Nahida Bristy’s remains were found Sunday in a garbage bag discovered by a kayaker whose fishing line got snagged, said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. The positive identification on the badly decomposed body was eventually made using DNA and dental records, he said.

The body of her friend, fellow USF doctoral student Zamil Limon, was in another garbage bag found two days before that on a bridge over the bay. Limon’s roommate, Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, was taken into custody the same day has been jailed since then, facing two charges of first-degree murder.

Chronister said the suspect showed no emotion when investigators presented him with details of the killings.

“He was nonreactive,” Chronister said. “He was callous and showed no emotion when we showed him the information we had.”

The two students were murdered around the same time and place, though more investigation is needed before detectives can decide that conclusively, the sheriff said.

A motive for the killings remains unknown, he said. “I hope we find that out.”

The students' disappearances on April 16 started off as separate missing persons' cases for the campus police and the sheriff’s office, involving two responsible individuals for whom missing appointments was very uncharacteristic. But investigators soon realized they were connected, the sheriff said.

Detectives first went to the apartment Limon shared with Abugharbieh and a third roommate. The other roommate was cooperative while Abugharbieh gave elusive and inconsistent answers, the sheriff said. He also had a bandaged finger and a cut on his arm that should have been stitched up. It was enough to make him a ‘person of interest,’ but not to merit an arrest.

They went to interview the roommate again, alone this time, and he told them Abugharbieh had used a large cart to move things out of his room to a trash compactor overnight on April 16 and 17.

The first break in the case came when investigators searched the trash compactor and found Limon’s glasses, his student ID card, his wallet and his blood-covered clothes. The discovery gave law enforcement enough evidence to get a search warrant for the apartment itself and the suspect's electronic devices, Chronister said.

A search of the apartment showed large traces of blood in the kitchen, leading down the hall and to inside Abugharbieh’s room. A blood-detecting spray even revealed blood in the shape of a human body curled up in the fetal position, next to Abugharbieh’s bed, the sheriff said.

Traces of blood were also found on the floorboards of Abugharbieh’s car, Chronister said. Tests would later reveal it was Bristy’s.

Investigators believe the bodies were moved to the car in a cart, under the cover of darkness, he said.

Using the GPS of the suspect's car and surveillance video from a fire station, investigators determined that Abugharbieh drove over to Clearwater and across the Tampa Bay bridge, leading investigators to start an extensive search along his route.

Chronister said content on Abugharbieh’s phone had been erased, but a forensic examination revealed disturbing searches in the days before Bristy and Limon went missing. The searches included phrases like, “Can a knife penetrate a skull?” and “Can a neighbor hear a gunshot?”

The suspect had also purchased Lysol wipes and heavy duty contractor-grade trash bags and other equipment before April 16, he said.

“This was calculating. That’s what makes this so premeditated,” Chronister said.

The sheriff said the victims' relatives have been notified.

Limon was studying geography, environmental science and policy, and Bristy was studying chemical engineering. Abugharbieh had dropped out of the university.

Reached by email earlier this week, Jennifer Spradley, an attorney in the public defender’s office in Tampa, said the office wouldn’t comment on Abugharbieh’s case.

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Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho contributed to this report.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.

Louisiana has suspended its May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is pressuring other states to redistrict — potentially still ahead of the November midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of the closely divided House.

Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to redraw U.S. House districts to give the party an advantage. Democrats in California responded by doing the same. Then other states joined the battle. Lawmakers, commissions or courts have adopted new House districts in eight states.

That total could grow following the Supreme Court’s decision that significantly weakened a provision in the federal Voting Rights Act.

Here’s a look at how some states are responding to the Supreme Court ruling:

Louisiana

Current House map: two Democrats, four Republicans

Early in-person voting was to begin Saturday for Louisiana’s primaries. But Republican Gov. Jeff Landry moved quickly Thursday to postpone the congressional primary while allowing elections for other offices to go forward.

A federal lawsuit filed later Thursday, on behalf of a Democratic congressional candidate and voter, asked a court to block Landry’s order and allow the House primary to occur as originally scheduled. Among other things, the lawsuit asserted that tens of thousands of absentee ballots already have been mailed to people and a substantial number have been filled out and returned.

Separately, a three-judge federal court panel that heard the case that was appealed to the Supreme Court also issued an order Thursday suspending Louisiana’s congressional primary.

Republican state House and Senate leaders said they are prepared to pass new U.S. House districts — and set a new primary election date — before their legislative session ends in a month.

Alabama

Current House map: two Democrats, five Republicans

Alabama officials on Thursday filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court seeking an expedited review of a pending appeal in a redistricting case.

A federal court in 2023 ordered the creation of a new near-majority Black district in Alabama, resulting in the election of a second Black representative to the U.S. House. Alabama is under a court order to use the new map until after the next census in 2030.

An appeal pending before the Supreme Court argues that the map is an illegal racial gerrymander, a claim similar to that made in Louisiana.

The state is seeking to lift an injunction blocking the use of the 2023 map drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature that did not include the new district.

The state’s primaries are set for May 19. Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday that the state is “not in position to have a special session at this time” on redistricting.

Florida

Current House map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans

Hours after the Supreme Court’s decision, Florida’s Republican-led Legislature approved new U.S. House districts that could help the GOP win up to four additional seats in November.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session without knowing when the Supreme Court would issue its opinion in the Louisiana case. But DeSantis expressed confidence that the court would rule as it did. Among other things, the new map reshapes a southeastern Florida district that DeSantis said was created to help elect a Black representative in an attempt to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.

A Florida constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2010 prohibits districts from being drawn to deny or diminish the ability of racial or language minorities to elect the representatives of their choice. DeSantis said he considers that amendment a violation of the U.S. Constitution. That question is expected to be decided by the courts.

Tennessee

Current House map: one Democrat, eight Republicans

The Tennessee General Assembly recently ended its annual session. But pressure is growing to bring lawmakers back to revise the state’s congressional districts.

Trump posted on social media Thursday that he had spoken with Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who he said would work hard for a new map that could help Republicans gain an additional seat. Democrats currently hold only one seat, a district centered in Memphis, which is majority Black.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, said he is in conversations with the White House and others while reviewing the court’s decision.

The state’s candidate qualifying period ended in March. The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Mississippi

Current House map: one Democrat, three Republicans

Mississippi held its U.S. House primaries in March. But the Supreme Court’s decision could affect elections for other offices.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced previously that he would call a special legislative session to redraw voting districts for the state Supreme Court that would begin 21 days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Louisiana case. That would put the special session's start at around May 20.

A federal judge last year ordered Mississippi to redraw its Supreme Court voting districts after finding that they violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. Mississippi lawmakers had been waiting on a decision in the Louisiana case before moving forward, but their legislative session ended in April.

Reeves said in his proclamation that the Supreme Court’s decision would provide guidance to lawmakers on whether “race-conscious redistricting” violates the U.S. Constitution.

Georgia

Current House map: five Democrats, nine Republicans

Early in-person voting began April 27 and continues for the next few weeks ahead of Georgia’s primary elections on May 19.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said it’s too late for Georgia officials to try to change congressional districts for this year’s elections, because voting already is underway. But he said the rationale in the Supreme Court’s decision “requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle.”

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Associated Press writers Jeff Amy and Kim Chandler contributed to this report.

Trump said in a social media post that the EU “is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal,” though he did not flesh out his objections in the post.

Asked by reporters on Friday about the increase in import taxes as he departed the White House for Florida, Trump said the EU was not “as usual” adhering to last year's trade framework, without detailing the source of the tension. He added that he believed the shift to higher tariffs “forces them to move their factory production much faster” to the U.S.

Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to the trade deal last July. It set a tariff ceiling of 15% on most goods, though the Supreme Court this year ruled against the legal authority that Trump had used to charge that tax. This left Trump looking for substitute authorities, and his administration has imposed a 10% tax while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.

The tariffs hit at a moment when the Iran war has crushed the world economy with expectations of slower growth and higher inflation, as oil and natural gas prices have risen due to the effective closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz after strikes by the U.S. and Israel began at the end of February.

At the same time, Trump faces political pressure in the U.S. going into November's midterm elections because of rising levels of inflation. Trump, a Republican, returned to the White House last year on the explicit promise that he could quickly tame prices that jumped in the aftermath of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, but higher energy costs pushed annual inflation in March to 3.3%, which was higher than what he had inherited.

Just 30% of U.S. adults approved of Trump's handling of the economy, according to the latest poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs.

Both the U.S. and the EU had previously confirmed their commitment to preserving the trade framework, known as the Turnberry Agreement, which was named after Trump’s golf course in Scotland.

The status of the 2025 deal was first cast into doubt after the Supreme Court this year ruled that the president lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency and charge tariffs on goods from the members of the EU and other states. The alternative tariffs being explored by the Trump administration could ultimately put the agreement with the EU in risk of violation, though European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič told reporters last week that the relationship with the U.S. had become more positive over the past year.

The EU had said it expected the bilateral deal would save European automakers about 500 million to 600 million euros ($585 million to $700 million) a month.

The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

“A deal is a deal,” the European Commission said in February after the Supreme Court ruling. “As the United States’ largest trading partner, the EU expects the U.S. to honor its commitments set out in the Joint Statement — just as the EU stands by its commitments. EU products must continue to benefit from the most competitive treatment, with no increases in tariffs beyond the clear and all-inclusive ceiling previously agreed.”

Employees of Cuba’s Electric Union are working 24 hours a day as the island’s power grid continues to crumble, provoking islandwide outages worsened by a lack of gasoline stemming from a U.S. energy blockade.

“We are living through difficult times,” said Yunier Meriño Reyes, an accountant with the Electric Union who joined Friday’s march to celebrate his colleagues. “We are carrying out a very tough, arduous and relentless effort — day and night — to provide electricity to the people who need it.”

Cuba’s power crisis deepened after the U.S. attacked Venezuela in early January, halting critical oil shipments from the South American country. Later that month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba.

As a result, the island spent more than three months without a single oil shipment until a Russian tanker laden with 730,000 barrels docked in Cuba in late March.

Before it arrived, Cuba was relying solely on natural gas, limited solar power and disintegrating thermoelectric plants.

“It was brutal,” Vicente de la O Levy, Cuba’s energy and mines minister, recently told reporters.

Once the Russian oil arrived, it had to be refined, a process that took roughly two weeks.

“We have been working eight hours a day without stopping,” said Rafael Martínez, a refinery worker at Cuba’s Petroleum Union.

He recalled his joy when he heard that the Russian tanker had docked.

“Our job is to push ahead, that’s all you can do,” he said as his colleagues rallied around him on Friday, playing on cowbells and a large drum as they celebrated their day.

Cuba’s Petroleum Union posted a recent video highlighting its workers, including driver José Antonio Báez.

“Our work generates the entire economy of the country. We drive the country’s economy,” he said.

Pedro Luis López Manzano, an engineer and the director of maintenance at the Cienfuegos refinery, said in the video that crews had to take several steps to ensure operability because the refinery was shut down for four months.

“It’s a challenge, but we always thought it was possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gustavo Rodríguez Cordero, an engineer and a director general at Cuba’s Petroleum Union in Villa Clara, criticized the U.S. energy blockade in a video posted by his company.

“No one has the international right to oppress a people in this manner,” he said.

After the oil was refined, de la O Levy said the government chose to prioritize vital sectors including agriculture and food production.

“This enabled the irrigation of tobacco, corn and soybeans,” he said. “There were more hours of power outages than anticipated because we diverted a portion of the energy supply toward production; we could not allow factories to remain idle.”

He said some of the petroleum was converted into approximately 6,000 tons of diesel and fuel oil that was used to power hospitals, generators and transportation.

De la O Levy said Cuba’s situation began to improve starting April 17: “not the desired one, but significant.”

He said the government distributed 800 tons of fuel a day out of the 1,600 tons needed.

“If we used 1,600 tons, there would be fewer blackouts, but the (fuel) would last half as long,” he said.

De la O Levy warned the Russian oil was expected to last only until the end of April, noting that the priority is to sustain the island’s thermoelectric plants using Cuban crude oil.

“Without this fuel, we would face a total, systemwide blackout,” he said.

Cuba produces 40% of its required fuel and depends heavily on imports.

As the island’s crises grind on, Katiusca Carreño, 53, who works at the Electric Union’s command center, said she is committed to satisfying Cuba’s people.

“Resources aren’t reaching us, but all of us workers are still here,” she said after Friday’s rally. “It’s hard, but not impossible. We work 24 hours a day.”

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

The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said the Nobel Prize laureate had two episodes of complete loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis.

Earlier Friday, Mohammadi had fainted twice in prison in Zanjan northwestern Iran, according to the foundation. She was believed to have suffered a heart attack in late March, according to her lawyers who visited her a few days after the incident. At the time, she appeared pale, lost weight and needed a nurse to help her walk.

The hospital transfer comes “after 140 days of systematic medical neglect,” since her arrest on Dec. 12, the foundation said.

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

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran has handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the United States to mediators in Pakistan, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday.

The U.S. and Pakistan did not immediately confirm receiving the new proposal. There was no word on what details are included in the plan submitted late Thursday, according to the report.

A shaky three-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran appears to be still holding though both countries have traded accusations of violations.

While the ceasefire has largely halted fighting in Iran, the U.S. and Iran are locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passes in peacetime. A U.S. Navy blockade stopping Iran's tankers from getting out to sea has Iran’s economy reeling. The world economy is also under pressure as Iran maintains its chokehold on the strait.

U.S. President Donald Trump this week floated a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by America's Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a flurry of calls on Friday with many of his regional counterparts, including from Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Azerbaijan, to brief them on his country’s latest initiatives to end the war, according to his social media.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also spoke over phone Friday with Araghchi. They discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and long-term security arrangements, Kallas’ office said in a statement. Kallas also has been in contact with the EU's Gulf partners.

The Trump administration declined to say whether it had received a new proposal from Iran.

“We do not detail private diplomatic conversations,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. “President Trump has been clear that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and negotiations continue to ensure the short- and long-term national security of the United States.”

Pakistan on Friday also would not confirm or deny that Tehran had sent proposals to Islamabad, as officials said efforts were continuing to ease tensions between Iran and the U.S. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that a response from Iran was still awaited.

Earlier this week, Trump told Axios that he had rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the strait in exchange for the U.S. Navy lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.

The Iranian proposal would have pushed negotiations on the country’s nuclear program to a later date, two regional officials said earlier this week. The officials with knowledge of the proposal spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door negotiations between Iranian and Pakistani officials.

One of the major reasons Trump has said he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons.

Since the war began on Feb. 28, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran, and more than 2,600 people in Lebanon, where new fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah broke out two days after the war started, according to authorities.

Additionally, 24 people have died in Israel and more than 20 in Gulf Arab states. Seventeen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.

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Ezzidin reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest proposal in negotiations to end the war. Asked what he sees are the proposal’s shortcomings, Trump said, “They’re asking for things I can’t agree to.”

Many Republicans who have been uneasy with Trump’s war in Iran emphasized that there would be a May 1 deadline for Congress to intervene. But the date is now set to pass with no action from GOP lawmakers who continue to defer to the White House.

Here's the latest:

Trump says he’s still looking at a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines

“We’re looking at it. If we could do it, we’ll do it. But only if it’s a good deal,” Trump told reporters on Friday as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Florida.

He didn’t offer any details about what proposal he was considering but said he’d like to save jobs at the airline. Trump said his administration gave Spirit “a final proposal” and would make an announcement Friday or Saturday.

“We’re looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,” he said.

Trump says he’s ‘not satisfied’ with Iran’s latest proposal in negotiations to end the war

“They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House.

Asked about what he sees as the proposal’s shortcomings, Trump said, “They’re asking for things I can’t agree to.”

The president said negotiations have continued by phone after he called off his envoys’ trip to Pakistan last week. He expressed frustration with Iran’s leadership, which he described as fractured.

“It’s a very disjointed leadership,” he said. “They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up.”

Some background on the 2025 trade deal between the US and EU

The 2025 deal was first cast into doubt after the U.S. Supreme Court this year ruled the Republican president lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency and charge tariffs on EU goods.

The initial agreement had been a tariff ceiling of 15% on goods from the EU, but the Supreme Court ruling reduced that to 10% as the Trump administration launched a new set of import taxes based on other laws. The Trump administration is in the middle of investigations on trade imbalances and national security risks to impose a new tariff regime, which could ultimately put the agreement with the EU in risk of violation.

The EU had said it expected the bilateral deal would save European automakers about 500 million to 600 million euros ($585 million to $700 million) a month.

The value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.

▶ Read more

Trump says he’ll place 25% tariff on autos from EU, accusing bloc of not complying with trade deal

It’s a move that could jolt the world economy at a fragile moment.

Trump said in a post that the EU “is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal,” though he did not flesh out his objections in the post.

Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to the trade deal last July. It set a 15% tariff on most goods.

Bessent wants Americans to avoid easy-money traps and invest in financial literacy

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent winces at the allure of easy money — whether it’s lottery tickets, buy now, pay later loans or the promise of a crypto windfall — warning that the get-rich-quick mindset often leads Americans farther from financial stability, not closer to it.

“There are a lot of young people, mostly young men, going to blue-collar construction jobs, playing the lottery. It drives me crazy,” Bessent said in an interview.

”The best thing you can do is not play the lottery,” he said — rather, people should invest and “then watch it grow.”

Bessent spoke about the basics of building a workable budget and saving for the future at the tail end of Financial Literacy Month, an initiative the billionaire hedge fund manager has made a priority since joining Trump’s administration, driven by a childhood marred by poverty.

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King Charles III wins praise for deft handling of Trump on his US state visit

President Trump sang the praises of King Charles III after the monarch’s state visit this week. He even lifted some tariffs on Scotch whisky as a favor to the British monarch.

The king delivered a diplomatic master-class on the trip, mixing praise for his host with subtle criticism. It’s unclear, though, whether it will make a major difference to a trans-Atlantic relationship troubled by divisions over issues including the Iran war.

“In the short term probably yes, in the long term probably no,” said Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specializing in American history. But he said Charles had “definitely clawed back some of the prestige of the monarchy” in his homeland with his assured performance.

“He’s done us proud,” Allerfeldt said.

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Joe Biden endorses a former Atlanta mayor and White House adviser for Georgia governor

The former Democratic president is wading into the midterms, making his first political endorsement of the 2026 cycle by backing Keisha Lance Bottoms for the state’s top job.

Bottoms served as Biden’s senior adviser for public engagement after her tenure as Atlanta mayor.

In a one-minute video promoting her candidacy, Biden praised her track record as mayor and said “those same qualities that made her a great mayor made her invaluable to our administration — smart, focused, gets things done.”

“She handled it all with steady and thoughtful leadership,” Biden said in the video. “That’s the definition of battle-tested.”

After major enforcement operations, the Trump administration recalibrates its immigration crackdown

When Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was questioned by senators during his confirmation hearing about his vision for implementing President Trump’s mass deportation agenda, he said his goal was to keep his department off the front pages of the news.

To some degree, he has. Gone are the social media video clips of now-retired Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino clashing with protesters. Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem, made her first trip as secretary to New York City to make arrests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In contrast, Mullin went to North Carolina to review hurricane recovery efforts.

The Republican administration appears to be recalibrating its approach to a centerpiece policy that helped bring Trump back to the White House, moving in many ways away from aggressive, public-facing tactics toward a quieter approach to enforcement. Despite that shift, the administration insists it’s not backing down from its lofty deportation goals.

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Republicans say they will defer to Trump on Iran war despite arrival of 60-day deadline

Many Republicans who have been uneasy with Trump’s war in Iran emphasized that there would be a May 1 deadline for Congress to intervene. But the date is now set to pass with no action from GOP lawmakers who continue to defer to the White House.

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days — a deadline that falls on Friday — or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. But Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.

The Trump administration has shown no interest in seeking congressional approval at all. It is arguing that the deadlines set by the law don’t apply because the war in Iran effectively ended when a ceasefire began in early April.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday he doesn’t plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in.

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Trump gives go-ahead to major new Canada-US oil pipeline

President Donald Trump granted a key approval Thursday for a major new oil pipeline from Canada into the U.S. that’s been dubbed “Keystone Light” over its similarities to a contentious project blocked by the Biden administration.

The three-foot-wide (1 meter) Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels (87,400 cubic meters) of oil a day from Canada through Montana and Wyoming, where it would link with another pipeline.

The pipeline needs additional state and federal environmental approvals before construction, which company officials expect to start next year. Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries that the pipeline could break and spill.

At peak volume, the 650-mile (1,050-kilometer) pipeline would move two-thirds as much oil as the better-known Keystone XL pipeline that got partially built before President Joe Biden, citing climate change, canceled its permit on the day he took office in 2021.

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Prosecutors release video of armed man storming correspondents’ dinner

Federal prosecutors released a video Thursday showing the moment authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempt to kill Trump.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, posted the video on social media amid questions over whose bullet struck a Secret Service officer as Cole Tomas Allen ran through security with a long gun toward the hotel ballroom packed with journalists, administration officials and others.

Prosecutors had previously claimed the agent was shot in the bullet-resistant vest during the melee, but had not confirmed it was Allen who shot the agent. Pirro, however, said Thursday that there is no evidence that the officer was hit by friendly fire.

Allen was injured but was not shot during the Saturday night attack at the Washington Hilton, which disrupted one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital.

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Trump administration says its war in Iran has been ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline

The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.

The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.

A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.

While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

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The president didn’t offer details about the proposal but told reporters as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Florida that he would have an announcement on the matter Friday or Saturday.

“We’re looking at it. If we could do it, we’ll do it. But only if it’s a good deal,” Trump said.

Trump said he would like to save jobs at the airline and his administration gave Spirit “a final proposal.”

“We’re looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,” he said.

He likened it to the deal his administration struck to make the U.S. government into a major stockholder of semiconductor manufacturer Intel, but said it was “a different kind of a thing.”

Last week, Trump floated the idea of a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit and suggested the U.S. government could later resell the airline for a profit once oil prices pushed up by the Iran war drop.

A lawyer for Spirit, meanwhile, told a U.S. Bankruptcy Court a week ago that the airline was in advanced talks with the government on a financing deal that would allow it to exit Chapter 11 protection.

Supporters of the airline’s rescue included labor groups representing Spirit’s pilots and flight attendants, who argued that allowing the low-cost carrier to collapse would hurt workers and push fares higher.

Critics, including both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, have raised concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars and questioned whether federal support would amount to a bailout of a company unlikely to recover.

Spirit has struggled with losses for years. The airline filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2024 and again in August 2025.

With the Iran war driving up jet fuel costs for all airlines, creditors last month expressed doubts about Spirit’s ability to keep operating, raising the possibility that the airline recognized for its bright yellow planes would be forced to sell its assets and stop flying.

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Yamat reported from Las Vegas.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% and was building on its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 40 points, or 0.1%, as of 12:58 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was adding 1% to its own record.

Apple led the way and rallied 4.5% after the iPhone seller reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Because it's one of Wall Street's biggest stocks in terms of overall size, it was by far the strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

Stock prices generally tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term, and U.S. companies have been blowing past expectations for earnings in the first three months of 2026. A little more than a quarter of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported already, and 84% of them have topped analysts' estimates, according to FactSet. The index is on track to deliver roughly 15% growth in profit from a year earlier.

Estee Lauder's stock climbed 3.8% after reporting better earnings than expected, thanks in part to strength in China, and raising some of its upcoming financial forecasts. Colgate-Palmolive added 2.6% after likewise delivering bigger results than expected, though CEO Noel Wallace said it expects “volatile macroeconomic conditions and slower category growth to continue in 2026.”

The main uncertainty for the global economy is where oil prices will go because of the Iran war. Oil prices spurted higher early this week on worries that the war will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed for a long time. That would in turn keep oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers worldwide.

But such moves have repeatedly been quick to reverse throughout the war, as hopes rise and fall for a reopening of the strait. On Friday, the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2% to $108.14 and trimmed its gain for the week to roughly 9%. Brent was selling for a little more than $70 per barrel before the war began.

That rise since the end of February helped the two biggest U.S. oil companies report stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But stock prices nevertheless fell for both Exxon Mobil, 1.4%, and Chevron, 1.6%, as oil prices regressed and each reported drops in net income from a year earlier.

The fall in oil prices also helped Treasury yields ease in the bond market. So did a report in the morning that said growth for U.S. manufacturing was a touch softer last month than economists expected.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.37% from 4.40% late Thursday. Such drops in yields can make mortgages and other loans for U.S. households and businesses cheaper, and they also tend to give upward pushes to prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments.

Many stock markets worldwide were closed for May Day. Among the indexes still trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.4%, and London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%.

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AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor, has promoted several aspects of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again agenda, including removing food additives, cutting ultraprocessed foods from diets and encouraging exercise.

But she has been a more vocal advocate for vaccination than Kennedy, and at times she has criticized the Trump administration's handling of health issues as “embarrassing.”

If confirmed as the nation's doctor, Saphier would be empowered to issue advisories that warn of public health threats. Surgeons general also have used the office to advocate on vaccination issues — though the office doesn't create vaccine policy.

Means, a Stanford University-educated physician and MAHA influencer who didn’t finish her surgical residency in Oregon and has an inactive medical license, had faced a grilling from senators of both major political parties over her experience and stance on vaccination. She told The Associated Press her failed nomination was the result of a “yearlong smear campaign."

Saphier is a mom, radiologist and former Fox News contributor

Trump's new surgeon general pick is director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, according to her profile on the New York-based institution’s website. She has a medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados along with fellowships at the Mayo Clinic, the profile said.

She has earned the approval of institutions including the American College of Radiology, whose president, Dr. Dana Smetherman, on Thursday called her a “tireless advocate for women's health.” Kennedy said in a social media post that her experience with breast cancer patients and early detection will help the Republican administration take on the chronic disease epidemic.

Saphier also was a longtime Fox News Channel contributor until this week — one of several of the channel's personalities Trump has brought into his administration. Trump's first surgeon general pick, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, was also a contributor at the network, but her nomination fell apart last year after questions arose about her academic credentials.

An author and podcaster with her own show, “Wellness Unmasked with Dr. Nicole Saphier,” Saphier frequently comments on the Trump administration's approach to health, often positively. She also used the phrase “Make America Healthy Again” years before Kennedy popularized it. It was the title of a book she wrote in 2020 that criticized government handling of healthcare and the Affordable Care Act.

A mom of three boys, Saphier has often said she is thankful that she decided to keep her first son when she became unexpectedly pregnant at age 17. She has advocated for more resources for mothers who make the same choice.

Advocating for vaccination while criticizing COVID-era mandates

Like Means, Saphier has questioned some aspects of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, including the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, a longtime recommendation that the Trump administration has been trying to weaken.

She also has aligned with Kennedy's disdain toward COVID-19 vaccination requirements in schools, saying on her podcast in September that they were “a complete disaster" and one of the reasons for declining trust in vaccination.

Saphier says she supports immunization while arguing patients should be free to make their own medical decisions. In March, she praised acting U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for posting a message encouraging Americans to get vaccinated against measles.

“The more vaccine confusion we create, the more preventable disease we will see,” she said in September, urging the administration to get itself in order "because it’s really upsetting.”

She's called the health department's chaos ‘embarrassing’

While being supportive of the Trump administration at large, Saphier has publicly cringed at some of its health mishaps. Last summer, she decried its long-anticipated first attempt at a MAHA report, which cited hundreds of studies, some of which didn't exist.

"There were a lot of flaws in this report," she said on her podcast. “In fact, it was pretty embarrassing."

She said Kennedy's firing of his first CDC director, Susan Monarez, after less than a month on the job was “a mess.”

"When we keep hearing radical transparency and we’re going to regain trust, I can tell you these shenanigans are taking us farther away from that mission,” Saphier said on her podcast.

In an email to the AP last year, Saphier said Trump's advice to pregnant women not to take Tylenol, which promoted unproven ties between the medication and autism, was overly simplistic. She said equally important, and missing from Trump's message, was the fact that untreated fever or severe pain can also pose serious risks to mothers and babies.

After Means' confirmation hearings earlier this year, Saphier said on her podcast that she expected Means would do a good job as surgeon general but wished she were “a little bit less involved with MAHA.”

“I’d really like to see a little bit more reaching across the aisle when it comes to public health,” Saphier said. “That doesn’t mean it has to be some Democratic nominee for surgeon general, maybe just someone a little less aligned with the MAHA movement who, I don’t know, finished their residency and has an active medical license.”

At least a few prominent MAHA influencers have suggested Saphier is no ally. Turning Point USA podcaster and anti-pesticide campaigner Alex Clark said in a post Friday that Saphier “gets an F when it comes to all things MAHA.”

Talankin, who co-directed the best documentary winner “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” didn't expect to have to check his statuette for a flight from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport bound for Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday. But a Transportation Security Administration agent said it couldn't go on board.

“At the airport, a TSA agent stopped him and said the Oscar could be used as a weapon,” Talankin's co-director, David Borenstein, said Thursday night in a post on Instagram.

“Pavel didn’t have a bag to check it in, so the TSA put the Oscar in a box and sent it to the bottom of the plane,” added Borenstein. “It never arrived in Frankfurt.”

After Borenstein's announcement prompted an international outcry, the airline Lufthansa on Friday said it had found the lost Oscar.

“We can confirm that the Oscar statue has now been located and is safely in our care in Frankfurt,” the airline said in statement. “We are in direct contact with the guest to arrange its personal return as quickly as possible. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and have apologized to the owner.”

Lufthansa added that an “internal review of the circumstances is ongoing.”

In March, “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” won the Academy Award for best documentary, and Talankin and Borenstein's acceptance speech supplied one of the most memorable moments of the ceremony.

Talankin — the “Mr. Nobody” of the film — was a teacher and activities director in a small-town school in Russia who captured on video his students’ lessons, chants and songs promoting Putin's war in Ukraine. He smuggled his hard drives out of the country to collaborate with Borenstein, who lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Talankin, speaking in Russian through a translator, said from the stage: “In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now.”

The TSA didn't immediately respond to queries Friday.

Jurors found Republican David Rivera and an associate, Esther Nuhfer, guilty on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent with the Justice Department and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of their work for former President Nicolás Maduro's government.

Much as he did throughout the trial, Rivera stood stone-faced as the jury delivered its verdict.

Rivera had been out on bond, but Judge Melissa Damian ordered him taken into custody, finding that he posed a flight risk because he has access to sizable funds, faces a potentially long prison sentence, and faces additional federal charges in Washington, D.C., in a related foreign lobbying case.

The seven-week trial offered a rare glimpse into Miami's role as a crossroads for foreign influence campaigns aimed at shaping U.S. policy toward Latin America, one highlighting the city's reputation as a magnet for corruption and anti-Communist crusaders among its sizable exile population.

It included testimony from Rubio, Texas Congressman Pete Sessions and a top Washington lobbyist — all of whom testified that they were shocked to learn belatedly of Rivera’s consulting contract with a U.S.-based affiliate of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.

In an 11-count indictment unsealed in 2022, prosecutors alleged that Rivera was tapped by then Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez — now Venezuela’s acting president — to work Republican connections from Rivera's time in Congress to get the first Trump administration to abandon its hard-line stance and ease crippling sanctions on Venezuela.

As part of the charm offensive, prosecutors alleged, Rivera and Nuhfer, a political consultant, manipulated influential friends, including Rubio and Sessions, like “pawns on a chess board." The goal: to try and normalize relations with the new Trump administration at a time when the Maduro government was buffeted by serious accusations of human rights violations.

“As long as the money kept coming in, they didn’t care from where,” prosecutor Roger Cruz said of the defendants during closing arguments.

‘Massive secret’ threatened to damage Rivera's political career

But the two held onto the “massive secret” and didn't disclose their lobbying work as required, for fear it would have ended Rivera's political career as an anti-Communist stalwart, Cruz said.

To hide his work, prosecutors allege, Rivera also set up an encrypted chat group called MIA — for Miami — with his main conduit to the Maduro government: Venezuelan media tycoon Raúl Gorrín, who was subsequently charged in the U.S. with bribing top Venezuelan officials.

Members of the group used playful code words to discuss their activities: Maduro was the “bus driver,” Sessions “Sombrero,” Rodríguez “The Lady in Red,” and millions of dollars “melons,” according to copies of text messages presented to the jury.

“It was all about La Luz,” Cruz said, referring to the Spanish word for light, which Rivera and others repeatedly used to discuss payments from Caracas.

Attorneys for Rivera and Nuhfer said the two acted in good faith and believed they were under no requirement to disclose their work. The three-month, $50 million contract with Rivera's one-man consulting firm, they say, was focused exclusively on luring oil giant ExxonMobil back to Venezuela — commercial work that is generally exempt from the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Wholly distinct from that consulting work, they say, were Rivera's meetings with Rubio and Sessions, which occurred after the consulting contract had expired and was focused on ushering in leadership in Venezuela that would be less hostile to the U.S.

“He was working every possible angle to get Nicolás Maduro out,” defense attorney Ed Shohat said during closing arguments. “There was not a word in the chats about normalizing relations.”

Nuhfer's attorney, David Oscar Markus, likened the government's case to the 17th century Salem witch trials, presuming ill intent that was belied by the flimsiest of evidence.

“My client does not have a dark heart,” he said.

Exxon meetings for Rodríguez

Prosecutors said Rivera used the contract with New York-based PDV USA as cover for illegal lobbying.

Once exposed, the partners tried to hide the work — backdating documents and coming up with sham agreements like one to justify a wire transfer of $3.75 million to a South Florida company that maintained Gorrín’s luxury yacht.

The political activity included setting up meetings for Rodríguez in New York, Caracas, Washington and Dallas. As part of the effort, the two roped in Sessions, who later tried to broker a meeting for Rodríguez with the CEO of ExxonMobil that had succeeded Trump’s then-secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. After a secret meeting in Caracas with Maduro, Sessions also agreed to deliver a letter from the Venezuelan president to Trump.

The outreach quickly unraveled, however. Within six months of taking office, Trump sanctioned Maduro and labeled him a “dictator,” launching a “maximum pressure” campaign to unseat the president.

However, nearly a decade later, Rodríguez has emerged as the second Trump administration's trusted partner after the U.S. military's ousting of Maduro.

Before being elected to Congress in 2010, Rivera was a high-ranking Florida legislator. During that time, he shared a Tallahassee home with Rubio, who eventually became the Florida House speaker.

Rivera has previously faced controversy, including allegations that he secretly funded a Democratic spoiler candidate in a 2012 congressional race. Last year, federal prosecutors dropped the case after an appeals court threw out a sizable fine imposed by a lower court. Rivera was also investigated — but never charged — for alleged campaign finance violations and a $1 million contract with a gambling company while serving in the Florida legislature.

The parade embarked from Central Park on Ash Street, headed west, then turned right onto South Second Street, winding its way north towards the heart of Downtown on Centre Street. Finally, the procession turned east along Centre Street to Central Park.

This year’s theme recognizes 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

The centerpiece was Senate Bill 1296, which establishes a process for decertifying teacher unions that lack sufficient membership support and creates a fast-track process to deliver state teacher pay funds directly to educators.

“You should not have these entities operating if they do not have support from the people they purport to represent,” DeSantis said.

The bill addresses what DeSantis described as unions deliberately slowing the distribution of state pay funds. He said the state has grown the average minimum teacher salary from $38,000 to nearly $50,000 through a dedicated funding program, which reached $1.38 billion in the most recent budget year.

“We’d be talking about, hey, we did a billion in teacher categorical. Then we hear from teachers in August, September — I haven’t gotten anything,” DeSantis said. “It’s because the school unions were slow walking pay increases for the teachers.”

DeSantis also signed HB 1279, which gives school districts more flexibility to reward high-performing teachers who transfer to lower-performing schools outside the collective bargaining process.

The bill ensures that teachers delivering Florida Advanced Courses are eligible for the same bonuses as those teaching Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs.

DeSantis pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as evidence that unions prioritized politics over students, noting that Florida kept schools open while national union leaders pushed for closures.

“They sued me to try to close the schools,” he said. “I think we lost in the trial court on that one, which we normally do. And then of course, we won on appeal, which we normally do.”

The Florida Education Association pushed back sharply. FEA President Andrew Spar called the signing of SB 1296 “yet another entry in a long line of betrayals of working Floridians by Gov. DeSantis in favor of out-of-state, billionaire-backed, special interest groups.”

The FEA also noted the timing of the signing, on May Day.

“It’s not lost on us that the Governor has signed an anti-worker bill on May Day, a day grounded in the labor movement and the belief that working people deserve power and dignity,” Spar’s statement read.

The union disputed the governor’s characterization of teacher pay progress, stating Florida ranks 50th in the nation in average teacher pay for the third consecutive year and 41st in per-student funding.

The FEA added that the average teacher salary in Florida fell 12.4% in inflation-adjusted dollars from 2014-15 to 2024-25, and that nearly 60% of education staff professionals in the state earn less than $35,000 per year.

The Florida AFL-CIO also condemned the signing, pushing back on the governor’s characterization of teacher unions as partisan actors. The organization noted that more than 30% of Florida’s union members are registered Republicans, with nearly another third identifying as independent or unaffiliated.

Florida AFL-CIO President Kimberly Holdridge called the signing “another win for billionaire-funded, out-of-state think tanks at the expense of Florida’s working people,” but vowed labor would respond.

“Florida’s public sector workers have the power and support in our communities statewide to show them otherwise. We will organize and come back stronger than ever,” she said.

Florida AFL-CIO Director of Politics and Public Policy Rich Templin questioned the governor’s motivations altogether. “This legislation has nothing to do with our state but everything to do with his continued focus on his own national political ambitions,” Templin said.

Investigators took Kareem Robinson Johnson into custody in the death of Reginald Eldridge Gantt, the sheriff’s office said.

Johnson was arrested on charges of second-degree murder, second-degree arson and tampering with evidence and was booked into the Clay County Jail, where he is being held without bond.

Authorities said the investigation began after Clay County Fire Rescue and the sheriff’s office responded April 6 to a vehicle fire in the area of N. Mimosa Avenue and County Road 218. Gantt’s body was found inside the burning vehicle, and an autopsy by the Fourth District Medical Examiner’s Office determined the death was a homicide.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation is ongoing and thanked the community for its assistance.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Mosley at (904) 264-6512 or nmosley@claysheriff.com. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the SaferWatch app or First Coast Crimestoppers at 888-845-TIPS (8477).

Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, OpenAI, Reflection and SpaceX will provide resources to help “augment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments,” the Defense Department said.

The Defense Department has been rapidly accelerating its use of AI in recent years. The technology can help the U.S. military reduce the time it takes to identify and strike targets on the battlefield, while aiding in the organization of weapons maintenance and supply lines, according to a report in March from the Brennan Center for Justice.

Friday's announcement comes after concerns raised by a company not on the list, Anthropic, whose battle with the Pentagon to put up AI guardrails has spilled into court. The tech company said it wanted assurances in its contract that the military would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons and the surveillance of Americans. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the company must allow for any uses the Pentagon deemed lawful.

Anthropic sued after President Donald Trump, a Republican, tried to stop all federal agencies from using the company’s chatbot Claude and Hegseth sought to label the company a supply chain risk, a designation meant to protect against sabotage of national security systems by foreign adversaries.

OpenAI had announced a deal with the Pentagon in March to effectively replace Anthropic with ChatGPT in classified environments.

The Pentagon said Friday that military personnel are already using its AI capabilities through its official platform, GenAI.mil.

“Warfighters, civilians and contractors are putting these capabilities to practical use right now, cutting many tasks from months to days,” the Pentagon said, adding that the military's growing AI capabilities will “give warfighters the tools they need to act with confidence and safeguard the nation against any threat.”

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Follow the AP's coverage of artificial intelligence at https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence.

The jockey looked to be out of luck after Silent Tactic was ruled out earlier this week because of a foot injury. Trainer Mark Casse said it was an easy decision in the best interests of the horse but that he felt badly for Torres.

With Robusta getting in off the also-eligible list, O’Neill tapped Torres for the mount because Emisael Jaramillo was already booked to ride at Santa Anita Park in California on Saturday.

Robusta was the second-to-last horse eligible for the opening leg of the Triple Crown. Dallas Stewart's Corona de Oro would draw in if there are any additional scratches to the current field of 20 horses.

In addition to Right to Party and Silent Tactic, Brad Cox scratched Fulleffort after an X-ray revealed a chip and fluid in the colt's left hind ankle.

Right to Party was a veterinarian scratch, not a choice made by McPeek and owner Chester Broman Sr.

“The safety and well-being of the racehorses training and competing in Kentucky are the center of everything we do,” the Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Commission said in a statement.

“(The commission) closely monitors data pertaining to scratches, including those based on the advice of our regulatory veterinarians,” the organization said. "It is one of the most difficult parts of the job, as we share the goal of each horse’s connections for the horse to compete safely. ... We all want what is best for the horse.”

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This story has been corrected to show that Corona de Oro is also eligible if there is another scratch.

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

Buckle up for a few seismic changes. Shania Twain will host for the first time ever, taking over for Reba McEntire. The awards ceremony will also take place May 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, leaving the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas, after three years. And women lead the nominations.

But where will the 2026 ACM Awards stream? Who is nominated? What else is noteworthy this year and who will perform?

Read on for those answers and more.

How to watch the ACMs

The 2026 ACM Awards will stream on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch as well as the Amazon Music app on May 17 at 8 p.m. EDT.

Who is nominated?

It's the emo cowgirl herself. Megan Moroney leads the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards with nine nominations.

She's followed by Miranda Lambert, the most-decorated artist in ACM Awards history, with eight, as well as Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven.

Then it is Chris Stapleton with six, Zach Top with five and Cody Johnson with four.

In addition to Moroney, those competing for entertainer of the year are Wilson, Stapleton, Johnson, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll and Morgan Wallen.

In 2025, Wilson took home the top prize — for a second year in a row.

In the album of the year category, Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” faces off against Top’s “Ain’t In It For My Health,” Riley Green’s “Don’t Mind If I Do,” Parker McCollum’s “Parker McCollum” and first-time nominee Carter Faith’s “Cherry Valley.”

Other first-time nominees include 49 Winchester, Avery Anna, Mackenzie Carpenter, Hudson Westbrook, Stephen Wilson Jr. and more.

What's noteworthy?

A lot! Beyond the move to Las Vegas and Twain's first-time taking a turn at hosting, it's clear that women are ruling the nominations, with Moroney, Lambert, Langley and Lainey Wilson leading the pack.

But is it a sign that the country music business is making room for more female talent?

“I think it is so cool,” country singer Ashley McBryde told The Associated Press about women leading the nods.

But the music industry pitting women against one another? She says she's not sure that will ever stop. “But I think we've managed — me, Miranda (Lambert), Carly (Pearce), Kelsey (Ballerini), we’ve been trying to build a table, and we’ve been trying for years to make the table bigger, and now it is. And I’m looking forward to operating in the environment that we built.”

Additionally, unlike last year, there isn't just one song dominating. Who could forget the year of Langley and Riley Green's “You Look Like You Love Me,” which accounted for six of her eight nods last year?

This time around, in the single of the year category, Lambert and Stapleton’s “A Song to Sing” will go head-to-head with Moroney’s “Am I Okay?,” Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” Top’s “I Never Lie” and Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo.” And that's just scratching the surface.

Who is performing?

Performers will include Lambert, Langley, Top, Faith, Wilson, Johnson, Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, The Red Clay Strays, Thomas Rhett, Avery Anna and Tucker Wetmore.

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For more coverage of this year’s ACM Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/academy-of-country-music-awards

The activists, Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila, were among dozens of activists intercepted by the Israeli navy off the coast of Crete. They are members of the Global Sumud Flotilla's steering committee, whose mission was to break Israel's naval blockade and bring some humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.

In all, 22 boats and 175 activists were intercepted by the Israeli navy. Activists said Israeli forces stormed their vessels, smashed engines and detained some of those onboard. The incident occurred hundreds of miles (kilometers) from Gaza and Israel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.

Israeli officials said they needed to take early action against the flotilla before it reached Israeli waters because of the high number of boats involved.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Friday on X that it was taking the two activists to Israel for questioning, and that Abukeshek was “suspected of affiliation with a terrorist organization” and Ávila was “suspected of illegal activity," without providing evidence.

In a joint statement, the governments of Brazil and Spain condemned “the kidnapping of two of their citizens in international waters by the Government of Israel." Unlike other flotilla participants who were disembarked in Crete, the Spanish and Brazilian activists remained detained aboard an Israeli navy ship in Greek territorial waters.

“This flagrantly illegal action by the Israeli authorities outside their jurisdiction constitutes a violation of International Law, which may be invoked before international courts, and may constitute a crime in our respective national jurisdictions,” the statement added.

The governments of both nations demanded the immediate return of their citizens and immediate consular access.

Activists say they were mistreated by Israeli forces

The Global Sumud Flotilla appealed for international support to pressure Israel to release the activists. It said it was particularly concerned for Abukeshek, who was aboard an observer boat and did not plan on sailing to Gaza, and Ávila.

“We don’t know if they are still in Greek waters,” Ávila's spouse, Lara Souza, said. She added that Brazil's government told her that once the two activists were taken to international waters, it would become more difficult to achieve their release.

In an audio message released Friday, Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares demanded Abukeshek's immediate release. Around 30 other Spanish citizens disembarked in Crete and were assisted by the embassy in Greece, he said.

Flotilla organizers said Israeli authorities denied activists food and water and forced them "to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded.”

When Israeli forces proceeded to take Abukeshek and Ávila away, the group resisted and were met with “sheer violence,” flotilla organizers said in a statement Friday. “Participants were punched, kicked and dragged across the deck with their hands bound behind their backs. They suffered broken noses, cracked ribs and bloody beatings. Shots were even fired at them in the chaos.”

Some 34 people, including citizens of the U.S., Australia, Colombia, Italy, Ukraine and others were injured and taken to the hospital upon disembarkation, organizers said.

Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to the accusations. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Thursday that activists “taken off the vessels were taken off unharmed.”

Of the 53 vessels that had been sailing prior to the interception, 31 reached safe waters and would continue their attempts to “break the illegal siege of Gaza,” organizers said. The flotilla set sail earlier this month from Barcelona, Spain.

The Greek Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it had asked Israel to withdraw its ships from the area and offered its “good services” for the activists to disembark in Greece and be repatriated.

US condemns the flotilla

Protests in solidarity with the flotilla erupted across several capitals including in Rome, Athens and Istanbul.

The U.S. government described the flotilla as a “pro-Hamas initiative” and called on allies to deny the vessels' port access, among other actions.

“The United States expects all our allies, particularly those who have committed to supporting President Trump’s successful 20-Point Plan, to take decisive action against this meaningless political stunt,” the State Department said.

The flotilla’s latest attempt to reach Gaza comes less than a year after Israeli authorities foiled a previous effort by the group. That attempt involved about 50 vessels and around 500 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, and several lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, including Ávila, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them while in detention. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.

But this year, delays in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that has shielded her and hundreds of thousands of others from deportation, led to her missing her renewal deadline, losing her job and fearing detention in the country she has called home since she was 6 years old.

She said that as an immigrant in the U.S., fear has become her “new baseline." “But now, having a new level of vulnerability, it was a very quick increase in the fear," said Candia.

Renewal wait times for the Obama-era program that allows people who were brought to the U.S. as children to temporarily remain in the country and work have increased to levels not seen since 2016 when there were significant technical issues.

Some of the program’s more than 500,000 beneficiaries, often referred to as “Dreamers,” have waited months for an answer only to see their deadline pass without a decision. Now they’re stuck in a type of limbo in which their work authorization disappears, oftentimes along with their driver’s license, and their ability to stay in the U.S. is at risk.

“It’s not just anecdotal; it’s happening at a larger scale than we’ve ever seen before,” said Greisa Martinez Rosas, executive director of United We Dream, an immigrant youth-led network.

No numbers were available on how many people have recently missed their renewal deadline despite applying 120 to 150 days before their DACA lapses, which is what U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recommends.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, USCIS is safeguarding the American people by more thoroughly screening and vetting all aliens, which can lengthen processing times," Zach Kahler, an agency spokesperson, said in a statement.

Wait times nearly 5 times longer

DACA grants those who qualify two-year, renewable permits to live and work in the U.S. It does not confer legal status but is meant to offer protection from deportation.

From October 2025 to the end of February 2026, the median wait time for renewals was about 70 days, compared to about 15 days in fiscal year 2025, according to USCIS. This is the longest median wait time since 2016, when it was about 79 days, according to the agency’s data, which did not include 2020 because of the pandemic.

The Department of Homeland Security attributed the 2016 delays to technical issues that emerged as it transitioned to fully processing DACA renewals in its electronic immigration system.

At the end of April 2026, USCIS was reporting that the majority of renewal requests were being completed within about 122 days. That marked a two-week increase from the processing times listed earlier that month.

Federal lawmakers and immigrant groups say some applicants recently have had to wait 6 months — about 183 days — or longer.

“The delays that people are concerned about used to be sort of a matter of weeks at a time,” U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., said in an interview. “Now it’s from a few months to many, many months.”

He is one of dozens of lawmakers behind letters sent to federal agencies that question the inflated wait times and whether people who have missed their renewal deadline are being targeted for arrest or deportation.

More than five months after Elsa Sanchez submitted her DACA renewal request, she is still waiting for an answer. When the deadline passed at the beginning of April, she was put on leave at her job at a healthcare IT company and now, as a single mother of a college freshman, has no income.

It's made her worried about everything from traveling to spending money on pricier household products like shampoos and detergents.

“I’m like, ‘I don’t know, maybe I can cut down on that. Maybe I don’t need this,'" she said. “Because I’m saving every penny.”

Sanchez said something similar happened about a decade ago, but this time she's scared of the possible repercussions amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda.

Since DACA's introduction in 2012, it's faced myriad legal battles, including two that made it to the Supreme Court. And now, while the government is still approving renewals, a 2025 federal court decision means it isn't processing first-time applications and has left the door open for another possible trip to the Supreme Court.

Hundreds of DACA recipien

ts arrested

In the first 11 months of 2025, more than 250 DACA recipients were arrested and 86 deported, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said earlier this year. She said the majority of those arrested had “criminal histories,” without indicating the nature of the crimes or if they were arrests, charges or convictions. In a separate response to a Democratic congresswoman’s inquiry, DHS reported conflicting numbers saying that 270 were arrested and 174 DACA applicants were removed in the first nine months of 2025.

Their eligibility is dependent in part on not having a felony conviction, a significant misdemeanor or three misdemeanors. Previously, if their status was in jeopardy, they would get a warning and still have the chance to fight it before immigration officers detained them and began efforts to deport them.

Kahler, from USCIS, said that DACA recipients are not automatically protected from deportation.

“Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons — including if they committed a crime,” he said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to questions about whether DACA beneficiaries were being targeted after missing their renewal deadlines.

But federal lawmakers have recently noted people picked up by ICE after their DACA lapsed.

Their protections may have been further eroded with a precedent decision last week in which the Board of Immigration Appeals determined that DACA status alone is not enough to stop deportation.

People from certain countries may be most at risk

Experts have suggested the longer wait times could be related to the biometric appointments, which were paused during the pandemic, being restarted. Some may also not be getting approved by their deadline because they're not sending it in by the recommended time.

Maria Fernanda Madrigal is an immigration attorney and DACA recipient who submitted her renewal application about a month and a half before the deadline because she said that’s all the processing time that’s been needed in the past. She said she was also waiting for her job to hold a DACA workshop so that she could get the more than $550 fee for renewal waived.

Earlier this month, her DACA lapsed and the mother of three was let go from her job.

“My first concern was my cases, to be honest, because I knew I was going to have to hand off everything, and my team is already overworked,” said Madrigal.

Immigration attorneys have also said that USCIS has paused processing renewals for people from dozens of countries the agency described in recent policy memorandums as “high-risk” following presidential proclamations. The National Immigration Law Center estimated that as many as 3,000 to 4,000 people could be impacted.

“This process that has no timeline is leading to people from certain countries experiencing a pause. And we don’t know how long that pause will be in place," said Ignacia Rodriguez Kmec, attorney at the National Immigration Law Center.

Every day, Candia checks on her renewal. She said she's most afraid of being locked up in bad conditions in an ICE detention facility, but also thinks about what it would be like returning to Bolivia after more than 25 years.

“If God forbid that happened, it would break my heart because I’ve been in this country since I was 6," she said. “My entire life is here.”

See the full video of the Fernandina Beach Shrimp Festival Parade

Video from the kickoff parade Thursday night showed vendors and crews setting up along Front and Center streets ahead of the weekend event. Center Street and several surrounding roadways will be closed to vehicle traffic during the festival, with thousands of pedestrians expected.

Fernandina Beach’s “Beaches Pay to Park” program will be suspended through Sunday at 8 p.m., officials said, but parking will be different because of street closures. Organizers outlined several options:

• A shuttle will run from Fernandina Beach High School for a $15 donation.
• A park-and-walk option will be available at Buccaneer Field (Central Park) for a $20 donation.
• Free on-street parking on side streets may be available, but attendees should look for open spaces.
• Accessible parking will be available at the library lot on Alachua and Fourth streets and on Ashe Street between Fourth and Fifth streets; a disabled-parking permit is required for those spots.

Scott Inglis, chairman of the festival committee, said the decision to use drones instead of fireworks was made because of the burn ban in Nassau County and active wildfires in surrounding areas. He also noted the festival’s expanded kids zone.

“There are vendors, regular vendors that specialize in kids-oriented... there’s going to be all children’s acts playing there. Salt Marsh Kids is a group that a bunch of kids singing and playing instruments with adults helping them play the instruments,” Inglis said.

Admission to the festival is free. Organizers said events begin at 3 p.m. and continue through Sunday at 5 p.m., with more than 400 vendors, food and entertainment scheduled for people of all ages.

The Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, which represented Baselitz, said the artist died on Thursday, citing his family. It said he died “peacefully,” but did not give a cause of death.

Born Hans-Georg Kern, Baselitz took his artistic name from the village of Deutschbaselitz in the eastern Saxony region, where he was born on Jan. 23, 1938, in Nazi-ruled Germany before the outbreak of World War II. After growing up in the ruins of the war, he left the then-East Germany in 1957 at a time of rising political pressure, and emigrated to the West.

“I was born into a destroyed order, into a destroyed landscape, into a destroyed people, into a destroyed society,” he told German news agency dpa before his 85th birthday.

The gallery called him “a titan of contemporary painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking" and “one of the most important artists of our time," who influenced fellow artists and the international art world.

His first exhibition in 1963 reportedly caused a stir, with a vice squad identifying pornography in at least two of his paintings, and confiscating them.

He was often described as an “artist of rage,” and had a motto of "contradiction," according to dpa.

His works hang in some of the world's top galleries and have fetched millions at auction. In 2017, German police announced they had recovered 15 stolen paintings and drawings by Baselitz worth around 2.5 million euros ($2.9 million).

Baselitz recalled that some of his earliest recognition came in the 1960s through his series of golden-colored “Hero” paintings, based on fictional characters from Russian civil war novels. The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads. His battle-weary hero, “Der Hirte (The Shepherd)” from 1966 won international acclaim.

In 1969, Baselitz created “Der Wald auf dem Kopf,” (The Forest on its Head), his first “inverted” painting — featuring trees upside down, a theme that would become one of his trademarks.

“Georg Baselitz did not just turn his paintings upside down; he also turned our thinking routines upside down,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. “Having experienced the destruction and suffering of the Second World War as a child, the collapse of all order forced him to question everything around him.”

Baselitz mused about his long career in a recent video, commenting that “typical painting has never appealed to me.”

“I actually wanted to be more of a black-and-white painter, and above all, I didn’t want to work spatially, perspectively, with shadows and light and such things that arise with the imitation of nature," he said while seated in a wheelchair in a paint-smudged jacket.

“I must say that throughout my life, I was not aware that I was a painter of color, even though I am constantly told that I have such wonderful colors,” Baselitz said.

Baselitz said he sought to “construct my connection to the world, to myself and to my wife,” using the most “simple and ordinary" means possible. He spoke in a video from the Giorgio Cini Foundation in Venice, which is hosting an exhibition of Baselitz's “Golden Heroes” works from May 6 to Sept. 27.

A “Naked Masters” exhibit at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna in 2023 spanned his half-century career and dealt with controversial themes of nudity — notably of the painter and his wife, Elke — displayed alongside oil paintings by old masters also evoking nudity.

He is survived by his wife and sons, Daniel Blau and Anton Kern, the gallery said.

There’s more than a few up-and-coming talents to get excited about in the movies this summer. The Associated Press spoke to 11 ones to watch.

Catherine Lagaʻaia, “Moana”

Catherine Lagaʻaia (“lung-uh-aye-uh”) found out she got “Moana” on a school day. It was around 8:15 a.m. and she’d just heard the best news of her life after a very stressful year of auditioning. But the celebration would have to wait: It was swimming carnival day and she was on deck for the 400-meter backstroke.

“I guess, like, the water vibes carried through,” said Lagaʻaia, 20, laughing.

Lagaʻaia, who is one of eight children, grew up around acting in Sydney, Australia. Her father played Captain Typho in the “Star Wars” prequels, she went to a performing arts high school and a lot of her siblings are in theater. Two of her sisters even auditioned for “Moana” alongside her, but she was just the right age at the right time, she said.

The animated film meant the world to Lagaʻaia, who is of Samoan heritage, and she’s acutely aware of the big expectations for the live action film (out July 10) — she has them for herself too.

“I felt a fair bit of impostor syndrome stepping into it,” she said. “I think we’ve made some great changes, and we’ve kept a lot of the stuff that holds the heart of the film the same.”

Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, “Leviticus”

Teenage boys Ryan (Stacy Clausen, 21) and Naim (Joe Bird, 19) are drawn to one another in their backwater Australian community in “Leviticus,” the “conversion therapy” horror that broke out at the Sundance Film Festival. It hits theaters on June 19.

“It is about growing up queer and how the fear of growing up queer can block someone mentally from acting on their desires, and physically,” Clausen said. “But I think that there is something in it for everyone, like whether you’re LGBTQIA or not, it’s about love.”

They knew they had made something special, but it’s been affirming to see it resonate with audiences. When the trailer posted on YouTube, Bird noticed one commenter who wrote that they wished they’d had this film when they were younger.

“It just takes one person to be inspired, or you know say, ‘Oh, I wish I had a film like this’ to know that you’ve kind of done your job,” Bird said. “It’s all about connecting.”

Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, “Is God Is”

Aleshea Harris chose a two-time Tony-winner, Kara Young, and a relative newcomer, Mallori Johnson, to anchor the big screen adaptation of her Obie-winning play “Is God Is.” The story is centered on twin sisters searching for their abusive father, who burned and scarred them as babies.

Young plays Racine the Rough One; Johnson is Anaia the Quiet One. After fending for themselves their entire lives are set on an epic road trip and a journey of revenge and reckoning. It’s in theaters on May 15.

“Anaia depends a lot on Racine to protect her,” Johnson said. “I think that they’ve set up a dynamic since they were children … they have this kind of codependent relationship.”

And although both Young and Johnson are in different phases of their careers, their enthusiasm for the material, and getting to be part of it, is identical.

“Getting into the world of ‘Is God Is’ feels like an ancestral calling in some wild, beautiful, almost like indescribable way,” Young said. “It’s an epic road trip. It’s a Greek tragedy. It’s a love story between two sisters …. I lost my train of thought because I just got so hyped.”

Kane Parsons, “Backrooms”

Kane Parsons was a teenager when he was signed to direct his first feature, based on his viral YouTube series “Backrooms.”

The concept was inspired by an internet creepypasta that imagined never-ending expanse rooms and hallways full of fluorescent lights, old carpet and monotonous yellow paint; He took that idea and ran with it, creating unnerving videos from his bedroom with the help of the open-source 3D graphics software Blender. Soon both James Wan and Shawn Levy’s companies were interested in taking it to the next level.

In the film, out May 29, Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a struggling furniture store owner who seemingly slips out of reality. Renate Reinsve co-stars.

“I don’t think of this as inherently horror-driven; it’s definitely not a building full of monsters,” Parsons, 20, said. “I’ve always been more interested in the sort of man looking in the mirror version.”

The bachelors, “72 Hours”

“SNL” cast members Kam Patterson, 27, and Ben Marshall, 30, play a couple of Gen Z guys on a bachelor trip, with Marcello Hernández, groom-to-be Mason Gooding and a middle-aged colleague (Kevin Hart) who was accidentally added to the group chat in the new Netflix comedy “72 Hours” (streaming July 24).

“It was the most fun you could possibly have shooting a movie,” Marshall said.

Between goofing around in a mansion in New Jersey and hanging in Miami with Hernández, it was, Patterson said, like summer camp. And Hart was their de facto counselor. They teased Gooding about never having his shirt on, Marshall for being so uniquely bad at jet skiing and Patterson for that time someone left him with one of the production assistant’s walkie talkies and for 5 minutes he had an open mic to the entire crew. That energy continued when the cameras were on too.

“I don’t think we said one word that’s actually in the script,” Marshall laughed.

Patterson chimed in: “Not at all. We take that script and threw it out the window.”

The new assistants in “The Devil Wears Prada 2”

Call them the new Emilys. Or, maybe don’t. But there’s a new batch of smart, young things manning the desks at “Runway” in “The Devil Wears Prada 2” (now in theaters).

Simone Ashley, of “Bridgerton” fame, is Miranda Priestly’s first assistant Amari, who screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna didn’t want to be Emily 2.0.

“With Amari the comedy comes from, like, flick of the wrist kind of sassiness and her quiet confidence,” Ashley, 31, said. “Me and Aline kind of had this inside joke that Amari is like secretly the next Miranda.”

Comedian Caleb Hearon, 31, is Miranda’s second assistant, Charlie, who is not allowed to leave his desk. Ever. But he’s not mad about it: This is literally the dream.

“I really thought a lot about a guy like Charlie and what it would mean to him to be in this office and why he wouldn’t mind staying at the desk all day,” Hearon said.

And finally, there is Helen J Shen, 26, who after breaking out on stage in “Maybe Happy Ending” makes her big screen debut as Andy’s assistant, Jin.

Shen said she “was excited to see that the dialogue was so silly to me, but Jin doesn’t find it silly.”

“I felt like that was a fresh take on someone who knows exactly what they’re trying to do,” Shen added. “She has a lot of wonderful things under her belts, intelligence wise, and she’s just trying to like, show that and be as helpful to Andy as possible.”

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For more coverage of this summer’s upcoming films, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies

Exxon Mobil and Chevron reported quarterly results on Friday, with adjusted profits for both companies topping Wall Street expectations. The shares of both companies, up sharply this week, ticked higher before the opening bell.

With energy prices depressed at the start of the year, Exxon Mobil and Chevron had arranged hedges to offset volatility, a standard practice in the industry. Companies and investors through hedges lock in a price in advance to protect themselves from futures swings. That can provide them with some predictability on costs.

In the aftermath of an attack by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, however, the physical delivery of oil became impossible with the Strait of Hormuz essentially closed. Exxon and Chevron cannot book gains on those hedges until the crude is physically delivered.

The near closure of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran is a flashpoint in the war and the source of much of the economic pain being felt globally. About 20% of the world’s oil passes through the strait on a typical day, but the passage has been choked off since the war began in late February.

Exxon earned $4.18 billion, or $1 per share, for the period ended March 31. A year earlier it earned $7.7 billion, or $1.76 per share. The company lost almost $4 billion in the quarter on what it called “unfavorable estimated timing effects” of its hedges.

Removing such one-time impacts, Exxon earned $1.16 per share, 9 cents better than Wall Street projections, according to a survey by Zacks Investment Research predicted. Exxon does not adjust its reported results based on one-time events such as asset sales.

Revenue totaled $85.14 billion, breezing past Wall Street's expectation of $81.49 billion.

First-quarter net production was 4.6 million oil-equivalent barrels per day. That’s down from 5 million oil-equivalent barrels per day in the previous quarter.

“If you look at the unprecedented disruption in the world’s supply of oil and natural gas, the market hasn’t seen the full impact of that yet," CEO Darren Woods said during a conference call. "So there’s more to come if the strait remains closed, why haven’t we seen those impacts manifest themselves fully in the market yet? Well, I think we all know there was a lot of water and a lot of oil in transit on the water, a lot of inventory on the water.”

Chevron reported a first-quarter profit of $2.21 billion, or $1.11 per share. It earned $3.5 billion, or $2 per share, a year earlier.

The company said that its quarter included a $360 million net loss related to a legal reserve and that foreign currency effects lowered earnings by $223 million.

Chevron's adjusted profit was $1.41 per share, easily beating the 92 cents per share Wall Street was calling for. Like Exxon, Chevron does not adjust its reported results based on one-time events such as asset sales.

The company's revenue totaled $48.61 billion, also better than expected.

Exxon and Chevron are among the big drillers reporting earnings this week. On Tuesday BP said that its first-quarter profit more than doubled.

The oil companies' results come at a time when gasoline prices in the U.S. hit new multiyear highs, a point of increasing agitation for travelers, households and also businesses that are particularly sensitive to higher energy prices.

The average price of gasoline in the U.S. hit $4.39 on Friday, according to motor club AAA, up more than 8% this week.

Inflation in the U.S. rose sharply in March, fueled by the largest jump in gas prices in six decades, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor. The surge in gas prices has squeezed the budgets of lower- and middle-income families, making it more difficult to pay for necessities.

But it’s disrupting businesses as well, particularly those sensitive to higher fuel costs. Airlines worldwide have begun canceling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up ticket prices.

Oil prices eased on Friday, helping to steady the relatively few stock markets open worldwide on the May Day holiday.

Prosecutors said they decided to charge Claire Freemantle, 49, with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and seven counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving after the Metropolitan Police reopened its investigation and discovered new evidence.

The London police force apologized for how it initially treated the crash and said it had referred its own officers to a watchdog agency looking into police misconduct.

Freemantle was originally not charged after prosecutors said she had an epileptic seizure. She had issued a statement expressing her “deepest sorrow” but said she had no recollection of what occurred.

Defense lawyers questioned why prosecutors reversed their original decision not to charge Freemantle and said she will plead not guilty when she makes her first court appearance June 16 in Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

It's not clear what new evidence police found, but the reinvestigation came after complaints by the parents of Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau, who were killed in the crash outside the private Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon, south London, on July 6, 2023.

The driver plowed through a fence and into the side of the school building. More than a dozen people were treated for injuries at the scene and 10, including several pupils, were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Israel’s military and Hezbollah kept up their attacks despite a ceasefire in place since April 17. The state-run National News Agency reported that the four people were killed in strikes on three southern villages.

Israel’s military on Friday afternoon urged residents of the village of Habboush near the southern city of Nabatiyeh to evacuate, warning that those close to Hezbollah’s facilities would be putting their lives in danger if they stay.

Friday’s exchanges came after paramedics recovered the bodies of five people, including a man and his three sons, from under rubble in the village of Kfar Rumman, also near Nabatiyeh, a day after they were killed.

National News Agency reported that the five were killed in an airstrike late Thursday on Kfar Rumman. The agency identified those whose bodies were recovered as Malek Hamza and his sons, Ali, Fadel and Hamza. It said the strike also killed a Lebanese soldier. The Lebanese army confirmed that a soldier, Ali Jaber, was killed in the strike.

By Friday afternoon, Hezbollah had issued six statements saying it launched drones and rockets at Israeli military positions.

The Israeli military confirmed that Hezbollah launched an explosive drone that fell in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon.

Israeli media reported a drone strike near Margaliot in northern Israel, saying it caused a localized fire, and that two soldiers were lightly wounded in a separate Hezbollah drone impact in the area.

Despite the war, residents have continued to return to homes in southern Lebanon after being displaced for weeks because of the hostilities.

One of them was Umm Ali Khodor, whose apartment in the southern port city of Tyre was damaged during the previous Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024 and again in the current conflict.

“We were displaced, we rented a house, but as you know the situation is very difficult,” the woman said. “We could not continue so we returned to our home.”

The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the United States and Israel launched a war on its main backer, Iran. Israel has since carried out hundreds of airstrikes and launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, capturing dozens of towns and villages along the border.

Since then Lebanon and Israel have held their first direct talks in more than three decades. The two countries have formally been in a state of war since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.

A 10-day ceasefire declared in Washington went into effect on April 17. The ceasefire was later extended by three weeks.

The Health Ministry said Friday that the war's death toll reached 2,618 while 8,094 were wounded.

___

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press journalist Koral Said contributed to this report from Abu Snan, Israel,

SJSO said Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) detectives executed a search warrant on April 19 at the home of Andrew Pelger on North Durbin Parkway in St. Augustine. Investigators said they located child sexual abuse material, along with sex toys and child-like sex dolls.

Pelger was arrested and charged with nine counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, prohibition of certain acts in connection with obscene lewd materials, and resisting an officer without violence, SJSO said.

While Pelger was out on bond, detectives learned he owned a second home in Ooltewah, Tennessee, SJSO said. Detectives assisted Hamilton County deputies with search warrants at that home and a nearby storage unit, where investigators said they found 12 child-like dolls.

SJSO said Pelger turned himself in at the Hamilton County Jail & Detention Center on Saturday on outstanding warrants.

SJSO said it worked with HCSO, FBI Jacksonville, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on the case. The investigation remains active.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office at 904-824-8304.

Essa Suleiman was remanded into custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates' Court to face two counts related to the attack in Golders Green. He also faces a third count of attempted murder over an incident elsewhere in the city earlier Wednesday that left a man with minor injuries.

Police have labeled the Golders Green attack an act of terrorism.

Suleiman, a Somalia-born British citizen who lives in London, did not enter a plea. His case was transferred to the Central Criminal Court for a May 15 hearing.

Prosecutor Emma Harraway said Suleiman attacked Ishmail Hussein, his friend of 20 years, in south London before taking a train to the north part of the city where he targeted Jews hours later.

Shloime Rand, 34, was stabbed in the chest outside a synagogue, puncturing his lung, and Norman Shine, 76, who was wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap, was stabbed in the neck at a bus stop.

“As Mr. Shine adjusted his kippah, Suleiman ran towards him and set upon him, launching a series of aggressive blows," Harraway said.

Rand was discharged from the hospital and Shine is in stable condition.

Police said Suleiman was referred in 2020 to the government’s Prevent program, which tries to steer individuals away from extremism. The police force said his file was closed later the same year, and didn’t disclose the reason for the referral.

The British government pledged to tackle antisemitism after the stabbings in an area in north London that is an epicenter of Britain’s Jewish community. The assault followed a string of arson attacks on synagogues and other Jewish sites in London in recent weeks.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that his government would increase security for the Jewish community and “do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out.”

Britain’s official terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after Wednesday’s stabbing attack. Severe is the second-highest rung on a five-point scale and means intelligence agencies consider an attack highly likely in the next six months.

The government said the change was not due solely to the Golders Green attack but also due to increased danger “from Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorist threat from individuals and small groups based in the U.K.”

The death of Sunshine “Sunny” Stewart, 48, of St. George, last year shocked the community around Crawford Pond in rural Union, Maine. Authorities charged Deven Young of Frankfort, Maine, with murder in Stewart's death in July, about two weeks after Stewart's body was discovered.

The court system has thus far treated Young as a juvenile. Prosecutors in the state want to charge Young, who was 17 at the time of Stewart's death and is 18 now, as an adult. First, he needed to be deemed competent to stand trial, and a judge ruled this week that he is.

"The court finds that the defendant is competent to proceed based on the court’s finding that the juvenile has a rational, as well as a factual, understanding of the proceedings and a sufficient present ability to consult with legal counsel with a reasonable degree of rational understanding," wrote Maine District Court Judge Eric J. Walker on Wednesday.

Young is due back in court on May 7. Police have said a medical examiner determined Stewart's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Jeremy Pratt, an attorney for Young, declined to comment on Thursday. Prosecutors in the case also declined to comment Thursday.

Authorities have not publicly stated a possible motive in the case. Court documents about the case, which were briefly made public before being removed from the state's courts website, contained little detail other than stating that Young “did intentionally or knowingly cause the death of another human being, namely Sunshine Stewart.”

Audio recordings by the Waldo County Sheriff's Office that were obtained by news agencies earlier this year provided details about Young's history of violent behavior and mental health challenges prior to Stewart's death. The Portland Press Herald reported that Young had been waiting for behavioral health services from the state.

Stewart went missing at Crawford Pond, where she was paddleboarding, on July 2 and her body was found the next day. The pond is a popular summertime attraction for swimming, boating and fishing. Stewart lived about 21 miles (34 kilometers) from the pond in the Tenants Harbor neighborhood in St. George.

Stewart's friends and family celebrated her life with a maritime service last August. The memorial included a procession of boats, some decked out with flowers, in Tenants Harbor.

On the boats were pictures of Stewart smiling and a large sign that read, “Shine On.” Over the years, Stewart worked as a fisherman, boat captain, biologist, carpenter and bartender, friends have said.

Police said the unnamed man was arrested after the attack Wednesday near David’s Tomb — a holy site outside Zion’s Gate on the southern side of the Old City — “on suspicion of a racially motivated attack,” and remained in custody.

Police video showed the nun bruised and the attacker wearing tzitzit, a fringed undergarment worn by some observant Jewish men.

Olivier Poquillon, the director of the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, said the nun was a researcher at the school. He called the attack an “act of sectarian violence" in a post on X.

The Old City in Israel-annexed east Jerusalem is a centuries-old walled enclave built atop millennia of history and home to some of the holiest sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is a flash point for tensions as access and ownership to the sites are deeply entangled with the historic and political claims that lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Religious groups have documented a rise in acts of harassment and violence against Christian pilgrims and clergy as well as Palestinian Christian residents, including assaults and spitting, often by ultra-Orthodox Jewish yeshiva students.

Wadie Abunassar, the coordinator of the Holy Land Christian Forum, called attacks targeting Christians a growing phenomenon. He attributed the quick response to the attack on the nun to the fact that it was caught on video.

He said he felt “great anger on the system and great sadness because I feel that this will not end anytime soon.” One of the problems, he said, was the deterrence against such violence.

“Many times in such cases there are no arrests and if there are arrests, sometimes after one or two days, (suspects) are released,” he added. “In some cases, the police do not recommend the prosecution to file charges or to indict them. And in some cases, when there is indictment, the indictment is mild.”

The arrest comes as Israeli treatment of religious minorities is under scrutiny, weeks after police limited access for holiday worship to Muslims as well as Christians, up to Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.

Israel also drew international criticism after a soldier photographed himself having bludgeoned a fallen statue of Jesus on the cross with an ax in southern Lebanon. Israeli leaders later disavowed the incident and said he would be reprimanded.

“In a city sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, we remain committed to protecting all communities and ensuring those responsible for violence are held accountable,” Israeli police said in a social media post about the man arrested for attacking the nun.

FHP listed the incident as a vehicle crash with a roadblock near MM 331.

Detours

Drivers heading north can use these alternates:

• I-95 NB → International Golf Parkway exit → US-1
• St. Johns Parkway → State Road 9B → I-95

Some traffic moved along the shoulder, but drivers saw significant delays.

The Florida Highway Patrol report did not include information about injuries.

Explosions and a fire were recorded on the premises of local oil infrastructure, the statement from the General Staff said. Local officials in Russia said a Ukrainian drone attack sparked the blaze and that no casualties were reported.

The facility had been hit previously on April 16, April 20 and April 28. Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said a fire at the city’s oil refinery had also been extinguished Thursday, less than 24 hours before the latest strike.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued to strike Ukraine.

Russia attacked the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil with over 50 drones on Friday, according to mayor Serhii Nadal.

Hits were recorded in industrial facilities and infrastructure, he said. At least 10 people were wounded, he added, while some neighborhoods remain without electricity as a result of the mass attack.

Two multi-story residential buildings and port infrastructure in Odesa were damaged after Russian forces launched another overnight drone attack on the southern region, local authorities said.

As a result of the strikes, an apartment in a 16-story building was destroyed and the roof caught fire. In another high-rise residential building, a fire engulfed the 12th floor, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service.

In a post on Telegram, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least five people were wounded in the region. He said damage from overnight attacks was also recorded in the central city of Kryvyi Rih and the northeastern Kharkiv region, where railway infrastructure was hit.

“Russia continues to attack our energy infrastructure, critical infrastructure, and civilian objects. Tonight, there were 210 drone strikes, and about 140 of them were “Shahed” drones,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Your first instinct may be to clean up when you go back home but officials said not to do that because if you move things around too much, it could affect the accuracy on the documentation, which would reduce your chances of getting financial assistance and recovery support.

The sheriff’s office said it will open a transfer station for debris disposal free of charge after the assessments are done.

Residents will have an opportunity Saturday to ask about insurance coverage, schools and more at Atkinson Elementary from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Multiple agencies like Georgia Emergency Management, American Red Cross, Georgia Insurance Commissioner and other local resources will all be here to speak with you in person.

If you need a ride to Atkinson Elementary, there will be free pickup locations:

• 8:00–8:15 AM - Post Rd / Albert Gibson (Trinity Church of the Nazarene)
• 8:15–8:30 AM - Hwy 82 / Browntown (Friendly Express #95)
• 8:15–8:30 AM - Satilla Grocery Parking Lot
• 8:20–8:30 AM - Post Rd / Hwy 82 (Friendly Express)

Eleven days into a devastating wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes in Brantley County, things are slowly but surely opening back up as residents shift into recovery mode.

But some are finding it difficult to wrap their heads around what’s left.

“It’s heartbreak. It’s devastation. You go into certain areas, and it looks like a warzone,” Danielle Surprenant said. “It looks like the apocalypse.”

INTERACTIVE MAP: Highway 82 fire

The Highway 82 Fire that sparked on April 20 when a foil balloon touched a power line, creating an electrical arc that set the ground ablaze, now exceeds 22,500 acres (roughly 35 square miles) and is 45% contained.

At least 90 homes or businesses and about 55 small structures have been destroyed in the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville, officials said. But thankfully, no fire injuries or deaths have been reported.

Brantley County remains under a mandatory curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., and a burn ban is in place for all counties in south Georgia.

Officials have created a Facebook page to share updates on the ongoing firefight: www.facebook.com/Hwy82fire.

They say a resource center will open at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Brantley County Recreation Center—bringing together multiple organizations in one place.

Re-entry procedures

Progress made against the Brantley County blaze has allowed officials to expand those eligible for re-entry.

Residents in Zone 11 (Southern Browntown) are now approved to return home, the Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.

This includes:

• Mineral Springs Road
• Connie Lane
• Southern portions of Browntown Road

For those wanting to return to evacuation zones, deputies are issuing placards to residents to get past the security checkpoint, and they will remain in the area to direct residents and ensure everyone is safe.

The guidelines for reentry are as follows:

• Residents must show proof of residence at either Satilla Grocery/HWY 259 or Highway 32/301 (open lot west of 301) to receive a placard for entry
• Placard pickup is from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at both locations (no limit per home)
• Residents only; no commercial vehicles
• Follow all road closures and barricades
• Keep children under 18 with an adult at all times
• Be ready to leave again if conditions change

The previous mandatory evacuation zone and road closures from the eastern county line, extending north from Hwy 82 to Hwy 32 and across to Boots Harrison Road, are also being modified.

The following roads have reopened:

• Post Road (side roads off Post that are not through roads are open)
• Albert Gibson is open from Post Road; Closed at Boots Harrison to Browntown Road
• Murphy Road is open from Post Road; Closed at Mineral Springs
• Browntown Road, south of Murphy Road; Closed north of Murphy Road

Please use caution when returning home, officials warned. Be aware of any hazards, follow guidance from local officials, and take your time as you re-enter the area.

Back to school

On Thursday, teachers returned to their schools for the first time in over a week, although students in the district will be out of school through Friday.

The school system has been heavily involved in helping the community. Brantley County Schools Nutrition delivered meals to students this week, and school officials say they are working with different agencies to figure out the best approach for everyone to return to school.

In the meantime, officials warn that while fire crews are making progress, the danger is not over. They’re urging families returning to evacuation zones to remain alert.

RELATED: Full coverage of Brantley County fire

Highway 82 in Brantley County is about 35 miles north of the state line with Florida, and the fire is mainly impacting the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville.

Welcome rain

Thursday is expected to be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers or thunderstorms. West winds are expected at 5-10 mph with gusts ranging from 15-20 mph.

Officials said the rain could fall on the “fire footprint,” which will bring some welcome relief but also its own challenges.

Rain can be beneficial because it:

• Increases fuel moisture in grasses, leaves, and surface fuels
• Slows fire spread and reduces fire intensity
• Assists firefighters in strengthening containment lines and conducting mop-up operations

But officials urged that rain does not immediately “put a wildfire out,” especially one as large as the Highway 82 Fire.

Heavier fuels such as stumps, logs, roots, and deep organic soils can continue to hold heat even after rainfall.

Rain can also create operational challenges, including:

• Masking heat signatures, making it more difficult for infrared aircraft and drones to detect remaining hotspots.
• Reducing visible smoke temporarily, which can give the appearance of full extinguishment while heat remains underground or within heavy fuels.
• Creating slippery and unstable conditions for firefighters working on containment lines and on dirt roads.

It is important for the public to understand that even after rain, fire activity can still exist beneath the surface, and suppression efforts continue until containment is secure.

Crews will continue monitoring conditions closely before, during, and after the rainfall to ensure any remaining heat is identified and addressed, officials said.

Evacuations

All homes, roads and properties within the following boundaries in Brantley County are under mandatory evacuation:

• North: Wayne County line
• South: Highway 82
• West: See map below
• East: Old Post Road

For information about evacuations and road closures in Brantley County, call the Sheriff’s Office at 912-674-5878 or 912-674-0195.

Glynn County (glynncounty.org/wildfires) evacuations include the following:

Voluntary Evacuation / Prepare to Leave

• Old Post Road to Highway 32
• Highway 32 to Thalman Park Lane
• Thalman Park Lane to Bladen Road
• Bladen Road to Old Post Road
• Alpine Road
• Gilley Road
• Boones Branch Road
• Sallie Cline Road
• Mauney Street
• Chelsea Circle
• Post Road north of Highway 82
• Old Post Road north of Highway 32

Residents in voluntary evacuation areas should prepare essential items and be ready to leave if conditions worsen.

Road closures

These road closures remain in effect:

Glynn County

• Highway 32 closed between Highway 301 and Highway 99 (GDOT)
• Highway 110 closed between Highway 32 and Highway 82 (GDOT)

Brantley County

• Mineral Springs
• Boots Harrison
• Mumford Road
• Crandall Road
• Hawthorne Road
• Browntown Road (from Hwy 82 to Wayne County line)
• Hwy 32 from Highway 110 W to Browntown Road
• Restricted Access (residents only)
• • Hwy 32 from Hwy 301 to Hwy 110 West
  • Hwy 32 – Post Rd to Browntown Rd NE (north of 32, east of Browntown Rd)
• Placard Access Only
• • Hwy 110 West from Hwy 82 to Hwy 32

Wayne County

• Manningtown Road at Ron Road
• Post Road at Ten Mile Road to Wayne-Brantley Line
• Wire Road to Brantley Line
• Mt. Pleasant Road at Browntown Road

“Do not attempt to enter closed or restricted areas,” the Sheriff’s Office warned. “We understand the importance of access, and we will provide updates as soon as assessments are complete and it is safe to reopen roadways.”

The Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia State Patrol are closely monitoring the smoke and fog conditions, which could cause intermittent closures of Highway 82 if visibility conditions deteriorate.

Closures

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area to avoid conflict between personal aircraft and firefighting efforts.

This includes all recreational and professional unmanned aircraft (drones).

Polls will be open at the normal location: Elections Office, 10305 N Main St., Nahunta, Ga. 31553.

Shelters

Glynn County has coordinated with the American Red Cross to establish a 24/7 shelter at Selden Park to support individuals affected by the fires in Brantley County.

The address is 100 Genoa Martin Drive, Brunswick, Georgia.

RELATED: Brantley High impact rally brings donations and support for families affected by ongoing wildfires | ‘Love on everybody’: How Brantley County is showing up for neighbors displaced by the Highway 82 Fire

The shelter will also have an air-conditioned mobile unit to house small pets (dogs/cats) in crates. Bedding and crates can be provided.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture Facebook page has listed evacuation locations for large animals.

Day shelters are also available at:

• Nahunta Methodist Church, 107 E Cleveland St, Nahunta
• Southside Baptist Church, 550 School St, Nahunt

Pets are only allowed at the Red Cross Shelter in Brunswick.

Donations

For those who want to help, the following locations are accepting donations:

• Brantley Gas, 114 Satilla Ave., Nahunta (new or gently used clothing, hangers, hygiene items, empty totes with lids)
• H&S Haulers, 125 Industrial Park, Nahunta (nonperishable items and pet food)
• Brantley County Family Connections, 10305 Main St., Nahunta (all donations)

RELATED: Want to help families affected by wildfires? Here’s how to be sure that fundraiser is real

The Brantley County Sheriff’s Office said donations can no longer be accepted at the command post at the airport.

“Moving forward, all donations will be coordinated through Brantley County Family Connection. They will serve as the central point for receiving and distributing donations to and from the Command Post to ensure everything is managed safely and efficiently‚” the Sheriff’s Office said.

For those who want to give a monetary donation, GoFundMe, the top crowdfunding online platform, has launched a centralized hub featuring campaigns for wildfire families that have been vetted by GoFundMe staff.

The Georgia Wildfire Relief Hub can be found at gofundme.com/communities/georgia-wildfire-relief-2026.

Air quality concerns

Smoke conditions can change quickly as wildfire activity and wind patterns shift. Residents should monitor air quality and take precautions when smoke is present.

Current Air Quality Resources

• AirNowCheck current air quality and smoke conditions in your area. View AirNow 

Sensitive groups should take precautions

• People with asthma
• COPD / respiratory conditions
• Heart conditions
• Older adults
• Children

Recommended actions

• Stay indoors when possible
• Keep windows and doors closed
• Run filtered air / HVAC if available
• Limit outdoor activity during heavy smoke
• Follow your provider’s guidance if symptoms worsen

The postseason switch sure got flipped against the rival Denver Nuggets, as the players promised all along. The energy and urgency was never greater than in the series-clinching Game 6 victory on Thursday, when the determined Timberwolves shook off the absence of their three best guards and beat the Nuggets 110-98.

“Still part of our growth,” coach Chris Finch said. “We’ve been really good with the high moments. Our consistency sometimes throughout the season isn’t always there, which we don’t really like about ourselves, but we know we have it in ourselves to meet these moments.”

Jaden McDaniels clearly does.

Nobody on the Timberwolves embodies the mercurial nature of this close-knit but often-moody team than McDaniels, the sixth-year forward who made a name for himself in this series.

Tirelessly chasing All-Star guard Jamal Murray around screens and everywhere he tried to go along the perimeter, limiting him to 4-for-17 shooting in Game 6, McDaniels did even more on the offensive end.

With a big chunk of the team's shot creation missing due to injuries to Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu, McDaniels went 13 for 25 from the floor for 32 points with 10 rebounds.

“What I was the most proud about him was just his emotional control, being able to stay poised, not overreact to adversity, calls or missed shots, or mistakes,” teammate Rudy Gobert said. "He stayed present, and he stepped up big time when we needed him the most, so I’m really, really proud of him.”

McDaniels tossed even more spice into this well-developed rivalry early in the series with his blanket “ bad defenders ” jab at the opponent, and he made no secret of the motivation he gets from seeing “Denver” or “Nuggets” sewed on the other team's jersey.

“The only thing I said to him, after he had made his comments, was, ‘Now it’s time to back it up,’” Finch said. “And talking doesn’t matter. You've got to go do it. I knew he was going to put the effort in, so he was ready for it, and he owned it, and he responded.”

McDaniels later irked Nuggets star Nikola Jokic by taking an uncontested layup in the closing seconds of Minnesota's blowout win in Game 4, sparking a brief shoving match.

McDaniels had his worst game of the series in the loss in Game 5 on Monday, when he was booed often by the Denver crowd, but he responded on his home court with one of the best games of his career.

With the Timberwolves trying to put away the game, McDaniels delivered the dagger shot — swishing his signature mid-range pull-up to give them a seven-point lead with 1:06 to play. Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Jokic gave McDaniels a hug after the final horn, a sign of respect from the three-time NBA MVP despite the irritation he caused all series long.

“I’m just happy it’s over, happy we were able to come out on top,” McDaniels said. “Stuff was said. I’m just happy we were all able to prove our point, get the win and move on to the next round.”

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs have been waiting. They'll host Game 1 on Monday.

“I figured the real winner of this series was going to be San Antonio, because both these teams were going to take a lot of pieces out of each other, and did,” Finch said. “So I’m not sure what we have left standing there before we go down there.”

Even if they're short-handed and overmatched, the Timberwolves are a good bet to put up a strong fight.

“You have to believe that you can win, no matter what,” Gobert said. "Obviously we’re missing some pretty important players, right? But no matter who’s out there, we believe in our defense. We believe in trusting one another. Anything’s possible.”

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

Jacksonville is home to one of the nation’s largest military populations, and the campaign aims to support enlisted service members with items they may not easily be able to buy while deployed or preparing to deploy.

“Help on the Homefront is going to be a month-long celebration. Military Appreciation Month is one of our favorite things here at Navy Federal,” Shareef White, a Navy Federal branch manager, said.

He said the credit union is asking members to donate personal care items, travel-size toiletries and snack foods to support enlisted service members.

USO staff said donated items will be assembled into individual care packages and handed directly to service members who are leaving on deployment.

“If they’re leaving on a deployment, we will actually hand them directly to the service members as they’re going, so that they can take that with them,” Zola Foret, USO senior center operations specialist, said.

“These are items that they can’t easily just go and purchase,” Erick Lallemand, USO operations manager, said. “So it’s really meaningful for them to be able to have these items on hand.”

Donation boxes are available at Navy Federal branches across Jacksonville. Organizers say volunteers and community members can drop off items during branch hours.

Suggested items include:

• Snack items: granola bars, fruit snack packs, macaroni and cheese, cookies, cup-of-soup, ramen noodles, Pop-Tarts, instant oatmeal, trail mix, canned chicken or tuna
• Personal care and hygiene: toothbrushes, toothpaste, wet wipes, deodorant, disposable razors, shaving cream, feminine hygiene products, hand sanitizer, eye drops, lip balm
• Travel-size toiletries and washcloths

News4JAX reporter Andrea Snody who serves in the Army National Guard said such donations provide more than supplies.

“When I was deployed overseas, I relied heavily on the USO for items I needed, or even a simple morale boost,” Snody said.

Organizers say the goal is to give service members a piece of home while they’re away — one care package at a time.

Herrera, who works two jobs at Atlanta's airport, never imagined he would own a home at the age of 27.

“It’s special. It’s magical,” he said.

In May, nearly 1,000 volunteers with Habitat for Humanity will complete Herrera's new home and 23 other affordable housing units in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills neighborhood for the 40th Carter Work Project.

The intensive, weeklong building sessions named after former President Jimmy Carter and his late wife Rosalynn have constructed roughly 5,000 homes in 14 countries since 1984. The project is returning to Atlanta for the first time since 1988, when the Carters helped construct 21 homes in another neighborhood.

Habitat is not just a homebuilder anymore

The Sylvan Hills construction also reflects a new shift into real estate development for Habitat for Humanity, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year amid a growing crisis in affordable housing and a broadening political battle over affordability more generally.

“The gap between what a family can afford and what it costs to create that unit of housing is the widest it has been in modern history,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of the international organization.

The nonprofit plans to serve as a developer on more of its projects because many smaller developers still haven’t recovered from the losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or have gone out of business altogether.

The Sylvan Hills project includes another first for Habitat

In Sylvan Hills, Habitat for Humanity is building on 8 acres (3 hectares) of land that it purchased in 2015. It also worked to get the site, which used to house a saw-blade manufacturer, rezoned for residential use. The 24 housing units will be a mix of single-family homes and townhomes, forming a new community called Langston Park. It's the first time Atlanta Habitat for Humanity will build multifamily townhomes.

“We do believe it’s important to get the best use out of every precious piece of land that we’re able to acquire and come by so that we can serve more families,” said Atlanta Habitat for Humanity President and CEO Rosalyn Merrick.

The homes in Langston Park will cost about $200,000 each to build. The new homeowners will pay a monthly mortgage based on their income, but Habitat does not charge them interest. The goal is to eventually build 40 more homes on the site.

Phileena Daniel, 27, also qualified to buy one of the homes. She and her 7-year-old son have struggled with housing over the past two years, including living in a unit infested with rats and roaches. She’s grateful for the stability a permanent home in Langston Park will bring.

“You know, sometimes we don’t see ourselves going far in life as young Black women in this society,” she said. “This is giving us an opportunity to expand.”

Habitat's shift earns praise

Habitat for Humanity’s move into community development is “a classic example of a nonprofit organization really trying to be responsive to community needs,” said Vincent Reina, urban economics and planning professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

“They can still be true to their core mission, which is advancing homeownership opportunities, but they are also acknowledging that we need a diverse set of housing solutions to really meet the needs of individuals,” said Reina, who is also founder and faculty director of the Housing Initiative at Penn.

High home prices and 30-year mortgage interest rates over 7% have made it impossible for even moderate-income households to afford a home in all but a handful of the 98 most expensive metro areas in the country, according to research published last year by Reina and Benjamin J. Keys, a Wharton real estate and finance professor.

That shift has made affordable housing a major issue around the country.

Congress steps in

In Congress, both the House and the Senate have passed different affordable housing bills. Lawmakers are working to reconcile differences to send a final bill to President Donald Trump for approval.

Trump has signed executive orders to reduce housing regulatory burdens and help smaller banks provide mortgages. His proposed 2027 budget, however, seeks cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the elimination of numerous community development programs that currently help cities build affordable housing.

Herrera is hopeful

Back in Atlanta, Herrera couldn't stop thinking about all the possibilities homeownership could unlock. His mother had breast cancer, and she and his father could come live with him if the need arose. A low, stable monthly payment for housing would also help him pursue his goal of owning a coffee shop. Herrera said rising rents in the Atlanta area had forced him to move previously, taking time and money away from that project.

“Now, I can finally take some risks,” he said.

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Gamboa reported from Cleveland. Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits 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. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

To some degree, he has. Gone are the social media video clips of now-retired Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino clashing with protesters. Mullin's predecessor, Kristi Noem, made her first trip as secretary to New York City to make arrests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In contrast, Mullin went to North Carolina to review hurricane recovery efforts.

The Republican administration appears to be recalibrating its approach to a centerpiece policy that helped bring Trump back to the White House, moving in many ways away from aggressive, public-facing tactics toward a quieter approach to enforcement. Despite that shift, the administration insists it is not backing down from its lofty deportation goals.

“Clearly they’ve stepped back from the, for want of a better word, the Bovinoist tactics of before," said Mark Krikorian, the president of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for immigration restrictions. "But it’s not clear this means they’re actually stepping back from immigration.”

The Trump administration launched a series of immigration enforcement operations last year in mostly Democratic-led cities, which drove up arrests in large-scale sweeps. The crackdown sparked clashes between protesters and enforcement officers and led to the shooting deaths in Minneapolis of two U.S. citizens.

Since then, the president’s hard-line anti-immigration agenda has lost popularity with voters and there have been no new high-profile city-based operations launched, raising questions about the administration's strategy.

“We’re still enforcing immigration laws. We’re still deporting illegals that shouldn’t be here. We’re still going after the worst of the worst — but we’re doing it in a more quiet way,” Mullin said in an interview April 16 with CNBC.

Immigration arrests have dropped, but deportation goals remain

ICE arrests have fallen in recent months, and the number of people in immigration detention has dropped from a high of roughly 72,000 in January to 58,000 this week, according to data obtained by The Associated Press.

But in a sign of its continued determination, ICE in budget documents says it plans to remove 1 million people this fiscal year and the next compared with roughly 442,000 people last year. The agency also has plenty of money to carry out its mission, with Congress granting the Department of Homeland Security more than $170 billion for Trump's immigration agenda last year.

The administration aims to have enough space to detain roughly 100,000 people this fiscal year, which would more than double the average daily number held in ICE detention last year. The administration has already expanded its detention capacity with the purchase of 11 warehouses across the country.

“They are working on really building a juggernaut of a system,” said Doris Meissner, who headed the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, a predecessor to ICE, during President Bill Clinton's Democratic administration and is now a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said there had been no change to Trump's strategy.

"President Trump’s highest priority has always been the deportation of illegal alien criminals who endanger American communities,” Jackson said.

ICE did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Stripping away legal protections to ramp up deportations

Advocates for immigrants are bracing for the Trump administration to turn its attention more intently to stripping away protections for migrants with temporary legal status to remain in the U.S. while their cases are being adjudicated.

In one example of this, the number of green cards approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services dropped by half over the course of a year under the Trump administration, according to an analysis by the Cato Institute, which supports immigration into the U.S. Humanitarian visas for refugees or people who qualified for asylum saw the biggest declines.

USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said the drop was due to increased vetting of applicants by the administration.

The Trump administration has also pushed to strip Temporary Protected Status from hundreds of thousands of people, with a key case weighing whether it's overstepped its power to do so being heard at the Supreme Court this week.

Advocates see it as a way to send a chilling message to immigrant communities and make more people vulnerable to deportation. It also enables the department to operate without the public spectacle of workplace raids or home arrests.

ICE has also focused over the past year on creating agreements with jurisdictions around the country that allow local and state law enforcement to carry out an expanding array of immigration enforcement tasks, ranging from checking the immigration status of people in their jails to incorporating immigration checks during routine traffic stops.

These agreements, known as 287g, have grown from 135 in 20 states before Trump took office to more than 1,400 in 41 states and territories now.

Some states, most noticeably Florida and Texas, have mandated various forms of cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE.

Meissner, from MPI, said Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, is likely to prioritize further discussions about how cities and states can cooperate with ICE.

“At the end of the day, some of this may very well succeed in increasing the numbers,” Meissner said.

Calls to enforce work restrictions

Conservatives who want more deportations say the only way to truly crack down on illegal immigration is to make it so difficult for the migrants to work that they’ll leave on their own.

The Trump administration has already taken steps to make life harder for people in the country illegally including limiting who can live in public housing by immigration status, sharing Medicaid information with ICE and requiring people in the country illegally to register with the federal government.

Krikorian, of the Center for Immigration Studies, said the Social Security Administration could send out letters alerting employers when an employee's name doesn't match their Social Security number. Authorities could repeatedly and consistently carry out audits of I-9 forms, which companies are supposed to fill out and submit to the federal government showing that new hires are legally able to work. And they could require banks to collect citizenship information on customers.

Whatever the strategy going forward, the administration is facing heavy pressure not to back away from its goals.

“The numbers are too low," said Mike Howell, part of the Mass Deportation Coalition, which launched a playbook for how the administration can actually get to a million deportations a year by using tactics such as worksite enforcement.

“The deportation numbers are just too low," Howell said, "and they need to be much higher, and they can be much higher.”

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This story has been corrected to show Meissner’s quote was “working on really building a juggernaut,” not “working really on building a juggernaut.”

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Will Weissert contributed to this report.

The China deal covers Africa's 20 largest economies, including South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Kenya. China had already dropped tariffs on 33 poorer African countries, meaning 53 of the continent's 54 nations are now eligible for “tariff-free treatment” for their goods, according to China.

The country not eligible is the small nation of Eswatini because it is the only one in Africa that maintains formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

China says it'll help mutual development

The Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council in China said the agreement would promote the common development of China and Africa. China's official Xinhua News Agency said a shipment of 24 metric tons of apples from South Africa that cleared customs in Shenzhen in the early hours of Friday was the first batch of goods to enter under the new zero-tariff policy.

According to Xinhua, China's Commerce Ministry said it would especially benefit African products like cocoa from Ivory Coast and Ghana, coffee and avocados from Kenya, and citrus fruits and wine from South Africa, which used to face tariffs of between 8% and 30%.

Ivory Coast is by far the world's biggest cocoa producer and it and Ghana account for more than 50% of the global supply. South Africa is a major citrus fruit exporter.

African nations looking away from the US

Several of Africa's top economies said they would look for new markets for some of their U.S.-bound products after the Trump administration imposed reciprocal tariffs a year ago — at one point with rates of 30% for Africa's leading economy, South Africa, and higher than 40% for some other African countries.

“South Africa looks forward to working with China in a friendly, pragmatic and flexible manner,” South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said in February during bilateral talks in China.

While the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump's far-reaching global tariffs as unconstitutional in February, the Republican president said his administration had "very powerful alternatives” and promptly rolled out temporary import taxes to replace them.

China is already the biggest trade partner for Africa, a continent of 1.5 billion people that's expected to nearly double to 2.5 billion by 2050, according to the United Nations, when it would have more than a quarter of the world's people.

China dominates a large trade imbalance with Africa

China hailed its tariff-free deal as promoting common development, but there is a large trade imbalance between it and Africa, while African nations owe Beijing billions in debt repayments.

China-Africa trade reached a record $348 billion in 2025, though China's exports to Africa increased by around 25% to $225 billion, while its imports from Africa increased by only around 5% to $123 billion, widening the trade deficit for Africa.

China has long imported raw materials from Africa and sent back manufactured goods. Thierry Pairault, a China-Africa expert at France's National Center for Scientific Research, said that while the new policy might have some benefits for agricultural products, most African raw material exports like oil and minerals already had tariff-free access to China.

“(Chinese leader) Xi Jinping is positioning China as the antithesis of Western protectionism. This gesture is intended to appeal to both African public opinion and global markets,” Pairault wrote in an assessment published by the China Global South Project, which analyzes China's relationship with poor countries.

But the policy “only applies where it costs (China) almost nothing,” Pairault wrote.

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

The trade deal was signed Jan. 17 at a meeting of the South American group. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's move to provisionally enact the deal, effectively sidestepping the EU Parliament, is being challenged by EU lawmakers at the bloc’s judiciary. The agreement will be halted if the European body rules against it.

“This is good news for EU businesses of all sizes, good news for our consumers and good news for our farmers, who will gain valuable new export opportunities, with full protection for sensitive sectors,” she said Thursday.

Von der Leyen is expected to hold a videoconference Friday with leaders of Mercosur nations Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to celebrate the agreement.

Earlier this week, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of the key supporters of the agreement, signed a decree validating the deal in his country. He said it is a response to unilateral tariffs imposed last year by U.S. President Donald Trump and a reaffirmation of multilateralism.

“Nothing better than believing in the exercise of democracy, in multilateralism, and in cordial relations between nations,” Lula said in a ceremony in the capital, Brasilia, to celebrate the milestone after more than 25 years of negotiations.

Last week, Brazil's vice president and one of the negotiators of the deal, Geraldo Alckmin, said in an interview with The Associated Press and other news agencies that not striking the deal with the EU would have meant staying behind while competitor nations made other agreements.

Brazil is by far Mercosur’s largest economy, with a gross domestic product estimated at over $2.3 trillion in 2025.

Lia Valls, an associate researcher at the think-tank Fundacao Getulio Vargas based in Rio de Janeiro, agrees that the deal offers better perspectives against unilateralism worldwide.

“The EU and Mercosur are showing that it is possible for big blocs to reach a deal in this world where that multilateral system is being very weakened and where the U.S. clearly operates to do that,” Valls told the AP. “It is a very positive sign.”

The agreement faced opposition from European farmers and environmental groups and was delayed in December, before being referred to the EU’s top court.

South American agribusiness industries, chiefly beef, fruit and minerals, are expecting a boost in exports to Europe. European automakers, pharmaceutical companies and technology firms also look forward to making new inroads in Mercosur markets.

While companies based in Mercosur countries have expressed fear of tough competition from European peers in hi-tech industries, European farmers have shown concerns about price pressures and imports that do not follow similar environmental standards.

French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the critics of the deal, has long demanded safeguards to monitor and stop large economic disruption in the EU, increased regulations in the Mercosur nations like pesticide restrictions, and more inspections of imports at EU ports.

The agreement gradually removes trade barriers and tariffs in the two blocs, but it also keeps economic safeguard clauses for European countries to protect some sectors from excessive competition, such as poultry, beef, sugar, and fruit.

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The king delivered a diplomatic master-class on the trip, mixing praise for his host with subtle criticism. It’s unclear, though, whether it will make a major difference to a trans-Atlantic relationship troubled by divisions over issues including the Iran war.

“In the short term probably yes, in the long term probably no,” said Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specializing in American history. But he said Charles had “definitely clawed back some of the prestige of the monarchy” in his homeland with his assured performance.

“He’s done us proud,” Allerfeldt said.

Like all royal visits, the four-day trip to Washington, New York and Virginia by the king and Queen Camilla was a carefully choreographed diplomatic event carried out at the request of the U.K. government. Timed to help mark the United States’ 250th birthday, it was a chance to heal rifts between the U.K. government and the Trump administration.

Trump has criticized Keir Starmer

The president has lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer –- whom he once praised –- over his unwillingness to join U.S. military attacks on Iran, dismissing Britain’s leader as “not Winston Churchill,” the World War II prime minister who coined the phrase “special relationship” for the U.K.-U.S. bond.

It’s part of a wider split between Trump and the United States’ NATO allies, whom he has called “cowards” and “useless” for not joining action against Iran.

None of that has soured Trump’s fondness for the British monarchy, which seems to have been deepened by the president’s unprecedented second state visit to the U.K. in September.

Some U.K. opposition politicians had called for the king's reciprocal trip to be canceled, lest the president do or say something to embarrass the monarch.

In the end, there was much warmth and few awkward moments –- though Trump did not always adhere to the convention that conversations with the monarch should remain private.

At a white-tie state dinner on Tuesday, Trump said “Charles agrees with me, even more than I do” that Iran must never have nuclear weapons.

Trump also said that “if that were up to him,” the king “would have followed the suggestions we made with respect to Ukraine.”

Buckingham Palace appeared relaxed about Trump’s Iran comment, noting that “the king is naturally mindful of his government’s longstanding and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”

The king’s speech chided Trump policies

On Ukraine, however, differences were clear. The U.K. has been one of Kyiv's strongest supporters in its fight against Russia’s invasion, and in a speech to Congress the king underscored the importance of the need for “unyielding resolve” to support Ukraine.

It was one of several implicit rebukes to the “America first” U.S. administration in the speech, the centerpiece moment of the trip.

With regal understatement and in a cut-glass accent, Charles stressed the essential role of NATO, the importance of checks on executive power, the threat posed by climate change and the strength drawn from “vibrant, diverse and free societies.” He spoke of his pride at having served in the Royal Navy, a force Trump has disparaged.

“It’s difficult to imagine he could have gone much further in what he said and what he didn’t say,” historian Anthony Seldon told The Guardian. “He judged it incredibly well: very brave, very smart, very clever.”

Allerfeldt noted the “extraordinary” reception from both sides of the political aisle to the speech, which drew multiple standing ovations.

“Apart from the section on the natural world and the environment, both Republicans and Democrats stood up and applauded,” he said.

In a less formal speech at the state banquet, the king even drew laughs when he joked about British troops burning down the White House in 1814.

The king alluded to Epstein's victims

The trip was judged a success despite the shadow of the king’s younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal title of Prince Andrew, exiled from public life and put under police investigation over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. He has denied committing any crimes.

Epstein victims had urged the king to meet with them and other sexual abuse survivors. He didn’t, but he did refer obliquely to the issue in his speech to Congress, mentioning the need to “support victims of some of the ills that, so tragically, exist in both our societies today.”

Andrew Lownie, author of a biography of the former Prince Andrew called “Entitled,” praised the speech as “the best defense of the monarchy in years.”

After the royal couple left the U.S., Trump announced he was lifting certain tariffs on Scotch “in honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom.”

Buckingham Palace toasted the announcement, saying the king “sends his sincere gratitude for a decision that will make an important difference to the British whisky industry and the livelihoods it supports.”

Trump called the king “a phenomenal representative” for his country, before turning back to a familiar theme: criticizing Starmer.

The president told Sky News that Charles is “a much different person than your prime minister.

“Your prime minister has to learn to deal the way he deals, and he’ll do a lot better,” he said.

The medical examiner ruled the cause of her death: “child compressed by power folding seat in a parked SUV.”

The tragedy triggered a recall by Hyundai of more than 68,000 of its 2026 Palisade SUVs equipped with “Limited” and “Calligraphy” trim packages and of its 2026 hybrid electric vehicles in the United States and Canada.

The News4JAX I-TEAM has uncovered several complaints were made about the Palisade’s seats months before Lucia died.

California mother, Ashley Groussman, told the I-TEAM that the same day she drove off the lot with her new 2026 Palisade in August 2025, her daughter started screaming when the second row seat folded down on top of the 9-year-old.

Groussman managed to pull her out but says she made multiple phone calls, sent emails, and texts alerting the dealership, writing “urgent safety concern,” “cannot be delayed,” this was “extremely dangerous,” and “my daughter was at risk of being crushed.”

Then on November 1, 2025, a Tennessee mother reported a close call to the dealership involving her child sitting in the second row, which she later reported to NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

On November 4, 2025, Hyundai opened a formal investigation.

Nine days later, in Ohio, a customer complained to NHTSA that a “person can be crushed…potentially pinning them in place or choking their neck” by a 2nd row seat that would not stop folding in a new Palisade.

Another report filed by a Washington state vehicle owner indicates a powered seat squished a person between the 2nd row seat and the door frame, describing it as “very painful.” When the SUV was tested at the dealership, the complainant told NHTSA even if someone tried to prevent the seat from closing “using excessive force” it will not stop, adding this is a safety concern for any passengers on the 2nd and 3rd rows, especially children.

Then in Oregon in December, a passenger reported being hurt after she was “pinned between the seat and the back of the front seat.” Also in mid-December, Hyundai officials in the U-S learned of two prior incidents in South Korea involving 3rd row seats, according to documents from NHTSA.

Hyundai reported that it began benchmark testing in January.

Six days after the March 7 death of 2-year-old Ayala in Ohio, Mandarin resident Ashlyn Elsner received an email from Hyundai warning her that the 2nd and 3rd row power seats in her new Palisade had an increased risk of serious injury or death to occupants.

“I have an 8-year-old and a 3-year-old, and they both ride in the second row,” she said.

She immediately stopped driving them in the SUV. The I-TEAM contacted Hyundai, asking why it did not issue a recall initially, given the timeline of previous reports. A spokesperson responded:

“Hyundai continuously reviews vehicle performance information from multiple sources, including customer and dealer feedback, field reports, and data from global markets. The first reports related to second-and third-row power seat operation were received between August and October 2025, and based on the information available at that time, those reports did not indicate the presence of a safety defect. A formal investigation was opened in November 2025 and included additional engineering analysis, benchmarking, and testing. When we received a report of a fatality on March 9, 2026, the investigation was immediately escalated, and we acted decisively.”

When we asked about complaints with the Palisade in South Korea, the spokesperson reported power seat operations were “assessed on severity, frequency and real-world context. Based on the information available prior to March 2026, those reports did not indicate a confirmed safety defect that warranted a recall.”

The I-TEAM also asked Hyundai what happened between the Ohio fatality on March 9 and the issuance of the recall on March 17. A spokesperson responded:

“Hyundai was made aware of the incident on March 9. We briefed NHTSA on March 11, halted sales of the affected vehicles on March 12 and submitted the official recall notification to NHTSA on March 17. The early reports were investigated promptly and assessed carefully. The emergence of a fatality report in March prompted immediate escalation and action, and we did not hesitate. A recall decision was made within three days of receiving that report.”

Recalls can be expensive and companies can base recalls on regulatory standards and independent testing, in addition to consumer complaints.

“They can be tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars,” Keith Barry, senior auto editor with Consumer Reports said. “You need to have a pattern sometimes to figure out what went wrong and the hope is that you can establish these things before there is a tragedy before something terrible takes place. I’m sure that NHTSA and I’m sure that Hyundai are going to look into the process that did or didn’t take place here. It’s rare that a recall will happen in response to a tragedy versus trying to prevent that tragedy.”

Barry also added that if any driver has a safety concern about their vehicle they should notify the dealer, report it to the automaker, and contact NHTSA, since it regulates automakers. He says you should contact all three not just one.

The News4JAX I-TEAM asked NHTSA about its recall process, and whether the agency can force a recall based on reports of potential dangers, prior to an automaker initiating a recall. NHTSA officials told us that the agency has the authority to make a determination that a vehicle contains a safety-related defect, based on its review and assessment of testing, inspection, investigation, research, and other information and data. Federal rules then require several additional steps, including a response from the manufacturer and public comment, before potentially issuing a formal order to remedy the defect.

However, the lengthy administrative process to order a recall is rarely invoked, because NHTSA either influences the initiation of a recall through its work with a manufacturer, or learns that the information is insufficient to support a safety defect determination. For more on NHTSA’s risk-based investigations and recalls process, please see this brochure.

NHTSA encourages owners to contact the agency with any safety-related concerns via its website or by calling the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Hyundai says the problem with its 2nd and 3rd row seats can be fixed with a software update, which is now available through an active BlueLink subscription or it can be installed at a Hyundai dealership.

For that, Palou has earned a multi-year contract extension on his current deal that ran through the 2027 season. The extension was finalized following this week's two-day Indianapolis 500 test. Ganassi never publicly discloses contract terms.

The reward capped a celebratory week for Palou, who drove into Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the defending Indy 500 winner for testing and saw a larger-than-life banner of himself chugging the traditional winner’s milk. It’s the main banner as you enter the speedway — key placement he’d seen reserved for rival drivers the previous six years.

“I took a picture when I was driving by and sent it to my parents,” Palou said.

Palou has won four IndyCar championships in five years, including the last three consecutive titles. He won eight times last season, including the 500, as he's blossomed in IndyCar since joining Ganassi in 2021.

Ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix two weeks ago, former Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi was asked if anything had surprised him through the first quarter of the season. His response was immediate: “Yeah, that Alex has only won two races. And isn’t the points leader.”

Palou responded by winning Long Beach to give him three wins through five races this year and reclaim the top spot in the championship standings.

“It’s incredible, actually amazing,” said rival driver Will Power, a two-time IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about the last week or so because once again, he’s gone out and won three out of five races. I mean (Kyle) Kirkwood's average finish is like three-point-something and he’s not leading the championship, which is insane.

"So it’s something I’m absolutely, like, how is he doing that week in, week out? Well, it’s one, he’s qualifying well. Two is he executes in the race and three is the pit stops, you know, top notch, there’s no mistakes in there. And he’s fast. So that’s what it takes when you’re driving out there.”

His 22 career victories through 103 starts ranks fifth in 121 years of IndyCar history. Sebastien Bourdais won 31 times in that span in the diluted Champ Car era, A.J. Foyt won 30, Mario Andretti 27 and Ralph DePalma 26.

Palou’s four titles already match Andretti and Bourdais, and in the post-World War II era, Palou’s 61 top-five finishes in his 103 starts trails only Andretti, who had 64.

Dario Franchitti, a four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indy 500 winner, is now a driver coach and consultant for Ganassi. He believes there hasn’t been a driver this dominant in the series since Alex Zanardi, who won 12 races and back-to-back titles for Ganassi in 1997 and 1998.

“Winning one championship is one thing, but then the subsequent ones, it gets progressively more difficult,” Franchitti said. "Just watching what he's done, and at this early stage in his career, it's something very special. And the level of domination, that's the icing on the cake.

“You feel sorry for the others. I've said to him a number of times, ‘I would have hated racing against you.’ He is the complete package.”

At Long Beach last month, rival driver Pato O'Ward conceded his McLaren team has not closed the gap at all on Palou and the No. 10 Ganassi team.

“The guy goes into every weekend being able to win. Honestly, it's impressive to see,” O'Ward said. “The gap is as big as its been and we're working hard to try to be at the level he is of being able to win every race, but we don't have that.”

Connor Daly believes the domination is a combination of Palou's flawless performances and the strength of his race team.

“Alex is very good, but that team when they’re called upon, they don’t make mistakes and that is what is so important about this game,” Daly said. “Everything has to be, everyone has to be on the same page and he is, like without a doubt, one of the best drivers in the world right now.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Saturday will be a Weather Authority Alert Day due to the threat of strong to severe storms with damaging wind from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Categorically, the threat of damaging wind is 15 percent. The wind will be uniform in direction, which could lead to strong downbursts, but keeps the risk of tornadoes at 2 percent or less. An area of low pressure will move across our area during the transition the warm front to the cold front. This added lift could lead to hail in stronger storms. The threat level for hail is 5 percent.

Prefrontal showers and areas of rain will develop ahead of the front early tomorrow morning for southeast Georgia. The broken squall line will approach southeast Georgia from around 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. The front will continue to move south, across northeast Florida from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. Scattered showers will linger through around 8 p.m. – 10 p.m., followed by clearing skies and cooler temperatures.

Models are holding steady on rainfall totals of 0.50 – 1.5 inches with isolated areas of 2-3 inches.

Skies will clear on Sunday with a steady northeast wind and cooler temperatures. Less than seasonal temperatures will start the week with lighter wind on Monday.

It’s a great weekend for the Weather Authority App.

Game 1 of a Western Conference semifinal series between San Antonio and Minnesota — which ousted Denver — will be Monday night in Texas.

It'll be the third series between the franchises, after the Spurs beat the Timberwolves in both 1999 and 2001. Both of those were first-round, best-of-five matchups where San Antonio prevailed in four games.

New York is through to Round 2 as well, after a 51-point rout in Atlanta eliminated the Hawks.

The Knicks await the Philadelphia-Boston winner; that series is going to Game 7, after the 76ers staved off elimination yet again with a win on Thursday night. The Timberwolves are about to enter a showdown of French centers — Rudy Gobert for Minnesota, Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs.

On Friday, Detroit (trailing 3-2) plays at Orlando, Cleveland (up 3-2) goes to Toronto and the Los Angeles Lakers (up 3-2 after losing closeout chances in Games 4 and 5) head to Houston.

Friday's schedule

— Game 6, Detroit at Orlando, 7 p.m. EDT (Prime)

Series: Orlando, 3-2.

Odds: Detroit by 3.5.

Eighth-seeded Orlando let a 3-1 lead slip away against top-seeded Detroit in Round 1 in 2003. The Magic get another chance Friday night to ensure that such a fate won’t happen again this time.

— Game 6, Cleveland at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. EDT (Prime)

Series: Cleveland, 3-2.

Odds: Cleveland by 3.5.

The Raptors pushed Cleveland to the limit in Game 5 even with Brandon Ingram (heel) limited to one point in 11 minutes. The Cavaliers went 18 of 36 from 3-point range to win Game 5 at home.

— Game 6, LA Lakers at Houston, 9:30 p.m. EDT (Prime)

Series: Lakers, 3-2.

Odds: Houston by 3.5.

The Lakers are 0-2 in closeout chances in this series, and a Rockets team that isn’t lacking for swagger suddenly looks to be brimming with confidence. Lakers do not seem to be panicked, yet.

Saturday's schedule

— Game 7, Philadelphia at Boston, 7:30 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)

Series: Tied, 3-3.

Odds: Boston by 7.5.

The Celtics are 27-10 all-time in Game 7s, the 76ers are 6-12 in such games and are 0-4 in them since 2001. It'll be the ninth Game 7 between these two franchises, with Boston going 6-2 in the previous ones.

Thursday recaps

— Knicks 140, Hawks 89 to win series 4-2. Inside NY's numbers, and Atlanta's collapse.

— 76ers 106, Celtics 93 to even series at 3-3. George goes from ‘rock bottom’ to Game 7.

— Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 98 to win series 4-2. Nikola Jokic wants to stay in Denver.

Awards watch

A breakdown of this season's NBA awards:

— Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year: DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans.

— Hustle Award: Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte.

— Defensive Player of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.

— Clutch Player of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City.

— Sixth Man of the Year: Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.

— Sportsmanship Award: Derrick White, Boston.

— Most Improved Player: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta.

— Rookie of the Year: Cooper Flagg, Dallas.

— Executive of the Year: Brad Stevens, Boston.

Among the announcements still to come:

— Most Valuable Player: Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama or Denver's Nikola Jokic.

— Coach of the Year: Detroit's J.B. Bickerstaff, San Antonio's Mitch Johnson or Boston's Joe Mazzulla.

Betting odds

Defending champion Oklahoma City (-130) is favored to win the NBA title, oddsmakers say.

The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+425), Boston (+600), Cleveland (+1300), New York (+1800), the Los Angeles Lakers (+2500) and Detroit (+3500). Philadelphia (+12500) is next, followed by Minnesota (+20000).

Orlando, even with a 3-2 series lead on Detroit, entered Friday at +25000. The only teams that entered Friday with longer odds than the Magic were Houston (+50000) and Toronto (+100000).

Key dates

— Sunday, Monday and/or Tuesday: Conference semifinals begin.

— May 10: NBA draft lottery.

— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.

— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.

— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.

— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).

— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft

— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft

Quote of the day

“If we were in Serbia, we would all get fired." — Denver's Nikola Jokic, after the Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs by short-handed Minnesota.

Stats of the day

— Boston led by five on Thursday, then lost by 13. Denver led by five on Thursday, then lost by 12. Atlanta led by four on Thursday ... then lost by 51.

— The Knicks are the first reigning NBA Cup champion to win a playoff series. The Los Angeles Lakers (the 2023 Cup champs) and the Milwaukee Bucks (the 2024 Cup champs) both lost in Round 1 of those season's playoffs.

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

One of the world's most sprawling and populated urban areas, at 3,000 square miles (about 7,800 square kilometers) and some 22 million people, the Mexican capital and surrounding cities were built atop an ancient lake bed. Many downtown streets were once canals, a tradition that continues in the rural fringes.

Extensive groundwater pumping and urban development have dramatically shrunk the aquifer, meaning that Mexico City has been sinking for more than a century, leaving many monuments and older buildings — like the Metropolitan Cathedral, where construction began in 1573 — visibly tilted to the side. The contracting aquifer has also contributed to a chronic water crisis that is only expected to worsen.

“It damages part of the critical infrastructure of Mexico City, such as the subway, the drainage system, the water, the potable water system, housing and streets,” said Enrique Cabral, a researcher studying geophysics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. “It’s a very big problem.”

Mexico City is sinking so fast that the subsidence can be spotted from space.

In some parts it is happening at an average rate of 0.78 inches (2 centimeters) a month, according to NASA’s newly released report, such as at the main airport and the iconic monument commonly known as the Angel of Independence.

Overall that means a yearly subsidence rate of about 9.5 inches (24 centimeters). Over the course of less than a century, the drop has been more than 39 feet (12 meters), according to Cabral.

“We have one of the fastest velocities of land subsidence in the whole world,” he said.

The NASA estimates are based on measurements taken between October 2025 and January 2026 by a powerful satellite known as NISAR, which can track real-time changes on the Earth’s surface and is a joint initiative between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization.

NISAR scientist Paul Rosen said that by capturing details of the Earth from space, the project is also “telling us something about what’s actually happening below the surface.”

“It’s basically documentation of all of these changes within a city,” Rosen said. He added: “You can see the full magnitude of the problem.”

With time the team hopes to be able to zoom in even more on specific areas and someday get measurements on a building-by-building basis.

More broadly, researchers hope to apply the technology around the world to track things like natural disasters, changes in fault lines, the effects of climate change in regions like Antarctica and more.

Rosen said it could be used to bolster alert systems, letting scientists alert governments to the need for evacuations in cases of volcano eruptions, for example.

For Mexico City the technology amounts to a big advance in studying the subsidence issue and mitigating its worst effects, according to Cabral.

For decades the government has largely ignored the problem other than stabilizing foundations under monuments like the cathedral. But following recent flare-ups of the water crisis, Cabral said, officials have begun to fund more research.

Imagery from the NISAR satellite and the data that comes with it will be key for scientists and officials as they plan on how to address the problem.

“To do long-term mitigation of the situation,” Cabral said, “the first step is to just understand.”

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It was already decided when the scuffle took place. OG Anunoby extended the Knicks' lead to 50 points with a pair of free throws and 4:39 remaining in the first half.

Robinson boxed out Daniels and things got heated, with an official even taking a tumble as many people tried to calm them down. The Hawks' Onyeka Okongwu and the Knicks' Jalen Brunson held Robinson back as the fight inched toward fans sitting courtside.

“It’s tough because when you’re up that big, stuff happens," Knicks coach Mike Brown said after New York's 140-89 series-clinching win. “If somebody feels like something that shouldn’t happen to them happened, it’s hard to keep your composure in that moment.”

Nickeil Alexander-Walker and several coaches pulled Daniels away, including Hawks head coach Quin Snyder.

It was easy to understand why the Hawks were frustrated. Atlanta's 83-36 deficit was the largest at halftime in NBA playoff history.

“I couldn’t see the details of the situation, who did what to whom," Snyder said. “I know that both teams were competing and they were having their way with us on many, many levels — as evidenced by the scoreboard.”

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

Instead, she gave the Indiana Fever and fans a scare Thursday night.

Clark crumpled to the ground early in the third quarter when Dallas forward Alanna Smith collided with her leg on a shot attempt, and then limped toward the bench as she walked off the injury during a replay review that resulted in a Flagrant 1 call. The two-time All-Star then made two free throws before departing and watching the rest of the game from the bench.

“I feel good. I just landed on my kneecap really hard,” Clark said after scoring 21 points in a 95-80 loss to the Wings. “I know there's a committee of people that really wanted them (the refs) to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of that. Honestly, I thought the refs were great, and it's preseason so you're probably going to see more fouls called. I expect that number to drop. But I think overall, it's going to improve the product.”

Initially, it looked as if little had changed since Clark last suited up in Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 13, when the Fever beat Dallas.

The pregame autograph line snaked through the seats, the No. 22 jerseys and Clark T-shirts were as fashionable Thursday night as they were during her record-breaking rookie season, and, naturally, Clark was greeted with the usual loud cheers during player introductions.

Sure, it was only a preseason game, but it did feature the league's last two Rookie of the Year award winners — Clark and Paige Bueckers. Yet Fever fans had been yearning for this moment since Clark went down July 15 with a right groin injury that forced her to miss the All-Star Game and the All-Star weekend festivities in Indianapolis, as well as Indiana's final 22 regular-season games and its incredible run to the WNBA semifinals.

The long absence only made Thursday's game an even bigger deal.

“This is the first (Fever) game I've been to — ever,” said Nikki Niccun, dressed in a No. 22 jersey. “I've seen every one on TV, but this is the first time in person. I know it's a preseason game, but I'm excited."

Clark first returned to the court for Team USA in the FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying games in early March, then helped the Fever open the preseason with a 109-91 victory at New York despite a 2-for-10 shooting performance.

This time, Clark looked more like herself. She scored 14 of her 21 points in the first quarter, had four assists, three turnovers and two rebounds while going 4 of 6 from the field and 11 of 13 at the free throw line in 16 minutes.

“We had planned for her to come out about that time anyway," coach Stephanie White said. “It was just an extra precaution getting her out in that moment, but the plan was for her to start the third quarter and then get her out quickly.”

White also held out All-Star center Aliyah Boston for the second straight game because of a lower leg injury. All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell finished with 10 points in 17 minutes.

Not everyone came to see Clark, though.

A smattering of fans also showed up in Bueckers jerseys, and she dazzled the crowd by scoring 20 points in 20 minutes on 8-of-12 shooting. Rookie Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall draft pick, added four points in 16 minutes as the Wings used a 22-5 second quarter run to seize control with a 53-26 lead. They never trailed again.

Whether that's an indication one of last season's 10-win teams could be headed for major improvement remains to be seen.

And though there were plenty of empty seats Thursday night, a rarity when Clark takes the stage, longtime Clark admirers welcomed the chance to get an early look at what they anticipate will be a big season.

“They're going to bounce back,” Niccun said. “We're going to be all right.”

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

The tax accountant said he “got the same high” on those platforms that he got from gambling. “That was how I relapsed — with Kalshi and Polymarket. I lost a bunch of money.”

The rapid growth of prediction markets has sparked a high-stakes debate that is playing out in courts and legislatures all over the country. Operators of those companies believe they should be regulated like the stock exchange because of federal law and their customer-to-customer structure, while sportsbooks and state officials think they should be supervised the same way as sports gambling platforms.

While that argument continues with no sign of resolution, the clinicians who treat gambling disorders are more concerned about what they are seeing with their patients. In their spaces, when it comes to sports gambling and prediction markets, the end result is virtually the same.

Two gambling addicts who spoke to The Associated Press — the soccer coach and tax accountant — say they had relapses on prediction markets after they took legal action to protect themselves from the allure of sports betting. They are being identified by their occupations because of the sensitivity of their situations. Their stories reflect what experts say they see with some of their clients.

“There may be real differences in how these products are defined or regulated, but in the therapy room, we are often seeing the same cycle of anticipation, action and reaction play out again and again,” said Dr. Cynthia Grant, the vice president of clinical for Birches Health, which operates a national network of providers for treating gambling addiction.

“I sometimes think of it like different doors into the same room. The label on the door may change, but once someone’s inside, the experience can feel very familiar.”

The road from sportsbooks to prediction markets

Sportsbooks and prediction markets offer a lot of similar options. Wagers on games, individual performances and other possibilities. But the format is different.

Sportsbooks have in-house experts who set odds that dictate payouts for winning bets. It's the house versus the gamblers. Traders on predictions markets swap contracts of yes-or-no questions, and profits and losses are dictated by the market. Win a “yes” holding on an event contract where most of the market guessed “no,” and the payout is bigger. Prediction markets generally make money through fees on contracts.

For addicts, they are two paths to the same result.

The soccer coach who spoke to the AP started gambling when he was 16. Small bets against friends in his New York neighborhood, everything from cards to basketball and tennis. When he turned 18, he started going to casinos and making bets at sportsbooks. Amid mounting losses, he turned to prediction markets.

“I would be in all this debt and get a paycheck for $2,000 on a Friday and it would be gone by Saturday or Sunday,” said the coach, 21. “I wouldn’t have money to fill up my gas tank.”

He was struggling with loans and maxed-out credit cards while working and going to college before he stepped away in January to confront his addiction problems, which also included smoking marijuana.

He joined Gamblers Anonymous, and he was told he had to stop associating with people who gamble.

“For a younger crowd, that’s difficult because it’s everywhere,” the coach said. “My friends from childhood — most of them all gamble."

The coach and the tax accountant had formally self-excluded from sportsbooks before they started trading on prediction markets. Self-exclusion programs provide an opportunity for gamblers to ban themselves from gambling facilities and betting apps. They are offered in many states as part of gambling regulations, but there is no widely adopted national system.

The landscape for self-exclusion programs becomes even more fragmented when predictions markets are included. Kalshi started a voluntary opt-out program when it launched a customer protection hub in March 2025, and it's one of several platforms — including Polymarket — collaborating on a national self-exclusion program for prediction markets. But it's not clear if that program would ever overlap with the systems used by state gambling regulators.

The accountant, 33, said his gambling problems started after New York launched legalized mobile sports betting in January 2022. He had “a boatload of debt” in August 2023 when he told his then-fiancée about what was going on with him.

She married him anyway. Looking to save money after the wedding, they moved into a rental house owned by his parents. He self-excluded from sportsbooks. Then, after the couple lost their first pregnancy, the accountant started day-trading before signing up for Kalshi.

“Prediction markets are the same thing packaged in a different way,” the accountant said. “It’s a dangerous loophole. ... How can you do all that and say you’re not a sportsbook?”

Tennis was his go-to sport — he liked the speed of the matches — before he went to rehab in Virginia last year.

He had a relapse in December when he downloaded Polymarket and made a free $10 wager. He was confronted by his wife, who had his email connected to her phone and reached out to his sponsor.

While there has been no substantive research into the effect of prediction markets on sports gambling addiction, the experiences of the coach and the accountant are not uncommon for treatment experts.

“You’re seeing a lot of the same behaviors, whether it’s a prediction market or it’s gambling,” said Jody Bechtold, the CEO of The Better Institute, a Pennsylvania practice that works with people impacted by gambling disorders. “You’re seeing, you know, wagering more and more. Chasing losses, so ‘Oh, today was a bad day, I have to work tomorrow at the prediction markets to get my money back.’ ... The lies, the secrecy, and that it’s impacting everyday life.”

Kalshi spokeswoman Elisabeth Diana highlighted its programs for responsible trading — such as trading breaks and self-limits — and said it's working on other measures to further facilitate healthy trading behavior.

Compared to casinos, Diana said, Kalshi is “fairer, more transparent, and less predatory.”

"There is no house that wins when customers lose,” she said. "This means that Kalshi doesn’t hook losers and penalize winners.”

A message was left seeking comment from Polymarket.

Event contracts are increasingly popular on prediction markets

Sports have become a major category for prediction markets. Kalshi had more than $2 billion in total trading volume on this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament, according to Diana. Michigan’s 69-63 victory over Connecticut in the championship had $10.6 million in volume on Polymarket.

The U.S. market for sports-focused event contracts could grow to approximately $1.1 trillion in annual volume, according to a Bank of America report.

“A year ago, if you said prediction markets, I mean I don’t know what that is, I don’t see it,” said Dr. Timothy Fong, the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. “Now we’re starting to see it more and more in our patients that come into the clinic. And it’s usually not one, it’s multiple platforms they’re betting on, right? ... When you have something that’s available, that’s accessible, that’s anonymous, is super easy to use, multiple times in a day, of course that’s going to raise the risk of addiction for any human on Earth.”

There are multiple ongoing lawsuits involving states and prediction markets, and the ramifications of the legal dispute are being felt on a variety of levels.

Marlene Warner, the CEO of the Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health — a private nonprofit health organization that provides educational programs on gambling along with other services — said the situation with prediction markets “feels a bit like the wild, wild west right now.”

“We’re very used to like going to our state regulator or, you know, seeing a process go through where all of a sudden now you’re like, ‘OK, a piece of legislation has outlined what is appropriate for a licensed sports betting operator to do,’" Warner said. “And then you see the regulation come into place. And so you can track it. But right now, nobody knows kind of what the limits are.”

In most states with legal sports gambling, it is limited to ages 21 and older, while prediction markets are open for 18- to 20-year-olds with some exceptions. Prediction markets also have a presence in states where sports betting is illegal, including Texas and California.

“I don’t know enough frankly, we don’t know enough, nothing’s been studied about them, I can’t tell you whether they’re more less or exactly the same in terms of risk level,” Warner said. “But what I do know is they're in a very gray, unregulated space and that alone makes it difficult.”

Prediction markets fall under the jurisdiction of the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which has a regulation that prohibits an event contract “that involves, relates to, or references terrorism, assassination, war, gaming, or an activity that is unlawful under any state or federal law.”

CFTC chairman Michael Selig is backing prediction markets in their legal proceedings against several states, asserting the commission's “exclusive jurisdiction over these markets.”

While that argument continues, the soccer coach and tax accountant are rebuilding their lives — while doing their best to stay vigilant with their addictions.

“You have to face this stuff or it just keeps getting worse,” the coach said.

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

___

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

In a post shared on the sheriff’s office Facebook page, deputies said the agency will never call someone and ask them to pay bond money over the phone.

The sheriff’s office says if you get a call like that:

• Don’t share personal information or send any payment
• Hang up immediately
• Block the number

Deputies are also encouraging people to share the warning with friends and family to help prevent others from becoming victims.

Firefighters are steadily getting a handle on the Highway 82 Fire, which has now grown to 22,532 acres and is 37% contained. But officials have repeatedly warned that the danger is not over yet.

The person is “believed to be involved” in the bank robbery in Berea on Thursday, Trooper Justin Kearney posted online.

A man wearing a gray-white hoodie, gloves and a mask entered a branch of U.S. Bank in Berea and shot a male and female employee on Thursday, state police said.

Law enforcement officials went door to door in search of information and surveillance video, as well as using helicopters, drones and dogs. The Lexington Police Department and county sheriff’s offices took part in the search, along with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“This was a team effort,” Kearney posted Friday morning.

He did not provide further details.

Area schools went into lockdown for a while Thursday until campuses were deemed safe. Students were not allowed to go home on buses and had to be picked up by their parents, state police said.

U.S. Bank said it was working closely with law enforcement and committed to supporting the victims' families and bank colleagues.

“We’re deeply saddened by the tragic event that took the lives of two of our employees at our Berea, Kentucky branch earlier today,” the company said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, our colleagues and the entire Berea community.”

Berea is about 36 miles (58 kilometers) south of Lexington.

Last weekend Fisher took the stage in a former Presbyterian church that he bought for a song and converted into a performance space and recording studio he calls Ragamuffin Hall, in the rural Pennsylvania community of McCoysville.

Fisher performed two sold-out concerts with Ben and Rose Stoltzfus, a married couple whose Amish background and church choir harmonies have drawn millions of YouTube clicks. It was a sort of warmup for shows they're playing together in the coming months at much larger theaters in Pennsylvania and Indiana.

“Ragamuffin Hall,” Fisher said, "is supposed to be a place where those weird things that'll get you ostracized everywhere else, we're like, 'Oh, no, that's a gift. And here's how you use it.'”

Fisher's parents were both raised in Amish families but his father joined a Mennonite congregation as a young adult. Among the Mennonite churches Fisher attended as a boy, musical instruments were rarely used.

Nonetheless, his father was a fan of Johnny Cash and didn't look too closely at what was on Fisher's MP3 player. When Fisher's brother came home from a camping trip with a mix CD featuring Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and the Beach Boys, it changed his life.

“It blew my mind, right?” Fisher, now 31, recalled. He started learning keyboards and then guitar, bass and drums before adding music production — “mostly because I was dead set on making a living with music.”

“My buddies would be like, ‘Hey, I wrote a song for my girlfriend. Can you do a track?' And I’m like, sure.”

Recording in a converted church

He moved to Tennessee as a young adult and for three years immersed himself in the songwriting industry — the Oak Ridge Boys even recorded one of his tunes. But the road life didn't suit him — particularly bar gigs.

“There's drinking and carrying on,” Fisher said. “It's just not me. I'm not a prude, but I just don't enjoy that scene.”

Fisher considers his wife and three children his main priority and he remains a faithful Mennonite — his pastor once asked him why he didn’t just start a cabinetry business and launch a prison ministry. Yet his music production work eventually grew to the point three years ago that he could stop working as a carpenter.

In 2022, Fisher learned an old brick church several miles from his home was up for sale. After he laid out his vision for making it into a music incubator, they sold it to him below market value.

Musicians now regularly find their way to Ragamuffin Hall, mostly to record “clean country music" and rootsy bluegrass with a heavy dose of gospel. The acts he's recorded include an Amish man who played steel guitar with his son's band, a musician who drove for hours from Missouri and an Amish band from Ohio.

Last Saturday, he sprinkled his own songs between tunes made popular by Waylon Jennings, Alison Krauss and Don Williams. After a short set by Fisher's five-piece band, they stayed on stage to back up Ben and Rose. Fisher used an electric guitar fashioned from a beam recovered during his renovations of a church stairwell.

The overwhelmingly white matinee crowd consisted mostly of older people and included several of the musicians' family members. Downstairs, Ragamuffin Hall T-shirts were for sale alongside $3 homemade whoopie pies, a regionally ubiquitous Pennsylvania Dutch dessert.

A paradigm shift on stage

The insular culture and unadorned lives of conservative Anabaptist people aren't often associated with music, but Amish sacred music dates back half a millennium. Their 900-page hymnal — the “Ausbund” — was composed in part by Anabaptist prisoners in 16th century Germany and is still used today.

Fisher’s Amish roots and ability to speak Pennsylvania Dutch, the Old Order Amish dialect, has helped build rapport with likeminded musicians.

But Amish church music is almost always group singing only, without instruments or soloists. And the community generally discourages public performances and other “acts of pride.”

“There's a lot of great talent in that community that goes undeveloped because," Fisher said — using a Pennsylvania German phrase — "that's just, ‘we don’t do that,' you know.”

That's the sort of pushback he received in February after uploading a rollicking, live version of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” to YouTube. Fisher felt compelled to respond.

“I'm a believer, I'm a man of faith, and I'm not ashamed of that,” he replied in a video message. “But I do play a lot of different kinds of music, just like, you know, if you're a shed builder you build sheds for all kinds of people, not just churches and schools.”

Elam Stoltzfus, director of the Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, said it was “one of the shocks of my life” to attend a charity fundraiser last year at a farm where Ben and Rose performed. (Stoltzfus is a common name among the Amish.) There were bright lights, a video screen, barbecued chicken and vendors selling T-shirts, CDs and books.

Stoltzfus, whose family left the Old Order in the mid-1960s when he was 10, said the gathering was packed with Mennonite and Amish people. They weren’t dancing, but they did clap.

“I was thrilled to see this happen, because I knew this was a paradigm shift," he said. “When I was a teenager, it would never have happened.”

Legions of fans on social media

Amos Raber, of Goshen, Indiana, also grew up in a “horse and buggy” Amish family and considered himself Amish until he turned 22. Nowadays, he supports his family with concert performances and revenues garnered from what he says are millions of clicks a month on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and Facebook.

In recent decades, Raber said, he's seen Amish youth increasingly come together with guitars to sing. But they can still run up against prohibitions on public performances.

“Most times, if you see someone who's really Amish doing that kind of thing, they're probably not going to be Amish long,” Raber said. Since they began recording and performing music, Ben and Rose have left their Amish church and joined a different Christian congregation. They declined comment for this story.

LeRoy Stoltzfus, a singer-songwriter living near Lancaster, was 13 when his family left the Amish church. He said changes in the Lancaster Amish settlement in recent years have made it easier for people to leave without losing contact with families and friends, a process called “shunning” that has long fascinated outsiders.

After years of playing guitar as a church worship leader and after spending four years at a Colorado Bible college, he's now making a living as a musician, stitching together concerts with online ad revenue and recordings for a fan base that includes many Amish and formerly Amish people.

“Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a star,” LeRoy Stoltzfus said. “But the older I got, I realized it wasn't about me — it was about putting out music and helping people.”

‘I would have laughed at you’

Justin Hiltner, a Nashville-based banjo player and songwriter who serves as managing editor of the roots music blog “The Bluegrass Situation,” said after delving into the music he was impressed with its quality. He said he also got the sense that Ben and Rose and Conrad Fisher and the others are building a musical community.

“This is clearly not just insular music that’s just facing other Amish folks or other Mennonite folks,” Hiltner said. “Clearly it’s ‘broken containment’ here.”

Hiltner called the music -- and Fisher’s videos -- “really compelling.”

“To kind of an outsider, this is the performance of American essentialism, the rural American ideal, right?” said Hiltner. “I did hear a level of talent that’s very clearly pushing and pulling these folks towards bringing their music to a wider audience.”

Religiously conservative musicians can market their recordings through a network of bookstores across the U.S. and Canada. At one of them, Ken’s Educational Joys in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, racks of CDs are sold alongside a floor-to-ceiling selection of Bibles.

Proprietor Lydell Zimmerman said his biggest music sellers are a cappella recordings, but he's noticed Ben and Rose have drawn a real following.

“I think their presence as an Amish couple singing online is what brought people’s attention to them,” Zimmerman said.

Ben and Rose came to Fisher's studio when Ben's brother, a friend of Fisher's from Lancaster, booked a session there.

He realized right away Ben and Rose had talent. Tapping into Fisher’s production skills, they've amassed more than 30 million views for their videos on YouTube. Eventually he proposed some live shows and the couple agreed.

“I started recording when I was 14,” Fisher said. “If you would have told me two years ago that what's going to put me on the map or boost my business in a big way, it's going to be an Old Order Amish couple, I would have laughed at you.”

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

All-night sessions. Hours of dead zones with no action on the floor. Legislation being written on the fly, behind closed doors. Sudden votes scheduled. Spectacular failures. And, as happened this week, stunning turnarounds in which the House actually passes bills.

"Sometimes it’s an ugly process, sometimes it’s a long process," Johnson said after House passage of a bipartisan bill to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, ending the longest agency shutdown in history. "But we got it done."

Republicans, who face an uphill climb this election year to keep hold of their paper-thin House majority, appear at times as if they are still learning on the job, years after having returned to power in 2022, while they are also about to ask voters in November to rehire them for another term.

This week's starts and stops — for example, five hours of delay as Johnson huddled behind closed doors to salvage his agenda, then a sudden vote tally near 11 p.m. — would typically have been the kind of situation that shocked the political and procedural senses. Now, it's just another Wednesday.

Or two weeks ago, when a routine House Rules Committee hearing ended up becoming a midnight forum to debut a just-produced 14-page bill to revise a surveillance bill, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, before it was rushed to the floor for a 2 a.m. vote. It failed.

“House Republicans have shown again that they can’t govern,” said Rep. Ted Lieu of California, part of Democratic leadership.

“They routinely pass bills to the Senate that are way too extreme, then it ends up that we have all these floor session days where we’re just doing nothing,” he said.

House GOP's slim majority makes leader's job challenging

Johnson, who took over for the ousted Kevin McCarthy more than two years ago, is presiding over one of the slimmest House majorities in modern times, leaving him no room to spare if he's trying to pass legislation on party line votes, without Democrats.

The speaker is juggling not only President Donald Trump's priorities but also those of the various factions that make up his majority, from the conservative House Freedom Caucus to what remains of the GOP's more pragmatic conservatives.

And Johnson’s own future is always in question, after Republicans chased other speakers, including McCarthy, John Boehner and Newt Gingrich, to early exits.

Last year Johnson, of Louisiana, led passage of the party's signature achievement, a big bill of tax breaks and safety net cuts, which Trump signed into law. At the time, he quipped about the difficulty of getting it over the finish line.

“I do so deeply desire to have just a normal Congress,” the speaker said in July.

“But it doesn’t happen anymore," he said. “Our way is to plow through and get it done."

What's ahead as House GOP tries to stay in power

Ahead of the fall elections, Johnson and other Republican lawmakers have discussed an agenda that includes the promise of another GOP-only budget package like the tax cuts bill that they could push through the House and the Senate, without Democratic votes.

Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said Thursday that he expects “the centerpiece” of that package "will be supporting our troops" with more than $100 billion in funding for the war against Iran as well as money to replenish defense munitions and other Pentagon-related needs.

Despite the turbulent week in the House, Arrington said what they're calling budget reconciliation 3.0 should be the “next order of business.”

Yet GOP lawmakers may decide it's better to skip the hard work of legislating, and the dramatic upheavals that tend to come with it, and hit the campaign trail to win over voters instead.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., the chairman of the House GOP's campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, acknowledged that trying to pass legislation with such a tight majority "can be rough. It's ugly."

“I'd be fine with letting us go home and campaign,” Hudson said. “But we've got a lot of important work still to do.”

Some of Johnson's most ardent sparring partners, those most conservative Republican lawmakers, turned their blame for the messy process not on Johnson's leadership but on their own GOP allies across the Capitol in the Senate, who often dismiss the House's work.

“Yeah, sometimes, it gets a little tense,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. “But we’re still getting stuff done. We’re sending it over to the Senate. So we look forward to them doing their job.”

In a humorous video posted Thursday on his Instagram account, Banksy showed snippets of how the sculpture was put up in the dead of night. The sculpture appeared to have been erected in the early hours of Wednesday on a plinth on a traffic island in Waterloo Place, near Buckingham Palace.

Before the artist's post, locals and tourists gathered to inspect the statue on the assumption it was Banksy's work because his signature was scrawled at the base of the plinth.

The statue is situated close to those of King Edward VII, who reigned between 1901 and 1910, and legendary nurse Florence Nightingale, as well as the Crimean War Memorial.

Statues are not what Banksy is primarily known for. He is far more famous for his spray-painting on buildings, with his first creations appearing in the early 1990s in his hometown of Bristol in southwest England. He has since gone global and his paintings and installations have sold for millions of dollars at auction. His street art is often targeted by thieves and vandals.

Banksy, who has never publicly revealed his identity, is part of a tradition of street artists who viewed the undercover act of posting their art in public as a subversive form of expression.

“There are a lot of young people, mostly young men, going to blue-collar construction jobs, playing the lottery. It drives me crazy,” Bessent said in an interview.

”The best thing you can do is not play the lottery," he said — rather, people should invest and “then watch it grow.”

Bessent spoke to The Associated Press about the basics of building a workable budget and saving for the future at the tail end of Financial Literacy Month, an initiative the billionaire hedge fund manager has made a priority since joining President Donald Trump's administration, driven by a childhood marred by poverty.

Former Treasury Secretaries Hank Paulson and Tim Geithner were known for helping navigate the U.S. out of the global financial crisis. Steven Mnuchin made his mark designing and promoting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and Janet Yellen was the only person to also head the Federal Reserve and the Council of Economic Advisers. But Bessent's passion for meeting with community bankers, retirees and schoolchildren to talk about how to budget, save and manage debt is what he hopes, in part, defines his legacy.

His push to promote financial literacy comes as Americans grapple with the cost of housing, groceries, energy and everyday items and are skeptical about the Republican administration's performance on the issue. The latest AP-NORC poll data shows Trump’s approval rating on the economy dropped from 38% in March to 30% in April.

The nation is enmeshed in record levels of debt, which surpassed $39 trillion in March, and critics wonder how Bessent can persuade Americans to save for their futures when the government itself is drowning in debt.

“The Trump administration in particular has a problematic record on cutting taxes without offsets and growing spending," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

A billionaire with humble beginnings

Bessent, 63, made his money through a long career in hedge funds, including working with George Soros, a financier and philanthropist whom Trump and other Republicans have vilified. Bessent was famously involved in the Soros firm’s 1992 currency speculation against the British pound tied to Black Wednesday, which generated massive profits. Bessent later launched his own hedge fund called the Key Square Group.

But he often talks about his humble beginnings in rural South Carolina, not far from Myrtle Beach, where at the age of 9 he got his first jobs as a busboy at a cafeteria and hustling to set up chairs and umbrellas on the beach. His father, a real estate developer, had lost generations of Bessent family wealth by overleveraging his obligations.

Bessent wanted to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979 but was barred as an openly gay applicant. That also shut the door to joining the foreign service.

He went to Yale University, where his former professor David Darst recalled teaching him about new financial instruments in capital markets. Darst described Bessent as a "guy who’s working at the highest levels, but he’s interested in people learning the ABCs of finance.”

In 2025, Bessent became the nation's first openly gay treasury secretary. “I sit here knowing that President Trump chose me because he believes I’m the best candidate, not because of my sexual preference, not because treasury secretaries with green eyes do better," Bessent said at his confirmation hearing.

After reaching public office, one of Bessent's first actions was relaunching Financial Literacy Month at the agency.

“Wall Street has grown wealthier than ever before, and it can continue to grow and do well,” Bessent has peppered into various speeches over the past year, insisting that his work in the Trump administration is "focused on Main Street.”

During a roundtable with community financial institutions at the department — one of several such events Bessent hosted last month — he listened to bankers express concerns about the a surge in sophisticated fraud schemes targeting customers and their efforts to get high schoolers interested in saving.

“It could be as simple as a 14-year-old starting a savings account and watching interest compound at 4% a year,” said Thomas Fraser, CEO of First Mutual Holding Co. in Lakewood, Ohio, who attended that roundtable.

Promoting financial literacy to young people

Bessent is not a newcomer to preaching financial literacy. Geoff Canada, president of Harlem Children’s Zone, has known Bessent for 30 years and said the treasury secretary has mentored one of the program's scholars for more than a decade. Canada said Bessent has a “deep understanding that financial literacy is essential for fostering real social and economic mobility for America’s children.”

He said Bessent “has championed this issue long before joining the administration, and I know it remains a top priority.”

A conversation with Bessent about financial literacy inevitably turns to Trump Accounts — the financial vehicle meant to give $1,000 to babies born during the Trump administration. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the children can access the money when they turn 18.

Bessent said he thinks it will encourage a generation of young people to care more about investing as it shows them “the power of compounding, because that money is locked up for 18 years."

But Bessent said people of all ages and income brackets could be better at managing their money. “There’s a narrative that doctors are famously terrible at finance,” Bessent said.

Critics of the treasury secretary’s approach argue that the problem is less about Americans not knowing how to invest and more about people not having enough spare income to do so, as the cost of living has steadily increased and the war in Iran has driven energy prices higher.

“You cannot preach penny-pinching while making it harder for Americans to pay their grocery, utility and healthcare bills,” said Emily DiVito, senior adviser for economic policy at the left-leaning Groundwork Collaborative. “If Secretary Bessent is serious about advancing financial literacy, he should focus on lowering the cost of living for working families.”

Rising debt in the foreground

Bessent's desire to see Americans invest wisely comes as the U.S. debt has reached record levels — and the trajectory of those increases is a cause for concern for budgeting experts.

The U.S. national debt hit $37 trillion in August and then $38 trillion just two months later. Now, it’s at $39 trillion and has surpassed the size of the economy.

Budget advocate MacGuineas warned that the long-term trend of borrowing more and paying more in interest will force Americans to face tougher fiscal tradeoffs ahead.

She praised Bessent for having the goal to cut deficits in half and bring them down to 3% of gross domestic product but said ”it’s going to take a combination of spending reductions, revenue increases and economic growth” to get there.

The Treasury argues that the federal deficit decreased during Trump’s first year back in office and that the provisions in Republicans' tax cuts law have put money back in Americans' pockets.

“It's hard to disagree with the fact that we need more financial literacy in this country,” MacGuineas said. “The bigger picture, of course, is that we should also probably give a financial literacy class to our lawmakers."

Hey, it’s Meteorologist Katie Garner here with The Weather Authority on News4JAX, bringing you the most up-to-date forecast using Exact Track 4D. Let’s get right to it because the weather story is all about a major round of rain and storms moving through Jacksonville.

Right now, you might not see much in the way of rain, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. The real action is forecast for Saturday. Your best chance to get out and enjoy the day will be early, because starting around 1 p.m. and stretching through 5 p.m., Exact Track 4D shows the heaviest rain and strong wind gusts passing across the area. That means you might need to reschedule any afternoon plans, and you’ll definitely want to keep your umbrella close.

I know we’ve needed the rain, so it’s actually a good thing—even if it feels a little inconvenient. After about 5 p.m., lingering showers are still possible, but they look more annoying than anything severe. The heaviest stuff will be earlier in the afternoon.

Warm, dry weather to follow

The good news is this system isn’t sticking around long. On Sunday, the rain chance drops really fast. If you’re itching for sun and warmth, you won’t have to wait. The latest data shows only a slight 10% rain chance for Sunday, with temperatures still plenty comfortable around 74 degrees.

Early next week, I’m seeing a big jump in temperatures. We’re talking about highs in the upper 70s to low 80s Monday and Tuesday, and even creeping back into the 90s by midweek. It looks like we’ll settle into a very warm, mostly dry pattern through Wednesday, so make your outdoor plans accordingly.

Current conditions and outdoor plans

As I check current conditions, expect readings in the 60s and 70s at JAX Airport, St. Augustine, and Mayport. Winds are staying fairly light, around 5 to 10 mph, which is helping keep the fire risk in check for now.

If you’re thinking of taking your dog out for a walk today, you should be in good shape for most of the day—just keep an eye on those showers moving in later. I know we all have plans for the weekend, so make the most of the dry windows before the downpours arrive.

Share your storm photos with SnapJAX

If you catch any cool rain photos or dramatic skies during the storms, send them my way through SnapJAX at news4jax.com/snapjax—you might see your picture featured on The Weather Authority!

Ousted in six games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round series, the Nuggets trudged into the offseason with plenty of questions to answer about their ability to remain a true title contender in the stacked Western Conference. For the first time in four years, the Nuggets failed to make it to May.

“We just lost in the first round, so I think we are far away,” said Jokic, who had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the 110-98 loss to the Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert deftly neutralized Jokic during the series, even dominating him at times with his long arms, relentless effort and superb positioning.

Jokic found some rhythm and spark in the last two games, but his sidekick Jamal Murray had a rough series. The first-time All-Star, who played in 75 games during the regular season for his most in eight years, was similarly smothered by Timberwolves villain Jaden McDaniels. Murray went just 4 for 17 from the floor and with a game-worst minus-18 rating.

“When I get the looks that I need, they don’t go down,” Murray said. “So that’s the frustrating part, not showing up when my team needed me the most tonight. I feel like if I would’ve played a little bit better we would’ve had that game.”

Missing forwards Aaron Gordon to a calf injury for three of the six games and Peyton Watson for the whole series to a hamstring strain sure didn't help. Cameron Johnson made a late push from the 3-point line, pitching in 27 points in Game 5, but there wasn't enough production beyond Jokic and Murray in this series for the Nuggets to advance, even against a Timberwolves team that was severely short-handed in the backcourt. And their pick-and-roll synergy was largely absent too.

“They were missing a bunch of guys tonight, and they still won. So did we need them? Definitely, but if they are not here, we cannot think, ‘If, if, if, if,’” Jokic said.

After leading the league in offensive rating during the regular season and being held under 100 points only twice, the Nuggets failed to hit triple digits against the feisty Timberwolves three times in the series.

“It’s a miss-or-make league. We couldn’t make any shots," Jokic said. “I’m confident in my and Jamal's two-man game.”

Jokic, who will enter his 12th season in the league in 2026-27, can sign another maximum contract extension this summer. He didn't hesitate when asked about his interest in reupping his commitment.

“I still want to be Nuggets forever,” he said.

Coach David Adelman doesn't have the same security, after finishing his first full year on the job. Might changes be in the works in Denver?

“That’s not my decision,” Jokic said. "Definitely, if we were in Serbia, we would all be fired.”

But in all seriousness, the Joker doubled down on his support of Adelman.

“It’s not his fault we couldn’t rebound. It’s not his fault we couldn’t catch the ball very well. There is nothing to blame David Adelman. It was all us,” Jokic said.

The Nuggets closed the regular season on a 12-game winning streak.

“Very disappointing end to the season. I'm the head coach. I take responsibility for things that didn't go well here,” Adelman said.

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

“They are a part of who we are and our sense of belonging here,” said Paul Ward, founder of the Capital Kiwi Project, a charitable trust. “But they’ve been gone from these hills for well over a century and we decided as Wellingtonians that wasn’t right.”

On a hill wreathed in mist above the dark sea that runs between New Zealand’s North and South Islands, Ward and others crossed rugged farmland late on Tuesday night, carrying seven crates in silence by dim red torchlight. Inside each one nestled a kiwi, including the 250th bird relocated to Wellington since the Capital Kiwi Project began.

Birds receive a quiet welcome to new homes

The kiwi gives New Zealanders the name by which they’re often known. It’s a shy and odd-looking bird with underdeveloped wings and a whiskery face.

Spiritually significant for many New Zealanders, the kiwi’s image appears everywhere, including on the tail of the country’s air force planes — curious for a bird with no tail which can’t fly.

It’s thought that there were 12 million of the birds roaming the landscape before humans arrived in New Zealand. Today only about 70,000 kiwi are left across the country, with the population dropping 2% each year.

In the hills where Wellington’s kiwi now live and breed, the only late-night sound on Tuesday was the whoosh of wind turbines. Ward and his friends set their crates down in pairs, slid them open and gently tilted the boxes.

Some in the small group of hushed onlookers were tearful. One man chanted a karakia, a Māori prayer.

From each crate, a long, curved beak eventually protruded as kiwi took their first tentative steps into the shadowed landscape, then sped to a run and disappeared into the darkness.

Kiwi make their first Parliament visit

One place kiwi had never set foot until this week was inside New Zealand’s Parliament. Hours before Wellington’s seven newest residents were transported to their hillside home, they were carried into Parliament’s grand banquet hall by handlers for a celebration of the 250th kiwi's arrival in the city.

Lawmakers and schoolchildren alike expressed whispered delight at seeing the timid, nocturnal birds up close, many for the first time, as conservation workers cradled the large birds like human babies, with their gnarled feet outstretched.

“This animal has given us as a people so much in terms of our sense of identity,” Ward told The Associated Press. “We want to challenge our civic leaders, our politicians and say this is a relationship we need to honor.”

Rare birds move from sanctuaries to urban life

New Zealand is home to some of the world’s strangest and rarest bird species. Some have only survived because of against-all-odds conservation programs, at times with uncertain funding.

Initiatives decades ago saw all surviving birds of some species moved onto offshore, predator-free islands or into sanctuaries where they could be carefully monitored and protected, but where few New Zealanders would ever see one.

Ward and his group had a different dream: that New Zealand’s iconic national bird could flourish alongside people in a bustling capital city, where human encroachment and introduced predators had wiped out the kiwi before.

“Where people are is also the places where we can bring them back because we’ve got the means to do that guardianship,” Ward said.

Thousands of traps protect capital’s kiwi

Although unmanaged kiwi populations are shrinking, their numbers have thrived in carefully managed wild bird sanctuaries — so much, in fact, that some of these protected areas have run out of room for them.

That’s prompted their relocation to places like Wellington, where groups such as Ward’s rally residents to embrace their new neighbors. Kiwi have been spotted by late night mountain bikers and on backyard security camera footage in the capital, he said.

“They’re living and calling and being encountered on the hills surrounding our city,” Ward said.

That's taken work. Over the past decade, efforts between landowners, the local Māori tribe and the Capital Kiwi Project have produced a sprawling, 24,000-hectare tract of land where kiwi can roam.

It’s dotted with more than 5,000 traps for stoats, the main predator of kiwi chicks. So far, the Wellington population has a 90% chick survival rate.

New Zealand aims to become predator free

The kiwi initiative is part of New Zealand’s quest to rid the island nation of introduced predators, including feral cats, possums, rats and stoats, by the year 2050. Since a previous government established the target in 2016 its chances of success have been debated, but community groups have taken up the work in earnest.

Parts of Wellington are now entirely free of mammalian predators apart from household pets, and native birds flourish. Volunteers monitor suburbs with military precision for the appearance of a single rat.

“When I think of endangered species globally, for the most part you can’t do much other than campaign or donate money,” said Michelle Impey, chief executive of Save the Kiwi. “But we have this incredible movement throughout the country where everyday people are taking it on under their own steam to do what they can to protect a threatened species.”

Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Ryan Poehling scored the opening goal and Lukas Dostal made 25 saves in a standout performance for the upstart Ducks, who stormed to their first playoff series victory since 2017 in front of a frenzied sellout crowd.

“It was obviously just an awesome feeling to make the playoffs for all of us,” Terry said. “We knew that this series was there for us if we played the right way. Obviously, they made a push, but I'm just proud of the guys. I thought we played maturely, played hard.”

After ending a seven-year postseason absence by knocking out the powerhouse Oilers, Anaheim will face the winner of the Vegas Golden Knights’ series with the Utah Mammoth. Vegas leads 3-2 heading to Salt Lake City on Friday night.

Connor Murphy and Vasily Podkolzin scored as Edmonton followed up its worst regular season since 2021 by going out in the first round for the first time since that season.

“We were an average team all year, you know?” said NHL scoring champion McDavid, who was held pointless in three of the series' six games. “An average team with high expectations, you’re going to be disappointed. ... They played very fast, and we weren’t very fast. We’ve been searching for consistency all year, and obviously we didn’t find it here in the playoffs.”

After winning nine playoff series, playing 81 postseason games and reaching two Stanley Cup Finals in the past four years, McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Oilers finally appeared to run out of energy and health. They had a disastrous defensive performance against the Ducks, who scored three goals in the first period of Game 6.

“They know how to play the right way, and at the end of the day, I think they were just better than us,” Draisaitl said. “We never really found what you need to find at this time of year, especially to go all the way. In my opinion, just not good enough.”

Even with 14 players making their postseason debuts, the Ducks admirably handled the pressure while winning four of the last five games against the seasoned Oilers. Carlsson had an outstanding Game 6 to cap the 21-year-old center’s strong debut playoff series, while emerging star defenseman Jackson LaCombe scored nine points and led the Ducks’ defensive efforts against McDavid and Draisaitl.

“For sure it was our best game of the series,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Could have been our best game of the year. A lot of things went well tonight.”

In Game 6, Anaheim also got its best effort of the series from Dostal, who had the NHL’s second-worst save percentage in the postseason after getting pulled from Game 5. The Czech Olympian was sharp all night, highlighted by a breakaway stop on Zach Hyman.

Backed by a raucous crowd that included Angels slugger Mike Trout, the Ducks scored first in Game 6 for the first time in the entire series when John Carlson’s shot hit Poehling and trickled in for his fourth goal of the series.

Carlsson then set up Kreider off the rush, ending the longtime Rangers star’s 17-game goal drought with his first playoff goal for the Ducks — on his 35th birthday, no less.

Murphy answered for Edmonton 1:31 later, but Gauthier got his fourth playoff goal on a power play when his one-timer arced in off Darnell Nurse’s stick.

Late in a tense second period, Carlsson took the puck from Evan Bouchard and fed Terry for a 4-1 lead.

Edmonton scored early in the third when Kasperi Kapanen’s wide shot deflected in off Podkolzin’s leg, but McDavid and Draisaitl couldn’t get it any closer. The Oilers pulled Ingram with 3:57 left, but Carlsson scored into an empty net.

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

With their top three guards missing because of injuries, the Timberwolves went big with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid fueling a 64-40 advantage in points in the paint and an 50-33 edge in rebounding.

“This is what you don’t really teach. This is about will. It’s about heart, and that’s how we were able to overcome this great challenge,” said Gobert, who had 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.

Minnesota, the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, will start the second round at San Antonio on Monday. The second-seeded Spurs beat Portland in five games in their first-round series.

Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Nuggets, but sidekick Jamal Murray struggled to get free from McDaniels and finished with just 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting. Cameron Johnson scored 27 points to lead Denver's 10-for-27 night from deep, but Jokic and the 3-pointers simply weren't enough to keep up with a fiercely motivated Timberwolves team.

“I’m just happy it’s over, happy we were able to come out on top,” McDaniels said. “Stuff was said. I’m just happy we were all able to prove our point, get the win, and move on to the next round.”

With Ayo Dosunmu joining Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo on the inactive list, the Timberwolves were missing a big chunk of their ability to create shots.

Winning this game was going to require extra doses of defense and energy, and they brought both. Shannon added an element of pure speed that the Nuggets couldn’t stop when he found space toward the basket. McDaniels, embracing the villain role, was a monster on both ends of the floor. The Timberwolves fed off the roaring crowd at every turn and consistently made up for their missing offense with hustle and desire.

Shannon’s three-point play with 1:43 left gave the Timberwolves a six-point lead, and McDaniels followed with the dagger shot — his signature mid-range pull-up was a swish from 19 feet to make it a seven-point game with 1:06 to play. Then he intercepted a harried pass by Jokic to get the ball back and start a parade to the line.

Since beating the Timberwolves in five games in the first round and cruising to the NBA championship in the 2023, the Nuggets haven’t found the production or spunk they’ve needed to supplement the three-time MVP Jokic. They extended the series with a decisive win in Game 5 on Monday, but Minnesota’s defense delivered again this postseason in neutralizing Jokic and rendering Murray an afterthought.

McDaniels tirelessly chased him around the perimeter. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner Gobert kept giving Jokic a hard time in the paint with his long arms and superb anticipation.

McDaniels tossed even more spice into this well-developed rivalry early in the series with his blanket “bad defenders” jab at the Nuggets, and none of the Timberwolves have made any secret of distaste for their opponent. Then their motivation soared off the charts when DiVincenzo went down in the opening minute of Game 4, and their franchise player Edwards followed him on the injured list. During a stoppage in the fourth quarter, DiVincenzo was shown with a big smile as he sat with his foot propped up in a cast behind the bench.

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

A man wearing a gray-white hoodie, gloves and a mask entered a branch of U.S. Bank in Berea and shot a male and female employee, said Trooper Scottie Pennington, a spokesperson for the Kentucky State Police.

“They're our people that work in our community, and they’re no longer with us,” Pennington told reporters. “At this time we do have some leads, and we’re trying our best to bring this evil person to justice.”

Law enforcement officials were going door to door in search of information and surveillance video, as well as using helicopters, drones and dogs, Pennington said. Local and state police along with the FBI and other federal agencies were involved.

It was not clear whether the suspect fled in a vehicle, on foot or was picked up, the spokesperson said. He declined to say whether the suspect left the bank with anything.

State police posted a photo of the suspect on social media and asked people to call if they recognize him or have information.

“If you see something strange and you don’t feel right about it — you know, your dogs are acting weird — call us,” Pennington said. He urged residents to be vigilant and to keep their porch lights on and phones charged.

Area schools went into lockdown for a while until campuses were deemed safe. Students were not allowed to go home on buses and had to be picked up by their parents, Pennington said.

U.S. Bank said it was working closely with law enforcement and committed to supporting the victims' families and bank colleagues.

“We’re deeply saddened by the tragic event that took the lives of two of our employees at our Berea, Kentucky branch earlier today,” the company said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims, our colleagues and the entire Berea community.”

Berea is about 36 miles (58 kilometers) south of Lexington.

Paul has been unable to spend unsupervised time with her son since an April 7 hearing, when Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas said Paul had a history of volatile behavior directed at her former partner, Dakota Mortensen, while kids were present.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.

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Minas on Thursday described the pair's dynamic as “very toxic” before granting Paul and Mortensen's dueling requests for protective orders against each other. He found that “there’s been violence that occurred both ways between these parties” and urged them to figure out how to function as co-parents to their son, Ever.

“I'm hoping that you're not people who just thrive on the drama and the conflict,” Minas said. “You've got to put your child first and shield the child from this conflict.”

Paul, Mortensen and their families were present in court, but no other cast members from the Hulu reality show attended.

Attorneys offer competing descriptions of fights

Attorneys for Paul and Mortensen offered competing versions of fights between the pair, with each suggesting the other party was the aggressor.

Paul's attorney Eric Swinyard told the court commissioner that Mortensen is much larger and stronger than Paul — and that when she was faced with physical intimidation from Mortensen during an argument, she responded the same way a lot of people would.

“He said, ‘Hit me,’ and she did,” Swinyard said.

One fight between the two came while Paul was dealing with recent miscarriages, and she felt that Mortensen had been blowing her off while their son was sick.

When Paul lost her footing and fell to the ground, Mortensen kicked her several times in the leg, Swinyard alleged. He submitted to the court photos of her bruises.

Mortensen's attorney Brent Salazar-Hall said his client was a victim of abuse from Paul, but that she kept luring him back with text messages inviting him over for intimacy.

During one argument, Paul and Mortensen were in a truck and she tried to interfere with his driving by squeezing his face, Salazar-Hall said. In response, Mortensen shoved her away, he said.

Paul's lawyers said Mortensen slammed her head into the vehicle's dashboard, causing bruises.

Mortensen had Paul’s initials tattooed on the inside of his lip, which Paul’s attorney pointed to as an example of his possessive nature. Mortensen’s lawyer disagreed with that characterization and said many of the men on the TV show got lip tattoos of their partners’ names in a humorous scene that has not yet aired.

“There seems to be a continuing attraction that they have for each other, whether it’s physical, whether it’s the thrill between the two of them of making themselves celebrities,” Minas said.

“The problem is that the two of them can’t be together in the same place at the same time before it starts to turn violent,” he added.

Violations of the protective orders could result in criminal charges.

Leaked video of fight is one point of contention

Eleven fights between the exes were under examination in their protective order requests. A recently leaked video of one fight from 2023 prompted ABC to make the unprecedented move last month of shelving an already-filmed season of “The Bachelorette” starring Paul. Hulu also paused production of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” and resumed filming last week.

In the video, Paul appeared to punch, kick and throw chairs at Mortensen while her daughter from another relationship watched and cried.

Swinyard alleged that Mortensen leaked that video to the press to ruin Paul’s reality TV career just before her season of “The Bachelorette” was supposed to air.

“Our point with the video is he’s not just trying to come after her for custody. He’s not just trying to seek a protective order. He wants to literally destroy her,” Swinyard said.

Salazar-Hall said Mortensen denies leaking the video.

Just after the fight, Paul was charged with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. The police body camera footage of her arrest was featured in the first season of the Hulu series.

Paul pleaded guilty to an assault charge, which will be reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor if she stays out of legal trouble for a three-year probationary period that ends in August. The other counts were dismissed.

Earlier this month, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office declined to file new charges against Paul in recent fights with Mortensen. Any new charges would have violated Paul's probation from the 2023 assault.

Custody of their child is at stake

Minas said he would make custody recommendations by May 11. Mortensen has custody in the meantime.

Paul had majority custody of their son before the April 7 hearing.

A protective order in Utah can restrict or eliminate a parent’s ability to see their child. When both parents have protective orders against each other, the court relies heavily on the recommendations of an attorney appointed to investigate the child's best interests.

Paul and Mortensen's son had a court-appointed attorney present at Thursday’s hearing to help the commissioner determine the safest arrangement for the boy.

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Associated Press journalist Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, posted the video on social media amid questions over whose bullet struck a Secret Service officer as Cole Tomas Allen ran through security with a long gun toward the hotel ballroom packed with journalists, administration officials and others.

Prosecutors had previously claimed the agent was shot in the bullet-resistant vest during the melee, but had not confirmed it was Allen who shot the agent. Pirro, however, said Thursday that there is no evidence that the officer was hit by friendly fire.

The video appears to show Allen run through a magnetometer and point his weapon at the agent, who fired back five times, according to authorities. It's not clear from the video at what moment Allen's weapon fires.

Allen was injured but was not shot during the Saturday night attack at the Washington Hilton, which disrupted one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital.

Allen agreed earlier Thursday to remain jailed while he awaits trial. He did not enter a plea during his brief appearance in federal court.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran defended the agency's security plan for the event and said he would not change it. He said in a Fox News interview that the attack was stopped within seconds at the outermost perimeter of a multi-layered security bubble around the president. The distance from the magnetometers to the podium where Trump was seated was 355 feet, with two sets of stairs, a doorway and many more armed Secret Service officers in between, he said.

"The site was set up perfectly," Curran said.

The nearly six-minute video released by Pirro shows Allen walking back and forth down a hallway the day before the attack, and briefly checking out the hotel gym. Footage from the security checkpoint shows about a dozen federal officers taking down magnetometers and casually standing around when the gunman emerges from a doorway and starts sprinting toward them. The gunman quickly reaches the officers before most of them appear to notice him.

Only one officer visible in the video appears to have drawn his gun before the gunman passed; Pirro said he's the one who was shot and returned fire.

In court papers pressing for Allen's continued detention, prosecutors wrote Wednesday that Allen took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes before the incident, and that he was outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife. In a message that authorities say sheds light on his motive, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions.

Allen’s lawyers agreed during the brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya to keep their client behind bars for now after initially arguing in court papers that Allen should be released.

In a court filing Wednesday, the defense wrote that the government’s case is “based upon inferences drawn about Mr. Allen’s intent that raise more questions than answers" and noted that Allen’s writings never mentioned Trump by name. The defense left the door open to pressing in the future for Allen’s release before trial.

“The government’s evidence of the charged offense — the attempted assassination of the president — is thus built entirely upon speculation, even under the most generous reading of its theory,” defense lawyers wrote.

Allen was charged on Monday with that crime, as well as two additional firearms counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

Allen, 31, is from Torrance, California. He worked as a part-time tutor for a test preparation company and is an amateur video game developer.

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Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed.

They performed for a sold-out crowd that summer at Citi Field in Queens — a baseball stadium with room for nearly 42,000 fans — but their fiery set was cut short by Mother Nature: A torrential downpour and fearsome lightning made for unsafe and appropriately ominous conditions.

It was fortuitous in some ways; the next two years for the band would be tumultuous. It was also in 2024 that front man Dave Grohl announced he fathered a child outside his marriage. And then in 2025, the band parted ways with drummer Josh Freese after just one tour, hiring Ilan Rubin to replace him two months later.

Things have since turned around. Last week the band released its 12th full-length studio album, “Your Favorite Toy,” an energetic collection of tracks with an aggressive, fast-paced punk style, distorted vocals and occasional overly compressed production, as The Associated Press' Dennis Waszak Jr. wrote in his review. Those songs felt at home Thursday night at the much smaller Irving Plaza in Manhattan, a sold-out space with a capacity of just around 1,000, where the larger-than-life rock band brought a sonic immediacy to the intimate venue.

A secret show for a lucky few

Foo Fighters announced two surprise shows Wednesday: one at Irving Plaza on Thursday and another at the Starland Ballroom on Saturday in New Jersey. Tickets were priced at $30, limited to two per purchaser and available only on a first-come, first-served basis at 10 a.m. Thursday at each venue.

Some fans camped overnight. Others lined up long before 10 a.m. The lucky few able to grab tickets to the Irving Plaza show night wore vintage Foo Fighters merchandise into the venue and bought new designs. They swapped stories about the last time they saw the band and theorized about how they would perform on such a small stage.

When the Foo Fighters emerged, it was six minutes after 8 p.m. “How ya doing?” energetic front man Dave Grohl said in greeting the crowd, promising a lot of new tracks and some “old school.”

And the band delivered: 2002's “All My Life” and “Times Like These” were next to late '90s hits like “Monkey Wrench” and “My Hero,” and week-old songs “Spit Shine” and “My Favorite Toy.”

“Sometimes I ask the audience if they love rock ‘n’ roll music,” Grohl told the crowd. “I'm not gonna ask you all because I know you love rock ‘n’ roll music.”

Even if the location was stripped down, the band had no interest in a minimized show. There were no pyrotechnics or fireworks or fanfare, sure, but surprises abounded: “Window,” a new song, got its live debut. The band opened a five-song encore with “A320,” its contribution to the oft-overlooked 1998 “Godzilla” soundtrack.

At one moment a concertgoer shouted, “Taylor Hawkins forever!” in memory of the band's late drummer. Grohl instinctively responded, “That's right!”

“For those who've never seen us before,” Grohl said two and a half hours into the set, “next time we'll try to make it feel like this.”

Of course next time is likely to be in a venue 40 times the size of Irving Plaza. It gave the still-buzzing crowd something to think about as they exited into a rainy April night.

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days — a deadline that falls on Friday — or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. But Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.

The Trump administration has shown no interest in seeking congressional approval at all. It is arguing that the deadlines set by the law don't apply because the war in Iran effectively ended when a ceasefire began in early April.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday he doesn’t plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in.

“I’m listening carefully to what the members of our conference are saying, and at this point I don’t see that,” Thune said.

The reluctance to defy Trump on the war comes at a politically perilous time for Republicans, with public frustration mounting both over the conflict and its impact on gas prices. Still, most GOP lawmakers say they are supportive of Trump’s wartime leadership, or are at least willing to give him more time amid the fragile ceasefire.

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota says he’d vote for an authorization of war if Trump asked for it. But he questioned if the War Powers Resolution, passed during the Vietnam War era as a way for Congress to claw back its power, is even constitutional.

“Our founders created a really strong executive, like it or not like it,” Cramer said.

Still, some GOP senators made clear that they eventually want Congress to have a say. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a floor speech Thursday that she will introduce a limited authorized use of military force when the Senate returns from the one-week recess if the administration has not yet presented what she called a “credible plan.”

“I do not believe we should engage in open-ended military action without clear accountability,” Murkowski said. “Congress has a role.”

Some Republicans signal they want a vote

A handful of GOP senators have said for weeks that Congress should assert its authority over the war at some point. One of those senators, Maine's Susan Collins, voted for the first time with Democrats on Thursday to halt the war. She said in a statement she wants to see a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close.

“The president’s authority as commander-in-chief is not without limits," Collins said, adding that the 60-day deadline is “not a suggestion, it is a requirement."

In addition to Collins and Murkowski, Republican Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Josh Hawley of Missouri, among others, have said in recent weeks that they would eventually like to see a vote.

Curtis said he would not support continued funding for the war until Congress votes to authorize it.

“It is time for decision-making from both the administration and from Congress — and that can happen in league with one another, not in conflict,” Curtis said.

Thune suggested the White House step up its outreach to lawmakers with briefings and hearings if it wants continued support from Capitol Hill.

“Obviously, getting readouts from our military leadership on a somewhat regular basis I think will be helpful in terms of shaping the views of our members about how comfortable they are with everything that’s happening there, and the direction headed forward,” Thune said.

Trump administration argues deadline doesn't apply

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 states that a president has 60 calendar days after notifying Congress that the U.S. is engaged in military hostilities to either end the military campaign or gain approval from Congress. The White House can use a 30-day extension to safely withdraw forces, but Congress must be notified.

The 60-day window will expire Friday, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a hearing Thursday, “We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means, the 60-day clock pauses or stops.”

Meanwhile, a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said for purposes of the war powers law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.

The administration is making that argument even though Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran’s oil tankers from getting out to sea.

Democrats scoffed at the suggestion that May 1 is not the real deadline. “I do not believe the statute would support that,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told Hegseth in the hearing.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., argued that the military is still operating warships and other military assets even though it has stopped bombing Iran during the ceasefire.

“Ceasing to use some forces while using others does not somehow stop the clock,” Schiff said.

Yet, the development came as little surprise to at least one House Democrat who oversees the military.

Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Associated Press: "Is the expectation that the Trump administration is going to follow the law? I do not have that expectation.”

He scribbles in a notebook, leaning back in an office chair while dressed in ill-fitting khakis and a baseball cap. His left foot rests on the one portion of a desk not covered with clutter — piles of notebooks, a newspaper, printed reports and a lanyard hanging from a stray photograph. What could be a calendar hangs askew on the wall behind him. The drab blue carpet has seen better days.

Hermes is fascinated by things that evoke a time gone by or are about to pass into history. She has photographed the last Morse code station operating in North America and department store photo booths. Lately, she's spent a lot of time in newsrooms like Haley's Rutland Herald.

The Brooklyn-based photographer has. brought her camera into some 50 newsrooms across the United States, many in smaller towns and cities, to document places and lives endangered by the industry's collapse over the past few decades. Already one of the newspapers she's photographed, in Alameda, Calif., has shut down.

And she's nowhere near done.

Photographer didn't expect it to turn into a passion project

Even as someone who spent time in newsrooms herself professionally — Hermes worked for several years at the Christian Science Monitor — she didn't anticipate it turning into such a passion project.

“I love these spaces,” she says. “I love spending time with these people. The more time I spent in newsrooms and hearing about their difficulties of life, it took on a different agenda. I couldn't have spent so much of my free time on this if I didn't enjoy it.”

Her photos dispel the notion that journalism is a prestigious job populated by elitists — certainly not at the local level. Here are working people in shabby surroundings, places that would make an office designer shudder. Post-it notes hang from a computer monitor. Pens, notebooks, boxes of paper are thrown into a bookshelf next to a half-empty bottle of whiskey. A carpet stain is left untended. A bottle of antacid pills sits on top of a microwave.

An empty metal organizer sits behind a sign saying, “stories to be written,” the product of a long-forgotten efficiency drive.

The New Yorker’s Zach Helfand captures it: “News people tend to pay their surroundings little mind. There’s too much to do and always a deadline looming. What you see hanging around these rooms isn’t designed but improvised, and more revealing.”

It's not just newsrooms in danger of becoming obsolete. How often do you see newspapers anymore, particularly with news outlets shutting their printing presses and going digital? Yet they're everywhere in Hermes' photographs. Stuffed into cubbies, yellowing with age. A jumble of them in the back of a van. Stacked in piles — some toppled over, others on the verge. Some need to be stepped around.

Still more are in newspaper “morgues,” the term becoming more appropriate by the day. Cut-out articles are stuffed into cardboard files, the destination for research before the day most information could be found with a few computer strokes.

The history of a community is in these morgues, however. And when they're gone, so are many of the memories contained within.

A belief in a civic duty — with maybe some fun

“This is really a love letter to local journalism,” Hermes says. “It's not a ‘gotcha’ piece.”

She's attracted to the “true believers” who stick with the line of work, putting up with the anger and ridicule of civic leaders who don't like their judgments questioned, and the business realities that have driven many of their friends into different lines of work.

“The rewards are diminishing in doing this job,” she says. “You have to really believe in the fundamental civic service that you are providing. Otherwise, why else would you do it? It's a really difficult job.”

Her work is available to see on her website, and she hopes one day to collect her newsroom photos in a book. She feels she's gone beyond capturing images and into an advocacy role; she wants to do exhibitions in some of the communities that she's visited to remind people about the importance of local journalism.

Hermes’ goal is to photograph 100 newsrooms: “I feel like I learn something new in every newsroom I visit."

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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

But now they're looking at the possibility of losing up to four U.S. House seats in the midterms because of a new congressional map passed this week by the Republican-controlled legislature.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said redistricting will reflect Florida's population growth and political leanings. Democrats called it a power grab by Trump, who has been urging Republicans to redraw maps across the country.

The changes use both “packing and cracking,” the principal tools of gerrymandering. Packing involves concentrating like-minded voters into fewer districts, or into a single district, to minimize their overall impact across multiple districts. Cracking involves spreading like-minded voters across more districts, making it harder for them to influence any single district’s election.

Under the new lines, there are 24 districts where Trump won in 2024 by double digits, according to analysts from both parties. If Republicans win all of them, it will be a gain of four seats.

Although there will almost certainly be legal challenges to the map, here’s a look at how the new boundaries affect Florida’s current Democratic-controlled districts.

Cracking in Tampa Bay area could mean no Democratic seats

Pinellas and Hillsborough counties were, not that long ago, regarded as two of the most populous swing counties in U.S. politics. Voters in and around Tampa and St. Petersburg served as a bellwether in presidential contests.

Currently, the core metro area is split between the right-leaning district represented by Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and the left-leaning district represented by Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor. The new map splits that into three districts, all of which tilt Republican, and Castor's seat now includes more conservative rural areas.

She called the new designs “blatantly illegal” because of Florida’s state constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering. But she said, “No matter how new districts are drawn, I will keep fighting for Tampa Bay families.”

Luna, a top Democratic target in November, picked up more Republican-leaning precincts, but Democrats in Washington said they could still win the seat given Trump’s lagging popularity.

Packing in Orlando turns two Democratic districts into one

Right now, Democrats Darren Soto and Maxwell Frost have adjoining districts in and around Orlando, with Frost’s concentrated in the city and Soto’s covering Kissimmee and extending south and east over much of Osceola County.

Now, the Orlando metro core will become a single district that is all but guaranteed to go Democratic. Meanwhile, other parts of Orlando will become part of a separate district that's more sprawling and more Republican.

Frost blasted the design for pairing city residents with voters who live a two-hour drive away. “That’s how hard DeSantis map-makers had to work to dilute the impact of voters in Orange County and make this district red,” he said on social media.

Soto, who is Puerto Rican and represents many Puerto Ricans now, lashed out at the governor.

“DeSantis declared war against Florida’s 1.3M Puerto Ricans,” he wrote on social media. “We are American citizens, our people served and died for this country, and we vote.”

Heavily Black district erased to reorder south Florida seats

The new map singles out a heavily Black south Florida district that had been represented by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick before her recent resignation during a House ethics inquiry into her use of campaign funds. The district was drawn originally to comply with Voting Rights Act provisions that the U.S. Supreme Court effectively gutted on Wednesday.

DeSantis described the district as an egregious race-based gerrymander, with most of it located inland while two arms stretched toward coastal Democratic areas.

Now the district will essentially be erased, spread out across multiple districts.

Frankel’s and Moskowitz’s districts scrambled in Palm Beach, Broward counties

Reps. Lois Frankel and Jared Moskowitz currently have adjoining districts covering swaths of Palm Beach and Broward counties. Both lean slightly Democratic.

The new map creates a more Democratic district anchored by West Palm Beach, mixing some of Frankel’s voters and those formerly represented by Cherfilus-McCormick. It divides Moskowitz’s current territory across three districts, a more difficult blow for his reelection prospects than Frankel would face.

Parkland, where Moskowitz lives, will be in a more Republican district that reaches across the state to Naples. One of the national Republicans’ top targets even before redistricting, Moskowitz has not said what district he will choose for a reelection bid.

Wasserman-Schultz loses her district and Wilson’s is redrawn

Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a former Democratic National Committee chairwoman, and Frederica Wilson currently represent neighboring districts to the south of Frankel’s and Moskowitz’s pairing.

Wasserman-Schultz has north Broward, including Weston, where she lives, along with Hollywood, Pembroke Pines and part of Miramar. Wilson, who lives in Miami Gardens, represents the second-most Democratic district on the outgoing map, with south Broward and parts of Miami-Dade.

Now, there will be just one concentrated Democratic district in Miami-Dade, with Wilson in position to stay in office there. Between that new Miami-Dade district and Frankel’s Palm Beach County base is a new heavily Democratic Broward district. Wasserman-Schultz does not live in that part of Broward. She will have to decide whether to run there or choose one of the new, more Republican districts that Moskowitz also is considering.

Wasserman-Schultz has called the redraw “a nakedly partisan scheme” that “breaks state law.”

In a possible bright spot for Democrats nationally, the south Florida changes did not substantially bolster Republican Reps. María Elvira Salazar, who lives in Coral Gables, or Carlos Giménez, another Miami-Dade lawmaker. Democrats plan to continue targeting them in this year's midterms.

Minnesota will face Presidents' Trophy winner Colorado in the second round. The Avalanche have not played since sweeping Los Angeles on Sunday.

The Wild won a playoff series for the first time in 10 tries since 2015. They lost to Dallas in the first round in 2016 and 2023.

“I see our fans when we scored our fourth goal, I looked back through the glass and I see someone crying in the stands," said Jesper Wallstedt, who made 22 saves. "I realize how big this is for our fan base. Not just us but there’s so many more people who are with us on this road and this journey. The excitement and joy to get past the first round is huge.”

After Hughes broke a tie midway through the third period, Matt Boldy scored his team-leading fifth and sixth goals of the series into empty nets to seal it. Vladimir Tarasenko also scored.

The fourth line of the Foligno brothers, Marcus and Nick, and Nico Sturm had 15 of Minnesota’s 32 hits.

“If you ask everyone in this team, in this group, and everyone feels something special," said Kirill Kaprizov, who had two goals and seven assists in the series. "We just build all season, and guys who came in for playoff did a great job. When the team wants to go long, long run, it’s all four lines that need to be in the game.”

Hughes, acquired from Vancouver in December in the biggest trade in franchise history, took a shot from the left dot that deflected off the skate of Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubshkin and past goalie Jake Oettinger. Hughes also had an assist.

“Big-time players step up in big-time games, and that is what he did,” fellow defenseman Brock Faber said.

All three Wild goals came at full strength. Minnesota outscored Dallas 17-5 at even strength in the series, including 12-4 at 5-on-5.

“Lots of you are going go to 5-on-5 scoring, but reality is, territory-wise in this series I think was pretty even," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. " I even give us the territorial advantage, but we didn’t defend well enough.”

Wyatt Johnston and Mavrik Bourque scored for Dallas. Johnston had the league-high 10th power-play goal of the postseason for the Stars. Minnesota had three power-play goals in the series.

Hughes opened the scoring in the first period, and Johnston converted a pass from Mikko Rantanen on the power-play goal to tie it second.

A fortuitous bounce off the end boards went to Bourque, who made a quick move before shifting to his forehand for an easy goal with 3:42 left in the second.

Tarasenko answered 54 seconds later for Minnesota. He tipped a redirected shot to himself, and while falling to his knees, and scored on a backhander for his 50th career postseason goal.

“Vladdy has won two Stanley Cups already," Kaprizov said. "He knows what you need to do in the playoffs.”

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

Accompanying the announcement was a photo of the 80-year-old leader dressed in a traditional white blouse and skirt and sitting on a bench behind a low table facing unidentified men who wear military and police uniforms. Myanmar’s military information office and state television disclosed the move and shared the photo of her Thursday night, but when and where the photo was taken was not clear.

Suu Kyi was detained Feb. 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She has not been seen publicly since then, and the last official photo of her was from a court appearance on May 24, 2021.

Earlier Thursday, authorities had announced Suu Kyi's sentence was being reduced as part of a prisoner amnesty marking a Buddhist holiday, the Full Moon Day of Kason honoring Buddha's birthday. The amnesty covered 1,519 prisoners and cut the sentences for those still in prison by one-sixth.

It's the second recent prisoner amnesty to apply to her

Prisoner amnesties are common in Myanmar for religious holidays and other important events, and the amnesty announced Thursday was the second in recent weeks to apply to Suu Kyi. Nearly two weeks earlier, a separate amnesty freed ousted President Win Myint, a longtime Suu Kyi loyalist who was arrested the same day as her.

The amnesties came after Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was sworn into office as president April 10 following an election that critics say was orchestrated to maintain the military’s tight grip on power.

In his inauguration speech, he said his government would grant amnesties to promote social reconciliation, justice and peace. Actions including the amnesties and Suu Kyi’s transfer are widely seen as an effort to burnish his image.

The message announcing her transfer says she was moved from the main prison in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw to house arrest, with the action “made to celebrate Buddha Day, to show humanitarian concern, and to demonstrate the state’s benevolence and goodwill.”

It does not specify her exact location but says that by law “she will now serve the remainder of her sentence at a specific home instead of in prison.”

Her prison sentence was seen as an attempt to discredit her

Suu Kyi was originally sentenced to 33 years in prison in late 2022 for several offenses that her supporters and rights groups described as attempts to legitimize the army takeover that removed her from office, as well as to prevent her return to politics.

Thursday's amnesty would bring her sentence down to 18 years, with more than 13 years left to serve, according to the calculation.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres considered Suu Kyi's transfer “a meaningful step toward conditions conducive to a credible political process,” U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.

Guterres also called for all political prisoners to be released as a fundamental step toward a political process and solution that “must be based on an immediate cessation of violence and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue," his spokesperson said.

The human rights advocacy group Burma Campaign UK said the announcements were part of a strategy to project reform while maintaining power.

“Moving Aung San Suu Kyi isn’t about change or reform, it’s about public relations designed to preserve military rule,” Burma Campaign UK’s director Mark Farmaner said. “No-one should be fooled.”

Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government, the main group coordinating armed opposition to military rule, told The Associated Press on Friday that the move was aimed at diverting the opposition movement.

“It is important that we do not fall for these tricks. We will continue until the revolution achieves its six goals,” said Nay Phone Latt, referring to the group’s political roadmap to end military rule, including ending the military’s involvement in politics and placing all armed forces under the command of an elected civilian government.

Information about Suu Kyi is tightly controlled

Suu Kyi's legal team has not been allowed to meet her in person since December 2022. Reports of declining health, including low blood pressure, dizziness and heart problems in 2024 and 2025 could not be verified.

Kim Aris, her younger son living in London, and Myanmar democracy activists launched an online campaign named “Proof of Life” to demand evidence she is alive and well, following the last mass amnesty on April 17.

“Moving her is not freeing her,” Kim said in a statement posted on Facebook following the announcement of her house arrest. “My request is simple: verified information that my mother is alive, the ability to communicate with her, and to see her free. If she is alive, show verified proof of life.”

The 2021 army takeover triggered massive public resistance that was brutally suppressed, triggering a bloody civil war that has killed thousands of people.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, 22,047 people had been detained for political reasons since the army takeover.

Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar’s martyred independence hero Gen. Aung San, spent almost 15 years as a political prisoner under house arrest between 1989 and 2010.

Her stand against military rule in Myanmar turned her into a symbol of nonviolent struggle for democracy, and won her the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

The Knicks broke several NBA records by halftime. Their 40-15 lead at the end of the first quarter marked the largest of the shot clock era. Their 47-point halftime lead was the biggest in playoff history.

It was New York’s third straight win after falling to 1-2 in the series following back-to-back one-point losses.

“It speaks volumes on our team that we were able to bounce back from two disappointing losses,” Towns said. “We had to step up to the challenge of being down in the series — super proud of our guys for that.”

New York's 51-point win tied for the sixth-largest margin of victory in NBA postseason history.

Dyson Daniels and Mitchell Robinson were ejected after fighting following a pair of free throws from Anunoby that gave the Knicks a 50-point lead in the second quarter.

The Knicks exceeded 100 points with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter. New York's starters were done for the night with 2:45 remaining in the third.

“It was just a tough position to be in,” Atlanta's Jalen Johnson said. “We dug ourselves a deep hole from the start and it was tough to climb out of that.”

Anunoby scored 26 of his points in the first half. Mikal Bridges finished with 24. Towns, five days after becoming the fourth Knicks player with a playoff triple-double, had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Hawks were 12 for 39 from the field in the first half and 4 for 18 from 3-point range. Atlanta had 14 turnovers in the first half.

Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga each had 11 points.

The Knicks will face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

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

The Tacoma Fire Department took five people to hospitals from Foss High School, with four of the patients in critical condition and one with minor injuries, said Chelsea Shepherd, a spokesperson for the department.

A sixth person was in police custody and taken to a hospital with minor injuries, she said. All were in stable condition as of late afternoon.

All of those wounded were either stabbed or cut, said Shelbie Boyd, a spokesperson for the Tacoma Police Department. The suspect was among those cut in the altercation.

The school went into lockdown at 1:38 p.m. after the violence began and students were safely dismissed at 2:45 p.m., Tacoma Public Schools said in a statement.

“The school is secure, and we are currently investigating," Boyd said, adding that a reunification area had been set up at the school for parents to pick up their students

School and after-school activities for Friday were canceled. The school will reopen Monday with counselors on site to support students and staff.

“We are grateful for the quick, calm action of our staff and our first responders,” the district said.

Austin-based Infowars is facing liquidation because of the more than $1 billion in defamation lawsuit judgments Jones owes relatives of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting for calling the Connecticut massacre a hoax. The proposed licensing deal would give The Onion temporary authority to use Infowars' trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property while a state receiver in Texas works toward liquidation.

A state judge in Austin had scheduled a hearing Thursday on whether to approve The Onion deal with the receiver. But the proceeding fizzled into a status conference because the Texas Third Court of Appeals late Wednesday approved an emergency motion by Jones’ lawyers that temporarily blocked the transfer of any Infowars assets. The judge set another hearing for May 28.

Lawyers for the Sandy Hook families had asked the Texas Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court ruling, but the high court did not issue a decision before Thursday's hearing.

“This newly insane, unprecedented legal stalling does nothing but delay our deal with the receiver to take control of InfoWars,” Ben Collins, The Onion's CEO, said in a social media post ahead of the hearing. “We now expect new traps in Alex Jones’ amoral war to deny paying the Sandy Hook families, but we’re freshly surprised by the U.S. legal system’s appetite to put up with it.”

The Onion already has been selling Infowars merchandise on its own website, including T-shirts and tote bags with an Infowars logo that replaces the “o” with its trademark onion image. It wants to turn the Infowars platforms into comedy sites that would include spoofing Jones, conspiracy theories and right-wing talking points, while giving revenue to the Sandy Hook victims’ relatives.

Jones declared victory in videos posted on his social media sites after the appellate court ruling. He called The Onion's plan illegal, citing pending appeals and his continuing personal bankruptcy case.

“I said days ago there’s no way the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Texas doesn’t overturn this — you know they’re all Democrats — because it’s so outrageous what you’ve done,” Jones said.

After Thursday’s hearing, Mark Bankston, a lawyer for some of the Sandy Hook victims’ relatives, accused Jones of delaying the liquidation of Infowars numerous times with court filings.

“As far as the world is concerned, Infowars is dead. Everybody knows that,” he said. “He’s trying to keep the bloated corpse of a media organization alive. It’s all a joke. Everybody knows where this is going.”

It’s not the first time The Onion has hit a legal setback in plans to take over Infowars.

In November 2024, the Chicago-based satirical outlet was named the winner of a bankruptcy court auction of the assets of Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, aimed at helping pay some of the defamation judgments. But a federal judge overturned the auction results, citing problems with process and The Onion’s bid.

Jones said on his show this week that he has a new studio nearing completion. He already has set up a new phone app and websites, including one that sells the dietary supplements, clothing and other merchandise he hawks on his shows. And his personal X account, where he posts videos of his shows and has 4.5 million followers, is not affected by any of the court cases.

On Thursday night, Jones toasted to his crew and viewers during a livestream on X as a clock ticked down to when he said his final moments in the building would hit.

“We’re not here anymore because they’re turning the power off at midnight,” he said.

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Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Philadelphia trailed in the ninth inning of both games before rallying for two walk-off wins on the same day for the first time since July 24, 1998, a pair of 12-inning victories against the Florida Marlins.

Schwarber homered in the first inning of each game. Trea Turner launched a leadoff shot on Adrian Houser's first pitch in the nightcap, and Schwarber followed with a 446-foot drive to right-center for his 11th homer this season.

Jung Hoo Lee put the Giants ahead 5-4 in the ninth with a two-out RBI single against José Alvarado, but pinch-hitter Brandon Marsh doubled off Keaton Winn to open the bottom half. Garrett Stubbs walked and Turner grounded into a double play before Schwarber, who was 4 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, doubled to right field on a full-count splitter.

San Francisco had runners at the corners with none out in the 10th when Game 1 winner Chase Shugart (2-0), the seventh pitcher used by the Phillies in a bullpen game, struck out Matt Chapman. Bohm then made a diving grab of Luis Arraez's line drive to third base, and Casey Schmitt flied out.

In the bottom half, Bryson Stott’s sacrifice bunt moved automatic runner Adolis García from second to third. Bohm, batting .151 this year, won it with a sacrifice fly to center against Matt Gage (2-1).

After sweeping the three-game series, the Phillies (12-19) are 3-0 since interim manager Don Mattingly took over after Rob Thomson was fired Tuesday. Philadelphia won the doubleheader opener 3-2 when Stott's tying triple keyed a two-run rally in the ninth.

Shugart became the first big league pitcher to win both games of a doubleheader since Minnesota’s Brian Duensing at the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 9, 2013. The previous Phillies pitcher to accomplish the feat was Terry Adams at Cincinnati on Sept. 21, 2002.

Arraez tied it 4-all with a two-run single in the seventh, following a 24-minute rain delay in the sixth.

Up next

Giants LHP Robbie Ray (2-3, 2.70 ERA) pitches Friday at Tampa Bay.

Philadelphia begins a four-game series in Miami, with RHP Zack Wheeler (0-1, 3.60) tentatively scheduled for Friday night.

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

In a statement read by a state television anchor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the only place Americans belonged in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters" and that a “new chapter” was being written in the region's history. Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over as supreme leader following the killing of his father in the war’s opening airstrikes.

His remarks come as Iran's economy is reeling and its oil industry is being squeezed by a U.S. Navy blockade halting its tankers from getting out to sea. The world economy is also under pressure as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all crude oil is transported. On Thursday, the global benchmark for oil, Brent crude, traded as high as $126 a barrel.

That shock to oil supplies and prices is putting pressure on Trump, who is floating a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by the U.S.'s Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.

Under the plan, the U.S. would continue its blockade on Iranian ports, while coordinating with allies to impose higher costs on Iran’s attempts to subvert the free flow of energy, according to a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

In a cable sent Tuesday, the U.S. State Department instructed American diplomats around the world — except those in Belarus, China, Cuba and Russia — to seek their host government’s support for the Trump administration's call for assistance in establishing a “maritime freedom construct” that would ensure free and unimpeded access to shipping through the strait.

“This commitment reflects broad international consensus on the need for coordinated action to counter Iranian maritime provocations and ensure navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz,” said the cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday.

The initiative, being led by the State Department and the Pentagon’s Central Command, “is a fundamentally defensive response to protect the rights of all countries to navigate international waters freely and safely and to hold Iran accountable for its aggressive and illegal actions to impede the free flow of commerce,” the cable said.

At the same time, Trump has also floated possible changes to U.S. troop presence in allied countries in Europe. The day after the president announced his administration was conducting a review on potentially reducing the U.S. troop presence in Germany, he was asked by a reporter whether he’d weigh pulling U.S. forces out of Italy and Spain — which have sparred with the United States over use of bases for Iran-related operations.

“Why shouldn’t I,” Trump answered. “Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”

Ceasefire shaken as strait remains shut

The U.S. blockade — which as of Thursday has turned back some 44 commercial vessels, according to U.S. Central Command — is designed to prevent Iran from selling its oil, depriving it of crucial revenue while also potentially creating a situation where Tehran has to shut off production because it has nowhere to store oil.

A recent Iranian proposal would push negotiations on the country’s nuclear program to a later date. Trump said one of the major reasons he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has long maintained its program is peaceful, though it enriched uranium at near-weapons-grade levels of 60%.

Pakistan on Thursday said it was still facilitating indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran aimed at easing tensions, but that Islamabad would also welcome direct communication between the two sides, even by phone.

“If the two parties can engage in real-time conversations, that could ease the sticking points,” said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tahir Andrabi at a weekly news briefing. He declined to share details of any Iranian or U.S. proposals.

Speaking to mark Persian Gulf Day in Iran, Khamenei's remarks signaled that nuclear issues and Iran's ballistic missile program wouldn't be traded away.

“Ninety million proud and honorable Iranians inside and outside the country regard all of Iran’s identity-based, spiritual, human, scientific, industrial and technological capacities — from nanotechnology and biotechnology to nuclear and missile capabilities — as national,” Khamenei said.

Khamenei referred to America as the “Great Satan,” a long hurled insult by Iranian leaders toward the U.S. since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Khamenei signals strait will remain shut

In his remarks, Khamenei seemed to signal Iran would maintain its control over the waterway, which sits in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Iran had been charging some ships reportedly $2 million apiece to travel through the strait.

He said that Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz will make the Gulf more secure, and that Tehran's “legal rules and new management” of the strait will benefit all the region’s nations.

However, the world considered the strait an international waterway, open to all without paying tolls. Gulf Arab nations, chief among them the United Arab Emirates, have decried Iran's control of the strait as akin to piracy.

Crackdown intensifies in Iran

Iran announced Thursday it hanged a 21-year-old man over charges stemming from the nationwide protests in January, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.

The agency identified the executed man as Sasan Azadvar, from Isfahan. It said he was hanged for the crime of “effectively cooperating with the enemy by attacking police officers” during the protests.

Activists and rights groups say a crackdown on dissent, including a wave of executions, has further intensified since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said on Wednesday at least 21 people have been executed since the start of the war.

Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face, rights groups say, warning that several other people remain at risk of execution.

Fighting continues in southern Lebanon

Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon-based, Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, the group has continued to claim attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Israel's military said one of its soldiers was killed in battle there Thursday, raising the troop casualties to 17 since the Iran war started.

Air raid sirens sounded multiple times in border communities in northern Israel on Thursday, too. The Israeli military said it struck military structures used by Hezbollah, and the Lebanese Health Ministry said 9 were killed in strikes, including women and children.

Late on Thursday, the foreign ministry of United Arab Emirates — which has come under attack by Iran during war — announced a travel ban for its citizens covering Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, and urged those already in those countries to return home.

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Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, Sarah El Deeb and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, and Giovanna Dell'Orto in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

By any measure, what the Knicks did to the Atlanta Hawks was a historic blowout.

The final score: Knicks 140, Hawks 89 on Thursday night in Game 6 of the teams' Eastern Conference first-round series. New York won the series 4-2, after losing Games 2 and 3 by exactly one point apiece — and then winning the next three games by 16, 29 and 51 points, respectively.

“Just a really, really good night offensively," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "We did the things that we were supposed to do. And our players were really, really good with their focus and attention to detail.”

A look at some of the stats of the night:

A 47-point halftime lead

The Knicks set an NBA playoff record by taking a 47-point halftime lead over the Hawks.

The Knicks led 83-36 at the break, after leading by as many as 51 at one point in the second quarter.

“It shows us what we're capable of defensively,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said.

Before Thursday, the biggest halftime playoff lead was 41 points. It had happened twice: Cleveland led in Boston 72-31 at the break on May 19, 2017, and Indiana led the Cavaliers 80-39 at the half of game on May 11, 2025.

The 47-point lead tied for the second-biggest — including regular-season games — in the NBA’s shot-clock era, which started in 1954. Dallas led the Los Angeles Clippers by 50 points at the break on Dec. 27, 2020, and Golden State led Sacramento by 47 at the half of their game on Nov. 2, 1991.

Points scored

With the 83 points, New York tied for the third-highest first-half point total in NBA playoff history.

Oklahoma City scored 87 against Denver on May 7, 2025; Cleveland scored 86 against Golden State on June 9, 2017; and Dallas scored 83 against Sacramento on May 8, 2003.

Atlanta actually had a 9-0 run in the early moments to take a 9-5 lead. The Knicks answered that with a 43-6 run. Yes, 43-6.

The 140 points scored over the full game was a Knicks playoff record.

Point differential

The 51-point margin tied for the sixth-largest in NBA playoff history.

It was the biggest playoff margin in a win for the Knicks — and the second-worst margin in Hawks playoff history, the worst in the Atlanta era.

The St. Louis Hawks lost by 58 to the Minneapolis Lakers in 1956. The biggest playoff loss, before Thursday, in the Hawks' Atlanta era was a 43-point defeat to Orlando in 2010.

Another 49-point win

When the calendar flipped to 2026, the Knicks — in their history — had never won a game by 49 or more points.

They now have three such wins, all in a span of about three months.

The Knicks beat Brooklyn by 54 points on Jan. 21, had the 51-point win Thursday and beat Philadelphia by 49 points on Feb. 11.

Before that, the Knicks’ record for margin of victory was 48 — done on three occasions, most recently 1994.

Biggest lead in this playoff era

New York led by as many as 61 points, which is the biggest lead in any NBA playoff game during the play-by-play era — which goes back to 1996-97.

Cleveland led a playoff game by 60 over Miami last season.

New York's biggest playoff lead in the last 30 years was 41 points against Boston last season. The Hawks' biggest deficit over the last 30 postseasons was 46 against Orlando in 2010.

A 4-shot triple double

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns had a triple-double on only four shots. He was 1 for 4 from the field and still finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

The only player in NBA playoff history with a triple-double on fewer shots? Magic Johnson, who took three shots in a 13-point, 13-rebound, 13-assist game for the Los Angeles Lakers over Philadelphia in the title-clinching game in the 1982 NBA Finals.

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

The shelter said people can help by serving as temporary foster parents, bringing kittens into their homes and caring for them until they are 8 weeks old. The society provides all medical care, food and supplies. When kittens reach the appropriate age and weight, they return to the shelter for spay/neuter surgery and adoption.

Foster families care for kittens of all ages, the society said. Some are too young to eat on their own and require feedings every few hours. Others can eat independently but need human socialization. Occasionally, litters arrive with their mother; foster homes provide a safe place for her to raise them with minimal intervention.

Generally, younger kittens require more supervision and around-the-clock care. Older kittens usually don’t need constant attention but still benefit from the comfort of a home rather than a shelter environment until they are adoptable.

The society recommends that people who are thinking about adopting also consider fostering. Foster families can choose their preferred kitten from a litter when the animals are old enough, and the shelter waives the initial adoption fee for foster families.

“This is our busiest time of year for kittens, and it isn’t going to slow down any time soon,” Lawrence Nicolas, CEO of the Jacksonville Humane Society said. “However, there is no place like Jacksonville when it comes to helping pets in need! We are excited to welcome new volunteer foster parents to this amazing community of helpers and save even more kitten lives this year.”

The society also urged residents to follow its “Don’t Kitnap” guidance: assess the situation when finding kittens, because removing them from their environment is not always in their best interest. Information on how to help found kittens is available on the Jacksonville Humane Society website.

Those who cannot foster can still help by donating kitten care items. The shelter’s most-needed items can be ordered from its Amazon or Chewy wish lists and shipped directly to the shelter.

For more information on fostering, donating or other ways to help, visit the Jacksonville Humane Society website.

Neighbors told News4JAX they’re praying for steady rainfall to help firefighters knock down hot spots and to bring relief to families trying to return home and clean up after days of smoke, evacuations and loss.

“Buckets. Buckets dropping,” Donnie Corbett, who spent part of the day donating supplies to people impacted by the fire, said.

On Thursday night, officials said the fire was 22,532 acres and 37% contained.

THE LATEST: More families approved to return home as recovery efforts continue amid ‘warzone’ left by wildfire

Amanda Harvey, who said she evacuated with her mother — who is on oxygen — said the uncertainty and cost of leaving home has left her family struggling.

“We’re praying for rain,” Harvey said. “Been praying for rain and for all the firemen out there.”

Harvey said evacuation expenses quickly added up.

“We spent all the savings we had on hotel rooms. Now we have no money for food,” she said. “We’re thankful we didn’t get burnt totally down. A lot of people got burned out of their houses and homes and my heart’s just wrecked.”

Harvey said seeing burned properties along the highway has been painful, especially in a rural community where many families have spent years building what they have.

For Carson Yawn, rain would mean more than comfort. He said he lost his home in the fire, along with some dogs.

“As close to hell as I think you could probably get, but we’re alive,” Yawn said.

He said the immediate future is focused on cleanup and figuring out what comes next.

Yawn said he believes rain is badly needed across the county.

“That’s something we need desperately,” he said. “And I think God’s going to give that to us. He knows we need it just as bad as we know we need it.”

As residents watched the sky, the Brantley County Sheriff’s Office posted aerial video on Facebook showing rain moving across the county, calling it an answered prayer and saying the rainfall provided help for crews working the fire. In the post, the sheriff’s office said the fire was reported to be 33% contained and thanked Chaplain Steve Beal for “covering this community in prayer.”

With more chances of rain in the forecast over the next few days, residents said they’re holding onto hope — for firefighters on the lines, for families still displaced and for neighbors starting over.

The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.

A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.

While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran's oil tankers from getting out to sea.

Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president’s military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorization or cease fighting. The law also allows an administration to extend that deadline by 30 days.

Democrats have pushed the administration for formal approval of the Iran war, and the 60-day mark would likely have been a turning point for a swath of Republican lawmakers who backed temporary action against Tehran but insisted on congressional input for something longer.

“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who voted Thursday in favor of a measure that would end military action in Iran since Congress hadn’t given its approval. She added that “further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close."

Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the National Security Council during Trump's first term, said he has recommended to administration officials that they simply transition to a new operation, which he suggested could be called “Epic Passage,” a sequel to Operation Epic Fury.

That new mission, he said, “would inherently be a mission of self-defense focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation.”

“That to me solves it all,” added Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.

During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Hegseth said it was the administration’s “understanding” that the 60-day clock was on pause while the two countries were in a ceasefire. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who had asked Hegseth about the timeline, later told reporters that the defense secretary “advanced a very novel argument that I've never heard before” and “certainly has no legal support.”

Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program and an expert on war powers, said that interpretation would be a “sizeable extension of previous legal gamesmanship” related to the 1973 law.

“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she said.

Other presidents have argued that the military action they’ve taken was not intense enough or was too intermittent to qualify under the War Powers Resolution. But Trump’s war in Iran would certainly not be such a case, Ebright said, adding that lawmakers need to push back against the administration on that kind of argument.

___

AP writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

Early voting had been scheduled to begin Saturday for Louisiana's May 16 primaries. But Republican Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order postponing the U.S. House primary in response to a ruling Wednesday by the court that struck down a majority Black congressional district.

“Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters,” Landry stated. “This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map.”

The Republican-controlled secretary of state's office, which declared an electoral emergency allowing for Landry's order, said it would post notices at early voting sites alerting the public about the suspended congressional primary. All other races on the ballot will proceed as scheduled.

The Supreme Court decision and Landry's move triggered a flurry of follow-up legal action. On Thursday night, the three-judge federal appeals court panel that heard the initial case that was appealed to the high court issued a brief order suspending Louisiana's House election until new maps are drawn — a move some legal experts said was premature. Marc Elias, a prominent Democratic election attorney, announced the filing of a lawsuit challenging Landry's order.

The governor's order postponed the congressional primary until either July 15 or a date to be set by the Legislature. The state's Republican House and Senate leaders said they are prepared to pass new congressional voting districts — and set a new election date — before their regular session ends in a month.

President Donald Trump used his social media platform to praise Landry, who also is his special envoy to Greenland, for moving quickly to revise the state's congressional districts. He also urged Republicans in Tennessee to do likewise in response to the Supreme Court's decision.

Democrats say the delay could cause confusion

While civil rights activists denounced the potential for diminished minority representation in Congress, top Republicans cited the Supreme Court's decision as justification to spur an already intense national redistricting battle among states before the November elections.

“I think all states who have unconstitutional maps should look at that very carefully, and I think they should do it before the midterm,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters in Washington.

The election suspension in Louisiana was denounced by some Democrats.

“This is going to cause mass confusion among voters -- Democrats, Republicans, white, Black, everybody,” said Louisiana state Sen. Royce Duplessis, a Democrat who represents the New Orleans area. “What they’re effectively doing is changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game. It’s rigging the system.”

Delaying an election is unusual but not unprecedented.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, several states pushed back elections because of health concerns. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who led Louisiana at the time, postponed the state's April 4 presidential primary three weeks before it was supposed to occur — then delayed it again until July 11.

More states could join a national redistricting wave

Louisiana currently is represented in the U.S. House by four Republicans and two Democrats. A revised map could give Republicans a chance to pick up at least one more seat in the November midterms — adding to Republican gains elsewhere from redistricting.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade, after each census. But Trump last year urged Texas Republicans to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterms. California Democrats reciprocated, and redistricting efforts soon cascaded across states.

On Wednesday, Florida lawmakers became the latest to redraw U.S. House districts, adopting a new map backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that could give the GOP a chance at winning several additional seats.

The Florida vote occurred just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority issued a ruling that significantly weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act. The court said Louisiana officials had relied too heavily on race when drawing a congressional district that is represented by Democrat Cleo Fields.

Trump said he wants Tennessee to take up redistricting in response to the court's ruling. The president posted on social media that he had spoken with the state's Republican governor, Bill Lee, who he said would work hard for a new map that could help Republicans gain an additional seat. Democrats currently hold only one of the state's nine House seats — a district centered in Memphis, which is majority Black.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, said he is in conversations with the White House and others while reviewing the court's decision.

Louisiana has a history of redistricting challenges

After the 2020 census, Louisiana officials had drawn House voting district boundaries that maintained one Black majority district and five mostly white districts, in a state with a population that is about one-third Black. A federal judge later struck down the map for violating the Voting Rights Act.

The following year, the Supreme Court found that Alabama had to create a second congressional district that would be favorable to Black voters.

Federal judges permanently barred Alabama from using a congressional map drawn by state lawmakers and ordered the use of a plan that added a second district with a substantial number of Black voters.

On Thursday, Alabama filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court seeking an expedited review of its appeal. The state is seeking to lift the injunction blocking the use of the 2023 map drawn by the Republican-controlled legislature that did not include the new district.

Louisiana’s legislature and governor adopted a new House map in 2024 that created a second Black majority district. But that map also was subsequently challenged in court, leading to the most recent Supreme Court ruling.

After the ruling, Landry called U.S. House candidates on Wednesday and told them that primaries would most likely be stalled, according to Misti Cordell, a Republican running in a crowded race to fill U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow’s vacated seat.

“It’s an inconvenience for a candidate for sure, but you know they want to do it right versus having to go through all this again,” Cordell said. She added that she appreciated the heads up before she and other candidates began “spending their war chest” during the final weeks leading up to Election Day.

___

Brook reported from New Orleans and Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. AP reporter Travis Loller contributed from Nashville.

James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m. following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of the July 1976 killing of Cynthia Driggers.

The curtain to the death chamber opened promptly at the 6 p.m. execution time. Hitchcock’s entire body was covered in a sheet up to his head. He stared at the ceiling as the team warden made a call, then gave his final statement.

“Just to say goodbye to Joshua my friend. Thanks for all you’ve done,” Hitchcock said without elaborating.

As he spoke, a man in the witness room, raised his hand, and Hitchcock lifted his head to try to see.

Hitchcock blinked rapidly as the drugs began flowing and took several deep breaths. A minute later, his breathing became more shallow and quickly stopped. Minutes into the execution, the team warden briefly flicked Hitchcock‘s face and yelled his name twice and shook his shoulders. Hitchcock didn’t respond, his face slowly turning ashen.

There was no visible reaction from the 28 witnesses nearby. A doctor came in 11 minutes into the execution, checked Hitchcock with a stethoscope and shone a light into his eyes before nodding at the team warden, who declared him dead.

Several members of Driggers' family addressed reporters afterward. The victim's younger sister, Lynn Cobb, said she added life, fun and dreams for her family in the 13 years she was alive.

“I thank God for giving me the strength and courage all these years and shaping me even through this tragedy for the person I am today,” Cobb said. “We now close the door on this chapter of our lives. We will continue to remember Cindy by keeping her memory alive and always understanding that life is precious and time is valuable.”

One of Driggers' cousins, Ginie Meadows, said Hitchcock never thought this day would come, but he was wrong.

“For those of you that do not understand why this process is justified, I am certain that you have not known the agony and emotional torture of having someone you love brutally murdered,” Meadows said. “You have not had to sit in a courtroom and have the murderer smirk at your family.”

Another cousin, Chip Meadows, expressed relief that the execution was finally carried out.

“I’ve lived with this for 50 years,” Meadows said. “I can breathe today. I am loving life. Free at last, free at last. Our monster is dead.”

Court records indicated Hitchcock, then 20 and unemployed, had moved into his brother's suburban Orlando home weeks before the killing occurred. He told police following his arrest that after drinking beer and smoking marijuana with friends for several hours, he returned to the home, entered the girl's room and raped her, investigators said.

When the girl told Hitchcock that she had been hurt and planned to tell her mother, he tried to stop her from leaving the room and began choking her, court records show. Authorities said Hitchcock then took the girl outside, where he beat and choked her until she stopped moving, leaving her in nearby bushes. Hitchcock then took a shower and went to bed.

Hitchcock recanted during his trial and blamed his brother instead. Convicted of first-degree murder, he was sentenced to death in 1977. Years of appeals followed and he was resentenced to death in 1988, 1993 and 1996.

Thursday's execution was the sixth in Florida this year under death warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Four of the other five Florida inmates put to death this year received death sentences in the 1990s. DeSantis also oversaw a record 19 executions in 2025, far more than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

On Thursday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Hitchcock's final appeal.

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025, with Florida leading the way. Alabama, South Carolina and Texas tied for second with five executions each that year.

Texas carried out another execution on Thursday evening, putting to death a man for a fatal robbery that killed two people nearly 18 years ago. The man claimed he wasn't the shooter.

Florida has scheduled another execution on May 21. Richard Knight, 47, was convicted of the fatal stabbing of his cousin’s girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter.

A slight chance of showers will continue overnight, with increasing chances through Friday evening. The wettest day will be Saturday, with rounds of rain and isolated storms sweeping across the area through late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Rainfall totals will average 0.50 to 1.5 inches, with the heaviest totals across southeast Georgia.

Sunday will be cooler and breezy as the skies clear through the day.

Tonight: Scattered showers with isolated storms through around 7 p.m. across northeast Florida. A slight chance of showers will continue overnight, 10-20 percent.

Friday: Scattered showers with thunderstorms, 40-50 percent. Showers and thunderstorms will get an early start in SE GA and then move south through the afternoon and evening. Morning lows in the 60s to low 70s. Afternoon highs in the 70s and 80s. Wind: NE 10-15 mph.

Saturday: Widespread rounds of rain with thunderstorms, 70-90 percent. Cloudy skies with showers starting early in SE GA. An area of low pressure will move through the area, followed by a cold front. This will slide the storms south across northeast Florida through late Saturday night. Lows in the upper 50s to 60s. Highs in the 60s to 70s for SE GA, 70s to low 80s for NE FL. Wind: W/SW 10-15 mph.

Looking ahead: A few showers will be possible during the predawn hours on Sunday, followed by clearing skies and cooler temperatures. Dry weather returns on Monday with near-seasonal temperatures. Highs will climb above seasonal averages next week.

Sunrise: 6:44 a.m.

Sunset: 8:04 p.m.

But some are finding it difficult to wrap their heads around what’s left.

“It’s heartbreak. It’s devastation. You go into certain areas, and it looks like a warzone,” Danielle Surprenant said. “It looks like the apocalypse.”

INTERACTIVE MAP: Highway 82 fire

The Highway 82 Fire that sparked on April 20 when a foil balloon touched a power line, creating an electrical arc that set the ground ablaze, now exceeds 22,600 acres (roughly 35 square miles) and is 37% contained.

At least 90 homes or businesses and about 55 small structures have been destroyed in the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville, officials said. But thankfully, no fire injuries or deaths have been reported.

Brantley County remains under a mandatory curfew from 8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., and a burn ban is in place for all counties in south Georgia.

Officials have created a Facebook page to share updates on the ongoing firefight: www.facebook.com/Hwy82fire.

They say a resource center will open at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Brantley County Recreation Center—bringing together multiple organizations in one place.

Re-entry procedures

Progress made against the Brantley County blaze has allowed officials to expand those eligible for re-entry.

Residents in Zone 11 (Southern Browntown) are now approved to return home, the Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.

This includes:

• Mineral Springs Road
• Connie Lane
• Southern portions of Browntown Road

For those wanting to return to evacuation zones, deputies are issuing placards to residents to get past the security checkpoint, and they will remain in the area to direct residents and ensure everyone is safe.

The guidelines for reentry are as follows:

• Residents must show proof of residence at either Satilla Grocery/HWY 259 or Highway 32/301 (open lot west of 301) to receive a placard for entry
• Placard pickup is from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at both locations (no limit per home)
• Residents only; no commercial vehicles
• Follow all road closures and barricades
• Keep children under 18 with an adult at all times
• Be ready to leave again if conditions change

The previous mandatory evacuation zone and road closures from the eastern county line, extending north from Hwy 82 to Hwy 32 and across to Boots Harrison Road, are also being modified.

The following roads have reopened:

• Post Road (side roads off Post that are not through roads are open)
• Albert Gibson is open from Post Road; Closed at Boots Harrison to Browntown Road
• Murphy Road is open from Post Road; Closed at Mineral Springs
• Browntown Road, south of Murphy Road; Closed north of Murphy Road

Please use caution when returning home, officials warned. Be aware of any hazards, follow guidance from local officials, and take your time as you re-enter the area.

Back to school

On Thursday, teachers returned to their schools for the first time in over a week, although students in the district will be out of school through Friday.

The school system has been heavily involved in helping the community. Brantley County Schools Nutrition delivered meals to students this week, and school officials say they are working with different agencies to figure out the best approach for everyone to return to school.

In the meantime, officials warn that while fire crews are making progress, the danger is not over. They’re urging families returning to evacuation zones to remain alert.

RELATED: Full coverage of Brantley County fire

Highway 82 in Brantley County is about 35 miles north of the state line with Florida, and the fire is mainly impacting the communities of Atkinson and Waynesville.

Welcome rain

Thursday is expected to be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers or thunderstorms. West winds are expected at 5-10 mph with gusts ranging from 15-20 mph.

Officials said the rain could fall on the “fire footprint,” which will bring some welcome relief but also its own challenges.

Rain can be beneficial because it:

• Increases fuel moisture in grasses, leaves, and surface fuels
• Slows fire spread and reduces fire intensity
• Assists firefighters in strengthening containment lines and conducting mop-up operations

But officials urged that rain does not immediately “put a wildfire out,” especially one as large as the Highway 82 Fire.

Heavier fuels such as stumps, logs, roots, and deep organic soils can continue to hold heat even after rainfall.

Rain can also create operational challenges, including:

• Masking heat signatures, making it more difficult for infrared aircraft and drones to detect remaining hotspots.
• Reducing visible smoke temporarily, which can give the appearance of full extinguishment while heat remains underground or within heavy fuels.
• Creating slippery and unstable conditions for firefighters working on containment lines and on dirt roads.

It is important for the public to understand that even after rain, fire activity can still exist beneath the surface, and suppression efforts continue until containment is secure.

Crews will continue monitoring conditions closely before, during, and after the rainfall to ensure any remaining heat is identified and addressed, officials said.

Evacuations

All homes, roads and properties within the following boundaries in Brantley County are under mandatory evacuation:

• North: Wayne County line
• South: Highway 82
• West: See map below
• East: Old Post Road

For information about evacuations and road closures in Brantley County, call the Sheriff’s Office at 912-674-5878 or 912-674-0195.

Glynn County (glynncounty.org/wildfires) evacuations include the following:

Voluntary Evacuation / Prepare to Leave

• Old Post Road to Highway 32
• Highway 32 to Thalman Park Lane
• Thalman Park Lane to Bladen Road
• Bladen Road to Old Post Road
• Alpine Road
• Gilley Road
• Boones Branch Road
• Sallie Cline Road
• Mauney Street
• Chelsea Circle
• Post Road north of Highway 82
• Old Post Road north of Highway 32

Residents in voluntary evacuation areas should prepare essential items and be ready to leave if conditions worsen.

Road closures

These road closures remain in effect:

Glynn County

• Highway 32 closed between Highway 301 and Highway 99 (GDOT)
• Highway 110 closed between Highway 32 and Highway 82 (GDOT)

Brantley County

• Mineral Springs
• Boots Harrison
• Mumford Road
• Crandall Road
• Hawthorne Road
• Browntown Road (from Hwy 82 to Wayne County line)
• Hwy 32 from Highway 110 W to Browntown Road
• Restricted Access (residents only)
• • Hwy 32 from Hwy 301 to Hwy 110 West
  • Hwy 32 – Post Rd to Browntown Rd NE (north of 32, east of Browntown Rd)
• Placard Access Only
• • Hwy 110 West from Hwy 82 to Hwy 32

Wayne County

• Manningtown Road at Ron Road
• Post Road at Ten Mile Road to Wayne-Brantley Line
• Wire Road to Brantley Line
• Mt. Pleasant Road at Browntown Road

“Do not attempt to enter closed or restricted areas,” the Sheriff’s Office warned. “We understand the importance of access, and we will provide updates as soon as assessments are complete and it is safe to reopen roadways.”

The Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia State Patrol are closely monitoring the smoke and fog conditions, which could cause intermittent closures of Highway 82 if visibility conditions deteriorate.

Closures

There is a temporary flight restriction over the fire area to avoid conflict between personal aircraft and firefighting efforts.

This includes all recreational and professional unmanned aircraft (drones).

Polls will be open at the normal location: Elections Office, 10305 N Main St., Nahunta, Ga. 31553.

Shelters

Glynn County has coordinated with the American Red Cross to establish a 24/7 shelter at Selden Park to support individuals affected by the fires in Brantley County.

The address is 100 Genoa Martin Drive, Brunswick, Georgia.

RELATED: Brantley High impact rally brings donations and support for families affected by ongoing wildfires | ‘Love on everybody’: How Brantley County is showing up for neighbors displaced by the Highway 82 Fire

The shelter will also have an air-conditioned mobile unit to house small pets (dogs/cats) in crates. Bedding and crates can be provided.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture Facebook page has listed evacuation locations for large animals.

Day shelters are also available at:

• Nahunta Methodist Church, 107 E Cleveland St, Nahunta
• Southside Baptist Church, 550 School St, Nahunt

Pets are only allowed at the Red Cross Shelter in Brunswick.

Donations

For those who want to help, the following locations are accepting donations:

• Brantley Gas, 114 Satilla Ave., Nahunta (new or gently used clothing, hangers, hygiene items, empty totes with lids)
• H&S Haulers, 125 Industrial Park, Nahunta (nonperishable items and pet food)
• Brantley County Family Connections, 10305 Main St., Nahunta (all donations)

RELATED: Want to help families affected by wildfires? Here’s how to be sure that fundraiser is real

The Brantley County Sheriff’s Office said donations can no longer be accepted at the command post at the airport.

“Moving forward, all donations will be coordinated through Brantley County Family Connection. They will serve as the central point for receiving and distributing donations to and from the Command Post to ensure everything is managed safely and efficiently‚” the Sheriff’s Office said.

For those who want to give a monetary donation, GoFundMe, the top crowdfunding online platform, has launched a centralized hub featuring campaigns for wildfire families that have been vetted by GoFundMe staff.

The Georgia Wildfire Relief Hub can be found at gofundme.com/communities/georgia-wildfire-relief-2026.

Air quality concerns

Smoke conditions can change quickly as wildfire activity and wind patterns shift. Residents should monitor air quality and take precautions when smoke is present.

Current Air Quality Resources

• AirNowCheck current air quality and smoke conditions in your area. View AirNow 

Sensitive groups should take precautions

• People with asthma
• COPD / respiratory conditions
• Heart conditions
• Older adults
• Children

Recommended actions

• Stay indoors when possible
• Keep windows and doors closed
• Run filtered air / HVAC if available
• Limit outdoor activity during heavy smoke
• Follow your provider’s guidance if symptoms worsen

James Broadnax was pronounced dead after receiving a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Houston.

Earlier Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by Broadnax’s attorneys to stop his execution.

He was condemned for the 2008 shooting deaths of two men outside a suburban Dallas music studio. Prosecutors say Broadnax and his cousin, Demarius Cummings, fatally shot and robbed Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler in the parking lot of Butler’s recording studio in Garland. Cummings was sentenced to life without parole.

Broadnax was defiant in a final statement in which he also sought forgiveness from the victims' relatives. Seven relatives, including parents of each of the victims, were present.

“I prayed to God for your forgiveness," he said, when asked by the warden if he had a final statement. “Despite what you think about me, I hope to God that prayer was answered. But no matter what you think about me, Texas got it wrong. I’m innocent, the facts of my case should speak for itself. Period," he said.

The execution also was punctuated by screams of “I love you” from his wife, who also was among witnesses to the punishment. She was emotional at times during the procedure, leaning up to the death chamber window with arms spread, and had to be helped out of the prison.

As the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital began, Broadnax urged his supporters to keep fighting. “Don’t give up,” he said, and was stopped in another mid-sentence by a gasp. He shook his head briefly and all movement stopped. He was pronounced dead 21 minutes later, at 6:47 p.m. CDT.

Prosecutors said Broadnax, 37, confessed to the shooting, telling reporters during jailhouse interviews that “I pulled the trigger” and that he had no remorse.

His lawyers had focused his final appeals on two issues: Cummings had recently confessed to being the shooter; and Broadnax’s constitutional rights were violated because prosecutors eliminated potential jurors during his trial on the basis of race.

“I’m really gonna tell it like it’s supposed to be told, that it was me, that I was the killer. I shot Matthew Bullard, Steve Swan,” Cummings said recently from prison in a video created as part of the efforts to stop Broadnax’s execution.

His attorneys also alleged prosecutors dismissed all seven potential Black jurors on the basis of their race, “utilizing a spreadsheet during jury selection that bolded only the names of every Black juror,” according to court documents. One Black juror was later reinstated to the jury. Broadnax was Black.

In a 1986 ruling known as Batson v. Kentucky, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that excluding jurors because of their race violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Broadnax’s attorneys had argued in an earlier appeal that prosecutors had violated his constitutional rights by using some of the rap lyrics he wrote to portray him as a violent and dangerous person in order to secure a death sentence. A number of A-list rappers, including Travis Scott,T.I. and Killer Mike, had filed briefs at the Supreme Court in support of Broadnax’s appeal.

Theresa Butler, Matthew Butler’s mother, had asked that the execution proceed.

“This so called confession from cummings is just a stall tactic by Broadnax’s desperate defense team. Its all a lie,” Butler wrote in a post on social media.

Broadnax was the third person put to death this year in Texas and the 10th in the country. Texas has historically held more executions than any other state.

About an hour before Broadnax’s execution on Thursday, Florida put to death James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, for beating and choking his 13-year-old step-niece to death.

___

Lozano reported from Houston. Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70

“We put ourselves in a bad position, but we can still make history and come back one game at a time,” Houston big man Alperen Sengun said. “Play at home, come back here, just do the same thing we’re doing.”

That game is one of three Game 6 matchups in the NBA on Friday night starting in the Eastern Conference with underdog Orlando Magic trying again to close out its series against the top-seeded Detroit Pistons. The second game of the night features James Harden and the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers looking to wrap up their series against the fifth-seed Toronto Raptors.

In Friday’s nightcap the Rockets will try to get a win to become just the fifth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a series. None of the 159 teams that were in a 0-3 hole have won the series.

They’ll likely do it without superstar Kevin Durant, who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury after sitting out of the series opener with a bruised knee. He's listed as doubtful for Game 6.

“You cannot take off days anymore,” Houston’s Jabari Smith Jr. said. “If you lose, you go home, and on this team, nobody wants to go home. Everybody is here to fight.”

The Lakers couldn’t finish off the Rockets on Wednesday night despite the return of Austin Reaves, the team’s second-leading scorer in the regular season who had been out since April 2 with an oblique injury.

He scored 22 points on 4-of-16 shooting in 34 minutes off the bench in the 99-93 loss.

LeBron James expects him to be more dynamic on Friday night after shaking the rust off in Game 5.

“A few of his jump shots were short. That makes sense. He hasn’t played in a month,” James said. “He gives us another ballhandler, another attacking threat at the point of attack, so it’s great for us.”

In Toronto, the Raptors are also feeling confident despite their 125-120 loss in Game 5 and some injury concerns.

“I like our odds 100%,” Toronto’s Scottie Barnes said. “We’re going to go home and we’re going to get it done.”

They could have to do that without All-Star Brandon Ingram, who left Wednesday night’s game in the second quarter with right heel inflammation and is listed as questionable for Game 6. Ingram scored just one point before his early exit. Barnes is also not 100% after being kneed in the quadriceps while driving to the rim during the second quarter.

“Obviously, we need (Ingram) out on the floor,” Barnes said. “His playmaking ability and his defense and everything he brings.”

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson knows another huge mental test is coming up for this group after rallying to win on Wednesday night.

“These are high pressure moments,” he said. “You’re down, you can feel the crowd getting nervous. So, I think we took a step (Wednesday). Now the big one is can you go and beat this team on the road? Can we go in there and go take this because we haven’t shown we can yet.”

The Pistons avoided elimination behind Cade Cunningham’s franchise playoff-record 45 points in a 116-109 win in Game 5.

Now the Magic will try and close it out again to win a playoff series for the first time since 2010. If they’re able to pull it off, they’ll be only the second No. 8 seed to win its first-round series after advancing through the play-in tournament and first since Miami in 2023.

Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 7 p.m. EDT (Prime Video).

Series: Magic lead 3-2.

Betting line: Pistons by 3 ½

What to Know: Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, played like a franchise player should Wednesday night to allow the Pistons to extend the series. Now they’ll need another big performance from the 24-year-old to force Game 7 as they chase their first playoff series win since 2008. He has taken 23 shots in each of the last three games but was much more efficient in Game 5. Cunningham made 13 shots Wednesday after making just eight and seven respectively in the previous two games. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, the top pick in the 2022 draft, also scored 45 points in Game 5 but missed 7 of 12 free throws. The Magic will have to depend on his scoring again in Game 6 with Franz Wagner out for a second straight game with a strained right calf. Wagner averaged 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the first four games of the series as the Magic built a 3-1 series lead.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Toronto Raptors

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 7:30 p.m. (Prime Video)

Series: Cavaliers lead 3-2.

Betting line: Cavaliers by 3 1/2

What to Know: The Cavaliers look to close out the series by doing something that hasn’t been done in the first five games, winning on the other team’s home floor. This is the only first-round series where home court has held serve. A major point of emphasis for Atkinson is reducing turnovers. Cleveland railed from a 12-point second-half deficit for the win despite the Raptors scoring 28 points off 15 Cavaliers turnovers. The Raptors look to avoid elimination despite having Ingram and Barnes injured.

Los Angeles Lakers at Houston Rockets

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 9:30 p.m. EDT (Prime Video).

Series: Lakers lead 3-2.

Betting line: Rockets by 3 1/2.

What to Know: With Durant out, the Rockets have relied on a balanced scoring attack to win the last two games with each starter scoring at least 12 points in both games. They know they’ll have to continue that to keep the series alive and they also must continue their strong 3-point shooting. The Rockets have made 26 3-pointers combined in the last two games after managing just 18 in the previous two games. The Lakers need to play much cleaner to end the series after they had 38 turnovers combined in their two losses. “You give credit where credit is due,” James said. “They played well the last two games, exceptionally well, and we’ve got to answer the call.”

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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham and Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

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

On Saturday, a couple witnessed a red Honda Accord deliberately drive over a group of ducklings on Tempest Street on the city’s Westside.

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the driver turned the vehicle around multiple times to hit the animals. When the couple confronted the woman days later, she told them she intentionally killed the ducks because she was upset they had made a mess in her yard, JSO said.

The couple then reported the incident to JSO and provided surveillance video showing the woman driving over the ducklings. Officers identified Beverly Sasberry as the owner of the red Honda Accord.

Video recorded by a neighbor captured the disturbing moments. News4JAX has blurred part of the video. Some viewers may still find it difficult to watch.

On Thursday, April 30, officers pulled Sasberry over and arrested her following an interview. She faced 11 counts — one for each duck — of Cruelty to Animals, a felony charge.

“We do not take animal cruelty cases lightly,” officials said. “If you see someone committing a crime against an animal, please give us a call at 904.630.0500.”

The Panthers romped to a 4-0 win, with Danielle Wei and Blair Murray winning in straight sets in singles. The doubles teams of Wei and Olivia Jepsen and Blair Murray and Portland Murray won easily in doubles. Nease routed Cypress Creek 5-0 in the semifinals to sail into the championship match.

The team championship was the third in Nease girls history (1997, 2025), and the Panthers join Bolles (2004-05) as the only area girls teams to win back-to-back championships.

Wei will play for the overall singles championship, and teams up with Jepsen to play for the overall doubles championship on Friday.

On the boys side, Nease’s William Chaves and Charles Neal won the individual doubles title with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Luca Torres-Sigler and Nicolas Schwartz of Spoto.

Chaves and Neal will play for the overall doubles championship on Friday morning.

The possibility emerged amid legal gamesmanship in the runup to a bench trial next week on allegations that Meta poses a public nuisance. It's the second phase of a case that already resulted in $375 million in civil penalties on a jury's determination that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

Prosecutors are asking the court to order a series of changes to child accounts on social media aimed at reining in addictive features, improving age verification and preventing child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and closer oversight.

Meta executives have emphasized that the company continuously improves child safety and addresses compulsive social media use. The company says its being singled out among hundreds of apps that teens use.

In a court filing unsealed Thursday, Meta said it was unfeasible for the company to meet a proposed requirement for 99% accuracy in verifying that child users are at least 13 years old, among other demands.

“As a practical matter, this requirement effectively requires Meta to shut down its services — for all users in the state — or else comply with impossible obligations,” Meta said in the filing.

Such a shutdown across a population of 2.1 million residents in New Mexico could silence personal communication on Meta’s immensely popular platforms, which also include Facebook and WhatsApp, and also impact their use for commercial advertising.

By withdrawing from New Mexico, Meta would satisfy any concerns about harm to children, but the message could appear intentionally hostile and might lead to unintended consequences, said Eric Goldman, codirector of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law in California.

Goldman noted that Canadian authorities accused Facebook in 2023 of putting profits over safety after the platform blocked local news content during record-setting wildfires and evacuations. Facebook was responding to a newly enacted law that requires tech giants to pay publishers for linking to or otherwise repurposing their content online.

A Los Angeles jury last month found both Meta and YouTube liable for harms to children using their services, validated longstanding concerns about the dangers of social media.

New Mexico’s case against Meta is the first to reach trial among more that 40 state attorneys general who have filed suit against the company on claims it contributes to a mental health crisis among young people. Most are pursuing remedies in U.S. federal court.

“I highly doubt that they’re going to be willing and able to turn the lights off for their product all over the country,” New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in an online news conference.

Torrez disputed Meta’s argument that proposed changes are impractical, describing “before times” in an ever-evolving social media landscape when “we didn’t have infinite scroll and we didn’t have auto-play.” Torrez, a Democrat running for reelection to a second term in November, said he won’t be “turning a blind eye to exploited children in the state of New Mexico because people have an advertising contract.”

Beyond the U.S., other countries have implemented — or are planning — a bevy of restrictions on children’s online activities, ranging from social media bans to requiring younger teens to link their accounts to a parent’s. New Mexico also wants all child accounts on Meta platforms to have an associated parent or guardian, as well as a court-supervised child safety monitor to track improvements over time.

Goldman said there are some countries that Facebook “doesn’t directly support in part because it’s just not worth it.”

"The cost of maintaining the separate service is greater than any value from that territory,” he said. “And that could be the case with New Mexico as well.”

The legislation, which will be challenged in court, indicates a weakening of Lula’s position in Congress ahead of his bid for reelection in the country’s October presidential election.

It’s unclear how much time Bolsonaro will serve for his conviction for leading a coup attempt, but analysts say the move could shave 20 years off his sentence. The former right-wing president, who began his sentence in November, is currently under house arrest.

The conservative opposition successfully drew centrist senators and federal deputies to comfortably override the leftist president's veto of last year's sentencing bill. Bolsonaro supporters expressed confidence in the outcome even before the voting began.

“This is a first and much awaited step by those who are afflicted. The next stage is full amnesty,” said Sen. Espiridião Amin, a Bolsonaro ally.

The bill that lawmakers passed last year reduces prison terms for several crimes, including those against the democratic rule of law and leading a coup when a person is convicted in both. The new legislation states that the sentence should be based only on the count carrying the highest sentence.

Ahead of the vote, the president of Brazil’s Senate said only cases similar to ones that led to convictions for Bolsonaro, his allies and supporters in the attempted coup trial would be eligible for the softer penalties, though legal experts say that claim will be questioned in court.

Pedro Uczai, the Workers' Party whip in Brazil's lower house, said he will appeal to the Supreme Court to annul the legislation, arguing that it was unconstitutional. The court is yet to receive his complaint.

Bolsonaro allies in Congress said the move benefits not only the former president, but also supporters who were sentenced for destroying government buildings in capital Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023, in a riot that mirrored the assault on the U.S. Capitol Hill two years earlier.

Alexandre Knopfholz, a lawyer and legal scholar, told The Associated Press the bill could reduce penalties for crimes committed by crowds, expanding legal benefits for many of those charged with the destruction of government buildings in Brasilia.

Knopfholz added that Bolsonaro “will not be automatically released” even if the new legislation withstands the Supreme Court's likely scrutiny.

The vote hands Lula another significant defeat in Congress months before his bid for a fourth nonconsecutive term. Wednesday evening he had his nominee to a seat in the Supreme Court rejected by the country's Senate, a first in 132 years.

“They want to release Bolsonaro, his jailed generals and stop federal police investigations that implicate them,” said lawmaker Lindberg Farias, a Lula ally. “This is a day of infamy.”

Several lawmakers voting on Thursday spoke on the podium about October's election. Four years ago, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by a narrow margin to return to the presidency. The president's rival in his bid for reelection will be Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of the former president.

“If it is God's will, I will govern this country,” Flávio Bolsonaro said during the vote. “I will hug you and take care of you, no matter what your political view is.”

Lula is yet to make public comments about his defeats in Congress.

Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo, said Thursday's vote was a bad sign for Lula ahead of the election, though he noted that a lot could change in the coming five months, including attention being diverted to the upcoming soccer World Cup.

“This vote is another sign that Bolsonaro is not finished as a political actor, his son will be competitive against Lula," Melo said.

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

The group is led by Grant Gustavson, grandson of B. Wayne Hughes, the founder of Public Storage. The Whitecaps were put up for sale 16 months ago, but no potential buyers had emerged publicly until Thursday.

“In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to the opportunity to share more, however, out of respect for the league’s deliberations and community stakeholders, we are refraining from sharing details of our proposal,” Gustavson said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to work for a positive outcome for the game, the fans, the league and Las Vegas.”

Gustavson said the investment group will privately finance the deal to buy the team and relocate it and it is “not connected to any of the recently announced arena ideas in Las Vegas.”

Major League Soccer has said it would "evaluate all options” for the future of the Whitecaps, including a possible move. The team currently plays at BC Place, which will host seven games of this summer's World Cup. But the league has said the lease situation with the stadium is untenable and would prefer a soccer-specific stadium for the team.

“It’s reaching a critical point,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors in New York.

Garber cited strict schedule restrictions from the government entity that owns and operates the building and an inability to add premium seating.

British Columbia’s government said Tuesday it is working with the Whitecaps to help the team lower costs and generate more revenue at BC Place — but it won’t be buying the team to prevent it from moving cities.

The team's supporters were at Thursday's meeting of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, many waving signs that read “Save the 'Caps.” Posters with the words were plastered across downtown.

Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth, said the team is now using the stadium at no cost, and any breaks that the team received this year could be extended for another year.

“Look, I think we should all be concerned,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said following the congress at the Vancouver Convention Center. “And that goes well before Vegas came into the picture. We've been concerned. We've been working on this for more than a year. We can't control what other groups that have an interest in our team, what they do. All we can do is control our destiny.”

Sim added that the city has identified a site where a new owner could build a stadium and entertainment district without taxpayer dollars. The next step would be a bridge deal with the province.

The Whitecaps and the provincial government — which owns BC Place through the provincial Crown corporation PavCo — signed a one-year lease earlier this year, which annually returns to the club about $1 million to $1.5 million that the province makes from hosting.

Garber has expressed hope the Whitecaps could find a way to remain in Vancouver and said expansion to Las Vegas could also be a possibility. Las Vegas is not necessarily the only city being discussed.

In a statement earlier this week, the Whitecaps said it had “serious conversations with more than 100 parties, and to date, no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here.”

“The club has faced well-documented structural challenges around stadium economics, venue access, and revenue limitations that have made it difficult to attract buyers committed to keeping the team in Vancouver.”

A franchise fee that costs tens of millions of dollars to enter MLS 15 years ago is now worth hundreds of millions. In May 2023, a $500 million expansion fee was paid to secure the league’s 30th team in San Diego.

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

The changes come as FEMA prepares for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season and the FIFA World Cup, both beginning in June.

Fourteen FEMA employees who signed a public letter of dissent last August sounding alarms about the agency's capacity to respond to disasters were told by email Wednesday that an investigation into the matter was closed and they were to return to work Thursday after being on paid administrative leave for eight months, according to two FEMA staff members.

“I feel pretty vindicated, and like we did the right thing,” said Abby McIlraith, a FEMA emergency management specialist who was among the suspended workers. Their reinstatement was first reported by NBC News.

FEMA leadership also told some employees this week that it will be extending certain term-limited employees’ contracts, according to documents seen by The Associated Press, in the midst of extended uncertainty over the future of those positions and a related lawsuit.

The actions are the latest indications that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is moving away from his predecessor Kristi Noem's harsher approach toward FEMA, before she was fired as DHS leader.

Soon after assuming the post, Mullin reversed Noem’s policy that her office approve any DHS expenditure over $100,000 and has released more than $1 billion in backlogged FEMA grants and reimbursements to states, tribes and territories since being sworn in last month.

A FEMA spokesperson told The Associated Press that while it does not comment on specific personnel actions, the agency is taking “targeted steps to stabilize our workforce and strengthen readiness.”

“Under new leadership, FEMA is addressing outstanding personnel actions to ensure workforce stability and a strong, deployable surge force for upcoming national events and potential disasters,” the spokesperson said.

Dissent letter called out controversial policies

The reinstated employees were among over 190 current and former FEMA employees who signed the letter, known as the “Katrina Declaration,” but were the only active employees who included their names.

The statement called out multiple policy decisions by President Donald Trump’s administration that the signatories said risked a catastrophe like the one seen after Hurricane Katrina. It specifically named the $100,000 approval policy, along with DHS' decision to reassign some FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the administration's failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator as stipulated by law, and cuts to grants, training and the FEMA workforce.

The letter also called for FEMA to be taken out from under DHS and restored to a Cabinet-level agency.

One day after its Aug. 25 release, the 14 staffers were put on indefinite paid administrative leave. They were reinstated in early December only to again be placed on leave after one day. A DHS spokesperson at the time blamed “bureaucrats acting outside of their authority” for the reinstatement.

McIlraith, 24, said that experience left her feeling slightly tentative that their reinstatement would be permanent this time. Nonetheless, she was back at work at a FEMA office in Maryland Thursday, waiting to regain access to her work devices. She called her time away “a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

Internal email indicates extensions for some term-limited employees

The expected contract extensions also announced this week will apply to some of FEMA's 10,000 term-limited disaster workers who make up roughly half the agency's staff.

Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees, or CORE, work on two- to four-year assignments, though they traditionally have been routinely renewed, a system that allows the agency to build up and taper down its capacity as needed.

FEMA abruptly stopped renewing some of those CORE employees’ contracts at the start of 2026 as they expired, and extended others only 90 days at a time. An email to some staff this week said COREs with contracts ending between January and May who were previously extended for 90 days “may be reappointed for up to one year,” along with those whose contracts end after May.

The email also said that “eligible” FEMA reservists will be renewed for two years. The 7,000 reservists in the agency's surge workforce have contracts expiring May 2.

“Our readiness directly impacts our ability to help Americans in need,” the email said, “and every employee plays a critical role in meeting these challenges.”

While FEMA has not confirmed whether it will bring back CORE workers who were already dismissed, a FEMA employee who was not authorized to speak to the media and requested anonymity told The Associated Press they knew of at least one CORE who has been called back.

An ongoing lawsuit is challenging the dismissals of hundreds of CORE staff between then and late January, when FEMA paused the nonrenewals.

McIlraith said her apprehensions over FEMA’s future persist as the agency continues operating without a permanent administrator and recovers from the record-long DHS shutdown that ended Thursday.

Trump on Thursday signed a bill that funds all aspects of DHS besides immigration enforcement. The bill will replenish FEMA’s dwindling disaster fund with over $26 billion.

The president has repeatedly criticized FEMA and even threatened to abolish it completely. Next week, the Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council will present its highly anticipated and months-overdue recommendation report. It is expected to propose sweeping changes to the agency.

Click here for more Addressing A4dability coverage.

In St. Augustine, blocks in the historic district are increasingly dominated by vacation rentals, according to locals who say it’s becoming harder to find full-time neighbors.

“That’s an Airbnb…that’s an Airbnb,” resident Mike Warren said while walking through his neighborhood. “A lot of this block is just Airbnbs. You don’t know your neighbors.”

Warren says the trend has accelerated over the past several years, as investors purchased homes to convert into short-term rentals, driving up home prices and limiting housing supply for residents.

“It was increasing [the cost of living],” he said. “Everybody thought they could buy a house and just make a profit out of it.”

Some homeowners have placed signs in their yards to raise awareness, calling for limits on short-term rentals and more protections for local housing.

“It’s an issue,” Warren said.

Business leaders say the impact is now being felt beyond neighborhoods, affecting the local workforce and economy.

“The chamber represents business, and we’re hearing from our business owners that their employees are struggling to find housing,” said Scott Maynard with the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce.

Across St. Johns County, essential workers like teachers, nurses, law enforcement officers and service industry employees are increasingly unable to afford to live where they work.

One worker shared with the chamber that they hold two jobs but still can’t find housing locally, forcing many to move to neighboring counties and commute.

Maynard said that the daily commute is contributing to another growing issue: traffic.

“About 42,000 people a day are coming from outside of our county into our county to work,” he said. “If they could afford to live here, that would be less traffic on the road.”

In response, the chamber has launched the Attainable Housing Coalition, aimed at pushing policy changes to expand housing options within reach for working families.

Leaders say solving the crisis will require a combination of strategies — including building housing closer to jobs, long-term planning for growth, and changes to zoning and development policies.

“This is not a one-solution problem,” Maynard said. “It takes government agencies, public and private sector investment, and planning.”

Even then, affordability remains relative in a high-cost market. With average home prices topping $550,000 in the county, officials say so-called “attainable” housing may still fall in the $300,000 to $400,000 range.

As local leaders weigh growth and tourism against livability, the question remains of how to preserve what draws people to St. Augustine without pushing out the people who call it home.

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

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

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

McGrew testified she was diagnosed with psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder when she was Baker Acted before the murder.

Watch her full testimony below:

McGrew said she hit Woodley multiple times with a hammer after she lured him to her apartment by saying she wanted to have sex. McGrew said it wasn’t her plan to have sex or to kill Woodley, but instead to collect evidence of his alleged abuse that could be used against him.

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

Woodley’s mother spoke on behalf of her son.

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

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

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

According to her arrest report, Jacksonville police were called to the Cross Creek Apartment complex on July 2 about a dispute. When officers arrived, they found Woodley suffering from what appeared to be blunt force trauma to his head and face. Woodley was lying on the ground in front of McGrew’s apartment.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

McGrew originally pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. She later changed her plea to guilty in December 2025.

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

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

McGrew was not sentenced Thursday.

The judge decided to postpone the sentencing due to time constraints and set another hearing for Monday to determine the final sentencing date.

During the 75-day partial shutdown, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund fell from about $9 billion to about $3 billion in roughly two months, forcing the agency to restrict spending and focus on what it calls “Immediate Needs Funding.”

That approach prioritizes lifesaving and life-sustaining work, along with critical, ongoing disaster obligations. Other, non-urgent recovery work can be delayed or paused.

News4JAX political analyst Rick Mullaney said the shutdown exposed vulnerabilities and created significant risk.

“Like most Americans, I’m very pleased that they’ve resolved this,” Mullaney said.

In Brantley County, Georgia, wildfire victims have been waiting to learn whether additional FEMA assistance would be available as recovery begins. Georgia officials, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Sen. Raphael Warnock, have pushed for more federal help.

Mullaney said it may take months or longer for FEMA and other agencies to fully recover from the shutdown’s disruption, but he hopes future shutdowns can be avoided.

“I don’t think they’re good public policy and they hurt the public,” Mullaney said.

President Donald Trump is expected to sign bipartisan legislation funding FEMA, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, the Secret Service and federal cybersecurity efforts.

The three-foot-wide (1 meter) Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels (87,400 cubic meters) of oil a day from Canada through Montana and Wyoming, where it would link with another pipeline.

The pipeline needs additional state and federal environmental approvals before construction, which company officials expect to start next year. Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries that the pipeline could break and spill.

At peak volume, the 650-mile (1,050-kilometer) pipeline would move two-thirds as much oil as the better-known Keystone XL pipeline that got partially built before President Joe Biden, citing climate change, canceled its permit on the day he took office in 2021.

“Slightly different from the last administration. They wouldn’t sign a pipeline deal. And we have pipelines going up,” Trump said after signing his approval for it to cross the border between Saskatchewan and northeastern Montana.

Trump in his first term approved the Keystone XL project in 2020 despite concerns from Native American tribes about possible spills and environmental groups about fossil fuels' contribution to climate change. Its cancellation by Biden frustrated Canadian officials, including Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, after Alberta invested more than $1 billion in the project.

Sometimes called “Keystone Light," the Bridger Pipeline Expansion would not cross any Native American reservations.

More than 70% would be built within existing pipeline corridors and 80% on private land, Bridger Pipeline LLC said in a statement. The line would carry various grades of crude, including from Canada's oil sands region, to be exported or refined in the U.S., company spokesperson Bill Salvin said.

The permit from Trump also authorizes other petroleum products including gasoline, kerosene, diesel and liquified petroleum gas. Salvin said including those fuels keeps the company's options open, but it remains focused for now on crude oil.

Bridger Pipeline could avoid a reversal by a future administration if it’s able to complete its project before Trump leaves office. It hopes to start construction in the fall of 2027 and finish it by late 2028 or early 2029, Bridger spokesperson Bill Salvin said.

Trump’s term ends Jan. 20, 2029.

Bridger Pipeline and other subsidiaries of True Company have been responsible for several major pipeline accidents including more than 50,000 gallons (240,000 liters) of crude that spilled into the Yellowstone River and fouled a Montana city’s drinking water supply in 2015, a 45,000-gallon diesel spill in Wyoming in 2022 and a 2016 spill that released more than 600,000 gallons (2.7 million liters) of crude in North Dakota, contaminating the Little Missouri River and a tributary.

Subsidiaries of True agreed to pay a $12.5 million civil penalty to settle a federal lawsuit over the North Dakota and Montana spills.

Salvin said Bridger Pipeline in the years since the Yellowstone spill developed an AI-based leak detection system that allows it to be notified more quickly when there are problems. It also plans to bore 30 to 40 feet (9 to 12 meters) beneath major rivers including the Yellowstone and Missouri to reduce the chances of an accident. The 2015 accident occurred on a line that was constructed in a shallow trench at the bottom of the river.

“We designed the pipeline with integrity and safety in mind. We have emergency response plans should something happen where oil happens to get out of the line, which is fairly rare,” Salvin said.

The Casper, Wyoming-based company operates more than 3,700 miles (5,950 kilometers) of gathering and transmission pipelines in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana and the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

Environmental groups opposed to the project include the Montana Environmental Information Center and WildEarth Guardians.

“The biggest concern we see right now is the concern inherent in all pipeline projects which is the risk of spills,” said attorney Jenny Harbine with the environmental law firm Earthjustice. “Pipelines rupture and leak. It’s just a fact of pipelines.”

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Eight officers were treated for minor injuries — including burns and at least one head laceration — after the blast, and all of the people who were inside the building have been accounted for, though several were taken to a hospital, police said.

Police body camera video of the explosion shows officers about to enter a small home in Queens before 3 a.m., and just as one starts to open the door, a huge blast erupts, blowing out windows and knocking officers back across a yard and into a gate. The officers can then been seen scrambling to recover through debris as smoke billows out of the house, checking on each other to see if anyone had been hurt.

“You guys good?” one of the officers can be heard saying.

The video then cuts to about a minute later and shows an officer helping two young children out of the home as a handful of other people come staggering out of the house.

“I want to be clear: We got very lucky today, alright," Assistant Chief Christopher McIntosh of the New York Police Department said at a news briefing hours later. "This could have turned out really differently.”

“Thankfully, today, luck was on their side,” he said of the officers.

McIntosh said the man who prompted the initial call arrived at the home intoxicated and carrying a knife and two garbage bags filled with canisters containing an “unknown substance." He pushed in an air conditioning unit to get into a basement apartment where his wife, daughter and two grandchildren live.

They were eventually able to flee from the building and officers arrived shortly after that. The man is unaccounted for, McIntosh said.

The home collapsed after the explosion, authorities said. Neighboring homes were also damaged.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced earlier this month he will be stepping down from the role, with Apple’s head of hardware engineering, John Ternus, assuming the role later this year.

The January-March results announced Thursday reflect the continued momentum of iPhone sales. Cook said in a statement that it was the company's best March quarter ever, with "double-digit growth across every geographic segment."

The company earned $29.58 billion, or $2.01 per share, in the January-March period, up about 22% from the same period a year earlier.

Revenue rose about 17% to $111.18 billion from $95.36 billion a year earlier. iPhone sales made up the bulk of revenue, bringing in $56.99 billion.

The Cupertino, California company beat analyst expectations this quarter. Analysts surveyed by FactSet Research forecast earnings of $1.95 per share on revenue of $109.46 billion.

In the previous quarter that ended in December, the company said it reached record-high iPhone sales, even though it still hasn’t delivered on its long-promised revamp of Siri assistance with AI. iPhone achieved a March quarter revenue record, fueled by strong demand for the iPhone 17 lineup.

This March, Apple introduced the new iPhone 17e and the MacBook Neo, an entry-level laptop, the company’s most aggressive attempts at moving into the affordable market.

High demand has caused supply constraints, Cook said on a conference call with analysts Thursday. Those constraints have been driven by the availability of the advanced technology used to form what is essentially a device's brain. In the current quarter that runs through June, supply constraints will affect several Mac models, in part because the “customer response to Mac Neo has just been off the charts” with higher-than-expected demand, Cook added.

The company also saw higher memory costs in the recent quarter and expects “significantly higher” memory costs moving forward, Cook said, telling analysts that beyond the current quarter, “we believe memory costs will drive an increasing impact on our business, and we’ll continue to evaluate this.”

“Apple showed that even the best operators can’t fully escape the memory squeeze,” said Jake Behan, Direxion’s head of capital markets, in a statement. “Tim Cook’s warning of ‘significantly higher’ costs in the coming quarters tells you how real the AI-driven supply crunch has become for the entire industry.”

Cook did follow up on the Siri promise, saying that Apple will bring “a more personalized Siri” to users this year, but did not elaborate on timing. He also teased new software and developer tools and AI advancements. Apple's systems deliver “intelligence that is fast, personal and private,” Cook said. “This is not AI as a standalone feature, but AI is an essential, intuitive part of the experience across our devices.”

Cook has helmed Apple for 15 years, inheriting the CEO role from the late Steve Jobs. During his tenure at the head of the company, the company’s market value soared by more than $3.6 trillion during an iPhone-fueled era of prosperity.

Ternus will start as CEO on Sept. 1, and Cook will remain involved with the Cupertino, California company as executive chairman.

Ternus briefly joined a call with analysts after the results were posted Thursday, with Cook introducing him and emphasizing the confidence he has in his successor. Cook said he and Ternus will be working together closely over the next few months to make the transition as smooth as possible.

“This is the most exciting time in my 25 year career at Apple to be building products and services,” Ternus said. “There are so many opportunities before us, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about what’s to come.”

Most of the rain today is focused in Georgia, especially around Brantley County, but it’s coming our way.

That’s great news if you’ve been hoping for relief from drought conditions, and I know a lot of us have.

You can expect totals between 1 and 3 inches, especially in areas where those locally heavy thunderstorms pop up.

Rain chances will go from about 30% today up to 80% by Saturday. After the weekend, we should see rain chances drop as drier air works in from the north.

Today’s conditions and fire risk

This morning, rain has mostly stayed north of the coast, leaving Jacksonville and the beaches clear for now. It won’t stay that way for long.

Wind gusts, running from about 11 to 18 mph in some spots, are something I’m watching closely. Not just for how they move storms, but because they drive those wildfires we’ve all been worried about.

Smoke from these fires can be tough on anyone with heart or lung issues, so it’s always worth checking the latest updates.

Cooler temps ahead after the rain

Today’s high is expected to reach 85 degrees, so we’re starting above average—but cooler air is likely right behind the rain. Weekend highs could dip to about 81 degrees on Saturday, then even cooler with temperatures in the 70s on Sunday.

By Monday and Tuesday, we dry out and start to warm up again, heading back into the 80s with plenty of sunshine in the forecast.

Your weekend at a glance

Saturday brings the best chance for widespread rain, so if you need to walk the dog or plan outdoor time, try to grab a window early in the day or be ready with that umbrella!

Looking past the weekend, we’ll ease back into a sunnier, drier pattern—but keep watching The Weather Authority for any updates in case forecast details shift.

We want to see your weather photos!

Been waiting for that first big rainfall? Snap a photo of those stormy skies, puddles, or rainbow views and share them with your neighbors! Upload your pics at SnapJAX.

The quick action after weeks of political blame brought an abrupt end to the months-long standoff that began after Trump’s deadly immigration crackdown in Minneapolis launched a reckoning on Capitol Hill over the funding for the president’s agenda.

DHS has been without routine funds since Feb. 14, causing hardship for workers, though many of the immigration enforcement operations were able to keep running with separate funding sources. The White House had warned that temporary funding Trump had tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other agency personnel would “soon run out.” Some employees risked missed paychecks in May.

“It is about damn time,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who proposed the bipartisan bill more than 70 days ago.

The House swiftly voted by voice earlier Thursday, without a formal roll call, to pass the measure.

The movement in Congress comes as DHS is under intense scrutiny after Trump ousted Kristi Noem as the department's leader, installing Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin in the middle of the shutdown. The agency counts some 260,000 employees, across TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA and other operations.

Many workers have endured repeated turmoil with potential furloughs and pay lapses as the congressional stalemate dragged on. This shutdown came on the heels of last year's governmentwide closure, which itself had set a record at 43 days. Countless employees have struggled with bills or simply quit their jobs.

Trump's deportation strategy fueled the dispute

In the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, by federal agents during protests against the immigration actions in Minneapolis, Democrats refused to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol without changes to those operations.

At the same time, Republicans would not go along with a plan pushed by Democrats to fund TSA and the other parts of DHS without the money for ICE and Border Patrol. They insisted that immigration operations must not be zeroed out.

After the shutdown intensified, with hourslong lines at airport security screening, the Senate unanimously approved the bipartisan package without the immigration-related funds in a middle-of-the-night vote a month ago. Then the bill languished in the House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., himself had called the legislation a “joke.”

To break the impasse, Republican leaders in both the House and Senate decided to tackle the immigration enforcement funding on their own through what is called budget reconciliation, a cumbersome weekslong process ahead.

By beginning that path with a separate vote late Wednesday night, adopting a GOP budget resolution to eventually provide $70 billion for immigration and deportation operations for the remainder of Trump's term in 2029, Johnson was able to unlock the broader bipartisan bill for the rest of DHS.

Johnson acknowledged Thursday that while he had trashed the bipartisan bill before, the new budget process ensure that the immigration enforcement money eventually will flow “with no crazy Democrat reforms.”

“We threw a fit,” the speaker said. “We had to.”

But not all Republicans were pleased. During the quick floor action Thursday, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said isolating the immigration-related money on a separate track is “offensive to the men and women who serve in ICE and Border Patrol, and are serving this country every single day.”

White House warned paychecks were at risk, again

The White House had urged Congress this week to act, warning that the money Trump tapped to temporarily pay TSA and other workers through executive actions was drying up.

Immigration enforcement workers have largely been paid through the flush of new cash — some $170 billion — that Congress approved as part of Trump’s tax cuts bill last year. Others, including at the TSA, have had to rely on Trump’s intervention through executive action to ensure their paychecks. Most of its employees are considered essential and have remained on the job.

But with salaries topping a combined $1.6 billion every two weeks, Mullin said recently that the money was dwindling.

On Thursday, he said in a social media post that the shutdown "NEVER should have happened."

More than 1,000 TSA officers have quit since the shutdown began, according to Airlines for America, the U.S. airlines trade group that on Wednesday called on Congress to fully fund the Cabinet department.

Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said while workers are "pleased that Congress finally stepped up to do their jobs and fund DHS, it is unacceptable that it took them this long to do so.”

He said "federal employees are not political pawns. They are not leverage. They are Americans -– and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Complicated budget strategy ahead

The go-it-alone strategy under the budget resolution process is the same that was used last year to approve Trump’s tax cuts bill, which all Democrats opposed.

With the budget resolution now adopted by the House and Senate, lawmakers will next draft the actual $70 billion ICE and Border Patrol funding bill, with voting expected in May.

Trump has said he wants it on his desk by June 1.

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Associated Press writer Rio Yamat in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

A tantalizing tripleheader of Game 6 action begins with the Tampa Bay Lightning's visit to the Canadiens and the Sabres' trip to Boston, followed by the Golden Knights visiting the Utah Mammoth in the nightcap.

While the Knights have had a wealth of postseason success — more than their share, most of their opponents would say — during their first nine seasons in the NHL, the Mammoth will look to stay alive for their first playoff series victory since moving to Salt Lake City last season.

Meanwhile, a series-clinching win would be nothing less than monumental for the Canadiens and the Sabres, whose hockey-hungry markets would love to see the second round again.

No fan base in the league has been hungrier for longer than Buffalo, which went 14 years without seeing a playoff game before these Sabres won their first Atlantic Division title this spring.

They've got an even bigger step to take now, however — learning to close out a playoff series. The Sabres barely failed in their first chance Tuesday, losing Game 5 at home in overtime to the resilient Bruins.

Then again, Buffalo’s lineup didn’t have a lot of experience, with just 10 players having previously appeared in an outing with a chance to eliminate an opponent.

“We trusted the process to get to this point,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “You’ve got to continue to trust it. It’s a team (that for) a whole year has won together and lost together, but embrace this moment -- and somebody for us is going to be a big time player. I can’t tell you who that is, but somebody will."

Buffalo’s power play continues to sputter: Rasmus Dahlin’s goal in Game 5 was the Sabres' first with the man advantage in 18 opportunities this series. Buffalo enters Game 6 having converted one of 20 power-play chances against Boston after going 0-for-22 to close the regular season.

The Sabres' last playoff series victory was in the second round in 2007 against the New York Rangers.

Vegas Golden Knights at Utah Mammoth

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Friday, 10 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Golden Knights lead 3-2.

The Golden Knights are one victory away from advancing because of … special teams?

Vegas’ power play has remained a confounding problem for coach John Tortorella, who has tinkered with the first and second units to find some kind of answer for one of the NHL's best groups in the regular season.

But special teams carried Vegas in Wednesday night’s 5-4 double-overtime victory over the Mammoth. The first of Pavel Dorofeyev’s three goals came with the man advantage, and he forced OT with a six-on-five goal with 52.7 seconds left in regulation before Brett Howden’s short-handed winner.

The Golden Knights also killed all five of Utah’s power plays. The Mammoth have converted just one of 14 power plays this series.

“It really came up big for us tonight,” Tortorella said of the penalty kill. “It’s a skilled team, a very dangerous power play, really big in OT as far as the kill. It’s steadied itself. Utah gets a lot of momentum off their power play whether they score or not. I think we’ve done a better job as the series has gone on.”

The Golden Knights still need to find their own way on the power play. Dorofeyev’s first goal ended a drought of 13 power plays without scoring, and they are just 3 of 18 for the series.

Which makes it even remarkable Vegas is ahead. According to OptaSTATS, 29 teams have trailed in the third period of each of the first five games of a series, including the Golden Knights in this one. The other 28 teams trailed after five games or had been eliminated.

Not Vegas.

But it also gives the Mammoth plenty of hope as they try to stave off elimination. They have been right there, losing back-to-back games in overtime, or the Mammoth would already be preparing to face Anaheim or Edmonton in the second round.

“We’re a confident group and we believe in one another and our team,” Mammoth captain Clayton Keller said. “These are the most fun games to be a part of. Down 3-2, we get to go home and play in front of our fans. I’m fired up for that.”

Buffalo Sabres at Boston Bruins

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Sabres lead 3-2.

David Pastrnak’s breakaway goal 9:14 into overtime sealed a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night to keep the Bruins’ season alive.

They’re now back in TD Garden to try to do it again, but it hasn’t exactly been a haven in this series: The Bruins were outscored 9-2 in their home losses in Games 3 and 4.

It’s why coach Marco Sturm said the dramatic Game 5 victory doesn’t make them feel like they've cracked the code against Buffalo, even after some schematic changes that went Boston’s way.

The Bruins were 29-11-1 at home during the regular season.

“(Being home) should elevate your game,” Sturm said. “We’re against the wall, so home or away I see it more like we have to bring our A-game. Otherwise we go home, so we’re going to approach it that way. It’s a one-game mission again.”

Buffalo will be down one of its key contributors in this series as it looks to clinch its first playoff series victory since eliminating the New York Rangers in six games of a 2007 second-round series.

Rookie forward Noah Ostlund went down with a lower-body injury in the first period on Tuesday.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff didn’t reveal what the injury was, but said, “it doesn’t look good.” Ostlund had just returned to the lineup from an upper-body injury in Game 3, in which he had a goal and assist.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Friday, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN2).

Series: Canadiens lead 3-2.

This series has been an absolute thriller, with five consecutive one-goal victories, three overtimes and a host of late-game heroics by both clubs. Montreal is one win away from its first playoff advancement in five years, and the Bell Centre will be appropriately frenzied.

The Habs got immediate help in Game 5 from Brendan Gallagher, who scored a goal in his first appearance of the series following four scratches. The veteran's grit and toughness around the net exemplified the way coach Martin St. Louis wants his players to approach the playoff-tested Lightning.

Tampa Bay is one loss away from its fourth consecutive first-round playoff exit, but coach Jon Cooper's club can build on its gritty Game 4 victory in Montreal when it faces down the hostile crowd once again.

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AP Sports Writers John Wawrow, Mark Anderson and Kyle Hightower contributed to this report.

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

Jessica Mann straightforwardly answered questions about the missive, in which she described becoming “emotionally attached” to someone and wanting a loving partnership. Weinstein’s defense pointed out that she wrote nothing about having allegedly been raped.

Court wrapped up for the day, about 45 minutes earlier than planned. Mann is due back Friday for a fifth day.

Thursday's early end came after questions turned to the alleged assault in a Manhattan hotel room, and Mann said she was feeling “spacey” from the difficulty of testifying. The court took a break, but soon after Mann returned, she said she felt “dissociated” and sensed she wasn’t hearing properly because of stress. The 40-year-old later told the judge she hadn’t gotten much sleep.

It's the third time Mann has testified against Weinstein, 73. He was initially convicted in 2020, but an appeals court overturned that verdict for reasons unrelated to her testimony. The jury at his first retrial, last year, didn't decide the rape charge.

Mann, a hairstylist and actor, has acknowledged the two had a consensual, on-again-off-again sexual relationship. She alleges it degenerated into rape in New York in March 2013 and again some months later in Beverly Hills, California. Weinstein has never been charged with any crime related to the California allegation.

“He just treated me like he owned me,” Mann told jurors this week.

Weinstein’s lawyers maintain that everything that happened between the two was consensual and part of a supportive, caring relationship. They say Mann benefited from associating with an Oscar-winning producer, only later accusing him after allegations about him powered the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. He denies sexually assaulting anyone.

The sketchy, journal-like note that came up in court Thursday was written on March 20, 2013. Mann had just returned to her Los Angeles home from New York, where she says Weinstein forced himself on her. She had gone on to see him socially, at one point marking his March 19 birthday by having tea with him and his daughter.

In the missive, Mann mused about budding feelings of attachment in a nonexclusive relationship with a man she didn't name. She reflected on how she wanted a mutual and loving relationship and said her feelings toward the unnamed man were creating inner conflict for her. She talked about questioning the “woulds and would nots” she had set for herself.

After describing fears of rejection, and being a “'bad' person,” she appealed for God's guidance.

“I know that I was struggling with some of the decisions I was making that were different than what I was raised with,” Mann explained in court, adding that there was “a lot going on at this time in my life."

Emphasizing a passage about seeking love and freedom, she testified that “I was feeling very controlled.”

Through questions, Weinstein attorney Teny Geragos suggested that the note reflected Mann's feelings about being involved with the then-married Weinstein.

It's been clear through three trials that those feelings were complicated.

Mann testified Wednesday that despite the alleged rape, she loved “a part of him” because Weinstein could be kind and encouraging about her personal struggles and professional dreams, and that the two had “some pretty human moments” together.

“What did he do for you that made parts of you really love him?” Geragos asked.

“It was the validation,” Mann said.

When Geragos went on to ask about the “human moments," Mann said she once slapped Weinstein, thinking he was inviting it as sex play, but that he later told her, “Jess, that's not you.”

“So when you were talking about the validation that you received … and the human moments that you shared with Harvey, it was that you slapped him?” Geragos asked.

Mann said she instead was referring to his remark that “that's not you.”

Mann and Weinstein met at a Los Angeles-area party around early 2013. At the time, she was a financially struggling but aspiring to make it big in show business.

The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to be named, as Mann has done.