had already been filed. A special prosecutor, South Georgia Judicial Circuit District Attorney Joseph Mulholland, was appointed by the Georgia Attorney General.

The lawsuit alleges Mulholland sought re-indictments in August 2021 despite being advised by the director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia not to proceed, with the director warning him he was “opening a Pandora’s box.”

On April 30, 2024, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled unanimously — nine to nothing — in Powell and Scott’s favor, finding the indictments legally baseless. The court held that “it is legally impossible to commit the crimes in the way the State alleged in the indictment.” The remaining charges were dropped on June 25, 2024, ending more than four years of prosecution.

The case prompted Georgia lawmakers to pass House Bill 582, which went into effect July 1, 2025. The law limits oath-of-office prosecutions statewide to only those predicated on felonies or high and aggravated misdemeanors. The Georgia State FOP Lodge lobbied for the bill in part because of what happened to Powell and Scott, according to the lawsuit.

Career Consequences

The lawsuit details significant professional harm to both men. Powell was terminated from the GCPD in January 2021 after refusing multiple buyout attempts. Scott was terminated from a police chief position in Vidalia, Georgia, in August 2021 following Mulholland’s re-indictments.

According to the complaint, both men were repeatedly denied employment opportunities in law enforcement due to the volume of negative press coverage generated by the indictments and related proceedings.

In October 2025, Powell was hired as deputy police chief in Flowery Branch, Georgia, after that department’s chief conducted his own review and determined Powell had been “railroaded.” The lawsuit alleges that within weeks, defendant Mark Randall contacted Flowery Branch officials in an attempt to have Powell fired, calling him in writing “the most corrupt official I have ever covered” and saying he “leaves a trail of slime everywhere he goes.”

In January and March 2026, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council reviewed the case and voted to take no action against Powell or Scott’s law enforcement certifications.

The lawsuit brings two counts under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 — malicious prosecution and conspiracy — alleging the defendants fabricated evidence, suborned perjury, manipulated witness testimony, and withheld exculpatory evidence.

Powell and his attorney have not yet responded to a request for comment from News4JAX.

This story will be updated as responses are received from the parties named in the lawsuit. All allegations cited in this story are drawn from the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court and have not been proven in court.

“It’s a little bit boring, no?” Pochettino said with a bemused grin. "They’re waiting for the perfect wave, and it never arrives.”

Pochettino is not a man who understands why anybody would want to wait. He would rather make the wave.

His energy and hunger propelled him out of Argentina to a successful playing career in Europe, followed by a swift transition to management at top clubs in England, France and Spain. He has spent his adult life in high-stakes situations, learning to thrive in the constant urgency demanded at soccer's highest levels.

So when this lifelong high-energy striver took over the U.S. team nearly two years ago, he expected to find a roster and a country that shared his desperate hunger for success leading up to their home World Cup.

Pochettino and his coaching team were stunned to learn otherwise.

“We were so naive when we signed our contract,” Pochettino said Tuesday night during a media roundtable in his office. “I think what we find after we sign, we misjudged the situation. It was worse than we really believed.”

Pochettino had never coached a national team before he took over the U.S. While he understood the obstacles inherent in a job featuring limited contact with his players, he didn't anticipate the scope of the rebuild that would be necessary in a program that had enjoyed only erratic success on the international stage.

The Americans had recently been eliminated from the 2024 Copa America in the group stage despite playing on home turf, leading to coach Gregg Berhalter's firing. Pochettino says he inherited a program saturated by complacency that didn't match his urgency.

“When we arrived here, we received a big punch, and we were knocked out for a while," Pochettino said. "Because we were so excited about that. It’s so close, the World Cup. Everyone is going to want to be involved and want to come to the national team, and it was the opposite.”

But after Pochettino understood the full scope of the job he had taken, he went to work on creating the culture he needed to see. He identified the players who would be most important to the Americans' success, and he sold them on giving their all to the project that is finally bearing fruit at this World Cup.

Pochettino's team has opened the tournament with back-to-back victories over Paraguay and Australia by a combined 6-1 score. That's a historic achievement for the U.S., which had never started 2-0 and has won only one knockout-stage match in its entire World Cup history.

The U.S. concludes group play Thursday night against Turkey in Southern California before hosting a round of 32 match in Northern California next week. The tactical savvy they've shown under Pochettino, along with a theoretically manageable draw, clearly indicate the Americans have a golden opportunity to make their most impressive World Cup finish since reaching the semifinals at the inaugural tournament in 1930.

But it took hard work over the past 20 months to make it happen, Pochettino says. The U.S. lost twice in the CONCACAF Nations League in March 2025, but Pochettino saw progress on building the culture and style necessary for the Americans to thrive on a bigger stage.

He persevered in his plans after the U.S. didn't win the Gold Cup without Christian Pulisic in the summer of 2025, and he agrees with his players who have cited the fall of 2025 as a turning point for the American squad.

That stretch included a famously pugnacious friendly with Australia in which Pochettino challenged his players at halftime to raise their level of competitiveness. It also included a team talk last November in which he first used the phrase that has become one of the team's slogans: “Why not us?”

“And then they were ..." Pochettino says while making a shocked face. "'Why not us?' It was like a motto for us to say, ‘We can. If we believe we can, we can do. If we work hard, we can do. If we change our mindset, we can do.’”

“Why not us?” is emblazoned on the back wall of Pochettino's office, along with numerous additional quotes and sayings hand-written on the wall by the coach: “Heart turns effort into belief, and when everything hurts, heart keeps us fighting together," and “When people believe in each other, impossible dreams become possible.”

Pochettino's American chapter has changed him in small ways. He has been surprised by both ends of the American palate, from Chick-Fil-A to Whole Foods grocery stores, and he has developed an appreciation for country and soul music — everyone from Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley to Teddy Swims.

The soccer world doesn't expect Pochettino to stay with the U.S. team forever, and he has already been linked with European club jobs leading up to this tournament. Pochettino says his coaching team hasn't ruled out staying with the U.S. past the World Cup, but those discussions will wait until they see just how far this team can go.

“It’s difficult to describe or know your future,” Pochettino said. “But when you are here, I think it’s difficult now to see yourself living in another place, because for sure, we will miss it if one day we don’t stay here in this country."

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/FIFA-World-Cup

The NCAA will now allow athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The move will all but eliminate waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. No longer will extensions be considered for athletes who are injured.

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

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Cincinnati (Hamilton County) sought temporary and permanent injunctive relief that would allow a fifth year of competition for athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 and began their college sports careers that fall and never redshirted. A judge denied a temporary restraining order hours after the lawsuit was filed and scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday on the request for a preliminary injunction.

The new eligibility rule “unjustifiably restrains their ability to earn money through use of their name, image, and likeness (‘NIL’) connected to their work as Division I athletes,” attorneys Ryan Downton and Charles Rittgers wrote in the complaint.

Similar lawsuits are expected to be filed in other states.

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

The Cabinet said while age-based eligibility was under consideration, the Division I Board of Directors made clear any rule change would apply going forward and not retroactively to athletes whose eligibility was completed by the spring of 2026.

“Student-athletes who will exhaust their eligibility this year have received the full period of eligibility permitted by NCAA bylaws and the life-changing benefits college sports provides,” the Cabinet said. “Giving those student-athletes another season would destabilize rosters just ahead of the coming season by disrupting settled expectations of countless student-athletes regarding their expected roster spots and playing time next year, including incoming freshmen who are eager to participate in the life-changing experience of college athletics.”

Nine of the plaintiffs in the Ohio case have played or planned to play next season at Ohio schools. The rest, according to the complaint, have played multiple games in the state.

The complaint said class of 2022 athletes competed for playing time against older athletes who had eligibility extended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also noted the NCAA allowed 2022 high school graduates to play a full professional season before enrolling in 2023 and that they are not excluded from playing in 2026-27.

“NCAA athletes have a reasonable expectation that they will be treated fairly by the NCAA and that NCAA rules will be applied consistently, regardless of the athlete’s background before they attend an NCAA school and regardless of the year in which they graduated from high school,” the complaint said.

The lawsuit points out that the plaintiffs don't challenge the concept of a defined eligibility period or the five-for-five rule itself.

“Rather, they challenge the NCAA’s application of the rule” that allows players they competed against from the high school class of 2017-20 and 2023-25 an additional year of competition while denying plaintiffs the same opportunity," the attorneys wrote. “The NCAA then compounded the problem by allowing former professional players to compete in their fifth year following high school graduation regardless of the number of professional games they had played, while denying plaintiffs the same opportunity for a fifth year of competition.”

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

No mother was found at the scene, and one puppy has already been taken to an emergency veterinary hospital with a broken leg.

The shelter is urgently seeking foster families who can take in two or more of the puppies while they recover and grow. Nassau Humane Society will provide all food, supplies, and medical care — foster families simply need to offer a safe, loving environment.

Click here to see the puppies.

Anyone with information about where the puppies came from or who recognizes them is asked to call Nassau Humane Society immediately at 904-321-1647. Those interested in fostering can also email foster@nassauhumane.org.

The development at 7375 Sheldon Drive will offer one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments reserved for income-qualifying residents earning 30%, 60% and 70% of the area median income, with monthly rents ranging about $470 to $1,716. HTG said recent market data show Duval County’s population grew nearly 5 percent over the past four years, with average asking rents in the submarket topping $1,500.

Half of Normandy Cove’s units will be set aside for active-duty service members and veterans, including a 5 percent set-aside for veterans experiencing homelessness. HTG is partnering with local organizations Hope4Veterans Inc. and I.M. Sulzebacher Center for the Homeless to reach prospective residents and provide supportive services such as employment assistance, financial management, homeownership opportunities and veteran-focused programming.

Officials celebrated the groundbreaking this week, highlighting the project’s focus on providing affordable housing options for military families in a city with a large veteran population.

“These are people that have served our country,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said. “They really should not have to worry about whether they can afford housing when they come back from serving our country.”

The site presented unique challenges because it is located directly behind Edward White High School. To access the property, the developer worked with Duval County Public Schools to create an easement connecting the site to nearby roads.

Housing Trust Group Senior Vice President Jason Larson said the school district played a critical role in making the project possible.

“We were really dependent on the school board to give us access to the site,” Larson said. “The school board was really instrumental in making all this happen.”

The City of Jacksonville also contributed $1.5 million through its Revolving Loan Fund to help finance the development.

Joshua Hicks, the city’s affordable housing director, said the public investment was necessary to keep rents affordable.

“Without the gap financing, they’re going to have to charge more for the rent,” Hicks said. “Being able to create affordable housing means we need that public-private partnership to be able to lower those rents to where we need them to be to be truly an affordable project.”

The city’s contribution is structured as a low-interest loan that will be repaid over 20 years. Once repaid, the funds can be recycled into future affordable housing developments.

According to city officials, the project will include between 30 and 40 units reserved for households earning 30% of the area median income. Rents for those apartments are expected to be less than $500 per month.

“Normandy Cove is a direct response to the housing mismatch in Jacksonville, where service members and working families are increasingly being priced out of the communities they serve,” said Matthew A. Rieger, president and CEO of Housing Trust Group. “By partnering with local veteran service organizations and the Duval County School Board, we’ve been able to transform a complex site into a sanctuary that offers more than just a roof — it offers stability, dignity and specialized support for those who have served.”

Normandy Cove is financed with $20.8 million in 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit equity allocated by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation and syndicated by Raymond James; a $27.5 million construction loan from TD Bank; a $16.4 million permanent loan from Berkadia through Freddie Mac; an $11 million State Apartment Incentive Loan from FHFC; $1.5 million in gap funding from the City of Jacksonville Housing and Community Development Department Revolving Loan Fund; and $500,000 in gap funding and tax-exempt bond financing from the Jacksonville Housing Finance Authority.

Apartments will feature quartz countertops, luxury vinyl plank flooring and modern appliances. Community amenities include a swimming pool, fitness center, business center, multipurpose clubhouse, outdoor amenity deck and dedicated office and meeting space for veteran service providers. HTG said the development will receive National Green Building Standard certification.

A second phase planned at Normandy Cove would add 99 units, bringing the total to 243 residences.

The site is minutes from I-295 and I-10 and close to retail along Normandy Boulevard. Normandy Cove is about 20 minutes from downtown Jacksonville, 20 minutes from Naval Air Station Jacksonville and about 45 minutes from Mayport Naval Station and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.

Design and construction partners include FK Architects (architect and interior designer), BDI Construction (general contractor) and NV5 Inc. (civil engineer).

Normandy Cove is Housing Trust Group’s first affordable housing community in the Jacksonville area. HTG said it is also advancing plans for Duval 212, an 85-unit project in downtown Jacksonville in partnership with a local nonprofit and city agencies aimed at turning underused church and city land into mixed-income, mixed-use development.

Trump has repeatedly slammed NATO, arguing the U.S. carries more than its fair share of military spending. But his grievances have been louder since the Iran war, as he fumed over the fact that some member countries ignored his call to help him restart oil trade through the shuttered Strait of Hormuz.

“They weren’t too nice to us in our recent little military skirmish,” Trump said of NATO allies as he introduced Rutte during their Oval Office meeting.

Subsequently pressed on what key U.S. allies could do to get back on his good side, Trump responded, “Just be loyal."

“We don’t need their money — we don’t need anything,” the president added. “We have the most powerful military in the world by far. But I just want loyalty.”

Trump has renewed his threats to leave the 77-year-old alliance, raising the stakes before the NATO leaders' summit in Turkey next month. But Rutte, who has become known as a Trump whisperer for his ability to charm the president, took on the now-familiar role of attempting to appease him anew.

Rutte pushed back gently against Trump's complaints, saying, “I know there have been isolated cases about which you are really disappointed, but generally speaking, your European allies have been there with you."

He also noted that 4,000 to 5,000 U.S. planes took off from bases in Europe before Iran and the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire.

Rutte gushed about Trump having been “very harsh” with defense contractors, saying, “I had one of them over in my office. He was still trembling.”

That was a reference to Trump having held a series of meetings with Pentagon officials and leading military contractors at the White House recently, discussing ways to increase munitions production after the Iran war raised concerns about the U.S. eating into its stocks of missiles.

“This is your president, but also the leader of the free world, taking the leadership role, as is necessary," Rutte told reporters in the Oval.

The U.S. Defense Department is conducting a review

The visit, Rutte's fifth since Trump returned to power last year, comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week lashed out at allies during a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. His department is in the midst of a six-month review of U.S. forces in Europe.

Hegseth echoed some of Trump’s critiques, faulting European allies for not letting the U.S. use bases in Europe to attack Iran. NATO allies were not consulted about the war before the U.S. launched it with Israel on Feb. 28, and some have been openly critical of Trump's strategy.

Trump argues that NATO allies were not there for the U.S. and suggested leaving the alliance, which was founded in 1949 to counter the Cold War threat posed to European security by the Soviet Union. At the heart of their treaty is a mutual defense agreement in which an attack on one is considered an attack on all. The only time it has been invoked was in 2001, to support the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The Pentagon’s warning that it will reduce its military presence in Europe to focus on threats elsewhere was the latest upheaval for the 32-member alliance since Trump returned to office.

The Republican leader stunned European allies last year when he threatened to annex Greenland, a semiautonomous island that is part of ally Denmark.

Earlier Wednesday, the leaders of five big European NATO allies — Germany, France, the U.K., Italy and Poland – met in Berlin to prepare for next month's summit in Ankara, and Rutte joined them remotely.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in remarks to reporters that the Ankara summit also should send the message that “we will do our part when the conditions are in place” to support an Iran peace deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron said, “We are in a moment of reconvergence between the Europeans and the Americans,” and indicated that he hopes this will continue at the summit.

Flattering Trump was a key objective

During the meeting, Rutte gave a presentation using three boards on easels, touting U.S.-NATO ties. Joining Trump were Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and other top administration officials.

After he was done, however, Trump spent long stretches not talking about NATO but instead boasting about his effort to beautify Washington. He even suggested that, two years ago, before he deployed the National Guard, the NATO chief might have "had a good chance of being mugged, although you’re a very big guy.”

“They would have mugged him up. They would have beaten the hell out of him,” Trump said to laughs. He further suggested that, previously, “nobody wanted to go out” in the nation's capital and "even if you got into the restaurant, they'd rob when you were in.”

Nevertheless, a chief part of Rutte’s mission these days is keeping the U.S. in NATO, and he’s proven himself adept in the past at subduing Trump’s frustrations.

Rutte frequently credits Trump with getting NATO members to increase their defense spending. The president last year pressured leaders to agree to invest 5% of their GDP annually in defense by 2035.

“He is completely committed” to the NATO alliance, Rutte said after leaving the White House, though he added, “I expect allies to spend more to equalize with the United States.”

The lengths to which Rutte is willing to go in praising Trump have at times raised eyebrows, such as when he referred to the president as “daddy” during the alliance’s summit last year.

He then sent him a fawning text message that employed one of Trump’s favorite flourishes, capitalizing random words. “Europe is going to pay in a BIG way, as they should, and it will be your win,” Rutte said.

Trump shared the private message on social media for the world to see.

He did it again in January, blasting out another Rutte message that closed with: “Can’t wait to see you. Yours, Mark.”

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Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

The businessman and lawyer, whose ventures include a clothing line, wine and rum brands, and a restaurant, earned U.S. President Donald Trump’s endorsement despite never having run for office. He defeated progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point, or more than 251,000 votes.

The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups.

Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday. Petro and Cepeda did not accept those results, with the latter saying he would wait for a recount to do so. Authorities finished the recount before declaring de la Espriella’s victory.

De la Espriella’s win adds Colombia to a growing list of countries that have turned to political outsiders in search for solutions to complex social, security and economic challenges.

The self-proclaimed representative of “the never-before-seen” promised voters fearful of renewed internal conflict to take a heavy-handed approach to combating violent crime with strategies borrowed from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s playbook, including building mega-prisons. Those tactics have lowered homicide rates in the Central American country but have fueled accusations of human rights abuses.

Earlier Wednesday, Cepeda conceded the election to de la Espriella and accepted a Senate seat reserved for the runner-up in the presidential contest.

“We assume with serenity, responsibility and absolute resolve — and let there be no doubt about it — the role that circumstances demand of us,” Cepeda said in an address to the nation. “We will exercise a democratic, vigilant and constructive opposition.”

De la Espriella, 47, will begin a four-year term Aug. 7.

In a statement on Wednesday, his campaign said the president-elect's “purpose is to work for national unity, with the people and for the people.” The campaign also stated his government will be committed to guaranteeing “the right to political opposition and peaceful protest, within the framework of the Constitution, the law and respect for democratic institutions.”

A day earlier, de la Espriella announced he was putting together his cabinet. He also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed “Shield of the Americas,” a coalition of countries purportedly aimed at cracking down on criminal groups in Latin America.

More than 26 million people voted in the polarizing runoff, setting a historic record. Of those, over 426,000 people chose a third, no-name option on the ballot that allows voters to express dislike of both candidates. About 29,000 people cast blank ballots.

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

The White House supported the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, but on Wednesday Trump canceled the signing ceremony for the bill, saying he would not sign the measure until Congress passes legislation that would require proof of citizenship for all voters.

Here’s what to know.

How significant is this housing legislation?

The measure is the culmination of months of negotiations by lawmakers who combined dozens of bills meant to address how housing affordability for both renters and aspiring homeowners in the U.S. has grown increasingly out of reach for many Americans.

The bill would reduce federal regulations, streamline environmental reviews, speed up the construction process and curb the influence of corporate landlords by limiting their ability to purchase single-family homes.

Still, it's not a silver bullet for all the factors that contribute to reduced housing affordability, including lack of construction labor, rising insurance costs and years of subdued wage growth relative to sharply rising rents and home prices.

Even so, the bill has drawn broad support from the real estate industry, including organizations representing homebuilders and apartment complex owners, as well as housing advocates.

“We need more homes built, and legislation that removes construction barriers is exactly what the market needs right now,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. "Homebuyers who were hoping for relief may have to wait even longer, and in a market already starved for inventory, that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

What led lawmakers to pass the first major housing legislation in decades?

Housing has grown into a hot-button issue among voters in recent years as homeownership and rents in many areas have become less affordable for many Americans.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low. While sales accelerated in May to their fastest pace since December, they continue to hover close to a 4 million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2 million, limited partly by elevated mortgage rates.

Years of soaring home prices, especially in the early part of this decade when rock-bottom mortgage rates fueled a buying frenzy, have left many would-be homebuyers frozen out of the market. And a chronic shortage of homes for sale nationally, due partly to years of below-average new home construction, has helped prop up home prices even in a multiyear sales slump.

Home prices have increased 54% nationwide since 2020, and last year the median existing single-family sales price was nearly five times the median household income, according to researchers at Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Renters, meanwhile, have seen little improvement in affordability. While the median U.S. monthly rent has been declining for nearly three years, it was still 17.2% higher in May than before the pandemic, according to data from Realtor.com.

What if the bill doesn't become law?

One of the biggest hurdles to homeownership has been an imbalance between supply and demand in many parts of the country.

When there are fewer homes on the market, that helps prop up home prices even during a slowdown. Conversely, during times when mortgage rates are low, buyers end up competing for fewer homes, which drives up prices.

The housing bill would help increase the supply of housing, particularly when it comes to smaller, more affordable starter homes.

It amends existing regulations to boost construction of manufactured homes, which tend to be more affordable than other types of newly built homes, and expand access to government-backed loans to include construction of standalone dwellings a homeowner can rent out.

The bill also provides new dollars for communities to turn abandoned infrastructure into housing, and provides guidelines for communities that want to reform outdated zoning regulations, which often limit larger housing developments.

“It won’t make housing more affordable overnight, but in the coming years we will see more construction of town homes, multifamily housing, and ADUs,” notes Fairweather, saying the additional supply "will relieve the pressure on home prices, and make it easier for homebuyers to break into the market.”

What about renters?

The legislation includes a broad set of provisions, including an expansion of government rental assistance and affordable housing construction programs , and measures aimed at encouraging state and local governments to make it easier to build new homes and apartments, including federal funding to places exceeding the median rate of homebuilding.

In addition, the bill would raise limits on the number of public housing units that can receive financing for renovations and codify a recovery program to help expedite funds to communities rebuilding after disaster.

It also requires new renter protections.

“Families are struggling under the heavy weight of housing costs that have climbed for decades,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "There’s no time to waste. Without federal action, America’s housing shortfall will continue to grow, falling another 2 million units behind in the next five years.”

What happens if the bill signing is held up for weeks or longer?

While hailed as a significant step, the federal government's power to dictate things like how many homes are built or rents is limited, given that most of the regulations on construction, such as zoning laws, and other facets of real estate are determined by local and state governments.

So, even if the bill is delayed, it's not like it would have had an immediate impact on local house prices, for example. But it would set back the clock on new construction projects that might not otherwise get the go-ahead.

“The sooner this bill becomes law, the sooner builders and homebuyers will benefit from its downstream effects,” said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. “Even if the president were to sign this bill immediately, many of the provisions will take time to impact builder planning and projects in the pipeline, so there is going to be a delay before consumers feel the impacts of this legislation either way.”

What happens next?

Trump's decision to not sign the legislation into law Wednesday could end up just temporarily delaying the measure from taking effect.

The House passed the bill in a 358-32 vote on Tuesday and the Senate passed it 85-5 on Monday. That level of support is what's colloquially called a veto-proof majority.

Still, if Trump were to veto the measure, the Senate and the House would have to vote again to override the veto.

It may not come to that.

Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that he had spoken with Trump earlier in the day and was confident the president would sign the bill.

“The president, when we go through the details of the bill, he’s going to understand that it’s a good product,” Johnson said.

Agility Robotics, based in Salem, Oregon, announced Wednesday a planned merger with an investment firm that will value the company at $2.5 billion as it becomes the first publicly traded company entirely devoted to building and selling humanoids.

Its competitors include Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk has pitched its humanoid prototype Optimus as the future of the carmaker; and Chinese robotics company Unitree, which recently moved toward going public on Shanghai's stock exchange.

Designed to pick up and move heavy bins and totes, Agility's flagship product, called Digit, is the “first humanoid robot employed and commercially operational in warehouse and industrial facilities,” said Michael Klein, co-founder and chairman of Churchill Capital Group, which runs the special-purpose acquisition company that intends to merge with Agility by the end of the year.

Klein said on an investor call Wednesday that the company has backing from Amazon, Nvidia, SoftBank and Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn. Its early customers include Toyota, industrial parts supplier Schaeffler, and Mercado Libre, the Latin American e-commerce giant.

While Agility describes its fully autonomous robot as a humanoid, the company's co-founder and chief robot officer Jonathan Hurst told investors Wednesday that “we’ve never set out to build a machine that looks like a person.” Unlike other humanoids, like Tesla's Optimus, Digit's legs are more birdlike than human in a design that is meant to better fit the work they do. Its hands are more like grippers or claws.

Agility CEO Peggy Johnson said Digit specializes in manual labor that for humans would be repetitive, dirty and prone to injury.

“The demand here is large and increasing,” she said on the investor call. “We have companies reshoring production, older workers retiring, and younger generations just not opting for these types of menial jobs.”

While earlier generations of industrial robots are typically so large and fast-moving that they must be fenced off from human workers, Hurst said upcoming versions of Digit will be able to work alongside humans in warehouses and manufacturing facilities. In the years to come, they could eventually find their way into hospitality, home services and elder care, he said.

Agility's plan to merge with Churchill's special-purpose acquisition company, known as a SPAC, provides a quicker timeline for going public and fewer disclosure requirements.

Johnson said the company will use the capital it raises to expand commercial deployments and scale production of its next robot model, Digit V5. It will be the fifth generation in a line of two-legged robots Agility first unveiled nearly a decade ago after spinning off from a robotics laboratory at Oregon State University.

The company is predicting a more than $1 trillion market for the types of robots it is building, though it is far from the only one trying to make them.

The surprise news of its planned public debut attracted a crowd of well-wishers to Agility’s booth Wednesday at the sprawling Automate robotics trade show in Chicago, said Aaron Prather, director of market intelligence at the Association for Advancing Automation, which helped organize the event.

Prather said the race between Agility and China's Unitree to go public also underscored the different approaches of companies designing humanoids, with Agility narrowing its focus on “worker bee” robots and Unitree frequently showing off machines that dance on two or four legs and do backflips and other entertaining gimmicks.

“Maybe it’s just maturing of the marketplace and these manufacturers are trying to find where their sweet spot is,” Prather said. “They’ll probably compete in some areas. But the space is so wide open, and everyone I think is trying to find where they fit.”

The development, confirmed to The Associated Press by a Pentagon official, comes amid a growing, weekslong, flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force's boot camp at Lackland Air Force Base that has sickened nearly 300 people. However, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not cleared for public release, maintained that the permission to mandate the vaccinations was unrelated to the outbreak.

When Hegseth first announced the repeal of the flu vaccine mandate in April, citing “medical autonomy” and religious freedom, he allowed the services to ask for exceptions — or permission to keep the vaccine mandatory — within 15 days of the rollout.

The Pentagon official explained that the decision on those exceptions were being finalized earlier in June and the timing with the outbreak at Lackland was just a coincidence. Only 40% of the new trainees moving through the bootcamp at Lackland opted to receive the shot once it became optional, a source familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. The person spoke on the conditional of anonymity because the information was not cleared for public release.

The base handles roughly 700 new recruits every week, according to Air Force figures, and the close quarters environment has long been recognized as being conducive to the spread of disease.

Recruits are exposed to high stress, low sleep, and close contact conditions for weeks. They typically sleep together in large, open rooms, shower communally, and conduct much of their instruction and inspections in close contact.

The Lackland outbreak, which is now roughly three weeks long, has produced 275 confirmed cases of the flu, Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said in a social media post. Castro's district includes part of the base on which the Air Force boot camp resides.

The new outbreak is “not unusually concerning,” said Dr. Arnold Monto, a flu expert and emeritus professor at the University of Michigan.

Flu is mainly a problem in the late fall and winter – “flu season,” as it is known. But flu viruses routinely circulate at lower levels in warmer months, too.

Concentrated flu outbreaks can occur in the spring and summer, but tend to be seen mainly on military bases, cruise ships and other settings where a lot of people are gathered together indoors, Monto said.

If you want to prevent flu outbreaks, “it is especially necessary to vaccinate when there are group settings,” Monto said.

In a statement to the media, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, confirmed that exceptions were granted to the Army, Navy, and Air Force as well as the National Security Agency and the Defense Health Agency but wouldn’t offer further details.

However, both Army and Navy officials have said that they have also asked for permission to make the shot mandatory for certain broad groups that include troops deploying overseas, healthcare workers, and child care workers.

Families Fighting Flu, an advocacy organization, cheered any change to increase vaccinations.

“For decades, the military prioritized the health and safety of troops and the public by requiring flu vaccine for recruits. It’s unfortunate that more than 200 individuals at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas became ill when that requirement was rescinded.” said Michele Slafkosky, the organization’s executive director, in a statement.

“This updated guidance from the military will save lives,” he added.

Officers arrived to the area and found Jayveon Montroll Hall, 24, suffering from gunshot wounds.

Detectives identified the suspect as Willie Kyedell Thomas, 25. Investigators located information on Thomas’s whereabouts and officers moved to apprehend him. After he refused to comply with commands, he was taken into custody following the deployment of a law enforcement K-9, police said.

Thomas was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation. After his release he is expected to be interviewed by detectives and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility. Appropriate criminal charges are forthcoming, authorities said.

The investigation remains active as detectives continue processing evidence, conducting interviews and coordinating with the Office of the State Attorney.

“On behalf of the men and women of the Lake City Police Department, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jayveon Hall during this difficult time,” Chief Gerald Butler said. “No family should have to endure the loss of a loved one to violence. Our thoughts and prayers remain with those who knew and loved him as they navigate this tragic loss.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Amanda Pepin at the Lake City Police Department at (386) 752-4343, the LCPD TIPS line at (386) 719-2068 or Crime Stoppers of Columbia County at (386) 754-7099.

The team said Wednesday that she'll be reevaluated in four weeks, in which she'll miss at least the next 10 games.

Plum missed three games with a right ankle sprain she sustained in practice earlier this season.

She is second in the WNBA in scoring with 23.9 points per game and sixth in the league in assists with 6.4 per game.

The Sparks (8-8) are 1-3 without Plum in the lineup.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had investigated 27 homicides to date in 2026, nearly half the 48 cases recorded by this time last year, the data show.

Sheriff T.K. Waters said the decline suggests the agency’s crime-reduction strategies are working. “I like to believe that our community sees the genuine care that we have for the city, the answering of questions when they have questions, and actually responding to the issues that we hear,” Waters said.

Waters credited the recent drop to several efforts, including community problem response teams, group violence initiatives and gang-violence reduction strategies.

Community leaders working alongside law enforcement pointed to changes in how the city addresses gang activity. Pastor Korey O’Neal, director of Jacksonville’s RISE Program, said controlling gang violence has been a major factor in the falling homicide numbers.

“I must say getting a gang problem under control here in Jacksonville has played a huge part in murder rate dropping,” O’Neal said.

O’Neal said the program works with the sheriff’s office gang unit to identify suspected gang members through social media and then conduct outreach including in-person visits offering alternatives to a lifestyle he said often leads to violence and crime. “We see you on social media, we’ve seen you making posts. We know, but we’ve brought help to you today,” O’Neal said, describing the message delivered during those visits.

O’Neal said services offered include mentorship, mental health support and employment opportunities, calling the work one piece of a broader effort to make the city safer. “I believe it’s getting better,” he said, adding that improving relationships between police and the community will take “a collective effort.”

Despite the drop in homicides, Waters also addressed police-involved shootings this year, citing 11 incidents so far in 2026. He said more cases involve people pulling knives or guns, and six of the shootings have been deadly.

Lazayeus Bartley, 36 was arrested after the May 9 incident at a block party at North 20th Street and Eagle Street. Bartley was charged with aggravated fleeing and eluding, multiple counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and 14 counts of hit-and-run.

Police say trouble began about 7:38 p.m., when a woman flagged down officers at the block party and said Bartley had threatened her with a firearm. Officers separated the parties after witnesses gave conflicting accounts. About 20 minutes later, the woman told officers Bartley had pistol-whipped her after leaving and then returning to the party. Bartley, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of a maroon 2017 Chevrolet pickup was confronted by officers and he shut and locked the door and drove away as an officer approached, the affidavit says.

Officers followed the truck onto a nearby bike path. The affidavit describes the truck exiting the path onto an empty lot behind a dispensary, where the driver “did donuts” — spinning the vehicle in circles — before re-entering traffic. Officer D. Dao activated the lights and siren to stop the truck, and the driver then drove onto U.S. 17 northbound in the southbound lane, the affidavit says, traveling in the wrong direction for roughly 2,000 feet.

While Bartley continued through residential streets, police say it struck a mailbox and yard ornaments and then accelerated at a high rate of speed directly at Officer Dao’s patrol vehicle. The pickup rammed the front of the patrol car, disabling it and trapping the officer inside; the officer escaped through the passenger side after the crash, the affidavit states.

The truck kept moving, spinning through yards and finally returning to the block party. As he approached the intersection of Eagle Street and North 20th Street — crowded with vehicles and people — Lt. D. Johnson ordered Bartley to stop.

When he didn’t comply, the report says Johnson fired rounds into the driver’s side of the truck. Officer E. Roberts fired additional rounds from the passenger side as the vehicle struck tents and a tree, pinning several women between the truck and the tree, the report says.

Bartley exited the vehicle and was taken into custody at the scene and later transported to Orange Park Medical Center, the affidavit says. Several people injured in the incident were treated at HCA Putnam Hospital. The Palatka Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Unit and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were called to the scene.

A search warrant executed on the pickup turned up DNA evidence, projectiles and a knife, the affidavit states. Authorities say some counts in court records list no bond; the investigation remains active.

Bartley is due back in court in July.

Republican state Sen. Thomas Pischke of Dell Rapids represents a deep red district outside Sioux Falls and is seeking a third term in November. He faces two felony counts of knowingly submitting a falsified or forged document.

Pischke turned himself in to the Minnehaha County Jail on Tuesday and was released on a promise to appear for all future court dates, the sheriff's office said. An initial hearing is set for July 7.

Pischke has agreed to step away from his duties in the party, including serving on the executive board of the Minnehaha County Republicans, as the case plays out, said Jim Eschenbaum, chair of the South Dakota Republican Party.

“It’s a bad optic for the party,” Eschenbaum said Wednesday. “I’m disappointed that this has happened. But we also have to just be honest about what’s going on, you know, and deal with it.”

The Associated Press left email messages this week for Pischke and his attorney seeking comment.

If convicted of a felony, Pischke would not be able to hold a position with the state Republican Party, Eschenbaum said. It is unclear whether Pischke would be able to serve in the Legislature. State law says any person convicted of perjury, bribery or an infamous crime may not serve in the Legislature.

The Associated Press left phone messages Wednesday with the Legislative Research Council and state Senate President Pro Tempore Chris Karr seeking clarification.

Jessica Meyers, vice chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party, said any official who interferes with a public process should be held accountable.

“We believe in free and fair elections at every level of the political process," she said.

The biennial Republican Party state convention begins Thursday, but Pischke will not be there. At the convention, precinct committee people serve as delegates and voting members to determine party leadership and help set the party's agenda. Outside the convention, committee people perform duties in their communities like contacting and registering voters.

The charges against Pischke came after a monthslong investigation into the filings. The county auditor's office had identified 16 forms for precinct committee positions with suspected fraudulent signatures and discrepancies with registered voting addresses.

The auditor’s office called the nominees on the suspected fraudulent forms, and the majority said they didn’t fill them out. None were put on the ballot during the June Republican primary, according to Eschenbaum.

Pischke admitted to filling out his own form at the auditor's office to run for precinct committeeman but he denied filling out forms for others, the affidavit stated. He won the position in June, according to the auditor's office.

The investigation uncovered DNA evidence matching Pischke on envelopes containing the forms and used surveillance video to identify a vehicle near a mail drop box that was registered to Pischke.

Pischke ran unopposed in GOP Senate primary. He is facing Bryan Breitling, a former Republican state lawmaker who is running as an independent, in the November general election.

Breitling said Tuesday that he entered the race because the district needs a senator with integrity.

“These charges are the latest on a long list of poor judgments made by the senator,” he said.

The mural, titled “The Cook Out,” recently received a statewide public art award and celebrates the history and culture of the Sherwood neighborhood. A section was torn away when part of the building was damaged.

“I was very disappointed because this is the first public art in this neighborhood,” a resident said.

Artist David Nackashi, who spent months designing the work and working with community members, said he was shocked when he first saw the damage. “How did it happen? … People do strange things,” he said, adding that he was encouraged to see efforts already underway to secure the site.

Nackashi said the project was funded through the Cultural Council and that the mural’s colors and design were documented so it can be recreated. But he said repairs depend on the city fixing the wall first.

“We need a wall, so that’s kind of the parks’ job — they’ll fix it and then we’ll fix the mural,” he said.

The Cultural Council said that it is coordinating repairs to the mural.

“Before the artwork can be repaired, the city will first need to address the structural damage to the building caused by the collision. Once those repairs are complete, work on restoring the mural can move forward,” a spokesperson said.

For longtime Northside resident Dana Maule, the damage hit home. Maule said she and her husband had been planning a 20th-anniversary vow renewal at the park but were told by Parks and Recreation that permits could not be issued while the site was under construction.

“This mural is kind of like a welcome sign. Hey, this is our neighborhood. This is where we live, and we’re proud of it,” she said.

News4JAX reached out to the City of Jacksonville’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department for details about the damage and a repair timeline and has not yet received a response.

Declines for several influential tech heavyweights, including Microsoft, pulled the broader market lower even though most stocks in the S&P 500 gained ground. That was also the case on Tuesday, when tech stocks pulled the market lower despite broader gains elsewhere.

The S&P 500 fell 7.24 points, or 0.1%, to 7,358.22, despite nearly 2 out of every 3 stocks gaining ground. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is less weighted with tech stocks, rose 182.06 points, or 0.4%, to 51,848.90.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 110.40 points, or 0.4%, to 25,476.64.

A 2.3% drop in Microsoft was the heaviest weight on the market. Oracle slumped 4.6%.

Many large tech companies have been behind Wall Street’s record-setting run throughout the year, but analysts have warned their valuations may have become stretched.

“The next phase of the AI investment cycle is beginning to collide with market discipline,” said Jason Vaillancourt, chief portfolio strategist at Columbia Threadneedle, in a research note.

Google’s parent company Alphabet slipped 0.2%. The company is replacing Verizon in the Dow on Monday. The company’s inclusion in the S&P 500 means more to investors, however, because 401(k) accounts are much more likely to include an S&P 500 index fund than anything tied to the Dow.

Alphabet will become the fifth Magnificent 7 company to join the Dow. The others are Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Nvidia.

Oil prices continued slipping as the U.S. and Iran negotiate a possible end to their war. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 3.8% to $73.87 a barrel. It has been trading below $80 in recent days but is still above the roughly $70 per barrel it was trading at in late February before the war began. U.S. crude prices fell 3.9% to $70.34 a barrel.

Oil companies had some of the biggest losses. Exxon Mobil fell 2% and Chevron lost 2.6%.

Some of the bigger winners on Wall Street included homebuilders following approval of legislation beneficial to the industry. KB Home surged 16.7% and D.R. Horton jumped 6.7%.

Treasury yields mostly fell, removing some pressure from stocks. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.40% from 4.50% late Tuesday. The yield on the 2-year Treasury eased to 4.15% from 4.16%.

Treasury yields are still elevated from earlier in the year, especially the 2-year Treasury, which more closely tracks anticipated action from the Federal Reserve. The central bank has signaled that it is considering raising its benchmark interest rate by the end of the year. Wall Street is forecasting at least one hike to interest rates by December, according to data from CME Group.

The Fed is worried about stubborn inflation, which had been rising throughout the year as tariffs raised the costs for a wide range of goods. A shock to energy prices because of the U.S. war with Iran worsened inflation. Gasoline prices surged and shipping costs rose. The impact is expected to linger even as oil and gasoline prices fall.

The central bank will get an update on inflation Thursday, when its preferred measure for prices is released. Economists expect the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, or PCE, to show that prices rose 4.1% in May. That would be the highest level in three years.

“Thursday’s PCE is set to take on greater importance for markets, especially since Federal Reserve Chair (Kevin) Warsh was emphatic in last week’s meeting about the central bank’s desire to achieve price stability,” wrote Rick Gardner, chief investment officer at RGA Investments, in a research note.

Gold prices fell 3.4% to settle at $4,008.80 an ounce. Earlier in the day, gold briefly traded below $4,000, and hasn't settled below that level since November. Gold was above $5,000 an ounce earlier in the year. The precious metal is often seen as a barometer of the appetite for risk among investors, with more buying at times of increased anxiety and more selling as anxiety eases.

Markets were mixed in Europe.

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

The charges against Frank Carone are the latest in a string of corruption allegations leveled at the former mayor — who was himself indicted on bribery and other charges that were later dismissed — and key aides. Separately, federal authorities searched the homes of current and former New York Police Department leaders Wednesday in connection with a different bribery investigation.

Adams was not accused of wrongdoing in Carone’s indictment. It alleges the ex-chief of staff exploited his position to get more than $100,000 in payoffs for steering a migrant shelter contract to a hotel that social service officials had deemed unsuitable.

“Frank Carone was entrusted to run our city government and instead put his own wealth and status above duty,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Winik told a court.

Carone and his brother, Anthony Carone; hotel owner Yan Po Zhu, and hotel employee Crystal Chen pleaded not guilty to various charges. The brothers sat across from each other at a defense table, where Anthony Carone rubbed his face and Frank Carone appeared to read along during the proceedings.

Frank Carone’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said outside court that the case was based on “assumption after assumption after assumption.”

“There is not one fact that indicates Frank Carone did anything specific to influence anything in our government,” Aidala said. The other defendants and their attorneys declined to comment.

Frank Carone and the Sabrina Carpenter church video

Carone, a former Brooklyn Democratic Party lawyer and longtime political power broker, is widely credited as one of the architects of Adams’ political rise. He also drew attention for his financial dealings with a Roman Catholic priest who let pop star Sabrina Carpenter film scenes for a provocative music video in a church.

Federal investigators later subpoenaed the church. “They found nothing,” Aidala said Wednesday, contending that the government first targeted Carone, then looked for a case.

Carone played a key role in Adams’ 2021 mayoral campaign, was chief of staff in 2022, then left and formed a political consulting firm.

He “dedicated decades of his life to public service, the legal profession and helping countless individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations throughout New York,” Adams spokesperson Todd Shapiro said in a statement.

Indictment focuses on how the hotel became a shelter

Starting in 2022, the city scrambled to expand its shelter capacity amid an influx of migrants. Zhu's hotel got $6.8 million to shelter some of the new arrivals, though the city’s Social Services Department had repeatedly rejected the facility, which was small and in a Queens neighborhood where residents objected to more shelters, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said in court papers that Frank Carone accepted around $120,000 in bribes from Zhu and Chen to intercede on the hotel's behalf. The money was passed through Anthony Carone’s law firm, according to the indictment.

In a September 2022 text message, Zhu asked Frank Carone for help getting the hotel an immediate one-year contract, according to the indictment. It said Carone replied by asking for the address, and Zhu gave it, adding: “Thank you my big guy.”

In December 2023, Zhu texted Carone: “I asked my partners to pay you for a year,” according to the document. Carone, who is also charged with obstruction of justice, deleted the message after learning he was under investigation, prosecutors said.

Zhu “is anxious to establish his innocence,” lawyer Stephen Scaring said before the arraignments. All four defendants later were released on bond, ranging from $100,000 for Chen to $8 million for Zhu.

Police officials' homes searched in unrelated probe

Separately Wednesday, the FBI and the NYPD executed search warrants at the homes of NYPD Chief of Manhattan South James McCarthy and former Deputy Commissioner Tarik Sheppard, and federal agents also searched former Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey's home, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the searches. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the searches were part of a bribery investigation that grew out of an inquiry into Maddrey.

There was no immediate response to an inquiry to Maddrey's attorney. Attorney information for Sheppard and McCarthy was not immediately available.

There is no public indication of any arrests as part of those searches.

They were not related to Frank Carone's arrest, according to another person familiar with the matter who also was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Once the NYPD's highest-ranking uniformed officer, Maddrey resigned in 2024 over allegations that he demanded sex from a subordinate in exchange for opportunities to earn extra pay. Maddrey denied the claims of a quid pro quo.

Adams was indicted in 2024 on charges of accepting illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials and others in exchange for political favors. The case was tossed by federal Justice Department leaders who said it was distracting Adams from assisting in Republican President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Adams has denied wrongdoing.

After skipping last year’s Democratic primary, Adams mounted but eventually abandoned an independent campaign for a second term.

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Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report.

Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said evidence from a neighbor’s doorbell camera, ballistics and analysis of cellphone records have left investigators certain Michelle Zajko is at least partly responsible for the deaths of her parents, Rita and Richard. They were shot in her childhood playroom on New Year’s Eve 2022, surrounded by her old dolls and toys.

"At this time we do not know who her co-conspirators were, but we are very certain that Michelle Zajko was in the home and arranged for the death of her parents,” Rouse said.

The new charges against Zajko, who has been jailed in Maryland on other charges since February 2025, include murder, burglary and conspiracy charges in her parents’ deaths. She has denied killing them, and in court filings suggested her father might have killed her mother and himself.

“I didn’t murder my parents,” she wrote in an April 2025 “ Open Letter to the World” that her attorney sent to The Associated Press.

Authorities had long described Zajko as a person of interest.

The two deaths are among six linked to the Zizians, a group of young, highly intelligent computer scientists who appear to share radical beliefs about veganism, animal rights, gender identity and artificial intelligence. Since 2022, members have been tied to the death of one of their own during an attack on a California landlord, the landlord’s subsequent killing, the Zajkos’ deaths in Pennsylvania, and a highway shootout in Vermont that left a border agent and another Zizian dead.

Ballistics and list of mistakes provided links to Zajko

In the Pennsylvania case, investigators spent years painstakingly collecting evidence, Rouse said, including video from a neighbor's doorbell camera that captured two people getting out of a car outside the Zajkos' home in Chester Heights, a voice shouting “Mom!” and another voice exclaiming, “Oh my God! Oh, God, God!”

Authorities haven't found a weapon, but Zajko made a list describing mistakes such as leaving shell casings behind, he said. Those casings matched ammunition from Zajko's home in Vermont and from a firing range in her backyard, Rouse said.

“If she wasn’t the one who actually pulled the trigger, she was certainly aligned with those who did,” he said.

Online court records didn't indicate whether Zajko had an attorney in the Pennsylvania case as of Wednesday. An attorney representing her in Maryland did not respond to a message seeking comment, and the Delaware County Public Defender’s office declined to comment.

Zizians face charges in multiple states

Zajko, now 33, also is charged with providing the gun used to kill U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland in January 2025, though nothing has happened in that case. She was arrested in Maryland a few weeks later along with Daniel Blank and Jack “Ziz” LaSota, whom authorities describe as the group’s leader. Police who responded to a landowner's complaint about suspicious people parked in box trucks on his property described them as having “ties with the Zizians Cult” and said they would be questioned about crimes across the country.

All three have pleaded not guilty to charges of trespassing and illegal gun and drug possession, while LaSota also has pleaded not guilty to a federal charge of illegal gun possession by a fugitive. A judge recently granted a defense request for a competency evaluation in the federal case.

In court filings, LaSota’s attorneys said their client eschews the term Zizian and denies that she and her friends have formed a cult. Zajko has claimed authorities arrested the group in Maryland to prevent them from exonerating Teresa Youngblut, who has pleaded not guilty to murder in the Vermont shooting and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Zajko was living with Blank in Vermont at the time of her parents’ deaths and was questioned there by police shortly after they died. A few weeks later, officers briefly took her into custody at a hotel while she was in Pennsylvania for the funeral but released her without charges. LaSota, staying at the same hotel, was charged with obstructing the homicide investigation and disorderly conduct. Her attorney at the time has said she is innocent of those charges.

Family questions remain unanswered in the Pennsylvania killings

Zajko had been estranged from her parents in the year leading up to their deaths, the prosecutor said. In a January 2022 text message to her father, she complained that her mother had “assumed the worst” about her since she was a child.

“Every time I interact with mom in a nonsuperficial way she spends the time insulting a life she knows nothing about,” Zajko wrote. Hours before her death, Rita Zajko apologized to her daughter and wished her a happy birthday.

“That text went unanswered,” Rouse said.

Richard Zajko's sister-in-law, Roseanne Zajko, thanked police and prosecutors Wednesday, saying that her family has endured “countless days of darkness and despair" waiting for justice.

“We don't know yet if the trial will begin to heal the void in our lives and the ache in our hearts, but we do know that the detectives, the DA's office, and we, the family, have done everything possible to achieve justice for Rick and Rita.”

The prosecutor described their deaths as a crime that “goes beyond comprehension.”

“I can’t wrap my mind around or figure out what led to this point," he said. "We are clearly talking about someone that has gone down an unimaginably dark road and has led to a tragedy that just defies any sort of description.”

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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire.

The annual stress test measures whether a bank’s capital, a financial cushion it uses to absorb losses, would remain at healthy levels even after hundreds of billions of dollars in projected losses. The tests are required under the Dodd-Frank Act, the law passed after the 2008 financial crisis that nearly brought down the global financial system.

The 2026 scenario that the Fed used is similar to the one they used last year. In the Fed's scenario, unemployment would rise from 5.5% to 10% and the U.S. economy would contract 4.6%. Housing prices would fall 30% from their current levels and the stock market would plunge 58%.

The scenario would result in the nation’s 32 biggest banks facing $708 billion in loan losses, but the overall capital ratio of these banks would fall only 1.6 percentage points, from 12.8% to 11.2%. By law and regulation, these large banks' common equity Tier 1 capital ratio must remain above 4.5%, plus additional buffers that vary by bank.

The stress test applied only to the nation's most systematically important banks, those whose failures would bring significant turmoil to the financial system.

A bank that performed poorly on the stress test could face higher capital requirements, which could limit its ability to pay dividends or buy back stock. Banks typically announce their plans for dividends and share repurchases after the Fed releases the stress-test results. Shortly after the Fed's announcement, JPMorgan Chase said it would increase its quarterly dividend to $1.65 a share from $1.50 a share, and intends to buy back an additional $50 billion in stock.

Even with Adams now far from elected office and facing no charges himself, that saga continues.

On Wednesday his former chief of staff, Frank Carone, was arrested on federal charges alleging that he accepted $120,000 in bribes in exchange for steering a multimillion-dollar migrant shelter contract to a Queens hotel. Three others, including Carone’s brother, were also indicted. All have pleaded not guilty.

Another of Adams' closest allies, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, is still fighting separate bribery charges, which include allegations that she exchanged political favors for cash, diamond earrings and a speaking role on a TV show.

And Adams himself was indicted on bribery charges in 2024, accused of taking illegal campaign contributions from Turkish officials and providing political favors to them in return. Adams, a Democrat, denied any wrongdoing and those charges were later dropped at the behest of the Trump administration.

Here is a look at some of the criminal investigations that cast a pall over the nation's largest city during Adams' tumultuous tenure and its aftermath:

Corruption probe launched early in Adams' mayoral term

Soon after Adams took office in January 2022, federal agents quietly began a corruption investigation into his campaign. It spilled into public view in the fall of 2023, when authorities seized his phones as he was leaving an event. A year later, federal prosecutors brought fraud and bribery charges against him.

The indictment accused Adams of allowing Turkish officials and other businesspeople to buy his influence with illegal campaign contributions and steep discounts on overseas trips. Among the favors he allegedly provided in return was accelerating the opening of Turkey's diplomatic building in New York, prosecutors said.

Adams denied wrongdoing and insisted, without evidence, that the Biden administration had politically targeted his administration because of his criticism of its immigration policy.

But soon after President Donald Trump returned to the White House in early 2025, Justice Department leadership ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop the case, arguing that it was hindering the mayor’s ability to assist Trump's immigration crackdown.

The investigation severely wounded Adams' efforts last year to seek reelection. He skipped the Democratic primary and got on the ballot as an independent, but eventually ended his campaign early.

Top adviser accused of trading influence for diamond earrings and a TV show cameo

As former chief adviser, Lewis-Martin was perhaps the only city official with more direct access to Adams than Carone.

In 2024 she too was indicted for allegedly trading her influence for bribes worth more than $100,000 from those with business before the city. Lewis-Martin has denied wrongdoing.

In one instance, prosecutors said, Lewis-Martin agreed to quash a planned bike lane near a Brooklyn soundstage at the request of the studio’s owners in exchange for perks including a promised role on the police drama “Blue Bloods.”

In a separate scheme, prosecutors said, she accepted diamond earrings and cash from two real estate developers and then helped to speed up approvals of their projects, at times overriding safety concerns from city regulators.

Her attorney Arthur Aidala — who is also representing Carone — has said she was simply helping constituents cut through the city’s thick red tape.

The case against Lewis-Martin was brought by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Other allies resigned but have faced no charges

Many who departed Adams' administration under a cloud of scandal — often after having their devices seized and homes searched by federal agents — have not faced charges.

Among them: an adviser to the Chinese community who handed a potato chip bag full of cash to a reporter after an Adams campaign event; the former police commissioner, whose twin brother was accused of extortion by a Brooklyn bar owner; and Adams’ schools chancellor and deputy mayor, also brothers, whose third brother ran a consulting firm that connected clients with city officials.

Each has denied wrongdoing, and none has been charged with a crime.

Federal authorities have declined to disclose the purpose of their searches and whether any of the investigations remain active.

Some low-level associates pleaded guilty to charges involving illegal campaign funds

Even after the charges against Adams were dropped, prosecutors continued to pursue cases against some of the lower-level operatives involved in the indictment.

One, a Brooklyn real estate magnate, was sentenced to a year of probation last summer after pleading guilty to working with a Turkish government official to funnel illegal donations to Adams' 2021 campaign.

And in November an Adams aide who served as his liaison to the city's Muslim communities was sentenced to three years of probation for soliciting illegal campaign funds.

Before handing down that sentence, Judge Dale Ho, who also presided over the case against Adams that was dismissed, likened the mayor's absence to an “elephant in the room.”

“There’s a notable absence here of the person at the apex of the pyramid,” he said.

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Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.

The bills — Senate Bill 4-F and House Bill 1329 — place new limits on local governments’ ability to raise property taxes and require greater public disclosure of how taxpayer money is spent.

“Florida has reduced its budget for four straight years and has demonstrated fiscal responsibility and respect for taxpayers,” DeSantis said. “Now, we are stepping in to protect taxpayers from taxes at the local level.”

Senate Bill 4-F: Tightening limits on property tax increases

SB 4-F strengthens safeguards against local property tax increases and serves as the implementation bill for a proposed constitutional amendment — dubbed “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” — that voters will consider in November 2026.

Under current law, local governments may increase the rolled-back rate based on growth in Florida’s per-capita personal income. SB 4-F removes that adjustment and generally limits the maximum levy to the standard rolled-back rate.

The bill also establishes higher approval thresholds for local governments seeking to exceed the rolled-back rate. Millage rates up to 110 percent of the rolled-back rate require a two-thirds vote of the governing body. Rates above 110 percent require a unanimous vote, a three-fourths vote for larger governing boards or voter approval through referendum.

DeSantis says the reforms are expected to reduce the base millage rate for many jurisdictions and limit local governments’ ability to increase property tax collections without broad public support.

House Bill 1329: Local Government Financial Transparency, Accountability Act

HB 1329 — the Local Government Financial Transparency and Accountability Act — requires counties and municipalities to provide taxpayers with greater visibility into government spending and budget decisions.

Under the legislation, local governments must publish detailed financial information online, including budget summaries, revenues and expenditures, departmental spending, staffing information, reserve levels and fund balances, as well as additional financial reports and budget documents.

The bill also requires quarterly reports on employee compensation and establishes annual budget development calendars to promote year-round transparency.

HB 1329 also requires local governments to conduct a budget reduction exercise before adopting a final budget. Local officials must identify strategies to reduce proposed spending by 10 percent without affecting essential services such as law enforcement, fire protection and other legally required government functions.

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia praised the signing.

“Local governments have continued to grow their budgets by resorting to scare tactics like threatening cuts to essential services,” Ingoglia said. “This pivotal piece of legislation pulls the curtain back on local government’s wasteful spending so that Floridians are better equipped to hold their local officials accountable.”

On June 7, JSO officers arrived at a home on Kline Road because of a domestic dispute involving a firearm.

JSO said 22-year-old Kiyan Atkinson pointed a gun at someone during the domestic dispute, threatening the victim.

Officers arrived to diffuse the situation and commanded Atkinson to step outside the shed.

The bodycam footage picks up when officers and Atkinson are standing outside.

With a gun pointed at Atkinson, an officer can be heard repeatedly saying, “All we want to do is talk.”

Atkinson replies, “Why you have the gun out on me?”

The officer continues to try to persuade Atkinson to calm down so they can get to the bottom of the situation.

“I ain’t did nothing,” Atkinson said. “He came up. I tell him was sup. and that’s it.”

“We have to figure that out, okay,” the officer replied. “Do not reach for anything.”

The officer and Atkinson continue to go back and forth verbally before Atkinson yells, “Let’s go out here. Let’s show the world!” and walks toward the street.

Officers immediately followed Atkinson, giving loud verbal commands for Atkinson to get on the ground.

Atkinson did not comply, causing an officer to use a taser. Bodycam footage showed Atkinson reach for the gun and fire at the officers, causing them to shoot Atkinson several times.

Atkinson was provided medical aid and taken into custody.

No officers were injured in the incident, and it was the first officer-involved shooting for all the officers involved.

JSO noted that they have responded previously to eight mental-health-related calls at Atkinson’s home.

The State Attorney’s Office is investigating. Then an administrative investigation will follow.

If you would like to view the released video, click here. Viewer’s discretion is advised.

The release of birth dates, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers is not covered by a law cited by the U.S. Justice Department, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 opinion, upholding the decision of a federal judge in Lansing, Michigan.

In addition to Michigan, judges so far have rejected efforts in Maryland, Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. In Georgia, a judge dismissed a lawsuit because it had been filed in the wrong city, prompting the government to refile elsewhere.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, said the federal government only could receive a list of registered voters, similar to any member of the general public.

The Trump administration said it wants the personal information of voters to ensure that Michigan is complying with federal election law. In a court filing, it cited “anomalies” and other complaints.

Attorneys for Michigan, however, said the government has other goals, including the creation of a national voter file and sharing information with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to see if noncitizens have signed up and voted.

At least 13 states have either provided or promised to hand over their voter registration lists to the government, according to the Brennan Center for Justice and Associated Press reporting: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

The proposed class action lawsuit, filed Monday, accuses gas station giants including Marathon and Circle K of violating California’s antitrust law through Kalibrate, a fuel-pricing software system used across the world. The plaintiffs describe Kalibrate as the “central nervous system for a conspiracy to extinguish retail price competition among gas stations.”

According to the lawsuit, Kalibrate helps “coordinate high prices” and even discourages its users from pricing their gas lower than competitors, saying that doing so would trigger a “downward spiral.”

“Kalibrate promises that if gas stations surrender their pricing decisions and competitively sensitive cost and volume data to Kalibrate Fuel Pricing, the software will enable them to avoid competing with other area stations and to charge higher prices to consumers,” the lawsuit said.

Californians already pay some of the highest gas prices in the nation, and prices have surged across the globe since the start of the Iran war.

The lawsuit is the latest to accuse software companies of driving up the cost of living for millions in the U.S. Other examples include the Department of Justice's lawsuit against RealPage, which has been accused of helping landlords drive up rent prices, and the DOJ's lawsuit against Agri Stats, a data-sharing company accused of helping the meatpacking industry inflate grocery prices. The DOJ has settled both of those lawsuits in the past year, though various state attorneys general are still pursuing lawsuits against RealPage and numerous property management companies.

Concern over algorithmic pricing prompted Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom last year to sign a bill saying that state antitrust law applies to pricing algorithms, helping to pave the way for this week's lawsuit.

Kalibrate is headquartered in Manchester, England, and operates in more than 70 countries. It did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

The lawsuit accuses Kalibrate of facilitating cartel-like collusion. Only this time, instead of competitors making a secret deal “over cigars in a smoky back room,” the price-fixing is done through AI, according to the lawsuit.

“As technology has advanced, so too have the mechanisms available to competitors to fix prices without the cigars, the smoke, or even the room,” the lawsuit says.

Among the examples the lawsuit lists is a “restoration” tool that helps “nearly all gas stations in an area raise their prices contemporaneously and by a large amount.”

According to the lawsuit, research into algorithmic fuel-pricing software found average price increases of about 6 cents per gallon, rising to as much as 30 cents per gallon in markets where many stations use the technology.

“Because of the volume of fuel sold across California, a single cent increase at the pump will drain a whopping $134 million from California drivers’ wallets every year across the state,” the lawsuit says.

The defendants in the lawsuit — which also include BP, Speedway, EG America, Walmart and Albertsons — collectively operate more than 1,700 gas stations in California, according to the lawsuit. None of them immediately responded to a request for comment.

The lawsuit seeks to represent California drivers who bought gas at stations using Kalibrate software since June 2022.

The Cardinals also announced the promotion of Anuk Karunaratne to president of business operations as part of a restructuring following Chaim Bloom’s appointment as president of baseball operations last September.

“In some ways, it’s not that big of a change, as all of us up here have been working together closely for a couple years now,” DeWitt III said. “But in formalizing these roles, we’re just firming up the leadership structure that will lay the foundation for the next wave of organizational and team success.”

DeWitt III, 58, oversaw the opening of Busch Stadium in 2006 and the development and launch of Ballpark Village Phase I in 2014 and Phase II in 2020.

Bill DeWitt Jr. continues as chairman and principal owner and will continue his involvement in team baseball and business matters.

“Nothing’s really changed,” DeWitt Jr. said. “I stay in touch with obviously Bill III. Baseball (operations) stays in touch with me. I talk all the time, so I may or may not be here, but I’m here in spirit and available 24/7 so I’m tightly in touch with all the things we’re looking to do.”

Karunaratne joined the Cardinals in 2024 as senior vice president of business operations. He previously was the Toronto Blue Jays’ executive vice president of business operations.

“We all know what the Cardinals can be at their best,” Karunaratne said. “That’s what we’re building towards, and ultimately that matters. It matters to this organization, it matters to this city, and it matters to every one of our fans. We’re ready, and we’re going to get after it.”

The Cardinals qualified for postseason play 17 times in DeWitt Jr.’s first 27 seasons at the helm of the franchise and drew at least 2.9 million fans in every full season from 1998 through 2023.

The club, however, has not having made the postseason since 2022. Attendance has dropped to 30-year lows.

“Like the business, there’s been a lot of change, and it’s change that has been accelerating, probably over the last five years, and I think right now baseball organization is in good shape with Chaim and some of the changes he’s made,” DeWitt III said. “I come at it more as somebody that is ready and sort of willing to go a little deeper into the organization on the baseball side than perhaps I have in the past and just really learn. When you’re in this role for 18 years, you know everybody in the business side, so when issues come up, what people’s opinions are, you’re collecting them where people are coming from. I want to get to that point on the baseball side.”

DeWitt III’s promotion continues a family legacy in the game of baseball that dates back to his grandfather.

“I love pointing out my grandfather’s role here, he was here about 20 years as treasurer, worked with Branch Rickey, and that’s a point of pride for me,” DeWitt III said. “It’s pretty cool. It isn’t too often that you see, particularly in an organization like this, have that much heritage in one family.”

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

The women's tournament is set to start June 24, 2027, hosted by a South American country for the first time. Brazil hosted the men's World Cup in 1950 and 2014.

“I think that the host country, it sleeps and breathes football. So, I think just the energy you’re going to see from the public, the general public, and obviously the teams touching down in Brazil, I mean, it’s such a unique, special country,” FIFA chief football officer Jill Ellis said at an event Wednesday in Miami. “I think the same energy you’re going to feel right now when you bring the world together, and you have an incredible product in women’s football, I mean, the level of quality the players is so extraordinary that I think, honestly, it will be an epic showcase of football and fandom.”

In addition to Miami, a countdown event was also held in Rio de Janeiro. Even in Vancouver, British Columbia, at Wednesday's World Cup match between Switzerland and co-host Canada, video signage flashed with ads for the upcoming women's tournament.

All eight cities that will host women's matches next year also hosted men's games in 2014: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife and Salvador.

Qualification for the tournament has already begun. Brazil, which has an automatic spot as host, has never won the women's tournament and it remains to be seen whether Marta, the six-time FIFA world player of the year, will be on the national team. The 40-year-old Marta has never won a major international tournament.

Thirteen other teams have also qualified, including Australia, Philippines, Japan, North Korea, China, South Korea, Argentina, Colombia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Spain and Denmark.

“There is only one year left until the moment that will be marked in the history of our country. For the CBF (Brazilian soccer confederation) and for all Brazilians, it is a source of great pride to host the Women’s World Cup," federation president Samir Xaud said in a statement. “It will be an opportunity to show the world our passion for football and, above all, the strength of Brazilian women’s football. We are certain that this will be a transformative World Cup, capable of inspiring girls in all regions of Brazil and leaving a lasting legacy.”

The first Women's World Cup was hosted by China in 1991. The United States has won the most titles with four. Spain won the last title in 2023 at the tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Women's soccer has experienced exponential growth in the past decade, with new leagues, increasing viewership and revenues. The Women's World Cup in Brazil will be the last with 32 teams. In 2031 the event will include 48 teams, like the men's tournament.

The 2031 World Cup is expected to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. The formal decision will likely be announced in November.

“I think when we went to 32 there was some noise, are we’re ready, are there going to be blowouts? We saw an incredibly competitive landscape. We saw debutantes making the knockout rounds. I think the global game is accelerating so fast that countries are closing the gap a lot faster," Ellis said. “Our job is to make sure teams come in there as prepared and ready as they can, so we have the most competitive World Cup. So I think the growth of the game is accelerating rapidly, and I think by 2031 we certainly will have a very competitive World Cup.”

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Four-time league MVP A'ja Wilson is third about 11,000 votes behind Clark. The Las Vegas Aces star led the initial fan ballots. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers is fourth, about 18,000 votes behind Wilson. New York's Breanna Stewart was next. Wilson and Bueckers were the top two vote getters after the first set of returns.

Fan ballots end Saturday night.

Rounding out the top 10 were Jessica Shepard of Dallas, Angel Reese of Atlanta, Gabby Williams of Golden State, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana and Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles.

After all votes are tallied, players will be ranked by position (guard and frontcourt) within each of the three voting groups — fan votes, player votes and media votes. Fan vote counts 50% while media and player votes are 25% each.

Each player’s score will be calculated by averaging their weighted rank from all three areas. The four guards and six frontcourt players with the best score will be named as starters for the All-Star Game which will be played on July 25 in Chicago.

Once the starters are chosen, the league's head coaches will select the 12 reserves. The 15 head coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. Coaches can't vote for their own players.

New this year, two WNBA legends will serve as honorary general managers and choose the two teams from the pool of All-Stars. Previously the top two fan vote-getters would serve as captains and choose the teams.

The two head coaches will be determined by the teams with the two best records following games on July 10.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The Colombia election result comes as Peru appears poised to elect Keiko Fujimori as president following a closely contested vote. Meanwhile, Brazil is preparing for a presidential election that could push the country back to the right if Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, defeats President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The elections raise the possibility that countries with the largest shares of the Amazon could move toward policies that place greater emphasis on economic growth, extractive industries and efforts to combat organized crime and reassert state control in remote regions.

“There’s an interesting alignment, particularly across the Andes region and the broader Amazon basin,” said Elizabeth Dickinson, deputy director for Latin America at the International Crisis Group, referring to a growing belief among some governments that economic development and conservation can be pursued simultaneously.

Colombia's election results showed that de la Espriella, who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump, defeated Iván Cepeda, a lawmaker who was endorsed by outgoing President Gustavo Petro, by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes. Cepeda conceded on Wednesday.

The Amazon rainforest spans much of northern South America and helps slow climate change by absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that warms the planet. Scientists have for years warned that continued forest loss could push parts of the Amazon toward a tipping point beyond which large areas may no longer be able to regenerate as rainforest.

Around 40% of Colombian territory sits within the Amazon basin. Under Petro, it emerged as one of the world’s most prominent advocates for rainforest protection and a transition away from fossil fuels.

Economic development and the Amazon

During his election campaign, de la Espriella — whose nickname is “The Tiger” — pledged to revive Colombia’s oil sector, supported fracking, which is a method of extracting oil and gas from underground rock formations, and argued that the country should make greater use of its natural resources to spur economic growth. Environmental advocates warn that expanding oil and gas production could undermine efforts to reduce emissions and increase pressure on environmentally sensitive areas.

De la Espriella represents a sharp contrast with Petro, who opposed new fossil fuel exploration contracts and sought to position Colombia as a leading voice internationally on climate issues.

Peru, which contains the second-largest share of the Amazon rainforest after Brazil, appears close to electing Fujimori. Like de la Espriella, Fujimori has signaled support for expanding mining and other industries as a driver of economic growth, while environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential implications for forests and Indigenous communities.

Brazil, which is home to roughly 60% of the Amazon, is preparing for a presidential race that could have major implications for forest protection. The election comes after the country experienced sharply rising deforestation under Bolsonaro, followed by declines under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as environmental enforcement was strengthened.

Brazil’s experience shows that government priorities can have a measurable impact on the Amazon, said Cristiane Mazzetti, zero deforestation lead at Greenpeace Brazil.

“The elected administration sets budgetary priorities, fills government positions and shapes regulations to either facilitate or hinder predatory exploitation and environmental crimes,” she said. “The result of this is measurable, as evidenced by the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.”

Trump’s endorsement of Colombia's de la Espriella came as the U.S. president has rolled back climate policies, promoted expanded oil and gas production and withdrawn the U.S. from the 2015 Paris Agreement, the international pact aimed at limiting global warming.

Sergio Guzmán, director of Colombia Risk Analysis, said environmental concerns may increasingly compete with demands for investment, energy production and economic growth.

“Many of the concerns from environmentalists on emissions and fracking are going to take a second place to some of the economic concerns about energy self-sufficiency, investment and foreign direct investment in oil, gas and mining,” Guzmán said.

Illegal mining and Indigenous communities

Illegal gold mining has become one of the largest drivers of environmental destruction in parts of the Amazon, contaminating rivers with mercury, clearing forests and generating billions of dollars for criminal groups.

Dickinson said many governments have embraced tougher responses to illegal mining, an issue that has become increasingly central to environmental policy across the region.

“It’s very hard to disagree with the idea of going after illegal mining, one of the most detrimental industries for the Amazon basin,” she said, adding that governments have often focused on seizing equipment or removing miners from individual sites rather than dismantling the criminal and financial networks behind them.

“What we really haven’t reached is an ability to tackle the intellectual authors of these operations,” said Dickinson.

Decisions affecting Indigenous territories

Julio Cusurichi, a prominent Indigenous leader from Peru’s Amazon region, said Indigenous communities would continue organizing and advocating for a greater role in decisions affecting their territories.

“Our biodiversity, our territories, our knowledge and our wisdom can contribute greatly to addressing climate change,” he said. “In our territories, we have shown that we can provide governance not only for our peoples, but for the planet.”

Across the Amazon, Indigenous lands frequently overlap with areas targeted for mining, oil development and infrastructure projects. Indigenous organizations have long argued that governments often fail to adequately consult communities before approving projects.

Dickinson said tensions over Indigenous autonomy and extractive projects have become increasingly visible in countries including Peru and Ecuador.

Analysts say some of the clearest indicators of de la Espriella administration’s environmental approach will be how it handles Indigenous consultation processes, environmental licensing and decisions on new oil, gas and mining projects in sensitive ecosystems.

‘Allow humanity to breathe’

Guzmán said de la Espriella’s plans to increase military pressure on criminal groups and potentially resume aerial fumigation of coca crops — the plant used to produce cocaine — could also have consequences for Amazon communities.

Aerial fumigation has long been controversial in Colombia. Supporters view it as a tool to combat drug trafficking, while critics say it can damage surrounding vegetation, affect water sources and encourage coca growers to clear new areas of forest and move deeper into remote parts of the Amazon.

Others caution against assuming environmental protections will inevitably weaken.

Colombia's courts, Congress, Indigenous organizations and environmental institutions all remain influential, while advances in satellite monitoring make it increasingly difficult to hide deforestation and environmental damage, analysts said.

In Colombia’s Amazon city of Leticia, Indigenous Ticuna resident Arnaldo Rufino said many residents fear policies that encourage more extraction in the rainforest could come at the expense of the forest itself.

He said political leaders should focus on protecting biodiversity and the Amazon rather than pursuing projects that risk increasing environmental pressures.

“It means cutting down the trees that allow humanity to breathe,” Rufino said.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

“Absolutely not,” Usher told The Associated Press. “He’s my brother, and he’s amazing as a performer. That’s who I see. He works hard for his fans, and his fans support him.”

Brown has remained one of R&B’s biggest stars despite years of legal troubles and controversy. Last year, he pleaded not guilty in London to charges stemming from an alleged 2023 assault at a nightclub after previously being released on bail to continue touring. He also pleaded guilty in 2009 to felony assault for attacking then-girlfriend Rihanna.

For Usher, their North American tour — which kicks off Friday in Denver — represents something much bigger than two of R&B's brightest stars sharing a stage.

The 33-date tour follows blockbuster solo runs for both artists. Fresh off headlining the Super Bowl halftime show in 2024, Usher’s “Past, Present, Future” tour sold more than 1.1 million tickets across North America, while Brown’s “Breezy Bowl XX” grossed nearly $300 million.

“It’s not about me and my brother coming together,” Usher said. “We come together in support of our fans of R&B.”

Throughout the interview, Usher repeatedly returned to one message: R&B has helped shape modern music while rarely receiving equal recognition.

“It deserves to be in a stadium,” he said. “It is not just for theaters. It is not just for arenas. We do this … too. We are major too. R&B is major too.”

Usher said the tour also honors the artists who laid the foundation for the genre, citing Buddy Bolden, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Prince, Luther Vandross, along with influential figures including Earth, Wind & Fire and Babyface.

“We’re carrying it over there for them,” he said.

Rather than viewing the tour as a competition between two of the genre’s biggest performers, Usher said rehearsals have reflected the admiration they have for one another.

“When we run through the show, I look over and I see Chris standing up doing my portion and dancing,” he said. “When it would be my time, I’d be standing up rooting him on. I love his music. I am encouraged by his music in the same way I feel like he’s been encouraged and inspired by mine.”

Usher said the partnership fulfills a vision that dates to Brown’s earliest days in the music business.

“When he first started his career, having been there as a mentor, a person to support what he did, some portion of my 25-year-old self was kind of like, ‘Man, I’m still building. Let’s someday get to the point where there’s an opportunity for us to share the stage together,’” he said.

Now, Usher believes the collaboration could inspire more artists to rethink touring together.

“There is power in numbers,” he said. “After this becomes the success that I know it’s going to be, you will see more collaborations. You will see artists beginning to understand, ‘Wait a minute. We actually serve more of our fans when we bring them together, as opposed to trying to do it all by ourselves.’”

According to multiple reports citing Strange’s agents, the deal is worth $48 million, with $25 million in guarantees. Strange has emerged as Jacksonville’s top weapon at tight end, and the offense has operated significantly better with him on the field. Strange missed five games last season on injured reserve with a hip injury that didn’t require surgery. The Jaguars went 2-3 in the games Strange missed and averaged nearly eight points less without him.

Even without playing in those five games, Strange posted career highs in every category (540 receiving yards, 11.7 yards per catch, 46 receptions, 3 TDs).

A second-round pick from Penn State in 2023, Strange had a muted rookie year (5 catches, 35 yards, TD) before really finding his footing. His draftmate and former Penn State teammate, Parker Washington, stands to be next in line for a contract extension. Strange, like Washington, was entering the last year of his rookie contract.

Jacksonville added two tight ends in the NFL draft, Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol, as NFL teams look poised to play with multiple tight ends on the field more frequently. Strange and Boerkircher project as more of the true in-line blocking and receiving tight ends. Koziol could feature more as a receiver than a blocker.

The Jaguars have now signed Strange and edge Travon Walker to major extensions this offseason.

According to multiple reports citing Strange’s agents, the deal is worth $48 million, with $25 million in guarantees. Strange has emerged as Jacksonville’s top weapon at tight end, and the offense has operated significantly better with him on the field. Strange missed five games last season on injured reserve with a hip injury that didn’t require surgery. The Jaguars went 2-3 in the games Strange missed and averaged nearly eight points less without him.

Even without playing in those five games, Strange posted career highs in every category (540 receiving yards, 11.7 yards per catch, 46 receptions, 3 TDs).

A second-round pick from Penn State in 2023, Strange had a muted rookie year (5 catches, 35 yards, TD) before really finding his footing. His draftmate and former Penn State teammate Parker Washington stands to be next in line for a contract extension. Strange, like Washington, was entering the last year of his rookie contract.

Jacksonville added two tight ends in the NFL draft, Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol, as NFL teams look poised to play with multiple tight ends on the field more frequently. Strange and Boerkircher project as more of the true in-line blocking and receiving tight ends. Koziol could feature more as a receiver than a blocker.

The Jaguars have now signed Strange and edge Travon Walker to major extensions this offseason.

And the 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper hasn't ruled out playing in Brazil, where fans helped him reach immediate stardom on social media.

Vozinha said in an interview with Brazilian journalist and influencer Daniel Braune that his contract with second-division Portuguese club Chaves has ended and he wants to keep playing and is keen on finding a new team following his success in the tournament in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Vozinha attracted the attention of the soccer world after an outstanding performance in Cape Verde's 0-0 draw with European champion Spain in their opener on June 15. Cape Verde then drew 2-2 with Uruguay, one of South America's soccer powerhouses.

“I ended my contract with my previous club, Deportivo Chaves, and at the moment I still don't have anything,” he said. “I'm open to everything. Let's see what comes up.”

Vozinha said he wouldn't mind playing in Brazil, the country where another influencer, Casimiro Miguel, known as Cazé, helped him go from about 50,000 Instagram followers to nearly 16 million by promoting the goalkeeper's account.

“It would be good,” Vozinha said, smiling, in the interview published in Braune’s YouTube channel. “We’ll see.”

Vozinha said he definitely wants to try to make it to Brazil, at least to visit.

“If I have the opportunity, I'd like to go, also to thank everyone for all of their support," he said. "And I think that many of my teammates want to go as well.”

Vozinha said he spent time in Brazil when his former team in Angola, Progresso do Sambizanga, did its preseason in the country.

He said his idols while growing up included Belgian goalkeeper Michel Preud'homme, Dutchman Edwin van der Sar and Gianluigi Buffon of Italy.

His dream right now is to help Cape Verde — competing in the World Cup for the first time — advance from the group stage.

A win over Saudi Arabia on Friday in Houston will be enough to secure the team a spot in the round of 32, which would spark renewed celebrations in the nation of about half a million people off Africa’s West coast.

“My dream, and the dream of all Cape Verdeans, is to reach the next round,” he said. “It's huge just to be in the World Cup, and to advance when no one thought that we could even get a point, would be extraordinary.”

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Her name is Mia, and she's a young girl from London of South Asian descent who uses a wheelchair. She glides into the spotlight in the animated movie “Snoopy Unleashed,” coming to Apple TV in 2027, helping Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang explore what being a pal is really all about.

“The story is really about what real friendship is about, and I think that continues to be something that’s relevant not only to kids, but adults,” says producer Bonnie Arnold.

“True friends love you for who you are. And that’s something that we not only have to learn as kids, but we have to remind ourselves as we become teenagers and young adults and adults and even in older age,” she added.

What's the movie about?

In the 80-minute movie, Mia makes a surprise visit to a suddenly flustered Charlie Brown, who has to live up to the curated version of himself that he has presented in his letters. His relationship with Snoopy is then strained, and the dog bolts for a nearby city. Naturally, Charlie Brown and the gang, plus Mia, give chase.

With Mia, the creators wanted to birth someone as different from Charlie Brown as possible — a girl, not from a suburb or a rural town, who moves through the world differently, without a pet, and someone with confidence.

“Charlie Brown is probably one of the most insecure human beings that we know. That’s what makes him charming. It’s how we see ourselves in him. So we felt that we wanted Mia to be more comfortable with who she is,” says director Steve Martino, adding: “A big part of her role in the movie is to be a mirror to Charlie Brown, to journey with him and to reflect some things that he couldn’t see himself.”

An urban landscape

They landed on London as Mia's home since that elevated the stakes.

“If this pen pal was going to come to visit, it would be a much stronger story if she came from much further away,” says Martino. “He has one shot to make a good impression.” (Plus, it gave Lucy the chance to believe somehow that Mia might be a royal ).

In the city, Mia is more comfortable than Charlie Brown and the gang, who are fish out of water, like encountering their first revolving door with amazement. The jazz score grows more frenzied as the children navigate honking traffic and the urban energy.

Snoopy's trip to the city also introduces another new character: a nameless, gold-haired stray mutt who becomes his opposites-attract pal, like Mia and Charlie Brown.

“Snoopy definitely is more of a human-type character. He walks on twos and not fours,” says Arnold. The stray, on the other hand, “walks on fours, he barks, he pants, he’s more doglike, but he befriends Snoopy. Even though his actions are a bit puppylike, he’s a little bit more seasoned in the ways of being on the road.”

Issues of authenticity and presentation

The script was written by Craig Schulz — “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz's son — and his own son, Bryan Schulz, along with Cornelius Uliano and Karey Kirkpatrick. To accurately portray life in a wheelchair, the creators consulted several groups, including Disability Belongs.

Lara Mehmet, a wheelchair user who lives just outside London, was picked to voice Mia after a long audition process and helped the script sound more authentic.

While viewers today are more familiar with texts, instant messages and social media posts, the moviemakers hope they'll see the same issues of authenticity and presentation in a story sparked by snail mail letters.

“On social media, we like to curate and project a life that is the very best of who we are. And I thought that is such rich story material to dig into,” says Martino. “We communicate differently today, but feelings that are universal.”

“Peanuts” ran in more than 2,600 newspapers, reaching millions of readers in 75 countries before ending in 2000. Charlie Brown and Snoopy have since thrived in the digital age with fresh specials and series.

In addition to “Snoopy Unleashed,” Apple TV has season two of “Camp Snoopy” on tap for June, a new special “Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy” premiering at the end of July, and the “Peanuts” classics “This Is America, Charlie Brown” and “The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show” will be available on the platform in early July.

The moviemakers credit Schulz for leaving a legacy of very believable kids and an ability to tap into the human experience, with all its vulnerabilities.

“What Charles Schulz did in the comic strips so well is kind of touch on things that affect us all at all ages, right? Some universal truths about relationships,” says Arnold.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of two of the scriptwriters’ first names. They are Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano, not Brian Schulz and Neil Uliano.

The 27-year-old Brooklyn resident decided to support Claire Valdez, who was backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, over Antonio Reynoso, another progressive who was the choice of the Democratic establishment, because she had “a clear and more consistent stance.”

Valdez triumphed in her congressional primary, as did two other insurgent candidates endorsed by Mamdani, and Israel was a key issue in each of the races. Now the question for Democrats is how many more voters like Venkatesh are out there as the party charts its path toward the November midterms and the next presidential election.

The war in Gaza began with Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which responded with a yearslong counterattack that left more than 73,000 dead. About 1,000 have died since a ceasefire was reached in October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry that does not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties.

Human rights groups and a United Nations commission have described Israel's actions as a genocide, a charge that's been rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Democrats on the left — and even some conservatives — have ratcheted up pressure to suspend U.S. aid to Israel, a shift that's been shadowed by a rise in antisemitism across the political spectrum.

“The Israel question has become defining,” said Matt Bennett, who leads the centrist Democratic group Third Way and frequently criticizes progressives as jeopardizing outreach to independent voters. He argued that some in Mamdani’s camp have embraced “a new level of extremism,” warning that “Republicans are very good at weaponizing crazy ideas on the fringe against mainstream candidates.”

The schism over Israel, which widened during Joe Biden's presidency and undermined Kamala Harris' bid to replace him, remains an open wound. How Democrats attempt to stitch it closed will help define their future. A step in any direction risks alienating pieces of the party's unwieldy coalition when it's trying to unify around the mission of retaking control of Congress and set the stage for winning the White House again.

Mamdani is unapologetic in his effort to reshape the Democratic Party from the mayor’s office of the country’s largest city. He sharply criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for defending what he calls “a status quo of immorality” in Gaza, and voters who celebrated his slate's victories on Tuesday night chanted “Free Palestine.”

The mayor, meanwhile, argues that New York should shape Democrats’ search for their national identity in the coming years.

“When does the race for 2028 begin?” Mamdani asked last week on a stage with his slate of candidates. “It starts now.”

Israel-Palestinian conflict animates Democrats' left flank

Even for a party accustomed to conflicts between progressives and moderates, the divide over Israel has been especially intense. Although the U.S. alliance with Israel once had bipartisan support, the ascendancy of Israel's right wing, led by Netanyahu, strained those ties over the years. Then the war in Gaza shredded them.

Biden was denounced as “Genocide Joe” by pro-Palestinian supporters, who shifted their attention to Harris once she replaced him as the Democratic nominee for president two years ago.

“She was trying to do the right thing," said Jamie Harrison, who led the Democratic National Committee at the time. "It was a hard and awkward place to be in.”

Harrison said the war in Gaza helped cost Harris the state of Michigan, which has a sizable Arab American population. However, he doubts that it was a defining national issue then or now.

“It’s one thing to be in New York. But I can tell you that most places, including where I am in South Carolina, it’s not what people are talking about,” he said. “They are concerned about affording gas and groceries and housing.”

Harrison expects Democrats to look for middle ground in the future, which includes “still supporting Israel’s sovereignty” while calling for “reducing U.S. aid to Israel and changing the nature of the relationship.”

The issue puts a notable spotlight on Jewish Democrats who could become presidential contenders at the same time Mamdani wields his influence as the most prominent elected Muslim in U.S. politics.

When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s name landed on Harris’ list of potential running mates, activists on the left cried foul over his support for Israel — potentially previewing pressures he would experience in a White House campaign.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was once a billionaire donor to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, and a national board member. He cut ties with the group after it aligned with Donald Trump, but the governor has continued to face questions about his past support.

Both Shapiro and Pritzker are seeking reelection this November before deciding on White House bids.

One primary victor blasted the ‘hug Bibi’ strategy

Finding middle ground has been difficult so far, as demonstrated by the primary in New York's 10th congressional district.

Brad Lander, the former city comptroller backed by Mamdani, successfully challenged U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in the race.

Both candidates are Jewish, and both have criticized the Israeli government. But Lander says the war in Gaza is a genocide, and Goldman does not.

“Our party needs to admit that Joe Biden’s ‘hug Bibi’ strategy was a catastrophic mistake," Lander said in his primary victory speech. He added, “We cannot keep paying for Netanyahu’s wars with our tax dollars. Democratic voters are saying this, loud and clear.”

Ari Rassouli, a voter in the district, said the incumbent's views on Israel were “one of the many reasons that I didn’t like Dan Goldman.”

Describing the war as a genocide, she said “a candidate that is in support of that has no place in our democracy at all.”

While talking to reporters on Tuesday, Lander acknowledged that Israel was among the top issues along with affordability and immigration.

“I like talking to Jewish voters who feel anxiety about the times we live in and say, ‘I have these values, I want to treat everyone like they’re equal and with dignity and created in God’s image. How do we navigate the times we’re in?’” he said.

He added with a smile, “Those are probably the longest conversations at the polls.” ___

Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.

America’s most decorated cross-country skier is part of “Protect Our Winters,” an athlete-driven environmental group that sent a coalition to Washington to meet with lawmakers Tuesday and Wednesday. The group is most concerned with how the Environmental Protection Agency has weakened key climate, water and pollution regulations since President Donald Trump returned to office.

“I don’t want to stick my head in the sand and ignore the world burning,” Diggins said in an interview. “I feel like I have a responsibility to use my voice to advocate for change. And so that’s why it’s so important to me, because I want my great-grandkids to be able to build a snowman and try cross-country skiing someday, and be able go hiking and fishing and camping in the summer, and breathe clean air. I want that for them very badly.”

Diggins retired from professional ski racing this year after earning bronze in the women’s 10‑kilometer interval start at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. Many skiers expressed concern during these Olympic Games about climate change and the accelerating melt of the world’s glaciers. A warming world jeopardizes the future of their sport.

Diggins described bringing her medals to Washington as a “beautiful, full circle moment.” She said she'll consider it a success if she has productive conversations that help pave the way for bipartisan efforts to strengthen and bolster the EPA in the future. Republicans currently in control of Congress have generally supported the Trump EPA’s actions.

“We’re trying to advocate for solutions that are going to protect us long term, and training and racing through four Olympics, that was a very long-term thing, you know? It’s not quick, immediate gratification, you work and you work and you work,” Diggins said. “I think it’s a nice reminder of like, it’s OK that we are looking for solutions for the future.”

Democratic Rep. Paul Tonko, of New York, said it was an honor to meet with this group of “athletes, advocates and champions.”

“These efforts are more important than ever, with an administration and EPA that is wiping out environmental protections left and right,” he said in a statement. "I remain as committed as ever to being sound stewards of our environment and leaving behind a better planet for our next generation of torchbearers.”

Coalition includes athletes, scientists, storytellers

It's not the typical lobbying group. Professional ski mountaineer Brody Leven only owns a suit to go to Washington with Protect Our Winters. But, he said, they are the ones who can hopefully bring people together around policy solutions to climate change.

“We’re good at looking at adversity in the face and still moving forward," he said. "And we’re good at knowing something is going to be hard and trying to do it anyways.”

They met with Democrats and Republicans. Olympians Jaelin Kauf, Gus Schumacher, Bea Kim, Julia Kern and Olivia Giaccio were involved, Protect Our Winters said.

Kauf, a three-time Olympic silver medalist, said she talked with lawmakers Wednesday about seeing the effects of climate change firsthand as she travels, and about how poor snow is impacting major races. She said protecting these lands and beautiful places is “something that can bring a lot of us together.”

During the Trump administration, the EPA has revoked a scientific finding that underpinned the fight against climate change, moved to roll back limits on toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants and announced other cuts to federal limits on air and water pollution as it promotes fossil fuels. These changes clash with the agency’s historic mission to protect human health and the environment.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said the department is “ driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age.” Doing so, he said, will save trillions of dollars in regulatory costs and hidden taxes, which in turn will make the cost of living more affordable and reignite domestic manufacturing.

Environmentalists say the EPA under Zeldin has abandoned its obligation to protect the public from dangerous greenhouse gas pollution at a time when climate change is creating greater risks of extreme weather, including stronger hurricanes, more dangerous floods and more intense wildfires. Legal challenges to a range of EPA rule changes have been filed by states, cities and public health and environmental groups.

Protect Our Winters looks beyond the Trump years

Ben Gubits, vice president of campaigns and advocacy for Protect Our Winters, said the group expects the federal government to protect the health of American citizens and the planet. POW has lobbied Congress for about a decade, including several visits in 2021 and 2022 when it advocated for passage of a landmark climate bill. President Joe Biden signed the so-called Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.

“We are really thinking about a long-term and positive vision for the future, and how do we rebuild these critical institutions beyond the Trump years,” Gubits said.

Stuart Nissenbaum started working at the EPA early in Biden's term and left a year ago. He's part of the coalition, too. Nissenbaum said he thinks being in Washington with Olympians will help bring attention to their message. They are masters of their craft and they wore the U.S. flag while competing, which should resonate with members of Congress, he added.

Nissenbaum said he went to Washington to convey to legislators that clean air and clean water are bipartisan, and they should adopt policies grounded in science to protect the environment.

“Clean air and clean water isn’t something that we should take for granted,” he said. “It affects every single person.”

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The U.S. State Department has said that it would “begin a phased drawdown” of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, a program that has supported South Africa’s battle against HIV and AIDS for the last 20 years and is widely credited with saving more than 20 million lives over that period.

The phasing out of most programs is expected to be completed by the end of September, with critical personnel support continuing through March next year, according to the U.S. State Department.

South Africa has the highest number of people living with HIV, with approximately 8 million people, or about 12.7 % of its 63 million population.

The country was singled out for the halting of financial aid in addition to broader foreign aid cuts announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in an executive order issued in January 2025.

Trump announced a halt to all financial aid to the country the following month, citing political issues which included South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment policies and widely disputed allegations of a genocide against the white minority Afrikaner community in the country.

He also cited South Africa's land expropriation laws as targeting white Afrikaners and condemned the country’s actions against Israel at the International Court of Justice, where it has accused Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegation and has said that the attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, was itself a genocidal act.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Associated Press this week that the South African government had been informed that PEPFAR would be withdrawn if these issues weren't addressed, which included a requirement for senior government officials to “unequivocally condemn all race-based incitement to violence, including the ‘Kill the Boer’ song, more frequently.”

The anti-apartheid liberation song has been interpreted by some as calling for violence against Afrikaners.

According to the South African government, the PEPFAR funding for South Africa was equivalent to about 17% of its budget for HIV programs, but this didn't include the purchase of antiretroviral drugs, since 90% of this was self-funded and the other 10% funded by the Global Fund.

However, other HIV related programs in 27 districts around the country had been adversely affected, with some support facilities shutting down and front-line workers and volunteers losing their jobs.

“The department has long been working on a self-reliance plan to minimize the impact of funding withdrawal since the initial freeze on foreign assistance and a cancellation of USAID grants in January 2025,” South Africa health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said.

Last year, the country announced a $45 million emergency fund to address some of the gaps created by the withdrawal of PEPFAR.

According to civil society group Section27, which has assessed the impact of the funding withdrawals in three districts that have high HIV prevalence in South Africa, prevention services were hardly hit.

“As the health system started to feel the pressure, the response was to prioritize treatment continuity versus prevention,” Section27 senior legal researcher Tendai Mafuma said.

The Anova Health Institute said that it had discontinued its PEPFAR-funded programs and laid off about 3,000 health workers since last year.

“Community delivery of PrEP (preexposure prophylaxis) and prevention services has been heavily impacted,” said Dr. Kate Rees, public health medicine specialist at Anova. “Community delivery of prevention is important to reach the people that need it most.”

She said that priority populations which include children, adolescents and young people were among the most affected, along with key population which include men who have sex with men and people who use drugs, among others.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The operation was part of Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries that has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons to ward off Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.

In response, Moscow has ordered the redeployment of some air defense systems from Russian regions to the capital and to Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, a crucial link for supplying Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The bridge connects the Crimean Peninsula with the Russian mainland.

“It is important that as many Russians as possible come to understand that it is the Russian leadership’s rejection of diplomacy that is prolonging the war,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Zelenskyy has accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump but Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused.

In northern Ukraine, meanwhile, military officials ordered a mandatory evacuation for communities and settlements in the Chernihiv region bordering Belarus starting July 1, according to Viacheslav Chaus, the head of regional military administration, in a statement on his Telegram channel.

Last month, Zelenskyy said his intelligence services had learned Moscow recently stepped up efforts to “draw Belarus much deeper into the war" and launch operations from Belarusian territory. He said he ordered the military and security agencies to prepare a response and strengthen northern defenses. Belarus and Russia denied Zelenskyy's claim.

Ukraine says the stricken gas plant was among the world's largest

The overnight attack hit the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant, which is part of a complex that also houses the only helium plant in Russia, the General Staff said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. The attack set the complex on fire, it said.

Orenburg, in the southern Urals near Russia's border with Kazakhstan, is more than 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) behind the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine.

The plant is one of the largest gas complexes in the world, according to the General Staff. It produces helium, used in liquid-fuel rocket engines and guidance systems, and ethane, a key component in producing solid rocket fuel and gunpowder, it added.

Overnight attacks also hit two satellite communication centers used by the Russian military, according to the General Staff.

One was the Dubna Space Communications Center near Moscow, which it described as Russia's largest ground-based satellite communications complex, and the other was in the Vladimir region east of the capital.

It was not possible to independently verify the General Staff’s report, and Russian officials made no immediate comment.

The General Staff's statement did not say whether the military used drones or missiles in the assault, but drones have recently been used to strike Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Ukraine keeps hammering Crimea

Ukraine has recently focused its drone and missile attacks on Crimea, aiming to cut off the vital Russian-held peninsula, and overnight drone strikes knocked out power in Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s Moscow-installed governor, said Wednesday.

Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, sits in a strategic location on the Black Sea. It has naval bases and also provides an important supply line to Moscow's forces inside Ukraine.

Ukraine recently destroyed more than 60,000 tons of Russian ammunition when it hit a Baltic Fleet arsenal near St. Petersburg, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine is trying to disrupt military supply lines in Crimea and strike the peninsula’s power grid at the height of the summer tourist season. Kyiv hopes the campaign will embarrass Putin and increase public pressure on him to end the war, according to Western analysts.

Ukraine’s Security Service said Wednesday it struck two military airfields and destroyed missile systems in Crimea.

Attacks kill at least 6 people

Two staff members of Norwegian People’s Aid were killed during a Russian attack in Ukraine, the demining organization said Wednesday, although local officials said only one person was killed.

Four other workers with the organization were injured, two of them critically, according to the head of the southern Kherson region’s military administration, Oleksandr Prokudin.

Russian forces shot down 323 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

Two people were killed and two others wounded overnight in a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, east of Moscow, regional Gov. Gleb Nikitin said. Also, a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person overnight in Russia’s Belgorod border region bordering Ukraine, local officials said.

Ukraine’s air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 101 long-range attack drones overnight.

Russian drones attacked the city of Balakliia in northeastern Ukraine, killing a 56-year-old woman, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration. Also, a 57-year-old streetcar driver man died as a result of a Russian guided aerial bomb that hit the outskirts of Sumy, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the regional military administration.

In addition, the death toll rose to four from Tuesday's ballistic missile strike using cluster munitions on Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, after a 62-year-old woman died from her injuries, said Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city administration, said.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have deployed the controversial munitions during the war.

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Elise Morton in London contributed.

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

McMorrow’s new ad, shared first with The Associated Press, accuses Trump of blocking the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and suggests he is doing so to benefit a major political donor, building on an anti-corruption message she has sought to make central to her campaign.

The bridge, which spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario, was slated for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 12. It was abruptly postponed after officials said the U.S. and Canada were still working to resolve “outstanding issues.”

The dispute gives Democrats a rare opportunity to tie Trump directly to a project with visible economic consequences in a battleground state. For McMorrow, who is trying to gain ground in a three-person primary, it also offers a chance to distinguish herself as the first Democratic candidate to make the controversy a campaign issue. She's running against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.

The winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024. Rogers has also used the bridge in political messaging, saying that if he's sent to Washington he'll make sure the bridge is opened.

The ad claims Trump is blocking the bridge for billionaire donor

Standing in front of the bridge, McMorrow claims in the ad that it's ready to open but remains closed because “Donald Trump won’t open it.”

“I’m Mallory McMorrow and I have one message for the president: open this damn bridge,” she says.

McMorrow argues that Trump is blocking the bridge because “the billionaire family that owns the other bridge gave him a million bucks."

That claim references the Moroun family, owners of the privately held Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor. Federal campaign finance records show Matthew Moroun donated $1 million to Trump's super PAC earlier this year. The toll bridge charges up to $10 per automobile and $20 per axel for commercial trucks.

In February, Trump demanded in a social media post that Canada hand over at least half ownership of the new bridge to the U.S. government and accept other unspecified demands, part of his broader clashes with Canada over trade.

Canada financed the bridge’s construction. The project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and work has been underway since 2018 and cost close to $4.4 billion.

Named after the late Canadian hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge is expected to be another vital economic artery between Canada and the United States.

McMorrow is taking big swings. She may need to

McMorrow is hoping to break through in a race that many in the state see increasingly as a two-candidate contest.

In an interview with AP, McMorrow acknowledged that from the start of the race she's been a “dark horse” candidate. A state senator known for a viral speech in 2022, she faces a congresswoman with large resources in Stevens. El-Sayed, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2018, has carved out the progressive lane with Sen. Bernie Sanders' backing.

The Gordie Howe digital ad is the second ad in a series, with an initial buy of over $400,000 on TV and digital platforms in the Detroit market. The first ad was a 30-second TV spot released Tuesday.

“Right now in this primary, my two opponents are trying to present a false binary choice,” McMorrow said.

Outside groups have also begun pouring money into the race. A PAC connected to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has spent nearly $8 million this month boosting Stevens, while Yes Michigan Action Committee, a super PAC supporting McMorrow, has reserved nearly $6 million in advertising, according to AdImpact.

Last week, El-Sayed became the first Democratic candidate in the race to directly spend for an ad.

“We have six weeks. I mean, anything can happen,” said McMorrow. “There are so many people who are just starting to tune into this race.”

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Associated Press writer Michael Warren contributed to this report.

Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled a day after hearing oral arguments in Manhattan, calling the government's pursuit of the most sensitive medical records of a “uniquely vulnerable group” of patients treated over a six-year period to be “most egregious” and unconstitutional.

Failla accused the Justice Department of turning to criminal probes as a way to obtain otherwise private records about those undergoing transgender care after judges across the country repeatedly rejected similar requests through civil means.

The Justice Department had sought the records as part of a probe of potential “misbranding” of drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Justice Department declined comment after Failla's ruling, which concluded that the subpoenas violated Constitutional protections against government overreach in criminal probes and against improper searches and seizures.

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, called the ruling “a victory for the basic privacy of our clients and all families like theirs across New York City.” He added in a statement that using subpoenas to attain the identities and sensitive health information of transgender young people “should send chills down the spine of every American.”

Failla ruled in a lawsuit filed this month on behalf of minors, their parents and young adults who received medically necessary gender-affirming care in New York City.

According to the lawsuit, NYU Langone Hospitals was one of several institutions to receive a federal grand jury subpoena on May 7 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas. The records of transgender patients were to be sent electronically to a special agent of the FDA's Kansas City office of criminal investigation.

Failla said there were at least 40 individuals who received treatment at NYU Langone alone during the Jan. 1, 2020 to May 5, 2026 period covered by the subpoenas.

At a Tuesday hearing, Failla was critical of the federal government, saying executive orders addressing transgender issues contained “language some people might consider inflammatory.”

She said it seemed from an “atmospheric perspective” that the government was “rounding up” vulnerable individuals by finding out the most personal information about them and then “giving them no comfort they're not going to be ostracized or even harmed.”

“There are episodes of this in our history and they are not nice episodes,” Failla said. “Some may see it as a rounding up of people for all bad purposes.”

Most major medical groups say access to gender-affirming care is important for people with gender dysphoria. Transgender teens, parents and providers have described it as life-saving for children who are depressed or suicidal because their gender identities do not match the gender assigned them at birth.

Gender-affirming care can include counseling, medications that block puberty, hormone therapy to produce physical changes or surgeries, although those are rare for minors.

Twenty-seven states have limited or banned gender-affirming care for minors, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2025 that they could do so under the U.S. Constitution.

President Donald Trump has aggressively sought to roll back transgender rights. During his second term, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has moved to use its regulatory power to block gender-affirming care for minors, and the DOJ has demanded access to providers’ private records, putting pressure on hospitals that often rely on federal funding to operate.

At the outset of reading a lengthy ruling to the parties participating in an electronic proceeding, Failla noted that the “current administration” had issued orders in the first few days of its existence in which it “sought to demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender individuals.”

Before finishing an hour later, Failla had granted class-action status to the plaintiffs and ruled that the Justice Department had violated the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution. She set a July 8 hearing to hear additional evidence before deciding whether to impose a preliminary injunction, the next step in the legal process after Wednesday's temporary restraining order.

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Associated Press Writer Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

The three-day event will feature film screenings, interviews, panel discussions and a red carpet. The Hattie Awards will be held Saturday, June 27, at 6 p.m. to celebrate participants’ achievements in music and film.

Honorees set to be recognized at the Hattie Awards include:

• Davenia McFadden (Legacy in Theatre and Film)
• Chad Hendricks (Urban Cinema Legacy Award)
• Dr. Sherry Lowman (The Legacy of Faith and Humanity)
• Michael McDowell (Excellence in Gospel Music)
• Gregory Blue (Rising Star)
• 95 South (Lifetime Music Achievement Award)

The Ritz Theatre and Museum is at 829 N. Davis St., Jacksonville. Tickets are available at jacksonvilleufmf.com.

Among those who received invites are “One Battle After Another” nominee Teyana Taylor, Josh O'Connor, Jenna Ortega, Jacob Elordi and Simu Liu.

If all new members accept their invitations, the film academy will number 11,319, with 10,338 voting members. In 2016, the academy numbered closer to 6,000 members.

But to diversify its ranks, the Oscars organization has swelled in recent years. In 2015, the academy was 75% male and 92% white. That year, all 20 acting nominees were white, prompting the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.

Following the induction of this year's new members, the academy will be 64% male and 75% white. One byproduct of the membership expansion has been an increase in international voters. Overseas members now account for 22% of the group.

The makeup of the new class is 42% women, 56% from underrepresented communities and 53% from countries outside the U.S.

“Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority,” the academy said in its announcement.

After several new classes that numbered closer to 1,000, the academy has in recent years grown at a more modest pace. Last year, 534 voters were added.

As it has grown in size, the academy has also added new categories to its annual awards ceremony. Earlier this year, the first award for casting was handed out. In 2028, the first Oscar for achievement in stunt design will be given.

Other new members include Anthony Ramos, Bill Skarsgård, Mia Goth, Jon Bernthal, Jemaine Clement, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Stephen Fry. Among the invited filmmakers are Josh and Benny Safdie, “Weapons” director Zach Cregger and “Sirât” filmmaker Oliver Laxe.

The 99th Academy Awards will be held March 14, 2027, with Conan O'Brien returning as host for the third consecutive year.

Camp Mystic has been under increasing pressure since the July 4 disaster. Owners had planned to reopen the Texas Hill Country camp this summer for its 100th anniversary but reversed course in April amid outrage from victims’ families and lawmakers. Victims' families filed lawsuits accusing the camp of failing to protect the girls as the powerful floodwaters approached.

Camp Mystic’s owner, Richard Eastland, also died in the flood.

The camp listed its debt at more than $10 million, according to the filing made in federal bankruptcy court in Houston. An attorney for Camp Mystic has not responded to an email and a phone message seeking comment.

“Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable,” Paul Yetter, a lawyer who represents multiple families of campers and counselors who died at Camp Mystic, said in a statement. “These innocent girls deserve justice.”

For decades, Camp Mystic was a summer staple and an institution for generations of families, who dropped off their girls at the sleepaway camp to ride horses, canoe, fish and attend Bible studies. Other summer camps in Kerr County, west of Austin, did not take on such devastating flooding and in some cases have reopened.

All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Eastland family spent months determined to reopen the camp this summer, pointing to enhanced safety measures that included flood warning river monitors and putting two-way radios enabled with national weather alerts in every cabin.

By the spring, Camp Mystic's attorney said it was ready to reopen for business for nearly 900 campers.

But assurances of safety did not convince victims' families and some Texas lawmakers. State regulators found nearly two dozen deficiencies in the emergency operations plan submitted by the owners, including in proposals for flood warning evacuations and safety training.

The decision not to reopen followed weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations that laid bare the camp’s lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency and its reliance on poorly trained staff.

Families of the victims packed the hearings, some wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. Testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed “help!” somewhere in the distance.

Before halting the reopening plans, Camp Mystic invited journalists and lawmakers to review safety improvements at the camp and promised that no camp activities would take place in the low-lying area that was devastated by the flood. The Eastland family also stressed that hundreds of families wanted to return.

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McCormack contributed to this report from Concord, New Hampshire.

Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command, will relinquish his command on July 2, according to an Army statement provided to The Associated Press. He is the latest in a line of nearly two dozen top military leaders to either retire or depart their jobs early under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has undertaken an effort to thin the ranks of the military’s top brass with the mantra “less generals, more GIs.”

Donahue's deputy, Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, will perform his duties in the meantime, the statement added.

A West Point graduate and a career special operations commander, Donahue commanded Delta Force units in Iraq and Afghanistan before leading the 82nd Airborne division from July 2020 to March 2022.

It was during that period that he was brought in to restore security at Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country in 2021. On Aug. 30, 2021, Donahue became the last U.S. soldier to depart the country after nearly 20 years of war sparked by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The moment was documented in an iconic photo taken through night vision goggles that showed the general boarding the last C-17 cargo plane to depart the country.

Hegseth and President Donald Trump had made the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan — an operation that was set in motion by a treaty negotiated with the Taliban by the Trump administration in its first term — a regular political punching bag and the subject of a new Pentagon review.

Last May, Hegseth ordered the new examination of the withdrawal despite there having already been multiple reviews of the operation by the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, the State Department and Congress, which have involved hundreds of interviews and studies of videos, photographs and other footage and data. It’s unclear what specific new information the new review is seeking.

Donahue’s leadership during the evacuation had nonetheless drawn bipartisan praise. Within the Army, he was widely seen as a top officer who could have led the service or been chosen to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

An Army official who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to talk about sensitive discussions told The Associated Press that Donahue’s departure comes as the Army is discussing downgrading U.S. Army Europe and Africa from four-star to a three-star command.

This move would come as Hegseth has been criticizing European allies.

Last week, Hegseth told NATO allies he would be conducting a six-month Pentagon review of American forces in Europe that is “designed to ensure that NATO is moving fast and irreversibly toward Europe leading, stepping up to take primary responsibility for the defense of Europe.”

“It’s a review that some countries will fail and others will pass with flying colors,” he added.

The Pentagon did not immediately comment on the news of Donahue's departure, which was first reported by The Atlantic.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official for Reaves, who cements his status as one of the most successful undrafted players in recent NBA history with this contract.

Reaves is declining his $14.9 million player option for the upcoming season to reach this deal with the team that signed him out of Oklahoma after the draft in 2021. The shifty guard has grown into one of the NBA's most effective scorers and playmakers, increasing his scoring average in every season of his five-year career.

The 28-year-old Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds last season despite missing two significant chunks of the year with injuries that followed him into the postseason. He has also developed a close bond with his Lakers backcourt partner, NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic.

Reaves would have been one of the NBA's top free agents on the open market this summer. Instead, he remains firmly alongside Doncic while the Lakers and LeBron James determine their next steps. Los Angeles also has been discussing the future with impending free agents Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard and Jaxson Hayes during the exclusive negotiating window with a team's own free agents.

After the Pacific Division champion Lakers' season ended with a second-round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder while Doncic was sidelined by a hamstring injury, general manager Rob Pelinka made it clear Reaves likely wasn't going anywhere, saying the team and Reaves had both already essentially decided to work out an extension. Reaves grew up in Arkansas as a Lakers fan, and he is a fan favorite in Los Angeles.

“He started his journey here as a Laker, and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker,” Pelinka said. “And we feel the same way."

The Lakers also formalized their draft-night trade on Wednesday, acquiring the rights to 24th overall pick Cameron Carr in a deal with the New York Knicks. Los Angeles gave up cash considerations and the draft rights to Spain's Sergio De Larrea, who was picked by the Lakers with the 25th selection Tuesday night.

Carr, a 6-foot-5 wing who scored 18.9 points per game for Baylor last season, will wear No. 43 with the Lakers.

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

Under the agreement, filed in federal court in West Virginia, Chemours will pay a civil penalty of $22.5 million for alleged violations and spend $90 million over 15 years to mitigate PFAS discharges in three states: West Virginia, North Carolina and New Jersey.

Chemours, a spin-off of chemical maker DuPont, also agreed to install PFAS pollution controls for and surface water discharges and air emissions at a West Virginia facility at an estimated cost of $60 million, supply clean drinking water to communities near its West Virginia and New Jersey sites at an estimated cost of $280 million; and implement controls to reduce releases of PFAS and other toxic chemicals from its facility in North Carolina, based on a pending independent assessment.

Combined, the penalties and relief programs are estimated to cost at least $450 million, the Justice Department said.

The settlement allows Chemours to continue manufacturing PFAS for commercial and military applications while preventing future contamination and protecting communities from existing pollution, said Adam Gustafson, principal deputy assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.

Justice Department says settlement protects public health

“The Trump administration recognizes the important role of Chemours for it commercial and military obligations,'' Gustafson said in an interview. “The settlement protects public health while preserving that important balance.”

The settlement against a major PFAS manufacturer “delivers on the Trump administration’s promise to make polluters pay and stop PFAS contamination at the source,” said Jeffrey Hall, assistant EPA administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance.

The agreement will greatly reduce PFAS contamination of water, land and air and even begin to mitigate past harm, Hall said. “This settlement brings Chemours into compliance with the law and holds it fully accountable,” he said.

In a statement Wednesday, Chemours said it has already begun planning and implementing operational improvements at its facilities and will take steps to mitigate future emissions and enhance existing programs.

"This settlement provides Chemours with greater clarity on future compliance requirements and actions to support long-term responsible manufacturing,'' spokeswoman Jess Loizeaux said.

The settlement comes as the Trump administration is expected to propose softening Biden-era limits on “forever chemicals” in drinking water, while delaying but keeping tough standards for two common types of the substance.

The proposal will start the formal process of rolling back parts of the first-ever limits on PFAS in drinking water finalized during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Officials at the time found they increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and babies being born with low birth weight.

The agency is committed to addressing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water while following the law and ensuring that regulatory compliance is achievable for drinking water systems, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said.

Chemours discharged PFAS into rivers in three states

The settlement determined that facilities Chemours operates in the three states have discharged PFAS into the Ohio River, Cape Fear River and Delaware River, respectively, in violation of permits required by the Clean Water Act and state laws. Chemours also violated legal requirements under the federal Toxic Substances Control Act at all three facilities.

As a result of the alleged violations, people living near the facilities were exposed to illegal PFAS, officials said. PFAS are widely used and found around the world, with scientific studies showing that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.

The violations continued for over a decade, the Justice Department said. The facilities were previously owned for many decades by DuPont. The settlement announced Wednesday does not resolve DuPont’s liability for past PFAS violations, officials said.

A federal judge last year ordered Chemours to stop discharging unlawful levels of cancer-causing chemicals into the Ohio River from the company’s Washington Works plant in West Virginia. The pollutants endanger the environment, aquatic life and human health, U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin wrote in the August 2025 order.

The West Virginia Rivers Coalition had asked Goodwin to require the company to immediately comply with its permit limits after violating them for more than five years.

DuPont, Chemours and another company, Corteva, agreed to pay New Jersey up to $2 billion last year to settle environmental claims stemming from PFAS. The federal settlement does not affect the state case.

North Carolina AG blasts settlement

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson called the settlement “an insult to the people of eastern North Carolina.”

His state is “ground zero for GenX contamination, but this deal does practically nothing to clean up our water,” said Jackson, a Democrat. GenX is a trade name for a synthetic chemical developed by Chemours as an alternative to PFAS but which has raised significant health and environmental concerns in its own right.

“Chemours made this mess, and Chemours should clean it up," Jackson said in a statement.

The federal consent decree calls for 14 specific treatment systems to reduce PFAS in wastewater, stormwater and groundwater from the West Virginia plant. Chemours will test drinking water near the West Virginia and New Jersey sites and provide treated or alternative clean water.

Called Lakou Lakay, the name in Haitian creole means “home,” and it reflects her family’s deepening roots in their adopted homeland where her granddaughter was born two years ago, automatically making her a Mexican citizen.

Like the United States, Mexico extends citizenship to children born within its borders.

President Donald Trump insists the U.S. is the only nation to do so as he seeks to deny birthright citizenship for children whose parents are living in the country illegally or have temporary legal status.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to weigh in soon on the constitutionality of his birthright citizenship order. Trump signed it on Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term, amid his Republican administration’s broad immigration crackdown. The idea has faced skepticism from conservative and liberal justices alike.

In April, Trump posted on Truth Social: “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship!”

In fact, about three dozen countries, mostly in the Americas, guarantee automatic citizenship to children born on their territory — among them, Canada, Honduras, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and of course, Mexico.

Petit Frere fled Haiti in 2019. She traveled from Brazil and walked through the Panamanian jungle to Mexico chasing the so-called American Dream with the intention of crossing the border and settling with relatives in Florida. But she soon learned that was an illusion, while Mexico opened its doors.

Her restaurant's name symbolizes in her Haitian culture a shared space affording a sense of belonging. On the walls she has framed signs in Spanish, English and Creole that make clear it is more than an eatery offering tasty traditional Haitian dishes, such as fish with plantains, and rice and beans.

“Every dish tells a story, every detail connects cultures,” one sign says. “We aim to promote an authentic cultural exchange between two peoples with similar historical roots yet where Haitian identity proudly blossoms on Mexican soil.”

In just over five years in Tijuana, Petit Frere has established a thriving business, become fluent in Spanish and is getting a degree in social work.

And she welcomed the first generation Mexican in her family, her granddaughter, Alexca.

There are no figures on how many children born to noncitizens have received Mexican birthright citizenship. Tens of thousands of Haitians are living in Mexico. In 2021, when Mexico saw a significant increase in Haitian migration, at least 10 percent of arriving Haitian women were pregnant, according to the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration.

Citizenship and birth

In the U.S., birthright citizenship was enshrined after the Civil War through the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, in part to ensure former slaves would be citizens.

The right was expanded to immigrants' children in the late 1800s when the Supreme Court ruled nearly anyone born in the U.S. — no matter their parents’ legal status — has citizenship.

The practice, many legal historians believe, dates to the 1600s and 1700s, with European rulers encouraging migration to the expanding American colonies. Those colonists, though, wanted any of their children born overseas to retain European citizenship.

So even as the colonial boundaries shifted “you're a citizen as long as you're born within the domain of the king, of the monarch,” said César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández, a law professor at Ohio State University. “But the legal tie between the home country in Europe and the settlers remained strong through the promise of birthright citizenship.”

Dominican Republic removed birthright citizenship

In 2007, the Dominican Electoral Council officially ordered the denial of citizenship to all children born to parents without legal status.

Six years later, a Dominican court applied it retroactively to 1929.

Over a decade later, as many as 130,000 people remained stateless despite passage of a law in 2014 to correct the court decision after it drew strong international condemnation, according to the Center for Migration Studies of New York. The law now impacts the next generation, which remains vulnerable to deportation.

Her growing Mexican family

Petit Frere was born in French Saint Martin, a Caribbean island that does not offer automatic birthright citizenship. She and her mom, who is Haitian, were deported to Haiti when she was 6.

Petit Frere left Haiti seeking a better life. She was dismayed to discover when her teenage daughter left Haiti to be reunited with her in Tijuana three years later, she was nearly five months pregnant. She had been a teen mother herself and had hoped for a different path for her daughter.

But Alexca, a bubbly toddler who giggles and runs about, has conquered her grandmother's heart. Petit Frere said she's grateful her granddaughter was born in Mexico rather than Haiti, where surging gang violence has left more than 1 in 10 homeless.

A Mexican passport will make travel easier, she said. Few nations allow Haitian passport holders to visit visa-free.

“As a Mexican citizen, she will have more opportunities,” Petit Frere said.

That's also true for her three nieces who were born in Brazil and were made automatic citizens there, she said.

Petit Frere said she and her daughter had permanent residency in Mexico before her granddaughter was born. But other parents in Tijuana's Haitian community did not. Mexico allows the parents of children with birthright citizenship to become permanent residents.

“There are a lot of children in Tijuana who are 6, 7, 8 years old now who are Mexican and their parents who are Haitian did not have legal status but now have become permanent residents because their children were born here,” she said.

Petit Frere started paperwork for Mexican citizenship, which would make it easier to expand her business.

Petit Frere also is a community organizer with the Haitian Bridge Alliance, advocating for the Haitian migrant community. She said she hopes to pursue another degree in international migration, possibly through a U.S. university.

“The children of immigrants are proving to be the most outstanding in the world,” she said. Efforts to limit birthright citizenship “could just be out of jealousy,” she said.

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Associated Press writer Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis contributed to this report.